It sometimes gets billed as the “warm-up” to the World Open, but the D.C. International Tournament doesn’t have to accept second billing to any other event these days.
The second annual International, which wrapped up last week at the Hyatt Regency in Crystal City, featured a strong, internationally flavored field, with titled players from Asia, Europe and North America squaring off against a talented local contingent in the 83-player Open section.
The tournament’s deciding game was an all-Cuban affair, with reigning national champion GM Isan Reynaldo Ortiz Suarez defeating compatriot GM Yuniesky Quesada Perez, the 2013 D.C. International champ, in Round 9 to finish at 7 1/2-1 1/12, a half-point clear of Belarus GM Sergei Azarov, Indian IM Priyadharshan Kannappan and yet another Cuban grandmaster, Yuri Vidal.
Three players earned norms at Crystal City, including a grandmaster norm for Kannappan, the final international norm for New York FM Kassa Korley, and an IM norm for 11-year-old (!) Wisconsin NM Awonder Liang, the youngest American player ever to notch an international master’s norm with his fine 6-3 score.
We have two games from two of the norm-winning entrants, and by a cruel twist of fate, both are losses. Ortiz Suarez scored a critical win to separate himself from the pack by defeating Kannappan in Round 7 in a tactically tricky Sicilian Scheveningen that could have gone either way.
White’s instincts are sound but he just can’t see his way through the thickets on the critical 14. Bxd5 exd5 15. Nxd5 Qd6 16. 0-0-0!? (Nb6 Be6 17. Qe2 Rd8 18. 0-0 was a safer path) cxd5 17. Rxd5!? Be6!, when White has at least a draw on 18. Rhd1! (Rxe5?! Qxe5 19. Qc6+ Ke7 20. Qb7+ Kf6 21. Qxa8 Qd5 22. Qxd5 Bxd5 23. Bd4+ Kg6 24. Rd1 Rg8 is good for Black) Bxd5 19. Rxd5 Qe6 20. Rxe5! Qxe5 21. Qc6+ Kd8 22. Bb6+ Ke7 23. Bc5+, with a perpetual check.
Instead, after the game’s 18. Qa4+?! Bd7 19. Qa5 Qc6 20. Rhd1 (Rxe5+ Be6) Rc8 21. c3 Be6, Black walks a tightrope, knowing his bishop pair will be a decisive edge if White’s attack ever flags. Following 23. R1d6 Qc4 (Qxd6!? 24. Rxd6 Kxd6 25. Qxa6+ Ke7 may also be winning, but White’s armada of passed queenside pawns must have looked scary over the board) 24. Rxc8 Qxc8 25. Qxe5 f6 26. Qd4 Kf7, Black has consolidated and, as advertised, his two bishops will decide.
Ortiz Suarez simplifies with 38. Rd7 Qe1+ 39. Qb1 (Kb2 Qd2+ 40. Kb1 Be4+ 41. Ka1 Qc1+ and wins) Qxb1+ 40. Kxb1 Ke6 41. Ra7 Rxa7, and White resigns foreseeing how the Black bishops will rake the board in lines like 42. Bxa7 Bg2 43. Be3 Bxh3 44. f3 Bg2 45. f4 Bf3 46. a5 Bxg4 47. a6 h5 48. a7 Bf3 49. fxg5 fxg5, and White is helpless.
• • •
Korley also had a fine tournament but found himself on the wrong end of one of the most brilliant attacks of the event, orchestrated by Azarov. Black is slow to develop his pieces in this Petrov, and the trade 14. Re2 Bf8?! 15. Rxe8 Bxe8 16. Re1 only underscores the uselessness of Black’s rook on a8. After another dawdling move — 17…Ne7?! — White begins a kingside attack that quickly gathers force.
Black has a slew of minor pieces guarding his king, but they prove ineffectual against White’s inspired assault: 20. g5 hxg5 21. Nxg5 Be8? (Black’s last best hope was 21…g6, when he can survive 22. Rxe7!? Bxe7 23. Bxg6 Rf8!) 22. Bh7+ Kh8 (see diagram) 23. Re4!!, a magnificent and original rook lift exploiting the overworked knight on f6.
