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iN
PUBLISHER: Allard Hoogland EDITORS-IN-CHIEF: Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, Jan Timman
6 NIC's Cafe 8 Taking Chess to the
Museum If it's up to Russian billionaire Andrey Filatov, having the World Champion ship match in a museum heralds a new trend in chess.
10 State of the Art in Moscow As he had predicted all along, Vishy Anand had to fight for his life to retain his title at the Tretyakov Gallery and only managed to do so in a scintillating tiebreak. Challenger Boris Gelfand left Moscow with his head up high after 'the best month in his life' and countered criticism of the contestants' play with a heart-felt plea in defence of the grand tradition of chess and its cultural significance.
32 Interview: Vishy Anand W hile his challenger was drinking in every minute of his first fig�t for the crown, defending champion Vishy Anand was reliving less uplifting moments. 'it's very difficult to enjoy the World Championship. I think you can enjoy having been in one.'
40 Nakamura Reclaims
Home Court Title Three down, five to go. Hikaru Nakamura returned to his national championship, after a year's absence, as the heavy favourite. He finished a point clear, beating his nearest rival Gata Kamsky with black in the process.
4 NEW lN CHESS
61 Hertan's Forcing Moves 62 Sammy against the Soviets Little did Samuel Reshevsky know what really awaited him, when on the eve of the Zurich 1953 Candidates' he said: 'This is going to be a tough tournament to win- probably the toughest of my career.'
74 Out of Love for Chess With the financial support of Russian businessman and ardent chess lover Oleg Skvortsov, the Zurich Chess Club Forcin
Moves
staged a friendly match between Vladimir Kramnik and Levon Aronian at the opulent Hotel Savoy Baur en Ville.
85 Good Memories from Malmo 'A chess player can consider himself lucky if there is an amazing tournament he is being invited to play every year. One such player is me and one such amazing tournament is the Sigeman tournament', writes Anish Giri.
98 Novotnys and Queen Sacrifices Jan T imman takes you on another tour of the wondrous world of studies.
102 Tales from Thailand Nigel Short won the Thailand Open. CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE
lt wasn't his first visit to Siam.
Vishy Anand, Fabiano Caruana, Boris Gelfand, Anish Giri, Charles Hertan, Gregory Kaidanov, Taylor Kingston, Vladimir Kramnik, lrina Krush, Peter Leko, Hikaru Nakamura, Peter Heine Nielsen, Yannick Pelletier, Macauley Peterson, Ray Robson, Nigel Short, Jan Timman PHOTOS AND ILLUSTRATIONS
1 06 Just Checking Which three people would Ray Robson like to invite for dinner?
Boris Dolmatovsky, Calle Erlandsson, chesstv.eu, Anastasia Karlovich, Macauley Peterson, Studio314, Alexey Yushenkov COVER PHOTO Vishy Anand: New In Chess NEW iN CHESS
5
NIC's Cafe
Chess Meets Art here can be no denying that art was an omnipresent theme at the World Cham pionship match in Moscow. There were lectures, press conferences by art specialists and various exhibi tions, and even the live broadcasts were regularly interrupted by videos
Of late the urge to create has grown notably and his production has in creased accordingly. For the moment he doesn't want to limit himself: 'I have tried a number of techniques.
As Shabalov's queen sacrifice was a piece of art in its own right, let's have a look at Dlugy's inspiration:
j
.. . � ii i �bb.i. � jL� £L b ttJ b b b .u �.u
i�t'
about highlights from the Tretyakov Gallery. Still, most of those present looked on in wonder when, on one of the last days of the match, Max Dlugy and an assistant walked into the VIP room and started hanging paintings on the wall. Dlugy's paintings!
. .I
Vetemaa-Shabalov
Haapsalu 1986
Born in Moscow in 1966, Max Dlugy spent his formative years in the U.S., where he built up a promising
position after 20.hc4 20...�b5!! Black threatens 21...�xb2
chess career. He won the World Jun iors in 1985, became a grandmaster one year later, claimed tournaments like the World Open, even became President of the U.S. Chess Federation at the age of 23(!), and retired from
mate and offers the queen to be taken in two ways. But in both cases taking the queen is met by 2l...tLlb3 mate. His opponent tried: 21J:td2 but after 21... tt:lxc3 he resigned, as 22.bxc3 runs into 22... 'i'b1 mate and 22. 'i'xc3 into 22 ...
professional chess in 1990. Having
tt:lb3+ 23.bb3lhc3+. Max Dlugy with 'X marks the spot'.
I would say currently my favourite is markers on cardboard, but I have made paintings with oil, tempera and
Markers on cardboard by Dlugy.
worked as a trader at Banker's Trust, he returned to Moscow in the mid-90s to pursue a business career. W hich doesn't mean that he ever forgot about his calling as an artist! Dlugy remembers that he received his first art lessons from his uncle Vitaly when he was about seven years old. 'At that point it was water colours with water to haze the effect and I loved what it did! I always loved to doodle and when my mother, who was always very artistic, became a full-fledged artist at 55, it was very inspiring to try and focus a bit on my own artworks:
6 NEW iN OIE.'i\5
pencils as well: As a true artist he de scribes why he doesn't have any pre ferred subjects: 'Because the whole idea of what I draw is not to concen trate on something specific but rather to let my own imagination and crea tivity move me towards an unspeci fied form or colour: So far, Dlugy has not been actively trying to sell his art, but he did give
Does He Play Chess? he day after his successful de fence of his world title, Vishy Anand and his challenger Boris Gelfand were invited to visit Russian president Vladimir Putin. As Anand related,' Putin was well informed and seemed to have fol lowed the match. Or had listened care fully to one of his assistants, of course. Whether the Russian president really plays chess we don't know. About his predecessor, Dmitry Medvedev, we learned from his chief economic ad-
one of his paintings to Anatoly Kar pov as a present for his 60th birth day last May. And although he wants to be free in his choice of subjects, it surely comes as no surprise that chess is one of his themes. One of the works he showed during his first public pres entation was called 'X marks the spot; inspired by a fantastic queen sacrifice made in 1986 by Alex Shabalov. The x is visible on the b5-square of a chess board and marks the spot where the queen was offered.
NIC'S CAFE
Russian president V ladimir Putin receives Anand and Gelfand.
ries of paintings in which Putin and Medvedev are seen playing chess. They remind one of the paintings of Lenin and Gorky playing chess and, as was the case with some of those prod ucts of 'Soviet realism: we may doubt their historical correctness. Putin and Medvedev enjoy the beauty of our royal game in a variety of settings: at the airport, on top of a snow-covered mountain, on the banks of the Neva, in arctic surroundings with the board atop a sledge, relaxing on a Black Sea beach and sharing a beer in the woods. The paintings were spotted in a clinic in St. Petersburg. Russian Heritage
Chess everywhere for Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev.
visor Arkady Dvorkovich that he had a chess set in his office and knew the rules, but wasn't really an active player. Still, all this uncertainty didn't stop an unknown artist producing a se-
ne of the exhibitions or ganized in connection with the world champi onship match was a small show at the Multimedia Art Mu seum called 'Chess Pieces of the 20th Century'. On display were rare chess sets, photographs by Boris Dolma tovsky and a fascinating selection of photos from Russian archives. A cou-
COLOPHON PUBLISHER:
'(Anand's) match with Topalov was al ready clearly a drop in quality when you look at the Kramnik match. He survived the match and in some games you saw a sparkle of genius. Very often in the match he was struggling. But now you very often see a "Maginot Line': defensive wall tactics: Garry Kasparov during the live broad cast of Game 6 of the match
Allard Hoogland
EDITORS-IN-CHIEF,
Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, Jan Timman EDITORS:
Peter Boel, Rene Ohhof
ART-DIRECTION: PRODUCTION:
Jan Scholtus
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©No part of this magazine may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. NEW IN CHESS P.O. BOX 1093
Chess at the Pushkin Museum in 1935.
