Aleksander Beliavsky became a legend

49-year old Aleksander Beliavsky is the first player in the history of Dr. Milan Vidmar Memorial tournaments who won for the third consecutive time. The third win was the toughest. Both Beliavsky and Sutovsky scored 6,5 points. The third criterion, Sonneborn, was decisive.

In the ninth round Sutovsky won against Borisek with very effective combination. Borisek chose unperspective opening variation. Sutovsky as black made one white's knight passive and than launched strong attack sacrificing the knight. Borisek could not resist after many defeats. After the win Sutovsky redirected his attention to the game Beliavsky-Sermek.

Beliavsky won a slight advantage in the opening, but Sermek did not give up. Neither of opponents could win the decisive advantage. They played deep to the ending of rooks and knights with one pawn on each side. The position was equal but than Sermek chose a strange maneuver with his king, what Beliavsky realized with his forwarded pawn.

Nobody from the other eight players succeeded to win more than 50%. Four players shared the third place. Adrian Mikhalchishin was the only domestic player among them. He drew the game against Sedlak. The result was in both favor, they won the money prize.

Nikola Mitkov had the chance to win the third place, but he should win Dusko Pavasovic. The game was all the time in the equal balance and they agreed to draw.

Luka Lenic lost both games of the last two rounds. But he had done all already in the first part of the tournament, he won his second IM norm. With this win Stelios Halkias climbed to the third place.

The Milan Vidmar Memorial Tournament was in Zrece for the first time. Good organization assures Terme Zrece that we will see more chess events under the Rogla. The name of the big tournament keeps his position in chess world. Live games and images in Internet joined people at chess from all over the world. First thanks go to the sponsors, who made this event possible.