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The Scotsman

Chess News July 2003

to "The Scotsman" chess column


31st July, 2003

JULY could be set to be best remembered as an 'Indian summer', as Krishnan Sasikiran turned in a record-breaking performance in Denmark, while his fellow countrymen, Pentala Harikrishna and Abhijit Kunte share the lead at the Smith & Williamson British Championship in Edinburgh.

Instead of spearheading the 13-strong Indian contingent at the British, Sasikiran, the Indian no.2, opted instead for Copenhagen and the Politiken Cup, where his tally of 9/11 proved to be the best-ever winning score in the 25-year history of the tournament.

Meanwhile, the Indian challenge ominously moved up a gear in Edinburgh, as some decisive results from round eight placed them at evens by online betting specialist Betsson to win the title and £10,000 first prize.

In the top board clash, Ziaur Rahman lost his overnight lead after being comprehensively beaten by Kunte, who joins Harikrishna in equal first after the latter beat his compatriote Subar Vijayalakshmi on board two.

 

Standings: 1-2 Harikrishna and Kunte (both India) 6.5/8; 3-5th Rahman (Bangladesh), Wells (England), Bakre (India) 6; 6-14th Gallagher (Switzerland), Rowson and Motwani (both Scotland), Turner and Gormally (both England), Vijayalakshmi and Ganguly (both India), Kotronias (Cyprus) Reefat (Bangladesh) 5.5.

 

Z Rahman - A Kunte
British Ch. (8), Catalan Opening

1 Nf3 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 g3 d5 4 d4 Bb4+ 5 Bd2 Be7 6 Bg2 c6 7 Qc2 0-0 8 0-0 Nbd7 9 Rd1 b6 10 Bf4 Ba6 11 Ne5 Qc8 12 cxd5 cxd5 13 Nc3 Bb4 14 Rac1 Bxc3 15 bxc3 Nh5 16 e4 Bb7 17 c4 Nxf4 18 gxf4 dxe4 19 c5 Bd5 20 Bxe4 Nf6 21 Bxd5 Nxd5 22 Qe4 Qd8 23 Kh1 Qh4 24 Nd3 Rfd8 25 Rg1 Qf6 26 Rg4 Rac8 27 Rg5 g6 28 Kg2 Ne7 29 Ne5 Rd5 30 c6 Nf5 31 Rc3 h6 32 Rg4 Rxd4 33 Nd7 Qg7 34 Qe1 h5 35 Rg5 Rxf4 36 Kh1 Qd4 37 f3 Ne7 38 Ne5 Qd6 39 Rd3 Rd4 40 Rxd4 Qxd4 41 Rg2 Qf4 42 Qc3 Qf5 43 Qa3 f6 0-1


30th July, 2003

THE 1946 victory of little-known R.F. Combe being the last Scot to lift the British crown looks all but safe in the record books for yet another year, as the Scottish challenge at the Smith & Williamson British Championship in Edinburgh suffered a major setback.

Going into the decisive second week of the UK's flagship event, which has a record first prize of £10,000, the top board battle between overnight leaders Ziahr Rahman and Scottish champion Paul Motwani ended in a decisive win for the Bangladeshi no.1, who now takes the sole lead in the tournament.

Before the start of the round, Betsson, the online betting specialists (www.betsson.com), offered generous odds of 5/1 for a Scottish victory. However, the odds dramatically increased to 10/1 by the end of round seven, following the double whammy of Scottish No.1 Jonathan Rowson also losing on board four to Indian GM Abhijit Kunte.

Although both top Scots are mathematically still able to win the crown, and with it end the 57-year hoodoo, to do so would require a good winning run over the next three rounds to make up the lost ground.

 

Standings: 1 Rahman (Bangladesh) 6/7; 2-5 Kunte, Harikrishna, Vijayalaskshmi (all India), Wells (England) 5.5; 6-11 Motwani (Scotland), Turner, Summerscale (both England), Gallagher (Switzerland), Arakhamia-Grant (Georgia), Bakre (India) 5.

 

P Motwani - Z Rahman
British Ch. (7), Pirc Defence

1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Nc3 g6 4 Be3 c6 5 Nf3 Bg7 6 a4 0-0 7 h3 Nbd7 8 a5 Rb8 9 Be2 b5 10 axb6 axb6 11 0-0 Qc7 12 d5 Bb7 13 Nd4 cxd5 14 Ndb5 Qc6 15 Na7 Qc7 16 exd5 Nc5 17 Re1 Ra8 18 Ncb5 Qd7 19 c4 Nfe4 20 Bd4 e5 21 dxe6 fxe6 22 f3 Bxd4+ 23 Nxd4 Ng5 24 Ndb5 e5 25 Ra3 Nxh3+ 26 gxh3 Qxh3 27 Bf1 Qg3+ 28 Bg2 Ne6 29 Re2 Nf4 30 Qe1 Qg5 31 Rd2 Rf6 32 Qe3 Raf8 33 Kf1 e4 34 Rf2 exf3 35 Bxf3 Bxf3 36 Qxf3 Ne6 37 Qd1 0-1


29th July, 2003

AT the end of the first week of the Smith & Williamson British Championship taking place at George Heriot's School in Edinburgh, there is a tight race in the making for the title and first prize of £10,000.

Leading the race going into the final week is Bangladeshi GM Ziaur Rahman and Scottish co-champion Paul Motwani, both on 5/6. However, with a determined chasing pack of ten just half point off the lead, the title and top prize is still up for grabs and is likely only to be decided at the final hour of the final round.

Motwani moved into the joint lead thanks to a stroke of luck in round six against overnight leader Aaron Summerscale, who had an almost winning position. Both players are noted habitual time-trouble fanatics, and it looks as if Summerscale blew his lead in the mad dash to make the time control.

With Motwani in the lead and Scottish No.1 Jonathan Rowson among the chasing pack and on their home turf, the chances remain optimistic of finally ending the 57-year jinx of a Scot lifting the British crown.

 

Standings: 1-2 Motwani (Scotland), Rahman (Bangladesh) 5/6; 3-12 Arakhamia-Grant (Georgia), Gallagher (Switzerland), Gormally, Wells (both England), Rowson (Scotland), Kotronias (Cyprus), Ganguly, Kunte, Harikrishna, Vijayalaskshmi (all India) 4.5.

