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01-01 Cover - December 2020_Layout 1 16/11/2020 18:39 Page 1 03-03 Contents_Chess mag - 21_6_10 16/11/2020 17:49 Page 3 Chess Contents Founding Editor: B.H. Wood, OBE. M.Sc † Executive Editor: Malcolm Pein Editorial....................................................................................................................4 Editors: Richard Palliser, Matt Read Malcolm Pein on the latest developments in the game Associate Editor: John Saunders Subscriptions Manager: Paul Harrington 60 Seconds with...Bruce Pandolfini ............................................................7 We discover all about the famous coach and Queen’s Gambit adviser Twitter: @CHESS_Magazine Twitter: @TelegraphChess - Malcolm Pein A Krushing Success .............................................................................................8 Website: www.chess.co.uk Irina Krush and Wesley So were victorious in the U.S. Championships Subscription Rates: Escapism!..............................................................................................................14 United Kingdom Matthew Lunn headed for the Dolomites along with some friends 1 year (12 issues) £49.95 2 year (24 issues) £89.95 Magnusficent......................................................................................................18 3 year (36 issues) £125 Magnus Carlsen has produced the odd instructive effort of late Europe 1 year (12 issues) £60 How Good is Your Chess?..............................................................................22 2 year (24 issues) £112.50 Daniel King looks at a wild and wonderful line of the King’s Gambit 3 year (36 issues) £165 Cryptic Chessword...........................................................................................25 USA & Canada A chess-themed crossword from Avid Old Swan 1 year (12 issues) $90 2 year (24 issues) $170 Find the Winning Moves.................................................................................26 3 year (36 issues) $250 The latest puzzles from the 4NCL Online and U.S. Championships Rest of World (Airmail) The Queen’s Gambit.........................................................................................30 1 year (12 issues) £72 John Henderson has been enjoying Netflix’s biggest recent hit 2 year (24 issues) £130 3 year (36 issues) £180 Christmas Stocking Fillers ............................................................................35 Distributed by: Some handy suggestions for Christmas from Sean Marsh Post Scriptum (UK only), Unit G, OYO Business Park, Hindmans Way, Giving Up Professional Chess......................................................................38 Dagenham, RM9 6LN - Tel: 020 8526 7779 Jonathan Levitt reflects on retirement and his latest book LMPI (North America) Never Mind the Grandmasters...................................................................42 8155 Larrey Street, Montreal (Quebec), Carl on the opening surprise and his encounter with Kevin Winter H1J 2L5, Canada - Tel: 514 355-5610 Views expressed in this publication are not 5,012 Days..........................................................................................................44 necessarily those of the Editors. Contributions to Steve Firth returned to OTB chess where some things never change the magazine will be published at the Editors’ discretion and may be shortened if space is limited. Chess... and my Bucket List! .......................................................................46 While inputting James Aitken’s games, Geoff Chandler was distracted No parts of this publication may be reproduced without the prior express permission of the publishers. Readers’ Letters ................................................................................................48 All rights reserved. © 2020 Studies with Stephenson...............................................................................49 Chess Magazine (ISSN 0964-6221) is published by: Chess & Bridge Ltd, 44 Baker St, London, W1U 7RT Home News..........................................................................................................50 Tel: 020 7288 1305 Fax: 020 7486 7015 The Caplin British Online Championships begin on December 18th Email: [email protected], Website: www.chess.co.uk Overseas News...................................................................................................51 FRONT COVER: Rhys Cumming impressed as he made his first IM norm in Portugal Cover Design: Matt Read Cover image: Charlie Gray/Netflix Solutions ...............................................................................................................52 Detailed answers to all the positions to solve this month US & Canadian Readers – You can contact us via