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iranian player

Iranian Player

- hosseinostadghasemi February 5, 2023

India Dominates Commonwealth Chess Championship

The Commonwealth Chess Championship 2022 was held 14th to 22nd November 2022 at Citrus Hotel, Waskaduwa, Sri Lanka. The event was organized by the Chess Federation of Sri Lanka on behalf of the Commonwealth Chess Association and FIDE. Visit chess-results.com for round by round standings.
A total of 292 players participated from seven countries, namely Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Maldives, South Africa & England. Each category was held as 9 rounds swiss format with a time control of 90 minutes plus 30 seconds increment from move 01. A total cash fund of Rs 5.5 million was offered to the winners with trophies, medals and certificates. Fifty five titled players competing in all the categories.
Winners were selected in the following categories.
01. Open
02. Women
03. Under 08 Open
04. Under 08 Girls
05. Under 10 Open
06. Under 10 Girls
07. Under 12 Open
08. Under 12 Girls
09. Under 14 Open
10. Under 14 Girls
11. Under 16 Open
12. Under 16 Girls
13. Under 18 Open
14. Under 18 Girls
15. Under 20 Open
16. Under 20 Girls
17. Over 60
In the Open category, IM P Shyaamnikhil of India won the championship with 7.5/9 points. GM Guha Mitrabha of India and IM M Pranesh of India won the first and second runners position respectively.
In the Women’s category, WCM Sayuni Gihansa Jayaweera of Sri Lanka won the championship with 5.5/9 points. WIM Sakshi Chitlange of India and WIM S D Ranasinghe of Sri Lanka won the first and second runners position respectively.
In the Under 08 Open category, Samar Dayal of England won the championship with 7.5/9 points. AFM Safarullakhan Safin of India and V Aadhya of India won the first and second runners position respectively.
In the Under 08 Girls category, A Charvi of India won the championship with 8.5/9 points. J Vaneesha Oshini Gomes of Sri Lanka and R B Hasadi Sethumsa of Sri Lanka won the first and second runners position respectively.
In the Under 10 Open category, Vishal Shah Vivaan of India won the championship with a perfect score of 9/9 points. Maddukuri Ritesh of India and Sarbalia Aarav of India won the first and second runners position respectively.
In the Under 10 Girls category, Devindya Oshini Gunawardhana of Sri Lanka won the championship with 6.5/9 points. Ranganath Aadya of India and Shah Hanya of India won the first and second runners position respectively.
In the Under 12 Open category, AIM Ethan Vaz of India won the championship with 8/9 points. Krishna H Goutham of India and Pamok Methdinu Samaranayake of Sri Lanka won the first and second runners position respectively.
In the Under 12 Girls category, AFM Gupta Shubhi of India won the championship with a perfect score of 9/9 points. Pattnaik Sherali of India and AFM R M Dulinma Hemalni Rathnayake of Sri Lanka won the first and second runners position respectively.
In the Under 14 Open category, CM Gaurang Bagwe of India won the championship with 8.5/9 points. D C B K Senevirathne of Sri Lanka and AFM B M Thesandu Aken Basnayake of Sri Lanka won the first and second runners position respectively.
In the Under 14 Girls category, M Esandi Newansa of Sri Lanka won the championship with 7.5/9 points. Joni Naik Falak of India and M Sreekumar Anupam of India won the first and second runners position respectively.
In the Under 16 Open category, IM M Pranesh of India won the championship with a perfect score of 9/9 points. Brijeash Saravanabaavan of Sri Lanka and AIM Aruthran Arunakirinathan of Sri Lanka won the first and second runners position respectively.
In the Under 16 Girls category, S Kanishkaof India won the championship with 7/9 points. G Tejaswini of India and Desandhi Dhihansa Gamage of Sri Lanka won the first and second runners position respectively.
In the Under 18 Open category, CM Kamotra Soham of India won the championship with 8/9 points. K G T S D Kiriella of Sri Lanka and Rashmika Thenuwara of Sri Lanka won the first and second runners position respectively.
In the Under 18 Girls category, V Rindhiya of India won the championship with 5/9 points. Chanindi Mewna Attanayake of Sri Lanka and WCM Minethma Lasandi Wickramasinghe of Sri Lanka won the first and second runners position respectively.
In the Under 20 Open category, FM Ranindu Dilshan Liyanage of Sri Lanka won the championship with 6.5/9 points. Sharma Dushyant of India and CM Gaurang Bagwe of India won the first and second runners position respectively.
In the Under 20 Girls category, WGM Nutakki Priyanka of India won the championship with 5.5/9 points. V Rindhiya of India and Lakshmi S Nair Swara of India won the first and second runners position respectively.
In the Over 60 category, WIM Bagyashree Sathe Thipsay of India won the championship with 5/9 points. T D R Peiris of Sri Lanka and Joseph Jayasinghe of Sri Lanka won the first and second runners position respectively.
- Abundo December 21, 2022

2022 New Zealand Championship – starts today

The 129th New Zealand Championship is running from the 2nd to the 12th of January 2022. The event is being held at Riccarton Park, Christchurch and has a total prize fund of $10,000.
The Championship event has attracted a field of 24 players, with FM Nic Croad the number one seed. Two time champion Croad is hoping to finish ahead of 2nd seed IM Antony Ker (14 times winner!) and IM Russell Dive (7 times winner). The field also contains a number of young challengers, including FM Daniel Gong, CM Felix Xie and WFM Vyanla Punsalan.
Alongside the Championship is the Major Open, New Zealand Junior Championship, and a number of other supporting events. A link to the tournament standings can be found at https://www.newzealandchess.co.nz/calendar.html while live coverage of the championship games is at https://view.livechesscloud.com/#b49f1b2f-6dca-4235-8b79-50a189a8bac8

- haunress January 2, 2022

ARB OMAN

ARB OMA

- badaralbaloshi November 17, 2021

Sri Sai Natyanjali Fine Arts Development Association

Games & Sports :
Sports brings cultures together and bridges gaps between countries and across generations. It is recognized as an essential element of learning through physical activities and games. These activities have been a great motivator to enhance the spirit of learning and leadership, especially amongst the rural children. Our NGO organized Chess , carom, Table Tennis etc , With an intention to reinforce the youth of our country with the power of sportsmanship and commemorate the birthday of Hockey legend, Dhyan Chand, Sri Sai Natyanjali Fine Arts Development Association celebrates August 29 as Sports Day annually in rural areas across 12 states in India. The Sports Day is designed to promote and foster community connection through active participation in various games and activities organized during the event.