 

A Summerscale - P Motwani
British Ch. (6), Queen's Indian Defence

1 Nf3 Nf6 2 c4 b6 3 g3 Bb7 4 Bg2 e6 5 0-0 Be7 6 d4 0-0 7 Nc3 Na6 8 d5 Bb4 9 Nd4 Bxc3 10 bxc3 exd5 11 Nf5 Re8 12 cxd5 Ne4 13 Bxe4 Rxe4 14 f3 Re5 15 e4 Qf6 16 g4 Nc5 17 Qd4 d6 18 Bf4 Rae8 19 Bxe5 dxe5 20 Qe3 Ba6 21 Rfd1 Bc8 22 Ng3 g6 23 Kg2 Qh4 24 Rd2 Bd7 25 Rf2 Kh8 26 Rd1 h6 27 Rdd2 Kh7 28 f4 Bxg4 29 fxe5 Kg8 30 Kg1 Bh3 31 Rf4 Qg5 32 Qf2 h5 33 Rxf7 Nxe4 34 Qd4 Nxg3 35 hxg3 Qxg3+ 36 Kh1 Kxf7 37 Rf2+ Kg8 38 e6 Bf5 39 Rg2 0-1


28th July, 2003

IT'S the end of an era at the British Championship, as the powers-that-be finally bow to the inevitable by stopping the farce of Commonwealth countries sending their players to play in the flagship UK event.

At a meeting of national federation representatives held at the George Heriot's School in Edinburgh during the present championship, they agreed that, as from the centenary event of 2004 next year, the British Chess Championship would be open only to citizens or permanent residents of British Isles countries.

Over the years there has been renewed calls for radical change from players, journalists and others - and the situation reached breaking point for many after last year's so-called 'Indian takeaway', when a strong Indian contingent swept all the major titles.

The thing that irked many Brits, who received no conditions for playing, was the discovery that the Indians, who treat the event as a training tournament for their national squad, receive grants from their federation to play.

Although the tournament has the officially title of 'The British & Commonwealth Championship' (which will now be changed to 'The British Championship'), this is actually a throwback to a bygone age of Empire when the BCF allowed Commonwealth entries to help their players develop against strong opposition.

However, things change and India now has one of the strongest and toughest national championships in the world, and as a nation they are on the verge of becoming a major chess superpower. Also, the creation of an annual Commonwealth Championship in the mid-1980s already allows for a championship specifically for Commonwealth players.

 

SN Ahmed - A Summerscale
British Ch. (3), Caro-Kann Defence

1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 exd5 cxd5 4 c4 Nf6 5 Nc3 Nc6 6 Nf3 g6 7 cxd5 Nxd5 8 Bc4 Nb6 9 Bb3 Bg7 10 Be3 0-0 11 0-0 Na5 12 Bc2 Be6 13 Be4 Nd5 14 Ng5 Nxc3 15 bxc3 Bd5 16 Qf3 Bxe4 17 Qxe4 e6 18 Rac1 Rc8 19 Qf3 Qd5 20 Qh3 h6 21 Nf3 Qf5 22 Qxf5 gxf5 23 Rfd1 Nc4 24 Kf1 Rfd8 25 Ke2 b6 26 Nd2 Nb2 27 Rg1 e5 28 dxe5 Nd3 29 f4 Nxc1+ 30 Rxc1 f6 31 Nf3 fxe5 32 fxe5 Rc4 33 Bd4 b5 34 Rb1 a6 35 Nh4 Bxe5 36 Bxe5 Re4+ 37 Kf3 Rxe5 38 Rb2 Rc5 39 Rc2 0-1


25th July, 2003

AS ever, the Smith & Williamson British Championship, taking place at George Heriot's School in Edinburgh, can prove to be a punishing affair, as players hit the chess equivalent of "the Wall".

The British crown - and accompanying prize of £10,000 - is either won or lost by the middle of the second week, as some fall by the wayside due to the gruelling pace set by grandmasters more accustomed to playing long tournaments.

Bar for one or two notable performances over the years, its seldom we see anyone running away with the title with a winning streak as did the likes of former champions Jonathan Mestel and Julian Hodgson. After just three rounds of play, the 94-player field has now been whittled down to only two players - the English duo of GM Aaron Summerscale and IM Adam Hunt - on a perfect score of 3/3, both of whom must play each other in the fourth round.

There's now a large chasing pack of eleven on their tail on 2.5, and includes the Scottish top-two of GMs Jonathan Rowson and Paul Motwani - both looking to exorcise the 57-year hoodoo of a last Scot to clinch the title.

Also of local interest in the chasing pack is Scottish joint champion Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant, who with the game of the day proceeded to outplay the No.3 seed GM Stuart Conquest. Although still registered to play for her native Georgia, Mrs. Arakhamia-Grant, one of the world's top 50 female players, qualifies to play on the three-year residency ruling.

 

Leading scores: 1-2 GM A Summerscale, IM A Hunt (both England) 3/3; 3-13 GM P Harikrishna, IM S Kidambi, GM S Ganguly, WIM S Ghate (all India), GM J Rowson, GM P Motwani (both Scotland), WGM K Arakhamia-Grant (Georgia), GM Z Rahman (Bangladesh), GM J Gallagher (Switzerland), IM D Gormally, J Rudd (both England) 2.5.

 

S Conquest - K Arakhami-Grant
British Ch. (3), Gruenfeld Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 d5 4 cxd5 Nxd5 5 Bd2 Bg7 6 e4 Nb6 7 Be3 0-0 8 Bb5 Be6 9 Nf3 Nc4 10 Bxc4 Bxc4 11 h4 Nd7 12 h5 c5 13 d5 f5 14 hxg6 hxg6 15 Bh6 Bxc3+ 16 bxc3 fxe4 17 Bxf8 exf3 18 Qxf3 Nxf8 19 Rd1 Qd6 20 Qe4 b5 21 f4 Rd8 22 Kf2 Bxd5 23 Qe3 Qe6 24 Qg3 Rd6 25 Rhe1 Qf6 26 Kg1 Bxa2 27 f5 Bc4 28 fxg6 Nxg6 29 Qe3 Rxd1 30 Rxd1 Nf4 31 Rd8+ Kf7 32 Rd2 Nd5 33 Qxc5 Qf1+ 34 Kh2 Qf4+ 0-1


24th July, 2003

JUST like last year's Smith & Williamson British Championship that was dubbed an "Indian takeaway" as they won all the major titles, this year is no different with a strong Indian contingent in Edinburgh intent on yet again taking home the title.

