Hastings Masters 2015-16

[Mick Norris]

Pairings round 9 (Tuesday, 05 January 2016)

Table White Score Fed. Rating Black Score Fed. Rating Result
1 GM Khenkin, Igor 6.0 GER 2605 GM Vakhidov, Jahongir 6.5 UZB 2546
2 GM Berkes, Ferenc 6.0 HUN 2650 GM Sulskis, Sarunas 6.0 LTU 2535
3 GM Flear, Glenn C 6.0 ENG 2459 GM Mista, Aleksander 6.0 POL 2567
4 GM Fodor, Tamas Jr. 5.5 HUN 2492 GM Williams, Simon K 5.5 ENG 2439
5 IM Sarkar, Justin 5.5 USA 2407 GM Hebden, Mark L 5.5 ENG 2469
6 IM Bagi, Mate 5.5 HUN 2440 FM Batchelor, Peter J 5.5 ENG 2307
7 GM Romanishin, Oleg M 5.0 UKR 2462 IM Bates, Richard A 5.0 ENG 2331
8 IM Nagy, Gabor 5.0 HUN 2403 FM Radovanovic, Jovica 5.0 SRB 2321
9 IM Eggleston, David J 5.0 ENG 2396 FM Karthik, V. AP 5.0 IND 2310
10 IM Krishna C R G 5.0 IND 2367 IM Rudd, Jack 5.0 ENG 2255

[LawrenceCooper]

Pairings round 9 (Tuesday, 05 January 2016)

Table White Score Fed. Rating Black Score Fed. Rating Result
1 GM Khenkin, Igor 6.0 GER 2605 GM Vakhidov, Jahongir 6.5 UZB 2546
2 GM Berkes, Ferenc 6.0 HUN 2650 GM Sulskis, Sarunas 6.0 LTU 2535
3 GM Flear, Glenn C 6.0 ENG 2459 GM Mista, Aleksander 6.0 POL 2567
4 GM Fodor, Tamas Jr. 5.5 HUN 2492 GM Williams, Simon K 5.5 ENG 2439
5 IM Sarkar, Justin 5.5 USA 2407 GM Hebden, Mark L 5.5 ENG 2469
6 IM Bagi, Mate 5.5 HUN 2440 FM Batchelor, Peter J 5.5 ENG 2307
7 GM Romanishin, Oleg M 5.0 UKR 2462 IM Bates, Richard A 5.0 ENG 2331
8 IM Nagy, Gabor 5.0 HUN 2403 FM Radovanovic, Jovica 5.0 SRB 2321
9 IM Eggleston, David J 5.0 ENG 2396 FM Karthik, V. AP 5.0 IND 2310
10 IM Krishna C R G 5.0 IND 2367 IM Rudd, Jack 5.0 ENG 2255

I believe that Peter needs a draw for an IM norm.

[Mick Norris]

Let's hope he gets it

EDIT Peter is a bit unlucky to finish with 2 blacks

[Alex McFarlane]

Norm Possibilities (subject to confirmation)

IM Norms
Peter Batchelor requires a draw

V AP Karthik requires a win


Robin Cunningham does not meet the required opponent.

[Jonathan Rogers]

All the best to Peter, who certainly deserves a norm from what I have seen.

Is anyone able to say what the impact of Tradewise sponsorship has been, if any? It seems to me that that the British entry is, at best, no stronger than usual. (Although not to complain; the event with which Trademark is better associated, Gibraltar, tends to have an especially small British entry in relative terms, and often only one or two British players on the top fifteen to twenty boards).

[LawrenceCooper]

All the best to Peter, who certainly deserves a norm from what I have seen.

Is anyone able to say what the impact of Tradewise sponsorship has been, if any? It seems to me that that the British entry is, at best, no stronger than usual. (Although not to complain; the event with which Trademark is better associated, Gibraltar, tends to have an especially small British entry in relative terms, and often only one or two British players on the top fifteen to twenty boards).

I think, but have no insider knowledge, that the sponsorship was to save the congress so that it could continue as opposed to being intended to enhance the event from previous years.

[Roger de Coverly]

I think, but have no insider knowledge, that the sponsorship was to save the congress so that it could continue as opposed to being intended to enhance the event from previous years.

I think this is the last year in which the Congress will have any financial support from the Hastings Council. Hopefully the Council will still see it as positive for the national and world image of Hastings, even if it is no longer able to supply finance.

http://www.hastingschess.com/hastings-c ... nding-cut/
http://www.ecforum.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=7119

[Jonathan Rogers]

All the best to Peter, who certainly deserves a norm from what I have seen.

Is anyone able to say what the impact of Tradewise sponsorship has been, if any? It seems to me that that the British entry is, at best, no stronger than usual. (Although not to complain; the event with which Trademark is better associated, Gibraltar, tends to have an especially small British entry in relative terms, and often only one or two British players on the top fifteen to twenty boards).

I think, but have no insider knowledge, that the sponsorship was to save the congress so that it could continue as opposed to being intended to enhance the event from previous years.

Ok, worth knowing. Still a shame that it seems better supported from Eastern Europe, but that's the chess world, I suppose.

[Tim Harding]

Norm Possibilities (subject to confirmation)

IM Norms
Peter Batchelor requires a draw

V AP Karthik requires a win

Batchelor gave up a pawn at move 9 as Black in a Caro-Kann, is this theory?

[Carl Hibbard]

Norm Possibilities (subject to confirmation)

IM Norms
Peter Batchelor requires a draw

V AP Karthik requires a win

Batchelor gave up a pawn at move 9 as Black in a Caro-Kann, is this theory?

No idea but I suppose g6 instead and the h pawn gets rammed down your throat?

[LawrenceCooper]

Norm Possibilities (subject to confirmation)

IM Norms
Peter Batchelor requires a draw

V AP Karthik requires a win

Batchelor gave up a pawn at move 9 as Black in a Caro-Kann, is this theory?

I've not seen f5 before, g6, h6 and Kh8 in that order are the normal replies.

[Roger de Coverly]

Batchelor gave up a pawn at move 9 as Black in a Caro-Kann, is this theory?

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ exf6 6. c3 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. Qc2 Re8+ 9. Ne2 f5

On a relatively superficial search, it seems a novelty. Previous choices have been 9. .. g6 ( Szabo in 1936) , 9. .. h6 (Golombek in 1951) and 9. .. Kh8 (Duras in 1909). It is however the first choice of the stockfish at chessbomb. I'm not sure it's really wise to give your opponent pawn odds, even where an engine thinks it OK. In its evaluation, how much weight does an engine give to being a pawn down in an ending beyond its search horizon?

[Barry Sandercock]

Keith Arkell winning with a well played kingside attack (Move 30 )

[John McKenna]

IM Justin Sarkar 1-0 GM Mark Hebden - neat play by the American.

[Tim Harding]

Keith Arkell winning with a well played kingside attack (Move 30 )

Keith has won.
Mark Hebden and Glenn Flear lost.
Richard Bates drew with Black against Romanishin (well done!)

Danny Gormally looks very likely to win.

LATER: Gormally has won.
Peter Batchelor achieved the draw he needed, congratulations!
The critical moment seems to have been move 34 when White played the exchange sac Rxf4, apparently reckoning that Nxf4 (allowing Black rooks to the 7th rank) was too risky - though engines may not agree.