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ContentsEditorial ....................................................................................................................4Malcolm Pein on the latest developments in the game

60 Seconds with...Macauley Peterson.......................................................7We catch up with the Editor in Chief of ChessBase

A Nail-Biting Finish..............................................................................................8It was all very close, but Caruana triumphed late on in Norway

Everything Else! ................................................................................................12Jonathan Rogers continues his coverage of the 4NCL season

56 Years in the Making...................................................................................16Jose Vilela saw history being made at the Capablanca Memorial

How Good is Your Chess?..............................................................................22Daniel King looks at a key battle from the U.S. Championship

Find the Winning Moves.................................................................................26Can you do as well as the players at the 4NCL and in St. Louis?

Saunders on Chess............................................................................................29John muses upon chess and bridge while aboard a cruise

Edinburgh Expedition ......................................................................................30Sean Marsh ventured north to help CSC spread its wings

Don’t Let the King Get in the Way! ..........................................................34Steve Giddins likes a quiet, subtle king move

Finishing the Job................................................................................................36Eric Kislik will help to improve your direct attacking play

Harry the h-pawn’s Positional Justification .........................................42An early ...h5 can be good prophylaxis, as Junior Tay demonstrates

Forthcoming Events.........................................................................................46Will you be at the British or Scottish Chess Championships?

Studies with Stephenson ...............................................................................47Brian has the starter position for the 2018-2019 WBCSC

Never Mind the Grandmasters... ................................................................48Carl Portman enjoyed a memorable win by Richard Myers

4NCL: Division Two ..........................................................................................50Jonathan Rogers concludes his coverage of the 4NCL

Home News ..........................................................................................................51Mike Surtees and Wood Green have continued the winning habit

Overseas News ...................................................................................................52Congratulations to Ju Wenjun, the new women’s world champion

Solutions ...............................................................................................................54

New Books and Software ..............................................................................55Man of the moment Sam Shankland’s debut work was well received

Photo credits: Steve Connor (p.50), FIDE.com (pp.52-53), Ray Morris-Hill (p.12), Lennart

Ootes (pp.10, 19, 44), Saint Louis Chess Club and Scholastic Center (p.22), Elaine Saunders

(p.29), Wikimedia (p.18, 39, 43).

ChessFounding Editor: B.H. Wood, OBE. M.Sc †Executive Editor: Malcolm PeinEditors: Richard Palliser, Matt ReadAssociate Editor: John SaundersSubscriptions Manager: Paul Harrington

Twitter: @CHESS_MagazineTwitter: @TelegraphChess - Malcolm PeinWebsite: www.chess.co.uk

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03-03 Contents_Chess mag - 21_6_10 19/06/2018 15:39 Page 3

July 2018

After much reflection and hard calculation,I decided to throw my hat in the ring and enterthe FIDE election process. The game’s governingbody has been shambolic for the best part of25 years and after spending that long beingone of FIDE’s most vocal critics and supportingthe failed candidacies of Bessel Kok (2006),Anatoly Karpov (2010), and Garry Kasparov(2014), I decided that the only way to engenderchange is from the inside. That means, despitethe inevitable compromises that will have to bemade, joining a ticket that has a chance to win. I will stand for FIDE Deputy President on aticket with the current deputy President andacting President Georgios Makropoulos. Afterremoving executive authority from KirsanIlyumzhinov in April 2017, ‘Makro’ as he isknown, and others, tried in vain to find apresidential candidate. Ilyumzhinov may bediscredited, sanctioned and pretty muchdefeated, but he still has influence in Russiaand he used it to derail the aspirations ofseveral possible candidates. I attended a meeting in Abu Dhabi inFebruary where a group of FIDE officials intenton removing Kirsan were hosted by Asian ChessFederation President HE Sheikh Sultan BinKhalifa Al Nahyan. The intention was that SheikhAl Nahyan would stand for President. I met himat Riyadh during the World Rapid and Blitz and Iwas very impressed with him. He went to schooland university in England, and has a passionateinterest in chess and technology. Unfortunately,at the last minute we learnt that our host wouldbe unable to stand after diplomatic pressurewas applied from Russia at the highest levels.This was not the first such episode betweenOctober 2017 and February 2018. It was resolved at a meeting the followingday that the candidate for President should beMakro or myself. My position was clear: thecandidate who should stand was the one whohad the best chance of defeating Ilyuzmhinovas he had brought the organisation to its kneesand was refusing to stand down. Of course, justmonths earlier, nothing had been further frommy mind than standing for FIDE President. After some research, it was clear to methat if stood for President I was highly unlikelyto win and, ideally, if I were to ever be acandidate, 2022 would suit me better. Makrohas indicated that he will not seek re-electionin 2022, but of course anything could happenin the next week, never mind four years.

You can compromise on some things If political compromises need to be madethat does not mean there has to be any moralcompromise or any compromise on theprinciples of good governance, openness and

honesty – attributes FIDE is in dire need of. Iam fully aware that I will be standing withpeople who served and supportedIlyumzhinov and, in some cases, got theorganisation in the dreadful mess it is in. Ihave made clear that things will have tochange if my involvement is to continue. The first such change was in thecomposition of the ticket. When it came tomy attention that Aguinaldo Jaime of Angola(not Jaime Aguinaldo as he is often andmistakenly referred to), one of the nominatedVice Presidents on the Makro ticket, wasaccused of attempted fraud in a U.S. Senatereport from 2010, and that there were nopublished rebuttals of the allegations, Iimmediately made it clear that he had to beremoved from the ticket or I would play nofurther part in the election. We are talking about serious allegations,although no criminal proceedings were everinstituted and Mr Jaime denies any impropriety. See here: https://goo.gl/YuWmaJ andhttps://goo.gl/M9CW4e

Mr. Jaime has been a FIDE Vice Presidentfor four years, having stood on theIlyumzhinov ticket in 2014, and no oneseems to have noticed these allegations, or ifthey did, they were unconcerned. I was prettydismayed to find that the person whoappears to have introduced Mr. Jaime to FIDEpolitics was Nigel Short who is also standingfor FIDE President. Nigel has been far moreinvolved than I in the failed attempts toremove Ilyumzhinov.

