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US Chess Championship, 2011 - (Accelerated Dragon) GM Larry Christiansen Vs GM Alexander Shabalov

1,694 views · Published 21 April 2011 · 12:22 · Indexed 4 November 2026

Channel: ChessGames · 2011 · Education

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Shabalov took the opening into an Accelerated Dragon after Christiansen played a somewhat strange move order with e4 and nc3.  

Larry Christiansen castled kingside and played for a slow, positional grind (possibly trying to avoid a trap in Shabalov's preparation).  

Alexander Shabalov was unable to generate sufficient counterplay, and fell victim to a very nice tactical shot at 19. E5!.  

This changed the game drastically, leaving Shabalov with a bad bishop versus LarryC's excellently centralized knight. 

Larry Christiansen went on to win a solid game, no doubt aided by Shabalov's time-trouble towards the end of the game.

Final standings

Group A

1 GM Kamsky, Gata 2733 x ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 5.0
2 GM Shulman, Yuri 2622 ½ x ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 4.5
3 GM Robson, Ray 2522 ½ ½ x 1 ½ ½ 1 0 4.0
4 GM Ivanov, Alexander 2540 ½ 0 0 x 1 ½ ½ 1 3.5
5 GM Akobian, Varuzhan 2611 0 ½ ½ 0 x ½ 1 ½ 3.0
6 GM Ehlvest, Jaan 2586 0 0 ½ ½ ½ x 1 ½ 3.0
7 GM Stripunsky, Alexander 2578 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 0 x 1 2.5
8 IM Naroditsky, Daniel 2438 0 ½ 1 0 ½ ½ 0 x 2.5

Group B

1 GM Hess, Robert L 2565 x 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ 5.5
2 GM Onischuk, Alexander 2678 0 x ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 4.0
3 IM Shankland, Samuel L 2512 ½ ½ x ½ 0 1 1 ½ 4.0
4 GM Seirawan, Yasser 2636 ½ ½ ½ x ½ ½ 0 1 3.5
5 GM Shabalov, Alexander 2590 0 ½ 1 ½ x 0 0 1 3.0
6 GM Kaidanov, Gregory S 2569 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 x 1 0 3.0
7 GM Christiansen, Larry M 2586 0 0 0 1 1 0 x ½ 2.5
8 GM Finegold, Benjamin 2500 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 1 ½ x 2.5

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