Press Release by John Henderson

2003 AF4C US Chess Championships, 9-18 January Northwest Rooms, Seattle.

AF4C US WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYOFF 19th January 2002

In a fairytale ending to decide the 2003 Af4C US Women's Champion, underdog Anna Hahn, from Jersey City, N.J, caused a major chess upset in the three-way playoff for the crown by beating former champions Jennifer Shahade and Irina Krush.

Scoring back to back wins against the two top US women players gave Hahn both the title and the record first prize of $12,500. For Hahn, 26, who was seeded No.6 for the women's crown at the start of the Championship, the final result proved to be the biggest win of her career - and one that shocked many of the commentators and spectators in the playing hall.

Biographical details of Anna Hahn, 2003 AF4C US Women's Champion

Women's International Master Anna Hahn was born in Riga, Latvia June 21, 1976 and currently resides in Jersey City, N.J. As a child she used to watch her father and grandfather play chess and when she was seven years old her grandfather decided to take her to the local chess club.

Her best chess achievements include the Latvian Women's Champion in 1992 and, after moving to the U.S., tying for second place in the World Girl's Championship in 1993. Anna earned her Women's international master title in 1995. In 2000 Anna participated in the chess Olympiad in Turkey, and the women's world championship in India.

She likes chess because of the logic and complexity of the game. Besides chess Anna is fond of dancing and she loves music and goes to a lot of concerts and performances. In other sports, her interests are in tennis and kickboxing. In December 1998 she became a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania in Finance and Computer Science and is currently working at Goldman Sachs Investment Bank as a programmer. Anna is now also doing a part time Masters Program in Carnegie Mellon (NY location), studying Computational Finance.

Round 1 (January 19, 2003)

Hahn, Anna         -  Krush, Irina       1-0   64  D48  Queens Gambit Meran

Round 2 (January 19, 2003)

Shahade, Jennifer  -  Hahn, Anna         0-1   42  B63  Sicilian Rauzer

Round 3 (January 19, 2003)

Krush, Irina       -  Shahade, Jennifer  1-0   33  A65  Benoni


ch-USA w playoff Seattle USA (USA), 19-19 i 2003cat. IV (2327)
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                                1 2 3 
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1 Hahn, Anna        wm USA 2219 * 1 1  2.0      
2 Krush, Irina       m USA 2433 0 * 1  1.0  2274
3 Shahade, Jennifer wm USA 2330 0 0 *  0.0      
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You can follow all 29 games live over the Internet at: http://www.af4c.org

About America's Foundation for Chess

Founded in 2000, America's Foundation for Chess (formerly the Seattle Chess Foundation) is committed to bringing chess into every U.S. classroom. By first making chess a larger part of America's cultural fabric - accessible in schools and in popular culture - AF4C hopes to elevate the profile of chess in America. To this end, AF4C is providing chess instruction materials and training to teachers, who have little or no chess background. In addition, by sponsoring high-level competitions such as the U.S. Chess Championships, AF4C is cultivating chess role models and a venue for chess excellence in America. By forging partnerships with schools and corporations, AF4C plans to make chess a part of every classroom experience.