Ljubo's missing games

In 1978 the Yugoslav GM Ljubomir Ljubojevic was the convincing winner of a medium-strength international tournament held in the Serbian town of Titovo Uzice. The tournament crosstable and a few games were published in Chess Informant 26, but for some reason most of Ljubojevic's wins were left on the cutting room floor.

No matter – we're now solidly in the era of chess megabases, so it should be a simple matter to whistle up Ljubo's games from this event for a closer look at his uncompromising playing style. It should be simple, but it isn't. The ChessBase Big Database contains just 29 games from Titovo Uzice 1978. Only five of those were played by Ljubojevic. This is more than the three that published were in Informant 26, but it's still not good enough.

We're also solidly in the era of the internet, so after this minor setback the search was on for Ljubo's missing games. I'm happy to report that after much digging I have recovered all 13 of his efforts from Titovo Uzice.

Matulovic-Ljubojevic, Titovo Uzice (1) 1978
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. exd5 exd5 5. Ngf3 Nc6 6. Bb5 Bd6 7. O-O Nge7 8.dxc5 Bxc5 9. Nb3 Bd6 10. Nbd4 O-O 11. Be3 a6 12. Bd3 Ng6 13. Qd2 Be7 14. Rfe1 Bg4 15. Bf5 1/2-1/2

Ljubojevic-Jovcic, Titovo Uzice (2) 1978
1.b3 d5 2.e3 e5 3.Bb2 Bd6 4.c4 c6 5.Nf3 Bg4 6.h3 Bxf3 7.Qxf3 Qf6 8.cxd5 Qxf3 9.gxf3 cxd5 10.Nc3 Nf6 11.Rg1 g6 12.Nb5 Ke7 13.f4 Nc6 14.Nxd6 Kxd6 15.Be2 Rhe8 16.fxe5+ Nxe5 17.f4 Ned7 18.Rc1 Rac8 19.Rxc8 Rxc8 20.Kd1 Ne4 21.Rg2 a6 22.h4 Ke6 23.Bf3 f5 24.Bd4 Nef6 25.d3 Kf7 26.b4 b6 27.a4 Ke6 28.Rb2 Kf7 29.a5 b5 30.Rg2 Ke6 31.Kd2 Kf7 32.Rg1 h5 33.Rg2 Rc6 34.Bd1 Rc8 35.Bb3 Rg8 36.Rg1 Ke7 37.Rc1 Kd6 38.Be5+ Nxe5 39.fxe5+ Kxe5 40.Rc6 Rf8 41.d4+ Ke4 42.Ke2 1-0

Andersson-Ljubojevic, Titovo Uzice (3) 1978
1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 e6 4. e3 d5 5. d4 Nc6 6. Be2 dxc4 7. Bxc4 a6 8. a4 cxd4 9. exd4 b6 10. d5 exd5 11. Nxd5 Nxd5 12. Qxd5 Bb4+ 13. Bd2 Bxd2+ 14. Nxd2
1/2-1/2

Ljubojevic-Ermenkov, Titovo Uzice (4) 1978
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 d6 3.Nc3 Nbd7 4.e4 e5 5.d5 Nc5 6.f3 a5 7.Be3 Be7 8.Nge2 c6 9.dxc6 bxc6 10.Bxc5 dxc5 11.Qxd8+ Kxd8 12.Na4 Kc7 13.Nc1 Be6 14.Nd3 Nd7 15.b3 Rhd8 16.h4 f6 17.0-0-0 Bf7 18.g3 Nb6 19.Ndxc5 Rxd1+ 20.Kxd1 Nxa4 21.Nxa4 Bb4 22.Bd3 c5 23.Kc2 Be8 24.Nc3 a4 25.Nd5+ Kd6 26.Kb2 axb3 27.axb3 Bf7 28.Nc3 Be8 29.Rd1 Bc6 30.Bc2+ Kc7 31.Bd3 Ba3+ 32.Kc2 Bb4 33.h5 h6 34.Rh1 Kd6 35.Be2 Bxc3 36.Kxc3 Ra2 37.Re1 Be8 38.g4 Bc6 39.Bd1 Kc7 40.Bc2 Kb6 41.Rd1 Kc7 42.Rf1 Kd6 43.Rf2 Ra3 44.Bd1 Bb7 45.Kb2 Ra8 46.Rd2+ Kc7 47.Be2 Bc6 48.Kc3 Rd8 49.Rb2 Rb8 50.Bd1 Rd8 51.Bc2 Rb8 52.Rb1 Kc8 53.Ra1 Ra8 54.Rf1 Rb8 55.f4 exf4 56.Rxf4 Bd7 57.e5 fxe5 58.Rf8+ Kc7 59.Rf7 Kd6 60.Rxg7 Rf8 61.Be4 Rf4 62.Kd3 Bxg4 63.Rg6+ Ke7 64.Rxh6 Bd1 65.Bd5 Rh4 66.Re6+ Kd8 67.h6 Bxb3 68.Ra6 Ke7 69.h7 Kf8 70.Ra7 e4+ 71.Kc3 Rh3+ 72.Kb2 e3 73.h8=Q+ Rxh8 74.Kxb3 e2 75.Ra1 Kg7 76.Re1 Rh2 77.Kc3 1-0

