The residents of Almagro are already experienced. They know that if they have to walk down Sánchez de Bustamante at 5:00 in the afternoon, they are sure to see tables on the sidewalk and people playing games. Chess. That’s why no one was surprised when at 7:30 p.m. on Friday There was a lot of activity at the gate of Torre Blanca. But they should have been amazed, because that’s how it is in the club Cradle of talent and constant coach of boys and girls in the “Science Game” there was a real chess party, with the tournament flash strongest in the last 30 years and that ended with an awards ceremony on the sidewalk rapFernet and Milanesas.
He Masterful Szmetan Giardellithe best post-pandemic closed tournament on Argentine soil, was the perfect excuse for the strong champions, who will face each other at the Recoleta Cultural Center, to relax after the fifth round a space of community with the vast majority of the country’s best graduates.
It didn’t matter that the strong wind and humidity cracked the ground. Across the 50 tables, Troy burned at this frantic pace that gives each player three minutes plus two seconds per move. Pure instinct. Little time to analyze.
“I didn’t come with the thought of winning or losing. I came because this is a chess festival and it’s historic,” the MI told him. Guillermo Llanos to this reporter before the start of the first round, in which they faced off in an obviously unequal duel. Beside him, MI added his joy Daniel Continwho has been playing under the Italian flag for many years and traveled from La Plata to Almagro so as not to miss the event.
The Norwegian Aryan Tarithe Bulgarian Ivan Cheparinovthe Peruvians Julio Granda and the Latvians nationalized Spanish Alexei Shirov They looked at the official posters of memorable tournaments that hung in the club, while at the end of the table, paradoxically in the room closest to the street, there were luxurious observers: the world champions, in the portraits on the walls.
The group of young referees went back and forth, ordering the chaos, and the hubbub ended each time they heard, “Players with white pieces who have a rival…can move.” Handshake. Mutual desire for a “good game” between rivals at each table. Complete silence. The only sound that could be heard was the “ticking” of the digital clocks after each train.
Water, lemonade, juices, isotonic drinks, beer or energy drinks. It was all worth it to escape the heat. There was absolutely no anti-doping.
It was a tournament for history: 101 players, 13 great masters15 International Masters, Female MI Anapaola Borda Rodas, 11 FIDE Masters and Female FIDE Master Maisa Nejansky. At such an overwhelmingly fast pace there were hits from IM Germán Della Morte on Shirov, from IM Franco Villegas on Granda and Cheparinov, from IM Maximiliano Pérez on Granda and from MF Agustín Villarreal on Cheparinov.
Tari was the champion with 9.5 points in 11 rounds and the grandmasters followed him by one unit Diego Flores, Federico Perez Ponsa (only undefeated) and Sandro Mareco. The Shirov GMs were left with 8, Diego Valerga And Leandro Krysaplus Villegas. Like any party, it ended with a bang: awards thumped on the sidewalk, Cheparinov hit the fernet, and Shirov hit one Milanga Buenos Aires The pretext was chess.
The international teacher Ilan Schnaidera 14-year-old Argentine prodigy, hit Szmetan Giardelli in the sixth round of the Magistral and defeated Peruvian grandmaster Julio Granda with white in 22 moves.
The first game that ended was the game between Sandro Mareco and MI Faustino Oro (12), who thought more than necessary about a double-edged position that his rival had studied well.
Ivan Cheparinov defeated MI Thomas DarcylOrganizer of the tournament and in the last two duels there was a long fight. The GM Sergio Slipak He defended with experience and got a great draw against Alexei Shirov. And the last to finish was not for the faint of heart: Diego Flores had turned the tables on Aryan Tari, he had captivated him with his brashness, and in the rush of time he didn’t see checkmate in the net and lost.
Tari and Cheparinov lead with 4.5 points, with Shirov and Oro half a unit behind needs 1.5 points in the last three games to reach his second grandmaster standard. The seventh round takes place this Sunday from 2 p.m. with the duels Cheparinov-Oro, Flores-Schnaider, Shirov-Mareco, Slipak-Tari and Granda-Darcyl.
About The Author
