Cheats in chess

Cheating scandals in sports greeted the first quarter of 2008. Allegations of steriods use and Human Growth Hormones (HGH) injections implicated several US baseball stars led by NYY starter Roger Clemens and SFG slugger Barry Bonds.

The royal game of chess was not spared.  Organizers have already cascaded tournament sites with magnetic signals  to jam secret wireless communications. And they have good reasons.

At the US World Open in Philadelphia two years ago, a player was caught with a concealed wireless earpiece, obviously obtaining tips from a spectator. And in the 2007 World Open, officials and organizers have discovered the use of body doubles, wherein a much-stronger look-alike player sits in for a weaker player.

Cheating charges are nothing new in chess. In the 1962 world candidates tournament in Curacao, Bobby Fischer accused the Russians of collusion. In the 1978 world championship in Baguio City, world champion Anatoly Karpov hired the services of a parapsychologist to sit in the audience and annoy challenger Victor Korchnoi.

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A rare sideline (positional exchange sacrifice), which the world champion must have studied and re-appraised, helps him to another fine victory. This game is welcome for some supplementary light on the variation which has been known so far as favorable for White.

Linares 2008

W) A. Shirov g 2755 ESP

B)  V. Anand g 2799 IND

Sicilian Defense

1. e4                       c5

2. Nf3                      d6

3. d4                       cxd4

4. Nxd4                   Nf6

5. Nc3                    a6

6. Bg5                    e6

7. f4                       Nbd7

After 7...h6 8. Bh4 Be7 9. Qf3 Qc7 10. 0-0-0 Nbd7 11. Be2!? (11. Bd3 g5 12. fxg5 Ne5 13. Qe2 Nfd7 14. Nf3! Nxf3 15. gxf3 hxg5 16. Bg3 slightly favors White) 11...Rg8!? 12. Qg3 g5 13. fxg5 Ne5 14. Nf3 Nfd7 15. g6!? Rxg6 16. Qh3, White has a slight edge.

8. Qf3                      Qc7

9. 0-0-0                    b5

10. Bd3                   ...

White has a number of possibilities; 10. e5 and 10. Bxb5 are both fairly popular, but the system chosen by Shirov is more solid and leads to positional struggle in which White has scored fine successes.

10...                        Bb7

11. Rhe1                 Qb6

Polugaevsky’s well-known idea which has become quite popular in the 70s.

Anand knows the Najdorf well and must have good reason for making this move. Yet the conventional 11...0-0-0 seems safer. The text allows the dangerous 12. Nd5!

12. Nb3?!                 ...

Seems passive. Stronger is 12. Nd5! exd5 13. Nc6!, when White has a powerful attack for the piece although the win so far is inconclusive.

12...                        Rc8!

Anand improves on 12...b4 which Kariakin tried against Shirov in the 2007 World Cup in Russia. That game had gone 13. Nb1 Be7 14. N1d2 Qc7 15. Qh3 e5 16. Nc4 0-0 17. Nba5 with advantage to White.

13. Qh3                   ...

Intending to pry open the center with 14. e5.

13...                        Rxc3!

An typical exchange sacrifice on the c-file, shattering White’s queenside pawn structure.

14. bxc3                   Qc7

15. Kb1                    Be7

16. e5                      ...

White is forced to open up the position in view of Black’s coming threats along the c-file. The alternative 16. Qg3 is also good.

16...                        dxe5

17. f5?!                    ...

Hardly a good advance. Better is the simple 17. fxe5! when White obtains a dangerous attack. For instance 17...Nxe5 (if 17...Nd5 18. Bxe7 Nxc3ch 19. Ka1 Nxd1 20. Bb4 Nc3 21. Qg3 g6 22. Bd6 Qc8 23. Rf1, White is better) 18. Qg3 Bd6 19. Bxf6 gxf6 20. Be4! and White has the upper hand.

17...                        Nd5

18. Bxe7                 Kxe7!?

The King safely defends e6. Now White’s task to open up the position is far from easy.

19. fxe6                   fxe6

The doubled e-pawn makes it hard for White to attack the Black king.

20. Qg3                   g6

21. Rd2                   Rc8

Now Black has what he aimed for and holds the edge because of the situation on the queenside.

22. Qg5ch?              ...

Not the right check after which White is strategically lost. It is worth studying if White has better chances with 22. Qh4ch, although after 22...N7f6 23. Rf2 e4 24. Bxe4 Nxc3ch 25. Kc1 Qe5, Black’s initiative is still dangerous.

22...                        Ke8

23. Qg4                   ...

23. Bxg6ch?! doesn’t work because of 23...hxg6 24. Qxg6ch Ke7 25. Qg7ch Kd6 and the Black king escapes.

23...                        Nxc3ch

24. Ka1                   Bd5

25. Re3                   Nf6

26. Qh4                   Qe7

The immediate threat is 27...Qa3 and mate. Also strong is 26...Qg7! with the idea of 27...e4, opening the long diagonal a1-h8.

27. Bf1                    Bxb3

28. cxb3                  ...

Obviously 28. axb3? Qa3 mates.

28...                        Nce4

29. Rb2                   ...

There is nothing better. For example 29. Rxe4 Qa3 30. Bd3 Nxe4 31. Qxe4 Qc1ch 32. Bb1 Qxd2 and Black wins easily.

29...                        Rc1ch

30. Rb1                   Qc5

0:1

30. Rd3 is met by 30...Qc2 and mate follows.

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Solution to last week’s puzzle:

1. Bf4! ... If 1...b1=Q/b1=N 2. e4/Rc2 mates.