v books have been doing 17...¤f6 18 0–0 d5 which is about equal. o k a i well enough to enable 18 f6!? ¤xf6 19 ¥xh6! ¢h8 20 0–0–0 v i T i him to cope with a ¤h7 21 ¥d2 f5 22 g4! fxg4? Black e g r cooperates with White s transparent plan e deficit budget and to ’ S : to open lines. He should keep the h-file o cover it partly from his t o h own pocket. He is also closed and go his own way, either by P a pretty colourful 22...a5 or 22...d5. 23 £e4!? Perhaps character with a special even stronger was 23 £xg4 £xg4 sense of humour which 24 hxg4 ¦xf2 25 d4 e4 26 ¥e6 g6 shows itself mainly 27 ¥d7 ¦d8 28 ¥xc6 d5 29 ¥e3 ¦f3 before the start of each 30 ¦df1, with a clear advantage. round when he urges 23...gxh3 24 d4 d5! Obviously not the players “to shut up” 24...exd4?? 25 ¥e6!; equally bad is and then starts the 24...¦ae8 25 £h4 ¦f3 26 ¥c2 g6 game with a whistle. 27 ¥xg6 ¦g8 28 £h5 ¦f6 29 ¥e4 ¦g7 30 ¥h6, winning. 25 £xe5 ¥c7 Black The GM section saw a already finds it difficult to cope with the few upsets right from outcome of his hasty pawn-snatching the start but turned out policy. For instance, 25...¦xf2 26 ¥c2 to be a one-man show ¥c7 27 £e3! or 25...¢g8 26 ¥c2 ¤f6 for the Englishman in 27 ¥f5, with powerful kingside threats in the field, who led from both cases. 26 £h5 h2 27 f4! ¦xf4 Matthew Sadler is all smiles during his triumph in Oslo start to finish and 27...¦f6 28 £xh2 ¦h6 29 £g3 £d6 wrapped up a 30 ¥c2 ¦f8 31 £g4 leaves White ORWAY BECAME a chess country sensational victory in the penultimate powerfully placed, e.g. 31...¤f6 32 ¦xh6+ in the public mind alongside round. On his way to victory he beat GMs gxh6 33 £g6 ¤e4 34 ¥xe4 dxe4 NMagnus Carlsen’s meteoric rise to Ernst, Mikhalevski and Volkov and drew 35 £xe4 and Black ’s king remains fatally the world’s elite. A constant stream of just twice, with the Israeli IM Raznikov exposed. 28 £xh2 g5 29 £h6 ¦f7 new events leads up to the Tromso and with the Dutch GM Tiviakov. His 30 ¥xg5 £d6 31 £h5 £d7 32 ¥c2 ¦af8 Olympiad, some three years from now. At performance of 2849 is seemingly the same time, the local chess community another step on his way back to the had to bid a sad farewell in 2008 to the prestigious 2700+ club. highly popular Gausdal tournament following 38 years of continuous and Matthew thought his first game was successful activity. Many chess fans probably the most attractive one, where worldwide who enjoyed this lively event he sacrificed no fewer than three pawns that took place in a remote ski resort were in order to open up as many attacking delighted to receive some good news last lines as possible against the enemy king. year: the tireless organiser of their favourite tournament, Hans-Olav Lahlum, Oslo International 2011 in collaboration with the Akademisk M.Sadler - D.Kovachev Sjakklubb in Oslo, was planning a new event, this time in the beautiful (but hopelessly expensive) capital Oslo. 120 players from 17 countries took part in 33 ¥f6+! ¦xf6 34 £xh7+ 1–0 34...£xh7 the two sections of the first Oslo 35 ¦xh7+ ¢g8 36 ¦g1+ is conclusive. International, held at Ullevaal Conference Centre, next to the wonderful Ulevaal Matthew Sadler became a grandmaster national football stadium. Among the at the age of 19 and two years later won participants were 11 GMs, 3 WGMs and the British championship for the first time. 15 IMs, and England was represented by Two years later he won it again, this time the returning second seed GM Matthew jointly with Michael Adams. At the 1996 Sadler and IM Jovanka Houska. Hans- Yerevan Olympiad, he won the gold Olav was happy with the strength of the medal for the best result on board four. field but less so with the turnout of paying At the 1998 Elista Olympiad he did pretty participants. He is a distinguished historian Black ’s last move 17...c6 ignores White ’s well too, scoring 7½/12. Matthew also and popular writer in Norway: he claims his next. There was nothing wrong with played a major part in England’s best 16 November 2011 team success ever - the gold medal at It’s amazing that the 1997 European Team Championship you have managed in Pula, scoring 7/9 on board four. to preserve such a standard of play for Nevertheless, at the peak of a brilliant such a long period career, he decided to retire from with almost no professional chess and started a new serious practice. “civilian” career at Sogeti, one of the How would you Netherlands’ biggest IT houses. As