Chinese Team Stars in Las Vegas

March 16, 2001

Position #5629: White to play and win. From the game Kishnev-Rabiega, Germany 2001.

Solution to Position #5628: White wins a Knight by 1 c4 Nde7 2 d5. If 1 . . . Nxd4, then 2 Qxd5! Rxd5 3 Bxd5 wins more material.

NATIONAL NEWS

A field of 864 players, led by 29 grandmasters, competed in the National Open last weekend in Las Vegas. Most members of the Chinese national team made successful American debuts, warming up for the U.S.-China match now underway in Seattle.

Vladimir Akopian of Armenia and Zhang Zhong of China tied for first place with scores of 5 1/2- 1/2, winning $6,000 apiece. Next at 5-1 were Chinese junior stars Yin Hao and Ni Hua and GMs Alexander Baburin (Ireland), Dmitry Gurevich (Illinois), Ildar Ibragimov (Russia), Alexander Ivanov (Massachusetts), Ye Jiangchuan (China), Alexander Stripunsky (New York) and Alex Yermolinsky (El Cerrito, Calif.).

Grandmasters Yuri Shulman (Belarus) and Alek Wojtkiewicz (Poland) shared first place in the Charles Linklater Memorial, an international title tournament that ended March 8 at the Mechanics Institute Chess Club in San Francisco. Each scored an undefeated 7-3. Gregory Shahade (Pennsylvania) also went undefeated and tied for third place at 6 1/2-3 1/2 with Alexander Baburin, who overcame two losses with a tournament-high five wins.

Michael Mulyar (Colorado) and IM Mladen Vucic (Novato) tied for fifth place at 5 1/2-4 1/2. Shahade and Mulyar fulfilled IM norms and should receive the title of International Master later this year.

The two Southern Californians, state champions Cyrus Lakdawala (San Diego) and Levon Altounian (Glendale), needed last-round victories to reach the IM standard of 5 1/2 points, but both fell short. Lakdawala scored 5-5, Altounian 4 1/2-5 1/2.

Other scores: Alexander Kretchetov (Russia), 4-6; WGM Camilla Baginskaite (El Cerrito, Calif.), 3 1/2-6 1/2; and Aaron Stearns (Mountain View), 0-11.

The Mechanics Institute, one of the oldest chess clubs in the country, has run several costly international tournaments thanks to a generous bequest from Charles Linklater, a former club member.

LOCAL NEWS

The Southern California High School Championship will take place Saturday and Sunday at Monroe High School in North Hills. All students in grades K-12 are eligible to play. The winner of the two-day Open section earns the title of 2001 state high school champion. Separate under-1400 and under-1000 sections are scheduled on Saturday only. Call Randy Hough at (626) 282-7412, or register at the site before 9 a.m.

Chess Palace, 4336 Katella Ave. in Los Alamitos, holds its monthly Super Sunday tournament on Sunday. It consists of five 30-minute games, starting at noon. For information on all Chess Palace events, call (562) 598-5099.

“Bad Bishops,” a chess club for children, meets daily from 2 to 7 p.m. at the Multicultural Center School, Compton Boulevard at Central in Compton. The new club, the first in Compton since 1966, teaches kids ages 6 to 14 how to play chess.

Franklin Carroll won last Sunday’s tournament at Chess Academy. Bill Faulk finished second. Grandmaster Eduard Gufeld, who offers free books to anyone who manages to draw or win in his weekly simultaneous exhibition, reports that he “saved his books.” The club, at 1335 N. La Brea Ave. in Hollywood, hosts another tournament (at 11 a.m.) and simul (at 3 p.m.) Sunday. Call (323) 883-0164 or (323) 512-4564 for information.