Tringov-Ljubojevic, Titovo Uzice (5) 1978
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 Nb6 5.a4 a5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.Be2 Bg4 8.exd6 exd6 9.0-0 Be7 10.Re1 0-0 11.Nbd2 Na6 12.Nf1 Bh5 13.c3 Nc7 14.Ng3 Bg6 15.Bd3 Nbd5 16.Bf5 Re8 17.Bd2 b5 18.Qb3 Nb6 19.Qc2 Ncd5 20.axb5 cxb5 21.b3 Qc7 22.Qd3 Qc6 23.Rec1 Rec8 24.h4 a4 25.bxa4 bxa4 26.h5 Bxf5 27.Nxf5 Qc4 28.Qe4 Bf8 29.Ne3 Nxe3 30.Ng5 f5 31.Qxe3 Qd5 32.Qg3 Nc4 33.Bf4 Re8 34.Rcb1 a3 35.Qd3 h6 36.Nf3 Nb2 37.Qc2 Re4 38.Bc1 Rg4 39.Kf1 Qc4+ 40.Kg1 Qd5 41.Kf1 Nc4 42.Qa2 Qf7 43.Rb5 Rc8 44.g3 Qxh5 45.Kg2 Qf7 46.Nd2 d5 47.Nxc4 Rxc4 48.Bxa3 Bxa3 49.Qxa3 f4 50.Qa8+ Kh7 51.Rb8 fxg3 52.Rh8+ Kg6 53.Ra6+ Kh5 54.f3 Rxc3 55.Raxh6+ gxh6 56.fxg4+ Kxg4 57.Rg8+ 0-1

Ljubojevic-Rajkovic, Titovo Uzice (6) 1978
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Bc4 Bg7 7.h3 0-0 8.Bb3 Nc6 9.Be3 Nxd4 10.Bxd4 Be6 11.0-0 Bxb3 12.axb3 a6 13.Qe2 Rc8 14.Rfd1 Nd7 15.Bxg7 Kxg7 16.Nd5 Re8 17.Ne3 Qb6 18.Ra4 Rc5 19.Qd2 Nf6 20.Rd4 Qc6 21.b4 Re5 22.f3 Ra8 23.g4 h5 24.Kg2 hxg4 25.hxg4 Rh8 26.Rc4 Qe8 27.f4 Rxe4 28.Rxe4 Qc6 29.Nd5 Nxe4 30.Nxe7 Nxd2+ 31.Nxc6 Nc4 32.Rd4 Ne3+ 33.Kg3 bxc6 34.Rxd6 Nxc2 35.Rxc6 Nxb4 36.Rb6 a5 37.Rb5 Ra8 38.g5 Nc6 39.Rc5 Nd4 40.Rd5 Nf5+ 41.Kf3 a4 42.Rc5 Rb8 43.Ra5 Rb3+ 44.Ke4 Rb4+ 45.Kf3 Nd4+ 46.Ke3 Ne6 0-1

Kovacevic-Ljubojevic, Titovo Uzice (7) 1978
1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e6 4.g3 b6 5.Bg2 Bb7 6.0-0 a6 7.d4 cxd4 8.Qxd4 d6 9.b3 Nbd7 10.Bb2 Be7 11.Rfd1 0-0 12.Ng5 Bxg2 13.Kxg2 Qb8 14.Nge4 Rd8 15.Nxf6+ Bxf6 16.Qxd6 Qb7+ 17.Kg1 Ne5 18.Qa3 Nc6 19.Ne4 Be7 20.Nd6 Qc7 21.c5 bxc5 22.Nc4 Nd4 23.Rd2 Bg5 24.f4 Bf6 25.Kf2 Qc6 26.Qa5 Rd5 27.Rad1 Rh5 28.h4 g6 29.Qb6 Qd5 30.Qc7 Rxh4 31.Rg1 Rh2+ 32.Kf1 Qf5 33.Rg2 Qb1+ 34.Kf2 Rh1 35.Nd6 Rf8 36.Ke3 Nb5 37.Nxb5 Bxb2 38.Nd6 Bc1 39.Qa5 Bxd2+ 40.Qxd2 Rd1 0-1

Ljubojevic-Kurajica, Titovo Uzice (8) 1978
1.e4 c6 2.d3 d5 3.Nd2 Qc7 4.Ngf3 Bg4 5.Be2 e6 6.0-0 Nd7 7.b3 Ngf6 8.Bb2 Bd6 9.h3 Bxf3 10.Bxf3 Ne5 11.Re1 0-0-0 12.a3 h5 13.Qe2 Rde8 14.c4 dxc4 15.d4 Nd3 16.e5 Nxb2 17.bxc4 Bxe5 18.dxe5 Nd7 19.Ne4 Qxe5 20.c5 Kc7 21.Rab1 f5 22.Nd6 Qxe2 23.Rxe2 Rb8 24.Rexb2 Nxc5 25.Rc2 Kxd6 26.Rd1+ Ke7 27.Rxc5 g6 28.a4 Rbd8 29.Rb1 Rd7 30.a5 a6 31.Be2 Kf6 32.f4 h4 33.Re5 Re8 34.Re3 Ree7 35.Reb3 e5 36.fxe5+ Rxe5 37.Bf1 Ree7 38.Kf2 Kg5 39.R1b2 Kf6 40.Be2 Kg5 41.Rb4 Rh7 42.Bf3 Kf6 43.Rc4 Rd3 44.Ke2 Rdd7 45.Rb3 Rhe7+ 46.Re3 g5 47.Rb4 Rxe3+ 48.Kxe3 Re7+ 49.Kd4 Re5 50.Rxb7 Rxa5 51.Bxc6 Ra3 52.Rh7 a5 53.Bd5 Rg3 54.Rf7+ Kg6 55.Rf8 g4 56.hxg4 fxg4 57.Ke5 h3 58.Rg8+ Kh7 59.gxh3 Rxh3 60.Rg5 Rh2 61.Be6 a4 62.Bf5+ Kh6 63.Kf6 Rb2 64.Rg8 Rb6+ 65.Be6 Rb7 66.Rxg4 Rb5 67.Rxa4 Rg5 68.Rh4+ Rh5 69.Rg4 Ra5 70.Bc4 Rc5 71.Bf7 Rc6+ 72.Be6 Rc5 73.Rg8 Rc7 74.Rg6+ Kh7 75.Rg1 Kh8 76.Rd1 1-0

Smejkal-Ljubojevic, Titovo Uzice (9) 1978
1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 b6 4. Bg2 Bb7 5. d4 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 a5 7. O-O O-O 8. Bf4 Be7 9. Nc3 d5 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Qc2 Na6 12. a3 Qd7 13. Rfd1 Rfd8 14. Rac1 h6 15. Ne5 Qe6 16. Qb3 Bf8 17. Nb5 c5 1/2-1/2

