RI women chess players fail to take GM norm
By Kristianus Liem
JAKARTA (JP): None of Indonesia's three best women chess players made the Women's Grandmaster (WGM) norm at the STAHL Women's Grandmaster Chess Tournament at Wisma Catur Frederick Sumanti.
Maria Lucia, Upi D. Tamin and Lisa Lumongdong, all tried for the title at the competition in Tanah Abang I, Jakarta, from Aug. 12 to Aug. 26, 1997.
Women's International Master (WIM) Upi Darmayana Tamin only made seven points in twelve rounds but she needed two more points to make WGM norm under FIDE rules.
WIM Maria Lucia only made five and half points, while WIM Lisa Lumongdong only scored five points.
WGM Peng Zhaoqin from the Netherlands and WGM Daniela Nutu- Gajic from Australia tied for first prize with 10,5 MP each.
They each won US$1,375. For the complete results see the table.
One of the reasons why Indonesian's women players failed to get WGM norm was because nearly all of them lack positional understanding, especially in endgame. Let us examine the following example.
White: WFM Angela Khegai
Black: WIM Maria Lucia
Queen Gambit Accepted
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e3 e5 4.Bxc4 exd4 5.exd4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Be7 7.h3 0-0 8.Nf3 Nbd7 9.0-0 Nb6 10.Bb3 c6 11.Re1 a5 12.a3 h6 13.Bf4 Bd6 14.Ne5 Nbd5 15.Bg3 Bf5 16.Qf3 Be6 17.Ne4 Be7 18.Rac1 Nd7 19.Bc2 N7f6 20.Nxf6+ Nxf6 21.Ng6 Re8 22.Nxe7+ Rxe7 23.Be5 Rd7 24.Qg3 Nh5 25.Qd3 g6 26.Qe3 Kh7 27.Qf3 Qg5 28.Kh2 Bd5 29.Qg4 Qxg4 30.hxg4 Ng7 31.Kg3 Rf8 32.Bf6 Re8 33.Rh1 Be4 34.Bd1 Re6 35.Bg5 Nh5+ 36.gxh5 hxg5 37.hxg6+ Kxg6 38.Bh5+ Kg7 39.f3 Bg6 40.Rc5
See diagram. This position is clear: Black has the advantage. She has more active Rooks, while White has a passive Rook on the h- file.
40...Rd5?
Maria's play was too passive. She was worried about losing an a- pawn or g-pawn, whereas after 40...Rxd4! she took a pawn and threatened to keep pressure along the second rank to hold the initiative. We examined three tempting continuations:
(1) 41.Rxa5 f5 42.Bxg6 Kxg6 43.b4 Re2 44.Rh2 Rd8! 45.Rc5 f4+ 46.Kg4 Rd5 47.Rc1 Rdd2 48.Kh3 (force) 48...Ra2 49.Rc5 Reb2! (of course not 49...Rxa3? 50.Kg4 threatening 51.Rxg5 Kf6 52.Rf5+ and now White is winning) 50.a4 Kf6! (don't want to lose tempo by capturing b4-pawn, because after 50...Rxb4? 51.Kg4 Rbxa4 52.Rxg5+ Kf6 53.Rh6+ Kf7 54.Rh7+ Kf8 55.Rf5+ Kg8 56.Rh2 and Black cannot win the game) 51.b5 cxb5 52.axb5 Ra5 53.Kg4 Rbxb5 and Black lead one pawn with a good position;
(2) 41.Rxg5 Re2 42.Rxa5 Rxb2 43.Bxg6 fxg6 44.Re5 Rdd2 45.Rh2 Kf6 46.Re4 g5 and Black still holds the initiative; (3) 41.Bxg6 Rxg6 42.Rxa5 g4 43.f4 Rd3+ 44.Kh4 Rd2 45.Rg1 Rxb2 46.f5 Rd6 47.Kxg4 Rd4+ 48.Kg5 f6+ 49.Kh5 (the only move) 49...Kf7 50.Ra7 Rf4 51.Ra5 Rbf2 Black will capture the pawn on f5-square and win.
41.Rxd5 cxd5 42.Bxg6 Kxg6 43.Rc1 Rc6?
The second Black weak move! The position is a total draw. The simplest thing for Black to do is 43...Re2!
44.Rxc6+! bxc6
Now Black is at a loss because she has bad pawn structure. Her c6-pawn is backward (a pawn that is behind its own pawn on the file to the left or right and which cannot advance because it is immediately subject to capture and loss by an opposing pawn). It is a chronic weakness in the pawn array. Unless it can be dissolved, it usually creates a situation tantamount to being a pawn behind, for then one opposing pawn holds two in tow. Here, with White on the move, she wins because Black's c-pawn is backward.
45.Kf2 Kf5 46.Ke3 Ke6
The last chance for Black to hold the draw is 46...g4 but after the right move White is still winning, for example 47.f4! g3! 48.b3! Ke6 (if 48...Kg4? 49.a4 Kf5 50.b4 axb4 51.a5 b3 52.Kd3 b2 53.Kc2 Kxf4 54.a6 and White is winning) 49.Kd3 Kd7 50.Kc3 Kc7 51.a4 Kb7 52.b4 Kb6 53.bxa5+ Kxa5 54.Kb3 and White is winning.
47.Kd3 Kd6 48.Kc3 Kc7
Also no help 48...f5 49.g3 Kc7 50.a4 Kb6 51.b4 Ka6 52.bxa5 Kxa5 53.Kb3; or 48...c5 49.dxc5+ Kxc5 50.b4+ axb4+ 51.axb4+ Kb5 52.Kd4 Kc6 (52...Kxb4 53.Kxd5) 53.Ke5 f6+ 54.Kd4 f5 55.g3 Kd6 56.b5 f4 57.g4 White wins.
49.a4 Kb6 50.b4 f5 51.g3 f4 52.g4 Ka6 53.bxa5 Kxa5 54.Kb3
Black resigned. 1-0