29 April 2003 09:51
Time-honoured gambit
THE fourth Anatoly Karpov tournament is taking place at Poikovsky in the remote oil bearing region of Nefteyugansky
in Russia. The field is very strong with the 10 player all play all sponsored by local oil interests.
After six rounds Peter Svidler of Russia, Alexander Onischuk now of America and Frenchman Joel Lautier all have four
points.
In the following game from the sixth round White plays a clever pawn sacrifice which gives the game the character of
a gambit developed by Sir Stuart Milner-Barry, one of England's finest chess players. He was one of four senior
cryptographers, together with another great English chess player, Hugh Alexander, who worked on the Enigma code during
the Second World War.
Both were playing for England at the Buenos Aires Olympiad the day war was declared and promptly withdrew from the
tournament and returned home.
Sir Stuart's idea was 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3!? cxd4 7.cxd4 Bd7 (taking twice on d4
loses the queen) 8.0-0!? Nxd4 9.Nxd4 Qxd4 10.Nc3 and now 10...Qxe5!? or 10...a6 preventing Nb5.
Rublevsky's idea is rather clever because the move ...a5 by Black turns out to be most unfortunate and allows a
later Nb5. 19...Qe7 keeping the queen closer to the king might have been a better defence.
In the final position the sacrifice of rook and then bishop is decisive after 26.Rxf6! gxf6 27.Bxf6+! Kxf6 28.Qg5+
Kg7 29.Bxh5+ Kf8 30.Qf6+ Kg8 31.Qf7 mate.
S Rublevsky (2670)
- S Lputian (2638)
4th Karpov Int. Poikovsky (6)
French Tarrasch
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nd2 Be7 4 Ngf3 Nf6 5 e5 Nfd7 6 Bd3 c5 7 c3 Nc6 8 0-0 a5 9 Re1 cxd4 10 cxd4 Qb6 11 Nb1! Nxd4 12 Nxd4
Qxd4 13 Nc3 Qb6 14 Qg4 Kf8 15 Nb5 Nc5 16 Be3 Bd7 17 Nd6! Bxd6 18 exd6 Qxd6 19 Qg3 Qc6 20 Rac1 b6 21 Rc3! h5 22 h4 Rc8 23
Bd4 f6 24 Bg6 Re8 25 Rf3 Ke7 26 Rxf6! 1-0
[UKIR [UK & Ireland Intelligence Wire]] |
RUSSIA IN FACTS
