The Day Today

On the free day of the Ukrainian Chess Championships, the cast moved to the LNU (Ivan Franko National University of Lviv) hostel to participate in a friendly blitz tournament. A jubilant group of superstars joined the party: Adrian Bohdanovych Mikhalchishin, Alexander Genrikhovich Beliavsky, Margeir Pétursson, Ołeksandr Sułypa, Mikhail Kozakov, Mykhaylo Oleksiyenko, the brothers Vovk, Yuri and Andrey, and Mariya Muzychuk’s sister Anna.

Photo © UkoDragon

Adrian Bohdanovych Mikhalchishin
Photo: ukrchess.com

Breathless

韦奕 (Wéi Yì)
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili

Chinese wonderboy 韦奕 (Wéi Yì) defeats the indomitable Yuri Vovk after a crazy “Russian roulette” at five-minute chess and qualifies to Round Three.

chess24.com (@chess24com)

Artwork: BurenErdene

Sword Of Honour

Yuri Vovk – 韦奕 (Wéi Yì)
6th Chess World Cup; match game 2; Baku, September 15, 2015
Grünfeld Defence D73

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 c6 4. Bg2 d5 5. Nf3 Bg7 6. Qb3 a5 7. cxd5 a4 8. Qd1 cxd5 9. Nc3 Ne4 10. Ne5 Nd7 11. Nxd7 Qxd7 12. 0-0 0-0 13. Rb1 Rd8 14. Qd3 Qe8 15. f3 Nf6 16. g4 e5 17. Be3 Bd7 18. dxe5 Qxe5 19. Rbd1 Bc6 20. Bd4 Qe7 21. e3 Re8 22. Rfe1 Rad8 23. Qc2 a3 24. b3 Qb4 25. Qd2 Nd7 26. Bxg7 Kxg7 27. Qd4+ Qxd4 28. Rxd4 Nc5 29. Kf2 Ne6 30. Rd2 d4 31. exd4 Rxd4 32. Rxd4 Nxd4 33. Rxe8 Bxe8 34. f4

34. ... Bd7? Very bad judgment. After 34. ... Bc6 35. Ke3 (or 35. Bxc6 Nxc6) 35. ... Nc2+ 36. Kd2 Bxg2 37. Kxc2 Kf6 the game would have moved towards the “drawing room” and 韦奕 (Wéi Yì) most likely would have jumped straight out to the next round. 35. Bxb7 Bxg4 36. Ke3 Nc2+ 37. Kd3 Bf5+ 38. Kc4 Be6+ 39. Bd5 Kf6 40. b4. The passed b-Pawn will soon turn out to be an irresistible candidate for Queen. 40. ... Ke7 41. Bxe6 fxe6 42. b5 Kd6 43. Ne4+ Kc7 44. Kc5 Kb8 45. b6 Ne1 46. Kb5 Nc2 47. Nc5 Nd4+ 48. Ka4 Ne2 49. Kxa3 Nc3 50. Kb4 Nxa2+ 51. Kb5 Ka8 52. Nxe6 Kb7 53. Nd8+ Kb8 54. Nc6+ Kb7 55. Na5+ Kb8 56. Nc4 Nc3+ 57. Ka6 Nd5 58. Ne5 Nb4+ 59. Kb5 Nd5 60. Kc5 Nf6 61. Kc6 Kc8 62. b7+ Kb8 63. Nd3 Ng8 64. Nb4 1 : 0.

Yuri Vovk (R.) vs. 韦奕 (Wéi Yì) (L.)
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili

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音速

韦奕 (Wéi Yì) – Yuri Vovk
6th Chess World Cup; match game 1; Baku, September 14, 2015
French Defence C11

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Bc5 9. Qd2 0-0 10. 0-0-0 a6 11. Qf2 Bxd4 12. Bxd4 b5 13. Be3 Qa5 14. Kb1 b4 15. Ne2 Qc7 16. Ng3. The alternative was 16. Nd4 Nxd4 17. Bxd4 a5 18. Bb5 Ba6 19. Bxd7 Qxd7 20. g4 a4 21. b3 Rfc8 (after 21. ... Qc6 22. f5 Bb5 23. Rd2 axb3 24. cxb3 Ra3 25. Re1 Rfa8 26. Re3 Rc8 27. Qe1 Rc7 28. Qd1 Ra8 29. Re1 Rac8 30. Qf3 Qa6 31. Red1 Qa3 32. Bb2 Qa6 33. Qe3 Kh8 34. f6 White stands better: 34. ... gxf6 35. exf6 Rg8 36. g5 h6 37. Rg1 Rcc8? 38. g6! 1 : 0 Caruana – Meier, 42nd Sparkassen Chess Meeting, Dortmund 2014) 22. f5 Qb5 23. Rhe1 axb3 24. cxb3 Rc3 25. Re3 Rxe3 26. Bxe3 Rc8 27. f6 gxf6 28. Qxf6 Qe2 29. Qg5+ Kf8 30. Bc5+ Rxc5 31. Qd8+ Kg7 32. Qg5+ Kf8 33. Qd8+ Kg7 ½ : ½ Karjakin – Goganov, 66th Russian Chess Championship, Nizhny Novgorod 2013. 16. ... a5 17. Nh5 f6. Not 17. ... f5 because of 18. g4! with a powerful initiative, van Foreest – de Roode, 42nd OKU, Utrecht 2015. A sounder continuation, however, was 17. ... a4 18. Bb5 Ba6 as occurred in the game Caruana – Meier, Caruana, 41st Sparkassen Chess Meeting, Dortmund 2013. 18. Qg3 Rf7 19. Bb5 fxe5 20. fxe5 Ba6

21. Bxc6! The most difficult move in the whole game! 21. ... Qxc6 22. Bh6 Rc8 23. Rc1 g6. Maybe Black should have played 23. ... Nc5 immediately, in order to answer both 24. Nxg7 and 24. Bxg7 by 24. ... Ne4 with very unclear consequences. 24. Nf4. A very natural move, but a very unpleasant one for Black. 24. ... Kh8 25. h4 Nc5 26. h5 Ne4 27. Qh4 gxh5 28. Qxh5 Qe8 29. Rh4 Rb7 30. Qg4 Qg8 31. Qh3 Qf7 32. Nxe6 Rg8 33. Nd4 Qf2 34. Rg4 Re8 35. Be3 Qf7 36. e6 Qf6 37. Nf3 1 : 0. Such a crushing victory, so easily achieved. It’s hard to even figure out where Black went wrong.

韦奕 (Wéi Yì)
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili