tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932286889141037892024-03-13T19:13:24.381+08:00IM Kevin Goh's Chess SiteChess is not everything, it's the only thing.IM Kevin Gohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365772817514475507noreply@blogger.comBlogger199125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-593228688914103789.post-55734551722315672992017-01-27T12:20:00.003+08:002017-02-04T12:19:33.648+08:00Singapore Youth Girls' Chess Championship 2017<div style="color: #26211b; font-family: "Open Sans", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 5px;">
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<strong>UPDATE: Change of details for the above event</strong></div>
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I received an email this morning from <strong>Girls in Chess</strong>, a group of chess enthusiasts who want to encourage and promote girls chess in Singapore. They are organizing the above event and the registration form can be found <a data-mce-href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4wZLFmSOSSjQnpIOGxjbkV2NnFjQTU4WVNWWUc4Mll2clNR/view?usp=sharing" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4wZLFmSOSSjQnpIOGxjbkV2NnFjQTU4WVNWWUc4Mll2clNR/view?usp=sharing">here</a>.</div>
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Lunch is provided and you can contact the organisers at 9722 9360 (Wu You) or 9178 0755 (Jiayi). Please show your support for this worthy cause and sign up now!</div>
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IM Kevin Gohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365772817514475507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-593228688914103789.post-82176851668483203432016-11-21T20:18:00.001+08:002016-11-21T20:18:07.313+08:00Announcement - Migrating to Chess.comAfter browsing through Chess.com for an hour, I realised that the interface is so much more user friendly as compared to Blogger and as such, I would be posting more regularly <a href="https://www.chess.com/blog/IMKevinGoh" target="_blank">here</a><div>
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My first article can be found <a href="https://www.chess.com/blog/IM_Kgwm/my-debut-on-chess-com-3-important-games-in-the-french-winawer-part-1" target="_blank">here</a>. Please share or leave a comment if you like it!</div>
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I will be posting the non-technical stuff here and one of the things I will discuss soon is the ongoing investigation by the SCF's ethics committee in regard to the Baku Olympiad selection. Given that the outcome has not been decided, I am not at liberty to disclose too much information but I can say that at least 2 other parties have come forward and shared testimonies that are very similar to my experience. The committee has promised us a response soon and once that happens, the truth will surface and everyone can then move forward. </div>
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Going back to the technical stuff, I will also be re-hashing some of my old articles here, and Singapore Chess News but I will of course re-check and update the analysis where necessary. My next article would be a review on the latest chess-site in town, www.modern-Chess.com and it would be a really detailed one so, don't mind the cliche, but watch this space!</div>
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IM Kevin Gohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365772817514475507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-593228688914103789.post-91778574166444303742016-11-17T13:10:00.000+08:002016-11-17T13:11:02.120+08:00Shout out to the internet warriors!<div style="text-align: justify;">
I have recently spoke to some friends (one of whom has known me since I was in primary school) who appear to have been grossly, and perhaps intentionally misinformed over the unfortunate debacle, that is, the selection process of the Singapore team for the Baku Olympiad. There was a laughable amount of rumors that are still floating around in the chess scene and the most ridiculous thing about this is that these rumors are likely spread by random fellows who have no clue what they are saying.</div>
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What I am puzzled is that even people who I've known for decades had not even bothered to do basic fact checking with the protagonist but have instead chosen to listen to stories that are unsurprisingly one-sided. It is of course no wonder that not 1 person has looked at me in the face and confronted me about the amazing and terrible things that I've supposedly said and done!<br />
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And to the various armchair warriors, you know what?<br />
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<b><span style="color: blue;">It is exceptionally cheap & disgraceful to abuse someone while hiding in the shadows. You must lead a sorry life indeed, and I encourage you to continue sitting on your moral high horse as that must be one of your very few simple pleasures in life. </span></b><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5HzCJV_trnc/V_20wnEMwSI/AAAAAAAAAeo/yC0NngNwcYkB9IOsRKlq4y4VKn_GPADgACLcB/s1600/6f4fd7ebf9233b72f4539ce94760f211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5HzCJV_trnc/V_20wnEMwSI/AAAAAAAAAeo/yC0NngNwcYkB9IOsRKlq4y4VKn_GPADgACLcB/s320/6f4fd7ebf9233b72f4539ce94760f211.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
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Thankfully, I've come to learn that life is tough, and often very unfair and I would be a very miserable person indeed if I am affected by every unfair comment that is thrown in my direction!<br />
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The initial selection was utterly shambolic and a lot of credit has to be given to the Exco for the rectification. This happened not because of 1 blog article, but because common sense and logic were exercised after all the facts were put across.<br />
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As a legendary wiseman once said, Engage Your Brain before Typing on Keyboard!</div>
IM Kevin Gohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365772817514475507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-593228688914103789.post-44646002475854579962016-10-14T00:38:00.000+08:002016-10-14T00:38:39.700+08:00My analysis of Tin - Hakimifard, Baku 2016 - A tremendous fighting game from our very young debutant.For a change, I've decided to analyse a game between Tin Ruiqi, (Jingyao's younger sister) and the Iranian board 3, Hakimifard. Even though Ruiqi was outrated by over 400 points, she put up a great fight and was very close to holding her opponent to a very creditable draw. Unfortunately, after over 6 hours and 125 moves, she went down in flames. Still the game is quite instructive and I should mention that the Iranian coach was very impressed with Ruiqi's fighting spirit.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<title>A game that I liked (ChessBase 13)</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Tin - Hakimifard.pgn"></a>
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<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "Olympiad Women 2016"]
[Site "Baku AZE"]
[Date "2016.09.03"]
[Round "2.14"]
[White "Tin, Ruiqi"]
[Black "Hakimifard, G."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B40"]
[WhiteElo "1892"]
[BlackElo "2308"]
[Annotator "Wei Ming"]
[PlyCount "250"]
[EventDate "2016.09.02"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "AZE"]
[SourceTitle "The Week in Chess 1139"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2016.09.05"]
[WhiteTeam "Singapore"]
[BlackTeam "Iran"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "SIN"]
[BlackTeamCountry "IRI"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. c3 d5 4. exd5 exd5 5. d4 Nc6 6. Bb5 Bd6 7. O-O Nge7 8.
dxc5 Bxc5 9. Nbd2 O-O 10. Nb3 Bd6 11. h3 Bf5 12. Be3 Bg6 13. Qd2 Qc7 14. Rad1
Rad8 15. Nbd4 {White has gotten a standard French Tarrasch/c3 Sicilian IQP
position and she is slightly better. Generally in these positions, the e7
knight is a lot better on the f6 square where it eyes the e4 square and it
doesn't get in the way of its counterpart on c6. Still, there is a lot of play
in the position.} Na5 16. b3 Nac6 17. Bd3 a6 18. Bxg6 Nxg6 $6 {Strangely
allowing White's next move.} 19. Nf5 Nce5 20. N3d4 ({I do not really see an
immediate refutation if White goes} 20. Qxd5 $5 {, plucking a pawn.} Bb4 (20...
Qxc3 $4 21. Nxd6 $18) 21. Qe4 Bxc3 (21... Qxc3 22. Nxe5 Qxe5 23. Qxb4 (23. Nh6+
$5) 23... Qxf5 24. Qxb7 $16) 22. Rc1 {and Black is caught in an unpleasant pin.
}) 20... Rfe8 21. Nxd6 $1 {Each exchange increases White's advantage and Ruiqi
has an additional idea as shown in the next few moves.} Qxd6 22. Rfe1 f6 23. f4
$1 Nc6 24. f5 $1 Nf8 25. Bf4 Qd7 26. g4 $1 {I like White's handling of the
middlegame so far. Black's f8 knight is a very poor beast and White has a
straightforward plan of playing in the centre by doubling rooks, or prepare an
attack with g4-g5. White was also not afraid of throwing her kingside pawns
forward even though this exposes her king somewhat. At the same time, it is
also extremely important to consider black's potential counterplay from the
position and it is clear that her only chance lies in putting a piece on the
e4 square. White has to be careful and prevent this at any cost.} Ne5 27. Kg2 {
A safe move, but not especially essential. Also, the King might be safer on h2
or h1, allowing White to use the g-file for her rooks at some point.} (27. Re3
$1 {, seems strong. White can continue with Rde1, or Qf2-g3, attacking Black's
stronghold on the e5 square. At the same time, it is also nice to provide
additional cover on the f3-square, further ruling out any potential cheapos.})
27... b5 28. Re2 {A good solid move.} ({The direct} 28. g5 $1 {also looks very
good.} Nc6 (28... Nf7 29. gxf6 gxf6 30. Rg1 {with a big attack.}) 29. Rxe8 Rxe8
(29... Qxe8 30. Re1 Qd7 31. Ne6 Re8 32. Nc5 Qf7 33. Rxe8 Qxe8 34. Qxd5+ $18)
30. Nxc6 Qxc6 31. Qxd5+ Qxd5+ 32. Rxd5 Re2+ 33. Kf3 Rxa2 34. Rd8 $1 {wins the
knight. Still, I can understand the reluctance to weaker her king even further
as these lines were not that easy to calculate.}) 28... Qb7 29. Rde1 Nfd7 {
Here, alarm bells should already be ringing. The knight is heading for e4!} 30.
Kg3 $2 {I believe Ruiqi had overlooked the danger to her position. As happens
very often in chess, 1 bad move could turn the position around drastically.} ({
White would have liked to go} 30. Ne6 $2 {but it is clear now that the King is
on a bad square after} d4+ $1) ({Perhaps, White was forced to go} 30. g5 $1 {
when} Nc5 31. Bxe5 fxe5 32. Rxe5 Ne4 33. Qf4 Rxe5 34. Qxe5 $16 Nxg5 $2 35. f6
Ne4 36. fxg7 $18 {wins.}) 30... Nc5 31. Kg2 {I believe the next few moves were
time trouble induced.} Ne4 32. Qe3 Rc8 33. Rc2 Re7 34. Kh2 Rec7 (34... b4 $5
35. cxb4 $2 Rxc2+ 36. Nxc2 Rc7 37. Re2 $2 Rc3 $1 $19) 35. Rec1 Qb6 36. Kg2 Qa5
37. b4 $6 ({Don't give away more squares especially in time trouble if you can
help it!} 37. Ne2 $1 {Defending passively and preparing Ng3 when the
opportunity arises is good.}) 37... Qb6 38. Kh2 Nc4 (38... Qxd4 $3 {is a
beautiful shot.} 39. cxd4 Rxc2+ 40. Rxc2 Rxc2+ 41. Kg1 Rc3 42. Qe2 Nf3+ 43. Kf1
g5 (43... Nxd4 $2 44. Qd1) 44. fxg6 hxg6 {and White is hopelessly tied up.})
39. Qd3 Re7 40. Re2 Rd7 41. Ne6 Qb7 42. Rd1 Nb6 43. Rc2 Na4 44. Rdc1 Rc4 45.
Be3 Qb8+ (45... Naxc3) 46. Bf4 Qc8 47. Bd2 Qc6 48. Be1 Re7 49. Nd4 Qd6+ 50. Kg2
Rec7 51. Ne2 Qe5 52. Bg3 Nxg3 53. Qxg3 Qe4+ 54. Qf3 Kf7 55. Kf2 g6 56. fxg6+
hxg6 57. Qxe4 dxe4 58. Ke3 Rc8 59. a3 f5 60. gxf5 gxf5 61. Kf4 Kf6 {The dust
has settled and after missing several wins earlier, Black is now only a little
better. White's king is very well placed, blocking the connected passed pawns
and the weak a6 pawn promises White sufficient counterplay.} 62. Rd1 Nxc3 63.
Nxc3 {A natural but inaccurate move.} ({The difficult} 63. Rd6+ $1 Ke7 64. Ke5
$11 {is very strong. Keeping both rooks enhances White's counterplay and Black
can no longer hold on to both central passed pawns.}) 63... Rxc3 64. Rxc3 Rxc3
65. Rd6+ Ke7 66. Rxa6 Rf3+ 67. Ke5 Kf7 68. Kd4 Rd3+ 69. Ke5 e3 70. Kxf5 Rd5+ $2
(70... Rd7 $3 {with the idea} 71. Rf6+ Ke8 $1 {would have won cleanly. Now,
White has a lifeline and she went for it.}) 71. Ke4 e2 72. Kxd5 e1=Q 73. Kc5
Qe5+ 74. Kb6 Ke6 75. Ra5 Qb8+ 76. Kc5 Ke5 77. Kc6 Qe8+ 78. Kc5 Qb8 79. Kc6 Qe8+
80. Kc5 Qd7 81. Kb6 Kd4 82. Rxb5 Qd8+ 83. Kb7 Qd7+ 84. Kb6 Qd6+ 85. Kb7 Kc4 86.
Ra5 {We've finally arrived at the most instructive part of the game. A few
fundamental things that we can quickly establish: 1) h3 pawn would be lost
sooner or later; 2) White's rook has to remain on the a5 square where it is
safely protected and guards the critical a3 pawn; 3) In order to win, Black
has to force White's King into the corner, placing White in zugzwang and
forcing the rook to leave its anchor on a5. Ben and I were following the
game live in our hotel room and we were initially not able to achieve point 3.
However, it is now quite clear that Black can place the White king in a series
of small zugzwangs and then it is only a matter of time before the rook is
forced to leave the a5 square. Ben then pointed out that White can always go
Ra6, and goes back to a5 everytime the king is placed in zugzwang. He is right
of course, and the position is drawn.} Qd7+ 87. Kb6 Kb3 88. h4 Qd6+ 89. Kb7
Qe7+ 90. Kb6 Qxh4 91. Kc6 Qf6+ 92. Kc7 Qe7+ 93. Kc6 Qe6+ 94. Kc7 Qc4+ 95. Kb6 (
95. Kb7 Qf7+ (95... Qd4 96. Kc7 Qg7+ 97. Kc6 (97. Kb6 Qd7 $1 98. Ra6 $1) 97...
Qf6+ 98. Kc7 Qe7+ 99. Kc6 Qd8 100. Kb7 Qd7+ 101. Kb8 Qc6) 96. Kc8 Qf8+ 97. Kc7
Qe8 98. Kb6 ({For the sake of argument,} 98. b5 {also draws but with very
little time, I would be nervous to push any of these pawns as they might all
disappear in a jiffy!} Kc4 99. b6 {and there is no way to win the a5 rook.})
98... Qd7 99. Ra6 Qc8 100. Ra5 Qb8+ 101. Kc6 Kc4 102. Rc5+ Kd4 103. Ra5 {
and Black has not made any progress.}) 95... Qc8 {Zugzwang! Now White has a
critical decision to make and in time trouble, it is perfectly understandable
that she made the wrong choice here.} 96. Ka7 $2 (96. Ra6 $1 {is the only move,
and Black has no way of making progress. For example,} Qb8+ 97. Kc6 Kc4 98. Ra5
$11) (96. Ra7 $2 Qb8+ 97. Rb7 Qd6+ $19 {Black gets all the pawns eventually.})
(96. Kb5 Qc7 $1 {Another zugzwang!} 97. Ra6 Qb7+ 98. Rb6 Qd5+ $19) (96. b5 Qd8+
97. Ka6 Kc4 98. b6 (98. Ra4+ Kc5) 98... Qa8# {is a pictureresque mate}) 96...
Qc7+ 97. Ka8 Qb6 $1 {Point 3 achieved and now there is no respite.} 98. Ra7 Kc4
99. Ra5 Kd4 100. Ra7 Kd5 101. Rd7+ Kc6 102. Rh7 Qa6+ 103. Kb8 Qxa3 104. Rh6+
Kb5 105. Kb7 Kxb4 106. Rh4+ Kc5 107. Rh5+ Kd6 108. Rh6+ Ke5 109. Rh5+ Kf4 110.
Rb5 Qd6 111. Ra5 Ke4 112. Ra4+ Kd5 113. Ra5+ Kc4 114. Ra6 Qd7+ 115. Kb6 Kb4
116. Ra7 Qd6+ 117. Kb7 Kb5 118. Kc8 Qf8+ 119. Kb7 Qd8 120. Ra1 Qe7+ 121. Kc8
Qe8+ 122. Kb7 Qe4+ 123. Kc8 Qc4+ 124. Kb7 Qf7+ 125. Kc8 Qg8+ 0-1
</div>
<script src="http://fritzserver.info/cbjschess/jquery/jquery-last.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script data-adv-options="{method: AdvMethod.STATIC_LINK}" data-notation-options="{notationLocalization: GlyphLocalization}" id="idcbjschess" src="http://fritzserver.info/cbjschess/jquery.chessbase.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>IM Kevin Gohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365772817514475507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-593228688914103789.post-86491574851012325442016-10-11T01:44:00.000+08:002016-10-12T11:35:52.552+08:00Analysis of Utegaliyev - Goh from the Baku Olympiad - Life is tough!<div style="text-align: justify;">
***Addendum: The Rook & Bishop vs Rook ending at move 102 was covered specifically by Karsen Muller & Frank Lamprecht on page 301 of <i><b>Fundamental Chess Endings</b></i>. My annotations are slightly confusing there. What I meant to say was that in that specific position, the guiding principle is that the White king should stay on e1 and the rook should be ready to block on f1 whenever possible.<br />
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And so after 3 tournaments in Europe, I am back home and back to work. It was of course disappointing that I had failed to make my final GM norm but there were also some positives, the most important of which is that I am a lot wiser now and I think I know what to work on moving forward in order to fix the gaping holes in my chess knowledge. I will also have my highest rating to date although in all fairness, 2457 at the age of 33 is hardly impressive and is certainly nothing to shout about. The truth is that when I'm on a fine streak, making a norm is entirely within the realms of possibility but I lack sufficient knowledge in certain types of position and I did not have the ability to react in unfamilar and strategically or tactically complex games.</div>
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In this and the next few posts, I will analyse the games which I felt to be most instructive. Which probably means there will be very few wins since I only have 1 really good result which most who followed the Olympiad might know by now.<br />
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The most painful game by far was probably the game against Utegaliyev, a 2513 untitled player from Kazakhstan. Just to provide some context - I had lost my previous game against a 2500 GM from Estonia and it was important for me to bounce back as fast as I could. <br />
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The game began well and I managed to outplay my opponent from the opening and was clearly better, if not winning, and blundered in time trouble at a critical juncture. After a topsy turvy middle game where my opponent somehow managed to hang on with very little time left, we reached a bishop and rook vs rook ending and the conclusion to the game was just, well, epic....<br />
<br />
<title>A game that I liked (ChessBase 13)</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Kazak - Sin.pgn"></a>
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<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "42nd Baku Olympiad"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.09.09"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Utegaliyev Azamat"]
[Black "Goh Wei Ming, Kevin"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C03"]
[WhiteElo "2513"]
[BlackElo "2444"]
[Annotator "Wei Ming"]
[PlyCount "278"]
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Be7 4. Bd3 c5 5. dxc5 ({In yesterday's
Inter-Professional games, IM Terry Toh continued with} 5. Ngf3 Nf6 6. exd5 {
which is a quiet alternative to the main lines. Here, I went} exd5 $6 {hoping
to enter a similar position to this game but White's specific move order
prevented this possibility.} (6... Qxd5 $1 {is the mainline}) 7. dxc5 $1 a5 8.
O-O O-O 9. a4 $1 Na6 10. Nb3 Bg4 $6 (10... Nxc5 {is probably fine for Black
although its a little dull.}) 11. Be3 {and here, I blundered terribly with} Nd7
$4 12. Bxa6 Rxa6 13. Qxd5 {and White was clearly better in Terry Toh - Goh Wei
Ming, Kevin, Inter-Pro Games 2016 although I somehow managed to win eventually.
}) 5... Nf6 6. Qe2 O-O 7. Ngf3 a5 8. O-O Na6 9. exd5 {This allows a
comfortable IQP for Black.} (9. e5 Nd7 10. c3 Naxc5 11. Bc2 b6 {was analysed
in Sax - Goh, 2011 elsewhere on this blog.}) 9... exd5 10. Nb3 ({After the
natural} 10. Re1 {, I had remembered John Watson's comment in Play the French
4 that} Re8 $1 {is the move, insisting on taking c5 with the knight and
ensuring an active game.}) 10... a4 $1 {In my opinion, words are not able to
describe just how important this move is to justify the viability of Black's
set-up but I would try.} ({I had reached this position in a previous game with
Sergei Tiviakov and was slowly but surely grounded after} 10... Nxc5 $2 11. Be3
Nce4 12. Nbd4 Bc5 13. h3 Re8 14. c3 Qb6 (14... a4 $1 {was probably Black's
best chance.}) 15. Rfe1 h6 16. Bb5 Re7 17. a4 $1 $14 {and White had gotten
everything he could possibly want from the opening. After the game, I asked
the Dutch super GM where I went wrong and he simply replied that in this
particular pawn structure, it is very important not to allow White to achieve
the set-up with Bb5-a4. In this particular position, it is clear that: 1)
Black has no satisfactory way of developing his light square bishop and a move
like ...Bd7 is only helping White who generally wants to exchange pieces in an
IQP position; 2) Black's typical counterplay on the queenside is absolutely
stymied. The b2 pawn is always safe and there is no a5-a4-a3, breaking up the
queenside pawn structure. For what it's worth, I will show the rest of the
game with light comments.} Qc7 (17... Nd6 18. Qd3 $1 Nxb5 19. Qxb5 Qxb5 20.
axb5 $14) (17... Bd7 $6 18. Bxd7 Nxd7 19. Nf5 $1 $14 {illustrates the dangers
of leaving the light squares unattended. The traditionally bad French bishop
does cover important squares as well.}) 18. Nd2 Bd7 {I didn't see any other
way to connect my rooks.} 19. Bxd7 Qxd7 20. N2b3 b6 21. Qb5 Qc7 22. Nf5 Re5 23.
Nxc5 Nxc5 24. Nd4 $1 {At this stage, I was already feeling that I was on the
way to becoming a victim of yet another of Tivi's positional masterclass.} Rae8
25. b4 $5 Ncd7 26. Qc6 Qxc6 27. Nxc6 R5e6 28. Nd4 Re4 29. bxa5 bxa5 30. Nb3 Nb6
31. Nd2 $1 R4e6 32. Reb1 $1 {Beautiful piece co-ordination. Black could only
watch and wait for the execution that is to come.} Nfd7 33. Rb5 Rc8 34. Bd4 $1
$16 Re2 35. Nb3 Re6 36. Rxa5 Ra8 37. Rxa8+ Nxa8 38. Nc5 Nxc5 39. Bxc5 Ra6 40.
Kf1 Nc7 41. a5 Nb5 42. Bb4 d4 43. c4 Na7 44. Bc5 Nc6 45. Bb6 Kf8 46. Ke2 Ke7
47. Kd3 Nb4+ 48. Ke4 Ke6 49. Ra4 Nc6 50. Bxd4 f5+ 51. Kd3 g5 52. Bb6 Kd6 53.
Kc3 Ne5 54. Ra2 Nd7 55. Kb4 Kc6 56. Re2 {1-0 (56) Tiviakov,S (2644)-Goh,W
(2441) Petaling Jaya 2013}) 11. Nbd4 Nxc5 {Now a move like Bb5 no longer makes
any sense as it will be loose on that square. Black has fully equalised at
this stage and has active counterplay.} 12. h3 (12. Nf5 $2 {looks attractive
but I had seen that after} Bxf5 13. Bxf5 a3 $1 14. b3 Nfe4 {followed by ...Re8
and ...Bf6, Black gets very nice counterplay.}) (12. Be3 Nfe4 13. a3 Bf6 14.
Rad1 {and here, both} Nd6 ({or} 14... Bd7 {look fine for Black.})) 12... Nfe4
13. Be3 Bf6 14. a3 Re8 15. Bb5 Bd7 16. Rad1 ({The exchange of light square
bishops is fine now as after} 16. Bxd7 Qxd7 {, Black has ideas such as ...
Ne4-d6-c4, where it cannot be chased away without compromising the White pawn
structure.}) 16... Nd6 $1 {An all-purpose and rather thematic move. Black
covers all the critical light squares such as b5, c4 and f5, opens up the
e-file and allows possibilities such as Nce4.} 17. c3 {I am not certain
whether White has seen my next few moves at this point but I would be very
surprised if he had allowed me to weaken his pawn structure voluntarily.
Having said that, I couldn't see anything better than this natural move.} Bxb5
18. Nxb5 Nf5 $1 $15 {White has no way to avoid ...Nxe3 fe3 which weakens his
structure in the kingside substantially. Black's dark square bishop could
prove to be an important piece and Black's knight was about to hop to the
useful e4 square, eyeing the g3 square.} 19. Nfd4 Nxe3 20. fxe3 Bg5 $6 {
A human but inaccurate move.} (20... Ne4 21. Rf3 Be5 $1 $17 {was more to the
point}) 21. Nf5 $2 (21. Nc2 $1 {is a surprising defensive resource. White
continues with Rf3 and Nbd4 and suddenly White's position is ultra solid.})
21... Re5 $2 (21... Ne4 $1 {prevents the note to White's next move, and
threatens ...g6 followed by ...Ng3.}) 22. Qg4 $2 {This is an exceptionally
tempting move as it keeps ideas such as h4 or Nxg7 but in fact Black seizes
the advantage by force.} (22. Nbd6 $1 {with the idea} g6 23. Nh6+ $3 Bxh6 24.
Nxf7 Bxe3+ 25. Kh1 Qe7 26. Nxe5 Qxe5 27. Rde1 Re8 28. Qf3 $1 {is ridiculously
complicated. Black may have won 2 pieces for the rook but I don't see a
convenient way for Black to untangle himself.}) 22... Ne4 $1 {I took a long
time to find this important move but it was worth it as Black had now seized a
clear edge. My immediate threat was ...g6 followed by h5 when White's position
simply collapses.} 23. Nbd4 g6 24. h4 gxf5 $1 {It looks ridiculous to open up
the g-file but I had calculated that Black holds in all lines.} 25. Rxf5 h5 $1
26. Qf3 Rxf5 27. Nxf5 Bxh4 28. Rf1 Bg5 29. Qxh5 {I had navigated safely
through the first set of chaos but now in severe time trouble, I played an
absolute howler.} Qb6 $4 ({In a moment of madness, I had thought that after}
29... Ra6 $1 30. Rf3 Rg6 31. Rh3 Bf6 32. Qh7+ Kf8 33. Qh8+ Bxh8 34. Rxh8+ {
was mate but of course Black could simply play} Rg8 {and it would have been
all over.}) 30. Ne7+ $1 {I would have surely seen this had I given more
thought to my previous move. Now White has at least a draw.} Bxe7 31. Qxf7+ Kh8
32. Qh5+ Kg8 33. Qxd5+ Kh8 34. Qxe4 Bf6 35. Rf3 Kg7 36. Qg4+ Kf7 $4 (36... Kf8
$1 37. Qg6 Ra6 38. g4 Qd6 $1 39. g5 Qd1+ 40. Kg2 Qe2+ 41. Rf2 Qg4+ {would have
forced a draw.}) 37. Qd7+ $4 {The position is incredibly complex and almost
impossible to navigate in time trouble.} (37. Qh5+ $1 Ke7 38. Qh7+ Ke6 39.
Rxf6+ $1 $18 {would have won immediately.}) 37... Kg6 $4 (37... Kg8 $1 $11) 38.
Rg3+ $4 (38. Qg4+ $1 $18) 38... Bg5 39. Qd3+ Kf6 40. Rf3+ Kg7 41. Qd7+ Kh8 {
Time control reached and both players get some time to catch their breath.
Incredibly, Black had somehow stayed alive despite the vulnerability of the
Black king and 42.Rh3+ can now be met with 42...Bh6. I took a while to come to
terms with the position and realised that there is no clear way for White to
continue the attack.} 42. Kh1 {White took a long time to make this move and my
guess was this was more out of desperation than anything. White probably
wasn't able to find anything useful.} Bxe3 43. Qd5 Re8 44. Qd7 Ra8 45. Qd5 {
White is content with a draw but I had no intention of finishing the game this
early.} Re8 46. Qd7 Rd8 $1 {No draw!} 47. Qxa4 Bh6 48. Rh3 Qe6 $1 {Black's
pieces are slowly but surely getting coordinated.} 49. Rh5 Qg6 50. Rh3 Kh7 51.
Qf4 Qe6 52. Qh4 Rd2 53. b4 Re2 ({GM Bong suggested} 53... b5 $1 {, locking up
White's queenside majority before searching for a concrete breakthrough.}) 54.
Kh2 Re4 55. Qh5 Qf6 56. Qf3 Qe5+ {Now both sides were back in time trouble and
my opponent showed remarkable resilience not to collapse in this tricky
position.} 57. Qg3 Qe6 58. Qc7+ Kg6 59. Qg3+ Rg4 60. Qd3+ Kg7 61. Qd1 Qe5+ 62.
g3 Re4 {I felt I was almost winning here but annoyingly, White continued to
find only moves. I have to say I was very impressed with my opponent's
resourcefulness.} 63. Qd7+ Kg6 64. Qd3 $1 Qf5 65. Kg2 $1 Be3 66. Qc2 Bg5 67.
Rh1 $1 {I somehow managed to get myself in a mess down the b1-g6 diagonal and
Black was now forced to change queens.} Re3 68. Qxf5+ Kxf5 69. Rh7 {The
infamous rook bishop vs rook ending!} Rxc3 70. Rxb7 Rxa3 71. Kh3 Bf6 72. Rb8
Rb3 73. b5 Be5 74. Rf8+ Ke4 75. Rg8 Rxb5 76. Kh4 Kf5 77. g4+ $6 {This doesn't
throw away the draw but it makes life more difficult.} ({It was better to keep
the pawn on g3 when I was not sure how I could even win the pawn successfully.
} 77. Kh3) 77... Kf6 78. Rf8+ Kg6 79. Rf5 Bf6+ 80. Kg3 Rb4 81. Kf3 Bg5 82. Kg3
Rb3+ 83. Rf3 Bh4+ 84. Kg2 Rb2+ 85. Kh3 Be7 86. Rd3 Kg5 87. Rd5+ Kf4 88. Rf5+
Ke4 89. Rf1 Rb3+ 90. Kg2 Bd6 91. Re1+ Kf4 92. Rf1+ Kxg4 {This is of course a
drawn ending but I didn't play 5.5 hours with the intention of giving away
easy draws. There is no need to give any specific details on how to play this
endgame as my opponent actually managed to demonstrate the 2 theoretical
drawing methods. This will be clearer in the coming moves.} 93. Rf2 Bc5 94. Rf7
Rb2+ 95. Kf1 Be3 96. Ke1 Bf4 97. Rd7 Kf3 98. Kd1 Rh2 99. Rd3+ Be3 100. Rd8 Rg2
101. Rd7 Ke4 102. Ke1 Bd4 {We have reached the first critical position and
here, the guiding principle is that the defending side should move his king
towards the corner with the square with the opposite color of the bishop. In
this case, White should keep his king on e1 and be ready to block with his
rook on f1.} 103. Kf1 $4 {A huge huge error and a great opportunity for me to
finally finish the game off. Unfortunately, I did not grasp this lifeline....}
(103. Rf7 {, or other rook moves would have been drawn.}) 103... Rf2+ $1 104.
Ke1 Ke3 105. Rd8 (105. Rxd4 Rh2 {was a little trap but one I did not expect my
opponent to fall into.}) 105... Rf3 106. Kd1 Kd3 107. Ke1 Rg3 $4 {Yet another
time trouble howler.} ({I had not realised that White was virtually in
zugzwang here and he had to keep his rook on the d-file to prevent ...Bc3+ and
mate. Hence, the simple} 107... Rf7 108. Rd6 ({or} 108. Rd5 Re7+ 109. Kd1 Rg7
$19) 108... Rg7 $1 {would have forced instant resignation.}) 108. Rf8 $1 Rg1+
109. Rf1 Rg2 110. Rf8 Rg7 111. Rf5 Ra7 112. Kf1 Rg7 113. Ke1 Ke3 114. Kd1 Rg2
115. Rf8 Kd3 116. Ke1 Rg1+ 117. Rf1 Rg8 118. Rf7 Be3 119. Rd7+ Ke4 120. Ke2
Rg2+ 121. Kd1 Ra2 122. Rd8 $4 ({As mentioned earlier, it is important to keep
the king on the e1 square.} 122. Ke1 $1) 122... Bd4 123. Ke1 Ke3 $4 {Throwing
away the win a 2nd time.} (123... Kd3 $1 124. Kf1 Rf2+ 125. Ke1 Rf7 {
transposes to the win above.}) 124. Kf1 Rf2+ 125. Kg1 Rd2 126. Rf8 Be5 127. Re8
Kf4 128. Kf1 Ra2 129. Rf8+ Ke4 130. Rf2 Ra1+ 131. Kg2 Bd4 132. Re2+ Be3 133.
Kg3 Ra8 134. Rg2 Rg8+ 135. Kh3 {The Cochrane, or 7th rank defence is the most
straight forward way to defend this ending and here I was finally resigned to
the draw.} Bg5 136. Kg3 Bf4+ 137. Kh3 Ra8 138. Kg4 Rg8+ 139. Kh3 Rxg2 1/2-1/2
</div>
<script src="http://fritzserver.info/cbjschess/jquery/jquery-last.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script data-adv-options="{method: AdvMethod.STATIC_LINK}" data-notation-options="{notationLocalization: GlyphLocalization}" id="idcbjschess" src="http://fritzserver.info/cbjschess/jquery.chessbase.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br />
After the game, I was completely exhausted but while waiting for the bus to bring me back to the hotel, I suddenly had an epiphany of some sort. Of course, I had seen a particular game (live!) 8 years ago at the Dresden Olympiad and marvelled at the technique that Black demonstrated in that game:<br />
<br />
<title>A game that I liked (ChessBase 13)</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Leko - Chucky.pgn"></a>
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "Dresden ol (Men) 38th"]
[Site "Dresden"]
[Date "2008.11.17"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B42"]
[WhiteElo "2747"]
[BlackElo "2786"]
[Annotator "KGWm8"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/8/7R/6k1/6b1/8/r7/6K1 w - - 0 119"]
[PlyCount "18"]
[EventDate "2008.11.13"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 128"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2009.01.28"]
[WhiteTeam "Hungary"]
[BlackTeam "Ukraine"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "HUN"]
[BlackTeamCountry "UKR"]
119. Rh2 $1 {The Cochrane or 7th rank defence!} Ra1+ 120. Kf2 Kf4 121. Rh8 Ra2+
122. Ke1 Re2+ 123. Kf1 Kg3 124. Rd8 $4 ({This position is actually very
similar to my game and it was easy for me to find} 124. Rf8 $3 Re3 125. Kg1 $1
{which would have held.}) 124... Re3 125. Rg8 {This is mre or less the same
position as my game and Chucky demonstrated the win nicely.} Re7 $1 126. Rg5
Rh7 $1 127. Ke1 Rd7 $1 0-1
</div>
<script src="http://fritzserver.info/cbjschess/jquery/jquery-last.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script data-adv-options="{method: AdvMethod.STATIC_LINK}" data-notation-options="{notationLocalization: GlyphLocalization}" id="idcbjschess" src="http://fritzserver.info/cbjschess/jquery.chessbase.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br />
Yep, chess is a really cruel, cruel game....IM Kevin Gohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365772817514475507noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-593228688914103789.post-3611520117571060712016-09-18T17:56:00.000+08:002016-09-18T17:56:38.143+08:00My analysis of Maze - Goh, Helsingor 2016A highly critical game that I needed to at least make a draw to keep my GM norm chances alive. Ultimately, I was overpowered by my strong opponent but the game was very complex and I had good chances at certain points in the game. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<br />
<title>A game that I liked (ChessBase 13)</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Maze - Goh.pgn"></a>
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "Xtracon Chess Open"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.07.30"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Sebastien Maze"]
[Black "Goh Wei Ming, Kevin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C18"]
[WhiteElo "2628"]
[BlackElo "2435"]
[Annotator "Wei Ming"]
[PlyCount "109"]
{This was an extremely important game in the tournament as a win would mean a
GM norm and a draw followed by a win in the last round would have given me
very good chances for a 10 game norm. Just like any other sport, it is
important to come to a chess game and focus all your energy on the game but if
there's a good time to really use everything in the tank, this would be it.
Unfortunately, I started my pre-game preparation by doing something I really
shouldn't have done - I played in the festival's blitz tournament the night
before! The tournament ended around midnight and I was completely exhausted at
the end. I could have put the 3-4 hrs to good use by checking my lines and
catch a good night sleep. I tried to justify my decision by thinking that I
should play the blitz despite the importance of the next day's game as I have
already paid the entry fees. This was irrational and I was merely trying to
come up with excuses to make myself feel better on making a bad decision.
The result may or may not have been different but the blitz definitely broke
my momentum somewhat and I heavily regretted playing it especially after this
game.} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 $6 {As already mentioned, a win would
grant me a 9 game GM norm, and that a draw in this round, followed by a win in
the last round might also be sufficient for a 10 game norm. As such, given
that a win is not particular vital at this point, I understood the importance
of playing solidly especially when I knew that my opponent would probably play
seriously for the win. In this respect, it can be argued that the French
Winawer, an opening known for its huge complexity and aggressiveness is not
the best opening choice for this particular round. It is therefore quite
important to be flexible in your opening preparation especially when you may
need to face very strong opposition. You should always have a very solid line
and a line where you can play for a win although that normally comes in
exchange for some risk. In my opinion, this flexibility in your repertoire is
even more important when you are having the Black pieces.} 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+
6. bxc3 Ne7 {This particular move order is played to avoid some of White's
options.} ({For instance,} 6... Qc7 7. Qg4 Ne7 8. Bd3 {is a line that is not
that dangerous but it requires a fair amount of study.}) (6... Qa5 {is
probably a more "solid" line that I mentioned earlier and it has recently
become very fashionable mainly thanks to the efforts of GM Kovalenko who has
scored many wins with it recently.}) 7. h4 $1 {My opponent played this very
quickly and has obviously prepped this. I smelt a rat but decided to continue
with the mainline in my notes anyway.} (7. Qg4 cxd4 8. Qxg7 ({Comparing with
my note to Black's 6th,} 8. Bd3 {can now be met with} Qa5 $1 {although there
are complications there that have to be worked out. The young Indian star
Parimajan Negi had recommended this approach in his 1.e4 GM Repertoire series.}
) 8... Rg8 9. Qxh7 Qc7 {is the traditional Winawer Poisoned Pawn, one of my
favourite openings of all time. In round 4, my game with Daniel Naroditsky
continued} 10. Ne2 Nbc6 11. f4 dxc3 {and now, the young American talent
continued with the trendy} 12. h4 $5 {and had very good chances to obtain a
significant opening edge. The game eventually ended in a wild draw.}) 7... Nbc6
{A slightly different move order that was designed to confuse. I had already
played 2 games with this move and it was slightly naive of me to repeat the
line despite knowing that my opponent must have prepped seriously against this.
On the other hand, I didn't have a back-up to what I usually play and this
cost me dearly in this game.} ({After what transpired in the game, perhaps the
classical move order with} 7... Qa5 8. Bd2 Qa4 {should be considered.} 9. h5 {
and now, a recent game of the French expert Emmanuel Berg continued} b6 (9...
h6 $5) 10. h6 gxh6 11. Nf3 Ba6 12. Bxa6 Nxa6 13. Bxh6 cxd4 14. Nxd4 (14. cxd4
Rc8 15. Rc1 Rg8 {is fine for Black according to Berg.}) 14... Rc8 15. Qf3 Nc5
16. Bg7 Rg8 17. Rxh7 {and now in Smirin,I (2644)-Berg,E (2549) Minsk 2014,} Nc6
$3 $17 {with the idea of defending f7 with ...Rc7 if the need arises gives
Black a significant advantage.}) 8. h5 $1 ({After the innocuous} 8. Nf3 {,} f6
$1 $132 {leads to interesting play where I believe Black is able to generate a
fair amount of counterplay. This has been analysed in Steel - Goh, Istanbul
Olympiad 2012 elsewhere on the blog.}) 8... Qa5 9. Bd2 cxd4 $6 {Again, naively
following a previous game of mine and continuing to walk into my opponent's
prep. Against a 2600+ GM who is known to be well versed with high level
engines, this is almost a suicidal approach. However, I was unable to find a
satisfactory alternative and if White indeeds gets an opening edge by force,
the entire move order with 7...Nbc6?! may no longer be playable.} (9... Qa4 10.
h6 gxh6 {is a line although I think} 11. Rb1 $1 {gives White some initiative.})
({I was also not entirely satisfied with Black's position after} 9... h6 10.
Qg4 Nf5 11. Bd3 O-O 12. Nf3 {when Black seems to be passively placed.}) (9...
Bd7 {is the old mainline that was favored by the famous French expert,
Germany's Wolfgang Uhlmann.}) 10. cxd4 Qa4 11. h6 $1 {White continues to blitz
out the opening moves. Here, I was starting to feel more and more intimidated.}
({The famous stem game Kasparov - Anand continued} 11. Nf3 Nxd4 12. Bd3 {
but this line has been largely diffused recently.}) ({The position arising
after} 11. c3 Qxd1+ 12. Rxd1 h6 {is also known to be completely fine for Black
despite White's having the bishop pair as Black would gain sufficient
counterplay down the c-file and playing on the light squares with ...Bd7, ...
Na5 & ...Rc8.}) 11... Qxd4 12. Nf3 Qe4+ 13. Be2 Nxe5 14. Bc3 $1 {The
principled option.} ({Both} 14. Kf1 Nxf3 15. Bxf3 Qc4+ 16. Be2 Qd4 {and}) (14.
hxg7 Rg8 15. Kf1 Nxf3 16. Bxf3 Qd4 {are fine for Black.}) 14... f6 15. hxg7 ({
A recent game of mine that was in the database continued} 15. Nxe5 fxe5 16. Qd2
$2 g6 $1 {and Black was much better although I eventually suffered a horribly
painful defeat. This was covered in another article elsewhere on this blog.
