sCAIDOI CHESS
SPAIN'S FINEST CAVA
P)1D (0) LE0
SPAIN'S FINEST CAVA
Eleven minus
Raymond Keene
ON 5 FEBRUARY I DISCUSSED the achievement of 14-year-old Peter Leko in becoming the world's youngest-ever grand- master. In the process Leko shaved a year off the previous record of 15 which had initially been held by Bobby Fischer and then somewhat improved by Judit Polgar. Should one be surprised at this continual lowering of the age for chess stardom? Perhaps not.
With the proliferation of opportunities for formal tournament chess over the past few years, brilliant achievement by young- sters is now easier to register officially. In the past, tournaments were far less com- mon, and titles such as master and grand- master were not awarded by established bodies. Is it not possible that such pro- digies as Paul Morphy, Jose Capablanca and Sammy Reshevsky might in fact have actually achieved what is now recognised as modern grandmaster status, at an even earlier age? After all, Mozart was giving public performances when he was six, and he went on to compose a perfectly compe- tent symphony within a further two years. Perhaps this kind of prodigious achieve- ment is really due to easy recognition of a young person's drive to take up chess, or indeed music. Given that recognition, the next step is to train appropriately and to find sufficient opportunities to display the acquired skill. As things are going, I would not bet against an eight-year-old grand- master in years to come.
In any case, the French are now hot on the trail of Peter Leko: 11-year-old Etien- ne Bacrot has just scored 50 per cent in the grandmaster tournament at Nice. If any- thing, he was let down by his stamina, since he had been leading with three points after three rounds but faded towards the end of the competition.
Santo-Roman — Bacrot: Nice 1994; Sicilian Defence.
1 e4 c5 2 N13 d6 3 c3 Nf6 4 Bet Setting a crude trap, namely 4 . . . Nxe4?? 5 Qa4+ winning the knight. One does not have to be a chess prodigy to see through this transparent snare. 4 . . . Nbd7 5 d3 b6 6 Ng5 Another tricky move in the same vein as his fourth. White speculates on a quick win after 6 . . . h6?? 7 Ne6 fxe6 8 Bh5+ Nxh5 9 Qxh5+ with a speedy mate. 6 . . . e6 7 f4 h6 8 Nh3 c4 A bold concept indicating that the 11-year-old is full of confidence in his strategic judgment. Objectively, the simple 8 . . . Bb7 might have been more prudent. 9 dxc4 Nxe4 10 0.0 Bb7 11 Bf3 Be7 12 Rel Ndf6 13 Nd2 Nc5 14 Bxb7 Nxb7 15 f5 In spite of his artificial opening strategy White has emerged with a fully playable position, based on his control of the central light squares. 15 . . . e5 16 Ne4 Qd7 17 Nxf6+ Bxf6 18 Q13 0-0-0 19 Be3 Kc7 20 Radl Qc6 21 Qxc6+ Kxc6 22 Rd5 Nay 23 b3 Kc7 24 Nf2 Nc6 White's next move, doubtless the product of extreme time pressure, is a gross blunder which loses a pawn. After the superior 25 g4 there is still all to play for. 25 Ne4 Ne7 26 Rd3 NxfS 27 Nxf6 gxf6 28 1H2 Ng7 29 Rf3 f5 30 Bh4 Rdg8 31 Bf6 f4 32 b4 This is irrelevant. If White wanted to continue the struggle he had to play 32 g3 to undermine Black's pawn on f4. 32 . . . Kc6 33 Rd3 Rh7 34 Redl Nf5 35 Be7 Rg6 The, last difficult move of the game and one which renders White's further resistance futile. Of course not 35 . . . Nxe7 36 Rxd6+ Kc7 37 Rd7+ when White regains the piece. 36 c5 bxc5 37 bxc5 KxcS Avoiding the last pitfall 37 . . . Nxe7 38 cxd6 when White's pawn is unstoppable. 38 Rd5+ Kc6 39 Bd8 Ne3 White resigns.
The hallmark of Bacrot's play is mature strategic manoeuvring, much in the style of Peter Leko. His knowledge of theory does not appear to be highly developed as yet but he does seem remarkably good at consolidation and the refutation of prema- ture attacks. As further evidence for this assessment of his skills I join his game as White against Anic just as Black sets a diabolical ambush.
Bacrot — Anic: Nice 1994.
32 . . . Rd3 33 15! Bacrot returns his extra pawn in the interests of breaking up the opposing pawn constellation and effecting an advan- tageous simplification. In the process he avoids the capture 33 Qxd3 which would have been promptly annihilated by the thunderbolt 33 . . . Qgl + 34 Rxgl Nf2 checkmate, a device exploit- ing the otherwise offside placement of the black knight on h3. 33 . . . exf5 34 Qe2 Qc6 35 Qe8+ Qxe8 36 Rxe8+ KIT 37 Re3 Rxe3 38 Nxe3 f4 39 Ng2 Rf6 40 Rf3 Bacrot's plan has gone like clockwork. At every stage a forced exchange has underlined the weaknesses in the black camp. Now White wins a pawn, but even then the win requires some technical finesse. 40 . . . Ng5 41 Rxf4 NO 42 Rxf6+ Kxf6 43 Ne3 Ke5 44 Nd5 a5 45 Ne7 Nd4 46 Kg2 Ke4 47 Kf2 Kd3 48 Nc8 Kc3 49 Nxd6 Kb2 50 50 Ke3 Nc6 51 Kd2 Kxa2 52 Kc3 Ne5 53 c5 h5 54 Nc4 Black resigns Black capitulated on account of 54 . . . Nc6 55 Nxa5 Nxa5 56 b4 when Black cannot prevent the imminent coronation of one of White's pawns.
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