Now 23…Nxe4 (Nxh7 24. Rxe7! wins material) 24. Qxe4 threatens 25. Qh4 g6 26. Bxg6+ Kg7 27. Qh7+ Kf6 28. Nh5 mate, and 24…f6 creates a new hole that allows 25. Ne6 Qc8 26. Qh4 g5 27. Nxg5! fxg5 28. Bxg5 Bh6 29. Qxh6 Ng8 30. Bxg8+ Kxg8 31. Bf6 Qd7 32. Qh8+ Kf7 33. d5! cxd5 34. cxd5 Kg6 35. Bd4 Qf7 36. Qh5 mate. Also losing was 23…Ng6 24. Bxg6 Nxe4 25. Qxe4 fxg6 26. Qh4+ Kg8 27. Qh7 mate.
But declining the offer allows the White rook to get to the h-file and soon every White piece is locked in on the Black king. Plugging one hole causes a leak somewhere else and the Black defense quickly capsizes.
The finale: 23…g6 24. Rh4 Kg7 (Bg7 25. Bg6+ Kg8 26. Bh7+ Kh8 27. N3e4 Nxe4 28. Qxe4 f6 29. Bg8+! Kxg8 30. Qe6+ Kf8 31. Nh7 mate) 25. d5 Bd7 26. Bc3 (the pin on the knight is the last straw) Nf5 (the threat was 27. Bxf6+ Kxf6 28. N5e4+ Kg7 29. Qc3+ f6 30. Qxf6 mate) 27. Nh5+!, and Korley resigned in the face of 27…gxh5 (Kh6 28. Nxf7+! Kxh7 29. Nf6+ Kg7 30. Rh7 mate) 28. Bxf5 Be7 29. Rxh5 Rh8 30. Rxh8 Kxh8 31. Be6! Kg8 32. Qg6+ Kf8 33. Qxf7 mate.
• • •
Speaking of the World Open, veteran GM Ilya Smirin took home the title by winning a three-man playoff over onetime Ukrainian prodigy Illya Nyzynyk (now all of 17 years old) and Kansas GM Conrad Holt. The trio all finished at 7-2 at the event, also played at the Crystal City Hyatt Regency, with each co-champ enjoying a very nice $9,891 payday. We will have games and color from the tournament next week.
2nd D.C. International, Arlington, Va., July 2014
Kannappan-Ortiz Suarez
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. h3 e6 7. g4 h6 8. Be3 Nc6 9. Bg2 Qc7 10. Qe2 g5 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. e5 dxe5 13. Qc4 Nd5 14. Bxd5 exd5 15. Nxd5 Qd6 16. 0-0-0 cxd5 17. Rxd5 Be6 18. Qa4+ Bd7 19. Qa5 Qc6 20. Rhd1 Rc8 21. c3 Be6 22. Rd8+ Ke7 23. R1d6 Qc4 24. Rxc8 Qxc8 25. Qxe5 f6 26. Qd4 Kf7 27. Rd8 Qb7 28. Qa4 Bg7 29. Rd6 Rb8 30. b3 Rc8 31. Bd4 a5 32. Kb2 Bf8 33. Rb6 Qe4 34. Qb5 a4 35. bxa4 Be7 36. Ka1 Ra8 37. Rb7 Bd5 38. Rd7 Qe1+ 39. Qb1 Qxb1+ 40. Kxb1 Ke6 41. Ra7 Rxa7 White resigns
2nd D.C. International, Arlington, Va., July 2014
Azarov-Korley
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. c4 Be7 6. d4 0-0 7. Bd3 Nf6 8. h3 Re8 9. 0-0 Nbd7 10. Nc3 Nf8 11. Re1 Ng6 12. Qc2 c6 13. Bd2 Bd7 14. Re2 Bf8 15. Rxe8 Bxe8 16. Re1 h6 17. Ne2 Ne7 18. g4 Bd7 19. Ng3 Qc7 20. g5 hxg5 21. Nxg5 Be8 22. Bh7+ Kh8 23. Re4 g6 24. Rh4 Kg7 25. d5 Bd7 26. Bc3 Nf5 27. Nh5+ Black resigns
• David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by email at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
• David R. Sands can be reached at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
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