This fact that this game is on the database has not slipped my mind and at
this juncture, I was certain that I was walking into some high level opening
preparation. In such sharp lines, it is entirely possible to lose immediately
from the opening with deep analysis and I became worried.}) 15... Rg8 16. Qd2
$1 $146 {The big novelty that my opponent had prepped.} ({The mainline in my
notes continued} 16. Nxe5 fxe5 17. Qd3 Qxd3 18. Bxd3 d4 19. Bb4 Rxg7 20. Rxh7
Rxh7 21. Bxh7 {and in ½-½ (62) Miton,K (2383)-Shabalov,A (2620) Stratton
Mountain 1999, White has sufficient compensation for the pawn deficit in view
of his powerful bishops.}) 16... Rxg7 17. O-O-O $1 {Energetic follow up from
my opponent. White is a couple of pawns down so he had to continue his active
play and not allow Black to consolidate his forcces easily. Specifically, it
was essential for him to stop Black from castling long.} ({For example,} 17.
Nxe5 fxe5 18. f3 Qf5 19. Bd3 Qf6 20. Rh6 (20. Bxh7 $6 {gives Black time to do
what he wants with} Bd7 21. Rh6 Qf8 $1 {with the idea} 22. Bxe5 Rxg2 $1) 20...
Ng6 {followed by ...Bd7}) 17... N7c6 {Played after 30 mins of thought. Black's
idea was simply to strengthen e5, and at some point, ...Rc7 may be a
possibility.} ({My opponent had analysed} 17... Bd7 18. Nxe5 fxe5 19. Bh5+ $1)
({and} 17... N7g6 18. Nxe5 Nxe5 19. Bh5+ $1 {both leading to a large edge for
White. There is no need to go into any deep variations here but it just goes
to show how detailed my opponent's preparation was. Fortunately, my opponent
had not analysed the move played in the game.}) {At this point, my opponent
had 1 hr 35 mins on the clock while I was already down to 55 mins. This is a
significant time advantage and also in practical terms, I had already invested
too much energy just to stay alive from the opening. In this respect, it is
clear that White's opening choice was a tremendous success.} 18. Nxe5 {The
first independent move that my opponent had to make and he immediately makes
an inaccuracy! Still, the position remained very tricky and complex.} ({
As my good friends on a particular Facebook group chat soon discovered,} 18.
Nd4 $3 {is an incredibly strong move. The point is to immediately weaken the
e5 knight indirectly, and at the same time, open up the possibility of nasty
Bh5 checks, creating ideas of f3 or f4, followed by Rde1. For example,} Nxd4
19. Bxd4 Rxg2 20. Rde1 Qf5 21. Rh5 $1 {is already almost close to winning for
White. With this in mind, it can be said that the entire line may well be
lost and Black can do better by investigating the options at move 9 or 7 (but
not the first move. The French is a great opening!).}) 18... fxe5 19. Qh6 {
Strong practical chess. White introduces a series of nasty threats into the
position.} Re7 $1 {The most solid, defensive move.} ({I rejected} 19... Qxg2 {
simply because of} 20. Rdg1 $1 Qxg1+ 21. Rxg1 Rxg1+ 22. Kb2 {as White has at
least a perpetual check and that it would be extremely difficult to fend off
White's powerful pieces. In a practical game, there is no need to calculate
further - this conclusion should already be enough reason for you to hunt for
alternatives.}) ({I also considered} 19... Rxg2 {but again, I did not see any
sense in opening up another avenue for White to continue the attack. In
particular, I did not like Black after} 20. Qf6 $1 Qf4+ 21. Qxf4 exf4 22. Rxh7
{. Black may have some kind of a defence here but it is clear that it would
take many moves before Black manages to coordinate his queenside.}) 20. Bh5+
Kd7 21. Rhe1 Qf4+ $1 {Not the engine's first choice, but I felt this was the
most practical move.} ({The machine suggested} 21... Qf5 {and claims that
Black can ride out the storm but it is obvious that Black would be subjected
to a lot of pressure after the simple} 22. Re3 $5 d4 (22... Qf4 23. Qxf4 exf4
24. Ree1) 23. Kb1 $5 {. I really wanted to get rid of the queens even at the
expense of some material.}) 22. Qxf4 exf4 23. Bf6 {winning the exchange but
Black has decent compensation as we shall soon see.} Kd6 24. Bxe7+ Nxe7 25. c4
Bd7 26. cxd5 Nxd5 $2 {Played without hesitation, bearing in mind that I was
already experiencing mild time trouble at this point.} ({Thomas Luther pointed
out that the dynamic} 26... e5 $1 {would have been very strong. White's
d5-pawn shields the Black king perfectly and Black's plans are simple enough.
Go for ...Nf5-d4, or ...Rg8 and ...Bf5 and White almost invariably loses the
d5 pawn. Some sample lines:} 27. Kb2 (27. Rh1 Rg8 28. Bf3 Bf5 $44) (27. Bf3 Bf5
) 27... Rg8 28. Bf3 Bg4 29. Rh1 Bxf3 30. gxf3 Nf5 31. Rxh7 Rg2 32. Rd2 Nd4 33.
Rxb7 Nxf3 {and Black has sufficient counterplay. In many of these lines, White
can very easily find himself in a lot of trouble with a couple of imprecise
moves which makes this variation even more appealing.}) 27. Bf3 {Now, White
has an edge as all his pieces now make a lot of sense and he has a simple plan
of ganging up on the h-pawn before continuing the squeeze.} Rc8+ {I wanted to
defend my h-pawn from the c7 square.} (27... Bc6 28. Rh1 {would transpose to
the note on White's 29th after} Rc8 29. Kb2) 28. Kb2 Bc6 $5 {This sets a
little "trick".} 29. Rxe6+ $6 {Walking into the trap although White should
have still gained an edge after it!} (29. Rh1 $1 {with the idea} Rc7 30. Rh4 {
was considerably stronger.}) 29... Kxe6 30. Bg4+ Ke5 31. Bxc8 Nb6 $1 32. Bh3
Nc4+ {The point. White loses the a3 pawn almost by force and this was the end
of my calculation. However, I had missed a very important detail.} 33. Kc3 (33.
Kb3 Ba4+ $1 {was what I was praying for and Black even turns the tables!}) (33.
Ka2 Bd5 {leaves the White king in an inactive position and my opponent made
the correct decision to choose activity over material.}) 33... Nxa3 34. Re1+ $6
{White decides logically, to go for my h-pawn without waiting.} ({Here, I
froze when I saw White could have played} 34. Bd7 $1 {which would have posed a
lot more questions for Black to solve. For instance,} Nb5+ (34... Bxg2 35. Kb3
{, trapping the knight was the whole point although here Black could have gone}
h5 36. Kxa3 h4 37. Rd3 {and the amazing move} b6 $3 {, continuing the fight
according to the computer! I did not analyse this too deeply as I am certain
that White would be winning with normal moves.}) 35. Kb4 Nd4 36. Bxc6 Nxc6+ 37.
Kc5 Ke4 38. Rd7 Ne5 39. f3+ Nxf3 40. Re7+ $1 (40. gxf3+ Kxf3 41. Kd4 h5 42. Rh7
{was also winning but there was no need to analyse the resulting pawn vs rook
endings with Re7+.})) 34... Kd6 {The next few moves do not require any
comments.} 35. Re6+ Kc5 36. Re5+ Kd6 37. Rh5 b5 38. Rxh7 a5 39. Rh6+ Kc5 {
Black has clear compensation with his connected passies on the queenside and
was already very close to a draw at this juncture.} 40. Rh5+ Kd6 $2 {
Unfortunately, I made an inaccuracy on the infamous 40th move. I was obsessed
with keeping my pawns that I had not even considered the other king move.} ({
The paradoxical} 40... Kb6 $3 {, moving away from the defence of the f4 pawn
was very strong. The point is that the Black king would help to support the
passed pawns and it would be very difficult for White to make any kind of
progress. For example,} 41. Rf5 b4+ 42. Kb2 Nc4+ 43. Kb3 Nd6 $1 44. Rxf4 Bd5+
45. Kb2 Kc5 {(Black's pieces are coordinating beautifully)} 46. Bd7 {(stopping
...a4)} Nc4+ 47. Ka1 Nb6 48. Be8 Bxg2 {and Black should hold this comfortably.
Again, the quality of the remaining pieces on the board matter a lot more than
material itself.}) 41. Kd3 $1 {A nice move, almost putting Black in zugzwang.}
Bd5 ({Black has to be careful not to push his queenside pawns too fast as he
would risk losing them one after the other.} 41... a4 $2 42. Kc3 Nc4 43. Kb4 {
and White soon collects the pawns.}) 42. Rh6+ Kc5 43. Rh5 Kd6 {A repetition of
moves that did not in any way means that White was ready to offer a draw. This
is simply a demonstration of power during the game and is a common technique
among strong players. One shouldn't overdo it though, for instance, repeating
moves in your opponent's time trouble and giving him extra time and moves to
reach the time control. At this point, White found the only move to test
Black in this position.} 44. Bg4 $1 {An extremely high class move. White only
has 2 remaining pawns and he did not shy away from giving away one of them.
White's threat was obviously Bf3 and I did not spend too much time over my
next decision.} Bxg2 ({As it turns out, White had a very difficult win after}
44... b4 $5 45. Bf3 Bxf3 46. gxf3 a4 47. Rf5 $3 {Another paradoxical move.} ({
After the forcing sequence,} 47. Ra5 b3 48. Kc3 Nb1+ 49. Kb2 Nd2 50. Rxa4 Ke5
51. Rb4 Nxf3 52. Rxb3 (52. Kxb3 Ng1 $1 53. Kc2 Nh3 54. f3 Ng1 55. Rb3 Kd4 56.
Kd2 Nh3) 52... Nd2 {, Black has arrived at a theoretical draw. This was not so
easy to determine over the board but Thomas Luther promptly took out his old
copy of Encyclopedia of Chess Endings and pointed out that this sort of
endgame was already analyzed by Averbakh in 1962!} 53. Rc3 Ne4 54. Rc2 Kf5 $11
(54... f3 55. Kc1 Kf4 56. Kd1 Kf5 57. Ke1 Kf4 58. Rc8 Kf5 59. Rf8+ Kg4 60. Rf7
Ng5 61. Rf6 Ne4 62. Rf8) 55. Kb3 Kg4 (55... Kg5)) 47... b3 48. Kc3 Nb1+ 49. Kb2
Nd2 50. Rxf4 {and now without the f-pawn, Black has no more chances left.}) 45.
Kd4 $1 {Threatening the powerful threat of Rh6+. Black's reply was almost
forced.} Nc2+ 46. Kc3 Na3 47. Kb3 {To my horror, I realised I was about to
lose my precious queenside pawns. During the game, I remembered feeling very
disappointed and that my position was already lost here. Not so! Chess is a
game full of wondrous possibilities and it is important to fight till the
bitter death, even when all hope appears to have gone.} Nc4 (47... Nb1 48. Rxb5
Bd5+ 49. Kb2 Nd2 50. Kc3 Ne4+ 51. Kd4 Bc6 52. Rb6 $1 Ng5 $3 53. Ra6 a4 {
also retained some drawing chances.}) 48. Rxb5 Ne5 $2 ({I had actually seen
the little trick} 48... a4+ $3 {but I had brushed this possibility off after
calculating} 49. Kc3 a3 50. Rb4 {, thinking that I would probably lose the
a-pawn very quickly. However, after} Bd5 51. Be2 a2 $1 52. Ra4 Ne5 53. Kb2 f3
$1 {, Black would have saved his position by going after the f2-pawn. This
would have been the cleanest way to force an immediate draw with no
complications or deviations along the way.}) 49. Bf5 $1 {A good square for the
bishop, covering both the g4 and d3 squares.} a4+ 50. Kc3 Bc6 (50... Bd5 51.
Ra5 Bb3 {was a possible defence but it was clear that White retains very good
winning chances.}) 51. Ra5 Be8 $2 {Collapsing in time trouble but Black's
position was already very difficult.} 52. Be4 Ng4 53. f3 Ne5 54. Ra6+ Kd7 55.
Kd4 1-0
</div>
<script src="http://fritzserver.info/cbjschess/jquery/jquery-last.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script data-adv-options="{method: AdvMethod.STATIC_LINK}" data-notation-options="{notationLocalization: GlyphLocalization}" id="idcbjschess" src="http://fritzserver.info/cbjschess/jquery.chessbase.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>IM Kevin Gohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365772817514475507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-593228688914103789.post-26961735841098554022016-06-04T01:28:00.002+08:002016-06-04T01:30:50.542+08:00Official Statement <span style="background-color: white; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">On 7th May 2016, I had published an article that details my issues with the current executive committee of the SCF. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Subsequent to the publication, I was approached by various members of the Exco, including the current SCF President, Leonard Lau. We have had many discussions since and many of the issues highlighted have been addressed. As such, I am happy to retract my statement and I will continue to play for the country in future team events.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Wei Ming</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">4th June 2016</span>IM Kevin Gohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365772817514475507noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-593228688914103789.post-61507184356176026262016-02-03T01:48:00.000+08:002016-02-03T02:00:02.253+08:00Lessons from Kecskemet / Book Review: The Chess Manual of Avoidable Mistakes by Romain Edouard - PART 1<div style="text-align: justify;">
I am finally home after a 3 week stint in Kecskemet and I thought that since I'm obviously still suffering from severe jet lag, I might as well write something about my games and my general thoughts about the 2 tournaments. Concurrently, I am gonna take a slightly unusual approach to this article and also give a brief review of the <i>"The Chess Manual of Avoidable Mistakes"<b></b></i> ("TCMAM") by the French Grandmaster Romain Edouard, Thinkers Publishing, 2014. I had bought this, and the accompanying test volume on the last day of the event. How I wish I had read this little gem of a book before the tournaments and not on the plane home! But more on this in a while....</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Kecskemet may not be the most widely known city on a global scale but the Chess in Kecskemet (organised by Tamas Erdelyi) and First Saturday (organised by Nagy Laszlo) tournaments are pretty well known in the chess community. I believe there are no other tournaments in the world that are quite like these series, tournaments that give ambitious chess players the chance to make IM or GM norms in back to back events on a monthly basis. As such, it is quite possible for an ambitious player to stay in Hungary for a 6 month period and compete in 10-12 IM or GM norm tournaments. I myself have successfully played in both First Saturday and Kecskemet, making my final IM norm in the former (2007) and my first GM norm (2011) in the latter.<br />
<br />
However, at the risk of appearing defensive, this does not in anyway mean that these events are "norm factories" or the quality of play is any lower than open tournaments. While the rostered GMs may not be the most motivated ones in the world, they are experienced and solid and defeating them to make the requisite score is anything but easy. Those that were successful, especially in making Grandmaster norms, typically displayed a combination of exceptional form and some luck. In my case, it was more to do with luck than anything else but that's another story.....<br />
<br />
Those interested in the round by round results and the general outcome of my tournaments can access them <a href="http://chess-results.com/tnr201788.aspx?lan=1" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://chess-results.com/tnr203333.aspx?lan=1" target="_blank">here</a> but rather than going through the events round by round, I would be showing the 2 most instructive games that I felt I've learnt a lot from in this post. Funnily enough, these examples would have been perfect in TCMAM and I felt I could totally relate to the advice that the French GM had wrote.<br />
<br />
The first chapter of the book was titled "Objectivity throughout a chess game". Some of the problems that Edouard wrote are that "<i>A problem that we have to face is that we very often miss simple defensive moves when we are under pressure.....</i>" and that "<i>sometimes we do not believe that we'll be able to calculate everything until the end and do not even give it a try.</i>" He went on to give several examples of his own games and the thought processes behind the moves he played, cleverly linking the errors he made with the concepts and rules that he was explaining.<br />
<br />
The second chapter was titled "General reasons for blundering" and the writer discusses 5 situations where blunders occur the most. The writer wrote that "<i>one of the biggest cause for blundering is psychological reaction after a shock</i>" and that he had observed that many chess players were not able to play correctly or objectively anymore after something abnormal happened during a game. After giving a few examples of such scenarios, he then wrote that "<i>after missing something important or after blundering, it is very human to get fatalist or angry with yourself. This is childish and not the right time for it. If you make a mistake, it is not a reason to make one or several more....</i>" and that as a rule, "<i>the general philosophy to follow during a game is that you should never look behind and that you should always force the opponent to be as precise as possible.</i>" Perhaps, the following critical game is a perfect illustration of what the author was trying to say:<br />
<br /></div>
<title>A game that I liked (ChessBase 13)</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Groszpeter - Goh.pgn"></a>
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "Kecskemet GM Tournament"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.01.16"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Attila Groszpeter"]
[Black "Goh Wei Ming, Kevin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C18"]
[WhiteElo "2444"]
[BlackElo "2430"]
[Annotator "Wei Ming"]
[PlyCount "59"]
{Before this round, I had a score of 3.5/5 and I needed a score of 3 out of
the next 4 games in order to secure my final GM norm. With 3 blacks in the
next 4 games, securing such a score is easier said than done and I was forced
to play the most aggressive and risky lines.} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 {
The French Winawer is one of the lines where Black can play fully for the win
if White chooses the most principled variations. Fortunately, I was aware that
my opponent, a solid and very experienced Grandmaster always chooses the
absolute mainlines and I was therefore assured of a full blooded fight.} 4. e5
c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. h4 $5 {This move, one that my opponent had never
played and had prepared specially for this game, came as a nasty surprise. I
had checked several lines of the Winawer but had carelessly omitted the h4
lines in my preparation. Fortunately, I had played and won a very important
game in the 2012 Istanbul Olympiad which I already analysed elsewhere on this
blog.} Nbc6 8. h5 (8. Nf3 f6 $1 {was played in Steel - Goh, Istanbul 2012 as
mentioned in the above note.}) 8... cxd4 9. cxd4 Qa5+ 10. Bd2 Qa4 11. h6 $5 {
This is rare.} (11. Nf3 Nxd4 12. Bd3 Nef5 13. Kf1 {is the mainline.}) 11...
Qxd4 {I was obviously on my own from this juncture as I was not able to
remember any of my old preparation.} 12. Nf3 Qe4+ 13. Be2 Nxe5 14. Bc3 f6 15.
Nxe5 fxe5 16. Qd2 $2 {Over-ambitious.} ({I had calculated that} 16. hxg7 $1 Rg8
17. Qd3 Qxd3 18. Bxd3 d4 19. Bb2 Rxg7 20. Rxh7 Rxh7 21. Bxh7 $11 {was White's
best option and this was quickly verified with the engine.}) 16... g6 {This
stablises Black's position on the kingside and asks White where the
compensation for the missing 2 pawns is. Now, my opponent went for a direct
approach which was easily parried} 17. Qg5 $2 (17. f3 Qf5 18. Bd3 Qf6 19. Qe2
$1 {This forces} d4 {after which} 20. Bd2 Bd7 21. O-O {gives White decent
compensation in view of the bishop pair, strong light square control and
Black's weak and doubled e-pawns.}) 17... Nc6 {I had seen that 18.Qf6 now is
useless due to 18...Rg8! and Black covers all the critical entry points.
Black has a clearly preferable position and I was just 2 moves away from
consolidating my position with ..0-0 and Bd7 for instance. I started allowing
myself to "drift", congratulated myself for a job well done and even started
thinking about my opening choice for the next round. What I should have done
is to remain focused, identify any potential threats and finish the game
accurately before thinking about anything else. After a long think, my
opponent went} 18. Rh3 $5 {....with the threat of 19.Re3, or so it seems. With
a time advantage of 40 minutes to 3 minutes, I had more than sufficient time
to check this position carefully but instead only took 4 minutes to play the
horrendous} d4 $4 {, completely overlooking White's key idea in this previous
move.} ({Of course, the easy} 18... O-O $19 19. Re3 (19. Bb4 Rf5) 19... Qf4 $1
(19... Qxc2 $1 20. Bxe5 Rf5 $1 {was also pretty convincing.}) 20. Qxf4 exf4 21.
Rd3 b6 $19 {would have won quite easily.}) 19. Rf3 $1 {I had completely forgot
this simple but terribly strong manoeuvre and it is safe to say that I had
never felt as shocked and devastated after a single move. White's idea of
Qg5-f6-f7 was simple and yet so effective that I had immediately rendered my
position as "hopeless". I spent the next 30 minutes (in complete and utter
misery) checking some lines superficially and wallowing in self pity, and
kicking myself for not playing 18...0-0. I was literally in total despair and
at some stage was even on the verge of tears. Of course, had I read
Edouard's book before the round, I would have read one of his rules which
states that "....you should never look behind and that you should always force
your opponent to be as precise as possible. The situation had changed badly?
Adapt yourself. Play according to the new position and to the new parameters...
.."} b6 $4 {The second and decisive blunder.} ({I had seen that after} 19...
Rf8 20. Rxf8+ Kxf8 21. Qf6+ Ke8 22. Qh8+ (22. Bd2 $1 b6 23. f3 Qf5 24. Qh8+ Qf8
25. Qxh7 Qf7 26. Qh8+ Qf8 27. Qxf8+ Kxf8 28. Bd3 Kf7 29. Kf2 {was the
computer's first choice and this was rather difficult illogical to see from a
human point of view.}) 22... Kd7 23. Qxh7+ (23. Bd2 b6 24. Qxh7+ Kd6 {[%cal
Gc8a6]} 25. Kf1 Qxc2 {is extremely unclear.}) 23... Kd6 24. Qg8 ({An
incredibly beautiful line could be seen after} 24. O-O-O Qxe2 25. Qg8 Kc7 $3
26. h7 Rb8 $3 27. h8=Q Bd7 $1 $14 {with a skewer on the last rank against 2
queens. This could quite likely be the only game in history that Black gets to
skewer 2 queens on the last rank with the developing move, ...Bd7!}) 24... dxc3
25. h7 Nd4 26. Kf1 Qxe2+ 27. Kg1 {, there is no way for Black to stop White
from promoting a second queen after which he would completely annihilate the
Black king. Of course, had I not felt so sorry for myself, I might have seen
the improbable} Nf3+ $3 {which continues the fight.} 28. Kh1 (28. gxf3 Qxf3 29.
Qd8+ Bd7 30. Qxa8 Qg4+ {and White could not prevent the perpetual.}) 28... Ne1
$1 {and here, White has a choice:} 29. Qf8+ (29. Rxe1 Qxe1+ 30. Kh2 Qxf2 31.
h8=Q Qf4+ 32. Kh3 Qf5+ 33. g4 Qf1+ 34. Kh4 Qf2+ 35. Kg5 Qf4+ 36. Kxg6 Qxg4+ 37.
Kf7 (37. Kh6) 37... Qf5+ 38. Qf6 b6 $1 {and Black should hold this.}) 29... Kc7
(29... Kc6 30. Kg1 Qe4 31. Rxe1 Qxe1+ 32. Kh2 b6 33. Qe8+ Kb7 34. h8=Q $18) 30.
Kg1 Nf3+ $3 31. gxf3 Bd7 $1 32. Qxa8 Qxf3 33. Qb8+ $3 Kxb8 34. h8=Q+ Kc7 35.
Qxe5+ Kc8 $14 {and White retains some winning chances.}) 20. Qf6 Ba6 21. Qxh8+
Kd7 22. Qg7+ Kd6 23. Rd3 (23. Re3 {was more brutal but there are many ways to
skin a cat.}) 23... Bxd3 24. cxd3 Qxg2 25. Bd2 e4 26. Bf4+ e5 27. Qf6+ Kd5 28.
Rc1 Rc8 29. Rxc6 $1 {A nice finish with aplomb.} Qh1+ 30. Bf1 1-0
<br />
<br /></div>
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After checking the game thoroughly, I was certain that playing 19...Rf8 would have given me excellent chances of holding the game in view of my opponent's significant time trouble and this would have been possible had I been more mentally resilient and had not given up when I faced an internal crisis of some sort after 19.Rf3. Losing is always a painful experience but losing after outplaying a strong Grandmaster with the black pieces in an absolutely critical tournament was especially painful. Nevetheless, this was a meaningful lesson for me to learn and if anything, it had further strengthened my resolve more than ever to continue pursuing the GM title. Afterall, if you want an easy life, do not play chess competitively.<br />
<br />
Part 2 will be published in a few days and would feature an extremely interesting game against the Russian Grandmaster Alexander Fominyh. IM Kevin Gohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365772817514475507noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-593228688914103789.post-22348725046311687962015-10-10T13:46:00.000+08:002015-10-10T15:04:58.025+08:00Conclusion to the (long overdue!) report on the Olympiad<a href="http://kgwm.blogspot.sg/2014/08/41st-world-chess-olympiad-part-1-of-3.html" target="_blank">Tromso Rounds 1-3</a><br />
<a href="http://kgwm.blogspot.sg/2014/08/41st-chess-olympiad-part-2-round-4.html" target="_blank">Tromso Rounds 4-5</a><br />
<a href="http://kgwm.blogspot.sg/2014/09/41st-world-chess-olympiad-rounds-6-8.html" target="_blank">Tromso Rounds 6-8</a><br />
<br />
While playing a couple of training games with Russian FIDE Master Andrey Terekhov, the dude reminded me that my Olympiad report was inconclusive and there are still a few rounds that were not covered. I immediately cooked up some random excuse (no time to write, too tired etc) but the truth is that the remaining few rounds, particularly rounds 9 and 10 were extremely painful as I quite literally threw away any last ditch attempt for a GM norm. But well, here goes anyway....<br />
<br />
In round 9, we faced a young Indonesian team led by their, by now, undisputed number 1 GM Megaranto Susanto.
<title>Games</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="GWM - Farid.pgn"></a>
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "41st World Chess Olympiad"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2014.08.11"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Goh Wei Ming, Kevin"]
[Black "Farid Firman Syah"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C55"]
[WhiteElo "2433"]
[BlackElo "2400"]
[Annotator "Goh,Wei Ming, Kevin"]
[PlyCount "92"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 {The Italian has worked well for me so far and I
didn't see a need to find another opening against 1...e5. However, that came
to haunt me in the Qatar Masters when I lost 3 painful games with it.....} Nf6
4. d3 (4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Bd3 {is another
fashionable line that I have played from time to time.}) 4... Be7 (4... Bc5 {
is the other big main move here.}) 5. O-O O-O 6. Bb3 d6 7. c3 Be6 ({My blog
had also covered an important game that continued} 7... h6 8. Nbd2 Nh7 9. Nc4
Bg4 {½-½ (64) Goh Wei Ming, Kevin (2426)-Harikrishna Pentala (2693) Asian
Nations Cup 2012.}) 8. Nbd2 Qd7 ({A common question that I've asked myself
many times is what happens if Black exchanges the important light square
bishop. A rather vague and general middlegame theory is that the side with
less space should be trying to exchange pieces in order to gain more room for
manoeuvring. However, what is equally important is determining the right piece
to exchange. Here, exchange on b3 helps White to gain a tempo (by attacking b7)
, increase his control over the important d5 square, and gives White the easy
plan of re-routing the knight to the e3 square and playing for d3-d4.} 8...
Bxb3 9. Qxb3 Qc8 10. Nc4 Nd8 $5 {[%cal Gd8e6,Gc7c6]} 11. Ne3 Ne6 12. Nf5 Re8
13. Ng5 {with a nagging initiative.}) (8... d5 {is also perfectly viable but
White retains play on the light squares after} 9. Re1 dxe4 10. dxe4 Qd7 11. Qe2
) 9. Re1 Kh8 $6 {Black appears to be struggling for ideas although it is hard
to suggest anything constructive.} ({Perhaps, the computer suggestion of} 9...
a5 {, beginning some kind of queenside operation makes sense.}) 10. d4 exd4 11.
Nxd4 $6 {A rather counter-intuitive move.} ({Of course,} 11. cxd4 {is natural
and a better move. White should keep pieces in view of his space advantage.})
11... Nxd4 12. cxd4 d5 $2 {Rather cooperative play by Black.} (12... c6 {,
retaining some control over d5 and e5 is more sensible.}) 13. e5 Ng8 14. Bc2 {
Now, if White ever manages to play f4 and g4, Black would be in serious
trouble.} Bg4 15. f3 Bh5 16. Nf1 Rae8 ({I had also intended} 16... c5 17. dxc5
Bxc5+ 18. Be3 d4 19. Bf2 {with a pleasant edge.}) 17. g4 Bg6 18. Ng3 Bb4 (18...
c5 19. Be3 c4 $5) 19. Bxg6 hxg6 20. Rf1 {Here, I was already feeling rather
confident of my position. The plan to play f4-f5 is a simple and natural plan
and I hadn't seen how Black could defend against this plan. Unfortunately, I
had already spent a lot of time to reach this position and that would cost me
tremendously.} f6 21. f4 fxe5 22. dxe5 Bc5+ 23. Kg2 g5 $2 {Black basically
gets a lost position after this.} 24. f5 (24. Ne4 $1 Be7 25. f5 {is probably
even more effective.}) 24... Rxe5 25. Bxg5 Nh6 26. Bf4 Ree8 27. Qf3 Bd6 28.
Rae1 $2 {This move is played completely against the spirit of the position.
White should be trying to attack and attack fast!!} (28. Bxd6 $1 Qxd6 29. g5
Nf7 30. Qh5+ Kg8 31. f6 {would have inspired resignation. There is no way to
defend against White's surging attack.} Qe5) 28... Bxf4 29. Qxf4 Kg8 $2 (29...
Rxe1 30. Rxe1 d4 {was Black's best chance.}) 30. Rxe8 Rxe8 31. h3 $4 {
Sometimes, we all make decisions that we fail to comprehend during the
aftermath. This is one of those.} ({I had seen the very strong and logical} 31.
g5 Nf7 32. g6 Nh6 33. f6 {which again wins on the spot. How I failed to play
this out remains an unsolved mystery to date.}) 31... d4 32. g5 Nf7 33. g6 Nh6
34. Kh2 $2 {The final blunder that throws away a direct win.} (34. f6 $1 Qc6+
35. Kh2 Qc2+ 36. Rf2 Qxg6 37. Qxc7 $3 {continues to give Black problems to
solve. That last move in the sequence was particularly hard to find for me
personally.}) 34... Qd6 35. Qxd6 cxd6 36. Rd1 (36. f6 gxf6 37. Rxf6 d5 38. Rd6
Re5) 36... Re5 37. Rxd4 Nxf5 38. Nxf5 Rxf5 39. Rxd6 Kf8 40. Kg3 Rg5+ 41. Kf4
Rg2 42. Rd7 Rxb2 43. h4 Rxa2 44. Rf7+ Kg8 45. Rxb7 Ra4+ 46. Kf5 Ra5+ 1/2-1/2
</div>
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The match eventually ended 2-2 after wins are traded on board 3 and 4.<br />
<br />
In Round 10, we were paired against the formidable Peruvian team which boasts 2600 GMs on all 4 boards. Before the round, Qian Yun, Jingyao and I all boast chances to make norm results but we all required to get a result in this critical match. For me personally, a win would clinch the norm, while a draw would give me another chance to make the norm in the final round. Of course, a win with Black against a strong 2630 was anything but easy but I did get rather decent chances to complicate the position:
<title>A game that I liked (ChessBase 12)</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Cordoba - Goh.pgn"></a>
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "41st World Chess Olympiad"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2014.08.12"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Emilio Cordova"]
[Black "Goh Wei Ming, Kevin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A15"]
[WhiteElo "2629"]
[BlackElo "2433"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "rn1qr1k1/1p3p1p/p1pb1np1/P2p4/NPPP2b1/1Q2PB2/1B1N2PP/2R2RK1 b - - 0 17"]
[PlyCount "48"]
{I had played reasonable from an innocuous opening and had managed to obtain a
dynamic position which suited my needs just fine. However, I again failed to
appreciate the spirit of the position. Here, I played} 17... Nbd7 $2 {which is
a normal developmental move but again, I should have played something more
direct and try to pose immediate problems for White to solve.} ({With this in
mind, I should have at least tried to calculate} 17... Qc7 18. h3 Bh2+ 19. Kh1
Nh5 $1 {Here, White has the resource} 20. Rf2 $1 (20. Bxg4 Ng3+ 21. Kxh2 Nxf1+
$19) 20... Bg3 21. Bxg4 (21. Re2 $2 Bxf3 22. Nxf3 dxc4 23. Rxc4 Nd7 {is fine
for Black.}) (21. Rff1 Bh2 22. Rf2 Bg3 {repeats}) 21... Bxf2 22. Bxh5 Bxe3 $1
23. Re1 Nd7 $1 24. Rxe3 Qf4 {with a complex position.}) 18. h3 Bf5 19. cxd5
cxd5 20. Nc5 Nxc5 21. dxc5 Be5 22. Bxe5 Rxe5 23. c6 bxc6 (23... Qe7 24. cxb7
Qxb7) 24. Rxc6 Qe7 25. Qc3 {The position is roughly equal here, with the
weaknesses on e3 and a6 cancelling out each other. However, White's position
is slightly the more pleasant in view of his control over the c-file which at
this point is more important and also the slightly weakened Black kingside.
Black had to tread with extreme caution to maintain equilibrum and I was sadly
not up to the task.} Re6 $2 (25... Ne8 $1 {, threatening to capture on e3 was
best. Here,} 26. Qc5 (26. Kf2 Nd6 {is dangerous for White.}) 26... Bd3 27. Qxe7
Rxe7 28. Rfc1 Bb5 29. Rb6 Rxe3 30. Bxd5 Rd8 {and Black has solved most of his
problems.}) 26. Rxe6 Qxe6 27. Nb3 $1 {From here, it is excruciating pain all
the way to the finish.....} Re8 28. Nc5 Qd6 (28... Qxe3+ 29. Qxe3 Rxe3 30. Rd1
Bc8 31. Bxd5) 29. Qd4 Ne4 $2 30. Bxe4 Bxe4 31. Qf6 Qc7 32. Nxa6 Qa7 33. Nc5 Rb8
34. h4 h5 35. Qe5 Bf5 36. Rxf5 gxf5 37. Nd7 Rd8 38. Nf6+ Kf8 39. Nxh5 d4 40.
Qh8+ Ke7 41. Qf6+ 1-0
</div>
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We were smashed 4 to nothing against the South American powerhouse, arguably a well deserved result in view of how superior our opponents were in all aspects of the game.<br />
<br />
The final round was all about trying to secure a good ranking and we duly secured a 3-1 victory against Cyprus, with Qianyun and Jing Yao again delivering the goods. I personally finished with 6/10 and a decent 2500 TPR. It could have been a lot better of course, and I was hovering around the 2600 TPR mark until the final few rounds. It was of course disappointing to have come so close to my final GM norm but given how inactive I was the entire year and the number of games where I fell into severe time trouble, the result was entirely satisfactory and in a way predictable. This also meant that I would have to continue waiting for my final GM norm though.<br />
<br />
I had played in many team events and I could safely say that this particular team had the best chemistry and team spirit throughout. Leslie was an incredible captain and really took care of every single non-playing aspect and I am personally very grateful for his leadership. All in all, despite the slightly anti climatic finish to the event, the team played well above expectations and I think we put up a good show for the local community.<br />
<br />
Funnily enough, the one prize I won from the Olympiad was an all expenses paid trip to Qatar to take part in the Qatar Masters Open. I didn't score too well from that event but I did play some interesting games and I will put up my analysis soon...in due time....
IM Kevin Gohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365772817514475507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-593228688914103789.post-67345279909880287852015-05-27T06:13:00.000+08:002015-05-27T06:18:38.354+08:00Jarred Neubronner sweeps the 6th NTU IIICC title by Junior TayThe 6th NTU Inter-Institutional Invitational championships had 29 participants from local tertiary institutions participating from 23-24th May 2015 and it was held at the Sports and Recreation Centre.<br />
<br />
NTU's FM Jarred Neubronner won the event with one round to spare after chalking up 6 wins in a row.<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ktcZ3dZdekQ/VWTpiBcllwI/AAAAAAAAAdM/RSyAd01VNo8/s1600/IMG_1677.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ktcZ3dZdekQ/VWTpiBcllwI/AAAAAAAAAdM/RSyAd01VNo8/s320/IMG_1677.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Republic Polytechnic's Hu Yang (left), playing a Sveshnikov against NTU's FM Jarred Neubronner (right)</span></b></div>
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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.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k9o8RujWF2c/VWTtkmhW_iI/AAAAAAAAAdg/xy29KbS-4bM/s1600/IMG_1661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k9o8RujWF2c/VWTtkmhW_iI/AAAAAAAAAdg/xy29KbS-4bM/s320/IMG_1661.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>NTU's Ng Shi Hao (left)</b></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
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. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kaY4QFv9hhc/VWTqwnuGVbI/AAAAAAAAAdU/7EXA0PY8cYs/s1600/IMG_1680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kaY4QFv9hhc/VWTqwnuGVbI/AAAAAAAAAdU/7EXA0PY8cYs/s320/IMG_1680.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Singapore Polytechic's Melvin Chin (left)</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Final top results - 7 rounds swiss</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Individual</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1st FM Jarred Neubronner 6.5</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
2nd Ng Shi Hao 5.5</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
3rd-5th Melvin Chin, Dennis Wongso and Peng Junyuan 5</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
6th-8th Hu Zhen, Hein Zin and Sharon Teo 4.5</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Team</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1st NTU</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
2nd Republic Polytechnic</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
3rd Singapore Polytechnic</div>
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<br /></div>
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Games Section</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="cbreplay">
[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
</div>
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<div class="cbreplay">
[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
</div>
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IM Kevin Gohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365772817514475507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-593228688914103789.post-92173424428001438512015-03-06T12:24:00.003+08:002015-03-06T12:32:39.019+08:00Singapore Masters Blitz Invitational 2015 - Best games of the tourneyOlimpiu Urcan had placed 25 games from the above-mentioned event on the sgchess.net blog. I went through the lot and decided to showcase the best games from that lot here. First up, the 'Caveman Attack Award' goes to Andrean Susilodinata for a barnstormer of an attack.<br />
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "S'pore Masters Blitz 2015"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.03.01"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Susilodinata, Andrean"]
[Black "Neubronner, Jarred"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B42"]
[Annotator "Junior Tay"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "2015.03.02"]
[SourceDate "2015.03.02"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3 Bc5 6. Nb3 Be7 7. c4 d6 8. O-O
Nf6 9. Be3 O-O 10. Nc3 b6 11. f4 Nbd7 {All these are pretty standard in the
Sicilian Kan though Black usually delays castling until necessary.} 12. g4 $5 {
According to my database, this bayonet stab was first played by Polish GM
Jacek Tomscak in 2009.} (12. Qf3 {is the main line.}) 12... Bb7 $2 {A natural
reaction to complete development. The way Andrean brutally conducted the
attack showed that this move which completes development is the key to Black's
problems!} ({The age old adage - meeting a flank attack with action in the
centre applies here. Black cannot allow White to fully concentrate on the
kingside attack unimpeded.} 12... Nc5 $1 13. Nxc5 (13. Bc2 Nxb3 14. axb3 Bb7
15. g5 Nd7 16. Qh5 g6 17. Qh6 Re8 18. Rf3 Bf8 19. Qh4 Bg7 20. Rd1 Qc7 21. Rh3
Nf8 {and Black is holding firm, Miranda Rodriguez,T (2167)-Borges Feria,Y
(2406)/Havana 2011.}) (13. g5 Nfd7 14. Bc2 {was Lhotka,J (2082)-Suchomel,A
(2044)/Prague 2012. Now,} e5 $1 {looks like an appropriate counter as} 15. Nd5
$6 exf4 16. Bxf4 Ne5 {gives Black good play.}) 13... dxc5 14. h3 (14. g5 $6 {
is met by} Ng4) 14... Bb7 15. e5 Nd7 16. Qc2 g6 17. Be4 Qc7 {and the action
has been transferred to the centre, Tomczak,J (2465)-Miton,K (2595)/Chotowa
2009}) (12... e5 {, jabbing at the centre, is another move to consider.}) 13.
g5 Ne8 14. Qh5 $1 {White goes for the jugular.} g6 15. Qh6 Ng7 16. f5 $1 ({
Another demolition job follows} 16. Rf3 $1 Re8 17. Rh3 Nh5 18. Rxh5 gxh5 19.
Qxh5 {when resistance is futile. For example,} Nf8 20. f5 $1 {followed by Rf1
and f5-f6 wins hands down.}) 16... Nh5 (16... exf5 17. exf5 Nxf5 {and after}
18. Rxf5 {, the rook cannot be taken.}) 17. Be2 $1 ({Black gets a good chance
to hold out, especially in blitz after} 17. f6 Nhxf6 18. gxf6 Bxf6) 17... Re8 {
Seeking to trap the queen with ...Bf8 but Andrean had everything worked out.}
18. fxg6 hxg6 19. Rxf7 $3 {This hammer blow ends all discussion. The band can
start playing 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and start 'calling momma!'. The rest do not
require annotation as White just picks off copious amount of material and more.
..} Kxf7 20. Bxh5 Rg8 21. Qh7+ Rg7 22. Bxg6+ Kf8 23. Qh8+ Rg8 24. Qh6+ Rg7 25.
Qh8+ Rg8 26. Rf1+ Bf6 27. Qh6+ Rg7 28. gxf6 Nxf6 29. Bg5 Kg8 30. Bxf6 Qf8 31.
Bxg7 Qxg7 32. Qxg7+ Kxg7 33. Rf7+ Kxg6 34. Rxb7 Rc8 35. Rxb6 Rxc4 36. Rxd6 Kf6
1-0
</div>
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Olimpiu and I agreed that the following was the best game of the event. Wei Ming wins the 'Carlsen Chokehold' award for this asphyxiation demonstration.
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "S'pore Masters Blitz 2015"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.03.01"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Goh, Wei Ming"]
[Black "Suelo, Robert Jr"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B40"]
[Annotator "Junior Tay"]
[PlyCount "123"]
[EventDate "2015.03.02"]
[SourceDate "2015.03.02"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Bg5 $5 {The scumbag opening - Aussie Attack.}
Qb6 ({In bullet or blitz play, a common move would be} 4... a6 $4 5. Bxd8 {
followed by an opponent disconnect or a litany of profanity...}) ({Personally,
I find} 4... Nf6 {to be the hardest to meet.}) 5. Qxd4 Qxd4 6. Nxd4 a6 7. Nd2
$1 {Already, White is eyeing the juicy b6-square for the knight.} Nc6 8. Nxc6
dxc6 9. a4 {Clamping down on Black's ...b5.} ({I've always preferred} 9. Nc4
Bc5 10. O-O-O {in online blitz.}) 9... Nf6 10. f3 Bc5 11. c3 h6 $6 {Wei Ming
is more than happy to see this move as he seeks to remove Black's only active
piece- the dark-squared bishop.} 12. Bh4 g5 13. Bf2 Bxf2+ 14. Kxf2 Ke7 15. Nc4
{White starts to pull his weight on the queenside dark squares.} Bd7 16. Nb6
Rad8 17. b4 Bc8 18. Ke3 Nd7 19. Nc4 f6 20. Be2 Ne5 21. Nb6 Nd7 22. Nc4 Ne5 23.
