Chessmas gifts
Raymond Keene
Considering the enormous variety of chess literature on offer at the moment, prospective purchasers of chess books as Christmas present should carefully consider the category of chess enthusiast to which the potential recipient may belong. For the young beginner a stimulating volume is The Children's Book of Chess, by Bob Wade and Ted Nottingham (Botsford, £3.50). David Levy's Learn Chess from the World Champions (Pergamon, 0.85) is a tapestry of reprinted articles from the pens of all the world champions, which would appeal to someone with an interest in the historical aspects of chess.
For practical players, who wish to succeed in competitive events, I can single out three recent works, starting with Selected Games of Lajos Portisch, by Egon Varnusz (Botsford, £6.50). This is a beautifully produced anthology in the classical tradition, featuring rigorously scientific masterpieces by a five-times candidate for the world championship. For strong players with a good memory for theoretical variations Tony Miles's book on the sharpest lines of the Sicilian Dragon (Botsford, £4.95) is liable to prove a lethal pointscorer. Finally, Het Groot Analyseboek (Unitgeverij Andriessen, about f.7), by the Dutch GM Jan Timman. This contains twenty-three games, annotated with great finesse and in enormous depth. It is a modern classic and deserves to have as much impact as Tarrasch's Dreihundert Schachpartien, or Nimzowitsch's My System. The book is in Dutch (and therefore more likely to be available from chess specialists, such as the BCM, than from ordinary bookshops) but the analysis is accessible to all, while Timman's prose can just about be understood by anyone who has a passing acquaintance with German.
I am constantly amazed that what are essentially tiny pieces of plastic can play chess at all, so, if you are feeling generous, a home chess computer would make an impressive gift. There are any number of good ones available, but in Sydney I was vastly amused by the verbal antics of the Voice Challenger. I should also not forget chess sets, and for those visiting the Brighton international tournament, which I discussed last week, I can strongly advise a trip to the Persian Shop, Brighton Square, in the centre of the Lanes. A superb selection of modern and oriental sets is on display there, which should appeal both to the practical player and to the collector.
This week's game is taken from Timman's book, and I have paraphrased his notes which, in the original, extended over seven pages.
LjuboJevic — Andersson: Wijk aan Zee 3976. Sicilian Defrnce.
1 P-K4 P-QB4 2 N-KB3 P-K3 3 P-Q4 PxP 4 NxP N-QH3 S N-QB3 Q-182 6 B-K2 P-QR3 70-0 N-B3 8 B-K3 B-K2 9 P-B4 P-Q3 10 Q-K1 0-0 11Q-N3 B-Q2 12 P.M PxP 13 PxP NxP 14 B-KB4 B-Q315 QR-Ql Q-Nl White has sacrificed a pawn to create a tense situation. His problem now is how to transfer his pieces towards Black's king. 16 R-Q3IN-K1 Not 16 . NxR? 17 BxB.17 N-K4 B-82 18 R-Q113 N-Q133 19 BxB NxN 20 B-Q3 Q-R2 21 N-B5 B-N4 After 21 ... NxB there is an incredible draw with 22 BxPch Kx13 23 QxPch KxQ 24 R-N3ch etc. White could, of course, play for more with 22 QxB B-N4 23 R-B4. 22 B-K5 N-BQ3 23 BxPch Solving the problem at the price of a piece. 23...KxB 24 R-B4 P-B3 25 R-R4ch K-N1 26 Q-R3 N-Q1 27 B-Q4 P.QN3 28 NxKP Nx1N 29 QxNch Q-B2 30 Q-K4 Attacking 0R8 and KR7. Black should now have struck back with 30...QxP! 31 QxR!31 QxR P-KN4! The course chosen leads to disaster.30...P-KN4 31 R-R6 R-R2 32 R(3)-KR3 Q-KN2 33 R-N6 R(1)-B2 34 P-B4Black resigns.
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