Tomorrow, February 25, 2008 is 22nd year anniversary of the ouster of one of the best and worst leader in the Philippines, President Ferdinand Marcos. He was, as what my father has always believed in, the best president we ever had. His national plans and programs were the most progressive and practical for the Filipino people. However, things got out of hand when greed overwhelmed him and his cohorts.
To add twist and confusion (as if readers of this blog will be!) I'd like to direct you to Senator Juan Ponce Enrile's shot at Edsa's history.
Anyways, where does this anniversary celebration lead us? With the "Jedi" leading the consciousness and awareness of student activists and political wagon riders,not much choice for the masses but be swayed with how the Jedi's tater-telling (a -lie or saving my ass before the dark forces rids me)publicity stunts is portrayed by the mainstream media.
Until now, my most favorite song that deals with post-Edsa agonies is the Yano hit song Kumusta na. Something we should act on after pondering on the cheerful melody yet the kick-ass words written by Dong Abay.
Enough of my past political activism, fast forward to my present obsession, chess.
And of course, here's The Weekender which presents 2 of Bobby Ang's weekly Chess Piece Articles on Business World. The Importance of Chess article he wrote simply made me wanna jump up and down because that's exactly what he told me during the interview I had for The BANG Opening. And yes, I believe The BANG article till now is one of my faves.
Anyways, enjoy the newsletter that FIDE newsletter people could learn a lot from.
The Chess Plaza Weekender
Sunday, 24 February 2008
Quezon Memorial Circle, Quezon City
Vol. II No. 37
Radjabov beats Carlsen in Morelia Super GM
IN a battle between the two youngest participants, Azeri GM Teimour Radjabov, 20, outwitted Norway’s Magnus Carlsen, 17, in the sixth round of the Mexican phase of the Linares-Morelia Super GM late Friday (early Saturday in Manila).
It was the only decisive game with the rest ending in draws.
As this is being written, the eight superstars, led by world and defending tournament champion Viswanathan Anand of India, were preparing to enter the seventh and final round before leaving for Spain where the unique annual event would be resumed.
Anand was set to enter the seventh and final round of the Morelia phase of the super GM tournament with 4.0 points. He was only half a point ahead of his second-round nemesis, Levon Aronian of Armenia, who was in solo second.
Behind Aronian were Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria, Radjabov and Alexei Shirov of Spain, in that order. They had 3.0 points each to tie for the third to fifth slots.
T. Radjabov (2735) – M. Carlsen (2733)
Rd 6, 25th Super GM, Morelia, Mexico 2008
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.c3 0–0 5...Qe7 6.a4 would have equalized 6.0–0 d5 7.Nbd2 dxe4 8.Nxe4 Nxe4 9.dxe4 Qf6 10.Qe2 Bg4 Equalizing 11.h3 Bxf3 12.Qxf3 Qxf3 13.gxf3 Ne7 14.f4 c6 15.Bc4 exf4 16.Bxf4 Ng6 17.Bg3 Rfe8 18.Rfe1 Rad8 19.Rad1 Rxd1³20.Rxd1 Rxe4 21.Rd8+ Nf8 22.Bd3 Re1+ 23.Kg2 a5 24.Ra8 Rd1 25.Bc4 Better than 25.Rxa5 b6 26.Rxc5 bxc5 Bb6 Fritz suggests 25...b6 to restore the balance 26.Rb8² Rd7 27.Ba6 bxa6 28.Rxb6 f6 29.Rxa6 29.Rxc6!? Rd2 30.Rxa6 Rxb2 31.Rxa5 gets the edge Rd2 30.b4 axb4 31.cxb4 Rb2 32.Bd6 Ne6 33.a4 White is now way ahead Rc2 34.a5 Kf7 35.Bc5 Nf4+ 36.Kf3 Nd5 37.Rb6 Rc4 38.Rb7+Kg6 39.a6 Rc3+ 40.Kg2 Nf4+ 41.Kg1 Nxh3+ 42.Kh2 Nf4 43.Be3 1-0
John Paul beats GM to tie for 15th-27th
By Marlon Bernardino
FOUR-TIME Philippine national junior champion John Paul Gomez of De La Salle University outplayed a Ukrainian grandmaster in the ninth and final round of the Aeroflot Open (A2 Section) in Moscow Saturday.
Gomez (2469), known for his scrappy style of play, caught GM Adam Tukhaev (2469) completely by surprise.
The varsity star’s victory enabled him to tie for the 15th to 27th places in what is considered to be the world’s toughest Swiss tournament.
John Paul was a last-minute substitute for the Philippines’ No. 3 grandmaster, Mark Paragua, who once held a superstar status because of his high Elo rating.
Gomez’s 5.5 points came from four wins, three draws and two losses along the way. John Paul found himself among six grandmasters, seven international masters and one Fide master.
It was a different story, however, for Singapore-based Julio Catalino Sadorra, who started well enough but found himself in difficulties as the tournament neared the halfway mark.
In the final round, Sadorra suffered his third consecutive setback at the hands of Croatian GM Davor Rogic (2504).
Ino got stuck at 76th with 3.0 points from two wins, two draws and five losses.
Russian GM Marat Askarov (2521) took the title in Section A2 on a tiebreak over untitled Chinese player Zhou Weiqi (2530). Zhou ranks No. 13 in his homeland. They had 7.0 points each.
Another relatively unknown and lower-rated Chinese player, Wan Yunquo (2389), won the third slot on tiebreak over Russian IM Dmitry Kryakvin (2535) and Georgian IM Georgi Kacheisvili (2544). The trio had 6.5 each.
The A2 section had attracted 92 players from all over the world.
In the A1 main event, 17-year-old Ian Nepomniachtchi caught his elders by surprise to capture the title with 7.0 points.
Nepomniachtchi (2600) clinched the plum with a final-round draw against Ukrainian GM Andrei Volokitin (2674).
First and second runners-up were both Russians—GMs Alexander Motylev (2644) and Alexey Dreev (2633). They finished just half a point behind the leader.
Barangay Quirino 2-B wins Ariel Inton Cup
QUEZON CITY’S Barangay Quirino 2-B shut out Bgy. San Roque A in the final round of the QC Barangay Team Championship to capture the Ariel Inton Cup last weekend.
Bgy. Quirino hosted the event at its covered court.
The champion team was led by Julio Sinangote on Board 1. With him were Gary Legaspi, Jason Rojo, Macapagal Paquital, and Jose Aquino. Paquital is a Quezon Memorial Circle Chess Plaza habitué.—M. Bernardino
PINOY LEAGUE OPENS CHESS SEASON IN U.A.E.
Indian downs Syrian to bag plum
AN Indian player from Kerala captured the first prize in a recent rapid chess open tournament staged by the Filipino Chess Players League at the Reef Mall in Dubai to kick off this year’s chess season in the United Arab Emirates.
Mohamad Nasser upstaged pre-tournament favorites among Filipinos and non-Filipinos by going through the seven-round Swiss event undefeated, conceding only one draw and capping his feat with a win against the second seed, Syrian M. Sabri, in the last round.
The unseeded Indian took the first prize with a near-perfect score of 6.5 points from seven games.
Nasser needed only half a point to clinch the plum but twice rejected Sabri’s offer of a draw. His persistence paid off as he pounced on a fatal blunder made by Sabri in the endgame.
The loss sent the Syrian skidding down to fourth with 5.0, half a point behind the two Filipino runners-up, Joy Bartolay and Arnel Matildo.
Bartolay, a mass communications graduate from Puerto Princesa who has drawn with GMs Bong Villamayor and Eugene Torre in their simul exhibitions and won the silver and other medals in the SCUAA, took the second slot on tiebreak after repelling his compatriot, Jose Matutino, with the hyperactive Albino Counter Gambit.
As a result, Matutino, who for a time had Bartolay in a tough bind during mid-game skirmishes, was relegated to fifth place.
Matildo, an engineering graduate of the Iligan Institute of Technology in Lanao del Norte, settled for third after winning a heart-stopping time scramble towards the end of a Sicilian duel with Bahneh Tabada.
When the flag of Tabada’s clock fell, Matildo himself had only a second left in what was the most thrilling, down-the-wire struggle in the whole event.
With his loss, Tabada slid down to ninth.
Meanwhile, the top seed, Egyptian IM Abdul Hameed El-Arousy, could not find his form and landed only in the seventh place.
He could have even sunk further but for his final-round win over Filipino player Gardy Sorita.
Sorita had the advantage of a queen but suffered a heartbreaking loss as he wasted his time searching for the best move to convert his material advantage into a win. Before he knew it, his clock’s flag fell. The rest of the Top Ten were FCPL member Al Valencia at sixth, India’s N. Hyothlal at eighth and another FCPL member, Rogelio Taopa at 10th.
Asian Chess Federation (ACL) secretary general Hosham Ali Al Taher of the UAE was the guest of honor during the awarding ceremony. Tournament director Joey Tiberio thanked the “chess-loving people of the UAE” for their support for the event.
According to FCPL secretary general Emmanuel Marbella, the league’s next rapid chess tournament will be held on two Fridays—on February 29 for the first three rounds and on March 7 for the last four rounds.
The FCPL expects about 60 participants of different nationalities taking part in the US$300 tournament. The prizes: 1st, Dhs.500; 2nd, Dhs.350; 3rd, Dhs.200 plus trophies for each; and consolation prizes from fourth to 10th.
Time control will be 30 minutes per player per game plus an increment of 10 seconds per move.—Jobannie Tabada
AT LAST, AFTER SIX LONG YEARS
IM Sanchez captures GM norm
By Marlon Bernardino
PARIS-BASED Cebuano International Master Joseph Sanchez has done us all proud by capturing his first GM norm and tying for the first to third prizes at the International Festival des Jeux in Cannes on the French Riviera last Sunday.
Philippine chess czar Prospero Pichay Jr. broke the news Thursday after reader Hector Santos Jr. had relayed the Cannes Chess Club’s posting on the Internet to The Weekender earlier on.
Sanchez, a 37-year-old protégé of NM Matias “Bombi” Aznar, a former president of the Philippine Chess Federation, finally hit the mark after six long years of campaigning for the elusive GM norm in Europe.
Sanchez (2492) who ranks No. 7 in the Philippines, tied for first to third with GMs Christian Bauer (2614) of Germany and Ruben Felgaer (2539) of Argentina.
The three leaders had 7.0 points from nine games each. Sanchez had six wins, two draws and a loss. His only loss was to GM Bauer, 32.
The Cannes Festival des Jeux attracted 108 players, of whom 11 were grandmasters, 16 international masters and nine Fide masters.
Pichay and Aznar congratulated IM Sanchez, who now joins the rapidly growing number of Filipino players who have earned grandmaster norms.
“He made the country proud. In behalf of the NCFP we would like to congratulate him for his feat,” said Pichay under whose presidency three Filipino players have become grandmasters—Darwin Laylo, 27, Wesley So, 14, and Jayson Gonzales, 36—all within four months beginning September 2007.
NM Aznar, who is president of Cebu City’s Southwestern University, said: “Proud na proud kaming mga Cebuano sa napakagandang performance ni Joseph. Sana, tuloy-tuloy na ito. (We Cebuanos are very, very proud of Joseph’s great performance. I hope this will continue.)”
Several Filipino players are also actively seeking GM results in Europe. Among them are IMs Roland Salvador, who has already bagged two GM norms, and Rolly Martinez, now the highest-rated blitz master in Italy. Both live in Milan, where there is a large Filipino community.
Sanchez left for Europe six years ago and was based in Italy before joining his wife, the former Imelda Sanchez, a registered nurse working in Paris. They now live in a flat off the Marshall Foch Avenue in a residential section of the French capital along with their son, according to contributing journalist Ignacio Dee.
