World Juniors Rd 9: Can anyone stop Shtembuliak and Shuvalova?

Fitness is the key

Both the open section and the girls section have sole leaders. Evgeny Shtembuliak leads with 7½/9 and Polina Shuvalova with 8.0/9. While both have quite contrasting styles of play —Shtembuliak is positional, while Shuvalova is aggressive — one common thing that has helped both of them is indulging in physical fitness each day. In their post-game interviews, both players revealed that they spent time in the gym before the game in the morning and that has helped them to maintain their stamina and momentum. Shtembuliak even goes to the swimming pool along with the gym. For Shuvalova, this result is even more commendable because she played eleven rounds of intense chess in Mumbai at the World Youth Championships 2019. She won the gold in under-18 girls section. Change in weather, food, time zone, opposition, nothing has come in between Shuvalova and her constant striving to play good games of chess.

Improving your positional understanding with Shtembuliak

Evgeny Shtembuliak won his game against Mihnea Costachi with some excellent opening preparation followed by powerful middlegame play.

Focused eyes of the leader | Photo: Niklesh Jain

Shtembuliak explains his over Costachi

Shuvalova's masterful endgame play

Beating a strong player like Stavroula Tsolakidou with the black pieces is truly a great win by Shuvalova.

Tsolakidou vs Shuvalova | Photo: Niklesh Jain

Reti - A Repertoire for White

Starting with 1.Nf3 the Reti is designed for those players who like strategy, manoeuvres and plans. Bologan presents a repertoire based on 1.Nf3 giving you options for all major replies.

The entire endgame of Shuvalova

The complex Najdorf

When choosing an opening repertoire, there are days when you want to play for a win with Black, when you want to bear down on your opponent’s position with a potentially crushing attack. The Najdorf is perfect for just such occasions. Strategy, combinations, attack and defence, sacrifices and marvellous manoeuvres — exciting chess is all about the Najdorf!

Mobina Alinasab keeps her pursuit alive after beating Antova Gabriela | Photo: Niklesh Jain

Power Play 24: A repertoire for black against the Catalan

On this DVD Grandmaster Daniel King offers you a repertoire for Black against the Catalan, based around maintaining the rock of a pawn on d5. Keeping central control ultimately gives Black good chances to launch an attack against the enemy king.

Mariia won a topsy-turvy game | Photo: Niklesh Jain

Mariia Berdnyk was worse out of the opening, but fought hard and towards the end managed to trick her young opponent.

Top seed Zhu Jiner is still going strong | Photo: Niklesh Jain

It speaks volumes of this young girl's character that she has not given up in spite of a bad performance. Zhu Jiner is probably having one of the worst tournaments of her chess career, but she has kept herself going and won the ninth round.

Navigating the Ruy Lopez Vol.1-3

The Ruy Lopez is one of the oldest openings which continues to enjoy high popularity from club level to the absolute world top. In this video series, American super GM Fabiano Caruana, talking to IM Oliver Reeh, presents a complete repertoire for White.

Aravindh managed to outplay his strong opponent Dmitrij Kollars | Photo: Niklesh Jain

Untitled Wang Shixu is having a fantastic tournament

Wang Shixu has performed admirably at this event. He started as the 50^th seed and has managed to not only score his IM norm, but will be playing on the top board in round ten. He doesn't really speak English, but we got him in the studio, to have a look at his game and some of the variations!

IM Volodar Murzin

I will call him "the find of the tournament"! Everyone knew IM Volodar Murzin, who is just 13 years old, is talented. However, in this event he has shown some phenomenal understanding of the last phase of the game. Check out his win against Viktor Gazik, in which the youngster gives up two pawns for activity and wins the game!

Tactics time!

Many of us practice solving tactics regularly at home. But what we are unable to do is recreate a game like scenario during our practice session. Well, with this video we have tried to change that. We have captured the real time game between Leon Mendonca and P Iniyan. However, there were several tactics that were missed by both the players. WIM-elect Amruta Mokal tries to explain these tactics in the video and also tells you the amount of time both players had on their clocks when they reached this position.

Magic of Chess Tactics 2

FM Claus Dieter Meyer has put under the microscope a comprehensive fund of topical and timeless games / fragments. On video Hamburg GM Dr. Karsten Müller has outlined corner points of Meyer's work and created 14 tests plus 10 interactive test sets.

White to play and win

Black to play and win

The norm makers

After nine rounds, we have as many as twelve norms that were scored at the tournament. Five IM norms, Six WIM norms and one WGM norm. It is quite possible that few more norms will be made

IM Norms

• Aronyak Ghosh
• Wang Shixu
• Audi Ameya
• Garidmagnai Byambasuren
• Aaryan Varshney

WGM norms

• Polina Shuvalova

WIM norms

• Antova Gabriela
• Altantuya Boldbaatar
• Avetisyan Mariam
• Srishti Pandey
• Toshali V
• Supreetha Potluri

The players can choose the cookies they want to eat during the round | Photo: Niklesh Jain

Unlimited tea, coffee and green tea for the players | Photo: Niklesh Jain

For all those who are not into tea and coffee, they also have fruit juices | Photo: Niklesh Jain

Withdrawals from the tournament

As the rounds pass, the number of players withdrawing from the tournament is increasing. These are not just Iranian players, who anyway have more to worry about than just health issues. But if you look at the pairing list, there have been several withdrawals citing illness. But almost all of them have withdrawn after a loss. As a chess player I can completely understand the mental stress and helplessness one feels when s/he loses a game. If it is a winning game, it feels even worse. You are losing rating points like a leaking faucet, there is no longer a chance for making a norm, a medal finish is impossible to achieve. Why then should you continue? Let me give you an example from another sport — Cricket.

India's famous cricketer Anil Kumble at the Antigua 2002

"It was one of the bravest things I've seen on the field of play," said Viv Richards later. Batting at No. 7, Kumble was hit by Merv Dillon. He spat out blood but batted on for another 20 minutes. The series was poised 1-1 and this was the fourth Test. India declared at 513 for 9. The sight of Anil Kumble emerging from the pavilion, ready to bowl, his face bandaged, in the Antigua Test of 2002, is one of cricket's most inspiring. Kumble sent down 14 consecutive overs and became the first bowler to dismiss Brian Lara while bowling with a broken jaw. He was due to fly back to Bangalore the following day for surgery, and as he said, "At least I can now go home with the thought that I tried my best. Kumble's Test was drawn, West Indies declaring at 629 for 9. His reason for returning to bowl: "I didn't want to sit around" is as fine an example of the self-effacing statement as you will find in cricket. [Source: ESPNcricinfo]

If Kumble's incident teaches us something, then it is the fact that great players do not care about the result — the test match was anyway drawn. The feeling of going back home having tried your best is something that cannot be explained in words, it has to be felt.

Open standings after round 9

Girls standings after round 9

All games

Open

Girls

Links

• Official site
• Full Results (Chess-Results)