83rd Brazilian Ch. Rd3-5: Three draws!

All photos by Albert Silver

(photos are all high-resolution)

Running from February 6 – 14, 2017, the 83rd Brazilian Championship is underway in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It brings twelve players including four grandmasters, who will fight a round robin at the rate of 90 minutes for the game plus a 30-second increment.

Players

Round three of the competition seemed to suggest that thing would return to a more normal rate of play, in which two draws took place out of the six games. It was the first double-round of the event and in the morning the two largest bulls in the arena locked horns: GM Krikor Mekhitarian and Alexandr Fier.

Alexandre Fier has survived more than his share of scares so far, but has emerged unscathed until now, and is in close second place with 4.5/5. He has been enjoying a return tour of his native Brazil, and this marks his third and final event here before returning to his wife and child in Georgia.

Understandably, it was the main attraction of the day, representing not only the first clash between grandmasters in the championship, but also the two highest rated players.

FM Ricardo Teixeira once more brings his fine eye to the game, and while it may seem unusual to choose one of the only three draws, despite being such strong players, it should be noted that the Alekhine Defense played has been the cornerstone of his repertoire throughout his career, and none can claim to know it better.

Krikor Mekhitarian vs Alexandr Fier (annotated by FM Ricardo Teixeira)

Round four could be summed up in five words we all know so well: "White to play and win". The reason as you may have guessed is because all six games ended in decisive results in favor of white! Obviously such dramatic results cannot all be the result of smooth sailing, and surely they weren't. The games have had a generous number of blunders and breathtaking turnarounds, and one such was between FM Nogueira and Carneiro. After suffering terribly and permanently facing an imminent loss, Ivan Nogueira saw his opponent finally crack under the pressure of an opponent who refused to give up, and this situation arose:

Ivan Nogueira - Vitor Carneiro

Round five was far less lopsided, and while it too saw a staggering six wins in six games, Black enjoyed a bit of that winnng mojo as well.

Before the fifth round starts, the players enjoy a bit of friendly banter

Everaldo Matsuura greets his opponent Carlos Pinto

As the lowest rated player in the field, Carlos Pinto has been having a rough time of it, but his good humor and ready smiles belie the pleasure he has of being in the final and having the chance to face off against the country's best.

Everaldo Matsuura, hailing from the state of Paraná, has had a perfect run so far with 5.0/5. However, he has yet to meet the three other grandmasters in the field.

It was a dramatic game between Rafael de Paula and Alexandr Fier. Fier, covering his face in the foreground, was probably wondering how he had gone so wrong, and was dead lost after 30 moves. However, things turned around, and a few key slips cost White the game, and a possible heroic result.

Hypnotized by chess

GM Felipe El Debs suffered a nasty setback in round two, when he lost a won game against Andrey Souza Neves, but has since played at his standard and won his games well. He is now at 4.0/5.

While Paulo Reis (2397 FIDE) has had more losses than wins so far, he has also faced some of the stiffest competition, including GMs Fier and El Debs.

Although Andrey Souza Neves may be a longshot for a big result, nothing can take away his win over GM Felipe EL Debs in the second round. He had a chance for another win in round four, but was surprised by a tactical oversight (see above)

Standings after five rounds

Follow the games live

Links Official tournament site All games in PGN 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 14 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs.