Contents Introduction
5
Inde" of Openings Acknowledgements
6 7
Foreword by Leonard Barden
9
1:
The Chess Career of Tony Miles
2:
"I played every night for a year unlil l gal bored"
23
3:
"A cable"
51
4:
"I pushed Karpov all the way for first place at Tilburg
78
5:
"I beat Spassky twice heavily-lovely games, very pretty"
93
6:
"I feel I'm overdue to win some toumaments"
109
7:
"1 heard that Karpov felt insulted by my choice of opening"
128
II
"
(including Interview at Lone Pine 1980 - 133) 8:
"When I play close to home it's the complex-l play badly"
159
9:
"The Impossible Challenge, Tilburg Inlerpolis 1985"
175
10:
"I get bored with playing the same thing all the time"
198
11:
"I am nostalgic for the days before computers were invented"
218
12:
Problems
240
13:
Solutions to Problems
245 252
14:
Articles
IS:
Memories ora generous soul, a great bloke'
16:
Tony Miles-.one of my best and most loyal friends
17:
"Can you show me your game against Karpov
and a unique personality
where you played 1...36, please Mr Miles?" 18:
"I have no style-I just make moves"
264 267
271 278
Tony Miles's tournament, match and England national team record Index of Opponents
284 288
Acknowledgements
Introduction n November 200 I the chessworld was shocked by the news that Tony Miles, Engl:and's first-and most influential-grandmaster, had died suddenly at his home in Birmingham at only 46 years of age.
I
>
By way of tribute we have now compiled a selection of Tony's most interesting g3mes with his own commentaries. Also included are some of his most memorable articles such as 'Has Karpov losl his marbles?' from Kingpin, togethcr with a number of chess brain·teasers he set h.is readers and a rare interview he gave at Lone Pine
1980.
The majority of the annotations are taken from Tony Miles's chess column in the New Statesmall which he conducted from 1976 to 1981a period in which he developed inlo a world class player-and from his contributions to Chess magazine, first as a budding junior and later as a hardened campaigner on the gruelling chess circuit. In addition there are a fair number of good games which he never fully annotated in words but only with analytical symbols. Games from Tilburg 1984, probably his finest tournament victory, and thrilling as such encounters Miles Belyavsky, Tilburg 1986, one of his most famous wins, have been taken from his InJormator and Chess
notes (where we have replaced the symbols with words). We were, however, disappointed not to find comments on more of his instructive games with the English Defence, perhaps his favourite opening. Surely he annotated more than those we have managed to unearth here? Player
Chapter headings come in Ihe fonn of Miles quotes which highlight key aspects of his 30 year chess career or specific character traits. Meanwhile the tournament record will provide a basis for funher research, since he undoubtedly played more events than those listed here. We have also endeavoured to give a glimpse of Miles the man, through our own personal recollections, particularly relating to his school years and his coniribulions to junior chess in the Midlands. Throughout the book, unless otherwise stated, any commentaries or quotes are by Tony himself. Finally, in case you didn't realise, "It's Only Me" is an anagram of Tony Miles, and was one of his handles on Ihe Internet Chess Club. We feel fortunate to have known Tony and it has been a pleasure to compile this book in his memory. We do hope it does him justice and that readers will enjoy his colourful writing and chess annotations.
ur sincere thanks to Tony Miles's family. particularly to his cousin Pam and his late Aunt Dev, who unfortunately passed away shortly after Tony. They generously gave us their time and acccss 10 his archives.
O
The following publications have given their pennission to reproduce Tony Miles's work; New Statesman magazine
Milcs's chess column ran from mid 1976 to early 1 98 1 . Games 9, 22 to 25, 27 t o 30. 3 2 to 35,38 to 41, 43, 44,46,5 1 to 68. Articles; 'Noise at Hastings', 'Russian Prodigy', 'Kasparov at the Olympiad', 'Making sense of chess books' Problem Numbers: 2 10 18. New I n Chess magazine
'The Impossible Challenge' Tilburg Interpolis 1985 tournament report. Games 83 to 88, 114. Chess magazine
Early games up to around the time of Dubna 1976, and again from around 1994 onwards:
Audio Chess
'Tony Miles Grandmaster'-Tony talking to Mike 8asman about Duhna 1976. Games 15 to 18. 'Chess Cafe website'
Miles's column started in 1999. Games 1 1 5, 117, 1 18. Article: 'The Holey Wohly?' Kingpin magazine
Article; 'Has Karpov Lost His Marbles?' Book reviews: Unorthodox Chess Ope/lings, Secrets oj Millor-Piece Endings, Samllrai Chess: Mastering the Martial Art oJthe Mind lnformator
Games 21, 36, 37, 45, 69 to 72, 75, 79 to 82, 89. 94, 95, 97, 104, 106.116. Inside Chess
Games 9010 93. 'The Chess Player' Series (Tony
Gillam) Games 13, 14, (15 to 18 exclams). Part of the introduction to Miles· Larsen, London 1 980. is taken from Londa" 1980 by Tony Miles. Annotations have been reproduced from th' following publications: Chess £rpress (defunct)
Games 73. 74.
Games 3 to 8, 10 tol2, 19,7610 78, 96,98 to 103. 105, 107 to 1 13.
llitematiollal Chess (defunct)
Article: 'Blindfold Simultaneous Exhibition 1984', 'Tony Miles says .
IBM Schaktoernooi
..
•
Games 42. 47 to 50. Games 20. 3 1 .
8
Acknowledgements
Main sources for quotes Miles's quotes are taken from the
New in Chess interview with Miles
in 1984, S.W.Gordon interviews with Miles from 1976 and 1980,
Chess, British Chess Magazine, New Statesman, Chess Life, Best Games of the Young Grandmasters by Kopec & Pritchett, London 1980 by Miles,
National
newspapers, and
Birmingham Evening Mail, BBC TV programs.
The following people have provided help and advice Jimmy Adams, Michael Basman, James Coleman, Chris Duncan, Malcolm Pein (Chess & Bridge Lrd), Leonard Barden, Bernard Cafferty, Roger De Coverly, John Donaldson, Tony Gillam, Bill Gordon, Stephen Gordon, BiB Hartston, Richard James, Nigel Johnson, Andrew Morley, Richard Parsons, Jodie Soame (New Slatesman), Monica Vann, Roelof Westra.
References New Statesman magazine, Chess magazine, British Chess Magazine, New III Chess magazine and Yearbooks, Informalor volumes,
Chess Cafe website, Kingpin magazine, The Chess Player Series, Chess Life (USA), Inside Chess (USA), Internet Chess Club, Chess Assistant: Miles's database (Monica Vann), The English Chess Explosion from Miles 10 Sltorf Keene & Chandler, British Chess Bonerill, Levy, Rice, Richardson, Best Games of the Young Grandmasters Kopec & Pritchett, European Junior
Cltampionship
Grollingen
1972
book, Tony Miles Grandmaster audio cassette (Audio Chess UK), 1976 taped convers ation with Stephen Gordon (National Open 1976), IBM Schaak toernooi 1 976 tournament book, IBM ScJwktoernooi 1977 tourn ament book, London 1980 Tony Miles, LondOIl 1980 Hartston & Reuben, Tilburg Imerpolis 1984 tournament book, The Mosler Game James & Barden, The Master Game (book 2) James & Hartston, The Sicilian Dragon Miles & Moskow, The English Defence King, MeO Tenth edition Kom, Modern Opening Traps Chemev, A Complete Defelice for Black Keene & Jacobs, Best Chess Games 1970-1980 Speelman, Endgame Strategy Shereshevsky, Birmingham Evening Mail/Post and national newspaper archives (Binningham Central Library). tournament
Foreword by Leonard Barden
T
ony Miles was the chess player who inspired English talent to defeat Soviet grandmasters and even challenge them for world supremacy. He was a competitive professional, n source of fresh and original opening ideas, a patient strategist ready to win in 100 moves, and a first prize winner at the highest level. Yet Miles never forgot his roolS, competing on the English weekend circuit in his prime and later leading Slough to national team titles. I recall an early image of Tony and his fierce will to succeed, when he played Kuzmin in the England v USSR match in the European championship at Bath 1973. Kuzmin was a bruiser, hard-faced and muscular, while Tony already had his trademark mannerisms as he poured his glass of milk and placed his wristwatch over his score sheet to hide his notation, which he recorded in Cyrillic to Kuzmin's They evident bewilderment. whipped out their moves staccato, and as time pressure loomed at the end of the session play became almost physical as they leaned towards each other like a couple of heavyweights. Tony's schoolboy talent blossom ed around 1970 at just the right time for himself and for British chess. Older masters were retired or past their best, while a younger group
\cd by Keene and Hartston seemed unlikely to scale the heights. Abroad, Fischer and Larsen were defeating Russians in a style which excited the chess publ ic. The search was on for an Englishman who could also take on the Soviets. Jim Slater, then the City's most dynamic young financier, was already backing a talent programme and an English bid for the junior World Championship. After his money saved the FisctJer v Spassky match in Reykjavik from collapse, he offered a £5,000 prize for the first English grandmaster. Slater considered going further with £10,000 for an Englishman reaching the world top 30, but decided to wait. Just as well, since his business collapsed in the next two years and the higher prize could not have been honoured. The race with Keene for the Slater award triggered a fresh advance in Tony's strength. In 1976 he tied for first with Korchnoi at Amsterdam, in 1977 he was second to Karpov at Tilburg and in the BBC Master Game, and in 1978 he brilliantly beat Spassky at Montilla. So Tony concluded that "the only thing left is to have a go at Karpov". I'm not sure if it was a wise move to make this public. As post glasnost documents revealed, the Soviets had a dedicated programme to try to stop Fischer, and I have the impression that after 1978 USSR
10 Foreword
grandmnsters plnyed specially hard against Miles. This clenrly happened at the 1979 Riga Interzonal where Tony (whose preparation had typically been a few UK week enders) started among the leaders but then fell back when he met the Russians. His famous win over Karpov at Skarn 1980 was an exception to the World Champion's convincing victories in many of their other games 3t this time. Karpov's post-game fury when he branded I e4 a6 as lese mujesle is consistent with shame 3t letting the side down by failing to subdue the Western upstart. Afler Riga, Mile� l:'lcilly abandoned his pretentions to the world crown 3nd played to his strengths as a top GM. He again beat Karpov in the BBC Master Game 1983, while his first place at Tilburg 1984 was the finest British tournament result by anyone up to that time. He totalled 8/ 1 1 , was Ph points clear of the field, and defeated three world candidates. At Tilburg 1985 he injured his back, played stomach down on a massage table, and reduced his opponents to a petition against the table. Miles's vintage period ended with his ill-health and his '22-eyed monster' defeat by Kasparov in 1986. A decade later, he relaunched
his career by combining tournament play with coaching, writing, and leading the Slough team. He won the Capablanca Memorial in Cuba three times, and gained many new admirers with his witty Chess Cafe internet column and his contrib utions to Kingpin magazine. He poked fun at the pretentious. and put forward constructive ideas 10 improve the world chess scene. The humour and warmth of Miles the man comes through in his writing. Tony's legacy to British chess can be seen in the successes of our players in the two decades after he won a world title and beat the feignin� World Champion. He broke the baTTier of over-respect for Russians, and set a high achieve ment target for his friends and contemporaries. Tony showed that in chess you have to demand the best from yourself, and that became the English chess ethos. Michael Adams, Nigel Short, Jon Speelm3n, John Nunn and Matthew Sadler are only the cream of many who over-fulfilled what could have been reasonable expectations from them when they were juniors. In his final years Tony was passionately involved in junior coaching, so I hope this book will help inspire future generations of English talent to aim for the heights.
1:
The Chess Career of Tony Miles
T
ony Miles was born on St.George's Day-April
23'd 1955, in Edgbaston,
Binningham-the son of Jennie and Jack Miles.
'/ learned 10 play from my father
at age five. / played every I/ighl for a year IIl1til / got bored. / Ihen 'retired' for three years. My life in chess really began liS a type of accident, since / started playing a/ school when / was nil/e. There was a chess craze lit Ihe time and / found that / was good at the game. / always beat everyone, including teachers.'
which was to become even more pronounced later. He seemed to prefer 10 go his own way, rather than heed the opinions of others. Miles attended King Edwards School in Edgbaston which set demanding academic standards. His school reports paint a clear picture of the pupil doing just enough work to get by, while concentrating on the more important matter of perfecting his skills at the game he played so well! One tart comment, from General Studies, gives the flavour of the reports:
something special.'
'Perhaps olle day he will realise Ihere are more Ihings in heaven and earth than chess. At the momelll he cannot conceive of such a possibility. Thus his only creditable activity iI/ this subject has been thai he has turned up. Othen�'ise he has said nothing, done nothing, and looked pretty bored. He needs to learn the inestimable value of intellectual humility.'
At II he won the Birmingh3m Primary Schools Championship, and subsequently joined the Binning ham Chess Club, where some of the
In 1967, he started playing in the Binningh3m Easter Congresses, run by Ritson Morry, the Midland and Hastings chess organizer. He won
stronger pl3yers encouraged the promising schoolboy-in p3rticular Bernard Cafferty and Peter Gibbs, even if today they both tend to play down their role, saying he received no formal coaching. But one thing is certain-already apparent at this young age was Miles's independ ence of thought and self-reliance,
the West Midlands Under-12 title but, more remarkably, finished runner-up in the Birmingham Open Speed Championships. In his first national competition, aged 12, h e scored 50% in the British Under-14 Championship, losing to title winner John Nunn. In the Birmingham Easter Congress 1968, he played no
From the age of
II
he played
competitive chess several times a week. This was the beginning of a pattern of intense chess activity that was to last his whole career. The young Miles loved all kinds of spons-rugby, cricket, swimming, athletics-but in the field of chess came the realization '/ hud
12
The Chess Career of Tony Miles
fewer than four games a day, winning the Under-16 and Under-14 titles, the Boys' Lightning Champ· ionship and placing well in the Open Lightning event. Accom panied by his father, he went on to win the British Under-14 title in Bristol, though again losing to Nunn, and then, in 1969, to share 2place with Nunn in the British Undcr-18s, this time gaining his revenge in their individual game. By the age of 15, Miles was more
The Chess Career of Tony Miles
match shortly afterwards, winning both his games on board nine. After famously saving the Fischer Spassky match from collapse, at the Hastings 1972/3 Congress financier Jim Slater announced, 'I am offering a cash prize of £5,000 to the first British chess player to become a grandmaster. ' This was an enonnous sum of money at the time, equivalent to something approaching £100,000 today, and came at just the right moment for Miles's generation.
than a match for national experts. Perhaps his first really significant result in adult competition was when he became the youngest ever Midland Open Champion at the 1970 Binningham Easter Congress. After this he rcpresented England Under-l 8 s in the Glorney Cup, winning all his games, but, surprisingly, then made a disastrous showing at the Islington Junior. Apparently his accommodation was poor during the tournament and he vowed always to choose better lodgings in the future (indeed,
his results exceeded expectations. In the latter he lost only in the last round-to American grandmaster Arthur Bisguier.
Miles surged ahead in 1971, registering his first international success at the Nice Junior Invitation, which he won on tie· break from the World Junior Champion Werner Hug. He then added the British Under-21 trophy to his growing collection. In the 1971/72 Binningham and District League First Division, he scored a record 91h/1O, playing mainly on top board, and on his British Championship debut in 1972, he scored a respectable 50%. He made his first appearance for the full England squad in the Anglo-Dutch
This was followed by his best result so far when, in Binningham, he not only became the 4'" young· est ever winner of an International Tournament but also obtained his first lM norm. Here he gained his revenge on Bisguier and led by a whole point after 6 rounds. 'I stayed up Iwlf the night analyzillg, tlying in vain 10 find a will, whell l adjollrtled againsl Carleton. I fOlilld if frustratillg and tirillg whell I Dilly drew that game.' Going into the last round, Miles shared the lead, half a point ahead of the British Champion, Eley. 'I kllew how Eley would play, alld decided Ihal I would have to checkmate him before he ofe f red aggressively to win, alld it worked.'
throughout h is career, there were shades of Bobby Fischer in his reports of complaints made to hotels around the world.)
Meanwhile, Miles represented England in the 1973 European Junior in Groningen. His second place behind Oleg Romanishin was a tremendous perfonnance since he was two to three years younger than his main rivals. He then crossed the Atlantic to play in the US National Open and Lone Pine events, where
At the World Junior Champion· ship 1973, Miles finished a close
second 10 Russian 1M Alexander
Belyavsky, despite winning their individual game and despite having his luggage stolen at the start of the tournament!
'Aly worst momelll ill chess was the despair I felt during Ihe 1973 World Junior Championship. About five rounds before the elld, I knew I would /lot win alld d;sco�·ered Ihat it meant more to me thall I had realised.' Tony Miles was a proud man, rarely asking for help from others, but after this personal disappoint ment he phoned Leonard Barden, seeking his assurance that Bernard Cafferty would be his second at the 1974 event. After finishing 4..... in the British Championship he won a weak
tournament in Malta with II1I1 and then returned to England to come
3'" in the strong London Chess Club Invitational. Showing no signs of fatigue, he jelled straight back to Malta, this time winning a stronger tournament there which included Belgian grandmaster O'Kelly de Galway. He again made a clean score of IIIII! By now it was time for him to attend Sheffield University as an undergraduate: • Whell I sta,.tetl /0 st udy mathematics I decided thaI I had to work at my srudies at least for Ihe first trimester. I didn't do anything, but I didll 't play chess durillg those three mOllths either. I drallk a lot and wellf to discotheques a lot. But afterwards I played at Hastings alld started wilh I 0111 of 7. I simply couldn', play allymore. II was ollly in the second half of Ihe tOIlrt/amellf
13
thai I got goillg. I made 4'h Ollt of8, ineluding a win from Kuzmill. So il took me seven rOllnds to remember !row I mllSI play chess.' At Hastings he also had the better of the play in a hard fought draw against the other Soviet entrant, fonner World Champion Mikhail Tal. He was fearless against the best players, simply stating that 'these gllyS miss thillgs.· Miles honed his toughness on the 1974 UK weekend circuit, sharing
the £1000 Grand Prix with Gerald Bennett-'Swisses are dife f rellt. OK. because they make you aggressive.' He was a frequent winner of weekenders, due in no small measure to his physical strength and sheer persistence, and was by now, to all intents and purposes, a chess professional. Miles's chess style was once described as a streeHighter's:
'I used
that
description
Ollce,
because I learned to play chess mostly at weekelld tournamellts. Six rOllllds ill olle weekelld, alld YOII have to will all of those games, so that means you /rave to fight. Even if there is 110 way to fight you still
hove 10 find a way to will. Bllt jllSt "fighter" is ellough, you C(III drop tire "street".. Miles's wish came true and Bernard Cafferty accompanied him to the 1974 World Junior Champ ionship. Manila was rainswept and games were sometimes delayed for an hour whiIe the competitors literally waded through floods to the toum:lment hall-but he triumphed
brilliantly, clinching the title with a round to spare after defeating his main rival Kochiev in a scintillating a draw. Sicilian Dragon. Fiveme years later So he I played described this as his favourite game:
14
The Chess Career oJ Tony Miles
'No small part oj my favouritism is due to the Jaet that it clinched the World Junior Championship Jor me --aile ofmy bat moments in ehas. ' In 1975, Sheffield University awarded Miles an Honorary Master of Arts degree in recognition of his achievements in chess, particularly thai of becoming World Junior Champion (to this day he remains Ihe only Englishman 10 have won this coveted title). During 1975, while ostensibly a student, Miles again won the UK Grand Prix, this time outright. He also managed to fit in five international tournaments. Bearing in mind Slater's £5,000 offer, Miles was pressing hard for a grandmaster result although Ray mond Keene was widely expected to become England's first OM, having already achieved his first grandmaster nonn the previous year. Miles's breakthrough came at the London International. He easily won the tournament, restricted to under-3D-year-olds, beating three of the four grandmasters present and exceeding the GM nonn by half a point. The quest for the title had suddenly become a two-horse race between Miles and Keene but in the following Teesside and Hastings tournaments they both fell short of the required nonns. In 1976 Miles received an invitation to a strong tournament in the Russian town of Dubna. Despite the tough opposition and freezing temperature he remained on course for the GM title. But then he lost to Suetin and was left needing a win in the final round, with Black, against the untitled Kostro of Poland. The pressure was on the 20 year old English player, 'My nerves did a
Jair amount to counter the strength
The Chess Career of TOllY Miles 15
oj my opponent', and in a tense game he emerged victorious. And so Miles had become England's first grandmaster and, incidentally, the youngest in the world at that time. With hindsight this provided the springboard for English chess as more players aspired to the title and competed with confidence against the world's best. Hij; early record against Soviet players was impressive and right after Dubna he said 'It's still about
plus six, willS against 8elyavsky twice, Bronstein twice, Kuzmill, Vaganiall. . ' Before he left for .
Dubna, he had been asked by a friend in London, Eddy Penn, to send a telegram if he was successful in his quest for the title. A fortnight later he received one with the words: 'A cable-Tony Miles.'
Miles's success was due in no small part to his superb play in several tough endgames. Respected Soviet trainer, OM Mikhail Shereshevsky, wrote in 1985:
endgame play of ' The grandmaster Miles is characterized by unhl/rried manoeuvring and the accumulation of small advantaga, according to the principle 'do not hurry '. But when hIS advantage attains decisive dimensions, the English player is transJormed, and he uses all his tactical skill to reach his goal by tire shortest path, althor/gll quieter, more lengthy roads might be fOUlld. A player oj the past who acted in tllil' mlmner was the olltslanding Russian Champion Alexander Alekhine.· Returning to England, he gave interviews at his parents' house in Binningham, before departing for the USA:
' I expect I shall find myself playing chess Jar a living. I'm Jar
too lazy to do anything else. I really don't do enough work. It would be helpful if I knew more about the theoretical side of elIas. I don't think I'm very temperamental though I am vagI/ely moody about my gama. Sometimes I feel like playing, sometimes I don't, •
Miles sensationally tied for first place with Viktor Korchnoi in the 1976 IBM Amsterdam tournament, ahead of nine GMs, thus emphasiz ing his ability to compete against the world's best. He represented England on top board at the weakened Haifa Olympiad in 1976, scoring well. He wrote:
E ' ngland's third place at the Haifa Olympiad has been widely acclaimed as a success. Personal/y, I am inclined to disagree. Tire result can be put into perspective by a comparison with tire previous Olympiad at Nice. There England finished lenth. However, (because many oJ the top teams were missing) England efe f fourth to third ThllS, considtlrjng that the England team is supposed to be collsiderably stronger than ever beJore, the result can scarcely be regarded as a vast improvemelll. ' .
From 1977 to 1979, Miles concentrated on forging a career based on international tournament play and virtually abandoned weekend and open Swiss tourn aments. As the world's youngest grandmaster he earned a good living from top level tournaments-it must be remembered that in those 'Iron CUr1ain' days the USSR would only send two players at most to any Western tournament. At Bad Lauterberg 1977 he lost in his first meeting against the reigning World Champion, Anatoly Karpov. In the
Soviet wrote:
chess journal
64 Karpov
'Miles has a well-rehearsed opening re pertoire alld resource Julness in critical situations... which makes up for his lack oj proper training alld technique. He is an extremely nervous man and resembles Henrique Mecking, bllt once he finds himself in a difficult position. just like the young Brazilian, he Jorgets about all else and clasps his head in his hallds.' At the next IBM tournament in Amsterdam he repeated his success, winning by n whole point. Miles fared beller in his meeting against Karpov in the BBC Master Game final, defending very well to draw the first game, and the replay. The rapid-play final game was a treat for viewers: Karpov had too little time to replace a newly promoted pawn, and at one stage in the furious finish missed a mate in one with his 'pawn', before eventually emerging triumphant. Shor1ly after this, Miles recorded a sensational second place in the world's strongest tournament, the Tilburg Interpolis, in 1977. Here he finished second behind Karpov and a point ahead of the rest of the field, sending a clear message that he had World Championship Candidate potential-and all of this within two years of qualifying for his GM title. After losing to Karpov with a dubious opening line, he described the World Champion'S ease of play:
'Karpov's so thorouglrly prepared, he's got an opening repertoire that he knows absolutely in$ide out. It's almost impassible to gain an advantage Jrom the opening against him. Once he realizes what's going on in a position he
16
The Chess Career of Tony Miles
The Chess Career of Tony Miles
seems to grasp it completely, and he'lI just chum out move after move very quickly. It's as though everYlhing's completely worked out in his head and he doesn 'I have to work 0111 anything al all. he just walks around and comes back and plays the moves. Fafllaslic speed of play very frequently. even whell he has a tiny advantage, nothing really significallt. '
After all the excitement of 1977, the following year must have seemed like something of an anti-climax to Miles. For most of 1978 he was unable to win a single tournament. But he did register two beautiful wins against fonner World Champion Boris Spassky, employ ing his patented 4 J.f4 variation in the Queen's Indian Defence. These victories showed Miles's all-round strength-the first was a superb attacking display, the second a technical effort. Miles married Jana Hartston, an anaesthetist. Jana was Czech woman champion in 1965 and 1967 and regularly won the British Ladies Championship. Unfortunately this marriage broke up after three years. Speaking to the local Evening Mail newspaper Tony said 'We are more or less on speaking tenns-I think this will put me off marriage for a while, though perhaps not for ever. Marriage is illogical anyway.' Tony and Jana remained good friends. Miles made his first attempt at the World Championship by competing in the Amsterdam Zonal 1978 and won an Interzonal place by finishing equal first with Timman. It was a good moment to register his only tournament victory that year. He perfonned solidly throughout 1979 without winning any
the British tournaments. In Championship he lost to a young Nigel Short, who himself almost won the litle. The Riga Interzonal started soon after, leaving Miles with little time for preparation. Speelman was his second, though perhaps not an ideal choice since Miles was never at ease with those he viewed as rivals and the two players had a very different approach to the game. Much was expected of him, but, after starting well, his challenge faded as he lost six games to the top eight finishers. were British chess f:IOS disappointed. Mites latcr said, somewhat enigmatically: 'It was
supposed (0 be the biggest (oumamen( of my fife and I just didn '( feel like playillg chess. I wanted to play, bllt the motivation just wasn't there.'
Short!.r after Riga, Miles finished equal 2 in the Buenos Aires Clarin event, with Spassky, Andersson, Najdorf and Gheorghiu, behind tournament winner Bent Larsen.
1980 proved to be one of Miles's most successful years. At the European Team Championship in the remote Swedish township of Skarn he faced the World Champion Anatoly Karpov in the first round. I n probably the most famous game ever played by an Englishman, Karpov opened I c4, whereupon Miles, fresh from a skiing holiday, replied with the unbelievable 1...a6. The audience apparently could not contain their laughter and Miles scored a sensational victory. Karpov appears to have simply 1I0t adjusted 10 the shock of the opening. England's first grandmaster had achieved another 'milestone' in his career by beating a reigning World Champion!
. Whetl I beat Karpov with 1."a6 and 2 b5 at the European Team
...
Championship in 1980, he did not resign the game personally. The Soviet team captain signed the scoresheet. I heard from others that he felt insulted by my choice o f opening. '
Mike Basman had played l...a6 frequently, calling it the SI. George Defence, partly because Miles's birthday is on SI. George's day! Miles himself suggested the Binningham Defence, after his home town. His choice of opening was perhaps more than just a whim. At Montreal 1979, Larsen beat Karpov with the Center Counter Defence. Miles wrote: 'This game adds further weight to the suspiciofl thot the World Champion is a little vulnerable to unusual openings.' He
was the highest scorer on the top board a t Skarn and England made a breakthrough, capturing the bronze medal. Phillips and Drew, London 1980, was the strongest tournament to be held in England since Nottingham 1936, which had fielded five World Champions. Showing great detenn ination, Miles shared first place with Korchnoi and Andersson, the first time he had taken top honours in an event of this calibre. His result was hailed by Hartston and Reuben as 'perhaps the greatest ever by a British player'. Back 10 his winning ways, he then tied for first pl3ce at L3S Palm3s with Petrosian and Geller. and also returned to weekenders-'J always play in weekend tournaments just to keep playing.' Including weekend
tournaments, his winning streak eventually extended to ten stl1light firsts, including Vrbas where he
17
triumphed ahead of Petros ian and Gligoric. But after losing to Short in the final of the BBC Master Game, Miles congratulated his young opponent, adding: 'Please try not to make a habit of it!' His stunning successes in 1980 had perhaps revived his World Championship hopes, but Miles declined his invitation to compete in the somewhat chaotically organized 1982 West European zonal, also stating: 'if I were ever to become the challenger to Kurpov, I should be
up against n ot all individual bllt a nation. '
It is somewhat curious that Miles only achieved 3 single viclory in the British Championship and that was in 1982. He dominated the event and with further successes at Lloyds Bank and Benedictine, boosted his score to record levels in his third UK Grand Prix win. Then, in 1983, he again sensationally defeated Karpov: 'One of my best moments in chess, winnillg a BBC television tourn
by beating Karpov. had Black in that game!'
ament
I even
In 1984 Miles again won the UK Grand Prix, taking his tally to four. After finishing bottom at Tilburg 1981, for the next two years he did not receive any invitation. But in 1984 he made no mistake and became the first Westerner to win Ihis prestigious tournament which fielded half of the world's top ten players. 'Of course, my best result ever was winning the J984 Tilburg super4GM tOllmament.'
After a typically lethargic start, Miles hit top form with five
18 The Chess Career of TOllY Miles including wins, consecutive victories over Smyslov, Portisch and Timman, thereby surpassing his previous best at Tilburg 1977 where he won four straight games. In several games he showed great tenacity:
'A bad positioll does IIOt discourage me, it's a coincidellce that is WI aspeCI ofyour professioll. Possibly lI'ilh the exception of Karpov, el 'erybody gets illto a bad position once in a while, so that 's IIOt a reason at all 10 simply lose them, You also IUlI'e /0 find a way 10 save fast positions alld fly to will Ihem. If possible. It 's the same as my game against Portisch. I dOli 't remember who. but someolle told me that it was a game typical for all Englishman, survivillg a terrible position. I think it was a typical I-game.' Of his recent form, Miles said:
Things were wrong wit" me. I'd put 011 a stone alld it 1I'0 uldll 't go away. My weight wasil " going back to IIormal. I'd lost presellce and aggression. My physical cOllditiOIl was suddenly bad. I'd always beell physically strollg. For the past eight months, /played like all idiot. (Then 1 11'011 31 consecutive games all the UK weekend circuity-such trainillg was like jOillillg Alcoholics AIIOIIY mailS. But if this is the result, well.. / feel positive and much more healthy. / needed a boost. / can't will the British Champiollship willi the Nigel Shorts alld Jonfllhall Spee/malls, bllt I Clm win the big olle or Tilb/ll"g. (laughing). •
'
What was Miles's board presence like? Well, his posture at the board was fairly typical of many players -he held his head in his hands, with his elbows resting on the
The Cliess Career of Tony Miles 19 playing table and he covered his ears. He worked immensely hard at the board.
'That 's the way it developed over tir e years alld 11011 ' I call 't do otherwise. It looks very COllcell trated. but I couldjllsl as well go '0 sleep. Sometimes when I'm tired I close my eyes. Then I lower my hallds a little so that nobody lIotices. ' During play he had characteristic idiosyncrasies. He usually had a glass of milk beside him and used a large silver-strapped watch to cover up his moves on his scoresheet. He often wrote down his proposed reply soon after his opponent had moved but would usually analyse it further before actually executing it, and occasionally changed his mind. H e constantly removed invisible specks of dust from the board, pointed his knights to his right, and wore a silver bracelet which he removed at the end of the game. He also tended to blow his nose during play:
The handkerchief is a tic. Maybe I'm a bit too sensitive. I wear the bracelet alit of superstitiol/. /t has some significallce 10 me ... / call " explain that.' •
At the Thessaloniki Olympiad 1984 England won the silver medal, where John Nunn scored a remarkable 10/11 on board two, thereby jumping ahead of Miles on the Elo rating list. In the Tunis Interzonal 1985. Miles said that his problems began when he lost on time in a winning position with one move to make against Zapata. He seemed out of sorts, losing to the Interzonal winner Yusupov in only 24 moves. A couple of months later he found his
fonn, sharing first place with Portisch and Ribli, ahead of Smyslov and Gligoric, in the Vidmar Memorial at Portorozl Ljubljana. At Tilburg Interpolis in 1985, Miles's shared first place was achieved despite crippling back trouble. He played lying flat on his stomach for most of the tournament, on what was dubbed his 'massage table'! Various players lodged a protest saying that they felt distracted and this made Miles even more determined than usual. Feeling that his integrity was being questioned, he wrote a detailed tournament diary, 'The Impossible Challenge', published in New III Chess. Twice he beat Korchnoi, hitherto a difficult opponent for hirn---his first win being achieved in the conventional sitting position! At the Lucerne World Team Championship, England finished third and Miles won the silver medal on top board. He now lived in West Gennany for much of the time as he not only played in the Bundesliga for Pol7iKoln but found it convenient for travelling to European tournaments. During the latter half of 1985 he played the huge number of 86 rated games, regained his spot as the top ranked British player, and rose to equal ninth in the world. In 1986 Miles contested a match against the new World Champion Kasparov. Although he had chances, he went down fighting ¥.!-5IA, commenting wryly '/ thOi/ght I was
playing a World Champion, not II monster wilh 22 eyes who sees everything'. Many commentators believe that this result marked a turning point in his career and the following year he admitted:
'/ dOll 't cOllsider myself a COlllellderfor the World Champion ship-I don't COl/sider myself to be ql/ite that good. 011 a good day I could be ahout lIumber three ill the world. To be better than that YOIl'd have to be completely devoted to chess, which I"m 1I0t. '
At the 1986 Dubai Olympiad England came closest yet to capturing the gold medal, finishing half a point below the Soviet team. Then in 1987, after a ten year reign, Miles was overtaken as British number one by Nigel Short, who again qualified for the Candidates. At the Zagreb Interzonal Miles lost six games, three to tailenders. Around this time the well publicized Miles-Keene dispute broke out. At the Tunis Interzonal in 19�5 Keene claimed 10 have acted as Miles's second for which he received a payment from the British Chess Federation. However Miles publicly announced that Keene was 1I0t his second and felt that the BCF did not investigate the matter fully, The controversy escalated and Miles commenced legal proceedings (which never reached court) and went so far as to indicate that he did not wish to be considered for future English team selection. In fact he transferred his allegiance to the USA. However the dispute took a heavy toll on him, his sleep was badly affected and he suffered a period of ill health which forced him OUI of chess for a few months. These were difficult times for Miles-he had never really taken any son of break from competitive chess before. After some indifferent results, he recovered his form a little and shared first place at the 1988 Dutch Open. In Chess Life, he
20
The Chess Career of Tony Miles
summed up his unfortunate last place in the 1988 US Champion ship:
'/ came in willi flu and jel lag. They're nor I'ery original excuses, bur / never gar going. II was Ilmch fiercer than I e:r;pecred. I gar carved lip in my firsr r"ree games willt Black. Well, rlra/ was the end ofit. It was only an I I -round tournament, and by the time I sfaned playing it was 100 lale. The last year has been a disaster for me. 1 '11/ jIm playing and fryillg to improve agaill. As you kilOII'. I was very ill last yeal". I spent a period of aboul three monlirs where I didll·' sleep at all, and my entire nervous system virlllally collapsed. All sons of lhillgS went II'rollg with m e. /1 had IIOlhillg 10 do with my back. Jllst a seriOllS case of insomnia having enormous side effects. For a period of six to nine months. Ijust COllldn 'I play chess at all. Whenever I tried, I dropped another 25 raling poinls. Now, I'm okay, blll l ·ve effectively been out of chess for a year. My openings are a year 0111 of dale. / 'm rllsty. My ralillg is at the lowesl point in Ihe last 13 years since I became a gran dmaster. It 's 2500 /lOW; when I was WI 1M, it was 2510. Dow" used to be always 25.50 and up ave,. 2600.
I
don·f
wallt
10
go on playing
chess forever, bllt I dOli '/ illlelld to
·1 play. / 11'0'" to gel back lip there first. Theil if I lI'allt 10 slop, I '/I slap becallse I wallt la, II0t becallse I can play any more. /,'s ollly a game. /t 's elljoyable. It's a nice way to earll a living. As a game itself. il ·s /lever hadlamastic importance 10 me. '
stop because /
CO/I
"
The Chess Career of TOllY Miles 21 Miles did not take up residence in the USA but continued to live mainly in West Gennany. Larry Hanken wrote in Chess Life: 'Miles,
a true cosmopolitan, is a British subject who plays Jar a West German team and lives ill West Germany much of the year. He maill'ains residellce ill Andorra where he pays his taxes. and unofficially repre.rellts the Vlliled Slates ofAmerica 011/ ala New York state mailing address [the America/l Chess FOImdllfion post office box].' Miles met his second wife Jeannie in Adelaide. They married in April 1989 and moved to Binningham but the marriage was doomed to failure and they separated in 1991. He seemed to come 10 tenns with the fact that his globetrotting lifestyle would never allow him to be a conventionally ideal husband. Miles's fonn improved in 1989. At Los Angeles he tied for first, ahead of Tal, Larsen and Browne. Then, after a playoff subsequent to the US Championship, he qualified for the Manila Interzonal, where he finished half·way. In the early nineties he spent some time living in Australia, thanks to the hospitality of his friend and travelling compan ion Alex Wohl. At the end of 1991 Miles applied for, and was granted, British Chess Federation membership, and indic· ated that he now wished 10 play
again for England in future events.
After a string of wins in Australia, he resettled in Birmingham. Miles was a natural teacher and from this point on he actively encouraged many youngsters in the Midlands. mainly through his Presidency of the Checkmate Chess Club, for which he received no fees.
From now on he competed mainly in Open tournaments. A high point was at Seville 1993 where he made a 2800-resuit and received a stand ing ovation for his victory. He described this as 'the tOllrnament oj
my life-soJar!'
One all-play-all in which he did compete regularly, however, was the Capablanca Memorial in Cuba, where he had an impressive record. In 1994, at Matanzas, he tied for first (Van Wely won on tie-break) and he also scored three outright victories, the most memorable of which was the 1 996 event in which 1 2 of the 14 participants were Grandmasters and he defeated his five nearest rivals! In 1997 he finished second behind his friend, Peter Leko. In 1995, he won a strong all-play·all in Benasque ahead of Andersson and Psakhis, while ;:It the PCA Intel Rapid Chess Grand Prix. in London he scored a famous victory over Vladimir Kramnik in the quarter-final after a playoff in front of a partisan audience. At the end, he punched the air in delight. Miles first played for Slough in the Four Nations Chess League (4NCL) when they won their first national title in 1995/6. He became team captain a couple of seasons later and successfully guided the team to two further tilles. In the 1997 British Championship he tied for first (Adams and Sadler won the tie·break) and in 1998 came yd, with wins in the last two rounds against Speelman and Short. In 1999 he was diagnosed with diabetes. His energy levels were affected and he reduced his playing schedule. At his final tournament, the British Championship 200 I, he
withdrew prior to Ihe final round due to illness. But he continued to captain and play for Slough in the 4NCL where he was laying a strong junior foundation for the club. In Binningham he competed daily on the local bridge circuit, a game which he threw himself into with the same passion as he showed for chess. In November 2001, Tony Miles died suddenly from heart failure rcJated to diabetes. He passed away at home after having spent much of the previous day with friends. A one minute silence was held in his mcmory at the start of the seventh round in the European Team Championships in Leon
Summary Tony Miles's chess career spanned over 30 years. commencing just as I"JoYnUllor was launched and long before the start of the computer generation. A strong junior, his rise was rapid from the age of 18. He won the World Junior Champion· ship in 1974, gaining the Inter national Master title. Then within two years he became a Grand master, England's first and the youngest in the world at the time. After impressive results in 1976 and 1977, Miles had aspirations for the World Championship. However, his resuils against the World Champion Karpov and top players such as Korchnoi, Portisch and Timman were perhaps not encouraging these players were theoretically well prepared. In 1984, he commented on his approach to study: '(at University) The mathemalical sflldies flopped-qllickly, because it
couldn 'r fascinate me. I
cOllld find
22 The Chess Career of TOllY Miles 110 impetus whatsoever to sflldy for all examinalion that I would have to do ill Ihree years lime. The same as chess. I can't study something abstract Ihal does nol have allY practical significance for me al tlte momenl. There musl be a challenge. an opponent and some excitement.'
After the Riga Interzonal 1979. it seems that he more or less abandoned hopes of challenging for the world title:
'/ lI"ant to be among the top tell in the world. But how milch do I want to improve? The World Champion ship is out of the questioll. J dOll 't have any concrete ambitions. I walll to gel to tlte Candidates alld that 's abo/ll it.' (1 980) Throughout his career Miles played frequently-he revelled in the fight. He won tournaments at Ihe . highest level-Tilburg Interpolls 1984 and 1985 arc perhaps his best results. An original thinker, Miles was a sharp tactician and a chess artist with a high level of endgame technique. He played many beautiful games. He beat the reigning World Champion Karpov twice, scored wins against fanner title holders Spassky, Tal and Smyslov, and frequently defeated World Championship Candidates. He is one of the strongest players not 10 have reached the Candidates stage of the World Championship. Miles represented England on top board from 1976 to 1986, was the top scorer at the European Team Championships in 1980 and won the
silver medal at the World Team Championships in 1985. During this period the English national team enjoyed unprecedented success, winning bronze medals at the 1976 Haifa Olympiad and European Team Championships in 1980, and silver medals at the Thessaloniki 1984 and Dubai 1986 Olympiads. Miles's impact on the English game was immense and he ranks among the greatest ever English players. He was well liked and made friends the world over. He always amazed lesser players and amateurs by his willingness to talk chess mailers to them, valuing their opinions. He is sadly missed. Against Anatoly Vaisser, at the . Elista Olympiad in 1998, Miles played a game so bizarre that it appeared as if his sense of humour had taken over completely:
That 's my II(lfure. I am IIot very serious when / play. / mean I do cOllcenlrate bllt Ihat is ollly a part of it-l have a strong tendellcy to look at crazy things first. Whell promoting a pawn I prefer a bishop to a qlleen if tllat is possible. I am very fond of. leI us say. three rooks 011 the board. In (I weekend (Ol/mament I had that OIIce. and illstead of resiglling my oppone,., allowed himself to be mated beautifully ill the middle of the board. That appeals 10 me.' •
Tony Miles, England's First Grandmaster, 1955-2001.
2: "I played every night for a year until I got bored"
I
n this early game, 12 year-old Miles opens I e4 and faces the Sicilian Dragon, an opening which he later enthusiastically adopted himself: I
A.J .Miles Wlrile P.K.Bissieks Black Sunday Times Schools Competition 1967 Sicilia" Defelice (notes by 12 year old Tony Miles)
1 e4 c5 2 tDfJ d6 3 d4 exd4 4 li:lxd4 lOf6 5 tOe3 g6 6 �e3 �g7 7 �e2 li:lc6 8 fJ 0-0 9 'ii'd2 d5 10 lCIxe6 bxc6 I I 0-0-0 Pinning the d-pawn.
I I ...i.e6 t2 e5 Here come the pawns.
12 ...Iild7 13 f4 ...5 1 4 g4 ltfd8 So as to play ...d4 and �xa2. This was impossible before: 14 ...d4 15 ..-xd4 �xa2 16 ..-xd7.
15 83 �ab8
Seemingly threatening ..:'xb2, Wxb2 :'b8+. but tOb5! wins.
16�bl Relieving any danger.
16...... xd2+ 17 :'xd2li:lb6 To cover the a-pawn.
18ltn Threatening pawns.
to
advance
the
18...�f8? Useless.
19 f5 Charge.
19 ...gxf5 20 gxfS i.c8 21 f6 On they come.
21...exf6 22 exf6 �h8 23 �c5+ �,8 23 . . .�g8 24 :'gl+. 24 i.e7 Tearing open Black's position.
24 j
If24 ...:'d7 25 Itgl wins.
25 Itgl :'d1? 25...l:.dc8 26 i.a6 wins.
26 Itg8 mate. ...
...
...
...
In the next junior encounter Miles gains his revenge against John Nunn, having previously lost twice to him in the British Under- 14 Championships. The game followed theory, known to Mile�, and he only used five minutes on hiS dock:
24 "/ played every night
for a year 1m/il l go/ bored "
2
6. .'ii'c7 7 i.d3 e6 8 0·0 lObd7 9 a4 b6 10"'fJ .i.b7 11 g4 .
A.J.Miles White J.D.M.Nunn Black
British U·18 Championship 1969 Max Lallge Altack
I e4 eS 2 li)fJ li)c6 3 .i.c4 li)f6 4 d4 exd4 S 0·0 .i.cs 6 eS dS 7 exf6 dxc4 8 Itcl+ .i.e6 9 lOgs 1fdS 10 li)c3 "'fS 11 li)ce4 .i.b6 12 fxg7 Itg8 13 g4 1fg6 14 li)xe6 fxe6 IS �gS h6 16 'i'fJ hxgS 17 li)f6+ ¢In
It's useful to move Black's king knight to prevent a later ...d5.
I l ...li)cS 12 gS li)fd7 13 .i.d2 On 13 f5 0-0·0 seems playable, after which White's king might become exposed.
13 ...g6 14 b4 An interesting idea, forcing the exchange leaving White with a space advantage and the open c·file for the two bishops.
14...i.g7 IS li)ce2 lOxd3 16 cxd3 0·0 1 7 :'acl "'dS I S li)c6 'it'e8 19 'i'f2 :'cS 20 tOcd4 lObS Trying to exploit White's exposed queenside pawns and tempt b5 allowing the knight to come back to <5.
21 Itxcs .i.xc8 If21 ...1fxc8 22 f5 looks strong.
22 lilfJ 18 :'xe6! �xe6 19 :'el+ li)cs 20 "'dS+ Black resigned. •
•
•
•
Now if 22 ...'I'xa4 23 'i'xb6 1Dc6 24 :'cl .i.d7 25 'it'c7 picks up a pawn ( 25 ...:.d8 26 :'xc6).
22......d8 23 .i.e3 lOd7 24 I::c l as
By the age of 15 Miles was more than a match for strong national players. He made his first real breakthrough when he won the Nice Junior Invitation in 1971:
2 5 �4 axM 26 �6 'i'e8 27 i.xb6 b3 On 27 ...�5 28 tOxb4 lOxa4 29 i.d4 keeps some chances, but ...b3 looks the best active chance as the b·pawn is extremely useful.
28 i.d4 eS At the time Black played this I (with just over 10 minutes left to reach the time control at move 40) was furiously trying to calculate the consequences of 28 ...lOcS and if 29 .i.xc5 'itxc6 or 29 .i.xg7 lOxd3. Some days and much analysis later I eventually found: 29 .txg7 lOxd3 (not Wxg7? "'d4+) 30 'i'b6! �xcl (again if¢lxg7 "d4+) 3 1 �f6! with a winning attack: 3 1 ...h5 32 gxh6 (threat g5) 32...Wh7 33 tOg5+ Wxh6 34 Vf2 and wins.
�
29 heS dxeS 30 i.b2 i.a6
On 30.....e6 3 1 i.a3 l:e8 32 tDe7+ and Black's queen's bishop is loose.
31 .i.a3 .i.xd3 32 lOe7+
32 ... ¢lh8 33 l::e8 'i'xe8 34 lOlC8 :Xe8 35 "d2 The point-Black's bishop and knight are skewered.
3S... i.xe4
Junior International, Nice 1971 Sicilian Defelice
Rather than getting lost in a main line I decided on a slower variation.
fell obliged to induce complications. (If 25 bxa5 bxa5 26 Itc6 �51 breaks out: 27 i.xc5 dxc5 28 "'xc5 'ii'xd3).
Stronger than 32 i.xf'8 i.xf'8 when Black's pieces come to life and White's pawns are decidedly groggy.
) A.J.Miles Wlrite P .Szekely Black
I e4 cS 2 li)fJ d6 3 d4 exd4 4 li)xd4 li)f6 5 li)c3 a6 6 f4
"I played every nightfor a year Imtil l gal bored"
This brings the game to life-if White allows Black to establish a knight on c5 life gets difficult-so I
Black can save the piece by 35 ...b2, but after 36 .i.xb2 tOe5 37 �eS, the holes around his king begin to show up and his pieces are awkwardly placed. . 36 'Wld7 .i.fS 37 'i'b7 e4 38 tOei 64+ 39 ¢'g2 Black reSigned.
25
4
AJ.Miles White A.Dake Black Lone Pine 1973
Sicilian Defence
1 e4 cS 2 �fJ tOc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lil,d4 'IIb6 5 Iilb) Iilf6 6 Iilcl e6 7 .i.d3 a6 8 0·0 .i.e7 9 .i.e3 "'c7 10 f4 d6 Thus a common line is reached but with White a move ahead thanks to 4 ...'i'b6.
I I 'it'fJ i.d7 A little passive, but being a tempo behind the normal line, it may be necessary.
12 Whl lDb4 13 a3 lLixd3 14 cxd3 .i.c6 IS :'acl 0·0 16 lLid4 l::ac8 Perhaps accurate.
1 6.....d7
is
more
17fSeS Now if 17...'i'd7 1 8 fxe6 fxe6 19 'i'h3 wins a pawn: 19 ... e5?? 20 �c6 bxc6 (20......xc6 2 1 !Od5) 2 1 :'xf61 winning a piece. J8
lOxe6 bxc6 19 lOds lOxdS?
This leaves Black with a totally static position. 19 ...'i'b7 was much better, although White's position is still preferable. 20 exdS cS Now Black's bishop is terrible and he has no counterplay as White quietly masses on the kingside.
21 I::c4 I::fe8 22 'i'hS i.f6 23 :'g4 'IId8 24 .l
24...�h8
If 24...¢lfS 25 I::xg7 .txg7 26 f6 winning. Or 24... g6 2S fxg6 fxg6 26 Itxg6+ hxg6 27 'i'xg6+ Wh8 28 Itxf6 Itc7 29 Itxd6 winning easily.
26
"I played
"Iplayed every /lightfor a year III1/il l got bored "
every nightfor (l year ulltil l got bored "
25 .ixg7+! i.xg7
White now has some difficulties. Possible improvements might be 1 8 g4 0g7 1 9 jLe3 or 1 8 lbd2 preparing c4, but Black retains an edge in any case.
IS.. :'ag8 19 lOg4 hS 20 0e3 .
I must admit to being most unconvinced by this manoeuvre but I couldn't find much else.
2o lOh4 ..•
26 f6! 'ilt'xf6? I really was very disappointed at this move. I had been eagerly waiting for 26...�xffi (if ....if8 27 ..-g5 or 27 'i'xf7) 27 :'h4! Wg8 (27 ....ixh4 28 :'xf7 forcing mate on h7) 28 'it'xh7+ Wf8 29 :'h6! .ig7 30 :'g61 winning.
Obviously the only continuation. If now 23 ...fxe6 24 .ixg5+ :'xg5 (other moves lose the knight) 25 lbg5 with an interesting ending which White shouldn't lose. n...f5?
27 :'xf6 �xf6 28 'ilt'h6 Black
A.J.Miles White A.Bisguier Black Binningham International 1973
Rlly Lapez e5 2 0f3 0c6 3 �b5 0f6 4 0-0 0xe 4 5 d4 �d6 6 .ixc6 dxc6 7 dxe5 �fS 8 "'xd8+ Wxd8 9 0c3 �e8 10 �e2 �e6 1 1 lOf4 i.d5 12 �xd5 cxd5 13 .:tel Up 10 here all 'book'. Now 1 3 g4 J e4
maintains an edge for White. The texl is an effort to get out of the book line, but it's less accurate than 13 g4.
13. ..�c5 14 .if4 c6 IS :'adl h6 16 h3 Dubious. 16 g4, as suggested by Bisguier, is probably best. Now Black takes the initiative.
16 ... g5 17 .icl We7 18 lOh2
Black seemed 10 be rather taken aback by the sacrifice, and began to consume fairly large amounts of time without really finding the best moves. 1·lere I expected 22...�b4 23 :'e4 �e6 24 :'b5 �e7 25 :'xb7 with the possibility of :'a4-a6+ with an obscure position. Also, not to be taken lightly is the immediate 22...g4 e.g. 23 :.xc5 gxh3 24 :'e3 lIxg2+ 25 WhI .I:Ihg8 with winning threats, but 24 :'c3 seems to hold. If Black wishes to continue as in the game then 22 ....i.b6 would avoid a few of the ensuing tactical tricks.
23 c6
resigned.
5
21 ... exdS 22 :'xd5 b6
Now White is about to get squashed by 21...g4, and if he exchanges on g4 then ...tOO+ is a murderous threat. Clearly he must strike back in the centre immediate Iy, since, for a moment at least, Black's massed forces are rather compromised, viz his queen's rook and knight cannot be regrouped without leaving the g-pawn hanging and the king's rook must wait for the queen's rook to move. My original intention had been 2 1 c4 but unfortunately Black can ignore this and play 21...g4! and break through first. So there is only really one other way to hit back, and therefore it must be played. So...
Since it's not clear how Black can save himself after this, the obvious alternative 23 ...f6 must be examined. After 24 :'d7+ We8 White still has the possibility of 25 b4, but Black has beller chances than with the pawn on fS.
24 :'d7+
After 24 ... We8 my first insane-looking suggestion was 25 b4 intending .i.-b2-f6. A brief produced post-mortem the rollowing hairy lines; (0) 25 ...Jl.xb4 26 lied1 g4 27 Jl.b2 gxh3 28 Jl.ffi 11lf3+ 29 �fl hxg2+ 30 We2 gl=tL:i+ 31 lbgl tL:ixg l+ 32 �n .ie7 33 :'xe7+ Wd8 34 :'xa7+ Wc8 35 �xh8 with advantage to White. (b) but 25 ... g4 26 Jl.b2 gxh3 27 i.xh8 tL:i0+ 28 Wf] hxg2+ 29 We2 tUd4+! winning. A slightly more extensive analysis produced some improvements: In (b) 26 bxc5 gxh3 27 c6! threatening c7 wins e.g. (i) 27....I:Ixg2+ 28 �n h2 29 �e2 Agi 30 c7 .I:Ixel+ 31 ¢ld3 .CI:dI+ 32 �d2 winning. (ii) 27...lOo+ 28 �n hxg2+ 29 ¢le2 g l=tL:i+ (if 29... lbd4+ 30 :'xd4 gl='I' 3 1 :'xgl .c:xgl 32 c7 We7 33 .ia3+ Wxe6 34 Ad8) 30 :'xg I tOxg l + 31 ¢In .I:Ig4 32 c7 .I:Ic4 33 �g5 winning. (iii) 27 ...hxg2 28 :'e3 followed byc7. Also if after 25 b4 �e7 26 :'xa7 with the winning threat of Aa8+ e.g. 26...i.f6 27 AdI intending :tdl-d7. So now the original line (a) must be re-examined. Indeed, instead of 3 l ...�xgl+, 3 l ...�4+1 32 :'xd4 i.e7 with a level endgame. But White 100 can improve by 28 g3 threatening .ixh8 and .iffi. If now 28 ... �e7 29 :'xa7 or 28 ...�0+ 29 WhI Ah6 30 .I:Id8+ emerging the exchange up with a probably winning endgame.
21 �xd5+! This certainly shouldn't win with best play-indeed, it may well lose-but over the board it must be the best chance.
27
24 ¢lf6? .••
At the time Black's loss was anributed directly to this move.
However the text does simpl ifY mailers.
25 �d2!
28
"[ played every nightfor a year ulllil l got bored " 2 9
"[played every nightfor a year IImil [got bored "
6 H.Eley White A.J.Miles Black
Binningham International 1 973 Sicilian Defence
A crushing move which Black overlooked. The various threats based on �c3+, e7 or b4 are impossible to meet.
25.,,�g6 If 25 .. .l:tc8 26 �c3+ 'iPg6 27 ':'g7+ �h6 28 c7. Otherwise 26 �c3+ 'iPg6 27 e7 followed by �xh8. I had hoped for something like 2S...aS 26 �c3+ 'iPg6 27 e7 ':'h7 (to answer e8=='" with ':'xe8) 28 ':'e6+ 'iPD 29 e8=l:I:+! (far better than mate in one) 29 ...�e7 30 J::.dxe7 mate!
1 e4 c5 This game was played in the last round. Before the round Eley had 6 points and I had 61n points, and the 1M nann was 7. In an earlier round I had used Petroff's Defence as a drawing weapon against Adorjal1, but under the circumstances I felt that, if anything, it would be easier to win than to draw! 2
5
•..
Black resigned.
On 37 ...�g8 38 tr.f8+ ':'xf8 39 ':'h8+ decides.
9...a6 This may not be the most precise.
For Black to obtain a comfortable position in this varialion it is probably necessary to play ...eS at
an appropriate moment. An immediate 9 ...eS can be met by 10 IOdbS. Then if 10...� I I ¢'hl iDe8 (l l...dS is interesting but insufficient) 12 a4 a6 1 3 lbd5 'i'd8 14 111bc3 exf4 I S �xf4 lbe5 16 as (or 16 �e2) with a clear advantage to White. Probably best is 9...lbb6, although 10 eS is then worth consideration, or even 9...'i'c7.
10 �b3 To restrain 10 ...eS. 10 ...�b6 Somewhat inconsistent. But if 1O...'i'c7 I I g4 obliges I l ...lllb6 anyway. Or 1O . ..'Wb6+ I I ¢:'h I e5 12 f5 intending g4·g5, and Black has some difficulty completing his development. So the text seems best.
26 b4 If 26 e7 Ae8 27 b4 �xe7 28 :'exe7 ':'xe7 29 l:I.xe7 :'c8 and Black can actually move some pieces. This way White gets four pawns for his piece and a crushing bind. 26 ...�f8 27 e7 �g7 28 ':'c6+ c,i(h7 29 �xgS lbg6 30 l:I:xa7 30 f4, apart from making Black virtually zllgzwang, would win back the piece by 3 1 l:I:dd6, but since I was slightly short of time, I decided to snatch another pawn. 30 .:.c8 3 1 l:I:d7
7 .11..2 .ll. g7 8 0·0 0·0 9 .11. 13 9 ¢'hl a6 10 �f3 eS I I lOde2 exf4 12 'i'xd6 gS is Eley v Whiteley B1ackpool 197 I .
6...
II a4 Since this advance of the a·pawn achieves nothing concrete, perhaps
White should go ahead with the kingside pawn stonn immediately, by I I g4. I 1...�c6 12 as lbc4 13 g4 l:lb8 I seriously considered 1 3 ...bS here since any method of snatching the exchange leaves White's king dangerously exposed. Although I saw nothing convincing for White against this I decided to be cautious. Objectively, however, J3 ... b5 may well be best. 14 f5 �d7 15 .ie2 bS 16 gS lOe8
17 �d4 If 1 7 lLXis Black seems to have time to grab the b-pawn, though it
might be better to 'uncarcerate' the bishop by 17 ... .ieS and continue with 1 8 ...tOc7 or 18 ...e6 to remove the white knight. 17 ...lOc7 18 h4 ltleS 19 �e3 b4
20�d5
If 20 lba4 dS ! splitting open the centre. 2o ..lbxdS 21 cxdS 'i'c8 Obliging White to bury the bishop by 22 f6. I wasn't over-concerned about this at the time, since I'd had a fairly cramped position throughout, and the odd dead bishop here or there didn't seem to make too much difference. At least Black now gets some useful open lines the c and e files and the c8·h3 diagonal-and with them some chances of getting at the white king. Also the positioning of the (other!) minor pieces-Black's well-placed knight on e5 and White'S two bishops on the open e·file which might be a tactical weakness-helps Black. Perhaps the best argument in favour of 21 ...'i'c8 is that there �ren't really any plausible altemat· .
Ives.
22 f6 exf6 23 gxf6 �h8 24 :'f4!
30
"I played every night/or a year ulllil
"Iplayed ellery flighlfor a year until I got bored "
l got bored "
This is a little greedy. The more conservative 27 Wfl, to shield the dark squares, is sarer.
27.....c5
28 ...�xJ6 Back from the 'grave', and with crushing effect. Now 29 .:r.xffi "xd4 30 1tf2 (other moves cost a queen or a king) 30 ...:'g3+ 3 1 Wh I "'xh4+ 32 :'h2 'i'e4+ winning.
29 ':dI .!le5
Obviously the game is now reaching its critical stage. Ir While succeeds in completing his development, derending his weak points and maintaining the wedge at r6, then Black's dead bishop is likely to be a decisive ractor. Black, in turn, must act quickly to have a chance or preventing this. The text is a strong move, shielding g4 and indirectly c4 and simuhaneously preparing to double/treble on the Hile and overprotect the r-pawn. One obvious altcrnative, in view or the game continuation, is to prerace .:r.r4 with 24 .i.h6, but after 24 ...J:e8 25 :r4 "'c5 the bishop is needed back in the centre.
24 ...:'e8 25 "'n? This seems to be the start or White's troubles. 25 "'d2 to derend the loose bishop is much beuer, as Black cannot play 25 ...€lc4 (or g4) because or 26 i.xc4 "'xc4 27 1Dc6. A likely continuation might be 2s .. :llb7 26 IOb3 (26 IOn IOg4) 26 ....trs 27 .:r.an i.xr6 28 �4 and White has the bener game.
2S,..tOc4! A strong idea, rorcing off White's dark-squared bishop and con sequently building up rapid play on the weakened squares, particularly the a7-s1 diagonal.
26 .txc4 .:r.xeJ 27 .txa6?!
31
symmetrical pawn ronnation might make things easier.
6...cxdS 7 d4 lOc6 s lbc3 e6 9 0·0 �e7 10 J.e3? A horrible move. The object was to avoid blocking my queen's bishop by 10 e3 (the best move) and to rollow up with "d2 and later transrer the bishop to a better square (An immediate 10 i.g5 would be met by 1O....1i'b6). 10 ...0-0 I I llcl lbd1 12 tOa4 Trying to restrain Black's intended action on the queenside by ...lb-b6-c4 or ...a6 and ...b5.
12...ir6 28 i.c4?? White must have missed or completely underestimated Black's reply. Better was 2 8 "c4 (or even 2 8 Wf2), and although after 2 8......a7 Black has the better chances White appears to be able to hold on with accurate play. e.g. (i) 29 i.b5? .!lxb5 30 �xb5
:'cl+.
(ii) 29 Wg2 ':be8 30 c3 bxc3 31 bxc3 (31 b4 c2) 3 l . . .'Wb8 32 i.b5 (32 'i'b4 "d8 winning the r-pawn) 32 ....!lxb5 33 �xb5 (ir 33 "'xb5 '5'c8 34 lbe6! .txr6 35 .:r.xi'6 fxe6 with some advantage to Black e.g. . 36 dxe6 J:8xe6 37 Wd5 "xc3 or 36 .:r.afl e5) 33 ...l:te2+ and White has no good move. Ir 34 Wfl .:r.b2 35 tOd4 :h2 and 36...'Wb2 or 34 .:r.f2 then either 34 ... J:xf2+ or 34 ...112c4; finally 34 Wg3 "d8 rollowed by .tr.8e3+. But, (iii) 29 :'an(!) whcn Black has little better than 29 ...:'a8 30 .!lb5 i.xb5 31 lOxb5 (31 -..xb5 .!lxffi) 31...':g3+ 32 Wh2 "e3 33 "d3 .tr.h3+ with a draw by perpetual check.
The final triumph for the bishop. White must now lose material. 30 a6 :'g3+ 31 Wh2 .td4? 3 1 ... l:tg4 would be more precise
after White's last movc-but an extra rook is adequate.
32 ":lf4 ':h3+ 33 Wgi "xc4 34 ":ld6 "c8 35 .:r.n "c8 36 'l'r4 We3+ 31 "xe3 :txe3 38 :r6 l:ta8 39 :d6 .!leS 40 Wf2 l:e4 White resigned.
Around hcre I rather belatedly noticed that my bishop on e3 was destined never to reach its "better " square and to make things worse, it prevented its colleague on n from becoming active. It was also apparent that this state or affairs could only be remedied, at the cost or haIr-a·dozen tempi, by the laborious manoeuvre J.g2, 0, .i.f2, e3, i.n . and .!le I .
13 "d2 ':c8 14 tOes €lxcS IS :'xc5 "b6 16 ':fcl J.e7 17 :'Sc2 ':cdS!
7 A.J,Miles White
G.Kuzmln Black
Hastings 1973/74
Reti Opelling
I g3 dS 2 IOn IOr6 3 ig2 ig4 4
� bO s
Against
�d3 c6 6 cxdS
Garcia, earlier in the
1DUnWnenl, I had played a more am""eDtUrOUS system with b3, but, siace I was feeling rather cowardly am 110( having a particularly good I thought that a
Here I took a long look at the position and came to the conclusion that I was practically lost already!
32
" /played every nightfor a year IIntil /got bored "
Black's last move is very powerful and immediately threatens I S ... tOb4 winning the a-pawn. To meet this While is obliged to weaken his queenside by IS 33 or IS b3 (the passive I S ltal may be playable) whereupon Black can drive the rooks from the c-file by ...to-a5-b3 or ...�a3 respectively. thcn he takes it over himself and infiltrates the seventh rank, while White, with his kingside still tied up, can create no counterplay.
18
a3
as?
I felt that this was unnecessary. The two tempi consumed by ...a5-a4 give White valuable lime to untangle his kingsidc. Also, as in the game, if White succeeds in untangling in time, then Black's queenside pawns may be vulnerable to the white-squared bishop.
19 .i.g2 84 20 IJ �aS 21 "'cJ
To prevent Black from playing 2 1 ...11cS immediately.
2t...lDb3 22 ltdl i.f6
If 22 ...ltd6 then While seems to have lime to ease his position by 23 "-c7. Now 23 'jkc7 can be met by 23 ..."'a7 when the white queen must return. 23 �fl ltd6 24 e3 ltc6 25 ..-dJ
lUeS 26 ltxe6 "'xt6
At the time J thought that 26...bxc6!? might be a better try, intending to apply more pressure by ...c5. However, While can probably stay alive with 27 e4. Now, for the first time, I felt I had reasonable chances of saving the game. 27 .i.e l The bishop arrives just in time to block the c-file.
27......c2 Now I was completely happy with my position, but il seems that Black has nothing better since 27 ...�e7 is met by 28 �fl.
28 ..-xc2 28 .tc3 is also playable. J chose the text because it is more forcing, since, after... 2S..Jhe2 29 .i.c3 ... White threatens 30 .i.-f! -d3 (trapping the rook) or .tb5 picking off the a-pawn. So Black must act quickly. 29....te7 The only move. If 29 ...:'e2 30
.in ':xe3 3 1 �f2 traps the rook. Or
29...b5 30 �fl b4 31 .i.xb4 (and not 3 1 axb4 a3 and Black wins) 3J...':xb2 32 .i.b5 and Black's position falls apart.
"/ played every lIightfor a year III/til l got bored " 33
3 1..':xb2? This appears to be inaccurate. Probably best is 3 1 ...J:cI 32 l:txcl lDxc I 33 �b5 t002 34 .i.xa4 lDxc3 35 bxc3 �b2 reaching an opposite coloured bishops ending with an extra pawn. However, White should have no difficulty drawing espec ially since after 36 .i.d7 .i.xc3 37 .i.c8 b5 (or 37 ... b6 38 .i.a6 and .i.b5) 38 .i.d7 b4 39 .i.a4 and 40 i.b3 he can deprive Black of any enrry squares on the queenside.
holding the ending. Having established this I then started lookin gat the curious possibility 36 l:td3 lOxa4 37 ltb3 whereupon Black has .i., 1D and tJ, for l:t, but not only can he not maintain the extra pawn (if 37...b6 3S l:tb4) but his pieces are badly misplaced.
32 .i.xb2 .i.xb2 33 .ile2!
Necessary to restrain the a-pawn. 33 ...lDcl! The point of Black's 3 1 st. Other moves lose fairly simply e.g. 33 ...b5 34 .i.xb3 axb3 35 l:tbl; or 33 ....i.c3 34 l:tbl .i.d2 (or 34 ...1Dd2 35 l:txb7 threatening mate) 35 'iPf2 and in either case a pawn falls.
34 �184 Forced, though I actually spent 40 of my remaining 45 minutes on this move, doing the analysis given before my 36th . 34...lDe2+ 3S ¢'fl
30 .ion �xa3 31 �d3
JS...1ilcJ Here il is clear that after 36 .i.b3 (or c2) �dl+ 37 .i.xdl White should not have too much difficulty
Firstly I examined the immediate attempts to extricate the pieces: 37 ... ¢lfS--or any kingside pawn move38 l:txb7 and now: (a) 38 ....i.c3 39 l:tb3 (threaten ing l:ta3) 39 ....td2 (if 39 ... �b2 40 'iPe2 but the best line, which I overlooked, is 39 ... e5! 40 l:ta3 lDb2! and Black stands better) 40 'iPe2 .i.c l 4 1 'iPdl .i.b2 42 l:tb4 1Dc3+ 43 �c2 .i.a I 44 ltb8+ rJ;;e7 45 :'a8 :and Black loses a piece. (b) 3S ... .i.cI 39 l:tbl .i.b2! 40 We I rJ;;e7 41 r.i;d21Db6 drawing. (c) 3S ....i.cl 39 :'c7 .td2 (or 39...i.b2 and White has little beller then 40 l:tb7) intending 40...�b4 and the pieces escape. Then it occurred to me that the b-pawn wouldn't run away and that I might be able to improve by bringing my king to the queenside, before capturing it, and thus removing the bishop's escape route.
34
"I played every nightfor tI yellr
So, if 37...Wfl! 38 we2 ..tc3 (if 39 ¢ldl) 39 Axb7 38 ... �cl threatening A-b3-a3, and now (d) 39 .....ta5 40 Aa7 lDc3+ 41 ¢ld3 ..tb4 42 Ab7 ..ta5 43 ¢lc2 and Black has great trouble contending with the threat ofAa7 and ¢lb3.
40 Ab4 b5 41 Axb5 f4
Sealed, after prolonged thought, but the only move to cause White any real trouble.
(ol 39...Jl.b2 40 1[b4 11k3+ 4 1 Wd3 winning as in (a).
After much analysis I was still u.nsure of the merits of the idea, but it seemed to give real winning chances, without too much risk of losing. I spent a further five minutes wondering if it was reasonable to expect to win an ending with rook 3gainst bishop, knight, pawn and OM. However, such considerations had never worried me in the past, so I took the plunge. Black opts to seek tactical chances by advancing his kingside pawns as rapidly as possible. The idea is positionally rather dubious though.
38 ¢le2 e5 39 Wd3 rs(?)
Consistent, but this was Black's last chance to play 39 ...exd4 (or 39 .....tc3) 40 exd4 ..tc3 transposing into line (f) but with his pawns rather more vulnerable to a rook on the fifth. Thus at the end of line (f) White has 44 Axd5 and if 44...h6? 45 Ad7 ..tb6 46 wc2 and Black must lose a piece. Therefore he must give up his g-pawn leaving White with rook and two pawns v bishop and knight and fine winning chances. Now, observing that Black had lined up his pawns on the fourth, I decided that this might be a good place for my rook.
winning chances. On that occasion the Russian analysts produced a neal saving line. So I decided to snatch some pawns, since I was bound to get at least two--when I would have good winning chances.
42 ...g4 At the adjournment I only looked at 42 ...fXe3 but when play resumed 42 ...g4 was the first move 1 considered.
(f) 39 ... e5! 40 Wd3 exd4 4 1 exd4 Jl. e l 42 1[bl Jl.a5 43 1[b5 ( Not 43 :a I IOb2+ and 44... lOc4) 43 .....tc7 with a level ending.
36 Ad3! IOxa4 37 Ab3! g5
"I"Itlyed every nightfor a year until Igot bored"
until Igot bored "
43 exf4?
42 :xd5
Possibly better is 42 :b4 and then if 42 ... fxe3 43 :xa4 exd4 as Kuzmin intended, White wins by 44 :a7 when Black can only move his bishop between c3, b2 and aI, and White continues with Ad7, h4·h5 and f4·5. If Black meets this with (i)
':xhS.
...h5 White plays Axd5 and
(ii) ...h6 While plays ':·d6 and :g6+ and then either takes the h·pawn or runs his f·pawn depending on which way the black king goes. (iii) leaving his pawn on h7, White plays �·h6 followed by :·g7+ winning in similar fash ion. I found these lines during the adjournment but was concerned about tactical possibilities based on 42...e4+ though these probably fizzled out in a few moves. However, I had distinct memories of my previous encounter with Kuzmin, at Bath, which. by a strange coincidence, was also adjourned in a position where I had rook v bishop and knight and good
Black's attempts to confuse matters at last bring some reward. As my opponent po inted out after wards 43 :xe5 gxD 44 Ag5+! Wh8 (or 44 ...¢'fS 45 :f5+ and 46 :xf4) 45 gx:f4 leaves Black with no antidote to the central pawn mass.
43... exd4 44 Aa5
Attempting
to
improve
the
position of my rook and further misplace Black's pieces before capturing the pawn.
44...Iilb6 Belter than 44...lOc3 4S fxg4 when Black's pieces are hopelessly
scattered and indefensible.
his
d-pawn
is
45 :b5 lOa4 46 :b4 �cS+ 47 �c4 ..ta3 48 ':b8+ wn 49 :a8 .t.b2 50 :0.2
.U
50...i.cl? A neat way of saving the piece: if 5 1 ¢>xc5 d3 52 l::r:g2? (naturally 52 fxg4 is OK) 52...gxD 53 ':gl ..te3+. But now White succeeds in misplacing the black pieces. Much better was 50.....tc3! (if 5 1 ¢>xc5 d3 52 Af2 i.e l and a pawn queens) when after 51 fxg4 Black keeps his d·pawn and can still cause problems.
51 ':al i.b2 52 :bl ..ta3
Now if 52 ...i.c3 53 Wxc5.
53 bg4 Now the queen's pawn must fall and White is left with rook plus large pawn roller against two ineffective pieces.
53...�e6 54 h4 ..te7 55 f5 IOg7 56 .:n i.d6 57 :0 h6 58 ¢'xd4 h5 A last trap. If 59 g5 �xg3
drawing.
S9 gxh5 .i.xg3
If 59.. . liJxh5 60 g4 comfortably. I now sealed:
wins
60 h6 And at breakfast the next morning my opponent, observing that I had overcome the main problem-that of struggling out of bed in time for the resumplion-decided to resign. After 60... lOh5 6 1 h7 Wg7 62 f6+
IPxh7 63 fl Jl.d6 64 f8='11 Jl.xf8 65
:x:f8 White is elementary win.
left
with
an
8 A.J.Miles White
M.Tal Black
Hastings 197)174
Reti Opening Up until the World Junior Championship ( 1 973) I had almost
"Jplayed every night Jor II year until J gol bored" 37
" Jplayed ellery nightJor a year until I got bored "
36
invariably opened I e4 with White, but after eight rounds of the finals I was surprised to find thai I had scored three draws and a loss with While and three wins (one against the Russian Belyavsky) and a draw with Black. In the nexi round I switched to I 100 against Stean. primarily to con him OUI of a Najdorf, which I duly achieved after 1 lilG g6 2 e4 �g7 3 d4. With my last White of the tournament. I again ventured I /CIG 10 which my opponent replied 1 ...lOf6 and I was forced to play a genuine English Reti system, and proceeded to win in 26 moves. With my first White in the British Championship a few days later I returned to I e4 and was soundly thrashed by Pritchard. That was the last straw. Since I was still winning consistently with Black (to the extent of JOYS points from my last I I games) I decided that the only logical thing to do was to treat White as Black with a move in hand. Since then I have chosen almosl randomly from I lOG and I c4 with the odd I e4, 1 d4 or I b3 creeping in. I have now a slight preference for I g3 since I find it gives a little more scope for originality, but since 1 had already used it four limes in the tournament, (3W4!) I decided to change.
l IOn IOr6 2 g3 g6 3 b3 I think I had played this system twice before this game.
3...dS 4 �b2 cS S c4 d4 6 b4 This must be played immediately, otherwise Black prevents it with . 1Oc6, when White's queen's bishop is misplaced. 6 .il.g7 7 il.g2 0-0 8 0-0 IOrd7 9 bIeS ..
had delayed this move for as long as possible basically for nuisance value. I would have preferred to play 9 d3 here, but was unsure about the reply 9...'ib6 and if 10 a3 a5 when White must either sac a pawn, which is dubious, or play I I b5 when although it takes Black some time to untangle his queenside While has no target to undennine, his quecn's bishop is out of play, and Black's space advantage in the centre will soon become relevant. I
9 ...�c6 10 d3 lilxcs I I lilbd2
il.g4
Perhaps it's better to prepare for ...e5 by 1 1 ...:eS.
12 l1bl llb8 Probably necessary in view of the threat of �a3 (12 ...'i'a5 is met by 13 IOb3).
"The only move"-Tal. As in similar Benoni positions White must eliminate the hostile horse at c5 if he is to hope for an advantage. The immediate 1 5 �xc5 bxc5 16 :b5 fails to 16 ...eaS (one of the points of 13 ...'i'c7) 17 tClc4 /CIb7 followed by ....i.d7 and White is driven back.
IS.../CIa5 Of course not IS ...�xd3 when 16 n or 1 6 h3 wins material.
16 lilge4 �d7(?) Around here Black's position begins to deteriorate quite considerably. If 16 .. /CIxe4 17 /CIxe4 White maintains a noticeable advantage. Best, I think, is 16... lilab7 when although White keeps an edge it's nowhere near as great as in the game.
17 lilJ:CS bxcS 18 lile4 Black's c·pawn is now
an
enonnous liability, and in the event of mass exchanges he's likely to be left with his bad king's bishop.
18...lilb7 Not a pleasant move to have to play, but after I S....:xbl 19 "'xbl :h8 (19 ...�xa4 20 lOxcs is also good for White) 20 'l'a2 lOb3 2 1 :hI ..txa4 22 lilxc5 /CIxc5 23 :Xb8+ "'xbS 24 .i.xc5 White picks up a pawn.
13 a4 Preparing �a3. Tal said afterwards that he was concerned about 1 3 .i.a3 'i'aS 14 ..txcS "'xcS IS :b5 'i'd6 16 'i'b3 when White has active play but nOlhing concrete. Personally 1 prefer not to concede the bishop pair so lightly.
. 13.....c7 14 �a3 b6 IS lilgS(!)
19 'l'c2 "as? Completely missing White's reply. Best is 19... .i.c6 immediately. 20 "d2!
l'llRatening :xb7.
:!I_Wc7 Forced. If 20...'i'xa4 21 �xc5 .... advantage or 20......xd2 2 1 ;&d2 W 22 hc5 winning.
21 as? Too slow. As Tal pointed out after the game 2 1 "'f4 ! would probably give White a winning position. For instance: . (i) 21 ..... xf4 22 gxf4 and now: (a) 22 ...:fcS 23 tOxc5 lilxcS 24 :xb8 :xbS 25 �xc5 with an extra pawn, or even 23 :xb7 :xb7 24 ttlxcs regaining the exchange with interest. (b) 22 ... �xa4 23 lOxcs lilxc5 24 ..txc5 winning a pawn e.g. 24... J:xbI 2S :xbl ..th6 26:al. In all such lines, once White has succeeded in exchanging his a-pawn for Black's c-pawn his position is practically won, even without an extra pawn. (ii) 21 ...eS 22 lilf6+ ¢>h8 23 'i'h4 and apart from mate in one White also threatens to exchange ofT lots of pieces and then lake the C·pawn. (iii) 21 ...�e5 (Probably the best try) 22 'i'h4 .i.c6 (Black must contend with 23 tOg5 and 23 "'xe7. If 22...f6 23 :xb7-or 23 f4 is strong-23 ...:xb7 24 lbxcs :b6 25 a5 :d6 26 f4 win nin g ) 23 /CIgS h5 24 �xc6 'i'xc6 25 We4! 'i'c7 (If 25...'i'xe4 26 lOxe4 .i.d6 then White simply doubles rooks by 27 :'bS and Black's position collapses) 26 :b2! with the powerful threat of 27
38
"I played every nightfor a year until 1 got bored "
J:fbl. If now 26...tDa5 27 J:xb8
J:xb8 28 'i'd5 winning a pawn. Best is 26...i.d6 but White still retains tremendous pressure. 21 ...�c6(!)
Apan from 22 a6 White was threatening 22 11xb7 llxb7 23 tOxc5 winning a pawn. The ailemative 2 1 ...a6 would be met strongly by 22 1M. 2Z a6 .ixc4 23 i.xe4
23 axb7 would be good, were it not for the fact that after 23 ....ixg2 24 �g2 J:txb7 25 J:txb7 "xb7+ is check. 23.../(ld6 24 ig2
24 �b7 is possible, reaching a position similar to the game with an extra pair of rooks. White has not wasted time with his "-(b2/d2) and Black's kingside play is slower than in the game continuation. E.g. 24 ... h5 25 'l'g5 ltlf5 (threatening ...�h6) 26 'i'f4 �e5 27 �e4 (threat 25 i.xc5) 27....i.d6 28 J:tb5 and White is gradually taking over. 24 ...11fc8 25 J:tb2 J:txb2 26 ..-lb2 J:tb8 27 �b7
If 27 ..-d2, there is a distinct likelihood of White's advanced a-pawn disappearing in the near future. 27 ...h5
Not 27 ...iOxb7 28 J:tbl acquiring an enonnous passed pawn on h7. 28 J:bl �cS 29 *c1(?) Black seems to be O.K. now; White hasn't quite got enough room on the queenside to achieve anything significant. Probably the last chance to cause Black any rl.al problems was the tricky 29 e4! gaining space in the centre and threatening 30 f4 when Black's pieces run out of �uares. (If 30...ig7 3 1 eS /(lf5 32 111'bS).
If 29...g5 then 30 'i'd2 is an embarassment, e.g. 30 ...i.f6 3 1 e5! or 30.. .f6 31 f4 gxf4 32 gxf4 iOxb7 33 fxe5 rIOds 34 J:txb8 'i'xb8 35 exf6 exf6 36 �xc5 with an extra pawn and a fine position. Unfortunately, being somewhat shon of time at this stage, I totally overlooked the possibility of29 041; I suspect that I wasn't the only one! 29...h4 30 1WgS /(l,b7 31 lt,b7 If31 axb7 then 3 1 ...h3 is strong. 31...J:txb7 32 axb7 h3 33 0
Forced, in view of the threat of 33...'i'xb7. 33...id634 1WdS
White must preserve his b-pawn for as long as possible. If 34 'i'g4 'i'a5 35 'i'xh3 .xa3 36 'i'c8+ Wh7 37 b8='i' �xbS 38 'i'xb8 as and Black's a-pawn gives him good winning chances. J4 ...e6 35 'i'e4 'i'aS 36 Wf2 'i'xaJ 37 'i'c6 Regaining the piece and simplify ing to a drawn queen and pawn endgame. 37...'i'b2
Black could draw immediately by 37 .. .'''cI but tries for more. 38 'ihd6 ....xb7 39 'i'xcs 'i'bl
"I played every /lightfor ayear ul/til l got bored" 39
If 40 'i'xd4 'i'h I and Black wins the h-pawn whereupon his passed pawn is considerably faster than White's. On 40 'itxa7 'i'hI 41 'lb8+ Wh7 42 g4 Wg2+ 43 Wei .gl+ 44 �d2 1Wel+ 4S �dl 1Wgl+ 46 Wc2 'i'e3 draws. At this stage I fdt that I might have some slight winning chances since my c-pawn is a little more dangerous than Black's a-pawn. 40... 'ithl 41 g4 "g2+ This was Black's sealed move, and at the adjournment it soon became clear that after.. 42 Wei 'itgl+ 43 Wd2 Wa l(! ) White has no reasonable way of avoiding a draw by perpetual. So, having nothing better to do, I decided to set up a perpetual myself-just in casc>-while my opponent made a last attempt 10 squeeze something from the position. 44
gS as 45 "b8+ Wg7 46 'iteS+
Wb7 47 'i'c7 'i'b2+ 48 Wdl Wg7
4'.eS+
Not 49 '�ha5? when 49 ... 'i'b8
gn'cs Black good winning chances, ax 49 "d8(?) when 49 ... ..,, 1 + 50 ¢'d2 'Wb4+ 5 1 Wc2 'i'c5 follows
.ad White has some problems proving a draw. 49_W'g8 50 'i'd6! Wg7 51 "c5+ ¢117 52 '5'c7 Draw agreed.
A favourite game
9
A.Kochiev White
A.J.Miles Block '·odd Junior Championship 1974 Sicilia/l Dragon
o.e of the questions one
40 'iteS
is asked by reporters is ...... is your best or favourite
.. ...ml n )'
gameT 'Best' is always difficult 10 define, but I certainly do have a favourite and. as it happens, I have never annotated it before. No small pan of my favouritism is due to the facl that it clinched the World Junior Championship for me. It was played in the penultimate round at Manila in 1974. I e4 cS 2 tOO d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 tOxd4 tOf6 5 tOc3 g6 6 �e3 i.g7 7 0 0-0 8 'ii'd2 lL!c6 9 g4
A sharp move which enjoyed a brief spell of populariry around the time of this game. I had met it once before in a counry match against John Littlewood. At that time I continued 9...lDd7!? (as recom mended in a theoretical article which appeared just before the game) 10 h4 lOde5 I I .i.e2 iOxd4? (... lOa5 is a bener try) 1 2 �xd4 �e6 1 3 f4! and White won heavily. After that game I spent a while looking at 9 g4 and came up with an interesting idea. I analysed it for about half an hour and resolved to test it if the opportunity arose. Little did I expect that I would get my chance in such a crucial game! Over the board I sank into thought. So far my opponent had not stopped to think. Clearly he had prepared the line and was OUI for blood. After
40
"I played every nigh/for
"I played every nightfor a year II11 /il l gal bored "
twenty minutes I summoned up the courage to test my idea: 9 e6! ...
This seems to me a very logical, if un-Dragonlike, idea. Black treats White's g4 as a premature wing attack and intends to exploit it in with classical fashion a counter-attack in the centre. White cannot prevent ...d5 after which the opening of the centre should render White's push a weakness. Other moves which have been tried are 9...d5?! (10 g5), 9 ...111xd4, 9...�e6 and 9...e5?! 10 llldbS?!
After twenty-five minutes' thought, not a move I had considered. White tries for a direct refutation based on the weakness of d6. After the game it was widely suggested that White could have gained the advantage with 10 0-0-0 and I I � h6. However, after 10 0-0-0 d5, the immediate I I �h6 is impossible ( l l...lOxd4 12 �xg7 lOxD 13 -.n6 lOxg4) and on I I ltlxc6 bxc6 12 �h6 Black's strong pawn centre, in my opinion, gives him the edge. Another possibility is 10 �c4 playing to give Black an isolated d-pawn. IO...dS
10 ... llle8 is as horrible as it looks. I I �cS
White must be consistent. 1 1 ...�6!