Na5 $1 {No repetition!} Rd7 24. Rhd1 {It would seem strange to trade a pair of
rooks but once Black doubles rooks on the d-file, he can play for ...f5-f4
with a ...Rd2 invasion.} ({Opening another front with} 24. h4 {looks good also.
}) 24... Rhd8 25. Rxd7+ Rxd7 {I like the reorganising that Wei Ming embarks on.
He first gives himself more options with his knight and kingside pawns.} 26.
Nb3 Rd8 27. g3 Nd7 28. b5 $5 {Finally, a commital move.} axb5 29. axb5 cxb5 30.
Bxb5 e5 {Black seems to have almost unravelled from the squeeze but the
position still requires accuracy.} 31. c4 b6 $6 {Finally, a concession.
Perhaps Suelo was concerned about Ra7 followed by Na5 hitting the b7-pawn.} ({
The Black king belongs on c7 but that's very hard to see in blitz.} 31... Kd6
32. c5+ Kc7 {and Black is ok after ...Nb8-c6 or ...Nf8-e6.}) 32. Ra7 {After
the patient manouvering, Wei Ming finally has a clear weakness to latch onto,
the 7th rank.} Kd6 33. Nc1 $1 {Re-routing the knight to d5 where it hits the
b6- and f6-pawns.} Rh8 $2 ({Black must not remain passive and he has to try
for activity with} 33... Nc5 {and now} 34. Rh7 Be6 35. Rxh6 Ra8 {, Black gets
sufficient counterplay. It's easy to see this of course, with an engine in the
background but over the board, it's only natural to cover the weakness (the
h6-pawn).}) 34. Nd3 h5 {Suelo is systematically trying to eradicate his h-pawn
weakness.} 35. Nb4 h4 (35... Nc5 36. Nd5 f5 37. Ra8 $1 $18 {and Black is in
zugzwang.}) 36. g4 (36. Nd5 {is also very strong.}) 36... Rf8 {Now he covers
his f-pawn. Black's plan is just to hold firm and ...hope White does not have
a tactical breakthrough, as the kingside is closed up and everything seems
guarded staunchly.} 37. Nd5 Rd8 38. Ra8 $1 {Well, it only took Wei Ming 1 move
to set up a tactical solution. It dawned on Black that White will just set up
Bxd7 and trade the whole house leading to a winning king and pawns ending for
White.} Nc5 {There is no choice but to give up the b-pawn.} (38... Rf8 39. Bxd7
Kxd7 40. Nxb6+ Kc7 41. Rxc8+ Rxc8 42. Nxc8 Kxc8 43. c5 Kc7 44. Kd3 Kd7 45. Kc4
Kc6 46. h3 {and White will invade into the Black camp.}) 39. Nxb6 Kc7 40. Nd5+
({Most definitely not a minor piece ending with} 40. Rxc8+ $2 Rxc8 41. Nxc8
Kxc8 {as White's king cannot get in once the Black king sits on the d6-square.}
) 40... Kb7 41. Ra1 Rd6 ({Also futile is} 41... Be6 42. Rb1 Bxd5 43. exd5 Kc7
44. Bc6) 42. Rb1 {Wicked! Now Black now has to worry about the plight of his
king as well.} Ka7 43. Ra1+ Kb7 44. Be8 Bd7 45. Rb1+ Ka7 46. Bxd7 Nxd7 47. Rb5
$1 {Supporting the c4-c5 push.} Ka6 $2 {This allows White to win more quickly
but Suelo must have been worn out by the big squeeze.} ({In any case,} 47...
Ra6 48. Nb4 Ra3+ 49. Kd2 $1 Rxf3 50. c5 $1 {wins.}) 48. Nb4+ Ka7 49. c5 Rd1 50.
c6 Nb6 51. Nd5 Nc8 52. Rb7+ Ka6 53. Nxf6 Rc1 54. Rc7 Nd6 55. Nd5 Nc4+ 56. Ke2
Nd6 $4 57. Rd7 Nb5 58. Re7 Rxc6 {Walking into a fork. However, the game has
already been lost for quite a while.} 59. Nb4+ Kb6 60. Nxc6 Kxc6 61. Rxe5 Kb6
62. Rxg5 1-0
</div>
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I was very impressed by the way Benjamin handled the opening against the acknowledged expert of the ...Nc6 Centre Counter. Before the event, I wanted to prepare against those strong opponents I would be facing but gave up after 5 minutes, realising that it would be too much work. But I did click on some of Nelson's Centre counter games where he (as well as his elder brother and sister) outplayed many masters with it by constantly combining central pressure with slick piece play. Here, Benjamin Foo gets the 'Take the bull by the horns' award by entering into Nelson's main line and coming out with a powerful idea to blast the queenside open.
With this, we've come to the end of my annotated series for this event. Thank you for viewing!
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "S'pore Masters Blitz 2015"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.03.01"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Foo, Benjamin"]
[Black "Mariano, Nelson III"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B01"]
[Annotator "Junior Tay"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2015.03.02"]
[SourceDate "2015.03.02"]
1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Nc6 $5 {The ...Nc6 Centre
counter is a specialty of American IM Alexander Reprintsev. Other experts in
this line are French GM Etienne Bacrot and ...the Mariano family! Both brother
GM Nelson Mariano II and sister WIM Cristine have utilized this line
frequently too with success.} 6. Bd2 $1 (6. d5 Nb4 7. Bb5+ c6 8. dxc6 Nxc6 9.
Ne5 Bd7 10. Nxd7 Nxd7 11. O-O e6 12. Re1 Be7 13. Bf4 Nf6 14. a3 O-O 15. Bxc6
bxc6 16. Qf3 Rac8 17. Rad1 Qf5 18. h4 Nd5 19. Nxd5 cxd5 {and Mariano's elder
sibling has gained the edge, Chong,C (2127)-Mariano,N (2466)/Kuala Lumpur 2005}
) ({The theoretical continuation is supposed to be} 6. Bb5 {but that doesn't
faze Nelson.} Nd5 7. a4 Nxc3 8. bxc3 a6 9. Bxc6+ bxc6 10. O-O Bg4 11. Qd3 Bf5
12. Qd2 e6 13. Ne5 Bd6 $1 14. Ba3 Bxe5 15. dxe5 c5 16. Rfd1 O-O {and the
future World Junior Champion agreed to a draw against Nelson, Lu,S (2538)
-Mariano,N (2292)/Kuala Lumpur 2013.}) 6... a6 ({I've studied many years ago
that} 6... Bg4 7. Nb5 Qb6 8. c4 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 Nxd4 10. Nxd4 Qxd4 11. Qxb7 Qe4+
12. Qxe4 Nxe4 13. Be3 {gives White a big plus in the ending.}) 7. Bc4 Qh5 {
Black's plan is to put as much pressure as possible on the d4-pawn with ...Bg4
and ...0-0-0.} 8. O-O Bg4 9. Be2 O-O-O 10. h3 $1 {With natural moves, White
has seized the edge and Black has no time to threaten the d4-weakie.} Bxf3 11.
Bxf3 Qf5 12. Bxc6 {The point of White's trade. He gets to damage the Black
queenside and the tempo to defend the d4-pawn.} bxc6 {This position has been
encountered by Nelson in tournament praxis!} 13. Qe2 $1 {Gaining more time to
set up his own offensive plan.} (13. Ne2 e6 14. c4 Qd3 $1 15. Rc1 Ne4 16. Be3
Qxd1 17. Rfxd1 Bd6 18. a3 Rhg8 {White has a structural edge though Nelson
eventuallly ecked out a win, Dela Cruz,N (2371) -Mariano,N (2251)/Manila 2013})
13... Kb7 14. Be3 e6 $146 {This is Nelson's improvement over a prior game.} ({
Black has attempted to straighten his pawns after} 14... Nd5 $2 15. Nxd5 cxd5 {
but this gave White time to pummel down the queenside with} 16. c4 $1 e6 17. c5
Ra8 18. Rfc1 c6 19. Rc3 Be7 20. Rb3+ Kc7 21. Qd2 Rhc8 22. Bf4+ Kd7 23. Rb7+ $18
{Fomichenko,E (2492)-Scheblykin,S (2348)/Anapa 2008}) 15. b4 $3 {Benjamin
gives him no rest and demonstrates the sustained initiative play that has
earned him scalps over IMs in recent months.} Bd6 16. Rfb1 {Bringing the whole
chain gang into the attack.} e5 {Black meets the flank action with central
activity but it's too little too late.} ({After} 16... Nd5 17. Nxd5 exd5 18. a4
{is also daunting for Black.}) 17. b5 $3 {The king's cover is blown away just
like that.} cxb5 18. Nxb5 $1 axb5 19. Rxb5+ ({Even more incisive is} 19. Qxb5+
Kc8 20. c4 {with the idea of c5-c6.}) 19... Kc8 20. dxe5 {The Rb5 also helps
to set up a horizontal pin.} Bxe5 21. f4 Rhe8 $2 ({Black must bail out into an
ending a pawn down with} 21... Rd5 $5 22. Rxd5 Nxd5 23. fxe5 Nxe3 24. Qxe3) 22.
fxe5 $18 {The rest is a clinical mop-up by Ben and he never relinquished his
sustained initiative thanks to the floundering Black king.} Rxe5 23. Rxe5 Qxe5
24. Qa6+ Kd7 25. Rd1+ Ke7 26. Qa3+ Ke8 27. Qa4+ Rd7 28. Re1 Kf8 29. Qa8+ Ke7
30. Bf2 Qxe1+ 31. Bxe1 Nd5 32. Qc6 Rd6 33. Qc5 Kd7 34. Bg3 Re6 35. Qxd5+ Kc8
36. a4 c6 37. Qb3 Kd7 38. a5 c5 39. a6 Re8 40. a7 Kc6 41. Bb8 Re1+ 42. Kf2 Re6
43. a8=Q+ 1-0<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
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IM Kevin Gohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365772817514475507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-593228688914103789.post-6565003785324236082015-03-03T22:46:00.000+08:002015-03-05T00:02:46.787+08:00Singapore Masters Blitz Invitational 2015 by Junior TayPersonally, I would prefer to play in events where I can get a decent number of rounds with stronger players to ‘teach me a lesson’. I also believe my contemporaries also feel the same way, that is, they would prefer tourneys where they could be put to the test by strong masters. Hence, these days, I would rather take part in Chess.com’s Titled Tuesday event, where the US$1000 prize fund pulls in ELO 2700+ type super-GMs like Hikaru Nakamura, Baduur Jobava, Maxime Vachier Lagrave just to name a few. In my two attempts at the event, I have played GMs Jon Ludwig Hammer (got a lucky draw) and Laurent Fressinet (got hammered) and both were incidentally King Magnus’ World Championship seconds.<br />
<br />
A recent innovative concept by Olimpiu Urcan caught my attention immediately. Together with Mark Tan Koh Boon, they co-sponsored one of the strongest local events possible. By the way, Mark is no slouch at chess, having beaten Wei Ming and Julio Sadorra (now GM) in tournament play before.<br />
<br />
Not since the last TCA Mega Open (a cool $1100 first prize won by your blogmaster Wei Ming) had we seen such an impressive line-up. It’s not just about the money (1st - $600, 2nd - $300, 3rd -$200, 4th-6th 1 year Chesscafe membership, 3 lucky draw prizes- Kevin Goh’s autographed Everyman Chess Development 6 Bg5 book).<br />
<br />
The conditions established were equally promising too, for example,<br />
*Early personal invitations to the masters to take part with no deadline to reply – as long as they do so before the start of the event<br />
*Big spacious, air-conditioned condo function room<br />
*Low entry fees - $10, which is easily 3 to 10 times lower than the local events<br />
*Generous time-frame to decide whether to participate<br />
*Bottled mineral water supplied during games<br />
*Flexibility – the participants, by majority vote, can decide on changes to the schedule for example<br />
<br />
<span lang="en-gb">*Publicity – the event would be covered via pictures, video, and game scores swiftly afterwards.</span><br />
<br />
What more can you ask for? Soon, 16 ELO 2100-2400+ players signed up and with 3 IMs, 6 FMs and 1 WIM in tow, a jolly good chess tussle was in the works with no easy rounds for anyone. In fact, Jarred Neubronner got it absolutely right when he stated that ‘the winner will not score more than 8 points’.<br />
<br />
Wei Ming and Benjamin Foo surged into the lead after 3 rounds with maximum points. Some of my chess pals were quite surprised at young Benjamin’s strength but not us. At a blitz team match held at my place, he scored 4.5/6 vs the likes of IM Hsu Li Yang, IM Terry Toh and FM Ong Chong Ghee - a very impressive result. Round 4 was the matchup between Wei Ming and Ben which ended in a draw after careful play by the latter. Ben took over the lead in Round 5 by beating Reggie Olay, a Filipino NM (with 3 IM norms!) while Wei Ming was held to a draw by FM Tin Jingyao. Round 6 turned the leaderboard into a tizzy when Benjamin was ousted by FM Andrean Susilodinata and Wei Ming got outlasted by his nemesis Jarred.
So, at the halfway mark, we had Ben with 4.5 pts, followed by Wei Ming, Jarred, Andrean and Timothy Chan with 4. The latter (another triple IM norm holder) had not played competitively since November 2012. So how did he keep up with the heavyweights at the event? According to Wei Ming, Tim had been playing online regularly for the past month just to keep in shape for this event and it has certainly paid off!<br />
<br />
After the break, Ben and Wei Ming stepped up the gas by beating Jarred and Tim respectively. At this point, Reggie Olay (with 3/6 only) started to hit an awesome vein of form but more of that later.
Your scribe proved to be the spoiler of the event after drawing Wei Ming and beating Ben in the next two rounds (he missed a simple windmill!) in the next two rounds. Thus, by round 9, we had Wei Ming and Ben at 6.5 points followed by Reggie, Tim and your scribe at 6 points.
In the penultimate round, I dropped off the title fight after getting comprehensively beaten by Reggie while Wei Ming and Ben clung on to joint lead after beating Suelo and Gong Qianyun respectively. Tim kept pace by accounting for FM Nelson Mariano III.<br />
<br />
So at this point, it was Wei Ming and Ben with 7.5 followed by Reggie and Tim with 7 points. All of a sudden, we have the revenge of the Pinoys as ALL of them magnificently won their games in the all important final round.
Wei Ming was outplayed by national coach IM Enrique Paciencia and Ivan Gil Biag took down Ben.
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xMnNv6elHVY/VPVyQm1oY9I/AAAAAAAAAbw/94-7yJku6do/s1600/rd11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xMnNv6elHVY/VPVyQm1oY9I/AAAAAAAAAbw/94-7yJku6do/s640/rd11.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>Round 11 - Pinoy Power! </b></div>
By beating IM Li Ruofan, Reggie completed an incredible feat from Round 7 to 11, reeling off 5 consecutive wins to claim the 1st Singapore Blitz Masters title with 8/11! The day before the event, he had put on his facebook – “ No Tiger Beer day for me…A tournament to play in the ‘Anchor’age, so ‘Tiger’ moves first! (Nice puns eh?) And tiger-ish moves he played indeed as he strode to an impressive TPR 2464 performance and the $600 first prize. A brilliant self-birthday gift for him, as he celebrated his 39th birthday!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4mAb5ElDgKM/VPVy4WyjG9I/AAAAAAAAAb4/UR6_CQVXqg0/s1600/reggie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4mAb5ElDgKM/VPVy4WyjG9I/AAAAAAAAAb4/UR6_CQVXqg0/s1600/reggie.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<b> Reggie ready to fight like a tiger! </b></div>
<br />
We also had Singapore’s strongest kibitzer in the audience, GM Zhang Zhong who was ever helpful with post-game comments and pointers on the games. What more can we ask for?<br />
<br />
One final note is the adoption of the 3 minutes + 2 seconds time control used in the tourney. In the local blitz events, the 5 minutes sudden death time control is still used. Hence it is inevitable that in the dying seconds of the game, you will see clock banging, pieces flying and inevitably disputes as players try to beat the flag instead of the opponent. As a consequence, the arbiter might have to step in to settle disputes. With incremental time, most of these issues are eliminated and as evidenced by the tourney proceedings. Players resign when they are well and truly lost without playing till they get mated. A normal chess game lasts 30 to 60 moves and with 3 minutes+ 2 seconds time control, a game will usually last from 4 minutes to 6 minutes (per side), which is probably shorter than a 5+0 time control with the occasional board dispute.<br />
<br />
So kudos to the organizers for a very well thought-out and smoothly run event!<br />
<br />
Prize winners: 1st Reggie Olay 8/11 ($600), 2nd -3rd Benjamin Foo ($300), IM Goh Wei Ming ($200) 7.5 pts, 4th and 5th FMs Andrean Susilodinata and Timothy Chan (1 year Chesscafe membership) 7 pts, 6th to 7th FMs Tin Jingyao and FM Nelson Mariano III 6.5 pts (1 year Chesscafe membership)<br />
<br />
Lucky draw winners (Chess Developments 6.Bg5 book (Everyman 2014)): FM Tin Jingyao, IM Enrique Paciencia and FM Nelson Mariano III.<br />
<br />
More pictures from the event:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gq1Ybgf6PX8/VPVzJiCaa_I/AAAAAAAAAcA/azl70tVpcHk/s1600/tinlrf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gq1Ybgf6PX8/VPVzJiCaa_I/AAAAAAAAAcA/azl70tVpcHk/s1600/tinlrf.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Singapore's chess Olympians - FM Tin Jingyao vs IM Li Ruofan</b> </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uraoFeBu9YA/VPVzf7qDKKI/AAAAAAAAAcI/-7fvi82BnTQ/s1600/gohjarred.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uraoFeBu9YA/VPVzf7qDKKI/AAAAAAAAAcI/-7fvi82BnTQ/s1600/gohjarred.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>FM Jarred Neubronner neu-tralising IM Goh Wei Ming's advantage after a long tussle.</b></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7Fyp0nw4_no/VPVzvzNEVkI/AAAAAAAAAcQ/_Y0LjSz22AY/s1600/timvsjy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7Fyp0nw4_no/VPVzvzNEVkI/AAAAAAAAAcQ/_Y0LjSz22AY/s1600/timvsjy.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>FM Timothy Chan shows that he is not that rusty after 2 years of absolute tournament inactivity as he upended Jingyao here. </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OWFLl_mFjAw/VPV0CiSjA1I/AAAAAAAAAcY/qvhEURkTnaw/s1600/edwardandrey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OWFLl_mFjAw/VPV0CiSjA1I/AAAAAAAAAcY/qvhEURkTnaw/s1600/edwardandrey.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<b>Edward Lee fought Russian FM Andrey Terekhnov to a draw.</b></div>
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<b> China vs Philippines? </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>WIM Gong Qianyun vs IM Enrique Paciencia and IM Li Ruofan vs FM Ivan Gil </b></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HYOm4Wo2xkc/VPV0rfYKFUI/AAAAAAAAAco/om1PqKRgdO8/s1600/zz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HYOm4Wo2xkc/VPV0rfYKFUI/AAAAAAAAAco/om1PqKRgdO8/s1600/zz.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>The strongest chess player in Singapore, GM Zhang Zhong, observing the proceedings and giving powerful kibitzing advice after the games. </b></div>
<br />
<a href="http://chess-results.com/tnr161161.aspx?lan=1&art=4&flag=30&wi=821" target="_blank"><b>Final Scoretable (Chess-results.com)</b></a><br />
Check out a video from this event (courtesy of sgchess.net) and more on the youtube playlist!<br />
Board 1 - Benjamin Foo vs IM Goh Wei Ming, Board 2 - Reggie Olay vs FM Timothy Chan<b> </b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9mL68pD92RM/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9mL68pD92RM?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<u><b>Games section (courtesy of Olimpiu Urcan)</b></u><br />
Reggie offered Tim a poisoned pawn on c4 and the latter really grabbed it and a strange material situation resulted. The funny thing was that Reggie's subsequent plan of ransacking the Black queenside had a major flaw...his queen would get trapped there. Unfortunately for Tim, he missed the chance to shut the queen and Reggie's subsequent powerful queen play ended all discussion.<br />
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "S'pore Masters Blitz 2015"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.03.01"]
[Round "4"]
[White "FM Olay, Edgar Reggie"]
[Black "FM Chan, Timothy"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E33"]
[Annotator "Junior Tay"]
[PlyCount "115"]
[EventDate "2015.03.02"]
[SourceDate "2015.03.03"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 Nc6 {The Zurich variation prizes piece
play above structural considerations.} 5. Nf3 d6 6. a3 Bxc3+ 7. Qxc3 O-O ({
Personally, I prefer to flick in} 7... a5 {first to prevent White from
expanding on the queenside so easily}) 8. b4 Qe7 {A relatively rare
continuation, as Black tends to play either the ...e5 pawn sacrifice or ...Re8
here.} (8... e5 $5 9. dxe5 (9. Bb2 {is preferred by GMs Ding Liren and Volkov.}
) 9... Nxe5 10. Nxe5 dxe5 11. Qxe5 Re8 12. Qb2 a5 13. Bg5 axb4 14. axb4 Rxa1+
15. Qxa1 Qd3 $1 16. f3 (16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. e3 Qb3 {and White is suffering.})
16... Qxc4 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Qb2 {and Black has regained the pawn with the
initiative, Peng,Z (2443)-Plasman,H (2217)/Hoogeveen 2001}) 9. Bb2 Re8 10. g3
$5 $146 e5 11. d5 ({After} 11. dxe5 dxe5 12. Bg2 Nd4 {, White walked into a
devious trap with} 13. e3 $4 Bh3 $1 14. Bxh3 Ne4 $1 15. Qd3 Nxf3+ 16. Ke2 Nfg5
{The point of the combination, Black cannot hold on to the bishop with ...Rad8
and ...Rd2+ looming.} 17. Rad1 {Fick,R (2110)-Eggleston,D (2399)/Bad Wiessee
2013 and now} (17. Bg2 Rad8 18. Qc2 Rd2+ 19. Qxd2 Nxd2 20. Kxd2 {and Black is
winning.}) 17... Rad8 18. Qb1 Qf6 $1 19. f4 Qc6 $1 {Hitting the c4-pawn and
the h3-bishop simultaneously} 20. fxg5 Nxg5 {with a winning position.}) 11...
Nb8 12. Bg2 c6 {Chipping away at the White centre.} (12... b5 $5 {is an
attempt to decimate White's centre but White resisted temptation with} 13. Nd2
Bb7 14. O-O Nbd7 15. a4 bxc4 16. e4 c6 17. dxc6 Bxc6 18. Qxc4 Rac8 19. Rfc1 Bb7
20. Qb3 {to keep a slight structural edge, Kishnev,S (2488)-Koch,T (2416)/
Belgium 2003}) 13. dxc6 $1 Nxc6 ({Reggie probably planned to meet} 13... bxc6 {
with} 14. c5 $1) 14. O-O Be6 15. Rfd1 Rac8 16. Rac1 Red8 17. h3 h6 18. e3 Bf5 (
18... e4 $5 {with the idea of meeting} 19. Nd2 Ne5 {can be countered by the
dangerous exchange sacrifice} 20. Qd4 $1 Nd3 21. Nxe4 Nxc1 22. Rxc1 {when it's
easier to play White especially in blitz.}) 19. Nh4 $1 {The tempi earned
allows White to make inroads on the queenside.} Bh7 20. b5 ({White can
undermine the centre with} 20. c5 $5 dxc5 21. b5 {and he will pick off the
e5-pawn with a durable bishop pair edge.}) 20... Nb8 21. a4 b6 22. Ba3 {
Attacks the backward pawn on d6} Ne8 ({Stockfish suggests the 'inhuman'} 22...
g5 23. Nf3 Ne4 24. Qa1 Qf6 {with approximate equality but humans tend to
bother more about structural consideration.}) 23. Qd2 {Starting to massage the
position and apply pressure on d6.} (23. e4 {gives White a solid edge too.})
23... Qe6 {Targeting the c4-pawn.} 24. Kh2 $5 {Reggie dares Tim to pluck the
c4-weakie...} Rxc4 $2 {I'm not sure if Tim missed the bishop poke from d5 but
the resulting unbalanced piece setup gave Reggie winning chances.} 25. Bd5 $1
$18 Rxc1 26. Bxe6 Rxd1 27. Bxf7+ $1 Kxf7 28. Qxd1 Ke7 29. Qd5 Nd7 30. Qb7 Rb8
31. Qxa7 $4 {White's play following the massive exchanges has bee geared
towards pilfering the queenside. However, at this juncture, both sides did not
realise that the queen could be trapped!} Kd8 $4 (31... Be4 $3 {shuts the door
on the queen!} 32. a5 Ra8 {and White will regret munching on a7.}) 32. a5 $4 (
32. f3 {is necessary to blot out the ...Be4 idea.}) 32... bxa5 $4 {Now the
queen gets out of jail.} (32... Be4) 33. Qxa5+ $18 Rb6 34. Nf3 Be4 35. Nd2 Bd5
{With Black driven into a defensive shell, Reggie exploits Tim's dilemna with
a general pawn advance.} 36. e4 Be6 37. f4 exf4 38. gxf4 Nc7 39. Qc3 $1 {
Reggie is not adverse to part with his b-pawn to remove one of Black's knights
as Black's kingside has been irretrievably weakened.} Nxb5 40. Qg3 Nxa3 41.
Qxa3 Nc5 42. f5 $1 {The prelude to a powerful denoument.} Bb3 43. e5 $1 {
Crushing! Removing the knight's pawn support and thus wrecking the Black
pieces' coordination totally.} Kc7 44. exd6+ Kc6 45. h4 Bd5 46. Qa7 ({A faster
way to convert would be} 46. d7 Nxd7 47. Qc3+ Kb5 48. Qxg7 $18) 46... Rb7 {Tim
is really making it very tough for Reggie to make inroads.} 47. Qa3 Kxd6 48.
Qg3+ $18 Kc6 49. Qc3 Kd6 50. Qg3+ Kc6 51. Qe5 $1 {The winning plan. Reggie
prepares f5-f6 to trade off the g7-pawn, thus removing the support for the
hapless h6-pawn.} Nd3 52. Qc3+ Nc5 53. f6 $1 gxf6 54. Qxf6+ Be6 55. Qxh6 Rb2
56. Kg1 Kd7 $4 {Tim blunders his rook away, but there is no stopping the
h-pawn anyway.} 57. Qg7+ Kd6 58. Qxb2 1-0
</div>
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Getting positionally outplayed by FM Andrean Susilodinata, I spotted a really dirty cheapo...
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "Singapore Blitz Masters "]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.03.01"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Junior Tay"]
[Black "FM Andrean Susilodinata"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B23"]
[Annotator "Tay,Junior"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r4bk1/1bq2p1p/pp4p1/2n1Pp2/P1Bp4/1P4Q1/2P2NPP/R4RK1 b - - 0 21"]
[PlyCount "6"]
[EventDate "2015.03.03"]
21... Re8 {In this position, White is exchange for a pawn up but the isolated
e-pawn is poised to drop as White cannot defend it sufficiently. Once it falls,
Black surely is better with his powerful bishop pair and dominance in the
centre. I spotted an ultra-dirty cheapo here...} 22. Rae1 {Meekly defending
the e-pawn or so it seems.} ({I was also considering} 22. Ng4 $5 {but after}
Ne4 $1 23. Qh4 Bg7 24. Nf6+ Nxf6 25. exf6 Re4 $1 {, White is in serious
trouble.}) 22... Bg7 $4 {Totally missing the cheapo...} (22... Re7 $1 {first
would have avoided all the trouble.}) 23. e6 $3 {All of a sudden, Black is
forced to lose a rook as ...exf7+ threatens to win the whole house!} Nxe6 (
23... Qxg3 24. exf7+ {and Black gets mated after fxe8=Q.}) 24. Rxe6 $1 {The
Black queen is left en-prise and ...Qxg3 loses to Rxe8 check(!) and White
converted the extra rook advantage later.} 1-0
</div>
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Finally, some very clever opening play by Reggie allowed him to gain the edge over Andrean.
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "S'pore Masters Blitz 2015"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.03.01"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Susilodinata, Andrean"]
[Black "Olay, Edgar Reggie"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B75"]
[Annotator "Tay,Junior"]
[PlyCount "38"]
[EventDate "2015.03.02"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 a6 8. Qd2
h5 $5 {A typical motif in the Dragondorf. The main point is White is 'robbed'
of his natural Bh6, h4-h5 attacking setup and also the standard g2-g4 bayonet
spike has been upended.} 9. O-O-O ({Watch how the irrepressible GM Jobava
handle this opening} 9. Bc4 Nbd7 10. O-O-O b5 11. Bb3 Bb7 12. Kb1 Rc8 13. h3
Ne5 14. Rhe1 Nc4 15. Bxc4 Rxc4 16. Nb3 Qc7 17. Bd4 O-O {Here, it looks like
conditions are ripe for a central break...} 18. e5 $6 dxe5 19. Bxe5 Ne4 $1 {
Ouch! Suddenly, the tables are turned and White is forced on the defensive.}
20. Bxc7 (20. Rxe4 Bxe5 21. Nd5 Bxd5 22. Qxd5 Bf6) 20... Nxd2+ 21. Rxd2 Bxc3
22. bxc3 Rxc7 {and Jobava has secured an edge in this ending, Areshchenko,A
(2720)-Jobava,B (2695)/Warsaw 2013.}) 9... Nbd7 10. f4 Qc7 {This position
requires some care.} ({After} 10... b5 11. Bd3 Bb7 $2 {White has the powerful
break} 12. e5 dxe5 $2 (12... b4 13. Na4 dxe5 14. Ne6) 13. Ne6 $3 fxe6 $2 (13...
Qa5 14. fxe5 Nxe5 15. Nxg7+ Kf8 16. Nf5 $16) 14. Bxg6+ Kf8 15. fxe5 Qa5 16.
exf6 Nxf6 17. Rhf1 {Tchoupine,V-Vuckovic,A (2338)/Ditzingen 2002, with a huge
position for White,}) 11. f5 Ne5 12. fxg6 fxg6 13. Bg5 $5 {A typical idea,
with the intention to trade on f6 and dive in with Nd5. The natural reaction
here would be to move the queen away from the Nd5 hit with ...Qa5 but Reggie
simply ignores the threat!} O-O $5 14. Bxf6 exf6 $1 {An odd looking recapture,
weakening the d-pawn irretrievably but this move is well motivated for the
sake of keeping the initiative.} ({After} 14... Bxf6 15. Nd5 Qc5 16. Be2 Bd7
17. Rhf1 {, Black's Dragondorf has lost its vitality.}) 15. Nb3 Re8 $5 {Very
enterprising play. Reggie refused to be tied down to defending the d-pawn and
instead gave it up nonchalantly to carry on his development.} 16. Nd5 {Andrean
cautiously declined the pawn offer but his position soon deteriorated.} ({After
} 16. Qxd6 Qf7 17. Be2 Be6 18. Kb1 Rac8 19. Rhf1 Rc6 20. Qd2 Rec8 {there is
strong counterplay for Black.}) 16... Qf7 17. Kb1 b5 18. Nd4 $6 {Instead of
taking over central squares, White needs to focus on development.} Bb7 19. Nf4
$2 Bxe4 $19 {Reggie had nabbed an important pawn and converted the win in
another 25 moves.} 0-1<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
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25 games from the event are available for download from the <a href="http://sgchess.net/2015/03/04/1398-assorted-games/" target="_blank">sgchess.net website</a>
IM Kevin Gohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365772817514475507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-593228688914103789.post-38896119398976009602015-01-02T18:40:00.004+08:002015-01-02T18:54:29.160+08:00Mighty Mok celebrates Christmas and New Year with back to back tourney wins! by Junior TayJust a week ago, during a Whatsapp conversation with Malaysian IM Mok Tze Meng, the full time chess coach (as well as 'chapalang' financial adviser, mobile chess book/equipment seller, chess arbiter, intrepid deal-maker and prankster) mused that he might consider ending his playing career to concentrate on work. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nNe_K6KAymo/VKZxfwuruDI/AAAAAAAAAbc/5c8KT_iScuk/s1600/IMG-20140521-WA0014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nNe_K6KAymo/VKZxfwuruDI/AAAAAAAAAbc/5c8KT_iScuk/s1600/IMG-20140521-WA0014.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Mok messing about with Dr J Nithiananthan when the latter swung by KL last year</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
However, the chess itch got to him as he felt that he still got something to prove to his detractors (that he was still the same force who overpowered GMs Van Wely and Amin in the 2012 Istanbul Olympiad). In a 62-strong Tesco Setia Alam field comprising 2014 Tromso Olympiad representatives Sumant Subramaniam and Fong Yit San, Mok set out to prove that he can still rack up the titles at 46 years of age.<br />
<br />
With 5/6 heading into the final round, Mok was paired against Sumant who had a perfect 6/6 score. <br />
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "Setia Alam"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2014.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Sumant Subramaniam"]
[Black "IM Mok Tze Meng"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A43"]
[PlyCount "50"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
1. d4 g6 2. Nf3 Bg7 3. g3 c5 4. d5 d6 5. Bg2 e6 6. c4 Ne7 $5 {Taking the game
out of the theoretical Modern Benoni highway. Apart from forcing White to find
his 'own' moves henceforth, this move allows the Benoni bishop to keep the
long Black diagonal open.} 7. O-O exd5 8. cxd5 O-O 9. Nc3 a6 10. a4 Bg4 $6 {A
psychological gamble. Mok plays on the notion that White will keep things safe
and uncomplicated, given his half point lead in the final round. The crux is
that this move weakens the b7-pawn and if White gets to do the standard Benoni
knight's tour (Nd2-c4) to hit the b6-square and especially the d6-pawn, Mok
would have to defend it passively with ...Nc8 and the g4 bishop and queen
knight would both be fighting for the same d7-square when White plays h2-h3.} (
10... Nd7 11. e4 {gives White an easy game.}) 11. Bf4 (11. Nd2 $1 Nc8 12. Qb3
Ra7 13. e4 {accords White a strong game. Given the rapid time control, perhaps
Mok might take his chances with} b5 $5 14. axb5 Rb7 {in Benko gambit fashion.})
11... h6 {More psychology. Mok wants to boot the f4-bishop off its powerful
h2-b8 diagonal and dares White to play the 'weakening' h2-h4.} (11... Bxf3 {
White would be pleased to get} 12. Bxf3 {when} Nc8 13. Ne4 {is only fun for
White.}) 12. Qb3 (12. h4 $1 {keeps the dark-squared bishop on its excellent
diagonal.}) 12... b6 13. Nd2 g5 $1 14. Bxd6 $6 {White insists on keeping the
initiative, even at the cost of a piece for a pawn.} (14. Be3 {After} Nf5 {,
Black has justified the placing of the Ne7 as it can now help gain the bishop
pair by removing the Be3.} 15. h3 Nxe3 16. fxe3 Bh5) 14... Qxd6 15. Nc4 Qd8 16.
d6 (16. Nxb6 $5 {White also has insufficient compensation after} Ra7 17. a5 Nc8
{but at least there is still some complexity left in the position.}) 16... Nec6
17. Qxb6 $6 {Mok loves technical positions, even more so with extra material.
After this, it is safe to say that Mok is confident of taking home the full
point, as the endgame is his forte.} Qxb6 18. Nxb6 Ra7 19. e3 Ne5 20. f3 Be6
21. Rfd1 Nbd7 22. Ncd5 Nxb6 23. Nxb6 Nd7 {Mok welcomes trades of course,
bringing him closer to the finish line.} 24. Nxd7 Rxd7 25. Rac1 c4 0-1
</div>
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Hence, with this win, Mok tied with Sumant for the top spot with 6/7 and clinched the RM 200 + Tesco RM 500 voucher first prize on tie-break.
Just to prove that the Tesco result wasn't a fluke, Mok entered the next tourney on the circuit, the Kastam Open. This time, he led from start to finish and by Round 6, was a point clear of the field. A draw with Black against Kamaluddin Yusof sufficed to give him <a href="http://chess-results.com/tnr157117.aspx?lan=1&art=4&wi=821">clear 1st place</a> as well as the RM500 first prize.
In the penultimate round, Mok was paired with the ex-Malaysian International, Mohd Kamal Abdullah. Even though Mok (with 5/5) was leading Kamal by 1/2 point with another 8 players at 4/5, he dispelled any thoughts of a safe draw to keep his lead. 'First place was not guaranteed yet so I played for the kill', he recounted and added 'if you want to be champion, you must never look back'.
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "1st Kastam WPKL"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "IM Mok Tze Meng"]
[Black "NM Kamal Abdullah"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B30"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "2015.??.??"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nd4 $5 {Bologan considers this knight hop inferior
to the Ruy Lopez Bird's Defence (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 Nd4). This didn't
stop GMs like Ricardi, Wang Zili and Matjushin from playing this.} 4. Nxd4 cxd4
5. O-O g6 6. c3 $1 {Undermining Black's advanced pawn immediately. If Black is
not careful, White will end up with a strong pawn centre.} Bg7 7. cxd4 Bxd4 8.
Nc3 Bg7 $6 (8... a6 9. Ba4 b5 10. Bb3 Bb7 {. Zarnicki,P (2493)-Ricardi,P (2544)
/Pinamar 2002 gives Black more central play.}) 9. d4 {Black is not only behind
in development, but also gifts White a strong centre.} a6 10. Bc4 d6 $6 (10...
e6 11. e5 $1 {. Real de Azua,E (2320)-Obregon,C (2268)/Buenos Aires 2003, also
looks good for White.}) 11. Qf3 {Of course Kamal, an ex-Olympian and Asian
Teams representative, is not going to miss a one mover. This however, forces
Black to weaken some dark squares and gains time for Mok to play his next move.
} (11. Qa4+ $5 {Even stronger is} Bd7 (11... b5 12. Bxb5+) 12. Qb3 e6 13. Qxb7
{nets a clean pawn as after} Bxd4 14. Rd1 Bc5 15. e5 $1 d5 16. Nxd5 $1 Ra7 17.
Qb3 exd5 18. Bxd5 {White has a devastating attack.}) 11... e6 12. Rd1 Ne7 13.
Bg5 O-O 14. e5 $1 {Creating chronic dark-square weaknesses.} d5 (14... dxe5 15.
dxe5 Qc7 16. Bf6 $1 Nf5 17. Bd3 Bxf6 18. exf6 Qe5 19. Ne4 {and White is still
in control.}) 15. Bd3 {It's very difficult already to suggest an unravelling
method for Black, especially against Mok who loves these squeeze-type
positions.} Re8 16. Bf6 Bf8 17. h4 {This battering ram is going to weaken the
Black kingside irretrievably.} Qb6 18. Rab1 Bd7 19. h5 Nc6 20. Ne2 Rec8 21. a3
(21. Qg4 $1 Be8 22. hxg6 hxg6 23. Nf4) 21... Be7 22. Bxe7 $6 {Too casual. Mok
just wants to win technically and does not play for mate.} (22. hxg6 fxg6 23.
Qg4 Be8 24. Nf4 {gives White an unstoppable kingside breakthrough after a
imminent sacrifice on g6.}) 22... Nxe7 23. Qf6 Qd8 24. h6 {Mok aims for a plus
minus position where Black's queen is stuck on f8 forever to defend the
g7-mating square as well as the back rank.} Qf8 25. g4 Ba4 26. Rdc1 Nc6 27. g5
Na5 28. Rxc8 Rxc8 29. Rc1 Rxc1+ 30. Nxc1 Bb3 31. Kg2 Bc4 32. b4 Bxd3 $4 {Black
finally falters and this allows Mok to push the queen off f8 after} 33. Nxd3
Nb3 (33... Nc6 34. Nc5 Nb8 {would allow Mok to win flashily after} 35. a4 b6
36. Nxe6 fxe6 37. Qxe6+ Kh8 38. Qxd5 Qe7 39. e6 Kg8 40. b5 a5 41. f4 Kf8 42.
Qe5 {winning}) 34. Nc5 Nxd4 35. Nd7 {and Black's queen cannot move and thus he
has to resign.} 1-0
</div>
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<br />
Definitely a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for Mighty Mok!