Despite the persistent grumble of the Indian sweep last year, it wasn't their first title win. In the early 1930s, Mir Sultan Khan, one of the greatest natural talents the game has seen, burst on to the chess scene for a meteoric career lasting nearly five years. Yet, in that short space of time, he established himself as one of the top half-dozen players in the world - and despite being a mere servant in the household of his master and patron, Colonel Naweb Sir Umar Hayat Khan.

Coming from India with no command of English (and reputed to have never studied the game), he won the British Championship three times; and defeated Tartakower, Rubinstein and the invincible Capablanca in international events. After returning to India in 1933, he never played another competitive game, and lived out his days as a simple farmer after being bequeathed a small farmstead on the death of his master.

Such is the stringent selection procedures for the Indians, this year defending champion RB Ramesh was missing from their 13-strong line-up - the reason being he failed to make the cut this year to the national side that would have secured his ticket to Edinburgh! And, with India's No.2 Krishnan Sasikiran opting to play in the Politiken Cup in Copenhagen, the player to look out for this year is teenage ace Pentyala Harikrishna.

 

Leading scores: 1-6 GM P Harikrishna, WIM S Ghate (both India), GM A Summerscale, IM A Hunt, R Vujatovic, S Ahmed, (all England) 2/2.

 

P Harikrishna - E Hossain
British Ch. (2), Closed Sicilian

1 e4 c5 2 Nc3 a6 3 Nf3 e6 4 g3 b5 5 Bg2 Bb7 6 d3 d6 7 0-0 Nf6 8 e5 dxe5 9 Nxe5 Bxg2 10 Kxg2 Nbd7 11 Nxd7 Qxd7 12 Qf3 Rc8 13 a4 Be7 14 axb5 axb5 15 Ra5 b4 16 Ne4 c4 17 dxc4 Qc7 18 Nxf6+ Bxf6 19 Ra4 Qxc4 20 c3 Rb8 21 Re1 Be7 22 Ra7 h6 23 Bf4 Rd8 24 Be5 f6 25 Bc7 Rc8 26 Qb7 Ra8 1-0


23rd July, 2003

THE 2003 Smith & Williamson British Championships got underway on Monday at the George Heriot's School in Edinburgh, with the Scots getting off to a good start as they look to end on home turf a 57-year hoodoo.

Close on one thousand entries are expected for twenty three tournaments ranging from the British under eight championship to the Seniors played over the fortnight. A few late entries have boosted the strength of the field, notably the three English GMs Stuart Conquest, Aaron Summerscale and Matthew Turner. There is also a five strong contingent from Bangladesh to add to the thirteen entries from India, and not forgetting the Greek GM Vasilios Kotronias who now plays under the Cypriot flag.

We need go back as far as Nottingham 1946 for the last Scottish victory, when little-known Elgin lawyer R.F. Combe surprisingly won the title. With many top English GMs shunning the flagship event due to the controversy surrounding the many Commonwealth and foreign players among the line up, Scotland - with GMs Jonathan Rowson, Paul Motwani and Colin McNab, and IM John Shaw - has her best chance in recent years to win the title and first prize of £10,000.

In the first round, McNab drew top seed Kotronias, Rowson beat English GM Neil McDonald, Motwani beat young Irish IM Sam Collins, and Shaw, in the hunt for his second GM norm to join the ranks of the aforementioned trio, beat India's Nisha Mohota.

 

J Rowson - N McDonald
British Ch. (1), French Winawer

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 e5 Ne7 5 a3 Bxc3+ 6 bxc3 c5 7 Qg4 0-0 8 Bd3 Nbc6 9 Qh5 Ng6 10 Nf3 Qc7 11 h4 cxd4 12 Kd1 dxc3 13 Rh3 Nce7 14 Ng5 h6 15 Nf3 f5 16 Bxh6 gxh6 17 Qxh6 Rf7 18 Rg3 Rh7 19 Qg5 Qb6 20 Ke2 Bd7 21 h5 Bb5 22 Rd1 Bxd3+ 23 Rxd3 Qb1 24 Nd4 f4 25 Rh3 Qc1 26 Qg4 f3+ 27 Rhxf3 Rf8 28 hxg6 1-0


22nd July, 2003

THE Glorney Cup was first contested back in 1948, and was instigated by the Dublin businessman Mr. C Parker Glorney. Originally it was conceived as a Boys tournament between the four home nations, but twenty years later, in 1968, it was joined by the Faber Cup (sponsored by Faber Books), a similar-styled event for Girls.

Both competitions - often regarded as the pinnacle in the career of juniors aged 18 and below - have since expanded over the years to include other European nations to make it a much stronger and truly international affair. Eight countries now compete: Belgium, Czech Republic, England, Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland, Slovakia and Wales.

The latest edition of the Glorney and Faber Cups, which ran 14-17 July, took place in Rosice in the Czech Republic. The Scottish team for the Glorney was Joe Redpath, Daniel McGowan, Colin Hall, and Christopher Macdonald, and, as there was no Scottish team in the Faber, Louise Macnab.

Scotland battled their way through the group section to win a place in the 'A' Finals. In the Finals, perennial winners the Netherlands yet again won the Glorney Cup (and the Faber Cup too!) with a score of 11/15 with the Czech Republic second on 8.5; Scotland - who host next year's competition - third on 5.5; and Ireland, fourth on 5.

 

Scottish performances: 1 J Redpath 2.5/5; 2 D McGowan 1.5/5; 3 C Hall 2/5; 4 C Macdonald 3.5/5; 5 L Macnab 2.5/5.

