6th round
Open Section
Approaching the finish of the tournament the fight seems to be intensifying. It took more than 4,5 hours for the first team match to be concluded. Probably most importantly Croatia won against Italy 3 to 1 and with that they maintained their 1 point lead with 10 match points. Hungary also won (2½:1½ versus Germany) and with that they only lag 1 point behind the leaders with 9 match points. 2 teams follow with 8 match points: Czech Republic (after not being able to beat Slovenia but making a 2:2) and France (after collecting 2 match points against Slovakia). Austria also won after playing their strongest line-up (by Shengelia being on board number 1) for the first time. They beat Switzerland 2½:1½.
Highlights section at the bottom features:
- Nice power-play in Jenni (SWI) – Kessler (AUS)
- Misplayed rook endgame in Bellahcene (FRA) – Repka (SLO)
Results
| Open | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  |
Germany (2493) | 1½ | – | 2½ | Hungary (2545) |  |
| 2. |  |
Austria (2477) | 2½ | – | 1½ | Switzerland (2446) |  |
| 3. |  |
France (2501) | 3 | – | 1 | Slovakia (2472) |  |
| 4. |  |
Czech Republic (2502) | 2 | – | 2 | Slovenia (2409) |  |
| 5. |  |
Italy (2474) | 1 | – | 3 | Croatia (2486) |  |
Standings
| Rk. | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Croatia | * | 2 | 2 | 2½ | 2½ | 3 | 3 | 10 | 15,0 | 0 | |||
| 2 | Hungary | 2 | * | 2 | 2½ | 3½ | 2 | 2½ | 9 | 14,5 | 0 | |||
| 3 | Czech Republic | 2 | * | 1 | 3½ | 3½ | 2 | 2½ | 8 | 14,5 | 0 | |||
| 4 | France | 1½ | 3 | * | 3 | 2 | 2½ | 2 | 8 | 14,0 | 0 | |||
| 5 | Austria | 1½ | ½ | * | 2 | 2 | 2½ | 2½ | 6 | 11,0 | 0 | |||
| 6 | Slovakia | 2 | 1 | 2 | * | 2½ | 1½ | 2 | 5 | 11,0 | 0 | |||
| 7 | Germany | 1½ | ½ | 2 | 1½ | * | 2½ | 2½ | 5 | 10,5 | 0 | |||
| 8 | Slovenia | ½ | 2 | 1½ | 2 | 2½ | * | 2 | 5 | 10,5 | 0 | |||
| 9 | Italy | 1 | 2 | 1½ | 2 | 1½ | 1½ | * | 2 | 9,5 | 0 | |||
| Switzerland | 1 | 1½ | 1½ | 2 | 1½ | 2 | * | 2 | 9,5 | 0 |
Women Section
France finally didn’t collect the maximum number of match points – they played 2:2 versus Slovakia. If the result was happening in the first round would have been bit less surprising looking plainly at the ratings. But now, Slovakia being on the clear last spot while France confidently leading, this was definitely unexpected. But still, they are clear first with a very nice 11 match points. Croatia won against Italy 3:1 and now on 8 match points and on the second spot. 3 teams are sharing 7 match points: Hungary (3:1 win over Germany), Slovenia (3½:½ against Czech Republic) and Poland (2:2 versus Austria).
Highlights section at the bottom features:
- Nicely grabbing the initiative in Klek (GER) – Vajda (HUN)
- A bad decision in Broly (FRA) – Milcova (SLO)
Results
| Women | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | |
Germany (2228) | 1 | – | 3 | Hungary (2280) | |
| 2. | |
Austria (2155) | 2 | – | 2 | Poland (2215) |  |
| 3. | |
France (2144) | 2 | – | 2 | Slovakia (2098) | |
| 4. | |
Czech Republic (2079) | ½ | – | 3½ | Slovenia (2167) | |
| 5. | |
Italy (2221) | 1 | – | 3 | Croatia (2180) | |
Standings
| Rk. | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France | * | 2½ | 2½ | 3½ | 3 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 16,5 | 0 | |||
| 2 | Croatia | 1½ | * | 2½ | 2½ | 1 | 3½ | 3 | 8 | 14,0 | 0 | |||
| 3 | Hungary | 1½ | * | 3 | 1½ | 3 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 14,0 | 2 | |||
| 4 | Slovenia | 1½ | 1 | * | 2 | 2½ | 3½ | 3½ | 7 | 14,0 | 0 | |||
| 5 | Poland | 1½ | 2½ | 2 | * | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 13,0 | 0 | |||
| 6 | Austria | 3 | 1½ | 2 | * | 1½ | 2 | 2½ | 6 | 12,5 | 0 | |||
| 7 | Czech Republic | ½ | ½ | ½ | 2½ | * | 3 | 2 | 5 | 9,0 | 0 | |||
| 8 | Germany | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | * | 2 | 4 | 4 | 11,0 | 0 | |||
| 9 | Italy | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | * | 3 | 9,0 | 0 | |||
| 10 | Slovakia | 2 | 2 | ½ | 1 | 1½ | 0 | * | 2 | 7,0 | 0 |
Highlights
A nice power-play and win from the Switzerland-Austria match:
Jenni,Florian (2454) – Kessler,Luca (2431) [B90]
Mitropa Cup – Open (6.4), 22.09.2017
Position after 20.-Na4
