Hikaru Nakamura has won the US Championship in convincing style with 8/11, ahead of Ray Robson and Wesley So. Things might have turned out differently had So not been disqualified after just six moves of his game against Akobian. These moves were: 1 d4 e6 2 c4 d5 3 Nc3 c5 4 cxd5 exd5 5 Nf3 Nc6 6 dxc5. Apparently, Akobian complained to the arbiters that Wesley So, the most promising grandmaster ever to emerge from the Philippines and currently ranked no. 8 in the world, had been scribbling notes to himself during the opening phase of the game. Since the opening is well known these notes could have had nothing to do with the position. But it is illegal to write notes during the game and So had been warned about this during an earlier encounter. The arbiter therefore took the decision to default So.

It is extremely irritating to have one’s concentration disturbed by opponents who scribble things down during the game, as I can testify. Having said this, I feel that it would have been more sensible to impose a fine as a deterrent, rather than default one of the leading contenders for the title.

Undeterred, So bounced back by scoring 2½ points from his first three games in his next tournament, the powerful Gashimov Memorial, sharing the initial lead with world champion Magnus Carlsen.

Carlsen-Mamedyarov: Gashimov Memorial, Shamkir 2015 (see diagram 1)

Carlsen now conceived the plan of advancing his d-pawn to accentuate the power of his bishop on a3 and knight on c4. 16 d5 Rc8 17 d6 Now 17 … Bf6 18 dxe7 Bxe7 19 Nd6 is very strong for White so Black has to allow the creation of a monster passed pawn at d6. 17 … e6 18 b4 axb4 19 Bxb4 Bd5 20 a5 bxa5 21 Bxa5 Qe8 22 Qa4 Bc6 23 Qb4 Rb8 24 Nb6 Ne5 This is a blunder. Black’s only chance was 24 … Nxb6 25 Bxb6 Qd7 although White is much better. 25 Qc5 Ba8 26 Bc3 Nd7 27 Bxg7+ Kxg7 28 Nxd7 Qxd7 29 Qe5+ Black resigns 30 Rc7 is coming.

So-Giri: Gashimov Memorial, Shamkir 2015

(see diagram 2)

Although White has lost the right to castle, it is, in fact, the black king which is more vulnerable as So quickly demonstrates. 18 h4 axb4 19 axb4 Nd7 20 h5 Nf6 21 c5 b6 22 hxg6 fxg6 23 Qe3 Qe7 24 Bc4 This pin, combined with the general weakness of the black kingside, renders his position hopeless. 24 … bxc5 25 b5 Not 25 bxc5 when 25 … Ba6 gives Black a degree of relief. 25 … Rb8 26 Re1 Rb6 27 Na4 Rd6 28 Nxc5 White’s pin leads to a decisive material gain. 28 … Ng4 29 Qe4 Nxf2 30 Kxf2 Rd2+ 31 Kg3 Rxf3+ 32 gxf3 Black resigns