Biel: Three with chances
7/29/2020 – After yesterday's round, three players still have chances of overall victory in the Grandmaster Triathlon in Biel. In the Open it looks like a French one-two. Watch the final round live! Sebastian Siebrecht reports.
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A trio for tournament victory
In the last round, three players can still hope for the overall victory.
Polish GM Radoslaw Wojtaszek leads by a hair's breadth ahead of the Indian Pentala Harikrishna and the Englishman Michael Adams. In the penultimate round Vincent Keymer played solidly against the leader Radoslaw Wojtaszek and achieved an eventful draw.
Pentala Harikrishna beat the Frenchman Romain Edouard in an impressive manner in a strong game.
Michael Adams showed himself well-prepared against the Swiss Noël Studer, Mickey played a novelty on the 17th move and took the initiative with the black pieces. With a strong kingside attack he left White no chance.
39...Nf1+ 40.Kg1 Qe1 41.Qe4 Ne3+ 42.Kh2 Ng4+ 0–1
The Spaniard David Anton Gujiarro played to win with black against Arkadij Naiditsch and gained two strong central pawns. However, he allowed a counter-attack when time was short and the white pieces penetrated onto the seventh row. Black could not prevent a decisive loss of material and had to admit defeat.
Everything in view
Overall standings - GM Tournament
| Rank | Name | Classical | Rapid | Blitz | Total |
| 1 | GM Radoslaw Wojtaszek | 10 | 12 | 11 | 33 |
| 2 | GM Pentala Harikrishna | 16½ | 10 | 6 | 32½ |
| 3 | GM Michael Adams | 12½ | 8 | 11 | 31½ |
| 4 | GM Vincent Keymer | 13½ | 10 | 4½ | 28 |
| 5 | GM Arkadij Naiditsch | 11 | 5 | 6½ | 22½ |
| 6 | GM David Antón Guijarro | 9½ | 4 | 8½ | 22 |
| 7 | GM Noël Studer | 7 | 3 | 5 | 15 |
| 8 | GM Romain Édouard | 6 | 4 | 3½ | 13½ |
All games - GM Tournament
Bauer and Mathieu impress in the Open
In the main Corona tournament, leader Christian Bauer won again, and now stands at a fantastic 7½/8. Second is 15-year-old Phileas Mathieu from Lyon, who is now on an incredible 7/8 after winning the longest game of the day against your correspondent, who once again risked too much. This game will give the young Frenchman the Fide Master title. The children's and youth development programme "Fascination of Chess" sends its best wishes.
The fascination of chess
In third and fourth place are two Germans, Gerlef Meins and Frank Buchenau.
Standings after round 8
| Rg. | Name | Elo | Pkt. | Wtg1 | |
| 1 | GM | Bauer Christian | 2623 | 7,5 | 42,5 |
| 2 | Mathieu Phileas | 2214 | 7,0 | 37,0 | |
| 3 | IM | Meins Gerlef | 2415 | 6,5 | 39,0 |
| 4 | FM | Buchenau Frank | 2278 | 6,5 | 38,5 |
| 5 | GM | Bellahcene Bilel | 2502 | 6,5 | 37,0 |
| 6 | IM | Gschnitzer Adrian | 2404 | 6,0 | 39,5 |
| 7 | Rohrer Christophe | 2235 | 6,0 | 37,5 | |
| 8 | Pham Khoi | 2048 | 6,0 | 36,0 | |
| 9 | FM | Youssoupov Moisse | 2333 | 6,0 | 36,0 |
| 10 | FM | Kamber Bruno | 2290 | 5,5 | 37,0 |
| 11 | IM | Baenziger Fabian | 2403 | 5,5 | 37,0 |
| 12 | FM | Fecker Noah | 2346 | 5,5 | 36,5 |
| 13 | Emmenecker Pierre-Antoine | 2172 | 5,5 | 36,5 | |
| 14 | IM | Contin Daniel | 2251 | 5,5 | 35,5 |
| 15 | GM | Siebrecht Sebastian | 2429 | 5,5 | 35,0 |
150 participants
All available games - Open
Players and officials
A short conversation with main arbiter Laurent Freyd:
SS: Laurent, please introduce yourself briefly to our readers.
LF: I live in Strasbourg, I am 43 years old and currently chairman of the Fide arbiters commission.
In addition to Biel, I also manage the major international tournaments in Gibraltar, Portu Mannu, Bergamo and Cap'Agde. Furthermore, I am very active in the French Federation and since 2017 I am also responsible for the management of the Youth Championships.
SS: How is the tournament going, what are the restrictions because of the Corona regulations?
LF: We have worked out an extensive protection concept and the players are very cooperative and stick to the regulations. Besides the plexiglass protection walls for rapid and classical chess, we had extra protection masks made for the Blitz (thanks to Ingrid Steffen). The tournament runs very smoothly and the players abide with the conditions.
SS: Are further tournaments under these protective conditions planned?
LF: The Italian tournaments have been cancelled due to Corona, Cap'Agde will take place, but as a pure online tournament only for the invited elite players.
SS: What other view can you offer us?
LF: In Fide we are currently reforming the whole arbiter system to raise the quality to a good level. So far there are big differences between the member countries. This is the task that will occupy us in the coming months and we will work out solutions.
SS: Many thanks for the insights!
Translation from German: Nick Murphy
Links
- Official site
- Excellent photo album
- Naiditsch to replace Salem, Harikrishna wins Chess960 event
- Wojtaszek dominates the Rapid
- The Special Corona Amateur Tournament has begun
- Round 1: Keymer starts with a brilliant victory
- Round 2: Adams beats Keymer
- Round 3: Keymer beats Naiditsch
- Round 4: Harikrishna shines against Keymer
- Wojtaszek and Adams the strongest in Blitz
- Round 5: Fighting chess, four ways!