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sition in world at the results of Le8 3l.tbxc6 .ll c8 32.tbe5 l:!:cl+ 33. 'it>h2 .lldl 34.tbcs .lhd4 35.tbed3, with a clear advantage for White.
the exchange of his pair of knights for White's bishop and knight, after which the strategic idea of White's play is fully revealed - the advantage of the white knight over the c8-bishop.
25...f6? This quickly leads to a hopeless posi tion for Black, but in a bad position there are no good moves! (Anand). After 25 ... tbef6 26.tbc5 .!la8 27.b4 Black is helpless. He also has a difficult position after 25...g4 26.tbe5 tbxes 27.dxe5 intend ing 28. .ie4. In the event of 25... tbd6 26.tbcs tbf6 27.b3 Black is paralysed and loss of material is inevitable.
25.nxc7
-
,
'
.i.t ��
ttJ ��
I
' '
•
' ' �� � ttJ� �� g7 38. tt:lce5 (intending 39.tt'lf6+ xf6 40. .l:!.f7 mate) 38...ttJxd4 39.tt'lf6+! (this spectacular move, forcing mate in a few moves, would have pleased the spectators, but I would most prob ably have played 39.fxe3, winning) 39 ... Wxf6 40.f4 tt'lf3+ 4l.gxf3 .l:'i.b2+ 42. h3 g4+ 43.fxg4 fxg4+ 44. xg4 h5+ 45. Wf3 ID2+ 46. c.t>e4 and mate is inevitable. 37...e2
Or 37... exf2 38.tt'lxe6 .l:!.hl+ (38... fltt'l+ 39. Wh3 g4+ 40.h4) 39. xhl fl 'lli+ 40. h2, winning.
7...tt:lh5 8.fkg5
38.tt:lxe6!
•
1:[ 8 33...l:l:b1+?
Black would have gained saving chances after 33...e3 34.fxe3 ltJxe3 35. .l:!.xc8+ 'lt>h7 36 . .l:!.c7+ 'i.t>h8 37. lL:e5 .l:!.xg2+ 38. c.t>hl llf2 when White would be winning after 39.tbcd3, but after 39.tt'lf7+ g7 40.ltJxg5+ c.t>g6 41.tt'lh3 llfl + 42.tt'lgl f4 43.gxf4 llx£4 the material is reduced, even if White retains chances of success with 44. .ldg7+ 'lt>f6 45.llg3. 34.'it>h2 e3 35.l:i:xc8+ \t>h7 36.
8
.I
This is a normal concept in Benoni structures, but of course now, without the c4-square available, it is even more double-edged.
�
.t CtJ Ct:J.t.t
The tempting alternative was 8.g4!?. This move could be good or bad, but I thought it would not surprise Gelfand. So I thought about something that he might not have looked at in great detail and stumbled on the text-move.
8 .l88cJJ
Black resigned in view of38...el 'liV 39. tt'lg6+ c.t>g8 40.llg7 mate, or 38... .l:!.hl+ 39. Wxhl el 'liV+ 40. Wh2, winning. I am pleased that in a match for the World Championship I was able to conduct a game in the style of Akiba Rubinstein, where the entire strategic course was maintained from the first to the last move.
MOSCOW
8...fkf6!?
This surprised me. At least some people thought it was clever, but I was actually happy to have the dark-
NEWiNCH�23
squared bishop off my back, which I didn't think would be unfavourable for me. Another idea was 8 ...h6!? 9.�h4!? (or 9.iii.e3, when after 9...f5 - 9...e6 10.�d2 looks decent- 10.exf5!? gxfS 11. �d2 it's not clear where Black's aggression leads) 9... t2Jd7, which looks OK for Black to me. 9 ..1kxf6 .
Even 9.iii. e3, followed by �d2, a4 and tLla3, etc., looked reasonable to me during the game, but because of the tactics after 1l.exf5! and 12.g4!, I think taking on f6 is better. 9 ...exf6
This came as a slight surprise, but it's a common motif in the Maroczy Accel erated Dragon.
-�..t� •• & & li& & && &� � � � � ttJ �� �� gtt:J 'iY�� g
-� &&
�
•• & & & .t � �
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10.iYd2
This was a very important decision. The main alternative is 1 O.g4 tLlf4 1l.�d2 gS 12.h4 t2Jd7, and I couldn't see any point to White's play. If I take on gS and go 'Yi'h2, Black simply goes ...hS, puts the second knight on eS, and with one knight on eS, one knight on f4 and a queen potentially on f6 it looks horrible for White. After 12.h4 I can maybe play 13.h5 and pretend that that knight on f4 has nowhere to go, but it didn't convince me at all. I thought for a while about 10.g4 and was surprised to realize that a lot of people thought this was better than 10.�d2. 10...f5 11.exf5! �xfS
Black cannot play 11... �h4+ 12. 'lt>d1 lLlg3? because of 13. 'iVf2 lLlxfS 14. �xh4e7 24.mf7+ 'it>xf7 25. .l:!.xd6 tbe5, and Black has good compensation. 14... tt:Jc4 15..ixc4 'iYxc4 16.e5 I
knew I had seen this position before,
but unfortunately I didn't remember the right way.
16... t2lb6? 16... llad8 is probably the
best move, when the position is still unclear. 17.h5 Now White gets a big and easy attack. 17...dxe518.hxg6hxg619.�h2
.I ii �
I
--
� tLJ t!:ot!:ot!:o WM
I
... i i. i i i t!:ot!:o �
completely missed this when I took on f4. For some reason I thought he was forced to exchange queens. 21...�xh2 22.J:!.xh2 J:!.f8
ii � 'iY M
19 ... .l:i.xf4 Unfortunately the only
move. 19 ...exf4 20. .td4 is simply crushing for White. 20.�xf4 20. \t>bl 0d5! is good for Black.
44 NEW iN CHESS
20...�xf4+ 21.�b1 I had actually
i i i
tLJ t!:ot!:ot!:o w M
... i. i t!:o M
Still, the position isn't as bad as it looks for Black. I am quickly getting some counterplay with ... l::If4, and if
ST. LOUIS
eventually activate my bishop with ...e4 I will have counterplay. 23.t2le4 I
The computer recommends 23.b3 l:!.£4 24.tt'le2, with the idea of 24...Mxg4 25. .l:i.dS+ \t>f7 26. l::IbS, when the knight on e2 is doing a good job preventing Black from getting counterplay. 23... l::tf4
ii �
t!:ot!:ot!:o w M
• i i. i i i tLJ.It!:o M
24.tt:Jg5?
29...t>f7 Instead, after 35 ...�h7 Ramirez was going to play 36.ihh6, which loses to a spectacular pawn sacrifice: 36 ...'l{i'f3 37.�e3 (37.'1{i'e3 'l{i'xe3 38.he3 is a hopeless endgame for White) 37...£4!
tatious landmark for the ambitious new museum. 'King Kong', as it was quickly dubbed, is already a pop ular spot to pose for photos, and even has its own Twitter stream
(@
STLChessKing). Inside the Hall of Fame, two new exhibitions provided Championship goers with an artful distraction from
.I
i i
i
•
the grandmaster games going on across Maryland Avenue. Bobby Fischer: Icon Among Icons, is a stunning collection of photos by Harry Benson (no stranger to New In Chess readers), largely, but not exclusively, dedicated to his time spent with Fischer leading up to and during the 1 972 match.
ANALYSIS DIAGRAM
(gaining the h6-square for his king 37...l::!.dl 38.'1{i'c7+ only leads to per petual check) 38.gxf4 l::!.dl 39.�c7+ 'it>h6 40.f5+ g5, and White runs out of moves.
