Report
Nine players maintained a perfect score after Round 3 of the Rodos Palace International Open. FM Rodolfos Stamatiou leads the group on tiebreaks with 3/3, followed by Kagan Torun, Aikaterini Argyro Gkoutzouki, GM Zeng Chongsheng, WIM Yunqing Zhao, Andre Kienitz, Yuxin Du, GM Wan Yunguo and FM Milan Kolesar.
The 16 games on the live broadcast produced seven wins for White, eight for Black and the first draw on the broadcast boards. Yassine Rafik and WIM Kesaria Mgeladze shared the point. White gained the initiative, but Mgeladze found the defensive moves she needed.
On board one, GM Zeng Chongsheng defeated Janis Lutz in just 28 moves. In a Sicilian Dragon with opposite-side castling, Zeng opened lines against the black king and completed the attack with 28.Qg7#.
Antonios Spyrou and Kagan Torun produced another major battle. Spyrou built a strong attack and came close to winning, but 22.Nf4? allowed Black to recover. Further swings followed before Torun finally took control and moved to 3/3.
The Greek players Rodolfos Stamatiou and Aikaterini Argyro Gkoutzouki also continued their perfect runs. Stamatiou defeated Ioannis Nikitakis in 20 moves, while Gkoutzouki beat Antonios P. Papadopoulos with Black.
Round 4 brings four direct clashes among the leaders: Kagan Torun against GM Zeng Chongsheng, GM Wan Yunguo against Andre Kienitz, FM Milan Kolesar against FM Rodolfos Stamatiou and Aikaterini Argyro Gkoutzouki against WIM Yunqing Zhao.
Zeng Chongsheng Lutz Janis 1-0
Zeng chose the Yugoslav Attack against the Sicilian Dragon and the players castled on opposite sides. The moves 14...b4?! and 15...Nxd5?! made White's play easier, but the critical moment came after 23.Rde1. Black could still resist with 23...Bc4. After 23...Qc6?, the king's defence began to collapse.
Zeng immediately opened the position with 24.fxe5, brought his rook to the seventh rank with 25.Rd6 and 26.Rd7+, then set up the final mating net:
26...Kh8 27.Qh6 Bg8? 28.Qg7#
The game is a clear example of an opposite-side castling attack: open lines without delay, activate the rook and bring the queen close to the enemy king.
Spyrou Antonios Torun Kagan 0-1
Torun played aggressively from the start in the Bogo-Indian Defense, pushing his f- and g-pawns towards the white king. The plan carried risks for both sides. After 16...f4?!, 18...Nf6?! and especially 21...f3?, Spyrou came very close to winning.
The move 22.exd6 would have kept White's attack at full strength. Instead, 22.Nf4? changed the course of the game and, after 22...fxg2 23.gxf4?, the initiative passed to Black.
The move 25...Qf7? gave Spyrou one more chance, but 26.Re3?! let it slip. After further reversals, 33.b4? allowed Torun to take control for good.
Torun survived the repeated tactical threats and made the most of his final opportunity. The victory kept him among the nine players on 3/3.
Other games that stood out
- Gurel Ahmet Unal – Wan Yunguo 0-1: The game remained balanced until time pressure. The moves
48.Qc8?and50.Qc8?allowed Wan to seize control and reach a winning position. - Stamatiou Rodolfos – Nikitakis Ioannis 1-0: In the Closed Catalan,
10...c5?gave White the more comfortable game and17...Ncb4?allowed Stamatiou to take complete control. He won in 20 moves and reached 3/3. - Rafik Yassine – Mgeladze Kesaria 1/2-1/2: In the only draw among the broadcast games, White gained the initiative after
14...a6?!and15...Rf7?!. Mgeladze defended accurately and secured the half-point. - Zhao Yunqing – Athanasiou Soumela 1-0: Zhao steadily increased the pressure in the Delayed Alapin. After
22...Bf4?!and27...Rc5?!, she took full control and won on move 32. - Papadopoulos Antonios P. – Gkoutzouki Aikaterini Argyro 0-1: Gkoutzouki took control in the middlegame. The move
31...Qc5?gave White some chances to resist, but she kept the advantage and won in 46 moves.