IM Kevin Gohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365772817514475507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-593228688914103789.post-19465501284254127302014-12-30T01:41:00.000+08:002014-12-30T20:10:18.960+08:00Boxing Day Blitz Match - Raffles JC Alumni vs the Rest of the World! by Junior TayA good friend and sparring partner of the gang, IM Lim Yee Weng notified us that he would be making a trip to Singapore over the Christmas week so I rustled up the usual suspects to see if they were available for some plastic-piece-pushing. Amazingly, 5 of them indicated their availability on Boxing Day so we decided on a double round Scheveningen blitz match. <br />
<br />
The time control of 4 minutes + 2 seconds increment was picked instead of the traditional 5 minutes flat so that chess, instead of carrom, can be played when time runs low. <br />
<br />
Representing Raffles JC Alumni - IM Hsu Li Yang, FM Ong Chong Ghee and FM Jarred Neubronner.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PUH3WmhBAUw/VKGQldHsroI/AAAAAAAAAbE/KD1Usx8SNso/s1600/20141226_113034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PUH3WmhBAUw/VKGQldHsroI/AAAAAAAAAbE/KD1Usx8SNso/s1600/20141226_113034.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b>FM Ong Chong Ghee, hacker par excellence.</b></i></div>
The Rest of the World Team had Malaysian IM Lim Yee Weng, Russian FM Andrey Terekhov and CM Olimpiu Urcan.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RGqxxpnKDP0/VKGPA36qG8I/AAAAAAAAAa4/K8YsGMJiP7I/s1600/terekhov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RGqxxpnKDP0/VKGPA36qG8I/AAAAAAAAAa4/K8YsGMJiP7I/s1600/terekhov.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b> FM Andrey Terekhov from Russia plays with a fluid, classical style</b></i></div>
<br />
The match started on the wrong foot for the Raffles guys when they got walloped 3-0 by the ROW.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XRf_0VQcDfs/VKGNEj5u0HI/AAAAAAAAAaY/T-CMHI0g5eQ/s1600/rowvsraffles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XRf_0VQcDfs/VKGNEj5u0HI/AAAAAAAAAaY/T-CMHI0g5eQ/s1600/rowvsraffles.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Rd 1 - Raffles got walloped 3-0!</i></b></div>
The Raffles team fought back in the next 5 rounds but just could not overcome the deficit and the Rest of the World Team emerged 10.5-7.5 victors. Yee Weng was the top scorer for the team and overall with a brilliant 5/6 score with CM Urcan accounting for 3.5 points and FM Terekhov scoring the remaining 2 for a comfortable 3 point margin. They each won a signed copy of <i> </i>Everyman's<i> Chess Development: Sicilian Najdorf 6. Bg5</i>.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dSxul24hDsI/VKGNXerRG-I/AAAAAAAAAag/1g1uBf0obRo/s1600/yeeweng.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dSxul24hDsI/VKGNXerRG-I/AAAAAAAAAag/1g1uBf0obRo/s1600/yeeweng.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b>The top scorer IM Lim Yee Weng</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OXeDAUJq6s0/VKGRWO8oRlI/AAAAAAAAAbM/L2HrbLF4Z9w/s1600/urcan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OXeDAUJq6s0/VKGRWO8oRlI/AAAAAAAAAbM/L2HrbLF4Z9w/s1600/urcan.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b>CM Olimpiu Urcan played the game of the match against a hapless Jarred </b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
The top Rafflesian scorer was Li Yang with 3.5 points. Thus Yee Weng and Li Yang each won a copy of Everyman's <i>Ivanchuk Move by Move</i>.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QBmTberzzsI/VKGEwkwyvOI/AAAAAAAAAaI/rzI-IJXgfKk/s1600/limhsu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QBmTberzzsI/VKGEwkwyvOI/AAAAAAAAAaI/rzI-IJXgfKk/s1600/limhsu.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b> IM Hsu Li Yang - top scorer for the Raffles team</b></i></div>
<br />
Both Chong Ghee and Jarred scored 2 points.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b35J-ESM1uc/VKGOZeOMrtI/AAAAAAAAAaw/bPYC0JWQS6Y/s1600/jarred.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b35J-ESM1uc/VKGOZeOMrtI/AAAAAAAAAaw/bPYC0JWQS6Y/s1600/jarred.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>FM Jarred Neubronner redeemed himself in the final 2 rounds</b></div>
<br />
Here are some games from the event.<br />
<br />
Li Yang started off on a wrong foot, outplaying himself in the ending. Clearly, the one game warmup he had after arriving from work wasn't sufficient.<br />
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "Boxing Day Master Match"]
[Site "Singapore"]
[Date "2014.12.26"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "FM Terekhov, Andrey"]
[Black "IM Hsu, Li Yang"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D00"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/5k1p/8/2ppp3/7P/1P2R1PK/P7/6r1 b - - 0 42"]
[PlyCount "18"]
[EventDate "2014.12.26"]
[EventType "blitz"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "SIN"]
[SourceDate "2014.12.28"]
[WhiteTeam "ROW"]
[BlackTeam "Raffles Alumni"]
42... e4 43. g4 Ke6 44. g5 Ke5 45. Kh2 Rg4 46. Rg3 Rxg3 47. Kxg3 Kf5 $2 {
Terekhov, despite the obvious tension etched on his face, conducts the endgame
accurately.} (47... c4 $1 {creates two runners and White cannot stop both.} 48.
bxc4 dxc4 49. Kf2 Kf4 50. Ke2 c3 51. h5 e3 $1 52. g6 c2 53. gxh7 c1=Q 54. h8=Q
Qd2+ 55. Kf1 Qf2#) 48. a4 d4 49. a5 e3 $4 {The wrong pawn!} (49... d3 50. Kf2
Kf4 51. a6 e3+ 52. Ke1 Kf3 53. a7 d2+ 54. Kd1 Kf2 55. a8=Q e2+ 56. Kxd2 e1=Q+ {
with a draw by perpetual check.}) 50. Kf3 Ke5 51. a6 {And Terekhov with a
double fist victory gesture, claims the game and sets in motion a 3-0
whitewash of the Raffles team.} 1-0
</div>
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In the battle of the IMs, honours were even as they split wins. Let's have a look at a typical 'Hus your daddy' positional win by the doctor.
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "Boxing Day Master Match"]
[Site "Singapore"]
[Date "2014.12.26"]
[Round "2.1"]
[White "IM Lim, Yee-Weng"]
[Black "IM Hsu, Li Yang"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D02"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "2014.12.26"]
[EventType "blitz"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "SIN"]
[SourceDate "2014.12.28"]
[WhiteTeam "ROW"]
[BlackTeam "Raffles Alumni"]
1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. O-O O-O 6. Nbd2 {White prefers to
postpone the tussle until the middlegame. Li Yang has no issue with that and
we see all bishops fianchettoed.} b6 7. c4 Bb7 8. b3 c5 9. Bb2 dxc4 10. Nxc4
Na6 $146 11. Rc1 Rc8 12. Qd2 $5 cxd4 ({Yee Weng's idea is to vacate the d-file
for the king rook after} 12... Ne4 13. Qe3) 13. Qxd4 Qxd4 14. Bxd4 {These
'boring' positions are the type that Li Yang excels in. Olimpiu Urcan
describes the doctor's style best - 'Smooth with all calm, clear moves and
suddenly, the carpet below your feet breaks into pieces'. This is exactly what
happens in the game.} Be4 15. Nfe5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Rfd8 17. e3 $6 {It is hard to
see that this weakening of the d3-square from this calm position will be the
result of White's downfall.} Ne4 $1 $15 {With this, Black claims a slight
positional edge.} 18. Na3 $6 (18. f3 Nec5 $15) 18... Nac5 {Establishing
control over the d3-square, especially when the Ne5 not that secure.} (18...
Nb4 $1 {is even stronger as it will be very tough to guard the a2-pawn and
still prevent Black from infiltrating down the central files.}) 19. b4 $6 {
This overanxious move will cost White the game as Li Yang's knight foray plan
takes fruit.} (19. Rfd1 {is mandatory.}) 19... Bxe5 $1 20. Bxe5 ({White also
goes a pawn down after} 20. bxc5 Bxd4 21. exd4 bxc5 22. dxc5 Rxc5 23. Rxc5 Nxc5
$17) 20... Nd3 {Black gains time with this fork and the b-pawn is untenable.}
21. Rxc8 Rxc8 22. Bd4 Nxb4 23. Nb5 a6 24. Na7 (24. Rb1 Nd3 25. Na3 b5 {is also
gloomy for White.}) 24... Rc2 25. Bxb6 Rxa2 26. Nc8 Nd5 27. Bd4 e5 $1 {Since
the e-pawn is inedible due to ...Nxe3+, Black gains tempi to activate his king
too.} 28. Ba7 (28. Bxe5 Nxe3+) 28...
f5 29. h4 Kf7 30. Rb1 {There is no use trying to hold on to the f2-pawn since
Black will just march the a-pawn home.} Ke6 31. Nb6 {and Black finishes with a
flourish.} Rxf2+ 32. Kg1 Nxe3 33. Nc8 Rg2+ 34. Kh1 Nxg3# 0-1
</div>
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The problem with team matches is that one must take into account the match situation. FM Ong Chong Ghee gambled on in a drawn position to try capitalising on FM Terekhov's time trouble but the latter always had one second too many...
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "Boxing Day Master Match"]
[Site "Singapore"]
[Date "2014.12.26"]
[Round "2.1"]
[White "FM Terekhov, Andrey"]
[Black "FM Ong, Chong Ghee"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D11"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "6k1/p1b2pp1/8/2p4p/4p1qP/1PQ1P1P1/PB3P2/6K1 w - - 0 30"]
[PlyCount "41"]
[EventDate "2014.12.26"]
[EventType "blitz"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "SIN"]
[SourceDate "2014.12.28"]
[WhiteTeam "ROW"]
[BlackTeam "Raffles Alumni"]
30. Qxc5 {Here, Black plays the logical piece sacrifice} Bxg3 31. fxg3 Qd1+ 32.
Kg2 Qe2+ 33. Kg1 {and Terekhov offered the draw as Ghee cannot do better than
perpetual check. However, in view of the match situation (Raffles was 0-3
already after Round 1), Ghee had to try on and even though Andrey was living
on borrowed time, having his clock go precariously down to 2 or 1 second
before he gets the extra 2 secods, he successfully navigated the incremental
time control to win after} Qd1+ 34. Kg2 Qf3+ 35. Kg1 Qxg3+ 36. Kf1 Qf3+ 37. Ke1
Qh1+ 38. Kd2 Qg2+ 39. Kc3 Qg4 40. Qg5 Qc8+ 41. Kd2 Qd7+ 42. Kc1 Qc6+ 43. Kb1 f6
44. Qxh5 Qd7 45. Qe2 a5 46. Qc4+ Kh8 47. Qxe4 Qd1+ 48. Bc1 Qd7 49. h5 Qc7 50.
Qg6 1-0
</div>
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However, Ghee equalised in their personal match with this topsy turvy effort.
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "Boxing Day Master Match"]
[Site "Singapore"]
[Date "2014.12.26"]
[Round "2.2"]
[White "FM Ong, Chong Ghee"]
[Black "FM Terekhov, Andrey"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A08"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2014.12.26"]
[EventType "blitz"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "SIN"]
[SourceDate "2014.12.28"]
[WhiteTeam "Raffles Alumni"]
[BlackTeam "ROW"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d3 {Back in his heyday, the King's Indian Attack was a
potent weapon in Ghee's hands, beating GM Reefat and IM Terry Toh with it (as
well as drawing GM Nelson Mariano).} g6 4. g3 Bg7 5. Bg2 Nc6 6. O-O Nge7 7. c3
d5 8. Qe2 Qc7 9. Re1 h6 {Black does not commit the king to the kingside yet
and plays a waiting game...for White to play e4-e5 so that he can
counterattack it with ...g5! followed by ...Ng6 or ...g4.} 10. h4 {Nixing the
aforementioned plan.} Bd7 $5 {This is quite an unusual placement for the
bishop.} (10... O-O 11. e5 b5 12. Bf4 Kh7 13. Nbd2 {was played in Ivanov,A
(2503)-Ajrapetian,G (2361)/Belgorod 2009. I like the White side, thanks to
Fishcher's exquisite play in such positions (pawn wedge on e5 and then
drumming up of an irresistable kingside assault just before Black's queenside
play hits home).}) 11. Na3 a6 12. exd5 $5 Nxd5 ({White has a sneaky idea after
} 12... exd5 13. Be3 b6 14. d4 $1 c4 15. Nxc4 $3 dxc4 16. d5 {with the idea of
Bxb6, uncovering the e-file battery.}) 13. Nc4 O-O 14. a4 b5 15. Ne3 $6 (15.
Nce5 {keeps a slight pull.}) 15... bxa4 $6 (15... b4 $11) 16. Nc4 {White has
established a firm edge with solid central control. He is now poised to make
use of his space advantage to try inducing more kingside weaknesses.} Rab8 17.
h5 $5 {Typical Ghee. He does not miss an opportunity to start a bonfire.} g5 ({
Not} 17... gxh5 18. Nh4 {when the chronic kingside weaknesses will soon tell.})
18. Nxg5 {Boom! This is going to be difficult to defend in blitz.} hxg5 19.
Bxg5 f6 {Terekhov is going to defend from the 7th rank.} 20. Bd2 Rf7 21. h6 Bf8
$6 ({Maybe the bishop is better deployed with} 21... Bh8 22. Qh5 Ne5 23. Nxe5
fxe5) 22. Qh5 $1 $16 {Here comes the calvary.} Nce7 23. Be4 Be8 ({The problem
with} 23... f5 {is} 24. Bxd5 Nxd5 25. Qg6+ {wins a rook after} Bg7 26. h7+ Kh8
(26... Kf8 27. Bh6 {is even worse for Black.}) 27. Qxf7) 24. Qh3 $6 (24. Qg4+ {
justifies the whole attacking plan with} Kh8 25. Qxe6 Rd8 26. Rxa4 {and White
not only has the initiative but has plucked enough pawns already.}) 24... f5 ({
Perhaps} 24... Nb6 25. Qxe6 Nxc4 26. Qxc4 Rxb2 {is better.}) 25. Bf3 (25. Bxd5
Nxd5 (25... exd5 $2 26. Bf4 $16) 26. Rxe6 $14) 25... Rh7 $4 {A time trouble
error. Now White plucks the 6th rank pawns and is in charge.} (25... Rf6 {is
necessary.}) 26. Rxe6 $18 Bf7 27. Rxa6 Qb7 28. R1xa4 Qd7 29. Rd6 $4 {Gifting a
whole rook in the spirit of the Christmas season.} Qxa4 30. Qh4 Ng6 $4 {Black
returns the favour.} (30... Kh8 {nullifies spells the end of all the tricks.}
31. Bg5 Ng8 {and White's attack is spent.}) 31. Rxg6+ $1 {Suddenly, White is
winning again!} Bxg6 32. Bxd5+ Bf7 33. Qg5+ Kh8 34. Bxf7 $2 {Now it's touch
and go with both sides in time trouble.} ({It's over after} 34. Qf6+ Kg8 35.
Qg6+ Kh8 36. Bxf7) 34... Rxf7 35. Qg6 Rbb7 36. Bf4 $1 Qd1+ 37. Kg2 Rbe7 $4 38.
Ne5 $1 $18 {White is on top again with this knight lunge!} Rh7 $1 {The only
defence! Terekhov forces Ghee to find forced moves.} 39. Qf6+ ({It is too much
to expect an accurate finish with seconds left by playing} 39. Bg5 $1 Qb3 40.
Bf6+ Bg7 41. hxg7+ Rhxg7 42. Qh6+ Kg8 43. Ng6 Qd5+ 44. Kh2 Rxg6 45. Qxg6+ Kf8
46. Qh6+ Ke8 47. Bxe7 Kxe7 {and White will win the endgame.}) 39... Kg8 40.
Qg6+ Kh8 $4 ({Last chance saloon...} 40... Bg7 $1 41. Nc6 Rf7 42. Qe6 Qxd3 43.
Ne7+ Kf8 44. Ng6+ Kg8 45. Ne7+ $11) 41. Qxf5 Qe2 $4 42. Ng6+ ({Missing} 42.
Qxf8#) 42... Kg8 43. Qxf8# 1-0
</div>
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Olimpiu was in fine form, taking points off all his higher rated opponents and giving Jarred a 2-0 pasting. The following game is a great advertisement for the Trompowsky Vaganian Gambit.
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "Boxing Day - Raffles vs ROW blitz match"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2014.12.26"]
[Round "?"]
[White "CM Olimpiu Urcan"]
[Black "FM Jarred Neubronner"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A45"]
[Annotator "Junior Tay"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2014.12.26"]
[SourceDate "2014.12.26"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 c5 3. d5 Qb6 4. Nc3 {Inviting Jarred to pluck the Vaganian
Gambit.} Qxb2 {The principled continuation. Otherwise, why play ...Qb6?} 5. Bd2
Qb6 6. e4 d6 7. f4 Nfd7 $5 {A rare move, with only 4 games in the Megabase
database. Black wishes to restrain e4-e5 without getting this Nf6 kicked
around.} 8. Rb1 {Olimpiu plays the recommended idea versus 7...e6 given in IM
Richard Pert's Playing the Trompovsky (Quality Chess 2013).} Qd8 9. Nf3 g6 10.
e5 $1 {White has to commit this central break before ...Bg7 or his initiative
might fizzle out} Bg7 $6 (10... a6 $5 {Preventing Bb5/Nb5 tricks should be
considered.}) 11. e6 $1 {In for a penny, in for a pound.} fxe6 12. Ng5 {There
is a running joke among my chess pals in the 90s. Whenever one of us weakens
the positions by creating outposts for the opponents, we would say...'That's a
strong hole' (pun on 'stronghold' - get it?) and the rejoinder would be 'where
even the holes are strong'. White exploits the light square weaknesses caused
immediately.} Nf6 $1 {This is virtually forced.} ({Vaganian already showed 40
years ago that after} 12... Nf8 {, White has an enduring initiative} 13. Bb5+
Bd7 14. dxe6 Bxb5 15. Nxb5 Qc8 16. O-O a6 17. Bc3 $1 axb5 18. Bxg7 Rg8 {
Vaganian,R (2540)-Jansa,V (2535)/Kragujevac 1974 and now} 19. f5 $3 {is
decisive after} Rxg7 20. f6 $1 exf6 21. Rxf6 {and the devastating Qf3 cannot
be fended off.}) 13. Bb5+ Kf8 14. dxe6 a6 15. Bd3 Nc6 16. O-O {White's
compensation is evident. All his pieces are developed, f4-f5 is imminent and
Black's pieces are still clogged up.} Qe8 {Trying to cover the g6 weakness
after White's impending f4-f5.} 17. f5 Ne5 18. Bf4 $1 {Removing Black's most
active piece.} h6 ({After} 18... Nxd3 19. Qxd3 gxf5 {and now} 20. Rbe1 $1 {
keeps a firm grip on the position.} ({instead of} 20. Qxf5 Qg6 {when Black has
survival chances,})) 19. Bxe5 ({Stronger is} 19. Nf7 $1 {with the idea of
prising open the f-file with} Nxf7 20. exf7 {followed by fxg6.}) 19... hxg5 20.
Bxf6 Bxf6 21. Nd5 Bd4+ $2 {Jarred is setting up a dardstardly trap...} ({
Black's only resource lie in the surprising} 21... Qa4 22. Nxf6 Qd4+ 23. Rf2
exf6 24. fxg6 Kg7 {though White still has a strong pull.}) 22. Kh1 Kg7 23. Qf3
{Too bad for Jarred, Olimpiu spotted the cheapo! Now the f-file opening
ceremony proceeds with fanfare.} ({Jarred's con is} 23. fxg6 $4 Rxh2+ $3 {and
the tables are overturned due to} 24. Kxh2 Qh8+ 25. Kg3 Qh4+ 26. Kf3 Bxe6 {and
White is forced to part with the knight due to the threat of ...Bg4+.} 27. Ke2
Bxd5 {and Black has an overwhelming position.}) 23... Qf8 24. Rbe1 Ra7 25. c3
Be5 ({Also pointless is} 25... Bf6 26. Qg3 Qe8 27. fxg6 b5 28. Rxf6 exf6 29. e7
) 26. Rxe5 $3 {A beauty. White crashes through like a ten-tonner truck.} dxe5
27. Qe4 Rh6 28. Qxe5+ Kg8 29. f6 b5 30. fxe7 Qe8 31. Nf6+ {A great example of
a sustained non-stop attack following gambit play.} 1-0
</div>
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Jarred had zero points after 4 games, something unthinkable for the NTU undergraduate who is a regular local tournament winner. He has also recently and won the Toa Payoh West rapid event (with the biggest prize money this year) with a perfect score. However, he barely managed to bamboozle Andrey twice from dubious positions. The following game showed how hard it is to put Jarred away even from the penalty spot.
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "Boxing Day Master Match"]
[Site "Singapore"]
[Date "2014.12.26"]
[Round "3.1"]
[White "FM Terekhov, Andrey"]
[Black "FM Neubronner, Jarred"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A70"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r1b1r1k1/1pqn1pbp/p2p1np1/3P4/P1p1PB2/2N2N1P/1PB2PP1/R2Q1RK1 w - - 0 14"]
[PlyCount "40"]
[EventDate "2014.12.26"]
[EventType "blitz"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "SIN"]
[SourceDate "2014.12.28"]
[WhiteTeam "ROW"]
[BlackTeam "Raffles Alumni"]
14. Re1 {This is still theory but Jarred's careless next move gives White the
desired central break.} Nc5 $4 ({Theory recommends} 14... Rb8) ({or} 14... Nh5)
15. e5 $1 {After this blow, Black is almost lost but Jarred proves extremely
difficult to put away.} dxe5 16. Bxe5 Qd8 17. Qd4 $1 Nb3 $2 18. Bxb3 cxb3 19.
Ne4 $1 {A powerful move, forcing Black to relinquish the pride of the Benoni
player, the dark-squared bishop.} Nxe4 20. Bxg7 Nd6 21. Bf6 Qa5 22. Bh8 $1 f6
23. Qxf6 Qc7 {How come Black is still alive? There is no concrete finishing
shot here.} 24. Ng5 Bf5 25. Qd4 Rac8 26. Be5 Qd7 27. Qb4 {A regrouping to put
the queen in front of the bishop on the long black diagonal.} Nc4 {Denying
White's queen access to d4.} 28. Bc3 Bc2 29. d6 $5 {The idea is to deflect the
knight away from c4.} (29. Rxe8+ $1 Qxe8 30. Qxb7 {and Black cannot prevent
mate.}) 29... a5 $1 {Even though this loses with best play, Terekhov is
already in time trouble so...} (29... Nxd6 $4 30. Qd4) (29... Qxd6 $4 30. Qxb7)
30. Qb5 $2 {After this, Black is out of the woods as the queens get traded off.
} Qxb5 31. axb5 Nxd6 32. Rxe8+ Rxe8 33. Rxa5 h6 {The worst is over for Black
who eventually eked out a win.} 0-1
</div>
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Li Yang and Olimpiu had recently played 4 training matches with the former getting 3 wins against 1 loss. After losing the first in this mini-match, Olimpiu matched the IM in the following ending.
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "Boxing Day Master Match"]
[Site "Singapore"]
[Date "2014.12.26"]
[Round "3.2"]
[White "IM Hsu, Li Yang"]
[Black "CM Urcan, Olimpiu G"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A81"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/p5k1/1p1p4/4N3/2PpB2n/1P6/P4P2/5K2 b - - 0 37"]
[PlyCount "28"]
[EventDate "2014.12.26"]
[EventType "blitz"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "SIN"]
[SourceDate "2014.12.28"]
[WhiteTeam "ROW"]
[BlackTeam "Raffles Alumni"]
{Another interesting ending. Here, both parties demonstrated accuracy.} 37...
dxe5 38. Ke2 Kf6 39. b4 {Preparing c4-c5.} Nf5 40. Bxf5 Kxf5 41. f3 {Stopping
the threat of ...e4 cold. Now the game is a draw unless one of them messes up
big time.} (41. Kd3 Kf4 42. c5 bxc5 43. bxc5 Kf5 44. Kc4 Ke6 45. f4 exf4 46.
Kxd4 f3 {is also another draw but Li Yang's way is clearer.}) 41... Kf4 42. c5
bxc5 43. bxc5 Kf5 44. Kd3 Ke6 45. Ke4 Kd7 46. f4 exf4 47. Kxd4 Kc6 48. Ke4 Kxc5
49. Kxf4 Kb4 50. Ke3 Kc3 51. Ke2 {There is no need for them to play out the
whole sequence as mutual respect is shown.} (51. Ke2 a5 52. a4 Kc2 53. Ke3 Kb3
54. Kd4 Kxa4 55. Kc4 Ka3 56. Kc3 Ka2 57. Kc2 a4 58. Kc1 a3 59. Kc2 {and Black
will get stalemated.}) 1/2-1/2
</div>
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Yee Weng was the MVP of the match, forcing his opponents to think hard right at the beginning juncture of the game. For example, he played an early ...Nfd7 against Jarred's 150 Attack vs the Pirc, a ...Nf8-g6 sortie vs Li Yang's QGD Exchange and 3...Na5!? in response to Ghee's Rossolimo. "The idea is to make them think and not to be able to play automatic moves", he revealed after the match. Here's how he outplayed Ghee in the final round.
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "Boxing Day Master Match"]
[Site "Singapore"]
[Date "2014.12.26"]
[Round "3.2"]
[White "FM Ong, Chong Ghee"]
[Black "IM Lim, Yee-Weng"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A00"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r2q1rk1/1b2ppb1/3p1n1p/1B4p1/p2PP3/N2Q2B1/5PPP/R4RK1 w - - 0 21"]
[PlyCount "30"]
[EventDate "2014.12.26"]
[EventType "blitz"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "SIN"]
[SourceDate "2014.12.28"]
[WhiteTeam "Raffles Alumni"]
[BlackTeam "ROW"]
21. Rfe1 {Black has emerged out of the opening with the upper hand due to his
central pressure as well as the passed a-pawn. At the time being, it is
blockaded so Yee Weng starts to press hard on the queenside.} Qa5 $1 22. Rab1
Ba6 $1 {Simple and logical, removing the obstacles to the a-pawn's advance one
by one.} 23. h4 Bxb5 24. Nxb5 Rfb8 25. hxg5 hxg5 26. e5 Nh5 $5 {Setting a
devious trap for Ghee.} 27. Bh2 $4 ({It will be too far-fetched to expect
White in blitz time control to play} 27. exd6 $1 Nxg3 28. dxe7 $1 Nh5 29. Nd6
$1 Rxb1 30. Rxb1 Nf6 31. Qc4 {with a strong attack.}) 27... a3 $1 {Thanks to
the Bh2 blocking the king's 'luft', Yee Weng's a-pawn cannot be stopped.} 28.
Nxa3 Rxb1 29. Rxb1 Qxa3 $1 {Ouch! White's desperado rook deflection move
cannot be played.} 30. Qf5 (30. Rb8+ {can be met by} Rxb8 31. Qxa3 Rb1+ {and
White gets mated.}) 30... Qa2 31. exd6 exd6 32. Bxd6 Bxd4 33. Qxg5+ Ng7 34. Rf1
Qe2 35. Qd5 {and now the coupe de grace...} Bxf2+ $1 {Ghee shook his head and
resigned.} 0-1
</div>
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All games are available on CBV format at Olimpiu's<a href="http://sgchess.net/2014/12/28/1338-boxing-day-blitz/" target="_blank"> website.</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/iMjzfgYaFy8" width="560"></iframe>
<i><b> </b></i><br />
<i><b>Watch Video of Round 1! </b></i></div>
IM Kevin Gohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365772817514475507noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-593228688914103789.post-51918728064920288012014-12-22T22:51:00.000+08:002014-12-22T22:51:10.568+08:00National Championships 2014This is going to be a short post.<br />
<br />
The following statement was posted on the SCF website:<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 15px;">
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><i>"In view of the withdrawal of a player from the National Premier one day after the Technical Meeting, the EXCO decided to organise the National Championship by merging all the players in the categories – Premier, Candidates, Women & Challengers. There overall winner will be crowned National Champion provided he is a SC/SPR...."</i></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">The player in question is me. While I have no intention to begin any form of dispute with any party, I wish to highlight the following:</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: justify;">
1) During the technical meeting, a decision was formed to include 3 players that did not qualify under the stipulations. This did not come as a surprise as the criteria is very high and Singapore does not have too many strong and active local players at present. Typically, these issues are thrashed out during the technical meeting when all the players are able to come to a compromise.</div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">2) As there was no way I could have arrived on time (due to work schedule), I informed the in charge one day in advance, and even called him once I left my office to inform him my ETA. I arrived around 740pm only to realize that the meeting was over. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">3</span>) The deadline to submit the registration was 13 Dec, before 6pm. <b>No late entries are to be entertained</b>. I did not receive any information prior to the technical meeting on 15 Dec. </div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">4) Last year, only 5 players played for the title in a double round robin. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">5) The revised and combined players' list includes IM Jason Goh, himself an extremely strong player and an ex-National Champion. He is therefore a more than worthy replacement for me for the Premier event. The question why Jason was included only now, and not in the earlier players' list was also valid, although I personally feel that his inclusion is beneficial for the tournament.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">6) I had informed the SCF President of my withdrawal a day after the technical meeting, via email. I listed down a number of reasons, the main one being the change of stipulations without my involvement. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: justify;">
7) I did not receive an official acknowledgement, neither did I receive a reply to my withdrawal notification. </div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 15px;">
With the above facts, I will leave it to the readers to form their own conclusions. I would have loved to participate (my 12th year in a row, probably an unmatched record) but will regrettably be watching from the sidelines this year. </div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 15px;">
In the meantime, Happy Winter Solstice, everyone!</div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 15px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
IM Kevin Gohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365772817514475507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-593228688914103789.post-13713593906870555152014-09-13T16:16:00.002+08:002014-09-13T16:56:12.493+08:0041st World Chess Olympiad - Rounds 6 - 8<b>Round 6: Bangladesh 1.5 - Singapore 2.5</b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In round 6, we faced a dangerous and highly ambitious all GM team from Bangladesh. In 2012, the Bangladeshi team had finished 32nd, their best ever result and this year they have engaged world class grandmaster Sergei Tiviakov to coach their Olympiad team for a month just before Tromso. However, despite being outrated on nearly every board, we felt that with a bit of luck, anything could happen and we managed to pull off, quite possibly, our best result in Tromso.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
On Board 1, Zhang Zhong took the Black pieces against the very solid Ziaur Rahman. Before the game, I had predicted a solid draw, with a very slight chance that Zhang Zhong may obtain an imbalanced position and if so, would unleash a barrage of tactics onto his opponent. What happened was a demonstration of power play:</div>
<div class="cbreplay">
<br />
[Event "41st Olympiad Open 2014"]
[Site "Tromso NOR"]
[Date "2014.08.08"]
[Round "6.1"]
[White "Rahman, Ziaur"]
[Black "Zhang, Zhong"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D11"]
[WhiteElo "2523"]
[BlackElo "2611"]
[Annotator "Junior Tay"]
[PlyCount "46"]
[EventDate "2014.08.02"]
[WhiteTeam "Bangladesh"]
[BlackTeam "Singapore"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "BAN"]
[BlackTeamCountry "SIN"]
1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. e3 a6 {The chief practitioners of this quaint
pawn nudge at the top level are Morozevich and Aronian though Kasparov had
employed it successfully in the early 2000s, beating the likes of
Azmaiparashvili and Banikas. Aronian once said that the Chebanenko Slav (4...
a6) is -"an invitation to battle. In recent times, both 4...Bg4 and 4...Bf5
have been popular, but the danger in both these lines is that the two players
will die of boredom".} 5. Bd3 Bg4 6. Nbd2 e6 7. Qc2 dxc4 $5 (7... Nbd7 {is the
typical move but the text is a favourite of Zhang Zhong's former team mate, GM
Ni Hua so I guess he would be very familiar with its nuances.} 8. b3 Bd6 9. Bb2
{and here, the interesting} Qb8 {has been played by both Kasparov and Anand.})
8. Nxc4 {With this, White trades structure for the bishop pair. This is an
exchange Black would willingly accept on principal since he has erected the
solid ...e6/...c6 structure and with the knowledge that the position will
remained closed for quite a while. However, ZZ (and NI Hua before him) has a
different interpretation.} (8. Bxc4 Nbd7 9. O-O {1/2-1/2 Lautier,J (2675)
-Tkachiev,V (2645)/Besancon 2006} (9. e4 Rc8 10. O-O b5 11. Be2 c5 12. Qd1 cxd4
13. Nxd4 Bxe2 14. Qxe2 Nc5 15. N2f3 Be7 16. e5 {1/2-1/2 Stefansson,H (2585)
-Iskusnyh,S (2465)/St Petersburg 2010})) 8... Bxf3 9. gxf3 c5 $1 {A central
strike first initiated by Ni Hua which is a facet of modern chess. Usually,
playing against the bishop pair, one would seek to keep the position closed so
that the long range pieces cannot find strong diagonals to play on. American
GM John Watson describes this sort of line opening best in his groundbreaking
'Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy' where he mentioned 'a careful look at
modern chess reveals that, in practice, the acquisition of the bishop-pair is
usually followed by a slowing down of the play, while he who takes on the
knights will strive to open things up and 'mix it' . This is for a good reason.
Acquisition of the two bishops in the early part of the game often comes at
the cost of tempi and/or balance in one's position. If the two-bishop owner
can lock things up a bit, he can reorganize and carefully engineer an opening
of the position which will emphasize the bishops' natural superiority. This is
precisely what the possessor of the knights wishes to avoid. Time favours the
bishops, but early in the game, they are often passively placed, needing some
tempi to find their best posts'. Here, ...c5 frees up the natural c6-square
for the knight and if White does not want to enter the complications stemming
from allowing ...cxd4, he has to allow the black bishop to develop with tempo.}
(9... Nbd7 10. Bd2 Nd5 11. a3 (11. O-O-O Qh4 12. e4 Nb4 13. Qb3 Nxd3+ 14. Qxd3
Be7 15. Qb3 b5 16. Na5 O-O 17. Kb1 {1/2-1/2 Dreev,A (2666)-Ni Hua (2607)/Ergun
2006}) 11... Qh4 12. Ke2 Be7 13. Rag1 g6 14. b4 f5 15. f4 h6 16. Ne5 g5 17. Nf3
Qh5 18. e4 g4 19. exd5 gxf3+ 20. Kd1 exd5 21. Bxf5 O-O-O 22. Rg7 Bf6 23. Bg4
Qh4 24. Bxd7+ {Najer,E (2677)-Ni Hua (2607)/Ergun 2006, 1/2-1/2 (38)}) 10. dxc5
({The first time Ni Hua brandished 9...c5 in international play, GM Mark
Paragua employed a tricky line but the Chinese knew his stuff and soon a draw
was agreed.} 10. Bd2 Nc6 (10... cxd4 $5 11. Ba5 (11. Na5 $5) 11... Qd5 12. Be4
Nxe4 13. fxe4 Qg5 14. h4 Qh5 15. Qb3 {is extremely tricky.}) 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12.
Bc3 Rc8 13. Be4 Nb4 14. Qd1 b5 15. Qxd8+ Rxd8 16. a3 Nbd5 17. Bxf6 Nxf6 18. Nd2
Ke7 19. Rc1 Bd6 20. Ke2 Rc8 21. f4 g6 22. Bb7 Rb8 23. Bg2 Rhe8 {1/2-1/2
Paragua,M (2514)-Ni,H (2641)/Manila 2007}) 10... Bxc5 11. a3 {This is the
theoretical continuation which takes the b4-square away from Black's knight
and bishop.} ({The depth of Ni Hua's preparation can be seen from the
following game.} 11. Be4 Nxe4 12. Qxe4 Qd5 13. Qxd5 exd5 14. Na5 Nc6 $1 15. Bd2
(15. Nxb7 Be7 16. Bd2 Rb8 17. Na5 Nxa5 18. Bxa5 Rxb2 19. Bc3 Rc2 20. Bxg7 Rg8
21. Be5 f6 22. Bg3 {and Black is not worse despite being half a pawn down.})
15... Nxa5 16. Bxa5 Ke7 17. Ke2 Ke6 18. Rhd1 b6 19. Bc3 f6 20. Rd3 Rhd8 21.
Rad1 Rd7 22. f4 Rad8 23. a3 a5 24. a4 $11 {Nguyen,N (2656)-Ni,H (2673)/Ho Chi
Minh City 2012}) 11... b5 ({Black paused with} 11... Nc6 {and this allowed
White to develop his bishop ideally after} 12. b4 Be7 13. Bb2 b5 14. Nd2 Rc8
15. Qb3 O-O 16. Rc1 Ne5 17. Be2 Rxc1+ 18. Bxc1 Qd6 19. f4 Ng6 20. Nf3 Nd5 21.
Bb2 {though Black's lead in development ensures equal chances.} Bf6 22. Bxf6
Nxf6 23. O-O e5 $11 {1/2-1/2 Likavsky,T (2486)-Solak,D (2602)/Skopje 2012}) 12.
Nd2 {White's plan is to exert more control over e4.} (12. Ne5 {has not
achieved much for White} Nbd7 (12... Qd5 13. Be4 Nxe4 14. Qxe4 Qxe4 15. fxe4
Bd6 {1/2-1/2 Dreev,A (2670)-Ni,H (2710)/Reggio Emilia 2008}) 13. Nxd7 Nxd7 14.
b4 Be7 15. Bb2 Rc8 16. Qb1 Bf6 17. a4 Ne5 18. Bxe5 Bxe5 19. Ra2 Rb8 20. O-O
Bxh2+ {1/2-1/2 Jiménez Molina,G (2326)-Belka,W (2447)/ICCF 2012}) 12... Nbd7
13. Ne4 $6 {This move is a flagrant waste of a tempo as the knight moves 3
times to remove a Black minor piece which has just gotten out of the stable.} (
13. b4 Bd6 14. Bb2 Rc8 15. Qb3 {1/2-1/2 Jensen,E (2501)-Sadowski,M (2501)/ICCF
2012} O-O 16. Ke2 $6 (16. O-O $11) 16... Be5 $1 {and once the dark squared
bishop is traded off, Black has no problems. Nyback,T (2655)-Sokolov,I (2669)/
Malmo 2009.}) 13... Rc8 14. Nxf6+ Qxf6 {...and the Black queen is activated in
the process too. Black's lead in development is already looking scary.} 15. Ke2
$2 (15. Bd2 $5 Nb6 16. Bc3 Qh4 {already looks dangerous for White.}) 15... Ke7
{ZZ connects the rooks without offering White a g-file target.} ({Houdini
recommends} 15... Ne5 16. f4 Nxd3 17. Qxd3 O-O {and Black's colossal lead in
development as well as the insecure White king are ominous signs.}) 16. Qb1 {
Another natural move (to get the queen out of the rook's range) which
exacerbates matters.} ({The only defence is} 16. Qc3 $5 Qxc3 (16... Ne5 17. f4
Nxd3 18. Qxf6+ Kxf6 19. Kxd3 Rhd8+ 20. Ke2 (20. Ke4 Bf8 21. b3 Rc2 22. Rb1 Ke7
$15) 20... Be7 21. b4 Rc2+ 22. Kf3 Rd3) (16... Qh6 17. h4 {is playable for
White. The discovered attack on the White queen is not that big a deal in
comparison with the other two lines.}) 17. bxc3 Nb6 $17 {and White's wretched
pawn structure gives Black the advanage in this ending.}) 16... Ne5 $1 $19 {
The beginning of the end. ZZ's pieces start taking aim at the hapless White
king.} 17. Be4 {The f3-pawn is only temporarily protected as Black sets up ...
f5.} (17. f4 Nxd3 18. Qxd3 Qh4 19. Qe4 Rhd8 20. b4 Bb6 21. Ra2 Rc4 22. Qg2 Qh5+
23. Qf3 Qg6 24. Rd2 Rc2 25. Rhd1 Qd3+ 26. Ke1 Qc3 27. Qb7+ Bc7 28. Kf1 Rdxd2
29. Bxd2 Qxa3 $19) 17... Qh4 18. b3 f5 19. Bb7 Rc7 20. Bb2 $4 ({Houdini showed
that the best way to resist is} 20. Qb2 Bd6 21. Qd4 Qxd4 22. exd4 Rxb7 23. Bg5+
Kf7 24. dxe5 Bxe5 25. Rac1 {though this pawn up ending clearly offers Black
good winning chances.}) 20... Ng6 $1 {ZZ wants to blow open White's central
shell and this knight will be the detonator.} 21. Rc1 Nf4+ $3 {Boom!} 22. Kf1 (
22. exf4 Qxf2+ 23. Kd1 Rd8+) 22... Qh3+ 23. Ke1 Qxh2 {White has had enough
suffering.} 0-1
</div>
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<br />
<br />
A complete demolition that bode well for the team's chances to pull off a result!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
On Board 2, I was White against another, very solid player in the form of Abdulla Al-Rakib. Prior to this round, Abdulla had had a great tournament, scoring a 2700+ performances including a draw against Ponomariov with Black and so I was certainly kept on my toes. Looking through his games, I had the impression that he was not an extremely theoretical player so I expected something non-standard to appear on the board.
Rather surprisingly, my opponent took me by surprise and played the trendy 5...0-0!? and 6....d5! in the Giucco Piano. Fortunately, I had prepared this line quite extensively in the past and was able to throw out some reasonable opening prep:
</div>
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "41st World Chess Olympiad"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2014.08.09"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Goh Wei Ming, Kevin"]
[Black "Abdulla Al-Rakib"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C54"]
[WhiteElo "2433"]
[BlackElo "2522"]
[Annotator "Wei Ming"]
[PlyCount "91"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 $5 {This was a small surprise.} ({On my
database, my opponent had only played} 3... Bc5 {but perhaps, my opponent was
trying to avoid certain lines such as} 4. c3 ({or the Max Lange Attack with} 4.
O-O Nf6 5. d4 $5) 4... Nf6 5. d4 {although Black is doing pretty well in both
lines. However, this move order allowed 4.Ng5 which I briefly considered...})
4. d3 {I have been playing these quiet lines of the Italian for a few years
now with very decent results. It has proved useful in my recent encounters
with grandmasters as I've managed to obtain slight pulls in most of my games
and the positions I've obtained are normally solid enough even if my opponent
equalised early from the opening.} ({My opponent is a sound positional player
and plays solid chess and hence I contemplated the more aggressive and complex
} 4. Ng5 $5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Bd3 $5 {, a line which
I've studied in considerable depth some 4 years ago. However, I discarded the
idea quickly as obviously, it makes more sense to stick to what I know best. I
would also look foolish if my opponent turned out to be an expert in the Two
Knights' Defence!}) 4... Bc5 {Transposing to the Giucco Piano.} (4... Be7 {is
the main alternative and I'll face this move in an absolutely critical game in
round 9.}) 5. c3 O-O $5 {Yet another surprise! However, this was a pleasant
one as I've looked through this particular variation in some detail given how
popular it is.} 6. O-O d5 $1 {This is the point of an early castling.} ({The
normal} 6... d6 7. Bg5 {gives White an annoying pin.}) 7. exd5 Nxd5 8. Re1 {
The consequence of an early d5 is that e5 is more vulnerable and White has to
target the pawn immediately to have any hopes of an opening advantage. The
potential threat of b2-b4-b5, hitting the c6 knight means that Black more
often than not had to give up the e5 pawn in return for activity.} Bg4 (8...
Re8 $2 9. d4 $1 {is strong.}) 9. h3 (9. Nbd2 {, with the idea of} Be7 {(the
bishop is about to be hit by Ne4)} 10. h3 Bh5 11. Ne4 {followed by Ng3 is
another promising idea.}) 9... Bh5 10. b4 Be7 $6 {The most natural but not the
best. My opponent had clearly not prepared this at home which is kind of
strange given how popular this particular variation is these days.} (10... Bb6
11. b5 Na5 12. Rxe5 Nf6 13. Nbd2 Bxf3 14. Qxf3 Bd4 $1 15. Re2 Bxc3 16. Rb1 {is
the mainline in my preparation. The analysis goes much deeper than this but my
conclusion was that even though Black should equalise with precise play, White
is the one doing all the pressing.}) ({During the game, I suddenly became
worried of} 10... Bxf3 11. Qxf3 Ndxb4 $2 {given that cxb4 loses to ...Bd4.