Ljubojevic-Jansa, Titovo Uzice (10) 1978
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3 dxc4 6.Qxc4 0-0 7.e4 Bg4 8.Be3 Nfd7 9.Qb3 Nb6 10.Rd1 Nc6 11.d5 Ne5 12.Be2 Nxf3+ 13.gxf3 Bh5 14.Rg1 Qc8 15.Nb5 c6 16.Nxa7 Rxa7 17.Bxb6 Ra8 18.a4 Qh3 19.Rg3 Qxh2 20.Bf1 Be5 21.Rh3 Qf4 22.dxc6 bxc6 23.a5 Bc7 24.Bxc7 Qxc7 25.a6 Rfd8 26.Bc4 Rxd1+ 27.Qxd1 Rd8 28.Qc1 Rd4 29.Kf1 Qd7 30.Kg2 Bxf3+ 31.Rxf3 Qg4+ 32.Rg3 Qxe4+ 33.f3 Qe5 34.Qc3 Qd6 35.a7 Rd2+ 36.Kh3 Qd7+ 37.Rg4 1-0

Todorcevic-Ljubojevic, Titovo Uzice (11) 1978
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 Rb8 6.f4 d6 7.Nf3 e6 8.0-0 Nge7 9.Be3 Nd4 10.Bf2 Nec6 11.Nxd4 Nxd4 12.Rb1 b5 13.Ne2 b4 14.Nxd4 cxd4 15.Qe2 0-0 16.h4 Rb5 17.a3 a5 18.axb4 axb4 19.b3 Bd7 20.Ra1 Ra5 21.Qd2 Qb6 22.Rxa5 Qxa5 23.Be1 Rb8 24.Bf3 e5 25.fxe5 dxe5 26.Kg2 h5 27.Kh2 Qc5 28.Bd1 Qe7 29.Bf3 Kh7 30.Qe2 Rc8 31.Qd1 Be6 32.Rf2 Ra8 33.Bd2 Qc5 34.Bg5 f6 35.Bd2 Ra2 36.Be1 Bh6 37.Qe2 Bxb3 0-1

Ljubojevic-Radojcic, Titovo Uzize (12) 1978
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.f4 Nc6 7.Nf3 Be7 8.Bd3 d5 9.e5 Nd7 10.Be3 a6 11.Ne2 Nc5 12.Nfd4 Nxd3+ 13.Qxd3 Nxd4 14.Nxd4 Bd7 15.0-0 Bc5 16.Rf3 Bxd4 17.Bxd4 g6 18.Bc5 Rc8 19.Qd4 Qa5 20.Rc3 Qa4 21.Bb4 Rxc3 22.Qxc3 Qc6 23.Qd2 b5 24.b3 f5 25.exf6 Kf7 26.Rc1 Rc8 27.Qd4 a5 28.Bxa5 Qc5 29.Qxc5 Rxc5 30.Bb6 Rc6 31.Bd4 Ra6 32.Ra1 h6 33.Kf2 Ke8 34.Ke3 Kd8 35.Bc5 Be8 36.Kd4 Kc7 37.Kc3 g5 38.g3 Ra8 39.Kb4 Rb8 40.Re1 Bf7 41.f5 1-0

Bagirov-Ljubojevic, Titovo Uzice (13) 1978
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Nc3 Ne4 8. Qc2 Nxc3 9. Qxc3 c5 10. Rd1 Bf6 11. Qd3 d5 12. cxd5 exd5 1/2-1/2

USCF Senior Master and Chess Digest publisher Ken Smith used to recommend studying the games played by a tournament winner. I hope you find this set by Ljubomir Ljubojevic enjoyable and instructive!

Return of the king

Anatoly Karpov's recent appearance in the Valjevo grandmaster tournament was a welcome event for those who remember the crystal-clear playing style that characterised his world championship years. He has not competed in many events lately but if there is anyone entitled to rest on his laurels it is surely Karpov.

As it turned out he came close – very close – to winning the Valjevo tournament. A late defeat by the Israeli grandmaster Michael Roiz dropped him out of the running but he regrouped and managed to take third prize.

Karpov's win over the Serbian grandmaster Mihajlo Stojanovic was especially powerful and will no doubt receive wide coverage in the chess media. Today I will offer my impressions of this game.

