Tepe Sigeman & Co Chess Tournament

Only one win but plenty of action in round 2! Erigiasi is now in the lead with a 100% start to the tournament.

Adams-Grandelius

Grandelius equalised comfortably against Adams’ Najdorf Sicilian. Exchanges resulted in an opposite coloured bishop ending and a subsequent draw.

Navara-Niemann

Niemann’s opening preparation seemed to lack somewhat as Navara quickly gained the upper hand in an Italian game. Navara played very ambitiously and swooped in for a risky pawn grab with 21.Qxb7. A few moves later he followed up with queen sacrifice and the game became very complicated. In the end Niemann forced a draw by perpetual checks.

Shirov-Van Foreest

The game began in the advance variation of the Caro-Kann but soon departed from the more well known theory. Everything looked balanced until Van Foreest managed the interesting piece sacrifice 24…Be6 in white’s time trouble. Under pressure Shirov found the best defence and managed to steer the play into a drawn rook ending.

Erigaisi-Salem

Erigaisi played the Fantansy variation against Salem’s Caro-Kann. 19…c4 by black was probably a mistake and with a closed centre Erigaisi could mount a forceful attack on the kingside. No breakthrough could be found, but instead white simplified into a endgame with a clear advantage that led to the win.

An exciting first round. Looks like we are in for an action packed week at the 2022 instalment of the TePe Sigeman & Co Chess Tournament!

Erigaisi-Shirov

A sharp semi-Slav where Erigaisi surprised everyone with the unusual 12.Be2. Shirov used a lot of time trying to find his way through Erigaisi’s prepared opening. After 24 (!) moves it seemed like white finally reached unknown territory, but he had already led Shirov into deep waters. After the strong 32.Qd1 black’s position came crashing down.

Grandelius-Van Foreest

The Panov variation of the Caro-Kann took the players into a interesting middlegame with Grandelius’ bishop pair compensating for Van Foreest’s passed pawn on c3. Status quo was never challenged and the players agreed to a draw in an opposite coloured bishop endgame.

Salem-Navarra

Salem surprised his opponent with both 1.e4 and 3.Bc4 against the Sicilian. The uncharacteristic opening moves would prove fruitful as Salem quickly gained an advantage. Navarra sacrificed a piece for some pawns and counterplay, but it wasn’t enough as white found an effective plan and made the extra material count.

Niemann-Adams

The exchange variation in the Queen’s gambit. The position seemed to favour Niemann when he managed the thematic e4-break, but Adams defended well and managed to hold the draw with ease despite being a pawn down in the endgame.