The highly-rated players finally made their appearance in Round 8 Wednesday and their presence in a way helped Wasko HETMAN GKS Katowice defeat VOTUM SA Polonia Wrocław, 4-2, at the ongoing 2020 Polish Team Championship – Ekstraliga in Krakow, Poland.
Poland’s top player Jan-Krzysztof Duda (2753) and Czech Republic number one David Navara (2719) came to reinforce Wasko HETMAN and although they only drew their games, the said roster delivered victories on Boards 4 and 5. The win was more symbolic than crucial.
Despite the loss, however, VOTUM SA Polonia Wrocław kept the top spot of the ten-team single round robin competition and need only beat lowly LKS Wrzos Międzyborów in the final round to wrap up the Polish team championship, regardless of other final round results. LKS Wrzos Międzyborów has not won a game in the even, and is in the bottom of the standings.
The standings after Round 8: 1. VOTUM SA Polonia Wrocław; 2. Wasko HETMAN GKS Katowice; 3. KSz Stilon Gorzów; 4. Pęgów Tower; 5. KSz Miedź Legnica; 6. Silesia Racibórz Chess Club; 7. KSz Hetman Płock; 8. Two Towers Chess Club Krakow; 9. UKS 21 Podlesie; 10. LKS Wrzos Międzyborów.
Harikrishna, P (2732)-Duda, J-K (2753) [E21]
Krakow (8.7) 2020
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3 c5 5.e3 0-0 6.Bd3 d5 7.cxd5 exd5 8.dxc5 Nbd7 9.0-0 Nxc5 10.Ne2 Nxd3 11.Qxd3 Bg4 12.Nfd4 Bxe2 13.Nxe2 Rc8 14.Bd2 Bxd2 15.Qxd2 Qb6 16.Rac1 g6 17.b3 Rfd8 18.Qd4 Qxd4 19.Nxd4 Ne4 20.f3 Nc5 21.Rc3 Ne6 22.Nxe6 fxe6 23.Rfc1 Rxc3 24.Rxc3 Rd7 25.Kf2 Kf7 26.Ke2 e5 27.Rc8 Ke6 28.Ra8 Rc7 29.Rxa7 Rc2+ 30.Kf1 d4 31.exd4 exd4 32.Rxb7 d3 33.Ke1 Rxa2 34.Rxh7 Rxg2 35.Rh4 Kd5 36.h3 Re2+ 37.Kd1 Rf2 38.b4 Rxf3 39.Kd2 g5 40.Rg4 Rxh3 41.Rxg5+ Kc4 42.Rg4+ Kb5 43.Rd4 Rg3 44.Rxd3 Rxd3+ 45.Kxd3 Kxb4 ½-½
Wojtaszek, R (2717)-Bartel, M (2643) [D26]
Krakow (8.8) 2020
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 dxc4 4.e3 Nf6 5.Bxc4 a6 6.0-0 c5 7.Nc3 b5 8.Be2 Bb7 9.dxc5 Bxc5 10.Qxd8+ Kxd8 11.Nd2 Ke7 12.Nb3 Bd6 13.Na5 Ra7 14.Nxb7 Rxb7 15.Bd2 Rc8 16.Rfc1 Rbc7 17.Nd1 Nbd7 18.Rxc7 Rxc7 19.Rc1 Rxc1 20.Bxc1 Nd5 21.f3 Nc5 22.Bd2 f5 23.Nc3 Nb6 24.b3 b4 25.Nd1 a5 26.Nb2 Nd5 27.Nd1 Be5 28.Kf2 Kd6 29.Bc4 Nb6 ½-½
Gumularz, S (2506)-Navara, D (2719) [E47]
Krakow (8.9) 2020
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0 5.Bd3 b6 6.Nf3 Bb7 7.0-0 Bxc3 8.bxc3 Re8 9.a4 Be4 10.Be2 c5 11.Nd2 Bg6 12.Nb3 Qc7 13.f3 d5 14.dxc5 bxc5 15.cxd5 exd5 16.c4 Rd8 17.Bd2 Nbd7 18.cxd5 Nxd5 19.Qc1 Rac8 20.Ba6 c4 21.Bxc8 Rxc8 22.Nd4 c3 23.Be1 Nc5 24.e4 Nd3 25.Qg5 N5b4 26.Bf2 c2 27.Be3 ½-½
Gajewski, G (2616)-Tazbir, M (2510) [A20]
Krakow (8.10) 2020
1.c4 e5 2.g3 Nc6 3.Bg2 Bc5 4.Nc3 a6 5.e3 d6 6.Nge2 Ba7 7.d4 Nge7 8.b3 exd4 9.Nxd4 Bd7 10.Bb2 Nxd4 11.exd4 Rb8 12.0-0 0-0 13.a4 Nc6 14.Nd5 Ne7 15.Nf4 Ng6 16.Nh5 Qc8 17.Re1 Bh3 18.Re3 Bxg2 19.Kxg2 d5 20.Qf3 c6 21.cxd5 cxd5 22.Rc1 Qd8 23.h4 Qd6 24.Qf5 h6 25.Rce1 Rbc8 26.Rf3 Rc7 27.Qg4 Rc2 28.Bc3 Qc6 29.Bb4 f5 30.Rxf5 Rxf5 31.Qxf5 Bxd4 32.Re6 Rxf2+ 33.Qxf2 Qxe6 34.Qxd4 Qe2+ 35.Kg1 Qxh5 36.Bc3 Kf8 37.g4 Qxh4 38.Qxg7 Ke8 39.Qxg6 Kd7 40.Kg2 1-0
Wieczorek, O (2493)-Sadzikowski, D (2522) [C25]
Krakow (8.11) 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 Bc5 4.Bg2 a6 5.d3 d6 6.Nge2 Nge7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Nd5 f5 9.exf5 Bxf5 10.Be3 Bg4 11.Bxc5 dxc5 12.Ne3 Bh5 13.Qd2 Qd7 14.f4 Bxe2 15.Qxe2 exf4 16.Rxf4 Rxf4 17.gxf4 Rf8 18.Rf1 Nd4 19.Qh5 b6 20.Be4 Ndf5 21.Nxf5 Nxf5 22.Kh1 g6 23.Qh3 Qd4 24.c3 Qd6 25.Qf3 Kg7 26.a3 a5 27.Qh3 Qe7 28.Qf3 Nd6 29.Qg2 Kh8 30.Bd5 Qf6 31.Qg4 Re8 32.Qg5 Kg7 33.Qg4 Nf5 34.Qf3 Re3 35.Qf2 Rxd3 36.Be4 Rd7 37.Bg2 Re7 38.Re1 Qd6 39.Rxe7+ Qxe7 40.Bh3 Qe3 41.Qf1 Kf6 42.Bxf5 Kxf5 43.Qd1 Qf2 44.Qd7+ Ke4 45.h3 Qf1+ 46.Kh2 Qxf4+ 47.Kg2 Qg5+ 48.Kh2 Kf3 49.Qd1+ Kf2 50.Qc2+ Ke1 51.Qe4+ Kd2 52.c4 Qe3 53.Qd5+ Ke2 54.Qd7 Qf2+ 55.Kh1 Qf3+ 56.Kg1 Qg3+ 57.Kh1 h5 58.a4 g5 0-1
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Nh5! Black’s futile options are: 1…gxh5 2.f5#; 1…Sb4+ 2.Bxb4#; 1…Sde3+ 2.Qxe3#; 1…Scxb6 2.Rf6#; 1…Sxd6/e3+ 2.R(x)e3#; 1…Sa3+ 2.Bxa3#./PN
