Chess
Diagonal death
Raymond Keene
This week I round off my coverage of the
Commonwealth Championship at Melbourne with the game that shared 'best game' prize and my own most publishable effort.
Broomes (Guyana) — Khan (Fiji): Com- monwealth Championship, Melbourne, January 1983; Sicilian Defence. I e4 c5 2 f4 NO 3 Nf3 e6 4 d3 Nf6 5 c3 Be7 6 Be2 b5I? Much more original and enterprising than • 0-0 when Black is rather passive. 70-0 Bb7 8 4.2el?! Showing his cards too early as Black is not Yet committed to K-side castling. 8 a4 would have been better. 8 . . . Qb6 9 Qg3 c4+ 10 Khl Cxd3 11 Bxd3 h5! Clearly demonstrating the flaw 10 White's strategy. 12 h3 0-0-0 13 a4 h4 14 Nxh4 Nh5 15 Qg4? The last chance to survive was 15 Qel, Now Black unleashes a series of brilliant moves. 15 . 15! 16 exf5 Ne5!! Black has sacrificed a piece and a pawn merely to open up the ,long White diagonal. 17 fxe5 Bxh4 Now if White recaptures on h4, Black wins with 18 . . Nf4! in all variations. 18 a5 Ng34-11 19 Qxg3 Bxg3 20 axb6 Rxh3 + 21 Kgl Rdh8! 22 gxh3 kxh3 White resigns. A R and N up with Queens off, he is powerless to prevent mate. Keene — Max Fuller: Melbourne, January 1983; Dutch Defence, Stonewall.
1 d4 e6 2 c4 15 3 N13 N16 4 g3 Be7 Also worth considering is 4. . . Bb4 + 5 Bd2 Be7 to prevent White's Q-side fianchetto. This was invented by Alekhine and championed by Bronstein. 5 Bg2 0-06 0-0 d5 After 6 . . . d6 7 NO Qe8 8 Re Qg6 White can play 9 e4 fxe4 10 Nxe4 Nxe4 11 Rxe4 since . . . Qxe4 fails to 12 Nh4 trapping Black's Q. However, I have tended to prefer 9 e3 follow- ed by b3 and Bb2, and then Nc3-e2-14, since Black's Q is rather exposed on g6. 7 Nc3 c6 8 b3 I Used to believe in Alekhine's pawn sacrifice: 8 Ne5 Nbd7 9 Nd3 dxc4 10 Nf4 Nb6 11 e4 until 1 read Robert Bellin's Batsford book on the Dutch which pointed out the refutation 11 . e51 12 dxe5 Qxdl 13 Rxd 1 Ng4. 8 . . . Ne4 9 0b2 Qe8 The standard Dutch attempt to gain a K-side attack. This can prove very dangerous if White isn't careful about how much leeway he allows his opponent on the K-side. Of course, to start his K-side play Black has to make certain conces- sions, such as weak dark centre squares and tardy development of his Q-side forces. 10 e3 Qh5 11 Ne2 g5 To stop Nf4. 12 Ne5 Nd7 13 13 Nd6 13 . . Nxe5 14 dxe5 Nc5 also looks good for White. 14 Qc2 Nf7 15 cxd5 Of course, the simple 15 Nxd7 Bxd7 16 e4 is good, but I wanted to try for more. 15 . . . exd5 Or 15 . . . cxd5 16 Racl. 16 g4 The point of my idea, which leads to very interesting complications. 16 . . . Qh4! After 16 . fxg4 17 Ng3 Black's Q is embarrass- ed for decent squares. 17 gxf5 Bd6! Or 17 . . . Nh6 18 e4 Nxe5 19 dxe5 dxe4 when 20 Qc4 + is annoying. 18 f4 Nf6 19 Ng3! The only move, 19 . . . Nxe5 Tempting, but the best defence is 19 . . g4 to close things up. Even then though, as Max and I agreed after the game, 20 Radl or 20 Rael leads to better chances for White. Now things flare up. 20 dxe5 Possible also is the ex- change sacrifice 20 fxe5 Ng4 21 Bf3 Nxe3 22 Qe2 Nxfl 23 Rxfl. 20 . . . Ng4 21 Bxd5 + ! 21 Bf3 Nxe3 22 Qc3 Nxfl 23 exd6 wins for White, e.g. 23 . . Qxh2 + 24 Kxfl' but 21 Bf3 Bc5! is slight- ly frustrating. 21 . . . cxd5 22 exd6 Bx15! Not 22 . Nxe3 23 Qc1. 23 Qd2 Of course, not 23 Nxf5 Rxf5 24 Qxf5?? Qxh2 mate. 23. . . Rae8 Setting the neat trap 24 Rael? Bd3! 25 RD gxf4 and White is in trouble. 24 Rf3! Setting a counter- trap into which Black falls, although he has no good alternative. The best defence is 24 . . d4, but 25 Nxf5 Rxf5 26 Bxd4 must win. 24. . . Be4 25 Nxe4 dxe4 26 d7! If now 27 . . . exf3 28 Qd5 + Rfl 29 dxe8 = Q + , or 27 . . . Re6 28 Rg3 gxf4 29 exf4 e3 30 Qg2 Rxf4 31 Rd1 Qd8 32 Qd5 wins, or 31 Rdl e2 32 d8 =Q + Qxd8 33 Rxd8 + Kf7 34 Qxb7 + Note, however, that 27 . . . Re6 28 d8 = Q exf3 29 Qxg5 + Qxg5 30 fxg5 12 + ! is
Position after 27 Rh3!
good for Black. 26 . . . Red8 27 Rh3! (Diagram) Black loses on time. If 27 . . . Qxh3 28 Qd5 + Rf7 29 Qxg5 + Kf8 30 Qxd8 mate, or 27 . . . Rxd7 28 Qxd7 Qf2 + 29 Khl Qxb2 30 Qxh7 mate.
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