Warren Harper, with the White pieces, just scored an upset win against Ray Robson in the final round. Harper started out with 3 wins. Then he lost the next 5 straight. But he got back his mojo in the last round to stop Robson from defending his title.
Shankland quickly dismantled Holt to catch Robson. Yang is having a tough game against Rosen.
However, Zhao is two pawns up with the Black pieces against Bryant. If Zhao can convert, he will be the new U.S. Junior Champion. However, if Bryant can pull out a draw, there will be at least a 3-way tie for first. Zhao is the master of his own destiny now. The title is his for the taking.
Update: Zhao blundered a Bishop and 2 pawns vs. Knight endgame. The game ended in a draw and there are a 3-way tie for 1st.
On the women’s side, Foisor held Zatonskih to a draw with the Black pieces. If Krush can convert a relatively simple win against Marshall, she will be the 2010 U.S. Women’s Champion.
| Table | White | Score | Rating | Black | Score | Rating | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FM Warren Harper | 3.0 | 2388 | GM Ray Robson | 6.0 | 2613 | 1-0 |
| 2 | FM John Bryant | 4.0 | 2487 | NM Parker Zhao | 5.5 | 2382 | 1/2 |
| 3 | IM Sam Shankland | 5.0 | 2563 | FM Conrad Holt | 3.0 | 2411 | 1-0 |
| 4 | NM Tyler Hughes | 1.0 | 2386 | FM Steven Zierk | 3.5 | 2428 | 0-1 |
| 5 | FM Darwin Yang | 5.0 | 2422 | NM Eric Rosen | 4.0 | 2209 | 1/2 |
| Table | White | Score | Rating | Black | Score | Rating | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IM Anna Zatonskih | 7.0 | 2518 | WGM Sabina Foisor | 2.5 | 2356 | 1/2 |
| 2 | WGM Katerina Rohonyan | 4.5 | 2322 | WFM Tatev Abrahamyan | 6.5 | 2403 | 0-1 |
| 3 | WGM Camilla Baginskaite | 3.0 | 2387 | WIM Beatriz Marinello | 1.5 | 2206 | 1-0 |
| 4 | IM Irina Krush | 7.0 | 2521 | WFM Abby Marshall | 0.5 | 2211 | 1-0 |
| 5 | WIM Alisa Melekhina | 4.5 | 2323 | WIM Iryna Zenyuk | 3.0 | 2286 | 0-1 |
Zhao blew it.