Krush Beats Zatonskih to Win U.S. Women's Chess Championship 2012

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012

Hi everyone,

IM Irina Krush has won both games in the rapid playoff match to become the 2012 U.S. Women's Chess Champion. Playing black, Krush beat defending champion IM Anna Zatonskih in the first encounter, then survived several exceptional blunders to win game two. An emotional Krush ran downstairs after the second game and hugged everyone in sight. Zatonskih and Krush have now alternated wins at the women's championship for the past four years. The duo have won the last seven titles combined, and this was Krush's fourth in her career. Krush wins $18,000 for the title, while Zatonskih pockets $12,000 for second place. You can find a lot of details at the official website of the event.

WGM Jennifer Shahade and GM Ben Finegold offered excellent commentary at the event. 

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