Monday, November 28, 2011
Profile of a super coach: GM Babakuli Annakov
Babakuli Annakov, first Grandmaster of Turkmenistan (formerly over 2600 when he was playing actively), now lives in Frisco, Texas. He is currently coaching many of the top young talents in the United States. In this past World Youth in Brazil, 3 of his students got medals.
Boys u10 Li Ruifeng USA (2nd on tiebreaks)
Boys u12 FM Xiong Jeffrey USA (tied for 3rd, 5th on tiebreaks)
Girls u14 WCM Chiang Sarah (tied for 4th, 5th on tiebreaks)
Jeffrey and Sarah also won Bronze in 2010!
Congratulations to Ruifeng, Jeffrey, Sarah, and Coach Annakov!
GM Dragan Paunovic winner in Valladolid
GM Dragan Paunovic winner in Valladolid
The 7th Torneo Internacional de Ajedrez de Valladolid took place on 27th November in Hotel “Novotel” in Valladolid, Spain.
The tournament with 112 participants was played over 8 rounds of Swiss system with the time control of 15 min + 5 sec increment. There were more than 30 money prizes with 500 EUR reserved for the first place.
GM Dragan Paunovic’s last round victory against the famous trainer IM Boris Zlotnik pushed him ahead of the rest of the field for a clear first place with 7.0 points.
Final top standings:
1 GM Paunovic Dragan SRB 2528 – 7
2 GM Granda Zuñiga Julio E. PER 2636 – 6.5
3 GM Khamrakulov Ibragim S. ESP 2518 – 6.5
4 FM Gonzalez De La Nava Amador ESP 2295 – 6.5
5 IM Zlotnik Boris A. RUS 2433 – 6
6 GM Cifuentes Parada Roberto ESP 2523 – 6
7 FM Andres Gonzalez Ivan ESP 2318 – 6
8 IM Roa Alonso Santiago ESP 2418 – 6
9 IM Barria Zuniga Daniel CHI 2438 – 6
10 FM Martin Fuentes Alberto ESP 2307 – 6
11 De Lucas Bello Federico ESP 2065 – 6
12 Iglesias Leon Francisco Javier ESP 2240 – 6
13 FM Sande Edreira Jose Antonio ESP 2356 – 6
14 IM Del Rey Diego ESP 2371 – 6
15 Ruiz Maraña Alejandro ESP 2195 – 6
16 GM Barsov Alexei UZB 2530 – 5.5
17 Marcos Pinto Luis ESP 2191 – 5.5
18 IM Sanz Alonso Francisco Javier ESP 2386 – 5.5
Plaskett and Matamoros share first in the 34th Open Vicente Bonil de Albox
Grandmasters Plaskett and Matamoros share first in the 34th Open Vicente Bonil de Albox
The 34th Open Internacional Vicente Bonil de Albox was held on 27th November in Albox, Almería province, Spain. The tournament was played over 8 rounds with the time control 20 min + 5 sec per player. The organizer was Club Ajedrez Vicente Bonil de Albox.
82 players took participation and among them were six Grandmasters. The tournament was also valid for the Andalusian Rapid Chess Championship.
GM Carlos Matamoros managed to win in the last 8th round and catch the “millionaire” GM James Plaskett on the shared first place. Plaskett is declared winner on better tie-break criteria.
Top three prizes are 1.000 €, 600 € and 400 €, respectively.
Final top 15 standings:
1 GM Plaskett H James ENG 2480 – 7
2 GM Matamoros Franco Carlos S ECU 2555 – 7
3 IM Burgos Figueroa Carlos E ESA 2303 – 6.5
4 GM Rizouk Aimen ALG 2539 – 6
5 GM Kogan Arthur ISR 2572 – 6
6 IM Granero Roca Antonio VAL 2432 – 6
7 GM Rodriguez Guerrero Enrique AND 2454 – 5.5
8 GM Oratovsky Michael ISR 2522 – 5.5
9 FM Ferrer Sanchez Pedro Jesus AND 2156 – 5.5
10 Rioboo De Larriva Alvaro AND 2257 – 5.5
11 Puertas Martin Savins AND 2081 – 5.5
12 Ruiz Sanchez Andres AND 2185 – 5.5
13 WIM Dauletova Gulmira KAZ 2283 – 5.5
14 FM Garcia Jimenez Francisco Javie AND 2312 – 5.5
15 Cantos Conejero Jose Miguel AND 2024 – 5.5
16 Arboledas Fernandez Antonio A AND 2137 – 5.5
17 WIM Gutierrez Castillo Paloma AND 2133 – 5.5
Shabalov wins Thanksgiving Open in St. Louis
Final top standings
| # | Name | Rtng | Tot |
| 1 | Alexander Shabalov | 2606 | 5.5 |
| 2 | Ray Robson | 2655 | 5.0 |
| 3 | Sam Shankland | 2632 | 5.0 |
| 4 | Timur Gareyev | 2718 | 4.5 |
| 5 | Gregory Kaidanov | 2633 | 4.5 |
| 6 | Mesgen Amanov | 2614 | 4.0 |
| 7 | Andre Diamant | 2521 | 4.0 |
| 8 | Daniel M Rensch | 2488 | 4.0 |
| 9 | Kevin Y Cao | 2233 | 4.0 |
Full standings of all sections here.
