The Year Without Summer

熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xiong) – Andrey Evgenyevich Esipenko

1st Online Chess Olympiad Semifinal Russia – United States; Match 2; time control: 15 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; chess.com, August 29, 2020

Nimzo-Indian Defence E32

And thus, after all, India e Russia are the two finalists of the 1st Online Chess Olympiad. However, both semifinals were tough and very hardly fought. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 0-0 5. e4 d5 6. e5 Ne4 7. Bd3 c5 8. Nf3 cxd4 9. Nxd4 Nd7 10. Bf4 Qh4. It should be noted that four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) preferred here 10. ... Ndc5 11. 0-0 Bxc3 12. bxc3 Bd7 13. Be2 Na4 14. cxd5 exd5 15. c4 Rc8 16. Qb3 dxc4! 17. Bxc4? Nac3! 18. a4 Bxa4! 19. Rxa4 Nxa4 20. Nf5 Nac3! 21. e6 Rxc4! 22. Qxc4 b5 23. Qb3 Qd3 24. exf7+ Rxf7 0 : 1 Ushenina – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 台州 (Tāizhōu) 2013, Women’s World Chess Championship match game 3. 11. g3 Qh5 12. h4 Nxe5 13. Be2 Ng4 14. Bxg4 Qxg4 15. f3 Qh5 16. g4 Qg6 17. fxe4 e5! Only this way! If, instead, 17. ... Qf6? then 18. Ne2! e5 19. Bg5 Qf3 20. 0-0-0 and Black’s game is desperate, Vallejo Pons – So, 31st Torneo Magistral de Ajedrez “Ciudad de León”, León 2018, match game 1 (time control: 20 minutes plus 10 seconds increment per move). 18. 0-0-0. 18. Bxe5 Bxg4 followed by ... Ra8-e8 provides Black with enough compensation for the Knight. 18. ... Bxc3 19. Nf5 Bxf5 20. gxf5 Qa6!? Here is finally the long awaited novelty. A recent game went instead 20. ... Qg4 21. Be3 Bd4 22. Bxd4 exd4 23. exd5 Rac8 24. Kb1 b5 25. c5 Rfd8 26. Rhg1 Qxh4? (“Yorkshire’s James Adair has been very close to the GM title for years now, but has not reached the required 2500 rating. His live rating was in the upper 2490s when he took on Howell, which explains Black’s ambitious opening. It was level until Black took a hot Pawn where 26. ... Qf3! 27. Rxd4 Rxd5 would draw. As played, White’s central Pawns overran the Black Rooks”, Leonard Barden wrote in his The Guardian chess column of August 3, 2018) 27. c6! g6 28. fxg6 hxg6 29. Qf5 Kg7 30. c7 Re8 31. d6 Re6 32. Rdf1 Rf8 33. c8=Q! 1 : 0 Howell – Adair, 105th British Chess Championship, Hull 2018. 21. Qxc3 d4 22. Qb3 exf4 23. Rxd4 Rad8 24. Qd3 Rxd4 25. Qxd4 Rc8 26. b3 Qxa2

27. Rd1!? Now 27. Rg1 g6 28. fxg6 hxg6 29. Rxg6+ fxg6 30. Qxd5+ is only a draw by perpetual check, while instead the team needs a win. 27. ... g6 28. f6??! 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xiong) is in the same dilemma as before, and courageously goes on attacking. 28. Qf6 was probably safer, but 28. ... Qxb3 29. Rd8+ Rxd8 30. Qxd8+ Kg7 31. f6+ Kh6 32. Qf8+ Kh5 33. Qxf7 Qc3+ would end up with a draw. 28. ... h5 29. Rd3? White can no longer afford himself the luxury of such a “loss of time”. If nothing else, 29. Qd7 would be consistent with his previous choices, still hoping for 29. ... Rf8 (29. ... Ra8!!−+ is not a human obvious: if 30. Qxb7 there may follow 30. ... Re8−+) 30. Qe7 with tricky tactics (Δ Qe7xf8+), rather similarly to the game. 29. ... Qg2? This hasty move radically changes the balance of powers, as White can snatch the initiative from his opponent’s hands. Black should first have played 29. ... Re8−+ followed by the penetration of the Queen to the Kingside (if 30. e5 then 30. ... Qe2−+). 30. Qd7 Rf8 31. Qe7. Threatening Qe7xf8+ followed by mate. 31. ... Qg1+ 32. Kc2 Qb6 33. Rd6 Qa5 34. Rd5 Qb6 35. Rd6 Qa5 36. Rd5 Qb6

37. Rg5! Qf2+? And in the end, White’s bet succeeded, as His Majesty goes forward to conquer his enemy’s Kingdom. 37. ... Rc8! is the unanimous proposal of the engines, for after 38. Rxg6+ Kh8 39. Rg5 (38. Rg2!? is at least interesting) 39. ... Qf2+ 40. Kb1 Qe1+ 41. Ka2 Qd2+ 42. Ka3 Qc1+ 43. Ka4 Qa1+ 44. Kb4 Qe1+ 45. Kb5 any similarity with the position of the game after 43. Kb5 is a mere appearance, since Black would play 46. ... Qc3! (47. Rxh5+ Kg8=). 38. Kb1 Qe1+ 39. Ka2 Qd2+ 40. Ka3 Qc1+ 41. Ka4 Qa1+ 42. Kb4 Qe1+ 43. Kb5 a6+. Now it’s too late for 43. ... Rc8 44. Rxg6+ Kh8 45. Rg7 Qc3 on account of 46. Rh7+! with mate in two. 44. Kb6 Qe3+ 45. Kc7 Qc3 46. Rxg6+ Kh7 47. Rg7+. Or 47. Rh6+! Kg8 48. Qxf8+! followed by mate. 47. ... Kh6 48. Qxf8 Qe5+ 49. Qd6 1 : 0.