A fine exchange. The alternatives 1 1 . ..lIe8(?) (12 ttJd6) and 1 1 . ..lOe7 (very passive) were clearly less attractive. 1 2 �xfS WxfS
Not 12.. .'i'xfS 13 t:oc7 and the knight surfaces on d5. 13 exdS (?)
Probably White should try to avoid opening lines. However, if 1 3 lOd4 lllxe4 1 4 fxe4 "'h4+ IS ..-£2 'i'xfJ:+ 16 Wxf2 �xd4+ with a tremendous position, while on 13 11:103 b5 1 4 i1ld 1 b4 15 /(lbl .tb7 and Black dominates the board (if 1 6 exd5 just 16...lOxd5). Even at this stage I remember looking round and noticing that my other rivals, Dieks and Schneider, had none too good positions and it crossed my mind that I might be able to win the tournament with ;) round 10 spare.
24 c3 i.d4+! mating, or I S "e2 'tic5 19 'i'f2 l:.e8+ 20 �f1 'i'c4+ 21 �gl 1ilo4' 22 rxo< .td4 23 1ilo3 'ii'c5 24 Wf! �xe3 and 25 ......c4+. 18 lOe4!! ...
...
IS...b4 16 lllb i ..txg4!
Combinations flow from Black's osition. Now if 17 fxg4 &4 18 p 'tfg2 'i'h4+ 19 �e2 lOd4+ 20 Wd3 lbc5+ 21 ¢'d2 �h6+ 22 tOe3 l:.eS and White is annihilated. 1 7 �g2!
The strongest defence. If 17 �e2 lOe4 I S fxe4 "'h4+ 19 lllf2 ..txe2 and 20...i.xb2 wins. Now, though, the bishop is threatened and White is ready to castle, 17 ...&4 is no longer possible (fxe4) so what is Black to do? 17...'i'b6!? is interesting, but aOer 18 fxg4 l:.eS+ 19 �n lllxg4 it is not clear that Black has enough. t 7...'i'e7+! 18 "'e3
Best. For example, IS Wf2 lOe4+! 19 fxe4 'i'h4+ 20 Wn �xd I 21 c3 (else ...�xb2) 21 ...i.a4 with advantage, or 18 wn &41 19 'i'd3 lieS! 20 fxg4 �g3+! 21 'i'xg3 'l'e2+ 22 �gl "'xdl+ 23 �n lIe2!
Black is clearly winning, bul probably even more efficient would have been 21...�a4! eg 22 b3 i.b5 23 "'c5 �c3! 24 'ilhe7+ fue7 25 exd5 �xd5! 26 �xd5l:[dS winning. 22 'lfh3 d3 23 0-0 �g8 Threatening ...i.xb2, �c3 and ...'lfg5. 24 eS Hoping to gain coumerplay with the e4 and d5 squares. 24 lId8! ...
Supporting the d-pawn and controlling d4 (if25 �xc6 'iWc5+).
13...exdS 14 lDa3
Now if 14 lOd4 lOxd4 15 "'xd4 'i'e7+! and ...llle4 or ...lllg4 according to White's reply (I5 ... /(l,4 1 6 'iI'b4+). 14 bS IS llld l Forced. Both knights must ret reat and b2 has to be defended.
a year until I go/ bored" 41
2Sc6
The climax of Black's attack. The white king is nailed finnly in the centre (19 O-O? i.d4). If instead IS ...'i'd6 1 9 0-0 i.f5 20 'i'd2 White still keeps his head above water. 1 9 fxe4? AI last White begins 10 crack. If 19 fxg4 �d4! 20 'i'e2 (20 "'h6+ Wg8 21 Wfl UeS or 2 1 tOe3 �g5!) 20...lIeS and While has no move. E.g. 21 �xe4 '1'114+ or 2 1 iOd2 �g3! The last chance to keep things interesting was 19 c3 ..-h4+ 20 �f1 and either 20.. l:.eS!? 2 1 fxg4 d4 with rasing attack or just 20....ith6. If 20 lll £2 bxc3 21 bxc3 �h6 22 .e2 (22 'i'b6 l:.b8) 22 ...l:.eS and White is helpless.
The pawn is doomed so White jettisons it as best he can. 2S."fxc6 26 J:eet �d4 27 Whl /(lIS
Defending the kingside and renewing Ihe threat to Ihe b-pawn. 28 J:e4 'i'gS! Undennining d2 and forcing the further advance of the pawn. 29 �f3 'ii'h6 30 :'h4!
.
19 �xdl 20 �d2 ..•
The fireworks die down. If 20 ¢'xd l i.xb2 wins easily, while 20 cJ is answered by 20 ...d4 21 'i'd2 dxc3 22 bxe3 i.a4 with dec isive pressure. 20._�xc2 21 J:.ct d4
Played quickly. With IWO pawns for the exchange, one a passed pawn em the fifth and likely 10 go funher,
A spirited attempt at counterplay. In fact Black can defend successfully with 30 ...�xh4 3 1 'i'xe6+ WhS 32 "iiie7 .l:.fS! 3 3 lllg5 l:.xfl+ 34 i.xfl i.f8! but it is far simpler 10 ignore the rook.
"Iplayed every nightfor a year until I got bored" 43
42 "I played every nightfar a year until ! got bored" 30...'i'e3! 31 :'xb4 Now if 31 :'xh7 d2, or 3 1 :'el 'ilr'xe I + 32 lLlxe I d2.
10
A.J.Miles White S.Matera Black
3 1 ... d2 32 lDxd2 ...wxh3 33 .i.xh3 :'xd2
Binningham Intemational 1975
All that remains is to reach the time control safely.
I tDfJ g6 2 e4
34 :'el �rs 35 :'b8 wn 36 .:tb7+ .i.e7 37 .i.n �a4 38 l:lb6 i.d6 39 .:teZ .:tdl 40 Wg2 i.b5 41
1If:!
At this point the game was adjourned and a capacity crowd of about a thousand stood and applauded. The remainder of the game was rather an anti-climax, being played in a small room at the hotel.
41....i.c5 42 .:tb7+ Wf6 43 .i.xb5 nbS Not 43.. bf2 44 .i.e2. ..
44 .:te2 .:tgl+ 45 Wh3 g5 46 .:tg2
Pirc Defence Since Matera usually plays the Sicilian against I e4. I decided to transpose into a Pire.
2....i.g7 3 d4 d6 4 lDe3 lDf6 5 .i.e2 0-0 6 0-0 c6 In an earlier game against Matulovic, Matera played 6... i.g4 followed by 7 ... tDc6 and 8... e5. Apparenlly he changed his choice of variation in order to avoid the drawish possibility of White meet ing ... e5 by dxe5 and exchanging all the major pieces. At this point in the tournament he needed only J Ih/2 for a grandmaster nonn.
7 a4 as 8 h3 lDa6 9 .i.e3 lDb4
:dl!
10...d5!? As it's a little late to prepare ...e5 Black tries the other plausible central advance. However White isn't threatening anything drastic so it may have been better to wait a while.
l i eS 'Lle8 Now I J...lbe4 12 li:'Jxe4 dxe4 1 3 tDci2 would just lose a pawn.
12 'i:lbl Taking measures against ...c5 and/or preparing to expel the black knight.
12...i.fS 13 'i:lel Defending the e2 and d3 squares and preparing c3 and f4.
13...c5 1 4 c3 cxd4 IS cxd4 f6 16 f4 .:tc8 17 l.bc3 The game has now become very similar to the variation of Alekhine's Defence: I e4 'i:lf6 2 e5 1ild5 3 d4 d6 4 '1l0 g6 5 Jl.04 '1lb6 6 .i.b3 .i.g7 7 'i:lg5 d5 8 f4 where White's central pawn wedge gives him a space advantage and keeps Black's theoretically "good" king's bishop out of the game.
17...'i:lc7
1 8...lbd3? Losing an enonnous number of tempi. 18 ... �e4 was a gambit when after 1 9 lbxe4 dxe4 20 i.xe4 lDcd5 21 ..-d2 f5 22 .i.bl e6 Black would have some play for his pawn. Also better than the text would be 1 8....i.e6 intending ... fS blocking the kingside.
19 'itd2 'i:lxel 20 .:taxel .i.e6 2 1 'i'd!! lZ:!a6 Necessary. If 21...f5 intending 'ifxb7 or 'i'M.
22 'itb3
22 exf6 The right time to change the nature of White's advantage. If 22 'i'b3 lDb4 and, on other moves, ...
13
.
22...exr6 23 .i.d2 .i.f7 Naturally if 23 ...'i'd7 or ... :'e8 simply 24 .:txe6 and 25 .i.xd5. Or 23 ... �c7 24 'itb3.
24 'i'b3 'i:lb4 25 'i:lbS 'i:lc6 26 f5! Liberating the queen's bishop and preparing 10 drop pieces into d6.
26...'i'd7 27 .i.g4 27 .i.f4 is also possible but, after 27 ... :ce8 28 .i.d6 would be met by 28 ...�xd4.
Possibly the best try was 17 .. i.e4 18 'il'd l B.
18 Jl.o
IO 'i'cl White resigned. There is no defence to the threats of ... :d3+ and ... g5 and ... g4+. By now Schneider had already lost, and soon after Dicks was forced to resign, thus rendering the last round academic and the title mine.
After the more natural 10 'i'd2 Black has the possibility of 1O ...d5 I I e5 lDe4 although after 12 'i:lxe4 dxe4 13 'i:lg5 he has problems defending his advanced e-pawn. e.g. 13 ....i.fS 14 g4 h6 15 gxfS hxg 5 (or 15 ...gxfS 16 lDxe4 fxe4 17 �xh6) 16 fxg6 with some advantage to While. Possibly Black's beSI try is 1 3...c5 nibbling at the white centre.
27...g5 If 27...h5 28 fxg6 hxg4 29 gxf7+ :'xf7 30 hxg4 threatening .:tfS. and
44
" Iplayed every nightfor a year Imtil lgot bored , .
;f 30... f5 3 1 'l'd3! fxg4 32 IIxt7
¢'d7 (or 32....i'xfl 33 lbd6) 33
'i'h7! followed by :.n+ winning.
28 '1'1'3 Not 28 �xgS? hS! winning a piece.
2S...:'ceS 29 h4! Not 29 �hS �xhS 30 'ihhS :'xe I and White must make the awkward capture 31 �xe I.
29...gxh4
"[played every nightfor a year until I got bored"
The Dragon, and particularly this variation was doing rather well in this tournament, Mestel having already disposed of Janosevic and Matulovic with it. 11
0-0-0 lDe5 13 lDde2?!
Matulovic tried 13 ¢lb I lOc4 14 ixc4 :'xc4 15 lbde2 against Meste!. Haag tries the same idea without 'wasting' a move with ¢'b I.
13 bS! .••
If 29 ... h6 30 hxgS hxgS 3 1 :'xe8 :'xe8, White can really play 32 .txgS.
Much beller than ...1Dc4.
Eliminating Black's better bishop.
Expecting 22 ... i.xe5 23 ':xe5 dxe5 24 d6 exd6 25 'i'xg6+ when Black's king would begin to suffer from exposure.
32 :'xe4 dxe4 33 .1e3 lDe7 34 :.r4 :'c8 35 i1Jc3 i1JdS
36 i1JxdS "xdS 37 :'xh4 ¢'f8 3S 'I',h7 'l'g8
"
Binningham International 1975
Sicilian Defence
t e4 cS 2 i1Jo d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 l1l,d4 I1lf6 5 11lc3 g6 6 .lte} il.g7 7 o 0-0 8 'it'd2 i1Jc6 9 .i.c4 .td7 10 h4 :c8 II .tb3 hS
If31 i1Jb4 "'a3 32 'i'd2 :'c2. 12
S.Webb White A.J.Miles Black
English Opening
14
19 "xc3 i1Jxe4 is killing) I S...:xc3 winning (Hodgson-Miles Woola combe 1974).
A poimless move which transfers the initiative to Black. Probably annoyed at missing my 22nd, White begins to drift.
14 �xa7 Otherwise comes ... a5 e.g.
i1Jf4? as 15 a4 bxa4 16 �a2 a3 17 b3 I1leg4 18 .ltgl ( 1 8 fxg4? IIxc3!
On 16... lbc4 White must try the interesting 17 .xb4! since 1 7 .txc4 :'xc4 is terrific for Black. However I could see nothing convincing against 1 7 'i'xb41 Hence the text.
[.Haag While A.J.Miles Black
30 i1Jxd3 b3 White resigned.
British Championship 1 975
39 'i'xg8+ ¢'xg8 40 :xe4 Black resigned.
threatening
An alternative way of winning was 29 ... .txb2+ 30 ¢'xb2 .txd3 3 1 ¢' a l ! .a3 3 2 'i'd2 :'c2.
22...dxeS! 23 d6 exd6 24 :'xd6
1 4... b4 IS lDdS i1JxdS ]6 exdS '1'.5
was
27 ... :'xcZ! 2S �xc2 .txc2+ 29 ¢'al .txd3
24 'i'xg6 is possible but after 24... .txb3 25 o[)xb3 rxg6 26 lOxaS :txc2 27 :'cl White has only a small edge in the ending.
:'g4
White
followed by .i.h6.
Since on I S. .. .tfS 19 .txg7 �xg7 20 i1Jg3 is crushing or 18 ....ta4 1 9 .txg7 ¢'xg7 20 .txc4 :'xc4 21 b3 wins a pIece for minimal compensation.
19 ...i.a4 20 i1JcI :'c7 2 1 l:.hel :.rcS 22 .txeS?!
The best try.
1I-I2-h2.
IS...lDeS
Probably White Can afford to take the e-pawn, but he's happy with one extra pawn.
30... .txhS 31 'i'xhS :'e4
Simplifying White's task but Black has run out of sensible moves. Ir for instance 3S ...:'c4 simply 36 "xh4 and 36... �f5 is refuted by 37 'i'h3. Otherwise White plays g4 and either annexes the black e-pawn or organises a direct assault down the h-file by
Perhaps I've become over accustomed to bishops coming this way rather than queens. This came as a great shock, and after some thought I could find nothing better than .
19¢'bl
30 il.hS
17
�d4 i1Jc4??
A terrible move. I completely overlooked that White's reply was legal. Best was 17... :'c71 with a fine game.
18 'i'gS!
45
I lDo
lDxd4
�r6 2 c4 cS 3 d4 cxd4 4
24 ...Wh7 25 :'dS??
2S...'i'aS 26 :'d3? Compounding his previous error and this time it's fatal. While's position was already very difficult, though. For example 26 :ed I :'xc2 27 .txc2 i.xc2+ 28 Wal .txdl 29 :Xdl .th6 winning a piece. 26...e4! Now the Dragon bishop really begins to breathe fire and White has more cause than ever to regret his unfortunate 22nd. 27 fxe4
4...a6! This somewhat peculiar-looking move was, to the best of my knowledge, first tried by Forintos against Rashkovsky at Sochi 1974. The idea is to continue with ...dS
46
" I pluyed every lIight/or a year until 1 gal bored "
"Iplayed every night/or a year until 1got bored"
liquidating the centre before White has time to establish a space advantage (After an immediate 4...d5 White is supposed to retain some advantage by 5 cxd5 �d5 6 �b5. Hence 4 ...a6). The game Rashkovsky v Forintos continued 5 toe3 d5 6 cxd5 �xd5 7 lOdb5!? (rather amusing since 4...a6 was designed to prevent this) 7...<1lb4 8 'i'xd8+
1 1 �b3 Admitting the inaccuracy of S lOd2. 1 1 ...'tk6 12 0-0 Black's space advantage is less relevant with the queens off, so I think White should play 12 "'xdS+ while he has the chance. 12....!ld6 End of chance! 13 �d4 illxd4 14 exd4 Not )4 'i'xd4 'i'c7! 1 5 g3 ( 1 5 .!lxb5+ axb5 1 6 iOxb5 i.xh2+ 17 �h1 "'e5 wins) 1 5 ...J::.d8 (or even 1 5...0-0-0) and White's queen has no squares. If 16 "'a7 .!lc5 or 16 ltd1 0-0. 1 4 h6 1 5 .te3 0-0 16 J::.c l 'l'd7 17 a3 l:lad8 18 'i'd2 'i'e6 19 f4 exO ••.
I played this quile quickly, but in retrospect I think 1 9.. .'iH5 might well be superior. 20 i.xO .!lxo 21 J::.xO lOe4 22 �xe4 'jfxe4
but 23 ......e6! is strong (24 'l'c6? J::.c8!). B. .l:lre8 .
The only move advantage.
to keep any
24 �xd6 l:lxd6 25 J::.r4 If 25 l:ldl Black can tie al1 of White's pieces down to the defence of the d-pawn by 25 ... J::.ed8 26 l:ld3 (Not 26 J::. f4 l:lxd4! 27 "'xd4 J::.xd4 28 J::.xd4 'f'e1+ 29 1:1:0 'f'e3+) 26 ...lld5. when although White's position may not yet be 1051, it is very uncomfortable. 2S......e2 26 l:l12 26 'i'xe2 Ilxe2 should win for Black e.g. 27 Ilc8+ Wh7 28 Axff l:lxd4 threatening to double on the seventh and if 29 Acc7 l:ldl+ 30 ItO Itdd2. 26 1:d I is possible, as is 26 1:c2. In al1 cases Black keeps some advantage with queens on or off the board. 26 ifg4 26.....xd2 leaves Black with
reasonable winning chances but the text gives White more chances to go wrong...
...
Since White does not take the e-pawn next move S lixt4 would seem more sensible.
8.. dxc4 9 .!lxc4 .
9...b5 10 .!le2 .tb7 Already Black has advantage.
a
slight
23 .tf4 Exchanging the bad bishop, and probably best. Another idea is 23 "c2 so that if 23...1:fe8 24 "xe4 1:xe4 25 1:c6 or 23 ...'f'xc2 24 l:lxc2 1:e8 25 1:m or 23.....d5 24 'i'c6,
Ilc8+! "'xc8 29 "xe2 and if 29.....cl+30 1:fJ . Black can then choose between 27 .....e2 followed by laking the good rook and pawn ending, 27......h5 threatening 28 ...1:I:e2. and the tricky 27......g5. 27...J:r.e4! 28 d5 Ae5 Threatening 29. .1:exd5 30 'i'xd5 "'xdl+!-forcing a won pawn end-game. 291:0 Forced, sinee 29 1:f4 is met by 29...1:exd5! 29 ....hS! 30 1:d3 1:e2 ..
.••
6 eS 7 illO e4 8 �d2
9 lixtxe4 is consistent, but 9...'i'xdl+ 10 Wxdl �xe4 I I iOxe4 b5 leaves Black with a dangerous queenside pawn majority e.g. 1 2 a4
[email protected] 1 3 <1le3 b4 14 Illb l
[email protected] 1 5 <1ld2 c3.
47
271:dl? ...and he duly obliges. Best is 27 l:I:f4 when 27...1:e2!? is met by 28
31 "'c3 If 3 1 'i'b4 l:lg6 32 1:g3 1:xb2 wins. There is, though, an unlikely defensive try in 31 "'f4 and if 3 1 . ..l:.g6 32 'f'fJ when the d-pawn gives White eounterchances. The best line I can find for Black is 31...ltg6 (31...'i'g6 32 Itg3 'i'c2 33 I:. fJ ! 'l'c5+ 34 Whl "xd5 35 1:xg7+! ¢'xg7 36 'i'g4+ and 37 'i'xd2) 32 if0 Itf6 33 Ito Itxg2+! 34 Wxg2 (or 34 'i'xg2 I:.xf3 and if 3 5 d6 :g3 36 'i'xg3 Wxdl+ 37 Wg2 'i'd5+ 38 Wh3 WfE should win) 34 ... 'f'g4+ 35 1:g3 (35 Whl 1:xf3 36 . 'i'e2 "'f4! threatening 37 ...1:f2)
"Iplayed every
48 "Iplayed every night/or a year un/il l got bored " 35...l:.xn 36 Ibn "-e4+ ...•xd5 with a probable win.
and
3 1...l:tg6 One fascinating possibility is 31...'l'g6 32 :g3 ':xd5. This almost wins (problem enthusiasts might be interested to know that it almost loses too! Viz: were the black h-pawn on h5 instead of h6 White would have the amazing 33 ¢>O!! winning outright!) but I rejected it because of 33 'i'xg7+! 'i'xg7 (or 33 ... Wxg7 34 :'xg6+ fxg6 35 l:r.xd5 :'xb2 36 l:r.d7+ WfB 37 l:ta7) 34 lbd5! :'xb2 (or 34 ...'ifxg3 35 hxg3 :'xb2 36 :'d8+ �g7 37 l:r.a8 l:r.b3 38 :'xa6 l:r.xg3 39 a4 b4 40 :'b6 drawing) 35 Ad8+ Wh7 36 l:txg7+ ¢>xg7 37 l:r.a8 :a2! 38 Axa6 b4 39 :'b6 bxa3 40 l:ta6 with a theoretical draw. 32 l1g3
do if things went wrong. 32 ... Axg2+ had the reassuring quality of exposing the white king to the e)(tent that there would always be a perpetual if necessary (always useful when one is short of time!)
However I was beginning to worry about what the queen might
Sicilian Defence
1 e4 eS 2 lb0 1Oc6 3 �b5 'i'a5!? 4 ibc3 e6 5 0-0 i!LJge7 6 b3?!
The only way to trouble Black. 35...'i'e2+! 36 ¢>gl?
6 Ael 6...lOd4 7 .sic4 �6 8 ltb2 .i.e7 9 Ael 0-0 10 �n d6
'itf5!
This gives Black time to go pawn snatching. Beller is 36 Wh3 when I intended 36..:l'e71 restraining the d-pawn and preparing to drive White back with 37 ....f6. So 37 l:r.xg6 fxg6 38 'ii'd3 (Not 38 .e617 'lWxe6+ 39 dxe6 Wg8) 38....d6 with good prospects of success, though there is obviously a lot of play left in the position. 36......xb2! 37 l:r.xg6 37 "'xf7 can be met by 37 ...'i'f6.
White now sealed 42 r,pf2 but resigned without continuing since 42 ...'IId2+ 43 ¢>g3 b4 44 d7 b3 45
The altemative is 32 ...11xb2. Then if 33 ..-d4? Axg3 34 hxg3 'i'e2 wins, or 33 .d3 l:ixg3 34 hxg3 'i'e2 35 'i'xe2 :'xe2 36 d6 1:.e8 should win. but 33 :e1(!) leaves the rook looking rather silly. although after 33 ...1:.)(g3 34 hxg3 :a21 Black is probably still winning.
London [ntemalional 1975
33 Wxg2 .xdl 34 .e8+ Wh7 35
37....d4+! More accurate than 37 ... fxg6 38 'i'd3 'i'cl+ 39 ¢'g2 'i'g5+ 40 ¢>hl 'ite7 41 d6 'ii'd7 42 'i'd5 with drawing chances. 38 ¢'g2 fxg6 39 'ite6 'iWb2+ 40 Tgl 'i'xa3 41 d6 .cl+
32...Ax g2+
13
G.Sigurjonsson White A.J.MUcs Black
'i'e8 b2 46 d8=. 'i'xd8 47 Wxd8 bl='i' would leave Black three pawns ahead. •
•
•
Black is slightly bener. I I d3 �d7 12 lOd2 We7 13 ibe2 .i.f6 14 c3 lbxe2+ 15 "'xe2 l:r.ac8
If \ 5... b5 then 16 lbO intending d4. 16 f4 d5 17 g3?! 17 WO! is equal.
nightfor a yeor limit I got bored " 49 Black threatens 44...c3 45 :d3
i.c4 46 Axc3 .xd4+ 47 Ae3 l:r.al
winning.
White rHlgned. Now a sharp tactical battle against a noted tactician: Miles sacrifices his queen for 3 minor pieces. 14 G.5ax White A.J. Miles Black London International 1975
Sicilian Defence
1 e4 ,5 2 /1)1'3 /1),6 3 �bS 'IIb6!? 4 �a4!? A new move with the idea 0-0, c3 and d4.
17 'i'a5 18 e5 lte7 19 lbO d4!?
4...g6!? 4... e6 5 0-0 .!bge7 6 c3 d5 was about equal in Sax-Miles, Blitz!
20 ...dxc3 21 ltxc3 'i'b6 22 ..-f2 IIrd8 23 �b2 /1)b4 24 i1ld2 �,6 25 ibc4 'i'c7 26 l:r.dl b5 27 lOe3 'i'b7
5 0-0 i.g7 6 c3 e6!? 7 Ad �ge7 8 e5 0-0 9 d4 cxd4 10 exd4 f6!
•••
20 Aed? 20 c4 b5 slightly favours Black.
28 a3 .!bdS Black has a clear advantage.
29 l:r.acl lOxe3 30 'i'xe3 i.d5 31 d4 e4 32 b4 as 33 �c3 axb4 34 �xb4 .i.xb4 35 axM l:r.e6 36 :al liaS 37 '11<3 :,,6 38 ¢>f2 11,2+ 39 l:h:a2 lba2+ 40 :d2 1:.a4
The position is unclear. I t lOa) fxe5 12 1Oc4 'i'M! 13 b3?! Belter is 13 ttkxe5 b5 14 i.b3 Wd6 and ...�b7 with equal chances.
With a winning position. 41 .i.e2 'ih7 42 i.dl l:ta3 43 "'d &6
•
follows a polished There positional crush from London 1975, which Miles won outright. gaining his first Grandmaster nOnTI. In the final position Miles's 'bad' bishop is stronger than Sigurjonsson's 'good' bishop.
13 .. .:'xO! 14 i.a3 If 14 gxO then 14 ...�d4 is strong-...'ifxel + is the immediate threat. Or 14 �d2 J:.d3 !
50
" I played every night/or a year until 1 got bored "
14..:l'xC4! 14 ..:i'c3 15 l:tcl 'i'd3 16 gxO is unclear.
15 bxc4 l:txa3 Black is clearly better.
16 dxe5 .i.xe5!? 16 ...b6? 1 7 f4 is roughly equal.
1 7 J::bl 17 l:txe5?! lOxe5 18 'i'd6 J::xa4 1 9 "xe7 b6 20 l:tel tOn with a
27 f3 i.dJ!? 28 l:txe5 l:txbJ! 29 axb3 it.:lxe5 30 'i'xe5+ wn 31 'i'xd4 ..'tb5 32 "f4+ WeS 33 "h6 :IdS 34 'i'xh1 l:td6 35 h5 gxhS
3:
35 ...d4.
36 "xh5+ Wd7 37 f4 a6 3S f5 d4 39 'i'g4! 39'i'n d3! 40 f6 d2 wins. 39...WeS
winning position.
1 7...b6 18 h4 i.d4 19 J::e4 e5 20 i.b3 d6 21 c5+ dS 22 "13 i.rs 23 l:teel
"A cable"
iles (AJM) analysed his wins at Dubna 1976, where he gained the tille, with Mike Basman (MB) on the AudioChess cassette TOllY Miles Grandmaster.
M
15 O.Averkin White A.J .Miles Black
23 l:txd4 l:txb3!
Dubna 1976 Benko Gambit
23...Wg7 24 J::b dl bxc5
AJM: "This tournament was held in Dubna, which was a small town about 80 miles from Moscow." MB: "How playing in it?"
40 "IIf41 40 'i'g7! threatening hold.
f6
should
4o...iOcS! 41 f6 d3 42 ..rs d2 43 n+ WfS 44 'i'xc8+ wxn 45 'i'c7+ 45 Wb7+ l:td7 46 '1'0+ We7 47 "dl a5! and ... a4 wins. 45 'i'f5+
25 "g3 ..'te4?! 26 l:txd4! cxd4 26.. tOf'S 27 "c3! iOfxd4 28 0 i.fS 29 "xc5 is unclear. .
We7 wins.
45. ,We6 46 'l'cS+ Ad1 (46...We7) 47 'i'e8+ Wd6 White .
resigned,
come
you
were
AJM: "I got this strange invitation which came via various back doors and eventually landed in my letter box about a week before the tournament started. Consequently I had great trouble getting visas, but got there eventually." MB: "You didn't have any trouble in travelling or anything like that?" AJM: "Well, I turned up and my luggage didn't. but it arrived about
3 days later-so it wasn't quite that bad. Barcza was a little worse ofT his didn't tum up at all." MB: "What about the tournament-was it a strong one?" AIM: "Yes, there were eight grandmasters, five international masters and the grandmaster nonn was nine points out offifieen." MB: "What money?"
about
the
prize
AJM: " I got a few roubles-my prize was about 550, unfortunately you can't get them out of the country which is a slight problem."
MB: "What about the other players in the tournament?" AJM: "The tournament was won by Tseshkovsky who is one of the guys that the Russians consider to be one of their promising players for the nex.t few years. Also Savon who was Russian champion some time ago, Suetin, and several other lesser known Russian grandmasters. Holmov is quite strong, also Gipslis." MB: "What about the tournament. How did it begin for you?" AJM: "In the first round I had White against Savon---the tourn ament hall was at this time rather cold, outside-well -2oe was a wann day. This unfortunately overpowered the heating system, I spent the first round wrapped up in numerous coats and still shivering. I had a lot of pressure in the game all the way through and finally disposed of my pressure in convincing fashion and only drew. Second round, I played the Yugoslav player Knezevi6-that was a relatively short draw, In the third round I again got a massive position against Holmov, another Russian grandmaster-again I repeated my earlier act and got rid of the advantage and only drew. Then we came to the following game:"
52 "A cable "
I d4 'llf6 2 c4 cS J ds bs MB: "That seems to blunder away a pawn ..·· .
AJM: "That's right, commonly known as the Benko Gambit."
4 nbS a6 S bxa6 g6 6 'llcJ �xa6 AJM: "7 c4 is playable, but after the bishops are exchanged White can't castle and it costs him a move or two to get his king into a sensible place." 7 1il13 d6 8 g3 >l.g7 9 >l.g2 Iilbd7 10 0-0 Iilb6
"A cable " �3 AJM: "Guards Ihe pawn on d5, but I�?ves his d3 square a liule weak.
12 ...111fd7 I3 'i'c2 'llc4!? AJM: " Quite slrong-now if he plays 14 b3? "'a5! and there's no useful way of defending the to{c3}."
14.J:.dl 'i'as AJM: "Except that the white pawn was on h3, this is almost the same position I had against against the Dutch grandmaster Donner in an international match a couple of months ago. He played �fI which is probably beller than what Averkin now produced, which was a small oversight."
I S lDd2? It:.\a3! AJM: "If 16 -.b3 simply .J:.fb8 when he has to take the kniphl and he's only lost another move.'
16 bxa3 "'xc3 MB: ;(Why didn't you take wilh the bishop?" AJM: "Because he might just play
MB: ';What's the idea of Black's opening?" AJM: "Basically when Black castles he brings his king's rook over to the b-file with lots of play on the queenside. lIld panicularly • pressure against the pawn on b2, or Ihe square if the pawn happens to run away. The fianchettoed bishop has a useful diagonal. The other black bishop is also well placed, whereas the white bishops-the one on g2 is not very actively placed because the pawn on d5 blocks it and the other white bishop doesn't have that much scope and lends to get kicked around a bit by the knights if it ever gets anywhere."
I I .J:.el 0-0 12 c4
40...c2!
lOb3 and I might just lose a piece. 1 thought maybe that wasn't such a good idea!" 1 7 "xc3 �xc3 MB: " You're quite happy 10 be in an endgame are you?"
AJM: "Yes, they're not bad." 18 :'bl
c4!
AIM: "This takes away the square b3 from While's pieces. If for instance IS ....:fb8 instead then White has 1 9 :tb3 and he temporarily holds the position for a while on the queenside and can untangle his pieces."
19 lOo :fb8 20 R.e3 R.b2! AJM: "This snuffs his rook out and prepares c3-c2."
21 /Od4 c3 22 R.fI lOeS 23 �xa6 lba6 24 111cl
AJM: "Now I can play ... locA and win both the a-pawns quite quickly, but I didn't want to take all of the a-pawns yet since they're not very useful-I thourht the e-pawn might be a bit bener.'
24..,:'a4! 25 �fI AJM: ·'25 l:.d4 lOf3+ and the obvious move 25 �d4 allows 25 ..cf)f3+ 26 Wg2 liJd2 wins Ihe exchange-work it out." .
MB: "I believe you! So he had to give up his pawn for nothing."
2S,..:'xe4 26 :'d4 :'xd4 27 .1hd4 28 �e2 lbc4 29 �d3 lOxa3 30 :el ¢>f'8 31 :'e2lObs 32 �e3
:"8
AIM: ··With the threat of �h6+ aDd 195 and 1 have some problems
AJM: "If 41 :xc2 lOb4+ winning thc exchange or 4 1 'ot'xc2 �g7+ picking off some pieces. So instead he decided to coullteranack."
41 lOgs+ �e7 (sealed) 42 .J:.xe6+ ¢>d7 43 Wxc2 MB: " How much of the ensuing play did you see during the adjournment?" AJM: "Most of it, just about-most of the line was forced apart from a few early diversions."
43...�f6+ 44 Wb3 AJM: " He must allack the rook, otherwise ... �xg5 wins."
44....J:.b2+ 45 Wa3 l:.bs!
defc-oding my e-pawn. So I decided ., expand in Ihe centre."
32_e5?! 33 dxe6 fxe6 34 lOd4!?
� 35 >l.h6+ �r7 36 1il13
AIM: "Around here I began to realise it wasn't quite as easy as I
6aaghl it had been for a while. I
W a reasonably long think and ame up with a plan of activating
..,. pieces.. panicularly the bishop." l 6 .... : . xa l !?
37 lllgs+ ¢'e7 38
.au �! 39 �gS+ ¢'f7 40 R.h6
_� -"Now 1 played the ", ,,",, ri -.. ';"" which I'd been t'X ing . ee lIP for tht last few moves. .
AJM: "With the powerful threat of mate in two by ... i.b2 and lik3, and also threatens to discover an
54 "A cable "
"A cable " 55
attack on his lO(g5). It also threatens ... �xg5 a!tacking his rook, So he has to stop ,..�b2+-his next move is forced.'
16
A.J,MIles White
J,Plachetka Black Dubna 1976
Sicilian Defelice
46 Ae2 tOe3! 47 Ac2 �d4! MB: " That isn't obvious actually is it? It's obvious when you see it. One is generally thinking how 10 knock these bits ofT." AJM: "Threatening mate. This isn't easy to stop, there's only one way, .."
48 :l-c3 �l-c3 AJM: "Now his king is out of play, Black has an extra exchange and his d-pawn is very strong."
49 lbe4 �d4 50 f] d5 5 1 lbd2 �c3 52 lbb3 ,.pc6 53 �e3 :b8 54 Wa2 Wb5 While resigned, AJM: "Since the black king comes inlo c4 and the d-pawn queens rather quickly." MB: "That was certainly a very beautiful endgame," AIM: ''Yes, the endgame was interesting. I feel I should have finished it ofTa lillie bit earlier," MB: "Can you point?"
point
to any
AJM: "No, I'm not sure of any wins I missed, but the opening looked so overwhelming I felt there ought to have been something a bit quicker. In Round Five I had a relatively short and painless draw against Zaitsev. Sixth round I had perhaps my most interesting game of the tournament against Donchenko-a very long game which finished four days later-we'll come to thtlt later. In the seventh round I had another interesting but a little shorter game the Czech against master Plachetka,"
I
e4?!
MB: "Was he surprisedT AIM: "Possibly, this is only about the second time I've played it this year", MB: "You used to play
lot,"
e4 quite a
AIM: "Yes, I found I kept walking into peoples' pet lines."
l.. e5 .
AJM: "This came as a bit of a shock to me because I didn't know he played the Sicilian. I'd seen various of his games where he defended Ruy Lopezes, but no Sicilians. I had no great confidence in my theoretical knowledge, I didn't want to go down tiny main lines because I wasn't convinced I knew too much about it. So I decided to play..." 2 (4!? MB: ''Nice move. You can't go wrong. AIM: "Less common,"
2 lbf6 3 lbd d5 4 c5 d4 5 exf6 dxd 6 fxg7 cl-d2+ 7 Wxd2 "'l-d2+ 8 �l-d2 �xg7 ...
AJM: "This is very fortunate for me, it's the only line I happen to know of this opening. It's following a game Bisguier-Hanston from Hastings, For a long time this ending has been considered equal but in that game Black found considerable difficulty in holding the position. There's a similar ending coming from Alekhine's defence where the black pawn is on c7 and the white pawn is on f2, and that one I think is equal. But in this position, the black pawn on e5 seems to be rather vulnerablc to quiet moves like �e3, whereas the white pawn seems to be very useful for attacking purposes on f4, As the game goes on, this seems to prove this."
9 0-0-0 .i.f5 1 0 lbe2! AJM: "Trying to exploit the position of the bishop by playing lb g3 and then perhaps getting in on £5 or h5 or somewhere like that." 1 0...€k6 I I �e3 AIM: "This stops him castling and also attacks the c-pawn, 1 1 ..,b6 is probably best, even then White still has some advantage by playing his knight out to g3 and then ... �d7 when I can either possibly go lbh5, or play the bishop to d3 and threaten to bring the knight into £5 . Alternatively play �b5 and dump the rook on e l and White has loads of things," l I ,.
l:c8?! 12 lbg3
.
AIM: "If I now play 12 �xc5 then ibb4 is very strong. 13 .i.xb4 Zhc2+ 14 ¢'bl and he can win the piece back with some advantage n i fact he might mate me, ... in fact he will-there's another bishop lying around."
12...�g4 13 l:d5!
AJM: "Now there's a big threat of :g5 winning one of the bishops and also the c-pawn is now genuinely attacked," MB: "You don't seem to play many automatic moves in this game--I mean your 1 0 lbe2 you thought about. The autom3lic move was :el here, you chose l:d5." AJM: "Yes, well it seems to be a bit stronger," (laughing) MB: "That's your trademark." "What, playing moves?" (laughillg) AJM:
strong
MB: "Well, playing nonautomatic moves that are a little stronger." AIM: 'That's because I'm not used to playing this opening you see, I don't know how to play it-I don't realise the automatic moves,"
(laughing)
13...Jtd' AJM: "The only way try and defend the bishops and keep the c-pawn,"
14 �xd4 cxd4 AIM: "If he plays l 4...lOxd4 15 c3 and the knight has to move away, His bishop on g4 has chances of getting trapped by £5, his king's rook is out of play," 15 Jtb5
56
"A cable " 57
"A cable "
MB: "That is actually a logical, automatic move." AJM: "Yes, that one's quite good as well! Now his d-pawn is in rather a lot of trouble."
IS....id7 AJM: ''Now if
I take on c6 he
recaptures with the bishop and then gets my g-pawn. I fou�d a much stronger move, namely ...
16 �e4! MB: "If you were Black in this position, how would you defend?" AJM: "I wouldn't be Black in this position." (laughing)
16...Itd8
MB: "It's not that obvious is it?" AJM: "No, it's surprising-the whole e-file, there's no way of interposing on it."
c5?"
AJM: "Yes, well c5 is the automatic move, so.. ," (laughing)
AJM: "Unfortunately gets rid of the last open file for his olher rook, Now all of his pieces are looking quite terrible and he was running rather short of time now." MB: "If 23...h5 then 24 lbxh5 now?" AJM: "Oh yes, that's legal-I don't think I noticed that one. I might just have played Itg7,"
AJM: "If 1 7....ixc6 guarding the
pawn 1 have 18 lbf6+! which is a little bit strong-after 18 ...exf6 1 9 Ite 1 + and the king must move allowing ':xd8+ with rather an easy win, exchange up, all the pawns falling apart. Hereabouts he noticed Ihal continuation and turned a little red."
MB: "He before?"
hadn't
noticed
it
l 3 11lf.l .6 4 g3 l.e7
AJM: "Yes. I didn't think it did so much here." MB: "Interesting that-so on g3 you think it's better than on c5."
23...e5 24 tt:'le4 MB: " A nice blockader. What if
....ixf5 here?" AJM: "I seem to have ttJd6+..," MB: "Good."
AJM: "Now I'm threatening Itd6+ Wf5 lOg3 mote and he's rather short of defences against this. In fact he had about four minutes left on his clock and he thought for three of them, didn't find a defence, and resigned. In fact he has gOI 26...Wf5, the only move to stop mate." MB: "Then 27 l:ld6?" AJM: "No-then 27.. �e6. After 26.. ¢'f5 I kick his king back across the board with something like 27 :n + we6 28 tbg5+ �d6 29 Ad 1 + Wc5 and then something like l:r.e4 and I'm winning at least a second pawn and his position is falling apart quite rapidly. So in fael his resignation was quite justified. Pity it wasn't a forced mate." .
.
MB: "Well I don't blame him for thi�ki�g i,� was a forced mate and reslgnmg.
AJM: "...picking up the bishop-lucky that."
17
A.Donchenko While A.J.Miles Black
MB: "Yes, it was rather."
24 ...We7 25 (6+ We6 AJM: "Now I considered 26 l:r.d6+ but after 26 ...Wf5 he's attacking my rook, so instead I played a quiet move"
26 h3
c4 �f6 2 �c3 c5
AJM: "Not much, but I couldn't think of anything to play at the time." (laughing)
MB: "Could you have gone to
MB: "Another cunning move."
17 .ixc6! bxc6
I
MB: "You like the Symmetrical do you?"
18 llxd4 .i(S 1 9 :a4 l:td7 20 I1lg3
20....ie6 2I Itd I Itc7 Z2 fS .ic8 Z3 :g4
AJM: "This holds against almost everything-unfortunately the one thing it ?oe�� 't hold against is rather , convmcmg.
tournament, it lasted ten hours alto�ether and was played in two sessIOns:
AJM: "I think not, no."
In the 6th round I had perhaps my interesting
game
5 .ig2 a6!? AJM: "Andersson has played this once or twice, vaguely similar to some Sicilian-not the other one{!)-serups. It gives While some advantage but lets Black have some play."
6 0-00-0 7 d4 exd4 8 �,d4 AJM: "If 8 0xd4 .c7 and the c-pawn is a little uncomfortable."
8...lbe6 9 'i'f4 d6 10 l:dl Sit.d7 I I b3 .aS!? AJM: "This attacks the white
knight, if 12 iLb2 b5 gaining space
on the queenside. On Ihe other hand if 1 2 �d2 then ...'i'c7 and the white bishop is slightly misplaced." t:z 1Oe4!? lbxe4 13 ..wxe4 l:fd8 1 4 .id2 ..whS 15 .ie3
AJM: "Threatening 10 come into b6. Black can no longer defend this square, so I thought I better move the hole."
IS...bS
Dubna 1976
English Opening
most
AJM: "The system I played in this game I'd never played before, bUI felt like playing something new for a change,"
of
the
AJM: ''Now White started lashing out and came forward swinging wildly."
16 g4?! 'i'g6
58 "A cable "
"A cable " AJM: "If Black plays the natural Ad I +! with perpetual check." 32...eS? White has 33
33 J:xeS WxeS 34 b4 a4! AJM: "I thought I was winning fairly easily here. Unfortunately he came up with a rather ingenious defensive which I'd idea overlooked."
35 Wh2 ¢'d4 36 Wg3 e5 37 Wg4! AJM: "Black has freed his position somewhat. White had been playing for this oncoming selection of swipes" (laughing) hPresumably he wouldn't have played his last few movcs if hc'd rcalised that this combination was a bit unsound."
17 'ii'xg6 hxg6 18 �b6 J:dc8 19 <5
AJM: "Trying to break through thc d-file."
\9 ...dS AJM: ''Now comes the next of his hefty swipes, trying to blast his way through "
20<4 AJM: "Being a gullible chap I took the pawn."
20...dxe4!? 21 J:xd7 cd3 22
£,0
A1M: "This is where I came up with my wild swipe which hit him rather soundly on the chin."
22...�xcS!! . AJM: ';This comes as a bit of a shock- leaves almost everything
��
ell prise.
23 �xcS llleS
MB: "Hitting three white pieces." down!" one "Also (laughing) "Now the interesting point al the cnd of the main line is that if White now plays 24 i.xa8 tl'!xd7 2S �b7 afler the a-pawn. Now Black doesn'l play 2S .J:xcS because of 26 i.xa6, but plays 2S ... Ab8 and now if 26 �xa6? 'DxcS wins the other bishop. So AJM:
" The king can't go AJM: anywhere from g4 can it? So I just played"
59
40�! AJM: "Now the knight has to move. I looked around and thought it didn't seem to matter. I thought White was going to play h6 and try and win my knight with his h-pawn, which looked rather slow. So I just played"
40 lOh8 •..
AJM: "Around here, while he was thinking, I realised what actually was going on! White sealed"
41 g6!
37,..Wc3 38 i.xg6!
..
after
24
.i.xa8 Bla..:;k rc;maills a
whole pawn ahead."
24 AxO WxO 2S i.xa8 J:xc5 AJM: "Now the fireworks have died down. Black is left with two very active pieces against White's two rather scattered ones and also the black king is coming straight inlo the gamc. It's a very good endgame for Black." 26
h3 lDd3 27 a3 as 28 i.e..
l\'lB: "He has got a bishop against
a knight."
AJM: "Yes, but the knight's better than thc bishop. Black's ccrtainly beller."
28.../[jf4 29 h4 Wf6 30 gS+! A1M: "Otherwise Black plays ... g5 and White's getting crushcd all over the place."
30 ,�eS 31 J:el Wd4 32 i.bl :.5 .•
AJM: "I'd dismissed this as being inadequate. It's obviously the only move--whether it's desperate or he actually realised how good it was I don't know."
38...'Dxg6 39 hS Wb3? AJM: "Now if 40 h:o;g6 Black queens several moves ahead and wins easily." MB: "By the way, can r,ou move the knight away, say 'Df8? ' AJM: "Well, I have the choice ne:o;t time. I must confess I didn't actually realise what was going on just yet. (laughing) I thought it was easy. Instcad 39 ...lDe7! 40 h6 Wb3! 41 WhS gxh6 42 gxh6 lDg8! wins."
AJM: "which came as 3 bit of a blow at first, because if I play 41...W'xa3 then after 42 h6! lbxg6 43 hxg7 the game is only drawn. After some thought I managed to find a way of scrambling some advantage."
41...'Dxg6! 42 Wxg6 W'xa3 43 ¢lxg7 ¢lxb4 44 h6 a3 45 h7 a2 46 h8=.... 81='" 47 "'f8+ AJM: "AI first it looks as though White's drawing quite easily since the king doesn't have anywhere to hide."
47...�b3 AJM: "The amusing thing now is that if White didn't have his own f-pawn the position would be drawn."
60 " A cable "
MB: "Really?" AlM: "Yes, because I analysed where Black walks the king tow3rds the f-p3wn to try 3nd sheller there but White merely gives it up and draws by perpetual. The bl3ck queen C3n never get in, but with the f-p3wn Bl3ck has some more prospects-it gets in the way of the white queen."
"A cable " 61
S3
gS AJM: "I didn't really see any way of preventing f) exch3nging one set of pawns." MB: "1'lad Ihis gone out of your analysis by now?" AIM: "JU51 3bout, yes."
53...'I'c4 54 fJ b4 55 fxe4 'il"xe4
MB: "I'm 3 bit surprised about that."
70 'i'fJ ¢'82 71 'i'n AlM: "Now , regrouped my queen on a central square."
49.. .'�d2! 50 'l'g5+ ¢'d3! AJM: "Now if 5 1 'i'e3+ the king
71...'i'el+ 72 ¢'h3? 'i'e4
AIM: "Yes I considered ringing him, bUl l didn't know his number!"
51...e4+!
AJM: " Now the king's guarding the e-pawn which effectively g3ins about a tempo."
56 'i'fI+ ¢'c2 57 -'f2+ ¢'c3 58 'i'f6+ 1It'd4 59 'i'c6+ "'b2 60 'ii'g2+ ¢:'cl 61 'l'c6+ 'l'c3 62 'i'hl+ ¢'b2 63 "e4 AJM: "After 63 'i'h2+ ¢'bl he's running out of checks again-64 -"g1+? -..c1+."
52 ¢'g6 'ii'a4
63...b3
AJM: "Guarding both pawns."
AIM: "Progress at 13sl."
78 -..a l 'i'd3+ 79 �h4 'l'c4+ 80 h3 AJM: " SO ¢'h5 'i'b5+ and ... b2 wins ralher easily."
80..,¢'d2 81 '1'87 AJM: "If 8 1 'i'b2+ 'l'c2 82 'l'a3 b2."
8L.b2 White resigned. AJM: "Probably interesting g3me tournament."
my of
most the
MB: "Did you find the endgame more interesting or the middlegame?" AJM: "I think it was 311 very interesting-his initial wild thrusts, well, finding an answer to them was quite interesting. Then the ending was faseinating-I like these sor1 of endings, great fun." (laughing) MB: "You enjoy calculating them out do you?"
AJM: "Now we get a theoretically very interesting ending of queen + knight's pawn v queen, which for a long time has been considered drawn but no-one's really sure now and it may well be winning. In any C3se I was quite looking forward to trying the good side of it, having 10 defend a simil3r ending for about sixteen hours at Hastings." MB: "There's 3 Russian computer that worked it Oul, it's Bronstein.....
AJM: "This lime I did P13Y"
AIM: "Fixes the white king on the right side of the board and prepares to walk the king round the back. So now another series of checks:"
AIM: "Now he's out of checks agam.
of 49...e4+. I 3nalysed it for a long time during the adj ournment and decided it only drew. Instead I had the finesse ofplayillg first"
51 'it'f5+
64...'i'c5!
65 'i'g2+ �a3 66 'it'a8+ ¢'h4 67 'it'b7+ ¢'a4 68 'it'a8+ 'i'a5 69 'i'<:6+ a3
48 'i'n+ ¢'t2! 49 'l'f5+ AlM: "Now I have the possibility
manages to scramble out of the checks round the back of the b-p3wn, finally lands on a safe square-work it out. Instead"
64 ¢'h4?! AIM: "Really he should be going the other way with his king in the direction of h6, keeping 3S far away as possible."
AIM: '" don't calculate them, just play them!" (laughing) 18
J.Kostro White A.J.Mlles Black Dubna 1976
Sicilia/! Defence
MB: "Had you been reading any endgame hooks on this?" AIM: "Oh no, it's not necess3ry-these things come quite naturally." (larlghing)
73 -"87+ ¢'bl 74 'l'gl+ ¢'c2 75 -..h2+ WcJ 76 'llt'c7+ ¢'d2 77 'l'a5+ .2 AJM: "Now he's out of checks
permanently-he's got also problems trying to stop the pawn going through."
AJM: "The game against Donehenko didn't actually finish until aOer round nine. My games in round eight and nine were both drawn - nothing madly adventur- ous." MB: "Why were you drawing all these games then?" AJM: "Well after I'd beaten Donchenko I'd now got up to plus three, I'd won my three games which meant , only needed 50010 from the rest to get the Grandmaster title. I wasn't too bothered about winning the tournament. As it
"A cable " 63
61 "A cable "
happened
MB: "He gave you a chance." AJM: "Fortunately he was quile a useful player 10 be playing because he played to win all his games and lost most of them!" (/tlllghing) "In fact he'd lost nine of his games. My nerves did a fair amount to counter the strcngth of my opponent." MB: "Yes, cenainly." I e4 c5 MB: "You generally defend with the Sicilian do you?" AIM: "Quite often, especially when 1 need to win." 2 lLlIJ e6 AIM: "This is my improvement in the Dragon." MB: "Yes your Dragon does allow you sometimes to get bashed up against a theoretically well prepared playcr." AIM: (laughing) "Yes, this has happened on occasions." 3 d4 cxd4 4 iOxd4 a6 MB: "The Paulsen line. You didn't play the ... .tcS line which is on my cassette? I can't understand that." AIM: (laughillg) "No, I felt sure Kostro had been listening to your cassettes. I thought 1 beller not." 5 �c3 Wc7 AIM: "Trying to play on the black squares, leave the pawns defending the while ones." 6 gJ AIM: "I don't believe this much, it doesn't seem right. The fianchettoed bishop is rather passive -the fj (e4) gets in its way. I'm not convinced by this system, still it's quite popular." 6 >tb4 .•.
alternative was 16 fS when I have 16 ...dS with lots of complications which I think are good for Black. Now I reacted with a nonnal central thrust." 16...d5 17 exd5
7 1ild.2 1/..7 8 1/.g2 Iilf6 9 0-0 Iilc6 10 bJ 0-0 I I 1/.b2 AJM: "Now I want to play ... bS but at the moment it allows iixls and a few things are ell prise down the long white diagonal. So I played a preparatory move." I I...I!b8 12 Wd2 bS IJ lildl A1M: "I don't Ihink this is such a bad move. At firsl I thOUght it was a bit a,�ificial. bul later I wasn't so sure. 1 3...>tb7 14 1ileJ d6 IS f4 AJM: "This looks a little weakening, ii's ambitious. I expected IS c4 when probably I just play IS ...b4. The text prevents ...�S �hich puts pressure on the e-pawn. I S...I!bd8 MB: "Not the other rook?" A1M: In some lines 1 want the square b8 for the knighl to regroup and also in some lines While might play eS and I won'l be able to take because of the bishop forking my major bits. Also there are some possibilities of ...fS opening the f·file when the other rook would be needed at home." 16 g4 A1M: "This looks a bit ambitious and I think it is a bit risky. The "
AJM: "Now I think I made a slight mistake. I should recapture with the knight when I'm sure Black's somewhat better. I thought taking with the pawn was also good because it has the possibility of playing ...It.Je4.'' 17 ... exd5 18 -'.xf6 AIM: "Surprising, but I think it's very good. If 18 iOxdS iOxdS 19 �xdS .tcS+. Now wherever White moves his king 1 have 20...':xdS 21 'i'xdS and knight on c6 moves somewhere. He's getting done over quite convincingly in most lines." 18...�xr6 19 ':adl AIM: "Not 19 iOxd5 .t.xal when the lO(dS) is pinned. After the text I only found one move which seemed to defend the d-pawn successfully." 19...tOa5 MB: "Were you feeling a bit nervous here?" AJM: "A little yes, I was beginning to re�ret not recapturing with the knight:
"A cable " fi5
64 " A cable " 20 t
AIM: "Blockading thematically. If20 fud5 'l'c5+ 2 1 ¢lh1 :'xd51 22 !itxd5 :.d8. Now the main point of this variation is that if the knight had moved anywhere else instead of as White would now have !itxb7 gelling lots of pieces for the queen, but now the knight can recapture on b7 after taking the queen and Black's winning. Also, if such things as "'xa5 then simply ...:'xd5 and White gets done to death down the long diagonal. So, this was my one method of defending the d-pawn. But, unfortunately White doesn't have to take the thing." MB: "Leave it there look.ing silly." AIM: "Yes and also leaves the ttJ(a5) and the !it(b7) looking silly." 20...:.rd
AIM: "Black always has the consolation that he has the two bishops which might be handy and White's kingside pawns are a bit advanced which I might be able to exploit later." MB: "You reckon probably White has the advantage here do you?" AIM: "Well I'm not sure but for the next few moves Black's pieces keep looking rather silly." 2 1 gS �e7 22 lllers �cS 23 Whl �,8
MB: "That's a good move." "White was already beginning to run rather short of time, which is fortunate." 24 "'cJ b4 25 "'d3 �f8 26 llle3 AJM:
�b7 27 11lg4
AJM: "At this stage I was rather worried that these knights were going to do nasty things, it's now
possible that the other one's going to come into rs." 27...:'c8
AJM: "He should stick his knight back on d4 and maintain the blockade. But fortunately for me he didn't." 34 �e7+
MB: "Ah almost."
AJM: "White has no moves-he has nothing else than to move his king backwards and forwards." 40...J:U)+
wins the queen
34...�xe7 3S :'xe7
28 11103 AlM:
"This came as a bit of a
relief." He'd played Ihe last few moves very quickly and most of them had been good which rather worried me. This one came quickly as well which suggested he was running out of ideas and I began to feel a little happier about the situation now. I expected him to play 28 tOrs when I intcnded ... �h8 which is just about holding, but it looks a little unpleasant." 28...'Il'b8
MB: "He can't play 29 .!Zlxd5 here?" AJM: "Er... bit of fire down the long diagonal. In fact I'm far bettcr off without the d-pawn in all positions 29 .!ZlefS :'c3 30 "'d2 'i'c8 31 Arel :'xel+ 32 1bel
AIM: "Now at last I got one of my two stupid pieces back into play, trying to undermine the blockade of d4 which has been the problem for a long time." 32.,.lbc6 33 �xc6 �xc6
A1M: "Now I got in the thematic unblockading move"
3S...d4 AJM: "Now all the black pieces come to life again and I've got a reasonable position at last. The kingside's looking rather shaky."
36 �J:C6 "'xc6+ 37 �gl
AJM: "Now I thought about taking his c'pawn, but I thought he might just take my rook and mate me, so I decided against it." 37 �f8 A1M: "Now he has to retreat his rook to guard Ihe c-pawn., ••.
38 :'e2 "'cS 39 �g2 as
AIM: "The Black position is probably winning because the white king is so exposed, so I just want 10 tidy up the loose bilS of the position before �oing round for the final assault.' 40�n
A1M: "just to pass Ihe time away and reach Ihe adjournment. He now sealed. I think it's winning now. The White king's very exposed and Black's got a bind on the queenside, pressure on the c·file-it's probably enough." MB: "When was this adjournment played off?" AIM: " There was an hour's break and then it was played to a finish." MB: "Was this the last game to finish in the tournament?" AJM: "Yes, I think all of the the before finished Olhers adjournment." MB: "All sorts of quick draws?" AIM: "Well not all of them actually, a few quick losses!" MB: "I suppose they were waiting therefore for you to get your GM norm?" AIM: "Thai's it, yes."
41 �g2 1:<3 42 �n g6
AJM: "This is to hide the king out the way somewhere safe." 43 �g2 �g7 44 �n hS
66
"A cable "
"A cable " 67
AJM: "I want to hide the king on h7 before starting nasty things like ..'i'd5 and then maybe ... d3. If he lets the king go to h7 I can start breaking through in almost any way I like, so he tries to get some counterplay by forcing f5." 45 l:tf2 AJM: "If I play ...¢>h7 he plays f5 and if I take it he plays 'i'e2 and my
h-pawn might go with check."
45 ...¢>g8 46 f5 AJM: "On other things break through quietly."
just
46... gd5 47 'ife2 ,*c6 AJM: "Defending e8 and also threatening ...'I'h I mate." 48 ¢'gl l:te3 49 'i'xh5 'i'e4 AJM: "Powerful centralisation. Now the obvious try of 50 g6 and Black plays 50...l:te I + 5 1 l:tfl 'it'e3+ 52 ¢>g2 'i'e2+ forcing the queens otT with either a won rook and pawn ending or a won king and pawn ending, whichever White prefers." SO h4 J:lg3+ AJM: "Now if 5 1 ¢>fl 'i'h 1 + mates in about three." 51 �h2 :g4
MB: "Did he smile?" AJM: "Oh no, he never smiles!" (laughing) "If he plays 52 �h3 then 52 .....h1+ 53 :h2 'tWf3 mate. That was the scrappy way n i which I gained my OM title." MB: "Never mind, I think it was quite an interesting game." AJM:
(laughing)
"Interesting,
perhaps!"
MB: "Interesting, and you got the tille, that's what counts." AJM: "So they say." MB: "Thank you very much Tony for showing us your games. There are some people, who aren't uninfonned critics, who are tipping you for the world title chances. Do you think they have lost their mind, or have you also got hopes of this?" AJM: (Iuughiflg) "Well, I'll think about it. Now it's not possible for me to win the world title within the next five years courtesy of the long qualification system and the fact that the British Chess Federation didn't nominate me for the first stage of this three year cycle." MB: "Didn't they really?" AJM: ''No.'' MB: "When did they nominate?" AJM: "Last year." MB: "Who did they p,ut instead, Keene and Hartston?'
in
AJM: "That's right. Who else?"
(laughiflg)
White resigned. AJM:
"Whereupon he looked a little embarrassed."
MB: "Well, it will all be changed next time. You'lt have to wait for about five years. You could presumably have an infonnal challenge against Bobby Fischer or something." AJM: "Well, yes, but I think he's a bit frightened you know." MB: "Well we'lI work on that."
19 A.J.Miles White J.Peters Black Lone Pine 1976
This appears to be wrong-tO ..e4 i s preferable. II �g3!
Nimzo-Ifldiafl Defence I c4 �f6 2 �c3 e6 This move causes me some problems, since r have played regular queen pawn openings as White scarcely half a dozen times in my life. Against Bisguier, two rounds earlier, I played 3 �f3 but after 3 ...dS 4 d4 c6 it occurred 10 me that I knew nothing of the more complicated lines of the Slav, so I chickened out with 5 cxd5. Unfortunately my knowledge of Queen's Gambit theory is also non-existent, as I proved: 5 ...exd5 6 e3? (6 'i'c2 is the only try for any advantage) 6 ..�f5 7 �e2 �bd7 and Black has at least equality. .
3 d4 A new position for me! 3 ...Jl.b4 4 Jl.gS Other moves have been analysed to death. 4...c5 A slight inaccuracy; supposedly, 4....h6 first is normal. 5 dS h6 6 �h4 I am told the correct continuation is 6 �xf6 'i'xf6 7 :lei followed by e4, but am not over-impressed. During the game I was more interested in 6 �d2 when the black king's bishop is misplaced. 6...�xc3+ 7 bxc3 e5 8 e3 d6 9 Jl.d3 9 f3 may be better. 9...�bd7 Normal and probably best is 9 .e4. 10 �e2 'i'e7 ..
With the embarrassing threat of 1 2 �f5. 1 I ... g6 is uninviting, 1 l ...�b6 12 �f5 �xf5 13 �xf5 !Dxc4? loses a piece, and I I ...g5 1 2 !Drs 'i'fB 1 3 �g3 is horrible, so Black tried: 1l ...e4 12 tl.'Ixe4 gS 1 3 tbxf6+ 'i'xf6 14 �g3 'i'xc3+ IS ¢>fl But White's position remains superior. The two bishops and Black's shaky pawn formation temporary outweigh the displacement of the white king. IS ...lDe5 16 .i.e2 �f5 Not 1 6.. .'�Jxc4 1 7 :cl tDd2+ 1 8 ¢'gl 'i'b4 1 9 a3 'i'a5 20 D (trapping the knight and threatening 2 1 �el) 20...c4 2 1 �xd6 winning. 17 'i'cl!
68 "A cable " 17 :eI 'li'b2 is annoying, but now the exchange of queens would only enhance the power of the two bishops. so Black must retreat, or hazard 17... 1i.c2. 1 7.....a5
17...� is better, when I had intended 18 0 preparing e4 and :b I with advantage, so 17 ...1i.c2 is perhaps the best practical chance, considering the especially tournament position (basically a win was worth $ 1 500, a draw only $ 1 00). Then if 18 1i.xe5 "'xe5!, but not 18 ...dxe5?? 19 :bJ! winning instantly. So 17 ... �c2 1 8 a41 (threatening 1 9 :a2) 18 ... �3 1 9 "'a3 "'f6! (not 19... .tb3? 20 l:tbl nor 19 ......xc4? 20 l:tel). Also �ssible is 18 ...'li'b3 (to meet 19 :a3 with 19 .. :ti'b4).
"A cable " 69 Rather more efficient is 26 a4 when Black has no more sensible moves. 26 ...b5 27 l:te3
27 .te4 is also quite promising.
27...bxc4 28l:thel
Threatening 29 l%e7. 28....td3
Not only preventing 29 lte7 (29 ...�xe7 30 l:txe7 "'f5) but also, more annoying, accidentally taking the sting out of my other 'threat' namely
21
•d1
.•.
If the bishop moves, 22 f5 wins a piece. ll l:te I ¢Its
On 22...0-0 23 h4 is very strong. 2311>1'2
While's advantage is now of decisive proportions-the only piece Black can move is his queen's rook, and that has nowhere useful to go. 13 ... h5 24 �h4 ¢lg8 25 .1i.g5 a6
What else? 26 Jl.f3
3 1 ...h4+
At the lime 1 thought 31 ......d2 was better. 32 IPg4
There's not much to choose between g4 and h3, so I leI my sense of humour decide.
After 33 l:td7 I analysed
1 8 "'bl "'c7
19 f4 gsf4 10 esf4 �g6 11 "'f6
3 1 ¢lgi was also possible, but I felt that the king might be more vulnerable on the back rank.
I looked at 33 l:tdS+ lbdS 34 .xd8+ IPh1 (34 ...11lf1! 35 Jl.e1) 35 "'f6 l:tfS 36 l:teS but rejected it because of36......d4.
little bener, but the advantage is nowhere near as clear cut as in the game.
Preventing the black king from escaping to the relative security of the queenside.
30 lbd6 'I'S82+ 3 1 ¢lg3
32....1'2 33 I1d1
In either case I think White's a
Forced.
e-pawn wins a piece, c.g. 32 ...lOxf4 33 Jl.g5 11lg6 34 e1 IPf'7 35 Jl.d5+.
29 l:te6!
I vaguely considered 29 g4?! hxg4 30 .1i.xg4 -'xg4 31 l:teS+ :'xe8?? 32 l:txe8+ �f8 (or 32 ..¢lh7 33 .xf7 mate) 33 :'xfS+ ¢'xfS 34 .-xh8 mate, but 3l ... �fS refutes that panicular piece of nonsense (32 l:txaS :'xh2+ 33 ¢:>e3 "'g3 matc).
Now the d-pawn must fall, when White will be ready to play CS, since eS will no longer be available to the knight. 29.....a4
A desperate attempt to gain counterplay against the white king. However there is nothing better.
29...fxe6 30 dxe6 followed �y 3 1 .txa8 or 29...l:td8 30 'l'xdS+ "xdS 31 .1i.xdS fxe6 32 dxe6 and the
(al 33 ...lIh1(?l 34 1Id8+ IIxd8 35 .xd8+ IPg1 (0' 35 ...11lf1! 36 lIe8) 36 .f6+ IPg8 (0' 36...IPf1! 31 l:teS+! ¢'xeS 38 'l'd8 mate) 37 lIe8+ 11lf1! 38 I1xf1!+ 1Pxf1! 39 .d8+ IPg1 40 Jl.ffi+ IPh6 41 .f1!+ IPg6 42 ....gS+ Wx.f6 43 'l'gS mate, and (b) 33 ...IIf1! 34 lIe8! IIh1 35 l:tddS! with the following variations:
(i) 35 ....I!xe8 36 IIxe8+ 11lf1! 31 l:txf8+ mating as in (a).
(ii) 35 ...'I'd4 (to pr event .1i.f6+ in the above line) 36 "'xg6+! fxg6 37 l:txfS+ ¢lg7 3S ::g8+ ¢In 39 :'dfS mate.
Confident that I'd 'got him' and feeling rather pleased with myself 1 went for a slroll round the room. On my return I was surprised to find Ihat he'd played the rather more straightforward of the two lines. 33...l:th7!
I quickly wrote down 34 :dS+ on my score sheet, and then spent 3 few minutes wondering why he'd played the 'easy' line.
Then it hit me.
After 34 l:tdS+, 34...:'xdS 35 'l'xdS+ lOfS 36 l:te8 (36 .i.e7 is also inadequate, 36 ...:'g7+ gives at least a perpetual and probably more) 36 ... fS+ 37 ¢lh3 "xO+! 38 gxfJ .to is mate!
This, as one might imagine, came as a bit of a blow, all the more so since I had only about twenty minutes for the nexl twelve moves-nonnally plenty, but in this position I'd have preferred a couple of hours.
Well anyway, I must still be winning-I thought-mustn't I? I mean, I can even play 34 :a7 ----
Eventually I came down to earth and began to stare at my rook on el. If it moves along the first rank such things as .te2 become worrying, if the queen retreats to defend it ...(5+ wins its partner, so that leaves the e-file-but there are no safe squares. Maybe 34 :'e6. Then 34...f;o;OO 35 'I'xe6+ Wf8 36 .i.h6+ l:txh6 37 'i'f7 mate, but what if Black ignores the rook and plays 34...'llf8? Help! Finally I recovered my self composure sufficiently to find 34 .i.h6!
70
"A cable
"
"A cable "
Now obviously not 34...�xh6 35 'i'xf7+ and mates, and if 34 ...'i'xel 35 �d8+ 'i'eS 36 ltxeS+ l:txeS when I think the most accurate sequence is 37 d6 l:txh6 3S d7 l:tf8 (or 3 S...l:tbS 39 fS �fE 40 'i'xh6 �xd7 41 f6 winning) 39 Wg5 (or 39 f5) 39 ...1:.h7 (if 39 .. .'�h7 40 dS='i' l:txdS 4 1 'i'xf7+ WhS 42 ¢'xh6 mating, or 39 ... AhS 40 f5 Wh7 4 1 dS='i'! l:txdS 42 'i'xf7 mate, or 40 ...�e5 4 1 i.d5! �xd7 42 'i'g6 mate) 40 fS and:
(i) 40...�hS 4\ dS='iIt' l:tg7+ 42 lhg7+ q;xg} 43 'i'f6+ ¢>gS 44 ¢:'h6 and 45 "'g7 mate.
(ii) 40...�e5 41 dS=iW �xD+ 42 g xD l:tg7+ 43 'i'xg7+ ¢>xg7 44 'tWf6+ ¢>h7 45 'i'h6+ ¢'gS 46 ¢'to.
(iii) 40 ... l:tg7! 41 dS='i' l:txdS 42 'i'xdS+ �fE+ 43 ""to and Black has no reasonable defence to the threat of i.d5 followed by We7 or 'i'eS. Meanwhile, back at the game, Black tried 34 ...�fS 35 l:tde7
Incredible! Having successfully struggled through the preceding maze of complications I completely overlooked the trivial win of a piece by 39 f5.
I started looking at 39 ... d3 40 d7 and only then noticed 39 f5. Slowly it dawned on me and I felt a sharp stabbing pain somewhere in the vicinity of my wallet. Unfortunately my opponent had also got back on the right wave' length and played 39...�c2!
A fine move, preventing ... �a4.
20 A.J.Mlles White
40 �e4 1:g7+ 41 Wf6 d3 42 1:al!
42 ...l:tg6+!
The only chance. If 42 ...1:dS 43 d7 or 43 1:xa6.
36 ¢>g5!
ties up all the loose ends (with the possible exception of those of my frayed nerves) and leaves Black helpless against the threat ofl:teS. 36...'i"d4
37 l:tle5 is aesthetically preferable, but I was a little too short of time for such flights of fancy. 37 ...cxd4 38 �xfS 1:xfS 39 d6??
Now all is well 3ga in.
a dubious move for Black. Ligterink told me that the whole variation is rarely pl ayed and that he did not know how to deal with White's strategy. 10 �d2 �f4 II 0-0 f5 12 �c4
The point of White's plan. Wrong is 12 �f3 because of l 2 ... �h3+ 1 3 gxh3 f4. Also 1 2 f3 'ilt'g5 is unpleasant for White.
12...�xe2+ 13 'ilt'xe2 f4 14 i.d2 1:.f6 IS �b5 gS 16 fJ h5
It looks as if 16 ...ltla6 to stop �b4 is better but after 17 g4 Black no longer has an attack because 17...fxg3 fails to 1 8 �xg5. 1 7 �a5 b6 18 �b4 �fH 19 J:acl
The scattered black pawns fall.
G.Ligterink Black
IBM, Amsterdam 1976 Kin.g·s Indian Defence
I d4 �f6 2 c4 g6 3 �c3 �g7 4 e4 d6 5 �e2 0-0 6 .!C.fJ e5 7 �e3 c6 S dS
Now if 36 i.g5, 36 ..i.h5+ but
37 'i'xd4
45 d7
45...�a4 46 ¢>d4! l:td8 47 lie8+ lbe8 48 dxe8='i'+ �xe8 49 l:tdl Black resigned.
3S....ig6
...
However, having no time lefl, and being completely uninterested in a draw I would certainly have played 45 d7 which, remarkably, seems to lose e.g.: 45 .. .'iiff8 46 ¢>d6 d2 47 lih7 (47 1:e3 i.a4!) 47...¢>g8 48 �c7 (48 Ae7 �a4) 48 ...'iifxh7 49 Wxd8 �a4 followed by ...�xd7 and ...c3 but 50 l:txa4 may give drawing chances.
with the useful defensive resource of ...i.a4. The position is now, as they say, unclear. I now consumed almost all my remaining time without remotely beginning to understand the position.
Not 35 l:tdS? 1:.xh6 but I was relieved to have solved the problem of my hanging rook.
36 ... h3 can be met simply by 37 l:t7e2 forcing 37 •d4.
44 ...1:d8! is essential when it appears that White has nothing better than 45 l:txa6 followed by 46 l:taa7 with a draw by perpetual.
71
43 �xg6? More accurate is 43 ¢>e5. 43...fxg6+ 44 we5 (!)
Not 44 �xg6? d2+ or 44 We6 d2 and ... �f5+. 44...d2??
This game was only the second time that I played against this line of the King's Indian. The first lime was a drawn game against Sigurjonsson in the second round of this tournament. Still, I don't know much about the theory. Why do I play it? To try to enrich my opening repertoire. Later I found out that 8 d5 was not the theoretically best move. More common is 8 0-0. 8...cxd5 9 cxd5 �h5
The book line now
roceeds 1 0 p g3 f 5 I I exfS gxfS I 2 liJxe5 f4 and Black stands well. I played a new move and in my opinion 9...�h5 is
19 �a6 •..
This is almost capitulation. The bishop should be helping in the kingside attack. Not possible was 1 9...�a6 because of20 �xd6 �xd6 2 1 �bxd6 J:xd6 22 �xd6 'i'xd6 23 l:txc8+ and 'ilt'xa6.
20 a4 lDd7 21 '5'dl �c5 22 �el 'i"d7 23 11l.:a3 .ib7
This is pure desperation but it was
almost the only way to avoid the
attack of White's pieces.
24 b4 �a6 25 1:1'2 i.e' 26 1:fc2 .idS
72
"A cable " 73
"A cable "
Black can hardly move a piece. After the game Ligterink 3dmitted th3t 3t this point he was sure his position was lost. 27 1ik411g6 28 hl It is difficult to find a move for Black and I have plenty of time to 3djust my pieces.
A fine perform3nce from Miles's first Olympiad:
28 ...'''' 29 .d3 Iilb8 30 i.f2 g4?
I d4 lLlf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5 4 lLlo �b7 5 a4 a6 6 lLlfd2?! bxc4 7 e4 e6 8 dxe6 8 ltk3!? 8 ... dxe6 Black has an edge. 9 llk3 lOc6 10 f3 'i'c7 10 ...lLlh5!? I I g3 &5 1 2 �xc4! I I lLlxc4 ':'d8 12 "'c2 �e7 13 �e3 0·0
Played in time trouble. Black had to do something. Better is 30...tOa6 doing nothing when I intended 3 1 � 3 followcd by as. I would have probably won bec3use of Ligterink's clock but the position is not entirely clear. 4 32 'i'd l g3 33 �gl . 31 fxg4 h xg gxh2 34 �r2 lO a6 35 'l'h5 It's not the white king but the black king that is in danger. 3S g7
21
L.Kavalek While A.J.Miles Black
Haifa Olympiad 1976
Benko Gambil
14 "'f2 lL'tb4 15 ':'cl
...
More resistance is offered by 3S ...lIgS 36 1Wh6 1il,b4 37 1103 .f6 38 .do i.,f6 39 IIb3 1ilo6 40 <&:xd6, or 39 ...a5 40 lbexd6.
36 �xd6 ':xd6 37 lLlxd6 'i'xd6 15...liJfd5! 16 exd5 exd5 17 "'g3 'l'c8! 17 ...'I'xg3+ 1 8 hxg3 dxc4 keeps an edge. 18 lLla5 1 8 &5
"'e6!
with
a
ctear
advantage.
18 ...'I'e6! 19 lLldi 1 9 lLlxb7 'i'xe3+ 20 Wdl (20 �2 tOd3+ wins)
20.....d4+ 21 �e2 .ih4 wins; Or 19 Wf2 �c8 20 �f4 c4! with advantage. 19 i.c8 20 *f2 "'b6! 21 lL'tb3 .!Da2! Winning. 22 �xc5 'i'xb3 23 �d4 23 �xe7 lLlxcl 24 �xd8 "'c2+! wins. 23 ...�f6! .•.
38 ':'c6 �xc6 39 ':xc6 Black resigned. He cannot avoid mate in the ne"t few moves.
23 ...�h4. 24 i.xf6 'i'b6+ 25 lLle3 'i'xf6 26 ':'c5 26 ':'c2 d4 wins. 26 ...'I'd4 27 ':'c2 ':'fe8 28 f4 ':'c4 29 �c2 ':de8 30 ':'dl "'xe3+ 31 'i'xe3 ':'xe3 32 .lii.O lLlb4 33 ':'c7 ':'b3 White resigncd.
How nul to start a tournament The annual pagan festival is by underway, now well still masquerading as the Hastings International Chess Congress. I seem to have inadvertently allowed myself to become involved in this ancient ritual, though whether on the side of the Christians or the lions remains to be see�arly impressions (this is written after round three) appear to indicate a Christian with slight cannibalistic tendencies. This year the main contenders ror (under first place normal circumstances I would say second, but starting with two losses affects one's self·confidence a lillie) will probably be the two Russians. Vassily Smyslov and Oleg Romanishin. and the Hungarian Andras Adorjan, though I still have hopes of a revival. However, I suspect th3t the winning score will be relatively higher than usual Romanishin in particular normally scores very heavily against the middle and lower parts of the tournament tnblo--which would not make my task any easier.
Adorjan which continued 4 dxe5 lOxe4 5 S'd5 .i.b4+ with complications not unfavourable for Black. I decided to look for something different. 4 1iln i.b4+ This seemed wrong to me. The exchange of bishops leaves Black's kingsidc very weak.
5 �d2 �xd2+ 6 'i'xd2 an Apparently innovation. Afterwards Adorjan told me of a game (Polugayevsky·Tal) which went 6 lObxd2 d6 7 dxe5 dxe5 8 l()xe5 'i'e7 9 f4 lLlbd7 with good play for Black. Knowing nothing of this I rejected 6 lObxd2 as too artificial and recaptured with the queen instantly.
6...exd4 After 4S minutes thought.
7 e5 lLle4 I prefer 7.....e7. 8 .xd4 1ilgS
22
A.J.Miles White A.AdorjaR Black Hastings 1 976177 English Opening I c4 g6 2 e4 eS An unusual move with the intention of avoiding transposition into a normal King's Indian. J d4 1ilf6 At this stage vaguely remembered a game Polugaevsky·
Nonnally. in the first round of such a tournament I would not be too bothered about conceding a draw-it always seems easier to play well when one has already scored a few points-but with a position this good after only 8
74 "A cable "
"A cable " 75
moves I felt obliged to try to win. I now spent half an hour unsuccessfully Irying to find a clear way of increasing my advantage before playing my original idea-a sure sign of being off-form.
9 ct:lxgS 1WxgS 10 f4 ct:lc6 I I 1Wd2 Perhaps I I "'1'2 is better, as to meet 1 l .....dS 12 ex:3 0-0 1 3 O-(}-O d6 with 14 c5. II......dS 12 1tX3 0-0 1 3 0-0-0 d6 The only way to unlangle. 14 exd6 cxd6 15 'fhd6 'i'aS After 1 5 �5 White would certainly stand bener, but I didn't believe Black had enough for the pawn. But what to do now? 16 Wb I 'll b4 is uncomfortable, as is 16 .Jle2 .Jle6. It seemed sensible to retreat the queen and vacate d5 for the knight. So... 16 'i'dS "'b6 17 "'d2 .Jle6 1 8 I1lds What else? 18 Wb I lOb4 is still unpleasant. If 18 .Jle2 l:lacS followed by ...l:lfdS.
IS ....JlxdS 19 cxd5 lOb4 20 Wbl l:lacS Suddenly White is in great trouble. 2 1 a3 is met by ...1Oc2! and ...l:lc2 is threatened.
21 'i'd4 .ticS! 22 .Jle2? The last chance was 22 .Jlc4 IUcS 23 b3 (not 23 .Jlb3 l:lcl+! or 23 d6 ct:lc2! 24 "'d3 :xc4 25 d7 l:ldS 26 1Wxc4 1&3+) and now if 23 ......a5 24 a4 b5 25 d6! bxc4 26 d7 l:ld8 (or 26...cxb3 27 d8="'+!) 27 l:lhe I ! and While's winning! But the simple 23...lOxd5 leaves Black clearly beller (24 .Jlxd5 l:lc 1 +).
22...:fc8 23 "'eS The threat was ...:cI + and if 23 IId2 fud5 24 .tn �3+ 25 <4>,1 iOe2! mates nicely.
I continued with
n...�xa2!
Oops! Now 24 Wxa2 l:la5+ 25 Wb 1 *"'3 forces mate. The remaining moves can be attributed to my reluctance to resign this early.
24 l:ld3 �c3+ 25 l:lxc3 l:lxc3 26 d6 :e3 27 d7 .c:d8 28 'W'b5 -.xb5 29 .JlxbS a6 30 l:lcl ¢'fB White resigned. •
•
•
•
Three endgames from Hastings 1976177 This weekend sees the final round of the Hastings Premier tournament, and I expect (this column is wrinen after Round S) that first place has already been clinched by the Russian Oleg Romanishin. However, to continue the saga of my own (mis)adventures at Hastings. As I mentioned last week 1 decided to give the rest of the field 2 points start before actually beginning to play scnsibly. The third round saw a change of fortune with the first ofa fascinating trio of endgames. After 52 rather nondescript moves I reached the following position against Andrew Whiteley. (Game 23)
S3 .tbS Now the king and pawn ending is an easy win: White liquidates the queenside with as, brings his king to c5, plays n and e4 which Black must capture. Then White creates a passed d-pawn and uses it to divert the black king while his penetrates to ffi. So Black avoided the exchange with
S3...j"a8!
62 f5! exf5 (or 62 ...gxf5 63 g6! fxg6 64 Wxe6 followed by �f6 winning all Black's pawns) 63
Wxd5 IlP d7 64 WeS ¢'e7 65 dS �d7 66 �r6 �d6 67 Wxf7 ¢'xd5 68 Wxg6 We5 69 Wf7 ¢>e4 70 Wf6 Black resigned. Next came a rook and pawn ending against the American Vukfevlc: (Game 24)
Here there are several tries: (a) 54 .ieS We7 55 .Jlxfl? Wxf7 56 <4>b5 <4>,7 57 <4>xb6 <4>d6 followed by ....Jlc6 and Black wins! (b) 54 f4 �c6! and the king and pawn ending is no longer won. (c) 54 n (the most subtle) 54 ....Jlb7? (or 54 ...We7 55 as! winning) 55 .ie8! We7 56 .ilxfl! wxt7 57 Wb5 We7 5S ¢'xb6 �cS 59 Wc7! j"a6 60 a5! and White wins. But unfortunately Black has 54 ...e5! and the possibility of .Jlb7-cS gives enough breathing space to draw. So I tried a 4'h move:
54 as bxaS+ 55 Wxa5 .ib7 56 Wb6 .i.c8 (now ...e5 is again threatened) 57 f4 �d7 58 .Jlxd7 �d7 59 Wb7 Wd8 60 Wc6 Wc8?? (missing the point-he must head fo, g7) 61 <4>d6 <4>d8
I (Black) now played
28...1If7 forcing the win of a pawn. The game continued
29 a5 Best.
29..":'xc3 30 axb6 The altemative is 30 l:ld2. 3 0...:c2+! 3 1 WO
76
"A cable
,.
3 1 �h3? leaves the king vulnerable to threats along the 7th rank. 3 1...ub6 There is much (inconclusive!) theory on this type of ending with one pair of rooks and generally with the kingside pawns on Q/g3/h4 and f71g61h5. But with another pair of rooks and the changed pawn fonnation, both kings are exposed to mating threats and tactics abound. 32 ':d8+ �g7 33 J:tb8 Nonnally the best place for the rook-behind the passed pawn. 33 ... l:tb2 34 l:.e6 J:td7! 3S �e3? Not 35 l:tbxb6?? l:td3+, but 35 l:te2 was beller.
"A cable " 77 when with the white king so far cut off the f-pawn is doomed. The lasl of Ihe Irio was against Vassily Champion ex-World Smyslov. (Game 25) Having experimented wilh Ponziani's opening I obtained a sufficiently favourable position to decline an offer of a draw (I was not worse throughout as some press reports indicated!), but then went badly astray and reached the following position at the adjournment.
choking and rushed off to find an alternative. Luckily there was one. The game continued 4 1 ...l:!:e3 42 lbh4+ �r6 hoping for 43 lbg2 l:te2! 44 lbxf4 exf4 winning-in a similar line after 42...¢'g5 then 45 l:xa5 draws. 43 l:txaS! l:txc3 44 l:ta6+ ;'g5 45 lbg6 l:td3+ 46 ;'c4 e4
47 Ae6!
3S...l:txh2! Usually 3 pawns against 2 on the same side is drawn but here the g-pawn is vulnerable. 36 J:texb6 l:.h3! 37 �rz If37 l:t8b7 l:txg3+ and ... l:td3. 37...J:td2+ 38 ¢le3 l:td7 (time trouble) 39 wrz l:.d2+ 40 We3 Ag2 4 1 .:t6b7+ Wh6 and now White sealed 42 l:th8 but resigned without further play because of the forced line 42 ...AhxgJ+ 43 �d4 l:td2+ 44 Wc5 (44 �e5 l:te3+ 45 �f6 :'d6+ and the white king interferes with its own rooks) 44...Wh5 and ... ;'g4
I sealed 4 1 .:r.cS! with the clever (or so I thought) intention of 4l....:r.e3 42 liJd4! exd4 43 ¢'xd4 when the remarkable piece configuration prevents Black defending his pawn by ... §(.c7, :'e5, l:ta3, or after 43...a4 by ... ;>fS intending ...l:e4+ and finally Ihe bishop prevents ... :.h2 followed by ... l:th4+. Thus White forces a drawn rook v rook and bishop posilion. I was feeling rather pleased with myself (not to mention relieved) when suddenly over dinner, a horrible thoug ht struck me: after 41...l:te3 42 lbd4?? exd4 43 �xd4 Black has 4J ... J:te5!! and now 44 Axe5 §(.xe5+ 45 �xe5-the unfortunate position of the pawn on c3 prevents White from catching Ihe black a-pawn. I narrowly avoided
Forcing a remarkable study-like draw. If 47...¢'fS 48 l:txe4!! �xe4 49 lLlxf4 drawing, or 47 ... lid2 48 :'xe4 :'c3+ 49 ¢'d4 �xg6 50 l:!:e2 :'c2 5 I ;'d3! Smyslov looked gloomily at the position for 10 minutes and played 47..,1[(3 but after 48 ¢'dS conceded the draw, since on 48 ...e3 (48...WfS? 49 tDh4+) 49 tDxf4 ;'xf4 50 ;'d4 followed by l:te4+. To conclude Ihis chapter a classic demolition of the White centre in the English Defence; even strong grandmasters found this opening difficult to handle.