On the ground floor, peculiarly anthropomorphized chess figures spin gently on mechanized pedestals, flanked by a mishmash of sketches and supporting documents related to a new fourteen-minute video pro jection called 'A Game of Chess', by
36.�xh6 �f3 37.�c5
Marcel Dzama. The surrealist black
And Ramirez escaped with a draw.
and white production references sev
37
• • •
'>t>e6 38.�e3 a6 39.�c8
eral artists from the 1 920s and 30s,
�d5 40.�g8+ '>t>f6
including the films of Luis Buiiuel, and
Draw. Nakamura had seen a similar line involving the f4-pawn sacrifice, but in a position with his king on f7, when White can still manage a perpetual. 'It was very upsetting; he said after the championship, 'mainly because in a tournament like this ( ...) every half point that you have the chance to get - every game you can win - is very important:
includes a chess game liberally in its narrative. Detail-minded chess play ers will notice incongruities on the board that go beyond the dream logic of the piece, but that's hardly the point. These investigations into the rich nature of the game and its myr iad artistic crossovers are a worthy endeavor and a marvelous comple ment to the St. Louis chess scene.
•
After six rounds of play, Nakamura nevertheless had a half point edge over his main rival Gata Kamsky, thanks in part to a nice victory by Gregory Kai danov over Kamsky. Kaidanov has
t2Jxd7 Ylxd7 18. "i'xc3 "i'xc3 l9.bxc3 tZ:Jds 20.ihds exds 2l.axb5 itxbs 22. .llf2 .lle 8!, and Black has some compensation for the exchange, but whether this is enough is hard to tell.
played in a whopping seventeen U.S.
Championships since immigrating to Lexington, Kentucky, in 1991, but has never won.
SL 3.1
-
D15
Gregory Kaidanov Gala Kamsky
St. Louis 2012 (4) 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.tt'lf3 tt'lf6 4.tt'lc3 aS 5.e3 g6 Gata consistently plays this line with very good results. After studying his
games I realized that I should try to stay away from c4-c5, because his understanding of those positions greatly exceeds mine. 6."i'b3 ilg7 7.tt'leS 0-0 8.ile2 A rare system, which previously was tried in only two games. Gata took his time here and played a new move.
11.�e2! A typical move for these positions. White moves his bishop away in anticipation of ...bS, plans a later transfer to f3 and at the same time frees the c4-square for either the queen or a knight. 11...tt'lbd7 I was going to meet 1l...c5 with 12. t2Ja4 cxd4 13.t2Jb6 'iVxeS 14.t2Jxa8, however, the computer shows that Black has good compensation after 14 ...b5. In addition, Black also has 12... tt:Jd5!, so maybe 1l...c5 is not bad at all. 12.f4 c5 13.ilf3 J:!:b8 14.a4 At this point I was very happy with my position.
15...�b7? As Gata acknowledged after the game, he forgot to insert the exchange on d4. 15 ... cxd4 16.exd4 itb7 17.itxb7 'iYxb7 18.l:::!.a 5 axbS 19.1hb5 'iVc7 would lead to a position in which Black would have good compensation for the pawn. Both the d4- and the b2-pawns are weak, the bishop on cl is bad and Black has a Benko Gambit type of play on the open b- and c-files. 16.�xb7 "i'xb7 17.dxcS! tt'lxc5
i
.i � ��
iftjj � M � 14... b5!?
8... dxc4 8 ... e6 9.0-0 tt::lb d7 10.f4 was my preparation. 9.§lxc4 e6 Black plans on eventually playing ...bS, ...cS or both. 10.0-0 "i'c7 The immediate 1 O ...cS runs into 11. dxcS 'i¥c7 12.tt::ld 3 t2Jbd7 13.tt::l a 4 tLle4?! 14.Ylxe6, and White maintains his extra pawn.
48 NEWiNCHFSS
14...cxd4 15.exd4 'iYd6 runs into 16. t2Jc4 'iVxd4+ 17.ite3, and although the queen escapes after 17... 'lWd3 18. .!::!.ad1 "i'fs, White's position is much better after something like 19.a5. 14...b5 is a very interesting move, con nected to a pawn sacrifice. 15.axb5 15.tLlc6!? deserved attention: l5...cxd4 (after l5 ... .!lb6 16.axb5 or 15...bxa4 16.'iVc2 l:!.b6 17.tLle7+ �h8 18.t2Jxa4 White is better) 16.t2Jxb8 dxc3 17.
ST. LOUIS
.� . i..ti i�i CiJ � � �� M�
18.'i'a3 In the postmortem Gata criticized this move. He thought that 18.'iVc4 was virtually winning. I have to admit that I rejected it on the basis of 18... Rfc8 19.bxa6 'iVa7 after which the opposi tion of my queen and his rook on the c-file looks unpleasant. However, after 20.t2Jbs 'iVb6 2l.a7 Ra8 22.b4! White indeed seems to be winning. I still believe it was not easy to see this dur ing the game. 18... .l:i:fc8 19.bxa6 "i'a7
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• .t..t.t. i�i CiJ £3:, £3:, £3:,£3:, 1:rw --
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Despite his two extra pawns White's task is not easy. His lack of develop ment and the activity of Black's pieces make the consolidation process dif ficult. Here I realized that I needed to give up the b-pawn in order to consolidate. 20.b4! tt:lcd7 21..l:i.a2!
:!:! • � .t..t.t. � i�i £3:, CiJ £3:, £3:, £3:, iY CiJ g £3:,£3:, iL 1:rw 21...�f8 2l...tbxe5 22.fxe5 tLlg4 23.
tLle4 he5 24.h3 llc4 25.�d3 is what calculated during the game. 22.tt:lxd7 tt:lxd7 23.tt:le4 J:!.xb4 24.'li'd3
26 ... tt:lb6 27.tt:ld6 J::!: d 8 28.tt:lb5 '�WaS 29.'1We2 tt:ld5 30.a7 J::!:b c8 31.J::I:c1
:!:!
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White finally untangled his pieces, and thanks to a powerful extra pawn on a6 he has a big advantage. 24...�g7 25.�d2 l:i:bb8 26J:rb1 White's goal is to trade as many pieces as possible.
31....if8! Bringing the bishop to c5. At this point we both started getting into time-trouble. 32.J::!:xc8 l:i.xc8 33.h3 h5 34.h2 h4 35.e4 tt:lf6 36.J:!.a4 tt:lh5
:!
� £3:, g
CiJ
.t• i i i
� £3:,£3:, i £3:, �iY t!:,W
37.J::!:c4
37.�d3 was stronger and simpler, but in time-trouble I kept looking for
ST. LOUIS
forcing moves, hoping to simplify the position. 37...J::!:c5 A quite unpleasant move to face in time-trouble. White would win easily after 37 ... gl �cl+ 42.�fl �xc5+ 43.'i¥f2) is winning too. 40 . .ixa7 tt:lxf4 41.'1Wf3 gs 42. �e3 tt:lg6 43.tt:ld6 '1Wf8 44.'1Wd1 f6 45.'i'd4 'lib8 46.'1Wb6 '1Wxb6 47. �xb6 Wf8 48.�d8 Black resigned.
NEW iN CHFSS 49
Deuce Heading into the second half, Naka mura' s consecutive draws with Var
uzhan Akobian and Yuri Shulman
allowed Kamsky to catch up with him, and by Round 8 the two had opened up a point and a half lead over the rest of the field. Akobian is still looking for his first U.S. Championship title after nine tries, and this year he brought a high powered second - his friend Gabriel Sargissian. Sargissian previously vis ited St. Louis for the 2009 Champion ship when Akobian finished in a solid tie for fourth alongside Kamsky. Ako bian's performance this year was good enough to leapfrog into a board spot on the U.S. Olympiad team in Istan bul. After assisting the U.S. team as a
he finished in the middle of the cross
coach in several events, the chance to
table with only one win to his credit.
play will be a welcome change for Var.