A.Karpov – M.Stojanovic
Valjevo 2007

1.e4!
This was always Karpov's first move but in the early 1980s he made the big switch to 1.d4 in anticipation of his lengthy rivalry with Garry Kasparov.
1...e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3
Of course in the 1970s Karpov made his living with 3.Nd2.
3...dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bd7
A popular but rather simplistic attempt to equalise the chances through exchanging Black's problem bishop. According to my database this system (if one may call it that) scores an unspectactular 38% above the master level. On the other hand I can imagine some grandmasters dedicating time to Black's cause and finding ways to keep White's initial advantage within manageable limits.
5.Nf3 Bc6 6.Bd3 Nd7 7.0–0 Ngf6 8.Ng3!
I like this move, which avoids exchanges for the time being. Black could have played 7...Bxe4 8.Bxe4 c6 but after 9.c4!? Ngf6 10.Bc2 White has taken control of key central squares and retained the bishop pair.
8...Be7 9.Re1 0–0 10.Qe2 b6!? (first diagram)
Preparing to drop the bishop back to b7 and follow up with the space-gaining move ...c7-c5.
11.Ba6!?
A remarkable concept, playing to exchange light-squared bishops. This idea surprised me at first since the bishop on d3 seems to be gazing expectantly toward Black's kingside. But as soon as Black plays ...g7-g6 the bishop's range will be blunted and therefore White should keep an open mind.
11...Rb8 12.c4 Bb7
The game continuation suggests that 12...Ba8 was more circumspect. After the exchange of bishops two defects appear in Black's position: the hole on c6 and the awkward position of his rook.
13.Bxb7 Rxb7 14.Ne5 Qc8
If 14...Nxe5 15.dxe5 Nd7 16.Rd1 and Black has a very passive position with few opportunities for counterplay.
15.Nc6! Re8 16.Bg5 Bf8
Black seems to have avoided further concessions but Karpov is ready with another surprising idea.
17.Bxf6! Nxf6 18.Nh5!
Black's queenside pieces are awkwardly placed for defensive purposes so it makes sense to exchange the kingside defenders.
18...Nd7?
18...Nxh5 19.Qxh5 certainly looked dangerous but Karpov soon demonstrates that Black's move is worse... much worse...
19.Qg4 Kh8 20.Re3 Nb8 (second diagram)
In offering the exchange of knights Black was no doubt expecting the variation 21.Ne5 c5! when he is clearly back in the game.
21.Rg3!!
It is said that in his heyday Karpov used to solve ten combination puzzles every morning before breakfast. If that is true the regime has certainly done him no harm!
21...f5
There were three other defensive tries:
A. 21...e5 22.Qxc8 Rxc8 23.Nxe5 and White is simply a pawn up;
B. 21...g6 22.Nf6 Nxc6 23.Rh3 h6 24.Qg5! and White wins;
C. 21...Nxc6 22.Nxg7 Ne7 23.Nxe8 Qxe8 24.Qf3! and Black has nothing better than 24...Nf5 leaving White the exchange ahead with an easy win.
22.Qh4 Nxc6
Capitulation, but if 22...Qd7 23.Ne5 Qe7 then 24.Ng6+! hxg6 25.Nf6 mate.
23.Nf6! h6 24.Qxh6+! gxh6 25.Rg8 mate 1–0

The final combination is of course nice and thematic but far more impressive was the play leading up to it.

I sincerely hope that Karpov's participation in the Valjevo tournament signals his return to active play because I suspect he has many more beautiful games to give to the chess world!

Power play

I was very impressed by the energetic play of GM Alexander Moiseenko in his game with GM Adam Horvath from the 2005 Saint-Vincent Open. Moiseenko got things going with a strong opening novelty, moved into gambit mode by sacrificing material for a lasting initiative, and then finished off his opponent with some nice tactical play.

1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nc3 dxc4 4.d5 Ne5 5.f4 Ng4
This is a very sharp line of Chigorin's Defence. Black must be well-prepared in order to survive.
6.e4 e5 7.Nf3 Bc5 (first diagram)

8.Bxc4!
Here is Moiseenko's novelty, in place of the more usual 8.Qa4+. It looks like a mistake at first glance but things turn out otherwise.
8...Qe7
If 8...Nf2 9.Qb3 Nf6 10.Rf1 N6xe4 11.Ng5! and now 11...Nxc3 12.bxc3 0-0 13.Rxf2 h6 14.Nf3 Bxf2+ 15.Kxf2 e4 16.Ne5 Qh4+ 17.Kg1 Qe1+ 18.Bf1 leaves White on top.
9.Nxe5 Nxe5
After 9...N8f6 10.Bb5+ Kf8 11.Qf3 Nxe5 12.fxe5 Qxe5 would transpose to the game but instead of 11...Nxe5 Black might consider 11...Bd4!? with interesting play.
10.fxe5 Qxe5 11.Bb5+ Kf8 12.Qf3 Nf6 13.Bf4 Qd4 14.h3 Bd7
If 14...Bb4 15.Bd3 Bxc3+ 16.bxc3 Qxc3+ 17.Kf2 and White has excellent compensation for the sacrificed material.
15.Bd3 Bb4 16.a3
Perhaps 16.Be3 Qe5 17.0-0 Bd6 18.Ne2 was stronger.
16...Bxc3+ 17.bxc3 Qxc3+ 18.Kf2 (second diagram)

18...Re8
I like 18...Qd4+ 19.Qe3 (if 19.Kg3 Nh5+ 20.Qxh5 Qxd3+ 21.Kh2 Qxe4 22.Bxc7 Qf5! and it is hard to imagine White eking out any winning chances) 19...Qxe3+ 20.Kxe3 Re8 21.Kf3 c6 22.d6 c5 23.Rac1 b6 24.Rhe1 h5! when it is still anyone's game.
19.Rhe1 c6 20.Kf1 h6 21.Bd6+ Kg8 22.Rab1 Bc8 23.Rbc1 Qd4 24.Bc5 Qe5 25.Bxa7 Bd7 26.Bf2 cxd5 27.exd5 Qxd5 (third diagram)
Over the preceding moves Black has not managed to neutralise White's pressure and the awkward position of his king is now a decisive factor. It's White to play and win by force!
28.Rxe8+ Bxe8 29.Qxd5 Nxd5 30.Rc8 Nf6 31.Bd4 Kf8 32.Bc5+ Kg8 33.Be7
The culmination of White's forced manoeuvre. Black must lose a piece and so he resigned here.
1-0

Duplication

One of the oddities of chess is that it is entirely possible to give a good effort, win an interesting game... and then find out that it has all been played before. This is pretty much what happened to me this morning, in an Internet blitz game against a player whose rating was very close to my own. When a tactical opportunity presented itself I had to think for a minute before responding but it was time well spent because the game was soon over.

