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British Chess Magazine - Issue 144, December 2021
British Chess Magazine - Issue 144, December 2021
DECEMBER
2021
THERE
CAN
BE
ONLY
ONE
FIDE GRAND SWISS 2021
ALIREZA FIROUZJA LIKE BOBBY FISCHER
A MAGAZINE THAT HAS TAKEN
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BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE, the World’s Oldest Chess Journal
www.britishchessmagazine.co.uk
726
Editors
Milan Dinic and Shaun Taulbut Alireza Firouzja
like Bobby Fischer
Photo editor
David Llada
Prepress Specialist
Milica Mitic 722 FIDE Grand Swiss 2021
The greatest tournament
Photography that barely happened
David Llada, GM Aleksandar Colovic, By Milan Dinic
FIDE Official, Grand Chess Official,
Wikipedia
746 Varsity Match 2021
Advertising A confident victory by Oxford
Stephen Lowe By IM Shaun Taulbut
Printed in the UK: by Lavenham Press Ltd 761 Openings for Amateurs
Plan B according Botvinnik
Cover photography: By Pete Tamburro
FIDE Official
the players “in the flesh” was much bigger The odds
and there is more space.
Ahead of the duel in Dubai most top players
However, many of the visitors chose to said the odds were in favour of Carlsen,
spend their time in the room with the noting his determination to seek chances in
live commentary. And no wonder, given dead−drawn positions and to find an angle
who FIDE chose as the commentator for in any situation.
the match: none other than Viswanathan
Anand - the former World Champion In the run−up to the encounter in Dubai there
and the man who had first−hand was a lot of talk about the alleged rivalry
experience in playing in the world between the two. That claim doesn’t really
matches (including two against Carlsen, seem to stand as there is no real rivalry that
which the Indian lost). is specific just to these two players. Like
it or not, in recent years Carlsen has been
Even though Covid−19 is still a big issue, in a league of his own and - whilst several
the mask−wearing at the Expo centre wasn’t top players could match his strength and
strictly practised. However, to enter the beat him (and many did, especially more
venue each day, a person always had to recently) - nobody distinguished himself as
show proof of vaccination. a clear rival to the Norwegian. However,
that might change very soon.
Despite there clearly being two camps,
this wasn’t really noticeable at the venue. On the other hand, things were not looking
Carlsen’s brand - Play Magnus - had its completely clear−cut for Carlsen. It’s
own VIP room lounge where Henrik noticeable that in recent years he’s been
Carlsen and the team usually gathered to struggling more and entering into difficult
follow the game. There’s also the official positions. If we look at the two previous
VIP room and in both you could see world championship matches (against
members of both camps. Caruana in 2018 and Karjakin in 2016),
Carlsen won just one out of 24 classical
All in all, everything looked and felt well games, managing to secure his victory only
organised, as it should be for an event of in the Rapid part.
this scale.
Before the match in Dubai, Garry Kasparov
The unusual daily schedule of the games noted that Magnus had shown increasing
The games were scheduled to start later signs of vulnerability in recent years, barely
than usual for a chess event. managing to wriggle out of difficult positions.
Comparing the two players, Vishy Anand
For those who followed the match in made an interesting observation - that while
the UK, the games were starting just both players can be close when both are
around lunchtime - at 12.30. However, playing at their peak powers, Carlsen’s lows
this was 4.30 pm in Dubai, meaning that are much lower than Nepo’s dips in form.
the games could last (and often did last)
until late at night, even midnight or after. When asked before the match what his biggest
advantage over Nepo is, Carlsen confidently
It turns out that the decision to start the said: “My biggest advantage is that I am better
games rather later was deliberate. Given at chess.” Magnus also noted that for him it is
the TV coverage with the US network a bit easier to play the match as it is not his first
NBC and the aim to have as many people time. Nepo brushed off any suggestions that he
as possible from around the world tune might be nervous. Overall, his body language
in and follow the match live, this seemed and behaviour in the first few games showed
like a justifiable decision. confidence and resilience.
1.e4 Nepomniachtchi started the match 9.¤xe5 White needs to take the pawn,
with his usual move. He has played 1.c4 otherwise he has no compensation for the
as well, but for the first game, always a lost pair of bishops.
tense affair especially for the Challenger,
he decided to stick to what he knows best. 9...¤xb3 10.axb3 ¥b7 Black develops
with tempo, attacking the pawn on e4.
1...e5 Carlsen only believes in two good first
moves for World Championship matches. This, 11.d3 The only way to remain a pawn up,
or the Sicilian. (The Caro-Kann he played in as defending with the knight allows 11.¤c3
his first match with Anand was just a one-off b4 followed by ...¤xe4.
surprise with the aim of letting Anand’s team
waste time and energy preparing something he 11...d5 Black plays in the same manner as
didn’t intend to use again.) in the Marshall - he opens the game for his
bishops and banks on active piece play as
2.¤f3 ¤c6 3.¥b5 a6 After his matches with compensation.
Anand, where he played the Berlin, Carlsen
felt more comfortable with the Marshall, 12.exd5 £xd5
starting with his match with Karjakin, so this XIIIIIIIIY
variation, where Black sacrifices a pawn for
activity, is his choice again. 9r+-+-trk+0
9+lzp-vlpzpp0
4.¥a4 ¤f6 5.0–0 ¥e7 6.¦e1 b5 7.¥b3
0–0 Inviting the Marshall in case of White’s 9p+-+-sn-+0
natural 8.c3, when 8...d5 has proved to be 9+p+qsN-+-0
quite comfortable for equality. 9-+-+-+-+0
8.h3 One of the ways to avoid the long and 9+P+P+-+P0
forcing lines of the Marshall. When faced 9-zPP+-zPP+0
with the same choice Kasparov preferred
8.a4 in his match with Nigel Short in 1993. 9tRNvLQtR-mK-0
8...¤a5!? xiiiiiiiiy
BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 711
12/141
This is the first critical moment in the 15.£xd5 White practically didn’t have a choice.
game. White needs to decide how to defend
against mate £on g2 - by playing a knight 15.¤c3? is bad now as after 15...£xe5!
or a queen to f3. 16.¦xe5 (16.£xb7 £xe1+ 17.¢xe1 ¦xb7
leaves Black a rook up: we see again the
13.£f3 In spite of Black’s rare 8th move importance of having the bishop on b7
Nepomniachtchi was playing rather fast, protected.) 16...¥xf3 Black wins material.
indicating that he was not surprised by
Carlsen’s choice. He also made this move 15...¤xd5 16.¥d2 White develops: from
relatively fast, indicating that this was still d2 the bishop covers the b4–square.
part of his preparation.
16...c5 Black expands on the queenside,
13.¤f3 is an alternative, keeping the queens thus making White’s extra pawn even more
on board. 13...¦fe8 defends the bishop, difficult to convert into something more
when Black wants to continue with ...c5. His substantial.
space advantage, bishop pair and activity
easily neutralise White’s extra pawn. 17.¤f3
13...¥d6
XIIIIIIIIY
XIIIIIIIIY 9rtr-+-+k+0
9r+-+-trk+0 9+l+-+pzpp0
9+lzp-+pzpp0 9p+-vl-+-+0
9p+-vl-sn-+0 9+pzpn+-+-0
9+p+qsN-+-0 9-+-+-+-+0
9-+-+-+-+0 9+P+P+N+P0
9+P+P+Q+P0 9-zPPvL-zPP+0
9-zPP+-zPP+0 9tRN+-tRK+-0
9tRNvL-tR-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy
This is the real novelty, after which Carlsen
xiiiiiiiiy started to think. Previously 17.¤c3 was
Black now threatens ...£xe5 with ...£h2 played in a lot of computer games. White’s
next. idea is to be able to defend the pawn on
c2 with his rook from e1, so the knight is
14.¢f1! Still played quickly by removed from the attacked square.
Nepomniachtchi, defending against Black’s
threat of ...£xe5. After 17.¤c3 ¤b4 18.¦ac1 now White
must defend c2 with his rook from a1 as
14.£xd5 is harmless, after 14...¤xd5 the one on e1 must stay there to defend the
threatening ...¤b4 15.¥d2 ¤e7!, a nice knight on e5 18...¦d8 (or 18...¦e8) 19.¤f3
move for Black, intending ...¤f5–d4. ¥f8. White is awkwardly tied down to the
defence of the pawn on c2, though he can
14...¦fb8! Defending the bishop on b7 and try to find ways to untangle.
still preparation.
