More Success in Round 2 of the World Teams

Building on a successful first day, the U.S. Open and Women’s Teams continued to impress today at the World Team Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan. The Open Team defeated a powerful China squad 2.5-1.5, and the Women’s Team overcame Hungary by a score of 3-1. Open Section Results, Rd 2 GM Alex Lenderman was today’s hero in the Open section, defeating GM Ni Hua with the Black pieces and winning the match.

[pgn]

[Event "World Teams 2019"]
[Site "Astana KAZ"]
[Date "2019.03.06"]
[Round "2.4"]
[White "Ni, Hua"]
[Black "Lenderman, Aleksandr"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E06"]
[WhiteElo "2683"]
[BlackElo "2637"]
[Annotator "Hartmann,John"]
[PlyCount "124"]
[EventDate "2019.03.05"]
[WhiteTeam "China"]
[BlackTeam "United States of America"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "CHN"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
c5 9. dxc5 Bxc5 10. Qxc4 b6 11. Ne5 Ra7 12. Nd3 Be7 13. Bf4 Bb7 14. Bxb7 Rxb7
15. Nd2 b5 16. axb5 axb5 17. Qc2 Nd5 18. Rfc1 (18. Nf3 Nd7 19. Rfc1 Qb6 20. Qc6
h6 21. Bd2 Qxc6 22. Rxc6 Rd8 23. Kf1 Bf6 24. Rac1 $14 {1/2 (67)-1/2 (67)
Kuzubov,Y (2655)-Lenderman,A (2626) Saint Louis 2018}) 18... Nd7 19. Nb3 Nxf4
20. Nxf4 Bd6 21. Qe4 Rb6 22. Nd3 Nf6 23. Qd4 Nd5 24. Ra7 Be7 25. Nbc5 Rc6 26.
Nd7 Rxc1+ 27. Nxc1 Qc8 28. Nd3 Rd8 {[#]} 29. N7e5 $2 (29. Nb6 Qb8 30. Nd7 Qc8
31. Nb6 $11) 29... f6 $1 30. Nf3 e5 31. Qh4 g5 32. Nxg5 ({Lenderman must have
forseen} 32. Qe4 f5 $1 33. Qxe5 Bf6 $1 {and the queen is trapped!}) 32... fxg5
33. Qe4 Qe6 34. Qxe5 Qxe5 35. Nxe5 Re8 36. Rd7 Nf6 37. Rb7 b4 38. Nd3 Bf8 39.
Kf1 Ne4 40. Rb5 h6 41. h4 gxh4 42. gxh4 Nd2+ 43. Kg2 Rxe2 44. Nxb4 Re4 45. Nd5
Rxh4 46. f4 Rg4+ 47. Kh3 Rg1 48. Rb7 Ne4 49. b4 Bd6 50. b5 Rd1 51. Ne7+ Kf7 52.
Nc6+ Ke6 53. Nd8+ Kf5 54. Rf7+ Nf6 55. Kg2 Bxf4 56. Nc6 Rb1 57. Kf3 Rb3+ 58.
Ke2 Kg6 59. Rb7 h5 60. Nd4 Re3+ 61. Kf1 h4 62. Ne2 Be5 0-1

[/pgn]

GM Alex Onischuk had a close shave in his game with Chinese wunderkind GM Wei Yi, but Wei’s error on the 56th move allowed Onischuk to save a difficult position.

[pgn]

[Event "World Teams 2019"]
[Site "Astana KAZ"]
[Date "2019.03.06"]
[White "Onischuk, Alexander"]
[Black "Wei, Yi"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D85"]
[WhiteElo "2647"]
[BlackElo "2733"]
[Annotator "Hartmann,John"]
[PlyCount "142"]
[EventDate "2019.03.05"]
[WhiteTeam "United States of America"]
[BlackTeam "China"]
[BlackTeamCountry "CHN"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 c5 8.
Be3 Qa5 9. Qd2 O-O 10. Rc1 Nd7 11. Bd3 e5 12. d5 f5 13. Bh6 fxe4 14. Bxe4 Qa4
15. Bc2 Qg4 16. Qg5 Nf6 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. Rd1 Qc4 19. Qe3 Ng4 20. Qd3 Qxa2 21.
Qe2 Bf5 22. Bxf5 Qxe2+ 23. Kxe2 Rxf5 24. h3 Nf6 25. c4 Ne4 26. Ra1 Rf4 27. Rhc1
Raf8 28. Ke1 a6 29. Rab1 R8f7 30. Rc2 Nxf2 31. Ng5 Nd3+ 32. Kd2 Nb4 33. Ne6+
Kg8 34. Nxf4 Nxc2 35. Nd3 Na3 36. Rc1 b5 37. cxb5 c4 38. bxa6 cxd3 39. Kxd3 Ra7
40. Rc6 Nb5 41. d6 Rd7 42. Kc4 Nxd6+ 43. Kc5 Ne8 44. Kb6 Kf7 45. a7 Rd8 46. Kb7
Ke7 47. a8=Q Nd6+ 48. Ka7 Rxa8+ 49. Kxa8 e4 50. Kb8 e3 51. Rc1 Kf6 52. Kc7 $2 (
52. Re1 Nc4 (52... Nf5 53. g4 Nd4 54. Rxe3 $11) 53. Rc1) 52... Nf5 53. Re1 Ke5
54. Kd7 Kf4 55. Ke8 Ng3 56. Kf7 g5 $2 (56... e2 $1 {wins:} 57. Kg7 h5 58. Kxg6
Ke3 $19) 57. Kg7 h5 58. Kg6 e2 59. Ra1 h4 60. Re1 g4 61. hxg4 Kxg4 62. Kf6 Nh5+
63. Ke5 Nf4 64. Ke4 Kg3 65. Kf5 Nxg2 66. Rxe2 h3 67. Ra2 Ne1 68. Ke4 Nf3 69.
Ra1 h2 70. Rh1 Kg2 71. Rxh2+ Nxh2 1/2-1/2