I was dismayed to find a report on Nigel’svisit to Angola in 2010 on Kevin Spraggett’swebsite. Nigel was attempting to recruit MrJaime to Anatoly Karpov’s 2010 ticket ust afew months after the U.S. Senate report waspublished. See: - https://goo.gl/XbfcJ5 At Leuven just a couple of weeks ago,when we discussed the matter, Nigeladmitted to me that had been aware of theseallegations “A few years ago”. Well, I havezero tolerance on such matters. If I find anysuch issues in the future, I will not hesitate tohighlight them. It’s a strange feeling to be opposed to Nigelas we are old friends and have been on thesame side many times. Moreover, we agree onmany of the problems FIDE has and on someof the solutions; not least the arrangementwith Agon/WorldChess who have all the rightsto events within the world championshipcycle and have been responsible for many adebacle that has been reported here. This contract needs to be radically amendedor cancelled altogether. Nigel and I also agree inprinciple that FIDE needs to end its depend-ence on wealthy individuals and go more downthe corporate route, although I believe both havea part to play. For example, I would welcomethe involvement of Rex Sinquefield’s Chess Cluband Scholastic Centre of St. Louis in the worldchampionship cycle at some point in the future. Nigel and I disagree on one thing of greatimportance to English chess and that is theplan for a world championship match inLondon. Nigel is on the record as beingagainst it. I see it as potentially a greatopportunity for English chess, if organisedproperly. The board of the English ChessFederation also sees a Carlsen-Caruanamatch as an opportunity to promote thegame here and I don’t see how the ECF canvote for anyone who is against having theWCC match in London.

4

Chess EditorialBy Executive Editor, IM Malcolm Pein @TelegraphChess

The meeting in Abu Dhabi. Russian pressure prevented Sheikh Al Nayhan standing for FIDE President.

04-06 Editorial - v2_Chess mag - 21_6_10 22/06/2018 16:58 Page 4

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Please don’t make plans for Nigel

I also feel that for all Nigel’s great exploitsover the board, he is entirely unsuited for aleadership role. To put it mildly, he lacksdiplomacy, as you can see from his writings inwhich he has laid into all kinds of groups,people, even countries. Short also went viralfor all the wrong reasons with his commentson the differences between men and women.This led to him complaining that he had beenturned into a “misogynist pantomime villain”and I fear he was right. I don’t see how we can credibly try toencourage more women to play with Nigel atthe helm of the game’s governing body. Itwould be like putting the CEO of Philip Morrisin charge of the World Health Organisation. Inthe political arena one sometimes has to letbygones be bygones and make compromises;Nigel too often seems to hold a grudge. Hisnotorious stab in the back of Tony Miles afterEngland’s first grandmaster had passed awaystill makes me shudder whenever I think of it. Despite my reservations about Nigel in aleadership role, I believe he has a part to play,for example in the strengthening of anti-cheating measures - something I know hefeels passionately about, as do I. My fear isthat by standing for President, the electoralarithmetic, which has been fairly stable formany years, means that he has no chance ofwinning, so all he is doing is splitting the voteand helping the Kremlin candidate, whoeverthat turns out to be.

Let’s be positive You can’t fight an election without a positivevision for change. Here are just a few ideas Iwill promote.

Term limits

These would be 8 years for President anda limit for Board members. That would be 8years in total so that no matter whathappens, Ilyumzhinov cannot return, even ifthe Kremlin tries to parachute him back in.

Beef up and rebrand the Anti Cheating Commission

I’d call it the Fair Play Commission and haveit comprised of arbiters, legal professionals,organisers and most importantly, players.Indeed someone of Nigel’s stature as a playerwould be ideal as chairman.

Rescind or completely renegotiate thearrangement with Agon/WorldChess

As reported here, the sight of AlexanderGrischuk holding a bottle of his own urine at apress conference at the Berlin Candidates, becausehe had been unable to go to the toilet duringthe game, demonstrated that Agon/WorldChesscan organise a piss up, but not in a brewery.

Scrap the FIDE Online Arena and workwith the major online providers instead

The FIDE online arena was only a factoryfor duff titles as far as I can see; another crude

attempt to raise money. Chess.com, Playchess,Lichess, Chess24 and ICC are natural partnersand do online chess a lot better than FIDE.Why not have the official world online championshipwith an established partner or partners?

Arbiting standards

Create cadres of professional or semi-professional arbiters as the core of anyofficial event and end the use of suchappointments for political purposes. Arbitingstandards need to be raised generally.

The Verification Commission needs to be strengthened

This is the body that oversees all theimportant functions and it does not report oftenenough. I would appoint one salaried memberwho is responsible for independent oversightof the FIDE bank account throughout the yearand should have online access to scrutinise alltransactions in real time if required.

Title fees

These need to be reduced. It seems to methat the approach is often: how can we raise

more money from players? It’s time to look atnew sources of income. Rating fees fordeveloping countries must be kept to aminimum and abolished for as many poorercountries as possible.

Africa

African chess has advanced far too slowlyfor decades and it’s the fault of FIDE’s long-time neglect. I would propose that aproportion of surplus funds over the targetreserve of €2.5 million generated betransferred to an African development fund.

Transition not continuity

There needs to be significant change bothin outlook, policy and personnel. Many of thepeople in the higher echelons of FIDE havebeen apologists for Kirsan, who started out asa white knight for chess with funds ofdubious provenance and ended up as acomplete fraud, even offering a fake personon his election ticket. Makro should be seen as the transitioncandidate and, in my view, many of hiscolleagues need to be replaced. The

Nigel Short has been involved in three previous failed campaigns to unseat Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.

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July 2018

Presidential Board should be composed ofpeople with specific skills, as well as ensuringall continents are represented. Even if I amelected, this is not going to be easy, but Iprefer to take on the challenge from theinside than to be perpetually complainingfrom the outside.

