Here's Mr. Manny Benitez' TW:
The Chess Plaza Weekender
Sunday, 20 January 2008
Quezon Memorial Circle, Quezon City
Vol. II No. 32
Pichay, Tolentino top NCFP board election
TAGAYTAY CITY—In a rare show of force, the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) General Assembly voted to ratify its first real constitution and by-laws and then elected former Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero "Butch" Pichay and 14 others to a new, four-year term.
In a well-attended general assembly held at the Tagaytay International Convention Center (TICC) over the weekend, officers and representatives of various chess clubs and associations from all over the country drafted and then approved the NCFP constitution and by-laws.
They then proceeded to give Pichay "one of the most resounding victories in a Philippine Olympic Committee (POC)-supervised election of a national sports association” in recognition of his leadership during which the NCFP produced three of the country's nine grandmasters in less than five months.
Pichay garnered a perfect 175 votes and Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino finished a close second with 173.
Third was another long-time Pichay lieutenant, Atty. Edmundo Legaspi, with 130 votes.
Two other Pichay allies, Atty. Romeo Serratubias and Red Dumuk, wound up fourth and fifth with 123 and 119 votes, respectively.
A total of 175 votes were counted in the four-hour long election supervised by no less than POC deputy secretary-general Mark Joseph.
Also present were FIDE honorary president Florencio Campomanes and FIDE administrator and NCFP director Casto “Toti” Abundo.
The election of the board of directors came despite an earlier temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by Quezon City Judge Reynaldo Daway of Branch 90 on a petition filed by a former NCFP secretary-general, Atty. Samuel Estimo, and seven other board of directors.
Estimo had earlier asked the court to stop the election, saying PIchay’s group did not properly inform the board of the election of officers. He later set his own election of officers for February 2.
Judge Daway scheduled another hearing on Estimo’s petition for January 30.
Pichay, Tolentino, and five other NCFP directors did not actively participate in the election due to the TRO. But the general assembly, led by Atty. Rommel Tacorda of the Bureau of Customs, decided to draft and later approve the NCFP Constitution and By-laws. It also went ahead with the election of a new set of directors.
The NCFP general assembly noted that there was no approved NCFP Constitution and By-laws submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission. They then gave the leadership of Pichay and Tolentino overwhelming support in the voting.
“I am very happy with this overwhelming show of support to my leadership,” said Pichay when told about the new mandate given him by the NCFP general assembly.
“I have always said, there is nothing in this world that can stop us from achieving our dream of regaining our status as one of the top chess-playing countries in the world and producing more world-class GMs and super-GMs,” added Pichay, noting the rise of Jayson Gonzales as the country’s ninth GM during the ASEAN Masters Circuit in Tarakan.
Pichay took a dig at his critics, saying that too much politics was hurting the development of local sports.—PR
World pays homage to Bobby Fischer, 64
IN life he was considered to be an iconoclast, a rebel, a maverick, and eccentric, but soon after his death at the age of 64 on Thursday, the world, except his homeland, rose to pay homage to Bobby Fischer as “the best chess player in history.”
Even the great Garry Kasparov, who has posted the all-time highest Elo rating (2851 in 2005), said: “Fischer’s beautiful chess and immortal games will stand forever as a central pillar in the history of our game.”
The venerable London chess problemist, Leonard Barden, described Fischer as “a brilliant but controversial chess world champion responsible for a global boom in the game.”
Other living legends had similar words of praise. Here are some culled from ChessBase News:
● Viktor Kortchnoi: "A chess genius has died; a loss for humanity."
● Lajos Portisch: "A big shock; the best chess player in history has passed away."
● Ljubomir Ljubojevic: "A man without frontiers. He didn't divide the East and the West, he brought them together in their admiration for him."
● Jan Timman: "A great player and a great example for many. His book My 60 Memorable Games had a big impact on me. It is a shame he didn't continue to enrich the world of chess with his unparalleled understanding after 1972."
These four great players are pitted against each other in an honorary section of the Corus Super Tournament in the world-famous Dutch resort of Wijk aan Zee.
Fischer died of kidney failure, not in hospital as previously reported but at his home in the suburbs of Reykjavik, “the site of his greatest triumph” in 1972 when, single-handedly, he wrested the world crown from champion Boris Spassky, who had the support of the Soviet Union and its massive chess resources.
He had been ailing for months and the Icelanders seemed to know about it but could not publicize it because an ailment is considered to be a very private matter in Iceland that the media could not write about.
He left at least one heir, a six-year-old daughter of his Chinese-Filipino girlfriend from Davao whom he met during his stay in Baguio City seven years ago.
Strangely enough, not a single American player, even former East Europeans who have migrated to the US, came out with a statement honoring Fischer.
Even the US Chess Federation was silent as of Sunday about the death of the eight-time US champion and only American ever to wear the world crown.
Fischer was also the only American player ever to be proclaimed still champion of the world by a then defiant US Congress in the face of a World Chess Federation decision to strip him of his crown for his refusal to defend it against challenger Anatoly Karpov of the Soviet Union in 1975.
But then, Fischer aroused the wrath of officials, private American institutions, and individuals with his anti-US ranting soon after the infamous Al Qaeda suicide attack on the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia on September 11, 2001.
From Cold War hero of the West to villain in the New Millennium, that’s the story of Fischer’s life and career as a US-born iconoclast.
Kasparov himself has revealed that there were many “silent” fans of Fischer in the former communist superpower despite his having humbled the Soviet world champion.
Here is the complete statement Kasparov issued on Friday as soon as he learned of Fischer’s death:
“With the death of Bobby Fischer chess has lost one of its greatest figures. Fischer’s status as world champion and celebrity came from a charismatic and combative personality matched with unstoppable play.
“I recall thrilling to the games of his 1972 Reykjavik world championship match against Boris Spassky when I was nine years old. The American had his share of supporters in the USSR even then, and not only for his chess prowess. His outspokenness and individuality also earned him the quiet respect of many of my compatriots.
“Fischer’s beautiful chess and his immortal games will stand forever as a central pillar in the history of our game. And the story of the Brooklynite iconoclast’s rise from prodigy to world champion has few peers for drama. Apart from a brief and peculiar reappearance in 1992, Bobby Fischer’s chess career ended in 1972. After conquering the chess Olympus, he was unable to find a new target for his power and passion.
“Fischer’s relentless energy exhausted everything it touched—the resources of the game itself, his opponents on and off the board, and, sadly, his own mind and body. While we can never entirely separate the deeds from the man, I would prefer to speak of his global achievements instead of his inner tragedies. It is with justice that he spent his final days in Iceland, the site of his greatest triumph. There he has always been loved and seen in the best possible way: as a chess player.”
Robert James Fischer was born in Chicago on March 9, 1943 to Gerhardt Fischer, said to be a German physicist, and Regina Wender, a nurse, both of Jewish ancestry.
The Fischers got estranged before the birth of Bobby, whose biological father, according to Kasparov in his book, My Great Predecessors, Part IV, was a Hungarian émigré by the name of Paul Felix Nemenyi, an engineer who like Gerhardt was dubbed a communist in FBI files.
In his narration, Kasparov makes no bones about the fact that his main source was the FBI dossier.
Among Fischer’s best-known games, Kasparov selected the American champion’s 1957 win as a 13-year-old adolescent with Black against Donald Byrne, brother of GM Robert Byrne, who became one of his seconds in Reykjavik.
Fischer himself did not include it in My 60 Memorable Games, the book that has had the greatest impact on chess players, including Kasparov by his account, all over the world.
D. Byrne – R. Fischer
Rd 8, Rosenwald, New York 1956
Gruenfeld Defense (D97)
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.d4 0–0 5.Bf4 d5 6.Qb3 dxc4 7.Qxc4 c6 8.e4 Nbd7 9.Rd1 Nb6 10.Qc5 Bg4 11.Bg5 Na4 12.Qa3 Nxc3 13.bxc3 Nxe4 14.Bxe7 Qb6 15.Bc4 Nxc3 16.Bc5 Rfe8+ 17.Kf1 Be6 18.Bxb6 Bxc4+ 19.Kg1 Ne2+ 20.Kf1 Nxd4+ 21.Kg1 Ne2+ 22.Kf1 Nc3+ 23.Kg1 axb6 24.Qb4 Ra4 25.Qxb6 Nxd126.h3 Rxa2 27.Kh2 Nxf2 28.Re1 Rxe1 29.Qd8+ Bf8 30.Nxe1 Bd5 31.Nf3 Ne4 32.Qb8 b5 33.h4 h5 34.Ne5 Kg7 35.Kg1 Bc5+ 36.Kf1 Ng3+ 37.Ke1 Bb4+ 38.Kd1 Bb3+ 39.Kc1 Ne2+ 40.Kb1 Nc3+ 41.Kc1 Rc2# 0–1.
SINULOG FESTIVAL IN CEBU
Urbiztondo tops blitz tourney
WEEKENDER contributor Rey Urbiztondo of Ozamis City outclassed businessman Roy Roa of Oroquieta City in the fifth and final round to capture the top prize in the Individual Blitz Championship held by the Cebu Executives and Professionals Chess Association (Cepca) as part of the Sinulog Festival.
BPI manager Urbiztondo, who used to be the mainstay of the Cebu Institute of Technology, swept through the event undefeated.
Playing Black, the champion blitzed out Roa in just 28 moves of a Sicilian Defense, Maroczy Bind variation.
“I’m happy to win this event because this is all for prestige and honor,” Urbiztondo told NCFP president and former Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero Butch Pichay. He added that he hoped “to bring the best to Mindanao.”
Before facing Roa, he had blitzed out Jong Melendrez, Bong San Pascual and Jun Olis, and then drew with Engr. Rocky Rocamora
It will be recalled that in 1983, Urbiztondo tied with IM Rico Mascariñas in the tough Cebu All Students Open Championship.
In the Sinulog Team Match, Urbiztondo defeated Ben Dimaano of Cepca, 1.5-.05, but this was not enough for his Northern Mindanao
team to win the event, and despite another win by Dr. Reynaldo Feliciano, one of his teammates, who took the Board 2 title. Cepca A won the event, 15-9.
Meanwhile, in Quezon City, the first leg of the Inter-Barangay Chess Team Tournament elimination series for District 4 got under way at the Amoranto Sports Complex.
The tournament is open to all non-master players from Quezon City with a rating of 1900-below. It is one of the sports tourism projects of Councilor Ariel Inton of the fourth district, in close cooperation with Mayor Sonny Belmonte.
The top five teams that qualify will advance to the championship round after the district elimination round.
The finalists are guaranteed of at least P2,000 each.
The other elimination phases are scheduled as follows: District 3 on February 16-17 at the Barangay Covered Court; District 2 on March 16-17 at the NDC Plaza; and District 1 on April 22-23 at the Quezon City Hall Path Walk.
For inquiries, contact 0927-9668522 or 922-2913.
—MARLON BERNARDINO
GMs Paragua, So to play in Aeroflot, says Pichay
IF plans push through, Grandmasters Mark Paragua, 23, and Wesley So, 14, will be the first Filipinos to play in the Aeroflot Open to be held from February 13 to 23 in Moscow, the very heartland of Russian chess.
NCFP president-reelect Prospero “Bucth” Pichay revealed this Sunday, saying that the trip to Russia would be his gift to Paragua for topping Group B in the inaugural Asean Masters Circuit, which ended this weekend in Tarakan, Indonesia.
In Group A. GM So finished in fourth place with 7.0 points, the highest score obtained by a Filipino there.
The Filipinos with So in the group were GM Eugenio Torre, fifth place with 6.5, NM Hamed Nouri ninth with 3.5, and IM Barlo Nadera 12th with 2.0.
GM Zhang Zhong of Singapore captured the first prize with 8.0 out of 11, followed by Indonesian IM Tirto with 8.0, and Indonesian GM Susanto Megaranto with 7.5.
As bannered in Friday’s extra edition, IM Jayson Gonzales achieved his third and final GM norm to capture the GM title while FM Rolando Nolte took the IM title.
