DAVID
REPRESENTS ENGLAND IN THE WORLD YOUTH UNDER 16 CHESS OLYMPIAD,
IN KUALA LUMPUR.
21.8.02
The English Under-16 squad completed a very successful
first round today,
with wins on all four boards against the Australia-B team. The boards
and
pairings were as follows:
1. B Gawain Jones 2237 defeated W Vincent Suttor 2000
2. W David Howell 2211 defeated B Matthew Perkovic 2000
3. B Timothy Woodward 2211 defeated W Adam Muzel 2000
4. W Jonathan Lappage 2189 defeated B Blair Mandla 2000
Today's reserve was Thomas Rendle (2241) who stood at
the sidelines with an
increasing air of glee as each game ended. The team are hoping to maintain
their success in the second round against Kazakhstan tomorrow morning,
and
have spent the evening in preparation with their coach, GM Chris Ward.
Following their arrival from England early yesterday morning,
Chris and the
older boys took the opportunity to spend the rest of the day catching
up on
lost sleep. David was at an advantage over his older team-mates, arriving
fresh from Singapore largely recovered from the seven hours' jet lag incurred
when arriving to visit his mother's family the previous week.
The World Youth Chess Olympiad is a team event for players
born in 1986 or
later. Twenty countries are taking part, with some contributing two teams
(China, Singapore, Hong Kong,) and some three (Australia, Malaysia).
Following the last-minute withdrawal of Zambia, Malaysia has added a fourth
team in order to even out the numbers. In all there are now 130 players,
including 28 reserves who may be strategically deployed during each of
the
ten rounds.
The tournament is taking place in the large third floor
Exhibition Centre at
the Mid Valley Megamall, Malaysia' s large shopping centre, twenty minutes'
drive south of the city centre. Travel from KL airport could not have
been
easier, with a brand new 20-minute rail link from the main concourse to
the
KL Central terminal, followed by a short taxi ride to the airy, spacious
and
modern 15-floor Cititel hotel in the Megamall complex. With over 600 retail
and food outlets on five vast floors, the mall provides for every need,
and
exploring every interesting corner is a major undertaking.
At 9.30m this morning, the tournament was declared open
by FIDE President
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. Following a speech to the assembled players and
officials, the President made a symbolic first move (e4) on an extremely
large chess set assembled in the centre of the hall. Also present were
Ignatius Leong and the Vice-President of the Malaysian Chess Federation,
Ibrahim Bakar.
It is expected that pairings and results will be available
on the tournament
web-site (www.thechessnetwork.net).
22.8.02
Today the fifth seed,
England, played strongly against the top seed, Ukraine,
managing three draws. The unflappable Gawain Jones coolly maintained his
position against 12-year-old, IM Sergey Karjakin, soon to be confirmed
as the
World’s youngest-ever Grandmaster. Earlier, Thomas Rendle had held
Kazakhstan’
s top board to a draw. After three rounds, England are in 11th place with
7
points. Romania and India are leading with 10 points.
The weather in KL
is warm and humid, and was marked today by heavy rain and
thunderstorms. Fortunately we are immune from the elements in the
air-conditioned MidValley Megamall. The hotel provides buffet meals with
a
mixture of spicy Malay and Western-style cuisine. The mall’s numerous
food
outlets stock a bewildering array of produce, and we were able to buy
a large
Black Forest Gateau with which the team celebrated Mrs Howell’s
birthday.
Timothy was able to access the internet at the huge MPH bookshop, and
was
relieved to learn that he had achieved top grades in his eleven GSCE’s.
Second round results: England v Kazakhstan
1. W Thomas Rendle
2241 drew with B Olzhas Khamzin 2270
2. B Gawain Jones 2237 lost to W Anuar Ismagambetov 2185
3. W David Howell 2211 defeated B Dmitry Stativkin 2173
3. B Timothy Woodward 2211 lost to W Maxat Alaguzov 2075
Third round results: England v Ukraine
1. B Thomas Rendle 2241 drew with W IM Alexander Areschenko 2533
2. W Gawain Jones 2237 drew with B IM Sergey Karjakin 2523
3. B David Howell 2211 lost to W WIM Kateryna Lahno 2328
3. W Jonathan Lappage 2189 drew with W Natalia Zdebskaja 2261
23.8.02
Fourth round results: England v Australia-A
1. B Thomas Rendle
2241 defeated W Denis Bourmistrov 2209
2. W Gawain Jones 2237 defeated B Tomek Rej 2000
3. B Timothy Woodward 2211 drew with W Catherine Lip 2057
4. W Jonathan Lappage 2189 defeated B Michelle Lee 2000
Fifth round results: England v Indonesia
1. B Thomas Rendle
2241 drew with W Susanto Megaranto 2364
2. W Gawain Jones 2237 lost to B Tirta Chandra Purnama 2192
3. B David Howell 2211 defeated W Taufik Hallay 2232
5. W Timothy Woodward 2211 lost to B Surya Wahyudi 2000
With 12 points, the
English team now lie in 8th position, in a field of 28
countries. The Ukraine and China-A share the lead with 15 points each.
