2 June 2016
Taking Rest after Rest Day
Rest day and round six of the Vugar Gashimov Memorial in the review of Eteri Kublashvili.
The rest day in Shamkir went off marvelously, just as in all previous years. In the first half of the day a simul was organized in the intellectual Youth Center Zeka. Children were visited by Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Sergey Karjakin, Fabiano Caruana, Anish Giri and Hou Yifan.
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov proved the most kindhearted exhibitor, with the small Amrahly Ali achieving a draw against the famous grandmaster. Besides that, all simul participants were very happy to be able to get in touch with the leading chess players and take souvenir pictures with them.
As tradition has it, a football tournament was organized in the second half of the day. The competition featured four teams – "Chess players", Synergy Group, "Journalists" and "Administration Representatives." This time the chief arbiter Faiq Hasanov was watching the game from the stands. All matches went off in a very emotional but friendly atmosphere. If anybody happened to commit a foul, he would do it in a delicate manner.
Match one happened between the "Chess players" and "Journalists". Hou Yifan was assigned with an honorable duty to kick off the ball to start the game. Despite the higher average rating, grandmasters failed not cope with voice recorder and computer operators. Pavel Eljanov was a reliable goalkeeper, parried several dangerous shots and even took part in one of the attacks, but the onslaught of "blue" was so powerful that the match ended with a blowout score. The only goal for the "Chess Players" was scored by their captain Shakhriyar Mamedyarov.
The second match between Synergy Group and the "Administration Representatives" saw a tougher struggle, in which the organizers' representatives ended up superior. The audience burst into applause each time goal was scored. Standing out among other players on the field was the Excelsior Hotel Director Teimour Dzhokshun by hitting the back of his opponent's net on more than one occasion.
The final was qualified into by representatives of mass media and organizers. This match was even more stubborn than the preceding one. Even though two goals in the first period propelled the Synergy Group team to nearly unattainable level, in the second period the "Journalists" put the "green" fans on edge as at a certain moment it seemed that the mass media did score a goal, but it turned out that the ball passed just a few centimeters wide of the goal. Towards the end of the match the fact of handling the ball by one of the Synergy players was registered, and the referee awarded a penalty. The score was reduced to 2-1, but the "Journalists" were short of time to be able to equalize it.
It was Hou Yifan who awarded the Cup to the winning team of Synergy Group.
Alas, in round six of the Vugar Gashimov Memorial the developments were not as sparkling as those on the football field. This said, all games ended in draws.
Eltaj Safarli and Fabiano Caruana handled the opening into the Najdorf Variation, in which Black successfully solved his opening problems and was even temporarily up a pawn. However, the precarious position of the black king in the center of the board allowed White launching counterplay and winning back the missing material using a tactical trick. In the endgame Caruana failed to convert the notorious bishop pair advantage, and the opponents agreed to a draw shortly after the time control was over.
Caruana's pursuer Anish Giri preferred facing Pavel Eljanov in the Reti opening. Although the queens were traded early in the game, the middlegame play grew sharp as Black conveniently regrouped his pieces and castled long. It was already White's turn to play precisely so as not to land into inferior position. Nevertheless, despite the complex pattern of struggle the drawish tendency prevailed, so that peace agreement was signed in the endgame with rooks and opposite-colored bishops.
Teimour Radjabov and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov opened the game into the theoretical line of the Caro-Kann. Since both players were well prepared in the opening, a draw that was agreed on move 36 became the most logical outcome.
Taking into account the approaching kickoff of the Belaya Ladya finals, I could not help but ask players' opinion about this chess tournament and about chess in schools.
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov told about a special program of teaching chess in schools of Azerbaijan. "Teaching chess at schools is a very good practice because chess is very likely to be of help to young people in future. I have had communication with school teachers and pupils and used to give master classes, told the grandmaster. – As for the Belaya Ladya competition, our team has been participating in it since 1995. It is safe to say that all of us have grown up playing in this tournament."
Rauf Mamedov and Sergey Karjakin handled the opening into an interesting line of the Najdorf. The Azeri grandmaster admitted that Karjakin took him by surprise as early as move one - 1...c5. Sergey admitted that events unfolded according to his preparation and that after all complications the game transited into the endgame nearly by force. Since the Russian used to play this line as White, he had it well analyzed, of course.
Hou Yifan was putting Pentala Harikrishna up against problems in the Pertoff Defense, but the Indian Grandmaster was ingenious in fending off all possible threats and forced a draw by perpetual on move 30.
Round seven is in store for us with the duel of tournament leaders Fabiano Caruana and Anish Giri. Other pairings are as follows: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov - Eltaj Safarli, Sergey Karjakin - Teimour Radjabov, Pentala Harikrishna - Rauf Mamedov, and Pavel Eljanov - Hou Yifan.
