Saturday, June 07, 2008

Xie Draws First Game

Just got back from Parramatta RSL, this year's venue for the NSW Open. The event boasts a total of 110 players, with 50 in the Open section and 60 in the U1600. GM Dejan Antic is top seed followed by IMs Stephen Solomon, Kizov and Olympiad hopefuls IM George Xie and FM Igor Bjelobrk.

There's really not much to report except to mention that George Xie may have just slightly dented his selection for Olympiad duties. In round 1, the 2449-rated Sydneysider was held to a draw by visitor Peter Sanders - a very good effort by the South Australian.

After gaining an advantage in a rook endgame, Xie missed a crucial move. From there, a draw was inevitable.

Now I'm not actually playing in this event. I'm now semi-retired, I said to people. Too many things to see and do this long weekend. So, there will be no coverage of tomorrow's session but we'll aim to cover Monday's rounds six and 7.

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