It has to be admitted that the world junior and world junior girls’ titles don’t have the same cachet as they did in the days when young up-and-comers such as Boris Spassky, Garry Kasparov and Vishy Anand used the event as their coming-out party on the global stage.
These days, the kids can go right to the grown-ups’ table, soaring up the ratings ladder and getting top tournament invitations without having to play the younger circuit first. Extreme case in point: Indian GM Dommemaru Gukesh, all of 17 years old, who just qualified to play in a title match against Chinese world champ GM Ding Liren (and who just may win if current performance is any indicator).
Even so, we should expect to hear much more of new FIDE under-20 world junior champ IM Kazybek Nogerbek of Kazakhstan and new girls’ junior champion Indian IM Deshmukh Divya, who took home top honors at the title tournaments last week in Gandhinagar, India.
Nogerbek edged Armenian GM Emin Ohanyan on tiebreaks, while Divya’s stupendous 10-1 score was just barely enough to edge another Armenian hopeful, WIM Mariam Mrktchyan, by just a half point.
Both of the new junior champs displayed some old-school, old-soul chess skills on their way to their titles. In his win over Indian IM Cristiano Manish Anto, Nogerbek staged a clinic on the power of the bishop pair that would have delighted the old masters and the authors of the first instruction manuals.
In a Ruy Lopez Moeller, the positional stage is set after 10. e5 g5 11. Bxc6 cxc6 12. Nxg5!? dxc3 13. Qxd8 Rxd8 14. Nxc3 hxg5 15. Bxg5 — Manish Anto wins his piece back because of the pin on the f6-knight, but Black obtains two powerful bishops that will only increase in scope and effectiveness as the game wears on. Despite the queens being off and Black down for a time two full pawns, it is White who struggles to hold the position, and White’s ineffective bishop stuck on the kingside only increases Black’s positional edge.
After 21. Rxc7 Rac8! (again, even down material, Nogerbek doesn’t fear trades with the two bishops raking both sides of the board) 22. Ra7?! (this turns out to be an unfortunate place tactically for the rook) Rc2 23. h4 (White has to be careful; the threat was 23…Rxe2! 24. Rxe2 Rd1+ and wins) Bd3 24. Re7 (Ng3 Bd4!, attacking f2 and the misplaced rook on a7) Bc4 25. Ng3 Bd4, the engines rate the position as objectively equal, but any human would tell you Black’s game is easier to play.
Nogerbek breaks on top after 26. Re8+?! (tougher was 26. Ne4 Rxa2 27. Nd2) Kh7! (it turns out Black doesn’t have to trade; it’s only equal after 26…Rxe8!? 27. Rxe8+ Kh7 28. Ne4 Rxa2 29. g4) 27. Rxd8 Bxf2+ 28. Kh2 Bxe1 29. Nf5 Bc3 — the boxed-in Black king proves hard for White’s pieces to reach, especially with the Black bishop stoutly defending the f7-pawn.
White’s inaccurate 30. Ne7? (better to make his opponent work for the pawn with 30. a3 Ra2 31. Bf4 Rxa3 32. Nd6, though Black remains in charge) Rf2 (even stronger was 30…Be5+!; e.g. 31. Kg1 Rxa2 32. Rg8 Ra1+ 33. Kf2 Rf1+ 34. Ke3 Bxf6 35. Bxf6 Rxf6, and Black is close to winning) 31. Kg3 Rf1 32. Nc6 (Rd6 Be5+) Bxa2 allows Black to restore material equality while keeping his dominant bishop pair.
And on 33. Ra8 b4! the twin bishops display another of their fearsome powers: the ability to cover every square on a passed pawn’s journey to queening. White must surrender the piece with 34. Nxb4 (Rxa6 b3 35. Rb6 b2) Bxb4 35. Rxa6 Bc4 36. Rc6 Bd5 while doing nothing to diminish the bishops’ power.
White has to jettison more material just to delay mate a few moves after 39. Rc1 Bd1+ 40. Rxd1 (Kh3 Rh1 mate) Rxd1, and in the final position, after 44. g4 Rd2, mate is looming and Manish Anto resigned.
