Chess (#687)

Indian hopes at the World Junior in Chennai rest on 14-year-old Girish Koushik. Koushik, rated just 2309, shares third-fourth place with Darius Swiercz of Poland. Both have 7 points after 9 rounds. The Armenian duo of Robert Hovhannisyan (8) and Samvel Ter-Sahakyan (7.5) and are in first and second. Koushik has a GM norm and 4/5 against GM opposition.

Given four rounds to come, a strong finish could fetch gold for any of the top four. Other Indians like Sahaj Grover, Sethuraman, Vidit Gujrathi and Narayanan are all at 6 so, only Girish has a realistic shot at gold. In the girls, Deysi Cori (Peru) leads with 8 ahead of Olga Girya (7.5). Padmini Rout and Catherina Michelle of India (both 6.5) share sixth place.

The AICF has organised the Junior well but it's reeling at the shock of learning that the May 2012 title match between Anand and Boris Gelfand is being shifted to Moscow from Chennai, which bid in July with a $2.5 million purse. Moscow has offered $2.55 million but the key factor for venue change is Gelfand's reluctance to cede home advantage.

Fide has also announced the women's title match between Hou Yifan and Humpy. It will be played in Tirana, Albania in November 2011 for a purse of Euro 200,000. Yifan incidentally currently leads the Rostov leg of the Women's Grand Prix with an enormous 6.5 from 7 and 2966 TPR. Humpy has a more normal score of 4 and the world champion won their individual encounter.

The Russian Super Final features eight super GMs, - Kramnik, Karjakin, Grischuk, Morozevich, Svidler, Nepomniachtchi, and Galkin - an average 2715 rating. After three rounds, Karjakin, Morozevich and Svidler share the lead with 2 each.

The Diagram , WHITE TO PLAY (Morozevich Vs Grischuk, Russian Super 2011), is a whirlpool that is easier to fathom after some key tactical themes are unveiled by the following play. White has sacrificed material and now, in extreme mutual time trouble, he played 32.Bg3? Unblocking the f-file but missing a detail. Black responded with the error 32...a5? 33.Bf1! Qe4.

The diabolical idea is, if 33... Qe1 (instead of Qe4) 34. Rxf7+! Kxf7 34. Rf3+ followed by Qxg7. After 33.-- Qe4, black defends via 34. Rf3 Qxf3 35. Bxf3 Rh8! but loses the queen. Now you'll understand why Black could win earlier with 32 Bg3? Nd2! and why white had
a better shot in 32. Bc1! controlling d2.

Play continued 34.Rf4 Qxf4 35.Bxf4 a4 36.Rd1 a3 37.Bxc4 dxc4 38.Bd2 Ra4 39.Be3 Re7 40.d5 a2 41.d6 Rd7 42.Bd4 b4 43.Qxg7+! (1–0). There are other ways to win (43. e6) but this 43. --Kxg7 44. e6+ Kh7 45. exd7 is spectacular as well as efficient.

 

Devangshu Datta is an internationally rated chess and correspondence chess player