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Nakamura wins in Gibraltar after playoff
31 January 2008 16:57 PM | Last modified: 21:29
Nakamura has won the GibTelecom Masters in Gibraltar by beating Bu Xiangzhi in the rapid playoff 2-0. The American, who is known as a superb blitz player, clinched the first prize of 12,000 pounds. Video added
In Gibraltar it’s all done a bit differently. The organizers don’t like the sharing of prize money and prefer a good fight, with some bloodshed, sweat and tears. That’s why this tournament is decided by a rapid playoff when several players finish shared first. But how do they manage, all this on one day, including the prize giving ceremony, the experienced tournament organiser wonders.
Well, like this. All players who, after the penultimate round, still have a chance for first prize, have to start their games at 10:00 AM instead of 15:00 PM, when the rest of the tournament plays its last round. And so the games Bu Xiangzhi-Ni Hua, Nakamura-Efimenko and Gopal-Bologan were played very early today, in fact during the last round of the second Challengers Tournament. The two Chinese players drew each other in just 22 minutes and Gopal-Bologan saw the same result (where White probably missed a win somewhere). Nakamura beat Efimenko (his fifth victory in a row after his defeat against Australia’s newest GM Zong-Yuan Zhao) and so it was Bu and Nakamura who played their rapid playoff (ten minutes plus ten seconds increment) at 15:00 for a first prize of 12 thousand pounds.
Nakamura won the first game convincingly, but got into big trouble in the second. Bu won his opponent’s queen but the American managed to create a fortress with his rook, knight and pawns. The Chinese tried to do the impossible and eventually let his king be mated at the middle of the board.
Here’s some footage of the playoff and interviews with both Nakamura and Bu, created by the indefatigable Zeljka Malobabic:
Related articles:
- “Monkey Men Berg & Hillarp Persson”
- “In Gibraltar!”
- “Gibraltar: four on three”
- “Chinese squad calls at Gibraltar”
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This is again great video coverage!
HI everyone, and specialy Peter,
I really like your website, you’re always up to date, and its been 3 months that I’ve been following all of your articles……
Just wanted to say that I really appreciate your nice work and everything……..
Good luck buddy……..
Naka for President!!! (of FIDE, FIFA, and The United States of America) I heard Naka’s got a sublime Bicycle Kick and run’s at an excellent pace.
Thanks guys.
@Amos
And he’s a photographer too! You’ll see more of that in the video of the prize giving, published tomorrow after I get back to Amsterdam.
Peter-
A photographer too!!! Naka’s a superman of sorts, kind of like you. You fly from country to country reporting on the latest chess news. I know you have a cape underneath that suit of yours and when one tournament ends you find the closest phone booth and KABOOM! You transform into a superhero and fly to wherever the next great chess tournament is. That’s the only explanation for you being able to cover all these chess tournaments in such a timely fashion. You’re a superhero!!! (I just haven’t thought of a name for your superhero side yet)
Can’t wait for tomorrow’s video. Keep up the wonderful work! It’s always a treat to watch your latest video.
Naka, kicking ass and taking names. Sometimes he doesn’t bother with the names.
Nakamura is trying to play more mature chess now, but we should wait to see if he can do it in more than one tournament, especially in a closed tournament with no weak participants at all.