The JR Chess Report (January 9): Results of the first events of 2011

[Jack Rabbit]

Gashimov and Vallejo tie for first in Reggio Emilia

Azerbaijani GM Vugar Gashimov and former two-time Spanish national champion Paco Vallejo finished in a tie for first place with six points each in nine rounds in the 53rd annual Torneo di Capodanno in Reggio Emilia, Italy that was completed Thursday.

Gashimov will receive thwe honors as tournament champion based on a superior tie-break score, largely due to winning his individual encounter with Vallejo in the seventh round Tuesday.

Vallejo got off to a quick start in the event, winning three of his first four games with no losses. Gashimov, by contrast, lost his first round game to Nigel Short and then drew in the second and third rounds before finalkly chalking up his first win in Round 4. Another draw in Round 5 and a win in Round 6 set up the seventh round showdown.

Both Gashimov and Vallejo won in Round 8, wiht the Azerbaijani cominbg back from a lost posiotion against Czech grandmaster David Navara. Both player drew in the ninth and final round.

Navara, Sergei Movsesian of Slovakia and Ukraine's Vassily Ivanchuk tied for thirds with 5 points each.



Indians conquer at Hastings

Indian Grandmaster Deep Sengupta and international master Arghyadip Das shared first place at the International Chess Congress at Hastings, Sussex (England) with seven points each in nine rounds in the event that finished Wednesday.

Other Indian masters who fared well were IMs Rao Prasanna, who eared a grandmaster norm, and Sundar Shyam, who fell just short of one when he lost to Das in the final round.

The leader for most of the tournament was Romain Edouard of France. Edouard was leading the tounament by half a point over a small contingent going into the ninth and final round Wedsnesday. In that round, he lost to Sengupta who emerged as the only play among those tied for secfon to win, thus claiming the tournament championship.

Hastings is the site of the Norman invasion of England of William, Duke of Normandy, in 1066, who won the battle at Hastings and cliamed the English throne, ruling as King William I.


Volkov takes home Rilton Cup

Russian grandmaster Sergey Volkov took a clear first place at the 40th Rilton Cup with eight points out of a possible nine in the annual tournament competed Wednesday in the Swedish capital of Stockholm.

His compatriot, grandmaster Aleksandr Shimanov, finished a clear second with 7½ points.

For most of the tounament, Arkadij Naiditsch of Germany and Nils Grandelius, a rising star from Sweden, led the way, but both faltered in the late round. Herr Naiditsch lost to Volkov in Round 7 while Nils lost to Shimanov in Round 8.

Naiditsch, Lars Karlsson of Sweden and Russian GM Sergey Ivanov were tied for third at 6½ poin tsw each.



COMING ATTRACTIONS

Corus Tata Steel Chess Festikval, Wijk aan Zee 14-30 January
Gibtelecom Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival 24 January-3 February
27th International Open, Cappelle-la-Grande 26 February-5 March
Reykjavik Open 9-16 March

[Jack Rabbit]

1. This Week's Games

Your humble hare acknowledges the assistance of Rybka 4 and Fritz 6.0 on analysis.

Diagrams on the Jack Rabbit Chess Report are made with Aquarium, a commercially available interface for Rybka.

Diagrams and other images are hosted on imgur.com.

BLACK



WHITE
White to move
(This position is a theoretical draw)


I would like to thank my impressive and loyal staff: Buccaneer, Spitfire, Desperado, Swashbuckler, Pancho and Robin Hood.

[Jack Rabbit]

2. 53rd Torneo di Capodanno, Reggio Emilia

Piaza San Prospero, Reggio Emilia
Photo by Paolo da Reggio in Wikipedia (Public Domain)

[Jack Rabbit]

5. Vallejo - Gashimov, Round 7

Vugar Gashimov
Photo by Stefan64 from Wikimedia Commons (Creative Commons License, Attribution/Share Alike)


Paco Vallejo - Vugar Gashimov
53rd Torneo di Capodanno, Round 7
Reggio Emilia, 4 January 2011

Moorish Game: Dragon Defense (Pirc Defense)

1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 c6 4.Nf3 d6 5.Be2 Nf6 6.0-0 0-0 7.h3

• If 7.a4 then:
• If 7...Nbd78.h3 Qc7 9.Be3 b6 then:
• If 10.Nd2 Bb7 11.f4 a6 12.e5 Ne8 13.Nce4 c5 14.c3 Bh6 15.exd6 Nxd6 16.Nxd6 exd6 17.Bf3 d5 18.g3 Rfe8 19.Bf2 Nf6 gives Black the advantage in space (Krajcovic-Oral, Slovakian Ch, Trencin, 1995).
• If 10.Qd2 Bb7 11.Bh6 a6 12.Bxg7 Kxg7 then:
• 13.Qe3 e5 14.dxe5 dxe5 15.Nh4 b5 is equal (Roos-Hoffmann, French ChT, Bischwiller, 2001).
• 13.Bd3 e5 14.dxe5 dxe5 15.Qe3 b5 16.Nd2 Rfe8 is equal (Zainuddin-Ehlvest, Op, Bali, 2000).
• If 7...a5 8.h3 Na6 9.Be3 Nb4 10.Nd2 then:
• 10...Re8 11.Ncb1 e5 12.c3 exd4 13.Bxd4 Na6 14.Bf3 Be6 15.Na3 Nd7 16.Ndc4 Ne5 is equal (Wang Jue-Tan Zhongyi, Chinese ChW, Xinghua, 2009).
• 10...d5 11.e5 Ne8 12.Na2 Nxa2 13.Rxa2 f6 14.f4 b6 15.c3 Ba6 16.Bxa6 Rxa6 17.h4 Qd7 is equal (Kotronias-Ftacnik, Op, Lisbon, 2001).
• 10...Ne8 11.f4 f5 12.e5 Nc7 13.Kh1 Ncd5 14.Bg1 Bh6 15.Bc4 dxe5 16.dxe5 Kh8 is equal (Oral-Strikovic, Rodríguez Peña Mem, Ourense, 2007).

7...Nbd7 8.Bf4

• If 8.e5 Ne8 9.Bf4 dxe5 10.dxe5 Nc7 then:
• If 11.Qc1 Ne6 12.Bh6 Qa5 13.Bxg7 Kxg7 14.Qe3 Qb6 15.Qc1 then:
• 15...Qc5 16.Ne4 Nd4 17.Nxc5 Nxe2+ 18.Kh2 Nxc1 19.Nxd7 Bxd7 20.Raxc1 is equal (Martín-Azmaiparashvili, Op, Toledo, 1991).
• 15...Qa5 16.Qe3 Qc5 17.Qxc5 Ndxc5 18.Rfd1 gives White the dvantage in space (Vukovic-Damljanovic, Yugoslav ChT, Cetinje, 1992).
• 11.Re1 Ne6 12.Bg3 b5 13.Ne4 Bb7 14.c3 a6 15.Nd4 c5 16.Nxe6 fxe6 17.Ng5 gives White the advantage in space (Morovic-Marin, Spanish ChT, Barcelona, 2000).

8...Qa5 9.Nd2

• 9.Qd2 e5 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.Bh6 Re8 12.Bxg7 Kxg7 13.a3 Qc7 14.Nh2 is equal (Kramnik-Kasparov, IT, Moscow, 1996).

9...Qc7

• 9...e5 10.Nc4 Qc7 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.Be3 Ne8 13.a4 f5 14.exf5 gxf5 15.f4 gives White the advantage in space (Rossiter-Rogers, Op, London, 1993).

10.a4 e5

• 10...Rd8 11.Nc4 e5 12.Bh2 Nb6 13.dxe5 dxe5 14.Bxe5 Qe7 15.Qe1 is equal (Sinkevich-Matjushin, Op, St. Petersburg, 2003).

11.Be3 (N)

• 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.Be3 Rd8 then:
• 13.Bf3 Bf8 14.g3 Bc5 15.Bg5 Kg7 16.Nb3 h6 is eaual (Bologan-Iordanescu, Op, Dresden, 1996).
• 13.Bc4 Nf8 14.Qf3 Qe7 15.Ne2 b6 16.c3 Bb7 is equal (Faibisovich-Malaniuk, Op, Swidnica, 2000).

11...Ng4

• The game is equal.

12.Bxg4

• 12.d5 Nxe3 13.fxe3 Bh6 14.Nc4 remains equal.

12...exd4 13.Bxd4 Bxd4 14.Nc4 Bc5 15.a5!?

• White grabs some space that he cannot hold.
• 15.Qd3 Ne5 16.Nxe5 dxe5 17.Bxc8 Raxc8 18.Qc4 Qe7 is equal.

15...Ne5!

• Black has a slight advantage in space.

16.Nxe5 dxe5 17.Bxc8 Raxc8 18.Qe2

• If 18.Qf3 Rfd8 19.a6 then:
• If 19...b5 20.Rfd1 then:
• If 20...Qb6 21.Qg3 Rb8 then:
• 22.Qf3 Bd4 23.Rd3 b4 24.Nd1 Bc5 gives Black a small advantage in space.
• 22.Qxe5?! Bxf2+! 23.Kh1 Bd4 24.Qf4 b4 gives Black a good advantage in space.
• 20...Rxd1+ 21.Rxd1 Rd8 22.Rxd8+ Qxd8 23.Nd1 Qa5 gives Black a small advantage in space.
• 19...bxa6 20.Rxa6 Qb8 21.Na4 Bd4 22.Qe2 Qb5 23.Re1 is equal.

