World Seniors +50 Championship
Acqui Terme, Italy
Nov. 7-18, 2017
Final Top Standings
1. GM Julio Granda Zuniga PER 2650, 9.5/11
2-3. GM Rogelio Antonio, Jr. PHI 2431, GM Eric Prie FRA 2482, 8.5/11
4-10. GM Zurab Sturua GEO 2536, GM Giorgi Bagaturov GEO 2399, IM Evgenij Kalegin RUS 2426, GM Klaus Bischoff GER 2513, IM Alexander Reprintsev UKR 2361, IM Gerard Welling NED 2316, IM Stephen Mannon SCO 2294, 7.5/11
Total of 95 Participants
World Seniors +65 Championship
Acqui Terme, Italy
Nov. 7-18, 2017
Final Top Standings
1. Evgeny Sveshnikov RUS 2480, 8.5/11
2-10. Anatoly Vaisser FRA 2503, GM Vlastimil Jansa CZE 2425, GM Vladimir Okhotnik FRA 2434, GM Lothar Vogt GER 2398, GM Yuri Balashov RUS 2437, GM Eugenio Torre PHI 2465, IM Alexander Lisenko RUS 2372, IM Jan Rooze BEL 2314, GM Evgeni Vasiukov RUS 2404, 8.0/11
Total of 166 Participants
Time Control for both tournaments: 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, then 30 minutes play-to-finish with 30 seconds added to your time after every move starting move 1
The World Seniors Championship were held amongst the hot Sulphur springs of the Northern Italian city of Acqui Terme. Filipino GM Eugene Torre tied for second behind Evgeny Sveshnikov in the 65 and over category while GM Joey Antonio tied for 2nd in the 50 and above tournament.
The Senior Chess Championship was started in 1991 and originally had an age floor of 60 years for men and 50 years for women. In 2014 the title was split into two age categories, the 50+ and 65+ which require the participants to reach the age of 50 and 65 years by Dec. 31 of the year of the event. Winners for the men’s event since 2014 were:
2014, Anatoly Vaisser 65+, Zurab Sturua 50+
2015, Vladimir Okhotnik 65+, Predrag Nikolic 50+
2016, Anatoly Vaisser 65+, Giorgi Bagaturov 50+
This year both defending champions were present to defend their crowns, although unsuccessfully.
Julio Granda Zuniga from Peru just turned 50 this year and was the highest rated player in the tournament. He won eight and drew three games for 8.5/11, a full point ahead of the silver medalist GM Joey Antonio. He is known as a “natural” player, with limited opening knowledge (remember, I said “limited,” not “non-existent) but with a feel for the position which marks him out as a chess genius. GM Granda has been competing since childhood and as late as 2014 was the American Continental Champion.
GM Joey Antonio, the silver medalist, was also undefeated with six wins and five draws. His opponent in the following game is FM Krishan Jhunjhnuwala, the strongest of the Jhunjhnuwala brothers (Krishnan, Ramesh, Naresh and Suresh) who used to represent Hong Kong in team tournaments back in the late ’70s and 1980s.
Antonio,Rogelio, Jr. (2431) — Jhunjhnuwala,Krishan (2340) [B30]
27th World Senior Chess Championship 20 Acqui Terme (8.3), 15.11.2017
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Qb6
Jhunjhnuwala has his own theories in the opening. More common here is 3…g6, 3…d6, or 3…e6.
4.Nc3 e6 5.0–0 Nd4 6.a4 Ne7 7.d3 Nec6 8.Bxc6 bxc6 9.e5 d6 10.exd6 Bxd6 11.Ne4 Be7 12.Nxd4 cxd4 13.Qg4 Kf8 14.Qg3 c5 15.a5 Qc6 16.Bf4 Bb7 17.a6! Bxa6 18.Bd6
White is threatening 19.Bxe7+ Kxe7 20.Rxa6! Qxa6 21.Qc7+ Kf8 (21…Ke8 22.Nd6+ wins the queen) 22.Ng5 White has a mating attack.
18…Bxd6 19.Qxd6+ Qxd6 20.Nxd6 Bc8 21.Ra5 Ke7 22.Ne4 Bd7 23.Rfa1 Rhb8 24.b3 Rb7 25.f4 Bc6 26.Nxc5 Rc7 27.b4 Bd5 28.g3 Kd6 29.Ra6+ Ke7 30.Kf2 h5 31.R6a5 Kf6 32.h3 g5 33.fxg5+ Kxg5 34.Re1 Rb8? <D>
POSITION AFTER 34…RB8
Falls into the trap.
35.Rxe6! Rxc5
[35…fxe6 36.Nxe6+ wins the rook on c7]
36.Re5+ Kf6 37.Rxd5 Rxc2+ 38.Kf3
Material is equal but Black’s pawns are weak and will fall.
38…Rxb4 39.Ra6+ Kg7 40.Rg5+ Kf8 41.Rxa7
Intending Rf5.
41…Rc1
So that if 42.Rf5 then Rf1+
42.Rxh5 Rf1+ 43.Kg2 Rf6 44.Ra8+ Kg7 45.Rg5+ Kh7 46.Ra2 Rb3 47.Rd2 Rd6 48.g4 f6 49.Rf5 Kg6 50.Rf3 Re6 51.Rf4 Rd6 52.h4 Ra3 53.Kg3 Rb3 54.Re4 Ra3 55.Kf4 Rb3 56.Re7 Rb1 57.h5+ Kh6 58.Rf2 Rd1 59.Rf3 Rg1 60.Rf7 Rg2 61.Rf1 Rd2 62.Kg3 Rxd3+ 63.Kh4 Rd2
And now for the coup de grace.