The ninth round looked to be an
marched his king from b1 to g1, while Lenderman could only shuffle his between a7 and b8, with neither side
Shulman won the championship
important turning point. Nakamura,
prepared to execute his one break in
in 2008, when Nakamura and Kam
playing white with Aleksandr Lend
the position. Afterwards, Nakamura said, half jokingly, that if he'd known
sky both were absent, and he was the
erman, tried for nearly six hours and
runner up to Kamsky for the latter's
121 moves to maneuver his way to a
about the 166-move record for the
back-to-back titles in 2010 and 2011.
win. He describes the game as 'very
longest game in U.S. Championship
This year Shulman was the only player
brutal, mainly because of the emo
history, he might have found a moment
other than Nakamura to be unde
tional swings; as his evaluation of his
to start shuffling his pieces again.
feated. Still, with Yuri's wife W IM
own winning chances ebbed.
Viktorija Ni playing in the Woman's
For a time, there was a very real
W hen the position finally did open up, neither player had any real win
Championship, and their one-year
possibility that, despite a board full of
ning chances. 'It was very disappoint
old son Gabriel (who was born dur
pieces, the game might conclude in a
ing considering that Gata had won his
ing the 2011 championship) in tow,
draw by the 50-move rule. Nakamura
game three hours earlier; he said.
SO NEW iN OIESS
ST. LOUIS
Advantage Kamsky
ond Kris Littlejohn restored Hikaru's confidence. 'He was able to sort of reason everything out with me and I just decided to play something solid in the Najdorf, and it was definitely the right decision', Nakamura explained. 'It's a must-win game ( ... ) But I think that's what makes chess great. In these must-win situations I actually feel more excited about playing, because there's more pressure there's more excitement: Kamsky changed his mind about what to play against Nakamura just an hour before the game. At the board he couldn't remember what he had pre pared, and ended up spending a great deal of time in the opening.
Kamsky's win over Yasser Seirawan was remarkable in that up until almost the last move it was all opening prep aration he had originally concocted for his 2011 Candidates' match with Veselin Topalov in Kazan. Kamsky played the entire game at breakneck speed, including the flashy combination that would earn him the $1,500 Best Game prize from Kasparov.
Kamsky-Seirawan
Round 9 position after 21 .tbe5 21 ...�xcS 22.�xh6! gxh6 23. l:i:d7! 'In the words of my trainer, Nikolay Minev, I'm going to die with a full stomach here: Seirawan said af ter the game. 23 .'iVxd7 ••
After 23 ... tLocd7 24. 'i¥d2 �h7 the deft retreat 25. tLlg4 is the crusher. 'It's not just checkmate, it's double-checkmate: Yasser observed after the game with a chuckle. 24.£7 34J:!.c4 would not be the most
40.l:!.d7? With only two minutes left,
trying something new and we both
accurate, as Black would still need
Kramnik goes astray. But even after the
played l.e4.
good technique.
more tenacious 40.l:tcl aS Black's vic
1...e5 2.tt:lf3 tt:lc6 3.tt:lc3 tt:lf6 4.d4
32 ... Ra4! would have been a better
tory would only be a matter of time.
exd4 5.tt:Jxd4
way to swap rooks. After 33.Jlxa4 (33.
40 ...g5 41.tt:Jg6 �d6
This line is considered quite draw
llxf4 l:h:f4 would force White to play
White resigned. He will either lose the
ish, but I had some ideas. I was look
the ugly 34. hl 'it>h8 22. 'lWh6 l:!.g8 23. .i.gs 'lWes 24.hc4 ..tc6 25.hf7 'i¥e2 26.l:!.gl hg2+ 27. .ld.xg2 'iYfl +,with a draw. 18...�xb5 18 ... .L:fs? 19.Ihf5 gxfS 20.l:!.xa5 is
88 NEW iN CHESS
� �
�
.� . i i i � ..__
� -
.---
1.
�� :�
19...'i¥h4 Preventing White's queen from invad ing h6, but my queen is liable to be kicked around on the kingside. The position is starting to get very sharp, and any mistake by either side will be severely punished. White has to act fast,before Black plays .. J:tbd8, after which White will be tied to defend ing the d-pawn. Of course, if White
MALMO
is forced to play d7, Black will take his bishop back to c7 and neutralize White's initiative. The following variation demonstrates how dangerous Black's position is: 19... a6? 20.f6 itxc3 21.'iixc3 axbS 22. 'iY e3 'it>h8 23.'ii h6 llg8 24 . .!::!:f3, with the threat of 'i¥xh7+, mating. 20.l:!f4 20.g3 is met by 20... 'iYe4!, preparing counterplay against c3 with ... 'li' eS. It's important to note that once the black queen gets to the centre, Black will be fine.
.i ii
� .t�i
� 20...'�Vg5
� �
�
.� . i i i � 1:( 'iV �� �
Since the game continuation leads to a very unpleasant position for Black, perhaps it's necessary to consider 20 ... 'ii'h 6!? which, in some lines, opens up the possibility of ...gS. 21.'ifel White prepares a discovered attack with l:i.f3 or l::!.a4. Now Black has many options, and in all cases the position is highly dangerous for him.
i. '' .i.�.l fj,
�.. ' ' ' fj,'¥}Jf ,g
fj,
fj, �
�
fj,fj, �
21...�d8?! Objectively speaking, this is a decisive mistake, although the refutation is not at all obvious. However, other moves wouldn't offer much respite either. 2l...a6 is met by the powerful 22.fxg6! (22.�c4 l:i.be8 gives Black coun terplay) 22 ... 'ii'x g6 23. �d7! c;tlh8 24.i.f5, with a strong and probably unstoppable attack. 22.'iYe5 22.fxg6 would be premature: 22...hxg6 23. 'fiVes lle8 24. 'ii'ds .llel+ 25. c;tlf2, and here, as opposed to the game, Black has the e6-square at his dis posal: 25...l:i.e6!, and Black is winning. 22 ...l:i.e8 This was my idea when I played 21... 'ii'd8. I sacrifice an ex change in order to simplify the posi tion and head into an endgame. Un fortunately, there is a flaw:
23.�d5! White correctly assesses that his bishop is needed in order to attack, and is worth more than my rook. I had underestimated this move when I played 21... 'iVd8. The automatic 23. i.xe8 leads to equality: 23 ...'ihe8 24. 'iiV dS (after 24. 'ii'xe8+ !Ixe8 White's d-pawn is more a liability than an asset; 24. 'iiVe7 'ii'xe7 25.dxe7 f6 26.fxg6 hxg6 27. l:W6 hc3 28.1hg6+ c;tJ£7 will yield Black reasonable chances) 24...'t/Vc6! (an important move, forcing a queen swap; not 24...hc3? 25.d7 'fiVe I+ 26. l:i.fl �d4+ 27.'i¥xd4 'iYxfl+ 28.c;tlxfl cxd4 29.i.g5, and Black loses his rook) 25.'i¥xc6 bxc6 26.�e3 .ixc3 27.hc5 �eS 28. .l:la4 l:td8, eliminat ing the d6-pawn, with a likely draw. 23 ... l:i.e1+ 24.f2
The point of White's play. The cl-bishop is a small price to pay for the attack White will get after fxg6. 24 ...gS Forced. I'm trying to shore up the kingside, but it's clear that Black's king is too exposed to survive. 24... lhcl? loses on the spot: 25.fxg6 hxg6 26.'i¥xf7+ c;tlh8 27. 'tixg6, and Black will be mated. 25.f6 h6
i. ''
fj,
'¥JJI
' fj, ,g
fj, �
i.
26. 'iYfS! Surprisingly enough, this is the only move. But it's a winning one. White sacrifices almost all his pieces, but it turns out that he only needs his queen and bishop to mate Black. 26.Wxel? .ixc3+ 27.ltd2 ltxd2+ 28.'i¥xd2 gxf4 29.'i¥xf4 'i¥a5+ can only be good for Black.
26... 'iYxd6 The most tenacious de fence, which at least doesn't lose on the spot and forces White to make a few more accurate moves before winning. 26 ... .l:!.xcl 27 . .id3, and there's no defence against 'i¥h7+. 26....lldl, preventing �d3, fails to 27. .l:!.g4, after which a sacrifice on gS will win. 26...Wh8 27.�d3 'ii'g8 has many ref utations, but I particularly like the following one: 28.l:i.f3 .llxcl 29.l:i.h3 'i¥g6 30.'t/Vxg6 fxg6 3l..llxh6+ Wg8 32.i.c4+ c;tJfs 33.Illi8 mate. 27.'>t>xe1l:i.d8 27...i.xc3+ doesn't help much either: 28.c;tle2 l:i.d8 29. ..id3 (29.llfl!? also wins) 29...c;tlf8 30.'i¥h7 l::!.e8+ 31.c;tlf2! (other moves are less clear, but this one decides the game at once) 31... �d4+ 32.c;tlfl hf6 33. 'ifxh6+ We7 34. .l:!.f3, and Black has no compensa tion for the piece.
• '
�fj,fj,
MALMO
NEW iN CHESS
89
I did not start the tournament as
28.�f2? After very powerful play Li Chao slips
planned, and after three rounds I had
up and loses all his advantage. Instead,
three draws, which was definitely not what I had come to Malmo for.
a simple move would have sufficed to
Thanks to the rest day after the third
win, e.g. the calm 2S.ili,e2!- after 28 ...
RE 10.3- A 13
ili,xc3+ 29. �fl Black doesn't have
Hans Tikkanen
round and a magic evening in the
enough compensation for the piece.
Peter Leko
Malmo Arena, where the players were
28 ... �dl Now White is unable to
Malmo 2012
(4)
After last year's wonderful report
•
.t�& �
�
& � & i¥& g c;i;��
invited by the organizers to witness the Swedish Handball Championship
hold all his pieces together.
Final in the ultramodern and sold out
about the 2011 Sigeman tournament
(over 12,000 spectators!!) Arena, I felt
(see New In Chess 2011/5), I imme
ready to start a new tournament!
diately got the feeling that I should try
1.c4lt:lf6
to play there next year! I am very glad
This was meant as a surprise. I usually
I did. Malmo is a very charming his
react with 1 ...c5, but I wanted to avoid
torical city, and thanks to the organiz
any possible preparation. I had been
ers the hotel chosen for the players has
planning to try this for a long time,
the best location in town! Right next
and now felt like the right moment.
to the walking street and the playing
2.g3 e6 3.�g2 d5 4.lt:lf3 dxc4
hall, the Hipp Theatre is just a two minute walk. During a tournament
29.�c4 The point is, of course, that
I always like to focus only on chess,
after 29.ili,e3 Black can capture 29...
but thanks to the location in Malmo,
gxf4, and the queen on d1 protects the
being a chess player means you are
g4-square!
a tourist at the same time! Every
29... �h8 30 . .!:!.f3 �xcl 31.�d3 �d2+
evening walk is like a sightseeing tour.
Finally it all ends in a perpetual.
big impact on Swedish chess, and it's
The Sigeman tournament has a very
32.�f1
no accident that a Swedish player is
32. �g3?? �e1+even wins for Black!
having his international breakthrough
32 ...�d1+ 33.�f2 �d2+ 34.�f1 �dl+ Draw.
Tikkanen, this time it was Grandelius,
After this close call, I managed to win
who played a fantastic tournament!
suggest that this leads to an interest
my final two games and to become the
I am already curious to see what will
ing fight for both sides, exactly what I
sole winner of the tournament!
happen next year!
had been looking for.
in Malmo every year. Last year it was
The Slratc.fic li1DZD·Indi8R �
90 NEW iN CHFSS
MALMO
The latest developments in this line
5.'14Ya4+ c6 6.'14Vxc4 bS 7.ifc2 �b7 8.0-0 t/Jbd7 9.t/Jc3 There are many different move orders here. I opted for the most classical one. 9...a6 Now Black is threatening to go ...cS immediately. 10.a4 The typical way to stop ...cS for a while. 10...J::lc8
.l'iV•.t. .I .i. • iii i i •• i
13...a5! In the end I found a very interesting and original idea. Since I failed to find a good way to make ...cS work, since without it the future of the b7-bishop looked pretty sad, I had to be creative. I did not really like 13 ... 'iVb6 because of 14.�e3 cS 1S . .!::tfc1 .l::l.fd8 16.axbS
'lean
hardly recall any example of White's last move of �3-bl bei!lg met by ... tt:rl7-lli in tlie middle game!'
Black prepares to meet White's d2-d4. Now it is common and sensible for White to switch plans and not to push the d-pawn two squares. 11.d3 11.d4 is nicely met by 11 ...b4 12.t/Je4 cS!, and Black is fine. 11...�e7 12.e4 This set-up has be
axbS 17.b4, and although I don't know if this gives him any advantage, the position is certainly much easier to
come very popular in the last few years, the point being that White sim ply gains space and expands in the cen tre. Without the pawn on d4 Black can't
play for White. The other move that attracted my attention was 13 ...b4, a pretty com mittal move, but it also has a point: 14.
break out with ...cS, but without ...cS it is not clear what Black should do. 12...0-0 13.h3 A useful move. White prepares �e3 and eagerly waits for Black to show his cards. Actually, my preparation was not very deep. Basically I relied on the
t/Jb1 t/Jcs 1S . .!::i.d1 b3 16. 'iWe2 (every thing was pretty forced so far) 16...aS!.
-�
--
14...�a6 15.�e3 White has finished his development. I had the feeling that time was on White's side, so Black has to be very energetic to prove that 13 ...aS was not only an original idea but also a good one! 15 ...b4! Black has to play this move anyway! 16.t/Jb1 Now White only needs to play t/Jbd2, and Black will suffer for a long time.
16 ...t/Jb8!! A very strong and aesthetically pleas ing move! I can hardly recall any example of White's last move of t/Jc3b1 being met by ... t/Jd7-b8 in the middlegame! Actually, this was the main reason why I decided for 13 ... aS. Now White has to make some unpleasant decisions. In the mean time Black has a clear plan: play ...cS followed by ... t/Jc6, and everything
feeling that I would be able to handle such a position on my own. Once we got to this position, I realized that it is far from easy to find a plan .
.l'iV .. . .i. •.t.iii i i •• i B, B, {jjB, {jjB,B, B,'i/ B,Jl, � Jl, ��
for the more flexible-looking move. Somehow I still wanted to postpone ...b5-b4. 14.l:!.d1 White prepares to meet Black's plan.
falls into its ideal place.
ANALYSIS DIAGRAM
A similar idea as in the game. Black has given up some important squares, but after activating the bishop to a6, his activity could compensate for his positional weaknesses. It was difficult to choose between the two more or less similar options. In the end I went
MAL MO
17.�f1
NEW iN CHESS 91
Played after a long think. I had been expecting something else, but the move itself is logical. My opponent decided to ignore my plan and pre ferred to focus on his own possibilities. I regarded 17.0es as the critical move. I had mostly been calculating this and had the following ideas:
ANALYSIS DIAGRAM
A) I did not like 17...cS, because after 18.tt:ld2 White gets an easy and comfortable game: 18...tbfd7 19.tbx:d7 �xd7 20.tt::lb3!, and Black has some problems due to the weaknesses on aS and cS; B) 17...tLlfd7! (this is the move!) 18.tbx:d7 (now 18.tbc4 is met strongly by 18 ... i.xc4! 19.dxc4 �c7 20. tt:ld2 �cS!, and Black is in charge) 18... �xd7 19.d4! (this is the whole idea behind 17.0eS), and now:
17 ... CS 18.tt:Jbd2 tt:Jc6
20...tt::ld4!
