01-01 Cover_Layout 1 18/02/2016 23:11 Page 1 03-03 Contents_Chess mag - 21_6_10 18/02/2016 23:07 Page 3 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 Associate Editor: John Saunders Subscriptions Manager: Paul Harrington 60 Seconds with..............................................................................................7 The ECF’s new chief executive, Mike Truran Twitter: @CHESS_Magazine Twitter: @TelegraphChess - Malcolm Pein Blunders and Brilliancies in Wijk aan Zee...............................................8 Website: www.chess.co.uk Yochanan Afek reports from the small Dutch coastal town Subscription Rates: 4NCL Round-Up .............................................................................................14 United Kingdom All the action from the first 6 rounds of the UK’s premier chess league 1 year (12 issues) £49.95 2 year (24 issues) £89.95 A Truly Open Tournament..........................................................................22 3 year (36 issues) £125 Matthew Lunn on arguably the Open of the year, Gibraltar Europe Find the Winning Moves .............................................................................26 1 year (12 issues) £60 Can you do as well as the players at the 4NCL? 2 year (24 issues) £112.50 3 year (36 issues) £165 Michael J. Basman: National Treasure ..................................................30 USA & Canada As Mike prepares to turn 70, John Henderson pays tribute 1 year (12 issues) $90 2 year (24 issues) $170 Chess & Murder..............................................................................................33 3 year (36 issues) $250 Rex Makin remembers the two going hand in hand in Liverpool Rest of World (Airmail) Never Mind the Grandmasters................................................................34 1 year (12 issues) £72 Carl Portman on his return to the board in the Shropshire Congress 2 year (24 issues) £130 3 year (36 issues) £180 How Good is Your Chess? ..........................................................................36 Distributed by: Daniel King was impressed by Fabiano Caruana in Wijk Post Scriptum (UK only), Will the Record be Broken?.......................................................................40 Unit G, OYO Business Park, Hindmans Way, Dagenham, RM9 6LN - Tel: 020 8526 7779 Two rare Victorian chess sets are currently for sale LMPI (North America) The Fork in the Road ....................................................................................42 8155 Larrey Street, Montreal (Quebec), Bob Jones examines the issue: chess or a proper job? H1J 2L5, Canada - Tel: 514 355-5610 The Grace of Alekhine .................................................................................44 Views expressed in this publication are not Dr Leonard Skinner reveals more about Alekhine’s fourth wife necessarily those of the Editors. Contributions to the magazine will be published at the Editors’ Storm Danny hits Hebden Bridge...........................................................46 discretion and may be shortened if space is limited. Dave Shapland reports on a special fund-raising simul No parts of this publication may be reproduced without the prior express permission of the publishers. Home News.......................................................................................................48 The latest results and Chris Ravilious remembered All rights reserved. © 2016 Overseas News ...............................................................................................50 Chess Magazine (ISSN 0964-6221) is published by: Chess & Bridge Ltd, 44 Baker St, London, W1U 7RT Studies with Stephenson............................................................................52 Tel: 020 7288 1305 Fax: 020 7486 7015 Brian reports on the ‘Study of the Year’ award Email: [email protected], Website: www.chess.co.uk Solutions............................................................................................................53 FRONT COVER: Cover Design: Matt Read New Books and Software...........................................................................54 Cover Photography: Ray Morris-Hill, 123rf.com Some highly detailed reviews from Messrs. Cox, Marsh & Vigus US & Canadian Readers – You can contact us via our Forthcoming Events .....................................................................................57 American branch – Chess4Less based in West Palm Beach, FL. Call toll-free on 1-877 89CHESS (24377). Saunders on Chess ........................................................................................58 You can even order Subscriber Special Offers online John reflects on the success of the Gibraltar Chess Festival via www.chess4less.com Photo credits: Chess Club & Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (p.6), Steve Connor Printed in the UK by The Magazine Printing (pp.17;20), Calle Erlandsson (pp.9-12), Chrissy Jarman (p.40), Alina L’Ami (pp.11, top; Company using only paper from FSC/PEFC 12, left), Ray Morris-Hill (pp.21; 35; 38; 48, right), Eldar Mukhametov (p.5), Northern suppliers www.magprint.co.uk Rail (p.47, lower), Matt Read (pp.14; 17) John Saunders (pp.19; 21; 48, left), Sophie Triay (pp.22, 24-25, 58), John Upham (p.30). www.chess.co.uk 3 07-07 60seconds_Truran_Chess mag - 21_6_10 18/02/2016 23:19 Page 7 The English Chess Federation’s new Chief Executive, A favourite novel? I’m going to cheat a little Any advice for either? Try to remember bit and go for the Gormenghast trilogy by that your colleagues, however exasperating Mervyn Peake. they may be on occasion, are doing their best according to their lights. Nobody deliberately Piece of music? This changes regularly over sets out to do a bad job. time, but at the moment unquestionably Shiverman by Lyall Bay Wellington’s finest, Fat Can chess make one happy? Who am I to Freddy’s Drop. argue with the Praeceptor Germaniae? “Schach hat wie die Liebe, wie die Musik die Fähigkeit, Film or TV series? This one doesn’t change den Menschen glücklich zu machen.” over time: The Shawshank Redemption. A tip please for the club player: Win or What’s the best thing about playing chess? lose, try to be nice to your opponent. Still being able to play the occasional good game, and of course meeting up with old friends and colleagues. N.Davies-M.Truran Atticus v Bristol & Clifton, And the worst? Being conscious of my Sutton Coldfield 1991 waning playing strength as I get older. Bird’s Opening Your best move? I did enjoy 26... xd4 in Ë 1 g3 f6 2 g2 e6 3 f4 d5 4 f3 c5 5 0-0 my game against Nigel Davies in a National Ì Í Ì c6 6 d3 g6 7 c3 g7 8 a4 0-0 9 a3 Club Championship quarter-final way back in Ì Í Ì a6 10 b1 b8 11 b4 cxb4 12 cxb4 b5 1991. But perhaps my memory over the Î Î 13 axb5 b6+ 14 e3 axb5 15 c2 a8 Born: 16th March 1956, Liskeard, Cornwall. intervening years has added a gloss to the Ë Ì Î 16 fd4 xd4 17 xd4 a4 18 d2 move which it doesn’t deserve. Ì Ì Ì Î Í Place of residence: Witney, Oxfordshire. Ìd7 19 Íc3 Íb7 20 Îa1 Îc8 21 Ëb3 But less memorable than your worst e5 22 fxe5 Ìxe5 23 Íb2 Ìg4 24 Íxd5 Occupation: Director (part time), consultant move? I’m afraid my good moves are so few, Ìxe3 25 Íxf7+ Êh8 26 Ëe6 (part time), pensioner (much too soon). and my bad moves so many, that the former are remembered in a golden haze of nostalgia Enjoyable? The variety of my work while the latter are instantly excised from my (combined with my various chess memory banks. endeavours) is great, and keeps me very busy. It’s nice to be able to combine non- And a highly memorable opponent? Nigel chess and chess activities in the way I do. The Short in a simultaneous display he gave at jury is still out though on how much time the Eagle Star (I believe as part of the ECF work is going to take – it’s certainly been sponsorship deal he had with them), more fairly time-consuming so far! years ago than I care to remember. I managed to win after his somewhat exuberant kingside And home life? Excellent. I’m not too sure attack hit the buffers, but I still remember his though that Faith is always entirely impressed graciousness after the game. with the gradually increasing amount of time I spend at home annoying her and generally Favourite game of all time? Pillsbury- getting under her feet! Tarrasch, Hastings 1895. 26...Ëxd4!! 27 Íxd4 Íxd4 28 Îfc1 But sometimes good to escape to: New The best three chess books: Fischer’s My Ìf5+ 29 Êf1 Îxa1 30 Îxa1 Íxa1 Zealand, where we have a house which we 60 Memorable Games, Bronstein’s Zurich 31 Ëd7 Îc1+ 32 Êe2 Îc2+ 33 Êe1 don’t spend enough time in. International Chess Tournament 1953, Tiller’s Íc3+ 34 Êf1 Íg2+ 35 Êg1 Íd4+ 0-1 Chess Treasury of the Air. Sports played or followed: Sports played? Too lazy to set-up a board? At my age?! I do like watching rugby union Is FIDE doing a good job? I plead the Fifth. Download our free when I get the chance, particularly the electronic database with all southern hemisphere sides, who sometimes Or your National Federation? Given my the chess from this, seem to be playing a different game to the recent appointment, this one feels a bit like a and every article - only at: one we have up here. I do seem though to ‘When did you stop beating your wife?’ have an unfortunate habit of arranging 4NCL question! Suffice it to say that we can always www.chess.co.uk weekends