The World Juniors Chess Championships are being played in Istanbul; from November 8th to 23 rd is by far the strongest event of its kind given its history over the past decade. A record number of 14 GMs, 23 IMs, 14 FMs, 12 WGMs, 16 WIMs and 8 WFMs total 160 players (92 boys and 68 girls) from 56. Leading the ratings list is the new Azerbaijani chess phenomenon and defending champion and the Georgian International Master Nana Dzagnidze (2443) .
The South African delegation consists of IM Heinrich Stander, Leon De Bruyn and Kgaugelo Mosetlhe. Deon Solomons provides both the coaching and managerial support for this cruel competition, demanding focus and for thirteen rounds, in a field where our players are ranked 80 th , 87 th and 89 th respectively. The top sixty players all have Elo ratings above 2300, 36 of them having 2400+ ratings, while the top 20 are all 2500 or above. The top four players are +2600 Elo.
After 14 hours of flying and an additional 9 hours spent in transit it is to be expected that the three participants are exhausted, and will need a least 24 hours to recover and obtain sufficient rest.
Upon arrival at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul on Tuesday 8 November (8pm local time), the players and coaches were shuttled to the hotel and playing venue, with the city lights, sights and sounds of this famous city providing welcome relief on an arduous journey.
The morning of the first day (Wednesday, 9 November) was an opportunity to unwind, socialize, sample cuisine and beverages, and by 12 noon that day we were able to prepare for the first round.
The opening ceremony, hosted by the Turkish Chess Federation, took place on November 9th at 15:30h in the Golden Age Hotel. The Tournament Directors are Abdurrahman KORAL (TUR), Ozan Veli CAKIR (TUR), and the Chief Arbiter is Faiq GASANOV (AZE). The first round started promptly at 16:30.
Round 1
A complete list of results can be found at the URL: 
http://www.fide.com/calendar The big surprise of the first round was Kgaugelo Mosetlhe's win over a highly rated opponent Gabriel Grecescu (2388) from Romania . His for fortuitous entry onto the international scene at such a prestigious event, with the illustrious turn-out described earlier, speaks volumes for this young talent from Thswane , South Africa . Leon De Bruyn suffered jet lag and blundered a pawn in the opening; he never really displayed the flair he is renown for at home. Our youngest International Master Heinrich Stander played a solid opening with the White pieces but succumbed to the wily Fide Master Tornike Sanikidze when he overlooked a subtle trap in the late middle game.
Round 2
Thursday 10 November 2005
After some aggressive opening stratagems, Mosetlhe was able to procure a small middle-game advantage against a highly rated Fide Master from Kazakhstan ( Kirill Kuderinov 2432 ). Then, as soon as Kirill attempted counter-play with 25.Ng5, our player simply collapsed with the erroneous 26.Nxg5, after which he never looked like recovering. Leon 's Grand Prix Attack was neutralized after the Bishop for Knight swap 12.Nxb3 leaving him with a bad dark squared bishop and misplaced pieces. Some fanciful flirtations on the K-side never really looked threatening enough, and after unleashing 28.Nxg7 (exchanging his strongest piece for Black's worst placed piece) he was simply lost. What a brave effort by Heinrich! He played some really inspiring moves today, simply outclassing his opponent in a bishop of opposite colour ending. After sacrificing two pawns, it became clear that there was nothing left to play for, so Fide Master Davit Jojua politely offered a draw.