 

J Redpath - T Maenhout
Glorney Cup (3), Queen's Pawn

1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 c5 3 d5 b5 4 Bg5 Qb6 5 Bxf6 Qxf6 6 c3 d6 7 e4 a6 8 a4 bxa4 9 Qxa4+ Nd7 10 Nbd2 g5 11 Nc4 g4 12 Nfd2 Bh6 13 Be2 0-0 14 Bxg4 Ne5 15 Be2 Rb8 16 Qc2 Nxc4 17 Nxc4 Qg6 18 0-0 f5 19 e5 Bf4 20 e6 Bb7 21 Bf3 Rf6 22 Rfe1 Kh8 23 Ra3 Qg5 24 Rb3 Bxh2+ 25 Kxh2 Qh4+ 26 Kg1 Rh6 27 g3 Qxc4 28 Rb6 Rg8 29 Rxb7 Qh4 30 Kf1 Qh2 31 c4 1-0


21st July, 2003

THE Smith & Williamson Young Masters held at Millfield School in Somerset ended in a tie for first place, as Russian GM Evgeny Prokopchuk and England's Craig Hanley both finished on an unbeaten score of 6.5/9.

Top seed Prokopchuk was the tournaments only grandmaster, and the experienced Russian GM led from start to finish. For Hanley, one of England's brightest prospects, managed to accumulated yet another IM norm, and amazingly now has a total of five to his name!

The standard requirement for the title is three, but, with a rating of 2387 and rising rapidly, Hanley should easily gain the necessary Elo points needed to take his rating above the 2400 threshold to finally be awarded the title by FIDE.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end at some time or other, and after twelve years and thirteen tournaments that have successfully raised the profile of many of the UK's young masters, Smith & Williamson have chosen to end their sponsorship of the tournament.

 

Leading scores: 1-2 GM E Prokopchuk (Russia), C Hanley (England) 6.5/9; 3-4 IM K Mah, G Jones (both England), 5.5; 5-10 L Trent (England), IM G Antal (Hungary), E Dearing (Scotland), T Dvorak (Czech Rep.) P Sinkevich (Russia), M Broomfield (England) 5.

 

E Prokopchuk - G Jones
S&W Young Masters (7), Sicilian Defence

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Qxd4 a6 5 c4 Nc6 6 Qd2 Nf6 7 Nc3 g6 8 b3 Bg7 9 Bb2 0-0 10 Be2 Qa5 11 Nd5 Qxd2+ 12 Nxd2 Nxd5 13 Bxg7 Kxg7 14 exd5 Nd4 15 Bd3 Bf5 16 Bxf5 gxf5 17 0-0-0 e5 18 dxe6 fxe6 19 Rhe1 e5 20 f4 Kf6 21 Nf3 Nxf3 22 gxf3 Rad8 23 Rxd6+ Rxd6 24 fxe5+ Ke6 25 exd6+ Kxd6 26 Kd2 Rg8 27 Re2 h5 28 Ke3 h4 29 Kf4 h3 30 Kxf5 Rg2 31 Re6+ Kc5 32 Rh6 Rxh2 33 f4 a5 34 Kg4 Rxa2 35 Rxh3 a4 36 bxa4 Kxc4 37 Rh7 Rxa4 38 Rxb7 Kd5 39 Kg5 Kd6 40 f5 Ra1 41 Kf6 1-0


18th July, 2003

ON the eve of the British Championships, title sponsors Smith & Williamson show their commitment to junior chess by holding a very popular 'Young Masters' tournament.

The 13th edition of the Smith & Williamson Young Masters runs this year 9-17 July at the scenic Somerset venue of Millfield School. Leading the line up of the 20-player field is Russian GM Evgeny Prokopchuk, who finished equal first in last year's Major Open at the British Championships.

He faces tough competition from last year's winners Eddie Dearing (Scotland) and IM Karl Mah (England), as well as from the Hungarian IMs Gergely Antal and Gabor Pinter, and the talented English duo of FM Craig Hanley and FM Stewart Haslinger.

Last year Scotland's Eddie Dearing gained his third and final IM norm from the tournament. However, in order to receive his title from FIDE, Dearing has to break the 2400 Elo-rating barrier. Presently he has a 2367 rating, and, unfortunately, his battle to not only defend his title but also gain the extra 33-points for the IM title suffered a setback in round five at the Young Masters, when he lost to top seed Prokopchuck.

After eight rounds, Prokopchuck and Hanley hold the joint lead on 6/8, a full point ahead of Mah and Gawain Jones; Dearing fifth equal with a score of 4.5/8.

 

E Prokopchuk - E Dearing
S&W Young Masters (5), Caro-Kann Defence

1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 exd5 cxd5 4 c4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e6 6 Nf3 Bb4 7 cxd5 Nxd5 8 Bd2 Nc6 9 Bd3 Be7 10 0-0 0-0 11 Rc1 Ndb4 12 Bf4 Nxd3 13 Qxd3 b6 14 Rfd1 Bb7 15 a3 Bf6 16 d5 Ne7 17 d6 Nd5 18 Nxd5 Bxd5 19 b4 Qd7 20 Rc7 Qa4 21 Ng5 Bxg5 22 Bxg5 f6 23 Bf4 Rac8 24 Rdc1 Rxc7 25 dxc7 Rc8 26 h3 Qd7 27 Bg3 Qa4 28 Kh2 Kf7 29 Rc3 h6 30 Bf4 Qd7 31 Qh7 Bb7 32 Rg3 Rg8 33 Bxh6 Qxc7 34 Qg6+ Ke7 35 Bxg7 1-0


17th July, 2003

IN the past, many observers (this columnist included) have warned the British Chess Federation about the dangers of their open-door policy at the British Championship, which starts next week in Edinburgh.

The first indication of trouble at t'mill came during the 1999 championship, when GMs John Emms and Chris Ward received widespread support with a petition calling for reform that would have prevented a 'foreign invasion', which was summarily rejected; as was a similar appeal before the 2003 congress.

While some may argue that the addition of the Commonwealth entry rule makes for a more interesting and cosmopolitan event, it is becoming very clear to everyone - save for the BCF - that this rule is being flagrantly abused and the championship should be restricted to players whose international affiliation is with the four home countries.

With just one English GM in Peter Wells in the line up as of last Monday, the other 30 GMs have instead opted for a silent boycott by not playing, or indeed have found an alternative tournament elsewhere on the international circuit - and one that unlike the British, provides 'conditions' for the titled players; reckoned to be one of the main gripes of the stay-away GMs.

Due to a potential clash with the Edinburgh Festival, the British moved to an earlier date this year. The change of date proved convenient for some, who instead opted for the Politiken Cup that has just started in Copenhagen - the leading British trio being GMs Luke McShane, Jon Speelman and Chris Ward.

