Jeffery Xiong wins U.S. Junior

by Alejandro Ramirez
7/19/2016 – With a prize fund higher than most national championships, you can expect that the U.S. Junior will attract several talented players. Leading the pack was Jeffery Xiong, with his massive 2641 FIDE, but it was not all smooth sailing for him. Second place Awonder Liang, only 13 years old, chased him the entire way. We bring you a summary as well as round by round key game analysis by Robin van Kampen!

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The strong U.S. Junior championship has come to a close. Even though junior national events rarely attract as much attention as top level elite events, this one was a tournament that was certainly worth watching.

Jeffery with his dad, Wayne Xiong; he mentioned that they come to Saint Louis so often,
he opened up an office ten minutes away from the chess club!

With two grandmasters on the field as well as some of the most promising juniors on the planet, the 2016 edition was a very hard fought one. From the get-go it was easy to favor GM Jeffery Xiong as the eventual winner of the tournament, but even though he ended up winning the tournament it was certainly a rocky road.

His first game against Ruifeng Li was against a known rival: since both Xiong and Li play at the Dallas Chess Club, they have 34 games played in USCF rated events! With the score at seventeen wins each and three draws, the fourth draw was bound to happen at the Junior.

Ruifeng Li is not the most expressive player, but he is a strong talent.
The fact that he was very unsatisfied by his third place finish speaks volumes.

Jeffery managed to win his next two rounds, but was surprisingly taken down by Alexander Ostrovskiy. Jeffery commented that he was simply outplayed, "it was like a 2000 facing his first GM". Honesty and self-awareness are key ingredients for a top player, but his remark really surprised me. Knowing that the tournament had blown wide open, Jeffery calmed himself down and started an impressive winning streak. His demolition of Kayden Troff was textbook, while his win against rival Akshat Chandra showed the playing strength difference between the two players: one is a talented GM, the other a GM with serious notions about a soon 2700 rating.

Akshat Chandra looking at Jeffery's final game

After this series of wins it was finally cruise control for Jeffery. With a couple of draws in the last rounds he secured his first place. However, the second place finisher deserves plenty of praise.

Awonder Liang is not a new name to anyone that follows closely who the next candidates for World Champions are. At only 13 years of age, Awonder is well over 2400, has a GM-norm and is rising meteorically. His play in the US Junior was among the most stable of the event, while his expertise in endgames betrayed his young age. His win in the last round against a helpless Ostrovskiy was a true testament to Awonder's abilities.

The old "trade of queens and beat them in a boring endgame"
doesn't work against today's younglings, unfortunately

Both players will keep a busy schedule: Jeffery will travel from the U.S. to China to participate in the Chinese league, while Awonder will be going to Europe. "Where exactly are you going" I asked him about the tournament, "I don't know!" was the answer of a talented young boy who is still very dependent on his parents to travel and pursue his dreams.

It's very little surprise that both Jeffery and Awonder have had such successes in the recent past. Before this tournament, most notably was the performance of Jeffery in the U.S. Championship and his win at the Capablanca Memorial Premier section and Awonder's was certainly his GM-norm at the Continental Championship. They are both part of the Young Stars program. The Young Stars – Team USA program has been sponsored by the Kasparov Chess Foundation (KCF) and the Chess Club & Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL) since 2012. A group of young and promising chess players are assessed and evaluated by Garry Kasparov himself, along with KCF President and FIDE Senior Trainer Michael Khodarkovsky. The lead coach for this program is the world famous Alexander Chernin.

Kayden Troff and Akshat Chandra have also been part of this program, which attests to its great merit.

Kayden Troff didn't have the tournament of his life...

But he did receive a unique award: On the free day we celebrated the fact
that he is now the World's only chess grandmaster and Eagle Scout!

Exemplary fighting spirit! Nicolas Checa (pictured here with his dad) started 0.0/2, but recovered valiantly.

Away from the cameras: even though the production team was not as big as for the Sinquefield Cup, the fans could still watch every single second of the US Junior with live commentary. In the control room was director Ben Simon.

The staff that made it all happen at the Saint Louis Chess Club

Alexander Ostrovskiy must be one of the people that feels the worst about the tournament. Starting with a brilliant 3.0/4, he only managed 3.5/9. That doesn't take away from his excellent summer of chess, as he comes hot off a great World Open in Philadelphia.

Awonder receiving his second place prize, pictured with Arbiters Tony Rich and Mike Kummer

An ecstatic Jeffery with his first place prize

After the tournament, of course it was time for bughouse and blitz. For kids, they are truly terrible at bughouse.

You can replay all of the games below, but before that we bring you annotations of every single round's key game, provided by strong grandmaster Robin Van Kampen, currently the GM in residence at the Saint Louis Chess Club.

Key Games

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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 Few International and Grandmasters opt solely for the Sicilian Dragon, but Michael Bodek is an expert on the line. 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 0-0 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.0-0-0 d5 10.Qe1!? An interesting sideline, 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Bd4 Is the main line, and has been tested on the highest level in recent years. 10...e5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.exd5 Nxd5 13.Bc4 Be6 14.Kb1 Re8 15.Ne4 Qc7 16.Bc5 Nf4 Relieving some of the pressure 16...Rad8 Is a decent alternative 17.Bxe6 Nxe6 18.Bd6 Qb6 19.g4! Aiming to fix Black's pawn structure on the Kingside by going g5 next. Rad8 20.g5 20.Qc3 Nd4 21.Bc5 Followed by h4-g5 or h4-h5 would have given White a more stable advantage. 20...Nd4 21.h4 Rxd6! The best practical chance, objectively White should be able to utilize the material advantage, but Black has long-term compensation. 21...Nxf3 Looks tempting but after 22.Qc3 Nd4 23.h5! Would give White a dangerous attack with Qh3 coming next. 22.Nxd6 Rb8 23.b3? 23.Qc3 Looks scary, but after Ne2 24.Qa3 e4 25.Nc4! Qb5 26.Qb3! White can exchange the Queens, and the Black attack is facing a dead end. 23...Qc5! Now Black wins back an important pawn, granting him full compensation. 24.c3 Qxd6 25.cxd4 exd4 26.Rd3 c5! 27.Ka1 Qa6 28.Qd2 c4 29.bxc4 Qxc4 White is able to block the Black d-pawn, but only Black can hope to achieve an advantage in this position due to the weak White King. 30.Rc1 Qe6 31.Qf4 Re8 32.Qe4! Qd7 33.Qc6! The best strategy for White to defend; Black can't allow the Queens to be exchanged as it would decrease the initiative significantly. Qe7 34.Qe4 Qd7 35.Qc6 Qe7 36.Qc7 Black can't escape from the repetitive trade offers and the game ends in a logical draw. Qe2 37.Qc2 Qe5 38.Qc5 Qe2 39.Qc2 Qe5 40.Qc5 Qe2= A good game by both players. Harmon-Vellotti got the advantage out of the opening but Michael Bodek managed to recuperate by a strong exchange sacrifice. ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Harmon-Vellotti,L2409Bodek,M2419½–½2016U.S. Closed Junior Championship 20168.4
Xiong,J2627Checa,N23981–02016U.S. Closed Junior Championship 20167.4
Ostrovskiy,A2390Troff,K25430–12016U.S. Closed Junior Championship 20166.1
Xiong,J2627Troff,K25431–02016U.S. Closed Junior Championship 20165.5
Ostrovskiy,A2390Xiong,J26271–02016U.S. Closed Junior Championship 20164.1
Liang,A2408Troff,K25431–02016U.S. Closed Junior Championship 20163.4
Ostrovskiy,A2390Bodek,M2419½–½2016U.S. Closed Junior Championship 20162.1
Li,R2529Xiong,J2627½–½2016U.S. Closed Junior Championship 20161.4

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All Games

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1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 dxc4 4.e3 b5 5.a4 b4 6.Bxc4 e6 7.0-0 Bb7 8.Nbd2 Be7 9.Ne5 0-0 10.a5 c5 11.Ndf3 cxd4 12.exd4 Bd5 13.Bd3 Nc6 14.a6 Rc8 15.Be3 Nd7 16.Qe2 Ndxe5 17.Nxe5 b3 18.Bb5 Nxe5 19.dxe5 Rc2 20.Qg4 Qb8 21.Bd3 Rxb2 22.Ra4 g6 23.Qd4 Ra2 24.Rxa2 bxa2 25.Qxa7 Qxe5 26.Bd4 Qg5 27.f3 Bxf3 28.Rxf3 a1Q+ 29.Bxa1 Bc5+ 30.Bd4 Bxa7 31.Bxa7 Qc1+ 32.Bf1 Ra8 33.Bd4 e5 34.Be3 Qa1 35.a7 Rxa7 36.Bxa7 Qxa7+ 37.Rf2 f5 38.g3 Kg7 39.Kg2 Qd4 40.Be2 Qe3 41.Kf1 Kf6 42.Bf3 e4 43.Be2 g5 44.Kg1 f4 45.gxf4 gxf4 46.Kg2 Qxe2 47.Rxe2 f3+ 48.Kf2 fxe2 49.Kxe2 Kf5 50.Ke3 Ke5 51.Ke2 Kf4 52.Kf2 e3+ 53.Ke2 Ke4 54.Ke1 Kf3 55.Kf1 e2+ 56.Ke1 Ke3 57.h3 h5 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Checa,N2502Ostrovskiy,A25080–12016D252016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship1.1
Brown,M2506Chandra,A2583½–½2016E002016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship1.2
Harmon-Vellotti,L2527Troff,K2639½–½2016D702016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship1.3
Li,R2608Xiong,J2723½–½2016B262016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship1.4
Liang,A2515Bodek,M25231–02016B062016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship1.5
Ostrovskiy,A2508Bodek,M2523½–½2016B512016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship2.1
Xiong,J2723Liang,A25151–02016A462016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship2.2
Troff,K2639Li,R2608½–½2016D122016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship2.3
Chandra,A2583Harmon-Vellotti,L2527½–½2016C092016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship2.4
Checa,N2502Brown,M25060–12016E112016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship2.5
Brown,M2506Ostrovskiy,A2508½–½2016D102016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship3.1
Harmon-Vellotti,L2527Checa,N25020–12016C162016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship3.2
Li,R2608Chandra,A2583½–½2016C072016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship3.3
Liang,A2515Troff,K26391–02016B922016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship3.4
Bodek,M2523Xiong,J27230–12016B502016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship3.5
Ostrovskiy,A2508Xiong,J27231–02016B512016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship4.1
Troff,K2639Bodek,M2523½–½2016D372016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship4.2
Chandra,A2583Liang,A2515½–½2016D782016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship4.3
Checa,N2502Li,R2608½–½2016E152016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship4.4
Brown,M2506Harmon-Vellotti,L2527½–½2016E592016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship4.5
Harmon-Vellotti,L2527Ostrovskiy,A25081–02016C122016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship5.1
Li,R2608Brown,M25061–02016C842016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship5.2
Liang,A2515Checa,N25021–02016D312016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship5.3
Bodek,M2523Chandra,A25830–12016B532016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship5.4
Xiong,J2723Troff,K26391–02016A052016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship5.5
Ostrovskiy,A2508Troff,K26390–12016B512016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship6.1
Chandra,A2583Xiong,J27230–12016D712016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship6.2
Checa,N2502Bodek,M25231–02016A132016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship6.3
Brown,M2506Liang,A2515½–½2016D702016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship6.4
Harmon-Vellotti,L2527Li,R26081–02016E322016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship6.5
Li,R2608Ostrovskiy,A25081–02016A012016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship7.1
Liang,A2515Harmon-Vellotti,L2527½–½2016A252016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship7.2
Bodek,M2523Brown,M25060–12016A182016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship7.3
Xiong,J2723Checa,N25021–02016D152016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship7.4
Troff,K2639Chandra,A25830–12016D202016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship7.5
Ostrovskiy,A2508Chandra,A2583½–½2016C072016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship8.1
Checa,N2502Troff,K2639½–½2016A222016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship8.2
Brown,M2506Xiong,J2723½–½2016D852016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship8.3
Harmon-Vellotti,L2527Bodek,M2523½–½2016B762016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship8.4
Li,R2608Liang,A2515½–½2016C242016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship8.5
Liang,A2515Ostrovskiy,A25081–02016A202016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship9.1
Bodek,M2523Li,R26080–12016B532016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship9.2
Xiong,J2723Harmon-Vellotti,L2527½–½2016E062016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship9.3
Troff,K2639Brown,M2506½–½2016D382016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship9.4
Chandra,A2583Checa,N25020–12016D112016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship9.5

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Standings

Not a bad prize fund for a junior event!

With this victory not only does Jeffery win his $6,000, but he also is guaranteed a spot at the 2017 U.S. Chess Championship!

Photos by Austin Fuller

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.

 


Grandmaster Alejandro Ramirez has been playing tournament chess since 1998. His accomplishments include qualifying for the 2004 and 2013 World Cups as well as playing for Costa Rica in the 2002, 2004 and 2008 Olympiads. He currently has a rating of 2583 and is author of a number of popular and critically acclaimed ChessBase-DVDs.

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