There were 58 teams entered in last month’s Pan-American Intercollegiate Championships held in Columbus, Ohio, but the match everyone was waiting for came in Round 5.
That’s when the two ratings heavyweights — defending champion Webster University and crosstown rival St. Louis University — paired off, with both squads boasting 4-0 records. Three games were quickly drawn and the match — and perhaps the 2017 crown — came down to a fascinating battle between Webster’s GM Ray Robson and SLU’s GM Yaro Zherebukh.
Robson must have given his teammates heartburn in this Ruy Lopez Berlin Defense, at one point going down four full pawns to his opponent and facing certain endgame defeat if his kingside attack came up short. Both sides press for the crucial point before Robson finds the critical breakthrough.
After some early middle game sparring, Zherebukh as Black complicates the play with the positional piece sacrifice 20. gxf4 Bxc4 21. bxc4 Nxd3!? 22. cxd3 Qxd3 23. Bf2 Re8 24. Nf5 Rd7 (Rxe4? 25. Nh6+ Kh8 26. Nxf7+ Kg8 27. Nh6+ Kh8 28. Qd1 and wins) 25. Qe3 Qxc4!? (there was a likely draw to be had with 25 … Qxe4+ 26. Qxe4 Rxe4 27. Rad1 Rxd1 28. Nh6+ Kh8 29. Nf7+ Kg8 30. Nh6+) 26. Rae1 Qxa2, collecting a quartet of pawns for his trouble.
But with White’s pieces trained on the enemy king, Black makes a nervous defensive choice which leaves him open to a powerful counterpunch: 30. Ng3 Bc5 31. f5!? Bd4?! (Zherebukh understandably fears the powerful White bishop on the long diagonal, but accepting the exchange offer with 31 … Bxg1 32. fxg6 hxg6 33. Bxf6+ Kg8 34. Rxg1 c5 35. Qg4 Rd6 36. Bd2 Qe7 keeps the play double-edged) 32. Bxd4 Rxd4 33. fxg6 hxg6 (see diagram) 34. Nf5!, an offer Black can’t refuse with 34 … Rd7 because of 35. Rg3! Qg8 (gxf5 36. Reg1) 36. Nh6 Qg7 37. Rh3, threatening a deadly discovered check.
But on the game’s 34 … gxf5 35. Qe3!!, Black’s defense is soon hog-tied by a series of withering pins — 35 … Rd7 (Rexe4 36. Qh6+ Qh7 37. Qxf6+ and mate next) 36. Rd1 (good enough, but 36. Qh6+ Qh7 37. Qxf6+ Rg7 38. Re3!, with the lethal threat of 39. Rh3, would have expedited things a bit) Rg8 (Rxd1 37. Qh6+ again wins) 37. Qh6+ Qh7 38. Qxf6+ Rdg7 39. Rd7!, and Zherebukh’s major pieces make for a sorry sight huddled around the cornered king.
Black actually pushes his material edge to five pawns before being forced to surrender his queen on 39 … fxe4 40. Rgxg7 Rxg7 41. Rd8+ Qg8 42. Qh4+ Rh7 43. Rxg8+, and the White queen proceeds to gobble up several of Black’s surplus pawns as well.
White’s last remaining pawn kills any chance Black can organize a fortress, and after 50. Qd5+ Kf6 51. h4, Zherebukh resigns facing lines such as 51 … a5 52. h5 a4 53. h6 Re8 54. h7 a3 55. h8=Q+! Rxh8 56. Qd4+ Kf7 57. Qxh8 and wins.
Webster and St. Louis aren’t done with each other. Both schools, along with Texas Tech and the University of Texas-Rio Grande, qualified in Columbus for the College Chess Final Four, to be held at Manhattan’s Marshall Chess Club starting March 31.
The University of Maryland-Baltimore County, a winner of the Pan-Ams a record 10 times, finished 16th this time, but GM Tanguy Ringoir took home an individual gold medal for his 5½-½ score on Board 1.
Robson-Zherebukh, Pan-American Intercollegiate Championships, Columbus, Ohio, December 2017
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Nbd2 Nd7 7. Nc4 f6 8. O-O O-O 9. Nh4 Rf7 10. Be3 Bf8 11. Kh1 Nb6 12. Na5 Na4 13. Qe1 Qe8 14. b3 Nc5 15. g3 b6 16. Nc4 Bh3 17. Rg1 Qd7 18. f3 Be6 19. f4 exf4 20. gxf4 Bxc4 21. bxc4 Nxd3 22. cxd3 Qxd3 23. Bf2 Re8 24. Nf5 Rd7 25. Qe3 Qxc4 26. Rae1 Qxa2 27. Qf3 Kh8 28. Bd4 Qf7 29. Ba1 g6 30. Ng3 Bc5 31. f5 Bd4 32. Bxd4 Rxd4 33. fxg6 hxg6 34. Nf5 gxf5 35. Qe3 Rd7 36. Rd1 Rg8 37. Qh6+ Qh7 38. Qxf6+ Rdg7 39. Rd7 fxe4 40. Rgxg7 Rxg7 41. Rd8+ Qg8 42. Qh4+ Rh7 43. Rxg8+ Kxg8 44. Qd8+ Kf7 45. Qxc7+ Kg6 46. Qxc6+ Kf5 47. Kg2 Re7 48. Kf2 e3+ 49. Ke2 Re6 50. Qd5+ Kf6 51. h4 Black resigns.
• David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by email dsands@washingtontimes.com.
• David R. Sands can be reached at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.