Granda, Sveshnikov World Senior Champs

by Nadja Wittmann
11/23/2017 – Peruvian grandmaster Julio Granda Zúñiga has been crowned World Senior Champion in the over-50 category, scoring an impressive 9½ points out of 11 rounds. The silver and the bronze went to Rogelio Antonio and Eric Prie respectively, both with 8½ / 11 points. In the over-65 section, Evgeny Sveshnikov stood out with 8½ / 11 points. The title of Senior Women's World Champion over-50 was awarded to WGM Elvira Berend (7/9). The great favourite of the over-65 women's section, Nona Gaprindashvili managed only the runner-up spot this time, behind Tamar Khmiadashvili. Both scored 7½ / 9 points, but Khmiadashvili won their direct encounter. | Photo: (Granda) Alina l´Ami | (Sveshnikov) Helen Milligan

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27th World Senior Chess Championship

FIDE is opposing the fashion of playing more games in less time. In the World Senior Championships only one round was played per day and there was a rest day to boot. In total, 11 rounds were played to determine the champion in the different age categories, in the open and women's sections. The 15 cash prizes ranged between 150 and 1,200 euros.

Open over-50 section

In the over-50 age category, the popular Peruvian GM who now lives in Spain was crowned World Champion. He was the rating favourite, but nevertheless impressed by finishing a full point clear of his rivals on the strength of eight wins and three draws for a 2688 rating preformance.

A key win in the penultimate round with the black pieces over IM Alexander Reprintsev, all but secured the title for Granda.

 

Try your own moves on the live diagram!

Black's queen was menacing, but this attempt to expell it critically weakens the d3 pawn. 31...Qb6 32.Bxe5? White is worse after 32.Qd1 Bxd3 33.Rxe5 but the game continues. But after taking with the bishop the rook now has nonn squares, and so Reprintsev is losing by force. The game continued 32...Bxd3 33.f4 Bxf4 and White resigned a few moves later.

Final standings (top 20)

Rk. Name Pts.  TB1 
1 Granda Zuniga Julio E 9,5 0,0
2 Antonio Rogelio Jr 8,5 0,5
3 Prie Eric 8,5 0,5
4 Sturua Zurab 7,5 0,0
5 Bagaturov Giorgi 7,5 0,0
6 Kalegin Evgenij 7,5 0,0
7 Bischoff Klaus 7,5 0,0
8 Reprintsev Alexander 7,5 0,0
9 Welling Gerard 7,5 0,0
10 Mannion Stephen R 7,5 0,0
11 Brendel Oliver 7,0 0,0
12 Prasad Devaki V 7,0 0,0
13 Biro Sandor 7,0 0,0
14 Grant Jonathan I M 7,0 0,0
15 Contin Daniel 7,0 0,0
16 Fritsch Rolf 7,0 0,0
17 Jhunjhnuwala Krishan 6,5 0,0
18 Vepkhvishvili Varlam 6,5 0,0
19 Mantovani Renzo 6,5 0,0
20 Buchal Stephan 6,5 0,0

All games


King's Indian Attack

The King’s Indian Attack is a unique opening system in that it offers White a dynamic and interesting game but without the need to know reams of theory. In addition to being easy to learn it has an excellent pedigree, leading exponents including great players such as Bobby Fischer, Tigran Petrosian, David Bronstein, Viktor Korchnoi, Leonid Stein and Lev Psakhis. GM Nigel Davies presents a complete repertoire for White.


Open over-65 section

Evgeny Sveshnikov finished a half point ahead of no less than nine others on 8 / 11 to take the over-65 title. He two scored a crucial win with black in the penultimate round, although be benefited from a serious blunder from seventh seeded Czech GM Vlastimil Jansa.

 

Can you see what White overlooked?
If not, use assisted analysis to try some moves right on the diagram!

Evgeny Sveshnikov

The over-65 medalists | Photo: Torsten Cmiel

All games over-65 section


The Dutch Stonewall - A fighting repertoire against 1.d4

In the Dutch Stonewall Black from the very first move fights for the initiative. Let Erwin l'Ami take you on a fascinating journey to the depth and attractions of this unique opening. At the end you will be rewarded with a new repertoire against 1.d4!


Final standings (top 20)

Rk. Name Pts.  TB1 
1 Sveshnikov Evgeny 8,5 0,0
2 Vaisser Anatoly 8,0 0,0
3 Jansa Vlastimil 8,0 0,0
4 Okhotnik Vladimir 8,0 0,0
5 Vogt Lothar 8,0 0,0
6 Balashov Yuri S 8,0 0,0
7 Torre Eugenio 8,0 0,0
8 Lisenko Alexander V 8,0 0,0
9 Rooze Jan 8,0 0,0
10 Vasiukov Evgeni 8,0 0,0
11 Shevelev Arkady 7,5 0,0
12 Primbetov Marat 7,5 0,0
13 Yakimenko Alexander A. 7,5 0,0
14 Tarjan James 7,5 0,0
15 Povah Nigel E 7,0 0,0
16 Kierzek Matthias 7,0 0,0
17 Van Riemsdijk Herman C. 7,0 0,0
18 Privara Igor 7,0 0,0
19 Komljenovic Davorin 7,0 0,0
20 Stepovoj Vladimir 7,0 0,0

Women over-50 and over 65

The two women's fields had fewer participants than opens. In the 50+ category, 22 ladies participated, of which 15 had FIDE titles (6 WGM, 6 WIM and 3 WFM). In the over-50 section, the top seed Elvira Berend, rated 2292, won comfortably by a full point over three WGM rivals.