 

B Byklum - L McShane
Politiken Cup (2), Sicilian Defence

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bb5 Qc7 5 0-0 Nd4 6 Re1 a6 7 Bc4 d6 8 h3 e6 9 d3 b5 10 Bb3 Nxb3 11 axb3 Bb7 12 Bf4 Nd7 13 Bg3 Be7 14 d4 0-0 15 d5 Nb6 16 dxe6 fxe6 17 Nd2 Qc6 18 Qg4 Rf6 19 Rad1 Raf8 20 Nf1 b4 21 Nb1 Rg6 22 Qe2 d5 23 Nbd2 Bf6 24 e5 Be7 25 Nf3 d4 26 N1d2 Nd5 27 Kh2 Bg5 28 Ne4 Bf4 29 Nd6 Ba8 30 Ra1 Ne3 31 Rxa6 Qd5 32 Nh4 Rxg3 33 fxg3 Bxg3+ 34 Kg1 0-1


16th July, 2003

HAVE you heard the one about the Indians, the Swiss, and the Greek who became a Cypriot? Far from being a joke, the continued open-door policy of the British Chess Federation looks set to tarnish the image of the British Championships, which starts next week in Edinburgh.

With a prize fund of £25,000 provided by sponsors Smith & Williamson, the 'British' is the richest prize in the UK. Last year the title was won by little know player RB Ramesh from Chennai, and all but £2,000 of the total prize fund went to non-UK residents.

A repeat performance of is on the cards for this year, with 13 Indians - sponsored by generous government grants given to the Indian chess federation or private companies - arriving en masse in Edinburgh intent on keeping the title. Also joining the 'foreign invasion' is top seed Vassilios Kotronias, the former Greek No.1 who now plays for Cyprus, and not forgetting the 2001 champion Joe Gallagher, who plays for Switzerland, where he now resides with his family.

Now, in a backlash aimed at the organizers who persist with the silly entry rule that allows for Commonwealth subjects to play, only one of England's 31 GMs is in the starting line up, with many showing their displeasure in the outdated policy by taking part in a silent boycott.

 

L Bruzon - K Sasikiran
18th North Sea Cup (4), English Opening

1 Nf3 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 b4 Bg7 4 Bb2 d6 5 g3 0-0 6 Bg2 e5 7 0-0 Re8 8 d3 Nh5 9 Nc3 f5 10 Nd2 Kh8 11 e3 Nd7 12 Qc2 Ndf6 13 b5 a6 14 a4 Rb8 15 Ba3 a5 16 Nd5 b6 17 Rae1 g5 18 Bb2 Be6 19 Nxf6 Bxf6 20 d4 Ng7 21 dxe5 dxe5 22 Rd1 Qe7 23 Bc6 Red8 24 Qc3 Nh5 25 e4 f4 26 Nf3 Bh3 27 Rfe1 Kg7 28 Rd5 Rxd5 29 cxd5 Rd8 30 Nd2 Kh6 31 Nc4 Qg7 32 Qf3 fxg3 33 fxg3 Rf8 34 Qe2 Be7 35 Nxe5 Bc5+ 36 Kh1 Qe7 37 Nd3 Bf1 38 Qd2 Bxd3 39 Qxd3 Rf2 40 Bc1 Qf7 41 e5 Ra2 0-1


15th July, 2003

THE 18th North Sea Cup taking place in the Danish port of Esbjerg ended in a three-way tie for first, as top trio Luke McShane, Alexey Dreev and Kirshnan Sasikiran finished on 6.5/9 - a full two points ahead of their nearest rival.

At 19, McShane is the UK's youngest grandmaster; and in his gap year before entering Oxford University this October, is playing the best chess of his career. In 1992, when he won the World under-10 title at the age of eight, he was seen as a natural successor to world-class grandmasters Michael Adams and Nigel Short.

However, being pushed down the road of becoming a professional chess master from an early age was never the chosen path for someone as level-headed and likable as McShane, who always concentrated on his academic work in preference to chess. Now, in his gap year, he's able to play in tournaments he missed out as a junior due to them clashing with his school term.

He played the North Sea Cup after his striking first place victory at the Greenland Open where he obliterated the field to win with 8.5/9, and the European Championships where he qualified for the FIDE World Championships.

Not only are his recent performances earning him valuable world ranking points, but with the accumulated prize money they are also ensuring he never needs to rely on a student loan - well, for the first year anyway! The latest FIDE rating list shows McShane in the top 100 for the first time at No.74, and fourth in England behind Michael Adams, Nigel Short and Matthew Sadler.

 

Final standings: 1-3 L McShane (England), A Dreev (Russia), K Sasikiran (India) 6.5/9; 4 C Hansen (Denmark) 4.5; 5-7 P Heine Nielsen (Denmark), L Dominguez (Cuba), M Krasenkow (Poland) 4; 8-9 L Schandroff (Denmark), L Bruzon (Cuba) 3.5; 10 H Koneru (India) 2.

 

L McShane - L Bruzon
18th North Sea Cup (5), Ruy Lopez

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Be7 6 Re1 b5 7 Bb3 d6 8 c3 0-0 9 h3 Na5 10 Bc2 c5 11 d4 Qc7 12 Nbd2 cxd4 13 cxd4 Nc6 14 Nb3 a5 15 Be3 a4 16 Nbd2 Bd7 17 Rc1 Qb7 18 Nf1 Rfe8 19 Ng3 h6 20 Qd2 Bf8 21 d5 Na5 22 Bd3 Reb8 23 Rc2 Nc4 24 Bxc4 bxc4 25 Qc1 Qa6 26 Nd2 Bb5 27 Nxc4 Bxc4 28 Rxc4 Rxb2 29 Qxb2 Qxc4 30 Rc1 Qd3 31 Qb7 Rd8 32 Qb4 Ra8 33 Rc7 Ne8 34 Rc3 Qa6 35 Rc6 Qd3 36 Qb7 Rd8 37 Rc8 Rxc8 38 Qxc8 Qb5 39 Qc6 1-0


14th July, 2003

ESBJERG, a popular seaport in the west of Denmark within the peninsula of Jutland, has for years held a popular annual tournament: the North Sea Cup, now in its 18th edition.

The event this year (which ran 4-12 July) also plays a major part in the celebrations to mark the 100th anniversary of the Danish Chess Federation. After three category 14s back to back, the organizers opted for a stronger category 15 GM event (average Elo 2606) this year as part of the centenary celebrations; and for the first time a B-group primarily for showcasing young Danish talents, the winner of which gets promoted to next year's GM event.