In an email to The Weekender, IM Nolte said he earned his first IM norm in Calcutta in 2001 during the first Asian Individual Championship and the second one in the Second PGMA Cup last November at the Duty Free Shop in Parañaque City.
He still has to have it confirmed, though, by the chief arbiter, IA Gene Poliarco.
In the Asean Masters, Paragua finished first in Group B with 9.0 out of 11, followed by Armenian IM Ashot Nadanian and Gonzales in a tie for second and third with 7.5, and Nolte in fourth with 7.0.
Even before the Indonesian arbiters realized it, The Weekender contributor John Manahan had calculated that Paragua and Nolte had earned their final GM and IM norms, respectively, under the nine-game rule.
In Group C, WIM Beverly Mendoza finished in seventh place with 5.0 and WNM Christy Lamiel Bernales in eighth with 4.5. IM Irwanto Sadikin topped the group with 9.0.–Marlon Bernardino
A NEW STAR IS BORN
Singer sweeps Phil Artists joust
A YOUNG singer captured the championship trophy in the 29th Philippine Artists Rapid Chess Tournament held yesterday at the nipa-roofed chess plaza of the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City, journalist Ignacio Dee reports.
Albert Rivera, a ward of International Master Ronald Bancod, swept off the board all his rivals in the nine-round event.
With a perfect 9/9, Rivera finished 2.0 points clear of singer/composer Willie San Juan.
Yet another singing celebrity, Heber Bartolome, ended up in a tie for third to fifth places with Ricardo Alvarado and Neil Dumlao. They had 5.5 points each.
Dee served as tournament director and chief arbiter assisted by Ray Hipolito, QMC Plaza Chess Club manager and vice chairman of its management committee named by the Quezon City Parks Development Foundation, Inc., which administers the QMC park.
At the center of the green “family entertainment” park is the mausoleum of the first President of the Philippine Commonwealth, Manuel Luis Quezon, and his wife, the former Aurora Aragon, both from Baler, which was then part of Tayabas province, now named after its illustrious son.
Foundation president Charito Planas and Odette Alcantara, a former Olympiad player who founded and heads the Philippine Artists Chess Club in Quezon City, graced the occasion.
The Philippine Artists tournament is probably the longest privately organized chess event in the country.
It plans to organize a “Tournament of Champions” next year. It will likely be a very strong event with all former champions, including Christopher Castellano, and the defending titleholder, Rivera, competing for the trophy.
This year’s tournament was held under the auspices of journalist Nestor Mata, a newspaper columnist famous for being the lone survivor in the plane crash that killed President Ramon Magsaysay over half a century ago.
The QMC has the only sheltered chess plaza in the country. It has been the venue of major events like that of the Chess Arbiters Association of the Philippines last month.
PINOY SHINES DOWN UNDER
Sales 9th in Aussie Championship
FILIPINO Fide Master Jesse Noel Sales, 40, has tied for the seventh to 10th prizes in the just-concluded Australian National Championship.
FM Sales (2299) who is still listed on the NCFP rolls took the ninth slot on tiebreak in the competition held at the Parramatta RSL Chess Club in Sydney, New South Wales from January 2 to 11, with 38 participants from all over Australia and overseas.
The Filipino veteran campaigner who grew up in the United States also took part in Philippine tournaments in the early part of the new millennium but moved on to Australia three years ago.
Serbian GM Dejan Antic (2480) won the first prize but it was 44-year-old IM Stephen Solomon of Queensland who took the title of Aussie champion. Only Australian citizens are qualified to wear the national crown.
It was Solomon’s first time to be named Australian national champion in 14 tries since he first entered the annual series in 1981, according to The Week in Chess (Twic) electronic newsmagazine.
Solomon tied with another expatriate, Hermann Van Riemsdijk, for the second and third prizes.
GM Antic, 39, had 8.5 points from 11 games while IM Solomon and Van Riemsdijk were half a point behind, with the Australian winning over the expatriate on tiebreak.
George Xie of New South Wales finished alone in fourth place with 7.5 points. Behind him in a tie for fifth and sixth were Moulthun Ly of Queensland and Max Illingworth of New South Wales. Ly edged out Illingworth on tiebreak.
The two had 7.0 points each
With FM Sales in the seventh to 10th places were Igor Goldenberg of Victoria, 18-year-old Felix Klein of Germany and Tomek Rej of New South Wales. They were half a point behind Ly and Illingworth.
Sales’ best effort was his win with Black against Australia’s homegrown GM Darryl Johansen of Victoria in a 71-move marathon arising from an Italian opening.
Thanks to reader John Manahan who shared his database with The Weekender, here is the game as analyzed by Fritz.
It is highly instructive, especially in the endgame wherein Black has his king, one pawn, and a dark-squared bishop against White’s king and a dark-squared bishop.
D. Johansen (2475) – J.N. Sales (2299)
Rd 10, Aussie Ch, Parramatta, Sydney.2008
Giuoco Piano (C54)
1.e4 Nc6 2.Nf3 e5 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.e5 d5 7.Bb5 Ne4 8.cxd4 Bb6 9.Nc3 0-0 10.Be3 Bg4 11.h3 Bh5 12.g4 12.Qb3 Bxf3 13.gxf3 Ng5 would led Black equalize Bg6 13.Ne2 a6 Fritz says 13...Nb4!? should be considered: 14.0-0 c6! 14.Bxc6 bxc6 15.Rc1 f6 16.Nf4 Better than 16.Rxc6 fxe5 17.Nxe5 Ba5+ 18.Nc3 Be8! fxe5 17.Nxe5 Rxf4 18.Bxf4 Qf6 18...Ba5+ could be tried, e.g., 19.Ke2 Qf6 20.Nxg6 Qxg6 with even chances 19.Be3 White now has the edge Ba5+ 20.Kf1 Rf8? 21.Rxc6 21.Nd7 seems even better, Fritz notes: 21...Qf7 22.Nxf8 Qxf8 23.Rh2! Qh4 22.Rh2 Qg3 23.Nxg6 hxg6 24.Qb3 Nd2+ 25.Bxd2 Qxh2 26.Qxd5+ Kh8 27.Be3 Qxh3+ 28.Kg1 Qxg4+ 29.Qg2 Qd1+ 30.Kh2 Rf5 31.Rc1 31.Rxa6 Bb6 helps Black Rh5+ 32.Kg3 Qd3 33.Rc5 Bb4 34.Rxh5+ gxh5 35.Qd5 Qg6+ 36.Qg5 Bd6+ 37.Kh3 Qxg5 38.Bxg5 Kh7 39.Kh4 Kg6 40.d5 Be5 41.b3 Bd4 42.f4 Bf2+ 43.Kh3 Bc5 44.Kg3 Bd6 45.Kf3 Kf5 46.a4 h4 Missing 46...a5!, which could give Black the advantage 47.Bxh4 Bxf4 48.b4 Bd6 49.Bd8 Ke5 50.b5 Kxd5 Another miss: 50...axb5!? 51.axb5 Kxd5! 51.bxa6 Restoring the balance Kc6 52.Kg4 52.a5!? should not be overlooked to retain equality Kb6! 53.Kg5 Kxa6 54.Kg6 c5 55.Kxg7 55.Kf5!? may be tried, says Fritz c4! 56.Kg6 If 56.Bf6 Ka5! c3 57.Kf5 c2 58.Bg5 Ka5 59.Ke4 Kxa4 60.Kd3 Kb3 61.Bh6 Kb2 61...Ba3 62.Bf4 Kb2 was also playable 62.Bg5 Kb1 63.Kc3 63.Bh6 was better but not enough Ba3 64.Kb3 Bc1 65.Be7 Bd2 66.Ba3 Ba5 67.Kc4 Be1 68.Kb3 Bd2 69.Kc4 Ba5 70.Kb3 Bc7 71.Bb2 Bd6! White is in zugzwang: if 72.Bc3/Bd4 c1=Q! and if 72.Ba3 Bxa3!, allowing the birth of a new black queen. 0-1
Together with GM Ian Rogers, Johansen cut his teeth in international chess in the Asian Cities Championship in the late seventies and eighties hosted by the then British colony of Hong Kong under the auspices of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank.
GM Rogers has retired from active competition because of illness.
OVERVIEW OF WORLD’S MOST PRESTIGIOUS TOURNAMENT
Aronian, Carlsen early Corus leaders
YOUTH appears to have gained the ascendancy over experience in the main event of the ongoing Corus Super Tournament in Wijk aan Zee, The Netherlands.
After five rounds, 17-year-old Magnus Carlsen of Norway and Armenian superstar Levon Aronian, 25, were still ensconced in a tie for first to third, with Teimour Radjabov, 20, of Azerbaijan as the latest to climb to the top of the 14-player pack in Group A.
The problem with the older combatants—they are not really that old as the oldest in Group A is the Ukrainian icon Vassily Ivanchuk, 38—is their tendency to lead the game into drawing lines early on.
He and world champion Viswanathan Anand of India, who turned 38 only last month, appeared to play for a draw in the first few rounds. In fact, the Indian wizard tended to play only “safe” moves, which is why he lost to Radjabov in the opener.
Since then Anand managed only to settle for draws, and has remained winless as this is being written.
An examination of the games of Aronian, Carlsen, and Radjabov would readily show that these top three superstars play with extreme confidence in their own ability to find the best and usually most aggressive move in any given position.
Those of their elders like Anand and Ivanchuk show a kind of tentativeness, as though they are not too sure whether to meet their challenge head-on or resort to some subtle maneuvers that seem “safer.”
L. Aronian (2739) – V. Topalov (2780)
Rd 1, Fianchetto Grünfeld (D71):
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.g3 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Bg2 Nb6 7.Nf3 Nc6 8.Bf4 0-0 Of course, not 8...Bxd4?? because of 9.Nxd4 Nxd4 10.Be5! 9.Nxd4 Bxd4 10.Nb5 9.e3 h6 10.h4 Bg4 11.Rc1 e5 12.dxe5 Qe7 13.Nd5 Nxd5 14.Qxd5 Nb4 15.Qc4 Be6 16.Qxc7 Nd3+ 17.Kd2 Qb4+ Missing 17...Qe8!? 18.Nd4 Nxc1 19.Rxc1 Qa4 20.Nxe6 fxe6! 18.Qc3 Better than 18.Kxd3 Rac8 19.Qxc8 Bxc8! Qxc3+ 19.Rxc3 Nxf2 20.Nd4 Nxh1 21.Bxh1 Rfd8 22.Rc7 Rac8 Not 22...Bd5 23.Bxd5 Rxd5 24.Kd3! 23.Rxb7 Bxa2 24.Rxa7 If 24.b3 Kf8, with equal chances Be6 24...Bd5 would benefit White, e.g., 25.Bxd5 Rxd5 26.Kd3 Bxe5 27.Ke4 Bxf4 28.Kxd5 Bxe3 29.Nc6 Bxa7 30.Ne7+ Kg7 31.Nxc8! 25.Rb7 Bf5 26.Bf3 Rc2+ 27.Ke1 Rc1+ 28.Kf2 Be6 29.g4 Bc8 30.Rb8 Rf8 31.h5 g5 32.Bg3 Ra1 33.Rb6 Re8 34.Be2 Bxe5 If 34...Ra5 35.Kf3 35.Bxe5 Rxe5 36.Rxh6 Re4 37.Bf3 Re5 38.Rc6 Be6 39.Nxe6 fxe6 40.Be2 Rb1 41.Rb6 Rd5 41...Kg7 42.Bf3 gives White the edge 42.Bc4 Rd2+ 43.Kf3 Rbxb2 44.Rxe6 Rbc2 45.Rg6+ Kh8 46.Be6 Rc6 47.Ke4 Rd8 Not 47...Re2 48.Rg8+ Kh7 49.Re8! 48.Kf5! White is now way ahead and victory is in sight Rc5+ 49.Kf6 Rf8+ 50.Ke7 Rf3 51.Bf5 Re5+ 52.Kf7 Rfxf5+ 53.gxf5 Rxf5+ 54.Ke6 Ra5 55.e4 Kh7 56.e5 Ra1 57.Rxg5 Kh6 58.Rg2 Kxh5 59.Kf6 Rf1+ 60.Ke7 Ra1 61.e6 Kh6 62.Kf7 1-0
Here is a highly instructive game won by Carlsen as White. Note how he activates his king in coordination with his knight toward the endgame.