I have the White pieces.
1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Nf6?!
Stronger is the main line move 3...Bg4.
4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Bg4 7.d5
Black has already gone wrong and here he should try to dig in with 7...Bxf3 8.gxf3 Ne5. But White keeps an advantage with 9.f4 Ned7 10.e5 Ng8 and now 11.Qb3 seems best. Instead of this Black plays a tempting but unsound move whose only merit is increasing the pressure on f3.
7...Ne5? (diagram)
White to play and win!
8.Nxe5! Bxd1 9.Bb5+ c6 10.dxc6
White now threatens both 11.cxb7+ and 11.c7+ followed by liquidation on d7 and a recapture on d1. Black has a whole tempo to work with but cannot prevent the loss of at least a piece.
10...bxc6
This loses quickly. The alternatives are:
a) 10...a6 11.c7+ axb5 12.cxd8Q+ Rxd8 13.Nxd1 with an extra piece for White;
b) 10...Bg4 and now:
i) 11.c7+?! Qd7! (stronger than 11...Bd7?! 12.cxd8+ Rxd8 13.Nxd7 Nxd7 14.0-0 e6 15.Rd1 Be7 16.Bf4 a6 17.Ba4 b5 18.Nxb5! axb5 19.Bxb5 f6 20.Rxd7 Rxd7 21.Rd1 and Black resigned in Zimlich-Baumgardt, German League 1996/97) 12.Nxd7 Bxd7 13.Bf4. Here White is only a pawn up but should still win eventually;
ii) 11.cxb7+ Bd7 12.Nxd7 Nxd7 13.bxa8Q Qxa8 14.0-0 and Black cannot prevent 15.Rd1, which will leave White with three pieces against Black's queen;
iii) 11.Nxg4! bxc6 12.Bxc6+ Nd7 13.Ne5 e6 14.Bxd7+ and White finishes a piece ahead after either 14...Qxd7 or 14...Ke7 15.Nc6+.
11.Bxc6+ Nd7 12.Bxd7+ Qxd7 13.Nxd7 Kxd7 14.Nxd1
Black resigned.
1-0

Impetuosity

One of my very favourite chess servers is Playchess.com. In order to join Playchess you must own ChessBase or one of its related playing programs such as Fritz, Shredder or Junior. Because of this prerequisite there are always strong players logged in and not surprisingly they are from all over the world.

As far as I know, ratings are calculated using the Glicko system. This system does not correspond exactly with the Elo system but is thought by its developer to be more accurate in terms of ranking and expected results.

Anyone who has played much anonymous speed chess knows that when you encounter a wide range of players you will eventually get an opportunity to win a miniature game with a combination straight out of Chernev or Reinfeld. Yesterday I got such an opportunity.

I am White in the first diagrammed position, which arose after the moves 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 d6 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Nxd4 7.Qxd4 Bd7 8.Be2 Bc6 9.0-0 Qc7?! Black's last move was not the best one. The reply was 10.Nd5! putting the question to the queen, to which my opponent replied 10...Bxd5 11.cxd5 Qc5?

Chasing after exchanges is a classic psychological failing. Here the consequences are immediate after White's next move 12.Qa4+!, which is very difficult for Black to meet. Moving his king is obviously out of the question, so he is forced to interpose with 12...Nd7. White now follows up with 13.Be3 Qc7 14.Rac1 Qd8, leading to the second diagram.

Black has lost so much time with his queen that White is already winning by force. Two unusual bishop moves do the trick: 15.Bg4! g6 16.Bb6!

Because of the mate on d7 it is obvious that 16...axb6 is the only move to save Black's queen. But with the rook on a8 now under attack White is able to conclude matters with 17.Bxd7+ Qxd7 18.Qxa8+.

Black was forced to resign here. After 18...Qd8 White has a pleasant choice between the simple 19.Rc8 and the more accurate 19.Qa4+ b5 20.Qxb5+ Qd7 21.Rc8 mate.

Domination

In the 1990s FM Gary Basanta was one of the dominant players in British Columbia chess, winning the Provincial title five times outright. The outcome of the 1992 championship was settled in a dramatic encounter with eventual runner-up Mayo Fuentebella, which I am today presenting in full. The Black pieces against a dangerous rival, a must-win situation... it doesn't get more interesting than this!

M. Fuentebella – G. Basanta
British Columbia Championship
New Westminster 1992
English Opening A28

1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.e4 Bc5 5.h3
It is better to "prevent" ...Ng4 with the forcing manoeuvre 5.Nxe5 Nxe5 6.d4 Bb4 7.dxe5 Nxe4 8.Qd4, leading to a position that is somewhat better for White. With his next move Black secures his position on the queenside and in the centre and has no further opening difficulties.
5...a5 6.d3 h6 7.Be2 d6 8.0-0 0-0 9.Be3 Bxe3
Black might consider 9...Re8 since 10.Bxc5 dxc5 is of no real help to White.
10.fxe3 Ne7 11.d4 Ng6 12.Qd2 Re8 13.Bd3 c6 14.Bc2 Bd7 15.a4
Preventing a future ...b5, although it is not clear that this was anything to worry about. The drawback is of course the weakening of the square b4.
15...Qc7 16.Rac1 Rad8 17.Rf2 Bc8 18.Bb1 Qb8 19.Ne1 Nf8!
Black's manoeuvres are straight out of Aron Nimzowitsch's classic book My System.
20.Bd3 Ne6 (first diagram)

21.d5?!
White should try to keep his central pawn position intact with 21.Nf3. The advance of the d-pawn signals the end of White's queenside ambitions and the beginning of a new phase in the struggle.
21...Nc5 22.Bc2 Qc7 23.b3 Rf8
A prophylactic move anticipating the doubling of White's rooks on the f-file.
24.Nf3 Nh7 25.Rcf1 Qb6 26.Rb1 g6 27.Ne1 Ng5 28.h4?!
Another pawn advance and another weakening of White's position. Better was 28.Nf3 Nxf3+ 29.Rxf3 when Black still has the edge but it is not as easy for him to make progress.
28...Nh7 29.Nd3 Na6!? 30.Rbf1
Perhaps White should try to stir up some queenside action with 30.Na2!?
30...Qc7 31.Rf3 Qe7 32.Qf2?!
The best defence was 32.g3 Bh3 33.Rb1 g5 34.Qh2 Bg4 35.Rf2.
32...Bg4 33.Rg3 Qxh4 (second diagram)
Black has won the ill-fated h-pawn and now has a large advantage. White's only compensation is pressure down the f-file, but that will not be enough to stop his opponent making progress.
34.Bd1 h5 35.Bf3 Kh8
Or 35...Ng5 36.Bxg4 hxg4 37.Qf6 Nb4! ( 37...Qxg3? 38.Qxg5+-) 38.Nxb4 axb4 39.Ne2 Qh5 and White has nothing better than 40.Nf4 exf4 41.Rxf4 Nh7 42.Qe7 Qe5 43.Qxe5 dxe5 44.Rfxg4 Nf6 45.Rh4 Kg7 and Black wins.
36.Bxg4 hxg4 37.Ne2
If 37.Rf3 then 37...Qg5.
37...Nb4 38.Nxb4 axb4 39.dxc6 bxc6 40.Qe1 c5 41.Kf2 Qf6+ 42.Kg1 Qg5 43.Nc1 Nf6 44.Rxf6 Qxf6

