Checkmate 9781857440317, 1857440315

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180WAYS TOBEAT A GRANDMASTER!

CADOGAN CHESS BOOKS

Checkmate

CADOGAN CHESS SERIES ChiefAdvisor: Garry Kasparov Editor: Andrew Kinsman Russian Series Editor: Ken Neat Other titles for the improving player include:

YURI AVERBAKH Chess Endings: Essential Knowledge JOSE CAPABLANCA A Primer of Chess Chess Fundamentals JULIAN HODGSON Chess Travellers Quiz Book DANIEL KING How Good is Your Chess? How to Win at Chess JOHN WALKER Attacking the King Chess for Tomorrow's Champions Chess Openings for Juniors First Steps in Chess Test Your Chess: Piece Power SIMON WEBB Chess for Tigers For a complete catalogue of CADOGAN CHESS books (which includes the Pergamon Chess and Maxwell Macmillan Chess lists) please write to: Cadogan Chess, London House, Parkgate Road, London SWl 1 4NQ Tel: (0 171) 738 1961 Fax: (0171) 924 5491

Checkmate Svend Novrup and Charlotte Pedersen

CADOGAN ·

chess

LONDON, NEW YORK

CADOGAN BOOKS DISTRIBUTION UK/EUROPE/AUSTRALASIA/ASIA/AFRICA Distribution: Cadogan Books pie, c/o B. T. Batsford Ltd, I Bradbury Drive, Springwood Industrial Estate, Braintree, Essex CM7 2QJ Tel: (0 I 376) 32 I 276 Fax: (0 I 376) 552845 USA/CANADA/LATIN AMERICA/JAPAN Distribution: Paramount Distribution Center, Front and Brown Streets, Riverside, New Jersey 08075, USA Tel: (609) 461 6500 Fax: (609) 764 9122

First published in Danish in I 987 as Mat First English language edition (fully revised and updated) published 1996 by Cadogan Books pie, London House, Parkgate Road, London SW114NQ Copyright © I 996 Svend Novrup and Charlotte Pedersen All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval ::.ystem or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 1 85744 031 5

Cover design by Brian Robins Typeset by B.B. Enterprises Printed in Great Britain by BPC Wheatons Ltd, Exeter

Contents

Another mate

6

From Adams to Averbakh

7

From Azmaiparashvili to Chandler

14

From Chemin to Dokhoian

21

From Dolmatov to Flear

28

From Ftacnik to Granda Zuniga

35

From Greenfeld to Hj artarson

42

From Hodgson to Kasparov

49

From Kavalek to Krasenkov

56

From Kupreichik to Marovic

63

From McNab to Norwood

70

From Novikov to Psakhis

77

From Razuvaev to Seirawan

84

From Shirov to Suetin

91

From Sveshnikov to Uhlmann

98

From Vaganian to Zviaginsev

105

Another Mate

When the Danish version of this book was published in 1 987 it was still possible to include every single grandmaster (GM) in one book. There were 229 grandmasters in the world, and we worked for almost a whole year to find the best combinations featuring a colourful, interesting defeat of each of these players. At the same time we included biographical material about every single one, and we did not give them alphabetically but according to countries and/or importance, finishing with World Champions. Furthermore, we tried to find combinations from the 1 980s only, so as to make a sort of portrait of 1 980s combinations. This method could not be maintained for the English edition. The number of GMs has grown dramatically and it has become impractical to include all of them. Furthermore, publication of the book was adjourned for a couple of years due to the death of Mr Maxwell (the originally planned publisher being Maxwell/Macmillan), and so still more changes had to be made. This does not, however, alter in the least the main idea of presenting a book of positions in which the reader plays the simul of his life, outplaying GMs only by wonderful means. We have grouped the puzzles in sections of 1 2 , each of which is immediately followed by the relevant solutions. The ratings and rankings provided are taken from the January 1 996 FIDE rating list, and the player to move is indicated by an arrow at the side of the diagram. It is my hope that you will enjoy the puzzles in this book and should you later be able to spot combinations in your own games, because of something you have seen in this book, all the better. The book is meant purely for entertainment; it was never our intention to teach combinational play or provide comprehensive biographies. Svend Novrup Kerteminde April 1 996

7

From Adams to Averbakh

Michael ADAMS

1

Michael Adams became the third Country: youngest GM of all time when he Date of Birth : reached the title in 1 989, the year Grandmaster Title : in which he also became the Current Rating: youngest ever winner of the British World Ranking: Championship. Since then he has racked up a sequence of outstanding individual results and was a member of the English team that won bronze medals at the 1 989 World Team Championship and 1 990 Novi Sad Olympiad. In 1 993 ' Mickey' qualified for the Candi­ dates of both PCA and FIDE cycles but was eliminated from the FIDE cycle by Boris Gelfand and from if the PCA cycle by Vishy Anand.

England 1 7/ 1 1/7 1 1 989 2660 16

You have won a pawn against Adams but it is doubled; and what can be done about the seemingly imprisoned rook on a6?

Utut ADIANTO Since becoming the first ever Indonesian player to become a grandmaster, in 1 986, after a fine Olympiad result, Utut Adianto has steadily established a position in the world's top 1 00. He enjoyed a tremendous summer in 1 994, win­ ning the powerful Biel open, fin­ ishing equal second in the open tournament in Lucerne and then equal third in London (Lloyds Bank) , thereby qualifying for the London leg of the Intel Grand Prix. To wrap things up he defeated An­ drei Sokolov in the first round of the Tilburg knock-out, before los­ ing to the eventual runner-up, Bareev.

2 Country: Date of Birth : Grandmaster Title: Current Rating: World Rankin2 :

Indonesia 1 6/03/65 1 986 26 1 0 54

._______ _ __.._______,

In your game all his pieces are gummed up on the queenside but your queen is under attack. What should you play?

8

Checkmate

Andras ADORJAN Adorjan was a talented junior (he Country: finished second behind Karpov in Date of Birth: the 1 969 Warid Junior Champion- Grandmaster Title: ship), and in 1 979 he qualified for Current Rating: the Candidates through his shared World Rankin2: third place in the Riga Interzonal. Although he was eliminated in a .O. close ten-game quarter-final match with Hilbner, he is still a successful tournament player, with victories in the 1 984 Hungarian Super­ Championship, 1 987 New Yark open and both the 1 992 and 1 993 Hungarian Championships to his credit. He is known throughout the world as the champion of the phi­ losophy that 'Black is OK!'.

3 Hungary 3 1/03/50 1 973 2525 n/a

In this position this is certainly the case!

Simen AGDESTEIN Simen Agdestein is not only a Country: chess grandmaster, but also a top- Date of Birth: class soccer player who made sev- Grandmaster Title: eral appearances in the Norwegian Current Rating: national team as an attacking mid- World Ranking: fielder before being plagued by injury in the last few years. Al­ though he had already won the Norwegian Championship in 1 982, Agdestein really hit the news when he defeated Boris Spassky at Gjovik in 1 98 3 . He subsequently fin­ ished second to Salov in the 1 983/84 European Junior and twice came close to winning the World Junior title, coming second in 1 984 if and losing on tie-break in 1 986.

4 Norway 1 5/05/67 1 985 2585 nf a

The position in your game against Agdestein seems really complicated but perhaps you know what is going on?

9

From Adams to Averbakh

Vladimir AKOPIAN

5

Vladimir Akopian was one of the Country: leading junior players of the sec- Date of Birth: ond half of the 1 980s and early Grandmaster Title: 1 990s. He was World Under- 1 6 Current Rating: Champion in 1 986, World Junior World Rankin2: Champion in 1 99 1 , the year he achieved the grandmaster title, and was second equal behind Shirov in the powerful 1 992 Oakham tour­ nament. In 1 992 he also won a bronze medal as part of the Arme­ nian team in the Manila Olympiad, with a personal score of 8/ 1 2 on board two. He was equal first in the 1 993 Cannes open but scored only 6/ 1 3 at the Biel Interzonal and 5/ 1 1 if at the Groningen PCA Qualifier.

Armenia 07/ 1 2/7 1 1 99 1 2620 41

._______ _ __..._______,

You have reached a wild position in which both sides are close to de­ livering checkmate. Can you get there first?

Lev ALBURT

6

Before his defection to the United Country: States in 1 979, Lev Alburt was a Date of Birth: teacher in the Ukraine. Although Grandmaster Title: he had achieved good results in his Current Rating: homeland, winning the Ukrainian World Rankin2: Championship and finishing equal fifth in the Soviet Championship in 1 974, Alburt 's results were notably better after his defection. He won the US Championship in 1 984 and repeated this feat in 1 985 and 1 990. Alburt has been part of several Olympiad teams for his adopted country, winning a bronze medal at both Lucerne 1 982 and Thessalo­ niki 1 984. He also is the author of if

USA 2 1/08/45 1 977 2560 n/a

._______ _ __...__----''--------'

Test and Improve Your Chess. How good is your endgame technique?

10

Checkmate

Zoltan ALMASI Having gained no less than 90 points on the July 1 993 rating list and a further 30 on the January 1 994 list, Zoltan Almasi has a good claim to being one of the fastest improving top-level players in history. His record over that period was a catalogue of firsts and sec­ onds and in July 1 993 he won the Altensteig tournament, clinching the GM title, from where he went straight to Bratislava, where he claimed the World U- 1 8 Champi­ onship. At the end of 1 994 he fin­ ished a point clear of a field that included Yusupov, Beliavsky and Tiviakov in Groningen.

