Chess with Errol Tiwari

By Errol Tiwari On In Chess with Errol |

World Junior Championships

The World Junior Championships concluded last evening in Gaziantep, Turkey. Youths who had not reached their 20th birthday at the beginning of the tournament, were eligible to participate. A total of 195 chessplayers from 60 countries competed for championship honours.

Women’s International Master Betul Cemre Yildiz (2236) from Turkey, another contestant in the World Junior Championships
Women’s International Master Betul Cemre Yildiz (2236) from Turkey, another contestant in the World Junior Championships

At the time of writing and with two rounds to go, Germany’s Arik Braun, International Master, and India’s Harika Dronavalli were the leaders in the male and female sections respectively. China’s 13-year-old prodigy Hou Hifan competed in the male section of the championships.

Gashimov v Svidler

The second FIDE Grand Prix tournament was played in Sochi, Russia, recently. Fourteen chess players from ten different countries participated in the elimination contest to find a worthy challenger for the world champion.

Meet teenage Alejandro Ramirez who competed at the World Junior Championships – the first ever Grandmaster of chess from Costa Rica.
Meet teenage Alejandro Ramirez who competed at the World Junior Championships – the first ever Grandmaster of chess from Costa Rica.

Vassily Ivanchuk was the favourite and highest-ranked player in the tournament. He faltered, however, allowing the Armenian grandmaster Levon Aronian to take a clear first with 8½ points from the thirteen games which were played. In second place was the Ukranian prodigy Teimour Radjabov, followed by Wang Yue and Gata Kamsky.

Today’s feature is a much-praised endgame by Peter Svidler. He took an objectively drawn endgame and turned it into a magnificent win.

Gashimov,V (2717) – Svidler, P (2738)
2nd FIDE GP Sochi RUS (13), 14.8.2008
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Re8 10.d4 Bb7 11.a4 Qd7 12.Nbd2 Bf8 13.Bc2 exd4 14.cxd4 Nb4 15.Bb1 g6 16.Ra3 bxa4 17.Rxa4 a5 18.Ra3 Bg7 19.e5 dxe5 20.dxe5 Nfd5 21.Ne4 Qb5 22.Bd2 Nb6 23.Nc3 Qd7 24.Be4 Bxe4 25.Rxe4 Nc6 26.Qe2 Nxe5 27.Nxe5 Rxe5 28.Rxe5 Bxe5 29.Qxe5 Qxd2 30.Ne4 Nd7 31.Nxd2 Nxe5 32.Rc3 Ra7 33.Nb3 Nd7 34.Rd3 Nb6 35.Nd4 c5 36.Nc6 Ra8 37.Rb3 Nc4 38.Rb5 a4 39.Ne7+ Kg7 40.Nd5 Rc8 41.Nc3 a3 42.bxa3 Nxa3 43.Rb7 c4 44.Ra7 Nc2 45.Rd7 Nb4 46.Rd4 Nd3 47.g3 Kf6 48.Kf1 Ke5 49.Rd5+ Ke6 50.Rd4 f5 51.f4 Nc1 52.Rd5 Nb3 53.g4 Rf8 54.Re5+ Kd6 55.Kf2 fxg4 56.Re4 gxh3 57.Rxc4 g5 58.Kg3 h2 59.Kxh2 Rxf4 60.Rxf4 gxf4 61.Ne4+ Ke5 62.Ng5 h5 63.Kh3 Nc5 64.Kh4 Ne6 65.Nh3 Ng7 66.Kg5 f3

Now 67.Nf2 Kd4 68.Kf4 and 69.Kxf3 secures the draw. But White continued: 67.Kg6?? h4! 68.Kg5 Ke4 69.Kxh4 Ke3 70.Kg4 Ne6 71.Kg3 Nd4 72.Kh2 Ne2 73.Kh1 Nf4 74. Nxf4 Kxf4 75. Kg1 Ke3 ( DIAGRAM ). White Resigns. 0—1.