Chess Played at 4th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games 2013

If you haven't got enough of Olympic, here another multi sports event. The Asian countries have organized a new set of specific sports and put it together as Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games (AIMAG). Basically there are indoor sports with something more Asian cultured games rather than Western's (think basketball or golf...). So we are able to see something like Kickboxing, Muay or Kabaddi . Then we have Oriental games such as Go, and of course along that Chess. In an eyebrow rising event, there also exists electronic games, included are FIFA 2013, Starcraft, Tekken 3, Need For Speed and so on. There also dance sports. So, by far the categories are still vogue, but I bet the Asian going to work this way out in the future.

This year is Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games go to their 4th cycle, the host is Incheon, South Korea. Our main interest in chess event. According to Wikipedia, there going to be four medals in chess:

Men's individual classical  
Gold - Yu Yangyi
Silver - Salem Abdurahman
Bronze - Ding Liren

Women's individual classical 
Gold - Hou Yifan
Silver - Zhao Xue
Bronze - Bhakti Pradip Kulkarni

Rapid mixed team
Gold - China
Silver - Independent OC
Bronze - Vietnam

Blitz mixed team
Gold - Vietname
Silver - China
Bronze - Indonesia

Official website for overall event, for Chess , LIVE GAMES

This format are popular in Asia, mimic the format on badminton, and table tennis for that mixed team category. In Men's, we have Le Quang Liem and Ding Liren , two above 2700+ FIDE Rated, so no kidding on this one. After three rounds seems like the turmoil of warming up still there for Le.


4th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games 2013, Incheon South Korea
Top 10 Final Result  round 7

1 GM Yu Yangyi CHN 2675 6.5 2 GM Salem Abdulrahman Mohamed Saleh UAE 2531 5.5 3 GM Ding Liren CHN 2702 5.0 4 GM Sethuraman Panayappan Sethuram AOI 2560 5.0 5 GM Dzhumaev Marat UZB 2553 5.0 6 GM Jumabayev Rinat KAZ 2548 5.0 7 GM Al Medaihki Mohd Ahmed A J QAT 2546 4.5 8 GM Sengupta Deep AOI 2548 4.5 9 IM Syah Farid Firman INA 2396 4.5 10 GM Tsegmed Batchuluun MGL 2517 4.5

more result on chess-result.com 

While Viswanathan Anand obviously would go to Asian Indoor Games, two former FIDE Female Chess Champion, Hou Yifan and Zhu Chen duly present China and Qatar federation. In fact, chess in AIMAG lack of Indian players, (notes: AOI federation is present). This would make China federation without much countering power, except for Vietnam maybe.

4th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games 2013, Incheon South Korea
Top 10 Result Final round 7 - Women's

1 GM Hou Yifan CHN 2595 6.5 2 GM Zhao Xue CHN 2565 6.0 3 WGM Kulkarni Bhakti Pradip AOI 2246 5.5 4 WGM Nakhbayeva Guliskhan KAZ 2339 5.0 5 GM Zhu Chen QAT 2494 5.0 6 WGM Sukandar Irine Kharisma INA 2364 4.5 7 Frayna Janelle Mae PHI 2096 4.5 8 WIM Hejazipour Mitra IRI 2250 4.5 9 WGM Muminova Nafisa UZB 2321 4.5 10 WIM Khademalsharieh Sarasadat IRI 2315 4.5

more result on chess-result.com

Hou Yifan had no problem along her three games. Her strongest opponent by far was Indonesia's WGM Irine K. Sukandar. Playing in Closed Sicilian defence, Irine never cracked the opening. At move 12...Nxf3 she follow aggresive Knight manuever but risk open up a files for rook for a compensation of two isolated and double up pawns on white side. The challenge was never too much for white, but successful in forcing the game into Knight vs Bishop endgames. In a difficult endgame, Irine failed to defence and let white's stronger pawn in the King's side to advance.

Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games 2013
Hou Yifan vs Irine K. Sukandar 1-0, B23

Partai catur Hou Yifan vs Irine Kharisma Sukandar , Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games 2013. Dengan pembelaan Sisilia tertutup Irine membalaskan langkah 1.e4 sang mantan juara dunia wanita Hou Yifan. Sepanjang pembukaan tampak di komputer bahwa Irine tidak terlalu mampu memberi jawaban yang berbahaya untuk putih. Pembukaan berlanjut dengan manuver agresif Irine hingga di langkah 12... hitam memaksa putih untuk bermain dengan struktur bidak yang lebih jelek, yaitu bidak tumpuk dan ter-isolasi. Tetapi tantangan ini tidak membahayakan putih, walaupun mampu menahan permainan hingga ke posisi permainan akhir dengan pola Kuda vs Gajah. Di permainan akhir yang lebih rumit ini Irine gagal menemukan pertahanan terbaik dan membiarkan bidak putih di sayap raja untuk lebih sukses mencapai garis promosi. Di posisi akhir, hitam tidak mampu menjawab ancaman kuda putih di 43. Nf6 (Kf6, notasi Indonesia) dan harus menyerah.

Hou Yifan vs Irine K. Sukandar, 4th Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games 2013

(foto dishare dari FB pak Kristianus Liem, SCUA Indonesia)

South Korean female chess player in action against Bangladeshi opponent

(photo from official site)