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Tuesday, 20 Oct 2020 13:26
Joel Benjamin wins 2020 U.S. Senior Championship

GM Joel Benjamin made history after winning the 2020 U.S. Senior Championship, becoming the first trifecta (U.S. Junior, U.S. Championship, and U.S. Senior) champion in the US Chess history. The win came after scoring a solid 2.0/3 during the final day of action, finishing with 6.5/9, a clear 1.5 points ahead of the rest of the field.

Needing a draw in the last round to clinch the title, Benjamin faced 10th seed FM Shelby Getz, who despite being the underdog had already impressed in the event with his gutsy play. Facing Getz’s usual 1.a3, Benjamin built up a good position and was looking quite comfortable with Black. After getting his (charitable) draw offer declined, Benjamin went on to win in style, sacrificing his bishop to open up White’s king and launch a decisive attack.

Benjamin’s main contender, GM Igor Novikov ended up tied for second place with GM Gregory Kaidanov and GM Dmitry Gurevich, all with 5.0/9.

Benjamin played quite well throughout the event, though did admit to catching some breaks in a few games. Grateful for the opportunity to compete for a national title, the three-time U.S. champion said: “I’ve felt for a long time that we have an incredible bunch of strong, serious players, and that we should have this opportunity...it really makes a huge difference in our lives.”

Up next is the 2020 U.S. Women’s Championship, which begins October 21, with WGM Jennifer Shahade, GM Yasser Seirawan, and GM Maurice Ashley calling all the action live starting at 12:50 PM CDT on USChessChamps.com, YouTube, and Twitch.

Text: IM Kostya Kavutskiy

Photo: Official website

Official site: USChessChamps.com