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SPAIN'S FINEST CAVA

.C.uptkodu

SPAIN'S FINEST CAVA

CHESS

Taghairm

Raymond Keene

THE BUSINESS of prophecy, whatever means one uses to predict the results, movements of mice, sitting under a water- fall, examining the entrails or even chess ratings, can be a tricky one. My pre-match predictions for the Fide Championship qualifiers in Wijk aan Zee scored 66,6 per cent. Anand, Salov, Kramnik and Kamsky qualified easily enough against respectively Yusupov, Khalifman, Yudasin and van der Sterren, thus generally reinforcing my reputation as a prophet. However, I was badly let down by Lautier and Adams, who clearly had not realised what was at stake. I had believed that Timman had suffered such an intense battering over the past year from every match opponent he had to face, whether Short, Karpov or indeed Skembris the Greek, that he would not be able to pull himself together in time to beat Lautier. In fact, the young Frenchman never got off the ground and although he resisted doggedly he ultimately went down to defeat in what turned out to be the least distinguished of all the Fide matches.

Adams had been my pre-match tip but he seemed to be frustrated by Gelfand's opening repertoire. Never comfortable as Black, it was a sign that all was not well with White either, when an acknowledged Sicilian slayer, specialising in the main lines and supported by Dr John Nunn, one of the world's most erudite anti-Sicilian theoreticians, was forced to switch to the relatively innocuous sub-variation 2 c3.

Fide qualifying matches

Gelfand

1/2

'12

1/2

1 0 1

1/2

1 5 Adams

1/2 1/2

1/2

0 1 0 1/2 0 3 Timman 1/2 1 0 1/2 1 1/2 1/2 1/2

41/2

Lautier 1/2 0 1 1/2 0 1/2 1/2 1/2 31/2

The following game typified the problems Adams faced against an opponent who combined excellent preparation and force- fulness with a newly discovered equanimity under pressure.

Gelfand — Adams: Fide Candidates, Wijk aan Zee, January 1994; Came 4.

1 d4 d5 2 c4 dxc4 3 e3 Avoiding the traditional 3 Nf3 Gelfand opts for a variation with a certain 19th-century flair to it. 3 . . . e5 4 Bxc4 exd4 5 exd4 Nf6 6 Nf3 Be7 7 0-0 0-0 8 h3 Nc6 Instead of this 8 . . . c6 9 Be3 Nbd7 10 Bb3 Nb6 11 Nc3 Nfd5 12 a4 a5 13 Ne5 Be6 14 Bc2 f5 would transpose into the game La Bourdonnais McDonnell, from one of their great matches at London in 1834. Note that in this game the . . . f5 theme re-emerges on move 15. 9 Nc3 Na5 10 Bd3 Be6 11 Rel Nc6 12 a3 Qd6 This appears to expose the black queen. Amazingly the game has transposed into the final and 48th between Kasparov and Karpov from their first cham- pionship which was terminated prematurely in February 1985. That game started life as a Petroff! There Karpov tried . . . a6 which,

Position after 15 . . . f5

combined with a later . . . Nd5, might well be a preferable means of defence. 13 Be3 Nd5 14 Qc2 Kh8 15 Radl Not 15 Bxh7 g6 trapping the bishop. 15 . . . f5 (Diagram) Seeking some kingside activity, but this weakens the `e' file, shades of La Bourdonnais — McDonnell. 1613cl RadS 17 Reg Bf6 18 Rdel Bc8 19 Bc4 Nxc3 Strengthening White's centre but after 19 . . . Nb6 20 Nb5! exploits the awkward situaion of Black's queen. 20 bxc3 h6 21 a4 b6 22 h4 Na5 23 Ba2 c5 24 Ng5 An annoying stroke which gains valuable terrain. After 24 . . . hxg5 25 hxg5 Black's bishop is trapped and his king is ex- posed. 24 . . . Ba6 25 Re6 Qd7 26 QxfS This amounts to a winning sacrifice and must have come as a terrible surprise to Black. After 26 . . . hxg5 27 hxg5 White has the added threat of Qh3+. However, what Black plays is little better. 26 . . . BxgS 27 Qg6 The point of White's play. 27 . . . Bxc1 fails to 28 Re7 while 27 . . . Bxh4 loses to 28 Bbl Bxf2+ 29 Khl Kg8 30 Qh7+ Kf7 31 Bg6 checkmate. Black decides, instead, to try to defend a lost endgame.

Position after 27 Qg6 (Diagram) 27 . . . Q17 28 Qxf7 Rxf7 29 hxg5 cxd4 30 cxd4 Safe enough, but 30 gxh6 might have been even more devastating. 30 . . . Bc4 31 Re8+ Rxe8 32 Rxe8 + Kh7 33 Bbl+ g6 34 gxh6 Nc6 35 Be3 Re7 36 Rc8 Bd5 37 Bd3 Nb4 38 Bet Be6 39 Rd8 Nd5 With two extra pawns and the bishop pair White's task is not difficult. 40 Bg5 Rd7 41 Re8 Bf7 42 Rb8 Be6 43 Bf3 Rf7 44 Rd8 Rf5 45 Bd2 Nf6 46 Ra8 g5 47 Rxa7+ Kxh6 48 Ra6 Nd7 49 a5 Rb5 50 axb6 Black resigns If 50 . . . Nxb6 51 Ba5 wins a piece while if 50 . . . Rxb6 51 Ra5 nets a further pawn.