GOTW: Dukic - Chen, 2017 Canadian Junior

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Submitted by John Upper on Fri, 08/18/2017 - 01:08

2017 Canadian Junior

The 2017 Canadian Junior Championship took place August 9-13 at the Erindale United Church, Mississauga, ON. It consisted of two events: a 9-round Open section and a 6-round Reserves (U1600). 

In the Reserves Section, Isabelle Wang beat Michelle Hua in their fourth (!) playoff game to take the girls title. Aidan Mirabelli avoided playoffs by going 6/6 to take the Reserves Championship. You can replay his favourite game from the tournament here on the CFC Newsfeed.

The Open Section featured 8 players over 2200:

  • Richard Chen, 2324
  • Eugene Hua, 2317
  • Jason Cai, 2297
  • Terry Song, 2250
  • Nicholas Vettese, 2249
  • Zachary Dukic, 2238
  • Hairan Liang, 2231
  • Zehn Nasir, 2221

The Open Section went almost exactly to form: one of the players withdrew after two early losses, but the other 7 finished in the top 7. It also featured an incredibly tight finish: with two rounds to go there were 6 players tied with 5/7 and three more only 1/2 a point back. 

Richard Chen was the only one of the leaders to win both his final two games and so became the 2017 Canadian Junior Champion. Three players were tied for second: Eugene Hua, Nicholas Vettese and Zehn Nasir. Eugene had the best tie-break and so was seeded into the playoff final, where he beat Nicholas, who beat Zehn.

The girls played in the Open section, mostly agaist boys of course, but it turned out that the top two girls were paired against each other in the final round, where Cynthia Cui defeated Mysha Gillani to become the 2017 Canadian Junior Girls Champion.

photo: 2017 Canadian Junior Champions Richard Chen and Cynthia Cui.

Final Standings

Rk. Name Rtg 1.Rd 2.Rd 3.Rd 4.Rd 5.Rd 6.Rd 7.Rd 8.Rd 9.Rd Pts. 
1 Chen Richard  2324  18b1   4w1   5b1   7w1   6b½   2w0   3b½   8w1   9b1 7
2 Hua Eugene  2317  14w1  10b1   3w0   8b½  11w1   1b1   7w½   6b½   5w1 6.5
3 Vettese Nicholas  2249  25b1  21w1   2b1   6w0   7b0  24w1   1w½  13b1   8w1 6.5
4 Nasir Zehn  2221  23w1   1b0  13w1  14b0  15w1   8b½  10w1  16b1   6w1 6.5
5 Dukic Zachary  2238  15w1  16b1   1w0   9b1   8w½  14b1   6b½   7w1   2b0 6
6 Song Guannan Terry  2250  11w1  13b½  22w1   3b1   1w½   7b½   5w½   2w½   4b0 5.5
7 Liang Hairan  2231  19b1  31w1  32b1   1b0   3w1   6w½   2b½   5b0  10w½ 5.5
8 Li William  2141  17b½   9w1  12b1   2w½   5b½   4w½  20w1   1b0   3b0 5
9 Noorali Aahil  2008  30w1   8b0  23w1   5w0  20b0  11b1  17w1  15b1   1w0 5
10 Zhao Harry  2195  26b1   2w0  19b1  24w½  14w½  16b½   4b0  20w1   7b½ 5
11 Ning Eric  1926   6b0  26w1  21b½  33w1   2b0   9w0  24b1  18w½  20b1 5
12 Yang Fan  2103  28w1  32b½   8w0  22b½  13w½  17b½  15w0  23b1  25w1 5
13 Zhang Henry  2096  20b1   6w½   4b0  21w½  12b½  29w1  14b1   3w0 0 4.5
14 Chen Max  1987   2b0  33w1  31b1   4w1  10b½   5w0  13w0  25b½  17w½ 4.5
15 Rusonik Max  1880   5b0  20w0  26b1  30w1   4b0  19w1  12b1   9w0  18b½ 4.5
16 Issani Nameer  2072  29b1   5w0  20b½  32w1  24b½  10w½    -½   4w0  19b½ 4.5
17 Jiang Brian  1827   8w½  22b0  25b½  19w1  18b½  12w½   9b0  24w1  14b½ 4.5
18 Surya Benito  1998   1w0  23b0  28w½  27b1  17w½  26b½  22w1  11b½  15w½ 4.5
19 Atanasov Anthony  1877   7w0  30b1  10w0  17b0  28w1  15b0 -1  29b1  16w½ 4.5
20 Huang Youhe  1680  13w0  15b1  16w½  23b½   9w1  21w1   8b0  10b0  11w0 4
21 Maulucci Anthony  2087  27w1   3b0  11w½  13b½  22w1  20b0  23w1 0 0 4
22 Uthayakumar Ronan  1828  33b½  17w1   6b0  12w½  21b0  25w½  18b0 -1  26b½ 4
23 Zheng Kevin  1874   4b0  18w1   9b0  20w½  25b½  27w1  21b0  12w0  31b1 4
24 Kang Dorian  1955  32w0  28b1  29w1  10b½  16w½   3b0  11w0  17b0 -1 4
25 Xu Daniel  1895   3w0  27b½  17w½  29b½  23w½  22b½  26w1  14w½  12b0 4
26 Cui Leonardo  1872  10w0  11b0  15w0 -1  30b1  18w½  25b0  31b1  22w½ 4
27 Liao Joseph  1678  21b0  25w½  33b0  18w0 -1  23b0  31w½  28w½  30b1 3.5
28 Cui Cynthia  1767  12b0  24w0  18b½  31w½  19b0 -1  30w0  27b½  29w1 3.5
29 Gilani Mysha  1643  16w0 -1  24b0  25w½  31b1  13b0    -½  19w0  28b0 3
30 Tao Ellen  1618   9b0  19w0 -1  15b0  26w0  31w1  28b1 0  27w0 3
31 Liu Henry  1603 -1   7b0  14w0  28b½  29w0  30b0  27b½  26w0  23w0 2
32 Cai Jason  2297  24b1  12w½   7w0  16b0 0 0 0 0 0 1.5
33 Yie Kevin Yi-Xiao  2146  22w½  14b0  27w1  11b0 0 0 0 0 0 1.5

thanks to: Organizers Mikhail Egorov and Gary Hua, and the TD IA Danny Goldenberg. Special thanks to Mississauga Chess Club stalwart Paul Roschman, who was the first person there setting up before the event, and the last one to leave after packing up the final round late Sunday night. 

Open Results
http://chess-results.com/tnr296304.aspx?lan=1&art=4&wi=821

Reserves Results
http://chess-results.com/tnr296785.aspx?lan=1&art=4&wi=821

Reserves GOTW: Mirabelli - Bhavatharshan
http://chess.ca/newsfeed/node/986

photos
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1423839204368012.1073741859.731717656913507&type=1&l=416de53d00

Our Canadian Game of the Week is between Zac Dukic and Richard Chen. They were the coleaders going into the final round with 6/8, but had already met in round 3 in a game that may well have decided the Championship. It's an English Attack against the Taimanov Sicilian, where White gets a big advantage out of the opening, but doesn't use his structural advantages after the Queen's come off, and Black shows that if he can survive the pawn storm, those advanced pawns are weaknesses in the endgame.

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 Round:  Result:

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