Reggio Emilia is a prosperous northern Italian city that is popular with tourists. In addition to its tourist appeal, the city also holds a strong annual chess tournament. The 2011 and 56th annual event was no exception. The format this year was a double round robin, with six grandmasters, consisting of Hikaru Nakamura (US), Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukraine), Anish Giri (Netherlands), Alexander Morozevich (Russia), Fabiano Caruana (Italy; and formerly of Brooklyn, N.Y.), and Nikita Vitiugov (Russia). This tournament held the world’s spotlight as 2011 bowed out. The fortunes of the players resembled a roller coaster as individual players triumphed and then flunked, with leads constantly changing hands. The tournament was held amid New Year’s revelry, with fountains lit up in the city and with a festive dinner in which the players, wreathed in smiles and celebratory hats, relaxed with the members of the ladies section at a cheerful dinner.
Chess notes
Morozevich had the lead by the third round, but Nakamura was having a sensational tournament, defeating Vitiugov in round 1, Caruana in round 3, and Giri in the fourth round, with what seemed to be very bold, dangerous play. Nakamura also won a difficult game against Ivanchuk in round 5. Ivanchuk had joined him in the lead in round 4. By the seventh round, Nakamura was three points ahead of the field and seemed to be running away with the tournament. But whether due to stamina, the stars, or smugness, Nakamura suffered the lash of misfortune. His play collapsed, losing in the eighth round to Morozevich, in the ninth to Giri, and in the 10th to Ivanchuk. Ivanchuk, too, had had a terrible run in the tournament, preceding Nakamura’s losing streak with one of this own. He lost his, fifth-, sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-round games. In the seventh round against Vitiugov, he blundered terribly, losing a piece and, quickly thereafter, the game.
Giri, the youngest and lowest-rated player in the tournament upset all predictions. He was essentially the dark horse that came from behind to surprise the field. In the course of the tournament, he had victories against Nakamura, Ivanchuk, Caruana, and Vitiugov and gained 15 ratings points. His eighth and ninth rounds were turning points. He defeated Vitiugov in the eighth, and the ninth round game against Nakamura was climactic. He played a Petroff’s Defense. Nakamura elected to go into a relatively untrodden variation in which kings castle on opposite sides of the board. Nakamura attacked too quickly and then withdrew. He tried for a draw, but Giri would have none of it. Giri found weaknesses in Nakamura’s center and Nakamura gave up rather than expire gradually.
In round 10, Ivanchuk got revenge against Nakamura, and Vitiugov defeated Morozevich, thus denying him a first-place finish (on tie-break). Caruana and Giri drew. Final scores: Giri - 16, Morozevich, Caruana, and Nakamura - 15, Ivanchuk - 12, Vitiugov - 9.
Brevity: F. Braga v. V. Priehoder (1993) 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c3 Nf6 4.e5 Nd5 5.d4 cxd4 6.cxd4 b6 7.Bd3 Ba6 8.0-0 Be7 9.Nc3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 Nxc3 11.bxc3 d5 12.exd6 Qxd6 13.Ba3 Qd8 14.Bxe7 Kxe7 15.Rad1 f6 16.Rfe1 Kf7 17.Ng5; 1-0 (If 17. . . fxg5 then 18.Qf3+)
Winners: BCC’s Herb Healy: Rated Section, 1st-3d: C. Chase, D. Shmelov and E. Godin, 3.5-.5. MMC Holiday Cheer Open: Open Section, 1st-2d: J. Rizzitano and A. Bisguier, 3.5-.5.
Coming Events: Fri. Waltham CC Snowbound G/40 (dual) 404 Wyman St., Waltham; www.walthamchessclub.org; Sat. BCC $10 Open, 240B Elm St., Somerville; www.boylstonchessclub.org.