26 I.Farago While A.J.Miles Black Hastings 1976177 English Defence I d4 b6 2 c4 �b7 3 �c3 e6 4 . �b4 5 -c2 -.h4!
e4
6 >l.d3 IS 7 g3 '1I'hS 8 >1.,2 "lin 9 fJ fxe4 10 fxe4 tDr6 II d5 0-0 12 '1>0 "lig6 13 >l.d3 "lihS 14 0-0 '1>a6 IS a3 �xc3 1 6 bxc3 �cS 1 7 lie3 �xd3 18 -.xd3 exdS 19 ud5
19 ...lLlxdS 20 exd5 :'xfJ 2 1 l:txfJ 'ilr'xfJ 22 :'dl �a6 23 'l'd2 �c4 24 lir4 d6 25 h4 l:trs 26 ¢'h2 �e2 27 IIgl 11,8 28 IIg2 >l.e4 29 1112 "lic4 30 'i'd4 lixd5 31 'i'xe4 l:txe4 32 h5 h6 33 g4 l:!:c4 White resigned.
"[ pI/shed Karpov all
20 ':gl .i.f6 21 "-h6 .:n 22 .i.h3 Possibly better is 22 .i.d6 when Black must try 22 ...e4.
4: "I pushed Karpov all the way for first place at Tilburg" 27
J.Tlmman White A.J.MUes Black
Bad Lauterberg 1977
Sicilia/! Defence To commemorate the lOOth anniversary of its founding the Gennan Chess Federation arc currently holding an extremely strong Grandmaster tournament at Bad Lauterberg. The 16 players arc made up of the World Champion Anatoly Karpov, 12 other GMs, including Ray Keene and myself, and the three top players from the West German Championship. The event is in FIDE category 1 2 with an average tournament rating of about 2S30 (241 on the English system) and the top 13 players average over 2560. Karpov virtually clinched first place in the opening rounds by staning with 5W6, conceding a draw only to his trainer Funnan, and thus opening up a lead of I ItS points. The rest of the field is closely bunched and the other places are unlikely to be settled before the last round. I started in unconvincing fashion, scoring only one point from my first four games, due partly to the following disaster. I .. cS I have come to the conclusion that
this is a mistake against Timman
and that one should play something
boring such as 1 eS.
l . ..e6,
22...l[d7 23 >l.dO This move came as a great surprise since I thought thai I had prevented it!
I . ..c6 or
••.
2 �f3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 �xd4 lOf6 5 IiJcJ gO 0 >l.e3 >l.g7 7 0 0-0 8 "-d2l()c69 0·0·0 This line has rather gone out of fashion in recent years. 9 .i.c4 is more usual.
9...dS The alternative is 9... �d4 .1xd4 �e6.
10
23...lilr4 Now 24 i.xb8 (or .i.xeS) loses to 24 .../l)e2+ and if 24 lOxeS Black can try 24...':xd6, or 24 ...lOe2+ 2S �b I ':xb2+ 26 �xb2 ':xd6. Meanwhile White has two pieces attacked and 24 .in fails to 24 ...i.xc4 25 .i.xc4 ':xd6 26 ':g8+ 'i'xg8 27 i.xg8 'Oc2+, so what is White to do?
24 ':d2!!
Following some old theory. One idea is now IS ... f5 16 0gS .1h6 as n i Keres·Hartston-simultaneous display(!) when White now blundered with. 1 7 �bl? �xg5 18 hxgS &3+! with a raging attack. The text is more (over?) ambitious.
IS..J:lb8 16 g4 fS 17 gxfS glfS 18
Up to here the game has followed Sigurjonsson-Miles from Wijk aan Zee t 977 which Timman apparently annotated for the tournament book! There I tried 18 ....i.f8 which was met by the very powerful 19 ..tc4!! Later Timman told me that he had suggested l 8 .. l:fB as an improve· men!. .
19 1ilc:4 Wh8 In this position it is much more important to preserve the black· squared bishop than the rook.
79
..-xd2 ..-xb8 and White can only force a draw by 29 ..-d7 ! lDd4 30 ..-0 ..-d8 3 1 ':g8+! etc, and instead consumed practically all my remaining time before producing
24...':bS? when after
25..tO! all White's pieces are safe again and Black has no moves and no lime. The game concluded.
2S ...l:tdS 26 ':xds lDxdS 27 .1i.xeS
':0 28 "-g5 'lifts 29 ..txf6+ ':xf6
30 lOeS lDe7 31 �c4 i.xc4 3 2 ti:ld7 Black resigned. Rook Endings The endgame is supposedly the most neglected part of the average player's game. This is caused, to some extent, by weekend events and league matches with quick play·offs and adjudications. However two rook endings from my recent games suggest that Ihis deficiency is not confined only 10 weaker players. Consider the first position (Gerusel·Miles, Bad Lauterberg 1977): (Game 28)
10 exd5 llb:dS 1 1 �xc:6 bxc6 12 �d4 e5 13 .i.eS 1.e6 14 lOe4 ':e8 1 5 h4
IildO l[f8
the wayforfirst place at Tilbl/rg "
This astonishing quiet move had a terrible effect on me. Mesmerised by such variations as 24...�h3? 2S �xe5 �xeS 26 lOxeS lOxg I 27 ':xd7 'Oc2+ 28 ¢'d J winning, and 24 ....ixc4 2S �xf5 ':bb7 (or 2S ...lbe2+ 26 ':xe2 �xe2 27 .i.xd7) 26 �xe5! �xeS 27 ..-xh7+! ! ':xh7 28 :'xd8+ ..tg8 29 ':gxg8 mate, I completely failed to find the only namely reasonable defence 24 ....i.xc4 25 i.xf5 �e6, and now if 26 ..txb8 i.x.f5! 27 :'xd7 .i.xd7, or 26 .i.xe6 lOxe6 27 ..txb8 llxd2 28
It is scarcely conceivable that this position can be won by either side--
80
"/ pushed Karpov all the
way forfirst place
if anything White should be slightly better. Consequently my opponent was somewhat taken aback when I declined his offer of a draw. At first he did not take me seriously: 4 1 ...hS 42 h4 ItIS 43 IIb7 16 44 J:i.b8 e4 45 �g2 g5 46 hxg5 fxgS At last he stopped to think. A little late; his position is already difficult. Now, either refusing to believe it is possible to lose, or realising the problems and panicking, he blundered. 4 7 �h3 J:i.b2 48 l:lb5+ o;Pf6 49 IIb6+ �'S 50 IIbS+ Itd4 51 l:lxg5?? 5 I J:i.f5 draws. SI...J:i.xf2 52 :xhS e3 53 .::r.h8 e2 54 J:i.eS �d3 55 :d8+ 1155 Ith4 110. S5...o;Pc3 56 .:teS �d2 57 J:i.d8+ �el 58 g4 �fl 59 :leS e1='" 60 J:i.xei+ �xe1 6 1 g5 �e2 62 �g4 1t,3 63 g6 1t.4 64 ItgS It,s 65 g7 J:i.gl+ White resigned. The second position ifronl Sao Paulo 1977) is equally drawn. Here I actually had an extra pawn but this time my opponent was stronger -US GM Pal Benko. (Game 29)
at Tilburg "
The basic principles are these : The position is drawn-sensible moves will suffice, but Black tries to 'overdraw', so to speak, i.e. he tries to analyse to a position which is completely trivial, often by means of complicated and ingenious ideas. This is impractical. Once I recognised my opponent's intention I decided to play quickly and give him as many alternatives as possible to examine in the hope that he would create problems for himself. 5 1 l:te2 The only try is to return the pawn and activate the king. Otherwise Black simply plays �g7-g6 and White can make no progress. S I ..ltg6 S2 Itd2 1t16 52...h5! is best, but Black has a 'clever' idea. 53 J:i.c6+ �g7 54 .c:c3! :a2+ 55 �dJ :xh2 56 c4 fxe4+ 57 �xe4 Now the idea is 57.. .'�g6!? 58 J:i.c6+ �h5! 59 ¢>f5 J:i.c2! when 60 llxc2 is stalemate, so 60 lle6! :c3! (not 60...l:te2 6 1 lle5!) but just in time he saw 6 1 �f6!1 J:i.xg3 62 �g 7! and 63 :xh6 male� 57 ... h5 (best) 58 �f5 h4 59 :c7+ No better than 59 gxh4 immediately-but it gives Black more options. S9.. �h6 60 ttc6+ �g7 61 gxh4 g3!? After 61.. .llxh4 62 �g5 and f5 looks worrying-but only draws.
so he reverts to a line which he could have had with two more tempi-no matter, it still draws! 66 J:i.xgl l:lxh4 67 J:i.el J:i.h2 68 �f7 :a2 69 lle6+! (Best try) 69 ...�h7 70 f6
.
.
62 11g6+ Ith' Not 62 . .'�f7 63 :g4 and �g5. 63 IIg4 Ith6 64 �16 g2 65 IS gl='IW .
He demonstrated a different, ralher unlucky, method of losing.
"[ pushed Kllrpov all the
Here Black noticed to his embarrassment that his next fine intention 65 ...¢'h5 is met by 66 :g8! �xh4 67 �e5! �h3 68 �f4 !
Now Black must play l:la8! drawing. Unfortunately he had taken so long to solve his earlier problems, that before he could find it he lost on time!
way forfirst place at
Tilbllrg " 81
wins against the lower players, and, much to my relief, a share of first place. Of the Spanish players present, Garcia Padron deserves some mention. Whilst his final result was not spectacular, at nineteen he already has the scalps of Tal and Browne to his credit and surely has a promising future. As for the general organisation, it is a salutary thought that an island of 50,000 inhabitants can arrange an annual tournament rather better than anything this country can offer. My most (and possibly only) interesting game of the tournament: 1 e4 c5 2 lOo lOe6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lLlxd4 g6 5 It)c3 .i.g7 6 .i.e3 ll\(6 7 .tc4 0-0 S �b3 d6 9 0 �d7 to g4
30 A.Martin White A.J.Miles Black Lanzarote 1977 Sicilian Defence The Las Palmas Tournament is traditionally followed by a second, slightly weaker event on the neighbouring island of Lanzarote. This year the twelve players included three GMs, two candidate GMs and two other IMs. After my recent perfonnances (I think that is the most appropriate tenn for them) I have become rather bored with losing games (twenty in six months). Consequently 1 decided to modify my attempts to produce interesting chess in favour of scoring some points. This resulted in several short draws, some untidy
As I am supposed to be writing a book on the Dragon, I feel obliged to play the opening once in a while. Apparently there is a rumour that 1 am an authority On the subject. Unfortunately, it is some time since 1 played the system regularly, and I could remember nothing whatsoever about this line. IO l:lc8 I I "'d2 lLle5 12 0-0-0 lbc4 13 .i.xc4 :xc4 14 h4 'l'c7 15 h5 l:tcS 16 hxg6 fxg6 17 �bl •••
82
"I pushed Karpov all the wayforfirst place 01 Tilbllrg " R3
"'pushed Karpov all the wayforfirst place at Ti/burg"
Here I disliked 1 7...b5 because of 18 otJd5! when Black cannot defend h7 satisfactorily. So I produced a long queen manoeuvre to solve the problem.
17 ...'illaS 181ilb3 'iII.S 19 Jl,d4 If 19 f4?! 'l'xc3!? 20 bxc3 �)(e4 probably draws, but 1 9 ...'I'e6 is a reasonable try for more.
19 ...'ille6 20 'iIIh2 'iIIn 21 .5 dxeS 22 Jl,x.S Jl,e6 23 1ild4 White stands bener-so I decided to unbalance the position and give my opponent an interesting chance to go wrong.
23...ltxc3!? 24 �xe6? :xc2 2S 'l'xc2 ltxd 26 1ld8+ lDe8 27 o't:lxg7 'thO! Now White has problems. After 28 :xe8+ ¢'f7 29 ¢'xc2 'l'xh I 30 J}.c3 'l'e4+ 3 1 ¢'b3 'l'xg4 White's pieces are hopelessly tied up.
Decisive. If 29 ':xc8 'l'xdl+ 30 :cl Wd3+ and ....o't:lxg7, or 29 lOxeS 'iIIe4+.
29 Jl,c3 IIxc3 30 Iilx.8 11<8 3 1 Iilf6+ g,n 32 1ilxh7 IIxd8 33 1il gS+ Wf6 34 �xO Ilxd l+ 3S W'c2 ':0 36 lLldl Ilr:z White resigned.
A.J.l\1l1es Black IBM, Amsterdam 1977 Sicilian Defence 1 ,4 <5 2 IilfJ Iilc6 3 Jl,bS 'iIIb6 4 .i.a4 e6 In this position I played 4...g6 against Sax in London 1975. where I achieved my first grandmaster result. After the interesting line 4... g6 5 0·0 Jl,g7 6 c3 .6 7 lIel ltlge7 8 e5 0-0 9 d4 cxd4 10 cxd4 f6 1 1 1ila3 fxeS 1 2 10<4 'iIIb4 13 b3 :XO 14 �a3 'l'xc4 Black went on to win. Nowadays I am not SO sure about 4...g6.
7...JI,d7 8 11.1 g6
Now White hopes for 28...'I'e4? 29 :XeS+ ¢'f7 30 :f8+! ! WxfS 3 1
28....:c8!
20....txe3 21 be3 ':xe3 22 �bs Wc7 23 ':0
31
The best reaction to Black's advance in the centre. In a speed game, also against Sax, he tried 7 exd5 �d5 8 d4 cxd4 9 �d4 which is better for Black. However Sax won the game because he is better at quick chess than I am.
If 28 ':el ':e2! 29 Ilxe2 '1'fI+! Or 28 lIxe8+ g,n 29 lie 1 'iIId3 (or....lle2) 30 g,a 1 'iIIe2!
14 ...'I'c7 IS .tb3 .i.rs 16 'i'c5 .:re8
Black remains on top. Not 20 likI2 1:txe3.
E.Torre While
5 0-0 Iilg.7 6 c3 dS 7 d3
2811hdl
Forced. After other moves Black gains tremendous piece activity, for example 14 "'dl llad8 followed by ...10<5.
A dubious move intending a pawn sacrifice, but also weakening the black squares.
9 exdS IOxds 10 d4 cxd4 I I Iilxd4 Jl,g7 Black sacrifices a pawn. However 1 1 ... �c5 was possible.
12 �xe6 �xe6 13 "'xdS 0-0 14 'illbs
Black is clearly better, but how should he continue?
1 7 Ilxc8+? Better is 17 i.e3 but Black still has sufficient compensation for the pawn e.g. 17... 'I'd8 18 �a3 (Not 18 li:ld2 lle5 followed by l:.xe3) 1 8 ...10<5 19 lI,dl 'illb4 20 Jl,d4 �f8 2 1 'l'd5 l:.ad8 22 'l'xb7 l:.e7 23 'iIIa6 Iilg4 24 h3 IIxd4 25 hxg4 1:txg4 26 l:.xe7 ':xg2+ 27 Wxg2 i.h3+ etc. During the game Torre did not believe that I had sacrificed the pawn. After 1 7 .te3 he was afraid of 17...lle5. However this doesn't give me a lot after 18 'i'c4 �h6 1 9 'bd2. During the post mortem Torre repeatedly accepted the pawn sacrifice-when I showed him some variations, which were almost all to Black's advantage, he started to believe in it, but still remained very sceptical. After the text move I force him to return the pawn.
17...%txc8 18 i.e3 lle5 19 'l'c4 �b6 20 �a3 Because of this forced development of the knight to 33
(a) After the logical 23 ...�5 there follows 24 'i'xf7+ 'l'xf7 25 i.xf7+ Wxf7 26 g4. (b) I also considered 23 ...lbd8 threatening ... i.d3, but rejected it because of 24 "'c7-if then 24....td3 25 'l'xe7 llxe7 261ldl. (c) Not 23 ... 10<5 intending likI4.
24
'iIIf4
(d) 23 ... :e2 is also playable. However it was not clear to me that Ihe occupation of the seventh rank was to Black's advantage. The continuation 24 "xf7+ 'l'xf7 25 i.xf7+ �f7 26 g4 doesn't work because of 26...:xb2 but 24 "f4 ltxb2 25 lbd6 or the immediate 24 lbd6 is unclear. Hence I chose
23...Ile4 24 �d4 �)(d4 25 cxd4 "d7 261ldl Not 26 .tc2 .te6 and ......xd4+.
26...JI,e6 Attractive is 26 ...i.g4 but White replies 27 'i'd3.
27 Wd3 .i.xb3 28 axb3 "'IS!
84
. .
"Jpushed Karpov al/ Ihe wayforfirsl place al Tilbllrg " 85
J pushed KarpQv aI/ the wayforfirst place at Ti/burg "
41 :'xfl a4 42 :'xh7 :'xb2+
10 .i.g5!
resistance it is rather difficult to come back down to earth and stan working again.
The sealed move. I analysed the position as completely won for Black.
19 �fI .!LId7 20 'ilr'e3 "hl+ 21 :gl "xh2 22 i..e4
43 ¢'O a3 44 h4
White is the exchange ahead and should win, but the White king is a little insecure and there are some technical difficulties.
44 :th8+ Wd7 45 l1a8 a2 lasts longer, but Black wins by simply pushing the b-pawn. 44..Jtb6
A strong move-now White has difficulty holding the position. The immediate threat is ...:'e l+
Grandmastery
.
29 lin 'lidS 30 ltd 1 ltg4 31 ltd2 On 3 1 g3 there follows 3 1 ...h5.
31...'11<4 Forcing the exchange of queens because of the dual threats .. i'e l + and ...l:bg2+. .'
32 .-xe4 :'xe4 33 d5 White must try his luck with the d'pawn otherwise ... f'S. Wfl-e6d6/d5 wins comfortably. 33 \!If8 34 d6 \!I.S 35 ltc2 ltb4 36 :c7 ltxb3 37 :'e7+ WfS 38 :c7 We8 39 :'e7+ Wd8 40 Wf2 �
•••
Relatively best. Instead 40 :'xfl :xb2 4 1 :'xh7 a5 wins easily.
40... a5! Keeps the white king shut out.
22.. ..txe4 23 "'xe4 "h3+ 24 We2 0-0-0
White resigned.
He can nO longer stop the a-pawn--45 :'h8+ Wd7 46 :'as :'a6.
32
A.J.Miles While G.Sosonko Black IBM, Amsterdam 1977 English Openillg
IO...i..xlJ I I
I confess that when calculating earlier I had the hallucination that 25 "'a8 was mate here!
'i'd2! �f4!
Saving the queen considerable cost.
but
at
12 .i.xf4 �xg2 13 :'gl .i.b7 14 ..te5 -.0 I S ..txg7 :'g8 16 .i.xh7!! :'xg7 17 :'xg7 "hl+ 1 8 We2
Most published Grandmaster games are smooth, flowing affairs. One side gets a slight advantage, increases it methodically, and applies a neat coup de grace. I would like to redress the balance a little with one that did not go exactly according to plan in Amsterdam this year.
S /1)13 �b7 9 �d3!? A sharp choice. White invites ... .i.xf3 when he would continue with gxf3 followed by -.e2-e4 with a strong initiative in compensation for the smashed pawns.
9 ....i.d6? Allowing a Irick which I first saw at about the age of ten in a book of chess traps!
A pointless move. I played it quickly thinking that a4-a5 could do nO hann and would bring me two moves nearer to the time coniro!. In fact it just gives Black two tempi and opens the a-file for him!
White has great coordinating his forces.
trouble
36 ...:'e8 37 "gS e3!
An increasingly popular method ' of avoiding the Nimzo-Jndian.
7...c5 is more common.
On 29 Wd2 I was worried about
29...11lc5 (30 'IIe2 'IIfS). 29...¢'b8 30 a4?
30 ... e5 31 as e4 32 Wh I "f5 33 axb6 axb6 34 "'h4 iOf6 35 :'ul -.e6 36 :'a4
1 c4 �f6 2 ltld e6 3 e4
3...d5 4 e5 d4 5 exf6 dxd 6 bxc3 "xf6 7 d4 b6
2S ltg3 'IIhS+ 26 '1113 'IIh7 27 "d3 "h5+ 28"0 -.h7 29 :'cl
1 8.....0+ The main idea was I S ...tt'xal 19 "f4 ! when I was dearly hoping for 19 ...'IIb2+ (19 ...fS 20 �xf5) 20 �d3 (though 20 Wdl is simpler) 20 ...£5 2 1 ..tg6+ '*'ffi 22 Afl+ �g8 23 :'fE+ Wxffi 24 'iWh6+ ¢'e7 25 -'g7+ �d6 26 "f8+ Wc6 27 i..e8+ tt'ld7 28 d5+ exd5 29 "f6+ �c5 30 -'e7+ Wc6 3 1 .txd7 mate! One of the practical problems is that, after calculating such fantastic variations, if one's opponent puts up a serious
Commencing dangerous counter play. I had anticipated the move and
86
" /pushed Klirpov {III fhe wayforfirsf place at Tilburg "
(correctly!) thought that I could survive.
38 lhe3 'lJe4 39 'il'f4 Not 39 "'g211 "'c6!
39...IS Bere I immediately wrote 40 :'b4 (the best move) on my score sheet but having about 30 seconds to spare I decided to check that it was alright, and somehow produced
40 �e1? Now the position is drawn (after 40 :'b4-threatening f3-White is still bener) but it is White who has trouble proving it.
"/ pushed Karpov all the wayforfirst place at Tilburg " 87
47 :'xe4? fxe4+ 48 ¢>xe4 It:lxb4 49 'itlt'a3+ Wb5 wins. 47 "'e2!? ibf4+? 48 Wd2+ lOxe2? 49 l:ta3 mate, but 47 ...lOxb4+ wins for Black (48 Wc3+ Wa5).
57......d5
47 :'c4+ Wb5 48 :'xe4 fxe4+ 49 Wxe4! "'g6+ 50 ¢>xd5 'itlt'd6+ 51 �e4 'i'e6+ 52 �d3 "'xc4+ 53 We3
40...'ifg6 41 Ab4 Now forced.
41......gl+ 42 Wc2 ¢>b7(!) I had spent most of my time deciding that 42...'iI'cl (infer alia) drew and had not considered this strong quiet move.
43 c5!? 'lJxc3+ 44 ¢>d3 'lJd5
13 0-0
58 ¢'e3 lA-Ill 33 M.Quinteros White
47 :'a4+? ¢'b5. Best is 47 Wd2!! when 47 ...lOxe3? 48 'l'e2+ ¢>a7 49 :'a4+ Wb8 50 :'a8+! or 47...lLlxb4 48 :'a3+ and "'xf5+ or 47...:xe3 48 :'a4+ and 'i'xd5+ are all satisfactory for White.
The point-cutting ofT White's queen retreat.
So..
A.J.Miles Black
IBM tournament, Amsterdam 1977
Queen·s Gambit Accepted
Amsterdam is rapidly becoming my favourite place. Last year, in the IBM tournament there I scored the best result of my career, sharing first place with Korchnoi. This year, in a slightly stronger tournament (the average rating of the participants was 2516-0r 240 in real money) I went one better. The tournament was a good deal closer than the result suggests. It was only after all the adjournments were finished, before the last round, thai I emerged in the sole lead for the first time. Then I had 91n points, Liberzon and Hulak 9 and Kavalek Sin. This was my last round game:
1 d4 d5 1 felt confident enough to offer a draw-Sosonko declined.
53 ...Wb4 54 "'f8+ ¢'c3 55 "'a3+ Wc2 56 f4 Sosonko declined!
offered
a
draw-I
56......e6+ 57 Wf2 this point the game was adjourned for the second time. I retired to a nearby bar to steady my nerves. Two or three pints later I began to see winning chances, e.g. 57...'Il'1'5 58 'Il',3 b5 59 'Il',5 'Il'd7 60 �g3 b4 61 "'c5+ �b3 62 f5 �a4 63 f6 b3 64 "'e7 'it'xd4 65 n b2 66 "'e8+ and fSe'i'. However, when the game resumed, I found that Black had sealed the superior At
45"'13 :'e4! A move which I'd completely overlooked (of course). In contrast Sosonko was merrily bashing out adjournment analysis.
46 c6+! ¢>xc6 If 46...Wb8 47 lhe4 followed by "'f8+. But 46...¢>a6 is fascinating:
Risky! However if \3 �xd5 exd5 threatens i.b4+ or d4, when the white king lacks cover. 13 ...'Il'h4
1 can only recall playing this two or three times in my life, but I wanted to avoid anything that my opponent might have prepared. 2 c4 dxc4 3 ibf3 ibf6 4 e3 i.g4 5
.i..xc4 e6 6 'i'b3!? A sharp line.
6 ..i.xlJ 7 gxf3 lt.'lbd7 8 'i'xb7 c5 9 dxc5 �xc5 10 ibc3 0-0 It (4 �b6 .
This, it seems, is an innovation. I prepared this opening before the game, but, having no appropriate literature with me, I had to work out some variations for myself. Fortunately I appear to have stumbled upon a good idea .
12 ..te2 ibfd5
Planning a crude assault by ... f5 and ...:'f6 and in some circum stances ...g5.
1 4 .i..13 %tabS 1 5 "'a6 It.'lxc3 16 bxc3 (5 17 i.g2 1:.f6 18 h3 I expected 18 "'e2 or 18 :'b I followed by "'e2.
18 ...l[g6 19 �hl 19 Wh2 allows ..extS threatening lOxe3 in many lines. .
1 9...l:I:f8 Here, seeing that Bulak had already drawn, and that Liberzon's position was not good I offered a draw which would give me first place. My opponent, a well known fighter, refused.
20 'i'e2 :'ff6 2 1 i.d2 :'g4! Building up dangerously.
22ltgl I now expected 22 i.e I :'fg6 23
f3 when 1 intended 23 ....l:xg2 24
...wxg2 "'h5! 25 'i'h2 .txe3 (threatening �xf4) 26 .ig3 lOc4! and the threat of liJd2 is decisive.
88
"J pI/shed Karpov all the wayforfirst place at Tilburg
22...J::trg6
"
Now if 28 'iWb7 .i.xf4 ! 29 exf4 (otherwise 'i'xh3+) 29 ...lbd6 30 'i'xa7 .l:l.xg2 wins; Or 28 'i'c6 e5 29 .l:l.xf5! .l:l.xg2! 30 Itxh5 .l:l.xgl+ 3 1 ¢'h2 exf4! forcing mate. 28...lhg2 29 'i'xg2 Or 29 'i'xh5 Itxgl+ 30 ¢'h2 .l:l.6g2 mate. 29".':xg2 30 Itxg2 .i.f8 3 1 .l:l.xa7 'i'el 32 l%gl It:lxe3! 33 be3 'i'xe3 White resigned. On fo rm at Diel
23 'i'fJ �c4 24 .i.e] h6! The intention is to prepare ... eS. First the king must be tucked away safely. 25 J:bl �d6! Not 25 ...e5 26 Itb8+ ¢lh7 27 ifd5. 26 11b7 Wh7 Intending 27 ... e5 28 fxe5 �xe5 29 'i'xfS .xh3+ 30 .i.xh3 ':xgl+ 3 1 �h2lbO mate. 27 lin Here Quinteros offered a draw too late! 27...'i'h5! Winning.
2S ':d7
34 A.J.Miles While K.Robatsch Black Biel 1 977 Modern Bellolli Chess 'fonn' is a peculiarly unpredictable thing. One week one can play atrociously and the next well with no apparent explanation. tn my case I had six months of awful results, and now suddenly I can do nothing wrong. Following a tentative shared first place in Lanzarote I went on to win the strong IBM tournament in Amsterdam with a point to spare. Immediately afterwards I played in Biel in a slightly weaker event. This time the result was even more conclusive: I Mites (England) 1 1 /15; 2 Andersson (Sweden), Hernandez (Cuba) and Panno (Argentina) 9... My only loss, to Panno, came in the tast round with the tournament already decided. I have just one theory for the sudden transformation. After several good results last year I decided to take the chess world by storm, trying to win all my games. In consequence I began to force matters too early and lost my sense of objectivity to some extent. About 20 losses later I concluded that something was
"Jpushed Karpov all the wayforfirst place at Tifburg " 89
wrong and made a conscious decision not to try quite so hard and to take some short draws. Since then my results have not just returned to their previous level but improved. In the last three tournaments I have scored 20 wins, 19 draws and 2 losses. Doubtless there have been other factors involved, but I suspect there is some truth in my theory. I d4 lbf6 2 c4 e6 3 lbfJ cS 4 dS exdS S cxdS d6 6 lbc3 g6 7 e4 �g7 8 Jl.g5 h6 9 Jl.h4 0-0 tournament the in Earlier Hernandez tried 9...g5 against me, but after I 0 �g3 lDh5 I I .i.b5+ ¢'f8 1 2 e5! suffered a nasty fate. 1 0 lbd2 b6 I I .i.e2 .i.a6 12 0-0 .i.xe2 IJ 'i'xe2 a6 14 a4 :'eS 15 f4 'i'c7 1 6 .1:1.ael lDbd7 17 ¢1hl Now it is difficult for Black to find a move. His queen's rook is tied to the a-pawn and ... b5 and ...c4 are impossible. 1 7 ...lDh7 I S .i.g3! Removing the sting from ...g5 which is now met str0rlgly by 1 9 1Oc4. Also if 1 8 ...f5 1 9 .d3! Black is almost zugzwang. lS...:'e7 19 'i'd3 tbhf6 20 eS! lDh5 2 1 e6 �xg3+ 22 "xg3 tbfS Or 22...�fO 23 fS. 23 f5 gxfS 24 :'xf5 ¢'h7 2S :'en! fxe6 26 dxc6 "dS 27 �d5! :'xe6
28 Ad8! .i.xf8 29 l£1e4! l%xe4 Better is 29...¢'h8 and then not 30 I1ldfO Jl.g7 31 ifg6 ifg8' (3l.. ..i.xf6? 32 "xh6+ ¢'g8 33 Wg6+ �h8 34 :'f5!) 32 �g5 :'xf6 33 :'xf6 hxg5 34 :'0 'i'd5, but 30 Itf7! and now 30...'ilfe8? 3 1 Ith7+! mates, so 30...:'xe4 is forced, when 3 I lDf6 leads to the same ending as the game (3L:'el+ 32 'ilfxel �g7 33 'tIfe4) but with the black king on h8 which is better for him. White's position remains superior but Black has some defensive chances. 30 lDf6+ "xf6 3 1 :'xf6 :'aeS 32 h.4 ¢lhS 33 Itg6! J:4e6 34 'ilfcJ+ ¢lh7 35 :'xe6 :'xc6 36 ..-d3+ ¢'h8 37 'i'xa6 :'e1+ 3S ¢lh2 �g7 39 Wxb6 �eS+ 40 ¢'h3 hS 41 ..-dS+ ¢'g7 42 "-gS+ ¢'f8 43 'ii'xh5 :'e3+ 44 ¢'g4 :'g]+ 45 ¢'fS :'xg2 46 ¢'c6 ¢'g7 47 .f7+ ¢'h6 4S as Black resigned. 48...:'xb2 49 a6 :'a2 50 a7 c4 5 1 a8='it'! :'xa8 5 2 ¢'fS is a neat finish. The Tilburg Interpolis 35 A.Karpov While A.J.Miles Black Interpolis, Tilburg 1977 English Opelling The most recent Interpolis tournament, held at Tilburg in the Netherlands, in one respect at least made chess history. It was the first category 1 4 event (i.e. the average rating of the participants exceeded 2575) since the adoption of the current tournament classification system-in comparison the last two Interzonal tournaments were only category 12. The strength of Ihe event is illustrated by the fact that the
90
"Ipuslred Karpov all the wayforfirst place 01 Ti/burg " 9/
"I pushed Karpov all the wayforfirst place al Ti/burg "
ex-World Champion Smyslov could only finish 10th and failed to win a single game. My performance was reasonable, but I have some cause for disappointment. My customary lethargic start included an extremely amateurish loss to Karpov (see below) but four successive wins brought me into the lead. I started the last round half a point behind Karpov, needing to win to catch him, but never at my best at uneanhly hours of the morning, I presented Andersson with his only win and had to settle for second place.
sacrifice in his notes to the game, but I had not bothered to look at his analysis. Unfortunately, as J found out to my cost, it is absolute nonsense.
14 lOe7
4 d4 ud4 5 tLlxd4 e6 6 g3 'l'b6 7 Illb3 1ll.5 8 e4 �b4 9 'i'ol So far, all well-known theory. Now I tried a line which has been played several times in this country (notably a game Miles-Nunn) with which I suspected Karpov would not be familiar.
9 11.5 10 �e3 'i'e6 I I n 0-0 t 2 lOd4 'i'a6 13 lOdb5 d5 ..•
Still following my game against Nunn, when (as White!), since the game was being played at a relatively fast time limit, my first reaction was to trust the rook sacrifice and look for a good alternative to 14 tOe7. Thinking I had found one (14 cxd5 exdS I S �d4) I played it, overlooking 1 5...dxe4 16 �xe5 exn with a terrific attack. Consequently I never did examine 14 1Oc7. Had 1 done so, just for five minutes, I would not have gone anywhere near the line. As it was I vaguely recalled Nunn implying the correctness of the
.
Two further games from Tilburg Interpolis 1977, Miles's best result to date, where he finishing second to Karpov, ahead of a very strong field: 36
A.J.Mlles Wlrile S.GligoriC Black
Interpolis, Tilburg 1977
Sicilian Defelice
I c4 e5 2 IOn lOf6 3 lOe3 tLle6 Even this move was a slip of the wrist, I intended to play a line with 3... dS but thought I could just as well play it next move.
17 ..'i'e6 18 �g2 lOxe4 19 �d4 �xc3+ 20 bxc3 f5 21 0-0 IOcd6 22 lOb6 eS 23 lbxe8 lhc8 24 .txeS 'l'c5+ 25 �d4 Black resigned.
Of course! Only now did I seriously start to analyse. It came as a great shock to realise that I was already losl.
14 . 'i'd6 . .
Nunn, I now discover, gives this a '?', recommending instead 14 ...'i'c6 IS lOxa8 lOxc4 when he only considers 16 %lcl. Unfortunately White has numerous other moves, the simplest being 16 .td4 (threatening eS) and if 16 ... e5 1 7 exd5 followed by 1Wxc4. Black has no semblance of compensation for the rook.
1 ,4 .5 1 14!1 1ll.6 3 Illo 11116 4 lOc3 d5 5 c5 d4 6 exf6 dxc3 7 fxg7 cxd2+ 8 'i'xd2 �xg7!? 9 'i'xd8+ lbxd8 9 .. .'�xd8 10 i.bS+ �d7 1 0 ... ltlc6?! I I .Q.bS. II ..txd7+ �xd7 12 c3 fS Intcnding ...li)f7-d6-e4. 1 3 �e3 with a slight pulL 13 ...�c6 14 0-0-0 liln 15 :'hel :Bd8 1 5 ...lOd6? 16 .i.gl ll.)e4 ( 1 6...lth.8 17 Illg5) 1 7 'lld2. 16 Axd8 :'xd8 16 ...lOxd8 1 7 j.f2 �f6Jlte8 1 8 �5+ and 17 ...e6 1 8 .Q.h4 both give While a distinct plus.
ls lbxa8 dxe4
16 fxe4 lOxe4 17 ltd l!
19 ...a6 20 lDh4! Wc6 (20 ... ..th6 2 1 g3) 2 1 :e7 20 %tn7
Wb6 21 J:td7 Wc6 22 :td2 lbd6 23 lle2(!) 23 iOd4+ �xd4 24 ':xd4
1l&8! 25 lld2 llg4 26 g3 hS followed by ... lDt4 and ... h4 with compensation. 23...hS 23 ...:'g8 24 l:te6; 23 ...lOe4(!) with the idea ... :g8-g4. 24 h4 While has a slight advantage. 24.. lOe4 25 tilg5 �d5 26 Wcl :9.8 27 a3 lbd6? 27 ... lOxc3 28 bxc3 :':<013 29 lbn :xc3+ 3 0 Wd2 2 8 :e6! .:lxgS 28 . . .:ffl 29 b3! with a clear plus. 2!J :'e5+ Wc6 30 hxgS h4 30....l:a4 3 1 g3 h4 32 Wb3 Ik4 33 g6. 3 1 e5. 35 ¢>d4 ¢>d6 36 a6 lOeS 37 a7 lbe6+ 38 .
¢>e4 lOc7 39 g6 We6 40 WeS Black resigned. 37 V.Smyslov White
A.J.Miles Black
Interpol is, Tilburg 1977
English Opellillg
I c4 cS 2 lOo lOf6 3 lbc3 dS 4 c:cdS lOxdS 5 g3 g6 6 �g2 �g7 7 0-0 lbc6 8 lbg5!? 8 lbxd5 'i'xd5 9
Alternatively IS ...d4 16 O-O-O! �xc3 \7 bxc3 "33+ 1 8 'i'b2 'i'xb2+ 19 Wxb2 dxe3 20 .te2 is hopeless. Simple and decisive. If now 1 7...lOxc3 18 bxc3 .txc3+ 19 Wf2 wins. Black's position is resignable, but I have something against losing in 1 7 moves, so ...
..t.f6!
17 �xc5!? 17 �f2 lld7 ( 17...�16' 18 �h4) 18 ;'h4 �d6 1 9 34 maintains a slight plus. 17 ... WxcS 18 1:be7 :'18 19 :'xb7
d3 0-0 I 0 �03 �d7 " 'i'd2 'i'd6 1 2 �h6 :ac8 1 3 a3 b6 1 4 .ixg7 �xg7 15 b4 €ld4 1 6 :'fc l ? c4! 17 tbxd4 'i'xd4 18 'i'c3 'l'xc3 1 9 :'xc3 cxd3 20 ':xd3 i.a4! gave Black a slight advantage in Larsen-Miles, SBC Master Game (London) 1977. 8...e6 8...'l)b6 9 il.xc6+ bxc6 intending ...c4. 9 lbge4 b6 9...'W'e7?! 10 d3 10 "'a4 �d7! I I tt:Ki6+ We7 1 2 lbxf7 Wxf7 1 3 fud5 lOb4!; I I lLxi6+ �e7 1 2 lDxd5+
92 "/pushed Kmpov all lhe wayfor firsl place al Tilburg "
exd5 13 �xf] (13 'ilJ'f4 �e5; 13 �b7 'lWb8) 13 ...�b4! 14 �xd8 �xa4 wins. 1 1 �xd5 exd5 12 tOe3 �e7 with a clear plus in Browne-Miles, Lanzarote 1977. 10...0-0 II �g5 f6 12 �d2 12 �xd5 exd5 13 �c3 12...�de7 Intending ... f5. If 12 ... f5 13 �g5 ..-d7 14 �xd5 exd5 15 tOe3. 13 a3 f5 14 �g5 h6 15 �h3 ?! 1 5 �fJ
15 ...�b7 16 b4 cxb4 17 axb4 'i'd7 Black has a slight advantage. 1 8 'i'a4 :'fd8 19 tbf4?! 19 f4 tDci4 20 'i'xd7 :'xd7 21 �xb7 :'xb7 22 :012 was better, though Black retains an edge. 1 9 ... g5 20 tbh5 �h8 2 1 h3 �d4! Black now has a clear advantage. 22 'i'dl 22 'i'xd7 :'xd7 23 �xb7 :'xb7 24 :a2 :'c8; 22 �xb7 "xb7. 22...�xg2 23 Wxg2 Aae8 24 :'el 24 e3? 'l'b7+ 25 f3 �xf3; 24 ¢'h2! 'i'b7 keeps the advantage. 24 ... tbd5 25 .!LIxd5 "xd5+ 26 n l%xcl 27 �xcl :'e8 intending ... ':'c2. 28 �e3 'i'a2 29 h4 l:te2 29.....xe2+? 30 "itxe2 �xe2 3 1 hxg5; 29 ... .!LIxe2 30 l:.f2. 30 :'12
(4
5:
"I beat Spassky twice heavily -lovely games, very pretty" 38 A.J.Miles While
O.Panno Black
Wijk Aan Zee 1978 With a winning position. 31 �xd4 3 1 gxf4 .!LIfS 32 �c I �d4 threatening ....1l.xf2 and 'lib I . 3 1 �c 1 'IWb 1 . 3 1 ...�xd4 32 g:d4 "itb2 32 ...�xf2 33 Wxf2 'ill'b2 also wins.
33 fxg5 33 hxg5 �xf2 34 �f6+ Wf] 35 "ith I �h4 36 "xh4 ':xe2+ 37 wn :'h2 38 g6+ Wxg6 39 f5+
exf5 40 "'g3+ Wxf6 4 1 ifd6+ WgS 42 "'g3+ Wh5 wins. 33..,�xf2 34 Wxf2 :el 35 tbf6+ Wf7 36 "'a4 'i'd4+ 37 �g3 37 e3 'itxh4+ 38 Wg2 "'h I + 39 Wg3 l:tg I + 40 ¢'f4 "'h4+ 41 �g4 (41 WeS "'xgS+) 41 ......xgS+ 42 We4 Wd5+ 43 Wf4 'i'f5 mate. 37 ...l:tgl+ White resigned. If38 Wh3 :hl+.
English Opening
This year's Hoogoven's tourn ament at Wijk :lOIn Zee provided a fascinating opponunity to witness some of the better known, but rarely seen, names of world chess in action. Primarily there was Viktor Korchnoi playing his first real tournament since defecting. There was an insignificant event in Switzerland but that can hardly be counted. Secondly the young Brazilian Henrique Mecking. He, apparently, plays just one tourn ament every three years between Interzonals and Candidates matches, spending most of his lime studiously preparing for the moment when the World Championship will be his. I will not bore you with my views on this practice but suffice it to say I consider it most unnatural and faintly unhealthy. Having said this I must confess that I've just lost to him without getting out of the opening! Then there was the amazing character Miguel Najdorf who, at seventy-ish, seems to disprove all known generalisations about chess players, particularly the one regarding silence. Add a smattering of leading GMs from all pans of the world and you had a As tournament. fascinating
Korchnoi was playing, 'all parts of the world' excludes the USSR and most of the Easlem Bloc, but surprisingly the Hungarian Lajos Portisch was taking part. Korchnoi started in dominating fashion, scoring 21h out of his first three games, but after five rounds he was only sharing the lead with 31h. Personally I had one of those tournaments where I lose my bad positions and draw good ones. My best game, and my greatest sob-story, was the following.
1 e4 �f6 2 .!LIe3 d5 3 cxd5 lbxd5 4 g3 g6 5 .ig2 'bb6 6 d3 .ig7 7 �e3 0-0 8 'i'd2 e5 9 h4 h5 10 �h6 ne8 II �xg7 '.t>xg7 12 l:tel e6 Most of the previous play is based on the fact that ...tOe6 is always bad because of .lixc6.
13 lbn lba6 14 0-0 tbe7 15 l:tfdl f6 16 e3 as 17 'i'c2 'i'e7 18 .!LIe4 �g4 1 9 l:td2 l:ted8? A mistake. 1 9...�f5 was best.
20 'i'e5! 'ilfxc5 21 lbxc5 .c:a7 22
d4!
White has a great advantage. The l:t(a7) is seriously misplaced-a fact which the opening of the centre highlights.
22 ...�xn 23 �xn f5 Hoping for ...e4.
24 e4! fle4 25 �xe4 a4 Or 25 ...l:txd4 26 ':'xd4 exd4 27 l:tdl with advantage.
94
"[ beal Spassky twice heaviJ�/oveJy games, very prellY " 95
"J beal Spassky twice heavif�lo�'ely games, very preuy "
39 L.Ogaard While A.J.MUes Black Reyjkavik 1978
sports in Iceland and this is clearly shown by the number of spectators at Reykjavik.
26 lbxb7! I always get a little suspicious
when things go so smoothly, Invariably something somewhere goes wrong.
26 :'xb7 27 :'xc6 :'xd4 28 :'xg6+ �n 29 :'xd4 exd4 30 ':h6 �g7 31 1bh5 l:a7 32 l:h7+? .•.
The first mistake. 32 :'c5 should win fairly comfortably.
32...g8 33 hS I;)bS 34 l1h6 I had intended to exchange rooks, but now noticed that it wasn't so clear.
34...ec8 35 :g6+? The second: 35 ...:g7! 36 :a6 :a7 37 :xa7 lbcxa7 38 f4 lbd6 39 �d3 lbc6 40 a3? An awful move in my opponent's time pressure. Anything else maintains the advantage.
40...lba5! 41 �f2 Draw agreed. 41 ...€:Iac4 42 �xc4+ �xc4 43 �e2 €:Ixb2 44 g4 etc. Further comments are unprintable. *
*
*
*
Ever since the Fischer-Spassky match of 1972 Reykjavik has had a great reputation in the chess world. Chess is one of the most popular
Last year the city staged the Hort-Spassky match, but the crowds were disappointed al the high number of short draws, so this year Icelanders decided to stage a slightly experimental tournament Instead of the usual 40 moves in 21n: hours, the time limit was 30 in ) 1..1 hours and then 20 in I hour, all in one five hour session. This was designed to speed up play, cut down on the number of adjourned games, encourage fighting spirit and 'lead to a clearer contest between the two players'. In these respects it certainly succeeded. In the first ten rounds there was just one 'grandmaster draw'-between the two Icelandic teenagers! It also led to a vast number of wild time scrambles which the spectators always enjoy. The tournament went in phases. Firstly Browne stonned into the lead with 3/3, winning his first two games from completely lost positions in time sCl1Imbles, Then he dropped back and Larsen and I took over with 516. Then I fell back and Larsen moved into a clear lead. With three rounds to play he was l in: points ahead of the field. He lost his next two games and Browne overtook him. With one round to play Browne had 81n: and Larsen and I eight. I had White against Browne and Larsen, Black against the Icelandic tailender Petursson. Incredibly Larsen lost again and Browne and I were left to fight for the top two prizes. I had pressure throughout but was finally forced to concede a draw and first place. My favourite game was the following brevity.
14 ...gxh4 IS fxeS lOg4 16 .tf4 �(5 17 -.d2 �xeS 18 b4 h3! White resigned.
English Defence
The Wandering King
I d4 e6 2 (4 b6 J dS?! '*h4!
40 A.J.Mlles White L.Ljubojevic Black Bugojno 1 978 Tarrasch Defence
4 e3 �f6 5 a3 .tb7 6 lbO?!
Better is 6 �3.
6......h5 7 dxe6 (xe6 8 �e2 "'g6 9 lbh4 "'h6 10 .to?! 10 1;)0.
IO ...�6 1 1 gJ g5!
With the current emphasis on sound position play at the highest level of the game the 'Wandering King' is almost a thing of the past. This week's game is a rare exception where the white monarch leaves his kingside home via the front door and wanders all the way across the board to a nonnal castled position on the queenside.
I (4 �f6 2 �c3 cS J �O e6 4 e3 dS 5 d4 �c6 6 cxdS exdS 7 .te2 .td6 8 0-0 0-0 9 bJ The alternative is 9 lObS followed by dxc5 and bJ.
9 ...ud4 10 lOxd4 �Id4 I J "'xd4 :,8 1 1 ....c7 is not so good because ..
of 12 ltib5! �xh2+ 1 3 �hl 'i'b8 1 4 g3 and White is clearly better, or 13..:i'e5 14 �a3 :ed8 1 5 g3 �xg3 J6 fxg3 "'xg3 17 :0 with clear advantage.
12 .tb2 �eS 13 "'d2 �g4 12 e4 Or 12 �g2 g4! winnin g- 13 �x g4 (or 13 �e2 tOe5) 13 .. .l o xg4 14 "'xg4 tOe5
12 ...I;),s 13 �g2 1i'g7 14 14 The alternatives 14 tOn or 14 hg5 are no better.
ljubojevic thought for a long time over this move, so I suspected he had some interesting idea in mind, But the only possibility I could see was 14 .txg4 .ixh2+, which I felt could not be sound and therefore resolved not to waste time looking at it.
14 �xg4
96
"I
"I beat Spassky twice heavily-lovely games, �'ery pretty " 97
beal Spassky twice heavily-lovely games, very pretty "
my six wins no fewer than four were decided at that stage. The best two came in the first and last rounds. The first, against Panchenko, was awarded the prize for the best played ending. I e4 cS 2 tOo e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 iOxd4 &6 S lOc3 'ilt'c7 6 .i.e2 bS 7 0-0 ..1ib7 8 ..1io tbc6 9 :el ..1id6!
The only move. 19 tOrs+ •.•
19 ......xhI 20:xhl �f5+ 21 ¢l'f4 lOxd4 22 exd4 should win for White. 20 f4
10 gJ
14,...txh2+?
At Ihis point Tal remarked that White has executed the rare manoeuvre of double-castling!
So Ihis came as something of a surprise. Only now did I start to analyse seriously.
32......xe4?
IS ¢l'xh2
15 Wh I also comes into consideration, but after 15...tDxg4 16 g3 "'g5 17 ¢l'g2 �xg3! Black is probably winning. 1 5...tOlg4+ 16 ¢l'h3! Not 16 ¢l'g I "'h4 gives Black a
strong auack whilst 16 ¢l'g3 "'g5 is also unpleasant. 16.....g5 11 ...d4!
This seems to be most accurate. E.g. 17 g3 1ifhS+ 1 8
After the game it was suggested that ... f5 was good, but then White can simply play g3 and walk his king to safety. 18
play 19 Wxg4. 19 :hl
20 ...'i'g6 21 "'xd5 :e6 22 "'dS
A practical choice. 22 g4, for instance, is not so easy: 22... &7 and if 23 �5 'i'c2!, or 23 "'d2 :f6+ 24 ¢'gJ 10£:5+. But 22 '*'f3 should also win. 22...:f6 23 g4?!
But this confuses matters. Simpler is 23 'i'x1'6 "'xl'6+ 24 �g3 when White should soon untangle. 23 ..':xf5+ 24 gd5 "'g2! 25 :an Not 25 lOe4?? :e8 26 �f6+ gxf6 27 :agl :e4 mate. 25... g5+! 26 fxg6
Not 26 We5?! :e8+ 27 Wf6 h6! 28 :xh6 "'xfl 29lO:iS 'i'xf2, or 28 e4 'l'0! with the crushing threat of ...:e6 mate. 26...fxg6 27 e4!
The only way to get the king to safety. 27 :18+ 28
32 :dl
Clearly Ljubojevic thought that he was losing the ending after 32 ...:xc3+ and hoped to get something better in the time scramble. He certainly stands worse after 33 �xc3 "'xc3+ 34 ¢l'bl 'i'D and now either 35 l:ld8+ or :h I-e). but this was surely his only chance of saving the game. 33 :d8+!
Now it is the black king's tum to walk 33 . Wg1 34 :d1+ �6 35 :hxh1 'i'el+ 36 Wc2 "'xf2+ 31 Wbl 'i'n+ 38 :d I 'i'g2 39 IOd5+ Wg5 40 ..1if6+ Black reSigned. Wherever the king goes ./l)e3+ .
.
On 10 li:)xc6 dxc6 gives Black an easy game, while 1 0 lO:ixb5? loses to 1O ...axb5 I ) tOxbS ..1ixh2+ 12 �hl 'i'b6! 10...tOxd4 I I 'ilt'xd4 ..1ie5 1 2 'ilt'dJ
tOe7 13 .tg2 0-0 14 (4?! Beller is 14 .td2. 14 ...i.xcJ IS "'xcJ
Or I S bxc3 :fc8 with slight advantage to Black. 15 ......xc3 16 bxcJ :fc8 11 �a3 ¢'f8 18 :e3 :c4!
Tying White down to the defence of e4 and a2 0:34) .
1 9 g4!
The only chance ofcounterplay. 1 9...¢'e8! 20 g5
If20 :h3 h6 s i good. 20...:ac8 2 I �b4 dS! 22 ..1ixe7 If22 exd5 �xd5 should win.
picks up the queen.
41 V.Panchcnko Whi'e A.J.MJles Black Las Palmas 1978
Sicilian Defence
My play often seems to produce a high number of interesting endgames and the Las Palmas tournament was no exception. Of
22...d4!
" 98 "/ beal Spossky twice heavil�lovely games, very prellY
The decisive zwischenzug: on 23 exd4 CPxe7 regains the pawn with a winning ending. So
A small change from the nonnal 3 ...Jl.b7.
23 :h3 �xe7 24 J:.xh7 l:hc3! 25 :xg7 ltxc2!
to a Nimzo-Indian which Fridrik would doubtless know more about than 1.
The point of the combination begun five moves ago, is that White now has terrible trouble salvaging his rook. The immediate threat is ...Wf8 followed by .. .lbg2+. And on 26 �n cpfS 27 Ah7 J:8c3 wins (28 An AxD ). If26 .i.hl :cl+ or 26 Ael :'cl 27 :t.xcl (or 27 wn d3) 27 ... :xe I+ 28 wf2 l:J:c2+ and ...:xg2 .
4 eJ ..tb7 5 lOge2 rs!? 5...�ffi would lead
6 a3 .i.d6!?
" j beat SPlISSky twice heavi/�/ovely games.
Again if 17 'i'c2 .i.g3!
17....i.xeS Not 1 7...lOxc3 1 8 lOxg4 lOe4 1 9 c5! �e5 20 �c4+ Wh8 2 1 �h6! as Fridrik pointed out after the game.
18 WxeS :ae8!
24...cS! The point. In view of the threat of . ..:t.e3+ White's next is forced:
26g6
2S Wb3 :e3+ 26 �a2 J.c8! 27 IIh4
26 f5 meets the same fate 26 ...:'xg2+ 27 Wxg2 i.xe4+ and ...i.xfS.
26...:xg2+ 27 wxg2 �xe4+ 28 Wg3 �:xg6 29 :t.dl :'d8
19 �h2 Steering the game into unusual channels. 6 ... .i.xc3+ or .i.e7 are more normal.
7 dS Alternatives include 7 b4 and 7 Iilb5. 7...1il16 8 1ild4
Possibly 8 g3 is preferable. 8...0-0! A promising pawn offer.
9 dxe6liJe4! 10 "'c2?! Probably best is 10 lLxi5, but after 10.. ./0:6 Black has at least an equal
30 IS There is no answer to . .'�f6. .
30...(xfS 31 :'cI Wf6 32 :'xg6+ rxg6 33 :c6+ weS White resigned. 42 F.Olafsson While
A.J.Miles Black
Las Palmas 1978
English Defence
1 c4 b6 2 li:lc3 e6 3 d4 �b4
verypretty " 99
game.
10 .. .lOxc3 11 "'xc3 "'r6 12 exd7 /Oxd7 13 .i.d2 lLlcS In order to meet 14 0"0-0 with 14 . . .0e4.
14 1iln �g6 IS h41ilc4 16 hS If 16 "'c2lb3 .i.g3! 17 fxg3 �xg3+ 1 8 �e2 (18 �dl 1ilf2+) 'i'f2+ 1 9 Wd I lOg3 wins.
16......g4! 17 10eS
On 19 'i'xc7 f4 ! gives Black a winning attack e.g. 20 "'xb7 (otherwise ...:t.f7) 20... be3 21 .txe3 €un etc.
19 ...lOId2 20 CPxd2 f4 2 1 exf4 :t.If4 22 'i'g3! On 22 0 'i'd7+ 23 Wc2 l:d4 wins quickly.
22...:'d4+
In combination with Black's next
this
s a paradoxical decision btll I could see no clear win with queens on. The apparently crushing 22 ..f5 is met by 23 f3 and then 23 ...:t.d4+ 24 Wei (not 24 We3 %:e3+) 24 ... :'ed8 25 'i'e t ! and if 25 .. .'i'f4+ 26 �c2 intending ¢'b3-a2. It must also be noted that the immediate exchange of queens gives White drawing chances after 22......xg3 23 fxg3 :f2+ 24 ¢'c3 :e3+ 25 .i.d3 ! J.e4 26 Wd4! as he will quickly activate his rooks when the king will be well placed. seem
...
23 Wc3 'i'xg3+ 24 fxg3
27...Jl.g4! Keeping the last white piece out of play.
28 :'cI gS 29 hxg6 hxg6 Intending to walk forward with . ..Wg7 and ... g5, but 29...hS!? also comes into consideration.
30 :'c3 It is also possible to prepare this by 30 a4 a5 but then after 3 1 :'c3 ':'xc3 32 bxc3 :d2+ 33 Wa3 J.d7 34 1114 �g7 35 lin Jl.c6 36 IId3 :xd3! 37 J.xd3 .i.xg2 with a winning ending.
30...:t.xc3 31 bIc3 :'d2+ 32 Wal
100
"[ beat Spassky twice heavil;-lovely games.
Not 32 �b3?? �dl mate! 32...�d7 33 J:tf4 �g7 34 J:tO �c6 35 lld3 :'f2 36 :'dl �a4 37 :'el �f6 38 �d3 :'xg2 39 :'n+ �g5 40 :'0 �c2!
verypretty "
round a win over Romanishin clinched the tournament. Shon draws in the last round left Timman first with 9ihJ13 and Ribli second with 81A. A further point back were Hort (Czechoslovakia) Dzindzi -hashvili (Israel) and Pfleger (W. Gennany). I had a disastrous tournament. In one spell four consecutive good or winning positions were wasted, including one where I repeated a won position three times in time trouble. Two late losses to tail-enders deepened the gloom. My only positive contribution was the following effort.
Forcing a won rook ending. 4 1 �xc2 On 4 1 �f1 then 4 1 ...:'h2. 41...:'xc2 42 :'f7 If 42 ¢'bl lII-g4-h3.
l:td2 followed by
I l!)0 l!)f6 2 c4 c5 3 l!)c3 d5 4 ud5 �Id5 5 g3 g6 6 �g2 �g7 7 0-0 0-0 S l!)xd5 'i'xd5 9 d3 tOc6 10 a3 b6 I I :'bl �b7 12 b4?! The consistent continuation, but Black has a surprising and strong continuation. 12..:"a2!
42 ...�g4 43 l:tu7 g5 44 l:tb7 �xg3 45 J::.xb6 g4 46 a4 �h4 47 as g3 4S a6 g2 49 :'bl :'f2 SO a7 :'18 51 �b2 :'as 52 ¢'c2 and White resigned.
" [ beat Spassky twice hellvil;-lovely games.
If27 e4 �h6 wins. 27 ...e4 28ltJe2 lldS 29 .!Dd4 On 29 lldl b5 leaves White hopelessly placed. 29...�xd4 30 exd4 c2 3 1 �c4 ¢'f8? 3 1 ...f4 ! threatening ...8 (32 gxf4 'ii'g4+ and ... 'i'd 1+) would eliminate the technical difficulties.
The difference is that While does not now have 48 :'x37. 4S ... J:tcl + 49 �f2 :'c2+ 50 �eI �xe3 51 l:tb3+ ¢>f4 52 d5 :'e2+ White resigned.
32 �bJ �xb3 33 "xb3 'i'xd5 34 1iI'xd5 .:r.:td5 35 Axe2 <3>e7! 36 :'c4 Neither 36 ':c7+ l:td7 nor 36 l:td2 l:td7 intending �-e6-d5 IS satisfactory. 36...11d7 37 h4 Or 37 ¢'fI q;e6 38 ¢>e2 ¢'d5 39 J:tc I l:tfi! 40 ¢>e3 g5 and ...f4+ wins. 37 ...�e6 3S b5! ¢>d5 39 l:ta4 A clever defence. 39 ...h6 40 �fl g5 41 hxg5 hxg5 42 �e2 f4 43 gxf4 gxf4 44 ¢'d2 ltc7 On 44 ...�e6 45 ¢>e2 �fS White has 46 d5! �e5 47 d6! 45 �dl e3 46 fxe3 O!
43
IBM, Amsterdam 1978
English Opening
13 �e3 �d4! 14 �xd4 cxd4 The bishop pair and the weak c3 square give Black a clear advantage. 15 J:tal '5'd5 16 "'a4 �c6 17 "c2 l:tacS IS :fel i.d7 1 9 'i'b2 �a4 20 .!Del -..d7 2 1 'i'a2 .:r.c3 22 llxc3 dxc3 23 J:tcl e6 24 e3 :'cS 25 d4 e5 26 d5 f5 27 �fI
InI
47 ... �e4 48 d5+! and :'f4. Finally 47 ... J:tcl is met by 48 e4+! Wxe4 49 d5+! �e5 50 ¢>e3! 47...We4 4S l:[b4
Z.rubli While A.J.Miles Black
The annual IBM tournament at Amsterdam turned out to be a two-horse race between the Dutch champion Timman and the Hungarian GM Zoltan Ribli. By the sixth round they had opened up a lead of one point over the field, a gap which was never closed. For most of the time Timman led by half a point, but in the penultimate
very pretty "
47 Wei? The move that worried me was 47 Wd21 Then if 47...J:tc2+ 48 Wei We4 49 ':xa7 �xe3 50 l:te7+ or
Anti-Nimzo-Indian VarlatiOIl 44 A.J.Miles White B.Spassky Black Montilla 1978
Queen 's India" Defence The 'Tomes del Vino' at Montilla-Moriles is one of Spain's leading annual tournaments. Despite being only a 10 player event it has considerable status. Two years ago Karpov won convincingly, and Michael Stean has twice scored GM nonns there. This year the tournament was weakened by the last minute withdrawal of the US GM Kavalek; he was replaced by one of the organisers, there being no one else available After my recent form I felt I was overdue for a good result and I very nearly achieved one. Only an atrocious last-round blunder cost me a share of first place which, thanks to my generosity, went outright to Boris Spassky (USSR?) with 61A/9. I was left to share second place with Hort (Czechoslovakia), Gligoric (Yugoslavia) and Bellon (Spain), half a point behind. However, I had the minor consolation of playing one decent game which was awarded the brilliancy prize:
102
"I beat Spassky twice heavily-lovely games, verypretty " 103
"/ beat Spassky twice heavily-lovely games. very pretty "
Not 22 ...i.xd7 23 'i'd4! wins.
I d4 lOf6 2 lOlJ b6 3 c4 e6 4 �.r4
23 h5! Not 23 '*d4'? l{k6! or 23 lOxd7 ,*xd7 and ...'i'g4+. 23 J:xdS 24 '*f4 Axdl 25 Axdl .•.
WaS
On 2S ...�6 26 h6 wins easily.
26 lOe8!
1 8 1Od7! i.e8 My latest anti-Nimzo-Indian varialion. II has the merit of being completely untried at master level (consequently ummalysed) and, having played it all of three times, I am now undoubtedly the world's leading authority on it. Indeed, after one or two more il will probably be named after me!
Forced. 1 8 ... i.xc3 19 lOffi+ �h8 20 bxc3 followed by hS is hopeless. 19 i!LJxd5 ¢'h8 20 lO5f6 Aa7 Best. If 20...i.e7 2 1 i.e4 or 20 ...liJeS 2 1 �eS. Now White must lose the lC(d7) but in the meantime he mounts a decisive attack. 21 dS!
Or 26 ...Axe8 27 '*ffi AgS 28 h6 mates quickly.
4...i.b7 5 e3 i.e7 According to the Chess Encyclopaedia S....lOe4 is good for Black. I, of course, disagree as, it seems, do my opponents.
27 gxf6 ¢'g8 Or 27...AxeS 2S f7 Af8 29 h6 liJefS 30 'i'xf5 i.xf5 31 hxg7 mate.
28 lOxg7 Black resigned.
6 .3
28 ...t.Oc6 29 hxg6 soon forces male.
6 l{k3 lOhS! gives Black less trouble. 6 .0-0 7 lOcJ d5 8 udS exdS 8...lilxd5 9 Iilxd5 Jl.xd5 10 Jl.d3 is slightly better for White, as in Miles-Browne Amsterdam '78. ..
9 i.d3 cS 10 0-0 lOc6 II lOe5 c4!? 12 i.e2 a6 13 g4! b5 14 g5
lOe8 IS '*g4 g6 16 Aadl lOg7 17 h4 i.b4?
A serious mistake. Probably best is 1 7...b4 I S 'be2 ffi though While relains some advantage.
26...f6
2 1...i!LJe7 1f21 ...lOa5 22 h5 and 'iM.
n i.eS! Now 22 hS is not so clear: e.g. 22...i.xd7 23 '*h4 gxhS with ...i!LJg6 to follow.
22...J:xd7
A few months later, Miles repeated his success with 4 i.f4 against the fonner World Champion. Spassky varies with I I ...a6, and Miles wins an excellenl game. Buenos Aires Olympiad By far the mOSI memorable fealure of the event was the organisation. We arrived to learn that the chief organiser had just
been 'kidnapped'. It later transpired that this was the one and only sensible thing he had arranged during the whole tournament. The choice of venue was inspired. The playing hall was a badly ventilated corridor inside the River Plate football stadium (matches once clashed!). The stadium also happened to be ncar the airport. on the main night path, and immediately opposite a shooting club (matches often clashed!). The playing schedule was similarly thoughtful. Main sessions were from 4-9 p.m. The hotel was half-an-hour's drive away. The speed of service at dinner meant that one might finish by 1 1 .30; then the adjourned position to analyse; with luck one might gel to bed by I o'clock. The adjournments were played at 8.30 the next morning. Allowing for breakfast and the drive back, this just about left time for six hours sleep--and then another gamc in the afternoon! 45
A.J.Miles White B.Spassky Black
Olympiad, Buenos Aires 1978
Queen 's India" Defence
I d4 lOf6 2 i!LJ1J b6 3 c4 e6 4 i.r4 i.b7 5 e3 i.e7 6 h3 0-0 7 i!LJe3 dS 8 cxdS exdS 9 i.d3 cS 10 0-0 i!LJc6 I I lOeS a6 12 '5'13 Ae8 12. . .c4?? 13 lOxc6 i.xc6 14 i.xc4. 13 J:adl cxd4 14 i!LJxc6 14 exd4!? i!LJxd4 15 i.xh7+ /Oxh7 16 Axd4 tOf6 is unclear. 14 ...i.xe6 IS exd4 White has a slight advantage. IS...b5 Intending ... b4, ...t.0e4. 16 aJ liJe4! 17 i.bl! 'i'b6 18 J:fel lOxcJ 19 "xc3 b4 20 'i'g3 bxa3 21 bxa3 i. a4? ! 2 1 ...g6. 22 Ael
104
" I beat Spassky (wice heavilJ-lovely games.
very pretry
39 g4 J:td3 40 f4 h5 41 rs Black resigned. *
22...Wh2? 22 ....xd4?? 23 iLe5 wins. 22. . .g6 is best with White maintaining an edge. 23 .t.xh7+! Wxh7 24 :txe7 :txe7 25 "h4+ Wg8 26 "xc7 "xd4 27 iLc5! with a clear advantage. 27.....b6 27...'i'd2 28 Ac7 'l'el+ (or 28 ...:tf8 29 iLd6; 28... iLe8 29 :c3 and :g3 should be winning) 29 Wh2 'i'xf2 30 'tWg5 wins. Or 27 ...'tWd3 28 "'g5 "'h7 29
Ac3 is ag:!in very Sirong. 28 'i'g5! 'I'M 28 .. f6 29 .ixf6 'l'xf6 30 'l'xd5+ wins. Or 28.....g6 29 "xg6 fxg6 30 :c7. 29 'l'xh6 gxh6 30 :tc3 .
The ending is close to winning for White. 30...WfS 31 :c5! :td8
3 1 . .. Jl.b3 32 1[06. 32 Jl.r6 IId6 33
:'c8+ �e8 34 .t.d4 :'e6 35 :'d8 Winning a pawn and the game. 35 ...Wg8 36 %lxdS l:.el+ 36.....t.c6
37 lieS. 37 �h2 lid I 38 IId8 �h7
*
*
"I beat Spasslcy twice heavily-lovely games. very pretty " 105
II
*
Now that the Karpov-Korchnoi match is over the World Championship cycle returns to square one to find the next challenger to Karpov's throne. The West-European zonal tournament was held recently in Amsterdam and, with only two players to go forward to the Interzonal, the competition was fierce. Once the early challenges from Sanz (Spain) and the British champion Jon Speelman had faded away the leading group of Timman and Sosonko (Holland) and Slcan and myself (England) opened up a large lead over the rest of the field. After nine rounds I was sharing first place with Timman, half a point ahead of the other two. Being due to play two tailenders I had some hopes of consolidaling my position. I duly won my two games, but to my great annoyance not one of my rivals h3d dropped so much as half a point. Thus the situation remained tight up to the lasl round. Then Stean crushed Langeweg quickly, but $osonko was held by Speelm3n. So Timman and I were left to beat Rivas and Sanz respectively. Both games were hard fought but gradually both Spaniards cracked, and in an amusing finale both lost on time within moments of each other. The final scores were Timman and Miles I J lhlI4, Slean I I , Sosonko lOlA Speelman 9, with Langeweg 71A heading the rest of the pack. Although I had the distinction of being the only unbeaten player in
the tournament, not everything went completely according to plan. My first round game was a real nightmare:
46 A.J.MIIes White J.M.Belion Block
West-European Zonal, Amsterdam 1978
Queen 's Gambit Accepted I d4 tOr6 2 tOo dS 3 c4 dxc4 4 lbbd7 5 iLxc4 lbb6 6 ..t.e2 ..t.r5 7 It:lc3 e6 8 It:lh4 iLg6 9 It:lxg6 hxg6 to e4.tb4 I I 'l'd3 cS!? e3
Now I had a long think over whether to play 12 �e3 or 12 a3 and, of course, made the wrong decision.
12 a3? 12 iLe3 was vcry good for White.
12 ...iLxc3+ 13 bxc3 cxd4 14 cxd4 'i'c7! Here I spent some time pondering whether 15 g3 or 15 h3 was more accurate.
15 g3 15 e5 (unclear) was essential. Even now I was merrily planning all sons of nasty things with my bishops when suddenly there came
Gradually I rubbed my eyes and woke up. Not only had I lost a pawn ( 1 6 'ii'xe4? 'l'c3+) but Black's knights now had excellent central posts, White was undeveloped and his king stuck in the centre. On the other hand, at least 1 now knew what was happening.
16 Jl.n Iild6 17 Jl.r4 1ild5 18 JI..5 Even here it took some time for me to notice 18 iLxd5? 'ii'a5+.
18 ...'ii'a5+ 19 wn It:lrs 20:'d! Not 20 g4 It:lh4 21 �xg7 lDf4! Now Black should just castle with a clear advantage. (If20 .. ffi 21 g4! unclear.) .
20...b6? 21 g4 lDh4 22 ..t.xg7 J:th7 23 �eS lbxo 24 'i'xo %ld8 25 ¢'g2 r6 26 iLg3 %le7 27 h4! Now the initiative had changed hands and it was the black king that was uncomfortable.
27...rs 28 hS! rxg4 28 ...g5 was the best chance.
29 'ii'xg4 gxhS 30 'i'xhS+ Wd7 3 1 'ilteS! %lg8 Or 3 1 ...'tWxa3 32 :'c7+ wins. 32 "d6+ We8 33 %lc8+ wn 34 lbg8 Wxg8 3S 'it'd8+ Wg7 36 JI..5+ <1>g6 37 "iWg8+ rs 38 IIh5+ Black resigned. On 38 ...We4 39 'l'g6 is mate. •
•
•
•
The I.P.c. The game Kcogh-Sanz from the Amsterdam Zonal 1978 featured a revolutionary new positional concept-the I.P.C.
IS...lbxe4!
After I e4 eS 2 00 lDf6 3 iLc4 It:lc6 4 d3 It:laS 5 r4 It:lxc4 6 dxc4 ..t.b4 7 'ti'd3 d6 8 lDo 'l'e7 9 0-0 .stxc3 White played 10 bxc3!
'06
"/ beal Spassky twice heavily-lovely games. very prelty"
, beal Spassky Mice heavily-lovely games. very prellY "
"
Correct is 1 5... �xO 1 6 "xl3 -.xO 17 gxD tOe7 with tin unclear position.
16 he3 lO'Ig3 17 hxg3 "'e7 1tf2 i.c6
18
On 18 ... Wg7 White can choose between the simple 19 ..n and the flashy 19 lOh4.
19 lOh2! Seizing control of the imporlant f5, g4 and h5 squares. White wtlstes no time in csttlblishing the I.P.C. (Irish pawn centre). The tripled isolated ptlwns give White two extra open files down which to tlHack. In this game White, obviously tin experienced handler of the LP.C. uses it to subtle effect, to defle<:t Black's attention from the king-wing. While Black is strugglillS to combat the I.P.C White launches tI full-scale assault on the other side of the board, and his opponent was fonunate indeed to survive. Only half a point, but clearly a moral victory for the I.P.C. 47 A.J.Miles White
E.Keogh Black
West-European Zonal, Amsterdtlm 1978
Gil/DCO Piano
Alert as I tim to new ideas, I quickly realised the theoretical importance of Ihis game and carefully studied the implications of the IPC that night. The next dtly I came to the board well prepared...
1 e4 e5 2 lOfJ 1Oc6 3 �c4 �c5 4 c3 lOf6 5 d3 d6 6 b4 �b6 7 a4 a6 8 0-0 0-0 9 i.g5 i.g4 10 IObd' h6 I I �h4 g5 12 .i.g3 lO hS 13 �a2 "f6 14 lOc4 �a7 IS lOe3 �xe3?
19... �xa2 20 :axa2 'i'e6 21 tOg4 Wg7 Not 21...[5 22 exf5 :xf5 23 lOxh6+.
22 1016 Otherwise ...f5.
22...lOe7 23 :al 0g8 24 lOhS+ Wg6 25 :f5 f6 26 "'g4 wn 27 l:..f1 ,*,e7 28 d4! Apparently threatening d5, but in reality White has a much more sinister intention.
28...c6 29 l%dl Seemingly renewing the threat.
29. 'i'c4? ..
Taking the sting out of d5 but falling into White's tmp...
30 dxe5!
And White has established the fPC. Immediately realising the hopelessness of his plight, Blac k
resigned.
The IPC is unassailable-on 30 ... fxe5 3 1 ':xe5+ dxe5 32 "d7 mate. 48
A.J.Milcs White M.Rivas Black
West-European Zonal, Amsterdam 1978
Queen's Indian Defence 1 c4lOf6 2 d4 e6 3 lOfJ b6 4 �f4 i.b7 5 e3 i.e7 6 h3 On 6 tOe3 lOh5 solves most of Black's problems Andersson, IBM 1978).
(Miles-
107
If 1 5...'i'd5+ 16 Wg3 is simple and strong, whilst on 1 5 ...c5 16 dxc5 "d5+ 1 7 We2 keeps the advantage.
16 "'xc7! Correctly calculating that Black's reach serious attack cannot proportions with his queenside undeveloped. 16......d5+ If 16 ... fxe3+ 17 ¢>xe3 "d5 1 8 �e4 'i'g5+ 19 We2 wins.
17 We2 After the game my opponent pointed out the amusing possibility of 1 7 �e4?! "h5+ 1 8 g4 fxg3+ 19 '*'g2! :x(2+ 20 ¢>xg3 (20 Wgl!?) 20...lOa6! and ...:'a£8.
6...0-0 7 �c3 dS 8 c'IdS lOxdS 9 0xd5 .txd5 10 i.d3 .tb4+ II We2 .td6 12 .i.xd6 i.xfJ+ Up to here all following Miles-Browne, IBM 1978, which went 1 2 ...cxd6 1 3 'llfc2 f5 14 "a4 i.xD+ 1 5 gxD with advantage to White.
13 wxfJ A rather provocative experiment. After the normal 13 gxO White retains a workable advantage whichever way Black recaptures, but I wanted to avoid weakening my pawns and king-position(!?). As it happens the experiment turns out well, but I'm not sure if I would repeat it.
13.....xd6 On 13 ...cxd6 14 'llfc2 IS clearly good.
1 4 'llfc2 rs Otherwise While continues with 1 5 :'ac! and Black is very passive.
1 5 ':acl! f4
17 lOd7 •..
An admission of defeat but there is nothing bener, e.g.: (a) 1 7 ...'i'xg2 1 8 :'cgl 0+ 19 Wei wins. (b) 17 ...0+ 1 8 gxD "'xO+ 19 Wd2 "x(2+ 20 .te2 and White is winning. If 20 ...ftJa6 2 1 "c4! ':0 22 'i'xe6+ and :hO. (c) 1 7...fxe3 is interesting when I intended 18 'llfe 5! and Ihen: (c!) 1 8...'i'xe5 19 dxc5 llkt7 20 Wxe3 lOxe5 21 i.e4 with a won. ending.
J08
"I beat Spassky twice heavil,-Iovely games, very pretty "
(c2) 18 ...lhf2+ 19 �xe3 'i'xg2 20 "'xe6+ and 21 Itc8 with mate next move. (c3) 1 8...'i'xg2 1 9 'i'xc3 iOd7 20 .i.e4! :'xf2+ 2 1 �el ! ! and Black's queen is trapped. 18 "'e6 'i'hS+ 19 0
Playing for a second pawn. 19 "'0 was, of course, possible. 19... :'ad8 20 'i'xe6+
26 �f2 is less accurate for two reasons: (a) 26 ... :'xe7 27 'i'xe7 :'xd4 when White is forced onto the defensive, and (b) 26...lOg4+ (which 1 com pletely overlooked!) and if 27 fxg4 "g3+ and Black even wins, or 27 hxg4 'i'h4+ picking up the rook on e7 (unclear). Now 27 ...:'xd4 fails to 28 "'f8+ lOg8 29 �c2! :c4 30 �b3 :c1+ 31 �e2! :c2+ 32 ¢>d3.
An unfonunate necessity. White has no way of developing this piece properly.
Forced-but White has a clever triangulation in mind.
23......g3 24 :'c7
In order to exchange a pair of rooks. The alternative was 20 �b5 to control e8. 24...:'fe8 25 J:.e7 "'h2
A clever try which almost saves the game.
28 11
28......g3+ 29 �e2 'i'h2 30 "'b7!
The point-Black's rook must leave the c-file-30......xg1 3 1 'itxc8+ �g8 3 2 �c4 and there is no perpetual. 30 ...l:l.eS
30... ltd8 3 I �fl :'xd4 fails, ;as before, to 32 'i'c8+ lOg8 33 �c2. 3 1 �fl Completing the triangulation and ending Black's resistance. 31 .../OhS 32 eS!
Most precise. Now 32.../Og3+ 33 �f2lOh1+ 34 J:.xhl 'i'xhl 35 "'01 and if 35...:c8 36 "'f5 or 35...:dS IbS/a8 36 "'f5 g6 37 'i'f6+ and �c4+, or 35 ...:'gS 36 �xh7! mating quickly. 3l .g6 33 .6 'ilg3 34 Jl.bS IIg8 3S e7 lOg7 36 ..-dS a6 37 .td7 ..
Black resigned.
26�n!
On 37...'i'h4 38 "e5 is overkill.
" I feel I ' m overdue to win some tournaments"
49 A.J.Miles While
26...:'u7 27 'i'xe7 :'e8
This gives some counterplay. Perhaps 20 e4 was more accurate. 20...�h8 2 1 e4 lt:lf6 22 'i'eS 'i'g6 23 11hgl
6:
J.Tlmman Black
Wijk aan Zee 1979
Queen 's I"dian Defence I d4 JOf6 2 c4 e6 3 lO0 b6 4 �f4 Jl.b7 S .3 Jl.b4+
The latest idea ;against �f4. Black hopes to misplace the white queen's knight by 6 lObd2 when ... �e7! followed by ...c5 equalises (Hubner Andersson, Buenos Aires Olympiad 1978). 6 filfd2!
At Ihe board I decided it was better. IO...�xdS
Consistent. i O ...d6 I I e4 is clearly good for White (very bad Benoni) and 1 O...�xd5 1 1 '1'0 wins material. J I ti:lxdS lOxdS 1 2 'i'O lt:lc7 Forced.
Crossing Black's plan. The other knight will come to c3 to control d5 and e4. 6...0-0 7 a3 Better than 7 �d3 d5! 8 0-0 c5 with fine play for Black, Miles Andersson, Buenos Aires Olympiad 1978. 7...�e7 8 tOe3 c5?!
Safer is S...d5 9 cxd5 ltJxd5 1 0 lOxd5 �xd5 1 1 Itc 1 c5 1 2 dxc5 �xc5 \ 3 �c4! �xc4 14 JOxc4 with a slight advantage in Miles Ligterink, Amsterdam Zonal 1978. 9 d5! exdS I had naturally considered this
position in home analysis, but had merely decided that 10 'fo WllS slightly better for White and 1 0 cxd5 might be even better. 1 0 cxdS
13 'ti'b7!
A strong move which Timman overlooked. 13 ...d6 14 lOe4! Keeping the diagonal open for the king's bishop. 1 4...'ild7
If 1 4... f5? 1 5 �c4+ ¢>h8 1 6 lDxd6 �xd6 1 7 0-0-0 is winning, or 14...'I'c8 15 'l'xe8 :XcS 1 6 iOxd6 is clearly good for White, whilst if 14 ...lOd7 simply 1 5 0-0-0 :bS 16 'i'c6! is tremendous.
110
"[feel /'m overdue to win some 10Ilmamen/s "
15 0-0-0 Less accurate is 15 .txd6 .t.xd6 16 0-0-0 11le6 (0' 16 ...1i'c6) 17 "xa8 1Dc6 18 :'xd6 -.xd6 and I S lOxd6 &6 16 "xd7 lOxd7 17 0-0-0 lOxf4 l S lOfS! .t.f6! 19 :'xd7 lOg6! and ...lOtS allows Black to hold.
IS.....c6 I expected
1 5...lOe6 when I intended 16 "xd7 lOxd7 17 .t.g3! preserving both bishops with a clear advantage. Not however I S...1Dc6? 16 j
1 6 tt:lxd6! The knight is remarkably well placed on b7.
16......xb7 17 tt:lxb7 tt:le6 18 .t.g3 •6
Unfortunately
I S...1Oc6
would allow a decisive infiltration on the white squares (19 .tbS and :'d7).
On 21....l:td8 White can take a pawn with 22 lOxf7 as the lb(b8) hangs, or the whole position with 22 lilts.
22 .1xe6 fxe6 23 :'xd6 The ending is a simple win--extra pawn and better position.
23...
31 f3 :'b7 32 :'as+ �f6 33 .teS+ lLIxeS 34 :'axeS .l:tcb8 35 :'xc6+ �n 36 �c3 :'b3+ Or 36...:'xb2 37 :'e7+ �f8 38 tr.e8+.
37 �xc4 :'xb2 38 g4 :'c2+ 39 ¢1d3 J:txh2 40 J:te7+ ¢l f8 41 %la7 J:ta2 42 J:tc4 J:tb3+ 43 �e4 Black resigned.
19 .t.c4
50 A.J.Miles White
J.Nlkolac Block
Wijk aan Zee 1979
Frellch Defence
I e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 lOd2 b6!? A rarely seen move, but by a strange coincidence I had analysed it for some time with Stean last year.
4 exdS
Supporting the passed knight on the seventh!
19 :'a7 20 .1dS .l:tc8 .•.
Loses a pawn, but on 20...bS 21 .l:td2 White's positional advantage is already probably decisive.
21 (Qd6 .t.xd6
The move that, I think, best crosses the idea of ...b6. By transposing to an exchange variation White renders the move at best useless and possibly a weakness. The bishop has no future on b7. However, the white lO(d2) olso gets in the way a bit, and the variation does not pose Black serious problems. Therefore, on practical
" Ifeel l'm overdue to win some tournaments " 1 1 I
grounds, 4 tt:lgO or 4 .t.d3 were perhaps more aggressive choices.
4...exd5 Actually, possible.
4......xdS!?
may
be
5 /1ldO On S .td3
Stean's idea was ....1a6, but I don't believe it I was more concerned about S ....td6 and if6 lOg0 "e7+ is irritating.
12...c4 13 .t.fS .txf5 14 "xfS g6? A mistake. On 14 ......c7 White has no advantage. Now Black has trouble with his h-pawn.
IS 'ii'c2 'ii'c7 1 expected 1 5 ..Wf8(-g7) White is still on top.
but
S .1d6 6 .td3 .tg4!? .••
A double-edged choice. The weakened queenside white squares (b7-b6) might prove important in the absence of the bishop, but on the other hand it is not at all easy for White to develop his kingside.
7 c3 The beginning of a rather long-winded plan to expel the troublesome bishop. Here, or on the came into next move, lOt2 consideration. After 7....i.xO 8 gxO White has the bishop pair, the g-file, and maybe attacking chances on the kingside, bul on balance 1 distrusted it.
7...lOd7 8 "c2 lOgf6 9 .i.gS h6 Weakening the g6 square, and thus falling in with White's plot. On 9......e7+ 1 0 �f1 (10 Wd2?!?) is unclear.
1 0 .i.e3 Not 10 .i.h4 "'e7+ and ...0-0. Now While is ready for h3 and g4.
1 0 cS! •..
A good vigorous reaction, at last putting ...b6 to some usc.
I I h3 .i.e6 12 lOe2 It would be nice to avoid this move, but I saw no reasonable way ofdoing so.
1 6 "eI! Highlighting the problem. If now 16 ... hS White obtains two excellenl stables on gS and, after a subsequent exchange of bishops, f4.
1 6...gS Probably best, bUI now the fS square beckons.
17 lOd2 0-0-0 1 8 'ii'c2 .l:tde8 19 'ti'fS 'ii'c6 20 h4 Trying to loosen the kingside further, and tie the lO(ffi) 10 Ihe defence of the g-pawn.
20 ...g4 21 "bn .tc7! Black untangles satisfactorily.
22 "bfg3 'ii'e6 23 0-0 While intends to open the f-file. In the event it doesn'l lum out 100 well, but what else is there?
23 ...lOe4 24 J:tael This seems natural, but is probably inaccurate. However, after 24 "'xe6 %lxe6 2S lOfS Wd8 the
112 "1feel 1 '1/1 overdue to ",in some tournaments "
knight is soon expelled and White can claim no advantage,
24...41dr6 25 "'xe6+ Consistently misguided, but now it is hard to suggest alternatives.
25."fxe6 26 41xe4 �xe4 27 f3 gdJ Not 27...41g3 28 �xg3 .i.xg3 29
.i.f2 .txf2+ 30 �f2 and White has
an edge.
28 AxO
This was the position I had misguidedly aimed for, I hoped the f-file and Black's backward e-pawn would give me the advantage. I had noticed that Black's minor pieces were none too badly placed, but .tf4 would soon get rid of one. The next couple of moves soon disillusioned me.
28"Jleg8!
Third thought: 29 lOf4. Then if 29...Wd7 30 h5! and �g6 will solve the g-file problem and if 29....i.xf4 30 .i.xf4 and the bishop will senle on e5. So... play it.
