Anyways, here it is:
The Chess Plaza Weekender
Sunday, 2 March 2008
Quezon Memorial Circle, Quezon City
Vol. II No. 38
EXCLUSIVE FROM AMERICA
Paragua launches ‘Super GM quest’
FILIPINO Grandmaster Mark Paragua has launched a proactive campaign to get back his “Super GM” status in America, with the objective of reaching an Elo rating of 2600 by July 1 this year. The country’s No. 3 GM is playing in the Eighth Millennium Festival Open at the Virginia Beach Confront Hotel in New York.
In fact, Paragua’s rating is bound to rise by April 1 because of his fine performance in the Asean Masters Circuit’s inaugural leg in Tarakan, Indonesia last January.
In an email to The Weekender, Paragua wrote from New York City that he would also enter the prestigious Foxwoods Open and Chicago Open in May.
“May mga simul din po kasi ako sa California at Vegas (I also have simultaneous exhibitions in California and Las Vegas, Nevada),” he wrote.
According to Paragua, top American grandmasters like former US champion Joel Benjamin, Alexander Stripunsky and John Fedorowicz are among his rivals in the Virginia Beach Open, which got under way Friday, February 29, and is scheduled to end Sunday (early Monday in Manila).
The tournament is being held at the Virginia Beach Confront Hotel. “I’m also planning to enter the Foxwoods Open,” he said, adding that it is his brother making the arrangements.
The Foxwoods Open is one of the most prestigious US chess events. Among its former champions are Gata Kamsky, Alexander Shabalov and the late Polish-American GM Alex Wojtkiewicz.
In the Asean Masters in Tarakan, Paragua finished first in Group B with 9.0 out of 11, ahead of Armenian IM Ashot Nadanian, then IM Jayson Gonzales and FM Rolando Nolte. Gonzales earned his third and final GM norm and Nolte an IM norm in the same event.
Paragua was supposed to compete in the Aeroflot Open last month but he demurred because of a previous commitment as he was preparing for his trip to the United States.
Born on March 29, 1984, Macmac became the youngest Filipino to become a national master—at the age of nine and, before the advent of Wesley So, became the youngest Filipino grandmaster. So earned his GM title last December at the age of 14.
A child prodigy, Macmac won the 1998 Disney World Rapid Chess Championship for Kids on tiebreak over another prodigy, Bu Xiangzhi of China.
Paragua became the country’s first and only super GM when he finished second in the 2005 Asean Zonal Championship in Malaysia. His highest rating that year was 2618, but a series of setbacks in 2006-07 caused his rating to fall to his current 2521.
Lately, however, Paragua regained his old winning form and expects his rating to rise.
Anand keeps slim lead in Linares Super
DEFENDING champion Viswanathan Anand of India drew his game in the 10th round to keep the solo leadership in the Linares-Morelia Super GM Tournament in Spain.
He entered the 10th round with 6.0 points, a mere half point ahead of his closest rival, 17-year-old Norwegian GM Magnus Carlsen.
The two agreed to a truce on the 22nd turn of a Sicilian Pelikan with Anand playing White.
Anand was also at the helm when the first seven-round half of the tournament ended in Morelia, Mexico last week.
In the eighth round, which was the opener in Linares, Anand beat Alexei Shirov of Spain to boost his lead, but Aronian, who had beaten him in Morelia, stayed within striking distance—in third place—with a win against Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine.
Carlsen had earlier climbed to the second spot in Linares by scoring two wins in a row—against Vassily Ivanchuk with Black in the eighth and against Shirov with White in the ninth (see also pages 8 and 9 for earlier report and games).
Last year, the Norwegian superstar also finished second to Anand in Linares.
V. Anand (2799) – M. Carlsen (2733)
Rd 10, Linares-Morelia Super GM, Spain ’08
Sicilian Pelikan/ Sveshnikov (B33)
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 11.c4 b4 12.Nc2 Rb8 may help Black Bg5 12.Nc2 Ne7 13.a4 bxa4 14.Ncb4 0–0 Not 14...Bd7 15.h4 Bh6 16.Nxe7 Qxe7 17.g4 15.Qxa4 Nxd5 16.Nxd5 Bd7 17.Qa2 a5 18.Bd3 Bc6 19.0–0 Qb8 20.Bc4 Kh8 21.b3 f5 22.exf5 ½–½.
NECK-AND-NECK RACE ALL THE WAY IN CAPPELLE LA GRANDE
Gashimov edges out 7 to take plum
GRANDMASTER Vugar Gashimov of Azerbaijan captured the top prize in the Cappelle La Grande Open on tiebreak over seven other rivals in what could be the tightest race yet in France. The eight finished with 7.0 points each from nine games.
The contest was so close that 23 others were right behind the eight leaders with 6.5 each. Whew!
Gashimov, who is little known outside his homeland, was the top seed at 2665 in a field of 612 players from all over Europe who were attracted to the event by its US$50,000 (over P20 million) prize fund.
Those who finished in a tie for first place besides Gashimov were David Arutinian (2576) of Georgia, Sergey Fedorchuk (2652) and Yuriy Kryvoruchko (2597) of Ukraine, Konstantin Chernyshov and Andrei Deviatkin, both of Russia and rated at 2543, Vasilios Kotronias (2628) of Greece, and Erwin L’Ami (2581) of The Netherlands.
All of them are grandmasters, except Deviatkin, an international master.
GM Alexander Moiseenko (2665) of Ukraine headed the batch of 23 players who had 6.5 points each. Gashimov and Moiseenko were the top seeds.
IN SEARCH OF FUTURE GRANDMASTERS: NCFP lines up 2 youth championships
NEXT month will be fun for all players aged 20 and younger, with two youth championships being lined up by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines under chairman/president Prospero Pichay Jr. and secretary general Abraham Tolentino.
Both major youth events are open to boys and girls.
First in line is the National Age Group Championship, which will be held from April 1to 6, to be followed by the National Juniors from April 9 to 14.
Both events will most likely be held one after the other at the Kaban ng Hiyas (Treasurer Chest) building at the Mandaluyong City Hall compound, according to a press release in Pilipino from the NCFP Secretariat.
The age-group tournament will have six categories: Under 18, U16, U14, U12, U10, and U8, in line with the world youth championship to be held later this year. The event last year was hosted by Turkey.
According to “Butch” Pichay and “Bambol” Tolentino, qualifiers from all six categories will be sent by the NCFP to represent the country in the Asean Age Group to be held in Denang, Vietnam from June 11 to 20.
They will also be sent to the World Youth Championship to be held in Denang, Vietnam from June 11 to 20.
The cash prizes in the National Age Group are, as follows: 1st P5,000, 2nd P3,000, 3rd P2,000,4th P1,000, and 5th P500.
Each winner will also get a trophy.
Meanwhile, the National Junior Championship to be held a week after the Age Group is open to all players aged 20 and younger. Those who will have played in the Age Group are also qualified to play in the Juniors.
Those who qualify will represent the Philippines in the World Junior Championship to be held in Ankara, Turkey from August 2 to 16.
The winners will also receive cash prizes and trophies.
For the men, the prizes at stake are: 1st P15,000, 2nd P10,000, 3rd 7,000, 4th 5,000, 5th 3,000, 6th P2,000, 7th P1,500, and 8th to 10th P1,000 each. Trophies will be given to the first to third prizewinners and medals to each of the rest of the winners.
For the women, the prizes at stake are: 1st P10,000, 2nd P8,000, 3rd P6,000, 3th P4,000, 5th 2,000, 6th 1,500, and 7th to 10th, P1,000 each. First to third prizewinners will each receive a trophy and the rest a medal each.
Interested parties may inquire at the NCFP office at the Administration Building, Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, Philippine Sports Commission on Vito Cruz Street, Malate, Manila or call up Tel. (02)381-7224 or (02)536-8507, or Mobile No. 0929-2390644, 0905-3269576 or 0927-7209260,--Patrick Lee
BEST AND BRIGHTEST FOR ‘PALARONG PAMBANSA’
Turqueza, Fronda lead NCR players
TWO outstanding high school students will lead 12 players from the National Capital Region in chess competitions at the Palarong Pambansa in Puerto Princesa next month.
Mari Joseph “MJ” Turqueza, 15, a junior student at Diliman Preparatory School in Quezon City, and Jan Jodilyn Fronda, Under-14 age group silver medalist from Manila last year, won the board one gold medals in the Palarong NCR Youth Champiionship held at the Valenzuela Convention Center from February 18 to 21.
Richilieu Salcedo III, board one player from Mandaluyong who won the silver, will join Turqueza on board two for boys at the national level.
Niño Datu will be their reserve player in the Palarong Pambansa, which will be held from April 20 to 26 in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.
“MJ has been successful lately because of his full dedication to chess,” his father, lawyer Gene Turqueza, said. Turqueza is chairman and president of the Quezon Memorial Circle Chess Club.
His son also topped the NCFP Professionals and Executives Chess Tournament and the Barangay Aldana Championship in Las Piñas recently.
Fronda who won the gold for high school girls will play on board one for high school girls at the national level, with Cherry Ann Mejia of Manila on board two and Akiko Suede of Makati as reserve player.
For the elementary school boys, gold medalist Kenneth Melvin Baltazar of Manila will be on board one with silver medalist Homer Aristotle Cunanan of Taguig/Pateros on board two.
Paulo Bersamina of Mandaluyong will be their reserve player.
Elementary school girls will have gold medalist Arvie Lozano of Makati on board one and silver medalist Jean Karen Enriquez of Marikina on board two with bronze medalist Lawrean A. Fulcher of Pasig/San Juan as reserve player.
Here is how the various teams scored at the NCR Palaro:
Elementary Boys—First prize (gold) won by Manila with Melvin Kenneth Baltazar on board one, 6.5 points, and Giovanni Mejia on board two, 4.5; second (silver) won by Taguig/Pateros with Homel Cunanan on board one, 4.5 and Eugene Samonte on board two, 4.0; and third (bronze) won by Mandaluyong with Paulo Bersamina on board one, 4.5 and Joshua Cornero on board two, 3.0.
Elementary Girls—First prize (gold) won by Makati with Alvie Lozano on board one, 7.0 points, and Erika Mae Osea on board two, 3.0; second (silver) won by Marikina with Jean Karen Enriquez on board one, 6.0 and Joy Micah Campos on board two, 3.5; and third (bronze) won by Pasig with Lawrean A. Fulcher on board one, 5.0 points and Julie Pearl on board two, 4.5.
Secondary Boys—First prize (gold) won by Quezon City with Mari Joseph Turqueza on board one, 6.0, and Avhix Alfonso on board two, 4.0; second (silver) won by Mandaluyong with Richielou Salcedo III on board one, 5.5, and Joel Pimentel Jr. on board two, 4.5; and third (bronze) won by Taguig/Pateros with Niño Datu on board one, 5.0 and Jomar Gonzales on board two, 5.0.
Secondary Girls—First prize (gold) won by Manila with Jan Jodilyn Fronda on board one, 7.0 and Cherry Ann Mejia on board two, 5.5; second (silver) won by Pasig/San Juan with Hazel Coraje on board one, 4.5 and Nikki Capinpin on board two, 4.0; and third (bronze) won by Malabon with Eloida de Jesus on board one, 4.5 and Mylalyn Jumola on board two, 4.0.