Duel in the Sun

Teimour Boris oghlu Radjabov – 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng)
8th Chess World Cup; match game 2; Khanty-Mansiysk, September 24, 2019
Grünfeld Defence D85

And thus the young American star 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng) bowed out of the Chess World Cup 2019 after losing a wild tactical showdown to Azerbaijani Grandmaster Teimour Radjabov. He can regret that despite having survived a very insidious theoretical novelty from his opponent, he didn’t manage to save enough lucidity to defend successfully till the end. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bb5+ c6 8. Ba4 0-0 9. Ne2 e5 10. 0-0 Nd7 11. Be3 Qe7 12. Bc2 Nb6 13. f4! A powerful novelty in place of 13. Qc1 Re8 14. Bg5 Qf8 15. Rb1 h6 16. Be3 Nc4 17. f4 exd4 18. Bxd4 Na3 19. f5 Nxc2 20. Qxc2 Bxd4+ 21. Nxd4 g5 22. Qd3 Qd6 23. Qf3 Qf6 24. Kh1 b6 25. Qg4 Bb7 26. Rbe1 c5 ½ : ½ Sorokin – Jansa, 16th World Senior Chess Championship, Arvier 2006. 13. ... exd4 14. Bxd4 Rd8? Black is oblivious to the coming storm.

15. f5! Bxd4+. 15. ... c5 16. f6! must be the climax of Radjabov’s carefully home-cooked day’s dish. 16. cxd4 c5 17. Qd2!? As the follow-up will show, the immediate 17. Qd3 was much more to the point; for instance: 17. ... gxf5 18. Rf4! cxd4 19. Raf1 with a powerful initiative. 17. ... Nc4 18. Qd3. Maybe 18. Qh6 Bxf5! is something Radjabov could have noticed only now. 18. ... Ne5? (18. ... b5!?∞) 19. Qa3. 19. Qg3! cxd4 20. Nf4! seems to give White a very strong attack. 19. ... Nc4 20. Qc3. White was still in time for 20. Qg3! (20. ... cxd4 21. Nf4!→). 20. ... b5! 21. f6!? Qd6 22. d5 Re8? 22. ... Bd7!? might be simpler and better, but by now Black’s accepted the gauntlet. 23. Bd3 Ne3!? 24. Bxb5 Rxe4 25. Ng3 Ng4! The only move, but quite strong. 26. Rac1! 26. h3 Re3 would be a mess. 26. ... c4 27. h3 Bb7 28. hxg4 Rxg4? Comparatively best was 28. ... Qc5+ 29. Rf2 Rf4 30. Rf1 Rxf2 31. Rxf2 Qxb5 32. Qe3 Kh8, although after 33. Ne4 White should retain his advantage. 29. Bc6!+− Rxg3. Or 29. ... Bxc6 30. dxc6 Rxg3 31. Qxc4 Rd3 32. Qf4 and White must win. 30. Qxc4 Ba6 31. Qf4. After 31. Qxa6 Rh3! Black may still bluff himself into the illusion of a perpetual check. 31. ... Rd8 32. Rce1 Qc5+ 33. Rf2 Rc3 34. Re7 Rc1+. Black falls straight into mate. 34. ... Rc2 is the most stubborn defence, but then both 35. Qe3 and 35. Re3 should win quite easily. 35. Kh2 Rc3 36. Qh6 1 : 0.

Regardless of today’s result, 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng) has every reason to be encouraged, for other chances will surely come along in the near future. Photo: FIDE World Cup 2019.

Game Changer

熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng) – Jan-Krzysztof Duda
8th Chess World Cup; tie-break game 6 (5+3); Khanty-Mansiysk, September 22, 2019
Alekhine Defence B03

It took eight games (two classical, two 25+10, two 10+10, and two 5+3), but the young American star, 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng), finally got into the quarterfinals of the Chess World Cup 2019 on his last useful tie-break game before Armageddon. 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. c4 Nb6 4. d4 d6 5. f4 Bf5 6. Nc3 e6 7. Nf3 Be7 8. Be3 0-0 9. Be2 dxe5 10. fxe5 Nc6 11. 0-0 f6 12. exf6 Bxf6 13. b3!? White plays a chip to escape an overload of theory after 13. Qd2 Qe7 14. Rad1 Rad8 15. Qc1⩲ — in fact a tabiya of the Four Pawns Attack. 13. ... Qe7 14. Qe1 Rad8!? A novelty in place of 14. ... e5 15. Nxe5 Nxd4 16. Bxd4 Bxe5 17. Bxe5 Qxe5 18. Bf3⩲ Jones – Tahbaz, 20th Dubai Open Chess Tournament, Dubai 2018. 15. Rd1 Bg4?? (15. ... Nb4!? 16. Qg3 c6∞) 16. Ne4!+− h6 17. Qg3 Bf5 18. Nxf6+ Rxf6 19. Nh4 Bc2 20. Rxf6? 20. Rd2+− was simpler and very strong. 20. ... Bxd1? Black misses his volatile tactical resource: 20. ... Qxf6! 21. Rf1 Nxd4! (and if 22. Bh5 then 22. ... Nf5).

21. Rg6? Still a faux pas, though quite justified by the circumstances. 21. Rxh6! (Δ Rh6-h8+) instead would have won quite easily. 21. ... Nxd4! 22. Bd3 Ne2+ 23. Bxe2 Bxe2 24. Bxh6 Rd1+?? Duda’s big-time blunder puts an end to the longest five minutes of 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng)’s afternoon. After the intermediate Queen check 24. ... Qc5+! 25. Be3 Rd1+ 26. Kf2 Qf8+ 27. Nf3 Bd3 everything was okay for Black. 25. Kf2+− Qf8+ 26. Nf3 Rd7 27. Kxe2 Kh7 28. Ng5+ Kh8 29. Nxe6 Qf5 30. Bxg7+ Kg8 31. Bd4+ Kf7 32. Rf6+ 1 : 0.

U.S. Grandmaster 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng), 18, got into the quarterfinals by upsetting Anish Giri and Jan-Krzysztof Duda, in spite of his being only the 31st seed in the rankings. Photo: Kirill Merkuryev/FIDE World Cup 2019.