17...¦d8 Black needs to redeploy his rooks.
Black’s idea of defending the bishop is seen
after 14...£xe5?! 15.£xb7. White takes the 18.¤c3 ¤b4 19.¦ec1 This was White’s
bishop and after 15...£h2 16.£f3 returns idea on move 17. The other rook stays on
to f3 to cover the kingside. the already open a-file.
19...¦ac8 20.¤e2 White now threatens 21.¥f4 made more sense. After 21...¥f8
¥xb4 or d4. 22.¤e1 is an interesting move, covering
the pawn on d3 and intending c3. Black
20...¤c6 Carlsen re-routes his knight via still has compensation after something
e7 to f5, from where it still controls the like 22...h6!? 23.c3 g5 24.¥e3 f5 though
d4–square but is not subjected to attack as after 25.f4 ¦e8 26.¤c2 ¥d6. The position
on b4. remains unclear and can become quite
sharp after 27.fxg5 f4! 28.¥f2 ¤e5. In
21.¥e3?! any case this was a better try for White
XIIIIIIIIY than the game continuation.
9-+rtr-+k+0 21...¤e7 Carlsen continues his plan to
9+l+-+pzpp0 bring his knight to f5.
9p+nvl-+-+0 22.¥f4?! The third critical moment of the
9+pzp-+-+-0 game when Nepomniachtchi finally misses
9-+-+-+-+0 all chances to play for more. He played ¥f4
now as Black cannot retreat to f8, but Black
9+P+PvLN+P0 has a stronger option at his disposal.
9-zPP+NzPP+0
22.¤g3 made sense, to prevent ...¤f5.
9tR-tR-+K+-0 After 22...¤d5 23.¥d2 f6 White keeps
xiiiiiiiiy his position intact and can continue to
The second critical moment of the manoeuvre;
game. This move appears too slow as
White doesn’t push d4 and goes to f4 on 22.d4 was another move that looked as if White
the next move when he could have done was preparing for 22...¤f5 23.c3 ¦e8 24.¥d2
so immediately. f6, which is still dynamically balanced.
pinned White down to the defence of the should give him enough counterplay.
d3–pawn and the rook on e3 takes the With his last move White controls the
square away from the knight. g5–square and avoids a possible ...¤g5.
31...f5 32.¦e3 ¤e6 33.¤g2 The knight is 41.¤c4 ¦e7 42.¤e5 ¦d6 43.¤c4 ¦c6
forced back to g2. 44.¤e5 ¦d6 45.¤c4
34.¢e2! Nepomniachtchi finds an active 1.d4 I was actually expecting this move.
way to defend. He returns the pawn and The reasoning behind it is that Carlsen
activates his king. has been very successful against the
Grünfeld (Nepomniachtchi’s main
34...¦b8 35.¢d2 35.¦b1? would be bad as opening against 1.d4) and less successful
after 35...a5µ Black threatens to take on c3 against the Najdorf (Nepomniachtchi’s
and push ...a4 or play ...¦cb6 when White main opening against 1.e4). Also,
will again lose the pawn. historically speaking, the Grunfeld
has suffered more setbacks in World
35...bxc3+ 36.bxc3 ¦xb3 37.¢c2 ¦b7 Championship matches (Kasparov’s
38.h4 White has activated the king and losses to Karpov and Kramnik, Anand’s
Black’s weak pawns on the queenside loss to Topalov) than the Najdorf.
But Carlsen would have none of it! This curious 9.¤xf7!? or even 9.£c3!? (9.¥xa8
move is very rare and was definitely a £xe5 10.a4 a6 11.axb5 axb5 is a typical
surprise for Nepomniachtchi. unclear position in this line.) 9...c6 (After
9...¦xf7 10.¥xa8 c6 11.a4! White manages
8.a4 has been the automatic response to keep his bishop safe after 11...b4 12.¤d2
and now the move 8...¥b7!? has quickly ¥a6 13.¤f3 £d5 14.¦d1 £e4 15.¤d4
become the most popular choice. The £xc2 16.¤xc2² though the endgame
point is that Black sacrifices a pawn for remains tense.) 10.¤g5 ¤a6 11.a3÷ with a
activity and practically secures a draw murky position with chances for both sides.
after the forcing 9.axb5 a6! 10.bxa6 8...¤d5 is another option if Black doesn’t
(10.¤c3 axb5 11.¦xa8 ¥xa8 12.¤xb5 want to take on d4, but it leads to the same
¥d5 is an alternative where Black is positions as in the game after 9.a4 c6.
also fine.) 10...¤xa6 11.£xc4 ¥d5
12.£d3 ¤b4 13.¦xa8 £xa8 14.£d1 9.a4 White undermines Black’s queenside
¤a2! 15.¤c3 ¤xc3 16.bxc3 h6 with pawn mass.
good central control and few problems
in the game: ½–½ (40) Berkes,F 9...¤d5 Black needs to shut the long
(2671)-Grischuk,A (2775) ECC Struga diagonal.
2021. This game by Grischuk turned
the attention to the idea of the pawn 10.¤c3 f6 More or less forced as the
sacrifice and then other players like Giri, alternatives were weaker.
Fedoseev, Esipenko and van Foreest
successfully used it. 10...b4?! 11.¤e4 only weakens the pawn
on c4. 10...¤b4?! 11.£d1 when Black
8...c6 Played after considerable thought as only removed the knight from d5 that was
Black had a choice. blocking the long diagonal;
8...£xd4 is a typical move in the ...b5 10...¥b7?! 11.axb5 cxb5 12.¤xb5± is just
line, Black sacrifices the exchange for two bad for Black as he has given up the pawn
pawns and activity, but here White has the and is left with a weak one on c4.
£xb2 27.¦d2 £c1+ 28.¦d1 £h6 29.£xc4 27.£xa4 Now White is OK and doesn’t
when White’s activity compensates for the risk losing any longer.
exchange.) 25.¤d6: Black has lost the b5–
pawn for nothing. 25...c5 26.¥xa8 ¦xa8 27.¥xg6? the sacrifice doesn’t work: 27...
27.£xc4° with similar compensation to hxg6 28.£xg6+ £g7 29.£xe6+ ¢h8
the game. 30.¦d4 ¦b1+ because Black is faster, with
31.¢g2 c5+ winning the rook.
24...c3?! Black removes the c4–pawn, but
there was really no need for it. 27...¦fd8 28.¦a1 c5 29.£c4 ¥xe4
30.¤xe4 Threatening ¤f6.
The simple 24...g6! eliminated all threats
on the kingside and left Black on top. The 30...¢h8 30...£c6 could have ended in
point being that after 25.£g4 Black has repetition after 31.¦xa7 ¦d1+ 32.¢g2
25...¢h8 as now the sacrifice on g6 doesn’t ¦d4 33.cxd4 £xe4+ 34.¢h3 £f5+
work in view of ...¦g8. 35.¢g2 £e4+
25.£c2?! Carlsen again complicates it a 31.¤d6 White has easy play now with the
bit. It was better simply to take on c3, which monster knight on d6 and the safer king.
would have avoided the extra possibility Now the psychological initiative returned
that this move allowed. to the World Champion.
37...¦xd6 38.exd6 £xd6 39.c5 White now 44.¦a7+ ¢g8 45.¢g4 ¦b5 45...¦h5!?
wins a pawn, but a theoretical 3 vs 2 rook was mentioned by Giri as more precise. The
endgame arises. point is that it fixes the structure after 46.h4
¦b5 47.¦e7 h5+!
39...£xc5 40.£xe6+ ¢g7 41.¦xa6 ¦f8!
XIIIIIIIIY 46.¦e7 ¦a5 47.¦e5 ¦a7 48.h4 ¢g7 49.h5
¢h6 50.¢h4 ¦a1 51.g4 ¦h1+ 52.¢g3
9-+-+-tr-+0 gxh5 53.¦e6+ ¢g7 54.g5 ¦g1+ 55.¢f2
9+-+-+-mkp0 ¦a1 56.¦h6 ¦a4 57.¢f3 ¦a3+ The side
checks ensure the repetition.