The board players to represent the NCR in the Palarong Pambansa were chosen on the basis of their individual scores, according to the tournament officials.
Meanwhile, Caloocan champion Francia D. Necio on board one and Ma. Essah Theresa F. Cortez on board two had perfect scores totaling 5.0 points in the third round.
Coach Jun Tapel said Marikina in the past had never beaten Caloocan, but this time Enriquez of Marikina beat Cortez of Caloocan, 1-0, in the fourth round.
He cited one instance when the Caloocan team had prepared the London system in the opening but ended up using the Catalan instead.
Moreover, the Caloocan players seemed to lack the stamina because they failed to win any point in the sixth and seventh rounds.—Marlon Bernardino and Erwin Carag
PINOY PLAYERS HITTING IT OFF IN THE EMIRATES
Games sparkle in FCPL joust
THE WEEKENDER has just received a bunch of sparkling, amusing and generally lively as well as instructive games from Jobannie Tabada of the Filipino Chess Players League (FCPL) in the United Arab Emirates.
These are games played in the 2nd FCPL Fide-rated Tournament held on Friday last week, February 22, at the Reef Mall in Deira, Dubai, UAE.
I am sure readers will enjoy playing over these games (played by 10 selected FCPL members) as I did upon receiving them.
Here is a gem from the opening round:
Tato Abdullah – Rafael Natividad
Rd 1, FCPL Fide-rated Tmt, Reef Mall, Deira, Dubai,UAE ’08
Queen’s Pawn Opening (D02)
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c3 e6 4.Bf4 c5 5.e3 Nc6 6.Bd3 Qb6 7.Qc1 Bd7 8.0–0 cxd4 9.exd4 Rc8 10.a3 a5 11.Nbd2 Be7 12.Rb1 a4 13.Re1 Na5 14.Bc2 Qa6 15.Ne5 b5 16.Qd1 Nc6 17.Ndf3 h6 18.h3 0–0 18...Qb7 19.Nxd7 Nxd7 20.Qe2 is unclear, Fritz notes 19.Qd3 Be8? 19...Rfd8 was slightly better but it also gives White the edge 20.Ng4! Threatening 21.Nxf6+ Bxf6/Kh8 22.Qh7#! Ne4
Blocking the line of fire from White’s bishop-backed queen along the b1-h7 diagonal.
21.Rxe4! dxe4 22.Qxe4 g6 The only move to delay the inevitable 23.Nxh6+ 23.Bxh6 Qb6 seems even better, says Fritz Kh7 If 23...Kg7 24.Ng5 Bxg5 25.Bxg5!, and wins 24.h4 If 24.Ng5+ Kh8, and White still wins Nd8 25.h5 f5 26.hxg6+ Bxg6 27.Qe3 Bf6 28.Ne5 Bxe5 29.Bxe5 Nc6 30.Bf4 Ne7? Better but inadequate was 30...Rce8 31.Qh3 Kg7 32.Be5+! 1–0
Here is another instructive gem of a game:
FM Antonio Molina (2189) – Josefino Tiberio
Rd 1, Queen’s Gambit, Symmetrical and Baltic Defenses (D06)
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 d5 3.cxd5 Nxd5 4.Nf3 e6 5.e4 Nf6 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.a3 a6 Fritz notes that 7...Nxd4? is worthless because of 8.Nxd4 e5 9.Nf3, and White surges ahead 8.0–0 Be7 Not 8...Nxd4? because of 9.Nxd4 Bd6 10.Nf3! 9.Be3 0–0 10.h3 b6 Fritz suggests 10...Ne8 11.Qc2 Bb7 12.e5 Ne8 12...Nd5 13.Bxh7+ Kh8 14.Be4 favors White 13.Bxh7+ Kh8 14.Be4 Na5 15.Bxb7 Nxb7 16.Qe4 Na5 Not 16...Qd5 17.Qg4 Qd7 18.Nc3!, with overwhelming advantage 17.Nbd2 17.b4 Nb3 18.Ra2 a5 19.bxa5 b5 boosts White’s lead Rb8 If 17...Qd5 18.Qc2! 18.Rac1 Nb7 If 18...Kg8 19.Qg4! 19.Rfd1 g6? Better but still losing was 19...Qd5 20.Qf4!
Black resigns in the face of a massive assault on his weakened dark squares, e.g., 20…Kg8 21.Qh6!, with White’s knights poised to jump into the fray via e4 and g5. 1–0
The next game ends on a blunder made in a bad position.
Axel John Valerio (1806) – Gilbert Taopa
Rd 1, Sicilian Accelerated Dragon (B35)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.f3 0–0 8.Bc4 Qb6 9.Bb3 Nxe4 10.Nf5 10.fxe4 Bxd4 was playable Nxc3 11.Qd2 Qa5 12.Nxg7 Nb5 13.c3 13.Bh6!? should be tried, says Fritz Kxg7 Black stands better 14.Bh6+ Kg8 15.Qf4? Nd6 Missing a decisive shot, 15...Nbd4!, e.g., 16.Rd1 Nxb3 17.Bxf8 Nc5!, winning 16.Bxf8 Kxf8 17.0–0–0 Qf5 18.Qh6+ Kg8 19.g4 Qf6 20.h4 Ne8 Not 20...Qxf3?! 21.Rhf1 Qe2 22.Rfe1, and the balance is restored 21.Bc2 e5 Better than 21...Qxf3 22.Rdf1 Qxg4 23.h5! 22.h5 Qf4+ [22...Qxf3?? the pawn is indigestible 23.Rdf1 Qxf1+ 24.Rxf1+-] 23.Qxf4 exf4 24.hxg6 hxg6 25.Rde1 Nc7 26.Rh2 Ne6 27.Bb3 b6 28.Reh1 Kf8 29.Bxe6 29.Bd5 Bb7 favors Black dxe6 30.Rh8+ 30.Rd2 Ke7 31.Re2 Kf6 gives Black a huge advantage Ke7 31.g5 Bb7 32.Rxa8 Bxa8 33.Kd2 Ne5 34.Ke2 34.Rh8 Nxf3+ 35.Ke2 also loses Bxf3+!
A deadly double attack: 35.Kf2 Bxh1! 0–1
Outside the country, the strongest group of Pinoy players could probably be found in Singapore, followed by the Unites States, Europe, the UAE, and Australia.
In Singapore, there are two GMs (Bong Villamayor and Nelson Mariano II) and five or six IMs like Julio Catalino Sadorrra, Rico Mascariñas, Rafael Maninang, Luis Chiong and Yves Rañola while in the US, there are several strong IMs and GM candidates with the likes of Paulo del Mundo, Rogelio Barcenilla Jr., Enrico Sevillano, Angelo Young, and Ricky de Guzman.
The problem with the Singapore masters is that most of them are there not as players but as instructors and trainers belonging to rival chess academies.
In Europe, there are three strong IMs like Roland Salvador, Joseph Sanchez and Rolly Martinez, while in the UAE, there are Fide Master Antonio Molina Sr. and National Master Roberto Arellano as well as Fide-rated non-masters.
In Australia, WIM Arianne Caoili has settled down in Queensland with her mother while FM Jesse Noel Sales seems to have made a very good impression on other players there and a bevy of strong non-masters among his compatriots, most of them living in Sydney.
The best-organized of them all, however, are the players in the United Arab Emirates, and to the FCPL The Weekender takes its hat off. They not only organize big tournaments to which foreign players there usually flock but also play well themselves.
Let their games prove it. Here’s the shortest decided game of the event, a minigem:
Rafael Natividad – NM Roberto Arellano
Rd 4, Ruy Lopez, Steinitz Defense (C62)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 d6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nxd4 Bd7 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.Bc4 Nf6 8.Qe2 Be7 9.Nc3 0–0 10.0–0 Ng4 11.f4 Fritz suggests 11.f3! Ne5 12.Ba6, with equal chances d5! 12.exd5? If 12.Ncxd5 cxd5 Bc5+! 13.Kh1 Re8 14.Qf3 Nxh2!
White resigns. If 15.Qg3 Nxf1 16.Bxf1 Qf6!, and Black wins.0–1
Here is another win, this time with White, by the only Filipino NM in the Emirates.
NM Roberto Arellano – Marcelo Payoket
Rd 5, Anti-King’s Indian Systems (A49)
1.d4 c6 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.0–0 0–0 6.b3 d6 7.Bb2 Bg4 8.h3 Bd7 9.Nbd2 Na6 10.c4 Nc7 11.e4 e6 11...d5!? was playable, e.g.,12.exd5 cxd5! 12.e5 Nfe8 13.exd6 13.Ba3 c5 would give White a clear advantage Nxd6 14.Ba3 Bc8 15.Qc2 Re8 16.Rad1 Bf8 17.Rfe1 Nf5 17...a5 18.Ne5 could favor White 18.Bb2 18.Bxf8 Rxf8 19.Ne4 could gain a big plus Bg7 19.Ne4 h6 20.g4 Nd6 21.Nxd6 Qxd6 22.g5! …
Creating dynamic imbalance that White can exploit: not spotted by Fritz, unfortunately.
22…hxg5 23.Nxg5 Qf4 24.Bc1 Qd6 Fritz suggests 24...Qh4!? 25.Ne4 Qe7 26.Bf4 e5 27.Bxe5 Bxe5 28.dxe5 Bf5 29.f4 Ne6 30.Qf2 Bxe4 31.Bxe4 Rad8 32.Kh2 Ng7 If 32...Kf8 33.Bb1 33.c5 33.Qxa7 Qh4 34.Qe3 Rxd1 35.Rxd1 g5 36.fxg5 Rxe5 37.Rd8+ Ne8 is unclear Rd7? Weak. Fritz says 33...Rxd1!? is the best option, e.g., 34.Rxd1 g5 34.Rd6 g5?? 34...Kf8 would also give White a huge advantage 35.Rg1 Ne6 36.Qh4 f5 36...f6 leads to self-mate: 37.exf6 Qxf6 38.Rxd7 Re7 39.Rxe7 Kf8 40.Rxe6 Qb2+ 41.Rg2 Qxg2+ (not 41...gxh4 42.Rxb2 a6 43.Rh6 Kf7 44.Rh7+ Kf8 45.Rd2 Ke8 46.Bg6+ Kf8 47.Rd8#!) 42.Kxg2 gxh4 43.Bg6 a6 44.Bh5 Kg8 45.f5 Kg7 46.f6+ Kh7 47.Re5 Kh6 48.Bf7 b6 49.Rh5#! 37.Bxf5 Rxd6 38.cxd6 Qg7 38...Qd7 won't change the outcome of the game: 39.Bxe6+ Rxe6 40.Qxg5+ Kh7 41.Rg4 Qf7 42.Rh4+ Qh5 43.Rxh5+ Rh6 44.Rxh6#! 39.Bxe6+ Rxe6 40.Rxg5 Rg6 41.Rxg6 41.d7 also leads to mate: 41…Rxg5 42.d8Q+ Kf7 43.Qc7+ Ke8 44.Qb8+ Ke7 45.fxg5 Kf7 46.Qc4+ Kg6 47.Qe8+ Kxg5 48.Qg4+ Kh6 49.Qeh5# Qxg6 42.Qg5! Black resign because after the queens are swapped off White’s pawns can march to victory. 1–0
FCPL member Jobannie Tabada, who sent the games featured in this issue and who wrote about the league’s open tournament in last week’s issue of The Weekender, also executed the only checkmate in the Fide-rated tournament.