Tourney will test academic, chess skills
Tourney will test academic, chess skills
By Richard E. Baldwin
NEWS NIAGARA REPORTER
Published:
November 28, 2011, 12:00 AM
NIAGARA FALLS — Some of the brightest students and chess players in Niagara Frontier schools will compete in a Masterminds academic quiz and interscholastic chess tournament from 3 to 7 p. m. Thursday in Niagara Falls High School, 4455 Porter Road.
Masterminds uses a Quiz Bowl format in which matches are played by teams in eight-minute halves. Students must ring in and be recognized before answering questions. Correct answers earn that player’s team 10 points and the chance for the team to answer a bo-nus question.
Each team plays four students, with the opportunity to substitute all four of them at halftime, so eight different students could represent a single school in one game. Some schools have both varsity and junior varsity teams.
Mastermind teams play a 12- game regular season, with the top schools advancing to double-elimination playoffs. The statewide program was introduced in the Buffalo region in 1995.
The questions cover a broad range of topics, including art, biology, chemistry, current events, geography, history, literature, music, political science, pop culture, religion and sports.
Grand Island, Lewiston-Porter, Starpoint, Niagara Falls and Niagara Catholic high schools will compete in Thursday’s quiz program in the Falls.
The Interscholastic Chess League sponsors tournaments, individual and league play, lessons and camps. The chess tournament at Niagara Falls High School will be held simultaneously with the Masterminds academic quiz.
Chess teams are entered from Grand Island, Lewiston-Porter, Niagara Falls, North Tonawanda and Starpoint high schools and from Cardinal O’Hara High School in the Town of Tonawanda and Nichols School in Buffalo.
League organizers said the quiz and chess programs give students a chance to represent their schools in an interscholastic setting that fills an extracurricular academic void.
Team members are selected by coaches, who ask teachers from the various disciplines who some of their better students are, and then they supplement that group with anyone who responds to an announcement in the schools.
There are no minimum scholastic requirements except for those established by individual school districts for their own students.
Judie Gregory, public relations director for the Niagara Falls City School District, said: “It is a lot of fun for students and adults to see students from all over play chess well, and the quiz bowl is really cool.”
Source: http://www.buffalonews.com
New Grandmaster Interview with Mikhail Krasenkow and latest from OnlineChessLessons.NET
Latest Video - Mikhail Krasenkow - 1992 Tal Memorial
The Latest From Our Chess Blog
GM Michał Krasenkow Interview and 1992 Tal Memorial Game Review
Posted on November 27, 2011 by William in All Articles w/ Videos, Classic Games (Pre 2010), Strategy & Game Review
With the 2011 Tal Memorial coming to an end, I thought it be appropriate to release this interview I did with Grandmaster Michał Krasenkow (pronounced and sometimes spelled “Mikhail”) back in August. Mikhail Krasenkow is a Soviet born Polish chess master whose peak FIDE briefly surpassed 2700 in July of 2000. He tied for 1st at both the 1992 and the 1997 Tal Memorials. However he is probably most well known for his contributions to [...]
What is Alekhine’s Block?
Posted on November 26, 2011 by iPlayooChess in Beginner's Corner, General Chess Articles
Alekhine’s block is a chess combination with a piece sacrifice (Knight, Bishop, Rook, or Queen) on the 6th rank (3rd for Black). It’s used for the first time by the former world champion Alexander Alekhine in 1910. The idea is to physically restrict, or block the enemy pawn in front of the attacking piece (thus Alekhine’s “block”). As Nimtzowitsch put it, “First restrain, then blockade, finally destroy!” This tactical device is just one implementation of [...]
Live Blitz FischerRandom Chess 960 #3
Posted on November 25, 2011 by William in All Articles w/ Videos, Blitz/Bullet Chess
This is the THIRD of many Chess960 videos we’ll be releasing. Thank you to ChessCube for providing the interface. Expect many more articles and videos in the coming days and weeks. We’re going to cover many exciting live 960 blitz games do tons of instructional Chess960 videos and release many articles on Chess 960 strategies and tips. Stay Tuned! Chess960 Videos Chess960 Articles Follow William for fresh daily updates: Follow @OnlineChessLess National Chess Master William [...]
Posted on November 25, 2011 by William in All Articles w/ Videos, Blitz/Bullet Chess
This is the THIRD of many Chess960 videos we’ll be releasing. Thank you to ChessCube for providing the interface. Expect many more articles and videos in the coming days and weeks. We’re going to cover many exciting live 960 blitz games do tons of instructional Chess960 videos and release many articles on Chess 960 strategies and tips. Stay Tuned! Chess960 Videos Chess960 Articles Follow William for fresh daily updates: Follow @OnlineChessLess National Chess Master William [...]
Does FischerRandom / Chess960 ever have a chance of supplanting regular chess?
Posted on November 24, 2011 by William in General Chess Articles
Chess960 Videos Chess960 Videos Chess960 Articles Fischer was a pioneer in realizing that standard chess was becoming too overstudied and theory oriented and that Fischer Random would bring the dawn of a new era in Chess. I can only speculate that many players from the club level all the way up to the 2800+ super GM’s wish to see a day where Chess960 becomes the norm for chess tournaments. One can’t deny that the amount [...]
Follow William for fresh daily updates: Follow @OnlineChessLessWilliam Stewart is a National Master. He specializes in Online Chess Coaching and maintains a daily updated Chess Blog
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Follow me on twitter and facebook
Chess updates on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SusanPolgar
You can get all the up to date chess daily news and information on facebook by visiting http://www.facebook.com/polgarchess and click the "like" button! You can also click the "like" button above.
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My first three Facebook accounts are completely full with 5,000 friends each. If you want to add me as friend, please use this account http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002081769502 instead. I cannot accept additional request on my other accounts. Thanks!
You can get all the up to date chess daily news and information on facebook by visiting http://www.facebook.com/polgarchess and click the "like" button! You can also click the "like" button above.
Get up to date chess news and information on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SusanPolgar
My first three Facebook accounts are completely full with 5,000 friends each. If you want to add me as friend, please use this account http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002081769502 instead. I cannot accept additional request on my other accounts. Thanks!
Brooklyn Castle
Chess Hero
A few weeks ago, Intermediate School 318 assistant principal and chess coach John Galvin charged $8,000 to his personal credit card so I.S. 318’s champion chess team could travel to the Grade Championships in Dallas, Texas. Eight thousand dollars is a lot of money for nearly all of us; on a teacher’s salary, it’s an astronomical sum. But not spending the money would’ve meant the I.S. 318 chess team – the best and winningest junior high chess team in the country, bar none – might not have been able to compete. More than 65% of I.S. 318’s students (and 87% of those who are members of the chess team) are from homes living below the poverty line and the cost of travel is prohibitively expensive for nearly all of the school's parents. I.S. 318, perpetually underfunded in even the best of times, has seen its budget decimated by a series of deep cuts over the last few years. The best chess team in the country, despite having students who work incredibly hard and a staff whose dedication is astonishing, might not be able to compete in the future. Because of money.
Brooklyn Castle is a documentary that is as much about the five young teens it follows as it is about the ability for public schools to do great things when they have the resources. Once we complete our film we will take it to cities across the country and have local screenings to raise awareness about how vital this afterschool program, and others like it, are for schools. We’re also organizing chess tournaments that pit I.S. 318’s chess team against those of some of the most brilliant minds in this country – at places like Harvard and Columbia and the Google campus – so the kids realize those places are within their reach, and word gets out that public schools across the country are suffering from the crushing effects of budget cuts. We learned in making this documentary that even with a staff that cares and students that work hard, a lack of resources can undermine even the most hard-won achievements. And we don't think that's fair.
We are very close to completing Brooklyn Castle, but we’re still 17k away from a having a film that’s ready for theaters. We cannot finish the film without your help! Please support – and help spread the word about – our Kickstarter campaign, so we can share the story of I.S. 318 with a nationwide audience and make a positive impact on public schools and school children.
