Chess: Magnus Carlsen beats world champion

Position No. 6123: Black to play and win. From the game Konstantin Kavutskiy-Joel Banawa, Southern California Championship, Century City 2010.

Solution to Position No. 6122: White wins the Queen by 1 Rxc5! Rxc5 2 Be6+ Kg7 3 Rd7+. Or, if 2…Rf7, White forces checkmate by 3 Rd8+ Kg7 4 Rh8.

The Arctic Securites Chess Stars tournament brought four outstanding grandmasters to Kristiansund, Norway, for a series of 20-minute games. World champion Viswanathan Anand of India competed for the first time since defeating Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria in the world championship in May.

Anand dominated the preliminaries with a score of 5-1, yielding two draws to his chief rival, Magnus Carlsen of Norway. Carlsen, ranked first in the world, scored only 31/2-21/2 because of a loss to Norway’s second young star, Jon Ludvig Hammer.

In the final on Monday, though, Carlsen won the first game against Anand and comfortably drew the second to win the tournament. Hammer beat the world’s best female player, Judit Polgar of Hungary, to take third place.

Local news

The Southern California Open continues today and Monday at the Hilton Hotel, 5711 W. Century Blvd. in Los Angeles. Entries are still open for two side events scheduled Monday. Details are posted at westernchess.com.

The Los Angeles Vibe, the new entry in the U.S. Chess League, is looking for fans and donors. The team plays four-board matches weekly until Oct. 27. Chess Palace in Garden Grove has provided the playing site. For more information, see the new website thelavibe.com.

Want to play GM Varuzhan Akobian, California’s best player? You will have two opportunities next week. Akobian will give a simultaneous exhibition at the La Palma Chess Club (7821 Walker St. in Central Park in Lakewood) at 7 p.m. Friday and another at Metropolitan Chess (13th floor of the California Market Center, 110 E. Ninth St. in Los Angeles) at noon Sunday. Call Mike Henebry at (562) 370-2146 to reserve a board for Friday night. For Sunday’s exhibition, call Ron Morris at (562) 587-1152.

Craig Faber, Daniel Giordani and Dann Krystall tied for first place in the San Luis Obispo County Championship, a 27-player tournament held Aug. 28 in Arroyo Grande. Taylor McCreary and Solomon Ruddell, the highest-scoring county residents, became county co-champions. Stephen Bosch and C.R. Lara led the Reserve (under-1500) section. Barbara McCaleb directed for the San Luis Obispo Chess Club.

The Pasadena Chess Club will begin the six-round San Gabriel Valley Championship at 7 p.m. Friday in the Boys and Girls Club, 3230 E. Del Mar Blvd. in Pasadena. For further information call Randy Hough at (626) 282-7412.

The club’s latest tournament, the Tim Pellant Memorial, attracted 50 players. Larry Stevens won with a score of 3 1/2-1/2, a half-point ahead of Axel Muller, Jesse Victoria and top Class A Phil Chase. Other prizes went to Vachagan Hovsepyan, Anthony Hung and 8-year-old Annie Wang. Razmik Hambartsumyan, Jason McKeen and Armen Gary Siwajian shared first prize in the second section, and Samuel Andalon, Jennifer Lu and Jennifer Yu earned class prizes.

