Fide World Chess Cup 2017 (Tbilisi, Georgia; Round 3)
In the first game, Wesley So won against Vallejo Pons in a Caro-Kann Defense. In the second game, the players agreed to a draw. Thus, to our relief, So moves to the fourth round without need of a tie break.
The first game between So and Vallejo Pons is a very interesting study for those who plays this kind of defense given Vallejo Pons' 4.g4 which opens up the Kingside to drive away the Bishop.
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| Vallejo Pons vs. So (after 4.g4) |
In this game, Black has shown that such move is not strategically correct though it can lead to various possibilities. We quote the following from Chess Central -
"Good chess strategy is advancing only one or two pawns in the chess opening, just enough to stake out the center and develop your pieces quickly. Moving pawns can weaken your defenses, and is responsible for many losses in the chess opening. A pawn move can never be retracted!"
Chess Tactic: Pin
After 26.__Bg5, we see that both White's Knights are pinned. The Pin is a common but dangerous tactical motif where a piece cannot move because there is a valuable piece behind it. Since both Knights are pinned to the King, it is known as an "absolute pin" as opposed to a "relative pin". Both Knights cannot move without exposing the King to capture or check. After 30 moves, White resigned as he is about to lose his Knight on c3 due to the Pin.
What is described as shocking in this round is Bu Xiangzhi eliminating Magnus Carlsen. Bu won in the first game and held Carlsen to a draw in the second game.
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