Why Grandmasters Rarely Checkmate

May 18, 2001

Position #5638: White to play and win. From the game Oratovsky-Kudischewitsch, Tel Aviv 2001.

Solution to Position #5637: White wins by 1 Rc7!, threatening mate with 2 Nh6+. If 1 . . . Nxc7, then 2 Qg4+ Kf7 3 Nh6+ Ke7 4 Qg7+ leads to mate. Or, if 1 . . . Kf8, then 2 Rf7+! Kxf7 3 Nh6+ Kf8 4 Qxh7 mates. Or, if 1 . . . Kh8, then 2 Rxh7+! Kxh7 3 Nd6+ f5 4 Qxf5+ Kh8 5 Nf6 Re7 6 Qh5+ Kg7 7 Qh7+ Kxf6 8 Qh6+ Ke5 9 f4+ will mate.

READER’S QUESTION

Michael Jeffreys of Los Angeles asks, “Has there ever been a world championship match game where one player actually checkmated the other?”

Grandmasters almost always resign when they cannot avoid significant material loss or checkmate. At the highest levels, continuing to play a hopeless position is considered an insult to the opponent.

There are four cases in world championship matches where the loser resigned only one move before checkmate. Only once, in the eighth game of the 1929 Alexander Alekhine versus Ewfim Bogolyubov match, did a game end with checkmate. The game appears below.

LOCAL NEWS

The May Octos attracted a good turnout of 28 players last Saturday at The Chess Center in Costa Mesa. Max Landaw, ranked ninth of 11 competitors at 1861, swept the top section with a perfect 3-0 score. Landaw, a 14-year old eighth grader, defeated an expert and a master. Takashi Iwamoto, another rapidly improving youngster, took second prize at 2 1/2- 1/2.

Dave Heller scored 3-0 to win the second section. Anatoliy Manko and Mark Witte shared first place with 3-0 scores in the third section.

Brian McNaughton took first prize in the Pasadena City Open with a score of 4 1/2- 1/2. Tim Thompson and Edward Witten shared under-2000 honors at 4-1. Jericee McFadden, David Mitchell and Rafi Witten earned other class prizes.

The Pasadena Chess Club, which meets Friday evenings in the Pasadena Senior Center, 85 E. Holly St. in Pasadena, will begin the five-round Liberty Open on June 1. For more information, call Neil Hultgren at (818) 243-3809.

Chess Match 2001, a five-round scholastic tournament, will be held June 3 at Glendale Adventist Medical Center, 1509 Wilson Terrace in Glendale. There will be separate sections for students in grades K-2, 3-6, and 7-12. For more details, send a message to ddurham@earthlink.net.

TODAY’S GAMES

Bogolyubov (Germany)-Alekhine (France) #8, World Championship, Weisbaden 1929: 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 b6 An inferior form of the Queen’s Indian Defense. Perhaps Alekhine wanted to surprise Bogolyubov, who had won his previous two games as White. 3 Nc3 Bb7 4 f3 Also 4 Qc2 e6 5 e4 should favor White. d5 5 cxd5 Nxd5 6 e4 Nxc3 7 bxc3 e6 Black has had fair success with 7 . . . e5 and 7 . . . g6. 8 Bb5+ Nd7 9 Ne2 Be7 10 0-0 a6 11 Bd3 c5 12 Bb2?! Alekhine wrote that the Bishop belonged on e3 or f4. Qc7 13 f4?! Poor timing, as Black seizes the initiative. Nf6 14 Ng3 h5! 15 Qe2 h4 16 Nh1 Nh5 17 Qg4 Alekhine’s suggestion of 17 Bc1 inhibits . . . 0-0-0 because a6 hangs. 0-0-0 18 Rae1?! Only 18 f5 Nf6 19 Qe2 strives for activity. Kb8 19 f5 e5 20 d5 c4 21 Bc2 Bc5+ What a post! In contrast, no White piece is well placed. 22 Nf2 g6! Prying open the g-file and the c8-h3 diagonal. 23 fxg6 Miserable, as is 23 Qxh4 gxf5. Rdg8 24 Bc1 Bc8 25 Qf3 Rxg6 Threatening 26 . . . Bg4, trapping the Queen. 26 Kh1? Probably an oversight. However, even the most stubborn defense, 26 Be3, should lose to 26 . . . Bxe3 27 Rxe3 Nf4 28 g3 hxg3 29 hxg3 Rf6! 30 Qd1 Qc5 31 Rfe1 Nh3+ 32 Nxh3 Rxh3 33 Kg2 Rfh6. Ng3+! 27 hxg3 hxg3+ 28 Nh3 If 28 Kg1, then 28 . . . gxf2+ 29 Rxf2 Bg4 30 Qg3 Bh3 31 Bg5 f6 mauls White. Bxh3 29 gxh3 Nothing has gone right for Bogolyubov, and now he misses the proper time for resignation. Rxh3+ 30 Kg2 Rh2 mate.

