THE 2021 Chinese Chess Championship started May 7 at Xianghua in the Jiangsu Province of China with 12 of that nation’s top players taking part in a classic single round robin tournament.
The participants are GMs Wei Yi (2732), Yu Yangyi (2709), Zhao Jun (2638), Bai Jinshi (2618), Lu Shanglei (2615), Xu Xiangyu (2573), Li Di (2561), Ju Wenjun (2560), Xu Yinglun (2554), Xu Yi (2527), Liu Yan (2524), and IM Xu Zhihang (2506). Curiously, only two of China’s top ten players – Wei and Yu – are competing. The competition is a Category 14 (average Elo: 2593) event.
After six rounds of play, Lu is leading the pack by a mere half-point. The 26-year old GM started strong with two straight wins, including one over 2nd seed Yu. Top seed Wei has been winless so far, drawing all his six games and shares 5th to 9th places with four others a full point behind Lu.
Standings after Round 6: 1. Lu Shanglei 4; 2-4. Xu Zhihang,Yu Yangyi, Li Di 3½; 5-9. Zhao Jun, Xu Yinglun, Bai Jinshi, Xu Xiangyu,Wei Yi 3; 10-11. Liu Yan, Ju Wenjun,2½;12. Xu Yi, 1½.
Zhao, J (2638)-Lu, S (2615) [E46]
Xinghua (1.1) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0 5.Nge2 c6 6.a3 Ba5 7.Ng3 d5 8.Be2 dxc4 9.Bxc4 c5 10.0-0 cxd4 11.exd4 Nc6 12.Be3 Bb6 13.Nge2 Ne7 14.Bg5 Nf5 15.Ne4 Kh8 16.Qd3 Nd6 17.Nxd6 Qxd6 18.Bxf6 gxf6 19.Rad1 Bd7 20.d5 Rac8 21.Ba2 Rg8 22.Qf3 e5 23.Ng3 f5 24.Nxf5 Qf6 25.Bb1 Rc4 26.Qd3 Rcg4 27.Ne3 Rh4 28.g3 Qh6 29.Rfe1 Rxh2 30.Qe4 f6 31.Qf3 Bg4 32.Nxg4 Rxg4 33.Re2 Rxg3+ 34.Qxg3 Rh1+ 35.Kg2 Rxd1 0-1
Zhao, J (2638)-Yu, Y (2709) [B30]
Xinghua (2.6) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e5 4.Nc3 d6 5.0-0 Nf6 6.Re1 Be7 7.Nd5 0-0 8.Nxe7+ Nxe7 9.c3 a6 10.Bf1 Ng6 11.d4 cxd4 12.cxd4 h6 13.b3 Bg4 14.h3 Bxf3 15.Qxf3 d5 16.dxe5 Nxe4 17.Bb2 Re8 18.Rad1 Qa5 19.a3 Rad8 20.Qe3 Qc7 21.f3 Ng5 22.f4 Ne4 23.Bd4 Qe7 24.Bb6 Rd7 25.Rxd5 Rxd5 26.Qxe4 Qe6 27.Bf2 Qc6 28.Bc4 Rd2 29.Qxc6 bxc6 30.e6 Rxe6 31.Bxe6 fxe6 32.Rxe6 Nxf4 33.Rxc6 Rd3 34.Rxa6 Rxb3 35.a4 Ra3 36.a5 Ra1+ 37.Kh2 Ra2 38.Kg3 g5 39.Ra8+ Kf7 40.a6 Nd3 41.Be3 Ne1 42.Bf2 Nd3 43.a7 Nxf2 44.Rh8 Ne4+ 45.Kf3 Nd2+ 46.Kg4 Ra4+ 47.Kg3 Ne4+ 48.Kh2 Kf6 49.a8Q Rxa8 50.Rxa8 h5 51.g3 Kg6 52.Kg2 Kf5 53.Ra5+ Kf6 54.Kf3 Nd2+ 55.Kf2 Ne4+ 56.Kg2 Ke6 57.Rb5 Kf6 58.Kf3 Nd2+ 59.Ke3 Nf1+ 60.Kf2 Nd2 61.Rb6+ Kf5 62.Rb5+ Kf6 63.Rb4 Ke5 64.Ke2 Ne4 65.Rb5+ Kf6 66.Rb3 Kf5 67.Rd3 Ke5 68.Ra3 Kf5 69.Kf1 Nd2+ 70.Kg2 Ne4 71.Rf3+ Kg6 72.Rf8 Nd2 73.Kf2 Ne4+ 74.Kf3 Nf6 75.Ke3 Kf5 76.Kd4 Kg6 77.Rd8 Kf5 78.Rd6 h4 79.Rxf6+ Kxf6 80.g4 Ke6 81.Ke4 1-0