29 ttlf4 :g4! Now the light began to dawn. On 30 �xe6 .ltg3 is unpleasant and 30 h5? drops a piece to 30 ... lOg5, ....ltxf4 and ...lOh3+. Well, Black isn't actually threatening anything (30...Axh4 3 1 ttlg6), apart from :hg8. So 30 :'e2 :'hg8 and what nexl? Or even 30 ...lOg3 with ... :hg8 and ... :xh4 to follow? Pause for panic-have to rely on his time trouble. What causes most problems? Back 10 30 �e6. Now 30....ltg3 31 :'en :xh4 32 .tf4 ought to hold, but what about 30...:'hg8 3 1 :e2 lOg3 and 32...:xh4. A careless chap could easily get mated here. 32 :'c2 Axh4 and how can I stop 33 ...:hl+ and 34...:n mate? 33 .ltf4 makes a loophole, but 33 ...:hl+ 34 Wf2 lDe4+ is horrible. What about 32 :el? That stops the mate. 32...lDe4 33 :'e2 only repeats and 32,..lhh4 I must be ahle to do something with the spare move Af8+ maybe-at least its murky. If I'm really desperate I could always try 3 1 lOxc7 :'xg2+ 32 Whl Wxc7 3 3 l1 g l .
The first thought was 29 Aen. I didn't quite remember why this was rejected, probably 29 ...Ag4.
Anyway, there really :lfen't any other moves to offer much of a fight. 30 idxe6 then and, since he's short of lime, throw in an offer of a draw-he might waste a few seconds considering it!
Second thought: 29 .ltf4. This was certainly rejected because of 29...lIg4.
Slight relief, definitely more worried about ...:'hg8 and ...lOg3.
By now my opponent was rather short of time, so I wanted to move quickly.
30 lOxe6 �g3
" lfeel l'm ol'erdue to win some tournaments " 1 13 Now my moves are forced so play them quickly.
3 1 :Cen :'xh4 32 .i.f4 :'g8 Maybe this line isn't too easy either. 33 .ltxg3 lOxg3 looks unpleasant: 34 :'fB+ :'xfB 35 :'xf8+ Wd7 36 lOf4 lIhl+ 37 Wf2 &4+. No, just 36 ...lIxf4. But again what is his threat? 33 ....txf4 34 lIxf4 is OK. Oh no---33 ...Wd7. The knight is trapped, Help! How can I get it out? 33 .lte5? No, 33 ... .i.xe5 34 dxe5 lOg3 is the same. I'll lose a piece to ...:h 1+. What about 33 :'e3 Wd7 34 :fT3? But 34 ...Wxe6 35 .i.xg3 :'hg4 is horrible. So 33 :'e3 Wd7 34 .txg3 lOxg3 35 1If7+ perhaps. Looks messy-it'll do!
33 lIe3 Wd7 34 .i.xg3 lIxg3? 34 ...lDxg3 was certainly well worth consideration. 35 1If7+? Wd6 (or even 35 ...We8) and ...:.n mate rears its ugly head. 35 0fB+ Wc6 also leaves the odd question unanswered (...:'hl+) and 35 life ! lDe4! is embarrassing. Lucky that! Meanwhile. back at the board ...
3S lOf8+ 3S...We8 36
36 .ttfIJ Grimly clinging on; the worst is over now. 36..':hfJ 37 :'xO :'g4 38 lOe6 Wd739 Iilr4 Wd6
39...40d2 40 1If2 lDe4 White caa play on with 4 1 lin and if 4LOO 42 1ilxdS. On
.. 1ile2 l!g7
41 lIrS Here the game was adjourned. At first I thought I had some winning chances, but after an hour and a hairs analysis I concluded that Black's advanced c-pawn gave him sufficient counterchances.
41...lIgS Necessary, in view of the threat of lIh5 and 1Of4.
42 :.n a5 43 lOf4 Making it difficult for Black to hold his h·pawn. Passive play such as 43 ...h5 gets squeezed by 44 Ah7 lDf6 45 lIb7 Wc6 46 lin iOe4 47 lIh7.
43...lIg4? I had only considered 43 ...b5! and if 44 lIh7 b4 45 :'xh6+ Wd7 46 &2 lIrs and Black is not worse (e.g. 47 11M lDf2 ), or 44 a3 Wc6! (or 44 ... b4) 45 lIh7 b4! 46 axb4 axb4 47 :'xh6+ Wb5 48 cxb4 Wxb4 49 1Ib6+ Wa4 with a drawn position; the extra pawn is fairly meaningless. Consequently I had pretty much given up hope of winning.
Forced. Of course not 35 ...We7?? :Xg3 lDxg3 37 ttlg6+.
Safely reaching the time control, but Black's position is not what it was.
With Ihe text Black hopes to defend by keeping the knight under surveillance.
44 11r5(?) Played mainly for psychological reasons-I wanted to establish that Black was only trying to draw,
44...lIgS 4S lI[8 Avoiding the repetition on principle. From his previous play it seemed clear that Black would spend a few minutes establishing
//4
"/feel I 'm overdue /0 win some tOllrllOmelllS " /15
"�Ifeel/'m overdue to win some tOllmoments "
that the rook on ffl made no difference and then replace his rook on g4. In fact I got a small bonus here; Black thought for twenty minutes during which time I realised what actually was happening.
45 :g4 46 :rs ...
First the rook must get back to f7.
46 l[g5 47 l[n .•.
Trying to look innocent. 47...:g4? Thank you! Last chance for ...bS! 48 a4!
Would you believe zugzwong!? 48 . Wc6 What else? The knight is tied to f6 and the rook to the white knighl. 48...:h4 (to meet 49 :rs with 49... :hl+!) allows 49 iOg6 :h5 50 �5 and 50 :b7. 49 :f5! The point. If 49 ... :g5 50 lOxd5! wins. . .
49...lild6 50 l[f6 l[h4 5 1 g3 l[g4 52 Wg2 h5 53 tLlxh5 Wd7 54 WO :g8 55 tLlr4 :xg3+ 56 Wxg3 lLle4+ 57 �g4 iOxf6+ 58 wr5 o!Oe4 Or 58...We7 59 WeS and the black pawns fall like ripe plums.
59 tLlxdS iOd6+ 60 We5 iOf1+ Or 6O...Wc6 61 iOxb6 1Of1+ 62 Wf6 1ild6 63 We6. 61 Wf6 Black resigned. The Philadelphia Story 51 J.Ostos White AJ. Mlles Black World Open, Philadelphia 1979
Siciliall Defelice I rarely play in weekend Swiss type tournaments these days, but for a change I decided to take part in the pretentiously titled World Open -a lO-round Swiss in Philadelphia (I confess the 55,000 first prize had something to do with it). At two rounds a day and no blitz finishes the schedule seemed almost relaxing by English standards. The three rounds on Saturday always used to shatter me. Despite dropping a draw in the second round Get-lag is my feeble excuse) I cruised to 51h/6 without any undue problems, at which point 1 was sharing the lead with the Rumanian GM Gheorghiu. I had slightly the better of our game but failed to win, so we were joined in the lead by four others. In the eighth round Gheorghiu and I both won, as did the relatively unknown Icelander Angantysson. Thc ninth round pairings seemed to make me a gift of the tournament. 1 had White against Angantysson and Gheorghiu Black against Waller Browne. However. disaster struck: I mishandled a winning position and was brilliantly swindled out of half a point. The other two also drew, but only Arthur Bisguier joined us in the lead.
In the last round caution prevailed with Gheorghiu and I both having Black. The Rumanian, typically, suggested a package deal. After some thought, and with not a little distaste, I took the cowardly course and agreed. This finally resulted in a seven-way lie for first place between the four of us, GM Browne �s and and Zuckennan Fedorowicz (who beat Quinteros in the final game). I e4 c5 2 ttJO e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 .:t'lxd4 a6 5 lOcJ "c7 6 .i.e2 b5 7
17 ..:'g8 might be even better, but with my opponent short of time I decided to settle for simple lines. .
1 8 1il.g7+ Wd8 19 1ifh4 .i..g7 20 .i.xc5 d5 21 fS Wd7 22 fxe6+ be6 n l[n
0-0 J.b7 8 :el?!
A surprise: My opponent - a Venezuelan 1M, incidentally completely ignores the attack on the e-pawn. 8. . b4 9 tOa4 I half expected /Od5?! 9. �d6 10 f4.i.xe4 1 1 .i.O .i.xO 12 thO IOc6 13 tOrs 1i.f8!? 14 .
..
.i.e3 1ilf6 If 14 ....a5 15 /Od4 1I'"a4 16 b3 ..
and lOxc6.
15 :adl :'b8! 16 ttJc5? Falling into my trap. 1 6...l:tb5!
Now White had only seconds left on his clock, so I chose a deliberately messy continuation. 23 ......e5 24 :'de1 lOe4 25 :n+
W,8 26 1ifg4 l[g8
With the malicious threat of W'd4+. White's hand hovered over the board, but before he could find a move his nag fell and he losl on time.
New Tactics 52 A.J.J\1iles White M.Qulnteros Black Vidmar Memorial BledIPortoroz 1979
Modern Bellolli
Suddenly all White's knigbts are prise. If 1 7 W"f2 �g4.
ell
17 Wg3 I1xe5
The 5th Vidmar Memorial toumament, held at Bled and Portoroz in Yugoslavia recently, tumed out to be one of the most exciting events I have played in for some time. Having been much impressed by Korchnoi's successes-I confess I
116
"Ifeel I'm overdlle to win some tournaments "
"Ifeel I'm overdue to wi" some tournaments "
htld never retllly been able to understtlnd his thought processes-I resolved to lIy and brotlden my style. With no ptlnicular preparation I deliberately headed for the type of tense complex positions I had always shied away from in the past. The result was very nearly sensational. I won six games, all fairly convincingly, but lost four. Of these four two came from totally winning positions-in one I just had to find two good moves to force my opponent's resignation. Instead I found three bad ones and forced my own, the second I give below and in the other two I had slightly better 'completely unloseable' positions and committed amazing atrocities. Consequently the overall result was nothing special, but for the first time in many years had the feeling that I was actually learning something, and maybe even improving.
Eyeing the c-fiIe.
27 ...:(e8 28 lLlg3 l1bd 29 llc2 "g4?! Time trouble approaching.
30 'i'd! €IeS Or 30...tOa5 3 1 �c3 (3l ...lilb3 32 'llb2) 32 .i., I.
iOc4
31 ':xe8 .i.xc8 32 tOb6 .!td7 33
'11M
Quinteros later pointed out "dl but the text is just as good.
33 ....!tbS 34 fxeS .!txn 35 e6!
IU8
If35 ... fxe6 36 lDd7 i.g5 37 1Of6+ mates.
36 e7? Time trouble. 36 �7, wins immediately.
inter alia,
36...:e8 37 It:ld7 i.gS 38 'i'xd6 .i.bS 39 1t:1.f6+ i.xf6 40 'i'xf6 'i'dl+ 41 �g l :e8
I d4 iOf6 2 ('4 c5 3 d5 g6 4 f3� ? Korchnoi beat me with this at the Olympiad.
4...d6 5 e4 .i.g7 6 i.d3 0-0 7 It:le2 e6 8 lObd exdS 9 cxdS a6 10 a4 'i'('7 I I b3!? An unusual try al Black's queenside play.
restricting
1 1 ...lt:lbd7 1 2 0-0 &5 13 i.e2 ':e8 14 Whl :b8 IS as bS 16 axb6 :xb6 17 i.d2 c4?� 18 i.e) :b8 19 .i.gl It:lfd7 20 bxc4 It:lIC4 2 1 i.d4 lOdeS 22 :a2! Guarding the second rank, maintaining pressure against the a-pawn and preparing to take over the long diagonal.
22 ...1.h6 23 �a4 1t:1.d7 If 23 ...:e7 24 f4 tLlg4 25 'i'al! threatening 26 f4 tOge3 27 :0.
24 'i'at! :f8 25 .i.xd7 'i'xd7 26 f4 .i.b7 27 lLla4
Here the game was adjourned. 1 could draw immediately by iDf5, or play trickily for the win with 42 "g5 (:c 1 ? �2!). Instead I sealed the horrific
42 h3?? Completely overlooking
42...l1cl 43 'i'b6 'i'xg1 + 44 'i'xgl :xgl+ 4S Wxgl f6
with a won ending for Black. The rest is too painful (and long) to recall. I resigned 25 moves later:
46 €In wn 47 tLld2 as 48 W£2 a4 49 lLlbl .i.d3 50 lOa3 Wxe7 51 We3 .i.f1 52 W£2 ..i.d3 53 We3 .!to 54 W£2 �a6 55 h4 Wd6 56 We) WeS 57 g4 h6 58 lObi i.c8 S9 ltia3 Wd6 60 ¢>d4 i.xg4 61 iOc4+ We7 62 d6+ We6 63 WcS .!te2 64 iDa3 ¢>d7 65 ¢>dS ..i.a6 66 WcS gS 67 hxgS hx gS 68 tLlc2 g4 69 Wb4 g3 70 lOe3 .i.n 71 e5 (xeS 72 tLlg4 and White reSigned. Chinese C hess 53
Chi Ching Usuan White A.J.Miles Black Vidmar Memorial 1979
Sicilian Defence One interesting aspect of the Vidmar Memorial tournament was the presence of a sizeable contingent from China. Their star player Chi Ching Hsuan look pan in the tourn3ment, and though his result was not panicularly good, he showed great fighting spirit, drawing only one game, and scoring a fine win over Larsen. The player that stole the limelight, though, was a young girl, one Lui Shi Lan. She looked about 14, but turned out to be 17 and the Chinese women's champion. On learning that my wife was quite a strong player she eagerly asked to play some training games. Jana politely agreed, and a series of ten minute games was arranged. Hardly expecting any real competition from an unknown teenager, Jana didn't take the first few games too seriously and was a couple of points
J 17
down before it became apparent that this was no walkover. Even when she began to take the game seriously the Chinese girl still held her own. Whilst it would be rash to draw any conclusions from ten minute games it is clear that Liu htls an exceptionally quick eye for tactics and, more surprisingly, an excellent feeling for position, far beyond her years and non-existent intemtltional experience. Unfortunately I do not have the score of any of her games, so this week's game is my own piece of Anglo-Chinese to disruption detente:
I e4 cS 2 �f3 d6 3 d4 ud4 4 lDxd4 lOf6 5 €le3 g6 6 .i.e3 .!tg7 7 f3 0-0 8 'i'd2 lOe6 9 .i.('4 ..i.d7 to h4 l:e8 II �b3 hS 1 2 0-0-0 lOeS 13 .i.h6 �xh6 14 'i'xh6 ':xc3 IS bxc3 'i'c7 16 g4!? 'i'xc3 17 ¢>bl as 18 a3?!
Up to here nothing original. It's all occurred before in Somebody Soltis (bad memory for detail) and Janosevic-Mestel Binningham '75. Previously played was 1 8 gxh5 a4 19 hxg6 axb3 20 cxb3 etc. Mestel told me that it is a forced draw. I don't quite remember why, but he
1/8
" /feel I'm overdue., 10 win sOllie tournaments "
knows about these things. (Chi incidentally, didn't, so I was already an hour ahead on the clock.) 18...a4 1 9 �a2 lta8?! 19 ...'iIJ'xa3 was good for Black, but 1 thought that the text, threatening l:ta6-b6+, just won. Now Chi's tactical flair really becomes apparent.
reach move 40; I hOld an hour or so more. I spent all but IS minutes of it convincing myself that the position was completely drawn. 24 ......e3+ 25 :'d2 "'u3+ 26 c,Pdl 'l'xO+ 27 c,PcI!
20 g5! 20 gxh5 was much too slow. 20...ll:le8 If20...l:ta6 21 gxf6 l:tb6+ 22 i.b3 exf6 23 -.d2 is fine for White, and on 20 ...ll:lxe4!? either 2 1 fxe4 :a6 22 �xfJ+! or21 J:d3! 21 lZlfS! i..dS Not 2 1 ...gxf5 22 g6. 22 edS :a6 23 fxg6 :b6+
24 ¢'c1!! This was the resource overlooked on move 1 9. 1 had observed thaI it left most ofWhite's position ell prise with check.: "'e3xa3x(3xhl etc, but failed to appreciate that I still had no win. I thought that 24 i..b3 was forced when 24...l:txb3+! 25 cxb3 fxg6 and the threats to the white king and white queen should win completely. Chi now had 7 or 8 minutes left to
"Jfeel J'm overdue to win some tournaments ,.
c,Pdl 'l'b2 3 3 �e2 'ti'c3 (or ...lbc4) objectively White must be winning. 31...'i'e3+ And now White is losl. If 32 �b2 a3+ 33 ¢'a2 "ti'c3 and 'i'b2 mate. 32...... .3+ 33 ¢'dl "'0+ 34 ¢'c1 "ti'xhl+ 35 l:td. -.0 36 �a2 e6 37 l:td) "'f4+ 38 ¢'b2 ll:lg7 39 c3 "'xh4 40 :0 'i'e4 41 l:tf6 'i'e2+ 42 ¢'a3 'l'c2 43 c4 ll:leS 44 g6 lOn4+ 45 j,xc4 'i'c3+ 46 ¢'xa4 "'xc4+ White resigned,
54
31 :ddl?? Of course not 3 1 l:thdl 'ilta3 mate, but on 3 1 :e I , though Black can confuse mailers with 3 1 ...'i'a3+ 32
f4. In the meantime 15 ... f5 would be met by 16 lOg5 h6 17 'i'h5 with a strong attack. IS... �d7 16 f4 exf4 17 gxf4 J:a7!
32 l:td2
A tough game
Now 27 ......a3+ 28 ¢'dl 'i'(3+ would be a fine logical end to the sporting contest as the Russians like to say. However I didn't feel like a fine logical end so relying on his time trouble, I took the sort of gamble one should normally reserve for five-minute games, weekend swisses, the British Championship and that sort of thing. 27...'ilta3+ �8 ¢ldl J:bl+ 29 i..xbl "'0+ 31} ¢lcl iOxg6??! There was still a perpetual with 'i'a3+. At this point the hitherto inscrutable Oriental became decidedly flustered. After all, isn't Black almost two rooks down? Sweat poured from his brow and he seemed to almost slip ofT his chair -311 the more so after
J19
J.S,Speclman Whire
A.J.Mlles Black British Championship 1979 Modern Benoni Reversed As promised 13st week, my most interesting game from the British Championship: l iOO dS 2 c4 d4 3 d3 cS!? Already very sharp. Black invites transposition to a Modem Benoni reversed, where one would think the extra move would be important. The safe move was 3 ...lbc6. 4 e3 ll:lc6 5 exd4 cxd4 6 g3 cS 7 �g2 �d6 8 0-0 lOge7 9 .1.3 as 10 lObd2 0-0 t I l:tbl a4 t 2 lOe4 �b8 Not 12 ... �c7 13 lbc5 winning the a-pawn. Now if 1 3 t(Jc5 'ii'a5. B llel �h8 1 4 i.d2 b6 Threatening ...f5. IS 'llh4 Seemingly very logical. White intends to expose Black's apparently retarded development by
A useful move eliminating long diagonal dangers and prep3ring to y defend laterally. One possibilit now i� I S tOg5 h6 19 'ifh5 ..teS! with the threat of ...f6lfS. 1 8 b4 axb3 19 l:txb3 lOg6 20 lOxg6+ bg6!? Starting concrete play against White's f-pawn at the cost of diminished control ofe6 and d5. 2 I lZlgS!? The anticipated sharp reaction. The passive l:tn was the alternative. Now 2 1 .....txf4?! 22 ..txf4 l:txf4 23 lOe6 �xe6 24 :'xe6 is good for White. 2t...lZlaS! 22 l:tb2 iDb7! A fine regrouping manoeuvre. The knight comes to c5 and suddenly all White's pawns are weak. There is also the tactical justification in 23 i.d5 tOes 24 lOD+ :xfl 25 ..txD i..a4 and the l:t(a7) shows its usefulness (l:txfJ). 23 "ti'0 It is hard to suggest a good move. Of course 23 � is met by he6
"/feel /'m overdue to win some tournamellts " 121
f20 "ffeel I'm overdue to win some tDr/moments "
24 :xe6 tOeS. White was now heading into serious time trouble and I felt I was now clearly on top.
23".qxS 24 "'g3 h6 2S .tdS??! Actually a complete oversight. White forgot that on ... hxgS 26 fxgS?? leaves his queen en prise. However...
2S,..hxgS
28...gS Speelman had hoped for 28 ...:0 29 'i'h4+ 'i'xh4 30 :b8+ ¢'h7 3 1 i.g8+ with a draw by perpetual check!
29 IIg6 IiIOO By now I was also seriously short of time and wanted to return a piece to ease the pressure. 29 ...�h7l? (30 i.xgS 'ti'b8l) might win.
30 'i'xg4 Here I became most irritated at
is in a maling net. The text is horrible. completely overlooking
34 1::.a8! And White offered a draw. Now 34 ...i.h3?? 3 5 :d8 and the rook is pinned. With White's flag apparently about to fall I declined, playing
34...'i'eS??
34......X38 was essential (unclear!) missing completely And still in the time scramble White offered a draw. Feeling fairly sure th3t we had passed move 40 1 stopped to think and, noticing that I was almost lost, accepted. In fact the position is drawn: 43 ... 1Oc5! 44 i.b7! i.f5! 45 36 lOxa6 46 i.xa6 �xd3 followed by �·g6·f5 or �f7.e6, and White will be left with the wrong rook-pawn.
my opponent's persistence in taking pawns and ignoring pieces.
30 ...:a6?! If 30.. .lt�f4 3 1 e6.
Draw agreed,
Now with only five minutes on his clock and a piece down I was just waiting for his resignation. Instead Jon used halfof them to find
3S �e4! forcing mate. However, with both sides having only seconds left
26 :e5!! It A remarkable resource. shouldn't be good enough but it certainly makes life difficult. 26...�xeS 27 fxeS g4 The threat was .txg5 and 'i'h4 mate.
28 :xb6! The only move to get the rook into play. Now my original intention had been 28 ...�e6 29 �xe6 c!Oxe6 30 :xe6 :3f7 when the initiative passes to Black, but then I got worried about 29 :xe6l lOxe6 30 i.xe6 when the bishops look just as good as the rooks (1t should be noted, by the way, that While threatens 29 :b8l).
3S..,g6 Offering a draw!? 3 1 i.xgS? Correct was 3 1 'i'hS+ �g8 32 �xg5 unclear. Now both sets of nerves really begin to crack.
3 1 ...lOxg5 32 'i'hS+ lOh7 33 :xa6 'i'd?? Complete panic. My first thought was 33 ...�h3!? but 34 'i'xh3 'i'g5+ 35 �g2 avoids the mate (35. ....d2 36 i.0 unclear), though with the clocks as they were his seizure of the initiative would have been decisive. However, 33 ...'ti'b8 wins outright. If 34 'l'e2 �h3 and White .
36 'l'xg6? 36 .txg6 mates in a few moves.
36".'i'e7 37 :xfS+?? 37 'i'xh7+ wins easily.
37..,lOxfS A bit of a shock to White who thought that the knight was still pinned. Now the position is drawn.
38 1il'h6+ �g8 39 >tdS+ >too 40 i.e4 "'g7+ 40......xa3 41 'i'gS+ with a
perpetu31 check was more sensible.
41 "'lg7+ �xg7 42 a4 iOd7 43
as
55
A.J.Mestel White A.J.Miles Black British Championship 1979 Sicilian Defence 1 e4 eS 2 tt:lfJ e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 tt:lxd4 a6 5 c4 tt:le6 6 tt:lc3 .tb4!? 7 �d3 "'e7 8 0-0 tt:lf6 9 i.e2!? O-O!?
" Ifeel l'm overdue 10 will some 10Ilmamellls "
"[feel I 'm overdue 10 win some loumameflls "
122
The usual continuations are 9... -tJeS and 9... lt:lxd4 10 'ti'xd4 lOg4. The text move is mentioned by opening books, but they quote only 3n obscure Yugoslav game which went 10 i.gS lt:lxd4 I I i.xf6 ( I I 'If,d4 IOg4) I I ...gxf6 12 'If,d4 "eS 13 'ii'd3 with clear advant3ge to White. However no mention is m3de of 1 1 ... lOxc2 gullibly takin� a piece. Naturally after 12 "g4 White has some attack but it is by no me3ns clear th3t it is sufficient.
10 Wh I lilxd4 1 1 "'xd4 lOg4 12 (4 �c5 13 �d3!? More drastic than 1 3 ..-d2
13 ..lt:lfl+ 14 :xfl i.xfl 15 e5 g6 �h4 17 �d2 b5 18 0f6+ .
J 6 lt:le4
This seemed to m3ke the defence easier. 1 was more frightened of a less direct 3pproach. 18... i.xf6 19 exf6 i.b7 20 'i'h3 wh8 21 Act "'xe4 22 .lid3 Re3ching the position of a problem set in my New SlaleSm(l1l column.
that of Mr J.D.Taylor, it probably isn't. Alternatives: (a) 22... 'i'dS 23 :eS "'xg2+ (23...'i'c6?? completely overlooked 24 Ag S! when there is no defence to 25 "h6 Ag8 26 'i'xh7+-viz 24... 1t,,8 25 .tel b4 26 'lfh6 Itg8 27 'i'xh7+ Wxh7 28 AhS mate) 24 'i'xg2 i.xg2+ 25 Wxg2-g00d for White as Black's rooks have no scope and his d-pawn 310ne has little effect. (b) 22 .. :l'c6 23 i.e4 and now 23.....xe4!? 24 Axe4 i.xe4 is hard to evaluate. White can no longer achieve anything by direct attack and Black has a material advantage. However White's pieces are active and the advanced f-pawn ties Black down. A draw maybe? 23 :eS :ac8 creates back rank threats e.g. 24 �c3 b4 25 :gS (intending 'l'h6) 2S ....a4!, and 23 Ic3 has no threat (i .xg6 "xg2+) so Black can continue happily with ... Aac8. (e) 22... .Q.xg2+!? is a bit too dramatic. After 23 Wxg2 "dS+ simply 24 "0 leads to a good ending. Back al the game (after 22......xa2)
At the time I was more worried about 23 i.c3 (threatening i.:xg6) but there are several possible defences: (a) 23 ... d6 24 i.xg6 fxg6 25 fl+ (25 fS is an interesting try-gxfS? 26 fl+ eS 27 AxeS 'i'xfl 28 Ite7+ Wg8 29 'i'g3+-but perhaps 25... 'i'dS 26 fxe6 ¢'g8 holds) 2S...e5 and now 26 fxeS Axfl 27 e6+ Wg8 28 exf7+ 'l'xfl and 26 :xeS "xn 27 Ae7+ �g8 are both unclear. (b) 23.....dS 24 AeS "'xg2+ 25 "'xg2 i xg2+ 26 ¢/xg2 when the . absence of the a-pawn shifts the balance of power to Black. (c) 23...:g8 24 :e3 "'al+ 25 ie I and now instead of the stupid . 2S ... hS?? (26 �4-gS mating) Black still has 2S ... i.Dl 26 "xO "xb2. White has better chances than in Ihe game as his pieces are coordinated, but he has no clear-cut line of play and Black's queenside pawns soon become effective.
2l .. .IIg8 Incident3lly, 24 l:teS is now met by 24 ... 'i'al+ 25 i.el "d I .
24 :e3 Thinking the threat of'it'xh7+ and :h3 mate to be unstoppable but
. 24.....al+ 25 i.eI .i.1J!
123
A nice interference theme.
26 gxO 26 l:txD "'xel+ 27 ion 'i'dl stops everything so White must capture with the pawn, blocking the attack.
26...d6 Necessary in view of the threat of lleS. If 26 ...:ac8 27 AeS ':cS 28 AxcS "'xel+ 29 �g2 "d2+ 30 Wg3 and now 30......e l + 31 Wh3 "'12 32 'i'xh7+ Wxh7 33 :hS mate or 30.....xd3 31 Ac8! mating. There is, though, an alternative in 26......dl. Mr Taylor then suggests the remarkable continuation 27 h4 dS 28 hS d4 29 ¢'h2!1 dxe3 30 hxg6 fxg6 3 1 i.c3 Aac8 32 f7+ Axc3 33 fS",'i' :c2+ 34 .Q.xc2 "xc2+ drawing.
27 'it'h4? Shocked at missing 2S ... ID White cracks. The only saving chance was 27 h4 ]:tac8 28 hS :c1 29 hxg6 :xel+ 30 :.xel 'i'xel+ 31 wg2 'ilfd2+ and either 32 �g3 'l'el+ or 32 ¢'h3 fxg6 33 f7 'i'xd3 34 f8=" 'i'xD+ drawing.
27.. ....xb2 Now White's pieces have lost all coordination and the initiative is finnly in Black's hands. The rest was rather one-sided.
28 :e2 'i'd4 29 �e4 :ac8 30
i.f2 Acl+ 31 Wg2 "c4 32 Ad2 d5
l3 'lfh6 'lfcl
3 3 ... dxe4?? 34 Ad8.
34 :d3 'i'e7 35 Aa3 dxe4 36 :xa6 'ilfc3 37 he4 'ilfxf6 38 e5 '1'5 39 Ib3 g5 40 :g3 g4 41 Ae3 %tee8 42 i.h4 :g6 43 i. f6+ 'i'xf6 44 :h3
Here I played
(it had been trying to get there all game!) and White resigned.
22...'ilhaZ In our post mortem we considered this to be a mistake but in the light of readers' analyses, predominantly
Mestel continued with
23 'lfh6
" [feel I'm overdue /0 will some tournamellfs"
124
Chess by Telephone 56
G.BoUerill White A.J,Miles Black
Confravision 1979
Qlleell's Gambit Accepted Chess by telephone and, more recently, by telex, has become quite commonplace. Neither medium has particularly me as struck satisfactory. The major difficulty is, of course, the time lost in transmission of moves but the aspect ' dislike most is the lack of 3tmosphere brought about by the absence of one's opponent. However, I was interested to receive an invitation to the first Confravision tournament. Confra vision
is
basically
a
sct
of
conference studios scattered around the country linked by close circuit tournament, television. The sponsored by the Sconish Telecommunications Board, was a sort of mini Home international Championship. Craig Pritchen represented Scotland from Glasgow, George Bolterill Wales from Bristol. Ireland Paul Henry from Manchester (as yet there aren't any studios in the latter two countries) and I represented England from Binningham. Each player had 15 minutes per game. When either player was thinking, the monitors would show both players and clearly visible clocks recording their thinking times. When a move was played the monitors would switch to the demonSITation bo3rds on which the moves were transmitted. Transmission times were creditably low--evell my first round game which lasted 79 moves took scarcely more than 50 minutes and
technically the event was a great success. I needed only to draw the final game to avoid a play-off. Sinking to the occasion I produced a stream of exceedingly boring moves very quickly until Pritchett, down to his last five seconds, had the bright idea of offering a draw. With Henry beating Botterill in the remaining game this left me first with 2W3, Pritchett second with l in and Bouerill and Henry third equal with
I.
1 d4 d5 2 c4 dxc4 3 too ilJf6 4 'IIIa4+!? An unusual line presumably intended to surprise me.
4...tOc6 5 �c3 �d5!? Black wants to hang on to the gambit pawn with .. .lbb6. Probably White should try 6 e4 "bb6 7 'tIt'd I with some play.
"Ifeel I'm overdue to will some lournaments "
On 10 axb4 �xb4 with a solid extra pawn. Now if 1 O...lbds I I tDbxd4 and White's alright. But
10 ... a6! I I ttJbxd4 Now if I I axb4 axb5 12 :'xa8 'ttxa8 and 1 3 �xd4 is impossible owing to ...il.xb4+. • t..."Dxd4
12 �xd4 'fixd4!
Now White noticed that 1 3 axb4 allows 1 3 ...�xb4+ 14 �d2 O�O-O! (but not ... :'d8? 'fia4+) mating quickly.
13 ... lDc2+ 1 4 �dl tDxd4 15 b4 0-0-0 1 6 Siid2 �b3 17 :'a2 �e7 I S e3 �r6 1 9 �e2 �d4+ 20 exd4 i.xa2 21 �e3 �xd4 22 g3 �c4+ 23 �d2 il.xe3+ 24 �xe3 :'heS+ White resigned. 57
A.J.Milc5 White L.Perecz Black Dortmund 1979 Ret; Opening
7 'W'b3 e5!?
Problem 132 in New Statesmall was taken from my game against the Hungarian player Perecz from Dortmund. The opening moves (I was White) were
1 IilO d5 2 g3 Iilr6 3 i.g2 i.rs 4 5 d3 lDbd7 6 1i1bd2 e5!?
O�O c6
One of those moves which one is never sure whether to allow, and if it is allowed, whether to play it or not. Has Black got a bad Pirc reversed or a good centre?
Taking the pawn is a better try.
8...i.e6 9 'i'dl exd4 10 tDb5
10...g5!?
13 'fixd4
Very embarrassing!
8 a3?
Here Black sank into thought. Somehow I had the feeling he was considering the ridiculous�looking ...g5. Walking round waiting for his reply I commented to the Czech GM Jansa that I felt sure he would play it. Jansa gave me an incredulous look, but sure enough
Resigns is slightly more accurate.
6 'i'lc4?! tbdb4!
Not a bad move at the best of times, but in a quick game almost decisive.
125
7 b3 i.c5 S i.b2 'i'e7 9 tbM The logical attcmpt to exploit ...eS. White tries to take control of
rs.
9...Siig4 1 0 h3
l l lilhO i.h5 This move I had underestimated. Now on 1 2 �xg5 ':g8 13 tDgD e4 and ... e3 gives Black excellent chances. So I returned to the fight for £5.
12 e4 dxe4 13 �xe4 ti'lxe4 1 4 dxe4 0-0-0 1 5 'iWel g 4 16 tDh4 ph3 .7 �rs 'fie6 18 il.xh3 Mission accomplished, but Black has some counterplay.
IS...:'dg8 19 �g2 �g4 Necessary in order to create some squares for the rooks.
20 i.xg4 :'xg4 2 1 :lh. hS 22 ..we2 "Dr6 23 0 :'g6 24 :'h4 :'hgS 25 :'dl tbd5! A good move, stirring up complications and getting the knight on a better circuit.
26 �h2
" Ifeel l'm overdue to win some tournaments "
116 "Ifeel I'", ol'erdue to win some tournamellts "
of 27...�3 now. Then 28 lOxe3 he3 29 "'xe3 lbg3 30 :d2? "'g6 wins, but 30 �xe5! "g6 3 1 :h6! hangs on: 3 1 ...1lg2+(3 l ...llh3+ 32
and now we reach the position of the problem given in my New Stalesman column.
ll llxh2).
The most embarrassing line I have saved until last.
Black continued 26..:11(6 and, as in the opening, I felt sure he meant to meet 27 lhh5 with the apparently crushing ... llh8. Seeing a lillie further into the position I duly played 27 :'xhS and after the expected 27...:h8 28 f4! and Black could find nothing to do bUI resign. His position falls apart at the seams. During the post mortem gested instead of Georgad ze sug . . 26... ..,f6, 26.. .&3 and after 27 i1Jxe3 �xe3 28 'i'xe3 J:.xg3 we could find no more than a draw for White ('i'xa7 gets a perpetual easily so there is no danger). So thinking it an interesting position I used it for a problem. I was naturally aware that the position was messy. but I scarcely expected my analysis to be tom to shreds by quile so many people in so many different ways. Firstly 26...1Oe3.
Now 27 �xe3 i.xe3 28 1Wxe3 :'xg3 29 "xa7 is a draw, but 27... Ilxg3 ! (Messrs Bradley, Cornforth, Deshmukh, Sahasrabudhe and Thorat (1» wins for Black. (I was over-preoccupied with eliminating the white knight rather than ust deflecting il.) For example 28 lO fS "g6 29 l:d2 (or 29 lOxg3 1Wxg3+ 30 Whl �f2! 3 1 :h2 "'g1+1 Sahasrabudhe) 29. . .:'gl! with the unstoppable threat of Ilh I + and 1Wg1 mate, or 28 lOg4 hxg4! 29 Wxg3 gxO+ 30 WxO "'f6+ or 28 �c1 "'g6 29 lOg4 hxg4 winning.
j
White can, however, survive by 27 :'d3 and if 27 ... lOxfS 28 exfS 'i'xfS 29 'itxe5 "'xeS 30 i.xeS �f21 draws. MT Thora! had a nice idea against this in 27 ... :'xg31? 28 lOxg3 'i'g6 29 'ii'e l? lOf1+ winning beautifully, but unfortunately 29 :'h3 ruins it-29 ... h4 30 Ilxe3 hxg3+ 3 1 Wg2 and White wins. Mr McSheehy had the same idea but in a difTerent order wilh l6...:'xg3 1? 27 lOxg3 "'g6 28 "'el (but not now 28 .tr.h3? tOf4) l8 ...tOe3 and, if29 1:.d3, 29 ...tOfl+ again, but this time 29 i..xe51 defends everything. Even after 26 ......f6 27 1:.xh5 (27 exd5, incidentally is no better than 'unclear') improvements were suggested. Mr Taylor had the idea
After 26......f6 27 Ilxh5
127
given that 27.. .1:.hS is superficially crushing, but fails to 28 f4! , Messrs Carr, Johnson and Sahasrabudhe put two and two together and produced the simple but brilliant 27 ...lOf4!! just blocking the f4 square. 28 gxf4 (others lose material) 28...llh8! Now there is no f4 so 29 .tr.h3 Ilxh3+ 30 Wxh3 "h8+ 3 1 IOh4 .i.e7 32 "f2 and now not 32 ...�xh4? 33 "xh4 1:.h6 34 1:.d8+! or even 32....tr.h6 33 Wg2 when White stays alive, but 32 ...'ith5! (Mr Carr deserves a special mention as the only enlrant to spot this) threatening ... �xh4 and ......xO+. and if33 1:.g1 �xh4 wins, or 33 1:.d3 (or 1:.fl) 33 ...exf41 and ...1:.g3+. So it seems after 27...iOf411 would have been completely lost!
"/ heard that KarpovJell insulted by my choice ofopening "
f4 gxf4 39 ct:\xf4 .i.c6 40 lLle2 :h 1 + 41 �d2 l[h2 42 g3 >t13 43 l[g8 ':g2 44 �et .i.xe2 4S .1t..xe2 ':xgJ 46 ':.8 and now I sealed 46....i.e7 but Karpov resigned without resuming.
7: "I heard that Karpov felt insulted by my choice of opening" Karpov defeated
1 ...a6!?
58
A.Karpov White A.J.Mlles Black
Black has a perfectly reasonable position. Now White tries to force maners prematurely.
European Team Championship, Skara 1980
19 lLlg5 h6 20 .i.h7+!? �h8 21 .A.bl .i.e7 22 lLle4 :ac8 23 "'d3?
St George's Defence Having 10 wrile a column when there is nothing much at hand to write about is a common journalistic problem. The besl solution seems to be to create some news oneself. So it is this week. I had just rerurned from a skiing holiday. oblivious of events in the rest of the world (1 heard a rumour that one or two English players did well in the Sussex Open but I had no details). Consequently, aided by having Black against the World Champion in the first round of the European team championships, I set about making some news.
1 04 Karpov is always at home in welHrnown theoretical lines so it is best to avoid them. A couple of years ago I had a ridiculous(?) idea of an all'purpose defence to anything but as yet had not found a suitable opponent to test it on. Now, I decided, was as good a time as any.
Presumably an oversight. The banery looks threatening but never gets time to operate.
n...:xd 24 :xd "xb2 25 :el 2 d4 bS By this time the spectators' laughing was becoming embarrass ing.
25 :c7 was the alternative but then Black has a wide choice ofstrong continuations. even
25.. :l'n5 26 'l'xd7 .i.b4 27 ':e3 .cIS
3 !il13 Jl.b7 It's only l...b6 with a bit more space really!?
4 �dJ It).r6 5 "e2 e6 6 a4 e5 7 dxe5 1f7 e5 c4 is unclear. 7 ..i.xd 8 �bd2 b4 9 e5 lOd5 10 !ilo4 Jl.e7 II 0-0 ..
I expected I I .i.gS.
II...lDc6 12 �d2 Now if .i.gS, f6 and a quick 0-0-0.
12 ......e7 13 e4 bxc3 14 lLlxc3 iDxe) 15 �xc3 iDb4 16 .i.xb4 .i.xb4 17 ':ad 'l'b6 18 .i.e4 0-0
129
Forcing a winning ending. The
tat is technique.
.xdS �xd5 29 �c3 ':e8 30 � g5 31 h4 �g7 32 hxgS hsgS D �d3 as 34 l[g3 teS 37 �el l[h8 38 ZI
Aided by this and a superb win by John Nunn over Polugaevsky. England held the USSR to a 4-4 draw. Indeed. over the top six boards we won 4-2 and but for some superb defence from Petrosian would have won all the top 3 boards! •
•
•
•
59 A.J.Milcs White Michaelides Black Lone Pine 1980 King 'of Fianchello The main trouble with the problem set n i New Statesman was working out the position (see r diagram on nut page) as black pawns on queenside black squares had become almost totally invisible. As it happens it was just about possible to deduce the position. My introduclion implied that material was level and by a process of elimination the missing pawns must have been the blurs on c7 and as (37 and c5 are out because of the suggested moves lOa7 and cS, and d6 would leave the knight en prise). In fact the position came fTOm an instructive game Miles-Michaelides from Lone Pine this year. After the opening moves
1 g3 e5 2 .i.g2 d5 3 d3 �f6 4 �fJ lDc6 S 0-0 .i.e7 6 a3! as 7 b3!? 0-0 8 �b2 e4 9 dxe4 �xe4 10 c4! dxc4 11 "'e2! .i.f6(!) 12 bxe4 �f5 13 'I'd
130
"J heard that Katpoll felf insulted by my choice ofopelling "
"I heard Ihat Karpovfelt iI/suited by my choice ofopelling "
19 .....c5 20 �xg6 hxg6 21 ':bl lI.b822 lI.b2 111114 23 g,(4 �d4 (a good try) and we have reached the position of the problem set last time.
24...�<6 Forced since 24... ltlxbS 25 1:txb5 wins a pawn eg 25 .. b6 26 .t.c6 etc. 25 �a7! �u5! .
25...1:.a8 26 lhb7 lDxcs 27 :7b5! lha7 28 ':xc5 White is positionally winning owing to the superior minor piece, the stupid black rook and weak pawns. 26 b6 lLla4 27 ':b3! lOcJ! 28 �xd8! €lxbl 29 �xb7!
Superficially White's position looks a wreck-he is behind in development and the queen-side is weak. However, I felt quite happy as I saw a clear plan to fight for the initiative. First the key move 1:.a2, destined for b2 to hit the focal point on b7, then undemline the tiJ(e4) and force it to move �f4 and �h4 being the likely moves to accomplish this), then complete development with 1Dc3 eyeing the weakened d5 and b5 squares followed by doubling rooks with strong pressure (Note that much of White's play is based on the weakness of Black's as advance. The b5 square is important, and an eventual ...b6 can be undennined by c5.) It is tempting to attribute the fact that everything goes exactly according to pl:m to the relative understanding of the two players, but even in the post mortem Black was unable to find a clear way to equalize and within a couple of very natural moves he is clearly worse. 13 ...:e8 1 4 1:.a2! "e7 15 tt'f4! �g6 16 �xf6 lOxf6 17 �cJ 1:.ed8 18 �b5 ':ac8 19 �h3 was threatened. 18 �b5 lDe8 19 €lh4! Unveiling the long diagonal and eliminating Black's best minor piece.
In fact White has two strong continuations. First the lesser moves:
(a) 24 €lxd4 1:.xd4 25 :xb7 '=:xb7 26 :.xb7 :xc4 gives White nothing. (b) 24 e3 fub5 25 :xb5 (25 cxb5 is nothing special) 25...�6! 26 1:.xa5 lOxc4 27 :a7 b5! and Black is comfonable. (c) 24 �7 :a81 25 :xb7 ll:lxe2+ 26 Tn �xf4 is fine for Black. However (d) 24 �3! is good. E.g. (i) 24...b6 25 c5 tOe6 26 tOc:I5! Wf8 27 cxb6 cxb6 28 e3! (but not 28 1:.xb6 '=:xb6 29 :xb6 ll:lf61 with counterplay) winning a pawn, or (ii) 24 ...lc.d6 25 c5 ltJc.4 26 :'xb7 :xb7 27 :xb7 lDxa3 (or 27 ... lOe6 28 �d5! �xc5? 29 :xc7) 28 :'xc7 lOe6 29 '=:a7! and if 29 ...lOxc5 30 '=:xa5 wins a piece. In the game I was not completely confident about the complications of the last line and so chose (e) 24 c5! Play continued
131
60 A.J.Miles Whire E.Geller Black Lone Pine 1980 Rer; Opening
I c4 e6 2 g3 d5 3 �g2 �f6 4 �f3 �e7 5 b3 0-0 6 �b2 c5 7 0-0 ll:lc6 The last time we played (at Wijk aan Zee 77) Geller tried 7...d4 8 b4 as but I won that too. S e3 d4 9 exd4 cxd4 10 :eI .
29 llk:6 was tempting but after ... �2 the rook has no safe square! Now, in my opinion the dislocated Black forces and his weak queenside pawns give White a decisive positional plus. The conclusion was 29...�d2 30 ':c3! Keeping the knight fenced in. 30... a4 31 �c6ll:lb3 32 1:.c4! €lf6 33 11,.4
Geller's defeat There is no doubt that in the past Efim Geller has been one of the strongest players in the world but in the lasl few years he has really looked past his best. Until, that is, the last few months. Firsl he the annihilated Soviet championship, winning by a full point, then he took a board prize at the European team championship, and with one round to play at Lone Pine he was sharing the lead-all without conceding a single loss. With $ I 0,000 at stake I figured he was due for one.
Holding up ... e5. The position resembles a reversed Modem Benoni, with the difference that the white queen's bishop is misplaced, but it costs Black several tempi to arrange ... e5. I think White has an edge. 10...1:.e8 Fairly obvious but apparently an innovation. Encyclopedia gives i O..:i'b6 (from yet another Geller game!). 1 1 a3 a5 12 d3 �c5 13 lObd2 e5 14 �g5 i
132
"} heard that Karpo.., felt
insulted by my choice ofopening "
f5 square. Ideally Black would like to arrange ...f5, but normally White can simply prevent it by g4. The text has the idea of .....d7 and if g4, 11g6. So
20 h4 J..e7 21 h5 "f8 An interesting try threatening ... fS and tying White down to his a-pawn.
fxg6 3 1 "xe6+ Tf'8 32 �g51 'ii'xh5+ 33 Tg2 winning. Of course there are many variations but it seems that the White auack crashes through.
2711xu l:ba3 28 J..xa3 "xa3 29 gS
22 'illS I[b8
", heard thai KUlpovfelt insulted by my choice ofopening " 133 We7 32 lOci5+ etc) 31 "'c8+ �e7 32 :Xg7 11xh5+ 33 Wg2 and Black is helpless against the threat of"'c7+.
30 �f6+! A simple combination but one which I considered for a long time. Clearly White wins the queen but the resulting ending is not so easy. Only when I saw the seeond phase assault (moves 35 onwards) did I feel safe.
Counterplayl Clearly White must now play for a direct kingside attack.
23 g4! b5 24 �h2! 24 g5 is premature.
261[gl
If the knight moves 38 ,*rs+,
38 ..wh8+ Black resigned.
26..,ii.xa3 Seems a strange pawn to take, but he hopes to defend by freeing e7 for the knight. On 26...11xd3 27 g5 looks decisive (naturally White wants more than the exchange). For example 27 ...hxgS 28 �xg5 �xg5 29 �xg5 or 28 ...lOci8 29 ii.f6 or 28 ... g6 29 J..f6 9'h6 30 11xg6+1
The little queen manoeuvre has picked up the necessary tempo and with it the game. On 38...Wg6 39 'l'g8+ TfS (else 'l'xf7) 40 Wg3 e4 4 1 'l'g4+ Te5 42 '*f4 mate.
29...'II1lI An admission of defeat, trying to bail out into a tenable ending. The point that Geller missed at move 26 is that 29 ... �7 allows 30 "'f31 and suddenly back rank mates loom on a8. The threat is 3 1 gxh6 11xh6 32 �g5 and it is hard to see a constructive move for Black. The only real try is 30...Wrs but then White has the nice shot 3 1 �f6! and
(a) 31...gx.f6 32 gxh6 e4 (else "a8+ or h7) 33 h7! exf3 34 h8='1'+ �g8 35 11xg8+ Te7 36 11d8 (or c8). Now g5 is coming with a bang.
Similarly on 38 ...liJxd3 39 ¢Ig4 achieves much the same end; 38 ...�g5 39 'l'g7+ ¢'h5 40 f41 is yet another variation on the same theme.
37 ..wc8! .:r.e6
24 ... bxc4 25 bxc4 11b3 Perhaps ... lbd8 (to meet 11gl with (6) was more realistic. Maybe Black's play on the b-file would balance White's positional grip.
Shon of time Geller plays the simplest move. Afterwards the kibitzers suggested 36 ...tbb4 37 'l'xf7 :'a6 but that too is inadequate. White plays straight for mate with 38 �g3 (heading for f5) and if 38...a4 39 Wg4 (simpler than 'l'f8+) 39...£5+ (else TfS) 40 Wxf5 a3 41 'l'g8 :a7 42 '*h8+ Ith7 43 ,*f6+ and mate next move.
(b) 3 l ...e4 32 gxh6! gxh6 (32 ...exf3 33 hxg7 is mate, or 32 ...Itxf6 33 hxg7+) 33 'l'f4! (c) 3 1 ...l:r.c6 (blocking the diagonal) 32 gxh6 gxh6 33 lOci7+ (or"'g2) 33 ... Te8 34 �xe5
with, in all cases (as anyone who has seen Geller will appreciate), collapse of stout party. Also the immediate 29...Wrs fails to 30 gxh6 :xh6 (30 ...gxh6 3 1 �f6
I remember, while thinking about this move, glancing up at the many spectators-I could almost read in their eyes 'What on earth are you thinking about you idiot, isn't it obvious?'.
30. gxf6 31 gxh6+ Th8 32 ltg7 "'xg7 33 hxg7+Wxg7 ..
This is the position for which both sides had been aiming. White has a queen, but Black's mass of central pawns and solid pieces seem to give good defensive chances. However. ..
34 'l'g4+ �h7 35 h6! The real point of the combination.
35...Wxh6 36 'i'g8 The queen gelS into the heart of Black's position and his structure collapses.
36...l:r.e7
After beating Geller, Miles was Interviewed by the Anchurage Times chess columnist, Stephen Gordon (SG): SG: I got the impression you haven't been thrilled with your play lately. Is thai right?
AIM: I feel I'm overdue to win some tournaments, yes. I haven't won a tournament since the zonal at the end of '78. It's a hell of a long time, you know. I get some sort of mediocre results, I really want to win one. SG: What do you think the reason for that is? AIM: 1 haven't been playing so well. Fonn goes up and down and lately it's been going down. SG: Have you been studying? Do you work hard at the game?
/34 "/ heard that Karpovfelt insulted by my choice ofopening "
AJM: No, 1 never have done and I still don't. You must have got that in an earlier interview!
SO: I thought you might have changed since-that was 1976, when you were a brand new OM. AIM: No I don't change. I suppose it was, yes, it was in Vegas. SO: What was your best game here in Lone Pine? AIM: I only played one good game, against Oeller. SO: game?
What
was
your
worst
AIM: My opening against him was prelty bad (Iallghing, pointing at Ermenkov who i$ walking by), I gave him two pawns and a position start and managed to draw. SG: What did you think about the young Americans you played? AIM: I was very grateful to most of them in the middle (Miles beat
Whitehead and Wilder in rounds 7 & 9). Fedorowicz beat me in a nice game in the first round. It was quite a good game-I didn't realise it at the time, but it was. Ermenkov: You didn't see "g3? AJM: Against? remember "g3.
I
don't
even
Ermenkov: You outplayed him positionally then you played .....g5. AJM: Oh
yes! Yes! I under estimated it, I didn't overlook it. Yeah the ending was OK for him. The position is not so good for me. If I play slowly he plays b4, b5 and my bishop has to go to d. Ermenkov: Maybe a move like ,..Wh8? AJM: Yeah, I know, I wanted 10, but I don't think I have time. That's what surprised me, I thought I was going to win the game. Afterwards I
wasn't sure where I went wrong After "'g3, if he doesn't have the exchange sac I'm still much better But still, ok, sorry... SO:
1979),
result...
In the Interzonal (Riga it seemed to me that the
AJM: 1 played terribly. SO:
I wouldn't say terrible.
AIM: No, I know. I would-it was terrible. The Interzonal was really horrible because it was supposed to be the biggest tournament of my life and I just didn't feel like playing chess. I wanted to, but the motivation just wasn't there. I didn't feel like playing. I won some games I lost some games. I just couldn't make myself play. I played terribly. It felt very strange. I played really badly. I just didn't feel like playing chess at that time.
"/ heard that Karpovfelt insulted by my choice ofopening " 135
care
to dedicate that much of my
tife to chess. I'm not that interested.
SG: Are Kasparov and Short both tunnel-vision types? AJM: No, Short isn't-I'm being unfair to him. And I don't know Kasparov. But the way they are producing him I get that impression. Short s i quite a reasonable guy so he probably won't win the World Championship either.
SG: Were you surprised that Short became an 1M recently?
AJM: That's a very good result, yes.
SG: I hear you are playing in London next. You say you don't play in England very much, is it difficult for you to play there, are Ihere a lot of expectations on you? AJM: They don't organise any good tournaments worth playing in. This time they have, so I'm playing.
Is the overall ambition to SO: be a Candidate there?
SO: You don't like playing at Hastings?
AJM: Well, I suppose so. Overall ambitions-winning the World Championship isn't really realistic. I suppose Candidates is a reasonable ambition, I imagine I ought to be capable of thai and iI's a decem size.
AJM: (laughs) '76 was before I wrote my article about Hastings, I should send you a copy. I attacked maliciously. rather Hastings Everything was accurate and true. I ,,·on'l be invited while the currenl people are in charge and I don't want to be--it's played underneath a panlomine, you can hear the organ music during the rounds, things like that. Oolombek wrote a letter in reply. If you're interested in the argument, it's a bit out of date now, I pointed out that virtually none of the three English OMs play at Hastings. The East Europeans play because it's a sort of pilgrimage, a few Americans play benuse they have trouble getting invitations because they're a long way from Europe, and virtually no European
SO: I remember you saying right after you won your OM title. that you wanted to go as far as you could. You said "I'm not much good at anything else, might as well." I Ihink that's the correct quote. AJM: (laugh.!) Yes, probably. These days they are breeding the super kids, the Kasparovs and the Shorts. The machine type creatures. I don't think a human being can win the World Championship anymore And I prefer to be human. I don·t
grandmasters compete in Hastings. Golombek tried to argue with this, he wrote firmly 'Of the 24 Western Grandmasters, 23 have played at Hastings.' So I looked up the list, and sure enough they had, bUI only 6 were grandmasters when they played, the rest were IMs desperately seeking grandmaster norms, which was one of the points I made in my first article. It's improving but it's never got past category 10, which is mediocre. SG: living?
Do
you
make
a
good
AJM: Well, I won't be retiring too soon. I make a living and it's a nice way to make a living.
SO: Where are next, after London?
you
playing
AJM: I don't know. SO: You don't have hordes of invitations? I thought Miles was well sought after. AJM: Miles IS going down because he hasn't won so many tournaments lately you see. The top tournaments are getting snobbish now they only want 2600 Elo-rating. They don't bother if you play exciting and interesting chess, they just want your Elo points. So I've got to start collecting those now
(laughing).
SG: You played at Bugojno, a super-tournament. AJM: That was two years ago- then I was popular. One of the things that bugs me is Tilburg-I played there twice. The first year I pushed Karpov all the way for first place. Second year I came third equal. Both years I had more decisive games than anyone else in the tournament and more interesting games. Next year my Elo rating
"/ heard thaI KarpovJell insulled by my choice 0/ opening " 137
/36 "/ heard that KarpoliJelt insilited by my choice % pening "
goes down and Ihey don't invile me because my Elo rating's 100 low. They do invile Kavalek and Hort who the previous year had both drawn 10 out of 1 1 games in under 20 moves, just because they had about 2600 Elo rating. That sort of really annoyed me, so I vowed this year I'm collecting Elo points. My real ambition, and I hope this doesn'l get back 10 them but you can prinl it if you like, is to get a 2600 rating, get n i vited to Tilburg and draw all I I games. (laughing) SG: That's being spiteful isn't it? (laughing). AJM: Slightly, yes, but I mean considering the way I played there you know, I thought it was a bit spiteful not to invite me. SG: I remember you came second in '77, a last round loss. AIM: Yes, well I had nOlhing to play for. SG: Have you thought about working as a second in the Candidates, do you think that would help your play? AIM: No: (a) I haven't been asked, and (b) il doesn't appeal to me very much. It might help my play, yes-God! ... being stuck at a World Championship match for three months.
SG: I'm just surprised you're not more serious aboul improving.
AJM: Well, as I say, l don't think iI's a realislic possibility to win the World Championship. Bow much do I want to improve-I want to be a good player, I'd like to get, say, in the top len in the world. My ambition mis year is to get my Elo rating over 2600, so I get invited to the tournaments I want 10 be invited to. Other than that, I don't really
have any concrete ambitions. Candidates matches I'd like to get into, but the trouble is I have absolutely no match experience, so what chance have I got? And, there is no way I'm going to get it-in Holland Timman's got lots of sponsors who provide him with matches against Spassky, Han and Polugayevsky-everyone-there's no way I could get that in England. Winning the World Championship is just not realistic to me-so, I'd like to improve. SG: What infonnal about matches against Stean. Nunn or Meste1? AJM: What's the challenge? It would be embarrassing to lose to them, there's nothing to prove there. The point of having a match is to play someone really strong and get some tough match practice. SG:
Horrors if you should lose?
AIM: Well, I don't play so well against the English players. I find
that close to home, if I give a simultaneous exhibition near my home town, all these people I remember ten years ago that actually beat me over the board. II's terrible, if they were anywhere else they'd be fish, I'd smash them flat ... it's a psychological problem, get: me far away from home, no problem, I kill people. SG: Leonard Barden has said that maybe Miles isn't the besl in England. Do you feel motivated to remain the best player in England? AJM: Oh,
I hadn't read that!
Who's he saying is now?
SG: He says ii's becoming unclear now-Stean has had some good results and Nunn is pushing you on the Elo list.
AIM: Yes, they are both playing well and improving. But...er. .. well ... when they start beating Karpov an� winning tournaments OK falf enough. I don't worry abo�t whether I'm the best player tn England. I sort of aim a little bit higher than that.
SG: You don't feel pressured? Or don't you worry about it? AIM: I'd worry about it if I thought it was realistic-prob�bly . retire if I thought it was reahstlc (laughing). No, I ha�e some pride-J do want to remam the best player in Britain. The others, both Stean and Nunn have had very good results, but I think if you asked Stean and Nunn personally what they thought-I heard Nunn saying in an interview about his prospects, that he thought the furthest he would go was the Interzonal, maybe. But he didn't see how he'd get there because there were only two places in our zone and as far as he could see Timman and I were going to occupy them. I think I am generally accepted as English number one and staying there unless Short maybe improves a bit in ten years. SG: But, you have had troubles at the British Championship. AJM: Yes, I told you, the thing playing close to home, it's the complex, I play badly. Also the thing about the British is I don :t want 10 win it, I want to smash It flat. I want to score 1 1-0 there and I play for that. And that's why I don.'1 win. If think if 1 just played to WI!, iI, I'd win it. But, what do I prove If I win that? SG: year?
Are you playing again this
AJM: No, I shouldn't think so. SG: year?
Why
did you play
last
AJM: Because they had an appeal, it was suppon for the Interzonal. So I felt J should make an appearance, sort of show my face, a little show of appreciation.
SG:
...Where was I again?
AIM: You were at Hastings and
with Barden saying I'm no longer any good and I'm over the hill-I know I'm too old. (laughing) SG:
How old are you?
AJM: Me? That's a secret. I feel
about 86!
SG: Why is it you beat Spassky all the time now? AJM: There's been a couple of draws since-I beat him twice heavily, lovely games, very pretty .. (pause), sorry, what do you want me to say about them? (I01/ghing) .
SG: I wondered if there was any special reason?
AlM: No, I just played a couple of nice games-l do it every now and then, not very often. SG: Who opponents for Karpov?
are difficult you outside of
AJM: Korchnoi! Portisch, Hort, and I don't know if Timman is still a problem. I have stopped my rot against him and I've stopped my rot against Hort as well. SO: Who's particularly easy for you, that's a really good grandmaster? AJM: I wouldn't insult anyone by calling them easy. SO: Well, someone you enjoy to play against then-that's a nicer way to put it.
138
"I heard that Karpovfelt insulted by my choice ofopening "
enjoy playing against? I don't know... t enjoy playing Spassky, Larsen. A1M: Who
SG:
Geller?
AIM: Well, I've only played him three times, I have 21h against him. No, I'm taking enjoy literally-who you get interesting games against. Larsen, I suppose, because he he interestingly, plays always always plays to win. He's fun to play against. Oh, Hon. What SG: like players Ljubojevic?
player there you'd say Ljubojevic by a mile. But, then in the InterzonaL. maybe he just felt the pressure was on him because he'd been playing so well. He just played like a moron.
How did he take it?
AJM: He was coming apart. You could sec him silting there shaking his head. He didn't know what was happening. I didn't know what happened-J felt sorry for him. The way he had been playing all year ! thought he was favourite to qualify but he had a disaster-that's the way it goes.
AIM: ! shall play. You know me, ! play. As ! say, this year I'm trying to accumulate Elo points. When you do that, you win tournaments accidentally ! find. 1'1\ find out what my expected score is, I'll aim for a point or so more, J shall play solidly the tournament I'll win and accidentally!
(laughing).
London 1980
do you think of and Romanishin
very is AIM: Romanishin talented, I have always been very i pressed by Romanishin because m I've played with him ever since junior tournaments. Ljubojevic, I was extremely impressed by in South America last year. I played with him in Buenos Aires and he really really played well there. He killed everybody. He was fantastic. Korchnoi, who tied for first with Ljubojevic, was grovelling and swindling all the locals in endings. Korchnoi looked tired and jaded. If you had to pick who was the bener
SG:
How do you think you will SG: do in London?
The Phillips and Drew King's tournament held in London last month was the strongest event to be staged in England for haif a century. It was also the scene of an astonishing (for this calibre of event) amount of fighting chess. The lead changed hands more times than I can remember.
I nearly got the tournament off to a sensational stllrt by leaving my whole position ell prise against Short. First one pawn went, then two, then my king was kicked right across the board. In the adjournment session ! blundered a piece as well, but Short just took another pawn instead. Luckily the position was so won that he spent most of the 'space second session playing eventually was and invaders' punished when I jettisoned my fourth(!) pawn to activate my three remaining pieces for a monstrous
(see problems chapler). (Miles ",on consecutive victories Nllnn, compatriots /lis over Speelman and Stean ill rOllflds 4 to 6). My pet Dragon breathed fire all swindle
over John Nunn. He tried Karpov's latest idea but my improvement substantial. seems (16...:'xc4!)
"I heard that Karpovfell insilited by my
choice ofopening "
139
ial' in a row! And another 'Ulf spec an -this time Browne conceded the from n paw n isolated quee s lit up! opening and Ulfs eye e: gam 'he fter a said ln Pine! (Nul ps as bisho two Walter had the �/t'spretty bad when yOIl call " even deter not did that but , ation pens com uwt the World Champion'). dled twid and led the Swede. He fidd uaded pers In round eight ! tried the unusual and es mov S I for ily hllpp the good 2...bS!? against Browne and Browne to part with his the to ed spos scule mini a only game rapidly tran had still bishop. He As the after dreaded Binningham defence. but just ntage adva ned a off e cam ns quee against Karpov 1 soon obtai the adjournment extra rican comfortable position (and an and immediately the Ame time half an hour on the clock). This blundered. and luck my push to the I decided not With two rounds to play ate my offered a draw to consolid ced to redu been had rs ende cont Browne position. nko had tournament four. Korchnoi and Soso g akin -m utes min forty for thought 7 and Andersson had 7 had i, l I 71h/ wisely Larsen me regret my offer-before plus an adjournment against ish. draw be accepting. to ght thou was h whic I ten, d to roun ed in il seem Against Korchno AI this point Sosonko cy, red it, mer igno his He at . nt draw ame a tourn red offe have the t for a ts being replied 19 ...dS? and wen his remaining opponen few a having a for gh led, puzz thou , , ered who pond walk. ! Speelman ed a obvious fantastic tournament, seem minutes before playing the who e, n ntag Stea adva and t, my h poin a whic chance for 20 cxd5, after a single and safe. won r not clea is had ll, then sma l gh unti thou on had to board: game. In contrast Anderss Korchnoi returned to the it chnoi, with was Kor o? then (wh and they me but me, play "'Excuse e against red a Korchnoi's remaining gam advice!?) tell me you offe against I e min did" ! " and ."iu hear not orgh Ghe did I draw? I ell "W Ljubojevic. affinned-short pausely a moves." would like to play a few The next day there was hard g to w I bein kne I out in way Aga t. ect corr even le only ictab (The pred the for ion ated tent repe con not in decline since J had had to win to get er one long From no e did! I efor n ther agai was and it e and first plac offer ations I e-20... of Ulfs own favourite vari valid.}-Another short paus cally ely geti ectiv ener Obj ! and draw a edge rs got a safe exdS and offe of the after increased it in the direction I should play on a little, but with used black king. A pawn sac left me some minutes mildly bem ined a dominant position and susta thought I decided not 10 bother. de Swe the ually Grad n pressure. In round ten, a classic Andersso the birthday me give to ked crac ring victo!), with his knights whir t and present I most wanted-a poin fell off round Larsen's head until it lman Spee lead! the of share a were three days later! Such games i chno Kor and nko, crushed Soso ly never meant to be annotated, mere lming whe over an in d urne adjo d played through in awe. Roun (You position against Gheorghiu. five eleven-Vlf the unstoppable-
ing. White was dead from the open same the st almo won had 1 ally Actu Lone game twO weeks earlier at
140 "I heard that Karpovfelt insulted by my choice ofopening " may think the lasl predictable, but read on.) In the adjournment Andersson won from Larsen, bUI Korchnoi missed a string of wins, one of which was study-like with the main variation a mate in two(!) and drew.
be hoped that we do not have to wait quile so long for the next.
So with one round to play Andersson, Korchnoi and I had 8 and Sosonko 71n. Andersson had White against Korchnoi, I Black against Ljubojevic and Sosonko White against Stean.
Old India" Defelice
If there is one thing I like about tournaments it's winning them, and equal first I count as winning. Korchnoi headed straight for a variation against drawing Andersson. So I was happy to draw but Ljubojevic had White and wanted to play. Not enough, though. to prepare well, and his ad-libbing was awful. By move ten I was already better. I decided to otTer a draw on the principle that if he turned it down it would mOliV3le me sufficiently 10 beat him! Also, as Portisch once wrote, when you've worked hard all through a tournament to get a good result, it's terribly difficult to risk it all on one game-I had not won a tournament for a long time (or one this strong ever). Ljubojevic reluctantly came to his senses. The other two drew soon afler and Stean did us all a favour by lurching into action and beating Sosonko. So, the first(!?) Phillips and Drew King's tournament was over, with a three-way tie between Korchnoi, Andersson and myself, and a well-deserved GM nonn for Speelman. It was the first event of this calibre to be held in Britain for over half a century. It is greatly to
61 A.J.Miles White B.Larsen Black London 1980
From round seven, a powerful crunch against Larsen. On move ten, via a lillie con trick, I secured a bigger advantage than would have accrued from the 'best' move. He missed his last real chance to keep his head above water-with 19 ...b5.
" , heard that Karpovfelt insulted by my choice ofopening " /4/
Told you! 11 �cI 0-0 12 h3 �gf6 J3 cSt advantage is Now White's serious. 13 ..:l'c7 14 cxd6 'i'xd6 IS .t.e3 :'e8 1 6 '5'c2 Also promising was 1 6 dxe5 tOxe5 1 7 tOd2! followed by f4 and <5. 16 . .exd4 17 �xd4 cS 18 �e3 Not 1 8 e5 "'c7 and White's advantage vanishes. .
18..:l'c7 19 l:tadl
The Old Indian is mely seen nowadays, but by no means a bad opening.
..•
An interesting (new?) idea. Black postpones castling in the hope of rapid play on the creating queenside. However White's next is crucial.
.
.
? objectively, !! psychologically. Correct is 10 dxe5 dxe5 I I :b I ! (intending b4) with advantage, and I knew it. After the text Black's best is 1O ......xb2! when after 1 1 lOa4 "'a3, in view of the threats of ...b5 and ...0.xe4 White must force a draw by 12 �cl � 13 �d2 etc. However, Larsen was not doing too well in the tournament and, knowing Ihe fighting Dane, I was sure he would avoid the draw. So this way I maintain Ihe tension and get an even bigger advantage! 10...lilg4
The solution is quite simple once you've seen it, but I was sweating at the time!
27 tOxf4 28 'i'xf4! But not 28 llxd8? ltlxh3+! 29 gxh3 l:txd8 30 'i'xd8 "xO. Now White crashes through to n.
6 �e2 c6 7 0-0 a6!?
8 . g6 9 .1h6 "b6 to /OO?!!
24...l:tad8 25 lbdS! �xgS 26 'i'xg5Wg7! Still finding the best moves. Now White must be careful. The obvious 27 g4 allows 27... h6 28 ..we3 b51 with strong counterplay and the tempting 27 lbh4 is also not clear after 27 ...lOe6.
27 tOf4! Continuing to remove the king's defenders.
I d4 lllf6 2 c4 d6 3 lllc3 cS 4 tOo 0.bd7 5 e4 �e7
8 lllh4! The threat of /Ors is a real headache.
Not an easy move to find. The immediate occupation of d5 is not so clear. First White must soften up the kingside dark squares.
28...l:td7 If 28 ... tbe6 29 'i'f6+ and .1xe6. 29 l:td6! t9 ..b6? The crucial error. As will soon become clear 1 9...b5 was essential. From now on the Dane from Spain goes plainly down the drain (forgive me-put it down to silly elation). .
20 '5'd2! With the destructive plan of .t.f4 and e5. 20... �b7 21 �f4 'i'c6 22 e5 /OhS 23 �c4! With a good old-fashioned assault on n-the need for ...b5 is now apparent. 23...lbf8! Larsen resists stoutly. Weaker is 23...:ad8 24 �d5 and e6. 24 �gS!
Splat! 29.. .111',7 30 'lff6+ �g8 31 IilgS :'de7 32 e6! I was also tempted by 32 :'fdl b5 33 /Oxr7! :'xn 34 l:td7!! but being short of lime I decided not to be too clever. [n the post mortem
141
"I heard that Karpovfelt insulted by my choice ofopening " 143
"I heard that Karpovfell insulted by my choice ofopening "
Ljubojevic spotted the counterswipe 34....i.d5!!
amusing
It loses a rook to 35 "xf7+ but in time trouble it might have given me a heart attack!
32...fxe6 33 �xe6 Black resigned---everything falls
apart.
62 F.Gheorghiu White A.J.Mlles Black London 1 980
Nimzo-Indiall Defence had a good day. After three nondescript games I was determined to make up ground. By move 14 Gheorghiu offered a draw but he was already worse. By move 30 and after less than 31n hours play he was mated.
1 d4 1Or6 2 <4 .6 3 1013 b6 4 1&l Gheorghiu has for some time played 4 a3 here with great success, but at Skara Polugayevsky introduced the interesting idea 4 ... c5 5 e3 g6!1 and Timman had used it to beat Browne in the first round. I knew Gheorghiu was scared of this -apart from anything else he made the ridiculous mistake of telling me! Tile text is a sneaky trick hoping for 4...�b7 5 a3!
4...�b4! Can't fool me!
5 .tg5 h6 6 .th4 g5 7 .tg3 10.4 8 "'c2 .tb7 9 e3 �xc3+ 10 bxc3 The game has now transposed to a sharp variation of the Nimzo-Indian. The fashionable continuation is now 1 0...1'5 I I .td3 d6 12 d5 (!) (Korchnoi had tried 12 a41? against Timman but it wasn't very impressive) as was played in
Gheorghiu-Speelman. Black did well in both these games, but it's all a bit sharp for my taste. Preparing for the game I wondered if Black could avoid the loosening pawn moves (... f5, .. .d6) and simply develop - naturally - exchange twice and play ...1Oc6, ....e7/ffi and either .. ,0-0-0 or leave the king in the centre. I looked up my idea in ECO and found the " refutation" an obscure Russian game which made no sense at all to me. So, after a short look, I decided it was worth a try:
19....i.xO 20 �xO 1Wr6! 21 We2 &4! Black's game plays itself.
22 ••4 dS 23 itlxgS Winning a pawn, but losing the game. However Black was already threatening various nasties, for instance 23 ...g4 24 llll i4 l:I.xh4! etc, and on 23 "' a8+ �d7 24 "'a4+ either ...We7 or 24 ...Wd6 25 �+ Wc6 and ../�b7.
28...Q:lxe3+! 29 be3 '''xg3 30 We2 l:I.h2+ White resigned. 3 1 Wd3 "'g6+ 32 e4 C'After e4 White's game is in its last throes" -Reti(?).) 32 ....xe4 mate. (How true!)
10 ...�xg3!? I I hxg3 Q:lc6 12 l:I.bl!?
Ellcyclopaedia gives ' 1 2 o!Od2 "!" 12 .. .'a"e7 1 3 �b3 0-0-0 14 a4 d6 1 5 a5±'. I f you believe that you 'll believe anything.
To quote the tournament bulletin: "A wonderful game" - Miles(!). "Don't put that quole in" -Miles.
12.....e7 1 3 cS hS! There is no hurry to castle. The text is a useful prelude to a kingside attack. What strikes me about this whole variation (with ...1Oc6 and .....e7) is that the black king is always safer than his opposite number. He can hide either on the queenside or in the centre, but where can the white one go?
14 �e2 Here my choice of opening was vindicated when Gheorghiu offered a draw. But Black is already beller-he has the sounder structure and safer king...
14 ...Q:laS IS �d2 i.xg2 16 lbhS 0-0-0 ...and now a strong attack. 17 cxb6 axb6 1 8 :xh8 l:I.xh8 19 .tn This is clearly unsatisfactory, but White has no good moves probably he is already lost.
I didn', say anything of the kind -I said brilliant, not wonderful.
23...Wb7! Simple but absolutely decisive.
24 itlO 'i'f5! 25 l:I.cl 25 1Wb3 makes no difference.
2S....g4! The pin is killing. The immediate threat is .. .�51 and ... e5 is alway" in the wings. White's reply is forced.
26.dl l:I.hS! 27 Wn 27 Wd3 allows ...itlb2+ and otherwise Black would continue 27 ...l:I.5 28 .h I eS winning the knight.
27...l:I.hl+ 27...i!l:xI2+ is also good, but I prefer the text-it's more elegant, and also mate!
'81Og1
A tough opponent 63
A.J.l\tiles White U.Andersson Black Las Palmas 1980
King's Indian Fianchetto, Exchange Variation The Swede, Vlf Andersson, is generally regarded as being one of the hardest people to beat in international chess. His ultra cautious style, never creating the slightest unnecessary weakness or taking an unavoidable risk, can often be exploited to save bad positions but to beat him is another matter entirely. Before this year I had only succeeded once and that in rather dubious fashion. However, at London I finally managed to
144 " I heard that Karpovfelt insulted by my choice ofopening " produce a good game against him on my birthday as it happened-and al Las Palmas the bubble was well and truly burst. I g3
I like this move; in these days when the average club player knows his pet line of the Sicilian or King's Indian to move thirty it is nice to be able to start play on the first move. or course it can transpose to regular openings but even then you usually gain 10 minutes on the clock! Another great advantage of ] g3 is that it deters 1 b6! Deters? Well, actually it doesn't prevent it; as Black I once won a nice blitz game with I g3 b6 2 �g2 liX:6 3 b4!? �b7 4 iib2?? "c8! S bS lbd4! Resigns-in disgust! Meanwhile back at Miles-Andersson... 1 c5 2 i.g2 !!Oc6 3 !!On g6 4 c3 •••
...
Heading for what is considered to be a drawing variation, but I have great faith that White cOIn keep an edge, and have played it many times. 4 i.g7 5 d4 cxd4 6 cxd4 dS At london, a month earlier, we reached a similar position, but with ... lLlf6 instead of ...lOc6. Then I continued 7 lOtS! (note 7 0-010-0 8 iDes is ineffective owing to 8...!!Og4! Now 7.AJg41 fails to 8 "'a4+. Doubtless delaying 0-0 is not original but I am sure its importance is not widcly recognised.) 7 ... 0-0 8 1ilc3 e6 9 .igS h6 10 .if4 Iilfd7 I I "'d2lLlxe5 12 i.xeS �6 13 �xg7 ¢'xg7 14 a-a with a small advantage. After 14 .. .'''f6!? 15 :tOld] l:td8 16 l:tfe l l (almost zugzwa � g !) 16 ...Wh7 17 e4 dxe4 18 lLlxe4 "'g7 19 Wf4 fS (19 ... gS 20 Iilffi+
¢>g8 28 "'eS is fun.) 20 d5! it turned n i to a big one. 7 lLlc3 e6
7...lLlf6 8 lOtS! is known to give an edge-there is no good way to avoid a backward c-pawn. S .if4
White must play accurately. If Black gets in ...&7-fS quickly then e3 will be forced and White will have nothing. 8...lLlge7 9 "'d2! 0-0
The point is that 9...lLlfS is met by 10 lLlbS! 0-0 I I g41 and White keeps an initiative. 1 0 �h6
I considered 10 g4!? but decided to play quietly. Vlf doesn't like having his good bishops exchanged! IO �xh6 I I "'xh6 lLlr5 12 "'d2 b6 •••
•..
I 3 ltdl
A useful semi-waiting move. At first sight it may seem passive, but it isn't. Firstly if White plays 'naturally' with 0-0 and :tac1 Black will simply oppose on the c-file, rooks will be exchanged and the game will soon be drawn. Consequently I wanted to start operations on the kingside, but first it is necessary to stabilise the centre.
"I heard Ihat Karpol!fell inslIlled by my choice of opening " 145 The move has several points: First it supports d4 so that the defence . ...1"6 does not come with tempo, secondly after a later lLles, lDxeS, dxeS White will have tricks lDe4 01" e4, and lastly it waits for the bishop to move away from protecting e6. 13 ...�a6 14 h4! .
The real plan.
1 8 'IIh6 ltf7
Alternatively
(a) 1 8...'I'g7 19 "xg7+ ¢'oxg7 20 Iilgs.
(b) 18......f7 19 ..h4 ! andlLlgS. (c) 18......e7 19 /l)eS intending lLlxg6 or lLlxdS.
14...lLla5??
A terrible, perhaps even the losing move. Not so much that it ignores the kingside but that it gives away control over eS. It may seem hard to believe but Black will never get time to retrieve this knight.
Instead Black should consider 14 ...f6 (petrosian) but IS .th3 gives an edge, 14 ......f6 (probably safest) or 1 4...l:tc8. Note, however, that 14 ... hS is dubious-White continues with 15 Wf4 followed by either .lth3 or g4 according to Black's reply. 15 g4! lbd6 The problem is that 1 5...lOc4 allows 16 'l'd3, threatening 17 b3, and on 16...lOce3 17 Wxa6 lLlxg2+ I S �n Iilfxh4 19 1ilcS (1ilh2!?) the black cavalry might be ch:lrged with desertion. Perhaps he can survive e.g. 19 ... �gS 20 'l'd3!? f6 21 1Oc6 "xg4 22 'Wh3! but I doubt it. 16 hS Crude but effective. 16 ...'I'r6 1 7 hxg6!
The correct time for the exchange. Black has an unpleasant decision. 17 fxg6 If 1 7 ...hxg6 1 8 gS! and if 1 8 .....g7 19 'l'f4 followed by �S'd7lg4-f6, or 18 ...'I'e7 19 "'f4! (intending Will) 19 ...r " 'g7 20 'i'cS+ f6 21 gxf6+ l:txf6 22 lLlxd5! wins, and of course 17...'I'xg6 18 'i'f4 and l:th6 is horrible. ..•
19 g5! Wg7
If 19.....f4 20 l:th4! 'i'f5 21 i h3 . wins, or 19 .....f5 20 i.h3. And 19......e7 20 lbes l:tffB or g7 21 lLlxdS is curtains. 20 1ile5 'iWxh6
If20...l:tb7 21 e4! or 20...l:tffS 2 1 lLlxdS! "'xh6 (2l ...exdS 22 .t.xdS+ ¢>h8 23 lLlxg6+) 22 0.e7+ or : . anywhere else 2 l lLlxdS!
21 Itxh6 ltff8
Again if 21...l:tb7 22 e4 or else lLlxdS. 22 Iild7 1tf7 23 Iilf6+ �hS 24 i.h3!
Useful, preventing ... lLlfS from gaining a tempo. Now if24 ... :te7 25 �xe6! or 24 ...lLlf5 25 .ltxfS gxf5 26 ¢>d2! lLlc4+ 27 ¢>c1 :tc8 28 l%dh1 :tcc7 29 lLle8! and g6 wins. (if 27...ltbS 2S IIdhl Itbb7 29 IilhS will suffice). So there is only one, albeit ugly, move. 24 ....tc8 25 Wd2!
J46 "J Ireard thai Karpovfelt insulted by my choice ofopening "
Threatening simply .tr.h l , i.xe6 and llxh7+ mating.
25...lIg7 Intending lOf7,
26 f4 l:b8 27 Ahl lOac4+
28 �d3(!) IIbb7 29 b3 1ila3 ...l'tla5 makes no difference.
30 e4! The final assault.
30 ... dxe4+ 3 1 'Ocxe4 t;)xe4 32 �xe4lOb5 If 32...J:tbc7 still 33 ¢leS! e.g. 33 ....i.b7 34 .tr.h2 llc 1 35 �f5! Ae I+ 36 �e4 winning. 33 �eS! Stops ...lOd6 and threatens d5.
33..Jlbe7 34 i.n!
World Opcn 64 A.J Miles White .
B.Kogan Black
World Open, Philadelphia 1980
Queen 's Gambit Declined
Recently I took part in the "World Opcn"-really just a pretentious week long Swiss-in Philadelphia. With an entry of around 500, the vast disparity of strength and rapid time limits are bound to produce their share of incidents. Indeed, as early as the first round the top-rated Rumanian GM Gheorghiu lost to an unknown American. However, nine rounds is enough for class to tell and he won his next six to draw level with Dzindzihashvili, Alburt, Bass, Kogan, Kudrin, Benjamin, Seirawan and myselfin the lead. Incidentally, with all the outcry over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan I really think it is high time Jimmy Carter began to pay anention to the Soviet invasion-or infiitration-of the USA. Of the above named the first five (!) are all Soviet emigres. On top of that Seirawan is of Libyan (via England) origin so the only genuine American was Benjamin. Another example: a few months ago an under-14 match over four boards was held between England and the USA and the first three boards of the American team were all of Soviet origin!
Black resigned. There is no answer to .i.d3.
Anyway, back at the tournament Gheorghiu disposed of Benjamin and Kogan beat his better known compatriot Alburt. My strenuous efforts to beat Bass very nearly rebounded completely but eventually I salvaged a draw. The Dzindzihashvili-Seirawan encounter caused chaos. The game started at
"I heard tlrat Karpovfelt inmlted by my clloice ofopening " 147
I I am and from the opening Dzindzi was clearly better but encountered serious resistance. The game went on and on and on. The last round was scheduled to start at 6.30 but al 8.30 (1) they were still playing, numerous clear wins and draws having been missed. Finally, when it at last became clear that Dzindzihashv ili was winning, the controller decided that the game should be adjourned so that the last round could start. Predictably Gheorghiu and Dzindzi drew quickly and strangled Kogan competently to join them. The North American contingent finally came to the top when Christiansen (USA) and Day (Canada) won their last round games to create a five-way win.
To the average player it might seem that Black has equalised but, in fact, White has a significant advantage. It lies in two things: firstly the restricted state of the black bishop and secondly the vulnerability of his b-pawn.
20...i.d7 21 'i'e4! J:tb8 22 Adl �e8 23 h3 'i'e7 24 a4 llc8 25 i.e2 b6 26 'i'd4! "'c7 27 i.f3 ...5 28 1IId5 �f1I 29 111.4! �g8 30 i.g4 l:tb8 31 AdS! f6 32 -..d3 'i'e7 33 IId6 .tg6 34 1IId5+ .tf7 35 �e6 .i.xe6 36 llxe6 'l'n 37 'i'd6 Decisive, if 37...Ab7 38 'i'd8+. 37......rs 38 .tr.e7 �h7 39 'i'c7 %la8 40 An
I d4 lOf6 2 c4 e6 3 €In dS 4 tOcJ �.7 5 �r4 Since my opponent was about 40 and originally Russian, I guessed he had been weaned on orthodox Queen's Gambit Declined-hence the text.
5...0-0 6 e3 c5 7 dxc5 �xcS 8 'i'c2 lOc6 9 33 'i'e7 10 J:tdl AdS I I b4 i.d6 12 �gS dxc4 13 i.xc4 a5 14 bS lOeS 15 tt'lxeS �xe5 16 llxd8+ 'ihd8 17 lOe4! h6 18 lOxf6+ i.xr6 19 .i.xf6 'i'xr6 20 0-0
40...'i'g8 41 Axr6 "'d8 42 "'xd8 %lxd8 43 Axb6 Adl+ 44 ¢>h2 Aal 45 Ae6 llxa4 46 llxeS llb4 47 b6 a4 48 llaS and (eventually) Black resigned. 65 J.Rlzzitano While A.J.Mlles Black
World Open (Philadelphia) 1980
Sicilioll Defence
Two problems from my New Slatesman column came from one
of my games from the World Open in Philadelphia which gave rise to several difficult practical decisions.
148
"
"I heard tlrat Karpovfelt iI/suited by my choice of opel/iI/g "
I heard ,hal Karpov felt insulted by my choice of opelling"
I e4 cS 2 d4 cxd4 3 c3?! tLlf6
I do not believe that White's third move is sound and in a normal international tournament I would cenainly take the pawn. However, playing to a fast time control I had no wish 10 walk into any prepared analysis. 4 eS tL'tdS S cxd4 e6 6 tL'tf3 b6!? 7 tL'tc3 �b1 8 �d3 tUxc3 The alternative is 8...�e7 and hold the strongpoint on dS but I wanted to clarity- the central situation. 9 bxc3 'i'c7 10 �d2 d6 I I 0-0 tL'td7 12 :el dxeS 13 tOxeS t;JxeS 14 .:txeS i.d6 15 :hS g6
Now king moves are unpleasant on principle and even more so in analysis: 16 .. .r�f;e7 1 7 'i'g4! and if 17 ...gxhS (there is no good move) 18 "gS+ �f8 (or 1 8... f6 19 'i'g7+) 19 'i'f6 �xh2+ 20 eRfi �xg2+! 2 1 ¢'el! :gS (or 21...eRgS 22 .ih6) 22
27 �xh2 h4 28 ¢'gl
The threat was ...hxg3+ followed by g2 and :'hl+. 28.,.hxg3 29 fxg3
17 'l'O!
1 7...0-0-0
winning the exchange. However, White's light square control and Black's split pawns give good compensation so the basic assessment of 16 �bS+ is 'interesting'. 18 �xc6
16 �b5+!?
26...hS!
Much stronger than ...�xg3.
...
As the Bombay contingent has pointed out, White can also tl)' 1 8 'i'xc6 "xc6 (or 1 8...gxhS 19 "a8+ drawing) 19 �xc6 gxhS 20 �gS lIdfS 2 1 �f6 11hg8 22 �c4 lIg6 (!) (there is no good way to hang on to the exchange) 23 �xg6 hxg6 with perhaps a faint edge to Black thanks to the hanging pawns. and now we have the position of the first problem. If White simply retreats his rook then Black can castle queenside and break open the centre with ...eS with a good position. So, instead, he tried
�e4 it is not clear that Black has anything convincing.
�h6+ winning, or 16 .. .';ors 1 7 �h6+ ¢'gS IS l:th3. So 16 �c6 Now an exchange of light-squared bishops would highlight the weaknesses on dS and c4 and favour Black. Therefore White must try and if 17 ...:'cS? IS �xc6+ 'l'xc6 19 'l'f6 is crushing, but Black has the counterstroke
1 8 gxhS 19 a4 a6 •..
To contest at least a couple of the light squares and hide the king on '7. 20 �e4 ¢'b8 21 'i'xhS .tr4 22 �el!
The exchange of bishops would give Black clear play. Now White prepares g3 followed by �g2 and
'110 . 22
5 23 �d3
...
¢'a7 24 'l'e2
Perhaps he should have tried 24 g3 first. Now after 24 �xh2+ 25 eRhl .•.
149
we reach the position of the second problem, the critical stage of the game. White's threats are numerous: �xa6 followed by as blasting open the queenside, "xe6 just taking Black's pawns and g3 trapping the bishop. It is clear that there is no way to defend the position and, consequently, Black must go for all out attack. Hence I chose 2S...:'dg8! I
still believe this to be best though the outcome is uncenain. Of the more plausible alternatives 2S......f4 is met by 26 g3 'i'h6 27 ¢'g2 f4 2S �xa6 and White's play s i coming quickly. 25 ... eS looks too slow after 26 �xa6 followed by as; 2S ... :'hgS copes better with 26 'i'xe6 but after 26 g3 hS ( ... .txg3 probably suffices to draw) 27 �xh2 h4 28 .... f3 I don't see how Black breaks through. 26 g3?
This does seem to be the fatal mistake. Also bad is 26 �xa6 :'xg2! ! 27 ¢'xg2 :'g8+ 2S cJfh3 'l'f4 (or ...'I'g7) 29 'l'hS .tgl! 30 'l'f7+ cRxa6 3 1 'l'xg8 'l'h2 mate; 26 as is interesting but after ... bS it is not clear who the difference favours. White's best defence, though, is 26 'l'xe6! when, although 26...:'g6 27 'ii'xf5 :h6 looks dangerous, after 28
29,..:'xg3+!
The decisive breakthrough. 30 .txg3 ',!r'xg3+ 31 'l'g2 "'e3+ 32 fI "'(4+ 35 eRel '5'c7 36 :'e1 :'h2 and White resigned. Chess circuit Incidentals
66
A.J.MiJes White O.Panno Black
Pueno-Madryn 19S0
Queen ·s Indiall Defence
All South Americans are crazy. Maybe it's just the way they organise things but I don't think so. lt was a Friday night and I had gone to bed early with a case of severe jet-lag. I was looking forward to a month of peace and quiet after one too many tournaments. Sometime
J 50
"/ heard that Karpov felt insulted by my choice ofopening "
"/ heonl 'hat Karpovfelt insulted by my choice ofopening "
after midnight the phone rang. 1 reached out into the darkness, more to kill the noise than anything else. There was a distant crackling on the line and then a vaguely familiar voice: "Ello ... Mice?" (Rentokil No. Spanish speakers always have trouble with Is so I have grown accustomed to this form of address.) I grunted. ;;Eez Miguel Quinteros" he added uncertainly. 1 grunted again. "You want to play tournament?" "When?" 1 yawned. " You get here Thursday?" (here being Buenos Aires). 1 forgel my exact words but they weren't printable. However, al the mention of a well-known currency with a sufficient number of zeros behind it, my month of peace became a thing of the past. The tournament at least sounded a pleasant affair: a double-round quadrangular with Ljubojevic, Panno and Quinteros. At this point one might be forgiven for thinking that the fun was over and, until Madrid, it was. Personally 1 have always liked DC lOs. Usually enough people are suspicious of Ihem to create an adequate number of empty seats for a decently comfortable snooze on a long flight (1n future my view may possibly change!). Literally seconds after take-off there was a distant bang to my left followed by a noticeable smell of burning. This turned out to be an engine exploding and had it occurred a few seconds earlier the NS might well be looking for a new chess columnist. The laudable cairn in the captain's voice as he announced that we would be returning to Madrid airport due to a "slight technical problem" was hardly borne out by the expressions on the faces of the rest of the crew. Fortunately the
landing was uneventful but Ihe engine was enough of a write-off thai all the passengers, aOer a day's delay, had to be transferred to other flights. In my ignorance 1 had assumed that the tournament would be played in Buenos Aires-wrong. On arrival 1 was whisked through customs at VIP speed and into a car for the national airport, an hour's drive away. The connecting flight left in fifty minutes but, as I have learned from rny mildly terrifying experience, any self-respecting Argentinian driver can cut a third off any journey by ignoring one-way streets and driving along central reseIVations. So it proved and, after a further two-hour flight and another hour's drive, the small town of Puerto Madryn was reached. As it was only a four-player tournament I had hoped, in my innocence, that the first round might be postponed for a day to allow for reeovery. Wrong ngain. "You play at 9 pm" (!) I gulped, grabbed a sandwich and went to bed for a precious couple of hours rest. Thereafter, remarkably (or maybe not�what else could go wrong?) it was plain sailing. I started with 21;;.13 nnd only a piece of over-ambition meant that I had to be content with sharing first place with Ljubojevic on 4/6, with Panno 3 and Quinteros I .
d4 iOf6 2 c4 e6 3 ltJl3 b6 4 83 �b7 5 lOc3 dS 6 cxdS exdS 7 .i.f4 Jtd6 I
Ever since the Tal-Portisch game from Montreal Ihis move has been popular, but it is by no means clear that it is better than the older 7...iLe7.
8 �g3 36
The alternative is an immediate
8 ..c5 but Panno was concerned .
about 9 lOb5.
9 e3 0-0 10 %lei %lc8 I I iLd3 'llte7 Now if I I ...c5 12 dxcS bxc5 1 3
151
Again forced. On 2 1 ...ext5 White has numerous powerful moves: 22 IOcxe4 followed by 'llth3 or .i.xh7+; 22 lOxd5 and -.n3; 22 .txh7+ etc.
� is unpleasant. 12 b4(!)
Establishing a useful grip on the queenside.
12...lObd7 13 ""3 c6 The problem is that if Black plays, say, 1 3 ...%lab8 White has 14 hd6 'lltxd6 1 5 b5! with a clear advantage.
14 0-0 as 15 �f5(!)
22 lOd7! ltJdS Of course if22 ...'lltxf7 23 .te6, so this is the only move.
23 lOxd5 cxdS Here if 23 ...'lltxf7 24 lDf6+! wins (but not 24 iDe7+ ¢>fS).
24 .i.xd7! If24�, lOfS hangs on.
24...'ii'xd7? A useful little move-taking away the e6 square and retaining the possibility of exchanging to a good knight v bad bishop situation.
IS, .ub4 16 .txd6 'lltxd6 17 ub4 :a7 .
Very natural, but White has a strong rejoinder:
18 %lal %lea8 19 %lxa7 %lxa7 20 e4! dxe4 Virtually forced.
2 1 lOgS! And suddenly there is no good way to defend f7.
2L."e7
A difficult decision, but in my opinion 24..:i'xf7 was bener though after 25 'ln3 Black's game would be very difficult. Note in particulnr that his bishop is almost trapped.
2S lOeS 'ii'd6 26 IJ! Forcing a decisive opening of lines.
26.. i.c8 .
Desperation, hoping to survive a pawn down. Clearly 26...exf) 27 'a'O can be dismissed on purely positional grounds (as I did during the game) -good knight v bad bishop, open f-file, exposed black king,
152
"I heard Ihal Karpovfell insulled by my choice ofopening "
misplaced rook-but the analysis is entertaining, for e�ample: (a) 27 ..i.c8 28 lOm .e7 29 lOgS (threatening "�d5+) "d7 (or 29 .....d6 30 :el .d8 3 1 "'xd5+ "�d5 32 :e8 mate) 30 iOe6t h6 3 1 "'f8+ Wh7 32 "'f5+ Wg8 33 "eSt and Black is helpless. (b) 27 .. .i.a8 (looks stupid, but not so easy to refute) 28 ltlf7 "e7 (if 28...'i'�b4 29 lOh6+ gxh6 30 'l'g3+ Wh8 3 1 'i'b8+ wins) 29 "'g3 "'e8 (or 29... :b7 30 0h6+ Wh8 3 1 WeSt and amusingly Black cannot defend his back rank) 30 :el! Now: .
.
.
28 ...dxe4, 29 :c8+ mates. By now Panno was also in serious time trouble, but it does not matter-the position is beyond repair. 28 h6 29 :c6 :a1+ 30 wn "'e7 3 1 1ilf3
.
A talented
Simultaneously defending the kingside and consolidating the extra pawn.
67
,
G3usd31 1980
.••
33 :c8+ Wh7
tactician
A.J Miles White L.Karlsson Black
3 1 1i.n 32 eS 'i'a7 Allowing a pretty finish.
Queell's Indian Defelice Undoubtedly my best game from recent Norwegi3n tournaments was the following encounter from GaUsd3L My opponcnt, Lars Karlsson, is currently ranked number two in Sweden behind Ulf Andersson. He h3s a particular gift for obscure positions 3nd is very talented tactically. Last year he scored some sensational results 3nd at the European team championship in January he even beat probably the greatest tactical genius of all time, Mikhail T31, virtually at his own game.
(iii) 30......�f7 31 'i'b8+, or (iv) 30 ...'i'f8 3 1 lOh6+ Wh8 32 Wd6t "c8 (forced) 33 :fl and :f8 wins. (c) 27...i.a6 allows the simple 28 :a I or even 28 tOn ligain.
34 1OgS+! Ifnow 34 ...hIg5 35 'i'd3+ with an elegant trilemma: 35 ...Wh6 36 :h8 mate; 35 ....tg6 36 'i'h3+ �h5 37 "'xh5 mate, or 35 ...g6 36 'i'h3+ Wg7 37 'i'h8 mate. 34 Wg6 3S :c6+! WxgS 36 'i'g3+ WfS 37 'iff3+ WgS 38 Wg3 •..
1 d4 ll:'lf6 2 c4 e6 3 lOfJ b6 4 a3 d5 An interesting wrinkle. The usu31 move order is 4....tb7 5 &3 d5. This way Black preserves his for the queen's options bishop--maybe a6 or even else where after an exch3nge on d5. Anyway. seeing no particular method of exploiting it, I steered the game back to normal channels. S loc3 �e7 6 cIdS eIdS 7 g3 I have played 7 �f4 with some success but decided to try this for a change.
28 :e1! The move that Black overlooked. The switch to the c-fiie with the threat of :c6 is crushing. If
J 53
I I b4 as 12 "'b3 Perhaps 3 little tame. After the game my opponent suggested the more critical 12 b5 c5 13 tOes threatening to penetrate to c6 and if 13 ...lOxe5 14 dxe5 tOe4 1 5 lO�e4 d�e4 1 6 "c2. 1 2 bS ...
Not giving a secottd chance. Black needs his queen's knight for c4.
my
30 ...'i'd8 31 tDd6 and :e8+. (ii) 30...:e7 31 0h6+.
27 fxe4 .te6
And to my annoyance Panno ""cnlepped the time limit. 38 . . :.u 39 h4 mate would have been die appropriate conclusion.
...
(i)
The only other try to bail out is 26 ...e3 but 27 :e I wins a pawn whilst maintaining all the positional advantages.
"I heard that Kwpovfelt insulted by my choice ofopenillg "
7...0-0 8 il.g2 il.b7 9 0-0 Iilbd7 10 .t.f4 c6 A slow treatment in keeping with Karlsson's style-cS is the alternative.
From now on the central theme of the game is the relative qualities of the opposing minor pieces. Up to now all have been reasonable; with this choice Black commits his queen 's bishop to being 'bad' in compensation for making his queen's knight 'good'. t3 :acl axb4 Not 13 . lOb6 1 4 lL:ixb5! 14 a:cb4 :a6 IS :al . .
At the cost of two tempi White has established the queenside situation. 15 'Wb6 •..
If 15 .....a8 16 'i'b2 and White will take the a-file. 16 :xa6 "xa6 .7 lOci! It is essential to guard the squares on the a-file or Black would invade with ... :a8 and .....a3.
/54
"J heard that
KarpovJell insulted by my choice oj opening
17 li'lb6 18 ltlc2 lDc4 19 J:tal 'l'b6 20 e4 .•.
Beginning to undennine Black's good knight, whilst opening the position.
20 dxe4 2 1 ltlxe4 li'ld5 22 �c I ..•
Also interesting was 22 .i.g5 to tempt ...f6.
"
"/ heard that Karpov felt insillted by my choice ofopening " /55
stroke, all White's minor pieces will be good and none of Black's more than mediocre. Typically Karlsson tries to solve the problem tactically.
25 ...�xc5 26 bxcS "d8 27 e4! It's a bluff!
27 ...lLIf6 Forced. If 27 ...lOf4 28 lDxg2 29 ex5 wins a piece.
�b2!
28 'ii'dJ
29••�c4
U3
30 'l'fJ J:te8 3 J "'f4
Knocking at the back door. (If . instead ....e7 32 'ilid6 is strong).
32 d5! Not a move that demands much c:a1culation. White's whole build·up bas been directed towards this break and if it is bad then the entire concept is wrong, and that I couldn't believe.
32...lOxe4 It is fairly easy to see that 32...i.xe4 33 .i.xf6 'li'xf6 34 "xf6 gxf6 35 .i.xe4 J:txe4 36 :a8+ �g7 37 d6 :d4 3 8 :c8 is a trivial win, thus the text is forced.
33 dxc6
Time for a reappraisal of the minor pieces:
Good: Both black lOs, white 1O(e4), white .i.(g2), black .i.(e7). Reasonable: white 'Ll(e2), white
.i.(c l ) (this one could easily become either good or bad). Bad: black �(b7).
22 ....i.c8 23 li'lc5 .i.rs? A serious error. In trying to get rid of his bad bishop Black mis-assesses the overall situation. He should play ....i.xc5, exchanging off White's good knight, with roughly equal chances.
24 li'le3! Now one of Black's good knights must go for White's medium one. In addition White obtains a dangerous ly mobile centre.
24 li'lcxe3 25 fxe3 ..•
Now White is clearly better. The threat of e4 driving Black back is essentially unstoppable. Then, at a
Now any fool could tell you that While stands better-he has the bishop pair and an imposing pawn centre-but any lesser fool might mention that pawn centres aren't always as good as they seem. Thus, if Black can pressurise the king's pawn sufficiently to force e5 then he will play ...lOd5 and even have the advantage. Similarly, if White can fOr<:e under d5 favourable circumstances Black should collapse. Thus 28 ... �g6 would appear 'obvious' but then White would play 29 .i.g5 and although he would have to surrender one of his bishops the pawn mass would be secure and should win! So Black tries a more obscure method.
Karlsson was more worried about 33 d6 though after ...'i'd7 it is not clear how White should continue. Anyway the text is thematic: when you have the bishop pair, open lines!
33...'ii'd5 Completely missing my reply, but probably best anyway. The threat of c7 was rather strong.
them. Aggressive personalities would thump the queen down with a bang-I prefer a quiet push myself. Actually, though, flashy as it looks, the move is purely positional. White just wants to exchange queens and support the advance of his c-pawn. Karlsson, however, turned slightly red and spent half his remaining time recovering his composure:
34 ...... xc5+ 35 'ihc5 I toyed with .i.d4 but ...'ilifS is a . nUisance.
35...lDxc5 36 c7 The struggle is still not over. Ideally Black would like to bring back the bishop, then the knight, but unfortunately this is impossible, viz if36...i.f5 37 .1l..c6 (a) 37 ....ttc8 3 8 :dl (with the twin threats of Ad8+ and Ad5) 38 ...lDe6 39 .i.e5 f6 (what else?) 40 �d7!
(b) 37 ... .1l..d7 38 .1l..xd7 lDxd7 39 lid 1 Iilb6 40 IId8 �(o,lI)fS 4 1 �a3+. (0) 37 ...1ild7 38I1dl. (d) 37...lIfS 38 .ta3.
36...li.:la4 A reasonable try, blocking the a-file and hoping to help the defence from b6.
37 �c6 Ac8 38 �e5 .i.f5 39 Ad I '6
34 "'e5!!
28... i.e6 29 i.b2 Of course .i.g5 was still possible but I never could resist a raking queen's bishop.
opponent has clearly overlooked
to
Such moves are always satisfying make, especially when the
Forced. Now my first thought was 40 Ad8+ �f7 41 i.d5+ �g6 (41...�e7 42 �d6 is a nice mate) 42 .i.e4 but Black has 42 ...lDb6 and if he loses only a piece there are still technical difficulties. Bllt there is a better way:
40 :d8+�f7
156
"I heard Ihal Karpovfell inslilted by my choice of opening "
41 i.e8+! ¢'e7 42 .i.d6+ �e6 43 .i.d7+! �xd6 44 i.xfS+! Black resigned. The Maltese Dragon (Voled lap game ill Illformalor 30)
6 Jile3 Jilg7 7 0 0-0 8 ifd2 11l,6 9 i.c4 .i.d7 10 M Ile8 I I .i.b3 hS This line, seeking 10 stop White's kingside attack by the simplest means, was pioneered by the American master Soltis in the sixties. Sosonko dabbled with it more recently producing several interesting ideas, but now it is mainly championed by Jonalhan Mestel and myself. 12 0-0-0 lOeS 13 i.gS The 'trendy' line. The main alternatives are 13 �bl, 13 �h6 and 1 3 g4!? 13...l!,S
68 L.Ljubojevic White A,J.l\1l1es Black Malta Olympiad 1980 Siciliall Defelice 1 e4 eS 2 ltJo d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lOxd4 lbf6 S lt)e3 g6 Ljubojevic and I have a long-running battle with the Dragon. In our earlier encounters he Iried obscure moves, but without success. Only in the Interzonal at Riga did he first try the main line of the Yugoslav attack. Although he got a good position he went astray in the complications and lost. The game was fascinating and it was dissected in various analytical articles, particularly one in a Soviet magazine claiming a forced win for White in the main lines. Since that game he has tried 6 f4 (at Skara) and 6 i.c4 (at London}--both before the publication of the Soviet analysis and both without success before returning to the main argument:
", heard Ihat Karpovfell inSlllled by my choice of opening " 157
last paused for thought here, which pleased me. With a slight shrug of the shoulders he continued with the p,lblished 'refutation'. 17 1Oe4Ilc8(!) Belter than ...lld5 as in our Interzonal game, but still thoroughly analysed by the Russians. 1 8 exd6 f6 1 9 Ilhe I The key move of the Soviet analysis which now gave reams of variations to show that White was winning. (Unfortunately I can'l find the article to quote it). However, my powers of perception are not that deep. All I could see was a bishop on g5 that wasn't going to live long and the fact that afier 19 ...exd6 20 lbxd6 no mention was made of the simple 20...�h7! I did not analyse in depth. I merely observed that White was going to lose at least two pieces for a rook for an attack which was by no means clear. Much to my relief Ljubojevic now sank into a deep sleep.
Sosonko's move seeking to advance the queenside pawns whilst preparing to double (or treble) on the c-file. However, I consider that both I J ...liJh7 and IJ ... 1Oc4 are
better than their reputations. 1 4 f4 lDc4 15 'i'd3 b5 16 eS I1lg4(!) Still following our game from Riga. Gufcld won a nice 8ame _ against A.Rodriguez with 16 ...'Wb6, to which he appended an '!' when annotating it in Illformator. However, I distrust the move. Amongst other things 17 .i.xf6 exf6 1 8 e6 leaves Black with problems on the white squares. Ljubojevic at
(probably 'i' is preferable) or go for the whole piece with ... .!i) f2. I can see no refutation of any of these and in the absence of a bright idea for White ... 1Of2 might just win a piece for nothing. 21 ...lbxd6 A difficult decision. 2 J ...fxg5 was also tempting (opening the diagonal for the Dragon bishop) but 22 fxg6+ �h8 23 lbfl+ Ilxfl 24 gxfl with the threats of 'i'g6 and 1Dc6 looked dangerous. 22 fxg6+ Wh8 23 �f4! Virtually forced, but this simple move gives Black considerable problems. His minor pieces on the d-file arc vulnerable and if the white queen ever gets near h5 ... Meanwhile, all White's pieces are beautifully posted.
B...lbeS!
21 fS! The only consistent choice. On 2 1 ur e .!i)xc8 Black can simply recap t the knight--either 'i'xc8 or ... J.. xc8
Possibly the only move. Black hopes to solve his problems by replacing the knight with the bishop whilst blocking the central files. Unpleasant altenlatives were (a) 23 ...1Oc4 24 lbf5! and if 24...i.xf5 25 'i'xf5, or 24...i.c6 25 .i.xc4 bxc4 26 'i'a3 'ib6 27 1:e7 IlgS 28 €xI6 or 24...lOce5 25 i.xe5 '1lx.5 26 if.2 I1lg4 27 '1lxg7 �g7 28 "'e1+.
"I heard that Karpovfelt insulted by my choice ofopening "
158
(b) 23...�b7 (10 eliminale the �(b3)) 24 1ilf3 1ilc5 25 1t'd5.
(e)
(d)
23...1ilf2 24 1t'f3. 2L1t'b6 24 1ilf3 0' 1ilc6.
24 ..tnS Else ... .i.g4 and Black untangles. 24 beS 25 tCio •..
If 25 �e2 Black can hold cvcrylhing with Ac6 and ... ..tg4. 25 tOe6 is very intcresting. In that case I had intended a linle relaliation with 2S .....txe6 26 ..txe6 'i'f6! 27 .i.xc8 {If 27 "'xd6 c4, or 27 .c2 . ..th6+ and ....xe6} 27...c4!, and now if 28 Wb3 Axc8 wilh two pieces for a rook and a strong inilialivc, so 28 'i'xd6 "'xb2+ 29 Wd2 'i'c3+! 30 We2 (if 30 Wei 1t'.3+ 31 Wd2 �h6+ 32 w.2 1t'.3 matc) 30..:"c4+! 3 1 Wd2 (if 3 1 We) �h6+) 31...�h6+ 3 2 lIe3 :'f2+ and mate nexi move.
square) and now 30 .....td4 is met by 31 ..tb3 and the bishop must return, while 30 ... :'xf7 3 1 gxf7 i.h6+ 32 ¢>bl ..te3 fails 10 33 Ae7! Howevcr all this is irrelevanl since Black has the simple, crude. but crushing 27......£6!: (a) 28 c3 :'xc3+! 29 bxc3 (29 Wbl :'cl+) 29 ...'i'xc3+ 30 ..tc2 "'a3+! 3 1 Wd2 ..th6+ mating. (b) 28 AdS "'xb2+ 29 Wdl "'al+ 30 Wd2 �h6+. If 31 IIg5 �xg5+ 32 hxgS ':008 and when the dust senles White has a lost ending, whilsl 3 1 Wd3 "c3+ mops u p everything.
8:
A
The exchange of queens would be hopeless for White. For example 28 gxf3 1t'xd6 29 IIxd6 IIxf3 threatcning 1U1+ and ..th6+. So there is nothing else
game where Black's king appears to live dangerously in the cenlre -but the white king also comes under firc...
69
J.Nunn White A.J.Milcs Black
Now White has the tcrrible threat of 28 "'eS! but he has overlooked Black's reply: 27 ... .tg4! 28 "'e5
"When I play close to home it's the complex-I play badly"
London 1982
Sicilian Defence I e4
c:5 2 �f3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4
�d4 Iilr6 5 Iilc3 g6 6 r4 1il,6 L�7; 6...a6; 6.....tg7 7 cS tCih5! 0Ic6 bxc6 8 eS iDd7 9 exd6
10 ..te3 It:lr6!? New move. NL..t.c7; IO.. .'i'e7. 1 1 'it'd2 ..tg7!? lI-ie7. 12 0-0-0 dS 12...�g4!? IJ .*.0 With advantage to White xaxding 10 Gcller. 13 ...te6 Black .. good ccntral control and stands 3Ii&bdY bettcr. 14 'i'd4?! If 14 �e2 -.as with a quccnsidc altack. u..... . S IS ..tb4 Intending ...'ib6 " -*.c5 draw. 15......c7! Threaten .. _�S. Black is now clcarly ..... 16 g3 llb8 17 .ta3 aII6
.
2S...e4! Dragon themalic-opening Ihe long diagonal wilh little regard for material. If instead 25 ...Ac6 26 �xe5 is horriblc anyway. 26 "xd6 nO 27 :'e7 On 27 "'xd7 the ending after 27 ....xd7 28 :'xd7 fxg2 is fascinaling: 29 ..tn! (only move) 29 ...:'008 30 l:Z.b7! (must be a white
28......xdl+ NOI exactly difficull to calculatc but nonelheless a pretty finish. 29 Wxd I fxg2+ 30 Wd2 IUd8+ 3 1 �d5 Else the pawn queens with check. 3 1 ...':xdS+ White resigned. On 32 'i'xdS gl='i' is curtains.
17...:'g8! (Threatening ... lOe4) 18 "'a4 'i'b6 19 .tg2 tt:ld7! 19......e3+ 20 Ad2; 19 ...iDg4 20 :'xd5! with counterplay. 20 :'d3 .tfS! 21 :'cI+ Wd8 22 %10 22 It:lxdS ..txb2+! 23 �b I ! cxdS 24 l:b3 ..txc2+! 25 �xc2 "'£2+ wins. 22...l:e8 23 :'xe8+ Wxe8 24 li:ld I tOeS 25 :e3+ �d8 26 �xcS '�h:c5 27 c3 d4! Black has a won position. 28 Ao ..te4 29 %In dxc3 30 .txe4 cxb2+ 3 1 Wd2 hl-'i' 32 i.xbl :'xbl 33 1:0 33 ..-c2 llb2! 33 ...:b4 34 :'d3+ ¢>c7 35 'i'a3 as 36 iLlc3 1f8 37 "'cI 'iWf2+ 38 �dl Wg l+ 39 We2 'i'xcl White resigned. •
•
•
•
From Miles's only victory in the British Championship: a nicc endgamc with delicate minor piccc play. 70 R.D.Keene While A.J.Miles Black
British Championship 1982 Queen's Indian Defence
I d4 lDf6 2 c4 e6 3 �f3 b6 4 g3 ..tb4+ 5 ..td2 i.xd2+ 6 .xd2 i.a6 7 lt:la3(?!) 0-0 7.. .i.b7! equalises. 8 i.g2 c6 8... i.b7 9 0-0 dS 10 lCJeS \ 0 Ilacl gives a n edge. 10...lOfd7 1 1 q:)xd7 li:lxd7 1 2 llael :e8 13 cxdS? 13 :c2 keeps a slight advantagc. 13 ...cxdS 14 lbc8 'i'xe8 Black has a slight pull-Whitc's minor picccs are out of play. IS ':cl 1t'b8 16 .3 16 �n 16 lilf6 17 �n llle4 1 8 'iWc2? 18 -..dl i.xfl 19 ...
160
"When I play close to home it's the complu-I play badly "
�n :'c8 Black has an edge. IS ...:c8 19 �xa6? :xt2 20 :'xc2 11ld6 21 IObS IO,bS 21 ...
is is
3S...�J:eS 39 f4+ *e6 40 .i.bl lOe4+ WhUe resigned. If 4. Wg2Ie2 �d6 and ...�c5 wins. •
•
•
•
In the next game Black's king is misplaced early on. He gradualt} pushes White back until he dominates the whole board.
"Whe" I play close to home it's the complex-Iplay badly " 161
also good.) 20...exfS With a clear ad\'aD.tage. 21 "g3 dS! 22 :'ael Wd7 23 lOgS lL'lr6 24 'W'h3 d4 2,L.:'bd8 25 lOd l :'bd8 26 a4! h6 n ubS axbS 28100 "dS 29 �gl
29 � lDe4 30 i.xe4 fxe4 3 1 fS e3 12 �xe3 gave some chances. . :'e6 3 1 llfel :'de8 !!_1Oe4 30 :te2
24...g6 25 gxfS .i.xfS 26 dxe4 :'xe4 (26....txe4 27 "d4) 27 .i.d3 wins.
A.J.MlJes Black
British Championship 1982
25
Sicilian Defence
24 .i.a6 24 .i.d7 b5 (intending �-e7-d8-c7; 24... a5!7 and if 25 .ta4 &4) 25 a4 b4! threatening ...lOc4 winning. 24... b5 25 b3 �f8 26 84 �e7! 26 ... bxa4 27 bxa4 �e7
28 xbS J3 h3 hS 34 M c2 a2 40 �3 �b l 4 1 b4 a4 wins; 27 .i.xb5 IilxbS 28 axbS
3 I
lilxd4? 40 �e3 wins. Instead 39...h5 is better when Black stands well. 38 dxeS? Time trouble. 38 .i.a4
is Black's sl?3ce advantage decisive. 32 .i.d h5 (plans ....i.f6. z1. 11lb8-d1) 33 1011 .tr6 34 e4!? fxe4 35 lOd2 e3 36 �f3 *t7! 37 fS :'f6! 38 fxg6 ':ef8 [.-mding ...':xD) 39 ':0 39 �h4 .*£:8 or ...ltlt!7. 39...lOeS winning. • :ee l lL'lxf3+ White resigned. If -4. gxO llxf3 42 ':xD :'xD 43 '5'g2 :gJ! wins. •
8
•.•
"xd3 followed by ..td2-e3 and 0-0-0 with the better game. 15 ..td2 lOg6 16 :hS �d7 17 �c3 eS 1 8 dxe6 bxe6 19 0-0-0 White has a big advantage. 19...dS 19...f4 20 dxe4 �g4 21 �c4+ d5 22 :'hxd51 wins.
20 .i.el "e7 21 g4! "0 22 l%dhl lOf8 23 "d I! :'atS 24 :'gS. lOg6
71 R.Sellin White
I 04 cS 2 IOfJ d6 3 IOcJ IOc6 • d4 cxd4 5 �xd4 g6 6 1Od5?! .i.g7 �bS ("!-with advantage" Polugayevsky !7; 7 .i.e3) 7...:'b8 I IObe7+
�xd5 12.....tfS 13 :'f4! with a clear advantage. 13 cxdS ll!es J3 ...lbe7 14 d3 with the bener game. 14 d3! fS 14...lOxd3+ 15 ..txd3 exd3 16
•
•
S gxf
i.xfS 26 dxe4 dxe4?
26... ..txe4 27 0 .i.fS 28 g4 '5'e7 (28 ...�d7 29 i.d3! l%xe3 30 l%xh7! :xd3 3 1 :'xg7+! "xg7 32 '5'xd3 wins; 30 ...Wxh7 3 1 .i.xg6+ ihg6 32 "hl+! '5'h6 33 l:.xg7+ wins) 29 gx fS "xg5 30 fxg6 '5'xe3+ 3 1 ¢'bl "xe2 32 gxh7+ *h8 33 i.xg7+! Wxg7 34 h8="+! :'xh8 35 :'gl+ wins.
•
Some unusual rook manoeuvres bi to a beautiful positional
.-.:king display:
72 A.J.Miles White S.Klndermlinn Blllc/(
Biel 1983
English Opel/ing I .. oS 2 1Oc3 IOc6 3 cJ IOr6 4 � -*.b4 S 0ds e4 6 lbgl 0-0 7 a3 � I ct}e2 New move. S....i.eS L..:e8. 9 �3 :'eS 10 "c2 .i.xg3 1L.d6?! 1 1 hxg3 d6 12 :'h4!
27 l%xrS! "xrs 28 .tc4+ WhS
28 ...l%e6 29 "d7 wins, or 28 ...�f8 when 29 "d6+ and 29 :'xh7 both win. 19 :'hS! 29 :xh7+ wxh7 30 "hl+ lOh4 3 1 "xh4+ �g6 32 1I'g3+ 11'&5 33 .tfl+
162
" When 1 play close 10 home iI's Ihe complex-l play badly "
73 A.Karpov White A.J.MUes Black BBC Master Game Final, Bath 1983 Caro-Kann Defence 1 e4 c6 No thanks, I don't want to see your latest refutation of the Dragon. 2 d4 d5 3 lDd2 dxe4 4 �xe4 lDr6 5 lDxf6+ gxf6 Actually I played this variation for the first time a week earlier in a weekend tournament, but it's a good, sharp choice to avoid giving the little man his customary painless edge, 6 1ilf3 "IS 7 ,,14
innovation? Of course 6 .i.c4 and 7 .i.f4 has been played notably in a crushing Tal win over Larsen-but as far as l know in this position it's new, The objective is to keep the queen from her natural home on c7. 7...lild7 If 7 ...'i'b6 8 .i.d3 is a promising gambit However, 7..,tiJa6-c7 was an alternative. An
8 c3 'i'b6 Now virtually obligatory. 9 b4
A surprise. I only anticipated 9 'i'b3 e6 (or 0-0-0) with nothing special for White. 9...e5! The thematic central thrust to counter premalUre(?) wing play. In any case, it is essential to commit the �(f4). If now 10 �e3 'i'c7 is comfortable for Black while 1 0 dxe5 fxe5 1 1 �xe5 �g7 is clearly perilous for White. So ... 10 "g3 But now Black has potential counterplay with ...h5. 10...0-0-0 1 1 .ite2 h5! The bishop on g3 is not entirely happy. 1 2 0-0 �e4 A critical decision and perhaps the wrong one. The other choice was 12 ...il.g4 when I considered 1 3 i.h4 to be fOTced. After 1 3 ... £i.xf3 14 �xf3 exd4 Black can take a pawn but at distinct cost in both momentum and structure--I didn', like it. 13 1ild2 Not now J3 .lih4 :'g8! (planning ...1:.g4) and White's in real bother. 13. .."dS Another difficult decision and they were eating up my time, half an hour over the last two moves. 1 3 ... �xg2 14 �g2 h4 1 5 i.f4 exf4 I judged to be equalish. I'm sure Black can stir up some trouble on the kingside with ... h3+. Karpov said in his commentary though, that White was clearly bener. The other possibility is 1 3 ....i.g6 (l4 lDD �e4 draw!?) 14 .i.xh5 Practically forced since his centre is going to disintegrate anyway.
"When Iplay close 10 home it's Ihe comple.t-I play badly " 163
14 ...exd4 15 c4 i.e6 16 a3 Up 10 here all forced. Assessmenl of Ihe position is difficult but both players shared the opinion that White had an edge (bad black queen and somewhat looser structure) but his central control and d-pawn gave good scope for counterplay. I wasn't 100 worried about the position. What did scare me was the spe� at which Anatoly was movmg. 16...lDe5 Best. 17 1:.e t Played instantly. 1 7...d3 Intending ...'ifd4. 18 c5 By now I had less than half an hour to reach move 40 (he had almost an hour). I took a conscious decision to stop tl)'ing analyse things OUI and just play nalural moves fast and hope. 1 8..JibS 19ltbl As expected, but much to my relief, only after 30 minutes thought so the dock times were about level. In the post mortem Anatoly pointed out the line: 1 9 �xe5 fxe5 20 1:.xe5 i.g7 2 1 i.xfl .i.xe5 22 .i.xe6+ �b8 23 .i.c4 .i.xh2+ 24 �fl .i.e5 draw! Also interesting (and not a lillie frightening) was: 1 9 i.xe5 fxe5 20 i.g4! 1:.h6 2 1 :'xe5 �g7 22 .i.xe6+ fxe6 23 1:.e4 .i.xa 1 24 a4 'i'a6 25 "xa 1 with an excellent position for the exchange. 1 9...�h6 20 a4 'i'a6 21 f4 This surprised me, though I'm not sure what I expected, probably 21 b5. 2L.lDc4 22 b5 cxb5
23 nxb5 And this I hadn't even considered, though 23 axb5 "a2 doesn't seem at all bad for Black. At this point ' felt my position was at least OK and possibly vel)' good. So, being ten minutes ahead on the clock (I :48-' :39) I used them trying to work out what was going on. I first thought: 23 ...lDxd2 24 'Wxd2 "xa4 25 Itobl 11M 26 'iIl'a5 d2 27 "dl ouch. Hmph. Then what about 23 ...lOa3 24 l:[b2 lDc2 (planning Qk(4)? I can always meet il.f3 with .lid5, my pieces seem to be gening very active... looks worth a visit. 23...lDa3 24 :'b2 In the post mortem, which was joined by two mucky paws belonging to W.S.Browne Esq, all of with sacrifices manner c6/1:.xe6/f5 etc, weTe tried but generally I managed to ta ke everything and survive. 24...lDc2 In retrospect a preliminary ...�f& might be very strong (preventing :e7). By now Karpov was down to about two minutes (I'd never seen him in such time trouble before) and r had four or five. 25 i.f3 .i.d5 26 1:.e7 �f8
" When Iplay close to home it's the comp/ex-I play badly " 165
164 " When Iplay close to home it's the comple:c-I play badly "
74 S.Jack$on While A.J.Miles Black
couldn't resist the it, but temptatIon to tee up all sorts of cheapos WIth ... 1Oe3 or ...•xg2+ with his flag hanging.
31 .g4+ Oops. Suddenly 3 l ...Wb8 32 f5+ Was 33 "g7 wins for White-so 31 ... 5 32 Axf5 �b8. Messy, though Ihe d-pawn slil1 gives Black Ihe better chances. 3 1 ...1"5 32 'lWg7?
Anticipating 27 .txd5 :'xd5 28 :'exb7 .xc5+ 29 wh 1 �b6 30 :'xfl tOe3 when Black's active pieces give him tremendous chances. In the post-mortem Karpov revealed that 29 �f2 is a considerable improvement. Sample lines: ( 1 ) 29 ...i.xf2+ 30 �f2 .xa4?! 3 1 Ab8+ �c7 32 Axh8 "d4+ 33 Wg3 "xb2 34 .g4 Ad8! but 31 "g4+ 5 32 "g5! with terrible threats.
He didn't take it!! Incredibly his nerves had really gone.
32 ...Ae8 33 h4?
Even worse. but by now it is over. For instance, on 33 h3 Black can even play 33 ... lDe3 34 .f2 Acl+ 35 Wh2 'i'xg2+ 36 'i'xg2 tOxg2 37 Wxg2 Ac2 reaching a simple win.
Lewisham 1983 (Back 10 earth)
Nimzovich Defelice
Ever short of something to write about and new records to set, il was v.ith some interest that I found my firsl round pairing at the Age LewishamlAccountancy International was against Sheil3 Jackson. How long, I thought, can it have been since anyone beat the World champion and then lost to 3 "'oman (apologies for any incidental sexism-but I can't think of 3ny better way of phrasing it) in successive games? SUTely never. What an opportunity! Well, I tried, I uaJly did try. I like playing this in the first round of swisses. Future opponents -waste lots of time preparing for iI!
2 d4 e5 3 dxe5 tOxeS 4 lilo .i.b4+!
...
27 �xdS AxdS 28 Abxb7? Amazingly, just an oversight, but it must have cost me a good minute to believe it. He just forgot about the rook. Anyway, the position is still a mess.
28".�xe7 29 Axe7 "c6! Black must be winning now.
30 Axn l:lxcS?! Objectively, I should play . .5 killing any counterplay and I knew .
I was rather proud of this move. Odd points are: a) 9 e5 �c5 10 �xc5 bxc5 I I 'ii'd5 Ab8 hitting b2. b) 9 'i'dS lIb8 10 ",4 'i'h4+ 1 1 g3 'lWe7 and ...�b7.
9 it.d3 'ii'h4+ 10 g3 'i'h3 I I �fl 'i'e6 12 'i'dS 'i'xdS I3 .xdS Iilr6
1 e4lilc6
.
(2) 29 •b6!? 30 :'7xb6 (or 30 AxO) can safely be assessed as unclear. Basically, no one really had a clue what was going on and lengthy analysis probably won't do much to alter this. Perhaps I should mention that I considered 29 .. .'ihb7 to be drawish and was looking for more, while Karpov thought this continuation might favour White.
7 ....i..d6 8 .!ie3 b6!
This position must be verging on won but I decided not to let that deter me.
14 �g2 0-0 IS 0·0 �a6 16 ltdl AaeS 17 �d4 .te2 A stupid oversight J simply overlooked that White's next two moves were possible.
IS ltel .i..c4 19 lOd2 it.xd5 20 �xf6 �xg2 21 .txg7 wxg7 22 Wxg2 Now Black has nothing.
33...lile3! Splat! The rest is carnage.
22...bS 23 tOe4 iLe7 24 Aadl fS 2siOd2 �f6 26 lOo Axel 27 tOxel d6 281il<2 �g6 29 lidS .6 30 Iilb4 :as 3 1 �c6 lte8 32 �f2 :e4?
34 J.fl l:lcl+ 35 Wh2 tOg4+ 36
Wg3 lilxfl 37 lilrJ
If 37 �f2 Ae2+ ilnd 'i'xg2 male.
37...lile4+ 38
S c3 �d6 5_ lOxo+
6 "xO it.c5 is eminently playable but the lext iojects more tension. ..
6 �xeS it.xeS 7 f4 Overstretching a lillie.
Rather ridiculously hoping for 33 lOd4? leading to a lost king and pawn ending.
33 a3! hS?? 34 lOb4 Just winning a pawn.
34 iLe7 3 5 lbxa6 c6 36 Ad3 wn 37 tOb4 cS 38 !Ods iLd8 39 tOe3 Sealed. 39...'�e6 40 wn ..•
166 "When 1 play close 10 home ii's Ihe complex-I play badly"
40",1t&4 Forced.
41 Itd5 :e4 42 Itd2 lta4 43 h3 With the vicious threat of 44 fufS �fS 45 Itxd6. 43 .. ,.ir6 44 lte2 .id8
At last diverging from Belliu's (Thank goodness' analysis, However, iI's only a blutT.
45 g4?
(c) If 45 ...lta6, a7 or as. 46 lOg4+ � 47 lOh6+ ¢of6 (not 47 ...¢og6 4S lte6+) 4S :leS. Note that the immediate 45 lOg4+ is answered by . ..:'e4! (d) 4s...�f6 46 '1ld5+ �f7 "d only now 47 g4! is annihilation.
45...fxg4+ 46 hxg4 hxg4+ 47 lOxg4+ ¢od7 48 l:te4 d5 At least the minor piece ending would offer counterchances against b2. 49 l:tc5 .ie7
When 1 play close 10 home it's Ihe complex-I play badly" /67
I-"_�e to
Threatening tOrs.
The first sign of hope. I hadn't bothered to analyse this, dismissing it as giving me a sporting chance. A slow look at the position had revealed that I'm in absolute zugzwang and consequently 45 Itel! wins outright: (.) If 4s....tf6 46 1ilc4+. (b) If45... .tc746 '1lg2+ �f6 47 lteS and �h4 with decisive penetration.
••
SO lOf6+ 50 ':xd5+ ¢'e6 5 1 Itxc5 Itxf-452 �e3 i.d6 53 Itg5 Itc4 or a4 54 ¢od3 just wins. SO...¢oc6 S I l:tf5? And this really throws it away. 5 1 l:te6+ .td6 52 ¢og]!! wins outright-no defence to &8.
White. I I...aS!? 12 u.b4 13 axb4 l:txal 14 ..tnl IS h3 itd7?! 1 5... .te6 16 e3 1 7 1ilc4 '1ld6 1 8 �h2 .t,6 19 �c6 20 'i'b3 &7 2 1 �! II dIC4 'l'c8 23 l:tdl l:td8 24 8i&l'!! b6 24 ... b5! intending ...'i'aS c:ounterplay. 25 ':xd8+ 'i'xd8 • W.4! White has a slight ""' ''g'. 26...h6 27 g4 �h' 28 I� Wd6 29 bS?! 29 'i'e8 'ftc6+ 30 �c6 gives White a slightly endgame. 29.,,'i'd3 30 itb2 3 1 �a3 ..th4? Belter is �8 intending ... �h4. 32 .txe7 ..bel 33 'i'a2 ¢og7 34 'fte2 'i'bl?! e4!? 35 *fJ! ..th4 36 *e4! Lt 36... 'I'xe4+ 3 7 lOxe4 with a pod ending.
S l ...d4 52 tOe4 .ib6 53 Itr6¢:'c7 54 lOd6 b4! Drawing. 55 axb4 Sealed again but it doesn't matter S5 ...dxc3 56 bxc3 56 bxc5 c2 wins for Black. 56 ...cxb4 57 cxb4 l:txb4 58 lOe4 .td4 59 11.6 lIbl 60 '1lg5 �d7 61 rs l:ta1 62 �e4 Drawn. . . ... . An exquisite game: 75
A.J.Mlles While S.Makarychev Black Oslo 1984
English Opel/ing
1 c4 e5 2 �c3 lOf6 3 �fJ �c6 4 d3 d5 5 cxdS lOxdS 6 g3 lOde7 7 a3 g6 8 b4 �g7 9 �b2 0-0 10 .ig2 ltJd4 I I li:ld2! With a slight
371Ohl!! With a clear advantage. No!: 37 lOe21 'i'e l . 37,,:l'b2 38 di "'1 39 "'xc7 'W'e4+ 40 *h2 � 41 'i'c6 "'c2 42 gxh5! 42 ¢og2 .t.gS 43 'l'd5 h4!! 44 "'xeS+ �f6 .-ben the knight is out of play ond Bbck has counterplay. 42 ...'I'fS 42...1xf2 43 'ftg2, or 42...gxhS 43 � .tg5 44 '1lg3 wins. 43 'iIIg2 W.l.h5 44 cS! bxcS 45 b6 'i'd I 46 Wc6! ..te7 47 lO£3 c4 48 b7 �d6 ., '1le4 .tb8 50 *,8 'iII13 51 'iII,b8 W,,. 52 'ill" 'iII13 53 �gl 'iIId l + 54 ¢og2 'i'dS+ 55 ¢og3 Black resigned.
A Blindfold simultaneous display May 2
22
Some months ago I read that Paul Littlewood, hoving played eight boards blindfold simultaneously, was clearly the country's Ic;ading exponent of this probably deservedly obscure exercise.
Anyway, I felt compelled to point out that in 1984 I played a similar exhibition in the small German town of Roetgen near Aachen against 22 opponents of average rating about 1900. scoring + I 0 = I 0 -2. This little-known feat has belatedly attracted some attention, so, here is an equally belated report and some thoughts on the subject of blindfold chess in general.
The Roetgen simul came about for me completely by accident. The Roctgen Chess Club had decided to celebrate its centenary, I believe. by staging some son of speeial event and, for reasons best known to themselves, they set their sights on breaking the German blindfold simultaneous record which had stood at 2 1 for about 80 years, set by Pillsbury. I know little about that perfonnance except that he won just three of the rwenty one games, though his opponents were reputed to be strong-though how strong I have no idea. Perhaps at this point I should mention that my memory is basically extremely average--quite good for faces and phone numbers, hopeless with names. I am though. at the risk of stating the obvious. quite accustomed to remembering
168
" When 1 play close to home it 's the complex-I play badly "
" When 1 play close to home U's the complex-I play badly "
chess positions. Frankly the thought of remembering which of 13 pieces (taking nothing as a piece) is on any one of 1,408 squares at any given moment does sound impossible, but remembering 22 positions does not! I suppose it is not dissimilar from an actor remembering his lines. Back at Roetgen the would-be organisers took their first step by contacting the nearest available exponent of Ihe practice-my Ihen
German clubmate Vlastimil Hort.
As it happened they did tbis al a Bundesliga match at which I was present. Vlasti has done a few 20-board displays before, but did not feel inclined to do so again. Out of nothing more than curiosity I joined the discussion and asked Vlasti about his experiences. "Oh, it is easy Tony" he said, in his inimitable way, "You could do it easily". Moved by such simple faith in my
ability and the considerable experience of the fact that Hort's memory is every bit as bad-well probably the more accurate ternl is scatty-as my own, I agreed with the Roetgen delegation that I would have a trial run at home, and let them know if I thought it was possible. long-suffering girl-friend with twenty four chess sets on the floor later, I concluded that it was, and a dale was duly arranged for the attempt.
One
The Roetgen organisation was, I must say, extremely professional. A sound-proof booth was specially constructed which contained simply a microphone for communication, a table for refTeshments and a comfortable sofa. The last item was my choice-I had practised at home
simply lying on the settee with my eyes closed, and found tbiI. arrangement most pleasant. Also one of the sponsors of the event \\"a a computer company, GMI � Aachen, and all the games w� immediately put on disk and recorded for posterity, so the genuiness of the performance am3 quality of the games can be readily checked. A few weeks before the event I
had a trial run al the Roetgen club over ten boards with the person who had been chosen to relay the moves.. The organisers had even chosen lhis man carefully as a fluent Englisit
speaker who would not get his e's and a's crossed during play. The rehearsal went smoothly with a score in the region of 8-2 in about five hours. The rules are quite simple, but
should be specified since some earlier 'records' are somewhat open
to question. I was given simply t� board number, my previous mo\'C" and my opponent's reply. Normally this was just abbreviated to bOard number and move, but if I required clarification my own previous movC" was also given in full algebraic notation. There was no 'safety nef such as the score-sheet available if I forgot anything. For anyone thinking of trying such a performance, I should explain that the critical phase is the opening. The absolutely essential
thing is to separate the positions SO they each develop their own
individual character, and become memorised as pictures rather than strings of details. For this purpose it is necessary to have some sort of system. Hort told me that when he played against the
first Sicilian he would play 2 c3,
against the second 2 lDfJ the third 2
<&3 and so on. In my naivety I did oot develop anything so refined. I decided to store the games in sets of five. On boards one and three I would play I e4, two and four I d4 and on five I c4. The same again for me next five, but with I lbD on ten, and so on. I would then try to classify each opening by a letter, using vowels as frequently as possible in the hope mat the set of five would be a pronounceable sound. For example I e4 e5 would be e, I e4 e6---f (for French), I d4 d5-d, I d4 lbf6- -u (for usual) and so on. Thereafter I played pretty much my normal openings.
169
toilet, threw some cold water over my face and had some fresh air. Still
nothing. I went back to the booth and gave serious consideration to l:r.d5-d I and a draw offer! Finally though, after what seemed like an eternity but was probably around ten minutes, the position came back. Everything had b�en exchanged in the centre and there was simply no
positional structure to remember. It was with considerable relief that I forced a draw a few moves later.
The hiccoughs were two illegal moves. Ironically one each. Mine came on the very last game to finish. I was walking my king out of some checks to the safety of a6 when I thoughtlessly announced
The first nightmare came quickly and was completely due to my lack
�b4·a5, forgetting I had moved my a-pawn there some moves before. I quickly corrected my mistake when the move was queried. The second came when the man who was transmitting the moves became slightly over-immersed in one position. It was clear that I had to
Declined, and I had the terrible task ofre-separating them.
eliminate a back rank weakness and I played g2-g4 which had a secondary function. Unfortunately the intermediary had been expecting h2·h3 and played that instead. The error was discovered a few moves
Generally things went very smoothly though there were a couple of hiccoughs and two nightmares.
of
detailed planning. Without my realizing it was happening, suddenly four games transposed from 1 d4, I c4 and I lL:ifJ into Queen's Gambits
The second nightmare was the one all blindfold simul givers must dread-I simply completely forgot a position. I don't know why, but whenever this happened in practice it was on board 17, 1 9 or 23. Maybe I have something against prime numbers, but sure enough on board 19 my move had been 22 %ldl xd5 and the reply was ...h7-h5. My mind was a total blank. I knew the
opening had been a QGD (of course!) but other than that nothing. After a while I went to the
later when one of us tried to do something impossible. Luckily the man immediately realized his mistake and no harm was done.
The games themselves were relatively normal--oul of necessity rather more controlled than a non-blindfold display. My two losses were to onc move blind spots. In the first I blundered a rook a few moves after declining a draw, but in the second neal trap.
I walked straight into a
J 70
"Whell Iplay close to home it's the complex-Iplay badly "
"When J play close 10 home iI's the complu-Iplay badly "
76 Miles White Myrenne Black
78
Hoping to evacuate his king to the queenside, but 12 ...0-0 13 Wh3 f3 was beuer.
13 "h3 1Of8 14 fS e5? 15 .!OdS ..txdS?
Losing a pawn, but Btack's position was already cracking.
Miles White Ehrig Black Gnmfeld Defelice
I d4 1ilf6 2 c4 g6 3 1il<3 dS 4 1ilO ..tg7 S e3 0-0 6 b4 c6 7 .i.b2 b6 8 Wb3 �b7 9 cxdS cxdS 10 bS imponant move to restrict Black's queenside minor pieces. An
IO...e6 I I �e2 tObd7 12 0-0 lleS a4 l:b8 14 l:fc\ .i.f8 15 :iaJ haJ 16 "xa3 'i'e7 1 7 'i'xe7 llxe7 II as U
The
simplilications
have
not
eased Black's problems. White has
Black played the cunning 1,..AgS! 2 AdS Ag4 and I walked into the sucker punch 3 b3?? Ad4! O-I! The wins were relalively nonnal -no mates in 23 of the sort one reads about from bygone days-odd tactics, reasonable technique, nothing special. For statisticians, the shortest game was drawn in 20 moves after about six hours-the longest won in 68 after I Ip.m. I played a total of 674 moves, averaging 3 1 per game.
A couple of examples:
77 Miles White Conradi Black Sicilian Defence
I e4 cS 2 f4 d6 3 'liD IOc6 4 ..tbS .i.d7 5 0-0 e6 6 lOc3 .i.e7 7 d3 36 8 .i.xc6 .i.xc6 9 "eI tOf6 10 b3 lOcI7 I I .iob2 f6? passive and weakening. The natural 1 1 ...0-0 was beuer. Unnecessarily
12 "g3l:[g8
a
strong initimive.
IS ...l:.ee8 19 a6 Positional capitulation, but life was not easy. Now White has a crushing light square bind.
16 exdS *d7 17 tOd2 h6 IS c4 tOh7 19 a3 While b-file.
melhodically
opens
the
19 ... aS 20 .tcJ b6 21 b4 "c7 22 "g4 1il11! 23 1ile4 White's board.
pieces
dominate
the
23.....d8 24 buS buS 25 Aabl AbS 26 .ionS White is not completely blind.
26.....'8 27 .td2 1ilh7 28 h4 Denying Black any vestige of activity. Such things are important because they minimise the risk of time-consuming complications.
28...�'7 29 a4 11b7 30 "g6 Simple and decisive.
30...1il11! 31 "17 1ild7 32 ..,,7 'i'bs 33 "xd6+ *d8 34 lOxcs Just to make the point that I kn� what I was doing.
Black resigned.
Positionally decisive. On 19...�cS Ie ' invades on c7 while the *native leaves the bishop dead an·a.
.,......ta8 20 €la2 l:.bc8 21 IlxcS
:u.s 22 .l:cl
Simple technique-the more pieces are exchanged, the more �nt the dead bishop
-...s.
n_Jhc1 + 23 tOxc 1 1Oe4 24 lOa2
a15 *" �n 26 �el e5 27 .ii.dl Prderring to pressurise d5.
l'i_*e6 28 �e2 *e7 29 .!Od2
f.IiI6 30 o&:J e4
171
31 .i.b3 f5 32 ..txdS ixdS 33 €lxdS+ ¢'e6 34 tOc3 .!Of6 35 f3 exf3+ 36 gxO h6 37 e4 fxe4 38 fxe4 lOd7 39 ¢'d3 gS 40 eS lOxeS+ On any knight move, *e4 and the pawns roll.
41 dxe5 *xe5 42 .!Oc4+ lOxc4 43 ¢'xc4 *d6 44lOdS Black resigned. Probably the most prohibitive aspect of such displays is the time factor. I staned at noon and finished at 1 1 .30 pm, and I think that about half nn hour per game is a reasonably nonnal rate. Perhaps with a phOiographic memory or a lot more practice it is possible to play faster, but the risk of 'losing' a game from one's memory and thus ruining the whole display makes this dangerous. I have to say that I agree with Hon, and I did find the perfonnance basically easy. It was tiring of course, and with hindsight doing it a week before playing in a grandmaster tournament at Bugojno may not have been wise. I started there by losing my first four games with White! In the meantime I was scoring plus two (Spassky and Tal!) with Black. I have no explanation for this phenomenon. My impression is that something like thiny boards is reasonably humanly possible. Three years later I talked to probably the most famous exponent of blindfold play, George Koltanowski. His record is 34 and this I believe is legitimate. Najdorfs 45, he told me, was with access to the score-sheets ("I could do a hundred like thai" he said, and I think I believe him), and Flesch's 52 was perfonned in about five
172
"When Iplay close to home it's the compfex-Iplay badly "
hours many and included suspiciously short games. Perhaps I do him an injusticc and it was genuine-are there any witnesses around? If so I would regard it as superhuman. I promised Kolty I would try to brcak his record one day. He, like Hor1, was of the opinion that it was nol difficult "If you can play 22, you can play 36". Probably I will not do it now. It does seem like hard work, and no-onc has since shown any interest in organizing such a feat. And the thought of 36 poor souls having to sit there for 18 hours cannot seem too enticing.
tOe4 IO...dxc4!? I I bxc4 eS. II :acl New move. I L.rS 12 �bl 1 2 �4!? 12..':U6 Black has Ihe initiative on the kingside. 13 iDxe4 dxe4 14 itJeS:h6 IS g3 1 5 f4? exf3
Lastly, from time to time one comes across the theory that blindfold chcss is dangerous to onc's mental health. Whilst various BCF officials and Times columnists like to doubt my sanity from lime to lime, I do not know of any connection with the Roetgen display!
cxb5 i.g6 25 :dl :n 26 11d4 "h3 27 :d8:h4 28 i.a3 :xg4 29 :xg4 bg4 Threatening ... g3. 30 Wgl "h5 Threatening 31 ...g3 and 3 1 .....xc5 . 31 "b2 ..rs 32 :c8? hS 33 �xf8 lld8 34 %hc7? 34 :'xf"8+ 34... h4 With a winning position. 3S :c4 "13
16 tOxf3 .i.xf3 and h2 drops. I S...�xeS! 16 dxeS "gS Black has a strong kingside allack. J 7 b4 1 7 :fd l .i.c6! with ideas of ..otOrs-g6 and ... tOeS-d3. 17 ... tOf8 (intending ... lOg6-h4) 18 Whl Forced. 18 c5 �c6! 19 cxb6 i.b5 20 b7 .i.xe2 2 1 bxa8='ii' .i.f3 wins. 1 8....i.e6 19 :gl :d8 19....i.e8 20 f4!1 20 :g2 .i.e8 21 g4! Forced. 21 f4 exD 22 "xf3 i.hS 23 .-f2 "g4 with a won game. 21...'i'h4 22 :cgl l:ld7 22.. .'�h8 23 f3!? 23 bS! nbS 24
FUr1hermore anyone who has ever met Najdorf, or par1icularly Koltanowski. who when I lasl met him was the most lucid and mentally aler1 nonagenerian I have encountered will testify that if it does drive you crazy it does so very slowly!
... . ... ... AI Bugojno. Miles, with Black, beat two fanner World Champions: 79
B.Spassky White A.J.MJles Black Bugojno 1984 Queen 's Indian Defence I d4 tOr6 2 tOlJ e6 3 c4 b6 4 e3 .tb7 5 >itdJ dS 6 bJ I1lbd7 7 0-0 �d6 8 �b2 0-0 9 �3 a6 10 'it'e2
White resigned. 80
M.Tal White A.J.Miles Black Bugojno 1984
ellro·Kann Defence I e4 c6 2 d4 dS 3 llliI 2 dxe4 4
Ill... .tIS 5 I1lgJ ,t.g6 6 h4 h6 7
"When Iploy close to home it's the complex-Iplay badly " 173
l1lo Iild7 8 hS �h7 9 �d3 .t.dJ 10 "xd3 "e7 II i.d2 e6 12 0-0-0 o'tJgr6 13 tOe4 0-0·0 14 g3 tilcs IS �J:CS .txcS 1 6 c4 �b6 17 �c3 New move. 1 7...:he8 18 ¢'bl a6 19 "e2 :e7 20 tOe5 i.a5 21 b4!? 21 cS /OdS! (21...�xc3 22 bxc3
""hen the b6 square is weak.) 22 �4 �xc3 23 bxc3 b5 gives an �ge to White. 21 ...i.b6 22 a4 'ab8! Intending ..... a7 or ....i.c7. 23 r4 'i'a7 24 :d2 ¢'b8 24...i.xd4? 25 :ltd I is strong. 25 as �c7 26 g4
¢>a8!
Intending ...1t'b8, . . olDe8, ... f6 with pressure against the f4-pawn. The chances are equal. 27 gS?! tOe8 Intending ttJd6-f5 with pressure against d4. 28 cS? 28 g6 fxg6. 23.....b8! With strong pressure against the weak f-pawn. 29 g6 r6 30 tOc4 30 tOn IId5. 30...�xr4 J I :e2 1Oc7 32 �b2 tt:lb5 33 :hel fud4 34 .i.xd4 Axd4 3S :xe6 .:xe6 36 :xe6 "d8 Black is winning. 37 :el ¢la7! 38 ¢la2 .t.d2! 39 :bl .-dS 40 Wb3 :d3+
White resigned. After 4 1 Wa4 :c3! 42 .-xd2 "xc4 and ..:IM mate.
At the [984 Tilburg Interpol is fOUmament Miles scored the best result of his career, finishing well
clear of the field which included half ofthe world's top ten players. 81
L.Porlisch While A.J. Miles Black
Tilburg Interpol is 1984
Queen 's Indian Defelice I d4 .!fJr6 2 e4 e6 3 tOlJ b6 4 tOe3 .i.b7 5 a3 dS 6 cxdS tOxdS 7 e3 tild7 8 .i.d3 e5 9 e4 tilsr6!? 1 9 i.r4 a6!? New move. I I dS!? exdS 12
exdS lDxdS 13 tOxdS �xdS 14 .i.xh7! .-e7+ 14...:xh7 15 "xdS is
very strong. 1 4...�xD 1 5 "xO l:xh7 16 o-O-O! with threats ofWe4, :xd7 and l:lhel. 14 ...tOf6!? IS wn .tc4+? IS ...tt:lf6! 16 .ltd3 'l'b7 is unclear. 16 Wgl! 1 6 .i.d3 .-c4 17 .i.xc4 ..-xc4+ 1 8 "e2+ is only equal. 1 6...0-0-0 16 ...:'xh7 1 7 "c2; 16 ....i.e2 1 7 "d2 and :el. 1 7 "a4! lDb8 l 7 ....i.b5 1 8 .td3!! 18 'i'xc4 1 8 �rs+! �e6 19 :el with a clear advantage. 18 ...:'xh7 19 h3 1 9 �xb8 � b8 20 'i'xa6 when "c7, :h6 and ...'l'b7!? all give some play for the p awn. 19...bS!? 20 "c2 :hS
21 a4 Wb7 22 nbS axbS 23 Wh2 .td6! 24 .i.xd6 :xd6 2S :hel .!fJc6 26 :e8+ We7!? 27 'i'e4 Wb6! Unclear. 28 :aa8 Intends b4. 28 ...b4? 2S ... :hd5 29 b4 cxb4 29 AeeS! :hdS 30 'i'e8? 30 "c4 (intending "a2) 30...:d7 3 1 :a6+! wins.30.....d7
174 "When I play close to home it's the complex-Iplay badly "
31 'ilJ'e2 'ifb7 32 %tgS?? 32 'ifc4 32...lt'ldS! 33 .:tal f6! Protects e5. 34 .:te8 .:td7 35 g3? Time trouble. 35 ...J:.d3! 36 :'e3 Axe3 37 'f'xe3 'IIIdS! 38 �gl /ile6 39 '111,2 'IIId3 40 "e6 40 �fl c4 with a clear advantage for Black. 40 ...J:.d6 40 ...%te7 41 '*g4 "'e2 Black is winning. 42 .l:el J:.d I 43 .:txd I 'ii'x d1+ 44 �g2 ,*c2 45 'i'xg7 'ii'xb2 46 g4 46 h4 b3 47 h5 'i'c3 4S
19 ...fxe5 20 :adl with pressure along the d-file and long diagonal the e-pawn is weak. 20 lLlxeS fxe5!? 20 ...lt'lxe5 21 i.xe5 fxeS 22 %tad I is good for White. 21 ltadI J:.f6 21....l:f5 22 "e6!? 22 f4!
(abridgedfrom New in Chess)
I
h6 (48 'IIId7 'IIIxO+; 48 'IIIh6 b2 49 i1ld2 'IIId4) 48 ... b2 49 h7 (49 'IIIg6 'IIIxO+) 49...b l �'III 50 h8�'111 'IIIed3 wins. 46......c3 47 g5 fxg5 48 "'xc3
bxc3 49 It'lel lDb4 50 f4 gxf4 5 1 h4 c2 52 It'lxc2 l£Jxc2 53 h5 lLld4! 54 h6 lLlf5 55 h7 lLlh4+ White resigned. 82
A.J.Miles White J.Tlmman Block Tilburg 1984
English Opening
1 c4 e5 2 l£Jc3 lLlf6 3 lLlo lLlc6 4 g3 d5 5 cxdS lLlxdS 6 i.g2 lLlb6 7 0-0 �e7 S a3 0-0 9 d3 i.e6 10 b4 f6 I I It'le4 "'d7 12 .i.b2 a6 New move. 12....l:fd8 is usual. 13 ,*c2 1 3 tt'lc5!? 13...i.h3 14 tt'lc5 i.xc5 15 i.xh3! lixh3 15 ....i.xf2+?? 16 �g2. 16 'iWb3+ hS 1 7 bxc5 tt'ld7 IS d4! I S ,*xb7? "'e6 1 9 "'xc7 tt'lxc5
threatening
....l:fc8.
tS ...:tabS!? If 18...e4 19 l1xi2 when
the b7 and e4 targets give White a good game; 18 ...exd4 19 'i'xb7! "'e6 (19 ...�e5 20 It'lxe5 is also good) 20 lLlxd4 is strong for White; I S...tt'lxd4 19 tt'lxd4 exd4 20 i.xd4 with an edge. 19 dxe5 tt'ldxeS
9: "The Impossible Challenge, Tilburg Interpolis 1985"
22....l:xf4 If 22 ...l:.h6 then 23 :f2 with ideas of"fl and .l:d7. Better s i 22...J:.bf8! 23 .l:xf4 exf4 24 ..n :tgS 24... 'I'g4 25 .l:f1! (25 'ilr'xc7?!) 25 ...'iIr'g5 26 l:.xf4 with an attack. 25 :O! 'i'g4 25 ...fxg3?? 26 'ilJ'xg7+! tlxg7 27 .l:rs mate. 26 1:[xf4 'i'g5 Not 26......g6? 27 "'xg6 hxg6 28 1:[h4 mate. 27 ¢'g2? 27 :e4! 27...'i'xc5? 27...�8 28 .l:e4! With three threats: .l:e8, 'i'xg7 and i.xg7. 28.....1'8 Forced-if 28.....g5 29 1:[e8 wins. 29 "'hS! Intending 1:[h4. Not 29 'i'g6? "'fI+! 29 ...tt'le7 Forced. 30 "'gS! It'lg6? If 30 .. lD5 31 .l:f4 It'le3+ 32 ¢lf3 wins, or 30...lDc6 31 1:[h4 (threat ltxh1) 31...'i'fl (31......e8 32 'i'f5 ! 1i'xe2+ 33 �h3 wins) 32 "'h6! "'f5 33 e4 wins, or 30 ...lDc8 31 l:.h4 "e8 (31...'.fl 32 'i'h6 wins) 32 'i'5 ..wc6+ 33 h3 h6 34 1:[g4! (threatening 35 .i.xg7, 3 5 :'xg7 and 35 :g6) 34 ...1De7 35 .-fl wins. 31 .
'i'xg6 Black resigned.
rarely write tournament reports. I don't find them interesting. Also I find it difficult to annotate other players' games to my satisfaction. So whatever this is, it is certainly not a tournament report. It is more a personal diary of what started off for me as a chess tournament and developed into one of the most traumatic months of my life. The appropriate place to start is at my birth. I was born with a minor fault in my spine. It's nothing special, just a slight irregularity around the fourth vertibra. Millions of people have such a condition, yet most go through their lives without even discovering it. The next one and a half decades
m::t:d not conct:rn us, but at tht: agt:
of fifteen I strained my back, around the right side of the pelvic girdle, playing cricket. This has often been a source of trouble for me. Normally two or three times a year I experience some discomfort from it. (As it happens the last occasion had been at the Ohra tournament in Amsterdam). On these occasions I simply wear one or two thick leather belts very tight to support the back, take painkillers when I play, lie on my back as much as possible and after a few days the problem disappears. The relevance of this mjury to chess is simply that my
playing posture which after about twenty years I find psychologically impossible to change-is just about the worst possible position for such a complaint. I get tonsilitis a lot, too! So much for my medical history. Let us now move on to Tilburg. The omens for this tournament were not good. I had just played in Berlin (a nine round open swiss) and scored my worst result for years, 5lA out of 9 against the sort of opposition which, with all due respect to them, I expect to annihilate in a blindfold simultan eous display. I had not had a week without a tournament for four months, and felt utterly exhausted and tired of chess. That, I assure you, is no way to approach the dreaded Interpolis. For this reason I actually travelled to Tilburg, or Oosterwijk to be precise, four days before the tournament was due to start. I wanted to try and relax in the countryside, and forget all about chess and the outside world. To try, as Smyslov would put it, to feel again in some sort of harmony with myself, to find a lillie peace and tranquillity. With hindsight this was probably my most sensible move of the tournament. Each day I went for walks in the nearby woods, kept my pocket set firmly closed, and just about achieved my objective.
176
"The Impossible Challenge, Tilburg Interpolis
August 27 the opening ceremony At somebody asked me if I was going to repeat my previous year's success. Bearing in mind Berlin and my chess·exhaustion I replied 'if I survive the first week I might.' (After the first week there were many rest/adjournment days). When I used the word survive I would never have believcd how close to the truth I was. The drawing of lots, was presided over, in the absence of any 'grandmaster of honour'--or horror -by Alexander Munninghoff. He introduced the players, giving me the sort of build up usually reserved for poor quality boxing promotions: the streetfighter, the reigning Interpolis champion, the beast of Binningham (Good God, I've never heard that one before) ...Tony Miles.' I drew a number Two. I was paired with Korchnoi in the first round, and Timman in the second, certainly the two players I feared most. •...
August 28 83 A.J.Mllc5 White V.KoTehnoi Black Round One, Tilburg 1985
Qlleel1 's Gambit Accepted I d4 dS
Oh well, that's my opening preparation out of the window. I can hardly recall Korchnoi meeting I d4 with anything but ...�f6. 2 e4 dxc:4 3 c(:lfJ cS
" The Impossible Challenge, Tilburg bllerpolis 1985 "
1985 "
New to me. I presume it is directed against 4 dS e6 when Black avoids the problem of the comparable position I d4 dS 2 c:4 dxc4 3 lilf3 tOf6 4 tOe3 cS S dS c6 6 e4 exd5 7 eS! Anyway I had no wish to test his preparation in this case and could see no reason to avoid the natural developing move
4 &3 e6 After 16 minutes thought, so maybe I was right about his preparation. On 4...cxd4 I intended 5 'i'xd4 with an enduring edge.
S e4 exd4 6 'i'xd4 I also considered 6 c(:lxd4, but the text seemed to ensure a safe lead n i development or slight pressure in any ending. 6 Jil.d7 •..
After a further 20 minutes thought, which seemed a sure sign that he felt at least a little uncomfortable. (After the game Viktor attributed the entire idea to Seirawan.) 7 c(:leS!
I I 'i'xe7+ Wxe7 J2 �e3 b6 13 fJ White's advantage is clear and considerable.
t3 ..l::'hd8 14 0·0-0 .'te8 15 .'te2 .
Iild7
And this aggT3vates matters still further. but it's not easy to suggest good moves.
Looks, and is, desperation, but he was down to his last three minutes. 30 a4 Intending to undennine d4 with Wc3 and if necessary bS.
30...tOg6 31 Wc3 tOb. 32 bS tOo{; 33 :'a2 Of course 33 :'xd6 Wxd6 34 .to followed by Wb4 and a5 is tremendous, bUI I saw no reason nOI to cause even more trouble down the a-file.
33.. tOd4 34 Wb4 tOg6 .
In such positions there is nothing
to do.
35 a5 bxa5+ 36 Wxa5 tOf4 37 Wb4 Wb8
1 6 tLJbS! Ensuring the whole bishop pair. 16...(6 If l 6...:ac8 17 �6 �4+ 18 liJxc8+ :xc8+ 19 Wb I lOxe2 20 :d2 wins. To add to his positional troubles Black had less than half an hour left on the clock. 17 c(:lc7 :ae8 18 tLJxe8 ltxe8 Again 1 8...lbd4 is useless.
Clearly best.
19 Wbi lOdb8 20 :el eS
7...tOf6 7 ... tOc6 8 unpleasant.
Another 20 minutes. Doubtless Black would have preferred 1O...� followed by 0-0.0 with activity at least. But some positionally it's hard to justify. White can just continue with 1 1 �e2 and in the long tenn the black king will only be in the firing line on c8. However, the ensuing ending is only for masochists.
1 77
'i'd7
is
obviously
8 lOxc4 Now Black has a soft spot on d6. 8 tOe6 ..•
After a reluctam further minutes. I was feeling happy.
35
9 lOd6+ .'txd6 9 ...We7 10 11M b6 doesn't look much fun. to .xd6 "e7
"
'Il'a3
Unfortunately in such positions one square (d4) is hardly sufficient to make up for the problems with the other sixty-three. 21 Ithdl lt,d8 22 ltxd8 ltxd8 23 Jil.bS Itd6 Not 23 ...�4 24 .'txd4 and :'c7. 24 a3 Wd8 25 .tc4 tLJe7 26 b4 iDbc6 27 Wb2 tLJd4 28 :'dl We7 29 Itd2 Avoiding any possible nonsense with tOfS. 29. gS ..
38 g3 ! Time to finish the job. Now if 38...li.'!g6 39 .'td5 is murder.
38 ...lOfe6 39 .Q.xe6! Simplicity is always best.
39 :'xe6 40 .'txd4 exd4 41 :'a6! ..•
1t.7
The pawn ending 4 l ...:'xa6 42 bxa6 Wc7 43 f4 is hopeless: 43 ...gxf4 44 gxf4 ¢'b6 45 Wc4 ¢lxa6 46 e5 fxe5 47 fS etc. 42 ¢lc4
178
"The Impossible Challenge, Tilburg inlerpolis 1985 "
Sealed. Not 42 :'xf6 :'d7 with counterplay. Now Black has nothing.
42 ...:'n If 42...g4 43 :'xf6 gxD 44 �xd4 winning two pawns. Or 42...:'d7 43 Wd3 :'b7 44 :'xf6 :'xb5 45 f4 and the e-f duo is decisive.
43 ,d4 h5 44 d5l!b7 45 o6 :'xbS 46 �xf6 g4 47 f4 :'b2 48 eS Wb7 49 :'al :'xh2 50 e6 Black resigned. It is not something about which I am particularly p roud, but this was
the firs't time in my life I had beaten the terrible Viktor. Perhaps there's something in that country air.
After drawing with Timman I could hardly be dissatisfied with my start, one and a half points from my two most feared adversaries. Could I really repeat last year's success??
August 30 back problem
started
during his Round Three
(Miles's
loss to
Romanishin.}
It was quite clear to me that my back problem was worse than usual. Knowing I had no really strong painkillers with me I tried to phone my ex-wife Jana for advice. Being a doctor,
chessplayer
and
wel l
acquainted with my back she is uniquely qualified to advise me on such matters. The trouble with non chessplaying tournament doctors is that either they are reluctant to prescribe really strong drugs even when necessary, or they innocently prescribe ones with unfortunate hallucinatory side effects. Unfortun ately I was out of luck. Jana had just left to play a weekend tournament.
August 31 Adjournment day I still assumed that my physical ailments were the normal variety and turned up optimistically equipped with belt and painkillers of a mild variety. Luckily none of the results was in any real doubt so there was no great problem. However, I did notice that the painkillers were ineffective. During the break between my games with Korchnoi and Romanishin (with Timman a draw was agreed without resumption) I disappeared quietly into one of the disused Interpol is offices and lay out on my back on the floor to ease the pain (It's absolutely the only position that does). At one point Ljubojevic came into the room. He looked bemused and asked what I was doing. 'It's my latest form of yoga' I replied, straight faced. He shrugged and left, shaking his head. After a loss to Hubner in Round Five I succeeded in phoning lana. Never one to mince words she gave me a list of four possible, very strong painkillers, and then virtually ordered me to get my next game postponed and rest solidly for as long as possible. Frankly I consider postponing games 10 be morally incorrect (So, one player is ill. So what? What if when the game eventually has to be played the other has become ill? It happened to me once). I have never before requested n postponement though I have frequently acceded to such requests from opponents. But, simply at this time I could not go on-the only alternative would be to withdraw from the tournament. I consulted the toumament rules and
"The Impossible Challenge, Tilburg Illferpolis 1985 "
discovered that one postponement was possible provided the tournament doctor considered the illness to be of a sufficiently serious nature. I duly officially requested, and was granted, a postponement of my fifth round game against Polugaevsky. This gave me two clear days to rest and let the medical profession do their worst. Previously one of the most tortuous times had been the taxi journeys to and from lhe tournament hall. Henceforth I confiscated the full back seat of the taxi and spent the journey lying flat on my back.
September 4 I spent the day in bed with the exception of the visit to the chiropractor. He instructed me to get on to what subsequently became referred to universally as his massage table (it wasn't the massage table, of course, just a relative). He then took a firm grip on my contorted body. I was beginning to feel like a wrestler who had been instructed to throw a fight. Then suddenly he gripped me tightly. My spine crunched three times rapidly. There was no pain, just the sound, quite clearly audible, of click, click, click. I waited apprehensively wondering if I would be paralysed from the nose down or something. Nervously I waggled a toe or two. They seemed to be working. 'That's better' said the maestro. 'Try standing up.' Incredulously I got to my feet. The pain had virtually vanished. I could scarcely believe it. It seemed like a miracle. On the way out he
179
said something like 'You can come back in two days. If you have any pain I can give you a painkilling injection.' Unfortunately, hearing the words I mispunctuated them as 'You can come back in two days if you have any pain. I can give you a painkilling injection.' Thus his meaning was that I return, should my while interpretation was that I could if I found it necessary. Ten minutes later, though, I began to feel pain returning. Later that evening I phoned the Interpol is organisers. I was still clearly not able to play sitting. My last observation was that as there was nothing (well, no more than usual) wrong with my head, I should, in theory at least, be able to play chess. My only idea was that it might be possible for me to play lying down, perhaps in a separate room, I didn't know. It was just a last desperate thought. 84
A,J.MiJes White L.Polugayevsky Black Round Six, Tilburg 1985 Nimzo-indian Defelice
I d4 lDf6 2 c4 e6 3 �c3 .i.b4 4 Jl.g5 I had only employed this variation twice before in my life, but my instinct told me it was the right sort of line to rume Polu's feathers. Preparing the previous night, I could find only one game where he had met it. I was fairly sure he would follow main line theory. 4...c5 5 dS h6 6 i.h4 i.xc3+ 7 bIc3 d6 8 e3 eS 9 .i.dJ Timman, the arch-guru of this line, invariably prefers 9 D. The
180
"The Impossible Challenge. Tilburg imerpolis
text is considered slightly inferior because of 9...e4. My instinct, though, was that Potu would avoid such a committal advance so early with Black.
9...l1lbd7 Good instinct! I O f4 {!) As far as I can find in opening manuals this is an innovation. But that is absurd. It's completely consistent with White's strategy. Black can no longer break the pin with ...g5 so easily.
10 ......e7 I I lDe2 g5!? A drastic, but not entirely satisfactory solution. The following sequence is virtually forced. 12 fxg5 lDg4 13 �g3 lDxe3 14 'i'fJ hxg5 15 "'xe3 gxh4 16 �f5 .f6 17 0-0
bigger game. Now though came an unfortunate incident. 19 .,O-0-0!? .
1 9...0-0-0-a!? Or to be more precise 1 9... 0-0-0 but moving the rook first! I was rather taken aback that Polu should have forgotten that under the current state of the rules !hi� is illegal, and in theory I could mSI.st on a rook move being played. Mamly out of surprise I said in a purely joking way 'You know you're not supposed to do that these days'. Polu grunted something in an angry voice. Again I was a litlle shocked. In a misguided attempt to tighten the atmosphere I tumed to the only other person in the room, the runner transporting moves to the press room. 'Did you see that?' I enquired, knowing full well that he was much too far from the board to have seen anything. He shook his head. At this moment the arbiter Geun Gijssen re-entered he room. Realising that something had happened he looked enquiringly at me. 'What are the castling rules these days, GeurtT I asked. He looked quizzical.
'He moved his rook first explained. 'Well, if he denies it there's nothing you can do.' 'I know'.
The situation is clear, White has excellent compensation for his gambitted pawn. Black must play with the utmost care.
1 7...11lfl! 1 8 1[0 i.d7 Played only after fifty minutes thought. I guess we were both analysing the same line.
19 1bn White will have no difficulty regaining his pawn, but I was after
"The Impossible Challenge. Tilbllrg inlerpolis
1985 "
'You just wanted to make the point that the rule is stupid?' 'Yes', and the game continued. I took the whole incident as a complete joke. To me the above conversation did not, and still does not, sound in the least bit serious. Only much later. after many articles h�d been written about my dIsgraceful breach of etiquene did I consult first Polu and then Geurt to discover that they had both taken my complaint seriously.
In my defence I can only point out that a) Polu was never even asked to deny that he moved his rook first ,nd b) at no time did I make any request that he should play a rook move instead of castling. The press had a field day. I subsequently both explained and apologised to Poiu, for any disturbance I might have caused him. As a purely separate thought on the stupidity of the current rule consider the following hypothetical case: White can castle, but both the f- and h-files are open. White plays :.n, suddenly realises he has missed a much stronger move and quickly moves his king to g l . As the rule stands his opponent or, as happened in a recent Soviet event, the arbiter can insist on a rook move. White calmly plays the winning :'hl-h8. Surely if castling has been completed, then the rook move too has been and the move must be :.n-the piece has been released afier all (in the Soviet games :gl was played). Anyway, back at the ranch...
20 i.e< The line I, and I suppose Polu, had spent so longanalysing was the fascinating 20 li)e7+!? "'xe7 2 1 :'xf7 'i'e8 22 �e4 (necessary to prevent the freeing ...c4). Then on the natural 22...�b8 comes 23 Wg5 .i.c8 24 :'e7 "'014 (best) 25 :'xb7+ Wxb7 26 'W'xd8 'W'd7 (what else) 27 'W'f6 (maybe 27 Wa5) threatening .i.fS and :'b I with a raging attack for the piece. The problem was that Black has 22...�a4! and the possibility of
1985 " 181
...ltXl7 keeps him alive (and winning!). Thus the text is easy to understand. I hoped for 20...Wb8 2 1 tOe7! transposing but avoiding ...�a4. Polu, though, had not been wasting his time and had prepared a brilliant defence. 20...�g6!! 21 �e7+ 'i'xe7 22 :'xn "Wxn! 23 :'xn �r4
The dominant position of the knight assures Block of full compensation for his queen.
24 i.h7 How else can White guard the g-me. If 24 i.fS i.xfS 25 I[xfS :'dg8 and g2 is doomed (26 g3 hxg3 27 hxg3 l[xg3+). 24...:df8 25 :lg7 1:tr6? But this is a critical mistake. On 25 ...�h5 26 :le7 lOf4 White scarcely has anything better than 27 :'g7 repeating. Later Dzindzi opined that Black could even play to win with 26...:'f4. He might be right. The text allows an unusual penetration:
26 .i.g8! A mulli-purpose move. The auacking point will become clear. IXfensively Black is prevented from doubling on the [-file and ...�h5 runs into "'g5.
182 "The Impossible Challenge.
Tilburg Interpolis
26..,ltf8 27 i.e6! The crucial but rather unusual point is the opening of the h l-a8 diagonal for the queen! 27..,i.xe6 If 27 ...'Oxe6 28 dxe6 �xe6 29
1fe4! i.d7 30 "'g6 �c7 3 1 lte7 leaves Black paralysed. 32 "'g7 is a threat, and 3 1 ...lthgS loses to 32 "'e6. Black will almost certainly be
squeezed into parting with his precious h-pawn. Even so, it might be the best chance.
28 dxe6 Itfg8 29 1lr71 Now g2 is of no importance.
29...ltxg2+ 30 �fl Ithg8 Else 3 1 'i'e4 comes.
3 1 e7 ¢'d7 32 e8""1t+ I always like to underpromote. It appeals to my silly sense of humour. Here though, it had a practical reason: To get a queen would have required climbing orr my massage table to go to another board! Note here not 32 ':'xf4 intending 32...exf4 33 e8="'+ ':'xe8 34 'iWh3+ because of 32 ....:.gl+1 33 �£2 (not 33 �e2? exf4! 34 e8;;:'i'+ ':'xe8 pinning the lost queen) 33 ..lt1g2+ with repetition of moves. .
So the first cycle was over. Just half a point separated seven of the eight players. Hubner, Korchnoi and I had 4 out of 7, Polu 2 and the rest were on 50 percent.
September 5 In the morning I received a call to tell me that the problem had �n dealt with. I arrived at the tournament hall to find my chair replaced by a full sized massage table at just the right
height for me to see the board from my nonnal angle. From a chess playing point of view it was ideal for me. My head and shoulders, at least could adopt their usual pose and all the weight was taken off my back. From a medical point of view, I later learnt, it was far from good The enforced curvature of my spine: was definitely not recommended. But for me it was fantastic. I could play chess again.