7 Country: Date of Birth : Grandmaster title : Current Rating: World Ranking:

Hungary 29/08/76 1 993 2650 21

You have a few extra pawns but still have to beat off his attack. What should you play?

Boris ALTERMAN Boris Alterman left the Soviet Union at the start of the 1 990s and is now a key member of the suecessful Israeli team which finished equal 1 1th at the 1 992 Olympiad, fourth later that year in the Euro­ pean Team Championship and 13th at the 1 994 Moscow Olympiad. His personal scores in these events were remarkable: 8112/ 1 2 in Manila on board three, 51/z/8 in Debrecen on board four and 5 1/z/9 in Moscow on board five. In 1 993 he finished fourth in the Zagreb Zonal, missing out on an Interzonal qualifying place, but equal second in the strong Pardubice tournament.

8 Country: Date of Birth: Grandmaster Title : Current Rating: World Ranking :

Israel 04/05/70 1 992 2585 67

You have arrived at a tricky position. Have you got everything under control?

11

From Adams to Averbakh

Viswanathan ANAND

9

Viswanathan Anand plays so fast Country: that some of his opponents have Date of Birth: been in time-trouble twice within Grandmaster Title: the first four hours of play ! He was Current Rating: only 1 6, and already an IM, when World Ranking: he led the Indian squad at the 1 986 Dubai Olympiad and the following year he was crowned World Junior Champion. He became a Candidate in 1 990 and ran Karpov very close in the quarter-final. ' Vishy ' quali­ fied for both FIDE and PCA Can­ didates in 1 993, suffering a horrible collapse against Kamsky in the former cycle but winning through to become Garry Kasparov's chal- fr lenger in the latter, though he lost a close match.

India 1 1/ 1 2/69 1 988 2725 6

Can you see a quick.finish?

10

Ulf ANDERSSON_ Ulf Andersson i s probably the world ' s !!!.�st patient_p lar� He sometimes waits for hours on end, in the hope that his opponent will commit a decisive positional mis­ take. Since winning the Swedish Championship in 1 969 Andersson has achieved countless internation­ al successes, starting with a shared first place with Spassky at Gothen­ burg 1 97 1 . He has the highest per­ centage of draws among top GMs as he does not take great risks, but aims to accumulate small advan­ tages. When not losing on time his worst problem - he draws most of his games and wins the rest.

Country : Date of Birth: Grandmaster Title: Current Rating : World Ranking :

Sweden 27/06/5 1 1 972 2630 34

Andersson rarely allows anyone to open up the position as you have done, but he can mate you next move. What can you do?

12

Checkmate

Walter ARENCIBIA

11

Cuba Walter Arencibia created a major Country: 21/07/67 surprise when he won the World Date of Birth: Junior Championship ahead of Ag- Grandmaster Title : 1986 destein, Bareev, Piket and Anand Current Rating: 2515 in 1986, but has rarely managed to '-World Ranking: n/a ����--""-�--''--�---' recapture that kind of form since and has not made as much progress ..!). as some other former junior cham­ pions. However, he was a member of the Cuban team which finished equal fifth in the Novi Sad Olym­ piad (where he scored 6112/11 on board three) and in 1991 he fin­ ished second in Havana. In the 1990 Manila Interzonal he scored 5/13 and in the Biel Interzonal 1993 he finished on 5112/13. You have managed to get your pawn to the sixth rank. Is there a way to kill off the game immediately?

Yuri AVERBAKH In 1953 Averbakh competed in the Country: Zurich Candidates tournament, an Date of Birth : event immortalised by David Bron­ Grandmaster Title : stein' s classic tournament book. Current Rating: Although he finished only tenth out World Ranking: of fifteen in Zurich, the following year Averbakh won the Soviet Championship, and in 1956 he tied for first in the same event (losing the play-off) . In 1952 Averbakh introduced an important new variation against the King 's Indian Defence, which became known as the A verbakh variation. Nowadays he is known as much as an admin­ istrator, arbiter and author as a if player.

12 Russia 08/02/22 1952 2445

nfa

Having forced him onto the defensive, you should be looking for a de­ cisive breakthrough.

From Adams to A verbakh

13

l Djurhuus-Adams, European Junior Championship 1 989 l Itxa5 ! bxa5 2 b6 .i:lc6 3 tllx c6 tllx c6 4 .li d5 tllb4 5 b7 1 -0. (Nice and

easy to start with ! Surprisingly, Adams never won a major junior title while Djurhuus won the 1 99 1 European Junior Championship.) 2 Adianto-Yusupov, Jakarta 1 983

l . . . tllh 3+ 2 i.xh3 'i'xg3+ 3 i.g2 (or 3 'it'xg3 l:lxg3+ 4 f2 .l:.gxh3) 3...lib 1 + ! ! 0- 1 . (The white queen is lost.)

3 Adorjan-Miles, Linares 1 985

l . . .i.d7 ! (a neat deflection) 2 i.xd7 'ii'f3+ 3 W g l �xg3+ 4 hxg3 'i'xg3+ 5 h8 3 'ii'h4) 3 'ii'h4 f5 4 'ii'h 6+ 'it> g8 5 l:te3 f4 6 �g5+ 'itif8 7 �xf4 f6 8 'ti'xf6+ 1-0. 39 Arnason-Dreev, Reykjavik 1 988 l .txh7+ (but not l ..1 f6? gxf6 2 'i'g4+ W h8 3 exf6 .:. gs 4 'ii'h4 .l:i.g6) l . . . 'it> xh7 2 �h5+ 'it> g8 3 .li. f6 ! gxf6 (3 . . . tLi xe5 4 !:t xe5) 4 'ii'g 4+ 'it> h7 5 . exf6 W h6 (intending 6 'i' g7+ @h5 7 g4+ \t> h4 with unclear complications, but . . . ) 6 f4 ! ! 1-0 (6 . . . !t g8 7 'i'h4+ 'it> g6 8 'i'g5+ W h7 9 'ii'h 5 mate; or 6 . . . 'i' xf4 7 'i'xf4+ @g6 8 h4 ! ) . 4 0 Galliamova-Dvoirys, Groningen open 1 993 l 'i'b4 1 -0. (After l . . . 'i'xb4 2 axb4 tLi xb2 3 l:i xa8 l:ixa8 4 tLi xf7 is mate, while 2 . . . ClJb6 leaves Black two pawns down for nothing.) 41 Spraggett-Dzindzichashvili, New York 1 984 1 tLie5 ! 1 -0. (Black was only too aware of l . . . ..1 f6 2 .:. d7 'i' a6 3 ClJ f7+ W g7 - 3 . . . @h5 4 g4+ - 4 CZJ g5+ @g8 - 4 . . . 'it>h6 5 'i'h4 mate - 5 'i' xf6, and all hopes of a perpetual are gone.) 42 M. Gurevich-Ehlvest, French Team Championship 1 992 l ..1 xf6 ! gxf6 2 ClJg4 f5 3 ClJh6+ @f8 4 'i'f6 mate. 43 Gavrikov-Eingom, USSR 1 980 l l:l c8+ \t> xc8 2 'ii'x e8+ @c7 (2 . . . 'if d8 3 .li. xd7+) 3 'ii'x d7+ @b8 4 'i' xd4 1 -0. (After 4 . . . 'i'xb5 5 'i' b4 swaps queens to reach a winning pawn endgame.) 44 Piket-Epishin, Dortmund 1 994 l tLi xg6 ! Ji. e6 ( l . . . fxg6 2 'i'e8+ @g7 3 l:i e7+ 'it> f6 4 'i'f7 is mate) 2 'i' b7 ! l:ib8 3 tLi e7+ @ f8 4 'i'xa6 bxa3 (4 . . . @ xe7 5 'i' a7+ picks up the stray rook) 5 'i' xa5 a2 6 tLi xc6 1 -0. 45 Ernst-Berg, Malmo 1 988/89 1 . . . j(_ xh3 0- 1 (2 gxh3 l:i xe3 3 fxe3 'i' g3+ 4 @ h l 'i'g2 mate) . 46 Wolff-Fedorowicz, US Championship 1 99 1 l d4+ ! 1 -0. (Quicker than you would think at first sight. After l . . .exd4 or l . . . Ji. xd4 2 �b5 is mate; and after l . . . W xd4 2 l:i c8 leads to mate. 47 Spassky-Fischer, Siegen Olympiad 1 970 1 �f8+ 1-0 ( l . . . 'it> xf8 2 'i'h8+ W f7 3 'iV xh7iWins the queen) . 48 Kovacevic-Flear, Zenica 1 987 l tLi c7 ! 1-0. (White wins the exchange: l . . . ..W xc7 2 'ii'x e8 or l . . . 'ii' xe 3 2 fxe3 and White still threatens both black rooks.)

35

From Ftacnik to Granda Zuniga

Ljubomir FTACNIK

49

Slovakia Czechoslovakian Country: Four-times Champion Lubomir Ftacnik made Date of Birth: 30/ 1 0/57 his name by winning the European Grandmaster Title: 1 980 Junior Championship in 1 976/77. Current Rating: 2585 After becoming a grandmaster in World Ranking: n/a 1 980 he won his first national title and repeated the feat in 1 982, 1 983 and 1 98 5 . His international suc­ cesses include first place at Dort­ mund 1 98 1 (shared), Esbjerg 1 982, Altensteig 1 987, Haninge 1 989 and the Stara Zagora Zonal in 1 990. In the Manila Interzonal later in 1 990 he failed to reach the Candidates by half a point, but he qualified again for the Interzonal at Biel in 1 993. You have walked into a pin on the d-file. Is there a way out ?

