01-01 Decemberr Cover_Layout 1 13/11/2017 21:07 Page 1 03-03 Contents_Chess mag - 21_6_10 13/11/2017 21:36 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...Chris Ward...... 7 Twitter: @CHESS_Magazine The leading Kent coach and GM will be commentating at the Classic Twitter: @TelegraphChess - Malcolm Pein Website: www..co.uk Brexit Looms for White Rose ...... 8 Steve Barrett reports from a final foray into the European Club Cup Subscription Rates: United Kingdom How Good is Your Chess?...... 14 1 year (12 issues) £49.95 Daniel King presents a fine win by Santosh Gujrathi Vidit 2 year (24 issues) £89.95 3 year (36 issues) £125 Magnus on the Move...... 18 Europe Junior Tay watched Carlsen’s first appearance in Singapore 1 year (12 issues) £60 2 year (24 issues) £112.50 Chris Ward defeated in Orpington Simul...... 22 3 year (36 issues) £165 Actually Chris scored pretty well, as Conrad Allison explains USA & Canada 1 year (12 issues) $90 Not so Sunny in Crete...... 24 2 year (24 issues) $170 Kanwal Bhatia reports from the European Team Championships 3 year (36 issues) $250 Stocking Fillers...... 30 Rest of World (Airmail) Sean Marsh has some suggestions for your Christmas list 1 year (12 issues) £72 2 year (24 issues) £130 How not to Organise a Simul ...... 32 3 year (36 issues) £180 Charles Higgie hopes you will learn from his mistakes Distributed by: Post Scriptum (UK only), Enjoying Life à Paris...... 34 Unit G, OYO Business Park, Hindmans Way, Carl Strugnell witnessed a lecture down the local club by a GM Dagenham, RM9 6LN - Tel: 020 8526 7779

LMPI (North America) Find the Winning Moves...... 37 8155 Larrey Street, Montreal (Quebec), Can you do as well as the stars at the European Club Cup? H1J 2L5, Canada - Tel: 514 355-5610 Never Mind the Grandmasters...... 42 Views expressed in this publication are not Carl Portman enjoyed some good fortune in a recent league game necessarily those of the Editors. Contributions to the magazine will be published at the Editors’ A Return to Norway...... 44 discretion and may be shortened if space is limited. John Pigott was inspired by the beautiful scenery in Oslo No parts of this publication may be reproduced without the prior express permission of the publishers. Home News...... 48 Alan Merry scooped the big prize at the Coventry 4NCL Congress All rights reserved. © 2017 Chess Magazine (ISSN 0964-6221) is published by: Forthcoming Events...... 50 Chess & Bridge Ltd, 44 Baker St, London, W1U 7RT Will you be squeezing in a trip to the Classic or Hastings? Tel: 020 7288 1305 Fax: 020 7486 7015 Email: [email protected], Website: www.chess.co.uk Overseas News...... 52 Vassily Ivanchuk wasn’t fazed by having to walk his king to d4 FRONT COVER: Cover Design: Matt Read Solutions ...... 54 Cover photography: 123rf.com New Books and Software...... 55 US & Canadian Readers – You can contact us via our American branch – Chess4Less based in West Palm Sean Marsh was inspired by two young Canadian authors Beach, FL. Call toll-free on 1-877 89CHESS (24377). You can even order Subscriber Special Offers online Saunders on Chess...... 58 via www.chess4less.com John ponders a recent game by Stephen ‘the Rookie’ Moss

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www.chess.co.uk 3 07-07 60SecondsChrisWard_Chess mag - 21_6_10 13/11/2017 21:40 Page 7

think you are!), you’d better be sure before breaking general principles.

C.Ward-I.Rausis Le Touquet 1992 Baltic Defence

1 d4 d5 2 c4 Íf5 3 Ëb3 e5 4 cxd5 exd4 5 Ìf3 Íc5 6 Ìxd4 Íxd4 7 Ëa4+ Ìc6 8 dxc6 b5 9 Ëxb5 Ìe7 10 e3 Îb8 11 Ëe2 0-0

12 Ìc3 Ìxc6 13 g4 Íxc3+ 14 bxc3 Íe4 15 Îg1 Ìe5 16 Íg2 Ìd3+ 17 Êf1 Ìxc1 0-1 And a highly memorable opponent? The main man Magnus, although then he was but a boy.

