CHESS

Drawing board

Raymond Keene

With one round to play in the Foreign and Colonial tournament at Hastings Nigel Short leads with 81/2 points, followed by Jon Speelman with 8. The remaining scores are: Larsen 7, Benjamin and Chandler 61/2, Nunn and Psakhis 6, Davies 31/2. There have been many drawn games, but nearly all have been hard-fought, with brilliant resources suddenly coming to the aid of those in danger.

Here are three typical examples: Benjamin — Larsen: Benoni.

A tremendous scrap, full of brilliant ideas. For example, just look at both players' 41st moves. Once again Bent was last to finish.

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 g6 4 Nc3 Bg7 5 e4 d6 6 Be2 0-07 Bg5 e6 8 Qd2 exd5 9 cxd5 Re8 1013 a6 11 a4 Qc7 12 a5 Nbd7 13 Nh3 Rb8 140-0 b5 15 axb6 ep Rxb6 16 Nf2 h5 17 Khl Nh7 18 Be3 Ne5 19 Racl Qd8 20 f4 Ng4 21 Nxg4 hxg4 22 e5 Bf5 23 Bd3 Bxd3 24 Qxd3 Rxb2 25 Ne4 dxe5 26 f5 Qb6 27 Bxc5 Qb3 28 fxg6 fxg6 29 Rc3 Qb5 30 d6 Nf8 31 8a3 Qxd3 32 Rxd3 Ra2 33 Rd Nd7 34 h3 Re2 35 Nc5 e4 36 Rddl Ne5 37 d7 Rd8 38 hxg4 e3 39 Bb4 Ita2 40 Rd5 e2 41 Bc3 Nf3 42 Bg7 Rc2 43 Ral Rxc5 44 Rxc5 Rxd7 45 Reel el = Q + 46 Rxel Nxel 47 Bc3 Nd3 48 Rxa6 Rc7 49 Bd4 Draw Agreed.

Short — Larsen: Sicilian, Maroczy Bind.

Yet another tremendous battle involving the great Dane. Nigel felt this game demonstrates his general inability to calculate. The decisive line would have been 35 f5 Ne4 36 b7.

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 g6 5 c4 Bg7 6 Be3 N16 7 Nc3 Ng4 8 Qxg4 Nxd4 9 Qdl Ne6 10

Rd Qa5 11 Be2 b6 120-0 Bb7 1313 g5 14 1112 h5 15 Bfl Qe5 16 Rd2 d6 17 Nd5 Kf8 18 b4 Bh6 19 Qb3 g4 20 Bxh6 + Rxh6 21 Qe3 Qg7 22 f4 h4 23 Be2 Rc8 24 Rfl Bxd5 25 Rxd5 g3 26 h3 b5 27 cxb5 Qg3 28 Qxa7 Qxb4 29 b6 Nc5 30 e5 dxe5 31 Rxe5 Re6 32 Rxe6 fxe6 33 Khl Rd7 34 Qc7 Rd6 35 Qc8+ Kg7 36 Qe8 Ne4 37 Qxe7+ Kg8 38 Qh4 Qb6 39 Qg4+ Kf8 40 Qg6 Qxd4 41 f5 Nf2+ 42 Rxf2 Qxf2 Draw Agreed.

Chandler — Nunn: Spanish, Marshall Variation.

Resuming the theoretical battle around the Marshall, Murray stood slightly better. Howev- er, he overlooked the brilliant resource 30 . . . Nxc3.

1 e4 e5 2 NO Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Be7 6 Rel b5 7 Bb3 0-0 8 c3 d5 9 exd5 Nxd5 10 Nxe5 Nxe5 11 Rxe5 c6 12 d4 Bd6 13 Rel Qh4 14 g3 Qh3 15 Be3 Bg4 16 Qd3 Rae8 17 Nd2 Re6 18 a4 Qh5 19 axb5 axb5 20 Nfl Rfe8 21 Bdl Bxdl 22 Qxdl Qf5 23 Bd2 Rxel 24 Bxel h5 25 h4 c5 26 b3 cxd4 27 Qxd4 Re4 28 Qd3 Bc5 29 Ra8+ Kh7 30 Re8 Nxc3 31 Kg2 Kg6 32 Rxe4 Qxe4 33 Qxe4 Nxe4 34 13 Nf6 35 Bf2 Nd7 36 Nd2 IC15 Draw Agreed.

One of the best wins was Speelman's first game against Larsen: Larsen — Speelman: Reti.

Often one feels Bent's opening play is too convoluted. Black's knights seemed to swarm through the position. 1 Nf3 d5 2 c4 dxc4 3 e3 N16 4 Bxc4 e6 5 0-0 a6 6 h3 Be7 7 Bb2 0-0 8 d4 b5 9 Be2 Bb7 10 Nbd2 Nbd7 11 a4 Qb8 12 Qbl c5 13 Rd l cxd4 14 Nxd4 Bb4 15 N2f3 bxa4 16 Rxa4 Be4 17 Qal a5 18 Nc6 Bxc6 19 Rxc6 Qb7 20 Rd 1 Rac8 21 Nd4 Nc5 22 B13 Qb6 23 Nc6 Nxb3 24 Bd4 Qb5 25 Rxb4 axb4 26 Qb2 Nxd4 27 Ne7+ Kh8 28 Nxc8 Nx13+ 29 gxf3 Qb7 30 Nd6 Qxf3 31 Qxb4 h6 32 Qh4 Qd5 33 Qf4 Kg8 34 e4 Qd4 35 Rc4 Qdl + 36 Kg2 Nh5 37 Qf3 Qxd6 38 Qxh5 Qd3 39 Qb5 Qe2 40 h3 Rd8 41 Rb4 Qel 42 Qa4 Rdl 43 Rb3 Qgl+ 44 K13 Rd2 White resigns.

The sensation of the tournament has been reserved for the second group, the Challengers. Here, 23-year-old Susan Arkell took third prize, behind Kosten (who qualifies for next year's Premier) and Fishbein, and en route she made both a woman's GM norm and — much more difficult — a man's IM norm.

Here is a sample of her play: Arkell — Gallaher: Scotch Game.

1 e4 e5 3 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 exd4 4 Nxd4 Bc5 5 Nb3 Bb6 6 a4 a6 7 Nc3 d6 8 Be2 Nf6 9 0-0 Be6 10 Nd5 Bxd5 11 exd5 Ne7 12 c4 0-0 13 Nd4 h6 14 Ra3 Qd7 15 Ftf3 Ne4 16 Ftf4 Ng5 17 h4 Nh7 18 Bd3 Ng6 19 Bf5 Qe7 20 Rel Ne5 21 Bbl Bxd4 22 Rxd4 Qd7 23 Qc2 1524 Rf4 Rae8 25 Re3 Ng6 26 Rxf5 Rxe3 27 Bxe3 Nf6 28 h5 Ne5 29 Bd4 Re8 30 13 b6 31 b4 Nxc4 32 Rxf6 Rel + 33 Kf2 Rxbl 34 Rg6 Black resigns.

Next week I will give the answers to the Christmas Quiz.