19.07.2010 – ... before taking the enemy ones, White thought here when he played 34.Nb4-c2, controlling the square a1 and planning to capture the pinned Nb6 afterwards. How is Black's position now?
A) winning
B) losing
C) a shade worse.
The solution is
but first ponder over it with a larger version of the diagram.
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Lubomir Ftacnik: 1.d4 - a classical repertoire for White This DVD by Lubomir Ftacnik is an ambitious project, presenting a comprehensive set of ideas and structures in chess openings, arising after the first move 1.d4. In 34 videos (plus intro and conclusion) the author covers all 1.d4 openings - classical ones, like all Queens Gambit lines and the Indian defences, but also many interesting gambits, like the Benko, Blumenfeld and Budapest. The suggested choices are approved and active, but also safe for the first player. Many hours of explanations and suggestions will significantly shorten the time needed for building up a complete and workable set of opening weapons, usually called a repertoire.
Hold your horses before taking the enemy ones, White thought here when he played 34.Nc2, controlling the square a1 and planning to capture the pinned Nb6 afterwards. How is Black's position now?
19.07.2010 – IM Irina Krush scored a win in round eight, while her main (and only) rival IM Anna Zatonskih drew her game, so that with just one more round to go both ladies are tied at 7.0/8 points (with 2640 and 2624 performances). In the Junior section top seed Ray Robson leads ahead of surprise runner-up Parker Zhao. Don't miss the final games! Rounds seven and eight reports.
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Lubomir Ftacnik: 1.d4 - a classical repertoire for White This DVD by Lubomir Ftacnik is an ambitious project, presenting a comprehensive set of ideas and structures in chess openings, arising after the first move 1.d4. In 34 videos (plus intro and conclusion) the author covers all 1.d4 openings - classical ones, like all Queens Gambit lines and the Indian defences, but also many interesting gambits, like the Benko, Blumenfeld and Budapest. The suggested choices are approved and active, but also safe for the first player. Many hours of explanations and suggestions will significantly shorten the time needed for building up a complete and workable set of opening weapons, usually called a repertoire.
2010 U.S. Women's and
Junior Closed Championships
Two of the most prestigious tournaments in the country, the 2010 U.S. Women's
Championship and the 2010 U.S. Junior Closed Championship are taking place July
9-20 at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. IM Anna Zatonskih
is looking to defend her crown, which
she won for two years in succession. In the Junior section Ray Robson is
the top seed.
Rounds seven
Women round seven – July 17, 2010
Krush, Irina
1-0
Melekhina, Alisa
Zatonskih, Anna
1-0
Marinello, Beatriz M
Abrahamyan, Tatev
1-0
Foisor, Sabina-Francesca
Rohonyan, Katerina
1-0
Marshall, Abby
Baginskaite, Camilla
0-1
Zenyuk, Iryna
Round seven featured a crucial match-up: IM Irina Krush, who started the day
a half-point behind IM Anna Zatonskih, needed a win with White against and WIM
Alisa Melekhina to keep pace with the “struggling” Zatonskih, who
said she hasn’t been playing to her potential this tournament (but maintained
a score of 5.5/6 coming into today’s round).
IM Irina Krush in a critical round seven game against ...
... WIM Alisa Melekhina, who defended with the King's Indian
Melekhina employed a King’s Indian Defense, which created a complicated,
double-edged position as she stormed Krush’s kingside. Krush defended
well and Melekhina’s attack fell short. A pivotal move, 17...g3 allowed
18.Nxa8, but Melekhina had insufficient compensation for the rook sacrifice
and Krush used her advantage to roll to an easy victory.
IM Anna Zatonskih celebrated her birthday with a victory over WIM Beatriz
Marinello
Katerina Rohonyan won a nice game against Abby Marshall
Juniors round seven – July 17, 2010
Zhao, Parker
0-1
Robson, Ray
Shankland, Samuel L
1-0
Rosen, Eric S
Bryant, John Daniel
1-0
Zierk, Steven C
Harper, Warren
0-1
Holt, Conrad
Hughes, Tyler B
0-1
Yang, Darwin
GM Ray Robson (above) pulled out a surprise opening by employing the King’s
Indian Defense against Parker Zhao’s uncharacteristic c4 opening. “I
thought he’d play e4 instead of c4,” Robson said. Robson said he
used to play the King’s Indian when he was nine or ten, but hasn’t
revisited it much since. The two were a few moves behind the Krush-Melekhina
game and followed the line closely.
Zhao (picture above) said he wanted to deviate from Krush’s response
because he said he felt following her move-for-move would be unethical. “If
I’d won, it would be like Irina’s win,” he said. After his
victory Robson sits atop the leaderboard with a score of 5.5/7, a full point
ahead of IM Sam Shankland, FM Darwin Yang and Zhao, who all have 4.5/7.
Shankland continued a strong push toward the top with his victory against
NM Eric Rosen.
