Los Angeles Times

September 27, 2009

CHESS

Player of the year? Levon Aronian

The winner of the recent FIDE-organized Grand Prix has a California
connection.

By Jack Peters International Master

September 27, 2009

Position No. 6074: Black to play and win. From the game Ilia
Smirin-Alberto David, Greece 2009.

Solution to Position No. 6073: White pins and wins by 1 Bc3! Qg1+ 2
Ka2 Qg5 3 Rxe5 Rxe5 4 Qd5 Kf6 5 Qd6+. Black cannot escape the pin by 1
. . . Kh6 2 Qf8+, or 1 . . . Kg8 2 Qd5+, or 1 . . . Kh7 2 Qf8 Qh4 3
Be1! Qf6 4 Rh3+. Note that 1 Rxe5? Rxe5 2 Bc3 fails, as 2 . . . Kh6 3
Qf8+ Kg5 is fine for Black.

Today’s column features a game by Levon Aronian of Armenia, the most
successful grandmaster of the year. Aronian recently won the Grand
Prix organized by the World Chess Federation (FIDE) and the Grand Slam
Masters run by the rival Grand Slam Assn.

Aronian has a California connection: The trainer who helped him win
the World Under-12 Championship in 1994 was Melikset Khachiyan, now a
grandmaster and chess instructor in Glendale. Aronian, nearing his
prime at age 26, is third in world rankings.

The game is typical of Aronian’s style. He is not an openings
specialist, but he knows how to steer for a complicated middlegame
where he can pose a series of difficult problems for his opponent,
much as world champion Emanuel Lasker did a century ago. He also
displays Lasker’s legendary poise.

World Cup

FIDE has announced 124 of the 128 participants in the World Cup, which
begins Nov. 20 in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. Most earned selection from
outstanding performances in continental championships or by having a
rating over 2700.

Four more will be selected by the local organizing committee. The
tournament will boast a powerful field composed almost entirely of
grandmasters, but the world’s top six players declined to play.

The United States, often neglected by FIDE, will send a 10-player
contingent, second only to Russia’s 23 players.

Chess superpowers China (10 players) and Ukraine (nine players) will
be pro
piads, will supply only two players.

Southern California star Varuzhan Akobian and 14-year-old prodigy Ray
Robson of Florida will provide excitement for U.S. fans. However,
U.S. champion Hikaru Nakamura (New York) will not play.

The tournament will award $1.28 million in prize money. The winner
will receive $96,000 and continue in the cycle to pick the 2011 world
champion.

Local news

The Exposition Park Chess Club will host a free three-round tournament
at 1 p.m. Sunday in the public library, 3900 S. Western Ave. in Los
Angeles. See chess.expoparkla.com for more about the club.

