بطولة دبي المفتوحة التاسعة للشطرنج

كاس الشيخ راشد بن حمدان آل مكتوم

9^th  Dubai Open Chess Championship

For Sheikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Al Maktoum Cup

21^st  to 30^th April 2007

Report Round 1
9th Dubai Open Chess Championship started off with flying colors at Dubai Chess Club. A total of 126 players from 24 countries are participating in this prestigious championship. Grandmaster Ehlvest Jaan of USA is the top seed with rating 2643 while Grandmasters Sadvakasov Darmen of Kazakhstan 2618 and Pantsulaia Levan 2616, Mchedlishvili Mikheil 2609 and Gelashvili Tamaz of Georgia 2605 are expected to challenge the top seed.25 Grandmasters, 15 International masters, 18 Fide masters, 4 Women Grandmasters, 2 International Women masters and 4 Women Fide masters are playing in this championship.
The seeded players cruised through to the second round with ease after the first round. Top seed Jaan Ehlvest defeated World U12 Champion FM Srinath Narayanan of India in 23 moves . Ehlvest had a powerful advanced passed pawn on the queenside and active minor pieces gave him a decisive advantage.Sadvakasov Darmen won his game against IM Himdan Maher of Egypt in 30 moves
from a Sicilian Najdorf. In rook and minor piece endgame, Sadvakasov won two pawns and Himdan resigned unable to meet increasing threats.
There were couple of upset results with UAE lad saeed ishaq playing well to hold im kidambi of india. theshort game of event was 11 move win when on a unusual position a master blundered and lost.
the event has 9 rounds of swiss system and toti abundo is chief arbiter. players from asia and europe and even from sweden are participating for the honors.

Report Round 2
Grandmasters registered comfortable wins in the second round of 9th Dubai Open Chess Championship held at Dubai Chess Club. Seventeen players shared the lead with 2 points while 25 players are at the second spot with 1.5 points.
Top seed Grandmaster Ehlvest Jaan of USA was held to a draw by Grandmaster Tejas Bakre of India in 47 moves from an unusual Queen Pawn Opening. In a game that contained tactical complications Tejas sacrificed an exchange to create counter play against the onslaught in kingside. The game ended in a draw by perpectual checks after tense play which lasted 4 hours
Grandmaster Sadvakasov Darmen of Kazakhstan defeated International master Melkumyan Hrant of Armenia in 29 moves from a positional opening. . Hrant was outmanovured in the opening and the former world junior champion posted an impressive victory. he went for attack in kingside and succeeded in winning the opponent queen

Report Round 3
Grandmasters struggle in dubai open 2007
Alavi Sayed Javad of Iran pulled off an upset win over his teammate Grandmaster Ghaem Maghami Ehsan. In a keenly contested match in the third round of the Dubai junior chess championship Alavi Sayed, Grandmasters Gelashvili Tamaz and Pantsulaia Levan of Georgia are at the top of the table with 3 points in as many rounds.
Alavi Sayed won in 28 moves from a Sicilian defense where players castled on opposite wings. Alavi a promising talent from Iran took the lead from the initial stages and won convincingly with fine display of his skillsGelashvili defeated Grandmaster R.B. Ramesh of India in 53 moves from a Kings Indian Attack. In a complex match Gelashvilli maintained a slight edge and in time trouble converted his positional plus to victory.
IM Safarli Eltaj of Azerbaijan had a quick draw with his teammate Grandmaster Guseinov Gadir in just 9 moves.

GM Sadvakasov Darmen and GM Kotsur Pavel of Kazakhstan, GM Mchedlishvili Mikheil and GM Sturua Zurab of Georgia, GM Petrosian Tigran L, GM Anastasian Ashot and GM Kotanjian Tigran of Armenia, GM Guseinov Gadir and IM Safarli Eltaj of Azerbaijan, GM Handoko Edhi of Indonesia, GM Koneru Humpy and Sundararajan Kidambi of India, GM Bagheri Amir, FM Roghani Arash, WFM Navabi Shirin and Golizadeh Asghar of Iran, IM Tissr Mohamed of Morocco, IM Sharif Mehrshad of France and IM El Taher Fouad of Egypt shared the second spot with 2.5 points.
 

Report Round 4

Fide master Othman Moussa of UAE also had an upset victory over Grandmaster Maia Chiburdanidze
of Georgia in 40 moves from a Nimzo-Indian defence. Othman was ahead from the initial stages and won an exchange.; The former world women champion was summarily outplayed in a positional battle. Othman won an exchange and won with precise technique in endgame Azerbaijan International master Safarli Eltaj of Azerbaijan registered an impressive victory over Grandmaster Mchedlishvili Mikheil of Georgia in 72 moves from an English opening. On the fourth round of of 9th Dubai Open Chess Championship held at Dubai Chess and Culture Club. Safarali was elated with his diminutive performance of exploiting a minuscule advantage to victory. In a battle of of wits the youngster matched the skill and technique in realizing a material advantage of one point to victory. Safarali said |” it was a tense struggle and I had to find a difficult finesse in endgame to gain the upper hand “Grandmasters Sadvakasov Darmen of Kazakhstan, Sturua Zurab, Pantsulaia Levan and Gelashvili Tamaz of Georgia, Guseinov Gadir of Azerbaijan, Kotanjian Tigran and Anastasian Ashot of Armenia, International masters El Taher Fouad of Egypt, Sundararajan Kidambi of India and Safarli Eltaj shared the top table with 3.5 points Grandmaster Kotsur Pavel of Kazakhstan, GM Koneru Humpy, GM Ramesh R B, WGM Karavade Eesha, Lalith Babu M R and Adhiban B of India, GM Ghaem Maghami Ehsan, GM Bagheri Amir and FM Alavi Sayed Javad of Iran, GM Al-Modiahki Mohamad of Qatar, GM Adly Ahmed of Egypt, GM Megaranto Susanto of Indonesia, IM Kulicov Oleg of Russia, IM Sharif Mehrshad of France, FM Othman Moussa and FM Abdul Majeed Mohamad of UAE are at the second spot with 3 points.Among UAE players, Othman Moussa and Abdul Majeed Mohamed who won his game against IM Sitanggang Salor of Indonesia scored 3 points each while Grandmaster Taleb Moussa, FM Salem A.R. Saleh, FM Saeed Ishaq, Nagueb Saleh scored 2 points each.

Reports by IM RaviKumar