GM Kasparov (Russia)-GM Short (England) #1, Zurich 2001: 1 e4 This game was the first of a pair of 25-minute games. e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nd2 Tarrasch’s system against the French Defense. c5 4 Ngf3 Nf6 Less common than 4 . . . Nc6, but quite playable. 5 e5 Nfd7 6 c3 b6 Black wants to exchange his inferior QB, but the maneuver does not generate enough activity to distract White from a Kingside buildup. The routine 6 . . . Nc6 7 Bd3 Qb6 is best. 7 Bb5 To meet 7 . . . Ba6 by 8 a4, and 7 . . . a6 by 8 Bd3. Be7 8 0-0 0-0 9 Re1 a5 10 Nf1 Ba6 11 a4! Bxb5 12 axb5 Black’s opening has failed miserably. The pawn at b5, though a potential target, inhibits the development of Black’s QN. Re8 13 Ng3 Nf8 Short trusts passive defense to safeguard his King. Instead, 13 . . . f5 14 exf6 Bxf6 15 Bf4 saddles Black with serious weaknesses at e5 and e6. 14 Nh5 Nbd7 If 14 . . . Qd7, then 15 Bh6!! gxh6 16 Qd2 attacks, as in the game. 15 g3 Ng6 Neither 15 . . . g6 16 Nf4 nor 15 . . . f5 16 exf6 Nxf6 17 Nf4 greatly eases White’s pressure. 16 h4 Ndf8 17 Kg2 Qd7 Challenging White to find the crusher. Black might last longer with 17 . . . h6 18 Nh2 or 17 . . . f5 18 exf6 Bxf6 19 Nxf6+ Qxf6 20 h5 Ne7 21 Ne5, but White’s task is simpler. 18 Bh6!! gxh6 19 Qd2 f5 20 exf6 Bd8 There is no salvation in 20 . . . Bd6 21 Qxh6 e5 22 Ng5. 21 Qxh6 Ra7 22 Ng5 Qxb5 23 f7+ Rxf7 24 Nxf7, Black Resigns.

IM Hennigan (England)-GM Short (England), Birmingham 2001: 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nd2 c5 4 Ngf3 Nf6 A sideline of the Tarrasch French. Usual is 4 . . . Nc6. 5 exd5 Nxd5 The fighter’s choice. If Black merely seeks equality, he selects 5 . . . exd5 6 Bb5+ Bd7. 6 dxc5 Harmless. Only 6 Nb3 cxd4 7 Nbxd4 keeps a tiny edge. Nd7 7 c4 N5f6 8 Nb3 Qc7 9 Be2 Nxc5 10 0-0 Safer is 10 Be3 Bd7 11 Nxc5. Bd7 Thinking of 11 Be3 Ba4. 11 Nxc5 Bxc5 12 a3 a5 13 b3 To meet 13 . . . 0-0 by 14 Bb2 Bc6 15 Ne5. Bc6! 14 Bb2 Ng4! Launching a surprisingly virulent attack. The first threat is 15 . . . Bxf3 16 Bxf3 Qxh2 mate. 15 h3 Best. Black meets 15 g3 powerfully by 15 . . . h5 16 Nd4 Nxh2! 17 Kxh2 h4. For example, 18 f4 0-0-0 19 b4 loses to 19 . . . Bxd4 20 Bxd4 hxg3+ 21 Kxg3 Qe7 22 Kf2 Qh4+ 23 Ke3 Qg3+ 24 Bf3 Rh4. h5 16 hxg4 Bxf3 17 g5 Forced. Black’s attack rages after 17 Bxf3? hxg4 18 Re1 Qh2+ 19 Kf1 Qh1+ 20 Ke2 gxf3+ 21 gxf3 (or 21 Kxf3 Rh3+ 22 Ke2 Qxg2) Qg2 22 Rf1 Rd8. Rd8 18 Qc2 Stout defense. Also 18 Bxf3!? Rxd1 19 Raxd1 0-0 20 Bxh5 Qe7 21 Bf3 retains drawing chances. Bc6 19 Rad1! Rxd1 Black achieves nothing by 19 . . . Qg3 20 Rxd8+ Kxd8 (worse is 20 . . . Ke7?? 21 Rd5! exd5 22 cxd5) 21 Qd3+. 20 Qxd1 h4! Again, 20 . . . Qg3 21 Bf3 leads nowhere. 21 Bf3! Both 21 Bd4? h3 and 21 Bxg7? h3! 22 Bxh8 Qg3 win quickly for Black. Trickier is 21 Qd3? h3 22 gxh3, yet Black still wins with 22 . . . Qf4 23 Bc1 Qh4 24 Kh2 (not 24 Bg4 Qxg4+!) Bxf2 25 Bg4 (or 25 Rd1 Bd4 26 Qg3 Be5!) Be4! 26 Qc3 Qxg4 27 Rxf2 Qd1 28 Qxg7 Qh1+. h3 22 Bxc6+ bxc6 23 Bxg7? White finally slips. He must try 23 Qf3 hxg2 24 Qxg2. hxg2 24 Bxh8 White cannot escape by 24 Kxg2 Qh2+ 25 Kf3 Rh3+ 26 Ke2, as 26 . . . Qf4! 27 Qc2 Bxf2! continues the hunt. Qg3! 25 Bd4 Qh3, White Resigns.