SIMPSON'S

IN-THE-STRAND

SIMPSON'S

IN-THE-STRAND

CHESS

Resurrection

Raymond Keene

FROM the late 1970s onwards the Dutch town of Tilburg became celebrated in chess lore as the site of the world's most presti- gious chess tournament. Virtually every great name of modern chess competed in their autumn chess festival, the only major exception being Bobby Fischer. Synonym- ous with the town of Tilburg and chess was the name of Interpolis, the local business sponsor. In recent years, though, Tilburg's clarity of vision appeared to fade. A switch in emphasis led to the traditional elite tournaments being abandoned, in favour of mass knockouts with their inevitable fast time limits. The knockout, although useful for speed chess, where television is the prime focus, is not suitable for play at clas- sical time limits. Quality declined, the glob- al audience di, inishPd and the Tilburg sponsors vanic.h., I It -'':""P.r/ 11'!! ft- at Tilburg was dead.

This year, though, a saviour has appeared to resurrect Tilburg's old glories. Sensibly, Fontys, the new corporate Maecenas, opted for the classical all-play- all format. The result was a closely fought tournament with many excellent games. There was a gratifying share of first place for the Dutch supporters between their homegrown grandmaster Jeroen Piket and the Belarussian Boris Gelfand. Both Anatoly Karpov and Judith Polgar, on the other hand, suffered from virtual career- worst performances. Perhaps the best game in the tournament was this win by the Dutch grandmaster Lock van Wely against the Fide champion.

Van Wely—Karpov: Tilburg, 1996; Queen's Indian Defence.

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 g3 Ba6 5 b3 Bb7 6 Bg2 Bb4+ 7 Bd2 a5 8 0-0 0-0 9 Nc3 d6 10 Qc2

Nbd7 11 Rfel Bxc3 12 Bxc3 Be4 13 Qb2 Qb8 The opening has been a fairly sedate variation of the Queen's Indian Defence, one, indeed, in which Karpov has, in the past, been happy to play either side. White's advantages are a poten- tial central advance with his pawns, as well as possession of the bishop pair. Black, on the other hand, has a lock on the central light squares and a generally flexible pawn structure, which can react to any white push. 14 Bfl A cun- ning manoeuvre, the object being to play 14 Nd2 and e4, without allowing the trade of light- squared bishops. 14 ... c5? An extraordinary move for Karpov to make, and one which seems !cave hi, ;.,;; •-■ vh-nct-re l'u: !her- 't r•+tv• h;- pr7ft.tssed strategy of light t'quare dcrainatiett. The right move is 14 ... a4. 15 Radi Rd8 16 Bh3 a4 This no longer has the same force now that the move c5 has weakened both his `d'-pawn and `b'- pawn as well as the square b5. 17 Nd2 axb3 18 axb3 Bbl 19 d5 e5 If 19 ... exd5 20 Bxd7 d4 21 Bxd4' leaves White well in control. 20 e4 Nf8 21 f4 N6d7 Nf3 Rc8 23 Rfl f6 24 Qc2 Qc7 25 Ral Rxa1 26 Rxal 107 Wandering into the firing zone like this with his king must be wrong. Karpov must have erroneously believed that his position, cramped though it is, was essentially impregnable. 27 Nh4 Ra8 28 Rfl Of course White does not trade rooks, he needs his for the attack. 28 ...Bc8 29 Qe2 g6 The threat of Qh5+ provokes a further weakening of Black's pawn shield. 30 Qf2 Qd8 31 Nf3 Qe7 32 Ng5+ (Diagram) A brilliant irruption and quite unex- pected. If now 32 ... fxg5 33 fxe5 + Kg8 34 exd6 and the floodgates burst open. 32 ...Kg7 33 Ne6+ Kg8 34 Nc7 Raj 35 Nb5 Ra8 36 fxe5 dxe5 This way of recapturing gives White a strong passed pawn which causes Black endless prob- lems but after 36 , fxe5 37 Nxd6 Qxd6 38 Qf7+ Kg8 39 Be6 Nxe6 40 dxe6 Black is helpless, e.g. 40 ... Qd3 41 Bxe5+ NxeS 42 Qf8 mate. 37 d6

Position after 32 Ng5+

Qf7 38 Nc7 Rb8 39 Nd5 Kg7 40 Bxd7 Nxd7 41 Nxf6 White is playing the whole game with superb elan. This further sacrificial break- through with his versatile knight ensures a deci- sive win of material. 41 ... Qxf6 If 41 ... Nxf6 42 BxeS. 42 Qxf6+ Nxf6 43 BxeS Bh3 44 11xf6+ Kf7 45 Rf4 Ke6 46 Be7 Ra8 47 Rh4 Ral+ 48 Kf2 Ra2+ 49 Ke3 Bfl Although Black has been allowed out of his straitjacket, the material cost has been too high. The rest is a slow death agony as White gradually garners more pawns. 50 Rxh7 Rb2 51 d7 Re2+ 52 Kf4 Kxd7 53 Bxc5+ Kc6 54 Be3 g5+ 55 Kf3 Rb2 56 Rh6+ Kd7 57 Kg4 Rxb3 58 Bxb6 Bxc4 59 KxgS Rb5+ 60 Kf4 Bd3 61 e5 BO 62 Rd6+ Ke7 63 h4 Be6 64 h5 Rh2 65 Be3 Rb4+ 66 Rd4 Black resigns.

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 1. Gelfand

* 1/2 1 1/2 1/2 1/2

1 1 2. Piket

1/2 *

1 1

1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2

3. Shirov 0 0 * 0 1

1/2 1 I/2 4. Van web, 1/2 0

1 *

1/2

1

1/2 0

5. Leko

1/2 '/2

0 '/2 * 0

1/2

6. Karpov

1/2 th 1/2 0

1 *

1/2 1/2

7. Adams

0 I/2 0 1/2 I/2

* 1

8. Sutovski

0 1/2 1/2 1 1/2 1/2

0 *

9. Almasi 1/21/2 0 0 1/2 1

I/21/2

10. Swidler

1/2 1/2 0 1/2

0

1/2 1/2 1/2

11. Lautier

I/2 0 1/21/2

0 0 I/2 I

12. Polgar J.

1/z 1/2

0 '/2 0

1/2

0 0

Tilburg Final Crosstable

9 10 11 12

1/21/2 1/2 1/2 1/21/2 1 1/2 1 1 I/2 I 1 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 I I 1 0 1/2 1 1/2 I/2 112 lk 1 1/21/2 0 1 * 112 1/2 0 1/2 ' 1/2 1/2 I/2 * 1/2 1 1/2 '/2 *

7 7

61/2

6

6 51/2 51/2 5 4'/2 41/2 41/2 4