Zhao scores final GM Norm

With a win in Round 9 of the Gibraltar Masters, Zong Yuan Zhao has scored his third (and final GM Norm). This means he will be awarded the Grandmaster title by FIDE at some point later this year (when the FIDE Executive Board meets). Zhao defeated French player Gildas Goldsztein to move to 6/9 and a tournament performance rating of 2648 (well above the 2600 required for a norm).
Zhao now becomes Australia's third FIDE Grandmaster (after Ian Rogers and Darryl Johansen), and the title caps of a remarkable 13 months where he won the Australian Open, the Oceania Zonal, and then scored 3 GM Norms is quick succession.

Zhao,Z (2487) - Goldsztejn,G (2380) [C96]
Gibtelecom Masters Gibraltar (9.24), 30.01.2008

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 d5 A new idea in an old position (although there is one game dating back to 1995 in my database). 11.d4 dxe4 12.Nxe5 c5 13.Be3 This looks new. 13.Bg5 has been played here. 13...Bb7 14.Nd2 Nd5 15.Nxe4 Nxe3 16.fxe3 Qd5 17.Nf3 cxd4 18.exd4 f5 Black is hoping that the 2 bishops and open board compensate for the (extra) passed d pawn White has. 19.Ned2 Bd6 20.Qe2 Bg3 A good piece of advice I received years ago was "Use the 2 bishops to keep your opponents rooks off open files". Black is clearly trying to do this. 21.Qe6+ Qxe6 22.Rxe6 Bd5 23.Re2 Rae8 24.Ne5 Nc6 25.Bb3 [ 25.Ndf3 seemed safer. Now Black wins back the pawn. ] 25...Bxb3 26.axb3 Nxe5 27.dxe5 Bxe5 28.Nf3 Bh2+ An unnecessary trick that causes Black's defeat. 29.Kf1 Rxe2 30.Kxe2 Rf6(D) Thinking only of the a pawn, Black forgets about his bishop. 1-0