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ChessBase 17 - Mega package - Edition 2024
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2016 IMSA Elite Mind Games
Photos by Gu Xiaobing at the official site
Over the years, chess has been making desperate attempts to find a place in the Olympics. Often, the sport’s attempt is met with a polite expression of bewilderment, but no concrete results. At best, chess was an exhibition sport during the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
This resulted in the creation of a unique association between the sporting bodies, each of whom identifies the game they represent as a ‘mind sport’ – International Mind Sports Association (IMSA). The aim of the association is to engage in a dialogue with the International Olympic Committee and initiate these mind sports into the Olympics.
The IMSA in association with FIDE organized the IMSA Elite Mind Games 2016 from 25 February to 3rd March 2016 at Huai’an, China. The event consisted of a rapid tournament, a blitz tournament and a basque tournament for men and women with a handful of top stars competing for the medals.
Rapid Games
The Rapid games were 20 minutes+10 seconds per move affairs with seven rounds in both the Men and Women section. Many pundits have argued that Rapids are the future of the game, where chess is more entertaining and spectator friendly, at least in their opinion. The Games did much to entertain chess fans with fast, heart-pounding action.
The winner: WGM Tan Zhongyi (2450)
However, the Women’s section only kept the excitement to the games as the competition was nearly run over by the surprise winner Tan Zhongyi who began with five consecutive victories that almost sealed the Gold in her favour before it was over. She did lose the sixth round to Kateryna Lagno but promptly won the last round against Anna Ushenina to finish clear first with 6.0/7.
Tan Zhongyi-Huang Qian
A nice mate in three by the champion
Huang-Lagno
Ideally, White wants to castle ASAP, but Black finds a creative idea to keep
the White monarch in the center.
Rk
|
SNo.
|
|
Name |
Rtg
|
FED
|
Pts.
|
Perf
|
1
|
4
|
WGM
|
Tan Zhongyi |
2450
|
CHN
|
6
|
2807
|
2
|
14
|
GM
|
Khotenashvili Bela |
2444
|
GEO
|
4½
|
2609
|
3
|
3
|
GM
|
Ju Wenjun |
2532
|
CHN
|
4½
|
2594
|
4
|
6
|
GM
|
Lagno Kateryna |
2593
|
RUS
|
4½
|
2592
|
5
|
15
|
GM
|
Stefanova Antoaneta |
2563
|
BUL
|
4
|
2569
|
6
|
7
|
GM
|
Krush Irina |
2444
|
USA
|
3½
|
2552
|
7
|
1
|
GM
|
Dzagnidze Nana |
2560
|
GEO
|
3½
|
2503
|
8
|
2
|
IM
|
Paehtz Elisabeth |
2482
|
GER
|
3½
|
2485
|
9
|
5
|
GM
|
Zhao Xue |
2506
|
CHN
|
3½
|
2479
|
10
|
9
|
GM
|
Ushenina Anna |
2502
|
UKR
|
3½
|
2477
|
11
|
12
|
WGM
|
Huang Qian |
2443
|
CHN
|
3
|
2454
|
12
|
16
|
GM
|
Kosteniuk Alexandra |
2543
|
RUS
|
3
|
2420
|
13
|
13
|
GM
|
Gunina Valentina |
2464
|
RUS
|
2½
|
2403
|
14
|
8
|
GM
|
Harika Dronavalli |
2478
|
IND
|
2½
|
2383
|
15
|
11
|
GM
|
Socko Monika |
2441
|
POL
|
2½
|
2329
|
16
|
10
|
IM
|
Mkrtchian Lilit |
2459
|
ARM
|
1½
|
2260
|
Cuban GM Leinier Perez Dominguez (2775)
China’s GM Wang Hao (2752)
Things became very tight in the Men’s section. Four rounds were played on the first day and Dominguez, Ponomariov and Wang Hao were in the lead with 3.0/4. The games were fiercely fought and, as expected in faster time controls, riddled with mistakes and, of course, tactics!
Wojtaszek-Ivanchuk
Even though it is Ivanchuk, Black’s position looks suspicious and rightly so.
How did White puncture Black?
Movsesian-Tomashevsky
Black has only one way to survive, and even win!