Joseph GALLAGHER Originally from London, but now based in Neuchatel, Switzerland, Joe Gallagher is one of the most consistently successful players on the European open tournament cir­ cuit. He achieved the GM title in 1 990 after making norms at Hast­ ings and London (Lloyds Bank) and his aggressive style of play has since earned him numerous high finishes including first equal at Geneva 1 993. He specialises in sharp openings and is probably the world 's leading exponent of the King 's Gambit, on which he has written a best-selling book.

50 Country: Date of Birth: Grandmaster Title: Current Rating: World Ranking:

Wha t should you do about your attacked knight ?

Swtzlnd 04/05/64 1 990 2525 n/a

36

Checkmate

51

Nona GAPRINDASHVILI

Georgia During her reign as Women ' s Country: 03/05/4 1 World Champion from 1 962 to Date of Birth: 1 978 Nona Gaprindashvili domi- Grandmaster Title: 1 978 nated women ' s chess and in 1 978 Current Rating: 2380 she became the first woman to hold World Ranking: n/a the (men ' s) grandmaster title after her first equal at the Lone Pine open in 1 977 and second place at Dortmund 1 978. She won the women 's title by crushing Bykova in 1 962 and defended it four times before losing to Chiburdanidze in 1 978. However, she has remained a strong player and was first equal in the Wijk aan Zee ' B ' tournament in 1 987, first at Brussels 1 987 and if first equal at Baden-Baden 1 99 1 . You have an extra pawn. Can you avoid a technical struggle to realise it ?

Viktor GA VRIKOV

52

Born in the Soviet Union, Viktor Country: Swtzlnd 29/07/57 Gavrikov established himself as a Date of Birth: leading player with his equal first Grandmaster Title: 1 984 place in the 1 985 Soviet Champi- Current Rating: 2605 onship, which he followed up with World Ranking: 57 equal second place in 1 986. Since ____, then he has been a steady per­ former but has not had quite such spectacular results. His more recent successes include second place to Karpov in the 1 988 World Rapid Championship, equal first at Buda­ pest 1 989, victory in the 1 990 Biel open and outright firsts at Geneva I 99 1 , W ohlen 1 993 and Biel 1 994. He is now a professional player in if Switzerland. Having sacrificed a piece to infiltrate his position with your ro o ks, drastic measures are called for.

____ ____

...__

___...._

From Ftacnik to Granda Zuniga

Boris

GELFAND

After achieving promising early re- Country: su its, Boris Gelfand came under Date of Birth: the wing of trainer Kapengut and Grandmaster Title: won the USSR Junior Champion- Current Rating: ship. Soon after he had one of his World Ranking: few setbacks as he had to complete his military service but on his re­ turn he won the 1 987/88 European Junior and was equal first in the 1 988 W arid Junior. He has won the Interzonals, in 1 990 and 1 993, but decided to skip the 1 993-95 PCA series to concentrate on the FIDE title. This paid off when he beat Michael Adams and Vladimir Kramnik, but he was then defeated if by the reigning Champion, Karpov. Gelfand is an attacking player and, aware that you have tively against him, you have sacrificed a piece. How do you

Yefim GELLER

37

53 Belarus 24/06/68 1 989 2700 8

to play ac­ continue ?

54

Yefim Geller was among the Country: Russia strongest Soviet players for more Date of Birth: 08/03/25 than 30 years from around 1 950 Grandmaster Title: 1 952 and was still winning events very Current Rating: 2465 recently (such as Dortmund 1 989, World Ranking: n/a New Yark 1 990 and the 1 99 1 World Veterans ' ! ) He entered the world elite in 1 952 when he came fourth in the Stockholm Interzonal, a result that earned him the GM ti­ tle and qualified him for the Can­ didates. A Candidate on six occa­ sions, his best result was second place behind Petrosian in 1 962. He won seven Olympic gold medals from 1 952 to 1 980 and was Soviet Champion in 1 955 . But this doesn 't help him against you, even if his threats against your pie ces seem powerful.

38

Checkmate

55

Kiril GEORGIEV Kiril Georgiev is another player who first made a name for himself as a potential world-class player with his performance in the 1 983 World Junior, which he won. Soon afterwards he established himself as the outstanding Bulgarian player of his generation by winning the national championship in 1 984 (shared) , 1 986 and 1 989. He has made since steady progress into the world's elite, winning at Sarajevo 1 986, Terrassa 1 990 and the Buda­ pest Zonal 1 993. Georgiev made a fine score of 8 112/ 1 3 on top board in the Manila Olympiad in 1 992 .

Country: Date of Birth: Grandmaster Title: Current Rating: World Ranking:

Bulgaria 28/ 1 1/65 1 985 26 1 5 45=

You have won the exchange but have to watch out for a knight fork on f6.

Georgy GIORGADZE Perhaps not surprisingly, Georgy Country: Giorgadze hails from Georgia, and Date of Birth: he has represented his homeland in Grandmaster Title: both the 1 992 and 1 994 Olympiads Current Rating: and in the 1 992 European Team World Ranking: Championship. Like many former Soviet players, a lack of possibili­ ties to play abroad hampered his progress until the early 1 990s, al­ though he did qualify for the 1 989 Soviet Championship by finishing equal fourth in the First League at Simferopol. He made a real break­ through in 1 992 , when he scored 8/ 1 3 on board four in the Mani la Olympiad, and finished second at Podolsk, making a GM norm . You have an unusual material balance in your game. Can the activity of your pieces ?

56 Georgia 1 0/ 1 0/64 1 993 2 590 72

you exp loit

From Ftacnik to Granda Zuniga

Jgor GLEK

39

57

Russia I gor Glek is yet another player Country: Date of Birth: 07/ 1 1/6 1 from the former Soviet Union who has taken advantage of glasnost to Grandmaster Title: 1 990 make a living playing in Western Current Rating: 2635 tournaments. In 1 989 he finished World Ranking: 28 well down the field at both the Bu­ dapest open and Moscow (GMA) tournament but at the World Open in Philadelphia in the summer of 1 994, Glek caused one of the big­ gest upsets in open tournament history by finishing outright first, ahead of a powerful field that in­ cluded Christiansen, Browne, Yermolinsky, Hodgson and a host of other grandmasters, netting a cool $ 1 7 ,870. You have built up a nice position but need to find a way through your opponent 's solid defences.

Svetozar G LI GO RIC

58

Yugoslav Svetozar Gligoric was twice deco- Country: 02/02/23 rated for bravery as a partisan in Date of Birth: the Second World War, and first Grandmaster Title: 1 95 1 2475 made his mark in the chess world Current Rating: by winning a strong tournament in World Ranking: n/a Warsaw in 1 947 . After a series of good results he qualified as a Can­ didate from the 1 952 Stockholm Interzonal . Although he also reached the Candidates on two further occasions, he struggled each time. However, Gligoric won the Hastings tournament no less than five times and was Yugoslav Champion 1 1 times. He is also highly regarded as an arbiter, jour­ nalist and author. You have an extra piece but your rook and knight are under attack and he has two dange rous passed pawns. How should you proceed?

40

Checkmate

Alexander GOLDIN

59

Russia After making his grandmaster Country: 27/02/65 norms by finishing equal first with Date of Birth: Chemin at Polanica Zdroj in 1 988 Grandmaster Title: 1 989 and then winning a tournament in Current Rating: 2600 Tmava in 1 989, Goldin was an­ World Rankin2: 61 other player who was well posi­ tioned to take advantage of glas­ nost. He first exploited this by coming outright first at the Baden­ Baden open in 1 990 and then achieved a shock victory in the 1 99 1 New York open, ahead of Ehlvest, Kamsky, Dreev, Lautier, Gulko and dozens of other GMs. Subsequently he has won Dos Hermanas 1 99 1 and Lyon 1 993 iJ (shared) . You have won his queen but the material balance is roughly equal. How can you exploit the queen 's power ?

Julio GRANDA ZUNIGA

60

Peru Julio Granda Zuniga became the Country: first ever Peruvian grandmaster in Date of Birth: 25/02/67 1 986, after winning in Bayamo and Grandmaster Title: 1 986 Havana. In 1 990 he won a series of Current Rating: 2600 tournaments in Spain, at Leon, World Rankin2: 63 Barcelona, Matalascanas and Seville, and he has since increased his strength (and rating) steadily. His best performances include first places at Mar del Plata and San Fernando (both in 1 99 1 ) , New York, Nrasilia Zonal and Mar del Plata (all 1 993) . In the 1 993 PCA Qualifier he finished in a very creditable equal eighth, but he then took a year off and his results in 1 995 were less consistent. You have forced some weaknesses to his king 's position and no w have to find a way to deliver the killer blow.

