Lubomir Kavalek - Washington Post Chess Column 2006.pdf - czasopisma - andzinus

CHESS Lubomir Kavalek

By LubomirKavalek

Monday,January 2,2006;C10

The year2005 ended and whata yearitwas!

Three Kings

Three world chess champions made the news away from the chessboard.Bobby Fischerflew from

Japan to Reykjavik,where he became an Icelandic citizen,and a quietone,leaving eruptions to local

volcanoes.Having second thoughts aboutbringing Kirsan Ilyumzhinov to FIDE in 1995,Anatoly

Karpov decided to run forthe FIDE presidency to dethrone him.Garry Kasparov retired from

professionalchess to enterRussian politics.Ironically,he was soon greeted by a chessboard,

smashed overhis head by a politicalopponent.

New Emperor

Veselin Topalovs rise to the top was the main achievementofthe year2005.He conquered the

world with fascinating play and greatfighting spirit.In March the Bulgarian grandmastershared first

place with Kasparov in Linares,Spain.In May he scored an amazing victory atthe M-TelMasters

double-round elite tournamentin his home capital,Sofia,despite being lastafterthe firsthalf.The

greatestsuccess ofhis careercame in Octoberatthe FIDE world championship where he outpaced

the competition and became the new world champion.

New FIDE Ratings

Kasparov has resided on top ofthe FIDE rating listforthe last20 years.This incredible featis

coming to an end.He is stillfirston the January 2006 list,buthis rating of2812 willbe retired in

April.Topalov leads the active players with 2801,followed by Vishy Anand,2792;PeterSvidler,

2765;Levon Aronian,2752;VladimirKramnik,2741;PeterLeko,2740;Vassily Ivanchuk,2729;

Boris Gelfand and Ruslan Ponomariov,2723;and AlexanderMorozevich 2721.The winneroflast

years World Cup,Aronian,made a significantleap ahead ofKramnik.

Incredible Machines

Computers were notparticularly nice to humans lastyear.In June,the remarkable machine Hydra

smashed the top English grandmaster,MichaelAdams,allowing one draw and winning five games.

In November,Hydra teamed up with the computerprograms Fritz and Juniorand defeated three

formerFIDE world champions,Ponomariov,AlexanderKhalifman and Rustam Kasimdzhanov,8-4.

Books ofthe Year

IgorKhmelnitskys "Chess Exam and Training Guide" won the 2005 Crameraward."Garry

Kasparov on Fischer:My GreatPredecessors,PartIV" won the 2005 British Chess Federation

award.

Russian Championship

SergeiRublevsky performed superbly atthe Russian Superfinaland won the eventconvincingly last

week.He scored 7 1/2 points in 11 games,finishing a fullpointahead ofMorozevich and Dmitry

Jakovenko.Itwas the bestresultofRublevskys career.Kramnik,the classicalworld champion,

ended with only 50 percent.

UMBC atthe Top

The University ofMaryland Baltimore County (UMBC)dominated US.collegiate chess in 2005.In

April,the UMBC team won the Presidents Cup,the FinalFourofchess.LastFriday the school

triumphed atthe Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Championship in Miami.Led by GM

AlexanderOnischuk,the winning team drew one and won five matches,finishing ahead ofits rivals,

two teams from the University ofTexas atDallas.Some ofthe UMBC students also competed for

the Baltimore Kingfishers,a team thatwon the 2005 US.Chess League competition played overthe

Internet.

Eastern Open

GM AlexanderIvanov won the 32nd Eastern Open,played Dec.27-30 atthe Wyndham Washington

hotel.He overwhelmed the field,scoring 7 1/2 points in eightgames.Carlos Tovar-Diaz and

AlexanderIvanov and RobertWalkerwon the U2200 section with 6 1/2 points.Yakov Shlapentokh-

Rothman clinched the U1900 section with 7 points.The U1600 section wentto William Martin with

6 1/2 points.HenriMoon prevailed in the U1300 group with 7 points.The localSwiss event

attracted 185 players.