The game itself shows that Tabada is not your average player but one who plays quite sharply for a non-master. And, incredibly, he checkmated the only Filipino Fide master in the Emirates, Antonio Molina Sr.!
Jobannie Tabada – FM Antonio Molina Sr. (2189)
Rd 5, Sicilian Scheveningen/Najdorf (B87)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3 b5 8.a3 Bb7 9.0–0 If 9.Qe2 Nbd7 Nbd7 9...Nxe4 would have let Black equalize, e.g., 10.Nxe4 Bxe4 11.Bxe6 fxe6 12.Re1, with equality! 10.Re1 If 10.f3 Nc5! Rc8 11.Bg5 h6 12.Bh4 Nc5 13.Nd5!?
13.f3 Be7 leads to equality Nxb3 Fritz prefers 13...g5!? 14.Nxf6+ Qxf6! 14.Nxf6+! Restoring the balance gxf6 15.cxb3 Be7 16.Qg4! Preventing Black from castling short Kf8 17.Rad1 17.Qh3 f5 18.Bxe7+ Qxe7 19.exf5 is playable Rc5 Missing his best shot, 17...f5! 18.Bxe7+ Qxe7 19.exf5 Rg8!, and equality is restored 18.f3 18.b4!? Rc7 19.Qh5 gives White the edge Rg8 Regaining equality 19.Qf4 Rg6 20.Qe3 Kg8 21.Bg3 Qf8 22.Nf5 Better was 22.b4 Rc8 23.Nb3 d5?? With this move Black loses his initiative, according to Fritz, which suggests 22...exf5, e.g., 23.exf5 Rxg3 24.hxg3 Re5! 23.Nxe7+ Qxe7 24.b4 Rc2 25.exd5 e5 26.d6 Qd7 27.Rd2 Rc6 28.Red1 Kh7 29.f4 exf4 30.Qxf4 f5 30...Rc4 31.Qf1 f5 32.b3 would boost White’s lead 31.Rf1 Bc8 32.Qe5 Rc4 33.Qe7 Re4 34.Qxd7 Bxd7 35.Rc1 35.Bf4 Rge6 would have given White overwhelming advantage Rg8 Best was 35...f4 but it would have boosted White’s lead: 36.Bh4 Rc4! 36.Rc7 Rd8 37.Ra7 f4 37...Kg6 38.Bf2 Kf6 39.Bb6 favors White 38.Bf2 Be6 If 38...Bg4 39.Bc5! 39.Rxa6 39.d7! makes it even easier for White, says Fritz Rd7 40.Rb6 Bc4 41.b3 Be2 42.a4 bxa4 43.bxa4 f3 44.gxf3 Bxf3 45.Rb8 Rc4 46.Bg3 h5 47.a5 Kg6 48.b5 h4 49.Be5 Missing the more decisive 49.Be1!, e.g., 49...Re4 50.Kf2! f6 50.Bb2 Kg5 51.Kf2 51.Rg8+ keeps an even firmer grip: 51...Kf4 52.Bxf6 Rxd6 53.Rxd6 Rc1+ 54.Kf2 Rc2+ 55.Ke1 Rc1+ 56.Kd2 Rd1+ 57.Kc3 Rxd6 58.Bxh4! Bg4 52.a6 Bf5 53.b6 Rf4+ 54.Ke1 Ra4 54...Re4+ is a fruitless try to alter the course of the game, Fritz notes: 55.Re2 Rxe2+ 56.Kxe2, and White surges on 55.a7 Be4 56.Rf2 56.Rg8+ seems even better: 56...Kf5 57.Rf2+ Ke6 58.Rxf6+ Kd5 59.a8Q+ Rxa8 60.Rxa8, and White is a mile ahead 57.Rg8+ Kh3 58.Rf4 Rxd6 59.Bxf6 In the excitement, White misses the winning 59.b7! Bxb7 60.Rxa4, and wins Rxb6 60.Rxh4#! 1-0
Here is another lively game played in the same round between two rated players.
Axel John Valerio (1806) – Ernesto Yap (2072)
Rd 5, Modern Defense (B06)
1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.f4 c6 5.Nf3 Bg4 6.Bc4 e6 6...Bxf3 7.Qxf3 b5 8.Bb3 would have equalized 7.e5 d5 8.Bd3 Nd7 9.Be3 Ne7 10.h3 Bxf3 11.Qxf3 Nf5 12.Bf2 Qb6 13.0–0–0 13.Bxf5 exf5 14.0–0–0 0–0–0 is unclear 0–0–0 13...Nxd4!? 14.Bxd4 Qxd4 15.Bxg6 Qb4 leads also to equality 14.g4 Ne7 15.Bh4 Rde8 16.f5 Fritz says 16.Qe3 may be played gxf5 16...Qxd4 17.f6 Bh6+ 18.Kb1 Ng8 is playable 17.gxf5? Fritz prefers 17.Qf2, with equal chances Qxd4 Better than 17...Nxf5, e.g., 18.Bxf5 exf5 19.Rhg1 Bh6+ 20.Kb1 18.Bxe7 Rxe7 19.f6?! Dubious. 19.fxe6 fxe6 20.Bxh7 Qb6 favors Black Bh6+ Missing 19...Nxe5!, e.g., bag 20.Qg3 Nxd3+ 21.Rxd3 Qxf6! 20.Kb1 Ree8 Stronger than 20...Nxe5 21.Qh5 Ree8 22.Qxh6 Nxd3 23.Rxd3, and White surges on 21.Qh5 Bf4 22.Ne2 Qe3 22...Qxe5!? 23.Nxf4 Qxf4 should boost Black’s lead 23.Nxf4 Qxf4 24.Rhf1 24.Rde1 was the saving resource Qxe5 25.Qxf7 Rhf8 26.Qxh7 Rxf6 27.Rg1 Ref8 28.Rg7 Qd6 29.h4 e5 30.h5 Fritz suggests 30.c4! e4! 31.Be2 Kc7?? Releasing the pressure on the opponent. Best was 31...Rf2 32.Qxe4 dxe4 33.Rxd6 Nf6!, and Black is way ahead 32.Bg4 Rd8 33.Rg6?? Giving Black counterplay. Better was 33.c4 Rf2 34.c5 Qxc5 35.Rxd7+ Rxd7 36.Qxd7+ Kb6 37.Ka1 Kb6 34.Bxd7 Rxg6 35.hxg6 35.Bxc6 bxc6 36.hxg6 restores equality Qxd7 36.g7 Qe6 37.Rg1 Rg8 38.b3 Qf7 39.Rg6 a5 Best was 39...e3, e.g., 40.Rg2 Qf1+ 41.Kb2 Qxg2 42.Qxg8 Qe4! 40.Rf6??
A blunder. Better was 40.Rg3.
40…Qxg7 Black is now miles ahead. The text is better than 40...Qxf6?! 41.Qxg8 Qf1+ 42.Kb2 Qf6+ 43.Kb1 Qf1+ 44.Kb2 Qf6+ 45.Kb1, with the position level 41.Qf5 Qg1+ 42.Kb2 42.Qf1 offers the one last hope: 42...e3 43.Kb2 Qd4+ 43.Ka3 a4 43...Qc5+ leads to mate, e.g., 44.Kb2 Rg2 45.Qxe4 dxe4 46.Rxc6+ Kxc6 47.a4 Qxc2+ 48.Ka3 Qc1#! 44.c3 44.Qf2 offers the only chance to get some counterplay: 44...e3 45.Qe1 axb3 46.Kxb3 Qxf6 47.Qxe3+ c5!, and Black is way ahead Qc5+ 45.Kb2 a3+! White resigns with mate in the air. E.g., 46.Kb1 Qxc3 47.Qf2+ d4 48.Qd2 Rg1+ 49.Rf1 Rxf1+ 50.Qe1 Rxe1#! 0–1
25th LINARES-MORELIA SUPER G.M.
Great fighting chess expected
AS this is being written, the Linares phase of the world’s only super GM transatlantic tournament is being played after moving on to Spain from Morelia in Mexico.
Great fighting chess is expected in Linares since not one of the eight combatants had emerged unscathed from the first half of the event in Morelia.
The first half of the Category 21 tournament ended in Morelia with defending champion Viswanathan Anand of India and his first runner-up, Alexei Shirov, having one loss each.
Five others—Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria, Levon Aronian of Armenia, Magnus Carlsen of Norway, Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan, and Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine, in that order—had two losses each.
To Peter Leko of Hungary, who was obviously off form, belonged the dubious distinction of having three losses in the seven-round event.
Great fighting chess is expected right from the start in Linares because each of them, except for the two or three leaders, would try to reverse the trend set in Morelia.
One strong indicator of the fighting brand of chess in Morelia was the fact that less than half—or exactly 46 per cent as reported in ChessBase News—of the games there had ended in draws.
Strangely enough, champion Anand won all his games with Black and his only loss was with White.
His nemesis, Aronian, won twice with White and twice with Black.
On the other hand, Topalov won once with White and twice with Black, and lost once with each color.
Shirov, Radjabov and Ivanchuk had the most draws, 57 per cent each, while Anand and Leko had 43 per cent each and Aronian and Carlsen 42 per cent each.
Topalov demonstrated he was the “fightingest combatant” with only 28 per cent of his games ending in draws.
The standings after seven rounds in Morelia: 1. Anand (2799), 4.5; 2-3. Shirov (2755) and Topalov (2780), 4.0 each; 4-5. Aronian (2739) and Carlsen (2733), 4.0 each; 6-7. Radjabov (2735) and Ivanchuk (2751), 3.5 each; and 8. Leko (2753), 2.5.
M. Carlsen (2733) – L. Aronian (2739)
Rd 7, 25th Super GM, Morelia, Mexico 2008
Ruy Lopez, Anti-Marshall (C8)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0–0 8.a3 Bc5 9.c3 d6 10.d4 Bb6 11.h3 Re8 12.Bg5 h6 13.Bh4 exd4 14.cxd4 g5 15.Bg3 g4 15...Nxe4? leads to nothing, Fritz points out, e.g., 16.Bd5 Nxg3 17.Bxc6 Rxe1+ 18.Qxe1, and White surges ahead 16.hxg4 Bxg4 16...Rxe4? doesn't solve anything: 17.Rxe4 Nxe4 18.Bd5 Nxd4 19.Bh4 (if 19.Bxa8 Nxg3 20.Nc3 Bxg4, and Black is winning; 19.Nxd4?! is dubious, e.g., 19…Nxg3 20.fxg3 Qf6 21.Bxa8 Qxd4+ 22.Qxd4 Bxd4+ 23.Kf1 Bxb2, and White still has the edge; 19.Bxe4?! is also dubious, e.g., 19…d5 20.Bh7+ Kxh7 21.Nxd4 Qf6 22.Qc2+ Qg6, and White is way ahead) .Nxf2 20.Bxf2, with White surging ahead (20.Bxd8? looks tantalising, but 20...Nxd1 21.Kh2 Ra7 gives Black a big lead); 16...Nxe4? won't work, either: 17.Bd5 Nxg3 18.Bxc6 Rxe1+ 19.Qxe1 Bxg4 20.fxg3 Bxf3 21.gxf3 Bxd4+ 22.Kg2, and White is winning 17.Bh4 17.d5!? Ne5 18.Bxe5 dxe5 19.Nbd2 leads to drawing lines Nxd4!
