13-year-old Vivaan Shah wins Rudar tournament and secures first IM norm
13-year-old Vivaan Shah from Surat recently scored his first IM norm at the Rudar tournament in Serbia. Not only this, but he also won the event ahead of three IMs and three GMs. He has seen a meteoric rise in his Elo by gaining 133 points in just three months! This former U-10 national champion is not afraid of any challenge. He takes on strong opponents with a fearless and dynamic playing style! In an interview with Sagar Shah, Vivaan talked about his recent tournament victory, his games, and even solved a chess study. Check out the full article. Photo: CFSL
Kids ruling the board
The notion that chess is a game for veteran players has long been debunked. Time and again, young prodigies emerge and show that the game is not confined to age or experience. If you observe carefully, you will notice that these rising stars have one unique quality - mixing intuition with strategy. This has given them the confidence to challenge even the most experienced players. One of the most recent examples of this is Vivaan Vishal Shah.
This 13-year-old boy from Surat has been making headlines in Indian chess for quite some time now. With a live rating of 2429, he recently secured his first IM norm at the 17th Rudar GM Round Robin tournament in Serbia. Not only this, but he also won the tournament! His progress this year has been phenomenal as he has gained 133 Elo points in just three months!
For any chess player, international tournaments are crucial for developing their skills. They offer a great learning opportunity and a chance to face strong competition from around the world. Vivaan has competed in several high-level tournaments for the same reason. One particularly valuable learning experience for him was the 3rd International Presidents Cup in Uzbekistan. He faced many higher-rated opponents there. Despite scoring 3.5/9, Vivaan embraced the challenge. This speaks a lot about his dedication and mindset. This kind of attitude will take him far in the world of chess!
Of course, a player is nothing without a strong support system. Vivaan’s parents are very supportive of his chess journey, especially his little sister, Sia, who often travels with him to tournaments.
Apart from this, Vivaan’s school, METAS Adventist School, has also played a crucial role in his success. They have recognized his achievements and honored him with an award. This kind of encouragement is so important for young players. Although Vivaan attends school regularly, they are very understanding and supportive when he is playing in the tournaments. This helps him balance both academics and chess.
If we talk about Vivaan’s game, you will observe that he is very fearless. He is not afraid to take risks, and this makes his games interesting to watch. His games from the recent tournament are worth checking out! It just shows how consistently he outplayed his higher-rated opponents. One of his best games was against WIM Sofia Pogorelskikh in the eighth round. Even though he had already won the tournament with a round to go, he continued to play with the same focus and intensity.
Sofia surprised him by playing 7. Bc4 instead of her usual 7. f4. But Vivaan was prepared.
Later, White played 13. a3… an idea which might seem like inviting an attack in the future. But Vivaan explained how it was actually a smart move. The idea behind a3 is usually to play Ba2 and then b4, attacking the black knight. This collapses Black’s attacking chances. Even a5 possibility is dismissed because of the b5 pawn. Vivaan calculated some variations and saw that this would give him a better position. a3 Rb8 Ba2 b4 axb4 Rxb4 Bxf6 Bxf6 Nd5 Nd3+ and Black is better.
A thematic move by Black 15... b4, halting Black's pawn advance. Here, Black played 15...Na4, but as Vivaan explained, 15...0-0 would be a better move, sacrificing the knight! bxc5 b4 axb4 dxc5 bxc5 Bxc5 Bb3 Ba3+ and Black has a good compensation.
The game evolved into a sharp, double-edged battle. White was looking at ideas involving h5 and g5 on the kingside, while Black tried for some counterplay on the queenside with ideas of Ne5, Nc4, Bf6, and so on. Here, the best move was g5, stopping Bf6 ideas, but White played f4 (perhaps to stop Ne5), and this gave Vivaan the chance to seize initiative, as now e4 was weak!
Black allowed his rook to be trapped with 24. c4, but with Qxe4 and Bf6+ coming, Vivaan had smelled blood in the position.
Black was already better, but White tried to push back with g5. Here, Nxc4 is tempting but is a bad move.
Vivaan had many ways to win, but he decided to finish with a beautiful move 38....Nd3!, sacrificing the knight, and after Qxd3 Qb2+, White resigned.
This was about Vivaan’s impressive skills. If you are inspired by his game, then it’s your turn to test your skills. He solved this position in a few seconds. Can you do it?
Alexander Hildebrand, Springaren 1984, 3rd Prize
Solution
1.Rfg1+! Bg2!?
1...Kf3 doesn’t help: 2.Rh3+ Kf4 3.Rh4+ Kf3 4.Bxe4+ +-
With 1…Bg2, Black aims to save their queen at the cost of their bishop.
2.Rxg2+ Kf3
2...Kf4 is met with 3.Rh4+, and White wins. 2…Kf3, though, seems to put White on the ropes—until an unexpected twist turns the tables.
3.Be4+! Qxe4
3...Kxe4 4.Rh4+ +-
3...Kf4 4.Rh4#
4. O-O#
White castles to deliver checkmate!