01-01 Cover - September 2020_Layout 1 19/08/2020 21:00 Page 1 02-02 New in Chess advert_Layout 1 19/08/2020 22:08 Page 1 03-03 Contents_Chess mag - 21_6_10 19/08/2020 22:15 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...Pentala Harikrishna......................................................7 Twitter: @CHESS_Magazine The Indian world no.20 always enjoys travelling to tournaments Twitter: @TelegraphChess - Malcolm Pein Website: www.chess.co.uk Back to Work .........................................................................................................8 Michael Adams enjoyed his return to competitive chess at Biel Subscription Rates: United Kingdom The Legends.........................................................................................................14 1 year (12 issues) £49.95 Even the presence of six greats couldn’t prevent Magnus winning 2 year (24 issues) £89.95 3 year (36 issues) £125 How Good is Your Chess?..............................................................................16 Europe Daniel King has been enjoying Beyond Material and Spassky’s games 1 year (12 issues) £60 2 year (24 issues) £112.50 Those Were the Days... ..................................................................................20 3 year (36 issues) £165 Milos Pavlovic recalls catching the chess bug at Spassky vs Korchnoi USA & Canada The Numbers Game ..........................................................................................22 1 year (12 issues) $90 Jonathan Arnott reflects on the first season of the 4NCL Online 2 year (24 issues) $170 3 year (36 issues) $250 Find the Winning Moves.................................................................................26 Rest of World (Airmail) Can you do as well as the world’s best at the Chessable Masters? 1 year (12 issues) £72 2 year (24 issues) £130 At Last!..................................................................................................................30 3 year (36 issues) £180 John Saunders presents the 1994/95 4NCL Show... Distributed by: Arkell’s Endings..................................................................................................34 Post Scriptum (UK only), Keith Arkell’s new book is devoted to his favourite phase of the game Unit G, OYO Business Park, Hindmans Way, Dagenham, RM9 6LN - Tel: 020 8526 7779 How to Promote a Self-Isolating Pawn ..................................................36 LMPI (North America) Paul Conway on why longplay is the best use of our online chess time 8155 Larrey Street, Montreal (Quebec), H1J 2L5, Canada - Tel: 514 355-5610 Never Mind the Grandmasters...................................................................40 Carl discusses an important issue with Ernest Karamazondo Views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Editors. Contributions to Study the Classics! ..........................................................................................42 the magazine will be published at the Editors’ During lockdown Carl Strugnell embraced synchronicity in study discretion and may be shortened if space is limited. No parts of this publication may be reproduced Overseas News...................................................................................................46 without the prior express permission of the publishers. Success for Magnus Carlsen, Tom O’Gorman and Jeffery Xiong All rights reserved. © 2020 Studies with Stephenson...............................................................................50 Chess Magazine (ISSN 0964-6221) is published by: Brian presents a delightful joint composition by Afek and Minski Chess & Bridge Ltd, 44 Baker St, London, W1U 7RT Tel: 020 7288 1305 Fax: 020 7486 7015 Home News..........................................................................................................51 Email: [email protected], Website: www.chess.co.uk We remember Julian Farrand as more British events appear on Lichess FRONT COVER: Reader’s Letter ..................................................................................................52 Cover Design: Matt Read Raj Bhopal on zugzwang and linking his medical research to chess Cover image: Biel International Chess Festival Solutions ...............................................................................................................54 US & Canadian Readers – You can contact us via our American branch – Chess4Less based in West Palm This Month’s New Releases ..........................................................................55 Beach, FL. Call toll-free on 1-877 89CHESS (24377). You