Success in the DSOL: Seventh Team Advances
(rh) On Friday the time had come again; one team continued into the quarter-final. Our opponent was Bickenbach; on the first board Minh Hieu had to step up, since Anton could not. JianQi, Elias and Azat also played in the team. The Bickenbach side took an early lead; on the second board JianQi lost control during his opponent’s king-side attack and walked into the mating net. These were not good omens for the match: the second board is worth 3 points by the Berlin scoring, and now Minh Hieu had to give everything, since with a defeat on the first board the match would have been sealed. Azat took the clearest lead on the fourth board. He simplified the clearly winning position into a rook-versus-king endgame and delivered mate. On the third board there was a constant back and forth. At one point the opponent was a pawn up, but then he blundered his knight; after that Elias was lured by a check in which the won piece slipped away. In the rook endgame, however, he then came out on top.
Now it came down to the first board. The opponent was an adult. After the opening, the middlegame brought an exchange win for Minh Hieu; he was able to win the rook for a knight and a pawn. In the process, however, two dangerously connected passed pawns arose for the opponent. But he actively continued a king-side attack with the queen and forced his opponent to resign.
In a week’s time it continues. The opponent is Zell.