9R+-+Q+p+0
9+-wq-+-+-0 58.¢f2 ¦a4
9-+-+-+-+0 ½–½
9+-+-+-zPK0
9-+-+-zP-zP0
In the January issue of BCM
9+-+-+-+-0 we will bring you a full
xiiiiiiiiy report from the Match
The driving force in organizing the Grand Swiss in Riga: Dana Reizniece-Ozola –
the Managing Director of FIDE and former Latvian Minister of Finance
THE STORM BEFORE THE STORM Finance, who still has a strong political pull
in her country. Phones rang in high places,
Organising anything in the era of Covid including the Latvian MOD (as the minister is
is complicated, let alone a massive event a big chess fan), the Ministry of Sports, the
involving over 300 people from all over the Parliament, as well as in Moscow. In the region
world (players, seconds, organisers). where relations are traditionally tense between
the Baltic states and their former master in the
In early August, when the decision was east, it’s surprising how completely opposite
made to move the Grand Swiss to Riga, the the chess connections are.
situation in Latvia regarding Covid−19 was
mostly stable. Within weeks, however, it In the end, FIDE managed to secure an
deteriorated to the point where Latvia had one exemption. This was greatly helped by
of the highest numbers of cases in Europe, other big events also being allowed to take
largely caused by the reluctance of the place - such as the Basketball Champions
Latvians to get vaccinated. Just days before League, FIBA Euroleague Women.
the Grand Swiss was due to start, the Latvian
government announced a four−week national TO BE OR NOT TO BE…
lockdown starting from 21st October, which,
among other things, involved cancellations of FIDE decided to bite the bullet and hold the
all major events including sports. event, putting all faith in strict health and
safety measures and the common sense of
In a race against time FIDE pulled all strings players and participants. It was a long shot
- including political - to get the event exempt but it ended well.
from the restrictions. This task fell mostly to
Dana Reizniece−Ozola - the Managing Director Not everyone was comfortable with the event
of Fide and the former Latvian Minister of going ahead though. Some big names - such
If anyone needed anything from outside the Covid tests were carried out every two/
hotel (for example, toiletries or you wanted three days and we all had to wear masks
to buy a souvenir) they had to order it via in the hotel and inside the Hansas Perons
the organisers/ centre (but not in the playing area itself).
Everyone in the bubble was banned from The Chief Arbiter, Alex Holowczak from
visiting any shops or outside venues (not Bristol, missed the first few rounds because
that there were many open, save the food he had to self−isolate, having been in
shops and pharmacies), but we were contact with someone in the UK who later
allowed to go out for walks (providing tested positive. So, nobody was exempt
that it was not after 8 pm or before 5am as from the rules.
Having a bubble also meant that, sadly, field of top world players, managed to
there were no spectators. I remember when take the lead from early on and finish
a father came in with two small children - the event with 8/11, half a point ahead
they were politely but firmly turned away: of everyone else.
they couldn’t even enter the building.
2) The stunning performance of the native
Despite somewhat sterile conditions, of Riga, Alexei Shirov, who - despite
the atmosphere was welcoming and the becoming a Grandmaster before many
organisation was very well coordinated, of the top players he faced were even
which isn’t always the case with chess born (13 years before Alireza Firouzja
events, even at the highest level. Also, as a came into the world) - managed to show
few players told me, they usually live like vigour and toughness and give some
this, without much contact with anyone, very good chess lectures to the young
practising chess and avoiding people so as players. He took the final qualification
not to disrupt their concentration. place leading to the 2022 Grand Prix
which means we will be hearing a lot
THE CHESS about him in the coming year.
The 108 players who took part in the Grand 3) The remarkable victory of China’s
Swiss and 50 players in the inaugural Women’s Lei Tingjie who won the inaugural
Grand Swiss played altogether 869 games. Women’s Grand Swiss with a round to
spare (9/11).
Putting the unusual circumstances aside, the
event in Riga was marked by three key things: These key events which marked the
2021 edition of the Grand Swiss, are
1) The spectacular success of Alireza analysed in the following article by GM
Firouzja who, in an incredibly strong Aleksandar Colovic.
By GM Aleksandar Colovic
Photo: FIDE Grand Chess Official
The 18−year−old seems to have come of age. Here the question arises: will Firouzja fare
After the successful tournament in Norway better than Fischer in Curacao in 1962?
(see the October issue of BCM for the details), Will he crack under the pressure of the
when he finished second behind the World public impression of a favourite? While
Champion after a series of four consecutive he has shown signs of excessive nerves in
victories, he finally won an elite event. the past, it’s difficult to answer the above
question as we cannot know about his work
And not just any elite event, but the world’s on his own psychology.
toughest Swiss, where the whims of the
pairing system always play a crucial role. In Riga he started well with three wins,
The fact that Firouzja won confidently in taking the lead from the start. His first−
spite of these speaks highly for his strength. round win set the tone - usually, showing
Victory in Riga means that he qualified for good technique early on in an event
next year’s Candidates Tournament. With signifies that the player is in good shape.
this qualification he becomes only the third
teenager to play this event - after Boris Alireza Firouzja - Nijat Abasov
Spassky playing the Amsterdam Candidates
in 1956 at the age of 19 and Bobby FIDE Grand Swiss 2021 Riga LAT (1.3)
Fischer playing the Bled/Zagreb/Belgrade
Candidates in 1959 at the age of 16. Indeed, 1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤f6 The Petroff Defence
his win in the Grand Swiss reminds me of leads to more forcing lines than the Berlin,
Bobby Fischer’s triumph in the Stockholm with both defences considered the toughest
Interzonal in 1962 - by winning the nuts to crack after White’s 1.e4.
qualification for the Candidates in confident
fashion both players immediately became 3.d4 ¤xe4 4.dxe5 d5 5.¤bd2 ¥e7 This
favourites for the main event as well. allows White to transpose to an endgame
immediately. The alternatives are 5...¤c5, And now a symmetrical reaction on the
5...¤xd2 and Caruana’s invention 5...£d7!? queenside - a3 and a5, with h3 and h5 on
the other side of the board.
6.¤xe4 dxe4 7.£xd8+ ¥xd8 8.¤d4 ¤d7
Black immediately attacks the pawn on e5. 14...¥d7 15.¢b1 A generally useful move.
There are alternatives here as well, for example,
8...¥d7 (with the idea ...¤c6), 8...c6 or 8...0–0. White didn’t threaten to play 15.b4 because
Black has 15...axb4 16.axb4 ¦a4! 17.c3 b5!
9.¥f4 ¤c5 9...0–0 has been played before, and Black obtains counterplay thanks to the
though after 10.0–0–0 c6 11.e6! ¤b6 pin on the 4th rank.
12.exf7+ ¦xf7 13.¥e3 White has a pleasant
endgame playing against the IQP on e4. 15...b5 16.¥a2 0–0?
XIIIIIIIIY
10.0–0–0 c6 11.¥c4 ¥e7 12.¦he1 9r+-+-trk+0
XIIIIIIIIY 9+-+lvlpzp-0
9r+l+k+-tr0 9-+p+-+-+0
9zpp+-vlpzpp0 9zppsn-zP-+p0
9-+p+-+-+0 9-+-sNpvL-+0
9+-sn-zP-+-0 9zP-+-+-+P0
9-+LsNpvL-+0 9LzPP+-zPP+0
9+-+-+-+-0 9+K+RtR-+-0
9PzPP+-zPPzP0 xiiiiiiiiy
9+-mKRtR-+-0 Black, a strong GM, probably underestimated or
xiiiiiiiiy misevaluated the consequences of White’s next
White has a good game here because his play move. This is how the better players usually win
is easy against Black’s pawn on e4 while his at this level - the opponent’s mistake is rarely
own pawn on the e-file is safely protected. a direct blunder, but rather a miscalculation/
The threat now is b4, to win a pawn. misevaluation a few moves ahead.
12...a5 13.h3 Preventing a possible ...¥g4 Black had to play 16...h4 in order to stop
and preparing an advance on the kingside. White’s g4 for good.
13...h5 By moving both rook pawns Black tries 17.g4! Black probably thought this was
to stop White from moving his knight pawns. impossible because he takes a pawn with
tempo, but Firouzja saw that after the forcing
14.a3XIIIIIIIIY
17...hxg4 18.hxg4 ¥xg4 19.¤xc6! ¦fe8
9r+l+k+-tr0 20.¦d5! The exchange of the pawns led
9+p+-vlpzp-0 to a massive increase of the activity of
White’s pieces that is decisive.
