TWIC is 30. First issue 17th September 1994.
3rd London Chess Classic 2011 (Final Dinner)
2nd game from London Classic Final Dinner
IM Malcolm Pein - Saturday 17th December 2011
Magnus Carlsen at the final dinner. Photo © Ray Morris-Hill. | http://www.rmhphoto.eu
Another interesting game from the closing dinner of the London Chess Classic held at Simpson's in the Strand on Monday night. Players on each of the 18 tables took on; Vishy Anand, Magnus Carlsen, Levon Aronian, Vladimir Kramnik, Hikaru Nakamura, Mickey Adams, Nigel Short, Luke McShane and David Howell. Each of the GMs made a few moves on each board but never two consecutively.
One table was occupied by players from Blue Crest Capital and ICAP and they played a dynamic King's Indian which ended in a draw. The table was led by Ryad Belabdelouahab of ICAP who has also drawn with Anatoly Karpov in a simultaneous display playing the King's Indian. To everyone's surprise, the computer tells us the final position is winning for Black.
Black is worse strategically as his kingside play is snuffed out but he organises a break on the other wing and the GMs lose control.
LCC 2011 GMs - ICAP / Blue Crest Capital
London Chess Classic Closing Dinner
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.d4 0-0 6.h3 e5 7.d5 a5 8.Bg5 h6 9.Be3 Na6 10.Nd2
A main line position but Black's next is dubious as it leaves the knight sidelined and f7-f5 cannot be arranged
10...Nh5?!
(10...Nc5; 10...Nh7)
11.g3! Bd7 12.Be2 Nf6 13.Qc2?!
(13.a3 Nh7 14.g4 and if 14...f5 15.gxf5 gxf5 16.exf5 Bxf5 17.Bg4)
13...Nh7! 14.g4 c6
(Black is doing well after 14...f5! 15.gxf5 gxf5 16.exf5 Bxf5 17.Nde4 Nb4 18.Qb1 Qh4)
15.h4 Rb8
(15...f5)
16.a3 c5?!
Closing the queenside helps White as it removes a source of counterplay
17.Nf1
(17.Nb5!? Qe7 18.0-0-0)_
17...Nc7 18.Qd2! g5 19.h5
(19.Ng3! b5 20.Nxb5 Nxb5 21.cxb5 Bxb5 22.Nf5 with advantage)
19...b5!
Black has some play now
Blue Crest Capital / ICAP
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LCC GMs
Position after 19...b5!
20.cxb5 Nxb5 21.Nxb5 Bxb5 22.Bxb5 Rxb5 23.Ng3 Qb8
(23...Qb6! 24.Rb1 Rb8)
24.Rb1 c4 25.Nf5 Rb3 26.Ne7+
(26.Qxa5!? c3 27.0-0)
26...Kh8 27.Nc6 c3! 28.Qc2 Qb5! 29.a4! Qxa4 30.bxc3 Rxb1+ 31.Qxb1 Qc4 32.Kd2?
(32.f3 f5!? 33.gxf5 Nf6)
32...Nf6 33.f3 Rc8
(33...Nxd5!)
34.Qb7 Rf8 35.Ra1 Nxd5!
"I approve" - Kasparov
36.exd5 e4! 37.Bd4 Qd3+ 38.Kc1 Bxd4 39.cxd4 e3 40.Qe7 draw
Blue Crest Capital / ICAP
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LCC GMs
Position after 40.Qe7 Draw agreed but how does Black win from here?
Answer:
40.Qe7 Kg7!! 41.Kb2 else Qd2+ and e2 41...Qd2+ 42.Kb3 a4+! 43.Rxa4 Qd1+ 44.Kb4 e2; 40.Qe7 Kg7 41.Kb2 Qd2+ 42.Ka3 Qc3+ 43.Ka2 Qc2+ 44.Ka3 a4! 45.Qb7 Qc3+ 46.Ka2 e2 wins.
IM Lorin D'Costa played well at the London Chess Classic Open and finished in a tie for third. Here he follows Kramnik but diverges and his opponent, on unfamiliar ground, immediately goes wrong. D'Costa's finish is today's puzzle.
L D'Costa - N Croad
Catalan
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 Nc6 5.Bg2 dxc4 6.Qa4 Bb4+ 7.Bd2 Nd5 8.Bxb4 Ndxb4 9.0-0
(9.a3 b5 10.Qxb5 Nc2+ 11.Kd2 Nxa1 12.Qxc6+ Bd7 13.Qxc4 c5 led to a draw in Kasparov-Adams 2001 and computers have shown this line is adequate for Black)
9...Rb8 10.Na3 0-0 11.Qb5 b6 12.Qxc4 Ba6 13.Nb5 Qd5 14.Qxd5 Nxd5 15.a4 Na5 16.Ne5 Rbd8 17.Nxa7 Nb4 18.Rac1 Rxd4 19.Rxc7
N Croad
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Lorin D'Costa
Position after 19.Rxc7
(19.Nb5 Bxb5 20.axb5 f6 Black held in Kramnik-Nakamura six days earlier in the main event)
19...f6?
(19...Bxe2 20.Rfc1 Rd2 is better)
20.Nf3 Re4 21.Nb5 Nd5
(21...Rxe2 22.Nfd4! Re5 23.f4 Re3 24.f5!; 21...Bxb5 22.axb5 Rxe2 23.Nd4 Re5 24.f4 Re3 25.Kf2 Rd3 26.Nxe6 wins)
22.Ra7 Bxb5 23.axb5
Black's rook on e4 is badly placed
23...Rb4
N Croad
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Lorin D'Costa
Position after 23...Rb4. White to play and win
Answer 24.e4! Rxe4 25.Ng5! Re5 26.Nxe6 Re8 27.f4 Ne3 28.fxe5 Nxf1 29.exf6 1-0
