Chess game in space

Press, 27 July 1989, Page 28

Chess game in space

By MICHAEL ROCKS The Soviet Chess Federation president, Vitaly Sevastianov, who made headlines throughout the countiy earlier this month with his “New Zealand is Radioactive” speech, made his mark in the chess world 19 years ago when he played in the first game between space and Earth.

In the below game, the Soyuz-9 team comprises cosmonauts, Sevastianov and A. Nikolayev, and representing Earth is Air Force Colonel, General N. Kramanin, and cosmonaut, V. Gorbatko. Soyuz-9 — Earth, 1970, Queen’s Gambit Declined, 1 d 4 d 5 2 c 4 dxc4 3 e 3 e 5 4 Bxc4 exd4 5 exd4 Nc6 6 Be 3 Bd6 7 Nc3 Nf6 8 Nf3 0-0 Bg4 10 h 3 Bfs 11 Nh4 Qd7 12 Qf3 Ne 7 13 g 4 Bg6 14 Rael KhB 15 Bgs NegB 16 Ng2 RaeB 17 Be 3 Bb4 18 a 3 BxcS 19 bxc3 Be 4 20 Qg3 C 6 21 f 3 Bds 22 Bd3 b 5 23 Qh4 g 6 24 Nf4 Bc4 25 Bxc4 bxc4 26 Bd2 Rxel 27 Rxel Nds 28 g 5 Qd6 29 Nxds cxds 30 Bf 4 QdB 31 Bes+ f 6 32 gxf6 Nxf6 33 Bxf6+ Rxf6 34 ReB+ QxeB 35 Qxf6+ KgB Agreed Drawn.

Last month three New Zealanders completed in the Mercantile Mutual international tournament in Sydney. England’s newest Grandmaster, Danny King, was the top seed for the tournament, but it was two Australians, a former Soviet Master, Dimtry Gedevanishvili, and IM Darryl Johansen, who took the honours.

The Mercantile Mutual international was the first round-robin master tournament staged in Australia for a decade and the strongest tournament ever held in Sydney (category IV on the FIDE rating scale). Final results were: 1-2 D. Gedevanishvili, IM D. Johansen 6/9; 3-4 GM D. King (Eng.), IM O. Sarapu (NX) Sfa 5-6 FM S. Solomon, FM C. Depasquale 5; 7 P. Garbett (N.Z.) 4; 8 FM G. West 3%; 9 A. Wohl 3; 10 R. Gibbons (N.Z.) P/j. Gedevanishvili recorded his first IM norm (part qualification for the title) and two more such norms in the next five years will see him gain the title.

Last Saturday (July 23) was Victor Korchnoi’s fifty-eighth birthday. In a career that stretches back to 1947, when he won the Soviet junior championship, it is difficult to choose his best . game. However, the below game played in the 1974 candidates final (the de facto world championship match because of Fischer’s refusal to defend his title the following year) must have given Victor much pleasure. Trailing by two points in the race to the 12>/ 2 points necessary to win the match and with only four games to go, Victor unleashed an aggressive attack upon Anatoly Karpov’s King. V. Korchnoi — A. Karpov, 1974 Candidates Final, Game 21, Queen’s Indian Defence

1 d 4 Nf6 2 Nf3 e 6 3'g3 b 6 4 Bg2 Bb7 5 C 4 Be 7 6 Nc3 0-0 7 Qc2 c 5 8 d 5 exds 9 Ngs Nc6 In the fifth game Karpov tried 9 ... g 6 10 Qdl d 6 11 cxds Na 6 12 0-0 and the game was eventually drawn after 67 moves. 10 Nxds g 6 11 Qd2 Nxds? Allowing White to replace the powerful Knight with an even stronger Bishop. Either 11 ... ReB or RbB might have been an improvement. 12 Bxds RbB? Overlooking White’s intentions. 13 Nxh7! ReB Tantamount to resignation, but acceptance of the sacrifice is hopeless: 13 ... Kxh7 14 Qh6+ KgB 15 Qxg6+ KhB 16 Qh6+KgB 17 Be 4 f 5 18 Bds+ Rf 7 19 Qg6+ and Black must resign. 14 Qh6 Nes 15 Ngs This wins Black’s Queen. Resignation at once was possible, but doubtless Karpov did not want to lose too short a game.

15 ... Bxgs 16 Bxgs Qxgs If 16 ... Qc7 18 Bf 6 followed by QhB mate. 17 Qxgs Bxds With the threat of 18 ... Nf3+ which White brushes aside by castling. Korchnoi was not too sure of this move and he had to ask the arbiter, Alberic O’Kelly de Galway, if it was possible to castle with his Rook under attack.

18 0-0 Bxc4 19 f 4 Resigns After 19 ... Nc6 20 f 5 Res 21

Qf6 further resistance is absurd.

The above problem is another by a New Zealand composer, F. A. L. Kuskop. White is to mate in three moves. In "Terms and Themes of Chess Problems” by S. S. Blackburne, the author notes that Kuskop “is New Zealand’s foremost and most prolific composer. Mr Kuskop’s composing is done almost without sight, he being nearly blind.” The problem won first prize in the “Canterbury Times" Jubilee Tourney of 1901. If anyone can provide further biographical details and/or more chess problems by Kuskop (or for that matter any other New Zealand composer) this writer would be very pleased to receive them. Solution to No. 42 (srkl/

spbp/3pplPl/lq2n3lPl/ p3nlPl/48P2/PPP4Q/2KR3R — Black to move)

1 ... Qxb2+ 2 Kxb2 Nc4+ and White resigned since 3 Kcl (3 Kbl RbB+) Bb2+ 4 Kbl Nc3++.