M. Carlsen (2733) – P. Eljanov (2692)
Rd 2, Gruenfeld Defense (D91)
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bg5 Ne4 6.Bh4 Nxc3 7.bxc3 dxc4 8.Qa4+ Qd7 9.Qxc4 b6 10.e3 Ba6 11.Qb3 Bxf1 12.Kxf1 0–0 13.Ke2 c5 14.dxc5 Na6 15.Rhd1 Qb7 16.c6 Qxc6 17.Bxe7 Rfe8 Of course not 17...Bxc3?? because of 18.Rac1 Rfc8 19.Rxc3! 18.Ba3 Qxc3 19.Qxc3 Bxc3 20.Rac1 Bb4 21.Bb2 Bf8 22.Nd4 Nc5 23.g4 Re4 24.Kf3 Rae8 25.h3 f6 26.Ba3 Kf7 27.Rc2 Na6 Fritz suggests 27...R4e7!? 28.Bxf8 White now has the edge Kxf8 29.Rc6 Kg7 30.Nb5 R4e7 31.Rdd6 Nc5 32.Nc7 Better was 32.Rxf6 Nd7 33.g5 Ne5+ 34.Ke2 Nxc6 35.Rxc6 Re5! Rf8 33.h4 Rff7 34.Nd5 Rd7 35.Rxd7 Nxd7 36.Kg3 Nc5 37.f3 h6 38.Nf4 g5 38...Kh7 could help White, e.g., 39.h5 g5 40.Nd5! 39.Nh5+ Kg6 40.f4 gxf4+ 41.exf4 Kh7 42.f5 42.Nxf6+ is clearly inferior, Fritz notes, citing 42...Rxf6 43.Rc7+ Kg8 44.Rxa7 Rf7 45.Ra8+ Kg7! Kg8 43.Kf3 43.Rc8+ was stronger Nd7 44.Ke4 Kf8 If 44...Nc5+ 45.Kd5 Nd7 46.Rc8+ Nf8 47.Rd8!, and White surges on 45.Rc8+ Ke7 46.Kd5 b5 47.Rh8 Nb6+ 48.Kc6 Nc4 49.Ra8 Ne5+ 50.Kc5 Nd7+ 50...Nxg4 would benefit White: 51.Nf4 Kd7 52.Rxa7+ Ke8 53.Ra8+ Kd7 54.Nd5! 51.Kxb5 Kd6 52.Rxa7 Rf8 53.Kb4 Nc5 53...Rb8+ 54.Kc3! also gives White the point 54.Kc4! 1–0
It was Radjabov who drew first blood, catching world champion Viswanathan Anand flat-footed with a fierce attack right from the opening bell until Anand meekly surrendered after being badly battered in their Semi-Slav encounter.
You could hardly recognize Anand as he tried evading the powerful blows unleashed by the highest-rated junior player for the past few years.
Radjabov, however, failed to follow up his dramatic opening-round victory and lagged behind the younger Norwegian Wonder Boy Carlsen, who swept through the first three rounds before settling for a draw against his closest rival, Armenia’s Aronian.
Here is how the Azeri superstar clobbered the world champion without mercy.
T. Radjabov (2735) – V. Anand (2799)
Rd 1, Semi-Slav (D43)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 e6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 dxc4 7.e4 g5 8.Bg3 b5 9.Be2 Bb7 10.0-0 Nbd7 11.Ne5 Bg7 12.Nxd7 Nxd7 13.Bd6 Trapping Black’s king in the center a6 14.Re1 Bf8 15.Bg3 Bg7 16.Bd6 Bf8 17.Bxf8 Rxf8 17...Kxf8 18.b3 would have equalized 18.b3 If 18.e5 Qc7 19.Ne4 0-0-0 b4 19.Na4 c3 20.a3 a5 21.d5 Qe7 22.d6 22.dxe6!? was playable, e.g., 22…fxe6 23.Bh5+ Kd8 24.Nb6, with a clear advantage Qf6 Equalizing 23.e5 Qf4 Better than 23...Qxe5 24.Ba6 Qxe1+ 25.Qxe1 Bxa6 26.axb4 axb4 27.Qe4, and White has the edge 24.Bd3 bxa3 24...h5 could benefit White, e.g., 25.axb4 axb4 26.Nc5 Rxa1 27.Qxa1 Nxc5 28.Qa7!, and White forges ahead 25.Qe2 Qd2 26.Rxa3 Qxe2 26...f6 would have kept the balance: 27.exf6 Rxf6 28.Ra2 Qxe2 29.Raxe2 27.Rxe2 g4 28.Nxc3 Rg8 29.Ne4 Kd8 30.Nd2 c5 31.Bb5 Bd5 32.Nc4 Rg5 33.Rea2 Nxe5 34.Nb6 Not 34.Nxa5 Rb8 35.Ba4 c4 Rb8 35.Rxa5 Be4 36.Ra7 f6 36...h5 37.R2a5 would boost White’s lead 37.R2a6 Rg8 38.Rc7 38.Ba4 c4 39.bxc4 would have given White a big boost Rf8 39.Rxc5 39.Nd7 is more precise, e.g., 39…Nxd7 40.Rxd7+ Kc8 41.Rc7+! Rf7 40.d7! The game has taken a critical turn in one of the most complicated positions seen lately. From hereon, the rooks and minor pieces do a dance of sorts. 40…Nxd7 41.Nxd7 Rxd7 42.Bxd7 Kxd7 43.Rc3 f5 44.Ra7+ Kd6 45.Rh7 Bd5 46.Rxh6 Bxb3 47.h3 gxh3 48.Rhxh3 Bd5 49.Rc2 Ke5 50.f3 Kf6 51.Kf2 Rb4 52.Re2 Kg6 53.Kg3 Ra4 54.Rh4 Ra7 55.Rb2 Kf6 56.Rhb4 Ke5 57.Re2+ Kf6 58.Rd2 Ke5 59.Re2+?? Throwing away the advantage. 59.f4+ was better Kf6 60.Kf4 Ra3 61.Rd2 Ra5 62.Re2?? 62.Rb6 Ra4+ 63.Kg3 was better Ra3 63.Kg3 Ra8?? 64.Rc2 Ke5 65.Rh4 Rg8+ 66.Kh2 Ra8 67.Re2+ Kf6 68.f4 Ke7 69.Rh7+ Kd6 70.Kg3 Rg8+ 71.Kh3 Rg4 72.g3 Rg8 73.Rd2 Rc8 74.Kh4 Rc3 75.Rg7 Ra3 76.Rc2 Bc6 77.Rc1 Rb3 78.Rg1 Bd5 79.Kg5 Kc5 80.Kf6 Kd4 81.Re1 Rb6 82.Rd7 Rc6 83.Ke7 Ra6 The end is near as Black’s options dwindle: 83...Rb6 84.Rd6 Rb7+ 85.Kf6! 84.Rd6 Ra7+ 85.Kf6! Crowding out the black monarch, ensuring the capture of its bishop and pawns, e.g., 85…Kc5 86.Rdxe6! Bxe6 87.Kxe6, etc. 1-0
Radjabov soared to the top by defeating Eljanov in brilliant fashion in the fifth round.
P. Eljanov (2692) – T. Radjabov (2735)
Rd 5, King’s Indian (E70)
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Bd3 0-0 6.Nge2 c5 7.d5 e6 8.Bg5 h6 9.Bf4 Ng4 10.Qd2 Na6 11.a3 Nc7 12.f3 Ne5 13.0-0 exd5 14.cxd5 If 14.exd5 Re8 Nxd3 15.Qxd3 b6 16.Qd2 Kh7 17.Ng3 Ba6 18.Rfe1 Re8 19.a4 Bc4 20.Nf1 Bxf1 21.Rxf1 a6 22.Bg3 Qd7 23.Rae1 b5 24.f4 Fritz says 24.a5 should be considered with the idea of restoring the balance b4 25.Nd1 f5 26.exf5 Qxf5 27.Ne3 Rxe3! A sacrifice to seize the initiative and stay ahead, but with his purpose cleverly hidden. 28.Rxe3 Bd4 29.Bf2 Bxe3 30.Bxe3 Nxd5 30...Re8 was playable, e.g., 31.Bf2 Nxd5, and Black surges on 31.Rd1 Re8 Stronger was 31...Nxe3 32.Qxe3 Qf6! 32.Bf2? 32.Qxd5 is best: 32...Qxd5 33.Rxd5 Rxe3 34.Rxd6! Nxf4! 33.Qxd6?? 33.Be3 Qg4 34.Bxf4 also gives Black a boost Qe4! White resigns as there is no way he can stop mate. 0-1
Even former world champion Vladimir Kramnik of Russia and the legendary amazon, Judit Polgar of Hungary, could not get in stride right away. It took both titans three rounds to warm up with draws before posting their first wins.
One would think that they would play for a win from then on, but to the fans’ dismay, they could not find their stride again and settled for draws in the fifth round.
In fact, besides Radjabov, only two-time world junior champion Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and former world champion Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria managed to score wins in the fifth round—against Dutch champion Loek van Wely and Boris Gelfand of Israel, respectively.
Still at sea apparently was world champion Viswanathan Anand, who again settled for a draw. His opponent? Armenian superstar Levon Aronian.
Apparently, too, the Ukrainian Eljanov has become the group’s favorite whipping boy despite his high rating. Here is how he was cowed by Kramnik into submission.
V. Kramnik (2799) – P. Eljanov (2692)
Rd 4, English Opening (A16)
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Qa4+ Bd7 5.Qb3 dxc4 6.Qxc4 c5 7.g3 Nc6 8.Bg2 Qb6 9.0–0 Qb4 10.Qxb4 cxb4 11.Nb5 Rc8 12.b3 e5 13.Bb2 Be7 14.d4 e4 15.Ne5 Be6 16.d5 Bxd5 17.Bh3 Be6 18.Bxe6 fxe6 19.Rfc1 0–0 20.Nxc6 Rxc6 Better than 20...bxc6 21.Nxa7 Rc7 22.Nxc6! 21.Rxc6 bxc6 22.Nxa7 c5 23.Nc6 Nd5 24.a4 bxa3 25.Rxa3 Rc8 26.Ra6 Bf8 27.e3 If 27.Na5 Kf7 Nc7 28.Ra7 Nd5 29.Ne5 Rb8 30.Nd7 Rxb3 31.Ba3 Be7 If 31...Rd3 32.Nxf8 Kxf8 33.Bxc5+ Kg8 34.Bd4! 32.Bxc5 White gets a clear edge Bxc5 33.Nxc5 Rb1+ 34.Kg2 Rb2 35.Ra3 Nf6 36.Ra8+ Kf7 37.Ra7+ Ke8 38.Ra6 38.Nxe6 Ng4 leads to equality Ng4 39.Nxe4 Nxe3+ 40.Kf3 Nd5 41.Rxe6+ Kf8 42.Rd6 Ne7 43.Rd8+ Kg7 44.Rd7 Kf8 45.Nf6 h5 46.Ra7 Rb5 47.Ke4 Rb4+ 48.Ke3 Rb5 49.Ne4 Re5 50.f3 Rb5 51.h3 Nd5+ 52.Kd4 Ne7 53.Ra6 Rf5 54.Ke3 Nd5+ 55.Kf2 Ne7 56.Ra8+ Kg7 57.Ra7 Kf8 58.Rb7 Ra5 59.g4 hxg4 60.hxg4 Rd5 61.Kg3 Ra5 62.Kh4 Re5 63.Nf6 Kf7 64.f4 Ra5 65.Nd7 g5+ 66.fxg5 Ke6 66...Ra8 would help White: 67.Nf6 Ke6 68.Rb6+ Kf7 69.Nh5! 67.Kh5+- Rd5?? 68.Nf8+! The coup de grace: 68….Kd6 69.Rd7+ Kc6 70.Rxe7! 1–0
Here is how Ms Polgar outplayed former world title candidate Gelfand in the same round. Apparently, Polgar’s biorhythm is similar to that of Kramnik because they had the same pattern of performance from the first to the fifth rounds.
