Wang Yue takes first prize at Hastings with show of subtle superiority

Wang Yue takes first prize at Hastings with show of subtle superiority
Leonard Barden
6 January 2012 08.50 EST

Eight world champions have won first prize at Hastings in the world’s longest running tournament, launched in 1895 and held annually since 1919. Nowadays most top grandmasters prefer to play in winter for big money at the London Classic, Wijk aan Zee, Moscow and Gibraltar, but Hastings holds its niche and is kept alive and well by Hastings borough council and volunteer organisers.

The list of previous winners includes many names from Russia and Eastern Europe, and this week the fastest rising chess power also made its mark. The top-seeded Wang Yue, 24, is China’s No2, is ranked in the world top 50, and was nearly 100 points ahead of his nearest Hastings rival in the ratings.

The GM from Tianjin won the £2,000 first prize unbeaten. His play is replete with strategic subtleties, and he carried too much guile in his games with England’s best hopes David Howell and Nick Pert.

Significantly, Wang Yue’s main challenge came from the young Indians who also took top honours at last year’s Hastings. The world champion Vishy Anand has inspired a generation who often launch their international careers in UK events. Babu Lalith and Sundar Shyam, both 19, are little known but they were joint second on 7/9, half a point behind Wang Yue.

More here.