Back down under
I’m back in Australia once again in December to play in the Lidums Australian Young Masters which is running from December 8th to 14th. The Young Masters has a long history and the current organisers have been growing the event since it moved permanently to Adelaide in 2011; last year saw the introduction of a GM event, for the first time, alongside the IM and Open divisions. The event is open to players under 30 years old and this year has players from twelve federations participating.
The event is possible thanks to the generous sponsorship from the Lidums Chess Foundation. The Lidums family has a long and proud history of supporting chess in South Australia over many decades, and the Lidums Chess Foundation was established by Aivars Lidums in 1988 following the success of the Adsteam-Lidums International chess tournament.

Group photo of the winners in all sections of the 2017 edition with Aivars Lidums standing on the left | Photo: Irene Sukandar
GM group
Last year’s heroes were Bobby Cheng and Kanan Izzat, both from Melbourne, who tied for first and both scored GM norms. They are back again hoping to score their final norms and complete their titles.

Aivars Lidums giving the trophy to IM Kanan Izzat who was first via tiebreak over IM Bobby Cheng, overlooking in the background are two of the organisers of the event, Sabrina and David Koetsier | Photo: Eric Rosen
Looking to stop them will be a trio of foreign GMs: top-seeded Norwegian Frode Urkedal, Uzbek Andrey Kvon and, a regular visitor to Australia, Vasily Papin from Russia.

