News – Page 201 – Asian Chess

Dubov Grabs Solo Lead in Abu Dhabi Masters Chess

Russian Grandmaster Daniil Dubov beat GM Daniele Vocaturo of Italy to grab solo lead with four points after four rounds of the Abu Dhabi Masters at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Abu Dhabi.

Dubov used the Sicilian defense and pried open his opponent’s king with a Bishop sacrifice on the 21^st move and threatened mate to win the Queen, forcing resignation on the 38^th move. Dubov, 22, formerly shared first place at the age of 16 in the Russian Championship Higher League.

GM Daniil Dobov of Russia (right) beat GM Danielle Vocaturo of Italy to grab solo lead after four rounds.

Local hero GM Salem A.R. Saleh and nine others follow in second slot with 3.5 points each. Salem used the Hungarian Defense to beat FM Sundar Syam of India in 36 moves.

Grandmasters tied with Salem are second seed Richard Rapport of Hungary, Amin Bassem and Ahmed Adly of Egypt, Wang Hao of China, Martyn Kravtsiv of Ukraine, Vladimir Fedoseev of Russia, Levan Pantsulaia of Georgia, Parham Maghsoodloo of Iran and Anton Korobov of Ukraine.

In the Open division of 236 players, FIDE Master Sedrani Ammar of the UAE and six others are tied for the lead with 4 points each after as many rounds. In the juniors L.R. Srihari and V. Pranav of India and Kazybek Umbetov of Kazakhstan share the lead with perfect 5 point slates out of 5 rounds.

The blitz championship on the free day of Friday was won by GM Vladimir Fedoseev of Russia, prevailing in a tie with GM Le Quang Liem of Vietnam at 9.5 points each out of 11 rounds, to split the $1,700 cash prize. S.L. Narayanan of India placed third with 9 points winning the tie break over GM Wang Hao of China and Chithambaram Aravindh of India.

GM Vladimir Fedoseev won the blitz championship held in the Friday free day.

Over $61,000 in cash prizes are at stake in the tournament organized by the Abu Dhabi Chess Club and the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation under the patronage of H.H Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Sport Council.

A strong field of 47 grandmasters, 30 International Masters, 7 Woman Grandmasters, 6 Woman International Masters, 20 FIDE Masters and 2 Woman FIDE Masters in a record field of 158 players from 32 countries are competing in the Masters event. The Festival consists of an elite Masters championship for players rated above 2100, an Open tournament for those rated below 2100 and a Junior championship for players under 16 years of age.

Watch games live on chess24.com. Look for ADchess in Youtube for running commentary by GM Viorel Iordachescu. Visit chess-results.com to download games.

Six GMs Lead Abu Dhabi Masters Chess

Richard Rapport of Hungary beat GM Mads Andersen of Denmark on top board to share the lead with five other grandmasters with perfect scores after three rounds of the Abu Dhabi Masters Chess Championship at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Abu Dhabi.

Rapport smashed the Sicilian Defense of Andersen, penetrating with his Rook on the seventh rank then forced exchanges to transpose to a Rook and pawn endgame and force resignation on the 56^th move.

GM Richard Rapport of Hungary

Tied with Rapport at 3 points each are GMs Wang Hao of China, Daniil Dubov of Russia, Amin Bassem of Egypt, Martin Kravtsiv of Ukraine and Daniele Vocaturo of Italy. Wang beat GM S.L. Narayanan of India in 61 moves of a Ruy Lopez. Dubov crushed the Sicilian defense of GM Alireza Firouzja of Iran in only 33 moves. Bassem used the King’s Indian defense to outmaneuver IM Sarin Nihal of India in 48 moves of a Rook and pawn endgame. Kravtsiv beat IM Arjun Erigaisi of India in 63 moves of a Catalan. Vocaturo outplayed IM Gunay Mammadzada of Azerbaijan in 38 moves.

Local hero GM Salem A.R. Saleh smashed the Sicilian defense of FM Rithvik Raja of India in only 28 moves to trail with 2.5 points together with 18 others in the 9-round Swiss system tournament among 158 players.

In the Open division of 236 players, Woman Candidate Master Varshini Sahithi of India and 15 others tie for the lead with 3 points. In the junior division with 184 players, four Indians are in the lead pack of 8 players with 4 points out of as many rounds.

