Archive: UNCUT! 38

The Sean Marsh Chess Column
UNCUT!
*Column 38*
* *April 2005* *

Dear Readers,

It's a funny thing, communication. Why is that an ever-increasing number of people have to say 'yeah?' after every little bit of story they tell us?

For example: 'I was walking down the street - yeah? And I went into this shop - yeah?' etc . The plot thickens when you take into account that foreign people do exactly the opposite, eg. 'So, this is your great English weather - no? This is the way to Trafalgar Square, to see the lions - no?' etc.

Throw into the mix the fact that, whenever giving directions to anybody blatantly non-English, the average person feels the need to shout, as if that makes the message easier to understand. Eg. 'NO MATE, YOU TAKE A LEFT TURN AND THEN A SECOND RIGHT AND KEEP GOING TILL YOU SEE THE PIGEONS, YEAH?' and it is clear that so much is lost in translation. I had trouble the other day trying to explain to a Chinese gentleman (who habitually mixes up his ‘r’s and ‘l’s) that we were soon going to have a ‘general election’. But that’s another story…

Yet the recent news of the chess retirement of Garry Kasparov rang out loud and clear over the whole of the chess world. It was hard to believe what we were all hearing. Surely it was another case of a message being lost in translation? But no – it soon became apparent that it was absolutely true. The Boss had retired!

20 years at the top, he steps down with his name still proudly holding the Number 1 spot in the world rankings.

His achievements after a tumultuous period in chess history should leave no room for any doubt that he is the strongest player the world has ever seen.

Memories light the corner of my mind.

Misty water colour memories

Of the way we were ...

There are hundreds of games and special moves from Kasparov’s career which stick in the memory. Even as a very young man, his play was notable for its dynamic qualities, with a sudden tactical thrust shattering the opponent’s position. Look up the examples in this column on your databases; they are included here as little tasters.

Kasparov - Pigusov 1977

30 Rf6!

Kasparov’s reign as World Champion started just a couple of weeks after my first ever chess column in the Teesside Advertiser (later renamed The Herald & Post). So for the last 20 years, every time I have written a column, The King of chess has never changed. He has made big mistakes, both on and off the board but he has never lacked the courage for his convictions. Breaking with FIDE in 1993 might have seemed like a good idea at the time but ultimately led to the complete disintegration of world chess, giving us the lamentable state we now suffer.

The lack of a World Championship cycle is the most damaging of all. Without the attraction of regular Interzonals and Candidates matches, potential new sponsors are at best confused and at worst totally disinterested. Kasparov himself was able to demonstrate his early promise was being fulfilled when he swept through the cycle.

At a time when Anatoly Karpov seemed unbeatable, the two Ks clashed in contest in the unforgettable world title match of 1984. Karpov started off like a runaway train and raced to an early lead. Clawing back from the brink of defeat, Kasparov survived a 0-5 deficit to pull back to 3-5 before the match was stopped after the 48th game.

In the rematch, Kasparov famously triumphed, winning the final game with his beloved Scheveningen Sicilian in one of the most dramatic games in history.

Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind,

Smiles we gave to one another

For the way we were...

There was a time when it felt like there would always be a Kasparov v Karpov match either being played or about to be played; it just seemed to be the way things were and always would be. I’m sure that both players will have many bitter-sweet memories of all the games they have played against each other.

Kasparov v Karpov Games 11 1985


23 Qxd7!!


He thus broke yet another record by becoming, at 22, the youngest champion in history. He had already been the youngest title challenger, the youngest USSR Champion…etc…he clearly had talent and time very much on his side. Further matches with Karpov followed in 1986, 1987 and 1990. Each one was very close, with lots of twists and turns. It is so rare, in the history of the world championship, to have two players at the height of their powers battling it out for the ultimate crown.


Can it be that it was all so simple then,

Or has time rewritten every line?

The immense energy waves created by Kasparov’s fiery brand of play made the demolition of established Grandmasters look almost too easy.

Kasparov v Polugaevsky Spartakiad 1979

29 f6!



Kasparov v Andersson Tilburg 1981


24 Nxf6!


If we had the chance to do it all again,

Tell me~ would we? could we?


Then came the infamous split with FIDE. Kasparov defended his title against Short (1993) and Anand (1995 - September 11th on the 107th floor of the World Trade Centre!) before finally losing to Kramnik in a match which still carries a lot of unanswered questions. I always found it strange how Lasker lost his match against Capablanca in 1921 with out scoring a single win. Kasparov matched this curious feat. The lack of a rematch ended up being one of the big factors in Kasparov’s retirement decision. Kramnik has done his image no favours at all by continually avoiding Kasparov.

