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No Mercy

It seems that the first round charged the players with energy, as nearly each move in each game of this 2^nd round contains a lot of aggressiveness, and each player wants to score a point.

Even the Kaouri-Kassis game was agreed on a tie, in a chaotic position, when the complication may favor the White site, on condition that to calculate precisely like an engine. It was pity that they agreed on the draw in this interesting position.

The Nassar-Asmar game was something a little bizarre to me. Elie Asmar obtained a good version against the London system of Marwan Nassar (Nf3 ?!), where after the exchange of queens, the former slowed down his initiative on the queen side (9..h6?!), and even allowed Marwan to exchange his knight for the white-square bishop. Defending an inferior position with a pawn down without any counter-play, not to mention the growing initiative that Marwan was developing, were more than enough reasons for Asmar to stop the clock.

Playing the Austrian Attack without the dark squares bishop versus the Modern defense is like committing a suicide. Samir, playing the White side, tried to compensate this by initiating an attack with his queen and knights against AbdelAziz’s king. But, the centralized play of the later, and his already winning initiative on the queen side and especially in the center let Samir’s attack to nowhere. Liquidating into the winning endgame for Black convinced Samir to stop the clock.

It was interesting to see what the young Ralph Khairallah was going to play against Faisal Khairallah’ Scilian. And it was the b3 line. But it wasn’t even close to a line. Putting the queen too early in the game, just in the hope that the move will pass is not a good strategy to surprise a strong player. The reaction on the center by Faisal refuted Ralph’s play. Even the opposite side castling didn’t generate the expected counter play for White. The liquidation to the endgame with extra exchange for Faisal without any counter-play for White forced the later to resign.

Playing the Sicilian setup without castling against TarekMoudallal’s King’s Indian attack was a very interesting strategy adopted by Amr ElJawish. Amr’s growing queen side initiative without worrying his king led him to a winning endgame, where the protected c-pawn was the decisive factor that forced Tarek to resign.

I can’t understand: why playing on the queen side where your opponent has a growing initiative and not playing in the center or on the king side where your forces are concentrated? Sometimes, it is interesting to make a survey during the play about how the player’s mind is working (like De Groot did in the middle of the last century).

Why he decides at a certain moment to attack? Was it base on certain factor? Or just a wishful thinking? Did he calculate variations and their basic ramifications?

I think Marwan Charbel over-estimated his chances in his attack against Ahmad Najjar’s king, as Ahmad has already won the battle of the openings, and obtained a very advantageous middle game. His counter-play against Marwan’s king, profiting from White’s first rank weakness forced the later so play some desperate moves, out of inertia, before resigning.

Can’t wait to see what round 3 games are hiding for us.

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