LSGH Delegates to LSC 2009

http://dlsc.edu.ph/lsc09/delegates/lsgh.html

LA SALLIAN SPORTS CAMP

Since the beginning, different La Salle schools have engaged in a biennial inter-school competition where one school earns the 1st place, another the 2nd place and another the 3rd place. This practice has indeed developed standards of gameplay and several other ideals that one can draw from any sport. Aside from this, other La Salle schools gain awareness and appreciation of other La Salle schools, but most especially of the host school.

For the first time in the history of Lasallian sports, sense of competition and rivalry have been removed from these sports events. Instead we have a new concept: Sports Camp. Dubbed as the “Lasallian Sports Camp” for the grade school division, winners of each game will not anymore be given trophies or points. They will instead gain friendship and develop the spirit of “coopetition” (from "One Animo: The Spirit of the Game", 2008). No overall winners will be proclaimed, but rather just let the participants savor the learning experience of each game.

This year, 2009, the first Lasallian Sports Camp is going to be held at De La Salle Canlubang. With its vast green campus, the participants will definitely see the event more of a sports camp rather than a competition.

We've become one. Animo La Salle!

Business World: Revised Youngest List

Chess Piece
by Bobby Ang

The World Chess Federation (FIDE) officially created the title of International Grandmaster (GM) in 1950, and awarded it to 27 players. They were:

World Champion: (1) Mihail Botvinnik

Those who had qualified for (or been seeded into) the inaugural Candidates Tournament in 1950:

(2) Isaak Boleslavsky, (3) Igor Bondarevsky, (4) David Bronstein, (5) Max Euwe, (6) Reuben Fine (7) Salo Flohr, (8) Paul Keres, (9) Alexander Kotov, (10) Andreas Lilienthal, (11) Miguel Najdorf, (12) Samuel Reshevsky, (13) Vassily Smyslov, (14) Gideon St�hlberg, (15) Laszlo Szab�

Players still living who, though past their best in 1950, were recognized as having been world-class when at their peak:

(16) Ossip Bernstein, (17) Oldrich Duras, (18) Ernst Gr�nfeld, (19) Boris Kosti, (20) Grigory Levenfish, (21) Geza Mar�czy, (22) Jacques Mieses, (23) Viacheslav Ragozin, (24) Akiba Rubinstein, (25) Fritz Saemisch, (26) Saviely Tartakower, and (27) Milan Vidmar.

Even at this early stage politics reared its ugly head. Efim Bogoljubow (1889-1952), who had emigrated from the USSR to Germany and thus considered a "traitor" in the Soviet Union, was fully qualified for the title, having played two matches for the world championship against Alekhine, but the communist bloc managed to keep his name out of the list.

Two more names kept out of the original GM list: Fedor Bohatirchuk (never heard of him, huh?) and Peter Romanovsky. I will tell you a bit of their stories on Monday.

Anyway when the original list of 27 GMs came out the youngest was 26-year-old David Bronstein. The title of youngest ever in chess history was passed on to Tigran Petrosian when he made the title in 1952 at the age of 23, after qualifying for the Zurich Candidates’ Tournament.

Boris Spassky reset the record to 18 years old when he qualified from the 1955 Goteburg Interzonal to the Amsterdam Candidates, which ultimately Smyslov won.

The next record holder was Bobby Fischer — he qualified at the Portoroz Interzonal for the Candidates’ tournament and became a GM at the age of 15 years, six months and one day. This record last for 33 years until broken by Judit Polgar. Here is the latest "youngest ever GM in chess history" list:

1. Sergey Karjakin UKR 12 years, 7 months, 0 days

2. Parimarjan Negi IND 13 years, 4 months, 22 days

3. Magnus Carlsen NOR 13 years, 4 months, 27 days

4. Bu Xiangzhi CHN 13 years, 10 months, 13 days

5. Teimour Radjabov AZE 14 years, 0 months, 14 days

6. Ruslan Ponomariov UKR 14 years, 0 months, 17 days

7. Wesley So PHI 14 years, 1 month, 28 days

8. Etienne Bacrot FRA 14 years, 2 months, 0 days

9. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave FRA 14 years, 4 months

