3 Players Tied with 6/8
The Chinese Championship is taking place between the 19th and the 30th of December in Xinghua. (The Women’s Championship is taking place at the same time) The format is a 12-player round robbin. Play is the relatively fast 90 minutes for the entire game, plus 30 seconds per move. That is, there is no 40 move time control which is common in elite events.
As we can see, 3 players are at 6 points from 8 games, followed by 4 players at a distant 4 points each. Note that the Women’s World Champion, Ju Wenjun, is participating!
Considering that this is the year of the pandemic, the championship has managed to attract a reasonable number of the top active Chinese elite players. (See above chart) Seven (7) of the top 20 players are playing. I assume that Ding and Wang are not participating because of their preparations for the second part of the Candidates Tournament which is slated to take place in the spring.
Games, Tactics and Critical Moments
The Chinese Championship usually produces lots of exciting and hard fought games. This year’s event is no exception. No doubt the faster than usual time control has had its effects in lessing the level of play (defence especially) towards the end of the session, but this is something that we spectators have become used to by now…
Avoiding the Trap
Lu, Shanglei – Bai, Jinshi
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{[#] <strong style="color:red;">This position could have occurred had Black captured a poison pawn on f3 on his 22nd move. Had he done it then this would have been the pretty finish:</strong>}
23.Bxg7+!{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} Kxg7 24.Rd7+{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} Kh8 25.Rxh7+!{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} Kxh7 26.Qh4+{[#] <strong style="color:red;">And mate is forced- Black no doubt saw this and played another way but still lost the game. That is how the ball bounces…</strong>} 1-0
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Classy Finish
Ju,Wenjun – Wen,Yang Rd.6 24.12.2020 (1-0)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 c6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 b6 7.Be2 Bb7
8.O-O Bd6 9.Rd1 O-O 10.e4 Nxe4 11.Nxe4 dxe4 12.Qxe4 Qc7 13.Bd3
g6 14.Qh4 Rfe8 15.Ng5 Nf6 16.c5 bxc5 17.dxc5 Bxc5 18.Bf4 e5 19.Be3
Bxe3 20.fxe3 Qb6 21.Bc4 Qxe3+ 22.Kh1 Kg7 23.Rf1 Qd4 24.Ne4 Qxe4
25.Qxf6+ Kh6 26.Bxf7 Rf8 27.Rae1 Qg4 {[#] <strong style="color:red;">Of course, White has a winning game, but the Women’s World Champion finds a very clever way to finish it in her favour.</strong>}28.Re3!{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} c5{[#] <strong style="color:red;">The only hope. Black threatens mate in one move!</strong>} 29.Rg3{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} Qh5{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}
( 29...Qd7 30.Rxg6+ )
30.Kg1!!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">I find this move absolutely sadistic. White is now threatening Rh3 and so Black’s next move is virtually forced.</strong>} Bc8{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} ( 30...Bd5 31.Rh3! ) 31.Rff3!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Beautiful! The threat just won’t go away!</strong>}
e4 {[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}
( 31...Bf5 32.Rh3 )
32.Rh3 {[#] <strong style="color:red;">Consistent.</strong>}
( {<strong style="color:black;"> Not wanting to criticize White’s play, there is an even more convincing finish: </strong> } 32.Qf4+! Kg7 33.Bxg6!! Rxf4 34.Bxh5+
Kf6 35.Rxf4+ )
Bxh3 33.Rxh3 Qxh3 34.gxh3{[#] <strong style="color:red;">With Queen and Bishop for the 2 Rooks – and Black’s King still not safe – the rest is easy. </strong>} Rad8 35.Qe7 Rd1+ 36.Kf2
Rfd8 37.Bc4 R8d2+ 38.Ke3 1-0
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Magical Rook Moves
Xu, Xiangyu – Yu, Yangyi
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nd7 4.Nc3 Ngf6 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Bf4 Nb6 7.e3
Bf5 8.Bd3 Bxd3 9.Qxd3 Bd6 10.Bg5 Be7 11.O-O O-O 12.Bxf6 Bxf6
13.b4 a6 14.Nd2 Be7 15.Rfb1 c6 16.a4 g6 17.g3 Re8 18.Ne2 Bd6
19.Kg2 Qe7 20.Qc3 h5 21.Nc1 Nd7 22.Nd3 Nf6 23.Re1 h4 24.f3 hxg3
25.h3 Nh5 26.e4 Bf4 27.Nb3 Qg5 28.Re2 Re7 29.Rae1 Rae8 30.Qb2
Qh4 31.Nbc5 Nf6 32.Nxf4 Qxf4 33.e5 Nh5 34.Qd2 {[#] <strong style="color:red;">Black has a winning game, but was probably already short of time and so could not find the fastest way to press home the advantage (See my comments about the time control above)</strong>}
Qh4$5{[#] <strong style="color:red;"> Unnecessarily complicating the task at hand. Threatening Nf4 which would be immediately decisive, but probably overlooking White’s defence…</strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;"> Exchanging into an ending is probably stronger:</strong> } 34...Qxd2
35.Rxd2 f6! )
( {<strong style="color:black;"> But the STRONGEST continuation is </strong> } 34...b6! 35.Nb3 Qf5!{<strong style="color:black;">which is immediately decisive. </strong> } )
35.Re4!!{[#] <strong style="color:red;"> Creative defence. It almost works…</strong>} dxe4 36.Rxe4{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} Rxe5!!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Worth the price of admission! This move is extra-ordinary and is the only move to maintain Black’s advantage. I suspect that this move came as a surprise to BOTH players!</strong>}
37.dxe5 {[#] <strong style="color:red;">Unfortunately there is no more magic for White and he must resign himself to his fate.</strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;">Black also has a simple technical win after </strong> } 37.Rxh4 Re2+ 38.Qxe2 Rxe2+ 39.Kg1 f5! 40.d5{<strong style="color:black;"> Virtually forced if White is to get his Rook into play.</strong> }
( 40.Nxb7 Nf6 41.d5 Nxd5 42.Rc4 Re1+ 43.Kg2 Ne3+ ) cxd5 41.Rd4
Rf2 42.Rxd5 Nf4{<strong style="color:black;"> ETC</strong> } )
Rd8!{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}
38.Qe3{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}
( 38.Nd7 Qe7 39.Rd4 Kg7 )
Qe7 39.e6 {<strong style="color:black;">White is still fighting, but it is a hopeless cause. </strong> }Qf6{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}
( 39...f5! ) 40.e7 ( 40.exf7+ Kxf7 41.Re5 Rd5 ) Qb2+{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} 41.Qe2 Qxe2+
42.Rxe2 Nf4+ 43.Kxg3 Nxe2+ {[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} 0-1
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