Please visit our campaign here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rescuedmedia/finishing-brooklyn-castle-formerly-chess-movie?ref=card
By the way, that tournament that John Galvin spent $8,000 getting the kids to? The 8thgraders came in first place.
http://brooklyncastle.com
Abhijeet, Krishna share Vizag lead
Abhijeet, Krishna share lead
VISAKHAPATNAM, November 28, 2011
Top seed GM Abhijeet Gupta and young CRG Krishna of Andhra Pradesh, with 5.5 points, shared the lead at the end of the sixth round of the Vizag Steel Vizag GMs international open prize money chess tournament at the Swarna Bharati indoor stadium here on Sunday.
Six players — IM M.R. Venkatesh, Evgeny, GMs Sumets Andrey of Ukraine and Dzhumaev Marat of Uzbekistan, and Indian IMs Vaibhav Suri and Sahaj Grover — are in the second place with five points each.
Important results (sixth round):Abhijeet Gupta (Ind, 5.5) bt Gleizerov Evgeny (Rus, 5), C.R.G. Krishna (Ind, 5.5) bt N. Sanjay (Ind, 4.5), Andriasian Zaven (Arm, 4.5) drew with Anwesh Upadhyaya (Ind, 4.5), S. Ravichandran (Ind, 4.5) drew with Ulibin Mikhail (Rus, 4.5).
Sumets Andrey (Ukr, 5) bt Ann Mary Gomes (Ind, 4), K. Priyadarshan (Ind, 4.5) drew with Arun Prasad (Ind, 4.5), M.R Venkatesh (Ind, 5) bt Minhazuddin Ahmed (Bangla, 4), D. Marat (Uzb, 5) bt Ankit R. (Ind, 4), Murshed Niaz (Bangla, 4.5) drew with S.L. Narayanan (Ind, 4.5).
Petrosian Tigran (Arm, 4) drew with Gireman Ja (Ind, 4.5), Danielsen Hanrik (Iceland, 4.5) bt Ram S. Krishnan (Ind, 3.5), Bitoon Richard (Philippines, 4) drew with C. Praveen Kumar (Ind, 4).
D.P. Singh (Ind, 3.5) lost to J. Deepan Chakkraborty (Ind, 4.5), R.R. Laxman (Ind, 4.5) bt M. Kunal (Ind, 3.5).
Source: http://www.thehindu.com
Interview with a major Norwegian Chess Blog
Susan Polgars syn på Magnus:
For å få litt variasjon her inne så spurte jeg, i et eksklusivt mini-intervju for blo'fansen, Susan Polgar om hennes betraktninger rundt Magnus sin seier i Moskva. Susan trenger ingen nærmere presentasjon. Men for å si litt om henne: Hun er altså den eldste av de berømte Polgarsøstrene. Hun har vært verdensmester for kvinner, er olympisk mester for Ungarn på kvinnesiden sammen med sine søstre Judit og Susan. Hun bor i dag i USA og driver en av verdens største sjakkblogger "Susan Polgar Chess Daily News and Information", og hun har tusen talenter og mange jern i ilden. Susan er virkelig er kapasitet. Hun er med sine hyppige oppdateringer på nett en stor inspirator til mange sjakkbloggere verden over - inklusive Sjakkfantomet selv om våre to blogger er høyst ulike. Det er inspirerende å se at en person som har lagt egen karriere på hylla fortsetter sitt energiske arbeid for å fremme sjakk ved blant annet å skrive så hyppig på nett som Susan gjør. Susan skriver først og fremst en nyhetsbloggs og informasjonsblogg og hun fatter seg normalt sett kortfattet...
Her er intervjuet med Susan Polgar:
Sjakkfantomet: Hvilke kvaliteter i Magnus sitt spill gjorde han til slutt til en vinner i Moskva etter din mening?
Susan Polgar: " En urokkelig fighting spirit, og evnen til å være best når det gjelder. Han frykter ingen spillere og er alltid villig til å ta en kalkulert risiko."
Sjakkfantomet: Magnus har nå vunnet fire store turneringer på rad i en alder av bare 20 år - tror du han vil dominere sjakken i årene som kommer - eller var dette året eksepsjonelt etter ditt skjønn?
Susan Polgar: "Det er helt opp til Magnus selv. Han har et enormt naturtalent og har sterke nerver. Det eneste spørsmålet er hva som er hans langsiktige mål. Men hvis han bestemmer seg for å fortsette å prioritere sjakk, er jeg ikke i tvil om at han vil slå mange flere rekorder."
Sjakkfantomet: Hvis Magnus leser dette - hva vil du si han?