From Ftacnik to Granda Zuniga

41

49 Kuzmin-Ftacnik, Dortmund 1 98 1 I ll'ixf7 ! ! i.. f6 ( 1 . . .l:t.xd4 2 ll'ih6+ 'it>h8 3 �xf8 mate; 1 . . .:fxf7 2 �xf7 ! :xf7 3 �xd8) 2 ll'ie5+ 1 -0 (2 . . . �df7 3 ll'ixf7 i.. xd4 4 lZ'lh6+ 'itii h 8 5 :xf8 mate) . 50 Gallagher-Crouch, Krumbach 1 99 1 l . . .i.. b 5 ! 2 i.xb5 �e4+ 3 i.. d 3 lZ'lxd3 4 ll'id2 'i'e2 ! 5 'i!Va5 'i' xfl + ! ! 0- 1 . (A spectacular series of moves.) 5 1 Levitina-Gaprindashvili, Candidates match 1 983 1 lZ'lxe6 ! 1 -0 ( 1 . . .llxc4 2 'i'xg7 mate) . 52 Kasparov-Gavrikov, Frunze 1 98 1 1 ll'ig6+ ! fxg6 2 l:.h7+ 'it>f8 3 'i' xg6 1 -0. 53 Ivanchuk-Gelfand, Kramatorsk 1 99 1 1 'i'g l ! 1 -0. (White threatens 2 :a? winning the queen at the same time as 2 Ith?+ 'it>xh7 3 'ii'h 2+ followed by mate. On 1 . . . .l:.f7 White wins with 2 'i!Yg4.) 54 Karpov-Geller, USSR Championship 1 983 1 'i'xc4 1 -0. (A brutal finish: 1 . . .bxc4 2 lbf7 mate.) 55 Kir. Georgiev-Greenfeld, Elenite 1 994 1 . . .ll'ixh3 2 lZ'lxf6 lZ'lxf2+ 3 �g l ll'ih3+! 4 'itiih l 'i'e2 0- 1 (5 . . . 'i'f l + is unstoppable) . 56 G. Giorgadze-Adorjan, Debrecen (European Team Championship) 1 992 1 . . .ll'ixe5 ! ! 0- 1 (2 fxe3 is met by 2 . . . ll'id3+ 3 �d l tL'lxc l 4 �xc l i. xf8 ; 2 l::tx c3 fails to 2 . . . lZ'lf3 + ! 3 gxf3 i.xc3+ 4 �d l e2+ and 5 . . . e l �; and 2 lZ'le6 loses to 2 . . . tL'ld3+ 3 �d l lZ'lxc l 4 fxe3 lZ'lxa2). 57 Hanken-Glek, Philadelphia (World Open) 1 990 1 'i'b3 l:ta7 (the only way to defend the bishop on b7) 2 tL'lxe6 ! 1 -0 (2 . . .fxe6 3 i.. x e6+ wins the queen and after 2 . . . !le8 White has 3 ll'ixg7 'it>xg7 4 'i' f3 'ii'f5 5 't:!Vxf5 gxf5 6 i.. xf6+ and 7 :xe8). (Glek's victory at Philadelphia is all the more remarkable if one takes this second round drubbing into account.) 58 Miles-Gligoric, Portoroz/Ljubljana 1 985 1 :xb4 ! 'i' xe2 2 'ti'xd7 Wid2 3 Wic? (but not 3 Wixd2? cxd2 3 i.. f3 d l 'i' 4 �xd l l:!d2+ ! ) 3 . . . g6 (or 3 . . . c2 4 :c4) 4 �b7 :f8 5 :b3 :es 6 'i' xc3 1 -0.

5 9 Kotronias-Goldin, Moscow (GMA) 1 989 I �h6+ ! 1 -0 ( l . . .'it>xh6 is met by 2 'i!Vxf7 l:!e7 3 'i'f8+ :g7 4 g5+ '.t xg5 5 'iVxg7, etc., and l . . .�f6 fails to 2 g5+ 'it>e5 3 'i'd5 mate) . 6 0 Ehlvest-Granda Zuniga, Zagreb Interzonal 1 987 I

.ig3 lld6 ( 1 . . .'ii x g3 2 'i!fb7 mate) 2 ll'ie5 1 -0.

42

Checkmate

Alon GREENFELD

61

Israel American-born Alon Greenfeld Country: 1 7/04/64 was a very strong junior player, but Date of Birth: he has never quite made it to the Grandmaster Title: 1 989 world 's elite. Although he won a Current Rating: 2560 string of tournaments in the mid- World Ranking: n/a 1 980s, including the open at Biel in 1 985, he had to wait until Beer­ sheva 1 988 to obtain an important round-robin victory, achieving the GM title in the following year. In 1 984 he made an excellent Olym­ piad debut with a score of 9/ 1 3 on board two, and he has since played in 1 988, 1 990 and 1 994 Olympiads (Israel was excluded from the 1 986 Olympiad in Dubai for political 1J reasons) . Your pieces seem better posted than his but you have to defend against the threat to the e4 pawn, or do you have something better ?

Yehuda GRUNFELD This Polish-born player became a grandmaster in 1 980 after winning at Biel. His subsequent results in­ clude victories at New York 1 98 1 , Israeli Championship 1 982, Dort­ mund 1 984, Munich Zonal 1 987 and Rishon-le-Zion 1 994 (shared) . Nearly every year he makes a pil­ grimage to the Biel open, where his results include equal second in 1 993. Griinfeld has played for Is­ rael in most of the Olympiads since he made his debut in 1 982, most recently in 1 992 .

62 Country: Date of Birth: Grandmaster Title: Current Rating: World Rankin2:

Israel 28/02/56 1 980 2520 n/a

You have reached an endgame in which material is level. Can you take advantage of the advanced passed pawn on c6 ?

From Greenfeld to Hjartarson

B oris GULKO

43

63

Boris Gulko won his first major Country: event in 1 97 4 at Sambor and soon Date of Birth: established himself in the top flight Grandmaster Title: with victories at Kishniev and Vil- Current Rating: nius and equal second place in the World Ranking: Soviet Championship in 1 975. However, his career then hit the rocks after he decided to apply for permission (with his wife, Ak­ sharumova, also a strong player) to leave the Soviet Union. For this 'sin ' he was virtually forbidden to play in tournaments 'while his case was examined' and he became a cause celebre, even going on a hunger strike. Finally, in 1 986, he was allowed to leave, since when he has won many events in the West. None of this can save him if you find the right continuation.

USA 09/02/47 1 976 26 1 5 46

�----------�

Dmitri GUREVICH Moscow-born Dmitri Gurevich be­ came a grandmaster after a victory in New York in 1 982 and in 1 986 he won another strong tournament in Jerusalem, where for a long time he was involved in a battle for first place with the Danish GM Curt Hansen. The outcome was decided by their mutual encounter which proved to be the ultimate test of stamina when Gurevich reached a position of rook and bishop against rook. The game went on for four sessions in four days before Gurevich finally won in 1 63 mo ves.

64 Country: Date of Birth: Grandmaster Title: Current Rating: World Ranking:

USA 1 1/09/56 1 983 2535 n/a

Your king is in an unusually advanced position. Can you exploit this ?

44

Checkmate

65

Ilya GUREVICH Like his namesakes, Dmitri and Mikhail, Ilya was born in the So­ viet Union, though he made his home in the United States at a young age. In 1 990 he achieved his best result, winning the World Junior Championship in Santiago, Chile on tie-break from Alexei Shi­ rov, ahead of Akopian, Ulibin, Lutz, etc. Since then, however he has made steady but not spectacu­ lar progress, such as a 5 0 % score in the 1 993 Biel Interzonal.

Country:

USA

08/02/72 Grandmaster Title: 1 993 Current Rating: 2575 Date of Birth:

World Ranking:

n/a

You have won a pawn and have him on the ropes. ls there a way to convert your advantage into something more substantial ?

Mikhail GUREVICH Ukrainian-born Mikhail Gurevich had already recorded several important victories before he was allowed to play in the West. As coSoviet Champion he had been expected to play in the 1 985 Inter­ zonal at Taxco but simply failed to appear without any explanation being offered by the Soviet authorities. Once the Iron Curtain was raised enough for him to play abroad he soon won a string of in­ ternational tournament, including Stockholm open 1 988, and the su­ per-strong Reggio Emilia 1 988/89.

66 Country:

Belgium

22/02/59 Grandmaster Title: 1 986 Current Rating: 2590 World Ranking: 79 Date of Birth:

In this game he has just taken a pawn on e4. ls there a way to pun ish him for such audacity ?

From Greenfeld to Hjartarson

C u rt

HANSEN

45

67

Denmark Ha ving already won club titles, re- Country: gional titles, newspaper and ware- Date of Birth: 1 8/09/64 h ouse titles, Danish and Nordic Grandmaster Title: 1 985 school titles, the Danish Champi- Current Rating: 26 1 5 onship for the first time in 1 983 World Ranking: 49 (repeated 1 984 and 1 985), the Nor­ dic Championship the same year, and the European Junior champi­ onship in 1 98 1/82, Curt Hansen completed a remarkable set when he won the World Junior Champi­ onship in 1 984. Since achieving the GM title in 1 98 5 , he has been re­ markably consistent, making grandmaster results in practically every event in which he has com­ peted. You have sacrificed a pawn to disorganise his position, but what now ?