Two rounds are scheduled on Saturday. Watch games live on chess24.com. Look for ADchess in Youtube for running commentary by GM Viorel Iordachescu.

Visit chess-results.com to download games.

Favorites Continue Early Lead in Abu Dhabi Chess Festival

GM Richard Rapport of Hungary (right) beat World Girls Champion Dinara Saduakassova of Kazakhstan.

GM Richard Rapport of Hungary beat World Girls Champion IM Dinara Saduakassova of Kazakhstan to set the pace after two rounds of the 25^th Abu Dhabi Chess Festival Masters at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Abu Dhabi.

Rapport, second seed in the 158 player tournament, used the Nimzo-Indian defense and unleashed a queenside pawn storm to win on the 31^st move. The 22-year-old Rapport shares early lead with 20 other grandmasters.

Five Indian players are in the lead pack, namely GMs Chitambaran Aravindh, 19, S.L. Narayanan, Prasanna Vishnu, and IMs Sarin Nihal and Arjun Arigasi. Also with two points each are Chinese GM Wang Hao, Ivan Cheparinov and Levan Pantsulaia of Georgia, Vladimir Fedoseev and Danil Dubov of Russia, Amin Bassim of Egypt, Nigel Short of England, Martin Kravtsiv of Ukraine, Parham Magsoodloo and Alireza Firouzja of Iran, Daniele Vocaturo of Italy, Mads Andersen of Denmark and Teymour Kuybokarov of Uzbekistan.

In the Open division of 236 players, ten Indian players form the largest group in the lead pack of 46 players with 2 points each. In the junior division with 184 players, Rayan Mohammed Al Hasan and ten other UAE players are in the lead pack among 40 players with 2 points each out of two rounds.

Games are scheduled 5 p.m. There are no matches on Friday but there will be a simultaneous exhibition at 3 p.m. and a blitz tournament starting 5 p.m. A family tournament and a Homeland protectors’ tournament will be held 2 p.m. on 13 August.

Full results at: http://chess-results.com/tnr354821.aspx?lan=1&art=0&flag=30

Al Sayyah First International Chess Blitz

Al Sayyah First International Chess Blitz Tournament will take place on Friday the 17th of August, organized by Home of Chess Academy in Dubai with coordination with the UAE Sports Council and UAE Chess Federation.

More than 100 players will participate in this tournament representing 30 countries, among them will be around 20 titled players (Grand Masters, Women Grand Master, International Masters and Fide Masters)

To attract talent from a broader spectrum, the organizing committee will be giving some very attractive cash prizes to the winners, plus many other special prizes to the youngsters and the best local Emirati players participating.

The tournament will take place in Shatha Tower in Dubai Media City at 3 PM, and it will be played according to the Swiss system, consisting of 9 rounds.

The event will be using digital chess boards that will broadcast games live on the web to all the chess enthusiasts globally. Many chess journalists and experts will be publishing the tournaments’ updates on the web, and will also be giving their analysis on the games.

The head of the organizing committee, Mr. Saed Madanat announced that this tournament will be a great opportunity for the Emirati players and the players residing in UAE to gain a valuable experience playing against some of the finest chess grandmasters out there. He also expressed that Home of Chess & Al Sayyah group are doing their best to ensure the success of the tournament.

http://www.homeofchess.com/

The Top Asian Teams to be Playing at the Batumi Olympiad

Men/Open

Asia’s No. 1 team is China which is seeded third behind the USA and Russia while India is the fifth seed. The young Iran team which is the winners of the Asian Nations Cup is seeded twenty second.

Fourth ranked Vietnam comes next, seeded twenty seventh and then Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Australia can be considered the only amateur chess country in the Asian Top 10 and is seeded fourth. Then comes Mongolia, Philippines and Bangladesh.

Women

China is ranked No. 1 in both the World and Asia but thanks to the absence of World No. 1 Hou Yifan, is only seeded third behind Russia and Ukraine.

Just behind is the fourth seeded Indian team, arguably their strongest for many years with the return of a genuine world championships challenger in Koneru Humpy.

Kazakhstan has put together its best team and so is seeded eighth and Mongolia is seeded fifteenth with Vietnam seeded sixteenth.

