Chess
Lycandroids
Raymond Keene
During last year's Commonwealth Championship in Honk Kong the Novag Super-Constellation computer proved so successful at devouring Fide titled players in blitz games (5 minutes for each player) that it was spontaneously dubbed the 'Blitz Monster'. The 1985 Commonwealth , Championship, again sponsored by Novag, is currently in prog- ress at the London Docklands Museum on the Isle of Dogs. Instead of entering a commercially available Super-Con, Novag has put in two experimental machines, `Monster X' and 'Monster Y', which indi- cate the shape of things to come in Novag chess computer developments. 'Monster Y' already displayed were-mechanical ten- dencies in round 1 when it viciously sav- aged A. J. Stebbings, rated at 2210. There- after, its next two opponents came armed with silver bullets, though International Master Danny King experienced some horror in round 2 when the trigger tempor- arily jammed. Unfortunately, 'Monster X' has not yet managed a successful trans- formation and is in no danger at all of winning the £10,000 prize put up by Legal and General for any player who scores 11 out of 11. In fact, after three rounds only Chandler, Watson and Bellin still have a chance of carrying off the booty. Here are two exciting games from early rounds, both featuring John Nunn.
Gallagher-Nunn: Novag Commonwealth Cham- pionship, Round 2, London Docklands, Febru- ary 1985; Sicilian Defence, Najdorf Variation. 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 Nf6 4 Nc3 cxd4 5 Nxd4 a6 6 f4 Recommended in Nunn's own book. Beating the Sicilian. 6 . . . e5 7 N13 Nbd7 8 a4 Be7 9 Bc4
Position after 21 Nexd6
0-0 10 0-0 Qb6+ 11 Khl exf4 12 a5 Qc7 13 Bd5 Ne5 14 Bxf4 Be6 15 Nd4 BxdS 16 exd5 Rfe8 17 Nf5 Bt8 18 Qd4 RacS 19 Bg5 Nfd7 20 Ne4 g6 21 Nexd6 (Diagram) A spirited sacrifice, but if he does not go in for this Black will have dangerous pressure in the 'c' file for no clear compensation. 21 . . . gxf5 22 Nxc8 Qxc8 23 c3 h6 24 Bh4 Nc5 25 Qf2 Ng6 26 Bg3 f4 Nunn moves over to counterattack. 27 Bxf4 Nd3 28 Qf3 Ndxf4 29 g3 Qf5 30 gxf4 NM 31 Qg3+ Kh7 32 b4 Be7 White resigns. And one of John Nunn's very rare losses: Nunn-W. Watson: Sicilian Dragon. 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nr3 g6 6, Bet Bg7 7 0-0 0-0 8 Khl Nc6 9 Nb3 a5 10 a4 Bey 11 Bg5 Rc8 12 f4 NM 13 Bh4 Nd7 A new move according to the experts, though it seems logical enough to open fire on White's 0-wing with the Black bishops. 14 Qd2 Bxb3 15 cxb3 Nc5 16 Qdl Nc6. At this point Black offered a draw which White unwisely declined. 17 Rd Bxc3 18 Rxe3 Nxe4 White never seems to obtain sufficient attacking equivalent for the loss of this central pawn. 19 Rh3 d5 20 f5 Qd6 21 Bd3 Ne5 22 Bbl Rc6 23 fxg6 fxg6 24 RxfB+ KxfS 25 Bel h5 26 Bxe4 dxe4 27 Qe2 Rcl 28 Rc3 Ral 29 Qe3
Position afer 29 . . . Ng4
(Diagram) 30 Rc8+ Kg7 White resigns. Novag machines are widely available, but if you have difficulty obtaining them contact Eureka Electronics, 26 Castle Street, Brighton, Sussex. The hot news this week is that Fide President Florencio Campomanes called off the Moscow world championship match `without decision'. My detailed comments on this unprecedented measure appear earlier in this week's Spectator, as well as comments on initial steps to host the projected rematch in London later this year in September.
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