Instant grandmaster

Fide, the international chess federation, awards a succession of titles on the way to grandmaster (GM) status – Candidate Master (CM), Fide Master (FM) and International Master (IM). These are significant milestones which usually represent years of effort, so it almost never happens that a player can ‘jump’ to grandmaster level without first becoming an IM. But 16-year-old Xue Haowen from Shenzhen, China is one of the rare exceptions.

At the outset of the Hastings Masters, which began in the days after Christmas, Xue was seeded sixth, but he had no title, and his rating was based on just a handful of international events in the past few years.

But to call him a complete unknown would be an exaggeration. In 2023, his grandmaster-level performance in Dubai included a win against Hans Niemann, and he led the Chinese team to victory at the World Youth U16 Olympiad in Eindhoven. April 2024 saw him achieve consistent results in rapid chess against established Chinese grandmasters, while in the summer he took first place at the strong Arona Chess Festival in Tenerife. He is said to be considering applying to British universities.

His stellar performance at Hastings, taking outright first place at 7/9, is the final qualifying result which earns Xue his grandmaster title. Here is his emphatic victory from the first round of the tournament.

James Golding–Xue Haowen

Caplin Hastings Masters, December 2024

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 Bb4+ The stolid Bogo-Indian defence is an atypical choice for dynamic young players, but the game does not remain quiet for long. 4 Bd2 Qe7 5 g3 Nc6 6 a3 Bxd2+ 7 Qxd2 d5 8 b3 dxc4!? This move and its follow up bring the game to life. 9 bxc4 e5 10 d5 e4 11 Nd4 Ne5 12 Qc3 c5! An excellent move, which was the product of almost 40 minutes’ thought. 13 Nb5 This uncompromising continuation, threatening d5-d6, is critical. Instead, 13 dxc6 bxc6 poses no problems. O-O 14 d6 With hindsight, 14 Bg2 was safer, but 14…e3!? stirs things up. If 15 Qxe3 Nfg4 16 Qd2 Nxf2! 18 Kxf2 Ng4+ and Qe7-f6 favours Black. Qe6 15 Nc7 Qxd6 16 Nxa8 (see diagram) A standard continuation would be to develop the Bc8 and recapture the knight on a8, but now Xue uncorks a brilliant idea, which he had very likely conceived at move 12. e3! Opening multiple avenues of attack. The main point is that 17 Qxe3 Re8! threatens Ne5-d3+, to which there is no good response. After 18 Nc3 Nd3+ 19 exd3 Rxe3+ 20 fxe3 b5! keeps the fire burning, with dangerous ideas of Bc8-b7 and Qd6-e5 in the offing. 17 f3 17 fxe3 was ugly but essential. Then 17…Ne4 18 Qc2 Bf5 looks scary, but 19 Bh3! keeps White in the game. Rd8 18 Qc1 18 Qxe3? Qd1+ 19 Kh2 Neg4+ wins the queen. Ne4! Exemplary attacking play. The point is that 19 fxe4 Qf6! threatens mate on f2, and 20 Qxe3 Ng4 powers through, e.g. 21 Qxc5 Qxa1 22 Qb4 Qd4 wins. Alternatively, 19 Nc3 Qd2+! 20 Qxd2 exd2+ 21 Kd1 Nxc3+ is devastating. 19 Bg2 Nxg3! 20 Nc3 20 hxg3 Nxf3+ and 21…Qxg3+ leads to mate. Nxh1 21 Qxe3 Nxc4 22 Qd3 Qxd3 The simplest win, collecting material. 23 exd3 Ne3 Decisive, because 24 Bxh1 Nc2+ mops up the other rook, while 24 Ra2 Be6 picks up the knight on a8. 24 Ke2 Nxg2 25 Nc7 Nf4+ 26 Ke3 g5 White resigns