.jpeg)
Winning starts with what you know
The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.
The Asian Junior Championships were held in Solo, Indonesia (also known as Surakarta) from July 2nd to the 8th to 2019. 34 players from 9 countries took part in the open section and 37 girls from 9 countries took part in the girls section. In the open, Karthik Venkatraman was the only GM in the fray, but Vietnamese IM Nguyen Anh Khoi was rating favourite with an Elo of 2516. In the girls section it was WIM Aakanksha Hagawane — the top seed with a 2246 rating.
The 16-year-old Nguyen lived up to his seeding in the open category with an emphatic 8.0/9, finishing a full point ahead of the runner-up IM Raghunandan K S of India. Nguyen also won Gold in Rapid format. Among the girls, WFM Assel Serikbay, despite suffering two consecutive losses in rounds five and six, bounced back strong and finished at 7.0/9 to clinch the Gold.
How did they do it? Let's have a look!
Surakarta (or Solo) is a city in the centre of the Indonesian island of Java
First up is the "Standard" Open section. Vietnam's budding talent IM Nguyen Anh Khoi delivered a performance of 2671 and gained an Elo Rating of 13 points.
| Rd. | Bo. | SNo | Name | Rtg | FED | Pts. | Res. | |
| 1 | 1 | 18 | FM | Tobing Daniel Hermawan Lumban | 2175 | INA | 5,0 | s 1 |
| 2 | 1 | 10 | FM | Hafiz Arif Abdul | 2272 | INA | 3,0 | w 1 |
| 3 | 1 | 7 | IM | Miciano John Marvin | 2355 | PHI | 6,0 | s 1 |
| 4 | 1 | 8 | IM | Quizon Daniel | 2336 | PHI | 6,0 | w 1 |
| 5 | 1 | 4 | IM | Raghunandan Kaumandur Srihari | 2441 | IND | 7,0 | s 1 |
| 6 | 1 | 3 | Gholami Orimi Mahdi | 2444 | IRI | 5,5 | w ½ | |
| 7 | 1 | 12 | FM | Sagita Catur Adi | 2240 | INA | 6,0 | s 1 |
| 8 | 1 | 13 | Morado Jeth Romy | 2219 | PHI | 5,0 | w 1 | |
| 9 | 1 | 5 | IM | Rakesh Kumar Jena | 2395 | IND | 5,5 | s ½ |
Nguyen started out with five consecutive wins which gave him a full point lead over rest of the field. In the fifth round he defeated the eventual silver medal winner IM Raghunandan KS in a King's Indian Defence encounter.
Raghu had a balanced position, until he made the mistake of playing 28.♘e4:
Try to work out why it is a mistake, or you can play through the complete game below.
King's Indian: A modern approach
Bologan: "If you study this DVD carefully and solve the interactive exercises you will also enrich your chess vocabulary, your King's Indian vocabulary, build up confidence in the King's Indian and your chess and win more games."
Nguyen's annihilation in round eight | Photo: Mulyadi R
Nguyen's best game was against Jeth Romy Morado (PHI, 2219) in the penultimate round where he completely destroyed his opponent with a devastating attack.
In Slav Defence, Nguyen's opponent lagged in development as he moved his queen six times in the first 20 moves. This cost him dearly as the Vietnamese GM went on to win the game.
This Slav DVD is a complete opening repertoire for black after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6. GM Nick Pert has played the Slav defence for over 10 years and provides all his latest and most up to date analysis crammed into one video series. Nick has spent many hours studying the best Slav lines, and he explains his favourite variations, plus includes some interactive clips where the viewer is tested on a range of theoretical questions and tactics arising from Slav games.
| Rk. | Name | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | |
| 1 | IM | Nguyen Anh Khoi | 2516 | 8,0 | 0,0 |
| 2 | IM | Raghunandan Kaumandur Srihari | 2441 | 7,0 | 0,0 |
| 3 | FM | Sagita Catur Adi | 2240 | 6,0 | 0,0 |
| 4 | IM | Quizon Daniel | 2336 | 6,0 | 0,0 |
| 5 | IM | Miciano John Marvin | 2355 | 6,0 | 0,0 |
| 6 | GM | Karthik Venkataraman | 2480 | 6,0 | 0,0 |
| 7 | Gholami Orimi Mahdi | 2444 | 5,5 | 0,0 | |
| 8 | Sevillano Rhenzi Kyle | 2185 | 5,5 | 0,0 | |
| 9 | CM | Arfan Aditya Bagus | 2202 | 5,5 | 0,0 |
| 10 | IM | Rakesh Kumar Jena | 2395 | 5,5 | 0,0 |
In the Girls section, WFM Assel Serikbay did not have an ideal tournament in the Standard format as she suffered two consecutive losses, one of them against the eventual bronze medal winner WIM Aakanksha Hagawane. It did not however deter her from her path to glory. She scripted a perfect comeback and won the Gold with a score of 7.0/9.
| Rd. | Bo. | SNo | Name | Rtg | FED | Pts. | Res. | |
| 1 | 9 | 27 | WFM | Edithso Samantha | 1786 | INA | 4,0 | s 1 |
| 2 | 6 | 18 | WCM | Nguyen Hong Ngoc | 1902 | VIE | 4,0 | w 1 |
| 3 | 2 | 2 | WIM | Vantika Agrawal | 2243 | IND | 7,0 | s 1 |
| 4 | 2 | 29 | WFM | Lakshmi C | 1780 | IND | 5,0 | w 1 |
| 5 | 1 | 4 | WIM | Chitlange Sakshi | 2168 | IND | 6,0 | s 0 |
| 6 | 2 | 1 | WIM | Aakanksha Hagawane | 2246 | IND | 6,5 | s 0 |
| 7 | 4 | 7 | WFM | Nurgali Nazerke | 2102 | KAZ | 5,0 | w 1 |
| 8 | 3 | 14 | WFM | Asgharzadeh Mitra | 1980 | IRI | 6,0 | s 1 |
| 9 | 3 | 6 | WFM | Singgih Diajeng Theresa | 2107 | INA | 5,0 | w 1 |
Top 3 in girls (L to R): Bronze — WIM Aakanksha Hagawane (IND, 2246), Gold — WFM Assel Serikbay (KAZ, 2071) and Silver — WIM Vantika Agrawal (IND, 2243) | Photo: Mulyadi R
She was tied with WIM Vantika Agrawal who also finished at 7.0/9. Since Serikbay had defeated Vantika in round three, it helped the Kazakh girl to win the gold medal on tiebreaks.
Can you work out Black's plan here?
In round 4, Assel found a cute tactic against Lakshmi C (IND, 1780).
Find the finish for White
| Rk. | Name | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | |
| 1 | WFM | Serikbay Assel | 2071 | 7,0 | 1,0 |
| 2 | WIM | Vantika Agrawal | 2243 | 7,0 | 0,0 |
| 3 | WIM | Aakanksha Hagawane | 2246 | 6,5 | 0,0 |
| 4 | WFM | Asgharzadeh Mitra | 1980 | 6,0 | 0,0 |
| 5 | WFM | Meghna C H | 1903 | 6,0 | 0,0 |
| 6 | WIM | Chitlange Sakshi | 2168 | 6,0 | 0,0 |
| 7 | WIM | Karenza Dita | 2046 | 6,0 | 0,0 |
| 8 | WFM | Fisabilillah Ummi | 2226 | 5,5 | 1,0 |
| 9 | WFM | Sharfina Juwita Ardelia | 1868 | 5,5 | 0,0 |
| 10 | WFM | Singgih Diajeng Theresa | 2107 | 5,0 | 0,0 |
IM Nguyen Anh Khoi (VIE, 2168) again showed dominance in the Rapid format as he registered six consecutive victories, making the final round inconsequential for securing his gold medal. Both IM Priasmoro Novendra (INA, 2263) and IM Raghunandan K S (IND, 2093) finished a full point behind at 5.0/7, however since Novendra beat Raghunandan in round four, that propelled him to secure silver medal.
The podium finishers in open (L to R): Bronze - IM Raghunandan K S (IND, 2093) 5.0/7, Gold - IM Nguyen Anh Khoi (VIE, 2168) 6.0/7 and Silver - IM Novendra Priasmoro (INA, 2263) | Photo: Mulyadi R
| Rk. | Name | Rtg | Pts. | |
| 1 | IM | Nguyen Anh Khoi | 2168 | 6,5 |
| 2 | IM | Priasmoro Novendra | 2263 | 6,0 |
| 3 | IM | Raghunandan Kaumandur Srihari | 2093 | 5,5 |
| 4 | David Saputra | 1760 | 5,0 | |
| 5 | FM | Hafiz Arif Abdul | 2178 | 5,0 |
| 6 | IM | Quizon Daniel | 2035 | 4,5 |
| 7 | IM | Miciano John Marvin | 1980 | 4,5 |
| 8 | Sevillano Rhenzi Kyle | 1921 | 4,5 | |
| 9 | Tarigan Gilbert Elroy | 2127 | 4,5 | |
| 10 | FM | Nitish Belurkar | 2045 | 4,0 |
WIM Kylen Joy Mordido (PHI, 1865) scored six straight wins and took a full point lead heading into the final round. A draw in the last round against the eventual silver medal winner WIM Vantika Agrawal (IND, 1647) earned the gold medal. Mordido also defeated the eventual bronze medallist WFM Nurgali Nazerke (KAZ, 1897) in round five.
The podium finishers in girls (L to R): Bronze — WFM Nurgali Nazerke (KAZ, 1897) 5½/7, Gold — WIM Mordido Kylen Joy (PHI, 1865) 6.5/7 and Silver — WIM Vantika Agrawal (IND, 1647) 5½/7 | Photo: Mulyadi R
| Rk. | Name | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | |
| 1 | WIM | Mordido Kylen Joy | 1865 | 6,5 | 0,0 |
| 2 | WIM | Vantika Agrawal | 1647 | 5,5 | 0,0 |
| 3 | WFM | Nurgali Nazerke | 1897 | 5,5 | 0,0 |
| 4 | WFM | Singgih Diajeng Theresa | 1780 | 5,0 | 0,0 |
| 5 | WIM | Karenza Dita | 1858 | 5,0 | 0,0 |
| 6 | WFM | Legowo Parahita Millyena | 2012 | 5,0 | 0,0 |
| 7 | Latifah Laysa | 1926 | 4,5 | 0,0 | |
| 8 | WFM | Elisabeth Christine | 1766 | 4,5 | 0,0 |
| 9 | WIM | Chitlange Sakshi | 1668 | 4,0 | 0,0 |
| 10 | Nyimas Shieta Prima Citra Maus | 1779 | 4,0 | 0,0 |
IM Quizon Daniel (PHI, 2140) blazed through the competition as he scored a fiery 7.0/7 to win gold. Top seed in the open section of Blitz untitled Gholami Orimi Mahdi (IRI, 2325) scored 5½/7 to secure the Silver. FM Nitish Belurkar (IND, 2265) scored 5.0/7 to attain Bronze medal.
The medal winners in open (L to R): Silver — Gholami Orimi Mahdi (IRI, 2325) 5½/7, Gold — IM Quizon Daniel (PHI, 2140) and Bronze — FM Nitish Belurkar (IND, 2265) | Photo: Mulyadi R
| Rk. | Name | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | |
| 1 | IM | Quizon Daniel | 2140 | 7,0 | 0,0 |
| 2 | Gholami Orimi Mahdi | 2325 | 5,5 | 0,0 | |
| 3 | FM | Nitish Belurkar | 2265 | 5,0 | 0,0 |
| 4 | GM | Karthik Venkataraman | 2319 | 4,5 | 0,0 |
| 5 | IM | Nguyen Anh Khoi | 2267 | 4,5 | 0,0 |
| 6 | Morado Jeth Romy | 2088 | 4,5 | 0,0 | |
| 7 | FM | Nguyen Dang Hong Phuc | 1907 | 4,5 | 0,0 |
| 8 | IM | Priasmoro Novendra | 2323 | 4,5 | 0,0 |
| 9 | CM | Arfan Aditya Bagus | 1662 | 4,5 | 0,0 |
| 10 | Amanzhol Sultan | 1888 | 4,5 | 0,0 |
In the girls section, WFM Nazerke Nurgali (KAZ, 2000) started out with a loss, then she scored six consecutive wins to win the Gold. However, WIM Aakanksha Hagawane (IND, 2023) also scored 6.0/7, due to a lesser tie-break score, Aakanksha had to settle for a Silver medal. WFM Sharfina Juwita Ardelia (INA, 1803) scored 5½/7 to secure Bronze medal.
The medal winners in girls (L to R): Bronze — WFM Sharfina Juwita Ardelia (INA, 1803) 5½/7, Gold — WFM Nurgali Nazerke (KAZ, 2000) 6.0/7 and WIM Aakanksha Hagawane (IND, 2023) 6.0/7 | Photo: Mulyadi R
| Rk. | Name | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | |
| 1 | WFM | Nurgali Nazerke | 2000 | 6,0 | 0,0 |
| 2 | WIM | Aakanksha Hagawane | 2023 | 6,0 | 0,0 |
| 3 | WFM | Sharfina Juwita Ardelia | 1803 | 5,5 | 0,0 |
| 4 | WFM | Legowo Parahita Millyena | 2004 | 5,0 | 0,0 |
| 5 | WIM | Vantika Agrawal | 1704 | 5,0 | 0,0 |
| 6 | Derotas Vic Glysen | 1805 | 5,0 | 0,0 | |
| 7 | WCM | Nguyen Hong Ngoc | 1845 | 4,5 | 0,0 |
| 8 | WFM | Asgharzadeh Mitra | 1824 | 4,5 | 0,0 |
| 9 | WFM | Serikbay Assel | 1991 | 4,5 | 0,0 |
| 10 | WFM | Lakshmi C | 1631 | 4,0 | 0,0 |
Vietnam, Philippines and Kazakhstan each won two gold medals. India won the highest number of medals — a total of seven!
| Asian | Standard | Rapid | Bronze | |||
| Junior '19 | Open | Girls | Open | Girls | Open | Girls |
| Gold | VIE | KAZ | VIE | PHI | PHI | KAZ |
| Silver | IND | IND | INA | IND | IRI | IND |
| Bronze | INA | IND | IND | KAZ | IND | INA |