White to move and win
21.f5!! gxf5 [21…exf5 22.e6! and black’s position is falling apart here as well – with the king stuck in the middle the position is hopeless]
22.Nxe6! [22.Bxe6 works too with the same idea]
22…Bxe6 23.Bxe6 fxe6 24.Rad1! Qc8 25.Qh5+ Kf8 26.Bxh6+ Rxh6 27.Qxh6+ Kf7 28.Qh7+ Kf8 29.Rd3 Nc3 30.Qh6+ Kf7 31.Qh5+ Kf8 32.Rg3
1–0
Misplayed (by both sides) rook endgame from the first board of France-Slovakia:
Bellahcene,Bilel (2493) – Repka,Christopher (2475) [B01]
Mitropa Cup – Open (6.1), 22.09.2017
Position after 56.R:a4
Things started off from an ordinary, dead drawn 2 vs 1 rook endgame
56…Rc5 57.Ra7 Kh7 58.Ke4 Rc4+ [58…Kh6 planning to play g6 or g5 could have prevented any upcoming struggle]
59.Kf5 Rc3 60.Kg4 Kg6 61.f4 Rc4 62.Ra6+ Kh7 63.Kg5 Rc3 64.g4 Rc1 65.Rb6 Ra1 66.f5 Rh1 67.Ra6 Rh2 68.Ra7 Rh6 69.Kf4 Rh1 70.g5 Rf1+ 71.Ke5 Re1+ [the position is already a little bit tricky, but still there are multiple ways to achieve the draw: 71…Rg1 is another way to go, and after 72.g6+ Kh6 73.Ra3 Re1+ 74.Kf4 Rf1+ 75.Rf3 Rh1 black holds. But it is easy to get scared from such a position where seemingly white can go on by putting the rook to the g-file and transferring the king towards f7 while having f6 breakthrough ideas in mind as well 76.Rg3 Rf1+ 77.Ke5 Re1+ 78.Kd5 Rd1+ 79.Ke6 Ra1 once the king crosses the 6th rank the black rook is free to go to the long side – f6 can be answered by a check on a6! 80.Rh3+ Kg5 81.Kf7 Ra7+ 82.Kg8 Kxf5 83.Kh7 Ra6 84.Rb3 Kf6 leads to a draw]
72.Kd6
Position after 72.Kd6
Black to move and draw
72…Rd1+?? [72…Kg8! 73.g6 Re8 leads to a draw – white will not be able to exchange rooks on the 8th rank if black king stations on f8 74.Rd7 Kf8! 75.Kc7 Re1=]
73.Ke6 Re1+ [73…Kg8 74.f6 gxf6 75.Ra8+ Kh7 76.gxf6 Re1+ 77.Kf7 Rb1 would be a well-known draw if it was black to move, but with white to move it loses easily 78.Kf8+–]
74.Kf7 Re5
Position after 74.-Re5
White to move and win
75.g6+?? [and white returns the favor – now black only needs few precise moves, but after those he gets away with a half point]
[75.f6! Rxg5 76.Kf8 Rb5 77.f7! g5 78.Ke7 wins easily]
75…Kh6 76.f6 Rf5! 77.Ra6 Rb5! 78.Ra7 Rf5 79.Ra6 Rb5 80.Re6 gxf6! 81.Re7 Rb8! [81…Rg5?? 82.Re2 Rxg6 83.Rh2+ Kg5 84.Rg2++–]
82.Ra7 f5 83.Kf6 Rb6+ 84.Kxf5 Rb5+
½–½
A nice moment from the Germany-Hungary match:
Klek,Hanna Marie (2363) – Lazarne Vajda,Szidonia (2358) [C44]
Mitropa Cup – Women (6.1), 22.09.2017
Position after 19.Qf3
White’s position might look pleasant at first – having the pair of bishop and some weaknesses along the b1-h7 diagonal might seem more than enough to compensate for the isolated pawn. But black found a nice way to prove that she is the one in the driving seat.
Black to move
19…f5! 20.gxf5 Ngf4! 21.Bd3 Nxd3 22.Qxd3 Qg5 and black is clearly on the top and went on to win a nice game 23.Rac1 Rxf5 24.Kh2 Raf8 25.Rce1 Nf4 26.Qd1 Nh5 27.Qg4 Nxg3 28.Kxg3 Rf3+ 29.Kg2 Qd2 30.Qxf3 Rxf3 31.Kxf3 Qxb2 32.Re4 Qxa2 33.Rfe1 Qd5 34.Kg3 a5 35.Rg4 a4 36.Re5 Qd6 37.Kg2 a3 38.Ra5 b5 39.Rg3 b4 40.d5 Kh7 41.Rb3 c5 42.dxc6 Qxc6+ 43.Kg1 Qc1+ 44.Kg2 Qc4 45.Rg3 Qc6+ 46.Kg1 Qc1+ 47.Kg2 Qb2
0–1
A materialistic decision leading to a quick collapse from the Slovenia-French match:
Broly,Mathilde (2086) – Milcova,Zuzana (1991) [B12]
Mitropa Cup – Women (6.3), 22.09.2017
Position after 49.Ke1
Black just played 49.-Nd2 with the plan of getting back a pawn on g5. Was it a good idea?
49…Nxd2? [even though Nd2 gets back a pawn on g5 but it lands in a hopeless position where other than being up a pawn, white has the much better minor piece. 49…a5 or pretty much any other sensible move would have made very hard for white to prove the advantage. Black just stays put and it is up on white to come up with a plan.]
50.Kxd2 Kxg5 51.c4 there was no reason for white to hurry, but this still works with the correct follow up dxc4 52.Kc3? actually white should have played a5 here not letting black to do that Kf4? 60.-a5!! Would have saved the game – not easy to see, but black’s counter play would come in time in every line 53.a5 Ke3 54.Kxc4 Be2+ 55.Kc3 Bg4 56.Nb7 Bf3 57.Nd6 a6 58.Kc4 Bd5+ 59.Kc5 Kd3 60.Ne8 Kc3 61.Nc7 Bc4 62.d5 exd5 63.Nxd5+ Kb3 64.e6 Bd3 65.e7 Bg6 66.Nc7 Ka4 67.Kb6
1–0