Cape Town Classic Chess Championship 2015
Elite Section
Report: Round 1
22 March 2015
Event: / Cape Town Classic Chess Championship 2015Dates: / Saturday 21 March – Sunday 29 March 2015
Venue: / College of Cape Town Crawford Campus
Format: / Eight player Round Robin FIDE rated
Time Control: / 90 minutes first 40 moves followed by 30 minutes each per player, 30 second increment per move.
List of Players: / Name / Title / Fide Rating / Country
Watu Kobese / IM / / 2330 / RSA
Rodwell Makoto / IM / / 2321 / Zim
Gillian Bwalya / IM / / 2305 / Zam
Calvin Klaasen / FM / / 2186 / RSA
Adv. Maxwell Solomon / CM / / 2170 / RSA
Musatwe Simutowe / / 2166 / Zam
Spencer Masango / / 2136 / Zim
Dr Shabir Bhawoodien / FM / / 2130 / RSA
Tournament Director: / Andrew Fisher
Chief Arbiter: / Omar Essau
Arbiter: / Ricardo Minnaar
The inaugural 2015 Cape Town Classic Chess Championship is the first of its kind with the aim of providing exposure to top class competition. The Elite Section is an eight-player all-play-all affair with some players from South Africa and sub-Sahara competing for a share of the guaranteed prize-fund of ten thousand Rands and priceless Elo points.
IM Gillian Bwalya faces Spencer Masango with
CM Maxwell Solomon looking on during a moment’s diversion from his game
International Masters Watu Kobese (Cape Town, South Africa), Rodwell Makoto (Zimbabwe), Gillian Bwalya (Zambia) are the top seeds. International Fide Masters Calvin Klaasen and Dr Shabir Bhawoodien and International Candidate Master Maxwell Solomon (brother of Grand Master Kenny Solomon) all Cape Town based players vying for honour, while Musatwe Simutowe (brother of Grand Master Amon Simutowe) and Spencer Masango (who has represented his country at numerous World Chess Olympiads) were flown down to Cape Town to add some essential international class to the event.
The College of Cape Town has agreed to host the Cape Town Classic free of charge at their Crawford Campus on Kromboom Road. We thank them for their kind hospitality, and we look forward to long-term cooperation.
Round 1 commenced today Sunday 22 March at 13h00. Results after round one:
White / Score / BlackRodwell Makoto / IM / 1 – 0 / Watu Kobese / IM
Gillian Bwalya / IM / 1 – 0 / Spencer Masango
Calvin Klaasen / FM / 0 – 1 / Musatwe Simutowe
Dr Shabir Bhawoodien / FM / 1 – 0 / Adv. Maxwell Solomon / CM
The game Makoto vs Kobese saw the two top seeds opening transposeinto a Tarrasch Defence.
IM Makoto,Rodwell (2321) - IM Kobese,Watu (2330) [D34]
Cape Town Classic Elite Section Cape Town (1), 22.03.2015
- Nf3 c5 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.d4 Nc6 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Bg2 Nf6 7.0–0 Be7 8.Nc3 0–0 9.Bg5 cxd4
10.Nxd4 h6 11.Be3 Re8 12.h3 Bd6 13.Nxd5 Nxd5 14.Bxd5
14...Nb4
[14...Bxh3 15.Nxc6 (15.Qb3 Qe7 16.Nxc6 bxc6 17.Bxc6) 15...bxc6 16.Bxc6 Re6 17.Bg2]
[Much more interesting is the exchange sacrifice 14...Rxe3! 15.fxe3 Qg5 16.Bxf7+ Kh8 17.Rf3 Ne5 etc.]
15.Bg2 Bxg3 16.Qd2 Qe7 17.fxg3 Qxe3+ 18.Qxe3 Rxe3 19.Kf2 Re5 20.Rfc1 Na6
21.Rc3 Rb8 22.a3 Bd7 23.b4 Kf8 24.Rac1 g6 25.e3 Ke7
[25...Kg7]
26.Bf1 Re8
[26...b5!? 27.Nc6+ Bxc6 28.Rxc6 Rb6 29.Rxb6 axb6 30.Rc6 Rf5+ 31.Kg2 Re5 32.e4 is still more comfortable for White.]
27.b5 Nb8 28.Rc7 a6 29.Rxb7 axb5 30.Bxb5 Kd6 31.Bxd7
[31.Rb6+ Ke7 32.Rc7]
31...Nxd7 32.Rc6+ Ke7 33.Rcc7 Rd5 34.Nc6+ Ke6 35.Nd4+ Ke7 36.Ra7 f5 37.Nb3
[37.a4 is more precise.]