Susan Polgar: "Fortsett med dynamisk, kompromissløs kampsjakk! Fortsett med å ha det gøy med det du holder på med og bare vær deg selv."
Da gjenstår det bare å takke Magnus og alle hans konkurrenter for all kampsjakken vi ble presentert i Moskva, Susan Polgar for intervjuet og leserne mine for bidrag og innspill! En varm gratulasjon til den profesjonelle arrangøren i Moskva for det forrykende godt arrangement som innholdt alt! Gode LIVE-sendinger, spennende etteranalyser, kampsjakk, dramatisk og kyndig turneringsledelse. Vel blåst!
Source: http://sjakkfantomet.blogg.no
Galina Strutinskaya and Vladimir Okhotnik are 2011 World Senior Champions
Galina Strutinskaya and Vladimir Okhotnik are 2011 World Senior Champions
The 21st World Senior Chess Championships were held in Opatija, Croatia, from November 14th to November 27th.
The Championships were organized by the Chess club “Rijeka” in agreement with Croatian Chess Federation, under the auspices of the Mountain-litoral County, the City of Rijeka and the City of Opatija.
The 21st World Senior Chess Championship for men and women was open to all players representing the FIDE Chess Federations, regardless of their title or rating, providing that the male tournament participants were born in 1951 or before, and that the female tournament participants were born in 1961 or before.
The title of the World Senior Champion remains in the French possession as IM Vladimir Okhotnik defeated the earlier leader GM Bojan Kurajica in the last round and took a clear first place with 9 points from eleven games. Last year champion was GM Anatoly Vaisser, also from France.
According to the Championship Regulations, Okhotnik will be awarded with the Grandmaster title following the next FIDE Presidential Board.
The local GM Davorin Komljenovic snatched a silver medal after edging GM Gennadij Timoscenko from Slovakia on better tie-break. Timoscenko takes the bronze medal home. Full standings bellow.
In the Women Senior Championship WIM Galina Strutinskaya from Russia takes the winner’s trophy after finishing clear first with 8.5 points. Another fine result for the competitors from Georgia as WFM Nino Melashvili won a silver medal, while WGM Ludmila Saunina takes the bronze.
The total prize fund was 15.000 EUR. Official website.
Final top 10 standings (Women):
1. WIM Strutinskaya Galina N RUS 2277 – 8.5
2. WFM Melashvili Nino GEO 2106 – 8
3. WGM Saunina Ludmila RUS 2274 – 8
4. GM Gaprindashvili Nona GEO 2360 – 7.5
5. WIM Thipsay Bagyashree Sathe IND 2152 – 7.5
6. WGM Fatalibekova Elena RUS 2285 – 6.5
7. WGM Khmiadashvili Tamar GEO 2166 – 6.5
8. WIM Miednikova Swietlana RUS 2165 – 6.5
9. WIM Bilunova Rimma I RUS 2151 – 6.5
10. WFM Lopatin Olga GER 2091 – 6.5
11. WIM Fomina Tatyana EST 2215 – 6.5
Final top 15 standings (Open):
1. IM Okhotnik Vladimir FRA 2427 – 9
2. GM Komljenovic Davorin CRO 2451 – 8.5
3. GM Timoscenko Gennadij SVK 2483 – 8.5
4. GM Vaisser Anatoly FRA 2555 – 8
5. GM Kurajica Bojan BIH 2532 – 8
6. GM Cebalo Miso CRO 2446 – 8
7. GM Rajkovic Dusan SRB 2416 – 8
8. GM Balashov Yuri S RUS 2443 – 8
9. GM Hulak Krunoslav CRO 2480 – 7.5
10. GM Kovacevic Vlatko CRO 2482 – 7.5
11. IM Zhelnin Vladimir V RUS 2430 – 7.5
12. GM Chernikov Oleg L RUS 2402 – 7.5
13. GM Jansa Vlastimil CZE 2478 – 7.5
14. GM Suba Mihai ROU 2458 – 7.5
15. IM Leskovar Mario ARG 2316 – 7.5
16. FM Mishuchkov Nikolai M RUS 2418 – 7.5
17. IM Lederman Leon ISR 2267 – 7.5
18. IM Pritchett Craig W SCO 2343 – 7.5
19. IM Wittmann Walter AUT 2269 – 7.5
Game analysis: Zhao, Xue - Kosintseva, Nadezhda
Zhao Xue’s impressive victory at the recent Grand Prix in Nalchik reminded me of some pleasant memories at the Candidates tournament in Shanghai, where I also had a notable start of 9.5 out of 10 and eventually ended up finishing first with three points ahead of the field. Xue played in Nalchik with a lot of energy and inspiration. Here is one example:
Zhao, Xue (2497) - Kosintseva, Nadezhda (2560) [E15]
Nalchik WGP 2011 Nalchik RUS (8), 17.10.2011
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.Qa4 Once a "side-variation" in recent times has become a popular alternative to the old main line with 5.b3.
