The 29th edition of the Cappelle-La-Grande Open is underway from February 23 to March 2, 2013 at the Palais des Arts et Loisirs (Palace of Arts and Leisure). It is a nine-round swiss open played at the rate of 40 moves in 90 minutes plus 30 seconds per move, followed by 30 minutes plus 30 seconds per move for the rest of the game. The tournament has a 30 thousand Euro prize fund, with 1st - 3000 Euros, 2nd - 2000 Euros, 3rd - 1500 Euros, etc. and many prizes by category and age.
29th Cappelle-La-Grande Open: Sjugirov edges out pack
It was a great event, confirmed by the stats, and affirming once more the vibrant support by the chess community for this traditional open. The 29th edition of the Cappelle-La-Grande Open in France brought in 563 players, aged 7 to 83, with an Orwellian average rating of 1984. The incredibly high average rating for such a large field is in large part due to the huge turnout of titled players, including 85 grandmasters, 71 international masters and 38 FIDE masters.
The giant open is well underway
Naturally, this also made it an absolute delight for those seeking to score a norm since it was almost impossible not to fill out the conditions provided they brought their A-game. As a result no fewer than twelve norms were registered, and one look at the names is enough to say "it is good to be young". It was a great success for many youngsters with grandmaster norms registered by 18-year-old Frenchman Maxime Lagarde, 17-year-old Serb Alexander Indjic, and 17-year-old Armenian Karen Grigoryan. While these three players are titled masters, there were a few surprises among the norms scored. Perhaps the most remarkable was by 14-year-old Lukasz Jarmula from Poland. The reason being that he came as an untitled player rated a very modest 2164 and scored a very efficient IM norm. Particularly remarkable when you consider that exactly one year ago, he was barely rated 2013.
Here is one of his wins:
[Event "29th Open"]
[Site "Cappelle la Grande FRA"]
[Date "2013.02.24"]
[Round "2.72"]
[White "Butnorius, Algimantas"]
[Black "Jarmula, Lukasz"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A16"]
[WhiteElo "2400"]
[BlackElo "2164"]
[PlyCount "168"]
[EventDate "2013.02.23"]
1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. dxc3 Qxd1+ 7. Kxd1 Nd7
8. Bf4 c6 9. Kc2 f6 10. Nd2 e5 11. Be3 Bc5 12. Bxc5 Nxc5 13. b4 Ne6 14. Bc4 Nc7
15. Bb3 Be6 16. g3 O-O-O 17. Nc4 {At first view, it looks very balanced, and
one might expect the rooks to come off on the d-file.} Bg4 {Black is not about
to give up on winning just yet, and plays the only move that keeps the game
going by preventing Rd1.} 18. Rhe1 Rd7 19. Re3 $2 {Much too passive.} ({
Instead of wasting time trying to play f3 White would have been better off
taking active measures of his own with} 19. f4 $1 {pressuring e5, and if} exf4
20. gxf4 Rhd8 21. e5 $1 {should give White counterplay.}) 19... Rhd8 20. f3 Be6
21. Re2 {The threat was Bxc4 Bxc4 Rd2+} Rd3 22. Ne3 Bxb3+ 23. axb3 Nb5 $1 {
White is in big trouble now.} 24. Nd5 ({The alternative} 24. c4 {is no better
after} Rc3+ 25. Kb2 Rxb3+ 26. Kxb3 Nd4+ 27. Kb2 Nxe2 28. Rxa7 Rd2+ {and White
is in for a bad day.}) 24... Rxf3 25. Ne3 Nd4+ $1 {Superb.} 26. cxd4 exd4 27.
Rxa7 Kb8 {An imprecision.} ({Black correctly avoided} 27... d3+ 28. Kd2 dxe2+
29. Kxe2 {The rook is caught so} Rxe3+ 30. Kxe3 Kc7 $15) ({However more
precise was} 27... Kc7 28. Kd3 dxe3+ 29. Kc3 Kb6 $1 {and the reason why Kc7
was stronger becomes apparent.}) 28. Ra1 dxe3 29. Rae1 Rd2+ 30. Rxd2 exd2 31.
Rd1 Re3 32. Rxd2 Rxe4 33. Kc3 Kc7 34. Rf2 f5 35. Rd2 f4 36. gxf4 Rxf4 37. Rd3
Rh4 38. h3 Kb6 39. Re3 g5 40. Rg3 h5 41. Rxg5 Rxh3+ 42. Kb2 h4 43. Rh5 Rh2+ 44.
