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World Junior Chess Championship Begins

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan and China's Gu Xiaobing lead the boys and girls sections respectively after seven rounds at the World Junion Chess Championship in Istanbul, Turkey.

In the boys section, Mamedyarov holds an incredible 1.5 point lead over the field, with 12 players tied for second at 5.0. Mamedyarov, a grandmaster, was the top seed entering the event with a rating of 2674. Among the players in the group on five points are GM Evgeny Alekseev (2632), GM Radoslaw Wojtaszek (2606) and Wang Yue (2585).

The girls section is much closer. WGM Gu Xiaobing (2330), with a score of 6/7, holds only a half-point lead over three players: Beata Kadziolka (2352), Natalija Pogonina (2401) and Turkan Mamedjarova (2223), sister of the leader in the boys section. If both Shakhriyar and Turkan won their sections, it would be - not surprisingly - an unprecedented feat for a brother and sister combination. Top girls seed, IM Nana Dzagnidze of Georgia, is a full point behind with 5/7, as is German IM Elisabeth Paehtz.

We will be providing continuing coverage of this event in the coming weeks. Here is a win by Mamedyarov in the sixth round.

White: L'ami, E (2541)
Black: Mamedyarov, S (2674)
World Junior Chess Championship (Boys U20), Round 6
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.0-0 Qd6 6.d4 exd4 7.Nxd4 Bd7 8.Nc3 0-0-0 9.Be3 Nf6 10.f3 Qe5 11.Nde2 Bd6 12.Bf4 Qc5+ 13.Kh1 Be6 14.Qc1 Bc4 15.Qe3 Qxe3 16.Bxe3 Be5 17.Rfe1 Bxe2 18.Rxe2 Bxc3 19.bxc3 Ne8 20.Kg1 Nd6 21.Kf2 b6 22.Ke1 c5 23.Rd1 Nb5 24.Rxd8+ Rxd8 25.Bd2 Kb7 26.Re3 Na3 27.Kd1 Nc4 28.Re2 a5 29.Kc1 Kc6 30.Bf4 Re8 31.Kd1 b5 32.Bc1 Rd8+ 33.Ke1 a4 34.Kf2 b4 35.cxb4 cxb4 36.Re1 Kb5 37.Ke2 c5 38.Rd1 Rxd1 39.Kxd1 Na5 40.Bb2 g6 41.Ke2 Nc6 42.Ke3 Kc4 43.f4 f5 44.exf5 gxf5 45.g4 a3 46.Bh8 Nd4 47.gxf5 Nxf5+ 48.Ke4 Nd6+ 49.Kf3 Kd5 50.Be5 Nf5 51.Ke2 c4 52.Kd2 h5 53.Kc1 h4 54.Bc7 h3 55.Ba5 Nd4 56.f5 b3 57.cxb3 cxb3 58.Kb1 b2 59.Bb4 Nxf5 60.Bxa3 Nd4 61.Bxb2 Nf3 62.Bc1 Ke4 63.Ba3 Nxh2 64.Bd6 Nf1 0-1