When was the last time you heard GM Wesley So lose a game?
I could not remember anymore. I don't know if that's an indication of my short memory.
Or maybe, it was already a long time since Wesley committed that "mortal sin" to lose a game.
Ahhh, nowadays Wesley is not expected to lose.
Nowadays, seeing Wesley win a game is something expected.
Nowadays, to draw with Wesley is already tantamount to victory.
And to really win against him? That's already something for the books.
But what if we ask IM Kim Steven Yap -- the chess warrior who now seems like the Filipino tormentor of Wesley?
If the reports were true, then Kim is 2-0 up against Wesley in their head-to-head match up.
Talk about kontrapelo.
Or is it really pure talent for Kim? I am optimistic that Kim would overtake a lot of our present IMs to become a GM in the near future.
Let's watch one of the games where Kim beat(!) Wesley. Please click HERE.
Here is the PGN of that particular game:
[Event "Asian Individual Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2007.09.25"]
[EventDate "2007.09.19"]
[Round "7.17"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Kim Steven Yap"]
[Black "Wesley So"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2246"]
[BlackElo "2516"]
[PlyCount "81"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5
d6 7. Nd5 Nxd5 8. exd5 Nb8 9. Bd3 a6 10. Nc3 Be7 11. Qh5 Nd7
12. Be3 Nf6 13. Qf3 b5 14. a3 Bb7 15. g4 Rc8 16. g5 Nd7
17. Bf5 g6 18. Bg4 Rc4 19. h4 Nb6 20. Rd1 Na4 21. Nxa4 bxa4
22. h5 Rf8 23. c3 Bxg5 24. Qe2 Re4 25. Bf3 Rh4 26. Rxh4 Bxh4
27. Qc4 f5 28. Qxa4+ Kf7 29. Qb4 Qe7 30. c4 f4 31. Bb6 e4
32. Bg4 e3 33. Kf1 Qe4 34. Rd4 Qh1+ 35. Ke2 Kg7 36. Qxd6 f3+
37. Kxe3 Bxf2+ 38. Kd2 Qe1+ 39. Kc2 Qe8 40. h6+ Kh8 41. Be6
1-0
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Kontrapelo
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3 Comments:
yung isang panalo yata ni kim vs wesley e nung 2006 national juniors, but wes won the tourney, making him the youngest natl jr champion in phil history. palagay ko hindi kontrapelo, si kim kasi aggressive maglaro like wesley, kaya isa sa kanila talaga e babagsak. most players from the south(vis-min) e atakador, mahilig sa open, tactical games, while players from metro manila e mostly positional, with the exception of wesley.
Medyo matagal na yata yan sir. Malaki na ang improvement ni Wesley since then, not comparable today. 2008 National Junior tinalo lang ni Don Tyrone De Los Santos ng Adamson University si Kim.
'Medyo matagal na yata yan sir. Malaki na ang improvement ni Wesley since then'
You talk as if si Wesley lang ang nag e improve. Di ba pwede mag improve si Kim?
To give you a little background, Kim is actually 3-0 against Wesley as far as I know.
The first time Kim beat Wesley was during one of the national finals of the Shell Kiddie event (forgot the year). That was the time na nag champion si Kim.
Next of course was during the juniors.
And then the third time was during the Asian Individual Chess Championship in Cebu.
So it's obvious na hindi lang si Wesley ang nag e improve. Kim beat Wesley when they were just kiddie players, he won again in a match during the juniors and then again when Wesley was already an established IM and one of the leading players of the country.
It will be quite exciting when they next meet, since now Wesley is a GM and Kim's an IM.
And one more thing, if you may care to know, Kim 'only' got his IM title last December not because he has been missing norms in tournaments, but because he hasn't been competing that much.
For instance, last year, he only joined three international tournaments and all in the second half of the year. First was in Malaysia where he got his second norm, then the Pichay Cup (he didn't get a norm after a final-round loss to IM Goh Weiming of Singapore) and then the Singapore Open in December where he got his third IM norm. And in 2007, lest you forget, he secured his first IM norm in his first international competition, the Asian Individual Championship where he beat Wesley.
You see, it was a very efficient performance by Kim, unlike many other tourist-athletes who have competed extensively for years in countless tournaments here (count all the Pichay Cups, PGMA Cups and the Subic tournaments that have been staged the past several years vis-a-vis norms that were secured) and abroad and can't even show a single norm.
And what's more, in all the tournaments he has participated both domestic and overseas, sariling sikap lahat (meaning, privately funded).
Anyway, I'm not belittling Wesley's achievements, in fact, I'm one of his avid followers. Just trying to put your thoughts in perspective.
Actually, I think the other guy who posted a comment here was right. Both players are tactically gifted and so when they play, the result is always likely to be decisive.
In the tactical department, I think they are on equal terms, I'd even give Kim a little edge over Wesley. But Wesley is more seasoned and I think is a more rounded player than Kim (aside from having a very formidable opening arsenal, which is his biggest edge I think over Kim). In short, I believe that he's a much better player than Kim at this point.
Kaya if they meet again, I think if Wesley will be able to steer the game into a more positional type of play, he will have a great edge and will boost his chances of winning. Of course, I'm not sure if Wesley is inclined to do that, since i think he will again try to prove his superiority and test his tactical abilities against Kim. You see, in my humble opinion, I don't see any other player in the country today who could perhaps give Wesley a very good workout when it comes to playing complex games (with the exception of some GMs such as paragua and antonio). All the players in Manila prefer dull, boring games and they all get massacred by Wesley, while those who are known atakadors may be quite creative but they certainly can't match Wesley's depth and better understanding of complex positions.
So I still think that Wesley, once he meets Kim once more over the board, will again indulge Kim's complications; he'll savor the opportunity I'm sure to have his tactical genius tested by Kim.
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