Chess
Old master
Raymond Keene
My reports on the USSR-World match have necessarily eclipsed many other fine events which would normally have merited a column to themselves. From this week on I will try to make brief amends, and then catch up to the strongest-ever Grieveson Grant British Championship, currently under way in Brighton. I had hoped to play there myself this year, but organisational problems from the Dock- lands match and its aftermath unfortunate- ly made this impossible.
Events neglected include: young Mur- shed's convincing victory at the Oakham Junior International, ahead of Short and Georgiev, the reigning junior world cham- pion. Also, Timman's wins at Sarajevo and Bugojno, the former equal with Korchnoi and the latter ahead of Ribli and Torre. Finally, the amazing gerontological feat of the untitled 64-year-old Russian, Chere- Pkov, at Leningrad, where the veteran took first prize in the Grandmaster tourna-
merit and simultaneously notched up his first IM norm! In its own way, this is even more remarkable than Smyslov's perform- ance in the Candidates' cycle, since Chere- pkov is a virtual unknown, noted mainly, if at all, for losing instructive games to strong GMs in the 1950s. Here is a game from that event (Cherepkov 8/13, Lukin and Ermo- linsky 71/2, ahead of Rivas, Speelman, Kochiev, Taimanov, Uhlmann etc).
Pytel — Cherepkov: Nirnzo-Indian.
1d4 Nf6 2c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 e3 0-0 5 Net d5 6 cxd5 exd5 7 g3 c6 8 Bg2 Re8 9 0-0 Na6 10 h3 Nc7 I I g4 Bd6 12 f4 h6 13 Ng3 a5 14 Q13 Nh7 15 Bd2 a4 Black stores up Q-side advantages, confident he can repulse White's operations on the other wing. 16 Rf2 a3 17 b3 Ne6 18 Rd I? Permitting a neat tactical trick. 18. . .Nhg5! Winning White's Q since 19 fxg5 NxgS leaves White's Q with no way to protect his g3 N. 19 Qe2 Nxf4 20 exf4 Rxe2 21 Ncxe2 Nh7 22 f5 Bd7 23 Bfl Qh4 24 Bf4 Bxf4 25 Rxf4 Re8 26 Rd3 Ng5 27 Kh2 c5 28 dxc5 Bb5 29 Rc3 Bxe2 30 Nxe2 Qel 31 Rc2 Qdl 32 Nd4 Re4 33 Bet Qxd4 White resigns.
Meanwhile, a sensational result from Biel: Pia Cramling has just beaten Korchnoi! Here is the game.
Pia Cramling - Korchnoi: Biel, July 1984; Caro-Kann.
1 e4 c6 2 c4 d5 3 exd5 cxd5 4 cxd5 Nf6 5 Nc3 NxdS 6 Nf3 e6 7 d4 Bb4 8 Bd2 Nc6 9 Bd3 Be7 10 a3 Bf6 11 0-0 0-0 12 Qe2 Bxd4 13 NxdS QxdS 14 Be4 Qd6 15 Bxc6 bxc6 16 Nxd4 Qxd4 17 Bb4 Re8 18 Rfd 1 Qb6 19 Qe5 Qb5 20 Qc7 Qb6 21 Qe5 a5? Black should swallow his pride, repeat moves with 21. . . Qb5 and take a draw. Now White's initiative magnifies. 22 Bc5 Qb3 23 14! Ba6 24 Rd7 Qc2 25 Bd4 Qg6 26 Ref f6 27 Qc5 Qf5 28 Qd6 e5 29 fxe5 fxe5 30 Bc5 Qf6? (Diagram) Position after 30. . .Qf6?
Anything but this. 31 Qxf6 gxf6 32 Re3 Kh8 33 Rh3 Black resigns.
A couple of other recent tournament results which should be noted: Bill Hart- ston has won what threatens to be the final Robert Silk Young Masters. Held at the Great Eastern Hotel during July, it may have witnessed the apparent demise of one sponsor, but in compensation the Great Eastern itself is showing signs of becoming a welcome and frequent venue for chess events.
Gert Ligterink won the First Oxford University International, ahead of Levitt, who has, however, qualified as an IM. The main sponsors were NatWest Bank. There is an excellent bulletin, with many notes from the players, at £3 available from M. Williams, 63 Curzon Park South, Chester.
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