Since I've checked this with engines before, I was sure there was a tactical
refutation and I just had to work it out myself. I soon found} 12. Na3 $1 {
which leads to a forced gain of material and silently breathed a sigh of
relief....}) 11. b5 Na5 12. Rxe5 Nf6 13. Nbd2 Bd6 14. Re1 Qd7 15. Qa4 $6 {This
felt natural but wasn't the best.} (15. a4 {was in my analysis which I
obviously forgot. The line goes} Nxc4 16. Nxc4 Rae8 17. Rxe8 Rxe8 18. Bd2 {and
Black has some compensation but White remains a pawn up and has a safe
position.}) 15... Nxc4 16. Qxc4 a6 $1 {Initiating counterplay on the queenside.
} 17. Rb1 axb5 18. Qxb5 (18. Rxb5 $2 c6 19. Rb1 b5 $1 $17) 18... Rxa2 19. Qxb7
{As compared to the positions a few moves ago, Black had clearly made some
progress, exchanging off some queenside pawns and getting a rook to the 7th
rank. In many ways, this position is similar to the Marshall Gambit where
Black typically gets 2 bishops in exchange for a pawn deficit. However, White
is still very solid and his queen is actively placed on the b7 square so it is
still unclear whether Black's activity is sufficient to claim equality.} Nd5 $2
{This was a very tempting move to play from Black's perspective and I fully
expected it. However, the engine quickly showed why this was a serious
inaccuracy.} (19... Rfa8 $5) ({and} 19... Bg6 {were better options.}) 20. Rb3
$2 (20. Qb3 $1 Ra6 21. Ne5 $1 Bxe5 (21... Qe6 22. Ndc4 $1 $16) 22. Rxe5 Nf4 {
was what I calculated and it looked extremely scary since Black was about to
go ...Ra6-g6 or ...Nxh3 sacrifices. Houdini coolly defends with} 23. Qc4 $1 Ra4
24. Rb4 Ne2+ 25. Kh2 Rxb4 26. cxb4 Bg6 27. Bb2 Bxd3 28. Qd5 $1 {with a serious
endgame advantage for White. Despite the material parity, White should be able
to win the c7 pawn in due time with moves like Be5 and Rc5.}) 20... Nf4 21. c4
{I had wanted to defend along the 3rd rank in this manner and also wanted to
keep my queen on b7 to further support f3.} h6 {After gaining so much activity
after the last 5-6 moves, this "pause" in the action came as a total surprise.}
(21... Ra1 $1 {, threatening to take on c1 was extremely strong. Here, White
had to play the impossible} 22. Nb1 $3 {to force a draw:} Nxh3+ 23. gxh3 Qxh3
24. Nbd2 Qg4+ 25. Kf1 Qh3+ {and so on.}) 22. d4 Ra1 23. Rbe3 Rfa8 $6 (23...
Raa8 {, followed by Rfb8 seems more to the point. Black would have controlled
both a and b files.}) 24. Bb2 R1a7 25. Qb3 c6 26. Ne5 Qc7 27. Ndf3 $2 {Both
players were in mild time trouble at this point, the perfect excuse for making
bad moves!} (27. c5 Bxe5 28. Rxe5 Rb7 29. Qg3 $1 f6 30. Re7 Ne2+ 31. R1xe2 Qxg3
32. fxg3 Rxb2 33. g4 {would retain a small but pleasant edge although Black's
position will be hard to crack after he manoeuvres his bishop to d5.}) 27...
Rb7 $1 28. Qc2 f6 $2 {Missing a big winning chance.} ({After} 28... Ra2 $1 {,
I had intended} 29. Rb3 {where I thought I would be doing quite well but I
missed} Bxe5 30. Nxe5 f6 $1 31. Nf3 Bg6 $1 32. Qc3 Qb8 $1 {, winning material
and the game on the spot. Phew!}) 29. c5 {Now the position becomes murky again
and the resulting time scramble was apparently very entertaining to follow
according to the FB Group.} Bf8 30. Nc4 Nd5 31. Rb3 Rxb3 32. Qxb3 Rb8 33. Qa3
$1 Bf7 34. Nfd2 {I've managed to consolidate and all my pieces are now
defended so there was definite progress.} Nf4 35. Bc1 Qd8 (35... Bd5 36. Ne3
Re8 $5) 36. Qc3 Qd5 37. Ne3 Qg5 38. Ng4 $1 {My knight had hopped a long way in
this game! With the threats of Ne4/Nf3 and an unpleasant discovered attack on
the f4 knight, Black was facing a difficult situation. In severe time trouble,
my opponent wasn't able to find a solution.} Qg6 $4 {This loses.} (38... Nxg2
39. Kxg2 h5 {didn't work due to the simple} 40. Qg3 $1) (38... Nd5 $1 39. Qg3
Re8 40. Nf1 Qg6 41. Rxe8 Bxe8 $14 {was best.}) 39. Qg3 $1 {Loose pieces drop
off! My opponent had of course overlooked this and the game was essentially
over.} Nd3 40. Re3 Nxc1 $4 {This made it even easier for me.} (40... Re8 $1 {
would have kept material parity although White would still have won after} 41.
Rxd3 Re1+ 42. Kh2 Rxc1 43. Ra3 $1) 41. Qxb8 h5 42. Nh2 Qc2 43. Nhf3 Bg6 44. Ra3
Qd1+ 45. Kh2 (45. Nf1 Ne2+ 46. Kh2 Nxd4 47. Ra8 Ne6) 45... Qe2 46. Ra8 ({I had
seen the beautiful finish} 46. Ne5 $3 fxe5 47. Ra8 Qxf2 48. Nf3 $1 {but why
bother?}) 1-0
</div>
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A rather fortunate win but I am not complaining!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
On Board 3, Qianyun equalised quite comfortably with 3...h6!? of the French Tarrasch and had very good chances to obtain a sizeable edge in the middlegame. The game hovered around equal to slightly better for Black for much of the game until White played an absolute howler, gifting Qianyun an incredible opportunity:
<title>A game that I liked (ChessBase 12)</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bang 3.pgn"></a>
</div>
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "WCO2014"]
[Site "Tromso"]
[Date "2014.08.08"]
[Round "6.26"]
[White "Hossain Enamul"]
[Black "Gong Qianyun"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C03"]
[WhiteElo "2421"]
[BlackElo "2328"]
[Annotator "Wei Ming"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/Q4pk1/5b2/6pp/P4p2/5N1P/2q2PPK/8 w - - 0 44"]
[PlyCount "8"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:06:04"]
[BlackClock "0:12:02"]
{After a big middlegame fight where Qianyun had very reasonable chances of
securing a large advantage, the position had dwindled to a comparatively calm
and simple one. Black had some form of an attack with ...g4 in the pipeline
but the a5 passed pawn will keep Black in check and the most likely result is
a draw. Amazingly, the experienced Bangladeshi decided to force matters with}
44. h4 $4 g4 45. Ng5 $4 (45. Ng1 $1 {is the computer's defence but after} Bxh4
46. Qd4+ Kg6 $1 47. Qxf4 Bxf2 {Black should still be winning.}) 45... Qb3 $4 (
45... Bxg5 46. hxg5 g3+ 47. fxg3 f3 48. Qd4+ Kh7 49. g6+ Kxg6 50. Qb6+ f6 51.
Qg1 Qe2 {[%cal Gf3f2,Gf2f1] was a fairly straight forward win.}) 46. g3 fxg3+
47. fxg3 Qc2+ 1/2-1/2
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
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After the game, Qianyun was utterly dismayed to have missed such a straight forward win and I had to remind her that her draw did clinch the match for us!
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
On the last board, young Qing Aun had his hands full against the dangerous Niaz Murshed, an old but still very strong player. Qing Aun clearly still lacks the experience in playing these high level team events but he had maintained an extremely positive attitude throughout the tournament, cheering the team on even when he was not playing and following each game religiously.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
After this victory, Leslie wanted to take us out for dinner but I had to decline given that I had a terrible headache after my game. More importantly, I wanted some time to myself to understand why I was getting into all these time trouble and how I can avoid this in the subsequent rounds. True enough, poor time management would eventually lead to a few highly costly mistakes within the next few days....</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Leslie's solution was simple enough - he offered to buy us dinner to celebrate once we win our match the next day! Surprisingly, we were given this chance when we were paired against the lower seeded Faroe Islands, a team whom we had beaten in the past and one that we certainly expected to beat here.</div>
<br />
<b>Round 7 - Faroe Islands 0.5 - Singapore 3.5</b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's National day and we managed to celebrate Singapore's 49th birthday by scoring a comprehensive win against the Faroe Islands. On Board 1, Zhang Zhong faced the talented IM Ziska Helgi Dam, whom he had beaten in the 2012 edition. The White player played very solidly although Zhang had one chance to secure a stable edge:</div>
<br />
<title>A game that I liked (ChessBase 12)</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="FI 1.pgn"></a>
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "WCO2014"]
[Site "Tromso"]
[Date "2014.08.09"]
[Round "7.21"]
[White "Ziska Helgi Dam"]
[Black "Zhang Zhong"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C07"]
[WhiteElo "2507"]
[BlackElo "2611"]
[Annotator "Wei Ming"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r1bq1rk1/1p2nppp/p1nb4/3p4/8/1N1B1N1P/PPP2PP1/R1BQ1RK1 w - - 0 11"]
[PlyCount "48"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:10:10"]
[BlackClock "0:09:45"]
{The opening had gone rather smoothly for Zhang Zhong as he had obtained
equality and an imbalanced game. He may have the IQP but all his pieces were
more or less well placd.} 11. Nbd4 ({I felt} 11. Re1 {was also possible but
maybe White didn't like} Bf5 {when Black manages to exchange his dark square
bishop. Still, White should get a typical plus after} 12. Be3 Re8 13. c3) ({As
such, maybe after} 11. Re1 {, Black should go} Bc7 12. c3 Nf5 {, with
reasonable play.}) 11... Bc7 ({Interestingly, the computer suggested the
counter intuitive} 11... Nxd4 12. Nxd4 Nc6 {. I was taught not to initiate
piece exchanges when you have the IQP and as usual, the computer is most adept
at destroying well established maxims! Still, any human will prefer White after
} 13. Nf3 Bc7 14. Re1) 12. Re1 h6 13. Be3 Qd6 14. c3 Ng6 15. Bf1 $2 {A rather
feeble move.} (15. Nxc6 bxc6 16. b4 $1 Ne5 17. Nxe5 Qxe5 18. g3 $1 Qf6 ({both}
18... Qxc3 19. Bc5 Rd8 20. Rc1 Qa3 21. Re7) ({and} 18... Bxh3 19. Bf4 {are bad
for Black.}) 19. Bd4 {and White is slightly better.}) 15... Bd7 16. Nxc6 bxc6
17. b4 Rfe8 18. Bc5 Rxe1 19. Qxe1 Qf6 20. Bd4 Qf5 21. Qb1 Qh5 (21... Qf4 $5)
22. Qd1 $6 {White goes all out for the draw!} (22. g4 {looks like a risky move
but the computer showed that White defends after} Bxg4 23. hxg4 Qxg4+ 24. Bg2
Nf4 25. Qf1 h5 26. Be3 h4 27. Bxf4 Bxf4 28. Nh2 $1 {, with unclear play.})
22... Nf4 $1 23. Ne1 $2 Qg6 24. Kh1 Re8 $6 (24... Bf5 $1 {would have given
Black a substantial advantage. For example,} 25. Qd2 a5 {(the attack on both
flanks is very difficult to handle in a practical game)} 26. bxa5 Rxa5 27. a4
Ne6 {followed by ideas like ...Be4 and ...c5.}) 25. Qf3 Bf5 26. Qg3 Qxg3 27.
fxg3 Ne2 28. g4 Bg6 29. a4 f5 (29... f6 $5 {[%cal Gg8f7]}) 30. gxf5 Bxf5 31.
Nf3 Bd3 32. Bxe2 Bxe2 33. Kg1 Bxf3 34. gxf3 Bd6 {and White eventually held
this endgame.} 1/2-1/2
</div>
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On Board 2, I managed to win my game from a rather obscure Sicilian Rossolimo:
<title>A game that I liked (ChessBase 12)</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="FI 2.pgn"></a>
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
<br />
[Event "41st World Chess Olympiad"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2014.08.10"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Goh Wei Ming, Kevin"]
[Black "Olaf Berg"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B31"]
[WhiteElo "2433"]
[BlackElo "2320"]
[Annotator "Wei Ming"]
[PlyCount "53"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. O-O Bg7 5. Nc3 $5 {A slightly obscure line
that I've prepared with Erik for the game against Salgado Lopez.} b6 $6 (5...
e5 {was played against me in the final round and may well be best.}) 6. Re1 Bb7
7. d3 Nd4 8. Nxd4 cxd4 9. Ne2 ({I was very close to playing} 9. Nd5 $5 {until
I realise Black could play} a6 10. Ba4 b5 11. Bb3 e6 12. Bf4 d6 {and I didn't
see a clear follow up. The computer nonchatlantly suggests} 13. e5 $1 exd5 14.
exd6+ Kf8 15. Qf3 {with compensation.}) 9... Bc6 10. Bc4 d5 $2 {I was very
surprised with this move but perhaps my opponent had simply missed the bishop
check. Of course, there are a few much better alternatives.} 11. exd5 Bxd5 12.
Bb5+ Kf8 13. Ng3 $6 (13. c4 $5 {was in my thoughts but I wanted to keep this
for later use.}) 13... Qc7 {Strangely enough, Black may well be fine here
despite his awkward king position. The plan was to play ...h7-h5, ...Be5, ....
Kg7 and ...Nf6 and I didn't see what I could do against this simple plan.} 14.
Bd2 Be5 $2 ({I was rather worried of} 14... h5 $1 {and indeed, the computer
gave a 0.00 evaluation here.}) 15. c3 $1 {Opening up the queenside to decisive
effect.} h5 16. Rc1 Bxg3 17. fxg3 Qc5 18. c4 Bb7 19. Qe2 {With the pair bishop,
pressure down the e-file and a passed c-pawn in the making, Black was quite
lost here.} Nf6 20. b4 Qc7 21. Bf4 Qd8 22. c5 bxc5 23. bxc5 Nd5 24. c6 Nxf4 25.
gxf4 Bc8 26. c7 Qd6 27. Qe4 1-0
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
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Qianyun's game was a rather strange one where her opponent sacrificed the exchange early in the opening for very little in return. White perhaps had something that resembled an attack but Qianyun, true to her aggressive style was the one that eventually broke through with an attack of her own:
<title>A game that I liked (ChessBase 12)</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="FI 3.pgn"></a>
</div>
<div class="cbreplay">
<br />
[Event "WCO2014"]
[Site "Tromso"]
[Date "2014.08.09"]
[Round "7.23"]
[White "Nielsen Hogni Egilstoft"]
[Black "Gong Qianyun"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C03"]
[WhiteElo "2256"]
[BlackElo "2328"]
[Annotator "Wei Ming"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:00:43"]
[BlackClock "0:31:28"]
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 h6 $5 {The 4...h6 Tarrasch is sort of a Qianyun
specialty. I remember playing this little pawn move in 2004 after reading an
article on it by John Watson in NIC magazine and I've had a pretty good score
with it even though I often get bad positions! Objectively, there is nothing
much wrong with this line although I think White should get a small plus in
one of the mainlines.} 4. Ngf3 Nf6 5. e5 Nfd7 6. c3 c5 7. Bd3 Nc6 8. Qe2 $6 {
Hard to see what White was planning here. The White queen was misplaced on the
e2 square.} (8. O-O g5 $1 {is the key idea and this position would be
contested in one of Qianyun's later games.}) 8... cxd4 9. cxd4 Nb4 $1 {and
just like that, Black had seized the initiative.} 10. Bb1 b6 11. O-O $2 {
Played after a 30 minute think. The exchange sac was speculative at best and
there was surely a better way to resolve the problems in hand.} ({For example,
} 11. Nb3 Ba6 12. Qd1 Rc8 13. a3 Nc6 14. Be3 {followed by Bd3 and White would
be able to unravel with a decent position.}) 11... Ba6 12. Qd1 Bxf1 13. Nxf1
Rc8 14. Bd2 Nc6 15. Ng3 g6 16. h4 Bg7 17. h5 g5 18. Be3 Qe7 19. a3 O-O 20. Qd3
f5 21. exf6 Bxf6 22. Nh2 Qg7 {Qianyun parries the White attack rather easily.}
23. Ng4 $2 Bxd4 24. Bxd4 Nxd4 25. Nxh6+ Qxh6 26. Qxd4 Rc1+ 27. Kh2 Rf4 28. Bh7+
Qxh7 {A rather mind boggling game where White appeared to have missed every
trick in the position.} 0-1
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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The star game of the round was certainly Jingyao's win on board 4. From an innocuous looking position where White appeared to have the slightest of advantage but no more, Jingyao displayed a lot of maturity and surprising endgame technique to squeeze out a win and keeping his IM norm chances alive:
<title>A game that I liked (ChessBase 12)</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="FI 4.pgn"></a>
</div>
<div class="cbreplay">
<br />
[Event "41st Olympiad Open 2014"]
[Site "Tromso NOR"]
[Date "2014.08.09"]
[Round "7.4"]
[White "Tin, Jingyao"]
[Black "Nilssen, John Arni"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D52"]
[WhiteElo "2251"]
[BlackElo "2322"]
[Annotator "Junior Tay"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "2014.08.02"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 Nbd7 6. e3 Qa5 7. Nd2 Bb4 8. Qc2
O-O 9. Be2 c5 {Black attacks the White centre immediately, giving the game a
Nimzo Indian flavour. The argument in Black being able to waste a move with ...
c6-c5 is that White has done the same with Nf3-d2.} (9... e5 {was played in
the famous Magnus Carlsen vs Kasparov rapid match game 1 where the former
World Champion had to suffer for a draw one pawn down before beating the
current World Champion in game 2 easily.} 10. O-O exd4 11. Nb3 Qb6 12. exd4
dxc4 13. Bxc4 a5 14. a4 Qc7 15. Rae1 h6 16. Bh4 Bd6 17. h3 Nb6 18. Bxf6 Nxc4
19. Ne4 Bh2+ (19... Be6 $14) 20. Kh1 Nd6 $2 21. Kxh2 Nxe4+ 22. Be5 Nd6 $16 {
Carlsen,M (2484)-Kasparov,G (2831)/Reykjavik 2004}) 10. Bxf6 (10. Nb3 Qc7 11.
O-O dxc4 12. Bxc4 cxd4 13. Nb5 Qb8 14. N5xd4 Bd6 15. f4 h6 16. Bh4 a6 $14 {
Ivanchuk,V (2740)-Kasparov,G (2825)/Frankfurt 1998}) 10... Nxf6 11. Nb3 Bxc3+
$146 (11... Qc7 12. dxc5 {1/2-1/2 Goldin,A (2600)-Asrian,K (2645)/Beer Sheva
2005/CBM 110}) ({During the game, I was looking at the following pawn
sacrifice typical in the Grunfeld Indian to play on the a- and c-files.} 11...
Qa4 12. dxc5 b6 $5 {However, after} 13. O-O $1 (13. cxb6 dxc4 14. Nd4 Qxc2 15.
Nxc2 Bxc3+ 16. bxc3 axb6 17. Bxc4 Bb7 18. f3 Rfc8 19. Bb3 Rxc3) 13... Bxc3 14.
Qxc3 Ba6 15. cxb6 axb6 16. Nd2 Rfd8 17. b3 Qa3 18. Rfd1 Rac8 19. Qc1 {and
White has consolidated.}) 12. bxc3 {Keeping queens on is imperative if White
wants to play for a win.} (12. Qxc3 Qxc3+ 13. bxc3 cxd4 14. cxd4 dxc4 15. Bxc4
Bd7 {is easier for Black to handle.}) 12... Qa4 $1 {A good move, typical of
the Cambridge Springs. Black keeps the presure on the c-pawn.} 13. Rc1 cxd4 $6
{The resulting position gives White a slight pull.} ({Now,} 13... b6 $1 {is
the right way to go as after} 14. cxd5 c4 15. Na1 Qxc2 16. Nxc2 exd5 17. f3 $11
Re8 18. Kf2 {, chances are even with Black attempting to press with the
queenside pawns and White either restraining them or trying to advance on the
kingside.}) (13... b6) 14. cxd4 dxc4 15. Qxc4 Qxc4 ({Perhaps keeping queens on
with} 15... Qa3 {is better.}) 16. Rxc4 {What we now have how, are pawn
structures similar to the Grunfeld Indian Defence though without the dark
squared bishops, Black's task seems to be a trifle tougher to attain
counterplay.} b6 17. Rc2 {Avoiding unnecessary exchanges.} Bb7 18. f3 Nd5 $6 {
This looks strange as Black could easily contest the c-file.} (18... Rac8 19.
Rxc8 Rxc8 20. Kd2 Kf8 21. e4 Ke7 {I don't think Black has any problems here.})
19. Kd2 Rfd8 (19... f5 $5 {is a Houdini suggestion. White's central majority
is temporarily halted and Black gets play against the centre. However, there
is the 'small' mattter of giving up an outpost on e5....} 20. Bc4 {and I think
White only has a teensy weensy edge here.}) 20. e4 Nf6 {After this, Jingyao
gets in a squeeze.} ({With hindsight, probably} 20... Nf4 21. Rc7 Rab8 22. g3
Nxe2 23. Kxe2 Kf8 24. Ke3 Ke8 25. Rhc1 Rd7 26. R7c3 Kd8 27. Nd2 Rc8 28. Rxc8+
Bxc8 29. e5 Bb7 {and it is not easy for White to improve his position any more.
}) 21. Rc7 Rab8 22. Bb5 $1 {A strong anticipatory move, egging Black to weaken
his queenside.} Kf8 (22... a6 23. Bc6 Bxc6 24. Rxc6 $14) 23. Rhc1 Ne8 24. Bxe8
$1 {Now Black has to worry about a knight getting to d6 after e4-e5.} Kxe8 25.
Ke3 Rd7 26. R7c4 Kd8 27. Ra4 a5 {This slight weakening of the queenside allows
White some incentive to torture for a while.} ({I like} 27... Ba8 $5 {,
keeping things compact but maybe Black is hoping to outplay his younger and
lower-rated opponent.}) 28. Rac4 Rd6 {Finally, Black falters and allows White
a tempo to achieve e4-e5 and stick that pesky knight on d6.} (28... Rc8 29.
Rxc8+ Bxc8 30. Rc6 Rb7 (30... a4 31. Nd2 Rc7 32. Rxc7 Kxc7 33. Kd3 {and things
get dodgy for Black as the white king heads for b4.}) 31. e5 Bd7 32. Rd6 Ke7
33. h4 {and White has a slight edge, nothing much.}) 29. Nd2 $1 {Jingyao
possesses a very strong strategic sense and this knight regrouping shows he
knew exactly where this knight belongs...and this will surface in a short
while.} Rc8 {Too obliging. This allows Jingyao to plant a superb knight on d6,
thanks to his 29th move.} (29... f6 {is more testing as if White wants to
establish a pawn on e5, he will either have to agree to a pawn exchange on
that square, and if that occurs, ...Rd5 will hit e5 and f3-f4 will allow the
Bb7 room to roam.}) 30. Rxc8+ $16 Bxc8 31. e5 Rd7 32. Ne4 Rc7 33. Rxc7 Kxc7 34.
Nd6 Bb7 ({More challenging is} 34... Ba6 {when White must watch out for the
queenside passer, for example, after} 35. Nxf7 Kc6 36. Ng5 Kd5 37. Nxh7 Bc4 38.
a3 b5 39. Ng5 a4 $1 40. f4 b4 41. axb4 a3 42. Ne4 Ba6 $1 43. Nc3+ Kc4 {and
White, despite being 3 pawns up cannot expect more than a draw because of the
pesky a-pawn.}) 35. Nxf7 Bd5 36. a3 b5 37. Kd3 b4 38. axb4 axb4 39. Nd6 Kd7 40.
h4 h6 $2 {It's actually very common to make the error just prior to making
time control. This move allows the kingside pawns to be fixed.} (40... Ba2 41.
Kc2 $16) 41. Nc4 (41. h5 $1 $18 {is stronger.}) 41... g5 $4 {Black lashes out
and and this once again allows the black h-pawn to be fixed and eventually
plucked.} (41... g6 {is prevent h4-h5 is more prudent.}) 42. Ne3 $1 $18 {The
knight is heading for g4 to eat the chestnut on h6.} Kc6 ({Of course not} 42...
gxh4 43. Nxd5 exd5 {when the protected passed e-pawn wins hands down.}) 43. h5
{There goes the h-pawn...The rest is easy.} Bb3 44. Ng4 Kb5 45. Nxh6 Ka4 46.
Ng4 Ba2 47. Ne3 Bb1+ 48. Kd2 Kb5 49. Nc2 1-0
</div>
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The next match up saw us being paired with Belgium, not your traditional powerhouse like its neighbours France and Holland but still a pretty decent team with 4 2500+ on all 4 boards. Still, the team was in excellent spirits and while no one dared to say it during the team meeting, I was certain that everyone fancied their chances against the higher seeded team.
The match indeed turned out to be a very close affair and perhaps, we could have counted ourselves a little lucky.....</div>
<br />
<b>Round 8: Singapore 2 - Belgium 2</b>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Zhang Zhong was terribly annoyed after allowing his opponent to equalise quite easily from the opening. I actually was pretty impressed with Michiels Bart whom I was expecting to play after going through his games. He seemed to be an extremely well prepared and thorough player and hence I wasn't entirely surprised with the speed he was playing against our no.1 player.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Probably frustrated with himself, Zhang pushed a little too hard and found himself at danger of losing. The critical moment came during the 5th hour when both players were quite likely exhaused and therefore missed:</div>
<title>A game that I liked (ChessBase 12)</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bel 1.pgn"></a>
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
<br />
[Event "WCO2014"]
[Site "Tromso"]
[Date "2014.08.10"]
[Round "8.1"]
[White "Zhang Zhong"]
[Black "Michiels Bart"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D11"]
[WhiteElo "2611"]
[BlackElo "2535"]
[Annotator "Wei Ming"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1B6/R7/8/5p1p/1p2b3/1P3kP1/P5r1/3K4 b - - 0 50"]
[PlyCount "8"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:13:17"]
[BlackClock "0:03:35"]
{Zhang Zhong had surprisingly misplayed a drawn endgame and Black had his one
and only chance in this particular position.} 50... f4 $4 {Fortunately, he
threw it away!} (50... h4 51. gxh4 Ke3 {was a fairly straightforward win.}) 51.
Rf7 Rxa2 52. Bxf4 Bc2+ 53. Kc1 Bxb3 54. Rf5 {and the game soon petered out to
a draw.} 1/2-1/2
</div>
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A big, big escape from Zhang!
On Board 2, I played a roller coaster game with the youngster Ringoir Tanguy:
<title>A game that I liked (ChessBase 12)</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bel 2.pgn"></a>
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
<br />
[Event "41st World Chess Olympiad"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2014.08.11"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Ringoir Tanguy"]
[Black "Goh Wei Ming, Kevin"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D70"]
[WhiteElo "2508"]
[BlackElo "2433"]
[Annotator "Wei Ming"]
[PlyCount "69"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. f3 $5 {I had envisioned that this popular move may
surface in one of my games in the Olympiad and had prepared quite hard for it.}
({I had prepared quite hard for this particular variation of the Grunfeld:} 3.
Nc3 d5 4. e3 Bg7 5. Qb3 e6 {which my opponent had played on multiple occasions.
}) 3... d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nb6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Qd2 e5 9. d5 c6 10.
Rd1 {I had absolutely no idea what the theory is after this.} (10. h4 cxd5 11.
exd5 N8d7 12. h5 Nf6 13. hxg6 fxg6 14. O-O-O {is the big mainline.}) 10... cxd5
11. exd5 N8d7 (11... Na6 {was apparently the theory. I guess I'll have to take
a look at this when I have the time!}) (11... Nc4 {looked very tempting but
after} 12. Bxc4 Qh4+ 13. Bf2 Qxc4 14. Nge2 {, White gets to castle quite
easily as compared to the game and this should be a better version.}) 12. Nh3
Nc4 13. Bxc4 Qh4+ 14. Nf2 Qxc4 15. b3 Qa6 16. a4 $2 {White embarked on a
rather strange plan involving Nc3-b5 which simply looked too time consuming to
be good.} (16. Nd3 $1 {was my key consideration and here, I thought Black
would be fine after} f5 {but in fact, White gains a sizeable advantage after}
17. O-O Qa5 18. d6 $1 {with the key point that} e4 {can be met by} 19. Nxe4 $1
{This was the nuance that both my opponent and I had missed during the game.
Pretty poor stuff.}) 16... f5 $1 {Black's position looked promising and I was
happy with the fact that both ...e4 and ...f4 pawn breaks looked dangerous and
White still had to find a reasonable way to castle. Here, I was already
feeling quite optimistic.} 17. Nh3 f4 18. Bf2 Nf6 19. Nb5 $2 {The move I was
hoping my opponent would play...but was sure that he wouldn't!} ({I was
certain that my opponent would go} 19. Ng5 Bf5 20. Nge4 {, with the view of
plugging some holes although I would still be very happy with my position after
} Rac8 $36) 19... Bxh3 20. gxh3 e4 $1 {Opening up more lines for my pieces!
White was in dire straits at this point.} 21. Bc5 $2 {This should have lost by
force.} ({The computer suggests} 21. Nc7 e3 $1 22. Qb4 exf2+ 23. Kxf2 Qb6+ 24.
Qxb6 axb6 25. Nxa8 Rxa8 {as White's best defence but this position should very
likely be lost.}) 21... Rfe8 22. O-O e3 23. Qe2 {Here, I sank into deep
thought mode as I had recognised that this was the critical juncture whereby
an important decision had to be made. Black had made a lot of progress,
advancing his e-pawn to the e3 square which was well supported by the f4 pawn.
At the same time, White's kingside pawn structure was wrecked and these 2
factors alone were enough to convince me that Black had a near decisive
advantage here. However, White was not without counterplay. Like in most
Grunfeld lines, his main source of play was his passed d-pawn and here his
pieces were ideally placed to play around that d-pawn.} Rad8 $2 {This threw
away the main bulk of the advantage. I had overlooked a nasty trick which will
be clearer after a few more moves.} ({Instead,} 23... Re5 $1 {was the tactical
solution, with the point that after} 24. Bd6 Rg5+ 25. Kh1 Nxd5 26. Qc4 {,
Black could simply play} Qc6 {, winning a pawn.}) 24. d6 $1 {Now the position
gets rather tricky.} b6 25. Ba3 Kh8 {Played after another long think. I was
fed up with all the tricks involving Qc4+ and decided to get out of it once
and for all.} ({I had planned} 25... Qc8 {but completely overlooked} 26. d7 $1
Rxd7 27. Nd6 {, winning the exchange. Here, I considered sacrificing the
exchange with} Rxd6 28. Rxd6 Qf5 {but didn't like my position after} 29. Qc4+
Kh8 30. Bb2 {when I would be struggling to hold.}) 26. Bb2 Rf8 27. Rd4 Qc8 28.
Rxf4 a6 29. Nc3 Qxh3 $2 {Both sides were in severe time trouble at this stage.}
(29... Rxd6 {, with the idea} 30. Qxe3 g5 $1 31. Rc4 Qxh3 32. Qf2 (32. Qxg5 $4
Bh6 $1 {[%cal Gh6e3,Gf8g8]}) 32... Rd3 $13 {was stronger.}) 30. Qxe3 Rxd6 31.
Ne4 Re6 32. Qf2 $2 {With seconds to go, White was not able to find what would
have been a remarkable turn around.} (32. Qd2 $1 {threatens Ng5 and after} Qh5
33. Rc1 {, Black would not be able to handle White's threats down the d and c
file. A remarkable let-off!}) 32... Qh5 $2 ({Controlling the c-file with} 32...
Rc6 {was best.}) 33. Re1 (33. Rc1 {[%cal Gc1c7] would have been quite tricky
to meet in time trouble.}) 33... Nd7 34. Qd2 Bxb2 35. Rxf8+ {and finally,
after a thoroughly exhausting fight, the players agreed to a draw.} 1/2-1/2
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Board 3 was probably the game of the entire tournament for the Singapore squad and one that truly defined the spirt of the team so far. In sporting terms, this is the kind of game that will bring spectators to their feet. Junior provides you with all the details here:
<title>A game that I liked (ChessBase 12)</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bel 3.pgn"></a>
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[Event "41st Olympiad Open 2014"]
[Site "Tromso NOR"]
[Date "2014.08.10"]
[Round "8.3"]
[White "Gong, Qianyun"]
[Black "Docx, Stefan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C55"]
[WhiteElo "2328"]
[BlackElo "2491"]
[Annotator "Junior Tay"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2014.08.02"]
[WhiteTeam "Singapore"]
[BlackTeam "Belgium"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "SIN"]
[BlackTeamCountry "BEL"]
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 {Once again, Gong wheels out the Bishop's Opening after giving
the British Champion GM David Howell quite a scare with it n the opening and
early middlegame phase of their game in Round 2.} Nf6 3. d3 Nc6 4. Nf3 h6 5. c3
d6 6. Nbd2 g6 ({The standard Ruy Lopez / Piano knight tour can also continue
without castling after} 6... Be7 7. Nf1 Be6 8. Bb3 Qd7 9. Bc2 d5 10. Qe2 Bg4
11. h3 Bh5 $6 12. Ng3 Bg6 13. Ba4 $1 {when suddenly, the Bg6 finds itself very
misplaced.} Bd6 $6 14. exd5 Nxd5 {and White nets a pawn with} 15. Nxe5 Bxe5 16.
Bxc6 Qxc6 17. Qxe5+ Kf8 18. O-O {Gaponenko,I (2422)-Bashkite,V (2174)/Tallinn
2008 (1-0, 37)}) 7. h3 Bg7 8. Bb3 d5 (8... Qe7 9. Nf1 Nd8 10. g4 {was agreed
drawn in Cherniaev,A (2450)-Arkhipov,S (2520)/Vladivostok 1995. Black can
prudently continue in similar manouvring vein with} Ne6 11. Be3 Bd7 12. Qc2 c5
13. Ng3 Bc6) 9. Qe2 O-O ({In a previous game, White also manouvred without
castling} 9... Be6 10. Bc2 a6 11. a4 dxe4 12. dxe4 Nh5 13. Nb3 O-O 14. g3 b6
15. Nh4 Nf6 16. a5 b5 17. Nc5 Bc4 18. Qe3 b4 19. Ba4 Bb5 20. Bb3 Ne7 21. Bd2
bxc3 22. Bxc3 {and a careless retreat allowed White to gain a powerful attack.
} Nh7 $6 23. Rd1 Qc8 24. f4 $1 $18 exf4 $4 25. gxf4 Re8 26. Rg1 Nf5 27. Rxg6 $1
Nf8 28. Rxg7+ Nxg7 29. Qg3 {1-0 Berchtenbreiter,M (2405)-Borsos,B (2279)/
Schwarzach 2013}) 10. g4 {The strange thing is despite the hyperaggressive
kingside buildup, Docx continues to play at blitz speed in the opening.} dxe4 {
I don't like this move. In theory, a flank attack is typically met by action
in the centre. This move actually 'closes' the centre and renders it static.} (
{I prefer} 10... a5 {, gaining queenside space and Black has a fine game. Some
examples are} 11. exd5 (11. a4 Be6) (11. Ba4 Re8) 11... Nxd5 12. Ne4 Be6) 11.
dxe4 Nd7 12. Qe3 {It seems strange to move the queen yet again but White has
to cover the c5-square. This incidentaly also helps White to play g4-g5.} (12.
Nf1 Nc5 13. Bc2 b6 14. b4 Ne6 {and White has to tolerate a knight on f4 or to
capture it, allowing Black to release the fianchettoed bishop's range after}
15. Bb3 Nf4 16. Bxf4 exf4 {with a strong position for Black.}) 12... Qe7 13. g5
h5 $6 {This timid move swings the balance towards White. Incredibly, White is
still playing a-tempo and has more than 1hr 30 minutes on the clock at this
point while Gong has used up more than an hour.} (13... hxg5 14. Nxg5 Na5 15.
Bc2 b6 16. Rg1 Ba6 17. b4 Nc4 18. Nxc4 Bxc4 19. Bb3 Bxb3 20. axb3 {and Black's
structural superiority gives him the edge.}) 14. Nh4 $1 {All of a sudden,
White's threats become very real. Only now does Docx start thinking and he
didn't think very hard before playing} Kh7 15. Nf5 $1 {In for a penny...in for
a pound. Gong plonks the mare right smack in front of the Black king's pawn
cover and it can hardly be captured.} Qe8 (15... gxf5 16. exf5 e4 17. f6 Nxf6
18. gxf6 Qxf6 19. Nxe4 Qe5 20. Bc2 f5 21. Ng5+ Kh8 22. f4 {with the better
chances for White.}) 16. Nxg7 {The removal of the dark-squared bishop is a
trifle worrisome for Black though the long dark squared diagonal is for the
moment closed to the public.} Kxg7 17. Nf1 {As pointed out by FM Ong Chong
Ghee, the knight is going to reroute to e2 to prevent Black from planting his
own knight on f4.} Nd8 18. Ng3 (18. Qg3 {to prevent ...Ne6 is a good
alternative.}) 18... Ne6 19. Ne2 Ndc5 20. Bc2 {So far, Black has reacted well
to White's aggressive overtures.} a5 $6 {Too optimistic. Gong's knight did not
reroute to e2 for defensive purposes only but to set up} ({With hindsight, it
is easy to indicate that Black should perhaps get his king off the dark
squares with} 20... Kg8) 21. f4 $1 {Forcing open the long dark squared
diagonal. Gong starts yet another wave of attack.} exf4 22. Nxf4 Nxf4 {Before
the knight gets to d5...} 23. Qxc5 (23. Qxf4 Bf5 24. Be3 Nxe4 25. Bd4+ Kh7 26.
O-O-O {also looks dangerous for Black.}) 23... Ne6 $6 {Finally, Black misses a
step and Gong proceeds to home in on the king without remorse.} ({Incredibly,
Stockfish 5 showed that White has no good way to get at the Black king after}
23... Nxh3 $1 24. Be3 Bg4 $15 {but who among us would not be alarmed at being
so exposed on the dark squares?}) 24. Qe5+ Kg8 25. Be3 b6 26. O-O-O Ba6 27. Qf6
{Here, the spidey sense should start tingling as Gong sets up Bb3xe6 and Bd4
but Docx is probably still reeling from the sudden turn of events.} Rd8 (27...
a4 {to prevent Bb3 is mandatory.}) 28. Bb3 $1 $16 Bd3 $4 ({Black MUST get the
king out of the b3-bazooka's range with} 28... Kh7 $16 {but one of the
symptoms of shell shock is the inability to defend oneself due to the
intensity of the bombardment.}) 29. Bd5 $1 $18 {It's all over now as the White
wizard shields the dark one from being traded off at d4, thanks to the
possibility of Qxg6 once the Ne6 captures on d4.} c6 $4 ({As pointed out by
Chong Ghee, Black must cough up the exchange with} 29... Rd6 30. Rxd3 Nc5 31.
Qf1 Nxd3+ 32. Qxd3 {and Black is still very lost.}) 30. Bd4 {To quote from
Arthur Conan Doyle's The Croxley Master -"It was a magnificent blow, straight,
clean, crisp...And it landed where (s)he had meant it to—upon the exact point
of that blue-grained chin. Flesh and blood could not stand such a blow in such
a place. Neither valour nor hardihood can save the man to whom it comes. The
Master fell backwards, flat, prostrate, striking the ground with so
simultaneous a clap that it was like a shutter falling from a wall". OK, I'm
dramatising it a bit too much. But at this moment Gong delivered the mortal
blow, these phrases came to my mind...} Nxd4 ({Or Black can choose to go one
rook down after} 30... Kh7 31. Bxe6 Rxd4 32. Qxd4 Be2 33. Bd7 Qe7 34. Rd2) 31.
Qxg6+ Kh8 32. Qh6+ Kg8 33. g6 {What a finish!} 1-0
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A fantastic result!<br />
<br />
After this game, Qianyun's surname officially became a verb. To "Gong" an opponent equates to completely crushing/demolishing/annihilating his defences and reducing them to rubble. The term "gonged" will become quite commonly used for the rest of the tournament....
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Unfortunately, Jingyao went down in flames after overlooking a straight forward trap on the kingside. I felt that his position could have been even more comfortable had he played an early ...a5, a typical move in the Philidor.<br />
<br />
A 2-2 draw wasn't bad although we certainly had our chances to win it. Our reward was a match-up against the Indonesians, a match that had a lot of significance attached to it and where our norm chances were at stake.....IM Kevin Gohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365772817514475507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-593228688914103789.post-91541287570797896522014-08-31T00:17:00.001+08:002014-08-31T00:40:20.933+08:0041st World Chess Olympiad Part 2 - Rounds 4 and 5(Apologies for the late post - it has been a hectic week back at work. Hopefully, the game commentaries are instructive enough to worth waiting for...)
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<br />
Paired with 4 2600+ Grandmasters, the team eventually decided to field our top 4 players. While we certainly did not expect to get anything from this match, I believe all of us were determined to make our illustrious opponents work very hard to beat us. What transpired was a tremendous team effort which nearly brought us one of our best ever result in an Olympiad:
<br />
<br />
<strong>Round 4: Spain 2.5 - Singapore 1.5</strong>
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<br />
Board 1 was a sleepy Ruy Lopez where Zhang Zhong equalised pretty comfortably against Paco Vallejo.
