Chess on a High Wire

In case you missed it on Cathy Chua's blog, GM Zong Yuan Zhao followed up his Olympiad assignment with a stint in China's club championships. GM Rogers, in today's The Sun Herald newspaper, reports that Zhao scored 4 points out of his six games, enough to help his club (Jiangsu) avoid relegation.

Apart from his win over GM Li Shilong, Zhao also won the following hair-raising encounter (given by Rogers in his column). If he keeps playing like this we'll have to start calling him GM Zong "Piss In Your Pants" Yuan Zhao! Take a look.

Ningbo 2008
Ding, Liren
Zhao, Zong Yuan
D45

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. g4 h6 8. h3 dxc4 9. e4 e5 10. Bxc4 O-O (10... exd4 11. Nxd4 Ne5 12. Be2 Ng6 13. Be3 Bf4 14. Bxf4 Nxf4 15. O-O-O Qa5 16. Qd2 g5 17. h4 Bxg4 18. Bxg4 Nxg4 19. Nxc6 bxc6 20. Qd7+ Kf8 21. Qxg4 Rd8 22. hxg5 Rxd1+ 23. Kxd1 Nd3 24. Qf3 Nxb2+ 25. Kc2 Na4 26. Rxh6 Rxh6 27. gxh6 Nxc3 28. Qxc3 Qxa2+ 29. Kd3 Qb1+ 30. Ke3 Qh1 31. Qc5+ Ke8 32. Qxc6+ Ke7 33. Qc5+ Ke6 34. Qf5+ Ke7 35. Qe5+ Kd7 36. Qd5+ Ke7 37. Qb7+ Ke6 38. Qa6+ Ke7 39. Qxa7+ Kf6 40. Qd4+ Ke7 41. Qe5+ Kd7 42. Qg7 Ke6 43. Qg4+ Ke7 44. Qg5+ Ke8 45. Qe5+ Kf8 46. Qg7+ Ke7 47. Qg5+ Ke8 48. Qg8+ Ke7 49. h7 Qe1+ 50. Kf3 Qh1+ 51. Kf4 Qh2+ 52. Ke3 Qh6+ 53. Ke2 Qa6+ 54. Kf3 Qd3+ 55. Kf4 Qd6+ 56. Kg4 Qd1+ 57. Kg3 Qg1+ 58. Kf3 Qh1+ 59. Kf4 Qh2+ 60. Ke3 Qh6+ 61. f4 Qb6+ 62. Kf3 Qb3+ 63. Kg4 Qe6+ 64. Kg3 Qxe4 65. Qg5+ f6 66. Qc5+ Kf7 67. h8=Q {1-0 Morozevich,A (2774)-Gelfand,B (2723)/Dagomys RUS 2008/The Week in Chess 701}) 11. g5 hxg5 12. Bxg5 b5 13. Bb3 a5 14. O-O-O Qc7 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Bxf6 Nxf3 17. Qe2 Be5 18. Bxe5 Nxe5 19. f4 Ng6 20. f5 Qf4+ 21. Kb1 Ne5 22. Rhg1 a4 23. Qg2 Qh6

After 23...Qh6

24. Rd6 Qh7 25. Qg3 axb3 26. Qxe5 b4 27. Ne2 Bb7 28. axb3 c5 29. Qf4 Rfe8 30. e5 Qxh3 31. e6 Kf8 32. Kc2 Qf3 33. Qxf3 Bxf3 34. Rd7 Re7 35. Rxe7 Kxe7 36. Nf4 Be4+ 37. Kd2 Rd8+ 38. Ke3 Bxf5 39. exf7 Kxf7 40. Ra1 g5 41. Ra7+ Kf6 42. Ra6+ Ke5 43. Ng6+ Bxg6 44. Rxg6 Kf5 45. Rg7 Rd5 0-1

You have to sympathise with Ding. I can only imagine what he must have felt after losing a game like that. Shoulda, coulda, woulda, etc. But that's the way it goes.