Volume 144

APRIL
2024

INTERVIEW:
STEV BONHAGE
A COMET IN THE
CHESS WORLD

CHANGING THE
PERCEPTION OF CHESS
FROM A TOOL TO
FIGHT DISTRACTION,
TO WACKY EVENTS AND
TAKING LESSONS FROM OTHER SPORTS
TOURNAMENT REPORTS: THE AMERICAN CUP 2024 ∙ PRAGUE MASTERS
 IMPRESSUM
Contents
BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE
Founded 1881

www.britishchessmagazine.co.uk

Chairman Shaun Taulbut

Director Stephen Lowe

Editors

204
Milan Dinic and Shaun Taulbut
BCM Interview:
Photo editor Stev Bonhage, photographer
David Llada A comet in the chess world
Prepress Specialist
Milica Mitic 196 The American Cup 2024
The return of Levon Aronian
Photography
By GM Aleksandar Colovic
Stev Bonhage, U.S. Chess Champs Official,
Prague International Chess Festival Official,
biografiasyvidas.com, Shutterstock, 214 Prague Masters
Wikipedia It’s all about the new generation!
By GM Aleksandar Colovic
Advertising
Stephen Lowe 225 Chess, Physics and me
Enquiries By Grandmaster Raymond Keene OBE
editor@britishchessmagazine.co.uk

ISSN 0007-0440
234 4NCL Division One - Report
© The British Chess Magazine Limited
By IM Shaun Taulbut

Company Limited by Shares 238 Openings for Amateurs

Registered in England No 00334968
Postal correspondence:
Albany House, 14 Shute End
Wokingham, Berkshire RG40 1BJ
Subscription
support@britishchessmagazine.co.uk
12 monthly issues
UK: £55 | RoW: £85
Printed in the UK: by Lavenham Press Ltd
Cover photography:
Stev Bonhage
Attacking patterns out of
your Openings (Part I)
By Pete Tamburro
242 Grandmasters’ Misevaluations
By GM Aleksandar Colovic
244 The stories of Spielmann,
Verlinsky and Rauzer
By Peter O’Brien
250 Quotes add Queries
The century-old mastery of
Carlos Torre
By Alan Smith

194 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 April 2024

Chess as an antidote to distraction

Arguments used in promotion of chess often emphasize that the game helps train
concentration and stimulates problem solving. In the era of information overflow, where
the fear of missing out (FOMO) is a key driver in the social life among many people,
particularly the young, could this present an opportunity for chess to be positioned as a
tool for combating distraction?

At the beginning of April I was in the Swiss capital – Bern – for the celebration of 100
years of FIDE. The Swiss, together with FIDE, put on a great show which included the
procession of the FIDE’s torch relay in the centre of Bern, “something which we have
never had in our city,” as the mayor said later.

A well thought out, well organised and well executed event (would you expect anything
different from the Swiss?!), also included the celebration of 50 years since the formation
of the Swiss Youth Chess Federation. The head of the organisation, Michael Hochstrasser
gave a speech in which he highlighted what to me seems as the most obvious benefit of
chess today for young people:

"Young people are exposed to too many distractions. Multitasking is a key word of our
time. At the same time, young people are doing their homework, discussing the latest
events at school while listening to music and writing social media posts. But what young
people also have is more and more difficulties concentrating… By learning chess, children
learn how to concentrate and fight distractions…".

While this seems like a very obvious point, it struck me that it’s not something which
is put forward by chess professionals and promoters when talking about the game nor
– to my knowledge – is it something that has been properly researched. Yes, it’s often
said that chess helps concentration, but chess as a tool against distraction is something
slightly different.

It is no secret that children are easily more distracted. Whether a child plays videogames,
spends time on TikTok or plays chess – what’s the difference? Chess can also be a
distraction. But, various research has shown that chess does help build skills which are
helpful in life – such as concentration, analysis, problem solving, order, to name a few. (In
fairness, there are studies which have also shown the benefits of video games, but not to
the extent as chess). What if chess – as an education tool – could be used to supplement all
those distractions into one?

This argument of chess being a tool to fight distraction can be useful, especially as
technology – despite its many benefits – is showing to have a detrimental effect on
children’s focus. Potentially, this may be a path to further promote chess and grant it more
recognition in society.

Finally, when it comes to other ideas how to promote chess and change its public
perception, we invite you to read the interview with photographer Stev Bonhage whose
distinctive approach to life and work could bring in some new ideas on how to present the
game to the wider world.

BCM Editor

BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 195

04/144
THE AMERICAN CUP 2024
THE RETURN OF LEVON ARONIAN
By GM Aleksandar Colovic; www.alexcolovic.com; Photo: U.S. Chess Champs Official
As if chess wasn’t already complicated
enough, the Americans decided to suspend
their customary pragmatism and introduced a
convoluted format that few could understand.
The format:
▪ Double Elimination Bracket
▪ Classical time control: 90 minutes + 30
seconds
▪ Rapid time control: 15 minutes + 10
seconds
▪ Blitz time control: 3 minutes + 2 seconds
▪ Championship Bracket matches: two
classical and two rapid games, followed
by blitz tie-break if necessary
▪ Consolation Bracket matches: four rapid
games, followed by blitz tie-break if
necessary
▪ Grand Final Reset: four rapid games
followed by a blitz tie-break if necessary
Looking at it, the main question is: why?
Why play a classical game followed by
a rapid game on the same day? Why the
championship bracket has classical games,
followed by rapid games in case of a tie,
196 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE
but the consolation bracket has only rapid
games? Why have only rapid games in the
grand final?
Perhaps somebody knew the answers to these
questions, but to this author’s knowledge
they were never shared with the public.
One explanation that was promoted by the
Americans, perhaps under the influence of
the most dominant chess company in the
world, is the idea of a second chance. In
other words, a loss in one match shouldn’t
send the player home – he gets another
chance in the consolation bracket and if
he wins his matches there, he still has a
shot at the title, meeting the winner of the
championship bracket in the grand finale.
This is certainly gracious, though it
could theoretically lead to a rematch
for first place. Imagine the winner of the
championship losing to the winner of the
consolation bracket: he must also get his
second chance, leading to a rematch. I think
Karpov, with his fondness for rematches,
would have liked this.

