It’s the center of August and an excellent time for a trip, so we’ll let the gamers do the heavy lifting at the moment. Thankfully, the canine days of summer season are a increase time for chess, and we’ve got a ton of superb video games to fill some column inches from the latest World Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India and, nearer to house, the 122nd U.S. Open in Rancho Mirage, California.
The younger workforce from Uzbekistan exploited the absence of China and Russia and the missteps of the favored Indian and U.S. squads to take house an surprising however well-deserved gold medal in Chennai, with Armenia taking the silver and the India 2 workforce the bronze.
Tiny Armenia has gained three Olympiad golds since 2006, however was not anticipated to be within the hunt this yr after long-time No. 1 GM Levon Aronian decamped to play for the U.S. final yr. However the Armenians placed on a robust present helped by a superb closing kick from new high board GM Gabriel Sargissian, together with a pleasant win over Azeri super-GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov within the penultimate spherical final week.
Black successfully wins this Queen’s Gambit positionally after 15. Nb4 a4 16. Qc2? b3!, when the handed pawn proves a bone within the throat for White. Mamedyarov’s personal superior pawn is quickly misplaced and Sargissian nurses his benefit superbly — when the queenside pawns lastly fall (48. Nxb2 Nbxa3+ 49. Kb3 Nxb2 50. Kxb2), Black has 50…Nc4+ 51. Kc3 Ne3 and White’s kingside pawns are straightforward pickings; White quickly resigned.
The U.S. girls’s workforce completed strongly, barely dropping out on tiebreaks for a bronze medal and handing the front-running Indian girls’s workforce a harmful 3-1 loss within the closing spherical.
Indian IM Sachdev Tania had not misplaced a recreation in Chennai till assembly up with younger U.S. IM Carissa Yip within the concluding spherical. Yip proved higher versed within the intricacies of the King’s Indian, and regardless of some hiccups, by 33. Rc2 Qe7!, Black had an additional pawn and a profitable assault.
Within the closing place after 46. Rg2 Qf1+!, the only win is 47. Qxf1 Rxf1+ 48. Kh2 (Rg1 e2) Rf2! 49. Rxf2 exf2 50. Kg2 Kg5 and Black’s further pawn decides.
The gold medal for Ukraine’s girls was a well-liked end result given the nation’s real-world issues, and the sisters Muzychuk — GM Mariya and GM Anna — had been crucial to the workforce’s success.
Mariya took down Polish IM Alina Kashlinskaya in a Spherical 11 3-1 match win, simply sufficient to outpace the robust Georgian girls for the gold. In a taut, double-edged French, one little king sidestep wins for White after 28. Qe7 Qf2? (see diagram; holding was 28…Qh5! 29. Rg1+ Kh7 30. e6 Rg8 31. Rf1 f4 32. Qxf7+ Qxf7 33. exf7 Rb8+ 34. Kc1 Kg7, with a attract prospect) 29. Ka1!, and abruptly Muzychuk’s king is completely secure whereas Kashliskaya’s is in lethal peril.
White resigns dealing with the loss first of her queen and, quickly, of her king.
Lastly, congratulations to Russian GM and Texas Tech pupil Aleksey Sorokin on his first U.S. Open title. GM Elshan Moradiabadi misplaced the title in an armageddon tiebreak blitz recreation, however snagged a berth in subsequent yr’s U.S. Closed Championship as the best ending U.S.-registered participant.
Sorokin’s key win within the occasion was a fancy King’s Indian assault towards Texas Tech teammate IM Viktor Matviishen.
Black provides up his queen for 3 minor items and the assault, however his benefit doesn’t absolutely register till 36. Rxc5 Rxf3, when’s Sorokin’s items cowl one another magnificently and the handed d-pawn nears the queening sq.. White should finally hand over his queen to cease the pawn and Black is left with an simply gained ending.
Mamedyarov-Sargissian, Azerbaijan-Armenia, forty fourth World Chess Olympiad, Chennai, India, August 2022