Tomorrow is a rest day, and the team plan to visit KL city centre to see
the
Petronas Twin Towers, the Central Market and Chinatown.
The World Youth Under-16
Chess Olympiad 2002 is sponsored by the Ambank
Group, Coca Cola, TV3, Mid Valley Mall, Cititel and the World Chess Network.
While competitors are not allowed drinks or food at the playing table,
an
unlimited supply of Coca Cola is available in the foyer if refreshment
is
needed.
25.8.02
Sixth round results: England v Romania
1. W Thomas Rendle
2241 B lost to IM Andrei Murariu 2401
2. B Gawain Jones 2237 W defeated Vlad Barnaure 2234
3. W David Howell 2211 B FM lost to Tiberiu Manescu 2330
3. B Jonathan Lappage 2189 W defeated Gabriel Grecescu 2233
Seventh round results: England v Uzbekistan
1. B Thomas Rendle
2241 lost to W Anton Filipow 2253
2. W David Howell 2211 lost to B Timur Gareev 2191
3. B Timothy Woodward 2211 lost to W Abdushad Kuchkarow 2007
4. W Jonathan Lappage 2189 lost to B Furkat Imamov 2000
Saturday was a rest-day. Having travelled in three taxis to the city centre,
the team were very impressed by the ultra-modern stainless-steel and glass
88-storey Petronas Twin Towers (the world’s tallest building) and
the
adjoining park with its lake and fountains. Surrounded by a variety of
uniquely-designed office blocks, hotels and condominiums, the area is
a quiet
and restful oasis and refuge from the bustle of KL’s busy streets.
Unfortunately all 1000 tickets for the 42nd-floor skybridge had been
allocated early in the morning, and we were unable to go higher than the
fourth floor. The group then took the underground to Chinatown, where
they
were able to buy football shirts and video CD’s at bargain prices.
26.8.02
Eighth round results: England v USA
1. W Thomas Rendle
2241 defeated B Morgan Griffiths 2000
2. B Gawain Jones lost to W Stephen Ju 2000
3. W Timothy Woodward 2211 defeated B Sam Galler 2000
4. B Jonathan Lappage 2189 defeated W Michael Cambereri 2000
Ninth round results: England v Singapore A
1. B Thomas Rendle
2241 drew with W Jason Goh 2000
2. W Gawain Jones 2237 defeated B Wee Zhen Yang 2088
3. B David Howell 2211 defeated W Chan, Weng Chee 2000
4. W Timothy Woodward 2211 lost to B Howard Chiu 2000
With one round to
go, England now share 8th position with Australia-A, on
19.5 points. China-A have maintained their lead with 28 points, while
India
remains the runner-up with 23.5 points. Due to their previous pairings,
England have the dubious privilege of facing the leaders, China –A,
on board
one in tomorrow morning’s final round.
27.8.02
Tenth (final) round results: England v China-A
1. W Thomas Rendle
2241 lost to B FM Wang Yue 2455
2. B Gawain Jones 2237 lost to W Zhao Jun 2363
3. W David Howell 2211 lost to B Zhou Weiqi 2318
4. B Jonathan Lappage 2189 defeated W Li Chao 2310
Final positions: 1st
China-A 31 points
2nd Ukraine 27 points
3rd Indonesia 26.5 points
4th India 26 points
5th Uzbekistan 24 points
6th Romania 23 points
7th Iran 22.5
points,
8th Kazakhstan 22 points
13th England 20.5 points
Jonathan Lappage calmly despatched his Chinese opponent on the top team
table
this morning. His team-mates were less fortunate, but put up a good fight
against the remaining Chinese players despite the latter’s inassailable
position as tournament victors. Following the closing ceremony and dinner
this evening, the 130 players and their companions will start to embark
on
their return journeys to four continents. We have all been impressed by
the
flawless management of the event and the facilities provided by the Cititel
and the adjacent Mid Valley Megamall. The tournament has confirmed Malaysia’s
ability to stage fine world-class chess competitions.