Pallemsetty Suresh, Secretary
Sri Sai Natyanjali Fine arts Development Association,
H.No: 29/178-13B, Opp. Ramalayam Temple, SBI colony , Nandyal-518501, Kurnool- district, Andhrapradesh, India

- pallemsettysuresh August 31, 2021

Sri Sai Natyanjali Fine Arts Development Association

Pallemsetty suresh started social service organisation Sri Sai Natyanjali fine Arts development Association in 2012 in Nandyal town kurnool district of Andhrapradesh , India, Through this organisation given chess free training to students, organised chess competitions within district level and giving appreciation certificates and prizes since 10 years

1st Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin City wide Online Chess Tournament

June 26, 2021 8AM onwards
For Angeles City residents
10 minutess Rapid swiss format
@ Tornelo Platform
linkdetails : https://www.facebook.com/ACTIVsports2020/photos/a.112973630438282/323028592766117

- edwardserrano June 6, 2021

Z87-F

Russia

- ogrgrid May 22, 2021

2021 O2C Doeberl Cup

The 2021 O2C Doeberl Cup (Canberra, Australia) has ended with GM Justin Tan (AUS) and GM Daniel Fernandez tying for 1st place on 7.5/9. In an incredibly exciting final round, Tan defeated FM Jack Puccini (AUS), while Fernandez had to overcome tournament top seed GM Hrant Melkumyan (ARM). Tan won the tournament trophy on countback, while both players earned $4000 each for their shared first place. Along the way Tan played 5 GM’s (out of a possible 6), and had a TPR of 2690.

GM Bobby Cheng (AUS) finished in outright third place on 7, after a win over local player Roger Farrell. Farrell, who was considered a future star of Australian chess in the early 1980’s, made a strong return to high level chess almost 40 years later. Fourth place was shared by GM Temur Kuybokarov and GM Anton Smirnov, who both won their last round games to finish on 6.5.

The Major (Under 2000) tournament ended in a 4 way tie between Dylan Siow-Lee, Aiden Brady, Ryder Testolin and Lachlan Lee, all on 6/7. Remarkably for Siow-Lee, he was eligible for the Minor (Under 1600) section, and had strongly considered playing in that event instead.

The Minor (Under 1600) was won by Tedric Li, who started with 6 straight wins before a final round draw resulted in a winning score of 6.5/7. Vihaan Anup Kumar and James Gao finished in a tie for 2nd on 6.

The tournament attracted a total of 330 players breaking the previous record set in 2014. This was helped by a growing interest in tournament chess from new players, with the Under 1200 event attracting 67 players, and the Minor a massive 123 players. Even the traditional Kinford Consulting Blitz event had a record field of 133 players, with ben Harris dominating the field to win with 8.5/9.

The 2021 O2C Doeberl Cup was organised by the ACT Chess Association and was supported by the Doeberl Family, O2C Consulting, Mr Baldev Bedi, Kinford Consulting, Street Chess, Matt Radisich and Paul Dunn. The arbiting team was headed by IA Alana Chibnall, assisted by IA Charles Zworestine, FA Nick Kordahi, Bevan Closton and Miona Ikeda. Tournament support was provided by a dedicated team of volunteers which included Shun Ikeda, Juliet Zhu, Mark Kethro, Louisa Hou, Milan Ninchich and Miles Patterson. GM Ian Rogers and WFM Cathy Rogers provided live commentary of the games, while Paul Dunn handled the game entry duties.

Results from the tournament can be be found at www.doeberlcup.com.au


Fernandez,Daniel Howard (2466) – Melkumyan,Hrant (2663) [E70]
Doeberl Cup Premier chess24.com (9.2), 05.04.2021

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.Nge2 e5 7.d5 Nd4 8.Nxd4 exd4 9.Ne2 0-0 10.0-0 Re8 11.f3 c5 12.Bg5 Rb8 13.Qd2 b5 14.cxb5 a6 15.a4 axb5 16.axb5 Bd7 17.Qa5 h6 18.Bh4 g5 19.Bg3 Rb6 20.b4 Nh5 21.bxc5 dxc5 22.Bf2 Nf4 23.Nxf4 gxf4 24.Rfc1 Bf8 25.Qa7 Bxb5 26.Rcb1 Ra6 27.Bxb5 Rxa7 28.Rxa7 Qb8 29.Raa1 Rd8 30.Bh4 Rc8 31.Bf6 Qc7 32.e5 Rb8 33.Bc4 Rxb1+ 34.Rxb1 Kh7 35.h4 Kg6 36.h5+ Kh7 37.d6 Bxd6 38.exd6 Qxd6 39.Rb7 Qxf6 40.Rxf7+ Qxf7 41.Bxf7 Kg7 42.Bc4 Kf6 43.Kf2 Kg5 44.Bf7 Kh4 45.Ke2 Kg3 46.Kd3 Kxg2 47.Ke4 d3 48.Kxf4 Kf2 49.Ke4 d2 50.Bb3 c4 51.Bc2 Ke2 52.f4 c3 53.Kd4 1-0

- haunress April 5, 2021

All Pakistan Schools Educational Olympiad 2019

Muhammad Shafiq (Joint Secretary Chess Association of Punjab) awarded as a chief guest at Divisional Public School & College Faisalabad.