Lars Bo HANSEN

68

Denmark Lars Bo Hansen decided to try Country: playing professionally for a year Date of Birth: 24/09/68 after finishing school. During that Grandmaster Title: 1 990 year his strength quickly h5 is decisive: 2 . . . 'ir'e7+ 3 @h5+ @h7 4 'ijt'g8 mate ! or 2 . . . @h7 3 l:th4+ @g7 4 'i'h8 mate.) 65 Sadler-I. Gurevich, Hastings 1 992/93 1 °iVxh5 1 -0 ( 1 . . ."i!Vxh5 is met by 2 �g8+ @f7 3 � l g7 mate) . 66 Karpov-M. Gurevich, Reggio Emilia 1 990/9 1 1 j_xd4 exd4 2 'ii'f7 + @h6 3 'Yi'f8+ �h5 (3 . . . @h7 4 .tg8+ ! @h8 5 j_d5+ wins the queen) 4 'ir'h8+ .th6 (Gurevich had probably calcu­ lated this far, but perhaps he missed the next move) 5 'i'e5+ ! ! 1 -0. (One of the highlights of your grandmaster simul : 5 . . . 'ii'xe5 6 g4 mate.) 67 Hellers-C. Hansen, Malmo 1 987/88 1 'i'd5+ 1 -0 ( 1 . . . .txd5 2 .txd5+ and 3 lhg4) . 68 J. Polgar-L. B. Hansen, Vejstrup 1 988 1 "i!Vg7+ ! ! 1 -0 ( 1 . . .@xg7 2 llfxf7+ \t> g8 3 l:tg7+ @h8 4 l:th7+ \t>g8 5 l::tb g7 mate) . 69 Hebden-Conquest, London (Lloyds Bank) open 1 993 1 . . . .l:ixc3 ! 2 bxc3 CLlxd5 ! 3 lbxd5 (or 3 'iYc l lbxc3 with three pawns and an attack for the exchange) 3 . . . e3 ! 4 �d3 'i'e6 5 c4 b5 (White 's posi­ tion now comes crashing down around his ears.) 6 'i'b3 exf2 7 @g2 l:tg8 0- 1 . 70 Franco-Hector, Spanish Team Championship 1 990 1 8+! 1 -0 ( I . . . .i.xf8 2 'ii'g 5+ '1Wg6 3 'ilfxd8 l:te8 4 '8 f6+) .

�:

7 1 Hellers-Kristiansen, Gausdal (Skei Masters) 1 993 1 . . .CLlxe5 ! 2 it.b4 (2 dxe5 ? .txf2+ 3 l:txf2 'tlf xd I + o r 2 'iYx f3 CLl xf3+ and 3 . . . CLlxd4) 2 . . . 'ii x d3 3 j_xf8 ll'if3+ 4 @g2 tLld2 ! 5 .l::. e l cJi;> xf8 6 °ika4 'ilff3+ 7 'iiti h 3 'iiti g 8 0- 1 . 72 Stefansson-Hjartarson, Reykjavik 1 986 I ifxf8+ ! 'iiti xf8 2 CLle6+ 'iit> e 8 3 Iif8+ 'iiti d7 4 !t d8 mat e.

From Hodgson to Kasparov

Julian HODGSON

49

73

England Despite many years of great activ­ Country: ity on the European tournament Date of Birth: 25/07/63 sc ene, it was not until 1 988 that Grandmaster Title: 1 988 Julian Hodgson made the break­ Current Rating: 26 1 5 through to the grandmaster title. World Ranking: 42 Removed from the shackles of norm-hunting he won a string of open tournaments over the next few years and shortly before his marriage in 1 99 1 , he won the British Championship for the first time (he retained the title in 1 992) . In the past few years a more disci­ plined approach has elevated Hodgson to the top 50 with recent successes at Horgen 1 994 and the if Berne open 1 995 (shared) . You have pressed him hard and he is still playing without his pieces on b8 and a8. Do you see a long, but forced and elegant way to victory ?

74

Vlastimil HORT Vlastimil Hort was the strongest Czech player of his generation (winning the national champion­ ship in 1 970, 1 97 1 , 1 972, 1 975 and 1 977) , before settling in West Germany in 1 985. Although in all he has won over twenty first prizes in international tournaments, Hort has surprisingly only qualified for the Candidates once, sharing sec­ ond place at the 1 976 Manila Inter­ zonal. After representing Czecho­ slovakia in many Olympiads since 1 960, Hort has also played for his adopted country, most recently in the 1 992 Manila Olympiad.

Country: Date of Birth: Grandmaster Title: Current Rating: World Ranking:

Germany 1 2/0 1/44 1 965 2550 n/a

You have won the exchange in a wild position. Can you see a way to exploit this ?

Checkmate

50

75

Zbynek HRACEK Over the past couple of years Country: Zbynek Hracek has stormed up the Date of Birth: rankings from virtually nowhere, Grandmaster Title: gaining 1 25 points since January Current Rating: 1 994. In August 1 993, while still World Ranking: an IM, he even finished joint last in a tournament at Brno, but since ..(].. then his results have improved immensely and in 1 994 he finished equal first (with Jansa) in the Czech Championship.

Czech 09/09/70 1 993 2650 20

There is an unusual material balance in your game, but didn 't some­ one once say that a rook on the seventh is worth at least half a pawn ?

Robert HU BNER Robert Hilbner enjoyed a rapid rise Country: to the top : winning the West Ger- Date of Birth: man Championship in 1 968 and Grandmaster Title: reaching the Candidates by virtue Current Rating: of his joint second place, behind World Rankin2: Fischer, at the Palma Interzonal in 1 970. However, while only one game behind he resigned his quar­ ter-final match with Petrosian due to stress aggravated by street noises (his opponent was able to simply switch off his hearing aid) . Although he has subsequently played in three further Candidates cycles he has never become a challenger for the title itself. fr You have reached a several threa ts. How

76 Germany 06/ 1 1/48 1 970 2635 30

completely wild position and have to deal with can you escape ?

From Hodgson to Kasparov

Ildar IBRAGIMOV

51

77

Ibragimov has enjoyed a fantastic Country: Russia run of results since the summer of Date of Birth: 1 6/08/67 1 994, winning opens in Graz Grandmaster Title: 1 993 (shared) , St Petersburg and Gron- Current Rating: 2575 ingen (shared) and gaining more World Rankin2: n/a ----""'- ---''-- --' than 1 00 rating points in the year to '------ July 1 995 . However, it remains to be seen whether he can bridge the gap from open tournaments to top­ level round-robin tournaments.

You have forced him onto the defensive and have a powerfal phalanx ofpawns and very active pieces. Can you find an instant win ?

Miguel ILLESCAS CORDOBA

78

As the leading Spanish player, Country: Spain Illescas is one of the main benefi­ Date of Birth: 03/ 1 2/65 ciaries of the chess explosion Grandmaster Title: 1 988 which has led to Spain hosting half Current Rating: 2635 a dozen top-class tournaments a World Rankin2: 29 year, most of which he receives an invitation to participate in. He is a regular guest at arguably the world's strongest annual event, Li­ nares, and actually won a tourna­ ment in Linares in late 1 994 (although this was a strong round­ robin in Mexico, rather than the classic Spanish event) . His career has be en built on the principle : if y o u want to be one of the best, you iJ ha ve to play against the best. You have won a pawn but your queen and rook are in a nasty skewer. Ca n y ou find a way out ?

52

Vasily IVANCHUK

Checkmate

79

Ukraine Though still a young man, Vasily Country: lvanchuk has already been at the Date of Birth: 1 8/03/69 top for almost a decade. His early Grandmaster Title: 1 988 victories included Debrecen and Current Rating: 2735 the New York open in 1 988 and World Rankin2: 4 Linares, Biel and Erevan in 1 989, and after winning at the Manila Interzonal, Tilburg 1 990 and Li­ nares 1 99 1 he looked set to domi­ nate the World Championship Can­ didates cycle. However, he stum­ bled in the quarter-final, losing to Yusupov and this defeat seems to have deeply affected him: his re­ sults in the next few years were less consistent. However, he has if found form since sharing first place with Kasparov at Novgorod 1 994. He has offered you an exchange of queens. A re you tempted by this ?

'--����--""-����--'

Vlastimil J ANSA

80

Vlastimil Jansa has strong views Country: Czech on how one should play chess: You Date of Birth: 27/ 1 1/42 should not play dull drawing Grandmaster Title: 1 974 variations; instead you should play Current Rating: 2500 dynamic variations with unbal- World Rankin2: n/a anced though probably equal chances. With this enterprising style of play he has won numerous international tournaments, national championships in a perfect ten-year cycle: 1 964, 1 974, 1 984 Uointly with Hort) and 1 994 Uointly with Hracek) , and has represented his country in many Olympiads, the highlight being Lucerne 1 982 when the Czechs took home the silver if medals. You have been offered an amazing opportunity in a time scram ble.

From Hodgson to Kasparov

Gregory KAIDANOV Soviet-born Gregory Kaidanov had already achieved successes at Mos­ cow 1 987, Lvov 1 988 and Protvino I 988 when he received the grand­ master title at the Thessaloniki FIDE Congress in 1 98 8 . He then began to play in the West and was soon picking up big prizes such as Vienna open 1 989, Hastings open 1 989/90 and New York 1 990. Eventually Kaidanov decided to settle in the United States and in 1 993 he won a gold medal with his adopted country in the World Team Championship in Lucerne.

53

81 Country: Date of Birth: Grandmaster Title: Current Rating: World Ranking:

USA 1 1/ 1 0/59 1 988 2605 59

You could take on h5 in the following position, but perhaps there is something more convincing ?