[/pgn]

Women's Section Results, Rd 2 Top boards WGM Tatev Abrahamyan and WGM Katerina Nemcova both drew their games in the Hungary match. This left FM Carissa Yip on board 3 and WCM Rochelle Wu on board 4 to do the dirty work and earn the win for the United States.

[pgn]

[Event "12th World Teams Women"]
[Site "Astana KAZ"]
[Date "2019.03.06"]
[White "Gara, Ticia"]
[Black "Yip, Carissa"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E73"]
[WhiteElo "2324"]
[BlackElo "2279"]
[Annotator "Hartmann,John"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "5n2/2p3rk/1p1pBbp1/1q1Pp2p/rPR1P2P/p4P1Q/P7/1KR1B3 w - - 0 48"]
[PlyCount "62"]
[EventDate "2019.03.05"]
[WhiteTeam "Hungary"]
[BlackTeam "United States of America"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "HUN"]

48. Qg2 $2 Nxe6 49. dxe6 c5 50. Qc2 Re7 51. Qb3 Ra8 52. Rd1 Rxe6 53. Rxc5
bxc5 54. Qxe6 Qe2 55. Qf7+ Bg7 56. Qb3 Rf8 57. Qc2 Qxf3 58. Rxd6 cxb4 59. Rd7
Qh1 60. Qe2 Rf1 61. Rd1 Rg1 62. Rc1 Qg2 63. Qxg2 Rxg2 64. Rc2 Rg1 65. Re2 Bf8
66. Kc2 Be7 67. Kb3 Rh1 68. Kc4 Kg7 69. Bxb4 Rc1+ 70. Bc3 Bxh4 71. Kb3 Bf6 72.
Bb4 Rb1+ 73. Kc3 Rb2 74. Rxb2 axb2 75. Kxb2 h4 76. Be1 Bg5 77. a4 h3 78. Bg3
Bf4 0-1

[/pgn]

[pgn]

[Event "12th World Teams Women"]
[Site "Astana KAZ"]
[Date "2019.03.06"]
[White "Wu, Rochelle"]
[Black "Terbe, Julianna"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2120"]
[BlackElo "2306"]
[Annotator "Hartmann,John"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2019.03.05"]
[WhiteTeam "United States of America"]
[BlackTeam "Hungary"]
[BlackTeamCountry "HUN"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8.
Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 f5 11. Bd3 Be6 12. O-O Bxd5 13. exd5 Ne7 14. Re1
Bg7 15. c3 O-O 16. Nc2 f4 17. a4 bxa4 18. Rxa4 a5 19. Na3 f5 20. Nc4 e4 21. Bf1
Rf6 22. Qa1 Rh6 (22... Nxd5 23. Nxa5 Nb6 24. Nc6) 23. Nxa5 Qe8 24. Nc6 Rxa4 25.
Qxa4 Ng6 26. Qa7 Bf8 27. Qb8 Qf7 28. Qc8 Nh4 29. Qd8 $2 (29. Nd4 Qh5 30. h3)
29... Qh5 $2 (29... Qg7 $1 $40) 30. h3 Nf3+ 31. gxf3 Rg6+ 32. Bg2 Rg7 (32...
Qxh3 {fails to} 33. Ne7+) 33. Kh2 Qg6 34. Bh1 e3 35. Qh4 e2 36. Qxf4 Be7 37.
Nxe7+ Rxe7 38. Qg3 1-0

[/pgn]

Team Captain IM John Donaldson emailed CLO from Astana to report that all is well in the American camp. He passed along a few fun facts for CLO readers:

This is Alex Onischuk's 13th playing for the US in Olympiads and World Team Championship which breaks the US record of 12 previously shared  by him, Larry Christiansen and Yasser Seirawan. I'm pretty sure that Rochelle Wu (who turns 13 on March 8th) has broken the record for the youngest ever player to represent the US in an Olympiad or World Team. The previous record holder was Irina Krush who was 14 when she made her debut on the US National team at Elista 1998. This year's teams speak a lot of languages - the 14 players, captains and coaches collectively speak at least 14 of them (English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Armenian, Georgian, Turkish, French, German, Czech , Romanian, Ukrainian, Polish and Farsi).

Standings after Round 2: Open Division: Women’s Division: Tomorrow the U.S. plays England in the Open section, while the Women take on Georgia. Rounds begin at 3pm local time, or 4am EST. Live on-site coverage is available at the official website:  http://kazchess.kz/world_astana2019/