In Samarkand, Blizt and Rapid World Cup 2023/11/09

A series of attractive and high-level competitions are coming up in the next two months, among which the World Championship of rapid and blitz chess stands out, announced by the International Federation (FIDE) to be held in the legendary city of Samarkand, in the current Uzbekistan from December 26 to 30 and the traditional Tata Steel tournament in Wijk aan Zee, in Holland, region of the Netherlands, from January 12 to 28 with the presence of Anish Giri, 2023 champion and Challenger monarch Alexander Donchenko, Russian German 25 years old. These days the promoter Jeroen van den Berg will announce the official list in which perhaps the names of the Norwegian Magnus Carlsen, the Chinese Ding, Liren, current world monarch, and probably a couple of young Indians and Uzbekistanis may appear, since the Tata Steel mixes the youth and maturity of great masters. Santosh Vidit and Hikaru Nakamura's names are likely to appear.

The Russian economist Arkady Dvorkovich, who has promoted chess perhaps as FIDE has never done before, pointed out the dates of the Rapid Chess World Cup from December 26 to 28 and the blitz on the 29th and 30th in Samarkand that after dozens of centuries evokes Sinbad, Aladdin, Scherezada, Harum Al Raschid, the Rock bird, Baghdad, Bassora, even the gardener's ineluctable appointment with death in Samarra and Rimsky Korsákov... it can be considered that the victory of Nodirbek Abdusattórov, at 17 years, in the last rapid world championship he influenced the organization, as well as Uzbekistan's gold in Chennai, so that this country also organizes the biennial Olympics in 2026.

From November 11 to 20, the European Team Championship will take place in Budva, Montenegro. The Sinquefield Cup, in Saint Louis, United States, will take place from November 21 to 30 with Caruana, Firouzja, Nepomniatchi, Giri, Rappoert, Wesley So, Leinier Domínguez, Vachier-Lagrave, Duda and Aronian. A few days before, Saint Louis will organize the rapid chess tournament from the 14th to the 16th and the blitz tournament on the 17th and 18th. The Chinese League in Najing will take place from December 1 to 13 with more than 2,700 chess players. The Bundesliga in Germany, from December 2 to 28. And from December 9 to 19, the Chess.com Final in Toronto, Canada, to warm up for the Candidates Tournament next April.

ABSOLUTE NATIONAL. In round 2 last night they faced: 1) GM JC Obregón vs Antonio Gracia; 2) Froylán Luna vs. GM JC González Zamora; 3) GM Luis Ibarra vs. Jerónimo Real Pereyra. Board 11: Arturo Silva vs. GM Gilberto Hernández with ½ point.

White: MI Roberto Navarro, Mexico City, 2005.

Black: GM Juan Carlos Obregón, Nuevo León, 2,483.

Sicilian Defense, B62.

R-1, C. Absolute National, Los Pinos, 07-11-2023.

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Be2 Be7 8.0–0 0–0 9.Qd2 h6 10.Bh4?! Inexact movement by Navarro that allows JC Obregón to make a small combination that will leave him with a positional advantage. (10.Be3) 10...Nxd4 11.Qxd4 Nxe4 12.Nxe4 (12.Bxe7 Nxc3 13.Bxd8 Nxe2+ 14.Kh1 Nxd4 15.Ba5 Nxc2+-) 12...Bxh4 13.Qxd6 f5 14.Qxd8 15.Nc5 b6 16.Nb3 e5 The advantage of having a majority is to make it dynamic. The black majority on the kingside is more active than the white majority on the queenside. With the pair of bishops, Black has a strategic advantage. The e5 cast activates Ac8. 17.Rad1 Be6 18.Rxd8+?! (18.f4 Rxd1 19.Rxd1 Rc8 20.c3 exf4 (21.Nd4 Kf7 22.Rf1 g5 23.Nf3 Rd8 24.Nxh4 gxh4]) 18...Rxd8 19.Rd1 Rc8 20.c3 Kf7 21.Kf1 g6 22.Nc1 Be7 23.Bb5 h5 24.Bd7 When you are in an inferior position you should not exchange pieces, as you will lose a defender. Perhaps more appropriate is Re1 or a3. 24...Bc4+ 25.Ke1 Rc7 26. Kf6 27.Rd7 Rxd7 28.Bxd7 Black enters a slightly superior ending due to the presence of the pair, the central pawns and the position of the king on the central squares. 28...h4 29.h3?! (29.Bc6 Bd6 30.b3 Bf7 31.Ne2 g5 32.g3 a5 33.f3 Bc5 34.Kd2 Bf2 35.gxh4 gxh4) 29...Bd5! 30.Kf1 (30.f3 e4 31.fxe4 Bxe4 32.Kf1 Ke5µ) 30...Bf8 31.b3 Bh6 32.Nd3 Be4 33.Bb5 Bd2 34.f3 Bb7 35.c4 g5 36.c5 37.c6? A serious mistake because the pawn becomes vulnerable. (37.a4 bxc5) 37...Bc8 38.Bc4 a6 39.a4 a5 40.Ke2–+ Ke7 41.Bb5 Rd6 42.Nf2?! (42.Nc1 Bb2 43.Nd3 Bd4 44.b4 Be6 45.bxa5 bxa5 46.Nc1 Bd5 47.Kf1 Bxc6 48.Bxc6 Rxc6) 42...Be6 43.Bc4? Bxc4+ 44. Kxc6 45.Nd3 Bd4 46.Kd2 e4 47.fxe4 fxe4 White leaves. 0–1.

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