CHESS
Mystery man
Raymond Keene
KIRSAN ILUMZINOV, the enigmatic president of both Fide, the World Chess Federation, and the autonomous Russian Republic of Kalmykia, continues to stir up controversy. His latest project is to create a chess city in Elista, the Kalmykian capital, replete with luxury villas for the hundreds of chess players from around the world scheduled to descend there for the 33rd chess Olympiad starting on 25 September. Ilumzinov has pumped millions of dollars into chess since becoming president of the world body, yet the source of his wealth remains elusive and reports of the way in which he governs his republic indicate a character which brooks no opposition.
The lack of hard information about Ilumzinov, the motivation for his love of chess and the means by which he acquired his gigantic fortune reminds me of some words from the opera Doctor Ox's Experi- ment, based on the story by Jules Verne, recently performed at the ENO. The mys- terious Doctor Ox descends on the sleepy town of Quiqendone and proceeds to stoke things up at an alarming rate by means of a secret gas, which he surreptitiously dis- tributes throughout the community. To somewhat adapt the words from the opera, the following questions, or something simi- lar, must be on the minds of many chess players, as they contemplate this extraordi- nary individual pouring huge sums into the game and even constructing his own chess city, for no apparent reward:
Who is Kirsan? Where's he from? What's he want? What's he done? Who are his friends? ... Why's he here? How's he come?
They say he's a struck-off physician, a defrocked Roman Catholic priest, a disgraced Argentinian dictator, a billion- a-year man at least.
They say that his suit's made of sealskin, his shoes from an Eskimo's scalp, his carved ivory cane from a mammoth, which he trapped and detusked in the Alps.
Who is Kirsan? Where's he from? etc. . . .
Opinions are becoming heated. For example, Sarah Hurst, editor of the British Chess Federation magazine Chess Moves, has called for a boycott of the Elista Olympiad, but so far her only support has come from two Australian grandmasters. Meanwhile, England's David Jarrett, the Fide treasurer and clearly a true believer where Ilumzinov is concerned, has been urging doubters to read Ilumzinov's autobi- ography, The President's Crown of Thorns, to understand more about this unusual man. Jarrett is even, it seems, prepared to send out free copies, so great is his faith in his Saddam Hussein-, Jesus Christ- and Vladimir Lenin-admiring leader.
What is sure, though, is that most grand- masters will not jeopardise a lucrative sym- biosis between themselves and Ilumzinov's bank account. The Elista Olympiad will doubtless be a fascinating experience, but even more interesting for most of the world's top players (apart from Kasparov and Kramnik, who will have nothing to do with him) is Ilumzinov's intention of hold- ing his next $5 million Fide championship in Las Vegas at the end of 1998.
One player who has benefited greatly from Ilumzinov's attachment to chess is the British grandmaster Michael Adams, now number one in the English rankings and unofficially ranked four in the world after recent performances which have not yet registered on the rating system. Adams participated in Ilumzinov's Fide champi- onship of 1997-98, reaching the semifinal and earning several hundred thousand dol- lars in prize money. Since then, he has not looked back. In the following extract from his most recent tournament success, Adams weaves together an elegant attack from seemingly unpromising material.
Beliavsky—Adams: Dortmund 1998.
32 Qf4 Nd5 33 Qxd4 Qxe2 Although the position looks draw-ish and, indeed, White's knight on d6 is more aggressively placed than Black's on d5, the superior activity of Black's queen still gives Adams the edge. 34 a4 bxa4 35 bxa4 f5 A bold move but Adams senses that it is White's king which will become the more exposed. 36 Ne4 If 36 Qh4 Ne3+ forces mate. The text defends against this possibility, but Adams is ready with a neat tactical riposte. 36 ...h4 37 Qxh4 f4 An extraordinary assault with such reduced materi- al. Black now has a multitude of tactical traps. If, for example, White tries to defend with 38 Qg5, then 38 ... 0+ forces mate. As played, White has to surrender a piece. 38 Qd8+ Kh7 39 Qd7+ Kh6 40 gxf4 White resigns Adams's final attack with such a small force was a superb cre- ative effort.
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