Six-way tie at the top of 94th Hastings Congress

Closing in on a hundred

A tournament that includes among its past winners five world champions — Botvinnik, Tal, Spassky, Smyslov and Karpov — continues to take place at the southern English town of Hastings. Lately, the tournament, traditionally organised at the very end of each year (and lasting until the next one begins), mostly attracts players from Great Britain.

This year's Masters Tournament had 87 participants, which included eight grandmasters and nineteen players rated above 2300. However, the big chess festival is not restricted to professional players, as no less than fourteen events were organised for amateurs and club players to enjoy — all with money prizes.  Additionally, joint sponsors Tradewise Insurance Services and Hastings Borough Council provided special prizes for norm-getters and the best game in the Masters.

Master Class Vol.5: Emanuel Lasker

The name Emanuel Lasker will always be linked with his incredible 27 years reign on the throne of world chess. In 1894, at the age of 25, he had already won the world title from Wilhelm Steinitz and his record number of years on the throne did not end till 1921 when Lasker had to accept the superiority of Jose Raul Capablanca. But not only had the only German world champion so far seen off all challengers for many years, he had also won the greatest tournaments of his age, sometimes with an enormous lead. The fascinating question is, how did he manage that?

The participants of the 1895 edition | Photo: Brendan O'Gorman

In this year's main tournament, 42-year-old English GM Daniel Gormally probably wished for the event to keep its old nine-round format, as he was the only player on 6 points before Sunday's final round. In the last game, he had White against Gudmundur Kjartansson, who defended tenaciously from a position of weakness to simplify into a rook and knight v rook endgame. Gormally played on in the theoretically drawn position for 25 moves, but ended up agreeing to a draw.

This allowed another five players to catch up with him at the last hurdle. Nonetheless, as the only British player in the six-way tie, he secured a place in the 2019 British Championship — the event grants a qualification spot.

Daniel Gormally had a 2576 rating performance | Photo: Brendan O'Gorman

The lowest-rated player in the winning group was Irish FM Conor Murphy, who managed to end up on top despite losing a complicated Sicilian battle against Gormally in round four:

While the rest of the co-winners defeated lower-rated players in the final round, Murphy (rated 2331) took down Koen Leenhouts (2470) on Sunday in a bishop v knight endgame, in which White's long-range piece works better with passed pawns on both flanks of the board:

Endgames for experts

If you want to play successful chess you must pay great attention to the endgame. On this DVD, Rustam Kasimdzhanov analyses the type of practical endgames which tournament players encounter on a daily basis. He explains what has to be known in order to make the correct strategic decisions and to find the correct plan in such endings. Kasimdzhanov’s outstanding and easily understandable explanations will certainly help you to substantially improve your own performance in the endgame.

The Irish FM correctly forced the exchange of rooks with 47.Rd4, as White's active king and well-placed bishop will secure the a-pawn to queen much quicker than Black's counterpart on the opposite side of the board.

FM Conor Murphy arrived as the 15th seed | Photo: Brendan O'Gorman

Meanwhile, Oleg Korneev and Martin Petrov defeated weaker opposition with the white pieces. Third seed Sarunas Sulskis from Lithuania showed good technique in an endgame with four rooks to beat Bogdan Lalic, while Russian Alexander Cherniaev defended effectively against Richard Bates — the latter did not find the most critical continuation in the following attacking position:

The Art of Defence

The purpose of this DVD is to explain the viewer all main methods of defence: exchanging pieces, creating a fortress, eliminating dangerous enemy pieces, escaping the danger zone with the king, improving the position of the pieces.

Cherniaev was probably relieved when he saw 34.fxe7 on the board, as it allowed him to offer an exchange sacrifice with 34...Rxe7, getting some air. Bates did not take the rook and continued putting pressure, but in the diagram position, he could have followed with 34.Rf4, bringing one more piece to the attack...and the position is unclear. Nevertheless, in the game, Black defended against the threats and was up material after some simplifications took place. Cherniaev won after 58 moves.

Thus, six players were declared joint winners in the oldest tournament on the planet.

Russian GM Alexander Cherniaev | Photo: Brendan O'Gorman

Final standings (top 30)

All available games

Links

• Official site
• Full results (Chess-Results)
• More articles on Hastings