GM Vasily Papin from Russia and GM Urkedal Frode from Norway | Photo: Sabrina Koetsier
The field is rounded out by yours truly and a number of Australian players hopeful of achieving norms.
Starting rank
No. |
Name |
Fed |
FIDE |
1 |
GM Frode Urkedal |
NOR |
2537 |
2 |
IM Bobby Cheng |
AUS |
2510 |
3 |
GM Andrey Kvon |
UZB |
2509 |
4 |
IM Kanan Izzat |
AZE |
2496 |
5 |
GM Vasily Papin |
RUS |
2483 |
6 |
IM Junta Ikeda |
AUS |
2421 |
7 |
IM Irene Sukandar |
INA |
2393 |
8 |
FM Chris Wallis |
AUS |
2349 |
9 |
FM Patrick Gong |
AUS |
2328 |
10 |
Kris Chan |
AUS |
2191 |
Average Rating 2422, Category 7
Standings after Round 4
1 |
5 |
GM |
Papin Vasily |
RUS |
2483 |
3,5 |
4,25 |
0,0 |
3 |
2 |
8 |
IM |
Cheng Bobby |
AUS |
2510 |
2,5 |
6,25 |
0,0 |
1 |
3 |
10 |
FM |
Gong Patrick |
AUS |
2328 |
2,5 |
4,00 |
0,0 |
2 |
4 |
3 |
IM |
Sukandar Irine Kharisma |
INA |
2385 |
2,5 |
2,75 |
0,0 |
2 |
5 |
4 |
GM |
Kvon Andrey |
UZB |
2509 |
2,5 |
2,50 |
0,0 |
1 |
6 |
6 |
IM |
Ikeda Junta |
AUS |
2421 |
2,0 |
3,50 |
0,0 |
2 |
7 |
2 |
IM |
Izzat Kanan |
AZE |
2496 |
2,0 |
2,50 |
0,0 |
2 |
8 |
1 |
GM |
Urkedal Frode |
NOR |
2539 |
1,5 |
3,25 |
0,0 |
1 |
9 |
7 |
FM |
Wallis Christopher |
AUS |
2316 |
1,0 |
2,50 |
0,0 |
0 |
10 |
9 |
|
Chan Kris |
AUS |
2191 |
0,0 |
0,00 |
0,0 |
0 |
All games Rounds 1-4
Replay and check the LiveBook here |
Please, wait...
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 c5 3.d5 d6 4.c4 g6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.e4 0-0 7.h3 a6 8.a4 a5 9.Bf4 Na6 10.Be2 Nh5 11.Bh2 Bh6 12.0-0 Nf4 13.Re1 Nb4 14.Bf1 e5 15.dxe6 fxe6 16.e5 d5 17.g3 Nh5 18.cxd5 Nxd5 19.Ne4 b6 20.g4 Nhf4 21.g5 Bg7 22.Nf6+ Kh8 23.Re4 Nh5 24.Rh4 Ne7 25.Bd3 Bb7 26.Qe2 Qc8 27.Nd2 Nf5 28.Bxf5 exf5 29.Ra3 Qc6 30.Nf3 Qe6 31.Qc4 Qxc4 32.Rxc4 Rad8 33.Rc1 Rf7 34.Re1 Re7 35.Nxh5 gxh5 36.Nh4 Be4 37.f3 Bd3 38.Rxd3 Rxd3 39.Nxf5 Re8 40.f4 Bf8 41.Re2 c4 42.e6 Bc5+ 43.Kg2 Red8 44.Nh6 Rd2 45.Kf1 Rd1+ 46.Kg2 R8d2 47.Rxd2 Rxd2+ 48.Kh1 Rxb2 49.f5 Re2 50.Be5+ Rxe5 51.Nf7+ Kg8 52.Nxe5 c3 53.Nd3 c2 54.Kg2 Be3 55.g6 hxg6 56.fxg6 Kf8 57.Kg3 Bg5 58.Kf3 c1Q 59.Nxc1 Bxc1 60.Ke4 Bb2 61.Kf5 Ke7 62.Kg5 Kxe6 63.Kxh5 Bc1 0–1
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Urkedal,F | 2537 | Gong,P | 2328 | 0–1 | 2018 | | Lidums Australian Young Masters | 1.1 |
Izzat,K | 2496 | Chan,K | 2191 | 1–0 | 2018 | | Lidums Australian Young Masters | 1.2 |
Sukandar,I | 2393 | Cheng,B | 2510 | ½–½ | 2018 | | Lidums Australian Young Masters | 1.3 |
Kvon,A | 2509 | Wallis,C | 2349 | ½–½ | 2018 | | Lidums Australian Young Masters | 1.4 |
Papin,V | 2483 | Ikeda,J | 2421 | 1–0 | 2018 | | Lidums Australian Young Masters | 1.5 |
Gong,P | 2328 | Ikeda,J | 2421 | 0–1 | 2018 | | Lidums Australian Young Masters | 2.1 |
Wallis,C | 2349 | Papin,V | 2483 | 0–1 | 2018 | | Lidums Australian Young Masters | 2.2 |
Cheng,B | 2510 | Kvon,A | 2509 | ½–½ | 2018 | | Lidums Australian Young Masters | 2.3 |
Chan,K | 2191 | Sukandar,I | 2393 | 0–1 | 2018 | | Lidums Australian Young Masters | 2.4 |
Urkedal,F | 2537 | Izzat,K | 2496 | 1–0 | 2018 | | Lidums Australian Young Masters | 2.5 |
Izzat,K | 2496 | Gong,P | 2328 | 0–1 | 2018 | | Lidums Australian Young Masters | 3.1 |
Kvon,A | 2509 | Chan,K | 2191 | 1–0 | 2018 | | Lidums Australian Young Masters | 3.2 |
Sukandar,I | 2393 | Urkedal,F | 2537 | 1–0 | 2018 | | Lidums Australian Young Masters | 3.3 |
Papin,V | 2483 | Cheng,B | 2510 | ½–½ | 2018 | | Lidums Australian Young Masters | 3.4 |
Ikeda,J | 2421 | Wallis,C | 2349 | 1–0 | 2018 | | Lidums Australian Young Masters | 3.5 |
Gong,P | 2328 | Wallis,C | 2349 | ½–½ | 2018 | | Lidums Australian Young Masters | 4.1 |
Cheng,B | 2510 | Ikeda,J | 2421 | 1–0 | 2018 | | Lidums Australian Young Masters | 4.2 |
Chan,K | 2191 | Papin,V | 2483 | 0–1 | 2018 | | Lidums Australian Young Masters | 4.3 |
Urkedal,F | 2537 | Kvon,A | 2509 | ½–½ | 2018 | | Lidums Australian Young Masters | 4.4 |
Izzat,K | 2496 | Sukandar,I | 2393 | 1–0 | 2018 | | Lidums Australian Young Masters | 4.5 |
Please, wait...
The entry into the chess cosmos. ChessBase 15 program + new Big Database 2019 (7.6 million uncommented games). Plus 3 issues ChessBase Magazine and CB Premium membership for 6 months!
IM group
Newly minted Grandmaster Benjamin Arvola, who achieved his final norm at the Batumi Olympiad headlines the field. He is joined by visitors from five other countries, including the American chess photographer Eric Rosen and the young Singaporean Olympian Lee Qingaun, who both happily return after playing the event last year.
IM Benjamin Arvola Notkevich from Norway and Fedja Zulfic, the playing organiser, will again try his luck in the IM field | Photo: Sabrina Koetsier
Starting rank
No. |
Name |
Fed |
FIDE |
1 |
IM Benjamin Arvola Notkevich |
NOR |
2496 |
2 |
IM Bao Qilin |
CHN |
2420 |
3 |
FM Brandon Clarke |
ENG |
2386 |
4 |
IM Eric Rosen |
USA |
2342 |
5 |
FM Lee Qingaun |
SGP |
2297 |
6 |
FM Luis Chan |
AUS |
2261 |
7 |
Fedja Zulfic |
AUS |
2204 |
8 |
CM Alphaeus Ang |
NZL |
2118 |
9 |
Alistair Cameron |
AUS |
2102 |
10 |
Albert Winkelman |
AUS |
2075 |
Average Rating 2270, Category 1
Standings after Round 4
1 |
9 |
|
FM |
Clarke Brandon G I |
ENG |
2377 |
3,5 |
3,75 |
0,0 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
|
Winkelman Albert |
AUS |
2075 |
3,0 |
5,00 |
0,0 |
2 |
3 |
7 |
|
GM |
Notkevich Benjamin Arvola |
NOR |
2506 |
3,0 |
3,50 |
0,0 |
3 |
4 |
8 |
|
IM |
Bao Qilin |
CHN |
2420 |
2,5 |
2,75 |
0,0 |
2 |
5 |
10 |
|
CM |
Ang Alphaeus Wei Ern |
NZL |
2118 |
2,0 |
3,50 |
0,0 |
2 |
6 |
3 |
|
FM |
Lee Qing Aun |
SGP |
2297 |
2,0 |
3,00 |
0,0 |
2 |
7 |
4 |
|
IM |
Rosen Eric |
USA |
2342 |
1,5 |
4,50 |
0,0 |
0 |
8 |
6 |
|
FM |
Chan Luis |
AUS |
2261 |
1,5 |
2,25 |
0,0 |
1 |
9 |
2 |
|
|
Cameron Alistair |
AUS |
2102 |
0,5 |
1,50 |
0,0 |
0 |
10 |
5 |
|
|
Zulfic Fedja |
AUS |
2199 |
0,5 |
0,75 |
0,0 |
0 |
Open tournament
The winner of the Open event qualifies for the IM event in the following years. The top seeds in this event is Vietnamese WCM Nguyen Mai Chi Phan, who is currently studying in Adelaide. She is joined by local hopes Kyle Leaver, who recently won the City of Adelaide and Punala Kiripitige, this year’s State champion.

Punala Kiripitige and Kyle Leaver | Photo: Sabrina Koetsier
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