[imagefield_assist|fid=17199|preset=fullsize|lightbox=true|title=Last month, the 7th annual Polgar Chess Festival was held in Budapest.|desc=|link=none|align=center|width=558|height=319]
By Matt Barrett
At the end of September, Saint Louis took part in the 7th annual Polgar Chess Festival, offering one of its most promising young players the opportunity to compete on the international stage. Local whiz kid Jason Zhou, who attends 7th grade at John Burroughs school, competed as a member of Team USA in the youth rapid match vs Hungary. The match pitted four strong youth players from each country against each other in two different games, one with white and one with black. Team USA was comprised of talented kids from across the country, including known stars U14 Angel Hernandez Camen of Philadelphia (2147 USCF) and U10 Carissa Yip (1975 USCF) of Boston. The time control was G/10 with a five-second increment, so the game play was fast and frenzied from the beginning.
Also a prodigious violinist, Jason was second chair for the American chess team, but didn’t play second fiddle as he was the only American to notch a victory in the first round. Against opponent Gellert Karacsonyi, Jason showed his innovative flair when he chose to diverge from more common opening ideas in the Accelerated Dragon that he knows so well with 7. … Qa5+.
[imagefield_assist|fid=17196|preset=|lightbox=true|title=|desc=|link=none|align=center|width=244|height=244]
IM Daniel Rensch of chess.com, who provided live commentary with FM Mike Klein, assessed this position as slightly better for white, citing a space advantage and pressure asserted by the e5 pawn. He gave Jason points for creativity, though, because of the quick time control. Especially in rapid play, early divergences and invitations for tactical complications can really throw off an unprepared opponent.
As the game progressed, Gellert unraveled quickly and developed a nice initiative against the black king. With both players running short of time, Gellert probably had a winning endgame in the position on move 29, as shown in the diagram:
[imagefield_assist|fid=17197|preset=|lightbox=true|title=|desc=|link=none|align=center|width=244|height=244]
29.Rd7, which Karacsonyi played, is probably not as good as the simple 29.Rxa8+ followed by 30.Bb6, where white will win a pawn and can likely force the passer through on the queenside. Nevertheless, after increasing the scope of his bishop with 29. … Ba6 and moving his rook to seize activity on the f-file, Jason was delighted when Gellert played the shocking 32.Ne6??
[imagefield_assist|fid=17198|preset=|lightbox=true|title=|desc=|link=none|align=center|width=244|height=244]
This blunder undid all the good work white had undertaken in improving his pieces. It also showed some disregard for the fact that black’s position has gotten somewhat more active in the past few moves. 32.Ne6?? overlooked that black could have any threats of his own, forcing black to save the rook by delivering checkmate with 32. … Rf1++. Although he was not at the top of his game, Jason showed his maturity and composure by maintaining his cool and seizing opportunity when it came to him.
In the end, the hungry Hungarian team made mincemeat of the American team, going 5-2-1 overall and winning both legs of the match. Nevertheless this forum offered a glimpse of America’s future chess aspirations and showcased some of its rising stars. Chess is a growing activity in the U.S. educational system and one that promises to continue to deliver exciting competitions in years to come.
The match was sponsored by chesskid.com, a website affilliate of chess.com that is designed specifically for kids. Chesskid.com is unique in that it offers the same easy-to-use interface as chess.com without the interactive features such as chat and personal profiles, making it particularly safe for kids, reassuring for parents, and friendly for coaches and administrators. The technical support was really amazing! Special thanks go out to IM Daniel Rensch and FM Mike Klein for arranging this special event.