10. Péter Lék� HUN 14 years, 4 months, 22 days

11. Hou Yifan CHN 14 years, 6 months, 16 days

12. Anish Giri NED 14 years, 7 months, 2 days

13. Yuriy Kuzubov UKR 14 years, 7 months, 12 days

14. Dariusz Swiercz POL 14 years, 7 months, 29 days

15. Nguyen Ngoc Truongson VIE 14 years, 10 months

16. Ray Robson USA 14 Years 11 Months 16 days

17. Fabiano Caruana ITA 14 years, 11 months, 20 days

18. Humpy Koneru IND 15 years, 1 month, 27 days

19. Hikaru Nakamura USA 15 years, 2 months, 19 days

20. Pentala Harikrishna IND 15 years, 3 months, 5 days

21. Judit Polgar HUN 15 years, 4 months, 28 days

22. Alejandro Ramirez CRC 15 years, 5 months, 14 days

23. Bobby Fischer USA 15 years, 6 months, 1 day

The youngest as of this date (not to be confused with youngest in history since, for example, Karjakin got the title at the age of 12, but is currently 19 years old) is the USA’s Ray Robson, who got his final norm from winning the 2009 Pan-American Under-20 Championship held in Montevideo, Uruguay.

We have excluded the Peruvian Jorge Cori Tello from our list above (14 years 2 months). Although Cori earned his final norm Marcel Duchamp Championship in Argentina, his rating is not yet 2500, so that makes him "only" a GM-elect without the full title yet.

Robson, born Oct. 25, 1994 (advanced happy birthday!) may be very young but in terms of chess years he is a veteran of international competition. His big jump was in 2007 — Robson earned the three norms required for the International Master title in only six weeks: the first at the 6th North American FIDE Invitational (2007) in Chicago, the second at the World Youth Chess Championship in Antalya, Turkey, and the third and final norm at the University of Texas at Dallas GM Invitational in Dallas.

Year 2009 was another quantum leap year. Robson won the US Junior Championship last July 16, 2009, becoming at the age of 14 one of the youngest junior champions of the USA ever. Last August he tied for first at the Arctic Chess Challenge in Tromso, Norway for this first GM norm. Later on that same month he got the 2nd GM norm by winning the 23rd North American FIDE Invitational in Skokie, Illinois. His final norm Montevideo caps off a brilliant and productive year for him.

I present to you his victory over GM Larry Christiansen in the recent US Chess Championship. Christiansen is known for his tactical skills, but today Robson outduels him.

Christiansen, Larry Mark (2588) — Robson, Ray (2465) [D31]

ch-USA Saint Louis USA (6), 13.05.2009

1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4 c6 4.e4 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Qxd4 7.Bxb4 Qxe4+ 8.Ne2

It is more common for White to play 8.Be2 but that is precisely the reason why Christiansen avoids it. A lot of these young kids know mountains of theory, and so it would be good to confuse them with sidelines.

8...Na6 9.Bf8

In the 8.Be2 line the other bishop moves (9.Ba5, 9.Bd6 or 9.Bc3) are more popular, but in this version, with the knight on e2, putting the bishop to f8 is the main line.

9...Ne7

Please do not fall for 9...Kxf8?? 10.Qd8#

10.Bxg7 Nb4

There is nothing wrong with the normal 10...Rg8 11.Qd4 Qxd4 12.Bxd4 c5 13.Bf6 Nb4 14.Kd2 b6 15.Nf4 Bb7 Black has no problems and his pieces can coordinate easier. Papenin, N. (2391)-Kulago, A. (2095)/ Serpukhov 2004 0-1 (31).

11.Qd6

[11.Bxh8 has been analyzed to a draw after 11...e5 12.Qd6! (Alternatives are no good: 12.f3? Nc2+ 13.Kd2 Qe3+ 14.Kxc2 Bf5+ wins; 12.Bxe5?! Bf5! 13.Bc3 Nc2+ 14.Qxc2 Qxc2ƒ; 12.Bf6 Bf5! 13.f3 Qe3!) 12...Nc2+ 13.Kd2 Bf5 14.Ng3!? Qf4+ 15.Kc3 Nd5+! 16.cxd5 Qd4+ 17.Kb3 Nxa1+ 18.Ka3 Nc2+ 19.Kb3 Na1+ 1/2 Gomez Esteban, J. (2410)-Illescas Cordoba, M. (2615)/ Lisbon 1993]

11...Nc2+ 12.Kd2 Nxa1 13.Bxh8 Qc2+ 14.Ke1

[14.Ke3?? Nf5+]

14...Qxc4?!

