<wordfunph: the only medal for the Philippines in the Universiade 2013 --- gold by Wesley!>

Wesley won four games (FM Nikita Meskovs LAT 2372, IM Marian Jurcik SVK 2512, GM Andrey Baryshpolets UKR 2544 and GM Giorgi Margvelashvili GEO 2548) and drew five (GM Zhou Jianchao CHN 2572, GM Jacek Tomczak POL 2564, GM Ma Qun CHN 2584, GM Robert Hovhannisyan ARM 2620, GM Zaven Andriasian ARM 2620) and figured in a nine-way tie for first place. After the application of all the tie-breaks Wesley & Andriasian were still tied so the arbiter decided on an Armageddon tie-break for top spot. * * *

Andriasian, Zaven (2620) -- So, Wesley [A04]
Universiade Men Playoff Kazan RUS (1), 15.07.2013

<1.Nf3>

Andriasian, a former World Junior Champion, plays 1.e4 90% of the time. This is an Armageddon game where White has six minutes against Black’s five but draws are counted as a win for the second player. Zaven thus tries to keep the game closed to preserve his pieces. Anyway the game transposes to a King’s Indian Attack soon enough.

<1...c5 2.g3 Nc6 3.Bg2 g6 4.d3 Bg7 5.0 -- 0 e5 6.e4 Nge7 7.h4 h6 8.Be3 d6 9.Qd2N Be6 10.Nc3 Qd7 11.a3 Bh3 12.Nh2 Bxg2 13.Kxg2 f5 14.b4 Nd4 15.Nd5?>

A miscalculation, as Wesley will show.

<15...Nxd5 16.exd5 Qf7 17.bxc5>

The pawn on d5 cannot be defended by 17.c4? because of 17...Nb3.

<17...Qxd5+ 18.Kg1 dxc5 19.Rab1 0 -- 0 -- 0 20.Bxd4 exd4 21.Qa5 Kb8 22.Rb5 Rc8 23.Rfb1 Rc7>

Here is an important rule for games with quick time controls: always keep your pieces active. The mistakes are going to come anyway and you have more “swindling chances” if your pieces are active. What I am saying is that Wesley is a pawn up and has a good position, but he has to find a way to bring out the b7 -- bishop and open up attacking lines against the enemy king.

<24.Nf1 f4! 25.gxf4 g5 26.fxg5 hxg5 27.h5 Be5>

OK, mission accomplished. Black is winning now but of course there is many a slip ...

<28.Qa4 b6>

Does not throw away the win but 28...Rf7! followed by ...Qf3 is lights out.

<29.Nd2 Bh2+! 30.Kxh2 Rxh5+ 31.Kg3 Qe6?>

[31...Rh6 is correct]

<32.Rxb6+! axb6 33.Rxb6+ Qxb6 34.Qe8+>

See? 31...Rh6 would have prevented this.

<34...Kb7 35.Qxh5 Qd6+ 36.Kg2 Qd5+ 37.Ne4 c4 38.Qf3 cxd3 39.cxd3 Kb6 40.Qf8 Ka7 41.a4 g4 42.Qf4 Rh7 43.Qd2 Qh5 44.Ng3 Qd5+ 45.Kg1 Rb7 46.Qh6 Rb1+ 47.Kh2 Rb7 48.Ne4 Qe5+ 49.Kg2 Qf5 50.Qd2?>

In trying to prevent ...Rb2 White allows a more lethal threat.

<50...Qf3+ 51.Kg1 Rb1+ 0 -- 1>

---

Final placings:

Gold, GM Wesley So, Philippines

Silver, GM Zaven Andriasian, Armenia

Bronze, GM Li Chao, China

This is the first time that a Filipino has ever won gold in such a big event. In the 1988 Seoul Olympics Arianne Cerdena won the gold medal in bowling, but it was only an exhibition sport and not included in the medal tally (by the way, I cannot forget the image of Cerdena sobbing as she realized the enormity of her feat if she could just keep it together, and then collecting herself and making six straight strikes at the end to win).