The two joined the ranks of their fellow “Noypi” GM’s: Eugene Torre, Joey Antonio, Bong Villamayor, Nelson Mariano, Mark Paragua, Wesley So, Darwin Laylo, Jayson Gonzales, John Paul Gomez, Joseph Sanchez, Rogelio Barcenilla, Roland Salvador and Julio Catalino Sadorra. (I did not include the late Rosendo Balinas, the P.I.’s second GM, who passed away in 1998.)
Games of the week. Bobby Ang annotates.
White: O. Barbosa (2538)
Black: Goh Wei Ming (2449)
Queen’s Gambit Declined
Kuala Lumpur 2011
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 c6 4.Qc2 dxc4 A lot of people capture this c4 pawn, but I don’t understand it. White gets a good center and Black has problems getting his pieces out. Why would anyone want to play this way with Black? However, having said that, I should also say that the former European Champion GM Pavel Tregubov counts this opening among his main weapons, and top players like Krasenkow and Jussupow also play it. IM Goh Wei Ming also has a good score with it. Guess that means I don’t understand chess at all. 5.Qxc4 b5 6.Qc2 Bb7 7.e4 Nd7 8.Nbd2 IM Ilya Tsesarsky from Israel opines that 8.Bg5 is the strongest move here, trying to get control of the dark squares. The plan is that In case of 8…Be7 then 9.Bxe7 Nxe7 10.Nbd2 Black will have a weakness on c5, which in turn makes it difficult to organize …c6-c5. 8…a6 9.a4 Ngf6 10.Be2 Qb6 11.0-0 Rc8 12.Qb3 Be7 13.e5 Nd5 14.Ne4 0-0 15.Rd1 h6 16.Ne1 Obviously intending to transfer his queen to g3. 16…f5 17.exf6 N7xf6 Not 17…Bxf6? 18.Qh3 Rce8 19.Bg4 Black’s pieces are getting in each other’s way. 18.Qh3 Rce8 19.Bf3 [19.Qxe6+? Kh8 White will be losing some material, as both the e4 knight and e2 bishop are exposed on the e-file] 19…e5 20.Qg3 Kh8 21.Nd3 Qxd4 [21…exd4!? 22.Ne5 did not appeal to Goh as White now threatens to bring his knight to g6. 22…Kh7 does not help because of 23.Bxh6! Work it out] 22.Qg6 Nxe4 23.Bxe4 Nf6 24.Bf5 Oliver could also play 24.Bxh6 gxh6 25.Qxh6+ Kg8 26.Bf5 Bc8 but that would only amount to a transposition of moves] 24…Bc8 [White has a deadly threat. If for example Black ignores the attack and plays 24…bxa4? then 25.Bxh6! gxh6 26.Qxh6+ Kg8 27.Be6+ Rf7 28.Qg5+ Kf8 29.Bxf7 Kxf7 30.Nxe5+ it’s mate or queen. 25.Bxh6 gxh6 26.Qxh6+ Kg8 27.Qg5+ Kh8 28.Bxc8 Rxc8? The only defense was 28…Nh7 29.Qxe5+ Qxe5 30.Nxe5 Rxc8 31.Ng6+ Kg7 32.Nxf8 Nxf8 33.axb5 axb5 and although White still has the upper hand Black is still fighting. 29.Nxe5! Qxf2+ 30.Kh1 Black was counting on 30.Kxf2? Nd5+ winning back the queen. 30…Nd5 31.Ng6+ Kh7 32.Nxe7 Nxe7 33.Qxe7+ Rf7 34.Qe4+ Kh8 35.axb5 axb5 36.h3 Qf6 37.Ra3 Rg8 38.Rf3 and Black resigns. It is lost after 38.Rf3 Re7 (38…Qg7 39.Rxf7 Qxf7 40.Rd6 Re8 41.Qh4+ Kg8 42.Qg5+ the queen goes) 39.Rxf6 Rxe4 40.Rh6+ Kg7 41.Rxc6 etc.the title game.
White: T. Vakhidov (2485)
Black: R. Bitoon (2504)
English Opening
Kuala Lumpur 2011
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 c5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 e6 6.g3 Qb6 In this do-or-die game Bitoon goes for a very committal line. He puts pressure on the center right away but if white withstands the first wave then Black’s exposed queen and general lack of development will tell. 7.Ndb5 Bc5 [7…Ne5 is the main alternative] 8.Nd6+ The text is the most obvious move for White, but actually more testing is 8.Bg2!? (ignoring the threat against f2 — it turns out that after 8…Bxf2+ 9.Kf1 Ng4 10.Qd6 it is black who has problems or coordination; Greenfeld,A (2530)-Yemelin,V (2485)/ Beersheba 1998 1/2 27) 8…a6 9.Nd6+ Ke7 10.Nde4 Nxe4 11.Nxe4 Bb4+ 12.Kf1!? (as Marin explained, he didn’t want to exchange pieces as the black pieces are vulnerable to attack) 12…d6 13.Be3 Qd8 14.Qc2 with a clear plus for White. Marin,M (2548)-Sion Castro,M (2425)/ Benasque 1999 1-0. 8…Kf8 9.Nce4 Nxe4 10.Nxe4 Bb4+ 11.Bd2 f5 12.Nc3 Ne5 13.Qb3 a5 14.Bg2 a4 15.Qc2 Nxc4 16.Bf4 Be7 17.Rb1 d5 The opening has been a success for Black. White’s chance is to break open the center in order to get at the enemy king. He can do this through a timely e2-e4 or a piece sacrifice on d5. 18.0- 0 Bd7 19.Rfd1 Rc8 20.e4?! fxe4 21.Bxe4 g5! Of course 21…dxe4?! 22.Rxd7 e3 23.Bxe3 Nxe3 24.fxe3 Qxe3+ 25.Kg2 leaves Black in a difficult position. 22.b3 Na3 23.Qb2 Rg8! [23…gxf4? 24.Nxd5! exd5 25.Qxh8+ wins] 24.Be3 Qb4 25.Rbc1 Nc4 26.Nxd5 Nxb2 27.Nxb4 Nxd1 28.Rxd1 Be8 Richard has emerged from the complications quality up (huge sigh of relief). He now brings home the bacon. 29.Nd3 Bc6 30.Bxc6 Rxc6 31.bxa4 Rd6 32.Kf1 e5! 33.f3 Kg7 34.Ke2 Ra8 35.Rb1 Rxa4 36.Rxb7 Rxa2+ 37.Nb2 Kg6 38.Bc1 Rc6 39.Kd2 Bf6 40.g4 e4! 41.fxe4 Be5 With the lethal threat of 42…Bf4. 0-1.
Puzzler.
White: Ka5, Nb5, Qc1, Bd3, pawn on d4
Black: Kd5, Ne5, pawns on a6 and f3
White to play and mate in three moves.
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