A Personal Note

Washington chess life willnotbe the same withoutthe writings ofJoseph McLellan,a formermusic

critic and chess writerforthe Washington Post,who died lastMonday atthe age of76.He loved

chess passionately and was always amazed by its beauty and amused by those who played it.He was

a keen observer,reporting on importantchess tournaments and matches with grace and elegance.

Creating powerfulimages and poetic metaphors,McLellan made chess accessible even to those who

did notplay it.He was a wonderfulwriter,editorand friend,always encouraging,kind and gentle.

As a romantic chess player,he loved games where spiritprevailed overmatter.He willbe missed.

Solutions to todays problem by S.Loyd (White:Kg3Rc2Rg7Bb1Bh8;Black:

Kd4P:d5d6g4):1Rb2 Ke3 2Re7 mate;or1 ...Kc4 2Rc7 mate;or1 ...Ke5 2Re7 mate.

¨ 2006 The Washington PostCompany

CHESS Lubomir Kavalek

By LubomirKavalek

Monday,January 9,2006;C10

VladimirKramniks withdrawalfrom the upcoming elite Corus tournamentin the Dutch town of

Wijk aan Zee is notencouraging news.He suffers from a rare form ofarthritis and needs treatment

thatmay lastseveralmonths.Itis a big blow to a brilliantcareerbecause Kramnik may notreturn to

the heights he once enjoyed.In 2000 he defeated Garry Kasparov in London and became the world

champion.Kramnik defended his title againstPeterLeko in 2004 with a 12-12 tie.Itwas difficultfor

him to replace a match strategy,where itis more importantnotto lose,with the bold play needed to

win tournaments.He tried very hard lastyearto make the transition,buthis results were mediocre.

Coming Back

In the 1990s,FIDE began experimenting with a Wimbledon-style knockoutworld championship,

turning serious chess into a lottery with plenty ofblitz games.In 2002,atthe age of18,Ruslan

Ponomariov ofUkraine became the youngestworld champion underthis format.His victory was

followed by a few lean years.He began playing wellagain lastyear,earning the No.10 spotin the

world on the FIDE rating list.

Atthe end ofDecember,Ponomariov won the traditionaltournamentin Pamplona,Spain,scoring

five points in seven games and ending a halfpointahead offormerworld juniorchampion Pentala

Harikrishna ofIndia and Ivan Cheparinov ofBulgaria.A greatexample ofPonomariovs matured

active positionalstyle is his victory overZviad Izoria ofGeorgia.With the help ofa pawn sacrifice,

Ponomariov dismantled the solid Caro-Kann defense and leftblack with a shattered pawn structure.

Ponomariov-Izoria

1e4c62d4d53Nc3dxe44Nxe4Bf5 (The classicalvariation ofthe Caro-Kann is popularamong

otherGeorgian players)5Ng3Bg66h4h67Nf3Nd78h5Bh79Bd3Bxd3 (The strategically

desired exchange ofthe bishops may turn into a tacticalnightmare on the weak lightsquares.Black

has to watch fora centralpawn break d4-d5 and piece sacrifices on the squares e6 orf7)10Qxd3e6

11Bf4Qa5+12Bd2Bb4 (This variation has become popularin recentyears)13c3Be714c4

Qa4?!(The mostsolid retreathere is 14Qc7,moving the queen closerto the action.Staying on the

a-file is dangerous.In the game Leko-Bareev,Dortmund 2002,black chose 14Qa6?!,preventing

long castling and the break d4-d5.Itcontinued 150-0 Ngf6 16Rfe1 0-0 17Nf5 Rfe8,and now

instead of18Nxe7+,Leko could have performed an astonishing combination,sacrificing three

pieces in a row:18Nxg7!Kxg7 19Rxe6!fxe6?!20Bxh6+!Kh8 21Bg7+!Kxg7 22Qg6+,followed

by 23Ng5 and white mates.White may even switch the move orderwith 18Rxe6!fxe6 19Nxg7!as

played lastOctoberin the Belgian team championship in the game Decoster-Tiggelman.

