SIMPSON'S
IN-THE-STRAND
SIMPSON'S
IN•THE•STRAND
CHESS
Members of the board
Raymond Keene
THROUGHOUT history, rulers and board games have gone together. For example, Haroun Al-Rashid (AD 786-809), the sul- tan idealised in the Arabian Nights, was recorded as the first of his dynasty to play chess. The 11th-century Byzantine emperor Alexius Comnenus was allegedly playing chess when he was surprised by murderous conspirators. Being a good chess player he naturally managed to elude assassination, and ultimately had the conspirators parad- ed through Byzantium sitting backwards on donkeys and wearing mock crowns of cows' entrails. Tamerlaine, the conqueror of half the known world during the 14th century, loved to play chess and named his son Shah Rukh, since Tamerlaine was moving a rook at the time the birth was announced. Tsar Ivan the Terrible, Queen Elizabeth I, Cath- erine the Great and Napoleon all owned ornate chess sets and prided themselves on their chess skills.
It is entirely appropriate, therefore, that the members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons should each year display their prowess over the chessboard. The prize on offer is a trophy presented by The Spectator, and this year's contest took place early in July at Simpson's-in-the- Strand, with the cup awarded in person by our associate editor Petronella Wyatt, suit- ably attired in black and white.
The match ended in an honourable 4-4'' draw, with top scorers being Lord Kil- bracken, Michael Stern MP, Lord Winston, Dafydd Wigley MP, Lord Rennell and Bob Ainsworth MP.
Bob Ainsworth, MP—Lord Winston: Lords v. Commons, July 1996; Semi-Slav Defence.
1 d4 d5 2 e4 Nf6 3 Ne3 c6 4 e3 Bf5 5 Nf3 Nbd7 6 Bet Qc7 7 0-0 0-0-0 8 Bd3 Here, and over the next few moves, White fails to locate the correct plan. This would have involved cxd5, to open the 'c' file, followed by Bd2 and Rcl, to exploit the proximity of Black's king and queen in an exposed area with the utmost speed. 8 ...Bg4 9 Bet h5 With this vigorous thrust Black indicates that he has no qualms at all about immediately attacking the white king. Once again, White should now have considered playing cxd5. 10 b4 e5 11 Bbl dxc4 12 dxe5 Nxe5 13 Qc2 MB+ 14 Bxf3 Bxf3 15 QfS+ With this intermediate check White at least avoids the break-up of his king- side pawns which would have been the conse- quence of 15 gxf3. 15 ...Rd7 16 QxB Bxb4 17 Net Ng4 The upshot of the opening is that Black has two extra pawns and some attack. 18 g3 Rh7 19 a3 Bd6 20 Radl Ne5 21 Qe4 g6 22 f4 Missing his chance. 22 Rxd6 Qxd6 23 Bxe5 would leave White with bishop and knight against rook and two pawns. The text permits Black to consolidate and continue his attack. 22 —.15 23 Qc2 Ng4 24 Bel h4 25 RP hxg3 26 hxg3 Rh2 27 Qxc4 Rdh7 (Diagram) If now 28 Qe6+ Qd7 29 Rxd6 Rhl + 30 Kg2 R7h2 mate. Alternatively 28 Qg8+ Od8 29 Qxd8+ Kxd8 30 Rxd6+ Kc7 and again the threat of mate means that White will lose mate- rial. 28 KB Rhl + 29 Ngl Nh2+ 30 Kg2 W3 31 Nxf3 Rxdl 32 Qg8+ Bf8 Also possible is 32 ... Od8 33 Oxh7 Rxcl. The text gives Black two extra exchanges. 33 Qxf8+ Rd8 34 Q16 Qd6 and faced with a hopeless material inferiority White resigned.
As you enter Simpson's, which used to be the great chess club of the 19th century, there is an antique board in the foyer on the right inscribed with the names of famous masters and grandmasters who have played on it. I have received a number of enquiries from readers about those names and intend, in forthcoming articles, to write a little about each one.
I start with Simon Winawer, a Polish businessman whose career started almost by accident when he was invited to fill a vacancy at the Paris tournament of 1867 and came second behind Kolisch but ahead of Steinitz. Thirty years later he was still playing fine and incisive chess, as this extract shows.
Winawer—Steinitz: Nuremberg, 1896.
1 RxdS BxdS 2 Be4 f6 3 BxdS 645 4 hxg5 Ne5 5 g6 Black resigns There is no defence to Rxh6+.
Previous page