B. Gelfand (2737) – J. Polgar (2707)
Rd 4, Catalan (E01)
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 c5 4.Nf3 cxd4 5.Nxd4 d5 6.Bg2 e5 7.Nf3 d4 8.0-0 Nc6 9.e3 d3 A strong pawn, says Fritz 10.Nc3 Bb4 11.Bd2 0-0 12.a3 Bxc3 13.Bxc3 Better than 13.bxc3 Qe7! Ne4 14.Bxe5 Bg4 15.Bd4 Ng5 16.Bc3 Rc8 17.b4 Re8 18.h4 Ne4 19.Bb2 Qd7 20.Qc1 d2 20...Bxf3 21.Bxf3 Qf5 22.Qd1 allows Black to equalize 21.Qc2² Bf5 22.Qb3 Be6 22...Bh3 23.Bxh3 Qxh3 24.c5 would have equalized 23.Qc2 23.Nxd2 Nxd2 24.Qc3 f6 also lets Black restore the balance Bf5 24.Qa4 Qd3 24...f6 25.h5 should equalize 25.b5 Nd8 26.Qxa7 Ne6 Fritz suggests 26...f6!? 27.g4! White strengthens his hold on the lead Bxg4 28.Ne5 Qc2 29.Nxg4 Better than 29.Qxb7, e.g., Nd6 30.Qd5 Nxc4! Qxb2 30.Bxe4 Not the dubious 30.Qxb7 because of 30…Nc3 31.Qf3 Rc5! Rxc4 31.Bf3?? Better but inadequate was 31.Rab1, e.g., 31…Rc1 32.Qa4 d1Q! Rc1! 32.Raxc1 dxc1=Q 33.Rxc1 Qxc1+ 34.Kg2 h5 35.Nh2 Nc5 36.Bxb7 Qc2 37.Bd5 Qg6+ 38.Kh1 Nd3 39.Nf3?? After 39.Nf3??
The losing moment. Best was 39.Bg2 Nxf2+ 40.Kg1, etc. 39...Nxf2+! 40.Kh2 Ng4+! 0-1
Venerable Viktor Korchnoi has demonstrated that at 76 he still packs a wallop with the power of a 26-year-old’s knockout punch on the board.
He and Dutch titan Jan Timman, 56, won their first games in the first round of the honorary section of the Corus Super Tournament in Wijk aan Zee.
Korchnoi, playing White, shot down Lajos Portisch, 70, of Hungary while Timman outplayed with the Black pieces Ljubomir Ljubojevic, 57, in the opening round Friday.
All four were each among the world’s top 10 players—or even top two or three in the case of Korchnoi in the late seventies—during their heyday.
Here is how Korchnoi bared his fangs and his youthful vigor on the board.
V. Korchnoi (2605) – L. Portisch (2530)
Rd 1, Qurrn’s Gambit Declined (D37)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Be7 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bf4 0-0 6.e3 Nbd7 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Nxd5 exd5 9.Bd3 Bb4+ 10.Kf1 Nf6 11.Qc2 c6 12.h3 Bd6 13.Be5 g6 14.Ke2 Re8 15.Rhd1 Bxe5 16.Nxe5 Be6 17.b4 Rc8 18.Kf1 Nh5 18...Nd7 19.Nxd7 Qxd7 20.a3 would have equalized 19.Rac1 Ng7 20.Qb1 If 20.Qc5 a6 Bf5 21.Qb2 f6 22.Nf3 Bxd3+ 23.Rxd3 Re7 24.Rdc3 a6 25.a4 Rec7 26.Qb3 Ne6 27.e4 Kg7 28.Re3 dxe4 If 28...Nf4 29.e5 29.Rxe4 Not 29.Qxe6 exf3 30.Rxf3 Qxd4! Nf8 30.Rce1 Qd6 31.Nd2 If 31.a5 Rf7! Rf7 31...Rd8 32.Kg1 would have equalized 32.Nc4 Qd5 33.Qc3 Rd8 34.Nb6 Qd6 35.Kg1 g5 36.Nc4 Qd7 37.h4 If 37.Ne3 Ng6 gxh4 38.Rxh4 Ng6 39.Rhe4 Re7 40.Rxe7+ Nxe7 41.Qg3+ Ng6 42.Ne3 With the idea of hopping to Nc4-e3-g4-e5 42...f5 43.Qg5 Rf8 44.Rd1 f4 45.Ng4 Qe7 46.Qh6+ Kh8 Missing 46...Kg8!?, which would have restored the balance: 47.Ne5 Qxb4 48.Nxg6 Rf6 47.Ne5! Nh4 47...Rg8 would favor White: 48.Nxg6+ Rxg6 49.Qxf4 Qxb4 50.Qe5+ Kg8 51.Re1! 48.d5 48.Rd3! was better: 48…Kg8 49.Rh3, and White soars Rg8 49.Qe6 Qxe6 50.dxe6 Re8 51.Rd8! Surprise, surprise! This move shows Korchnoi’s “youthful alertness” over the board as he steps up his initiative with this stunning move and the check with a fork as its tactical motif.51…Rxd8 52.Nf7+ Kg7 53.Nxd8 Kf6 54.Nxb7 Kxe6 55.Nc5+ Kd5 56.Nxa6 Nf5 57.Kh2 Kc4 58.Kh3 h5 59.f3 Ne7 60.a5 60.Kh4 Nd5 61.Kxh5 Kb3 would give White a big boost Nc8 61.Kh4 White is now winning Kb5 62.Nc7+ Kxb4 63.a6 c5 64.Nd5+ Kb5 65.Nxf4 Kxa6 66.Kxh5! The end, e.g., 66…Kb5 67.g4! 1-0
Here is how Timman, publisher of New in Chess and former Dutch champion, outwitted the veteran Serbian star:
L. Ljubojevic (2543) – J. Timman (2561) [E00]
Rd 1, Honorary Group, Corus Super, Wijkaan Zee ’07
Modern Benoni (A60)
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 c5 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.Bg2 b5 7.a3 Bb7 8.Nc3 a6 9.e4 g6 10.Nge2 Bg7 11.0-0 0-0 12.b4 Nbd7 13.Rb1 Re8 14.h3 Rc8 15.Qb3 cxb4 16.axb4 Nb6 17.Rd1 Nc4 18.Rd3 Qb6 19.g4 Nd7 20.Bf4 Nde5 21.Rg3 h6 22.h4 Rc7 23.Rf1 Bc8 24.Bh3 Bd7 25.Kg2 a5 26.Bc1 Intending to go to Bf4-c1-a3-b4. Better than 26.bxa5 Nxa5 27.Qb1 b4! 26...axb4 26...a4!? 27.Qd1 Bc8 would have equalized 27.Qxb4 Qa5 28.Qxa5 Nxa5 29.Ba3 Nec4 The knight dominates 30.Bb4 Nb3 30...g5 31.hxg5 hxg5 32.Rf3µ] 31.Nxb5 Bxb5 32.Rxb3 Rxe4 33.Re1 Ba4 34.Rbb1 Fritz suggests 34.Rg3!? Rb7 Black is now way ahead 35.Bc3? Weak, missing his best shot, 35.g5!, although Black would still be leading Rxb1 36.Rxb1 Rxe2 37.Rb4 Ne3+ 37...Bxc3?! is dubious: 38.Rxc4 Bf6 39.Rxa4 Bxh4 40.Ra6, and White has wrested the lead 38.Kf3 Nxd5 38...Bxc3?! is much weaker :39.Rxa4 Rd2 40.Kxe3 Rxd5 41.Bg2! 39.Kxe2 Nxc3+ Not 39...Bxc3 40.Rxa4 g5 41.hxg5 hxg5 42.Bf1! 40.Ke1 Bd7 41.Rb8+ Bf8 42.g5 42.Kd2 Ne4+ 43.Ke3 Nc5 gives Black a boost Bxh3 43.gxh6 Be6 44.h7+ Kxh7 45.Rxf8 Nb5! Here White toppled his king because that extra pawn backed by the two minor pieces will prevail. 0-1
LEGEND LIVES AGAIN IN NAMESAKE
Tigran Petrosian ‘resurrected’
HIS parents were not mistaken in naming him after one of the greatest players the 20th century world had seen.
This must be the thought running in the minds of the fans of Tigran L. Petrosian after hearing that the 23-year-old grandmaster has surged ahead in the ongoing 58th National Championship in Yerevan, the Armenian capital.
As this is being written, GM Petrosian looks certain to capture Armenia’s national crown, with the same constancy and steadiness his great namesake (no relation) used to display at the board in the sixties.
His namesake, Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian (1929-84), was a partially deaf former street sweeper of Armenian descent in the then city of Leningrad (called by its ancient name, St. Petersburg, in the post-Soviet era), one of the liveliest centers of Soviet chess, where he rose to fame as the ninth world champion (1963-69).
Already, the much younger Tigran L. Petrosian has shown a capacity for greatness. This manifested itself as early as 2002 when he won the title of Armenian Under-18 champion and in 2004 when he became world vice junior champion (silver medalist).
He is now on the verge of winning the national crown, which could be a stepping stone toward fulfilling his dream of becoming a great world champion someday, just like the man after whom he had been named.
In the ongoing national championship, he has shown a rare steadiness in moving toward his goal, staying undefeated after seven rounds and playing with verve and occasional sparks of brilliance.
But first, let’s be entertained by one of his most amusing games as a child of 10.
T.L Petrosian - Le TD
World U-10 Ch, Szeged, HUN 1994
Two Knights, Max Lnge Attack (C55)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.e5 d5 5...Ng4 6.0–0 d6 7.exd6 Qxd6 8.h3 would have equalized 6.Bb5 Ne4 7.Nxd4 Bd7 8.Bxc6 bxc6 9.0–0 Be7 Fritz cites 9...Bc5 10.c3, with equality 10.f3 Nc5 11.f4 f6 11...f5!? may be tried 12.f5! fxe5?? “Strolling merrily down the path to disaster,” says Fritz, which suggests 12...0–0 13.e6 Be8, with White’s lead reduced.13.Qh5+ Kf8 14.Ne6+! Bxe6 15.fxe6+ Bf6 16.Qf7#! 1–0
Unless he loses his focus in the last few rounds, Petrosian can be regarded now as a shoo-in for Armenia’s throne. This is because he already has successfully met his toughest challenge—against top-seeded GM Smbat Lputian in the fifth round.
But before he faced his toughest rival, Petrosian did a little “exercise,” whipping into submission another tokayo, Tigran Nabaldian.