Memories may be beautiful and yet,

What's too painful to remember

We simply choose to forget.

What a heavy blow that must have been for Kasparov. Knocked off the throne after 15 years! Was Lasker’s 27-year record reign on his mind? If he’d held off Kramnik in 2000, he would still be seven years off the record at this current time. We will never know if he could have added this record to his extremely long and impressive list. Despite the loss of the title and the painful memories that must have provoked he still kept his place as the Number 1 rated chess player (and highest rated in history).

So it suddenly ended at Wijk aan Zee. Despite his last round loss to a resurgent Topalov, Kasparov still took the trophy on tiebreak and played a generally extremely high standard.

There is no doubt, that out of all the games broadcast live on the internet, Kasparov’s are the ones which always attract the most viewers. His play was always so entertaining as well as being extremely strong. I had the great pleasure of being to watch Kasparov play live several times. Not over the internet, but actually at the match venues. (How ‘olde worldy’ that idea seems now!). I saw game 6 of the 1986 match with Karpov, the first two games of his 1993 match with Short and finally the fateful 11th game with Kramnik in 2000. His personality and presence shine out throughout the largest of playing halls. He has that rare star quality, that certain extra something that sets him apart from others and at once demands attention, interest and respect.

He was a champion of chess in every sense of the word. He was always taking on national teams in simultaneous displays, playing in strange places and battling, seemingly endlessly, with the latest top chess computers.

He has now retired from serious chess but we look forward to seeing him in action once again, possibly in the Quickplay events he hinted at. He cannot be replaced. We shall not see his like again.

Kasparov’s excellent series of books, ‘My Great Predecessors’, continues to sell well and sets a new benchmark for this kind of work. The good news is that the number of volumes will now be 10. In addition to the already published first four volumes, we will see (with provisional publication dates):

November 2005 Vol 5: Karpov v Korchnoy
October 2006 Vol 6: Karpov v Kasparov
March 2007 Vol 7: An anecdotal view of the World Championship
October 2007 Vol 8: Man v Machine
February 2008 Vol 9: Kasparov’s Best Games vol. 1
October 2008 Vol 10: Kasparov’s Best Games vol. 2

Plenty to look forward to there.

So it's the laughter

We will remember

Whenever we remember

The way we were….

So let us conclude with three more snippets from happier days; times when the smiling face of The Boss used to shine from every chess magazine. And no wonder, when he could play chess like this…

Kasparov v Portisch, Niksic 1983

21 Bxg7!



Kasparov v Ljubojevic Brussels Blitz 1987


37 Qg6!!




Kasparov v Karpov 1990 Game 20

34 Qxh6+!

Sean Marsh

April 13th 2005

(Kasparov’s birthday!)

Archive: UNCUT! 37

The Sean Marsh Chess Column
UNCUT!
*Column 37*
* *March 2005* *

Dear Readers,

Consider this month’s offering as a sort of sequel to UNCUT! 36 as we ask more Fischer-related questions…


When Botvinnik proposed a match with Fischer in 1970, it was an interesting idea and I believe it would have given us some very hard-fought games. Of course, the plan came to nothing as Fischer wouldn't play 'just' 18 games and insisted on the usual 'play to six wins'. Botvinnik is quoted as saying '...I assumed I would probably lose. Objectively this match would have brought Fischer more benefit than me...'

I was thinking about this recently and it struck me as odd that Botvinnik would want to end his career (the proposed match would have been his chess finale) with a probable match defeat. He has never come across as a sentimental character and I can't really see him as wanting to play the match just as a high-profile goodbye to chess. So was there anything else behind his desire?

My theory is that he wanted to play the match so he could use his great experience to get deeply inside the mind and chess of Fischer. In preparing and playing against Fischer for 18 games he would surely be able to subject his play to great scrutiny. Then, as Fischer was clearly on a collision course with the Soviet grip on the world title, Botvinnik would be able to present his findings as a parting gift to his countrymen, who could have taken advantage of his 'sacrifice' to try and stop the threat in its tracks.

Indeed, if Fischer had lost the match it would surely have been a severe personal setback. If he'd won, I'm not sure if the result would have enhanced his reputation all that much. After all, Botvinnik was beyond his best years and even he expected to lose. Does anyone think Fischer would have lost the 18 game match? Does anyone believe that the match would have been of real benefit to Fischer?

Botvinnik's tremendous match experience would have made him a tough customer for Fischer in 1970. Still, Botvinnik's last great match was nine years earlier, in the rematch with Tal (I think Petrosian was clearly the better player in 1963) and was, in his words, rather living off old research fat in his latter years.

I think he would have worked harder to prepare for Fischer and this work would have been of great benefit to the worried people back in the USSR. Also, I think that Botvinnik would have been as immune to all extra Fischerisms as Karpov no doubt would have been. It is entirely possible that the match would have been terminated prematurely with a 'called bluff' and Fischer's path to the official title would have sidelined indefinitely. Either way, it seems to me that Fischer had more to lose than Botvinnik, in the great scheme of things.

Of course there are several more matches which - much to the chagrin of the chess world - never took place. I don't mean the 'fantasy dream matches' such as Korchnoy - Fischer or Tal - Fischer, which we'd all loved to have seen, but rather the ones which were a distinct possibility and somehow never materialised.

Staunton v Morphy: big frustration for Morphy. Would Staunton have had a chance or was he wise to keep away from the American genius?

Steinitz v Tarrasch: Tarrasch left it too late to challenge for the title and was eventually crushed by Lasker. If he had challenged Steinitz, would he have been successful? The form of Tarrasch towards the end of the 1800s was extremely impressive and he won lots of tournaments.

Lasker v Maroczy: Maroczy is a bit of a forgotten man. We all know his 'bind' but he deserves to be known for more than that. A match with Lasker seemed a distinct possibility (contracts were signed) but for some reason never actually happened.

Capablanca v Lasker rematch: Capablanca crushed a reluctant Lasker in 1921, but the latter wasn't finished as a force in world chess. What if they'd had a rematch around 1924, when Lasker was on great form?

Alekhine v Capablanca rematch: In some ways, the most annoying omission of all. Capablanca had lost his air of invincibility after the 1927 match and he would have had to work harder than ever if he was to have a realistic chance of taking the title back. Would he have managed to sufficiently change his habits?

Kasparov - Shirov: Shirov once qualified for a match with Kasparov by beating Kramnik in a match. For one reason or another, the match never took place and, incredibly, Shirov was replaced in the pecking order by...Kramnik! The score between Kasparov and Shirov is very one-sided, but would Shirov have shown more in a proper match? Has he been holding things back when he plays Kasparov?

Kramnik v Kasparov rematch: This one is looking increasingly unlikely. I can see a few parallels with the Lasker - Capablanca match. How is it possible that the champion can lose a match without notching up a single win? How did the challenger make things look so comfortable throughout what should have been a much closer match?

Archive: UNCUT! 36

The Sean Marsh Chess Column
UNCUT!
*Column 36*
* *February 2005* *

Dear Readers,

I urge chess players everywhere to go out and buy one – or all – of the four volumes of Gary Kasparov’s ‘My Great Predecessors’. In fact, you don’t even need to go out to do it – just a couple of internet clicks and you can buy them from the comfort of your own home.

There is little doubt the Kasparov books will go down in history as milestones, crammed full of expert analysis and stimulating views.

I have no doubt that Volume 4 will be the most popular volume to date, as it covers the great Bobby Fischer.

It will probably be the one most people scrutinise in depth and I’d be surprised if it didn’t end up being the best selling one of the whole series and should go on to become one of the best selling chess books of all time.

It is hard to escape the cult of the Fischer personality even now, so many years after he first of all quit serious chess and then turned away forever from classical chess as we know it. Reading the Kasparov book brings several unanswered questions with the usual quota of mystery and intrigue normally to be found surrounding the most enigmatic of all chess champions.

Kasparov hints several times that Fischer had a genuine fear of Karpov, who was improving at a terrifying pace. It is correctly pointed out that Karpov would have been completely immune to all of the standard Fischer tricks, all the mind games regarding the lighting, the carpets, the cameras etc.

This is borne out by the way the 12th World Champion coped with his incredible title defences with Korchnoy in 1978 and 1981. It is very hard to appreciate, more than 20 years on, how intense those matches were and how vital it was for Karpov to uphold the honour of the USSR against the dreaded, outspoken defector.

Against Fischer, Karpov would have followed the letter of the FIDE law to the first dotted ‘i’ to the last crossed ‘t’. He would have quite happily stood his ground and claimed the match if Fischer had found an excuse to threaten to quit the match ‘unless…’. It seems a little strange that Fischer would later negotiate with Karpov for a match, having conceded his FIDE title and defaulted his Candidates’ place, especially as with each passing year Karpov gained in strength. He was making tournament success look a little too easy and it was a sensation when he lost any game at all.

Maybe part of Fischer still loved chess and desperately wanted to be back where he belonged - playing for the ultimate title. Yet pride was never going to allow him to drop back into the Candidates cycle which left only one route - a straight match with Karpov. If he was reluctant to play him in 1975, he would have even more reason to avoid him in the latter part of the decade. Perhaps everyone involved in the negotiations knew - albeit subconsciously - that there would ultimately be an insurmountable point of dispute.

It is very sad that Fischer’s later comments regarding Karpov (and Kasparov) should be ludicrous ramblings about ‘Fixing every move of every game’.

A final point. It is a fact that the might of the whole Soviet chess machine was working for Spassky in the run up to the 1972 match (see the wonderful book: ‘Russians v Fischer’) but it is also known that Spassky was very lazy and didn’t put the work of others to good use.

There is no doubt whatsoever that Karpov would have embraced the work of the team and this would have given him excellent chances of success. Fischer would have realised this - was it another factor in his withdrawal from the scene? What do readers think on the subject of Fischer v Karpov? How about a little debate in the forum of this very site?

Archive: UNCUT! 35

The Sean Marsh Chess Column
UNCUT!
*Column 35*
**December 2004**

Dear Readers,

Christmas time is upon us again. It is a time to reflect on the year that has just been and look forward to the one to come. It is a time of wonder, a time of joy. For example, when you see pictures of David Blunkett and his girlfriend you can’t help but wonder who is the blind one. One also has to wonder at the way the world is going and where man’s priorities really lie. Did you know that there is more money being spent on breast implants and Viagra than on Alzheimer's research? This means that by 2020, there should be a large elderly population with fine looking bits and bobs and absolutely no recollection of what to do with them.

Romantics are forever wanting snow for Christmas but they are not the ones who face an away trip to Whitby. Older people refer to snow only as ‘that white stuff’ (thus confusing many students) as if the very mention of the dreaded name will bring it tumbling from the heavens.

Of course, in our cosy world of local chess we don’t really care about politics, science or special preparations. After all, we can’t all be Botvinnik.

So here’s a few chessy trinkets to provide you with a little escape from what is jokingly referred to as The Real World…



Three Problems

White To Play And NOT Mate In One Move!

White To Play – Checkmate In Three Moves

White To Play – Checkmate In Eight Moves


So what will 2005 bring for us chess players? We can’t all have our wishes granted because in chess, as in life, one’s happiness is often bought at the expense of another person’s unhappiness. So what does that leave me to wish you as my UNCUT! Xmas message? A year of self-improvement, of aiming for the personal best and of all-round change for the better.

*Best Wishes To All!*

Archive: UNCUT! 34

The Sean Marsh Chess Column
UNCUT!
Column 34
November 2004

England, Oh England!

Dear Readers,

Did any of you follow the England performance at the recent Chess Olympiad?

Way back at the first ever Olympiad, (London 1927) England took third place. Of course, the Olympiads were much smaller in those days and Russia-free but England continued to more or less hold their own even when other countries began to stockpile Grandmasters and we had to rely on talented amateurs.

Some of you may remember the thrilling chase for gold at the Dubai Olympiad back in 1986 when England lost out to Russia (headed by Kasparov and Karpov) by half a point. We all believed that it marked a big turning point and that England might even progress beyond their position as number two in the world. It should have been the start of something bigger. Instead, it was a peak England reached and never went beyond.

Well, this time it wasn’t an easy task following England’s progress after the first few rounds because the team was scoring so poorly that it vanished off the top pairings lists.

At first, I thought they might have just had trouble warming up because they followed up a nervy looking 2½-1½ against Turkey with 3-1 victories against both Croatia and Denmark in the next couple of rounds. Things didn’t ever get better than that; a substandard 2½-1½ against Canada was followed by defeats to Poland, the Netherlands and Hungary, with a solitary victory over Mexico in between. Despite being dumped very much into ‘the pack’ England were completely unable to lift their performance and the last six rounds brought a mixed of victories against Indonesia and Macedonia, draws with Iceland, Belarus and Australia and a catastrophic defeat to Vietnam.

The final standings told no lies. England’s tally of 31 points was only enough to hold 30th place (they started the event seeded 6th) – their lowest ever placing. Michael Adams played in 13 games and scored 10 points. So where did it all go wrong?

A couple of months or so ago, when it was announced that the England team had a new sponsor, hopes and expectations were higher than usual. Adams and Short were confirmed as team members and Luke McShane was on good form and would be expected to score heavily on board 3. Completing the squad were Jonathan Speelman, Peter Wells and Mark Hebden. It looked good.

The first wheel came off even before the first pawn was pushed. It soon became apparent that Short wouldn’t be able to join the squad until the last few rounds due to another tournament commitment.

Straight away we see a problem. A squad of six is deemed necessary to bring out the best in a team and the art of choosing who to play and when to rest is an essential part of potential success. By including a player in a squad when he can only make the last few rounds is a completely unbalanced way of thinking and it is assuming that such a player is going to score so heavily when he does arrive that is going to outweigh the advantage of having a full squad right from the start. Short’s ultimate score of 1½/4 was clearly a major disappointment but even if he’d won all of his games, would it have been worth it? It must go down as a serious error of judgement.

I’m not convinced that the chosen squad was the best one for the job. The team seems to lack a certain something; the hunger for victory, the ability to dominate the lesser teams rather than drop points to all and sundry. It cannot be that the majority of the team was off form.

We are missing Sadler who more or less gave up chess several years ago. We have never really replaced the likes of Nunn and Chandler who traditionally scored heavily for the team.

There are two full years to go before the next Olympiad. What can be done to improve matters before then? A good shake up is essential. There is still a clique element, which in my opinion prevents the best team being selected. There is far too much of the ‘cosy slipper’ mentality; team selections must be braver. Changes must be made to return a sense of dynamism to the England team, both on and off the board.

It shouldn’t take much to elevate our standing above 30th. It might take a great deal more to return us to the dizzy heights reached in 1986, or even 1927. Whatever happens, one thing is crystal clear: what we are doing now simply isn’t good enough.

Sean Marsh

November 2004

Archive: UNCUT! 33

The Sean Marsh Chess Column
UNCUT!
Column 33
September 2004

Dear Readers,

It’s a funny thing, communication. The brain is useful for filling in the gaps and discrepancies that occur between the message sent and the message received.

For instance, next time you’re out shopping, listen very carefully at what the newspaper vendor is actually shouting. He’s not really calling out the name of the local newspaper he is selling. Listen and it sounds more like he’s shouting ‘Boiled cabbage! Boyyyyyyled cabbage!’ Yet the brain repairs the information slip and without thinking we actually understand what it is that he is trying to advertise.

While you’re there on the high street, you might also care to ponder the mysteries of why people who sell the ‘Big Issue’ always dress like they are the middle of a particularly bad winter, even on the hottest, sunniest days. Are they remnants of all those one-hit-wonder grunge bands from a decade ago? I have it on good authority that the best way to avoid dealing with a former Spin Doctor is to reply to their cry of ‘Big Issue!’ with a prompt riposte of ‘Bless you!’ and speedy turn of heel.

And what can we make of the religious enthusiasts who, good book in hand, shout out loud biblical lessons, whether you want to hear them or not. The curious thing to notice here is that they never seem to arrive or leave. They are just there, in full flow. Never do we see one of them arrive, sort his corner out, open the book, clear the throat and slowly build to a crescendo. Never do we see him finish the lesson, close the book and wander casually off to buy a newspaper. It’s very odd.

What has this got to do with chess? Nothing at all, of course but as the excitement of the new season starts to build we always encounter a small trickle of information/disinformation regarding who will play for which team, which star players Peterlee may or may not have up their sleeves for the big encounters this year, which players have given up and, most importantly of all, have any really strong ones just moved into the area and turned up, quite by chance, on the door step of Middlesbrough Rooks.

Usually, of course, the communications feature a huge amount of rumours and things remain pretty much as they always were. In a couple of weeks most of the cards will be on the table. All the old enthusiasm returns, rivalries are dusted off and plots and plans are devised and dreamed of.

Chess, chess chess! That’s why we’re all here. We chess, therefore we are.

Champions’ Games

For some people, the season never really ended. As reported last time, several of our local players braved the rigours of the British Championship and we were delighted to welcome back two British Champions.

Here’s a couple of games and a few snippets from the 2004 joint British Senior Champions, with their own annotations….

David Smith – G. Ellison
British Senior Championship (5), 11.08.2004

1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 f5 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 Be7 5.0–0 0–0 6.c4 d6 7.Nc3 Qe8 8.b3 I don't know a lot about the systems where White goes for e4 so just went for a modest system of development. 8...Nc6 9.Bb2 Bd7 10.a3 Checking later on a database I found that 10 d5 Nd8 11 dxe6 Nxe6 is a common continuation. 10...Qh5 11.b4 Rae8 12.e3 Bc8 A strange move. 12 ... Bd8 aiming for ... e5 seems reasonable. 13.d5 White now seems to get the advantage whatever Black does. 13...Nb8 14.Nb5 c6 15.Nc7 Rd8 16.Nxe6 Bxe6 17.dxe6 Na6

Black is likely to regain the lost pawn but by then White will have serious play on the Queenside. 18.Nd4 Nc7 19.Qxh5 Nxh5 20.b5 No need for the tempting Nxf5 Rxf5 21 g4. It's simpler to play against Black's Queenside pawns. 20...c5 21.Ne2 b6 22.a4 Bf6 I can't find any improvement, eg. if 22 ... Nf6 23 a5 Nxe6 then 26 axb6 axb6 27 Ra7 23.Bxf6 23 Bc3 is quite a tempting alternative. 23...Rxf6 24.a5 Rxe6 If 24 ... Nxe6 25 axb6 axb6 26 Nc3 and then if 26 ... Nc7 27 Ra7 Rf7 28 Nd5 keeps Black tied up. 25.axb6 axb6 26.Ra7

26...Re7 27.Rb7 Nf6 28.Rxb6 d5 If he does nothing White can strengthen his position with moves like Rc6, Nc3, Rd1 or Rb1 and choose his moment to play b6. 29.cxd5 Ncxd5 If 29 ... Nfxd5 then 30 Rb7 30.Rc6 Rc7 31.Rd1 Rdd7

On the face of it Black seems to be 'holding on' but there's a tactical possibility for White. 32.Rxd5 Nxd5 33.Bxd5+ Kf8 34.Rxc7 Rxc7 35.b6 Rc8 36.b7 Rb8 37.Nc3 Ke7 38.Kf1 Kd6 39.Ke2 g6 40.Kd3 Ke5 41.Kc4 1–0

G. James – David Smith
British Senior Championship (2), 08.2004
In Round 2 my opponent played the opening poorly as White and after 15 moves his position was critical. I continued... 15...g5 16 Bg3 ...and could now have played 16 ... e6 as 17 h3 is met by 17 ... exd5 18 hxg4 de and various piece sacrifices seem to be inadequate eg. 17 Ndb5 exd5 18 Nc7 Bxc3 19 Qxc3 Nxe4 20 Qf3 Nxg3 21 Qxg3 Rb8 22 Na6 bxa6 23 Qxb8 Qe7+ However I preferred the simple win of a pawn by... 16...Nxe4 17 Bxe4 Qxd4 Now 18 Rd1 might have set Black a few more problems but White preferred... 18 Qxd4 Bxd4 19 Nb5 and after... 19...Bxb2 20 Rb1 Be5 21 Bxe5 Nxe5 ...he hoped to force a draw by... 22 Nc7 Rb8 23 Na6

However I had prepared the surprising 23...Bf5 so that if 24 Nxb8 Bxe4 the Nb8 is doomed and if 24 Bxb7 then 24 ... Bxc2 is deadly. White had nothing better than... 24 Bxf5 bxa6 ...and Black had a 'won position'. However a combination of imprecise moves by Black and dogged play by White eventually resulted in a draw after 50 moves. ½–½



D. Levens – David Smith
British Senior Championship (4), 08.2004
I had plenty of good fortune in Round 4. After 19 moves Black was in serious trouble, due to neglecting development. 19 ...0–0–0 is probably best but I played 19...d5 20 Rxf5 Bb4 Hoping to exploit the position of the Nc3. White had prepared 21 Qe1 Ne7 22 Bd2 Now ...Kf8 might be best. I played 22...0–0 and hoped that White would go wrong. If he had played Rf6 I can see no satisfactory defence to Qe2 and Qxh5 but instead he played 23 Rxb4 Now 23 ... Qxb4 24 Nxd5 Qxd4+ is good for Black but 23 ...Qxb4 24 Ne4 Qxd4+ 25 Be3 is very unpleasant for me. 23...Nxf5

White could now have interposed 24 Rxb6 when 24 ... Nxd4 25 Qd1 Qxb6 26 Be3 is very tricky but 24 ... Qxb6 25 Bxf5 Qxd4+ 26 Be3 Qe5 is probably winning for Black. 24 Bxf5 Qxb4 25 Ne4 Qxd4+ 26 Be3 Qe5 White is probably winning after 26 ... Qxe4 27 Bxe4, as Qe2 and Qxh5 can follow. 27 Nf6+ Kh8 28 Qf2

