Sunday Independent (Ireland)

CHESS

Alexander Baburin

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The Ennis Chess Congress took place last weekend. Marijus Vicas won the Master section with 5.5 points out of 6, while FIDE Masters Conor O’Donnell and Colm Daly tied for second place on five points. Theo Wallace won the under-1400 section, also with 5.5 points out of 6.

The FIDE Grand Prix is in progress in Moscow. 16 players started in this knockout tournament, but at time of writing that number was down to three. Alexander Grischuk has advanced to the final, defeating on his way Sergey Karjakin, Wesley So and Hikaru Nakamura. His opponent will be either Radoslaw Wojtaszek or Ian Nepomniach­tchi.

White wins a vast majority of chess miniatures, but sometimes Black can score a quick victory too as in the following game from a recent tournament in Copenhagen.

Liu – Chatalbash­ev 1.b3 d5 2.Bb2 Bg4 3.Nf3 Bxf3 4.gxf3 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.d4 exd4 7.Qxd4 Nc6 8.Qe3+ Be7 9.0–0–0?! d4 10.Qg5 (D) Original play in the opening has led to an unusual position. The game could continue in the same fashion after 10...0–0 11.Kb1 Ne4 12.Qg1 dxc3 13.Rxd8 Raxd8 14.fxe4 Rd1+ 15.Bc1 Rfd8 with a very unclear position, but Black found a better idea: 10...Nd7! 11.Qg4? White was not up to the task. He should have opted for 11.Qb5 dxc3 12.Bxc3 Ba3+ 13.Kb1 Nb6 14.Bh3! (14.Rxd8+ Rxd8 15.Bh3 loses to 15...Rd5!) 14...Qe7 15.Bxg7 Rg8 16.Bc3, with complicate­d play. 11...dxc3 12.Bxc3 Ba3+ 13.Kb1 Nde5! 0–1

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