White has been forced to give up the exchange, leaving Black with only a technical task.
45.Rxg4 Kg7 46.Nd3 Rh8 47.Nf2 Rh4 48.Rg3 Kf8 49.Qd1 Qe6 50.Qf3 Ke7 51.Qd1 Rdh8 52.Qd3 Kd7 53.Kf1 Kc7 54.Ke2 Rf8 55.Rf3 f5 56.Qd1 Kb6 57.Qb1
If 57.a5+ Kxa5 58.Qa1+ Kb6 59.Qa4 Qe8.
57...Ka5 58.Qd1 Rf7 59.Qd2 Rd7 60.Qd3 Rf7 61.Qd2 Rd7 62.Qd1 f4 63.g3 fxg3 64.Rxg3 Rg7 65.Qg1 Rh5 66.Rf3 g5 67.Rf8 Rg8 68.Rf5 Rh4 69.Rxg5 Rhh8 70.Rg7 Kb6

Also possible was 70...Qf7 71.Rg3 Rxg3 72.Qxg3 Rf8 73.Qg2 Qh5+ 74.Kd2 Qf3 75.Qxf3 Rxf3 76.Ng4 Kb6 77.Nh6 Rf2+ 78.Kc1 Kc7 79.Ng4 Rf1+ 80.Kd2 Rb1 81.Kc2 Rg1 82.Nh6 Rg2+ 83.Kb1 Rg6 84.Nf5 Rg4 and wins.
71.a5+ Ka6 72.Qg5 Rxg7 73.Qxg7 Rc8 74.Nd3 (third diagram)

74...Qe8?!
Black can win quickly with 74...Rg8!; for example, 75.Qh7 Qg4+ 76.Kd2 Qg2+ 77.Kd1 Qf3+ 78.Kc2 Rg2+.
75.Qh6 Qc6 76.Qg6 Kxa5 77.Nb2 Ka6 78.Na4 Rh8 79.Qg7 Rh4 80.Qg6 Rh2+ 81.Kd3 Ra2 82.Qg4 Ra3 83.Qd1
More stubborn is 83.Kc2 but Black wins after 83...Rxa4 84.bxa4 Qxa4+ 85.Kb2 Qa3+ 86.Kb1 Qd3+ 87.Ka1 Ka5 ( 87...Qxc4? 88.Qc8+ Ka5 89.Qd8+ Kb5 90.Qd7+ Ka5 91.Qc7+ Ka4 92.Qa7+ Kb3 93.Qa2+ Kc3 94.Qc2+ Kxc2 stalemate!) 88.Qg2 b3 89.Kb2 Kb4 90.Qf2 Qc3+ 91.Kb1 Qxc4 (definitely not 91...Kxc4? 92.Qf7+ Kd3 93.Qf1+ Kxe3 94.Qf2+ Kxe4 95.Qf4+ Kd5 96.Qe4+ Ke6 97.Qg6+ and draws by repetition) 92.Qd2+ Qc3 93.Qe2 c4 etc.
83...Qxa4
White resigned 0-1

Footnote: I spoke to Gary Basanta last summer and encouraged him to make a return to chess, which he has largely abandoned in favour of poker. He gave a positive reply but did not commit himself to a timeline...

Emulation

The grandmasters of bygone days knew a few things about chess and it is good to study the classic games that they produced. The diagrammed position, which comes about after the moves 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Bd3 Bd6 7.0-0 0-0 8.e4 dxe4 9.Nxe4 Nxe4 10.Bxe4 Nf6 11.Bc2, was first seen in the game Pillsbury-Winawer, Budapest 1896 and according to the Big Database has since occurred several hundred times in tournament and match play. White has achieved a massive plus score due mainly to poor defence by Black but it must be conceded that matters are already difficult for the second player because of the latent pressure on his kingside.

Here are some classic examples:

H. Pillsbury – S. Winawer, Budapest 1896
11...h6 12.Be3 Re8 13.Qd3 Qc7 14.c5 Bf8 15.Ne5 Bxc5 16.Bxh6 Bxd4 17.Qxd4 gxh6 18.Qf4 Nd5 19.Qxh6 f6 20.f4 Re7 21.Ng6 1-0

J.R. Capablanca – C. Jaffe, New York 1910
11...h6 12.b3 b6 13.Bb2 Bb7 14.Qd3 g6 15.Rae1 Nh5 16.Bc1 Kg7 17.Rxe6 Nf6 18.Ne5 c5 19.Bxh6+ Kxh6 20.Nxf7+ 1-0

J.R. Capablanca – R.H. Scott, Hastings 1919
11...b6 12.Qd3 h6 13.b3 Qe7 14.Bb2 Rd8 15.Rad1 Bb7 16.Rfe1 Rac8 17.Nh4 Bb8 18.g3 Kf8 19.Qf3 Kg8 20.Nf5 Qc7 21.Nxh6+ Kf8 22.d5 cxd5 23.Bxf6 gxf6 24.Qxf6 Ke8 25.Rxe6+ fxe6 26.Qxe6+ Kf8 27.Qf6+ 1-0

E. Geller – A. Papapavlou, Amsterdam Olympiad 1954
11...c5 12.Bg5 cxd4 13.Qxd4 Be7 14.Qh4 h6 15.Bxh6 gxh6 16.Qxh6 Qa5 17.Ng5 e5 18.Bh7+ Kh8 19.Be4+ Kg8 20.Rae1 Bg4 21.Re3 Rad8 22.Rg3 Rd4 23.Ne6 1-0

In the penultimate round of the 1990 British Columbia championship I was paired with the local master Harold Brown. At the time we had nicknamed him The Secretary of Defence after his namesake who had served in the Carter Administration. When the Pillsbury-Winawer position appeared on the board I knew The Secretary's assignment was going to be a difficult one.