9-+p+-+-+0
9zp-sn-zP-+p0 20...¦ac8 20...¤e6 21.¥e3 ¤c7 in
9-+LsNpvL-+0 this was Black defends the pawn on
b5, though, after the simple 22.¦d2
9zP-+-+-+P0 threatening to take on e7 and obtain the
9-zPP+-zPP+0 pair of bishops or to play ¥b6 and attack
the pawn on a5, Black cannot survive for
9+-mKRtR-+-0 long without material losses.
xiiiiiiiiy
BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 727
12/141
21.¤a7 Winning the pawn on b5. Impressive endgame play that reminded
me of Alekhine’s treatment of endgames,
21...¦a8 22.¤xb5 ¦eb8 23.¤c7 ¦a7 which often looked like middlegames.
XIIIIIIIIY After beating Swiercz and Predke in the next
9-tr-+-+k+0 two rounds Firouzja faced somewhat stronger
9tr-sN-vlpzp-0 opposition and had three draws in a row
against Yu Yangyi, Vachier and Shirov. He
9-+-+-+-+0 was in fact winning against Shirov, but the
9zp-snRzP-+-0 “fire on board” proved too hot to handle.
9-+-+pvLl+0
Alexei Shirov – Alireza Firouzja
9zP-+-+-+-0
9LzPP+-zP-+0 FIDE Grand Swiss 2021 Riga LAT (6.1)
9+K+-tR-+-0 XIIIIIIIIY
xiiiiiiiiy 9-+ktr-+-+0
24.e6! Forceful endgame play à la Alekhine. 9zpp+-wq-zp-0
24...¦ab7 24...fxe6 25.¤xe6 wins material 9-+-+p+-+0
as the rook on b8 hangs. 9+R+pzPr+-0
25.exf7+ ¢f8 26.¥e5 Simply defending
9-+-zP-+-+0
the pawn on b2. 9+-zP-+-+R0
9P+-wQ-zP-+0
26...¤d7 27.¦xd7! Forceful to the end!
White is winning in many ways; Firouzja 9+-+-+K+-0
chooses the combinative one. xiiiiiiiiy
Black has a winning advantage because
27...¥xd7 28.¦h1 With the inevitable his king is safer. Acknowledging this and
threat of ¦h8, Black resigned. understanding that normal play would lead
to inevitable defeat, Shirov does what he
1–0 does best - muddying the water.
Apart from being the best-dressed player
with his colourful shirts and style, Levon 30.c4!? White wants to create some
Aronian did not have a great tournament chances against Black’s king and thus force
in Riga finishing on 6.5/11 Black to defend rather than attack his own
weakened king.
35.£c2
another example of how the stronger win their got a second White in a row in the next
games - they wait for their chances until the round with another win when his opponent
very end and when given they pounce on them. experimented with the theory in the Italian.
50...¢g6 was the direct line that needed to Alireza Firouzja - Krishnan Sasikiran
be calculated. After 51.a8£ ¦xa8+ 52.¢xa8
¢g5 53.¦f1 (in case of 53.¢b7 ¢h4 54.¢c6 FIDE Grand Swiss 2021 Riga LAT (8.1)
¢xh3 55.¢d5 ¢g2 the draw is evident, so
White must eliminate Black’s pawn on f2. 1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3.¥c4 ¥c5 4.c3 ¤f6 5.d3
56.¢e4) 53...¢h4 54.¦xf2 ¢xh3 it was 0–0 6.0–0 d5 The lines with early ...d5 have
necessary to see (or calculate a few more come back to be fashionable again. Instead
moves) that the h-pawn cannot be taken and of the long manoeuvring variations that arise
that the king and pawn unite to usher the after ...d6 Black seeks more active piece play.
h-pawn down the board, thus drawing.
7.exd5 ¤xd5 8.¦e1 ¥g4 9.¤bd2 ¤b6
51.¦xf1 Now White wins as he doesn’t need 10.h3 ¥h5 11.¥b3 ¢h8
to spend time taking Black’s passed f-pawn in XIIIIIIIIY
case Black gives up his rook for the a-pawn. 9r+-wq-tr-mk0
51...¦b2+ 52.¢a8 ¦b3
9zppzp-+pzpp0
XIIIIIIIIY 9-snn+-+-+0
9K+-+-+-+0 9+-vl-zp-+l0
9zP-+-+-mkp0 9-+-+-+-+0
9-+-+-+-+0 9+LzPP+N+P0
9+-+-+-+-0 9PzP-sN-zPP+0
9-+-+-+-+0 9tR-vLQtR-mK-0
9+r+-+-+P0 xiiiiiiiiy
A relatively fresh approach that seeks to
9-+-+-+-+0 avoid the slight, but annoying, initiative
9+-+-+R+-0 White gets after Black takes on d3.
xiiiiiiiiy The position after 11...£xd3 12.¤xe5 £f5
The cutting off doesn’t work because 13.¤ef3 is still not problem-free for Black
White simply brings his rook to the b-file even though Nakamura, in his online games,
to liberate his king. regularly goes for this line with Black.
Objectively not the best, but it’s difficult to 17.d4! Now Firouzja deals with the tactical
say whether the Indian GM was trying to aspects superbly.
semi-bluff (by inviting the rating favourite
into prepared territory and hoping he 17...e4 18.dxc5 ¤de5 Sasikiran attacks in
doesn’t find his way in the complications) an inspired fashion, but his opponent finds
or forgot to play 13...¥b6. In any case, the a refutation.
complications arising after White’s next
are tremendous. 19.¤xe5! With this queen sacrifice, White
eliminates the majority of Black’s pieces,
13...¥b6 has been played before in two thus killing off the attack.
games. After 14.¤g3 ¥xf3 15.£xf3
f5 16.d4 f4 17.¤e4 £h4 (or 17...exd4 19...¥xd1 20.¤d7 £d8 21.¥xc6 ¦e8
18.¥xc6 bxc6 19.¥xf4 dxc3 20.bxc3 with 22.¦xd1 bxc6 23.¥f4 With a rook and
a somewhat better position for White: 1–0 two pieces for the queen, White has
(59) Nepomniachtchi,I (2784)-Aronian,L a material advantage and a winning
(2781) chess24.com INT 2020) 18.¤d2 position.
(18.¥xc6!? bxc6 19.¦d1 is an attempt at
an improvement.) 18...exd4 19.¤c4 was 23...£h4 24.¥xc7 e3 25.fxe3 ¦xe3
unclear in: 1–0 (47) Vachier Lagrave,M 26.¦d4 £e7 27.¥f4 ¦e2 28.b4 £e8
(2751)-Swiercz,D (2655) Saint Louis 29.¦f1 £e6 30.¦f2 Exchanging
USA 2021. Black’s active rook eliminates any hope
of counterplay.
14.¤eg5 h6 15.¤e6 £f6 16.¤xf8 16.d4!
is indicated by the engine as stronger, but 30...¦xf2 31.¢xf2 £xa2+ 32.¥d2 £e6
this is just too complicated for a human 33.c4
when the natural capture on f8 isn’t XIIIIIIIIY
obviously bad.
9-+-+-+-mk0
16...¦xf8? 9zp-+N+-zp-0
XIIIIIIIIY 9-+p+q+-zp0
9-+-+-tr-mk0 9+-zP-+p+-0
9zppzpn+-zp-0 9-zPPtR-+-+0
9-+n+-wq-zp0 9+-+-+-+P0
9+-vlLzpp+l0 9-+-vL-mKP+0
9-+-+-+-+0 9+-+-+-+-0
9+-zPP+N+P0 xiiiiiiiiy
9PzP-+-zPP+0 Everything is defended, so White simply
pushes his queenside pawns.
9tR-vLQtR-mK-0
xiiiiiiiiy 33...a6 34.¥f4 £e7 35.b5 Creating a
16...¥xf8! was a better try for Black:the passed pawn that decides the game.
idea is to get away from an attack on the
bishop after d4. Now, after 17.¥e3 ¦d8, 35...axb5 36.cxb5 £e6 37.b6 £b3
Black has some positional compensation 38.¢g1 g5 39.¥d2 g4 40.¦b4!
in view of the pin on the d1–h5 diagonal
and the possibility of advancing his
central pair of pawns to create threats on
the kingside.
21.¤d5!
