CHESS

Jan. 21, 2001

Position #5621: Black to play and win. From the game Morozevich - Adams, Wijk aan Zee 2001.

Solution to Position #5620: White wins with 1 Re7! Rd8 2 Rxh7+! (not 2 Qh5? Qd1+) Kxh7 3 Qh5+ Kg8 4 Qxg6+, mating.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

The Corus tournament, billed as the strongest tournament ever, brings together feuding grandmasters and rival world championship claimants in a battle for unofficial supremacy of the chess world. The nine highest-rated players are competing in the 14-man round robin, which began Jan. 13 in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands.

Attention centers on former world champion Garry Kasparov, current champion Vladimir Kramnik (who defeated Kasparov in a match last November) and new World Chess Federation (FIDE) champion Viswanathan Anand. Ironically, though, seventh-ranked Alexey Shirov has taken the early lead. After five of 13 rounds, Shirov has 4-1, a half-point ahead of Kasparov, Kramnik and Alexander Morozevich. Anand shares fifth place with Michael Adams at 3-2.

Shirov defeated Kramnik in a 1998 match designed to select a challenger for Kasparov, but never got his shot at a title. According to Kasparov, no sponsor offered enough money for a Kasparov vs. Shirov match. Just last month, Shirov reached the final round of FIDE’s 100-player championship tournament, where he lost to Anand. What a sensation if Shirov can outperform all three stars in one tournament.

For live coverage, visit www.corusgroup.com/coruschess.

LOCAL NEWS

Eduardo Ortiz swept the Super Sunday event last weekend at Chess Palace in Los Alamitos. Ortiz scored a perfect 5-0, a point ahead of David Bassett. Class prizes went to Ed Cohen, Marian Nita, R.C. Rice, David Linares and Marina Asami.

Chess Palace, which is open Wednesday through Sunday, runs a variety of tournaments. For details, call (562) 598-5099 or visit its entertaining Website at www.chesspalace.com.

The Wilshire Chess Society’s monthly 45-minute tournament takes place Jan. 28 in Community Room C (third floor, west of Barnes & Noble bookstore) in the Westside Pavilion, Westwood at Pico in Los Angeles. Register at the site at 10:30 a.m., or call Michael Jeffreys at (310) 473-6291.

The Santa Monica Bay Chess Club begins a four-round tournament on Jan. 22. The club meets at 7 p.m. Mondays in Joslyn Park, 633 Kensington Rd. in Santa Monica. For more information, call Pete Savino at (310) 827-2789.

Steve Herceg won last Sunday’s tournament at Chess Academy, 1335 N. La Brea Ave. in Hollywood. Bill Faulk finished second and also drew grandmaster Eduard Gufeld in a simultaneous exhibition. The club hosts a three-round tournament (at 11 a.m.) and a Gufeld exhibition (at 3 p.m.) Sunday. Call (323) 883-0164 or (323) 512-4564 for more information.

TODAY’S GAMES

GM Anand (India) - GM Tiviakov (Netherlands), Wijk aan Zee 2001: 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 g6 5 Nc3 Bg7 6 Be3 Nf6 7 Bc4 0-0 8 Bb3 d6 9 f3 Bd7 10 Qd2 Rc8 11 0-0-0 Reaching a common position in the Sicilian Dragon. Nxd4 A rare alternative to the customary 11 . . . Ne5. 12 Bxd4 b5 13 Nd5 The positional treatment. White could snatch a pawn by 13 Bxa7 or 13 Qe3. Nxd5 14 Bxg7 Kxg7 15 exd5! White will use the e-file. Black has fewer worries after 15 Bxd5 a5. a5 16 a3 Qb6 17 Rhe1 Rfe8 18 g4 Unless Black generates counterplay, White will push h2-h4-h5 and attack on the h-file. b4 19 a4 Qc5 20 Kb1 e5! The right decision. Passive defense is hopeless. 21 dxe6 Bxe6 22 h4 Of course, 22 Qxd6? Qxd6 23 Rxd6 Bxb3 24 Rxe8 Bxc2+ 25 Kc1 Rxe8 26 Kxc2 Re2+ throws away White’s edge. Bxb3 23 cxb3 Rxe1 24 Rxe1 h5? Recklessly exposing his own King. Black should exploit his passer with the solid 24 . . . d5. After 25 Rd1 Rd8 26 Qg5 Qd6 27 Rd4 h6 28 Qd2, White’s tiny advantage may not suffice for victory. The sharper 25 h5 d4 26 f4 Rd8 27 f5 d3 is far from clear. If White continues 28 hxg6 hxg6 29 Rh1?, Black forces a promising endgame by 29 . . . Qc2+! 30 Qxc2 dxc2+ 31 Kxc2 gxf5 32 gxf5 Rd5. 25 Ka2 hxg4 26 fxg4 Rh8 White can ignore this counterattack. 27 Qf4! Rxh4 28 Rf1 Qe5 Black cannot stand 28 . . . f5 29 Qg5! Rxg4 30 Qe7+ Kg8 31 Rh1 Qe5 32 Qh7+ Kf8 33 Rc1 Qe6 34 Rc7, and White mates. White refutes 29 . . . Rh2 (hoping for 30 gxf5?? Rxb2+ 31 Kxb2 Qc3+, drawing) by 30 Rc1. 29 Qxf7+ Kh6 30 Rf6 Now Black’s King has little shelter, while White’s rests undisturbed in his fortress. A trade of Queens or Rooks would swing the advantage to Black. With both pieces, though, White’s attack must eventually succeed. Rxg4 31 Re6 Qg7 32 Qf3 Qd4 33 Qf8+ Kh5 34 Rxd6 Qe5 35 Qd8 Threatening 36 Rd5. Rg5 After 35 . . . Kh6 36 Rd5 Qg7 37 Rd1, Black can allow mate by 37 . . . g5 38 Rd7 Qe5 39 Qg8! or lose Queen for Rook by 37 . . . Rg5 38 Qd2 Qe7 39 Rg1 Qe5 40 Rh1+ Kg7 41 Qd7+ Kf6 42 Rd1! Qe7 43 Qc6+. 36 Rd7 Kg4 37 Rd1 Qe3 38 Rd4+ Qxd4 No better is 38 . . . Kf5 39 Qf8+ Ke5 40 Qc5+ Kf6 41 Rd6+. 39 Qxd4+ Kh5 Or 39 . . . Kf5 40 Kb1 Rg4 41 Qd5+ Kf6 42 Qxa5, winning easily. 40 Qh8+ Kg4 41 Qg7! Kh5 42 Qh7+ Kg4 43 Kb1 Kf5 44 Qf7+ Ke4 If 44 . . . Kg4, White activates his King with 45 Kc2 Rc5+ 46 Kd3 g5 47 Ke4 Rc1 48 Qf3+ Kh4 49 Kf5 Rc5+ 50 Kf6. Then 50 . . . Rc1 drops the Rook to 51 Qf2+ Kh5 52 Qh2+ Kg4 53 Qg2+ Kf4 54 Qxg5+. 45 Qf6, Black Resigns. A Black pawn must fall.

