CHESS
Jules et Jim
Raymond Keene
After eight rounds, with three more to play, the British Championship is boiling up to a close finish. As I write, five players share the lead with six points each: Jim Plaskett, Jonathan Mestel, Murray Chand- ler, Julian Hodgson (all grandmasters) and Keith Arkell (international master). Plas- kett had led by a clear point after seven rounds, but then went down to Mestel, the reigning champion.
Plaskett's best win so far has been that against another powerful contender, Julian Hodgson. Here is their clash from round 6. Once Julian weakened his king's wing with the rash advance g4 on move 15, Plaskett allowed him no quarter.
Hodgson — Plaskett: British Championship; English Opening.
1 c4 e5 2 g3 Nf6 3 Bg2 Nc6 4 Nf3 d5 5 cxd5 Nxd5 6 0-0 Be7 7 d4 e4 8 Ne5 f5 White's next move is an over-refinement, and should be replaced with the simple 9 Nxc6. 9 Qa4 Qd6 10 Nxc6 Bd7 11 Qb3 Bxc6 12 Na3 Qf6 Hodgson's 13th move is a speculative pawn sacrifice, for which he appear to gain inadequate compensation. It is curious that Plaskett's combative style of opening play often provokes his opponents into making such dubious offers. 13 Nc4 Qxd4 14 Rdl Qf6 15 g4 This wrecks White's position. Hodgson was evidently hoping to generate attacking chances, but this move has the reverse effect. 15. . . Nb6 16 Nxb6 axb6 17 Qg3 fxg4 18 Bf4 0-0 19 Bey Qh6 20 Bxc7 Bh4 21 Qb3+ Kh8 22 Rfl Or 22 Bxb6 Ba4. 22... b5 23 Radl Qf6 24 Bg3 Bg5 25 e3 h5 26 Rd4 Rad8 27 Rxd8 Rxd8 28Qc2 Rd3 29 Rcl h4 30 Bc7 h3 31 Bfl Rxe3 (Diagram) The coup de grace. Obviously White cannot go in for 32 fxe3 Bxe3+ 33 Khl Of3+ . 32 Rdl Rf3 33 Bb6 e3 34 fxe3 Bxe3+ 35 Bxe3 Rxe3 36 Qc5 Re5 37 Rd8+ Qxd8 38 QxeS Qb6+ White resigns.
Meanwhile, at the OHRA tournament in Amsterdam, Jon Speelman is trailing slightly behind Beliaysky and Korchnoi. The other players in the field are Gulko, van der Wiel and the new Dutch Grand- master Piket. It is, though, Judit Polgar in the second group who is pulling the crowds. So far she has lost to Gelfand and Illescas, but inflicted severe defeats on Ree, Kasparov's assistant, Azmaiparash- vili and Hulak. Position after 31
Judit Polgar — Hulak: Amsterdam Ohra; Sici- lian Defence.
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nc6 5 Nc3 Qc7 6 Be2 a6 7 0-0 Nf6 8 Be3 Be7 9 f4 d6 As Gary Kasparov pointed out to me during his visit to London earlier this year, the Polgar sisters make their living from fashionably sharp positions of this nature, especially in the Sicilian Defence. I feel that anyone playing Black against one of the three should seriously consider more closed defences, such as the main lines of the RuY Lopez, or perhaps the French. 10 Qel Bd7 11 Qg3 0-0 12 Rael b5 13 a3 Nxd4 This exchange plays into White's hands, by encouraging her minor pieces to take up attacking posts. Black should, instead, consider the more double- edged but active 13 . . b4. 14 Bxd4 Bch 15 Bd3 Rabb 16 e5 Ne8 17 f5 exf5 18 RxfS dxe5 19 Qh3 h6 If Black accepts the piece sacrifice with 19 . . . exd4 then he is blasted by 20 Rxf7 Rxf7 21 Qxh7+ Kf8 22 Qh8 mate or 20 . . . Kxf7 21 Qe6 checkmate. 20 BxeS Qa7+ 21 KM Bd6 22 Rg5 With the terrible threat of Qxh6. Black's next move is a desperate expedient which commits him to giving up his queen. 22 . . . 012 23 Rfl Qxfl+ 24 Bxf1 hxg5 25 Bd3 15 26 Bag BxeS 27 Qh7+ Kf7 28 Qg6+ Ke7 29 Qe6+ Kd8 30 QxeS Rb7 31 Kg1 Rbf7 32 g4 g6 33 Qb8+ Ke7 34 Nd5+ BxdS 35 Qe5+ Kd8 36 QxdS+ Kc7 37 Qc5+ Kb8 38 Qb6+ Rb7 39 Qd8+ Ka7 40 Bxg6 Black resigns.
The first World Computer Olympics takes place at London's Park Lane Hotel from 9-15 August. In addition to some of the world's best chess computers, visitors will be able to witness Bridge, Backgam- mon, Shogi and Go machines being put through their paces.
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