Here is one of his best efforts in Cannes:
V. Doncea – J. Sanchez
Rd 9, Int'l Festival des Jeux, France 2008
English Opening (A22)
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e5 3.g3 Bb4 4.Bg2 0–0 5.Nf3 Re8 6.0–0 c6 7.Qb3 Bc5 8.d3 h6 9.e3 Bb6 10.Na4 Bc7 11.c5 11.d4 e4 12.Nd2 d5 leads to equality b6 12.d4 e4 13.Nd2 d6 14.cxd6 Qxd6 15.Nc3 Bf5 16.f3 exf3 17.Nxf3 Nbd7 17...Qd7 18.Nh4 Be6 19.Qc2 would have equalized 18.e4 Be6 Not 18...Nxe4? 19.Bf4 Ndc5 20.Qd1!, and White surges on 19.Qa4 b5 20.Qd1 Bb6 21.Kh1 Qb4 22.e5 Nd5 23.Ne4 Bg4 24.a3 Qe7 25.Nd6 Rf8 26.h3 Bh5 27.g4 Bg6 28.Bd2 c5 28...f6 29.Rc1 fxe5 30.Rxc6 gives White the edge 29.Ne1 Nc7 30.Nf5 Qe6 31.Nd3 cxd4 32.Nf4 Qxe5 33.Nxg6 fxg6 34.Bf4 Better than 34.Bxa8 Nxa8 35.Qb3+ Kh7! Qf6 35.Bxa8 35.Nxh6+ is playable, e.g., 35…gxh6 36.Bxc7 Qe6 37.Bxa8 Rxf1+ 38.Qxf1 Bxc7 39.Qxb5takes the lead gxf5 36.Bg2 Ne6 37.gxf5 37.Bd6! was best: 37…Rd8 38.Rxf5! Nxf4 Equalizing 38.Rxf4 Qd6 39.Qb3+ Kh8 40.Raf1 Nf6 41.Qe6 41.Qxb5? loses to 41...Nh5 42.Rg4 Bc7! Qd8 42.Rd1 42.R4f3!? should not be overlooked, says Fritz Qc7! 43.Rf3 Re8 44.Qb3 Re2 45.Rg3 Rxb2 46.Qxb2 Qxg3 47.Qe2 Bc7 Threatening …Qh2#! Not 47...Qxa3 48.Qxb5 Qg3 49.Qe2! 48.Kg1 Bf4 48...Qxa3 49.Qf2 boosts Black’s lead 49.Qxb5 Kh7 49...Qe3+ 50.Kf1 Bh2! Is stronger 50.Qa6 Qh2+ 51.Kf1 Be3 52.Qc6 Qg1+ 53.Ke2 Qf2+ 54.Kd3 Qa2 Not 54...Bg5 55.Bf3! 55.Bf3 55.a4!? would have allowed White to play on Qxa3+! 56.Kc4?? 56.Ke2 was best a6 57.Rd3 Qa2+ 58.Rb3 Qc2+ Missing the decisive 58...a5! 59.Kb4 d3 60.Qc4 Bd2+ 61.Kc5 Be3+ 61...Nd7+ should keep an even firmer grip, e.g., 62.Kd5 Be3 63.Qxc2 dxc2 62.Kb4 Bd2+ 63.Kc5 Nd7+ 64.Kd5 Be3! 65.Qxd3 Nf6+! 66.Ke6 Qc8+ 67.Ke5 Qc7+ 68.Ke6 Not 68.Qd6 because of 68...Bf4+!! Qc8+! 69.Ke5 Qe8+! 70.Kd6 Qd7+! 71.Ke5
Mere momentum, and Black resigns without waiting for 71…Qe7#! 0–1
A STAR IS BORN IN AEROFLOT OPEN
Nepomniachtchi, 17, tops Aeroflot
A GREAT pity that no games are available yet from Section A2 of the just-ended 2008 Aeroflot Open in Moscow, because we could have played over the final-round win of four-time national champion John Paul Gomez over a Ukrainian grandmaster.
It’s a pity, too, that the 23-year-old last-minute substitute for GM Mark Paragua found his stride much later in the event. This was a natural offshoot from his coming in “cold”—that is, without any preparation whatsoever, not even a little warm-up to get rid of the cobwebs and the rust.
But, as I said in previous articles about John Paul, he is perhaps the “fightingest” warrior among the current crop. And, indeed, UAAP’s best bet from La Salle delivered the points despite the odds.
Since there are no games from the A2 section where both Gomez and Julio Catalino Sadorra were assigned as substitutes for Paragua and Wesley So, The Weekender has to settle for a gem from Section A1, the main event where a new Russian superstar has just been born.
This year’s Aeroflot champion is a 17-year-old prodigy, GM Ian Nepomniachtchi, who obviously came well-prepared and focused as he swept through the event undefeated, toppling titan after titan much older than he in the process.
Because he topped the Aeroflot Open, Ian who will turn 18 on July 14 will be invited to take part in the Dortmund Classic in Germany later this year.
The new champion started playing the game at the tender age of four years and has been described as “a textbook example of a talent cultivated in the Russian chess school.” Let his game speak on his behalf.
In a battle between two 17-year-old GMs, Ian outclassed Le Quang Liem, Vietnam’s No. 2 player, in the penultimate eighth round—and he did it with Black.
Le Quang Liem (2540) – I. Nepomniachtchi (2600)
Rd 8, Aeroflot Open, Moscow 2008
Semi-Slav (D43)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 e6 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 dxc4 7.e4 g5 8.Bg3 b5 9.Be2 Bb7 10.0–0 Nbd7 11.Ne5 h5 12.Nxd7 Qxd7 13.Be5 Rh6 14.Qc1 14.Bxf6 Rxf6 15.Bxh5 0–0–0, with equal chances Rg6 14...b4 15.Na4 Nxe4 16.f3 would have equalized 15.f3 15.Bxf6 Rxf6 16.Qxg5 Rg6 Qe7 15...c5 16.Rd1 b4 17.Nb1! would benefit White 16.a4 16.f4 would let Black gain equality, says Fritz a6 17.Qc2 h4 18.f4 Fritz suggests 18.Rad1! gxf4! 19.Bxf4 19.h3 could be tried c5! 20.d5 b4 Not 20...exd5 21.axb5 d4 22.bxa6! 21.e5 Nxd5 22.Nxd5 Bxd5 23.Rf2 b3 24.Qc1 Qb7 25.Qf1 c3 26.bxc3 c4 27.Be3 Rc8 28.Bh5 Rg7 29.Qe2 Kd7 29...Rb8 was better: 30.Bd4 Be4! 30.Rd1 Kc7 31.Bh6 Rxg2+ 32.Rxg2 Bxh6 Instead of 32...Bxg2 33.Bxf8 Rxf8 34.Qxg2 Qxg2+ 35.Kxg2 33.Rf2 Qb6 34.Kf1 Not 34.Bxf7?? Be3 35.Rd2 Rb8!, and Black surges ahead Kb8 35.Bf3 Be3 36.Rg2 36.a5 might help Black instead, e.g., 36…Qc5 37.Bxd5 Bxf2 b2 36...Rd8 might be tried 37.Rb1 Bc1 38.Rf2 38.Rg4 is bad, e.g., 38…Qb3 39.Bxd5 exd5!, and Black is way ahead Rg8 39.Qd1 Bxf3! 40.Qxf3 Rg5 Better was 40...Qb3! 41.Rfxb2 Bxb2! 41.Qe4 Qb7 Offering to swap queens 42.Qd4 Rg8 43.Qxh4? 43.Ke2! was the saving resource Qd5 43...f5 44.exf6 Qh1+ 45.Ke2 Rd8 46.Rxb2+ Bxb2 47.Qf4+ e5 48.Qxe5+ Ka8! 44.Qd4! Qxd4 45.cxd4? 45.Rfxb2+ Bxb2 46.Rxb2+ Kc7 47.cxd4 was better c3 46.Rc2 Be3 47.Ke2 Bxd4 48.Kd3 Bxe5 49.Re2 49.Rxc3 Bxc3 50.Kxc3 Rg2 would boost Black’s lead Rg5 49...Bh8 might be quicker 50.Kc2 f6 Fritz prefers 50...Bd4!? 51.Rf1,and Black takes a big leap 51.h4 Rh5 52.Re4 Kc7 53.Rd1 Rf5 54.a5 Rf2+ 55.Kb3 Rd2 56.Rc4+ Kd6 57.Rh1 f5 58.h5 Rh2 59.Rd1+ Ke7 60.Rc6 f4 61.h6 f3 62.h7 b1=Q+! 63.Rxb1 Rb2+ 64.Rxb2 cxb2 65.Kc2 f2 66.Rc7+ Bxc7 66...Kf8 was best, e.g., 67.Rc8+ Kf7! 67.h8=Q b1=Q+!
A deflection sacrifice to draw the king away from f1 so the other pawn can become a new queen and deliver a check along the same rank but from a safe distance.
68.Kxb1 f1=Q+! and Black resigns. 0–1
FIREWORKS BRIGHTEN UP MORELIA
Ivanchuk’s stunning queen-sac
IT looks like queen-sacrifices are now just a matter of course for Ukrainian icon Vassily Ivanchuk, who stunned Hungarian titan Peter Leko with a surprise sample in the Mexican half of the Linares-Morelia Super GM.last Saturday.
Ivanchuk unleashed his sacrificial attack early on in the second round during the transition from the opening to the middlegame. Obviously, he had foreseen when he swapped off his queen for a rook that he could more than even matters three moves later.
Leko quickly trapped the foraging queen in his corner with his bishop and queen and then “slew” it with the second rook—apparently not realizing that it was to his own disadvantage!
The Ivanchuk-Leko game in Morelia reminded journalist Ignacio Dee of a similarly stunning queen-sacrifice that the Ukrainian wizard made with White against Latvian-Spanish superstar Alexei Shirov in the Hoogovens Tournament of 1996.
V. Ivanchuk – A. Shirov
Rd 3, Hoogovens, Wijk aan Zee 1996
Semi-Slav, Botvinnik System (D44)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.Nxg5 hxg5 10.Bxg5 Nbd7 11.exf6 Bb7 12.g3 c5 13.d5 Qb6 14.Bg2 0–0–0 15.0–0 b4 16.Na4 Qb5 17.a3 exd5 18.axb4 cxb4 19.Be3 Nc5 20.Qg4 Rd7 21.Qg7!?
A real shocker!
21…Bxg7 22.fxg7 Rg8 23.Nxc5 d4 24.Bxb7+ Rxb7! 25.Nxb7 Qb6 26.Bxd4 Qxd4 27.Rfd1 Qxb2 28.Nd6+! Kb8 29.Rdb1 Qxg7 30.Rxb4+ Kc7 31.Ra6 Rb8 32.Rxa7+ Kxd6 33.Rxb8 Qg4 34.Rd8+ Kc6 35.Ra1! 1–0
Here is how Ivanchuk sacrificed his queen against Leko in Morelia last week, in a well-calculated combination that netted him an overwhelming advantage besides getting two rooks for his queen.
V. Ivanchuk (2751) – P. Leko (2753)
Rd 2, 25th Morelia Super GM, Mexico 2008
Ruy Lopez, Anti-Marshall System (C88)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0–0 8.d4 Nxd4 9.Bxf7+ Demolishing the pawn shield Rxf7 Not 9...Kxf7+ 10.Nxe5 10.Nxe5 Rf8 11.Qxd4 c5 12.Qd1 Qc7 13.Ng4 Nxg4 14.Qxg4 d5 15.Qh5 dxe4 16.Qd5+ Kh8 17.Qxa8!
