Russian teams event lures stars

Position No. 5998: White to play and win. From the game Michael Roiz-Andrei Kharlov, Russian Team Championship, Sochi 2008.

Solution to Position No. 5997: Black wins with 1 . . . Qf3! 2 cxb7+ Kf5! 3 Bxf3 gxf3, intending 4 . . . Rh1 mate. Note that 2 . . . Kg5? 3 Bxf3 gxf3 4 Qd8+! Rxd8 5 Rc3 may let White escape.

It may be difficult to generate much enthusiasm for the dozen cobbled-together lineups now competing in the 15th Russian Team Championship in Sochi, Russia, but one must marvel at the sheer mass of chess talent assembled. The field is the most impressive ever in depth (92 of the 95 players are grandmasters) and strength (with 16 of the world's 24 stars rated over 2700).

This year, many non-Russians are participating. Most, including recent U.S. champions Gata Kamsky and Alexander Onischuk, were born in the Soviet Union. However, a sprinkling of imports (Pentala Harikrishna of India, Loek Van Wely of the Netherlands and three Chinese stars) demonstrates how chess ability transcends borders.

Top-seeded Ural, with Kamsky on third board, won its first five matches.

Local news

The Malaga Cove Library, 2400 Via Campesina in Palos Verdes Estates, will host a free showing of "The Beauty of Chess," a 30-minute PowerPoint presentation of chess sets, chess history and chess in art. The show, produced and narrated by Dr. Joseph Wagner, begins at 2 p.m. Thursday.

The Tax Time Swiss at the West Valley Chess Club drew an excellent turnout of 62 players. Michael Yee, Shemei Postrero and 8-year old Daniel Mousseri won their sections.

The club meets Thursday evenings in the Jewish Community Center, 22622 Vanowen St. in West Hills. Entries are still open for the Spring Swiss, which began Thursday. Call Jerry Yee at (818) 915-5572 or write to jyee6@socal.rr.com.

Experts Craig Faber and Mehrdad Miralaie shared first place in the Galactic section of the Undisputed Milky Way Championship at the La Palma Chess Club. Ernesto Soto won the Earth section of the 42-player event. The club runs tournaments continuously on Friday evenings in Central Park, 7821 Walker St. in La Palma. See its website at lapalmachess.741.com.

Gem Malinao, Jose Quiroz and Dave Fernandez won their sections at the Exposition Park Chess Club's April tournament. For more about the club, see chess.expoparkla.com.

Today's games

Elliott Liu-Chris Toolin, Foxwoods Open, Connecticut 2008: 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e5 6 Ndb5 d6 The highly respected Sveshnikov variation of the Sicilian Defense. 7 Bg5 a6 8 Na3 b5 9 Nd5 The alternative 9 Bxf6 gxf6 10 Nd5 f5 gives Black plenty of compensation for his ugly pawns. Be7 10 Bxf6 Bxf6 11 c3 0-0 12 Nc2 Bg5 Some prefer 12 . . . Rb8. 13 a4 bxa4 14 Rxa4 a5 15 Bc4 Rb8 16 b3 g6 Preparing . . . f7-f5. Another plan begins 16 . . . Ne7, challenging White's imposing Knight. 17 Nce3 Kh8 18 h4!? A promising sacrifice. If Black declines with 18 . . . Bxe3 19 Nxe3 f5, White establishes control of the light squares by 20 h5 g5 21 Nxf5. Bxh4 19 g3 Bg5 20 f4 exf4 21 gxf4 Bh4+ 22 Kd2 f5 Consistent, but risky. 23 Kc1! Clearing the second rank for the maneuver Ra4-a2-h2. fxe4 Interpolating 23 . . . Bf2 24 Ra2 Bxe3+ will not ease Black's defense. After 25 Nxe3 fxe4 26 Rah2 Rb7, White strikes with 27 Qd5!, seeing 27 . . . Qe8 28 Bb5 and 27 . . . Qb6 28 Qxe4. 24 Ra2 Bf6 Natural. Against the odd 24 . . . g5, one method is 25 Rg2 gxf4 26 Nxf4! Rxf4 27 Qxd6! Rf8 28 Qxc6, with persistent threats against Black's exposed King. 25 Rah2 Rb7 Certainly not 25 . . . h5? 26 Rxh5+. 26 Rh6 Rg7 27 Qg1! Suddenly Black is lost. Where was his mistake? Qe8 One beautiful finish is 27 . . . Bf5? 28 Nxf5 gxf5 29 Qxg7+! Kxg7 30 Rxh7+ Kg6 31 R1h6 mate. If Black supports h7 by 27 . . . Be6 28 Rxg6 Bg8, then 29 Nf5 Rxg6 30 Qxg6 will win. Most intricate is 27 . . . Rff7, when the subtle 28 Qg2! (instead of the less convincing 28 Rxg6 Ne7) refutes 28 . . . Ne7 and 28 . . . Qf8 by 29 Nxf6 Rxf6 30 Qh2. Finally, 27 . . . Rff7 28 Qg2! Be6 runs into 29 Rxg6 Ne7 30 Rxg7 Rxg7 31 Nxf6! Rxg2 32 Rxh7 mate or 30 . . . Bxg7 31 Qxe4 Bf5 32 Nxf5 Nxf5 33 Ne3!, gaining a piece. 28 Qh2 Qd7 29 Nf5! gxf5 No better is 29 . . . Bg5 30 fxg5 Rxf5 31 Nf6. 30 Nxf6 Rxf6 31 Rxf6 Qe7 Not 31 . . . d5, as White forces mate with 32 Rf8+ Rg8 33 Rxg8+ Kxg8 34 Rg1+ Kh8 35 Qh6! Qe7 36 Bxd5. 32 Qh6 e3 White dispatches 32 . . . Nd8 33 Rxd6 e3 emphatically with 34 Qxg7+! Kxg7 35 Rg1+. 33 Rg6! e2 34 Qxh7+!, Black Resigns.

