Russian GM Mikhail Antipov and rising Ohio junior IM Jason Wang shared high honors on the tenth Washington International held earlier this month in Rockville, Maryland. The occasion reliably boasts among the many strongest and best fields on the DMV summer season chess calendar.
With the higher tiebreaks, Antipov took residence the trophy after each gamers notched undefeated 6½-2½ scores, however the 17-year-old Wang turned in a formidable efficiency, drawing his sport with Antipov and utilizing a last-round upset of GM Fidel Corrales Jimenez to vault previous a number of rivals into the winners’ circle.
Even extra spectacular might have been Wang’s Round 5 dismantling of one other veteran grandmaster, former three-time Uzbek nationwide champion Djurabek Khamrakulov, to arrange his robust ending kick. Play is usually even within the opening section of this Alapin Sicilian, however some carelessness by White permits Wang to supply an early and surprising queen sacrifice.
On 13. Qc1 Nd5 (probably a brand new transfer, as 13 … Bb7 has been performed right here earlier than) 14. Nxd5 (passing on the possibility to stir issues up with 14. Bxh6!? Bb7 [gxh6?? 15. Qxh6 f5 16. Qg6+ Kh8 17. g4 with an overwhelming attack] 15. Bd2 e5, with play for each side) exd5 15. Bf4 Qe6+ 16. Kf1 Qf6, the lack of castling shouldn’t be an enormous blow to White’s place, however Khamrakulov fails to understand the risks lurking within the place.
White is rocked by 17. Re1?! (maybe lacking Wang’s 18th transfer; undoubtedly safer was 17. Be5 Nxe5 18. dxe5 Qe6 19. h4, with numerous chess left to play) Nxd4! 18. Be5 (see diagram; Black seems to have miscalculated, as strikes like 18 … Bf5? 19. Bxf5 Qxf5 20. Bxd4 simply lose a chunk) Qxf3!!, and now, after all, accepting with 19. gxf3?? Bh3+ 20. Kg1 Nxf3 mate is out of the query.
After 19. Re3 Nb3! 20. Qc2 (Rxf3 Nxc1 21. Bc2 Ba6+ 22. Ke1 Rac8 23. Kd2 Ne2 24. Bd3 Bxd3 25. Rxd3 f6! and the Black knight survives) Na1! 21. Qc3 (21. Rxf3 Nxc2 22. Bxc2 Re8 23. Bc3 Bb7 24. Rg3 g6 25. h4 Rac8, and Black has a transparent edge to go along with an additional pawn) Qd1+, Black’s piratical knight escapes along with his booty after 22. Re1 Qb3 23. Bxg7? (higher survival probabilities have been on provide with simply 23. Rxa1 Qxc3 24. Bxc3 Bd7 25. h4) Qxc3 24. Bxc3 d4! 25. Bd2 Nb3.
Khamrakulov’s two bishops can nonetheless harass the Black rooks, however a deadly new drawback emerges simply as White lastly restores nominal materials equality: 27. Bb5 Be6! 28. Bxe8 Rxe8 29. f3 (White has two minor items for a rook and pawn, however now the Black d-pawn reclaims middle stage) d3!, and White resigned because the passer is simply too robust in traces like 30. Kf2 (Black’s threats included 30 … d2 31. Rd1 Bc4+ 32. Kf2 Bh4+ 33. g3 Re2+ 34. Kg1 Nd4! 35. Rf1 d1=Q! 36. Rxd1 Nxf3+ 37. Kf1 Rd2 mate) Bc5+ 31. Kg3 Nd4 32. Bd2 Ne2+ 33. Kh4 Bf2+, profitable.
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In chess as in life, if you put your self in a gap, the primary rule is to cease digging.
At the just-concluded FIDE World Cup and Women’s World Cup knockout tournaments in Baku, Azerbaijan, veteran Spanish GM Francisco Vallejo Pons appeared to neglect that venerable little bit of strategic perception in his fast playoff sport in opposition to Russian GM Andrey Esipenko. The end result: The gap turned a grave for Vallejo Pons’ hopes and he was quickly out of the event.