Thru the Curtain

Fabiano Caruana – 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng)
63rd U.S. Open Chess Championship; Saint Louis, March 25, 2019
Spanish Game C65

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. 0-0 Qe7 7. Nbd2 Bg4 8. h3 Bh5 9. a3 a5 10. Nc4 Nd7 11. g4 Bg6 12. b4 Bb6. A pondered novelty — which, however, is not necessarily an improvement over 12. ... axb4 13. Bg5 f6 14. axb4 Rxa1 15. Qxa1 Bd6 16. Qa8+ Dd8 17. Qxd8+ Kxd8 18. Ra1 Ke7 19. Bd2 Bf7 20. Ne3 g6 21. g5 fxg5 22. Nxg5 b6 23. Kg2 Be6 24. h4 Nf6 25. Bc3 Rf8 26. Nf3 Nd7 27. Ng5 Nf6 28. Nf3 Nd7 29. Ng5 Nf6 30. Nf3 Nd7 ½ : ½ Anand – Nakamura, 3rd Grand Chess Tour, 4st stage, Saint Louis Blitz Chess Tournament, Saint Louis 2017. 13. bxa5 Bxa5 14. Bb2 f6 15. Nxa5 Rxa5 16. Nh4 0-0 17. Nf5 Qe6. Afterwards, Caruana suggested that Black should, perhaps, take the Knight off with 17. ... Bxf5, though even then 18. gxf5 c5 19. Kh2 Kh8 20. Rg1↑ allows White to keep some initiative. 18. Kh2 c5 19. h4 c4 20. h5 Bf7 21. Rg1 cxd3 22. cxd3 Rb5 23. Bc1 Kh8 24. Be3 Rb3 25. Rg3 c5 26. Qe2

26. ... g5? 熊 (Xióng) was certainly worried by the eventuality of Ra1-g1 followed by g4-g5, but in this case the cure seems worse than the disease. 27. hxg6 Bxg6 28. a4 Qa6 29. Bh6 Rg8 30. Rag1 Qxa4. Black finally decides to accept the Pawn, but White’s attack is by now overwhelming. 31. Ne7 Qd4 32. Qd1 c4 33. Nxg8 Kxg8 34. dxc4 Rxg3 35. Qxd4 exd4 36. Kxg3 Bxe4 37. Rd1 d3 38. f3 Bg6 39. Ra1 Kf7 40. Ra7 Nc5 41. Be3 Ke8 42. Bxc5 d2 43. Ra8+ Kd7 44. Bb6 Kc6 45. Ba5! 1 : 0.

Fabiano Caruana vs. 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng). Photo © Lennart Ootes/Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.

Wild West

Samuel L. Shankland – 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng)
63rd U.S. Open Chess Championship; Saint Louis, March 22, 2019
Scotch Game C45

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Qf6 5. Nb3 Qg6 6. f3 Nf6 7. Bf4 Bb4+ 8. Kf2!? An interesting novelty in place of 8. c3 Be7 9. Qe2? (but 9. Qd2 was called for) 9. ... d5! 10. e5 Nh5 11. Bc1 Bh4+ 12. Kd1 Bg5 with an overwhelming bind, Mousavi – Safarli, 18th International Chess Open, Nakhchivan 2018. 8. ... 0-0 9. a3 Be7 10. Bd3 Nh5! 11. Bxc7 d6 12. e5 Bh4+! 13. Kf1 Qh6 14. exd6 Re8 15. Nc3 Ne5 16. Nc5? Also bad was 16. Bb5? on account of 16. ... Be6! so as to meet 17. Bxe8?? with 17. ... Bc4+ 18. Ne2 Qe3 winning right off. Comparatively best seems to be 16. Ne4, though after 16. ... Nf4 Black would have nothing to complain of.

16. ... Nxf3! This plain refutation, however strange it may appear, might well have been overlooked by Shankland. 17. N3e4. Clearly not 17. gxf3?? on account of 17. ... Bh3+ 18. Kg1 Qe3 mate. 17. ... Bg4? 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng) much complicates the picture. Simply 17. ... f5! would have posed White insurmountable problems. 18. d7! Re5! Of course, after 18. ... Nxh2+?? 19. Rxh2 Bxd1 20. dxe8=Q+ Rxe8 21. Rxh4 Black pays too much for Her Majesty. 19. Bxe5. Black’s Exchange sacrifice must be accepted due to the threat of ... Re5-f5, as the Knight was still taboo: 19. gxf3?? Bh3+ 20. Ke2 (or 20. Kg1 Qe3+ and mate next move) 20. ... Nf4+ 21. Ke3 Ne6+ 22. Ke2 Nd4 mate. 19. ... Nxe5 20. Qd2 Qc6 21. h3 Bxd7 22. Nxd7 Nxd7 23. Qc3 Qh6. White is the Exchange up; Black has no material compensation, but he does have all the initiative. Furthermore, they both are very short of time already! 24. g4? Probably best is 24. g3!? Nxg3+ 25. Nxg3 Qf4+ 26. Ke2 Re8+ 27. Kd1 Qxg3 28. Kc1 Qg2 followed by ... Bh4-f6 with fine play for Black. 24. ... f5? 24. ... Qf4+! followed by ... Nd7-f6 seems much stronger. 25. gxf5 Re8 26. Qc4+?? This is a catastrophic mistake! 26. Rh2! Kh8 27. Qd2! Qc6 28. Rg2 Ndf6 was unclear but quite balanced, though easier for Black. 26. ... Kh8 27. Rg1. Now it’s too late for 27. Rh2 on account of 27. ... Qf4+ 28. Kg2 Ne5 with irresistible attack. 27. ... Qe3! Threatening Qe3-f3+. White has no decent defence, and 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng) finishes in style. 28. Rg2 Nf4 29. Rh2 Nxh3 30. Kg2 Nf4+ 31. Kh1 Qf3+ 32. Kg1 Qg4+ 33. Kh1 Qf3+ 34. Kg1 Bd8! 35. Rf1 Bb6+ 36. Nf2 Qg3+ 37. Kh1 Qf3+ 38. Kg1 Nh3+ 39. Rxh3 Qxh3 40. Qf4 Nf6 41. Bb5. It is as bad a way as another to surrender. 41. ... Re4! 0 : 1.