T.L. Petrosian (2606) – T. Nalbandian (2505)
Rd 5, Armenian Ch, Yerevan 2008
French Defense (C10)
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Bg5 h6 7.Nxf6+ Nxf6 8.Bh4 c5 9.Bd3 cxd4 10.Nxd4 Bc5 Of course not 10...Qxd4 because of 11.Bb5 +!, and Black’s queen falls in a discovered attack 11.Nb3 Be7 12.Qe2 Qd5 13.f4 Qh5 14.Qxh5 Nxh5 15.Bxe7 Kxe7 16.0–0 Rd8 17.Rae1 Nf6 18.Re5 Preparing to advance the pawn to f5 Rd5 19.Re2 Bd7 20.f5 Rc8 21.fxe6 Bxe6 22.Bf5 Kd6 23.Bxe6 fxe6 24.Rfe1 e5 25.Nd2 b5 26.Nf1 Ke6 27.Ne3 Rd4 28.Nd1 Nd7 29.c3 Rd6 30.Ne3 Rf8 31.Nc2 Rd5 32.g3 a5 33.Kg2 Kd6 34.Ne3 Rd3 35.a4 bxa4 36.Nc4+ Kc6 36...Kc5! was more precise, e.g., 37.Nxe5 Nxe5 38.Rxe5+ Rd5 39.Rxd5+ Kxd5, restoring the balance 37.Rxe5 a3 Not 37...Ndxe5 because of 38.Nxe5+!, forking king and rook 38.Re6+ Kd5 39.Nxa3 Rd2+ 40.R6e2 Rxe2+ 41.Rxe2 Ne5 41...a4 42.Rd2+ Kc6 43.Nc4 is bad for Black 42.b3 White now has the edge Nc6 43.Nc4 Rf6 44.Ra2 g5 45.Nxa5 Ne5 46.Rd2+ Ke4 47.Re2+ Kd5 48.h3 Ra6 49.b4 h5 50.Kf1 50.Rd2+ Ke4 and White surges ahead Rf6+! 51.Kg2 Weak. Better was 51.Rf2! Nf3 52.Ke2 Ng1+ 53.Ke3 Rxf2 54.c4+ Kd6 55.Kxf2 Nxh3+ 56.Kf3 g4+ 57.Ke3! Ra6 52.Rd2+ Ke4 53.Kf2 53.Rd8 h4 should widen White’s lead Rf6+ 54.Ke2 Rf3? 55.Nc4! “It's best to give back material,” says Fritz, trotting out the following variation explaining why Black has to surrender: 55.Nc4 Kf5 56.g4+ Kf6 57.Rd6+ Ke7 58.Rd5 Rxh3 59.Rxe5+ Kf6 60.Rf5+ Ke6 61.Ne3! 1–0
Judging by his current Elo rating and his extensive experience on the international circuit, GM Lputian, who will be 50 next month, should have found it quite easy to set the pace in the Armenian National Championship.
Because he had White and was the second seed in the absence of the 25-year-old Armenian superstar Levon Aronian, Lputian should have tried hard to outwit the less experienced Petrosian when they faced each other in the sixth round.
But he didn’t, or couldn’t, find the right moves nor could he make any dent on Petrosian’s chess armor. Hence, the veteran fighter found himself fighting for a draw in the endgame instead.
I suspect that Lputian, who has been a grandmaster since 1984, lacks the drive and the ambition to climb the highest mountain of success as shown in his rather lackadaisical style of play. His record shows that he has won numberless first prizes, but mostly in events that do not really count.
His first two games were so-called grandmaster draws, first against the top seed, 27-year-old Karen Asrian, and then against Artashes Minasian. Both games lasted for less than a dozen moves—the first in 10 and the second in 11!
Not having found the momentum as the tournament progressed, the 28-year-old Olympiad veteran had two more draws—real ones this time—and scored his first win in the fourth round.
Asrian was worse—he never got out of the intellectual rut into which he had fallen, won only twice and lost once, drawing the rest. In short, he was never in contention for a prize throughout the event!
How Petrosian held Lputian to a draw with Black shows the latter’s lack of will to win.
S. Lputian (2616) – T.L. Petrosian (2606)
Rd 6, Classical King’s Indian (E90)
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 g6 4.Nc3 Bg7 5.e4 d6 6.Bd3 0-0 7.h3 e6 8.Nf3 exd5 9.exd5 Re8+ 10.Be3 Rxe3+? Fritz suggests 10...Na6!?, with equality 11.fxe3 White now has the edge Qe7 12.0-0 Better was 12.Qd2 Nfd7, and White forges ahead Nfd7 13.Qe2 Ne5 14.Nxe5 Bxe5 15.Rf3 Bxc3 16.bxc3 Nd7 17.Raf1 Ne5 18.Rf6 18.Rf4 may be tried to keep the lead Bf5 19.R6xf5 gxf5 20.Bxf5 Qg5 21.Rf4 Qg3 22.Re4 a6 23.Qh5 Not 23.Qf2 Qxf2+ 24.Kxf2 Kg7! h6 24.Bg4 24.Qxh6?? leads to a mate in two, says Fritz:24...Nf3+ 25.Kh1 Qe1#! Kg7 25.Qf5 Rg8 26.Qf4 If 26.Kf1 Re8 Qxf4 27.exf4 Nxg4 28.hxg4 Kf6 29.Kf2 Rxg4 30.g3 Rg8 31.Re1 31.Kf3 b5 favors Black b5! Equalizing 32.Rb1 Rb8 33.a3 h5 34.Kf3 Kf5 35.Rb2 Re8 36.cxb5 axb5 37.Rxb5 Ra8 38.Rb7 f6 39.Rh7 39.Ke3 gives Black a chance to equalize: 39…Rxa3 40.Kd3 Ra4 Rxa3 39...Kg6 40.Rd7 equalizes 40.Rxh5+= Kg6 41.g4 Rxc3+ 42.Ke4 Rc4+ 43.Ke3 Rd4 44.f5+ Fritz favors 44.Rf5!? Kg7 45.g5 fxg5 46.Rxg5+ Kf6 47.Rg6+ Ke5 48.Re6+ Kxd5 49.Re7 Rd1 50.f6 Rf1 51.f7 Rf6 52.Kd3 Rf5 53.Ke3 c4 54.Rc7 Rf1 55.Ke2 Rf6 56.Ke3 Rf5 57.Re7 Kc6 57...c3 58.Rc7 gives White the lead 58.Kd4 d5 59.Ra7 59.Re6+!? would allow White to play on 59...Kb5 60.Re7!, with equal chances Kd6! The best 60.f8=Q+! Rxf8 Seeing that the two pawns could be taken soon enough, the two protagonists agreed to a draw. ½-½
In the seventh round, as reported in The Weekender’s extra edition last Thursday, Lputian went on to defeat Artashes Minasian in the same way that Petrosian took the measure of Tigran Kotanjian.
Levon Aronian, Vladimir Akopian, Smbat Lputian, Artashes Minasian, and Karen Asrian were members of the Armenian national team that won the 2006 Olympiad in Turin, Italy.
As this is being written, Aronian and Magnus Carlsen of Norway were joint leaders of the main event in the Corus Super Tournament in the Dutch city of Wijk aan Zee.
PINOY GEMS WITH A HISTORY
Nouri’s quest for recognition
FOR the past year, Hamed Nouri, the dreaded giant killer from Escalante City in Negros Occidental, has met frustration after frustration in his quest for a place in the sun or at least recognition of his exceptional talent on the board.
With an Elo rating of 2404, he should by now be a Fide master or, more fittingly, an international master.
The NCFP has awarded him the National Master title, true, but this is a non-title as far as Fide is concerned.
It is to be hoped that this taciturn and soft-spoken giant killer from Escalante will earn a Fide title in the ongoing Asean Masters Circuit in Tarakan, Indonesia.
In the First President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Cup in November 2006, Hamed caused a stir when his penultimate-round victim, Russian GM Vladimir Belov, lodged a complaint accusing him of “possibly cheating by electronic means” because he was wearing a baseball cap.
Accosted by tournament officials accompanied by Belov, the 27-year-old Hamed dutifully took off his cap—and showed why he was wearing it: a bald pate!
Unsatisfied that no electronic gadget was found on Hamed’s person, GM Belov took along with him the Filipino’s score-sheets, including those Hamed won against local GMs. Those historic games have been lost forever.
It can be said that Hamed Nouri’s games show a degree of mastery that only an internationally recognized player may possess.
Here is a game that he won against a leading Woman International Master:
H. Nouri (2404) – B. Mendoza (2132)
2ndPGMA Cup Open, Parañaque City.2007
Reti Opening/King's Indian Attack (A03)
1.Nf3 f5 2.d3 d6 3.e4 g6 If 3...e5 4.Nbd2, equalizing 4.h4 Nf6 5.h5 Bg7 5...Nxh5 6.Rxh5 gxh5 7.Ng5 should also equalize 6.h6 Better was 6.hxg6, e.g., 6…hxg6 7.Rxh8+!, and White gets a clear advantage Bf8 7.Bg5 Nc6 8.Nc3 Be6 9.Qe2 fxe4 10.dxe4 Qd7 11.0-0-0 Ng4 12.Qd2 Nge5 13.Nd5 a6 Not 13...Nxf3 because of 14.gxf3 Ne5 15.Bf6 Nxf3 16.Qe3!, and White surges ahead 14.Qc3 14.Nxe5! was best: 14…dxe5 15.Qe3 Bxd5 16.exd5! Nf7 15.Be3 Bg4 Not 15...Bxd5 16.exd5 Ncd8 17.g3!, and White is way ahead 16.Rd2 Bxf3 17.gxf3 0-0-0 18.Bh3 18.Bd4 e6 19.Bxh8 gives White great advantage e6 19.Bb6!! That bishop and the knight on d5 cannot be captured: the power of pins!
19...Bxh6 Not 19...cxb6 A pinning theme 20.Nxb6+, a royal fork 20.Bxc7 20.f4!? may be tried Bxd2+ 21.Kxd2 Qe8 22.Qf6 Rd7? Fritz notes 22...Ng5 was best: 23.Qxg5 Rd7 23.Bxe6 Winning Rf8 24.Rxh7 Ncd8 25.Bxd8 Qxd8 26.Rxf7 1-0
And here is one he won against an Indonesian IM:
N. Situru (2375) – H. Nouri (2404)
Rd. 5, Asean Masters, Tarakan 2008
Sicilian Taimanov (B48)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Bd3 Nf6 7.0-0 Nc6 8.Be3 b5 9.a3 If 9.Nb3 Bb4! Bb7 Black is behind in development, Fritz warns..If 9...Bd6 10.h3! 10.Nb3 Ne5 Equalizing 11.Bf4 d6 12.Qe2 Be7 13.Bg3 Nc4 14.Nd1 0-0 15.a4 e5 16.Re1 Rfc8 17.c3 g6 17...Qd7 18.Bh4 keeps the balance 18.Qc2 18.Nd2 Nxd2 19.Qxd2 Bc6 with equality Bf8 18...Nh5 leads to equality: 19.Nd2 Nxg3 20.hxg3 19.f3 19.Nd2 Bh6 20.Nf3 Nh5 also equalizes Nh5 The best 20.Bf2 Nf4 21.Bf1 d5 22.exd5 Bxd5 23.Nc1 b4 24.g3 Ne6 25.Bxc4 25.Qd3 could favor Black, e.g., 25…Qb7 26.Ne3 Nxe3 27.Qxe3 Bxf3! Bxc4 26.Be3 Qb7 27.Qf2 b3 28.a5 Rd8 29.h4 f5 30.Ne2 Not 30.Bb6 f4! Rd3 30...Qc6 31.f4 Nc5 32.Qg2, and Black surges ahead 31.f4 Qe4 31...e4 was stronger 32.fxe5 Qxe5 33.Nf4 Nxf4 34.Bxf4 Qc5 35.Re5 Qc6 36.Ne3 Bf7 36...Bc5 is also playable: 37.Kh2 Re8 38.Re1 Rxe5 39.Bxe5, and Black is way ahead 37.Nf1 Best was 37.Qg2 Qc8 38.Re1! Bd6-+ 38.Re3 Rxe3 39.Bxe3 Re8 40.Rd1 Bf8 40...Bc4 could be better: 41.Qg2 Qxg2+! 41.Bb6 Qe4 42.Qd4 Qc2 Not 42...Qe2 43.Rd2 Qb5 44.Qd7! 43.Rd2 Re1 44.Rf2 Another interesting idea is 44.Qf4!?, e.g., 44...Qc1 45.Be3! Qe4 Black surges on 45.Rd2 Better was 45.Kh2!? Qc6 46.Kg1! Bc4 46.Rf2 Bd5 47.Qxe4 Bxe4 48.Rd2 Bh6 49.Rd8+ Kf7 50.Bc5?? A gross mistake that hastens White’s demise. Fritz suggests 50.Rd7+ Ke6 51.Rxh7! 50...Rb1 Missing 50...Re2!? and Black can already relax 51.Rd7+ Ke6 52.Rxh7 Bc1! White resigns. 0-1
MY FAVORITES
A new force from Baku
IT may be too early to say this, but it looks like 2008 may be the year that Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan, who will turn 21 on March 12, will finally make it to the Top Ten Players in the world.