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<title>A game that I liked</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="vallejozz.pgn"></a>
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[Event "WCO2014"]
[Site "Tromso"]
[Date "2014.08.05"]
[Round "4.5"]
[White "Vallejo Pons Francisco"]
[Black "Zhang Zhong"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C84"]
[WhiteElo "2698"]
[BlackElo "2611"]
[Annotator "Wei Ming"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r2qrbk1/5pp1/p1np1n1p/1p2p3/3PP3/1P3NNP/1P3PP1/R1BQR1K1 b - - 0 18"]
[PlyCount "46"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
{This position arised after a sleepy looking Ruy Lopez where nothing much was
happening in the opening. Here, Zhang Zhong equalised completely with the
liberating} 18... d5 $1 {and followed up with a series of highly precise moves:
} 19. Nxe5 Nxe5 20. dxe5 Nxe4 21. Bf4 Qh4 $1 22. Qf3 ({Not} 22. Nxe4 $2 Qxf4
23. Nc3 Bc5 {and Black is better.}) 22... Ng5 ({Zhang Zhong was reluctant to
play} 22... g5 {because of} 23. Be3 Nxg3 24. fxg3 Qe4 25. Bf2 $1 Qxf3 26. gxf3
{when he felt that White is better here. However, there are many ways to hold
this position and} Rac8 27. Bd4 Bc5 28. Bxc5 Rxc5 29. Rxa6 Rc2 {appears to be
the most straightforward way.}) 23. Bxg5 Qxg5 24. Nf5 g6 25. Nd6 Bxd6 26. exd6
Red8 ({Zhang Zhong pointed out} 26... Rxe1+ $2 27. Rxe1 Kg7 28. d7 {would have
been very dangerous for White.}) 27. Re7 Qf5 28. Qxf5 gxf5 29. d7 {Played with
a draw offer.} Kg7 $1 {No draw! However, Paco Vallejo is not a top player for
no reason and he steered the game towards a draw pretty comfortably:} 30. Kf1
Ra7 31. Re5 Raxd7 32. Rxf5 d4 33. Rxa6 d3 34. Ra1 Rc7 35. Rxb5 Rc2 36. Rd1 Rxb2
37. Rb4 Rd6 38. Rg4+ Kf6 39. Rg3 Rxb3 40. Re3 h5 41. g3 1/2-1/2
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After the game, Zhang Zhong, with tongue in cheek no doubt, claimed that Paco seemed particularly frustrated during the game and he probably regretted his opening choice starting from 1.e4! Nevertheless, the Spanish superstar would go on to score quite brilliantly for the rest of the tournament...
On Board 2, I faced one of Spain's most promising young players:
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<title>A game that I liked</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="kgwmsalgado.pgn"></a>
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[Event "41st World Chess Olympiad"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2014.08.06"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Goh Wei Ming, Kevin"]
[Black "Ivan Salgado Lopez"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B30"]
[WhiteElo "2433"]
[BlackElo "2620"]
[Annotator "Wei Ming"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 e6 $5 {This variation of the Rossolimo Sicilian is
strategically complex and one of the many lines that I feel uncomfortable
playing against. I've had a pretty terrible score against this particular line
and after this painful loss, will certainly do some work on it.} 4. O-O ({I've
tried} 4. Bxc6 bxc6 5. d3 {before and was not able to come to terms with the
strategical nuances behind this pawn structure. Perhaps, one day I will be
able to!}) (4. c3 {is also a very playable line although Black should equalise
after} Nge7 5. d4 cxd4 6. cxd4 d5 7. Nc3 dxe4 8. Nxe4 Nf5 $1) 4... Nge7 5. d4 {
A trendy line that Caruana has played recently.} (5. c3 a6 6. Ba4 b5 7. Bc2 d5
{is another serious option although Black is known to do pretty well here too.}
) 5... cxd4 6. Nxd4 Qb6 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. Bd3 Ng6 9. c4 Be7 {After a few typical
opening moves, we have arrived at some sort of a tabiya in this particular
variation. White has erected a Macrozy type of structure and his main
strategical plan is to play against the offside g6-knight. If he manages to
play f2-f4, g2-g3 and h2-h4 early and restrain the g6 knight from activity, he
is generally known to be doing very well. Black's main plan is not rocket
science, i.e. to play on the dark squares c5, and d4. The d4 square especially
is an ideal square for the black knight and Black generally tries to organise
the manoeuvre ...c5-c6 and ...Ng6-e5-c6 when he has serious chances of gaining
the initiative. Having only looked at this line in the morning, I did not
fully appreciate these strategical objectives and allowed Black to achieve his
optimal set-up. This is a clear case of unprofessionalism - a serious player
would have only played a line that he has studied for at least several hours
before an important tournament game and not something that was only looked at
for the first time just before the game. Against a 2600+ GM, this is a
cardinal sin and although I eventually managed to equalise, the large amount
of time I used during the opening phase would lead to my downfall.} 10. Nc3 O-O
11. Qc2 $6 {This looks like a normal move but in fact I have forgotten my
preparation.} ({With the above brief discussion in mind,} 11. Rb1 $1 {, with
the idea of an early b4 comes to mind. Now,} c5 ({or} 11... Qc7 12. Be3 Rd8 (
12... Ne5 13. Be2 c5 14. f4 Nc6 15. e5 {followed by Ne4 is also good for White.
}) 13. g3 $1 d6 14. f4 c5 15. h4 {and White has managed to stop Black from
carrying out his main plan. The engines claim equality here but I reckon most
people will find White's position the easier one.}) 12. f4 $1 {sees White
achieving one of his aims.}) 11... Qc7 12. Re1 $6 {A demonstration of White's
lack of understanding. The rook is better placed on f1 which supports f2-f4.} (
12. f4 e5 13. f5 Nf4 14. Be3 {is maybe very slightly better for White.}) 12...
a6 13. Be3 $6 {Again, White was oblivious to what Black was trying to achieve.}
(13. e5 $1 {with the idea} Nxe5 14. Bxh7+ Kh8 15. Re3 $18 {would have cut
across Black's plan quite effectively.}) ({Instead, after} 13. e5 $1 d6 {is
best, when the position after} 14. exd6 Bxd6 15. g3 f5 16. Bf1 {is dynamically
equal.}) 13... c5 14. g3 $2 {This helps Black to add even more punch to his
next move.} Ne5 $1 15. Be2 Bb7 16. Rad1 Rad8 {Black knew that the threat was
always going to be stronger than the execution and there was no immediate need
to play ...Nc6 as yet. With his last 2 moves, he simply improved his
previously undeveloped pieces and asked White what his next move was going to
be. At this stage, it was clear to me that I stood worse, had much less time
and was struggling for a move. After a long think, I came up with the
paradoxical idea.} 17. Kg2 $5 {An "in-your-face" move! I'm not afraid to put
my king opposite a menacing bishop down the long diagonal!} ({The point is
that after} 17. f4 Nc6 18. Bf3 Nd4 19. Bxd4 cxd4 {, White is forced to play}
20. Ne2 {in view of the potential pin down the a7-g1 diagonal. I was afraid of}
Bb4 21. Rf1 d5 22. exd5 Bxd5 {but White can still resist with} 23. Bxd5 exd5
24. Nxd4 dxc4 25. Nf3 {when he was only very slightly worse.}) 17... Nc6 (17...
f5 18. f4 Ng4 19. Bxg4 fxg4 20. Qe2 {is fine for White.}) 18. f4 d6 19. Bf3 Nd4
$2 {This simplification helped White in many ways. After the game, Ivan felt
that this made a lot of sense strategically but in fact, there was no real
need to rush.} ({After the game, we looked at} 19... Bf6 20. Ne2 {and we both
felt White is doing ok here but my assistant pointed out} Nb4 21. Qb1 d5 $1 {
with good chances of extending Black's edge.}) 20. Bxd4 cxd4 21. Rxd4 Bf6 22.
Rd3 Qxc4 23. Qd2 Be7 24. Rc1 $1 {And suddenly just like that, White is back in
the game! Black may have obtained the bishop pair but White had two well
placed rooks and the Black queen is vulnerable to attacks. After the game,
Ivan told me that he felt this was a natural continuation and that logically,
Black should be slightly better here. What we both mis evaluated was the
activity that White could attain with accurate play.} Qb4 25. a3 (25. Rd4 Qa5
26. b4 Qb6 27. a4 {was another reasonable way to proceed but I wanted to keep
my queenside more solid.}) 25... Qb6 26. Na4 Qb5 27. Rc7 $1 {You can never
argue with a rook on the 7th! Here, I felt I was already out of danger and
became incredibly optimistic.} Rfe8 28. Rd4 Ba8 29. Rb4 $2 {Carrying out a
deeply flawed tactical operation that would eventually fail because of a
miscalculation. Poor stuff.} (29. Qc2 $5 {keeping control of the c-file would
have kept things very unclear.}) 29... Qa5 30. Qc3 {Setting up a devilish trap.
..or so I thought.} d5 $3 {And Black walks straight into it! In time trouble,
I quickly lashed out with} 31. Rxe7 $2 (31. Rd4 {was a better defence but
Black would have been clearly better after} Qxc3 32. bxc3 Bd6 $1 33. Ra7 dxe4
34. Bxe4 e5 $1) 31... Rxe7 32. Rb8 dxe4 $3 {Refuting the entire tactical
set-up. Of course, I have overlooked that ...exf3 was check and hence White
loses too much material for the queen. Here, there was nothing much to do but
to play on aimlessly and waiting to resign...} 33. Qxa5 exf3+ 34. Kf2 Rxb8 35.
Nb6 Reb7 36. Nc4 Rb5 37. Qxa6 Bd5 38. Qa4 Rb3 39. h3 h5 40. g4 h4 0-1
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On board 3, Qianyun had to defend the black pieces against Miguel Illescas who is something like a legend in Spain, being one of the top 20 players in the world a couple of decades ago. Qianyun, who is pretty aggressive, did not seem the least intimidated and took her illustrious opponent to an outright battle. <br />
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The following game is annotated by Qianyun, with light comments from me:
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<title>A game that I liked</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="illescasgong.pgn"></a>
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[Event "41st Olympiad Tromso 2014 Open"]
[Site "Tromso"]
[Date "2014.08.05"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Illescas Cordoba, Miguel"]
[Black "Gong Qianyun"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E52"]
[WhiteElo "2618"]
[BlackElo "2328"]
[Annotator "Qianyun, Wei Ming"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 b6 5. e3 {An interesting move order,
transposing to the Rubenstein variation but not allowing some of Black's
options such as the Karpov variation or the Hubner variation. Still, the
Fianchetto variation is a very respectable system and its aggressive nature is
ideally suited to Qianyun's style.} Bb7 6. Bd3 O-O 7. O-O d5 8. cxd5 exd5 9.
Qc2 (9. Ne2) ({and} 9. Qe2 {are possible alternatives.}) 9... Nbd7 {Wei Ming:
In this line of the Rubenstein variation, White typically plays for a knight
on e5, followed by f2-f4, cementing his control over the e5 square. As such,
when I used to play the Nimzo, I've always prefer to delay the development of
my queen's knight, with the idea of playing for ...c5 and ...Nc6, pressuring
the d4 pawn and hence deterring the above plan. Of course, Qianyun's move is
very playable and has been played many times.} ({Qianyun gives} 9... c5 $5 10.
b3 ({Wei Ming:} 10. a3 {, with the idea} Bxc3 11. bxc3 c4 12. Be2 Ne4 13. a4
Re8 {with equality is another possible line.}) 10... Nbd7 11. Bd2 Rc8 12. a3
Bxc3 13. Bxc3 Ne4 $11) 10. a3 Bxc3 {Ceding the bishop pair but gaining light
square activity in return.} 11. bxc3 c5 12. Nd2 Re8 13. Rd1 $5 {An extremely
deep and mysterious rook move.} (13. a4 c4 14. Be2 Bc6 15. Ba3 Nf8 16. Bb4 Qc7
17. a5 b5 $11) 13... Rc8 14. Qb1 cxd4 {Qianyun gave this a dubious mark but I
think Black is fine here anyhow.} (14... Bc6 15. a4 Qc7 16. Bb2 c4 17. Bc2 Nf8
18. Ba3 Ng6 $11) 15. cxd4 Ne4 16. Bb2 $6 ({After} 16. Nxe4 dxe4 17. Bb5 {, I
think Black is doing fine after} a6 18. Be2 Re6 $1 {, followed by ...Rg6, ...
Nf6 and ...Nd5.}) 16... Qh4 $5 {Displaying aggressive intentions on the
queenside...} (16... Ndf6 $11) 17. Nxe4 dxe4 18. Bb5 Nf6 $1 {Here, the FB chat
group literally "exploded" with delight at Qianyun's uncompromising play. 2600
GM? No problem, I try to hack you to bits anyway.} 19. h3 $1 {Not surprisingly,
White dodged the bullet.} ({Qianyun demonstrated the following lines:} 19. Bxe8
$2 Ng4 20. Bxf7+ (20. h3 Qxf2+ 21. Kh1 Nxe3 (21... Rc2 $2 22. Bxf7+ $1 (22. Rg1
$4 Qg3 23. hxg4 Qh4#) 22... Kf8 23. Qxc2 Qxc2 24. hxg4 Kxf7 25. Rac1 $11) 22.
Rg1 Rxe8 23. Qe1 Qxe1 24. Raxe1 Nc4 $17 {with great compensation.}) 20... Kxf7
21. h3 Qxf2+ 22. Kh1 Nxe3 23. Rg1 Rc2 24. Bc1 Nf5 25. Qb3+ Kf6 26. Qb5 e3 27.
Qe5+ Kg5 28. d5 Qf4 $1 29. Qxf4+ Kxf4 30. Rb1 Bxd5 $17) 19... Red8 20. d5 $6 {
A sacrifice to open up the dark square bishop - an understandable decision.} (
20. Rc1 Nd5 21. Be2 f5 22. a4 Qg5 23. Ra3 Bc6 $11) 20... Nxd5 21. Rc1 $6 Nc7 $1
$15 ({During the game, I was wondering about the following:} 21... Nxe3 $6 22.
Rxc8 (22. fxe3 $1 Rd2 23. Bf1 {is even stronger.}) 22... Bxc8 23. fxe3 Rd2 24.
Bf1 {and whether Black had enough compensation. Qianyun showed the following:}
Bxh3 (24... Qf2+ 25. Kh1 Rxb2 26. Qxe4 $16) 25. Qe1 $1 (25. Qc1 Qf2+ 26. Kh2
Qxe3 27. Bc3 Qf4+ 28. Kg1 (28. Kxh3 $4 g5 $1 29. Qe1 (29. g3 Qf5+ 30. g4 Qf3#)
29... Rd6 30. Bg7 g4+ 31. Kh4 Rg6 $19) 28... Qe3+ 29. Kh1 Bxg2+ 30. Bxg2 Qh6+
$11) 25... Qxe1 26. Rxe1 Rxb2 27. gxh3 Rb3 28. Bc4 Rc3 $11 {and a likely draw
in view of the reduced material.}) 22. Be5 $6 (22. Be2 Rd2 23. Rc2 Qd8 24. Be5
Ne6 $15) 22... Nxb5 (22... Rd2 $142 $1 23. g3 (23. Bg3 Qf6 24. a4 a5 25. Ra2
Rxa2 26. Qxa2 Nxb5 27. Rxc8+ Bxc8 28. axb5 $15) 23... Qe7 24. Bc3 Rdd8 $15) 23.
Qxb5 Qe7 {the rest of the game petered out into a straight forward opposite
colored bishop drawn ending:} 24. Rxc8 Rxc8 25. Rd1 Rd8 26. Rxd8+ Qxd8 27. a4
f6 28. Bc7 Qa8 29. Bd6 h6 30. Qd7 Qc8 31. Qe7 Bc6 (31... a6 32. Bc7 b5 33. axb5
axb5 34. Bd6 Bd5 $15) 32. Qxa7 $11 Qd7 33. Qb8+ Kh7 34. Bc7 Bxa4 35. Qxb6 Qc6
36. Qa7 Bb5 37. Kh2 1/2-1/2
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A fantastic result for Qianyun!
<br />
<br />
On Board 4, 14 yr-old Tin faced his strongest opponent to date, 2603 rated Vazquez Igarza Renier. The debutant was certainly not intimidated by the occasion and came very close to a win:
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<title>A game that I liked</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="tinrenier.pgn"></a>
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[Event "WCO2014"]
[Site "Tromso"]
[Date "2014.08.05"]
[Round "4.8"]
[White "Tin Jingyao"]
[Black "Vazquez Igarza Renier"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E21"]
[WhiteElo "2251"]
[BlackElo "2603"]
[Annotator "Wei Ming"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Qc2 (5. Bg5 {is White's main
alternative here.}) (5. e3 {amusingly transposes to Illescas - Gong.}) 5... Bb7
6. a3 Bxc3+ 7. Qxc3 d6 {This should probably transpose to the Classical Nimzo
lines after 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 0-0 where White has lost the option of playing the
critical lines with Ne2 and f2-f3.} ({Here,} 7... Ne4 8. Qc2 O-O 9. e3 ({or} 9.
g3 f5 10. Bg2 c5 $5 11. O-O Nc6) 9... d6 10. Bd3 f5 11. b4 Nd7 12. Bb2 Qe8 13.
O-O Qh5 {is a more aggressive treatment which is known to be fine for Black.})
8. g3 Nbd7 9. Bg2 O-O 10. O-O {White has next to no advantage here but Jingyao
has an extremely solid position with no weaknesses. The bishop pair is a nice
acquisition and may prove to be very useful.} Be4 11. b4 Qc8 $5 {Interesting
concept by Black.} 12. Bb2 Qb7 13. Rfe1 c6 (13... a5 14. b5 c6 $5 {seems like
a good way to increase the tension on the queenside.}) 14. Bf1 $1 {This
manoeuvre with Rf1-e1, Bg2-f1 and Nf3-d2 is extremely typical in the Queen's
Indian. White must not exchange the light square bishop given that the bishop
pair is his only trump card. At the same time, White preps the space gaining
e2-e4.} d5 15. Nd2 Bg6 16. Bg2 Rac8 17. e4 $1 $14 {With direct, logical and
impressively mature play, White has gotten a small but stable opening edge.}
dxe4 18. Nxe4 Bxe4 19. Bxe4 b5 (19... Nxe4 20. Rxe4 Rfd8 (20... Nf6 21. d5 $1 {
is crushing.}) 21. Rg4 {looks dangerous for Black.}) 20. Bg2 bxc4 21. Qxc4 Nd5
{Black may have gotten a nice knight on the d5 outpost but White was
definitely for choice at this juncture.} 22. Qc2 Rfd8 23. Rac1 h6 24. Re2 Qb5
25. Bf1 Qb6 26. Qa4 $1 {Preparing Re2-c2 followed by perhaps, Bd3.} Qb5 27. Qb3
Qb7 28. Qd3 $1 {No repeating of moves! Here, the FB group are all behind the
young debutant.} Ra8 {Black had been reduced to utter passivity.} (28... Qb5 $2
{is pointless now due to} 29. Rec2 $1) 29. Rec2 a5 30. bxa5 Rxa5 31. Qd2 $1 {
Winning a pawn! True, the extra pawn proved extremely hard to convert but at
least the progress made was extremely tangible.} Raa8 32. Rxc6 N7b6 33. Qc2 $2
{After playing flawlessly the entire game, Jingyao made a critical inaccuracy.
Fortunately, his opponent did not pounce.} (33. R1c2 $1 {would have maintained
White's edge.}) 33... Na4 34. Ba1 Nab6 (34... Qe7 $1 {would have won the a3
pawn immediately. For example,} 35. Qd3 Nab6 36. Bb2 Na4 $1 $11) 35. Qb3 Qa7
36. Rb1 $2 {This loses the a-pawn once and for all.} (36. Bb2 $1 Rdb8 37. Qc2 {
, with the idea} Na4 $6 38. Ra6 $1 Qd7 39. Rb1 {would have kept the pawn
although admittedly, this line is easier to find with my engine on!}) 36...
Rdb8 37. Rc5 Qxa3 38. Qxa3 Rxa3 39. Rcb5 Rc8 {Suddenly, with obvious play
against the isolated d4 pawn, Black became the one pressing for the win!} 40.
Bb2 Ra2 41. Rc1 Rxc1 42. Bxc1 Ra1 43. Rc5 Ra4 44. Be3 g5 45. h4 gxh4 46. gxh4
Kg7 (46... Nxe3 47. fxe3 Nd5 48. Kf2 Ra2+ 49. Be2 Kg7 {may be unpleasant for
White but the ending should still be drawn with precise play.}) 47. Bg2 Nxe3
48. fxe3 Nc4 49. Bc6 1/2-1/2
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This was a creditable and yet slightly disappointing result. Despite the rating difference, all the games were very evenly matched and I kicked myself for losing the game and causing the team to lose after managing to overcome a terribly difficult opening.
<br />
<br />
Still, there's nothing much to do but to get on with it and in Round 5, we were matched up against the Domenican Republic, a relatively unknown opponent to us. We felt fairly confident and the decision was to field young Qing Aun who has so far scored 2/2. Qianyun was given the day off.
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Round 5 - Singapore 2 Dominican Republic 2</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
On Board 1, Zhang Zhong was surprised by his opponent's choice of
opening. He had never played the Alekhine defence before and after a few
minutes though, Zhang decided on the even more surprising 2.d3! which utterly
stumped his opponent. I felt that this was an incredibly smart choice and in
some ways, Zhang had not only counter-surprised his opponent but also
psychologically destroyed him. The game itself was a bit of a white-wash:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<title>A game that I liked</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="zzlisandro.pgn"></a>
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[Event "WCO2014"]
[Site "Tromso"]
[Date "2014.08.06"]
[Round "5.36"]
[White "Zhang Zhong"]
[Black "Munoz Santana Jose Lisandro"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B02"]
[WhiteElo "2611"]
[BlackElo "2438"]
[Annotator "Wei Ming"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
1. e4 Nf6 {The one opening that Zhang had not prepped for. Not to worry, he
had a counter surprise in mind:} 2. d3 $1 {I would have killed to see Zhang's
opponent's expression after this move but he had wisely dorned a pair of
shades throughout the entire game. Here, Black went into a deep think...} c5 {
This transposes to the Big Clamp of the Sicilian. This is not the most
principled approach as Black should surely have tried to force equality here.}
(2... e5 {was the natural choice, with a reversed Philidor type of position.
Surprisingly, Jingyao would come to face a similar position in the tournament..
.}) 3. f4 Nc6 4. Nf3 g6 5. g3 Bg7 6. Bg2 O-O 7. O-O d6 8. h3 c4 $6 {A clear
positional error. After this, White was free to play both on the kingside and
in the centre. It was vital to retain some form of control over the d4 square.}
9. Nc3 cxd3 10. cxd3 Qb6+ 11. Kh2 e5 $6 {A risky move.} (11... Bd7 12. d4 {may
still be slightly better for White though but at least Black is not subjected
to an attack yet.}) 12. f5 $1 d5 $2 (12... gxf5 13. Nh4 $1 f4 14. gxf4 {looks
terribly scary but at least Black is still in the game.}) 13. fxg6 hxg6 14.
exd5 Nb4 15. Nxe5 {Just like that, White won a pawn and had a huge time
advantage to boot. The rest of the game would see Zhang Zhong capture piece
after piece before forcing his opponent to resign.} Nh5 16. d4 $1 Bf5 $2 17.
Rxf5 gxf5 18. Qxh5 Qxd4 19. Nf3 Qf6 20. Nh4 Nc2 21. Bg5 Qe5 22. Bf4 Qf6 23.
Nxf5 $1 Rfe8 (23... Nxa1 24. Ne4 Qd8 25. Ng5 $1) 24. Rf1 Re1 25. d6 Rxf1 26.
Bxf1 Ne1 27. Nxg7 Kxg7 28. Qe2 Qe6 29. Qxe6 fxe6 30. Be2 1-0
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Board 2 was a French Advance variation with 5...Nh6!? where I played over ambitiously and really should have been punished for my extravagant play:
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<title>A game that I liked</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="puntierkgwm.pgn"></a>
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[Event "41st World Chess Olympiad"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2014.08.07"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Puntier Andalujar William"]
[Black "Goh Wei Ming, Kevin"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C02"]
[WhiteElo "2333"]
[BlackElo "2433"]
[Annotator "Wei Ming"]
[PlyCount "52"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Nh6 {This is more or less my pet
line against the Advance but I've gotten so many dodgy positions from this
that maybe a re-think in terms of opening choice is due!} 6. Bd3 f6 $6 {A
dubious but more combative choice. Naturally, I wanted badly to play for a win.
} ({I was perfectly aware that} 6... Nf5 {was my prep but didn't like my
winning chances after} 7. Bxf5 exf5 8. dxc5 Bxc5 9. O-O {when both sides can
be happy with his position.}) 7. O-O Nf7 8. Re1 (8. exf6 Qxf6 9. Be3 c4 10. Be2
Rb8 {was the kind of position I was trying to achieve.}) 8... c4 {This was a
bit of a lazy move as I wanted to stop White from ever playing c3-c4 himself
once and for all.} ({I also considered} 8... fxe5 9. Nxe5 Nfxe5 10. dxe5 g6 11.
Nd2 Bg7 12. f4 O-O 13. Nf3 {which also seems better for White.}) 9. Bf1 $2 {A
rather strange decision. Perhaps, White was afraid that I would block the
b1-h7 diagonal with ...f5?} (9. Bc2 $1 fxe5 10. Nxe5 Ncxe5 11. dxe5 Bc5 12. Be3
Bxe3 13. Rxe3 O-O 14. Nd2 $14) 9... fxe5 10. dxe5 g5 $2 {This was terribly
over-ambitious. In many lines of the 3...Be7 Tarrasch, Black also tries to win
a pawn by similar wins i.e. displacing the f3 knight by ...g5-g4 but here,
Black's position is a lot more unstable in comparison. I went through the
following lines during the game:} (10... Bc5 11. b3 cxb3 12. axb3 O-O 13. Bf4
$14) (10... b5 11. a4 b4 12. b3 $13) (10... g6 11. b3 cxb3 12. axb3 Bg7 13. Bb5
$1 O-O 14. Bxc6 bxc6 15. Ba3 Re8 16. Bc5 $14) (10... a6 $1 11. b3 b5 12. a4 Bd7
{may be Black's best option.}) 11. b3 cxb3 12. Nd4 $5 {This completely took me
by surprise.} ({White would have obtained a terrifying initiative after the
natural} 12. axb3 Bg7 13. Ba3 g4 14. Nd4 Nfxe5 15. Ra2 $1 Kf7 16. Nb5 $40)
12... Bg7 13. Qh5 Ncxe5 ({Not} 13... O-O $4 14. Bd3 $1) 14. Bb5+ ({Here, I
spent a lot of thinking about the possible ramifications after} 14. Ba3 b2 $1
15. Bb5+ $1 Bd7 16. Nxe6 {which looked terribly scary. Houdini promptly
pointed out} Qf6 $1 17. Nxg7+ Kd8 $3 18. Bxb2 Bg4 $1 19. Rxe5 $1 Nxe5 20. Ne6+
$3 Bxe6 21. Qe2 {and Black is slightly better. A quite incredible variation.})
14... Kf8 15. axb3 {Here, I was rather optimistic with my position. My plan
was to quickly consolidate with ...Qf6, ...a6, and ...Bd7 after which I would
have developed most of my pieces and still have an extra pawn! Sounds pretty
good? The problem is that White had a lot of activity and a few pawn breaks at
his disposal such as f2-f4 and c3-c4 which gave him more than sufficient play
for the pawn. In fact, Black had to be very careful to avoid having his centre
collapsing like a house of cards.} Qf6 16. Nd2 Ng6 $2 {I was trying to put a
knight on f4 and achieve ...e6-e5 but again this was terribly over ambitious.}
({After} 16... Kg8 17. Bb2 a6 {, it is not clear how White can proceed with
the attack. Perhaps, he should go} 18. Qe2 h5 19. c4 {with a big fight in the
offering. Given the choice, I would certainly prefer White.}) 17. g3 $2 {After
his previous aggression, this timid move took me by surprise.} (17. N2f3 $1 {
is very strong and after} g4 (17... e5 18. Nxg5 {is good for White.}) ({I was
actually planning} 17... Nf4 $4 {but this loses to} 18. Bxf4 gxf4 19. Qxd5 $1)
18. Qxg4 e5 19. Bd7 $1 Bxd7 20. Qxd7 exd4 21. Rxa7 $3 {would have been winning
for White.}) 17... e5 18. N2f3 $2 {In such a chaotic position, it is very easy
for either side to go wrong.} (18. Nc2 $1 Kg8 19. Ne3 Ne7 $13 {with
compensation was a lot better.}) 18... h6 {It felt very good to be able to
defend the loose g5 pawn!} 19. c4 $2 {Initiating more complications. However,
White had missed his boat and Black was able to repel White's attempts to play
for the initiative.} (19. Ra5 $5 {is a creative idea proposed by the machine
and indeed, after the retreat of the b5 bishop, it is not easy for Black to
defend the d5 pawn.}) 19... Kg8 20. Nc2 d4 {This optically looked counter
intuitive, giving away all the light squares like that but if Black manages to
get in Bf5 and e5-e4, he will be doing very well.} (20... e4 21. Bb2 Qxb2 22.
Qxg6 Qf6 23. Qxf6 Bxf6 24. Nfd4 Nd6 $15) (20... g4 $1 {may be Black's best
option, with the idea} 21. Nd2 Ng5 $1 22. cxd5 Qf5 $1) 21. Nb4 (21. Nd2 Bf5 22.
Nb4 (22. Ne4 Bxe4 23. Rxe4 Nd6) 22... Nd6 23. Nd5 Qf7) 21... Nd6 $4 {Both
players proved themselves unable to handle the random nature of this position
in severe time trouble.} (21... g4 $1 22. Nd5 Qf5 23. Qxf5 Bxf5 24. Nd2 a6 {
would have been excellent for Black.}) 22. Nd5 Qf7 23. Nb6 $1 {Obviously, I
completely overlooked this.} ({I also overlooked} 23. Qxg6 Qxg6 24. Ne7+ Kh7
25. Nxg6 Kxg6 26. Nxe5+ Bxe5 27. Rxe5 Nxb5 28. Rxb5 Rd8 {with a likely draw.})
23... Rb8 24. Nxc8 Rxc8 25. Qg4 $2 {Missing his one chance to seize the bull
by the horns.} (25. Bd7 $3 {with idea} Rd8 26. Bg4 {is terribly strong. White
would have taken control of all the important light squares and would have
seized the advantage. Still, this line wasn't easy to see in severe time
trouble.}) 25... Rf8 26. Kg2 $4 {My opponent finally made the last mistake and
collapsed with seconds remaining.} (26. Ba3 {was best but Black still has the
edge after} h5 27. Qh3 (27. Qxg5 Qxf3 28. Qxg6 Qxf2+ 29. Kh1 Rh6 30. Qd3 Rf3
$19) 27... g4 28. Qf1 Nxb5 29. Ng5 Qf5 30. Bxf8 Bxf8 31. cxb5 Qxg5) 26... h5
0-1
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Yet another nerve wrecking game and by now, I was starting to feel quite concerned with my time trouble woes. I am generally a slow thinker but 3 time scrambles in 3 games certainly wasn't what I was planning before the tournament.
<br />
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On Board 3, Jingyao took the White pieces and had to face the Benko gambit, an opening that he should know pretty well given that he spent a few years playing it himself. However, I felt that his understanding was rather superficial and it cost him dearly here:
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<title>A game that I liked</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="tinabrieu.pgn"></a>
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "WCO2014"]
[Site "Tromso"]
[Date "2014.08.06"]
[Round "5.34"]
[White "Tin Jingyao"]
[Black "Abreu Jean Carlos Paul"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A58"]
[WhiteElo "2251"]
[BlackElo "2286"]
[Annotator "Wei Ming"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r2q1rk1/3nppbp/b2p2p1/2pP4/2n5/2N2NP1/PPQ1PPBP/1RBR2K1 w - - 0 14"]
[PlyCount "6"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
{We have arrived at a theoretical position of the Fianchetto variation of the
Benko gambit. Here, Jingyao played the positionally suspect} 14. b3 $2 {and
soon found himself in deep trouble.} ({On the Facebook chat, Junior Tay
pointed out that the correct move is the strategically sound} 14. Bh3 $1 {,
preventing the Black queen from heading to the a5 square. After} Nde5 {,} 15.
Ne1 $1 {, White would have maintained control of the position and is primed to
knock the e5 knight back with f2-f4.}) 14... Qa5 $1 15. bxc4 Qxc3 16. Qxc3 Bxc3
{Black had obtained a dream Benko position basically and like what Leslie said,
the position simply plays itself. Jingyao wasn't able to cope with the
pressure and went down in flames.} 0-1
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On the last board, Qing Aun obtained a reasonable position from the English opening but after 15...gf?! (15...Bxf5 or 15..Rxf5 was better), his structure became extremely vulnerable. His opponent cleverly applied pressure on the entire board and broke through with a nice queen sacrifice:
<br />
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<title>A game that I liked</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="micheinlqa.pgn"></a>
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "WCO2014"]
[Site "Tromso"]
[Date "2014.08.06"]
[Round "5.33"]
[White "Michelen Rodriguez Victor Isa"]
[Black "Lee Qing Aun"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A36"]
[WhiteElo "2239"]
[BlackElo "1893"]
[Annotator "Wei Ming"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "2r1r1k1/1p3qb1/p2pb2p/P3pp2/2Pp1P2/BP1P2P1/6BP/1R2QRK1 w - - 0 23"]
[PlyCount "7"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
{Here, White sacrificed his queen with} 23. Bxd6 exf4 24. Bxf4 $1 Bxc4 25. bxc4
Rxe1 26. Rfxe1 {and with threats down the b and e files and 2 raking bishops
plus an extremely weak king, Black soon went down in flames.} 1-0
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While the draw was slightly disappointing, it certainly wasn't the end of the world and there was still a lot of chess to be played. The next day was a rest day and the team was hyped up to know that we were paired against another all GM team, Bangladesh, in round 6. IM Kevin Gohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365772817514475507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-593228688914103789.post-3382667277687191712014-08-18T07:58:00.003+08:002014-08-31T00:32:04.168+08:0041st World Chess Olympiad - Part 1 - Rounds 1 to 3<div style="text-align: justify;">
Having announced my possible retirement from National duties in my previous
post, this year's Olympiad is a particularly important and emotional event. I
badly wanted to do well for 3 concrete reasons - i) To achieve my final GM norm,
ii) to make up for my abrupt departure during the 2012 Olympiad and iii)
this may well be my last Olympiad for some time. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
However, the preparation for
such a big event was hardly ideal. I was still doing last minute handover at
my office 3 hrs before my flight to Norway and my opening preparation was next
to zero. I did, however, manage to squeeze in 3 standard chess training games
with former Olympians and IMs Hsu Li Yang and Terry Toh which played a very
important part in warming me up. Qing Aun also had the chance to play 3 training
games (vs Choo Tong Neo, Olimpiu Urcan and former National Champion Lau Keng
Boon) when certain weaknesses in his opening repertoire were made aware to him.
I also had a couple of last minute training sessions with Zhang Zhong, Jingyao
and Qing Aun while Qianyun played in an open tournament in Spain and this was
more or less it. It goes without saying that our preparation could and should
have been a lot more elaborate but the late announcement of the team composition
may have played a part. Hopefully, with the implementation of the Dream Team
initiative whereby scheduled trainings are expected to take place on a regular
basis, such shoddy preparation may be a thing of the past.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
We departed on 31st July and arrived in Tromso early afternoon on 1
August, via a couple of transits in Bangkok and Oslo. Our team captain, IM
Leslie Leow (himself, a former National player and Olympiad player) was waiting
for us and hurriedly told us to have lunch and not to worry about anything else.
Apparently he had already completed all the accreditation and hotel check-ins
for us! His initiative and pro-activeness will prove to be extremely helpful
throughout the tournament as you will soon read.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
We stayed at the Rica Ishavs Hotel, incidentally the same hotel as the
Norweigians, Hungarians and the English, among others. The hotel also housed the
Kasparov campaign office and it soon became a common sight to see the Boss
himself walking about in the corridor together with SCF President Ignatius Leong
and other members of the Kasparov team. The Kasparov team had clearly spared no
expenses for the FIDE elections. Huge posters of Kasparov were everywhere in the
city and a book authored and autographed by Kasparov himself was presented to
each member of every team were just 2 examples. If Kasparov had expected to
lose, he clearly had no intention to go down without a fight.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Meanwhile back at home, a Facebook group comprising ex-National players and
Olympians such as IMs Hsu Li Yang and Terry Toh, FM Ong Chong Ghee , NM Lee Wang
Sheng and Junior Tay was formed. The Group would be the Singapore team's no.1
fan club, following our games religiously every round and providing live
annotations and often hilarious comments. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Round 1 - Singapore 4 Papua New Guinea 0</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In the first round, we were paired against the lower seeded Papua New Guinea
team and Zhang Zhong was rested, allowing Qianyun, Jingyao and Qing Aun to make
their Olympiad debuts with relatively straightforward wins. Board 1 was a tough
struggle though:
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<title>A game that I liked</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="gohfancy.pgn"></a>
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "WCO2014"]
[Site "Tromso"]
[Date "2014.08.02"]
[Round "1.13"]
[White "Goh Wei Ming Kevin"]
[Black "Fancy Stuart"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C23"]
[WhiteElo "2433"]
[BlackElo "2036"]
[Annotator "Wei Ming"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r4rk1/6pp/2ppbp2/1pp1n2N/P3P1P1/1P1P2KP/1BP5/R4R2 b - - 0 24"]
[PlyCount "28"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
{After some rather harmless opening play, Black had comfortably equalised
although the current late middlegame still retained some play for both sides.
I honestly wasn't sure what I was playing for though given that I was already
in semi-time trouble having consumed huge amount of time in the opening. Here,
Stuart played the slightly inaccurate} 24... c4 $6 {to which I followed up with
} 25. d4 Ng6 26. axb5 cxb5 27. g5 $5 {, with the idea of creating some play
down the long diagonal.} ({Here,} 27. d5 $1 Bf7 28. bxc4 bxc4 29. Bc3 $1 Ne5
30. Nf4 {followed by h4 and g5 looks more promising.}) 27... Rxa1 28. Rxa1 fxg5
29. d5 Bd7 ({I was rather afraid of} 29... Nf4 $1 {and Black seems to be fine.}
) 30. Ra7 Rf7 (30... Nf4 $1 {is a better defensive try and appears to hold
after} 31. Rxd7 Nxh5+ 32. Kg4 Nf6+ 33. Bxf6 Rxf6 34. bxc4 bxc4 35. Kxg5 Kf8 36.
Rc7 Rg6+ 37. Kf4 Rf6+) 31. Bxg7 Bc8 32. Ra8 Rc7 33. b4 $1 {This was an
inspired decision although I certainly wasn't aware of it during the game!
Here, I suddenly saw 33...Nf4 which seemed terribly strong and I panicked for
a second...} Kf7 $2 {This loses without too much resistance.} (33... Nf4 {was
indeed best but White wins after} 34. Nf6+ Kf7 35. h4 $1 {(the g7 bishop is
still immune)} ({the team analysed} 35. Bh8 Ng6 $2 {and now Qianyun pointed
out the incredibly strong} (35... h5 $1 {was best.}) 36. e5 $3 {, winning in
all variations for example} dxe5 37. d6 $1 Rc6 38. d7 $18) 35... h6 36. hxg5
hxg5 37. Bh8 Ng6 38. e5 $3 Nxh8 39. exd6 Rb7 40. Ne4 $1 Bf5 41. Nc5 Rb6 42. d7
Bxd7 43. Nxd7 Rd6 44. Ne5+ Kf6 45. Ng4+ Kg7 46. Ne3 {with a clear edge for
White.}) 34. Bh6 Ne5 35. Bxg5 Bb7 36. Ra7 Kg6 37. Nf4+ Kf7 38. Ne6 1-0
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A rather fortunate win but I was certainly not complaining! Stuart, who's
actually a friend of mine was a good sport after the game and actually went on
to score 7.5 points in his next 10 games.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In Round 2, we were up against the mighty English. With the team littered
with 2650+ GMs, the English team was able to rest superstar Michael Adams
against us and still outrate us heavily on every board. The match turned out be
a much closer affair.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Round 2 - England 3 Singapore 1</b><br />
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
On board 1, Zhang Zhong played his trademark 3.Qxd4 Anti Sicilian against the
dangerous Gawain Jones and had a good opportunity to seize an early opening
advantage:<br />
<title>A game that I liked (ChessBase 12)</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Zhang - Jones.pgn"></a>
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "WCO2014"]
[Site "Tromso"]
[Date "2014.08.03"]
[Round "2.5"]
[White "Zhang Zhong"]
[Black "Jones Gawain C B"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B53"]
[WhiteElo "2611"]
[BlackElo "2665"]
[Annotator "Wei Ming"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:09:11"]
[BlackClock "0:09:45"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 Nf6 {After the game, Zhang Zhong
confided in me that he had looked at virtually every line except for this
particular move and was extremely annoyed at himself for missing this in his
prep.} 5. e5 Nc6 6. Qa4 $1 (6. Bb5 {is the main alternative but Black
generally does very well here after the forcing variation} Qa5+ 7. Nc3 Qxb5 $1
8. Nxb5 Nxd4 9. Nfxd4 ({perhaps, White should play for equality after} 9. Nbxd4
dxe5 10. Nxe5 {although I still prefer Black after} Nd5 $1) 9... dxe5 10. Nc7+
Kd7 $1 11. Nxa8 exd4 12. Bf4 Nd5 (12... e5 $5 {, with the idea} 13. Bxe5 Bd6 $1
{also looks good for Black.}) 13. O-O-O e6 14. Rxd4 Bc5 15. Rd2 Kc6 16. Be5 b5
$1 {and Black has good chances in the ensuing endgame.}) 6... dxe5 7. Nxe5 Qd4
$6 {This seemed very logical but this actually allowed White decent chances to
seize the initiative.} ({Destroying his own structure with} 7... Qc7 $1 8. Nxc6
bxc6 {seems counter-intuitive but is actually pretty efficient in terms of the
ability to develop his pieces quickly. For example,} 9. g3 Bd7 10. Nd2 (10. Bg2
Qe5+ $1 {is awkward to meet.}) 10... Rb8 11. Bg2 c5 12. Qc4 Rb6 $1 {and with
the threat of ...Re6, Black is very active.}) 8. Qxd4 Nxd4 9. Na3 Nd7 $6 {
Another slight inaccuracy from the Englishman.} (9... a6 10. c3 Nf5 {is a
safer defence although White retains a very small pull after} 11. Be2) 10. Bf4
$2 {This threw away any chances of obtaining an opening edge.} (10. c3 $1 {,
as mentioned by Zhang Zhong after the game, was pretty good. For example,} Ne6
(10... Nxe5 11. cxd4 Nc6 12. Nb5 {forces Black to displace his king with} Kd8)
(10... Nc2+ 11. Nxc2 Nxe5 12. Be3 a6 13. Be2 $14) 11. Bb5 Nec5 12. Nxd7 Bxd7
13. Be3 $14 {. In general, White gets a small but risk-free edge which is the
kind of thing you want to get against a 2600+ Grandmaster.}) 10... f6 $1 {This
equalises by force and the game eventually petered out a draw after mass
exchanges:} 11. Nxd7 Bxd7 12. O-O-O e5 13. Be3 Bxa3 14. Bxd4 Be7 15. Be3 Be6
16. g3 Rc8 17. Bg2 b6 18. Bd5 Kf7 19. f4 Rhd8 20. Bxe6+ Kxe6 21. fxe5 Rxd1+ 22.
