Report by Paul Spiller

Report by Paul Spiller

The Auckland Chess Centre In cooperation with the NZ Chess Federation organised the inaugural Oceania Youth and Under 20 Championships at the Alexandra Park racecourse in Greenland, Auckland from January 5 – 13.

It was the culmination of nearly two years planning since the awarding of this event to Oceania. 143 players from 5 Oceania countries competed including Fiji and 1i3 strong delegation from New Caledonia.

Dispensation from the Asian Federation allowed this to happen which also helped to fulfill the minimum 3 federation requirements for titles to be awarded.

A large contingent of over 60 players plus 20 accompanying persons from Australia boosted the numbers.

The Chief Organiser was FM Mike Steadman and Chief Arbiter IA Keong Ang.

Karl Zelesco won the Under 20 section and the IM title although he had already just completed his IM qualifications at the Australasian Masters in Melbourne in December. He also picked up his first GM norm.

The under 20 girls section was dominated by the two New Zealand players (and NZ Olympiad team members) WFM’s Jasmine Zhang and Vyanla Punsalan although they are both only aged 14.

Their individual encounter ultimately decided who would come first with Jasmine the victor.

Her score of 8/9 was exceptional. She qualified for the WIM title subject to her reaching a 2000 rating. I am pleased to say that her good form continued on to the NZ Open Championships including a first round draw with IM Leonid Sandler of Australia.

She has now gained enough Elo points from these two tournaments to be awarded the title, New Zealand’s third WIM.

Numerous other titles and norms were awarded in the different age group categories which can be found on the NZ Chess website at www.newzealandchess.co.nz

India’s 12 year old Gukesh D has become the World’s youngest Grandmaster by completing his third and final Grandmaster title norm with one round to go at the Delhi International Open 2019.

His unprecedented journey began 15 months ago when he achieved his first International Master title norm at the inaugural Friday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and within six months he had competed the requirements to become an International Master!

Chart courtesy of ChessBase India (https://chessbase.in/news/Gukesh-becomes-grandmaster?fbclid=IwAR1N5E-eaJ8pO7orbNNAOE_yHmMV-xP9ZbPertg08PPOIDYOp20f3lKMudg).

Then, in amazing run after getting his first Grandmaster title norm at the Bangkok Open, Gukesh, just 10 months later is not only India’s and Asia’s youngest ever Grandmaster but the second youngest in history by just 17 days!

Every month, FIDE (World Chess Federation) publishes its rating list, and it was especially interesting on January 1, which is of course the start of a new year in 2019!

In the top 10, it was still very much China’s superstar Ding Liren in 4th place, at 2813. He is a genuine challenger now for the world championship, being Asia’s first player to break 2800, and in doing so went over a year unbeaten against the very best players in the world in every type of competition.

Former World Champion Viswanathan Anand of India continues to defy age as he reaches his 50th birthday, and is in eighth place at 2773.

The top 10 women list is absolutely dominated by Asians, with China very much on top. Hou Yifan who has stopped playing women events is a class above and holds the No. 1 spot with a rating of 2662.

No. 2 is the current World Champion Ju Wenjun who is rated 2575 and the first to hold the title in both match play and knock out formats and who recently added the Rapid Chess World Champion title to her growing list of accomplishments including anchoring the China team to Gold at last year’s Batumi Olympiad.

Indian superstar Koneru Humpy in her comeback after marriage and a child, is at No. 5 at 2541 and at No. 10 is China’s Tan Zhongyi with a 2502 rating.

Famously it is said that it is not easy to start a new event but that it is even more difficult to hold it again but after a successful Laos International Open 2018, there will be a third from 17-23 December 2019 and again in the same Vansana Riverside Hotel in Vientiane, Laos, and that is a promise that it is here to stay.

The organiser of course is Inthava Vilane, General Secretary-Vice President & Delegate of Laos Chess Federation and on the technical side he had the excellent International Arbiter Patcharawee Prahmawong from neighbouring Thailand.

The Open Champion was Thailand based coach Louie Salvador from the Philippines who topped a field of 48 players from 15 countries!

All results:

Standard Chess: http://chess-results.com/tnr395642.aspx?lan=1

Rapid Chess: http://chess-results.com/tnr402229.aspx?lan=1&art=0&flag=30

Blitz Chess: http://chess-results.com/tnr402247.aspx?lan=1&art=0&flag=30

Group photo of all participants – players and officials

The Asian Continental Championships was held in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines from 9-19 December 2018 under the auspices of FIDE (World Chess Federation) and the Asian Chess Federation.

With very little notice and thanks to generous sponsorship by Filipino Senator Manny Pacquiao, a legendary boxer who is also a passionate chess player, the National Chess Federation of the Philippines was able to step in to organise arguably Asia’s most important chess championship.

Christmas in the Philippines is the busiest time of the year and rooms in most hotels are not only at its highest rate but very full.

The organisers really should be congratulated for getting the Tiara Oriental Hotel despite some obvious limitations as to physical size, broadband Internet access, and kitchen but conditions were generally acceptable and everyone worked hard to.make improvements day by day.

Even an unfortunate but well publicised incident involving some Indian players at the start was addressed with warm Filipino hospitality when it could so easily have been responded to differently.

Open Championship

In the Open, a very strong field saw upsets throughout with only China’s Wei Yi cruising through to emerge a well deserved winner. He was joined in qualifying for the World Cup after a dramatic final round by young Iranian (aren’t they all super young nowadays!) M. Amin Tabatabaei, Vietnam’s Le Quang Liem, India’s Surya Sekhar Ganguly, and another Vietnamese in Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son.