Today’s games

GM Levon Aronian (Armenia)-GM Alexey Shirov (Spain), Bilbao 2009: 1 c4
e5 2 g3 Nf6 3 Bg2 d5 4 cxd5 Nxd5 5 Nf3 Nc6 6 0-0 This variation of the
English Opening resembles the Sicilian Dragon, with colors
reversed. Nb6 7 b3 Harmless. Bd6 8 Bb2 0-0 9 d3 Bg4 10 h3 Bh5 11 Nbd2
Qe7 Or 11 . . . f5. 12 Ne4 f5 13 Nxd6 cxd6 14 b4!? Black would have a
promising position after 14 Rc1 f4, so Aronian tries to regain the
initiative. Nxb4 Not forced, but 14 . . . Kh8 15 b5 Nd8 16 a4 suits
White. 15 Qb3+ N4d5 16 Nxe5 Sufficient to equalize. The speculative 16
e4!? fxe4 17 dxe4 Bxf3 18 Bxf3 Qf7! 19 Bg4! Nc7 20 f4 secures
significant compensation for the pawn. dxe5 17 Bxd5+ Nxd5 18 Qxd5+ Kh8
19 Rfe1 A fighter’s choice, passing up a certain draw by 19 Qxe5 Qxe5
20 Bxe5 Bxe2 21 Rfc1 Rac8 22 d4 Bf3. Rae8 20 Rac1 f4! White’s misses
his fianchettoed Bishop. 21 g4 Bf7 22 Qe4 Inviting 22 . . . Bxa2 23
Ra1. Bg6 23 Qg2 Prudent. After 23 Qa4?! Qh4, White cannot stand 24
Kg2? f3+! 25
exf3 Rxf3. He would have to retreat the Queen by 24 Qxa7 Qxh3 25 f3
and Qa7-f2. Qf7 24 Rc5 Qxa2 Strongest appears 24 . . . e4 25 dxe4 Bxe4
26 f3 b6 27 Rg5 Bg6, followed by . . . h7-h6. The pawns at a2 and e2
are vulnerable. 25 Rb5?! This succeeds because Black misses the
devastating answer 25 . . . e4 26 Rxb7 Rf7! 27 Rxf7 Bxf7. Objectively,
White should have settled for equality by 25 Bxe5 b6 26 Qb7! Bf7 (or
26 . . . Rf7 27 Qd5) 27 Rc4! Rxe5 28 Qxf7 Ree8 29 Qd7. b6? 26 Ra1 Qf7
27 Rxe5 Now White has the more effective Bishop and Black must
struggle to maintain equality. Qb3 28 Rxe8 Rxe8 29 Bd4 Qb4! Not 29
. . . Rxe2? 30 Rxa7 Bf7? 31 Qb7, as White breaks through on the
seventh or eighth rank. 30 Qd5 Qe7 31 Rc1 h6 Avoiding 31 . . . Qxe2??
32 Rc7 Re7 33 Qb7. 32 Qf3 Qd6 If 32 . . . Qxe2 33 Qxf4, White
threatens both 34 Qxh6+ and 34 Rc7. 33 Bb2 Kh7 34 Rc4 b5? Best is 34
. . . Qe7 35 Rc2 Qb4!, intending to repeat moves by 36 . . . Qb3 37
Rd2 Qb4. 35 Rc6 Qb4?!
Maybe Black can survive 35 . . . Qd7 36 Rc5 Qe7 37 Rxb5 Qxe2. The
immediate 35 . . . Qe7?! loses to 36 Qxf4 Qxe2? 37 Bxg7. 36 Bc3 Qe7 37
Qxf4 Winning. Rf8 38 Qe3 As 38 . . . Qxe3 39 fxe3 Rf7 40 Ra6 stymies
Black’s pawns while freeing White’s to advance. Qf7 39 Be5 Re8 After
39 . . . Qd5 40 Rd6 Qb7, a typical finish would be 41 f4 b4 42 f5 Be8
43 Re6! b3 44 Bb2 (threatening 45 Re7) Bf7 45 Bxg7!, leading to
checkmate. 40 f4 Qd7 Hoping for 41 Rc7?? Qxc7. 41 Qc5 Qe7 42 Rc7 Qxc5+
43 Rxc5, Black Resigns. Black has no useful move after 43 . . . a6 44
Rc7 Rg8 45 f5 Be8 46 Bc3.