our American branch – Chess4Less based in West Palm Beach, FL. Call toll-free on 1-877 89CHESS (24377). This Month’s New Releases ..........................................................................54 You can even order Subscriber Special Offers online Works on the 2020 Candidates, Steinitz, and puzzles are reviewed via www.chess4less.com Saunders on Chess............................................................................................58 John on the dangers of transcribing games into Britbase format Printed in the UK by The Magazine Printing Photo credits: Phil Bray/Netflix (pp. 30, 34), Harry Gielen (p.11), Italian Chess Federation (p.16), Company using only paper from FSC/PEFC Justin Kellar/Saint Louis Chess Club & Scholastic Center (p.9), Sean Marsh (p.42), Netflix (pp. 31-33), suppliers www.magprint.co.uk Brendan O’Gorman (p.51), Lennart Ootes (p.18), USCF (p.8). www.chess.co.uk 3 07-07 60sPandolfini_Chess mag - 21_6_10 16/11/2020 17:48 Page 7 After playing it, Evans thought for an hour! He and I became entwined in extreme time pressure. Near the end, we each had to make about 20 moves in one minute. At move 31, I had four winning moves, but with no time to think, I panicked and blundered, forgetting to play the intended 31 Îxb6. Evans offered me a draw and I took it (I had a perpetual anyway). It cost me a bit of money. I won $50, and lost it all on the Reno gambling tables in something like five minutes. Thereafter, I gave up serious chess. B.Pandolfini-L.Evans National Open, Reno 1970 26 f5! exf5 27 Îxf5 Ìh7 28 Îcf1 Ëd8 29 Ëg3 Îe7 30 h4 Îbb7 31 e6 Îbc7 32 Ëe5 Ëe8 33 a4 Ëd8 34 Î1f2 Ëe8 35 Î2f3 Ëd8 36 Íd3 Ëe8 37 Ëe4 Ìf6 38 Îxf6 gxf6 39 Îxf6 Êg8 40 Íc4 Êh8 41 Ëf4 1-0 M.Botvinnik-J.Capablanca Rotterdam 1938 Born: September 17th, 1947, New Jersey. Place of residence: New York City. Occupation: Chess Teacher. Enjoyable? Very. 21 Íd5! Îh8 22 Íe4 Êg8 23 cxd3 Îe8 24 Íd2 Ìc4 25 Íb4 Îe5 26 Îc1 b5 27 And home life? Now and then. axb5 axb5 28 b3 Ìb6 29 Îc6 Ëd8 30 Ëg4 Îh7 31 Ìxh6+? Îxh6 32 Îxh6 f5 But sometimes good to escape to: Music. 33 Ëg6 fxe4 34 Ëh7+ Êf7 35 Ëg6+ ½-½ Great books. Old movies. The reasoning of Bertrand Russell. But less memorable than your worst move? There were (and are) so many. Sports played or followed: Many. Athletic for a chess player. And a highly memorable opponent? 30 Ía3!! Ëxa3 31 Ìh5+! gxh5 32 Ëg5+ Marcel Duchamp and Reuben Fine. Êf8 33 Ëxf6+ Êg8 34 e7 Ëc1+ 35 Êf2 A favourite novel? Ulysses. I’ve read it 18 Ëc2+ 36 Êg3 Ëd3+ 37 Êh4 Ëe4+ times. In Search of Lost Time. I’ve read it once. Favourite game of all time? Botvinnik- 38 Êxh5 Ëe2+ 39 Êh4 Ëe4+ 40 g4 Capablanca, AVRO 1938. Fischer-Spassky, Ëe1+ 41 Êh5 1-0 Piece of music? Dozens. Rachmaninoff’s Game 6, 1972. 2nd Symphony; Ravel’s Le Tombeau de The best three chess books: Really tough Couperin; Beethoven’s 8th Symphony; Light call. Let’s do it this way. For best: My Best My Fire, the Doors. R.Fischer-B.Spassky Games of Chess, Volumes 1 & 2 – Alekhine; 6th matchgame, Reykjavik 1972 100 Selected Games of Chess – Botvinnik; Film or TV series? Vertigo. Casablanca. The Queen’s Gambit Declined My 60 Memorable Games – Fischer. For Apartment. favourite: The Human Side of Chess – 1 c4 e6 2 Ìf3 d5 3 d4 Ìf6 4 Ìc3 Íe7 Reinfeld; New Ideas in Chess – Evans; What’s the best thing about playing chess? 5 Íg5 0-0 6 e3 h6 7 Íh4 b6 8 cxd5 Modern Ideas in Chess – Reti. Winning. Ìxd5 9 Íxe7 Ëxe7 10 Ìxd5 exd5 11 Îc1 Íe6 12 Ëa4 c5 13 Ëa3 Îc8 Can chess make one happy? As much as And the worst? Winning. 14 Íb5 a6 15 dxc5 bxc5 16 0-0 Îa7 music and love. 17 Íe2 Ìd7 18 Ìd4 Ëf8 19 Ìxe6 fxe6 Your best move? I don't know if it's my best 20 e4 d4 21 f4 Ëe7 22 e5 Îb8 23 Íc4 A tip please for the club player: Play as if the move, but 21 Íd5! was one I liked finding. Êh8 24 Ëh3 Ìf8 25 b3 a5 future of humanity depends on your efforts. www.chess.co.uk 7 08-12 USChamps_Chess mag - 21_6_10 16/11/2020 17:46 Page 8 A Krushing Success The format had changed, but the big names still shone in the U.S. Championships Irina Krush claimed her eighth U.S. Women’s title when the decision was made not to cancel this year’s postponed Championships, but play them instead on Lichess in October, with support still coming from the St. Louis Chess Club. Purists may object to the winners of rapid tournaments (25 minutes plus a five- second increment), played over four days, being considered national champions. However, this is 2020 and many fans were just grateful to see the best American players in action on Lichess, as well as to enjoy the accompanying commentary from that long- established, popular team of Jennifer Shahade, Yasser Seirawan and Maurice Ashley. Having earlier in October triumphed in the U.S. Girls’ Championship, rising star 17-year- old Carissa Yip began steadily in the Women’s Championship,