Congrats to GM Viktor Matviishen, winner of the Edmondson Cup with a final score of 7/9, edging out Grandmasters Bilel Bellahcene and Jianchao Zhou on tiebreakers. A draw between Matviishen and Bellahcene opened a path to see four people vie for a share of first.
While we find ourselves with the Sicilian not paying off dividends when a win is on the line for a second round in a row, we see a well earned and hard fought draw by GM Vladimir Akopian and IM Sebastian Kostolansky on Board 2. We see a Kan formation arise and play shifting to the queenside. Akopian makes a break for a5 and then for d5 soon after. When the c-file was cleared, it quickly became a catalyst for pieces to be traded as both players were trying to gain an edge with each resulting exchange. None was found and a draw was agreed upon.
On Board 3, GM Emilio Cordova faced GM Jianchao Zhou. We do not see a Sicilian, but the Peruvian stays in Europe with a English. A critical decision on move 10 where Emilio sees a opportunity to win a pawn on the queenside, but this is not seen often on the higher levels and Zhou demonstrates why. With the b-file opened, serious pressure was created on Whites unmoved a+b pawns…strong Benko vibes with a pawn on a7 instead of c5. Zhou crashes down on the queenside after key weaknesses were exploited and gained a two pawn advantage in a double rook endgame. Zhou goes on to win the game and a share of first.
