CHESS

Battles

Raymond Keene

This year's Foreign and Colonial tournament at Hastings has undoubtedly been the finest of the series, with a huge crop of superb fighting games. Even the relatively low percentage of draws con- tained some rousing battles. Here is one of the best.

Kosten — Bareev: Foreign and Colonial Hast- ings Premier; French Defence.

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 Nf6 The classical French is undergoing a resurgence of interest, as a viable alternative to the risky 3 . . . Bb4, which had been more or less de rigueur ever since Botvin- nik's espousal of it during the late 1930s. 4 Bg5 dxe4 The lesser known McCutcheon Variation 4 . . . Bb4 was briefly revived in the game Chandler — King from round four. 5 Nxe4 Bel 6 Bxf6 Bxf6 6 . . . gxf6 was played in Chandler Kosten from round six. 7 Nf3 0-0 8 Qd2 A different attacking scheme proved hard to hand- le in Fedorowicz J — Vaganian R, Reykjavik 1990:8 c3 b6 9 Bd3 Bbl 10 0c2 Nd7 11 0-0-0 g6 12 h4 Bg7 13 h5 Nf6 14 hxg6 hxg6 15 Neg5 Bxf3 16 Nxf3 Od6 17 Rh4 Nd5 18 Rdhl f5 19 Qd2 c5 20 Qg5 Rf6 21 Ne5 cxd4 22 cxd4 Ne7 23 Rh7 Rf7 24 Rh8+ 1-0.8 . . . Be7 9 0-0-0 b610 Bd3 Bb7 11 h4 Nd7 12 NfgS h6 13 Kbl This variation is a somewhat provocative one where Black is often found on the receiving end of a dangerous attack. An attractive example of White's possi- bilities was witnessed in Hebden, M — Kaida- nov, G, from last year's Hastings Masters: 13 Rh3 Rc8 14 Kb 1 c5 15 dxc5 bxc5 16 Qe2 Oc7 17 Nxe6 fxe6 18 Ng5 Kh8 19 Nxe6 Qb6 20 Nxf8

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Bxf8 21 Bf5 Nf6 22 Bxc8 Bxc8 23 Re3 and White has a winning endgame although Black held out until move 63 before finally succumbing. Kos- ten's choice appears to be somewhat less vigor- ous than Hebden's blunt 13 Rh3. Nevertheless Black still cannot entertain the prospect of capturing White's advanced knight with 13 . . . hxg5 since after 14 hxg5 White has plenty of time to orchestrate a lethal doubling of his rooks in the open h-file. 13 . . . Nf6 A rational solution to Black's problems. Rather than striking at White's centre with . . . c5, as Kaidanov did against Hebden, finding to his cost that it was too dilatory a procedure, Bareev instead li- quidates White's most threatening attacking units. 14 Nxf6+ Bxf6 15 f4 Qxd4! When making this capture Bareev had to see the brilliant saving resource on move 22. Without that he would have been sucked into a maelstrom of deadly complications. 16 Bh7+ Kh8 17 Qxd4 Bxd4 The next few moves on both sides are forced. 18 Rxd4 hxg5 19 hxg5 Bxg2 20 Rh2 At first sight Black is lost. If Black leaves his bishop on g2 White will win with Be4+. If, on move 20, Black moves his bishop to fl then 21 Bd3+ wins while if the bishop retreats to any unguarded square on the hl — b7 diagonal then 21 Be4+ will win. Finally if 20 . . . Bd5 21 f51 and now the threat is 22 Bg8+ Kxg8 23 Rdh4 g6 24 f6 with immediate checkmate, or 23 . . . 16 24 f6 with a twin mate. After 21 f5! g6 22 f6 the same mating pattern applies. 20 . . . g6!! Bareev is perform- ing miraculous feats of funambulism in evading the mating net which Kosten is clearly anxious to weave. If now 21 f5 exf5 22 Rdh4 Kg7 23 Rxg2 Rh8 24 Rhg2 Rae8 when White's extra bishop is perfectly useless. 21 Bxg6+ Kg7 22 Bd3 Rh8!! (Diagram) The final resource and the one which Position after 22 . . . Rh8!!

had to be foreseen by Black on move 15. The threat of mate on hi now enables Black to escape into a drawn endgame. 23 Rxh8 Rxh8 24 b3 Rh4 25 Rd7 Rxf4 26 Rxc7 a5 27 g6 e5 Draw agreed. A wonderfully stimulating field for analysis.

The Short — Speelman qualifying match in the new cycle of the world championship starts in London on 27 January. Original arrangements to stage this event in Jakar- ta, Indonesia, fell through. Fortunately this fascinating all-British clash has been rescued at short notice by the combined efforts of city solicitors Watson, Farley and Williams, who have generously offered to host the competition in their boardroom, merchant bankers Duncan Lawrie and Leigh Interests, jointly providing the £8,000 prize fund plus the Chelsea Arts Club and the BCF who are meeting the remaining costs. Thames Television will be reporting nightly on the match, with the day's action, from 28 January to 7 February.