Born: 26th March 1968 in Biggin Hill. Favourite game of all time? That’s a C.Ward-A.Summerscale toughie; there are plenty of Fischer and Place of residence: South-east London. British Ch., Nottingham 1996 Kasparov ones to choose from. Occupation: Chess educator (hopefully), and Slav Defence The best three chess books: Winning With (vaguely) entertainer-oh and salsa dance teacher. The Dragon (1 and 2!), as well as Chess 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Ìc3 dxc4 4 e4 b5 5 a4 Choice Challenge are available from all good Enjoyable? I’d say so. b4 6 Ìb1 Ía6 7 Ìf3 Ìf6 8 e5 Ìd5 book stores. Am I being biased? 9 Ìg5 h6 10 Ëh5 hxg5 11 Ëxh8 Ìf4 And home life? Definitely. 12 Íe3 Ëd5 13 f3 Ìe6 14 Ìd2 Ìxd4 Is FIDE doing a good job? Not exactly. Why 15 0-0-0 c3 16 Ìc4 Íxc4 17 Îxd4 Ëxe5 all the continuous and petty rule changes? But sometimes good to escape to: Relax Are they really for the better? by the sea, a snowy mountain for exhilaration and, well, Las Vegas! Is the ECF doing a good job? Honestly I was rather unimpressed with the cancellation of the Sports played or followed: I watch football Player of the Year award, the ECF having and play squash. advertised one candidate as the “children’s choice” and then been surprised when children A favourite novel? Any good psychological supported him. Get an experienced panel to thriller. decide or whatever, but don’t punish a barely 8- year-old boy for matters obviously beyond his Piece of music? The piano section of control. Perhaps I’m wrong and he’s also responsible ‘School’ by Supertramp. for Brexit and Trump, but at least Shreyas Royal Film or TV series? Bourne Trilogy, Dexter, showed what he was all about with his excellent Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, Walking European Under-8 silver medal performance. In Dead... Gee I should get a life! general England has some wonderful young talent and we should start offering our backing. 18 Ëxf8+! 1-0 What’s the best thing about playing Any advice for them? Listen to the people! chess? Rather obvious: winning! But less memorable than your worst move? The advantage of having a poor memory is Can chess make one happy? Absolutely, And the worst? Probably investing a lot of that eventually I’ve managed to forget them. although unfortunately the inverse is also true. time and then still losing. I will, however, always remember my 1992 clash with Igor Rausis. 11 moves into the A tip please for the club player: Look after Your best move? From Beckenham to game my opponent had all of his pieces out your pieces and they will look after you! Bromley, I love my new place! But that’s not and had castled, whereas as White all I had to what you meant, is it? Not sure about best, but show for my development was having placed Ed. - Chris will once again be commentating 18 Ëxf8+ against Summerscale en route to my queen in front of my king. Six moves later alongside Daniel King and Maurice Ashley at winning the 1996 British Championship will be it was game over, and not in my favour. A big, this month’s London Chess Classic. forever ingrained in my mind. Sorry, Aaron! big lesson: just because you are good (or

www.chess.co.uk 7 48-50 Home_Chess mag - 21_6_10 13/11/2017 21:19 Page 48 Home News