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Divya’s victory over Azerbaijani expert Narmin Abdinova illustrated another tried-and-true first principle of chess: Make sure the homefront is secure before launching an early attack. Abdinova shows admirable aggression early in this Symmetrical English, but her attempt to bull-rush White prematurely opens her up to a devastating counterpunch.
Things are heading along normal channels until 10. b3 Nb4?! (Be7, with an idea of castling next move, was very much indicated) Black gets some superficial pressure but her own king’s vulnerability tells after 11. 0-0 Qd3 12. Bb2 Rd8 (Black appears to be getting in the first takedown, but like a savvy wrestler, Divya gets two points with a neat reversal) 13. a3! Qxd2 (Nd5 14. Rc1 Nf6 15. Qf3, and Black has nothing to show for her severely compromised queenside) 14. axb4 Qxb2 (see diagram) — in for a penny, Black goes in for a pound, perhaps banking on the line 15. Qc1? Qxc1 16. Rfxc1 c4! 17.Rab1 Bxb4 18. bxc4 a5, and Black is fine.
But White has no interest in defending her knight when there is a king is to be won: 15. Qf3! Qxc3 (Rc8 16. Rxa7 Be7 [Qxc3?? 17. Qxf7+ Kd8 18. Rd7 mate) 17. Na4 Qf6 18. bxc5, and White’s a healthy pawn to the good) 16. Qxc6+ Ke7 (Rd7 17. Rad1 wins) 17. Rxa7+ Kf6 — Abdinova staves off immediate mate but her king proves to be a sitting duck on the kingside.
Black fights to the bitter end, but White wraps up things with no wasted motion: 21. Qxe6+ Qf6 (the wayward queen finally gets back to defend her mate, but it’s too late) 22. Qh3+ Kg6 23. Qg5+ Kh6 24. Rf3 g5 25. Qh3+ Kg6 26. f5+ Qxf5 27. Qxf5+ Kh6 28. Rh3 mate.
(Click on the image above for a larger view of the chessboard.)
Manish Anto-Nogerbek, 61st World Junior Open Championship, Gandhinagar, India, June 2024
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Bc5 6. c3 O-O 7. d4 Ba7 8. Bg5 h6 9. Bh4 exd4 10. e5 g5 11. Bxc6 dxc6 12. Nxg5 dxc3 13. Qxd8 Rxd8 14. Nxc3 hxg5 15. Bxg5 Bf5 16. exf6 Bd4 17. Rfe1 c5 18. Rac1 c4 19. Ne2 Bxb2 20. Rxc4 b5 21. Rxc7 Rac8 22. Ra7 Rc2 23. h4 Bd3 24. Re7 Bc4 25. Ng3 Bd4 26. Re8+ Kh7 27. Rxd8 Bxf2+ 28. Kh2 Bxe1 29. Nf5 Bc3 30. Ne7 Rf2 31. Kg3 Rf1 32. Nc6 Bxa2 33. Ra8 b4 34. Nxb4 Bxb4 35. Rxa6 Bc4 36. Rc6 Bd5 37. Rc2 Bd6+ 38. Kg4 Bb3 39. Rc1 Bd1+ 40. Rxd1 Rxd1 41. h5 Rd3 42. Bh4 Rd4+ 43. Kh3 Kh6 44. g4 Rd2 White resigns.
Divya-Abdinova, 40th World Junior Girls Championship, Gandhinagar, India, June 2024
1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e3 Nc6 6. Bb5 e6 7. Ne5 Bd7 8. Nxc6 Bxc6 9. Bxc6+ bxc6 10. b3 Nb4 11. O-O Qd3 12. Bb2 Rd8 13. a3 Qxd2 14. axb4 Qxb2 15. Qf3 Qxc3 16. Qxc6+ Ke7 17. Rxa7+ Kf6 18. Qc7 Bd6 19. Qxf7+ Kg5 20. f4+ Kh6 21. Qxe6+ Qf6 22. Qh3+ Kg6 23. Qg4+ Kh6 24. Rf3 g5 25. Qh3+ Kg6 26. f5+ Qxf5 27. Qxf5+ Kh6 28. Rh3 mate.
• 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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