18...Bb4!?

• If Black is thinking this will win a pawn, it won't.
• If 18...Rfd8! then:
• 19.Qc4 Be7 20.Rfd1 Rxd1+ 21.Rxd1 Qxa5 22.Rd7 Rc7 gives Black an extra pawn.
• 19.Rfd1 Bb4 20.a6 Bxc3 21.axb7 Rxd1+ 22.Qxd1 Rb8 gives Black a slight advantage in space.

BLACK: Vugar Gashimov



WHITE: Paco Vallejo
Position after 18...Bc5b4

19.a6!

• The game is again equal.

19...b5

• If 19...Bxc3 20.bxc3 then:
• 20...b6 21.Rfd1 Rce8 22.Rd3 Qc8 23.Qg4 f5 24.exf5 Rxf5 is equal.
• 20...Rb8 21.Rfd1 Rfd8 22.Rd3 b5 is equal.

20.Na2 Be7 21.Nc1 Rfd8 22.Nb3 Qb6

• The game remains equal.
• If 22...Rb8 23.Na5 Bg5 then:
• 24.Rfd1 Rxd1+ 25.Qxd1 Rd8 gives Black a small advantage in space.
• 24.Qg4 Bf4 25.g3 Bh6 26.Nb7 Rd2 27.Rad1 gives White a good advantage in space.

23.Rfd1!?

• The is just a slight inaccuracy.
• Better is 23.Na5 when:
• 23...Rf8 24.Nb7 f5 25.exf5 Rxf5 26.g4 Rff8 remains equal.
• 23...Qxa6!? 24.Nc4 Qb7 25.Nxe5 Bf6 26.Nd3 remains equal, but its White's position that improves more owing to the Rook controling the a-file.

23...Kg7!?

• Black fails to capitalizes.
• 23...Rxd1+! 24.Qxd1 Rd8 25.Qe1 Bh4 26.Kf1 h6 gives Black a small advantage in space.

24.Qg4!?

• White give Black another small opportunity.
• 24.Nd2 Bf6 25.c3 Rd7 26.Nf3 Rxd1+ 27.Qxd1 Rd8 remains equal.

BLACK: Vugar Gashimov



WHITE: Paco Vallejo
Position after 24.Qe2g4

24...c5!

• Black has a small advantage in space.
• 24...Rxd1+ 25.Qxd1 Rd8 26.Qe2 c5 27.Nd2 c4 gives Black a fair advantage in space.

25.Nd2 c4 26.Nf1!?

• This allows Black even more breathing room.
• If 26.Qg3 Qc5 27.Nf3 f6 28.Nh4 Kf8 29.Nf3 Qb4 gives Black a considerable advantage in space.
• If 26.Nf3 Bf6 then:
• If 27.Re1 Qd6 28.Qg3 Rc6 then:
• 29.c3 Rxa6 30.Rxa6 Qxa6 31.Nxe5 Qd6 gives Black a good advantage in space.
• 29.Ra5?! Qb4 30.Ra2 Rcd6 31.c3 Qb3 gives then b-pawn to Black.
• 27.Rdb1 b4 28.c3 Rc7 29.Nh4 h5 30.Qg3 Qc6 leaves Black attacking a loose pawn and in command of the d-file.

26...Bc5 27.Qg3 Rxd1

• 27...f6! 28.Ne3 Bxe3 29.Qxe3 Qxe3 30.fxe3 f5 give Black a small advantae in space.

28.Rxd1 Qxa6 29.Qxe5+ Qf6

• 29...Kf8 30.Rd5 f6 31.Qc3 Qe6 gives Black a small advantae in space and all his pieces are safe.

30.Qxf6+ Kxf6 31.Rd5 Ke6

• 31...a5! 32.Nd2 c3 33.bxc3 a4! leaves White with a dangerous passed pawn.

32.g4 a6!?

• This is just a waste of time. Black shoul immeately remove White's b-pawn, thus creating a passer.
• 32...c3! 33.b4 Bxb4 34.Rxb5 Rc4 35.f3 Bc5+ maintains Black's strong advantage by giving him a passed pawn on the a-file.

BLACK: Vugar Gashimov



WHITE: Paco Vallejo
Position after 32...a7a6

33.Nd2!?

• Black will not be punished for his inaccuracy.
• 33.Ng3! c3 34.b3 f6 35.Kg2 b4 36.h4 is equal.

33...c3 34.bxc3 Bb6

• 34...h6 35.Kf1 Bd6 36.c4 bxc4 37.Ke2 Rc6 38.h4 is equal.

35.c4!

• The game is again equal.

35...bxc4 36.Kf1 a5 37.Rb5 Bd8 38.Ke2

• 38.f4 a4 39.f5+ Kf6 40.e5+ Kg5 41.Rb4 is equal.

38...a4 39.Nb1 Ra8

• 39...g5 40.Rb4 Ra8 41.Na3 c3 is equal.

40.Na3 Be7 41.Nxc4 a3 42.Rb6+ Kd7 43.Rb1 Kc6?!

• Black should not win after this move.
• If 43...a2! 44.Ra1 Ke6 45.c3 g5 gives Black a substantial advantage in that White is quickly running out of reserve pawn tempi.

44.c3?!

• White misses his last best chance at winning.
• If 44.Ra1! Kc5 45.Rxa3 Rxa3 46.Nxa3 Kd4 47.Nb1 gives White a remote passer as an extra pawn.

44...a2 45.Ra1 Kb5 46.Ne3?

• This move lacks flexibility. The Knight must now be protected by either the King or the pawn at f2.
• If 46.Nb2 then:
• 46...Bh4 47.Nd3 Ra3 48.Nb4 Rxc3 49.Nxa2 Rxh3 is equal.
• 46...Ra3?! 47.Kd3! Bf6 48.Nd1 Be5 49.g5 gives White a good advantage in space.

BLACK: Vugar Gashimov



WHITE: Paco Vallejo
Position after 46.Nc4e3

46...Bc5!

• Black assumes a considerable advantage in space.
• 46...Ra3?! 47.Kd3! h5 48.gxh5 gxh5 49.Nd5 Bc5 50.f3 gives White a substantial advantage in space.

47.Kd3 Bxe3 48.fxe3

• 48.Kxe3 Kc4 49.Kd2 Kb3 50.c4 Rc8 51.Kd3 g5 wins for Black.

48...f6!

• Suddenly, White is running out of moves. He can't move his Rook, while Black can mark time with his.

49.h4

• If 49.Kc2 then after 49...Kc4 50.Kb2 h6 51.Kc2 Ra6 Black wins.

49...h5!

• After the kingside pawn exchange, White will havwe only one reserve pawn tempo (c3c4+, to which Black replies ...Kc5.)

50.gxh5

• If 50.g5 then Black wins after after 50...fxg5 51.hxg5 Kc5 52.e5 Kd5 53.e6 Kxe6.

50...gxh5 51.Kc2

• If 51.c4+ Kb4 52.c5 Kxc5 then:
• 53.Kc3 Kd6 54.Kd4 Ke6 55.Kd3 Ke5 Zugzwang!
• 53.e5 fxe5 54.Ke4 Kc4 55.Kxe5 Kd3 56.e4 Kc3 57.Kf4 Kb2 wins the Rook.

51...Kc4 52.Kb2 Rb8+ 53.Kc2 Rg8!

• Gashimov has already seen the winning line.

54.Rxa2 Rg2+ 55.Kb1

BLACK: Vugar Gashimov



WHITE: Paco Vallejo
Position after 55.Kc2b1

55...Rxa2!!

• The proximity of the Kings to the White pawns means this wins for Black.

56.Kxa2 Kxc3 57.Kb1 Kd2! 0-1

• White's e-pawns will fall and Black's pawn will advance until it queens.
• If 58.e5 fxe5 59.e4 Kd3 then:
• If 60.Kb2 Kxe4 61.Kc3 Ke3 then:
• 62.Kc4 e4 63.Kd5 Kd3 64.Ke5 e3 puts the lights out one by one.
• If 62.Kb4 then Black wins after 62...Kd3 63.Kc5 e4.
• If 60.Kc1 Kxe4 then:
• 61.Kc2 Ke3 62.Kc3 e4 the pawn cannot be stopped.
• 61.Kd2 Kf3 62.Ke1 e4 63.Kf1 Ke3 64.Ke1 Kd3 65.Kd1 e3 is still a book win for Black.
• El señor Vallejo resigns.

[Jack Rabbit]

6. Short - Vallejo, Round 4

Paco Vallejo
Photo by Stefan64 from Wikimedia Commons (Creative Commons License, Attribution/Share Alike)


Nigel Short - Paco Vallejo
53rd Torneo di Capodanno, Round 4
Reggio Emilia, 31 December 2010

Closed French Game: Steinitz Opening

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4

• For a more thorough examination of this Opening, see Karjakin-Carlsen, IT A, Wijk aan Zee, 2010).

