CHESS

Ienvy the Dutch in their ability to stage a seemingly endless series of outstanding all-play-all grandmaster tournaments every year. In England there is the annual Hastings tournament, supported by Foreign and Colonial, and the relative newcomer, the Watson Farley Williams Challenge. However, the Phillips and Drew/GLC tournaments, regarded by many as the best organised of such events in the world, ceased without replacement two years ago.

The Dutch chess year starts with Wijk aan Zee, usually a category 13 tournament, continues via the Euwe Memorial and the OHRA grandmaster tournament in the summer and culminates in the outstanding tournament at Tilburg which has attracted virtually every name in top chess apart from Bobby Fischer. Now those fortunate Dutchmen have landed yet another prize, the European Options Exchange Tourna- ment in Amsterdam.

Currently in progress at Amsterdam's Barbizon Palace Hotel, the EOET has the world's top three rated players, Kasparov, Karpov and Timman. The fourth player, though not quite in the same class, is the formidable Dutch grandmaster John van der Wiel. The average rating of this event is almost category 18, thus making it, officially, the strongest tournament ever held.

It is a great shame, given the fact that English grandmasters now tend to over- shadow their Dutch opponents in interna- tional competitions, and that we are, in- deed, chasing the Russians for the Olympic gold medals, that we cannot emulate the superlative tournaments which are on offer

Options open

Raymond Keene

more or less the year round to Dutch chess enthusiasts.

This week, two of the best games so far played from Amsterdam. Of course, every- one is waiting for the results of the four games which will be played between Kas- parov and Karpov, but as I write, the only decisive games have been those involving van der Wiel.

Kasparov — van der Wiel: Queen's Indian Defence.

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 a3 Ba6 5 Qc2 Bb7 6 Nc3 c5 7 e4 cxd4 8 Nxd4 Bc5 9 Nb3 Nc6 10 Bg5 a6 11 0-0-0 Qc7 12 Kbl 0-0-0 13 Qd2 d6 14 13 h6 15 Bf4 Ne5 Black's handling of the opening has not been a success. His position is utterly devoid of active prospects for the future and Kasparov

i

is in a situation to implement a far-reaching and constricting advance of his pawns on the King's flank. 16 h4 Kb8 17 h5 Rd7 18 Re! Rc8 19 Bet Ka7 20 Rhdl RddS 21 g4 Ng8 22 Bg3 Ne7 23 f4 N5c6 24 Bf3 Rh8 25 Bh4 Rd7 Although Black's position was already very poor, this incautious move permits Kasparov a sacrifice to exploit the boxed-in nature of Black's King. 26 Nb5+! axb5 27 cxb5 Na5 Stouter resistance is offered by

27 . . . Nd8 when White can continue with

28 Nxc5 bxc5 29 Rxc5 Qb6 (if 29 . . . dxc5 30 Qxd7 wins or.29 . . . Qxc5 30 Qa5+) 30 Rc4. In this case White has a terrible attack for his sacrificed piece, but it would be less clear than the game itself. 28 NxaS bxc5 29 Rxc! dxc5 30 Qxd7 Qxf4 31 Rd6 Black resigns. Van der Wiel — Karpov: Caro-Kann De- fence.

1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 Nd2 dse4 4 Nxe4 Nd7 5 Ng5 The fashionable continuation and one which was responsible for John Nunn's speedy demolition of Mikhail Tal in the game from this column two weeks ago. Karpov now introduces a novel and efficacious method of defence which goes a long way towards blunting White's initiative. 5 . . . Nb6 6 N1f3 g6 7 c3 Bg7 8 Qb3 Nh6 9 Bet 0-0 10 0-0 Nf5 11 Rdl Qc7 12 g3 Nd6 13 Ne5 c5 What soon transpires is evidence that van der Wiel was quite off form in the first cycle of this tournament. Within a few moves he transforms his position from an aggressive posture into one of total retreat. 14 dxc5 Qxc5 15 Nd3 Qf5 16 Nel Bd7 17 Bd3 Qa5 18 Qb4 A wretched move which allows his ownpawn formation to become shattered. 18 . . . Qxb4 19 cxb4 Rfd8 20 Rbl Na4 21 Rd2 Bb5 22 Ngf3 Nc4 23 Bxc4 Bxc4 24 b3 Nc3 25 Rbb2 Bd5 26 Rbc2 Be4 27 RxdS+ RxdS 28 Rd2 Rxd2 29 Bxd2 Nxa2 30 b5 Nc4 31 Bxc3 Bxc3 32. Kn Bd5 33 Ke2 Bxb3 34 Kd3 Ba5 35 Nd4 Bxel 36 Nxb3 Bxf2 37 Na5 Bb6 38 Nxb7 KIS 39 Kc4 Ke8 40 Kb4 Kd7 For some time White's position has been completely hopeless. Having at last reached the time-control White chose to resign the unequal struggle.

Karpov truly is a marvellous fighter. He is evidently playing with great energy and precision in Amsterdam yet it is already the fifth major contest for him this year. He has won Wijk aan Zee and the World Cup and defeated Ljuobjevic in a match, whereas his only relative setback was second place to Nigel Short in the Euwe Memorial. In contrast, Kasparov has been much less active. The Options Exchange is his first major event since Seville last year.

The European Options Tournament continues until 29 May. The format is all-play-all with each player meeting every opponent no less than four times, in other words a truly magnificent test of chess strength at the very highest level.