The Kremlin tries pulls the strings

Just as we went to press, ArkadyDvorkovich, the former Deputy PrimeMinister of Russia and the head of the FIFAWorld Cup organising committee, alsodeclared his candidacy. At time of writing hehad not put together a ticket. This has toconsist of: President, Deputy President,Treasurer, General Secretary and twonominated Vice Presidents on the FIDEPresidential Board. In one sense, this is welcome news as itlooks like Ilyumzhinov’s reign is finally over,but it also looks like the Kremlin is trying tokeep control of world chess and that wouldinevitably mean maintaining the relationshipwith Agon/World Chess whose mainsponsors are exclusively Russian. I will opposeDvorkovich if he does submit a ticket.Although he is on the so-called ‘liberal’ wingof Kremlin insiders, he is already on a pre-sanctions list prepared by the U.S. Congressearlier this year. If FIDE is to have its bankingfacilities restored, it cannot have another PEP(Politically Exposed Person) at the helm.

Fabiano triumphs in Magnus’ back yard

On the board it’s been a busy month and aprofitable one for world title challengerFabiano Caruana who followed up his triumphat Grenke with victory at Altibox NorwayChess. At Grenke, Caruana drew with Carlsen;at Norway he got off to a bad start againsthim, and who would have bet against Carlsenwinning the tournament after he scored thispsychological blow? The odds looked even better when Carlsenoutplayed Levon Aronian and was the onlyplayer on a positive score after three rounds.Yet Caruana overhauled him by defeatingVishy Anand, Wesley So and Sergey Karjakinwhile Carlsen lost a horrible game to So andthen remained marooned on ‘+1’.

M.Carlsen-F.CaruanaNorway Chess, Stavanger 2018

Bishop’s Opening

1 e4 e5 2 Íc4 The prep for the Petroff can wait for London.2...Ìf6 3 d3 c6 4 Ìf3 d5 5 Íb3 Íb4+ 5...a5 is definitely worth consideration, asif 6 a4 Íb4+!, depriving White of the naturalÌb1-c3 attacking d5. After 7 c3 Íd6 8 0-00-0 9 exd5 cxd5 10 Ìa3 Ìbd7 Black wasvery comfortable and later won both this

game and the match in Tan Zhonqyi-JuWenjun, Women’s World Championship(Game 5), Shanghai 2018. 6 Íd2 Íxd2+ 7 Ìbxd2 a5 8 c3 Ìbd7 9 exd5 cxd5 10 0-0 0-0 11 Îe1 Îe8 12 Ìf1 b5 Aggressive, committal and by no meansbad as Black gains space Also fine is 12...b613 Ìe3 Íb7.13 a4 b4 14 cxb4 axb4 15 Ìe3 Íb7 If 15...Ìc5 16 d4 Ìxb3 (or 16...exd4 17 Ìxd4 Íd7 18 Íc2 followed by b2-b3and White’s position is a little easier to play)17 Ëxb3 exd4 18 Ìxd4 with the betterpawns and the kind of edge White might getin lines of the Tarrasch French where Blackhas an IQP and a light-squared bishop thatstruggles to get into the game.16 d4! e4 17 Ìe5!

17...Ìxe5 Carlsen admitted afterwards he was a littleconcerned about 17...Îxe5!? 18 dxe5 Ìxe519 Ëd4 Ìc6 20 Ëd2 and my computer isnot averse to it.18 dxe5 Îxe5 19 Ëd4 Îe7 20 Îac1 20 Îec1!? was also promising. White cannotregain the pawn immediately, but he has anexcellent blockade, b4 is permanently weakand the passed a-pawn a long-term asset.However, he had to avoid 20 Ëxb4 Íc6 21 Ëd4 Îb7 with good counterplay for Black.20 Îd7 21 Îed1 h6 22 Îc5 Îa5 23 Îxa5Ëxa5 24 h3 Êh7 25 Îc1

25...Îc7? Criticised by Carlsen and quite hard tounderstand. White has sufficientcompensation for the pawn, but probably nomore and I guess Caruana was struggling to

find a good move here. However, 25...Ëa626 Îc5 Ëe2 was possible and the threat of...Ëe1+ gives sufficient counterplay: 27 Ìf5(27 Îc1 Ëa6 repeats and 27 Ìc2 Ía6 28 Ìxb4 Îb7 29 Ìxd5 Îxb3 30 Ìxf6+gxf6 31 Ëxf6 Îf3 32 gxf3 Ëf1+ is alsoequal) 27...Ëh5 (better than 27...Ëd3 28 Íc2 Ëxd4 29 Ìxd4 intending a4-a5 andthere is still annoying pressure) 28 Ìg3 Ëg529 a5 Ía6. It is not clear how White makes progress and perhaps 30 Îc6 Íb7 31 Îc5 with a repetition would have been alogical outcome;26 Îxc7 Ëxc7 27 Ëxb4 Ëc1+ 28 Íd1Ía6 29 Ëd4 Íe2 30 Êh2 Simple chess. White has a big advantageas he has two passed pawns on the edge ofthe board and Black’s pawns are still blocked.30...Íxd1 31 Ìxd1 Ëc7+ 32 Êg1 Ëc133 b4 e3

A last attempt to get counterplay, butCarlsen was not going to let this one slip.34 fxe3 Ìe4 35 Ëxd5 Ìd2 36 Ëf5+Êh8 37 Ëg4 f5 38 Ëe2 Ìe4 39 Ëe1Ëa1 40 a5 Ìd6 41 Ëd2 Ìc4 42 Ëd4Ëc1 43 Êf1 Ìxe3+ 44 Ëxe3 Ëxd1+ 45 Êf2 Ëc2+ 46 Êg3 g5 47 Ëe5+ Êh748 Êh2 f4 49 Ëd5 Ëa4 50 Ëf7+ Êh851 Ëg6 Ëxb4 52 Ëxh6+ Êg8 53 Ëxg5+ Êh7 54 Ëh5+ Êg7 55 Ëg5+Êh7 56 h4 Ëd6 57 Ëh5+ Êg7 58 Ëg5+Êh7 59 h5 f3+ 60 g3 f2 61 Ëg6+ Êh862 Ëxd6 f1Ë 63 Ëh6+ Êg8 64 Ëe6+Êh8 65 Ëe3 Ëb5 66 Ëc3+ Êh7 67 g4Ëd5 68 Ëc7+ Êg8 69 Êg3 Ëe6 70 Ëd8+ Êh7 71 Ëd3+ Êh8 72 a6Ëe5+ 73 Êh3 Ëa1 74 Ëd8+ Êh7 75 Ëe7+ Êh6 76 Ëe3+ Êh7 77 a7 1-0

It’s been a great month for U.S. chess asSam Shankland followed up his triumph at theU.S. Championship by winning the CapablancaMemorial and then the ContinentalChampionship of the Americas to get himselfin to the World Cup in 2019. Shankland wascatapulted into the world’s top-30 and waspromptly selected again for the U.S. team toplay at the Olympiad in September. The England teams have not beenfinalised, but the captains have beenannounced. GM John Nunn replaces me asOpen captain and IM Lorin D’Costa willcaptain the Women’s team.