5...c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Ne2 Be7 8.c3 a5

• If 8...0-0 9.a3 a5 10.g3 cxd4 then:
• If 11.Nexd4 Nc5 12.Be3 Bd7 13.Bg2 Rc8 14.0-0 Nxd4 15.Nxd4 is equal (T. Kosintseva-Huang Qian, FIDE Knock Out W, Elista, 2004).
• If 11.cxd4 f6 12.Bh3 fxe5 13.dxe5 Qb6 14.Nc3 then:
• If Ndxe5 15.fxe5 Nxe5 16.Bg2 Bd7 17.Rf1 Nc4 then:
• If 18.Rb1!? Bf6 19.Qd3 Rac8?! 20.Ng5 Bxg5 21.Bxg5 Rxf1+ 22.Bxf1 Rf8 then:
• If 23.Qe2? Rf5! 24.Bf4 g5 25.Nxd5 exd5 26.Bb8 and White resigns without waiting for Black to reply (Bologan-M. Gurevich, Rpd, Cap d'Agde, 2002).
• (23.Bf4 Be8 24.Qe2 Bg6 25.Rc1 Nxb2 26.Qe5 gives White a slight advantage, but far from decisive.
• (18.Qd3 Nxb2 19.Qb1 Nc4 20.Qxb6 Nxb6 21.Rb1 gives White the advantage as Black's extra pawns are too weak to compensate for White's extra Knight.
• 14...Nc5! 15.Rb1 Ne4 16.Qc2 Qc5 gives Black the advantage in space.
• If 8...Qb6 9.g3 then:
• If 9...0-0 10.Bh3 cxd4 11.cxd4 f6 then:
• If 12.Bxe6+ Kh8 13.exf6 Nxf6 14.Bxc8 then:
• 14...Bb4+ 15.Bd2 Bxd2+ 16.Qxd2 Ne4 17.Qd3 Qa5+ 18.Nc3 Nb4 19.Qe2 Raxc8 20.0-0 gives White a slight advantage (Malakhov-S. Williams, EU ChU20, Tallinn, 1997).
• 14...Raxc8 15.0-0 Ne4 16.a3 Na5 is equal (Malakhov-Ulibin, Op. Oberwart, 1999).
• 12.Rf1 Kh8 13.Qb3 Qa6 14.Bd2 Nb6 15.Rf2 Nc4 16.Rd1 Bd7 17.exf6 Bxf6 gives Black the advantage in space (Malakhov-Ulibin, Russian Ch, Elista, 1995).
• 9...f5 10.Bh3 0-0 11.g4 cxd4 12.cxd4 Qd8 13.0-0 Nb6 14.a3 Bd7 15.b3 Be8 16.gxf5 exf5 17.Qd3 is equal (Ljubojevich-Timman, IT, Reykjavik, 1987).

9.h4

• 9.Be3 a4 10.Ng3 cxd4 11.Nxd4 Nc5 12.Be2 0-0 13.0-0 f6 14.exf6 gxf6 15.f5 gives White the advantage in space(Kojovic-Kovacevic, Bosnian ChT, Neum, 2005).
• 9.g3 a4 10.Bh3 g6 11.0-0 h5 12.Ng5 cxd4 13.cxd4 Qb6 is equal (Hartwig-Vatter, Op, Dresden, 2000).

9...0-0 (N)

• 9...b5 10.f5 cxd4 11.cxd4 0-0 12.Nf4 Qb6 13.fxe6 fxe6 14.Bd3 Bb4+ 15.Kf1 is equal (Sarrau-Russo, Bel Op Ch, Namur, 2007).

10.Rh3?!

• The Rook will simply become a target at h3.
• 10.Be3 b6 11.Qc2 f6 12.0-0-0 Ba6 is equal.

BLACK: Paco Vallejo



WHITE: Nigel Short
Position after 10.Rh1h3

10...f6

• Black has the advantage in space.

11.a

• Even the best of moves now isn't good.
• 11.Qc2 a4 12.Be3 b5 13.Ng3 cxd4 14.cxd4 Nb4 increases Black's advantage in space

11...Rf7!?

• The Rook guards nothing at f7 that wasn't already guatded when it was at f8.
• A better use of Black's time is 11...b5! 12.exf6 Nxf6 13.dxc5 then:
• 13...Bxc5! 14.Ned4 Bxd4 15.Nxd4 Nxd4 16.Qxd4 e5 give Black a double attack on the Queen and the Rook at h3.
• 13...d4? 14.Nexd4 Nxd4 15.Qxd4 gives White two extra pawns.

12.Be3 Nb6!?

• Black's advantage is reduced to the size of a flea.
• If 12...c4 13.g4 Rf8 14.g5 f5 15.b3 b5 16.h5 Nb6 Black will benefit more from the inevitable pawn exchanges,

13.b3

• 13.Qc2 Nc4 14.Bf2 cxd4 15.Nexd4 Nxd4 16.Bxd4 b5 is equal.

13...Qf8 14.Qb1

• 14.exf6 Rxf6 15.g4 c4 16.Ne5 a4 is equal.

14...a4 15.dxc5 Bxc5 16.Bxc5 Qxc5 17.b4

• The game is equal.

17...Qf8 18.Ned4!?

• 18.h5 h6 19.Ned4 Ne7 20.g3 Bd7 21.Qc1 Rc8 remains equal.

18...fxe5!

• Black has a good advantage in space.

19.Nxc6 e4!

• Black's command of the light squares in the center makes life miserable fpr White's Bishop

20.Nce5 Rxf4 21.Nh2 Qf5 22.Neg4

BLACK: Paco Vallejo



WHITE: Nigel Short
Position after 22.Ne3g4

22...Rxf1+!!

• The exchange sacrifice gives Black a commanding advasntage on space and freedom.
• Also good is 22...Rxg4 23.Nxg4 Qxg4 24.Qc1 e5.

23.Nxf1 Qxg4 24.Ne3 Qg6 25.Kf2?!

• White's position has already been pounded and this move may be an attempt to shorten the agony.
• If 25.Qa2 Qf7 then:
• 26.0-0-0 Bd7 27.Qd2 Bb5 28.Qd4 Qc7 gives Black an overwhelming edge.
• 26.Rh1 Qc7 27.Qd2 Bd7 28.h5 Rc8 29.Rc1 Bb5 gives Black a commanding advantage in space.

25...e5

• For all intents and purposes, White is busted.
• Just as good, if not a shade better, is 25...Bd7! 26.Qe1 d4 then:
• 27.Nf1 e5 28.Rg3 Qf6+ 29.Kg1 Bc6 30.cxd4 exd4 gives Black a passer duo in the center for White to worry about.
• If 27.cxd4? then after 27...e5 28.Rg3 Qf6+ 29.Kg1 exd4 Black is winning.

26.Rg3 Qf6+ 27.Kg1 Be6 28.Qe1 Rf8 29.Rd1 Kh8

• Black might win quicker after29...Rd8 30.Rd2 d4 31.Rf2 Qe7 32.cxd4 exd4.

30.h5?

• This moves the pawn beyond where it can be easily protected.
• Although 30.Rg5 h6 31.Rh5 Nd7 32.Qe2 d4 33.Rf1 Qd8 leaves Black with a firm upper hand, it's still better than the text.

BLACK: Paco Vallejo



WHITE: Nigel Short
Position after 30.h4h5

30...Qh4!

• White cannot cover his h-pawn.

31.c4

• White is losing hopelessly, but chess etiquette requires that he fight on until it is obvious to everyone.
• If 31.Nf1 Rf4 then:
• 32.Qe3 Qxh5 33.Re1 Nc4 wins for Black.
• If 32.Rb1 then Black wins after 32...Qxh5 33.Qe3 Nc4 34.Qa7 Qe2.
• 31.Rh3 drops the exchange to 31...Qxe1+ 32.Rxe1 Bxh3 33.gxh3 Rf3, leaving Black two pawns to the good.

31...d4! 32.c5

• If 32.Nd5 then 32...Nxc4! 33.Nc7 Bf5 34.Rc1 Nb2 35.Nb5 Nd3! is cruching.

32...Nc4 33.Nf1

• If 33.Nxc4 then Black wins after 33...Bxc4 34.h6 g5 35.Rh3 Qxe1+ 36.Rxe1 e3.

33...Qxh5 34.Rc1 e3 35.b5

• If 35.Ra1 then Black wins after 35...Rf6 36.Qd1 Qxd1 37.Rxd1 e2.

35...e4 36.Qb4 e2 37.Nh2 Qf5

• Black wins quicker after 37...d3! 38.c6 Qe8 39.Qc3 Qe7.

38.Nf3 Qf4 39.Qe1 Qe3+ 0-1

• If 40.Kh2 exf3 41.gxf3 Nd2 then:
• 42.Qg1 Nxf3+ wins even more material.
• 42.Kg2 Nxf3 43.Qg1 Nh4+ 44.Kh2 Rf2+ forces mate.
• Mr. Short resigns.

[Jack Rabbit]

3. 40th Rilton Cup, Stockholm

Stockholm
Photo by Condor Patagónico in Wikipedia (Public Domain)

[Jack Rabbit]

7. Naiditsch - Volkov, Round 7

Sergey Volkov, 36, carries an Elo score hovering around 2600, which would make him a leading grandmaster in many countries, but in Russia he is just another GM. He won the 40th Rilton Cup outright, larely as a result of winning this game. He shared first place with two others in the 34th Rilton Cup (2004/05).



