So, Rodhstein Still Leads After the Second Round of Biel Chess Festival

It was a dull day in the second round of the 43rd Biel Chess Festival held in Switzerland as all players in five boards agreed to a truce. Grandmaster Wesley So of the Philippines springs some surprises on his game against the top seeded French Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (2723) in the middle stages of the match but was wittingly neutralized by superb counter plays. The exciting match between these two feisty chess players ended in a draw after exhausting 64 moves. The Filipino number one player still leads in the tournament alongside Maxim Rodhstein (2609) of Israel which was also held to a draw by Italian rising Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana (2697). Caruana scored his second draw counting the one he had against Anish Giri who triumphed this year in the Section B of the prestigious Corus Chess Tournament also drew his game against Vachier-Lagrave in the first round.

Grandmasters David Howell of England (2616) bounced back into contention by scoring a hard fought draw against GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son (2617).

The drawish games between second-seed Russian GM Evgeny Tomashevsky (2708) of Russia against Parimarjan Negi (2615) of India and Anish Giri of the Netherlands (2672) over Dmitry Andreikin (2650) of Russia are still played as of press time.

So and Rodhstein still leads in the tournament by just a half point against their nearest pursuers.

Standings After Second Round

1.5 So (Philippines), Rodhstein (Israel)

1.0 Vachier-Lagrave (France), Caruana (Italy), Truong Son (Vietnam),

0.5 Giri (Netherlands)*, Tomashevsky (Russia)*, Andreikin (Russia)*, Howell (England)

0 Negi (India)*

* Playing as of press time

Filipino Wesley So Draws First Blood Over David Howell in Biel Chess Festival

The prestigious and equally tough 43^rd Biel Chess Festival held in Switzerland hostilities finally got underway as top guns of the Young Tournament in the annual event showed fearsome form. Fourth-seeded Filipino grandmaster Wesley So (2674) who is the current youngest player in the world’s top 60 lists in the latest FIDE ratings waylaid old nemesis and British hope David Howell (2616) 1-0, even as Israeli top bet Maxim Rodhstein (2609) squeaking past Indian Grandmaster Parimarjan Negi (2615) 1-0, to grab the early lead in the tournament which lured ten of the brightest and talented woodpushers from all over the world.

The top Filipino bet, So, made a stir in the 2009 World Cup by virtue of scoring stunning upset victories over Ukrainian Vassily Ivanchuk and American Gata Kamsky next takes on the tournament’s top seed Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (2723) who drew his round assignment with Italian sensation and third seed Fabiano Caruana (2697), ½ – ½. While erstwhile co-leader Rodhstein (2609) will meet Caruana in the second round.

All the other matches in the first round ended in a truce. Dutch Anish Giri (2672) who is a half-Russian half-Nepalese drew with Russian second-seed Evgeny Tomashevsky (2708) ½ – ½, while another Russian GM participant Dmitry Andreikin (2650) halved the point with Vietnamese GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son (2617) ½ – ½.

Other pairings in the second round of the tournament includes Tomashevsky (0.5) – Parimarjan Negi (0), Truong Son (0.5) – David Howell (0), Giri (0.5) – Andreikin (0.5).

Wesley So Loses to Giri in Biel Chessfest in the Eighth Round

Grandmaster Wesley So of the Philippines bowed to old nemesis GM Anish Giri of the Netherlands in the eighth round of the 43rd Biel Chessfest Young Grandmaster Tournament  category and remained stacked with 4 points. So playing with the black pieces engaged Giri into complications in their English Opening (Pidgin Variation) and even pushed the Dutch number 2 player in time trouble. At the end So was in big trouble as the match was culled to just 5 pawns for both players and a Zugswang favors the white pieces with strong passive pawns on the kingside that.

The loss dashed the hopes of Wesley So of bagging the tournament’s top plum.

Almost the same fate happened to So earlier this year as he bowed to time troubled Giri after making a blunder. So missed a winning line that enabled Giri to wield the upset axe and eventually wrap up the Corus Section B championship and the automatic seeding to next year’s elite Group A.

Vietnamese GM Nguyen Truoc Son meanwhile pulled out a stunning reversal as he repulsed second seed GM Evgeny Tomashevsky  of Russia to enhance his chances of winning the tournament. Nguyen now totes 4.5 points to catch Caruana for the lead on this All-Grandmaster, single round play tournament.

Other chess matches are still played as of presstime.

Standings After the Eighth Round in the 43^rd Biel International Chess Festival

4.0 points So (Philippines), Tomashevsky (Russia), Andreikin (Russia)*, Vachier-Lagrave (France)*, Rodhstein (Israel)*, Giri (Netherlands)

2.0 points Negi (India)*, Howell (England)*

Playing as of presstime

Wesley So Keeps Share of Second Place After Seven Rounds in Biel Chessfest

Updated

Another draw for GM Wesley So of the Philippines this time against GM Nguyen Trouc Son of Vietnam to stay in a share of the second place in the 43^rd Biel Young Grandmaster Tournaent  held in Switzerland. The Filipino chess whiz finds himself in big trouble but as the battle nears the end game Wesley So managed to make a comeback and squeezed the draw. The Qc2 move of so in the 16^th proves to be very weak as Nguyen pounced on it. The Vietnamese controlled the game from then on, but So didn’t waver as he launched counter attacks and parry all the threats provided by Nguyen.

Three other games in the tournament also ended in a draw on this 10-man all-GM tournament – top seed Maxime Vachier of France against second seed Evegeny Tomashevsky, Fabiano Caruana of Italy against Anish Giri of the Netherlands and Paramirjan Negi of India against Dmitry Andreikin of Russia.

GM Maxime Rodhstein of Israel is still battling GM David Howell of England as of presstime.

Caruana still holds a very slim lead and just a half a point ahead of So, Vachier-Lagrave, and Andreikin.

Standings After Seventh Round in the 43^rd Biel International Chess Festival

4.5 points Caruana (Italy)

4.0 points So (Philippines), Tomashevsky (Russia), Andreikin (Russia), Vachier-Lagrave (France), Rodhstein (Israel)

3.5 points Nguyen (Vietnam)

3.0 points Giri (Netherlands)

2.0 points Negi (India), Howell (England)

*Playing as of presstime

Wesley So Scored a Draw Over His Russian Opponent in the Sixth Round of Biel Chess festival

Updated

Filipino Grandmaster Wesley So escaped with a draw against his second seeded opponent Russian GM Evgeny Tomashevsky in just 24 moves of Carokann in the sixth round of the 43^rd Biel Chess Festival held in Switzerland to hike his output to 3.5 points. He tied his opponent,  Russian GM Dmitry Andreikin and Israeli GM Maxim Rodhstein  for the share of the econd place. Andreikin drew his game over Rodhstein.

Italian GM Fabiano Caruana nurses a slim half point lead in the tournament by also drawing his game against Vietnamese GM Nguyen Truoc Son, to raise his total points to 4.0.

Also playing as of presstime are French GM Maxime Vachier-Lagraive and David Howell, and Dutch GM Anish Giri and Indian GM Paramirjan Negi.

Giri who is the reigning Groub Section of the Corus Chess Tournament is running into time trouble but against his opponent.

Standings After Sixth Round in the 43^rd Biel International Chess Festival

4.0 points Caruana (Italy)

3.5 points So (Philippines), Tomashevsky (Russia), Rodhstein (Israel), Andreikin (Russia), Vachier-Lagrave (France)

1.5 points Howell (England), Negi (India)*

So Loses to Caruana in the Fifth Round in Biel Chess Festival

Grandmaster Wesley So’s hold of the lead in the 43^rd Biel Chess Festival was wiped out as Italian GM Fabiano Caruana of Italy inflicted him a resounding defeat on their Carokann encounter in the fifth round match. The Filipino chess lion who now totes 2 wins, two draws and a loss and was stalled at 3.0 points now half a point behind his tormentor. Caruana seized the solo lead with 3.5 points.

