CHESS
Princely Yusupov
Raymond Keene
In the candidates quarter-finals Short defeated Gelfand 5-3: Short (England) 0 1 1 V2 1 0 '12 1 5 Gelfand (USSR) 1 0 0 1/2 0 1 1/2 0 3 The other results were: Yusupov 51/2 Ivan- chuk 41/2; Timman 41/2 Korchnoi 21/2; Kar- pov 41/2 Anand 31/2.
The greatest excitement was saved for the final day of the best of eight games candidates quarter-finals in Brussels. Needing only a draw to qualify. Nigel Short rose magnificently to the occasion and fought a bitter defensive rearguard action against a rampant Gelfand. Just after the time control at move 40 Nigel turned the tables and launched a surprise counter-attack which swept Gelfand from the board. Nigel thus becomes only the second Englishman ever after Jon Speel- man to qualify for the world semis. Here is the final position in the crunch game.
Gelfand — Short: Candidates Quarter-Final, Game 8; Queen's Gambit Declined.
White resigns on account of 52 Kg3 Rc3+ 53 Kg2 Bc6+ 54 Kfl Rcl+ 55 Rel Qf4+ 56 Ke2 Rc2+ 57 Kd3 Qd2 mate. There are other variations but they are all fatal for White.
Karpov finally found his best form after having grovelled around for so much of the match and at long last did to Anand what I thought he would do from the start. So, once again, Karpov is in the semi-finals.
The best game of the entire quarter- finals was played in round eight by Artur Yusupov who thus forced a 4-4 tie against Ivanchuk and caused their match to go into the tie-breaking speed games over the weekend, from which Yusupov emerged victorious with a win and a draw.
Yusupov — Ivanchuk: Candidates Quarter- Final, Game 8; Nimzo-Indian Defence. 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 e3 b6 5 Bd3 Bb7 6 Nf3 0-0 7 0-4) c5 8 Bd2 cxd4 9 exd4 d5 10 cxd5 Nxd5 11 Ref Nc6 12 Rel Rc8 13 Re4 Nce7 14 Nxd5 Nxd5 15 Rh4 g6 16 RxcS QxcS 17 Ng5 Bel 18 Qg4 Ba6 19 Qh3 h5 20 Rxh5 A brillant sacrifice, which looks as if it should not succeed since Black's pieces have so much central
Position after 22 Qxh5
control. 20 . . gxh5 21 Bh7+ Kg7 22 Qxh5 (Diagram) 22 . . . Nf6 Perhaps the last chance was 22 . . . Bxg5 23 Bxg5 f6, but Ivanchuk clearly had not seen what was coming. After 22 . . . Bxg5 23 Bxg5 f6 the following remark- able winning try for White was circulating in Brussels: 24 Be4 Rh8 25 Qg6+ Kf8 26 BxdS exd5 27 Qxf6+ Kg8 28 Qg6+ Kf8 29 Bd2 Qc4 30 h3 (necessary to prevent the mate on fl) when White can operate with the dual threats of a3 and Bb4+ or Kh2 plus g3 and Bf4 with the threat of Bd6. Black is somehow helpless against this combination of ideas. 23 Nxe6+ fxe6 24 Qh6+ Kh8 It looks as if White can now win by playing 25 Bbl+ Kg8 26 Qg6+ Kh8 27 Bg5 but then 27 . . . Qc7 28 Bxf6+ Bxf6 and the black queen defends against the checkmate. 25 Bf5+ Kg8 26 Qg5+ Yusupov now wins with a remark- able backwards zigzag manoeuvre with his queen. 26 . . . Kh8 27 Qh4+ Kg8 28 Qg5+ K118 29 Qh4+ Kg8 30 Qg3+ Kh8 31 Qh3+ Kg7 32 Qg3+ Kh8 33 Qh3+ Kg7 34 Bxe6 The final point forcing Black's queen to sacrifice itself through the threat of Qh6 mate. Although Black will remain with three pieces for the queen White's horde of kingside pawns will be the decisive factor. 34 . . . Qxe6 35 Qxe6 Bd8 36 g4 Re8 37 Qf5 Bc4 38 g5 Black resigns. This was one of the most remarkable games I have ever seen and its lustre is increased by the fact that it was played in such an important competition. Neverthe- less, even this sacrificial masterpiece had to take second place to Yusupov's win in the first game of the play-off to break the 4-4 deadlock.
Ivanchuk — Yusupov: Candidates Quarter- Final, Game 8; English Opening. 1 c4 e5 2 g3 d6 3 Bg2 g6 4 d4 Nd7 5 Nc3 Bg7 6 Nf3 Ngf6 7 0-0 0-0 8 Qc2 Re8 9 Rdl c6 10 b3 Qe7 11 Ba3 e4 12 Ng5 e.3 13 f4 Nf8 14 b4 Bf5 15 Qb3 h6 16 N13 Ng4 17 b5 g5 18 bxc6 bxc6 19 Ne5 gxf4 20 Nxc6 Qg5 21 Bxd6 Ng6 22 NO Qh5 23 h4 Nxh4 The introduction to a whole series of amazing sacrifices. 24 gxh4 Qxh4 25 Nde7+ Kh8 26 Nxf5 Qh2+ 27 Kfl Re6 28 Qb7 Rg6 29 QxaS+ Kh7
Position after 29 . . Kh7
(Diagram) Having already sacrificed a rook and two pieces Yusupov prepares to out-Morphy Morphy. If now 30 Nxg7 then Black has the diabolical 30 . . . Qh1+ 31 Bxhl Nh2+ 32 Kel Rgl checkmate. This position deserves a dia- gram. The only way to avert this disaster is for Ivanchuk to sacrifice his queen. 30 Qg8+ KxgS 31 Nce7+ Kh7 32 Nxg6 fxg6 33 Nxg7 Nf2 This is deadly, since there is no defence against . Nh3 with a forced checkmate however White responds. 34 Bxf4 Qxf4 35 Ne6 Qh2 36 Rdbl Nh3 37 Rb7+ Kh8 38 RbS+ QxbS 39 Bxh3 Qg3 White resigns.
The pairings for the semi-finals are Short-Karpov and Yusupov-Timman. This is the gravest challenge in Nigel's career so far and it will be a wonderful boost to British chess for generations to come if a sponsor could be found to stage this match in London. Short-Karpov is a clash that will be destined to go down in chess history.
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