Since we both had spent a lot of time already, I decided to make this move quickly. It is a pawn sacrifice, but I can hardly imagine any human player really considering to take on cS.
I think this was the right practical choice. We both had about 20 min utes left, which meant that we had to speed up considerably. This is why I was looking for a position that would be easier to play. 21.�xd4 cxd4
19.lLlb3
Also played almost instantly, and it is the logical follow-up of the plan started with 17.�fl. Honestly, there was no direct rea son for accepting the sacrifice. It was too risky and Black is not risk ing any thing. After 19.i.xcS tt::ld 4 (19...tt:ld7 20.�xe7 �xe7 might not be enough after 21..l:tacl) 20.i.xe7 Black should go for the forced line 20... �xe7 21. �b1 tbc2 22.Ila2 b3 (I knew that I had this move, which basically forces the repetition, but I hoped that it would not be needed!) 23.tt:lxb3 tt::lb4 24.l::!.a1 tbc2 (White has no right to play for an advantage) 2S. tbx:aS?! �b4 26.eS tt:ld7 27.tbc4 tbx:a1 28.�xa1 hc4 29.dxc4 tbcs, which can only be better for Black.
22.�b1?!
This came as a surprise, and quite a pleasant one, too. I had the feeling that White had to play 22. �d2, after which I planned to sac the d-pawn, but here White has a better coordination: 22 ...tbcs! 23.tt::lfxd4 �d7, with nice compen sation but White can give back the pawn and get stability: 24.tbx:cs hcs 2S.tt:lf3 i.b6! (2S... "iVxa4 runs into 26.d4! .ixfl 27.dxcS �xh3 28.0eS, and suddenly Black's pieces are pretty much trapped) 26.d4l::!.xcl 27.�xcl .!:lc8 28.�d2 �b7 29.�bS �c7, also with full compensation. 22...tt:Jc5!
Following the plan.
19... lt:Jd7
The correct decision. Black keeps the tension for the moment. 20. .l:!.ac1
ANALYSIS DIAGRAM
19..J:tfd8 is what I decided on in the end: 20.tt::ld2 cS! (now is the right time) 2l.dS (taking the pawn now is a different story - 2l.dxcS �e2! 22 . .l::ld cl �d3, and the cS-pawn will be lost sooner or later) 2l...c4!, and it's obvious that Black has good counterplay.
92 NEW iN CHESS
23.tt:Jfxd4?
After taking the pawn White sud denly gets into serious problems. It was better to accept that Black had
MALMO
the initiative and play solidly with 23.tLlxc5 .txcS 24.tLld2 'iVd7 25.b3 .te7 26.ID:c8 ID:c8 27.tLlc4 .txc4 28. dxc4, and Black is more comfortable, although it looks very drawish. 23... 1Jib6! think my opponent had forgotten about this quiet but powerful move!
I
Now White is paralysed and has to make some ugly moves.
24."lia2 A very sad move, as the white queen gets cut off from the game, but it was difficult to find something better. 24. .l:.c2 looked logical, but I spotted a nice tactical idea: 24... tt:Jxa4 25.ID:c8 ID:c8 26. 'iVa2
• ..tiii i
26.�g2
28...�d7! The bishop is heading for
I wasn't expecting anything else. Maybe it would have been better to exchange the rooks, but 26 . .Sxc8
e6, and if the knight has to move from
Mx:c8 27. \\Ybl .tc6 28.Ucl Uc7 also feels very unpleasant. Now we see why I had taken on b3 myself. With the knight on b3, White suddenly
26...tLlxb2!!27. 'i¥xb2 a4 28.tt:Jd2 .l::!.c3!, and the two pawns on the queenside connected with the powerful dark squared bishop make White's life miserable.
has real problems defending the a4-pawn. 26...e5! This is very strong! From now on White is in deep trouble. By the way, even ... 'iVe6 is looming, with a deci sive pin!
24...tt:Jxb3 First I wasn't happy about
27.iVb1
releasing the tension so quickly, but suddenly I saw a clear-cut plan. 25.tt:Jxb3 �b7! Sidestepping White's only freeing idea, d3-d4. It's very hard even to make a move for White.
27.ID:c8 is met by 27... hc8!, and the bishop gets to its ideal place. 27.d4 does not work either, because
ANALYSIS DIAGRAM
after 27...exd4 White can't take back the pawn. 27...�c6! 28.iVa1
MALMO
b3 then the dark-squared bishop can join the battle with ... .tcs. 29.tt:Jd2 .Sxcl I had a nice strate gic idea and I already was too short of time to look for alternatives. The computer likes 29 ... .tcs 30.Ufl \\Yh6!, but that's pretty complicated and I had no reason to go for it. 30.l::!.xc1 �c5 31.l:!.f1 b3!
i � iY
'iV
i �
..t ..t � CiJ
�� �§i �� NEW iN CHESS 93
After fixing White's weaknesses on
38.:\:i.c1 This loses immediately, but
out the premature lt'.e4 (I am talking
the queenside the position is practi
there was no hope anyway.
about l.d4 tt:lf6 2.c4 e6 3.tt:lf3 b6 4.g3
cally lost!
38... .l:!.xa4 39.ttJe3 'f!fb4 40.'f!/e2 J:!:a2 And after reaching the time-con trol, White resigned in a hopeless po sition.
32.ttJc4 'f!fc7 33.'f!/d1 l:!b8 There is no need to hurry to take the a4-pawn.
�b7 5 . ..ig2, where Black often has a plan of lt'.e4 f5). However, being a tempo down also means that you can choose your setup one tempo later, thus remaining as flexible as possible.
2...g6! Now I think Black is already slightly
i �
j_ ttJ
i �
better. As I had noticed many times before, the relations between bishops
� 'iY
�� �� g�
VO 7.3 -A02
g2/b7 and b2/g7 are always in favour
Emanuel Berg
of the kingside bishops. Wondering
Anish Giri Malmo
2012 (7)
why it has always felt like that, I real ized that it wasn't a mere feeling but an objective fact, as the kingside bishop
This game was played in the last
is usually protected by the king after
34.'iVh5?!
round and we were both eager to
castling, which is an important detail.
A natural human reaction. With one
win - Emanuel had lost his previous
minute on the clock White completely
two games, and I had spoiled a very
loses control, but that was quite
promising game against Hector.
understandable.
Playing with black I wasn't that opti
34. �d2 was more tenacious, but after
mistic, knowing that I needed a bunch
3.�b2 �g7 4.e4?! And this is such a 'principled move'. As it turned out, however, taking this route isn't going to help White to com plete his development in a harmoni ous way.
34.. Jlb4 it is also very hard to see what
of luck to finally get a plus score (bet
White can do with his extra tempo.
ter late than never, as they say), but as
But I would also regard slow play as
34 ... �d4 35 . .l:!.a1 �b4 36.'f!/d1 'fifeS 37.'f!/d2 g6
early as move one I kind of felt that
more than satisfactory, because I was
Lady Luck was finally smiling down
looking forward to the idea of ...d6/ ...
i
• i
i
i � i �-ttJj_� i � �� � 'iY �� g �
on me.
e5!?.
1.f4?!
