Chess

Final shocks

Raymond Keene

The Las Palmas Interzonal produced many surprises, not least the total failure of Timman and Psakhis. A week ago, it also seemed that Smyslov had first place in his pocket, but a last-minute loss to Ribli reversed the expected positions of the two qualifiers to the Candidates' tourna- ment. Their game was a mighty and com- plex struggle, and was generally regarded as the highlight of the tournament. The ex- cellent showing of the unfancied Suba was, to put it mildly, alarming, while Browne's disastrous last place will cost him a stagger- Las Palmas Interzonal, 1982

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1011121314 Pis 1 Ribli (Hungary) X I 1/2 1 1/2 1 '/ 1/2 1/2 1/2 VI 1 1 1/2 9

2 Smyslov (USSR) 0 X I 0 1/2 1/2 1/2 1 1/2 1 1 1/2 1 1 81/2

3 Suba (Romania) 1/2 0 X 0 1/2 1 1 Vs 1 1 1 VI 10 8

4 Tukmakov (USSR) 0 1 1 X I V: Vs 1 0 1/2 0 VI VI I 71/2 Petrosian (USSR) V2 V2 V2 0 X 1/2 1 Vi VI I 1/2 1 ‘14 VI 71/2 6 Larsen (Denmark) 0 1/2 0 1/2 1/2 X 1/2 0 0 1/2 1 I 1 161

Timman (Holland) 1/2 1/2 0 1/2 0 1/2 X I 1 1/2 0 1/2 1/2 16'h 8 Mestel (England) 1/2 0 1/2 0 1/210X1011/2016 Pinter (Hungary) 1/2 1/2 0 1 1/2 I 0 0 X1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 6 Psakhis (USSR) 1/2 0 0 1/2 0 1/2 1/2 1 1/2 X 1/2 1/2 1/2 1 6 II Karlsson (Sweden) 1/2 0 0 1 1/2 0 1 0 1/2 1/2 X 1/2 1' 51/2 Bouaziz (Tunisia) 0 1/2 1/2 1/2 0 0 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 X 1/2 1 51/2

Sunye (Brazil) 0 0 0 1/2 Vi 0 1/2 1 VI ./ 1/2 1/2 X 1 51/2

14 Browne (USA) 1/20101/20001/201/200X3

ing 45 Elo points. Mestel's 6 points, though, conforms to his expectations, but his final rank is slightly higher than might have been expected on pre-tournament form. Our analytical partnership worked well, and he finished up with wins against Browne and Pinter from an Albin Counter- Gambit and the Giuoco Piano.

Ribli — Smyslov: Round 12, Queen's Gambit Declined, Cambridge Springs.

1 Nf3 Nf6 2 c4 c6 3 Nc3 d5 4 d4 e6 5 Bg5 Nbd7 6 e3 Qa5 7 Nd2 Bb4 8 Qc2 dxc4 A probable im- provement is 8 ... 0-0 9 Be2 e5! with good chances for equality, as in Keene-Jusupov, England-USSR Telex match, earlier this year Smyslov's choice gains the B pair, but leaves him severely cramped. 9 Bxf6 Nxf6 10 Nxc4 Qc7 11 a3 Be7 12 Be2 0-0 13 b4 b6 14 0-0 Bb7 15 Bf3 Rac8 16 Rabl Rfd8 17 Rfcl Bab 18 h3 h6 19 Qb3 Qb8 20 Ne4 Nxe4 21 Bxe4 Bf6 22 a4 g6 23 Qc2 e5 If 23 ... Kg7 24 f4! maintains the pressure, but now Ribli seizes the chance for a dangerous sacrifice. 24 Bxg6! fxg6 25 Qxg6 + Bg7 26 dxe5 Rd5 27 e4 RxeS The best defence. 28 NxeS Qxe5 29 Rdl Qf6 Here Smyslov offered a draw, but Ribli declined. 30 Qg3 c5 31 bxc5 Bxe4? Correct is 31 ... bxc5 creating a passed pawn, and if 32 Rb8 Qf8. The text gives White's Rooks too much activity. 32 cxb6! axb6 If 32 ... Bxbl 33 b7 wins. 33 Rb4 Bf5 34 Qe3 Rc6 35 Rf4 Rc5 36 Qb3 + Kh7 37 Rd5 Qal + 38 Kh2 Bc2! Not 38 ... RxdS 39 QxdS Be5 40 g3 Bxf4 41 Qxf5 + . 39 Qf3 RxdS 40 QxdS Qe5? Missing a clear draw with 40 ... Be5! when White has nothing better than perpetual check commencing 41 Qf7+ . I had thought that this variation revealed the point of 38 ... Bc2! (removing the B to a less exposed square than f5) and I was most surprised by the move Smyslov preferred. 41 Qc4 Bb3 42 Qd3 +

Kh8 43 g3 Bg8 44 Rb4 Qc5 45 Qd2 Kh7 46 04 Be6 47 Rb5 Qd4 48 Qxd4 Bxd4 49 f4 Kg7 While has excellent winning chances with his R plan connected passed pawns versus the Bishop Pair' 50 g4 Be3 51 Kg3 Be4 52 Re5 Bd2 53 Re7 + Kf6 54 Rd7 Bel + 55 Kf3 b5 56 Rc7 Bd5 + 57 Keg Bg3 58 Rc5 Ke6 59 f5 + Kd6 60 Rxb5! The only, way to play for a win. 60 ... Bc4 + 61 Kf3 BO' 62 axb5 (Diagram) Bh2? The losing move. 62

Position after 62 axb5

Be5! holds the draw, though the variations are not easy to see. Strangely, Smyslov missed this after adjournment analysis. 63 b6 Kd5 64 b7 65 h4 Ke5 66 h5 Black resigns. The key variation runs: 66 ... Kf6 67 Ke4 Kf7 68 Kd5 Kf6 69 ICC6 Ke7 70 g5 hxg5 71 h6 Kf7 72 Kd7 g4 73 h7 Kg7 j4 f6+ and wins.

My apologies for a couple of errors in 171Y notes to Mestel-Smyslov in last week's article. First of all, the note to 20 Rxe4 should have read: 'If 20 Nd2 Bg5 21 Rc2 a6 22 Nc3 (if 22 Nc7 Bxd2) 22 ... Bxd2 23 Rxd2 Bxh3! 24 gxh3 Qg5"1--, Then my note to 30 Be2 should read: 'Or 30 e' Rxe7 31 Qf3 Nf6 and wins.' 31 ... Ref7, as given, loses to 32 Qxf7! Rxf7 33 Rc8 + .