Chess: A 31-month cliffhanger

Position No. 6119: White to play and win. From the game Tigran Gharamian-B. Adhipan, Paris 2010.

Solution to Position No. 6118: White wins with 1 Ng6+! hxg6 (the hopeless 1…Rxg6 2 fxg6 lasts longer) 2 Rh4+! (even quicker than 2 Qxg5 Rg7 3 Rh4+ Kg8 4 fxg6, which sets up 5 Qh5) Kg7 3 Qxg5 Kf8 4 Rh7 Qd8 5 f6 Ke8 6 f7+ Kd7 7 fxg8Q. Instead, 3…Qd8 would lose to 4 Qh6+ Kf7 5 e6+ Ke8 6 Qxg6+! or 5…Kf6 6 Rf4.

Aleksandr Surenovich Dronov of Russia edged Jurgen Bucker of Germany on tiebreak to win the 22nd World Correspondence Championship. If any tournament that lasts 31 months can be called thrilling, this one qualifies. In the endgame of the crucial battle between the rivals, Dronov had an extra Knight but was hampered by the notorious “wrong Rook’s pawn.” After 91 moves and long after all the other games had finished, he managed to win. Each scored 111/2 -41/2.

Two-time world champion Joop van Oosterom of the Netherlands, the highest-rated correspondence player in history, finished third with 11-5. Tim Murray, the leading American in the 17-player round robin, took eighth place with a respectable 8 1/2-7 1/2 score.

Correspondence chess, formerly played by postcards, now uses an Internet server to eliminate delays in transmitting moves. However, players still get plenty of thinking time – typically, 50 days for each 10 moves. Adherents claim that top correspondence games are of higher quality than over-the-board masterpieces. Take a look at the dazzling game below and make your own judgment.

U.S. Open

The final round of the U.S. Open begins at 3 p.m. Sunday in the Hyatt Regency, 17900 Jamboree Road in Irvine. Spectators are welcome.

Two side events finished Tuesday. Steven Zierk of Los Gatos scored 51/2-1/2 to win the Denker Tournament of High School Champions. The field of 49 players, including nine masters, represented 47 states. Emily Tallo of Indiana scored 51/2-1/2 to lead the 25-player Girls Junior Open.

Local news

Time is running out for donations to the state championship, which begins Saturday. See scchess.com for an explanation of the rewards program for donors.

Robert Xue, Jerry Harrison and John Yu won prizes in the Liberty Open, the Pasadena Chess Club’s 44-player tournament. The club runs tournaments continuously on Friday evenings in the Boys and Girls Club, 3230 E. Del Mar Blvd. in Pasadena. Call Randy Hough at (626) 282-7412 for more information.

Simon Kogan and Bruce Miller led their sections in the Santa Monica Bay Chess Club’s July quads. The club, which meets Monday evenings in St. Andrew’s Church, 11555 National Blvd. in Los Angeles, will begin August quads at 7 p.m. Monday. Call Pete Savino at (310) 827-2789 for details.

The best game prize in the recent Pacific Southwest Open has been awarded to IM Tim Taylor for his victory over Robert Akopian. The game was published in the July 18 chess column.

Today’s games

Warren Harper-Tyler Hughes, U.S. Junior Championship, St. Louis 2010: 1 c4 g6 2 Nc3 Bg7 3 g3 Nf6 4 Bg2 0-0 5 e4 Botvinnik’s system in the English Opening. d6 6 Nge2 e5 7 0-0 Nbd7 8 f4?! Premature. White should settle for 8 d3. c6 9 h3 b5! Black has usurped the initiative. 10 d3 bxc4 11 dxc4 exf4 12 gxf4 Qb6+ 13 Kh2 Ne8?! Black has the edge after 13…Rd8, as 14 Qxd6?? would lose the Queen to 14…Nc5 15 Qe7 Rd7. 14 Rb1 f5?? Disastrous! Instead, 14…Ba6 15 b3 Rd8 keeps equal chances. 15 exf5 Rxf5 16 b4 Quite strong, although White could win a pawn at once by 16 Nd5! Qd8 17 Ne3. Rb8 17 b5 cxb5?! Black suffers because of White’s reactivated light-square Bishop. His last chance is 17…c5 18 Nd5 Qd8. 18 Nd5 Qd8 19 Nd4! After a ragged opening, White redeems himself with a splendid attack. Bxd4 Creating new worries on the dark squares, but Black could not stop both 21 Nxf5 and 21 Nc6. 20 Qxd4 Ng7 To block the a1-h8 diagonal. Black cannot survive 20…Nc5 21 Bb2 Kf7 22 Ne3 Rf6 23 cxb5, when White’s minor pieces are hyperactive. 21 Bb2 Qf8 If 21…Rf7, one method is 22 f5! gxf5 23 Rxf5, refuting 23…Ne5 by 24 Rxf7 Kxf7 25 Qxa7+ Rb7 26 Qf2+ Nf5 27 Ne3. 22 Rbe1 Rf7 23 Ne7+! Anyway. Rxe7 No better is 23…Kh8 24 f5! gxf5 25 Qh4, intending 26 Ng6+. If 25…Rf6 26 Bxf6 Qxf6, White breaks through by 27 Ng6+. 24 Bd5+! Kh8 Or 24…Rf7 25 Re8! Qxe8 26 Qxg7 mate. 25 Rxe7 Qxe7 26 Re1 Ne5 Not 26…Qf8 because of 27 Qxg7+ Qxg7 28 Re8+ Nf8 29 Rxf8 mate. 27 fxe5 bxc4 Setting the trap 28 exd6?? Rxb2+! 29 Qxb2 Qxe1. 28 e6?! Most persuasive is 28 Bc3! h6 29 Qf4, making e5xd6 an unstoppable threat. Bb7 Black could hold out longer with 28…h5 29 Bc3 Kh7. 29 Bxb7 Qxb7 30 Bc3 Qe7 As 30…Re8 does not stop 31 e7: 31…Rxe7 32 Qxg7+!, mating. 31 Rf1! Rg8?! The resourceful 31…Kg8! 32 Rf7 Nxe6 33 Rxe7 Nxd4 34 Bxd4 Rb1 reaches an endgame. White should win with 35 Rg7+ Kf8 36 Rxh7 Rd1 37 Bc3 Rc1 38 Bb4, but care is required. 32 Qd5! White wants more than the extra Bishop he obtains by 32 Rf7 Qxe6 33 Rxg7 Qe5+. Rf8 33 Qb7!, Black Resigns.

