Sunday, April 1, 2012

Youth Invitationals: Fourth Round

After three rounds, the unofficial standings are as follows:

Denker Qualifier

2.5   Schmakel  
2.5   Kogen      
2.0   Moskwa
1.5   Meduri
0.5   Qazi
0.0   Dubin

Girl's Invitational

2.5  Xu
2.5  Liu
2.0  Harihara
1.0  Provine
1.0  Padgett
0.0  Mangalam

Barber Qualifier

3.0  Li
2.0  Bronfeyn
2.0  Lehmann
2.0  Kagahtgi
1.5  Turner
1.5  Sun
1.0  Do
1.0  Gilchrist
1.0  Hrach
0.5  Xiao
0.5  Heil


Pairings for the fourth round:


Denker Qualifier


Dubin v. Qazi  0-1
Moskwa v. Kogen  0-1
Schmakel v. Meduri  1-0

Girl's Invitational


Liu v. Xu  1/2-1/2
Harihara v. Provine 1/2-1/2
Padgett v. Mangalam 1/2-1/2

Barber Qualifier


Li v. Lehmann  1-0
Adve v. Bronfeyn 1-0
Sun v.  Kalgahtgi  1-0
Turner v. Do 1-0
Hrach v. Gilchrist  1-0
Xiao v. Heil 0-1

9:55 AM: The players are at their boards.  The big game this morning is between the leaders in the Girls' Invitational, Xu and Liu.  Schmakel plays his two highest rated opponents today, Meduri and Kogen.


10:05 AM:  The round is underway.  We have Dubin playing the Samisch against Qazi's King's Indian.  Kogen played 1...e5 and Moskwa is playing the Scotch Gambit.  Padgett is playing a one of those miscellaneous 1.d4 openings that I have trouble telling apart (and beating for that matter).  Harihara is playing the King's Indian Attack against Provine's French.  Liu played 1.d4 and both she and Xu have fianchettoed their king's bishops.  Li and Lehmann are in an Open Catalan. 


10:10 AM:  Bronfeyn has played Alekhine's Defense and Kalgahtighi the Dragon.  Turner played the English and Hrach played the Italian.  Xiao and Heil are in a Closed Sicilian.


10:15 AM:  Schmakel played the English against Meduri and they appear to be in the neighborhood of the Open Reti.  Kogen declined Moskwa's gambit and the queens and two pairs of minor pieces are gone already. 


10:25 AM:  Qazi decided to attack Dubin's center with ...c5 rather than ...e5 and the position is looking Benoni-ish.  Lehmann is playing the same line against Li that he played against me at Tim Just's Winter Open.  I managed to win that one, but Li had best not underestimate his opponent's understanding of the positions.  I think it's the Colle that Padgett is playing with the thematic kingside expansion with Ne5 and f4.


10:30 AM:  Sun is developing in classical fashion against Kalgahtgi's Dragon.

10:40 AM:  Xu and Liu have morphed into a Dragon formation with Liu developing her light squared bishop on g2.  Moskwa has two rooks, a knight, and six pawns against Kogen's two rooks, bishop, and six pawns, but Kogen's pieces are on their original squares and he has lost the right to castle.   Hard to say whether White's lead in development means much with so much material gone.



10:45 AM:  Qazi was frustrated to only have 1/2 point after a tough endgame loss to Meduri last night, but when you've been playing rated chess for less than three years 1/2 point isn't bad against three oppponents with an average rating over 2150.


10:50 AM:  Adve has traded three of his pawns for one of Bronfeyn's knights.


10:50 AM:  Padgett is building up the pressure on the kingside.  Dubin has a half-open f-file to work with but Qazi has an outpost for his knight on e5.


11:05 AM:   Denker trivia:  Moskwa is the only player rated under 2150 to score a point against Meduri in the last eight months.