After this lengthy introduction, it’s time to
move on to the games.
The tournament saw an unexpected return
of Levon Aronian.
After dropping out of the top 10, after
more than a decade in it, Aronian seemed
unlikely to come back. While always jovial,
he hasn’t shown much ambition in the past
period and his results were average at best.
Garry Kasparov famously said that the
chess world is a better place with a happy
Aronian in it, but Aronian is always happy.
Financially secure, with a young daughter,
he enjoys life and at the age of 41 perhaps
nobody expects him to repeat his great feats.
Except that, like all great players, Aronian
is ambitious. He may not always show it,
or the opposition won’t allow him to show
it, but there is no reason to doubt it’s there.
The winner’s luck in Aronian’s case let
itself be known in the first round. Facing
Sevian, after a series of draws Aronian
took the lead by winning the first blitz
game. In the second, the following position
was reached.
April 2024
Samuel Sevian - Levon Aronian
Open Saint Louis, US (1.6), 14.03.2024
XIIIIIIIIY
9-+r+-+-mk0
9+-+-vl-zpp0
9p+-+N+n+0
9+-+-+Q+-0
9-+r+L+-+0
9zP-+-+-+-0
9-wqp+-zPP+0
9+-tR-tR-mK-0
xiiiiiiiiy
In a must-win situation, Sevian burnt
bridges, which often means ending up in a
losing position. Objectively, White is lost
here, but with little time and a lot of pieces,
anything can happen.
43...¥f6? From winning to losing in one
move. It was the queen that should have
come to that square, not the bishop!
43...¥xa3 44.¤g5 £f6 parries all threats
and Black wins as he remains with two extra
pawns after 45.£h3 £xg5 46.£xa3 h6;
BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 197
04/144
43...£f6 was perhaps even simpler, though
it doesn’t win for Black after 44.¦e2 £xf5
45.¥xf5 ¥xa3 46.¦cxc2 ¦xc2 47.¥xc2
a5 when White should draw, but Black also
needed that result to win the match.
44.¤f4! Now White is winning. It’s very
likely that Aronian planned
44...¤f8 And missed the very beautiful
combination that Sevian also missed!
45.¤d5?? Missing a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity.
45.£xh7+! ¤xh7 46.¤g6+ ¢g8
47.¥d5# is a combination that one rarely
gets to see at grandmaster level!
45...¦4c5 Now Black is safe again.
45...¦e8 was even better, but it doesn’t
matter as long as White doesn’t win.
46.£h3 ¥g5 47.f4 ¥h6 48.£f5 ¤g6 48...
g6 49.£f7 £d4+ 50.¢h2 £f2 is the way
the engine wants to win, but needing a draw
Aronian’s move more than suffices.
49.¢h1 Insisting on keeping pieces on the
board, but now Black wraps it up.
49.¦xc2 ¦xc2 50.¥xc2 £d4+ 51.¢h1
¦f8 wins the f4–pawn and ensures Black
against trouble.
49...¦f8 50.£d7 ¤xf4 51.¤xf4 ¥xf4
52.¥f3 ¥xc1
0–1
ARONIAN'S GRUNFELD
A lucky break is all Aronian needed.
In the next round, he faced the main
favourite, Fabiano Caruana. These players
know each other well, they have worked
together, so in similar cases, the players
usually play openings that they haven’t
looked at together.
198 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE
In this match, Aronian unleashed the
Grunfeld Defence.
The Grunfeld is an excellent opening,
theoretically impeccable and rich in counter-
attacking chances. White suffers greatly
when facing it as even posing problems is
not an easy task, forget about an advantage!
Therefore, White’s approach to the Grunfeld
has been to use one-game ideas, which aim
to surprise the opponent. This is possible
because the choice of good lines White has
in the Grunfeld is big and the amount of
theory in them is considerable, which puts
tremendous pressure on the memory of the
Black player. This hit-and-run approach for
White, plus the whims of fashion, have led to
a decrease in the popularity of this opening.
Aronian never played the Grunfeld
seriously and this must have been a big
surprise for his opponents. Combine this
with the innovative ideas he introduced in
the opening, and the result was a significant
practical advantage for him.
Sam Sevian - Levon Aronian
Saint Louis, USA, 2024
1.c4 g6 2.d4 ¤f6 3.¤c3 d5 4.cxd5 4.¤f3
¥g7 5.h4 was what Caruana tried in
his second attempt against the Grunfeld.
The advance of the h-pawn is common
nowadays, so Aronian wasn’t too surprised.
5...0–0 not fearing ghosts on the kingside.
Black allows the opening of the h-file and
the exchange of his dark-squared bishop,
but finishes development in the meantime.
6.cxd5 (6.h5 is another try, after 6...¤xh5
7.cxd5 c6 Black obtains good counterplay.)
6...¤xd5 7.h5 c5 8.hxg6 hxg6 9.¥h6 ¤xc3
10.bxc3 ¥xh6 11.¦xh6 ¢g7 12.£d2 cxd4
13.cxd4 ¤d7 the alternative is 13...¤c6.
14.e4 ¤f6 15.¦h4 ¦h8 and Black equalised
successfully. After 16.¦xh8 £xh8 17.£f4
£d8 with ...£a5 and ...¥g4 Black didn’t
have problems and the game was drawn in 31
moves. ½– ½ Caruana,F (2804)-Aronian,L
(2722) Saint Louis USA 2024
4...¤xd5 5.e4 ¤xc3 6.bxc3 ¥g7 7.¥e3

