European Club Cup 11-19 October 2018

[Mick Norris]

round 2 pairings with 3Cs promoted to 45th seeds

Dublin get the bye

[Chris Rice]

Bit of a shocker from Round 1. A Swedish IM playing Black, rated 219 points higher, 27 minutes left on his clock and just needing to play 45...Ke7 when White can resign decided to play 45...Rbf2?? instead.

[benedgell]

Khalifman- Speelman is the one that stands out for me for round 2.

On a different note, why is the Women's section split into 2 groups?

[NickFaulks]

Khalifman- Speelman is the one that stands out for me for round 2.

Could easily fizzle.

[Chris Rice]

On a different note, why is the Women's section split into 2 groups?

According to the two commentators I was listening to on Chess24 yesterday it's to bring a bit of excitement to that section which tends to get overlooked. The following game from Round 1 certainly was jaw dropping:

Bodnaruk, Anastasia (ssh) - Gunina, Valentina (pen)
½-½
European Women Club Cup 2018 round 01

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. h4 a6 5. h5 h6 6. g4 Bd7 7. f4 c5 8. c3 e6 9. Nf3 Qb6 10. Kf2 Nc6 11. Kg3 O-O-O 12. Rh2 g6 13. hxg6 fxg6 14. Qd3 cxd4 15. cxd4 g5 16. Nxg5 Nge7 17. Nf7 Rg8 18. Kh3 Nxd4 19. Be3 Nef5 20. gxf5 Bb5 21. Rc2+ Nxc2 22. Qxc2+ Bc5 23. Bxb5 d4 24. Nxd8 Kxd8 25. Ba4 Qc7 26. f6 Qf7 27. Kh4 dxe3 28. Qxc5 Rg1 29. Qd6+ Kc8 30. Qc5+ Kb8 31. Qd6+ Ka7 32. Qd4+ Ka8 33. Qd8+ Ka7 34. Qd4+ Ka8 35. Qd8+ Ka7 36. Qe8 Qc7 37. f7 Rh1+ 38. Kg4 Qc4 39. Nc3 Rh4+ 40. Kxh4 Qxf4+ ½-½

[Christopher Kreuzer]

The following game from Round 1 certainly was jaw dropping:

Bodnaruk, Anastasia (ssh) - Gunina, Valentina (pen)
½-½
European Women Club Cup 2018 round 01

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. h4 a6 5. h5 h6 6. g4 Bd7 7. f4 c5 8. c3 e6 9. Nf3 Qb6 10. Kf2 Nc6 11. Kg3 O-O-O 12. Rh2 g6 13. hxg6 fxg6 14. Qd3 cxd4 15. cxd4 g5 16. Nxg5 Nge7 17. Nf7 Rg8 18. Kh3 Nxd4 19. Be3 Nef5 20. gxf5 Bb5 21. Rc2+ Nxc2 22. Qxc2+ Bc5 23. Bxb5 d4 24. Nxd8 Kxd8 25. Ba4 Qc7 26. f6 Qf7 27. Kh4 dxe3 28. Qxc5 Rg1 29. Qd6+ Kc8 30. Qc5+ Kb8 31. Qd6+ Ka7 32. Qd4+ Ka8 33. Qd8+ Ka7 34. Qd4+ Ka8 35. Qd8+ Ka7 36. Qe8 Qc7 37. f7 Rh1+ 38. Kg4 Qc4 39. Nc3 Rh4+ 40. Kxh4 Qxf4+ ½-½

Wow. That is an amazing game.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Khalifman- Speelman is the one that stands out for me for round 2.

Other board pairings:

Carlsen - Potkin
Paravyan - Howell

3Cs have a slight edge on the top boards, and are outgraded on the bottom board. Interesting match-up for Wood Green. Grantham Sharks outgraded but have a fighting chance. White Rose favourites in their match. Blackthorne Russia also favourites in their match after their 6-0 loss in the previous round. White Knights heavily outgraded again.

Good win for Conrad Ho in round 1. And a good draw for Charles Stuart McMillan. We will pass over why Wood Green failed to win 6-0 (partially mentioned elsewhere already). Good win also for Peter Bevan over an IM.

About round 1: there were eight 6-0 results, ten 5½-½ results, five 5-1 results, two 4½-1½ results, and five 4-2 results. Of those eight 6-0 results, two came on lower pairings, but six of them were in the top eight pairings. Looking at those top eight pairings, the higher-rated sides field 44 GMs and 4 IMs, with only two points being dropped (two draws and a loss - Chigaev and Howell drew [against another GM], while Tari lost [also to another GM]). Pruijssers, Potkin and Anderson were the only GMs to beat another GM, with Potkin being rewarded with a game against Carlsen in round 2.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Here is the win by International Director of the Welsh Chess Union (playing for White Knights Chess Club) Peter M. Bevan (1886) over IM Bogdan Podlesnik (2365). Peter Bevan (born 1952) has been rated as high as 2180 in July 1993, so not a complete surprise, but still impressive. Bogdan Podlesnik (born 1961) is registered to Montenegro (maybe 46.Qa6 was the key mistake?).