Jurgen Bucker (Germany)-Rune Holmberg (Sweden), 22nd World Correspondence Championship, 2007-2010: 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bg5 Be7 The Classical system, the standard treatment of the French Defense until Botvinnik popularized 3…Bb4 in the 1940s. 5 e5 Nfd7 6 h4!? The Alekhine-Chatard Attack. 0-0 Better than its poor reputation. White gets fair compensation from 6…Bxg5 7 hxg5 Qxg5 8 Nh3 or 8 Qd3. Theory concentrates on 6…a6 and 6…c5 7 Bxe7 Kxe7. 7 Qg4 Re8?! To clear f8 for a Knight or Bishop, but ineffective. The critical variation begins 7…f6!? 8 Nf3!? fxg5 9 Bd3 Rf5 10 Nxd5, with incomprehensible complications. 8 f4 c5 9 Nf3 Nc6 10 0-0-0 a6?! Too slow. Black must seek counterplay by 10…cxd4 11 Nxd4 Qb6 12 Nf3 Bb4. 11 dxc5 Nxc5 12 Bd3! Eyeing h7. For example, White wins after 12…Bd7? 13 Bxh7+! Kxh7 14 Qh5+ Kg8 15 Bxe7 Nxe7 16 Ng5 Ng6 17 Qh7+ Kf8 18 h5 Nxe5 19 Qh8+ Ke7 20 Qxg7 or 12…f5? 13 exf6 Bxf6 14 Bxh7+! Kxh7 15 Qh5+ Kg8 16 Bxf6 gxf6 17 Qg6+ Kf8 18 Ng5! Re7 (as 18…fxg5 19 hxg5 leads to mate) 19 Nh7+ Rxh7 20 Qxh7. Nxd3+ 13 Rxd3 f6?! The alternatives are only slightly more attractive. Black can reach a miserable endgame by 13…Kh8 14 Qh5 g6 15 Qh6 Bf8 16 Qxf8+ Rxf8 17 Bxd8 Rxd8 18 h5 or accept paralyzing dark-square weaknesses by 13…Bd7 14 h5 f5 15 exf6 Bxf6 16 h6 g6 17 Qg3. 14 exf6 Bxf6 15 Ne4! With literally days to ponder each move, a correspondence player can see very deeply in tactical positions. Here, White finds an intricate sequence that clinches victory. Bxg5 Avoiding the possible finish 15…Kh8 16 Ne5! Nxe5 17 fxe5 Bxg5 18 hxg5 g6 19 Rxh7+! Kxh7 20 Qh4+ Kg8 21 Rh3. Black drops “only” a pawn by 15…e5 16 Qh5 g6 17 Nxf6+ Qxf6 18 Bxf6 gxh5 19 Nxe5, but that’s decisive. 16 hxg5 Threatening both 17 Nf6+ and 17 Qh5. e5 17 f5! Not 17 Qh4?, as 17…Bf5 defends. Rf8 White would destroy 17…Kh8 by 18 Rxh7+! Kxh7 19 Qh5+ Kg8 20 g6 Qc7 21 Rxd5. With 17…Rf8, Black invites 18 Nf6+ Rxf6. 18 Ng3! Most convincing. White had to foresee 18…e4 19 Qh5 exd3 20 Qxh7+ Kf7 21 f6, when neither 21…Rg8 22 Re1 Be6 23 Qh5+ Kf8 24 Rxe6 nor 21…Ke6 22 Nf5! d4 23 fxg7 Rg8 24 Rh6+ Kd5 25 Rd6+ Qxd6 26 Nxd6 saves Black. g6 19 Qh4 Qc7 20 fxg6 e4 21 Nh5! Beautiful! White anticipates 21…Nb4 22 Rc3! Nxa2+ 23 Kd2 Nxc3 24 gxh7+ Kh8 25 g6, leaving Black helpless against 26 g7+. Or, if 21…exd3 22 Nf6+ Rxf6 23 gxf6, Black cannot resist against 24 f7+. Bf5 22 Nf6+, Black Resigns. Black could linger a while after 22…Rxf6 23 gxf6 Bxg6 24 Ng5 Rf8, but White would continue attacking by 25 Ne6 Qf7 26 Rg3 Re8 27 Nf4 Ne5 28 Nxd5, with an advantage in material.