East v. West in chess

Press, 7 September 1989, Page 30

East v. West in chess

By

MICHAEL ROCKS

The next stage in the world championship cycle, the candidates’ semi-final matches, begins in London on October 1. The pairings will ensure an East-West candidates’ final as a former champion, Anatoly Karpov (Soviet Union) will faces his compatriot, Artur Yuspov, and Jonathan Speelman (England) will face Jan Timman (Netherlands). The two matches comprise eight games, an increase of two on the first round and quarter-final matches. In the event of a tie, two further games at the normal time limit will be played, followed by, if necessary, a series of quick-play games until a winner is found. , The two winners will square off in a match early next year to determine the challenger for Garri Kasparov’s crown. At this stage Karpov is still the favourite to progress through the candidate’s elimination series and face Kasparov for what will be their fifth title match.

With the end of the current championship cycle approaching, attention is turning to the next cycle which begins next year with the zonal tournaments.

One player who is expected

to do well in the next cycle is Vassily Ivanchuk, aged 20, of the Soviet Union. In the last 18 months, Ivanchuk’s rise through the world rankings has been rapid. In January 1988 he crept into the top 100 players; in July 1988 he was ranked tenth equal (with three others); in January 1989 he was sixth; and in July 1989 he is third equal, with Nigel Short (England) behind Kasparov and Karpov. Last year Ivanchuk was included in the Soviet Olympiad team and this year his most important tournament success was achieved in the very strong Linares (Spain) tournament where he headed Karpov. In June he showed that the Linares victory was not a fluke when'he convincingly won the Tigran Petrosian Memorial tournaitient in Erevan, Armenia. Having completed his studies, Ivanchuk is doing his military service, which is likely to restrict his tournament appearances for the next year.

In the first game Ivanchuk tempts his opponent into a tactical melee where White’s King proves to be the more vulnerable. In the second game he faces a Yugoslav legend, Svetozar Gligoric, aged 66.,

White: Belyavsky. Black: Ivanchuk. Linares 1989. Spanish Opening I e 4 e 5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bbs Bcs 4 c 3 Nf6 5 d 4 Bb6 6 Nxes Nxes 7 dxes Nxe4 8 Qg4 Bxf2+ 9 Ke2 Qh4 10 Qxg7 RfB II Nd2 Bcs 12 Nf3 Qf2+ 13 Kdl Be 7! 14 Rel Qb6! 15 Rxe4 Qxbs 16 c 4 Qc6 17 Qxh7 d 5 18 exd6 Qxd6+ 19 Rd 4 Qb6 20 Qe4 RgB 21 Be 3 Qxb2 22 Rbl Qxg2 23 Rbs Bg4 24 Rfs Qfl+ 25 Kc2 Qe2+ and White resigned. White: Ivanchuk. Black: Gligoric. Petrosian Memorial 1989, French Tarrasch

1 e 4 e 6 2 d 4 d 5 3 Nd2 c 5 4 exds exds 5 Bbs+ Nc6 6 Ngf3 Bd6 7 dxcs Bxcs 8 0-0 Nge7 9 Nb 3 Bd6 10 Rel 0-0 11 h 3 Bfs 12 Bd3 Bg6 13 c 3 Nfs 14 Bgs Qd7 15 Qd2 RfeB 16 RxeB+ RxeB 17 Rdl h 6 18 Bxfs Qxfs 19 Qxds hxgs 20 Qxfs Bxfs 21 Rxd6 f 6 22 Nbd4 Nxd4 23 Nxd4 BcB 24 f 3 Kf7 25 Kf2 Ke7 26 Rds Bd7 27 Ras a 6 28 c 4 Kd6 29 b 3 BcB 30 Rds+ Kc 7 31 Ne2 Kc 6 32 F 4 gxf4 33 Nxf4 b 5 34 cxbs+ axbs 35 Rd 3 Bfs 36 Rg3 RaB 37 Rxg7 Rxa2+ 38 Kgl Rb2 39 Rg3 Kcs 40 Nd3+ Bxd3 41 Rxd3 and Black resigned.

The study is by the English composer Thomas Rayner Dawson (1889-1951). Although primarily a, problemist, particularly of fairy chess

problems, Dawson composed a number of studies. White is to move and win. Solution to No. 45 (16/2Q3KI/ 4pN2/skpl/24 - Mate in 3) 1 QaB g 3 2 Qg2 any 3 Qxg3++ e 4 2 Qa3 e 3 3 Qxe3++ 2 ...

g 3 3 Qxg3 ++ 2 ... Kes 3 Qd6++ Moving all the pieces one file left would form a new problem where the key is 1 Qgl. Final placings in the national schoolpupils’ chess championship played in Wellington last week were:Philip Abrahamson (Canterbury), Eric Rayner (Otago) 6/7; Andrew Jefferies (Canterbury) 4>/ 2 ; Darryn Elliot (Auckland) 3 l / 2 ; Gideon Levy (Otago), Shamnika Rupasinghe (Wellington) 3; Mark Sinclair (Auckland) iy 2 ; James Donaldson (Wellington) i/ 2 .