Kxd1 fxe5 23. c3 h5 24. Ke2 Rc4 25. h3 b5 26. Rc1 Re4 27. Re1 h4 28. Kf3 $6 {
Not the most accurate, although good enough eventually.} (28. g4 {was safest,
and the resulting pawn endgame after} Bc5 29. Kf3 Rxe3+ 30. Rxe3 Bxe3 31. Kxe3
Kd5 32. b3 {leads to a clear draw.}) 28... Ra4 29. Ra1 hxg3 30. Kxg3 a6 31. b3
Re4 32. Kf3 Rh4 33. Kg2 Re4 (33... Rh8 $5 {[%cal Gh8c8]}) 34. Kf3 Rh4 35. Kg2
Re4 1/2-1/2
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
I took the Black pieces against the legendary Nigel David Short, someone I've
played (and lost to) many times on the playchess.com server. The opening was not
a major success by any means but I somehow managed to break free after getting
squashed the entire time, after which the game sprung to life:<br />
<title>A game that I liked (ChessBase 12)</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Short - Goh.pgn"></a>
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "41st World Chess Olympiad"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2014.08.04"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Nigel Short"]
[Black "Goh Wei Ming, Kevin"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C05"]
[WhiteElo "2665"]
[BlackElo "2433"]
[Annotator "Wei Ming"]
[PlyCount "72"]
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 {In my many duels with Nigel on playchess.com, Nigel
has often played 3.Nc3 here and in all the games, have killed me from
strangulation. I was slightly surprised with the Tarrasch as this is not his
favored choice against the French according to my database. Of course, being
somewhat of a French expert himself, it's not surprising that he knows a lot
about every line here.} Nf6 {I didn't want to walk into any surprises after 3..
.Be7 which has always been my preferred choice. After the game, Nigel told me
he used to play tons of games with 3...Nf6 back in the 1970s to which I wryly
replied "I wasn't even born yet".} 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 {This was another
unpleasant surprise as this cramping move has fallen out of favor at top level
these days ever since Black found convincing ideas to look for counter play.
My preparation with this however is several years old and I couldn't remember
a single thing over the board.} c5 6. c3 Nc6 7. Ndf3 Qb6 8. a3 $5 {This was
already slightly rare. White normally only plays this after he plays Nge2.} ({
The old mainline goes} 8. Ne2 f6 9. g3 Be7 10. Bh3 cxd4 11. cxd4 O-O $1 {(a
sharp sacrifice which I vaguely remember)} 12. Bxe6+ Kh8 {and here,} 13. Bxd5
$2 {is a well known error due to} fxe5 14. dxe5 $2 Nb4 $1 15. Be4 Nc5 {with an
irresistible initiative.}) ({After} 8. Ne2 f6 9. a3 Be7 10. h4 {(A standard
move in this line - prepping Rh3, adding control over the g5-square and in
general just space gaining.)} O-O 11. Rh3 a5 12. b3 {(this anticipates a
future pawn-fixing ...a4)} Qc7 {, Black gets a fair share of activity and the
position remains extremely tense.}) 8... a5 {I generally like to stop b2-b4
although Black does have decent alternatives.} 9. b3 {As mentioned earlier,
this move prevents ...a5-a4 permanently and also gives rise to the possibility
of Ra1-a2 where the rook is flexibly deployed.} Be7 10. h4 $5 {This was a
cunning move, delaying the development of the g1-knight for reasons that will
be clear very soon. The good thing about White's position was that he has a
number of useful waiting moves while the same can't be said for Black.} ({In
fact,} 10. Ra2 $1 {may be even more efficient when he once again gets his
ideal set up after} O-O $6 11. Bd3 $1 {and h4 may not be necessary since White
manages to castle kingside smoothly.}) 10... f6 $2 {Completely missing the
point.} ({During the game, I felt} 10... Qa7 $5 {, momentarily preventing
White's next move and preparing ...Rb8 followed by ...b5 makes a lot of sense.}
) ({John Watson gives} 10... cxd4 11. cxd4 h5 $5 {as a permanent way to halt
White's progress on the kingside but White definitely remains for choice here
after} 12. Bb2) 11. Bd3 $1 {Of course, this was the key idea behind White's
last few moves. White's light square bishop is strategically preferred on the
d3 square but in these f4 variations, it often gets deployed on h3 instead due
to Black's pressure on the d4 pawn. Here, White's queen continues to defend
the d4 pawn tactically.} Qc7 {Played with the idea of ...Rb8 and ...b5,
seeking counterplay.} ({I had no intention of allowing Nigel to win
beautifully after} 11... O-O $2 12. Bxh7+ $1 Kxh7 13. Ng5+ Kh6 (13... fxg5 14.
Qh5+ Kg8 15. hxg5 {is crushing.}) 14. Ne2 $1 {, followed by Ng3 when Black has
no defence.}) 12. Ne2 Rb8 ({Now that the queen does not have any access to the
h5 square, I briefly considered} 12... O-O $5 {but didn't like the looks of}
13. Qc2 {when} f5 {looks forced when White should be quite happy as he is the
one holding the trumps on the kingside and can potentially set up a future g4
break.}) 13. a4 ({During the game, I was wondering about a move like} 13. h5 $5
b5 14. h6 g6 {and what this sequence meant structurally for Black. There are
some specific risks here since after} 15. exf6 Nxf6 16. Qc2 $1 {, White
threatens to sacrifice on g6 with a terrifying initiative. Even without
concrete tactics, White's structure looks preferable as he can look to exert
pressure on the e6 pawn and the h6 pawn is always a thorn.}) 13... cxd4 14.
cxd4 Nb4 15. O-O Nxd3 {It felt right to exchange some pieces although the c6
knight was clearly my best piece for the time being.} 16. Qxd3 O-O 17. Ba3 $2 {
Exchanging the dark square bishops was highly desirable strategically but
unfortunately, (or fortunately for me), this allowed Black a momentous
tactical sequence that equalised on the spot.} ({The team analysed} 17. Bd2 b6
18. Rac1 Qa7 19. Nc3 ({Leslie suggested} 19. Rc6 {but here, Black had the
amazing resource} fxe5 20. fxe5 Ba6 21. Qe3 Rfc8 ({The computer suggests the
jaw dropping} 21... Nc5 $3 22. dxc5 Bxc5 23. Rxc5 bxc5 {and claims equality
here.}) {, with the idea} 22. Rxe6 $2 Nf8 $1) 19... Ba6 20. Nb5 {and White
retains a clear spatial edge.}) ({Zhang Zhong also suggested} 17. h5 $5 {which
should also be sufficient for an edge.}) 17... Bxa3 18. Rxa3 Nc5 $1 {Now,
Black gets his problem knight to a useful square regardless of White's reply.}
19. Qc3 {The queen exchange is more or less forced.} ({After} 19. Qe3 Ne4 20.
Rc1 Qe7 21. Raa1 Bd7 {Black is already going to take over the initiative.})
19... Na6 20. Qxc7 Nxc7 {The worst had clearly passed and I was beginning to
feel quite optimistic about my position. I planned ...Bd7-e8 and ...b5, with
pressure all over the board. Nigel's next move stopped me in my tracks.} 21. h5
$1 h6 {A reactive move which I didn't spend too much time on.} ({I wasn't sure
what happens after} 21... b6 22. h6 gxh6 23. exf6 {but it seems like Black is
doing fine after} Ne8 24. Ne5 Nxf6 {[%csl Gc8][%cal Gc8a6]}) 22. exf6 gxf6 23.
f5 e5 ({Wrecking my structure with} 23... exf5 $2 {would have caused me
game-long suffering after} 24. Nh4) 24. Nh4 Bd7 25. Ng6 ({I was a little
worried about} 25. b4 $5 axb4 26. Rg3+ Kf7 27. Rg6 {although Black's passers
on the queenside obviously means that there is some inherent risk with this
approach. The computer gives a 0.00 score here so who knows what is really
happening?}) 25... Rfe8 26. Raa1 Kf7 27. Rac1 Na6 28. g4 b5 $1 {This felt
liberative and despite the time trouble, I felt I may already have enough
grounds to play for a win here. White's pawn triangle on the kingside may be
restraining but was also somewhat vulnerable and my knight and bishop covered
the c-file quite sufficiently.} 29. Rfe1 $2 {This looked and felt natural but
was actually an inaccuracy.} (29. dxe5 fxe5 30. Rfd1 $1 d4 31. axb5 Bxb5 32.
Ng3 $1 Rbd8 33. Ra1 $1 a4 $1 34. bxa4 Bc6 35. a5 e4 $13 {was a piece of
computer-inspired analysis.}) 29... bxa4 30. bxa4 Rb4 $5 {I was playing by
instinct alone and I felt the rook on b4 felt right.} (30... exd4 $5 31. Nxd4
Rxe1+ 32. Rxe1 Re8 $1 {would have put White under severe pressure although
after} 33. Rc1 Re4 34. Nb5 $1 {, threatening Nd6+, White should retain
sufficient counter play although things are of course extremely messy and the
result could go either way.}) 31. Kf2 exd4 32. Nef4 Rb2+ 33. Kf1 $2 {Gifting
Black the one and only chance he needed to play for the win.} (33. Kg3 Nb4 $1
34. Rxe8 Kxe8 35. Re1+ Kd8 36. Ne6+ Bxe6 37. fxe6 Rb3+ 38. Kg2 d3 {gives Black
good winning chances}) (33. Kf3 {may be best but Black can still soldier on
after} Bxa4 34. Rxe8 Kxe8 35. Nxd5 d3 36. Nxf6+ Kd8 37. Ne4 d2 38. Nxd2 Rxd2
39. Ke3 Rd7 40. Ne5 {when White may win one of Black's remaining two pawns
with good chances for the draw.}) 33... Re3 $6 ({It's hard to argue with a
move that forces a draw with a top player but here,} 33... Bxa4 $1 {is
extremely strong and would have allowed Black to press infinitely for the win.}
) 34. Nxd5 {Basically agreeing to the draw.} (34. Rxe3 dxe3 35. Nxd5 Rf2+ (
35... e2+ 36. Kf2 Bxa4 37. g5 $1 {would have given White some tricks.} ({I was
calculating} 37. Nc3 $2 Nb4 $1)) 36. Ke1 Nb4 37. Nxb4 axb4 38. Rc7 Ke8 39. Rb7
Bxa4 40. Rxb4 Bc6 {should also be fully equal.}) 34... Rf3+ 35. Kg1 Rg3+ 36.
Kf1 Rf3+ 1/2-1/2
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Qianyun got a highly promising position straightout from the opening against
David Howell and also had a significant time advantage. Before the tournament, I
was following the British Championships a little and noticed that David is a bit
of a "thinker" and often gets into time trouble even when the positions he gets
are theoretically known. In this game, David spent huge volumes of time in the
opening but got himself a bad position. However, Qianyun drifted for a few moves
and the classy GM pounced to nasty effect:<br />
<title>A game that I liked (ChessBase 12)</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Gong - Short.pgn"></a>
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "WCO2014"]
[Site "Tromso"]
[Date "2014.08.03"]
[Round "2.7"]
[White "Gong Qianyun"]
[Black "Howell David W L"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C24"]
[WhiteElo "2328"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
[Annotator "Wei Ming"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:01:05"]
[BlackClock "0:01:09"]
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 $5 {The Bishop's Opening is a nice line to play if you are
terrified of the Petroff. The downside is that it allows the system that David
utilised in the game.} Nf6 (2... Nc6 3. Nf3 {transposes to the Giucco Piano
but White has effectively avoided the Petroff defence with this move order.})
3. d3 c6 $5 {This is the mainline of the Bishop's Opening which equalises by
force.} ({Again,} 3... Nc6 4. Nf3 {transposes to well-known stuff.}) 4. Nf3 h6
$5 {An interesting choice played after a long think.} ({David undoubtedly
knows the theory after} 4... d5 5. Bb3 Bd6 {but is perhaps keen to avoid the
simplifications that may arise after} 6. Nc3 dxe4 7. Nxe4 Nxe4 8. dxe4 {when
its unrealistic for Black to play for a win against a decent opponent. I'll
just like to add that} Bb4+ $2 {here does not equalise in view of} 9. c3 Qxd1+
10. Kxd1 Bd6 11. Kc2 O-O 12. Rd1 Bc7 13. Be3 $14) 5. Nc3 d6 6. h3 g6 $6 {This
seemed extravagant.} (6... Be7 7. d4 Nbd7 {with a Philidor-type of position
seems better especially when White has spent 2 moves to push her pawn to d4.})
7. Be3 (7. d4 $1 {, with the idea} Qe7 8. dxe5 dxe5 9. a4 Nbd7 10. O-O Bg7 11.
b3 $1 {seems very promising for White. White simply develops in Philidor style
but Black has spent two important tempo to fianchetto his dark square bishop
where its actually misplaced. Black would have to play very carefully not to
end up with a lost position inside 20 moves.}) 7... Bg7 8. Qd2 {This plan, not
allowing Black to castle kingside was also pretty good and secured White a
safe advantage. Here, Houdini 4 at depth 20 suggests the ridiculous 8...
c5!?!?! which is a clear indication on how dubious Black's position was at
this point.} Nbd7 9. Bb3 ({Again, I like} 9. a4 $1 $16) 9... Qe7 10. d4 a5 11.
d5 $2 {Qianyun overlooked a move in her calculations and allowed Black to
equalise with a straightforward shot.} (11. dxe5 Nxe5 12. Nxe5 dxe5 13. O-O $14
{would have continued to pose some problems for Black.}) 11... a4 $1 {A
typical but nice motif.} 12. Bxa4 Nxe4 13. Nxe4 Rxa4 14. dxc6 Rxe4 15. cxd7+
Bxd7 16. O-O-O Ra4 $1 17. a3 ({I felt that} 17. Qxd6 Qxd6 18. Rxd6 Rxa2 19. Kb1
Ra8 20. Re1 {was a promising way to "force" a draw although there's still a
lot of chess to be played.}) 17... Ra6 $15 {Black had gained a lot over the
last few moves, opening up the a-file, getting rid of White's pawn centre and
gaining the bishop pair and had seized the advantage. This was truly a
remarkable turnaround after the dubious opening. From here, the class of the
English Grandmaster told and he never gave Qianyun a chance.} 18. Rhe1 Be6 19.
g4 Qc7 20. Ng1 h5 $1 21. gxh5 Rxh5 22. f4 Qc4 23. fxe5 Rxe5 24. Nf3 Rb5 25. Bd4
Qa2 26. Qe3 Rxb2 $1 27. Bxb2 Qxb2+ 28. Kd2 Rxa3 29. Qf4 Bc3+ 30. Ke2 Qxc2+ 31.
Nd2 Be5 32. Qe4 Qc3 33. Rc1 Qxh3 34. Rh1 Bg4+ 35. Kf2 Qg3+ {A painful defeat
for Qianyun but also a reminder that one cannot afford a single slip against
top players.} 0-1
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On Board 4, Matthew Sadler, the world's strongest "amateur" in my opinion,
utilised the King's Indian Attack against Jingyao's 2...e6 Sicilian. I felt that
this was a clever choice given Jingyao's lack of experience on the Black side of
the 2...e6 Sicilian. Nevertheless, the fight was extremely messy and
Jingyao obtained genuine chances:<br />
<title>A game that I liked (ChessBase 12)</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Sadler-Tin.pgn"></a>
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "WCO2014"]
[Site "Tromso"]
[Date "2014.08.03"]
[Round "2.8"]
[White "Sadler Matthew D"]
[Black "Tin Jingyao"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A08"]
[WhiteElo "2653"]
[BlackElo "2251"]
[Annotator "Wei Ming"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:16:59"]
[BlackClock "0:04:52"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d3 {Sadler is well known for his originality during the
opening stage of the game and he not surprisingly chose not to enter the main
lines of the Open Sicilian.} ({There are some merits of the move} 3. g3 $5 {
which allows White the flexibility to be able to push his d pawn directly to
d4 in some cases. Here,} d5 {is Black's main attempt in refuting this move
order but White gets a playable position after} 4. exd5 exd5 5. d4 Nf6 6. Bg2
Qe7+ 7. Be3 Ng4 8. O-O $1 Nxe3 9. fxe3 Nc6 10. Nc3 Be6 {with an unclear game
in prospect.}) 3... Nc6 4. g3 d5 (4... g6 {is another line and here White can
try} 5. d4 $5 {although Black has the well-known equaliser} cxd4 6. Nxd4 Bg7 7.
Nb5 d5 8. exd5 exd5 9. Qxd5 Qe7+ $1 10. Be2 Bg4 {and Black is completely fine
here.}) 5. Nbd2 Nf6 (5... Bd6 6. Bg2 Nge7 {is another decent set-up.}) 6. Bg2
Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. Re1 b5 ({Here, Jacob Aagard and Nikolaos Nitirlis highly
recommend} 8... Qc7 $5 {in "Playing the French" - Quality Chess 2013. The
point is that after the logical continuation} 9. e5 Nd7 {, White is forced to
go} 10. Qe2 {whereas in the normal move order as in the text, White is in time
to complete natural development with Bf4. In any case, the position after} b5
11. Nf1 a5 12. h4 Ba6 13. Bf4 {remains highly complex.}) 9. e5 Nd7 10. Nf1 Qc7
{This move is rarely seen in this theoretical position although it is by no
means bad.} (10... a5 {is the usual move.}) ({while} 10... b4 11. a3 bxa3 12.
Rxa3 {leads to a different type of position.}) 11. Bf4 Bb7 ({On page 272 of
"Experts vs the Anti Sicilian", Christian Bauer gave} 11... Nb6 12. h4 d4 13.
N1h2 (13. h5 Nd5 14. Bc1 {"would have presented Black with the traditional
dilemma; should he allow h5-h6 or play ...h6 himself, thereby creating a
target for the enemy pieces?" - Bauer}) 13... Nd5 14. Bg5 Bb7 {with a level
position.}) 12. h4 d4 $1 {Jingyao commits his intentions early with this move
although again, the plan is based on sound positional motifs. The b6-knight
was heading for d5 after which the rooks would be developed on the d and c
files.} ({During the post mortem, I felt} 12... a5 $5 {may be more flexible
but White simply continues with} 13. Ne3 Nb6 14. Ng4 {, with the idea} d4 $2
15. Nf6+ $1) 13. N1d2 $1 {A classy move, quickly targetting the e4 square for
his knight.} Rfd8 (13... Nb4 14. Ne4 Nd5 15. Qd2 (15. Bg5 h6 $5) 15... Nxf4 16.
Qxf4 {was another possible route.}) 14. g4 $5 {The computer doesn't like this
move but this came across to me as a very natural move. Surely, the dark
square bishop was both tactically and strategically well placed on g3?} (14.
Ne4 Qb6 (14... Nb4 $2 15. Nf6+ $1 {is the key motif.}) 15. Qd2 {was another
possibility. Here, Black achieves decent Queenside play with} c4 $1 {when it's
not clear how White can make further progress on the Kingside.}) 14... Nb4 $1
15. a3 ({After the logical} 15. Ne4 {,} Bxe4 $1 {is an interesting positional
decision, with the point that after} 16. Rxe4 Nb6 {, Black may have given up
the bishop pair but the e4 rook can hardly hope to participate in the Kingside
attack and Black is ready to press ahead with c4 and Rac8.}) 15... Nd5 16. Bg3
Rac8 17. Ne4 Qb6 ({During team analysis, Jingyao showed that the tempting c4
here didn't work in view of} 17... c4 18. Nd6 $1) 18. Qd2 b4 ({According to
Jingyao, Sadler demonstrated the following complicated line after the game:}
18... c4 19. dxc4 Rxc4 20. b3 Nc3 $1 {although the computer refutes it with}
21. Nf6+ $1 gxf6 22. bxc4 fxe5 23. Nxe5 Bxg2 24. Kxg2 bxc4 25. Qh6 $1 $14) 19.
g5 bxa3 20. bxa3 {Black had done well to reach this position but for now, he
appeared stuck for a plan. White might not be crashing through on the kingside
at this stage but Black certainly should not be taking things for granted and
had to continuously find active moves. But how?} Qc6 (20... Ba8 $1 21. h5 Rb8
$1 {with the ideas of ...Qa6, ...Rb2 and ...c4 looks cumbersome but is
strangely enough, hard to stop.}) 21. h5 {Now, Black's position starts to feel
uncomfortable.} N7b6 $2 {An inaccuracy, with the following sacrifice in mind.
However, Jingyao had missed his opponent's 24th move.} (21... Ba8 $5) 22. Nd6
Bxd6 23. exd6 Rxd6 24. Ne5 $1 {An extremely strong tactical resource. After
losing such an important pawn, Black's position was destined to collapse.} ({
Jingyao would have gotten fantastic compensation for the material after} 24.
Bxd6 Qxd6 {where he believed he had genuine chances to play for the win. While
the appreciation of the positional factors (outpost on c3, weak a3-pawn etc)
was spot on, it was unfortunate that this resource failed tactically.}) 24...
Qe8 (24... Qc7 25. Nc4 $1 {wins a lot of material by force.}) 25. Nxf7 Qxf7 26.
Bxd6 {With an exchange down for nothing, Black was hopelessly lost and Sadler
cleaned up efficiently:} Nc3 27. Bxb7 Qxb7 28. Qf4 Qf7 29. Qg4 Kh8 30. g6 Qf5
31. Qxf5 exf5 32. Re6 Nd7 33. Rae1 Nf6 34. Bxc5 1-0
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In Round 3, the team was paired with the lower seeded Barbados
(affectionately coined the "Barbie Dolls" in the Facebook group) and I hurriedly
volunteered to sit out this round as I felt I would potentially face a lower
rated opponent that may jeopardize any possible norm chances. I fully expected
the team to win the match convincingly but as we'll soon see, the story could
have turned out very differently...<br />
<br /></div>
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<b>Round 3 - Barbados 0 - Singapore 4</b><br />
<b><br /></b></div>
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A big win as expected but this certainly could have turned out very
differently! On Board 1, Zhang Zhong was surprised by the 4.f3 variation in the
Nimzo-Indian and misplayed his preparation and was facing a hopelessly lost
position by move 16. His opponent, clearly overawed by the occasion, started
playing inexplicably for the draw and somehow managed to throw away an extremely
advantageous position:<br />
<title>A game that I liked (ChessBase 12)</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Warner - ZZ.pgn"></a>
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "WCO2014"]
[Site "Tromso"]
[Date "2014.08.04"]
[Round "3.40"]
[White "Warner Delisle"]
[Black "Zhang Zhong"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E25"]
[WhiteElo "2243"]
[BlackElo "2611"]
[Annotator "Wei Ming"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:56:52"]
[BlackClock "0:18:07"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. f3 $5 {This is a favourite of the Chinese
superstar Ding Liren and has been played at the highest level, most notably by
Vishy Anand in the World Championship match against Carlsen.} d5 5. a3 Bxc3+ (
5... Be7 $5 {is topical, with the idea of} 6. e4 dxe4 7. fxe4 e5 8. d5 (8. Nf3
$5) 8... Bc5 9. Nf3 Bg4 {, with interest dark square play.}) 6. bxc3 c5 7. cxd5
Nxd5 8. dxc5 Qa5 ({After the game, Zhang Zhong told me that he had forgotten
his opening preparation and in fact, his line had always been} 8... f5 $5 {,
rather than at move 10 in the game.}) 9. e4 Ne7 10. Be3 f5 $2 {This led to a
significant disadvantage.} (10... O-O 11. Qb3 Qc7 {is of course the hot
mainline and readers will do well to consult Edward Dearing's book "Play the
Nimzo-Indian" which covers this position adequately.}) 11. Qb3 Nbc6 12. Bd3 Bd7
13. Ne2 {With simple play, White had increased his edge and Black, not quite
able to castle either side without suffering some sort of compromise was
facing an impossible situation.} Ne5 14. Bc2 Qa6 15. Rb1 Nd3+ {This should
have lost immediately but its hard to suggest any sort of move here.} 16. Bxd3
Qxd3 17. c4 $4 {After his previous flawless opening play, White managed to
somehow throw away the lion share of the advantage in one move.} ({Here, Zhang
Zhong said} 17. Kf2 {was more or less winning on the spot. Perhaps, Black was
afraid of some form of counterplay after} fxe4 {but} 18. Rhd1 Qa6 19. Rxd7 $1
Kxd7 20. Rd1+ (20. Qxb7+ Qxb7 21. Rxb7+ Ke8 22. Nd4 {was also pretty strong})
20... Ke8 21. Rd6 b6 22. Rxe6 {is curtains.}) 17... Qxb3 {Probably played with
a sigh of relief. However, the worst may have passed but the danger had not
and Black remained a pawn down with very little in return. But at the very
least, his position was not lost yet.} 18. Rxb3 fxe4 19. fxe4 O-O-O 20. O-O Ba4
21. Rb4 Bc6 22. Bg5 $6 {This in itself was not a bad move but the intention
behind it was deeply flawed.} ({Here, I was mainly concerned with} 22. Nd4 $1 {
, with the idea} e5 23. Nb5 {when White infiltrates on the dark squares.})
22... Rd7 23. Bxe7 $4 {White completely lost thread of the position with this
strategically mistaken exchange.} ({It was hard to imagine what White was
thinking here, giving up his dominant dark square bishop for the temporarily
paralysed knight but perhaps he was afraid of something like} 23. Nc3 Ng6 {
followed by ...Ne5. However, the knight on d6 after} 24. Nb5 $1 Kb8 25. Nd6 {
is about a hundred times more important than a knight on the e5 square which
could be dislodged easily at any point.}) 23... Rxe7 {Continuing his passive
strategy of "holding and exchanging at every opportune moment".} 24. Nc3 ({If
White was fighting for a draw, I thought} 24. Nd4 $1 Bxe4 25. Re1 {exchanging
another set of pawns, would have made more sense.}) 24... a6 25. Rd1 h5 $1 {
Played with the idea of ...h4 and ...Rh5. Black had completely equalised and
had his best position of the game so far. Zhang Zhong was no doubt buoyed at
this stage and must be thinking of playing for the win!} 26. Rb2 h4 27. Rf2 Kc7
({Zhang Zhong showed that after} 27... Rh5 {,} 28. Rf8+ Re8 29. Rxe8+ Bxe8 30.
Rd6 Bd7 (30... Re5 $5) 31. c6 $1 bxc6 32. Na4 {, White would obtain a draw
relatively comfortably. Hence, he wanted to keep as many pieces on the board
as possible. Percentage chess, Mr. Terry Toh?}) 28. Nd5+ $5 {An interesting
piece sacrifice to get his pawns rolling. Such a piece sacrifice is normally
more effective with more pieces on the board though. A typical example is seen
in the famous game Vishy Anand - Wang Hao, Wijk Aan Zee 2011.} exd5 29. cxd5 $2
(29. exd5 $1 {, keeping control of the b5 square was much stronger as analysed
by the team after the game. For instance,} Rd7 30. Rb1 Ba4 {(Black would
dearly like to play ...Bb5 here.)} 31. Rb4 Bd1 32. Rfb2 {with sufficient
counterplay for equality but no more.}) 29... Rd7 {Now, Black was clearly in
the driver's seat.} 30. d6+ $2 {Giving up total control of the light square
was suicidal.} ({A move like} 30. Rfd2 {would have forced Black to continue
searching for good moves to formulate a breakthrough.}) 30... Kc8 31. e5 Re8
32. Re1 Re6 33. Rf4 Rd8 34. Rxh4 Rde8 35. Rh5 Rg6 $1 36. g3 Kd7 37. Kf2 Rf8+
38. Ke3 Ke6 {Zhang Zhong had blockaded the central pawns nicely and didn't
slip up from here:} 39. Rh4 Rf3+ 40. Kd2 Rxa3 41. Rh8 Rg4 42. Re3 Rxe3 43. Kxe3
Re4+ 44. Kd3 Rxe5 45. Kd4 Re4+ 46. Kd3 Kd5 47. Rh7 Bb5+ 48. Kc3 Rg4 49. Rh5+
Kc6 50. Re5 g6 51. Kb3 Rd4 52. Rg5 a5 53. Rxg6 Kxc5 54. h4 Rxd6 55. Rg7 Rd7 56.
Rg5+ Rd5 57. Rg7 Bc4+ 58. Ka4 b6 59. g4 Rd2 60. Rc7+ Kd4 0-1
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Qianyun's game was pretty ruthless as she simply tore her opponent's defences
apart:<br />
<title>A game that I liked (ChessBase 12)</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Gong - Husbands.pgn"></a>
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "WCO2014"]
[Site "Tromso"]
[Date "2014.08.04"]
[Round "3.39"]
[White "Gong Qianyun"]
[Black "Husbands Orlando"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B53"]
[WhiteElo "2328"]
[BlackElo "2118"]
[Annotator "Wei Ming"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "2rq1rk1/1p2p2p/p1npn1p1/5b2/2P5/1P3NNP/PQ2BPP1/3R1RK1 w - - 0 20"]
[PlyCount "29"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:44:52"]
[BlackClock "0:15:16"]
{Black had gone astray early in the opening and Qianyun started her usual
aggressive play with} 20. Nh4 $1 {when Black was already in a difficult
situation.} Ne5 (20... Qc7 21. Bf3 Ng7 22. Ngxf5 gxf5 23. Rfe1 {also looks
ultra depressing for Black.}) 21. f4 Qb6+ 22. Kh2 Nc6 23. Nhxf5 gxf5 24. Bf3
Nc7 25. Nh5 $1 Rf7 26. Bxc6 $1 Qxc6 27. Rd3 $1 {White's play was so smooth and
logical that no commentary was required.} e5 28. fxe5 dxe5 29. Qxe5 Qe6 30.
Rg3+ Kf8 31. Qc5+ Qe7 32. Qd4 Ke8 33. Ng7+ Kf8 34. Nxf5 {and Black had enough.
An utterly ruthless demonstration.} 1-0
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After the game, the Facebook Group promptly dubbed Qianyun as the "Husbands
killer"! Not sure what that meant to my old friend Mr. Tay Shihao....<br />
<br /></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
On Board 3, Jingyao had to face the quiet 2.c3 Sicilian where his opponent
had gone for an early queen exchange. The position was not without its dangers
though, and Black had to tread carefully:<br />
<title>A game that I liked (ChessBase 12)</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Denny - Tin.pgn"></a>
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "WCO2014"]
[Site "Tromso"]
[Date "2014.08.04"]
[Round "3.38"]
[White "Denny Kevin"]
[Black "Tin Jingyao"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B40"]
[WhiteElo "2261"]
[BlackElo "2251"]
[Annotator "Wei Ming"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r1b2rk1/p3bppp/np2pn2/1N1q4/3Q4/2P1BN2/PP2BPPP/R4RK1 b - - 0 11"]
[PlyCount "53"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:01:16"]
[BlackClock "0:31:56"]
{Here, Black played the erroneous} 11... Bc5 $2 {which could have led to an
extremely tricky position.} ({Instead,} 11... Bb7 {was solid enough.}) 12. Qxd5
$2 (12. Qf4 $1 {, with the idea} Bxe3 ({or} 12... Bb7 13. Rfd1 Qe4 14. Nd6 $14)
13. Qxe3 Bb7 14. Rfd1 $1 Qc6 15. Rac1 {followed by queenside expansion with b4
and c4 looks very good for White.}) 12... Nxd5 13. Bd2 Nac7 14. Nxc7 Nxc7 15.
b4 Be7 16. c4 f6 17. Nd4 Bb7 {Black had escaped into an objectively equal
not-quite-an-endgame, or NQE but I would rather prefer Black here as his plan
of playing ...e5, ...Kf7 and ...f5 is attractive and easy to play. White soon
lost thread of the position and Jingyao displayed fine technique in outplaying
his IM opponent to a victory:} 18. Rab1 Rfd8 19. Be3 Be4 $6 (19... e5 $1 {was
more accurate.}) 20. Rb2 (20. Bf3 $1 {is a strong computer suggestion, the
point being that after} Bxf3 21. gxf3 Bf8 22. b5 e5 23. Nc6 {, the strong
knight on c6 compensates for White's wrecked kingside pawns.}) 20... e5 21. Nf3
Ne6 22. Rd1 Rxd1+ 23. Bxd1 Rd8 24. Nd2 Bb7 {Black was dominant at this point.}
25. Bg4 Kf7 26. h3 Bc6 27. Bf3 Bxf3 28. Nxf3 Rd1+ 29. Kh2 e4 $1 30. Nd2 f5 31.
g3 g5 32. c5 f4 $19 33. cxb6 fxe3 34. fxe3 axb6 35. Nxe4 Rd3 36. Rf2+ Kg6 37.
Rf3 Nd4 0-1
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
On the last board, young Qing Aun was much surprised by the relatively rare
Kalashnikov variation of the Sicilian defence. The problem with playing the
mainlines is that it is very easy to be susceptible to such tricky opening
variations which are perhaps, not quite mainstream but are fully playable enough
to cause damage if White is not familiar with the theory. Not surprisingly, Qing
Aun deviated from established theory and drifted into an extremely difficult
position having consumed volumes of time in the process. To his credit, the
young boy fought like a lion and in a remarkable turnaround, took his opponent
to the cleaners:<br />
<title>A game that I liked (ChessBase 12)</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Lee - Barbie.pgn"></a>
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "WCO2014"]
[Site "Tromso"]
[Date "2014.08.04"]
[Round "3.37"]
[White "Lee Qing Aun"]
[Black "Del Castilho Martyn"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B32"]
[WhiteElo "1893"]
[BlackElo "2221"]
[Annotator "Wei Ming"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:30:32"]
[BlackClock "0:30:06"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 $5 {The Kalashnikov variation is
lesser known than its sister line, the Sveshnikov but it was notably played on
multiple occasions by Teimour Radjabov.} 5. Nb5 d6 (5... Nf6 6. N1c3 d6 {
transposes to the Sveshnikov.}) 6. N1c3 {Probably White's best way to fight
for an edge.} (6. c4 {is the other approach.}) 6... a6 7. Na3 b5 8. Nd5 Nge7 {
Here, Qing Aun sank into deep thought, having fallen on unfamiliar territory.}
(8... Nce7 {was also playable.}) ({while} 8... Nf6 9. Bg5 {again transposes to
the Sveshnikov.}) 9. Bg5 $6 {This had been established to allow equality.} (9.
c4 $1 {is the mainline and I think White has good chances to obtain an opening
edge. I'll just show some of my old notes here:} Nd4 10. Be3 Nxd5 11. cxd5 Be7
(11... g6 {(a suggestion of Jan Pinski)} 12. Nc2 Nxc2+ 13. Qxc2 Bd7 14. Bd3 Bg7
15. O-O O-O 16. Qc3 $1 $14 {[%cal Gc3b4]}) 12. Bd3 O-O 13. O-O Bd7 14. Qd2 Rc8
15. Rac1 $14) 9... h6 10. Bxb5 $1 {Objectively White's best move here although
this does not lead to an advantage. More importantly, Qing Aun had used a lot
of his time to calculate the ramifications after this aesthetic looking piece
sac.} hxg5 11. Nxe7 axb5 12. Nxc6 Qd7 13. Nb4 Ra4 14. c3 d5 {Black had blitzed
out all his moves so far. Faced with such a position with Black's bishop pair
looking menacing, having a severe time disadvantage and out-rated by over 300
points, one can imagine the turmoil that must have been going through Qing
Aun's head and not surprisingly, he erred pretty soon.} 15. Nac2 (15. Qxd5 {
would have led to calm waters, for example after} Qxd5 16. exd5 Bxb4 17. cxb4
Rxb4 18. O-O-O Bf5 19. b3 Kd7 20. Kb2 $11 {but perhaps White was still
striving for complications?}) 15... dxe4 16. Qe2 $6 {This led to a pretty
uncomfortable position.} (16. Qxd7+ {looks like the most practical solution as
after} Bxd7 17. O-O Be6 18. Rfe1 f5 19. Nc6 $1 Bd6 20. Rad1 {, by not allowing
Black to stabalise the position, White gets very decent play in the centre.})
16... Qb7 17. O-O-O Be6 18. b3 {This weakened his king unnecessarily.} (18. a3
{looks safer although anyone would prefer Black after a move like} Be7) 18...
Ra8 19. h3 Be7 20. Kb2 O-O 21. Rhe1 Qa7 $1 22. Ra1 $2 (22. Qxe4 $1 Qxf2 23. Nd5
Bxd5 24. Rxd5 {would be a more resolute defence although I still much prefer
Black after} f5 $1 {, with the idea} 25. Qxe5 $4 Rxa2+ $1) 22... Bxb4 23. cxb4
Rfc8 24. Rec1 Bf5 $2 {Throwing away almost all his advantage.} (24... f5 {was
screaming to be played. Perhaps, Black was afraid of} 25. f3 {but} exf3 26.
gxf3 (26. Qxe5 Bf7 $1 27. gxf3 Qf2 {wins. I suspect Black missed this nuance.})
26... Bf7 $1 {and since White cannot capture on e5 because of ...Qf2, Black is
likely to be winning here.}) 25. g4 $1 Bg6 $2 {This transfer to g6 was hugely
mysterious. Perhaps, Black had high hopes for the bishop after a line-opening .
..e4-e3 but White naturally stopped this quite easily. The rest of the game
was mired with time trouble and hence not surprisingly, inaccuracies.} 26. Qe3
Qe7 27. a3 Rc6 (27... Rd8 $1 28. Ne1 Rd4 29. Rc6 f6 $15) 28. Ne1 Rac8 $2 (28...
Rd6 29. Rd1 Rad8 $1 30. Rxd6 Qxd6 $15) 29. Rxc6 Rxc6 30. Rc1 Rxc1 31. Qxc1 Qd8
32. Nc2 f6 33. Qe3 Qd5 34. Qc5 (34. a4 $1 {was more accurate.}) 34... Qd2 35.
a4 {This allowed an unexpected resource which Black fortunately overlooked.}
bxa4 $2 {Allowing double passers on the queenside was tantamount to
resignation.} (35... e3 $1 36. fxe3 Bxc2 37. Qxc2 Qxe3 38. axb5 Qd4+ {draws.})
36. bxa4 Kh7 37. a5 $2 (37. b5 $1) 37... Kh6 (37... e3 $1 38. fxe3 Kh6 $3 {was
a tremendous drawing resource. During the post mortem, we simply wrote off
Black's position as completely lost but this is where Chess can be at its most
unpredictable.}) 38. Qe3 Qd5 39. a6 Bf7 40. Qa3 Be8 41. a7 Bc6 42. Qb3 Qb5 43.
Qg8 1-0
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The team was not completely sure whether to be elated or dismayed when we found that our round 4 opponents were to be the mighty Spanish. With Paco Vallejo spearheading the team of 5 2600+ Grandmasters, we knew that we were up against the odds. However, the team was determined to prove that we deserve to be counted and the result was an unexpectedly hard fought match....</div>
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IM Kevin Gohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365772817514475507noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-593228688914103789.post-15777423288122678222014-07-27T20:39:00.001+08:002014-07-27T20:41:16.487+08:00Imminent retirement?<div style="text-align: justify;">
In 4 days, I'll be boarding a flight to Tromso to attend what may very well be my last Chess <a href="https://chess24.com/en/olympiad2014/teams?filter=Singapore" target="_blank">Olympiad</a> and this is possibly the last time that I'll wear the Singapore colors. This is not meant to be some melodramatic post but is simply a reflection of what has been going through my mind (chesswise) for the past 1 year. </div>
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July has always been my favourite month (Birthday, anniversaries, promotion/increment, leave etc) but for some reason, I am not the least excited this year. Perhaps, its because I just completed what had been an incredibly torrid year at work. Or perhaps at 31, I have to acknowledge that there is only so much I can do for my personal chess development going forward. Or perhaps, it is time to seriously consider quitting high level competitive chess? </div>
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For some reason, there are many who like to categorise me as an "active" player but having played only 1 serious tournament in the last 12 months (the Nationals, in December), I am very much dormant although I have done whatever I could to stay up to date in the game. The reason for my inactivity is pretty obvious - as much as I love the game, I am inherently an extremely competitive person and I will never take part in an event if I cannot find the time to prepare and train professionally. And being an audit manager, there is only this amount of time and this amount of energy that I can play around with everyday. </div>
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It has been 11 years since I re-entered the chess fraternity and it had been an incredible journey so far. I've made 2 (<i>legit! These days, this is not a given.</i>) GM norms, won some Bronze medals at the Sea Games, played in 4 and about to play in my 5th Chess Olympiad, written a chess <a href="http://www.everymanchess.com/chess/books/Chess_Developments%3A_Sicilian_Najdorf_6_Bg5">book</a>, and went through an entire year as a professional chess player with my own limited resources. I am extremely proud to be given the opportunities to represent the Singapore flag and the responsibilities that are attached to these. </div>
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I have also made loads of friends, long lasting ones, many of whom are much older than me but yet, are generous enough to share sufficient knowledge for me to know just how immature I was on many occasions. Yet, I'll like to know that lessons have been learnt and I've also grown to accept certain things that are beyond my control.</div>
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It was never smooth sailing though - I have my fair share of unpleasant experiences which have forced me to consider quitting the game altogether. My stubborness and competitive streak has pulled me through on each of these occasions and I am probably more proud of this fact than any other accomplishment. </div>
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I still love the game and I still harbour hopes of becoming a GM. I will probably continue to play in random tournaments that pop up here and there but it is no longer a guarantee and a lot is more down to chance than anything else. I will also have to adopt a more relaxed approach to the game which may or may not mean a substantial change to my playing style. </div>
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Whatever happens, the Tromso Olympiad promises to be the most memorable and emotionally charged tournament on a personal front. There is a lot of pressure but I will enjoy it and hopefully, be able to use this to my advantage and put up a show for the local chess community.</div>
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IM Kevin Gohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365772817514475507noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-593228688914103789.post-47164782611571230642014-03-25T22:01:00.003+08:002014-03-26T00:21:49.314+08:00The Benko Gambit Move by Move...not! - by Junior TayI would first like to thank Wei Ming for plugging for me on this site and FB, as well as all the kind souls who have placed their FB likes for my first book, The Benko Gambit - Move by Move. I actually haven't gotten my own physical copies of the book yet though.
