A new face: Anna Hahn, US Champion

by ChessBase
1/20/2003 – Three players were tied for first in the 2003 US Women's Champion. Underdog Anna Hahn, 26, born in Latvia and currently a resident of Jersey City, caused a major chess upset in the playoff by beating former champions Jennifer Shahade and Irina Krush. The win brought her a record first prize of $12,500. Besides chess Anna is fond of music, dancing, tennis and, would you believe it, kickboxing. Here is John Henderson's report.

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

AF4C US Women's Championship Playoff

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.


Jennifer Shahade

Irina Krush

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.


The 2003 US Champions: Alexander Shabalov and Anna Hahn

John Henderson

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