Welcome to the ECF Reports for the European Youth Chess Championships 2006

Round 8

View from the older boys

The five boys in the U16 and U18 sections have come unaccompanied to the championship. We asked what it feels like to have reached this stage in one’s chess career, and about the challenges that come with their exceptional talent. James Hanley, Ankush Khandelwal, Thomas Pym, Simon Fowler and Li Wu give their collective views.

On mixing chess with school work
Do not see as a problem. You need to have determination. It’s good to mix the two. Don’t like the way Russians and Chinese do 100% chess.

Coming without parents
The boys started to come without their parents to these tournaments at different ages, ranging from 11 to 17. The consensus was that “parents ask stupid questions and say stupid things”. The upside is helping you calm down and get into the right mood.

Advice to parents then?
“When you lose, don’t say anything. You know when you’ve lost.” Parents should not expect too much. There was one top junior who gave up because his dad got too angry.

Being alone on chess trips
It’s fine being on your own as long as you have friends. They have stayed with each other time and time again.

And competing with friends?
Off the board they are just people. “When playing you have a different mentality. You are a different person from real life”.

Image of being a chess player
People used to take the piss, but you get used to it – you can always say, “I’m cleverer than you, so what are you going to do about it?”, or “I play chess, you can spell it with your grades.”
People are impressed when you say you play for England. And if you say you play for money sometimes, they do not think you’re so sad.

Making friends from other countries
Language is typically a barrier. Generally chess is a friendly community, though. Sometimes you can play cards with competitors. There is a general a question mark over the east Europeans, regarded as “a bit too serious” to the extent that they look different in the playing hall. How? “Totally serious”. There are always exceptions. “A Slovakian opponent asked my advice on learning English after I had just won.”

Chess in England
Worryingly it is regarded as “a disadvantage to play chess in England”. “My rating is always underestimated.” There are not enough FIDE-rated tournaments. Everyone agrees that Ankush has a rating which is at least 200 points wrong. Li notes that his rating has never gone down.

Words of advice
Read the book, Learn Chess from the Greats
Just go to ICC and play a lot of games, especially to try out new openings
Don’t shy away from playing adults – they generally have the right grade, so you learn how good you are
Must know how to draw a drawn ending
Never agree a quick draw - play to win
Play the pieces, not a person or grade or anything else

Perhaps, most encouragingly of all…

“You just have to keep going. Something will just click and you will just improve.”

(Left to right) Li, Thomas, James, Simon, Ankush

Round Eight games

For the first time, England players got drawn against each other: Sheila against Jessica, Chantal against Selina. At least they all had different coaches, allowing them to prepare for the games without undue disruption. The computer picks the pairings, so there is not any room for complaint, even though in one case the two girls had been playing the same colour up until this round. In last year’s European Youth Championship the computer kept players of the same country away from each other in the last three rounds, but this was changed on the basis that it also can lead to one country getting an unfair share of the top places. In Round 8, only 6 points out of a possible 15 were registered by the England players.

ECF coaches Robert Bellin, Andrew Greet, Jovanka Houska, Neil McDonald and Thomas Rendle have given their thoughts on the Round 8 games.

Radha (1h30m) was tricked into an unfamiliar position and allowed her opponent a slight initiative on the king side. Radha defended actively by conceiving her own attack on the queen side and turned down a draw offer. However, a white king side attack prevailed, although a queen sacrifice would have probably held the game. Marcus (3h50m) achieved a satisfactory position from the opening, but then lost a pawn to a clever tactical trick and his opponent gave him no chance in the end game.

Samuel (3h15m) sacrificed a piece for unclear compensation, but then did not find the most accurate way to continue and just ended up a piece down, eventually losing the game. Saravanan (1h50m) exchanged a friendly smile with his opponent after following one of his previous games in the tournament for a dozen or so moves. However, there was little friendship shown as they battled it out throughout a murky middle game position without succeeding to get the better of each other, and finally agreed a draw. Yang-Fan’s (2h20m) opening preparation went well, but then he miscalculated a line and had to dig deep to hold his opponent in the end game.

Amisha (3h45m) had a lovely game with a brilliant rook sacrifice, which could have won the “brilliancy prize”. There were two possible ways to follow up and tragically Amisha picked the wrong one. Jessica (3h) gained the advantage after some imprecise play from her opponent Sheila, but she could not find a continuation that convinced her it was worth declining the draw that was offered. The game featured some original and complex strategic play compressed into just 20-odd moves. Jessica had the undisputed advantage, but the final position posed problems even for the coaches, so the girls agreeing a draw was a fair conclusion.

Callum (4h30m) was the last out of our group in an exceptionally complicated game, which his coach describes as one of the most interesting of all. The middle game was roughly balanced, with deep complications making it tough for both players to find the best continuations. The game went to and fro, Callum eventually emerging with a winning position once he had defused the main wave of attack. Subin (3h20m) seemed to have the superior position from the opening, but then he lost tactical control of the position and his opponent found a very powerful piece sacrifice which could not be accepted. Confused and perplexed, Subin fell into a stranglehold from which he could never break through.