37...Rb8 38.Nc5 Rb2+ 39.Kf3 Kd6 40.Rxd7+ and Black resigned. 1–0
IM Gillian Bwalya played a neat finish in a Panov-Botvinnik setup that emerged from the Rubinstein Nimzo-Indian Defence.
IM Bwalya,Bwalya (2305) - Masango,Spencer (2136) [D40]
Cape Town Classic Elite Section Cape Town (1), 22.03.2015
- d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0–0 5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 c5 8.0–0 cxd4 9.exd4 Nc6
10.a3 Be7 11.Qd3 b6 12.Bg5 Bb7 13.Ba2 Re8
[13...Nd5]
14.Rad1 Rc8 15.Rfe1 h6 16.Bh4 Nh7
[16...Nd5]
17.Bg3 Bd6 18.d5 Bxg3
19. dxe6 fxe6
[19...Kh8]
20. Rxe6 Kh8 21.Qg6 Nf8 22.Rxd8 Rexd8 23.Qxg3 Nxe6 24.Bxe6 Rb8
25. h3 Bc8 26.Bd5 Bd7 27.Ng5 Be8 28.Ne6 and Black resigned. 1–0
FM Calvin Klaasen soon found himself in all sorts of difficulties in an Advanced Variation of the Caro-Kan Defenceagainst Musatwe Simutowe.
FM Klaasen,Calvin (2186) - Simutowe,Musatwe (2166) [B12]
Cape Town Classic Elite Section Cape Town (1), 22.03.2015
1. e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.dxc5 e6 5.Be3 Nc6 6.Nf3 Nge7 7.c3 Ng6 8.Bd4 Bd7 9.Bd3 Nxd4
10. cxd4 b6
11.Nc3
[Perhaps White has to settle for 11.cxb6 Qxb6 12.Qd2 Rb8 13.Nc3 Qxb2 14.Rb1 Qxd2+
15. Kxd2 Bb4 16.a3 Bxc3+ 17.Kxc3 Ke7 18.g3]
[11.b4 a5 12.Qc1 axb4 13.c6 Bc8 is probably a more flexible approach.]
11...bxc5 12.0–0 cxd4 13.Nb5 Qb6 14.a4 a6 15.a5 Qb8 16.Bxg6 hxg6 17.Nbxd4 Be7
18. Qe2 0–0 19.h4
[19.Rfc1 Rc8 20.Rxc8+ Qxc8 21.Nd2 Rb8 22.N2b3 Bb5 23.Qe3 Bc4 24.Rc1 Qd7
seems more pleasant for Black.]
19...Qb4 20.Rfc1 Rfb8 21.Rc7 Rb7 22.Rac1 Bd8 23.Rxb7 Qxb7 24.Ng5?! Qb4 25.Rd1 Qxa5
26. Qf3 Bxg5 27.hxg5 Rc8 28.b3 Qb4 29.g3 a5 30.Qf4
[30.Qd3 a4 31.bxa4 Bxa4 (31...Qxa4 32.Qd2) 32.Rb1 would be great for White.]
30...a4 31.bxa4 Qxa4 32.Qd2 Rc4 33.Kg2 Qa7 34.Nf3
[34.Qf4]
34...Bc6 35.Qb2
[35.Qd3 offers more resistance.]
35...d4 36.Rxd4 Rxd4 37.Qxd4 after which White resigned. 0–1
The Winawer French encounter between Shabir Bhawoodien and Maxwell Solomon was really entertaining.
FM Bhawoodien,Shabir (2130) - CM Solomon,Maxwell (2170) [C19]
Cape Town Classic Elite Section Cape Town (1), 22.03.2015
- e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 7.a4 Qa5 8.Bd2 Qc7
[Or maybe 8...Nbc6 since 9. c4 Qc7 is just fine for Black.]
9. h4
[Alternatives are 9.Nf3; 9.Qg4]
9...Nbc6 10.Nf3 Bd7 11.h5 h6 12.Bd3 0–0–0
[12...c4 13.Be2 0–0–0 14.Bc1 f6 15.Ba3 Be8 16.Bd6 may have been to intimidating. Black might want to consider the exchange sacrifice 17. ...Rxd6 at this point.]
13. Qc1 c4
[After 13...Rdg8 14.g3 Kb8 15.Qa3 c4 16.Be2 Ka8 17.Bf4 Qa5 18.Kf1 f6
19.Rb1 g5 20.hxg6 Nxg6 21.exf6 Black has Nxf4.]
