THE dreaded COVID-19 struck some participants of the 85thSpanish National Championship in Linares, Spain just before it started last August 31, but after safety protocols were implemented, organizers of the 139-player, nine-round Swiss classical event decided to continue the event.
So far, twelve unidentified players have been quarantined in their hotel rooms as they were in close contact with two other participants who tested positive for the coronavirus earlier.
The two players were withdrawn from the championship, did not play in round 1 and did not access the playing room at any time.
Spanish health authorities applied the protocols and are tracking all possible close contacts.
At any rate, after six rounds of play, GM Ivan Salgado Lopez is leading the fray – half-a-point ahead of seven others including top seed GM David Anton Guijarro and 2ndseed GM Alexei Shirov, Latvia’s former top player who have since gained Spanish citizenship.
Only six players from the national top 10 list are participating, including Antón Guijarro, Shirov, Manuel Pérez Candelario, Salgado and Jaime Santos Latasa. Top Spanish player Francisco Vallejo Pons and number 4 Miguel Illescas Cordoba opted out of the event.
The tournament also serves as the national women’s championship with the top woman player here to be crowned Spain’s woman chess champion.
Salgado Lopez, I (2584)-Alsina Leal, D (2484) [B53]
Linares (6.2) 2020
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 a6 5.Be2 Nc6 6.Qe3 Bg4 7.0-0 Nf6 8.Rd1 Qc7 9.c4 e6 10.b3 Be7 11.Bb2 0-0 12.Nc3 Rad8 13.Rac1 Qb8 14.h3 Bh5 15.Rd2 Rfe8 16.Rcd1 h6 17.Nd4 Nxd4 18.Rxd4 Bg6 19.R4d2 Qc7 20.Kh1 Qc5 21.Qg3 d5 22.cxd5 exd5 23.e5 d4 24.exf6 dxc3 25.Qxc3 Qxc3 26.Bxc3 Rxd2 27.Rxd2 Bxf6 28.Bxf6 gxf6 29.Bf3 b6 30.Be2 a5 31.Bc4 Rb8 32.a4 Bf5 33.Rd6 Kg7 34.Kh2 Rb7 35.f3 Rb8 36.Kg3 Rb7 37.Kf2 Bd7 38.Bd5 Rc7 39.Rxb6 Rc5 40.Rd6 Be8 41.Ke3 h5 42.h4 Rc2 43.f4 f5 44.Kd3 Rf2 45.Bf3 f6 46.Ra6 Bf7 47.Kc3 Rf1 48.Rxa5 Kg6 49.Rb5 Rh1 50.a5 1-0
Tejedor Fuente, E (2443)-Anton Guijarro, D (2688) [A01]
Linares (6.3) 2020
1.b3 d5 2.Bb2 Nf6 3.e3 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.d4 Nbd7 6.Bd3 Bxd3 7.cxd3 a5 8.0-0 Be7 9.Nc3 0-0 10.Ne5 Ne8 11.Qd2 Nd6 12.Nxd7 Qxd7 13.Rfc1 b5 14.Rc2 c6 15.Rac1 Rfc8 16.Ne2 h6 17.Kh1 Nb7 18.Ng1 b4 19.Nf3 f6 20.Re1 a4 21.Qd1 a3 22.Bc1 c5 23.Rce2 c4 24.dxc4 dxc4 25.bxc4 Rxc4 26.e4 Qa4 27.Qd3 Rc3 28.Qd2 Rac8 29.Qf4 g5 30.Qg4 Rxc1 31.Qxe6+ Kf8 32.e5 Nd8 33.Qh3 Kg7 34.Nh4 gxh4 35.Qg4+ Kf8 36.Qg6 Nf7 37.e6 Rxe1+ 38.Rxe1 Ng5 39.f4 Qc2 40.Qxh6+ Kg8 41.Qxh4 Qh7 42.Qg3 Rc3 43.Qg4 f5 44.Qe2 Ne4 45.Qb5 Qg6 46.h3 Rc2 47.g4 Rc3 48.Kg2 Rg3+ 49.Kf1 Rf3+ 50.Kg2 Rxh3 51.Qxf5 Rg3+ 52.Kf1 Qxf5 53.gxf5 Nf6 54.Ke2 Rg2+ 55.Kd3 Rxa2 56.Rc1 Rg2 57.Rc8+ Kh7 58.Rc7 a2 59.Ra7 Rg3+ 60.Kc2 Ra3 0-1
Santos Latasa, J (2588)-Quispe Arteaga, G (2402) [B48]
Linares (3.3) 2020
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be3 a6 7.a3 Nf6 8.f4 Nxd4 9.Bxd4 Qxf4 10.g3 Qc7 11.e5 Nd5 12.Nxd5 exd5 13.Bg2 Bc5 14.Qd3 0-0 15.Bxc5 Qxc5 16.0-0-0 d6 17.exd6 Qxd6 18.Bxd5 Qh6+ 19.Qd2 Qxd2+ 20.Rxd2 Ra7 21.Re1 b5 22.Rde2 Rd7 23.Bb3 g6 24.Re7 Rd6 25.a4 Bd7 26.Rf1 Bf5 27.Rd1 Rf6 28.Rd4 h5 29.a5 Kg7 30.Kd2 Rc8 31.c3 Rc5 32.Ke1 Kf8 33.Re3 Kg7 34.Re8 g5 35.Rdd8 Bh7 36.Rd5 Rxd5 37.Bxd5 Rd6 38.Bb7 Bd3 39.b4 f5 40.h4 f4 41.Re5 gxh4 42.gxh4 Bg6 43.Rc5 Rd3 44.Bxa6 Be4 45.Bxb5 Rh3 46.Re5 Rh1+ 47.Kd2 Rh2+ 48.Kc1 Bg6 49.Re2 Rh1+ 50.Kb2 f3 51.Re3 Rh2+ 52.Kb3 Bf7+ 53.Bc4 Rh3 54.Re7 1-0
Shirov, A (2647)-Plazuelo Pascual, J (2448) [B12]
Linares (6.4) 2020
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.dxc5 e6 5.Nf3 Bxc5 6.a3 Nd7 7.c4 Ne7 8.Nc3 0-0 9.cxd5 Nxd5 10.Nxd5 exd5 11.b4 Bb6 12.Bg5 Qe8 13.Qxd5 Bc7 14.Bf4 Nf6 15.Qc4 Nh5 16.Rc1 Bb8 17.Bd3 Bg4 18.Qe4 g6 19.Bh6 Bxf3 20.Qxf3 Qxe5+ 21.Kf1 Re8 22.g3 Bd6 23.Kg2 Qf6 24.Be4 Qxf3+ 25.Bxf3 Rab8 26.Rhd1 Be5 27.Be3 Re7 28.Bxa7 Ra8 29.Bc5 Rc7 30.b5 Ra5 31.Rd8+ Kg7 32.Bf8+ Kf6 33.Rxc7 Bxc7 34.Rd7 1-0
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Kg1! Black’s futile options are: 1…c6 2.Sd6#; 1…Sf8/h8/e7 2.Qxh4#; 1…Sf4 2.Sxg5#; 1…Sxf7 2.g4#; 1…Sxe6 2.g3#; 1…Sf3+ 2.gxf3#; 1…Sh3+ 2.gxh3#; 1…h3 2.Sg3#; 1…Rb3 2.cxb3#; 1…Ra3/c4 2.c3#; 1…Rxc5 2.c4#; 1…Rd3 2.cxd3#; 1…Rxc2 2.Bxc2#./PN
