NAKAMURA VS. KRAMNIK IN THE 2012 W.C.O. IN ISTANBUL,
TURKEY
In the USA vs. Russia match at the 2012
World Chess Olympiad, Hikaru Nakamura, right, outwitted former world champion
Vladimir Kramnik in the much anticipated meeting of two chess giant countries. http://palau-chess.blogspot.com/2013/03/mingling-with-worlds-top-chess-players.html
Another former
world champion Ruslam Ponomariov, left, is watching the game. Roberto Hernandez
gave him his card upon seeing him watching Palau’s first participation in
Olympiad.
(Photo by Roberto Hernandez)
U. S. A. --FAVORITE TO WIN THE 2016 WORLD CHESS OLYMPIAD
In 2015 Wesley So’s US Championship was derailed when he
lost a 6-move forfeit game against Varuzhan Akobian. This year they got to play
a full game, or at least 24 moves, which was all it took for So, currently No.
3 US player, to crush his opponent. That saw Wesley join Fabiano Caruana, No. 1,
in the lead before the rest day, while Hikaru Nakamura, US current No. 2 chess
player, also moved up with an easy win over Sam Shankland. Gata Kamsky could
have been the hero of the day, but spoiled a brilliancy prize against
15-year-old Jeffery Xiong.
Kamsky
was featured together with Judit Polgar in the 81st Issue of Chess
Mate by Roberto Hernandez at this link: http://palau-chess.blogspot.com/2012/05/kamsky-polgarchess-phenoms-tbn-july-9.html
Wesley So seems to have put his
troubles last year behind him and is the co-leader, with all eyes on his next
game vs. Hikaru Nakamura, who became USA’s youngest master at age 10.
It
was a dramatic day in the US Championship, and one that could very easily have
seen five decisive games: The game everyone was talking about was So-Akobian,
first because of the
backstory from a year ago, but then because of some scintillating
attacking chess. Wesley noted afterwards his 7.c3
“was inspired because Kasparov played it 14 years ago”, and he was already
looking forward to the prospect of it being played in the blitz tournament with
Garry after the main event is over. Akobian was soon thinking hard, and missed
a potential lifeline at the end as he was down to only a couple of minutes.
Wesley commented, “I saw this, but I was kind of praying, that he wouldn’t find
it!”
Spanish
GM Pepe Cuenca takes us through the game:
It was a similar story in Nakamura-Shankland, with Hikaru
out-preparing Sam and relishing his opponent’s failure to exchange queens early
on. It developed into a massacre that was essentially over just after move 20,
though it dragged on to move 37.
It
looked like being a day on which the youngsters met their match. Akshat Chandra
was soon in such deep trouble against Alexander Onischuk that Nakamura was
again kicking himself for the draw he conceded against the 16-year-old in Round
3. There was no great escape for Akshat.
Caruana
and So lead on the tournament’s only rest day. The top players of their respective
countries (Italy and Philippines) changed federation in the same year to make a
formidable USA team in this year’s World Chess Olympiad in Baku, Azerbaijan
where China is the defending champion.
THE
PARTICIPANTS OF 2016 USA CHAMPIONSHIP, THEIR PLACINGS AFTER 5 ROUNDS AND THEIR
FIDE RATINGS:
1.
Caruana, Fabiano (2795) 2. So, Wesley (2773)
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3.
Nakamura, Hikaru (2787) 4. Robson,
Ray (2663)
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5.
Onischuk, Alexander (2664)
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6.
Xiong, Jeffery (2618)
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7.
Kamsky, Gata (2678)
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8.
Shankland, Samuel L (2656)
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9.
Lenderman, Aleksandr (2618)
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10.
Akobian, Varuzhan (2615)
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11.
Shabalov, Alexander (2528)
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12.
Chandra, Akshat (2477)
Solution to last week’s puzzle No. 4371: 1. …Qxh3+!!
2. Kxh3 Rh5+ 3. Kg3 Ne4 mate.
This week’s puzzle No. 4372: Black to move and mates
in 3 (Solution next issue)
Sources: Chess Mate by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
Pages 11-12
Volume 25
Issue 39
May 16, 2016
Chess and Music (Perfect Combination)
The Beginning of Chess in Palau
By Roberto Hernandez
To be published as a book in the future
Music and Me by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
March 15, 2012 -- April 2013
http://palau-chess.blogspot.com
April 2013 -- May 16, 2016
The History of Chess in Palau
By Roberto Hernandez
June 09, 2002 -- May 16, 2016
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