Ivanchuk plays 210 moves in two games
The opening two rounds of the TePe Sigeman & Co Chess Tournament in Malmö featured plenty of fighting spirit, with three of the eight games ending decisively, yet no shortage of competitive play in the drawn encounters. After two rounds, three players share the lead on 1½/2 points: Richard Rapport, Javokhir Sindarov and Yagiz Erdogmus.
Rapport began his campaign with a win over Erwin l'Ami in the first round, while both Sindarov and Erdogmus defeated Tan Zhongyi with the black pieces - in rounds one and two, respectively. For Tan, who recently had a strong showing in the final stage of the Women's Grand Prix after losing to Ju Wenjun in the Women's World Championship match, two early losses with the white pieces represent a significant setback in the seven-round tournament.
Drawn games were by no means lacking in tension. Vasyl Ivanchuk, in particular, played two marathon encounters, taking theoretically drawn endgames to the bitter end against Ray Robson in round one (110 moves) and against L'Ami in round two (100 moves). Both games required the contenders to show proper technique to maintain the balance.
In this course, we will learn how to identify passively placed pieces in any given situation and how to improve their health by bringing them into active squares.Round three, scheduled for Thursday, features a notable pairing between the two youngest participants, as Sindarov (19) faces Erdogmus (13) in a co-leaders' clash. Rapport, the remaining co-leader and the tournament's top seed, will play white against the struggling Tan.
Vasyl Ivanchuk, aged 56, had two long days at the office in Malmö | Photo: Mikael Svensson
Rapport 1-0 L'Ami
In this DVD, Erwin l'Ami guides you through the fascinating Benko Gambit. As early as move three Black starts a fight for the initiative, a strategy that has proved to be successful in countless amateur and master level games.
The playing hall during round one | Photo: Mikael Svensson
Standings after round 2
All games
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