GM Loek Van Wely (Netherlands)-GM Boris Grachev (Russia), Russian Team Championship, Sochi 2008: 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 c6 The Semi-Slav Defense to the Queen's Gambit. 4 e3 Nf6 5 Bd3 dxc4 6 Bxc4 Nbd7 7 0-0 Bd6 8 Nc3 b5 9 Bd3 0-0 10 Qc2 Bb7 A well-known position. Black can meet the direct 11 e4 with 11 . . . e5, nearly equalizing. Or, if White tries to control c5 by 11 a3 a6 12 b4, Black gets counterplay on the a-file with 12 . . . a5. 11 Rd1 Qe7 Van Wely lost as White to Kramnik in 1997 in the complications arising from 11 . . . a6 12 e4 e5 13 dxe5 Nxe5 14 Nxe5 Bxe5 15 Bxb5 Bxh2+. 12 h3?! Too slow. Maybe White can retain an edge with 12 e4 e5 13 Ne2. b4 13 Ne4 Nxe4 14 Bxe4 f5! More aggressive than the other effective approach, 14 . . . Nf6 15 Bd3 c5. 15 Bd3 Of course, the pinned Knight is doomed after 15 Bxc6?? Rac8 16 d5 exd5 17 Nd4 Bxc6 18 Nxc6 Qf6. c5 16 Qe2 Also 16 e4 Rac8 17 Qe2 cxd4 favors Black. e5 17 dxe5 Nxe5 18 Nxe5 Bxe5 19 f4 Weakening, but how else can White develop his Queenside? Bc7 20 b3 Rf6! Targeting g2. 21 Kf2? White should offer a pawn by 21 Bc4+ Kh8 22 Bd5 Bxd5 23 Rxd5 Bxf4, as 24 Qf3 Bc7 25 Bb2 Rff8 26 Rc1 obtains fair compensation. Rg6 22 g3 Now 22 Bc4+ Kh8 23 Bd5 Bxd5 24 Rxd5 Bxf4! 25 Rxf5 (not 25 exf4? Rxg2+) Be5 26 Bb2 Rf6! merely opens a path toward White's King. Rf8 23 Bb2 Rh6 24 Qf1 White has landed in an intolerably passive position. Kh8 25 Rd2 Re8 26 Re2?! A little sturdier is 26 Re1 Re6 27 Rde2, but 27 . . . Qf7 28 Bc4 Qh5 appears too strong. Qd7 27 Rd1 Rd6 28 Ree1 Neither 28 Bc2 Ba6 nor 28 Red2 Qc6 29 Be2 Rxd2 30 Rxd2 Qe4 31 Rd3 Ba6 offers any hope. Qc6 Seeing 29 Bxf5? Qf3+ 30 Kg1 Qh1+ 31 Kf2 Qh2+, mating. 29 Be2 Qe4 30 Bc1 Certainly White is suffering, but Black must find an invasion point. c4! Problem solved. Black's Bishop will attack e3. 31 Rxd6 Worse is 31 bxc4 Bb6 32 Bh5 Rh6. Bxd6 32 bxc4 Bc5 33 Bh5 Re6 34 Bd1 a5!! White's pieces can barely fend off Kingside threats, and the addition of a Queenside threat ends his resistance. 35 h4 a4 36 Qh3 b3 37 axb3 axb3 38 Kg1 Rb6 39 Bb2 If 39 Qh2 or 39 Re2, Black advances 39 . . . b2 anyway. Bxe3+ 40 Kf1 Against 40 Kh2 Rd6 41 Qf1 Rd2+ 42 Re2, Black can win with 42 . . . Rxe2+ 43 Bxe2 Bf2!, planning . . . Qe4-e3, or with the flashier 42 . . . Bg1+! 43 Kxg1 Qh1+ 44 Kf2 Qf3+ 45 Ke1 Rxd1+. Rd6! Welcoming 41 Bc1 Rxd1. 41 Be2 Rd2 42 Bc1 b2!, White Resigns.