Samuel L. Shankland looking at Black’s Knight on f3 as if he had missed something. Photo © Lennart Ootes/Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.

The Night Diary

Timur Gareyev – 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng)
63rd U.S. Open Chess Championship; Saint Louis, March 20, 2019
Réti Opening A09

1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 d4 3. b4 Bg4 4. Ne5 Bf5 5. e3 Nf6 6. g4!? And that is White’s opening surprise, which, however, may well be more improvised than prepared, at least judging by the huge amount of time Gareyev will take for his next moves. 6. ... Be4 7. f3 Bg6 8. Bb2 dxe3 9. dxe3 Nbd7 10. Nxg6 hxg6 11. Nc3 e6 12. c5 c6 13. g5 Nd5 14. Nxd5 exd5 15. f4 Qe7 16. Qd2 Rh4 17. Qf2 Qe4 18. a3. Now Gareyev has only 5 minutes left for the next 22 moves, so it’s not too hard to figure out how it’s gonna end. 18. ... Qxh1 19. Qxh4 a5∞

20. Qf2? The crisis begins. Worth considering was 20. Qh3! axb4 21. Kd2! (Δ Bf1-d3) 21. ... Qe4 (21. ... bxa3?? loses the Queen after both 22. Bg2 and 22. Bd3) 22. Bd3 Qe7 23. axb4 Rxa1 24. Bxa1 b6!∞ with an uncertain balance between hate and love. 20. ... axb4 21. axb4 Rxa1+ 22. Bxa1 Qe4 23. Bc3? This leads to a quick defeat. White’s best — and maybe only — chance to hold on was 23. Qb2! offering a Pawn in order to exchange Queens (23. ... Qxe3+ 24. Qe2). 23. ... b6! 24. Kd2 bxc5 25. b5!? This hastens the end, though even with style. 25. ... cxb5 26. Bxb5 c4! 27. Qe2 Qb1 28. Bxd7+ (28. Bxc4!? Bb4!−+) 28. ... Kxd7 29. Qg4+ Qf5 30. h3 Kc6 31. Ke2 Kb5 32. Bd4 Qxg4+ 33. hxg4 Kb4 34. e4 dxe4 35. Kd2 Bc5 36. Bxg7 Kb3 37. f5 e3+ 38. Ke2 c3 0 : 1.

熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng) deeply concentrating before the game. Photo © Lennart Ootes/Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.

Fortunate Isles

Hikaru Nakamura – 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng)
5th Isle of Man International Chess Tournament; Douglas, October 26, 2018
English Opening A34

A crucial game for 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng) against Hikaru Nakamura. 1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e3 Nc6 6. Bb5 Nxc3 7. bxc3 Bd7 8. Rb1 e6 9. d4 Be7 10. 0-0 0-0 11. Be2. Likewise after 11. Re1 Qc7 12. e4 Rfd8 13. g3 Bf6 14. Bf4 Qa5 15. Bf1 cxd4 16. cxd4 b6 Black managed to equalise, Ganguly – 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng), 2018 Spring Chess Classic (Group A), Saint Louis 2018. 11. ... Qc7 12. e4 Rfd8 13. Be3 Na5 14. Bd3 Rac8 15. h4!? Indeed, this somewhat strabic move is not out of theme, but maybe White could wait a little longer and play e4-e5 at once. 15. ... Be8! 16. e5 cxd4 17. cxd4 Nc4!? Nakamura’s got almost nothing from the opening, so 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng) even dares to offer a Pawn on purely positional grounds. 18. Ng5. And maybe it could be worthwhile to cash it in. But no, apparently not Nakamura’s taste. 18. ... h6 19. Ne4 Bc6 (Δ ... Nc4xe5) 20. Qe2 b5 21. Rbc1 Bxe4 22. Bxe4 Bxh4 23. a4 a6 24. Bd3 Qb7 25. Bxc4 bxc4 26. Rxc4 Bg5 27. Rfc1 Rxc4 28. Rxc4 Bxe3 29. fxe3 Qb1+ 30. Kh2 Qb3 31. a5 Qb5 32. Qa2 Qd5 33. Ra4 Qe4 34. Qe2

34. ... Rc8. Perhaps it is not enough to claim a win, but the “dual” 34. ... Rb8! 35. Qf2 Rb3 gains a whole tempo (as compared to the actual game) and, at least on relative terms, the difference could be important. 35. Rc4 Rb8 36. Qf2 Rb3 37. Rc7 Kh7 38. Rxf7 Rxe3. Now the extra tempo saves Nakamura from working overtime: 39. Rxg7+! Kxg7 40. Qf6+ Kh7 ½ : ½. Draw by perpetual check.

Hikaru Nakamura (right) vs. 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng) (left). Photo © John Saunders.

The Philosophy of the Unattainable

Richárd Rapport – 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng)
5th Isle of Man International Chess Tournament; Douglas, October 24, 2018
Queen’s Pawn Game D02

1. d4 Nf6 2. c3 d5 3. Nf3 e6 4. Bg5 Nbd7 5. Nbd2 h6 6. Bh4 b6!? 7. e4!? Rapport doesn’t hesitate to sacrifice a Pawn for the sake of the initiative. 7. ... g5 8. Bg3 dxe4 9. Ne5 Bb7 10. Bb5 a6 11. Bc6 Bxc6 12. Nxc6 Qc8 13. Qe2 Qb7 14. Ne5 Bd6 15. Nxd7 Kxd7 16. 0-0 Bf4 17. f3!? Maybe just a little too much farraginous. 17. Rae1 was obvious and natural — with enough play for the Pawn. 17. ... e3 18. Nc4 Nd5 19. Bxf4 gxf4 20. Ne5+ Ke8 21. Qe1 c5 22. c4

