Areshchenko wins Zurich Jubilee on tiebreak

GMs Alexander Areshchenko and Boris Avrukh were leading after 8 rounds and both won their last-round game on Saturday to share first prize at the Zurich Jubilee Open. Next weekend will be very exciting, with Anand, Karpov, Kasparov, Khalifman, Korchnoi, Kramnik, Spassky, Polgar, Ponomariov and Topalov coming to Zurich.

The Zurich Jubilee Open took place August 9-15 in the Kongresshaus Zürich and was part of the activities of the 200-year anniversary celebrations of the Schachgesellschaft Zürich. In the strong open, called Alois Nagler Memorial, 45 grandmasters and 48 International Masters competed for a CHF 75,000 prize fund offered by the Alois Nagler Foundation.

Rounds 8-9

After seven rounds Boris Avrukh was the only player on 6/7, chased by many strong GMs including Alexander Morozevich (see our previous report). In round 8 Avrukh had the better game against his compatriot Emil Sutovsky, but eventually the two split the point, and by winning their games Morozevich, Areshchenko and Kuzubov joined Avrukh in the lead with one round to go.

That last round, played on Saturday, had the exciting pairings Morozevich-Avrukh and Kuzubov-Areshchenko so everything was possible. For a long time top seed Morozevich had excellent chances to win his game against Avrukh, and with it the tournament, but in mutual timetrouble things went wrong. 28.Qxf7 or 28.Qf6 both seem to win on the spot, as does 34.dxc5. When they had reached 40, Black's position was already winning.

Areschenko's win against Kuzubov was a pretty one - probably White should have refrained from taking on a7 as well as his king had to stay in the centre for the rest of the game. Especially 19...Ne5! was a nice idea, refuting White's play.

And so both Avrukh and Areschenko finished on 7.5/9 but Areschenko was declared winner on tiebreak. Alexey Dreev ended third after finishing on 7/9 together with Mikhalveski. 15-year-old Hou Yifan won the prize for best female and with half a point less, Anish Giri took the youth prize. Best senior was Lajos Portisch and other category prizes went to Yuri Kuzubov (U-20), Michael Hochstrasser (Elo 2200-2399) and Garcia Lopez (<2200).

Jubilee Zurich 2009 | Alois Nagler Memorial | Final Standings (top 40)

Selection of games rounds 8-9

Game viewer by ChessTempo










All photos courtesy of the tournament website

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In the meantime we received the following press release that announced the activities of next weekend:

The World's Most Successful Chess Players of the Last 50 Years to Visit Zurich

Credit Suisse is the main sponsor of the 200th anniversary celebrations of the Schachgesellschaft Zürich and has organized autograph sessions with world-class players

Zurich, August 13, 2009 The Schachgesellschaft Zürich is celebrating its 200th anniversary this August. The celebrations will be centered around three major events taking place at the Kongresshaus and Zurich Main Railway Station. The most successful chess players of the last 50 years will be making an appearance, including Viswanathan Anand, Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov, Viktor Korchnoi, and Boris Spassky. The highlights of the anniversary celebrations will be the Champions Simultaneous and Champions Rapid tournaments, which will take place in the station concourse on August 22 and 23, 2009. Credit Suisse is supporting the Schachgesellschaft Zürich anniversary as main sponsor and has organized autograph sessions with world-class players, to be held on August 22 and 23.

Chess is the most prominent board game in Europe and many other parts of the world. But it's much more than just a board game: It combines elements of play, art, and science. By hosting three major events at the Kongresshaus as well as at Zurich Main Railway Station, the Schachgesellschaft Zürich would like to offer chess enthusiasts a chance to take part in its anniversary celebrations and pit their wits against the top players in the game.

Credit Suisse has supported the game of chess on various occasions in the past – the last time being 2006, when a chess tournament in Zurich formed part of the bank's own 150th anniversary celebrations. "The world's oldest chess club can rightfully look back upon a long-standing tradition with pride. It is the enjoyment and fascination with the game that has led us to sponsor the Schachgesellschaft Zürich in its anniversary year," says Urs Rohner, Vice President of the Board of Directors of Credit Suisse Group. Mr. Rohner extends his congratulations to the Schachgesellschaft Zürich on its 200th anniversary. The Anniversary Open from August 9–15, 2009, at the Kongresshaus in Zurich is the first highlight. On Saturday, August 22, 2009, the station concourse will provide the spectacular setting for the Champions Simultaneous tournament, in which eight world champions will play against 200 amateur competitors. These grandmasters have been instrumental in shaping the face of world chess, coming up with fantastic strategic ideas and brilliant combinations. The Rapid tournament on Sunday, August 23, 2009, is sure to have everyone on the edge of their seats. Seven world-class players and Judit Polgar, the best female player in chess history, will enthrall spectators at the station concourse with an exciting rapid chess tournament to round off the anniversary celebrations.

Credit Suisse has organized an autograph session as part of the Champions Simultaneous tournament on August 22 and the Rapid tournament on August 23. At around 4 p.m. some of the chess legends will be available for about an hour to sign autographs.

Anniversary Celebrations at a Glance

August 9–15, 2009: Anniversary Open, Kongresshaus Zürich

August 22, 2009: Champions Simultaneous tournament, Zurich Main Railway Station 2 p.m. – approx. 6:30 p.m. Players confirmed as at August 13, 2009: Viswanathan Anand, Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov, Viktor Korchnoi, Vladimir Kramnik, Boris Spassky, Ruslan Ponomariov, Veselin Topalov August 23, 2009: Champions Rapid tournament, Zurich Main Railway Station 11:00 a.m. – approx. 6:00 p.m. Players confirmed as at August 13, 2009: Viswanathan Anand, Werner Hug, Anatoly Karpov, Alexander Khalifman, Vladimir Kramnik, Judit Polgar, Ruslan Ponomariov, Veselin Topalov Autograph sessions with the champions Date: Saturday, August 22, 2009, and Sunday, August 23, 2009 Venue: Zurich Main Railway Station Concourse Time: Each day from approx. 4 p.m. Participants: The organizers will decide on the day, based on the results of the competition, which of the champions will participate in the autograph session.

Links

• Official website
• Jubilee Open
• Games in PGN