CHESS
Lupercalia
Raymond Keene
One of the pleasures of the category 11 City of London Grandmaster Tourna- ment sponsored jointly by the Corporation and City solicitors Watson, Farley and Williams has been the exciting clash be- tween the veteran of the tournament, 55-year-old Bent Larsen, and one of the juniors, the American master Patrick Wolff. As I write these two are fiercely contesting the lead, neck and neck after 12 of the 13 rounds. The clash of styles has also been fascinating. Larsen won their individual battle, utilising his greater ex- perience and strategic insight, but in games against his other rivals Wolffs vast open- ings knowledge combined with the naked aggression of his attack has reaped rich rewards. Whatever the outcome of the struggle for first prize, the Watson, Farley and Williams tournament will witness the creation of America's newest Grandmas- ter. Wolff, with one round to play, has already attained his third and decisive Grandmaster norm.
Wolff — Hear: Ruy Lopez.
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Nxe4 6 d4 b5 7 Bb3 d5 8 dxe5 Be6 9 Nbd2 Nc5 10 c3 d4
11 Ng5 This ingenious sacrifice was first seen in the game Karpov — Korchnoi (10) 1978 world championship at Baguio. Korchnoi declined the knight and drew with difficulty. 11 . . QxgS 12 Q0 Bd7 Hear is intending to follow a recom- mendation for Black in the 5-volume Yugoslav Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings. Nevertheless Wolff is ready with an improvement on pub- lished theory. The safest defence for Black is
12 . . . 0-0-0 13 Qxc6 Qxe5 14 Nf3 Qd5! 15 BxdS BxdS trapping White's queen and leading to equality. The key reference in this variation is Smyslov — Timman, European club cham- pionship 1979: 13 Bxe6+ fxe6 14 Qxc6 Qxe5 15 b4 Qd5 16 QxdS exd5 17 bxc5 dxc3 18 Nb3 d4 which is regarded as leading to dynamic equal- ity. 13 Bxf7 + Ke7 14 Bd5 Nxe5 15 Qe2 d316 Qel c6 17 f4 Qh6 18 Bf3! A theoretical novelty and
better than the established line 18 Qxe5+ Kd8 19 Bf3 Bd6 when Black has counterplay. If now 18 . . . Qxf4 19 Bxc6 leaves Black in all sorts of trouble. The point of White's 18th move is to be able to capture on e5 with the pawn rather than the queen. This has the effect both of liberating White's queen's bishop and of adding a central battering ram to White's attacking resources. 18 . . . Kd8 19 fx.e5 Bel 20 Nb3 Qg6 21 Nd4 Kc7 22 134 Ne6 23 Be4 Nxd4 Part of the charm of this game resides in Black's fiercely ingenious efforts to defend. If now 24 Bxg6 Ne2+ 25 Khl hxg6 with the threat of . . . Rxh2+ and Rh8+. Unfortunately for Hear White can ignore this demonstration and instead proceed with his offensive against the black king. 24 cxd4 Bxb4 Black continues with an ingenuity born of desperation. Any other move would lose the pawn on d3 for no compensation. Now, though, Hear becomes desperately weak on the dark squares around his exposed king. 25 Qxb4 Qxe4 26 Qd6+ Keil 27 Bd2 Re8 28 Rf7Ra7 29 Rcl Re6
Position after 31 eó!
30 Rf8+ Re8 31 e6! (Diagram) This terminates Black's resistance in most elegant fashion. If now 31 . . . Bxe6 32 Rxe8+ or 31 . . . Qxe6 32 Rxc6+ Bxc6 33 Qxe6+ or in this line 32 . . . Kb7 33 Rb6+ Ka8 34 Qb8+ Rxb8 35 Rb6xb8 mate. 31 . . . Rx18 32 exd7+ Kb7 33 d8Q RxdS 34 QxdS Black resigns. Larsen — Wolff: Pirc Defence.
1 Nf3 g6 2 e4 Bg7 3 d4 d6 4 h3 Nf6 5 Nc3 0-0 6 Be3 d5 7 e5 Ne4 8 Bd3 Larson sidesteps the critical variation which involves pawn sacrifices for Black that would occur after 8 Nex4 dxe4 9 Ng5 c5. This was probably a sensible decision against Wolff, who is one of the most booked-up players on the contemporary tournament circuit. The closedposition which now develops, although satisfactory for Black, will be much less to Wolff's taste 8 . . . Nxc3 9 bxc3 c5 10 0-0 Nc6 11 Qd2 Qa5 12 121131 a6 13 a4 Rb8 14 Qcl Be6 Of course not 14 . . . Qxc3 15 Bd2 trapping Black's queen. 15 Qb2 c4 16 Bet Qc7 17 Qb6 Qd7 18 Bf4 h6 19 a5 g5 20 Bg3 Bf5 21 Qb2 After 21 e6 Qxe6 22 Bxb8 Qxe2 White's position is liable to fall apart. 21 . . . Na7 22 Qcl Again 22 e6 Qxe6 23 Bxb8 and now . . . Rxb8 gives Black too much compensation for the sacrificed exchange. 22 . . . Nb5 23 Qd2 Rbc8 24 Rel f6 25 Bfl Be4 26 Nh2 f5 A blunder which allows White to take control. Correct would have been 26 . . . fxe5 27 Bxe5 Bxe5 28 dxe5 when Black's superior central structure is counterbalanced by the evidently shaky nature of his king side pawns. If in this variation White reacts to 26 . . . fxe5 with 27 f3 hoping for 27 . . . Bg6 28 Bxe5 Bxe5 29 Rxe5 with obvious domination, Black can in- stead turn the tables by means of the sacrifice 27 . . exd4 28 fxe4 Nxc3 29 exd5 QxdS 30 Rxe7 Ne4 31 Qel d3 with counterplay. 27 f3 f4 28 Bxf4 Wolff had overlooked this desperado capture, thinking that White's choices were restricted to either 28 Bf2 or 28 fxe4 fxg3, both of which would be fine for Black. 28 . . . Rxf4 29 fxe4 dxe4 30 Qe3 Qc6 31 g3 It is now Black's position which is falling apart and he must sacrifice material in order to stay in the game. 31 . . . Rf3 32 Nxf3 exf3 33 Kf2 Nc7 34 Qe4 Nd5 35 Re3 An extraordinary move. After 35 . . . Nxe3 36 Qxc6 Rxc6 37 Kxe3 Black loses since he cannot defend his weak pawns on b7, c4 and f3. Furthermore his bishop on t7 is quite locked out of the game. 35 . . . g4 An ingenious try since if now 36 hxg4 Nxe3 37 Qxc6 Black has the interposition Nxg4+ 36 Rbl h5 37 hxg4 Nxe3 38 Qxe3 hxg4 39 Rb6 The complications have resulted in Larsen giving back his extra material but now he turns his attention to Black's debilitated king's flank which can no longer be protected. 39 . . . Qa4 40 Qe4 QxaS 41 Rg6 Black resigns. There is no sensible defence to Qxg4.
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