5...Bb7 6.Bg2 c5 7.dxc5 bxc5 8.0–0 Be7 9.Nc3 0–0
10.Rd1 Now the focus of the game is the d-file. White will try to put pressure on Black's d-Pawn.
10...Qb6 The Queen gets out of the pin and clears the d8 square for the Rook at the same time.
11.Bf4 Rd8 12.Rd2 White is ready to double the Rooks against the target on the d-file.
12...d6 Of course the natural question is why not play 12...d5 immediately? I think the following game gives the answer: 13.cxd5 exd5 14.Ne5 Na6 15.Rad1 Nc7 (If 15...Qe6 White gets a clear advantage after 16.Nc4! Nc7 17.Na5) and now the energetic 16.e4! gives White the advantage. After 16...dxe4? White wins a piece right away after 17.Nc4. In the Lautier - Macieja 2005 game White later converted his advantage to a full point.
13.Rad1 White now has a clear target in Black’s Pawn on d6.
13...h6 Black has some difficulties developing her Knight without losing the Pawn on d6. The game move intends to prevent the Bishop (of f4) moving to g5 after an e6-e5 advance (13...e5 14.Bg5). After seeing the challenges that Black faced in this game, it is probably more advisable to play 13...Ne8 instead, as many top players have tried in the past couple of years.
14.h3 The beginning of an interesting idea which will be revealed with White's 16th move. In most games that reached this position, White here has to choose between offering trade of Queens with 14.Qb3 or with 14.Qb5. In one of the recent games, Black was fine after 14.Qb5 Ne8 15.e4 g5 16.Be3 Nd7 17.h4 g4 18.Ne1 Kg7 19.Bf4 Bc6 20.Qxb6 axb6 Wang Yue - Bacrot, Pearl Spring, 2010.
14...e5 Black has to try to chase the Bishop away from f4 in order to be able to develop the Knight to c6 or d7.
15.Be3 Nc6
16.Nh2 This is a new and creative move compared to the earlier played 16.Qb5 or 16.Qc2. The Knight is heading to g4 to offer the exchange of Knights to enhance the weakness of the d5 square.
16...Nd4 A very logical and good looking response.
17.Ng4 Nd7 White would have a solid plus after the trades with 17...Nxg4 18.hxg4 Bxg2 19.Kxg2 Qb7+ 20.Nd5 due to the weakness of the d5 square.
18.Nd5 Both Knights are centralized on d4 and d5 respectively. The big difference strategically is that White at some point will have the opportunity to chase Black's Knight away with e2-e3, while Black on the other hand will not have a similar option.
18...Bxd5 The only move. It is true that White's Knight is gone from the outpost on d5, but the arriving Bishop (while in a different way) will be just as powerful there.
19.Bxd5 Rab8
20.Bxh6! A powerful sacrifice which is more complex then it seems at first.
20…Qc7! The best answer, preparing Nd7-b6. Accepting the sacrifice will lead to trouble as after 20...gxh6 21.Nxh6+ Kg7 22.Nxf7.
21.Rxd4! Elegant play! After 21.Be3, White would not be able to hang on for too long to her extra Pawn. Black then would respond with 21...Nb6 22.Qa3 Nxd5 23.cxd5 f5 24.Nh2 and White’s d5 Pawn is rather weak. After 24...Bf6 (followed by e5-e4) or even the immediate 24...Qb7 Black gets a fine position.
21...exd4 Black needs to clear the e5 square for the Knight. Therefore, this recapture was much better than with the other Pawn: 21...cxd4? 22.Qc2! Nf8 23.Qf5 and White has a winning attack.
22.Qc2! Threatening with the deadly 23.Qg6.
22...Ne5! 23.Bf4! One has to know when to retreat, and here this was certainly the time. White's attack would run out of steam after 23.Nxe5 dxe5 24.Qg6 Bf6.