17…Bb7 18.Qa7 Ra8 19.Bf4! Qc6 19...Rxa7?? avaricious play, e.g., 20.Bxc7 Bc6 21.Be5! 20.Qxa8+! Actually, White gains at least one point Bxa8 21.Be3! Blocking the e4-pawn to keep the long diagonal closed Qf6 22.c3 Bd6 23.Nd2 Qe5 24.g3 h6 25.a4 Bc6 Fritz suggests 25...Qe8!? instead 26.axb5 axb5 27.Nb3 27.c4 Qe7 leads to a clear lead for White Bf8 28.Red1 Bd5 28...Qe6 29.Rd8 Kh7 30.Ra6 is unclear; 30.Nxc5 would result in Black taking the lead, e.g., 30...Bxc5 31.Ra6 Qe7 32.Rxc6 Bxe3!; if 30.Bxc5 Qxb3 31.Rxf8 Qxb2! 29.h4 29.Nxc5 Bxc5 30.Bxc5 e3 31.Bxe3 Qe4 32.Rxd5 gives White the edge Kg8 29...Bxb3 30.Rd8 Qf5 31.Raa8 leads to equality 30.Nc1 30.Nxc5 Bxc5 31.Bxc5 e3 32.Bxe3 Qe4 33.Rxd5 Qxd5 and White keeps the lead g5 Best was the equalizing 30...Kh7! 31.hxg5 hxg5 32.Ra5 Qc7 33.Ra6 Instead of 33.Rxd5 Qxa5 34.Rxg5+ Kf7 35.Rf5+ Ke8 36.Re5+ Kd7 37.Rxe4 Qa1! Qf7 34.Rb6 Be7 35.Rxb5 Be6 36.Rb8+ Not 36.Bxc5 Qf3 37.Rb8+ Kf7!, when Black is way ahead. Best was 36.Rxc5 Qf3 37.Ne2 Bh3 38.Nf4 gxf4 39.Rd8+ Bxd8 40.Rg5+ Bxg5 41.gxf4 Qg2#! Kg7 37.Rb7 Kh6 38.Re1 Qf6? 39.Rb6 White now has winning prospects Qf5 40.Nb3 Kh5 41.Nd2 41.Nxc5 seems even better, says Fritz, citing 41...Bd5 42.Nb3! Bd7 42.Ra1 Bd8 43.Rb8!
Black resigns. If 43…Bf6 44.Ra5! 1–0
In the third round, however, Ivanchuk lost to Topalov, who zoomed into the solo lead.
The Bulgarian did it in 46 moves with the Yugoslav Attack against the Ukrainian’s Sicilian Najdorf. The end came soon after Topalov gained a pawn in mid-game skirmishes with their cavalrymen setting the pace.
Defending champion Viswanathan Anand of India, for his part, regained his stride after his second-round loss to Levon Aronian of Armenia with White (see Extra Edition issued last Monday). The Indian wizard did it by neatly outplaying Norwegian prodigy, Magnus Carlsen, with Black.
After gaining the exchange—rook for bishop—early on, Anand ground down Carlsen. When the end came, Anand had a rook and pawn against Carlsen’s bishop and pawn.
Meanwhile, Levon Aronian of Armenia battled Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan to a standstill in 24 moves of a King’s Indian duel.
Leko and Alexei Shirov of Spain soon followed suit after reaching a balanced position in 37 moves of a Sicilian Najdorf.
V. Topalov (2780) – V. Ivanchuk (2751)
Rd 3, Sicilian Najdorf (B90)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.f3 8.Nd5 Nbd7 9.Qd3 Be7 is unclear Nbd7 9.g4 b5 10.g5 b4 11.Nd5 Nxd5 12.exd5 Bf5 13.Bd3 Bxd3 14.Qxd3 Be7 15.h4 a5 16.a3 a4 17.Nd2 Rb8 18.axb4 Rxb4 19.Qa3 Qb8 20.c3 Rxb2 21.Qxa4 Rb7 22.Ke2 Rc7 23.Rhb1 Qc8 24.Bb6 Rb7 25.Ba7 e4 26.fxe4 Rxb1 27.Rxb1 0–0 28.Qc6 Ne5 29.Qxc8 Rxc8 30.Rb8 Rxb8 31.Bxb8 Kf8 32.Nf3 Ng6 33.c4 Ke8 33...f6 34.gxf6 gxf6 35.Kd2 gives White a huge advantage 34.e5 Kd7 34...dxe5 35.Bxe5 Nxe5 36.Nxe5 would help White 35.Kd3 h6 35...Nxe5+ 36.Nxe5+ dxe5 37.Bxe5 f6 also benefits White 36.exd6 Bxd6 37.Bxd6 Kxd6 38.gxh6 gxh6 39.Kd4 f6 39...Nf4 won't change anything anymore, says Fritz, e.g., 40.c5+ Ke7 41.d6+ Ke6 42.Ke4, and White is a mile ahead 40.c5+ Kd7 41.Ke4 h5 42.d6 Ke6 43.Nd4+ Kd7 44.Nf5 Ne5 45.Kd5 Nc6 46.Nd4!
Black surrenders: 46…Nb4+ 47.Kc4! 1–0
His loss in the previous round did not seem to bother Anand as he pulled off a neat win with Black against the world’s hottest sensation over the past year.
M. Carlsen (2733) – V. Anand (2799)
Rd 3, Semi-Slav (D43)
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.Ne5 h5 10.f3 h4 11.Bf2 Bb7 12.Be2 Nbd7 13.Nxd7 Nxd7 14.0–0 e5 15.a4 a6 16.d5 16.axb5 cxb5 17.b3 cxb3 18.Qxb3 h3, with equality Rh6 17.dxc6 Bxc6 18.axb5 axb5 19.Rxa8 Qxa8 Better than 19...Bxa8 20.Nxb5 Rc6 20.Qc1 Rg6 21.Rd1 Bc5 22.Bxc5 Nxc5 23.Qe3 Nb3 24.Qb6 Nd4 25.Rxd4 exd4 26.Nxb5 Bxb5 27.Qxb5+ Qc6 28.Qe5+ Re6 29.Qxd4 Qb6! Forcing the exchange of queens, or else it’s mate 30.Qxb6 Rxb6 31.Bxc4 Rxb2 32.g3 f6 33.Be6 Ke7 34.Bg4 Re2 35.gxh4 gxh4 36.h3 Kd6 37.Kf1 Rb2 38.f4 Kc5 39.e5 Rb4 40.exf6 Rxf4+ 41.Ke2 Kd4 42.Bf3 Rxf6 43.Bb7 Rb6 44.Bc8 Ke4 45.Bg4 Rb2+ 46.Ke1 Ke3! Threatening mate in the back rank 47.Kf1 Kf4 48.Ke1 Kg3 49.Kf1 Rf2+ 50.Ke1 Rf4 Threatening to take the bishop in order to make way for the birth of a new queen 51.Bc8 Rf8 52.Bg4 Kg2 53.Ke2 Re8+ 54.Kd3 Kf2 54...Rg8!? might be quicker, e.g., 55.Bf5 Kf3!, and Black is winning 55.Bf5 Re3+ 56.Kd4 Kf3 57.Bg4+ Kf4 58.Kd5 Re5+ 59.Kd4 Rg5!
It’s all over: 60.Be6 Rg1! 0–1
This game proved to be the launching pad for Anand’s bid for leadership and three rounds later he achieved his objective.
As of the sixth round he was in the lead by a slim margin, half a point ahead of his closest rival, Aronian.
Anand had 3.5 points from three wins, one draw and one loss as against the Armenian’s 3.0 from two wins, three draws and one loss.
In the fourth round, Alexei Shirov won for the first time—after one loss and two draws—while Aronian regained his winning form after being held to a draw in the third by Radjabov despite the Armenian superstar’s having White.
Shirov took his first full point at the expense of Topalov who a round earlier had won with Black against Ivanchuk.
The Latvian-Spanish wizard played lively chess, refuting the former world champion’s Sicilian Pelikan with the correct technique and following it up in the transition to the middlegame with a Q-side operation that liquidated the pawn phalanx on either side.
In the other decisive game, Aronian clawed back into contention with a surprise win as Black in a double-edged Closed Ruy Lopez, Anti-Marshall System. He had given up two pawns to give his pieces greater mobility and was desperately trying to stave off a mating attack.
Just as he was about to carry out the coup de grace, Ivanchuk blundered, resulting in the loss of a bishop.
On the two other boards, Carlsen vs Leko and Anand vs Radjabov ended in draws.
V. Ivanchuk (2751) – L. Aronian (2739)
Rd 4, Closed Ruy Lopez, Anti_Marshall Systems (C88)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0–0 8.d4 Nxd4 9.Nxd4 exd4 10.e5 Not 10.Qxd4 c5 11.Qc3 c4 12.Bxc4 bxc4!, when Black soars Ne8 11.Qxd4 Bb7 12.c4 bxc4 13.Qxc4 d5 14.exd6 Nxd6 15.Qg4 Nb5 16.Nc3 Nxc3 17.bxc3 Bd6 18.Bf4 Qf6 19.Bxd6 cxd6 20.Rad1 Rad8 21.Qb4 Attacking the isolated pawn on d6, Fritz notes Ba8 22.Re3 g6 22...Qg5!? must be considered, e.g., 23.Rg3 Qe5 23.Qb6 Qg5 Threatening …Qxg2#! 24.Rg3 Qb5 25.Rxd6 Rxd6 26.Qxd6 a5 27.Qf4 Bd5 28.Rg5 f5?? 29.Qe5! Rd8 30.h4 30.Qxf5! secures the win, Fritz notes, e.g., 30...Bxb3 31.Qxb5 Rd1+ 32.Qf1 Rxf1+ 33.Kxf1 Bxa2 34.Rxa5 Bc4+ 35.Ke1 a4 31.Bc2 Qb8 32.Qxf5 Bxa2 33.Bxa4 Bf7 34.h5 Qb6 35.hxg6 hxg6 36.Qf4 Rc8 37.Rg3 37.Qe5! should be tried Rc4² 38.Qh6?? Best was 38.Qe5, e.g., 38...Rxa4 39.Rh3 Ra1+ 40.Kh2 38...Rxa4 39.Rh3 Ra1+ 40.Kh2 Qd6+ 41.f4 Qf6 42.Qh7+ Kf8 43.Qh6+ Ke7 44.Re3+ Kd7 45.Kg3 Ra4 46.Rd3+ Kc6 47.Rd4 Ra3 48.Rd3 Bd5 48...Rxc3!? makes it even easier for Black, e.g., 49.Rxc3+ Qxc3+! 49.Qh3 Qf5 50.Qxf5 gxf5 51.Kh3 Ra1 52.Rd2 Rh1+ 52...Be4! keeps an even firmer grip 53.Kg3 Rh6 54.Re2 Re6 54...Rg6+ might be quicker 55.Rd2 55.Re5 Rxe5 56.fxe5boosts Black’s lead 55...Rg6+ 56.Kh3 Kc5 57.Re2 If 57.Kh2 Bc6 Kc4 58.Rd2 Be4 59.g4 59.Kh2 does not help much, e.g., 59...Kxc3 60.Ra2 Kd4, and Black is still way ahead Kxc3 60.gxf5 60.Ra2 offers one last hope: 60...Rxg4 61.Rf2 Bxf5+!