Gata KAMSKY

82

USA Having battled his way through to Country: meet Karpov for the FIDE World Date of Birth: 02/06/74 Championship, defeating van der Grandmaster Title: 1 990 Sterren, Anand and Salov en route, Current Rating: 2735 Siberian-born Gata Kamsky has World Ranking: 5 proved himself to be one of the world's best matchplay exponents (in the PCA cycle he also defeated Kramnik and Short but lost to Anand in the final) . Jn 1 989 he moved to the USA, claiming that his Tartar background was pre­ venting his progress in the USSR, and he won the US Championship in 1 99 1 and then led US team to g ol d in the World Team Champi- lt on s hip in Lucerne two years later. Neither of you has castled in your game, but in a flash of inspiration you realise . . . what ?

54

Checkmate

Anatoly KARPOV

83

In 1 975, Anatoly Karpov, as offi­ Country: cial challenger, was supposed to Date of Birth: play Bobby Fischer for the World Grandmaster Title: Championship. The fact that FIDE Current Rating: was unable to concede to the World Ranking: American' s demands and had to award the match to Karpov was hardly Karpov' s fault: he had earned the right to be where he was. Fischer's default spurred Kar­ pov on, and for the next decade he dominated the chess world, before losing his title to Kasparov. In the past few years Karpov has shown that he has lost little of his ability, winning at Linares in 1 994 and de­ feating Timman for the FIDE World Championship. Can you find a way to break through Karpov 's defences ?

Russia 23/05/5 1 1 970 2770 3

Garry KASPAROV After defeating Karpov in the 1 985 World Championship match, Kas­ parov assumed the clear number one spot in the chess world, achieving numerous tournament victories, retaining his title against Karpov, Short and Anand and re­ cording the highest ever rating. In the past few years, however, he has not been quite so dominant as be­ fore, and recently Vladimir Kram­ nik has assumed his position at the top of the rating list. But don't start to write him off just yet - he still won at Novgorod and Horgen 1 994.

84 Country: Date of Birth: Grandmaster Title: Current Rating: World Ranking:

Russia 1 3/04/63 1 980 2775 2

You have won the exchange and just need to find a killer bl o w

.

From Hodgson to Kasparov

55

73 Conquest-Hodgson, London (Lloyds Bank) open 1 990 I :txe7 ! 'ifxe7 2 ct:Jxg6+ :txg6 3 'ii'xe7 :tg7 4 'ii'f8+ :gs 5 'ifxf5 lig7 6 :txh7+ llxh7 7 'iff8 mate. 74 Klundt-Hort, Berlin 1 984 l �xf7+ 1 -0 ( l . . .'itxf7 2 Wih7+ 'itf6 3 l:tg6+ 'itf5 4 l:lg5+ 'itxf4 5 'i'f5 mate) . 75 Hracek-Shirov, Pardubice 1 994 1 . . .lih5 ! (never be afraid to retreat a well placed piece ! ) 2 'it>g4 (2 °i'd3 �e7) 2 . . . �d7+ 3 ctJf5 �d l + ! (3 . . . gxf5+ 4 'it>xh5) 4 ctJf3 (4 �f3 l:txg5+ 5 'it>xg5 'ii' x f3) 4 . . . gxf5+ 5 exf5 (5 'it>xh5 fxe4) 5 . . . e4 0- l . 76 Kasparov-Hubner, Amsterdam (OHRA) 1 987 l 'i'xfS+ 't!VxfS 2 hxg4 1 -0. (There is no defence to 3 l!eS .) 77 Ghinda-Ibragimov, Athens open 1 993 l f6 ! 1 -0 ( l . . .�dS 2 e6 fxe6 3 il.xbS or 1 . . .gxf6 2 exf6 i.dS 3 �xbS) . 7S Akopian-Illescas, Chalkidiki 1 992 1 :xg6+ fxg6 2 �xe7 �c2 3 °1Wf6 (threatening 4 'ii'x g6+ and 5 i.f6+ mating) 3 . . . J:.xg2+ (A sJ)iie check if ever there was one.) 4 @xg2 '1i'c2+ 5 'itig3 1 -0. 79 Romanishin-Ivanchuk, Irkutsk 1 9S6 1 lLlb5 ! ! il.xb5 ( l . . . 'ifxc4 2 CLixa7 mate) 2 il.xb7+ 1 -0 (2 . . . @xb7 3 'i' xb5+ @cs 4 'i'c6 mate) . SO Watson-Jansa, Heming 1 99 1 1 l:ia5 ! ! �xa5 ( 1 . . .'ii'd4 2 :e5) 2 'ii'd6+ lle7 3 f6 gxf6 (3 . . . 'i'd5 4 'f'xd5 lLlxd5 5 fxg7+) 4 l:tg l ! 't!Vxh5 (4 . . . :tb l 5 'i'bS+) 5 'i'dS+ @xf7 6 'i'gS mate. S l Conquest-Kaidanov, London (Lloyds Bank) open 1 990 1 l:txg6 ! fxg6 2 'i' xh5+ @gS 3 �b3+ @fS 4 't!VhS+ @e7 5 'i'xaS 1 -0. (That lady really gets around ! ) S 2 lllescas-Kamsky, Manila Interzonal 1 990 1 lLlxf7 ! @xf7 2 ctJg5+ @es 3 'i'xe6+ 'i'e7 4 'i'xd5 1 -0 (due to 4 . . . @dS 5 lL\e6+ �cS 6 �c l +) . 83 Kasparov-Karpov, World Championship match 1 9S5, game 1 1 l 'ti'xd7 ! l:.xd7 2 .:I.es+ @h7 3 i.e4+ 1 -0 (3 . . . g6 4 l:.xd7 i.a6 5 i.xc6) . 8 4 Avshalumov-Kasparov, simultaneous, Azerbaijan 1 985 1 l:txf2 ! 1 -0 ( 1 . . .l:.xf2 2 i.c4+).

56

Checkmate

Lubomir KAVALEK

85

USA When only 1 9, in 1 962, Kavalek Country: 09/08/43 won the Czech Championship, and Date of Birth: he obtained the grandmaster title Grandmaster Title: 1 965 three years later. After again win­ Current Rating: 2535 ning the national championship in World Rankin2: n/a 1 968, Kavalek left Czechoslovakia and he later settled in the United ..().. States. Over the next fifteen years he was a very active player, fin­ ishing first or first equal in the 1 972, 1 973 and 1 978 US Champi­ onships. In the 1 990s he became Nigel Short 's second, assisting him in the Candidates series. However, their relationship turned sour during the 1 993 Kasparov-Short en­ counter and he left London early. Having sacrificed material to force his king across the board, you need to find something special.

Alexander KHALIFMAN Although he first competed in the Soviet Championship in 1 986, it was not until 1 990 that Alexander Khalifman clinched the GM title. In fact 1 990 was a landmark year for him as he won the New York open and a strong event at Gronin­ gen, reached the top ten of the rat­ ing list and began to play for Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, which led to him taking up residence in Germany. After a couple of rela­ tively less successful years , Khalifman qualified for the Cand i­ dates at the Biel Interzonal in 1 99 3 , but then lost to Salov. You have sacrificed through ?

a

86

Grandmaster Title :

Russia 1 8/0 1/66 1 990

Current Rating:

265 0

World Rankin2 :

19

Country: Date of Birth:

'------�-------'

pawn to infi ltrate h is positio n. Is there a way

From Kavalek to Krasenkov

Alexander KHUZMAN Ukrainian-born Alexander Khuz­ man settled in a Israel a couple of years ago. In 1 989 he finished sec­ ond equal with Kramnik behind Tiviakov at Belgorod and he clinched the grandmaster title in 1 99 1 when he was first equal with Topalov in a strong tournament at Vrnjacka Banja ahead of Malaniuk and Hebden. In 1 994 he finished first equal in the Amsterdam open before coming joint second in the Israeli Championship.

57

87 Country: Date of Birth: Grandmaster Title: Current Rating: World Ranking:

Israel 1 0/04/62 1 99 1 2570 n/a

You have developed a promising attacking position. Can you see a way through ?

Daniel KING

88

England Daniel King earned his GM title in Country: 28/08/63 1 989 after a string of good second Date of Birth: places in tournaments ranging from Grandmaster Title: 1 989 Ramsgate 1 98 1 through to Dort- Current Rating: 25 1 0 mund 1 988, Bern 1 988, London World Ranking: n/a 1 989, and the British Champion­ ship 1 989. In 1 990 he won a strong tournament in Geneva and in 1 992 was first equal with Anand, Dreev and Norwood in Calcutta. In 1 993 he was a member of the Channel 4 television team during the World Championship match and he has recently written several books. He is a typical product of the English ' chess explosion ' with an attrac - if tive, colourful style. Yo ur game against him has been a tough fight, and it really looks as if you might have to concede defeat, doesn 't it ?

58

Checkm ate

Viktor KORCHNOI After one of the longest and most Country: successful careers in chess history, Date of Birth: Leningrad-born Viktor Korchnoi is Grandmaster Title: still going strong in his mid-sixties. Current Rating: In 1 995 alone he won two top-level World Rankin2: tournaments, San Francisco and Madrid, and his enthusiasm for the game has not diminished in any way with age. He won the Soviet Championship four times before reaching the final of the Candidates cycle in 1 974, where he lost to Karpov, who also defeated him in title matches in 1 978 and 1 98 1 . Fearing that his outspoken nature was placing his career in jeopardy, he defected in Amsterdam in 1 976, later moving to Switzerland. You have a chance to build an attack on his king.

