English Chess Forum

Started today with Jones and Howell in the A group

www.uschesschamps.com/2019-summer-chess ... ss-classic

www.chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournamen ... 19-a/1/1/2

Pairings round 1

Table White Score Fed. Rating Black Score Fed. Rating Result
1 GM Jones, Gawain C B 0.0 ENG 2709 GM Xiong, Jeffery 0.0 USA 2684 ½-½
2 GM Shankland, Sam 0.0 USA 2717 GM Howell, David W L 0.0 ENG 2692 0-1
3 GM Swiercz, Dariusz 0.0 USA 2667 GM Le, Quang Liem 0.0 VIE 2694 ½-½

Very impressive opening game from Howell, I thought.

Vietnamese GM Q. Le - not resting on his laurels - has come hotfoot from China where he just won, outright, the Asian Continental Ch.

https://en.chessbase.com/post/le-quang- ... mpionships

NickFaulks wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 19, 2019 11:13 am

Very impressive opening game from Howell, I thought.

Yes, David won a rook for knight, but at the 40th move (the end, it seems) Shankland had two knights for rook and two pawns.

Either Shankland lost on time or his position was worse than it looks?

John McKenna wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 19, 2019 12:08 pm

at the 40th move

According to chessbomb.com it was 85 moves

https://www.chessbomb.com/arena/2019-su ... _David_W_L

At move 40, the stockfish at that site thinks White is about a pawn worse.

Anyone know the reason that Duda pulled out? How much notice did David get?

Nick Burrows wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 19, 2019 3:11 pm

Anyone know the reason that Duda pulled out? How much notice did David get?

Interesting questions! I had also wondered about both of them, so emailed Saint Louis this afternoon and just now received this reply:

Jan was invited on April 18th and returned his signed player agreement on April 24th. The field was set and players notified on May 31st. Jan's manager, Adam Dzwonkowski, informed me that Jan was withdrawing from the tournament June 1st.. We contacted a number of potential replacement players and found that David Howell was available and interested in playing on June 5th. You will have to ask Jan his reasoning for withdrawing, as it's our policy not to discuss player negotiations and contracts.

Tony Rich

Executive Director

Saint Louis Chess Club

Thanks Leonard!

Very odd behaviour..

1 GM Xiong, J. (½) 2684 1 - 0 GM Le, Quang L. (½) 2694
2 GM Howell, D. W. (1) 2692 ½ - ½ GM Swiercz, D. (½) 2667
3 GM Jones, G. C. (½) 2709 ½ - ½ GM Shankland, S. (0) 2717

Roger de Coverly wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 19, 2019 12:14 pm

John McKenna wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 19, 2019 12:08 pm

at the 40th move

According to chessbomb.com it was 85 moves

SNIP

At move 40, the stockfish at that site thinks White is about a pawn worse.

In round 2 GM Q. Le was laid low with his 2nd black in a row.

At present I have only 30 moves of Xiong-Le and imagine Le was not long in giving up the ghost.

He may have overreached by jetting straight from winning a big event in China to a big one in the US.

Swiercz, Dariusz - Jones, Gawain C B ½-½ 60 C78 Ruy Lopez Moeller Defence
Shankland, Sam - Xiong, Jeffery ½-½ 49 A20 English Opening
Le, Quang Liem - Howell, David W L ½-½ 110 C50 Giuoco Piano

Good save by David Howell - two pawns down in a rook and minor piece each ending.

I see that after 72 moves David managed to remove the last remaining white pawn at the cost of his bishop and held on with rook v. R & N until his opponent, Le, conceded a draw on move 110.

New Asian Continental Champion GM Q. Le must be disappointed that a win somehow escaped him.

Both Howell and Jones were busted more than once, David facing a decisive king's side attack and Gawain because of a misplayed opening, but somehow survived with help from their opponents.

Howell, David W L - Jones, Gawain C B ½-½ 79 D85 Gruenfeld Defence
Swiercz, Dariusz - Xiong, Jeffery ½-½ 36 B06 Modern Defence
Le, Quang Liem - Shankland, Sam ½-½ 30 C50 Giuoco Piano