18.Nc3 If 18.Qxd4 Bxd4 Bxf3 18...Nxb3?! 19.Qxb3 c6 20.e5 dxe5 21.Nxe5 Rxe5 22.Rxe5 also leads to equality 19.gxf3 Kh8 20.Nd5 Rg8+ 21.Kf1 Ng4 Threat: 22…Nh2#! 22.Qxd4+ Not 22.fxg4?? Qxh4 23.f3 Qh3+ (if 23...Nxb3?! 24.Nxb6 Nxa1 25.Nxa8 Qh1+ 26.Ke2 Qg2+ 27.Kd3, and Black is winning) 24.Kf2 Nxf3+ 25.Nxb6 Nxe1 26.Qd4+ Kh7 27.Kxe1 Rxg4!, winning (27...Qxb3?! 28.Nxa8 Rxg4 29.Rd1 greatly favors Black Bxd4 The mate threat is Qxh4 23.Bxd8 Nh2+ 24.Ke2 Raxd8 Less advisable is 24...Rgxd8 25.Rh1 (25.Nxc7?! Rac8 26.Nd5 Bxb2±) 25...Bxb2 26.Ra2±] 25.Rad1 25.Nxc7? is worthless because of 25...Rg2 (25...Bxb2?! 26.Ra2 Bd4 27.Rd1! (‹27.Bxf7 Rg2 28.Be6 Rxf2+ 29.Kd3 Rxa2 30.Bxa2 Nxf3–+; ‹27.Nxa6 Rg2!) 26.Kd3 Bxb2 favors Black (‹26...Nxf3 27.Re2, and Black wins) Bxb2 26.Rh1 c6 27.Nf4 Be5 28.Nd3 Nxf3 29.Kxf3 Bg7 29...Kg7 30.Ke2 Rh8 31.Rhg1+ Kf6 32.f4 gives White the edge (if 32.Nxe5 Kxe5 33.Bxf7 Kxe4, and White leads) 30.Rh5 30.Bxf7?Rgf8 doesn't lead to anything significant d5 31.exd5 Rd6 32.Rf5 cxd5 33.Rc1 Rf6 Fritz suggests 33...Rgd8! 34.Rxf6 Bxf6 35.Rc6 Kg7 36.Nf4 Bg5 37.Nh5+ Kh8 38.Rxa6 d4 38...Rd8 39.Ke2 favors White 39.Ke4 Rg6 40.Ra7 1–0
As this is being written, there are indications that Latvian-Spanish superstar Shirov is like a house on fire and may yet pull off a miracle in Spain, his adopted country despite going back to Latvia where he lives with his current wife, Lithuanian IM Victorija Cmilyte.
Shirov, author of the bestselling Fire on Board, has long been among the world’s greatest players for over a decade and it is about time he won Spain’s most prestigious tournament.
He is one player who can be invincible when in fine form but hopelessly unpredictable when out of sync.
Another combatant who may yet get over the hump is Levon Aronian, who had been in contention for the plum until the last round when Carlsen pulled the rug from under his feet (see previous page).
Carlsen himself is also a candidate for a major prize. Last year, he finished second only to champion Anand.
Shirov seems to have awakened from a long stupor in the current Linares-Morelia Super GM as shown in the following game, his win against the new superstar from Baku, Azerbaijan.
A. Shirov (2755) – T. Radjabov (2735)
Rd 7, 25th Super GM, Morelia, Mexico 2008
King’s Indian Defense (E99)
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 is unclear Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Ne1 Nd7 10.Be3 f5 11.f3 f4 12.Bf2 g5 13.Nd3 h5 14.c5 Gaining a distinct advantage Nf6 15.Rc1 g4 16.Nb5 Ne8 16...b6!? was better but White would still be ahead: 17.cxb6 cxb6 17.fxg4 a6 18.Nc3 hxg4 19.Bxg4 Nf6 20.Bxc8 Rxc8 21.g3 21.Qb3 Rb8 would have boosted White’s lead Qe8 22.Kh1 Qg6 23.Qe2 f3 24.Qxf3 Nfxd5 25.Nxd5 If 25.exd5 Rxf3 Nxd5 Not 25...Rxf3?? because of 26.Nxe7+ Kf7 27.Nxg6 Rxd3 28.Nh4!, and White surges on 26.Qe2 Nf6 27.Rce1 Qf7 28.g4 Qg6 28...Qxa2 29.g5 Nh7 30.cxd6 cxd6 31.Qg4 is unclear 29.h3 Rf7 30.Kg2 Nd7 If 30...Rcf8 31.Bh4 31.Bg1 Qe6 32.b3 Rxf1 33.Rxf1 d5 34.g5 a5 35.h4 Qc6 36.Re1 Rf8 36...d4 is an interesting idea, says Fritz 37.exd5! Taking a quantum leap Qxd5+ 38.Qe4!
Eyeball to eyeball in a bid to launch a mating attack.
38…c6 39.Bh2 Qe6 40.Bg3 Rf5 41.a3 Rf7 Not 41...Kf8 because of 42.Bf4! 42.b4 Qa2+ Not 42...axb4 43.axb4 Rf5 44.Ra1!, and White is winning 43.Re2 Qxa3? Better but inadequate was 43...Qa1 44.g6!
Black resigns. If 44…Rf8 45.Qc4+! Kh8 46.Ra2! 1–0
The pairings in the eighth round (first round in Linares): Anand vs Shirov, Ivanchuk vs Carlsen, Radjabov vs Leko, and Aronian vs Topalov.
Last year, Anand won the overall prize, followed by Carlsen and Alexander Morozevich of Russia.
The final standings in the 2007 Linares-Morelia Super GM Tournament: 1. Anand, 8.5; 2-3. Carlsen and Morozevich, 7.5; 4-5. Aronian and Peter Svidler, 7.0; 6. Ivanchuk, 6.5; 7-8. Topalov and Leko, 6.0.
Radjabov was absent last year but had won the event in previous years. It was also in Linares that he upset the first famous player from Baku, former world No. 1 Garry Kasparov.
The world’s No. 1 junior player later accused Kasparov of working hard to bar him from international competitions.
Meanwhile, Morozevich has withdrawn from Fide’s Grand Prix, saying that the current world championship elimination series is flawed.
“The whole system for playing the world championship is flawed,” he said in an interview with the Sport Express.
He said he was joining Anand, Topalov and Vladimir Kramnik in boycotting the Grand Prix organized by Fide.
FISCHER ESTATE CLAIMS SETTLEMENT SEEN
Jinky likely to share in $2.1m
PROSPECTS have brightened for the equitable sharing of Bobby Fischer’s estate, to be worth 1.07 million British pounds (about US$2.1 million), between two major claimants, his Filipino daughter Jinky and his Japanese widow, Miyoko Watai.
Jinky’s lawyers, Samuel Estimo and Rudy Tacorda, have been talking with Ms. Watai’s legal counsel, Armi Vilhjamson, in Reykjavik, Iceland for an out-of-court settlement of the inheritance dispute.
Jinky is the daughter of the late chess icon and his girlfriend, Marilyn Young of Davao, whom he met in Baguio City in 2000.
Ms. Watai, president of the Japanese Chess Federation, claims that she and Fischer got married in a Japanese civil ceremony while he was in detention by Japanese immigration authorities while awaiting deportation to the United States in 2005.
Prospects are high that the settlement can be forged by Fischer’s heirs at the private administration level of the Probate Division Office of the Reykjavik District Commissioner in Iceland, according to Estimo.
This means that Jinky and Watai may evenly divide the estate.
Most of Fischer’s estate consists of cash and gold deposits in the Landhamski bank. It will also possibly include royalties from a film on Fischer’s life.
Deputy Commissioner Birma Salome Bjornsdottir of Reykjavik has confirmed to Estimo that the claims of both heirs can be settled in a private administration proceeding to be conducted by her office after all pieces of evidence have been submitted.
If no agreement is reached between the claimants, the case will be elevated to the courts, which will likely require the exhumation of Fischer’s remains for DNA testing.
“Bobby would not like to get up for another round of chess after he had already resigned. That is why we will settle for a draw in the endgame over his estate,” Estimo quipped.
Fischer, who had embraced Icelandic citizenship, lived in Reykjavik from mid-2005 until his death last January.
The Icelandic government had offered him sanctuary as a condition for his release from detention by the Japanese immigration authorities in 2005.
He was arrested at Japan’s Narita Airport in July 2004 while he was about to board a flight to Manila on an American passport that had allegedly been invalidated without his knowledge.
Japanese immigration officers charged him with using invalid travel documents and were just waiting word from Washington, DC for his deportation when his Icelandic friends came to his rescue.
It was in Reykjavik that he won the world chess crown from Boris Spassky, the Soviet world champion, in 1972.
Fischer and Spassky had a return match in Budapest in 1992, the year when the old Yugoslavia was under sanctions as an international pariah by the United Nations.
He allegedly violated the UN and US sanctions by playing the match in Budapest and became a fugitive from American justice, prompting him to live abroad until his arrest in 2004.
At the time of his arrest, he was on his way to Baguio City where he had lived since the start of the new millennium. He was in Baguio when he uttered anti-American and anti-Jewish statements during a radio interview soon after the Al Qaeda terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon in Virginia.
This aroused US indignation that led to his being hunted once more as a fugitive who had given aid and comfort to terrorists behind the infamous 9/11 attack.
Meanwhile, a column in the New York Times paying tribute to Fischer’s genius by popular American talk show host Dick Cavett has apparently won over many fans who realized Fischer’s contribution to US prestige as the greatest chess player of all time.
In his column, Cavett recalled Fischer’s role in wresting the world chess crown almost single-handedly against the massive resources of the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War.
Cavett also recalled the human side of the young Fischer, who had been the idol of millions of his fellow Americans in the seventies.
In fact, Fischer is the only world chess champion proclaimed as such in a resolution by the US Congress soon after he was stripped of the title in 1976 for his refusal to play against the Soviet challenger, Anatoly Karpov.
Fischer is buried in a Protestant churchyard but in Catholic rites as per his wishes, according to Ms Watai.—Marlon Bernardino
2008 U.S. AMATEUR TEAM WEST
Banawa bros’ team wins 2nd prize
TWO multinational teams with Filipino players ran off with the second and third prizes in the 85th annual US Amateur Team West Championship held recently at the LAX Hilton in Los Angeles, California.
