The Return of Mr. Hankey

In the recently completed Holiday CCCSA GM 2021 Chess tournament held in Charlotte, North Carolina, Grandmaster Tanguy Ringoir,

Charlotte Chess Center Blog: CCCSA Norm Invitational …
charlottechesscenter.blogspot.com

recipient of the now infamous Mr. Hankey award (https://xpertchesslessons.wordpress.com/2021/09/11/the-charlotte-chess-center-mr-hankey-award/) was invited to return even though he was still stinking to high heaven after his abysmal non performance in the Charlotte Labor Day GM A 2021 tournament. In the first round GM Ringoir had the black pieces versus GM Alex Lenderman,

a higher rated player, and one who has been playing very well recently. The game began as a E 60 King’s Indian (https://www.365chess.com/opening.php?m=8&n=77&ms=d4.Nf6.c4.g6.Nf3.Bg7.Nc3&ns=7.14.11.15.76.81.77) but after 4…d5 became a D90 Gruenfeld, Three knights variation (https://www.365chess.com/opening.php?m=9&n=325&ms=d4.Nf6.c4.g6.Nf3.Bg7.Nc3.d5&ns=7.14.11.15.76.81.77.325). The players took no chances while playing solid moves while circling each other like beasts of prey hoping to live another day, and in a bishop of opposite color ending with an equal number of pawns, a draw was agreed on move 36. This was almost double the number of moves, on average, played per game in the aforementioned tournament.

In the second round GM Ringoir again had the black pieces and after thirty moves had what IM Boris Kogan was fond of calling, a “Beeg Pawn!” Then FM Miland Maiti

https://chess.stream/Invitational/PlayerPage?USCFID=14442276

blundered horribly before doing it again…and it was on to round three.

The third round opponent was Gauri Shankar, only a FIDE Master, the kind of player a Grandmaster would usually defeat while trimming his nails, especially with having the White pieces for the first time.

GM Tanguy Ringoir (BEL) vs FM Shankar Gauri (IND)

https://www.thechessdrum.net/blog/2015/07/09/2015-world-open-arlington-virginia/

Holiday CCCSA GM 2021 round 03

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Be2 Bb7 10. Qc2 Nh5 11. Rd1 Nxg3 12. hxg3 Na6 13. b3 cxb3 14. Qxb3 Bg7 15. e5 O-O 16. Kf1 ½-½ (https://www.chessbomb.com/arena/2021-holiday-cccsa-gm/03-Ringoir_Tanguy-Gauri_Shankar)

Playing so many moves early in the tournament obviously had a deleterious effect upon GM Ringoir as shown by the above game, and the one below:

WIM Stavroula Tsolakidou 2379 (GRE)

https://ratings.fide.com/profile/4264312

vs GM Tanguy Ringoir (BEL)

Holiday CCCSA GM 2021 round 04

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Bg5 Bg7 4. Nbd2 O-O 5. e3 d5 6. Be2 Nbd7 7. O-O Re8 8. c3 e5 9. h3 c6 ½-½
   https://www.chessbomb.com/arena/2021-holiday-cccsa-gm/04-Tsolakidou_Stavroula-Ringoir_Tanguy

Let’s give the so-called Grandmaster a break as he did have black, and everyone knows it has become virtually impossible to win with the black pieces, so why sit there all day beating a dead skunk? Surely after all the accumulated rest our Guy will come out of the gate Tan, rested, and ready for the next round, right?

GM Tanguy Ringoir (BEL) vs FM Edward Song (USA)

https://chess.stream/Invitational/PlayerPage?USCFID=13994740

Holiday CCCSA GM 2021 round 05

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Be7 6. Bg2 O-O 7. O-O c6 8. Qc2 Nbd7 9. Bf4 a5 10. Rd1 a4 11. Ne5 Nh5 12. Bc1 Nhf6 13. Bf4 Nh5 14. Bc1 Nhf6 15. Bf4 ½-½
   https://www.chessbomb.com/arena/2021-holiday-cccsa-gm/05-Ringoir_Tanguy-Song_Edward

In the course of the life of a Grandmaster it is inevitable that he will encounter a young whipper-snapper who will refuse a draw offer because he is only an International Master and the only way he can become a Grandmaster is by beating players like YOU!

