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SPAIN'S FINEST CAVA

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SPAIN'S FINEST CAVA

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Raymond Keene

NEXT WEEK, starting Tuesday 7 Septem- ber at the Savoy Theatre, Nigel Short launches his two-month challenge against Garry Kasparov for the world chess crown. This historic event is the first occasion on which a British player has challenged for the world championship itself and it is the first time such a match will have been played entirely on British soil. The cover- age promised is already immense, includ- ing 77 hours of guaranteed television air- time, in which The Spectator will be well represented. Our editor, Dominic Lawson, is helping to front the four weekly prog- rammes on BBC2 while I shall be appear- ing nightly on Channel 4.

Nigel Short is a hero and an icon to his generation and now a household name in circles extending way beyond the chess fraternity. It is noticeable that champions set the trend in openings and in this respect Nigel is no exception. One of Nigel's most fearsome weapons on his hitherto success- ful path to Kasparov's throne has been the Worrall Variation of the Ruy Lopez, intro- duced by 6 Qe2. The younger generation of British masters and grandmasters has enthusiastically taken up investigation of this line, which was responsible for two of the most brilliant games in London's strongest open tournament, the just- concluded Lloyds Bank Masters. Surpri- singly, young Michael Adams, Nigel's closest rival in British chess, lost on both sides of it.

Lane — Adams: Lloyds Bank Masters 1993; Ruy Lopez.

1 e4 e5 2 NI3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Bel 6 Qe2 A speciality of Nigel Short and a refreshing alternative to the usual 6 Rel. 6 . . . b5 7 Bb3 0-08 c3 d5 9 d3 Bb7 10 Nbd2 Re8 11 a3 Bf8 12 Rel Nb8 Not an improvement on the game Short — Hubner, Manila Interzonal 1990, where 12 . . . Na5 13 Ba2 c5 14 b4 occurred. At this point Black should haveplayed 14 . . . cxb4 15 cxb4 Nc6 16 Bb2 a5 or 15 cxb4 Nc6 exd5 Nxd5 17 Ne4 Qd7 with counterplay. As the further course of the game shows, one slip in the opening can be fatal. 13 exd5 Nxd5 14 d4 Nc6 15 dxe5 Nf4 16 Qe4 As a result of Black's inaccuracy in the opening, White has won a pawn for which Black has no visible compensation. 16 . . . Ne6 17 Qg4 Bc8 18

abcdefgh Position after 18 . . . Nc5 Ne4 Nc5 (Diagram) One of the beautiful points about this game, as we shall soon see, is the imaginative exploitation by White of the two traditional weak points in the black camp, namely f7 and h7. 19 Bxf7+ A sacrifice which forces the black king into the open. 19 . . . Kxf7 Position after 23 Qg6 20 Qh5+ Kg8 21 NfgS h6 22 Qf7+ Kh8 23 Qg6 (Diagram) This switchback, threatening Qh7 mate, is the coup de grace. Black must now give up his queen. 23 . . . hxg5 24 NxgS QxgS 25 BxgS Be6 26 b4 Ne7 This loses a piece, but if Black had moved his attacked knight on c5 then Re4 would hurl decisive reserves into the attack against his king. 27 Qh5+ Also sufficient is 27 Bxe7 followed by bxc5. 27 . . . Kg8 28 bxc5 Nd5 From here on Black could have resigned with a clear conscience. 29 Be3 Nxc3 30 Bd4 Nd5 31

Re4 Bf7 32 Qg4 Be6 33 Qg6 Bf7 34 Qg5 Re6 35 Rg4 Ne7 36 Rel Rd8 37 h4 Nc6 38 Bc3 Rd5 39 h5 RxcS 40 Rg3 Rc4 41 f4 Kh7 42 f5 Rh6 43 e6 Black resigns.

Adams — Wells: Lloyds Bank Masters 1993; Ruy Lopez.

1 e4 e5 2 N13 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Bel 6 Qe2 Having been rebuffed on the black side Adams decides to become a follower of fashion and play the Worrall himself. 6 . . . b5 7 Bb3 0-0

8 c3 d6 9 d4 Bg4 10 Rdl exd4 11 cxd4 d5 12 e5 Ne4 13 a4 b4 Improving on Black's play in one of Nigel's famous victories, Short — Karpov, Candidates Match, Linares 1992, where Black played 13 . . . bxa4 14 Bxa4 Nb4 15 h3 Bh5 16 Nc3 Bg6 17 Be3 Rb8. I recommended 13 . . . b4 at the time as an improvement. 14 a5 Kh8 15 h3 The best move in this position is 15 Qc2 15 . . . Bh5 16 Be3 16 Bf4 Bh4 17 g3 Bg5 18 Qe3 Bxf4 19 Qxf4 f6 was the continuation in Berndt — Barkhagen, European Junior, Sas van Gent 1992. 16 . . . f5 17 Rd? Much too slow. White thinks he can press on the 'c' file but meanwhile his own house is in flames. 17 . . . f4 Very strong. Black thought for 40 minutes before playing this. 18 Rxc6 fxe3 19 fxe3 Bxf 3 20 gxf3 Bh4 21 Qg2 Bf2+ 22 Khl Bxe3 (Diagram) 23 Rc2 If 23 fxe4 Rf2 24 Qg4 Rfl + 25 Kh2 Qf8 26 Rc2 Rhl + 27 !Uhl Qfl+ 28 Kh2 Bf4+ wins. 23

• • • Qh4 White resigns The arrival of the black queen is decisive. There is no good defence to . . . Qel+.

Top scores at Lloyds Bank were: Speelman 81/2/10; Miles and Nunn 8.

There will be 24 games in the Short Kasparov World Championship match. Play is on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Satur- days starting 3.30pm and finishing 9.30pm latest. Good luck, Nigel.