6

04-06 Editorial - v2_Chess mag - 21_6_10 22/06/2018 16:58 Page 6

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26 July 2018

Find the Winning Moves24 puzzles to test your tactical ability, with, as ever, the positions grouped in

rough order of difficulty. The games come from various recent events, not least

the final 4NCL weekend of the season. Don’t forget that whilst sometimes

the key move will force mate or the win of material, other times it will just

win a pawn.

Solutions on page 54.

(1) R.Maciol-A.Punnett4NCL, Telford 2018

White to Play

(2) M.Wadsworth-T.KabosJersey 2018White to Play

(3) A.Suarez Real-S.Chow4NCL, Telford 2018

White to Play

(4) K.Arakhamia-Grant-M.Wadsworth4NCL, Telford 2018

White to Play

(5) M.Staniforth-P.EhsandarWelsh Championships, Cardiff 2018

White to Play

(6) P.Mercs-S.Hodge4NCL, Doncaster 2018

Black to Play

Warm-up Puzzles

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July 2018

Apart from being pleasantly surprised, I amalways humbled when people approach me atchess events (or email and write to me), andsay that they enjoy this column. Almost withoutexception, the thanks come from people like me– amateurs who are passionate about theirchess regardless of playing strength. Theirgames will most often be littered with mistakes,but there will be some memorable moves andcombinations to savour also. We might not begrandmasters, but many of us do havegrandmaster scalps, especially in simultaneousexhibitions. This is the form of giant-killing Iwrote about in my February 2018 column. I am delighted to introduce you to onesuch giant-killer. His name is Richard Myersand I am sure that his name will resonate withmany readers. He wrote to me recently sayingthat he enjoyed my column (always a goodstart!), and he submitted a delightful gamewhich I want to share via this column. After allit is not every day that one gets to ‘play andslay’ a former world champion. Richard lives in East Sussex with his wife.He retired at the age of 50 on health groundsand has worked in several fields, includingbeing a magistrate. Now, at the age of 80, hedoes not play competitive chess for healthreasons, but enjoys reading about the gameand has a substantial chess book collection.He has a special affinity for the How Good isYour Chess? column in this magazine. Richard learned chess at the age of 13 atPreston Grammar School and began to improveafter borrowing books from the town library(remember those establishments?). Hequickly became school chess champion andrepresented Lancashire Juniors. He waschosen to play for England in the Glorney Cupmatches in Dublin in 1955 and at the age of17 won the Preston Club Championship. After National Service and University hemoved to Bristol, winning the Bristol and CliftonChampionship in 1964/5, and his grade wasBCF (not ECF back then) 200, so he knew hisway around a chess board for sure. After moving to London, Richard playedregularly for the Civil Service and in other chessleagues. Today he plays against a computerprogram and reads CHESS along with variousbooks from his large collection. Richard used towrite a chess column himself, for the WesternDaily Express in Bristol, and he most certainlyknows a thing or two about the game. He is aclassic example of all that is good about thegame – the people who play and encourageothers to play. This month’s column is dedicated

to Richard and others like him, who promoteand enjoy our game at all levels. Vassily Smyslov was not an amateur. Hewas a grandmaster and, at his zenith, worldchess champion from 1957-58 afterdefeating Mikhail Botvinnik. It was a shortreign though, as Botvinnik wrested the titleback in the rematch. Smyslov wrote, “I haveno reason to complain of my fate. I fulfilledmy dream and became the seventh worldchampion in the history of chess”. Smyslov gave a simultaneous exhibition inBristol in January 1963 after having played atHastings where he finished third on anunbeaten 6/9, half a point behind the winners,Kotov and Gligoric. The simul would have beena major coup, of course, and Richard more thanplayed his part in this historical event. Richard knew that Smyslov was renownedfor his quiet positional style, accumulation ofsmall advantages and exceptional endgame play.Therefore Richard saw no point in playing in thesame way; rather he would play a Dutch Defenceand give Black some fighting chances if Whitewere to play too quietly. Richard felt that hehad nothing to lose, which, of course, is quitecorrect – it is usually the master who putshis/her reputation on the line in these events.

How wonderful it must have been to pitone’s wits against one of the world’s topgrandmasters. Richard stepped up to theplate and battle commenced. Comments areby Richard unless marked otherwise.

V.Smyslov-R.MyersBristol (simul) 1963

Dutch Defence

1 d4 f5 2 c4 e6 The Dutch Defence, no doubt requiring aliberal amount of Dutch courage – Carl.3 Ìc3 Ìf6 4 Íg5 Íe7 5 e3 b6 6 Íd3Íb7 7 f3 c5! This prevents an early e3-e4. 8 Ìge2 Ìc6 9 0-0 0-0 10 a3 Ëe8 11 d5?! Ìe5 12 e4 Ëg6 13 Íf4? Ìxd314 Ëxd3 Ìh5 A clear signal of my intended kingside attack.15 Íe3 f4 16 Íf2 e5 17 Îfd1 d6 18 b4Íc8 19 bxc5 Íh3

This is where the fun begins.

48

Never Mind the Grandmasters...

Here come the amateurs - by Carl Portman(carl.portman@hotmail.co.uk)

Former Western Daily Express chess columnist Richard Myers had a memorable win in 1963.

