Photo: Harry Gielen

Vishnu seizes his chance

Report Round 4 Open group
Photo: Harry Gielen

Because the three leaders drew their games (the rivals Sengupta and l’Ami with each other, and Debashis against Benjamin Bok), Vishnu Prasanna became the co-leader with an outstanding victory over Jaan Ehlvest, who doesn’t have an easy time in this tournament so far. The Indian player, now also on 3½ points, played a very strong game against Ehlvest’s Aekhine Defence.
 

Vishnu - Ehlvest


 

Black has some problems with his king. If he castles, then Bxh6 is in the air. So:
 
25...h5 26.Bf5 0–0 27.Qd3!


 

The problems are mounting. If Black protects the bishop with 27...Qe8 then White does not have to take on g6 right away – 28.Bd2! is even more clever, with the threat of 29.Bb4, e.g. 28...Qd7 29.b4! and after this it’s time to take on g6.
 
27...c5 
 
A desperate bid for activity.
 
28.Bxg6 fxg6 29.dxc5 Rxf2 30.Bxf2! 
 
Not the automatic 30.Rxf2? d4! and it’s equal again.
 
30...bxc5 31.Qxd5 
 
And later on White won a few more pawns. Despite Ehlvest’s tenacious defence, Vishnu finished the job neatly.
 
 
 
On 5th board, Rajpara Ankit and Sipke Ernst agreed a draw fairly quickly. Huh... Ernst? A quick draw?

 

Ankit - Ernst

In this position Ernst offered a peace treaty. Happy with this good result against 60 extra Elo points, Ankit accepted. But of course Ernst’s offer hadn’t been for nothing. In the pressroom he said that he had seen 18.d5 Bd7 19.Bxh6! coming. After 19...gxh6 20.Qxh6 the threat of 21.Nf5 is deadly, because the knight on f6 is hanging. If Black protects it with 20...Qd8 then there follows 21.axb5! Qe7 (he couldn’t take back with the pawn immediately in view of 22.Rxa8 Qxa8 23.Nf5) 22.Nf5 Qf8 (22...Bxf5 23.exf5 Nf4 24.Qg5+ Kh8 25.Ra4! Ng8 26.bxa6 with 4 pawns and an overwhelming position for the piece) 23.Qxf8+ Rxf8 24.Rxa6, also with 4 pawns and beautiful play for the piece.

One of the most striking names in the enormous contingent of three-pointers is Iozefina Paulet. Today she played a wonderful game against the former winner of the Leiden Chess Tournament (2014).

Das Arghyadip - Paulet


 

Paulet has skillfully built up her Sicilian attack on White’s king on the queenside, and now she strikes:

33...Rc3! 34.Rd3

The opening of the diagonal has of course disastrous consequences after 34.bxc3 Nxc3+.

34...Rxd3 35.Qxd3 Qg1 36.Qe4 Nxb2 37.Re1

What else?

37...Na4!


 

38.Bd2

38.Rxg1 Nc3+ 39.Ka1 Nxe4+ 40.Bb2 Rxc2 is game utterly over.

38...Nc5 39.Qf4 Qg2 40.Nxc5 dxc5 41.c4 Qxh3 42.Re3 Qd7 43.d6


 

43...Qa4

Oh... White actually thought that the black attack was over.

44.Bc1 Bd4 45.Bb2 Bxe3 46.Qxe3

46.Qe5? Bd4.

46...Qd1+ 47.Ka2 Qxd6 48.Qc3 Qd4 49.Qc2 Qe3

And the counterattack along the long diagonal did not get off the ground:

50.Bc1 Qe5 51.Bb2 Qxg5 52.Qc3 f6 53.Qf3 Rf8 0–1

 

Another surprising three-pointer is Stijn Gieben. In a far queenless middlegame his pieces suddenly cooperated in a miraculous way against Luuk van Kooten, who has almost 400 Elo points more.

Gieben - Van Kooten


 

37.Ra7+ Kb8?

37...Kc8 38.Ra8+ is equal.

38.Rxd7! Nxd3

38...Rxd7 39.Bxe5+ Kc8 40.Nxf4 and now the bishop on d3 is also covered again!

39.Rxe7 Nf2+ 40.Kg1 Rd1+ 41.Ne1 Nxe4


 

42.f6?!

White could have won two more pawns in a very funny way by 42.Bxe5+ Kc8 43.Bxg3! Nxg3. Now the Ne1 is protected again, and so 44.f6 will follow. But the text move also wins.

42...Nxc3 43.f7 Rxe1+ 44.Kg2 Re2+ 45.Kxg3 Re3+ 46.Kxg4 Re4+ 47.Kg5 Rf4 48.Re8+ Kc7 49.f8D


 

And with his active king and rook, White prevailed in the ending.

« Wildwest in the Matches
Contingency abounds »