On September 16, 2004 (Mexican Indepence Day we note, irrelevantly), Irina Krush of the USA played a two-game rapid match against Almira Skripchenko of France in New York City. The venue was the Russian Samovar restaurant in the Theater District. Krush won to go on to play Zhu Chen in Times Square in the "Accoona Women's World Championship." Four months earlier, on May 14, 2004, both players attended a press conference and photo-op at the restaurant. Here's a nice pic of IM Krush that didn't run in my report on the press conference, to which I arrived a bit late.
To my knowledge, Krush is the only player who will represent the USA at the 2006 FIDE Women's World Championship starting on March 10 in Ekaterinburg. (Abrahamyan is also listed, however, although I thought she had confirmed to play in the US Championship instead.)
It is great that she is going. It will make the event much more interesting. I hope she does well she is one of my favorite players.
I had heard she was studying or some other such sillyness instead of chess. Any idea how much time she has been spending on chess lately?
It’s looking well for the weaker qualifiers. With Polgar, Krush and possibly Shahade out; third, fourth maybe second place is open.
Shahade is out. Yes, Goletiani and Zatonskih (hardly weaker) are well positioned at the US Championship. But the middle of a swiss is terribly random, as we've seen just about every year.
We'll miss Krush in San Diego, but the world championship is the world championship. She was the only American to make it out of the first round last time, in 2004, although she was eliminated in the second round.
Irena is one of my favorite chess players also. She is absolutely superb in some games. She is a very exciting player.
I love the picture of her. Very nice and dignified. It comes out so well.
sorry I have a misspelling.
correct is Irina not the error I made.
sorry Irina. You are the best.
How long before Battsegtseg can play for the US?
Was Krush born here?
Are Americans still just ok and disinterested at chess?
While not rigorous, I once removed all the foreign sounding names for the male top 100. It turned into the mid 20 something.
I not xenophobic; just third or more generations Americans are good but not chart leaders.
Dear Robert,
Irina was born in the Ukraine but she came to the US at around 5 and she learned chess in this country. Therefore, you can say that she is homegrown.
Best wishes,
Susan Polgar
www.SusanPolgar.blogspot.com
www.PolgarChess.com
All this talk of where players were born is silly. It is where they end up that is important.
Coincedentally, this is the view shared by that great Icelandic chess player, R.J. Fischer.
Peace...
I agree that sometimes the discussion about where players were born is ridiculous, as though there is something magical to being born in one country as opposed to another, something special in the water that helps them to become good players. If one learns the game and develops strong abilities in one place and only then moves to a new location, then it can more easily be argued that this person's success is in spite of locale rather than because of it. In the case of Irina, Hikaru, Yasser, etc., pointing out that they were not born in the US for the purpose of discrediting US chess is just foolishness, though.
Hotep,
Maliq
Wow, this has really gone further than my question intended. I was just asking at what point a citizen of a foreign country could play for the US. Recently we can use all the help we can get!
Maliq,
It is not 'just foolishness' to discuss where such chess players were born, and it does not imply anything about the properties of the water. It has to do with mainstream American culture, and the likelihood of a strong chess player coming out of that culture. For example, Irina Krush may well, in an immigrant family, have grown up with greater family respect for chess. She may have access through travel to her parents home town to coaching opportunities, etc.
In Yasser Seirawan's case, yes he does seem to represent 100% American developed chess skill.
What's Irina's favorite 1st move as White? According to the photo, it should be 1.d4
Someone posted that birthplace is not important for chess.
I think it is.
For example, all females born in Georgia, have an inherited talent and predisposition for chess. If willing to work, they will have the advantage (at least the same as the White pieces have).
Birthplace matters.
A fan of Irina Krush: http://www.wtharvey.com/krus.html
At http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasparov_versus_The_World
Irina is quoted as the author of a fantastic opening novelty 10...Qe6! in the 1999 Kasparov vs the World match.
I need to add, that well-known Grandmaster Dragoljub Velimirovic stated then, that he had already played and analyzed Qe6, as Black, far prior to this Internet game. He didn't mind Irina taking the credit for this "novelty", as his game and analysis were unpublished, waiting for new "victims".