 |
Pavel Drugov,
FIDE MASTER |
| PETERHOF: FORWARD ONLY!
|
During Christmas holidays the current 61-st chess festival "Petrovskaya Ladia" already took place on a hospitable ground of Peterhof. The festivals continue their tradition from 1990, but their upraise came to August 2005 when Peterhof celebrated its 300th anniversary. Then, two years ago, Peterhof gathered eminent Grandmasters and masters and Alexander Khalifman, 14th world champion became a winner. Since that time we try to carry out every festival with its pigment zest, mitering expansion geography and increasing a number of tournaments. The main policy of festival is chess to all anyone likes from beginners up to International Grandmasters. The festival is supported by a deputy of Legislative Assembly (St.Petersburg) Andrey Nikitin who is a great lover of intellectual games and a professional player himself of Japanese play Go (Baduk).
This time the festival programmer included ten tournaments. A children's festival ("C" tournaments) gathered more than hundreds participants of all categories, from the first to the fifth.
As it often happens, success came to those boys and girls who visited Peterhof for the first time. I cannot explain the reasons of such a phenomenon. Sasha Kalin (Tiraspol, Pridnestrovye) won in the first category tournament, Denis Hulapov (Bryansk region) in the second one. Representatives of Petrozavodsk were first in the third category and in the younger group of children masters of the field won in the fourth and fifth categories. All children got memorable gifts and prizes from the organizers, and the winners were awarded with firm audio and video equipment. Dad Frost who was specially called in this case from creative work vacation did the awarding of the younger children being greatly enjoyed.
More solid public competed at the festival in the evenings. Grandmaster's and master's norm tournaments were passing at the same time, and a rating-tournament (Swiss system) as well.
Representatives of Russia, Latvia, Italy, Moldova and Ukraine took part in that "Swiss system". As an result of stubborn struggle the victory was allotted to Peterhof FIDE master Alexander Malofeev, Edward Prokuronov (Arkhangelsk) got the second place, Leonid Bocharov (StPetersburg) was the third. A master tournament brought great sensation: all three prize places were occupied by challengers of the master title, and its possessors were in the middle and "tail" of the tables. Young FIDE master Evgeniy Levin from Arkhangelsk was a winner who passed brilliantly all the tournament without defeats, Dmitry Nadezhdin (St.Petersburg) was the second, he had played successfully in our summer festival, our compatriot Elizabeth Borisova had the third place.
Lisa began a tournament with fine five points out of six possible!
Looking ahead we shall note, that she is an only one, who fulfilled a Grandmaster's point, in truth, among women. But because of it the point is not less valuable! And my pupil made me glad one of the best Peterhof juniors, young master candidate Volodya Fedoseyev (2166, St.Peterburg champion among the young till 12 years old). One must say, there were many sceptics about Volodya's play in this circular tournament. Some trainers were even "putting money", that he would not gather more than two points out of ten.
The young chessplayer refuted their doubts, having gathered 4 points and increased his rating considerably. Thereby he defeated mature chessplayers as IM Victor Romkovich (Moldova) and Sergey Khamitsky (2345, Belarus).
E.Levin, the winner of a master norm tournament was handed
in a prize by director of the festival
P.Drugov.
Otherwise in a harder and more professionally manner the struggle was running in a Grandmaster's norm tournament. There gathered a merited body of Grandmasters. There were such Grandmasters among its participants as the winner of August tournament Denis Yevseev, a debutant of Peterhof festivals an experienced Marat Makarov and young, but always playing strong competitions Alexey Kim (federation of South Korea).
The youth played well in this tournament as well. Points of the International master
were fulfilled by Alexander Shimanov (SDYuShOR named after Chigorin), Mikhail Rusanov (St.-Petersburg), Edward Gorovykh (Peterhof). For Edik who moved to St.Petersburg from Krasnodar in September, this point marked the fulfillment of International master norm, so far as after the tournament his rating reached cherished 2400.
One must say that E.Gorovykh has not stability yet; after two unlucky performances (M.Chigorin Memorial and "Autumn Petersburg" tournament) he became St.Petersburg champion till 18 years old and played successfully in the festival. It remains to hope that a victorious wave will not fall back.
And Grandmaster Denis Yevseev and captain of Peterhof youth selection team, International master Daniel Linchevsky, who gathered 7 points each out of 10 possible became winners of tournament having absolutely equal additional indices! It is significant as Yevseev is a senior trainer of our chess club, the experience joined the victory
with youth energy and active ness. Grandmaster Marat Makarov was the third.
M.Makarov, D.Linchevsky, D.Yevseev, P.Drugov, and E.Alekseev.
It is notable that in the morning Marat was busy with the children at the
selection preparations
being organized by the St.Petersburg Chess Federation and in the evening he
played in the tournament. And he had enough strength for everything! There
displayed less lucky performance th traditional guests of the festival IM Boris
Itkis and IGM Alexey Kim, and also the strongest junior Vitalis
Samolins (Latvia). The main judge of tournament
For the first time there was an International arbiter Alberts Tciminsh
(Latvia) was a Chief referee of the tournament for the first time.
A.Kaljamin, A.Tciminsh, P.Drugov, E.Alekseev, L.Petrova and A.Ostapenko.
About Latvian delegation more detail. Geography of the festival included more than 20 countries,
and there took place a real team creative competition with Latvian chessplayers. 12 chessplayers (Riga) and three (Daugavpils) came to Peterhof in the morning of January, 2 and stayed at ours till January 12, thereby they participated in all tournaments of the festival. We want to hope, that Baltic guests liked our cultural programmer and chess activities, including children's matches,
Blitz-tournaments, etc. According to an intended joint plan, Riga-Peterhof match has to take place soon. We evaluated with pleasure a fine play of Latvians at blitz with the use of electronic clocks, in particular juniors Matiss Mustaps and Arturas Bernotas who shared the first place in the children's blitz-tournament. January, 11th there took place the closing of the strongest tournaments: Grandmaster's Master's and rating ones. The winners got valuable prizes out of hands of the strongest Grandmaster of Petersburg, champion of Russia (Super-final 2006) Eugenie Alekseev who wished in his speech "prosperity and deep waters" to the festival and estimated highly the exertions of organizers.
One must say at the past Superfinal of Russia where Eugenie won brilliantly the first place Peterhof chessplayers were the most disciplined and warmest fans of the young champion. The warm greetings were addressed by vice-presidents of the St.-Petersburg chess federation Alexey Lugovoy
P.Drugov, V.Bykov and A.Lugovoi.
and Vladimir Bykov, who noted the tradition and a high level of the Peterhof Festivals.
After closing ceremony a blitz-tournament took place wherein master candidate Eugenie Levin and IM David Markosyan forwarded the race being ahead of a cohort of famous and strong chessplayers.
During the festival International
site was operating.
Editor's word.
The photo's reporting.
Games of tournament "S", pgn
Games of tournament "A", pgn
Games of tournament rating-tournament "B", pgn
Official site.
update 24-02-2007
