World Under 16 Olympiad- Round 6

Round 5: England vs Kyrgyzstan

The view from my hotel room on most mornings

1. James HOLLAND 2204 0.5-0.5 Bakai Uulu ESENBEK
2. Craig WHITFIELD 2010 1-0 Talia TAILAIBEKOV
3. Henrik STEPANYAN 1956 0.5-0.5 Aidar KENENBAEV
4. Peter BATCHELOR 0.5-0.5 Kelsinbek ISAKZHANOV

The view from my hotel room today!!

By the teams admission we were lucky to beat Kyrgyzstan today, but will happily take the win! About halfway through the session, 3 of the 4 games looked like losses, with James seemingly coasting to the solitary point. What never ceases to surprise me about these events, no matter how many times you come to them is that trying to make predictions about the results based on the positions is completely pointless.

James was out first, but not with the result we had predicted. Having played another smooth attacking game with white against the Sicilian (this time a Scheveningen) his advantage at one stage was in the region of +11 on the computer (that’s a lot!!) However as he missed his opportunities, and his clock started running down things got more and more complicated and in the end had to sacrifice a rook for a perpetual check ‘Craig Whitfield style’.

The man himself was finding life tough going on board 2. Playing against another grand prix attack against his Sicilian, Craig gave himself a weakened queenside pawn structure, and was somewhere between worse and clearly worse for almost the entire game. What was very impressive was the way that he held on, refusing to panic and offering an exchange sacrifice for some compensation towards the end. Rather than take it, his opponent rather generously left a piece ‘en prise’ to a simple tactic and promptly resigned!

Henrik was out next, having been taught a lesson in how not to play the white side of the Kings Indian (he was white ). After allowing black to unleash his ‘Kings Indian’ bishop free of charge, and finding nowhere to put his king I feared for his position. Once again though our player showed his tenacity and somehow managed to push his opponent into a drawn opposite coloured bishop and rook ending a pawn down which Henrik held.

Peter’s game was the last to finish in the entire playing hall. He played down a well known line of the Queens Gambit declined. In fact the whole game was of a high quality, with White possessing a miniscule advantage for a lot of it. Seemingly having had enough of draws Peter bravely sacrificed a piece for some pawns (soundly), but a slip in concentration allowed his opponent a decisive advantage. The favour was returned later on in the endgame, and Peter secured a hard fought draw.

So, tomorrow is a rest day! The organised trip involves a visit to a local museum, followed by some shopping. Not quite as dramatic as the ‘journey to hell and paradise’ we were offered on my last visit to Turkey for this event. Plus it also involves getting down and up the mountain, which will cut into the trip by a good couple of hours. So we will see- it may be blitz with the Scottish (again) and some preparation for a difficult looking 7th round pairing against the Czech Republic.

Green Park resort Kartepe, from the outside

World Under 16 Olympiad- Round 4 and 5

Round 4: Turkey ‘Kocaeli’ vs England

Henrik played the game of Round 4

1. Sergen ATAY 1685 0-1 James HOLLAND 2204
2. Oguzhan ERTEKIN 1599 0.5-0.5 Craig WHITFIELD 2010
3. Samet Burak CILDIR 0-1 Henrik STEPANYAN 1956
4. Mert Efe KILIC 1606 0.5-0.5 Peter BATCHELOR

Our second match against a Turkish team, and another 3-1 victory. This time we were playing the local ‘Kocaeli’ province side, and we were disappointed not to score the full 4 points.

Henrik was out first, having played a nice attacking game where his opponent went wrong straight out of the opening and Henrik capitalised nicely.

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James chalked up a second win soon afterwards. His young opponent also made a lot of passive moves in the middlegame, and our board 1 collected an exchange before finishing the game nicely.

Craig was really disappointed not to win. He played another strong attacking game against his opponents Pirc, but when on the brink of victory he hesitated with his attack and Mr Ertekin managed to survive, and possibly could have played on for the win.


Peter got nothing out of the opening with white. In fact for a lot of the game he was a bit worse. The advantage wasn’t significant however and the game was drawn.