The first new move, although there does not seem to be anything wrong with 14...e5 15.f3 (15.Bxe5 Be6 16.f3 Rd8 17.Qc7 Qd2+ 18.Kf2 Nc2 19.Bf4 Qe1+ 20.Kg1 Rd1 21.Qb8+ Nc8 22.Ng3 Ne3 23.Qe5 Qxf1+ 0-1 Kononenko,T (2379)-Korneev,O (2606)/ Seville 2007) 15...Qxb2 (15...Qb1+ 16.Kf2 Nc2 17.Bf6 Qe1+ 18.Kg1 Qb4 19.Bxe7 Qxd6 20.Bxd6 Be6 21.Nc3 1-0 Zaiatz,E (2401)-Tomilova,E (2263)/ Samara 2005) 16.Bxe5 Qb1+ 17.Kf2 Nf5 18.Qd2 Nc2 19.Bc7 Be6 20.Nc3 Qb2 21.Bd3 Nb4 22.Ke1 Nxd3+ 23.Qxd3 Rc8 24.Be5 Rd8 25.Qe2 Qc1+ 26.Kf2 Qxh1 27.Ne4 Rd1 0-1 Kharlov, A. (2638)-Arzumanian, G. (2424)/ Tula 2002]

15.Nc3 Qb4 16.Qd2 [16.Qxb4 Nc2+] 16...e5 17.Qc1

Position after 17.Qc1

Now Christiansen wins the knight. Or does he?

17...Bg4 18.f3?

[18.Qxa1 0-0-0 with threats against d1 and an attack on the h8-bishop. It looks to me like the best defence is 18.h3 followed by 19.g4]

18...Bxf3! 19.Bf6

[19.gxf3 Qh4+ 20.Ke2 Ng6 21.Qxa1 0-0-0 I am very pessimistic of White’s chances of surviving this attack]

19...Nd5 20.Bxe5 Qe7 21.gxf3 Qxe5+ 22.Kf2 Qd4+ 23.Kg3 Ne3 24.Bh3 Nac2 25.Nd1 f5 26.Nxe3 f4+ 27.Kf2 fxe3+ 28.Kg3 Qd6+ 29.f4 Qd3 30.Rd1 Qg6+ 31.Kf3 Qh5+ 32.Bg4 Qxh2 33.Rd6 Qf2+ 34.Ke4 e2 35.Bxe2 [35.Qxc2 e1Q+] 35...Qxe2+ 36.Kf5 Ke7 0-1

Exciting chess!

Reader comments/suggestions are urgently solicited. E-mail address is bangcpa@gmail.com

NM Ed Gatus

As part of the construction of Rhal's opening systems engineered by GM Bong, National Master Ed GATUS trained Rhal on the black side of the Ruy Lopez Marshall Attack which Rhal liked. I think that the Marshall is suited for young players like him because of its attacking options. NM Gatus is an expert on the Ruy Lopez and a great attacking player.

GM Torre vs Sol Cruz

QUEEN's GAMBIT DECLINED
W: GM Eugene TORRE
B: Rhal SOL CRUZ, Jr.
Event: Training Game
Site: Old Vine Grille, Eastwood City


1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Nf3 Nbd7 5 Bg5 Be7 6 e3 O-O 7 Qc2 b6 8 cxd5 Nxd5 9 Nxd5 exd5 10 Bxe7 Qxe7 11 Qxc7 Re8 12 Be2 Nf6 13 Qxe7 Rxe7 14 Rc1 Bb7 15 Ne5 Ne4 16 Bd3 f6 17 Nf3 f5 18 Ne5 Rf8 19 g3 g5 20 f4 g4 21 Bxe4 dxe4 22 Kd2 Rc8 23 Rxc8+ Bxc8 24 Nc6 Rc7 25 Rc1 Kg7 26 Rc3 Be6 27 Nd8 Rxc3 28 Nxe6+ Kf7 29 Kxc3 Kxe6 30 Kc4 Kd6 31 d5 a6 32 Kd4 b5 33 a4 h6 34 a5 b4 35 b3 h5 36 Kc4 Kd7 37 Kxb4 Kd6 38 Kc4 Kd7 39 Kc5

Result: 1-0



On 6... O-O,
GM Eugene, "Better is 6... h6 before castling because once you have castled and played 7... h6, White can respond with 8 h4."

On 8... Nxd5
GM Bong, "This loses a pawn. Clearly, exd5 is essential. You have to anticipate your opponent's intentions, otherwise you will make mistakes that are hard to recover. Don't make automatic moves especially if you have "move choices." Remember what I told you before in our first session that in chess the choices are many, but in most cases there is only one correct move."

Training with GM Eugene Torre

Grandmaster Eugene Torre gave Rhal a short workshop on the Q' Gambit Declined and gave him valuable pointers in tournament play in preparation for his Indonesia Olympiad.