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www.chess.co.uk49

20 g4 fxg3 Black is gaining the initiative.21 hxg3 Îf7! 22 cxd6 Íh4 23 Êh2 Black’s two bishops are now under attack.23...Îaf8 Here we observe a veritable cloudburst ofBlack artillery lined up against White’s kingside.Richard (and Smyslov, I am sure) must havebeen able to smell blood at this stage – Carl.24 f4

With the aid of a modern chess engine, itis possible to see that the crunching move forBlack here is 24...Ìxf4. This was not played,but back then, we did not have metalmachines to assist in the post mortem. Alsotaking on f4 with the knight with an unclearpath ahead against Smyslov would have beenbrave or asinine. Richard understandably tookthe path that he could navigate – Carl.24...exf4 Black is clearly winning. Carl – After 24...Ìxf4!! everythingsomehow loses: for example, 25 Ìxf4 (if 25 Íe1 Ìxd3 or 25 Ëe3 Ìxe2 26 Ìxe2Îxf2+ and, again, have fun working out themate in 8!) 25...Îxf4 26 Íe1 Îf2+ 27 Íxf2Îxf2+ 28 Êh1 Íg2+. It is still mate in seven,

but you can find that for yourselves I am sure.25 Êxh3 fxg3 26 Íe3 Îf3

27 Êg2 27 Êxh4 Îf2 (the engine gives 27...Ìf6as a clearer way ahead – Carl) 28 Íxf2 Îxf229 Îh1 Ìf6 and now 30 Ëf3 is forcedbecause of the mate on g4, but losesimmediately to 30...Îxf3. Note that if 30Ëxg3 then 30...Ëh5 is mate.27...Îf2+ 28 Êg1 Ëg4 29 Íxf2 gxf2+30 Êf1 Îf3 31 Ëxf3 Ëxf3 0-1

Richard’s aggressive and positive strategypaid off, and I can imagine how elated hemust have felt at that very moment in his life.Chess gives us so much pleasure – especiallywhen we win. Richard recalls an exciting and attimes nerve-wracking evening, but fortunatelyhis nerve held and he played a game that hecan always be proud of. After the game,Smyslov graciously signed the scoresheet. Many thanks to Richard for submitting thisgame and congratulations on achieving such amemorable and instructive win. As well as anelite chess player, Vassily Smyslov was a verytalented singer – well, here Richard wrote asong of his own on the chessboard.

Those were the days... Straight after the 1962/3 Hastings Smyslov gives a simul in Bristol.

Richard Myers’ record of his win over VasilySmyslov, graciously signed by the loser.

Fancy proof-reading CHESS? A free subscription and generous store creditfor a few hours per issue. Interested? Email matt@chess.co.uk.

The Trends inChess Openings

The top 20 openings as played by International Masters and

Grandmasters in April

1 = Reti Opening 99 games

2 King’s Indian Defence 99 games

3 1 d4 Ìf6 sidelines 77 games

4 = Caro-Kann Defence 72 games

5 Slav Defence 69 games

6 Queen’s Gambit Declined 62 games

7 Ruy Lopez - Berlin 50 games

8 English, 1...e5 49 games

9 English, 1...c5 49 games

10 Sicilian - Najdorf 48 games

11 Nimzo-Indian Defence 76 games

12 Catalan Opening 41 games

13 English, 1...Ìf6 37 games

14 1 d4 d5 sidelines 37 games

15 English, 1...e6 36 games

16 Grünfeld - Classical 35 games

17 = Queen’s Indian Defence 32 games

18 Sicilian 2 Ìf3 d6 sidelines 31 games

19 Four Knights Game 30 games

20 Petroff Defence 29 games

1,810 games played between 1-30 April where both players were rated over 2400 Elo

In association with HIARCS Chess Explorerwww.hiarcs.com and The Week in Chess

www.theweekinchess.com

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Small Steps to Giant ImprovementSam Shankland, 336 pages

Quality ChessRRP £23.99 SUBSCRIBERS £21.59

It is timely indeed that Shankland’s hardbackbook should appear almost immediately afterhis smashing success at the 2018 U.S.Championships, where he outscored world-class luminaries Caruana and Nakamura, andjust before his fabulous follow-up at theCapablanca Memorial, in which he finished oneand a half points ahead of the pack. Yet it wasa tournament experience of a different kindthat led to the idea of the book. “I failed to qualify for the 2017 World Cup.[...] With time on my hands, I could take on abig project without being interrupted bytournaments. [...] I chose the topic of pawnplay because I have always struggled to explainthe nature of good pawn play to my students,and struggled to make sense when it came upin interviews.” This is what gives the book itsstrapline of ‘Master Pawn Play in Chess’. This book does not attempt to classifyevery type of pawn in the style of HansKmoch’s Pawn Power in Chess (DoverPublications, 2003), but rather deals with fourspecific genres, each with its own chapter,with the titles already revealing the humorousside to Shankland’s writing: Pawns Can’t MoveBackwards; Compelling Enemy PawnsForward; Pawns Seldom Move Sideways; andCompelling Enemy Pawns Sideways. The first game in the book is the infamous‘did he/didn’t he’ fiasco of that Polgar-Kasparov encounter from Linares 1994,which is used to demonstrate that making amistake with a piece can often be correctedby simply moving the piece back to where itcame from (in this case Kasparov’s knight).This is followed up by an example showingthe rather more permanent problem ofmaking a mistake with a pawn and not beingable to put it back to repair the defence.Polgar-Kasparov is a strange game to chooseas the incident cannot be separated from theoccasion and Shankland runs the risk ofallowing his initial message to be diluted.Perhaps he has an axe to grind with thisparticular incident, but there must be aplethora of untainted examples to choose. Quirkiness aside, one of the strengths ofShankland’s material is the way in which theywill resonate with readers of all playingstrengths. Most will be familiar with theproblem of opposite-coloured bishop endingsand the issue of how to make the most of an

advantage in pawns. It is never as simple as itseems and in the section on ‘AvoidingPotholes’ there is a very instructive examplefrom another era.

B.Kostic-S.TartakowerBled 1931

“White has two connected pawns, butBlack’s blockade chances are real, and the g3-pawn restricts the h3-bishop. How can Whitemake progress? The obvious move is 50 d6,but it turns out not to work.” This is becauseof 50...Êe5! which, remarkably, drawsbecause: “Even though the white pawns areon the same color as the black bishop, theycannot advance further without beingblocked. 51 d7 Íg5 and the bishop will beperfectly placed on d8.” Consequently, Kostic played the anti-intuitive 50 c6! – “The only winning move” –and then sent his king around to pick off thea-pawn. Fast-forward a few moves andWhite’s winning plan becomes apparent.

