Chess

Prime specimen

Raymond Keene

Jon Speelman's performance at Taxco is the best ever by a British player in the

Interzonal stage of the World Cham- pionship. Indeed, by virtue of his fifth

place in Mexico he still has a chance to go one better and qualify for the Candidates' tournament. The three fifth-placed players from Carthage, Taxco and Biel will have to play a quadruple cycle tie-break to decide who will be reserve for the Montpelier Candidates' tournament. I can reveal here for the first time that, on behalf of the British Chess Federation, I have already approached Fide with a bid to stage this

interesting contest in London. A home game should increase Speelman's chances against the likely opposition of Chernin and, perhaps, one of Torre, Seirawan or Polugaievsky. Some specimens of Speelman's play from Mexico: Speelman-Sisniega: Grunfeld Defence.

1 Nf3 Nf6 2 d4 g6 3 c4 Bg7 4 Nc3 d5 5 exd5 NxdS 6 e4 Nxc3 7 bxc3 c5 8 BbS+ The depressing thing about this particular variation of the Exchange Grtinfeld from Black's point of view is that it drains his position of most of its dynamic counter-attacking potential. White may not win very often, but Black tends not to win at all. 8 . . . Bd7 9 Bxd7+ Qxd7 10 0-0 0-011 Rbl Nc6 12 Be3 Rac8 Black should play 12 . . . cxd4 13 cxd4 Rfd8 14 d5 Ne5 when White's advantage should not be enough to win. The advantage, by the way, consists of 'b' file pressure and a more mobile central pawn majority. 13 dxc5! An excellent solution. Although White's extra pawn will be doubled and isolated, it exerts an unpleasant cramping effect on the whole of Black's game. 13 . . . Qc7 14 Qb3 Na5 15 Qb4 Rfd8 16 h3 Rd7 17 Rfdl RcdS 18 Rxd7 Rxd7 19 Nd4 a6 20 Qa4 e5 21 Nc2 f5 A weakening move, but otherwise Black can hardly fight back at all. 22 Nb4 f4 23 Nd5! The decisive move, sacrificing two minor pieces for a R, but obtaining an overwhelming mass of pawns in the middle of the board. 23 . . . Rxd5 24 exd5 fxe3 25 Qe8+ Bf8 25 fxe3 Qxc5 27 Qe6+ Kg7 28 QxeS+ Kh6 29 Qf4+ Kg7 30 Rfl Bd6 31 Qd4+ Qxd4 32 cxd4 Nc4 33 Kf2 Kf7 34 Ke2+ Ke7 35 e4 Ba3 36 e5 The rest is mopping up. 36 . . . b5 37 Kd3 a5 38 Rf6 Nb2+ 39 Ke4 Nc4 40 Ra6 a4 41 Ra7+ Kf8 42 d6 Black Resigns. This was Jon's last-round win, which brought him up to undivided fifth posi- tion.

Speelman's most fascinating game was this enterprising loss:

Jingan Qi-Speelman: Dragon Sicilian.

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 g6 6 Be3 Bg7 7 f3 0-0 8 Bc4 Bd7 9 Qd2 Nc6 10 h4 h5 11 Bb3 Rc8 12 0-0-0 Ne5 13 Bg5 Re5 14 g4 hxg4 15 f4 Nc4 16 Qd3 b5 17 h5 Nxh5 18 Nd5 Nxf4!

Position after 18 . Nxf4.

(Diagram) A brilliant concept, previously un- known to Dragon theory. 19 Bxf4 e5 20 Bg3 exd4 121 Bxc4 bxc4 22 Qd2 Rxd5 23 exd5 Bf5? Plausible, but 23 . . . f5 is stronger. 24 Qh2 g5 25 Bxd6 Re8 26 Rdel d3 27 Bb4 a5 28 Bc3 Rxel + 29 Rxel g3 30 Qxg3 Bxc3 31 bxc3 Kg7 White now has a winning position. The fine manoeuvre of Bd6-b4-c3 has killed Black's attack and left his K very exposed. 32 Qe5+ Kg6 33 Rfl Bh3 34 Qe4+ Kg7 35 Qd4+ Kg6 36 Qe4+ Kg7 37 Rdl dxc2 38 Kxc2 Qc8 39 Kd2 Bf5 40 Qe5+ Kg6 41 Qd6+ Kg7 42 Rfl f6 43 Rel Kg6 44 Qc6 Qb8 45 Qe8+ Qxe8 46 RxeS Kf7 47 RaS Ke7 48 Ke3 Black resigns.

Two national team championships were

decided last week. St Paul's School London won The Times British Schools

.Championship, held at St Ermine's Hotel. Their fine young squad overcame Notting- ham High School in the final. Third place was taken by last year's holders, Newcastle Royal Grammar School, while King Ed- ward VI School Southampton came in

fourth.

Meanwhile, at the Great Eastern, Liver- pool Street, Streatham & Brixton won the Legal & General National Club Cham- pionship, defeating Cambridge University 4-2 in the final. They also took the cash prize of £1,000. King's Head Bayswater (my team) and Oxford University shared third place.