[Event "Elite Mind Games"] [Site "HuaiAn, China"] [Date "2016.02.26"] [Round "1.3"] [White "Movsesian Sergei (ARM)"] [Black "Tomashevsky Evgeny (RUS)"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C50"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "1r4k1/b1p2pp1/2n1r2p/p3p3/P3P1P1/2P3q1/2Q2PP1/R1BBR1K1 b - - 0 23"] [PlyCount "48"] [EventDate "2016.??.??"] [WhiteClock "0:00:54"] [BlackClock "0:00:34"] {Before we reach the diagram position, let us see how the players landed on it. We begin with a deflection...} 23... Bxf2+ $1 24. Qxf2 Qxc3 25. Ra2 Qxc1 26. Bb3 Qxe1+ 27. Qxe1 Rxb3 $17 {Okay, Black is clearly better, but White shows that things aren't so simple practically, especially in rapids!} 28. Kh2 Rb4 29. Rc2 Rxa4 30. Qc1 Nd4 31. Rxc7 Ra2 32. Qb1 Rf2 33. Qb8+ Kh7 34. Rc8 Ref6 35. Rh8+ (35. Qxe5 $4 Nf3+ $19) 35... Kg6 36. Kg3 Ne2+ 37. Kh4 {[#] White's threat is to just mate with Rxh6.} Re6 $4 (37... Rc6 $3 {is the only move that deals with both the Rxh6 and Qxe5 threats and wins for Black. As an amateur student, I find this move very instructive.} 38. Qxe5 Rc1 39. Qh5+ Kf6 40. Rxh6+ { always in the air.} (40. g5+ Ke7) 40... gxh6 41. Qxh6+ Ke7 $19) (37... Nf4 { is equal after} 38. Rxh6+ Kxh6 39. g5+ Kh7 40. gxf6 Rxg2 $11) 38. Qg8 { threatening Rxh6 again.} Kf6 39. Qd8+ Kg6 40. g5 $1 {Again, the only move that wins.} Rf4+ (40... hxg5+ 41. Qxg5#) (40... Rxg2 41. Rxh6+ {Again!} gxh6 42. Qg8# {is the basic idea behind g5.}) 41. g4 Re8 42. Qxe8 hxg5+ 43. Kh3 Rf2 44. Qc6+ Rf6 45. Qc8 Rf2 46. Qa6+ f6 47. Qc8 {... threatening Qe8+ and also, still threatening Rh6+ (yet again!!)} 1-0
Former FIDE World Champion GM Ruslan Ponomariov (2672)
Of all the early leaders, only Ponomariov managed to survive, and even then, all he could manage was a tie for first place with Shakhriyar Mamedyarov on 5.0/7. An Armageddon tie-break became necessary to determine who took gold.
The Armageddon turned out to be a heart-stopping affair for the spectators
Shak won the toss and chose to play the white pieces with five minutes on the clock to win, while Pono had to play with only four minutes and the black pieces but with a draw sufficient for victory!
A victory on demand made Shak the gold medalist in the Rapids
The medalists on the podium
Rk
|
SNo.
|
|
Name
|
Rtg
|
FED
|
Pts
|
Perf
|
1
|
7
|
GM
|
Mamedyarov Shakhriyar |
2771
|
AZE
|
5
|
2880
|
2
|
15
|
GM
|
Ponomariov Ruslan |
2672
|
UKR
|
5
|
2880
|
3
|
14
|
GM
|
Dominguez Perez Leinier |
2775
|
CUB
|
4½
|
2840
|
4
|
9
|
GM
|
Wang Hao |
2752
|
CHN
|
4½
|
2806
|
5
|
13
|
GM
|
Ding Liren |
2686
|
CHN
|
4
|
2776
|
6
|
10
|
GM
|
Li Chao b |
2620
|
CHN
|
4
|
2769
|
7
|
1
|
GM
|
Harikrishna P. |
2694
|
IND
|
4
|
2754
|
8
|
5
|
GM
|
Wojtaszek Radoslaw |
2722
|
POL
|
3½
|
2718
|
9
|
8
|
GM
|
Mamedov Rauf |
2655
|
AZE
|
3½
|
2701
|
10
|
2
|
GM
|
Sargissian Gabriel |
2667
|
ARM
|
3½
|
2696
|
11
|
4
|
GM
|
Navara David |
2738
|
CZE
|
3
|
2688
|
12
|
16
|
GM
|
Wang Yue |
2758
|
CHN
|
3
|
2677
|
13
|
11
|
GM
|
Tomashevsky Evgeny |
2719
|
RUS
|
3
|
2674
|
14
|
6
|
GM
|
Ivanchuk Vassily |
2844
|
UKR
|
2
|
2565
|
15
|
12
|
GM
|
Fressinet Laurent |
2723
|
FRA
|
2
|
2578
|
16
|
3
|
GM
|
Movsesian Sergei |
2725
|
ARM
|
1½
|
2493
|
Links
The games are being broadcast live on the official web site and on the chess server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you can download a free Playchess client there and get immediate access. You can also use ChessBase 13 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs. |