There is no photo of Sergey Volkov available with an internet-friendly copyright
Photo by Jon Sullivan from public-domain-photos.com (Public Domain)


Arkadij Naiditsch - Sergey Volkov
40th Rilton Cup, Round 7
Stockholm, 3 January 2011

Closed French Game: MacCutcheon Defense

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5

• The MacCutcheon Defense is rarely seen these days. White usually plays the Steinitz Opening 4.e5 followed by 6.f4. See Karjakin-Carlsen, IT A, Wijk aan Zee, 2010.

4...Bb4 5.e5 h6 6.Be3 Ne4 7.Qg4

• So far, this is SOP.

7...Kf8

• If 7...g6 8.a3 Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 then:
• If 9...Nxc3 10.Bd3 Nc6 11.h4 then:
• If 11...Ne7 12.h5 g5 then:
• 13.Ne2 Nxe2 14.Qxe2 Nf5 15.g4 Nxe3 16.fxe3 c5 17.c3 gives Black an extra pawn, but White is better developed and holds more space (Vuckovic-Nepomniachtchi, Euro Ch, Plovdiv, 2008).
• 13.f3 c5 14.dxc5 Nc6 15.f4 d4 16.Bd2 Qd5(Amonatov-Nepomniachtchi, Aeroflot Op, Moscow, 2008).
• 11...Qe7 12.Nh3 Bd7 13.h5 g5 14.f4 gxf4 15.Bf2 Qf8 16.Qxf4 0-0-0 17.0-0 Ne4 18.Bh4 gives White a comfortable advantage in space and the initiative, which makes it very easy to live a pawn down (Fressinet-Vysochin, Op, Brussels, 2000).
• If 9...c5 10.Bd3 then:
• If 10...h5 11.Qf4 g5 12.Qf3 Nxc3 13.dxc5 d4 14.Bd2 Nc6 then:
• If 15.Qf6 Qxf6 16.exf6 then:
• If 16...Na4 17.Bxg5 Nxc5 18.Nf3 Nxd3+ 19.cxd3 b6 20.Rc1 Bb7 then:
• 21.Kd2 Rd8 22.Rc2 Rd5 23.Rhc1 Kd7 is equal (Areshchenko-Smerdon, Op, Isle of Man, 2007).
• 21.h4 Rd8 22.Ke2 Rd5 23.Rc4 Kd7 24.Rhc1 Rc8 gives Black a small advantage in space (Erdogdu-Kindermann, Euro ChT, Novi Sad, 2009).
• 16...g4 17.Bxc3 dxc3 18.Ne2 Ne5 19.Be4 Rb8 20.h3 Kd8 21.Nxc3 gives White an extra pawn and more space (Jakovenko-Vitiugov, Russian Ch, Moscow, 2007).
• 15.Qg3 Qd5 16.f4 gxf4 17.Bxf4 Bd7 18.Nf3 draw (Felgaer-Cubas, Ol, Calvia, 2004).
• 10...Nxc3 11.dxc5 Nc6 12.Nf3 Qa5 13.0-0 Qa4 14.Qxa4 Nxa4 15.Bb5 Nc3 16.a4 Bd7 gives White a small advantage in space (Hracek-Vaisser, EU ChT, Pula, 1997).

8.a3 Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Nxc3

• Black has won a pawn, but it is not terribly significant given the closed center that give White a lasting advantage in space.

10.Bd3 Nc6

• If 10...c5 11.dxc5 Nc6 12.Nf3 then:
• 12...f5 13.exf6 Qxf6 14.Qh5 e5 15.Bg6 Kg8 16.0-0 Be6 17.Rae1 Bf7 gives Black the advantage in space (Klovans-Ashby, Op, Bad Zweishenahn, 2008).
• 12...Qa5 13.0-0 Bd7 14.Rfe1 Qa4 15.Qh3 Kg8 16.Bd2 gives White the edge in space (Fressinet-Vallin, French ChT, Port Bacares, 2005).

11.Nf3

• 11.h4 f5 12.Qf4 Ne7 13.h5 Qe8 14.g4 Qf7 15.g5 hxg5 16.Qxg5 gives White a slight advantage in space (Zhukova-Groffen, Op, Gibraltar, 2006).

11...Na4 (N)

• 11...Ne7 12.0-0 Bd7 13.Bd2 Na4 14.Rab1 Nb6 15.h4 gives White a slight advantage in space (T. L. Petrosian-Vallejo, Euro Club Cup, Crete, 2008).

12.0-0

• White has a good advantage in space, more than compensating for Black's extra pawn.
• 12.Nd2 Nb2 13.Be2 Na5 14.Qg3 Nac4 15.0-0 also gives White the advantage in space.

12...Nb2 13.Be2!?

• White retreats his good Bishop to a less effective square.
• Better is to activate the Bishop on the queeside before Black closes that diagonal: After 13.Bb5 Nc4 14.Nd2 Nxe3 15.fxe3 Qg5 16.Qf3 White continues to enjoy enough space to enjoy and advantage in spite of Black's extra pawn.

13...Nc4! 14.Nd2

• White does not want Black's Knight meddling in his center.
• If 14.Bf4 Qe7 15.Bxc4 dxc4 then:
• 16.Rfb1 Qd7 17.c3 Ne7 is equal.
• 16.Be3 b6 17.Nd2 Bb7 18.Rfe1 Na5 19.Ne4 h5 is equal

14...Nxd2 15.Bxd2 f5

• The game is equal.

16.exf6

• If 16.Qf4 then:
• If 16...Qg5! then:
• 17.Qxg5 hxg5 18.Rfd1 g4 19.c4 dxc4 20.Bxc4 remains equal.
• 17.Rad1 Qxf4 18.Bxf4 g5 19.Be3 f4 20.Bc1 remains equal.
• 16...g5?! 17.Qe3! Qd7 18.Rfb1 Ke8 19.Rb3 b6 20.Qc3 gives White the advantage in space.

16...Qxf6 17.c3!?

• 17.Bc3 Kg8 18.Bd3 e5 19.dxe5 Qxf2+ 20.Rxf2 Bxg4 remains equal.

17...e5!

• Black assumes a slight advantage.

18.Qg3 Bf5?!

• Black grabs some space, but his immeduate cncern should be the pawn exchange.
• If 18...exd4 19.Rac1 then:
• 19...dxc3 20.Bxc3 d4 21.Bd2 Bf5 22.Qxc7 is again equal.
• 19...Qd6?! 20.Bf4! Qxa3 21.Qf3 Ke7 22.Rfe1 leaves an attack brewing around Black's King out in the open.

19.Rae1?!

• White should play the pawn exchnange, giving his Bishop more scop in an open center.
• If 19.dxe5 Nxe5 20.Be3 Re8 21.Bd4 Qd6 22.Rfe1 gives White much more freedom; Black centralized Knight is under heavy fire.

19...exd4 20.c4

• 20.cxd4 then:
• 20...Rc8 21.Bf3 Qf7 22.Bc3 Kg8 remains equal.
• The pyrotechnical display 20...Nxd4!? 21.Qxc7! Kg8 22.Qxb7 Rd8 23.Bd1! Bd3! 24.Ba5!! gives White the advantage in space.

BLACK: Sergey Volkov



WHITE: Arkadij Naiditsch
Position after 20.c3c4

20...d3!?

• Black destroys White's proud Bishop pair, but his gets into some difficulty in the process.
• 20...dxc4 21.Bxc4 Rc8 22.Bd5 Rd8 23.Bxc6 Qxc6 24.Qf4 is equal.

21.Bxd3 Bxd3 22.Qxd3 d4

• White has the advantage thanks to his developed Rooks.
• 22...dxc4!? 23.Qxc4 Qf7 24.Qc2 Kg8 25.Bc3 h5 26.Re3 gives White the active game.

23.Re4 Kg8 24.Rf4

• White attacks the Queen (not bad), but stronger is 24.Rb1! Rb8 25.Bf4 Qf7 26.c5 h5 27.h4 giving White a better center and more piece activity.

24...Qd6 25.Re1 Rd8

• Black can equalize the game only be developing his Rooks. With White's Queen on d3, denying the Black King the use of h7, that isn't possible for the King's Rook.

BLACK: Sergey Volkov



WHITE: Arkadij Naiditsch
Position after 25...Ra8d8

26.c5!

• White sacrifices a pawn for attack.
• 26.Rfe4!? Qg6 27.Bf4 Rf8 28.Bxc7 Kh7 29.c5 Rf7! is equal.

26...Qxc5?

• Now Black should lose.
• If 26...Qd7 27.Qb3+ then:
• If 27...Qd5 then:
• 28.Re8+ Kh7 29.Qd3+ g6 30.Rf6 paints Black into a corner.
• 28.Qxb7!? Kh7 29.Rfe4 Rhf8! 30.Qxc7 Rd7 31.Qg3 gives White only a small advantage as Black's piece protect each other.
• 27...Kh7 28.Rf7 Qd5 29.Qd3+ wins for White.

27.Qg6 Qg5 28.Rf8+?!