White resigns because mate is in the air: 61.Kh4 Kxd2 62.Kh5 Ke3 63.Kh4 Kxf4 64.Kh5 Rg7 65.Kh4 Rh7#! 0–1
A. Shirov (2755) – V. Topalov (2780)
Rd 4, Sicilian Pelikan, Sveshnikov Variation
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5 9.Nd5 Be7 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.c3 Bg5 12.Nc2 0–0 13.a4 bxa4 14.Rxa4 a5 15.Bc4 Bd7 16.0–0 Ne7 17.Ra3 Nxd5 18.Bxd5.Rb8 19.b4 axb4 20.Nxb4 Qb6 21.Qe2 Bb5 22.Bc4 Rfc8 23.Bxb5 Qxb5 24.Qxb5 Rxb5 25.Rd1 g6 26.g3 Not 26.Rxd6?? because of 26...Rxb4 27.Rd1 Rxe4! Kg7 27.Nd5 Rc4 28.Ra7 Bd8 29.Rd7 Ba5 30.Re1 Bb6 30...Bxc3? is worthless because of 31.Re3 Rxd5 32.exd5!, and White surges on, Fritz notes 31.Nxb6 Rxb6 32.Re3 Rc8 33.Rf3 Rf8 34.Kf1 g5 35.h4 g4 36.Rf5 h6 37.Ke2 Rc6 38.Kd2 Kg6 39.h5+ Kg7 40.Kd3 Rb6 41.Rc7 Rb1 42.Kc4 Rd1 43.Kb5 Kg8 44.Rf6 White now has a clkear advatage Rd2 44...d5 45.exd5 Rxd5+ 46.Kb4 gives White the edge 45.Kc6 Kg7 45...Rd3 is better but White would still have the edge, e.g., 46.Re7 Rc8+ 47.Kd7 Rf8 46.Rg6+! Kh7 47.Rxg4 Rxf2 48.Kxd6 Re8 49.c4 Rd2+ 50.Kc6 Rf8 51.c5 Rd4 52.Rb7 Kh8 53.Kb5 53.Kc7 Rc4 54.c6 Ra8 would have boosted White’s lead Rd1 54.c6 Rc1 55.Kb6 Rc8 56.c7 Re8 57.Ra7 Rb1+? Fritz says 57...Rc8 was best 58.Kc5 Rc1+ 59.Kd5 Rc2 60.Ra6 Kh7 61.Rc6 Rd2+ 62.Kc5 Ra8 63.Rh4
Black resigns in the face of certain defeat, e.g., 63…Re8 64.Rh1! White, though, had missed his best shot: 63.Rf6! e.g., 63...Rf8 64.Rgg6! 1–0
After his fourth-round loss, Topalov appeared to hit the skids, allowing Anand to take over as solo leader in the fifth round.
Anand pulled himself together and took the measure of Leko with Black in an instructive Sicilian Najdorf duel while Topalov lost to young Magnus despite playing White. It was the Bulgarian’s second straight loss.
Carlsen caught Topalov by surprise by opting for the hypermodern Alekhine’s Defense, a double-edged opening that the Norwegian wunderkind had never employed and the Bulgarian had rarely met in the past.
True enough, the former world champion went astray early on when he swapped knights, losing the initiative and a pawn shortly thereafter.
Anand for his part adopted his pet Sicilian Najdorf against Leko’s 1.e4 and reduced Leko to castle long by saddling himself with a backward pawn in a Pelikan-like structure.
Obviously, Leko castled Q-side to put pressure on Black’s weak d5 square and pawn on d6.
Leko’s woes started when he was tempted to occupy d5 with his knight, which Anand quickly gobbled up with his bishop to force the closure of the half-open d-file, thereby protecting his backward pawn with a solid stonewall.
From that moment on, Anand was in control of the game.
The reader will take note of the strange coincidence that in the fifth round, both wins were by Black. Here is how Carlsen outwitted Topalov:
V. Topalov (2780) – M. Carlsen (2733)
Rd 5, Alekhine’s Defense (B04)
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 dxe5 5.Nxe5 c6 6.Bd3 Nd7 7.Nxd7 Bxd7 8.0–0 g6 9.Nd2 Bg7 10.Nf3 0–0 11.Re1 Bg4 12.c3 c5 13.Be4 cxd4 14.cxd4 e6 15.Qb3 Bxf3 16.Bxf3 Bxd4 17.Bxd5 Qxd5 18.Qxd5 exd5 19.Rd1 Bg7 20.Kf1 Rfd8 21.Bg5 Rd7 21...Bxb2?! would be bad, e.g., 22.Rab1 f6 23.Rxb2 fxg5 24.Rxb7!, and White surges ahead 22.Rd2 h6 23.Be3 d4 24.Rd3 Rc8 Stronger than 24...dxe3 25.Rxd7 exf2 26.Rad1, which gives White the edge 25.Bd2 Rc2!
Black is now way ahead.
26.Rb1 Re7 27.a4 f5 28.b3 Rec7 29.Be1 Kf7 30.Rd2 Rc1 31.Rxc1 Rxc1 32.Ke2 Rb1 33.Rd3 Ke6 34.h4 Kd5 35.Bd2 Ke4 36.Rg3 f4 37.Rd3 Be5 38.f3+ Kd5 39.Be1 Bd6 40.Bd2 g5 41.hxg5 hxg5 42.Be1 g4 43.fxg4 43.Bf2 Bc5 44.g3 also benefits Black Ke4 44.g5 Ke5, and White resigns: if 45.g6 Rb2+ 46.Kf1 Rc2! However, 44...Rxe1+ was sharper. For it becomes clear that Black will call all the shots: 45.Kxe1 Kxd3! 0–1
P. Leko (2753) – V. Anand (2799)
Rd 5, Sicilian Najdorf (B90)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.Qd2 Nbd7 9.f3 b5 10.0–0–0 Be7 11.Nd5 Bxd5 12.exd5 Nb6 13.Bxb6 Qxb6 14.Na5 Rc8 15.Nc6 Nxd5 16.Nxe7 Nxe7 17.Qxd6 Qxd6 18.Rxd6 Nc6 19.c3 Ke7 20.Rd1 f5 20...Rhd8 21.Bd3 would have equalized 21.Bd3 g6 22.Rhe1 Rhd8 23.Bf1 Rxd1+ 24.Rxd1 Na5 25.a4 Nc4 26.axb5 axb5 27.Rd5 Kf6 28.Rxb5 Ne3 29.Rb6+ Kg5 30.Ba6 Rd8 Threat: 31…Rd1#! 31.b4 Kf4 The black king is getging dangerous, says Fritz, noting that 31...Rd1+!? is interesting, e.g., 32.Kb2 Kf4! 32.Rc6 Restoring equality Nxg2 33.b5 Ra8 Not 33...Kxf3? because of 34.b6!, and White surges ahead 34.Bb7 Rb8 35.Rc7 35.Ba6!? Ra8 36.Bb7! would have given White the edge Ne1! 36.Rxh7 Fritz suggests 36.Re7! instead Nxf3 37.c4 e4 38.Kc2 38.c5 was stronger, e.g., 38…e3 39.Re7! e3!
Black is now winning.
39.Kd3 39.Kd1 g5 40.Re7 Ne5 would boost Black’s lead g5 40.Ke2 Not 40.Re7 Ne5+!, and Black takes a quantum leap Nd4+ 41.Ke1 Rd8 Threatening a mating attack via 41…Rc2+! 42.Re7?? A blunder, but even a better move would not have saved the game, Fritz notes, e.g., 42.Bd5 Nxb5! 43.cxb5 Rxd5 44.b6! Nc2+ 43.Kf1 Rd1+ 44.Ke2 Rd2+ 45.Kf1 Nd4 Black resigns as mate is in the air. 0–1
From the looks of it, Anand’s loss to Aronian in the second round served as a wake-up call.
24th CAPPELLE LA GRANDE
$50,000 pot draws 612 players
TUCKED in the northern hills of France, not too far from the historic coastal town of Dunkirk from where the British Navy evacuated over 300,000 of their men being pursued by Nazi Fuehrer Adolf Hitler’s victorious German Army in the early years of World War II, Cappelle La Grande stands today as a tourist destination.
It is also host to one of the most popular open chess tournaments in Europe, attracting grandmasters and amateurs alike by the hundreds because of its cash prizes.
This year, in the 24th Cappelle La Grande Open, the prizes in euros amounting to the equivalent of nearly $50,000 has drawn 612 players, including 106 grandmasters, 80 international masters and more than 400 youngsters.
They represent 62 national chess federations. Some of them, like former Soviet and US champion Boris Gulko, came from as far as the United States across the Atlantic.
The top 10 players based on their ratings are Vugar Gashimov (2665) of Azerbaijan, Sergey Fedorchuk (2652), Evgenij Miroshnichenko (2647), and Alexander Moiseenko (2643), all of Ukraine; Vasilios Kotronias (2628) of Greece; Gadir Guseinov (2617) of Azerbaijan; Vladimir Burmakin (2611), Nikita Vitugov (2609) and Npros Gracjev (2601), all of Russia; and Vadim Malakhatko (2600) of Belgium.
As of the fifth round, it was impossible to determine the standings of the top players.
The longest game so far has been an instructive 91-move Queen’s Indian/Nimzo-Indian hybrid won by Moiseenko with White.
A. Moiseenko (2643) – A. Butnorius (2441)
Rd 1, 24th Cappelle Open, France 2008
Queen’s Indian/Nimzo-Indian hybrid
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3 b6 5.Bg5 Bb7 6.Nd2 h6 7.Bh4 c5 8.d5 Bxc3 9.bxc3 d6 9...Qe7 10.Bxf6 Qxf6 11.Qb3! would favor White 10.e4 Nbd7 11.Be2 0–0 12.f4 Qc7 13.0–0 b5 Fritz suggests 13...Rfe8!, with equal chances 14.dxe6 Better than 14.cxb5 exd5 15.exd5 Nxd5! fxe6 15.cxb5 Bxe4 16.Nxe4 Nxe4 17.Bf3 d5 18.Bxe4 dxe4 19.Qg4 Rf5 20.Rae1 Raf8 f4 seems the pivot of the position, Fritz notes 21.Rxe4 Ne5 22.Qg3 22.fxe5 Rxf1 exploits the pin Kh7 22...c4!? could lead to a balanced position 23.Be7 R8f7 24.Rd1 Qxe7 25.fxe5 25.Rxe5!? could be tried, e.g., 25...Rxf4 26.Rde1 Qd7! Threatening …Qxd1#! 26.Qe1 Not 26.Rxd7 because of 26...Rf1#! Qxb5 27.h3 27.Qe2!? looks like a viable alternative: 27...Qb6 28.Qc2 c4+ 29.Red4, with equal chances Rf2 28.Qxf2 Rxf2 29.Kxf2 Qb2+ 30.Kg1 30.Re2!? is worth looking at, Fritz notes, citing 30...Qxc3 31.Rd6! Qxa2! 31.Re3 Qc2 31...a5 would help White, e.g., 32.Rd7 Qb1+ 33.Kh2! 32.Ra1 The best Qd2 33.Rf3 Qe2 34.Rxa7 Qxe5 35.Rd7 h5 36.Rd1 Qe2 37.Rdf1 c4 38.Rg3 Qe5 39.Rff3 Qe1+ 39...g5!? is worthy of consideration, says Fritz 40.Kh2 Qe5 41.Re3 Qd6 42.Kg1 Qd1+ 43.Kf2 Qc2+ 44.Re2 Qf5+ 45.Rf3 Qc5+ 46.Rfe3 If 46.Kg3 Qd5 Qf5+ 46...g6 47.Kg3 Qg5+ 48.Kh2 would have equalized 47.Kg1 The isolani on e6 becomes a target Qb1+ 48.Kh2 Qb8+ 49.Re5 g6 Fritz suggests 49...Kg8!? to restore the balance 50.h4 Qd6 51.Kg1 Qb6+ 52.R2e3 Qd8 53.R5e4 Qd1+ 54.Kh2 Qd6+ 55.Kh3 Qd5 56.Rd4 56.Rxe6 Qf5+ 57.Kh2 Qf4+ 58.Kg1 Qxh4 is unclear Qc5 57.Ree4 Attacking the isolani on c4 Qf5+ 58.Kh2 e5 59.Rxc4 Kh6 60.Re3 Kg7 61.Rce4 Putting pressure on the isolated pawn Qf2 62.Rf3 Qc5 63.Rfe3 Qe7 Not 63...Qf8 64.Rxe5 Qf4+ 65.Kg1 Qxh4 66.R3e4! 64.Kh3 64.g3! could have boosted White’s lead Qd7+! 65.Kg3 Kh6 66.Kh2 Qe7? 67.Rg3 67.g3!? was the winning stroke Qf6 68.c4 Qc6 69.Rge3 Qc5? Better was 69...Kg7 70.Rd3 Qc7 71.Rd5 Kg7 72.Rdxe5 Kf6 73.c5 Qb8 74.Re1 Qc7 75.Kg1 Qb8 76.Re6+ Kg7 77.c6 Qb6+ 78.R1e3 Kh6 79.Kh2 Qc5 79...Qb4 80.g3 Qa4 81.Re2! widens White’s lead 80.Rg3 Qc4 81.Rgxg6+ Kh7 82.Rh6+ Kg7 83.Reg6+ Kf7 84.Kh3 Qd3+ 85.Rg3 Qf5+ 86.Kh2 Qf4 87.Rxh5 Ke6 88.Kh3 88.Rh7! should tighten White’s grip Kd6 89.Rg6+ Kc7 90.Rh7+ Kb6 91.c7+!
