Chess
Outfoxed
Raymond Keene
After he won the 1984 US cham- pionship, Soviet émigré Grandmaster Lev Alburt had a bright idea: to challenge the British champion, Nigel Short, to a match for the title of 'Champion of the English-Speaking World'. There were many advantages to this scheme — a drawn or won match would increase Alburt's reputation, while an honourable defeat would do little to damage his prestige. Further, sponsors in Foxboro, Mas- sachusetts, were prepared to put up an $8,000 prize fund with $5,000 going to the winner. As the pound began to sink against the dollar in the early part of this year, such a prospect must have seemed in- creasingly attractive to young Nigel. What- ever Alburt's initial expectations, what occurred was a disaster for him, even though he was aided by GM seconds, Djinjihashvili and Sosonko, while Nigel had to rely on his own wits.
Foxboro, January 1985 Total
Short 1
V2 1 1 1 /2 1
1 7 Alburt 0 th 0 0 0 1/2 0 0 1 Alburt-Short: Game 4, Catalan.
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 g3 Bb4+ 4 Nd2 d5 5 Bg2 0-0 6 Nf3 b6 7 0-0 Bb7 8 Ne5 Bel 9 Qc2 c5 10 dxc5 bxc5 11 exd5 exd5 12 b3 Qc7 13 Bbl Bd6 14 Nd3 Nbd7 15 e3 Rac8 16 Racl Qb8 17 Qb1 Rfe8 18 Rfel Ne4 19 Redl Ng5 20 Nf4 d4 21 Qf5 Bxg2 22 Nxg2 Ne6 23 Nc4 Ne5 24 Nel Nxc4 25 Rxc4 dxe3 26 fxe3 Bel 27 Nd3 g6 28 Rg4 Ng7 29 Qf3 Qa8 30 Qf4 RcdS 31 Rfl f5 32 Ne5 Rd2 33 e4 Rxb2 34 Qcl With the mating threat of 35 Qc4+ Kh8 36 Nf7+ Kg8 37 Nh6+ Kh8 38 Qg8+ etc. However . . . 34 . . . Bf6! 35 Qc4+ Re6 36 RxfS Bxe5 37 Rxe5 Qd8 38 Rd5 Qa5 39 Rf4 Qel+ 40 Rfl Qe3+ 41 Khl Qxe4+ White resigns.
Short-Alburt: Game 7, Alekhine's Defence. I e4 Nf6 2 e5 Nd5 3 d4 d6 4 Nf3 g6 5 Bc4 Nb6 6 Bb3 Bg7 7 a4 d5 8 a5 Nc4 9 Nbd2 Nxd2 10 Bxd2 0-0 11 0-0 c5 12 dxc5 Nc6 13 Bc3 e6 14 Rel Qe7 15 Bd4 Rd8 16 c3 Qc7 17 Bc2 NxaS 18 h4 Nc6 19 b4 Bd7 20 Ba4 Ne7 21 h5 Bxa4 22 Qxa4 gxh5 23 Qdl Ng6 24 Qd2 Qe7 25 Qe3 a6 26 c6 bxc6 27 Bc5 Qb7 28 Qg5 Nxe5 29 Nxe5 f6 30 QxhS fxe5 31 Position after 32 QxeS Rxe5 Bxe5 32 QxeS (Diagram) The threat of Bd4 persuades Black to surrender a couple of pawns. 32 . . . Qg7 33 Qxe6+ Qf7 34 Qxc6 Qg6 35 Qc7 Rac8 36 Qe5 h6 37 Bd4 Re8 38 Qxd5+ Qe6 39 Qb7 Qg6 40 Qd5+ Kf8 41 b5 Qf7 42 Qd6+ Black resigns.
Alburt has just published a book on Alekhine's Defence (The Alekhine for the Tournament Player, Alburt and Schiller, Batsford £6.95). In this, Alburt gives no indication that Black can even remotely equalise against 7 a4! Furthermore, White seems generally to end with a plus in the 4 Nf3 lines. Given that Alburt lost all four, Alekhines with Black against Short, I am beginning to think that this provocative defence is looking unsound. Far from encouraging Black players to take up 1 e4 Nf6 Alburt's book demonstratres how prospective Whites should deal with Alekhine's 'hypermodern' invention.
I conclude this week with a brilliant win by a relatively unknown German against Miles in the tournament at Bad Worishofen earlier this month.
Cordes-Miles: Nimzo-lndian Defence. 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 Nf3 c5 5 g3 b66 Bg2 Bb7 7 d5 exd5 8 Nh4 Ne4 9 Bxe4 Bxc3+ 10 bxc3 dxe4 11 Qd6 f6 12 Nf5 g6 13 Bg5 RN If 13 . . . fxg5 14 Qe5+! 14 Qe5+! If now 14 . . . fxe5? 15 Nd6 mate. 14 . . Kf7 15 Nd6+ Kg7 16 Nxb7 Nc6 17 Qd5 Qc7 18 Nd6 fxg5 19 h4 e3 20 f3 gxh4 21 Rxh4 Qd8 22 0-0-0 Qe7 23 Rdhl Rh8 24 Nf5+ gxf5 25 QxfS h5 26 RxhS RxhS 27 RxhS Qe6 28 Rg5+ Kh8 29 Qf4 Qh6 30 RgS+ KxgS 31 Qxh6 Re8 32 Qg6+ Kf8 33 Qf6+ Kg8 34 QgS+ Kf7 35 Qf4+ Kg7 36 Qg4+ Black resigns.
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