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnlwqk+-tr0
9zppzp-zppvlp0
9-+-+-+p+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+-zPP+-+0
9+-zP-vL-+-0
9P+-+-zPPzP0
9tR-+QmKLsNR0
xiiiiiiiiy
This classical approach, popular
since Karpov’s use in the 1990 World
Championship match against Kasparov,
was Sevian’s choice.
Both Robson and Caruana tried the sharpest
7.¥c4 0–0 (7...a6!? was the most original
of Aronian’s innovations. It worked
wonders in his game against Robson after
8.h4 c5 9.¤e2 h5 10.0–0 0–0 11.¥e3 ¤d7
(Here 11...¤c6 may be an improvement, as
the knight on d7 exerts too little pressure
on the centre.) 12.£d2 (White could have
stopped Black’s expansion with 12.a4.)12...
b5 13.¥d5 ¦b8 14.dxc5 £c7 with
unclear play where eventually Aronian
emerged victorious. 0–1 (62) Robson,R
(2696)-Aronian,L (2722) Saint Louis USA
2024) 8.¤e2 ¤c6 another rare line by
Aronian. (Nowadays Black’s plays nothing
but 8...c5, yet there are other moves like
this one, or 8...b6 (played sometimes
before castling) or 8...£d7.) 9.0–0 ¤a5
10.¥d3 e5!? the idea to attack White’s
centre with ...e5 is not new in the Grunfeld,
though rarely played here. (More common
alternatives are 10...c5 and 10...b6.) 11.¦b1
(11.dxe5 is the engine’s suggestion, but after
11...¥xe5 12.f4 ¥g7 13.¥a3 ¦e8 14.£c2
¥d7 Black is not without counterchances.)
11...b6 12.¥e3 ¥e6 provoking d5. 13.d5
¥d7 14.c4 ¤b7 15.£d2 £e7 16.¥c2 c5 the
immediate 16...f5 was also possible. 17.dxc6
¥xc6 18.¤c3 f5 with unclear play. ½– ½
(54) Caruana,F (2804)-Aronian,L (2722)
Saint Louis USA 2024.
7...c5 8.¤f3 £a5 9.£d2 ¤c6 10.¦b1
April 2024
XIIIIIIIIY
9r+l+k+-tr0
9zpp+-zppvlp0
9-+n+-+p+0
9wq-zp-+-+-0
9-+-zPP+-+0
9+-zP-vLN+-0
9P+-wQ-zPPzP0
9+R+-mKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy
A subtlety to provoke ...a6 (in view of
the threat ¦b5) with the idea to later take
advantage of the weakened b6–square on
the queenside.
10...a6 11.¦c1 cxd4 12.cxd4 £xd2+
13.¢xd2 e6 Necessary to stop d5, as
allowing it would give White access to the
weakened b6–square with ¥b6.
14.¥d3 0–0 15.¦c4 ¦d8 The immediate
15...¥d7 is an alternative. Generally Black
doesn’t have problems in this endgame as
he’s prepared for a break in the centre with
d5, while otherwise White cannot make
progress.
16.¥g5 f6 17.¥e3 ¥d7 18.h4 ¥e8
Controlling the d-file in case of d5.
19.¦b1 b5 20.¦c3 ¥f8 21.¦cb3 ¤a5
Black is perfectly fine and decides to repeat
moves.
21...f5!? was an attempt to play for more.
Black wants to provoke e5 when he will
have an excellent square on d5 for the
knight or bishop.
22.¦c3 ¤c6 23.¦cb3 ¤a5 24.¦c3 ¤c6
½–½
The scenario from the match with Sevian
was repeated in the match against Caruana.
The classical and rapid games were drawn,
with Aronian winning both blitz games.
BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 199
04/144
The match with Robson went the other
way round. Aronian won the first two
games and by drawing the third secured a
win in the four-game match. The second
win featured his surprising 7…a6 in the
Grunfeld mentioned above.
The final against Wesley So was decided
in the last rapid game. Aronian won it with
Black and clinched the match 2.5-1.5.
Wesley So - Levon Aronian
Open Saint Louis, US (4.4), 20.03.2024
1.d4 ¤f6 2.c4 e6 In the final Aronian
reverts to his usual openings. Perhaps he
feared So’s preparation in the Grunfeld.
3.¤c3 ¥b4 4.£c2 Capablanca’s favourite
move is one of the safest against the Nimzo-
Indian.
4...0–0 Aronian has also played 4...c5
recently, a move that wasn’t considered as
theoretically sound as the text move and 4...
d5, but with good preparation it’s perfectly
possible to play it.
5.e4 This move used to be an aggressive
way to meet 4...0–0, but today is often a
silent draw offer.
5...c5!? Aronian refuses the silent draw offer!
5...d5 is considered the main move.
After the forcing 6.e5 ¤e4 7.¥d3 c5
8.¤f3 cxd4 9.¤xd4 ¤d7 10.¥f4 £h4
11.g3 £h5 the theory continues and
draws are agreed around move 30. So
has played this line making draws quite
often in the past.
6.e5 cxd4 7.a3 ¥a5!? The real surprise!
The move hasn’t been frequently played
by human players, but does this hold
true when considering it is one of the
primary moves recommended by the
engine? So far the moves 7...¥xc3, 8...
dxc3 and 8...£a5 have been played with
regular frequency.
200 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE
8.exf6 dxc3 9.b4 ¥c7 10.fxg7 ¦e8 11.¤f3
XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnlwqr+k+0
9zppvlp+pzPp0
9-+-+p+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-zPP+-+-+0
9zP-zp-+N+-0
9-+Q+-zPPzP0
9tR-vL-mKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy
According to the engine Black should be
fine now.
11.¥d3 is the only(!) move to keep an
advantage. After 11...f5 12.£xc3 d5
13.¤f3 d4 14.£b3 ¤c6 15.c5 ¢xg7 16.0–0
e5 again White has an only (!) move to
keep an advantage and that is 17.¥g5 £d7
and again an only move 18.b5 ¤a5 19.£b4
there is also 19.£b2 as an alternative here,
at least. White should be better here, though
to a human eye, especially one that hasn’t
analysed this position before, it’s just a
mess and anybody’s game.
11...d5?! Aronian probably remembered
that ...d5 should be played sooner rather
than later, but here the timing isn’t right.
11...£f6! we enter the territory of only
moves again, this time for Black to keep the
balance. The position is unclear after 12.¥e3
¤c6 13.¦d1 d5 with chances for both sides.
12.£xc3?! Now Black is fine again.
12.¤g5! was the way to exploit Black’s
imprecision. After 12...f5 13.£xc3 White
threatens £h3. 13...£e7 14.¥e2 £xg7
15.£xg7+ ¢xg7 16.¥b2+ ¢g6 17.¤f3
White keeps the initiative in the endgame
after 17...dxc4 18.¥xc4 e5 19.0–0 ¤c6
20.¦ac1 as Black’s centre is rather loose.
12...e5 Black obtains good counterplay now.
Aronian explained his opening strategy
 April 2024

AFTER DROPPING OUT OF THE

TOP 10, AFTER MORE THAN A
DECADE IN IT, ARONIAN SEEMED
UNLIKELY TO COME BACK. WHILE
ALWAYS JOVIAL, HE HASN’T MUCH
AMBITION IN THE PAST PERIOD
AND HIS RESULTS WERE
AVERAGE AT BEST

(at least in some of his games) that he
voluntarily went for dubious lines which he
had checked, safe in the knowledge that his
opponents hadn’t done the same. "Nobody
checks dubious lines" to paraphrase his
rationale, but perhaps soon enough people
will start.
the one on d5 does) and a safe position, he
has very good prospects.
17...¥xd7 18.0–0 Continuing the plan.
18...£h4 Natural, though there was a
stronger continuation.

13.cxd5 e4 14.¤d4 ¥e5 15.¥b2 ¤d7 18...¥b5! 19.¦fd1 £f6 was very strong.
16.¥b5 a6 17.¥xd7? The pressure on the long diagonal is
XIIIIIIIIY tremendous and this limits the mobility of
White’s pieces. Black simply wants to pick
9r+lwqr+k+0 up the pawn on d5 with ...¦ad8xd5.
9+p+L+pzPp0
19.g3 £h3 20.f4 ¥f6 21.£e3?! The queen
9p+-+-+-+0 is rarely a good blockading piece.
9+-+Pvl-+-0
9-zP-sNp+-+0 21.¦ae1 ¦ad8 22.£b3 was better, when
White has good coordination and the
9zP-wQ-+-+-0 position is balanced.
9-vL-+-zPPzP0
21...¥g4 Controlling the d1–square and
9tR-+-mK-+R0 keeping the bishop close to the kingside,
xiiiiiiiiy though it was possible to do the same from
White wants to castle as soon as possible, the other side, from the a4–square.
but this gives up the bishop pair and also
has a tactical problem. 22.¦f2 ¦ad8 23.¤b3 ¦xd5 Threatening
...¦d3.
17.¥a4 was better. After 17...b5 18.¥b3
¥b7 White remains on top. With an extra 24.¦e1 White must keep the e4–pawn
pawn (the pawn on g7 doesn’t count, but under control. This prevents ...¦d3.

BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 201

04/144
24.¥xf6? ¦d3! 25.£e1 ¦xb3 with ...e3 to
come and Black wins.
24...¥xb2 24...¦d3? 25.£xd3 exd3
26.¦xe8+ ¢xg7 27.¥xf6+ ¢xf6 28.f5 is
excellent for White.
25.¦xb2 £h6 26.¦d2 If White manages
to keep the blockade on the dark squares he
should be fine.
26...£d6 27.¦xd5 £xd5 28.¤d2 Ideally,
White would like to put his knight on e3 -
the queen is still a bad blockading piece.
28...¥f5 29.¤f1 ¥h3 30.¤d2
XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+r+k+0
9+p+-+pzPp0
9p+-+-+-+0
9+-+q+-+-0
9-zP-+pzP-+0
9zP-+-wQ-zPl0
9-+-sN-+-zP0
9+-+-tR-mK-0
xiiiiiiiiy
Now it was possible to either exchange
queens (suitable for the side with a
weaker king, in this case White) or
to put the knight on e3 with 30.£d2
£xd2 (30...£e6?! 31.¤e3 is mission
accomplished for White.) 31.¤xd2 f5
32.¦c1 ¦d8 33.¤c4 ¦d3 34.¢f2 ¢xg7
35.¤e3 and the blockade on the dark
squares should steer the game towards
a draw.
30...¦e6 Aronian avoids the repetition
of moves.
31.¦c1 ¢xg7 32.¦c5 £d3 33.¦g5+ This
is possible, but sending the rook away from
the back rank looks a bit risky.
33.¢f2 was more consistent with White’s
blockading strategy.
202 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE
33...¢f8 34.£c5+? White got carried
away. It may seem there is counterattack,
but Black refutes it nicely.
34.¢f2 was again fine for White;
Even 34.£xd3 exd3 35.¦e5 should
have drawn.
34...¦d6 35.¦h5 £xd2 36.¦xh3
XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-mk-+0
9+p+-+p+p0
9p+-tr-+-+0
9+-wQ-+-+-0
9-zP-+pzP-+0
9zP-+-+-zPR0
9-+-wq-+-zP0
9+-+-+-mK-0
xiiiiiiiiy
It’s hard to imagine what made So send this
rook from the perfectly sensible placement
on the first rank to the utterly ridiculous
h3–square.
36...b6 White gets mated after the pin on
the rook is lifted.
0–1
In an interview after the event Levon
said – “It’s great to play well and to
control the flow of the game… It’s a
really good feeling”.
Aronian won the American Cup without
losing a single game. It is an impressive
feat. After such a triumph, it is natural to
ask if Aronian is capable of returning to
the top 10. Can he muster the same flair
that made him the fans’ favourite for many
years? I would like to think so, though
in light of the fierce competition from a
surge of young talent, it would require
an extraordinary effort by the seasoned
veteran to reclaim his former glory.
 April 2024

BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 203

Interview:
04/144 Stev Bonhage, photographer

A comet in the chess world

By Milan Dinic
Photo: Stev Bonhage

204 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 April 2024

In the history of the 64-squared game, there have been several

“chess comets” – people who appear out of nowhere, shine a
light and move on, never to be seen again. Most of them were,
of course, chess players. But not all.
BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 205
04/144

The unseen heroes of chess

The chess world seldom acknowledges and even more seldomly recognises and
remembers the people who put things together – those who help make it possible
to play chess professionally. Namely, the organisers and the fundraisers, event
managers, journalists who spread the word about the game and the players and, also
– the camera crews and photographers who caught on camera some of the most
iconic chess moments.

In the chess world in recent years several names have stood out when it comes to
taking photos – David Llada (who is also a great friend of BCM), Leonard Ootes, Niki
Riga, Maria Emelianova and, more recently – a phenomenon in the chess arena, Stev
Bonhage.

Unconventional style, iconic work

Heavily tattooed, leisurely dressed and informal – Stev looks more like a street
breakdancer or a character akin to Hunter S Thompson, with a German-Scandinavian
twist. His unconventional style is also visible in the work he has done in the chess
world so far and it is not always to everyone’s taste.

As the first exhibition of his chess photos is set to start touring Europe (as a part of
FIDE’s 100th-anniversary celebration), BCM spoke to Steve Bonhage about his work
and chess photography.

From a small place to the world stage

Stev Bonhage was born in 1985 in the former “Deutsche Demokratische Republik” -
East Germany, but the family moved to Sweden when he was young.

“I grew up in a small place, in the middle of the forest. We had to ride 40, 50 kilometres
to school. For me, the camera was the way out. Also, I'm an introvert. I know how to put
the switch when I have to, but I prefer to be for myself. The camera has always been a
way to express myself,” explains Steve.

At 17 he dropped out of school but thanks to the famous Scandinavian social support
programmes, he fell on the safety net of a government youth employment scheme
which landed him his first job and, as it would turn out, his life calling – in photography.

“I was working for a couple who were prominent photographers, doing ordinary stuff
– cleaning the studio, tidying up things, setting the lights, assisting. Then something
happened that stuck with me. I was cleaning up the digital archive and I saw these
maps and folders neatly organised – the date, the customer/client and the location
where the photos were taken. Oslo, Gothenburg, Malmo… These were all big places in
Scandinavia and I thought it would be cool if people sent me to places to take photos.
Soon, as I started to travel – all my photos were labelled this way.”

206 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 April 2024

BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 207

04/144

As it turned out, the camera didn’t open just a new world for Stev, but also – a new
language.

“Whenever you have the camera in front of your face, nobody's really talking to you and
it's more a sign communication which takes place. I got to know some amazing people
just by sign language or gestures and stuff connected to photography. Once, I got to
know Madonna’s yoga teacher just by taking a photo of him in Berlin”.

From breakdancing to MMA and Formula One

Stev’s first big break was in South Korea, taking photos at the R-16 festival, an annual
international event for urban arts. A trip that was supposed to last just two weeks
turned into a decade-long spell in Southeast Asia. From a run-down hostel in Bangkok,
where backpackers, life chancers and enthusiasts on psychedelics played chess and
got drunk on the rooftop, to running a hostel in Laos, Stev comes across as a real-life
character from Alex Garland’s adventure drama, “The Beach” – travelling through life
in search of adventure.

“Laos is another crazy story. I was just going there for a visa run and the next day, I had
my own hostel thanks to some friends and people I got to know! We built everything
from the ground up. I invited graffiti artists that I knew living in South East Asia. They
were coming in and spraying the walls, and some other friends helped me build a
volleyball court and it was really fun!”

Just as it seemed Steve was parting ways with his camera, a friend got in touch and
invited him to take photos for a shocking story – a documentary about a secret war

208 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 April 2024

on Laos from 1964 to 1973, during the US invasion of Vietnam, where the Americans
dropped more than two million tons of bombs. This amounts to having one planeload
of bombs dropped every eight minutes! To this day, Laos remains the most heavily
bombed country in the world.

“The documentary was about the people living in these areas – who use remains of
the bombs to make jewellery or cutlery, and then end up harming themselves or even
losing their lives. You have kids playing in the fields full of these bombs, it’s crazy…”.

Steve’s curiosity took him from the bombed fields of Laos to MMA championships in
Asia, to taking photos for Red Bull (his most successful partnership), Formula One,
Heineken, Puma, Ferrari…

All of these opportunities came just by word of mouth and friendships!

“I don't have any business cards or anything - I write to people. I tell them that I would
like to get access to take some photos. I will share the content with them. I would
pay for my own flight. I would pay for my own accommodation. And, if you like the
photos then we can start to discuss if you want to work with me or not. Also, I’m not
an extrovert, so the camera is a way for me to communicate”.

The cooperation with Red Bull was particularly fruitful for Stev.

“I did a lot of work for them and for their Formula One team and driver Max Verstappen.
They work 24/7 and think out of the box. They are very open to ideas and want to go
one step further. For example, in their Formula One hangar, they organised a ‘world

BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 209

04/144

competition in throwing paper aeroplanes’. It was fun and turned out to be very popular
with the crowd and great for their brand”.

“Chess could also benefit from thinking more like that,” argues Steve.

But Stev isn’t someone from the chess world and his views are seen as too radical by
some.

“I learnt chess when I was six or seven but never played it consistently. I enjoy playing the
game and it’s fun. Also, I am interested in philosophy and history, so the political backdrop
to chess has been very interesting to me. So, I started taking chess-related photos.”

Photographing the champions

Usually, chess photographers are former players/organisers or people who have in
one way or another had a longer-term connection to the game. This often means they
know the chess players and the players know them. This was not the case for Steve
whose first official chess event was the 2022 Candidates in Madrid. He was hired by
David Llada, an accomplished photographer himself, who was at the time FIDE’s Chief
Marketing Officer.

“In the photos, I take of chess players and chess events – I try to be more unconventional.
After all, rules are there to be broken”, explains Steve.