A cosmopolitan ten-player field in the GM group consists of Alexey Dreev (Russia), Krishnan Sasikiran (India), Peter Heine Nielsen (Denmark), Lazaro Bruzen (Cuba), Curt Hansen (Denmark), Mikhail Krasenkow (Poland), Lenier Dominguez (Cuba), Luke McShane (England), Lars Schandorff (Denmark), and the sole female competitor, Humpy Koneru (India).

Hard on the heels of his outstanding performance to take first place in the Greenland Open, Luke McShane's Nordic odyssey continues as he got off to a superb start in the North Sea Cup with some enterprising play, and by the midpoint shared the lead with top seeds Dreev and Sasikiran.

 

L McShane - H Koneru
18th North Sea Cup (3), King's Gambit Declined

1 e4 e5 2 Nc3 Bc5 3 f4 d6 4 Nf3 Nf6 5 Bc4 Nc6 6 d3 a6 7 Rf1 Bg4 8 h3 Bxf3 9 Qxf3 Nd4 10 Qg3 Nxc2+ 11 Kd1 Nxa1 12 Qxg7 Rf8 13 fxe5 dxe5 14 Bg5 c6 15 Rxf6 Qd7 16 Rf5 f6 17 Bxf6 Qxg7 18 Bxg7 Rxf5 19 exf5 b5 20 Be6 Rd8 21 f6 Rxd3+ 22 Ke2 e4 23 Bh6 Rd4 24 f7+ Kd8 25 Bf5 Rb4 26 b3 Nxb3 27 xe4 Rxe4+ 28 Bxe4 Nd4+ 29 Kd3 Ne6 30 Bxc6 Ke7 31 Be4 Nf8 32 Bd5 Kf6 33 Bd2 Ne6 34 Be4 Nf8 35 Bb7 Kxf7 36 Bxa6 b4 37 Kc4 Ba7 38 Kxb4 Nd7 39 Bc4+ Ke7 40 Bd3 1-0


11th July, 2003

"CHESS, like literature, music and the arts, often suffers a premature loss.", once wrote Harry Golombek.

Thirty years ago this week, "Caissa" was perhaps deprived of one of her greatest attacking geniuses of all time, when Leonid Stein died suddenly of a heart attack on the eve of the European Team Championships, aged just 38.

One of the foremost Soviet players of the post-war era and the most consistently successful player in the world in the 1960s, Stein's brilliant chess career was cut tragically short by his untimely death in 1973 when his career was still close to its peak. Yet, remarkably, he was a late bloomer to the game and came to prominence at age 26, but within a year was in the top 10.

Scoring overwhelming victories against the world's leading grandmasters (and including a big plus score against the world champions), Stein not only stormed to an incredible total of 3 first prizes (out of 4 attempts) in the ultra-strong USSR Championships between 1963 and 1966, but also won what were arguably the two strongest tournaments of all time: Moscow 1967 and the Alekhine Memorial 1971.

Yet, through a quirk of the rules, fate decreed that he would never become a Candidate for the world championship, though he twice finished high enough in Interzonal tournaments to merit qualification. Each time he was excluded by a ruling limiting the number of Candidates from any one country.

 

L Stein - P Keres
Parnu 1971, English Opening

1 c4 Nf6 2 Nf3 g6 3 Nc3 d5 4 cxd5 Nxd5 5 Qa4+ c6 6 Qd4 Nf6 7 Qxd8+ Kxd8 8 e4 Bg7 9 d4 Rf8 10 h3 b6 11 g4 h5 12 g5 Ne8 13 Bf4 Nd7 14 0-0-0 Bb7 15 h4 Nc7 16 Bh3 Ne6 17 Be3 Ke8 18 Rhe1 Rd8 19 d5 cxd5 20 exd5 Nc7 21 Bf4 Rc8 22 Rxe7+ Kxe7 23 d6+ Ke8 24 dxc7 f5 25 gxf6 Nxf6 26 Bxc8 Bxc8 27 Rd8+ Kf7 28 Ng5+ Kg8 29 Bd6 Re8 30 Nd5 1-0


8 July, 2003

THE world's biggest open tournament ended in a multiple tie for first place on Sunday, as ten titled players shared the spoils at the World Open being held at the Adam's Mark Hotel in Philadelphia.

The logjam at the top is a common occurrence in such a strong tournament, and each shared the financial reward of $2,250 for their efforts. Under new rules implemented by organizer Bill Goichberg, the top two on tiebreak had to contest a one-game play-off match at 6 minutes to 5 minutes with the player of black having draw odds.

Estonia's Jaan Ehlvest and Israeli Ilya Smirin were the top two on tiebreak; Ehlvest having the better score so got to choose which colour and opted for black, as just about everyone does in such circumstances. Ehlvest duly won to take the winner's additional pot of $500 and the bragging rights of the title of World Open Champion.

With a total entry of 1462 spread over eight different tournaments, organizer Bill Goichberg came within just 144 of breaking the world-record set during the 1986 event. The big attraction is the overall guaranteed prize fund of $180,000, and even the sole winner of the under-1400 section bettered the battling GMs payday when he took home $10,000!

The World Open also acts as a main qualifying event for the 2004 US Championship, and the top two places on tiebreak ahead of five others who finished on 6/9 went to IM Yury Lapshun and FM Matthew Hoekstra.

The tournament also has an automatic woman's spot for the US Championship, which had a fairytale ending for 19-year-old Iryna Zenyuk from New York who took the spot. Originally entered into a tournament two levels below the Open, Zenyuk, rated just 1939, was persuaded at the last minute to instead try for the qualifying place by opting to play in the Open.

 

Final standings: 1-10 GM I Smirin (Israel), GM A Onischuk (USA), GM L Yudasin (Israel), GM J Ehlvest (Estonia), GM A Goldin (USA), GM A Shabalov (USA), GM A Wojtkiewicz (USA), GM G Zaitshik (USA), IM N Firman (Ukraine), GM B Annakov (USA) 7/9.

