PRESS RELEASE 3: June 15, 2005

 

ACTION HEATS UP AT PAN AMERICAN UNDER 16

 

 

Rounds 4 and 5 at the Pan American Youth Chess Championships underway in Santa Catarina, Brazil turned sour for Barbados’ and the English Speaking Caribbean’s lone representative Martyn Del Castiho when he lost both of his matches to Peru’s Fernando Fernandez (2225) and Ronaldo Moreira of Brazil.

 

In the Fernandez match, it took only one misplay by Del Castilho on move 12 for the Peruvian to sacrifice a rook on f7, a sac Del Castilho simply could not accept. A pawn down and a weakened king position proved indefensible for the Bajan lad who tendered his resignation 10 moves later when faced with another sacrifice this time on h6 by a Bishop.

 

Struggling with disappointed of the Fernandez loss and the sheer speed in which he was beaten the loss in the next round against Moreia proved to be the more damaging.

 

Del Castilho a pawn up simply failed to defend a position which he should have won.

 

The game opened with Moreia, playing the Black pieces, transposing from the Petroff Defense to the main line in the Giuoco Piano. From a symmetrical position the Brazilian launched a pawn storm on the King side at Del Castilho’s King.

 

Del Castilho countered on the Queen side to pick up a pawn. Sadly what followed was an impatient defense which allowed the Brazilan to win a piece and with it the game.

 

Defending Pan American Under-16 Champion International Master Eduardo Iturrizaga of Venezuela dropped his first points of the competition when he drew both rounds against the Number 4 and 3 Seeds Damian Lemos (2235) of Argentina and FIDE Master Jorge Vera Insfran of Paraguay.

 

FIDE Master Axel Bachman of Paraguay

Top Seed FIDE Master Axel Bachman (2420) drew round 4 against 5th Seed FIDE Master Max Cornejo (2229) of Peru but won his 5th Round against Fernandez.

 

Bachman and Cornejo share the tournament lead with 4 ˝ points closely followed by Vera Insfran, Lemos, Defending Champion Itussizaga, Rios Flores of Chile and Jose Torres of Venezuela an 4.

 

Del Castilho, on two points and in the middle of the standings, now faces a must win situation in Round 6 when he will be playing the Black pieces against Lucas Santigo of Brazil.