22. ... cxd4!? Approximately a Laskerian inspiration. Objectively best was 22. ... Nb4∓ and if 23. Qc3 then 23. ... Rg8 firmly keeping the upper hand. 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng), instead, probably overestimating the theoretical power of his central phalanx, aims for a much more unbalanced scenario, with three Pawns for the Knight and a Queening dream. 23. cxd5 Qxd5 24. Nd3 Qf5 25. Qd1 Ke7 26. Qb3 Rhd8 27. Rfc1 Rac8 28. Rc4. Engines obviously go for the Pawn by 28. Qa3+(!) Kf6 29. Qxa6 with similar strategic outcomes as those of the game after 29. ... Ra8 30. Qc4 Rac8 31. Qb3 Rg8, but a White’s material advantage. On the other hand, Rapport’s choice seems very natural and not wrong at all. 28. ... b5 29. Rc2 Kf8 30. Rac1 e5 31. h3 Rxc2 32. Rxc2 Kg7 33. Rc7 Re8 34. Qd5 Re6 35. Nxf4? With emotions and pressure running high, White commits his first serious error. 35. h4(!) would have put Black at risk not to enjoy enough compensation (if 35. ... Rf6 there might follow 36. Qe4). 35. ... Rf6! 36. Ne2 d3! 37. Nc3? White’s Knight heads for the wrong side of the board. 37. Ng3 still gave some vague hope to simplify into a drawish Rook endgame. 37. ... Rg6 38. Re7? 38. Rxf7+ Qxf7 39. Qxd3 Qc7 cannot hold in any case, but, if nothing else, it would take Black a little more work. 38. ... b4 39. Nb1 e2 40. Qxe5+ Qxe5 41. Rxe5 Rc6! 0 : 1.

Richárd Rapport (right) vs. 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng) (left). Photo © John Saunders.

Treasure Isle

熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng) – Eesha Karavade
5th Isle of Man International Chess Tournament; Douglas, October 20, 2018
Caro-Kann Defence B12

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. dxc5 e6 5. Nf3 Bxc5 6. a3 Ne7 7. Bd3 Ng6 8. 0-0 0-0. A recent reference is 8. ... Nc6 9. b4 Bb6 10. Bb2 Nf4 11. c4 Nxd3 12. Qxd3 dxc4 13. Qxc4 Ne7(?) 14. Nc3 Bd7 15. Qg4 Bc6 16. Rad1 Qc7 17. Ng5! with powerful initiative, Karjakin – Topalov, 4th Gashimov Memorial, Şəmkir 2017. 9. Ng5 Be7 10. Qh5 Bxg5 11. Bxg5 Qc7!? It is an improvement over 11. ... Qb6? 12. Be7? (much stronger was 12. Nd2! to be followed by Nd2-f3) 12. ... Re8 13. Bd6 Bd7 14. Nc3 f5 which yet did not lead to anything special for White (who, however, could have done better), Hoolt – Sargsyan, 19th European Women’s Individual Chess Championship, Vysoké Tatry 2018. 12. Nc3 Nc6? If 12. ... Qxe5 then 13. Rae1 eventually followed by Re1-e3-h3 with obvious compensation for the Pawn. From Back’s standpoint, however, that was probably the “best of all possible worlds”. 13. f4! Nd4. If 13. ... h6 then 14. Bxh6! gxh6 15. Nb5 Qb6+ 17. Kh1 Nce7 18. Nd6 with a crushing attack. 14. Rae1! h6

15. Bf6! White brilliantly demolishes his opponent’s card castle. 15. ... gxf6 16. exf6 Nf5. There ain’t no use in this, but 16. ... Qd8 loses as well because of 17. Bxg6 Qxf6 18. Bd3! followed by the Rook lift to e3 or e5. 17. Bxf5 exf5 18. Nxd5 Qc5+ 19. Re3. Finally! 19. ... Rd8 (20. ... Kh7 21. b4!+−) 20. Qxh6 Qf8 21. Ne7+! 1 : 0.

Taking on Giants

熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng) – Fabiano Caruana
62th U.S. Chess Championship; Saint Louis, April 20, 2018
Modern Benoni A61

Another Chinese-American teen prodigy, 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng), comes on Caruna’s way. It will not be an easy matter for the challenger. 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 c5. Caruana insists on Bobby Fischer’s opening repertoire. 4. d5 d6 5. Nc3 exd5 6. cxd5 g6 7. Bf4 Bg7 8. e3 0-0 9. h3 Qe7 10. Nd2. White’s last three moves indicates a “not good enough” opening preparation. 10. ... Nh5! A very natural move, even though apparently it is a novelty. On the other hand, also 10. ... Nbd7 11. Be2 Ne8 12. 0-0 f5 13. Re1 Ne5 14. Bh2 g5 15. f4 Ng6 16. Bd3 gxf4 17. exf4 Qf6 worked well enough for equality in the game Salomon – Yurtseven, 28th World Youth Chess Championship Under-18, Durban 2014. 11. Bh2 f5 12. Be2 f4! 13. 0-0. 13. Bxh5 is also answered by the zwischenzug 13. ... fxe3 with good play, very similarly to the game. 13. ... fxe3. Probably it’s just an impression, but I don’t like White’s position so much. 14. Nde4! Jeffery goes for an ambitious path, joyfully sacrificing a Pawn in order to hold his opponent locked in a kind of dynamic powerlessness, and he might be even right! 14. ... exf2+ 15. Kh1. If nothing else, the temporary sacrifice of the second Pawn compels Black to make an important concession, giving up the Bishop pair. 15. ... Bxc3 16. Nxc3 Ng7 17. Bf3 Nd7 18. Rxf2 Ne5 19. Re2 Nf5 20. Bxe5 dxe5