BELFAST – The Ulster Masters took place at Open: 1-2 Matthew Sadler (Amersfoort), Hampshire Congress (3-5 November). Queen’s University Belfast’s Students’ Union Richard Bates (Hackney) 4½/5, 3 Alan Merry Open: 1-2 Mike Waddington (Dorchester), (13-15 October), including Manuel Cabanas (Bury St Edmunds) 4. Peter Anderson (Ringwood) 5/6, 3-4 Michael Jimenez who travelled up from Dublin to play. Major: 1-2 Stephen Lewis (Stowmarket), Fernandez ( University), Matt However, Jimenez and fellow pre-tournament Ole Bay-Petersen (Cambridge) 4, 3-6 Yasser Chapman (Fareham) 4. favourite Stephen Rush had to settle for joint Tello (Wimbledon), Andrew Hartland Major: 1 Geoffrey Brown (Folkestone) 6, second on 4/6, as seventh seed Mark Newman, (Lowestoft), John Daugman (Cambridge), 2 Lukasz Piecha (Winchester) 4½, 3-8 Dave a man normally seen organising events in the Daren Harris (Otley) 3½. Agostinelli (Southampton), Tristan Dray- province, had the tournament of his life, racking Intermediate: 1 Rich Wiltshir (Rushall) 4½, 2 Paul Pearce (Combined Services), Phil Foley up 5/6. Lower down, Daniil Zelenchuk took the Walton (Royston) 4, 3-6 Richard Newman (Upminster), Jeremy Hudson (Hastings), Intermediate section with 5½/6 and Adrian (Cambridge), Keith Woodcock (Ipswich), David Chris Smith (Fareham), Simon Venables Dornford-Smith won the Minor. Short (Ely), David Gilbert (Coulsdon) 3½. (Portsmouth) 3½. Minor: 1 Abigail Weersing (Linton) 5, Minor: 1-4 Chris Priest (Hamble), John BIRMINGHAM – The Birmingham Rapidplay 2-8 Richard Porter (Norwich), Colin White Belinger (New Milton), Ivor Kelly (Camberley), took place at the Quinborne Community (Chelmsford), Paul Mustafa (Hammersmith), Steven Kitley (Winchester) 4½. Centre on October 15th. With Mark Hebden Mark Johnson (Colchester), Nick Sampays busy in his home town, Ameet Ghasi and Keith (Ely), Bodo Rissmann (Wymondham), GUERNSEY – Jean-Pierre le Roux scooped Arkell effectively had the Open between them, Douglas Bramley (Spondon) 4. the £1,200 first prize after Tiger Hillarp the former confirming his reputation as a rapid Persson was held to a last-round draw by a chess expert. Agoston Mihalik also did well, CHIPPING SODBURY – Remi Tallieux was a last- Mongolian WGM at the Guernsey holding the top two to draws. minute entrant to the Chipping Sodbury Rapidplay International, which was held once again at Open: 1 Ameet Ghasi (Richmond) 6½/7, on October 28th and despite having not the Peninsula Hotel (15-21 October). 2 Keith Arkell (Paignton) 5½, 3-4 Jeremy played chess for several years, won the Open! Open: 1 Jean-Pierre le Roux (France) 6½/7, Fallowfield (Shirley), Agoston Mihalik (South Open: 1 Remi Tallieux (Reading) 5½/6, 2 Tiger Hillarp Persson (Sweden) 6, 3 Altan-Ulzii Birmingham) 5. 2 Martin Lewis (Swindon) 4. Enkhtuul (Mongolia) 5½, 4-7 Stephen Whatley Major: 1-2 Colm Buckley (Chester), Florian Major: 1 Oliver Stubbs (Downend) 5, 2-3 Max (Street), Oliver Jackson (Cheshire), Ad Reijneveld Biermann (Nottingham) 5½, 3 Simon Smith Walker (Clevedon), Nicholas Cuncliffe (Wells) 4½. (Holland), Kevin Bowmer (Loughton) 5. (Warley Quinborne) 5. Minor: 1-3 Toby Kan (Downend), Yuvraj Kumar Holiday: 1 Gerda Nevska (Guernsey) 6, 2-4 Intermediate: 1-2 Mark Radford (Nottingham), (Bath), John Skeen (Weston-super-Mare) 5. Denis O’Connell (Skibbereen), David Turner Alan Giles (Lichfield) 5½, 3-5 Georgi Peev (Bourne End), Jos Heesen (Holland) 5. (Coventry), Andrew Mowat (London), Miyuni COVENTRY – Alan Merry obtained revenge Rajapaksa (Sri