The plum went to the “We Have Cox” squad composed of Robby Adamson (2365) on board one, 3.5 points, Landon Brownel (2222), board two, 5.0, Jonathan Cox (2085), board three, 5.5, and Benjamin Marmon (2017), board four, 5.5.
In second place was “Sunil! Where’s Hikaru?” led by Jouaquin Banawa (2426), board one, 4.5, and his brother Joel (2398), board two, 4.0, Takashi Kurosaki (2129), board three, 5.0, and Sunil Delalikar (1764), board four, 2.5.
The “Dream Team” led by Filipino IM Enrico Sevillano (2594) on board one took the third prize. With Sevillano were John Daniel Bryant (2257) on board two, 4.0, Michael Anthony Yee (2102), 2.5, and Santy B. Wong (1922), board four, 4.0.
GM Sergey Kudrin (2629) on board one with 5.0 and IM Andranik Matikozyan (2523) on board three with 5.5, led the fourth prizewinner, “Thank You Prime Trucking.” With them were Robert Feldstein, Esq. (2014) on board three, 1.0, and Ronald A. Morris (2080), board four, 3.5.
Los Angeles Times columnist IM Jack Peters (2460) led the fifth prizewinner, “The troJacks,” on board one with 5.0 points. With him were Etan Jilfield (2246) on board two with 3.0, Simon Nielsen (2081), board three, 5.0, Colin Field-Eaton (1922), board four, 4.0, and Leland T. Farrar (1755), reserve, 1.5.
A total of 49 teams saw action at LAX Hilton from February 16 to 18.
Eight qualify for finals in Ibero-Americano joust
BRAZILIAN GM Giovanni Vescovi topped the list of eight qualifiers from the Ibero-Americano Championship for the finals currently being held in Linares, Spain.
With him were Oscar de la Riva of Andalusia, Diego Flores of Argentina, Lazaro Bruzon of Cuba, Julio Granda of Peru, Eduardo Itturizaga of Venezuela, Axel Bachman of Paraguay, and Holden Hernandez of Cuba.
De la Riva took the place of Group A qualifier Juan C. Gonzales who could not make it to Spain.
The eight were the champions and first runners-up in four groups of the championship held in Morelia, Mexico, in conjunction with the main event of the Linares-Morelia Super GM.
A total of 24 players from Latin America competed in four groups. The championship will be held alongside the Super GM event.
De Firmian, Ivanov in tie for 1st-2nd in Bermuda Open
AMERICAN GMs Nick de Firmian and Alexander Ivanov shared the first and second prizes in the Bermuda Open held from February 7 to 11, according to Nigel P.B. Freeman in The Week in Chess Internet magazine earlier this week.
Ivanov, however, took the trophy and a return trip on a playoff . They had 4.5 each.
Untitled Bermudan player Moses Mufandzaedza (1920) upset his titled and higher-rated rivals to capture the third prize solo half a point behind.
Four others—IMs Lawrence Cooper of England and Dean Ipolito of the USA, American FM Paul McIntyre and US Master Denis Strenzwilk—tied for fourth to seventh with 3.5 each.
In eighth to 12th places with 3.0 points apiece were Conrad Ho of Canada, WIM Esther Epstein of the USA, Michael Radford of Bermuda, Gordon Ritchie of Canada, and Doug Pachiana of the USA, in that order on tiebreak.
A total of 32 players played in the former British island colony in the Atlantic off the US East Coast.
PINOY GEMS WITH A HISTORY
Sanchez in hot pursuit of GM title
NOW that he has achieved his first grandmaster result in the Cannes Festival on the French Riviera, IM Joseph Sanchez is determined more than ever to capture the title. And he hopes it will be within the year.
The Paris-based Filipino expatriate told The Weekender in an email that he is currently preparing for his next tournament. It will be held shortly in Spain, where he often travels in hot pursuit of the GM title.
In his brief letter, the 37-year-old bachelor, who admits having sired a son but has no permanent commitment to anyone at the moment, said he enjoys playing in Spain where he has many fans.
Judging by the quality of his games, as in the 2006 Marseilles marathon where he outplays a Russian GM to be able to stay in the race for a GM norm, his fans here and abroad are confident that the coveted title is within his grasp.
Unfortunately, however, Joseph said his “must win” game in the final round against English GM Glenn Flear ended in a draw, resulting in his missing the norm by half a point.
J. Sanchez – Konstantin Landa
Marseilles Festival, France 2006
Classical Caro-Kann (B19)
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Nf3 Nd7 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 e6 11.Bf4 Qa5+ 12.Bd2 Bb4 13.c3 Be7 14.0–0 Ngf6 15.Rfe1 0–0 Not 15...Nxh5?.c4 Nf4 17.Bxf4! 16.Ne5 Rad8 17.Qe2 Rfe8 17...Nxe5 18.dxe5 Nd7 19.Bf4 would have equalized 18.b4 Qa4 19.f4 Bd6 20.Qf3 a5 21.a3 Qb3 22.bxa5 c5 Not 22...Bxa3? 23.Reb1 Qc2 24.Qd3 Qxd3 25.Nxd3! 23.Rab1 Qa2 23...Qa4 24.Qxb7 cxd4 25.Qb3 Qxb3 26.Rxb3 dxc3 27.Bxc3 is unclear 24.Be3 Bc7 25.Rxb7 Bxa5 26.Nxd7 Better than 26.dxc5 Bxc3 27.Re2 Qa1+ 28.Qf1 Qxa3 29.Nxf7 Kxf7, with equal chances Nxd7 27.Ne4! Taking a quantum leap Qd5 Not 27...Qxa3 28.dxc5 f5 29.Nd6 Bxc3 30.Nxe8 Bxe1 31.c6 Rxe8 32.cxd7! 28.dxc5 f5 29.Nd6 Nxc5 30.Rxg7+ Kxg7 31.Bd4+ Kf8 32.Qxd5 exd5 33.Nxe8?? Giving the opponent new chances. Better was 33.Rxe8+! Ne4?? Missing the equalizer, 33...Nb3! 34.Nf6 34.Ng7 seems even better: 34...Rc8 35.Re3! Bxc3 35.Rxe4!
White sacrifices the exchange to remove a defender.
35...fxe4 If 35...dxe4 36.Bxc3 36.Bxc3 Kf7 37.Bd4 Ke6 38.Ng4 38.g4 seems even better, says Fritz Rc8 39.Nxh6 Rc4 40.f5+ Kd7 41.Be5 Best was 41.Be3! e3 42.Bg3 42.Kf1!? might be quicker Rc1+ 43.Kh2 e2? 44.Ng4 Rf1 45.Nf6+ Ke7 46.Nxd5+ Kf7 47.Kh3 Rxf5 48.Nc3 Re5 49.Be1 Not 49.Bxe5 e1=Q! Re3+ 50.Kg4 Rd3 51.Ne4 Best was 51.Nxe2, e.g., 51...Re3 52.Bb4! Rxa3 52.Ng5+ Kg7 53.Nf3 Kh7 54.Kf4 Ra4+ 55.Kf5 Ra3 56.Ng5+ Kh6 57.g4 Rd3 58.Nf7+ Kg7 59.Ne5 Rh3 60.Kf4 Fritz prefers 60.Ke4 Ra3 61.Nd3! Kh6 61.Nf3 Rxh5 61...Rh1 was necessary 62.gxh5 Kxh5 63.Kf5 Kh6 64.Kf6 Kh5- 65.Kf5 65.Ne5 should tighten White’s grip Kh6 66.Nd4 Kg7 67.Nxe2 Kf7 68.Bh4 Kg7 69.Nf4 Kf7 70.Bg5 Kg7 71.Ke6 Kf8 72.Ng6+ Ke8 73.Ne5 Kf8 74.Kd7 Kg7 75.Ke7 Kg8 76.Bh6 Kh7 77.Bf8 Kg8 78.Nd7
Black resigns in the face of a mate in three: 78…Kh7 79.Kf7 Kh8 80.Bg7+ Kh7 81.Nf6#! 1–0
Before he left for abroad, IM Sanchez already had the ability to beat grandmasters, as in the following game:
B. Villamayor – J. Sanchez
Nat'l Ch, Quezon City
Queen’s Gambit Declined, Cambridge Springs (D52)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Qc2 e6 5.Bg5 Nbd7 6.e3 Qa5+ 7.Nc3 Ne4 8.cxd5 Bb4 9.Qxe4 Bxc3+ 10.Kd1 cxd5 11.Qc2 Bb4 12.Bd3 Bd6 13.Ke2 Nb6 14.Nd2 Bd7 15.Nb3 Qa4 16.Nd2 e5 17.Qxa4 Nxa4 Better than 17...Bxa4 18.b3 Bd7 19.dxe5 Bxe5 20.Rac1 18.Rhb1 If 18.Rab1 Rc8 Rc8 Better than 18...f6 19.Bh4 e4 20.Nxe4 dxe4 21.Bxe4! 19.Kd1 19.e4!? exd4 20.exd5! may be better f6 20.Bh4 exd4 21.exd4 Bxh2 22.Nf1 Bc7 23.Bg3? Missing his best shot, 23.Ne3 Nb6 24.Rc1! Bb6!
Seizing the lead.
24.Kd2 24.a3 Bxd4 25.Ra2 Kf7 favors Black Bxd4 25.Rc1 Kf7 26.Ne3 Nxb2 27.Rab1 27.Nf5 is not the saving move: 27...Nxd3 28.Kxd3 Bxf5+ 29.Kxd4 Bc2! Bxe3+! The persuader: 28.Kxe3 Nxd3 29.Kxd3 Bf5+ 30.Kd4 Bxb1 31.Rxb1 b6! 0–1
MY FAVORITES
Topalov, master of the bizarre
I HAVE been following the career of Bulgarian GM Veselin Topalov since I read, if my memory is correct, in a 1993 British Chess Magazine issue that he had become the world’s “winningest player” in the previous year.
Since then, I have tried playing over his games and was impressed with his style of play. Among all the leading players since then, he seems to be the one who has come up with the most bizarre ideas, all aimed at catching his opponent by surprise.
I was not surprised, therefore, that he won the world crown in 2005, topping the tournament organized by Fide in Argentina. Media reports that time, however, were nearly unanimous in expressing surprise, giving rise to the suspicion that he may have “cheated.”
One report even said he was getting signals from his manager, Silvio Danailov, whom he used to thrash in tournaments. It was all baloney of course, which the unthinking press swallowed hook, line and sinker.
Let his games defend him in this regard.
