Sunday, December 7, 2008

Grand Prix - Round 4

Mundwiler - Khedkar 1-0
White plays the interesting exchange sacrifice 24. Rxe5 !? and crashes through. Great intuition.

Kong - Greenberg DRAW
White wins a pawn but needs to squeeze the maximum out of the position due to the opposite coloured bishops. Therefore, 19. Rb1 and taking on b7 with the rook is much stronger than taking on b7 with the bishop.

Wierda - Jim Green 1-0
Black missed a chance..
30...dxe4 31.fxe4 Qc6 wins a pawn - if 32. Rxb5 ...Rc2 and it is all but over.

In the game, 38...Bxe4 would get him out of impending trouble as 39. Bxe4 is met by ...Qh3+ winning. White's best is 39. Kh2; Black will still have to contend with the passed b pawn.

Arie Wasserman - Daniel Wiebe 0-1
White has some trouble with knight placement.

Evans - Aaron Green 0-1
White is unsure where to put his king in the endgame and he hands Black three tempo by my count starting with 43. Ke3. 43. h3 looks like it secures a draw and also gives Black chances to go wrong.

Gibbons - Swift 0-1
White spoils a good position by playing a move that he must have thought mated.

Letain - Leor Wasserman 0-1
An extreme case of castling into it.

Ott - Pottinger 0-1
White sets up a clever trap - but did not realize it.
After 14... Qxa3, play could continue (with logical moves for Black) 15. Bd6 Rfe8 16. Rb1 b6 17. Rb3 Qa5 18. Ra3 and the queen is trapped.

Repa- Mandusic 1-0

Crawford - Lauritson DRAW
Upset of the night. Solid play on both sides.

Trueman - Campbell 1-0
Another upset

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