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Gata Kamsky
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Hikaru Nakamura
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Gata Kamsky and Hikaru Nakamura are now tied for first place and have yet to play each other. Nakamura is the number one rated player but Kamsky is the current champion. It looks like there is a nice match up in store.
Today however Kamsky took on the Caro Kann. The Caro has the reputation of being extremely solid – but passive. Kamsky’s style is ideally suited to slowly but surely strangling an opponent, in this case Stripunski, who is passive. The final position (Diagram) tells it all.

For the remaining decisive games from the U.S. Championship and the U.S. Women’s Championship – See Comments
[Event "US Championsip 2012"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2012.05.15"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Ramirez, Alejandro "]
[Black "Kaidanov, Gregory "]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "127"]
[EventDate "2012.05.08"]
[SourceDate "2012.05.15"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. Bg5 Nbd7 6. cxd5 exd5 7. e3 Be7 8.
Bd3 Ne4 9. Bf4 Ndf6 10. h3 O-O 11. Qc2 Re8 12. O-O Bd6 13. Ne5 g6 14. Ne2 Nh5 15. Bh2 f6 16. f3 fxe5 17. fxe4 exd4 18. e5 Bxe5 19. Bxe5 Rxe5 20. Bxg6 Qg5 21. Bxh7+ Kg7 22. Nxd4 Rxe3 23. h4 Qh6 24. Rf2 Ng3 25. Raf1 Nxf1 26. Rxf1 Be6 27. Bf5 Bg8 28. Bc8 Bh7 29. Nf5+ Bxf5 30. Qxf5 Kh8 31. Qd7 Rg3 32. Qxb7 Rg8 33. Bh3 Raf8 34. Rxf8 Rxf8 35. Qxa7 Qc1+ 36. Kh2 Qf4+ 37. Kg1 Qxh4 38. Qe3 Qf4 39. Qe7 Qf6 40. Qc5 Qf1+ 41. Kh2 Qf4+ 42. Kg1 Re8 43. Qf2 Qxf2+ 44. Kxf2 c5 45. Bd7 Re7 46. Bc6 d4 47. Bb5 Kg7 48. a4 Kf6 49. b3 Re3 50. Bc4 Ke5 51. a5 Ke4 52. a6 Rc3 53. a7 Rc2+ 54. Be2 Ra2 55. a8=Q+ Rxa8 56. Bf3+ Kd3 57. Bxa8 Kc2 58. g4 Kxb3 59. g5 c4 60. g6 d3 61. g7 d2 62. Bf3 c3 63. g8=Q+ Kb2 64. Bd1 1-0
[Event "US Championsip 2012"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2012.05.15"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Hess, Robert "]
[Black "Akobian, Varuzhan "]
[Result "0-1"]
[PlyCount "134"]
[EventDate "2012.05.08"]
[SourceDate "2012.05.15"]
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Nbd2 Nd7 6. Nb3 Ne7 7. c3 Bg4 8. h3
Bh5 9. Be3 Nf5 10. Bd3 Nxe3 11. fxe3 f6 12. exf6 gxf6 13. g4 Bf7 14. Qe2 Qc7
15. O-O-O O-O-O 16. Kb1 a5 17. Qc2 e5 18. dxe5 fxe5 19. Bxh7 a4 20. Nbd2 Be7 21. h4 a3 22. Ng5 Bg8 23. Bxg8 Rdxg8 24. Ndf3 e4 25. Nd4 Ne5 26. Nf5 Bxg5 27. hxg5 Rxh1 28. Rxh1 axb2 29. Qxb2 Kb8 30. Rh6 Nc4 31. Qh2 Qxh2 32. Rxh2 Rxg5 33. Rh4 Ne5 34. Nh6 Rg6 35. Kc2 Ka7 36. Kb3 Kb6 37. Kb4 c5+ 38. Kb3 Ka5 39. Rh5 Rb6+ 40. Kc2 Nc4 41. Nf5 Rb2+ 42. Kd1 Rxa2 43. Ke1 Rg2 44. Rg5 Ne5 45. Rg7 b5 46. Ne7 Rxg4 47. Rxg4 Nxg4 48. Nxd5 Ka4 49. Nb6+ Kb3 50. Nd7 Kxc3 51. Nxc5 Nf6 52. Ke2 b4 53. Kd1 Kc4 54. Na4 Kd3 55. Nc5+ Kxe3 56. Kc2 Nd5 57. Kb3 Kf3 58. Kc4 e3 59. Nd3 e2 60. Ne1+ Kf2 61. Nd3+ Ke3 62. Ne1 Nf4 63. Nc2+ Kd2 64. Nd4 Nd3 65. Nf3+ Kc2 66. Nd4+ Kd1 67. Nf3 Ne5+ 0-1
[Event "U.S. Women's Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2012.05.15"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Melekhina, Alisa "]
[Black "Baginskaite, Camilla "]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "2012.04.06"]
[SourceDate "2012.05.15"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nc6 4. O-O Bd7 5. Re1 Nf6 6. c3 a6 7. Bxc6 Bxc6 8.
d4 Bxe4 9. Bg5 Bd5 10. c4 Bxf3 11. Qxf3 cxd4 12. Bxf6 gxf6 13. Qxf6 Rg8 14.