21. d6! Once again White doesn’t fear to play two Pawns down! 21. ... Nxd6 22. Qd5+? 22. Nd5(!) Qg7 23. Nc3(!) seems a more reliable way of playing for a draw. At least in a formal sense, Caruana should have to decide whether to give back a Pawn (and then eventually another one) or concede a draw by repetition. 22. ... Nf7 23. Ne4 Rb8! Jeffery might have overlooked – or underestimated – this “short” move (in Fischer style), by which Black finally completes the development of the Queenside, giving his extra Pawn a much higher value. 24. Qxc5 Qxc5 25. Nxc5 b6 26. Ne4 Bf5 27. Nc3 Rbd8 28. a4 a5 29. Bd5 Rfe8 30. Bxf7+ Kxf7 31. Rf1 Ke6 32. Rfe1 Kf6 33. Rf1 Ke6 34. Rfe1 Kd6 35. Re3 Kc6 36. Nb5 Re7 37. g4 Bd3 38. Nc3 Bc4. Black has made significant progress, and now White’s rescue mission appears quite impossible. 39. Rc1. 39. Rxe5 Rxe5 40. Rxe5 Rd2 loses immediately. 39. ... Kb7 40. Re4 Rd4 41. Kg1 Bb3 42. Kf2 Rd2+ 43. Re2 Rf7+ 44. Ke3 Rd4 45. Nb5 Rdd7 46. Nc3 Rf4 47. Rd2 Rfd4 48. Rf2 Bxa4 49. Rf6 Bc6 0 : 1. It’s difficult to play with Caruana on these days, but 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng) played quite brilliantly, except for the opening.

熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng) (left) vs. Fabiano Caruana (right). Photo: Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (@STLChessClub).

Passionately Ever After

Fabiano Caruana – 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng)
4th Isle of Man International Chess Tournament; Douglas, September 25, 2017
Semi-Tarrasch Defence D41

In the meantime, strange things keep happening on the Isle of Man, but don’t think too seriously about it. Who wins and who loses, who gives and who takes, who is teased and who the joker, in the end they are all friends of those who pay them. 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5. It takes much courage to play this against Caruana! 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 0-0 11. Bc4 b6 12. d5!? Caruana adopts an old idea of Viktor Lvovich Kortschnoi. 12. ... Ba6 13. Bxa6 Nxa6 14. d6!? Nc5 15. e5 Qd7!? Forty-five years ago Brazilian superstar Henrique da Costa Mecking – a legendary defender – preferred 15. ... f6 after which followed 16. 0-0 Rf7 17. Rad1 Rc8 18. Qe3 Rd7 19. exf6 gxf6 20. Nd4! Qe8 (20. ... Rxd6? 21. Nxe6!) 21. Rfe1 Qf7 22. h4 with a slight initiative for White, Kortschnoi – Mecking, 47th Hastings International Chess Congress, Hastings 1971/1972. 16. 0-0 Rad8 17. Rad1 Qa4 18. Rfe1 f6 19. Qe2 fxe5!? It seems a very risky affair, but maybe it is not so bad. 20. Nxe5 Rf4? This, instead, is a big mistake which loses the game almost immediately. Best was 20. ... Nd7! although after 21. Nf3! White stands much better.

21. d7! The End. 21. ... h6. 21. ... Re4 is useless because of 22. Qf3 (or also 22. Qh5) and the Black Rook must immediately return to f4. 22. g3! Rf5 23. Rd6! Rxe5. Black has nothing better than giving up the Exchange, just for the satisfaction of playing some more moves. 24. Qxe5 Rxd7 25. Rxd7 Qxd7 26. Qe2 Qd4 27. Rd1 Qf6 28. h4 Kh8 29. h5 Qg5 30. Qf3 Kh7 31. Rd4 Qe5 32. Rd8 (Δ Qf3-f7) 1 : 0.

Generational Intelligence

Magnus Carlsen – 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng)
4th Isle of Man International Chess Tournament; Douglas, September 25, 2017
Torre Attack D02

The World Chess Champion against the World Junior Chess Champion. After all, only in an open can happen! 1. Nf3 c5 2. c3 Nf6 3. d4 e6 4. Bg5 d5 5. e3 h6 6. Bh4 Nc6 7. Nbd2 a6!? The alternative was 7. ... Bd6 8. Bd3 0-0 9. 0-0 e5 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. e4 Be7 12. Qe2 dxe4 13. Nxe4 Nh5 with a comfortable game for Black, Freiman – Breyer, Kölner Schachkongreß, Cologne 1911. 8. Bd3 Be7 9. 0-0 Nd7 10. Bxe7 Nxe7 11. Ne5 cxd4 12. exd4 Nxe5 13. dxe5 Bd7 14. Re1 Rc8 15. Nf3 b5 16. h4 a5 17. a3 Qb6 18. Qd2. In spite of his unpretentious opening, Carlsen obtained a certain advantage in position. Then, his young opponent decides – quite questionably – to sacrifice a Pawn, in a nervous attempt of not being hard-boiled into the shark’s jaws. 18. ... b4 19. cxb4 axb4 20. a4. It’s not clear why White didn’t take the Pawn. 20. ... Ra8 21. b3 0-0 22. Rac1 Rfc8 23. h5. 23. Bb5 Bxb5 24. Qxb4 Rab8 25. axb5 (25. Qxe7 Bd3 looks good for Black) 25. ... Nc6 doesn’t seem to lead anywhere. 23. ... Kf8. This seems unnecessary and wrong. Black should have infiltrated the Rook to c3 at once: 23. ... Rc3! 24. Rxc3 bxc3 25. Qxc3 Rc8 winning back the Pawn with good play. 24. g4. Now 24. Bb5! seems much stronger than before, as after 24. ... Bxb5 25. Qxb4 the Black Knight is pinned. 24. ... Rc3 25. g5. Carlsen has 35 minutes and Xióng only 9. 25. ... hxg5 26. Rxc3 bxc3 27. Qxg5 Nf5! What a coolness! With a few minutes left, Black realizes that the tempting 27. ... Ng8? would be annihilated by 28. Kh1! with the deadly threat of Re1-g1. 28. Bxf5 exf5 29. e6! Carlsen slyly adds fuel on fire, speculating on his opponent’s time panic. 29. ... Bxe6 30. h6! gxh6 31. Qf6