Games of the week

GM Rauf Mamedov (Azerbaijan)-IM Ulvi Bajarani (Azerbaijan), Baku 2010: 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Qxd4 Avoiding the main lines of the Sicilian Defense. a6 Often Black chooses 4…Nc6 5 Bb5 Bd7. 5 Be3 Nc6 6 Qd2 Nf6 7 Nc3 e6 Both 7…g6 and 7…b5 are reasonable too. 8 0-0-0 Be7 9 Bf4 Tempting 9…e5 10 Bg5, when White can plant a Knight at d5. Ng4! As White’s advantage is negligible after 10 h3 Nge5 11 Nxe5 dxe5. 10 Bg5 Nf6 Solid. Black correctly rejects 10…Bxg5 11 Nxg5 Nxf2? (not bad is 11…Qb6) 12 Nxf7! Kxf7 13 Qxf2+. 11 Bf4 Ng4 12 Bg5 Nf6 Draw? 13 Kb1 Objectively, White has no advantage, but he wants to play for a win. Harmless is 13 Bxf6 gxf6 14 Qh6 because of 14…Qb6. For example, 15 Rd2 Bd7 16 Qg7 0-0-0 17 Qxf7 h5! 18 Bc4 Rdf8 19 Qg6 Rfg8 20 Qf7 Rf8 draws by repetition. Qc7 14 h4 Bd7 15 Bd3 b5!? Striving for threats against White’s King. If Black wanted safety, he would opt for 15…0-0-0. 16 h5 h6 17 Bh4 b4 18 Ne2 a5 It’s too late for 18…0-0?!, as 19 g4! Nxg4 20 Rdg1 gives White his desired attack. 19 g4! Nxg4 Good, if Black keeps his head. Declining the offer, with 19…a4 20 g5 hxg5 21 Bxg5 b3, also keeps chances about even. 20 Rdg1 Bxh4 21 Rxh4 Nxf2? White’s optimism pays off. Black should return the pawn, by 21…Nge5 22 Nxe5 Nxe5 23 Rxg7, reject 23…Nf3? 24 Qf4 Nxh4? 25 Qxf7+ Kd8 26 Bb5, and proceed on the Queenside with 23…Qc5! 24 Qf4 a4. 22 Bb5! Trapping the Knight. Qb6 23 Ned4 Nxd4 If 23…Ne5, White can gain a piece by 24 Bxd7+ Kxd7 25 Nxe5+ dxe5 26 Nb3+! Ke7 27 Rf1 Rhd8 28 Qxf2 Rd1+ 29 Nc1. 24 Bxd7+ Kxd7 25 Nxd4 e5 26 Nf3 g5 Clever. Hopeless is 26…Ke7 27 Rg2. 27 hxg6 fxg6 Anticipating 28 Rg2?? g5, extricating the Knight. 28 Qd5! Making targets of Black’s Knight and King. Raf8 Safeguarding the King, by 28…Rae8 29 Rxg6 Re7, would cost the Knight to 30 Rh2. 29 Nxe5+ Kc7?! Allowing a prettier finish than the routine 29…Kc8 30 Nxg6. 30 Rxg6 Rh7 31 Rhxh6 Welcoming 31…Rxh6 32 Rg7+ Kb8 33 Nd7+. Rfh8 Now the computer recommends 32 Rf6, but Mamedov shows flair. 32 Qg8!, Black Resigns.

IM Jacek Stopa (Poland)-Alexander Balkum (U.S.A.), U.S. Open, Irvine 2010: 1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 f3 The Fantasy variation against the Caro-Kann Defense. dxe4 Sharpest. Both 3…e6 and 3…g6 enjoy good reputations too. 4 fxe4 e5 5 Nf3 Bg4 Fashionable. The old recommendation of 5…Be6 appears dubious after 6 Nc3 exd4 7 Nxd4, while 5…exd4 6 Bc4 Bb4+?! 7 c3 dxc3? 8 Bxf7+! has cost Black many games. 6 Bc4 Nd7 7 0-0 Ngf6 8 c3 Threatening the double attack 9 Qb3. Qb6 Sam Shankland won the crucial game of the U.S. Junior Championship with 8…Bh5 9 Nbd2 Bd6 10 Bd3 0-0 11 Qe1? Re8, but 11 Nc4 Bc7 12 Bg5 would favor White. 9 Bb3?! Faulty. White should settle for 9 Qb3 Qxb3 10 Bxb3. Be7?! Much stronger is 9…0-0-0. 10 Nbd2 0-0 11 Qe1 exd4 12 Nc4 Qc7? The less natural 12…Qa6 should hold after either 13 cxd4 Be6 14 Ncd2 Bxb3 15 Nxb3 Rae8 or 13 e5 Nd5 14 cxd4 N7b6. 13 cxd4 b5?! Nor will 13…c5?! help, because 14 e5 Nd5 15 Qg3 attacks. Black’s last hope is 13…Rae8 14 e5 Nd5 15 Qg3 Bh5. 14 Ne3 Bxf3 15 Rxf3! Inviting 15…Nxe4, as 16 Nf5 Ndf6 17 Bc2 gains material. If 17…Bd6 18 Bxe4 Rae8, White clinches victory with 19 Nh6+ Kh8 20 Rxf6. Nb6 16 Nf5 c5?! 17 Bf4 White could pick up a piece by 17 Qg3 Qxg3 18 Nxe7+, but he prefers to build up his attack. Qd7 18 Be5 c4 19 Bc2 Ne8 20 Rh3 Another way is 20 Bxg7 Nxg7 21 Qg3 Bf6 22 e5. f6 21 Qh4 h6 After 21…fxe5 22 Nxe7+ Kf7 23 Rf1+ Nf6 24 Nf5, Black will suffer on the f-file. White threatens 25 dxe5, and 24…Qc7 25 Qg5 Kg8 26 dxe5 Ne8 permits 27 Nh6+ Kh8 28 Rxf8 mate. 22 Bf4 Rf7 23 Rg3 Kf8 Against 23…Kh8, most crushing is 24 Bxh6 gxh6 25 e5! fxe5 26 Qxh6+ Rh7 27 Nxe7! Qxe7 28 Bxh7, forcing checkmate. 24 Bxh6, Black Resigns.