Foreigners succeed in Russia

April 20, 2008

Position No. 5999: White to play and win. From the game Vladimir Kramnik-Marie Sebag, simultaneous exhibition, Enschede 2008.

Solution to Position No. 5998: White wins most efficiently with 1 Bc6! Rc7 2 Bd5, seeing 2 … Kg7 3 Rxc7 Qxc7 4 Qg8 mate and 2 … Ke8 3 Rxc7 Qxc7 4 Bxd6 Qxd6 5 Qc8+ Qd8 6 Bc6+ Kf7 7 Qxd8.

Top-seeded “Ural” took first prize in the 15th Russian Team Championship, which ended last Sunday in Sochi, Russia. The eight-player team won seven matches, tied three and lost just one.

Gata Kamsky of New York scored a team-high 5 1/2 -3 1/2 on third board for Ural. Another former U.S. champion, Alexander Onischuk of Maryland, made a respectable result (nine draws, one loss, no wins) on first board for a Moscow team against tough opponents.

The best individual performance was 8-3 by Chinese grandmaster Wang Hao. In the Soviet era, the idea of a Chinese teenager outscoring dozens of experienced Russian grandmasters would have been unthinkable. Now, no country monopolizes chess talent.

The World Chess Federation has extended the bidding deadline for Kamsky’s match against Bulgarian star Veselin Topalov. The match will determine the challenger in the 2009 world championship. Sofia, Bulgaria, and Lviv, Ukraine, have expressed interest in hosting the match.

Amateur Team playoff

The four regional winners competed for the title of 2008 U.S. Amateur Team Champions on the Internet last weekend. The representatives of the South, “Foreclosure Doctors” (master Bruci Lopez and experts Jeffrey Haskel, Javier Gonzalez and Gilberto Luna), won the playoff.

Local news

California’s best player, grandmaster Varuzhan Akobian, will give a lecture and simultaneous exhibition April 28 at the Santa Monica Bay Chess Club. The first 30 people to pay $25 each will get to play a game against Akobian. The club meets at 7 p.m. every Monday at St. Andrew’s Church, 11555 National Blvd. in Los Angeles. Call Pete Savino at (310) 827-2789 for details.

The Bobby Fischer Memorial Scholastic tournament will be held Saturday at Westwood Charter School, 1936 Selby Ave. in Los Angeles. Most entrants in the three-section event will finish by noon. For information, call Ivona Jezierska at (310) 740-0063.

Today’s games

GM Petr Haba (Czech Republic)- GM Zoltan Gyimesi (Hungary), Germany 2008: 1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 Nd2 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Bf5 The main line of the Caro-Kann Defense. 5 Ng3 Bg6 6 h4 h6 7 Nf3 Nd7 8 h5 Bh7 9 Bd3 Bxd3 10 Qxd3 e6 11 Bf4 Qa5+ 12 Bd2 Bb4 A provocative alternative to the standard 12 … Qc7. 13 c3 Be7 14 c4 Qc7 Now 14 … Bb4?! permits 15 Ne4 Ngf6 16 Nd6+ Kf8 17 a3 Bxd2+ 18 Nxd2 Qc7 19 c5, entrenching the Knight at d6. 15 0-0-0 Ngf6 16 Rhe1 Leko recently chose 16 Kb1, trying to dissuade Black from advancing … b7-b5. b5 17 c5 0-0 18 Kb1 Rfd8 19 Qc2 A difficult position to assess. Despite Black’s hold on d5, White probably has the advantage because he can open a file for attack more easily. For example, 19 … Nd5 20 Ne4 a5 21 g4 looks dangerous for Black. Nf8?! Purely defensive, and not very effective. 20 Ne2! Welcoming 20 … Nxh5 21 g4 Nf6 22 g5 hxg5 23 Nxg5, when White will bring his Rook and Queen to the h-file. N8h7 21 Bf4 Qb7 22 Ne5 a5? Black had to pause for 22 … Bf8. Even so, 23 g4 a5 24 Bc1 b4 25 f4 looks promising for White. 23 Bxh6! gxh6 If 23 … Nxh5, one method is 24 Rh1 N5f6 25 Bxg7! Kxg7 26 Rd3 Kf8 27 Rg3, with a relentless attack. 24 Nxf7! Nf8 Not 24 … Kxf7 because 25 Qg6+ Kf8 26 Nf4 wins. 25 Nxh6+ Kg7 26 Nf4 Kxh6 27 Nxe6 White wants to eliminate the Knight on f8, then bring the Queen to g6. N6h7 Not surprisingly, 27 … Nxh5 28 g4 Nxe6 29 Rxe6+ Nf6 30 g5+! leaves Black’s King fatally exposed. 28 Re5 Threatening 29 Qd2+. Bg5 No better is 28 … Rd5 29 Qd2+ Ng5, as 30 Nxg5 Rxe5 31 Nf7+ Kg7 32 Nxe5 recovers a piece. 29 f4 Bxf4 30 Nxf4 Ng5 31 Qd2 Nfh7 32 Nh3 Rg8 Surrounding the King with pieces by 32 … Qg7 33 Re6+ Nf6 fails, to 34 Nxg5 Qxg5 35 Rxf6+. 33 Re6+ Kxh5 34 Nxg5 Nxg5 35 Rh1+ Kg4 36 Rh4+! Kxh4 Or 36 … Kf5 37 Re5+ Kf6 38 Qf4+ Kg6 39 Rxg5 mate. 37 Qf4+ Kh5 38 g4+, Black Resigns.

GM Alexey Shirov (Spain)-GM Dmitry Andreikin (Russia), 15th Russian Team Championship, Sochi 2008: 1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 The Advance variation, Shirov’s favorite weapon against the Caro-Kann. Bf5 4 Nc3 Qb6 Avoiding the heavily analyzed 4 … e6 5 g4 Bg6 6 Nge2. 5 Nf3 e6 6 Be2 Nd7 7 0-0 Ne7 The position resembles a French Defense, with Black’s “bad” Bishop actively placed. However, Black’s slow development often lets White launch an attack before Black can castle. 8 b3 Bg6 Black has tried 8 … Bg4 and 8 … h6. The premature 8 … c5?! 9 dxc5 Nxc5 10 Nd4 favors White. 9 Na4 Qd8 10 c4 Nf5 11 g4!? Weakening, but White needs to make threats. Nh4 12 Nxh4 Qxh4 13 cxd5 cxd5 14 Bf4 Qd8 15 Bg3 Rc8 16 f4 Full speed ahead! Be4 17 f5 exf5 18 gxf5 Qg5 19 Bf3! After 19 … Qxf5 20 Bh5, White invades at f7. b5 20 Bxe4 Qe3+? White has no immediate crusher after 20 … dxe4. 21 Rf2 Qxe4 22 Rc1! Rxc1 Losing, but 22 … Rb8 23 Nc3 Qe3 24 Nxd5 is hopeless too. 23 Qxc1 bxa4 24 Qc8+ Ke7 25 f6+ gxf6 26 exf6+ Nxf6 27 Qc5+ Kd8 As 27 … Ke8 28 Qb5+ Nd7 costs the Queen to 29 Re2. 28 Qc7+ Ke8 29 Qb8+ Kd7 30 Qxa7+ Ke8 31 Qb8+ Kd7 32 Qb5+ Kd8 33 Qb6+ Kd7 34 Rxf6 Material is again even, and Black’s wandering King cannot last long. Qe3+ 35 Kg2 Qe2+ 36 Kh3 Qh5+ 37 Bh4 Be7 38 Qc6+ Kd8 39 Rd6 mate.