GM Torre stressed the importance of a good diet of vegetables and fruits and plenty of exercise. He also reminded Rhal of the importance of deep breathing during the games as this gives much needed oxygen to the brain.

CABRIDO MEMORIAL RESULTS

From Chess Windows
by Rustic Bull

The 2007 Asean Age group silver medalist Jerad Docena nipped RP's reigning 12-Under Boys champion Paulo Bersamina in the championship round to rule the 1st NM Cabrido Memorial Chess Cup - which served to be a weekend crossroad of a number of the country's best and brightest in youth chess - held in Meralco, Ortigas last Sunday.

After the cross-over semifinal round, Docena and Bersamina met each other in the final round to engage in a hardly fought tactical battle in the endgame. The World Youth-bound Bersamina misfired in the course of the endgame and shook the hands of Docena to settle for first runner up.

Docena took home the gold medal plus P1,000 cash prize for ruling the tough event. Bersamina, on the other hand, was awarded with the silver medal and a P700 cash incentive.

In the fight for 2nd runner-up, RP's reigning Under-14 Girl champion and World Youth-bound Jean Karen Enriquez subdued 2009 National Age Group silver medalist Daryl Unix Samantila to bring home the bronze medal and P500 cash prize. Samantila also brought home P500.

Docena and Bersamina beat Enriquez and Samantila in the semifinal cross-over round.

Notably, the rising-star, Turkey-bound Karen topped the five-round eliminations with a superb performance of 4.5/5 before the cross-over semifinal round.

2009 Palarong Pambansa silver medalist Michelle Yaon, who was tied with four others with 4.0 points after five rounds, fell short of making it to the top four for the semis due to inferior tiebreak points. Michelle finished strong in 5th place after the elimination round.

After the five-round elimination, it was Karen Enriquez, Daryl Unix Samantila, Paulo Bersamina, Jerad Docena, Michelle Yaon, and Jerome Saltorio in that order.

10th Asean Age Group Chess championship bronze medalist Dennis Guttierez, Jr. settle for 13th place with 3.5 points.

Antipolo City Inter-School ruler Renato Cruz, Jr. and third-placer Virgen Gil Ruaya finished No.12 and No.11, respectively.

Category winners were Rhal Sol Cruz (Best Meralco Kiddie), Jolina Saltorio (Best Meralco Lady), and Jerome Saltorio (Best Meralco High School).

NM Andrew Vasquez served as the chief arbiter with the help of journalist NM Marlon Bernardino and International Arbiter NM Erwin Carag.

The highly competitive field was punctuated by the visit of chess academician GM Bong Villamayor who intently observed the games.

Meralco Chess Club president Rolly Sol Cruz and Mr. Lilet Bersamina were the prime movers behind this successful event which was put up to honor the late NM Cabrido who worked for and one of the pillars of MCC.

Cabrido is best remembered as the Filipino who taught world champion GM Viswanathan Anand to play chess when Anand's family was still based in the Manila in the 80’s.

FINAL RANKINGS
Champion - Jerad Docena
1st Runner-up - Paulo Bersamina
2nd Runner-up - Jean Karen Enriquez
3rd Runner-up - Daryl Unix Samantila

INTERIM RANKINGS AFTER THE FIVE-ROUND ELIMINATIONS

Rg. Name Pkte
1 Enriquez Karen 4½
2 Samantila Daryl Unix 4
3 Bersamina Paulo 4
4 Docena Jerad 4
5 Yaon Michelle 4
6 Saltorio Jerome 4
7 Cerrado Jo Nikka 3½
8 Viernes Tucker Howard 3½
9 De Jesus Normel 3
10 Saltorio Jefferson 3
11 Ruaya Virgen Gil 3
12 Cruz Renato 3
13 Gutierrez III Dennis 3
14 Docena Jesca 3
15 Gravillo Narciso 3
16 Monteza Jomarie 3
17 De Leon Luke Matthew 2½
18 Sol Cruz Rhal 2½
19 Gutierrez Dennis Jr 2
20 Alcantara Michael 2
21 Marcos Jett 2
22 Patindol Kenneth 2
23 Marcos JV 2
24 Abajon Jonalyn 2
25 Saltorio Jolina 2
26 Salazar John Emil 2
27 Gutierrez Mikaela 1½
28 Bermejo D3 1½
29 Espada Jenny 1½
30 Go Keith Stephanie 1
31 Go Patricia Stephanie 1
32 Soto Lyzza Marie 1
33 Serwelas Mike Gerald ½
34 Retonda Raymart Aaron ½

