Wednesday, May 13, 2009

ASIAN CONTINENTAL CHESS ROUND 1 - GM'S SASIKIRAN and SO LEADS EARLY WINNERS


(GM So vs. GM Zang Pengxiang in 1st round action in the China Chess League)
Picture courtesy of GM So's mother, Lenny So.


The Asia Continental Chess Championship, a qualification tournament for the World Cup 2009 and to the Women's World Championship next year, officially launched yesterday in Subic Freeport, Philippines. The importance of the Championship, and the rich prize fund of $50,000 in Men’s Division and $15,000 in Women’s Division, attracted nearly 50 Grandmasters and Women Grandmasters.

Already in the first round there were many surprises. Top GM Murtas Kazhgaleyev of Kazakhstan was stunned by the local Philippine IM Julio Catalino Sadorra. Chinese prodigy and Women's World Championship finalist, Yifan Hou, who opted to play in the open section, lost with White against her untitled compatriot Wan Yunguo.

A number of Grandmasters were forced to concede draws to the lower ranked opposition. Top seeded Krishnan Sasikiran and Wesley So routinely won their games. .

8th Asian Continental/Individual (Open)
Round 1 results:

GM Sasikiran Krishnan 1 - 0 GM Gonzales Jayson
Gundavaa Bayarsaikhan 0 - 1 GM So Wesley
GM Zhou Jianchao ½ - ½ Ding Liren
IM Sadorra Julio Catalino 1 - 0 GM Kazhgaleyev Murtas
GM Ganguly Surya Shekhar 1 - 0 IM Nguyen Thanh Son
IM Irwanto Sadikin ½ - ½ GM Ghaem Maghami Ehsan
GM Negi Parimarjan ½ - ½ FM Vidit Santosh Gujrathi
IM Wang Rui 0 - 1 GM Le Quang Liem
GM Hou Yifan 0 - 1 Wan Yunguo
Yu Yangyi ½ - ½ GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son
GM Al-Modiahki Mohamad ½ - ½ IM Dimakiling Oliver
IM Mas Hafizulhelmi 0 - 1 GM Gupta Abhijeet
GM Zhou Weiqi ½ - ½ CM Nguyen Van Huy
Xiu Deshun ½ - ½ GM Torre Eugenio
GM Sandipan Chanda 1 - 0 Garma Edgardo
Zhang Ziyang 0 - 1 GM Li Shilong
GM Megaranto Susanto 0 - 1 IM Ashwin Jayaram
Yang Kaiqi 0 - 1 GM Dao Thien Hai
GM Gomez John Paul 1 - 0 FM Priyadharshan K
Lou Yiping ½ - ½ GM Hossain Enamul
GM Paragua Mark ½ - ½ GM Murshed Niaz
IM Akshayraj Kore 0 - 1 GM Moradiabadi Elshan
GM Rahman Ziaur 1 - 0 Wang Li
FM Batchuluun Tsegmed 1 - 0 GM Bui Vinh
GM Antonio Rogelio Jr ½ - ½ FM Wahono Awam
FM Abu Sufian Shakil ½ - ½ GM Nguyen Anh Dung
GM Kunte Abhijit ½ - ½ FM Hoang Canh Huan
Elorta David 0 - 1 GM Laylo Darwin
GM Tu Hoang Thong ½ - ½ Causo Deniel
Pascua Haridas 0 - 1 GM Yu Shaoteng
Gao Rui 1 - 0 IM Bancod Ronald
Olay Edgar Reggie ½ - ½ GM Mahjoob Morteza
IM Al Sayed Moh Mad N 0 - 1 FM Novita Anjas
Jia Haoxiang ½ - ½ GM Deepan Chakkravarthy J
GM Kim Alexey ½ - ½ IM Hassan Abdullah
Yu Lie ½ - ½ IM Bitoon Richard
IM Nolte Rolando ½ - ½ FM Alhuwar Jasem
Garcia Jan Emmanuel ½ - ½ IM Toufighi Homayoon
GM Villamayor Buenaventura 1 - 0 CM Nguyen Hoang Nam
Chua Aaron 0 - 1 IM Harika Dronavalli
Celis Solomon B Iii 1 bye
( Originally posted at Chessdom.com )

Here is GM So's 1st round win as annotated by NM Glenn Bordonada (Originally posted at Barangay Wesley So page at Chessgames.com )


Slav Defense
Subic Rd. 1


1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Qc2 dxc4 5. Qxc4 Bg4 6. Nbd2 Nbd7 7. g3 e6 8. Bg2 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. Qb3 Nb6

