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+--- Thread: World Seniors 2015 Italy 10-22 Nov (/thread-1369.html)
Re: World Seniors 2015 Italy 10-22 Nov - Alastair White - 15-11-2015
I like Craig's position and he has a chance to make up ground after yesterday's setback (Move 30).
(Edit - hpwever things went horribly wrong after that in Craig's cutomary time trouble, All of a sudden his opponent was all over him and it was curtains.
Not sure what's happening in Roddy's endgame.
Re: World Seniors 2015 Italy 10-22 Nov - Alastair White - 15-11-2015
Creditable draw by Roddy a pawn down in a tehnical ending against a higher-graded opponent. Sadly that was the only points for Scotland today either in Italy or Iceland.
Re: World Seniors 2015 Italy 10-22 Nov - Alan Borwell - 16-11-2015
Alastair White Wrote:I like Craig's position and he has a chance to make up ground after yesterday's setback (Move 30).
(Edit - hpwever things went horribly wrong after that in Craig's cutomary time trouble, All of a sudden his opponent was all over him and it was curtains.
Not sure what's happening in Roddy's endgame.
I also liked Craig's position until he exchanged pawns on e5 and allowed Black's pieces into the game. Maybe he should have played the thematic and instinctive f5 in response to his opponent's e5 thrust, but I must have a closer look - like you, I thought he was heading for a nice win. Good battle by Roddy to secure a draw. I see that Craig meets our old friend Bent Sorensen in the next round, which should be interesting.
Re: World Seniors 2015 Italy 10-22 Nov - Jonathan Livingstone - 17-11-2015
Craig has had a disaster really last few rounds losing 3 in a row leaving him on 4/7 and well out of contention now. Today's game looked like a right struggle.
Roddy on 5½ after drawing again today, looked like a good draw being 2 pawns down in Q+Pawns end game. 1½ points behind the leader, however has good medal chances still.
Douglas & Jim's results for today still not in. Is possible one of them may play Craig tomorrow.
Re: World Seniors 2015 Italy 10-22 Nov - Alastair White - 18-11-2015
Re the postings in the 'wrong' thread:
Jonathan, George I was watching the game too and have a pretty good idea what happened. Roddy was indeed threatening mate in 1 but his opponent (to move) had a perpetual check. So it was agreed drawn and then they started moving the pieces back to a previous position to demonstrate something or other, instead of the recommended procedure of placing the Kings on e4 and e5.
Just before that I thought Roddy was winning but strange things happen after 50-odd moves when there isn't much time left. So again a creditable draw against a higher-graded opponent but was it a missed opportunity?
Craig finally got back to winning ways after three consecutive losses; and with Douglas winning too and Jim drawing it was a better day for the Scots. In the clash of the top-rated over-65 French GMs Okhotnik beat Vaisser and has opened up a 1-point lead which may well be enough to see him regain the title he won in 2012.
Re: World Seniors 2015 Italy 10-22 Nov - Alastair White - 21-11-2015
Last round of the Seniors today. In the over-65s, Craig has come back strongly after his three consecutive losses, and another win today could give him a top 5 place. Douglas and Jim have also performed creditably and are curently ahead of their seeded positions.
With a 1-point lead over his main rival Vaisser, Okhotnik looks set to regain the title he won in 2012 - I don't expect his game today (White vs Vasiukov) to last more than 5 minutes.
In the over-50s, Roddy has had a very tough draw after such a strong start, and has had some bad luck in the last few rounds. Top seed Nikolic (who plays Keith Arkell today) is just half a point clear of second seed Rosentalis and Slovenia's George Mohr, so there is still plenty to play for there.
Re: World Seniors 2015 Italy 10-22 Nov - Alastair White - 21-11-2015
As expected, Okhotnik - Vasiukov didn't las very long - (9 moves of a Scotch 2 Knights with Okhotnik playing instantly). So he's over 65 champion.
Re: World Seniors 2015 Italy 10-22 Nov - Alan Borwell - 21-11-2015
Surprised that Craig did not play 27.....Qb7 rather than capturing immediately on e4. It will be interesting to see whether he has seen a better winning opportunity without Queens on board in rooks and pawns ending. It would be great if he could reach 8/11, but he has again shown that he can play very well in top class company. All our Seniors have done well and better than their ratings and rankings!
Re: World Seniors 2015 Italy 10-22 Nov - Jonathan Livingstone - 21-11-2015
27. Qb7 is a good spot and would have been a good move. Guess he likely missed it. Obviously he would be happy with a draw now (move 43), but I expect him to lose this one.
Re: World Seniors 2015 Italy 10-22 Nov - Jim Webster - 21-11-2015
I finished on 4/11, but had a bit of a disappointment today. In a moment of what I can only call "chess blindness" I turned an instant win into an instant loss - and against the only lower rated player I met in the whole 11 rounds.
( Lesson to be learned - think, prepare to move, reconfirm move THEN move, do not move on instinct!!!
Round 11 game will NEVER see the light of day. :-l :ymblushing:
That being said it was a great tournament to take part in and I will come back for more, but with eyes wide open. Lessons have been learned and that is what I have to take from this one.
Next one for me will be the Jersey Open in April 2016 !! I better start work now on it now
) )