4.g4!? will hopefully be my next last
You can't imagine how delightful it is,
round game©.
after having tried to find an advantage for Black after l.e4, to try to find some here. Emanuel is a principled l.e4 player, and a player like that is often reluctant to play such offbeat and
Black's play is very simple. With every
ugly-looking lines with white. 1...ttJf6 2.b3 Here I realized that my opponent was aiming for a Queen's Indian with a lot of bonuses. Except for the extra
move his position improves.
tempo, the f5 push is played with-
94 NEW iN miSS
MALMO
4...d6
As my opponent had already spent nearly an hour, I decided not to dis turb him any further and played this simple move pretty quickly. I did burn a couple of minutes curs ing myself for not having enough guts to play the wannabe brilliant ...eS!?, which was actually quite good as well. 4...eS!? (!!) - a free novelty for the readers. Since I knew I would be clearly better after the simple 4 ...d6, I eventually settled for the following line: S.0.c3! (S.fxeS tt:lxe4! 6.tLlf3 0-0 7.'iii e2 tLlgS!; S.�xeS 0-0!, and after some thinking I realized that White is going to end up in an awkward posi tion) s...exf4 6.'iiif3! 0-0 7.0-0-0
turb the harmony of my pieces, unlike in some lines of the Pirc, and have the added advantage of making the b2-bishop awkward. White is strug gling to save himself here, having advanced too far without any strategy behind it.
taking the bishop is mainly a matter of taste and style, I think. The player with the most sophisticated taste (his name starts with Hou and ends with dini) suggests the even more delicate 8 ...c6!?, preparing ... dS or, in some lines, ... 'iiib6+ even.
5...0-0 6.�d3 tt:Jc6
with an unclear position, although somehow prefer Black. But then again, I have bad associations with the 'li'dl-f3 move, since Nigel Short managed to make this move in what seemed like a most inappropriate sit uation and as early as he could and yet crushed me in something like 20 moves. That was a couple of years back, but such memories stay with you and pop up whenever a sensi ble 'li'dl-f3 appears in the position. Chess players never forget. 4... 0-0! was even rougher. Now I missed that after S.eS tLldS! 6. 'li'f3 I can win the necessary tempo with 6... h8 (2l...e4 22.tLlg5!) 22.t2lg3!. However, a more solid move like
For some reason I had also missed this move, although when I eventually saw it, I realized that I was probably going to win a piece. After a few seconds of calculation I could leave out the word 'probably'. 20. 'i¥xe5 J:;Ig6! This calm move does the trick. 20 ... .!lxf3?? 21. �e6+!; 20... .!lc6?? 2l.�xd5+.
MALMO
23.h4 'i¥f8 I really enjoyed my piece
coordination. Extra-piece coordina tion I should say. 24.'i¥d3 'i¥c5+ 25.Wh1 �a6 And here, without waiting for his flag and his rook to fall, Emanuel resigned. •
NEW iN CHESS
97
Novotn sand Queen acrifices n studies with a lot of pieces on the board
h1 'iY S.tb::S dxeS 6.'i¥xe5 'iVcl 7.'i¥c7 'i¥h1, and White cannot win.
something can go wrong sometimes. In
3...�b7 4.tt:lc7! .l:t:e6
The Art of the End game I presented
a correction of a study by Noam Manella from 1991. Next the Israeli composer sent me an enthusiastic email. About his incorrect study Manella wrote: 'Gady Costeff tried to fix it, but afterwards it turned out to be incor rect again. So it seems that you closed a 20-year-old circle: That was indeed what it looked like. However, a little later I received a message from Aad Kortekaas, who in formed me that there was something wrong with the initial position.
Manella, The Problemist 1991 (correction Timman 2012) White to play and win
An additional advantage of the new
� j_tt:Jtt:J i i.l� i 11 i �·� � i i �� �
�
i
version is that the variations are livelier.
5.tt:lb8!! A real problem move. 5...d5 6.tt:lc6+!
1.e7 l:e2 2/2:Je4!!
dxe2 3.he2 h1 'iY 4.tt:Jbs �b7 S.es'i¥ tbg6! 6.'i¥e3 'i¥c1 7.�d1 tt:Jb6 s.'i¥f3,
The second Novotny. Black has two choices: A) 6... .l:t:xc6 7 .tt:lxd5 mate B) 6 ...�xc6 7.tt:lxa6 mate The promoted knight executes the
and now White is in for a surprise:
mating moves.
The first Novotny111. Insufficient for the win was 2. tbxe2 because of 2 ...
The following study is another cor rection of a study from Ihe Art of the Endgame (page 16)
Manella, The Problemist 1991 (correction Timman 2011) The Art of the Endgame page 78
ANALYSIS DIAGRAM
White to play and win
What is the problem? Below I will give the solution in Kortekaas's own words. I was forced to make a new version, which looks like this:
98 NEW iN CHESS
8 ... 'i¥xb2+!! 9.Wxb2 tbxc4+! 10.bxc4 �xf3, and the black king is out of Timman 2012
danger.
2...�xe4 3.e8tt:l! Not 3.e8 'iY in view of 3...�b7! 4.he2
JAN TIMMAN
The Art of the Endgame White to play and draw
The black king threatens to pick up
The chapter about mating patterns in
8... g4 9.e 5 �h2 10.e6 g3 11.e7
the d-pawn, so that quick action is
The Art of the Endgame begins with a
g212.e 81V Excelsior131.
required.
stunning idea of Alois Wotawa's.
1.f6! �xf6 1... �f8 is followed by 2. �d8 and
12...g1iV
But here's something even more stunning.
3.�e7.
2.�xd6 �c4 What to do now? If the d-pawn falls, the position looks theoretically lost.
3.�g3! The only good square for the bishop.
3...�xd 54.�h4!! The point of the previous move. The g-pawn is pinned. If Black captures the bishop, he will be left with the bishop of the wrong colour.
13.iVe3! b1iV 14.�xb1 iVxb1 Timman 2011
15.iVxh6+ White concludes with a
(after Wotawa) White to play and win
15...�g216.1Vg 5+ �f1 17.�f4+
4...�c3+! A pretty counter-sacrifice that can not be accepted either. The white king must be within the square of the g pawn after the latter captures on h4.
series of precise queen checks.
�e118.�e3+ And wins. First the c-pawn has to be prevented
5.�d3!
from queening.
The only square for the king. It has to
1.�c6 b3
always strive to improve existing ideas.
keep attacking the enemy bishop.
Now the b-pawn threatens to queen.
In the next study I have refined the
5 ...h6
2.h6! Only with this intermediate
theme of mutual bishop promotion.
As an endgame study composer you
pawn sacrifice can White win. Af ter 2.'.t>d4 b2 3.Sg6 fxg6 4.�e4+ '.t>f4 5. hc2 gxhS 6.e3+ '.t>g3 7. '.t>c3
& £3:, £3:,£3:, ..t & & .1�
h4 8.'.t>xb2 h3 9.�e4 '.t>f2! Black will manage to draw.
2...g xh63.�d4! b2
• & t::,&w £3:, & £3:,
Timman 2012
Protecting the g-pawn. Things look
White to play and win
glo omy for White, but he has a resource.
Black has an extra rook, but he will be
6.f4!
hard put to stop the white b-pawn.
Forcing the g-pawn to show its hand.
1.f7! Not l.b6 at once because of l...llxc2
6...g xh47.�e2 h3 8.�f2! The only good square for the king. Af
4.l:i:g6!!
2.b7 llc4! 3.b8"'iY+ �g8 4."'iYg3 and
ter either 8. fl �d4 or 8. f3 �el !,
Wotawa's fantastic rook sacrifice.
4...lle4 or 4... �f7, and White cannot
it would be cut off.
4...f xg6 Forced, since 4...cl "'iY 5.�e4+
win. With the text-move White opens
8...�e1+ 9.�g1
'.t>f4 6.e3+ leads to a pure matel21.
Draw.