64.R1xf6+ Rxf6 65.g5# 1–0
I couldn’t believe GM Eugene Torre is already past 65. Whereas a lot of us are already winding down, however, he still keeps a very busy schedule playing, teaching, coaching, giving exhibitions. He is truly the Philippines’ greatest ambassador of chess.
Playing White in the following game is IM Herman Claudius van Riemsdijk of Brazil. He has had a long and distinguished career: 3-time Champion of Brazil and has represented his country 11 times in the chess Olympiad from 1972 up to 1998. Van Riemsdijk currently keeps himself busy coaching Brazilian junior players and has written a book on pawn endings.
Van Riemsdijk, Herman C. (2284) — Torre, Eugenio (2465) [C80]
27th World Senior Chess Championship 20 Acqui Terme (10.4), 17.11.2017
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Nxe4 6.Re1
This was the way White usually played against the Open Spanish in the 19th century. This is also a favorite of Van Riemsdijk, so I imagine GM Eugene was not surprised when 6.Re1 appeared on the board. Of course, nowadays it is the rule rather than the exception that White continues 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6.
6…Nc5 7.Bxc6
If White wants to test Black’s theoretical knowledge then he should try 7.Nc3 when after the most obvious move 7…Nxa4? (7…Be7 is correct) White can lash out with 8.Nxe5! and now Black has three possible moves: (1) 8…Be7, (2) 8…Nxe5 and (3) 8…Nxc3 and only the first alternative does not lose.
Let us go through the lines quickly.
8…Be7! 9.Nd5 Nc5 10.Nxc6 dxc6 11.Nxe7 Be6! Black holds
8…Nxc3? loses to 9.Nxc6+ Be7 10.Nxe7! Nxd1 11.Ng6+ Qe7 12.Nxe7 White wins a piece as Black’s knight has no escape;
8…Nxe5? 9.Rxe5+ Be7 10.Nd5! 0–0 11.Nxe7+ Kh8 12.Qh5 d5 (There is another pretty finish possible: 12…g6 13.Qh6 d6 14.Rh5! gxh5 15.Qf6#) 13.Qxh7+! 1–0 (13) Voronova,T-Phuong,V (LAT vs VIE) Istanbul Olympiad 2000.
7…dxc6 8.d4 Ne6 9.Nxe5 Be7 10.Be3 0–0 11.c4 f6 12.Nd3 Re8 13.Nc5 b6 14.Nb3 a5
White has wasted a lot of time with his knight and Black with his two bishops soon takes over the game.
15.a4 Bb4 16.Bd2 Bf8 17.Bc3 Ng5 18.N1d2 Bf5 19.Nf1 Rxe1 20.Bxe1 Qd7 21.Ne3 Bg6 22.Nc1?!
Not a good move as it blocks the communication between white’s queen and rook. Black immediately takes advantage of it.
22…Rd8 23.Bc3
White is weak on the d-file so Black can reposition his dark-squared bishop to d6 via …c5 and …d6.
23…Ne4 24.Ne2 c5 25.d5
Not 25.dxc5? Qe8 26.Qc1 Bxc5 Black has very strong pressure. His immediate threat is 27…Nxf2! 28.Kxf2 Rd1! White cannot take the rook because of mate: 29.Qxd1 Qxe3+ 30.Ke1 Qf2+ 31.Kd2 Be3#.
25…Bd6 26.Be1 Re8 27.f3 Ng5 28.Ra3 Be5 29.Qd2 Bh5
With the idea of 30…Bxf3 — White cannot recapture because of the coming knight fork on f3.
30.h4 Nxf3+ 31.gxf3 Bxf3
Black intends to follow-up with …Qh3, forcing mate.
32.Ng3 Bd4 33.Kh2 Re5 34.Nef5?
White has to continue defending passively, for example with 34.Bf2.
34…Rxf5! 35.Nxf5 Qxf5 36.Bg3 h5 37.Bxc7 Qb1 38.Rxf3 Qg1+ 39.Kh3 Qg4+
Black does one repetition to gain some time on the clock before he takes the rook.
40.Kh2 Qg1+ 41.Kh3 Qg4+ 42.Kh2 Qxf3 43.Bg3 Qf1
GM Eugene misses a faster win: 43…Bg1+ 44.Kxg1 Qxg3+ 45.Qg2 Qxh4 the three connected passed pawns on the kingside guarantee the win.
44.Qg2 Qxc4 45.d6 Qe6 46.Qa8+ Kh7 47.Qf3 Kg6 48.b3 f5 49.Qd3 Kf6 50.Qd2 g6 51.Bf4 Qe4 52.Kg3 Ke6 53.Qg2 0–1
White gives up. Black will soon force the exchange of queens after which the endgame is an easy win.
Bobby Ang is a founding member of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) and its first Executive Director. A Certified Public Accountant (CPA), he taught accounting in the University of Santo Tomas (UST) for 25 years and is currently Chief Audit Executive of the Equicom Group of Companies.
