BOTW: 2017.07.24

John Upper's picture
Submitted by John Upper on Mon, 07/24/2017 - 14:57

Our Best of the Web this week includes the 50th Biel Chess Festival and the 17th Susan Polgar Foundation Girl's Invitational...

2017 Biel Chess Festival
July 22 - Aug 2, 2017

The 50th Biel Chess Festival earns the name "Festival" with multiple events: 

    • A rapid tournament to open featured Karpov, Vaganian and Hort along with the players from the GM tournament.
    • The GM tournament is a 10-player RR, topped by Pentala Harikrishna and David Navara (2737) and includes Peter Leko, Alexander Morozevich and Hou Yifan.
    • The Masters Tournament is a 9-round Swiss with 14 players over 2600 and top seed GM Sam Shankland. Two Canadians are playing in the masters group: Hugues Massé and IM Aman Hambleton, who is going after his final GM Norm.
    • There is a also a blitz tournament, a youth tournament, and a Fischer Random/960 event, where Aman finished =1st (photo below).

Round 1 of the GM Tournament started with a win for Hou Yifan over Morozevich, who sac'ed a piece for an attack in a KIA but didn't follow up correctly, and Peter Leko who played some very inpired chess on the Black side of a Benoni (sac'ing an exchange and playing a Rook down at one point) before grinding down IM Noel Studer in a R vs B ending.

Homepage (includes free video and commentary with GMs Daniel King and Joe Gallagher)

http://beta.bielchessfestival.ch/Homepage.html

or 

https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/biel-grandmaster-tournament-2017/1/1/1

Aman Hambleton in Biel Masters
http://www.chess-results.com/tnr293664.aspx?lan=1&art=9&fed=CAN&turdet=YES&wi=821&snr=32

 

2017 Susan Polgar Foundation Girl's Invitational
July 22–27, 2017
Webster University, St. Louis

The 14th annual event offers up to $200,000 in scholarships and $7,500 in cash prizes for qualifying girls under 19. 

There is a 6-round FIDE-rated Swiss (g/90+30) to determine the main prizes and scholarships, as well as side events like bughouse, problem solving, blitz, and training sessions with Susan Polgar and her national champion chess team from Webster University. All 69 players are provided with free room and board during this generous event.

9 Canadians are playing (number is their qualifying rank):

1. WGM Qiyu Zhou, Ontario
2. WIM Maïli-Jade Ouellet, Quebec
11. WFM Svitlana Demchenko, Ontario
16. Linda Yun Shi, Quebec
24. Andrea Botez, BC/Oregon
43. Rachel Zihan Wang, Quebec
45. Lucy Chao, Alberta
51. Sophia Yu, BC
67. Abigail Sorgard, Saskatchewan

Bughouse
Maïli-Jade Ouellet won the bughouse with Saey Kamtekar (982) from Utah.

Problem Competition
Competitors had 30 minutes to solve 20 positions. 13 players scored 20/20, including Canadians Ling Yun Shi and Svitlana Demchenko, but they were slower than Anahi Ortiz (Ecuador) who finished in 9:27. Qiyu Zhou was by far the fastest finisher in 7:42, but missed 1/2 a point to score 19.5.

Blitz
Maïli-Jade Ouellet won the blitz with 9/10. Qiyu was =2nd with 8/10.

 

photo above (via Dromihete Istronom) shows 7 of the Canadians at the 2017 Susan Polgar Foundation Girl's Invitational: Rachel Wang, Andrea Botez, WIM Maïli-Jade Ouellet, WGM Qiyu Zhou, WFM Alexandra Botez (SPFGI alumna), Sophia Yu, WFM Svitlana Demchenko.

Overview
https://chessdailynews.com/14th-annual-spf-girls-invitational-over-207500-in-scholarships-prizes/

Day 1 Summary
https://chessdailynews.com/2017-spfgi-photos-results/

photos
https://photos.app.goo.gl/evO2vwT2IbfW8GHb2

 

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