(10... Qb6 11. Nc4 Qa6 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. e3 Rad8 15. Rfc1 Bxf3 16. Bxf3 e5 17. dxe5 Nxe5 18. Nxe5 Bxe5 19. Rc2 Qb6 20. Qxb6 axb6 21. Rd1 Rxd1+ 22. Bxd1 Rd8 23. Be2 h5 24. a3 g5 1/2-1/2, Hellsten Johan 2564 - Bareev Evgeny 2715, Rethymnon 2003 Cup European Club Final)

11. e3 c5 12. dxc5 Bxc5 13. Ne5 Be2 14. Re1 Ba6 15. Ndf3 Rc8 16. Bd2 Qe7 17. a4 Ne4 18. Ba5 Bd6 19. Bxb6 axb6 20. Rec1

(20. Qxb6 f6 21. Ng4 Bc7 (If 21... h5 22. Nh4 with a double attack: a) Bishop on Knight at e4; and b) the Knight jump to g6 forking Queen and Rook. ) 22. Qd4 f5 23. Nge5 Rcd8 24. Qa7 Ra8 25. Qd4 Rfd8 trapping the Queen.)

20... Nc5 21. Qa2 f6 22. b4

(22. Nc4 Nd3 23. Rc3 Bb4 24. Nxb6 Rxc3 25. bxc3 Bxc3 26. Rb1 with an even game.)

22... Bxe5 23. Nxe5 fxe5 24. b5

(24. bxc5 bxc5 and the passed pawn gives Black the advantage.)

24... Bxb5 25. axb5

(White is hoping that at least in this variation, Black does not have a passed pawn.)

25... Rcd8 26. Rd1 Qf6 27. Qe2

(After 27. e4 Rd4 is very strong.)

27... e4

(Black's advantage has increased. He has the focal points f3 and d3.)

28. Rxd8 Rxd8 29. Rd1 Rd3 30. Rf1 h6?!

(Looks like a time-pressure blunder but I don't know if the players were under time pressure. Stronger is 30... Qe5 putting pressure on e3 with Rook and Queen, thus preventing the freeing f-pawn push. 31. Qc2 Qd5 and the centralized Black pieces dominate the game.)

31. Bxe4

(White snatches a pawn)

31... Rb3 32. Bg2

(Stronger is 32. Bc2, keeping an eye on h7 and cutting off Black's attack on the f2-pawn by Queen and Rook)

32... Rb2 33. Qc4 Kh8 34. h4 Qf5 35. Qd4 Qf6

(Here 35... Rxb5 36. Ra1 transposes to the game.)

36. Qc4 Qf5 37. Qd4 Rxb5 38. Ra1 Kh7 39. g4 Qc2 40. h5

(White slowly loses the thread of the game. Stronger is 40. Ra8 Rb1+ 41. Kh2 Qxf2 42. Kh3 Qf6 43. h5 (43. Be4+ Nxe4 44. Qxe4+ g6 45. Qxb1 Qf3+ with a perpetual.) 43... Rf1 44. Be4+ g6 45. hxg6+ Kg7 46. Qd6 Rf3+ and Black draws again.)

40... Rb1+

(Stronger is 40... Ra5 41. Bf3 Rxa1+ 42. Qxa1 b5 and Black's passed pawns start their march.)

41. Rxb1 Qxb1+ 42. Kh2 Qc2 43. Kg3 b5 44. f4 Qc4 45. Qe5

(45. Kf2!? keeps alive White's chances to hold the game.)

45... Nd7!

(A difficult move to find psychologically, as c5 seems to be already the ideal post for the Knight. But Wesley finds something better.)

46. Qd6 Nf6 47. Bf3

(47. Bxb7 b4 48. Bf3 b3 49. Qb8 Qc3 50. g5 hxg5 51. fxg5 and White might still have drawing chances.)

47... Ne4+

(The elimination of White's Bishop simplifies the game and makes winning easier.)

48. Bxe4+ Qxe4 49. Qc5 b4 50. Qb6 Qc4 51. f5 exf5 52. Qg6+ Kh8 53. Qxf5 b3 54. Qf8+ Qg8 55. Qb4 Qd5 56. Qf8+ Kh7 57. Qe8 Qd6+ 58. Kh3 Qc6 59. Qe5 Qf3+ 60. Kh2 Qxg4 61. Qb5 Qh4+
0-1

(After the King moves, 62...Qg5+ exchanges off the Queens.)

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