• Black misses the winning line.
• 28.Re8+ Rxe8 29.Qxe8+ Kh7 30.Qxh8+!! Kxh8 31.Rf8+ wins for White.

28...Kxf8 29.Bxg5 hxg5 30.Qf5+

• White's two pieces, especialy the Queen, are still more active than Black's three.
• 30.Re6 Rh6 31.Qf5+ Kg8 32.Rxh6 gxh6 33.Qg6+ gives White a vastly superior game, but in order tom win he still needs a passed pawn.

30...Kg8 31.f4!

• Also good is 31.Qb5! Rh6 32.Qxb7 d3 33.Rd1 d2 34.f3 gives White a great advantage.
• Not as good is 31.Qxg5?! Rh6! 32.Qb5 b6 33.Qc4+ Kf8 34.Qd3 Rf6 with equality.

31...g4

• No better is taking the pawn.
• If 31...gxf4!? then:
• 32.Qxf4 Rh5 33.Qxc7 Rb5 34.a4! Rf5 35.Re7 gives White a great advantage.
• 32.Qe6+ Kf8 33.Re4 Rh6 34.Rxf4+ forces Black to play the Rook to f6, after which White wins a pawn.

32.Qe6+!?

• White misses another chance to put the game away.
• 32.Qb5! Rb8 33.Qd5+ Kf8 34.Qd7 Rh5 35.Qxc7 leaves White on the verge of winning.

32...Kf8 33.Qf5+ Kg8 34.Rb1!?

• White goes pawn hunting, but the only pawn he should worry about is the one at d4.
• 34.Qb5 Rb8 35.Qd5+ Kf8 36.Qf5+ Kg8 37.Qxg4 maintains White's superior position.

BLACK: Sergey Volkov



WHITE: Arkadij Naiditsch
Position after 34.Rd1b1

34...d3!

• This is an example of a Rook, Knight and pawn are equal to a Queen in the endgame. White's Rook is compelled to return to d1 and blockade duty.

35.Rd1 Nd4 36.Qe4

• 36.Qxd3!? Nf3+ 37.Qxf3 gxf3 38.Rxd8+ Kh7 39.Rd7 Rc8 nets Black an extra pawn, but White has more freedom.

36...Ne2+ 37.Kf2 Nxf4 38.Qc4+ Kh7 39.g3 Nh3+!?

• This move is not the strongest Black can make here. After the King sidessteps the check, he will consolidate his position.
• If 39...b5! then:
• 40.Qxb5! Rd5 41.Qc4 Nh3+ remains equal.
• If 40.Qe4+?! results in a sudden reversal by 40...Ng6! 41.Qxg4 Kh6 42.Rc1 Rd5 when:
• 43.Rc6 Rf8+ 44.Kg1 Rf6 45.Qh3+ Kg5! gives Black the advantage in space.
• 43.Rxc7? Rf8+ 44.Kg2 d2! wins for Black.

40.Kg2 Rhf8

• If 40...Rde8?! 41.Qxd3+! then:
• 41...Kh6 42.Qc4 Ng5 43.Rd5 leaves White enjoying a strong initiative.
• 41...Kg8?? allows mate: 42.Qd5+ Kh7 43.Qh5+ Kg8 44.Qxe8+ Kh7 45.Qh5+ Kg8 46.Rd8#.

41.Qxg4!

• White keeps the advantage, for now.
• 41.Qe4+ Kh6 42.Qxg4 Ng5 43.Qh4+ Kg6 44.Qc4 Rfe8 is equal.

41...Nf2 42.Qh4+ Kg8 43.Qc4+!

• Well played by White.
• If 43.Rd2!? (the "obvious" move) 43...Rd5! 44.Qb4 c6 then:
• 45.Qb1! Ne4 46.Rxd3 Rf2+ 47.Kg1 Nd2 48.Qa2 is equal.
• 45.Qxb7!? Ng4! 46.Qxa7 c5 47.Kg1 Ne3! leave Black with the advantage thanks to his command of the f-file cobines with the Knight attacking f1.

43...Kh8 44.Rd2!

• A passed pawn is a criminal who must be kept under lock and key. --Nimzovich.

44...Rd7

BLACK: Sergey Volkov



WHITE: Arkadij Naiditsch
Position after 44...Rd8d7

45.Qb4!?

• The attempt by White to win a piece with 45.Rxf2?? loses the game to 45...Rxf2+ 46.Kxf2 d2! when ther is nothing to stop the pawn.
• Nevertheless, the correct move is 45.Qh4+! Kg8 46.Qb4 Rdf7 47.Qxb7 when White continues to hold a small advantage in space.

45...Rdf7

• The game is equal.

46.Qxb7 c5 47.Qd5

• More accurate is 47.Qc6 (putting the Queen behind the weaker c-pawn) 47...Rf5 48.h3 R8f7 49.g4 Rf4 50.Qxc5 when the game remans equal.

47...Rf5 48.Qc4 R8f6 49.Rb2 Kh7 50.Rb8?

• By this time, Grandelius had long since won his game from Maceija, meaning that Herr Naiditsch would have to win in order to remain tied for first. Unfortunately, the position is about as dead a draw as there can be given the number of pieces still left on the board and does not justify aggression by either side. White should play to blockade and capture the d-pawn.
• If 50.Rd2 g5 51.h3 Rf7 52.Qe6 Kg7 53.Qe3 remains equal.

BLACK: Sergey Volkov



WHITE: Arkadij Naiditsch
Position after 50.Rb2b8

50...d2!

• White can no longer blockade the d-pawn.

51.Qg8+

• It's already too late to go after the d-pawn.
• If 51.Rd8 then Black wins after 51...d1Q 52.Rxd1 Nxd1 53.Qh4+ Kg8 54.Qe4 Nf2.

51...Kg6 52.Qe8+ Rf7 53.g4

• 53.Rd8 d1Q 54.Rxd1 still fails against 54...Nxd1 55.Qe1 when:
• Black wins easily after 55...Rf2+! 56.Kg1 Rf1+ 57.Qxf1 Rxf1+ 58.Kxf1 Nb2.
• 55...Rf1?! 56.Qe4+! R7f5 57.g4 Ne3+ 58.Qxe3 puts White back in the fight for a draw.

53...R5f6 54.Qe5 Nxg4 55.Qe4+

• White is under the illusion -- or the spell of a false hope -- that he can draw with perpetual check.

55...Rf5 56.Rd8 Nf2 57.Rd6+ R7f6 58.Rxf6+

• White can no longer prevent the d-pawn from queening.
• If 58.Qe8+ Kh7 59.Rxd2 Rg5+ 60.Kf1 then:
• 60...Nd3+ 61.Ke2 Re5+ 62.Qxe5 Nxe5 leaves Black winning with an extra piece.
• 60...Ne4+ 61.Ke2 Rg2+ 62.Ke3 Nxd2 isn't as good, but it's still good enough.

BLACK: Sergey Volkov



WHITE: Arkadij Naiditsch
Position after 58.Rd6f6+:R

58...Kxf6 59.Qc6+ Kg5 60.Kg3 d1Q 61.h4+ Kh5 62.Qe8+ Kh6 0-1

• If 63.Qh8+ Kg6 then White is out of checks.
• Herr Naiditsch resigns.

[Jack Rabbit]

8. Grandelius - Shimanov, Round 8

There is no photo of Aleksandr Shimanov available with an internet-friendly copyright
Photo by Jon Sullivan from public-domain-photos.com (Public Domain)


Nils Grandelius - Aleksandr Shimanov
40th Rilton Cup, Round 8
Stockholm, 4 January 2011

Slav Queen's Gambit: Chamelelon Defense

1.c4 c6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e3 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6 5.d4

• For a brief survey of the Chameleon Defense, see Kazhgaleyev-Volkov, Chigorin Mem, St. Petersburg, 2009.

5...b5 6.b3 Bf5 7.Ne5

• 7.Bd3 e6 8.Bxf5 exf5 9.0-0 Bd6 10.Qc2 g6 11.Bd2 0-0 12.Rfc1 Nbd7 13.cxd5 cxd5 14.a4 b4 15.Ne2 Rc8 16.Qd3 Qb6 17.Rc2 Qb7 18.Rac1 Nb6 19.Ne5 Rxc2 20.Rxc2 Rc8 21.f3 Nbd7 22.Nxd7 draw (Radjabov-Ivanchuk, IT A, Wijk aan Zee, 2003).

7...h6

• 7...e6 8.g4 Bg6 9.h4 Ne4 10.Nxe4 Bxe4 11.f3 f6 12.Nxc6 Nxc6 13.fxe4 dxe4 14.Bd2 Qb8 15.Rh3 f5 16.cxb5 axb5 17.gxf5 exf5 18.a4 bxa4 19.bxa4 Kd8 20.Bb5 Na5 21.Rc1 Bd6 is equal (Aronian-Kindermann, Bundesliga 0304, Germany, 2003).

8.g4 Bh7 9.Bg2 e6 10.0-0 Bd6 11.f4

• 11.Bb2 0-0 12.Rc1 Ra7 13.c5 Bc7 14.Ne2 a5 15.f3 Nfd7 16.f4 f6 is equal (Morozevich-Grischuk, Russian ChT, Sochi, 2004).

