GM Alexander Ipatov and GM Yu Yangyi shared the point in the match on the top board in Round 5 of the World Junior Chess Championship. The two leaders shook hands after an equal game, where none of the sides could find advantage after the middlgame. GM Nils Grandelius and GM Samvel Ter-Sahakyan used the opportunity to join them at the top of the standings, after they defeated IM Sahaj Grover and FM Wei Yi respectively.
With eight rounds left to the end of the competition, the candidates for the medals are still unpredictable. A total of nine players are at 1/2 points distance from the leaders, and 26 more players are at just 1 point behind.
The pairings at the top boards are GM Yu Yangyi – GM Samvel Ter-Sahakyan and GM Nils Grandelius – GM Alexander Ipatov. Other interesting games include GM Richard Rapport – GM Jorge Cori, GM Salem A R Saleh – GM Ding Liren, IM Karen Grigoryan – GM Yaroslav Zherebukh, IM Andreas Heimann – GM Aleksandr Shimanov, IM Yang-Fan Zhou – IM Conrad Holt, etc.
You can replay the most interesting games with computer analysis here.
All results WJCC Open / Standings Open
In the girls section of the World Junior Chess Championship battles are heating up. The top two matches IM Bodnaruk – WIM Bulmaga and WGM Ziaziulkina – WGM Goryachkina finished draws. This gave chance to WGM Kashlinskaya, WGM Vojinovic, WFM Kulon, WGM Guo Qi, and Hanna-Marie Klek to catch up with the leaders, thus making 9 players share the first place with 4,0/5.
Exciting matches await the chess fans tomorrow, with the first 31 players at just 1 points difference. Top pairings between the leaders are WGM Vojinovic – IM Bodnaruk, WGM Goryachkina – WGM Kashlinskaya, WIM Bulmaga – Hanna-Marie Klek, WFM Kulon – WGM Guo Qi, while WIM Meri Arabidze got the “short straw” from the chasing pack and will play WGM Ziaziulkina.
All results WJCC Girls / Standings Girls
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Round 4
GM Yu Yangyi and GM Alexander Ipatov are the only players to continue with perfect score 4,0/4 at the World Junior Chess Championship in Athens, Greece. Seeded 2nd and 6th respectively, they now lead the championship 1/2 points ahead of competition.
GM Ipatov employed a temporary piece sacrifice against GM Baron Tal to get solid initiative and closed the game in a convincing manner. GM Yu Yangyi waited patiently for a mistake by his opponent GM Jorge Cori in time trouble to conclude the game with a full point.
The chasing pack shares the 3rd place with 3,5/4 and includes IM Sahaj Grover, GM Samvel Ter-Sahakyan, GM Salem A R Saleh, FM Wei Yi, GM Aleksandr Shimanov, and GM Nils Grandelius.
In a multitude of surprising results FM Stef Soors defeated GM Niclas Huschenbeth, FM Michael Kleinman won against his compatriot IM Eric Hansen, the untitled Spyridon Naoum held to a draw IM Evandro Amorim Barbosa, FM Aman Hambleton drew with IM Ulvi Bajarani, IM Leandro Krysa lost to the untitled Ioannis Stathopoulos.
The rating favorite GM Ding Liren was stunned yet another time, this round he was held to a draw by GM Yilmaz Mustafa. Both are now 1,5 points behind the leaders, sharing the position with 18 more players. However, with 9 more rounds to go the medals and top positions will be up for grabs until the very end.
The Open section of the World Junior Chess Championship presented excellent chess to the audience today, with 50 from the 65 boards finishing with a decisive result.
The girls section of the World Junior Chess Championship was close to having a sole leader. In difficult time trouble WGM Nastassia Ziaziulkina could not score a full point against WIM Irina Bulmaga with the black pieces.
The other leaders before the start of the round, WGM Guo Qi and IM Anastasia Bodnaruk, agreed to a draw. Now all of them share the first place together with the only winner from the chasing pack – WGM Aleksandra Goryachkina.
They are closely followed by a large group of players at 1/2 points distance – WGM Jovana Vojinovic, WFM Klaudia Kulon, WGM Alina Kashlinskaya, WIM Meri Arabidze, Wang Jue, WGM Deysi Cori, WGM Mona Khaled, WIM Monica Sihite Chelsie, WFM Aulia Medina Warda, Hanna-Marie Klek, WFM Irina Petrova, and Zoi Iordanidou.
