Caruana, who won 5 games and lost only once (to Laznicka), finished clear first, a point ahead of Sasikiran, Laznicka was solo third because So lost to Negi in the eighth round. The Filipino ended in fourth place. Fifth was Negi while Hou finished last.
While in New Delhi, So was interviewed by an Indian newspaper and admitted that his idol is the hometown hero, world champ Vishy Anand who won the world junior championship in Baguio, the Philippines 24 years ago.
“Ever since I started playing I used to hear a lot about Anand. I knew that he studied in my city and learned his early chess through TV programs in the Philippines,” says So. Anand’s father lived and worked in the Philippines when the future world champ was nine years old. “So’s fondness for Anand can be measured by the huge collection of books he owns authored by the champion himself. ‘I try to apply whatever I can grasp from them. In fact, I applied his opening techniques last year at the World Open and was able to defeat world No. 5 Vassily Ivanchuk and world No. 18 Gata Kamsky to reach the fourth round,’ he recollects. As So narrates anecdotes related to Anand, one cannot help but notice the smile and the spark in his eyes, ‘Once National Geographic was showing how Anand used to solve chess problems during his stay at the Philippines. One thing that I learned from that show is Anand’s ability to control the aggression. That nearly swings every game to his side. I am trying to be like him.’ ”
Game of the week. Here is Wesley against the no. 2 player of the Czech Republic who had beaten him in an earlier round. IM Malcolm Pein annotates.
White: W. So (2667)
Black: V. Laznicka (2681)
Queen’s Gambit
New Delhi 2011
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Be7 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bf4 c6 6.Qc2 Nf6 7.e3 Nh5 8.Be5 Nd7 9.Be2 Nxe5!? 10.dxe5 g6 11.Bxh5 gxh5 12.0-0-0 f6 13.e4! (13.Nf3 fxe5 14.Nxe5 0-0 15.f4 Bd6 was fine for Black in Grischuk-Aronian Candidates Kazan 2011) 13…d4 14.exf6 Bxf6 15.Nf3 Bg4 (15…0-0 16.Ne2 c5!?) 16.Ne2 Qa5 17.Kb1 c5!? (17…0-0-0 18.Nfxd4 Bxd4 19.Rxd4 Bxe2 20.Rxd8+ Rxd8 21.Qxe2 Rd2 was probably better) 18.Nf4 0-0 19.h3 Bd7 20.Nxh5 Rae8 21.Nd2 Bh4 22.f4 c4 23.g4 d3 24.Qc1 b5 A crazy position. Both sides have imposing pawn rollers but White has the upper hand because his queen can reach the enemy king quicker 25.f5! Kh8 26.Nf3 Bd8 27.Qh6 Rf7 (27…Rg8 28.Qd6 attacking d4 and d7) 28.f6 Rg8 (It is too late for 28…c3 29.Ng5!! c2+ 30.Ka1 cxd1Q+ 31.Rxd1 wins) 29.Ne5 Be6 (29…Be8 30.g5 c3 31.g6! ) 30.Nf4 (30.Ng7! threatens mate in one) 30…Rxf6 (30…b4! 31.Neg6+ Rxg6 32.Nxg6+ Kg8 33.Ne7+ Bxe7 34.fxe7 Rxe7 35.Rhf1 Re8 36.Rf5! Bxf5 37.gxf5 Qc5 should lose in the long run) 31.Nxe6! and 1-0. 31…Rxh6 32.Nf7 is a pretty mate.
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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