Chess
Andrew Whiteley
On the day of Brezhnev's funeral the Russian chess teams performed a lap of honour in Lucerne. Both had won the gold medals with a round to spare. The final leading scores were: Men (94 teams) USSR 42 1/2/56, Czechoslovakia 36 (their best result since 1933), USA 35'1, Yugoslavia 35; Women (46 teams) — USSR 33/42, Romania 30, Hungary 26.
My warning last week that England, then lying equal second, were due to face stiff opposition in the final four rounds proved, sadly, more than justified. Against USA, Czechoslavakia, Yugoslavia and Hungary they scored only 7/16, dropping back to equal tenth with 32 points — a major disap- pointment for a team seeded fourth. Some small comfort is provided by the fact that our good start resulted in our playing much stronger opposition than other teams which finished as low. Our women's team (seeded twelfth) also finished equal tenth with 23 points. Sheila Jackson (recently elected President of the British Women's Chess Association) won the prize for the best score on second board with 8'1/12. The in- dividual English men's scores were: Miles 6/12, Nunn 61/2/11, Speelman 61/2/11, Stean 21/2/5, Mestel 7/11, Chandler 3 1/2/6.
There was a surprise at the Fide Con- gress, held concurrently with the Olympiad, when Campomanes (Philippines) defeated the incumbent Olafsson (Iceland) 55-43 in the election for president. Campomanes was backed by many new Third World members of Fide and presumably Olafsson had not endeared himself to the Soviet bloc by his stand on the release of Korchnoi's family before last year's world champion- ship. Since the entire Fide secretariat, based on Holland, has resigned and the new secretary, Lim Kok Ann, comes from Singapore, the centre of gravity of Fide has shifted some thousands of miles to the east.
The new president will find it hard to foster the Fide motto — gens una sumus.' The atmosphere at Lucerne was soured by the absence of news of Boris Gulko, who is on a hunger strike. Moreover, after the olympiad Tatiana Lemachko, a Russian married to a Bulgarian, defected.
We shall have to wait for Kasparov's own definitive notes before deciding whether Korchnoi could have pushed him over the precipice in the following game. Korchnoi completely failed to solve the problem at the board and, even with the benefit of hindsight, I can find no clear-cut refutation
Korchnoi — Kasparov: Lucerne Olympiad 1982: Modern Benoni Defence. 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 g3 Bg7 4 Bf2 c5 5 d5 d66 0-0 7 Nf3 e6 Transposing into the Benoni.-- ideally suited to Kasparov's uncompromil style. 8 0-0 exd5 9 cxd5 a6 10 a4 Re8 Nd2 Nbt6 12 h3 Rb8 13 Nc4 Ne5 14 Na3 Nh5 15 e4 108,14• Kh2 Safer was 16 Qe2, discouraging had 16...f5! Korchnoi probably thought heQ prevented this. h
this. 17 f4 Not 17 exf5 Bxf5 10 ° if
B
xg4 Qh4 + winning. But now
Blagck's knight retreats 18 exf5 really is strcnin: However... 17...135!! A magnificent concePt;c)ck whether or not it is completely sound. Eta d leaves his knight to its fate for seven moves relies on diversionary tactics. 18 axb5 , Naxb5 If 19 fxe5 Bxe5!, threatening both 20- e4 and 20...Nxg3, is very strong. 19 ...fxe4 20 04, Now if 20 fxe5 Bxe5 21 Bf4 nxf4 22 gxf4 Bx'
23 Khl Qh4 gives Black a murderous attack
Rd 21 22 Rxf4 may be an improvement. 20 •••'–g7A1 Qe2 Qb6 22 Na3 RbeS 23 Bd2 Qxb2 24 fxef.nn 13 last White accepts the bait — and his 05,,It;bi rapidly disintegrates. The immediate 24 failed to 24 ...Nf3 + but 24 Kg2, threatening le Rfbl is a severer test of Black's play. One salt variation runs 24 Kg2 Nf7 25 Rfbl Bxc3 26 IL'Ii.ute Bxb2 27 Ra2 Bd4 28 Qd3 Ng5 29 Bxg6 and Minit,4 is on top. However, the precarious 24 • '5'25 seems to keep Black in the game. 24 10e,ion Nc4 Nxg3 26 Rxf8 + Rxf8 27 Qe1 An adirns've, of defeat, but there was no adequate alterna,d3 27...Nxe4 + 28 Kg2 Qc2 29 NxeS Or 29 Relf)"(42 threatening 30 ...Qxh3 + . 29 ...Rf2 + „gli Nxf2 31 Ra2 Qf5 32 Nxd7 Nd3 Altit"the nominally White has more than enough f°rhe j5 queen his pieces are so disorganised that inn, quite lost e.g. 33 Nb8 Qf2 + 34 Khl Qg3„v',6 ing. 33 Bh6 Qxd7 34 Ra8 + Kf7 35 RJ18 Kf3 Qxh3 + White resigns.
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