Oleg KORNEEV

89 Swtzlnd 23/03/3 1 1 956 2645 22

90

In common with many other Rus- Country: Russia sian players, Oleg Korneev is a Date of Birth: 25/07/69 relatively late developer in inter- Grandmaster Title: 1 995 national terms, which can no doubt Current Rating: 2590 be attributed to a lack of opportu- World Rankin2: 76 nities to play in top events. Re­ markably he was rated only 2280 in September 1 990, but once the right opportunities presented them­ selves he took full advantage, be­ coming very active and quite suc­ cessful in open tournaments. Over the past few years he has been one of the fastest improving players in the world, rising from 2475 in July 1 993 to pass the magic 2600 figure in July 1 995 . You have built up a beautifal attacking position. ls there a quick fi n­ ish ?

From Kavalek to Krasenkov

Yona KOSASHVILI Yona Kosashvili was the out­ standing young Israeli player of his generation, making his mark by finishing equal third in the Biel open behind W ahls and Gutman and then scoring 2 112/3 on board eight for Israel when they hosted the European Team Championship. However, this latter event may have had a detrimental effect on his performance at the European Jun­ ior Championship in Arnhem shortly after, as he could only fin­ ish seventh equal (though those ahead of him did include players of the calibre of Dreev and Topalov) .

59

91 Country: Date of Birth: Grandmaster Title: Current Rating: World Ranking:

Israel 03/07/70 1 994 2580 n/a

You have an overwhelming position. What is the most efficient way to kill him off?

Anthony KOSTEN

92

Tony Kosten is another player who Country: England was brought up on the rough and Date of Birth: 24/07/58 tumble of the British weekend Grandmaster Title: 1 990 tournament circuit. After many Current Rating: 2540 successes at home he started to World Ranking: n/a venture farther afield (he now lives in France) and his results in inter­ national tournaments gradually im­ proved, his aggressive style of play proving ideally suited to winning big opens. This happy knack is evidenced by his victories in the Hastings Challengers in both 1 988 and 1 990. After successes in Ge­ neva, taking first place in 1 986 and second in 1 987, he made his first GM norm in Budapest in 1 988. Your game against him is a fierce fighting battle in which you have sa crifi ced a pawn to keep his king uncastled. But what now ?

60

Checkmate

93

Vasilios KOTRONIAS Vasilios Kotronias is a very active Country: Greek grandmaster, the first ever Date of Birth: from that nation, in fact. Very ap­ Grandmaster Title: propriately he made his first Current Rating: Olympiad appearance on home soil World Ranking: at Thessaloniki 1 984, where he was already considered strong enough ..(J.. to occupy board two. His great po­ tential as an attacking player was demonstrated in Reykjavik 1 988 when he finished second in a very strong open. Later that same year he made his first GM norm when he won an event in Athens.

Greece 25/08/64 1 990 26 1 0 53

Against you he has kept the material balance. However, his rook on a5 seems to be somewhat out of play. How can you exploit this ?

Zdenko KOZUL At the end of 1 988 Zdenko Kozul won a strong open in Sibenik, and this marked the start of a rapid rise in the rating list of 70 points in the first six months of 1 989. During this period he was extremely ac­ tive, coming second equal in the Yugoslav Championship (behind Abramovic) , and then first equal in the final (Abramovic was 1 7th out of 1 8) , making a GM norm in the process, and soon afterwards mak­ ing another norm in winning a strong tournament at Ptuj . In 1 994 he shared first place in strong opens in Graz and in Velden.

94 Country:

Croatia

2 1/05/66 Grandmaster Title: 1 989 2580 Current Rating:

Date of Birth:

World Ranking:

n/a

You have reached a tricky endgame position in which you have som e powerful passed pawns. Can you exploit them ?

61

From Kavalek to Krasenkov

Vladimir KRAMNIK

95

Russia Since being tipped by Garry Kas­ Country: Date of Birth: arov as his possible future succes­ 25/06/75 p sor to the world crown, Vladimir Grandmaster Title: 1 992 Kramnik has had a meteoric rise to Current Rating: 2775 the top of the chess world. In 1 993 World Ranking: 1 he was one of the few players to progress to the Candidates in both the FIDE and PCA cycles, and af­ ter coasting past Yudasin in the first round of the FIDE event, he was widely expected to be the eventual challenger for one or the other title. However, perhaps a lack of matchplay experience or open­ ing preparation betrayed him as he then lost to Kamsky in the quarter- iJ finals. Material is dead level in your game. Should you agree a draw ?

96

Mikhail KRASENKOV Mikhail Krasenkov is a Russian­ bom grandmaster who gradually improved his results through the eighties, earning the GM title in 1 989. His results in 1 99 1 included victories in opens in Vienna and Gausdal, and he has consistently performed well in open events; his most recent successes include shared first place in the 1 994 Par­ dubice and outright first at the 1 994/95 Stockholm open. He has recently completed books on the Open Spanish and Sveshnikov Si­ cilian, on which he is a great ex­ p ert.

Country: Date of Birth: Grandmaster Title: Current Rating: World Ranking:

Poland 1 4/ 1 1/63 1 989 26 1 0 52

In your game against him it is by no means obvious that something

immediate is in the air.

62

Checkmate

85 Kavalek-Kasparov, Bugojno 1 982 1 . . .ti:Jc l ! 0- 1 (2 ..txc l 'ifxg l or 2 't!Va4 li:Ja2+ ! ) . 86 Khalifman-Lobron, Munich 1 992 1 . . .li:Jg6 ! 0- 1 (2 'ifxg6 'iff3+ 3 @g l 'iff2+ 4 @h l .:h8+ 5 �h5 'iff3+ wins the rook; 2 �e6 'i'f2+ 3 @h l .:h8 or 2 .:f5 't!Yxe4+) 87 Korchnoi-Khuzman, Beersheva 1 993 1 't!Yxg7+ 1 -0 ( 1 . . . @xg7 2 dxc5+ @f8 3 .:h8+ @e7 4 ..tf6 mate) . 88 Amason-King, Reykjavik open 1 990 1 ..te5 ! ! .l:Ic2 2 ..txf6+ 1 -0. (A miraculous escape. Did you see it all ? If 1 . . .l:ta2+ 2 @b l .:d2 3 l::. c l ! ! - but not 3 ..txf6? ! @g8 4 .:g7+ @h8 ! or 1 . . . .:f2 2 .:xf2 't!Yg l + - 2 . . . 't!Yxf2 ? ! - 3 @b2 't!Yxf2+ 4 .:c2 ! 't!Yb6 4 . . . 't!Ye l 5 :cs+ @h7 6 lk7+ @h8 7 ..txf6+ @g8 8 .:g7+ f7 5 �xe8 'it>xe8 6 d7+ @e7 7 ..i.d4 ! 1 -0 (White intends i.c5-b6 and d8'ii') .

70

Checkmate

Colin McNAB For many years Colin McNab was locked in a great rivalry with his good friend Paul Motwani in a race to become Scotland 's first grandmaster. During this time they played together on numerous occasions both for Scotland and for Dundee. Ultimately, Motwani was the first to make it to GM title, but shortly afterwards Colin McNab clinched his final norm by winning the Commonwealth Championship at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1 992. He was equal second in the 1 993/94 Hastings Challengers.

109 Country: Date of Birth: Grandmaster Title: Current Rating: World Ranking:

Scotland 03/02/6 1 1 992 2465 n/a

�----�--�-�

Can you see a way in which to finish your game with a little style ?

Henrique MECKING Henrique Mecking was one of the outstanding players of the 1 970s but after withdrawing from the Rio de Janeiro Interzonal in 1 979, he retired from chess for 1 2 years, suffering from Myasthenia, weak­ ness of the muscles. Mecking was an outstanding prodigy, and he had already twice won the Brazilian Championship by the age of 1 5 . Although he qualified for the Inter­ zonals of 1 967 and 1 970, it was not until 1 973 that he made his mark in the highest class by winning the Interzonal at Petropolis, a feat he repeated at Manila in 1 976.

1 10 Country: Date of Birth: Grandmaster Title: Current Rating: World Rankim?:

Brazil 23/0 1/52 1 972 2560 n/a

You have a strong passed pawn on d6, but rathe r too many things are hanging. What should you do ?

From McNab to Norwood

71

Edmar MEDNIS

111

Latvian-born Edmar Mednis be- Country: came a grandmaster in 1 980 after Date of Birth: winning in Costa Catalana, Spain. Grandmaster Title : He has played twice in the US Current Rating: Olympiad team ( 1 962 and 1 970) World Rankin2: and qualified for the Riga Inter­ zonal in 1 979, finishing 1 3th of 1 8 . His later tournament successes in­ clude a first in Puerto Rico 1 984 and a second at the 1 990 Copenha­ gen open. Mednis writes a popular column in Chess Life and has written many successful books in­ cluding From the Opening into the Endgame, How to be a Complete Tournament Player and Rate Your Endgame. But you are not going to allow him through the middlegam e are you ?

