My son is rated 2313 by the USCF and 2247 by FIDE. He is 23 years old.
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METROPOLITAN DESK
CHESS; 30th Annual World Open Lives Up to Its Name
By Robert Byrne (NYT) 558 words
The 30th annual World Open Tournament at the Adam's Mark Hotel in Philadelphia, June 29 to July 7, ended in a nine-way tie for first place.
The winners were the grandmasters Ilia Smirin of Israel; Alexander Onischuk of the United States; Alexander Wojtkiewicz of Poland; Artur Yusupov of Germany; Jaan Ehlvest of Estonia; and Jonathan Rowson of Scotland; the international masters Kamil Miton of Poland; Benjamin Finegold of the United States; and Varuzhan Akobian of California, the current holder of the Frank P. Sanford Jr. Chess Fellowship.
Each won a $3,400 first prize by scoring 7 points in the nine-round Swiss-system competition.
The most brilliant attacking performance was that of the San Francisco grandmaster Alexei Yermolinsky against Peter Aravena, also of the United States. As things often go in chess, some unfortunate losses in later rounds kept Yermolinsky out of the winners' circle.
It may that after 5 a3, Black should exchange his bishop with 5 . . . Bd2.In two recent encounters, however, Black lost. In Teske/Pluemer, Aschach Open, 2001, which proceeded 6 Nd2 Nc6 7 e3 d6 8 Bd3 e5 9 d5 Ne7 10 O-O c6 11 dc bc 12 b4 Ng6 13 Bb2 Re8 14 Qc2 d5 15 cd cd and Teske had a slight advantage of the two bishops.
Black again lost in Sokolov/Bologan, Tan Chin Nam Cup, 2001, which continued 6 Bd2 Ne4 7 Be3 d6 8 g3 Nd7 9 Bg2 f5 10 O-O Qe7 11 Qc2 Ndf6 12 Ne1 h6 13 Nd3 Bd7 14 f3 Ng5 15 Bd2 a5, and once more, White enjoyed the tiny yet ominous superiority granted by the two bishops.
But after the retreat with 5 . . . Be7, White gets a superior pawn center with 6 e4. After 7 Bd3, Aravena should surely have challenged the white center with 7 . . . c5. Then 8 cd ed 9 e5 Nd7 10 O-O Nc6 would yield Yermolinsky kingside attacking chances in view of his e5 pawn controlling space in that sector, but Aravena would have counterpressure against the enemy center pawns.
Instead, with 7 . . . de 8 Ne4, he gave up his toehold in the center.
He seemed to be aiming for reduction of material with 11 . . . Bc6, but Yermolinsky blunted that with 12 d5 ed 13 O-O-O.
After 14 Bd5, he should have gone through with 14 . . . Bd5 15 cd, but greedily went for a pawn with 14 . . . Ba4? But his expected 15 b3 Ba3 did not happen. Yermolinsky struck the opening blow of a smashing mating attack with 15 Qg6!
It wasn't possible to play 15 . . . c6, because 16 Bh6 Bf6 17 Ng5! is annihilating. After 15 . . . Kh8 16 Qh5 Bd1, Yermolinsky threw another slashing blow with 17 Bh6! He was ready to maul 17 . . . gh by 18 Qh6 Kg8 19 Be4 f5 20 Bd5 Rf7 21 Ne5.
After 17 . . . Bf3, Yermolinsky landed another tremendous blow with 18 Bg7! Kg7 19 gf, opening the g line.
After 19 . . . Rg8 20 Rg1 Kf6 21 Qh4 Ke5 22 Rg8, the recapture 22 . . . Qg8 leads to 23 Qe7 Kf5 24 Be4 Kf4 25 Qf6mate.
After 29 Qg4, Aravena, heavily down in material, gave up.