Ganguly was in great form in the early part but then suffered a setback against countryman Santosh Gujrathi Vidit in the sixth round but immediately bounced back to end top seeded Wang Hao’s chances who too was on a roll after just getting a half point from his first two games.

The biggest comeback arguably however was that of Le who started with a shock loss to local hope Paolo Bersamina after declining a draw by repetition and this was in contrast with countryman and fellow qualifier Nguyen who played his usual risk free chess.

Of the other Indians, Vidit never got going, S, P. Sethuraman’s two losses including one to Ganguly hurt him, B. Adiban allowed too many draws despite going for it in every game and Abhijit Kunte eas comfortable in this company without ever looking to be able to qualify.

Womens Championship

The Women’s Championship was always going to be won by the very much in-form India’s Padmini Rout whose amazing 5.5/6 start and a full one point lead allowed her to both negate the China challenge and cruise home in the last three rounds.

Singapore’s Gong Qianyun who recently became a WGM had the tournament of her life although her six round loss to Rout meant she could never challenge but she did end the chance of Vistnam’s Pham Le Thao Nguyen who in turn ended that of the young China star Zhu Jiner.

Special guests of the tournament were awarded under the auspices of the Uzbekistan Chess Federation by its First Vice President Mr. Husan Turdialiev.

Here is the link to all the results: http://chess-results.com/tnr390649.aspx?lan=1

More Photos of the Western Asian Youth & Junior Closing Ceremony

Indonesia’s Samantha Edithso has become a double World Champion by adding the World U-10 Girls Championship for Standard Chess held from 3-16 November 2018 in Santiago de Compostela, Spain to the World U-10 Girls Rapid Championship she won earlier this year in Belarus.

https://info64.org/world-cadets-chess-championships-2018-u10-girls

by Ed Andaya with thanks to People’s Tonight

Final standings:
(Philippines unless stated)
Over-50
8 points – C. Garma
6.5 – P. Roca
6 – O. Rinas (Kazakhstan), A, Young
5.5 – C. Lorena
5 –A. Pacis, A.Camer (Australia), T. Khin (Myanmar), A.Baimurzin (Kazakhstan), K. Jumadullayev (Kazakhstan), R. Roullo, S. Mahmud (Indonesia).

L-R: Roca, Garma, Baimuzrzin

Over-65
7 – E. Torre
6.5 – C. Caturla
5.5 – R. Bandal
4 – C. Padua, K. S. Lim (Malaysia)

L-R: Bandal, Torre, Cartula

TAGAYTAY CITY – Two-time Olympiad veteran IM Chito Garma ended years of frustrations by finally winning a big one – the 9th Asian Seniors Chess Championships at the Tagaytay International Convention Center here Sunday.
Garma, at 54 still looking fit as a fiddle, swept his last two matches against second seed FM Oleg Rinas of Kazakhstan and Angelito Camer of Australia to finish a clear winner with eight points on seven wins and two draws in the tournament organized by the Asian Chess Federation and hosted by the Tagaytay City government thru Cavite 7th District Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino Jr. and Tagaytay City Mayor Agnes Tolentino.
“I’m very happy to win again, especially in an international tournament like this Asian Seniors. Maagang Pasko ito,” said the Tondo, Manila-based Garma, who pocketed the top prize of US$500 out of the total purse of US$3,000.
Another veteran player on the comeback trail, IM Petronio Roca, finished second to Garma with 6.5 points on five wins, three draws and one loss, and earned US$400.

Roca, one of only two players who held Garma to a draw, won over NM Cesar Caturla in the eighth round but lost to Rinas in the final round.

Rinas and IM Angelo Young shared third to fourth places with six points, while NM Carlo Lorena wound up fifth with 5.5 points.

Last year’s champion, GM Eugene Torre, also hurdled his last two assignments against former national junior champion Stewart Manaog and Aitkazy Baimurzin of Kazakhstan to finish with seven points.

Torre settled for the US$350 prize for the over-65 category.

Caturla and fellow Olympian NM Rosendo Bandal finished second and third with 6.5 and 5.5 points, respectively, in the over-65 category.

WFM Helen Milligan of New Zealand emerged as the top female player for the fourth consecutive time with 4/9.
Milligan edged Almagul Chakeyeva of Kazkahstan, who had 3.5/9, for the US$100 top prize.

A far third overall was Olympian Mila Emperado.

A total of 34 players from nine countries — Australia, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Palestine and host the Philippines — saw action in the week-long competition also supported by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).

Mike Lapitan served as the tournament director, while Patrick Lee was the supervising arbiter, along with Elias Lao, Lito Abril and Hubert Estrella.

Tran Tuan Minh wins the 1st Pattaya Open 2018 in Thailand

Vietnamese GM Tran Tuan Minh is the winner of the first edition of the Thailand Pattaya Open Chess Championship which took place from 20th to 31st of October 2018. A total number of 105 players from 24 different countries took part in the open section of the event. Tran scored an unbeaten solid 8.0/9 points, a one point lead from the 1st runner-up to become the champion of the tournament. The field included 6 GM, 3 IM, 1WGM, 10 FM/WFM and 8CM/WCM. In the first part we read about the winners in different categories and also the interview with the organizer and now in this 2nd and final part of the coverage Peter Long shares with us a detailed pictorial report of the event and also announces the dates for the 2nd edition.

https://chessbase.in/news/Tran-Tuan-Minh-is-the-winner-of-the-first-Thailand-Pattaya-Open-Chess-Championship-2018?fbclid=IwAR2n7_qIx7Lqwmzz3L0eeC9ieUAfO4ayrcti1YU-Oh4fkkpuwHZvgurMsJM