Record Participation in 25th Abu Dhabi Chess Festival

Unseeded FIDE Master V.S. Rathanvel of India upset top seed GM Le Quang Leim of Vietnam in the opening round of the 25th Abu Dhabi Chess Festival at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Abu Dhabi.

The 17-year-old Rathanvel, rated 2348, crushed the Caro Kann defense of the Vietnamese champion, rated 2727. The Indian gave the Rook for Bishop exchange on the 18^th move then embarked on a king hunt with Queen and two Bishops to force resignation on the 59^th move.

Top seed GM Le Quang Liem of Vietnam (right) got the upset axe in the first round against FM V.S. Rathanvel of India.

Rathanvel and 36 other players from India are in a group of 70 players who won in the first round. Local hero GM Salem A.R. Saleh was held to a draw by untitled 15-year-old Sankalp Gupta of India who used the Queen’s Indian defense and drew by repetition of position in 57 moves.

Amlong the leading grandmasters are former Abu Dhabi Open champion Wang Hao of China, Richard Rapport of Hungary, Irwin Cheparinov of Georgia, Vladimir Fedoseev and Danil Dubov of Russia, Amin Bassem of Egypt, Gabriel Sargissian of Armenia, Anton Korobov andf Martin Kravtsiv of Ukraine, Nigel Short of England and Vladimir Akopian of Armenia.

The inauguration was also attended by, Hussain Abdullah Khoury (left), Director of the festival and Hassan Ramadan President of the Kuwait Chess Federation Hussain Al Shamsi General secretary of the UAE chess Federation Abdul Mohsin Fahad Al Dosari, Acting General Authority of sports , Sultan Al Daheri Executive Director Etisalat Abu dhabi ., Omran Al Khoory President Business Development from VPS group were the dignitaries on the opening ceremony representing the sponsors.

“The festival has become a unique event on the international calendar of chess masters. The International Chess Federation have included the festival in its annual program and many popular newspapers and websites are covering the progress, Chairman of the Organizing Committee, Hussain Khoury, told a press conference.

“We are grateful to Shaikh Saif for his kind patronage of the event. We expect the event will be a big success as we have received a large number of entries following the increase in prize money, he added.

Games are scheduled 4pm. There are no matches on Friday but there will be a simultaneous exhibition at 3pm and a blitz tournament starting 5pm. A family tournament and a Homeland protectors’ tournament will be held 2pm on 13 August.

Forty Seven Grandmasters are competing in the Masters.

In the Open, a record 236 players from 34 countries are competing in the 9-round Swiss System tournament. In the juniors, 184 players from 18 countries are competing including 73 juniors from the UAE. Visit chess-results.com for results and standings.

“We increased the prize money to Dhs 300,000 in our quest to attract more top quality entries, which will ensure that the event us a success,” added. Hussain Abdullah Khoury

“We are happy that the festival coincides with the UAE’s celebrations of the Accession Day of His Highness Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the President.”

GM Salem A. R. Saleh of the UAE (left) was held to a draw by untitled 15-year-old Sankalp Gupta of India.

Khoury, who is also the Vice President of the UAE Chess Federation, said that the UAE’s players have a good chance of winning titles at the festival.

“The UAE’s players will benefit the most from the festival as it will be a good chance for them to play against the world’s best masters and we have excellent players who can win titles,” Khoury said.

Final Day at East Asian Juniors

Report by Ignatius Leong

In the 9th and final round today, Korean Ahn Hongjin made a draw with Mongolian FM Erdene Baasansuren to secure a tie for the first place when Filipino Daniel Quizon defeated Korean Kang Taehyung.

Both Daniel and Anh achieved the IM title while Daniel collects his first GM norm based on his higher tiebreak.

In the matches to decide third placing, Korean Kwon Sehyun lost to Indonesian Jodi Setyaki. Korean FM Lee Jun Hyeok outplayed Mongolian FM Tsogbayar Bat-Erdene while Vietnamese Nguyen Hoang Duc won against Korean Jang Jaewon.

In the tie between Lee and Duc, Duc makes the IM norm because of their individual encounter.

Filipino Kylen Mordido captured the title of Eastern Asia Girls U20 Champion after defeating Indonesian Diajeng Singgih with the White pieces in the 7th and last round.