Veselin Topalov – Garry Kasparov
Rd 1, Amsterdam 1996
Sicilian Scheveningen/Najdorf (B86)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3 Nbd7 8.f4 Nc5 9.0–0 Ncxe4 10.Nxe4 Nxe4 11.f5 e5 12.Qh5 Not 12.Re1 Nf6 13.g4 Be7! Qe7 12...d5! was stronger, e.g.,13.Re1 Bc5 14.Rxe4 0–0! 13.Qf3! Nc5 14.Nc6 Qc7 15.Bd5 a5 16.Bg5 Ra6?? Ruining his own position Fritz prefers 16...Bd7 17.Nd8 White now has the edge f6 Not 17...Be7 18.Nxf7 Rf8 19.Qh5 Bxg5 20.Nxg5+ Kd8 21.Nxh7!, and White surges on 18.Nf7 Rg8 19.Be3 19.Nh6 fxg5 20.Nxg8 Kd8 would have boosted White’s lead g6 19...e4 20.Qf2 g6 would have benefited White 20.Ng5! Rg7 If 20...fxg5 21.fxg6 21.fxg6 Rxg6 21...hxg6 22.Qxf6 Qe7 would help White 22.Bf7+ Qxf7 23.Nxf7 Kxf7 24.Bxc5 dxc5 25.Rad1 Be7 26.Rd5 Bg4 27.Qe4 Kg7 28.Rfd1 Missing the best line, 28.Qa4!? Kh6 29.Rd7 Bxd7 30.Qxd7 Bxd1 29.Rxd1 Re6 30.Qf5 Better was 30.Qxb7 f5 31.Rd5! Kf7 31.Re1 b6 32.h4 Rg7 33.Kf1 Bd6 34.Kf2 Bc7 35.Kf3 Ke7 36.Re4 Kf7 36...Rd6 might be a viable alternative 37.Rg4 Re7 38.Ke4 Rxg4+ 39.Qxg4 Bd8 40.a4 Kf8 41.c3 Rg7 42.Qc8 Ke8 43.Qe6+ Kf8 44.g4 Rf7 45.h5 Rg7 46.h6 Rg6 47.Qd5 Threatening 47.Qxd8+ for a mating attack Be7 48.Kf5 Rxh6 49.Qb7 49.Ke6 f5+ 50.Kxf5 Rg6 and White is on the way to victory e4 Fritz suggests 49...Kf7!, reducing White’s lead 50.Qb8+ Kf7 51.Qxb6 e3 52.Qe6+ Ke8 53.Qxe3 Rg6 54.Qe4 Rg5+ 55.Kf4 Kd7 56.Qb7+ Ke6 57.Qc8+ Kf7 58.Qc7 h5 59.gxh5 Rxh5 60.Qxa5 Bd6+ 61.Ke4 f5+ 62.Kd5 Be7 63.Qc7 Rh6 64.a5 Rd6+ 65.Ke5 Rf6 66.Qc8!
Black resigns as he cannot avoid mate. 1–0
V. Topalov – V. Kramnik
Rd 9, Corus Super GM, Wijk aan Zee 2008
Semi-Slav (D43)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 4...dxc4 5.e3 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 dxc4 7.e4 g5 8.Bg3 b5 9.Be2 Bb7 10.0–0 Nbd7 11.Ne5 Bg7 12.Nxf7?? 12.Qc2 was the leveler Kxf7 13.e5 Nd5 14.Ne4 Ke7 15.Nd6 Qb6 16.Bg4 Raf8 17.Qc2 Qxd4?? Black is ruining his position. 17...Rhg8 was the best, e.g., 18.Rfd1 Ba8! 18.Qg6 Threatening 17.Qxe6#! Qxg4 19.Qxg7+ Kd8 20.Nxb7+ Kc8 21.a4 b4 22.Rac1 c3 22...Rfg8 23.Nd6+ Kc7 24.Qf7 would have equalized 23.bxc3 b3? 24.c4 Rfg8 25.Nd6+ Kc7 26.Qf7 Rf8 27.cxd5 Rxf7 28.Rxc6+ Kb8 29.Nxf7 Re8 29...Qe2 30.Rc3 Qb2 31.Rfc1 still leads to White winning 30.Nd6 If 30.Nxh6 Qxa4 31.Rxe6 Nb6 32.Rxb6+ axb6 33.e6+ Ka8 Rh8 31.Rc4 Qe2 32.dxe6 Nb6 33.Rb4 Ka8 34.e7 34.Rxb3!? Qg4 boosts White’s lead Nd5 35.Rxb3 Nxe7 36.Rfb1 Nd5 37.h3 h5 37...Nf4 38.R3b2 Qd3 39.Bxf4 gxf4 40.Nf7 favors White 38.Nf7 Rc8 39.e6!
Releasing the power of the bishop for a mating attack via Rb8+!
39...a6 Creating a flight square for the king. Not 39...Qexe6 40.Rb8+! 40.Nxg5 h4 41.Bd6 Rg8 41...Re8 hardly improves anything: 42.e7! Nxe7 43.Re3! 42.R3b2 42.e7 makes it even easier for White, says Fritz: 42...Nxe7 43.R3b2 Qc4 44.Bxe7! Qd3 42...Qc4 does not win a prize: 43.e7 Nxe7 44.Bxe7! 43.e7 Nf6 43...Nxe7 offers the only chance to get some counterplay: 44.Bxe7 Qd5, and White surges ahead 44.Be5 Nd7 45.Ne6!, and Black resigns. 1–0
It is said that the opening was a home preparation by GM Ivan Cheparinov, Topalov’s second, for the world title match between him as Fide world champion and Kramnik as classical world champion in 2006 at Elista.
GAMES OF GIFTED KIDS
Veselin a late starter but a fast riser
VESELIN TOPALOV learned the game of chess at the age of eight—quite late for anyone wishing to be a world champion someday. Apparently, however, he was a quick learner because six years later he won the world under-14 crown.
Veselin was born on March 15, 1975 in Rousse, Bulgaria and in 1983 learned the moves from his father. No mention is made in his Wikipedia biography of his training during his childhood and adolescence.
In 1989 he captured the world under-14 title and a year later the silver in the world under-16 championship.
Veselin was only 17 when he became a full-fledged grandmaster and a year later, in 1994 when he won the national crown, he led the Bulgarian national team to a fourth-place finish at the 30th World Olympiad in Moscow.
Even as a 13-year-old, Topalov used to win in brilliant fashion, despite making mistakes, as the following game would show.
Lizbov – V. Topalov
Moscow IT, 1988
Sicilian Najdorf (B92)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8.0–0 0–0 9.f4 Nbd7 10.a4 b6 Most of Black’s moves have been prophylactic so far 11.Bf3 Bb7 12.Qe1 Rc8 13.Qg3 Rxc3 14.bxc3 Nxe4 15.Bxe4 Bxe4 16.Qf2 Qc7 17.Re1 f5 18.Bb2 d5 19.Rad1 exf4 20.Nd4 Rf6 21.Kh1 Best was 21.Bc1!?, but it would also lead to Black’s surging ahead, e.g., 21…Bd6! Rg6 Black is now way ahead 22.Nf3 Nf6 23.h3 Rg3 24.Kh2? Worsening his position. Fritz suggests 24.Qf1! Qd6 24...Bc5 was also playable 25.c4 Ng4+!
Launching a decisive attack with the offer of his knight to breach Whites main defense line, Fritz notes.
26.Kh1 Not 26.hxg4+ Bxf3! Nxf2+ 27.Kh2 Qg6 28.Rg1 28.Kg1 leads also to mate, e.g., 28...Nxh3+ 29.Kh2 Rxg2+ 30.Kxh3 Qg3#! Bxf3 29.gxf3 Nxd1 Missing a mate in one: 29…Rxh3#! Nonetheless, White resigns because of 30.Bd4 Rxg1 31.Bxg1 Qg3+ 32.Kh1 Qxh3+ 33.Bh2 Qxf3+ 34.Kg1 Bc5#. 0–1
V. Topalov – R. Mantovani
Forli IT, 1988
Queen’s Indian Defense (E12)
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 b6 3.c4 e6 4.a3 Bb7 5.Nc3 d5 6.cxd5 Nxd5 7.Qc2 Nxc3 8.bxc3 Be7 9.e3 0–0 10.Bd3 h6 11.0–0 c5 12.Qe2 Qc8 13.Bb2 Nc6 14.Rad1 Re8 15.c4 cxd4 16.exd4 Bf6 17.Qe4 g6 18.Qe3 Bg7 19.h4 Ne7 20.h5 Nf5 21.Qe2 g5 22.Ne5 Qc7 23.Qg4 Fritz suggests 23.Rfe1!? Nh4 Equalizing 24.f4 f5 25.Qg3 Bxe5 25...Nxg2 keeps the balance 26.dxe5 Better than 26.fxe5 Bxg2 27.Rf4 Kh8! Qe7 27.Rf2 Rad8 28.Bc3 Rd7 28...Qxa3 29.fxg5 Kh8 would have restored the balance 29.Bb4 Qd8 30.Bd6 Missing 30.Rfd2 Bxg2 31.Be2!, and White surges ahead Rg7! 31.Bf1 gxf4 32.Qxf4 Qg5 Increases the pressure on the backward pawn 33.Rd4 33.Qxg5! was best, e.g., 33...Rxg5 34.Rd3! Be4! 34.Rxe4 34.Qxg5!? must be considered, says Fritz: 34...Rxg5 35.Bb4 Nf3+ 36.Rxf3 Bxf3 37.Bd2 fxe4 35.Qxe4 Kh8 36.Qc6 Stronger was 36.Bf8 Rd7 37.Bxh6 Qxh5 38.Rf6! Reg8?? Giving the opponent counterplay 37.Bf8² Rh7?? 37...Nf5 was necessary, e.g., 38.Bxg7+ Nxg7 38.Qxe6 White now has a huge advantage Rc7 38...Qd8 39.Qf6+ Qxf6 40.Rxf6 helps the enemy 39.Bxh6 39.Qd6 might be quicker: 39...Nf5 40.Qxc7! Qxh5 40.Qf6+ Kh7 41.Bd2 Rd7??
The losing moment.
42.e6 Missing the decisive blow: 42.Be2!, e.g., 41…Rg6 43.Bxh5 Rxf6 44.exf6! Nxg2 43.Bxg2 Rdg7 44.Qf4 Qd1+ 45.Kh2 Rxg2+ 46.Rxg2 Qh5+ 47.Kg1 Qd1+ 48.Kf2 Rxg2+ 49.Kxg2 Qe2+ 50.Kg3 50.Kg1 keeps an even firmer grip: 50...Qxe6 51.Qc7+ Kg6 52.Qxa7! Qxe6 51.Qh4+ Kg6 52.Qg4+ Kf7 53.Qxe6+ Kxe6 54.Kf4 Kd6 55.Be3 Kc6 55...Ke6 won’t change the course of events, e.g, 56.Bd4!,and White is a mile ahead 56.Ke5 b5 57.c5 a6 58.Kd4 a5 59.Bd2! Black resigns as mate is in the air, e.g.,59…Bd2 b4 60.Bxb4 axb4 61.axb4 Kd7 62.Kd5 Ke7 63.b5 Kf6 64.b6 Kg6 65.c6 Kg5 66.b7 Kg4 67.c7 Kg5 68.c8Q Kf4 69.b8Q+ Kf3 70.Qh2 Ke3 71.Qc3#! 1–0
CHESS MAGIC
Topalov’s wizardry par excellence
IT is the creative player like former world champion Veselin Topalov who often produces sparkling gems with magical quality. His creative style, which exploits the element of surprise, often leads to wild and woolly battles of wit, win or lose.
One hallmark of that style is its sharply fluctuating results. Another is that when off form, the creative player often plays badly simply because he overextends himself while chasing a will-‘o-the-wisp.
