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TOURNAMENT STANDINGS
Capablanca Memorial (Elite) Tournament

Vasyl Ivanchuk6.5/10(+3 -0 =7)[games]
Ian Nepomniachtchi5.5/10(+2 -1 =7)[games]
Leinier Dominguez Perez5.5/10(+3 -2 =5)[games]
Vladimir Potkin4.5/10(+1 -2 =7)[games]
Yuniesky Quesada Perez4/10(+1 -3 =6)[games]
Viktor Laznicka4/10(+2 -4 =4)[games]
*

Chessgames.com Chess Event Description
Capablanca Memorial (Elite) (2012)

The 47th Capablanca Memorial was 6-player double round robin held 4-14 May 2012 in Hotel Habana Riviera, Havana, Cuba. Rest day: May 9. Time control: 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, then 30 more minutes to finish the game, with 30 seconds increment from the start. Vassily Ivanchuk won with 6.5/10. Leinier Dominguez and Ian Nepomniachtchi trailed by a point in the final standings, but finished with positive scores. Ivanchuk dancing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_R...

Official site: https://web.archive.org/web/2012062... ChessBase report: https://en.chessbase.com/post/47th-... Chess-Results: http://chess-results.com/tnr72978.a... TWIC: https://theweekinchess.com/chessnew...

01 02 03 04 05 06 1 Ivanchuk 2764 ** ½½ 11 ½½ ½½ 1½ 6½ 2 Nepomniachtchi 2716 ½½ ** ½0 ½½ ½1 ½1 5½ 3 Dominguez 2725 00 ½1 ** 1½ ½½ 1½ 5½ 4 Potkin 2642 ½½ ½½ 0½ ** 1½ 0½ 4½ 5 Quesada 2625 ½½ ½0 ½½ 0½ ** 01 4 6 Laznicka 2693 0½ ½0 0½ 1½ 10 ** 4

Category: XVIII (2694). Chief arbiter: Serafin Chuit Perez

The Premier group was won by Yuri Gonzalez Vidal with 6/9.

Previous: Capablanca Memorial (Elite) (2011). Next: Capablanca Memorial (Elite) (2013)

Other websites: 1) Wikipedia article: Capablanca Memorial, 2) http://www.chessdom.com/capablanca-..., 3) https://www.freechess.org/Events/Re..., 4) http://www.columnadeportiva.com/201... 5) http://chess-results.com/tnr72979.a...

 page 1 of 2; games 1-25 of 30  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. Ivanchuk vs Potkin ½-½422012Capablanca Memorial (Elite)D12 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav
2. Dominguez Perez vs V Laznicka 1-0402012Capablanca Memorial (Elite)B12 Caro-Kann Defense
3. Y Quesada Perez vs Nepomniachtchi  ½-½432012Capablanca Memorial (Elite)B90 Sicilian, Najdorf
4. Ivanchuk vs Dominguez Perez 1-0522012Capablanca Memorial (Elite)B52 Sicilian, Canal-Sokolsky (Rossolimo) Attack
5. V Laznicka vs Y Quesada Perez 1-0422012Capablanca Memorial (Elite)E54 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System
6. Potkin vs Nepomniachtchi  ½-½282012Capablanca Memorial (Elite)A30 English, Symmetrical
7. Y Quesada Perez vs Ivanchuk  ½-½332012Capablanca Memorial (Elite)B01 Scandinavian
8. Dominguez Perez vs Potkin 1-0412012Capablanca Memorial (Elite)B48 Sicilian, Taimanov Variation
9. Nepomniachtchi vs V Laznicka ½-½692012Capablanca Memorial (Elite)B11 Caro-Kann, Two Knights, 3...Bg4
10. Potkin vs V Laznicka 0-1332012Capablanca Memorial (Elite)B94 Sicilian, Najdorf
11. Ivanchuk vs Nepomniachtchi  ½-½472012Capablanca Memorial (Elite)B90 Sicilian, Najdorf
12. Dominguez Perez vs Y Quesada Perez  ½-½342012Capablanca Memorial (Elite)C67 Ruy Lopez
13. V Laznicka vs Ivanchuk 0-1322012Capablanca Memorial (Elite)E41 Nimzo-Indian
14. Nepomniachtchi vs Dominguez Perez  ½-½242012Capablanca Memorial (Elite)B96 Sicilian, Najdorf
15. Y Quesada Perez vs Potkin  0-1522012Capablanca Memorial (Elite)B46 Sicilian, Taimanov Variation
16. Nepomniachtchi vs Y Quesada Perez 1-0352012Capablanca Memorial (Elite)A18 English, Mikenas-Carls
17. V Laznicka vs Dominguez Perez  ½-½252012Capablanca Memorial (Elite)A04 Reti Opening
18. Potkin vs Ivanchuk  ½-½222012Capablanca Memorial (Elite)D20 Queen's Gambit Accepted
19. Nepomniachtchi vs Potkin  ½-½212012Capablanca Memorial (Elite)D31 Queen's Gambit Declined
20. Dominguez Perez vs Ivanchuk 0-1382012Capablanca Memorial (Elite)B01 Scandinavian
21. Y Quesada Perez vs V Laznicka 1-0372012Capablanca Memorial (Elite)B48 Sicilian, Taimanov Variation
22. V Laznicka vs Nepomniachtchi 0-1392012Capablanca Memorial (Elite)A81 Dutch
23. Potkin vs Dominguez Perez  ½-½702012Capablanca Memorial (Elite)D97 Grunfeld, Russian
24. Ivanchuk vs Y Quesada Perez  ½-½602012Capablanca Memorial (Elite)E11 Bogo-Indian Defense
25. Y Quesada Perez vs Dominguez Perez  ½-½212012Capablanca Memorial (Elite)B96 Sicilian, Najdorf
 page 1 of 2; games 1-25 of 30  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2)  

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>
May-05-12  MindCtrol9: This Capablanca in Memoriam has been dominated by Ivanchuck showing his strenth.I would like to wash this tournament live.I personally,like Dominguez style.I really can't say too much about him,but I like his games.Perhaps he is the best in Cuba after the inmortal Jose Raul Capablanca.
May-05-12  twinlark: How immaculate is that, creating an unstoppable mate with such sparse material near the centre of the board?