Although Vietnamese Nguyen Thi Minh Oanh lost to Korean Park Sunwoo, the former still finished on equal second with Diajeng and both achieved the WIM norm.

Kylen will receive the WIM title plus a WGM norm. Congratulations to Kylen and the Philippines!

Day Six at East Asian Juniors

Report by Ignatius Leong

In the Juniors, Malaysian Dawson Tan lost a 9-mover to Korean Ahn Hongjin within 20 minutes of play. Ahn maintains his lead over Filipino Daniel Quizon and Vietnamese Nguyen Hoang Duc who scored victories over Indonesian Jodi Setyaki and Korean FM Lee Jun Hyeok respectively. With 2 rounds to go, the leading players will face off the “weaker” players and any upset may still be possible.

Early leader Vietnamese Nguyen Hoang Duc with 4/4 suffered his third loss in 4 rounds after Round 8. Meanwhile Korean hopeful Ahn Hongjin and Filipino 14-year old Daniel Quizon won their respective games to remain in the lead.

Duc lost to Korean CM Kwon Sehyun. Another Korean FM Lee Jun Hyeok defeated compatriot You Haneul.

Going into the last round, the pairings avoided the encounters between players with more than 50% from the same federation. The results of Ahn and Daniel will determine who the new champion will be while the results of Duc, Kwon and Lee shall decide who will make the IM norm.

Let us see if history will be made for South Korea!

In the penultimate round for the Girls Championships, the 3 stronger players breezed through their games to assure themselves of the WIM norm when Rosamund Koo lost to Korean WFM Lee Seyeon. Rosamund was having the upper hand throughout but her play deteriorated and finally helped to be mated in one. A win could have still given her an outside chance for the WIM norm.

In the last round, Indonesian Diajeng Singgih will have to win with the White pieces against sole leader Filipino Kylen Mordido who has 5.5 points – one ahead of Diajeng and Vietnamese Nguyen Thi Minh Oanh.

Day Five at East Asian Juniors

Report by Ignatius Leong

Ahn Hongjin becomes a hero in this Round 6 by defeating Nguyen Hoang Duc to take the sole lead with 5 points. Ahn has cleared all the “contenders” and may breeze through to become the first International Master in South Korea!

Filipino Daniel Quizon was held to a draw by Korean FM Lee Jun Hyeok. Daniel has 4.5 and Lee with 4.

In the Girls Round 5, the darling from Indonesia Diajeng Singgih was over-powered by Malaysian Rosamund Koo. Filipino Kylen Mordido is in the sole lead with 4.5 followed by Diajeng and Vietnamese Nguyen Thi Minh Oanh on 3.5 points. Rosamund has 3 points. The championship may have to be decided in the last round encounter between Kylena and Diajeng.

In Round 5 of the Girls Championship, Indonesian Diajeng Singgih wrapped up the game in less than 90 minutes against Vietnamese Nguyen Thi Ming Oanh. Filipino Kylen Mordido maintained the joint lead after Malaysian Rosamund Koo overlooked a fork in an about equal ending.

In the Junior, 14-year old Filipino wonder boy Daniel Quizon outplayed Vietnamese Nguyen Hoang Duc in a long drawn ending to join the lead with the latter. Meanwhile, Korean Ahn Hongjin defeated the Indonesian favourite Jodi Setyaki to also share the lead.

Daniel is another product of the ASEAN Age Group series. At only 14, he will not just be the next “Wesley So” but make a name for himself within the next years.

By the way, of the 24 participants, 10 are under the age of 18 while 4 (2 joint leaders) are below 14. It is still puzzling as to why the Asian Chess Federation “approved” that 3 events take place within 3 weeks … The Eastern Asia Juniors and Eastern Asia Youth currently in Korea and China respectively; and the “main” Asian Juniors one week later in Mongolia.

Irene Sukandar Wins Borneo Rapid

In the Borneo International Rapid Championships, held in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, from 4-5 August 2018, Indonesian IM/WGM Irene Sukandar headed a strong regional field from the Philippines and Indonesia which included seven International Masters to take honors and the USD 1,500 first prize on tie-break over the Philippines IM Hamed Nouri.

Irene had led from the start, running away from the field with 7/7 but faltered in the final stretch to allow Hamed to catch her on 7/5/9.

Still a brilliant performance by the Indonesian Superstar!