Indeed, that has long been overdue. Since he landed among the world’s Top 100 at the age of 14 seven years ago, Teimour’s climb up the ladder of success has been nothing less than phenomenal.
He demonstrated his growing power as a player in 2003 when he became the youngest person, at 16, to defeat then world No. 1 Garry Kasparov of Russia, who like him was also born in Baku, Azerbaijan.
But while Teimour is obviously an Azeri, Garry was not because he was born to a Jewish father and an Armenian mother. Up to now that former Soviet satellite Azerbaijan is independent of Moscow, the Azeris and the Armenians remain on constant strife.
Against that backdrop of this socioeconomic strife, it is not surprising that that sensational win in Linares in 2003 did not endear Teimour to his kababayan. The Azeri lad once bitterly complained that Kasparov had prevented him from taking part in major events overseas.
Now that Kasparov, who has lived in Russia since fleeing from the civil strife in Azerbaijan, is staying aloof from chess competitions because of his avowed campaign to fight the supposedly anti-democratic rule of Russia by the former KGB chief, President Vladimir Putin, the field looks free for Radjabov to conquer.
Radjabov proved this amply when he outplayed reigning world champion Viswanathan Anand of India in the first round of the main event in the ongoing Corus Tournament in the Dutch resort of Wijk aan Zee.
Blogger Mig Greengard has criticized Anand for failing to force a draw through repetition of moves, but a close examination of the game shows Radjabov in complete control from beginning to end, except for occasional lapses.
This has been confirmed by Fritz and I think what Mig saw was a mirage.
Moreover, Radjabov’s victory in the ACP World Rapid Cup in Odessa last month makes him the favorite of fans who admire constancy and consistency in the upper levels of global chess. enemy king Bf8 17.Bxf8 Rxf8 17...Kxf8 18.b3 would have equalized 18.b3 18.e5 Qc7 19.Ne4 0-0-0 b4 19.Na4 c3 20.a3 a5 21.d5 Qe7 22.d6 Better was 22.dxe6!? fxe6 23.Bh5+ Kd8 24.Nb6! and White would have the edge Qf6 Restoring equality 23.e5 Qf4 Better than 23...Qxe5 24.Ba6 Qxe1+ 25.Qxe1 Bxa6 26.axb4 axb4 27.Qe4! 24.Bd3 bxa3 25.Qe2 Qd2 26.Rxa3 Qxe2 26...f6 would have led to equality, e.g., 27.exf6 Rxf6 28.Ra2 Qxe2 29.Raxe2, and the balance is kept 27.Rxe2 g4 28.Nxc3 Rg8 29.Ne4 Kd8 30.Nd2 c5 31.Bb5 Bd5 32.Nc4 Targeting the isolani on a5 Rg5 33.Rea2 Nxe5 34.Nb6 Rb8 35.Rxa5 Be4 36.Ra7 Preparing to advance the d-pawn f6 36...h5 37.R2a5 would boost White’s lead 37.R2a6 37.R2a4 was more precise, e.g., 37…c4 38.bxc4 and White is way ahead Rg8 38.Rc7 38.Ba4 c4 39.bxc4 h5 was better Rf8
Radjabov, T. (2735) - Anand, V. (2799)
Corus A Wijk aan Zee NED (1), 12.01.2008
Semi-Slav Defense (D35)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 e6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 dxc4 7.e4 g5 8.Bg3 b5 9.Be2 Bb7 10.0-0 Nbd7 11.Ne5 Bg7 12.Nxd7 Nxd7 13.Bd6 Preventing …O-O a6 14.Re1 Bf8 15.Bg3 Bg7 16.Bd6 Trapping the enemy king Bf8 17.Bxf8 Rxf8 17...Kxf8 18.b3 would have equalized 18.b3 18.e5 Qc7 19.Ne4 0-0-0 b4 19.Na4 c3 20.a3 a5 21.d5 Qe7 22.d6 Better was 22.dxe6!? fxe6 23.Bh5+ Kd8 24.Nb6! and White would have the edge Qf6 Restoring equality 23.e5 Qf4 Better than 23...Qxe5 24.Ba6 Qxe1+ 25.Qxe1 Bxa6 26.axb4 axb4 27.Qe4! 24.Bd3 bxa3 25.Qe2 Qd2 26.Rxa3 Qxe2 26...f6 would have led to equality, e.g., 27.exf6 Rxf6 28.Ra2 Qxe2 29.Raxe2, and the balance is kept 27.Rxe2 g4 28.Nxc3 Rg8 29.Ne4 Kd8 30.Nd2 c5 31.Bb5 Bd5 32.Nc4 Targeting the isolani on a5 Rg5 33.Rea2 Nxe5 34.Nb6 Rb8 35.Rxa5 Be4 36.Ra7 Preparing to advance the d-pawn f6 36...h5 37.R2a5 would boost White’s lead 37.R2a6 37.R2a4 was more precise, e.g., 37…c4 38.bxc4 and White is way ahead Rg8 38.Rc7 38.Ba4 c4 39.bxc4 h5 was better Rf8 39.Rxc5 Missing 39.Nd7!? Nxd7 40.Rxd7+ Kc8 41.Rc7+! Rf7 40.d7! Throwing a monkey wrench into Black’s position. 40…Nxd7 41.Nxd7 Rxd7 42.Bxd7 Kxd7 43.Rc3 f5 44.Ra7+ Kd6 45.Rh7 Bd5 46.Rxh6 Bxb3 47.h3 gxh3 48.Rhxh3 Bd5 49.Rc2 Ke5 50.f3 Kf6 51.Kf2 Rb4 52.Re2 Kg6 53.Kg3 Ra4 54.Rh4 Ra7 55.Rb2 Kf6 56.Rhb4 Ke5 57.Re2+ Kf6 58.Rd2 Ke5 59.Re2+?? A mistake. Better was 59.f4+ Kd6, and White surges ahead Kf6 60.Kf4 Ra3 61.Rd2 Ra5 62.Re2?? Releasing the pressure on Black: 62.Rb6 was better Ra3 63.Kg3 Ra8? Worsening his position. Better but not enough was 63...Ra7 64.Rd4 Ba2, but White would still be ahead 64.Rc2 Ke5 65.Rh4 Rg8+ 66.Kh2 Ra8 67.Re2+ Kf6 68.f4 Ke7 69.Rh7+ Kd6 70.Kg3 Rg8+ 71.Kh3 Rg4 72.g3 Rg8 73.Rd2 Rc8 74.Kh4 Rc3 75.Rg7 Ra3 76.Rc2 Bc6 77.Rc1 Rb3 78.Rg1 Bd5 79.Kg5 Kc5 80.Kf6 Kd4 81.Re1 Rb6 82.Rd7 Rc6 83.Ke7 Ra6 84.Rd6 Ra7+ 85.Kf6! Black resigns as White will soon harvest the black pawns. 1-0
GAMES OF GIFTED KIDS
U-18 champion—at age 12!
BAKU Wonder Boy Teimour Radjabov was so advanced in his mastery of the game that he caught the chess world by surprise when he captured the Under-18 world crown at the age of 12 in 1999.
Two years later, at the age of 14 years and 14 days, Teimour became a grandmaster.
His progress was so rapid that he soon entered the world’s elite group of 100 grandmasters and, in 2003, became the youngest person—at 16!—ever to defeat the then world No. 1, Garry Kasparov himself, in the Linares (Spain) Super Tournament.
Teimour still holds that record, has stayed among the Top 100 since 2001, has been the top-rated junior player for the past four or five years, and is currently ranked No. 12 overall in the world!
Indeed, he holds one of the most enviable track records among the crop of child prodigies in the history of the game.
Will you be surprised if he becomes world champion some day and break Kasparov’s record as the youngest classical world champion?
Even as a child, Teimour already showed he was head and shoulders above his contemporaries. Let his games as a youngster speak on his behalf, like his win with White against Anand in 2003 when he was only 16 years old.
V. Anand (2774) – T. Radjabov (2648)
Rd. 2, Dortmund Sparkassen, Germany 2003
Sicilian Lowenthal and Kalashnikov (B32)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 d6 6.c4 If 6.Bg5 Nf6 Be7 7.b3 f5 8.exf5 Bxf5 9.Bd3 e4 10.Be2 a6 11.N5c3 Bf6 12.0-0 Nge7 13.a3 13.Bg4 Bg6 allows Black to level the field 0-0 13...d5!? should not be overlooked , e.g., 14.Bg4 dxc4 15.Bxf5 Nxf5 16.bxc4 0-0! 14.Ra2 Qa5 15.b4 Qe5 16.Re1 b5 Fritz suggests 16...Rad8!?, with equal chances 17.cxb5 axb5 18.Bxb5 Nd4 19.Bf1 d5 20.Rd2 Be6 21.f4 Qxf4 22.Rf2 Not 22.Rxd4? because of 22...Qf2+ 23.Kh1 Bxd4! Qxf2+ 23.Kxf2 Nb5 24.Kg1 Not 24.Bxb5 Bd4+! Nxc3 25.Nxc3 Bxc3 26.Bb5 26.Re3 Rfc8 leads to equality Bxe1 27.Qxe1 Nf5 28.Bb2 Rac8 29.Ba4 Rf7 30.h3 If 30.Bd1 Nd6, restoring the balance h5! 31.b5 h4! 32.Be5 d4 With the idea of pushing it to d3 33.b6 33.Qxe4 Ne3 34.Qb1 Ba2 benefits Black e3! The struggle now hinges on this pawn 34.Kh2 Not 34.Bc7 d3 35.Bd1 Bd5!, and White will be hard put stopping the advancing pair of black pawns d3 35.Qb4? Courting disaster, but White’s position has worsened 35.Bc7 is better but inadequate to stop the downslide: 35…Rfxc7 36.bxc7 Rxc7! e2 36.Bc3?? 36.Bb3 Bxb3 37.b7 Rxb7 38.Qxb7 would boost Black’s advantage 36...Rxc3! “ Touché!” says Fritz in appreciation. 37.Qxc3 Ng3 38.b7 Rxb7 39.Qa5 39.Qxd3 Nf1+ 40.Kg1 e1Q 41.Qd8+ Kh7 42.Qd3+ g6 43.Qxf1 Qe3+ 44.Kh1 Bd5!, and Black wins Rb8! White topples his king in abject surrender. 0-1
As early as 13 years of age, Teimour had become a sharp tactical player as this game would show.
T. Radjabov – A. Nakamura
World Under-10 Ch., Menorca 1996
Anti-King’s Indian Systems (A49)
1.Nf3 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.b3 g6 4.Bb2 Bg7 5.g3 0-0 6.Bg2 c6 7.0-0 Nbd7 8.c4 Qc7 9.Nc3 Rd8 10.Qc2 e5 11.Rfd1 Re8 12.e4 b6 13.Ba3 Bf8 14.Rd2 Bb7 15.Rad1 Rad8 16.dxe5 dxe5 17.Bd6 Bxd6 18.Rxd6 Re7 18...b5 19.a3 would benefit White 19.Qd2± Ree8? 19...Ne8 could be stronger, e.g., 20.Rd3 Ng7! 20.Nxe5! A surprise shot that ensures the point. 20...Rxe5 If 20...Nxe5 21.Rdxd8! 21.Rxf6! Ree8? If 21...Nxf6 22.Qxd8+!, with a winning attack 22.Rd6 The clincher, e.g., 22…Bc8 23.e5 Rxe5 24.Bxc6! 1-0
CHESS MAGIC
Sparkling tactics of ‘Baku Boys’
BOTH Garry Kasparov and Teimour Radjanov saw the first light of day—on April 16, 1963and on March 12, 1987—in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, which is well known for its fondness for chess like most other cities and towns in Eastern Europe.
