Today on the top board at the 50th World Junior Championship IM Alex Rombaldoni of Italy defeated GM Salgado Lopez of Spain. The Italian junior is having one hell of a tournament. He stands in clear first place with a 5 - 0 score. Salgado Lopez falls to 3 ½ - 1 ½. IM Kacper Piorun of Poland defeated IM Sahart Grover of India to reach second place all alone. Tomorrow the top two, Rombaldoni and Poirun face each other on board one.
Further down the line, US GM Ray Robson defeated IM Priyadharshan, 2376 of India to reach a 3 ½ - 1 ½ score. Robson needs to avoid losses and to achieve a couple more wins to salvage rating points at this event.
Here’s the game with which Rombaldoni took first:
Rombaldoni, Axel (2459) - Salgado Lopez, Ivan (2626) [B81]
50th World Junior Ch Chennai, India, 06.08.2011
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.g4,..
The Keres Attack, and in the spirit of the late great Estonian GM the game becomes complex and tactical.
6..., a6 7.Bg2 Nc6 8.Nxc6 bxc6 9.e5 dxe5 10.Qxd8+,..
Rbyka says 10 Bxc6+, is much better.
10..., Kxd8 11.Bxc6 Rb8 12.g5 Nd7 13.b3 Kc7 14.Bg2 h6 15.g6 f5 16.Bb2 h5 17.Rg1 Rh6 18.Bf1 Bc5 19.Na4 Bb4+ 20.Kd1 Bb7 21.a3 Bd6
These young men are not adverse to piling on tension. Whatever way you turn in this game careful accurate calculation is demanded.
22.Bc3 Rf8 23.Ke1 h4 24.Rd1 Bf3 25.Be2 Bxe2 26.Kxe2 Rb8
It obvious with a computer to help; if 26..., Rf6 27 Rd2, and the doubling of the White rooks on the d-file along with pressure on e5 will give White a winning advantage. This theme runs through the next operations.
27.Rd3 Nf6 28.Rgd1 Nd5 29.Bd2 Rxg6 30.c4 e4 31.Rd4 Nf4+ 32.Bxf4 Bxf4
Black is somewhat better here. Unless White finds counter-play, the weakness of his K-side bodes ill for his chances. The next few moves create dangers for the Black King - that is counter-play!
33.Nc5 Ra8 34.b4 h3?
A critical mistake. Black had to play 34..., Kc6; avoiding the coming check on d7, giving Black time for .., a6-a5; making breathing room for his King. Opening the a-file also creates serious threats on the White King. The game move does not pay enough attention to White’s plans costing a heavy price.
35.Rd7+ Kc6 36.Nb3,..
The White pieces threaten serious harm to the Black King.
36..., Bc7
This move allows a tactical finish. Another longer way beginning 36..., a5; leads to the same result, a win for White after; 37 Nxa5+ Rxa5 38 bxa5 Bxh2 39 a6 Bb8 40 Rb7 Bf4 41 Rdb1 h2 42 a7 Rg1 43 a8 (Q) h1 (Q) 44 Qc8+, and mate the next.
37.Na5+ Kb6 38.R1d6+ 1–0
Continuing to follow the adventures of Schenectady’s Deepak Aaron gives us this rather technical draw with the young Sidhant of India:
Aaron, Deepak (2288) - Sidhant, Mohapatra (2155) [B45]
50th World Junior Ch Chennai, India, 06.08.2011
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Ndb5 Bb4 7.a3 Bxc3+ 8.Nxc3 d5 9.exd5 exd5 10.Bd3 0–0 11.0–0 d4 12.Ne2 Qd5 13.Nf4 Qd6 14.Nh5 Nxh5 15.Qxh5 h6 16.Re1 Bd7 17.Qh4 Rfe8 18.Bf4 Qd5
All this is theory from the Open Sicilian Four Knights. The databases have plenty of material in them for searching and comparison of similar positions. There was, however, only one game with exactly the same moves:
Balcerak, Philipp (2202) - Frackowiak, Oliver (2083) [B45]
GER-chT U20 Greifswald (4.3), 28.12.2002
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6 6.Ndb5 Bb4 7.a3 Bxc3+ 8.Nxc3 d5 9.exd5 exd5 10.Bd3 0–0 11.0–0 d4 12.Ne2 Qd5 13.Nf4 Qd6 14.Nh5 Nxh5 15.Qxh5 h6 16.Re1 Bd7 17.Qh4 Rfe8 18.Bf4 Qd5 19.Bxh6 gxh6 20.Qxh6 f5 21.Qg6+ ½–½
White took advantage of the opportunity in this other under 20 event to force a draw. Deepak is more combative. He has the Bishop pair and Black has an isolated d-pawn to play against. It may be Deepak’s nature, or it may be GM Ronen Har-Zvi’s teaching, but just because there is a draw for the taking he sees no reason to so. As Ronen is fond of saying; “if you think you have some advantage, play it out!”
19.Qg3 Kh8 20.f3,..
The more tactical alternative; 20 b4, creates a different endgame picture after; 20..., Bf5 21 b5 Bxd3 22 Qxd3 Na5 23 Rxe8+ Rxe8 24 Be3 Nc4 25 Bxd4 Qxb5 26 Bxa7, but it does not offer any immediate advantage. Neither does the text move.
20..., Bf5 21.Rad1,..
Black obtains some initiative after this move. 21 Qf2, is perhaps a little better.
21..., Bxd3 22.Rxd3 Qc5 23.Rxe8+ Rxe8 24.Qf2 Qb5 25.Bc1 Qe5
If Black wanted to try to build on his Q-side pressure, then 25..., a5; suggests itself.
26.Rd1 Re6 27.b3 Qb5 28.Rd3 Qa5 29.Kf1 Qb5 30.Kg1 Qa5 31.Kf1 Qb5 32.Kg1 Qa5 33.b4 Qb5 ½–½
Both sides took care in the final half-dozen moves to keep the balance neither wishing to take unnecessary risks.
Tomorrow Deepak faces a player older than himself, Erikson Roberto Maurici Soares of Angola, 2181. Early in his career Soares had quick success and posted a 2262 rating in 2007. Since then his results have fallen off drifting down some 80 points. In the event so far, Soares began well drawing two IM’s before losing to another IM. He won from the unrated Ugandan Emojing Elijah and lost in the last round to the Australian FM Junta Ikeda. Soares has faced a somewhat stronger opposition so far. Tomorrow’s game may well be a interesting test for Deepak.
More soon.
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