 

M Ginsburg - L Yudasin
31st World Open (7), English Hedgehog

1 c4 c5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Nc3 b6 4 e4 d6 5 d4 cxd4 6 Nxd4 Bb7 7 Bd3 Nbd7 8 0-0 e6 9 Qe2 Be7 10 b3 0-0 11 Bb2 a6 12 f4 Re8 13 Rad1 Qc7 14 Kh1 Bf8 15 Nf3 g6 16 Bb1 Rad8 17 Ng5 Bg7 18 e5 dxe5 19 fxe5 Nxe5 20 Rxd8 Rxd8 21 Nb5 axb5 22 Bxe5 Qe7 23 cxb5 h6 24 Nf3 Qc5 25 Qc4 Qxc4 26 bxc4 Rc8 27 Bd3 Nd7 28 Bd6 Nc5 29 Bxc5 Rxc5 30 Nd2 Rc8 31 Nb3 Rd8 32 Rd1 Bf8 33 Be2 Ra8 34 Rd2 Bb4 35 Rb2 Be4 36 Bf3 Rd8 37 Kg1 Bd3 38 c5 bxc5 39 b6 Bc3 40 Rf2 c4 41 Nc5 Bd4 42 Nxd3 Bxb6 43 Kf1 Bxf2 44 Nxf2 c3 45 Be4 Rd2 46 Ke1 f5 47 Bd3 Rxa2 48 Bc4 Rxf2 0-1


7th July, 2003

IN that unique American fashion, the World Open taking place at the Adam's Mark Hotel in Philadelphia reaches its crucial stages, as four tournaments merge into one for the final four rounds.

With a guaranteed prize fund of $180,000 on offer, players have the choice of a leisurely 7-day tournament playing one game a day until the final weekend when they play four. Alternatively, they can opt for a 5-day tournament, a double weekend tournament or even a gruelling 3-day tournament - all of which include hectic schedules to make up the nine rounds, and in the case of the 3-day section, some of the rounds played at a very quick time control.

The now merged Open has 39 top grandmasters from a field of 238 doing battle for the first prize of $14,000. After round six of nine, Estonia's GM Jaan Ehlvest (7-day section) and US Champion Alexander Shabalov (5-day section) have the joint lead with unbeaten scores of 5.5/6 in the top-rated Open section.

However the race for first prize is still open with three rounds to play, as there's a formidable GM chasing pack just half a point behind the leaders on 5, that includes Alexander Onischuk, Alexander Goldin, Alexander Wojtkiewicz, Alexander Ivanov, all from the US, and Hungary's Emil Anka.

 

J Ehlvest - R Burnett
31st World Open (6), Nimzo-Indian Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 Qc2 0-0 5 a3 Bxc3+ 6 Qxc3 b6 7 Bg5 h6 8 Bh4 Bb7 9 e3 c5 10 dxc5 bxc5 11 Nf3 Qe7 12 Bd3 Nc6 13 0-0 d6 14 b4 Rfd8 15 bxc5 dxc5 16 Rab1 Rd7 17 h3 Rad8 18 Bc2 g5 19 Bg3 Nh5 20 Bh2 f6 21 Rfd1 Rxd1+ 22 Bxd1 Ng7 23 Nd2 Ba8 24 Bf3 Nf5 25 Be2 Kg7 26 f4 gxf4 27 Bxf4 e5 28 Bh2 Nh4 29 Nf3 Ng6 30 Qc2 Qe6 31 Rf1 Nce7 32 Bg3 Qc6 33 Bd1 Rd7 34 h4 Qe4 35 Qf2 Nf5 36 Bc2 Qg4 37 Nxe5 Qxg3 38 Nxd7 Ngxh4 1-0


4th July, 2003

INDEPENDENCE Day for most Americans, is the symbol of their identity as a nation. The Fourth of July is celebrated in a very special way in Philadelphia, which was the original capital of the new nation.

Nicknamed "Cradle of the Revolution", and "Nation's Birthplace", Philadelphia was the stage for many history-making events, the home of several prominent citizens and statesmen, and the site of some famous landmarks.

To chessplayers, however, Philadelphia on the Fourth has another layer of meaning - it is the home of the largest open chess tournament in both attendance and cash prizes, the World Open, which runs till Sunday 6 July at the Adam's Mark Hotel. This year's edition of the World Open has a guaranteed prize fund of $180,000, spread over eight sections, with a projected entry of around 1,400.

And the big pots are not just for the masters. Lower sections range from the under-2200 down to the under-1600, each with 30 prizes ranging up to $10,000 for section winners. Entry fees are correspondingly high (about $200-250), but what a difference to some British congresses which have meagre and often not guaranteed rewards.

In the 7-Day section in the world Open, the big shock of the second round was the defeat of visiting 2600+ Lithuanian GM Sarunas Sulkis, who lost to 2390 IM Nikolay Andrianov of the US.

 

N Andrianov - S Sulskis
31st World Open (2), Queen's Pawn Opening

1 Nf3 c5 2 b3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 e5 5 Nf3 Nf6 6 e3 Nc6 7 Bb2 e4 8 Nd4 d5 9 Nxc6 bxc6 10 c4 Bb4+ 11 Nc3 0-0 12 a3 Bd6 13 cxd5 cxd5 14 Nb5 Ba6 15 Nxd6 Qxd6 16 Bxa6 Qxa6 17 Qe2 Qe6 18 0-0 Ng4 19 Rac1 Rac8 20 h3 Nh6 21 Bd4 a6 22 b4 Nf5 23 Rxc8 Rxc8 24 Bc5 g6 25 Rd1 h5 26 Qa2 Rd8 27 a4 Qc6 28 a5 Rd7 29 Qa1 Qe6 30 b5 axb5 31 a6 Qc6 32 a7 Rd8 33 Qa5 Ra8 34 Qb6 Ne7 35 Qxc6 Nxc6 36 Ra1 Nd8 37 Rb1 Nc6 38 Rxb5 h4 39 Rb7 Kg7 40 Rc7 Nd8 41 Bd4+ Kh6 42 Bb6 f5 43 Kf1 1-0


3 July, 2003

THE business of chess tournaments in the USA is big money, and none come bigger than the Continental Chess Association (CCA), the organization behind the running of the world's largest tournament, the World Open, which runs this week at the Adam's Mark Hotel in Philadelphia.

The CCA was founded in 1964 by the legendary figure of Tournament Director Bill Goichberg. Together they have held over 2000 chess tournaments in 25 states coast to coast, and has awarded over $12,000,000 in prize money without ever reneging on a guaranteed prize.