Round 5: Kazakhstan vs England
1. Alibek IGAMBERGENOV 2259 0.5-0.5 James HOLLAND 2204
2. Ayan AKHMETOV 2158 0.5-0.5 Craig WHITFIELD 2010
3. Dinara SADUAKASSOVA 2193 1-0 Henrik STEPANYAN 1956
4. Adilet ZAURENBEK 1973 0.5-0.5 Peter BATCHELOR

GMs Artur JUSSUPOW (Switzerland) and Mikhail KOBALIA (Russia)


Amongst the young chess talents here at the Olympiad you also find the stray grandmaster, helping to coach their side. There are at least three here this tournament (I suspect the Azeri coach is also quite useful). Legendary GM Artur Jussupow at his peak was number 3 in the world (behind Kasparov and Karpov). Also a legend of the game, GM Mikhail Gurevich is the national trainer of Turkey. The third super GM present, and the highest rated player at the event is GM Mikhail Kobalia (current elo 2674) who is training Russia.

The fifth round was a really good effort from the boys. James and his opponent blitzed out about 20 moves of Tarrasch theory, before arriving at an equal looking middlegame position. Fireworks then ensued, with James winning a pawn with a neat tactic. However the situation wasn’t as clear as first thought, and in the complications James’ opponent missed what looked like a winning move. The game ended in a perpetual.

Craig played an enterprising game on board 2, choosing the same line against the French which served his so well in round 1. His opponent snatched what looked like a hot pawn (actually it turned out to be a good decision), and Craig went ‘all in’ sacrificing a knight to open up the opponents king. In the end more fuel went on the fire in the shape of a rook, which ensured a perpetual check.

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Henrik got the opening he wanted, and managed to equalise fairly comfortably. However his opponent, an experienced WFM then started to outplay him. In the end Henrik got a knight trapped which finished the game.

Peter also got the opening he wanted, a Fianchetto Kings Indian, which we had looked at earlier. He played the position well, and it looked at one stage as though he had a clear advantage. His opponent managed to steer the game into an endgame with opposite coloured bishops a pawn down, which Peter couldn’t convert.

So blissfully, no double round day tomorrow! We have an important game however against Krygyzstan in the afternoon however, so stay tuned and watch the games live (2pm UK time) at http://wyco2011.tsf.org.tr/

World Under 16 Olympiad- Round 2 and 3

Round 2: England vs Turkey ‘Turkuaz’

The English team in pensive mood before the start of Round 2

1. James HOLLAND 2204 1-0 Fatma Ayca DURMAZ 1816
2. Craig WHITFIELD 2010 1-0 Busra SOYDA 1747
3. Henrik STEPANYAN 1956 1-0 Aleyna YIGIT 1729
4. Peter BATCHELOR 0-1 Nisan ULUSOY 1646

This was obviously going to be an easier match on paper, but the Turkish girls team had taken a point off a strong Czech Republic side in the previous round, and from past experiences the Turkish teams are always well dangerous and well prepared.

Peter played down a main line Caro-Kann, and through a sequence of good moves obtained an advantage. However, he overpressed, and allowed a dangerous passed pawn which eventually decided the game in white’s favour.

James played what seemed like a very smooth game. He sacrificed a pawn in a Sicilian Najdorf, leading to some pressure which black was unable to extract herself from. A nice tactical shot at the end brought home the point. It can be found below.

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Craig was out next, again playing a nice game against a grand prix attack. He closed the kingside and started counterplay on the queenside, which white was unable to cope with.

Henrik finished things off with a funny looking English, which I never got even close to understanding. He sank a bishop deep into his opponent’s position on d6, and after cementing it there in a strange middlegame opened up lines to effectively attack the black king and win.


Round 3: England vs Syria
1. James HOLLAND 0.5-0.5 Ismael KHABBOUR
2. Craig WHITFIELD 2010 0.5-0.5 K.A. Adm CHEKH 1891
3. Henrik STEPANYAN 1956 0-1 Basher IYTI 2225
4. Peter BATCHELOR 0.5-0.5 FM Wade AL-TARBOUSH 2251

A view of the playing hall

The second of the rounds for the day, and a funny looking board order from Syria, but a match we really should have won based on situation in the games. James got a large advantage against his opponents Taimanov Sicilian, and missed a couple of clear wins before his opponent sacrificed his queen to obtain a fortress like position which James was unable to break down.

Craig played a premature central break (also in a Taimanov Sicilian) and missed a strong attacking idea on the the kingside. However his opponent let him off the hook, and through a series of excellent moves Craig turned the game to his advantage. In the final position Craig was better, but couldn’t see a way to take advantage of this and the players agreed a draw.

Peter played a superb game to neutralise his FM opponents attacking chances. Peter grabbed a pawn before playing like Fritz to get a really good position. However his opponent always had some chances, and eventually managed to force a perpetual check with both kings wide open.

