NTU's FM Jarred Neubronner won the event with one round to spare after chalking up 6 wins in a row.
Republic Polytechnic's Hu Yang (left), playing a Sveshnikov against NTU's FM Jarred Neubronner (right)
However, his team-mate, 2nd seeded Ng Shi Hao, (who had earned a FIDE rating of 2037 following his 6th placing at the Grand Asian Chess Challenge 2015) did not find the going that smooth sailing.
NTU's Ng Shi Hao (left)
Republic Polytechnic's Hu Yang dealt him a loss with an impressive controlled squeeze. He did however, beat fellow Johor state player, Melvin Chin of Singapore Polytechnic to help keep NTU way ahead of the other challengers in the team stakes.
Melvin however, kept his chances alive with a fierce tactical sequence in the King's Indian 4 pawn attack over Hu Yang, and eventually clinched the bronze medal.
Singapore Polytechic's Melvin Chin (left)
After Round 6, Jarred and Shi Hao (5/6) were in clear 1st and 2nd positions. Hence, quick draws with their nearest challengers Melvin and Hein Zin (Singapore Polytechnic) in the final round ensured them the individual gold and silver medals as well as the team champion's title for NTU.
Final top results - 7 rounds swiss
Individual
1st FM Jarred Neubronner 6.5
2nd Ng Shi Hao 5.5
3rd-5th Melvin Chin, Dennis Wongso and Peng Junyuan 5
6th-8th Hu Zhen, Hein Zin and Sharon Teo 4.5
Team
1st NTU
2nd Republic Polytechnic
3rd Singapore Polytechnic
Games Section
[Event "NTU Open"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.05.26"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Dennis Wongso"]
[Black "FM Jarred Neubronner"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B30"]
[Annotator "Junior Tay"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "2015.??.??"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. c4 {Taking Jarred out of his theory. This move had been
played successfully by GMs Yermolinsky, Arkell and Oll. If permitted, White
will play d2-d4 next, with a Maroczy Bind type structure.} e5 {No bind. Now,
instead, Jarred opts for a Botvinnik system structure, where the c5,d6,e5
structure accords Black the flexibility to play both ....b5 and ...f5 breaks
while clamping on the d4-square. White's Nf3 is not flexibly placed, as a
result. However, Black cedes the d5-square.} 4. d3 Nc6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Nd5 h6 (
6... Bg7 7. h4 h6 8. h5 g5 9. Be2 Nge7 10. Ne3 a6 11. Nd2 Nd4 12. Bg4 Be6 13.
Rb1 b5 14. b3 O-O 15. Bb2 Qd7 16. Ndf1 Nc2+ 17. Qxc2 Bxg4 18. Nxg4 Qxg4 19. Ne3
Qd7 20. Bc3 b4 21. Bb2 {Ivanov,I (2495)-Masculo,J (2225)/USA 1/2-1/2 (35)}) ({
Unthinkable is} 6... Nge7 $4 7. Nf6#) 7. a3 a5 {Not giving White a free hand
on the queenside. White will need to give up the a-file if he intends to push
b2-b4 through.} 8. Rb1 Bg7 9. Bd2 (9. b4 axb4 10. axb4 b6 $11) 9... a4 $6 {
This pawn is kind of loose.} 10. Be2 $6 ({White can win the a4-pawn with} 10.
Nc3 {though Black gets some compensation after} Nd4 11. Nxd4 cxd4 12. Nxa4 Bd7
13. b3 b5 14. cxb5 Bxb5) 10... Nge7 11. b4 axb3 12. Rxb3 Nxd5 13. cxd5 Ne7 14.
h3 O-O 15. Qc1 Kh7 16. Nh2 ({After} 16. g4 {, Black can simply play} f5 {, not
fearing} 17. gxf5 gxf5 18. Rg1 Ng6 {when White doesn't have enough firepower
to attack the black king.}) 16... f5 17. f4 $2 {Too loosening. Jarred is quick
to exploit the weakness of e4.} (17. Nf1 {with the idea of Ne3 is better.})
17... fxe4 18. dxe4 exf4 19. Bxf4 Ra4 $1 $19 {The stinger. This is a good
example of how a rook can hit from the rank (other than the usual 2nd/7th rank
press).} 20. Bf3 $2 {Missing Jarred's idea.} ({Since there's no good way to
save the e-pawn, White might as well use it to put pressure on g6 with} 20. O-O
Rxe4 21. Bd3) 20... Nxd5 $1 {The e-pawn is pinned down as the Bf4 hangs after
pawn is deflected.} 21. Bxd6 (21. exd5 Raxf4 $19) 21... Qxd6 22. exd5 Qg3+ 23.
Kf1 Re4 {Black's extra pawn and huge lead in development give him winning
chances. Jarred noted that he did not find the most efficient way of finishing
this off though.} 24. Ng4 Bxg4 (24... b6 $1 25. Nf2 Ba6+ 26. Kg1 Bd4 27. Qd2
Re2 $1) 25. hxg4 Rxg4 26. Qd2 h5 27. Rd3 (27. Rh3 Qd6 28. Kg1 Bd4+ 29. Kh1 Rg3
$19) 27... c4 28. Re3 Rd4 (28... Bd4 $5 {is also very strong.}) 29. Qe1 Qg5 30.
Kg1 Rd3 $5 {The computer does not like this move but I feel that it shows the
depth of calculation Jarred had engaged in.} 31. Rxd3 cxd3 32. Qe4 {The
d3-pawn seems to be lost since White threatens the dardstardly Rxh5, banking
on the pin of the g6-pawn. Jarred thus unleashed the deflecting} Bd4+ $3 {,
nullifying the h-file pressure totally and rendering the h1-rook a useless
piece.} 33. Qxd4 Rxf3 {White cannot resist further.} 34. Kh2 Rf4 (34... Qg3+
35. Kg1 Rf4 {is IM Terry Toh's preferred sequence, leading to a kill after} 36.
Qc5 (36. Qc3 Qf2+ 37. Kh2 Rh4#) 36... Qe1+ 37. Kh2 Rh4#) 35. Qc3 Rh4+ (35...
Rh4+ 36. Kg1 Qe3+ 37. Kf1 Rxh1#) 0-1
[Event "NTU Open Rd 6"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.05.24"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Hu Zhen"]
[Black "Melvin Chin"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E77"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "2015.??.??"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f4 O-O 6. Nf3 c5 7. d5 e6 8. dxe6 {
This relatively rare trade has been played by Ponomariov and especially
Moskalenko. Of course, most Kaspy followers would remember the
Christiansen-Kasparov game.} ({Incidentally, we had a brief session before
that round and he wanted to test his KID. And coincidentally, I tried the 4
Pawns attack too.} 8. Be2 exd5 9. e5 dxe5 (9... Ng4 $6 10. cxd5 dxe5 11. h3 e4
12. hxg4 exf3 13. gxf3 Re8 14. f5 $1 {Vaisser,A (2385)-Kasparov,G (2630)/
Moscow 1981}) 10. fxe5 Ng4 ({The simplest way out is} 10... Ne4 $1 11. cxd5
Nxc3 12. bxc3 Bg4 13. O-O Bxf3 14. Rxf3 Nd7 15. e6 Ne5 16. exf7+ Kh8 17. Rf1
Rxf7 18. Bf4 c4 19. Bxe5 Rxf1+ 20. Qxf1 Bxe5 21. Bxc4 Qd6 22. g3 {1/2-1/2
Kaidanov,G (2405)-Vasiukov,E (2480)/Moscow 1986}) 11. Bg5 Qa5 12. cxd5 Nxe5 13.
O-O Nxf3+ 14. Bxf3 Bf5 15. Be7 Re8 16. d6 Nc6 17. Nd5 Rac8 $6 18. Bg4 $1 $16 {
Jr Tay-Melvin Chin, Training 2015.}) 8... Bxe6 (8... fxe6 9. Bd3 Nc6 10. O-O
Nd4 11. Ng5 e5 12. f5 h6 13. Nh3 gxf5 14. exf5 b5 15. Be3 bxc4 16. Bxc4+ Kh8
17. Bxd4 cxd4 18. Nd5 Ba6 19. Nxf6 Bxc4 20. Nh5 Bxf1 21. Qg4 Qd7 22. Rxf1 d3
23. Qf3 d2 24. g4 Rac8 25. Qd3 Qa4 26. Nf2 Qd4 27. Qxd4 exd4 28. Nf4 Rfe8 29.
Ne6 Rc1 30. Nd1 Bf6 31. Kf2 Bg5 32. Ke2 Rc5 33. Kd3 Re5 34. Nxg5 hxg5 35. Rf2
Re4 36. h3 Re3+ 37. Kxd4 R8e4+ 38. Kd5 Re2 39. Rf3 Re1 40. f6 Rf4 {0-1
Christiansen,L (2575)-Kasparov,G (2675)/Moscow 1982}) 9. Be2 $6 (9. Bd3 {is
the principled continuation. defending the e4-pawn and with f4-f5 ideas in the
future.} Nc6 10. O-O Na5 $1 11. Qe2 Re8 $11 {Turov,M (2634)-Berg,E (2608)/
Maastricht 2011}) 9... Nc6 10. O-O Bg4 (10... Re8 11. h3 Nd4 12. Bd3 Bd7 13.