IM Bogdan Podlesnik (2365) 0-1 Peter M. Bevan (1886)
1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd8 4. Bc4 c6 5. a4 Bf5 6. Nge2 e6 7. Ng3 Bg6 8. O-O h5 9. h3 h4 10. Nge2 Nf6 11. d3 Nbd7 12. a5 Bc5 13. Kh1 Qc7 14. d4 Bd6 15. Bd3 Bxd3 16. Qxd3 O-O-O 17. a6 b6 18. Be3 Kb8 19. f3 Nh5 20. Ne4 Nf4 21. Qd2 Nxe2 22. Qxe2 Bf4 23. Bg1 Nf6 24. Nxf6 gxf6 25. b4 Rh5 26. c4 Rg8 27. Ra2 Qe7 28. Qe4 Qc7 29. b5 cxb5 30. cxb5 f5 31. Qb1 Rc8 32. d5 Rhh8 33. Ra4 Bg3 34. Rd1 Rhd8 35. Ra2 Qc4 36. Rad2 Qc7 37. Qb4 Qd6 38. Qb3 e5 39. Rc2 e4 40. Rc6 Rxc6 41. bxc6 Kc7 42. fxe4 fxe4 43. Qa4 f5 44. Bxb6+ axb6 45. a7 e3 46. Qa6 Qxc6 47. Qa1 e2 48. Rc1 Qxc1+ 49. Qxc1+ Kb7 50. a8=Q+ Kxa8 51. Qa3+ Kb8

[Leonard Barden]

Frozen boards for the past hour on Chess 24, chessbase and chessbomb-BUT chessdom is working, apparently with the same technology as for Carlsen v Caruana. So a rare brownie point for Agon...

http://ecc.chessdom.com/

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Richard Bates's game features in the Chessbase report on round 1:

https://en.chessbase.com/post/euro-club ... 18-round-1

The fourth strongest squad in Greece is Mednyi Vsadnik from Saint Petersburg. Their 6:0 included nice wins by their two first boards, Nikita Vitiugov and Vladimir Fedoseev. Nikita, who did not shine in Batumi, put his queen and rook en prise in consecutive moves and won the game immediately afterwards — the computer shows that the first "sacrifice" was actually a mistake, but his English opponent did not find the refutation:[...] The g4-knight is guarding h2, so White has trouble on the back-rank. After 31...Rxd4, White would have to give up his queen with 32.Qxg4 to keep the game alive (in case of 32.exd4, 33.Qxc6! and White cannot take due to mate on e1). Vitiugov, however, "found" 31...Qxd4?, when 32.Qxg4 actually saves White. Richard Bates went for 32.Nf4 instead, and the Russian continued his central storm with 32...Rxe3! — White resigned after 33.Nxh5+ Kf8: [...] The entrance on e1 is unavoidable.

Richard Bates 0-1 Nikita Vitiugov
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 a6 4. Nc3 d5 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 Be6 7. e3 Nbd7 8. Be2 Bd6 9. Qc2 O-O 10. O-O Re8 11. Bh4 c6 12. Ng5 Nf8 13. Nxe6 Rxe6 14. Qf5 Qc7 15. Bg3 Bxg3 16. hxg3 Rae8 17. Rac1 Qe7 18. Bd3 g6 19. Qf4 h5 20. Qh4 Kg7 21. Ne2 Qb4 22. Nf4 R6e7 23. Rc2 N8h7 24. a3 Qd6 25. b4 Rh8 26. Rfc1 Ng4 27. Bxa6 bxa6 28. Rxc6 Qd7 29. Nxd5 Re4 30. Nf4 Rhe8 31. Nxg6 Qxd4 32. Nf4 Rxe3 33. Nxh5+ Kf8

I wonder if Richard was in time trouble for the critical moves?

The Chessbase report also features Vladimir Fedoseev's win over Andrew Ledger.

[Leonard Barden]

Frozen boards for the past hour on Chess 24, chessbase and chessbomb-BUT chessdom is working, apparently with the same technology as for Carlsen v Caruana. So a rare brownie point for Agon...

http://ecc.chessdom.com/

False dawn! Seems there are now also server problems at both lichess and chessdom.

[Leonard Barden]

All working again now, Carlsen v Potkin level at move 21.

[Mick Norris]

Richard Bates's game features in the Chessbase report on round 1:
SNIP
I wonder if Richard was in time trouble for the critical moves?

Yes he was short of time; it was Richard burning lots of time, rather than his position on the board, that worried me when I glanced at his game

Richard won today though

[David Robertson]

Richard won today though

...and Loz Cooper got out of jail again

[Mick Norris]

Which is more than can be said of Svidler