14. Be2 Rh7
[Better is the immediate 14...Rdg8]
[After 14...f6 15.exf6 gxf6 16.Bxh6 Rdg8 17.g3 Be8 18.Ng1 Nf5 19.Bf4 White maintains an edge]
15. Qa3 Rg8 16.a5 g6
[Or 16...f6 17.Be3 Be8 18.Qc5 fxe5 19.Nxe5 Nxe5 20.Qxc7+ Kxc7 21.dxe5 Nc6]
17. a6
[Perhaps a more direct approach is 17.hxg6 Rxg6 18.Bg5 Be8
(18...Ng8 19.Qf8+ Nd8 20.Be3 Rxg2? 21.Ng5 is really cool)
19.Bf6 Rxg2 20.Ng5 hxg5 21.Rxh7]
17...b6 18.hxg6 Rxg6 19.g3
[19.Bg5]
19...Nf5 20.Nh4
[Interesting is 20.Qf8+ Qd8 21.Qxd8+ Nxd8 22.Nh4 Nxh4 23.Rxh4 f5 24.Bh5 Rg8 25.Ke2;
20.g4 Nfe7 21.Ng5 Rhg7 22.Nh3]
20...Nxh4 21.Rxh4 Qd8 22.Bh5 Rg8 23.Ke2 Ne7 24.Rf4 Rgg7 25.Rb1 Ng8 26.Bf3
[26.Qd6 Ba4 27.Qxd8+ Kxd8 28.Bc1 Bxc2? 29. Rxb6! is rather flashy]
26...Qe7 27.Qa2
[Shabir refuses to ease the pressure by exchanging Queens just yet, although 27.Qxe7 Nxe7 28.Rh4 Rg6 29.g4 Ba4 30.Rbh1 Bxc2 31.Bxh6 still offers more fun for White than for Black.]
27...Qd8
[Maybe 27...f6 is preferable due to Ke2]
28. Bc1 Ne7 29.Ba3 Nf5?
[29...Ng6 is correct]
30. Rxf5! exf5 31.Bxd5 Rg6 32.Qxc4+
[32.Bd6 is perhaps a nicer choice]
32...Qc7 33.Bb7+ Kb8 34.Bd6
[34.Qxc7+ Kxc7 35.c4 also wins]
34...Rxd6 35.Qxc7+ Kxc7 36.exd6+ Kxd6 37.Rxb6+
[37.Ke3 is more pedestrian, so Shabir opts to trade Rooks using a neat tactical operation]
37...axb6 38.a7 Rh8 39.a8Q Rxa8 40.Bxa8 Bb5+ 41.Ke3 Ba4 42.Kd3 f4 43.Be4 fxg3 44.fxg3 Bd7 45.Ke3 Bg4 46.Kf4
[Or 46.c4]
46...Bd7 47.Bf5 Bb5 48.Kg4 Be2+ 49.Kh4 h5 50.Kg5 Ke7 51.Bd3 Bg4 52.Kf4 Kd6 53.Ke3 f6 54.c4 Be6 55.Be2 Bf7 56.Kd3 Bg6+ 57.Kc3 Kc6 58.Bd3 Be8 59.Kb4 Kd6 60.Bf5 Bc6 61.Bg6 Bd7
[61...Bf3 62.Kb5 Kc7 63.c5 Bc6+ 64.Kb4 Bf3 65.c4 is hopeless too. The rest is purely technical.]
62. Bxh5 Bc6 63.Bg6 Bd7 64.Be4 Be8 65.Kc3 Bd7 66.Kd2 Be6 67.Bd3 Bf7 68.Ke3 Bg8 69.Kf4 Be6 70.Be2 Bd7 71.Bg4 Ba4 72.Bf5 Be8 73.Kg4 Bf7 74.Bd3 Be6+ 75.Kh5 Bf7+ 76.Kh6 Ke7 77.Kg7 Be8 78.Be4 Bd7 79.Bb7 Bf5 80.c3 Bd3 81.c5 bxc5 82.dxc5 Bf5 83.Ba8 Bc8 84.c6 and at this point Black resigned. 1–0
An exciting start to the tournament! Round 2 commences at 19h00 on Monday evening.
Playing Schedule
Date / Time / RoundSunday 22 March / 13h00 / Round 1
Monday 23 March / 19h00 / Round 2
Tuesday 24 March / 19h00 / Round 3
Wednesday 25 March / 19h00 / Round 4
Thursday 26 March / Rest Day
Friday 27 March / 19h00 / Round 5
Saturday 28 March / 10h00 / Round 6
Sunday 29 March / 10h00 / Round 7
FM Calvin Klaasen in a jovial mood