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Raymond Keene
THE top two ranked players in the Smith & Williamson British Chess Championship at Millfield School in Street, Somerset were Julian Hodgson and Jon Speelman. Both of them are grandmasters and both have won the championship on several previous occa- sions. Somewhat surprisingly, the pairings threw them together in round two. Speehnan won convincingly, which certainly did Hodgson's prospects no good. Paradoxically, this victory against an important rival at such an early stage may also not have helped Speelman particularly. Instead of building up to a great climax, the clash between the two favourites had gone almost as soon as it arrived. Knowing Speelman's complex per- sonality, it may well be that this premature release of energy exerted a demotivating effect on him. Just past the halfway stage, as I write these lines, neither Speelman nor Hodgson can be completely written off as this year's champion. Nevertheless, they are certainly not in the leading group. Here is that decisive game.
Hodgson-Speelman: Smith & Williamson British Chess Championship; Ninizo-Larsen Attack
1 h3 Against Speelman I actually regard this move as an error. I have written a book on this opening and played it many times myself. However, there is no doubt that one of the points of this opening is to reach relatively uncharted positions of great strategic complexity. Against Speelman, there is no need to initiate such a strat- egy oneself. It is far more sensible to play a classi- cal move such as 1 d4 or 1 e4, in a sense keeping one's powder dry, and wait for Speelman himself to undertake something challenging, or even eccentric. 1 ... d5 2 NI3 Nf6 3 Bb2 Bg4 4 Bxf6 In all my long experience of this opening I have never previously encountered this move. It cannot be correct. White surrenders the bishop pair, strengthens Black's pawn centre and undermines White's own queenside dark squares in one fell swoop. 4 ... gxf6 5 e3 Bg7 6 h3 Bxf3 A sensible decision. Simplification (rather than maintaining the tension with 6 ... Bh5) permits Black to launch an immediate strike against White's queenside dark squares. 7 Qx13 f5 8 d4 c5 9 c3 NO 10 Bb5 More combative is 10 OAS, e.g. 10 cxd4 11 Qg4 0-0 12 exd4 e5 when Black has the initiative but White at least has an extra pawn. 10 ... Qa5 11 Bxc6+ bxe6 12 0-0 e6 Black has an ideal structure, with plenty of open lines and White's queenside force is more or less ham- strung. 13 a3 Rb8 Preparing to refute White's coming manoeuvre. 14 b4 cxb4 15 cxb4 Rxb4 16 axb4 Qxal 17 Qg3 0-0 White has still not freed himself and his pawn on b4 represents a permanent weakness. 18 Qc7 Qb2 19 Qxa7 f4 Further undermining White on the dark squares. 20 exf4 Qxb4 21 Rdl Qb3 22 Re! Qb2 23 Qa3 Rb8 24 f5 Pure desperation since White cannot defend the pawn on d4. 24 Qxa3 25 Nxa3 Rb3 26 Nbl Bxd4 27 fxe6 fxe6 28 Nd2 Rb2 29 Nf3 White resigns 29 ... act2+ leaves Black two clear pawns ahead. This game proves that, when provoked, Speelman can play just like Capablanca.
The British Championship finishes at the end of the second week in August. Next week we will know the winner.
There will be tickets available to attend the Kasparov-ICratnnik match first hand. For information on this and other details ring 020 8237 1111 or access the website www.braingames.net. The venue for the match will be the Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, London. The event will take place from 6 October to 5 November.
Ardbeg Malt Whisky Puzzle No. 41 Black to play and win — first move only required. This puzzle is taken from the game Greet-Arkell, also from the British Championship. How does Black win material?
Answers to me at The Spectator by Tuesday 15 August or via email to vanessa@spectator.co.uk or by fax on 020 7242 0603. The winner will be the first cor- rect answer drawn out of a hat and each week I shall be offering a prize of a bottle of Ardbeg Malt Whisky.
Last week's solution: Rxd4 Last week's winner: B.C. Orchard, Exeter.
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