Young Kateryna wins GM tournament
21.08.2003
– It could be the picture of the year: a bunch of hefty GMs and IMs, posing at the end of a tournament, together with a diminutive 13-year-old girl. But wait, she is holding the trophy! That is because Kateryna Lahno actually won the tournament, a full point ahead of the rest. She also made a GM norm in the process and advanced to number nine in the world women's rankings. We bring you pictures and annotated games.
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Players with interests and commitments away from the chess board often find it difficult to compete against those with more study time. Their opponents come to the board armed with the latest theory and can bash out moves well into the middle game. On this DVD Nigel Davies addresses this issue by demonstrating a simple and easy to learn opening system designed for the busy person.
More information...
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Kateryna, 13, wins Kramatorsk GM
The International Chess Title Tournament for the Prize of Ukrainian Federation
in Ukraine was held in Kramatorsk from July 29 July to August 7, 2003. Among
the participants were three GMs and four IMs – and one woman's GM. The
averave rating of 2483 meant it was a category 10 tournament, for which 9.38
points were required for a GM norm.
The winner of this tournament was 13-year-old WGM Kateryna Lahno, who ended
a full point ahead of the field. Kateryna also achieved her first GM norm with
the 9.5/14 score (performance: 2622). Together with other tournaments her current
(inofficial) rating is 2487. That corresponds with place nine in the world women's
rankings.
Group photo after the tournament: Alexander Lahno, Alexander Martynkov, IM Georgy
Arzumanian, IM Oleg Maiorov, Arbiter Leonid Bodamkin, WGM Kateryna Lahno, IM
Oleg Kulicov, GM Zahar Efimenko, IM Eduard Andreev, arbiter's assistant Olga
Nikulochkina, club trainer IM Alexander Alexikov. The little girl in red won
the tournament a point ahead of the field
Kateryna, who is currently on a two-week stay in Hamburg, has annotated some
of her games for us. You will find the corresponding links below.
At the start of a game during the tournament in Kramatorsk
Her nearest rival, GM Zahar Efimenko
Receiving her first prize in the tournament
The winner and the runner-up
Two moments in the tournament
Lahno,K (2439) – Kulicov,O (2460) [B01]
It Kramatorsk UKR (2), 30.07.2003
Kateryna reached this position following the game Sulypa-Zajarnyi, Puchko mem
Alushta, 2000. She remembered around 19 moves, but was on her own after that.
Still she instinctively continued to follow the game until the postion shown
above, when Sulipa played 23.Rde1 and won after 23...f6? 24.Qa6+ Kb8 25.Re3
Rd6 26.Qb5+ 1-0. Kateryna played more convincingly: 23.Rge1! f6 24.Qa6+ Kd7
[24...Kb8 25.Re3+- hangs on a few moves longer] 25.Qe6# 1-0. "So Ivanchuck's
trainer Sulypa help me to win this game," she said.
Areshchenko,A (2542) – Lahno,K (2439) [B07]
It Kramatorsk UKR (3), 30.07.2003
"Of course I am much better here," Kateryna writes, "but I made
very bad move." 34...Rh4?? "I looked at 34...Qh6! 35.Qxg4,
but after 35...Bc8 36.Bd7 I stopped thinking about this line. I did not find
the clever move 35...Nf4! because I saw the check 36.Qf5+ and thought this cannot
be good. But later I found 36...Kg7 37.Qxe5+ Kf8 38.Qe7+ Kg8-+ and Black is
winning!" The game ended on move 49 with a very disappointing loss for
the young lady.
A selection of games annotated by Kateryna
Lahno
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