US Championship 2000 — Seattle
The US Championship almost didn't happen in 2000: the federation had run out of money to hold it, until Seattle grandmaster Yasser Seirawan mentioned the problem to venture capitalist Erik Anderson, who answered "We can't let that happen." Anderson and Microsoft veteran Scott Oki founded the Seattle Chess Foundation, paid for the $250,000 event themselves and committed to ten years. At the board, the twelve-player round robin ended in a three-way tie: Joel Benjamin, Alexander Shabalov and Yasser Seirawan finished on 6½/11 and were all declared US Champion.
A canceled championship, rescued
By 2000 the US Chess Federation could no longer afford to stage its own national championship. Seirawan, the Seattle-raised (Garfield High School) four-time champion, brought the problem to Erik Anderson and Scott Oki, who put up the tournament's $250,000 budget themselves, lined up sixteen local underwriters at $100,000 apiece over the next four years, and committed to a ten-year run of Seattle championships through the newly formed Seattle Chess Foundation.
The event was staged at Seattle's Town Hall with free public admission and live commentary from International Master Jeremy Silman, and the players made outreach visits around the city, including to Seattle Children's Hospital — a marked change in tone and funding from the championship's recent, threadbare years.
Three players, one title
The round-robin produced a genuine three-way deadlock: Benjamin (+3 −1 =7), Seirawan (+5 −3 =3) and Shabalov (+4 −2 =5) all reached 6½ from 11 games by different routes — Benjamin the most solid, Seirawan the most combative. Dmitry Gurevich and Gregory Kaidanov shared fourth on 6, and the tournament ended with all three leaders declared co-champions rather than sent to a playoff.
It was Seirawan's fourth US title and his third shared one, after ties with Walter Browne (1981) and with Roman Dzindzichashvili and Stuart Rachels (1989), and this time he won it in his hometown. For Shabalov it was a second title, seven years after he shared the 1993 championship with Alex Yermolinsky.
“We can't let that happen.”
Final standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Seirawan, Yasser | 6½/11 | +5 -3 =3 | games |
| =1 | Shabalov, Alexander | 6½/11 | +4 -2 =5 | games |
| =1 | Benjamin, Joel | 6½/11 | +3 -1 =7 | games |
| =4 | Gurevich, Dmitry | 6/11 | +2 -1 =8 | games |
| =4 | Kaidanov, Gregory S | 6/11 | +2 -1 =8 | games |
| =6 | Christiansen, Larry Mark | 5½/11 | +1 -1 =9 | games |
| =6 | De Firmian, Nick E | 5½/11 | +1 -1 =9 | games |
| =6 | Ivanov, Alexander | 5½/11 | +1 -1 =9 | games |
| =9 | Yermolinsky, Alex | 4½/11 | +2 -4 =5 | games |
| =9 | Fedorowicz, John P | 4½/11 | +1 -3 =7 | games |
| =9 | Gulko, Boris F | 4½/11 | +1 -3 =7 | games |
| =9 | Serper, Grigory | 4½/11 | +0 -2 =9 | games |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seirawan, Yasser | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 2 | Shabalov, Alexander | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 3 | Benjamin, Joel | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | |
| 4 | Gurevich, Dmitry | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 5 | Kaidanov, Gregory S | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | |
| 6 | Christiansen, Larry Mark | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 7 | De Firmian, Nick E | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 8 | Ivanov, Alexander | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 9 | Yermolinsky, Alex | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 10 | Fedorowicz, John P | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | |
| 11 | Gulko, Boris F | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | |
| 12 | Serper, Grigory | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ |
Each cell shows the row player's recorded results against the column player. ● = same player.