11...0-0 12.Qe2 (N)

• If 12.cxd5!? cxd5! 13.g5 hxg5 14.fxg5 Bxe5 15.dxe5 then:
• 15...Ne4 16.Nxe4 Bxe4 17.Bxe4 dxe4 18.Ba3 Qxg5+ 19.Kh1 Rd8 gives Black a clear advantage (Haba-Jirka, Czech ChT, Czechia, 2006).
• 15...Nfd7!? 16.Ba3 Qxg5 17.Bxf8 Qxe3+ 18.Kh1 Nxf8 gives Black a small advantage in space.

12...Ne4

• The game is equal.

13.Nxe4 dxe4 14.cxb5 axb5

• Black has a slight advantage in space.

15.Qc2 f6 16.Nxc6 Qc8!

• Black finds the best move maintain his narrow advantage.
• If 16...Nxc6?! then 17.Qxc6! b4 18.f5 Re8 19.Qxe4 Rc8 20.Bd2 gives White two extra pawns.

BLACK: Aleksandr Shimanov



WHITE: Nils Grandelius
Position after 16...Qd8c8

17.d5!

• This is the best move under the circumstances. The pawn sacrifice is necessary for the Knight to retreat.

17...exd5 18.Nd4 Qxc2 19.Nxc2

• Black's narrow advantage has slipped into equality.

19...Rc8 20.Nd4 b4 21.Rd1 Be7

• 21...Ra5 22.Bd2 Nc6 23.Rdc1 Rc5 24.Ne6 Rxc1+ 25.Rxc1 remains equal.

22.Bf1 Bg6

• If 22...g5 23.f5 Nd7 24.Bb2 Ne5 then:
• 25.h3 Ra5 gives Black once again a small advantage in space.
• 25.Be2 Ra5 26.Rd2 Rca8 27.Ne6 remains equal.

23.Bb2 Na6?!

• Black does not appear ready to exchange Knights, although the Black Knight is unimportant and White's Knight rests on an outpost in the center.
• If 23...Nc6 24.Nxc6 Rxc6 25.Rxd5 Rc2 26.Bd4 Be8 is equal.

24.Bb5 Be8

• As a result of his strategic inaccuracy on the previous move, Black continues to suffer.
• If 24...Bf7 25.Bc6 Rab8 26.Bxd5 Bxd5 then:
• 27.Nf5! Bf8 28.Rxd5 Rc2 29.Bd4 Kf7 30.Rd7+ Ke8 gives White a splendid initiative.

25.Nf5 Bf8

• White controls the dark squares on the Bishop's diagonal except for c5, where the Bishop blocks the Rook's command of the c-file. All of that considered, the retreat is best.
• 25...Bc5!? 26.Bxe8! Rxe8 then:
• 27.Rxd5 g6 28.Nd4! leaves White with all of his vital points covered.
• 27.Rd2? Bf8! 28.Ne2 Bc6 29.f5 Nc5 30.Nf4 Nd3 wins for Black.

26.Bxe8 Rxe8 27.Rxd5

• White has an extra pawn.

27...Nc5

• The text is better than 27...Nc7 28.Rd4 Ra5 29.Kf2 when:
• 29...h5 30.h3 Rea8 31.Rd2 Ne6 32.Bd4 hxg4 33.hxg4 gives White the advantage in space.
• 29...Na6 30.Ng3 Nc5 31.Rd2 Nd3+ 32.Ke2 Nxb2 33.Rxb2 gives White the advantage in space

28.Bd4

BLACK: Aleksandr Shimanov



WHITE: Nils Grandelius
Position after 28.Bb2d4

28...Nd3!?

• The battle begins in earnest. This move is a shade too aggressive.
• Better is the more restrained 28...Ne6! 29.Kf1 Rac8 30.h4 Rc2 31.h5 Ra8 32.Rd7 with equality.

29.Rd7!?

• While this looks impressive, Black is already holding on to the g7 square. Consequently, the move weakens White's defenses without giving him any real possibility of attack.
• 29.Ng3! Rac8 30.Rd1 Nc1 31.Rd2 Ra8 32.Rd7 gives White acres of space.
• 29.Rb5?! Rac8 30.Rb7 Rc2! 31.h4 g6 32.Ng3 is equal.

29...Rac8 30.Rf1?

• White leaves the a-pawn unguarded. This is not recommended.
• Much better is 30.h4! Rc6 31.Kg2 Rc2+ 32.Kh3 Ra8 when White still has the advantage in space.

30...Rc2 31.g5

• This advance is premature; a White3 pawn at g5 will need another defender.
• Better is 31.Ra7! Rd8 32.h4 Rd5 when:
• 33.Rxg7+!! Bxg7 34.Ne7+ Kf7 35.Nxd5 leaves White two pawns to the good.
• 33.Ra8 Kf7 34.h5 Rd7 35.Ra6 Kg8 36.Ng3 gives White nothing more than a slight.

31...hxg5!

• Black deals with the g-pawn directly. The alternative is not as good.
• If 31...Ra8!? 32.a4 bxa3 33.gxh6 gxh6 then:
• 34.Kh1 Nf2+ 35.Kg2 Ng4+ 36.Kg3 Nxh2 is equal.
• 34.Ng3? takes pressure off the g7 square and allows Black to play 34...Bc5! and now if 35.Nxe4 then Black wins after 35...Bxd4 36.exd4 Ra6 .

32.fxg5 Ra8!

• Black takes advantage of the White Rook's absence from a1 to double team White's a-pawn.

33.Ra1?

• White closes the barn door after the cows have escaped.
• If 33.a4 bxa3 34.gxf6 gxf6 then:
• 35.Kh1 Nf2+ 36.Kg2 Ra5 37.Rxf2 Rxf2+ 38.Kxf2 Rxf5+ leaves Black enjoying an enormous initiative.
• 35.Ng3? Ne5! 36.Bxe5 fxe5 37.Nxe4 Bg7 38.Kh1 a2 it will cost White a Rook to stop Blackl's a-pawn.

BLACK: Aleksandr Shimanov



WHITE: Nils Grandelius
Position after 33.Rf1a1

33...Ra5!

• Black wins by sending White's pieces to inefective squares.
• If 33...fxg5? then 34.Bxg7! Nc5 35.Rc7 Bxg7 36.Rxg7+ gives White the edge in space.

34.Ng3 Rxg5 35.Rf1 Rg4

35...Rxa2 36.Kh1 Rg4 37.Rg1 Nf2+ 38.Kg2 Rh4 wins for Black.

36.Kh1

36.Ra1 the Black wins by 36...f5 37.Kh1 Rh4 38.Nf1 g5 39.Rd5 Nf2+ when the end is slow and painful.

36...Rh4

• Upon seing this move, White could have resigned.

37.Kg1

• White cannot prevent mate.
• If 37.Nxe4 then 37...Rhxh2+ 38.Kg1 Rcg2# .

37...Rhxh2 38.Nxe4 Rcg2# 0-1

[Jack Rabbit]

4. International Chess Congress, Hastings

William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings, 1066
form the Bayeux Tapestry
Image from Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)

[Jack Rabbit]

9. Sengupta - Edouard, Round 9

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Photo by Jon Sullivan from public-domain-photos.com (Public Domain)


Deep Sengupta - Romain Edouard
International Chess Congress, Round 9
Hastings, 5 January 2011

Open Sicilian Game: Najdorf-Scheveningen Defense (Rauzer Opening)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 a6 8.0-0-0 Nxd4

• For other variations, see Ganguly-Hommeles, Canadian Op, Edmonton, 2009.

9.Qxd4 Be7 10.f4 b5 11.Bxf6

• If 11.Be2 Bb7 12.Bf3 then:
• If 12...0-0 13.e5 Bxf3 14.exf6 gxf6 15.gxf3 fxg5 16.Ne4 d5 then:
• If 17.h4 Qc7 18.Nxg5 Qc4 19.Qe5 Rac8 20.c3 Qc7 then:
• 21.Qd4 Qc4 22.Qe5 Qc7 23.Qd4 Qc4 24.Qe5 draw (Motylev-Gelashvili, Op, Dubai, 2005).
• 21.Rxd5 Qxe5 22.Rxe5 Bd6 23.Re4 h6 24.Nh3 is equal (Navara-Durarbeyli, Euro Ch, Rijeka, 2010).
• 17.Nxg5 Bf6 18.Qd3 Bxg5 19.Rhg1 Qf6 20.fxg5 Qg6 21.f4 Rac8 22.f5 gives White the advantage in space (Shirov-Mamedyarov, Bundesliga 0809, Eppingen, 2009).
• 12...Rc8 13.Bxf6 gxf6 14.f5 Qa5 15.fxe6 fxe6 16.Kb1 Rc4 17.Qe3 Qc7 18.Rhe1 Qc5 is equal (Motylev-Wojtaszek, Euro Ch, Warsaw, 2005).