- muhammadshafiq April 21, 2020

Master of the match

I’m always playing only next step.

- eependraeepingh December 6, 2019

kourosh

Chesslove

- kouroshhirkani February 14, 2019

Dang Hoang Son wins Johor International Open 2018

FM Dang Hoang Son wins the The 5th Johor International Chess Open 2018. Dang seeded 5th, finished clear first out of a total 70 players taking part in this annual championship. There were 4 higher ranked Grandmasters taking part. For his effort he takes home the grand prize of RM 8000 and a challenge trophy.

The Johor International Chesss Open is part of the Johor Chess Festival from 10th to the 16th of December. Besides the Open there is the Rapid, Challenger and Blitz event.

This is the 4th time FM Dang Hoang Son has taken part in the Open event but is the first time he is champion. Also, he has already obtained 7 International Master norm and because of his good results here in Johor, his new chess rating will propel him to get the International Master title!

Players from 14 countries took part in the Open section. These countries include Iran, Hungary, Uzbekistan, Russia, Vietnam, Philippines, China, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Lithuania, Singapore and Chinese Taipei.

Roy Marpaung – Johor Challenger Champion
The other event held in parallel with the Open is the Challenger section for lower rated players. A total of 98 players took part in this event and like the Open section are from many various countries. This event was won by Indonesian Roy Marpaung

Also, a short blitz event was held and won by Grandmaster Alexei Barsov of Uzbekistan who takes home the grand prize of RM 500. A total of 62 players took part in the blitz.

The final event is the Johor Causeway Rapid tournament held on 16th December 2018 (Sunday). This event has 135 participants taking part. The Johor Open champion and 2 Grandmasters are taking part in this event.

Again Dang Hoang Son won this event taking home an additional RM 2000 prize!

http://chess-results.com/tnr403377.aspx?lan=1

- ndrewooi January 23, 2019

2018 Australasian Masters – GM Smirnov Victorious

GM Anton Smirnov (AUS) is the winner of the 2018 Australasian Masters, scoring an undefeated 7.5/9. IM Bobby Cheng (AUS) finished second in the 10 player round robin with 6.5/9, which was also good enough for his third and final GM norm. Cheng scored a dramatic last round win over GM Andrey Kvon (UZB) to both secure the norm, and overtake him in the final standings.
FM Karl Zelesco (AUS) earned his final IM norm, scoring 4.5/9, drawing with veteran Australian IM Stephen Solomon in the last round to do so.
In the 10 player IM tournament, IM Ari Dale (AUS) was the outright winner, with 7.5/9. Close behind was FM Brandon Clarke (ENG) whose 7/9 was enough for his second IM norm.
The Australasian Masters was held at the historic Melbourne Chess Club, and was organised by IM Leonid Sandler. The tournament was first held in 1987, and IM Stephen Solomon (AUS) holds the record for the greatest number of victories with 7.

Cheng,Bobby (2510) – Kvon,Andrey (2509) [E91]
2018 Australasian Masters GM Norm Tourna Melbourne (9.2), 23.12.2018

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 c5 7.O-O cxd4 8.Nxd4 Nc6 9.Be3 Bd7 10.h3 Nxd4 11.Bxd4 Bc6 12.Qc2 Qa5 13.Rfd1 Rfc8 14.b3 b5 15.Rac1 a6 16.Nd5 Bxd5 17.exd5 Rc7 18.Qb2 b4 19.Bf3 Ne8 20.Bxg7 Nxg7 21.Re1 Raa7 22.h4 h5 23.g4 hxg4 24.Bxg4 Ra8 25.Re3 Rf8 26.Rce1 f5 27.Bd1 Qb6 28.h5 gxh5 29.Rg3 Rf6 30.Bxh5 Qb8 31.Rxe7 Rxe7 32.Qxf6 Qf8 33.Qh6 f4 34.Bg6 Re1+ 35.Kg2 Qf6 36.Bh7+ Kf7 37.Bg8+ 1-0

- haunress December 27, 2018

Papin wins 2018 Lidums Australian Young Masters

GM Vasilly Papin (RUS) has won the 2018 Lidums Australian Young Masters, held in Adelaide Australia from the 8th to the 14th of December. Papin was undefeated over 9 rounds, scoring 5 wins and 4 draws. In second place was GM Andrey Kvon (UZB) who finished on 6/9.
The best placed Australian players were IM Bobby Cheng and IM Junta Ikeda who tied for third place on 5.5/9. While Cheng was also undefeated (+2=7-0) Ikeda played 8 decisive games, scoring 5 wins, 3 losses and a draw.
In the IM event, top seed GM Benjamin Notkevich (NOR) finished outright first with 7/9. Second place finisher FM Brandon Clarke (ENG) was unlucky to miss one game due to medical issues, ruining his chances of an IM norm. One remarkable performance from this event was by Albert Winkelman who tied for 4th place, despite being the lowest rated player. Winkleman was undefeated up until the final round, and his 5.5/9 was just short of the score required for an IM norm
There was also a 24 player Open swiss running alongside to two title events, with WCM Phan Nguyen (VIE) winning with a dominant 8.5/9

The Lidums Australian Young Masters is held in December each year in Adelaide, and is organised by Fedja Zulfic and David and Sabrina Koetsier. It is designed to provide opportunities for young Australian players to earn title norms, and for visiting players to experience hospitality “down under”