Topalov’s games are like that. But here, I have selected only his spellbinding wins.
V. Topalov – R. Ponomariov
M-Tel Masters, Sofia 2005
Queen’s Indian Defense (E15)
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.b3 Prophylaxis Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Be7 7.Nc3 0–0 8.Rc1 c6 Again, prophylaxis 9.e4 d5 10.e5 Ne4 11.Bd3 Nxc3 12.Rxc3 c5 13.dxc5 bxc5 Not 13...Bxc5? 14.Bxh7+! Kh8 15.Ng5!, and White dominates the game, says Fritz 14.h4 h6 Another prophylactic move 15.Bb1 f5? Needlessly weakening the position, says another computer, Rybka. Better is 15. ... Nd7 16. Bxh6!? f5 (16...gxh6? 17.Qc2 f5 18.exf6 Rxf6 19.Qh7+ Kf8 20.Ng5! mates in 8 moves) 17. Bf4 Qa5, which may have given black good chances for equality.16.exf6 Bxf6 17.Qc2 d4 17...Nc6 should be tried says Fritz 18.Re3 dxc4 18.Ng5!!
Threatening 19.Qh7#!
19…hxg5 19.hxg5 dxc3 20.Bf4 Kf7 If 20...Nc6 21.Qg6 c2 22.Bxc2 Bc3+ 23.Kf1 Qd1+ 24.Bxd1! 21.Qg6+ Ke7 22.gxf6+ Rxf6 23.Qxg7+ Rf7 24.Bg5+! Kd6 25.Qxf7 Not 25.Bxd8? Rxg7 26.Bf6 Rg4!, and Black is winning Qxg5 26.Rh7 Qe5+ 26...Qd8 is necessary, otherwise it's curtains at once: 27.Be4 Nd7 28.Qf4+ Ne5 29.Bxa8! 27.Kf1 Kc6 28.Qe8+ Kb6 29.Qd8+ Kc6 30.Be4+!! Black resigns in a hopeless situation, e.g., 30…Qxe4 31 Qb7#! 1-0
V. Topalov – L. Aronian
Rd 10, Corus Super GM, Wijk aan Zee 2006
Queen’s Indian Defense (E15)
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.b3 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Be7 7.Bg2 c6 8.Bc3 d5 9.Ne5 Nfd7 10.Nxd7 Nxd7 11.Nd2 0–0 12.0–0 Nf6 13.e4 b5 14.exd5 exd5 15.Re1 Rb8 16.c5 Bc8 17.Nf3 Ne4 18.Rxe4 dxe4 19.Ne5 Qd5 20.Qe1 Bf5 21.g4 Bg6 The best 22.f3 b4 23.fxe4 Qe6 24.Bb2 Better than 24.Bxb4 Bf6! Bf6 25.Nxc6 Qxc6 26.e5 Qa6 27.exf6 Rfe8 27...Qxf6!? should be examined more closely, Fritz notes, e.g., 28.Qf2 Qg5 28.Qf1 White has the edge Qe2 29.Qf2 Qxg4 30.h3 Qg5 31.Bc1 Qh5 32.Bf4 Rbd8 33.c6! Be4 34.c7 Rc8 35.Re1 Qg6 35...Bxg2 was best, e.g., 36.Rxe8+ Rxe8 37.Qxg2 Qd1+ 38.Kh2 g6, and the balance is restored 36.Rxe4!
The central breakthrough.
36…Rxe4 37.d5! Rce8?? 37...Qf5 is better White still forges ahead: 38.Bxe4 Qxe4, and White forges ahead 38.d6! Re1+ 39.Kh2 Qf5 39...Qxf6 leads to self-mateL 40.d7 g5 41.c8=Q Rxc8 42.dxc8=Q+ Qd8 43.Qxd8+ Re8 44.Qxg5+ Kh8 45.Be5+ Rxe5 46.Qff6#! 40.Qg3 g6 41.Qg5 Qxg5 42.Bxg5 Rd1 43.Bc6 Re2+ 44.Kg3! 1–0
P. Leko (2753) – V. Topalov (2780)
Rd 7, Morelia Super GM, Mexico 2008
Sicilian Scheveningen (B80)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e6 7.f3 b5 8.Qd2 b4 9.Na4 Nbd7 10.c4 bxc3 11.Nxc3 Bb7 12.Be2 Be7 12...d5 13.exd5 Nxd5 14.Nxd5 Bxd5 15.0–0 would have equalized 13.0–0 0–0 14.Rac1 Qb8 15.Rfd1 Rd8 16.Kh1 d5 17.exd5 Nxd5 Not 17...Bxd5? 18.Nxd5 Nxd5 19.Nc6! 18.Nxd5 Bxd5 19.Bc4 Nf6 20.Qe2 Exerting pressure on the isolated pawn Qb7 21.b3 h6 22.Bf2 Rd7 23.Rc2 Bxc4 24.Rxc4 Not 24.Qxc4? e5! Rad8 25.Rf1 Rd6 Again missing the equalizing 25...Rc8 26.Rfc1 Rxc4 27.Rxc4, and the balance is restored 26.Qc2 Bf8 27.Nc6 Re8 28.b4 e5 29.Na5 29.Re1 Qd7 30.Bh4 Rd2 gives Black a chance to equalize Qb5 30.Bc5 Rd5! 31.Bxf8 Rxf8 32.Re1 Rfd8 33.Nb3 Rd1!? 34.Qxd1 34.Rxd1 was playable, e.g., 34...Rxd1+ 35.Qxd1 Qxc4 36.Qc1 Qxb4 37.Qc8+ Kh7 38.Qf5+ g6 39.Qxe5, with equality Rxd1!
35.Rc8+ Kh7 36.Rxd1 e4 37.fxe4?? Ng4 38.Rc5 38.Rdc1 Qe5 39.Kg1 Qxh2+ 40.Kf1 Qf4+ 41.Ke2 Qxe4+ 42.Kd2 Qxb4+ 43.Kd3 Qd6+! and Black wins Qb8! White surrenders. If 39.g3 Nf2+ 40.Kg1 Nxd1! 0–1
BOBBY ANG’S BUSINESSWORLD COLUMN, CHESS PIECE (1)
Blood, Sweat and Tears
ON GM Kevin Spraggett’s web page www.kevinspraggett.com he tells this story:
“I remember fondly one conversation I had a few years back with Boris Spassky. We were discussing 'THE' Victor Korchnoi ('Victor the Terrible' to many).
“Boris and Victor had been bitter adversaries for more than 40 years at the time of this conversation, and they had played more than 60 times in official competitions..(including two candidates finals)... only Karpov can boast to have played Victor more times.
“Boris, at one point, came up with the incredible statement that Korchnoi had every quality necessary to become world champion BUT lacked ONE very essential quality...and it was precisely this quality that prevented him from attaining chess' highest title.
“I coaxed Boris on... He began to list Korchnoi's many qualities:
1. Killer Instinct (nobody can even compare with Victor's 'gift')
2. Phenomenal capacity to work (both on the board and off the board)
3. Iron nerves (even with seconds left on the clock)
4. Ability to Calculate (maybe only Fischer was better in this department)
5. Tenacity and perseverance in Defense (unmatched by anyone)
6. The ability to counterattack (unrivaled in chess history)
7. Impeccable Technique (Flawless, even better than Capa's)
8. Capacity to concentrate (unreal)
9. Impervious to distractions during the game
10. Brilliant understanding of strategy
11. Superb tactician (only a few in history an compare with Victor)
12. Possessing the most profound opening preparation of any GM of his generation
13. Subtle Psychologist
14. Super-human will to win (matched only by Fischer)
15. Deep knowledge of all of his adversaries
16. Enormous energy and self-discipline
“Then Boris stopped, and just looked at me, begging for me to ask the question that needed to be asked....
“I asked: 'But, Boris, what does Victor lack to become world champion?'
“Boris' answer floored me:
“He has no chess talent!”
“And then he roared with laughter...”
I am reminded of this story because Gata Kamsky has defeated Alexei Shirov, 2.5-1.5, to become the World Cup Champion. As such, he will be playing former world champion Veselin Topalov in a match to determine who will battle the winner of the Anand-Kramnik match slated later this year to finally crown an undisputed world chess champion.
Gata Kamsky is similar to Korchnoi – no chess talent. What he has is a maniacal capacity to work, tenacity and perseverance, enormous energy and self-discipline and iron nerves. Kamsky sits down on the board and works his butt off in every game to defeat the opposing player. Books have been written on the beautiful games of Kramnik, Anand and Topalov. You may play through hundreds of Kamsky games, and only find plodding, hacking games where his opponent commits a tiny mistake and he grinds out a win, either by technique or by outsitting his opponent. This is his only great game that I can find.
Timman,Jan H (2665) - Kamsky,Gata (2655) [D03]
Alekhine mem Moscow, 1992
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Bg5 Bg7 4.c3
An opening subtlety. If White had played 4.Nbd2 first then the second player gets reasonable play with 4...c5. After the text move this is no longer possible because Black would have a hard time regaining the pawn.
4...d5 5.Nbd2 0–0 6.e3 Nbd7 7.Be2
Timman had prepared a dangerous piece sacrifice. Watch what happens.
7...Re8 8.Qb3
The point is that 8...e5 loses a pawn to 9.Bxf6.
8...c6
Now Black's ...e5 is ready.
9.0–0 e5 10.e4!?
Timman's novelty. Gata thought a long time here and found the correct response.
10...exd4
[10...dxe4? 11.Nxe4 exd4 12.Nd6! Rxe2?! 13.Qxf7+ Kh8 14.Nxd4 followed by Ne6]
11.cxd4 dxe4 12.Bc4
The piece sacrifice mentioned in the note to Timman's 7th move. After 12...exf3 13.Bxf7+ Kh8 14.Bxe8 Qxe8 15.Rfe1 White's attack gives him full compensation for the material given up.
12...Re7! 13.Nxe4 Rxe4 14.Bxf7+ Kh8 15.Rae1 Qf8!
[15...Qb6 is met by 16.Qa3]
16.Ne5 Rxd4
[16...Nxe5 17.dxe5 Rxe1 18.Rxe1 followed by e5-e6, and White recovers the sacrificed material]
17.f4
GM Andor Lilienthal, a famous name from the first half of the 20th century, was watching this game. Timman wrote that "At this point Lilienthal was thinking I had a good chance to be awarded the brilliancy prize - which might well have been the case if I had a weaker defender opposite me. Black has a fantastic move here, with which he covers everything and refutes all attacking possibilities."
17...Rd5!!
[17...Nxe5 18.fxe5 Ng4 19.e6 Qd6 is not so clear]
18.Bxd5
[18.Bxg6 Qc5+ 19.Kh1 Nxe5 20.fxe5 Rxe5 Black wins]
18...Nxd5 19.Be7! Qg8!
[19...Qxe7 20.Nxg6+ hxg6 21.Rxe7 Nxe7 22.Qh3+ Kg8 23.Qe6+ Kf8 24.Re1 Bf6 25.Rd1 is likewise unclear]
20.Nxd7 Bxd7 21.Qxb7 Qc8 22.Qxc8+ Rxc8 23.Bc5 a6 24.b3?