23...Rb6 A resourceful defensive move to prepare against the Qg6 idea in case White exchanges on e5. The following two options would have been a lot worse:
a) 23...Bf8? would be met by 24.Bxe5 dxe5 25.Qg6 (threatening 26.Nf6+) and Black cannot save herself from the killer pins.
b) 23...Nxg4 24.hxg4 would just help White with two additional attacking resources g4-g5-g6 advance (to use the pin) or Kg2 followed by Rh1 to prepare a strong attack on the h file.
24.Qe4 Putting further pressure on the Knight on e5.
24...Bf8 25.Bg5 An interesting alternative idea was 25.b4!? cxb4 (If 25...Rxb4? 26.Bxe5 dxe5 27.Qg6 and White wins) 26.Nxe5 dxe5 27.Bxe5 Qd7 28.Bxd4 with an excellent position for White due to their powerful pair of Bishops.
25...Re8? This makes White's life much simpler. Better was 25...Rdb8 although White is better anyway. 26.Rd3 Rxb2 (26...Nxd3? allows a forced checkmate after 27.Nf6+! gxf6 28.Qg6+ Bg7 29.Bxf6 Kf8 30.Qxg7+ Ke8 31.Qg8+ Kd7 32.Qxf7+ Kc8 33.Qe8+) 27.Nxe5 dxe5 28.Rf3 R8b7 29.Rxf7 Qxf7 30.a3 with a superior endgame.
26.f4 Nxg4 After 26...Be7 27.fxe5 (but not 27.Bxe7? Nxg4) 27...Bxg5 28.Rf1 White is winning.
27.Qxe8 Ne3? Now, it is "game over". After 27...Nf6 28.Bxf6 gxf6 29.b3 the game would be still going for a while even if the outcome would be quite predictable.
28.Bd8 Rb8 29.Qxf8+! And a final "petite" combination.
29...Kxf8 30.Bxc7 Rxb2 31.Bxd6+ Ke8 32.Rc1 Nxd5 33.cxd5 Rxe2 34.Bxc5 d3 35.Rd1 A great game by Xue! 1–0
Awonder Liang wins World Youth Gold
Awonder Liang, winner of the 2011 Susan Polgar Foundation World Open for Boys (picture above) in Chicago, has just captured the Gold medal at the World Youth under 8 in Brazil. He was a full point ahead of the field going into the final round. In spite of the last round lost, he still won on tiebreaks.
Boys under 8
| Rk. | Nome | FED | EloI | Pts. | Des 1 | Des 2 | n | w | we | w-we | K | rtg+/- | ||
| 1 | Liang Awonder | USA | 1872 | 7.5 | 43.0 | 0.0 | 3 | 2 | 1.85 | 0.15 | 15 | 2.3 | ||
| 2 | Ram Aravind L N | IND | 1869 | 7.5 | 38.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 2 | 0.90 | 1.10 | 15 | 16.5 | ||
| 3 | Yu Kaifeng | CHN | 0 | 7.5 | 36.0 | 0.0 | 5 | 3.5 | ||||||
| 4 | Thilakaratne G M H | SRI | 1528 | 7.5 | 34.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 0.08 | 0.92 | 30 | 27.6 | ||
| 5 | Teclaf Pawel | POL | 1594 | 7.0 | 35.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0.17 | -0.17 | 30 | -5.1 | ||
| 6 | Medvedyk Volodymir | UKR | 0 | 6.5 | 35.0 | 0.0 | 7 | 4.5 | ||||||
| 7 | Peng David T | USA | 1945 | 6.5 | 34.5 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0.60 | -0.60 | 30 | -18.0 | ||
| 8 | Gavrilescu David | ROU | 1800 | 6.5 | 29.5 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 30 | 0.0 |
Boys under 10
Silver medalist Li Ruifeng, recent participant of the SPICE Cup Amateur Open in Lubbock, Texas