31. ... Kg8? Xióng, much anguished by time pressure, literally falls apart. Instead, Black had a hidden defence: 31. ... Qd8! (Stockfish) 32. Rxe6 Qxf6 33. Rxf6 Rc8 winning back the Knight and liquidating into a drawish-looking endgame. So, maybe Carlsen would have preferred 32. Qxc3, not because it is better than 32. Rxe6, but just to put his opponent more dilemmas. 32. Qxh6 Qb4 33. Kh1! 1 : 0. Other opportunities will come Jeffery’s way.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng) – Wesley So
61th U.S. Chess Championship; Saint Louis, April 7, 2017
Catalan Opening E06

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 0-0 6. 0-0 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Rd1 Bc6 10. Nc3 Bxf3 11. Bxf3 Nc6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. Bg5 Rb8 14. e3 c5 15. dxc5 Qe8 16. Rd4 Nd7! Far more convincing than 16. ... Rb4 17. Na2 Qxa4 18. Nxb4 Qxa1+ 19. Kg2 Qa5 20. Nc6 Qxc5 21. Nxe7+ Qxe7 22. Rxc4 c5 23. Bxf6 Qxf6 24. Rxc5 g6 25. b4 Qe7 26. Qd1 ½ : ½ Sjugirov – Smirnov, Siberian Bank Cup, Novosibirsk 2012. 17. Bxe7 Qxe7. The position appears to be quite balanced, but a bit easier to play for Black. 18. c6? It might be the only mistake Jeffery made in the whole game! 18. f4 (Stockfish’s move) after, for instance, 18. ... e5 leaves Black with quite a comfortable game. 18. ... Ne5 19. Qe4 Qc5 20. Nd5!? A clever attempt to claim back the initiative, for after 20. ... exd5? 21. Qxe5 White would suddenly stand better.

20. ... Nd3! The start of a masterclass in tactics worthy of Mikhail Nechemevich Tal! 21. Nxc7 Nxf2! The pointe is a purely intuitive sacrifice. 22. Kxf2 Rxb2+ 23. Kf1 Qh5! And the epitaph is a quiet Queen move. 24. Qg4 Qxh2 25. Qf3 c3 26. Rc1 e5! Much stronger than 26. ... h5!? as Grandmaster Rauf Mamedov was expecting. 27. Rh4!? As 27. Rc4 Rfb8! is absolutely hopeless, Jeffery tries something more speculative. 27. ... Qd2! 28. Rd1 Rd8! Very brilliant and very unique as well – in fact, it is the only winning move! 29. Nd5. On 29. Rxd2 Rdxd2 30. Kg1 Rb1+ 31. Qf1 Rdd1 (or even 31. ... c2) wins handily. 29. ... Rxd5! 30. Rd4 Rxd4 31. exd4 Qxd1+! 0 : 1. It’s time for Jeffery to thank Wesley for the lesson.

熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng) vs. Wesley So
Photo: Lennart Ootes (@CCSCSL)

In the House of Giants

Samuel L. Shankland – 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng)
61th U.S. Chess Championship; Saint Louis, April 6, 2017
Réti Opening A06

1. Nf3 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. b3 b6 5. Bb2 Bb7 6. Nc3 Nbd7 7. Qc2 a6 8. cxd5. If White wanted to play d2-d4, I think it were better for him to play it now. 8. ... exd5 9. d4 Bd6 10. g3 Ne4 11. Bg2 Nxc3 12. Qxc3 Nf6 13. 0-0 a5 14. a4 0-0 15. Ba3 c5 16. Rfd1 Rc8 17. dxc5 bxc5 18. Qd3 Qb6 19. Nd2 Rfd8 20. Rac1 Ba6 21. Qb1 Bf8 22. Bb2

22. ... d4! Jeffery finally shows his muscles. 23. exd4 cxd4 24. Rxc8 Rxc8 25. Ne4 d3. Threatening ... Nf6xe4 followed by ... Rc8-c2. 26. Bxf6. I think 26. Nxf6+ gxf6 27. Rxd3 Bxd3 28. Qxd3 Bc5 29. Bd5 Bxf2+ 30. Kg2 Bg1 31. Qf5 was a better version of White’s exchange sacrifice, which, even at the cost of the f2-Pawn, would have allowed Shankland to maintain two Bishops. 26. ... gxf6 27. Rxd3 Bxd3 28. Qxd3 f5. Now Black stands much better, both materially and dynamically. The conversion into a win is all but easy, but Jeffery will manage somehow to win his first game in the U.S. Championship: 29. Nd2 Qf6 30. Nc4 Rd8 31. Bd5 Bc5 32. Kg2 f4 33. Qf3 Qg5 34. Be4 fxg3 35. hxg3 h5 36. Bf5 Kg7 37. Kh3 Qf6 38. Kg2 Qg5 39. Kh3 Rd4 40. Kg2 h4 41. Kh3 hxg3 42. fxg3 Qc1 43. Be4 Qh6+ 44. Kg2 Qe6 45. Bc6 Qg6 46. Bb5 Rd3 47. Qf4 Rxb3 48. Qe5+ Kg8 49. Nxa5 Rb1. “Xióng displayed better understanding throughout the entire game”, Canadian Grandmaster Eric Hansen said. 50. Nc4 Qc2+ 51. Kh3 Rh1+ 52. Kg4 Qd1+ 0 : 1. Bravo!

熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng)
Photo: Lennart Ootes (@CCSCSL)

A Persian Tale

Aryan Tari – 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng)
79th Tata Steel Challengers Chess Tournament; Wijk aan Zee, January 28, 2017
Russian Defence C42

Aryan Tari (آریـن طاری) is a Norwegian chess Grandmaster and the 2015 Norwegian Chess Champion. He is from Lierskogen near Drammen and is the child of Iranian immigrants. 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng) is a U.S. chess Grandmaster. He is an American-born person of Chinese parents. His Chinese name is 熊奕韬 (Xióng Yìtāo). 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Be7 7. 0-0 0-0 8. c4 Nf6 9. Nc3 Nc6 10. Re1 Nb4 11. cxd5 Nbxd5 12. Qb3 c6 13. Bg5 Nc7!? A novelty, but hardly an improvement on 13. ... h6 14. Nxd5 cxd5 15. Bh4 Rb8 16. Ne5 Qb6 17. Qxb6 axb6 18. Ng6 fxg6 19. Rxe7 Bf5 20. Bxf5 gxf5 21. Bg3 Rfe8 22. Kf1 Rxe7 23. Bxb8 Re8 24. Bc7 Rc8 25. Rc1 Ne8 26. Bf4 Rxc1+ 27. Bxc1 Nc7 28. Bf4 Ne6 29. Be5 Kf7 30. a4 Ke7 31. b4 b5 32. axb5 h5 33. Ke2 g6 34. Kd3 Kd7 35. Kc3 Nc7 36. Kb3 Nxb5 37. Ka4 Kc6 38. f3 Nc3+ 39. Kb3 Nb5 40. Ka4 Nc3+ 41. Kb3 Nb5 42. h3 Na7 43. Ka4 ½ : ½ Kupreichik – T. Balogh, Prešov 2001. Even there, however, one feels that White could have played better. 14. Rad1 Rb8 15. Bc4 Bg4 16. d5! Tari avoids the tempting (but rather unclear) 16. Ne5!? in favour of the text, which ensures him a definite positional edge. 16. ... b5 17. dxc6 bxc4 18. Qxc4 Rb4 19. Qe2 Bd6 20. Bxf6 Qxf6 21. Ne4 Rxe4 22. Qxe4 Bxf3 23. Qxf3 Qxf3 24. gxf3 Rd8 25. Kf1 Kf8. Black would desperately need to stop the advance of the White Pawns on the Queenside, but there ain’t no use in 25. ... a5 as after 26. Re5 the Pawn is doomed. 26. b4 Ne6 27. b5 Bxh2 28. Rxd8+ Nxd8 29. Rd1 Bc7. 29. ... Ne6 30. a4 Bc7 31. Rd7 Ke8 32. a5! transposes into the game. 30. Rd7 Ne6 31. a4 Ke8

32. a5! Bxa5 33. Rxa7 Bd8 34. Rb7 Nd4 35. f4 g6 36. f3 h5 37. Kf2 Ba5 38. Ke3 Nf5+. 38. ... Ne6 39. b6 h4 appears to offer more scope for resistance; for instance: 40. Kf2 Kd8 41. Rb8+ Ke7 42. c7? (well, okay, just a bit of cooperation!) 42. ... Bxb6+! 43. Rxb6 Nxc7 with a draw in sight. 39. Kd3 h4 40. Ra7 Bb6 41. Ra6 Bd8. Or 41. ... Bc7 42. b6 Bxb6 43. Rxb6 Ke7 44. Rb7+ Kd6 45. Rxf7 Kxc6 46. Rf6+ with a relatively easy win. 42. Ra8 1 : 0.

Aryan Tari (right) vs. 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng) (left). Photo: Tarjei J. Svensen/Matt & Patt.

Bridge to Terabithia

熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng) – Chithambaram V.R. Aravindh
55th World Junior Chess Championship U-20; Bhubaneswar, August 15, 2016
Sicilian Defence B31

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d3 Bg7 6. h3 b6 7. Nc3 Nf6 8. Be3 0-0 9. Qd2 Re8 10. Nh2 e5 11. 0-0-0 a5 12. Na4. For 12. g4 a4 13. Rdg1 Nd7 14. g5 Nf8 15. h4 Ne6 16. Ng4 Nd4 see Semenova – Prudnikova, 50th USSR Women’s Chess Championship, Podolsk 1990. 12. ... Be6 13. Kb1 Nd7 14. Ng4 Qe7 15. Nh6+ Kh8 16. h4 b5 17. Nc3 f6 18. h5 Bxh6 19. Bxh6 g5 20. Rdf1 Qf7. The game is tremendously double-edged, and Black might look even better than his renowned opponent. Here Stockfish likes 20. ... a4 eventually followed by ... c5-c4, which is also very interesting. 21. g3 b4 22. Na4 Bxa2+ 23. Ka1 c4 24. f4 exf4. 24. ... cxd3 appears more suitable for Black since 25. b3 Bxb3 26. cxb3 Qxb3 leaves him with four Pawns for the Bishop and very good play. 25. gxf4 cxd3 26. fxg5 d2 27. gxf6 Bb1 28. Bg7+ Kg8 29. b3!

29. ... Nc5!? A very clever Knight sacrifice for giving strength to his own attack. 30. Nxc5 a4 31. Kb2 axb3 32. Nxb3? Black’s speculation worked! The cool 32. Nd3 would have left Black without resource. 32. ... c1=Q+? But Black misses 32. ... Red8! after which White has nothing better than a draw by 33. Rhg1 (not 33. Qg5?? because of 33. ... Ra2+ 34. Kc1 Rd1+! 35. Rxd1 cxd1=Q+ 36. Kxd1 Qxb3+ 37. Ke1 Qc3+ 38. Kf1 Qf3+ 39. Kg1 Qd1 mate) 33. ... Rxd2 34. Bh6+ Kh8 35. Bg7+ with perpetual check. 33. Nxc1 Bxe4 34. Rhg1. It’s all over now. 34. ... Ra5 35. Rg5 c5 36. Rfg1 c4 37. Qxb4 c3+ 38. Qxc3 Rb8+ 39. Nb3 Rxg5 40. Rxg5 Bd5 41. Bh6+ Kh8 42. Rxd5 Rxb3+ 43. Qxb3 1 : 0. “I wouldn’t say I was as lucky in this game as I was against Murali Karthikeyan, but Aravindh certainly made things easier for me in what was a sharp game that could have gone either way”, 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng) finally said.

熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng) vs. Chithambaram V.R. Aravindh. Photo: wjcc2016india.com.