85 L.Ljubojevic White A.J.Miles Black Round Seven, Tilburg 1985
be completely drawn-in the demo-hall Hans Bouwmeester couldn't even understand why J played on.
Ljubo. too, believed this to be the case. But I remembered a game of his where he had two bishops and three pawns against rook and three pawns. Then he thought it an easy win. However the pawn structure was h4, g3, f4 versus h5, g6, fS, and the solitary weakness on g6 proved insufficient to make progress. In the current position the presence of two targets-f2 and d3 -makes it a trivial win. A brief analys.is over dinner was sufficient.
September 6 The game was quickly concluded: 50 l:b8+ �a5 5 1 :b7 Wa4 52 IIb8 �03 S3 11b7 If White tries to defend on the 6th
rank by 53 :d8 Wb2 54 ':'d6 <;Pc2
55 Itc6+ .i.c3 56 l:d6 then 56...g5!
is absolute zugzwang. If 57 Ad5 or
57 :'d8, 57...�d4 and the d-pawn
5J ....i.e6! 54 Itg7 On 54 Itb8 comes 54...i.d5-f3
33..Jh:h2 34 :(2 Itx(2+ 35 Wx(2 IU8+ 36 �g2 IIf4 37 'i'h3 �d8 38 'i'e6 Wc7 39 a4 a 5
(then ...i.c3 if necessary)-d I -b3 and Wb2-c2 as in the last note. .
54 ...�d5 55 ltx.g6 .i.O+ 56 <;PfI �b2
Otherwise there comes a5 and
'iWe7-d8-cS.
The black king marches remorse lessly across the board.
40 "'e7+�c6 I now sealed the open move 41 'i'e8+ to choose between 4 1 ...�c7 42 'i'b5 and 42 "'e7+ �c6 43 "'d8 (my intention).
resigned
I was surprised to hear that the position was widely considered to
goes.
J2...Wxe8 33 ':'xf4 Now, though, it's over.
Polu duly resumption.
"The Impossible Challenge,
1985 "
without
S7 11.6 �c2 S8 11.6 �d2 S9 11.8 L2+60 � �.1 61 1118�n+ I had sealed 49...�b6 just to make sure that the march up the a-file would achieve its desired objective.
All that remains is to avoid the
stalemate tricks.
Tilbllrg Inrerpolis
1985 "
/83
62 �gl �'d3 63 lin �e4 64 Wh2 'iPn1 Not 64. .i.xf2 65 ':'xf2. .
65 Af8 �f3 White resigned. AI the cnd of the first session someone had asked Ljubo how it felt playing against a prostrate oppone:nt. He replied that it was a l ittle off puuing for the first few minutes, but aRer that he hardly
noticed. September 7 The only official rest day. But not for me, as I had to play my postponed game with Polu. As it happened Polu was the one remaining player in the tournament I had never beaten. But he was having a terrible tournament. I toyed with the idea of a short draw. Two things dissuaded me. The first was my win the previous day. The second was the realisation that a win would bring me right back from the depths of despair to actually share the tournament lead. Gradually it dawned on me that I could still win this tournament. There are few things that motivate me more than a challenge, but there is one, and that is an impossible challenge. From this moment on I needed no further incentive. I felt utterly determined. The impossible challenge was clear: to win Interpol is despite being a virtual cripple. September 8 (Miles again defeated Korchnoi after the latter blundered /Nldly in lime trollble.)
184
"The Impossible Challenge. Tilbllrg Inlerpolis September 9
After breakfast I happened to meet Korchnoi. He had seemed a little upset at the end of our game, so J asked if he had found playing against me in such a fashion disturbing. He replied that he had, because he had the feeling he was playing a handicapped person. My response was that he was playing a handicapped person, but physically handicapped, not menially. At that time I had no idea of the troubles that were brewing. As it happened I had run out of the painkillers I had been taking, so naturally I had asked for a fresh supply. I was assured they would be delivered to the hotel that morning. Then, without any explanation, I was asked to come early to the next round to see the doctor. I assumed that this was just to be a routine check before replenishing my supply. On my arrival at the Interpolis building I was ushered into Jan Rennings' office where I was surprised to find all the tournament officials and someone who was introduced to me as the 'official' tournament doctor, though I had had no meeting with him before. At first it seemed like some sort of board meeting until the doctor began to examine me in none-loo-gentle fashion. At one point he suddenly and without warning applied considerable preSsure to the side of my back known to be causing most pain. I was stunned. 'Did that hurt?', he enquired. I narrowly resisted the temptation to knee him in the groin and ask the same question. Here I at last came to my senses and asked what the hell was
1985"
going on. II was explained to m� that there had been som� unofficial complaints about my massage table. Apparently I moved my legs occasionally and someone didn't like it. I promised to try not to let it happen again (It's not easy lying on your stomach for hours on end without moving your legs. try it some time). 'But couldn't you try silting normally again just for on� day? To see if you can?' My reply was simple and forthright: 'I already did try sitting normally for four days and my condition has not improved sufficiently for me to repeat the test. I accept that you have a perfectly reasonable right to insist that I play from a normal chair, but if you do so I am afraid I will have no alternative but to withdraw from the tournament.' I later asked that, if any such meetings should prove necessary again, they should be held in the evening and not half an hour before play. During my Round Nine game against Timman I still felt somewhat angry at the pre-game proceedings. 86 A,J.Miles White J.Tlmman Black Round Nine, Tilburg 1985
"The Impossible Challenge. Tilburg Inlerpolis 1985 "
38 c6! bxc6 39 Wc2 .:r.e8 40 .:r.cS? A final time trouble error. Just 40 Wb3 c5 41 Wc4 must win easily. White continues with a6 and Wb5. The black b-pawn can always be stopped by the white rook. 40 .IPe6 41 ..
IPbJ (",led)
Here the game was adjourned for two days. The general opinion, shared by Timman and his Candidates second Hort, was that .:r.cS? had thrown it all away, and that the position was now an easy draw. My investigations suggested otherwise. At the adjournment I asked Jan, thinking of the pre-game meeting, ifhe had been disturbed by me. With characteristic good burnour and honesty he replied. 'No. Frnnkly I was much more concerned by my position.' Play continued: 41...Wd6 42 .:r.g5! Naturally this was not my intention when playing either 40 :C5 or 41 Wb3, but there's 110 rule against changins: plans. On 42 Wxb4 .:r.b8+ 43 Wc4 .:r.b2 44 Wxd4 :Xfl is a likely drnw. According to Timman the best is 45 fS gxfS 46 016, but he had found a precise defence.
185
A typically tricky Timman try. The alternative 43 ...gxfS also requires surprisingly accurate though less complex play. My main line ran: 44 .:r.xfS .:r.a8 45 a6 We6 46 .:r.xc5 .t[xa6 47 Wxb4 lta2 48 .t[xh5! .:r.xfl 49 Wc4 and now: 49...lIgl 50 IIg5 f1j 51 IIg8 IPe5 52 h5J and if 52 ....:r.c2+ 53 �b5 (heading for d7) 53 ... .:r.h2 54 .:r.h8! and White wins. 49 ... � 50 .:r.h8 with similar play. 44 .:r.xg6 We5 Timman's original intention was 44....:ta8 but at the board he realised that 45 .:r.xf6+ We5 46 .:r.b6 .:r.xa5 47 f6 .:r.a3+ 48 Wc4 .:r.c3+ 49 Wb5 .:r.xd3 50 f4+! (the move he had missed) and 51 (7 queens. Even so, maybe 47...WdS was worth a try. 45 .ll.g7 :a8 46 Wa4 c4! A good attempt to stir up complications. I must admit I had underestimated it. 47 d.xc4 .:r.d8 48 .:r.e7+ Wd6 If 48 ...WxfS 49 OJ shuts the black king out completely. 49 .:r.e2 We5 50 Wb3 d3 51 .:r.d2 .:r.d7!
I quickly concluded that the threat of f5 gave Black more trouble. 42."c5 The only move. On 42 ....:r.a8 43
Wxb4 gains a decisive tempo on the
prtvious move note: 43 ...llb8+ 44 Wc4 .:r.b2 45 a6! (since there is no dtreat of ....:r.c2) 45 ....:ta2 46 fS and White will emerge with two safe aha pawns. 43 rs f6!?
When Jan played this I thought it was a brilliant defensive try, but
186
"The Impossible Challenge, Tilburg Interpolis 1985 "
"The Impossible Challellge, Tilburg Interpolis 1985 "
after the game he thought there must be something better. His main suggestion was 51 ...:'d4 but after 52 f'3 the rook must retreat to allow Wd4-e3, but the two tempi lost mean that effectively things will go much as in the game. The: main point of the text is that 52 a6? fails to S2...:'d6! 53 a7 ':a6 54 :'xd3 %%33+ 55 Wb2 ':xa7 and Black is back in business. The truth is, I believe, that White just has too many pawns in all lines. The following sequence is fairly forced. 52 g4! hxg4 53 h5 Wd4 54 h6! g3! 55 fxg3 We3 56 l::d l We2 57 l::a l d2 58 ¢oxb4 dl"'� 59 lhdl l::xdl 60 a6 :d8 61 a7 Wd3 62 c,i(bS Wd4 63 cS ¢OdS 64 ¢ob6 .l:ta8 Here the game was adjourned again, I sealed openly 65 h7 and resigned Timman without resumption.
Dear Sirs, The players (A) of the ninelh Interpol is Tournament express their strong concern about the situation in the tournament. Grandmaster Miles, lying on a massage table, while playing his games, totally changes the view of the playing hall. Everyone who plays Mr.Miles or even watches him playing, experiences a rather unpleasant odd the psychological feeling: equilibrium of the players is out of balance. In a tournament of this standard all players should play under equ31 (B) conditions. We know, that Mr.Miles is able to sit in a chair as proved in a restaurant (C) as well on a number of other occasions(D). We apply to the organising committee with an urgent request to ch3nge this situ3tion. Yours truthfully
September 10 I arrived at the tournament hall at about 12.50 to find my board, massage table and all had been transferred to a private room. I was infonned that an official protest had been filed, signed by four of the players, and was asked if I objected to the move. I replied that I was quite happy to play anywhere that was wished. I did enquire about the contents of the protest and the signatories. Eventually I got to see a copy. It was handwritten by the Dutch journalist Jules Welling, directly copied from Korchnoi's original he explained, because his handwriting was better. The text W3S as follows: Sept. 10, 1985
Ljubojevic Dzindzihashvili Korchnoi Hubner My comments on the protest: Notes: A) for 'The players' re3d 'Half the players' B) 'Equal conditions'. In my opinion asking me 10 play in severe pain while my opponents are in complete comfort does not strike me as 'equal conditions'. I would like to stress that the word used is 'equal" not 'identical'. It is clear that under the circumstances 'identical positions' would be impossible, but perh3ps 'equal' if somewhat unbalanced conditions might be possible.
In retrospect m3ybe Dzindzi hashvili came closest to achieving equal conditions by effectively handic3pping himself in a similar manner 10 me. C) Certainly I sat on a chair to eat dinner in the evenings. The hotel did not have room service. I sat in the restaurant, in some pain, but I did not consider it necessary to try 10 prove this to my colleagues. Naively I thought they mighl trust my integrity. D) I can recall no other occasions. Specifically I never even sat to eat breakfast. I ate it standing or walking as this was less stressful. By one o'clock Romanishin had still not arrived. The arbiter asked if I h3d any objections to the clocks not being started. Naturally I had none. At 1.05 Romanishin arrived and was ushered into Jan Rennings' office. To pass the time I obtained and read a copy of the protest. After about a quarter of an hour a nushed Jan Rennings emerged and went ofT in the direction of the tournament hall. As the door was left open and Dleg was sitting alone I took the opportunity to talk to him. Simply, and in my opinion quile reasonably, he had refuscd to play in a private room and objected to the fact that he had not even been consulted beforehand. We quite understood and were symp3thetic to each others position. He, of course, was nOI one of the protesters. Only after the tournament did I learn that neither Soviet pl3yer had even been asked about their views. At the closing dinner Jan Timman told me that he had !Wice been approached by Korchnoi and Ljubojevic who tried to explain to him that he was
187
being distracted by me without his realising it! After a while Jan Rennings returned and suggested that our game be poslponed. Oleg objected and I supported him. Having read the protest carefully since my opponent was not one of the protesters the only objection I could see on that day was the actual sight of me. I suggested this might be remedied by placing a screen in front of the dreaded massage table so that only my opponent would face the terrifying prospect of having to look at me. This was as rejected impractical! unreason3ble. The protesters were hurriedly consulted. Ljubo, I am reliably assured, said that wording was not what he had meaTll at all, and it was far from clear that anyone had any objection to my presence except when playing me. AU games were duly suspended while board, set. massage table and all were rapidly returned to their usual place. The games eventually staned 45 minutes late. At 6.30 an extraordinary meeting commenced. The official report reads: On Monday September r" Miles requested the arbiters to postpone his game against Polugaevsky. which had been planned on Sept 3 (sixth round), because of his hack problems. He pointed out an article of the tournament regulations which makes such a postponement possible. After taking one of the tournament doctor's advice it has been decided to fulfill this request. It was decided that the game would be played on Sept 3 or 4 depending
188 " The Impossible Challenge, Tifburg Interpolis 1985 " on the fact whether Miles or Polugaevsky would have an adjourned game. On Sept 5 Miles played LjubojeviC on a research table, which e.g. is used by doctors. None of the players protested against this. For infonnation: 1 . The regulations don't prescribe in any way in which posture a game has to be played, but the player's allitude mustn't be a disturbing one. 2. The tournament doctors, including a specialist, had the opinion, indepcndent of each other, that to play chess siuing would be a very painful posture for Miles. On Sept 8 and 9 Miles played Korchnoi and Timman respectively on the research table. On Sepl 10 (appro". 1 1.20) a protest was lodged by Korchnoi, also on behalf of and Hubner Dzindihashvili, Ljubojevic in Hotel Bosrand. The protest stated that everybody who plays Miles or even looks at him while he is playing, is getting an unpleasant feeling: it throws off the psychological balance. By handing over the protest Korchnoi requested to sellie the case before 1 2 p.m. The Russian Grandmasters Polugoevsky and Romanishin didn't know about the contents, while Timman distanced himself from the protest. The tournament committee and the arbiters had a meeting in the Interpolis building at noon. I. The game Romanishin-Miles, Miles playing on his research table, was to be played in a different room, in order 10 comply with the objcctions of the protesting players,
that facing Miles, playing lying down, puts them out of balance. 2. If there would be any objections by Romanishin andlor Miles because of playing under the conditions of point I, the game would be postponed. 3. At 1 8.30 there was to be a meeting with all eight grandmasters, the tournament committee and the arbiters. At 12.50 p.m Miles arrived, who had no objection. At 13.02 p.m. Romanishin arrived, who refused to play under these circumstances. He demanded that his game be played in the playing-hall, alongside the other games. After that it was decided, to confonn with point 2, 10 delay the game. Romanishin objected against this decision. Ljubo, who had heard about this delay, said that he wouldn't have any objection if the game Romanishin-Miles was played in the playing-hall. He didn't have the intention with the protest to stop Miles playing his games in the tournamenl hall. Also HUbner, Dzindzihoshvili, and Korchnoi didn't have any game the objection that Romanishin-Miles would be played in the tournament hall. After that, the clocks were stopped. The old situation was restored. The game Romanishin-Miles at started 1 3 .4Sp.m. The meeting of 18.30 was presided over by tournament manager J.Rennings and opened with the announcement that the problem was clear, but that the tournament committee and the arbiters didn't have a solution. Miles explained why he could only
"The Impossible Challenge. Tifburg Interpolis 1985 "
play lying down, and if this wouldn't be allowed anymore he would have to withdraw. Some players refused to play Miles lying down. HUbner would withdraw (if lie would be forced to) since he kD:w in advance that hc couldn't play a game under these circumslances in a nonnal way. (ltdevant in this case is, that the blmament committee (B) and the .biters have the opinion, that n'Cl)'thing that's possible should be done, without hanning the -";vidual interest of the players, in CII'der that none of the players will kave the tournament prematurely). Yi1es remarked, that it had been written in the protest letter, that he bj been seen sitting at several ac:casions. He asked which were the oa:asions, apart from the restaurant lkul Bosrand. He didn't get a reply. Korchnoi remarked, that different tiDds of tournaments exist: women DlIIIaments, tournaments for the
1IIiDd, tournaments for the disabled
Ck.., but here we are talking of a
lI:IIIDn3Inent of healthy players. TlDlIIlan answered that in 'nonnal' IIXDTJ,aments blind people, disabled pnons, women etc. are able to pay. Hubner remarked that he was willing to agree a draw prematurely «+ Miles accepted this proposal (0). Ozindzihashvili preferred to play standing up against Miles lying 4own. Ljubojevic and Polugaevsky .-ecd to play against Miles lying 4Iown under conditions, which they wuuld discuss personally with him (E).. The audience agreed (F) with 61: solutions. Lastly it was agreed, that nobody it the audience would make ...auncements about what was said
189
in this meeting. Mr.Vael was delegated by the meeting to inform the press (G), that every grandmaster who still had to play Miles, will make a personal agreement with him. G.Gijssen, arbiter C.Orbaan, arbiter J.Rennings, chairman
Well, as players meetings go, that was cenainly unique in my experience. My observations on the official report: A) Then why the hell had he signed it? B) And myself, since you mention it. C) ·Prematurely'. To be specific: here and then. With no option on either side, even if my physical condition recovered sufficiently to allow a 'normal' game to recant. At first this might (and did to me) sound somewhat extreme, but on reflection it's not unreasonable. Otherwise I could theoretically at least wait and if the tournament situation demanded it claim I felt much better and wanted to play. The arbiters pointed out that in principle an was arrangement such completely irregular, but under the well, practical circumstances considerations seemed to override regularity. D) Reluctantly, and specifying that he did so solely because it was apparently the only way to avoid a withdrawal. (By a curious coincidence ten years earlier al Teesside 1975 HUbner had forfeited against me in the last round. The
"The Impossible Challenge, Tilburg /nterpolis 1985 " 191
190 "The Impossible Challenge, Tilburg Interpolis /985 "
fClIson
wa!S that in his official invitation, months before the event. the timetnble gave the last round as starting al the same time as the others. AI the start of the tournament he was given a program which gave the last round as starting, in obscene Rrilish tradition. at 9 a.m, He flatly refused to play. Thus I had no doubts about his sincerity in this case. E) Specifically Polu asked that I play from a separate tnble, coming to the official board only 10 make my moves, but in the case of the last hour say, or time shortage my massage table could be brought to the official table. This I agreed to. As il happened on the night before our game he asked about my health, and then kindly offered to lei me play under my 'nonnal' conditions. I grnlefully accepted. Ljubo agreed to play under my 'nonnal' conditions as il was 'for my health'. The night before thai game he too had a change of mind, deciding to play himself from a separate tabk:. 'Agreed', I think 'accepted' is the more appropriate word. 'That every . . him'. Read 'as linle as possible'!
September
12
(III Roulld Eleven Miles drew with Dzindzinashvili. who preferred flOI to Sil al lhe board drlrillgplay.) In the evening I spoke to Hubner and asked what he wanted to do about our 'game', whether he
",ranted to play Just one or two moves to nuke it clear the result was pttamnged. or to trundle out the custorrwy phoney dozen. He ansvfercd that be was quite content to play just ""'0.
organisers The IOUnWIlerlt approacbed us in friendly fashion and asked if we could play a few � moycs. for appearances.
SriII later I met Geurt Gijsscn, the artmer:: '� make the moves scmibIc', 'Of course', I replied, I told Hiihner of the latest request. 'Ola 00', be said 'it was always my inlC!!h(W't that the moves should be UDCdy swpid', 'Well, okay" I said 1'0 play scmible moves, you do •• )'011 like, and I'll offer a draw �-e rn.'C.' My t.ck was
011
still giving severe
"'� Sc-ptembel' 13
87
A.Jhl\liles
While
R..Hiibner Black Round Ta'elve, Tilburg 1985
I d4 eS I bad bad the slight fear that Raben might really do the job properly with 1...f6 and ..g5. I had two ideas against this. The first was to avoid 2 04. The seeond, which I would probably have adopted, was to play 2 e4 g5 then pick up my queen slam it down on h5 and then 'j'adoube' it to g4.
2 dxeS 'W'h4 3 tOf3 .as S e4 Duwn,
'i'a4 4
.!Dc3
'Scandal' screamed certa.in factions of the press. 'Insult to the tournament'.
The public at first seemed bemused, but soon understood. Hubner had made his protest, though what exactly it was directed against was not clear. I suppose n i a way 1 had made my own protest too. I just wanted to be able to play nonnal chess, and in this case I was not pennitted to. I visited the chiropractor again and returned to the tournament hall for a short time before going back to my hotel room. As it happened I shared the taxi to Oislerwijk with Hubner. We discussed the problem perfectly amicably. His viewpoint, or protest whatever was undoubtedly sincere. He genuinely found (or would have found) it deeply disturbing to play against someone in my condition. I posed a hypothetical question: It's unlikely, though quite possible that a severely disabled person will become a strong chess player, but it's quite feasible (especially with my driving) that a top grnndmaster could be badly injured, say in a car crnsh. and be forced to play in some such unusual fashion. Should he be barred from playing? (A non·hypothetical instance also occurred to me. I know a spastic chess player in England. His chess is of club player standard, but he is completely physically uncoordinated and can move the pieces only with his mouth. Chess is the great joy in his life. Wouldn 't it be inhuman to ban him?) Robert's reply was straight· forward. If such a player was to participale in a tournament, others should be informed in advance. He, then, would refuse the invitation.
September 14 That evening I received a phone call from the Gennan player and journalist lakoby, a good fTiend of Hubner (though I intend no improper inference in this observation). He wanted an interview for Der Spiegel that night. 'Well', I explained 'I'm sorry, but I don't give interviews in the middle of tournaments. I'd be delighted to at the end.' 'But I have to return to Gennany tomorrow,' 'But there are things I've promised not to discuss. I probably couldn't answer most of your questions anyway. After the tOWllament would be much bener', 'Well. if there are any questions you can', answer we'll leave those and I'll phone you after the tournament.' Eventually I agreed. Why? Well, with all the pressure and hostility I had experienced in the preceding days I really felt the need to justify myself. As far as possible I had remained silent throughout all arguments, and acceded to very request bar ono-Ihat I could. BUI there is a limit to how long one can go on without defending oneself, and I finally succumbed. As for the interview, it started with the sort of question (,Where were you born?') to which the interviewer knew the answer perfectly well already, and progressed to certain things which were frankly none of Herr Jakoby, Der Spiegel, or anybody else's bloody business. I felt after an hour or so somewhat upset and not a little angry,
192
"The Impossible Challenge. Tilburg Imerpolis 1985 "
September I S Round 1 3 (or was it Friday 1 3 - postponed?) (Miles lost badly to Polugayevsky in Round Thirteen)
To make matters worse Dzindzi had blundered against Hubner and had slaughtered Ljubojevic Timman. As I lell the tournament hall dejectedly, Michael Stean, who had just arrived to visit the tournament for a few days, told me thot Korchnoi was losing to Romanishin. was shattered, depressed, mentally and physically, ex.hausled. In one stupid tired game I had blown the whole tournament-nOI jusl the tournament, the fighting perfonnance of my life, the again impossible challenge. Psycholog· ically I was broken. The last round would slart with Hubner and myself on 71h and Ljubo and Romanishin 7, with the last round pairings Romanishin versus Hubner and Miles versus Ljubojevic. A nerve-breaker if ever there was one. Suddenly the news came that Korchnoi had turned the position round in time trouble and won. Quickly I recalculated. Assuming Korchnoi drew his unfinished game with Polu, and this was something I always had forbodings about-I've seen Viktor scrape points from too many 'dead drawn' positions-it would be I·Hibner and myself 71h Ljubojevic and Korchnoi 7. Korchnoi had Black against Timman in the last round. That, at leasl, wouldn't be easy for him. My morale was about as low as it could go. I tried to mtionalise my
way back to life. I had White. Ljubo is a player I usually score well against. A dmw might well be sufficient, almost certainly in fact (I would now settle for sharing first place) Hubncr had Black againsl Romanishin. He hadn'l won a game with Black in the entire tournament. He'd dmw. Or maybe even Oleg the fighter would do him over. My holding Ljubo would keep him out of it. Korchnoi, well you can never write him off, but in a one-ofT situation to win against Timman with Black is a stitT task. And even then he would only calch, nOI overtake me. On the other hand if I lost... No, don't even think about it. September 16
No wonder the knight ba:ame Tony'S fa\·QUtite chess piece!
The last adjournment day. In the allernoon I was (as usual) lying on my hotel bed. I recognized voices in the corridor outside. Michael Stean was talking to Viktor. 'I must be your lucky mascot I heard him say. My heart sank. I knew Ihere was no need to make the journey to the door 10 check, but I did. Polu had blundered incredibly and lost. So now il was Hubner, Korchnoi and myself 7th, Ljubo 7. I had mentally prepared for this eventuality and concluded that it was the one circumstance where I should really try to bent Ljubo. There was now too much risk ofone of the other results going wrong. Five years before I wrote 'If there's one thing about toumamenls I like, it's winning. Second I hate'. It still applies. I tried 10 rationalise again. There were still two factors in my favour.
Miles v Kostl'Q. Dubtla 1976: the win that Tony
the first English Grandmaster.
made
• •• '
r-
, .
• • • •
,
1 •
The hardened lOu mamcnl campaigner. here playing former World Championship calldidate Benl Larsen in
the Clarin TOUl1llllncnl. Buenos Aires 1979.
Equal first al lhe Phillips and OrN'Tournament in London
t9SO (from left 10 n&hl): Nigel Shon, Michael Slcan, Viklot Earchooi. Jan Timman. virAndersson, Ljubomir Ljubojevie, lolly Miles and his wife
Jana, Jonathan Speelman. Ilarry Florin Ghcotihiu. Frank Leonard (Phillips &: tJrrn,'). Stewart Reuben (organiser) and his mother.
Cic*lmlxk.
The sensational win against Karpov with I the 1980 European Team Championship.
..a6 in
hrmtr World Champion Vanily SmyslOl' presents Tony with his fim pole at C.ppelle III Grande Ln ]994.
"The Impossible Challenge. Tilbllrg Illterpolis Firstly r had White, and my rivals all Black. Secondly Ljubo clearly had to go all out to win. He had nothing to lose. The fifth place player was lost in the distance. Surely I could use this factor. But a loss ... no. r was sharing the lead. I had
White against Ljubo - probably my favourite opponent of the tournament - to come. Things weren't so bad. If I'd been asked three weeks before if I'd accept this situation, I'd have jumped at it. Gradually my self belief began to grow again. More rationalisation. A draw was not so bad. It would probably share first. But Ljubo would have to go all out to win. I briefly toyed with the idea of offering an obscenely early draw to really put all the pressure on him. Anyway I decided on the opening. A quiet ultra-solid Reti-English giving Black as little active play as possible. Nothing messy. Keep it simple and stifle him. He'd have to stir up trouble himself, and then I'd go for him.
3
1985 "
193
e4 d6 4 d4 i.g4
It was clear that adlibbing.
Ljubo was
5 dxcS Avoiding the tension of a Benoni
(S dS).
S...dxcS If 5...i.xD 6 'i'xf3 dxc5 7 'i'c3! is embarrassing.
6 'i'xd8+ �xd8 7 �eS i.e6 8
Ill" JlI.g7 • JlI.r.
By now I was very content with my position. I noticed, though, that Timman had played a gambit line which I knew to be dubious. It looked like all the games would be real fights. 9 ...gS Another surprise. I don't believe that the weakening of the kingside can be justified.
10 0-0-0+ �c8 I I i.g3 1Df6
September 1 7 88
A.J.Miles White L.Ljubojevlc Black
Tony at Wijk aan Zet) 1987.
Round Founeen, Tilburg 1985
English Openillg
1 �f3cS2 c4g6 A slight surprise. The Black side .c a Maroczy bind is not the easiest � in the world to win. I noticed "1 Romanishin had opened I e4. It
me a little. He always a better player with other ,.rungs. 'ed
KImlS
12 .i.e2 Naturally I spent some time considering 12 tbd5. I rejected it for two reasons: Firstly I could see nothing more than a draw after 12 ... lDxe4 13 tbxe7+ �c7 14 tbd5+ <;Pc8, For instance 14 lili:f7+ �xg3 IS lDxgS 'bxh I 16 lDxe6+ and liJxg7 would be good but 15...i.h6 wrecks it. The second was the
194
"The Impossible Challenge. Tilburg Interpolis 1985 "
simple 12 ...:'e8. The e-pawn hangs and I saw no good continualion.
12...h5 Yet another slight surprise, but this one I understood. On the obvious 12 ...lbfd7 1 3 lbxd7 �xd7 14 lbds /Dc6 I S J.hS! is extremely unpleasant.
13 h4 g4 14 f4? Natural enough, but as I played it, suddenly realized that 14 :'d3! might be murderous. The point is that 14 ...lbfd7 IS /Dxd7 �xd7 1 6 lbds & 6 1 7 :'a3! with the threat of lCJb6+ wins on the spot. Probably Black must try I S... ttJxd7 16 lDds .ixdS 17 exdS but his position is miserable.
"The Impossible Challenge. Tifbllrg Interpolis 1985 " 195
bxc5 .ih6! but 21 �f2 shifts the knight and preserves a handy plus.
20 �xc6 bxc6
15 tLIxd7 �xd7 16 e5 the position is clarified. The bad bishop on e2 will be good on e4, and White has a pleasant space advantage. Even bener, Black has zero counterplay. His mild grip on the d4 square can easily be challenged and the bishop on g7 is shut out.
1 6.../Dc6 1 7 �d3 ltJd4 18 :'he1 .It,6 The attempt to free the kingside by 18 ...f6 runs into 19 e6 ( 1 9...lOxe6 20 lLxis, or 19...�xe6 20 l[xe6lOxe6 21 .ltfS).
19 J.e4 Simple stuff-the idea IS Just to leave Black with the cripple on g7.
19....lth6 Better is 1 9 ... �xe4 20 lOxe4 b6 when 21 b4 is met by 2 1 ...ltJf5 22
41 :'e4 l:l1'8 42 b3
Consistent, but such structural weaknesses can hardly be justified. White now calmly sets about removing the one good black piece from d4. The first step is to overprotect f4 and regroup the .It(g3).
First tidying the queenside. If 42 ....:b8 43 �f2. The only forcing try is 42 ...l:lfg8 43 :'g3 :'b8 but I had analysed 44 :'xg4 J:txb3+ 4S J:te3 hxg4+ 46 Te4 :'b4 47 �fS l:lxc4 48 hS as an easy win.
42...l[f6 43 g3 l[fS 44 ¢of2
21 l:le4! ttJf5 22 /De2 e6 Black has totally run out of moves. White will quietly untangle with :'h3, :'d2, �f3, �el and g3.
31 ...a5
White only has to avoid ...�xf4.
44...l:lb8 45 :'e3 l:lbg8 46 l:lo We6 47 �gl l:l4g7 48 l:lhl �f5 49 Wg2 l:le8 50 �f2 .:tb7 51 :'el
Senseless, but avoiding 3 1 ...f6 because of 32 fS. After 3 1 ...Wc8 32 :'h3 f6 White can just play 33 :'e3 and if 3 3 ...fxeS 34 l:lxeS l:lxg3 35 :'xg3 �xh4 36 :'eg5 with a winning ending.
14...
Korchnoi stood worse. I decided to concentrate on my own game. There was a two hour break.
32 l[h3 ¢o,S 33 ¢of3 .ltdS This seemed a sure sign that I was. winning-�f2 will win something and Black's position remains a wreck. The minimal counterplay OIl the g-file was, 1 calculated, nothing important.
23 >l.f2 g3 The only pretence to activity. ElK White plays g3.
24 /Dxg3 l£1xg3
In time trouble Black can find no plan.
34 a4 Fixing yet another weakness.
34 ...J.e7 35 l:ld2 White's preparations for �el and g3 are complete so Black lashes out.
35...f6 36 exf6 �fB If 36 ...�xf6 37 l:ld6 picks up the e-and the h-pawns.
I expected 24 ...ltJxh4, but 25 lbxh5 is winning.
37 l:le2 �d6 38 l:lxe6 ¢'d7 39 l:le3 J:tfB 40 .ith2
25 �xg3 l:lg8 26 :'d3 ¢'c7 2¢>dl
Now White must take the scenic I route but with two pawns more there are no problems.
The white king reaches f2 time.
just
II:.
27...:'g4 28 We2 J:tag8 29 W .ltfS The last target is h4, but that too can be protected.
30 :'el �e7 3 1 J:thl
40...J:txf6 I now sealed 41 :'e4, and briefly
surveyed the room. Korchnoi and Hubner had also both adjourned, :also both apparently winning, though I was infonned that in fact
If the rook moves 52 �xc5 wins everything. Black might well be forgiven for resigning here�Ljubo decides 10 continue his 'protest'.
51 ...l:lxel 52 �xel l:la7 53 l:ld3
>l.e7 54 ¢>f3 >l.f6 55 .ltf2 .lte7 56 ..te3 l:lb7 57 �d2 :'a7 58 �c3 l:la8 59 :'d7 �e6 60 l:lb7 l:le8 61 �xa5 >l.f6 62 >l.b6 >l.d4 63 l[h7 ¢>f6 64 :'xh5 :'e3+ 65 Wg4 :'xb3 66 �xc5
.It<3
Did you ever see Monty Python and the Holy Grail? The scene with the man trying to continue a fight after his arms and legs have been chopped off. Ljubo fights on with his false leeth.
"The Impossible Challenge, Tilburg Illterpolis 1985 " 197
196 "The Impossible Challenge, Tilburg Interpolis 1985 "
67 IIM+ 1<17 68 1<15 �d2 69 l:lf6+ Wg7 70 i.d4 Wg8 71 l:ld6 Black resigned. Korchnoi had won and Hubner was just finishing too. I climbed from my massage table for the last time, the sense of relief was overwhelming. I was congratulated by all and sundry. I noticed the handshakes. Some were perfunctory and fonnal, a few a little reluctant and begrudged, but most came with enonnOllS wannth and sincerity. I made for Jan Renning's office. His bar is always well stocked. September 18 I woke up with raging tonsilitls. Postcl'"ipt A) Medical The diligent reader will have noticed that at no point in this article have I actually explained what was wrong with my back. The reason is that I had no idea and none of the doctors told me. After the tournament a specialist infonned me that it was 'lumbago due to a prolapsed disc'. B) Personal 'Generally speaking there are nothing but good relations between lOp players'-Jan Timman in the issue of New in Chess that came out during the tournament! Well, it's true, still!
that it didn't seem like (I chess tournament anymore, more like war. And that wasn't in reference solely to the players. One could sense journalists and others beginning to take sides, looking the other way as
time
I came into a room and the like.
As for the protesters, well Hubner's viewpoint r understand easily. He is exceptionally sensitive to surroundings. Dzinzi's, rightly or wrongly I can only take as a joke. With Korchnoi and Ljubo it's more difficult. As I understand it their rationale wenl: At first, I had a back problem. Then I won a game or two lying down. The back recovered but I saw the massage table as a great psychological weapon to disturb them, and so continued to 'fake' the injury. The opinions of the three doctors, one physiotherapist and one chiropractor they neglected. I must say that I would never sign such a protest myself, and bitterly resented the wording. Were the players really disturbed'? Well frankly I find il hard to believe that by merely lying down I could demolish some of the best players in the world. When one starts playing one is aware of the opponent, but once the game gets underway only the pieces are seen. Korchnoi's fighting spiril is renowned. One has only to consider his three final wins. But from many a World Championship and Candidates match i t is also clear that it can extend beyond the chess board. I don't regard it as malicious, merely a pan of his personality that is necessary to sustain his over the
In all professional sports nerves can gel frayed in the heat of banle, and players can become less than
board aggression.
rational. I recall remarking at one
His
Ljubo, I believe was disturbed, not by me though, but by himself. anti-massage
table
ploy
of
playing from a separate board in my opinion only handicapped himself. Even at the closing dinner he was clearly bitter. From a nearby table he called across acidly 'Ah Doctor Miles (I'm not bul it's his custom ary fonn of address) 'I see you are very happy. Probably you are the most happily sitting person here'. If anything really hurt me, it was that comment. But two days later as I
Generally speaking there are nothing but good relations between lOp players.
drove (Yes, I know driving requires sitting. It's an unfortunate necessity. As it happens my car seats have a particularly good shape for supporting the back!) away he smiled and waved goodbye cheerfully. (Maybe he was just glad to see the back of me'?! Ooh, sorry).
stages-and that was certainly not my intention-I find it quite
So it is. Chess is a competitive sport and such things happen occasionally. I bear no animosity, and expect none. The next
tournament
will
be back to nonna!.
Lastly I would like to thank Messrs. Polugaevsky, Romanishin and Timman for their behaviour and understanding. Particularly Polu. Temperamentally if anyone was likely 10 be disturbed by me, it was him, yet he made no complaint. If I had to lose a game n i the closing
appropriate that he should be the beneficiary. Final Placings (Tilburg 1985) Miles, Hubner, Korchnoi 81/zl14 Ljubojevic 7 Polugayevsky, Romanishin, Timman 6
Dzindzihashvili Sin
"Iget bored with playing the same thing all the time " 199
20 fxeS dxeS 21 cS! �d8
10:
"I get bored with playing the same thing all the time"
M
iles's theoretical novelty 18 f4! ! leads to a brilliant attacking display.
89 A .J.Mil es White
A.Belyavsky Black Tilburg 1986
Nimzo-Illdian Defelice
I d4 lbf6 2 e4 e6 3 lbfJ b6 4 lLle3 i.b4 5 .i.gS i.b7 6 e3 h6 7 i.h4 gS 8 i.g3 �e4 9 'ilt'e2 d6 1 0 Ji.d3 .i.xe3+ I I bxc3 f5 12 dS tOeS 13 h4 g4 14 lbd4 'i'f6 15 0-0 lbxd3 16 'i'xd3 eS 17 iDxfS! i.e8
18...'ihfS 1 8....i.xfS 19 e4 and fxeS with a winning position. Interesting is 18 ...gxf3 !? with the alternatives: (a) 19 lbd4!? lDa6 (19 ...exd4? 20 .J:txf3 and exd4 with a winning initiative; 19 ...i.g4!?) 20 .J:txf3 'i'g7 2 1 i.xeS!? dxeS 22 lbe6 'i'g4 forced 23 .J:tafJ .i.xe6! 24 dxe6!beS forced 2S 'ifdS 'ife4 Black wins.
22...c6 23 d7! intending 'i'd6 and
IIfS.
23 dxc7+ Wxc7 24 -.dS lbc6 25 .a:n+ .i.d7 26 :taft! White is winning.
26....J:td8 27 %U f6
(b3) 22 ...1ild7 23 1Ifd5 0-0-0 24 :f7 wins; (b4) 22 .. .1i'd7 23 .J:txeS+ (23 'i'd5 tOc6 transposes to see bS below) 23 ... li'd8 24 l:.dl wins-Van Mil, Grooten. 24 "'g6 also wins; (b5) 22 ...l1lc6! 23 'Il'd5 1Ifd7 24 :'xeS+! lbxe5 (24 .. .'�d8 25 :e6 wins) 25 'i'xeS+ 1i'f7 26 :'fJ+ �g8 27 :f6! wins-Nunn.
19 e4 'i'hS
. 1 9.....g6 20 fxeS and either exd6 or e6 win.
90
A.J.Miles White M.Hennlgan Black
World Open, Philadelphia 1989
Pirc Defence
This game was played in the second round. I vaguely knew my opponent, a young English player, but I guessed he had improved a little since I last saw him especially since he had defeated Soviet GM Mikhail Gurevich in the first round.
I d4 g6 2 e4 i.g7 3 �fJ Though I actually knew nothing of Hennigan's preferred repertoire. the order of his first two moves suggests he might like to delar, ... iDf 6 in favor of a more "modem ' approach. I decided to try successfully as it turns out-to imitate him by delaying !be3 myself.
3 ... d6 4 �e2
22....J:tg8 23 'i'e4 wins;
(b2) 22...c6 23 'lie4 tDd7 24 'it'xc6 l:.d8 2S :afJ (2S 'i'dS) 25... lIg8 26 'Il'd5 'Il'g6 27 lifO' wins;
1 8 e4? Ji.xfS 1 9 f4 gxf3! 20 :'xD lbd7 21 .a:xf5 'i'g6 is unclear Black has strong counterplay along the g-file. 18 lDd4 was played previously, in Gligoric-Popovic, Yugoslav Ch 1986.
22 d6! 'i'e8
(b) 19 11'D' ,hfS ( 19...11l,6 20 tOe7!! wins-if then 20.....xe7 21 "g6+, or 19... 0.<1.7 20 tOe7! "xe7 21 "g6+ �d8 22 :f7 'i'e8 23 hS threatening i.h4) 20 :xf5 'i'g7 21 .i.xeS!! (Nunn) 21...dxeS 22 d6! with a winning initiative: (bl)
18 f4!!
21...i.a6 22 c4 intending .J:tf5 wins, or 21...bxc5 22 'itb5+ �d8 forced (22 ...�7 23 "c6 and :'(5) 23 'i'xc5 lbci7 24 'iWc6 :'b8 25 :'f5 'i'e8 26 .i.xe5 winning, or in this line 22 d6 also wins, intending 23 d
27 ...'*(8 28 cxb6 axb6 29 'i'b5 Black resigned. After 29...lOb8 30 'i'xb6 wins, or 29 ...'i'xf7 30 'i'a6+! Wc7 31 �xe5+! lOxe5 32 "a7+ Wc8 33 =Xb6 White wins.
From Dreams To Nightmares Did you ever have one of those tournaments that went like a dream? And then suddenly you woke up and found it was a nightmare? Well, the World Open was like that for m.,
Here, Black sank into thought, which confirmed my intuition. Afterwards, he admitted his preference for an early ...c6 and ... bS, but, with no lbc3. such an approach is unsuccessful. The white knight can happily come to d2.
4 ...li:)f6 With distinct reluctance.
s lilc3 0-0 6 0-0 c5 Black is not happy with the normal main lines, which I have played with both colours for more than 15 years. The text was originated by Korchnoi in the fateful and fatal last game of his match with Karpov in Baguio in 1978. At the time I had an idea I wanted to try against it, though I never had the chance to use it-until this game.
7 dxcS dxc5
200
"[get bored with playillg the same thing all the time "
8 .i.e3 Amazingly. this is an innovation. Several games have continued 8 'i'xd8 Uxd8 9 .i.e3 b6 10 :fd I lOc6, which gives White nothing. My idea is that by omitting the exchange of queens, White can either gain a tempo (8 ...'i'xdl ) or embarrass the black queen. 8...b6 9 'i'eI The point. After a subsequent :dl, the black queen will have no comfor1able post, whereas after, say, a subsequent .sth6, the white queen is quite wcll placed. 9...�b7 '0 ltd. it'<8 Forced. At this point I tried to remember my I I -year-old analysis and failed. The continuation I I e5 Iilg4 .2 �gS 1ilc6 1 3 Iilds 1t,8 . 4 ..i.bS �gxe5 I S /Oxe5 .i.xe5 16 ..i.xc6 "'xc6 1 7 lOxe7+ :xe7 1 8 fixe7 "'xg2 mate didn't seem too promising, so I decided on iOds, though I admit my enthusiasm for the "new" idea was waning. I l liJdS :e8 Perfectly good, though after the immediate I I ...lOxd5 12 exdS ltJd7, White doesn't have much. 12 �f4 If 1 3 fib5 then 1 3 .....i.c6 is fine, so I tried to cause a little embarrassment with the text.
12...eS? With success! The line 12 ... lOxdS 13 exd5 �7 was mandatory, after which, again, White wouldn't have much. IJ lOxr6+! The simple refutation. Not. though, 1 3 .i.xeS lLlxdS 14 .i.xg7 �g7 15 exd5 .1:.xe2, losing a piece. 13 ... ii..xf6 14 ii..h6 Natural and strong, though after I played it I began to wonder if 14 ..i.g5 might not be even better: 14 ... .i.xg5 15 i'xgS! (this I had initially neglected) 15...fixe4? 16 fOxeS and the simple threat of fOg4 puts the Black position on the critical list. Also unpleasant is 14 ... 1ig7 I S �2, heading for d6. Nor is 14 ... ii..xg5 I S 'i'xg5 lO:i7 very enticing, as 'i'h6 and :td6 hang in the air. 14...1ixe4 Brave, but since tOgS and .i.c4 are coming anyway, I suppose he may as well have a pawn for his trouble. IS lbgS �b7? At the time, I didn't think it would make much difference what Black played, but it tums out that there is one defensive try. Let's look at two lemons first. The line 15 ...fixg5 is probably as bad as it looks: 16 'i'x g5 'iTS (I6...'i'c6? 1 7 .i.b51 and "'10) 1 7 'l'h4, threatening �g4. And if, say. 1 7...1ih7 then 1 8 fig4 "'c4 1 9 f) 'i'c6 20 l:td8 and then either (a) 20... 1ilo6 2 . �d7 oc (b) 20...15 2 . 'i'e7 mating. Second, 1 5...i.f5 looks miserable: after 1 6 ilc4 when While has the exira option of a timely �d5. However, 1 5 ...fic6 is wor1h a try. Then 16 ic4 ixgSl (I6....1:.e7 1 7
"[ get bored with playing the same thing alllhe time " 201 l:td6 is horrible for Black: if then 1 7 ...1ild7 [l 7...�g7 . 8 �,g7 �g7 19 �xf7 Ibf7 20 &6+ is anothcr way to go) White plays 1 8 'i'd2 and Black is vir1ually paralyzed) 17 'i'xg5 'f'fSl and though White has morc than enough for the pawn, a clear win is not evident: 18 '1i'xfS gxfS 1 9 .1:.d6 b5! (the key move, removing the bishop from c4) and now the access to e6 leIS Black keep fighting-20 ii..d5 .txdS 21 :xdS lOa6 22 Ud6 .1:.00, when Black may even be better. Likewise, 20 �e2 l:te6. Perhaps White should play 20 1id3 to provoke the weakening ...e4, but it's not 100 percent clear. In the game, things are slightly differenl. 16 ..i.c4 1ixgS Now this doesn't work, but 16 ... Ue7 17 l:td6 is as bad as before. 1 7 "'xgS 'i'fS
J (4 lOf6 2 lbc3 e6 3 e4 A spur of the moment choice rather than preparation. I used to play this a 101 ten years ago, but it got just about played out until Kasparov added his weight to the White side last year. 3 ...cS 4 eS �g8 5 �fJ Less creative players tend to prefer the move S d4. S ...lOc6 6 d4 cxd4 7 fOxd4 lbxcs 8 lOdbS f6 I vaguely remembered that 8...a6 is supposed 10 be more accurate, but I couldn't remember why. So... 9 .te3 a6 10 lOd6+ ..i.xd6 I I "'xd6 tOe7 12 fib6 lbfS
18 'i'e7!! Splat. Unfortunately for Black, the �b7 hangs. The conclusion is forced. 1 8...fic6 19 I:td8 lLla6 20 :tu8 :xa8 21 :dl! Black resigned. There is no defence to :dS.
13 'i'cs1 Kasparov's improvement on my older 13 fixd8 lOxd6 14 �c7 �e7 1 5 c5 lOeS 16 �b6 with which [ beat L.Bronstein, drew consecutive ly with Polugaevsky, Hubner, and Karpov, then claimed a three-fold repetition and gave the line up. Keeping queens on, despite being
9' A.J.Miles White Y.Grunfeld Black World Open, Philadelphia 1989 English Opening
202
, get bored with playing the same thing aI/ the time "
"I gel bored with playillg the same thing all the time " 203
"
costly in the time depar1ment, maintains a healthy initiative for the pawn. IJ...'iWe7 1 4 "'as hS? I suspect this move will not be nominated for the TN of the Year award. Black wishes to maintain his knights on their attractive posts, but in doing so destroys the kingside as a haven for his king. 15 0-0-0 At first I felt a slight temptation to play .i.e2, just irritate the h-pawn, but on balance it seemed better to leI Black continue his plan -whatever it might be-without disturbance. Is...�n Yeeuch! Really, ...d6 was mandatory. 16 cSt The exclam is solely for effect rather than depth or brilliance of play. With d6 nailed-16...d6 1 7 cxd6 lUxd6 1 8 .i.cS wins-Black doesn't have a quecnside. 16...lUc6 1 7 "'a3 "'e8 1 8 lUe4 18 lUbS would force ...axbS, but who wants to win that thing on a8? 18...dS Forced. If Black allows �6(+), he is for all intents and purposes two pieces down. 19 cxd6 lUe5 Threatening ......c6+. 20 lUc3! The knight has done its job. Now it gets out of the way in preparation for 'i'b3, f4, .i.c4, l%hel, and the obliteration of e6. 20 Jl.d7 21 14 '
22...'iWc8 23 iLxf5 The simple way. By capturing the knight, White ensures that its colleague can never join in the struggle. 23...exfS 24 l:lhel l:le8 25 J:te7+ �g6 If 2S ... l%xe7 then 26 dxe7 followed by penetration to d6 and d8. 26�bl Quietly preparing to throw the knight into the fray with lOdS. which will in tum open the whole third rank for the queen. 26 ...'iWc6 27 h3 Forcing home the attack. Now 27...lUh6 28 lOds threatens 'iWg3+. Any attempt at counterplay by ...l:lad8 may be snuffed out by iLc7. Equally pitiful is 27 ... 'iWxb6 28 hxg4, with the twin threats of J:txd7 and gxhS +. 27 ...l:lxe7 28 dxe7 'iWxb6 29 hxg4 iLc6 30 gxf5+ So that if 30...Wf7, 3 1 ...-d6 will threaten both 'iWd8 and "'e6 mate. Thus the black king is fished out of his hole. 30...WxfS 3 1 'it'd6 The threat of "d8 is still a problem. 31 ...11.8 32 '
nothing. I played a solid Caro-Kann, and after 38 moves reached the following position for which I had more or less aimed, assessing it to be harmless. 92 A.lvanov While A.J.Mlles Black World Open, Philadelphia 1989
3s...�g3 Oops! If 3S ... We4 36 l%d4+ WO 37 "c3+ etc, or 3S ...WO 36 'i'fS+ mating quickly. 36 "'d6+! Who wants a queen? 36...�h4 36...Wf2 37 'i'd4+ mates. 37 "11'14+ "ll'g4 Or 37...�h3 38 I1d3+. 38 'i'h2+ Black resigned. On 38...'i'h3 39 J:td4+ i.e4+ 40 J:t.xe4 is mate. Well, that was fun. In the next round, GM Smagin joined the casualty list and I had SIh, And only GM Dzindzihashvili and 1M Alexander Ivanov had 41tS:. At this point, however, things began to go wrong. As he was the higher rated, I expected to play Dzindzihashvili. But on turning up for the round, I was puzzled to find his name missing from the pairing list. He had opted to take a half-point bye (I must admit I didn'l realize this was possible in mid-tournament). So I was paired against 1M Alexander Ivanov, of whom I knew
Considering the white rook's immobility and Black's hold on the e-file, I sensed no real danger. There followed: 39 g5 (xgS 1f39... l:ld7 40 gxh6 gxh6 41 l:ldS! and fS leaves the white h-pawn a winner. 40 (xgS hxgS 41 l:lxgS Only now did I take a long look at the position and realize to my great shock that I was virtually helpless! Black has no plan, and the game continuation illustrates precisely the problems. 41 �b7 42 lidS �,6 43 >l.14 Remarkably, this is vir1ually a mating attack. If Black does nothing, the white king ambles to g6. Thus, token counterplay is obligatory. •••
104 "/ get bored with playing the same thing all the lime "
43...J:tel 44 J:td6+ ¢'b7 4S J:td7+ �.8 An unfortunate necessity, since going forward mates the monarch and ...¢tc8 drops the b-pawn. Now, al1 White has to do is push his king toward c6. Black does his best to deter this. 46 J:tn :hl 47 J:tfS J:tel 48 J:tf8+ ¢'b7 49 :n+ �a8 50 J:td7 :'hl 51 J:dS J:.I 52 �g4 Played with apparent reluctance, which gave me a slight hope. S2...J:tbl What else? S3 ..tcS And this made me really (well, relatively) happy. I was terrified of 53 ¢tfS ltxb3 54 �e6. Ivanov rejected this because of 54...J:t0 and now 55 J:td8+ �b7 56 J:td7+ ¢ta8 57 J:tn .i.e3. I, too, was aware of this, but J had realized that after 58 :'£8+ ¢'b7 59 �d6, the bishop ending would be lost even with an extra pawn. I also realized that if I didn't go into this line, the white king would continue its trek. S3...J:t:cb3 Clearly the only chance. S4 �xd4 The possibility of 54 �xg7 was also giving me worries, though I was wondering if 54...�e3 might not, (probably survive in retrospect). S4...cxd4 S5 J:txd4 Here, for the first lime in 15 moves, I felt I would survive. However, now the problem was the sudden-death finish. Years of experience have taught me that one should not get stuck with one's king on the back rank in such positions. Hence I chose...
"/ get bored
with playing the same thing all the time" 205
ent 1M, but not an opponent that Grandmaster technique couldn't handle. A win would still get into the prizes. Just look what happened: 93 A.J.Miles Wlrile S.Odendahl Black World Open, Philadelphia 1989 Qlleen 's Gambit Declined SS...¢tb7? which costs a priceless tempo. Post mortem analysis suggested that 55 ...:'b4 might hold: 56 �g5 :'xa4 57 �g6 J:ta I 58 ¢txg7 J:tg I+, etc. S6 J:td7+ ¢tc6 S7 J:txg7 J:tc3 58 h6 J:txc4+ S9 ¢>gS Only now did I realize that 59 ...J:tcl is met by 60 J:tg6+! and 61 h7. Black is dead. S9 ...:'cS+ 60 ¢'g6 J:tc) 61 h7 J:thl 62 J:17 J:gl+ 63 �r6 J:hl 64 �g7 J:gl+ 65 �f8 J:hl 66 �g8 bS 67 J:tr6+ ¢>cS 68 J:tr5+ ¢>b4 69 axbS l:tgJ+ 70 ¢to l:thl 71 ¢tg6 a4 72 l:thS l:tgJ+ 73 ¢th6 Black resigned. That finished around 1 :30 a.m. Fellow sufferers will understand that I didn't sleep too well that night. I got up in the morning rather dopey and was crushed in 25 movcs by Lev Alburt. Ivanov took a half-point bye! (I confess it crossed my mind too, but it didn't really seem "right".) In the next two rounds, I failed to beat either OM Balinas or Richard Polaczek (in fairness to the latter, I should point out that he came closer to beating me than I him). In the last round, I was paired with White against Steve Odendahl-a compet-
I d4 �r6 2 c4 e6 3 1Do dS 4 �e3 fLe7 5 'i'c2 An irritating transpositional little move, championed mainly by Eingom and me. It has the merit of avoiding certain popular Black systems (5 ..tg5 h6, for instance). 5...c5 After some thought. 6 dxcs lllc6 7 e3 White could try for more with 7 cxd5 exd5 8 .i.e3 or fLg5, but I was content with a pleasant edge. 7 ...�xc5 8 a3 a5 9 b3 0-0 10 .i.b2 'i'e7 II llla4! If I I �d3 then 1 1 ...d4! solves Black's problems. I I....ta7 12 .td3 dxc4 13 bxc4! The structure with a white pawn on c4 and a black one on b7 favours White. 13 ....i.d7 14 l:tdl cS 15 �c3 l:tac8 16 ....bl With the powerful threat oflDd5. 16...:'fe8 I said "powerful." Didn't you hear me? l7 /OdS Of course if White wants a safe edge, either 17 lDg5 or 17 0-0 (17 ...e4 1 8 lDxe4) would be fine, but doesn't this just win a pawn?
1 7...lllxd5 18 .txh7+ If 1 8 cxd5 e4. 1 8...¢>h8 19 cxd5 �d4! The first surprise. I expe<:ted 19 ... e4 when 20 d6! 'i'e6 21 lDg5 '''g4 22 h4 looked tremendous: 22......xg2 23 .i.xe4, or 22 . .. f6 23 .i.xe4, or 22... fS 23 "'a 1 ! 20 �d3 20 lllxd4 exd4 2 1 ..txd4 .ixd4 22 :xd4 g6 is far from clear-in ract, it just looks bad, but surely there can be nothing wrong with the text (of course not 20 exd4 exd4+ 21 �f1 .,2+ 22 �g l d3). 20...iOxfJ+ 21 gxfJ White has a healthy extra pawn a big, fat passed d-pawn at that-a solid wall or pawns around his king, and no bad pieces. The rest is just a matter of technique, isn't it? 2 1 ...tlh4! 22 �.2 Obvious, forced, and therefore best.
22...�xe3!!! A thunderbolt. Obviously complete desperate nonsense; in the words of tennis star John McEnroe, "You cannot be serious." 23 rxe3 Less appealing is 23 ¢>xe3 ..-f4+ 24 ¢>e2 e4!
"Iget bored with playing the same thing all the time "
206 "I get bored with playing the same thing all the time"
12 J.e3 with advantage. 12 :lxd I bxeS 13 i.e3! .!Oa6 13 ... .i.xb2? 14
23...e4! 24 i.xe4 Of course I realized that a timely i.xg7+ would refute Black's insanity. I considered tossing it in here, but concluded that after 24 i.xg7+ Wxg7 25 i.xe4 l:.xe4 26 fxe4 .tg4+ 27 Wd3 .i.n, things might not be as clear as I would like.
llab! . Belter is 13 ...tOd7 though White has a clear advantage. 14 lOgS! �lg2 15 Wxg2 Threatening l:I.d6. I S ...We7 16 .!Oe4! With the threats ofl:l.d6 and lbxc5. 16....i.xb2 17 llabl l:I.hb8 If 17 ....i.xa3 then 1 8 lla 1 wins a piece. 18 .i.f4!
Anyway, there's always time after 24...llxe4.
24...J.bS+! Around here I considered giving up hope in predicting my opponent's moves. Surely the try 24 ... llxe4 was forced.
2S .td3 Not 2S l:I.d3 l:.xe4! 26 fxe4 'il'xe4 with something which passes for Black counterplay.
25..:ilg5 Crude and inadequate.
clearly
woefully
26 .i.xg7+! At last the thematic counter clearly illustrates the superiority of White's play. Now 26...Wxg7 27 Rhgl or 26 •xg7 27 .txb5 "g2+ 28 Wd3 and Black is out of ammunition. ...
26...<�g8! Comically, when considering this
possibility some time in advance, both players had the hallucination that it was refuted by 27 .i.h7+!? an impossible move!
27 e4 over: And of course it's 27 ...'I'g2+ 28 We3 'i'g5 + 29 f4 Resigns. Thanks for the game. Nice try, but you can't really eJ(pect such things to work in real life. So how much is the prize?
27...l:I.le4+
207
i i . .. dJ(c4 12 i.xc4 a4 13 �bd2 exd4 and ...lDb6. 1 2 lObd2 exd4 13 .!Oxd4 WaS 1 3 ... lbe5!? 14 cxd5 'i'xd5 15 .i.f4 White is slightly better. 15 ... lbe5 16 .c2 16 h3 is better. 16....tg4 17 .i.c4 'i'a5 1 7...lbxc4 1 8 .!Oxc4 with control of b6. 18 h3 �d7 19 �e2 Maintain ing a small plus. 19 ...l:lac8'f! Planning ...b5 and ...c5. 20 llfd l bS 2 1 lti2rJ! With a clear advantage.
In writing this article, J tried in vain to find some Informator symbols to summarize this move. I
bcJieo.·c the aforementioned Mr.McEnroe had one or two handy epithets for such occasions, but I fear our esteemed editor might refrain from printing the more appropriate ones.
28 fu4 9g2+ 29 We3 'i'g5+ 30 Wc2 Wg2+ 31 we3 'i'g5+ 32 WrJ ....5+ . 33 �4 "h4+ 34 WfS 'l'h5+ 3S ¢1"4 ¥h4+ 36 WrJ .h3+ 37 wn "Wb4+ 38 We3 Drawn by perpetua] ched.:. •
•
•
•
"The following game, a mating
attack without queens, deceptively simple:
looks
94
A.J.Miles White B.LaIli: Black Seville 1993
Queen 's Indian Defence 1 d4 .!Of6 2 �n e6 3 e4 b6 4 .!Oc3 i.b7 5 aJ g6 6 g3 A new move. 6...dS 6... 1g7 is beller. 7 cxdS ltixd5 8 .!Oxd5 .xdS?! 8 ...i.xd5 is bener, when White keeps an edge. 9 .tg2 c5 10 0-0 .i.g7 If 10...cxd4 I I �h4 'i'd7 12 .i.xb7 .xb7 13 'i'xd4 is strong. I I dxcS! 'ii'xdl I I ....xc5
White is winning. 18 e5 18 ... llb6 19 Uxb2 llxb2 20 .td6+ we8 2 1 �f6+ Wd8 22 .i.e5+ wins. 19 .i.gS+ Wf8 20 l:I.d7! 20 lld6, exploiting the position of the black knight, also wins. 20...Wg7 Forced. 2 1 .i.f6+ .•.
Wg8 22 .!Og5 llb6 23 llxn Black resigned. •
•
•
•
Knight manoeuvres lead beautiful display:
to a
95
A.J.MiJes White
J.Nunn Black Lloyds Bank, London 1993
King's Indian Defence 1 d4 IOf6 2 IOn g6 3 c3 .tg7 4 .tg5 0-0 5 IObd2 d5 6 e3 IObd7 7 .te2 lle8 8 0·0 e5 9 .!Ob3 A new move (?)-9 b4 is usual. 9...e6 9 ... e4 10 lOfd2 and c4 with an edge. 10 l:I.cl as t 1 c4 a4 1 1 ...exd4!?;
21.. ..!OxO+ 2 1 ...lDd5 22 .i.xe5 .i.xe5 23 lbxe5 llxe5 White has pressure against c6, and a strong square at c5. 22 .i.xO lOd5 22 ... c5 23 .tb7! cxd4 24 ..i.xc8 l:I.xc8 25 'i'xc8+! �xc8 26 llxc8+ �fS 27 .i.h6 ttJd7 28 llxd4 wins. 23 .td6 �6 24 'i'c5! 'i'xe5 2S .i.xc5 �f6 26 �a3 The pressure against c6 gives White a decisive advantage. 26.. .l:.b8 26 ... lbe4 27 �xe4 llxe4 28 '!oxb5 wins. 27 .i.d6 llb6 28 tl"Ixc6 .i.J((:6 29 .txc6 l:.c8 30 .i.b4 .tffl 30... lIbxc6 31 lIxc6 lIxc6 32
lId8+ .tfS 33 lIxfS+ 1>g 7 34 lIb8 wins. 3 1 i.dS WxfS 32 .tO l:I.e4 33
1>0 1>.7 34 1>.1 IOd7 35 .td5 llxel 36 l:I.xcl b4 37 llc7 Wd6 38 lIa7 .!OeS 39 .i.xr7 �d3+ 40 Wd2 '!o:d2 40... lOxb2 41 Wc2 41 llxa4 1Oe4+ 42 We2 llb7 43 l:.a6+ WcS 44 �b3 lld7 45 lla5+ Black resigned.
"[ get bored with playing the same thing all the tim e " 2(}9
"/ gel bored \I';th playing the same thing all the tim e "
208
96 S.Atalik White A.J.MJles Black Heraklion 1993
King's Indian Defence
I dol lLlf6 2 c4 g6 3 tOc3 .i.g7 4 e4 d6 5 0 O�O 6 .i.e3 cS I like this answer to the Samisch. It tries to prove that 5 n is simply a bad move weakening the dark squares and taking the eg l s best square.
Perhaps a more realistic choice would have been I I dxc5 dxc5 12 "f4 � 1 3 "'xb8 l:taxb8 14 tl'lb5 and White might be able to equalise, which s i a fair indication thai his opening has not been a success. l l � 12 b3 Instead 12 dxe(; fxe6 13 'i'xd6 ••.
.xd6 14 :Xd6 lOf7 15 i.xf6 lOxd6 16 �e7 �c4 s i clearly good for Black.
'
Twdvt:: yt::ar.; agu I ht::ard thai Fischer believed the Siimisch to be the refutation of the King"s Indian. 6... c5 had scarcely been tried then. 7 �ge2 Of course 7 dxc5 is critical, whilst 7 d5 leads to a Modem Benoni where n is a bit early, but at the moment Black is doing alright in the theoretical argument. 7...�6 8 'i'd2 e6 A useful waiting move which fits
in whether White chooses 9 d5 or 9 dxc5. 9 AdI?!
This I find fishy-9 ()"O-O s i consistent and 9 d.S still sensible. Now how is White going to develop his kingside? 9 b6 ...
Finally protecting the c5 pawn. I O t.g5 Not impressive, but neither is 1 0 ¢lf2 which I am told has been played by Gheorghiu here. IO i.a6 ...
Instead IO...h6 I I t.xh6 lOxe4 12 tOxe4 'i'h4+ 13 g3 'i'xh6 14 'i'xh6 .i.xh6 1 5 lOxd6 looked unclear. 1 1 dS
12_b6 13 It.3 Now 13 Lh6 lOxe4 is obviously ba
I3_udS .xdS bS! Logic:ally
14 lOxdS tOxdS blasting
open
15 the
position.. 16 C1bS If 16 Wxd6 "a5+ 17 .i.d2 ( 1 7 W'd2 lOi3 mate) l7... h4! threatens ..:t"dB and nails the white king in ..
the centre.
16-hbS 17 &1 .ie6 Again offering the d-pawn.
18 •• 2 If 18 .xd6 'i'a5+ 19 .i.d2 'i'a3 ( l 9...'1D6 20 lte3) 20 .ie3 and now simply 20 . .lUd8 2 1 *xd8+ l:txd8 22 :Xd8+ ¢lh7 leaves the Black queen uatCh more effective than the .
rooks.
18 ..f5! 19 W'xd6 .
Now Ihere is no choice since 1 9 exf5 is met b y 1 9... .txn. White hopes to make something out of the exposed black king. 1 9......e8! A ver)' effective square
20 ..-xeS What dse? 20...fxe4 21 f4
21 ...l[jd3+ The alternative wai 2 l . . .lOg4 with the idea of 22 .i.e2 :fS 23 'i'c4+ .i.d5! 24 :xd5 tOxe3 winning the exchange. I rejected it because of22 h3 :fS 23 "c4+ i.d5 24 hxg4! .i.xc4 25 .i.xc4+ with excellent compensation for the queen.
2z I£Ixd3 In my opinion 22 .i.xd3 exd3 23 0-0 was a beller try. though after 23 ...:f5 24 'i'c4+ ¢'h7 25 :fel i.b5 Black has more than enough compensation in the shape of his light square domination and big passed pawn. 22 ...exd3 23 ¢If'2 1:e8 Completing mobilisation threatening to penetrate to c2.
S1mply addlOg the options of . 'i'h5 and ...gxf4 to Black's annouT)'. Now ...:te4 is a real threat '00.
26 Act Anel' much thou g ht. The main point is that 26 :te2 runs into 26....i.xg2 27 Wxg2 ::tc3 and the whilt:: kill� i:;: blown out of the water. Now White intends to meet 26...gxf4 with 27 .id4, so ...
26...::td8 27 'i'e2 gxf4 28 .tc5 n 29 'i'xe8 fxg2+! 30 .i.xf8 Or 30 'i'xfB+ 1:xfB+ 3 1 .txfB gxhl:'i' winning.
30...gxhl�+ White resigned.
and
24 'i'c4+ ¢'h8 25 'l'xd3 More or less forced. Now the obvious 25 ....te4 is met by 26 'i'd7! when 26...::tc2+ 27 .te2 'l'e5 28 Ahel leaves Black with assorted draws (....txg2 1:xf4+) bUI no more. •
...
The curious point, though, is that White is virtually in zugzwang. which led me to the winning idea. 2S g5!! •..
Since 3 1 ¢lg I .i.d4+ mates beautifully and otherwise ...l:.xe8+ mops up.
210
"Iget bored
"1 get bored with playing the same
with playing the same thing all the time "
Employing one of his all-time favourite lines, Miles gambles all on attack: 97
Z.Almasi White A.J.MlIes Black
Groningen 1994
""1+
30
while 1 7 f4 ..tffi gives counterplay
17_ dxcS 18 lile4 ..te7 1 8...1:e8 1 9
-e4 and e3 are weakened.
19 ... b6 20 axb6 cxb6 2 1 d6 is good for White. 20 ..to 20
l:lxhl
male.
W'xe6+
lOxe6
c ounttrplay.
29
..td5
gives
28 :el Forced-28
It turns out that it is the white rook not the black queen that is embarrassed. Now if I S .i.cl "g6! (Garcia was also worried about . ..Wh3) 16 AgS lOtS! and the white queen has no good square.
.:.x.o White resigned. 98
G.Carcia White AJ.Miles Black
Nim::ovich Defence
1 .. &6 Considering the amounl of PR work I do for black horses, I find Uoyds Bank's decision to end ils chess sponsorship most ungrateful. Last year it appealed to my sense of humour to Iry and win the Memorial with CapabJanca Alekhine's Defence. I scored 2'h13 with it. This lime 1 changed horses and gOl half a point more.
2 d4 eS 3 dIeS �xeS 4 lilfJ -*..b4+ 5 €lbd2
A � move. Most people prefer 5 c3 fu.O+ 6 "xO ..tcS though it doesn't promise much. At the Mextcan town of Linares last year Gildarrlo continued with 7 b4 ..tb6 8 exrz fOe7 9 a4!?, achieving his first ambitiOD of getting an interesting position., but not his second (0-1,41).
S ll:lxl3+ .•.
By no means necessary, but I was curious to see how he intended to exploit the omission of c3.
6 'i'xo &7 7 a3 ..taS
I was beginning to get the idea. Not 7.....tcS?? 8 1i'c3! winning.
26 dxc7 If 26 d7 then 26....!:ld8! 27 �xd8 .!:lh6 28 .!:le 1 'li'h2+ 29 wn
1 4....i.e6!
"',;,c7 .xfl+ 29 Wxfl .:tel mate. 2S.--=XtJ 29 "xhJ ll:ld13+ 30 ¢1g2
Capablanca Memorial, Matanzas 1995
8
b4 �b6 9 ..tb2 0-0 10 ..tc4!?
Sharpest, though 10 tLlc4 and 1 0 c4 also came into consideration.
111
Way too optimistic, though it is already hard to suggest a good move.
26�IC7 27 "d7 .!:lad! 27...f5 28
NimZO\'ich Dt'/t'nct'
I e4 lilc6 2 lilo d6 3 d4 �6 4 �cJ �g4 S �e2 e6 6 h3 � 7 dS exdS 8 exdS ..txr3 9 �IO � 10 .i.e2 .i.e7 I I 0-0 0-0 12 .4 .6 13 �e3 lilfd7 14 as �6 IS :a4 0ts 16 :ta3 1 6 1:b4 1:b8 s i equaL 16 .....tgS!? 16...:e8 17 b4 �7 or 17 1i'd2 give White an edge. 17 .inS! 17 .ixg5 'I'xg5 is equal.
bhl
thing 01/ the lime "
15 :hS 'i'g6 16 ..te2
Had this game been played in the last round at nine o'clock in the morning it might well have come to an abrupt end: 1O... d6?? I I "c3! 1-0. Fortunately I was awake and, having spotted this possibility, very alen. Often the existence of such a plausible disaster is a bad sign, but I could not believe I had done anything seriously wrong. My assessment was correct but it was necessary to find two precise moves to prove it.
Sadly the only move.
16...r5!
And White is routed. The AhS is left stranded.
17 exfS .i.dS 18 0-0 AaeS 19 20 111'<3 Itles 21 1ild4 ..txd4 22 "xd4 .i.O!
1.d l 1.,4
10...�c6!
The only move. The point is to block the aH8 diagonal on d4 ( I I 1II'g3 odllc3, 1 I ... 1.d4).
I I �b3
Consistent.
I I......h4!
But this completely takes the sting Oul of White's position, preventing the white queen from reaching an active post. Much less accurate would be I I .....g5 12 h4, or I I ...d6 12 111'g3 �c5 I l f4.
12 g3?
Trying for too much. It was time
10 bail out with 12 0-0 d6 1 3 'l'g3.
12.....h6!
The queen is ideally placed here, protecting g7 and preventing o-o-O!
13 :tdl d6 1 4 AdS?
Understandably White could not bring himself to play 23 :th3-it's at least as bad as it looks-and so had to surrender the exchange. The rest is not interesting.
23 AxeS dIeS 24 'i'cJ .txd1 25 .!:lxd} ...n 26 "'e3 "'(3 27 :tel 111',,3 28 1[,,3 .. 29 1[<3 I[n 30 1.d 86 31 1.03 1[06 32 � I[d7 33 We2 wn 34 :c4 l:c6 35 Axc6 bxc6 36 c3 We6 37 ..td4 WdS 38 We3 :n 39 h4 :t(3+ 40 We2 g6 41 a4 cS While reSigned.
2/2
"/ get bored with playing the same thing all the time " 99 D.Lima White A.J .Miles Black Matanzas 1995
The horses of darkness had a field day against Lima. The luckless Brazilian has failed to win a game in two years at Matanzas. He has a tendency to self-destruct in time trouble however good his position.
"/ get bored with playing the Slime fhing all the time "
3 l c6 No better is 31 cxb6 cxb6 32 :h2 and now either 32 ... :'dS or first 32...lilg4 33 I[h4 IilSf6. 3L.:'de7 32 :'h2 :'e6 33 1013 :xe6 34 :cI :'c5 3S lLld4 lOxh5 36 �xt7 lbe7 37 :'xh5 :e3 38 Wf2 :'cxc.3 39 :xe3 :'xc3 40 lLlb5 :c2+ 41 wn a6 White resigned. 100
A.J.!\1l1es White A.Sorln Black Capablanca Memorial, Matanzas 1995
Scotch Game 1 e4 eS 2 lOI3 ltk6 3 d4 An unusual choice of opening for me. Since Kasparov's adoption of it, the Scotch has become quite
In this position White had just played h4 trying to free his position by hS and f4. My first reaction was to stop him with 23... :f5, bUI then 24 :h2 prepares g4 and also introduces the possibility of lOgS. A closer inspection revealed thaI White's freedom will not solve all his problems. So... 23... :e8! 24 h5 lbfS 25 f4 ed4 26 �s.r4 lbg8! Quite a neat winning manoeuvre. Eventually a knight will settle on f6 and the white kingside will disintegrate. 27 o!Dd2 o!Dh7! 28 cS
popular, and as I sometimes stumble into it from I e4 &6 2 d4 e5 3 IOn
I decided to learn something about it. Having done so it seemed reasonable to try the White side now and again. Actually most of my opening preparation consisted of browsing through Peter Wells' book on the Semi-Slav. Not that r actually played it n i any games, but at 304 pages iI's a lot more substantial then most opening books and therefore much more useful for swatting mosquitoes.
9...gS!? Sorin is not a player who needs much encouragement to attack. In the post mortem he commented that I was an optimist. I can't help feeling that I am not the only one. 10 �d2 Not 1 0 �g3 h5. 10..:"f6 "e6?!
11 -.e2 -.e5 12 g3
This seems to be too artificial. The threat of ...lOxh2 is not really serious. Both 12... hS and 12 ...3S1?-to preserve the �c5-are more promising. 13 iba4! It is essential to get rid of the �cS. 13...�d4
If 13 ...lOxh2 14 fucS 9h3 White has time to move the knight and meet ...lOg4 or ...i.g4 with n. 14 c:3 'i'h6 IS h4 i.f6
213
I was expecting 17..."h3 though 18 gxf6 is fine (18 ...:g8 19 �f4). Less convincing though is the 'positional" 18 i.e4 when 18 ...�a61 is a problem: 19 'i'xa6 lOg4 20 "xc6+ We7 and when the checks run out ...1*'h2 will mate. 18 f4 'i'h3 19 �e4! Now this is decisive. White protects the kingside and prepares to mop up on the long diagonal. 19 ...'i'xg3+ 20 'ili'g2 'i'xgH 21 �xg2 �h6 22 fxeS �xd2 23 �xc6+ �d7 24 �xa8 �xa4 25 exd6 cxd6 26 :'('2 �gS If 26... i.e3 27 l:.e l . 27 :'cl+Wf8 28 �d5 �c8 29 :fS f6 30 :13 hS 31 c4 h4 32 :b3 �f4 33 :'xe8+ Black resigned. Linares Zonal 1995 101
A.J.Miles White M.Codcna Black Linares Zonal 199S opened up a clear lead of a whole point by beating Godena when he cracked in time trouble:
3... ud4 4 lOxd4 IOf6 S lC!c3 5 lOxc6 bxc6 6 eS is more critical, but I haven't sorted that oul yet1 5 ...�cS
Desperation, but 28 ibn lbgf6 doesn't help.
A reasonable alternative to the normal ...�b4.
28...dxcS 29 -.xd7 :xd7 30 bxeS IOhr6!
6 lOJ:C6 bxc6 7 �d3 d6 8 0-0 Iilg4 9 j
And as promised White's position falls apart.
Slightly provocative. 9 simple and safe.
h3
is
16 eS! The thematic refutation. Black's king turns oul to be more exposed than White's. 16...lC!xeS On 16... dxeS 17 ..n followed by �f5 and lDcs is destructive. 17 hxgS �xgS
Black's pieces have temporarily lost their coordination so I played the tricky 31 a4! when Black missed the possibility of 31 ...lbxa4 32
214
"/ get bored with playing the same thing all the lime
�xa4 "'xa4 33 Ad8+ A£8 34 lb.f8+ ¢'xfS 35 ..-c5+ ¢>f7 36 ..-xe5 ..-d1+ 37 �cl ..-d3+ 38 Wa2 'i'c4+! with a perpetual. Instead he pl ed �y 3 1..:i'e2 and after 32 Ad2 " c4 (..:i'g4 is a beller try) 33 Ad8+ ':'f8 34 lb:f8+ �xf8 35 as "'xcl+ 36 ..i.xcl �c4 37 b3 b6 38 �3 he lost a piece and the game. In the sixth round I extended my lead by beating van der Sterren. Going into the free day it looked as though one of the five qualifying places was reserved. A week., though, is a long time in a zonal tournament, and the next round brought a shock:
102 M.lIIescas
White
A.J.Miles Black Linares Zonal 1995 Nimzovich Defence
1 04 IIlescas had been playing I d4 so far, so I knew that if he switched to 1 e4 he would have spent the free day preparing for 1 ...tbc6-it had so far netted me 2lh/3. Clearly the practical decision was to change defences, but with a I LA point lead I decided to 'see' his preparation.
1 ...'ll.6 2 'llO d6 3 d4 'llr6 4 'll<3 �g4 5 �.3 .6 6 h3 �h5 , d5 tiJe7? A serious case of trying to put a square peg into a round hole-if God had intended this knight to go to e7 what on earth did he have in mind for the �(fS). The problem was that though I had won fWO games with it before I had never really analysed it thoroughly. Such negligence was bound to be
"
"J gef bored with playillg the same thing all the lime"
punished one day. Instead both 7...lOes and 7...tOb8 are interesling.
The main problem is that 13 ...lLlb6 walks into 14 i.xb6 (the immediate lLlb5 also is not to be sniffed al) 14 . ..ax.b6 (or 1 4 ...'I'xb6 IS .::txd6) I S lObS! winning outright. Hence the text is more or less forced in order to prevent .!Lkl4.
14 -..c4 l:tc8 1 5 tOh4 tOb6 16 �xb6 axb6 17 l:td3 Now 1 7 lLlbS is nol 100% clear as 1 7...cxb5 18 'iixb5+ lbc6 and Black will defend c6 grimly by ...¢>d7. After White's choice Black gets slight counterplay, but not enough.
8 �b5+! A massive improvement on the
8
g4 �g6 9 dxe6 fxe6 10 'lld4 .5 I I
&6 -.d7 12 �xf8 .uxfB of Jaracz-Miles, Biel 1995 and 8 �e2 exdS 9 exdS �xf'3 10 �xf'3 tbfS 1 1 �g5 �e7 12 0-0 0-0 1 3 .uel lOci7! of Klovans-Miles, Groningen 1992. The positional point is Ihat the �(h5) leaves Ihe queenside light squaus vulnerable. 8 06 •••
S...�7 9 g4 �g6 10 dxe6 fxe6
I I �5 does not look like much of an improvement.
9 d.s:c6 bJ:C6 And here 9 ... lOxc6 10 g4 �g6 1 1 12 f3 (for want of anything more conclusive) would leave a Sicilian type structure where the �(g6) is horribly misplaced.
� "'c7
10 i.a4! The pressure against c6 makes life very uncomfortable.
10......c7 I I ..we2 lDd7 Probably 1 1 ...�xn is relatively best, but I frankly have no interest in defending the position any more.
12 g4 i,g6 1 3 0-0-0 eS
17 ...dS 1 8 exd5 i.xd3 19 'i'xd3 .:td8 20 .udl g6 21 d6 �h6+ 22 ¢Obi 'i'b8 23 lLle4 bS Instead 23 ...0-0 24 dxe7 .::txd3 25 exfS=..w+ ..wxfS 26 cxd3 (!) leaves White with a winning advantage. Now Black goes down in a ball of flames.
24 lLlr6+ ¢>f8 25 dxe7+ ¢>xe7 26 lLld7! bxa4 27 lLlf5+! gxrS 28 ,*a3+ �e6 29 gxr5+ ¢>xr5 30 'i'f3+ Black resigned. A nice game, unless you happen to be Black. However it took an extra significance by virtue of being on the only demonstration board. Why so, you may ask. Well, further down the room the Luxemberger Alberto David had Black against Apicella. His first mistake was to tum up ten minutes latc, during which time Apicella had lillie beller to do than watch the demo board that he happened to be facing. His second, inspired by a first round thrashing at my hands, was to play l ...lLlc6 for the first time in his life. By this time Il1escas and I had played ten moves, so the opportunistic Apicella simply followed the script in front of him. The games continued identically for some time, the only noticeable
215
difference being that Apicella consumed noticeably less time than the other three protagonists. In fact after 1 3 ...eS the Frenchman decided he could manage on his own, and the game concluded abruptly 14 lLlh4 toes 1 5 -..c4 tOes 16 �xc5 dxcS 1 7 'i'dS 1-0 . In the ninth round I picked whal seemed like a good moment to produce my best game. 103
J.Piket White A.J.Miles Black
Linares Zonal 1995 Sial' Defelice
Jeroen has been going through a miserable patch recently, coming last in the Donner Memorial and losing matches to Timman and Judi! Polgar. I don't know if there is somelhing wrong with him, but when he came to the board his eyes looked slightly glazed, the expression on his race was grim his whole demeanour felt wrong.
I d4 dS 2 ll)f3 �r6 3 c4 c6 4 e3 Not his usual preference but 4 It)c3 had brought him nothing against Sadler two days before. He played the move quickly with the air of one who is not taking the game too seriously. Strange, but a draw would leave him very well placed to qualify.
4...i.rs S ll)c3 e6 6 tOh4 �e4 Probably Ihis is better than the more common 6... �g4. Now 7 tOxe4 dxe4 followed by ... i.b4+ gives Black no problems.
, 'Il'b3 'Il'b6 8 e5 'Il'e' 9 IJ �g6 Considering the lournament position, and curious about Pikct's intentions I offered a draw here, though I think Black is already better.
216
"{ get bored with playing the same thing all the time"
"I get bored with playing the same thing al/ the time"
Meanwhile Matthew Sadler finally broke his run of six draws, but not as he intcnded, when he overpressed against Van Oer Slerren.
10 g3 b6 Black immediately sets demolishing the white structure.
about pawn
I I cxb6 axb6 12 Jtd2 Jle7 13 i!Llxg6 hxg6 14 r4 c5 15 Jttl &6 16 0-00-0 17 :tfcl J%fb8 1 8 'i'dl Here the draw back-much too late.
offer
came
IS...'i'dS 19 lObS IOe4 20 �e\ :te8 21 a4 g5 37 :el :'.438 :'e2 Wh1 39 b3 And this means that the c-fiIe cannot be: permanently blockaded.
39 .':'740 wn :'e7 41 h4 .
An understandable attempt to get some
play but White's position is
DOl good enough to justify il.
By now White's beyond repair.
position
is
22 Jtf3 gxf4 23 gxr4 nd4 24 exd4 �d6 25 Whl Jtf6 26 �cJ o!l.'lxb5 27 nbS :tnl 28 :tnl �1 White is left with five weak pawns. Virtually no ending is tenable so it is just a matter of time before something drops.
29 �g4 g6 30 'i'd3 'i'd6 31 'i'd2 'i'd7 32 'i'd3 �g7 33 IIgl 1I0s Round here any pawn move will further weaken White so I began provoking some.
34 h3 This loosens White's king position and eliminates any h-file countcrplay via h3.
34 ...:ta8 35 Wg2 'l'e8 36 :tel 'i'OS
4L�S 42 1102 �g7 Threatening ... f5. o � � 06 44 �b4 1Of5+ 45 1ill gxfS 46 :'g2 Wh1 47 �d2 ...r6 48 WbJ :c8 49 �e3 "e7 SO hS .e1 51 :'gl "c3 52 :tdl 'l'b2 53 �d2 �:lf4 White resigned, So, with two rounds 10 play I led w1th 7/9, IIIescas and Renet had 61h
with the field a further point behind. At this point I thought
1 was safe.
I had not lost a game with White all
year and the possibility of losing my last two games did not seem realistic. My sense of danger had gone completely, and I was only interested in collecting some more Elo points. Such an approach can have IwO effects. The first is that it can work. The second unfortunately happened. I played the opening against Van Wely carelessly. lost a pawn, and crumbled rapidly. l11escas assumed the lead by eliminating poor Piket and Renet drew rapidly.
With one round to play the scores were IlIescas n�, Miles and Renel " Van Wely 61,7 with seven people including Peter Wells on 6. In the last round I1Iescas would play van Wely and Renet and I would float down to the chasing pack. Almost any result was possible. I remember Renet commenting to me Ihat the only thing we were sure of was a play-ofT. I wish he had kept his mouth shut. In a nerve-racking lasl round we bolh lost miserably to Van der Sterren and Apicella-I simply
couldn't readjust after the previous
loss-Van Wely drew quickly, and Van der Wiel, and Peter joined the group by beating Mikhail Gurevich and Magem respectively. So, remarkably, only lIIescas had qualified and the next seven players had 10 have a rapid play-off for four places. In order to avoid writing a whole new report I will restrict myself to the climax of this. With one round to play Van Wely and Van der Wiel were safe with 31h, Apicella had 2W5, Van der Sterren, Renet and I had 215, while Wells had finished with 21h/6.