Kc3 h3 45. Rh7 Rh1 46. Kb2 Rh2+ 47. Kc3 Rh1 48. Kb2 Ka7 49. Kc3 Kb8 50. Kb2 Kc8
51. Ka2 Rh2+ 52. Ka3 Rh1 53. Kb2 b6 54. Ka2 Kd8 55. Kb2 Ke8 56. Rh6 Kf7 $5 {
This might seem like a mistake, but in truth it changes little.} ({After} 56...
h2 {Black will soon run out of means to progress.} 57. Rh7 (57. Kc2 {is
impossible due to the thematic} Ra1 58. Rxh2 Ra2+) 57... Kf8 58. Rh6 Kg7 59.
Rh4 Kf6 60. Rh3 {and now the attempt to bring down the king yields nothing.}
Kf5 61. Rh7 Ke4 62. Re7+ Kf4 63. Rf7+ {etc.}) 57. Rxc6 Kg7 58. Rc3 b5 59. Rf3
Kg6 60. Rg3+ Kf5 61. Rd3 Ke4 62. Rg3 Kf4 63. Rd3 Kg4 64. Rd4+ Kg3 65. Rd3+ Kf2
66. Rd2+ Ke3 67. Rc2 $4 {White finally cracks.} (67. Rd5 {was the best move.}
Kf3 (67... h2 68. Rh5 {was a draw.}) 68. Rxb5 Re1 69. Rh5 Kg4 70. Rh6 Re5 71.
Kc3 {and the b-pawn will be the equalizer.}) 67... h2 68. Rc3+ Kf2 69. Rc2+ Kg3
70. Rc3+ Kg4 71. Rc2 Rb1+ 72. Kxb1 h1=Q+ 73. Kb2 Qh8+ 74. Ka2 Qd4 75. Re2 Kf3
76. Rh2 Qxb4 77. Rh3+ Kg4 78. Rd3 Kf4 79. Kb2 Ke4 80. Rd1 Qa5 81. Rd7 b4 82.
Re7+ Kd5 83. Re3 Kd4 84. Rh3 Qe5 0-1
Still, his 14-year-old compatriot, Radoslaw Gajek, also untitled, though higher rated at 2273, one-upped him by not only scoring an IM norm, but coming halfway to a GM norm with a 2552 performance.
Nevertheless, it would be remiss to lose sight of the winners of the tournament who fought an incredibly tough field and were able to distinguish themselves. Here too, it was an event for the young. In the top spot was Russian junior, Sanan Sjugirov who tied with no fewer than seven others at 7.0/9, though with the highest tiebreak. In second was Indian junior Parimarjan Negi, the second youngest grandmaster in history, followed by 23-year-old Israeli Maxim Rodshtein. In fourth was Sergey Fedorchuk from Ukraine, and in fifth was the only Canadian of the tournament, Eric Hansen, whose decision to take some time off for chess has been crowned by numerous successes since adopting this path last September.
Here is one of his wins:
[Event "29th Open"]
[Site "Cappelle la Grande FRA"]
[Date "2013.02.27"]
[Round "6.6"]
[White "Hansen, Eric"]
[Black "Vovk, Yuri"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B30"]
[WhiteElo "2557"]
[BlackElo "2594"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[EventDate "2013.02.23"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 e6 4. O-O Nge7 5. Re1 a6 6. Bxc6 Nxc6 7. d4 cxd4 8.
Nxd4 b6 {The theoretical novelty.} 9. Nxc6 {It certainly had to be expected.}
dxc6 {However it is unlikely Black saw} 10. Nd2 {coming instead of the queen
swap. The move played not only prevents the exchange, but is very flexible,
allowing for Nc4, hitting any number of squares, or Nf3 depending on where the
wind blows.} Be7 11. Qg4 O-O 12. e5 f5 13. exf6 Rxf6 14. Nf3 e5 15. Qe4 {Black
is losing a pawn for no compensation.} Bf5 16. Qxe5 Bd6 17. Qc3 Qc7 {On the
surface, one would thing Black has some decent compensation such as the bishop
pair, with open lines, but he lacks concrete threats, and his own king is
actually more exposed.} 18. Bg5 Rf7 19. Bh4 {Preparing Bg3 to solidify his
material advantage.} Bg4 20. Ng5 $1 Bxh2+ 21. Kh1 Rf4 22. Kxh2 {and any
discovered check is met by Bg3.} 1-0
One of the fun things about such a large tournament is the sheer number of interesting positions it runs out. As a result, here are a few we selected.