Darwin Yang (above) won a sharp and strategic game against Tyler Hughes. “Tactical
wins give me more enjoyment but they also give me more gray hairs,” the
13-year-old said. Yang needs to pull off another victory with Black against
the tournament's only grandmaster if he is to have any chance to win the championship.
Rounds eight
Women round eight – July 18, 2010
Abrahamyan, Tatev
½-½
Zatonskih, Anna
Zenyuk, Iryna
0-1
Krush, Irina
Foisor, Sabina-Francesca
0-1
Melekhina, Alisa
Marinello, Beatriz M
0-1
Rohonyan, Katerina
Marshall, Abby
0-1
Baginskaite, Camilla
WFM Tatev Abrahamyan (above) entered round eight tied with IM Irina Krush for
second place and just a half point behind IM Anna Zatonskih, her round eight
opponent. Abrahamyan appeared to have a slight advantage out of the opening,
but her opponent quickly equalized.
Anna Zatonskih (above) maintained a solid position, but was unable to generate
enough counter play to derail Abrahamyan. “I am upset with this game ...
because I still had some chances at the end,” Anna said.
Krush (above) opened her round eight game against close friend, Iryna Zenyuk.
In the 2009 U.S. Women’s Championship, Krush and Zenyuk settled for a
quick draw. Today, however, there was much more at stake. Krush used the Blumenfeld
Counter Gambit to gain a strong center with pawns on d4, d5 and c5. Although
she has never played or studied the Blumenfeld before, she said she opted for
that particular opening choice at 11:30 p.m. Saturday night after struggling
to make a decision. “There’s no way Iryna would be able to prepare
for this,” Krush said.
WIM Iryna Zenyuk lost a tough game against her friend IM Irina Krush
Juniors round eight – July 18, 2010
Robson, Ray
½-½
Yang, Darwin
Zhao, Parker
1-0
Harper, Warren
Rosen, Eric S
1-0
Hughes, Tyler B
Zierk, Steven C
½-½
Shankland, Samuel L
Holt, Conrad
0-1
Bryant, John Daniel
1.d4?? Darwin Yang, right, is stunned by Ray Robson's choice of opening
GM Ray Robson, top seed in the Junior section, reached into his bag of tricks
once again in round eight. After playing the King’s Indian for the first
time in more than five years in round seven, Robson started with d4 against
FM Darwin Yang, an opening he rarely employs. “I spent the morning preparing
for e4 and these complicated French Winawer lines, and I go to the board, and
then: d4,” Yang said. Robson said he thinks he’s had luck on his
side throughout this tournament, and that he’s still not playing to his
full potential.
Robson’s draw today opened the door for Zhao to make a run at the Junior
Closed Championship title.
FM Parker Zhao (above left) managed to hold off FM Warren Harper to give himself
a chance to claim the Junior Closed Championship. Zhao entered the tournament
second lowest by rating, and his surprise run this year has created an exciting
round nine finale in the Junior Closed event.
Standings after eight rounds – Women
Zatonskih has White on Monday against WGM Sabina Foisior, who has a score of
just 2.5/8, but brings a reputation as a difficult opponent. IM Irina Krush
will have White against WFM Abby Marshall, who has had a disappointing tournament
but can play the spoiler tomorrow with a strong performance. “I don’t
feel like I need to root against anybody, because I’ve done everything
I could here and I’ll try my best tomorrow,” Krush said. “I’m
pretty happy with what I’ve shown and the level of my play.”
Standings after eight rounds – Juniors
Heading into the final round of the 2010 U.S. Junior Closed Championship, FM
Parker Zhao is just a half point behind tourney favorite and defending champion
GM Ray Robson, who has a score of 6/8. Zhao has black agaisnt FM John Bryant,
who has scored three points in his past four games. Robson can clinch a repeat
Junior Closed title if he can win with Black against FM Warren Harper.
Reports by Mike Wilmering and Katie Baldetti
Statistics
After eight rounds and forty games of play we have the following statistics
(games, percentage).
The games are being broadcast live on the official web site and on the
chess server .
If you are not a member you can download the free PGN reader ChessBase
Light, which gives you immediate access. You can also use the program
to read, replay and analyse PGN games. New and enhanced: CB Light 2009!
19.07.2010 – For the fourth consecutive year, the Leiden Chess Tournament was held at the Mind Sports Center in Leiden, Netherlands. Erik Van den Doel seemed poised to run away with the event, before lightning struck in the last two rounds, allowing Pedrag Nikolic an unexpected opportunity to take the laurels. We bring you the report complete with videos and test positions.
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Lubomir Ftacnik: 1.d4 - a classical repertoire for White This DVD by Lubomir Ftacnik is an ambitious project, presenting a comprehensive set of ideas and structures in chess openings, arising after the first move 1.d4. In 34 videos (plus intro and conclusion) the author covers all 1.d4 openings - classical ones, like all Queens Gambit lines and the Indian defences, but also many interesting gambits, like the Benko, Blumenfeld and Budapest. The suggested choices are approved and active, but also safe for the first player. Many hours of explanations and suggestions will significantly shorten the time needed for building up a complete and workable set of opening weapons, usually called a repertoire.