The defense 14Bb4 is notadequate.After15Ne4!Ngf6 16Nd6+ Ke7 17c5,the white knighton

d6 is annoying.The game Jakovenko-Antonio,Montreal2005,concluded with fireworks:17b6

180-0 bxc5 19Ne5!!Nxe5 20dxe5 Bxd2 21exf6+ gxf6 22Rad1 Bf4 23Nxf7!Kxf7 24Qg6+ and

black resigned,since 24Kf8 25Rd7 ends it)

15d5!(A powerfulpawn sacrifice,exposing the black king and the weaknesses ofthe lightsquares)

15cxd516cxd5Nc517Qe2exd5180-0Ne619Nf5!(Ponomariov sends his cavalry forward.The

strength ofthis advance is demonstrated in the following variation thatends in a smothered mate:

19Qg4? 20Qb5+ Kf8 21Ne5!Qxf5 22Nd7+ Ke8 23Nf6+ Kf8 24Qe8+!Rxe8 25Nd7 mate)

19Qa6 (Hoping to slow down whites attack by exchanging the queens,butwhite has enough

active pieces to cause problems forthe black king in the middle)20Qxa6bxa621Rac1Bf6

(Developing with 21Nf6 is metby 22Nxe7 Kxe7 23Bb4+ Ke8 24Rfe1,threatening 25Rc7)

22Bb4! (The threat23Nd6+ is unpleasantand white does nothave to protecthis b-pawn) 22Ne7

(After22Bxb2 23Nd6+ Kd7 24Rc2 a5 25Nxf7 axb4 26Rxb2!Rh7 27Rxb4,white has a

powerfulattack.And after22Rb8 23Nd6+ Kf8 24Rc8+ Rxc8 25Nxc8+ Be7 26Nxe7 Nxe7

27Rd1,white has tremendous pressure and blacks a-pawns are vulnerable)23Nd6+Kf824Nf5

(White prevented black from castling short.Black cantconnecthis rooks and the rook on h8 is out

ofplay)24a525Ba3g6? (Blacks position falls apartafterthis move,buteven the better25Ke8

does notsave him,forexample 26Bxe7 Bxe7 27Rfe1 Rd8 28N3d4!Nxd4 29Rxe7+ Kf8 30Rd7!

and white wins) 26hxg6fxg627Bxe7+Bxe7 (Whites nextmove ends blacks hopes)

28Rfe1!gxf529Rxe6 (The scattered black pawns are ripe to be picked up)29Bd830Rc5Kf7

31Rec6Bb632Rxd5Rhc833Ne5+Ke834Re6+Kf835Rxh6 (The pawn cleanup only begins and

after35Rc1+ 36Kh2 Bxf2 37Rd7!Kg8 38Rhh7,black gets mated soon)Blackresigned.

Solution to todays composition by Enrico Paoli(White:Kf1Bb2P:b4b6c4d6;Black:

Kc6Ra4P:c5):1b5+!Kxb6!(On 1Kxd6 2Be5+!wins)2Bf6 (Threatening 3d7)2Ra7 3Bd8+

Kb7 4d7 Kb8 5Bc7+!Kxc7 6b6+!wins.The Italian grandmasterPaoliwas a well-known

organizerof47 traditionaltournaments in Reggio Emillia.He died lastDecember,one month short

ofhis 98th birthday.

¨ 2006 The Washington PostCompany

CHESS Lubomir Kavalek

By LubomirKavalek

Monday,January 16,2006;C10

SergeiKarjakin became grandmasteratthe age of12 years 7 months,the youngestever.At15,the

Ukrainian prodigy is playing atthe prestigious Corus tournament,underway in the Dutch coastal

town ofWijk aan Zee.Karjakins countryman Vassily Ivanchuk won two games and is the sole

leaderafteryesterdays second round.

