Chess
London again!
Raymond Keene
Amazing developments in the last few days. For some months, the Fide Presi- dent, Florencio Campomanes, has been try- ing to put together a challenge match be- tween the USSR and the Rest of the World. This would have led to the strongest chess event ever held in the history of the game, but at every stage his aims were thwarted by Firenrnstances. First of all, Belgrade, the in- itial organisers, pulled out; then Rome, his uack-uP, also withdrew. With only two weeks to go before the deadline starting date of 24 June, Campomanes rang me and asked if the BCF could salvage this great Project at ultra-short notice, as we did with the Candidates semi-finals last year. Our Machine duly snapped into action and the staggering result is that this contest will now take place in London at the Northern and Shell Building, Millharbour Road, in the London Docklands Enterprise Area (nearest tube Mile End, then take the bockland Clipper Bus right to the front
door). Dates are: 24 June, round 1; 25 June, round 2; 26 June, adjourned games; 27 June, round 3; 28 June, adjourned games; 29 June, round 4. On all days play will be from 3 to 8 p.m. Entry is El per day (schoolchildren free). We are also providing a free chess .coach from Mile End to Nor- thern and Shell each day, at 15 minute in- tervals.
The opposing teams' board orders are: USSR — Karpov, Kasparov, Polugaievsky, Smyslov, Vaganian, Beliavsky, Tal, Petro- sian, Yusupov, , Sokolov, Tukmakov, Romanishin; Rest of the World — Andersson, Timman, Korchnoi, Ljubo- jevic, Ribli, Seirawan, Portisch, Hubner, Miles, Torre, Chandler, Larsen.
It is unlikely that such a powerhouse of top players will be assembled in like fashion for many years, so do not miss this opportunity to see it first hand.
Here is a recent game between two members of the opposing teams:
Karpov — Miles: Phillips and Drew; Ruy Lopez. 1 e4 e5 2 N13 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 N16 5 0-0 Be7 6 Re1 b5 Karpov, like Capablanca in his day, has a tremendous score with the Lopez, so Tony's choice of defence must be considered a bit strange. Probably intended as a surprise for Kar- pov, but hardly a disagreeable one. 7 8b3 d6 Maybe more in Tony's style is the aggressive Marshall: 7 ... 0-08 c3 d5!? This would also ac- cord with the game plan of surprising Karpov, since I cannot recall many occasions on which he has had to face this gambit. 8 c3 0-0 9 h3 Bb7 10 d4 Re8 11 a4 Another plan is 11 Nbd2 Bf8 12 Bc2 g6 13 d5 Nb8 14 b3 c6 15 c4 (Karpov-Beliavsky, USSR championship, 1983). 11 Bf8 Karpov himself, as Black v Ljubojevic at the Lucerne.
Olympiad 1982, preferred 11 h6 12 d5 Na5
13 Ba2 c6 14 Na3 Qc7 15 Nh4 cxd5 16 exd5 Nc4, as 12 Bg5 now comes into consideration. 12 d5 Na5 13 Ba2 c6 14 Na3 Black has an active posture in the centre where he is breaking up White's pawn chain, but he will experience pro- blems with his offside N on a5. There are con- tinual threats of b4, trapping this piece.
14 ... cxd5 15 exd5 bxa4 16 Qxa4 Nxd5 If 16 ... Bxd5 17 Bxd5 Nxd5 18 b4 Nxc3 19 Qxa5
or 18 Nb7 19 Qc6! Tony's idea is to sacrifice a piece in improved circumstances, viz: 17 b4?! Nxc3 18 Qxa5 Qxa5 19 bxa5 Nxa2 20 Rxa2 f6
followed by ... d5. Alternatively, 18 Qc8!? also gives reasonable counterchances since White's Q is in purdah. 17 Ng51 Hitting f7 and h7 and playing the position as a pawn sacrifice. If now 17 ... h6 18 Nxf7! Kx17 19 Rdl Kg8 20 Rxd5 Bxd5 21 Bxd5 + Kh8 22 Exa8 Qxa8 Qxa5 winning. 17 ... Re7 18 b4! Nxc3 19 Qc2! Much stronger than 19 Qxa5? Now White forks h7 and c3. 19 ... g6 20 Qxc3 Rc8 21 Qg3 Nc6 22 Qh4 h5 23 Qe4 Bg7 Or 23 ... Kg7 24 Bxf7! Rxf7 25 Ne6 + catching Black's Q. 24 Qxg6 d5 25 Qh7 + Kf8 26 Ne4! An elegant sacrifice. If 26 ... dxe4 27 Bh6 Bxh6 28 Qh8 mate, so Black is forced to surrender more material. 26 ... Re6 27 Nc5 Rg6 If 27 ... Re7 28 Bh6 again. 28 Nxb7 Qd7 29 Qxh5 Nxb4 Equally hopeless is 29 ... Qxb7 30 Bxd5. 30 Na5 Nd3 Or 30 ... e4 31 Bd2 Nd3 32 Bxd5 31 Bd2 Wishing to avoid the complications of 31 Rdl Rxcl 32 Raxcl Rxg2 + and if 33 Kxg2 Nf4 + . 31 ... Qa4. The final blunder. 31 ... Nxel 32 Rxel leaves White with three pieces for a R, while 31 e4 32 Bxd5 as given above is also futile. 32 Qf5! Black resigns.
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