Wesley So leads 49th Capablanca Memorial at halfway mark
By Jose "joeyj" Jereos Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 14 May 2014
The 49th edition of the Capablanca Memorial Tournament 2014 is underway and is being played on 8-18th May at the Habana Riviera Hotel in La Havana, Cuba. The event is organized by the Cuban Chess Federation and the Instituto Nacional de Deportes Educaci?n F?sica y Recreaci?n (INDER).
The Elite Group is a Category 19 with a rating average of 2721, and is a 6-player double round-robin tournament, composed of five(5) former Capablanca Memorial Champions and Wesley So a first timer in this prestigious tournament.
Participants:
1.?Dom?nguez?Perez, Leinier CUB 2768?(2004, 2008 & 2009 winner)
2.?Ivanchuk?,?Vassily UKR 2753?(2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011 & 2012 winner)
3. So, Wesley (PHI) 2731 (first-timer)
4.?Alm?si,?Zoltan HUN 2693?(2013 winner)
5. Vallejo Pons , Francisco ESP 2700 (2001 winner)
6. Bruzon Batista, Lazaro CUB 2682?(2002 winner)
R5: ?Almasi, Zoltan(HUN)2693-So, Wesley(PHI)2731 :0-1.
After 5 rounds?of play, at halfway mark, of the 10-round double round-robin event @ 49th?Capablanca Memorial(2014), GM Wesley So (PHI) 2731 snatched the sole lead scoring 3.5/5? (+2-0=3) by beating his perennial co-leader since R3 the defending champion GM Almasi, Zoltan (HUN)2693 who resigned after the 48th?move of? a French Winawer. ?The other previous round-4 leader, top seed?Dom?nguez?Perez, Leinier (CUB)2768 made a quick 13-mover draw [Ruy Lopez, Closed?(C92)]? with his compatriot Bruzon Batista, Lazaro(CUB)2682 to score 3.0/5(+1-0=4).
The game between?Ivanchuk, Vassily (UKR)2753 and Vallejo Pons, Francisco (ESP)2700 was won by Vallejo Pons when Ivanchuk conceded defeat?(his second in five matches) ?in the 53rd? move of a ? Giuoco Piano?(C53).
Round 5 results
Dominguez Perez, Leinier vs Bruzon Batista, Lazaro??-??
Ivanchuk, Vassily vs Vallejo Pons, Francisco?0-1?
Almasi, Zoltan vs So, Wesley?0-1?
Standings after 5 rounds
1. So, Wesley g PHI 2731 ;?3??
2. Dominguez Perez, Leinier g CUB 2768 :?3
3-4. Almasi, Zoltan g HUN 2693 :?2??
3-4. Bruzon Batista, Lazaro g CUB 2682 :?2?
5. Vallejo Pons, Francisco g ESP 2700 :?2?
6. Ivanchuk, Vassily g UKR 2753 :?1?? ? ? ?
Live ratings of GM Wesley So (PHI)2731)?and his scheduled opponents until R10.
With R5 win, GM Wesley So ??Live rating of 2740.2, now?ranks?#19 in the Live Chess Ratings of the Top chess players in the world.?@?http://2700chess.com.? ?Additionally, it is the 2nd Personal Best/Highest Live Rating recorded by ?Wesley So. ?His Personal?Best/Highest Live rating was 2740.3 recorded on 17 Jan 2014 @ R5 of Tata Steel Chess 2014.
GM?Susan Polgar,?Wesley So?s coach at Webster U, tweeted??At the half at Capablanca Memorial, Wesley So?is +2 & his live rating is 2740+. He?s about 3 pts away from top 15 in the world!?. ??
Round 6 (14 May) Pairings:
May 13, 2014 (Havana) is ?Rest Day?. ?R6 scheduled on May 14.
Bruzon Batista, Lazaro?- So, Wesley
Almasi, Zoltan -?Vallejo Pons, Francisco
Ivanchuk, Vassily -?Dominguez Perez, Leinier
All the games (R6 to R10 : 14-18 May) ?starts at?3PM (Havana time) or 3AM (PHI time).PHI time is 12 hrs ahead than Havana time.?Live games could be watched and replayed at the following sites:
https://arena.chessdom.com/#/stream_tournaments/show/127
http://chessbomb.com/site/
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Jose "joeyj" Jereos Jr..
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