| Rk. | Nome | FED | EloI | Pts. | Des 1 | Des 2 | n | w | we | w-we | K | rtg+/- | ||
| 1 | Zhu Yi | CHN | 0 | 7.5 | 42.0 | 0.0 | 7 | 6 | ||||||
| 2 | Li Ruifeng | USA | 1919 | 7.0 | 39.5 | 0.0 | 7 | 6 | 4.22 | 1.78 | 15 | 26.7 | ||
| 3 | Rathanvel V S | IND | 1906 | 7.0 | 38.5 | 0.0 | 7 | 6 | 4.33 | 1.67 | 15 | 25.0 | ||
| 4 | Aleksandrov Zakhar | RUS | 2116 | 7.0 | 38.0 | 0.0 | 7 | 5.5 | 5.96 | -0.46 | 30 | -13.8 | ||
| 5 | Rakesh Kumar Jena | IND | 1865 | 7.0 | 37.0 | 0.0 | 7 | 5 | 4.31 | 0.69 | 15 | 10.4 | ||
| 6 | FM | Tabatabaei M Amin | IRI | 2028 | 7.0 | 36.5 | 0.0 | 6 | 4.5 | 4.65 | -0.15 | 15 | -2.3 | |
| 7 | Poghosyan Tigran | GER | 1770 | 7.0 | 34.0 | 0.0 | 4 | 2 | 1.79 | 0.21 | 15 | 3.2 | ||
| 8 | Xie Tianming | USA | 0 | 7.0 | 33.5 | 0.0 | 6 | 4.5 |
Jeffrey Xiong, recent winner of the SPICE Cup Amateur Open in Lubbock, Texas
Boys under 12
| Rk. | Nome | FED | EloI | Pts. | Des 1 | Des 2 | n | w | we | w-we | K | rtg+/- | ||
| 1 | Karthikeyan Murali | IND | 2154 | 7.5 | 39.5 | 0.0 | 9 | 7.5 | 5.97 | 1.53 | 15 | 23.0 | ||
| 2 | FM | Gledura Benjamin | HUN | 2230 | 7.5 | 39.0 | 0.0 | 8 | 6.5 | 6.26 | 0.24 | 15 | 3.6 | |
| 3 | Song Michael | CAN | 2032 | 7.0 | 37.0 | 0.0 | 9 | 7 | 5.11 | 1.89 | 15 | 28.4 | ||
| 4 | FM | Lorparizangeneh Shahin | IRI | 2175 | 7.0 | 37.0 | 0.0 | 9 | 7 | 7.02 | -0.02 | 15 | -0.3 | |
| 5 | FM | Xiong Jeffrey | USA | 2056 | 7.0 | 36.0 | 0.0 | 9 | 7 | 5.76 | 1.24 | 15 | 18.6 | |
| 6 | Haria Ravi | ENG | 2045 | 7.0 | 35.5 | 0.0 | 9 | 7 | 5.68 | 1.32 | 15 | 19.8 | ||
| 7 | Tari Aryan | NOR | 2227 | 7.0 | 35.0 | 0.0 | 7 | 5 | 5.61 | -0.61 | 15 | -9.1 |
Boys under 18
| Rk. | Nome | FED | EloI | Pts. | Des 1 | Des 2 | n | w | we | w-we | K | rtg+/- | ||
| 1 | GM | Ter-Sahakyan Samvel | ARM | 2556 | 8.0 | 43.0 | 0.0 | 9 | 8 | 6.68 | 1.32 | 10 | 13.2 | |
| 2 | GM | Fedoseev Vladimir | RUS | 2523 | 7.0 | 37.5 | 0.0 | 9 | 7 | 6.53 | 0.47 | 10 | 4.7 | |
| 3 | IM | Debashis Das | IND | 2369 | 7.0 | 36.0 | 0.0 | 9 | 7 | 5.04 | 1.96 | 10 | 19.6 | |
| 4 | Stany G A | IND | 2395 | 7.0 | 33.5 | 0.0 | 9 | 7 | 5.92 | 1.08 | 10 | 10.8 | ||
| 5 | Kozganbay Erken | KAZ | 2249 | 6.5 | 33.0 | 0.0 | 9 | 6.5 | 3.50 | 3.00 | 15 | 45.0 | ||
| 6 | IM | Zhou Yang-Fan | ENG | 2436 | 6.5 | 32.5 | 0.0 | 9 | 6.5 | 6.26 | 0.24 | 10 | 2.4 | |
| 7 | Graf Felix | GER | 2356 | 6.5 | 32.5 | 0.0 | 9 | 6.5 | 5.79 | 0.71 | 15 | 10.6 | ||
| 8 | IM | Mammadov Zaur Fazahir Oglu | AZE | 2349 | 6.0 | 35.0 | 0.0 | 9 | 6 | 5.07 | 0.93 | 10 | 9.3 | |
| 9 | FM | Rosen Eric S | USA | 2305 | 6.0 | 33.5 | 0.0 | 9 | 6 | 4.18 | 1.82 | 15 | 27.3 | |
| 10 | WGM | Cori T. Deysi * | PER | 2414 | 6.0 | 32.5 | 0.0 | 9 | 6 | 5.62 | 0.38 | 10 | 3. |
Full standings in all sections here: http://chess-results.com/tnr58159.aspx
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