GM Loek Van Wely (Netherlands)-GM Daniel Stellwagen (Netherlands),
Amsterdam 2009: 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4 d6 5 Nf3 0-0 6 Be2 e5
7 0-0 Nc6 8 d5 Ne7 9 b4 The Bayonet Attack against the King’s Indian
Defense. Van Wely is the world’s leading authority on this
variation. Nh5 10 g3 Also fashionable is 10 Re1 Nf4 11 Bf1. f5 11 Ng5
Nf6 12 f3 f4 Sharpest, although 12 . . . c6 and 12 . . . a5 have
adherents. 13 b5 Van Wely’s latest favorite, supplanting 13 Kg2 c6 14
Qb3 h6 15 Ne6 Bxe6 16 dxe6 Qc8 17 Rd1 Rd8 18 c5 d5. Not 13 gxf4?! exf4
14 Bxf4? because 14 . . . Nfxd5! 15 Nxd5 Bxa1 gains material. fxg3 14
hxg3 h6 15 Ne6 Bxe6 16 dxe6 Qc8 17 Nd5 Qxe6 Black cannot let this pawn
live! 18 Nxc7 Qh3 19 Rf2!? Enterprising. Instead, 19 Nxa8 Qxg3+ 20 Kh1
Qh3+ draws, a satisfactory result for Black. Nxe4! 20 fxe4 Van Wely
once lost to Degraeve with 20 Rh2 Qd7 21 Nxa8 Nxg3 22 Bxh6 Bxh6 23
Rxh6 Kg7 24 Rh2 Nef5! 25 Kf2 Rxa8, which gives Black fair
compensation. Rxf2 21
Kxf2 Rf8+ 22 Ke3 The pinned Bishop is doomed after 22 Bf3? g5. Qxg3+
23 Kd2 Rf2 24 Ne8 Following Van Wely’s 2008 win against Radjabov, a
King’s Indian specialist. White nullified Black’s threats by 24
. . . h5? 25 Nxg7 Kxg7 26 Qb3 Qg2 27 Qe3 Ng8 28 c5! dxc5 29 Bb2 Qh2 30
Re1 Nf6 31 Kd1. Qf3! A significant improvement. It’s dangerous to try
to repeat one’s successes! 25 Nxd6 Best, as it protects e4. After 25
Nxg7? Kxg7, White must return material by 26 Ke1 Rxe2+ 27 Qxe2 Qc3+,
as 26 Bb2? Qxe4 leaves him helpless against the invasion of the Knight
at f5. Bf6 26 c5?? Losing beautifully. Only 26 Qe1 Rh2 27 Kd1 Qg2
(threatening 28 . . . Rh1) 28 Kc2 resists. White would like 28
. . . Qxe2+ 29 Qxe2 Rxe2+ 30 Kd3, but Black can draw by 28 . . . Qf3
29 Kd1 Qg2 or keep attacking with 28 . . . Nc8!? 29 Nxc8 Qxe4+ 30 Kb3
Rxe2. The outcome remains unclear after 31 Qc3 Rf2 32 Nd6 Qe2 33 Be3
e4 34 Bd4 Rf3 35 Bxf6. Nd5!! Preventing 27 Qb3+ and setting up 27
. . . Qc3
mate. 27 exd5 White loses his Queen by 27 Ke1 Rxe2+ 28 Qxe2 Bh4+ 29
Kd2 Bg5+ 30 Ke1 Qh1+ 31 Qf1 Bh4+ 32 Ke2 Nc3+. Even worse is 27 Bb2
Bg5+ 28 Kc2 (or 28 Ke1 Qh1+! 29 Kxf2 Bh4 mate) Rxe2+ 29 Kb1 Re1! 30
Qxe1 Qd3 mate. e4 28 Ke1 Qg2?? Spoiling his brilliancy. He should
finish splendidly by 28 . . . Bc3+ 29 Bd2 Qg3 30 Bxc3 e3 31 Qd3 Rf1+!
32 Kxf1 Qf2 mate. 29 Kd2 Bxa1 30 c6?? There is still hope after 30 Nc4
Bf6 31 Ne3 or 30 Nc4 Qf3 31 Nb2! e3+ 32 Kd3 Qxd5+ 33 Kc2. Qf3!
Another mate threat at c3. 31 Nxe4 Qxe4 32 c7 Qf4+ 33 Ke1 Bc3+ Good
enough, but 33 . . . Qg3! 34 c8Q+ Rf8+ is quickest. 34 Bd2 Qg3! 35
Bxc3 Rf3+ 36 Kd2 Rxc3 37 d6 Qe3+ 38 Ke1 Rc1 39 Qxc1 Setting Black more
problems than 39 c8Q+ Rxc8 40 Qb3+ Qxb3 41 axb3 Rd8 or 39 d7 Rxd1+ 40
Kxd1 Qd4+ 41 Ke1 Qxd7. Qxc1+ 40 Kf2 Qc5+ 41 Kf3 Kf7 42 Bf1 Dreaming of
his Bishop at h3. Qf5+! 43 Kg3 Qe6 44 Kf2 h5 45 a4 Kf6 46 Bg2 Now the
careless 46 . . . Ke5?? 47 Bxb7 lets White draw. Qc8 47 Kg3 g5!, White
Resigns.

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