ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN VIE FOR SUPREMACY AT RUSSIA’S EXPENSE
Leonard Barden
The Guardian
7 November 2009
More than 150 nations are affiliated to the global chess body Fide,
yet team supremacy on the board is currently being fought out by two
small Caucasian republics. In the process the pair have humilated
their big neighbour Russia, for long the undisputed No1.
When Armenia won the 2006 Olympiad, the success was reckoned a surprise
one-off. Then its squad retained the crown in 2008, sparking street
celebrations in Erevan and the presidential plane home for the winning
team. On both occasions the top-seeded Russians failed, as they had
behind Ukraine in 2004.
These results infuriated politicians and grandmasters in Azerbaijan,
which has an ongoing acrimonious border dispute with Armenia. At last
week’s European team championship, the men from Baku came with a new
manager, a highly rated team and ambitious zeal. Russia were again
No1 seeds and at the start of the final round they led Azerbaijan by
a point, with easier opponents. But they blew it yet again. Russia
managed only 2-2 with Spain and the Azeris clinched the gold medals
when a Dutch GM blundered in a drawn rook ending.
Both nations have chess traditions from Soviet times. Erevan boasts a
statue of Tigran Petrosian, the Armenian world champion, while Garry
Kasparov was raised in Baku by his Armenian mother.
The battle now moves to next year’s world title candidate matches,
as Azeris and Armenians haggle with Fide over venues, qualifiers
and wild cards. The Azeris have three GMs in the world top 20, led
by Vugar Gashimov, 23, their Euro team star whose subtle play below
gives White first a strong pawn centre, then a winning attack.
V Gashimov v M Roiz
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 O-O Be7 6 Re1 b5 7 Bb3 d6 8 c3
O-O 9 d4 Bg4 10 d5 Na5 11 Bc2 c6 12 h3 Bc8 13 dxc6 Qc7 14 Nbd2 Qxc6 15
Nf1 Re8 16 Ng3 Be6 17 Ng5 Bd7 18 a4 Nc4 19 b3 Nb6 20 a5 Nc8 21 Bd2 Bd8
22 Bd3 Ne7 23 c4 Qb7 24 Nf3 b4 25 c5 dxc5 26 Nxe5 Bc7 27 Nxd7 Nxd7 28
f4 Nf8 29 Bc4 Rad8 30 e5 Nc6 31 Nf5 Nxa5 32 Rxa5 Bxa5 33 Qg4 g6 34 Nh6+
Kg7 35 f5 Ne6 36 fxe6 Rxd2 37 exf7 Rf8 38 e6 Bd8 39 Nf5+ Kh8 40 Qg3 1-0