Rating Update April to June |
By Jennifer Shahade | |||||
June 9, 2006 | |||||
Rating Update- April to June The biggest story of the June rating list is that for the first time in over a year (since February 2005 to be exact) GM Hikaru Nakamura, 2005 U.S. Champion does not occupy the number one spot in U.S. rankings! In fact, he dropped to third, losing almost 60 points. Most of the problem is not with Hikaru’s results, but with his consistency. In both Foxwoods and the U.S. Championship (both rated for this list), he lost to much lower rated players, but bounced back in the Swiss system to do O.K in the final standings. Gata’s rise to the top was quiet, and more about watching Hikaru drop. Still, it’s fitting that he’s ranked number one these days, considering his awesome performances in both Mtel Sofia and the Olympiad, neither of which will be officially rated by the USCF. The biggest overall gainers are Yury Shulman and Alex Wojtkiewicz, who was vastly under-rated at 2587. The top female gainers are Rusudan Goletiani and Anna Zatonskih, winners of their respective groups in San Diego. Rusa broke 2400 USCF for the first time in her career while Anna gained 15 points, a single point shy of her goal of 2500.
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