Published : Wednesday, June 15, 2011 00:00
Final standings:
3 points --W. So (Philippines), A. Giri (Netherlands), H Tikkanen (Sweden)
2.5 -- A. Shirov (Spain)
2 -- N. Grandelius (Sweden)
1.5 -- J. Hector (Sweden)
MALMO, Sweden -- Wake up the neighborhood and spread the word: GM Wesley So is co-champion in this year’s Sigeman and Co. chess tournament.
So defended with his usual calm precision and came away with a crushing victory over GM Jonny Hector of Sweden in the fifth and final round to finish in a three-way tie for first place with defending champion GM Anish Giri of the Netherlands and GM Hans Tikkanen of Sweden at the Classical Hipp Theater here Monday.
So, Giri and Tikkanen finished with similar scores of three points in the six-player, round-robin tournament held for the 19 th straight year in this popular Swedish city known as the “Riviera of the North.”
No tiebreak was announced, although So had a performance rating of 2685 compared to Giri’s 2680 and Tikkanen’s 2710.
The 17-year-old Filipino champion, who was hardly bothered by the stunning fourth-round setback to GM Nils Grandelius of Sweden, kept his composure under grinding pressure and found the right reply against the relentless attack by Hector during the four-hour long struggle.
Hector, who was making his 15 th appearance in the annual tournament being held in this southernmost Swedish city where was born and raised, threw everything in his arsenal against So, even sacrificing a bishop and later a rook to flush out black’s king out of its safety abode.
The sacrifices did not matter in the end, however.
The pride of Bacoor, Cavite, who is hoping to breach the ELO 2700 barrier this year, countered with his own attack and threatened mate in one when Hector finally called it a night.
Newly-crowned Pichay Cup champion GM Darwin Laylo, said So’s exceptional preparation with the French defense paid off during the surprisingly short but well-fought match.
“Wesley prepared very well with this opening (French),” Laylo told People’s Tonight shortly after following the game live on Internet.
“I think he (Hector) made a premature bishop sacrifice on the 19th move. Akala siguro niya may mate pero madami pang depensa si Wesley at yung queen and knight niya active pareho,” explained Laylo, a close friend of So.
Hector, who finished second in last year’s Swedish Championships, opened with the e4 and So countered with e6, or the French defense. Alekhine-Chattard variation.
The Swede player offered a bishop for a pawn on the seventh move, but So declined and opted for a pawn exchange.
Trying to do a Grandelius, Hector then unhesitantly threw risky moves against So and kept the Filipino on the defensive throughout the match.
The attack, however, fizzled out as quickly as it took place.
Giri, who finished ahead of GM Jon Ludvig Hammer of Norway and Grandelius in winning the tournament last year, settled for a fighting draw with Tikkanen in 45 moves of the Gruenfeld, to match So’s output with three points.
Grandelius, who also finished runner-up to GM Nigel Short of England here two years ago, and top seed GM Alexei Shirov of Spain battled to a draw in only 24 moves of the Anti-Meran variation.
Shirov, the former world championship candidate who lost to So in the second round, finished solo fourth with 2.5 points, followed by Grandelius with two points and Hector with 1.5 points.
Host of the tournament was the Swedish law firm Sigeman and Co.
GM Ferdinand Hellers of the Netherlands holds the distinction as the only three-time winner of the tournament, winning the title in the inaugural edition in 1993 and defending it in 1994. He won for the third time in 1997.
Short won the title twice in 2002 and 2009.
Other past Sigeman champions were GM Tiger Hillarp Person (2008), GM Ivan Cheparinov (2007), GM Jan Timman (2006), GM Krishnan Sasikiran (2005), GM Peter Heine Nielsen (2004), GM Vassily Ivanchuk (2003), GM Boris Gulko (2001), GM Judit Polgar (2000), GM Boris Gelfand (1999), GM Joel Lautier ( 1998), GM Viktor Kochnoi (1996), and GM Ivan Sokolov (1995).
Source: Ed Andaya (http://www.journal.com.ph)