Karjakins arrivalamong the worlds elite did notgo smoothly.On Saturday he lostto the Indian

superstarVishy Anand,who used home preparation to foolthe youngsterin the NajdorfSicilian.Not

even strong computerprograms predicted Anands astonishing combination.

Karjakin-Anand

1e4c52Nf3d63d4cxd44Nxd4Nf65Nc3a66Be3e57Nb3Be68f3Be79Qd20-0100-0-0

Nbd711g4b512g5b413Ne2Ne814f4a515f5a4!16Nbd4!? (16fxe6 axb3 17cxb3 fxe6

18Kb1 Qa5 19Nc1 Nc7 gives black controlofthe center)16...exd417Nxd4b3!18Kb1bxc2+

19Nxc2Bb320axb3axb321Na3Ne5 (Afterthe firstfireworks the materialis equal,butthe white

king is more vulnerable)22h4Ra5!(When this position occurred in the game Leko-Vallejo Pons

lastyearin Monte Carlo,white played 23Qe2,allowing 23 ...d5.Karjakin follows a computer

suggestion)23Qc3!?Qa8!24Bg2 (Itseems thatblacks pieces are stuck on the kingside,butAnand

waves a magic wand)

24...Nc7!!(An amazing two-piece sacrifice,giving black an irresistible attack.Even computer

programs were reluctantto endorse it.One ofthem came up with a differentknightsacrifice,24 ...

Nf6!? 25gxf6 Bxf6,with some dangerous threats)25Qxc7 (Accepting the knightis forced because

ofthe threat25 ...Nb5)25...Rc8!!26Qxe7Nc4!(Allblack pieces are aimed atthe white king)

27g6!? (Karjakin hopes to divertblacks pieces from the queenside attack.Afterthe passive 27Bc1

black plays 27 ...Qc6!and the white king is undermating attack,forexample 28Nxc4 Qxc4

29Rd2 Qc2+!30Rxc2 bxc2 mate;or28Rd2 Nxd2+ 29Bxd2 Qc2+!30Nxc2 bxc2+ 31Kc1 Ra1

mate)27...hxg6!(Making the square h7 available to his king)28fxg6Nxa3+ (Itwins,but

sacrificing the exchange 28 ...Rxa3!was also good,eg.29Qxf7+ Kh8 30bxa3 Nxa3+ 31Kb2

Nc4+ 32Kc3 Ne5+ winning the queen)29bxa3Rxa330gxf7+Kh731f8N+Rxf832Qxf8Ra1+

(The mostprecise way to win,although after32 ...Qxf8 33Rd2 Ra4!black plans the deadly

34Qa8 and atthe same time prevents 34Bd4? because of34Rxd4!35Rxd4 Qf2 and black

mates) 33Kb2Ra2+34Kc3 (After34Kb1 black simply plays 34Qxf8,attacking the bishop on g2

and after35Rd2 Qa8 36e5 Ra1+ 37Kb2 Qa3+ 38Kc3 b2+ wins)34Qa5+!(Anand sees mates)

35Kd3 (After35Kxb3 Qa4+ 36Kc3 Rc2+ 37Kd3 Qc4 mates)35Qb5+36Kd4Ra4+37Kc3

Qc4+ (After38Kd2 Ra2+ 39Ke1 Qe2 mates)Whiteresigned.

New Young Star

Parimarjan Negi,a 12-year-old Indian prodigy,follows Karjakins example in trying to become

anotherpreteen grandmaster.He made his firstgrandmasternorm atthe traditionalHastings

Congress this month,and his victory overthe experienced English grandmasterMark Hebden in the

Spanish shows thathis future could be bright.

Negi-Hebden

1e4e52Nf3Nc63Bb5a64Ba4Nf650-0Be76Re1b57Bb30-08d4 (Avoiding the Marshall

Attack 8c3 d5 thatHebden likes to play)8d69c3Bg410d5Na511Bc2Qc812Nbd2!?

Lubomir Kavalek - Washington Post Chess Column 2006.pdf

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