“There are documentaries about why a certain tone makes you feel a certain way. It’s
similar to photos/videos – if you have a dark picture, you will automatically always go
to the brightest spot. That's how I direct you where I want you to look. It’s a concept I
took from film. And then, you can explore the picture for yourself.

As with all good things in life – it’s in the detail. It’s the love for detail that got me so
deep into exploring why a good picture is a good picture and why certain things are
wrong or right,” Stev argues.

“As a photographer covering a chess event, you find yourself in a position that 95 per
cent of the people don’t find themselves in – you are face-to-face with the players.
You’re among them, you see things that are not shown in the broadcast and that are
not noticeable unless you are there – from the background scenery and feel of the
venue to the body language and behaviour of players away from the board.”

Speaking about his experience of taking photos of Magnus Carlsen, Stev compares it
to the experience he had of taking photos of other famous sports people, such as the
Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel or the tennis player Roger Federer.

“They just want to be treated normally. So, when I want to take a special photo of
Magnus or do a quick shoot, I don’t beat around the bush, but just put it straight to
him – level with him, and say ‘Let's just do it’. And I found it that people of that stature
prefer the straight talk and doing things quickly”.

210 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 April 2024

BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 211

04/144

212 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 April 2024

Telling a joke or acting funny also helps in getting a great photo, Steve notes. “Creating
energy through smiling and laughing and making a fool out of yourself like I did with
the kids in the refugee camp in Kenya where FIDE is doing work to support them.
Because I used to do a lot of acrobatics and breakdancing, I pull that off with the kids
and they enjoy it. Why do this? It relaxes people and then when they slowly start to
forget me and why I am here. Then - I start taking photos”.

Since Madrid in 2022, Stev has photographed many chess events, including the World
Championship Match between Nepo and Ding, but has also covered FIDE’s social
initiatives, such as Chess for Freedom, where he visited convicts in prisons who play
chess, and the Chess for Protection project in Kenya.

"Capture" - a new perspective on chess

Just this year, Stev published a book – “CAPTURE – AN EXCHANGE BETWEEN
PHOTOGRAPHY AND CHESS”, where he exhibited some of his best works related to
chess. Now, he has turned the book into an exhibition due to travel to several countries,
starting from Switzerland in April.

“The exhibition is not primarily for chess players because they already know my work.
I just want people to just have a walk and get into it, and to get into their head without
them even knowing we’ve done that. Overall, I want to change the way people look at
chess. Also, I want to change the way chess photography works”.

“I think a lot of people are not interested in chess, because they have nothing to relate
to. They don't play the game, and we don't know the person and their lifestyle, and, and
world opinions might not be with us. The perception of chess needs to change,” Stev
says, pointing to Formula One as a good example.

“Look at the development of Formula One. It has always been like it is today in terms
of the sport – but the audience today is completely different than in the 1990s or
even before. Why – because they made it more accessible and explained it in a way
that everyone can relate to it. They’ve dumbed it down. And now you have the Netflix
show Drive to Survive and there you have a storyline – the historical rivalries, the
competition, the drama. I think chess needs that”.

He points to Ian Nepomniachtchi as a potential hero of that story. “You have this guy
who is desperately trying to become World Champion. He comes close and then in the
most critical moments he fails, but he is not giving up. You have the rivalry between
him and Carlsen, you have the story there”.

There is another aspect to explore, he notes: female chess versus male chess.

“If you reach people with something they can relate to, it becomes more personal. I
think these broad narratives, combined with more dynamic time controls, could truly
change the perspective of chess”.

BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 213

04/144

TOURNAMENT REPORT: PRAGUE MASTERS

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE NEW GENERATION!

By GM Aleksandar Colovic; www.alexcolovic.com
Photo: Prague International Chess Festival Official
The Prague Masters (27 February – 7 This victory, with the 15 rating points
March) was the last tournament before gained thanks to it, propelled the 19-year-
the Candidates for the Indian trio. As I old Uzbek to number four in the world.
mentioned in the preview published in
the March issue, the youth has infinite Abdusattorov played powerful chess in
energy and playing non-stop comes Prague. He started with a technical win
naturally for them. over Nguyen in round one, but he needed
a good deal of winner’s luck in round three.
Apart from the Indians (Gukesh,
Praggnanadhaa and Vidit), the organisers Nodirbek Abdusattorov –
assembled an exciting field featuring two David Navara
more prodigies, Keymer and Abdusattorov, 6th Prague Masters 2024 Prague CZE (3.3)
local representatives Navara and Nguyen XIIIIIIIIY
and creative players like Rapport,
Maghsoodloo and Bartel. 9-+-tr-tr-mk0
9+q+-+Lzp-0
The mix proved a successful one. The
tournament abounded in exciting games 9-+R+-+-zp0
and decisive results. 9+P+-+lsN-0
In a tight field like in Prague, it’s hard
9-zp-vl-+-+0
to expect somebody to dominate, but 9+-+-+-+-0
that is exactly what happened. Nodirbek 9-+-+QzPPzP0
Abdusattorov scored an incredible 6.5/9,
winning five games, losing one and 9+-+-tR-+K0
finishing full point and a half ahead of the xiiiiiiiiy
field. He even secured tournament victory Abdusattorov misplayed a position with a big
with a round to spare, not a common sight advantage and here Navara had a great chance
in short nine-round tournaments. to send the tournament in another direction.

