Wang Yue Returns To Former Greatness, Shines In Danzhou

In round 2 of the Danzhou tournament GM Wei Yi played that brilliant game, but it was GM Wang Yue who reminded everyone of how strong a player he used to be.

The 28-year-old grandmaster from Taiyuan won the tournament with 7.0/9 and a 2887 TPR. He finished a full point ahead of a player of his generation: 32-year-old GM Ni Hua.

For a while, Wang Yue seemed to be China's Magnus Carlsen. With a very positional style and amazing calculation ability, Wang quickly rose to fame in the years 2007-2008. He became the first player of his country to reach a 2700 rating.

A year later, from March to December 2008, he went 85 consecutive games without a loss, one of the longest streaks on record. In May 2008, he was the world's number 8.

In recent years he's been less successful, although he had some success in 2013, winning both the Chinese Championship and the rapid part of the World Mind Games.

At the moment Wang Yue is the world's 32nd player at 2716, but he made a jump of ten spots to 22nd in the live ratings this week. He won the Danzhou tournament, the one where Wei Yi's “Immortal” was played —  with 7.0/9. Undefeated of course!

Wang scored four wins with white, and one with black. He drew four games, in rounds 2, 4, 8 and 9.

His game in the first round doesn't really need commentary. He makes positional chess (dark-square strategy!) look easy against the strong GM Lu Shanglei, who must have ended his game with the thought: Where did I go wrong?

The day after GM Wei Yi had shown his tactical vision to the world, here's how he got treated by the silent assassin. Again, the queens were traded early in the game and white made healthy, solid moves but this time he combined it with pushing the h-pawn.

GM Ding Liren, one of the most dynamic players in the field, was kept quiet as well. In an old line of the King's Indian (Benoni?), Wang played a variation of the well-known e4-e5 pawn sac first seen in Penrose-Tal, Leipzig 1960. 

Eventally he ended up with an extra pawn in an ending with opposite-colored bishops. Look at how he decided the game, by incarcerating his opponent's bishop:

GM Wei Yi only lost to the winner and finished on a modest plus one, after playing no less than six draws. His win against Wang Chen was a walk-over:

2015 Danzhou | Final Standings

#	Name	Rtg	Perf	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	Pts	SB
1	Wang Yue	2716	2887		½	1	1	½	½	½	1	1	1	7.0/9
2	Ni Hua	2703	2792	½		½	½	½	½	1	½	1	1	6.0/9
3	Ding Liren	2749	2746	0	½		½	½	1	½	½	1	1	5.5/9
4	Wei Yi	2724	2709	0	½	½		½	½	½	1	½	1	5.0/9
5	Bu Xiangzhi	2695	2673	½	½	½	½		½	½	½	½	½	4.5/9	20.25
6	Yu Yangyi	2736	2668	½	½	0	½	½		1	½	½	½	4.5/9	19.50
7	Sasikiran,K	2640	2640	½	0	½	½	½	0		1	½	½	4.0/9
8	Bruzon,L	2669	2597	0	½	½	0	½	½	0		1	½	3.5/9
9	Lu Shanglei	2595	2518	0	0	0	½	½	½	½	0		½	2.5/9	10.25
10	Wang Chen	2521	2525	0	0	0	0	½	½	½	½	½		2.5/9	9.50

The 6th “Rural Credit Cup” in Danzhou took place 2-11 July, 2015. The prize fund was 100,000 yuan (€14,500/$16,100).