XIIIIIIIIY
9-+r+-+-tr0
9zpp+nvlkzp-0
9-+-+p+-+0
9+-zpNzPn+p0
9PzP-zp-+-zP0
9+P+-+NzP-0 By winning second place, Fabiano
9-+-vL-zP-+0 Caruana secured a spot in the Grand Prix
and a chance to become the challenger
9+-tR-tR-mK-0 for the title of World Champion
xiiiiiiiiy
Even on an empty square this is strong. XIIIIIIIIY
21...cxb4?! For a third time in the game
9-+r+-+-+0
Firouzja seeks dynamic solutions and 9zpp+n+-zp-0
each time his decision is worse than 9-+n+N+k+0
the previous one. The Caro-Kann is not
an opening that should be played in a 9+-+-zP-+p0
dynamic fashion and in this game this 9Pzp-zp-zP-zP0
becomes obvious. It is better suited 9+P+-+-zP-0
for solid positional moves than for
dynamism-seeking solutions. 9-+-vL-+-+0
9+-+-tR-mK-0
21...¢g6 is another solid move. After
22.¤xe7+ ¤xe7 23.¤g5 cxb4 24.¤xe6 xiiiiiiiiy
we have the position from the game, but 26...¢f5! The key to Black’s defence.
circumventing White’s stronger option on He must become active and this time
move 23. the dynamism works well for Black. He
sacrifices a pawn in order to dislodge the
22.¤xe7 ¤xe7 23.¤g5+? Caruana knight from e6 so that he can activate his
misevaluates the position after he takes own with ...¤c5.
the pawn or he has missed Black’s idea of
sharp activation. 27.¤xg7+ ¢g6 28.¤e6 ¢f5 29.¤g5 ¤c5
Black is a pawn down but White’s kingside
23.¥xb4 was simple and strong. The pawn mass is blockaded while Black has
bishop is very powerful and, after 23...¤c6 counterplay on the queenside and a strong
24.¥d6 ¦he8 defending the pawn on e6 as passed d-pawn as way of compensation.
White has threatened ¤g5 25.b4! with the
threat of b5 and ¤xd4, White has an almost 30.¤f7 Threatening ¤d6.
decisive advantage.
30...¢e6 31.¤d6 ¦g8 32.¢g2 ¢d5
23...¢g6 24.¦xc8 ¦xc8 25.¤xe6 ¤c6 Black’s powerful centralisation is an
26.f4 obvious compensation for the pawn.
32...¤xb3? is bad as after 33.f5+ ¢d5 on c6 and then his passed e and f pawns
34.¤e4!, with the threat of ¤f6, White’s can promote on their own if the black king
pawns go forward, while 34...¢xe5? enters too deep into White’s territory.
35.¤c5+ loses the greedy knight on b3.
35...¢d3?
33.¦b1 White patiently defends the pawn XIIIIIIIIY
on b1. Now Firouzja has another choice to
make. 9-+-+-+r+0
9zpp+-+-+-0
33...¤e4?!
9-+n+-+-+0
XIIIIIIIIY 9+-+-zP-+p0
9-+-+-+r+0 9Pzp-zp-zP-zP0
9zpp+-+-+-0 9+P+k+-zP-0
9-+nsN-+-+0 9-+-vL-+K+0
9+-+kzP-+p0 9+-tR-+-+-0
9Pzp-zpnzP-zP0 xiiiiiiiiy
9+P+-+-zP-0 Firouzja continues with the activity he
9-+-vL-+K+0 chose two moves earlier, but this time
the move is a clear mistake. By moving
9+R+-+-+-0 too far ahead with his king he leaves
xiiiiiiiiy White’s passed pawns free to move
For a fourth time in this game he prefers forward and White is willing to give up
dynamism and activity and for a third time a piece for Black’s d-pawn in order to
the choice is not the optimal one! Even from achieve that.
one game we can conclude that Firouzja’s
instincts are tactical and he should work 35...a5 was a move akin to the
in direction of balancing them with more alternatives to Firouzja’s active choices
positional aspects of his play. Objectively, we kept mentioning above - a solid move
the move is fine, but it liberates White’s that doesn’t "go forward" but one that
play as it frees him from the defence of the gives Black’s position more "staying
pawn on b3, thus making it easier to play. power". But things are far from easy
now: for example, 36.e6 ¦g6!, the only
33...b6!? would have passed the ball into move, 37.¦e1+ ¢d3 38.¥c1 ¤e7 39.f5!
Caruana’s court and asked him to make White breaks the blockade and wins a
a decision himself, which surprisingly piece, but after 39...¤xf5 40.e7 ¤xe7
enough is not easy at all! White’s pieces are 41.¦xe7 ¢c2! now the king’s activity
rather passive and his pawns cannot move pays off. After 42.¥f4 ¢xb3 43.¦xb7
forward, thus making it difficult for him ¢xa4 Black’s activity and passed pawns
to come up with something constructive. should ensure that he doesn’t lose the
34.¥e1 (34.¤b5 a6 forces the knight game. This is far from easy, especially
back in order to control the e4–square given Firouzja’s time-trouble, but all of
35.¤d6 a5 and how does White proceed?; it was his own doing. By staying put on
34.¢f3 ¦f8 threatening to take on e5) 34... move 33 he wouldn’t have been forced
a5 35.¤b5 ¢e4 and again White hasn’t to calculate long and complicated lines to
achieved anything. save the game.
34.¤xe4 ¢xe4 35.¦c1 White activates 36.¥e1 ¢e2 Following the plan to force
the rook. Now he has ideas of sacrificing through the d-pawn, but this is the decisive
9zpp+-+-+-0
9-+-+P+-+0 XIIIIIIIIY
9+-tR-+P+p0 9-+-+r+-+0
9P+-sn-+-zP0 9zpp+-+-+-0
9+P+-+-zP-0 9-+-+P+-+0
9-+-mk-+K+0 9+-+-tRP+-0
9+-+-+-+-0 9P+-sn-+pzP0
xiiiiiiiiy 9+P+k+-mK-0
A precise move. The rook will come behind 9-+-+-+-+0
the passed e-pawn.
9+-+-+-+-0
41...¦e8 42.¦e5 The threat is e7 and f6–f7. xiiiiiiiiy
45...¤xf5+ 46.¦xf5 ¦xe6 47.¢xg4 is just
42...¢d3 43.¢f2! The idea is to be able to hopeless for White as the h-pawn decides.
give check from e3 after ...¤c6.
46.¢xg4 ¤c6 47.¢f4 The pawns are
43.e7 ¤c6 and now Caruana wanted to stronger than a rook.
be able to play ¦e3 and follow up with
f6, though the engine finds 44.¦d5+ ¢e4 47...¤e7 48.f6 ¤g6+ 49.¢f5 ¤xh4+
45.f6! ¤xe7 46.¦d1! with a win. 50.¢g5 ¤f3+ 51.¢f4 ¤d4 52.e7 ¤c6
53.f7 ¦xe7 54.¦d5+
43...¦e7 Preventing e7.
1–0
44.g4! hxg4 45.¢g3 Now the king supports
the passed pawns.
A game characteristic of Firouzja’s
45...¦e8 preference for dynamism when given a
choice. Nevertheless, it was a sensitive loss
to a serious opponent who will be one of his
hall. He later admitted he was shocked, 39...¥c6 40.g3 ¥d7 41.¢f1 ¥e5 42.¢e2
but luckily for him he has a move that ¥g4+ 43.¢d2 ¥d7 44.¢c2 ¥e6 45.¥b5
not only keeps the advantage, but also XIIIIIIIIY
avoids a loss, thus making it easy to find
by the method of elimination. 9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+pmk-0
32.¥c2! Otherwise White loses!
9-+-+l+-+0
32...¥b8?! After finding a great defence 9+L+-vl-+p0
Howell starts to play less well. 9p+-zp-+-zP0
32...¥e5 was much better. After 33.¥xe5 9zP-+-+-zP-0
¦xe5 34.¥h7+ ¤xh7 35.¦xc6 ¥xc6 9-zPK+-zP-+0
36.£g4+ ¢h8 37.£f4 f6 38.£xh6 ¥b5
Black has decent chances to hold the 9+-vL-+-+-0
game. 32...£xc2 was also better than xiiiiiiiiy
the game move. Now 33.£xg3+ £g6 Attacking the pawn on a4 and liberating the
34.£xg6+ fxg6 35.¥xf6 ¢f7 again d3–square for the king.
brought better drawing chances than the
game continuation. 45...¥b3+ 46.¢d3 ¢g6 47.¥d7 Now all
that remains is to attack the pawn on d4
33.£xf6 £xf6 34.¥xf6 ¦c8 35.¥c3 d4?! with the bishop.