Selina (3h20m) made her intentions clear early with an aggressive king side attack. Chantal managed to defend the position quite well, gaining material advantage. Despite this the position remained unclear. After a few inaccurate moves by Chantal, she allowed Selina to get a mating attack. Their coaches agree that the game could have gone either way.

Following a quiet opening, the opponent of James (3h25m) unwisely exposed his king and James seized the opportunity to prosecute a relentless attack with great energy. Ankush (3h20m) played a razor sharp defence to the Ruy Lopez and deliberately provoked a dangerous sacrifice from his Russian opponent, but thereafter he could not quite come up with the computer accuracy required to hold the position. Thomas (3h20m) had a very complicated game with a better position in the opening, but he fell foul of a trick which cost a piece. The position was still unclear, but his Polish 2246 opponent came out on top.

The key stage in Simon’s (4h25m) well contested game was a long battle of two rooks and several pawns versus a rook, two minor pieces and two fewer pawns, which culminated in Simon’s favour with the arrival of an unstoppable rook’s pawn on the 7th rank. Li (3h25m) was surprised in the opening when his opponent played a different variation to what he had expected. Li was less familiar with the resulting positions and failed to find the best continuation; he left himself in a bit of a passive position in which he did not manage to find the best moves, eventually losing the game.

For today's annotated games, please click here.

Gideon and Radha have a game

Scene in one of the playing halls at the start

The score sheet lady

The playing hall entrance is guarded carefully

Krishna displays the book given to all players - Slobodan Mirkovic is the author of the system for classifications of chess combinations

The draw for Round 9

There was mayhem for the final round draw. First the there was a long delay as the arbiters resolved a dispute and held back the publication of any of the sections until after 10pm, by which time the lobby of the hotel was heaving with people. Then everyone was plunged into darkness as the electric storm took out the local electricity grid. Power was eventually restored.

Callum and Maggie struggle to see the draw even before the power cut

Thank you to the schools

ECF President Gerry Walsh made a point in his interview posted on our Round 2 report of thanking the juniors’ schools, to which he has also written individually. Below is a list of the schools, without whose permission the trip would not be possible. To quote from Gerry’s letter,

“The Federation is rightly proud of the players’ effort, which has complied completely with the motto of FIDE (The World Chess Federation) GENS UNA SUMUS - We are one Family”