Qxd4 Bg7 15. Qd2 Rc8 16. Na3 Qb6 17. Rab1 Rc5 18. Qe3 Bf6 19. g3 Qc6 20. b3 Re5 21. Qd3 Rh5 22. Nc2 Rg4 23. Nb4 Qc5 24. Qf3 Rgg5 25. Qxf6 Re5 26. Rxe5 dxe5 27. Qh8+ Kd7 28. Rd1+ Ke6 29. Nd3 Qc6 30. Re1 1-0
[Event "U.S. Women's Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2012.05.15"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Zenyuk, Iryna "]
[Black "Zatonskih, Anna "]
[Result "0-1"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[EventDate "2012.04.06"]
[SourceDate "2012.05.15"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5 6. Nf3 c5 7. O-O Nc6 8. a3
Bxc3 9. bxc3 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Qc7 11. Bb2 b6 12. Qe2 e5 13. h3 e4 14. Nd2 Bb7 15. a4 Rfe8 16. Rfd1 Na5 17. Ba2 Bc6 18. Bb1 Qd7 19. Bc2 cxd4 20. cxd4 Bd5 21. Rdc1 Rac8 22. Bd1 Rxc1 23. Rxc1 Rc8 24. Rxc8+ Qxc8 25. Qb5 h6 26. Qb4 Qd7 27. Ba3 Qc8 28. Qb2 Qc6 29. Be7 Ne8 30. Bb4 Nc4 31. Nxc4 Bxc4 32. Qc3 Qd5 33. Bc2 f5 34. Ba3 Kh7 35. Qb4 Nf6 36. Qd6 Qxd6 37. Bxd6 Nd5 38. g4 g6 39. gxf5 gxf5 40. Kg2 a6 41. Bf4 Nxf4+ 42. exf4 Kg6 43. d5 Bxd5 44. Kf1 Bc4+ 45. Ke1 Kh5 46. Kd2 Kh4 47. Kc3 Be6 48. Kd4 Kxh3 49. Bd1 Kg2 50. Ke3 b5 51. axb5 axb5 52. f3 exf3 53. Bxf3+ Kg3 0-1
[Event "U.S. Women's Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2012.05.15"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Abrahamyan, Tatev "]
[Black "Foisor, Sabina "]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "2012.04.06"]
[SourceDate "2012.05.15"]
1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 e5 4. Nf3 Nbd7 5. Bc4 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Re1 c6 8. a4 b6 9. Ba2 a6 10. h3 Rb8 11. Bg5 Re8 12. Qd2 b5 13. Rad1 b4 14. Nb1 Qa5 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Nxe5 dxe5 17. Bb3 Be6 18. Bxe6 fxe6 19. b3 Rf8 20. Qe2 Bc5 21. Nd2 Bd4 22. Nf3 Qc5 23. Rd3 h6 24. Be3 Bxe3 25. Qxe3 Qxc2 26. Rc1 Qb2 27. Rxc6 Rbd8 28. Rxd8 Rxd8 29. Rxe6 Qb1+ 30. Kh2 Nxe4 31. Rxe5 Nf6 32. Qb6 Rd1 33. Qxb4 Rh1+ 34. Kg3 Qg6+ 35. Kf4 Qxg2 36. Qc4+ Kh7 37. Qd3+ Kg8 38. Rc5 Qxh3 39. Qc4+ Kh7 40. Qc2+ Kh8 41. Rc8+ Ng8 42. Qc4 g5+ 43. Ke5 Re1+ 44. Nxe1 Qh2+ 45. Ke4 Qf4+ 46. Kd3 Qf5+ 47. Ke2 1-0
[Event "U.S. Women's Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2012.05.15"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Ni, Viktorija "]
[Black "Kats, Alena "]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "121"]
[EventDate "2012.04.06"]
[SourceDate "2012.05.15"]
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 a6 9. e4 c5 10. d5 e5 11. O-O Bd6 12. b3 O-O 13. a4 c4 14. bxc4 bxc4 15. Bxc4 Qc7 16. Qd3 Nc5 17. Qe2 Bg4 18. Ba2 Rfb8 19. Bg5 Rb4 20. Bxf6 gxf6 21. Qe3 Nb3 22. Bxb3 Rxb3 23. Nb5 Qc2 24. Qd2 Qxd2 25. Nxd2 axb5 26. Nxb3 bxa4 27. Rfc1 Rb8 28. Nc5 a3 29. f3 Rb5 30. fxg4 Bxc5+ 31. Kf1 Kf8 32. Rcb1 Ra5 33. Ke2 Ra4 34. Kf3 Rd4 35. Rb3 Ra4 36. Ra2 Ke7 37. Rb7+ Kf8 38. Rc7 Bd6 39. Rd7 Bc5 40. h4 h6 41. Rc7 Bd6 42. Rc6 Ke7 43. Ke3 Kd7 44. g3 Ke7 45. Kf3 Kd7 46. Rc3 Ke7 47. Re3 Bc5 48. Ree2 Rd4 49. g5 fxg5 50. Kg4 Rd3 51. Rac2 Bd6 52. Rc6 Rb3 53. Ra6 f6 54. Ra7+ Kd8 55. Rc2 Bb8 56. Rh7 gxh4 57. gxh4 Bd6 58. Kf5 Be7 59. d6 Bxd6 60. Ke6 Rb6 61. Rd7+ 1-0