May Cover_Layout 1 15/04/2014 11:32 Page 1 Contents Chess Chess Magazine is published monthly. Founding Editor: B.H. Wood, OBE. M.Sc † Editorial................................................................................................................ 4 Executive Editor: Malcolm Pein Malcolm Pein on the latest developments Editors: Richard Palliser, Byron Jacobs Associate Editor: John Saunders 60 Seconds with... .......................................................................................... 7 Subscriptions Manager: Paul Harrington Grandmaster Keith Arkell Twitter: @CHESS_Magazine Twitter: @TelegraphChess - Malcolm Pein Success in Porto............................................................................................... 8 Website: www.chess.co.uk Keith Arkell reflects on becoming the European Senior Champion Subscription Rates: The Comeback.................................................................................................12 United Kingdom Vishy Anand staged an impressive return to form in the Candidates 1 year (12 issues) £49.95 2 year (24 issues) £89.95 3 year (36 issues) £125 All to Play for in the 4NCL.........................................................................20 Simon Ansell reports from Hinckley Island Europe 1 year (12 issues) £60 Myth of the Grandma-Tsar.......................................................................24 2 year (24 issues) £112.50 John Henderson looks back at St Petersburg, 1914 3 year (36 issues) £165 USA & Canada Vishy Anand Post-Khanty .........................................................................30 1 year (12 issues) $90 We caught up with the former champion and new challenger 2 year (24 issues) $170 3 year (36 issues) $250 Judgement and Objectivity.......................................................................32 Rest of World (Airmail) Danny Gormally has some important advice 1 year (12 issues) £72 2 year (24 issues) £130 How Good is Your Chess?..........................................................................36 3 year (36 issues) £180 Daniel King on Magnus Carlsen’s Norwegian League appearance Distributed by: Post Scriptum (UK only) Never Mind the Grandmasters... ............................................................40 Unit G, OYO Business Park, Hindmans Way, Carl Portman met David Cameron while walking his dog Dagenham, RM9 6LN - Tel: 020 8526 7779 Find the Winning Moves .............................................................................42 LMPI (North America) We pay homage to the ever-strong Bundesliga 8155 Larrey Street, Montreal (Quebec), H1J 2L5, Canada - Tel: 514 355-5610 Studies................................................................................................................45 Views expressed in this publication are not necessarily Brian Stephenson on the British Chess Solving Championship those of the Editors. Contributions to the magazine will be published at the Editors’ discretion and may be Kasparov: Down (but not out) in Paris................................................46 shortened if space is limited. John Saunders on a controversial early Armageddon game No parts of this publication may be reproduced without the prior express permission of the publishers. Overseas News ...............................................................................................50 All rights reserved. © 2014 Wesley So has been involved in some dramatic games in the States Chess Magazine (ISSN 0964-6221) is published by: Home News.......................................................................................................52 Chess & Bridge Ltd, 44 Baker St, London, W1U 7RT Danny Gormally is the English Rapidplay Champion Tel: 020 7388 2404 Fax: 020 7388 2407 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 Sean Marsh and James Vigus examine the key releases US & Canadian Readers – You can contact us via our American branch – Chess4Less based in West Palm Forthcoming Events .....................................................................................57 Beach, FL. Call toll-free on 1-877 89CHESS (24377). Where will you be playing this month? You can even order Subscriber Special Offers online via www.chess4less.com Saunders on Chess ........................................................................................58 Levon Aronian is the modern day Boris Spassky Printed in the UK by The Magazine Printing Company using only paper from FSC/PEFC Photo credits: Channel 4 (p.5), Federação Portuguesa de Xadrez (pp.9-10), suppliers www.magprint.co.uk Eteri Kublashvili (pp.13-16, 30-31), Ray Morris-Hill (pp.1, 7, 21), Brendan O’Gorman (p.52), John Saunders (p.23). www.chess.co.uk 3 Judgement and Objectivity by Danny Gormally The ability to evaluate, to judge a position, is This seemed the most sensible, to es- dangerous for Black after the simple 20 b3! crucial. It’s so easy to get it wrong and lose cape from the glare of the bishop on b4, intending Ëb2, followed by a5, etc. Actually your objectivity. I’d like to show a couple of while at the same time preparing Ìe2. in my calculations at the board, I intended examples from my own games where 13...