Lanka) 5. for a couple of near misses by scooping the HULL – Mark Hebden enjoyed his time in the Minor: 1 Imogen Dicen (South Birmingham) big prize at the latest 4NCL Congress (3-5 UK City of Culture, his success in the Hull 6½, 2 John Pakenham (Warley Quinborne) 6, November). The tournament doubled up as a Congress (27-29 October) helping to make 3-5 Peter Loach (Boldmere), Stuart Calderbank qualifier for this year’s British Knockout up for a disappointing time in Scarborough (Straford-on-Avon), Jude Shearsby (Coventry) 5. Championship, which will be held again the previous weekend. alongside the London Chess Classic. Open: 1 Mark Hebden (Leicester) 4½/5, 2-3 Jonah BOURNEMOUTH – Local player Gabor Unsurprisingly the tournament attracted five Willow (Nottingham), Ali Jaunooby (Denton) 4. Horvath repeated his victory from last year at GMs and six IMs and by finishing top Merry, Major: 1 Paul Robson (Chester-le-Street) 4½, the Dorset Congress (13-15 October), who defeated Sarah Longson, James Jackson 2-3 Dean Hartley (Amber Valley), Harry Lamb partly thanks to a victory over that most and Justin Tan before drawing with Peter (Bolton) 4. prolific of IMs, Alan Merry. Meanwhile John Sowray, is guaranteed at least £2,500. As Intermediate: 1 David Stothard (Hull) 4½, Weatherlake won the Major, but was unable such, he could have few complaints about 2-3 Andrew Zigmond (Harrogate), Paul to claim the top prize as he was ungraded. leaving Coventry without any actual prize Salisbury (Leeds) 4. Open: 1 Gabor Horvath (Bournemouth) 4½/5, money, the top monetary prize being shared Minor: 1 Malcolm Hara (Beverley) 4½, 2-3 Robert 2 Alan Merry (Bury St Edmunds) 4, 3 Michael by those who tied for second. Stokes (Scunthorpe), Kevin Randell (Aughton) 4. Fernandez (Southampton University) 3½. Open: 1 Alan Merry (Bury St Edmunds) 4½/5, Major: 1 John Weatherlake (Ashford) 4½, 2 2-5 James Adair (Stamford Bridge), Andrew LEICESTER – The H.E. Atkins Memorial Ian Cross (St Albans) 4, 3-5 Brendan Greet (Bearsden), Simon Williams (Godalming), Rapidplay was held, appropriately enough, in O’Gorman (Coulsdon), James Fewkes Peter Sowray (Hammersmith) 4. the home town of the nine-time British (Yeovil), Oliver Stubbs (Downend) 3½. Major: 1 Nick Burrows (Cowley) 4½, 2-5 Champion on October 15th. Intermediate: 1-3 Thomas Evans (Cosham), Ray Nigel Holroyd (London), Dominic Bennett Open: 1 Mark Hebden (Leicester) 6/6, 2 Hunt (Sidmouth), Richard Smith (Poole) 4. (), Mark Abbott (Exmouth), Ovidiu Rafal Malczyk (Wigston) 4½, 3 Bao Nghia Minor: 1 Michael Pope (Salisbury) 4½, 2-5 Angheluta (Romania) 4. Dong (Loughborough) 4. Joseph Wikramaratna-Clarke (Wimborne), William Minor: 1 John Green (Solihull) 4½, 2-5 David Major: 1 Tom Brown (Kirby Muxloe) 5, 2-4 Phil Taplin (Keynsham), Christine Roberts (Poole), Collyer (Leicestershire), Shlok Verma (Orpington), Harlow (Wigston), Ben Pourmozafari (Syston) 4. David Lambton (Southampton University) 4. Lavanya Maladkar (Nottingham), David Fowler Intermediate: 1-2 Dylan Meyer (Derby), Guy (Kent) 4. Walker (Loughborough) 4½, 3-5 Saurav Sunny BURY ST EDMUNDS – Matthew Sadler (Derby), Max Miller (Northamptonshire), returned to the Bury St Edmunds Congress EASTLEIGH – 18-year-old Michael Tony Shaw (Stourbridge) 4. (27-29 October), but had to settle for a Fernandez, young brother of Daniel, became Minor: 1-2 Colin Ross, Rakym Serik (both share of first place with IM Richard Bates. the new Hampshire County Champion at the Leicester) 5, 3 John Weston (Norfolk) 4½.