Round 3
Friday 11 November 2005
Today Leon was the only one to bring in a point against his Algerian 
opponent Azzedine Bekkat (2202). His play was exemplary, since he displayed maturity in his opening preparation and was patient to convert this initiative to a winning advantage. The Algerian team is the only other representatives from Africa . They are also struggling against to find there rhythm, but I am sure things will improve with time. More later today!! Deon
Round 4
Saturday 12 November 2005
Fourth Round Results:
Tab |
Rank |
T |
Name Country |
Scre |
Country Name |
T |
Rank |
37 |
87 |
|
De Bruyn Leon 0 ZAR |
0 - 1 |
AZE 2321 Aleskerov Faik |
|
55 |
39 |
89 |
|
Mosetlhe Kgaugelo 0 ZAR |
1 - 0 |
SUI 2314 Carron Julien |
FM |
58 |
42 |
71 |
|
Ouakhir Mehdi 2239 MAR |
0 - 1 |
ZAR 2128 Stander Heinrich |
IM |
80 |
A glance at the scoreboard reveals the truth: GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (whose first name, by the way, means "god of chess" in some middle-eastern dialects) really is the player to beat (he is the only male player who has 4 points in as many games). Watching his games on the Live Channel (no spectators / kibitzers allowed in playing arena please) instills one with a sense that some new chess revolution is on the horizon. This young man is in a class of his own. The Woman Grand Master Gu Xiaoping (2330) from China is alone on 4 out of 4. For pictures of our young lads and lasses, see the Turkish chess federation URL http://www.tcf.org/ and then click on the World Junior Chess Championships dialogue, then scan through the drop-down menus. On table 39 Mosetlhe's home preparation paid dividend when he scored an overwhelming victory in the Catalan Opening against Fide Master Julien Carron (2314) from Switzerland . A model of positional play! From a qualitative point of view, this is by far Kgaugelo's best effort yet. Leon de Bruyn lost against Faik Alsekerov (2321) from Azerbaijan despite spending enormous effort in preparation, and investing even more time on the clock during the game. His opponent seemed to have a better grasp of the finer detail of the opening. Enter International Master Heinrich Stander! In a last minute change of plans and a flurry of rushed preparation he unleashed the Dutch Defence (the previous night was spent refining aspects of more compelling Indian systems). It is still not clear which of the two players were in a greater state of shock with this turn of events, probably Heinrich, since he emerged from the opening with a position riddled with dark square weaknesses and a hole on e6. Such is the impact of surprise that Medhi Ouakhir (2239) rushed with 21. Ne6? And was duly punished for his impudence, and subsequently routed (The new tournament record, a grand total of 91 moves).
Round 5
Sunday 13 November 2005
Fifth Round Results:
Tab |
Rank |
T |
Name Country |
Scre |
Country Name |
T |
Rank |
30 |
45 |
FM |
Perdomo Leandro 2373 ARG |
1 - 0 |
ZAR 0 Mosetlhe Kgaugelo |
|
89 |
38 |
80 |
IM |
Stander Heinrich 2128 ZAR |
0 - 1 |
USR 2425 Papin Vasily |
FM |
31 |
40 |
58 |
FM |
Carron Julien 2314 SUI |
1 - 0 |
ZAR 0 De Bruyn Leon |
|
87 |
The South African contingent seems to have fallen for the 2 minutes a side rapid fad, since for the third consecutive night now Mosetlhe, Stander and De Bruyn are drawing attention with their youthful vigour and supersonic speed in the Lion Hotel Café Lounge. Is it time for some higher authority to step in and curtail their fun? On a day that the mood was somber and the rain was pouring on the coastal town of Istanbul , the omens did not favour South Africa . We lost all three games today. It must be said that Heinrich once again upped the ante with a formidable performance, missing two winning chances in the endgame, the obvious one being 56. Re7 +- instead of the move 56. Rd7? Nxg5!-+. Fide Master Vasily Papin displayed fine technique to rein in the full point.