[Event "29th Open"]
[Site "Cappelle la Grande FRA"]
[Date "2013.02.23"]
[Round "1.12"]
[White "Position 1"]
[Black "Svetushkin-Loiseau"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A65"]
[WhiteElo "2612"]
[BlackElo "2374"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r3r3/p5k1/1p3p2/2pP1qp1/3b2Np/P1N1p2P/1P2Q1P1/R3n1K1 w - - 0 31"]
[PlyCount "1"]
[EventDate "2013.02.23"]
31. Rxe1 {It is certainly nice to beat an opponent rated 240 Elo above one's
self, but to do it in style is icing on the cake. Black to play and win} *
[Event "29th Open"]
[Site "Cappelle la Grande FRA"]
[Date "2013.02.23"]
[Round "1.12"]
[White "Solution 1"]
[Black "Svetushkin-Loiseau"]
[Result "0-1"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r3r3/p5k1/1p3p2/2pP1qp1/3b2Np/P1N1p2P/1P2Q1P1/R3n1K1 w - - 0 31"]
[PlyCount "6"]
[EventDate "2013.02.23"]
31. Rxe1 {Black wins the beauty prize with} Qf2+ $3 {and if} 32. Nxf2 exf2+ 33.
Qxf2 (33. Kh2 Rxe2) (33. Kf1 fxe1=Q+ 34. Kxe1 Bxc3+ 35. bxc3 Rxe2+ 36. Kxe2)
33... Rxe1+ 0-1
[Event "29th Open"]
[Site "Cappelle la Grande FRA"]
[Date "2013.02.23"]
[Round "1.16"]
[White "Position 2"]
[Black "Zhigalko-Tugui"]
[Result "*"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "3r2k1/3q1p1p/1p1r2p1/n2R4/8/P1Q5/BP3PPP/3R2K1 b - - 0 27"]
[PlyCount "1"]
[EventDate "2013.02.23"]
{Black just played} 27... Qa4 {Was this a blunder or is there a reason White
cannot take the rook on d6?} *
[Event "29th Open"]
[Site "Cappelle la Grande FRA"]
[Date "2013.02.23"]
[Round "1.16"]
[White "Solution 2"]
[Black "Zhigalko-Tugui"]
[Result "*"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "3r2k1/3q1p1p/1p1r2p1/n2R4/8/P1Q5/BP3PPP/3R2K1 b - - 0 27"]
[PlyCount "5"]
[EventDate "2013.02.23"]
{Black just played} 27... Qa4 {Taking the rook on d6 with} 28. Rxd6 {would
lead to immediate punishment with} Qxd1+ $1 29. Rxd1 Rxd1+ {and mate. In the
game, White was not fooled and sidestepped the trap and won.} *
[Event "29th Open"]
[Site "Cappelle la Grande FRA"]
[Date "2013.02.23"]
[Round "1.69"]
[White "Position 3"]
[Black "Daulyte-Stella"]
[Result "*"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r4rk1/4b2n/1q2p2p/pP1n4/3P1p2/1PpN1QP1/5P1P/R1NR2K1 w - - 0 27"]
[PlyCount "3"]
[EventDate "2013.02.23"]
{After} 27. Qg4+ Ng5 {What is preventing White from simply playing} 28. gxf4 {
to win the piece? Black to play and win.} *
[Event "29th Open"]
[Site "Cappelle la Grande FRA"]
[Date "2013.02.23"]
[Round "1.69"]
[White "Solution 3"]
[Black "Daulyte-Stella"]
[Result "*"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r4rk1/4b2n/1q2p2p/pP1n4/3P1p2/1PpN1QP1/5P1P/R1NR2K1 w - - 0 27"]
[PlyCount "8"]
[EventDate "2013.02.23"]
{After} 27. Qg4+ Ng5 {What is preventing White from simply playing} 28. gxf4 {
to win the piece? The answer is} Nxf4 $1 {and if} 29. Nxf4 Rxf4 $1 {is winning
since} 30. Qxf4 Nh3+ {wins the queen.} *
[Event "29th Open"]
[Site "Cappelle la Grande FRA"]
[Date "2013.03.01"]
