Wang Yue learns fast and takes the lead

Tournament favourite Wang Yue (23, Elo 2732) first had a rough time in round 5 of the World University Chess Championship in Zurich. His opponent Bayarsaikhan Gundavaa (21, Elo 2460) put him under strong pressure right from the beginning. In a quiet line of the Catalan Opening the untitled Mongolian kept playing simple but strong developing moves, netting him the bishop pair and full control of the c-file. Only by the most stoic of defenses Wang gradually managed to overcome the worst. It is difficult to tell where his opponent then went wrong, but probably the exchange on move 24 was too simplistic. The rook endgame arising a few moves later still looked fine for White, but his temporary initiative proved to be worthless. Slowly unwinding, Wang purposefully took aim at White’s advanced pawn on e5. Unable to adapt to the sudden need of careful defense, the Mongolian lost the thread, then his pawn and eventually the game.

Despite the positive outcome, Wang had obviously been caught in a dubious opening variation. How quickly a world class grandmaster can absorb new insights was shown in the afternoon. In the fight between the two top seeds of the men’s tournament, facing the Russian grandmaster Igor Lysyj (23, Elo 2638), the Chinese employed the very same weapon that had caused him such headaches in the morning. Up to move 12 the games were identical. Lysyj deviated but also had to cede the bishop pair soon. In a fine display of positional artistry Wang used his trumps to gain a decisive advantage very quickly.

In the end it was the bishop pair which Drljevic used in masterly fashion to earn her third victory in a row. She now leads the women’s field, half a point ahead of Sopiko Guramishvili from Georgia and Batchimeg Tuvshintugs from Mongolia.