D. Scoones – H. Brown, Victoria 1990
11...h6 12.b3 b6 13.Bb2 Bb7 14.Qd3 Re8 15.Rfe1 Qc7 16.Ne5 Bxe5 17.dxe5 Rad8 18.Qg3 Nh7 19.Bc1 Kh8 20.Re4 f5 21.exf6 Qxg3 22.hxg3 Nxf6 23.Re2 c5 24.Bb2 Kg8 25.Bg6 Re7 26.Rae1 Rd6 27.Be5 Rc6 28.Rd2 Rd7 29.Red1 Bc8 30.Rxd7 Nxd7 31.Be4! Nxe5 32.Rd8+ Kf7 33.Bxc6 1-0

Prodigy

1966... The Beatles were on the charts with their album Revolver... Blow Up was in theatres... and England were World Cup champions! On top of all that came Bobby Fischer's brilliant win over Svetozar Gligoric in the Havana Olympiad. Heady days for a young chessplayer!

I was taken back to those Fischer days recently when the following game came to my notice. Another prodigy, another Spanish Exchange, and another quick victory for White. Quick, and very brilliant.

When this game was played (December 2005) Rybka was in beta testing, and was a complete unknown. Since then, of course, it has vaulted to the top of all the computer rankings. Version 2.3 is due out soon, and when that happens it's going onto my machine as soon as humanly possible!

Rybka 1.0 Beta - Jonny
15th International Computer Chess Championship
Paderborn 2005
Spanish Game C69

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.0–0 f6 6.d4 Bg4 7.c3 Bd6
Gligoric played 7...exd4 8.cxd4 Qd7, which looks quite strange to modern eyes. In My 60 Memorable Games Fischer suggested 8...c5 9.d5 Bd6, which has been played a few times with mixed results.
8.Be3 Qe7 9.Nbd2 exd4 10.cxd4 0–0–0 11.h3
A minor novelty from Rybka. The game Z.Almasi-M.Marin, Oderheiu Secuiesc (zt) 1995 went 11.Qc2 Re8 12.e5 Bb4 13.h3 Be6 with equal chances.
11...Bh5 12.Re1 Bb4 13.Rc1 Rd7
Overprotecting c7, although the rook does seem a bit awkward here. Human players would consider the line 13...Bxd2 14.Bxd2 Bxf3 15.Qxf3 Rxd4. White has very good compensation for the pawn, but whether he has the advantage is another matter.
14.d5!
Rybka strikes! Opening the c-file will create real danger for Black's king.
14...cxd5 15.exd5 Qf7 (see the first diagram.)
If 15...Qd8 16.Qb3 Bxf3 17.Qxb4 Bxd5 18.Qc5 with strong pressure for White.

16.Nc4!
Rybka has calculated a long way ahead in making this passive sacrifice, so far ahead that none of my playing programs can find the idea.
16...Bxe1
If 16...Bxf3 then 17.gxf3! (certainly not 17.Qxf3 Bxe1 18.Nb6+ Kd8 19.Nxd7 Qxd7 29.Rxe1 Ne7 30.Rd1 Nf5 with only a small advantage for White) followed by play similar to the game.
17.d6!! (see the second diagram.)
Amazing... White, a whole rook down, simply pushes a pawn! The charming point is that despite his extra material Black cannot prevent the manoeuvre Qd1-d4-a7, invading his king's position and bringing the game to a quick conclusion. Jonny was probably expecting 17.Nb6+ Kd8 18.Nxd7 Qxd7 19.Qxe1, when 19...Bxf3 20.gxf3 Ne7 21.d6 Nc6 22.dxc7+ Kxc7 23.Bf4+ Kc8 is quite equal.
17...c6
No better was 17...Ba5 18.Nxa5 Ne7 19.Qd4 Bxf3 20.gxf3 Qg6+ 21.Kh1 Qf5 22.Qa7 and White wins.
18.Qd4 Bb4 19.Qa7 Rxd6 20.Qa8+ Kd7 21.Nxd6 1-0

Black is completely lost no matter what he plays; for example, 21...Bxd6 22.Qxb7+ Ke8 23.Qc8+ Ke7 and now 24.Bc5!! Bxc5 25.Re1+ Kd6 26.Qd8+ Qd7 27.Rd1+, etc.

A brilliant game by any standard, human or mechanical.

Is this Legal?

There I was, drinking my tea this morning, getting ready to go to work. I was up a bit earlier than usual, so there was time to get onto one of the chess servers for a quick game. I didn't realise just how quick... but of course one can never know this. My opponent was a Russian chap. His rating wasn't high, but respectable. A five-minute game, and I am Black:

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.c4 c6 4.dxc6
If you are going to take this pawn, you have to know what you are doing.
4...Nxc6 5.d3 e5 6.Bg5
To the cognoscenti, the first sign that White is drifting.
6...Bc5 7.Nc3
Intuition is a funny thing. Here I knew my invisible opponent wanted to gang up on my pinned knight, so I made a move that helped his knight find the "right" square for this project.
7...Be6!?
No points, by the way, for 7...Bxf2+? 8.Kxf2 Ng4+ and now 9.Qxg4! leaves White a piece ahead when all the captures are over.
8.Ne4?
Taking on f6 and then playing 9.Ne4 doesn't help White after 9...Bb4+ 10.Nc3 Rd8 with unpleasant pressure (or pleasant pressure, depending on your perspective.)
8...Nxe4!
Again, no points for other moves.
9.Bxd8 Bxf2+ 10.Ke2 Nd4 mate.