Re1 Bc6 14. Rb1 a6 15. Be3 Nxe4 $1 16. Bxd4 Bxd4+ 17. Nxd4 Nxc3 18. bxc3 cxd4
19. cxd4 Qf6 20. Rxe8+ Rxe8 21. d5 Bd7 22. Rxb7 $4 Qd4+ 23. Kh1 $4 Bf5 24. Rb3
Re3 {0-1 Genov,P (2425)-Minasian,A (2540)/Berlin 1996}) 11. Kh1 $146 {An
unnecessary loss of a tempo.} (11. Be3 Re8 12. Bd3 (12. h3 Nxe4 $1) 12... Nb4
13. h3 Bf5 $1 $15) (11. h3 Bxf3 12. Bxf3 Nd4 $11 {Saralegui Cassan,M-Curi,G/
Uruguay 1987/1/2-1/2 (27)}) (11. Bd3 Nd4 $11) 11... Re8 12. Qd3 $4 (12. Bd3 {
admitting the folly of her 9th move is still better.}) ({or} 12. h3 Bd7 13. Bd3
$15) 12... Nb4 $3 {A fascinating continuation. This looks like a wasted tempi,
as the knight might end up going back to c6 after a2-a3. However Black goes on
a deep forcing sequence which exploits White's lack of development and
weakened pawn centre.} ({Personally, I would have played} 12... Qe7 {to win
the e-pawn simply.}) 13. Qb1 d5 $3 {Very pleased with Melvin. Before the game,
he was quite tentative about playing this Chinese opponent who had bashed the
NTU No 2 player yesterday. I told him to play his forte, tactical and
combinative play, noting that he gives me more trouble in training simul or
blitz sessions with tactical play than positional fights. He mentioned that he
remembered what I said during the game and thus played for tactical
complications.} 14. cxd5 (14. Nxd5 $4 Nxe4 {and Black's powerful developmental
lead will tell soon enough.} 15. Ne3 Bxf3 16. Bxf3 Qd4 17. g3 Rad8 {with ...
Nd3 to follow.}) 14... Nfxd5 $6 {Although this isn't totally accurate, it
suits him to a T. The point is, he feels like a fish in the water in tactical
complications..} ({I saw} 14... Nxe4 $3 15. Nxe4 Qxd5 {with a won position.
One particularly beautiful variation is} 16. Nc3 Bxc3 17. bxc3 Rxe2 18. cxb4
Bxf3 $1 19. gxf3 Qh5 {with mate to follow.}) 15. Nxd5 ({The point is} 15. exd5
$4 Bf5 {wins the queen.}) 15... Nxd5 16. Rd1 $6 {White thought she got Melvin
with this pin. However, Melvin saw a little further.} ({Both sides missed} 16.
Bb5 $1 Bxf3 17. gxf3 Nb4 18. Bxe8 Qxe8 $14 {[%csl Gd3][%cal Ge8b5] and Black
has some compensation for the exchange.}) 16... Qa5 $1 $11 17. Rxd5 $2 {
Falling into a deep trick!} (17. h3 $1 Bxf3 18. Bxf3 Ne7 {is probably best
with an unclear position.}) 17... Bxf3 {Threatening back rank mate.} 18. Bd2 {
White was relying on this to rescue her extra piece. Black has a nice retort} (
{Most definitely not} 18. gxf3 Qe1+ 19. Kg2 Qxe2+) ({or} 18. Bxf3 Qe1#) 18...
Bxe4 $1 {The whole point of the combination, Black wins a pawn after the
massive exchanges..} 19. Qxe4 $2 ({Better is} 19. Bxa5 $5 Bxb1 20. Bb5 Be4 21.
Rd2 Re7 {though Black remains a solid pawn up.}) 19... Rxe4 20. Bxa5 Rxe2 21.
Bc3 Bxc3 22. bxc3 Rae8 23. h3 b6 24. f5 Kg7 25. fxg6 hxg6 26. Rd7 R8e7 27. Rad1
$2 Re1+ 28. Rxe1 Rxd7 29. Re2 Kf6 30. Kg1 b5 31. Rb2 Rb7 32. Kf2 Ke5 33. Ke3
Kd5 34. a4 b4 35. cxb4 Rxb4 36. Rf2 f5 {and Black later won the ending.} 0-1
