U.S. Chess Championship Facts

U.S. CHAMPIONSHIP FACTS
With a heritage line that includes great legends of the game, no series of tournaments or matches enjoys the same rich history as that of the U.S. Chess Championships.

The first player to be termed, by popular acclaim, “U.S. Champion”, was Charles Stanley in 1845.

The first championship to name a true national champion was New York 1857, won by Paul Morphy. It was only the fourth chess championship ever held.The first “official” U.S. Champion was Jackson Showalter (who is also credited with the invention of the curve ball in baseball) in 1890.

From 1905 through to 1936, the title was decided by a match between the top two players in the country; Frank Marshall holding the title throughout.

The longest gap between title wins is 33 years when Sammy Revshevsky won his first title in 1936 and his last, in 1969.

The first U.S. Women’s Championship was held in 1938 and was won by Gisela Gresser.

The youngest winner of the title at 14 in 1957 was Bobby Fischer. He also holds the record for the most titles won with eight.

The player with the best score is Bobby Fischer, who in 1964 recorded a perfect 11-0.

Here are the round 2 pairings that will be played at 2 am local Malaysian time, Sunday 16 May 2010. GM Nakamura is the top favorite and has won the first round. He will meet GM Hess.