Yes, I know: it's just Legal's mate with reversed colours. Nothing too special... except that I could not find a single previous example of this in any of the big databases!

Slaying the Dragon, 1969

Scoones D - Emig M
Victoria Ch Qualifier 1969
Sicilian: Accelerated Dragon B35

Martin Emig, a long-time member of the Victoria Chess Club, was a keen correspondence player. We had many interesting OTB battles as A-Class players in the early 1970s. The game presented here was our first encounter, from a qualifying tournament for the club championship. At the time, Martin was a recent arrival from Germany and a largely unknown quantity. There was little at stake except honour since we were both through to the main event already.

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6
He played this a lot. I think the French was his only other defence to 1.e4.
5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bc4
I had read Fischer, and I was aiming for that "sac... sac... mate" thing that he pulled off against Larsen in 1958. The Yugoslav Attack, we called it at the time, but later on the Batsford Corporation attached the name of the Soviet player Vsevolod Rauzer.
7...Qa5!?
The introduction to a very deep trap...
8.f3?! (D)
...into which White stumbles...
8...0-0?!
... and which Black in turn misses. The dangerous move is 8...Qb4!? 9.Bb3 Nxe4! 10.Nxc6 (It's better to bail out with 10.fxe4 Bxd4 11.Bxd4 Qxd4 12.Qxd4 Nxd4 13.Nd5 but I don't see White surviving after 13...Rb8. He's a pawn down and Black's position looks pretty solid.) 10...Bxc3+ 11.bxc3 Qxc3+ 12.Ke2 Otherwise Black simply captures on e3. 12...dxc6! The future grandmaster Peter Biyiasas fell into this trap against an American expert, and duly arrived at this miserable position as White. However, I don't have to tell you who failed to win or even draw the game in the end... 13.Bd4 (White cannot recapture the piece since 13.fxe4 loses the queen to 13...Bg4+) 13...e5! 14.Bxc3 Nxc3+ 15.Kd2 Nxd1 16.Raxd1 Ke7 with two extra pawns and an easily winning game for Black. Instead of 9.Bb3 White must find 9.Nxc6! bxc6 10.Bb3. Taking on c6 is usually a serious concession in the Dragon, but in this case it has cost Black several tempi with his queen. I would say White is doing all right here.
9.Qd2 Rd8 10.0-0-0 d6
After this we're back into a regular Dragon formation, except that Black has played the mysterious and probably useless move ...Rfd8. The verdict: better for White.
11.Kb1 a6 12.g4 Ne5 13.Bb3 Bd7 14.h4!
Here too it might be said that instead of ...Rac8 and ...Nc4, Black has played ...Rfd8 and ...a6. He's way behind the eight-ball now.
14...h5!?
It looks strange to see Black moving his kingside pawns, but he has a concrete idea: he wants to establish a blockade on the square h5 and thus prevent the opening of the h-file. This would be clever, except that now he won't be able to stop White from blowing open the g-file.
15.gxh5 Nxh5 16.Bh6
A standard device to exchange an important defender. Black should try 16...Bf6.
16...Rac8?! 17.Bxg7 Kxg7 (D) 18.Nf5+!
No points for other moves!
18...Bxf5
He has to take this way since 18...gxf5 19.Qg5+ Ng6 20.Qxh5 Rh8 21.Qg5 f6 22.Qg2 leaves his king position in ruins with a level piece count.
19.exf5 Ng3
If 19...Nxf3 20.Qg2 Ne5 21.fxg6 fxg6 22.Qg5 Nc6 23.Rd5! shutting out the Black queen, for example, 23...Qb6 24.Rg1 Nf4 25.Ne2! and Black's position collapses.
20.fxg6 Nxh1 21.gxf7 Nxf7?!
Not the best. The only try was 21...Ng6 22.Rxh1 Qh5 but after 23.Rg1 White's attack is very powerful.
22.Rg1+ Kf8 23.Be6?!
A bit of a stumble; correct was the immediate 23.Qg2. With time running short the Dan of 1969 could not see a clear win after 23...e6, when he would be a whole rook down. But the Dan of today sees a simple win with 24.Bxe6 Ke7 25.Bxf7 Kxf7 ( 25...Rxc3 26.bxc3) 26.Qg6+ Ke7 27.Qh7+ Ke6 28.Rg6+ Ke5 29.Qg7+ and mates quickly.
23...Rxc3?!
A tougher defence is 23...Qe5 but after 24.Bxc8 Rxc8 25.Rxh1 White has an extra outside passed pawn supported by a rook, which I had probably assessed as winning. I do remember being absolutely certain he would take on c3...
24.Qg2!
And that, as they say, is all she wrote.
24...Ng5 25.Qxg5 (D) 1-0

One would think that such a game would be a harbinger of things to come. Well, despite this defeat in the last round of the qualifier, Martin Emig went on to win the Victoria Championship itself by a comfortable margin. I never played another Yugoslav Attack, and in fact went on to become a dry 1.d4 player. Sometimes it's not just rook moves that are mysterious!

Brag time

Dan Scoones - GM Jaan Ehlvest
ICS G/5 Chess.Net, 10.10.1997
Sicilian: Closed B26

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 e5 7.Qd2 Nf6 8.h3 Be6 9.Nd5 Bxd5 10.exd5 Ne7 11.c4 Nf5 12.Ne2 Nxe3 13.Qxe3 h5 14.f4 Bh6 15.Qf3 Qe7 16.0-0 exf4 17.Nxf4 Bxf4 18.Qxf4 Nd7 19.Rae1 Ne5 20.d4 cxd4 21.c5 Kd7 22.cxd6 Kxd6 23.Qxd4 1-0

I am grateful to GM Ehlvest for respecting my (shaky?) technique, and for playing me in the first place!