WCH round 9

Finally, we know it! We have 12 players in the final and one titel to win. Now it is a completely new tournament and the fore round will be forgotten.

In group A there was only one game of big importance: Gantwarg-Samb.

After the first fase of the game, nobody doubted that Samb would succeed in playing a draw, but later there came some doubts. With nice positional play Gantwarg created some new tension in the game.

It all led to an end game that , at a glance, looked dangerous to Samb, but the African player calculated thoughroughly and colected the necessary draw. Now he will be the only player of his continent to play in the final this year.

Edenebileg had to win from Thijssen, in group B. It became a classical game and Thijssen felt very comfortable with it. After a severe mistake from Erdenebileg, it was not difficult for Thijssen to cash both points.

The big suprise in this group (and in the tournament) is Huseynov. In the last round there was no need for battle between him and Chizhov. According to the rules the played 40 moves.

Group C was the group that the public came for. There were 4 games of importance!

A short impression of what happened:

Kirzner-Lorevil

Kirzner must have had good hope to reach the final. His last move 27. 50-44 in this position was poisonous, especially because it is a normal positional move.

Lorevil becomes the victim:

... 12-17? 28.35-30! 24x35 29.29-24 20x49 30. 38-32 49x27 31.37-31 26x37 42x4

Kirzner won.

Gérard Jansen had the luxury to play for practice against the ruling Worl Champion, who could not play completely without being a little nervous, while he still needed a draw in this last round.

In doing that he had no problems, but the following position made him smile:

G.Jansen-Georgiev

Black to play:

51. ...7-11?

...12-17! Black+

This draw was sufficient for Georgiev to leave Kirzner behind, while he had three +draws.

For Kirzner now, the game Clerc-Nosevitch would decide over his fate.

This was not a calm game! Clerc was fighting for his last small chance: The possibillity that Kirzner and Diakite would not win.

Nosevitch had to win and allready had packed his suitcase ....

He did not foresee himself playing one of the most heroic games in his career!

Clerc-Nosevitch

Black took all the risk needed.

Having nothing in 27-22 (24-29) etc., white played:

41.34-30 23-29!

White cannot play 42-37 (29-34) 30x39 (24-29) etc.

42.48-43 7-12 43.43-39 29-34 44.40-35 34x43 45.38x49 12-18 46.49-43? ...

Better is 36-31!

...18-23 47.42-38 13-18 48. 43-39 9-13!

If white now plays 36-31, black answers strongly with (17-22)

49.35-30 24x35 50. 25-20 23-29 51.33x24 19x30

Later black forced a winning end game.

GroupD:

It is a pitty for Podolsky, but we were very happy with Valneris, who showed his big Grand Mastership again, beating Heusdens in the last round.

Valneris-Heusdens

It is white to play.

Impossible to tell about all the things that happened in this game, but you could almost hear the wires in Valneris` brains working, during the play.

We go to the final stage:

36.38-32!37x28 37.29-23 28-32 38.23x14 32-37 39.14-10 37-42 40.33-29! ...

Black can`t get his king.

...22-28 41.46-41 21-27 42.41-37 42x31 43.10-5 21-27 44.5x3!

White+.

Paul Oudshoorn.