A trio of teenagers dominated the Tata Steel Challengers event, which took place in Wijk aan Zee last month alongside the elite Masters event. Their fearless chess helped them get the better of many more experienced grandmasters. India’s Leon Luke Mendonca, 17, took first place with 9.5/13, and will receive an invitation to the Masters event next year. Joint second on 9/13 were the reigning World Junior Champion Marc’Andria Maurizzi from France (16) and Daniel Dardha (18) from Belgium. These games from the latter two are simply electrifying.
Marc’Andria Maurizzi-Jaime Santos Latasa
Tata Steel Challengers, Wijk aan Zee 2024
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 d5 4 g3 Bb4+ 5 Bd2 Be7 6 Bg2 Nbd7 7 0–0 c6 8 b4 b6 9 a4 The Catalan opening (signified by 4 g2-g3) is solid by reputation, but Maurizzi gives it an aggressive spin. His overriding purpose is to dismantle the wall of pawns (c6, d5, e6) and bring the Bg2 to life.
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