Xu, Z (2506)-Lu, S (2615) [E21]
Xinghua (5.1) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3 0-0 5.Bg5 c5 6.Rc1 h6 7.Bh4 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Nc6 9.e3 b6 10.a3 Be7 11.Ndb5 Ne8 12.Bxe7 Qxe7 13.Be2 a6 14.Nd4 Bb7 15.0-0 Rb8 16.b4 d6 17.Na4 Qc7 18.Bf3 Nxd4 19.Bxb7 Qxb7 20.exd4 b5 21.Nb2 Nf6 22.c5 Qd5 23.Qc2 Rfd8 24.Rfd1 Rbc8 25.a4 Qb7 26.Nd3 Qe4 27.axb5 axb5 28.Ne1 Qxc2 29.Nxc2 Nd5 30.Kf1 Ra8 31.Ra1 Kf8 32.g3 Ke7 33.Ke1 Kd7 34.Rdb1 Kc6 35.Rxa8 Rxa8 36.Kd2 Ra2 37.Kd3 g5 38.Rh1 Kd7 39.f3 Ra4 40.Rb1 h5 41.Rb2 f5 42.Rb1 Ra2 43.Rh1 h4 44.g4 Rb2 45.gxf5 exf5 46.Ra1 Nxb4+ 47.Nxb4 Rb3+ 48.Ke2 Rxb4 49.Ra7+ Ke6 50.cxd6 Rb2+ 51.Ke3 Kxd6 52.Rg7 Rxh2 53.Rxg5 b4 54.Rg1 b3 55.Kf4 b2 0-1
Xu, Y (2527)-Yu, Y (2709) [B30]
Xinghua (5.2) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.Bxc6 bxc6 5.d3 Qc7 6.Nbd2 e5 7.0-0 Ne7 8.Re1 Ng6 9.c3 Be7 10.d4 cxd4 11.cxd4 d6 12.Nc4 Bg4 13.dxe5 dxe5 14.h3 Be6 15.Qc2 0-0 16.Be3 f6 17.Red1 c5 18.b3 Qc6 19.Na5 Qa6 20.Nc4 Rfd8 21.Ne1 Bf7 22.Rxd8+ Rxd8 23.Nd3 Rc8 24.Rc1 Nf8 25.f4 exf4 26.Nxf4 Rd8 27.Rf1 Ng6 28.Nxg6 Bxg6 29.Bf2 Qc6 30.Re1 Bf8 31.Na5 Qb6 32.Nc4 Qc6 33.Na5 Qc7 34.Nc4 Qf4 35.g3 Qb8 36.Ne3 Bd6 37.Kh2 Be5 38.Nf5 Qb7 39.Qxc5 Rd2 40.Ne7+ Kf7 41.Nxg6 Kxg6 42.Kg1 Qd7 43.Qe3 Rd3 44.Qc1 Bxg3 45.Qc5 Qxh3 46.Qf5+ Qxf5 47.exf5+ Kxf5 48.Re7 Bxf2 49.Kxf2 Rd2 50.Kf3 g5 51.Rxa7 h5 52.Ra5 Kg6 53.b4 g4 54.Kg3 Rd3+ 55.Kf2 h4 56.b5 g3 0-1
Xu, Y (2554)-Zhao, J (2638) [D31]
Xinghua (5.3) 2021
1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4 Be7 4.Bf4 Nf6 5.e3 0-0 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.a3 c5 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.Nxd5 exd5 10.dxc5 Nxc5 11.Be2 Bf6 12.Be5 Bxe5 13.Nxe5 Bf5 14.Nf3 Be4 15.0-0 Rc8 16.Rc1 Qf6 17.Qd4 Nb3 18.Qxf6 gxf6 19.Rxc8 Rxc8 20.Bd1 Nc5 21.Nd4 Nd3 22.b4 Ne5 23.Be2 Rc3 24.a4 Nc6 25.Nxc6 bxc6 26.Rd1 Ra3 27.b5 cxb5 28.axb5 Bc2 29.Rc1 Ra2 30.h4 Rb2 31.Bf3 Be4 32.Rc5 Kg7 33.Bh5 Bd3 34.Rc7 Bg6 35.Bg4 h5 36.Bd7 Ra2 37.Bc6 Ra5 38.Kh2 Be4 39.Kg3 Bg6 40.f3 Kf8 41.Rd7 Ra3 42.Bxd5 Rd3 43.e4 Bxe4 44.Rxf7+ 1-0
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Rf2!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…Nd8/d6+/a5 2.Q(x)d6#; 1…Kd5 2.Rf5#; 1…Rxf2 2.Qxf2#; 1…Rxg5 2.Rc2#./PN