can even order Subscriber Special Offers online Sean Marsh on Arkell’s Endings and Mastering Positional Sacrifices via www.chess4less.com Saunders on Chess............................................................................................58 John recalls playing Joe Gallagher long before he became a GM Printed in the UK by The Magazine Printing Company using only paper from FSC/PEFC Photo credits: Biel International Chess Festival (pp. 4, 7, 8, 10-12), CHESS Magazine archive (pp.17, 42), suppliers www.magprint.co.uk Gambit Books (p.31), John Henderson (pp. 32-33), Irish Chess Union (p.46), Bob Jones (p.30), Tara MacGowran (p.48), Brendan O’Gorman (p.35), Lennart Ootes (pp. 6, 44, 52). Steve Westmoreland (p.51). www.chess.co.uk 3 04-06 Editorial_Chess mag - 21_6_10 19/08/2020 22:11 Page 4 Chess Editorial By Executive Editor, IM Malcolm Pein @TelegraphChess My heart sank when I checked the Office 15 Ìxd7 Ëxd7 (if 15...Ìxd7 16 Íxh7+) 28 Íh6! gxh6? 29 Ëe5+ Êh7 30 Ëf6 Ìg6 of National Statistics data on the level of 16 Íf5. 31 Îxe6 and wins. Covid infection in the UK only to find that it’s 14 Íxc3 Ìe4 15 Íb4! 26 h4 h5? 27 Ìd6 Îd8 28 Ìxf7 Ëxf7 actually crept up a little bit in the last two 29 Íxg6 Ëf6 30 Êh2 Ëxd4 31 Îe1 Íc8 weeks. There is clearly a long way to go. So all power to those innovators who are trying to get ‘Covid secure chess’ going. The Irish Chess Championship highlighted here last month was a great success by all accounts, but clearly needed considerable time, effort and care on the part of the organisers. Equally in Biel the organisers pulled off a major event with elite tournament, open and side events. Mickey Adams had a pretty good tournament and I’m sure you will enjoy his thoughts on it inside. Mickey did well in what was a chess triathlon of Rapid, Blitz and Classical. The UK number one went on the rampage in the Blitz, conceding just two draws in his first eleven Maintaining the bishop-pair. games, before ending equal first with the 15...Îe8 16 f3 Ìef6 17 Îfe1 Îc8 White’s next move provoked resignation. overall winner Radoslaw Wojtaszek on 11/14. 18 Ëf2 Ìf8 19 Íd2! What was it? Biel was also a success for the 15-year- White has designs on the black king. 32 Îxe6!! 1-0 old prodigy Vincent Keymer who did well at 19...Ì6d7 20 Ìg4! Ëc7 If 32...Íxe6 33 Íc3 Ëc5 34 Íh7+! or the Rapid and Classical sections. The Alternatively, 20...Ìe6 21 Ëg3 Ìxd4 32...Ëxd2 33 Ëd6! Îxd6 34 Îe8#. youngster scored a highly respectable 3½/7 22 Ìh6+ Êf8 23 Îxe8+ Ëxe8 24 Îe1 against average opposition of 2671 in the Ìe6 25 Ìf5 Îc6 when 26 Îxe6! Ëxe6 Lockdown, but no Meltdown Classical section that included the following win. 27 Ëxg7+ Êe8 28 Ëg8+ Ìf8 29 Ìg7+ is a Keymer is trained by Peter Leko and is neat enough finish. Here in the UK there is very little chess clearly ready for more elite events. I was 21 Ìe3 Ìe6 22 Ìf5 Ìdf8 23 Îac1 Ëd7 activity over-the-board, although there are interested to see him deploy an old move like 24 Ëg3 Îxc1 25 Îxc1 some tournaments taking place in other 6 Íd2, played by John Cochrane against Black holds for the moment, but the white countries. I wonder how long we can cope Howard Staunton in 1842 and, more recently, queen pressures both wings and d6 while with this state of affairs before the damage by Aronian, Ding and Nakamura. It’s a rather ‘Harry’ is itching to get involved. becomes irreversible. While I am delighted unassuming continuation, but has the key 25...Ìg6 with the advance of the online game, I am point that 6...c5 7 a3 Íxc3 8 Íxc3 Ìe4 9 Or if 25...Êh8 26 h4 Îc8 27 Îe1! h5 sure most readers would be saddened if it Îc1 gives White a slight edge. came at the expense of normal chess life. With thanks to the ChessTech people, here are some ideas on what might be needed to V.Keymer-D.Anton Guijarro get some events going: Biel 2020 Ozone cannon: Yes, really, the Spanish Nimzo-Indian Defence Chess Federation have deployed one. Don’t try this at home, ozone is poisonous, 1 d4 Ìf6 2 c4 e6 3 Ìf3 d5 4 Ìc3 Íb4 but it does kill pathogens although there is no 5 e3 0-0 6 Íd2 b6 7 cxd5 exd5 8 Íd3 research I’ve been able to locate that shows Íb7 9 0-0 Ìbd7 10 Ëc2 a6 Ozone is effective against Covid. Just leave This makes sense if it’s preparing ...Íd6, plenty of time for it to disperse after but otherwise it’s a wasted move. Another spraying. plan was 10...c5 11 a3 Íxc3 12 Íxc3 c4 13 Temperature checks: Everyone should Íf5 g6. do this before they set out, but on-site 11 Ìe5 c5 checks make sense. After 11...Íd6 12 f4 White looks like he Hand sanitiser: Again everyone should has an extra tempo in Ëc2 compared with