Pre-round 3 report Just to expand on what I said late last night, you will have to excuse the lack of more detail in my reports so far, but internet access in the hotel is limited to one room, and that room is very busy as you can imagine. On top of which the use of 3 locations as I mentioned last night, no-one being allowed to have a mobile with them in the playing hall, and not able to pick one up until back in the hotel after going elsewhere for the evening meal ….. you get the drift, I will try my best. I’m now doing this offline on Tim’s laptop before we see the individual pairings for today. A few general comments:
1. The time limit is 40 moves in 90 minutes, then 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30 second increment for each move.
2. The number of teams in the men’s has finally settled at 146, the Ladies at 111. Wales Men are seeded 100, the Ladies at 77.
3. The first 3 rounds are accelerated Swiss.
4. The playing hall really is huge, as I said previously rectangular shape the size of a rugby/football pitch. The organisation is getting better round by round, but it is still a long meandering walk from one end, the Men’s match, to the Ladies.
5. From a personal perspective, Kramnik played yesterday for Russia, this being the 1st time I have seen him. I have now seen every World Champion in person who has lived during my lifetime, from Euwe to Anand, except for the late great Bobby Fischer.
More after the match ….. Men’s Round 3
The host nation is allowed 3 teams, and today we played the very powerful German 2nd team, seeded 20 places above yesterday’s opponents, Portugal, and comprising players all seemingly in their late teens/early 20s. Tim, who didn’t play in round 2 because of a cold, was keen to return to the fray despite not being 100%. The team looked very smart all turning out in their Welsh rugby/football shirts, but they forgot to tell me beforehand as I could have done likewise. I’m only the captain after all (!).
Round 3 on 2008/11/15 at 15:00 | Bo. | 98 | Wales (WLS) | Rtg | - | 41 | Germany 2 (GER2) | Rtg | ½ :3½ | 331 | FM | Jones Richard S | 2307 | - | GM | Meier Georg | 2558 | ½ - ½ | 332 | CM | Rees Ioan | 2297 | - | IM | Braun Arik | 2567 | 0 - 1 | 333 | | Kett Tim | 2272 | - | IM | Bogner Sebastian | 2448 | 0 - 1 | 334 | | Spice Alan | 2173 | - | IM | Huschenbeth Niclas | 2417 | 0 - 1 |
|
Although the result was the same as round 2, this was a much better performance, and with a ‘favourable wind’ we could have drawn this match, or even sneaked a win. Game reports in the order they finished:
Alan (B) in a French Classical was typical opposite castling with both sides throwing their respective pawns up the board towards the enemy king. W played quickly and confidently, firstly pushing his pawn to h6, then a 2nd to f5. Alan seemed to be holding things together, when W found a crushing temporary piece sac (Qd2), and Alan resigned a few moves later.
The other 3 games all went past the 1st time control (40 in 90) with possibilities of Richard and Ioan playing for more than half a point and Tim to hold the draw.
Tim’s (W) game was a very original Sicilian Najdorf, giving his opponent plenty to think about in an unbalanced position. Eventually a number pieces were exchanged on the d file resulting a R + opposite bishop ending. Any chances in this were always with B, especially when Tim, short of time, allowed B to create connected e + f pawns. These proved very strong with W being forced on the defensive before a decisive breakthrough by B.
Ioan’s (B) game was a QGD exchange, with B setting up a defence with his pawns on W squares. W had all the chances of changing the pawn structure, but the way he played allowed Ioan a tactic by which he won a pawn. W seemed to very lucky to be able to ‘trap’ B’s Q on h3, and create threats of his own in compensation, but whether this should have been good enough I don’t know not having seen Ioan since the game. An undeserved result.
Richard’s (W) game was a Sicilian Kan, where Richard set his opponent some interesting problems. He reached a position where B was a bit loose, but his opponent managed to hold things together and reach a 2R + N + pawns ending where the chances appeared to be about even (B’s structure versus W’s activity). Richard managed to win a pawn as the Ns were exchanged, but the draw was agreed almost immediately.
Round 3 on 2008/11/15 at 15:00 | 77 | Wales (WLS) | Rtg | - | 32 | Moldova (MDA) | Rtg | 1 : 3 | | Blackburn Suzie G | 1883 | - | IM | Petrenko Svetlana | 2285 | 1 - 0 | WFM | Smith Olivia | 1961 | - | WGM | Smokina Karolina | 2235 | 0 - 1 | | Owens Megan R | 1783 | - | WGM | Partac Elena | 2168 | 0 - 1 | | Van Kemenade Julie | 0 | - | WIM | Bulmaga Irina | 2287 | 0 - 1 |
|
The women suffered a 3-1 loss to Moldova with the one highlight being a fine win for Suzy Blackburn on board 1. Meg and Olivia may have missed good chances to hold we are told but once again I didn’t see much of their games unfortunately (the Ladies finished well before th Men, and we have not seen them since !).
Stuart Hutchings,
Captain, Wales Men |
