Chess Contents Founding Editor: B.H. Wood, OBE. M.Sc † Executive Editor: Malcolm Pein Editorial.................................................................................................................4 Editors: Richard Palliser, Matt Read Malcom Pein on the latest developments in the game Associate Editor: John Saunders Subscriptions Manager: Paul Harrington 60 Seconds with... Ravi Haria.....................................................................7 We catch up with the young star after his first GM norm Twitter: @CHESS_Magazine Twitter: @TelegraphChess - Malcolm Pein Scintillating Sasi!..............................................................................................8 Website: www.chess.co.uk Krishnan Sasikiran surpassed Vassily Ivanchuk in Cuba Subscription Rates: Awesome Aronian, Carlsen Crumbles...................................................14 United Kingdom Levon Aronian’s fine form continued in Norway 1 year (12 issues) £49.95 2 year (24 issues) £89.95 Find the Winning Moves .............................................................................16 3 year (36 issues) £125 Can you do as well as the stars of the Grand Chess Tour? Europe 1 year (12 issues) £60 A Return to Kos ..............................................................................................19 2 year (24 issues) £112.50 David Gilbert enjoyed his time at the ACO World Championships 3 year (36 issues) £165 Rising Stars.......................................................................................................22 USA & Canada Daniel Fernandez and Ravi Haria annotate their best 4NCL games 1 year (12 issues) $90 2 year (24 issues) $170 How Good is Your Chess? ..........................................................................26 3 year (36 issues) $250 One of Daniel King’s favourite openings is the Hedgehog Rest of World (Airmail) The Grand Chess Tour in Pictures .........................................................30 1 year (12 issues) £72 2 year (24 issues) £130 The opening events in Paris and Leuven certainly caught the eye 3 year (36 issues) £180 Daniel Fernandez ...........................................................................................32 Distributed by: Junior Tay caught up with the rising star after his third GM norm Post Scriptum (UK only), Unit G, OYO Business Park, Hindmans Way, Introducing... Hector Shoosmith............................................................34 Dagenham, RM9 6LN - Tel: 020 8526 7779 John Saunders on the tragic life of an early British chess pro LMPI (North America) Azerbaijani GMs Make Their Mark in Iraq...........................................38 8155 Larrey Street, Montreal (Quebec), Robert Cole of the AMAR Charitable Foundation explains H1J 2L5, Canada - Tel: 514 355-5610 Views expressed in this publication are not Opening Trends...............................................................................................39 necessarily those of the Editors. Contributions to Who would have thought Giri could lose to the Colle in 20 moves? the magazine will be published at the Editors’ discretion and may be shortened if space is limited. When Extra is Less ........................................................................................40 Steve Giddins shows why an extra tempo is not always useful No parts of this publication may be reproduced without the prior express permission of the publishers. Never Mind the Grandmasters................................................................42 Carl Portman reflects on teaching chess to juniors All rights reserved. © 2017 Chess Magazine (ISSN 0964-6221) is published by: Home News.......................................................................................................46 Chess & Bridge Ltd, 44 Baker St, London, W1U 7RT Bates, Gordon and McShane came joint first at Kings Place Tel: 020 7288 1305 Fax: 020 7486 7015 Email: [email protected], Website: www.chess.co.uk Forthcoming Events .....................................................................................48 FRONT COVER: Overseas News ...............................................................................................50 Cover Design: Matt Read China and Russia triumphed at the World Team Championships Cover photography: Lennart Ootes Solutions............................................................................................................53 US & Canadian Readers – You can contact us via our American branch – Chess4Less based in West Palm New Books and Software...........................................................................55 Beach, FL. Call toll-free on 1-877 89CHESS (24377). Sean Marsh reviews new works by Daniel King and Steve Giddins You can even order Subscriber Special Offers online via www.chess4less.com Saunders on Chess ........................................................................................58 John enjoyed the DeMontford Bell Rapidplay at Kings Place Printed in the UK by The Magazine Printing Photo credits: Altibox Norway Chess/Joachim Steinbru (pp.14-15) Chess Club & Scholastic Center of Company using only paper from FSC/PEFC St. Louis (p.10), Chess Magazine archive (p.41), Cleveland Public Library (p.37), Steve Connor (p.52), suppliers www.magprint.co.uk Calle Erlandsson (p.25), Ray Morris-Hill (p.32), Brendan O’Gorman (pp.19-21), Bill O’Rourke (p.46), Lennart Ootes (pp.4-7, 14-15, 23, 30-31, 50-51), John Swain (p.49), Jose Vilela (pp.8-9, 12) www.chess.co.uk 3 Never Mind the Grandmasters... Here come the amateurs - by Carl Portman ([email protected]) Kids say the funniest things. There I was, To some actual chess, and I want to share 1 e4 coaching one of my junior chess classes and a game played by one of my chess students. Ben is capable of trying anything in the today was the day that we were all going to Ben Aubury is simply obsessed with chess. He opening, but today it was the classic 1 e4. ‘nail this thing forever’. I refer to the en eats and sleeps the game. Like any junior, 1...e5 2 Ìf3 Ìc6 3 Íb5 a6 4 Ía4 passant rule as there had been much there was a time when he never knew how The Closed Ruy Lopez. Actually, Ben and I confusion and, indeed, a few tears over this the pieces moved. Now he has an ECF grade have not studied this popular opening in any curious move. I had just asked if anyone in the of 108 and is getting stronger by the week. great detail (we like to do endgames, as well class actually knew what en passant meant. I Ben studies hard, and is the epitome of an as openings!), so anything he has learned in had already told them that it was French and autodidact. I never have to push him to do addition he has done by himself. therefore just one of the several languages homework, and like Oliver he often asks for more. 4...b5 5 Íb3 Íe7 6 c3 that we use in chess. What particularly impresses me for an eleven- 6 d4 is a viable alternative. After a few seconds an arm shot skywards year-old is his knowledge of chess history. 6...Ìf6 7 d3 0-0 8 0-0 d6 accompanied by the inevitable, Ben can tell you all about Botvinnik, Tal, Morphy 8...d5 9 Ëe2 Íb7 10 a4 is another line. “Ooh, ooh, me sir! I know this.” and what year Steinitz won the world championship. 9 h3 “Yes?” I asked. I threw a name in the ring recently – Lajos Portisch We don’t want that light-squared bishop “Is it a goldfish?” – and he was able to tell me about him too. getting to g4, pinning the knight, thank you. “A goldfish? Like any youngster, Ben has his opinions. 9...Íb7 10 Îe1 Ìa5 “Yes, it is a goldfish isn’t it?” He thinks that Petrosian is “boring” and that Putting the question to the bishop: stay on (Desperately trying to stifle laughter) Fischer was not an attacking player, but was b3 or vacate the square. “Erm, no it isn’t.” more positional and only attacked (like a 11 Íc2 “Yes, it is”, he confidently replied. crocodile) when he was sure of the kill. Let’s Very nice. Preserving the bishop, and therefore After some detective work it transpired see if that view is held in five years’ time. the bishop-pair. This fine piece now points at that the youngster thought that I was asking Conversations with Ben are always h7 for possible tricks later in the game. about the meaning of the word poisson (not illuminating, and the reward I get for putting 11...c5 en passant), which is, of course, fish. In that in some extra chess work with him is to see Black is also playing well to his credit and respect I gave him the benefit. his game begin to blossom as he improves. has no problems at the moment. More on kids’ thoughts. My good friend With that improvement comes more victories, 12 Ìbd2 Îc8 13 Ìf1 Îe8 Neil Staples furnished me with a nice quote of course, and we all like to win. Recently Ben from Alan Bennett’s Diaries. Headed the ‘13th won a prize at the Cotswold Chess Congress. May’ in his diary there followed: “Talk to He wanted to show me the game that helped Archie Powell. His four-year-old son Wilfred him win “fifty quid” which he is going to spend is learning chess and was recently taken to a on chess equipment – good lad! Church of England confirmation service where the bishop officiating was Richard We went through the game and I enjoyed Charteris. Having ascertained that Charteris listening to his thoughts. I want to share it here. was a bishop, Wilfred whispered, ‘Does that Bear in mind, Ben is 11 and graded 108, but mean that he can only move diagonally?’” don’t worry – he won’t be either of those for Classic. Back to that class now and I was too long and you might