XIIIIIIIIY 47...¥d1 48.¥d2 f5 49.¥f4 ¥g7 50.¥d6
9-vlr+-+k+0 ¥f6 51.¥e8+ ¢h6 52.¥c5 The pawn on
9+-+l+p+-0 d4 falls now.
9-+-+-+-zp0 52...f4 53.¥xd4 ¥d8 54.¢d2 ¥b3
9+-+-+-+-0 55.¥e5 fxg3 56.fxg3 ¥a5+ 57.¢c1 With
9p+-zp-+-+0 ¥f4 next Black will also lose the pawn on
h5, so Howell resigned.
9zP-vL-+-+P0
9-zPL+-zPP+0 1–0
9+-tR-+-mK-0
xiiiiiiiiy In the last round, needing only a draw,
Another hasty, time-troubled decision. The Firouzja played the Berlin against Oparin
pawn is easier to attack on d4. and didn’t have much trouble in achieving
it. This result made him the sole winner of
35...¥d6 was better, when Black’s the event.
compactness makes it more difficult for
White to make progress. There is no doubt that this victory raises
Firouzja on a new level, but the next one
36.¥d2 ¢g7 37.¥d3 ¦xc1+ 38.¥xc1 is not too far ahead. At the Candidates, we
The double-bishop endgame is winning will see if he is ready for the penultimate
for White: he will march his king to big step.
the centre to attack the d4–pawn that
Black has hastily pushed forward a few
moves earlier.
Alexei Shirov’s
comeback to the future
I understand that only Shirov can answer 6.¥g5 The Richter−Rauzer Attack remains
that question, but in Riga the veteran the most challenging choice.
played a solid tournament and ended
undefeated with a +3 score, which secured 6...e6 7.£d2 a6 Black has the alternative
him qualification for next year’s Grand 7...¥e7, which was favoured by Kramnik
Prix events. in the 90s when he played the Classical
Sicilian a lot. Today it is considered
In Riga he managed to combine his natural inferior to 7...a6.
“fire on board” with the practical approach
that usually helps the older participants to 8.0–0–0 ¥d7 Currently this is more popular
save some energy by taking some games than the main alternative 8...h6, which saw
more easily, as Shirov did in the last three several setbacks in past years.
rounds when he made two quick draws. His
first victory in the event was in the second 9.f4 The main alternative for White is the
round and it was a typical one. English Attack setup with 9.f3.
12...£b6 13.¢b1 0–0–0 The king is not 18...£xa5 18...£a7 was an alternative, with
entirely safe on the queenside either. the idea of bringing the king to a8, even
though after 19.¦e4 ¢b7 20.£xb4+ ¢a8
14.a4 White can play 14.f5 (a typical move 21.¦de1 White certainly has compensation
in such position, provoking Black to move for the piece.
...e5, after which White tries to establish
control over the d5–square), 14.¦he1 or 19.¦e4 Now there is no ...a5 and White
14.a3, but Shirov goes his own way. picks up the pawn on b4.
18.£c1?
XIIIIIIIIY
9-+q+k+-tr0 The discomfort of wearing a facemask
9+-+-+p+p0 during play did not prevent Lei Tingjie
from a spectacular performance
9-vlpzp-snp+0
9+p+-zp-+-0 21...¤h5! With the idea of ...¤f4. Note that
9-+-+P+-+0 White cannot take the knight because then
the g-file will be opened and the rook will
9+L+P+PsN-0 give the check from g8 as a prelude to the
9-zPP+-zP-zP0 mate on g2.
9+-wQ-+RmK-0 22.¤e2 g5 Preparing ...¤f4 and then
xiiiiiiiiy ...gxf4, again opening the g-file.
The decisive mistake.
23.£d1 ¦g8 Mate is inevitable after ...¤f4
18.¢g2 was the only move, with the idea so White resigned.
of preventing the black queen from coming
to h3. After 18...h5 19.h4 White is still 0–1
fighting, but it’s an uphill struggle.
18...£h3 Now all Black’s pieces are It all looked so easy, didn’t it?
participating in the attack, even the rook, as
we shall soon see. This smoothness prevailed in all the
remaining games. Lei played solid
19.£g5 ¢e7 20.c3 h6 21.£d2 openings and basically waited to pounce
XIIIIIIIIY on her opponent’s mistakes, whether they
9-+-+-+-tr0 were tactical or positional ones. And
what surprises me most is that they were
9+-+-mkp+-0 so frequent! Even experienced players
9-vlpzp-snpzp0 succumbed rather quickly when playing
9+p+-zp-+-0 the Chinese.
9-+-+P+-+0
9+LzPP+PsNq0
9-zP-wQ-zP-zP0
9+-+-+RmK-0
xiiiiiiiiy
BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 743
12/141
A CONFIDENT
VICTORY BY OXFORD By IM Shaun Taulbut
The 139th Varsity Chess Match between 4...¥g7 5.¤f4 d6 6.d5 White aims at the
Oxford and Cambridge took place at hole on e6 but Black has adequate resources
the RAC Club in Pall Mall, London on against this plan.
Saturday 23 October 2021. The match is
normally held in March but was delayed 6...c6 Black prepares to challenge the white
because of the pandemic. pawn on d5.
developing his pieces. 9.¤c3 ¤c5 10.¥e3 16.g4 ¤f6 17.g5 ¤g4 is good for Black
¤xe6 11.h3 0–0 12.£d2 White is slightly better. but better for White than the game
continuation.
9...£e7 10.¤c3 Changing tack; after
10.h5 ¤xh5 11.¤xh5 gxh5 12.¦xh5 ¥xe6 16...fxg3 The in-between move, destroying
13.¥g5 £d7 when Black has an equal game the white kingside and opening the f-file.
but this may be the best line for White.
17.f3 After 17.fxg3 gxh5 White cannot
10...¥xe6 11.¤xe6 £xe6 12.¥f4 ¦d8 castle and g3 is very weak, eg 18.£c2 ¤b4
XIIIIIIIIY 19.£b1 ¦de8 20.¦h2 £f6.
9-+-trk+-tr0 17...g2 18.¦g1 ¥d4 19.¦xg2 £h3
9zpp+-+-vlp0 XIIIIIIIIY
9n+pzpqsnp+0 9-+-tr-trk+0
9+-+-+p+-0 9zpp+-+-+p0
9-+P+-vL-zP0 9n+pzp-+p+0
9+-sN-+-zP-0 9+-+-+-+L0
9PzP-+PzPL+0 9-+Pvl-+-zP0
9tR-+QmK-+R0 9+PsN-+P+q0
xiiiiiiiiy 9P+-vLP+R+0
Black has a slightly better position here.
White has two bishops, but he is behind in 9tR-+QmK-+-0
development. xiiiiiiiiy
Black attacks the rook and also threatens
13.b3 ¤h5 A strong and natural move ...£h1+ and ...£xh4+. White holds on to
uncovering the dark-squared bishop. h4 with his next move.
14.¥d2 0-0 Black is ready to attack with 20.¥g5 £h1+ 21.¢d2 £xg2 22.¥xd8
...f4 as all of his pieces are developed. gxh5 Material is level but the white king
is very exposed.
15.¥f3 15.0–0 f4 leads to a crushing
attack for Black as White’s kingside is 23.¥g5 If 23.¥a5 b6 is winning.
immediately broken up.
23...¦xf3 24.¤e4 ¤b4
15...f4 16.¥xh5
XIIIIIIIIY XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-tr-trk+0 9-+-+-+k+0
9zpp+-+-vlp0 9zpp+-+-+p0
9n+pzpq+p+0 9-+pzp-+-+0
9+-+-+-+L0 9+-+-+-vLp0
9-+P+-zp-zP0 9-snPvlN+-zP0
9+PsN-+-zP-0 9+P+-+r+-0
9P+-vLPzP-+0 9P+-mKP+q+0
9tR-+QmK-+R0 9tR-+Q+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy xiiiiiiiiy
BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 747
12/141
Marcel Duchamp
playing chess in his studio, 1952
Kay Bell Reynal, photographer.
