2010 WUC Chess Update: Wang Yue Secures Title with One Round to Go

Yue Wang (CHN) 

ZURICH – With an impressive display of mental power-play the 23-year-old Chinese grandmaster Wang Yue has clinched the World University Champion­ship 2010. The student of communication sciences at Nankai University showed admirable stubbornness and excellent technique in rounds 7 and 8, grinding down GM Momchil Nikolov (Bulgaria) and GM Rinat Jumbayev (Kazakhstan) in two interesting endgames.

Against Nikolov he had to work especially hard: having obtained a large advantage from the opening, he let most of it go again. After almost all pieces were traded an endgame with rooks and bishops of opposite colours arose. All remaining pawns standing on the same wing, everything but a draw was expected. Unperturbed, Wang Yue kept pressing and in the end converted his pawn advantage with apparently incredible ease. The many spectators surrounding his board in the afternoon were not disappointed either. Again an endgame arose where Wang seemed to have only the tiniest of advantages, but with an unexpected pawn sacrifice he developed a dangerous long-term initiative. Although there were no direct threats – or perhaps exactly because there were none – defending Black’s position required utmost attention. Jumbayev was up to the task until suddenly, at move 39, he succumbed under the great pressure. A fatal rook move immediately cost him a piece.

One round before the end Wang Yue has a fantastic 7.5/8 points and a rating performance of almost 2950. On second place, IM David Benidze from Georgia is 1.5 points behind. He can no longer win the tournament but is about to score a GM norm, at least.

In the women’s tournament the race is completely open. In the 8th round top encounter between WIM Ljilja Drljevic (Serbia) and WGM Batkhuyag Munguntuul (Mongolia) the latter did the same as Wang Yue in the morning: showing great perseverance, the highest-rated woman in the field won a seemingly drawn endgame with rooks and opposite-coloured bishops, thereby wresting the lead from her opponent. With Munguntuul on 6 points and no less than seven players on 5.5 an eventful final round is to be expected.

The last day will also bring about the decision in the nations’ ranking. Before round 9 the team from Georgia is leading ahead of Mongolia, but only by a minuscule advantage (1 Buchholz point). The current titleholder, Russia, is one point behind on 16 points. Kazakhstan and China are trailing by a further point, but still have good chances of a medal too.

The tournament is rich in entertaining battles. Nevertheless, the events unfolding in the game Yanjindulan – Tsereteli in round 7 were in a class of its own. Rarely have we seen such a spectacular game with so many unusual manoeuvres. The point of culmination was reached after move 37: with queen and rook against knight and rook (plus several pawns each), Black seemed to be totally winning, but the incredible 38. Nb6-a8 enabled White to escape in truly study-like fashion. If you play over just one game this year, this has to be the one.

(Source: Richard Forster, WUCC 2010 Media Services)

RESULTS

Men
Round 7: GM Nikolov (Bul) – GM Wang Yue (China) 0:1. GM Ismagambetov (Kas) – IM Khmelniker (Isr) drawn. IM Benidze (Geo) – GM Popovic (Srb) 1:0. etc.
8. Runde: GM Wang Yue (China) – GM Jumabayev (Kaz) 1:0. GM Ismagambetov (Kaz) – IM Benidze (Geo) drawn. IM Papin (Rus) – IM Khmelniker (Isr) 1:0. etc.
Top standings: 1. GM Wang Yue (China) 7,5. 2. IM Benidze (Geo) 6. 3. IM Khmelniker (Isr), GM Ismagambetov (Kas), Gundavaa (Mgl), GM Nikolov (Bul), GM Ponkratow (Rus), IM Papin (Rus) and GM Lysyj (Rus), 5,5 (57 participants).

Women
Round 7: WGM Guramishvili (Geo) – WIM Drljevic (Srb) drawn. WGM Munguntuul (Mgl) – WGM Tuvshintugs (Mgl) 1:0. WIM Yanjindulam (Mgl) – WGM Tsereteli (Geo) drawn.
Round 8: WIM Drljevic (Srb) – WGM Munguntuul (Mgl) 0:1. WIM Borosova (Svk) – WGM Guramishvili (Geo) drawn. WGM Tsereteli (Geo) – WIM Seps (Sui) 1:0.
Top standings: 1. WGM Munguntuul (Mgl) 6. 2. WGM Guramischwili (Geo), WIM Drljevic (Srb), WIM Fuchs (De), WGM Tsereteli (Geo), WGM Tuvshintugs (Mgl), WIM Borosova (Svk) and WGM Sukandar (Indo), 5,5 (39 participants).

Live games and full results: