CHESS
Candidates
Raymond Keene
St John, Newfoundland Nigel Short and Jon Speelman have made history by becoming the first two British players ever to qualify for the quarter-finals of the world championship. Speelman clinched his berth by overrun- ing Seirawan in their fifth game, while Nigel coasted home with a draw against Sax in a position which, under different circumstances, he might easily have gone on to win.
In the table below, the five starred players have now qualified for the quarter- finals. The other two matches which ended in 3-3 draws will be resolved by two play-off games.
Candidates' matches
1 2 3 4 5 6 Pts *Speelman V2 1 1 V2 1
4 Seirawan
'1/2
0 0 lh 0
1 *Short 1 1 V2 1/2 V2
31/2 Sax 0 0 '1/2
1/2
1/2
11/2 *Yusupov 1 y, 1
1/2
V2
31/2
Ehlvest 0 1/2 0
1/2 11/2
*Timman
1/2 1/2
'1/2
1/2
1,6
1 31/2 Salov
1/2
1/2 1/2
1/2
1/2 0 21/2 *Portisch '1/2 V2 1 1/2
1/2
31/2
Vaganian V2 1/2 0
1/2
V2 21/2 Korchnoi 0 V2 1/2 0 1 1 3 Hjartarson 1 V2 1/2 1 0 0 3 Sokolov 1/2 1
1/2
V2 0 V2 3 Spraggett V2 0
1/2 1 '1/2 3
The quarter-finals are intended to be in Puerto Rico in July and there must be a chance, given Fide's lack of clarity with the regulations, that Short and Speelman may have to play each other. At least that would guarantee a British representative in the semi-finals.
Speelman-Seirawan: Stonewall Dutch, Round 5.
1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 c6 3 c4 e6 4 e3 f5 5 Be2 Nf6 6 0-0 Bd6 7 b3 Qe7 8 Bb 2 Nbd7 9 Ne5 0-010 Nd2 g5 11 f4 gxf4 12 exf4 Ne4 13 Nxe4 fxe4 14 Qd2 Nf6 15 c5 Bc7 16 b4 Bd7 17 a4 Ne8 18 Ra3 Ng7 19 Rh3 Be8 20 Bc3 Bg6 21 g4 Bxe5 22 dxe5 h5 23 f5 exf5 24 gxh5 e3 25 Qxe3 f4 26 Rxf4 Be4 27 e6 Nf5 28 RxfS RxfS 29 Qh6 Rg5+ 30 Rg3 Rxg3+ 31 hxg3 Qh7 32 Qf6 Re8 33 Be5 Re7 34 Qg5+ Kf8 35 Bd6 Black resigns.
Speelman regarded this fifth game as his best of the match. Seirawan tried the positionally dubious Stonewall Dutch and achieved his ambition of creating an unclear situation. Sadly for him, though, Speelman proceeded with tremendous energy and handled the complica- tions to perfection. It was, in fact, Seirawan who cracked under the pressure. Black has to play 24 . . . Be8 not . . . e3? Seirawan played his final few moves in desperate clock trouble.
Short — Sax: Sicilian Defence, Round 3. As in the first round, Sax initiated the double- edged Sveshnikov variation of the Sicilian De- fence. 1 e4 c5 2 NO Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e5 6 NdbS d6 7 Bg5 a6 8 Na3 b5 9 Bxf6 gxf6 10 Nd5 f5 11 Bd3 Be6 12 Qh5 f4 This time Sax deviates from 12 . . . Bg7 as in the first round. 13 c3 13 c4!? Qa5+ 14 Kfl is unclear. 13 . . . Rg8! 14 g3!? Bg4 15 Qxh7 Rg6 16 Qh4?! 16 Bet
is more interesting although 16 . . . f3 17 Bd3 Rh6 and Black can force a draw. 16 . . . Qxh4 17 gxh4 Bf3 18 Rfl Rc8 19 Nc2 f5! Black breaks White's centre. 20 exf5 Rh6 21 Ncb4 Nxb4 22 Nxb4 d5! In the Sveshnikov-Pelikan such an advance usually gives Black a very good game.
23 a3 d4 Opening the 'c' file. 24 cxd4 Worth consideration instead was 24 Nxa6!? Rxa6 25 BxbS Rac6 but Black is still better. 24 . . . e4 25 Bet Bxe2 26 Kxe2 f3+! 27 Kdl If 27 Ke3 Rxh4 threatening Bh6 mate; and 28 d5 Bh6+ 29 Kd4 e3+ is very strong. 27 . . . Rxh4? Sax misses a very strong continuation 27 . . . Rc4! 28 d5 Rd6 threatening 29 . . . a5 or 28 Nc2 Rhc6 with a decisive advantage for Black. 28 Rcl! Now Short seizes the initiative.28 . . . Rxcl+ 29 Kxcl Bg7 30 Nxa6 Bxd4 31 Nc7+ Kf7 32 NxbS Be5 33 a4 White has a winning endgame. 33 . . . Rxh2 34 Nc3 Kf6 35 Nxe4+ KxfS 36 Nc5? Easily winning was 36 Nd2 Kf4 37 a5 advancing the passed pawns. Now Sax saves himself brilliantly. 36 . . . Rh4 37 b3 Bd4 38 Nd3 Re4 39 Rdl Reg 40 Rd2 Bc3! 41 Rc2 If 41 . . . Rxe2 then 42 fxe2 and fl =Q. 41 . . . Ke4!! 42 Rxe3 Draw agreed. If 42 . . . Kd4 43 Rc4 Kxd3 and the position is even.
The young Icelander Johann Hjartarson leapt into a 3-1 lead against that great veteran Victor Korchnoi, but then lost the fifth and sixth games and now faces a play-off.
Hjartarson — Korchnoi: Open Ruy Lopez,
Round 1.
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Nxe4 6 d4 b5 7 Bb3 d5 8 dxe5 Be6 9 c3 Be7 10 Nbd2 Nc5 11 Bc2 Bg4 12 Rel Qd7 13 Nfl Rd8 14 Nei Bh5 15 b4 Ne6 16 Nf5 d4 17 Be4 Bg6 18 g4 h5 19 h3 Kf8 20 a4 hxg4 21 hxg4 Qe8 22 axb5 axb5 23 Ra6 Nb8 24 Rxe6 fxe6 25 Nxe7 Bxe4 26 Rxe4 dxc3 27 Ng6+ Kg8 28 Rd4 Rxd4 29 Qxd4 Rh3 30 Ng5 Rh6 31 Nf4 Nc6 32 Qxc3 Qd8 33 Nf3 Nxb4 34 Bd2 Qa8 35 Kg2 Nc6 36 g5 b4 37 Qc5 Rh7 38 Nxe6 g6 39 Qd5 Kh8 40 Ned4 Qc8 41 e6 Nxd4 42 Nxd4 c5 43 Bf4 Raj 44 Nc6 Black resigns.
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