11...gxf6 12.e5

• If 12.f5 then:
• If 12...Qc7 13.Be2 Qc5 14.Qxc5 dxc5 then:
• If 15.fxe6 fxe6 16.Bh5+ Kf8 17.e5 f5 18.g4 Ra7 19.gxf5 exf5 20.Nd5 then:
• If 20...Kg7 21.Nxe7 Rxe7 22.Rd6 Rf8 23.Rg1+ Kh8 24.Rf6 Rd8 25.Rd1 then:
• 25...Rg8 26.Bf7 Rf8 27.Bh5 Rg8 28.Bf7 Rf8 29.Be6 Rxf6 30.Rd8+ Black resigns (Dolmatov-Iskusnyh, Russian Ch, St. Petersburg, 1998).
• 25...Rxd1+ 26.Bxd1 Bd7 27.Rxa6 Rxe5 28.Ra8+ Kg7 is equal (Kobalia-Blehm, World Jr Ch, Calicut, 1998).
• 20...Bg5+ 21.Kb1 Be6 22.Rhg1 is equal (Grischuk-Gosar, EU ChT, Batumi, 1999).
• 15.Rhf1 Ra7 16.a4 b4 17.Nb1 Rd7 18.Rxd7 Kxd7 is equal (Topalov-Kramnik, Amber Blind, Monte Carlo, 2000).
• 12...Qa5 13.Kb1 Bb7 14.a3 0-0-0 15.Be2 Kb8 16.Bh5 Rhf8 17.Bg4 gives White a good advantage in space (Wunnick-Sayed, Op, Amsterdam, 2005).

12...d5 13.Be2

• 13.Kb1 Bd7 14.Qe3 f5 15.Ne2 Qc7 16.Ng3 Rc8 17.Bd3 is equal (Berg-Dreev, Euro Ch, Budva, 2009).

13...Bb7 (N)

• 13...Rg8 14.Kb1 b4 15.exf6 Bxf6 16.Qxb4 Bd7 17.Nxd5 exd5 18.Rhe1 Be7 gives Black a small advantage in space (Barreto-Diamante, Brazilian Ch, Porto Alegre, 2008).

14.f5

• The game is equal.
• 14.Bh5! Qc7 15.Rhe1 f5 16.Ne2 Rg8 17.Bf3 Rc8 is equal.

14...fxe5 15.Qxe5 Bf6 16.Qg3 Qb8 17.Qh3!?

• The Queen is more effective at g3, where it prevents Black from castling or moving his Rook to g8, than it is at its new post.
• 17.fxe6 Qxg3 18.exf7+ Kxf7 19.hxg3 Bxc3 20.bxc3 Rac8 is equal.
• If 17.Qf3 0-0 18.Rhe1 Kh8 then:
• 19.g3 Qc7 20.Qd3 Bxc3 21.Qxc3+ Qxc3 22.bxc3 e5 gives Black the advantage with a strong central pawn duo.
• If 19.Qg4 then:
• 19...Bxc3 20.bxc3 Qd6 21.f6 Rg8 22.Qh5 Qf4+ gives Black an impressive advantage in space.
• If 19...Qxh2?? then 20.Rh1! leaves Black defenseless on the h-file.

17...d4?!

• Black weaken his center.
• If 17...b4 18.Na4 then:
• If 18...Bc6 19.Nc5 then:
• 19...e5! 20.Qh6 Ke7 21.g4 e4 22.Nb3 Qg8 is equal.
• 19...Qd6 20.fxe6 Qxc5 21.exf7+ Kxf7 22.Rhf1 Ba4 23.b3 gives White better King safety, the initiative and more space.
• 19...0-0 20.fxe6 Qe5 21.Qg3+ Qxg3 22.hxg3 gives White the advantage in space.
• 18...Qc7?! 19.fxe6 0-0 20.Rhf1 fxe6 21.Qxe6+ Kg7 22.Bd3 gives White an extra pawn and a clear advantage in space.

18.fxe6?

• This is the logical follow up of White's 17th move, but he assumes Black would play 18...dxc3and leaves White with insufficient command of the center.
• If 18.Nb1 Qe5 19.Bf3 d3 20.c3 then:
• 20...Qf4+ 21.Nd2 Bxf3 22.Qxf3 Qxf3 23.Nxf3 0-0-0 gives Black a small advantage in space.
• If 20...Qxf5?? drops a piece to 21.Qxf5! exf5 22.Bxb7 Bg5+ 23.Nd2.

BLACK: Romain Edouard



WHITE: Deep Sengupta
Position after 18.fe6:p

18...Qf4+!!

• That nature abhors a vacuum applies to chess as much as to astrophysics. Black takes over the center that White has vacated. The consequences of failing to fill the vacuum are dire.
• If 18...dxc3? 19.exf7+! then:
• If 19...Kf8 20.Qh6+ Bg7 21.Qb6 Qf4+ 22.Kb1 then:
• If 22...Bf6 23.Qxb7 Qb4 then:
• If 24.b3!! Qa3 25.Qxa8+ then:
• If 25...Kg7 26.Qxh8+ Kxh8 27.f8Q+ Qxf8 28.Ka1 gives Whit two Rook and a pawn over a Queen.
• 25...Kxf7? gets really ugly after 26.Rd7+! when:
• If 26...Qe7 then White wins after 27.Rxe7+ Bxe7 28.Qxh8.
• 26...Kg6 27.Qe4+ Kh6 28.Qe3+ Kg6 29.Bd3+ Kh5 30.Rd5+ Kh4 31.Qg3#.
• 24.Qxa8+ Kg7 25.f8Q+ Rxf8 26.Rd7+ Kh8 gives Black the advantage; he can mate White befgore White can mate Black.
• 22...Qb4? 23.Rd8+! Rxd8 24.Qxd8+ Kxf7 25.Bh5+ Ke6 26.Qb6+.
• 19...Kxf7 20.Rd7+ Kf8 21.Qh6+ Ke8 22.Rhd1 leaves the Black King in a mating net.

19.Kb1 dxc3 20.exf7+

• Black has a piece for two pawns.

20...Kf8 21.a3

• If 21.b3 Qg5 22.Rhe1 then:
• 22...Bxg2 23.Qe6 Qe5 24.Qxe5 Bxe5 25.Bh5 Bxh2 is equal.
• If 22...Kg7 23.f8Q+ Raxf8 24.Rd7+ wins for White.

21...h5!?

• Black takes some of the wind out of his own sails.
• If 21...Qg5 22.Rhe1 Bc8 23.Qf3 Ra7 24.Rd5 Qh4 25.g3 Qh6 is equal.
• 22.Bf3 Bc8! (Attacking the Queen so that the Rook is safe and to take advantage of the Queen's momentary lack of freedom) 23.g4 Ra7 24.Rd5 Qf4 gives Black a strong position and a material advantage.

22.Rhf1 Qe5 23.Bd3

• White apparently intends to move the Bishop to g6, but never gets the opportunity. White probably underestimates the strength of Black's reply.
• If 23.Rde1 Rd8 24.Bf3 Bc8 then:
• 25.Rxe5 Bxh3 26.Re8+ Rxe8 27.fxe8Q+ Kxe8 28.gxh3 cxb2 is equal.
• If 25.Qg3? then Black wins after 25...Qxg3! 26.hxg3 Kxf7.

BLACK: Romain Edouard



WHITE: Deep Sengupta
Position after 23.Be2d3

23...Qg5!

• Black wins a pawn and prevents 24.Bg6.

24.Qd7 Bxg2 25.Rde1 Be7

• No better is 25...Be5 26.Rf5 Qd8 27.Qxd8+ Rxd8 28.Rexe5.

26.Rf5 Qh4 27.Rfe5 Rd8

• Black skewers the Bishop through the Queen, but all this accomplishes is the return of sacrificed material before resignation.

28.Qc7 Rxd3 29.cxd3 1-0

• M. Edouard resigns.

[Jack Rabbit]

10. Hebden - Shyam, Round 6

There is no photo of Sundar Shyam available with an internet-friendly copyright
Photo by Jon Sullivan from public-domain-photos.com (Public Domain)


Mark Hebden - Sundar Shyam
International Chess Congress, Round 6
Hastings, 2 January 2011

Indian Game: London Opening (King's Indian Defense)