214 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE


28...¦xf7?? Oftentimes it is a single move
that separates winning from losing. Navara
makes the losing one.
28...¥h7! was winning for Black. White’s
knight on g5 and the bishop on f7 are
hanging, but so is the pawn on f2. 29.£h5
(29.¤xh7 ¦xf7 and the knight won’t make it
out of h7 alive; 29.¤e6 £xf7 30.¤xf8 ¦xf8
is winning for Black, the two bishops will
easily deal with the white rook.) 29...¥xf2!
Not touching anything on the kingside and
letting White’s pieces to hang there for a
while. 30.¦f1 ¥e3 Now the knight has to
move. 31.¤e6 ¦xf7! and in view of the
threat of a back-rank mate, Black emerges
with an extra piece after 32.¦e1 ¦g8.
29.¦d6! Black would be winning, if it had
not been for this refutation. The undefended
rook attacks both the rook on d8 and the
bishop on d4. It’s likely this move that
Navara missed.
29...¦c8 29...¦ff8 30.¦xd8 ¦xd8 31.£e8+
¦xe8 32.¦xe8# is a back-rank mate;
29...¦xd6 30.£e8+ is another version of
the back-rank mate.
30.¤xf7+ £xf7 31.¦xd4 White won
the exchange and has an easily winning
position.
31...b3 32.b6 ¦c2 33.£f3 b2 34.b7 £f8
35.¦dd1 ¦c5 36.£b3
1–0
It is pretty certain that had Navara found
the win Abdusattorov would not have
continued in the confident and impressive
style. A lucky win always gives the player
that extra boost of confidence, thanks to the
knowledge that luck is on his side.
After a draw against Gukesh in the next
round, Abdusattorov played, in his own
words, a “very, very clean game” against
Bartel.
April 2024
Mateusz Bartel -
Nodirbek Abdusattorov
6th Prague Masters 2024 Prague CZE (5.3)
1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3.¤c3 g6 Without
the possibility of a Maroczy bind after
c4, Black happily invites his opponent to
discuss the sharp lines of the Dragon.
4.d4 cxd4 5.¤xd4 ¥g7 6.¥e3 ¤f6 7.¥c4
This is White’s most principled move, but
soon enough he admits that he isn’t ready
for a fully-fledged Dragon fight.
7...0–0 8.¥b3 d6 9.h3 Here it is. If White
is to achieve anything he must castle long
in the Dragon. This can be done starting
with the move 9.f3, leading to the Yugoslav
Attack. With this timid move White gives up
any hope of achieving something out of the
opening. The only advantage of the move is
that it takes the game to calmer waters.
9...¥d7 Abdusattorov will employ
Kasparov’s plan, but only a move later and
with a bishop on d7 rather than on b7.
9...¤a5 10.0–0 b6 has been known to be
very good for Black since the game Anand-
Kasparov from Linares 2003. After 11.¦e1
¥b7 12.¥g5 ¤xb3 13.axb3 h6 14.¥h4 £d7
15.£d2 ¤h5 16.f3 e5 17.¤de2 f5 it was Black
who took over the initiative, though eventually
the game was drawn. ½–½ (32) Anand,V
(2753)-Kasparov,G (2847) Linares 2003.
10.0–0 ¤a5 11.£d3 a6 12.¦fe1 ¦c8
Black’s play is simple on the queenside:
play ...b5, ...¤c4 or ...¤xb3, use the c-file
to create activity. White, on the other hand,
has only one constructive idea and that is
the ¤d5 jump.
13.¦ad1 b5 14.¥g5 White prepares the
¤d5 jump by placing the bishop on g5
because he anticipates an exchange on d5,
which after exd5, will see the bishop on g5
and the rook on e1 attack the pawn on e7.
With the same anticipation in mind, Black
plays his next move.
BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 215
04/144
14...¦e8 Abdusattorov was quite content
with this prophylactic move, defending the
pawn on e7 in advance.
15.¤d5 White is fully mobilised, so he
executes his main idea, but Black is well
prepared to meet it.
15...¤xd5 16.exd5 ¤c4 Black obtains the
bishop pair now as the knight on c4 cannot
be tolerated.
17.¥xc4 bxc4 Gaining tempo for attack on
the queenside.
17...¦xc4 was a possible alternative. After
18.¥e3 (18.c3 ¥xd4!? 19.cxd4 f6 wrecks
White’s pawns, though the position is still
unclear, with the opposite-coloured bishops
still on the board.) 18...£c7 19.c3 £b7
with chances for both sides - White is solid
in the centre and Black has no problems.
18.£e3?!
XIIIIIIIIY
9-+rwqr+k+0
9+-+lzppvlp0
9p+-zp-+p+0
9+-+P+-vL-0
9-+psN-+-+0
9+-+-wQ-+P0
9PzPP+-zPP+0
9+-+RtR-mK-0
xiiiiiiiiy
White eyes the h6–square for ¥h6, but
Black is faster on the queenside.
18.£e4! was more precise, as it prevents
Black’s counterplay. The idea is that after
18...£a5 White has 19.¥d2! and the pawn
on a2 is taboo in view of 19...£xa2??
20.¥c3 and the queen is trapped and lost
after ¦a1 next.
18...£a5 Now the threat of ...£xa2 is real.
19.£e4? Wasting time like this is too much.
216 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE
19.£c1! was best. The idea is to remove
the queen from the e-file (so there is no
pin there when White takes on e7) and
defend the b2–pawn at the same time.
19...¦c5 is likely best. (19...£xd5?!
20.¤e6! puts Black in danger, who now
should sacrifice the queen, as 20...£a5?
21.¤xg7 ¢xg7 22.¥xe7 leaves him
fatally exposed on the dark-squares;
19...£xa2 20.¥xe7 is fine for White.)
20.¦xe7 ¦xe7 21.¥xe7 ¦xd5 22.¤f3
when White should be able to hold the
balance; Abdusattorov thought that
19.¥xe7?! ¥e5! is what his opponent
missed. Indeed, Black is much better here
after 20.f4 ¦xe7 21.fxe5 ¦xe5.
19...£xa2 This is what the queen came for.
20.£h4? Third dubious move in a row, this
time giving Black a decisive advantage.
20.¥xe7 £xb2 21.£f4 was the most
resilient. 21...¥a4! 22.¤c6! ¥xc6 23.dxc6
¦xc6 24.¥xd6 and even though he’s a
pawn down, White should have enough
activity to hold the balance.
20...£xb2 Black keeps on taking pawns
and White has nothing to show for it.
21.¥xe7
XIIIIIIIIY
9-+r+r+k+0
9+-+lvLpvlp0
9p+-zp-+p+0
9+-+P+-+-0
9-+psN-+-wQ0
9+-+-+-+P0
9-wqP+-zPP+0
9+-+RtR-mK-0
xiiiiiiiiy
21...h6! Threatening ...g5.
22.£f4 ¥a4 Another good move, forcing
White’s next, which leads to simplifications
that are favourable for Black.
 April 2024

23.¤c6 ¥xc6 24.dxc6 ¦xc6 25.¥xd6 Nodirbek Abdusattorov -

Please take a moment to compare this Parham Maghsoodloo
position to the one arising after White’s
24.¥xd6 in the comment to White’s 20th 6th Prague Masters 2024 Prague CZE (8.5)
move. There is only one difference - in this XIIIIIIIIY
position the black pawn is on h6, while
there it is on h7. Here Black is winning 9-+-wq-+-+0
(no problems with the back rank) while 9+-+-+pmk-0
there White should draw. Chess is indeed a
tragedy of a single tempo! 9LzpPzp-+p+0
9zp-+-zp-sn-0
25...¦xe1+ 26.¦xe1 £xc2 27.g4 27.¦e8+ 9P+-+P+P+0
¢h7 makes all the difference. 28.£xf7
£d1+ 29.¢h2 £xd6+ is a check and Black 9+-tR-+P+-0
wins 30.g3 h5 with a clean extra piece. 9-zP-+-+-sN0
27...¦c8 Two extra pawns should suffice. 9+K+-+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy
28.£f3 £b3 Just after the time-control White
XIIIIIIIIY sacrificed his queen for a strong passed
pawn, rook and bishop. This puts Black
9-+r+-+k+0 under severe pressure as White’s position
9+-+-+pvl-0 is easy to play - he just seeks ways to
promote that pawn.
9p+-vL-+pzp0
9+-+-+-+-0 41...¤e6 The knight must control the
9-+p+-+P+0 c7–square.
9+q+-+Q+P0 42.¥c4 ¤c7 43.¤f1 The knight on c7
9-+-+-zP-+0 is a good blockading piece, but it can
be exchanged, which is what White sets
9+-+-tR-mK-0 out to do: ¤e3–d5 will exchange the
xiiiiiiiiy blockader.
0–1
43...£e8 Black disrupts White’s
coordination by attacking the pawn on c6
After this win, Abdusattorov played three and forcing the bishop to occupy the d5 or
more decisive games in a row! First, he b5 square.
lost to Praggnanandhaa in a game that
had its ups and downs, with Abdusattorov 44.¥d5 White prefers the keep the pawn
blundering at the end (see below). He control of the d5–square and allow a break
bounced back immediately with a win over with ...b5.
Keymer with the black pieces in a game
where he went after his opponent’s king 44.¥b5 allows a break from the other side
in the centre – not something one would with 44...d5! 45.exd5 ¤xd5 46.¦c1 ¤c7
expect in the Queen’s Gambit Accepted, and without a pawn support White can no
but modern chess can make the most solid longer use the d5–square to exchange the
openings full of fireworks. blockading knight.

Still, that was nothing compared to his game 44...b5 45.¤e3?! Ambitious play, but
with Maghsoodloo in the penultimate round. crossing the line a bit.

BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 217

04/144

45.axb5 ¤xb5 gives Black sufficient 49...¤d4? Letting the pawn advance.
counterplay, but was still better than the
game move. 49...£a7! would have activated the
queen immediately, with devastating
45...bxa4 46.¦c2 White defends the b2– effect. 50.¤c3 ¤d4 51.¤b5 may
pawn in advance and plans ¥a3 and (d5, look like a mission accomplished for
but Black obtains strong counterplay now. White, who manages to exchange the
opponent’s knight, but after 51...£b6!
The immediate 46.¥a2 is met by 46... 52.¤xd4 exd4 53.¥d5 d3! Black’s
a3! with the threat of ...£b8, while after counterplay is faster than the c6–pawn
47.bxa3 ¤b5 White cannot defends both and Black wins.
pawns on a3 and c6.
50.c7 £h8 51.¦d2 £h1+ 52.¢a2 £c1
46...£b8 It seems like Black should have enough to
XIIIIIIIIY hold the balance with the white pawn on
the verge of promotion.
9-wq-+-+-+0
9+-sn-+pmk-0 53.¦h2 a4 54.g5 Suddenly White creates
mating threats with ¤f6.
9-+Pzp-+p+0
9zp-+Lzp-+-0 54.c8£? axb3+ wins for Black as White
9p+-+P+P+0 must give up the newly promoted queen
immediately.
9+-+-sNP+-0
9-zPR+-+-+0 54...¤xf3 Harassing the rook and
preventing the mating threats after ¤f6
9+K+-+-+-0 and ¦h7.
xiiiiiiiiy
Not bad, but not the best either. 55.¦f2 axb3+ 56.¥xb3 ¤d2

46...a3! was very strong again. After 47.¢a2

XIIIIIIIIY
(47.bxa3 £b8+ 48.¢a2 £b5 activates 9-+-+-+-+0
the queen and threatens ...a4.) 47...£b8! 9+-zP-+pmk-0
48.¢xa3 (48.bxa3 £b5 transposes to the line
47.bxa3.) 48...£b4+ 49.¢a2 £a4+ 50.¢b1 9-+-zp-+p+0
£d4 and the queen starts to show its full 9+-+Nzp-zP-0
strength, though the game is far from over. 9-+-+P+-+0
47.¥c4 White continues with his plan, 9zpL+-+-+-0
threatening ¤d5. 9K+-sn-tR-+0
47...a3 48.¤d5 ¤e6 Black must keep the 9+-wq-+-+-0
knight alive, in a worst case scenario it can xiiiiiiiiy
be sacrificed for the passed c6–pawn. Black threatens mate, too, forcing White to
sacrifice an exchange.
49.b3? Leaving the pawn on a3 is
dangerous, though at first sight it doesn’t 57.¦xd2 £xd2+ 58.¢xa3 An
look like Black can use it. incredible position. White is playing for
a win with only a bishop and knight for
49.¢a2 axb2 50.¦xb2 £a7 51.¦c2 is a queen and pawn, all thanks to the far-
unclear, in an objectively equal position. advanced c7–pawn.

218 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE


58...£a5+? Black cannot possibly win, so
a perpetual was the best he could hope for.
This was achieved with 58...£c1+ 59.¢b4
£c5+ 60.¢a4 £a7+ 61.¢b5 £b7+
62.¢c4 £c6+ and now if White wants to
avoid the perpetual with 63.¢d3 then with
the king far away from the c7–pawn White
cannot make progress after 63...£c5
59.¥a4 White is winning now. Either the
king will approach the c7–pawn or the bishop
will aid its promotion with ¥d7 or ¥c6.
59...£a6 60.¢b4 £b7+ 61.¥b5?
XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-+-+0
9+qzP-+pmk-0
9-+-zp-+p+0
9+L+Nzp-zP-0
9-mK-+P+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy
This allows Black to save the game, though
that chance is by no means obvious.
61.¢c3! threatening ¥d7. 61...£c8
62.¥c6 with the idea to return with the
April 2024
The future of chess
king to b4 and proceed all the way to b6.
62...£a6 63.¥d7 £a1+ 64.¢b4 £d4+
65.¢b5 £xe4 66.¥c6! and White will
promote while keeping both his pieces.
61...¢h7? The king had to move, only not
in that direction! This is an unfortunate
square that allows White a small trick two
moves later.
61...¢f8! was the correct move. The king
cannot approach the pawn on c7, but this
means that the knight and bishop must stay
on d5 and the a4–e8 diagonal respectively to
keep it at bay, thus limiting their mobility.
White cannot make progress now. 62.¢c4
£c8 and there is no ¥d7 trick now.
62.¢c4 Now ¥d7 comes.
62...¢g7 62...£c8 63.¥d7! is the trick
thanks to the fork ¤f6 is Black takes the
bishop.
63.¥d7 Black has only a couple of checks.
63...£a6+ 64.¢b3 £b7+ 64...£d3+
65.¤c3
65.¢c2 £a6 66.c8£ £e2+ 67.¢b3 £xe4
68.£g8+! Again the knight fork is decisive.
1–0
BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 219
04/144

Truly an appropriate game to wrap up a

tournament. This win gave Abdusattorov
the tournament victory with a round to
spare. He drew with Rapport in the last
round and kept his point-and-a-half gap.

Even though he didn’t qualify for the Candidates

(he wasn’t really close) this victory and the
break into the top 5 cements Abdusattorov’s
status as one of the main players who will fight
for the title in the next cycle.

THE INDIANS
The Indian players had their minds set on
the Candidates and playing with one’s mind
set on another tournament never bodes well
for the tournament at hand. This happened
to all three of them, though with different
outcomes and to different extent.
Praggnanadhaa had a run of 47 classical
games without a loss before coming to
Prague. In Prague, he lost two.
Those two losses were in a row. After
starting with a win over Keymer,
Praggnanandhaa lost to Maghsoodloo and
Rapport. The second loss was particularly
painful as it was from a winning position.
R Praggnanandhaa - Richard Rapport
6th Prague Masters 2024 Prague CZE (3.1)
XIIIIIIIIY
9r+l+n+k+0
9zp-+-+rzPp0
9-+p+pwq-+0
9+p+-+-+-0
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-sN-+-zp-0
9PzPLwQ-+-+0
9+-mKR+-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy
26.¦xh7 White’s attack is irresistible. The
threats are ¦h8 or ¦dh1. Rapport gives
up a piece.
Praggnanadhaa – the best performing
Indian in Prague
26...e5 27.¦h8+ ¢xg7 28.¦xe8 £f4 And
hopes that in the endgame the two connected
passed pawns will give him counterchances.
29.¦h1? Choosing from the several winning
continuations Praggnanandhaa chooses a non-
winning one! This tells us one thing - if a
superb calculator like Praggnanandhaa couldn’t
calculate a clear win, then the win wasn’t trivial.
29.£xf4 exf4 30.¦dd8 is the most forcing
way. 30...¥b7 (30...g2 31.¦g8+ ¢f6
32.¤e4+ ¢e5 33.¦xg2 is pretty simple,
winning one of the pawns.) 31.¦g8+ ¢f6
32.¤e4+ ¢e5 33.¦ge8+ ¢f5 34.¦xa8
¥xa8 35.¦xa8 and White manages to control
both pawns as 35...g2 36.¦g8 f3 37.¢d2 ¢f4
38.¤f2 stops both pawns;
29.¥e4! was probably the most "automatic"
way to win. White centralises the bishop and
controls both pawns. This move didn’t really
need any calculation so it was the safest bet. It
seems that Praggnanandhaa wanted to calculate
the win until the end and miscalculated, an
impractical decision when he had this simple
move at his disposal.
29...£xd2+ 30.¢xd2 ¦f2+ 31.¢e3 ¦xc2
32.¦hh8?? The game should have ended in
a draw before this blunder.