From July 9 to July 18, the 4th Leiden Chess Tournament was held in the Mind
Sports Center in Leiden, Netherlands. The event was comprised of two tournaments,
the A event, for players rated over 1850 Elo, and the B event, for players under
1900 Elo. Both tournaments were nine rounds played at 40 moves in 90 minutes,
plus 30 minutes knockout, with a 30 second increment per move as of the first
move.
The A event had 97 players, including five grandmasters, five international
masters, and seven FIDE masters vying for the 1750 Euro first prize. GM Erik
Van den Doel looked as if he were going to run away with the tournament, with
an impressive 6.5/7 start, but two consecutive losses in the final rounds left
him with a bittersweet fourth place. First through third were GM Pedrag Nikolic,
GM Sergei Tiviakov, and IM Eelke Wiersma, all with 7.0/9.
#
Player
Pts
Rtng
Perf.
WWe
BH
SB
1
GM Nikolic, Predrag
7.0
2592
2618
+0.49
53.5
40.25
2
GM Tiviakov, Sergei
7.0
2623
2608
+0.08
52.5
39.5
3
IM Wiersma, Eelke
7.0
2405
2536
+1.39
50.5
39.5
4
GM Van Den Doel, Erik
6.5
2591
2533
-0.32
55.0
37.5
5
IM Slingerland, Fred
6.5
2397
2518
+1.61
54.0
37.5
6
IM Wohl, Aleksandar H.
6.5
2375
2391
+0.36
50.5
34.75
7
GM Gofshtein, Leonid
6.5
2521
2462
-0.30
50.5
33.5
8
GM Van Der Wiel, John
6.5
2467
2410
-0.32
48.5
33.75
9
FM Bezemer, Arno
6.5
2322
2347
+0.46
48.0
33.0
10
Michielsen, Joost
6.5
2397
2308
-0.75
42.0
30.0
11
IM Lalith, Babu M.R.
6.0
2502
2377
-1.12
52.5
34.0
12
IM Kaufman, Raymond
6.0
2333
2411
+1.06
49.5
30.0
13
FM Erwich, Frank
6.0
2333
2267
-0.61
46.0
28.5
14
Vistisen, Lars
6.0
2143
2286
+1.69
43.5
25.75
15
FM Wantola, Ivo
6.0
2309
2243
-0.53
43.0
28.25
16
Ducarmon, Quinten
6.0
2225
2301
+0.88
43.0
26.0
Anne Haast about to face Erik Van den Doel.
The B event had 49 players, and was won by Stef Van der Zon (1691) who took
home 500 Euros for his effort.
#
Player
Pts
Rtng
Perf.
WWe
BH
SB
1
Van Der Zon, Stef
7.5
1691
1962
+3.10
43.5
34.5
2
Sanders, Catheleijne
7.0
1751
1926
+1.95
49.0
37.75
3
Noordijk, Ed
6.5
1675
1849
+2.18
48.0
34.5
4
Van der Lende, Nathalie
6.5
1719
1835
+1.39
46.0
31.5
5
Kirana, Nancy
6.0
1845
1802
-0.46
49.0
31.25
6
Polak, Alexander
6.0
1737
1803
+0.77
47.5
28.75
7
Van den Bosse, Bart
6.0
1737
1785
+0.50
42.0
28.0
8
Bekker, Michael
5.5
1651
1820
+2.08
52.5
28.5
9
Leentvaar, Coen
5.5
1686
1728
+0.71
48.0
27.5
10
Van den Berg, Jaap
5.5
1719
1742
+0.22
45.5
23.75
11
Braggaar, Wessel
5.5
1749
1733
-0.15
43.0
23.25
12
Gravemaker, Robin Anne
5.5
1335
1674
+3.57
37.5
19.75
13
Matai, Rudi
5.5
1798
1641
-1.39
34.0
20.75
14
Kerkvliet, Sebastiaan
5.0
1749
1743
-0.09
48.5
24.0
15
Spierings, Ben
5.0
1660
1797
+1.32
46.0
23.5
16
Van der Tol, Henk
5.0
1608
1659
+0.62
41.5
20.75
17
Baak, Karl
5.0
1770
1671
-1.18
41.5
20.0
18
Egberts, Kees
5.0
1603
1752
+1.65
41.0
20.25
19
Rekelhof, Martin
5.0
1749
1664
-1.05
40.5
21.75
20
Van Herpen, Max
5.0
1557
1619
+0.86
36.5
16.5
A couple of videos introducing the top players as well as the rest of the field
were posted.
Overview of the top players at the 4th Leiden Chess Tournament.
Overview of other players at Leiden.
We chose a few tricky positions from the tournament to test your tactical vision.
The answers are at the bottom.
1) White to play and win.
2) White is already better. How does he
cement his advantage?
To read, replay and analyse the PGN games we adivse you to download the free PGN
reader ChessBase Light. This program also gives you immediate access
to the chess server .
