Two national champions were crowned on Sunday, July 25, as GM Hans Niemann and IM Annie Wang clinched victories in the 2021 U.S. Junior Championships, both winning $10,000 scholarships in addition to the first-place prize. With their victories, Hans and Annie qualified for the 2022 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women’s Championship.
Each event featured a 10-player round-robin format, with a time control of 90 minutes for 40 moves, followed by an additional 30 minutes with a 30-second increment added from move one.
After the loss in the penultimate round to IM Christopher Yoo, GM Hans Niemann (pictured below) started the final round just half a point ahead of his nearest rivals GM Brandon Jacobson, IM Praveen Balakrishnan, and IM David Brodsky. Playing White against Jacobson, Niemann utilized a safe line in the English Opening and stood better for most of the game, though missed some chances to secure a large advantage.
Meanwhile, IMs Brodsky and Balakrishnan faced each other, both needing to win in order to possibly tie for first and force a playoff tiebreak. It was Balakrishnan who had the better position in the middlegame, as he built up a strong attack against White’s king, but Brodsky defended well, and the game eventually petered out into a draw by repetition, with neither player being able to push for a win.
Once Brodsky and Balakrishnan agreed to a draw, Niemann forced a draw in an equal rook endgame against Jacobson, securing first place in the tournament and clinching the title.
In the U.S. Girls’ Junior, IM Annie Wang (pictured below) just needed a draw in her final game to clinch the title, and was paired against her main rival WCM Ruiyang Yan, who going into the round was a full point behind.
Annie prepared well for her opponent’s Ragozin Defense, essaying a drawish variation that left her with virtually zero losing chances. After trading into an endgame in which only White could play for the win, Ruiyang offered a draw in a slightly worse position, giving Annie clear first place in the event.
Text: IM Kostya Kavutskiy
Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Crystal Fuller