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2-5 Alan Merry (Bury St Edmunds), Martin Mitchell (), Craig Pritchett (Dunbar), Jim Nicholson (Whixley) 4. Major: 1-2 Mark Whitehead (Rochdale), Stephen McQuillan (Hamilton) 4½, 3-4 Peter Tart (Camberley), Charles McAleenan (Athenaeum) 4. Intermediate: 1 Rob Tokeley (Burnley) 4½, 2-7 David Wells (York), Roger Greatorex (Llangolen), Siefaldin Holi (Wakefield), Dave Patterson (South Shields), Norman Wragg, Peter Hoare (both Sheffield) 4. Minor: 1-5 Steven Watson (Hull), Gary Hewitt (Darlington), Neal Fisher (Peterborough), Con Carey (Heywood), Noel Boustred (Gosforth) 4. Foundation: 1 Sajjad Dehghan-Afifi (Sale) 5, 2-3 Nigel Redmond (Bradford), Michael Siddle (Bishop Auckland) 4½.

A.Merry-M.Webb The top seeds at Guernsey, eventual winner Jean-Pierre le Roux (left) and Tiger Hillarp Persson. Scarborough 2017 Vienna Game Junior: 1-2 Amrissa Johal (Nottinghamshire), Chief Arbiter at John Sargent’s Central Mihir Sharma (Northamponshire) 5, 3-4 Austin London Congress, which was held at Imperial 1 e4 e5 2 Íc4 Ìc6 3 Ìc3 Íc5!? Meynell, Rakshai Muthusamy (both Leics) 4. College (3-5 November). This is considered risky in view of White’s Open: 1-2 Adam Bukojemski (Battersea), vigorous reply. Somewhat safer is 3... f6. LONDON – Thanks to the partnership Philip Tozer (Athenaeum) 4½/5, 3-6 Ashley Ì 4 Ëg4! Ëf6?! between Chess in Schools & Communities Stewart (Royston), Roman Mitra (Hendon), Long condemned by theory on account of and the London Borough of Newham, the 2nd Tim Rogers (Hackney), Christopher Russell White’s next, not that any of the other Newham Community Chess Tournament took (Muswell Hill) 3½. methods of dealing with the threat to g7 are place on October 21st. This rapidplay Major: 1-4 Evangelos Xaxiris (Greece), Francesco exactly ideal. attracted over 160 players, including a Salerno (Imperial College), Charles McAleenan 5 Ìd5! Ëxf2+ 6 Êd1 Êf8 7 Ìh3 h5! strong field in the Open. (Athenaeum), Vincent Sagues (Albany) 4. Webb finds the only real way to play on. Open: 1-3 Jonathan Pein, John Richardson Minor: 1-2 Marin van Tol (Loughton), Carl 7...Ëd4 8 d3 is highly dangerous for Black, as (both Hendon), Peter Sowray (Hammersmith) 5/6. Bardsley (Swinton) 4, 3-8 Chris Bernard (Crystal shown by the queen-trapping 8...d6 (8...h5 Major: 1 James McDonnell (Streatham) 6, 2-3 Palace), Benjamin Portheault (Metropolitan), 9 g3 e7 is better, but crucially doesn’t Carlton Barrett (Essex), Johnathan Sia (London) 5. Robin Morris-Weston (Reading), Joe Moran Ë Í come with tempo, unlike in the game) 9 Ëg3 Challengers: 1 Felix Gatus (Newham) 6, (Enfield), Mohsen Abedian (West London), xh3 10 f1! e6 11 c3. 2-8 Shayan Gohil (Essex), James Coward Michelle Shamash (Greece) 3½. Í Î Í 8 Ëg5 Ëd4 9 d3 Íe7 (Bushbury), Isaac Sawyer, Mateusz Bazan, Another only move. Black must create a Kestutis Puleikis, Bhavika Raghupatruni, PENCOED – The South Wales Autumn retreat square for his queen. Tauras Peckys (all Newham) 5. Congress took place over the weekend of 10 g3 f6 Elsewhere in the capital, Adam Raoof 13-15 October. Ë Ì continues to go strong. At his latest Hampstead Open: 1-2 Tim Kett (North Cardiff), U2200 Congress (21-22 October), “Juniors Grzegorz Toczek (Cardiff) 4/5, 3-4 Jason had a field day”. 17-year-old Gwilym Price Garcia (Llanelli), Joe Fathallah (Cardiff) 3½. (Winchester College) triumphed with 4½/5 in Premier: 1 Peter Bevan (North Cardiff) 4, 2-3 the top section to edge out Thomas Villiers Dai James (Pontypridd), Sam Jukes (Barry) 3½. (Muswell Hill) and Frederico Rocco (Hendon) Minor: 1 Chris Peters (Bridgend) 4, 2-3 Morgan by half a point. Meanwhile Aadarsh Saravanan Rees (Merthyr Tydfil), Jeremy Jones (Nelson) 3½. (London) also scored 4½/5 to win the U1900, finishing half a point clear of Arushi SCARBOROUGH – The Scarborough Ramaiya (Wimbledon), James Merriman, Congress was once again held at the Spa Shlok Verma (both Petts Wood) and Timothy Complex (20-22 October), proving a major Crouch (Kings Head), while the U135 section success, attracting just shy of 350 players. saw Connor Clarke (Middlesex) rack up a That was partly thanks to the effort of co- perfect score to come home a point ahead of organiser Lara Barnes, who was recently David Grange (Drunken Knights). appointed by FIDE as a ‘Category A’ arbiter, of Meanwhile the latest Muswell Hill which there are only 68 in the world. 11 c3 Weekday Rapidplay on Wednesday 25th On the board, Mark Hebden was held to a Natural, and likely not best. Previously, October benefited from being during the draw by Martin Mitchell in round 3 and then 11 Ìxc7? had been seen, but in Birks- half-term holiday, and a number of juniors went down to Alan Merry on the Sunday Sandford, correspondence 1892(!), Black took full advantage. morning. That left the young IM on 4/4, but might then have taken over with 11...d5!, and Open: 1-2 Gautam Jain (Hendon), Thomas despite winning the opening battle against the if 12 exd5 Ìa5 13 c3 Ëg4+. Villiers (Muswell Hill) 5/6. top seed Matthew Webb (who, despite being Increasing the pressure down the f-file Major: 1 William Zheng (Hampstead) 5½, 2 untitled, is graded a mighty 243, one point with 11 Îf1! looks most to the point, since Jonathan Rubeck (Hendon) 4½. more than Hebden and three more than Merry), the black queen can always be kicked later. Minor: 1 David Hackett (Muswell Hill) 6, Merry was to lose his way, enabling Webb to After 11...Ìxd5 (11...d6? 12 c3 Ëc5 13 b4 2-3 Nima Chatrizeh (Athenaeum), Nick power through the field after a first round half- would not be wise and 11...Ìxe4 can now be Goulbourne (Hendon) 4. point bye and so pocket the £500 first prize. met by 12 Ìxe7!, and if 12...Ìxg3? 13 Ìg6+ Adam Raoof even found the time to be Open: 1 Matthew Webb () 4½/5, followed by either mate or 13...Êg8 14 Íxf7+

