CHESS
-Estonia Unboun
Raymond Keene
interrupt the coverage of England's premier Grandmaster tournament, the category 14 at Hastings, to bring news of a remarkable triumph by the Estonian Jaan Ehlvest in the strongest tournament ever held in Italy. Ehlvest appears to have been galvanised by recent developments in his home state and at Reggio Emilia he asserted his superiority over his possibly soon to be ex-compatriots in grand style. Reggio was noteworthy not just for Ehlvest's splendid achievement but also the partial eclipse of Anatoly Karpov and the total black-out of Alexander Beliaysky.
Reggio Emilia: 28 Dec-9 Jan
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Ttl
X 1/2 1/2 1/2 1 1 1 1/2 1 1/2 1 71/2 Vz X 1/2 11 1/2 11 1 1 1 V2 V2 61/2 1/2 1X 1/2 1/2 1/2 1 1/2 1/2 1/2 1 6
1/2 1/2 1/2 X 1/2 1/2 0 1/2 1/2 1 1 51/2
1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 X 1/2 1/2 1 1/2 1/2 1/2 511
0 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 X 1 0 1/2 1 1/2 5
7 Petursson 0 0 0 l 1/2 0 X 1/2 1/2 1 1 41/2 8 Kir Gcorgiev 0 0 11 1/2 0 1 1/2 X 1/2 1/2 I 41/2 9 de Firnuan 0 0 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 X 0 1 4
10 Portisch 1/2 1/2 1/2 0 1/2 0 0 1/2 1 X 1/2 4 11 Beliaysky 0 1/2 0 0 1/2 1/2 0 0 0 1/2 X 2
The two games given below, both coin- cidentally against the American Grand- master de Firmian, exemplify both the winner's bold style and the continuing resilience of the veteran Lajos Portisch. The latter game is particularly recom- mended for connoisseurs of attacks against the king.
1 Ehlvest 2 Ivanchuk 3 Karpov 4 Andersson 5 Ribli 6 Gurevich de Firmian — Ehlvest: Sicilian Defence.
1 e4 c5 2 N13 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 d6 6 f4 Be7 7 Q13 0-0 8 Be3 e5 9 Nf5 Bxf5 10 exf5 Qa5 11 g4 Over-optimistic. White should consider 11 0-0-0. 11 . . . e4 12 Qdl d5 13 g5 Nc6 With White's development in such a retarded state it is no surprise that Black can sacrifice a piece. 14 gxf6 Bxf6 15 Qd2 Bh4+ 16 Kdl If 16 Bf2 e3 17 Qxe3 Rfe8 wins. 16 . . . d4 If now 17 Bxd4 Nxd4 18 Qxd4 Rad8 is decisive. 17 Nxe4 QxfS 18 Ng3 Bxg3 19 hxg3 dxe3 20 Bd3*Rad8 If now 21 BxfS Rxd2+ followed by . . . g6. 21 Qc3 Qe4 22 Rgl Rxd3+ This final sacrifice finishes White off. 23 cxd3 Rd8 24 Kc2 Rxd3 25 Qxd3 Nb4+ 26 Kc3 Nxd3 White resigns.
Portisch — de Firmian: Queen's Indian Defence.
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 e3 Bb7 Bd3 e5 6 0-0 Be7 7 Nc3 d5 8 b3 0-0 An old-fashioned variation not considered particularly dangerous for Black. 9 Bbl Nc6 10 Rel Rc8 11 Rd cxd4 12 exd4 Re8 13 cxd5 Nxd5 14 Nxd5 QxdS 15 Be4 Qd7 16 Rxc6! A remarkable idea. which will surely rejuvenate White's system with the fashion hounds. 16 . . . Bxc6 17 NO Qb7 18 Bxh7+! The cunning point of White's play. Perhaps de Firmian had only been expecting the automatic recapture on c6. If now 18• . Kxh7 19 Qh5+ Kg8 20 Qxf7+ Kh7 21 Re3 Bh4 22 Qh5+ Kg8 23 dRh3 with a winning attack. 18 . . . Kf8 19 Qh5 Bb4 20 Bd3 g6 If 20 . . Bxel 21 Ba3+. 21 Qh6+ Ke7 22 d5 Bxel If 22 . . . BxdS 23 Qh4+. 23 Ba3+ Kd8 24 Qh4+ Kc7 25 dxc6 Qa8 A
unique incarceration. 26 Q16 b5 27 Bc5 Itcd8 28 Position after 30 Qd7+ Qxf7+ Kc8 29 Bxb5 a6 30 Qd7+ (Diagram) Black resigns. A beautiful and fitting finale to a wonderful game, although 30 Bb6 would have had the virtue of forcing checkmate.
I conclude this week with the full cross- table of the Foreign and Colonial.
Foreign and Colonial Hastings Premier 1 1 2 2 3 34455667788 Ttl
I Dolmatov 2610 X X lir 1/21/21/2 1 1/21/21/21/21/2 1 1/21/2 1 81/2 2 Nikolic
2600 I/21/2XX 1 1/21/21/21/21/21/2 0 1 0 1 Yr 71/2
3 Spraggett 2585 1/21/2 0 1/2X X 1/21/2 I 1 1/21/21/21/2 1 0 71/2 4 Specimen 2615 0 1/21/21/21/21/2X X 1 1/2 0 1 0 1 1/21/2 7 5 Chandler 2585 1/21/21/21/20 0 01/2XX 1 1/21/2 1 0 1 61/2 6 Yusupov 2610
1/21/21/21 1/21/2 1 0 01/2XX 0 1/21/21/2
61/2 7 Gulko 2605 0 1/20 1 1/21/2 1 01/2 0 1 1/2X X 1/21/2 61/2 8 Adams 2505
1/2 0 01/20 1 1/21/2 1 0
1/21/21/21/2XX 6
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