6 September 2015

Butterfly net

IM Vladimir Barsky reviews the first round of the World U20 Championships.

The first round review of any major competition usually begins with a phrase like “favorites confirmed their reputation, but not without surprises”. However, the World Junior Championship is not an ordinary Swiss, but the festival of young talents from all over the world. And talents, as you know, make progress in leaps, not gradually. Some of them can show themselves when they are 14 or 15, other blossom closer to 20. It is a common thing when a junior gains 100 Elo points in one year. Therefore, from the first round in Khanty-Mansiysk the stiff fights began almost on all boards. Suffice it to say that in the women's event two top GMs, Aulia Medina Warda (Indonesia) and Dinara Saduakassova (Kazakhstan), were defeated by Karina Ivanova (Russia) and Paula Paredes Bustamante (Peru). In the open section GM Jorge Cori (Peru, 2637) lost to the Brazilian Vitor Carneiro (2405), and not for nothing: he got a worse position in the opening and failed to defend it. The Elo favorite Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Poland), who played White against Misratdin Iskandarov, also faced big difficulties. The junior from Azerbaijan has developed a dangerous king's attack, but hesitated, and Polish GM repulsed it, starting a counterattack.

Aleksandra Goryachkina, two-times World Junior's Champion and the Russian Women's Champion, this year plays in an open section, as we previously reported. In the first round, playing Black, she defeated Chingiz Serikbay from Kazakhstan. She won in her typical manner, methodically overplaying the opponent in a slightly better ending by slowly improving pieces coordination. Among Russians Mikhail Antipov, Dmitry Gordievsky, Daniil Yuffa and Vasiliy Korchmar also made mark, and in the girl's section Irina Drogovoz and very young Leya Garifullina (born in 2004!) have won, as well as Karina Ivanova.

Taalaibekov – Yuffa

White has an extra exchange, but his pieces are separated and poorly coordinated, and the king is weak. With the next moves Daniil acts like he is throwing a butterfly net over his opponent's pieces.

48…Nf4! 49.Rf3

The knight is invincible: 49.Qxf4 e2+.

49...g5! 50.Qg3

The pawn also cannot be taken: 50.Qxg5 e2+ 51.Kf2 Nh3+!, after this discovered check White loses the queen again.

50...Qc4+

White resigned, because he finally loses the queen (51.Kg1 Ne2+).

Drogovoz – Thomas

White wants to use the pin of the knight on f6, but after the immediate 27.g4 follows, for example, 27...Qb1+ 28.Kg2 Qe4+. That's why White moves her knight close to the center, at the same time inviting the opponent to “enjoy” the pawn.

27.Nc3 Qxb3?

Taking the bait.

28.g4!

And it turns out that Black cannot avoid the brute threat of g4-g5. After 28…Qe6 29.g5 Qg4+ 30.Kf2 Qh4+ 31.Kf1 Qh3+ 32.Ke1 Qe6+ 33.Kd2 White took the king away from checks and put into force the extra material.

Grigoryan – Leiva

Black has carelessly weakened his king and came under a devastating attack.

27.Nf5! Qb8

The knight is taboo: 27...exf5 28.Qxe8. Black defended the rook, but White does not want to relocate his knight at all, and increases pressure on the e-file.

28.Re1 Nc8 29.Bd5!

White seems just not paying attention to the pawn e6!

29…Kh8 30.Qh5 Nd6 31.Bxe6 Black resigned.

Van Laeken – Studer

White sacrificed a piece, but his cruel passed pawn seems to become a queen in a little while. However, the white king is too weak…

33…Rd2+ 34.Kg1

After 34.Kh3 follows a dramatic 34…Ng4!, and the white king is caught in a net: 35.Rh1 (35. fxg4 fxg4+ 36.Kh4 Rxh2#) 35…Nf2+ 36.Kg2 Ne4+ 37.Kh3 Ng5#.

34...Rcc2 35.a7 Nd5 36.Re1

Or 36.a8Q Rg2+ 37.Kh1 Rxh2+ 38.Kg1 Rcg2+ 39.Kf1 Nxe3+ 40.Ke1 Re2#, and after 36.Rh8+ (to move the queen with a check) Black simply ignores the gift: 36…Kg6.

36...Nxe3! 37.Rh8+

The knight cannot be taken because of the line checkmate, that's why White uses his last chance.

37…Kg6

Declining a Greek gift. White resigned.

Rambaldi – Ratkovic

The Italian Francesco Rambaldi is called “the new Caruana” in his homeland. We don't know how Ratkovic is called in Serbia, but in this game he hasn't met his match.

27.Nxh5

In this crazy position White wins by 27.Qxc6! Nxf6 (or 27...Qg3+ 28.Kxe2 Nxf6 29.Rxf5 exf5 30.Be6+ Rd7 31.Qb7#) 28.Qb7+ Kd7 29.Ne5+ Ke8 30.Ba4+ Kf8 31.Qxc7.

27...Rdg8 28.Qxc6

One move later this capture is no longer appropriate! A victory is achieved by 28.Nxh8 h3 29.Qxc6 Rxg2+ 30.Ke3!, and the king escapes through the mine area.