Round 6
Monday 14 November 2005
Sixth Round Results:
Tab |
Rank |
T |
Name Country |
Scre |
Country Name |
T |
Rank |
41 |
77 |
|
Tulay Berkay 2179 TUR |
1 - 0 |
ZAR 2128 Stander Heinrich |
IM |
80 |
36 |
89 |
|
Mosetlhe Kgaugelo 0 ZAR |
0 - 1 |
IRL 2304 Jessel Stephen |
|
60 |
43 |
87 |
|
Sarwary Hamidullah 0 AFG |
½-½ |
ZAR 0 De Bruyn Leon |
|
87 |
Tomorrow being rest day we look forward to some excursions to historical sights such as Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque and Topkapi. Tonight, after the day's round, we are out on the town and visit the Club Fancy discotheque. But before this endevour into decadence a playa has to deal with the small matter of a well armed, loftily rated round 6 opponent! Stephen Jessel (2304) from Ireland out prepared Mosetlhe in the Catalan Opening. Leon was not quite up against a rival with towering Elo (so the first paragraph is false?). As a result, he soared at high altitude for most of the game, only to lose nautical bearing and allow his now legendary opponent - ala Nigel Short's recent article on http://www.chessbase.com - the unrated Hamidullah Sarwary from Afghanistan , to escape with a draw after a highly frustrating, time consuming and unsuccessful King hunt. It is with little wonder that the mere mention of the name of teenage sensation Heinrich Stander instills fear in the heart of many a novice. Today we were able to set a trap for Berkay Tulay (only 2179??) by luring him into the Yugoslav KID. After blundering with 8.a4 Berkay had to face 10.e6! And to top it all, 12.b5! wins in all variations. Result: a relatively easy win with Black for Heinrich.
Round 11
Sunday 20 November 2005
Eleventh Round Results:
Exhaustion sets in, the atmosphere is somewhat somber and Istanbul is cold. The first snow appears on the city streets. In the dark, Heinrich , Leon and Kgaugelo are exalted with the sight of snowflakes drifting from a gray sky downwards amid pallid streetlamp reflections.
The tournament has been a long stretch; the game quality fluctuates, even on the top boards. Only tournament leader Shak Mamedyarov is in a comfort zone, cruising to victory with a sequence of short draws.
A most impressive sight in the tournament hall is that of Grand Maters Erwin L'ami (2541), Daniel Stellwagen (2561) and Jan Smeets (2531), all proud, youthful representatives under the Dutch flag among the top ten boards.
One wonders when our nation will be able to send such a strong contingent abroad. I suspect that such a prospect is not merely a vague dream, but a compelling reality that is in the near future, fast approaching our South African youths.
Today Heinrich played the Swede Hans Tikkanen (2343). Having White against the Modern Defence, he was able to maintain a positional advantage until he wavered with 28.Qd2?!. Black quickly equalized, and soon launched a Kingside attack. In the time scramble, White should have won a whole piece with 40. Nxg4 + -. Instead, he blundered with 40.Rg1? and after the infiltration 40.Ng3 - +, Black soon won.
Kgaugelo played the Sicilian Najdorf against Brice laval (2214). He blundered a pawn in the opening, but yet again he displayed his remarkable courage to recover in the face of adversary. A sequence of very strong moves for Black quickly turned the tables, and Kgaugelo scored a brilliant victory!
Leon did some thorough homework against the Scotch Game, took his opponent Ronald Villa (unrated) by surprise with 4.Qh4!? and always appeared in charge. Unfortunately, poor handling of his time led to the ludicrous 20.c6?? 21. Ba5+ Ke8 22. Nc7+ after which he resigned.
Round 12
Monday 20 November 2005
Twelfth Round Results:
Leon De Bruyn was the only player to maintain some degree of respectability to the South African scorecard today. He drew in his game against the unrated Deniz Tasdelen in an Exchange variation of the Ruy Lopez. Hamed Moosavian (2263) from Iran has had a good tournament thus far, scoring draws and wins over strong international masters and grand masters, even though his score of 4.5 does not quite reflect his strength. The same could be said about our players, since the tournament is extremely tough, as reflected by South Africa 's low seeding. Nonetheless, our boys play fighting chess, and with this experience come inevitable growth and certain success in the near future. Hamed was able to obtain a clear advantage with White, which he amicably converted to a full point, not giving Black many chances for counterplay. Kgaugelo missed one or two drawing chances against Mesgen Amanov (2273), but I think at the end of the day it was exhaustion that cost him the game.
