Friday 18 October 2019

2019 New Caledonia Open - Day 4

White to play 
The 4th day of the 2019 New Caledonia Open saw a change in the lead, with GM's Samy Shoker and Adrien Demuth now tied for 1st on 6/7. The double round day started with IM Russell Dive and Demuth drawing their game, which allowed Shoker to join them on 5 points, after he beat Nigel Metge. That set of results meant that Shoker, Demuth and Dive had all drawn with each other, leaving the tournament to be decided by other games.
This turned out to be the case in the afternoon round when Dive and WFM Camille De Seroux played out a tough draw on Board 1. Shoker beat FM John Duneas and Demuth beat FM Mike Steadman, leaving the 2 GM's half a point ahead of Dive. De Seroux is in outright 4th on 5.5, but is paired against Demuth on today's round.
Further down there was a dramatic game between FM Bob Smith and FM Stuart Fancy. The diagrammed position was reached around move 68, and the debate among spectators was whether this was a win for White. If you've seen the tournament results you will know what happened, but how Bob Smith pulled it off is left as an exercise for the reader.

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