Black seems to be holding the blockadetogether, but Kostic broke it with 65 Íf3!.

“Zugzwang. Moving the king will allow 66Êd8, while moving the bishop will allow 66Êe7. Note how important the a-pawn is. IfWhite did not have this pawn to distract oneof the black pieces from the defense of thed6-square, Black would just hold.” The game concluded 65...Ía7 66 Êe7Íc5+ 67 Êe6 Êb6 68 d6 Êxa6 69 c7 1-0.“What earned Kostic a victory over anillustrious opponent was that he understoodwhen a pawn is too far advanced due toweakened squares...and when it isn’t.” Apart from offering one in the eye formodernists who habitually denigrate the oldmasters, this really demonstrates the missionof the book: to help chess players (from strongclub player upwards) to use Shankland’slessons to further their own understanding ofa plethora of pawn situations. Or, as theauthor puts it: “Selfish as my originalpurposes were, a successful book that helps alot of people improve their chess would be avery pleasant side effect of my studies!” Small Steps to Giant Improvement representsan impressive transfer of energy for the author,who clearly applied himself fully to the taskfollowing his disappointment regarding theWorld Cup. His writing style is engaging andcontent fresh and interesting, making thisbook quite different to the norm. Students ofchess have every opportunity to increasetheir own understanding of this importantsubject if they study the material carefully.

Sean Marsh

The Amazing Albin Counter-GambitLawrence Trent, PC-DVD;

running time: 5 hours, ChessBaseRRP £26.95 SUBSCRIBERS £24.25

The Albin Counter-Gambit is a sharpattempt by Black, in which a determinedeffort is made to seize the initiative with 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e5. Black’s intention is to dragthe opponent into unfamiliar territory after 3 dxe5 d4, when according to Trent theadvanced d-pawn “Acts as a very bignuisance in the white position; a wedge”interfering with the smooth and naturaldevelopment craved by 1 d4 players.

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This Month’sNew Releases

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It is possible that some readers havealready used the Albin as a one-off weapon ina club or tournament game, but it would bemuch more difficult to think of anyone whouses the sharp opening on a regular basis.Trent is out to change the standard opinion ofthis rare opening – and he has form to backup his mission, thanks to a history of being anAlbin player himself. Three immediate questions presentthemselves when dealing with gambits suchas these, namely: i. In what sort of shape are the main lines? ii. Can it be effective at all levels? iii. Can Black still find dynamic play if Whitedeclines the gambit? Trent is quick to nail his colours to the mast,backed up with a rallying cry, claiming the gambitis “One of the most underrated openings,gambits-wise” and, furthermore, “Is absolutelysound and one I have not been able to refuteafter extensive weeks and months of studyingthis, with some of the strongest computers inthe world.” He promises dynamic play, with the“Most in-depth analysis I’ve ever done” and isclearly very passionate about the whole project. The early deviations are dealt with in thefirst lecture, with everything from the poor 3 e4(“Absolutely garbage; nothing to worry about.Just take it!”), to the standard club playerattempt to keep Black away from his dynamicplans with the potentially dull 3 e3. It’s interestinghow the spectre of the French Defence manifestsitself in some of these lines. Against 3 Ìf3,for instance, 3...e4 is the recommendationwith a reversed French, and 3 e3 exd4 4 exd4Ìf6 transposes to an Exchange variation. It is clear even from this segmentdemonstrating the non-critical lines just howmuch effort Trent has put into this DVD, asevidenced by a strong novelty he casuallyintroduces on move 19 in one of the lines. Wethen move through the fourth movealternatives, including Spassky’s old favourite1 d4 d5 2 c4 e5 3 dxe5 d4 4 e4 on the wayto the major split on the fifth moves, with(after 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e5 3 dxe5 d4 4 Ìf3Ìc6) 5 g3, 5 Ìbd2 and 5 a3. The most critical of all is the last of these,especially as it is recommended in variousrepertoire tomes for White. Here we seeLawrence keeping the Albin afloat against theanalysis of Boris Avrukh. After 1 d4 d5 2 c4e5 3 dxe5 d4 4 Ìf3 Ìc6 5 a3 Ìge7 6 b4Ìg6 7 Íb2 the threat is clear: Whiteintends b4-b5 and simply capturing the pawnon d4. Black can keep afloat but has to treada narrow path with 7...a5 8 b5 Ìcxe5 9 Ìxe5 Ìxe5 10 Íxd4 Ìxc4 11 e3 Íe612 Ëc2 Ìd6 13 Íd3 Ëg5 14 f4, reachingwhat Trent calls the “Absolute main line of the main lines of the main line; the mostcritical; the most ambitious way for White to proceed.”

White is on the way to consolidation and astable advantage, so Black must cause sometrouble. The DVD recommends 14...Ëh4+15 g3 and now 15...Ëh3 instead of the usual15...Ëh5, which Lawrence finds insufficient.Admittedly, in this critical line there are waysfor White to force a draw, but Trent did not findany way to put Black under severe pressure.Time and experience will tell whether or notall of his analysis holds up to the scrutiny ofthe higher levels, but at the moment it doesseem as if Black could indeed play the Albinwith confidence at any level. In answer to my initial questions at thestart of this review it appears to be a positiveoutcome on all three fronts. There is a lot of analysis on this DVD withcopious amounts of brand new moves andideas of Trent’s own. He reiterates the need toprepare by “Repeat(ing) the lines time and timeagain” to breed familiarity with the material,while the DVD helps by concluding with 15 quizpositions to test the viewer’s new Albin skills. Lawrence Trent is an experienced presenterand commentator. There have been times whenI have found his style and content a shade onthe shallow side (possibly informed by theentry-level standard required for an onlineaudience of keyboard warriors), but this DVDhas definitely seen him move up to anotherlevel entirely. The depth of his research isvery impressive and his delivery consistentlystrong, making this product a certain hit.

Sean Marsh

A Classical Guide to the French DefenceYannick Pelletier; PC-DVD,

running time: 4 hours, 27 minutesRRP £26.95 SUBSCRIBERS £24.25

The strong Swiss Grandmaster hasdeployed the French Defence for much of his

career and thrives in the resulting closedcentre positions. Pelletier is not only aconnoisseur of 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5, but also anexcellent presenter, who here explains anumber of key points, as well as little-knownnuances, and all in a very clear manner. Alongthe way he maps out a repertoire for Black,largely based around meeting both 3 Ìd2and 3 Ìc3 with 3...Ìf6.

A Complete Guide to the Pirc/Modern Complex

J.Gallagher & N.Davies, 384 pages, paperbackRRP £18.99 SUBSCRIBERS £17.09

Everyman’s latest compendium work willbe ideal for the club player who plays or isinterested in picking up the Pirc or Modern. Itcontains both that fine writer Joe Gallagher’sStarting Out: The Pirc/Modern and alsoStarting Out: The Modern by acclaimed coachand author Nigel Davies. Also just out from Everyman is A CompleteRepertoire for Black Using the SharpestSystems, retailing at £17.99 for its 404 pages(£16.19 for Subscribers), incorporating bothJohn Emms’ Play the Najdorf: Scheveningen Styleand Play the King’s Indian by Joe Gallagher.

Applying Logic in ChessErik Kislik, 320 pages, paperback

RRP £21.50 SUBSCRIBERS £19.35 Readers may recall American IM Erik Kislikcovering how Black should meet thatfashionable line of the Sicilian Taimanov, 1 e4c5 2 Ìf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Ìxd4 Ìc6 5 Ìc3Ëc7 6 Íe3 a6 7 Ëf3!?, in these pages notso long ago. Since then he has continued towork with a range of pupils, including severalgrandmasters. As such, Kislik is well placed tosupply plenty of practical pointers in thisthought-provoking work for Gambit, and healso tackles the tricky question: is chess alogical game? Kislik is convinced that it is andby exploring the topics of pawn structure,material imbalance and compensation hecould well help the thoughtful reader reallytake their game to the next level.

July 201856

DON’T FORGET TO CLAIM YOUR DISCOUNT WHEN ORDERING ONLINE AT SHOP.CHESS.CO.UK* Enter SUBSCRIBER in the ‘Coupon Code’ box to claim the subscriber discount when ordering online.

* UK based readers should also enter SUBSCRIBERSPECIAL in the ‘Coupon Code’ box to ensure they receive free postage on their order.

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Bologan’s Caro-Kann: A ModernRepertoire for Black

Victor Bologan, 352 pages, paperbackRRP £26.95 SUBSCRIBERS £24.25

It’s been a while since a Caro-Kann repertoirework appeared and now we have both Bologan’slatest book for New in Chess and one by DanielFernandez, as we’ll see below. Here Bologanonce again aims to highlight the key strategicideas, while against all White’s main linespresenting two distinct approaches for Black.

British Chess Literature to 1914: A Handbook for Historians

Tim Harding, 394 pages, paperbackRRP £39.95 SUBSCRIBERS £35.95

Tim Harding’s historical works for McFarlandhave always been very well received and nowhe has produced a real labour of love, a guidethat will likely provide essential for those withan interest in chess history. Harding examinesthe many Victorian books and periodicals devotedto the game, while also supplying plenty ofadvice to fellow researchers, such as over howbest to use existing chess libraries and thosetexts which have been digitalised and appearonline. There is also a very helpful appendixproviding an A-Z listing of 600 chess columnswhich existed before the first world war.

Catastrophes & Tactics in the ChessOpenings Volume 1: Indian Defense Carsten Hansen, 178 pages, paperbackRRP £9.99 SUBSCRIBERS £8.99

Carsten Hansen has penned several notableworks over the years, as well as a great numberof reviews for chesscafe.com, but now branchesout on his own with a self-published series. Inthis opening volume, readers will find ‘Winningin 15 Moves or less: Chess Tactics, Brilliancies &Blunders’, i.e. a selection of miniatures in thelikes of the King’s Indian, Grünfeld and Queen’sIndian. The players featured are generally fairlystrong, while along the way the reader shouldacquire several useful tricks and traps, as wellas plenty of guidance in what sort of earlymistakes to avoid in general. Also new in the same series are: Volume 2:1.d4 d5, Volume 3: Flank Openings, Volume4: Dutch, Benonis & d-pawn Specials, Volume5: Anti-Sicilians, Volume 6: Open Sicilians,Volume 7: Minor Semi-Open Games, Volume 8:1.e4 e5, and Volume 9: Caro-Kann & French,

all of which retail too at £9.99 or £8.99 for Subscribers. That’s quite some output from theDanish/American FM and those who really liketheir miniatures can purchase all 9 volumestogether from Chess & Bridge for the specialprice of £80 or just £72 for Subscribers.

ChessBase Magazine 183 ChessBase PC-DVD

RRP £17.95 SUBSCRIBERS £16.15 The latest issue of CBM mainly looks backto events at Wijk aan Zee and Gibraltar. DanielKing and Simon Williams contribute videos, whilethe world champion’s second, Peter HeineNielsen, explains all about his blunder againstGawain Jones. Elsewhere the opening surveyssection contains one by Alexey Kuzmin on asharp and topical line of the modern London,1 d4 Ìf6 2 Íf4 g6 3 Ìc3 d5 4 e3 Íg7 5 h4!?.

Foxy 185: How to Assess Any Positionand Create a Plan For the

Tournament Player – Part 1 (DVD)Andrew Martin, running time: 2 hrs, 53 mins

SPECIAL PRICE £12.95 Andrew Martin returns to the Foxy studioaiming to improve the club player’smiddlegame skills. His focus is on helpingviewers to better assess positions and findthe right plan. Plenty of recent positionscome under Martin’s microscope, while asever he clearly explains both the right andwrong approaches. More of the same helpful and importantmaterial follows in the companion DVD, Foxy186: How to Assess Any Position and Createa Plan For the Tournament Player – Part 2.That runs to 2 hours, 48 minutes and is alsoavailable from Chess & Bridge for £12.95, oryou might prefer to purchase both DVDstogether for just £25.

Grandmaster Opening PreparationJaan Ehlvest, 272 pages, hardback

RRP £23.99 SUBSCRIBERS £21.59 Jaan Ehlvest used to be one of the world’sstrongest players and now in his mid-50s stillboasts a 2538 rating. With his GrandmasterOpening Preparation, Quality Chess continuetheir recent run of original and thought-provoking works, Ehlvest following hot on theheels of Sam Shankland’s work, reviewedabove, and Jan Markos’ Under the Surface,which was last month. Ehlvest discussesseveral important practical issues, not leasthow one should balance using the computeralongside human considerations whenpreparing, and also tackles the infamousisolated queen’s pawn structure in somedetail.

Komodo Chess 12 ChessBase PC-DVD

RRP £79.99 SUBSCRIBERS £71.99 Mark Lefler and Larry Kaufman havetweaked their popular Komodo engine tomake it even stronger as Komodo 12 isunfurled in a 64-bit multiprocessor version.As ever, the engine comes with the ‘Fritz’interface, making it very easy to use foranalysis and practice games. However, notonly can users access the latest Komodo 12,but also a ‘Monte-Carlo’ version of Komodo,i.e. one which has learnt and will learn fromplaying a vast series of games with itself, justas AlphaZero did. Currently Komodo 12 isstronger than the AI-based version, althoughthat is hardly shabby and also has a muchmore aggressive style.

Opening Repertoire: 1 e4 Cyrus Lakdawala, 336 pages, paperbackRRP £19.99 SUBSCRIBERS £17.99

We tend to associate Cyrus Lakdawalawith the London and other system-basedopenings beginning 1 d4 or 1 Ìf3, but at hisweekly Gambito Rapid tournaments in SanDiego, Lakdawala also likes to begin with 1 e4on occasion. Unsurprisingly his preference isthen for a strategic game, so the repertoirepresented here should come as no surprise: 1e4 e5 2 Íc4, Íb5 systems against theSicilian, and the Advance against both theCaro and French. The repertoire may lackimmediate sting, but is solid, will still set someproblems, and can be easily picked up by eventhe weaker club player looking for a reliable 1e4 repertoire.

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Paul Felix Schmidt: A Winning Formula Eva Regina Magacs & Michael Negele,

320 pages, hardbackRRP £39.95 SUBSCRIBERS £36.95

The name Paul Schmidt may not be toofamiliar to younger readers, but he was a verystrong player in the 1930s, as well as prolificwriter on the game. Schmidt later emigratedfrom Germany to the United States andbecame a leading scientist in the field ofsemiconductors. This detailed biography, withthe text supplied in both English and German,sets Schmidt’s chess career and familybackground against the turbulent times inwhich he lived. Also included are a number offine photographs and 12 games annotated bySchmidt himself.

Play the Semi-Tarrasch! Part 1Tibor Karolyi, 224 pages, paperbackRRP £22.95 SUBSCRIBERS £20.65

As was apparent at the Berlin Candidates,the Semi-Tarrasch, 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Ìf3Ìf6 4 Ìc3 c5 5 cxd5 Ìxd5, is currently atthe forefront of grandmaster fashion. Theopening is dependable and also offers Blackscope to outmanoeuvre White. In this firstvolume of a two-work project for ChessEvolution, the Hungarian IM and theoreticianexplores both the main line, 6 e4 Ìxc3 7bxc3 cxd4 8 cxd4 Íb4+ 9 Íd2 Íxd2+ 10Ëxd2 0-0, and also how Black can meet theExchange variation, 3 Ìc3 Ìf6 4 cxd5, with4...Ìxd5!?. Then play can transpose to the

Semi-Tarrasch, but can also remain inindependent waters as Karolyi demonstrates.

Playing 1.e4: French Defence and Sicilian SidelinesJohn Shaw, 384 pages, paperbackRRP £19.99 SUBSCRIBERS £17.99

Many readers may possess a copy of JohnShaw’s 2016 work Playing 1.e4: Caro-Kann,1...e5 & Minor Lines and now he returns tocomplete his 1 e4 repertoire. In this first oftwo new volumes, the Scottish Grandmasteradvocates his favourite Tarrasch variationagainst the French and also tacks oncoverage of some of Black’s rarer Sicilian linesafter 1 e4 c5 2 Ìf3. As with the first volume,the coverage is cutting-edge, clear andcontains a plethora of new ideas.

Playing 1.e4 – Sicilian Main LinesJohn Shaw, 456 pages, paperbackRRP £19.99 SUBSCRIBERS £17.99

Here Shaw turns his attention to an OpenSicilian repertoire no less, which was mostcertainly no mean feat on his part. Thatmeans tackling the likes of the Dragon andNajdorf, the former being tackled by meansof 9 0-0-0 in the Yugoslav and the latterwith 6 f3, leading to the English Attack.Once again Shaw’s analysis is first rate andthe layout easily accessible . Please note that both new books by JohnShaw are also available in hardback versionfor an extra £4 each.

The Modern Endgame Manual: Mastering Basic Rook Endgames

Adrian Mikhalchisin, 258 pages, paperbackRRP £22.95 SUBSCRIBERS £20.65

This is the first volume in an apparenteight-strong series, produced by ChessEvolution and with the approval of FIDE. Theseries begins with acclaimed endgameexpert and highly experienced trainer, theSlovakian GM Adrian Mikhalchisin coveringthe most important things which we shouldall know about rook endgames.

The Modernized Caro-KannDaniel Fernandez, 416 pages, paperbackRRP £29.95 SUBSCRIBERS £26.95

The young English Grandmaster hasproduced his debut work for ThinkersPublishing and on one of his favouriteopenings, the Caro-Kann. Fernandez is notafraid to take his own path at times, whileimproving on existing main line theory atothers. Against the Advance variation, both3...Íf5 and 3...c5 are covered, while in themain line the focus is on that favourite moveof both Karpov and Speelman, 4...Ìd7. We’realso delighted to say that we’ll hear more nextmonth and from Daniel himself no less.

Ed. - ‘Saunders on Chess’ can be found onpage 29 this month, while Double Tuition:Tiger on the Modern is now available in DVDformat and available from Chess & Bridge for£22.99 or £20.69 for Subscribers.

July 201858

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