With the 2024 Chess Olympiad in Budapest drawing nearer, we’re persevering with our Olympiad Highlight options. This time we’re celebrating one other outstanding chess nation – the USA.
Dwelling to among the greatest gamers on the planet and among the most promising younger gamers, the US is a chess powerhouse with a splendid historical past and a brilliant future.
From the primary main chess growth in 1972, when a spirited American introduced down the deep-rooted Soviet dominance on the planet championship, to the newer chess growth introduced by the ever-present present The Queen’s Gambit, the USA has remained on the epicenter of global-scale popularization of chess.
On Chessable, the USA is the nation that has produced probably the most authors. In reality, 4 out of 5 of the gamers within the 2024 U.S. olympiad staff are Chessable authors.
Let’s check out among the earliest heroes and largest milestones within the historical past of Chess in the USA!
Paul Morphy
The primary American chess hero thrived within the nineteenth century. Born in 1837, Paul Morphy had an incandescent although comparatively quick chess profession. Having realized to play by watching others, Morphy shortly rose and established dominance within the New Orleans chess scene. Throughout his teen years, he took a hiatus from taking part in chess and as an alternative centered on his school research, acquiring a grasp’s diploma at solely 18 and finishing his legislation research at age 20.
In 1857, and since he didn’t have the minimal age required to follow legislation, Morphy ended up taking part in a chess event in New York: the First American Chess Congress. He gained and have become the USA Chess Champion.
In a while, he traveled to Europe the place he beat the strongest gamers of the previous world together with Adolf Anderssen. Unofficially, Morphy grew to become referred to as the world’s chess champion despite the fact that the title had not been formally created.
Whereas the Opera Sport is his most well-renowned recreation, Morphy’s play was stuffed with attacking magnificence in just about all his video games, reminiscent of this miniature within the King’s Gambit. His opponent was the French grasp Eugène Rousseau, who was one of the best participant in New Orleans on the time. Morphy was solely 12 years previous.
The legacy of Paul Morphy is incontestable. His play was forward of his time and, as described by Garry Kasparov, it outlined among the rules that William Steinitz would systematize 1 / 4 of a century later. Morphy impressed many all over the world, together with his fellow American Robert James Fischer, whom we’ll speak about later.
Wilhelm Steinitz
Born within the Austrian Empire, Wilhelm Steinitz grew to become the primary official world champion in 1886 when he defeated his long-term rival Johannes Zukertort in a match. Steinitz maintained the world title till 1894. What is probably most spectacular about this pioneer is that he amassed 32 years of undefeated match play.
Although Austrian-born, Steinitz moved to New York in his fifties the place he remained till his final day. Enjoyable reality: as a result of Steinitz grew to become a U.S. citizen in 1888, from 1888 to 1900, the World Champion was American!
One in every of Steinitz’ most good video games is his victory over Curt von Bardeleben.
Initially, Steinitz’ romantic, aggressive play earned him the nickname of “Austrian Morphy”. His subsequent swap to a extra positional play laid the groundwork for a extra fashionable understanding of chess. Steinitz is thus thought of the daddy of positional chess.
Frank Marshall
Within the earliest Chess Olympiads, the U.S. gained gold 4 consecutive occasions: 1931, 1933, 1935 and 1937. The staple in every of those groups was Frank Marshall, who was the US Champion from 1909 to 1936.
Marshall was a contender for the World Championship in 1907 when he performed and misplaced to reigning champion Emanuel Lasker. A gambit within the Ruy Lopez and a legendary chess membership in NYC named after him are proof of his lasting affect within the chess neighborhood.
Samuel Reshevsky
You may have most likely seen this picture of a bit of child taking up a number of adults throughout a chess simul. Samuel Reshevsky was a toddler prodigy who migrated from Poland to the USA within the early Twenties. In a while, he grew to become an 8-time U.S. champion and competed in Olympiads representing the nationwide staff a complete of 8 occasions.
Moreover, Reshevsky was a candidate for the World Championship for nearly 3 a long time and have become one of many world’s first grandmasters in 1950.
Robert “Bobby” Fischer
One can not speak about American chess (or chess on the whole) with out mentioning Bobby Fischer.
Like Reshevsky, he was a prodigious youngster and an 8-time U.S. champion. Extra importantly, Fischer made historical past in 1972 when he defeated reigning champion Boris Spassky for the world title. This prowess was extra vital as a result of Soviet gamers had dominated the World Championships for many years. Not surprisingly, this gave rise to the primary chess growth of our period with tens of millions of individuals all over the world taking an curiosity in chess and its younger hero.
Fischer possessed a robust character and an obsessive strategy to learning chess. He learn as many books and magazines as he might come up with – together with Russian-language ones! His taking part in model was imaginative and favored the assault. Equally, off the board, he was not one to shrink back from controversy.
Previous to turning into World Champion, Fischer led the U.S. staff from board one a complete of 4 occasions. Twice, in 1960 and1966, the staff gained a silver medal. And in 1966, Fischer narrowly missed profitable the person gold medal, which ended up with the World Champion Tigran Petrossian.
