Chess
Terrordactyl
Raymond Keene
Two years ago, I published some games with the Pterodactyl variation, based on . . . g6 plus . . . 0g7 with a quick. . . c5 to follow, more or less irrespective of what White is doing. In its purest form the Pterodactyl is a risky proposition, e.g. in the lines: 1 e4 g6 2 d4 Bg7 3 Nc3 c5 4 dxc5 Bxc3+ 5 bxc3 Qa5 6 Qd4 Nf6 7 Qb4 Qc7!? or 1 e4 g6 2 d4 Bg7 3 NO c5 4 c4 d6 5 Nc3 Qa5- Now English IM Nigel Davies has welded the Pterodactyl into a fearsome weapon by reviving Korchnoi's 6 . . . c5 from his ill-fated 32nd game v. Karpov at Baguio in 1978. At the recent open tourna- ment in Lisbon, sponsored by TAP, the Portuguese Airlines, Davies dealt wide- spread death and destruction using his new Pterodactyl ideas. He won the tournament • with the handsome score of 8/9, losing only to IM David Goodman, who came in second on 71/2. The author of these lines also played, but despite avoiding loss, I drew five games, which does not really help to gain a high prize in a 200-player open Swiss.
Rivas-Davies: TAP Open, Lisbon, June 1985. 1 Nf3 g6 2 d4 Bg7 3 e4 d6 4 Nc3 Nf6 5 Be2 0-0 6 0-0 c5 7 d5 Na6 8 Nd2 Alternatively, Almeida- Davies (also from Lisbon): 8 Rel Nc7 9 a4 Rb8 10 Bf4 a6 11 e5 Nh5 12 8e3 dxe5 13 Bxc5 b6 14 Bxe7 Qxe7 15 d6 Qd8 16 dxc7 Qxc7 17 Nd5 Qc5 18 Ng5 Nf4 19 Bf3 Rd8 20 b4 Qf8 21 g3 Ne6 22
Ne4 f5 and White resigned. 8. . . Nc7 9 a4 b6 10 Rel?! 10 Nc4 Ba6 is level. 10. . . Rb8 11 Bfl a6 12 Nc4 b5 13 axb5 axb5 14 Na5 11d7 Now Black enjoys a serious 0-side initiative. 15 Nb3 Ra8 16 Rxa8 Qxa8 17 13 Nh5 18 g4 N16 19 Khl Rd8 20 Bg2 b4 21 Ne2 Qa2 22 Ng3 Ba4 23 f4 Nd7 24 e5 dxe5 25 fxe5 Bxb3 26 d6 Or 26 cxb3 Bxe5 winning. 26. . . Be6 27 dxc7 Rc8 28 Ne4 h6 29 g5 h5 30 1314 Rxc7?! More accurate is 30 . . Qxb2 or 30 . . 0a5. 31 Nf6+ Klifi?! Again inaccu- rate. He should play 31 . . Kf8 32 Nh7+ Ke8 33 Nf6+ Kd8. 32 Bd5 Bxd5 33 Nxd5 Qa8 34 Kgl Ra7 35 e6 fxe6 36 Nc7 Qc8 37 Nxe6 Bxb2 38 Qd3? 38 Qd5! still gives chances. 38 . . . MS 39 Qb3 Bc3 40 Nxf8 Qxf8 41 RI! and White resigns. 41 . . . 0g8! wins easily enough, but not 41 . . . 0f5? 42 Be5+! Qxe5 43 Rf8+ turning the tables. (Notes based on comments by Davies.)
The 17-year-old Rui Almeida won a truly brilliant game in an early round against the Dutch International Master, Kuijf: White, Kuiff : Black, Almeida.
From this position the game concluded: 31 . . . f5! 32 Nb3 If now, or on subsequent moves, 32 fxe4 then 32 . . . fxe4 grants Black a rampant horde of central pawns. 32 . . . g3 33 h3 Kh8!! Setting a brilliant trap. 34 Nb6 Qxb3!! 35 Qxb3 Nd2+ All this was played in desperate time trouble. 36 Kgl Rxe2 37 Rxe2 Rxe2 38 Qdl
Bxd4+ 39 Khl Ilf2 Threatening . Rfl+ . 40 Kg! Rfl double check and mate. A spectacular finale.
The GLC Thames Chess Day outside the NFT last Sunday was a huge success. Over 2,000 people turned up to engage in simuls against John Nunn, Bob Wade, David Goodman and myself; to play giant chess; to challenge computers etc etc . . . Many thanks once again to Peter Pitt, the GLC Arts and Recreation Committee and orga- niser Stewart Reuben, who made it all possible.
Next weekend, 13 and 14 July, there will be another opportunity to see some first- class chess at the Legal and General National Club semi-finals and final. These will be at the Great Eastern Hotel, Liver- pool Street, and all are welcome to come and watch.
Timman, Noguieras (Cuba), Tat and the reigning Commonwealth champion Sprag- gett (Canada, and not yet a Grandmaster, though this result will give him the title) have all qualified for the Candidates' from the Taxco Interzonal.
Jon Speelman is still in with a possibility for fifth position, the closest an English- man has ever come to qualifying since the system was introduced in 1948. If someone drops out of the Candidates', Speelman's fine result still gives him a chance to qualify as a reserve player.
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