In 2023, a lot of tournament chess was being contested by eager schoolchildren and there has been an extraordinary rise in their advancement. They have become sharper, bolder, and more accurate. They are more polished.
Take Sachin Pitamber, Kyle Couchman and Aditi Joshi for example, all Queen’s College students. I participated in the first Grand Prix tournament of 2024 and I was pleasantly surprised at the sharpness of their play. They were a cut above the rest of their junior counterparts within their separate categories.
At this second Grand Prix tournament, Pitamber, Couchman and Joshi distinguished themselves as the tournament progressed. As this column was being written, Pitamber was yet to lose a game, Couchman had lost only to Taffin Khan but defeated a respectable 1700-plus contestant in Olympian Ronuel Greenidge, while Joshi drew with the dangerous Pooja Lam and defeated the 2023 national champion Jessica Callender.
Special mention should also be made of Gilbert Williams and Rashad Hussein who waged strong battles against Greenidge, and seasoned campaigner Loris Nathoo, respectively.
The second Grand Prix concludes today. Grand Prix points are required for selection to the biennial Olympiad.
Chess Game
White: Alireza Firouzja
Black: Wei Yi
Event: 2024 Tata Steel Masters, Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, January 6
Type of Game: Queen’s Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defence
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. e3 dxc4 6. Bxc4 a6 7. Bd3 Nbd7 8. Qe2 b5 9. O-O Bb7 10. Rd1 Bd6 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. h3 O-O 13. e4 Qc7 14. Be3 Rac8 15. Rac1 Bxe3 16. Qxe3 Qb6 17. Nd4 Ne5 18. Be2 Rfd8 19. f3 h5 20. Kf2 h4 21. Nb3 Qxe3+ 22. Kxe3 g5 23. Rxd8+ Rxd8 24. Nc5 Bc8 25. a4 Nfd7 26. Nxd7 Bxd7 27. axb5 axb5 28. Nxb5 Ng6 29. Rd1 Kf8 30. b4 Ke7 31. Nc3 Rc8 32. Kd2 Ne5 33. b5 Kd6 34. Kc2+ Kc7 35. Kb3 Rb8 36. Kb4 Be8 37. Na4 Nc6+ 38. Kc5 Ne5 39. Rc1 Rd8 40. Kb4+ Kb7 41. Rc5 f6 42. Rc2 Rd6 43. Ka5 f5 44. Nc5+ Ka7
45. Na6 Bd7 46. exf5 1-0.
Black resigns.
