22nd June, 2009 Oceania Zonal

This week is an exciting week for Australian chess as Australia is hosting the Oceania Zonal Tournament at Tweed Heads on the Gold Coast.

Ninety-one players from our region are competing in the Zonal and the Women’s Zonal with the winners earning the right to play in the World Cup later in the year.

As an additional attraction the world number 6 player, Levon Aronian from Armenia, is attending the tournament to support his girlfriend, Australia’s no.2 lady Arianne Caoli.

It’s easy these days for chess enthusiasts to follow the progress of the event as the tournament web site features live games, live commentary from Ian Rogers, a web cam and a live blog run by the “Closet Grandmaster” which allows you to follow all the action as it happens. The web address is: http://www.gardinerchess.com/oceaniazonal/oceaniazonal2009.htm

The live blog certainly makes you feel as though you are at the tournament. Take for instance the shock news in the Women’s event that Sue Maroroa resigned in 8 moves against Irina Berezina. Ian Rogers commented: “By the way, not so long ago Caoili’s main rival Irina Berezina was handed a free point when her opponent, Sue Maroroa, could not handle being asked not to talk to her boyfriend (GM Jones) during the game and resigned in tears on move 8. Sue had been playing well this tournament but it is amazing that a player would expect to be allowed to leave the playing hall to chat with anybody during a Zonal tournament.”

I’ve been following some of the games of our top two players, GM Zhao and our newly qualified GM Smerdon, and they have both displayed great fighting qualities to squeeze wins out of dubious positions in the early rounds. To be a top player you need a strong determination to win and an ability to take risks. Have a look at how Smerdon swindled Levi from a pawn down in a rook ending.

Smerdon, David (2489) - Levi, Eddy (2216) Tweed Heads Oceanic Zonal (2) Jun 20, 2009 C43 - Petroff/Steinitz Variation

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 Nxe4 4.Bd3 d5 5.Nxe5 Nd7 6.Nc3 Nxe5 7.dxe5 Nxc3 8.bxc3 Qh4 9.O-O Be7 10.f4 Bg4 11.Qd2 O-O 12.f5 f6 13.Qf4 fxe5 14.Qxe5 Bc5+ 15.Kh1 Rad8 16.Bf4 c6 17.Rae1 Qh5 18.Qc7 Bxf5 19.Be5 Rd7 20.Rxf5 Qxf5 21.Bxf5 Rxc7 22.Be6+ Rcf7 23.Rf1 Be7 24.g4 Bf6 25.Bd6 Rd8 26.Bc5 b6 27.Bd4 Rd7 28.Bxf6 gxf6 29.Bxd7 Rxd7 30.Rxf6 c5  It is hard to imagine how Black could lose from this position. If you took all the queenside pawns off the board Black could easily draw by just hiding his King on g7 or h8 and leaving his rook on the back rank.

Play continued: 31.Rf3 Kg7 32.Kg2 Kg6 33.h4 Re7 34.Rf5 Re2+ 35.Kf3 Rxc2 36.h5+ Kg7 37.Rxd5 Rxc3+ 38.Kf4 Rc4+ 39.Kf5 Rd4 40.Re5 Rd7 41.Re6 Rc7 42.h6+ Kf8 43.g5 Rf7+ 44.Ke5 Rf2 45.Rc6 Re2+ 46.Kf4 Rf2+ 47.Kg3  Now Levi blunders. White is threatening 48.g6 hxg 49.Rc8+ Kf7 50.h7 1-0 but 47…Rf5 48.Kg4 Rf2 should hold the draw.

47…Rf7 48.g6! hxg6 49.Rc8+ Ke7 50.h7 Rxh7 51.Rc7+ Kd6 52.Rxh7 c4 53.Rxa7 Kc5 54.Kf3 Kb4 55.Ke2 b5 56.Kd2 g5 57.Kc2 g4 58.a3+ Kc5 1-0

A remarkable win from the worse side of a drawn position.