IM Jason Liang (USA)

http://chessstream.com/profile/jason-liang-21498

vs GM Tanguy Ringoir (BEL)
Holiday CCCSA GM 2021 round 06

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. O-O a6 7. a4 Ba7 8. Re1 O-O 9. h3 h6 10. Nbd2 Re8 11. b4 Be6 12. Bxe6 Rxe6 13. Rb1 d5 14. Qc2 d4 15. c4 Qe7 16. Qb3 a5 17. Ba3 Nd7 18. b5 Nb4 19. Bxb4 axb4 20. a5 Nc5 21. Qc2 Rg6 22. g3 Rf8 23. Nb3 Na4 24. Nbxd4 Bxd4 25. Nxd4 Nc5 26. Nf5 Qd7 27. Rxb4 Nxd3 28. Qd2 Rd6 29. Nxd6 Nxe1 30. Qxe1 Qxd6 31. Ra4 Qd3 32. a6 bxa6 33. bxa6 Qc2 34. Ra1 Qxc4 35. Qb1 Kh7 36. a7 Qc6 37. Qb8 Qc3 38. Ra4 1-0 https://www.chessbomb.com/arena/2021-holiday-cccsa-gm/06-Liang_Jason-Ringoir_Tanguy

What’s worse than a Chess Grandmaster who has just lost in the prior round and has the White army against his next opponent, especially when that opponent is a middle aged IM?

GM Tanguy Ringoir (BEL) vs IM Alexander Kaliksteyn (USA)

https://chess.stream/Invitational/PlayerPage?USCFID=12579305

Holiday CCCSA GM 2021 round 07

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be3 a6 7. Qf3 Nf6 8. Nxc6 bxc6 9. Qg3 Qxg3 10. hxg3 Rb8 11. b3 Bb4 12. Bd2 d5 13. Bd3 h6 14. f3 O-O 15. O-O-O Rd8 16. Bf4 Ra8 17. Na4 Nd7 18. g4 Bb7 19. g5 hxg5 20. Bxg5 f6 21. Be3 Kf7 22. c4 e5 23. exd5 cxd5 24. cxd5 Bxd5 25. Kb2 Be7 26. Rd2 Bc6 27. Bc4+ Kg6 28. Bd5 Bxd5 29. Rxd5 f5 30. Nc3 Bf6 31. Rhd1 Nf8 32. Rxd8 Rxd8 33. Rxd8 Bxd8 34. b4 Kf6 35. a4 Ke6 36. a5 Nd7 37. b5 Nb8 38. Ba7 Bxa5 39. Bxb8 Bxc3+ 40. Kxc3 axb5 41. Ba7 Kd5 42. Be3 g6 43. g3 Ke6 44. Kb4 f4 45. gxf4 exf4 46. Bxf4 Kf5 47. Bh2 Kg5 48. Bg3 Kf5 49. Kxb5 g5 50. Kc4 g4 51. f4 Ke4 52. Bh2 1-0
   https://www.chessbomb.com/arena/2021-holiday-cccsa-gm/07-Ringoir_Tanguy-Kaliksteyn_Alexander

At this point the atavistic tendency of Mr. Ringoir reared its ugly head and he reverted to type:

GM Cemil Can Ali Marandi (TUR)

vs GM Tanguy Ringoir (BEL)
Holiday CCCSA GM 2021 round 08

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. h3 Be7 10. Nc3 Nh4 11. Nd4 Nf5 12. Nf3 Nh4 13. Nxh4 Bxh4 14. f4 Bf5 15. Rd1+ Ke8 16. g4 Bc8 17. Kg2 h5 18. f5 g6 19. Kf3 ½-½

GM Tanguy Ringoir (BEL) vs IM Raja Panjwani (CAN)

Holiday CCCSA GM 2021 round 09

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. O-O ½-½

There is a reason those in charge at the Charlotte Chess Center invited the Mr. Hankey award winner to return.