2/7
qualifying spot to the spectating Peter, Thus lIlescas, Van Wely, Van der Wiel, Van der Sterren and Wells will play in the Interzonal. •
•
•
•
A nicely calculated finish, where Black is allowed to gain two queens. 104 A.J.Miles White
J,Hodgson Black Hastings 199516
Slav Defelice
1 i!Lln d5 2 d4 c6 3 c4 dxc4 4 e3 bS 5 a4 e6 6 axbS nbS 1 b3 �b4+ 8 i.d2 �xd2+ 9 lDbxd2 as 10 bxc4 b4 I I lDeS lDf6 12 "a4+!? New move. 12..,o!l.'lfd7 1 2 ...lDbd7? 1 3 lDc6 wins, or 12...i.d7 1 3 0xd7 with advantage. 13 c5 0-0 14 liJec4 1016 14. ..�b7 1 5 1Od6 �,6 1 6 �b5 Jtxg2 1 7 :tgl is unclear. 14 ...e5!?
15 �e2 i!Lld5 16 JtfJ Jtd7 11 ,*,e2 Jtb5 1 7...i.c6 and ..lDrl1. 18 ltid6 i.a6 19 lD2c4 1Oc6 20 0-0 'i'c7 21 life I .1xc4 22 �xc4 With a clear advantage. 22 "xc4 a4! 22...liJcc1 23 �3 :'a7 24 g3! l:.b8 25 wg2 h6 25...g6. 26 :'c2 o!l.'lc3? 26...g6. 27 :xa5! :tnS 28 i!LlxaS 'i'xa5 29 :xc3 bxc3 30 "xb8+ Wh7 31 �1! rs 32 'ii'xe1! c2 .
The last round pairings were Van Wely-Apicella, Van der Wiel-Renel, and Miles-Van der Sierren. The tie-breaks meant that if I won would qualify unless both Frenchmen won, while a draw be sufficient if either of them lost.
I decided to try to win, got outplayed and lost, only to watch in frustration as both Frenchmen went down thus handing the fourth
33 'i'xc6 cI-'i' 34 'i'xf5+ g6 35 'i'f7+ �08 36 'i'1lI+ �07 37 �d5 "hl+ 38 �hl Black resigned.
"I am lIos/afgicfor lhe days before complllers were i/wellled " 2 1 9
11:
"I am nostalgic for the days
before computers were invented" 105 J.llellsten Whi'e A.J.Milcs Black Malmo 1996 Ellgfish Defelice With two rounds to go, Korchnoi and I were in the joint lead with 617. In round eight Korchnoi had a clearly losing position against Zeigler while I had an equally strong winning position against Pia Cramling. Somehow both games turned completely around and I lost while KorchnOI won. In the final round I needed to beat Korchnoi to share first place. But, after completely outplaying him for a large part of the game on the Black side of an Exchange French, I evcntually let him get away with a draw. My most entertaining game came in round seven... I d4 e6 2 c4 b6 3 a3 g6!?/!
Probably this is new in this position, though it has certainly
been played after 3 ...�b7 4 d5. I believe there it is an invention of Jim Plaskett. I suspect that 3 ...g6 may well be best. 3 a3 really 'wastes' a move to prevent ... i.b4 so Black instead aims for the best diagonal, hoping to get a little mileage out of ... e6. The game illustrates the concept admirably. 4 �c3 �g7 5 �O �e7 6 e4 ..tb7 On 6 ... 0-0 maybe 7 h4. 7 i.e2 0-0 8 0-0 f5 Already it is hard to suggest moves for White. 9 .'Itd3 is hardly impressive. 9 e5 h6! 10:tel On 10 h4 d5, or 1 O...d6 leaves the white h-pawn looking silly. 10 ...g5 1 1 d5 lbg6 12 �n g4 13 lbd4 ..txe5 14 dxe6 On 14 �xh6 the simple 14 ...:te8 is slrong. 14 .....f6 15 ..txh6 J:e8 White's position is collapsing. He has no good way to hold d4. What then, I was asked, was White's mistake? Probably getting oul of bed this morning was not a great idea. 16 �db5 dxc6 17 'i'd2 lbc6 18 I!fgS Just about the only try. If 18 �g5 'it.h8 19 :txe5 'itxe5 20 .:tel 'itg7 Wins. Now all Black has to do is to protect c7 and White can resign. For example 1 8...Aac8 19 a4 a6 0-1. Mentally I chalked up the point and,
bored and impatient to get the game over with, played ... 18...Ae7?? After 19 AxeS! I got a slight shock. Clearly afier 1 9.....xg5 20 ..txg5 &xe5 2 1 ..txe7lt:lxe7 22 �xc7 Ae8 23 fue6 lbxc4 Black has compensation for the pawn and should survive. But I wanted more. Taking into consideration that White had barely five minutes to reach move 40 (to my 1 hour 20 minutes) I conceived the mind-blowing...
White can survive is fairly academic-at this point he's brain i dead. The rest is of little nterest. 24 .1l.e3 To meet 24 ...:th8 with 25 $.d4 Aeh7 26 AxeS �xe5 27 Ael. 24,..lbn 25 .i.c4 1£25 ..td4+ e5. 25...l:h8 26 g3lbc:16 27 �a2 .i.o Not 27...l:xh2 28 lOd5+. 28 h4 �xh4 29 lbd5+ wn 30 .Il.d4 Or 30 �xe7 lbg6 3 1 .i.xe6+ We8. 30...lIh6 31 IId3 Or 3 1 ..te3.:th7. 31...exdS 32 :txe7+ ¢txe7 33 l:e3+ ¢'d7 34 gxh4 :xh4 35 l:xo gxO 36 i.f6 J:g4+ 37 ..t>n �e6 38 .i.d8 �xbS White resigned. Personally I'm not terribly interested in artificial intelligence, but the day a computer produces either my 18th or 19th moves mankind is in big trouble. •
t9...�n This move defies !s and ?s. Black ignores the minor setback of blundering a piece and continues as happened. nothing had if Psychologically I didn't feel White had a chance of adjusting to the changed circumstances. 20 Aeel a6 1 1 %ladl? The best way 10 refund the piece was 2 1 lDe4 fxe4 22 lbc3. 2t... axb5 22 'i'xf6+ �xf6 23 cxb5 lLlce5 Now Black has excellent compensation for a pawn and simply returns to his plan of attacking the white king. Whether
•
•
•
Powerful positional play from a quiet opening: 106 A.J.Miles White A.Rodriguez Black Yopal 1997 Ellglish Opening I c4 It:lf6 2 lilc3 e5 3 .'Do lbc6 4 e3 .i.b4 5 'ii'c2 0-0 6 lbdS .:te8 7 'i'f5!? d6 8 lt:lxf6+ 'ii'xf6 8...gxf6!? 9 'i'xf6 gxf6 1 0 a3 ..tc5 I I b4 �b6 12 .i.b2 as I J b5 �e7 14 d4! A new move? 14....i.g4?! IS c5! 15 dxcS 16 dxe5. IS...�a7 16 b6! i.xO 17 gxO �b8 1 8 .:tgJ+ �f8 To keep f7 protected. 19 Adl!!
220 "I oll/ llostalgic/or Ihe days be/ore compulers were imlenled"
endgame grinds 2.1-2.4' opines the anonymous pundit. Hmm, I resent the implication that my chess is anything less than sparkling. As it happens my first round game was not overly thrilling. I include it here not because it is of any particular interest-merely that it gives a certain symmetry to this article.
" J am nosUlfgic/or lhe days before computers were invented" 221 Round two produced a relative miniature of 53 moves of ... er ... rook and knight ending.
Anyway, after 33 moves, I was staring al the following rather grim position.
At this point my tournament stalled horribly with three consecutive unimpressive draws.
M.Sadler White A.J.Miles Black
Aware that a win was essential to stay in touch, I at last produced a mating altack. 108
107
Eyeing d7- White has the bener game. If 19 cxd6 cxd6 intending ...'!ixI5IcS with counterplay, or 19 dxe5 fxe5. 19...c6 19...exd4 20 cxd6 cxd6 21 .i.xd4 with a winning advantage, or 19...cxb6 20 dxe5 dxe5 2 1 cxb6 tt:lc8 22 �b5 wins. 20 dxe5 fxe5 21 cxd6 tt:ld5 22 e4! tt:lxb623 r4! 23 .i.c1 :e6 23. f6 24 (xe5 tt:ld1 24... fxe5 25 Ad3 wins. 25
A.J.Miles White O.Kelly Black
D.Tebb While A.J.MIles Black
There is no good answer to 34 i.h4.
..
�c4 Black resigned.
Miles or Moves and one 'Short' win The British Championship (1998) was a strange event for me- somehow I never really got interest ed until it was over. A mix-up over accommodation led to me spending the weekend before the start scouring the streets or Torquay for something suitable. Eventually I gave up and settled for a cupboard next door to the venue. Cupboards, though, are by nalure a bit claustrophobic-particularly ir you spend two weeks in them-and this certainly affected my mood. Berore moving on to the chess I must comment on the British Championship Preview in the July Chess. 'Spread on number or
109
The game had meandered along until I made the dubious decision to force my opponent to sacrifice the exchange. Fortunately ror me he got a bit too optimistic and eventually stumbled into the diagrammed ending. The game concluded:
59 �b5 l[h6 60 �,5 l[h2 61 ¢'d6 lhg2 62 ¢'xc5 l:tf'2 63 WfS ':'xf3 64 Wxg5 ltd 65 �fI f3 66 e5 f2 67 a6 :cl 68 .i.d3 f1-'i' 69 �xfl ':'xfl and Rowson just about beats Adams and Emanuel Lasker, as the alliterative Pikel would doubtless put it. 70 a7+ r;,xa7 71 c6
Wb7 72 e7 %tel 73 Wf6 We7 White resigned. Okay, so perhaps I was a bit of an endgame grind...
Having had Black on the ropes for a (very) long time, I broke through with 12S �xb5! cxb5 126 c6 �c8 If 126...1xc6 121 :e6 wins, while 126...R.e8 meets a similar fate to the game. 127 "c5"0 128 'i'xb5 J:[h8 129 'l'c5 The threats or 'l'a7+, :'e7+ and b5 leave Black helpless. 129...lth7 130 b5 Wb8 131 b6 :g7 132 lIiclM <.itaR 133 'W'dll Rlack
resigned.
What did you say? The move number? Er,... yes, it was one hundred and twenty five - I wouldn't want to launch a premature attack, would I?! The second week started badly. Perhaps playing the Slav agaiml Matthew Sadler when he has just written a book on it was a dubious choice, but I was curious ...
Ir 34 ...f6 35 ltxf6 gxf6 36 'l'g4+ wins a pawn and wrecks Black's kingside, while 34 ...lld6 35 'l'g4 has the double threat of tt:lfO+ and fub4. Gloomily I tried to make 34 iLh4 lld6 35 "g4 Wh7 work (36 "'xb4 Ilxd5, or 36 tt:lxb4 1'5) but really it's hopeless. But why was Matthew thinking so long? I couldn't understand. Eventually after using 17 of his remaining 24 minutes he produced...
34 �c7 After the game I asked why he had rejected 34 .i.h4. The answer was 34 ...:d6 35 'l'g4 :g6 36 'i'xb4 "xb4 37 tt:lxb4 :e4, but 38 lDd5 wins on the spot! Seriously mystified I tried to readjust. Ir he has rejected 34 �h4 he must �urely think 34 tiJc.7 is winning. I soon spotted the idea: 34 ... :xdl+ 35 :'xdl l:tb8 36 �xa6! bxa6 37 .i.xb8 'i'xb8 38 l:d7 and
"[ am nostalgic/or the days before computers were invented " 223
222 "[ am lIoslalgic/or the days be/ore computers were illvellfed "
the seventh rank is decisive. Given that, Black's choice is limited. And so..
34...lI.e7 Now 35 or 36 'i'xb7 �b5 is far from clear.
35 lI.xdS 'i'xdS 36 lDds Even worse would be 36 lI.dl 'i'xdl+ 37 'i'xdl lI.el+. Afterwards Matthew admitted he had earlier overlooked both this and Black's next move.
36 ...lI.el+ 37 Axel �xel And suddenly Black is completely safe and even fractionally better thanks to the White queenside.
38 b4 To add to everything else White had just 20 seconds for the last twO moves (to my 20 minutes). Under any other circumstances I would have played 3S ...€:k:6 immediately, but after 39 'ite4 White is holding fairly comfortably. Unable to believe my luck-but very willing to push ii-I decided to be slightly more tricky.
opponent last year, this was my first loss in the British since 1984 (Admittedly I haven't played that many!). If I was unmotivated before this, you can imagine my level of interest now. However the next round saw me paired against Keith Arkcll. Not the easiest person in the world to beat, but over the years I have had rather a good record against him. I can recall losing a pawn around 1974 or so and having a draw offer declined about S years ago (both games were drawn anyway) but otherwise it has been very much one way traffic. So, in the interests of retaining a customer, I felt obliged to try. 110
A.J.Miles White K.Arkell Black
but there is no threat. Eventually, after half an hour's thought I came up with the right idea.
23 .i.f3!! Slightly hard to find, because the bishop seems vulnerable here, but the point soon becomes apparent. The first threat is tt:ld6 and any knight move runs into a fork on d6, e.g. 23 .. .1&5 24 �xb7 "xb7 25 11ld6 1ilD+ 26
2 3...Ad8 2 4 :'xd8 'i'xd8 Not 24 ... �xd8 25 'a"d4+.
25 'a"f4! Renewing the focus on d6. Now the difference between 23 .i.n and .i.g2 becomes clear-there is no problem on the back rank.
And Black is paralysed!
39 �c7!
resigned.
Actually, apart from the rapid play-off game against the same
.••
33 ...gxh4+ 34 Wxh4 Wf6 3S ¢l'h5
36 �8+??
Preventing 'ite4 and threatening ...i.xb4 but totally overlooking the paradoxical
39...'itc6 40 '5'e3 i.xb4 41 'itxa7 �J:85 42 'Wb8+ Wh7 43 .!lJe8 b5 44 Iild6 16 45 1Il'.7 i.b4 46 IilIS i.f8 47 'ifn 'ifc8 48 lOd4 �a3 49 �e6 1Il'g8 50 1Il'd7
32 Wg6 33 h4 My first thought: 33 fxgS hxg5 34 f4 would have been much simpler--getting rid of the only weakness in the While position. If 34...g4 35 WM, and otherwise White creates a passed h·pawn.
25 ..:"f6 26 �6! "xf4 27 gx(4 i..8
38...'a"e8??
and Black cannot protect both b7 and e3. Disgusted, I felt like resigning on the spot, but staggered on:
31 ¢l'g3 h6 32 .4 Not necessary, but I was impatient to run him out of legal moves. Perhaps 32 h3 was more accurate/sadistic.
After 22 moves I reached this promising position. White has lots of small pluses-the slight vulnerability of n, b6 and c6--the uncomfortable positions of Black's minor pieces, some forking potential on d6- -but its hard to see a clear win. Direct pressure against c6 fails tactically, for example 23 Acl Ac8 24 'i'e4 tOes or 'ife5; while 23 .i.S2-to threaten lbd6--is met by . ... lI.d8. I considered 24 'i'c2 then,
28 .td5 15 Not a move that Black wants to play, but others tend to lose the kingside. Now White could easily pick up a pawn by 29 b4, say, but 29 ... axb4 30 axb4 bS would free the Black pieces and give good drawing chances. So I preferred to tighten the noose.
29 D f2 g5 Understandable since Black is in zugzwang, but the only real effect is to weaken £5.
Terribly careless-I simply overlooked Black's reply-a bit embarrassing considering his number of legal moves. Instead 36 (Ox£5+ would win trivially.
36 Wd7! .•.
Suddenly Black has real counter play and I was beginning to regret not only 36 1Oc8+ but also 32 a4. The next few moves are fairly random as first mild time shortage and then mutual dissatisfaction with the game took effect.
37 1il,b6+
224
) am nostalgic for the days before computers were invented"
"I am
"
A further error. 46 f6 �e8 4 7 �g7 still looks good enough. 46 ...lLlb7! I completely forgot that the knight could reach d6! AI this point I stopped punting and sank into thought. Clearly Black cannot be prevented from giving up his knight for the f-pawn, when White wi!] have a h �r� time winning with his one remammg pawn. I managed to make the best of a bad job.
47 f6 .tZ'ld6 48 �e6 .tZ'le8+ Understandable-Keith
he was drawing.
thought
49 �g6 �xf6 50 �xf6 .i.dl If the game continuation is correct this position might make a reasonable endgame study.
5 1 �e6+ �b5
Not 53 .ia2 ..te2! and .....tc4.
53....i.c2 Suddenly to his horror Keith realized that 53 ... .i.b3 runs into 54 ttk7+ �b4 55 lLm6+ and 56 .ill:b3, Black is out ofammunilion.
54 �c3+ �b4 55 .tZ'la2+ '.tc5 56 �,5 Heading for home.
56...Jl.bl 57 Jl.g8 Played to reach the lime control.
57 ....i.g6 58 .i.e6 .i.h7 59 .tZ'lc3 JI.<2 Or 59...�b4 60 �d4 a3 61 'il32+. 60 .i.a2 �b4 61 Wd4 Black resigned. If 61....ib3 62 .i.xb3 "'xb3 63 0xa4 �xa4 64 �c4, or 61...a3 62 liJd5+ "'a4 63 ¢lc3! winning. The next day saw more silliness. With an hour on the clock and the better position against Peter Wells I idn' t feel like playing sensibly a d mstead opted for a few speculative punts. When the dust had settled we reached the following position.
�
�
win on their own. The game staggered to its conclusion: 4 1...:xb3 4l...AbS was worth a thought. 42 �f2 :b2+ 43 �e3
:db8 44 .i.e6 �g7 45 .i.e4 :2b3+ 46 �d2! :a3 47 l:r.xa5 :b2+ 48 WcI :h2 Speelman thought
4S ...:e2 might be a better try but it still doesn't seem to be enough. 49
:a8 :aI+ 50 .i.bl .i.h7 51 lDxh7 :hl+ 52 �d2 :axbl 53 �f6 :hdl+ 54 �e2 :deI+ 55 'Otd2 AdI+ 56 ¢'e2 :dcl+ Drawn.
Round Ten brought the White pieces against Jon Speelman. This is never a pleasant pairing. Nothing to do with chess-just the eternal nightmare of having to sit opposite the second most fidgety player on earth (Walter Browne is the first in case anyone is wondering). Sadly the experience was doomed to be a long one when Jon horribly mishandled the opening. 112
111
A.J.Miles White J.Speelman Black Modern Defelice
P.Wells White A.J.MUes Black
I d4 g6 2 0f3 i.g7 3 e4 d6 4 'ilc3 Jl.g4
52 �e7!!
In my preparation I had noticed that this system was part of Jon's repertoire, but I had also observed that he tended to get fairly nonnal King's Indian positions from it something which he does not often play however-so I was quite satisfied with these developments.
Not the most obvious move but it reroutes the knight to the right circuit d5-c3-a2!
S2 ...a4
If 52 ...�b4 53 lt:xt5+, or 52...�e2 (heading for c4) 53 ¢'e5 �c4 54 .i.d7+ �b4 55 �c6+ wins. Now White must beware of 53...a3 54
bxa3 �a4.
53 illd5
nostalgiCfor the days before computers were invented " 225
5 e3 .tZ'lc6 6 .i.e2 eS 7 dS 0ee7 8
Brian is buggercd but the Rowsons are almost good enough to
04 'ilr6
This both surprised and pleased me-now we do have a nonnal King's Indian position except the Black bishop is on g4, which absolutely does not help his cause. I had expected something more imaginative, though, to be honest, I had no idea what!
9 i.e3 .i.xf3 Now the imagination arrives-but it's not too good.
10 .i.xf3 h5 The plan of exchanging is dark-squared bishops well-known, but here Black has wasted too much time.
1 1 0-0 ¢If'S Not a happy choice, but 11 ....i.h6 is met by 12 .i.xh6 :xh6 13 -..d2 1:I.h8 14 �dl when f4 is a terrible threat and �a4 will prevent a black knight reaching e5.
12 'ii'd2 �eg8 Even uglier.
13 h3 i.h6 14 .i.dl .tZ'ld7 I S .i.a4 �b6 1 6 c5 Now there's no need for f4.
16...i.xe3 17 'i'xe3 dxc5 18 'i'xc5+ 'i'd6 1 9 -..e3 a6 20 Aacl 'ilr6 2 1 Jl.b3 �g7 22 'ilbl l[ac8 23 'ild2 I[hd8 24 illl3 1[,8 2S I[rd 1 �bd7 26 :c4 .tZ'lb8 27 :dcl
"/ am nostalgicfor the days before computers
226 "/ am nostalgic:for the days before computers were illl'ellfed "
The key to the position�the third rank gives White's pieces great co-ordination which, combined with the uncomfortable black king and w�ak pawns, feel like enough to Win.
the emergency exit "-'lbe7+ seems sufficient.
46 :f6+ ¢>g8
35...g5 36 :a3 'ii'cs 37 'itb8+ ¢>g7 38 :<3 'lfd4 39 'Il'b7 'lfd6 40 ¢'h2 g4 41 %ta3
with �a4 to follow.
29 11lg5 White must convert his advantage quickly, before Black senles on d4.
29 ....:e7 30 ':xc6 tLlxc6 31 �xf7! :xf7 32 �xf7 ¢'xn 33 Wb3+ ems 34 .xb7 �e7
A,J.Miles White N.Short Black Reti Opening
47 'ii'b3+ Not 47 :'xf2 �rs+ 48 ¢'xh5 'ii'h4+ 49 ¢'g6 lOe7+.
47...¢'h8 Here Black sank into thought for 40 minutes. Knowing Jon, I deduced two things from this: (a) he is lost, and (b) he is going to come up with some nasty tricks that I've overlooked.
41...gxh3 42 :xa6 I don't know what Black would play afler 42 gxh3, but since I had calculated that the text was winning, I decided to take the dubious step of backing my tactical ability.
42...lOg4+ 43 Wxh3 tbxtl+ 44 ¢'h4 'l'd8 45 l:te6 At this point I noticed that one of my earlier considcrations 45 ¢'xh5 leaves something to be desired� 45...'ii'd l + and 46......g4 mate! Also 45 .::ta7 <;ilfS 46 ':a8 &8+ leaves the while king short of a hiding place.
45...¢>f8 35 l:tc3!
52 'ii'a7+ �h8 53 'itb6 'l'd2+ 54 ¢'h4 "'xg2 55 .::ttl 'ii'xe4+ 56 ¢'g3 'lfd3+ 57 1113 ifb l 58 <3Ih2 'If,,2 59 :h3+ ¢'g7 60 ..-c7+ �f6 61 :13+ �g6 62 ..-d6+ ¢'h7 63 .::t h3+ ¢'g7 64 "'d7+ �r6 65 :'13+ ¢'g6 66 :g3+ �f6 67 'i'g7+ Black resigned.
1 13
27...c5
28 dxc6 :xc6 If 28...�xc6 29 'l'b6 is annoying,
illxf6 54 ¢'f5 �7 55 a4 is a trivial win. Now it's all over,
This result set up the last round pairing that certain sections of the crowd had been waiting for.
Probably it was stronger to play a few more preparatory moves like a3, but I was vaguely concerned about allowing ... 'ifb6 at some momenl�though in hindsight I find it hard to explain exactly which moment! I admit I had been thinking more about 27... c6 when White has the additional possibility of�.
were invented ,. 227
Tricky. On 45 ...Wfi the simp le approach is 46 ':xe5 and if ... 'ii'd6
As my opponent pointed out afterwards. 48 l:txf2 is the simplest here. Instead I noticed that 48 .f7 o!!'!f5+ was not impressive: 49 exf5 .d4+, or 49 ¢'xh5?? .dl+, or 49 �g5 .'bxe4+ 50 �xf5 tbxf6. But I thought my choice was conclusive.
48 'lfn However...
48...¢'g7! Oops! Missed that! Now if 49 1If7+ ¢>g8 50 'lff6 IOg6+ 5 I ¢>xh5 �f4+ 52 Wh4 lOxg2+ 53 Wh5 'ii'd I+ and White has to be careful to draw, but 50 .xf2 seems to spoil Black's fun. Slightly rattled I chose a more scenic route.
49 ¢'xh5 'ii'e8+ SO ¢'g5 lOg8 51 'i'xtl! At last!
51...'lfd8 Instead 5l......e7 does win the rook but 52 -.rs -.xf6+ 53 'ii'xf6+
Before moving on to the game I must correct some erroneous publicity concerning the encounter. Firstly, 'Miles hadn't beaten Short for 20 years'�M.Pein. Actually I haven't beaten him for 16 years, but then he hasn't beaten me for 14. In fact, I had much the better of our only meeting in that period. The relevance of this is that 1 didn't suffer any psychological problems playing him because I lost a few games when he was still in nappies�for the simple reason that 1 can't remember them. Secondly, 'The two are not on speaking tenns'�again M.Pein. Not true. I said good morning to Gump as recently as 1994 in Moscow. Never the fastest or most fluent of orators, I assume he is still trying to think of a witty retort.
1 1013 The thing about players who spend ten years playing in Category 25 tournaments is they tend 10 be more than averagely up-Io-date with developmenrs in trendy main lines, having analyzed them extensively
228
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"/ am nostalgicfor the days before computers were invellted"
with their seconds, firsts and 'housc-guests' to use Gump's phrase. I presume that designation makes them cheaper! Anyway, I prefer to play just one the skip will so opponent, theoretical discussions for today.
1 ...d5 2 c4 e6 3 g3 �f6 4 �g2 �e7 5 b3 Again, I was content with the choice of opening. I have played this system several times, while my database did not tum up any examples of Gump playing the Black side. He started staring into the distance with the air of one who is trying to remember what he looked at many years ago.
5...0·0 6 0-0 c5 7 �b2 �c6 8 e3 b6 9 lDc3 �b7 10 cxd5 lDxd5 I I lL\xd5 'ii'xd5 1 2 d4
So does White have anything? Well a slightly better king, after the inevitable exchange on g2 and that knight on a5. What is it worth? Maybe a tempo or two: i.e basically nothing, but still more than Black has.
15 ...:'fd8 I prefer 15 ...:'ac8 first. 1 6 :'acl lDc6 17 lDd4 Giving Black a wide choice of things to exchangc. There are many ways to more or less maintain the balance but Gump's choice is the last one I would have gone for.
17... �xg2 18 ¢>xg2 �xd4 19 �xd4 �xd4 20 :'xd4 :'xd4 21 exd4
22.,,:'d8 23 :'xa7 :'xd4 24 :'b7 IId6 24... :'b4 was also possible but he prefers to keep the white king from the queenside.
25 a4 �g7 26 ¢>n g4 27 ¢>e2 h5 28 b4 e5 29 as Since 29 �e3 would be met by 29 . .:'f6 I went for the simple approach. .
29..,bxa5 30 buS :'d4 Clearly 30...:'a6 31 Ub5 followed by heading the king towards b5 is unpleasant.
31 a6 Ua4 32 a7 Wg6 33
36...¢'e6 37 ¢>c4 Wd6
An old line which doesn't give White much, of course, but still I was a bit surprised at his choice. The height of Black's ambitions is to exchange off some pieces and shake hands.
39..."'15 Here it dawned on me that my shallow observation that . .'�fS would leave h5 en prise with check was not entirely relevant. Oh well, nothing to do. .
40 �d5 :'a5+?? An astonishing blunder-pretty much the only way to give back the tempo White had losl. Furthermore, it was not attributable to time trouble since he still had eight minutes left after playing it.
41 Wc6 f3 45 �b6 Wxf2 46
Wc5 e4 47 lIxh5 e3 48 1:If5+ �g2 49 :xf6 �xh2 50 e4 g3 55 :'0+.
12 ...lDaS 13 dxc5 ECO recommends 13 �a3 but I was content to leave the lDa5 looking slightly silly.
13 ...�xc5 14 'ii'xdS �xdS I S :'fdl
Still 39 :'c7 ¢>d6 40 :'h7 was fine.
Black resigned.
So we reach a simple rook ending, but one in which White's rook is vastly the more active. Black will always have to suffer here.
21 ... gS Banged out immediately with the air of one who knows how 10 draw such positions by grabbing some kingside space.
22 ':c7 This impression was a little undermined, though, when he sank into thought for 15 minutes here.
38 lin (?) Careless. I didn't see what he was doing. To some extent that's understandable since he isn't doing anything. But 38 :'h7 was correct and if 38 ... Wc6 then 39 Uf7, or 3 8.. .'�e6 39 ¢>b5 WfS 40 :'c7! again, or 40 'iPb6.
38,.,We6 39 :'h7?
the of win shortest My Championship! I don't know if 644 moves is a record but I'm certainly glad I didn't do it in the days of adjournments! Anyway this game still leaves the question: Ignoring the exchange of exchange of stupidities on moves 39 and 40, where exactly did Black go wrong? Let's go back to the position after my 36'h move.
230
"/ am
nostalgicfor the days before computers were iflvellled "
Obviously Black has problems, but something that didn't occur to me during the game-for obvious reasons-is what if it was White's move here? If I �b4 �e4 2 :'c4+ �fS! and White has to repeat. Also if I :'b7 :'a6 2 Wc4 �e4 3 �b5 :'a I and Black has gained a vital tempo. So surprisingly, White would be in zllgn.·ang! If White can get his king to bS, though, he does win e.g.: 36...We6 37 � c4 WfS (or 37 ...�d6 38 :'h7 lPo6 39 IPbS 1Pf7 40 11,7) 38 IPbS :'bl+ (as good as any) 39 wc6 :'al 40 �b7 :'bl+ 41 Wc8 :'al 42 Wb8 We4 43 a8='it'+ :'xa8+ 44 Wxa8 wn 45 :'c2 f5 46 Wb7 f4 47 Wc6 Wg2 48 WdS ..vxh2 49 �e4 etc. This leads to the interesting conclusion that Black could have drawn on the previous move. Instead of 3S ...:'al, either 35 ... :'a5! or 35... :'a6! would have lost the necessary tempo to escape the zugzwolIg! So does this mean that the diagram position is really zugn.·ang? Hard to believe? At this point, it is necessary to apply the Clintonian Improbability Principle: That 'which is hard to believe is generally untrue.' (As opposed to the Clintonian
Impossibility Principle: 'That which is impossible to believe is generally President of the United States' which has little relevance to chess, though)-combined with Sherlock Holmes' theory of escaping from zugzwang: 'When you have eliminated all the plausible moves, you'd better play what you have left quickly, before you lose on time.' The result is 36...h4 but 37 gxh4 IPg6 38 1P<4 IPhS 39 IPbS IPxh4 40 IIh7+ IPgS 4 1 1Pb6 IPf4 42 1If7 (slowing things up a bit) 42...f5 43 :'f8 still seems to win for White. At this point, I think I will tell you that I am nostalgic for the days before computers were invented, so Fritz and his friends haven't checked :lOy of this. I leave it to you, gentle reader, to sort it out and find the mistakes! •
A
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funny
•
game
114 A.J.MlIes White A.Valsser Black
Elista Olympiad 1998 D'ifCIl
Defelice
Olympiads can be rather long affairs, and sometimes one doesn't really feel like playing nonnal chess. On a good day one's team captain can be persuaded to arrange a free day, but sometimes il just isn't possible. This was one of those days: I d4 e6 Predictable. since it is a major part of Vaisser's repertoire and also avoids the traditional English hangover cure 1 ... lDf6 2 .i.g5.
2 tOo fS Now any nonnal move will pennit Black to transpose to his favourite Stonewall. On an average
" / am
lIostalgicfor the days before computers were iI/vented " 231
day I would be happy to be given the e5 square so early, but on this occasion I just wasn't in that sort of mood. In fact there is virtually only one move to escape Black's intentions.
3 dS!? Not a move that confonns to many general principles, but it has a few points. I have used it before successfully, which if anything made me hesitant to repeat it. My apprehension was increased when Vaisser bashed out the next few moves immediately. 3. .. exdS 4 'i'xdS d6 S It:)gS The point-for what it's worth.
S...�e7 6 ltlxh7 There is no turning back now. White wins a pawn, but at the cost of ralher a lot of tempi, and having to keep a straight face while playing a sequence of ridiculous·looking moves. 6... c6 7 "ll'b3 l1xh7 If 7... J.c6 8 "ll'gl lhh7 9 "ll'g6+. 8 �xg8 .:r.h4 9 �b3 lt:)a6 The direct 9 . .�e6 can be met by 1 0 J.gS.
At this point both players at last started (0 think. Afterwards Vaisser told me that he had looked at the
line briefly ten years ago and concluded that Black had plenty of play for the pawn. That was pretty much the same as my preparation
which concluded that I had a pawn for a bit of play. I suspect we both also imagined that if we ever reached this position it would nOI be against a terribly serious opponent. Perhaps this assessment too was not entirely inaccurate. 10 "11'.3 Seems best, to tempt the black rook to e4 where it will be hit by the white knight. IO ...:'c4 U �d2 Again most reasonable-White needs to keep an eye on c2.
1 1...1lIb4 Now my first thought was 12 iOd5 (not 1 2 ...:'d4 1 3 �c3! a5 b3) 1 3 & 3 but after 1 3...�xc3 'l'xc3 .i.d7 (or i.e6) followed 0-(r0 Black does have plenty compensation.
a3
14
14 by of
I l lildl Aesthetically forced, but also quite sensible. If White can play lOd2-fJ Black will not have much. Vaisser thought for a long time and found a neal response:
12...:'d4! 13 lt:)d2
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"/ am nostalgicfor the days before computers were invented "
Or 13 .i.d2 f4.
13...f4 Threatening ....i.f5.
14 83 The positionally desirable 14 c3 is not entirely effective here.
14 ...lbdS I S c3 Trapping the errant rook?
IS...lbe3!
16 fxe3 'fj'h4+ 17 g3 fxg3 18 �g2 gxh2+! Sad. When examining this line earlier 1 had anticipated 1 8...�h3 19 exd4 (19 cxd4 is better in the main line but al10ws a draw by 19... gxh2+ 20 ¢>fl .i.xg2+ 21 ,*,xg2 'ill'g4+ since 22 ¢:'xh2? d5 and the :(a8) reaches h8) 19 ....i.xg2 20 lbD! �xD 21 exD g2+ 22 ¢:'e2 gxhl='iIf 23 'fj'xhl and White has a good extra pawn!
19 ¢:'rt 'ilff6+! 20 �eI Unfortunately if 20 �f3 �h3+
and ...'fj'h4 mate.
20...'fj'h4+ 21 ¢:'fl Drawn. The Best Endgame? The chess world has been fairly quiet of late. Kasparov is not
playing Anand just yet, and the new Alexander World Champion Khalifman has only been seen turning out for his club team in the European team championship. He was at least promoted to board one-last time I noticed he was on three-but given the less than world championly task of drawing with Jaan Ehlvest, his team apparently being confident of victory on the lower boards. This he managed with some comfort.
"/ am
nostalgicfor the days before computers were invellfed" 1 15
W.Arencibia White A.J.Miles Black
Capablanca Memorial 1999
Slav Defence I d4 dS 2 c4 c6 3 lbc3
Anyway, this lack of activity is my excuse for boring you with one of my own games-well actually just an ending.
Instead g5 keeps White lied down. This gives him a chance to relieve his position by exchanges.
AI the end of Ihe Capablanca Memorial in Havana this year I was surprised to be awarded a prize for the best endgame of the tournament. The surprise was not due to false or real modesty, but to the fact that I didn't realise there was a prize! Also since the game had only been played a couple of days before, and the crucial part had only lasted a few minutes, I had given no real thought to it.
I had thought this to be impossible because of some permutation of �f4 and lZ:if2, but now noticed that this was not so... 21.. ..i.xf4 22 .i.xa6 i.xe3 23 �xc8 i.xf2+ 24 ¢:'fl .i.xe I 25 Axc6 and 2 l . ..lDxf2 22 ¢:'xf2 �xf4 23 exf4 �xd3 24 Axc6 :'xc6 25 lZ:ie5 both favour White.
However with the benefit of hindsight and the analyses of several players (I am particularly indebted to Jon Speelman for sending me a copy of his) it does tum out to be quite a fascinating position. The game was played n i the penultimate round and turned out to decide first place-the two protagonists were tying for the lead at the time. White handled t� opening miserably and got ill horribly cramped position, but then a piece of carelessness by me allowed him to reduce the damage to a minimum.
233
21 .i.d3 .i.xd3
n lZ:ixd3 Aac7 23 'fj'b3 'i'b6 24 Aedl 'i'a6 25 .i.e1 hS SO �g3 �xg3 51 ¢:'xg3 lZ:id7 52
This was the ending both sides had aimed for. I trusted that the bad while knight would be sufficient for me to win, and Walter hoped that the reduced material would let him hold.
S3,*,n No! 53 lbel? lZ:ixa4 b-pawn queens.
and
the
S3...�h4 S4 �g2 The first critical position. Black can try to make progress on the kingside by exchanging the g- and h-pawns and laying siege to e3. However once the black knight drifts too far from the queenside White can play lllb4 and run the a-pawn. Hence I chose the more violent approach..
S4...
55 ¢>h2 lDd2 56
S6...axb4 resigned.
57
as It:l.c4
White
Since 58 bxc4 b3 59 a6 b2 60 a7 bl='i' 61 a8='fj' 'ilVb2+ 62 �gl ¢1g3 forces mate. Fine... Or was it?? Let's take a look at what happens if While does take the knight, 55 bxc4 dxc4 (not 55 ...b3 56
234
"'am nostalgicfor the days before computers were invented " 235
,am nostalgicfor 'he days before camp liters were invented "
"
My first thought was that 56 d5 b3 57 lOa3 c3 58 d6 c2 59 d7 (59 lOxc2 is hopeless: 59...bxc2 60 d7 c I=='i' 61 d8""'i' 'i'c2+ 62 ¢'f1 'i'xa4 63 'i'h8+ �g3 64 iWe5+ �xh3 and 'i'xg5 is m i possible because of 'i'd1-0-g3) 59... d�'i' 60 d8�'i' 'i'b2+ 61 �gl "'xu3 and the black king runs towards a I. However, as Speelman points out, 61 �fl "xa3 62 "h8+ Wg3 63 'i'e5+ �O (6L�h3 64 'i'B+ doesn't help) 64 'i'f6+! (I had overlooked this check!) 64...Wxe3 65 "c3+ forces a perpetual. Even more interesting, though, is 56 Wf2. Speelman gives this an !, which is curious, suggesting White is trying to win?! The point is that White can catch the queenside pawns, for example 56... b3 57 tOa3 c3 58 �e2 Wxh3 59 lObS! and now best seems to be 59... b2 60 lOxc3 g4 61 �d2 g3 62 �<2 g2 63 1De2 �g4 64 d5 �O 65 IOgl + .tf2 66 IOh3+ ¢>g3 drawing. Howcver Black can also try 56... �xh3 when Speelm:m gives 57 d5 b3 58 lOa3 c3 59 We2 g4 60 d6 when Black is struggling to draw. But Black can improve with 59...b2 and if 60 d6 bl""" 61 lOxbl c2 wins. So 60 �d I g4 6 1 d6 g3 62 d7 g2 63 d8='i' g l ="+ 64 Wc2. Now the simple 64 ...'i'eI+ 65 Wb3 bl='i'+ 66 lOxbl "'xb l + 67 Wxc3
'ib4+ is probably enough to win, but even clearer is 66...'it'b2+ 67 wc4 'i'b4+ 68 Wd5 'i'xb I. The point is that White can never take the c'pawn, e.g. 69 'i'h8+ �g3 70 'itxc3 'i'd3+ 71 'itd4 'itxd4+ 72 Wxd4 WO and wins, so the black king walks out of the checks and the c-pawn decides. This is still not the end, though, as White 100 can improve by 57 ¢>e2! threatening tOe I, when Black has to go for 57 ...b3 58 tOa3 when 58 ... c3 59 lObS draws as above, and 58 ....g4 59 d5 is no better. So, was the whole position drawn after all?? Well, before we give up let's just go back 10 the position before 54 ... lC.c4, and consider the quiet approach.
e3 winning.) 70...lObl (Even ...lOe2-g3 is good enough.) 7 1 ¢>dl tOa3 winning easily. So what does this all prove?? Well. fairly clearly that the best endgame prize was not merited! Thai my judgment is beller than my play? (Not a surprise with advancing age and laziness.) That violence doesn't pay-except in practice? Probably just that fortune favours the lucky. •
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•
for the pawn. 23 :'bl :'tb8 24 iDdi 24 dxe6 i.xe6 24...exd5 25 cxdS 25
exd5? l:lxd3! 26 'ii'xd3 �rs wins. 25...iDf4 With a strong attack. 26 i.xf4 26 �c2 li)xg2! 27 ¢>xg2 Jl.xh3+ 28 .tgl (28 �xh3 'i'o mate) 28 ......0 mates; 26 i.n :'xa3 with advantage to Black. 26...gxf4 With an attack down the ventilated g·me. 27 �c2 27 i.f1 :'xa3.
•
A ferocious attack, vintage Miles:
116
A Babu rin White A.J.MIIes Black .
4NCL. England 2000
English Defelice
I d4 e6 2 e4 b6 3 a3?! Weakens b3. 3 g6 4 lOe3 i.g7 5 e4 iDe7 6 li)f3 �b7 7 �d3 d6 New move. 7...d5; 7...0-0 8 0-0 IOd7 9 !tel 9 �e3 h6!? \0 d5!? 9... h6!? 10 h3 a6 1 1 �e3 gS 12 %lei 12 d5 tt:lg6 with control of e5. 12 b4!? 12 . cS 12 ...0·0 13 b4; 12 ...iDg6!? 13 dS 1 3 b4!? 0-0 (13 ... cxd4!?). 13 ...li)g6 Black has strong squares e5 and f4. 14 i.c2 We7 15 W'd2 0·0 16 :cdl 16 dxe6 fxe6 17 %led I lbde5 1 8 'ii'xd6 'i'xd6 1 9 :'xd6 iDxc4; 17 ... 1hD!? intending ... l[)h4 or ... lDe5. 16 . li)dcS 17 lOxe5 �xe5 1 8 �d3 Intending �fI and hindering ... b5. If 18 g3 'i'f6 threatening ... lOf4. 18.....f6!? 19 .•.
. .
54 ... 1De8 55 IDe I 'ild6 56 1De2 (If 56 Wh2 1Dc4 wins.) 56... lOfS 57 .th2 g4 S8 hxg4 �g4 59 .tg2 li)h4+ 60 �f2 li) fJ! (Not 60...Wh3 61 iDxb4. Now though the knight stays within mnge of a8 [iDfJ·g5· e6-c7]. thus preventing tDb4) 61 �g2 (61 lOal ¢'h3 will transpose.) 61 ...€ld2 62 lOa 1 �h4 63 Wf2 (Not 63 .th2 IOn+) 63....th3 64 .te2 ll'Ibl 65 1Dc2 (65 ¢>f2 lOa3 wins the king ending, with the white knight 'rnpped.) 65....tg2 66 1De1+ .tgl 67 'ilc2 1De3+ 68 �e I .tg2 69 lila I .to 70 'ilc2 (Or 70 .td2 IObl+ 71 Wei wxe3 72 Wxbl Wd2 73 1Dc2
..
�a4
:ab8
20
iDxb6
i.c8
20 ... .li.c6!? 21 dxc6 :'xb6 is unclear. 21 lila4 2 1 Iilxc8 !txb2 22 'i'a5 :'xc8 23 "'xa6 %lcb8 with compensation for the pawn, intending ...i.d4 or ...lOR 21...�d7 22 lDcJ :'b3! Black has good play
27...:'xh3! Wins. 28 gxh3 Wh8 28 .. .0 29 .th I 'i'h4 30 !tg I + .th8 3 1 :'g3 i.xh3 also wins. 29 f3 29
¢>f1 'iWh4! (29... i.xh3+ 30 �e2 0+ 3 1 �d3 i.d7 32 �c4!; 29... 0 30 !te3) 30 IOe3 (30 .te2 0+) 30...Jl.b5+ 3 1 Jl.d3 'i'xh3+ 32 �e2 'i'h5+ 33 0 fxe3. 29 ....ttg8+ 30 Whl 30 Wfl �xh3+ 3 1 We2 :'g2+ 32 IOf2 Jl.d4 33 !tfl 'i'h4. 30._.'i'h4
White resigned.
117
.
Wagner White (Le Perroux, 2390) A.J.Mllcs Black (Vandoeuvre...
How would I know what my rating is these days! Too many lists!) French League 2001
Queen 's Gambit Accepted Miles Variatioll
It seems quite a while since inflicted one of my own games on you. This is largely because I have hardly played any lately, but now
236
"/ am tlostalgic/or fhe days be/ore compllfers were illvellled"
seems as good a time as any to make amends. A couple of weeks ago, I made my debut in the French league (slightly surprising that I haven't appeared there before ... but I am open to offers!). I was playing for the second division (weiLl am just an old man you know) leaders Vandoeuvre, and produced the following entertaining little game:
I d4 dS 2 lOo lOf6 3 e4 dxc4 4 1ilc3 Six year; ago I invented a system against tillS line which I used to great pecuniary advantage to knock out in consecutive rounds of the London PCA (remember them??) Grand Prix Messrs. Kramnik (whatever became of him??) and Van Wcly. Thereafter I wrote an article ahout the v:1ri;lIion and Ihen obeyed Larsen's maxim that when you write about a variation you must immediately stop playing it. Well... At least I tried to stop playing il. In one game in Bermuda a few years ago Joel Benjamin played the QGA against me, which at the time was not really part of his repertoire, so I banged out 4 �3 safe in the knowledge that he would not play my own line against me. Wrong! He did, and I had trouble scrambling a draw! On another occasion an opponent played 4 lik3 rather confidently against me, so expecting preparation, I ducked into a Slav with 4...c6. In the six years since I introduced my idea, quite a fcw strong players havc adopted il... Korchnoi, Van Wely himself, Nikolic, Tkachiev and others. Anyway, partly for old times sake, and partly because I had forgonen whatever I knew about Ihe line, I decided to wheel il out again!
4...a6 S e4 bS 6 eS lOds 7 a4 e6 8 nbS lOb6
"/ am nostalgic/or the days before compUlers were invented " 237 that both were unclear, but that was all I could rcx:al1. In fact checking my database, I now find that I had got it the wrong way round! Thinking I was showing eternal lack of confidence in my own assessments I now chose...
12...�dS The alternative 1 2 ...R.b4 1 3 'i'g4
(I played the less incisive 1 3 lik3)
The stem position of the line. Black gives back the extra pawn, but in return gets the excellent square d5 for his pieces, and preserves the pawn on c4, which does an important job-keeping the �fI from its most aggressive post on d3. White has space on the kingside, but the inability of the white light-squared bishop to join an anack means that the black king will be quite safe on the kingside. 9 �e3 Experience has shown that this is the most critical. White prepares lLki2, both attacking the c4-pawn and allowing his queen to go to g4. 9 .>l.b7 .••
Korchnoi, presumably dissatisfied with this move, has tried both .....d7 and ...i.b4 here, while the Spanish GM Magem Badals has successfully axb5, employed aesthetically establishing his king knight on a8.
1 0 lDd2 nbS 1 1 ':xa8 .i.xa8 12 �xb5 I reached this position as White in the above mentioned game against Benjamin. My memory w�s that at this point he sank into thought, and I came to the conclusion that 12 ....i.b4 was the only move, while he decided that 12 .....1d5 was forced! The post mortem concluded
1 3 ...0-0 was tried recently in a game Gormally-Krush, Oakham 2000, when White preferred 14 .i.e2 to the tempting 14 .i.h6, but went on to win anyway. Further tests are, as they say, needed.
13 11fg4 The preliminary 13 lDc3 is the major alternative.
13...hS
16 i.e2 lDe7 Wheeling the might around towards the excellent squares of d5 and f5. Now 1 7 lOxd5 is well met by 17... lOexd5.
17 0-0 i.xc3! 18 bxc3lDf5 Suddenly Black's plan begins to materialise. How exactly is the white queen going to join in the game?? Shadows of ...g5-g4 begin to rear their heads..
19 l:1al I expected 19 lOfJ to take care of the g5 nuisance, though while g4 is still not a threat it is not urgent, and ......a8 would have been a consideration. Incidentally, note that 19 g4 would really not help White after 19...lOh4.
Black exploits the fact that g7 is still protected to make White make a decision over the future of his queen.
14 .-h3
At the time, this seemed like the correct choice to me. f4 doesn't seem a very useful square, and on 'i'd1, the pawn on h5 does not n i convenience Black that much. He can SIll! arrange 10 castle after 86 or even h4.
14 ...i.b4 .
Taking advantage of the gain of time to develop optimally.
15 lDe3
Nt:ct:ssary suont:r or later. On 15
i.e2 Black could even consider 1 5 ...R.xd2+ 1 6 .i.xd2 ..tc6 winning d4.
IS.. lOc6 .
Active piece play! There is no need to fear 16 tOxd5, as after 16 ...'I'xd5 White will have trouble guarding d4 and his king will be caught in the centre.
19 �d7! ..•
My favourite move of the game, and one that my opponent overlooked. Black's only bad pLece is his king-it blocks the coordination of his major pieces -and it certainly cannot find a home on the kingside. But by heading the other way, towards c6 or c8 or b7, it is quite safe and far away from the stranded white queen, allowing the :h8 to take an active part in proceedings and puning ...g5-g4 well and truly on
238
"�I am nostalgic for the days before computers were
the agenda. Suddenly Black's whole position makes sense.
20 g3? slight panic reaction. I would have preferred the more restrained �f) to control g5, when I was thinking of maybe ... ci'c8 to prepare a possible ... f6 and ... g5 perhaps. With the text White hopes to reactivate his queen via f1, but Black has a simple way to cut across this plan. 20. ..�xe3 21 fxe3 1i'g5 22 W(l Clearly �f1 has the drawbacks of losing control of e4, and putting the 1i'h3 back in her coffin. A
22 rs!
invented "
"/ am
Now the threats of 28 ...�xc3+ and 28 ... tOe3 29 �c l "'el leave White with only one, very ugly defence:
28�bl
.
and ... ci'f6-eS with an easy win. Also inadequate is 4 h4 g5 when S hxgS+ WxgS gets the black king in to f4, while S hS Wg7 and ci'h6 just rounds up the h-pawn.
'.. .'�gS 5 Wg3 b6
Now Black finishes neatly:
28..,�e3+ 29 Wd2 �g2! The major threat is now 'i'e)+. 30 'i'xh5 :'fS! And the queen has no square. My opponent thought until he had one second remaining on his clock and then produced 31 'i'g4 but resigned immediate ly. 3 1 ...'i'el mops up everything, including the king.
•••
Another powerful move. Instead, 22.. f6 is less clear. After the text White has an unenviable dilemma: Leaving the pawn on f5 leaves Btack in pennanent control of dS and e4; 23 "'fl runs into 23 ...h4 (no g4 rt:ply) ; and 23 "tWh4 is met by 23...'tt'h6 when 24 �n loses a piece to 24... �n followed by ...g5-g4. Hence, as my opponent observed after the game, he chose to die quickly! 23 exf6 IUS 24 ci'e 1 The best tI)'. Now 24.. .xe3 25 fxg7 is not so clear. or else White gets in e4. Time for some accurate calculation! 24...:'xf6 25 e4 ..-c3! The key move. Getling the dS-square back is well worth a piece! And with c3 and e4 attacked, White has no choice but to accept.
lIostalgicfor the days before computers were illvellled "
1 18 R.Gcrber White
A.J.Miles Black
The next step is to use up White's tempo moves on the queenside.
6 c, If White plays h4 at any time it will just lead back to the game. 6...cS 7 b5 7 bxc5 bxc5 8 b3 a5 does not make any real difference.
7 ... axb58 cxb5 c4 9 h4+ If White retreats his king then ¢lf4 followed by advancing the h-pawn wins easily. 9...¢lf6
Importan!. After 26 ... �xdS 27 'lfg2 'lfxe3 28 lib! 1i.le3 29 'lf04 I am not sure that Black has more than a draw.
27 ci'dl �xd5
thinking I had played quite a competent ending. It was only when the game was published that I got a couple of emails pointing out that the final position is not winning!! My first reaction was increduliry, but these days anyone who runs Fritz while playing through games can come up with something unexpected, so I took a look. The rather surprising point is that after 17 We7 Q;c5 18 �d7 ci'xb5 19 Wd6 Wb4 20 �c6 f i Black plays 20...ci'b3 then 2 1 Wb5 draws immediately. Hence 20...b5 (20 ...ci'aS 2 1 Wd6 doesn't help, but not 2 1 Wd5 bS!-see later) 21 Wb6 Wa4 22 ci'cS WaS 2J WdS!
Crans Montana 200 I
.
26 exd5 'iff2+!
lJ9
In this position I continued, planned, with
as
1... ..txe3 2 ci'xe3 �f6 forcing White to exchange on g6.
3 fxg6 fxg6! Preparing to set up a decisn� outside passed pawn. . Wfl Nor would 4 f4 help: 4...eJ(f4� S Wxf4 gS+ 6 ci'g4 (else ...hS ....WeS) 6...ci'g6 followed by lIS ___
And White is in zugzwang. Ifci'g4 (or ci'h3) ... hS followed by ...gS sets up the outside h-pawn. However, if it were Black's move here, ...hS would be met by f4 and White would control gS.
10 f4 h6 1 1 Wg4 exf4 12 Wxf4 gS+ 13 hxg5+ hxg5+ 14 Wg4 ci'eS 15 ci'xgS Wxe4 16 Wf6 Wd5 and White, who was also on the point of losing on time, reSigned. At the time I was quite pleased,
and the position IS mutual zugzwallg! White to play would lose: WcS Wa4. or Wd4 Wb4, or Wc6 b4. But Black to play can do nothing. A remarkable resource, and despite having edited a large chunk of the Encyclopaedia of King and Paw" Endings many years ago, not one I have seen before. So where did I go wrong? In fact it was only my last, careless, move that is the mistake. Instead of 16 ...ci'dS either 16 ...ci'd4 or 1 6...ci'd3 followed by ... c3 wins trivially. For example: 1 7 ci'e6 c3 1 8 bxc3 �c3 1 9 ci'd6 ¢lb4 20 ci'c6 Wa5 and wins.
Problems 241
12:
s
7: Miles - Gonzales Mestres Las Palmas 1980
How shollld the game go?
While /0 play al1d win
6
8
Problems
A selection of problems, mainly taken from Tony Miles's New Statesman column (the exceptions are the first and last positions) .
I: Miles - Marshall
Wolverhamplon 1968
3:
Korchnoi - Gheorghlu London 1980
White 10 play and male in 3
While to play and win
2: Simultaneous display
4
1978
White to play and will
White to play alld mate ill 4
White to play. How should ,he game go?
White to play. HoII' should the game go?
Problems 243
242 Problems 9: Mariotti · Miles
1 1 : Blitz game
White Iwsjusl played 1J..(d2)14. Is this (a) bad, (b) good or (c) desperate? How should Black comillue? How should Black not contillue (plausible lines ollly)?
From a blitz game o/mine. Black to play. How should the game go?
13: Miles - Sanguinetti Sao Paulo 1977
Sacrum 1980
10: Miles· de Flrmian Baerurn 1980
While, 10 play, made a move. Black made the most obvious reply. While moved again and Black resigned. Whlll were Ihe moves and why did Black resign?
IS: Miles · Sosonko
Tilburg 1 978
Black 10 play. How should Ihe game go?
While to play has all extra paWI/, bill does he have ally real chalices?
14: Miles· Hellon Las Palmas 1977
16: Plaskett - Miles Kenering 1 980
While, 10 play, call choose between u. d8�'iI b. :'c2 c. :'d2 d. :..t2 alld e, allythillg else. Which, ifally, Will, which draw alld why?
Black 10 play has variOlls possibili/ies: 23 .0re5, 23. ..ti:J7b6, 23... �7f6, 23...b5, alld others. How should Ihe game go?
12: Miles - Schneider
Philadelphia (World Open) 1980
White 10 play and will
..
244 Problems t 7: Miles - Shorl London 1980
19: Tony Miles's favourile study!?
13:
Solutions to Problems
(All solillions are by Miles with Ihe exception a/No.1) I: White mates in 3 by I 'ifd8+! ¢>xd8 2 .tgS+ ¢>e8 3 :ld8 mate.
White to pla;-Iww C(lll he swindle his way to {/ draw? Assume Illar Black 'sfirst move is the obvious cooperalive aile. . . 18: A rook and pawn endgame L.onglhorpe - Miles Hull 1980
Black
10 play.
Call he win (lnd how sholiid 'he game go?
A remarkable endgame position that I was shown recently (1995). It is not clear if it is a game or a composed study. I suspect a study inspired by a game. White Is to play and draw. Despite the limited material and very few possibilities the solution is strangely elusive, and there is a plausible trap along the way. Consider yourself extremely talented if you can solve it in under halfan houT.
2 : White mates in 4 by I 'l'xf8+! �xf8 2 :le8+! �xe8 3 i.gS+ �f6 4 .i..xf6 mate. 3: Incredibly Korchnoi played I :lc6? and only drew. Instead t :ld7! wins beautifully: J...¢>xd7 (or 1 .. .:'xd7 2 'ihf8 male) 2 'i'xf7+. Apart from this, though, as Mr Sahasrabudhe points out, White can simply play I :led I (threatening :ld8+) 1 ...:lb8 (the only defence) 2 :ld7! also winning instantly-an astonishing miss! 4: This was a good old-fashioned ueen sac and king hunt: I '1'.8+ g lCIb8 2 'i'xb7+!! (of course 2 .ta7 is playable bul it does give Black a breathing space after 2 ... gxf2+ and ... .txb5 and can hardly be compared to the text) 2 ...¢>xb7 3 �xd7+ ¢>a8 (or 3...¢>a6 4 i.c8+ ¢>as 5 €K:4+ ¢>a4 6 :lb4 mate) 4 :lxb8+! �xb8 S lib 1+ WaS 6 .tc6 mate and, being an old game, doubtless gold sovereigns were showered on the pitch.
S: Another goldie. This time both rooks go with I :ld8+! 'i'xd8 (on l...¢>h7 White doesn't bother with the queen but continues merrily with 2 :lxh6+! gxh6 3 "'e7+ Wg6 4 h5 mate) 2 'i'e6+ Wh7 3 :lxh6+ gxh6 4 'l'n mate, It is true that I
�3+ Wh7 2 'i'f7 (threatening :lxh6+) is strong but Black has 2......e8 and it certainly doesn't score any points, 6: This came from an old, but to me not well-known. brilliancy. White mates by I :llfS! exfS 2 'i'xh6+!! ¢'xh6 (2" .gxh6 3 'Df6+ ¢'h8 4 :lg8 mate) 3 '::h l+ Wg6 4 ¢'f4! (a nice touch. threatening .i.hS+ xfl mate) 4...'i'e6 (or ...:le6), the only defence S :lh8! and Black cannot prevent .i.hS mate. 7: Black hadjusl played :l(e8)-e7 hoping 10 be able 10 oppose the c-file from c7. Unfortunately this crealed a momentary back rank weakness which I quickly exploited with I lCIxb6! 'i'xb6 1 :lc8+ Ad8 (2...�h7 3 'ilf5+ g6 4 'ltffi lidS 5 a5 is just a worst variety of the same disease. However 4 ...-xd5 though also good, did not get full credit.) 3 as! and Black must surrender his queen. Probably the best way is 3.. :l'c7(!) but he was nOI thaI imaginative and the game concluded 3.. Jbc8 4 axb6 :lc6 S 'i'fS! �e6 6 'i'aS! Black resigned. (A pity really-I hoped for 6 ...d5 7 bS axbS 8 'i'38+ :'c8 9 b7.) 8: This was elegant but not difficult: White wins with 1 ibxdS! �xdS (or 1 ...:lxdS 2 �xd5 �xdS 3 ¢>e4! still traps the knight) 2 ¢'e4! and if 2...lOb6 3 :lxf7+ or 2...1CIf6+ 3 ¢>eS! So Black could find nothing better than 2 ...lCIe7 with a hopeless ending.
Solu/ions /0 Problems 247
246 Soilitions to Problems 9: (When the problem was pub. lished in New Statesman, the second question-How should Black nI)l IInfortullately conlinlle?-II'OS omitted)
Unfortunately lhe gremlins got at my introduction. The relevant piece should have read 'How should Black continue? How should Black not continue (plausible lines only)'. Somehow the second question disappeared. Luckily quite a lot of solvers found how Black should not continue!
I �(d2)·f4 is desperation since White is lost anyway. The knight will fall and Black will have an overwhelming material plus. Obviously Black should avoid 1 ...iOxf4 2 Ilc7+ Wxa8 3 l:t.axa7+ drawing. Credit though for l . . .Wxa8 which, although messy, should win. The point I, or rathcr Mariotti, was fishing for, is Ihat Black appears to have a trivial win with 1 ...e5 2 �xe5 .ixb4 completing his development with a winning position. Fool that I am, I played 1...eS?? only to be stunned by 2 l::aS!! The knight on d5 is undermined and then there is no way to keep the white rooks from the 7th rank. The game concluded 2...�"r4 3 Ilc7+ Wxa8 4 :axa7+ drawing. Had I sat on my hands for a while I should have realised two things:
first that the to(d5) is the cornerstone of my position and second (psychologically hard to realise over the board) that J �f4 does absolutely nothing! (2 &7 will be met by lthf4). Hence Black should simply play l...e6! supporting the knight, winning the b'pawn and a piece, when White can safely resign.
10: I played I lla3! (I l:tc6 is clearly weaker. After, say, ...l:te8 there is nothing decisive.) 1.. ....g6 This is, in my opinion, the most obvious defence since 1 .. �e8 loses trivially to 2 Wb5+-some credit for this though-and on 1 ....g7 2 ....xh5 White's massive positional plus should win. Perhaps 1 .....e8 is the best try but it is far from obvious. Here the game was adjourned but when I pointed out 2 "cS! Black resigned since there is no answer to the threats of 1lf3+ and l:txa7 viz. 2.....e4+ (2 ...We8 3 '11'<8+ �f7 4 11:0+ �g7 l lil'rs mate, or 2...'i'g7 3 l:l0+ wg8 4 "c8+, or 2...'i'e8 3 :xa7) 3 :0+ ¢'e8 4 "c8 mate. .
.
I I : This came from a blitz game of mine. White has dangerous play himself so clearly Ihe only try for Black is 1......f2+ 2 Whl f4! Now 3 �xg6 fxg3 and 3 gxf4 �h4! clearly lose outright and 3 e7 0xe7 4 'i'O fxg3 leaves Black with a fairly easy endgame win, so 3 'i'f3 is forced. Then 3 ... fl:g3 4 "xfl gxf2 5 �e2 (not 5 Wg2 iOf4+ xh5'f6) S.. .�g8! 6 ..tn �f4 with a winning ending. White can try 6 Wg2 but the king and pawn ending after 6...�r4+ 7 Wl:f2 iOxe2 8 Wxe2 wrs, although not trivial, is lost. A sample line: 9 �e3 We7 10 Wd4 Wxe6 I I wc5 Wd7 12 Wb6 �c8 13 h4 g6 14 Wc5 (if 14 Wa7 Wc7 followed by ... c5) J4 ...Wc7 15 Wd4 Wd6 16 �e4 we6 17 �r4 �r6 18 �g4 (or 18 We4 �g7'h6) 18...�g7 19 �gS cS 20 Wf4 Wh6 21 �g4 c4 22 �f4 WhS 23 Wg3 gS etc. 12: This must rank as one of my
greatest Houdini impersonations. Not long before the problem
position I had been two pawns down for absolutely nothing (Black having a pawn on e4 with my e·pawn being on Q). However, my pin on the back rank had caused sufficient annoyance for him to run short of time and return one pawn by ... e3 in an attempt to expose my king. This plan only succeeded in activating my knight which had been tied to h3(!) and finally Black had just committed the exceedingly unfortunate blunder of :(d l )·n to meet I Ilxb3 with 1 .....e5. Sadly for him there now occurred I "xrs+! "dB 2 �e'+ Wh7 3 lhrs b2 4 �g6 !!
whereupon the drawback of the rook's position became apparent and he resigned.
The main point of the problem, though, is that Black has a much better defence in 3...:el! The refutation is elegant: 4 Wr5! and now if
(a) 4... b2 5 �g6! again, since 5... 6:g6+ 6 hxg6 is mate, so
(b) 4... g6+ and here either: (hI) 5 We5 b2 6 :'xf7+ ¢oh8 7
hx.g6 :'xe4+! 8 ¢of6! winning. or
(b2) 5 Wf6 (threatening Ilxf7+, �xg6+ and Ilxg7 mate) 5...1lf!+ 6 WeS b2 (or 6 ... Wg7 7 :'g8+ Wh7 8
hx.g6+ and l::b8) 7 hxg6+ ¢og7 (7... fxg6 8 llxfl) 8 :'g8 mate!
(c) 4...1lf!+ 5 We5 doesn't help -unless, as an afterthought5 ... Ah I has any chances. 13: After l .. d4 queen moves can be dismissed quickly, Black's position is considerably superior after the simple 2... dxe3 though he may well have better. Also 2 exd4 lOf4 gives Black a raging attack. Consequently we are left with 2 lbxd4 then 2... �xd4 is met by 3 ..txg4. So 2...l:txd4 3 exd4 ..txe2 4 Wxe2 �xd4+ 5 ¢Of! (it is not hard to establish Ihat that the while king would soon die from exposure on the d·fi1e) 5...'i'a6+ 6 'i'c4 :c8! 7 "xa6 :'xcl mate. All very ncat. Too ncat unfortunately for mosl solvers who, having found this line, were convinced that it was the solution and failed to look for a beller defence. Therefore my congratul· ations to Mr C.McSheehy on being the only entrant who noticed 3 f3! .
Best play is somewhat obscure. 3... �h3! 4 1lg l ! (not 4 gxh3 'i'h4+; or 4 exd4 ..txg2 5 1lg1 �f4 ! with a terrific attack.) 4... �xg2! (Black must check with his queen to unpin the rook) 5 Ilxg2 (again not 5 exd4 �f4) 5.. :i'h4+ 6 Wf] :'d5 and Black's position is preferable because of White's weak kingside.
Instead the game continued 3...:e8 4 0·0 (fxg4 is also possibh:) 4.. .lbf4 S �c4! �h3+? (best is 5...l:txc4 ! and if 6 "xf6 lOe2+! 7 ¢on It)xc I, so 6 "xc4 lbh3+ 7 ¢oh 11 �d7 8 gxh3 "xb2 with some play for the exchange) 6 gxh3! :xc4 (if 6....tx either pawn, simply 7 'i'xd4) 7 "xf6 :'xc1 8 'i'd4 :xfl+ 9 Wxfl �xf3 10 'i'xa7 and White won. Mr McSheehy's
So/r/lions to Problems
248 Solutions to Problems
diligence gains him first prize in the June competition. 14: It is simple to establish that (a) only draws. As one enrrant commented, if (a) won then the position would not be set as 3 problem. E.g: (0) I dS:'" IhdS 2 WxdS g4 3 We7 g3 4 Wf6 W&4 5 We5 Wf} 6 :'b3+ �f2 7 Wf4 g2 8 :'b2+ wft 9 WO gl=tO+ and White cannot win. It is important to realise that this position is drawn since it can occur in most lines. The next straightfOlward line is: (d) I :'f2! The advantage of this move is that when White wins the rook. he will control the crucial f-file enabling him to approach with his king. Thus 1 :'f2! g4 ( 1 ...:'38 is also insufficient 2 :'18 :'a7 3 Wd6 etc) 2 :'f8 :'g7+ 3 we6 (I confess that when setting the problem I overlooked the trick 3 Wf6! winning inslantly-3...:'xd7 4 :'hS+ mating. Luckily for me, it does not alter the result) 3 ... :'xd7 4 �xd7 Wh4 5 Woo g3 6 l[gS Wh3 7
draw with l...g4 2 dS::'i' :'xdS 3 :'xd8 Wg51 4 ¢"e6 ¢"f4! etc. So much for (c), and: (b) is also insufficient: 1 :c2 ¢"g41 (but not l...g4? 2 :'cS :'g7+ 3 'iPf6! winning) 2 :'c8 :'g7+ 3 We6 hd7 4 �d7 WO and White's king is 3 crucial square further away than in the game so Black draws! .So I :f2 was the only move to Win. 15: White has an extra pawn, but, with his rook and king tied to the defence of weak pawns, 3 win seems unlikely. I :34 :'xb5 2 :'xa7 We6 is a theoretical draw, 3S is I b6 axb6 2 :'xb6 :'c2+ 3 ¢'g3 :'xa2 4 :'g6 :::a3+ 5 ¢'h2 ¢'e5, whilst I a4 :'c2+ 2 ¢'g3 :c3+ 3 'iPh2 :a3 (threatening ...Wc5) is no help: so, J asked does White have any real chances? After half an hour's thought J found the only move 10 trouble Black, the surprising decentralising I �gJ! The idea is simply to tuck the king away on h2 before improving on the queens ide. Clearly Black cannot just pass 1 ...¢'e5 2 Wh2 �d5 3 a41 and the black rook cannot reach the a-file in time eg: 3... :'cl 4 a5 Wc5 5 b6! ¢'xb4 6 b7 wins. Any kingside counterplay must be based on ...f4. In the game Black tried the immediate l...f4? and lost 10 2 h4! .::Icl+ 3 �h2 ,*,e5 4 l::.e4 gx.h4 5 :'xf4 ¢'xbS 6 34+ ¢'c6 (or 6.. .'�a5 7 :'xh4 :'a I 8 ::r4 Ilx34 9 :'xa4+ Wxa4 10 g4 wins) 7 :'xh4 elc. of Two modified fonns counterplay also fail: (a) 1 ¢'gl :'cl+ 2 'iPh2 :'c2 (intending ...f4-0) 3 :'a4 f4 4 :'xa7 f3 5 Wg3! rxg2 6 Wh2 winning.
(b) 1 �gl �e5 (preparing ...f4 whilst avoiding h4) 2 Wh2 f4 3 341 :'c2 4 a5 n 5 b6 :'xg2+ 6 Wh I and White queens with check. The best defence is I Wgl :'c2! 2 :'a4 :'c5! (but not 2 ...Wc5 3 :xa7 �b5 4 34+ and :'g7) and if 3 :'a5 a6! 4 34 :'eI+ and ...axb5 should draw. So 3 :'xa7 :'xb5 4 :'g7 :'b2! 5 J:.xg5 We4! 6 a3 :'b31 7 h4 (or 7 a4 :a3) 7... :'xa3 8 h5 :'a7 and Black holds. Careful passive defence may also survive. Mr J.DTaylor suggests I ¢'g 1 We5 2 Wh2 :'c2 3 :::a4 :'c5 4 :'a5 ¢'f4! 5 014 :'c7 6 :'a6 :'d7! (otherwise :c6 with tempo) and although White has greatly improved his position it seems he cannot win, eg: 7 :c6 :'d4! 8 a5 :'b4 elc. 16: Of the various suggestions all but l...lbxe5 can be dismissed fairly quickly. (a) 2L1il7b6 24 1ilxb6 .lte5 25 lOxa8 or 25 .i.a3. (b) 2L1il7f6 24 Wfl (or 12) 24...�h5 25 :'xd5 tOf4 26 :d4! �xe2 27 :'xb4 and the knight is trapped. (d) 23 ...b5 24 :'xd5 bxa4 25 :'xd7. (e) of the other possibilities 23 ... lbc3 is the only reasonable selection, simplifying to a draw. So (c) 23 ... �xeS is most interesting: 24 :'xdS and now 24 ...lbg4!? at first sight seems crushing. For instance 25 :'xeS+ :'xe8 26 :'dl (if 26 g3 :'el+ and ...lbe3+ or 26 .i.g7+ WgS) 26...b5 27 h3 (if 27 11le3 .lte5+) 27 ...11le3 28 :'d4 lbc2. But White has a saving resource which can be �Iayed in either of two ways: 25 liX:3! :::xe2 26 lbxe2 :eS 27 .i.g7+!
249
¢'xg7 (if 27 ... �g8 28 :'g5 forces a draw) 28 :g5+ wf6 29 :'xg4 iic5+ 30 �ft holding, or the immediate 25 iig7+! Wg8 (beller is 25 ...¢'xg7 26 :.xe8 and :::g5+ transposing) 26 J:g5! when in view of the possibility 26...:'xe2 27 iic3+ Black is in trouble. I confess J overlooked all this during the game, but nevertheless 1 saw a way to keep an endgame D f3+{!) 25 ¢>f2 edge. I played 24...l IOxh2! (much more accurate than 25 ... :'xe2+). Now While regained his pawn with 26 :'xe8+ :'xe8 27 :'hS but after 27...iid6! 28 :'xh7 lOg4+ 29 ¢'f3 lbeS+ 30 iixes :::xeS Black, with bishop for knight and the better coordinated pieces had a small but clear advantage which was duly converted into a win. 17: New Statesma" solvers are traditionally of the endgame study type rather than the swindling kiddies-out-of-points variety. The position came from my notorious encounter with Nigel Short from London 1980. I know I said in my preamble that you should assume Black's first move was the 'obvious cooperative one'. However, it is a real game, so I did not mean 'compose a help-mate'. Thus I lOf5?? .i.al?? 2 'i'xal+ ¢"h7 3 'l'g7 mate did not get much credit (co-operative yes, but obvious???). I lbg4 was mildly plausible e.g. 1...hxg4 2 :hl+ iih6 3 We7 but l...'i'xa7 is also a fairly obvious reply after which White is nOI doing well. Also worth a try is 1 iib3 :xcl+ 2 "'xcl .xa7 3 'Wc8+ Wh7 4 .i. g8+ ¢>h6 5 'i'eI g5 6 "'a3 but 6......d7 holds everything.
250 Solutions to Problems
The solution is in fact I JtdS! :lxcl+? (this is co-operative: on
L..:d8 White still has plent y of problems) 2 'i'xcl 'i'xa7 3 "'c8+ �h7 4 tOrs! This is the real point. White threatens "g8 mate and 4... gxfS 5 'i'xfS+ �h6 6 'i'f4+ is a perpetual as 6...�g6?? 7 i.xe4 is mate. Black's only remaining try is 4...�e8(!) but even this proved inadequate: 5 tbxg7 (this piece must be eliminated) S...'i'd7 6 1�he8 'i'xdS 7 tbe6 ""3+ 8 �cl 'i'c3+ 9 �dl 'i'f6 (necessary to stop the mate threats). Now on quiet moves Black maintains chances but White has yet another trick: 10 lLJgS+! 'i'xgS (else lLlxe4 draws easily) I I 'i'n+ ¢>h6 12 'i'f8+ ¢'h7 13 'i'f7+ with a pcrpetual check.
18: Of the problcms set, this caused most trouble as I expected. The general reaction was 'surely Black can't win', which is indeed correct, but the point was that there is an extremely good try, and the problem was to find both it and its countermeasure. The try itself is slightly elusive as it is in fact the problem position, but with White to move! All the White pieces are optimally placed-the rook attack ing both pawns and the king within reach of both sides of the board. So Black begins with 1. ..:h3 2 �g2 J:::d3 3 ¢>e2 J:c3. Note that White has no good way of avoiding this sequence: his king can have no better square, on the back rank it would allow the black king to advance with mating threats, while g2 and e2, as we shall see, both have their drawbacks. Lastly note that the drastic 2 f5 !? is by no means a clear draw: 2 ... gxfS and (a) 3 J:::h6+ '.P g4 4 J:::xh3 '.Pxh3 5 g6 b2 6 g7 b l='W 7 g8='i' (with the
Solutions to Problems 251
dcfending king in front such a position is normally a total draw this, though, is the exception) 7...'i'c2+! 8 ¢>e3 (or 8 ¢'f1 'Wdl + -d4+) 8 .....e4+ 9 ¢>f2 (if 9 ¢>d2 'i'g2+ wins) 9...'i'f4+ forces the el':change of queens with a simple Win. (b» ) g6 �h6 4 �g2 ltc) 5 �f2 ':c2+ 6 ,.pe3 :lb2! with excellem winning chances. If 7 ¢>f4 :bl and ...b2, or 7 ¢>d3 J:b I 8 ¢>c3 and Black has a choice between such moves as ... ':cI+, ...f4, ... :gl. Probably best, though, is a preliminary 8 ...¢>g7 (to prevent :f6) followed by ...Ag I . One possible continuation: 9 ¢>d4 Ag I(!) 1 0 l:txb3 :g4+ I I �e5 �xg6 and with the white king cut off behind the pawn Black should win. Return to the position after 3... ':c3, what should White do? Clearly 4 ¢>g2 ¢'g4 is bad: 5 l:txg6 :c2+ and ... b2. Apparently the rook must remain on b6 so White, not sensing any danger, played 4 ¢>e2 ':h3 5 ¢>rz? allowing S...¢>g4. Now if 6 Axg6 b2 7 llb6 l:thl! (a recurrent trick) wins, and with 6 l:txg6 impossible Black's newly activated king decides the issue. The game concluded 6 :b4 J:d3(!) 7 We2 :c3 (again losing a useful tempo) 8 ¢>12 (he can't run too far from the kingside) 8 .:c2+ 9 �e3 ..
b2 10 ¢>d3 J:::12 I I ¢>e3 lU3+ 12 ¢'e2 :h3! 13 ¢'rz :hll (again) White resigned. On 1 4 :xb2 l:h2+.
So, that's the winning try. There are two possible defences. The first, which I saw during the game, is ( l ... lth) 2 �g2 ltd) ) �f2 ltc) 4 ¢>e2 ':h3 5 fS! gxfS (othetwise fxg6) 6 J:::h6+ ¢>g4 7 J:xh3 ¢>xh3 8 �d2! (but not g6?) and, after both sides queen, Black loses his last
pawn. The second, suggested by J.Comforth, is 4 J:::b5! and on 4...¢'g4 5 fS! gxfS 6 g6 when White's pawn costs Black his b-pawn with a simple draw. Quite a fascinating ending. Unfortunately very few entrants realised the seriousness of the 'try' and thus the finer points generally went undiscovered.
19: In 1996 Miles said this was the most beautiful problem that he had ever seen.
I c4! b4! If 1 ...bxc4 2 ¢>d2 draws. 2 �dl! 2 �d3! transposes. 2 �cS 3 ¢>d2! (Zugzwang) 3.. ¢>xc4! 4 ¢>cl �a2 5 ¢>d2! The brilliant •..
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point. The trap is 5 ¢>b2? .1l.b3 !! 6 cxb3+ ¢>d3 winning. Now if S,..�CS 6 c3 b3 7 �cl-b2 draws, while 5 ... �b I 6 ¢>cI repeats the position.
Tony was a bit disappointed that 2 �d3 also holds. but still liked the position. He showed this study to a few players during Hastings 1995/96, ineluding Luke McShane. who solved it quickly.
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Has Karpov Lost his Marbles? (from Kingpin 1986) As it happens I am in a position 10 reveal exclusively to Killgpin readers (unless, of course, someone else actually offers to pay me) the true and tragic story of why the invincible Anatoly failed to dispose of that young upstart Kasparov. r first recognised the symptoms when browsing through a copy of the lightweight epic Lear" from yOllr Defeats published by Batsford, translated by Eric Schiller.
'A Batsford Book. Adviser: R.D. Keene GM OBE. Technical Editor: P.A. Lamford' , Typeset, I notice, by Hope Services!? I turned quickly to Skura 1980 to discover what exactly the little man had learned from 1 e4 a6. In the introduction I was confused to read:
'Actually it is easy to see that Black's extravagant opening got him into trouble' (Oh yes!? Then
why ...).
'Besides, in my next seven games with Tony Miles the British GM also tried to undermine the centre from the flank, but he only managed to achieve a single half point'. Well, I know nostalgia tends to blur the memory, but I really didn't think things had been that bad. Fortunately this monumental and diligently researched tome comes equipped with a tournament record.
Carefully I added up my next seven scores: V! +0 +0 +VJ: +If.i + I +0
=
1f.i !?
Oh well, I suppose it must be the new FIDE scoring system. Intrigued, I turned to the BBCINPR final from Bath 1983. I was quite relieved to find that I had actually won it, though the venue had been changed to London and again the introduction was mysterious:
'This tournament was played at an accelerated time limit. Each player received one hour for forty moves, and then half an hour for the rest of the game.' Gazing at the framed scoresheet over my bed I see that the rate of play was in fact forty in two (the proposed new FIDE rate) and the rest (had there been any) in an hour. It's interesting what one can learn from one's defeats. When next I met Karpov, at the OHRA tournament in Amsterdam, I pointed these minor out inaccuracies. The first he said was all the translator's fault. He had meant the seven games before, not I still aftetwards. couldn't remember things being quite so bad. Well maybe, he thought, the TV draws were omitted because they were played at a fast time limit. I briefly considered enquiring if he had also left out the even faster win, but decided that that would only be diverging further. Instead I produced a copy of the book and
together we checked from his own r.ecord. It was still not tme.
for forty moves and then half an hour for the rest of the game.'
The second point was dearly his ailing memory. When he thought the game was played in Hamburg, wrote London when in fact it was Bath, what chance could he have of remembering the time control?
This is incorrect. I wrongly pointed out here the conditions of the previous TV cup which took place in Hamburg. The time control n i Bath was in fact 40 moves in two hours and then the rest in one more hour. Giving my apologizes {sic] to grandmaster Miles I want to thank him that he found out incorrect facts which will be taken into consideration in the next edition of the book.
Anyway, muttering gently about libel laws I politely requested a publishable apology. Anatoly quickly agreed. Now what I had in mind was something along the lines of 'Grovel, grovel ... Terribly sorry, grovel, grovel etc.' On the last day of the tournament I received the following:
Amsterdam, July the 26th. Regarding my book Learn from your Defeats (Batsford, 1985) I would like following:
to
point
out
the
In the introduction to my loss to Tony Miles at Skara 1980 the book wrongly states:
'Besides in my next seven games with Tony Miles the British Grandmaster also tried to undermine the centre from the flank, but he only managed to achieve a single half point'. The mistake was made by a translator who confused times, because in my manuscript I mentioned the score before Skara and not after it. In my loss to grandmaster Miles from the BBC/NDR tournament at Bath (not Hamburg) the intro duction states: 'This tournament was played at an accelerated time limit. Each player received one hour
Anatoly Karpov A nice touch, I thought, to stress before and after when we had already clearly established that his statistics were not correct before, after, or for that matter at any other time. I toyed with the idea of asking for an apology for the apology, but decided I would only be wasting my energy. You just can't win against Karpov. •
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The Holey Wohly?
(from Chess Cafe 2000) It has been brought to my attention that so far this column has not exactly been on the cutting edge of opening theory. Well, fair comment I suppose, so this month I intend to remedy that. About twenty years ago US 1M John Watson wrote an excellent set of four volumes on the English opening. In a brave effort at total completeness he even considered in reply to I c4. I...g5, l ...a6, l ...lba6 and even 1 ...Resigns (as in Fischer-Panna, Palma de Majorca 1970).
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Well, believe it or not, not long after that I was genuinely intending to play 1 ... g5 against Karpov should he open I c4. Sadly he never did. 1 a6 was included solely so that ''when Basman or Miles starts using it, I won't be accused of overlooking the possibility".
8 h3 0-0 9 l%el fS 10 .td3 This is not a success.
1 0...f4
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Of 1 ...lDa6 he was even more dismissive. "A player approached me just recently and asked if my book had anything on 1 iOa6. He then explained that he'd been playing it wilh great success and that there were some 'really interesting ideas' behind it. I should be the last to deny this, and l . ..'Oa6 may now be considered offici�lIy entered .in the manuals of opemng theory... .
Given another move Black will play e5 with a favourable King's Indian set-up.
l i eS dxeS 12 dxeS If 12 'Oxe5 'lltxd4.
12...tOe6
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I have never yet tried 1 .. iOa6, but I promise you, I will. Well, genlle reader, to change subject a Iit�le, how many games would you thmk Alex Yermolinsky loses with White in a year? Not a lot I guess, the fingers of one hand might well be sufficient. And what about Jesus Nogueiras? Probably not many more... .
So how would you react if they both lost in the space of one week to the same opponent-not named Kasparov-in the same opening? Must be a good line huh?
"If anyone wants to clap" said Eeyore. "now is the time to do it." (The house at Pooh COrlle� A.A.Milne) For those not au fall with theoretical the latest developments, I should point OUI that this is an all-purpose defence (suicide is a defence to a lot of things...) to anything, extensively researched by its Australian inventor and myself. (If I d4 'Oa61 or I e4 c6 2 d4?! iOa6). If you think it's a total joke I would point out the game Yermolinsky-Wohl, Los Angeles (0-1) played a week before this one!
3 e4 c6 4 e4 d6 S tOe3 .tg7 6 �e2 tOe7 7 0-0 tOM!
Well, without further ado, let me present to you-with apologies to Belgian afficionado de Bruycker the Holey Wohly:
J.Nogueiras White A.Wohl Black Merida 1999 1 '00 g6 2 d4 'Oa6!
it
And Black has an excellent position. The white e-pawn is definitely weak rather than slrong.
13 b3 'On 14 �b2 'i'c7 IS 'ife2 �d7 16 lObi J:tad8 17 'Obd2 tOeS 18 �c2 �fS 19 �xf5 gxfS 20 �d4 tOe6 21 �e3 "'d7 22 Aacl "'d3 23 tOh4 'i'xe2 24 J:txe2 tOfgS 25 i!:ldO lbe4 26 .i.b4 '06c5 27 �a3 e6 28 11l.1 lin 29 I1lhO IIfd1 30 IIcc2 AdI 31 ¢lh2 J:ta I 32 �xcS IOxcs 33 Acd2 Ad I 34 Axd8+ J:txd8 35 'Oc2 'Oe4 36 <;Pgt Adl+ 37 J:tel Ad7 38 'Oed4 �n 39 tOe2 ¢le7 40 wn tOd2+ 41 ¢'e2 tOxo 42 �xt3 J:td2 White resigned. If 43 Ae2 l%d3+ 44 ¢'xf4 -'.h6 mate!
