Wolff Captures U.S. Chess Title

Patrick Wolff of Massachusetts won the 1992 United States Chess Championship, an 18-day tournament that ended Saturday in Durango, Colo. Wolff, a 24-year-old grandmaster, won eight games, lost two and drew five for a score of 10 1/2-4 1/2 in the 16-player tournament. He earns a prize of $11,500.

Alex Sherzer, 21, of Maryland and Boris Gulko, 45, of New Jersey tied for second place with scores of 10-5. Sherzer led the tournament most of the way, but his final-round loss enabled Wolff to pass him. Dmitri Gurevich, 36, of Illinois and three-time champion Yasser Seirawan, 32, of Washington followed with scores of 9-6. All five players gain the right to compete in the Interzonal tournament, the next stage of competition leading to the 1996 world championship.