Sukandar,Irine Kharisma (2393) – Kvon,Andrey (2509)
2018 Lidums Australian Young Masters GM Adelaide, South Australia (6.5), 12.12.2018

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.Bf4 Nc6 5.c3 Bf5 6.Nd2 e6 7.Qb3 Qd7 8.Ngf3 f6 9.Be2 g5 10.Be3 Nge7 11.Nf1 h5 12.h4 g4 13.N3d2 Bg6 14.Bf4 Nf5 15.Ne3 Rh7 16.Nxf5 Bxf5 17.Nf1 Bd6 18.Bxd6 Qxd6 19.Ne3 Be4 20.a4 f5 21.f3 Qg3+ 22.Kd2 f4 23.Nf1 Qxg2 24.Rh2 Qg1 25.fxe4 g3 26.exd5 gxh2 27.Nxh2 Qe3+ 28.Kd1 Nxd4 29.Bb5+ Nxb5 30.Qxb5+ Rd7 31.Kc2 Qe4+ 0-1

- haunress December 16, 2018

Sukandar wins 2018 Hjorth Memorial

IM Irine Sukandar (Indonesia) has won the 5 day 2018 Greg Hjorth Memorial in Melbourne, Australia. She scored 7.5/9 to finish half a point ahead of IM James Morris (AUS), FM Chris Wallis (AUS) and Fedja Zulfic (AUS). She was undefeated in the event, with 6 wins and 3 draws.

Sukandar led by half a point going into the final round, and made sure of her victory with a win over 7th seed Domagoj Dragicevic. Wins by Wallis (over WGM Julia Ryjanova), Morris (against Daniel Gusan), and Zulfic (over IM Stephen Solomon), gave them a share of 2nd place.

The Hjorth Memorial was organised by the Melbourne Chess Club, to commemorate the life of Australian IM Greg Hjorth (1963-2011). It is held in November each year, and coincides with the Melbourne Cup, Australia’s most famous horse race. The 9 round event attracted a field of 98 players. Sukandar won $2000 for her first place finish, while IM Igor Goldenberg was awarded the Brilliancy Prize for the following game.

Goldenberg,Igor – Korenevski,Oleg [D31]
Hjorth Memorial (8), 06.11.2018
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.a4 Bb4 6.e3 b5 7.Bd2 a5 8.Ne5 Nf6 9.axb5 Bxc3 10.Bxc3 cxb5 11.b3 Bb7 12.bxc4 b4 13.Bb2 0–0 14.c5 Qc7 15.Bd3 Bxg2 16.Rg1 Be4 17.Bxe4 Nxe4 18.Rxg7+ Kxg7 19.Qg4+ Kh8 20.Qxe4 Ra7 21.d5 f6 22.dxe6 Qxc5 23.Ng4 Rg7 24.Nxf6 Rd8 25.Nd5 Nc6 26.Rc1 Qd6 27.Rxc6 Qxc6 28.Bxg7+ Kxg7 29.Qg4+ Kf8 30.Qf5+ 1–0

- haunress November 7, 2018

Papua New Guinea – Lots of good points

While the Papua New Guinea team finished below their seeding at the 2018 Batumi Olympiad, the teams performance was an improvement over previous years.

They scored 7 match points (3 wins and a draw) but it was the total number of game points (20.5) that was impressive.

This was the highest total since 2004, where they score 23 points, but that was over 14 rounds, as opposed to 11 this time.

The heavy scoring was based on winning matches by a wide margin (4-0 against Timor Leste, 4-0 against Palau, 3.5-0.5 against US Virgin Islands) while only narrowly losing to other teams ( There were three 1.5-2.5 losses).

FM Stuart Fancy lead the team strongly on the top board. He score an impressive 6.5/10 with 6 wins and a draw, often against higher rated opponents. Tom McCoy made a solid debut for the team, scoring 4/8, including two crucial wins over the final two rounds.

A significant amount of credit for the good performance goes to GM Elshan Moradiabadi, who was able to provide the team with the coaching and preparation needed to perform at this level. The team went into all their matches confident about their opening choices, and both pre and post game analysis provided a much needed boost for the veteran PNG players.

The good result for the team will provide a shot in the arm for chess in PNG, with team members looking to perform well at next years Oceania Zonal in Guam. The PNG Chess Federation is also looking to the future, with more chess in schools activities planned to develop the next generation of Olympiad players.

Fancy,Stuart (1950) – Mctigue,James (2116) [C01]
43rd Olympiad 2018 Batumi GEO (10.1), 04.10.2018

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 c6 5.h3 Bd6 6.Bd3 h6 7.0-0 Ne7 8.b3 Be6 9.Bb2 Nd7 10.Ne5 Qc7 11.f4 Nxe5 12.fxe5 Bb4 13.Nd2 Qd7 14.a3 Ba5 15.b4 Bc7 16.Nb3 b6 17.Qf3 0-0-0 18.a4 g5 19.b5 h5 20.bxc6 Nxc6 21.Bb5 g4 22.Qc3 gxh3 23.Bxc6 Qe7 24.a5 hxg2 25.Rf6 Rdg8 26.axb6 Bxb6 27.Ba3 Qd8 28.Bd6 Bc7 29.Qb4 1-0

Guam – Exceeding expectations

The tiny chess federation of Guam entered the 2018 Chess Olympiad seeded 181 out of 184. With just one FIDE rated player it would have been understandable if the team struggled to collect many match points. But at the end of the tournament, the Guam team defied the odds to score a very impressive 8 points, and finish in 153rd place, 28 places ahead of their seeding.