Jonathan MESTEL

USA 22/03/37 1 980 2405 nf a

unscathed,

1 12

Jonathan Mestel is one of the prod- Country: England ucts of the ' English chess explo- Date of Birth: 1 3/03/57 sion' in the 1 970s. He made his Grandmaster Title : 1 982 mark by winning the World U- 1 8 Current Rating: 25 1 5 Championship i n 1 974 and then World Rankin2: n/a finishing in a seven-way tie for '--------""---..:!... :.: .:.:.... __J first place at the British Champion� � � ship (although he did not win the play-off) . Two years later he won a record nine games in the Championship to ensure first place and he � � &i � repeated this victory in 1 983 and 1 988. He has had good results in - �- �� �Mffe Olympiads and European Team Championships since making his 3� � 0 0 ft debut in the bronze-medal winning iJ � kEnglish team at Haifa in 1 976. Your game against Mestel has been tense. You have put great faith in your a-pawn but now he has combined threats against fl and a6.

_

� �� � �� �� '� � ��', -� � ,��;·:� � -@%i · � B-�-;�� ft � ft �@%i�@%i�r.. 7mW# : � •�•� _�

,

_

·

72

Checkmate

Anthony MILES Since winning the World Junior Championship in 1 974, Tony Miles has been almost ever-present in the world top 1 00. He became the first ever British grandmaster in 1 976 and over the next decade enjoyed tremendous success in tournaments of the highest calibre. In 1 987 he changed his allegiance to the USA and immediately finished second to Gulko after a play-off in the US Open Championship. Nowadays, however, he is back playing for England, travelling to tournaments in Europe and further afield.

1 13 Country:

England

23/04/55 Grandmaster Title: 1 976 2635 Current Rating: World Ranking: 27 Date of Birth:

You have built up some heavy artillery on the kingside. How can you break through ?

Ivan MOROVIC FERNANDEZ Ivan Morovic achieved the IM title in 1 980 and then won the Chilean Championship while still a teen­ ager in 1 98 1 . He is now resident in Spain, where he has achieved most of his best results, including shared first place at Las Palmas in 1 987 and outright first at the same place in 1 994.

Country:

1 14 Chile

24/03/63 Grandmaster Title: 1 986 Current Rating: 2575 Date of Birth:

World Ranking:

n/a

You have a fairly standard looking position. ls there a way to exploit his routine moves ?

From McNab to Norwood

Alexander MOROZEVICH

73

1 15

Russia Although he was already a rapidly Country: improving player, and had recently Date of Birth: 1 8/07/77 won a strong tournament at Al- Grandmaster Title: 1 994 ushta, few people had heard of Al- Current Rating: 2625 exander Morozevich before his World Ranking: 38 outstanding performance at the 1 994 London (Lloyds Bank) open, where he scored a remarkable 9 1/z/ 1 0 with a rating performance of 2970, one of the highest of all time. This was followed shortly afterwards by a bronze medal for the ' Young Russia ' team at the Moscow Olympiad for whom he took top board, and victory in a strong tournament in Pamplona if over the New Year period. You have won a piece but dark storm clouds are hovering over your position in the shape of two powerfal passed pawns. What can you do ?

Paul MOTW ANI

1 16

Scotland Having achieved two norms from Country: the Olympiads of Dubai 1 986 and Date of Birth: 1 3/06/62 Thessaloniki 1 98 8 , Paul Motwani Grandmaster Title: 1 992 made his final norm in sharing sec- Current Rating: 2505 and place at the 1 992 Berne open, World Ranking: n/a pipping his great rival Colin McNab by only a few months in .£1,. the race to become Scotland 's first grandmaster. Motwani is known for his fearless, attacking style of play, which has served him well on top board for Scotland over the past decade. Over this period he combined chess with teaching mathematics at a school in Dundee, though he has recently moved to Belgium . You have reached the rare situation of two knights against a pawn. How can you finish the game off?

'--------""---�-�

74

Miguel

Checkmate

NAJDORF

1 17

Argentina Having passed his 85th birthday, Country: 1 5/04/ l 0 Miguel Najdorf could be regarded Date of Birth : as the ' grand old man' of chess. He Grandmaster Title : 1 950 had already represented Poland in Current Rating: 2445 two Olympiads when he went to World Rankin2: nf a the Buenos Aires Olympiad in 1 939. When hostilities broke out during the tournament Najdorf, in common with most his team-mates, decided to settle in Argentina and he went on to win no less than seven Argentinian Championships. His best years were in the decade after the War, when he played in two outstanding Candidates tour­ naments, Budapest 1 950 and Zu­ rich 1 95 3 . You have won the exchange and all that is required is a little technique to clinch victory.

Alexander NENASHEV

1 18

Alexander Nenashev is a key Country: Uzbkstan member of the Uzbekistan team Date of Birth: 25/08/62 that performed exceptionally well Grandmaster Title: 1 992 in 1 992 and 1 993. His personal Current Rating: 2595 score of 9 112/ 1 2 on board three was World Rankin2: 66 a major contributory factor in the silver medals that Uzbekistan won at the Manila Olympiad in 1 992 and the following year they came second in the Asian Team Champi­ onship. Later that year Ubekhistan finished a creditable eighth in the World Team Championship. On a personal level, Nenashev narrowly missed out on qualification for the 1 993 Biel Interzonal with second place at the Zonal in Bizkek. You have an extra passed pawn but need to find a suitable way to ex­ ploit it.

From McNab to Norwood

Predrag NIKOLIC

75

1 19

Bosnia Since wmnmg the Yugoslav Country: Championship in 1 980 (a feat he Date of Birth: 1 1/09/60 repeated in 1 984) Predrag Nikolic Grandmaster Title: 1 983 has established himself as one of Current Rating: 2645 the most consistent players in the World Ranking: 25 world top thirty. In 1 990 he quali­ fied for the Candidates by virtue of ..().. a shared fifth place at the Manila Interzonal, but he then lost nar­ rowly to Boris Gelfand. Recent re­ sults include second place at Por­ toroz/Rogaska-Slatina in 1 993 and a silver medal with Bosnia-Herze­ govnia in the 1 994 Moscow Olym­ piad. Nikolic is very solid, but has shown in the Intel Grand Prix se­ ries that he has considerable flair. It would appear that you are in some trouble. Or do you have some­ thing up your sleeve ?

David NORWOOD David Norwood achieved over­ Country: night fame when William Hartston Date of Birth: quoted him in the Independent in Grandmaster Title: an article about the British Cham­ Current Rating: pionships: 'We need more group­ World Ranking: ies, a load of girls who aren' t as good as us and who 'll treat us with the right amount of reverence. ' Norwood had just been awarded the GM title at the time, with re­ sults such as first place at Lugano in 1 988 and a second at Odessa in 1 989. Over the past few years he has combined playing chess with business interests but he still man­ aged to finish equal third in the iJ 1 994 London (Lloyds Bank) open. Is your queen really trapped ?

120 England 03/ 1 0/68 1 989 2525 n/a

76

Checkmate

1 09 Britton-McNab, London (Lloyds Bank) open 1 993 1 ltJf6+ @g7 2 'i!Vxg6+ mate. 1 1 0 Keres-Mecking, San Antonio 1 972 1 .txf7+ 'it> h8 ( l . . .@xf7 2 'i!Ve6 mate) 2 d7 1 -0 (2 . . . 'i!Vxd7 3 ii.e6) . 1 1 1 Mednis-Zapata, Amsterdam 1 986 l . . . e3 ! ! 2 .tg2 (if White saves his rook, 2 . . . exf2 is mate) 2 . . . exf2+ 3 W h l .txg2+ 4 @xg2 'tlfxe2 5 .l::.h 7+ (A spite-check! ) 5 . . . 'itixh7 0- 1 . 1 1 2 Speelman-Mestel, London League Jubilee match 1 987 1 a7 ! ! .txfl ( 1 . .. 'i'xf l + 2 'i'xfl and the a-pawn will queen) 2 'i'b6+ 1 -0 (2 . . . @g5 3 'i'd8+ followed by a8'i') . 1 1 3 Hubner-Miles, Tilburg 1 985 1 .l::. e6 ! fxe6 2 .txh6 c4+ 3 Wh l 1 -0. 1 1 4 Campora-Morovic Fernandez, Argentina 1 982 1 .txh7+! @xh7 2 1i'h5+ @g8 3 Ite3 f5 4 l:.h3 'ii'e 8 5 'i'h7+ @f7 6 .l::.g 3 .l::.g 8 7 .th6 .i.f8 8 b4 ! ltJb7 (8 . . . ltJe4 9 ltJxe4 fxe4 1 0 .l::.g 4) 9 ltJf3 ltJd8 1 0 ltJh4 ! .l:Ib8 1 1 ltJg6 'it'd? ( l 1 . . Jhb4 1 2 1'.g5 ! intending 'ii'h 5 or 1 l . . .bxb4 1 2 ltJh8+) 1 2 c3 ! �b7 1 3 .tg5 a6 1 4 ltJh4 ! 1'.e7 1 5 ..th6 "il/c7 1 -0 (because of 1 6 .txg7; 1 5 . . . .tf8 was also hopeless due to 1 6 "il/g6+ 1;e7 1 7 1'.g5 mate) . 1 1 5 Onischuk-Morozevich, Alushta 1 994 1 ..i.f6 1 -0 ( 1 . .. gxf6 2 'iif5 and 3 'iYh7 mate or 1 . . J!g8 2 1'.xe5). 1 1 6 Motwani-1. Gurevich, Hastings Challengers 1 99 1 1 . . .1;c l 2 1;a2 'it> c2 3 1;a 1 ltJd4 0- 1 (4 e6 ltJb3+ 5 1;a2 ltJc l + 6