White threatens 29 Bd4 or 29 Qf3. I played 28...Rfe8 so that 29 Bd4 can be met by ... Qxe1+. White should now have played 29 Nxe8 Qxe8 30 Bxd4+ Kg8 31 Kg2 (threatening 32 Qf3) with practical chances. Instead he played 29 Ng4

allowing 29...Qa1+ 30 Kg2 Rxe3 31 Nxe3 Nc4 and after 32 Nf1 the only way to avoid the Knight exchange 32...Qe5 Black went on to win. 0–1

Meanwhile, Norman was stepping up the pace with this great third round victory…

Norman Stephenson – N. Gill
British Senior Championship (3), 09.08.2004
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 c5 White can now take a Semi-Tarrasch by 7 Nf3 which is slightly better for him but he can now avoid the ....Bb4 simplification by 7 Rb1 or.... 7.a3 Be7 8.Nf3 0–0 9.Bd3 b6 10.Qe2 Bb7 11.0–0

11...cxd4 Better to go 11 ...Nc6 directly when 12 Bb2 is not so attractive as in the game. 12.cxd4 Nc6 13.Bb2 Rc8 White now has to organise his Rooks....maybe d1/e1 would be better but he saw the game continuation as far as move 21 and thought it a strong argument in favour of 14.Rac1 Na5 15.Ba6 I don't think Black had thought of this simple plan. 15...Rxc1 16.Rxc1 Qb8 17.Bxb7 Qxb7 18.Qc2 Bd6 19.e5 Bb8 20.Ng5 g6 21.Ne4 Kg7 22.Nf6 b5 Without this move, Black could have packed it in. 23.d5

23...Nc4 24.d6 Rc8 Found 'when he got there', this keeps Black in the game (he is going to get my lovely N+P for his lousy R). 25.d7 Rd8 25 ...N e3 26 fxe3 wins easily. 26.Qe2 Rxd7 27.Nxd7 Qxd7 28.Rd1 Qe7 29.a4 It would simplify White's winning process if he could set up the §b5 as a target. 29...a6 but - 29 ...Qb4 30 axb5 Qxb2 31 Qxc4 Qxd4 would be hard for White to win once ... Bb6 is played. 30.axb5 axb5 31.Bc3 Qc5 32.Bd4 Qc7 33.Qe4 h6 White cannot get his Q connected to the key squares for mounting an attack on the Black King.... 34.Rc1 ...and instead heads after the pb5 34...Ba7 35.Bxa7 Qxa7 36.Qf4 Qe7 37.Rb1 Nb6 38.Rxb5 Nd5 39.Qc1 Qa7 40.g3 Qd4

Now it's a matter of driving off the Black Q from the centre - without allowing any shots like 41 Qb1? Qd1+ 42 Kg2 Nf4+41.Qe1 Nc3 42.Rb3 Nd5 43.h3 h5 44.h4 Ne7 45.Rb4 Qd5 46.Qe4 Qxe4 Black dare not allow the White Q possible access to f6. 47.Rxe4 The winning plan will be to bring the K&R to bear on Black's one weakness - the pf7 - while avoiding giving the N any scope among the White pawns. 47...f6? This relieves the crampedness but the resulting weakended pawns and squares will make White's task mush easier. 48.exf6+ Kxf6 49.Kg2 e5 50.Ra4 g5 51.Ra6+ Kf5 52.Rh6 1–0


Here’s Norman’s last round marathon in which he induced a Knightmare for the opponent…


David Anderton – Norman Stephenson
British Senior Championship (7), 13.08.2004
1.d4 e6 2.c4 Bb4+ Last year's fifth round encounter had gone 2 ...f5 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 g3 Bb4+ 3.Bd2 Qe7 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.a3 Bxd2+ 6.Nbxd2 d6 7.e4 e5 This was looking like a rather nice Bogo-Indian to me. 8.d5 Bg4 Gotta get rid of this other Bishop as well! 9.Be2 Bxf3 10.Bxf3

White's Bishop is a disgrace. 10...0–0 11.0–0 c5 12.b4 b6 13.Qb3 Rather superficial play by White - who was playing at a speed which reinforced my impression of the superficiality of his thinking. 13...Nbd7 14.Rfb1 I don't think he had even an inkling of my ideas in this position. 14...cxb4 15.axb4 a5 16.Qa4 Oops - he was lucky to have even this after he saw my last couple of moves. 16...Rfc8 17.Qb5 Qd8 18.Nb3 axb4 19.Qxb4 Qc7 20.Nd2