Among those over 65, the favorite was GM Nona Gaprindashvili, women's world champion from 1962 to 1978. The legendary Georgian is 76 years old and has also been world champion among senior women on four occasions. Like Anatoly Vaisser, Nona Gaprindashvili had come to Italy to defend last year's title, but in the end she was only runner-up, behind Tamar Khmiadashvili on the primary tiebreak criteria: direct encounter.

 

The two Georgians met in the third and Gaprindashvili optimistically decided to sacrifice her queen for rook and bishop to open the g-file. 16.Qe4?! (There's nothing terrible about either b3 or a2 for the queen, but black is comfortable after 16...Nb7 heading for the c5 square). 16...f5! 17.gxf5 Bxf5 18.Qxf5 Rxf5 19.Bxf5 b4 20.axb4 Bxb4 and after exchanging on c3, Black's queen and passed a-pawn are just too strong.

Nona Gaprindashvili

Nona Gaprindashvili, still going strong at 76 | Photo: Gerhard Bertagnolli

All games women over-50


Beat the Queen's Indian: The modern Fianchetto Line

This DVD is packed full of new, exciting and novel ideas; based on a repertoire starting with the moves 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 with g3! to follow.


Final standings women over-50

k. SNo   Name FED RtgI Pts.  TB1   TB2  Rp
1 1 WGM Berend Elvira LUX 2292 7,0 0,0 42,5 2328
2 4 WGM Makropoulou Marina GRE 2146 6,0 1,5 44,5 2207
3 2 WGM Strutinskaia Galina RUS 2246 6,0 1,0 42,5 2231
4 7 WGM Bogumil Tatiana RUS 2124 6,0 0,5 44,5 2117
5 11 WGM Liu Shilan CHN 2054 5,5 0,0 45,0 2097
6 14 WIM Lauterbach Ingrid ENG 2007 5,5 0,0 43,0 2104
7 3 WIM Burchardt Brigitte GER 2173 5,5 0,0 42,5 2157
8 10 WFM Birkholz Olga GER 2077 5,5 0,0 39,5 2001
9 5 WGM Mednikova Svetlana RUS 2128 5,0 0,0 39,0 1969
10 15 WFM Kierzek Mira GER 1996 5,0 0,0 35,0 1828
11 8 WIM Kasoshvili Tsiala GEO 2097 4,5 0,0 42,5 1971
12 9   Xu Yaping CHN 2081 4,5 0,0 40,0 1971
13 13 WFM Khropova Larisa RUS 2027 4,5 0,0 39,5 2035
14 6 WIM Wagner-Michel Annett GER 2128 4,5 0,0 39,0 2041
15 17 CM Milligan Helen NZL 1951 4,5 0,0 35,0 1985
16 18 WCM Soyolmaa Dashdondog MGL 1880 4,5 0,0 32,5 1691
17 16 WIM Cinar Corlulu Nilufer TUR 1969 4,5 0,0 32,0 1881
18 19 WCM Hazim Gonzalez Elizabeth DOM 1795 4,0 0,0 31,0 1570
19 21   Gungaa Tsegmid MGL 0 3,0 0,0 33,5 1591
20 20   Balcerczak Ewa POL 1391 2,0 0,0 32,0 1405
21 22   Malevanaia Oxana USA 0 1,0 0,0 36,0 976
22 12 WIM Mira Helene AUT 2047 0,5 0,0 30,5 1798

All games women over-65

Final standings women over-65

Rk. Name Pts.  TB1 
1 Khmiadashvili Tamar 7,5 1,0
2 Gaprindashvili Nona 7,5 0,0
3 Titorenko Natalia I 6,5 0,0
4 Fatalibekova Elena 6,0 0,0
5 Sorokina Tamara 5,0 1,0
6 Kuznetsova Luba 5,0 1,0
7 Iskichekova Nadezhda 5,0 1,0
8 Bujinlkham Purevdorj 4,5 1,5
9 Kabanova Irina 4,5 1,0
10 Serjmyadag Damdin 4,5 0,5
11 Florea Dorina 4,0 1,0
12 Podlovni Stella 4,0 0,0
13 Abolina Arija-Solveiga 3,5 0,0
14 Cucoch Marisa 2,5 0,0
15 Centofante Maria Rosa 2,0 0,0

Acqui Terme (Italia)

As in 2015, the World Senior Championship took place in Acqui Terme (Piedemonte, Italy). The host city has about 20,000 inhabitants and is a typical small Italian city with a rich history. As the name already suggests, it is a place with thermal springs.

Translation from Spanish and additional reporting: Macauley Peterson

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