Women Can Compete

The US Championship has long had a tradition of inviting a few amateurs, usually the winners of the US Junior Championship and the US Open. This year with a historically large prize fund of $250,000, the America's Foundation for Chess also expanded the field to 64 players, many of whom could qualify by a strong performance at one of several "national heritage" events.

Airapetian scored 5 out of 7 at the 2004 Chicago Open, qualifying her for a US Championship invitation that was open to either a man or a woman. (By the way, other players with 5 in the Chicago event included soon to be US Champion GM Nakamura and the winner of the Larsen Prize, GM Alex Fishbein.)

How did she do at the Championship itself? Just fine! She started out ranked 60th out of 64, and finished in 54th place, ahead of two men and eight women. Five of these players, including both of the men, were rated higher than Airapetian at the start of the event…