Just like in the boys/open section, Round 4 turned out to be extremely combative for the girls. Except the top boards, the girls competition saw only 3 more draws, all other games finishing with decisive results.
All results WJCC Girls / Standings Girls
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Round 3
Yu Yangyi and Alexander Ipatov punished the risky play of their opponents, Aleksandar Indjic and Frode Urkedal respectively, to score victories on the top two tables in the 3rd round of the 2012 World Junior Chess Championships.
Salem A R Saleh (UAE) defeated the local representative Antonios Pavlidis in a model game from the black side of the Sicilian Sveshnikov, while the bronze medalist from 2011 WJCC Grover Sahaj won the Indian derby against Debashis Das.
The former World U12 champion Wei Yi from China (2418) defeated another higher rated player, Grigoriy Oparin (2488) from Russia, to maintain the perfect score.
Top seeded players Ding Liren, Yaroslav Zherebukh, Richard Rapport and Alexandr Shimanov recovered from yesterday’s setbacks and signed confident victories.
Top seed in the Girls section IM Anastasia Bodnaruk (2414) won a nice attacking game against the 8th-seeded Wang Jue from China.
The defending champion WGM Deysi Cori (2413) played another marathon game, this time against the reigning Belarus champion and 9th seed WGM Nastassia Ziaziulkina. The endgame appeared to be equal but some precision was required. However, Cori erred and allowed white to set a Lucena bridge.
Jovana Vojinovic drew Alina Kashlinskaya, while Irina Bulmaga continued the winning row and defeated Lisa Schut.
WGM Guo Qi won rather quickly after her opponent Medina Warda Aulia forgot the Queen in the danger zone.
Round 2
The 2nd round of the 2012 World Junior Chess Championships saw the first major upsets in the Open section as the top players started dropping the points.
The former World U12 champion (won on the Greek soil in 2010) and World School Champion in 2008 (Thessaloniki, also Greece) Wei Yi from China (2418) stunned the 4th-seeded GM Richard Rapport from Hungary (2605) with black pieces.
Alessio Valsecchi continued playing in excellent shape that brought him the 2nd place in the prestigious Kavala Open and defeated the 3rd-seeded GM Yaroslav Zherebukh.
Gao Rui took a draw from his compatriot Ding Liren, the top seeded player in this section.
Ryan Rhys Griffiths (IRL 2362) defeated Conrad Holt (USA 2498), while Firat Burak (TUR 2423) held GM Alexandr Shimanov (RUS 2596) to a draw.
Top seed in the Girls section IM Anastasia Bodnaruk (2414) did not allow any surprises and duly signed the 2nd victory.
The defending champion WGM Deysi Cori (2413) had a much more difficult task as the former World U12 champion WFM Iulija Osmak put up a strong resistance, but the experience eventually prevailed and Cori won in the time trouble.
Bogdana Nonkovic could not repeat the excellent feat from round 1 as she lost against WFM Medina Warda Aulia, but Ana Ivekovic from the neighboring Croatia shocked the local hope WIM Ekaterini Pavlidou.
Round 1
The 2012 World Junior Chess Championship began in Athens, Greece. Right from the beginning the top FIDE junior event saw numerous exciting decisive games. The Chinese champion and favorite of the WJCC GM Ding Liren (2695) started with a convincing victory, just as his compatriot and second seeded GM Yu Yangyi (2635).
Multiple of the top seeded players followed suit and completed a full point in day 1 – GM Yaroslav Zherebukh (2612), GM Richard Rapport (2605), GM Alexander Shimanov (2596), GM Alexander Ipatov (2577), GM Samvel Ter-Sahakyan (2567), GM Nils Grandelius (2562), GM Salem A R Saleh (2546), IM Sahaj Grover (2516), etc.
The two players over 2400 ELO in the Girls section of the World Junior Chess Championships 2012 – IM Anastasia Bodnaruk (2414) and WGM Deysi Cori (2413) – started with victories in the first round of the event.
Almost all their main competitors for the title, namely the players over 2300 ELO, won their games. WGM Alina Kashlinskaya (2391), WIM Irina Bulmaga (2380), WIM Meri Arabidze (2379), WGM Guo Qi (2358), Wang Jue (2355), WGM Nastassia Ziaziulkina (2342), WGM Jovana Vojinovic (2337), and WIM Lisa Schut (2305) walk away with a full point after day 1.
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