This week’s Armenia v World match
The Guardian (London)
June 19, 2004
This week’s Armenia v World match in Moscow provided a rare chance
for Garry Kasparov and Vishy Anand to compete head to head, though
the Armenian team, honouring the 75th anniversary of Tigran
Petrosian’s birth, was a strange mix. Kasparov has an Armenian
mother, Hungary’s Peter Leko has an Armenian wife and the Israeli
Boris Gelfand is an ex-pupil of Petrosian. Loek van Wely, the
lowest-rated GM on the World team, was on the end of a full-blooded
Kasparov attack. Yet the Dutch No1’s resilient defence would have
been rewarded if he had found 31 gxf6! when 32 Qxf6 Rxf6 33 Rxf6 Bxf3
34 Qg5+ draws by perpetual check. As played, Black resigned after 33
fxg6! because of Rxf6 34 g7 or 33 . . . fxg6 34 Rxg6+ Kf8 35 Qh8+
forcing mate. The World won 18.5-17.5. G Kasparov v L van Wely 1 Nf3
Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 Nc3 Nc6 4 d4 cxd4 5 Nxd4 e6 6 a3 Nxd4 7 Qxd4 b6 8 Qf4
Be7 9 e4 d6 10 Qg3 O-O 11 Bh6 Ne8 12 Bf4 Bb7 13 Rd1 Bh4 14 Qh3 Qf6 15
Be3 Bg5 16 Be2 Bxe3 17 Qxe3 Qe7 18 O-O Nf6 19 Rd2 Rfd8 20 Rfd1 Bc6 2
Bb7 26 Nb5 Qxc4 27 Nxd6 Qc7 28 Qxh4 Bc6 29 g4 Ba4 30 g5 Bxd1 31 gxf6
Rxd6? 32 Rg2 g6 33 fxg6! 1-0
M Adams v V Akopian
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nd2 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Nd7 5 Nf3 Ngf6 6 Nxf6+ Nxf6 7 c3 c5
8 Ne5 a6 9 Bg5 Be7 10 dxc5 Qxd1+ 11 Rxd1 Bxc5 12 Be2 h6 13 Bh4 g5 14
Bg3 Ne4 15 Bf3 Nxg3 16 hxg3 Ke7 17 Bxb7! Bxb7 18 Rd7+ Kf6 19 f4! gxf4
20 gxf4 Kf5 21 Rxf7+ Ke4 22 Rxb7 Rag8 23 Rc7 Be3 24 Rc4+ Kd5 25 Rh5!
1-0
No 2836
White, playing up the board, checkmates in two moves, against any
defence. This week’s diagram is the opening round of the annual
Winton Capital British Solving Championship, to find the UK’s best
solver.
To enter, simply post White’s first move to: Paul Valois, 14 Newton
Park Drive, Leeds LS7 4HH. You should include a cheque or postal
order for £3 payable to British Chess Problem Society, and mark your
entry “The Guardian”.
Entries, which are open to British residents only, must be postmarked
July 31 or earlier. After the closing date all entrants will receive
the answer to the starting problem, a free copy of The Problemist
magazine, and, if successful, a postal round of harder problems. The
best postal solvers qualify for a £1,000 prize fund final in early
2005.
Last year nearly 90% of Guardian readers who entered the first stage
got it right. But be warned. This year’s starter problem looks harder
than in recent years, and I needed several attempts before finding
the key move. So check carefully before posting your answer.
Winton Capital also sponsors the British team at the annual world
solving championship.
No 2835 : Black should play Kb8! The game ended Kc7? 2 a7 Kb7 3 Nd6+!
Resigns as a pawn queens.