Outstanding.

May-06-12  Billy Vaughan: A very pretty mate by Ivanchuk indeed!
May-06-12  siggemannen: I think 52... Bf8 saves black from immediate mate, but of course it's losing :)
May-06-12  Benjamin1981: Ivanchuks combination all the way from 45. Rh8+ to 52. f4 is very beautiful and puzzle worthy. I guess it is not as impressive as a 8 move combination would seem at first because material is so sparse but still very beautiful.
May-06-12  twinlark: <52...Bf8> does prevent the mate of course, but as you say, <siggemannen>, it loses.
May-06-12  Eti fan: The real reazon for Bruzon leving the competition is cited back Apr 30 here http://es.chessdom.com/2012/bruzon-... stating not only personal reasons, but some agreement it seems.

But still he will play the national championship starting in just few days.

May-06-12  Bibliophage: Capablanca's tournament; players from non-communist countries need not apply.
May-06-12  King Death: <Bibliophage> What, do you really think most players would want to play in Cuba if they could? Awhile back I read a report from Baburin where he said that the conditions in an event he played in Havana were miserable. Of course it might be a little bit better for these ~2700 players than for the 2500-2600s.
May-06-12  twinlark: <Bibliophage>

Ivanchuk, Potkin, Nepomniachtchi and Laznicka come from communist countries?

Not.

May-06-12  Billy Vaughan: Ivanchuk keeps coming back to this tournament and he's a player who can pick and choose. Cuba's doing something right.
May-07-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Check It Out: Maybe Ivanchuk has a Cuban sweetie, and I do mean cigars!
May-07-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Troller: I've talked to several people (Westeners!) who were very happy with Cuban chess tournaments. The main problem is that the average Cuban chessplayer is heavily underrated, as he/she will only play in Cuba. So if you go there to play sub-2500 local players, expect to drop some rating points.

Generally, standards are not like in the West of course, frequent blackouts etc, but then life is lived somewhat slower than in the West.

Often they also have an interesting field in the top group here; we see the top-12 playing each other often enough in Bazna, Wijk, Tal Memorial, London etc.

May-07-12  Caissanist: Bruzón's withdrawal came less than a week before the start of the tournament, the official press release cited "personal reasons that would impede him from engaging in the tournament with aspirations for a good result". He seems to suffer badly from nervousness in general and in this tournament in particular, where he has done terribly three of the last four times he participated; so, this is not too surprising.
May-07-12  Bibliophage: My intent was to point out that the embargo on Cuba affects the organizers player selection somewhat. I would go so far to say that the embargo also causes the economic conditions mentioned in posts above and prevents the Cuban players from chess opportunities outside Cuba.

I stand by my statement; the 6 players in the elite group were all born in communist countries. Soviet Union dissolved in '91 and Nepo was born in '90. Czech republic and the Ukraine were part of Warsaw pact.

Only Communist bloc countries have the good relations with Cuba necessary for their players to accept an invitation to Capablanca's tournament.

I'd like to see someone up there besides Ivanchuk win. He's won 5 times in the last 7 years.

May-07-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Troller: <Only Communist bloc countries have the good relations with Cuba necessary for their players to accept an invitation to Capablanca's tournament.> Huh? Short played there in 2010, Meier in 2009, Nielsen in 2007 to mention a few. I think Tony Miles won it a number of times as well.
May-07-12  Bibliophage: The EU only lifted its sanctions against Cuba in 2008 and was embroiled in controversy as recent as 2003 when Cuba broke off diplomatic relations with the EU. That's not even a decade of normal relations. Without good relations a country has no guarantee its citizens will be safe when traveling, hence the sporadic participation of non-communist bloc players.

Look at the list of past winners, one readily sees historically the tournament is dominated by communist bloc players.

May-07-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Troller: <Look at the list of past winners, one readily sees historically the tournament is dominated by communist bloc players.>

From 1978 to 2010 Linares had "communist bloc winners" in 19 events. This is the same number as in Capablanca Memorial. Does this mean Spain is a Communist country?

I get your point, and you are right that the embargo has probably had some bearing on the participants (at least US citizens), but "communist bloc" dominance has not been limited to this particular tournament.

May-07-12  twinlark: Bruzon won this event in 2002 and used to place well in other years. I wonder why he has been bottoming out here recently, especially now that he's finally cracked the 2700 and should be feeling more confident?
May-08-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Troller: In more than one year, Bruzon did not show up for the last round(s) in this tournament. He seems to have some kind of problem with this event, I think it is well documented on his player's page.
May-11-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  kamalakanta: How many rounds is this Capablanca Memorial?
May-11-12  Benjamin1981: 10 rounds. Double round robin.
May-14-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Troller: In final round, Chucky has White against Laznicka, while Nepom has Black against Dominguez. Looks like another Capa Memorial on the Chuckster's resume.

Regarding the lineup: Probably the budget is not the same here as in the real supertournaments. And if you are looking for 2700-ish participants, it must be cheaper to get an Eastern European than a Western player.

May-14-12  waustad: Chuky's been going there for years if I recall. Familarity adds comfort.
May-14-12  Blunderdome: Ivanchuk took a quick draw, so Nepomniachtchi can share first if he wins.
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