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Êh7 15 Ìg5+ Êh6 16 Ìe6+) 12 c3 Ëc5 14 Ìg6+ Êe8 15 dxe4 Ëxc4 16 Îe1 Íg4+ 13 exd5 Ìd8 14 Ìg5 the black position 17 Êc2 fxg6 Black does lead by two pawns, looks pretty ropey indeed, and neither is but his king is stuck in the centre and 18 b3 11...h4!? 12 Ëf3 d6 13 Ìg5 Ìd8 Ëc5 19 Ìf2 would leave White with (13...Íg4 14 Ëxg4 Ìxg4 15 Ìe6+ Êg8 compensation for at least one of the pawns. 16 Ìxd4 exd4 17 Ìxe7+ Ìxe7 18 Íxf7+ 14...Ëxe7 15 dxe4? is somewhat better for White) 14 h3 Ëc5 at Complete collapse. 15 Îxf7+! Ëxf7 all ideal for Black after, say, 15 a4. 16 Ëxf7+ Êxf7 17 Íxd5+ Êe8 18 Íxe4 11...Ëc5 12 Îf1 Ìxe4! was essential, still with some fishing chances in view of the mutually exposed kings, clear favourite with his extra exchange though Black would by then have been. 15...dxc4 16 Ìg5 Ìd8

Matthew Webb receives the top prize at Scarborough from arbiter Fiona Petrie.