Espada vs Sol Cruz

CABRIDO MEMORIAL CUP
W: Jenny ESPADA
B: Rhal SOL CRUZ, Jr.
Time: 15-15 minutes


Result:0-1

Rhal posted 2 wins (vs Jenny Espada) and a draw (vs Mikaela Gutierrez) in 5 rounds of play in the tough Cabrido Memorial Cup where the likes of RP Age Group Champions Pau Bersamina, Karen Enriquez, Jerad Docena (Champion), Jesca Docena, Dennis Gutierrez Jr, and Darryl Samantila participated. Rhal lost to LSGH and fellow Indonesia-bound Luke de Leon and Gil Ruaya (4th placer in the RMC PSC Kiddies).

Cabrido Memorial Games

WHITE TO MOVE

SESSION 3 w/ GM BONG

The 3rd session was the start of the construction of Rhal's opening systems. GM Bong prepared the Black side of the QGD. This is to maximize the scheduled training game with GM Torre on Monday.

I think the preparation was effective because in our practice game at home, Rhal won twice in 5 games against my QGD.

SESSION 2 w/ GM BONG

Session 2 was a review of Rhal or Junior's recent games, particularly his games with GM Joey Antonio, GM John Paul Gomez, IM Rolando Nolte, NM Andrew Vasquez, NM Edmund Gatus, NM Efren Bagamasbad, NM Rhobel Legaspi, NM Rolan Perez, NM Nelson Villanueva and NM Mirabeu Maga.

Training with GM Bong Villamayor

Grandmaster Bong Villamayor, one of the lead trainers in the Singapore Chess Academy, has agreed to handle the training of Raul "Rhal" Sol Cruz, Jr. in view of the coming ASEAN Primary Sports Olympiad in Indonesia in November. Rhal or Junior is one of the 3-boy team of La Salle Green Hills that was picked by the Department of Education to represent the Philippines in the said event.

The initial session was basically the assessment of Rhal's playing level. GM Bong gave him a few endgame and middle game positions to solve and tested his replies to the major opening systems; Ruy Lopez, four Knights, Sicilian, French, Caro-Kann, and Q's Gambit.

GM Jayson Gonzales

3rd Simul for RP Paralympics
White: GM Jayson GONZALES
Black: Rhal SOL CRUZ
MERALCO, Pasig City
Board 3 of 25

1 Nf3 d5 2 d4 Nf6 3 c4 e6 4 Nc3 c6
In opening theory, the set-up adopted by Rhal is known as the Queen's Gambit Declined - Semi-Slav Variation; pawns at e6, d5 and c6.

Related Games:
Topalov vs Vallejo-Pons 2006
Aronian vs Anand 2007
Ljubojevic vs Giri 2010
Grischuk vs Gelfand 2010
Zontakh vs Dreev 2011
Morozevich vs Caruana 2011

5 Bg5 Nbd7 6 e3

d

6... Be7
The first principle of opening play is rapid development of all the pieces.
Yusupov in Build Up Your Chess

However, 6... Be7 is a rare continuation, the popular move is 6... Qa5, the Cambridge Springs Variation.
a) Bogoljubov vs Alekhine, World Championship 1929
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1012604
b) Alekhine vs Euwe, World Championship 1935
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1013124
c) Karpov vs Kasparov, World Championship 1985
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1067200

7 Qc2 Qc7
To protect yourself against double attacks by your opponent, you must try not to leave any of your pieces unprotected.
Yusupov in Build Up Your Chess

[7... O-O]
Nothing is more important than safeguarding your K by castling early, within the first dozen moves, if possible.
Evans in The 10 Most Common Chess Mistakes

8 Rc1

8... b6??
[8... O-O]

9 cxd5 cxd5 10 Bxf6 Bxf6?
[10... gxf6]

11 Nxd5
GAME OVER

11... Qxc2 12 Nxf6+ Nxf6 13 Rxc2 O-O 14 Be2 Bb7 15 O-O Bd5
[15... Rac8]

16 b3 Rac8 17 Rfc1 Rxc2
[17... Bb7]

18 Rxc2 h6 19 Ne5 Bb7 20 f3 Nd5 21 Kf2 f6 22 Ng6 Rc8 23 Rxc8+ Bxc8 24 e4

24.... Nc3??
[24... Kh7]
Counterplay is the best way of fighting against your opponent's initiative and attack.
Suetin in Soviet Chess Strategy

25 Ne7+ +-

Result: 1-0

WHITE TO MOVE