Altersheim Kluspark, Asylstr. 130, 8032 Zürich 

ML: Lluis Uso i Cubertorer, Aemmetweg 6, 8620 Wetzikon ZH, M 076 752 15 00, ulluis©student.ethz.ch

Spieldaten

6. Runde 3.03.2012 Réti 5 – Schaffhausen Munot 3

7. Runde 24.03.2012 Réti 5 – Wetzikon 3

Rangliste

5. Runde

The overall atmosphere in the playing room was very good. Four of our teams were playing their respective matches there, which ensured a room quite crowded, and allowed us amateurs to see games between top players (and notice that at such level, they tend to end in draw). Our own match against SG Zürich 3, went rather well. The games we played black were the first ones to be decided. Mine was first, on board 4, where I played french, and my opponent played rather strangely in the opening, which gave me a pawn and a better position for the middle game, I then forced queen exchange, which would have lead to a probably won endgame, but my opponent simply gave me his queen for free, upon which he resigned.  Not too long after that, Alex had played sicilian, and shattered the king-side castle of his opponent with a bishop sacrifice, and with queen and knights attacked the king fiercely until his opponent resigned since his only way to escape mate in one was to sacrifice the queen. Grace's game took a bit longer, she played rather agressively, with clear mating threats, although she missed a (temporary) knight sacrifice, which would have lead to victory,  her opponent was then able to parry her attack, keeping the two pawns she had already sacrificed. Still, Grace fought bravely, got the two pawns back, and, since we already had 2 points, and the game was probably draw anyway, accepted his opponent's draw offer. Andreas, on the first board tried a king's gambit, which his opponent parried well, the position was slightly favourable to black, and Andreas was on time pressure (about 5 min for 10 moves to reach time control) however he managed to do the moves, and even do quite good moves!  The position after that was probably a draw, and he did make the offer, which was rejected. Some time after that his opponent got into “Zugzwang” (was forced to give up a pawn) and offered draw, which Andreas rejected; however this small advantage was, because of the position, not enough for a win, and the game ended in draw.

- Lluis Usó 

4. Runde

We all arrived with plenty of time to Ilnau, and found our way to the old school house. It was, at least i thought so, a remarkable place: one had the feeling of being transported backwards in time. As expected, we were to fight much stronger opponents, between 200 and 400 Elo-points of difference at each board. The first game to end was that on the third board, where Hannah had lost a quality, that decided the match in favour of her opponent. Meanwhile, Yagiz on the first board had a very complicated game, and a slightly disadvantage. Christian, on the second, had a very equal game, with chances on both sides. And my own game on the fourth board was improving, after a mistake on my side had destroyed my kingside castle. In fact it improved so much that my opponent offered a draw. I accepted, since the position was difficult, and it could really go either way. By then, a discovered attack granted Christian a quality and a pawn, and although his opponent tried hard to reach a draw, eventually he capitulated, facing a clearly lost position. Yagiz, had a slightly worse-off position, but he still had winning, or at least drawing chances, however due to time pressure, he oversaw that his opponent had the possibility of a knight fork of king and queen, and, unfortunately, his opponent did see it, and won the game. So, on the whole it was a good result, after all, given the level of our opponents we were expecting a 4:0 defeat.