Elmer Prudente was the star player, scoring 6 from 11 on board 1. He was ably assisted by Roger Orion on board 3, who scored 5 from 10. Both these results were sufficient for the players to earn the Candidate Master title (subject to fulfilling the rating requirements).

After starting the tournament with a 4-0 loss to Iraq in round 1, the team was able to pick up game points in all their remaining matches. Round 3 saw a 2-2 draw with Gambia, while they scored their first win in round 6, beating Central African Republic 3-1. A win in round 8 against the higher seeded Mauritius moved them to 6 points from 16, and draws against Qatar and Ghana in the final 2 rounds saw them finish with 2 wins and 4 draws, with a total of 18.5 game points.

Guam is looking to build on this good showing, by hosting the Oceania Zonal in February 2019. This event attracts players from Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Nauru, Palau and the host country. Based on the showing in Batumi, visiting players will have to be on their toes to match it with some of the local stars!

(1755) Orio,Rogelio L (1793) – Capella,Rurik (1979) [A45]
43rd Olympiad 2018 Batumi GEO (5.3), 28.09.2018
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 d6 3.e3 g6 4.c3 Bg7 5.Nd2 0–0 6.Be2 Nc6 7.Ngf3 Nh5 8.Bg5 h6 9.Bh4 Nf6 10.h3 e5 11.0–0 g5 12.Bg3 Qe7 13.Nh2 e4 14.b4 d5 15.a4 Nh7 16.b5 Nd8 17.c4 c6 18.cxd5 cxd5 19.Rc1 f5 20.f3 f4 21.exf4 gxf4 22.Be1 e3 23.Nb3 Bf5 24.Nc5 Qg5 25.Kh1 b6 26.h4 Qh5 27.Nd3 Ne6 28.Ne5 Rac8 29.Rc6 Bxe5 30.dxe5 d4 31.Bc4 d3 32.g4 fxg3 33.Rg1 Kh8 34.Bxg3 e2 35.Qd2 Rg8 36.Bxe6 Rxc6 37.Bxg8 Rc2 38.Qe3 Kxg8 39.e6 Kf8 40.Bd6+ 1–0

Timor Leste – First time Olympians

The Timor Leste Chess Federation joined FIDE in 2016, and 2018 saw their debut at a Chess Olympiad. With only 4 players in the Open team there was no rest for the newcomers, with every player required to play all 11 games.

Despite the lack of international experience and low seeding, the team made a good first impression, scoring 6 match points and 14.5 game points.

The star of the team was Board 3 player Tito dos Reis who scored 6/11, including 4 consecutive wins in the final 4 rounds.

The team scored their first Olympiad point in round 3 with a 2-2 draw against Eritrea, while in round 9 they scored their first match win in an Olympiad with a 4-0 win over Antigua and Barbuda. The team also scored drawn matches with the Seychelles, Rwanda and Palau.

Having had their first taste of international play, the Timor Leste Federation is keen to take part in more events.

They are looking at sending more players to events in South East Asia, as well as building closer ties with federations in the Oceania region. This will no doubt lead to improved chess standards in the country, with a stronger performance in 2020 expected.

(Report by Shaun Press)

Meet the youngsters from South Korea!

We had the pleasure to meet with the juniors from the Korean Open and Women’s team. Meet 15 year old CM Taehyung Kan, 14 year old Yubin, 14 year old WCM Seyeon Lee and their coach Sanghoon Lee.

http://www.chesslife.com.au/meet-the-youngsters-from-south-korea/

- peterlong September 28, 2018

NZ remembers Peter Stuart

The first Peter Stuart Memorial Open was held in Auckland over the weekend 25-26 August 2018. The event, held for over 40 years as the North Shore Open, has been renamed to commemorate a stalwart of the NZ chess world.

In what is a record for North Shore Chess Club’s annual tournament, 92 players took part, with foreign-registered participants from Malaysia, Canada, Romania, Philippines, Australia, Indonesia, China, the Netherlands, and Sri Lanka.

All three sections were FIDE-rated, as part of our policy to facilitate FIDE ratings for our juniors. 1st= in the Open were FM Michael Steadman (NZ) and Evan Capel (Malaysia). A close third was FM Ben Hague (NZ), who will be fighting hard for his final IM norm and title at the Olympiad in a few weeks’ time, having registered a 2400+ rating.

A special prize, sponsored by Olympian Stephen Lukey, was awarded for the best upset result by someone playing 1.c4 as white. This was always Peter’s favourite (perhaps only!) opening. It was won by Winston Weng with a draw against an opponent over 500 points higher rated.

Full results, and all the games from the top section, can be found on North Shore CC’s website www.northshorechess.org.nz

- elenilligan September 6, 2018

Wang Hao pulls ahead

China Super GM Wang Hao is sole leader of the 15th Dato’ Arthur Ran Malaysian Open after defeating GM Idani Pouya in Round 8.

GM Oliver Dimakiling outplayed GM Susanto Megaranto in a 4 Queen endgame to set up a meet with Wang Hao in the final round.

Previous round leader GM Firoujza Alireza drew against IM Tran Tuan Minh so the former joins GM Oliver Dimakiling both half a point Wang Hao.

http://chess-results.com/tnr371453.aspx?lan=1&art=2&rd=9

- ndrewooi August 26, 2018

Two Joint Leaders after 7 rounds

After 7 rounds GM Wang Hao and GM Firouza Alireza leads the 2018 Dato Artur Tan Malaysian Open with 6/7.

Following closely just half a point behind are IM Le Tuan Minh, IM Dimakiling Oliver, GM Idani Pouya, GM Laylo Darwin, GM Megaranto Susanto and FM Taher Yoseph Theolifus.

There are two more rounds to go

http://chess-results.com/tnr371453.aspx?lan=1&art=4&fed=KAZ

- ndrewooi August 24, 2018

GM Firouzja Alireza leads Malaysian Open

GM Firouzja Alireza leads the Malaysian Open after top seed GM Wang Hao was slowed down after being held to a draw by Malaysia’s top player IM Yeoh Li Tian in Round 5 action.

Like Wang Hao, Alireza is a prodigy who won Iranian Chess Championship at age 12 and earned his grandmaster title at the age of 14.

All results at: http://chess-results.com/tnr371453.aspx?lan=1&art=4

2018 Merdeka Rapid Open won by FM Dang Hoang Son

Vietnamese FM Dang Hoang Son emerged champion of the one day 2018 Merdeka Rapid tournament with 5.5 out of 6 points. Despite it being the designated “rest day” of the chess festival, 4GM, 1 IM and 6 FMs were among the 47 players taking part.

The tournament cross table is at: https://results.catur.org/ict.php?f=2018merdekarapid&tourney=2018MerdekaRapid

- ndrewooi August 22, 2018

Day 5 – Wang Hao maintains perfect score.

At the Malaysian Chess Festival, top seeded GM Wang Hao maintains his 3/3 score in the Open section but shares the lead with 8 other players including GM Firouzja Alireza, IM Yeoh Li Tian, IM Dimakiling Oliver, GM Deepan Chakkravarthy J., IM Ikeda Junta, GM Idani Pouya, IM Le Tuan Minh and GM Villamayor Buenaventura.

Today is a rest day and the rounds will continue tomorrow.

Full results can be found at: http://chess-results.com/tnr371453.aspx?lan=1&art=4

Malaysian Chess Festival 2018- Record Set in Day 4

The Merdeka Team and Age group event is over. That was just the “appetiser” for the Malaysian Chess Festival to get things warmed up and now the main course is served.

The Open, Challenger and Seniors started simultaneously and all the sections set new record in terms of participation numbers.

Open – 155

Challengers – 187

Seniors – 47

Dato Tan Chin Nam, long time Malaysian chess patron and who lead Malaysian chess for several decades, officiated the opening ceremony by making the first move on Board 1 in the Open.

GM Wang Hao, a super GM and former China No 1 who is a past winner of the  Malaysian Open is the top seed and the main attraction.

- ndrewooi August 20, 2018

Day 3 – 9th DATCC/Datin Yee Wai Fong Age-Groups

The 9th DATCC/Datin Yee Wai Fong Age-Groups is a one day rapid chess junior tournament and which saw a total 283 participants comprising Under 16, Under 14, Under 12, Under 10, Under 8 and Under 6 section.

Last year, 373 participants took part in the same event. The picture is of the Under 6 champions.

Chess-results links:-

9th DATCC/DATIN YEE WAI FONG Age-Group Under 6
9th DATCC/DATIN YEE WAI FONG Age-Group Under 8
9th DATCC/DATIN YEE WAI FONG Age-Group Under-10
9th DATCC/DATIN YEE WAI FONG Age-Group Under 129th DATCC/DATIN YEE WAI FONG Age-Group Under-14
9th DATCC/DATIN YEE WAI FONG Age-Group Under-16

Simul with GM Zhu Chen

A total of 34 players took part in a simultaneous chess exhibition given by the  former Woman World Chess Champion GM Zhu Chen.

It was held immediately after the finish of the one day Age Group Rapid Chess Championship which is part of the Malaysian Chess Festival.

The winners of each age group category were given a chance to play against the grandmaster. Zhu Chen won 23 games, drawing 11 with zero losses.

- ndrewooi August 19, 2018

KL Chesskids Team Alpha wins 2018 ASTRO Merdeka Rapid Open Team Chess Championship 2018

Not from KL and they are not at all a “kids” team, but with a starting rank of just eighth, they overtook the other higher ranked teams to become this year’s Astro Merdeka Rapid Open Team Champions.

This All-Filipino team is made up of IM Garcia Jan Emmanuel, IM Bersamina Paulo, FM Literatus Austin Jacob and Medina Vince Angelo and they got to take home the cash prize of RM 4,000 (approximately USD 1,000) and to also enjoy the Challenge Trophy.

Full results are at: http://chess-results.com/tnr372122.aspx?lan=1&art=0&rd=3

Malaysian Chess Festival 2018 – Day 1

The biggest annual chess event – the 15th Malaysian Chess Festival has started. The first in the slew of events is the Astro Merdeka Team which in itself is the biggest team event in Malaysia.

This year’s Astro Team is one of the biggest. 104 teams are taking part. In fact only 2014 Astro Merdeka is bigger with 118 teams.

After 3 rounds, Indonesian team PT Pelabuhan Tanjung Priok A leads. They have an impressive almost perfect score – all wins except one draw! The Indonesian team comprise :
IM Cuhendi Sean Winshand
IM Ali Muhammad Lutfi
FM Taher Yoseph Theolifus
FM Pasaribu Ivan Maxmillian Putra

It’s still too early to tell as there 8 teams hot on their heels and 6 more rounds to go.

Pictures of PT Pelabuhan Tanjung Priok A with one of the two Indonesian all women team.

- ndrewooi August 18, 2018

It’s All Happening in January 2019 in New Zealand

The Auckland Chess Festival

by Paul Spiller

A chess festival will be held in NZ’s largest city of Auckland in January 2019.

This will comprise three separate events, the 1st Oceania Youth and Under 20 Championships in 7 age groups, the George Trundle Masters and the 2019 New Zealand Open Chess Championships.

The inaugural Oceania Youth event, sponsored by the Auckland Chess Centre,  will offer the possibility of awarding automatic FIDE titles and it is anticipated that a large number of Australian junior players will compete. The Asian Federation will also allow players from New Caledonia and French Polynesia to complete thus making the minimum three federation requirement achievable.