he had explain that? left school for chess at the age of 16, he had to start from scratch at the supporting I relate it mainly to desk using his perfect command of both the hard work I put in v o my chess during my k English and French (his mother is French. a i v i many years as a T By now he is also pretty much fluent in i e professional player. g Dutch) to become an infrastructure r e S This investment is architect. In fact, he played his last serious : o t paying off even now. o tournament in 1999. For a couple of years h he still kept contact with elite chess, even Obviously I am not P in the new millennium as the highly yet back to my top Matthew Sadler plays Dutch GM Sipke Ernst in round five esteemed book reviewer of New in Chess . calculating form, but on the other hand the fact that I have got intend to play in, especially since I have Last year, at the age of 36, following his a normal job removes much of the never played this tournament before. divorce, he started to play more serious pressure that is the daily lot of a Besides weekend events, I will possibly chess again. His first appearance was in professional player. play another long tournament. I would be the traditional Liberation day rapidplay happy if it was the Olympiad next year. If tournament organised for the last 60 years Have you ever worked with a trainer? I am selected for the English team, I in the city of Wageningen. Sadler was would probably not refuse. I actually owe a great deal to my clear first on 7/7 ahead of former winners childhood tutors. As an eight-year-old of the event such as GMs Jan Timman and Jovanka Houska was not at her best child of about 1500-1600 level in my Daniel Fridman. He also went on to win the scoring 4½ points against an average hometown of Chatham, I acquired a lot of Roc Nova College weekender in Haarlem field of 2314 which was also precisely her chess culture and knowledge from Steve on 5/6 ahead of six grandmasters. TPR. She scored five draws, claiming to Giddins, based mainly on the invaluable Matthew managed to defend the title last have dropped several wins just like the legacy of the world champions, as well as June, this time jointly with local GM Erik one in the penultimate round against a an awful lot of endings which I tried to van den Doel on 5/6. And this summer, as talented Indian kid: use in my own games right from the start. reported in the last two issues of CHESS , My numerous playing and training he scored a stellar success in the Sants sessions with John Smith also greatly Oslo International 2011 International in Barcelona, making a 2758 helped me regarding all aspects of B.Arjun - J.Houska performance rating. practical play. Later I worked with GMs Daniel King and Nigel Davies but starting Following the penultimate round in Oslo, from the age of 14 I was more or less on and just moments after he secured his my own apart from occasional sessions tournament victory with a round to spare, with Mark Dvoretsky. I was able to conduct a short interview with Matthew. Are we witnessing your return to professional chess? Congratulations, Matthew, on an amazing success! I don’t intend to play chess professionally as I enjoy my current IT career which Thank you! also enables me the peace of mind to play a tournament for pleasure from time You played your last serious to time. Basically, I don’t think at this tournament some 12 years ago. Have stage that I will ever be able to do better you entirely refrained from playing than in my past peak years. ever since? 88...¤d4+?? After 88...¤c5 or 88...¤a5, Living in Holland, would you also like Black still wins. 89 ¤xd4! ½–½ 89...g1£ Until 2003 I still played in the Bundesliga, to play in England? The British 90 ¤f3+ forces the draw. If she does not for Solingen. However, following that my Championship or the 4NCL perhaps? promote, Black has no way of shaking off only connection with the competitive scene the attentions of the knight. was representing (and occasionally I certainly would; however, my current job training) the team of my Dutch hometown, allows me only a limited number of Amersfoort, in the third division of the holidays so visiting my native country The best women’s results were by the Dutch League! I must say that I have been also means spending time with my Georgian WGMs Nazi Paikidze, ranked doing it with the same passion as in the old parents and meeting old friends.