World Cup: Twelve players bounce back

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
7/14/2021 – Day 2 of the first round at the World Cup and Women’s World Cup in Sochi saw 12 players winning on demand to take their matches to tiebreakers. Those are not the only confrontations that are to be decided in rapid and blitz chess, though, as 16 other matches finished with both games drawn. | Photo: Eric Rosen
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Comebacks, upsets

Some of the higher-rated players that lost their first games in the World Cup managed to level the score by beating their opponents on demand. In the open section, that is what Russian GM Vadim Zvjaginsev did against English IM Ravi Haria, while in the women’s section, former French champion Pauline Guichard and former women’s world champion Anna Ushenina made it into the playoffs despite losing their first games.

Remarkably, more matches saw the higher-rated player failing to advance to the next round in the classical portion despite winning the first game. In the open:

  • Bilel Bellahcene (ALG, 2499) bounced back against Hovhannes Gabuzyan (ARM, 2590)
  • Niaz Murshed (BAN, 2404) traded wins with Neuris Delgado (PAR, 2622)
  • In an all-Egyptian matchup, Abdelrahman Hesham (2397) won on demand against Ahmed Adly (2625)
  • Basheer Al Qudaimi (YEM, 2435) bounced back against Amin Tabatabaei (IRA, 2613)
  • Chitumbo Mwali (ZAM, 2281) traded wins with Haik Martirosyan (ARM, 2648)
  • Juan Gonzalez (MEX, 2540) won on demand against Krikor Mekhitarian (BRA, 2554)

Mwali Chitumbo

Mwali Chitumbo from Zambia | Photo: Anastasiia Korolkova

In the women’s section:

  • Janelle Mae Frayna (PHI, 2179) bounced back against Thanh Trang Hoang (HUN, 2404)
  • Sabrina Latreche (ALG, 2076) traded wins with Nataliya Buksa (UKR, 2413)
  • Mai Narva (EST, 2276) won on demand against Gulnar Mammadova (AZE, 2382)

Jesse February

South African WIM Jesse February almost scored a comeback against Russian GM Valentina Gunina | Photo: Eric Rosen

Endgame analyses

GM Karsten Müller sent two endgames with instructive annotations, one from each section. Croatian GM Ante Brkic defeated Colombian GM Sergio Barrientos in both their games. In  the first one, he did it with the black pieces from an ending which required precise defensive technique by the white player.

 
Barrientos vs. Brkic - Game 1

Our in-house specialist shows why 47.Kf2 was the correct defence, and not Barrientos’ 47.Kf3, which might seem to be the most natural continuation.

In Bibisara Assaubayeva (KAZ) vs. Yerisbel Miranda (CUB), the Kazakhstani only needed a draw in the second game, but she could have won both encounters had she made the most of her rival’s mistakes in a rook endgame.

 
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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 Bb4+ 5.Nbd2 0-0 6.a3 Be7 7.Bg2 b6 8.0-0 Bb7 9.cxd5 exd5 10.Ne5 Nbd7 11.Ndf3 Ne4 12.Bf4 c5 13.Rc1 Nxe5 14.Nxe5 f6 15.Nf3 c4 16.Nd2 Nxd2 17.Qxd2 b5 18.h4 a5 19.Qc2 Qd7 20.Rfe1 f5 21.h5 h6 22.Be5 b4 23.axb4 axb4 24.Ra1 b3 25.Qc3 Qb5 26.Qe3 Qd7 27.Bh3 Bc6 28.Rxa8 Rxa8 29.Qf3 Rf8 30.Ra1 Bd6 31.Bxd6 Qxd6 32.Bxf5 Bd7 33.g4 Bxf5 34.gxf5 Qd7 35.e4 dxe4 36.Qxe4 Qxf5 37.Qxf5 Rxf5 38.Rc1 Rg5+ 39.Kf1 Rxh5 40.Ke2 Ra5 41.Kd2 Rf5 42.Ke3 Ra5 43.Kd2 Rf5 44.Ke3 h5 45.Rxc4 h4 46.f4 h3 "The king should blockade the passed pawn". In rook endings the rook usually is a bad blockader: 47.Kf3? Now White's rook has to deal with the h-pawn. 47.Kf2 defends, e.g. Rxf4+ 47...Rh5 48.Kg1 h2+ 49.Kh1= 48.Kg3 h2 49.Kxh2 Rf2+ 50.Kg3 Rxb2 51.Rb4 Kf7 52.Rb6= 47...Rh5 The rook belongs behind the passed pawn and now White's king can not get in front of it. 48.Rc1 Kf7 49.Kg4 Rh6 50.Kg3 h2 51.Kg2 51.Rh1 Ke6-+ 51...h1Q+ The pawn ending is winning for Black. Of course not 51...Ke6?? 52.Rc6+ Kd5 53.Rxh6 gxh6 54.f5+- 52.Rxh1 Rxh1 53.Kxh1 Ke6 54.Kg2 Kd5 55.Kf3 Kxd4 56.Kg4 Kd3 57.Kh5 Ke3 However, not 57...Kc2?! 58.Kg6 Kxb2? 58...Kd3‼ is still winning. 59.Kxg7 Kc3 60.f5 b2 61.f6 b1Q 62.f7= and Black's king is outside of the winning zone. 58.Kg4 g6 59.Kg3 Ke2 60.Kg2 Kd2 61.Kf3 Kc2 62.Kg4 Kxb2 63.Kg5 Kc3 63...Kc3 64.Kxg6 b2 65.f5 b1Q-+ 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Barrientos,S2490Brkic,A25920–12021E16FIDE World Cup 20211.48
Assaubayeva,B2389Miranda Llanes,Y2262½–½2021D38FIDE Womens World Cup 20211.2

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Carlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.

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