The tournament will be held at the Alexandra Park Trotting Club in Greenlane, Auckland. Concurrent with this tournament will be the George Trundle Masters, a long standing Masters event which will be held at the Auckland Chess Centre club rooms in Mt. Eden. Next year’s event will be the first time that it will offer the possibility of GM norms with three grandmasters now confirmed. These are GM Darryl Johansen (Australia), GM Vasily Papin ( Russia) and GM Timur Gareyev (USA).

These three GM’s will also compete in the New Zealand Open Championships that will start directly after the George Trundle Masters on January 14th at the Waipuna Conference Centre in Mt. Wellington, the venue of many major chess events in the past.

More information can be found at: http://www.newzealandchess.co.nz/

- peterlong June 13, 2018

The Japfa International Grandmaster and Women Grandmaster Tournament 2018

JAPFA INTERNATIONAL GRANDMASTER AND WOMEN GRANDMASTER TOURNAMENT 2018

For the first time, The Japfa International Grandmaster and Women Grandmaster Tournament were held in Solo City, one of the cities in Central Java Province, Indonesia, started from 25th April until 3rd May 2018. All the previous event of Japfa Chess Festivals were held in Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia. The tournaments were divided into two sections, namely The Japfa Grandmaster and The Japfa Women Grandmaster Tournaments. The participants were :

Grandmaster Section
1. GM Anton Demchenko 2679 (RUS)
2. GM Ma Qun 2645 (CHN)
3. GM Timur Gareyev 2592 (USA)
4. GM Susanto Megaranto 2528 (INA)
5. GM Nguyen Anh Dung 2468 (VIE)
6. IM Kevin Goh Mei Ming 2472 (SGP)
7. FM Novendra Priasmoro 2449 (INA)
8. IM Sean Winshand 2439 (INA)
9. FM Muhamad Lutfi Ali 2413 (INA)
10. WGM Medina Warda Aulia 2380 (INA)
11. FM Yoseph Theolifus Taher 2375 (INA)
12. GM Jayson Gonzalez 2364 (PHI)

Women Grandmaster Section
1. IM Alina L’Ami 2316 (ROU)
2. WGM Keti Tsatsalasvilli 2307 (GEO)
3. WGM Janelle Mae Frayna 2304 (PHI)
4. WFM Dewi AA Citra 2286 (INA)
5. WIM Tijana Blagojevic 2254 (SRB)
6. WFM Ummi Fisabilillah 2225 (INA)
7. WIM Mila Zarkovic 2214 (SRB)
8. WIM Chelsie Monica Sihite 2209 (INA)
9. WGM Anda Safranska 2200 (FRA)
10. WFM Retno Wijayanti 2168 (INA)
11. WFM Baiq Vina Lestari 2137 (INA)
12. WIM Nur Abidah Shanti 2128 (INA)

The schedule was with no rest day, fortunately we had a city tour after the tournament :

24th April 2018 10.00 Arrival
20.00 – 21.00 Player’s Meeting
25th April 2018 15.00 – 16.00 Opening Ceremony
16.00 – 20.00 Round 1
26th April 2018 : 09.00 – 13.00 Round 2
16.00 – 20.00 Round 3
27th April 2018 : 09.00 – 13.00 Round 4
16.00 – 20.00 Round 5
28th April 2018 : 15.00 – 19.00 Round 6
29th April 2018 : 09.00 – 13.00 Round 7
16.00 – 20.00 Round 8
30th April 2018 : 09.00 – 13.00 Round 9
16.00 – 20.00 Round 10
1st May 2018 : 09.00 – 13.00 Round 11
16.00 – 17.00 Closing Ceremony
2nd May 2018 : 09.00 – 13.00 City Tour

The Prize Money were as followed :
Grandmaster section :
1st USD 2.000
2nd USD 1.500
3rd USD 1.000
4th USD 750
5th USD 600
6th – 7th @USD 500
8th – 9th @USD 400
10th – 12th @USD 350

Women Grandmaster section:
1st USD 1.500
2nd USD 1.000
3rd USD 750
4th USD 650
5th USD 500
6th – 7th @USD 400
8th – 9th @USD 300
10th – 12th @USD 250

The city tour was arranged to visit Keraton Mangkunegaran (Mangkunegaran Palace), Sukuh Temple and traditional Batik Market. The players were happy and wished to comeback to play in the next Japfa tournament. The players also tried some traditional food right after the closing ceremony, thanks to the organizer PT. Japfa Comfeed Tbk, Mr. Kristianus Liem and Ms. Merry Damayanti who accompanied the players.

We witnessed two games from both of the winners in the final round to clinch their titles :
Gareyev,Timur (2592) – Megaranto,Susanto (2592) [E11]
The Japfa Grandmaster (11), 01.05.2018