TODAY’S GAMES

GM Kasparov (Russia) - GM Shirov (Spain), Linares 2001: 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Nxe4 The Open Defense to the Ruy Lopez, a first for Shirov. 6 d4 b5 7 Bb3 d5 8 dxe5 Be6 9 Nbd2 Nc5 10 c3 d4 11 Ng5!? Tal’s 1978 suggestion, still considered “unclear.” Black has few worries after 11 Bxe6 Nxe6. Qxg5 In Kasparov - Anand #10, New York 1995, White refuted 11 . . . dxc3 12 Nxe6 fxe6 13 bxc3 Qd3 with 14 Bc2! Qxc3 15 Nb3! Nxb3 16 Bxb3 Qxa1 17 Qh5+ g6 18 Qf3 Nd8 19 Rd1! Rb8 20 Qd3. 12 Qf3 0-0-0 This game may shift theory’s spotlight to the messy alternative 12 . . . Bd7 13 Bxf7+ Ke7 14 Bd5. 13 Bxe6+ fxe6 14 Qxc6 Qxe5 15 b4 Qd5 16 Qxd5 exd5 17 bxc5 dxc3 Black has two menacing passers for the Knight. However, Kasparov restrains them without any obvious mistakes by Black. Is 12 . . . 0-0-0 unsound? 18 Nb3 d4 19 Ba3 Inviting 19 . . . d3, as 20 Bb4 c2 21 a4 controls d2. g6 20 Bb4 Bg7 21 a4! Kd7 Apparently forced. If 21 . . . d3 22 axb5 axb5, White uses mate threats to win a second piece: 23 c6 Kb8 24 Bc5! c2 25 Ba7+ Kc8 26 Bd4! Kb8 27 Bxg7. 22 axb5 axb5 23 Rfd1 As White, Shirov beat Timman in 1996 with 23 Rad1 Ke6 24 Rfe1+ Kd5 25 Bxc3 Kc4 26 Ba5 Kxb3 27 Rb1+ Kc4 28 Rec1+ Kd5 29 c6 Kd6 30 Rxb5. Ke6 24 Rac1! Preventing 24 . . . Kd5 because of 25 Rxc3. The plausible 24 Rd3?! Kd5 25 Bxc3 Kc4 26 Rad1, which hopes for 26 . . . Kxb3? 27 Bxd4+ Kc4 28 Rc3+, allows the resource 26 . . . dxc3! 27 Na5+ Kxc5 28 Nb7+ Kc4. White must settle for repetition with 29 Na5+ Kc5 30 Nb7+, as 29 Rxd8? Rxd8 30 Nxd8 c2 31 Rc1 Kc3 wins for Black. Rhe8 What else? If 24 . . . Rd5 25 Rd3 Ra8, then 26 Re1+ Kf5 27 Bxc3 wins routinely. 25 Kf1 Kf5 26 c6?! Giving Black a little hope. Most direct is 26 Rd3 Ke4 27 Rcd1 c2 28 R1d2 Bh6 29 f3+ or 26 . . . Bh6!? 27 Re1! c2 28 Bd2, neutralizing the passers. g5 27 Ba5 Rd6 28 Bb4 Rdd8 If 28 . . . Rxc6 29 Nxd4+ Bxd4 30 Rxd4 c2, the finesse 31 Rd5+! Ke4 32 Rd2, anticipating 32 . . . Rc4 33 Rdxc2! Rxb4 34 Re2+, clinches victory. 29 Rd3! g4 Or 29 . . . Ke4 30 Rcd1, threatening 31 Bxc3. 30 Bc5?! Ke4 31 Rcd1 h5? Only 31 . . . Re6 resists. The passers cause trouble after either 32 Nxd4 Bxd4 33 Rxd4+ Rxd4 34 Rxd4+ Ke5 35 Rd1 Rxc6 or 32 f3+ gxf3 33 gxf3+ Kf5, while 32 Bxd4 c2 33 Re3+ Kf5 34 Rde1 Bxd4 35 Rxe6 Bc3 36 R1e4 Rd1+ 37 Ke2 c1Q 38 Nxc1 Rxc1 leaves White’s Rooks awkwardly placed. 32 Nxd4 Relying on 32 . . . c2 33 f3+. b4 33 Re3+ Kd5 34 Bxb4! Simplifying to any easy endgame. Kc4 Against 34 . . . Bxd4 35 Bxc3 Re4, White wins with 36 Rxe4 Kxe4 37 Ke2 Rd6 38 f3+ gxf3+ 39 gxf3+ Ke5 40 Rxd4 Rxd4 41 Ke3. 35 Bxc3 Rxe3 36 fxe3 Rf8+ Or 36 . . . Kxc3 37 Ne2+. 37 Ke2 Kxc3 38 Ne6, Black Resigns. After 38 . . . Rg8 39 Nxg7 Rxg7 40 Rd7 Rg5 41 Rxc7 Rc5 42 Rh7, White keeps two extra pawns.

GM Pushkov (Russia) - IM Yu Shaoteng (China), Cappelle la Grande 2001: 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 e6 3 c4 b6 4 g3 Ba6 A Nimzovich idea in the Queen’s Indian Defense. 5 Qb3!? Nc6 6 Bd2 Bb7 7 d5 Fashionable, but probably harmless. Ne7 8 dxe6 fxe6 9 Bg2 Nf5 10 0-0 Bc5 11 Bc3 Also 11 Nc3 0-0 12 Qc2 Qe8 appears adequate for Black. 0-0 Passing up 11 . . . Ne4 12 Nbd2. 12 Nbd2 Qe8 13 Qc2 a5 14 e4?! Clever, but Black finds a great answer. Either 14 Nb3 or 14 Bxf6 Rxf6 15 Ne4 maintains equality. Nh6 15 e5 Nfg4 16 Ng5? Hitting b7 and h7. Rf5 17 Bxb7 Qh5! Much stronger than 17 . . . Rb8 18 Bg2 Nxf2 (not 18 . . . Rxg5? 19 Ne4 Rh5 because 20 h3 Nxe5 21 Nxc5 bxc5 22 g4 wins a Knight) 19 Nb3! Nh3+ 20 Kh1 Rxf1+ 21 Rxf1 Nxg5, as 22 Nxc5 bxc5 23 h4 Ngf7 24 Be4 gives White excellent compensation for a pawn. 18 Ndf3 Rb8 19 Be4 Rxf3! Black will remove the defenders of h2. Faulty is 19 . . . Rxg5? 20 Qd2 Nf7 21 Kg2, when White threatens 22 h3. 20 Nxf3 Qh3! 21 Bxh7+ Tougher is 21 Bd2 Rf8 22 Bf4, but Black still wins with 22 . . . g5! 23 Bc6 (hoping for 23 . . . dxc6?? 24 Qxh7+!) Rf7 24 Rad1 gxf4 25 Rxd7 fxg3 26 hxg3 Qxg3+ 27 Kh1 Qh3+ 28 Kg1 Rf5. Kh8 22 Bd2 Rf8 23 Bf4 Rxf4, White Resigns. After 24 gxf4 Qxf3, White is helpless against 25 . . . Qh3.