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Henrik played a good game, where he was always slightly better. His higher rated player however refused to take a repetition, and Henrik went into a king, bishop and pawn ending. Tragically, one move before the end Henrik went astray missing an intermediate check which cost him the game.

So the first double round day is over, and another is just around the corner (tomorrow!) The players didn’t seem too tired however, and were in good spirits, spending most of the evening playing blitz and exchange with the Scottish team who are also here.

World Under 16 Olympiad- Round 1

World Under 16 Chess Olympiad
Ismit, Turkey, 24-31 October 2012

The English team has arrived in the Kocaeli province of Turkey, and more specifically Ismit (the capital) for the 2011 World Youth Under 16 Olympiad. We are staying and playing at the luxurious Green Park Kartepe resort, 1200metres above sea level. The link to the hotel is here (though I think it’s all in Turkish!)

Having arrived yesterday we are now suitably acclimatised and have taken part in the traditional Turkish parade through the city waving our English flags!

The English team for this event is James Holland, Craig Whitfield, Henrik Stepanyan and Peter Batchelor, ably assisted (I hope) by me. They seem excited and ready to go.
Round 1: Azerbaijan vs England

England ready to go in Round 1……

1.GM Nijat ABBASOV 2470 1-0 James HOLLAND 2204
2. IM Ulvi BAJARANI 2434 0-1 Craig WHITFIELD 2010
3.FM Kanan IZZAT 2238 1-0 Henrik STEPANYAN 1956
4.Misratdin ISKANDAROV 2300 1-0 Peter BATCHELOR

It couldn’t have been a much more difficult start (no really it couldn’t- Azerbaijan are seeded 2nd) with 3 titled players and their full strength team taking us on. James played into a Tarrasch defence to 1.d4. His 10…d4 looked a little premature, and he quickly found himself under pressure, and eventually lost a bishop and pawn endgame
Craig faced a French defence (despite preparing for a Najdorf!) but quickly obtained a promising position. His opponent grovelled around for some time, and Craig’s clock ran dangerously low. However, after turning down a draw offer the Azeri IM erred and Craig’s queenside pawns decided the game. An absolutely fantastic result!
Henrik found himself worse in an endgame after playing a passive line. Despite his best efforts he was not able to extract himself and a neat tactic allowed his higher rated opponent to win.
Peter played a good opening, and found himself a little better in a fianchetto variation of the Benko gambit. However he sadly failed to find the correct plan in the middlegame, and overlooked a tactic which allowed his opponent to win the exchange, and later the game.
Craig’s fine effort can be found below:

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Tomorrow is a double round day, so don’t expect much with the reports! All the games can be followed live at http://wyco2011.tsf.org.tr/

Movements in Madrid

I'm just back from a lovely 10 days in Madrid, playing in the second Oliver Gonzalez Memorial tournament. It was actually being held in Leganes, just outside the capital but I stayed in the centre, just off the famous 'Gran Via' street.

I found Madrid a really captivating, energetic city heaving with people (especially after midnight, when they took over the bars and restaurants) The food was particuarly good, and I would definitely recommend a trip to the city at some stage in your life.

As far as the chess goes, I found myself on 4/4 after a relatively easy start and a good victory in round 4 over IM Almagro Llamas (2466). Unfortunately a shocking game followed, and a defeat 2 rounds later to GM Khamrakulov (2503) left me on 5/7. I managed to win my final two rounds (in very lucky fashion in both cases!) to end up in 8th place, picking up 8 rating points and a bit of money.

Aside from the chess the organisers went out of their way to ensure that the event was fun. With the games starting at 6.30pm, many side events were organised alongside the chess including Karaoke Nights, a magic show, a football match and tour of the Bernabau stadium, and a gastronomical evening.

All in all an excellent tournament, and I hope to return to Madrid in the very near future.

Livigno Open 2011- Photos

Some long overdue photos of our time in Livigno

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Back to England.........

But the trip was not a waste of time. Plenty of sun, swimming and even a few sangrias. I even managed to do some chess as well! GM Simon Williams was excellent company, and I learnt quite a bit of chess from him during the trip, which I hope to put to good use in future tournaments.

Speaking of future tournaments during the trip the World Under 16 Olympiad was confirmed so I'm looking forward to that, as well as filling my schedule for November with two closed GM tournaments in Hungary and Poland.

Next stop is Spain again though-flying to Madrid on 8 October for the Second Oliver Gonzalez Memorial. The homepage is here