CHESS
Marked man
Raymond Keene
MARK HEBDEN is my outside tip for the Smith & Williamson British Chess Cham- pionship which starts on Monday 27 July at the Riviera Centre in Torquay. With a first prize of £10,000 this will probably be the strongest championship in the history of the event. The line-up includes Nigel Short, Matthew Sadler (defending co- champion), Jon Speelman, Tony Miles and Luke McShane, but even given this formidable field I believe that Hebden may be in with a chance. His rating has risen to an impressive 2590 and there is no doubt about his determination, tactical acuity and sheer love of chess.
Dr John Nunn will not be one of those competing for the title this year, but he is a powerful player. Nevertheless, Hebden has a superb score against him in their recent clashes and this week's games show the kind of accident which can occur even to the best, when Hebden is on the other side of the board.
Hebden–Nunn: Hastings, December 1996; Queen's Pawn Game.
1 d4 Nf6 2 Nt3 g6 3 Nc3 d5 4 Bf4 Hebden's choice of opening is clever. Nunn is noted for his openings erudition and is fond of writing books filled with masses of opening theory and hun- dreds of pages of small-print variations that would look like telephone directories to the average reader. By steering for an opening with virtually no published theory, Hebden throws Nunn on his own resources. 4 ...Bg7 5 e3 0-0 6 Be2 c5 7 Ne5 Nc6 80-0 cxd4 9 exd4 Qb6 10 Nxc6 bac6 11 Na4 The upshot of the opening is that White has emerged with the superior pawn structure and some play on the dark squares, especially c5. 11 ... Qa5 12 c3 Nd7 13 b4 Qd8 14 Qd2 e5 15 Bh6 Bxh6 16 Qxh6 Re8 17 Rfel Rb8 18 dxe5 Rxe5 19 Qd2 a5 20 Bfl axb4 21 cxb4 Qf6 22 Rxe5 Nxe5 Black now has the threat of ... Nf3+, winning White's rook on al. 23 Rel Kg7 24 Nc5 Bf5 25 a3 (Diagram) Black's next move is Position after 25 a3 too ambitious. Instead, he should secure the position of his bishop, and gain some space on the kingside by playing 25 ... h5. 25 ...d4 26 f4 Nd7 27 Nxd7 Bxd7 28 Re5 Suddenly Black is faced with the loss of his advanced pawn. 28 ... c5 29 Rxc5 Bf5 30 Rd5 d3 31 Bxd3 Qal + 32 Bfl Qxa3 33 Qd4+ f6 34 Rd6 Qxb4 35 Qxf6+ Kh6 36 h3 (Diagram) Black is a pawn down and his
Position after 36 h3
king is exposed but he could still resist with 36 Re8. Instead he falls into a trap which allows White to exploit the marginalised situation of the black king. 36 ...Qxf4 37 Rd4 Qe3+ 38 Kh2 Black resigns There is no defence to Rh4.
Hebden–Nunn: Hastings Premier 1998; Queen's Pawn Opening.
1 d4 Nf6 2 NB g6 3 Nc3 d5 4 Bf4 Bg7 5 e3 0-0 6 Be2 c5 7 Ne5 cxd4 8 exd4 Nfd7 9 NE1 If 9 Nxd5 Nxe5 10 dxe5 Nc6 comfortably regains the pawn.
9 ...Nf6 10 Ne5 Nfd7 11 Nf3 Nf6 12 Qd2 Of course White could claim a draw by repetition by indicating that he would continue with 12 Ne5. However, he decides to play for the full point. 12 ...Bg4 13 Ne5 Bxe2 14 Qxe2 Nh5 This decentral- isation is dangerous. 14 ... e6 is safer. 15 Be3 Nc6 If 15 ... Bxe5 16 dxe5 d4 17 0-0-0. 16 0-0-0 Rc8 17 f4 Nf6 18 g4 Qa5 The situation has apparently resolved itself into a standard attack- ing race on opposite wings. However, White has some interesting tricks in mind. 19 a3 Nxe5 20 ixe5 Rxc3 Apparently crushing for if 21 bxc3 both 21 ... Qxa3+ and 21 ... Ne4 would win easi- ly for Black. 21 exf6 Rfc8 Once again if 22 bxc3 Qxa3+ 23 Kbl Rc6 when White's king is too exposed, or 22 fxg7 Rxa3 23 bxa3 Qxa3+ when Black has a draw by perpetual check. Hebden, though, has lured Nunn into a dead end and now uncorks a diabolical riposte. 22 Kbl!! Rxc2 23 Rd2 (Diagram) Black resigns An amazing finale.
Black has nothing better than 23 ... Rxd2 when 24 Bxd2 wins a piece in broad daylight.
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