Archives of American Art,
Smithsonian Institution
Kremer, writing in New In Chess, had idea, even as the object represented might
this to say of Duchamp’s attraction to the not be actual in the phenomenal sense, but
game: “In Chess, beauty is not so much rather a mental image. As he said in 1945
visually observable but, selon Duchamp, – I wanted to get away from the physical
is, ‘completely in one’s grey matter’.” He aspects of painting, I was interested in
continued that Duchamp is interested in ideas – Not merely in visual products. I
“cerebral art, in which there is an appeal to wanted to put painting once again at the
the viewer‘s intelligence and imagination, service of the mind.”
more so than in the average sensuous
offerings.” Chess is a marvellous field for this kind
of operation, for the beauty of a move
To support this I now cite George Heard in chess lies in the thought behind it,
Hamilton, Inside the Green Box: not in the move itself. Nimzowitsch
wrote in Chess Praxis: “The aesthetic
“… for Duchamp art is a mental act, a feeling in chess must be firmly anchored
fact of consciousness. His life, a long one, in appreciating the thought behind the
and his career as a professional artist, so moves, that is the point. Those deluded by
disconcertingly short, have been dedicated outward appearances only may mistakenly
to the deliberate annihilation of what he condemn moves as ugly, when they are not
calls ‘retinal painting‘ - that sort of art so at all. Beauty in chess is, in the final
which appeals principally or only to the analysis, conditioned solely by the quality
eye, which he believes began with Courbet of thought [translated from the German].”
and reached its greatest splendours and
deceptions in our times with Picasso and With this thought, that the aims of
Matisse. What he wanted, we might say, was Duchamp, Nimzowitsch and Dada were
not a painting of something, but painting not so far apart after all, I conclude the
as something, painting which should not argument. What follows is a detailed record
only represent an object but be in itself an of Duchamp’s involvement with chess.
JAMES
MARSTON
CRADDOCK
6209 James Marston Craddock (1913 -
By Alan Smith
11...e5 12.£d2 ¤xc5 13.¥e2 13.¤xd5
2001), like Bauer and von Bardeleben, is ¤e4 14.£d3 ¤c5 could lead to a draw
chiefly remembered for a game he lost, to by repetition.
Jacques Mieses in 1939.
13...¥g4 14.f3 ¥e6 15.0-0-0 ¤c6 16.g4
While a pupil at Cardiff High school d4 17.¤e4 ¤xe4 18.fxe4 hxg4 White has
Craddock won three British Boys’ nothing for his pawn.
Championships: 1929, 1930 and 1931. He
went through all three events unbeaten; his 19.¦f1 ¦c8 20.a3 £b6 21.¥g7 ¤a5
overall score was +20=3. 22.£d3 ¦g8 23.¥h6 ¤b3+ 24.¢d1 The
alternative 24.¢b1 was no better: 24...¥xa3
In 1931 he won the Milner scholarship to 25.cxb3 ¥xb3 26.¦c1 ¥a2+.
study mathematics at Magdalene College,
Cambridge. 24...¤c5 25.£d2 ¤e4 26.£d3 f5 27.¥c1
¥c4 White could resign.
The following is probably Craddock’s best
game, but Sultan Khan was not at his best. 28.£xc4 ¦xc4 29.¥xc4 ¦h8 30.¦h2
f4 31.¦e1 g3 32.¦he2 ¤f2+ 33.¢d2 e4
Sultan Khan - James Craddock 34.¦xe4 ¤xe4+ 35.¦xe4 d3 36.¤h3
¦xh4 37.¤g5 ¦h2+ 38.¢xd3 £d6+
Imperial CC - Cambridge University, 1933 39.¢c3 £f6+ 40.Kb3 £xg5 41.¥xf4 £g4
42.¥d6 £d1 43.¦xe7+ ¢d8 44.¥d3 g2
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.¤c3 ¤f6 4.¥g5 ¥e7 is quite lost.
5.e5 ¤fd7 6.h4 a6 7.£g4 h5 8.£f4 There 0-1
is a case for 8.£g3 which leaves his bishop
with retreat squares. Times Literary Supplement,
7th December 1933
8...c5 9.dxc5 f6 10.exf6 gxf6
11.¥h6 11.¥d3 also saves his bishop, but
after 11..¤e5 12.¥h6 ¤xd3+ 13.cxd3 e5 Craddock defeated another British
14.£d2 ¥xc5 Black is on top. Championship player soon afterwards. Playing
Endgame Studies
by Ian Watson
[email protected]
1 XIIIIIIIIY
9q+-+-+-wq0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+-+-wQ-+0
9wQ-+-+-+-0
9-+-+-+Q+0
9+-+-+-+-0
2
XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-tR-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+q+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-mk-tr-+-0
9-+-+-wq-+0 9-+r+-+-+0
9+-+K+-+k0 9+R+K+Q+-0
xiiiiiiiiy xiiiiiiiiy
M. Bourzutschky M. Bourzutschky
2021 2021
3 4
(See text) (See text)
XIIIIIIIIY XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-+-+0 9k+N+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0 9+-+K+-+-0
9-+-+-+-+0 9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0 9+-+-+-+-0
9-+n+-+-+0 9-+p+N+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0 9+-+-+-+-0
9R+Nvl-mk-+0 9-+-+-+-+0
9+L+K+n+-0 9+-+-+-+-0
iiiiiiii xiiiiiiiiy
M. Bourzutschky A. Rusz
2021 EG 2021
(See text) win
Database Delights!?
“Database delights”? If ever there was a self−contradiction, that’s it, you say? Databases
are dour and drab, and the moves are incomprehensible? Well, reserve your judgement.
We’ve had six−man endgame databases for thirty years, and seven−man ones for fifteen. The
doyen of such databases, Marc Bourzutschky, has now circulated his first findings in eight−man
databases. The task of generating them is formidable. The number of unique legal positions
goes up by about two orders of magnitude when you increase the number of pieces by one;
so, 7−man to 8−man goes from about 400 million million to about 40,000 million million.
Marc has begun this Brobdingnagian task by focusing on the pawnless 8−man positions. For
your Xmas entertainment, I’m going to ask you to assess some of these positions; database
endgames are often unsolvable by us mere humans, but maybe you can assess what the result
might be, using a little calculation and a lot of commonsense? Have a go.
To begin, though, a different teaser. In the pawnless endings with six men, the longest win
takes 243 moves; how long do you think the longest win in the 7−man pawnless positions
is? And how long in the 8−man pawnless positions? (To the nearest 100 will do.)
Now to your assessing skills. You know that KNNN v. K is a general win, and I hope that you also
know the general outcome of four knights against a queen − KNNNN v. KQ. (Troitsky showed
how this endgame works.) What, however, about KNNNN v. KRB? And KNNNN v. KRN?
The Rusz study has only five pieces, but the databases have to include positions with fewer
pieces than the 6/7/8 - often the higher−number−of−pieces positions resolve not to mate
but to positions with fewer pieces. If you read my column in the October and November
issues of BCM, you should be becoming familiar with how to mate with two knights
against pawn. This one takes thirty moves, but it isn’t dour and drab: Rusz has found a
position where the play has a strong theme. Rusz dedicated it to Guy Haworth who died
in June; Guy was, like Marc Bourzutschky, an expert in endgame databases. Rusz’s study
was published in the specialist endgame magazine EG in July, where you can also find out
more about the 8−man databases; visit www.arves.org for details about EG.
Not content with merely starting on the 8−man positions, Marc is also doing some work on the
9−man ones. The 40,000 million million clearly isn’t a daunting enough task! Maybe we’ll see
some of his discoveries during 2022. In the meantime, enjoy your Christmas database delights.