List of players & their schools

	Return
	Monday 18th September 2006
	Round 8 View from the older boys The five boys in the U16 and U18 sections have come unaccompanied to the championship. We asked what it feels like to have reached this stage in one’s chess career, and about the challenges that come with their exceptional talent. James Hanley, Ankush Khandelwal, Thomas Pym, Simon Fowler and Li Wu give their collective views. On mixing chess with school work Do not see as a problem. You need to have determination. It’s good to mix the two. Don’t like the way Russians and Chinese do 100% chess. *Coming without parents* The boys started to come without their parents to these tournaments at different ages, ranging from 11 to 17. The consensus was that “parents ask stupid questions and say stupid things”. The upside is helping you calm down and get into the right mood. *Advice to parents then?* “When you lose, don’t say anything. You know when you’ve lost.” Parents should not expect too much. There was one top junior who gave up because his dad got too angry. *Being alone on chess trips* It’s fine being on your own as long as you have friends. They have stayed with each other time and time again. *And competing with friends?* Off the board they are just people. “When playing you have a different mentality. You are a different person from real life”. *Image of being a chess player* People used to take the piss, but you get used to it – you can always say, “I’m cleverer than you, so what are you going to do about it?”, or “I play chess, you can spell it with your grades.” People are impressed when you say you play for England. And if you say you play for money sometimes, they do not think you’re so sad. Making friends from other countries Language is typically a barrier. Generally chess is a friendly community, though. Sometimes you can play cards with competitors. There is a general a question mark over the east Europeans, regarded as “a bit too serious” to the extent that they look different in the playing hall. How? “Totally serious”. There are always exceptions. “A Slovakian opponent asked my advice on learning English after I had just won.” Chess in England Worryingly it is regarded as “a disadvantage to play chess in England”. “My rating is always underestimated.” There are not enough FIDE-rated tournaments. Everyone agrees that Ankush has a rating which is at least 200 points wrong. Li notes that his rating has never gone down. *Words of advice* Read the book, Learn Chess from the Greats Just go to ICC and play a lot of games, especially to try out new openings Don’t shy away from playing adults – they generally have the right grade, so you learn how good you are Must know how to draw a drawn ending Never agree a quick draw - play to win Play the pieces, not a person or grade or anything else Perhaps, most encouragingly of all… “You just have to keep going. Something will just click and you will just improve.” (Left to right) Li, Thomas, James, Simon, Ankush Round Eight games For the first time, England players got drawn against each other: Sheila against Jessica, Chantal against Selina. At least they all had different coaches, allowing them to prepare for the games without undue disruption. The computer picks the pairings, so there is not any room for complaint, even though in one case the two girls had been playing the same colour up until this round. In last year’s European Youth Championship the computer kept players of the same country away from each other in the last three rounds, but this was changed on the basis that it also can lead to one country getting an unfair share of the top places. In Round 8, only 6 points out of a possible 15 were registered by the England players. ECF coaches Robert Bellin, Andrew Greet, Jovanka Houska, Neil McDonald and Thomas Rendle have given their thoughts on the Round 8 games. Radha (1h30m) was tricked into an unfamiliar position and allowed her opponent a slight initiative on the king side. Radha defended actively by conceiving her own attack on the queen side and turned down a draw offer. However, a white king side attack prevailed, although a queen sacrifice would have probably held the game. Marcus (3h50m) achieved a satisfactory position from the opening, but then lost a pawn to a clever tactical trick and his opponent gave him no chance in the end game. Samuel (3h15m) sacrificed a piece for unclear compensation, but then did not find the most accurate way to continue and just ended up a piece down, eventually losing the game. Saravanan (1h50m) exchanged a friendly smile with his opponent after following one of his previous games in the tournament for a dozen or so moves. However, there was little friendship shown as they battled it out throughout a murky middle game position without succeeding to get the better of each other, and finally agreed a draw. Yang-Fan’s (2h20m) opening preparation went well, but then he miscalculated a line and had to dig deep to hold his opponent in the end game. Amisha (3h45m) had a lovely game with a brilliant rook sacrifice, which could have won the “brilliancy prize”. There were two possible ways to follow up and tragically Amisha picked the wrong one. Jessica (3h) gained the advantage after some imprecise play from her opponent Sheila, but she could not find a continuation that convinced her it was worth declining the draw that was offered. The game featured some original and complex strategic play compressed into just 20-odd moves. Jessica had the undisputed advantage, but the final position posed problems even for the coaches, so the girls agreeing a draw was a fair conclusion. Callum (4h30m) was the last out of our group in an exceptionally complicated game, which his coach describes as one of the most interesting of all. The middle game was roughly balanced, with deep complications making it tough for both players to find the best continuations. The game went to and fro, Callum eventually emerging with a winning position once he had defused the main wave of attack. Subin (3h20m) seemed to have the superior position from the opening, but then he lost tactical control of the position and his opponent found a very powerful piece sacrifice which could not be accepted. Confused and perplexed, Subin fell into a stranglehold from which he could never break through. Selina (3h20m) made her intentions clear early with an aggressive king side attack. Chantal managed to defend the position quite well, gaining material advantage. Despite this the position remained unclear. After a few inaccurate moves by Chantal, she allowed Selina to get a mating attack. Their coaches agree that the game could have gone either way. Following a quiet opening, the opponent of James (3h25m) unwisely exposed his king and James seized the opportunity to prosecute a relentless attack with great energy. Ankush (3h20m) played a razor sharp defence to the Ruy Lopez and deliberately provoked a dangerous sacrifice from his Russian opponent, but thereafter he could not quite come up with the computer accuracy required to hold the position. Thomas (3h20m) had a very complicated game with a better position in the opening, but he fell foul of a trick which cost a piece. The position was still unclear, but his Polish 2246 opponent came out on top. The key stage in Simon’s (4h25m) well contested game was a long battle of two rooks and several pawns versus a rook, two minor pieces and two fewer pawns, which culminated in Simon’s favour with the arrival of an unstoppable rook’s pawn on the 7th rank. Li (3h25m) was surprised in the opening when his opponent played a different variation to what he had expected. Li was less familiar with the resulting positions and failed to find the best continuation; he left himself in a bit of a passive position in which he did not manage to find the best moves, eventually losing the game. For today's annotated games, please click here. Gideon and Radha have a game Scene in one of the playing halls at the start The score sheet lady The playing hall entrance is guarded carefully Krishna displays the book given to all players - Slobodan Mirkovic is the author of the system for classifications of chess combinations The draw for Round 9 There was mayhem for the final round draw. First the there was a long delay as the arbiters resolved a dispute and held back the publication of any of the sections until after 10pm, by which time the lobby of the hotel was heaving with people. Then everyone was plunged into darkness as the electric storm took out the local electricity grid. Power was eventually restored. Callum and Maggie struggle to see the draw even before the power cut Thank you to the schools ECF President Gerry Walsh made a point in his interview posted on our Round 2 report of thanking the juniors’ schools, to which he has also written individually. Below is a list of the schools, without whose permission the trip would not be possible. To quote from Gerry’s letter, “The Federation is rightly proud of the players’ effort, which has complied completely with the motto of FIDE (The World Chess Federation) GENS UNA SUMUS - We are one Family” List of players & their schools