India’s Anand Wins Mexico Match

May 25, 2001

Position #5639: Black to play and win. From the game M. Gurevich--Sutovsky, Essen 2001.

Solution to Position #5638: White wins material by 1 Nxe7+! Nxe7 2 Rxc8+ Qxc8 3 Qxa7. If 2 . . . Nxc8, then 3 Qd8+ Bf8 4 e7 wins.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Viswanathan Anand of India won the strongest tournament ever held in Mexico. Anand, the world’s third-ranked player and the official World Chess Federation champion, scored an undefeated 4 1/2-1 1/2 in the Magistral tournament, which ended Tuesday in Merida, Yucatan.

Nigel Short of England took second prize at 3 1/2-2 1/2, a half-point ahead of 1999 chess federation champion Alexander Khalifman of Russia. Mexico’s top grandmaster, Gilberto Hernandez, finished fourth at 1-5. Hernandez nearly defeated Anand in their first game.

This is the second year that Merida has hosted a double round robin featuring Hernandez and three elite visitors. Alexey Shirov of Spain won the 2000 edition of the tournament.

The true world champion, Vladimir Kramnik, shares the early lead in another prestigious double round robin in Astana, Kazakhstan. Kramnik and the man he dethroned, Garry Kasparov, have scores of 2 1/2- 1/2 after three of 10 rounds. Boris Gelfand (Israel) and Shirov are tied for third place with 1 1/2-1 1/2. Kasparov’s Web site, www.kasparovchess.com, offers live coverage of the games.

LOCAL NEWS

There will be no Memorial Day Classic this year. The tournament, one of the largest in California since its inception in 1980, was canceled because the organizer could not rent a playing site for a reasonable price. Two smaller tournaments will try to fill the weekend’s chess void.

Chess Palace, 4336 Katella Ave. in Los Alamitos, will conduct a five-round event on Saturday and Sunday. For more information on this tournament and many other Chess Palace events, call (562) 598-5099 or visit the Web site at https://www.chesspalace.com.

The Wilshire Chess Society will run its monthly tournament of 45-minute games on May 27. The tournament takes place in Community Room “C” on the third floor of the Westside Pavilion, Pico at Westwood in Los Angeles. Entrants should register at the site at 10:30 a.m.

The Just Play Chess tournament, a six-rounder on Friday evenings, begins June 1 at the La Habra Chess Club. The club meets at 7 p.m. Fridays in the Veterans Memorial Hall, Orange at Erna in La Habra. For more information, call Jerry Schain at (562) 691-2393 or Bob Goulet at (562) 947-6739.

Gregg Fritchle scored 5 1/2- 1/2 to win the Chesstosterone Checkup, a 23-player tournament at the La Palma Chess Club. Joe Hanley finished second at 4 1/2-1 1/2. Class prizes went to Leigh Hunt (best A), Bill Martino (best B), Harold Valery (best C), and John Balk (best D). The club begins a five-round tournament at 6 p.m. tonight in Central Park, 7821 Walker St. in La Palma.

TODAY’S GAMES

GM Shirov (Spain)--GM Kasparov (Russia), Astana 2001: 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 Be3 e6 The Scheveningen variation, a reliable form of the Sicilian Defense. 7 Be2 Fear or prudence? Shirov, the greatest expert on the piece sacrifice 7 g4!? e5 8 Nf5 g6 9 g5 gxf5 10 exf5, chooses not to risk it. Could his horrible record (at least 10 losses, without a single win) against Kasparov have warped his judgment? Qc7 8 0-0 b5 9 a4!? A middle course between the passive 9 f3?! and the unsound 9 f4?! b4 10 Na4 Nxe4. b4 10 Na2 Nxe4 11 c3!? Or 11 Nxb4 d5, equalizing. b3 Kasparov feared 11 . . . bxc3 12 Rc1 Bb7 13 Nxc3, when Black’s development lags. 12 Qxb3 Be7 13 Bf3 Bb7 14 Qc2 Nf6 15 Bxb7 Qxb7 Once Black completes development, his central pawns assure him an advantage. White needs activity now. 16 b4 0-0 17 b5 Ng4 18 Bf4? Kasparov analyzed 18 Bd2 Rc8 19 Nb4 Bf6, followed by . . . Ng4-e5-c4. Probably White should keep the game unclear with 18 Nb4 Nxe3 19 fxe3. e5 19 Qe2 exd4! Simple and strong. White would not mind 19 . . . f5 20 h3. 20 Qxg4 axb5 Black’s QR enters the fray, embarrassing White’s Knight. 21 axb5 Qxb5 22 cxd4 Qc4 23 Rae1 Nc6 24 Nc1?! Kasparov recommended 24 Rc1 Qxd4 25 Rxc6 Rxa2 26 Qg3, writing “White is close to a draw.” Qxd4 25 Ne2 Qa4 Dissuading White from 26 Ng3?? Ne5. 26 Qg3 Rfd8 27 Nc3 Qb3 White cannot blockade the d-pawn: 28 Rb1 Qc4 29 Rfd1 allows 29 . . . Ra3. 28 Re3 d5 29 Bh6 Bf8 30 Ne4 Black handles 30 Bg5 with 30 . . . d4! 31 Bxd8 dxe3. Qb2 31 Nc5?! White lasts much longer with 31 Bg5 dxe4 32 Bxd8, but the two pieces will eventually overpower his Rook. Bxc5 32 Rc3 Bxf2+! Pocketing a second pawn. 33 Rxf2 Ra1+ 34 Rf1 Qb6+ 35 Re3 Rxf1+ 36 Kxf1 Qd4 37 Qc7?! Qc4+, White Resigns.

