Sion Galaviz punishes conceptual imprecision 2023/11/16

The international master Sión Galaviz Medina tied yesterday with the Russian Konstantín Pópov during the third round of the FIDE Under 18 World Championship that takes place in Montesilvano, Italy, with the presence of 134 chess players from the five continents. He is 14th overall, half a point behind seven leaders including Aldiyar Ansat of Kazakhstan and Aleksey Grebnev of Russia. The favorite, the Russian GM Volodar Murzin, with black, and an elo of 2.625 tied against Jayden Wong, from Singapore with 2.356. Murzin appears in eighth place and leads a group with 2 ½ real points.

Main results of round 3. 1) Zhenyong Jayden Wong ½ Volodar Murzin; 2) Christos Krallis 0-1 Aleksey Grebnev; 3) Emil Ohanyan 1-0 Chakraborty Mayanik; 4) Sión Galaviz Medina, Mexico, (2,461) ½ (2,345) Konstantin Popov, Russia; 5) Aldiyar Ansat 1-0 Alexandr Baranciuc; 6) Simon Lamaza 1-0 Mark Jay Bacojo.

Qualification to Round 3. 1) Aldiyar Ansat, Kazakhstan, 3; 2) Aleksey Grebnev, Russia, 3; 3) Simón Lamaze, France, 3; 4) AR Ilamparthi, India, 3; 5) Emin Ohanyan, Armenia, 3; 6) Saad Abobaker, Elmi, Norway, 3; 7) Aron Pasti, Hungary, 3: 14 players follow with 2 ½ real points: 8) Volodar Murzin, Russia; 9) Jayden Zhenyong Wong, Singapore; 10) Konstantinn Popov, Russia; 14) Sión Galaviz Medina, Mexico.

R-4 Pairings: Boards: 1) Grebnev vs. Mace; 2) Pasti vs. Ohanyan; 3) Elmi vs. Ansat; 4) Murzin vs. Ilamparthi; 5) Atakan Mert Bicer, 2,318, Türkiye vs. Sión Galaviz Medina, Mexico. 6) Sebastian Lukas Kostolansky, Slovakia vs. Wong.

White: Nicodim-Cosmin Stepanencu, Romania, 2,289. Black: Sión Galaviz Medina, Mexico, 2,461. Queen's Gambit refused, D55. R-2, U18 World Cup, Montesilvano, Italy, 11-15-2023.

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 0–0 6.Nf3 h6 7.Bxf6 Bxf6 8.Rc1 c6 9.Bd3 Nd7 10.0–0 Re8 11.e4 dxc4 12.Bxc4 Nf8 13.d5? Conceptual inaccuracy of a chess player of almost 2,300. White's apparent aggressiveness and initiative is going to cost them dearly. Inaccuracy, first, activates Bf6 on the large diagonal of dark squares. And second, after the capture with the e6 pawn, it energizes Ac8; and essentially something that White did not consider: the bishops reach their maximum power in open positions. 13...exd5 14.exd5 Bg4 15.Qd3 (15.dxc6 bxc6 16.h3 Qxd1 17.Rfxd1 Bxf3 18.gxf3=+)15...b5 16.Bb3 Ng6 It was possible, given that the white queen lacks support: 16...Ne6 17.Bc2 (in the face of the threat of Nc5. Or Qe4 attacking the defenseless Bg4) 17...cxd5 18.Nxd5 g6 19.Qxb5 Bg7= + with small black advantage. 17.Nd4 Ne5 18.Qd2 c5 Preferable a6. White cannot capture c6, because of the X-Ray of the black queen on the white one. 19.Ndxb5 Bf3! A creative positional move, which requires calculation. Obviously capture is not possible. by the C doublet on f3. 20.Qf4 If 20.Qc2? Qd7–+ 21.h3 Ng6 22.d6 Nf4 23.Bd5 Bxd5 24.Nxd5 Nxd5+-. 20...Bg5 21.Qg3 Bxc1 22.Rxc1 The modules give equality. White shows a majority and better structure on the queenside. But quality plays a different game in the live game. 22...c4= 23.gxf3? [23.Aa4 con la intención de d6 seguido de Cc7.] 23...cxb3 24.f4 Ng6 The black towers are going to project their heavy power. 25.axb3 However, the pawns in the big center and the b-doubles are weak. 25...a6 26.f5? axb5 27.fxg6 fxg6 28.Nxb5? In a lost position, better d6 or b4. 28...Qxd5 29.Nc7 Qd2 30.Rf1 Ra5 31.h4 Re1 32.b4 Raa1 33.Qb3+ A consolation check. 33...Kh7 Black leaves. 0–1.

Robson leader in Saint Louis. The American Ray Robson defeated Alireza Firouzja and took the lead from the Vietnamese Le, Quang Liem, who lost with white to Fabiano Caruana yesterday during the sixth round of the Saint Louis Rapid Chess Tournament, in the fourth phase of the Grand Chess Tour. Ten grandmasters, five from the United States, and the rest from the elite group from Europe and Asia, participate in the contest with a purse of $175,000. They face nine rounds, three daily, at a pace of 25 minutes with 10” added. Today the first phase ends. On the 17th and 18th they will hold the blitz tournament at the rate of 05'+02" in addition in a double round robin. Tomorrow the first nine rounds are played and the day after tomorrow, they change colors.

R-6 classification: 1) Robson 4; 2) Le, Quang Liem 3 ½; 3) Giri 3 ½; 4) Vachier 3 ½; 5) Caruana 3; 6) Alireza Firouzja 3; 7) Sevian 2 ½; 8) Nepomniachtchi 2 ½; 9) Jeffery xiong 2 ½; 10) Wesley So 2 real points.

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