There’s no way Black can stop the birth of a White queen. 1–0
Five tailgate low-rated Russian solo leader
Relatively low-rated Russian GM Konstantin Chernysov caught five early leaders by surprise when he zoomed past them to take the solo lead in the sixth round of the cash-rich Cappelle la Grande Open in northern France.
Chernysov (2543) overtook the leaders after upsetting Kazakh GM Murtas Kazhgaleyev (2594) with Black in an exciting Nimzo-Indian duel highlighted by a forceful knight sacrifice that ensured the point for Black.
The new leader had 5.5 points, followed by the five just half a point behind. They were GMs Vugar Gazhimov (2665) of Azerbaijan, Yuriy Krivoruchko (2576) of Ukraine, David Arutinian (2576) of Georgia, Georgy Timoshenko (2560) of Ukraine, and IM Andrei Deviatkin (2543) of Russia.
Gazhimov, the top seed, is expected, however, to emerge at the top of the totem pole.
M. Kazhgaleyev (2594) – K. Chernyshov (2543)
Rd 6, Nimzo-Indian. Classical (E32)
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 b6 5.e4 Nc6 5...Bb7!? 6.Bd3 c5 7.dxc5 Bxc5 would have equalized 6.e5 Ng8 7.Nf3 Bb7 8.a3 Bxc3+ 9.Qxc3 Nce7 10.Be2 Nf5 11.0–0 Nge7 12.g4 Nh6 13.h3 Nhg8 14.d5 If 14.Rd1 f6 h5 14...exd5 15.Rd1 a6 should restore the balance 15.Bg5 15.d6 Ng6 16.g5 gives White the edge hxg4 16.hxg4 exd5 17.Rfd1 Qc8 18.Nh2 c5 19.cxd5 Nxd5 20.Rxd5? Weak. Better was 20.Qd3! Bxd5! Black seized the lead Rd1 Bc6 22.Bc4 Kf8 23.Qd3 Nh6 24.Qe3 Qe8 25.Qf4 b5 26.Ba2 c4 27.Rd6? 27.b3 d5 28.exd6 would also benefit Black Nxg4!
A powerful blow to signal an attack via the long diagonal and the h-file 28.Rxc6 Of course not 28.Nxg4 Rh1#! Nxh2 28...dxc6?! 29.Nxg4 Qd7 30.Qf3 gives Black a huge advantage; even stronger is 28...Rxh2 29.Rd6 Rh8 30.Qxg4 Qxe5 31.Bd2 Qh2+ 32.Kf1 Qh1+ 33.Ke2 Re8+! 29.Rc5 29.Rf6 offers the last hope, e.g., 29...gxf6 30.Bh6+ Rxh6 31.Qxh6+ Kg8 32.Bb1, but Black would still lead Qe6 30.Qe4! Threatening 31.Qxa8#! Re8 31.Qg2 Qf5 32.Be3 Nf3+! White resigns facing a mate in three: 33.Qxf3 Qxf3 34.Bh6 Rxh6 35.Bxc4 Rh1#! 0–1
R. Edouard (2507) – D. Arutinian (2576)
Rd 6, Sicilian Richter-Rauzer (B63)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 Qb6 8.Nb3 Be7 9.0–0–0 0–0 10.f3 a6 11.Kb1 Rd8 12.Be3 Qc7 13.Qf2 Nd7 14.g4 b5 15.g5 Nce5 16.Nd4 b4 17.Nce2 Nc4 18.Bc1 Qc5 19.Nf4 a5 19...Bxg5 20.Nd3 Nxb2 21.Nxc5 Nxd1 22.Qg1 Nc3+ 23.Ka1 gives White overwhelming advantage 20.h4 Nf8 20...Nde5 21.Qg3 would have equalized 21.Nd3 21.h5 d5 (21...Bxg5? is no good because of 22.Nd3 Nxb2 23.Bxb2, and White surges ahead) 22.exd5 exd5 Qb6 22.f4 Rd7 If 22...Bb7 23.Bg2, with equality 23.f5 e5 24.f6 24.Nf3 looks like a viable alternative, says Fritz exd4!
The crucial turn of the road.
25.fxe7 Rxe7 26.h5 Fritz suggests 26.Nf4 Ne3 27.Nd5 Nxd5 28.exd5, with equal chances Bb7 Better than 26...Rxe4 27.Bg2 d5 28.h6 gxh6 29.Rxh6 27.h6 Bxe4 28.Rh2? 28.Bg2 is better, e.g., 28…gxh6 29.Bxe4 Rxe4 30.gxh6 and White has the edge Ne3 Black gets a big boost 29.Re1 29.Bxe3 dxe3 30.Qg3 a4 would give Black a huge advantage Ng4 29...Nxf1?! is dubious 30.Rxe4 Nxf2 31.Rxe7 Ng6 32.Re1 Ng4 33.Rhe2 Ne3 34.Bxe3 dxe3 35.Rxe3 Rf8 36.Nf2 36.Bg2 Qb5 37.Rg3 Re8 helps Black Qd8 36...gxh6!? looks stronger, e.g.,37.gxh6 d5! 37.Ne4 a4 38.hxg7 Kxg7 39.Nf6 Fritz suggests 39.Bb5! Qa5 40.Ne8+ Rxe8 40...Kh8 41.Nxd6 Qxg5 42.c3 bxc3 boosts Black’s lead 41.Rxe8 Qxg5 42.Rd1 Ne5 43.Ra8?! Dubious. Clearer is 43.Rxd6 Nc4 44.Re2, but Black still leads Qg4 44.Rc1 b3 44...a3!? might be quicker: 45.bxa3 Nf3 46.Bd3 Nd2+ 47.Kb2 Qd4+ 48.c3 bxa3+! 45.Ra6 bxc2+ 46.Rxc2 Qf5 47.Be2 Ng4 More precise is 47...Nd3 48.Bxd3 Qxd3 49.Rac6 48.Kc1 48.Rxd6 is better but it also helps Black, e.g., 48…Ne3 49.Bd3 Qf4+ 49.Kb1 If 49.Rd2 d5 Ne3 50.Rc3 50.Rd2 does not solve anything, Fritz notes d5 50...Qf2 makes it even easier for Black, says Fritz: 51.Bd3 Qd2 52.a3 51.Ra7 Qf2 52.Bd3 52.a3 Qxe2 53.Rcc7 Nc4 54.Rxf7+ Kg8 55.Rg7+ Kf8 56.Raf7+ Ke8 57.Re7+ Qxe7 58.Rxe7+ Kxe7, and Black still wins Nd1! [52...Nd1 53.Rxf7+ Kxf7+] 0–1
PINOY GEMS WITH A HISTORY
John Paul, the ‘fightingest’ warrior
IF there is anyone we can dub the “fightingest” player in our midst, it is UAAP medalist John Paul Gomez of De la Salle University.
This 23-year-old varsity star from Biñan, Laguna, who was selected as the best chess master in last year’s UAAP meet, is currently competing in the Aeroflot Open, probably the chess world’s toughest Swiss tournament.
He may not be doing well enough in the initial rounds, but one thing is certain: he fights for every point and seldom plays for a draw. This is the reason for his sharply fluctuating results – loss-win-loss-win-draw, in that order as of the fifth round – in Moscow.
In a sense, John Paul epitomizes the Filipino player — gutsy, cunning and very tactical in his play but ill-equipped in terms of theoretical preparation and practical training to do battle against the best of Europe.
It came as a surprise to me that John Paul agreed to go to Moscow to take the place of GM Mark Paragua, who demurred for personal reasons.
Studying on a chess scholarship at De la Salle, John Paul is supposed to be concentrating on his studies in his eagerness to help his stroke-stricken father earn the family’s daily bread. He is supposed to have sworn off competitive chess for the time being so as not to be derailed in his pursuit of a college diploma.
As every player knows, total absorption in and of the game is needed if one is to fight for victory. With every player of note today steeped in the wiles of computer chess, it is axiomatic that one must keep abreast of the latest trends if he is to have any chance at all of bringing home a prize.
The initial results in the Aeroflot Open, where he and his fellow IM Julio Catalino Sadorra are playing in Section A2, show how true this axiom is.
Whatever the outcome of his trip to Moscow, it cannot detract from the fact that John Paul, well-prepared or not, is the most courageous Filipino gladiator on the board.
The following shows how Gomez made short shrift of his Argentine rival’s Berlin Defense.
J.P. Gomez – D. Diego Flores (2425)
Rd 6, WJuniors, Athens, GRE 2001
Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense (C67)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0–0 Nxe4 5.d4 If 5.Re1 Nd6 6.Nxe5 Be7 Nd6 5...exd4 would benefit White, e.g., 6.Re1 f5 7.Nxd4 Nxd4 8.Qxd4 Be7 9.Qxg7! 6.Bxc6 dxc6 Opening the d-file gets White a lot of play, Fritz warns 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Nc3 a5 10.h3 h5 11.Bg5+! Ke8 12.Rad1! Threatening 13.Rd8#! Be6 13.Rd2 Bb4 14.Rfd1 Again threatening Rd8+ and mate next Ne7 15.Nd4 Nd5 16.a3 Bxc3 17.bxc3 Nxc3 18.Nxe6 18.Nb5! should be considered,s says Fritz: 18...f6 19.Nxc7+ Kf7 20.exf6 gxf6 21.Re1 fxg5 22.Nxe6! fxe6! Equalizing 19.Rd8+ Kf7 20.R8d7+ Kg6 21.R1d3 Nd5 22.Rg3 b5? Best was 22...Kf5, Fritz notes 23.Bf6+ White now is way ahead Kf5 24.Bxg7 Rhd8?? Black falls apart. Best was 24...Rh7 25.Rf7+ Ke4,but White still leads 25.Rf7+! White surges on Ke4 25...Nf6 offers the last chance for counterplay, but this can be answered by a stunning sacrifice, 26.Rg5+!!, to end the game, e.g., 26...Ke4 27.exf6 Rd1+ 28.Kh2 Rd5 29.f3+ Kf4 30.Rxd5 cxd5 31.Rxc7! 26.Rd3!
