GM Joel’s Chess Week Recap - Episode 150

Opening: E61, C59, D27, E81, A32, A34:

Player(s): Panchanathan, Howell, Sengupta, Edouard, Van den Doel, Narciso Dublan, Bernadskiy, Chandran, Gordievsky, Jacobson, Grabinsky

No holiday tournament is older and more traditional than Hastings. It has long been a popular destination for Americans. Though I never played in the Open, I came a couple of times for the round-robin event, which seems to have fallen by the wayside. The 2019-20 open edition boasted a fair number of grandmasters, with the tenth seed pulling off a surprise but utterly convincing victory. Magesh Panchanathan is one of the premier chess teachers and coaches in America, operating out of my neck of the woods, the great state of New Jersey. Working with so many kids is not always conducive to playing good chess yourself, but Magesh was clearly in the zone in Hastings. He defeated four higher rated players en route to 7.5 points and clear first place. His momentum began with a fourth-round win over the top seed, David Howell. Magesh pumped out a few more big wins culminating with a thrashing of Deep Sengupta in the penultimate round. Sengupta had a lot of success in Hastings previously, but Magesh was not to be denied. That win gave Magesh a point on the field, and a comfortable draw in the last round kept him half a point ahead of the second-place finisher (and second seed) Romain Edouard.

Download Joel's annotated games HERE!

Teacher's library (453) E61 C59 D27 E81 A32 A34 Panchanathan Howell Sengupta Edouard Van den Doel Narciso Dublan Bernadskiy Chandran Gordievsky Jacobson Grabinsky recap