[24.Rf2 was better, not allowing Black free access to c3]
24...Kg8 25.Rf2 Bc3 26.Rd1 Re8 27.h3 Re4 28.Kh2 h5 29.Rc1 Be1 30.Rfc2 Nxf4 31.Rc4 Rxc4 32.bxc4 Bg3+! 33.Kh1
[33.Kxg3 Ne2+]
33...Bf5 34.Rc3 h4 35.Re3 Nd3 36.Bd4 Kf7 37.c5 a5 38.a4 Be1 39.Re2 Bb4 40.Bf2 Nxf2+ 41.Rxf2 Bxc5 0-1
Black's two bishops will escort his c-pawn to the queening square.
By next year we will have an undisputed world champion. Will it be the fiery Veselin Topalov with his great opening erudition and killer instinct? Or the deep strategist Vladimir Kramnik? Or the all-arounder Viswanathan Anand?
I don’t know about you guys, but my money is on the guy who epitomizes blood, sweat and tears, Gata Kamsky.
Reader comments and/or suggestions are urgently solicited. Email address is bangcpa@gmail.com.
This column was first published in BusinessWorld on Monday, February 25, 2008.
New German champ
A 37-YEAR-OLD former Latvian-turned-German grandmaster, Daniel Fridman, has won the 79th German Championship held in Bad Woerishofen from February 15 (his birthday) to 23.
GM Fridman, who has an Elo rating of 2627, was the top seed.
In second place was GM Klaus Bauschoff (2527).
Fridman had 7.5 points from nine games and Bauschoff 6.5.
BOBBY ANG’S BUSINESSWORLD COLUMN, CHESS PIECE (2)
Sanchez gets norm
Festival of Games 11-17 February 2008
Cannes, France
Final Top Standings
1-3 GM Christian Bauer FRA 2614, GM Ruben Felgaer CUB 2539, IM Joseph Sanchez PHI 2492, 7.0/9
4-8 GM Hichem Hamdouchi MOR 2576, GM Ognjen Cvitan CRO 2535, IM Gergely Antal HUN 2457, IM Oleg Gladyszev RUS 2485, GM Miroljub Lazic YUG 2512, 6.5/9
9-17 GM Ante Saric CRO 2438, GM Igor Miladinovic YUG 2604, GM Jozsef Horvath HUN 2519, IM Benjamin Bujisho FRA 2387, Vladimir Doncea ROM 2444, Sebastien Midoux FRA 2338, IM Pierluigi Piscopo ITA 2357, FM Daniyyl Dvirnyy ITA 2326, FM Clovis Vernay ITA 2391, 6.0/9
Total of 110 players
HERE is what I wrote about Joseph Sanchez nine years ago during the 1999 Philippine Chess Championship:
“ ‘Chess is a game to subdue the turbulent spirit, and to puzzle a tranquil mind’ (William Hartston, Kings of Chess). I remember this line whenever the name of Joseph Sanchez is mentioned. Wherever you see him he is invariably seated in a corner quietly observing the proceedings, never speaking until he is spoken to. Polite, mild-mannered, this immediately changes when you mention anything remotely involving chess. Then a broad smile comes to his face and he becomes animated, explaining this and that with accompanying gestures and jokes.
“His chess is geared towards the attack. Hardly a game passes by without some display of a new tactical motif with accompanying fireworks. What was keeping him from joining the very elite of Philippine chess was a lack of stick-to-it-iveness (for lack of a better word). His offense sometimes crumbles in the face of resourceful defense, and he is usually not at his best when defending inferior endgames.
“All of that changed when, as fate would have it, he was matched against GM Antonio in the first round of the grand finals. Joey got a strong grip on the position right out of the opening, drained out any possible complicating tactics, and headed into an endgame where he expected to outplay Sanchez. Joseph, still riding on the crest of a win streak from the eliminations, resisted with might and main and forced a draw on the 65th move. As if a veil had been lifted from his eyes, he realized that he had it in him to fight with the very best “Starting from round two he was a changed man – no more middlegame collapses, no more losses of concentration, just a commitment to constantly bombard his opponent with everything he has got. Yes, Joseph Sanchez has arrived. We expect to hear a lot more about him in tournaments to come!”
Joseph Sanchez left for Europe six years ago to try his luck and we have chronicled his exploits in this column. His games have greatly improved in quality and in fact he has reached a point where defeating an International Grandmaster is no longer considered extraordinary. Bad luck has dogged him, however, and I don’t remember how many times he has missed the GM norm, sometimes by half a point, sometimes making a good performance rating but missing out on the norm just the same because there were not enough GMs playing in the tournament.
It is only now that Sanchez has scored his first GM norm. Just like a millionaire whose first million is the hardest, we hope that by breaking the ice the rest of the norms (he needs two more) will come quickly.
The game that I am about to show you features the Sveshnikov Sicilian. Joseph is a specialist in this line and he used to play it long before it became popular at the turn of the new century. He is hit by a theoretical novelty on the 18th (!) move but was able to spot the weakness and refuted the new move on the board.
Lamoureux,Charles (2492) - Sanchez,Joseph (2353) [B33]
Cannes FIJ open (4), 13.02.2008
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.Bxf6 gxf6 10.Nd5 f5 11.Bd3 Be6 12.c3 Bg7 13.0–0 0–0 14.Nc2 Rc8
Ever wonder why Black cannot play 14...fxe4 15.Bxe4 f5? Well the answer is because White has 16.Nf4!
15.Nce3 fxe4
The text is better than 15...f4?! which is answered by 16.Nf5 Bxf5 17.exf5 followed by 18.Be4 or 18.a4.
16.Bxe4 f5 17.Bc2 Ne7
Here is another pitfall that you should be aware of: 17...f4? 18.Qh5 Rf7 (18...h6? 19.Qg6 wins) 19.Bxh7+ Kf8 20.Bg6 likewise wins.
18.f4!?
This is a new move. Lamoureux was probably not convinced of 18.Nxe7+ Qxe7 19.Qh5? (19.a4 is better) 19...e4 20.g4 Rc5! 21.gxf5 Bxf5 22.Nxf5 Rcxf5 23.Qe2 d5 Black is already winning. Abreu,D-Blanco,C (2172)/ Colonia Tovar 1999 1–0 (27).
18...Kh8
Joseph's plan on facing the novelty is: (1) do not lash out! this is precisely what the opponent wants when he unleashes a novelty, (2) get the king to safety, (3) exchange off at least a pair of pieces to limit the tactics, (4) what is the weakness of the new move? Well, after ...exf4 White might not be able to recapture immediately because the black bishop can either go to e5 or h6.
19.Bb3 Rc5 20.Qd2 Nxd5 21.Nxd5
Less advisable is 21.Bxd5 exf4 22.Rxf4 Bh6 White is going to lose some material.
21...a5
Threatening to win a piece with ...a5-a4.
22.Ne3 Bc8 23.a3 exf4 24.Nd5
[24.Rxf4? Re5! 25.Nd5 Bh6 wins the exchange]
24...Be6 25.Ba2
[25.Rxf4? is still not possible: 25...Bxd5 26.Bxd5 Bh6]
25...Bxd5 26.Bxd5 Be5 27.Rf3 Qf6 28.Rd1 Rb8
Intending to push his b-pawn.
29.Kh1 Rc7 30.Qd3 b4 31.axb4 axb4 32.cxb4 Rxb4 33.b3 Rd4 34.Qf1 Rxd1 35.Qxd1 Bb2! 36.Rf1
[36.Bc4 will lead to the same thing as in the actual game: 36...Ra7 37.Rf1 Ra1 38.Qf3 Rxf1+]
36...Rc1 37.Qf3 Rxf1+ 38.Qxf1 Qe5
Joseph has reached a pawn-up endgame, but this is not yet enough to win due to the presence of the opposite colored bishops. He has to drum up a kingside attack to force more white weaknesses.
39.Qd1 Bd4 40.Bf3 Bc5 41.Bd5 Kg7 42.Bc4 Kf6 43.Qb1 h5 44.h3 d5 45.Bd3 Bd6
Threatening ...f4-f3.
46.Qg1 Qc3 47.Qb1
47...f3! 48.Qf1
[48.gxf3 Qd2 wins because of the threatened checkmate on h2]
48...Qe5 49.Kg1
[49.Qg1 f2]
49...Qh2+ 50.Kf2 Qg3+ 51.Kg1 0-1
White resigns without waiting for 51...fxg2 52.Qd1 Bc5 checkmate.
Congressman Pichay promised five GMs for this year. Hmmm ... let us see ... Jayson Gonzales, Joseph Sanchez, Roland Salvador, Ronald Dableo, Oliver Dimakiling, Rolly Martinez ... Yup! It is attainable.
Reader comments and/or suggestions are urgently solicited. Email address is bangcpa@gmail.com.
This column was first published in BusinessWorld on Friday, February 29, 2008.
FROM MY SWIVEL CHAIR
Wishing Macmac all the best!
IT looks like Macmac Paragua will be celebrating his 24th birthday on the 29th of this month far away from home.
He will be in America, known as “the Land of Opportunity,” where he plans to regain his super grandmaster status within the next three months.
Right now, he is competing in the Eighth Millennium Festival at the Virginia Beach Confront Hotel in New York.
Next month he will be entering the Foxwoods Open, also in a New York suburb, where he will come face to face with some of the greatest players in America and Europe, including perhaps 2007 World Cup champion Gata Kamsky and the defending champion himself, Alexander Shabalov.
I have no doubt that Paragua will attain his goal. When in fine fighting form, he can be one of the 100 strongest players in the world.
—0—
IM Joseph Sanchez has written to me that life as an expatriate in Europe is quite difficult. The Paris-based Cebuano is currently playing in Spain where he plans to capture his second GM norm.
He left the country six years ago, long before Butch Pichay burst upon the scene with his millions to finance the development of better and tougher grandmasters.
“I voted for him,” Sanchez said in an email, referring to last year’s senatorial election.
Reading between the lines of his electronic letter, I believe he wants to get some support, too, from the former Surigao del Sur congressman who has done a lot for Philippine chess.
Pichay has pledged to produce five grandmasters this year. I hope that one of them will be IM Sanchez, whose determination to capture the elusive title has served him in good stead in Europe.
Two other Filipino IMs who deserve help from the NCFP are Rolly Martinez and Roland
Salvador, both of whom have been “stranded” in Milan, Italy since 2006.
I wonder whether Butch Pichay and Bambol Tolentino will come to their rescue.
—0—
EXPECT hundreds of youngsters to join the National Age Group and National Junior championships next month, to be held in the Kaban ng Hiyas at the Mandaluyong City Hall.
My advice to them all: Prepare well. Read all the chess books you can lay your hands on. Master at least two or three opening systems with either color, and then practice playing against stronger opponents. Water seeks its own level and so does chess.
—0—
WHEN will this year’s National Championship be held? It should be early enough so that the NCFP can select and train members of the national teams bound for the 38th World Olympiad in November.
Chess joke
Q. Which chess piece is the most powerful?
A. The Knight. It goes over the top.
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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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