The headache for White on this Two Knights Defense comes on early after 11. dxc7 Qxc7 12. Qd3?! (Bxe6 Bxe6 13. 0-0 Rfe8 14. Be3 leaves White with a wonderfully playable sport) Nexd4! 13. Nxd4 Ne5. White ought to take his medication now with 14. Qe2, ceding Black the benefit after 14 … Qxc4 (additionally fascinating is 14. Bg4!? 15. f3 Rfe8, and White’s finest now is likely to be the grim 16. 0-0 Nxf3+ 17. Nxf3 Rxe2 18. Bxe2 Re8 19. Bb5, with an extended protection forward) 15. Qxc4 Nxc4 16. 0-0 Rd8.
Instead, disastrously, Vallejo Pons doubles down with 14. Bxf7+? Qxf7 15. Qe3 — given White’s uncastled king, his undeveloped queenside and the half-open f-file, it’s nearly assured there’s some ways to be discovered. Esipenko doesn’t disappoint.
Thus: 15 … Nd3+! (exploiting the overworked White queen) 16. Kd2 (Qxd3 Qxf2+ 17. Kd1 Bg4+ 18. Nf3 Rad8 is not any higher) Nxf2 17. Re1 Bg4, and now Black has threats like 18 … Rfd8 19. h3 Bc5 20. Ncb5 Rxd4+! 21. Nxd4 Bb4+ 22. Kc2 Bf5+! 23. Nxf5 Rac8+, with mate on faucet.
There’s nowhere to cover for the White king within the mercifully fast finale: 18. Kc2 Rfe8 19. Qd2 Bh5 (additionally enjoyable was 19 … Rxe1 20. Qxe1 Bd1+! 21. Kb1 Qg6+, profitable as properly) 20. Rxe8+ Rxe8 21. Qg5 (a diversion that diverts nothing) Bg6+ 22. Kd2 Ne4+, and White resigned because the knight fork wins not solely the queen however the king: 23. Kc2 (Ke3 Nxc3+ 24. Kd2 Nxa2+ 25. Kd1 Re1 mate) Nxg5+ 24. Kd1 Qf1+ 25. Kd2 Qe1 mate.
Former world champion Magnus Carlsen and Russian GM Aleksandra Goryachkina took the general World Cup and Women’s World Cup honors. With his extra time defeat of Indian phenom GM Ramesh Praggnanandhaa within the finals, Carlsen lastly claimed the one main worldwide chess prize that had eluded him in his incomparable profession.
By ending third within the Baku knockout occasion, GM Fabiano Caruana assured at the very least one American can be within the discipline within the subsequent Candidates Tournament to find out the challenger to Carlsen’s successor as world champ, Chinese GM Ding Liren.
(Click on the picture above for a bigger view of the chessboard.)
Khamrakulov-Wang, tenth Washington International, Rockville, Maryland, August 2023
1. e4 c5 2. c3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 e6 6. Be3 cxd4 7. cxd4 Nc6 8. a3 Be7 9. Nc3 Qd6 10. Bd3 O-O 11. Qc2 h6 12. Rd1 b6 13. Qc1 Nd5 14. Nxd5 exd5 15. Bf4 Qe6+ 16. Kf1 Qf6 17. Re1 Nxd4 18. Be5 Qxf3 19. Re3 Nb3 20. Qc2 Na1 21. Qc3 Qd1+ 22. Re1 Qb3 23. Bxg7 Qxc3 24. Bxc3 d4 25. Bd2 Nb3 26. Bxh6 Re8 27. Bb5 Be6 28. Bxe8 Rxe8 29. f3 d3 White resigns.
Vallejo Pons-Esipenko, FIDE World Cup, Baku, Azerbaijan, August 2023
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. e5 Ne4 6. Qe2 Nc5 7. c3 Ne6 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Nc3 d5 10. exd6 O-O 11. dxc7 Qxc7 12. Qd3 Nexd4 13. Nxd4 Ne5 14. Bxf7+ Qxf7 15. Qe3 Nd3+ 16. Kd2 Nxf2 17. Re1 Bg4 18. Kc2 Rfe8 19. Qd2 Bh5 20. Rxe8+ Rxe8 21. Qg5 Bg6+ 22. Kd2 Ne4+ White resigns.
• David R. Sands may be reached at 202/636-3178 or by e-mail at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
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