Chess: Top chess official re-elected

Position No. 6129: Black to play and win. From the game Ahmad Fawzi Samhouri-Judit Polgar, 39th Olympiad, Khanty-Mansiysk 2010.

Solution to Position No. 6128: White wins with 1 Rxg7!, as 1…Kxg7 permits 2 Qxh6+! Kxh6 3 Bxf6 mate.

The World Chess Federation (FIDE) held its annual meeting during the recent 39th Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. The main item on the agenda was the election of officers.

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov of Russia, FIDE president since 1995, won reelection to a four-year term by a vote of 95 to 55 over former world champion Anatoly Karpov. The result demonstrates that FIDE is run by and for officials. Players, even those as esteemed as Karpov and former champion Garry Kasparov (who campaigned vigorously for Karpov), have little chance to lead the organization.

Every national federation could cast one vote. The secret ballot system was supposed to help voters sympathetic to Karpov but afraid to publicly oppose the incumbent.

The U.S. Chess Federation, one of five national federations to back Karpov in an unsuccessful suit challenging Ilyumzhinov’s nomination, will have to pay a portion of the court costs. Former USCF president Beatriz Marinello, who defied USCF leaders to run on Ilyumzhinov’s slate, was elected FIDE vice president.

Immediately after the election, Ilyumzhinov and Karpov appeared in a public display of unity. However, Karpov later told chessbase.com that he did so only in return for Ilyumzhinov’s promise to refrain from lawsuits against Karpov’s supporters.

International news

FIDE accepted the bid of Tromso, Norway, to host the 2014 Olympiad. The 2012 Olympiad had already been awarded to Istanbul.

The 3rd Grand Slam was scheduled to conclude Friday (past this column’s deadline) in Bilbao, Spain. You can see games and standings at bilbaofinalmasters.com.

Local news

Metropolitan Chess, the new club in downtown Los Angeles, held its first weekend tournament Oct. 2-3. Ryan Porter took first prize with a 5-1 score, losing to Ankit Gupta but defeating three other masters. Gupta and state co-champion Joel Banawa tied for second at 41/2-11/2.

The club will conduct a one-day tournament on Oct. 23. Write to Michael Belcher at td@chess.com for details.

Eli Minoofar won the 26-player scholastic tournament held Oct. 3 at the Beverly Hills Chess Club. Mick Peterson and Ben Rood took the next places, and Narek Avetisyan, Ethan Minoofar and Gia Peterson won medals. The club runs a variety of events at 8950 W. Olympic Blvd. in Beverly Hills, including a rated scholastic tournament on the first Sunday of the month. For information, call Isabelle Minoofar at (310) 274-7873.

The AAA Chess Club will conduct a five-round scholastic tournament on Oct. 23 at First Lutheran Church, 1300 E. Colorado Blvd. in Glendale. Every entrant will win a prize. For details, call Nshan Keshishian at (323) 578-0514, or see aaachessclub.com.

Games of the week

GM Zoltan Almasi (Hungary)-GM Bartlomiej Macieja (Poland), 39th Olympiad, Khanty-Mansiysk 2010: 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 g6 The Accelerated Fianchetto, a form of the Sicilian Dragon. 5 c4 The Maroczy Bind. By controlling d5, White hopes to limit Black’s activity. Nf6 6 Nc3 d6 7 Be2 Nxd4 8 Qxd4 Bg7 9 Be3 0-0 10 Qd2 a5 A mildly fashionable alternative to 10…Be6 and 10…Qa5. 11 Rd1 Be6 12 0-0 a4 13 f4! Qa5 14 Bd4 Qb4?! Black should try 14…Rfc8 15 b3 axb3, activating his Rooks. 15 a3! Qa5 White refutes 15…Qb3? by 16 Rde1! Rfc8 (not 16…Bxc4?? 17 Bd1, trapping the Queen) 17 f5 Bd7 18 Rf3. 16 Qe3! Rac8?! White will shove Black’s Queen out of action. Black cannot stand 16…Ng4? 17 Bxg4 Bxg4 18 Bxg7 Kxg7 19 Rd5! Qa7 20 Qxa7 Rxa7 21 f5, so he should meekly retreat with 16…Qc7. 17 Bb6 Qa8 18 c5! dxc5 19 Bxc5 Black has too many weak squares and loose pawns. Rfe8 20 Rd2 Prudent. The hasty 20 f5?! Bb3 21 Rd2 lets Black resist with 21…Bh6 22 Qxh6 Rxc5. Nd7 The computer suggests 20…b5!? 21 f5 Bc4, although 22 Bxc4 bxc4 23 h3 is still miserable for Black. 21 Bb4 Nb8 It’s shocking to see a strong GM reduced to such desperate measures. 22 f5 Bb3 23 Nd5 Welcoming 23…Bxd5 24 exd5. Then 24…Nd7 would lose prettily to 25 Bb5 Rcd8 26 fxg6 hxg6 27 Rxf7! Kxf7 28 Qe6+ Kf8 29 Rf2+ Nf6 30 Rxf6+ Bxf6 31 Qxf6+ Kg8 32 Qxg6+ Kf8 33 Bd2. Nc6 24 Nb6 Qa7 25 Bc5 Rcd8 26 Nd7 Qa8 27 Bb6 Rc8 All Black can claim is that he has avoided losing material yet. 28 e5 Na5 After 28…gxf5 29 Rxf5 Be6 30 Rg5 Kh8 31 Bd3, White plans 32 Qe4. 29 e6! gxf5 If 29…f6 30 fxg6 hxg6 31 Bd3 f5, quickest is 32 Bxf5! gxf5 33 Bd4!, when Black’s pieces cannot rescue his marooned King. 30 Rxf5 Rc1+ 31 Kf2 Nc6 32 Rxf7 Kh8 33 Qe4 Intending 34 Bd3. Rh1 34 h3, Black Resigns.

IM Meilis Annaberdiev (Turkmenistan)-GM Bu Xiangzhi (China), 39th Olympiad, Khanty-Mansiysk 2010: 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 g6 4 d4 cxd4 5 Nxd4 Bg7 6 Be3 Nf6 7 Bc4 0-0 8 Bb3 d6 9 f3 Bd7 10 Qd2 A common position in the Sicilian Dragon. Usually Black continues 10…Rc8 or 10…Nxd4 11 Bxd4 b5. Na5!? A Bu specialty. 11 0-0-0 Another line begins 11 Bh6 Bxh6 12 Qxh6 e5!? 13 Nde2 Nxb3 14 axb3 b5. Nxb3+ 12 cxb3! Too shaky is 12 axb3?! a5, while 12 Nxb3 b5 cedes the initiative to Black. Qa5 13 Kb1 Theory used to regard this position as very promising for White because the doubled b-pawns shield his King, giving him time to slowly pry open Black’s Kingside. Bu disagrees, and he can boast of several victories as Black. Rfc8 14 g4 Sidestepping 14 h4 h5. However, 14 Bh6, followed by h2-h4-h5, makes a lot of sense. b5 Inviting 15 Ncxb5?! Qxd2 16 Rxd2 e5 17 Nxd6 exd4 18 Bxd4 Rc7, when White’s pawns aren’t worth a piece. 15 Bh6 Bxh6 16 Qxh6 b4 17 Nce2 Qe5! Powerful centralization. Black will parry 18 h4 strongly by 18…Bxg4! 19 fxg4 Qxe4+ 20 Ka1 Nxg4. 18 Ng3 a5 19 Rhg1 Trying to revive his Kingside attack. He cannot slow Black by 19 Qd2, as 19…a4! 20 Qxb4?! axb3 causes trouble after either 21 Nxb3 Be6 22 Rd3 Nd7 or 21 a3 Ra4 22 Qd2 Bxg4! 23 fxg4 Nxe4. The latter variation might continue 24 Nxe4 Qxe4+ 25 Ka1 (or 25 Qd3 Rxd4!) Rxd4! 26 Qxd4 Rc1+ 27 Rxc1 Qxd4. a4 20 bxa4?! Now White should lose a brilliancy. Yielding a pawn by 20 f4 Nxg4 (Black must avoid 20…Qc5?? 21 Ngf5) 21 fxe5 Nxh6 22 exd6 exd6 23 bxa4 Rxa4 24 Nh5 offers fair chances to draw. Rxa4 21 Ngf5 It’s too late for 21 f4? Qc5 22 Ngf5 because Black’s attack arrives first: 22…Bxf5 23 Nxf5 Qc2+ 24 Ka1 Rxa2+, or 23 gxf5 Nxe4 24 fxg6 Qc1+! 25 Rxc1 Nd2+ 26 Ka1 Rxa2+! 27 Kxa2 Ra8 mate. Nxe4! 22 Qe3 Good enough to confuse Black. Instead, 22 fxe4 gets mated by 22…Qxe4+ 23 Ka1 Rxa2+ 24 Kxa2 b3+! 25 Kxb3 (or 25 Ka3 Qa8+) Qd5+! 26 Kb4 Qc5+. gxf5? Black should clinch victory by 22…Bxf5 23 Nxf5 Rxa2! 24 Kxa2 Qe6+ 25 b3 Nc3+ 26 Kb2 Nxd1+ 27 Rxd1 gxf5, gaining two pawns. 23 gxf5+ Ng3 Keeping more advantage than 23…Kh8 24 fxe4. 24 Rxg3+ Kh8 25 Qg5 Ra5 26 Qd2? Most tenacious is 26 Rg4 Bxf5+ 27 Nxf5 Qxf5+ 28 Qxf5 Rxf5 29 Rxb4 Rxf3, but three passers will beat two. Bxf5+ 27 Ka1?! Rxa2+! 28 Kxa2 Qd5+, White Resigns. The finish would be 29 b3 Qa5+ 30 Kb2 Qa3 mate.