ChessBase 17 - Mega package - Edition 2024
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Ray Robson became the first sole leader at the 2021 US Championship after inflicting Jeffery Xiong’s third consecutive loss at the Saint Louis Chess Club. The 26-year-old grandmaster from Guam has been a constant feature in the national championship, more than once showing that he can beat even the best in the world when in good form. In fact, in 2015 he finished in sole second place, a half point behind Hikaru Nakamura on 7½/11 points — Robson beat Wesley So (already rated 2788) in that edition.
Opening package: 1.b3 and Black Secrets in the Modern Italian
Wesley So published two new opening DVDs: 1.b3, the so called Nimzo-Larsen-Attack, for White and his black secrets in the modern Italian. Get them in a package and save money!
No fewer than five players stand a half point back, though, including So, Fabiano Caruana and Leinier Dominguez. So and Caruana drew their round-4 game after the former missed a huge chance to get a clearly superior position and went for a perpetual check, later claiming that he did not want to lose on his birthday — the Filipino-born star turned 28 on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Dominguez joined the chasing pack after defeating Sam Shankland with the black pieces. Shankland, who won the US Championship in 2018, faltered in a difficult knight endgame to go into the first rest day with a -1 score.
The Saint Louis Chess Club | Photo: Lennart Ootes
All eyes were put on the fight between top seeds Caruana and So at the start of the round. Although the game finished drawn after 26 moves, it was by no means a friendly ‘grandmaster draw’. Caruana, who got off to a wobbly start in the tournament, erred on move 18.
After spending almost 15 minutes, Caruana played the imprecise 18...e5 instead of the move that was being heavily analysed by the commentators — 18...f5. The world number 2 later confessed that he thought a lot about pushing the f-pawn, but decided on the sharp text move, which “has multiple problems and shows how off the mark I was”.
So responded with the correct 19.dxe5, but after 19...Re6 failed to find the strong 20.Rd1
There is no perpetual check (nor anything resembling a dangerous attack) for Black, since the king can escape via f1, while after 20...dxe5 21.Be4 White has a commanding position, with his rook ready to infiltrate along the d-file in many lines.
None of this was seen over the board, though, as So played 20.exd6 and a perpetual check followed. Caruana was expecting 20.Rg1, which is also tricky and inferior for Black, but he had not seen the all-but-winning transfer of the rook to the d-file.
Wesley So was paired up against the top seed on his 28th birthday | Photo: Lennart Ootes
About an hour later, Robson got his second win of the tournament, making the most of Xiong’s run of bad form. Xiong played a strange-looking line with black and faltered on move 12.
Understanding Middlegame Strategies Vol.1 and 2
These DVDs are about Understanding Middlegame Strategies. In the first DVD dynamic decisions involving pawns are discussed. The second DVD deals with decision making process concerning practical play.
Black’s position already looks clumsy, but 12...Bxe5 was not the way to go here (12...Bc7 was better), as he opened up the position while behind in development and with his king in the centre. Robson quickly took advantage of the mistake by simplifying the position. Xiong made yet another strange decision eight moves later.
Robson was expecting for his opponent to place his knight on f6, when he will have to work hard to convert his advantage, while after Xiong’s 20...Kd8 White has 21.d6 and Black’s position looks rather claustrophobic to say the least.
White continued to up the pressure until resignation came on move 28.
Ray Robson versus Jeffery Xiong | Photo: Lennart Ootes
A 12-year-old Carissa Yip made her debut at the US Women’s Championship in 2016. Five years later, she is already the third highest-rated woman player in the country, and is sharing the lead in the standings table after beating 8-time champion Irina Krush.
Admittedly, the youngster got lucky in her encounter against the multiple national champ, as Krush blundered horribly as early as on move 21.
The aim of this course is to help you understand how to make tactical opportunities arise as well as to sharpen your tactical vision - these selected lectures will help to foster your overall tactical understanding.
21...Nb4 fails to the forcing 22.Rxc8+ Rxc8 23.Rd4 forking knight and bishop — Black does not even have 23...Nc2 as 24.Rxe4 defends the e3-bishop. Krush resigned.
Yip is now sharing the lead with Katerina Nemcova, currently a half point ahead of a rather surprising two-player chasing pack, consisting of Ashritha Eswaran and bottom seed Thalia Cervantes!
Carissa Yip | Photo: Lennart Ootes
