CHESS
Mag trade
Raymond Keene
It is remarkable what can be found in the byways of the three top English language chess magazines — New in Chess, the British Chess Magazine and Pergamon Chess. One of the stars of New in Chess is the Dutch grandmaster Hans Ree who certainly writes much better in English than I could in Dutch. In the latest issue he has this to say about the start of the Timman — Hiibner Candidates match in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. (Timman, of course, is the Dutch national hero in chess.) 'When I arrived in Sarajevo Tim- man and Hubner had already been there for a while and both looked relaxed and cheerful. This was a miracle considering that a horde of savages had been playing havoc at their hotel all weekend (the Holiday Inn, also the tournament venue). I allude to the Dutch fans in Sarajevo for the European ice-skating championships. Their blood-curdling yells could be heard in the remotest rooms until well into the early hours. They were having a great time emptying the entire contents of minibars into baths and drinking the resultant hel- lish cocktail by the paper cupful. Some even bathed in it and still the carousing went on. They danced on the tables in the lobby and fell through them in droves. Timman was in a fix because he was recognised. God knows what would have happened if they had been able to get their hands on him. But he managed to give them the slip and reach his room in safety. Dutch sports fans! A Scourge of God which many a European city has had visited upon it.'
My favourite column in the British Chess Magazine is the wildly amusing quotes and queries written by the erudite Ken Whyld. Some of his answers to obscure readers' questions look like jokes but I am assured that each entry is based solidly on fact. This comes from the February issue: `Charles Oppenheim has an envelope bear- ing a printed crest "Trabue endowed chess tournament, Florida 1885", and post- marked 21 November 1885 and wants to know about the tournament.' Whyld's encyclopaedic knowledge enabled him to give the following answer: 'Isaac Hodgen Trabue (1829-1907) was described by the Louisville Commercial in spring 1885 as one of the greatest chess players in the United States. He was building Trabue City (near Charlotte Harbour, Florida) and endowing a tournament lasting one week, to begin on the second Monday of December each year. Open to anyone except lawyers, entrance free. The winner would get two thirds of the value of the pineapple crop from a four-acre site, and the runner-up the other third. Later some- one else added a 28-acre coconut crop, and a third person, a shoe merchant, added a 5-acre coconut crop for the best two problems and the best two solvers at the tournament. It seems that the event fell through. Perhaps the long journey was an obstacle, but more likely players were deterred because at the time none of the crops had been planted, let alone har- vested.'
The British champion was in devastating form in the first round of the City of London Corporation / Watson, Farley & Williams chess challenge at the Guildhall. Plaskett's thunderbolt on the 14th move was the key to his victory. After 14 Bxa6 Bxa6 15 Nxc6 followed by Nxe7+ Black could resign. So from move 14 onward, the normally solid Arkell was reduced to help- less thrashing around.
J. Plaskett — K. Arkell: CoL Corporation/ WFW, Round 1; Queen's Indian Defence.
1 Nf3 Nf6 2 d4 e6 3 e3 c5 4 Bd3 b6 5 0-0 Bb7 6 c4 Be7 7 Nc3 cxd4 8 exd4 d5 9 cxd5 Nxd5 10 Ne5 0-0 11 Qg4 Nf6 12 Qh4 Nc6 13 Bg5 g6 14 Ba6 h6 15 Bxh6 Nd5 16 Qh3 Nxc3 17 Bxh7 Ne2+ 18 Khl Ncxd4 19 Bxf8 Bxf8 20 Bxa8 Qxa8 21 Qe3 Qd5 22 Rae 1 Bd6 23 f4 g5 24 Rxe2 Black resigns.
Meanwhile, in the Vereenigde Spaarbank Euwe Memorial tournament in Amster- dam, Kasparov has started off in somewhat lacklustre fashion. Possibly the strain of forming a new political party each week is causing him some fatigue.
Nigel Short took an early lead after three rounds but most of the excitement has been set off by Korchnoi and Timman who, incidentally, are due to meet in the quarter-finals of the Candidates matches later this year.
Korchoni — Timman: Vereenigde Spaar- bank Euwe Memorial, 4 May 1991; Queen's Gambit Declined.
1 c4 e6 2 Nc3 d5 3 d4 Be7 4 Nf3 Nf6 5 Bg5 0-0 6 e3 h6 7 Bxf6 Bxf6 8 Qd2 a6 9 0-0-0 Nc6 10 e4 dxe4 11 Nex4 b6 12 h4 Bb7 13 Qe3 Be7 14 Bd3 Qd7 15 Bbl Rad8 16 g4 f5 17 gxf5 exf5 18 Rhgl Bd6 19 Nxd6 20 d5 Na5 21 Ne5 Rde8 22 f4 Re7 23 Qc3 Black resigns. Apart from his troubles in the 'g' file Black is also threatened with h4 which wins a piece.
New in Chess (£30 per annum) is avail- able from New in Chess Magazine, PO Box 393, 1800 Alkmaar, Netherlands.
The British Chess Magazine (f22.30 per annum) is available from The British Chess Magazine, 9 Market Street, St. Leonards on Sea, East Sussex TN38 OD().
Pergamon Chess(£19.95 per annum) is available from Pergamon Chess, Railway Road, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B73 6AZ.
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