Awonder Liang again!

[Hans Jung]

https://www.chessbomb.com/arena/2018...nder-Bian_Alex Awonder Liang is poised to win the US Junior again. He was in the middle of a race until he won this spectacular game in rd 7. With 5 GMs playing it is a strong field.

[Hans Jung]

https://www.chessbomb.com/arena/2018...-Liang_Awonder Some say Awonder's rd 7 game was the critical game but I think this rd 8 tough endgame fight was the one that did it. All is not over however. In the last round with a one point lead on the field GM Awonder has white against GM Akshat Chandra. Game starts at noon.

[Hans Jung]

GM Awonder Liang drew in the last round to become US Junior Champion. The other grandmasters didnt do so well.

[Wayne Komer]

Awonder Liang again!

July 21, 2018

The final four rounds of the championship:

US Junior Championship 2018
Round 6, July 18
Li, Ruifeng -– Liang, Awonder
B13 Caro-Kann, Panov-Botvinnik Attack

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.Bg5 Qa5 8.Bd2 Bxf3 9.Qxf3 Nxd4 10.Qd1 e6 11.Nxd5 Qd8 12.Bc3 Bc5 13.Bxd4 Bxd4 14.Qxd4 exd5 15.O-O-O dxc4 16.Qe5+ Qe7 17.Qb5+ Kf8 18.Bxc4 a6 19.Qa5 Rc8 20.Rd4 g6 21.Re1 Qc5 22.Qxc5+ Rxc5 23.Kd2 Rc7 24.a4 Kg7 25.a5 Rhc8 26.b3 Kf8 27.Kc3 Nd7 28.f4 b5 29.axb6 Nxb6 30.Ra1 Ra7 31.Ra5 h5 32.f5 Rc6 33.h4 Kg7 34.g4 Nxc4 35.bxc4 gxf5 36.gxh5 Kh6 37.Rxf5 a5 38.Rdf4 Rcc7 39.Rf2 a4 40.Kb4 a3 41.Ra2 Rcb7+ 42.Rb5 f5 43.Rxa3 Rxb5+ 44.cxb5 Rf7 45.b6 f4 46.Ra7 Rf8 47.Ra1 Kxh5 48.Rh1 f3 49.Kc5 Rf5+ 50.Kc6 Rf6+ 51.Kc7 Rf7+ 52.Kc6 Rf6+ 53.Kc5 Rf5+ 54.Kc4 Rf4+ 55.Kb5 f2 56.Rf1 Kxh4 57.b7 Rf8 1/2-1/2

Final position



Round 7, July 19
Liang, Awonder –- Bian, Alex
A04 Reti (English symmetrical)

1.Nf3 c5 2.g3 Nc6 3.Bg2 g6 4.O-O Bg7 5.c3 Qb6 6.e4 d6 7.Re1 e5 8.Na3 Nge7 9.d4 exd4 10.cxd4 Nxd4 11.Nxd4 Bxd4 12.Nc4 Qa6 13.Bf1 Be6 14.Be3 Bxc4 15.Bxd4 O-O 16.Bf6 Bxf1 17.Qd2 d5 18.Bxe7 Rfe8 19.Bxc5 Bd3 20.exd5 Qc4 21.d6 Bf5 22.Bd4 Qd5 23.Qf4 Re4 24.Rxe4 Qxe4 25.Qxe4 Bxe4 26.Bf6 Bc6 27.Rc1 1-0

Final position



Round 8, July 20
Balakrishnan, Praveen –- Liang, Awonder
E69 King’s Indian, Fianchetto, Classical main line

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 O-O 5.Nc3 d6 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.O-O e5 8.e4 c6 9.h3 a5 10.Be3 exd4 11.Nxd4 Re8 12.Qc2 Nc5 13.Rad1 Nfd7 14.b3 Qb6 15.Rb1 Qc7 16.a3 Ne5 17.f4 Ned7 18.Bf2 h5 19.b4 axb4 20.axb4 Ne6 21.Rfd1 Bxd4 22.Bxd4 h4 23.Bf2 hxg3 24.Bxg3 Ng7 25.Qd2 Nb6 26.Bf1 Be6 27.f5 Bxc4 28.Bxd6 Qd8 29.fxg6 fxg6 30.Bg2 Bf7 31.Qh6 Nd7 32.Rf1 Qb6+ 33.Rf2 Qd4 34.Qd2 Qxd2 35.Rxd2 Ne5 36.Bxe5 Rxe5 37.Rd7 b6 38.Rf1 Be8 39.Rb7 b5 40.Ne2 Rd8 41.Ra1 Nh5 42.Raa7 Rd2 43.Bf3 Nf6 44.Re7 Rxe7 45.Rxe7 Kf8 46.Rc7 Nd7 47.Rxc6 Ne5 48.Rc3 Bf7 49.Nf4 Bc4 50.Nd5 Kg7 51.Bg2 Kh6 52.Bf1 Rd1 53.Ne3 Rb1 54.Kf2 Bxf1 55.Nxf1 Rxb4 56.Nd2 Ra4 57.Ke3 b4 58.Rc5 Nf7 59.Rb5 Ng5 60.h4 Ne6 61.h5 Ra3+ 62.Kf2 Rd3 63.Nf1 b3 64.Rb6 Nc5 65.Ng3 Na4 66.Rxg6+ Kh7 67.Ne2 b2 68.Rg1 Ra3 69.e5 Ra1 70.e6 Rxg1 0-1

Final position



Round 9, July 21
Liang, Awonder –- Chandra, Akshat
B00 King’s Pawn Opening

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Bd3 e5 4.c3 Nbd7 5.Nf3 Be7 6.O-O c6 7.Re1 O-O 8.Nbd2 Re8 9.Nf1 a6 10.a4 b6 11.Ng3 Bf8 12.Qb3 Bb7 13.Be3 exd4 14.cxd4 g6 15.h3 Bg7 16.Rad1 Nf8 17.e5 Nd5 18.Bg5 Qc7 19.Ne4 dxe5 20.dxe5 Nd7 21.Nd6 Re6 22.Nxb7 Qxb7 23.Bc4 Nxe5 24.Nxe5 Rxe5 25.Rxe5 Bxe5 26.Rxd5 cxd5 27.Bxd5 Qa7 28.Bxa8 Qxa8 29.Qxb6 Qe4 30.Qe3 Qxe3 1/2-1/2

Final position



Final Standings

1 Liang 6.5
2 Patel 6
3-4 Chandra, Bian 5
5-6 Burke, Balakrishan 4.5
7 Li 4
8-9 Tang, Brattain 3.5
10 Wang 1.5

(The game Wang-Burke) is still in play at this posting