This was my donalion towards theory. If you are going to look
A strange game... Whic � side looked like the expertenced Grandmaster?? A week later came
Hodgson-Wahl, Las Vegas, and on the same day and place Browne-Hjorth (a recent expatriate Aussie convert). and even more recently Rashkovsky-Wohl and Delchev-Wohl, Linares 2000, both 0-1. As jokes go. ii's not clear if it's funny! My own first experience of this system came about 20 years ago. With White against the Yugoslav Grandmaster Sahovic t essayed - unusually - 1 e4. My opponent sank into 1 5 minutes' thought before producin.g 1 ... c6 2 �4 �6!! Why?? Well, hiS two mam defences to e4 were 1 ...1Dc6 and 1....b6!! So, what is the point? Indee�, is there any point? Well, �6 IS a . developing move, and If Wh�te adopts the e4-d4-c4 centre it's qUite easy to reach a respe�table �ing's Indian set up. If White aVOids c4 then Black. gets a slight!y odd Modem (or 'Rat' as It was christened tn Canada when Sullies played it 30 years ago). A curi?us feature which is my main donation ' 10 the line, is the possibility of developing the g8 knight on h6 a�d playing a Basmaniac Dutch With ...5.
My first serious a�temp� with it .. was against Gufeld m Beijing 96. The opening went 1 e4 c6 2 d4 iOa6 3 tC!o g6 4 c4 d6 5 tOe3 �g7 6 i.c2 flk1 1 0-0 I1lh6 8 d5 0-0 9 i.f4 rs 10 'ifd2 iOf] 1 1 exfS �xf5 1 2 :adl e5 13 dxe6 tOxe6 14 �e3 and now after ......f6 Black stands well, though I went on to lose. Wh�t really sticks in my mind, though IS � that at breakfast the next mornmg Gufeld spent fully two hours yelli�� . at me ;'1 hale you, my frten� . (Honestly ! ! ) "You �re. dest��ymg chess with your stupid Ideas! You may think that I exaggerate, but
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there were several witnesses! You may also wonder at my sanity for listening, which I would understand, but frankly I was so shocked I just sat transfixed. Ooof has not spoken a civil word to me since, and at our only subsequent encounter even the customary handshake was missing. Such a reaction is surely testament to the opening's surprise value ... Heaven help me if I had won. I would probably not stilt be alive ...
10 dxc5 dxc5 1 1 f4 e4 12 Qld4 Qlf6 13 h3 Black's problem is that castling kingside will inevitably run into g4. I came up with an original solution.
13 �d7 14 -.12 b6! 1 5 �e2 Qlc7 16 ¢>bl O-O-O! 17 :d2 c5 .•.
So, the opening for the next maybe nol. .. ,
..
The reply was "Well, I was afraid you would p lay I e4 c6 2 Qx:3 preventing tOa6" (no -.a5+ after i.xa6). The Oerman muttered "Our minds work in very different ways!" and wandered ofT to the bar shaking his head. Wen, since this is my column, and I wouldn't like to miss the chance to print one of my wins, here is my best donation to date:
And the beller central control gave Black the edge.
1 8 .!De2 i.e6 19 l:hd I 'ifn 20 .!Da3 :xd2 21 :xd2 :d8 22 i.f1 lbfe8 23 :xd8+ Wxd8 24 'ilt'd2+ ¢'e8 25 iLe2 'i'g6 26 �dl i.fB 27 'II'.2 Iild6 28 g4 'll'g8 29 b3 i.g7 30 Wc2 lila6! 31 1ilab5 1ilb4+ 32 Wbl lbxb5 33 lbxbS "d8 34 �d2 a6 3S �c3 i.f8! 36 lDa3
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A Suetln White A.J. Miles Black
Cappelle-la-Orande 1997
I should point out that this was a bit of a grudge match for me. Our only previous meeting had been at the tournament where I got my OM title, and a late loss to Suetin almost cost me it! I e4 c6 2 d4 Qla6!? 3 c4 d6 4 lLIc3 g6 5 �e3 i.g7 6 -.d2 e5!? 7 lLIge2 'ite7 8 0-0-0 f5!? 9 exfS gxf5
'll'g7 'll'd7 42 'll'g8+ Wb7 43 'lI'd5+ Wa7 44 h4 1LIb4! 45 'i'd2 Qld3! 46 i.xd3 exd3 47 ¢>b2 "e7 48 'i'12 'i'c4 49 'i'el 'i'xel 50 �xel i.g3! White resigned.
millennium?? Well
A slightly more amusing conversation followed the game Wahls-Wohl, Arco 1996. That game opened I e4 e5... and Black eventually won the game and the tournament. Afterwards a well prepared Wahls asked "But why didn't you play 1 ...c6 and 2 .lLIa6?"
36...lbd3! 37 i.e2 Qlxf4 38 'i'c3 �d3 39 gxfS i.xfS 40 'i'g3 i.d6 41
Now then, who has the silly knight??
What about its name? As I said, the Belgian player de Bruycker has been playing it for years, but personally I think these recent results take precedence. In view of the Australian conneClion one suggestion was the Didgeridoo, as in "Did-ya-really-do-that?" A lex suggested the Drunken Roo, leading to the Double Roo if ...lbh6 comes, but personally I am going for the Holey Wohly! •
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Russia's Prodigy (from New Statesman 1979) The Grandmaster tournament held at Banja Luka in Yugoslavia recently, produced one of the most sensational results in chess history. The event was quite a strong one; of the 1 6 players 14 were OMs, and one 1M. The average rating of the 1 5 titled players was over 2520, though the official tournament average is under since the other player started the tournament without a rating, and would therefore normally be taken as 2200. This other player was Gary Kasparov (Weinslein) the 1 5 year old Russian whom I mentioned in this column in January. The results speak for themselves. First was Kasparov with 1 1 1&IS(1!) second
Ulf Anderson and Jan Smejkal (Czech) 911-)5, fourth ex-world champion Tigran Petrosian with 9 The list goes on: Adorjan 81n, Knezevic 8, Malanovic and Browne (many times US champion) 71h/5, Bukic 7, G.Garcia, Vukic, Marovic and Marjanovic 61h/S, Hernandez and Kurajica (this may drive my point home to many as Kurajica is wen-known in England) 6 and Shibarevic 4. The scores are stunning (frightening!?) enough in them selves, but in fact Kasparov started with 9/10 and then, deciding he had done enough, quietly drew his remaining games. Even so, at a rough calculation I make his tournament rating about 2735. Karpov's current rating is 2705. I repeat Kasparov is just 1 5 , and ridiculous though it sounds, his games show it. They are generally scrappy tactical affairs with little positional polish. Furthennore this was his first tournamcnt outside the USSR-usually a nervous occasion. Heaven only knows what will happen when he matures a bit. My final thought on the subject comes inadvertently from Karpov. When succeeding to the title in 1975 a journalist asked him how long he wanted to or would-I forget the phrasing-remain world champion. He replied nine years. Kasparov is out of the current cycle (he was not selected for the zonal) so his first chance will be 1984! •
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Noise from Hastings
(from New Statesman 1978) The annual Hastings congress is again under way. This year, of the grandmaster participants two are
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Russian (Petrosian and Sveshnikov), one Czltch (Hort), one Hungarian (Sax), one Israeli (Dzindzihashvili ---ex-USSR) and two Americans (Shamkovich---ex-Israel---ex-USSR and Ta�an). You will notice a complete absence of West European GMs. This might seem strange for an event staged in England, but, on examining past Hastings premiers, I find it is quite common. Ap3rt from myself (1 97617) there have been only two Western OMs in the last 5 years-Sigurjonsson (Iceland) in 1975/6 and Andersson (Sweden) in 7415. Before thai one must go back to 1972/3 when Larsen won. So what is the explanation for this? In my opinion it is Hastings' ever-growing reputation as one of the worst tournaments in the world. Where else could one find a chess tournament (of any kind) played directly underneath a pantomime to the accompaniment of organ music and the thundering of hundreds of tiny feet? Add to this the noisy the boards, demonstration traditionally foul weather, the necessity for keeping a supply of pennies and a few other oddments and you will see why Hastings is not the most attractive place for any player who is free to choose. Even the leading English players no longer take part. Admittedly Keene and Stean are othetwise engaged at present, but last year they both preferred smaller events on the Continent.
In
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consequence
Hastings is preserved only by players from the Eastern bloc (particularly Russia) who have linle or no say in where they do or do not play, and from North America, who by virtue of their geographical location receive just a few invitations to be divided
between many players and thus must take what they can get. In passing I must explain that I have confined my survey to GMs, since aspiring IMs and others must also accept whatever invitations come their way to have a chance of the higher title. Thus several leading Western players have appeared at Hastings as tMs, but not as GMs, and of the few who have only one, to my knowledge, has returned. Larsen, for one. vowed 'Never again!' In my opinion i t is high time the either Hastings organisers abandoned the pretence of a high-class tournament, replacing it with a weaker event where British players would have more chance of achieving title nonns, or found a bener venue and drastically overhauled the organisation. (I once suggested the latter, but was informed that Hastings had no reasonable venue. Move from Hastings perhaps? Would the MCC move from Lords?)
in production analysis.
and
diligence
of
My favourite example is a recent publication which begins with a lesson in notation. The lesson contains a game score, and, near the end. a diagram for the reader to check that he has followed it correctly. Unfortunately, not only does the score contain mistakes, but also the diagram is wrong. On further perusal I found 50 (!) more mistakes. Inspired by this, and with apologies to the author, I would like to offer a shon, light-hearted quiz on understanding chess books!
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Making Sense of Chess Books (from New Statesman 1978) One of the perils of writing a chess column is that one periodica.lly receives copies of new books for review. As a general rule I browse through anything the postman delivers, and, if it happens to be interesting, I may even write about it. La.tely though, it seems to me, the general standard of chess books has declined markedly, both
Question 2: After I lOO lOf6 2 g3 g6 3 b3 ltg7 4 ltb2 05 5 ltg2 �6 6 0-0 0-0 7 d4 cxd4 8 -.xd4? "How does Black exploit While's mistake?" The helpful author adds hyou will need to find more than one good move to prove White's eighth was a mistake." Correct Question 2. Solve Question 2.
Question 3 (see diag ra m) :
Answers are 0" the next page.
Question
1
(see diagram):
Oh, my tip to win this year's tournament? Petrosian-not because he's ex-World champion, but because he's deaf. .
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(a) "Can you see how White wins by force?" (b) ..... and the defence to the try I i-xh6?" For the last page White has been playing wonderfully, shedding three pawns for a winning attack. He now concluded brilliantly, mating in 3. (a) How? (b) What's wrong?
(e) Given that the 'solution' is "I Axd7 "'xd7 2 lOf6! and if2 ... gxf6 3 "'g2 or g4 or if, say, 2.. ....c7 3 "'xh6+! gxh6 4 Ag8 mate. If I i-xh6!? g6! may defend:' can you work oul what the diagrammed position should be?
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Answers: I (a) " 1 ..tf6!! ':xffi 2 g3 any 3 ':xh4 mate."
(b) 2 (a) (b)
I.
:'xg7 and Btack wins.
..
8 ...fud4 perhaps. Omh LIilc6 6 0-0.
(c) 8 or rather 7 .. �h5 8 "'a4+ b5! 9 "'a3 b4 10 ..-a4+ �d7 wins. .
3 (a)
Personally, not dearly, but
(b)
Oh! Again, not dearly. On
I �xh6 looks worth a try.
I �xh6 g6 simply 2 �xf8 �f8 (lOd'8 '1ld6) 3 '1ld6 lIad8 4 h4 looks very strong.
(c) Personally, no. The only square from which the queen could et 10 g2, g4 and h6 is h3, but then I g _ llxd7 allows mate by 1 .....xc2+.
"c7 8 "0 bS 9 0-0-0 b4. I neither
know nor wish to know how much of this has occurred before. I suspect all, and probably the next few moves as well, but from Kasparov's reaction something, somewhere, came as a big surprise. The fireworks commence. 10 eS .itb7 I I lOcbS nbS 12 �xb5+ li:lfd7. In view of what follows perhaps iObd7 should be preferred though doubtless that runs into some more analysis. IJ iOxe6! fxe6 14 'ifh3 WI7 Forced. 15 fS! Now Kasparov sank into deep thou ht. The natural move is 1 5... li:lxe5 and a refutation is nOI obvious e.g. 16 fxe6+ Wg8 1 7 e7 i.xe7 1 8 'l'e6+ WfS 1 9 :lhfl+ It:IC.
g
Anyway, when he woke up the young GM produced 1 5 �e4. However, unless he was already completely lost he missed the strength of 16 fxe6+ WgS 17 "b3! when after .itxc2 18 "xc2 "xc2+ 19 Wxc::2 lt:1xe5 20 e7 White regains all his material with a winning position. .••
Score one point for each correct answer. If you scored 8: Well done Tim! 5-7: You have great patience, and if you would care to send a stamped addressed envelope 1 would be pleased to recommend further reading mailer. 0-4: Have you ever considered writing a chess book? •
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Russian temperament (from New SWlesman 19S0) The most bizarre incident of the Olympiad came in the USSR Bulgaria match on bottom board where the dreaded Kasparov had Black against Georgiev. Kasparov likes sharp variations and that always involves the risk of a prepared line. This time the Bulgarian was well and truly ready. The game opened
I e4 cS 2 iOo d6 3 d4 exd4 4 lO.d4 1016 S 1ilc3 .6 6 �gS e6 7 14
It was now that the amusement began. Kasparov played 20.....txe7 and, as White went to play 2 1 .itxe7, he insisted that Georgiev had touched his d-pawn and must therefore play 2 1 :lxd6!
This was really rather a silly stunt since it was blatantly obvious to anyone who knows how to move the pieces that While has only one move. However, there were four eye witnesses: two Russians who saw Georgiev touch the pawn, one Bulgarian and a non-aligned bystander who saw him playing i.xe7. One would have thought that the matter could have been settled quickly and quietly, but no. First the local arbiter arrived, then a more
senior one and then the chief controller, Lothar Schmid. Soon there were at least half a dozen controHers and thirty onlookers clustered round the board in noisy debate. Unfortunately r happened to be playing on the adjoining lable. After 1 0 or 1 5 minutes of failing to concentrate 1 asked the controller that the melee be moved to the analysis room (which seemed an exceedingly sensible idea) or for pennissio� to stop my clock. The latter was, slightly grudgingly, granted. Meanwhile the disturbance continued for something like half an hour with games around stil1 trying to continue. Eventually Georgiev was allowed to play 2 1 i.xe7 and a disgruntled Kasparov went on to lose. Such an incident scarcely reflects well on Kasparov-who clearly has not learned how to lose-or on the controllers. That a relatively trivial dispute could go on for so long was ridiculous; that it did so, noisily, in the middle of the tournament hall and al1 the other games, quite absurd. •
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Tony Miles says (from Chess 1995) ...
Reluctant though I am to join the current Nosher (Nigel Short, a.k.a.
Gump. or Nosher--al1agralfwlic(I/ly Nosher L. Gir) v The Rest of the
World mudslinging contest, may I point out a few things.. .
Regarding Nigel's complaints about the 1986 Olympiad selection, 1 did not in any way use my position as a selector to ensure that 1 remained on top board. The truth is that at the time, no-one, not even
Nigel himself, suggested that he play on board one yet. As for the statistical argument, it is not of earth shattering importance, but my January 'S6 rating was actually corrected from 2610 to 2615 which means that my weighted average from the two 1 986 lists was still ahead of Nigel's, contrary to his claims. The idea that he was "far and away the best player" by merely equa11ing my previous rating seems a teeny bit premature. Anyway, if Nosher considers that selection commiUees were unfair to him, perhaps he would care to explain that of the 1992 Olympiad when he and the then International Director Ray Edwards effectively picked the teams without even consulting two of the selectors (John Nunn and Susan Lalic). He further writes that Murray Chandler, Julian Hodgson, John Nunn and myself form a "hard core of those who are fundamentally opposed to me"(!) WeB, I must say 1 had never considered him on a par with nuclear warfare before. As far as I know I have done nothing to harm Nigel beyond doubting the wisdom of some of his decisions, though I am beginning to appreciate that that too is up there wilh genocide. It's nice to know that the strongest team has been selected for Moscow. I can't wait to sample the team spirit! •
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Miles occasionally reviewed books in Kingpin: Unorthodox Chess Openings By Eric SchiHer. Cardoza Publishing, 520 pp, £18.95. Utter crap.
TOllY Miles
262 Articles
Secrets of Minor-Piece Endings by Jolm Nunn, Batsford, 304pp. £17.99. 'Our reviews have been getting bland lately,' wrote Kingpin's Editor. 'lay into them a bit.' Not the easiest of tasks with Doc's books, but here goes ... The cover is disgusting-a tasteless blend of yellow and black that would make the average bee vomit. And whoever came up with the sentence 'GM John Nunn is a key member of the three-times silver medal-winning English Olympiad team, for whom be has also won four individual gold medals' deserves 10, well, write covers for Batsford. Whoever he is, he has clearly not read the book since he also writes: 'The book also provides definite answers to some of the puzzles that have taxed the greatest chess minds for centuries: precisely when do two knights win against a pawn ... ?' Yet on page 265 we find that 'I have decided to omit (2lb v l!.) after discovering that the pre-database work of Troitsky and other analysis is astonishingly accurate. '
I should explain that this is the first of Doc's endgame books that I have read, and it probably will be the last. For me, chess is a fascinating and in some way living game. When Secrets of Rook Endings came out I took the view that producing what was in effect a print-out of exactly the most accurate way to play certain endings was just killing a chunk of chess. On a positive note, I enjoyed the section on 2i. v lb, probably because it included a few ideas!
Articles 263
Otherwise, the whole thing is pretty indigestible-if 79 pages of lb + fj, v lb is your idea of fun then this is the book for you. At £17.99 this is a book you should get your local library to stock. At a Hungarian tournament recently I saw a copy reduced from £2.50 to 25p! There were still no takers! The book is more or less what it sets out to be-a definitive reference work and as such it is excellent, but to me it's just a lump of dead chess. TOllY Miles
Samurai Chess: Mastering the Martial Art of the Mind by Michael Gelb and Raymond Keene. Aurum Press, 224pp, £15.95. Frankly I wish I'd never agreed to review this book. Criticism of it will n i evitably seem like gratuitous Mondo knocking, and praise will be seriously misplaced. Actually I quite like the cover. If you want something to leave lying about on a coffee table it's just the job. However, opening it is not recommended. The ny-leaf sets the tone. Raymondo, we learn, is 'the world's leading authority on chess and mind sports'. Really? He is also the 'winner of 14 separate British championship titles '. That's twelve more than are generally known about. Even more impressively, he is 'an enthusiastic student of martial arts, recently awarded his sixth kyu certificate in aikido'. We later learn that 5th and 6th kyu are the equivalent of 'beginner' or under 1200 Elo, though it is not specified how far under 1200. Co-author Michael Gelb, of whom I knew nothing, IS 'internationally recognised as a
pioneer in the fields of creative thinking, mind-body coordination and leadership development'. The two met at the Liechtenstein Global Trust Academy, a concept of Tony Buzan, sponsored by His Serene Highness Prince Philipp von und zu Liechtenstein, where Mondo was invited to teach chess, mind spons, and the history of genius and strategy. One wonders about HSH. The purpose of the book is supposedly to develop one's talenl as a strategic thillker, and in so doing dramatically improve one's chess skill. Well, I didn't expect to learn much about chess from this epic but I was curious about the martial arts angle. However, apart from a liberal supply of quotes from the likes of Sun Tsu and Musashi, there is little of substance. The only unusual section is a fifteen-page chapter on 'Harnessing your Physical and Mental Powers'. This includes such things as diet-a Mondo speciality (come to think of it, it's strange he doesn't lecture on that too)-meditation and wann-ups for chess ! The last of these includes the immortal instruction 'Keep your eyes open to avoid dozing.' This might well have been mentioned more often. Also, 'notice the distance between your feel and the top of your head . You may be surprised to discover that it has expanded'(!) Without, I hope, the use of a Samurai sword.
Apart from these highlights there is a copious supply of the standard Mondo waffle. A section on notable chess players includes Tony Buzan (see above), purveyor of Mondo teaching, Brian Clivaz, fonner supplier of food to Mondo at Simpsons, Sir Tim Rice, fanner neighbour of Mondo, Carol Vordennan, presenter of Channel 4 chess programmes starring Mondo, Derek Wanless, old university acquaintance of Mondo ... It goes on. I'm surprised his Serene Highness didn't make the tist. Maybe the next edition. The section on 'Perfecting Mind and Body' gives the real recipe for success: 'Practise, practise, practise. Play at every opportunity, take a portable chess computer with you on trips, and read the daily chess column in The Times without fail.' Well, I think you get the general idea, but I do have one last thought. The much-quoted Musashi's great claim to fame, apart from his writings, is that he retained his ability as a swordsman to a remarkably advanced age. If Mondo is remotely serious about the claims made in the book, he could quite simply prove his case. Don't hold your breath. TOllY Miles
Memories ofa gel/erolls sOIi/. a great bloke "lid a uniquepersonality
15: Memories of a generous soul, a great bloke and a unique personality by Mike Fox
F
oolishly, I once swanked about my chess in front of Tony Miles.
'Sorry, Tone, I can't go down the gym this afternoon. I have a... ' (swaggering slightly) ..county match' •.
'Really?' He was genuinely surprised. 'Which team is that then?' 'Er, the under 150's' I mumbled. 'Oh yes! County chess for the mentally challenged.' Collapse of patzer. Or again: I occasionally teach an unsighted chap, and was incautious enough to mention Ihis to Tony. His response: 'Ah, the blind leading the blind eh?' Tony might not have been the strongest grandmaster this country ever produced (though his record in the hlle seventies/early eighties make him a contender for that title) but he certainly was the fuMiest.
I'm not qualified to write in detail about Tony's remarkable chess career; I am however, qualified to write about him as a bloke. First, I want to scotch some of the garbage that was written after his death describing Tony as if he were the Hennit of Hamorne.
'Loner' was a word that cropped up a lot in the Land of Make Believe, sometimes known as the National Press. But in the real world, there was a very different view. If you asked the guys at Warley Quinborne Chess Club, or the parents and kids at Checkmate Junior Chess Club, or the cognoscenti down the Fallow and Firkin, or his numerous mates, bridge-playing then
'Gregarious', 'Game for a laugh', 'One of the lads' would be typical of the responses you'd get. I knew three Tonys. Tony One was the dedicated President of Checkmate Junior Chess Club. That began in the early nineties with a phone message: 'Ring Mr. Miles.' It didn't click. I returned the call. This guy wanted to help with the kids' club. You have 10 be careful about people wanting to get involved with children, so I was stand-offish: 'Do you have any chess experience?' A pause, then: 'A little.' Impaliently:'Look, do you have a grading of any kind?' 'Well, last time I looked, my Elo was 2580.' And thus began a most fruitful relationship.
Tony came along to Checkmate every Saturday when he wasn't playing. He did simuls. He coached superstars like Ameet Ghasi, Sabrina Chevannes, and Li Wu. He played games with dozens of ordinary juniors (there was a myth among the kids that anyone who beat Tone was onto a £ 1 000 prize. We never had to debate the point, though Ameet came close a couple of limes). He gave out prizes. He helped put the sets away. He inspired everybody. And he IIel'er
charged Checkmate a cent! How many Grandmasters can you think of who would do the same? Tony Two was opponent at games.
the
ferocious
Tony and I were both games freaks. We played darts, pool. bar billiards, chess variants, computer games, whatever was handy. The score overall was massively in Tony's favour. The intensity with which he played pool or pinball (he told me Karpov was red h9t at that too) was awesome-and made you see why he was so scary over the chessboard. The only game
I regularly beat
him at was Go (the Japanese board game). I've played Go for 35 years; so I taught Tony, looking for some easy wins. After the third lesson I had to stop accepting a handicap; by the fourth, it was even stevens. We never played a fifth. En passant, I should mention here Tony's swimming. I'm not bad. Tony was terrific. We used Binningham University pool. I stayed in the 'medium' lane. Tony was always in the fast lane, along with the University stars. He was like a blooming torpedo. and
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the slickness of his tumble tum had to be seen to be believed. Tony Three was the dining companion.
convivial
I had dozens of meals with Tony. They were always entertaining. always fun. I recall the first vividly. Trying to make conversation (1 was still a little nervous at chatting to a GM) I asked: 'Played any good games , lately? 'Well this wasn't bad' he replied and I sat gobsmacked as he picked up my latty pocket chess set and took me through the sparkler he'd played against Atalik the previous month. (Game 96). Most regular were the meals at our local Chinese, with 1M Geoff Lawton. The conversation was frequently in the stfiuosphere: two titled players talking recondite points of opening strategy, while I sat there nodding, pretending to understand. When this got too much, J would pull out the aforesaid pocket set and challenge the great man to a game of some obscure chess variant (three check chess, two king chess) that I'd been practising all week, in preparation. Infuriatingly, Tony (and often Geofl) would suss out the correct strategy within a couple of games, and J was back to being the patzer again. But one meal with Tony sticks in my mind. After Tony's (too late in my opinion) withdrawal from his disastrous last British Champion ship, because of medication problems, Wilf Morgan (a Checkmate regular) and I took him for a Chinese-to cheer him up.
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Memories ofa generous sOIlI, a great bloke and a IInique personality
This os it transpired unnecessary.
was
quite
You would not have guessed that he had just had the worst tournament performance of his career. We had a terrific evening, and Tony even managed to feign interest in wars and my accounts of our brilliant exploits in the British Seniors (this, from two patzers whose combined grading was somewhat lower than Tony's). My last image of him couldn't be happier-or more characteristic. It was, fittingly, after a Checkmate session, the day before
he died. He'd just played a game against Keirnn, a promising junior, graded 90. I was telling Tony about some moderately amusing mishap that had happened to me earlier in the day, and Tony was doubled over with laughter, clutching one of the tables for suppon. There's much more I could write about Tony-but I feel that's a nice note to end on. Tony was one of those unforgettable people you meet once in a lifetime. Knowing him was an honour, a privilege-:md a lot of laughs.
16:
Tony Miles---o ne of my best and most loyal friends by Malcolm Hunt
I
first met Tony in September 1966 when he arrived at King Edwards School, Birmingham ('KES'). This is the leading local school which was, at that time, a direct grant school and Tony had a free place like the vast majority of other pupils.
KES had a long-standing reputation for chess having produced C.H.O'D. Alexander who, apan from being pan of the Bletchley team which cracked the 'Enigma' code in the war, was one of the leading British players for many years in the 1940's and 1950's and whose finest result was to tie for first at Hastings in 1953 with David Bronstein who had just tied a match for the World Championship with Mikhail Botvinnik. Other alumnae included Malcolm Barker who finished runner-up in the first World Junior Championship n i 1951. The school team regularly won the Birmingham & District School League and the first team regulars (including such names as George Swatridge, Chris Shephard, Paul Prescott etc.) soon heard that a promising young player (the Birmingham Primary Schools Champion) had joined. It is fair to say that we did not, initially, welcome Tony with open flnns. He
was a cocky little sO'"and-so who was not afraid to tell us how good he was. This happened every year and we were quite accustomed to putting young upstans in their place. Unfonunately, in Tony's case, it was not quite so easy! The simplest solution was to ignore him and to hope he went away but, as many found later, he was also a highly persistent lad. His talent shone through and by early 1967 he had found his way onto the lower boards of the KES first team. Chess was played in the Dining Room which was a building detached from the main body of the school. Most nights of the week, but particularly Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, groups of boys could be found there playing house competitions, individual knock-out competitions, school matches, 5-minute games, analysing together or simply talking chess. From his early days Tony was a regular member of this set on the nights he was not playing rugby or fives or swimming. This was, in my opinion, almost the perfect breeding ground for a future champion. There was a large collection of intelligent boys, talented chess players who were anxious both to score points from each other but also to learn from each other. The only thing missing was an experienced coach who
268 TOllY Miles--olle ofmy besl and mosl loyalfriends
might have guided our work more constructively. Chess books were a rarity in those days and very different to those found today. We all pooled resources and learned from each other and I particularly remember his copies of a book on the Petroff and another on King and Pawn endings which he loved and devoured-in later years when teaching promising juniors the latter was always one of his first recommendations. Another familiar figure was Jack, his father, who was often seen peering through the windows trying 10 work out when might be an appropriate time to drag Tony ofT to cal his evening meal or do some prep. Jack was a tremendous supporter of us all-he never interfered or commented on our chess in any way (at that age we doubted whether he could play!) bUI he was always in the background offering a word of encouragement or comfort.
I was perhaps closest to Tony in age and ability at that time and he soon introduced me to Binningham Chess Club, then the leading local club which was headed by Bernard Cafferty and Peter Gibbs who both spent many years in the upper reaches of the British Champion ships. They both spcnt many hours with Tony helping him to develop his game and were the nearest Tony ever had to coaches. They both fonned strong bonds with Tony which continued up to his death, Bernard playing a pivotal role by acting as his 'second' when he won the World Junior and also advising Tony when he became diabetic (Bernard having suffered the same problem for many years). Peter and Bernard bolh had chess columns in
local papers and never missed an opportunity 10 sing Tony's praises and also to support other juniors which was a great encouragement. So, with regular activity at school and the introduction to adult competition, chess was well on its way to becoming an obsession. Tony loved the competitive world and his earty tournament activity was at the Warwickshire Junior Championships held at Portland School organised by W. Ritson Morry, one of the unsung heroes of British chess who is best-known for running the Hastings Tournament for many years. Ritson always supported juniors and despite an unprepossessing appearance some how managed to inspire us all to work at the game. In his early school years Tony won most of the Warwickshire Junior Champion ships and was obviously destined for higher things. The problem was how high? It seems extraordinary to report but, in the mid- 1960's Britain could boast only two 1M's (Penrose and Wade), Tony was unlikely to meet these two so how was he able to advance having shown himself to be already one of (if not the) leading Midlands players. Ritson came up with the solulion which was to run a Binningham Lnlemalional Tourn ament and invite a number of strong players including those with litles. This was very small beer in comparison with tournaments today but it is interesting 10 note that Tony once said that he never saw a OM in the flesh until he was 16! I suspect that Ritson personally funded much of the costs of this tournament which saw Tony (and John Nunn) doing battle wilh Ulf Anderssen and Bojan Kurajica the Yugoslav 1M. In
Tony Miles-one ofmy best alld most loyalfriends 2M later years Ritson persuaded Arthur Bisguier to come, leading to Tony's firsl International victory. By the time I left school in 1970, Tony was established as the leading junior in the country and it was apparent that he was thinking of making a living al the game. Certainly he never ever mentioned any possibility of pursuing a conventional career. KES were backing his efforts to the full though they were also getting excellent publicity as a result. Their Chief Master (no Headmasters al KES!), the Rev. Canon Ronald O. Lunt, was considered by most to be an autocratic driver of a business with little time for the boys under his wing. However he was so excited by Tony's achievements that he helped personally with the financing of his first major international trip to Lone Pine. School reports from that period indicate thai not all of his masters agreed that his chess should be promoted. There is complete unanimity that he had an excellent brain and was a very capable scholar but most complained that he did no work whatsoever and should spend less time playing chess. It is quite apparent that, whilst he had a retentive mind which could recall any facts which needed to be learned, he found such displays very boring, particularly if the topic did not interest him. He was much more interested if he could apply his analytic skills to the subject, hence his ongoing interest in Mathematics. Suggestions that he 'scraped through' his A levels are very wide of the mark (for the record, A, A and E in Maths, Physics and Further Maths). I was never sure why he
turned down Oxford who offered him a place but would suggest that he feared that the perceived academic climate might restrict his chess ambitions. By this time I was pursuing my career and only bumped n i to Tony occasionally. A fellow KES schoolmate, Paul Hanks, has reported on his Sheffield University career. In academic tenns he states:
'I believe Tony attended a few mathematics lectures in the early months but he quickly became disenchanted because he thought the mathematics was learning by rote and failed to see the ingenuity that had to be displayed in its proper application. ' Of more interest is a report of the Sheffield University progress in the National Club Knock Out in 1976. They were due to meet Luton at a neutral venue (Nuneaton). Luton were expected to have Bob Wade on top board so Tony was required. Tony seemed unusually evasive, particularly given that he had been planning to return to Binningham that day. However, Tony had his ann twisted, Paul drove him to Nuneaton and put him up at his parents house. Next day Tony set off for Dubnall
I now hardly saw Tony at all for many years but made contact with his parents after I read a distressing article about him in the Sunday Times in 1991. Tony's father remembered me well and seemed more interested in what I was up to than telling me that Tony was well and (as usual) playing in a tournament abroad. Tony made contact on his return, we went for a beer and found that we lived less than a mile apart.
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Tony Miles-<me ofmy best and most loyalfriends
From Ihat momenl, whenever he returned 10 Binningham we would go out and pul the world to rights. He resurrected my love of chess which I had stopped playing competitively owing to pressures of work. He also introduced me to Geoff Lawton and Mike Fox at Checkmate Chess Club which provided the stimulus for my current occupation as a chess coach within local schools. Tony had recently taken up bridge which I had played periodically on a competitive basis so we were natural partners. However I overlooked the extent to which Tony could become passionately involved in such a game. I could not really afford (and was not sure I wanted) the four nights a week we played together-Ihis was nOI enough for Tony however who found another partner in John Roberts who quickly became as exhausted as me. After he had worn
one of us out he would thC:1I spend most of most nights playing bridge on the internet. The day before he died I saw him at Checkmate with Geoff and Mike but I had to go away to play a County match. I gave David Cooper a lift and, on our return to Binningham suggested we drag Tony out for a beer. We had several(!) during which Tony was fascinated by David's pet line in the Scotch which Tony had not considered previously though he rapidly offered some highly pertinent observations. After a very pleasant evening I took him home expecting to play bridge with him a couple of nights later... Others 3re much better qualified than me to describe Tony's contribution to Brilish chess but, having been al school with him, he has simply been one of my best and mOSI loyal friends for many years.
1 7:
"Can you show me your game
against Karpov where you played 1...a6, please Mr.Miles?" by
Geoff Lawton
first properly met Tony at the Checkmate Junior Chess Club, Binningham, in early 1994. He seemed slightly shy at first, but friendly nevertheless and with a finn handshake. Tony was interested in acquiring a chess database, so I bravely invited him round to my house for a demo as I'd purchased 'Chess Assistant' from Monica Vann. One reason Monica ran her chess software business, if she will forgive me for saying so, was in the hope of meeting some strong players-a lowly 1M was one thing, but Tony Miles quite another matter!
I
Not knowing Tony very well, I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I needn't have worried as he was very laid back, self-effacing and cracked jokes frequently. He liked the product but I felt slightly awkward because of Tony's obvious lack of computer awareness. It therefore came as some relief, and surprise, when he admitted "I'm pretty useless with computers". Needless to say, I hadn't expected to hear this confession from such a strong grandmaster! "What's it got on the Slav?" he asked. We looked up an opening trap he'd played-after I d4 d5 2 c4
c6 3 toe3 e6 4 .:.tf4, where, if Black continues in AbrahamsINoteboom fashion with 4...dxc4 5 e3 b5 6 a4 i.b4 7 axb5 axb5, then 8 '*O! '*d5 9 '*g3 surprisingly wins a piece. Tony laughed when he admitted he'd once nearly gone on to lose this position as White! Anyway he duly bought 'Chess Assistant' from Monica, who later became not only his computer consultant, but also a close friend of both him and his parents. I'd actually crossed paths with Tony on odd occasions before 1994. Ten years previously, although not really acquainted, we had analysed his adjoumment against Torre in the London Phillips & Drew Kings tournament, 1984. Having both arrived early to play otT unfinished games at County Hall (where I was competing in the 'Knights' event), we found the venue virtually deserted and so I asked Tony about his position. I was surprised when he invited me to look at it with him-after all, Karpov, Timman & co were playing in his tournament! However I didn't feel too much out of my depth, probably because Tony took my suggestions seriously, and we soon noticed that Torre could make a promising exchange sacrifice. However, while calmly accepting that his position
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" Call you show me your game against Karpov whereyou played 1 . . .06"
may well be lost, Tony was keen to try and exhaust his resources. Fortunately, when play resumed. Torre missed the exchange sac and Tony salvaged a draw. I was amused when during our analysis Tony repeatedly referred to two of Torre's pawns as "Bonzo" and "Fido" , tapping them on their squares-I assumed it must be a grandmaster thing. In Birmingham, I occasionally poppe£! round to Tony's house, which was just an ordinary three bedroomed detached property he'd bought in the late eighties. The first time I visited was in 1995 with Mike Fox, around the time of the Kasparov-Anand match. Tony lived like a typical bachelor (this really is the pot calling the kettle black!) and apologised for the lack of seating space. The settee and chairs were littered with chess paraphenalia and broadsheets open on the sports pages. The living room coffee table was decked out in similar fashion and there was the odd chess trophy perched on a shelf. A brightly coloured chess memento from, I believe, Egypt was hanging on the wall and with New i" Chess, II/forma/ors and other chess books and magazines slrewn all around it could truly be called a chess player's paradise. After the shock of Tony's death. we helped his family sort out his effects. Tony's family are lovely people, almost oblivious to his chess successes in that to them he was always just 'Tony'. They amused us with stories of him as a youngster -a bundle of energy, he apparently kepi his mum very busy(!) and had lois of interests, chess being just one of them. They spoke fondly of
Tony's parents who were very loving and caring of their only child; his father Jack was an execulive with GEC and tirelessly ferried Tony around in his early chess years. His mother Jennie was a skilled seamstress, making many of the clothes for the close family circle. Tony 's chess study, upslairs, was crammed with of hundreds scoresheets, spanning his prolific 30-year chess career, with those up to the mid-1990s filed away neatly in ring binders but the remainder rather disorganised. We eventually found Karpov-Miles from the European Team Championships, Skara I 980-it was Tony's original scoresheet, signed by Tony and the Soviet team captain. This was a little unusual, as most of the scoresheets were carbon-copies. Tony had also kept the original scoresheet to the game that secured his position as England's first grandmaster-his final round win from Dubna 1976 in a tense game against Kostro of Poland. All of Tony 's scoresheets from Dubna were originals, although several of them were missing, such as his only loss, to Suetin-one that got away! On his noticeboard there was a newspaper cutting of him giving a simultaneous exhibition, and a few of Mike's junior training progress lelters--obviously Tony's most treasured possessions! In 1997 Tony introduced me to the Internet Chess Club. He apologised for the location of his lap-top--on his living room carpet, almost in the doorway because the lead wasn't quite long enough to reach the table! There was no mouse so it was impossible to move
"Call you show me your game against Karpov whereyou played 1. . . (16 " 273 quickly. Lying stomach down, a la Tilburg, he played a couple of blitz games; I noticed he opened I e4 which surprised me, and then I had a go. "You don't mind me playing as TonyM?"-"You can't do any worse than me." He didn't mind me losing a bundle of rating points and he later arranged a free handle for me and I became a member on ICC. Playing on ICC was an n i teresting experience. I usually chatted to Tony, when his greeting, day or night, would always be "Mornin'!". Playing blitz on ICC was a little bit disconcerting while Tony was watching as he would invariably send comments during the game "Umm .. ", "Yeeuch!" "Er. .." , •...'i'd4 mate was better", "I like your big pawn on b2", "Good technique!", "Ahah!", "Oh well impressive speed ... ", ... This sort of thing doesn't happen every day of the week does it? After a hard day at work, you get home, have a cup of tea, and then play a game on ICC -and Tony Miles is commentating on your strategy and moves. What are you to do? Ignore his remarks and just play the game? This just wasn't possible so I would end up discussing the play and trying to justify my moves, while I lost on time! It was the same story when playing over-the-board blitz against him-he always kept up a running commentary. At first I found it a bit off-putting (my chess upbringing was of the 'do not speak while the game is in progress' type), but once I got used to it, I realised that it was a great coaching technique! Tony captained Slough in the 4NCL and in the 200012001 season won the best game prize for his win
against Baburin. We managed to beat Wood Green despite being outgraded on most boards and were all in high spirits after the match. Tony, as Biack, playeo to win using his fav/;)Urite English Defence, opening with I d4 e6 2 c4 b6 3 a3 g6!? H s i 'Australian amigo' Alex Wohl had a hair-raising game against John Emms, which was eventually drawn, while I was pleased to beat Paul Littlewood. At the end Tony gave me his customary firm handshake and congratulated me with a sincere smile-I always liked that. During the match, when I got up from the board, Tony asked "How's it going?". I was used to this by now but after replying "OK." I was surprised by the additional comment "OK. We could do with a win-give it a go." Tony'S game became very complicated and, perhaps just as he was gaining the upper hand, Baburin offered him a draw. The reply was "My captain's told me I must play for a win!" After the match, Tony, Alex and I went for a Chinese meal. Out came Tony's pocket set and we analysed our games. We looked at mine quickly and then Alex's ridiculously complicated game against John Emms. In a double rook and knight endgame, John pushed his connected passed pawns right down the board, while Alex's only defence was 10 attack the king. What surprised me was just how many of the tactics Tony had seen during the game. In facl it was lolal tactics all the way and he saw stacks of them. And I thought he had enough on his plate with his own game! We moved on to Baburin-
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" Can you show me YO'lr game against Karpov where you played I .. ati ·'
Miles. Tony loved this type of game where his unusual play could confuse an opponent. I asked him how on earth he could play like that against a 2600-GM and 'get away with it'. He simply said that Babunn was very strong technically and, wanting to win with Black, he decided to mix it. Tony was good company and naturally I was completely in awe of his chess erudition. This wasn't simply because he was Tony Miles -it was more because whenever any of us analysed a position with him, we had to concede to the correctness of his assessments. He helped our club, Quinbome, win the first division title in 200012001 and he often dropped into the club on a Thursday night to watch games in progress. You knew he'd arrived when you spotted a bushy mop of hair just inside your line of vision then I used to really concentrate and try to look as if I was taking it all very seriously. But I would play my move only after Tony had passed on to another game, not that he showed any sign of emotion when we made our moves. Mike Fox said it was bad enough having an 1M watching his games, never mind Tony Miles! Tony often popped upstairs to the bar at the club where there was usually a football match on satellite TV. I too would sometimes nip up there for a drink and invariably saw him chatting to Malcolm and Mike. Then he might ask "How's it
going?-it looked good earlier." After the session, he would analyse the adjoumed positions with us. Of course he was an excellent analyst, detennined to look for ways to continue the struggle in our favour. It was all too easy to take Tony for granted since when you analyse
.
frequently with someone th3t strong you start to believe th3t you understand a 101 yourself. Only later, on your own, when things don't seem so clear, do you realise that Tony came down to your level-he must have done, or he'd have completely confused us. Most positions he dismissed at a glance. His assessments usually came very quickly, although the odd one did require some consideration. In this case he would spend, say, half an hour, trying to come to a conclusion. He particularly enjoyed endgames and other positions where our prospects looked hopeless and I was always amazed at some of the ideas that he found in situations that appeared almost resignable.
In the critical match that season we adjoumed three games. On ICC I promised to mail him the positions, then forgot to send them. "What's happened to those positions?" he asked. Apologising, I quickly mailed them to him and his verdicts came back within a couple of minutes: "The first two are fairly easy-nothing much happening there. I'll get back on Dave Cooper's game." I added that the team members would be analysing that evening, round at Simon Dighton's house. Tony said he had a heavy cold and unfortunately wouldn't be able to make it. So I was surprised when later on, accompanied by Malcolm, he tumed up at Simon's house. Tony concentrated on Dave's game-it looked bad and we needed a draw. We were not very hopeful but, after an hour or so, he had found a few ideas and this helped put Dave on the right track. Later Dave fed it to Fritz and the story had a happy ending when he secured the draw
"Can you show me your game against Kurpov II'here you played 1... 0 6 " 275
and effectively the title for Quinborne-the first time the club had ever won top honours in the local league!
scrambled a win in a queen and pawn endgame. I felt disappointed that I never asked Tony for his verdict, he would have understood
I enjoyed analysing with Tony. It is always fascinating to see how a top grandmaster sees things. Tony visualised positions with ease and calculated quickly, but generally I felt he relied on his intuition (Ihis is 1994 onwards). Perhaps his speed of thought came from his huge experience of a wide range of chess
Tony was a natural teacher, I like Mike's description that he was always "happy to show the knight's move to a ten-year old". At the Checkmate Junior Club he helped encourage youngsters. I think that Tony liked the company of children and enjoyed Mike's boundless
positions. He seemed to have an insatiable appetite for the game. I
once asked him, around 1994, what targets he had in chess. He replied "To be 2600." Tony was full of fresh ideas in the openings, and had a vast knowledge of endgame positions, those of the king and pawn variety being his favourite.
I particularly enjoyed discussing
minor piece issues with Tony. When assessing positions he often mentioned the structure and the relative value of the various pieces. Aside from tactical prowess, somehow this sort of thing always seemed to me central to really understanding chess. In 2001, I adjourned a local league game against David Anderton. I had queen and two bishops against queen and two knights in a fairly open position where the bishops had more options than the knights, which lacked real outposts. This amounted to a few standard landmarks, but I didn't see any more than that. Perhaps you know the sort of thing I mean: your intuition tells you one thing and, although your analysis tells you another, you'd really much prefer to believe your hunch. Unfortunately Tony was abroad at the time and in the end I tried trading pieces and
the position.
energy
and enthusiasm for everything (not just chess!). Tony had an easy manner when looking at chess, often using gestures to explain a point. The club, held in a local community centre, h3d an infonnal atmosphere and was a nice place to drop into. In fact many of
the parents also got to know Tony well. When
Tony died, one of the
older club members, Rohan Hartley, said he would always remember Tony's good-natured laugh. The children would frequently challenge him to a game and he happily played against them, while imparting his chess wisdom. One member, Omar, repeatedly asked Tony 10 show him how to checkmate. He started with two bishops v lone king. Then, when Ornar had mastered that one he proceeded to ask how to mate with bishop and knight v lone king. If Tony was away from the club, playing abroad, Omar would instead ask whoever else would show him -but each time Tony retumed Ornar would pin him down like a bolt of lightning. Tony would then quietly explain the same thing over again. Ornar disappeared from the club for a few years but briefly tumed up again-this time asking about the two bishops v knight
276 "Call YOII show me your game against Karpov where YOIl played I... a6"
endgame(!). This one was more like hard work but Tony treated it with the same level of seriousness as he did the previous requests. Tony thought the world of Mike. As mentioned earlier he even kept some of Mike's eloquent junior
training progress leiters pinned to his chess study notice board. I distinctly remember one panicular d3y at the club when Mike, looking a tad bewildered, came over to me and confided "I just mentioned to Tony that I'm pl3ying in 3 lower this match county division anemoon. He replied • Ah-yes, , chess for the mentally deficient! ' . But Mike took it as it was intended
-a joke. I was in stitches.
Tony loved the King's Gambit. I was surprised to learn th3t he had played it during his early school days, along with lots of other sharp systems such as the Max Lange 3\1ack. These lines seemed to be a far cry from the White structure type of play he employed 13ter in his career. He even wrote an anicle in New III Chess advocating 2...liJc6 3 �n f5 for Black which, I think, Alex Wohl showed him. Tony, Mike and I onen played bar billiards down our local. During one game, Mike happened to mention an idea of Wagenbach's after 2 ...exf4 3 �n and now 3 ... h5!? Tony had never seen it before and was absolutely fascinated. Play was virtually sus pended while we took a look at it. We also analysed down at our local Chinese. One evening, at the we instigation, Maestro's Old looked at Eric Schiller's King's Gambit book. I guess that Mike was aware of the inf3mous book review, and, if he will forgive me, it made a nice change from watching Tony
refute his latest winning line in the Vienna! We checked a few lines quickly nothing untoward-then became curious about the recommendation for White Kieseritsky the in variation. Some years previously, King's Gambit expert Mark Hebden mentioned to me that his crushing win as Black against Richard Holmes in a British Championship game had given Joe Gal13gher some cause for thought in his King's our Gradual ly book. Gambit (Tony's!?) sceptism subsided-the suggested line seemed OK for White. Perhaps slightly the worse for drink, we eventually decided that Schiller's line didn't quite work. Our analysis was generally pretty light-hearted, at least that's how I viewed it. So I was surprised when Tony called the following evening: "Do you remember the critical line? At the end White can play Wg6 !!-it wins beautifully. When I arrived home I carried on looking at the line for a couple of hours." "Amazing-does that mean the line is good for White after all then?"
"Yes, probably."
Tony had countless trophies in his house, with his World Junior award taking pride of place. But what was his most treasured possession? Well,
aside from his coin collection and, of course, Mike's junior coaching letters, it was probably a close-call
between his brand new Mercedes and his pocket chess set.
Which reminds me. On arriving home one evening after dropping Tony back at his house, the phone rang almost the moment I walked through the door. "Hi again, it's
"Can you show me your game against KlIrpov wherey011 played 1 .. 06 " .
Tony. I left my wallet set in your car· -it's under the seat-I've had it for years, could you just check please and ring me back?" Curious, I went straight out to the car and sure enough there was the ancient set, almost falling apan, with pieces and squares that were vinually unrC(;ognisable. I rang back: "It's you Tony."-"Great-are here, down at the club tomorrow, any chance you could perhaps drop it in for me?" Tony excelled in all types of were they Whether positions. complex middlegames or so-called simple endgames he was equally at home. He enjoyed different aspects of the game, but I had the feeling that his favourite type of chess was the exploitation of a seemingly insignificant advantage. In 1998 after his return from the Capablanca Memorial in Cuba, he explained: "Against Nogueiras I had nothing, this much," (pinching two ngers together) "but it W3S enough. '
I!
On the day before Tony died, we were all down at the Checkmate Club. It was just another nonnal Saturday morning. Tony was in his usual good spirits, busy on the local bridge circuit most of the time but still looking at chess as energetically as ever. He was examining the outcome of an opening lino-a middlegame queenless complex with an unbalanced structure-with Malcolm and one of the club members, Amar. He played some blitz with myself and then another
club member, Kieran. I remember him typically asking after my sons, "How's the brats?", while his gaze
277
remained fixed on the chessboard. At the end of the session, Mike told a story which had Tony in stitches. Then the four of us, Tony, Mike, Malcolm and myself, tried to but meal, Chinese a arrange unsuccessfully as our dates clashed. In the car park outside I asked Tony how his bridge was going and he replied "It's quite easy really-you just play a lot and accumulate points." We said goodbye and he left with Malcolm, spending the evening with him and Dave Cooper. evening, Monday early Then, Malcolm gave me the tragic news of Tony's death. It didn't seem real, I was Tony was so young. concerned that Mike might learn the news on the internet but managed to contact him early the next morning. He was distraught. My lasting memory of Tony will be the help he so freely gave to the youngsters at the Checkmate Junior Club. Mike often announced to the children: "£1000 will be deposited in a Swiss bank account to anyone who can beat Tony!" This became a serious possibility when 8-ycarold Ameet Ghasi, and his twin brother Sumeet joined the club, around 1995. When the boys met Tony for almost Ameet time, first the immediately asked "Can you show me your game against Karpov where you played ... a6, please Mr. Miles?" Looking obviously pleased, if perhaps slightly taken aback,
Tony, who made no secret of not being at his best first thing in the morning, struggled a little before reconstructing the whole game. The boys were absolutely beaming...
"I have no sty/�/just make moves
18: "I have no style--I just make moves" A briefguide to Tony Miles 's openings
P
laying with the White pieces, Tony Miles's approach to chess was primarily classical. And indeed his positionally aggressive style led to some beautiful games such as Miles-Andersson, Las Palmas 1 980. Although he had a keen tactical eye, he tended to avoid sharp lines as White, preferring to develop quietly, manoeuvre, and preferably leave book lines as early as possible. He was incredibly astute at spotting seemingly insignificant changes in a position, often playing according to the pawn structure and grinding opponents down with his fine technique. On the other hand, with the Black pieces, he often sought to seize the initiative by employing off-beat systems, a policy which became his trademark. During a game he usually tried to keep ahead on the clock but, when the opportunity arose, the chess artist within him was aroused and he strived to create a masterpiece. Miles's early style was aggressive and he adopted systems that offered sharp play and the prospect of a quick kill. He played open games (I e4 eS) with both colours and, as White, employed romantic lines such as the King's Gambit and Max Lange Attack (see Miles-Nunn,
British U-18 Championships 1969). Many of the systems he practised as a junior gradually disappeared from his repertoire, although a few notable ones remained. His
first
Modern edition,
reference
Chess
book
Openings
was
l et'
published when he was 9 years old. It contained jotted notes on some of his favourite lines-no, nothing on the Dragon though! After I d4 f5 2 c4 lOf6 3 'be3 e6 4 iOD he wrote "4.. .'�)c6! intending tOe7, then lOg6-the AJM Attack", in a very young hand. His fondness for knight manoeuvres was apparent even then. In his library, Chernev's Winning Chess Traps and Keres's Handbooks looked well read. He appears not to have modelled himself on any particular player, though when questioned as a new GM in 1976, he remarked "I have some regard for Lasker"-a player noted for his ability to improvise and play the man as well as the board-adding "I'm pretty ignorant about chess history." As Black, he also favoured aggressive weapons, his principal choice being the Ruy Lopez Bird's Defence (3 ...lOd4). In fact the young Miles played this oflbeat line for a period of four years. Against 1 d4 he liked the Dutch Defence, rather incompatible with his positional outlook on the game but,
then again, such noble consider ations may not have been that high on the list of priorities of an I I -year old! During his junior phase, he quickly cottoned on to the practical value of little·explored lines. Playing unusual systems in order to unsettle his opponent came easily to him. He dabbled with openings such as Grob's Attack (I g4), Bird's Opening (\ f4), and the Nimzovich Defence (1 ...&6). He also liked Owen's Defence ( l . ..b6--even playing this at the top level!) and the RetilNimzovich Attack (\ lOO, 2 b3), because, as he later wrote, "I never could resist a raking queen's bishop". As White, he played the Open Sicilian (see Miles-Szekely, Nice Junior 1971), but was not too comfortable with this type of position where the need for memorisation was much greater. The structure did not really suit him, since White has a pawn less in the centre which he felt gave Black a finn positional foundation. He was not that interested in studying long variations, the idea of making his first move on move 20 never really appealed to him!
Even at a young age, he competed frequently and, with school work to do, it is not clear how much time he actually spent on opening study. In view of the wide variety and nature of his early preferences, perhaps the I I year-old Tony chose his open· ings by scanning MCO, picking out sharp lines which occupied the least number of columns, and then quickly checking them over before actually playing them! The less theory the better as far as he was concerned and if in addition the
J'
279
opening broke an established rule then that added to its appea1. The Ruy Lopez Bird's Defence is described in MCO as "violating the principle of moving the same piece rwice in the opening". Evidence of Miles's fresh, almost rebellious view of established theory and his lack of respect for the opposition shines through in many of his early games. He once ventured I e4 b6 2 d4 f.b7 3 �3 and now the astonishing 3 ...e5 4 dxe5 �b4. He liked this develop ment of his bishops on b7 and b4 (shades of the English Defence). He was British Under- 14 Champion when he played this particular idea which even then revealed his impish sense of humour... In 1973 he won Ritson Morry's Binningham International using 1 e4, but during the World Junior that summer he was already switching to other systems. By the next World Junior tne following year he had well and truly turned to English and Reli systems as the main strings to his bow. See his notes to Miles-Tal, Hastings 1 973/4, where he explains this change in his White repertoire. These White systems, which he played from the age of 18, renecled the structure-type of play which penneated the rest of his career. He felt that these lines played more 10 his strengths, towards positionally aggressive chess, and it was harder for opponents to spring their home preparation on him. Two years later, as a GM, I e4 had all but vanished from his games. He used it just once when he qualified for the GM title at Dubna 1976, soundly defeating Plachetka (see game). See Miles Sorin, Capablanca Memorial 1995 for a rare outing with 1 e4 from the later part of his career.
"I have no style-Ijllst make mQves " 281
280 "I have no style-Ijust make moves "
With White, he played orthodox queen-pawn openings. Perhaps the best known of his theoretical contributions was the then little Queen's Indi,m investigated Defence with 4 ..tf4 which he used to defeat Spassky twice(!) in 1978. He spotted this in a footnote in ECO and it was his 'latest anti-Nimzo Indian' variation. In Informaror 26 there were nine consecutive Miles g3rnes with 4 ..tf4-a record? He also made a contribution to the theory of the King's Indian Fianchetto Exchange variation see Miles-Andersson, Las Palmas 1980. Additionally, with White, he sometimes played positions which appeared at first sight to offer few winning chance�ne example is the seemingly drawish symmetrical structure in the Queen's Gambit which occurs aAer the 'c' and 'd' pawns have all been exchanged. He said "I seem to play these positions well." (See Miles-Kogan, World Open 1 980). In common with other strong GMs Miles varied his play against the King's Lndian. At one time he championed the old Classical main line and the Samisch variation, but in later years he tried Larsen's little known 9 Whl in the Classical variation. In the nineties he even 3dopted the King's Indian himself, winning a tremendous attacking game against Atalik al Heraklion 1993, which featured a typical Miles underpromotion to a knight in the final mating combination-a game which Miles described as the most entertaining he had ever played. He steered clear of the main lines as Black, opting for 7 ...exd4 in the CI3ssical variation. With
the
Black
pieces,
he
rem
of choosing sharp systems leading to unbalanced play. These choices were mainly designed to cope with the win-at-all-cost demands of weekend tournaments. Swiss
Against 1 d4 he adopted the Benko Gambit (see Averkin-Miles and Kavalek-Miles), while 3gainst I e4 he briefly essayed the super sharp Ruy
Lopez
Schliemann
variation
(3 ...f5), which he used successfully to win the Nice Junior Invitation in 1971. By 1973 he took up the
Sicilian Dragon, which he said was the only opening he'd ever really bothered to try and learn properly! He used it as a GM and became one of its leading exponents, defeating
top class players with it. He helped to mould Black's treatment in the Soltis variation of Ihe Yugoslav
Attack-see his commentary on the game Ljubojevic-Miles, Malta
Olympiad 1980. One story goes that he took Levy's book on the Dragon with him to the 1974 World Junior Championship in Manila and, having nothing else to do on the plane journey there, memorised a
few key lines. He then used it to defeat his principal rival Kochiev in a game which clinched the World Junior title for him and remained a life-long personal favourite. He also
employed the Dragon successfully when he tied and won respectively the UK Grand Prixs of 1974 and 1975 at the start of his professional
career. On the other hand, he tended to suffer with the Dragon when faced with theoretically well prepared playel"s su!.:h as Karpov and Timman. The Dragon served
him well but eventually he became disillusioned with the growing amount of theory in the Yugoslav Attack.
At the highest level he continued to employ less well-known systems. Along with other leading English players such as Speelman and Keene he was quick to appreciate the virtues of the English Defence, catching many opponents unawares and scoring some crushing victories. This opening, n i itially developed by the Leicesler player P.N.Wallis, was truly revolutionary, often n i volving moves which blatantly disregarded conventional dogma. Not satisfied with merely conceding the centre in true hyper-modem fashion, this system also broke the 'knights before bishops' rule, sometimes ignored king-safety and frequently involved early queen excursions by Black. It was tailor-made for a player with Miles's unorthodox outlook on the game. Farago-Miles, Hastings 1976/7, is a classic demolition of the White centre in this opening and is typical of the difficulties even experienced GMs encountered when faced with the English Defence.
probably his very own idea in this exact position. The game was vintage Miles, with his attack ultimately crashing through (see the game and also the debut with this move, Hellsten-Miles, Malmo 1996). Also Olafsson-Miles, Las Palmas 1978 makes a powerful impression and was voted as an Informator 'Golden Game'.
Miles's love {or extreme chess was exemplified by his adoption of the line I c4 b6 2 d4 e6 3 e4 ..tb7 4
amazing knack of
.i.dJ fS 5 exf5 .i.xg2 6 �5+ g6 7
fxg6 ..tg7 8 gxh7+ WfB. Despite losing b3dly to Walter Browne, an international contemporary, he obviously could not resist all this and two decades laler repeated it against the same opponent in the 1999 US Open in Reno, drawing a hair-raising game where his king eventually walked to the relative safety of the queenside. The two players apparently enjoyed their post-mortem, entertaining a captive audience. In Baburin-Miles, 4NCL 2000 after I d4 e6 2 c4 b6 3 a3 he played 3 ...g6!?, another pet variation and one which was
When playing the English Defence, Miles was careful with the move-order. Whilst he was happy to play I c4 b6, he tended to pick his opponents when it cante to 1 d4 e6, preferring this option only when he could reasonably expect his opponent to avoid 2 e4 as the French Defence was not really to his taste. Coincidentally, Miles's path briefly crossed with thaI of the inventor of the English Defence. In a 1970 Leicesler v Birmingham National Club match, P.N.Waliis opened 1 d4, and 15 year old Miles won well with his faithful Dutch Defence. Throughout his career he had an
finding playable off-beat lines or at least of making them look playable. Miles seems to have bad a special affection for knights so it is no surprise that he adopted Nimzovich's l...lLlc6, thereby causing his opponents many headaches. He often said that if Alekhine's Defence is playable then I e4 lDc6 must be too! After 2 d4 he preferred 2...e5, first playing it as a 12-year old and later, as 3 GM, popularising this continuation. Here he liked the move ....i.b4+ (see Jackson-Miles, Lewisham 1983), which he also favoured in the Scotch Game. After I e4 1Oc6 2 lLlf3 he frequently played 2...d6 (see Almasi-Miles, 1994) until his loss to ll1escas at the Linares Zonal 1995
282
"/ have no style-Ijust make moves "
"J have 110 styfe-Jjust make moves "
(see the game), aftcr which he seems to have lost faith in it and switched back to an Open game with 2 ...e5 instead. He also tried l...lOc6 against I d4. Tony seemed to havc a constant supply of ideas n i the openings. At the Checkmate Club, the day before he died, he found himself 'move ordered' in a blitz game after 1 d4 e6 2 e4. There followed 2 ...d5 3 'bc3 dxe4 4 'bxe4 upon which he uncorked 4 ...a6!? saying "If Morozevich can play it later then it s probably worth a try here." '
Throughout his career Miles also employed many orthodox systems -for example the Queen's Gambit Accepted and Caro-Kann appear regularly in his praxis. He tended to play little-tried variations, avoiding main lines. Against Karpov, Bath 1983, he essayed 4...�f6 in the Caro-Kann (see games), a line which he had rarely played previously. He devised his own idea in the Quecn's Gambit Accepted, using it successfuUy against Kramnik in the Intel Grand Prix, London 1 995 (see his comments to the game Wagner-Miles, French League 2001). He also liked the flexible Kan variation of the Sicilian, with his GM title-clinching game against Kostro from Dubna 1976 demonstrating his faith in this chameleon system. Even by his own standards Miles tried some f3irly strange systems. Developing his knights vi3 36 and h6 W3S another favourite-I d4 lOa6 or 1 e4 c6 2 d4 �6 were two favoured sequences, perhaps cultivated under the influence of his good friend 1M Alex Wohl! He once toyed with the idea that "knights might be more flexibly placed on c7
and f7 than on c6 and f6". See his artieJe "The Holey Wohly?" which includes Suetin-Mi1es, 1997. Miles developed his chess style on the English weekend circuit and had a deadly grasp and love for endgame play. In fact his endgame ability was of the highest calibre and his writings show his immense interest in this area of the game. Convemional wisdom generally held that swiss tournaments were not a proper training ground for an aspiring international player, yet Miles went on to score many major international victories. And, in tum, it was on the international circuit that he learned to temper his win-3t all-costs philosophy. Most chess players tend to rely on memory in the opening stage. But, with the possible exception of the Sicilian Dragon, this never really appealed to Miles. Of course he kllew about openings but he had his OWII theory, tricky little ofT-shools from thc main-lines which reduced the amount of preparation required. He sometimes picked up lines from watching games on the circuit-see Donchenko-Miles, Dubna 1 976, where he adopted a line he'd seen Andersson play. Malcolm Hunt competed alongside Miles in school and house matches, always playing his beloved Lopez Berlin variation. During the nineties he eventually convinced Tony to try it himself and it duly became a pennanent part of his repertoire. This system allows an early queen exchange, displacing Black's king, and reflected Miles's acceptance of temporary discomfort and a cramped position, so long as the basic structure remained sound and offered long tenn prospocts to out·manoeuvre his opponent. He
283
had a field day commentating on ICC when Kramnik gave the Berlin his official seal of approval by utilising it in his match against Kasparov! Incidentally, Tony also adopted a similar philosophy when playing a pet system from his school days: aRer I d4 dS 2 c4 e5 3 dxe5 he liked 3 ...dxc4, again allowing an early queen exchange. Indeed Tony called this 'The Queen-Pawn Miles Defence
doubts. Indeed he cheerfully confessed that he even questioned his sanity after some losses, which led to subsequent soul-searching and sticking the variations back together again! But it should not be forgotten that although the prospect of outplaying an opponent with ridiculous looking moves appealed to him, he also saw great beauty in ex ploiting a miniscule advantage in classical fashion.
But why didn't Miles just confonn and learn a few main lines instead? The evidence seems to be that he did not like to prepare anything, unless it was for a specific, imminent encounter. He needed "an opponent, a direct challenge" and perhaps without that . he felt unable to study too hard. He described Mecking's approach of shuning himself away to study for as the World Championship unhe3lthy.
For Tony Miles the game of chess tended to start after the opening, though this didn't stop him from scoring many quick victories. He summed up his philosophy by stating that too many players spend too much time on the opening phase trying to find killer moves when the position simply doesn't warrant this. So in his own games he usually preferred to focus on developing his pieces and gening them into position before starting any tactics. thus saving time and energy for any future critical moments th3t might arise. Original opening play fitted his game plan perfectly, even if it was prompted by a tongue-in-cheek self-confessed laziness or a desire to avoid an opponent's preparation or even the fact that he did not have time for profound study of opening theory because he was playing so often. The net result, however, was that his games had a unique character, truly reflecting his fierce independence of thought and buccaneering spirit. And of course his lifelong love of chess.
'.
Unusual systems suited his maverick personality. He was an excellent improviser and aimed to embarrass his opponent even if it meant running the risk of falling short himself. Sometimes these lines may have simply appealed to his sense of humour, or perhaps he just wanted something to write about... A remarkable example of this is his shock win over Karpov at Skara 1 980 with the extreme opening move l...a6 (see the game). You get the impression that Miles really wanted to believe in these ofT-beat systems but deep down he had his
Tony Miles's tournament, mutch and Eng/and national team record
Tony Miles's tournament, match and England national team record
Teesside Internltiona) (Cit 12) Kettering (w) Novi Sad London LARA (w) European Team 0. QualifiCT v Willil1llS Islington (w) Hastings International
'0"
611')14
U,.
.16 I'h:�
,.... '" ,.... 911')15
,..
)6 411'
,o. 711')15 lI o b 'II� ll i !i'!:IMl 1 2 1 I Q "K i bllll: [J; iI l.IlM
I}{)ld - FIrs! pl.ctl, Un. - unplaced, (w) _ weekend cyent, cat -category of Ill-play-all.
-
Blrmlnllhlm Primary Sch.Ch I-
4/'
,.... Warwicks & Midlands U-[4 Warwlcks & Mldhmds U-12 '" 9""British U'14 Championship i ll lD D b d� i [l o g 12!i8-8 j [i I'HC �bI l Warwlcks & MidlandS U_16 , " Warwkks & Midllnds U·14 '" StAffordshIre 'CandldaIU'(w) I8rltish U-14 Championship '"
'"
lID
llli
Midland Open Warwick! & Midlands U-IS Slarrord!hlrt (w) British U-18 ChampioMhip
? ?
'"7
7W8 5Wll ,/9
71. ?
9iJ.JI I 417
? ."
,"'- 811 1
il� o l l d i o ll i l2 m bl DC D U I05:llM g 121'" Y
'" on Midland Opcn ,o. '" S1affordshire (w) 41' Glomcy Cup (Bolrds 4 & 5) ,o. W JI I Drilish U-2] Championship ,o. '�J8 Islin�lOn Junior -I bIjZ s i l ti Da i [W !lill 1 1 l:1 ' i 1211-� CblmpillO ,". '19 61' WlnI·lcks &I Mlds U-18 Ch. , " S1affordshlre (w) ,o. ." ,o. 5/, Manchester (w) Nlct JunIor
Glorney Cup (Board 2)
British U-21 Chlmplooship Hastings Challengcrs
Hll4lj.oli�1Zl1
I [I , [ 22!Ig � ' ( ' [ 1 1 121Z-05 Binningham Imemational Siaffordshire (w) Manchester (w) Hereford (w)
2';;)3 911 I " 6'" &10
Brilish Championship
Forrest Cup (Midland KO) Munich Junior Team Ch. (l3oard 2) England v Uolland (Board 9)
.., 4'"
4W6 .., 4'h 16.... 5 II'J I I '"
J7 W
2:0 Y l3aljon
DI nl!:blm i un [J i g I6 MQ 12n-1 European Jun' Ch (GrooingeR) LIS Vegas (Nationll Open) Lone Pine Blrmln&h.m (w)
7W[4 4/6
2" 12"" 4'" '"
611')9 6/8
5n
4'1J '5
711'J I I 8irmlnllham Internatlonll '" ,.... 411')6 Staffordshire (w) IForrest Cup (Midland KO) Binningham POSI Cup. Lost to Cafferty J4 IIf European Tcam Ch. - Bath Sill ,. World Junior Ch. (Teesside) .,,- 7111 British Championship 1 11 1 1 Malia ," ,.... 311'J5 London CC Invitation ," I I1 1 I Ma lIa 1:1 Anglo'Dutch match v Hanoch. Sem i-Finals Cully Sack KO 13· 5';;) 13 Hastings
i!er: (-l 5 i D U b+11KG [C 2 i D U dJ d 2 12H-W
1 'h:'f. Aoglo-Gcnnan match v Darga ' ". 4�J5 Birminllham (w) '" 7'1')10 8irmin�ham (2"' 1M norm) ,W' ,. Jerwy mord (w) ,o. 5!fJ6 719 World Junior Ch.amplonshlp 1(1M title) ,o. '" Enfield (w) ,o. 411'J5 Thlntt (w) .,,- 3W5 Londoo CC Invitation ,,,- 411'J6 Kettering(w) V, ,. Glasgow Invitation '" S';;J6 Chflmsrord (w) ,.... ." Woolacombe (w) '" )6 SII' Southampton (w) ,o. '" London LARA (w) , ". '" hlilllllO n (w) 8ifJIS ,. Hastings Inlcrnational 1915 -!:1M ngon ali&Od2D 11K!:Irao ilrrjx ," 5�J6 Luton (w) 1 , Enfield (w) 1 '" London (w) Birmingham UniversIty (w) , ". S'I'J7 , ". '" Dublin Blrminllham Europl (w) , ". Sll'J6 ,.. l Ol l S DinninghBm !nt�mational ," '" Rhyl (w) '" &, lIford (w) ,"BBC Master Game Charlton (w) ,.... '" ,.... 5/, Manchester (w) ? ? Hereford (w) ,.... 7'1 1 Brilish Championship ," London (Iirst G;\1 norm) 7!fJIO
Dubn. (nnll GM norm) ,.... W l5 Las Vtt:u (Nation.1 Open) ,o. ,� Lone Pine ,.... ,n Dublin on ," Donmund '" �" JUord (w) '" 5W6 Charllon (w) ," )6 511' IBM Amsterdlm (cat [ I ) 1-- 911' )]6 London (EvCDing Standard)(w) 204:- '" 7""British Championship 611')1 1 Stoekholm '" J9 8 ';; BBC Masler Game 2nd series ,'"(1051 to Nunn in scmis) Cardlrr(w) , ," London - New York Match 'h-I}.. v Shamkovkh. Haifa Olympiad (Board I ) 9112 Engllnd 3" British LllhlnlnC Ch. ," ? Haslings (eIIl 9) 711')14 ,. 11-I 12 II D i b raI:!s: u b l i DK!;lloilI'I i a lI: MI! D
""""" ,"- " " .... 711')15 .. 711')15
Wijk Aln Zec(CIl I I} Bad Lauterberg (cat 12) Las Palmas (cat 9) LanUlrolCe (Cit 8) ,o. �" Sao Paulo (cat 7) ,.... "I) IBM Amsterdam (Cit I I ) '" 10'1') 15 Rlcl (ellt 9) 11115 ," BBC Master Game 3rd series ,.. (lOSI to Karpov in finll) Tilburg(cat 14) ,. 7/1 1 11S 18 pa�
!3J:�:�':m)
Reykjavik (cat I I ) Bugojno (cat 14) Lone Pine Las Palmas (cat 10) Amsterdam (cat 12) Monlilla (caI 13) Tilburg (cal 14) Aaronson Maslers(w) Buenos Aires Olympiad (Board I) Amstcrdam Zonal (CII 5)
1212- Riga Wijk ABn lee (Cit 12)
Lone Pinc Dortmund (CII 13) OudeMastcr(clt ]4)
it'1���
8W13 2" Itt' 7115 I I'" 5W9 .o. 9WIS 10"'- 5W13 ,.. &, ,.... 611 1
,.... '"
&12
,o.
' JI4 1 1 ;;
,.... 611') 1 1 23"- 5/9 .o. .,, , ," SII2
Bledll'onoroz (cat 12) BueIlO$Aires-K.Clnon (cat 10) British Championship Riga Interzonal (Cit 12) Master Game 4th series BUCnOl Aires' CI.rin (cat [ I)
285
,o. 8';;J I5
4'" 4·
,o. ,"
711')13 711') 1 1 9/1 7
r'- �" lll m,v' �1 o i [II2v � DI 1Kl 1 "'18 8 2 1 ti -
European Team Ch (Sura) (Board I • top scorer) Reykjavik (CII to) Lone PiIHl London (Cit 13) Las Palmls (cal 9) PbUadelpllla (World Open) Puerto Madryn Sandwtll (w) G,usdal Blerum KClCcrinc (w) Hull (w) Vrbll (cal 12) Baden (eIIl 12) Malta Olympiad (Board I) Islington (w)
.L!ll
Master Glme 6th series (105110 Soon in final) Wijk Aan Zec (cal 12) ARC Young Maslers (w) Bllckpool (w) Hlrrogate (w) Scullthorpe (w) Amstcrdam.IBM (cal 13) Bristol (w) Rldell·8aden (cal 9) V'lIcouvcr (West Canadian) Vaneouvtr (Internation.l) London (Uoyds Bank) !\h"chestcr (Benedictine) Tilburg Interpolis (Cit 15) 81rmlnlblm (w) Rlnugale 11linlton (w) Porz (cat 9)
"""
.>hI7
,.... 7113 ,.. 6W9 ,o.
HWI3
,o.
7';;)9
'"
&,
,o. HII') I I , ". ."
,"
'" ," ,"
719 71'
511'J6
'"
'" 7/ 1 1 10"'- 7/15 &12
,.... '" ,. ,0"
S/12
,o.
411' )5
,o. ' ". ,"
411')5 )13 911'
,o. '"
719 7W9 3111
,.... '"
,.... '" '" 5iJ.J6 ,o. Sil l
819 ,o. 7WIO
..." ," ,.... ,". ,.
'"
60;;)9
'"
8WII
der:i5 u ll KG ll11 ll i l!: bQ]am l i l ti 1282' D Sunkinl, Dcnpasar (cal 9) 15125 ,.
European Team Cb Qualificr 1 : 1 y Schussler London (cat (4) ,o. 6';;) J3 London Highbury Rapid .... 51;;)7 ," Bristol (w) '" Amsterdam ,. J9 511' British Ch 911 t '" Londnn (Uoyds Bank) ,o. 719 !\hncbesttr (Benedictine) ,o. 711'.19 U,. City QuickpllY 81rDJtlple (w) '" ," Luceme Olympiad (Board I ) &12 Wolvcthampton (w) ," '"
286
Tony Miles 's lournament, match and England naliollol team record
1983 BealSKIa'!9Yagajn - Mamr Game l
(Board I)
Blcl (CI' 10) Gjovik (Cit 12) Niksic (cal 14)
Blth (Master G.me) Exhibition M.tch v Hon
,� 8111 .... S ....19 . ,... 7\l'J14 '" s:s
$ilK GQnd Prix i t mo s o! llTIlt 1984 Tilh Wijk Aln lee (cat 13) . �"'- 6 ....J13 ARC Young Masters (w) ,... 41fJ6 Oslo (cat 13) ,"- 5\l'J9 London (cal ]4) ,... SYi13 Bugojno (cal 14) 10.... 6113 2115: I ih USSR - Resl oflhe World -
GrangemOUlh (w) Esbjcrg (cat to) Ililchln (w) Brilish Championship London (Lloyds Blnk) Bl neor(w) Kellerlng (w) Tilbure Inltrpoll5 (CII 14) Thessaloniki Olympiad (Board I) England 2'" Grltlblch "lInClon (w) ReSiio Emilia (CII 12)
," ,... ," ,... ,� ," ," ,"
'" '" r198� · RSX'uTjlhmB!o t m o l i l ) ) Bad Worishorcn Linares (CII 14) .... Mftt ,�
Tunis Interwnll (CII I I)
POr1orOl-LJublJana (CII 12) Biel
Amsterd,m (CII 14)
Brilish Championship West Berlin Tllbul'l l nterpolls (cal I�) Ostend l\1endrblo World Team Championship (Board I - Silver Medal)
PO'l:
'286-K'-'jpaoo):mlleh Reykjavik
LugBno
Brussels (CII IJ)
Dortmund (cal 10)
Match v Kasparov
Bugojno (CII 16) aiel (cil 12)
Ostend Utrecht Group 2
'IS
6.... 'JI I
'IS
7111 1�
'IS .16
8111
.m 1W9 5'15/6 5\1.,' 1 1
ot 7/9
5 \6' 1 1 1W9 10"'- 8116 ,� 711] ,� 1� ,. 4115/10 '" � I I U,_
,� ,� ,".
,.
8115/14
". '" Sf1
".
,"- 7'.8 1 1
2 1 .... 619 ,.... 61J5.111 ,.... 7t 1 l
Losl ih:3ih
,.
,...
'" '"
6/]4 6/11 7'h'9 4if J5
Tilburg Interpolis (cal IS) Dubai Olympiad (Board I)
,... 7/14
Adel.ide
,... 8'1'11]
England 2"
12!1 1: 0 11.g :[V i D i I K 'IK d Qd Wijk Aan Zee (cal 13)
4'f19
•
,... 7/13 ,. 2W5 .... m ,� 8111 ". 61/-)16 , 41fJ6 S0 1 11li 1218 � 1 1 ): ii II m l ' Ill mjnWS$! M'tt u,_ �1f)9 AII15!crdam ,... �lfJ9 Oslend ,"- 1� nieren ,� 1/9
TCTApel (cal 1 \ ) New York Open Philadelphia (World Open) Zagreb IlI1crwnll (cat 12) North London (w) -
US Championship (cat 12) Belgrade Groningen
12l!2-f 2 1m� n H n ii Wijk aan Zce (cal 13) Los Angeles (Toolworks) Bad Worishofen Lugano Ncw York �n
Metz
Moscow GMA Philadelphia (World Open)
Biel (Cit 14) Seefeld Chiasso Long BelCh (US Open) US Ch (cat 12) Palma � Mallorca (GMA) Groningen
-
Last 4111
16'" 6/9
,"- 6'f19 ,... '" ,". ,....
J9 W 6ifJS 7if19 OW. 24'" 5/9 ,� 7ifJ9 5 1.... 41f)9
U,_
,... ," ,.... .... ,... ,",....
Rome '" Bid Worishoren ,� Kusadasi ,... Moscow GMA 3�"" San Franclsco {Zonal playoff) I� Manila intcrwnal 29"'Biel (cat 14) ,.... OSlende ,"Le Touqucl ,"Adelaide ,� 1221-� � Il d �l i w ,i ll� 1I $ l m li l Sydney (cat [0) ,....
�IJlne Los Angeles (US Open) Forli
Ostend Auslralian Ch (Melbournc)
7114 7ifJt] 1�
..
Sif j lS
1�
"'.19 1N
7if19
""
4WII
2W4
6ifJ I3 7ifjl 4 119 6W9 8W I I
6W9 ,". 7'rJIO ,". 9'fJI2 ,"- 6Ij.J9
,"
�....
819 7111
122:l. � Dl m � ! O; l i l'i of: II U l l li d ," 10111 ,� W J9 '" 1� ,... "'.19 ," -
Auckland (NctwIY) Kuala Lumpur KlmoUnl Kalerini Biel (cat 16)
Tony Miles '.r tournament, match and England nationalleam record 287
European Team Championship ., lrJ.klion ,... Groningea (cal 14)
W.19
A= Las Pa!mas Groningen 1m u.w.. Uboh
"" ,,,.19 'W'
CapptUe I. Gran6e Bid Worishofen New York Opm Lu Vegas (National Open)
,W1 M. ".
199) Reccj y g'!l , nd i n gonti o oIIScyjll, •
Dublin mOil
13.... 6'h'1 1
,... '" ,... ,"'" ,".... ,"'" 1 ,
Zaragoza �vU1e
Aeg.illll Amus (cal 9) Saad,,"�U London (Lloyds Bank) Oslrodc
MIID$ft.r
Heraklkln
Wolverhamplon (w) Beijing Tilburg
8110
81'.
8111
1m 4'f J�
1m Linares Bermuda
,... 7>fJ IO ,... '"
'''.19
m
"" 617
7'-" JII 5'-" J6
'''.19 1�
7W I O 819
,... 7W I 3 liM-res ,W, Moscow Olympiad !99S·Ctpt bll DCllM e oo ri l lQIII Ps b t ,� 8111 Cllcutta ,"- 119 Clppelle II Grinde Bad Worisborcn ,.... 1� M'tt ,.... .W. MIla-Z.II (ClI I I ) ," IOWl3 .... '''.19 A"""m '" BtlllSque (cat IJ) "'.19 )7"'- 6';'J I I Biel Semi-finll PCA Rapid london IS.... 6ifJ9
Hamburg
Isle or Min
Linares Zonal Linlres Playoff HUlings (Cllt IJ)
Biel
Beijing (cat 10)
'W.
7111
",
,�
teeOfIW iD 4111
1226:-Ci D l b ll D! '1Men'k .nl l Wijk lin Zec (cal 10)
LIS PatrolS Mldras (cal 9) CleDr�os (cII 12) Mlhno(cal t2)
,� ,... ,... ,... II
,� ," '" '" Cu. Cu.
7'1' J10 7WIO 7/10 1� 2z-'.. 7'1'1 10 1 � 4 '-"J6 ,� 7WIO ,.. 7111
.... ,",",.... ,� .... .... ,...
10-- 4111
Horgcn (Cit 16)
Wliklkl
,",",� ,...
CicntUcgOl (cal 12) Yopal (ellt 12) BtDuque Britls'" C....lftploDshlp Britisb Ch Playoff Acols Nlkolaos Irlklion Suged (cal 13) Groningen
,w. 1W. 819 1 8W l l
Reached lISt 32
'294-'Tig' C o p , h l, tmIMsm o rj' l Seville ,� ,.... Caltuttl CapptUe II Crude ,� 1 Villeneuve Tolos.ane Cbk·Co '" , .... New York Open 1 Las Vegas (National Open) ,� !\tltlnuS (cal ]O) QulDborne (w) '" Andom '" Bcnasque ,.... London (Lloydl Bank) ,.... MontptUltr '"
,.... "" ,... 'W' 10-- W Jl t
617
9/11
9WI3
6'l' J IO 2'fJ9
Cappclle La Grande Havanl (cIl 12) AQdo HI
Schwc:il
Brilish Championship Shcngylng Elista Olympiad
E.tca� Zonal
'W.
7W9
�I I
6W9
'''.19
,� 8111
) 1.... 619 ,... 6 1fJ 1 1 ,"- 1� 1� ,.. 8111 '" ,... 7111
,"-
,n
qualified in playoff Hastings
,... JIj.J9 1999.C l pah!'I' 'f'M emprj llha Hrj ck ,.... 7/11 AIU5hll (cal 10) 8if J13 '" HlvlQI (cat 12) Philadclphia (World Open) 23.... � Lol Anle� ,� ''''' FIDE World Ch. Qualifier R� Merida
-
NonCorka Soothend Redbus KO Vandero Brilish Chlmpionsbip Mondariz Zooal Mondariz Pllyoff Istanbul Olympiad Merida
lOOt
Roond 2
,... ,"-
119
1�
, � ". Roond I ,... 7113 ,... 7111 .... 6ifJ I I
Did nOI qUllify
IW4
,... '''.19
Crans Montan.l '" (1051 10 A Sokolov in finll) 6"'- 6/12 C.pablanca Memorial Individull European Ch. 9O"'- 6W13 ) 1 .... 5WI0 British Chlmpionship (withdrew after 10 rounds) .
Index of Opponents (numbers refer to games)
Adorjan ill'l20hi-ctle:f Almasi
,.,1. D" "rx,rI''1'' Andersson .
,........ '"r.
rn
Arencibia
rosc.,. _ \ . <'> 1.N"l;:'
Atalik
Arkel1
�M:o Gt'II'Y'<j� S'3 Averkin "".,1
ef 3.03
Baburin Bellin Bellon Belyavsky Benko
22 97
Hubner
63 1 15 110 96 15 1 16 71
Ivanov
46 89 29 5
l. 00', n,�o\\
Bisguier
';'I1Dnp
Bissicks
I
Botterill
56 53 77 �4 17 6 78 26 98
�'\;Ol'ltl�"; t.l-t� ,
e,\i""
<'1io1'1�·.G\RI
Chi Ching Hsuan Conradi Dake Donchenko
""","!>It>!'r:" Eley '"
� t91:�r...?:; .G'nIt Farago rr.zot.:>J �.ckr Garcia Ehrig
.
Geller
eli
Gerber Gerusel
:!D!;.!b'u;�,Sg5 Gheorghiu >CI
:l.r.:.�
Gligoric Godenn
):M;keooo-Fldlf Grunfeld
;tiliOI'l��' Haag Ui
. ngld1Defl�� HellSlen
�C�UI1 Hennigan Hodgson
60 1 18 28 62 36 101 91 II
105 90 104
87 102 92
llIescas
74 Karlsson 67 Karpov 35, 58, 73 21 Kavalek 70 Keene 108 Kelly 47 Keogh Kindermann 72 9 Kochiev Jackson
Panchenko Panno Perecz Peters Piket Plachetka Polugayevsky Portisch Quinteros Ribli Rivas
41 38,66 57 19 103 16 84 81 33, 52 43 48
Michaelides
55 59
65 34 106 Rodriguez Sadler 109 Sox 14 Short \13 13 Sigurjonsson 25,37 Smyslov 100 Sorin 32 Sosonko 44, 45,79 Spassky Speelman 54, 1 1 2 Szekely 3 T,I 8,80 Tebb 107 Timman 27, 49, 82, 86
Myrenne
76
Torre
Kogan
64
83 18 7 94 61 20 99 40,68, 85,88 75 30 10
KOTchooi Kostro Kuzmin LaUe La",,"
Ligtennk Lima Ljubojevic Makarychev Martin Matera Mestel
50 2, 69, 95
Nikolac Nunn Odendahl
l)3j
Ogaard£Nallsh Olafsson OsIOS
93 .s.dS 39 42 5\
Rizzitano Robatsch
Vaisser Vukcevic
31 1 14 24
Webb
117 12
Wells
III
Wagner
Whiteley
23