Total encirclement, and mate via 32.f3+ cannot be averted. 1-0
Here is a more recent example of Gomez’s attacking style:
J.P. Gomez – R. Nava
Rd 9, UAAP Ch, Manila 2007
Pirc Defense (B07)
1.d4 Nf6 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Ne2 0–0 6.Nbc3 c5 7.dxc5 dxc5 8.Qxd8 Rxd8 9.Be3 Na6 10.h3 Ne8 11.f4 Nec7 12.0–0 b6 13.e5 Rb8 Equalizing 14.a3 Bf5 15.Rfc1 f6 16.g4 Be6 17.b4 Nd5 Not 17...cxb4 18.axb4 fxe5 19.b5 Nxb5 20.Nxb5, and White is ahead 18.Bf2 fxe5 Missing his best shot, 18...Nxc3! 19.Ne4 19.Bxd5!? Bxd5 20.f5! was better Nxf4 20.Bf1 c4 21.N2c3 h6 22.b5 Nc7 23.a4 Rd4 24.a5 bxa5 Missing 24...Nxb5!? 25.Bxd4 Nxd4, and Black surges ahead 25.Rxa5! The start of a ferocious attack Kf8 26.Nc5 Bc8 27.Rxa7 27.Rb1! was stronger Ne8 27...Nxb5! should be tried 28.Bxd4 exd4 29.N3e4 d3 30.cxd3 Bd4+ 31.Kh1 cxd3 32.Rd7 Be5? 33.Bxd3 Nxd3 34.Rxd3 Nd6 35.Kg1 35.Rd5 was playable Ke8 36.Nxd6+ Bxd6 37.Na6 Bxa6 38.bxa6 Ra8 39.Ra1 Kd7 40.Kf2 Ke6 41.Ke3 h5 42.g5 Be5 43.Ra5 Ra7 44.Ke4 Bc7 45.Ra4 Bd6 46.Rb3 Ra8 46...Kd7 won’t work, e.g., 47.Kd5 Bh2 48.Rb7+ Rxb7 49.axb7 e6+ 50.Kd4!, and wins 47.Rb7 Bh2 48.a7 Bg1 49.Ra6+ Kf7 50.Rf6+!
Lovely. If 50…Kg7 51.Rxe7+ Kh8 52.Rff7!, so Black resigns. 1–0
MY FAVORITES
Radjabov, the all-around GM
ONE young grandmaster who has shown all-around mastery of the game since he was that high is Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan, the likely successor to former world No. 1 Garry Kasparov, arguably the greatest player of all time.
Both Garry and Teimour were born in Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku 24 years apart—Garry on April 13, 1963 and Teimour on March 12, 1987.
Both were precocious and both were trained along lines that the defunct Soviet Union had established. No wonder then that both can be called “all-around grandmasters”—players who have mastered all phases and aspects of the game to near-perfection from both sides of the board.
As fate would have it, the two men from Baku finally met for the first time across the 64-square board in 2003 at the Linares Super GM, and the younger one scored a victory that resonated around the world then.
Kasparov, however, was not the first giant that the teenager from Baku had vanquished. One of the very first was Viswanathan Anand of India also in 2003—the same Anand whom he defeated in the first round of the Corus Super in Wijk aan Zee last month.
As a matter of fact, Teimour has beaten almost all the leading players in the world, including many-time Dutch champion Loek van Wely.
Here is how Teimour outwitted the world’s Numero Uno.
G. Kasparov (2847) – T. Radjabov (2624)
Rd 2, 20th Linares Super GM, Spain 2003
French Classical System (C1)
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3 a6 8.Qd2 b5 9.a3 Qb6 10.Ne2 c4 11.g4 h5 12.gxh5 Rxh5 13.Ng3 Rh8 14.f5 exf5 15.Nxf5 Nf6! With a discovered attack 16.Ng3 If 16.exf6 Bxf5! Ng4 17.Bf4 Be6 18.c3 Be7 19.Ng5 0–0–0 19...Na5 20.Qc2 would have equalized 20.Nxe6 fxe6 21.Be2 Ngxe5? 22.Qe3 Missing 22.Bxe5!? Nxe5 23.dxe5!, with a huge advantage Nd7 23.Qxe6 Bh4 24.Qg4 24.Qxd5 Rde8 25.0–0–0 would have increased White’s lead g5 Black has equalized 25.Bd2 Rde8 26.0–0–0 Na5 27.Rdf1?? A mistake, giving Black a chance to get back into the game; 27.Kb1 should be tried to avoid defeat, e.g., 27...Qg6+ 28.Ka2, with equality Nb3+ Fritz suggests that 27...Bxg3!? might be the shorter path: 28.Kd1 Qg6 29.Qf5 Qxf5 30.Rxf5 Bxh2! 28.Kd1 Bxg3 29.Rf7 Rd8 Not 29...Qe6 because of 30.Qxe6 Rxe6 31.Bg4! 30.Bxg5 31.Qf5 Qxf5 32.Rxf5 Rdf8 33.Rxf8+ Nxf8 34.Bf3 34.h4 Kd7 gives Black a big advantage Bh4 Exchanges like 34...Rxh2!? 35.Rxh2 Bxh2 36.Bxd5 would boost Black’s lead 35.Be3µ Nd7 36.Bxd5 Re8 37.Bh6 Fritz recommends 37.Bf4! Ndc5! 38.Bf7 Re7 39.Bh5 Nd3!
White resigns in the face of certain defeat: 40.Kc2 Rh7 41.Bg4+ Kc7! 0–1
Eight months after his sensational win against the world’s strongest player, Radjabov knocked down the second strongest—also with Black!
V. Anand (2774) – T. Radjabov (2648)
Rd 2, Dortmund/Sparkassen, Germany 2003
Sicilian Lowenthal, Kalashnikov (B32)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3² Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 d6 6.c4 Be7 7.b3 f5 8.exf5 Bxf5 9.Bd3 e4 10.Be2 a6 11.N5c3 Bf6 12.0–0 Nge7 13.a3 0–0 13...d5 would aid the enemy, e.g., 14.cxd5 Nxd5 15.Qxd5 Qxd5 16.Nxd5 Bxa1 17.Nc7+ Ke7 18.Nxa8 Rxa8 19.Be3! 14.Ra2 Qa5 15.b4 Qe5 16.Re1 b5 16...Rac8!?= is interesting, says Fritz 17.cxb5± axb5 18.Bxb5 Nd4 19.Bf1 d5 20.Rd2 Be6 21.f4 Best was 21.Bb2!? Qf4 22.Nxe4 dxe4 23.Bxd4 Bxd4 24.Rxd4 Qxf2+ 25.Kh1, with White having a clear advantage Qxf4 Black has equalized 22.Rf2 Qxf2+ 23.Kxf2 Nb5! Threatening a mating attack via 24…Bd4+ 24.Kg1 Nxc3 25.Nxc3 Bxc3 26.Bb5 26.Bd2 Rxa3 27.Bxc3 Rxc3 should regain the balance Bxe1! 27.Qxe1 Nf5 28.Bb2 Rac8 29.Ba4 Rf7 30.h3 h5 31.b5 31.Bd1!? is worthy of consideration, says Fritz, e.g., 31...h4 32.Bg4! h4 32.Be5 d4 33.b6 e3 34.Kh2 d3 35.Qb4 e2 36.Bc3?? Not 36.Bb3 e1=B! 37.Qxe1 Bxb3, and Black surges ahead 36...Rxc3!
Decisive.
37.Qxc3 Ng3 38.b7 Rxb7 39.Qa5 Rb8! White resigns. 0–1
GAMES OF GIFTED KIDS
A precocity just right for chess
HYPERMODERN chess archpriest Richard Reti, no mean player himself, once said that players who learn and master chess when they were children usually turn out to be vastly better than those who learn the game of kings late in life.
Reti cited as examples Paul Morphy, who learned chess at the age of four while watching his father play the royal game with friends, and Jose Raoul Capablanca, who at 12 beat Cuba’s champion.
He also observed that cultural tradition helps shape the style of players. He cited the same examples, saying that their romantic style of play stemmed from their cultural milieu as well as their ancestry.
Morphy was of Irish-Spanish descent and came from New Orleans, in Louisiana, a former French colony, while Capablanca lived in Cuba, a Spanish colony. The French and Spanish are both identified with romance and adventure.
This is probably why Teimour Radjabov towers above most of his contemporaries and has in fact beaten most of the leading players of today.
Teimour learned the game at the age of four and mastered it to a very high degree at 12 when he won the European Age Group (Under 18) Championship in 1999.
He became a grandmaster at 14 in 2001 and entered the elite list of the world’s top 100 players less than a year later, according to a biographical sketch posted on chessgames.com
He was only 15 when he outplayed then world No. 1 Garry Kasparov in Linares, Spain in 2003. Eight months later, he soundly thrashed a future world champion, Viswanathan Anand, and the then champion, Ruslan Ponomariov, himself a former child prodigy who used to be the youngest GM in the world.
In fact, Teimour definitely had shown a precocity far beyond his years as the following lively game he won at the age of nine against the future second of Veselin Topalov would show.
T. Radjabov – I. Cheparinov
Rd 10, U10 Wch, Menorca 1996
King’s Indian Attack (A04)
1.Nf3 c5 2.b3 d6 3.Bb2 Nd7 4.g3 Ngf6 5.Bg2 g6 6.0–0 Bg7 7.d3 0–0 8.Nbd2 Ne8 9.Bxg7 Nxg7 10.Ne1 e5 11.c3 Ne6 12.Nc2 f5 13.e4 f4 14.Qe2 h5 15.h4 Kg7 16.d4 Qf6 17.Bh3 cxd4 18.Bxe6 Qxe6 19.cxd4 Qh3 20.Qf3 exd4 21.Nxd4 Ne5 22.Qg2 Qg4 23.Rac1 f3 24.Qh2 If 24.Qh1 Bd7 d5 Equalizing 25.Rfe1 Nd3 26.Rc7+ Kg8 26...Bd7!? is noteworthy, says Fritz, citing 27.exd5 Nxe1 28.Ne6+ Kh8 29.Rxd7 Rfc8, and Black restores the balance 27.Re3 Nf4 28.N2xf3 Fritz suggests 28.Rc1!? dxe4 29.Re1? 29.Rxe4 Nh3+ 30.Qxh3 Qxe4 leads only to equality exf3 29...Nd3 Black had this great chance 30.Re3 Nb4 30.Ree7!
Threatening mate via 31.Rg7+ Kh8 32.Rh8+ Kg8 33.Rdg7#!
30...Rf7 The only move to avoid immediate mate 31.Rxf7 Nh3+ 31...Ne2+ 32.Nxe2 fxe2 33.Rg7+ Kf8 34.Rcf7+ Ke8 35.Re7+ Kf8 36.Rgf7+ Kg8 37.Rg7+ Kf8 38.Rgf7+ Kg8 39.Rg7+ Kf8!, and the balance is restored 32.Qxh3 Qxh3 33.Nxf3 Be6 34.Ng5 Qg4 35.Rg7+ Kf8?? 36.Nh7+! Ke8 37.Nf6+ 1–0
And here is how he outwitted one of the sharpest tactical players in the business—Ukrainian icon Vassily Ivanchuk. Take note of how Radjabov uses the pin as a powerful weapon.
V. Ivanchuk (2717) – T. Radjabov (2599)
Fide Grand Prix, Dubai 2002
King’s Indian, Classical Line (E99)
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0–0 6.Be2 e5 If 6...c5 7.0–0 7.0–0 7.dxe5 dxe5 8.Qxd8 Rxd8 is also playable Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Ne1 Nd7 10.Nd3 f5 11.Bd2 Kh8 12.Rc1 Nf6 13.f3 c5 14.Rb1 f4 15.b4 b6 16.bxc5 bxc5 17.g4 If 17.Qc2 h6 g5 18.Kf2 Ng6 19.h3 h5 20.Qa4 Qe7 21.Ke1 Nh4 The knight dominates, Fritz points out: if 21...h4 22.Kf2 22.Rf2 hxg4 Fritz suggests 22...a6!?, leading to equality 23.hxg4 Nxg4? A mistake. 23...Bb7 was the precise reply 24.fxg4 White now has the lead f3 25.Bf1 Bxg4 26.Rh2 Bh5 27.Kf2 Rf4 Not 27...Bf6 28.Qc6 Rac8 29.Qa6!, and White surges ahead 28.Bh3 Missing 28.Qc6! Rff8 29.Rb7! g4 29.Rg1?? It’s White’s turn to blunder; better was 29.Bf1 Raf8 30.Rh1, keeping the balance gxh3! 30.Rxh3 Rg4 31.Rxg4 Bxg4 32.Rg3 Bd7 33.Qd1 33.Bg5!? should be considered, says Fritz, e.g., 33...Qxg5 34.Rxg5 Bxa4 35.Rh5+ Kg8 36.Rxh4, and the balance is kept Bf6 34.Qg1 Rf8 35.Nd1?? The fatal error. 35.Bh6 was the precise move: 35...Rf7 36.Ne1! Ng2 35...Qh7 makes it even easier for Black: 36.Kf1 Qxe4! and White is way ahead 36.Qh2+ Bh4 37.Bg5 Qxg5!