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Bf4 Bg7 5.Qd2

• If 5.e3 0-0 6.Be2 c5 then:
• If 7.Ne5 Nc6 8.0-0 cxd4 9.exd4 Qb6 10.Nxc6 Qxc6 then:
• If 11.Bb5 Qb6 12.a4 then:
• 12...a6 13.a5 Qd8 14.Be2 Bd7 15.Qd2 Rc8 16.Rfe1 gives White a small advantage in space (Hebden-Tukmakov, Op, Neuchatel, 2003).
• 12...Nh5 13.Bg5 Qd6 14.Re1 Be6 15.a5 h6 16.Be3 gives White a smal advantage in space (Hebden-Gladyszev, Op, Marseille, 2006).
• If 11.Re1 a6 12.a4 Bf5 13.a5 Rad8 then:
• 14.Qc1 Rfe8 15.Ra3 Ne4 16.Nxe4 dxe4 is equal (Hebden-Ledger, 4NCL, Birmingham, 2001).
• 14.Bf1 Rfe8 15.h3 Ne4 16.Nxe4 dxe4 is equal (Hebden-Ruck, Pl, Calvia, 2004).
• If 8...Bf5 then:
• If 9.Na4 cxd4 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.exd4 Nd7 12.c3 e5 then:
• If 13.Be3 Re8 14.Re1 then:
• 14...Qa5 15.b4 Qc7 16.Ba6 Rab8is equal (Hebden-Kolas, Intntl Chess Congress, Hastings, 2005).
• 14...h6 15.Rc1 g5 16.dxe5 Bxe5 is equal (Hebden-B. Lalic, British Ch, Scarborough, 2001).
• 13.dxe5 Nxe5 14.Be3 Re8 15.Nc5 Rb8 16.b4 a5 is equal (Weinzettl-Arsovic, TT, Belgrade, 2001).
• 9.Nxc6 bxc6 10.Be5 Nd7 11.Bxg7 Kxg7 12.dxc5 e5 13.b4 a5 14.a3 axb4 15.axb4 Rxa1 16.Qxa1 gives White a fair advantage in space (Grossett-Greet, 4NCL, Birmingham, 2001).
• 7.dxc5 Qa5 8.Nd2 Qxc5 9.Nb3 Qb6 10.Nb5 then:
• If 10...Ne8 11.Qxd5 Bxb2 12.Rb1 Bg7 13.0-0 Nc6 14.c4 Bf5 15.Rbd1 then:
• 15...Nf6 16.Qc5 e5 17.Bg3 Ne4 18.Qxb6 axb6 is equal (Akselrod-Salinnikov, Russia Cup, Tomsk, 2003).
• 15...Nb4 16.Qd2 Na6 17.Nc3 Nf6 18.Qc1 Rac8 19.Be5 gives White more freedom (L. B. Hansen-Djurhuus, ZT, Rekjavik, 1995).
• 10...Na6 11.Be5 Bf5 12.0-0 Rfc8 13.c3 Qd8 14.Qd4 b6 draw (Navarro-Quiroga, IT, Buenos Aires, 1996).

5...Ne4!?

• If 5...0-0 6.Bh6 Nc6 7.Bxg7 Kxg7 then:
• 8.0-0-0 a6 9.Ne5 Qd6 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.f3 c5 12.dxc5 Qxc5 13.g4 e6 14.g5 Nh5 15.Bh3 is equal (Papatryfonos-Carlos, Ol, Khanty-Mansiysk, 2010).
• If 8.e3 Qd6 then:
• 9.Bd3 a6 10.e4 dxe4 11.Bxe4 Bg4 12.0-0-0 Nxe4 gives Black a microscopic advantage in that he threatens 13... Bxf3, weakening White's kingside pawns.
• 9.0-0-0 a6 10.Be2 b5 11.a3 b4 12.axb4 Qxb4 gives Black a good advantage in space.

6.Nxe4 dxe4 7.Ne5 0-0

• If 7...Be6 8.e3 then:
• If 8...0-0 then:
• If 9.Be2!? c5 10.Rd1 Nd7 11.Nc4 Nb6 12.Na5 is equal (Kosten-Perpinya, Op, Tarragona, 2007).
• If 9.Qb4! f6 then:
• If 10.Nc4 Bd5 11.0-0-0 e6 12.h4 a6 then:
• 13.Na5 b6 14.Nb3 Nc6 15.Qc3 gives White a fair advantage in space.
• 13.Qc3 Nc6 14.h5 g5 15.Bg3 gives White a slight advantage with the Bishop on the h2/b8 diagonal.
• If 10.Bc4 Bd5 then:
• 11.Ng4! e6 12.Bxd5 Qxd5 is equal.
• 11.0-0-0!? a5 12.Qxb7 e6 13.Qxa8 Bxa8 14.Bxe6+ Kh8 gives Black a considerable advantage in space.
• If 8...Nd7 9.Nxd7 Qxd7 then:
• If 10.c4!? then:
• If 10...f5?! 11.h4 then:
• 11...0-0 12.h5 Rfd8 13.hxg6 hxg6 14.f3 gives White a considerable advantage in space (Hebden-van der Weide, EU Ch, Liverpool, 2006).
• 11...0-0-0 12.Qa5 Kb8 13.Qb5 Qxb5 14.cxb5 leaves White with a small advantage in space.
• 11...Bf7 12.Be2 c5 13.d5 e6 14.Rd1 exd5 15.cxd5 gives White a slight advantage in space, but the queenside is vulnerable to attack.
• 10...c5! 11.d5 Bf5 12.Be2 h5 is equal.
• 10.Qb4! b6 11.Ba6 Rd8 12.0-0 0-0 gives White a fair advantage in space.

8.0-0-0 Qd5! (N)

• If 8...c6?! 9.h4 f6 10.Nc4 then:
• 10...Be6?! 11.Na5 Qd7 12.h5 Kf7 13.hxg6+ hxg6 14.e3 gives White more space and a secure King position (Papatryfonos-Wastney, Ol, Istanbul, 2000).
• 10...Qd5 11.b3 c5 12.dxc5 Qxc5 13.h5 g5 14.Be3 gives White a fair advanyage in space.

9.b3

• The game is equal.

9...Nc6!?

• Of course, Black must not neglect his queenside development, but the masked attack on the c-pawn from the Bishop at f4 makes this a somewhat poor move at this point.
• 9...b5 10.h3 a5 11.e3 f6 12.Ng4 h5 13.Nh2 remains equal.

BLACK: Sundar Shyam



WHITE: Mark Hebden
Position after 9...Nb8c6

10.Nxc6!?

• White fails to pick up on the opportunity, although this is the right idea.
• If 10.Qc3! (attacking the Knight and skewering the c-pawn) 10...Qd6! (covering the c-pawn and attacking White's e-pawn) then:
• If 11.e3 then:
• Nxe5 12.Bxe5 Bxe5 13.dxe5 Qa3+ 14.Kb1 gives White the advantage in space.
• 11...Nb4 12.Qb2 Nd5 13.Bg3 Qe6 14.h4 h5 15.c4 gives White the advantage in space.
• 11.Nxc6?! is still premature as after 11...Qxf4+! 12.e3 when:
• 12...Qf6! 13.Ne5 Qxf2 it's Black who wins a pawn.
• 12...Qxf2?! 13.Nxe7+! Kh8 14.Nxc8 Raxc8 is equal.

10...Qxc6

• The game is equal.

11.e3

• This simple move frees White's heavy pieces for combat duty.
• 11.Qb4 Qf6 12.e3 b6 13.Bxc7 Qxf2 14.Qe1 is equal.

11...Bg4 12.Be2 Bxe2 13.Qxe2 b5

• 13...Qc3 14.Kb1 c5 15.Qd2 cxd4 16.exd4 Qc6 17.Be5 remains equal.

14.f3 f5 15.Bg5 a5

• If 15...e5 16.d5 exf3 17.gxf3 Qc3 then:
• 18.Qxb5 h6 19.Be7 Qxe3+ 20.Kb1 Rfe8 21.Qc6 e4 remains equal.
• 18.e4!? fxe4 19.fxe4 Qa1+! 20.Kd2 Qxa2 21.Rhf1 Qa5+ leaves Black enjoying a strong initiative.

16.Bxe7

• 16.fxe4 a4 17.b4 Qxe4 18.Qxb5 e5 remains equal.

16...Rfe8 17.Bc5?

• This is played with the idea of blocking Black' heavy pioeces from using the c-file, but it allows Black to creat a target in White's e-pawn.
• If 17.Bg5! h6 18.Bf4 g5 then:
• 19.Be5 Bxe5 20.dxe5 exf3 21.gxf3 a4 is equal.
• 19.Bg3?! exf3 20.Qxf3 Qxf3 21.gxf3 Rxe3 gives Black a clear advantange.

17...exf3!

• Black takes advantage of the Bishop being on a bad square and breaks up White's kingside pawns.

18.gxf3 Bh6

• If the White Bishop had moved to g5 (see note to White's 17th move), Black would have been unable to make this move.

19.Rd3

• Forced.

BLACK: Sundar Shyam



WHITE: Mark Hebden
Position after 19.Rd1d3

19...Rxe3!!

• This investment will soon pay dividends.

20.Rxe3 Re8 21.Re1 Rxe3 22.Qxe3 Bxe3+ 23.Rxe3

• Black has a Queen against a Rook and a Bishop, in addition to sttronger pawns. He is winning.

23...g5 24.Kb2 h5 25.h3 f4 26.Re5 Qxf3

• White gains a passed pawn.

27.Rxg5+ Kf7 28.h4 b4!

• White's pawns are frozen.

29.Rf5+ Kg6 30.Rg5+ Kf6 31.Ba7

BLACK: Sundar Shyam



WHITE: Mark Hebden
Position after 31.Bc5a7

31...Qc3+!

• White begins a clever maneuver that nets a pawn.

32.Kb1 Qe1+ 33.Kb2 Qxh4

• White takes the pawn.
• Also good is 33...f3 34.d5 Qxh4 35.Rg8 Qe4 36.Bf2 Qxd5.

34.Rxa5 f3 35.Ra6+

• If 35.Bc5 Qf4 then:
• If 36.d5 then Black wins after f2!.
• If 36.Ra8 then Black wins after 36...Kg7! 37.Re8 f2.

35...Kf7 36.Bc5 f2 37.Ra8 Qh3 0-1

• If 38.Bxb4 then 38...f1Q 39.Rf8+ Ke6 40.Rxf1 Qxf1 is most convincing.
• Mr. Hebden resigns.