GM Van Wely (Netherlands) - GM Morozevich (Russia), Wijk aan Zee 2001: 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Nf3 dxc4 The Slav Defense to the Queen’s Gambit. 5 a4 c5!? Usual are 5 . . . Bf5 and 5 . . . Na6. Instead, Black aims for a Queen’s Gambit Accepted with the extra move a2-a4, which may hurt White. 6 d5 Or 6 e3 e6 7 Bxc4 cxd4 8 exd4 Be7, with equality. Bf5 7 e3 Not bad is 7 Nh4 Bd7 8 e4. e6 8 Bxc4 exd5 9 Nxd5 Nc6 10 Qb3! Forcing a concession by hitting b7 and f7. Qd7 11 Nxf6+ gxf6 12 Bd2 Not 12 0-0?? because 12 . . . Na5 13 Qc3 Nxc4 14 Qxc4 Bd3 wins the exchange. Rg8 13 Bc3?! With 13 0-0-0 0-0-0 14 Bc3, White keeps the initiative safely. 0-0-0!? Naturally, Morozevich rejects the passive 13 . . . Bg7 and the premature 13 . . . Rxg2? 14 Nh4. 14 Bxf7 Rxg2 15 Nh4?! Plausible, but Black uncorks an astonishing reply. White should gamble on 15 Bxf6. Ne5!! Suddenly Black’s pieces converge on White’s uncastled King. Black invites 16 Bxe5? Qd2+ and 16 Nxg2? Nf3+ 17 Ke2 Bd3+! 18 Kd1 (not 18 Kxf3 Qh3+ 19 Kf4 Bh6 mate) Bc4+. 16 Nxf5? Stunned, White misses 16 Bc4! Rg4 17 Bxe5 Qd2+ 18 Kf1 Rxc4 19 Nxf5 Qd5! 20 Ke2! fxe5 21 Rhd1, which should hold. Nd3+ 17 Kf1 After 17 Kd1 Kb8!, neither 18 Qe6 Nxf2+ 19 Kc1 Nxh1 nor 18 Be6 Qc6 19 Rf1 (else 19 . . . Rxf2) Qf3+ 20 Kc2 Qe2+ 21 Bd2 Nb4+ saves White. Rxf2+ 18 Kg1 Kb8! Calmly threatening 19 . . . Qxf5 and 19 . . . Qc6. White is lost. 19 Qe6 If 19 Be6, then 19 . . . Qc6 20 Nh4 Qe4 (intending 21 . . . Qxe3) 21 Re1 Qxh4 22 Qc4 Rd4! soon mates. Prettiest is 19 Ng3 Qc6 20 e4 c4! 21 Qb5 Qxb5 22 axb5 Bc5, anticipating the economical finish 23 Bxc4 Nf4 24 h4 Rxb2+ 25 Kf1 Rf2+ 26 Kg1 (or 26 Ke1 Ng2 mate) Ra2+ 27 Kf1 Rxa1+ 28 Bxa1 Rd1 mate. Tougher is 23 h4 Rxb2+ 24 Kf1 Rf2+ 25 Kg1, but both 25 . . . Rc2+ and 25 . . . Rd7 recover the piece advantageously. Rxf5 As a Queen trade will not stop Black’s attack: 20 Qxd7 Rxd7 21 Be6 Rg7 mate. 20 h4 Bd6 21 Rf1 Also 21 Rh3 and 21 Kg2 get mated by 21 . . . Rg8+! 22 Bxg8 Qg7+. Rg8+!, White Resigns.