I am sure it is more than just coincidence that both “Baku Boys” played sparkling chess and dominated the game during their equally brilliant careers, 24 years apart.
Growing up in a community where chess flourishes could be the strongest stimulus for mastering the game. But of course, one must have genuine native talent—or, in their case, ingenuity.
What distinguishes their games from the run-of-the-mill variety?
To my mind it is their perfect sense of timing.
Here are a few games that seem to reinforce that belief. First, Garry’s gems as a Baku Boy:
. G. Kasparov – A. Sendur
World Youth, Wattognies 1976
Pirc Defense, Classical (B08)
1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Be2 Nbd7 6.0–0 6.e5 was best, e.g., 6…Ng8 7.Bf4 Nf8 0–0 7.e5 dxe5 8.dxe5 Ng4 9.e6 Nde5 10.Qxd8 Rxd8 11.Nxe5 Nxe5 12.Nb5 c6 13.Nc7 Rb8 14.f4 Ng4 15.Bxg4 Bd4+ 16.Kh1 Bb6 17.f5 Bxc7 18.fxg6 fxg6 19.Bh6 Be5 20.Rad1 Rxd1?? This falls into White’s plan. Fritz suggests 20...Re821.Rxd1 Bd6 22.Rf1! Threatening mate via 23.Rf8#! Black resigns. 1–0
G. Kasparov – O. Vasilchenko
Kiev 1973
French Tarrasch (C03)
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nc6 4.Ngf3 Nh6 5.e5 5.c3 Be7 would have given White a clear advantage .f6 6.Bb5 Bd7 7.Bxc6 Bxc6 8.Nb3 Nf7 9.Bf4 9.0–0 fxe5 10.dxe5 Bb5 would allow Black to equalize f5 10.h4 Be7 11.Qd2 b6 12.c3 Bb7 13.Be3 Qd7 14.Nc1 Ba6 Preventing White from castling short 15.Rh3 Qb5 16.Ne2 Qxe2+ 17.Qxe2 Bxe2 18.Kxe2 0–0–0 19.Ng5 Nxg5 20.hxg5 Rdf8 21.g3 g6 22.Rh6 Rf7 23.Rah1 Rg7 24.Kf3 Kd7 25.g4 fxg4+ 26.Kxg4 Ke8 27.b4 a6 28.a4 Kd7 29.b5 a5 30.c4 dxc4 31.Rc1 Re8 32.Rxc4! Bd8 33.Kf4 Ree7 34.Ke4 Rgf7 35.Rc6 Rg7 36.d5 exd5+ 37.Kxd5 Re8 38.e6+ Kc8 39.Bd4 Rgg8 40.Rxh7!
Now, let’s take a look at Teimour’s games during his adolescene in Baku.
T. Radjabov – G. Jones [A05]
Rd. 5, World U-10, Cannes, France 1997
Symmetrical English, Double Fianchetto/Hedgehog
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.b3 g6 3.Bb2 Bg7 4.g3 0-0 5.Bg2 c5 6.c4 Nc6 7.0-0 d5 7...d6 8.d4 would have equalized 8.cxd5² Nb4 9.Qc1 Bf5 10.Nh4 Not 10.Qxc5 Nc2 11.Nc3 b6, and Black equalizes Bxb1 11.Rxb1 Rc8 12.Bh3 Nd7 13.Bxg7 Kxg7 14.e4 Kg8 15.a3 Na6 16.d3 Rc7 Fritz suggests 16...Nc7 17.Qh6 Ne5?? A mistake that hastens Black’s demise. 18.f4 Nxd3 19.Nf5!!
T. Radjabov – D. Kanovsky [A05]
Rd 1, Euro U-12 Ch, Mureck 1998
Anti-King’s Indian (A49)
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.b3 g6 3.Bb2 Bg7 4.g3 0–0 5.Bg2 d6 6.d4 Nbd7 7.0–0 c5 8.c4 Rb8 9.Nc3 b6 10.Qc2 Bb7 11.d5 e5 11...a6!? may be tried to equalize 12.Nb5 Qe7 13.Nxa7 e4 14.Ne1 b5 15.Nxb5 Bxd5 16.Nxd6! A double whammy Qxd6 17.cxd5 Qxd5 18.Rd1 Qe6 19.Qc1 c4 20.bxc4 Rfc8 21.Qa1 Qxc4? 21...Rxc4 and Black can breathe, says Fritz 22.Bh3 Qxe2 23.Bxd7 Rd8 24.Be5 Ra8 25.Ba4 Ng4 26.Bxg7 Nxh2 27.Kxh2 Qxf1 28.Qf6 Rxd1 29.Bh6!
BOBBY ANG’S BUSINESSWORLD COLUMN, CHESS PIECE (1)
Good Advice
OUR Davao correspondent, Mr. Jun Atmosfera, emailed me a few weeks ago that we should have more “Chess Piece” columns dedicated to good practice advice for over-the-board play. Aside from Makogonov’s “theory of the weakest piece” and Larsen’s “no opening problems”, today we will concentrate on a nugget from Nunn’s “Secrets of Practical Chess” and this is on time management.
“When analyzing a given position, it is fair to say that one almost always sees more in the first five minutes than in the next five minutes. The five minutes after that is even less productive, and so on. I have observed that if a player spends more than 20 minutes over a move, the result is almost always a mistake.
“If you have thought about a position for some time and are still unsure what to play, then it is essential to be ruthlessly pragmatic. You have to ask yourself whether further thought is really going to help you make a better decision. Suppose your lengthy cogitation is the result of indecision; for example, say there are two moves, both of which have roughly equal merit. If you have not been able to decide between them up to now, it is reasonable to suppose that there is in fact little to choose between then.
“...My advice is to obey your instinctive feeling as to which of the two moves is better or, if you don’t have any preference, just choose at random.”
Another English GM, Michael Adams, has counseled that you should always choose the more active move, because especially in games with quick time controls, the mistakes cannot be avoided – they will come. Having the more active position gives you more scope to strike a surprise tactical blow on your opponent’s position or, if your game is inferior, allows you more swindling chances.
In the local chess scene we have National Master Efren Bagamasbad, who is a very strong and talented player, but a GM has whispered to me that whenever Efren slumps over into deep thought, the result is usually a mistake. I was a witness to this phenomenon:
Torre, Eugenio (2570) - Bagamasbad, Efren [C02]
FEBTC Open Greenhills (2), 26.02.1997
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Qb6 5.Nf3 Bd7 6.a3 Bb5 7.b4
Not a very common move, but Zvjaginsev used it to score a crucial victory against Volkov in the 1998 Russian Semi-Final tournament in Samara, and since then it has caught on a bit.
7...cxb4 8.Bxb5+ Qxb5 9.cxb4 Nd7 10.Nc3 Qc6 11.Na4 Nb6 12.Nxb6 axb6 13.Bb2 Ne7 14.0–0 Nc8 15.Rc1 Qd7 16.Rc3 Be7 17.Qc2 Bd8 18.Rc1 Ne7 19.Qd3 Nc6 20.R1c2 0–0 21.Bc1 h6 22.Bf4 Na7 23.h4 Nb5 24.Rb3 Be7 25.h5 f5 26.exf6 Bxf6 27.Be5 Qe8 28.Re2 Rc8 29.Re1Rc4 30.a4 Bxe5! 31.Nxe5
It was only here that Eugene noticed what a bad position he had. If
1) 31.dxe5 Rxf3! 32.gxf3 (32.Qxf3? Nd4 33.Qe3 Nxb3 34.Qxb3 Qxh5 black wins easily) 32...Nd4 or
2) 31.Rxe5 Rxf3! 32.gxf3 Nxd4 with a big advantage for the second player in both instances.
31...Nd6 32.Qd1
[32.Nxc4? dxc4 wins]
32...Rc7 33.Rbe3 Ne4 34.Rf1 Rf6 35.b5 Qc8!
Very good, threatening 36...Nxf2 37.Rxf2 Rc1.
36.Ng6!
The defense which offered the most chances. Here is where Efren went into deep thinking. 36...Nxf2 is met by an attack against his e6 with 37.Qe2 and after 37... Ne4 38.Rxf6 gxf6 (38...Nxf6? 39.Rxe6) 39.Qg4 Rc1+ 40.Kh2 Qc7+ (40...Kh7? 41.Qxe6 Qxe6 42.Nf8+) 41.Nf4+ Kh8 42.Qh4 the position is a bit too murky for Efren's taste. Yet that is precisely the route he should have taken. After 45 minutes' thought he played.
36...Rcf7?
Now it is White who gets the advantage.
37.f3 Ng3 38.Rfe1 Nxh5 39.Ne5 Re7 40.Qd2 Rc7 41.Ng4 Rf8 42.Qb4?!
No reason not to take the e6-pawn.
It’s mate on g7 and there’s nothing Black can do about it, except to delay it by sacking his queen, 29…Qxf2+ etc .1–0
42...Nf4 43.g3 Nh3+ 44.Kg2 Ng5 45.Ne5 Rc2+ 46.R1e2 Rxe2+ 47.Rxe2 Qe8 48.Re1 Qc8 49.Qb2 Qa8 50.Qb3 Qa5 51.Re2 Re8 52.Rc2 Qa8 53.Ng6 Qd8 54.Qd3 Nf7 55.Nf4 Qf6 56.Rc7 Qd8 57.Rxb7 Nd6 58.Ra7 1–0
Efren was completely discouraged by the turn of events, yet even in the final position he was not yet lost. Eugene’s remark when he accepted the resignation was “I think you fell asleep!”
Bobby Fischer himself told me that for training purposes he advises that the player take up 10-second chess. This is the form of blitz where you have to make a move within 10 seconds or be forfeited. Practicing in this way will build up your decisiveness.
Here is a rather extreme example of indecisiveness, referred to by Vlastimil Hort as the worst day of his life.
First, some background. GM Hort, then representing Czechoslovakia, reached the candidates’ matches in 1976 by qualifying through the 1976 Manila Interzonal. His first round match was against the former world champion Boris Spassky held in Reykjavik, Iceland. During the latter stages of the competition, Spassky fell ill and was unable to play. During Candidates matches, each player was allotted a fixed number of rest days to accommodate such situations, but Spassky exhausted his entire allocation of time-outs and was still unable to compete. At this point Hort would have been entirely within his rights to claim the match won by forfeit, and indeed many of his peers would have done so. In the event, however, Hort made the sporting gesture of offering Spassky one of his own time-outs so that the ex-champion could complete his recovery. In the last game of the match with the score still tied here is what happened:
Spassky, Boris (2610) - Hort, Vlastimil (2620) [E14]
Candidates QuarterFinals Reykjavik (15), 1977
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.e3 Bb7 5.Bd3 d5 6.0–0 Nbd7 7.b3 Be7 8.Bb2 0–0 9.Nc3 c5 10.Qe2 Rc8 11.Rfd1 Qc7 12.Rac1 Rfe8 13.cxd5 exd5 14.Bf5 g6 15.Bh3 Rcd8 16.Na4 Ne4 17.dxc5 bxc5 18.Bxd7 Qxd7 19.Ne5 Qc7 20.f3 Nf6 21.Nd3 c4 22.Ndc5 Bc6!
Some romantics might be distracted with the possibility of 22...Bxc5 23.Nxc5 Qxc5 24.Bxf6 Rxe3 but it is all a mirage, because White can simply play 25.Qf2! followed by Bd4, and Black gets a lost position.
23.Bd4 Bb5 24.Qf2 Nd7 25.Nxd7 Bxd7 26.Nc3 Bf5!
A deep move. After ...
27.e4 dxe4 28.Nxe4 Bxe4 29.fxe4 c3!
Hort has the advantage. White cannot take the pawn with 30.Rxc3 Qxc3 31.Bxc3 Rxd1+ 32.Be1 Bb4.
