15-year-old IM wins Moscow Open 2018

by Johannes Fischer
2/8/2018 – This year's Moscow Open was strong, if not outstanding — 16 players sported Elo ratings of 2500 or more, and three came in over 2600. But the surprise winner was 15-year-old IM Semen Lomasov, who started as the twelfth seed but left all the favourites behind, winning the tournament clear with the impressive score of eight points from nine games.
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A future Russian GM?

Over 1500 players participate in the Moscow Open chess festival across a variety of tournaments. The main A Open was held at the Russian State Social University in from January 27th to February 4th, 2018. Over 200 players competed in the a 9-round Swiss Open  for a first prize of 500,000 roubles (more than USD $8,000). The time control was 90 minutes for 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, plus a 30 second bonus per move. 

The university is located on Moscow's north side about 45 minutes from the Kremlin

Going into the last round Lomasov had half a point ahead of his pursuers, and secured clear first place with a comfortable victory over FM Maksim Samusenko.

Semen Lomasov - Maksim Samusenko

 

Semen Lomasov

IM Seman Lomasov | Photo: Galina Popova

Final standings (top 25)

Rk. Name Pts.  TB1 
1 Lomasov Semen 8,0 50,0
2 Nabaty Tamir 7,5 52,5
3 Vavulin Maksim 7,0 55,5
4 Afanasiev Nikita 7,0 51,5
5 Timofeev Artyom 7,0 46,5
6 Samusenko Maksim 6,5 52,0
7 Mozharov Mikhail 6,5 52,0
8 Zakhartsov Vladimir 6,5 50,5
9 Shukh Nikolai 6,5 50,0
10 Kokarev Dmitry 6,5 49,5
11 Harutjunyan Gevorg 6,5 49,0
12 Fakhrutdinov Timur 6,5 47,5
13 Khegay Dmitriy 6,5 47,0
14 Matinian Nikita 6,5 47,0
15 Sindarov Javokhir 6,5 46,0
16 Yeletsky Ivan 6,5 44,0
17 Savchenko Boris 6,0 52,5
18 Gaifullin Artur 6,0 52,0
19 Drygalov Andrey 6,0 51,5
20 Tsydypov Zhamsaran 6,0 51,5
21 Boruchovsky Avital 6,0 51,0
22 Vokhidov Shamsiddin 6,0 50,5
23 Bocharov Ivan 6,0 50,5
24 Mammadzada Gunay 6,0 49,0
25 Ladva Ottomar 6,0 49,0

...220 Players

Bodnaruk wins the B tournament

In parallel, a tournament only for Women was held, although many of the participants would have been at home rating-wise in the A tournament. IM Anastasia Bodnaruk matched Lomasov's score of 8 / 9 points a full point ahead of IMs Alina Kashlinskaya and Marina Nechaeva, who took second and third.

"Only victory was needed!"

Also like Lomasov, she did it by winning her last round game. In the final position below, Bodnaruk's knights are far too strong for Black's rook which is powerless to impede the advance of the passed e-pawn.

 

Final standings (top 10)

Rk. Name Pts.  TB1 
1 Bodnaruk Anastasia 8,0 47,5
2 Kashlinskaya Alina 7,0 50,5
3 Nechaeva Marina 7,0 50,0
4 Shuvalova Polina 7,0 47,5
  Osmak Iulija 7,0 47,5
6 Charochkina Daria 6,5 47,5
7 Hojjatova Aydan 6,5 47,5
8 Soumya Swaminathan 6,5 47,0
9 Kovanova Baira 6,5 45,5
10 Voit Daria 6,5 44,0

...120 players

Translation from German and additional reporting: Macauley Peterson

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Johannes Fischer was born in 1963 in Hamburg and studied English and German literature in Frankfurt. He now lives as a writer and translator in Nürnberg. He is a FIDE-Master and regularly writes for KARL, a German chess magazine focusing on the links between culture and chess. On his own blog he regularly publishes notes on "Film, Literature and Chess".

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