- Lluis 

3. Runde

Mit Unterstützung von Sebi, der verdankenswerterweise kurzfristig die Herausforderung annahm, für einmal bei Réti 5 auszuhelfen, ist dieser Mannschaft heute ein kleiner Exploit gegen den bisherigen Tabellenführer der Gruppe gelungen. Sebi war es auch, der als erster seine Partie gegen den nominell stärksten Spieler der gegnerischen Mannschaft mit einem Remis beendete. Den materiellen Vorsprung eines Bauern hätte er unter andern Umständen vielleicht noch zu einem Siegesversuch nutzen können, doch die Konstellation mit Läufern unterschiedlicher Felderfarbe liess dies heute als nicht mehr sinnvoll erscheinen. Nach diesem Remis begann das Kreuzfeuer auf den bedauernswerten schwarzen König auf Brett 1. Andreas spielte in gewohnt angriffiger Manier und ein ungenauer Damenzug des Gegners erlaubte es ihm, seinen Angriff weiter zu verstärken. Nachdem sich alles, was im Schach an weisssen Schwerfiguren vorhanden ist, auf der h - Linie gesammelt hatte, öffnete Andreas auch noch die f - und die g - Linie und die Partie dauerte dann nur noch drei Züge bis zum Matt. Aus einer ganz andern Eröffnung heraus ergab sich ein ähnliches Bild am Brett 3, an dem Alexandre vor allem die Kraft seiner beider Läufer nutzte, um den ebenfalls kurz rochierten schwarzen König zu beängstigen. Auch diese Partie endete zu unseren Gunsten. Etwas länger musste Grace noch kämpfen, doch auch ihr gelang ein überraschender Erfolg. Grace, die vor dem Spiel erklärte, sie werde heute einen Benoni spielen, bekam zu ihrer Freude die Gelegenheit dazu und musste nach langem taktisch hart umkämpften Mittelspiel noch etwas Ausdauer zeigen und sich - mit einer Dame und einem Läufer gegen eine Dame spielend - vor allem noch vor Dauerschachs hüten. Auch sie meisterte ihre Aufgabe erfolgreich und das erfreuliche Endergebnis lautet somit 3.5 zu 0.5 zu unseren Gunsten.

- Jon 

Im Rücken von Réti 5 (v. r. Andreas)

2. Runde

Lluis looking at the remains of the day: “Thanks to the collaboration of other team captains, and Réti players, we were able to present a complete team, after one of our players had to call off due to the flu. We all arrived on time to the swimming pool in Altstetten, and were warmly welcomed by Letzi 2, who offered us free drinks. The first point was for Réti, on board 4, I played Ruy López with white, and after a rather passive move by black, mounted an attack with bishop and queen on the b1-h7 diagonal, with mating threat, that forced the opponent to worsen his position, and give away a pawn. The game went on for some more moves, but eventually black gave up. Shortly after that, Hannah had to capitulate against a much stronger opponent, who had managed to destroy her pawn structure on the queen side, where she had castled, and threatened mate with rook and queen. Grace fought bravely to the very end, but her position wasn't good. In a rather strange knight exchange, she lost a pawn, and when it came to the endgame, a pawn-rook endgame with one pawn less, and four isolated pawns... Indeed, her opponent managed to promote, and trade the new queen for her rook, and then it was lost.^Alex's game was the longest, he played black on board 1 against an opponent of similar Elo. His position wasn't bad, but he landed on time pressure, and missed some nice tactics. In the end, the flag fell and he lost. It must be said in his favour, that he wasn't in the best condition, since he was suffering from a cold...“

- Lluis 

1. Runde

Lluis states: “On the 1^st board Alex, played sicilian with black, and came to a very interesting endgame, with a knight and two pawns for Alex, and a bishop with two more pawns for his opponent. In the end the position was so that neither party could force a win, and it ended in draw. On the 2^nd, Yagiz played against a very strong opponent, and yet he managed to mantain a slight advantage throughout the game, in fact at the end his position was quite better (2,66 on move 31 according to rybka), however he stood under heavy time pressure, and could not reach the time control. Grace played black on the 3^rd board. A nice passed pawn near the end of the middle game forced her opponent to give up a piece to stop it from promoting. This material advantage and her own skills provided for a win. I, myself played Ruy Lopez with white. It was a rather oscillating game, in which I had an advantage in the opening, but some inaccuracies allowed my opponent to win a pawn, and space. My position wasn't good, but not lost either. Then brought my knight to a better position, and a tactical movement, which my opponent oversaw or undervalued, allowed me to win a knight, and thus the game.“

- Lluis