Demonstrating the power of the pin as a tactical weapon, and White resigns. 0–1
CHESS MAGIC
Teimour’s astonishing wizardry
BECAUSE he learned the game at the age of four, Teimour Radjabov was able to develop a uniquely creative style in his teens that most other players acquire as adults. This is why his wizardry on the board often catches his rivals by surprise.
This style of his was amply demonstrated in the previous series when he tangled as Black with the world’s most imaginative player, Vassily Ivanchuk, who himself can conjure up the most bizarre positions and combinations over the board.
As previously stated, Radjabov’s strength lies in the fact that he has mastered all three major phases of chess—the opening, middle game and endgame. This is why he can plan his moves way ahead and steer the game into waters that are most familiar to him.
In the following game, Radjabov (White) first baits his equally famous rival, Ukrainian wunderkind Sergey Karjakin, with a pawn and from there on maps out a strategy that forces Black to respond in limited ways.
T. Radjabov (2729) – S. Karjakin (2672) [B97]
Rd 3, Cap D'Agde Open, France 2006
Sicilian Najdorf, Poisoned Pawn (B97)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qb6 8.Qd2 Fritz suggests 8.Bxf6!? gxf6 9.Rb1, with the position balanced Qxb2!? 9.Rb1 Qa3 10.e5 Fritz suggests 10.Bxf6!?, e.g., 10...gxf6 11.Be2! dxe5 11.fxe5 Nfd7 12.Ne4 Not 12.Bd3 because of 12…Nxe5 13.Be4 Nbd7!, and Black surges ahead h6 Not 12...Nxe5?! because of 13.Rb3! Qa4 14.Nxe6! Qxe4+ 15.Re3 Qxe3+ 16.Qxe3 16...Bxe6 17.Qxe5! 13.Bh4 Qxa2 Not 13...Nxe5 14.Nb5! Nd3+ 15.Bxd3 axb5 16.Bxb5+ Nd7 17.0–0!, and White is clearly ahead 14.Rd1 Qb2 14...Qd5 is better, e.g., 15.Qe3 Qxe5! 15.Qe3 15.Nd6+ is bad, e.g., 15…Bxd6 16.exd6 Nc5!, and Black is ahead Bc5 If 15...Nxe5?! 16.Nb5! 16.Be2 Nc6 16...0–0 would help White: 17.c3 Qb6 18.Bf6 Bxd4 19.Rxd! 17.c3 17.Nxe6!? was best, e.g., 17...Qb4+ 18.c3 Bxe3 19.Nc7+ Kf8 20.cxb4, with equal chances Qa3–+ 18.0–0 0–0 19.Nf6+ Nxf6 20.Bxf6 Nxd4 20...gxf6 could lead to self-mate, e.g., 21.exf6 Ne7 22.Qxh6 Bxd4+ 23.Rxd4 Nf5 24.Rg4+ Ng7 25.Qxg7#! 21.Rxd4 Bxd4 21...gxf6 22.exf6 Bxd4 23.Qxd4 would have equalized 22.Qxd4 gxf6?? Black blunders, overlooking his best shot, 22...Re8!, e.g., 23.Bd3 Qf8!, gaining the upper hand 23.exf6! Threatening Qg4+!, and mate next Qa5 24.h4 Kh7 Fritz suggests 24...Rd8!? instead, e.g., 25.Qg4+ Kf8 26.Qg7+ Ke8 27.Qg8+ Kd7 28.Rd1+ Kc6 29.Rxd8 Qc7! 25.Bd3+ Qf5?
In the heat of the moment, Black fails to find 25...Kh8, e.g., 26.Qe4 Qc5+ 27.Rf2! 26.Re1 26.Rf3 was better Rg8? 27.Kh2?? This allows the opponent back into the game. Best was 27.Qd6 Rg4 28.Bxf5+ exf5 29.Qe7! a5?? 27...Kg6 was best 28.g4! Qxd3 29.Qxd3+ Kh8 30.Re5 Rxg4 31.Rh5 Rg6 32.Qd8+ Kh7 33.Qe7! Mate is in the offing: 33…Rg2+ 34.Kxg2 e5 35.Qxf7+ Kh8 36.Rxh6#! 1–0
A. Shirov (2715) – T. Radjabov (2729)
Rd 3, Corus Super, Wijk aan Zee 2007
King’s Indian, Main Classical Line (E97)
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2 0–0 6.Nf3 e5 7.0–0 7.dxe5 dxe5 8.Qxd8 Rxd8 could benefit Black Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.b4 Nh5 10.Re1 f5! Trying to unravel the pawn chain 11.Ng5 11.a4 Nf4 would equalize Nf6 Not 11...Nf4 12.exf5 Nxf5 13.Bxf4 exf4 14.Nge4! 12.f3 Kh8 13.Ne6 Bxe6 14.dxe6 Nh5 15.g3 Bf6 16.c5 f4 17.Kg2 Nc6 18.cxd6 cxd6 19.Nd5 Nd4 20.Bb2 20.Nxf6 is bad, e.g., 20…Qxf6 21.Rf1 Qxe6! 20...Nxe6 21.g4 Nhg7 22.Nxf6 Rxf6 23.Qd5 Qe7 24.Red1 Rd8 25.Qa5 b6 26.Qd5 Rff8 27.Rac1 h5 28.gxh5 Qh4 Fritz suggests 28...Nxh5, e.g., 29.Rc6 Nc7!, with equality 29.Rc6 g5 30.Rxd6 g4 31.Rxe6?? A blunder, but there is nothing better, e.g., 31.Qxe5 Qh3+ 32.Kf2 Qxh2+ 33.Ke1 Qh4+ 34.Kd2 Rxd6+! Rxd5 32.Rh6+ Kg8 33.Bc4 gxf3+ 34.Kh1 Nxh5 34...Qh3 was better: 35.Rg6 Kh7 36.exd5 Nf5! 35.Rg1+! Ng3+!!
Launching a fierce counterattack that triggers lively exchanges and mating threats.
36.Rxg3+! fxg3 37.Rxh4 Not 37.Bxd5+?? Kg7 38.Ba1 g2+! 39.Kg1 Qe1#! g2+ 38.Kg1 f2+! 39.Kxg2 f1=Q+! 40.Bxf1 Rd2+! 41.Kg3 Rxb2 42.Bc4+ It’s White’s turn to attack, but it’s short-lived Kg7 43.Bb3 43.Rh5!? is worth considering, says Fritz Rb1! 44.Kg2 Rc8 44...Kg6 may be better 45.Kf3 Missing 45.Rh5 Rc3 46.Rg5+ Kh6 47.Rg3 Rb2+ 48.Kh3! Rc3+! Regaining the initiative 46.Kg4 Rf1! Threatening mate again 47.Kh5 Kf6! 0–1
BOBBY ANG’S BUSINESSWORLD COLUMN, CHESS PIECE (1)
Importance of Chess
MANY years ago this writer was invited to apply for a job as an auditor with the National Development Company (NDC). At that time this was considered an honor –
the NDC, after all, was the quasi-governmental agency which controlled the shares of some of the biggest corporations in the country, the Construction and Development Corporation of the Philippines (CDCP) for example, and actively recruited the brightest and most promising young CPAs in the country (or so I was told) to monitor the operations of its subsidiary companies.
I was excited with the prospect of testing myself against the best from all over the Philippines and duly showed up during the examination days. The tests were not particularly difficult, but the last exam presented a challenge.
We were given a sheet of paper which narrated how man landed on an uncharted planet in the Milky Way Galaxy and discovered a race of semi-humans who spoke a similar language to English, except that they had a different alphabet. For example, instead of a they used t, instead of b the equivalent was x, and so on and so forth. We were then instructed to study the out-worldly alphabet for five minutes, after which it was taken away and replaced by a one-page essay in the foreign language. The task given to each one of us was to translate the essay into English within an hour.
Many of the examinees were not able to solve this puzzle correctly, but I succeeded in the task in around half an hour. Chess has taught me pattern recognition, concentration and problem-solving. First, I concentrated on one letter words – clearly this was either an "I" or an "a". Then I looked at the three letter words, either an "and" or a "the". This immediately solved which letter was an "a" and which was an "I". Now having established a starting point and applying the principle of elimination the rest was accomplished easily.
Chess is a great educational tool, which explains why it is part of the school curriculum of Singapore, Brazil, and several other countries.
When you go to the ricefields, you will see the young men of the barrio working industriously every day. Later in the afternoon, having finished their chores, they would maybe play some basketball. At night, after dinner, they would gather around the neighborhood sari-sari store and watch TV. Usually there would be a basketball game on screen.
What chance do these people have to improve their lot? They do manual labor during the daytime, play, eat and watch basketball. Let’s say they then go to the big cities and for college – can they succeed?
Chess is their salvation, for it teaches them something that basketball or planting rice does not: (1) you and only you are responsible for your moves; (2) you make a mistake you pay for it; (3) before solving a problem, make sure you understand what the problem is; (4) strike from your strength, not from weakness; (5) plan your moves, do not just jump in; (6) study how other people have encountered similar problems and how they went about solving it, but also keep your creative senses sharp – you might come up with an even better way of proceeding; and (7) map out a strategy to fulfill your plan, and follow it through.
If you think these lessons are obvious, that is because you have gone through college – for those in the provinces who have never gone to school, it is not so simple.
I also used to say that chess teaches you imagination, but one day someone asked me to give an example, and none came to mind. The other night, while reading Garry Kasparov's book on how life imitates chess, the example finally came. I'd like to share it with you.
Shirov, Alexei (2700) – Kasparov, Garry (2820) [B90]
Tilburg Fontys Tilburg (5), 02.10.1997
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.f3 Be7 9.Qd2
The move 9.g4? used to be played a lot, but nowadays it is known that after 9...d5! 10.g5 (10.exd5? Nxd5 11.Nxd5 Bh4+ 12.Bf2 Bxf2+ 13.Kxf2 Bxd5 material is equal but White is obviously in trouble) 10...d4 11.gxf6 Bxf6 Black has a big advantage.
9...Nbd7
9...d5 does not work so well now because the intervening check on h4 is easily blocked by g2-g3]
10.g4 h6 11.0–0–0 b5 12.h4 Nb6 13.Kb1 b4 14.Bxb6 Qxb6 15.Nd5 Bxd5 16.exd5 a5 17.Qd3
Making way for the knight hop to d2 and either c4 or e4.
17...0–0! 18.Nd2
The immediate threat is g4-g5 followed by Ne4.
18...a4 19.Ne4
[19.g5 Nh5 20.gxh6 g6]
19...Rfc8! 20.Nxf6+ Bxf6
Kasparov's counterthreat is ...e5-e4, opening up the long diagonal for a bishop sacrifice on b2.
21.Qe4
[21.g5? e4! 22.Qxe4 b3 23.cxb3 axb3 24.a3 Bxb2! wins]
21...Qc5 22.Bd3 Kf8! 23.g5 hxg5 24.hxg5 Bxg5 25.Qf5 Bh6 26.Rh4
This move prepares Rc4, attacking the Black Queen. Here is Kasparov's narration of his thought processes:
"I obviously had to get my queen out of the way, and I sat looking at the few possible retreats. All the options would leave the position dynamically balanced, but I was disappointed there wasn't the opportunity for more.
"Before I resigned myself to the seemingly inevitable queen move, I took a deep breath and surveyed the rest of the board. As with so many fantasy moves, this one started with a mental 'wouldn't it be nice if ...' If you daydream a little about what you'd like to see happen, sometimes you find that it is really possible. What if I ignored his threat to my queen? He would have extra material, but my pieces, while technically outgunned by his queen, would be active and he'd be under pressure."
