Candidate Master David Peng of Northbrook placed fifth at the 2014 World Youth Under 12 Boys competition completed today in South Africa.

An 11th-round loss to co-champion Viachaslau Zarubitski of Belarus dropped David from his perch as the sole leader. Rayan Taghizadeh of California also wound up in a four-way tie for first with 8.5 points, a half-point ahead of Peng.

David was the 21st-ranked U12 entrant based on pre-event FIDE ratings. He was sixth-ranked among 11 Americans in the section. Both his losses came to top 10 finishers playing as black. He was undefeated playing white, including 6th- and 10th-round draws. 

Aydin Turgut was defeated by German Vincent Keymer in the final round of the U10 Boys competition, leaving Aydin with 7.0/11 points. With tiebreaks, Aydin finished atop a six-way tie for 14th. 

With an 11th-round victory, Andrew Hong of California finished with 7.5 as the highest scoring of seven Americans in the section. Aydin, as was David, was the second-highest scoring American.

Aydin was 1-3-1 against top 10 finishers, but a sparkling 5-0-1 (5.5/6) against all others. He was the 14th-rated U10 entrant based on pre-event ratings, and that was his final placement.

American WFM Jennifer Yu (Virginia) was the runaway winner of the Girls Under 12 competition finishing with 10.0, a full two-points ahead of her nearest competition. Only draws in the fifth and seventh rounds kept her from a perfect score. Yu was the lone American finishing in the top 10 in the section, totalling 79 competitors.

In Under 8 Boys competition, Americans Arthur Guo (Georgia), Rithik Polavaram (Texas), Rohun Trakru (Texas) and Jason Yu (Washington) all compiled 7.0/11 scores, giving the US four out of the top baker's dozen finishers, 2.5 points off the co-champions' point totals.

Among Under 8 Girls, Americans Aksithi Eswaran (California) and Rochelle Wu (Alabama) finished with 8.0/11, a half-point from the co-champions' scores, finishing in a four-way tie for third.

In Under 10 Girls, Evelyn Zhu (New York) finished with 7.5/11 in a two-way tie for 5th. WFM Martha Samadashvili (New York) and WCM Nastassja Matus (Minnesota) finished a half-point back in a six-way tie for 7th place. 68 competed in this section.

In Under 14 Boys, Vignesh Panchanatham (California) tied for fourth at 8.0/11, a half-point ahead of Angel Hernandez-Camen (Pennsylvania) and Bryce Tiglon (Washington). In U14 Girls, Ashritha Eswaran (California) posted the top tiebreak among 7.5/11 finishers, placing 7th out of 72 competitors.

In U16 Boys, Kapil Chandran (Connecticut) and Edward Song (Michigan) placed among a 10-way tie for 10th place with 7.0/11 scores, two points off the champion, Alan Pichot from Argentina. There were no American females in the top 12 of the U16 Girls.

Similarly, there were no Americans among the top 20 in either the U18 Boys or Girls. 

 

Update: Peng Leading U12 Boys Heading Into Final Round

In a few hours, we should know the results of the 2014 World Youth Competition being held in South Africa. Two Illinois competitors -- out of 70 Americans -- are among the best US hopes for medals.

Among Under 12 Boys, David Peng has the clear lead after the penultimate round with 8.0/10. In the 11th and final round, he is paired as Black against Viachaslau Zarubitski of Belarus. Zarubitski is one of six entrants with 7.5 tallies. Californian Rayan Taghizadeh is another 7.5 pointer, playing the last round on the 4th board. 11 of the 104 entrants in the section are American.

In the Under 10 Boys section, Aydin Turgut is two points off the lead but in medal contention, playing board 4 against Vincent Keymer of Germany as Black. Turgut has the highest score of seven Americans in the 100-player U10 section.

Prior Story: Illinois Duo Holding Strong at World Youth Through 9 Rounds

Through nine rounds, Illinois' two representatives to the World Youth competition are at or near the top of their respective sections.

Two rounds remain in the competition, hosted this year in South Africa.

David Peng is the co-leader of the Under 12 section with Nodirbek Yakubboev of Uzbekistan. Poland's Pawel Teclaf is a half-point back in third place.

Peng's only blemishes have been a third-round loss to his co-leader as Black, and a draw with Chenxi Zhao of China in the seventh round as White. He is paired against Teclaf in the 10th round, playing White. 

Nine U12 entrants have posted 6.5/9's including Americans Rayan Taghizadeh (CA), FM Aravind Kumar (NJ) and Praveen Balakrishnan (NJ). Top-rated FM Awonder Liang is a half-pont back from that scoregroup with 6.0.

Aydin Turgut has posted six wins, two draws and only a single loss. A pair of Indian entrants stand atop the 100-player Boys Under 10 section, with 8.0 and 7.5 tallies.

Aydin is one of three entrants with 7.0/9, holding the second highest tiebreak of that group. Fellow American Andrew Hong (CA) is one of five in the 6.5 scoregroup to round out the top 10 overall.

Turgut is paired against his fellow scoregroup member Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the 10th round, with Aydin playing White. FM Abdusattorov, of Uzbekistan, drew the section-leader in the ninth round. 

Stay tuned here for updates or consult this site.