Washington Times, DC
June 11 2005
Outlook dims for title deal
By David R. Sands
The theory that the retirement of Garry Kasparov would make unifying
the divided world chess crown easier has been taking a beating
recently.
To its credit, FIDE, the international chess federation, has
organized a strong eight-grandmaster double-round-robin tournament
for this fall in Argentina, to be played at classical time controls.
The format strongly resembles the famous 1948 tournament in which
Russian great Mikhail Botvinnik won the title vacated with the death
of Alexander Alekhine two years earlier.
But Russian Vladimir Kramnik, who beat Kasparov in a title match
in London five years ago, won’t be playing in the FIDE event. The
obvious unification scenario would have the winner of the Argentine
tournament — which includes such legitimate contenders as Bulgaria’s
Veselin Topalov, Viswanathan Anand of India and Hungary’s Peter Leko
— play Kramnik for the undisputed crown, something Kramnik has said
he would consider.
But FIDE Vice President Georgios Makropoulos, in a new interview
with the Russian magazine Sport Express, has ruled out the
common-sense solution, saying the winner in Argentina will be FIDE’s
world champion, period. Makropoulos even said the players were
required to promise not to play a match against Kramnik as a
condition for playing in Argentina.
?Kramnik made a decision not to play in Argentina. We cannot ask
our world champion to play against him,? Makropolous reportedly said.
All of which means that the ruinous division plaguing the game’s
most valuable asset is likely to be with us for a while to come.
Reunification may be on hold, but area players still can square
off against a top grandmaster Thursday night when three-time U.S.
champion Joel Benjamin gives a lecture and simultaneous exhibition at
the Arlington Chess Club. The fun starts at 7 p.m., and the cost to
participate is $20.
Organizer Mike Atkins says more than half the boards are already
claimed. More information on the event can be found at the ACC Web
site,
The eight-game rapid match between Leko and English star Michael
Adams, which ended Sunday in the Hungarian city of Miskolc, featured
some bizarre momentum shifts. Adams burst out of the blocks with
three straight wins only to have Leko tie things up with three points
in the next three games. The players drew the last two games and thus
split the eventful match, 4-4.
Leko finally caught up with a fine display of power chess in Game
6 as Adams fell to a powerful central attack. Woozy from watching his
lead evaporate, Black desperately tries to simplify the position, but
his passive play only leaves him more exposed.
Things develop normally in this Ruy Lopez until 20. Qd2 exd4?!,
when Black voluntarily surrenders his strong point at e5. Adams was
clearly trying to suck the life out of the position with 21. Nxd4
Nxd4 22. Bxd4 Rxc1 23. Rxc1 Rc8, hoping to trade off the heavy
pieces. But Leko’s psychologically astute 24. Re1! Be6 25. Ne3 keeps
the rook on the board and prepares for White’s central push.
With 26. f4 Bf6 27. Rd1, the weak backward d-pawn is already
proving a headache for Black, and Adams’ attempts to seek
counterpressure against White’s center backfire badly: 27…Qa8?! 28.
Bxf6 Nxf6 29. Qxd6 g6 (a mandatory preparatory move as 29…Nxe4??
30. Bxe4 Qxe4 31. Qd8+ leads to mate) 30. f5!, embarrassing both the
bishop and the loose knight on f6.
Now on 30…Qa7 31. Kf2 Ne8, the bishop is lost after 32. Qb4!
gxf5 33. exf5 Bc4 34. b3 axb3 35. axb3, but Black’s choice proves
even less effective: 30…Nxe4 31. Bxe4 Qxe4 32. Ng4!, when the
bishop is still en prise and White also threatens 33. Nf6+. Removing
the pawn with 32…Qxf5 walks into a second fork on 33. Nh6+; Adams
gave up.
The Lina Grumette Memorial Day Classic has long been a
holiday-weekend fixture in Southern California. Armenian IM Andranik
Matikozian was this year’s winner, with a 51/2-1/2 score that
included a win over chief rival IM Enrico Sevillano.
Against California master Reynaldo Del Pilar, Matikozian picked
up a quick point with a classic Sicilian piece sacrifice on d5. The
offer of a bishop with 10. Bd5 exd5 11. exd5+ Be7 12. Nf5
discombobulates Black’s game, and Del Pilar never recovers his
bearings.
A better response to the sacrifice would have been 12…Kf8 13.
Qg4 Bf6 (g6? 14. Nxe7 Nxe7 15. Bg5) 14. Bf4 h5 15. Qf3 Nh6 16. Bxd6+
Kg8 17. Nxh6+ Rxh6 18. Bxc5, though even here White has a strong
pull. On the game’s 12…Bc8 13. Nxg7+ Kf8 14. Nh5 Bf5 15. Qd4,
blocking with 15…Bf6? loses to 16. Bh6+! Nxh6 17. Nxf6 Qc7 18. Ne8
Rxe8 19. Qxh8+ Ng8 20. Rxe8+ Kxe8 21. Qxg8.
Black hangs on with 15…f6 16. Ne2 Nd7 17. Qf4 Bg6 18. Nd4, but
the defensive strain gets to him with 18…Bf7? (see diagram;
20…Qc8! 19. Qh4 [Ne6+ Kf7 20. Ng5+ Kf8 leaves White with no better
than a perpetual] Ne5 20. Nf4 Qg4 gives Black real survival chances)
19. Qg4!, winning in all variations.
The game ended with 19…Qa5 (Ne5 20. Qg7+ Ke8 21. Qxh8 and
19…Bg6 20. Ne6+ both are equally disastrous for Black) 20. Bh6+!,
and Black resigned facing 20…Nxh6 (Ke8 21. Ng7+ Kf8 22. Nde6+ Bxe6
23. Nxe6+ Kf7 24. Qh5 mate) 21. Qg7+ Ke8 22. Qxh8+ Bg8 23. Rxe7+!
Kxe7 24. Nc6+, picking off the queen.
Rapid Match, Game 6, Miskolc, Hungary, June 2005
Leko Adams
1. e4 e5 17. Rc1 Rac8
2. Nf3 Nc6 18. Nf1 Qb8
3. Bb5 a6 19. Bb1 Rc7
4. Ba4 Nf6 20. Qd2 exd4
5. 0-0 Be7 21. Nxd4 Nxd4
6. Re1 b5 22. Bxd4 Rxc1
7. Bb3 d6 23. Rxc1 Rc8
8. c3 0-0 24. Re1 Be6
9. h3 Na5 25. Ne3 Nd7
10. Bc2 c5 26. f4 Bf6
11. d4 Qc7 27. Rd1 Qa8
12. Nbd2 cxd4 28. Bxf6 Nxf6
13. cxd4 Nc6 29. Qxd6 g6
14. Nb3 a5 30. f5 Nxe4
15. Be3 a4 31. Bxe4 Qxe4
16. Nbd2 Bd7 32. Ng4 Black
resigns
Lina Grumette Memorial Day Classic, Los Angeles, May 2005
Matikozian Del Pilar
1. e4 c5 11. exd5+ Be7
2. Nc3 a6 12. Nf5 Bc8
3. Nf3 d6 13. Nxg7+ Kf8
4. d4 cxd4 14. Nh5 Bf5
5. Nxd4 e6 15. Qd4 f6
6. Bc4 b5 16. Ne2 Nd7
7. Bb3 Nd7 17. Qf4 Bg6
8. 0-0 Nc5 18. Nd4 Bf7
9. Re1 Bb7 19. Qg4 Qa5
10. Bd5 exd5 20. Bh6+ Black
resigns