Kasparov – Karpov (Wd Ch ) Black has just player …Rcd8 but resigns moves later when faced with material loss

CHESS Friday 23 April 2010 David Ellis 94335992 / [e-mail]

The death occurred on March 30 of

former world champion Vasily

Smyslov at the age of 89. Next

week we shall begin a short series

on the life of this outstanding player.

Below is a position from a game

towards the end of his career,

Smyslov – Sosonko 1984: White

to play and win (6 moves):

317

Last week contained a report on Australia’s

top weekender the Doeberl Cup in Canberra

won by Chinese GM Li Chao B, half a point

ahead of Australia’s George Xie who gained

his final Grand Master norm. WA champion

Tristan Boyd, sent me an annotated game

featuring a well calculated and thematic Ruy

Lopez victory, the first of three successive

wins which catapulted him into =7^th place:

Tristan Boyd – Helen Milligan

2010 Doeberl Cup , Rd 7

Ruy Lopez, Flohr-Zaitsev Variation

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 Bb7 10.d4 Re8

11.Nbd2 Bf8 12.d5 Nb8

13.Nf1 c6(a) 14.dxc6 Bxc6

15.Bg5(b) Nbd7 16.N3h2! Qc7(c)

17.Ng3 Qb7 18.Qf3 d5

19.Rad1! dxe4 20.Qf5 Nc5(d)

21.Bxf6 Nxb3 22.axb3 gxf6

23.Nh5 Re6 24.Re3(e) Be7

25.Qg4+ Kf8 26.Qg7+ Ke8

27.Qh8+ Bf8 28.Ng7+ Ke7

29.Nf5+ Ke8 30.Rg3 e3

31.fxe3 Be4 32.Rg8 Bxf5

33.Rxf8+ resigns

(a) Premature - Black should first play the recommended move 13…Nbd7 with the possibility of a later …Nc5. In the game White exploits the d-file and a2-g8 diagonal to full effect.

(b) White is willing to swap bishop for knight to maintain a grip on d5 eg 15...h6 16.Bxf6 Qxf6 17.Ne3 followed by B/N-d5 and a4, when White probes the queenside and Black has little counter-play.

(c) If 16...h6 17.Bxf6 Nxf6 18.Ng4! with similar ideas to the last note: if then 18...Nxe4? 19.Qf3 d5 20.Rxe4! with a winning attack.

(d) Under immense pressure Black panics, probably after realising that 20...g6 loses to 21.Rxd7! Qxd7 (21…gxf5 22.Bxf7+) 22.Qxf6 Bg7 23.Ng4! However it is difficult to find a decent continuation for Black, with White ready to play 21.Ng4 (and if necessary Nh5) against most moves eg 20…h6 21.Ng4! hxg5 22.Rxd7! Fritz 12 suggests 20...Nd5 21.Nxe4 Re6 22.Ng4 h5 or 21...h5, but White is clearly in the driving seat.

(e) The direct attack is stronger than the immediate win of an exchange. The rest is pure pleasure for White.
WEST AUSTRALIAN OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP: Sat May 1, Sun May 2, Sat May 8, Sun May 9, two rounds a day (1 on final day), 60min + 30 sec. Information and entry form on cawa.org.au (deadline for entry Thurs 29 April).
SOLUTION: 1.Rxf8+! Kxf8 2.Qc5+ resigns (2…Ke8 – 2…Kg8 3.Qc8+ Kh7 4.Qf5+ Kg8 5.Qxd3 – 3.Qc8+ Ke7 4.Bc5+ Rd6 5.Qc7+ winning the rook).