- The Washington Times - Tuesday, July 12, 2016

At the 44th World Open, the world came to play.

The seven players who topped the massive traditional July Fourth open tournament in Philadelphia represented a veritable United Nations of grandmasters, hailing from Hungary, Moldova, Georgia (the country), Israel, Russia, Azerbaijan and Ukraine, all finishing at 7-2. Young Hungarian GM Gabor Papp won an armageddon blitz match against Moldova’s Victor Bologan to claim the trophy, a $500 bonus and bragging rights from the six-day event that ended over the weekend.

The top American finishers, including GMs Gata Kamsky, Samuel Sevian and Aleksandr Lenderman, were in a big group a half-point back.

And here’s a special shout-out to longtime Maryland FM and former state champ William Morrison, who had only one loss (to the tournament winner Papp), won his final three games to finish in the second group and took home $5,000 as the Open section’s class winner in the 2200-2299 ratings range.

Papp got off to a fast 4-0 start, but his big win came in Round 8, when he saw off Georgian GM Giorgi Kacheishvili with a smartly executed kingside attack. Play is delicately balanced through much of the middlegame in this Tarrasch French Defense until White finally imposes his will on his opponent with a nicely judged breakthrough: 29. Nd2!? Kf7?! (already playing into White’s hands instead of pursuing his queenside play with 29…Rxb5 30. Nf1 a3) 30. Nf1 Rh5 31. Ng3! Rxh4+ 32. Rxh4 Bxh4 33. f5!, a line-opening sacrifice that puts the Black king in grave danger.

Kacheishvili tries to cover up, but it may already be too late — 33…Qg5 (gxf5? 34. Qh5+ Kf8 35. Ne4! and 33…exf5 34. Nxf5! crack open Black’s defenses; best here might again be to play 33…Rxb5 and hope to survive) 34. Bd3 Qe7 35. fxg6+ hxg6 36. Nh5! Nd7 (gxh5 37. Qxh5+ Kf8 38. Qh8+ Kf7 39. Rg7 mate) 37. Qf3+ Ke8 38. Rxg6, and the unavailability of the Black rook for the defense proves critical.

A neat tactic wraps things up on 40. Bg5 Qf7 41. Ng7+, and Black resigns as 41…Kf8 42. Nxe6+ Ke8 43. Rg8+! Qxg8 44. Nc7 is mate.

In the “everything old is new again” category, we have the position from today’s diagram, A Round 4 matchup between Georgian GM Tamaz Gelashvili and American star Varuzhan Akobian at the World Open. More than 125 years ago, world champion Emanuel Lasker first played the two-bishop sacrifice motif that Gelashvili employs here. The game continued: 13. Bxh7+! Kxh7 14. Qh5+ Kxh7 15. Bxg7!! (Lasker’s brilliant concept — the second bishop rips off the past pawn covering the king) Kxg7 16. Qg4+ Kh7 17. Rf3, and Black must give up his queen to save his king.

Play went on: 17…Qf6 18. Rh3+ Qh6 19. Nf3 Be7 20. Ng5 Bxg4 21. fxg5 Qxh3 22. Qxh3+ Kg6 23. g6! fxg6 24. Qxe6+ Kg7 25. Qxd7+ Rf7 26. Qd6, and White has a material edge and went on to convert the point in 40 moves.

Papp-Kacheishvili, 44th World Open, Philadelphia, July 2016

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Ngf3 Be7 7. c3 b6 8. Bb5 a6 9. Bd3 a5 10. a4 Ba6 11. Bb5 Qc8 12. O-O Nc6 13. Qe2 O-O 14. Nb1 c4 15. Na3 Bxb5 16. Nxb5 Na7 17. Nxa7 Rxa7 18. g4 Re8 19. Be3 f5 20. h3 Rf8 21. Kh2 b5 22. axb5 a4 23. Rg1 Nb6 24. Bf2 Qd8 25. Rg2 Ra5 26. Rag1 g6 27. h4 fxg4 28. Rxg4 Rf5 29. Nd2 Kf7 30. Nf1 Rh5 31. Ng3 Rxh4+ 32. Rxh4 Bxh4 33. f5 Qg5 34. Be3 Qe7 35. fxg6+ hxg6 36. Nh5 Nd7 37. Qf3+ Ke8 38. Rxg6 Rxb5 39. Kh3 Be1 40. Bg5 Qf7 41. Ng7+ 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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