11:15 AM:   More Denker trivia.  Meduri and Schmakel have played six USCF games against each other.  Schmakel holds a 4-2 edge, however Meduri has a win and two draws in their last three meetings.  Meduri also drew Schmakel at IHSA tournament in February. That draw cost Schmakel a share of the first medal on first board which went to Moskwa.  Dubin went 7-0 on second board including a win over Qazi.  Kogen did not play because Deerfield High School does not have a chess program.


11:20 AM:   Li has gone up the exchange against Lehmann.  Hrach is attacking Gilchrist's king.



11:25 AM:   Kogen and Moskwa are in a double rook plus even pawns endgame.  Kogen has a,b,d,g and h-pawns.  Moskwa has a,d,e,g and h-pawns.


11:30 AM:   Kalgahtgi is up a piece on Sun.  Correction:  material is still even.  I didn't notice Sun's threats.

11:40 AM:   Qazi has won a queen for a rook and a knight.

11:45 AM:   Hrach has traded three minor pieces for a rook, a knight, and two pawns.  Li has added a pawn to his exchange advantage but his king is under some pressure.


11:50 AM:   Kogen and Moskwa each control one of the open files, but neither can achieve unhindered penetration with the rooks.  Meduri and Schmakel looks pretty even.


11:55 AM:   Harihara has gone up by a pawn.  Queens are gone.  Xu and Liu are still even material and development.  


12:00 PM:   First result, Sun defeats Kalgahtgi.

12:10 PM:   Schmakel has given up the exchange against Meduri, but he has a lead in development and Meduri has a knight that looks none too secure.  Moskwa and Kogen have traded a pair of rooks.


12:15 PM:  Heil has the exchange for a pawn.  Li is up a rook and on a king hunt.  


12:15 PM:  Li defeats Lehmann.  




12:20 PM:  Harihara and Provine are down to rooks plus bishops of opposite colors with Harihara on the offensive with an extra pawn.  If the rooks come off it will be very drawish but until then the chances are on Harihara's side.   


12:25 PM:  Meduri's king is still in the center and Schmakel's trying to keep it there.  He has a big lead in development for the exchange. 


12:30 PM:  Bronfeyn has gotten one of his extra pawns down to b2.


12:35 PM:  Hrach is up the exchange but both his rooks are en prise and he is getting low on time.  Padgett has a lot of pressure on Mangalam's king but hasn't found a way to break through yet.


12:45 PM:  Heil defeats Xiao.


12:50 PM:  Adve was able to round up the pawn on b2 but Bronfeyn still has three pawns for a bishop.  Schmakel is starting to pick up material.  Kogen and Moskwa have taken each other's isolated pawns leaving them both with connected passers.  Moskwa's are in the center and slightly farther advanced.


12:55 PM:  The rooks have come off the board in Harihara v. Provine.  Harihara still has an extra pawn, but bishops of opposite colors are terribly drawish.


1:00 PM:  Xu has an extra pawn in a queen and rook ending but her king is slightly more exposed. 


1:05 PM:  Schmakel defeats Meduri.  Provine looks like she has Harihara's extra pawn well blockaded.




1:10 PM:  Xu and Liu draw.  Mangalam and Padgett draw.


1:15 PM:  Moskwa has a pawn on d6 and Kogen's king is cut off.  Hrach liberated his rooks and now he is up the exchange and several pawn.  Adve got one of his pawns back.


1:20 PM:  Kogen is going to have to give up his rook for Moskwa's d-pawn, but then his own connected passers will be hard to stop. 


1:25 PM:  Hrach defeats Gilchrist.


1:35 PM:  Kogen's passers prove unstoppable and he defeats Moskwa.  Qazi defeats Dubin.


1:45 PM:  Turner beats Do.  Provine and Harihara draw.


1:55 PM:  Adve has bishop and h-pawn against two isolated pawns for Bronfeyn but the bishop controls the queening square.


2:00 PM:  Sevan is trying to figure out all the tiebreak permutations in Kogen and Schamkel draw in the last round.


2:05 PM:  Adve beats Bronfeyn.


2:30 PM:  Denker Round 4 games are posted.











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