Ëa5 14 Ëc2 20 Ëb3, thinking this was all very clever as judgement ended up being key. The safe move, covering e4 and c3, and he couldn’t stop a5, forgetting that the rook getting ready to consolidate the position on a1 was preventing it. D.Gormally-N.Stewart with moves like Êg2 and Íe3. 16 Êg2 Îd8 17 Íe3 c5? The move my hand wanted to play was, Hastings 2013/14 of course, 14 Ëb3 with ideas of Ìa2 and Slav Defence also possibly teeing up a sacrifice on e6. 14...Ìb6 troubled me though (not 14...0- 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Ìf3 Ìf6 4 Ìc3 dxc4 0?! 15 h4! when White has an automatic 5 a4 Íf5 6 Ìh4 Íg4 attack). Was the sacrifice on e6 really going 6...Íc8! is probably the best reply. Both to be good? When I looked at this game Kasparov and Carlsen have tried the white with Mark Hebden later, he seemed very side after 7 e3 e5 8 Íxc4 exd4 9 exd4 sure that White would be doing well after Íe7 10 0-0 0-0, but without much suc- 15 Íxe6 fxe6 16 Ëxe6+, but during the cess. game I wasn’t sure. It’s easy to play well in 7 h3 Íh5 8 g4 Íg6 9 Ìxg6 hxg6 10 analysis, but a very different issue to com- e4 e6 mit to such a line over the board. It’s the Solid. During my preparation I mainly burning all bridges variation. Moreover, looked at the more dynamic 10...e5 11 Black is at the least on the board after Íxc4 exd4 12 e5! Íb4 (12...Ìfd7 was 16...Êd8 17 Êg2 (if 17 Ìe2 Ëa6!) played in a game of Bacrot’s and after 13 17...Ì8d7 18 Ëxg6 (18 Ìe2 Îe8 19 Black’s position looked uncomfortable in Ëxd4 White is better) 13 0-0! which, at Ëxg6 Îe7 is also very unclear) 18...Íxc3 any case but I don’t like this at all. Now his the very least, looked funky. 19 bxc3 Ëxc3 20 Íe3 Ìc4!. pieces get cut off on the queenside. 11 g5 14...Ìb6 15 Íe2 18 d5! After 11 Íxc4?! Íb4 Black starts to 15 Íb3 was also possible, but I wanted Of course. A pawn is a small price to pay put the centre under terrible pressure. to retain the option of playing Ìa2 and then to bury his pieces. Have a look at his knights 11...Ìfd7 b4 – on b3 the bishop blocks the b-pawn. and the queen on a5, all huddled together. 11...Ìh5 seemed like the critical choice, 18 dxc5 Íxc5 would make sense of his taking the f4-square under control. 12 last move, but 18 Íb5+! was a strong al- Íxc4 Íe7 13 h4 Ëc7 14 Ëf3 all looks ternative: 18...Êf8 (or 18...Ìd7 and now very natural for White though, and there is a 19 d5! is even stronger than in the game) danger that the knight on h5 will fail to ex- 19 dxc5! Íxc5 (19...Ìxc5? 20 Ìa2!) 20 ert any influence on the game, becoming Îad1 Îc8 (20...Îxd1 21 Îxd1 Êg8 22 rather stranded at the edge of the board. Íxc5 Ìxc5 23 Îd4! is similar) 21 Íxc5+ 12 Íxc4 Íb4 13 Êf1 Ìxc5 22 Îd4! and Black is in serious trou- ble, as shown by, for example, 22...Ìa6 23 Ëd2! Êg8 24 Ëf4 when his position seems beyond repair, so this was probably even stronger than what I played. 18...Íxc3 19 bxc3 exd5 20 Îhb1! The black queen is in serious danger, so he only has one or two tries. 20...Ìc4! 15...Ìa6 20...Ìc7 21 Íb5+ Ìd7 is struck by 22 I thought he would put the knight on d7, c4!! (22 Íxc5 was my idea, but then Black which looked more natural. can at least hang on with 22...Ìxb5 23 15...Íe7!? was an interesting idea, with Îxb5 Ëc7) 22...Ìxb5 (22...dxc4 23 Íd2 the plan of sacrificing the queen: 16 h4 Ëb6 24 Íxd7+ wins) 23 axb5 Ëb6 24 Íxg5 17 Íxg5 Ëxg5 18 hxg5 Îxh1+ 19 exd5 when White is a solid central pawn up Êg2 Îxa1, but this all looked extremely and must be winning. 32 May 2014 21 Íf4!? 21 Íxc4! was perhaps simpler: The Trends in 21...dxc4 22 Îxb7 0-0. I wasn’t sure how to judge this, but in reality White must be winning. I felt like I wanted something even Chess more meaty, but when you see a win, there’s no need to look for anything more. After 23 Îb5 Ëc7 24 Ëa2! White picks up Openings another pawn. The top twenty chess openings 21...Ìd6 22 e5 as played by International Masters It’s important when you have the initia- and Grandmasters in March. tive not to give your opponent time to breathe. To that end, although 22 exd5 did seem very promising, it at least gives Black a 1 Nimzo-Indian Defence 117 games chance to get his king to safety without 2 Slav Defence 92 games anything nasty happening in the interim. 22...0-0 23 h4 has the idea of crowbarring 25 Íxa6! 3 Caro-Kann Defence 90 games the kingside with h5, but Black gains some I had seen this far earlier. The subse- 4 King’s Indian Defence 83 games counterplay with 23...c4!. quent ending is very unusual. 22...Ìe4! Instead, after 25 exf7+? Êf8! 26 Íd3! 5 English, 1...c5 82 games 22...Ìf5? is far worse after 23 e6!.