WJCC Round 12

by Johannes Fischer
8/20/2016 – 15-year old Jeffery Xiong from the USA became World Junior Champion 2016 with one round to spare. In round 12 of the World Junior U20 Championships in Bhubaneswar, India, Xiong won a smooth game with Black against Paolo Bersamina from the Philippines while his closest rivals Vladislav Artemiev and Gzregorz Nasuta drew against each other and now have 8.5/12. But with 10.0/12 Xiong is 1.5 points ahead of Artemiev and Nasuta and World Junior Champion 2016!

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If Jeffery Xiong was nervous because he was close to winning the World Junior title when he sat down to play against Paolo Bersamina in round 12 of the World Juniors he did not let it influence his play. With good preparation, a fine positional feeling, a keen tactical eye and good endgame technique Xiong outplayed his opponent and scored a smooth and crucial win:

 

World Junior Champion Jeffery Xiong (right) with his dad

Meanwhile Grzegorz Nasuta and Vladislav Artemiev both shuffled their pieces back and forth though neither side made any visible progress. After 48 moves and with most of the pieces still on the board they agreed to a draw.

 

Grzegorz Nasuta from Poland

Vladislav Artemiev from Russia

Standings after 12 rounds

Rank Title  Name Elo Country Pts
1 GM Xiong Jeffery 2633 USA 10
2 GM Artemiev Vladislav 2665 RUS 8½
3 IM Nasuta Grzegorz 2442 POL 8½
4 GM Aravindh Chithambaram Vr. 2543 IND 8
5 GM Sunilduth Lyna Narayanan 2515 IND 8
6   Maghsoodloo Parham 2576 IRI 8
7 IM Mosadeghpour Masoud 2437 IRI 8
8 FM Xu Yi 2371 CHN 8
9 GM Karthikeyan Murali 2514 IND 7½
10   Xu Yinglun 2516 CHN 7½
11 IM Svane Rasmus 2546 GER 7½
12 GM Gagare Shardul 2486 IND 7½
13 IM Bersamina Paulo 2402 PHI 7½
14 IM Henriquez Villagra Cristobal 2520 CHI 7½
15 IM Lorparizangeneh Shahin 2478 IRI 7½
16 IM Menezes Christoph 2408 AUT 7
17   Ivekovic Bozidar 2351 CRO 7
18   Srijit Paul 2217 IND 7
19 IM Tran Tuan Minh 2473 VIE 7
20 GM Wagner Dennis 2572 GER 7

... 80 players

Games - Rounds 1 to 12

 

Photos: Tournament page

Links

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<< Introducing Diving Chess!
Jeffery Xiong: World Junior Champion >>
Topics: Bhubaneswar, Jeffery Xiong, World Junior U20 Chess Championships
Johannes was born in 1963 in Hamburg and studied English and German literature in Frankfurt. He now lives as a writer and translator in Nürnberg. He is a FIDE-Master and regularly writes for KARL, a German chess magazine focusing on the links between culture and chess. On his own blog he regularly publishes notes on "Film, Literature and Chess".
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Video

The Kasparov Gambit

The introductory position of the Kasparov Gambit can occur after 1 d4,1 Nf3 and 1 c4, which can appeal to a wide range of players. The usual move order is 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 Nf3 cxd4 4 Nxd4 e5!? 5 Nb5 d5 6 cxd5 Bc5 bringing us to a very sharp position. On this 60 mins, FIDE Senior Trainer Andrew Martin argues the case from the Black side, showing both classic Kasparov masterpieces and games from the present day and suggests that White's defensive task is not easy. This is a practical gambit which will help players at all levels to win more games. It is ideal for must-win situations with Black. It is a gambit that White cannot decline,as if he does, Black gets a good position instantly. White must take up the cudgels and fight!

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johnmk johnmk 8/26/2016 07:46
Excalibur --Yes exactly, Xiong is a great endgame player who trades down to endings at every opportunity. Which is a good strategy for winning but not a style that will get your games into game collections with Tal or Spassky or even Carlsen.
scoobeedo scoobeedo 8/23/2016 09:13
I am a 2500+ player. That means that I understand at least some basics about chess.

I have to say ....
I have never seen a young player with so a deep understanding of the game as this 15 year old Gigatalent.

Lets wait for the match of the matches in 6 years between Carlsen and Xiong. I am not sure who will be then the favourite ...
excalibur2 excalibur2 8/22/2016 11:58
@johnmk Ridiculous comment. You know very little about Xiong's style or chess in general. His style is not even as dry as you make it seem. He's a universal talent and a superb endgame player. Instructive to follow his games.
johnmk johnmk 8/21/2016 02:05
Jeffery has a style that is mature beyond his years, almost too positional for someone so young. Even Magnus in his younger days was willing to risk the offbeat opening on occasion -- the Benko Gambit or Sicilian Dragon. Xiong avoids all of that "nonsense".
Well more power to him but sometimes the fans want to see blood in the streets, as Nakamura might say.
jsaldea12 jsaldea12 8/21/2016 08:16
Congratulation Jeff
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