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4+ 4.Nbd2 b6 5.a3 Bxd2+ 6.Nxd2 Bb7 7.b4 0–0 8.Bb2 d6 9.e3 Nbd7 10.f3 e5 11.dxe5 Nxe5 12.Be2 Nfg4 13.fxg4 Bxg2 14.Kf2 Bxh1 15.Qxh1 Qf6+ 16.Kg3 Qh6 17.Qe4 f5 18.Qf4 Qe6 19.g5 Ng6 20.Qd4 Qe7 21.Bf3 Rae8 22.Kf2 c5 23.Qc3 Ne5 24.h4 Ng4+ 25.Bxg4 fxg4+ 26.Kg2 Rf7 27.Re1 Ref8 28.Re2 Qb7+ 29.Kg1 Qd7 30.Rg2 Qa4 31.Kh2 Qd7 32.Qd3 Qe6 33.b5 Re8 34.e4 Ref8 35.Qd5 Qg6 36.Rxg4 Kh8 37.Bc3 Rf2+ 38.Kg1 Re2 39.Rf4 Rg8 40.Qf7 Re3 41.Qxg6 hxg6 42.Rf3 Rxf3 43.Nxf3 Rf8 44.Kf2 a6 45.a4 axb5 46.axb5 Kg8 47.Ke3 Kf7 48.e5 Re8 49.Ke4 Ke6 50.exd6 Kxd6+ 51.Be5+ Kd7 52.Ne1 Rf8 53.Bxg7 Rf2 54.Ke3 Ra2 55.Nd3 Rh2 56.Nf4 Rxh4 57.Bf6 Kd6 58.Be5+ Kd7 59.Ke4 Rg4 60.Bf6 Kd6 61.Bd8 Kd7 62.Bxb6 Rxg5 63.Nd3 Rg4+ 64.Ke3 Rg3+ 65.Kd2 Rg2+ 66.Ke3 Rg3+ 67.Ke4 Rg4+ 68.Kf3 Rd4 69.Ke3 Kc8 70.Ne5 g5 71.Bxc5 Rd1 72.Bd4 Rb1 73.Kd2 Rb3 74.Bc3 Rb1 75.Bd4 Rb3 76.b6 Rh3 77.c5 1–0

Tsatsalashvili,Keti (2307) – Retno,Wijayanti (2307) [D33]
The Women Grandmaster Tournament (11), 01.05.2018

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.g3 c5 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Bg2 Nc6 7.0–0 Be6 8.Nc3 c4 9.b3 Bb4 10.Bb2 Bxc3 11.Bxc3 Ne4 12.Bb2 c3 13.Bc1 b5 14.Ne1 b4 15.Be3 0–0 16.f3 Nd6 17.Bf2 f5 18.Nd3 a5 19.Nc5 Bf7 20.Qc2 Re8 21.Rfe1 Bg6 22.Qc1 Qf6 23.e3 Re7 24.h3 Nb7 25.Na4 Na7 26.g4 fxg4 27.hxg4 h5 28.gxh5 Bxh5 29.Bg3 Qg6 30.Kf2 Nd6 31.Bf4 Rf8 32.Nc5 Nab5 33.Qd1 Qf6 34.Rh1 Bg6 35.Be5 Qg5 36.f4 Be4 37.Bxe4 Nxe4+ 38.Nxe4 dxe4 39.Rh5 Qg6 40.Qe2 Na3 41.Rah1 c2 42.d5 Rf5 43.Rh8+ Kf7 44.Bb2 Rxd5 45.Rg1 Qxg1+ 46.Kxg1 Rd1+ 47.Kf2 c1Q 48.Bxc1 Rxc1 49.Qh5+ Ke6 50.Qe5+ Kd7 51.Qd5+ Kc7 52.Qxa5+ Kd7 53.Qd5+ Kc7 54.Qd8+ 1–0

Here are the final standings :

THE JAPFA INTERNATIONAL GRANDMASTER

Final Rank

Rank SNo. Name Rtg FED Pts Res. Vict Vict SB
1 6 GM Gareyev Timur 2592 USA 8½ 0 6 3 43.00
2 10 GM Ma Qun 2645 CHN 8 0 6 3 39.75
3 11 GM Demchenko Anton 2679 RUS 7½ 0 6 1 36.75
4 5 FM Priasmoro Novendra 2449 INA 6 1 4 1 28.00
5 7 IM Goh Wei Ming Kevin 2472 SGP 6 0 4 1 30.50
6 2 FM Taher Yoseph T. 2375 INA 5½ 0 2 1 26.25
7 4 IM Cuhendi Sean W. 2439 INA 5 1 2 1 23.75
8 12 GM Megaranto Susanto 2528 INA 5 1 1 0 27.00
9 9 GM Nguyen Anh Dung 2468 VIE 5 1 1 0 24.00
10 8 GM Gonzales Jayson 2364 PHI 3½ ½ 0 0 17.00
11 3 IM Ali Muhammad Lutfi 2413 INA 3½ ½ 0 0 16.25
12 1 WGM Aulia Medina W. 2380 INA 2½ 0 0 0 13.25

THE JAPFA INTERNATIONAL WOMEN GRANDMASTER

Final Rank

Rank SNo. Name Rtg FED Pts Res. Vict Vict SB
1 8 WGM Tsatsalashvili Keti 2307 GEO 8½ 0 8 5 42.75
2 9 WGM Frayna Janelle Mae 2304 PHI 7½ 0 5 2 36.00
3 12 WIM Sihite Chelsie M.I. 2209 INA 6½ ½ 4 3 31.25
4 11 WIM Zarkovic Mila 2214 SRB 6½ ½ 4 2 33.25
5 7 IM L’ami Alina 2316 ROU 6 0 3 1 33.50
6 10 WIM Blagojevic Tijana 2254 SRB 5½ 1½ 2 0 27.75
7 1 WFM Fisabilillah Ummi 2225 INA 5½ 1 2 1 24.75
8 2 WIM Citra Dewi A. A. 2286 INA 5½ ½ 3 1 24.75
9 6 WGM Safranska Anda 2200 FRA 5 0 3 1 26.00
10 5 WIM Nur Abidah Shanti 2128 INA 4½ 0 2 0 24.00
11 3 WFM Lestari Baiq Vina 2137 INA 3½ 0 3 1 14.00
12 4 WFM Retno Wijayanti 2168 INA 1½ 0 0 0 8.50

See you again next year..

By : Lubis, Endar Sakti, CM, IA, FI

- lubisendarsakti June 8, 2018