CHESS PIECE: SO-MEGARANTO

[Bobby Ang]

Japfa Match
Jakarta, Indonesia
April 17-20, 2008
123456
1 So,W 2540 111½0½ 4.0/6
2 Megaranto,S 2561 000½1½ 2.0/6

Have you noticed that lately it seems like all we are writing about is Wesley So? Well, that is because he is on a hot streak and has won another chess event. Wesley So defeated the reigning Indonesian Champion GM Susanto Megaranto 4-2 in their one-on-one match held during the Japfa Chess Festival 2008 being held at the Indonesian Sports Council Hall in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Indonesian chess had long been dominated by GM Utut Adianto (yes, he knows what his first name means in Pilipino). Together with a few sponsors he put up a chess school in the late 90s to prepare and train the next generation who will take over when he retires. Megaranto was schooled by no less than Adianto himself. I remember 8 years ago during the Asian Under-16 Championship held in Bataan (I organized that, remember?) Megaranto was a very small boy, only slightly taller than 4 feet, but his chess was very strong and he would grind out 60-move endgame wins without batting an eyelash. The punishing pace tired him, though, and a weak finish allowed Bacolod’s Sander Severino to come from behind to win the bragging rights as the best Under-16 player in Asia and the FIDE Master title.

Anyway, since then Susanto had made giant strides and for the first time overtook Adianto in the rating table this January.

Susanto Megaranto (born 8 October 1987), similar to Wesley, is the youngest in his country’s history to attain the title of GM. He accomplished the feat at the age of 17, beating out Adianto’s record by four years.

I expected the match to be close but the Philippines’ youngest GM won the first three games and drew the fourth to clinch the victory. The last two games were no-bearing and Megaranto managed to recover some ground by winning one and drawing the other.

In fact, Megaranto should not have won the 5th game either – perhaps lulled to complacency due to his overwhelming position, Wesley got careless and allowed his a devastating combination:

So,Wesley (2540) - Megaranto,Susanto (2561) [B00]
Japfa Match Jakarta INA (5), 19.04.2008

1.e4 Nc6 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Bg4 4.Nc3 e6 5.Be3 Nf6 6.h3 Bh5 7.d5 exd5 8.exd5 Bxf3 9.Qxf3 Ne5 10.Qe2 h5 11.0–0–0 Be7 12.f4 Ned7 13.g3 c5 14.Bg2 0–0 15.g4 b5 16.g5 Nh7 17.Qxh5 b4 18.Ne4 Qa5 19.Kb1 Rab8

I don't know what kind of garbage opening Megaranto is playing, but white is already winning, and only has to take care to avoid swindles. This Wesley was not able to do.

20.f5 Rfe8 21.Bf4 c4 22.Bxd6 Nhf6

Desperation. White was threatening to exchange bishops on e7 and then followup with the killer f5-f6.

23.gxf6 Nxf6 24.Qh4?

Simply 24.Nxf6+ Bxf6 25.Bxb8 Rxb8 26.Qf3 c3 27.Qf4 (27.b3?? Qa3) 27...Rb6 28.Qc7 forces resignation. I refuse to believe that Wesley didn’t see this – he probably wanted to try a more fancy way. Bummer.

24...Nxe4 25.Bxe7?


caption: position after 25.Bxe7

Remember what I said about avoiding swindles? White HAD to take the knight. Why? ...

25...Nc3+! 26.Kc1

[26.bxc3 Qa3! 27.Ka1 Qxc3+ 28.Kb1 b3 forces mate]

26...b3! 27.cxb3 cxb3 28.axb3 Qa1+ 29.Kc2 Nxd1 30.Rxd1 Rbc8+ 31.Kd2 Qxb2+ 32.Ke1 Qxg2 0–1

But let us not be too harsh on Wesley - on the whole he showed his best qualities and dominated Megaranto. Here is what I believe to be the best game from the match.

So,Wesley (2540) - Megaranto,Susanto (2561) [B19]
JAPFA Festival Match Jakarta (1), 17.04.2008

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Nf3 Nd7 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 e6 11.Bf4 Qa5+ 12.Bd2 Qc7 13.0–0–0 Ngf6 14.Ne4 0–0–0 15.g3 Nxe4

[15...Nc5 16.Nxc5 Bxc5 17.c4 Bb6 18.Bc3 is slightly better for White]

16.Qxe4 Nf6 17.Qe2 Bd6

In "Opening for White according to Anand", the author former FIDE world champion Alexander Khalifman points out that 17...c5? is bad because of 18.dxc5 Bxc5 19.Rh4! and "Black is in grave danger now". Here is an example of what might happen: 19...Kb8 20.Bf4! Bd6 21.Rxd6 Rxd6 22.Ne5! White is threatening either Nxf7 or Nc4 and Black will have difficulty meeting it. Tal,M (2615)-Huebner,R (2595)/ Montreal 1979 1–0 (41).

18.c4 c5

[18...Kb8?? 19.c5]

19.Bc3 cxd4

Khalifman: This is the principled decision. Black obtains a pawn majority in the kingside and some counterplay along the opened d-file. White in his turn can try to exploit his pawn majority on the queenside.

20.Nxd4 a6 21.Kb1 Rd7 22.Rc1

GM Joey Antonio once lost a game in the Internet Chess Club after 22.Nb3 Rhd8? 23.Ba5! b6 24.c5 Bxc5 25.Rc1 Rd5 26.Nxc5 Rxc5 27.Qxa6+ and he had to resign. Crafty-Antonio,R/ ICC 1999.

22...Qc5

Perhaps this move is a mistake? White wants to play Nb3 and putting his queen on c5 provokes him to do just that. The usual move is 22...Kb8.

23.Nb3 Qf5+ 24.Rc2

Now the play revolves around White's plan to push his c-pawn to c6.

24...Bc7

So that if 25.c5 then 25...Qd3 exchanging queens.

25.Bxf6 gxf6 26.c5 Rd5?

The bulletin gives 26...Qd5 as best, I think it is 26...Qd3. Whatever it is, the text move is not it.

27.c6! b5?

Another mistake. Definitely 27...Qe5 was the only way to fight on.

28.Qe3

The queen penetrates. Wesley is already winning.

28...Kd8

[28...Kb8 29.Nc5 Rhd8 (just in case White misses the back rank check) 30.Rhc1 Black is at a loss]

29.Qa7 Re8 30.Nc5 a5 31.Na6 Qe5 32.Rhc1 Qd6 33.Qa8+ Ke7 34.Qb7 Kd8

Black is paralyzed, but how can White break through? Wesley's solution is simple but effective.

35.Rc5!

Forcing the exchange of rooks, afer which black is vulnerable on the d-file. Watch.

35...Rxc5 36.Rxc5 f5 What else can he do? 37.Rc2 Rg8 38.Nxc7 1-0

After 38...Qxc7 39.Rd2+ finishes him off.

Reader comments/suggestions are urgently solicited. Email address is bangcpa@gmail.com


"This article first appeared in Bobby Ang's column in Businessworld (Philippines) on 02 May 2008"