Israeli GM Maxim Rodhstein who played very well for his country in the last staging of the Olympiad made up from a loss to So in the fourth round, as he bounced back into contention by outwitting favored Anish Giri of the Netherlands 1-0 to hike his points output to 3.0.

In other fifth round action, GMs Nguyen Truoc Son of Vietnam and Paramirjan Negi of India agreed to a draw, ½ – ½, the same outcome transpired with the game between second-seeded GM Evgeny Tomashevsky of Russia and David Howell of England.

The result of the game between top seed GM Maxime Vachier-Lagraive of France and Russian GM Dmitry Andreikin is still not available as they are still playing as of presstime.

So will have its hand full when it battles Tomashevsky in the sixth round.

Standings After Fifth Round of the 43^rd Biel International Chess Festival

3.5 points Caruana (Italy),

3.0 points So (Philippines), Tomashevsky (Russia), Rodhstein (Israel)

2.5 points Andreikin (Russia)*, Truong Son (Vietnam)

2.0  points Vachier-Lagrave (France)*, Giri (Netherlands)

1.5 point Howell (England)

1.0  point Negi (India)

A Draw For So in the Fourth Round in Biel Chess Festival

(Updated July 23, 2010) Grandmaster Wesley So of the Philippines finds cellar dweller Paramirjan Negi of India a tough nut to crack as he was forced to a draw after 28 moves of  Carokann. So is still leading with 3 points in four rounds just a half point ahead of Italian GM Fabiano Caruana and Russians GMs Evgeny Tomashevsky and Dmitry Andreikin.

Andreikin was the biggest gainer in the fourth round as he crushed English GM David Howell, to catch Tomashevsky and Andreikin for a tie of the second place lead.

The solo leader So stakes his lead over the dangerous third seeded Caruana.

Grandmasters Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France, the tournament’s top seed and Anish Giri of the Netherlands are still battling as of presstime.

Standings After Fourth Round of the Biel International Chess Festival

3.0 points So (Philippines),

2.5 points Tomashevsky (Russia), Caruana (Italy), Andreikin (Russia),

2.0 Truong Son (Vietnam), Rodhstein (Israel)

1.5 points Vachier-Lagrave (France)*, Giri (Netherlands)*

1.0 Howell (England)

0.5 Negi (India)

* Playing as of presstime

Amazing So Wrests Solo Lead In Biel Chess Festival in the Third Round

Filipino Grandmaster Wesley So (2672) handling the disadvantageous black pieces pummeled erstwhile co-leader Israeli GM Maxim Rodhstein (2609) with series of remarkable maneuvers in the end game to triumph in moves of 39 Queen’s Indian Defense to hike its points output to 2.5 and took the solo lead in the 43^rd Biel International Chess Festival. So missed a winning line in the middle game but recovered his lost ground to subdue his pesky Israeli opponent.

So pondering his moves against Rodhstein in the third round of Biel Chess Festival. Picture from www.bielchessfestival.ch/

Fabiano Caruana of Italy, which totes an Elo rating of 2697 dealt Indian GM Paramirjan Negi its third loss in as many games to tie Russian GM Evgeny Tomashevsky (2708) for second place with two points a piece. Tomashevsky drew his game with fellow Russian GM Dmitry Andreikin (2650).

In the other games, top seed Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (2723) of France was held to a draw by Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son ½ – ½ and Dutch GM Anish Giri halved the point with David Howell of England ½ – ½.

Standings After the Third Round of  Biel International Chess Festival

2.5 points So (Philippines), 1.5 Rodhstein (Israel)

2.0 points Tomashevsky (Russia), Caruana (Italy)

1.5 points Vachier-Lagrave (France), Truong Son (Vietnam), Giri (Netherlands), Andreikin (Russia)

1.0 Howell (England)

0 Negi (India)

The Biel Chess Festival Participants. Picture from www.bielchessfestival.ch/