Compare the minor pieces if you want to assess White's opening play.20...Qc5 21.Qxc5 bxc5 22.Kf1 Kf8 23.Ke2 Rxa1 The Queenside has always been Black's playground since the 8th move. 24.Rxa1 Rb8 25.Kd3 Rb4 26.Bd1 Nb6 Ties up White's pieces and closes the 'a4' door on that pathetic Bishop....White still has not seen Black's ideas in this position. 27.Ra7 g6 28.g3 h5 After this, I heard him say 'Gosh' to himself, under his breath. Black's free Knight is about to commence a reign of terror of the Kingside. 29.h3 g5 30.f3 h4 31.g4 Ng8

Now, I was sure that I was going to win (and David was a pawn up on the next board). 32.Bb3 Ne7 33.Ra1 Ng6 34.Rh1 Nf4+ 35.Ke3 Nd7 36.Rh2 Ke7 37.Rh1 Kd8 38.Rh2 Kc7 39.Rh1 Kb6 40.Bc2 Kc7 Ok - he saw that one... 41.Bb3 Rb7 42.Rh2 Ra7 43.Nb1 Rb7 Ok - he saw that one, too. 44.Nd2 Nb6 45.Bd1 Ra7 46.Be2 Ra3+ 47.Kf2 Ra2 48.Ke1 Kb7 49.Bf1 Na4 50.Kd1 Nb2+ 51.Kc1 Nbd3+ 52.Kd1 Kb6 53.Bxd3 Nxd3 54.Ke2 Nf4+ 55.Ke3 Rb2 56.Rh1 Kb7 57.Rh2 Ka6 58.Rh1 Kb6 59.Ra1 Kb7 Ok - he saw that one as well. 60.Rh1 f6 61.Rh2 Rc2 62.Rh1 Kc7 63.Rh2 Rc1

But, did he see that one? 64.Kf2 Kb6 65.Nf1 Rc2+ 66.Ke3 Rxh2 67.Nxh2 Nxh3 68.Kd3 Ng1 69.Kc3 Ka5 70.Kb3 Ne2 71.Ka3 Nd4 0–1

...And with that classical Karpovian crush we shall say goodbye until next month!

Sean Marsh

September 2004

Archive: UNCUT! 32

The Sean Marsh Chess Column
UNCUT!
Column 32
August 2004

At The British

The great thing about having the British Championships at Scarborough is that it gives us North Easterners a decent chance of getting there to either play or spectate. I was fortunate to be able to pop along and see some of the many games and I enjoyed seeing a good number of our locals in action.

The full story and results can be found on the B.C.F. website, but here’s a few highlights…

The big news from the championship itself is that when Gawain Jones agreed a short draw in the ninth round, he secured his third and final norm towards the title of International Master!

There will be those who remember when Gawain burst on to the local scene as a very young junior, winning the Elmwood U-9 championship when he was six and then taking the local junior U-18 sections by storm, as well as developing into a feared league competitor. He notched up scalps faster than a hyperactive apache warrior. Then he moved to Italy, much to the relief of many locals (especially those who were still nursing ‘plus scores’ against him). He is now living in Ireland, so our local open tournaments may no longer be as safe as they were. There will be more about Gawain in a future UNCUT!

Norman Stephenson went off to defend his British Senior title. This time he was joined by another local player, David Smith, who has been slowly returning to full chess activity following a few quiet years. David has remained a very strong player and was in the thick of the action form start to finish. After the seven rounds, David and Norman shared the title with 5.5/7, both unbeaten. What a fantastic result for local chess!

Norman and Major Open competitor David Wise

Two of our best juniors were also in action. Dominic Leigh was unbeaten in the Under-100 championship but just lost out on the title, finishing half a point off the lead.

Young Thomas Mavin was very close to picking up a title but was half a point off top spot in the Under-8s and a point off it in the Under-9s.

Elmwood’s Andrew Killick had a good tournament and shared first in the Harry Baines Week 1 event.

Durham’s chess killer twins, Thomas and David Eggleston, were also in the thick of the action.

David looked set to take the Under-16 title but missed his way on the critical last round game and ended up losing.


Thomas played in the FIDE World Major section and battled away on the top boards throughout the 11 rounds. He eventually shared third place, just a point off winning the event.

Expect some British games from our heroes in a forthcoming UNCUT!