GM Anand (India)--GM Short (England), Merida 2001: 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 d6 The Modern Steinitz Defense to the Ruy Lopez. 5 c3 g6 6 d4 Bd7 7 0-0 Bg7 8 Re1 Another plan begins 8 dxe5 dxe5 9 Be3, intending Be3-c5. Nge7 9 d5 Na5 The usual 9 . . . Nb8 10 Bc2 also leaves Black’s pieces awkwardly jumbled. 10 Bxd7+ Qxd7 11 b3 0-0 12 c4 c5 Now the game resembles a Benoni. The players must strive to open the b-file or the f-file. 13 Bd2 b6 14 Qc1 Nb7 15 a3 f5 Or 15 . . . b5 16 Nc3 Rab8, hoping to use the b-file. 16 Nc3 f4 An attractive idea. Black gains space and prepares the breakthrough . . . g6-g5-g4-g3. 17 Qc2 Bf6 18 Reb1 Qc7 19 Ne1 g5 20 Na4 Nc8 Short, normally an energetic attacker, inexplicably fails to press on the Kingside. His promising position gradually deteriorates. 21 b4 Bd8 22 Rb3 Ra7 23 Rab1 Qg7 24 bxc5 bxc5 25 Nd3 Rf7 Passive defense cannot succeed, even if Black barricades the b-file. 26 Bc3! To parry 26 . . . g4 by 27 g3 f3 28 Nf4. Re7 27 Qe2 Threatening 28 Qg4. The answer 27 . . . g4? allows 28 Nxf4. Rc7 28 g3! An odd situation. White controls less space on the Kingside but usurps the initiative. Qd7 29 Nab2 Qh3 30 Kh1 Rf7 31 gxf4 gxf4 After 31 . . . exf4 32 Rg1, White will blast open the center with e4-e5. 32 Rg1+ Kf8 33 Qd1 Thinking of 34 Bxe5 dxe5 35 Nxe5. f3 34 Rg3 Qh4 35 Qg1 Ne7 Not 35 . . . Qxe4? because 36 Rg8+ Ke7 37 Qg5+ Rf6 (or 37 . . . Kd7 38 Rxb7+ Rxb7 39 Qxd8 mate) 38 Rxb7+ Rxb7 39 Rg7+ costs a piece. 36 Bxe5! dxe5 37 Nxe5 White’s pieces are more active and his King is much safer. Black is lost. Nd6 38 Rbxf3 Qxe4 White refutes 38 . . . Rxf3 39 Rxf3+ Ke8 by 40 Qg7 Ng6 41 Qxa7. 39 Nxf7 Nxf7 40 Nd3 Ng6 Worse are 40 . . . Qxc4 41 Rxf7+ Kxf7 42 Ne5+ and 40 . . . Bb6 41 Qg2! Ke8 42 Rg4 Qe2 43 Rg8+. 41 Nxc5 Qxc4 42 Ne6+ Ke8 43 Qd1 Rd7 44 Rd3 Bb6 45 Rg4 Qa2 46 Re4 Inviting 46 . . . Qxf2 47 Rf3 Qa2 48 Nc5+ Re7 49 Qa4+! Kf8 50 Rxe7, mating. Nfe5 47 Rd2 Qxa3 48 f4 Nf7 As 48 . . . Qf3+ 49 Qxf3 Nxf3 loses a piece to 50 Ng5+. 49 Rd3 Qa2 50 Rb3 Rd6 Against 50 . . . Bd8, White forces mate efficiently by 51 Nc7+ Kf8 52 Re8+ Kg7 53 Ne6+ Kh6 54 Rxd8 Nxd8 55 Rh3+. 51 Nc5+ Ne7 Neither 51 . . . Kd8 52 Re2 Qa5 53 Nb7+ nor 51 . . . Kf8 52 Rxb6 Rxb6 53 Nd7+ survives. 52 Qe1! Yet another mating scheme. White foresees 52 . . . Bxc5 53 Rxe7+ Kf8 54 Rxf7+! Kxf7 55 Rb7+ Kg6 56 Qe4+. Bd8 53 Re2, Black Resigns. As 53 . . . Qa5 54 Rxe7+ exploits the overworked Bishop.