30.Rf1 Bb4 31.Bxa7 Rd2 32.Qe3
[32.Qxd2? Qxa7+ 33.Qf2 Bc5]
32...Ra8 33.Bb6 Qd7 34.a4 c2 35.Bc5
Hort can play 35...Qg4! threatening mate on g2. After 36.Rf2 (36.g3 Qh5) 36...Rxf2 White has a very unpleasant choice. If he takes with the queen then 37.Qxf2 Qd1+ 38.Qf1 Bxc5+; with the king allows 37.Kxf2 Bxc5 Qxc5 Qf4+. All of this very elementary for a GM of Hort's stature, but Hort was enjoying himself too much calculating all of the winning tactics and, although he had upwards of 15 minutes left, he allowed his flag to fall. With this he lost the game and, tragically, the match. 1–0
Isn’t this a ridiculous conclusion to the match? Caused by ridiculous indecisiveness. There is a lesson here for all of us.
Reader comments and/or suggestions are urgently solicited. Email address is bangcpa@gmail.com.
This column was first published in BusinessWorld on Monday, January 14, 2008.
Chess quote
“Chess is life.”
—Bobby Fischer
BOBBY ANG’S BUSINESSWORLD COLUMN, CHESS PIECE (2)
Matter of Attitude (Part 1)
MY younger brother, Rudy Ang (who is now by the way the Dean of the John Gokongwei School of Management in Ateneo), spent several years abroad to study for his Master’s degree in Boston College. After graduating at the top of his class he worked for a bank in Boston. Once in a while he would come home to the Philippines for a quick vacation. I never let it on, but I looked forward to these visits – this was during the 80s when I completely gave up chess to earn a living. Rudy would drop by a chess shop in Boston, buy a book, and bring it home to me as a pasalubong. He didn’t play chess himself but usually picked up a good title.
One of these books was “Chess Informant 46”. During these years I would read the Informant from cover to cover, but in the first few games of that book I saw Kasparov vs Ivanchuk, and it completely depressed me. I mean, have you ever followed a Karpov game? If you concentrated hard enough you will see what he is trying to do, and you would marvel at the tremendous resources he is bringing to bear on the position. In other words you can at least follow the idea. Look at this masterpiece.
Karpov, Anatoly (2715) - Shirov, Alexei (2710) [D46]
Biel (13), 1992
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Nf3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 Bd6 7.Be2 0–0 8.0–0 dxc4 9.Bxc4 b5 10.Be2 Re8 11.Rd1 Qc7 12.b3 e5 13.h3 Bb7 14.Bb2 a6 15.dxe5 Nxe5
Black's b7-bishop is in a bad place, right? Watch how Karpov works against it.
16.a4! Rad8 17.Ng5!
The idea is to place a knight on e4 and then on c5, completely blockading the bishop. If Shirov plays 17...h6 then 18.Nge4 Be7 19.Nxf6+ Bxf6 20.Ne4 Be7 21.Nc5 completes the outpost.
17...Qe7 18.Nce4 Nxe4 19.Nxe4 Bb4 20.Ng3 f6 21.Bxe5 Qxe5
[21...fxe5 22.Bd3 g6 23.Be4]
22.Bd3 h6
After 22...g6 comes the thematic sacrifice 23.Bxg6 hxg6 24.Qxg6+ Kh8 (24...Kf8 25.Nf5 Qc7 26.Qxf6+ Kg8 27.Nh6+ Kh7 28.Nf7 wins) 25.Qh6+ (of course not 25.Nh5? Qg5) 25...Kg8 26.Nh5.
23.Bg6 Rf8 24.Nf5 c5 25.axb5 axb5 26.Ra7 Qc7 27.Nh4
Threatening 28.Bh7+ Kh8 29.Ng6+
27...Rxd1+ 28.Qxd1 Ra8 29.Qg4!
The rook is immune to capture: 29...Rxa7 30.Qe6+
29...Qc6 30.Rxb7 Qxb7 31.Qe6+ Kh8
[31...Kf8 32.Be4 Qc8 33.Ng6#]
32.Be4
Shirov resigns. He is powerless to prevent Ng6+, Kh7, Ne7+, Kh8, Qf5 followed by mate. 1–0
Looking at a Kasparov game is like chess of a different league. You have no idea what is going on – he suddenly gives up a pawn for no reason, opens up his own king position and out of the blue he has a mating attack, and Ivanchuk has to resign. And you know, Ivanchuk is not just any riffraff grandmaster – he is, in fact, one of the strongest players in the world!
Kasparov, Garry (2760) - Ivanchuk, Vassily (2625) [A29]
URS-ch Moscow, 1988
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 Bb4 5.Bg2 0–0 6.0–0
In his 1987 World Championship match against Karpov, Garry with White had this position on the board three times and lost twice. You can be sure that he is armed to the teeth in this line. Only such a player as Chuckie would dare to face him here.
6...e4 7.Ng5 Bxc3 8.bxc3 Re8 9.f3
Obviously, White must get rid of the e4-pawn in order to develop his pieces normally. Besides, opening up the f-file cannot be wrong.
9...exf3
In the aforementioned world champion match Karpov unleashed the novelty 9...e3!?, although Garry found a good reply: 10.d3 d5 11.Qb3! Na5 12.Qa3 c6 13.cxd5 cxd5 14.f4 Nc6 15.Rb1 Qc7 White had the edge because of his opponents' weak pawns. That he eventually lost the game was due to time trouble, not from the position he got from the opening. Kasparov, G (2740)-Karpov, A (2700)/ Seville WCh match 1987 0–1 (32).
This was a big surprise for me - why didn't he take the pawn on d5. Surely after 11.cxd5 Qxd5 12.Nd4 White would have the advantage? Actually, no. Later on it dawned on me that after 12...Qh5! 13.Nxc6 bxc6 14.e3 (14.Bxc6? Qc5+) 14...Bg4 Black has good attacking prospects. That is exactly my point, however. "It dawned on me" after many many hours of analysis, while Kasparov saw it in his mind's eye during the game.
11...Ne4
I am losing the thread. Why didn't Black just take the pawn on c4? Apparently he was afraid of 11...dxc4 12.Bg5 when the pressure on f6 is too much to bear, especially in view of the half-open f-file. A sample line is 12...h6 13.Bxf6 Qxf6 14.Ne5 and there is a double attack on f7 and c4. White restores material parity with the better position to boot.
12.Qc2!
Still intent on giving up the pawn on c4.
12...dxc4 13.Rb1!!
Such a move would never have entered my head. Apparently, its purpose is to prevent ...Bf5 because of the weakness of the b7-pawn.
13...f5
14.g4!
A big shock. He gives up a pawn and at the same time opens up his king position.
14...Qe7
So why didn't Ivanchuk take the g-pawn? Kasparov indicated that the continuation would be 14...fxg4 15.Ne5! Nxe5 16.Bxe4 Ng6 17.Bxg6 hxg6 18.Qxg6 Qd7 19.d5! b6 (19...Qe7 20.Ba3 Qe3+ 21.Rf2) 20.Ba3 Bb7 21.e4 c5 22.Rf5 Rxe4 23.Rbf1 Bxd5 24.Rh5). Unbelievable.
15.gxf5 Nd6
Another surprise. Why can't Ivanchuk retake the pawn? Well ... 15...Bxf5 16.Ng5! g6 17.Nxe4 Bxe4 18.Bxe4 Qxe4 19.Qxe4 Rxe4 20.Rxb7 Ne7 (20...Rc8 21.Bh6! Rh4 22.Rxc7) 21.Rxc7 Nf5 22.Rxc4 and it is now White who has the extra pawns!
16.Ng5 Qxe2 17.Bd5+ Kh8 18.Qxe2 Rxe2 19.Bf4
White is already winning. The immediate threat is 20.Bxd6 cxd6 21.Rbe1 and he takes over the e-file with the inevitable mating threats.
19...Nd8
Nothing works:
1) 19...Bxf5 20.Bxd6 Bxb1 21.Nf7+ Kg8 22.Nd8+ Kh8 23.Rf8 mate!;
2) 19...Ne7 20.Bf3 Rxa2 21.Bxd6 cxd6 22.Rbe1 winning material.l
20.Bxd6 cxd6 21.Rbe1! Rxe1 22.Rxe1 Bd7 23.Re7 Bc6 24.f6! 1-0
Chuckie resigns because after 24...Bxd5 25.Re8+ Bg8 26.f7 Nxf7 27.Nxf7 is mate.
Does the reader feel like me that the moves were played on a plane of existence above our own? We are still trying to figure out what they are trying to do and then POW! They have done it.
With people like Karpov, Anand, and Kramnik, you get a different feeling – you can follow their games, but you can also appreciate the high level of refinement, efficiency, and thoughtfulness they bring into play.
On the other hand, there are very strong GMs around who bring none of that. Their style is pragmatism, just building up their position and waiting for you to make a mistake. We will have more to say about this next Chess Piece.
Reader comments and /or suggestions are urgently solicited. Email address is bangcpa@gmail.com.
This column was first published in BusinessWorld on Friday, January 18, 2008.
Chess quote
“A chess game is divided into three stages: the first, when you hope you have the advantage, the second when you believe you have an advantage, and the third... when you know you're going to lose!”—Savielly Tartakower
Chess trivia
“The history of chess goes back at least 1,400 years, where the game originated in India and Persia.”—From the Internet
FROM MY SWIVEL CHAIR
Day of grief and joy
IT came like a shockingly cold wintry North Wind from the Arctic Circle, that sad news of the death of Bobby Fischer in the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik. And we Filipinos grieved over the totally unexpected passing of our bearded hero who had lived incognito in our midst for many months four years ago.
Then came the tropical South Wind from equatorial Indonesia with the glad tidings that two of our players had earned their grandmaster and international master titles—Jayson Gonzales and Rolando Nolte, two of our most amiable friends. And we welcomed it with joy
Somehow we managed to cope with both powerful emotions that left many of us totally spent in woe and wonder over the passing of both events in just one day.
To recapture the significance of Fischer and Reykjavik, I have decided to publish a highly personalized tribute to the greatest chess iconoclast of them all from a friend who wishes to remain anonymous.
“Like many teenagers hooked to the game, we followed the Fischer-Spassky match, which began on July 11 and ended late August, by buying newspapers, both morning and evening papers for the scores and analysis by local masters.
“The Match set many us on chess for life. When Martial Law was declared on Sept 23, 1972, it was a Saturday, the last day of prelim exams at UST. In that frenzied afternoon, I borrowed The Golden Treasury of Chess by Father Francis Wellmuth from a political science senior, with the promise to return it when classes would resume.
“Wellmuth and the Fischer-Spassky Match made days meaningful, but one still longed for the companionship of new friends in college. Since meeting in Cubao or Escolta was out of the question, phone calls was the best option.
“The chess bug, inflicted by Fischer's rousing victory, was everywhere. Perhaps it helped ease the boredom and uncertainty of military rule for many young Filipinos.
“Those halcyon days of 1972, 36 years ago, acquire meaning with the death of Bobby Fischer, a balm for many Filipinos faced with uncertainty during Martial Law. There was always a chess game tomorrow, even if there were no classes.
“When classes resumed in October, there was no time for chess since catching up on schoolwork was vital. After the second semester opened in November, chess life at the Faculty of Arts and Letters at UST resumed, the game boomed. Wellmuth's black volume game collection was returned, the joys extracted from it.
“There were chess clubs along Avenida, Rizal. One was the Alekhine Chess Club near UE and Double Check near Odeon Theater. With Eugene fast-rising and Bobby's glamor, it was hip to play chess.
“Now, older, balder, fatter, we can only pine for those days. Sometimes, we recreate the magic replaying games, breathing tournament atmosphere. Like the firefly, fast growing extinct in Metro Manila, the allure of chess lives only for a moment, a flicker.”
To new GM Gonzales and new IM Nolte, congratulations from The Weekender readers.
You have both done us proud, indeed!
The Weekender
Quezon Memorial Circle
Quezon City
Manuel O. Benitez
Editor & Publisher
Alfredo V. Chay
Circulation Manager
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