SIMPSON'S
IN-THE•STRA ND
SIMPSON'S
IN-THE-STRAND
CHESS
Lucky dip
Raymond Keene
IT IS VIRTUALLY impossible to win a tournament without a degree of luck. At Biel, where Karpov turned in his 139th tournament victory, a world record, KarpOv was, for most of the time, trailing the Estonian grandmaster Jaan Ehlvest. Karp- ov's Baltic rival came unstuck towards the very close of the competition, when he suf- fered his first and only loss in the following drastic miniature. Ironically, this game was also Romanishin's only win.
Romanishin—Ehlvest: B1e4 1996; Queen's Gambit Declined.
1 NI21 d5 2 d4 Nf6 3 c4 e6 4 Nc3 Be7 S Bg5 0-0 6 e3 Nbd7 The popular line in contemporary chess is 6 ... h6 7 Bh4 b6. The line chosen by Black has a more passive reputation. 7 Rd i c6 8 Bd3 a6 And this move seems to be tempting fate. The lines emanating from 8 ... dxc4 9 Bxc4 Nd5, as favoured by Lasker and Capablanca, although hardly exciting for Black, have never been refut- ed. 9 c5 White accepts the challenge. 9 ...e5 If Black does not try this he will be gradually suffo- cated. 10 dxe5 Ne8 11 h4 Immediately declaring his hostile intentions against the black king. 11 ...Nxc5 12 Bbl It is important to preserve White's aggressive bishop. 12 ... Ne6 13 Qc2 Nxg5 This is insane, he had to play 13 ... g6. 14 Nxg5 g6 (Diagram) Black is now threatening ...
Position after 14 . g6
Bf5. Were he given time to do this his position would be satisfactory. Unfortunately for hint, White has the chance for a sacrifice which sets alight the residence of the black king. 15 Nxh7 Ksh7 If 15 ... Bf5 16 e4. 16 h5 Kg7 Again 16... Bf5 fails, this time to 17 hxg6+. 17 bxg6 15 18 Qe2 Bh4 If 18 ... Rh8 19 RIch8 Kyd28 20 0h5+ Kg7 21 Qh7+ Kf8 22 Qf7 mate. 19 g3 Rh8 20 gith4 Rxh4 21 QEI Nc7 22 Ke2 Ne6 23 Ftxh4 Qxh4 24 Rh1 Black resigns After 24 ... Qg5 25 Fbcf5 Qx15 26 Qxf5 Nd4+ 27 exd4 fod5 28 Rh7+ Kxg6 29 Rxb7 White has two extra pawns.
If fortune struck down Karpov's Estonian rival it smiled on the Fide world champion in the following extract.
Onischuk—Karpov: Bid 1996.
Here White automatically recaptured with 1 fxe3 when 1 ... Qxb3 left Black with a material advan- tage sufficient to win. Instead Onischuk could have played in the diagram position 1 Qxf7+ Kh8 2 R124 and now 2 ...Bg7 3 Qxg6 h6 4 Rxh6+ Bich6 5 Qxh6+ K58 6 Qg6+ or 2 ... h6 3 Qf6+ Kh7 4 Rg4 g5 5 fxe3, both winning for White. A colossal missed opportunity. Pressure of space obliged me to omit the full tournament table of Karpov's world record 139th tournament victory in Biel. Here are the details.
Biel Final Crosstable
1 23 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
1. Kerney
• 1/2 1/2 1/2 1 1/2 1/2 1 1/2 1 1 1/2 71/2
2. Miley
ih 0 I/2 1 1 1 V2 1 I/2 1
Tifs 3. Ehlvest
1/2 " V21/2 V2 1 1 1 0 1h 1
7
4. Anderson
1/2 1 1/2 0 1 1/2 V2 0 1 1/21/2
6 5. Almasi
0 1/2 1/2 1 • 1W/2 0 1/2 I/2 1 1
6 6. Lauder
1/2 0 I/2 0 Ift • Vt ift 1 1/2 1 1
6 7. Glek
1/20 0 11/2 1/2 V2 • 1/21/2 1 1 1
6 8. Portlsch
0 0 0 '/21 • 1 '/21 02
9/2
9. Tukmakov
'/2'/20 1 '60 '/20 • 1 1/2 0 41/2 00. Romanishia 0 0 1 0 12 V2 0 V2 0 • 1/2 1/2
31/e
11. Onischuk
0 Vt I/2 0 0 0 0 1/2 1/2 • 1 31ft
12. Milos Vz 0 0 V2 0 0 0 Vz 1 Vt 0 • 3
Chess Puzzle No. 5: solution White's winning three-move sequence in the above position was I Bxh7+ Kx117 2 Qh5+ Kg8 3 Ng6.
This was a particularly challenging puz- zle. The winner was A. F. Footner of Shrewsbury, who is invited to lunch or din- ner with me at Simpson's-in-the-Strand, plus a game of chess.
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