In the past few months after I had handed in my final draft, I stopped playing the Benko completely just in case my hands got too itchy after finding a novelty or new idea. I don't know how my editor, GM John Emms can be so patient with my constant revisions and updates.
However, once the book got published, I could rest easy again and get back to playing the Benko again without remorse...or so I thought.
So, ever ready to brandish my new fangled repertoire, I logged onto playchess.com and promptly forgot my theory on move 8....What an embarrassment! If not for the free piece which my opponent donated to me, I would have been surely squeezed to pulp thanks to my pathetic flotsam and jetsam known as isolated pawn islands.
<title>How not to play against the 5.e3 Variation</title><a name="benko1.pgn"></a>
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "Playchess.com Blitz"]
[Site "Main Playing Hall"]
[Date "2014.03.16"]
[White "IM Edward Dearing"]
[Black "Junior Tay"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A57"]
[WhiteElo "2321"]
[BlackElo "2348"]
[PlyCount "38"]
[EventDate "2014.03.16"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. cxb5 a6 5. e3 e6 6. dxe6 fxe6 7. Nc3 d5 8. Nf3
Bd6 $6 {an automatic response...forgetting what I analysed and recommended in
the book.} (8... c4 $1 {was the move I mooted in Benko Gambit Move by Move.
Here's a high level GM game with this continuation.} 9. Bd2 Bb4 10. bxa6 Nxa6
11. a3 Ba5 12. Be2 Nc5 13. Nd4 Bd7 14. b4 cxb3 15. Nxb3 Nxb3 16. Qxb3 Rb8 17.
Qc2 Qc7 18. Rc1 O-O 19. O-O $44 {Kortschnoj,V (2615)-Volokitin,A (2671)/
Igualada 2005 (0-1.38)}) 9. e4 $1 {I was so aghast at allowing this that I
took 30 seconds to reply...} dxe4 (9... Bc7
10. e5 $1 Ne4 11. Nxe4 dxe4 12. Qxd8+ Bxd8 13. Ng5 Ba5+ 14. Bd2 Bxd2+ 15. Kxd2
O-O 16. Ke3 Rf5 17. Nxe4 axb5 18. Bxb5 Ba6 19. a4 Rxe5 20. f4 Rd5 21. Rhc1 {
with a huge advantage structurally and of course, he keeps the Benko pawn
safely. Tatai,S (2435)-Bellon Lopez,J (2425)/Rome 1983(1-0.34)}) 10. Ng5 O-O
11. Bc4 Qe7 12. Ngxe4 Nxe4 13. Nxe4 Bc7 $6 14. Bg5 ({Houdini says Black's
position is crap after} 14. b6 $1 Bxb6 15. O-O {The e6 pawn is stuck there and
Black has no semblance of an attack to make up for the 'koyak' pawn islands.})
14... Qf7 15. O-O (15. b6 $1 {again, to retain the Bc4 on that excellent
square, is strong.}) 15... axb5 16. Bxb5 Bb7 {Now at least I have something to
aim at.} 17. Qg4 $2 (17. Nxc5 Bd5 18. Qg4 {and the White a + b pawns can rock
and roll.}) 17... Qf5 $1 {A fluke shot...didn't know that this will work that
well.} 18. f3 $4 ({White has to play} 18. Qxf5 Rxf5 19. g4 Re5 20. Bf4 Rxe4 21.
Bxc7 Rxg4+ 22. Bg3 $11) 18... Qxg4 19. fxg4 Bxe4 {and Black won 9 moves later.}
0-1
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OK...things are not that bad as I got to play some of the theory I analysed like in the next game.
<title>A game that I liked</title><a name="benko2.pgn"></a>
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "Playchess.com Blitz"]
[Site "Main Playing Hall"]
[Date "2014.03.16"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Motivatedbishop"]
[Black "Junior Tay"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A58"]
[WhiteElo "2474"]
[BlackElo "2324"]
[PlyCount "36"]
[EventDate "2014.03.16"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6 g6 6. Nc3 Bxa6 7. Nf3 d6 8. g3
Bg7 9. Bg2 O-O 10. O-O Nfd7 $5 {The line I recommended in my book (likewise GM
Sergey Kasparov in his 'Dynamic Benko Gambit').} 11. Qc2 Nb6 12. Rd1 N8d7 13.
b3 Bxe2 $1 14. Qxe2 Bxc3 15. Bb2 Bxb2 16. Qxb2 Nf6 17. Nd2 Nbxd5 18. Ne4 ({
Houdini demonstrated the nice line} 18. Nc4 Nc7 $1 19. Bxa8 Qxa8 {with
sufficient compensation for Black who will continue with Ne6-d4.}) 18... Ra5 {
and Black has the advantage and went on to win in 43 moves.} 0-1
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However, there's chess theory and then again, after the theory, one must continue to play well. In the following game from the 1st Togo Playchess event, I got mauled by an Indian IM (the eventual winner, actually) after committing a sort of cardinal sin in the Benko...see for yourself.
<title>A game that I liked</title><a name="benko3.pgn"></a>
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "1st Togo Playchess event"]
[Site "Emanuel Lasker Arena"]
[Date "2014.03.16"]
[Round "?"]
[White "IM Swayams Mishra"]
[Black "Jrt"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A58"]
[WhiteElo "2664"]
[BlackElo "2387"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "2014.03.17"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6 g6 6. g3 d6 7. Bg2 Bg7 8. h4 h5
9. Nh3 O-O 10. Nf4 Nxa6 $5 {I've been looking at lines where Bxa6 might not be
required and this seems like a good example.} 11. Bd2 Rb8 12. Bc3 Ng4 13. O-O
Rxb2 $1 14. Qc1 Rb8 15. Bxg7 Kxg7 16. Nd2 {I can't ask for more out of the
opening, can I? Got my pawn back and I still retain the initiative on the
queenside. Suddenly, I decided on the worst move possible, breaking all the
rules...} e5 $2 {I don't know why but it didn't cross my mind that he will
simply capture en passant. I just thought that that will mobilise my centre
and open the f-file for me.} 17. dxe6 $1 fxe6 18. Ne4 $1 {Now the Indian IM
just walks all over me.} e5 19. Nd5 {Arggh...look at those knights sitting
prettily on the squares I gave up...} Nc7 20. Nxc7 Qxc7 21. Qd2 Rb6 22. Rab1
Rxb1 $6 23. Rxb1 Bf5 {and now his knight starts to dance around and I could
not hold out.} 24. Ng5 {Threatening Rb7} Rb8 25. Rxb8 Qxb8 26. e4 $1 {Very
impressive. Blocking off his strong bishop's but also incarcerating my bishop.}
Bd7 27. Qd5 $1 Qf8 28. f3 Ne3 $4 {and I got plucked after} 29. Qb7 Qc8 30. Qb3
{and my knight is plucked.} Qg8 31. Qxe3 Qxa2 32. Qd3 Qb2 33. Qxd6 Qd4+ 34.
Qxd4 exd4 35. Bf1 Kf6 36. Kf2 Ba4 37. Bc4 {Utterly outplayed.} 1-0
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Anyway, now it's time to stop playing online blitz for a while and try to wrap up my 2nd book, Ivanchuk - Move by Move. Oh, by the way, stay in tune for Wei Ming's own Chess Developments: Sicilian Najdorf 6 Bg5, which will be up on the market soon!IM Kevin Gohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365772817514475507noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-593228688914103789.post-50044884681701094752014-03-24T17:32:00.001+08:002014-03-26T00:12:53.198+08:00Ministry of Health topples Ministry of Education to win the Public Service Star Games Chess Teams by Junior Tay This year, the organizers introduced a TN - scheduling the event on a Sunday (23rd March 2014) instead of a Saturday. This enabled the doctors to get a full team line-up. I mean, when you can rest former National Champion NM Derrick Heng and Leong Khai Pang during a match, the team certainly looks good. Usually, some of their players had to skip rounds or the whole event altogether but this year, they came in full force.<br />
<br />
IM Hsu Li Yang, helming top board, did not have it easy though. In round 1, NM Luke Leong from Ministry of Home Affairs upset the apple-cart by beating Li Yang from the Black side of a Maroczy Bind. The game can be found in Olimpiu Urcan's <a href="http://sgchess.net/2014/03/23/1123-ministry-of-health-claims-public-star-games-2014/" target="_blank">super fast update.</a><br />
<br />
The rest of his team members cruised to wins, giving his team a 3-1 headstart. The same could not be said about defending champions MOE. The absence of MINDEF's top board player, Victor Huang (off to USA to do a masters degree) was more than nullified by the introduction of Tan Chor Chuan, who represented Singapore in the Elista Olympiad. He made an immediate impact with his typical hyper-aggressive chess by pummelling CM Quek Suan Shiau in the following encounter.<br />
<title>A game that I liked</title><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="qsstcc.pgn"></a>
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "Public Service Teams 2014"]
[Site "Civil Service Club"]
[Date "2014.??.??"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "Quek Suan Shiau"]
[Black "Tan Chor Chuan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
1. g3 {To avoid Chor Chuan's hack lines in the Kalashnikov...} Nf6 2. Bg2 e5 3.
d3 Bc5 4. e3 d5 5. Nf3 Qe7 6. a3 O-O 7. b4 Bb6 8. h3 a5 $1 {Hitting White from
the word 'go'.} 9. b5 a4 10. Bb2 Nbd7 11. O-O Re8 12. Qe2 ({During the post
mortem,} 12. d4 {with the idea of} e4 13. Ne5 {seemed strong but after} Qd6 $1
14. c4 Nxe5 $1 15. dxe5 Rxe5 16. Bxe5 Qxe5 17. Ra2 {was reeled off by Houdini
with strong compensation for Black.}) 12... c6 13. d4 e4 14. Nfd2 c5 $5 {No
rest for the wicked! Chor Chuan just keeps swinging that club at any and every
opportunity.} 15. c4 $1 cxd4 16. exd4 $6 {Suan will rue the moment he allowed
the Bb6 to live...} (16. Bxd4 Bxd4 17. exd4 e3 18. fxe3 Qxe3+ 19. Qxe3 Rxe3 20.
Rf3 $11) 16... e3 $1 {Wrecking White's pawns with the intention of plucking
them off later.} 17. Qxe3 Qxe3 18. fxe3 Rxe3 {The position is fiendishly
difficult to defend, especially in rapid chess.} 19. Kf2 $2 (19. g4 $1 Rd3 20.
Ra2 $1 {Holds for White but how do you find this sort of move in rapid? No way!
}) 19... Rd3 20. c5 Ba5 $1 (20... Nxc5 21. dxc5 Bxc5+ 22. Ke1 Rxg3 23. Rf2 Bxh3
24. Bxh3 Bxf2+ 25. Kxf2 Rxh3 {is another way to pilfer a mass of pawns but
there's no need for complications.}) 21. Ke2 ({After} 21. Rd1 {Chor Chuan
demonstrated} Ne4+ 22. Bxe4 (22. Nxe4 Rxd1 23. Nd6 Nf6 $17) 22... dxe4 23. Ke2
Nf6 {and White is still in the doghouse.}) 21... Rxg3 {The rest is just Chor
Chuan and his lawnmower doing the deed.} 22. Kf2 Rg5 23. Re1 Nf8 24. Nc3 Bxc3
25. Bxc3 Ng6 26. Re3 Bd7 27. Rae1 Bxb5 28. Kg1 $4 Nf4 29. Kh1 Nxg2 30. Re5 Nxe1
31. Rxg5 Re8 32. Rg3 Re2 33. Kg1 h5 34. Rg5 Ne4 35. Nxe4 Nf3+ 36. Kf1 Rxe4+ $6
{Chor Chuan indicated that he should have delivered mate with R-anysquare on
the 2nd rank except g2 and f2!} 37. Kf2 Nxg5 0-1
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<br />
<br />
Following Francis Teo's win on board 4 against MOE's Lim Chye Lye from the White side of a Benko gambit, MINDEF held MOE 2-2 and delivered a mortal blow to the latter's chances. <br />
<br />
However, by round 3, MOE had caught up with MOH on game points (9.5/12) and hence, met on top board. <br />
<br />
This time round, MOH bested MOE 3-1, with Li Yang beating Suan Shiau on board 1 and Dr J Nithiananthan overcoming his nemesis NM Olimpiu Urcan while Alvin Ong and Derrick Heng secured draws against Junior Tay and Pok Wern Jian respectively. This virtually put paid to MOE's hopes and consigned them to the fight for 2nd place.<br />
<br />
In the final round, MOH just had to avoid defeat against MINDEF and with a 2.5-1.5 effort, they got the job done. IM Hsu, however, was put to the test by Chor Chuan, by having to defend a pawn down though he could have even turned the tables on move 43 with a surprising pin. <br /><title>A game that I liked</title><a name="tcchly.pgn"></a>
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "Public Service Teams 2014"]
[Site "Civil Service Club"]
[Date "2014.??.??"]
[Round "5.1"]
[White "Tan Chor Chuan"]
[Black "IM Hsu Li Yang"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 e5 4. Nf3 Nbd7 5. Bc4 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. h3 $6 {This
inaccuracy allowed Li Yang to equalise.} c6 8. a4 Nxe4 $1 {Black gets to trade
minors and equalize in the centre.} 9. Nxe4 (9. Bxf7+ Rxf7 10. Nxe4 exd4 11.
Nfg5 Bxg5 12. Bxg5 Qf8 13. Qxd4 d5 {with equality - The Philidor Files - GM
Christian Bauer (Everyman 2006)}) 9... d5 10. Nxe5 (10. Bb3 dxe4 11. Nxe5 Nxe5
12. dxe5 {with a level position in Murshed,N (2510)-Mokry,K (2525) Brno 1991
(1/2, 47)} Bf5) 10... Nxe5 11. dxe5 dxe4 (11... dxc4 12. Nd6 Be6 13. Nxb7 Qb8
$1 14. Nd6 Rd8 {is equal, even after} 15. Bf4 $6 f6 $1 16. Qe2 fxe5 17. Nxc4
Rd4 18. Bxe5 Bxc4 19. Qe3 Rd6 $1) 12. Bf4 Bf5 13. Qe2 Qb6 14. c3 a5 15. Rad1
Rad8 16. b3 h6 17. Qh5 {Here, Chor Chuan starts his caveman approach and Li
Yang typically retreats his piece in defence.} Bh7 $2 ({Probably it is
impossible for anyone except those animals like Stockfish, Komodo or that
magician Houdini to find} 17... Be6 $1 18. Bxh6 $1 c5 $1 {when Black is
holding out.}) 18. Rxd8 $6 {White keeps the advantage though, with this safe
option.} ({White can combine to win a pawn or get a piece on the seventh rank
based on the weakness of the h6 and f7 pawn.} 18. Qg4 $1 Kh8 (18... Qc5 19. Qg3
Kh8 20. Rxd8 Bxd8 (20... Rxd8 21. Bxf7) 21. e6 $1) 19. Rxd8 Qxd8 20. Rd1 Qe8
21. Qd7 $1 {and White dominates totally.}) 18... Qxd8 19. Rd1 Qc8 20. Be3 $1
Bf5 21. Bb6 Be6 22. Qe2 Bxc4 23. Qxc4 Qf5 24. Re1 Qxe5 25. Rxe4 Qg5 26. f4 Qf6
27. Bxa5 {White has collected a pawn but now Li Yang digs in and
counterattacks from afar...} Bd8 $1 28. Bb4 Bb6+ 29. Kh2 Rc8 30. Be7 Qf5 31.
Bh4 Bc7 {The initiative swings to Black as f4 becomes a target.} 32. Bg3 Rd8
33. b4 Kh7 34. Re2 Rd5 35. b5 $2 Qf6 $2 {Too passive. Chor Chuan gets his mojo
back.} (35... Rc5 $1 {wins back the pawn.} 36. Qd4 cxb5 37. axb5 Rxb5) 36. bxc6
(36. Qe4+ Kg8 37. Qe7 $1 {and Black is in serious trouble.}) 36... bxc6 37.
Qe4+ Rf5 38. c4 g6 {Black is out of the woods and proceeded to take over the
initiative.} 39. Rf2 h5 40. Rf3 h4 41. Bf2 Bxf4+ 42. Kg1 $2 (42. Kh1 $1 {and
now} Qa1+ 43. Bg1 $1) 42... Qa1+ 43. Be1 Re5 $2 (43... Bg3 $3 {A very
difficult move to find as White get to capture f5 with tempo.} 44. Rxf5 gxf5
45. Qxf5+ Kh6 $3 {and incredibly, White has no check and has to lose a piece.
Li Yang verified that he missed Kh6 in his calculations.}) 44. Qxf4 {and now
the game petered to a draw.} Rxe1+ 45. Rf1 Rxf1+ 46. Qxf1 Qxa4 47. Qxf7+
1/2-1/2
</div>
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<br />
<br />
<br />
Congrats to MOH for a comprehensive victory, winning all of their matches to earn the title.<br />
<br />
Final Results:<br />
<br />
1st: Ministry of Health <br />
2nd: Ministry of Education 1 <br />
3rd: Ministry of Defence <br />
4th: Ministry of Education 2IM Kevin Gohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365772817514475507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-593228688914103789.post-21796553466612446582014-03-11T04:34:00.000+08:002014-03-11T22:02:35.911+08:00The Benko Gambit: Move by Move by Junior Tay (!)<div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lCIaUyF5Efw/Ux4JWk8dicI/AAAAAAAAAW8/bCh2PYaRHro/s1600/MM-The-Benko-Gambit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lCIaUyF5Efw/Ux4JWk8dicI/AAAAAAAAAW8/bCh2PYaRHro/s1600/MM-The-Benko-Gambit.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
I am extremely happy to be doing an advert on what has been the first chess book in a long time written by a Singaporean. My co-blogger, Junior Tay, who has been writing incessantly on current affairs in the local chess scene both on this blog and the now defunct <i>Singapore Chess News,</i> has finally put pen to paper to his first book project. I have witnessed first hand how much time and energy he has put in on this book and being the incredily task-focused person that he is, he has managed to complete the project in a little over 6 months, literally spending 4-6 hours on a daily basis. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
While the "move by move" suffix sounds like a series for developing players, Junior has done a remarkable amount of research which can be seen from the extensive list of material in his bibliography. More importantly, I am convinced he has moved theory forward which, citing one example, can be seen, in his incredibly detailed analysis of the critical 12.a4 line of the Benko, currently the most fashionable variation in the Benko at all levels. This makes this book a valuable resource for 1.d4 and Benko exponents of all levels. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
I am certain he is very proud of the final product, one which is written primarily out of love and passion for a subject that he has studied and used to good effect in many battles over the years. I am sure that the book will turn out to be a tremendous success and I'm very proud to have witnessed its evolvement over the last few months.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
You can show your support for good chess writing, from a native Singaporean no less, <a href="http://www.everymanchess.com/chess/books/The_Benko_Gambit%3A_Move_by_Move" target="_blank">here</a> or download an extract <a href="http://www.everymanchess.com/extract/Benko%20Gambit%20MBM%20extract.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
IM Kevin Gohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365772817514475507noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-593228688914103789.post-45355247342626198422014-01-21T21:46:00.000+08:002014-01-21T21:46:16.578+08:00Reflections on the SCF Administrative Fee - by Junior TayRather than to dispute or speak in defence of the controversial <a href="http://www.singaporechess.org.sg/?p=24086" target="_blank">SCF adminstrative fee</a> (which in short requires local players to pay 60 bucks or get their ratings wiped off the FIDE list, unless you are a GM, IM, FM, pre-2000 SCF NM/CM or NJS member), I thought it might be interesting to poll titled chessfriends on Facebook on their views. After all, they are the 'exalted minority' who do not risk getting
their ratings delisted. So last evening, I simply facebook messaged those who were online with the question "If SCF requires you to
pay a $60 admin fee, will you pay
up?"<br />
<div>
</div>
<div>
Within 90 minutes, 8 of them (comprising 1 GM, 3 IMs and 4 FMs) responded with
the result of 6 not in favour of paying and 2 willing to cough up the
moolah. What's more interesting is the rationale they offer
for their decisions and the queries they made. <br />
<br />
Two of the masters stated
that since they are not playing actively, they would not pay and they have
no issues having their ratings wiped off. One of the two indicated that
if he is still active on the circuit, and an admin fee is necessary, he
will dole out the cash.<br />
<br />
Another master was strongly against paying the
fee,and asked me if this move is constitutional, as this is a decision
that affects all SCF members and hence should be tabled for voting during
the AGM. I am not versed in such matters and hence cannot offer him an
informed answer. <br />
<br />
One master, who would have declined to pay as a matter of principle, pointed out the irony of Team Kasparov (of which the SCF President belongs to) FIDE Election Program's pledge to
<a href="http://kasparov2014.com/program/" target="_blank">decrease federation fees by 50% and all other fees by 25%</a> and SCF's introduction of an admin fee. </div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
The
two masters who advocate the paying of the fee (if required), felt that
they should do their part for the local chess federation, since they can
afford to do so. One of them reflected that SCF is saddled with a huge
wage (+ utilities) bill and it is only fair for chess players to help keep it
afloat. He suggested that for players who cannot pay, they can assist in
tourneys at $5 an event and offset their dues (I suppose on the basis that they
help out in one tourney per month). However, he indicated the need for
good communication with the chess players and stakeholders on the
rationale for the fee. <br />
<br />
One master expressed fears that this move may drive players to focus on online chess servers instead given that there are quite a number of free chess servers with strong players online.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Yet another master noted that the admin fee
essentially ends up with FIDE and not SCF <i>per se</i> and thus the issue is more
politically than financially motivated. I suppose he is referring to the <a href="http://susanpolgar.blogspot.sg/2011/09/regulations-on-registration-licensing.html" target="_blank">FIDE License fee</a> which FIDE previously intended to implement but subsequently put aside. Under that rule, the federations which collected the fees might get a cut after the collection. It's not clear if these two issues are related but if they are, then the local chess player must then consider the political element when they make the decision to pay or not.<br />
<br />
Personally, I find it strange to penalise the majority of the chess players who are good enough to earn a FIDE rating but not the strong minority with FIDE titles. Kasparov's platform also indicated<a href="http://kasparov2014.com/program/" target="_blank"> 'FIDE must provide benefits to the huge base of chessplayers, not just serve the elite',</a> so there you have another paradox again. Perhaps this is not a good analogy contextually but to me, it seems that the opposite is happening here. Anyway, since the top players are excluded from paying the fee, SCF does not risk losing its best players from the FIDE rating list. <br />
<br />
Note: My survey is not meant to represent the views of the general chess community or the sentiments of the
strong local players. Of course if I were to poll the masters in the SCF
committee, the results will most likely be different. This is merely a simple
straw poll among chess friends who happen to be on facebook chat last
evening.<br />
</div>
<div>
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IM Kevin Gohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365772817514475507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-593228688914103789.post-2611174755727929292014-01-18T08:33:00.000+08:002014-01-18T08:33:01.953+08:00An old but interesting game, and an update on book sales!Since I woke up unusually early today, I thought it will be interesting to run through some of my old games with Houdini 4 and correct some of my old analysis. I retrieved one game which I remember being very proud of after it was played and I thought I'll share it with my readers.<br />
<br />
The game in question is not in the databases and featured an important win at the Caissa IM tournament, Kecskemet, in 2007 where I obtained my 2nd IM norm.
<title>A game that I liked (ChessBase 12)</title><a href="" name="Lauridsen - Goh.pgn"></a>
<br />
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "Caissa IM Tournament"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2007.05.24"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Jesper Morck Lauridsen"]
[Black "Goh Wei Ming, Kevin"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B43"]
[WhiteElo "2293"]
[BlackElo "2375"]
[Annotator "Goh,Wei Ming, Kevin"]
[PlyCount "118"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 {The Sicilian Kan and the French
defence were my 2 main defences against 1.e4 in the past.} 5. Nc3 (5. Bd3 {is
the other big mainline in the Sicilian Kan and here, I favored and have played
both} Bc5 6. Nb3 Be7 ({and} 6... Ba7)) 5... b5 (5... Qc7 6. Bd3 Nf6 7. O-O Bc5
8. Nb3 Be7 {is the other mainline.}) 6. Bd3 Qb6 {Diverting the d4 knight to a
less active square is a common motif in the Sicilian Kan.} 7. Nb3 (7. Nf3 $1 {
is critical but that's another story.}) 7... Qc7 8. O-O Nc6 9. f4 d6 10. Qe2
Nf6 11. Bd2 Be7 12. Rae1 O-O {Both sides have continued extremely logically.
White's plan is typically centred around the line-opening e4-e5 while Black
will go on the offensive on the queenside with ...b5-b4 and ...a5-a4. An
alternate plan for White involves aggressive g2-g4-g5 ideas although I'm
normally quite happy to see this as my b7 bishop will be a dangerous piece for
me.} 13. Kh1 (13. e5 dxe5 14. fxe5 Nd7 15. Bf4 Bb7 {was my idea and I didn't
see a concrete way for White to proceed with his attack.}) 13... Bb7 14. Rf3 {
[%cal Gf3h3] Played with the obvious idea of Rh3 followed by e5, winning on
the spot. Such rook lifts are typical in the Sicilian although Black's
position is often resilient enough to withstand such caveman attacks.} g6 {
Closing the door on White's light square bishop.} 15. Rh3 b4 16. Nd1 Rfe8 {
[%cal Ge7f8,Gf8g7,Ge8e1] Discouraging any f4-f5 ideas and preparing Be7-f8-g7
which is a typical manoeuvre in the Sicilian Scheveningen/Kan complex.} 17. Ne3
{This keeps the possibilities of Ng4, exchanging a key defensive piece, or Nc4
where White gains control over some key squares. During the game, I thought
this was logical but it turned out that the temporary loss of control over the
e4 square was more critical than I thought.} (17. Nf2 $5 Bf8 (17... a5 18. c3
a4 19. Nd4 $1 Nxd4 20. cxd4 {is the point, when e4 is now defended. Still,
Black seems fine after} Qb6 {,with a complicated position.}) 18. Ng4 Nxg4 19.
Qxg4 Bg7 20. c3 a5 21. Qh4 h5 22. Qg3 {with complex play seems better.}) 17...
a5 $1 18. c3 a4 $1 19. Nc1 a3 $1 {Black managed to gain several tempi and
since I had the chance to break White's queenside early, I should take it!
However, I had to calculate the consequences of the following exchange
sacrifice.} 20. bxa3 Rxa3 21. Nc4 bxc3 $1 {An extravagant exchange sacrifice
where Black didn't even gain a pawn for it. I was a little bit nervous going
into this sequence as there was no immediate win and I was counting on the
activity of my minor pieces to generate enough play. I also understood that
Black's compensation lies in the discoordinated pieces but this was a
temporary weakness and I had to stop White from consolidating at all costs.} (
21... Rxc3 22. Bxc3 bxc3 {was also possible but I liked the idea of pushing
the white knight to c3 so that I gain a tempo with the liberating ...d5.}) ({
I didn't consider the retreat} 21... Raa8 {due to the obvious} 22. cxb4 {but
even here, Black gains an excellent position with} d5 $1) 22. Nxa3 cxd2 (22...
Nd4 $1 23. Qd1 cxd2 24. Qxd2 d5 {may be more accurate.}) 23. Qxd2 d5 24. Nc2 $6
{This handed a permanent advantage to Black although it seems like he gets a
complicated game with sufficient compensation in every scenario:} (24. e5 $2
Bxa3 25. exf6 Bb4 26. Qf2 Bxe1 27. Qxe1 Qxf4 $19) (24. Nb5 $1 {may be best.}
Qb6 25. e5 (25. exd5 Bb4 $1 (25... Nxd5 26. f5 $1) 26. Qb2 Nxd5 $44) 25... Ng4
26. Rf1 Nb4 $13) 24... dxe4 25. Bxe4 Bd6 $5 {During the game, I was very happy
with this move but the powerful engine demonstrated} (25... Nxe4 26. Rxe4 Na5
$1 27. Re1 Nc4 28. Qf2 Nd6 $1 {[%cal Gd6e4,Gd6f5] A truly extraordinary and
creative manoeuvre!}) 26. Qc3 $2 {After this, White's game went downhill very
quickly.} ({Keeping 1 bishop with} 26. Bf3 {was crucial to White's defence,
for example,} Bxf4 27. Qc3 Be5 28. Qc4 {with counterplay. This was also why 25.
..Nxe4, mentioned in the previous note was much stronger.}) 26... Nxe4 27. Rxe4
Rc8 $1 {Taking advantage of White's awkwardly placed pieces on the c-file.
This move opened up numerous tactical ideas which was hardly easy to defend
against in a practical game.} ({My opponent expected the materialistic} 27...
Bxf4 {which I rejected on account of} 28. Nd3 Bg5 29. Nc5 {which unnecessarily
allows White's pieces to be somewhat activated. Still, I prefer Black here but
White would have something more to play for.}) 28. Nb3 (28. Rc4 Ba6 {was an
important detail. Black's domination down the c-file was very critical and
this cannot be compromised.}) 28... Ne7 $1 {I was initially reluctant to trade
queens as I was still an exchange down here (with no extra pawns) but my
doubts quickly dissipated when I saw that the f4 pawn will soon be lost and it
would be virtually impossible to restrict the activity of Black's bishop pair
and active knight. This was one of those rare cases where the minor pieces
simply work better than the rooks despite the presence of several open files.}
29. Qxc7 Rxc7 30. Re2 Nd5 31. Rf3 {Returning the exchange after which White no
longer had any chances.} (31. Rd2 Bxf4 32. Rf2 e5 33. Ne1 e4 {would have been
also quite gloomy for White but at least some accuracy from the second player
would still have been required.}) 31... Nxf4 32. Rd2 Bxf3 33. gxf3 Be5 34. Kg1
Bc3 35. Rd8+ Kg7 36. Na3 Bb4 37. Nb5 Rc2 {Winning a second pawn and the game.}
38. a3 Rb2 39. axb4 Rxb3 40. Nd6 Rxb4 41. Rd7 Rb1+ 42. Kf2 Rb2+ 43. Kf1 Rb1+
44. Kf2 Nd3+ 45. Kg2 Ne5 46. Ra7 Rb6 47. Ne8+ Kf8 48. Nf6 Rb2+ 49. Kg3 h5 50.
f4 Rb3+ 51. Kg2 Ng4 52. Nh7+ Kg8 53. Ng5 Nh6 54. Ra8+ Kg7 55. Ra7 Kf6 56. Nf3
Rb4 57. h3 Rxf4 58. Kg3 g5 59. Rxf7+ $5 Nxf7 {This important win eventually
led to my 2nd IM norm.} 0-1
<br />
<br /></div>
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I've sold several books since my last advert - here's the latest update on available books. PM me if you are keen:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kba9Yamie4c/UtnJs3FcWTI/AAAAAAAAAWY/4w99rT26R-o/s1600/Books+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kba9Yamie4c/UtnJs3FcWTI/AAAAAAAAAWY/4w99rT26R-o/s1600/Books+1.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The entire "Openings for White according to Anand" up till Volume 13 is available<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_m8921UaHi8/UtnJtStLjDI/AAAAAAAAAWg/27MdQJqSOpg/s1600/Books+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_m8921UaHi8/UtnJtStLjDI/AAAAAAAAAWg/27MdQJqSOpg/s1600/Books+2.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I don't think anyone is interested in the Master Tax Guide?<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y-xdVHPtUE0/UtnJtfeQPDI/AAAAAAAAAWc/pRSk2m2Ax8Q/s1600/Books+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y-xdVHPtUE0/UtnJtfeQPDI/AAAAAAAAAWc/pRSk2m2Ax8Q/s1600/Books+3.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<script src="http://fritzserver.info/cbjschess/jquery/jquery-last.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script data-adv-options="{method: AdvMethod.STATIC_LINK}" data-notation-options="{notationLocalization: GlyphLocalization}" id="idcbjschess" src="http://fritzserver.info/cbjschess/jquery.chessbase.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>IM Kevin Gohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365772817514475507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-593228688914103789.post-14740131862518633352014-01-04T16:46:00.000+08:002014-01-04T16:51:20.396+08:0027th SEA Games - the story (Part 3)After the heart breaking loss in the previous round, I had to pull myself together as I had to face another strong Grandmaster in the form of Oliver Barbosa. A medal was still within reach but I had to win 2/2 which was anything but easy. Still, I was determined to make a fight out of it and the result was another interesting fighting game:
<br />
<title>A game that I liked (ChessBase 12)</title>
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "27th SEA Games Rapid"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.12.18"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Goh Wei Ming, Kevin"]
[Black "Oliver Barbosa"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "B12"]
[PlyCount "64"]
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. c4 $5 {This was an old move favoured by the
Romanian Grandmaster Nevednichy which I felt contain a fair bit of venom.
Ideal for blitz and rapid!} ({I have also played} 4. Nd2) ({and} 4. h4 h5 5. c4
{before.}) 4... e6 5. Nc3 Nd7 6. Nge2 Ne7 7. Ng3 Bg6 8. cxd5 cxd5 9. Bd3 Nc6
10. O-O Qh4 11. Bb5 $1 Rc8 (11... Bb4) 12. Be3 (12. f4 $5 f5 ({grabbing a pawn
with} 12... Nxd4 $2 13. Bxd7+ Kxd7 14. Be3 {is too dangerous for Black}) 13.
exf6 Nxf6 14. f5 $1 {with the idea} Ng4 15. h3 Qxg3 16. Bf4 Ne3 17. Bxg3 Nxd1
18. Raxd1 {and with the pair bishop in full force in a wide-open position,
this looks very promising for White.}) 12... Bb4 13. f4 f5 14. Rc1 {With
simple play, White has secured more space and an easy advantage.} Qe7 15. Qb3 (
15. Na4 $1 O-O 16. a3 Ba5 17. Rf2 $1 {followed by Rfc2 is a logical and strong
positional idea.}) 15... Ba5 $2 16. a3 $2 ({The unlikely} 16. Bxc6 $1 bxc6 17.
Nb5 $1 {wins a pawn by force.}) 16... O-O 17. Na4 Bb6 18. Nxb6 Nxb6 19. Rc3 $2
{A serious inaccuracy that allows Black to make sense of his previously
awkward pieces.} (19. Qd3 a6 20. Bxc6 Rxc6 21. Rxc6 bxc6 22. Bd2 $14 {
maintains the advantage.}) 19... Na5 20. Qc2 Nac4 21. Qf2 Rc7 22. Rfc1 Rfc8 {
Black had built impressively on the queenside and I decided to sacrifice a
pawn to relieve myself of some of that pressure. Objectively, this was
unnecessary but I gained a lot of practical chances especially due to the time
control.} 23. b3 $5 Nxa3 24. Rxc7 Rxc7 25. Bd3 Be8 26. Rc5 a6 27. Qa2 Nb5 28.
Qa5 Nc8 29. Qd2 Rxc5 30. dxc5 Nba7 31. Bc2 Bb5 32. h3 g6 *
</div>
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I wasn't able to recall the full game here but after a series of twists and turns, we arrived at the following position:
<br />
<title>A game that I liked (ChessBase 12)</title>
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "27th SEA Games Rapid"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.12.18"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Goh Wei Ming, Kevin"]
[Black "Oliver Barbosa"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Wei Ming"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "5k2/2nQ4/4p2p/1PP1qp2/2B3p1/6PP/6K1/8 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "1"]
{I'm not exactly sure of the details but we reached a position that looks
approximately like this. I had several chances to play the obvious and pretty
straightforward} 1. Qd6+ {, winning right away. This is one of those moves
that I'll normally play 9 out of 10 times and again, it is inexplicable how I
can miss such a simple move. As luck would have it, I went on to lose the game,
and together with it, my medal chances once and for all.} 0-1
</div>
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Clearly, I was nowhere on Caissa's good books.
In the last round, I took the black pieces against Grandmaster John Paul Gomez who was still in the running for a medal finish. After 2 devastating afternoon losses, I was not exactly in the best of moods and decided to go all out for a consolation win:
<title>A game that I liked (ChessBase 12)</title><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="JP - Kgwm.pgn"></a>
<br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "27th SEA Games Rapid"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.12.18"]
[Round "7"]
[White "John Paul Gomez"]
[Black "Goh Wei Ming, Kevin"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B00"]
[Annotator "Wei Ming"]
[PlyCount "78"]
1. d4 Nc6 $1 {No, I was not interested in any theoretical battles and simply
want to play creative chess.} 2. e4 e5 (2... d5 {is also one of my favourites.}
) 3. dxe5 Nxe5 4. Nf3 Nxf3+ 5. Qxf3 Bc5 6. Nc3 Ne7 7. Bc4 O-O 8. Bg5 h6 9. h4
$5 Qe8 10. O-O-O d6 11. Qg3 Kh8 12. Nb5 Bb6 {Here, I felt I was getting
pressed but I thought White's pieces were not exactly well placed too. If I
manage to get my light square bishop out in time, Black would be fine.} 13. Qc3
Ng8 (13... Bd7 $1 {is strong, with the idea} 14. Bxh6 $4 f6 $1) 14. Be3 (14. f3
Bd7 15. Nd4 Qe5 16. Kb1 Rae8 17. Bd5 {seems better for White.}) 14... a6 $1 {
My opponent missed this move in his calculations.} 15. Nd4 $2 ({Sacrificing a
pawn for very little. After the game, I suggested} 15. Na3 {but Gomez didn't
like} Bxe3+ (15... Qxe4 16. Bxb6 cxb6) 16. Qxe3 b5 {when he felt his knight
was slightly estranged. However,} 17. Bd5 Rb8 18. Qa7 Be6 {would have remained
pretty unclear.}) 15... Qxe4 16. f3 Qe5 17. Qb3 Bd7 (17... Nf6 $1 18. Rhe1 d5
$1 {would have been very good for Black.}) 18. Rhe1 Qf6 {This allows White to
launch an attack afterall.} (18... Qg3 $1 19. Bxf7 $4 Bxd4 $1 $19) 19. g4 $1 {
Now everything is unclear again.} Qxh4 20. Bxf7 Qf6 21. Bxg8 Rxg8 22. g5 Qf8
23. Rh1 Re8 24. gxh6 g5 $1 {For some weird reason, Black is still surviving
here and despite the loose king, I can at least point to the activity in all
my pieces as consolation. It is not easy for White to make progress in his
attack although the passed h-pawn looks menacing, it provided ample cover for
my king. I was very optimistic about my position here and felt it contained
good practical chances.} 25. Qd3 Qf6 26. Qd2 Re7 27. Kb1 Bc6 28. c3 $2 {
Overlooking an important trick.} Bxf3 $1 29. h7 (29. Nxf3 Bxe3 $17) (29. Rdf1
Qg6+ $1 {wins for Black.}) 29... Rgg7 30. Rdf1 Qg6+ (30... g4 $1 $17) 31. Ka1
Bxh1 32. Rf8+ $1 {I completely missed this move and was very fortunate that I
wasn't just losing.} Kxh7 33. Qh2+ Qh6 34. Rh8+ Kxh8 35. Qxh6+ Kg8 36. Qxh1 (
36. Ne6 $1 Bxe3 37. Nxg7 Rxg7 38. Qxh1 c6 39. Qe4 Bf4 40. Qe8+ {forces a draw.
Now Black is back in the driver's seat.}) 36... Rxe3 37. Nf5 Re5 38. Nxg7 Kxg7
$2 {A terrible automatic move.} ({Missing the not so obvious} 38... Bf2 $3 {,
winning immediately.}) 39. a3 d5 {The game went on for many moves but with
very little time, I was not able to stifle White's counter play effectively
(he managed to take my b7-pawn and create a passed a-pawn) and had to be
content with a draw.} 1/2-1/2
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<br />
The result was certainly disappointing but I felt good about my play in general and with a bit of luck, a medal was certainly not unthinkable. Ultimately, the experience and composure of the Grandmasters told in the end but at least I put up a lot of resistance and was happy that I was able to get good positions despite the lack of theoretical discussion involved. I generally rely on my opening preparation a lot but the games at the very least show that I was able to play creatively when I need to.
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The next few days were spent earnestly preparing for the Mixed Pair Transfer event. Before the Games, it was everyone's opinion that here lies our best chance of snaring a medal, given that the rules were written locally and we had the benefit of actually playing out the rules in training games by following the National Transfer Chess Championships, even before these were finalised. After following the Mens' Pair tournament, it was clear how difficult it was going to be. The street style of transfer chess clearly suited the Indonesians who looked formidable in their gold and bronze medal finishes in the Mens' Pair. Megaranto in particular was a speed monster who plays amazingly fast and accurate. At the same time, they had the benefit of training against one another during the days leading up to the event while Yang and I had no one to train with (more on this in a later post). We were fortunate that the Malaysians offered to train with us or else we would literally have zero warm up games. A shout out to Yee Weng, Zhuo-ren, Jianwen, Li Ting and Nabila, thanks a lot guys!
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<br />
We finished tied 4th, losing in critical matches to both Indonesian teams and the Vietnamese pair of Dao Thien Hai and Nhu Y. We certainly had our chances but I am fairly confident in saying the above medal winners would beat virtually any Mens' Pair from Singapore, such is the strength of the Indonesian girls in display. Still, I am very pleased with our final result and feel that both Yang and I could not have done anything more. <br />
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I'll just like to credit my partner for being very accommodating with all my training requests and putting up with a lot of my harsh words during practice. I am genuinely very proud of her as she clearly improved by leaps and bounds and saved a lot of the games when I was in dire straits. <br />
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To all those who have been encouraging and helping us throughout this period, thank you. It means a lot to us. If we do include Chess in the next SEA Games, 2015 will be a better year!
IM Kevin Gohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365772817514475507noreply@blogger.com0