For many years, more players have competed in CCA tournaments than those of any other chess organizer in the USA - and their tournaments always generate a cosmopolitan field, as top grandmasters from around the world fly in at a moments notice on the lure of the big pots on offer.

With a guaranteed prize fund of $180,000 at the World Open, entry into the tournament however is not cheap as it covers the prize fund and running costs - as Scotland's top junior Graeme Kafka discovered! On holiday nearby, he found out about the tournament by accident and, after his strong showing at the recent Scottish Championship, opted to play.

His entry fee came to $250, but before that, he first had to pay a fee of $32 to become a member of the United States Chess Federation (no one can play in a US tournament without first being a USCF member!). And, as he sat down to play his opening round game against Israeli GM Victor Mikhalevski, his financial plight deepened on discovery a further fee of $40 needed when it was explained to him he also had to provide a set and clock to play the game.

 

V Mikhaleviski - G Kafka
31st World Open (1), Slav Defence

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4 5 a4 Bf5 6 Ne5 Nbd7 7 Nxc4 Qc7 8 g3 e5 9 dxe5 Nxe5 10 Bf4 Nfd7 11 Bg2 g5 12 Ne3 gxf4 13 Nxf5 fxg3 14 hxg3 0-0-0 15 Qc2 Nf6 16 a5 a6 17 Kf1 Nc4 18 Rh4 Ne5 19 Rf4 h5 20 Rh4 Ng6 21 Rc4 Qd7 22 Rd4 Qc7 23 Nb5 axb5 24 a6 Rxd4 25 Nxd4 bxa6 26 Qf5+ Kd8 27 Nxc6+ 1-0


2nd July, 2003

THE showpiece event for Bill Goichberg's Continental Chess Association is the World Open, held over the Independence Day holiday week in Philadelphia at the Adam's Mark Hotel, which this year celebrates its 30th anniversary.

The 1986 World Open drew 1506 players, a world record for open tournaments that still stands, and it continues to consistently outdrawn all other open tournaments in the world each year since 1985 when it first moved to its permanent home in Philadelphia.

The 2003 World Open will have $180,000 in guaranteed prizes during the 9-day festival, and this year hopes to break 1400 players. A new event this year to kick off the proceedings was a Masters and Future Masters event, pitting the wits of six titled players against four aspiring junior wannabes.

The ten-player Swiss tournament was won by IM Rashid Ziatdinov from New Jersey, who successful held off a challenge from four top GMs for outright first. This was a tournament specifically designed for a shockerooney or two, and the Ukrainian IM Nazar Firman duly obliged with a stunning loss to the 1750-rated Matthew Fouts.

 

Final Standings: 1 IM R Ziatdinov (USA) 4/5; 2-3 GM J Ehlvest (Estonia), GM D Sadvakasov (Kazakhstan) 3.5; 4-5 GM A Wojtkiewicz (USA), M Fouts (USA) 3; 6-7 GM P Blatny (Czech Rep) , IM N Firman (Ukraine) 2.5; 8-9 G Geyler (USA), B Gershenov (USA) 1; 10 F Caruana (USA) 0.

 

M Fouts - N Firman
Masters and Future Masters (4), Pirc Defence

1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Nc3 g6 4 Be2 Bg7 5 f4 0-0 6 Be3 Na6 7 Qd2 Ng4 8 Bxg4 Bxg4 9 f5 gxf5 10 h3 Bh5 11 exf5 f6 12 g4 Bf7 13 0-0-0 c6 14 Nge2 Nc7 15 g5 fxg5 16 Bxg5 Kh8 17 Rhg1 Rg8 18 Qe3 Bf6 19 Bxf6+ exf6 20 Qh6 Qe7 21 Ne4 Nd5 22 Nf4 Nxf4 23 Nxf6 Bh5 24 Nxg8 Rxg8 25 Rxg8+ Kxg8 26 Rg1+ Ng6 27 Kb1 1-0


1 July, 2003

THE Gilbert Collection's 'Art of Chess' exhibition that charts artists' fascination with the game opened on Saturday in London's Somerset House, and will run to 28 September.

Artists taking part in the major exhibition includes Brit-art bad boy Damien Hirst, Turner Prize nominees Jake and Dinos Chapman, Man Ray, Carl Fabergé, Yoko Ono and Marcel Duchamp, the most famous chess-playing artist of all-time, who for a period played at international level for France.

Their work demonstrates the interaction of chess and modern art, and each of the 19 sets on display will show a move from the apocryphal last game between Napoleon against General Bertrand on St. Helena in 1820.

In order to create a chess atmosphere for the grand opening, a special outdoor challenge match with giant chess pieces took place between Sergei Karjakin, the youngest Grandmaster in history who is now 13, and England's top junior David Howell, 12; that match ending in a draw. To prepare himself for Karjakin, a few days earlier Howell took part in a similar outdoor challenge with top GM Jon Speelman that was sponsored by British Land, and won.

 

D Howell - J Speelman
British Land Challenge, Caro-Kann Defence

1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 exd5 cxd5 4 c4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e6 6 Nf3 Bb4 7 cxd5 Nxd5 8 Qc2 Nd7 9 Be2 N7f6 10 0-0 0-0 11 Bg5 h6 12 Bh4 Nf4 13 Bc4 Ng6 14 Bg3 Nh5 15 a3 Bxc3 16 bxc3 Bd7 17 Rfe1 Rc8 18 Ba2 Bc6 19 Bxe6 fxe6 20 Qxg6 Nxg3 21 Qxe6+ Kh7 22 hxg3 Bd5 23 Qe3 Qc7 24 Qd3+ Kg8 25 Re3 Qf7 26 Rae1 Rc7 27 Qd2 Bxf3 28 Rxf3 Qd5 29 Rxf8+ Kxf8 30 Qf4+ Qf7 31 Qe5 Kg8 32 d5 Rc5 33 Rd1 b6 34 Qd4 Qd7 35 d6 Rf5 36 Qc4+ Rf7 37 Re1 Kh7 38 Qe4+ Kg8 39 Qd5 Kh7 40 c4 Rf6 41 Qe4+ Rg6 42 Rd1 h5 43 Rd5 Kh6 44 Rxh5+ Kxh5 45 Qh4 mate


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