colleague at the University of St. Andrews, Dr Peter Nightingale, have discovered that when you expand the chess board to 1,000 squares by 1,000, computers are stumped; the Webb seizes his chance to land a counter- problem seemingly being that programs can’t blow and already the board is on fire. handle the huge numbers involved in a 13 Ìxe7? reasonable amount of time. As such, Gent and Perhaps shocked by not finding himself Nightingale are offering $1,000,000 to obviously winning by force against a line with Now Black is two pawns up and the white anyone who can come up with a solution, a bad reputation, Merry errs. The simple queen is in some danger. What a turnaround! because, in their opinion, the resulting route was 13 Ëe1 when 13...Ìf6 14 Ìg5 17 Êc2 program would have major implications for Ìd8 must promise White decent 17 Ìh3 saves the queen, but not the the field of technological advance. compensation for his two pawns, but perhaps game, in view of 17...Íg4+ 18 Êc2 Ëd7. no more. As such, Merry was likely looking 17...Êg8 18 Ìxf7 WITNEY – James Jackson triumphed at the long and hard at 13 Îxf7+!, but presumably Desperation, but White might really have 5th Witney Congress (20-22 October). missed something. The key follow-up is resigned as he will be a clear piece down. Open: 1 James Jackson (Banbury) 4½, 2-3 Eldar 13...Êxf7 14 Ëf3+ Êe8 15 Ëxe4 with a 18...Ìxf7 19 Îf2 Ëe6 20 Ëg3 Íd7 21 Alizaba (Cowley), David Zakarian (Oxford) 3½. huge initiative for the exchange. It seems Íe3 Ía4+ 22 b3 cxb3+ 23 Êb2 bxa2 Major: 1 Richard George (Cirencester) 4, 2- Black has to try 15...Ëd6 16 Ìg5 Íd8, but 24 Îaf1 Ëb3+ 25 Êa1 Ëxc3+ 26 Êxa2 6 Graham Cole (Cowley), Phil Neatherway after the calm 17 Êe2 Îf8 18 Íe3 Ìe7 19 Íb3+ 27 Êb1 Íc4 28 Îxf7 Íxf7 0-1 (Oxford), David Faulkner (Hatfield), Andrew Ìxe7 Íxe7 20 Ìh7 White will at least regain Collins (Leamington Spa), Benjamin Derrett the exchange while retaining strong pressure. ST. ANDREWS – Readers may be familiar (Oxford) 3½. 13...d5! with the ‘eight queens’ puzzle, which dates Intermediate: 1 Stephen Williams Slamming shut the a2-g8 diagonal and back to 1848. The challenge is to place eight (Cwmbran) 4½, 2-3 Jonathan Britnell demonstrating to White that he has no right queens on a chess board so that no two (Lewes), Timothy Jones (Bristol) 4. to always enjoy the initiative. queens attack each other. That’s the simple Minor: 1 Roger Walker (Belper) 4½, 2-3 14 Ëg6? part, in theory at least. Recently Professor Ben Aubury (Sutton Courtenay), Jennifer The mate threat is easily repulsed. After Alan Gent and his Computer Science Goldsmith (Harrow) 4.

Dec 16-17 London Junior & Northwick Park Congress Forthcoming www.ljcc.co.uk Dec 28-30 London Junior & London Christmas Congress Events www.ljcc.co.uk Dec 28 - Jan 7 Hastings International Congress www.hastingschess.com or call 01424 443300 December 2-10 London Chess Classic, Olympia londonchessclassic.com or call 0207 935 3445 And for the Online Connoisseur: Dec 1-11 London Chess Classic December 3 Plymouth Rapidplay londonchessclassic.com; Adams, Aronian, Carlsen, MVL, etc. www.chessdevon.org.uk or call 01752 300620 Dec 15-17 European Rapid & Blitz Ch., Katowice December 7 Hendon ‘First Thursday’ Blitz www.katowice2017.eu/en/. www.hendonchessclub.com or call 07855 036537 Congress organisers – Don’t forget to email [email protected] to Dec 16-17 Coulsdon Christmas Congress ensure your event is listed, or if you really want to guarantee a good www.ccfworld.com/Chess/ entry, contact [email protected] to discuss having it advertised.

December 2017 50 58-58 JS_Chess mag - 21_6_10 13/11/2017 21:16 Page 58

Saunders on Chess

Follow me on Twitter: @johnchess or email: [email protected]