Problem
World
by Christopher Jones
[email protected]
Grandmaster of Chess Composition
Solutions are given on page 766
1
XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-+-sn0
9+-+-+-+-0
9KtR-+-sNp+0
9+-+-+pzP-0
9k+-+-+L+0
9+-+r+-+-0
9-zP-+-+-+0
2 XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-zp-+-zp-0
9p+K+-+-+0
9zP-+-zp-zP-0
9-zp-mkp+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9PzPP+PzPP+0
9+-+-+-+-0 9+-+-+-+-0
xiiiiiiii xiiiiiiiiy
Paul Michelet (London) Udo Marks (Germany)
3 4
Mate in 7 Mate in 11
Original ORIGINAL
XIIIIIIIIY XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-+-+0 9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0 9+p+-+-+k0
9-zp-+-+-mK0 9-+-zp-+-+0
9+p+-+-+-0 9+-+p+-+-0
9-zPkzp-+-+0 9-tr-zp-+-+0
9zp-+-+-zp-0 9+rvlpzp-zp-0
9-zP-+P+p+0 9-sNqzpn+-+0
9+-+-snL+R0 9mK-snl+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy xiiiiiiiiy
Christopher Jones (Bristol) Ljubomir Ugren (Slovenia)
Helpmate in 3 - 2 solutions Helpmate in 8
Original Original
Openings
for Amateurs By Pete Tamburro; [email protected]
he’s just given Botvinnik the odds of a Botvinnik seemed not to be in a hurry in
move and then, on move 13, he goes back this game. He might have been a bit friskier
and gives Mr. B. the odds of two moves! with 14.e4 dxe4 15.fxe4 ¤g4 16.¥d2!
Keres is good, but not that good. It allows which would have avoided that three pawns
Botvinnik to implement Plan B with vs. a piece note below, but a lot of study is
proper preparation. due both positions before a final decision
can be reached. In any event, we’re trying
12.¢h1 ¤g6 13.f3 to learn about how to build up your middle
XIIIIIIIIY game plan from carefully selected opening
moves, so let’s get to it!
9r+lwqr+k+0
9zpp+-+pzpp0 14...¤d7? The engine gives 14...h6 15.¥xh6
gxh6 16.¥xg6 Botvinnik stopped here. 16...
9-+pvl-snn+0 fxg6 17.£xg6+ ¢h8 18.£xh6+ ¤h7 and
9+-+p+-vL-0 it’s evaluated as equal or microscopically
9-+-zP-+-+0 better for Black. I immediately recalled a
passage in P.H. Clarke’s extraordinary book
9+-sNLzPP+-0 on Tal. Substitute Botvinnik for Tal in this
9PzPQ+N+PzP0 quote: "I am tempted to coin a new rule: a
piece is better than three pawns when Tal
9+R+-+R+K0 has the piece; three pawns are better than a
xiiiiiiiiy piece when Tal has the pawns."
The point of the "slow" ¤ge2. With the
aforementioned planning, White will be 15.¥xe7 ¦xe7 16.¤g3 Now e4 is an ever
playing e4 at some point, and Black can’t larger and more immediate threat.
stop it with a c5 counter because he’s 16...¤f6 17.£f2 Yes! The f-file will be
already played c6. That’s giving White opened for White, thus it’s logical for the
three tempi in this opening manoeuvring. queen to optimise her placement.
20.e4 dxe4 21.fxe4 The ideal pawn 30...¦fe8 It’s all bad: 30...gxf5 31.¦g3+
centre. Black can’t really launch a serious ¢h8 32.£f6+ ¤g7 33.£xg7#; 30...f6
counter-offensive against it. White’s 31.¤xe7+ £xe7 32.exf6 £f7 33.¦e3 b5
pieces are better placed. At least Black 34.g4 ¦e8 35.g5 h5 36.¦e5 ¦d8 37.£h3
gets his last piece into the game, albeit a ¦d6 38.¦fe1 ¤xg5 39.£c8+.
bit too late.
31.¤h6+ ¢f8 32.£f4 ¤g7 32...f5 33.£h4
21...¦d8 22.e5 Not only chasing the knight ¦g7 34.g4.
off the f-file, this is also a vacating move
so the white knight can enter e4 with awful 33.¦cf3 ¦c8 34.¤xf7 ¦e6 35.£g5 ¤f5
consequences for Black. 36.¤h6 £g7 37.g4 Black resigned.
24...£c7 25.¥e4 ¤e6 26.£h4 Another There you have it. The chess version of
threat creates another weakness. Robert Frost’s "road not taken". If you
don’t take the Minority Attack road, there
26...g6 27.¥xd5! Exclamation mark is always the ¤ge2–g3 and e4 road. Both
moves don’t always have to be sacrifices. are similar in that you had better prepare
The dark squares now implode with a big both pawn thrusts. Keres also wasted an
whooshing sound. inordinate amount of time. You can get
away with it in closed positions, but it’s
27...cxd5 28.¦c1 Another nice little touch. not a recommended practice.
Chase the queen and then do the rook lift to
swing over to h3. Again, we learn from an old GM game.
There is value in those games because
28...£d7 29.¦c3 ¦f8 you learn ideas and strategies that can
XIIIIIIIIY help you plan a coordination between
your opening and middle game.
9-+-+-trk+0
9zpp+qtrp+p0
9-+-sNn+p+0
9+-+pzP-+-0
9-+-zP-+-wQ0
9+-tR-+-+-0
9PzP-+-+PzP0
9+-+-+R+K0
xiiiiiiiiy
BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 763
12/141
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764 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE
December 2021
Longest wins: the longest win in the 7−man (BTM) 1…£e6 2.¦b3+ £xb3 3.£f6+
pawnless databases is 517 moves, so more than ¢c4 4.£d4+ ¢b5 5.¦b8+, or in that
double that of the 6−man ones. Surprisingly, the line 2…¢xb3 3.£b5+ ¢c3 4.£c5+ £c4
longest win in the 8−man pawnless databases 5.£xe3+ ¢b2 6.£b6+ ¢a1 7.¦a8+ ¦a2
is 400 moves. (Marc hasn’t completed that 8.£f6+ ¢b1 9.¦b8+; 1…£c5 2.£f6+
work yet, but for technical reasons he thinks ¦e5 3.£g7 £e3 4.¦c8+ ¢d4 5.¦b4+
it unlikely this will be exceeded.) He suggests ¢d3 6.¦b3+ ¢d4 7.¦xe3.
that the increasing crowding of the board
reduces the scope for longer lines. Bourzutschky – no queens
Four white knights: Troitsky showed that Another full point reciprocal zugzwang.
four knights win against a queen, so you Any white move obviously allows mate
might well expect them to beat rook and in one, but Black to move has to let White
bishop, but in general Black can exchange untie himself and then White is winning,
his bishop for a knight and so draws. When although the process is protracted.
Black has a knight instead, he usually can’t
force an exchange, and so loses. Rusz
Solutions to Problems
This month’s originals
This month we start with two long problems. Both can be approached as good solving
challenges – in the 7-mover you will need to keep threatening mate, since otherwise the black
rook will be able to prolong the game beyond seven moves – but there is no reproach for
simply reading on and following the solutions. I admit that this is what I generally do with
long problems, and it’s enjoyable to see the unique paths to mate in such problems. Also, even
if in the longer term you would like to enter solving competitions it’s helpful to play through
the solutions to problems such as these in order to get an idea of the sort of logic, and the sort
of motifs composers like to employ. Our final two problems of 2021 are helpmates – Black
initiates a collaborative sequence of moves leading to his being mated. In the 3-mover there
are two BWBWBW sequences that do the trick, in the 8-mover one longer sequence.
– 1.gxf1=£ e3 2.£d3 ¦h4 3.£b3 ¦xd4 regarded askance by helpmate purists) but
and 1.gxh1=£+ ¥h3 2.£f3 bxa3 3.£c3 in this case the logical neatness of the white
¥e6. In helpmates, there is almost as much knight’s route back to its initially 4-times-
paradox in a black pawn promoting to guarded starting square dispels any
queen (which, being so powerful, seems aesthetic cavilling – 1.¤a2 ¢xa2 2.£c1
more likely to thwart mating plans) as in ¤xd3 3.¢g6 ¤xb4 4.¢f5 ¤xd5 5.¢e4
a white pawn promoting to a minor piece. ¤xc3+ 6.¢d3 ¤xd1 7.£c6 ¢xb3 8.£e4
¤b2. If you foresaw from the diagram that
A battle against the black queen would somehow finish up
apparently overwhelming odds on e4 I take my hat off to you! Kudos too
if you thought to question the legality of
black king must make a diagonal (and this position (essential to the soundness of
therefore dual-free) journey directly into a chess problem) – in this case the one (and
the midst of the said army, but it is a so sufficient) feasible preamble would
considerable challenge to plot the precise have been a black check by ¦b2>b3, met
route of the white knight to inflict mate. by a withdrawal of the white knight to b2
Necessarily the route involves captures from a4 or c4.
of a number of black units (sometimes
Hardinge Simpole
is delighted to announce
the publication of
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