26...Ke7!!
Kasparov: "Too often we quickly discard apparently outlandish ideas and solutions, especially in areas where the known methods have been in place for a long time. The failure to think creatively is as much self-imposed as it is imposed by the parameters of our jobs and of our lives. 'What if?' often leads to 'Why not?' and at that point we must summon our courage and find out."
27.Rc4 Qxc4 28.Bxc4 Rxc4 29.Qd3 Rac8 30.Re1 Bf4 31.Re4?
31...Rxe4 32.fxe4 g5! 33.a3 bxa3 34.Qa6 Rd8 35.Qb6 g4 36.c4 g3 37.c5 g2 38.cxd6+ Rxd6 39.Qc7+ Kf6! 40.Qxd6+ Kg7 0–1
I have been teaching in the College of Commerce of the University of Santo Tomas since 1981, and my message to the students has never changed. We have been in school since the age of five and up to now all you know is life in elementary, high school and college. When the time comes for you to graduate with your degree in accounting, there is an important thing that you must remember – SCHOOL IS OVER.
In school you can fail an exam, or even an entire course. No big deal – take it again during summer. There are a lot of pretty cross-enrollees anyway. In school you can get away with not doing your homework – just make sure to do “sipsip” with your teacher.
In life, a lot of times you get only one chance. You must train yourself to recognize opportunities and to go for it when it comes. For this, you must have complete technical and professional training. It is for those reasons why you went to college, and why you have been working so hard in office. But just as important, you must have the skills of concentration, problem-solving, responsibility, creativity, and imagination. And for that you need chess.
Reader comments and/or suggestions are urgently solicited. Email address is bang@cpamd.net.
This column was first published in BusinessWorld on Monday, February 18, 2008.
Sweden wins challenge
SWEDEN won the Four Nations Chess Challenge held in Oslo, Norway last weekend.
The two-day competition also saw England winning the second prize, followed by Latvia and Norway.
Sweden had 6.0 points while England had 4.0. Latvia and Norway had only 1.0 each.
The competition was held in preparation for the 38th World Olympiad to be held in Dresden, Germany in November this year.
BOBBY ANG’S BUSINESSWORLD COLUMN, CHESS PIECE (2)
Battle of Ideas
Corus “A” Wijk aan Zee
January 12-27, 2008
Final Standings
(all participants are GMs)
1-2 Levon Aronian ARM 2739, Magnus Carlsen NOR 2733, 8.0/13
3-4 Viswanathan Anand IND 2799, Teimour Radjabov AZE 2735, 7.5/13
5-6 Peter Leko HUN 2753, Vassily Ivanchuk UKR 2751, 7.0/13
7-8 Vladimir Kramnik RUS 2799, Michael Adams ENG 2726, 6.5/13
9-11 Veselin Topalov BUL 2780, Judit Polgar HUN 2707, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov AZE 2760, 6.0/13
12-14 Pavel Eljanov UKR 2692, Boris Gelfand ISR 2737, Loek Van Wely NED 2681, 5.0/13
Average ELO is 2742, Category 20
TWO weeks ago we wrote about the results of Corus “A” Wijk aan Zee, where Magnus Carlen of Norway and Levon Aronian of Armenia tied for first ahead of a powerful field which included reigning world champion Viswanathan Anand, Vladimir Kramnik, Veselin Topalov, and Vassily Ivanchuk.
After the triumvirate of Anand, Kramnik and Topalov, who would be the next prospect for world champion?
Not Ivanchuk, he is too nervous, nor Morozevich, he is too unpredictable. Svidler and Gelfand are both too peaceful (translation: plays a lot of draws). I had always thought that Aronian (26 years old) is the leader of the next generation and this second consecutive tied-first in Wijk aan Zee conclusively proves that his previous win was not a fluke.
I’d like to point out his two games in the Chebanenko Variation of the Semi-Slav. They were from the same unclear variation where White had a strong center but had to give up an exposed king position. Aronian managed to win both games—the first one, against Gelfand in round 2, he was Black and the second, in round 11 against Van Wely, he had White! This proved decisive – Levon had a total of four wins in the entire event.
Gelfand, Boris (2737) – Aronian, Levon (2739) [D15]
Corus A Wijk aan Zee NED (2), 13.01.2008
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 a6 5.Nc3 b5 6.c5
Lately this move has become a popular maneuver by the player of the white pieces. Indeed, its percentage of success is higher than the other possibilities of 6.b3 and 6.cxd5. Black has basically only one idea in mind - to play ...e7-e5. On the other hand white can go for e3-e4 or queenside play with a2-a4.
6...Nbd7
At first the usual plan for Black is ...Bg4, ...Nbd7 then to try for ...e7-e5. However, the maneuver 7.Qb3! with early a4 proved to be quite unpleasant for Black - the possibility of a sacrifice on b5 to get two passed pawns on the queenside keeps him on his toes. Aronian prefers to delay the bishop's development
7.Bd3 e5 8.Nxe5 Nxe5 9.dxe5 Ng4 10.f4 Bxc5 11.Qf3 Qb6 12.Ke2
This is the critical position. White has an impressive pawn phalanx on the center and kingside, while Black has the possibility of an attack on the uncastled King. The way Aronian conducts the game is very instructive–-rather than attacking wildly against the King, he takes his time and concentrates on neutralizing the White initiative, knowing that sooner or later the exposed monarch will give him chances.
12...Nh6
Here the tempting 12...Nxe3 13.Bxe3 Bxe3 is met by 14.Nxd5! (14.Qxe3 Bg4+ 15.Kd2 d4 is at least equal for Black) 14...cxd5 15.Qxe3 gives the edge to White.
13.h3
Gelfand points out that 13.f5? is a mistake - 13...Qc7 14.Qf4 f6! 15.e6 Qxf4 16.exf4 g6 the impressive looking white center is going to crumble.
13...Nf5 14.g4 Ne7 15.Bd2 0–0
Black's development is completed and it is now time to open up the position.
16.Rac1 f6! 17.exf6 Rxf6 18.e4 Bd4 19.exd5 cxd5 20.Kd1 Rf7 21.Re1 Bb7
The threatened White attack is still nowhere in sight, while Black has made inroads.
22.Qe2 Ng6 23.Bxg6 hxg6 24.Qe6 Rd8 25.Qxb6 Bxb6 26.Re6 Ba7
Now it is time for Black to ram the d-pawn down his opponent's throat.
27.Ne2 d4 28.Ng3 d3 29.Rxg6?
A mistake, but White's position is difficult anyway.
29...Bf2!
The knight is lost because of Black's threat of ...Bf3+.
30.Ba5 Bxg3 0–1
In the 11th round, the top Dutch player Loek Van Wely, who is known for his love of choosing the most crucial variations and not shirking from battle, decides to “discuss” the same variation with Aronian.
Aronian, Levon (2739) - Van Wely, Loek (2681) [D15]
Corus A Wijk aan Zee NED (11), 25.01.2008
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 a6 5.Nc3 b5 6.c5 Nbd7 7.Bd3 e5 8.Nxe5 Nxe5 9.dxe5 Ng4 10.f4 Bxc5 11.Qf3 Qb6 12.Ke2
The same position as in the previous game, only this time Aronian is on the opposite side! What does he have in mind?
12...Nh6 13.h3 Nf5 14.g4 Ne7 15.Rb1!
Aronian is the first to come with an improvement. The threat of b2-b4 forces Black's hand.
15...a5 16.e4 Bb7?!
Black wants to open up the center, and so moves like 16...d4 17.Nd1 is not in his plans.
17.f5! Bd4 18.exd5 Bxe5 19.Be3 Qc7 20.Rbc1
[20.dxc6 Bxc6 21.Be4 Bxc3 22.Rbc1 is hard for Black to meet]
20...b4 21.dxc6 Bxc6 22.Ne4 Rd8?
Black should castle kingside. Now we see some fireworks.
23.f6! Nd5 24.Rxc6! Qxc6 25.Rc1 Qd7?
Oops! Completely over-looking White's next move.
26.Nd6+! Qxd6
[26...Bxd6 27.Qxd5 with the awkward threat of Bb5]
27.Bb5+ Kf8 28.Bc5
Ouch.
28...Nf4+ 29.Ke1 gxf6 30.Bxd6+ Rxd6 31.Rc8+ Kg7 32.Rxh8 Kxh8 33.Qb7 Kg7 34.Be8 Kh6 35.Qxf7 Ng6 36.Qb3 Nf4 37.Qg8 Rd4 38.h4 Ng2+ 39.Ke2 Nxh4 40.g5+ fxg5 41.Qe6+ 1–0
Reader comments and/or suggestions are urgently solicited. Email address is bangcpa@gmail.com.
This column was first published in BusinessWorld on Friday, February 22, 2008.
Graf takes premier post in First Pfaiz Open at Neustadt
VETERAN German Grandmaster Alexander Graf led a 26-player field entering the penultimate eighth round in the First Pfaiz Open at Neustadt Friday (Saturday in Manila).
Graf and three others had 5.5 points each after seven rounds, but the German veteran had a higher tiebreak score of 22.5 Buchholz, half a point ahead of his closest rival, GM Petr Haba of the Czech Republic.
The two other runners-up with the same score were Alon Greenfield and Evtgeny Postny, both from Israel.
The Swiss tournament started on February 15 and was to end Saturday in the German city of Neustadt (Sunday in Manila).
Five others were just half a point behind the leaders. They were GMs Tomasz Markowski of Poland, Marius Manolache of Romania, Yuriy Drozdrovskyy of Ukraine, and Henrik Teske of Germany, along with Romanian IM Daniel Moldovan.
FROM MY SWIVEL CHAIR
An interactive Weekender
ON page 3, there is a news story from Dubai written by a reader who is a member of the Filipino Chess Players League in the United Arab Emirates.
It tells about the league’s first open tournament this year, which not only kicks off a new chess season but also sets the pace for all players there regardless of their nationalities.
In fact the eventual champion comes from Kerala, the southern Indian state which has been thrust into global prominence because of its people’s knowledge of the medical properties of plants abounding in the area.
However, his two runners-up are both Filipinos, one of whom is a masscom graduate from Palawan and the other an engineering graduate from Lanao del Norte.
The fourth prizewinner, whom the Indian outplayed in the final round, is Syrian.
Such a scene is a microcosm of the OFW situation abroad. Right now, there are an estimated nine to 10 million Filipinos working overseas, many of whom play chess. In fact, some of them, like our problem composer, Engr. Joselito Marcos, became national champion in his adopted homeland.
Awareness of this and being a former OFW myself, having worked for one and a half decades in Hong Kong as a sub-editor, editorial writer and a chess columnist at the same time, I thought of putting up a newsletter that will serve as a medium of communication for Filipinos of like minds here and abroad.
After all, the Internet has enabled us to communicate with each other in a matter of seconds. Indeed, the wired world has become a small community in itself.
Against this backdrop, it is my belief that The Weekender will soon become the common medium of communication among Filipino chess lovers.
As a medium, The Weekender can help bridge the distance between friends and families.
It is just a matter of sharing what you know with the others who live in distant lands.
The FCPL has shown the way. Let us follow its example.
You can help strengthen The Weekender simply by spreading the word. Tell your friends and kinsfolk about it.
Tell them it’s free!
—0—
MY congratulations to IMs Joseph Sanchez and John Paul Gomez.
Both have done us proud.
Sanchez has shown that persistence does pay off while Gomez has demonstrated that a stout heart and the determination to win can prevail over the toughest foes.
I am sure that if they had undergone the training that most Russians and other East Europeans like the Serbs undergo, they could have been masters of the chess world.
Perhaps, we can start by letting our trainers train abroad and learn from the Russians.
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The Weekender
Quezon Memorial Circle
Quezon City
Manuel O. Benitez
Editor & Publisher
Alfredo V. Chay
Circulation Manager
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Published every weekend
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