Though he didn’t defend his title, Fischer’s contributions to chess had been quite a few and his affect was huge. He’s typically considered one of many best chess gamers of all time.
Good video games by these and different legendary gamers from the USA may be discovered within the course US Championship Legends.
With a staggering quantity of grandmasters, homegrown and transplanted, the record of illustrious gamers which have represented the USA with flying colours up to now century is lengthy.
Let’s fast-forward and check out the 2024 Olympiad Groups.
Because the inaugural Olympiad in 1927, the U.S. staff has gained 19 medals within the Open part and a couple of within the Girls’s part.
Medal Board:
| Open | Girls | |
| Gold | 6 | |
| Silver | 6 | 1 |
| Bronze | 8 | 1 |
In recent times, the U.S. staff gained the gold medal on the 2016 Olympiad in Baku. This exceptional success got here 40 years after their final gold medal, on the 1976 Olympiad in Haifa.
U.S. Olympiad Group – Open Part:
Captain: IM John Donaldson
1) GM Fabiano Caruana
2) GM Wesley So
3) GM Leinier Domínguez Pérez
4) GM Levon Aronian
5) GM Ray Robson
U.S. Olympiad Group – Girls’s Part:
Captain: GM Melikset Khachiyan
- GM Irina Krush
- IM Carissa Yip
- IM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova
- IM Alice Lee
- IM Anna Zatonskih
In 2024, the U.S. staff is the top-seeded within the Open part with a median score of 2758 and all gamers flaunting a score of 2700+. Notably, FOUR of the 5 staff members are Chessable authors! The one different Olympiad staff that’s as Chessabler because it will get is the Netherlands, which is 100% composed of Chessable authors.
Board 1: GM Fabiano Caruana
Fabiano Caruana is the third highest-rated participant in historical past. Amongst his many accolades, his first place win on the 2014 Sinquefield Cup stands out. He went undefeated and with a efficiency score of over 3080(!!) amidst one of many strongest fields in fashionable occasions. To place it into perspective, the reigning World Champion Magnus Carlsen acquired second place, 3 factors behind Caruana.
In 2018, the Italian-American grandmaster challenged Magnus for the world title. Whereas all classical video games had been drawn, the Norwegian was victorious within the fast tiebreaks. Caruana stays a fan favourite.
His course Caruana’s Ruy Lopez: Darkish Archangel is an exhaustive repertoire for Black in opposition to the Ruy Lopez opening.
Board 2: GM Wesley So
With a peak score of 2822, Wesley So is likely one of the high gamers within the circuit. In 2019, Wesley grew to become the primary World Champion of Fischer Random chess by defeating none apart from Magnus Carlsen.
His course Lifetime Repertoires: Wesley So’s 1.e4 Half 1 and Half 2 is a whole repertoire for the White items.
Board 3: GM Leinier Domínguez Pérez
Leinier Domínguez was the World Blitz Champion in 2018. In that very same 12 months, the Cuban-American grandmaster was a second for Caruana within the World Championship match in opposition to Carlsen. Additionally in 2018, Domínguez transferred federations and began to symbolize the USA.
In his debut course, The Stylish Semi-Tarrasch Protection, Domínguez presents all of the ins and outs of his trusty weapon in opposition to 1.d4.
Board 4: GM Levon Aronian
Levon Aronian is the 4th highest-rated participant in historical past with a peak score of 2830. This former World Fast and Blitz Champion is likely one of the hottest gamers within the circuit. After years of representing his native Armenia, Aronian modified federations in 2021.
His course Levon Aronian’s Fantastic thing about Chess exemplifies his artistic, out-of-the-box model of play. In it, he analyzes his most good victories throughout his journey from FIDE Grasp to Grandmaster.
Board 5 – GM Ray Robson
On the age of 14 years, 11 months and 16 days, Ray Robson was as soon as the youngest grandmaster within the U.S. Probably the most junior within the staff, Robson is but to turn into a Chessable writer like his teammates!
A Brilliant Future
Within the U.S. each the scholastic and the collegiate chess scenes are fairly outstanding. It’s price noting that the nation homes among the brightest younger stars on the planet, together with however not restricted to GM Abhimanyu Mishra, GM Andy Woodward, GM Cristopher Yoo, IM/WGM Alice Lee, FM Ruiyang Yan, amongst others.
The youngest GM on the planet will not be solely a Chessable writer but in addition an influence person. Mishra imposed a brand new document by incomes the coveted title at 12 years, 4 months and 25 days.
His course Youngest Grandmaster: Abhimanyu Mishra particulars the teachings and most essential video games of his trajectory to the GM title.
Different fan-favorite Chessable authors from the U.S. are GM Ben Finegold, IM John Bartholomew, IM Levy Rozman a.ok.a. Gotham Chess, FM James Canty, FM Nate Solon, WIM Luciana Morales, NM Laura Smith, NM Bryan Tillis and Kamryn Hellman.
Should you’re feeling impressed by all this American chess expertise, it’s a good time – as a result of with Chessable’s huge Olympiad sale, you may rise up to 300 programs on sale at 40% off – together with 100+ by American authors! You should definitely test it out whereas the sale lasts.