III
Novotny: a piece is placed on the in
5.�e4+ �f46.e3+! The mating pattern has evaporated.
1,1
Now White has to win a pawn race.
king are covered by only one enemy piece.
Pure mate: the squares available for the
But first he has to force the enemy
tersection between a diagonal of the op
king to a less favourable square.
ponent's bishop and a file (or rank) on
6...�g37.�xc2 gS 8.e4
has travelled all the way from the second
which his rook operates
The race starts.
rank to its promotion square.
JAN TIMMAN
1 31
Excelsior: the pawn, during the study,
NEW iN CHESS 99
up the al-hS diagonal, ensuring that
White's king is in danger. He has to
he will have a check on eS later on.
sacrifice a rook.
1... ihf1 2.b6 b3 The best chance.
1.l:!.f4+! �xf4 2.fxg7
3.�d3!
After 2.g2 gxf6 Black is winning.
The only good square for the bishop.
2...'it>f3
The black rook has to be restricted in
Again the king is under threat. Now
its movements as much as possible.
White has to sacrifice a bishop.
3...l:i:e2! This rook sacrifice frees the
3.�c6+!! White wants to open up
way for the passed b-pawn.
the 7th rank for the rook.
4.�xe2 b2 5.�d3 a2
3...dxc6 4.l:!.f7+ 'it>e2 5.J:!.f8 �f1! The situation around the white king is most threatening. Rigorous measures are called for.
6.g8'iW l:i:xf8
Timman 2011
(dedicated to Yochanan Afek) White to play and draw Endgame study composers of renown are often honoured with a tourney when they celebrate a jubilee. How ever, for some reason there was no tourney on the occasion ofYochanan Afek's 60th birthday. That's why I have dedicated this study to him, as a present for his 60th birthday.
6.�b1! This blockading motif was
1.l:!.f1+ The only move, since after
demonstrated in a slightly different
l.eS"'iW g2+ 2.gl �h2+! 3.xh2
form by Stamma. 6...�g8 Preparing
.l:lli6+ White is mated.
a stalemate trap. 7.b7 ati! The point
1...'it>e2 2.e8'li'+ The first pawn that
of the previous move. 8.b8�!! A wor
7 .c5! Introducing stalemate in the
is promoted and then sacrificed.
thy reply to the bishop promotion. 8...
position. Black cannot take the pro
2...'it>xf1 3.'iWg6! Kotov and Mitro
�c4 9.�xa7 �d3 A final attempt.
moted queen.
fanov's scheme. 3... J:!.f5! 4.'li'g5!
Now after 10.�xd3?? bl 'li' Black
7 ... J:!.f7! The ritual in which the
would win. 10.�d4+ And wins.
queen and rook keep clinging to each other commences.
Kotov and Mitrofanov composed a
8.'iWg7!
magnificent study in which a queen
The only way for White to cover
and rook chase each other while be
squares g2 and h7.
ing en prise all the time. Their study
8...l:!.f6!
intrigued me: could it be improved
Threatening a lethal check on h6,
upon? To begin with, I succeeded in
while at the same time preventing an
finding an attractive prelude.
enemy queen check.
9.'iWg6! Step by step the queen moves down the board.
Here it stalls. White threatens to take
9...l:!.f5!
on f4, but he has no queen checks,
And the rook follows suit.
which is why Black allows him to
10.'iWg5! J:!.f4! 11.'iWg4!
queen another pawn in order to break the stalemate.
Draw.
4 ...tt::lc7 5.a8'li' d5! Not 5 ... tt:lxa8
Timman 2011
(extension of a study by Kotov and Mitrofanov) White to play and draw
1 00 NEW iN CHESS
I thought the theme executed in this
6.a7, and Black faces the same prob
study so special, that I went searching
lem again. With the text-move White
for an even more impressive version
cuts off the way for the new queen
with a new sacrifice of a promoted
along the long diagonal. As White still
queen.
has an a-pawn, stalemate motifs are
This search led to the following
not on the cards for the moment.
6.'iYf8! Now a fascinating struggle
result.
JAN TIMMAN
develops around square f4. Black still cannot take the queen on gS. 6... ttJf6! Shielding off the f-file. 7.�fxf6 now runs into 7..Jhf6 and Black wins. 7.g8� is insufficient, too, because of 7.. Jhg5! 8. 'li'xgS �xgS, and wins. However, White has an as tonishing resource:
7.�d6!! The third queen sacrifice. Square f4 remains the pivot of the po sition. Remarkably, the bishop stays motionless on this square, although it can capture two queens. 7...ttJe6! The iiberdeckung theme gets a special dimension. Again White cannot queen a third pawn, since after 8.g8� Black wins with 8... tt:Jxg5 9. �xgS and now 9... ttJe4 or 9... tLlg4, and the white queens are powerless against the devastating check on f2. 8.a7! Extremely cold-blooded. White leaves the clutter of pieces in the mid dle of the board alone and quietly ad vances his outside passed pawn. White wants to get a third queen, of course, but even more important is to vacate the a6-square for the queen on d6. 8...�xg5 9.'ilrVa6+ �f2 10.'ilrYa2+ The black king has to be driven from its threatening position. 10...Wf3 11.'ilrYg2+ � g4 12Jife2+ This check is also necessary. After 12.a8� IDIS+ 13.g1 �e3+ 14.Wfl �fS+ 15.�e1 �f2+ 16.'tt>d 1 t2Jxg7 Black is winning. In the long run the white queens stand no chance against the combined black forces. 12 ... �h4 13.a8� Finally, White finds time to get a third queen. 13...�e5 Finally a bishop move. Black vacates square f4 for the knight on e6. An im-
portant alternative was 13...g2+ - af ter 14. � xg2 �g2 15.Wxg2 ltJxg7 16.�f8! tbge8 17.�xb4 White will just be able to maintain the balance.
14.g8'ti'! White has to get a fourth queen. The alternative 14. 'iWf8 was in sufficient because of 14... tbf4 15. 'i¥e1 �c3 16. 'i?Vd6 tb6h5, and Black can re inforce his position with decisive effect. Strictly speaking, with this fourth queen promotion the study has come to an end. Black has to take the queen, leaving White with two waterproof roads to a draw. As this is a present, I have tried to use the most attractive way to end this study. 14... ttJxg8 15.�c8 The alternative 15. 'ii'xdS would do as well. 1 5 . . . ttJ f 4 16. 'ifh2 + ! gxh2 17.�h3+! The final queen sacrifice. No matter how Black captures, it's stalemate. The lone white king is left surrounded by an enormous army of black pieces.
JAN TIMMAN
Remarkably enough, White has not captured a single enemy piece in the course of the entire study. Now let's return to the first dia grammed position, my first attempt to correct Manella's study. The position is illegal; in other words, it could not have come about in a legal manner. The proof of its il legality runs as follows: 1. Black has eight pawns and, besides his king, four pieces. So only three pieces have been captured. 2. White has seven pawns and, besides his king, four pieces. So only a maxi mum of four pieces and a (promoted) pawn can have been captured. 3. The white pawns have captured three black pieces (b3, c4 and hS, one capture each), so this is possible. 4. However, the black pawns have made a minimum of five captures of a piece or a pawn, to wit aS or a6 once, the cl-pawns together four times. This is possible, but in that case the black pawn on h2 should have reached that square without capturing anything. However, in order to 'pass' the white h pawn, this pawn must have been cap tured by a black piece. Which leaves only four white pieces to be captured by pawns, which is one too few. Particularly the final part of the rea soning is difficult to follow, but it does make sense. •
NEW irHlllSS
I 0I
Tales from Thailand first visited Thai-
mate). Unlike my esteemed colleague
other coaches, but that is another
Garry Kasparov, I don't restrict the
lengthy story... ). When engaged for
2004, a t a time
strength of opposition to Elo