My former pupil Stephen ‘Rookie’ Moss show used to say, it is a question of “Take the breath. Admittedly the process of going sent me one of his games recently in which he money or open the box.” It’s bad enough through a game using an engine is a useful and had drawn with a player graded 191 (using making one decision – trying to find the right necessary one, but it is best put off for a day or the standard 7½ x grade + 700 conversion move – without your opponent suddenly two. One should definitely never attempt this formula, that’s an Elo of 2132). A very decent landing you with a second one. Often the immediately before going to bed, because you result for Stephen, graded 144 (Elo 1780), or draw offer thoughts interfere with your won’t get much sleep. so you might think, but after the game move-finding process and your calculations If you do find yourself tossing and turning Stephen didn’t know whether to celebrate the turn to mush. So I don’t find it hard to in bed one night after inviting an analysis draw or lament the loss of a half-point. empathise with Stephen’s decision to call it a engine to show you all the moves you missed, The diagram shows the final position of day and take the draw. here’s an important thing to focus on to help the game, with Stephen (Black) to play. His There is, of course, another school of you sleep: you are not alone – our silicon opponent’s last move was 17 Ìf3-d2, which thought that says that you should always play overlords show us all up as patzers, even that he accompanied with a draw offer. Stephen on to the bitter end; a wholly admirable Norwegian guy. More importantly still, when had about 20 minutes on his clock for the philosophy and I could only wish I had been you calm down and think about it, you should next 18 moves, but I don’t think he spent brave enough to adhere to it in my active realise that a large proportion of the moves long over accepting the draw. playing days (or perhaps I should describe the machine spits out can’t be found by any Before reading any more of his email, I human in the short time provided in the wanted to test this position for myself, so tournament room. Paradoxically, I find I set up the board, looked at it from the that the stronger the player, the easier black side and imagined myself having been they find it to reconcile themselves to offered a draw by a player of a much missing complex tactics found by higher rating than me, let’s say 2450 or computers, whereas weaker players find 2500. After a few minutes I had come up it harder to distinguish between genuine with a fancy move which I thought might missed opportunities, which could have won, but then a minute or so later feasibly have been exploited at their hit upon a simpler move which looks playing level, and impossible to see absolutely lethal, after which I would computer moves that Carlsen and co have fancied my chances against Magnus would struggle to find. Carlsen. I’ll leave readers to ponder over Computers affect us in other more the position for themselves and give insidious ways. Bad news has never solutions at the end of the article. travelled faster. In the old days you could Would Stephen have been strong play a stinker of a game and only you and enough to find the right move? Knowing your opponent would know anything his predilection for the attack, I think he about it. You’d have to be very unlucky would have had a chance, given a few for the opponent to send it off to a minutes’ calm thought. That said, his magazine and see it immortalised in their 2132-rated opponent didn’t seem to Black to Play and Win... pages. Even then you might be let off full have spotted it as he mentioned a different exposure as your name could be anonymised line at the end of the game, and one that them as my passive playing days). On the to ‘NN’ or ‘Amateur’. would not have been so forcing. And, having whole I regret more the moves I never made, These days the ubiquity of chess software found the right move, could Stephen have through premature abandonment of the game, means that privacy is non-existent, even for won? I think that one is a definite ‘yes’, since than the myriads of bad ones that I did make. the humblest wood-pusher. An obscure game the best move is a crusher. In his email Stephen was beating himself played in an amateur competition can be The real clue, of course, was the very fact up about not playing on, but only after an published around the world faster than one of of a much higher-rated player offering the engine had revealed the win that he had the Fischer-Spassky games of 1972. I have even draw to the opponent in the first place. Players overlooked. I’d like to adapt a famous Homer seen a social media meme in which people comb rated more than 300 rating points higher than Simpson quote about alcohol: “Analysis databases for games featuring the worse their opponents only offer draws when they engines – the cause of, and the solution to, all move on the board, as played by amateurs as think they are busted. It is their last, desperate the chess world’s problems.” well as professionals. The latter have to take it chance to salvage a ‘draw by reputation’. The It used to be one of the pleasures and on the chin since publicity contributes to them draw offer in those circumstances is an solaces of a chess player’s life – after a game, earning a living, but it seems a bit cruel to amalgam of a confession and a challenge, you would go home and play through a game, expose amateur players to this form of ridicule. which translates thus: “OK, there’s no use maybe transcribing it into your scorebook, Solution: The decisive continuation is 17...d3! pretending – I know I’m dead lost here. But are exulting in a victory or maybe calming down threatening ...Ìc2+ winning the queen. If White you really that confident you can beat me?” I after a loss. Do it these days on a computer plays 18 f3, then 18...Ìc2+ anyway and the was tempted to end that imaginary speech with an analysis engine switched on, regardless a4-knight drops off. If 18 Ëb3 Ìc2+ and with the word “punk”, but maybe I have of the result of the game, and the computer the a1-bishops falls. If the d2-knight moves, watched too many Clint Eastwood movies. will demonstrate in the most painful detail 18...Ìc2 becomes double check and mate. Suddenly the ‘offeree’ is in a quandary. As imaginable that you are the most laughably My first idea was 17...Ìe4!? which, though the host of that terrible old 1950s game incompetent chess player who ever drew unnecessarily complex, also seems to win.

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