Seaport Masters 2012 round 10

Georgiev - Thijssen 2-0

In the middle game Thijssen was forced into an uncomfortable classical position, in which his pieces were overdeveloped. This resulted in a 5x5 position in which Georgiev still has a significant positional advantage due to the piece on 27 that obstructs the black corner pieces on 16 and 26. Despite a lack of time Thijssen found a solid defense using a piece sacrifice: 12-17! Note that 12-18 55.47-42 14-20 56.42-37 20-25 57.43-39 25-30! (and not 24-30?? 58.39-33 30x39 59.33x44 W+) 58.34x25 24-29! was also enough for a draw. 55.47-42 16-21! 56.27x16 26-31! 57.43-39 14-20 58.16-11! 17x6 59.28-22! Georgiev takes the best opportunity to create problems for his opponent. 20-25 60.22-18 24-30 61.18-13 30-35 62.13-9 25-30 Another idea to make a draw was 31-36 63.9-4 36-41 64.42-37 41x32 65.4-10 32-38 66.10-15 38-43 67.39x48 25-30 68.34x25 35-40 69.15-33 40-45 70.33-50 6-11 71.50x6 45-50 = 63.34x25 35-40 64.9-4 40-45(?) Thijssen chooses a difficult 4x2 endgame that is still a draw, but there are complications. If he had saved more time, he would probably have preferred the safer alternative 31-36! 65.4x36 45-50 66.39-34 50-33 67.36-47 33-28 68.34-29 6-11 69.47-36 11-16 70.36-27! If the black piece advances to 26, then white has no more chances to win. Interestingly, many years ago an article about this type of endgame was published on this website: http://10x10.org/analyse/3_pieces_behind_the_diagonal_5-46.html 28-19 71.27-49 19-10 72.29-24 10-23 73.24-20 23-28 74.20-15 28-23 75.49-43 23-19 Note that Georgiev did not play 76.25-20 now. Perhaps he considered the black reply 19-23! too easy to find. After that move white cannot advance with 77.42-38? due to 23-29 78.38-32 29-38 with a draw. Instead he makes a series of seemingly random moves until the same position arrives on the board, with one subtle difference: the black king is on 23 instead of 19. 76.43-38 19-28 77.38-27 28-14 78.27-49 14-23 79.49-38 23-28 80.38-43 28-23(?) With 28-19! Thijssen could have repeated the position after 75 moves. 81.25-20! Now black has to leave the strategic field 23. 23-28(?) Here 23-41! was a simple way to prevent 82.42-38 using 41-47 83.38-32 47-38. 82.42-38! Georgiev takes the opportunity to advance his piece past his king. An important detail is that 16-21? fails due to 83.43-49! and the black king has to leave the main diagonal. 28-23 83.38-33 The position is still a draw, but black now has to anticipate for the capture position that white can make. 23-19? This is an inactive place for the black king. Here 23-41! was a better way to disturb the white plans, for example 84.43-39 16-21! 85.39-50 41-36! and white can not advance to a king with 86.15-10? because of the attack from behind with 36-47! = 84.33-29? This gives black the opportunity to escape using 19-8! 85.20-14 8-3! 86.14-10 16-21! 87.43x16 3-12 = Immediately 84.43-39! 16-21 85.39-50! was winning. 19-28? Now Georgiev can simply complete his capture position 85.29-24 28-23 86.43-49 and Thijssen did not await the next move 49-35 anymore.

Shaibakov - NDiaye 0-2

Shaibakov became the victim of a nasty trap from NDiaye 39.32-28? 21-27! 40.28x17 27-32!! 41.38x27 (or 41.37x28? 26-31 42.36x27 19-23 43.28x8 3x43 B+) 19-23 42.29x18 13x42 and the endgame was lost for white: 43.17-12 42-47 44.33-29 47x15 45.12-7 15-33 46.7-1 33x50 47.40-34 50-33

Golubeva - Borghetti 2-0

After Borghetti's 23-28(?) Golubeva increased her tempo advantage using 39.39-33! 28x39 40.27-22! Note that 40.47-41! 36x47 41.27-21 47x33 42.21x1 was also attractive for white. 17x28 41.40-34 29x40 42.35x22 If we ignore the pieces on 36 and 47, the tempo difference has reached an alarming +13 for white. Due to this, the black position could very well be lost already. 7-11 43.26-21 3-8? 44.21-17! Now the position is definitely winning for white. 11-16 45.38-32(?) Here 45.38-33! was more accurate. 15-20 46.45-40(?) 4-9! 47.32-28 8-12! 48.17x8 2x13 49.28-23 9-14? Here black had a last chance to escape with 16-21 50.30-25 20-24! 51.23-19 24-29 52.19x8 9-13 53.8x19 29-33 and now for example 54.19-14 33-38 55.14-10 38-42!! 56.47x38 36-41 57.10-5 41-47 58.38-32 47-36 and according to the computer this endgame is a draw. Needless to say that for humans it is next to impossible to find such an opportunity. 50.30-25 20-24 51.23-18 36-41 52.18x29 41-46 53.22-17 46-19 54.40-35 19-10 55.29-24 10-15 56.24-19

Silva - Mbongo 2-0

Mbongo seemed uninspired today. He played extremely quick, and in this position he was punished for it 24-29? 42.27x16 It was probably here that Mbongo discovered that after 18-22 43.39-33! he doesn't have a decent tempo. But it was already too late. 13-18 44.33x13 22x31 45.13x11 31-36 46.11-7 36-41 47.7-1 41-46 48.32-27 14-20 49.25x14 46x10 50.1-23 and black resigned.