[Round "8.7"]
[White "Position 4"]
[Black "Lagarde-Azarov"]
[Result "*"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "rn1qk2r/pp2pbb1/5np1/2pp1pBp/3P1N1P/2NBPPQ1/PPP3P1/R3K2R b KQkq - 0 11"]
[PlyCount "1"]
[EventDate "2013.02.23"]
{Although the young Frenchman won this game and earned a GM norm, he might
have ended the game straight in the opening here.} 11... Nh7 {Can you see what
White missed? White to play and win.} *
[Event "29th Open"]
[Site "Cappelle la Grande FRA"]
[Date "2013.03.01"]
[Round "8.7"]
[White "Solution 4"]
[Black "Lagarde-Azarov"]
[Result "*"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "rn1qk2r/pp2pbb1/5np1/2pp1pBp/3P1N1P/2NBPPQ1/PPP3P1/R3K2R b KQkq - 0 11"]
[PlyCount "10"]
[EventDate "2013.02.23"]
{Although the young Frenchman won this game and earned a GM norm, he might
have ended the game straight in the opening here. After} 11... Nh7 {White had
the elegant shot} 12. Nxg6 $1 {and if} Bxg6 13. Bxe7 Qxe7 14. Nxd5 (14. Qxg6+ {
is also good, just not *as* good.}) 14... Qf7 15. Qd6 {Threatening Nc7+.} Nd7
16. Bc4 $18 *
Final standings
|
Rk
|
Tit
|
Name
|
Rtg
|
Age
|
Fed
|
Pts
|
Perf
|
TB
|
| 1 |
g |
SJUGIROV Sanan |
2646
|
|
RUS
|
7
|
2747
|
56,5
|
| 2 |
g |
NEGI Parimarjan |
2638
|
|
IND
|
7
|
2724
|
55
|
| 3 |
g |
RODSHTEIN Maxim |
2616
|
|
ISR
|
7
|
2749
|
55
|
| 4 |
g |
FEDORCHUK Sergey |
2643
|
|
UKR
|
7
|
2697
|
53
|
| 5 |
g |
HANSEN Eric |
2557
|
|
CAN
|
7
|
2679
|
54,5
|
| 6 |
g |
JIANU Vlad-Cristian |
2500
|
|
ROU
|
7
|
2698
|
52,5
|
| 7 |
g |
FEDOROV Alexei |
2576
|
|
BLR
|
7
|
2702
|
53,5
|
| 8 |
g |
VOVK Yuri |
2594
|
|
UKR
|
7
|
2696
|
51,5
|
| 9 |
g |
GHARAMIAN Tigran |
2661
|
|
FRA
|
6,5
|
2708
|
56,5
|
| 10 |
g |
GUREVICH Mikhail |
2581
|
|
TUR
|
6,5
|
2646
|
55
|
| 11 |
g |
DJUKIC Nikola |
2538
|
|
MNE
|
6,5
|
2632
|
53
|
| 12 |
g |
PETKOV Vladimir |
2559
|
|
BUL
|
6,5
|
2648
|
54
|
| 13 |
g |
TER-SAHAKYAN Samvel |
2563
|
|
ARM
|
6,5
|
2638
|
53
|
| 14 |
g |
VAZQUEZ IGARZA Renier |
2565
|
|
ESP
|
6,5
|
2614
|
53,5
|
| 15 |
g |
ROZENTALIS Eduardas |
2613
|
|
LTU
|
6,5
|
2596
|
52,5
|
| 16 |
m |
GRIGORYAN Karen |
2531
|
U18
|
ARM
|
6,5
|
2639
|
50,5
|
| 17 |
g |
ITURRIZAGA Eduardo |
2646
|
|
VEN
|
6,5
|
2610
|
51
|
| 18 |
g |
KHARITONOV Alexandr |
2536
|
|
RUS
|
6,5
|
2608
|
49,5
|
| 19 |
g |
BOROVIKOV Vladislav |
2557
|
|
UKR
|
6,5
|
2612
|
49,5
|
| 20 |
m |
BARYSHPOLETS Andrey |
2526
|
|
UKR
|
6,5
|
2551
|
49
|
| 21 |
g |
VOVK Andrey |
2564
|
|
UKR
|
6,5
|
2544
|
49
|
| 22 |
g |
NABATY Tamir |
2573
|
|
ISR
|
6,5
|
2542
|
50
|
| 23 |
|
GAJEK Radoslaw |
2273
|
U16
|
POL
|
6,5
|
2552
|
48
|
| 24 |
g |
NINOV Nikolai |
2520
|
|
BUL
|
6,5
|
2464
|
47,5
|
| 25 |
m |
INDJIC Aleksandar |
2502
|
U18
|
SRB
|
6
|
2629
|
55
|
| 81 |
|
KAMBRATH Yannick |
2232
|
U16
|
FRA
|
5,5
|
2498
|
51
|
| 82 |
|
JARMULA Lukasz |
2164
|
U16
|
POL
|
5,5
|
2512
|
50,5
|
Click here for full standings
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