220 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 April 2024

The game had ups and downs and the

position here is approximately balanced.
Abdusattorov misses a tactic with his
next move.

36.¦e2?? White defends the pawn on b2,

but loses more material now!

36.¥e2! with the idea of ¥c4 was very

good. After 36...£xb2 37.¥c4 £xf2+
38.¢xf2 White will regain the pawn with
an equal position;

36.¥h5 would have repeated the position

32.¦xe5 ¦h2 33.¦g1 and after eliminating
the pawn on g3 the position will be a draw.
32...¥e6 Stopping ¦g8. White cannot stop
the g-pawn now.
33.¦xa8 g2
0–1
To his credit, Praggnanandhaa pulled
himself together and after the draw in the
next round he won two games in a row,
defeating his compatriot Vidit and the
leader Abdusattorov.
as this was the position on the board
two moves earlier, when Black played
34...£d5. Possibly White was worried
about 36...¥xb2 but White has 37.¤xf7!
and after the forcing 37...£xf7 38.£xb2
£f5 39.£a2+! a precise check to be able
to take on g6 with check, too. 39...¢h7
(39...¢h8 40.£a5! attacks the rook on d8.
40...¦d2 41.¥f3 and White managed to
bring the bishop back to the defence of the
kingside.) 40.¥xg6+ £xg6 41.£b1 White
manages to exchange queens and even
though his kingside is weak on the light
squares, White should draw this after 41...
b3!? 42.£xb3 £c6 43.£c2+ ¢h8 44.£f2.
36...¦xd6! The problem is that the rook
on e2 blocks the bishop’s control of the
d1–square.

Nodirbek Abdusattorov - 37.¦e8+ Perhaps White was hoping

R Praggnanandhaa on this zwischenschach, but Black had
seen deeper.
6th Prague Masters 2024 Prague CZE (6.5)
XIIIIIIIIY 37.¥xd6 £d1+ is elementary.
9-+-tr-+k+0 37...¢h7 38.¥xd6 ¥d4! This is the
9+-+-+pzp-0 refutation of White’s defence.
9-+-sN-vlnzp0 39.£xd4 £xf3 40.£f2 £d1+ Black
9+-vL-+-+-0 eliminated the bishop that covered the
9-zp-+-zP-+0 d1–square and returns there to pick up the
bishop on d6.
9+q+-+LzPl0
9-zP-+-wQ-zP0 41.¦e1 £xd6 The two pieces easily deal
with White’s lone rook.
9+-+-tR-mK-0
xiiiiiiiiy
BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 221
04/144

42.£e3 ¥e6 43.¦e2 ¤e7 44.£e5 £b6+

45.£e3 £xe3+ 46.¦xe3 b3! Eventually
Black will get to the b2–pawn.

47.¢f2 g6 48.g4 ¢g7 49.h3 ¢f6

50.¦e4 h5 51.¢g3 ¤d5 52.¢h4 hxg4
53.hxg4 ¢g7 54.g5 ¥f5 55.¦c4 ¥c2
56.¢g3 ¤e3

0–1

He should have also won a third one,

but misplayed his winning advantage
against Gukesh.

Eventually the tournament was a decent

one for Praggnanandhaa, sharing second
place with Nguyen and Maghsoodloo
with 5/9. In retrospect, he is probably
glad he lost those games in Prague and
not in Toronto. Still, his play was not as
stable as we got used to, something that
won’t be the case in Toronto.
Gukesh was similarly wobbly.
He started with a win with the black
pieces against Nguyen, but then he also
lost two games in a row, both of them
with the white pieces to Navara and
Bartel. The problem for Gukesh was
that in both games he had an advantage,
with Navara even a winning one, but he
didn’t play well.
Even more so, Gukesh should have lost a
third game in a row, but managed to save
a lost endgame against Praggnanandhaa,
thus stopping the bleeding. In the next
round he beat Keymer convincingly,
coming back to 50%.
His unstable play continued in the
last round, when he was outplayed by
Maghsoodloo and should have lost again.
Not the best performance by Gukesh
Parham Maghsoodloo – Gukesh D
6th Prague Masters 2024 Prague CZE (9.2)
XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-+k+0
9+-+-+pzp-0
9R+-+p+-zp0
9wQ-+-+-+-0
9-zp-+-+-+0
9+P+qzPLzPK0
9P+r+-+-zP0
9+-+-+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy
White is winning and had time to
think after the time-control. Yet, in
spite of being an incredible calculator,
Maghsoodloo missed the following
combination.
41.¦a7? Throwing away the win.
41.¦a8+! ¢h7 42.¦h8+!! ¢xh8
(42...¢g6 43.£h5+ ¢f6 44.£h4+
would soon lead to mate or an exchange
of queens.) 43.£a8+ ¢h7 44.¥e4+
winning the queen and the game.

222 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE


41...£f1+ 42.¢g4 ¦f2 And Black managed
to draw.
½–½
Not a tournament to be proud of for
Gukesh, but like Praggnanandhaa, he is
likely happy the blunders and the losses
came before Toronto. These shocks will
compose him and at the Candidates
we will likely see a focused and sharp
Gukesh as in his best tournaments.
Worst of all the three Indians was Vidit.
He ended up last, with three losses and
no wins. Starting with four solid draws
he suddenly lost three games in a row,
a feat both his compatriots managed to
avoid by the skin of their teeth.
The heartbreak happened in round six.
After outplaying Keymer, Vidit obtained a
winning position.
April 2024
Vidit S - Vincent Keymer
6th Prague Masters 2024 Prague CZE (6.2)
XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-snk+0
9zp-zp-tr-+-0
9-zpP+-+-+0
9+-+P+p+-0
9-+-+-+p+0
9+-+P+lzP-0
9P+-vL-+-+0
9+-+-+QmK-0
xiiiiiiiiy
White is winning. It’s hard to imagine
Black winning in two moves now, but that
is exactly what happened.
33.¥b4?? Unbelievable.
33.£a1 with the idea to activate the queen
with £f6 would have been decisive;
33.£c1 ¥xd5 34.¥c3 with £h6 or £g5
to come was another way to win.
33...¦h7 All of a sudden the threat of ...¦h1
traps the queen and wins the game for Black.
34.¢f2 ¦h1
0–1
Instead of reaching 50% with a win, Vidit sank
to -2 and in the next round lost to Maghsoodloo
for a third loss in a row. Ironically, in that game,
while having an advantage, he again allowed
his queen to be trapped!
Vidit finished last, which cannot be
encouraging before the greatest test in
Toronto. Doubts will creep in, but he’s
capable of rising to the challenge.
Prague Masters was all about the new
generation. It is a state of affairs we all
must get used to.
BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 223
04/144

PRAGUE INTERNATIONAL CHESS FESTIVAL 2024

RESULTS - MASTERS
Rk Name Rating Pts. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 GM Abdusattorov Nodirbek 2744 6.5 1 1 0 1 ½ ½ 1 1 ½
2 GM Nguyen Thai Dai Van 2630 5 0 1 ½ ½ 1 0 1 ½ ½
3 GM Maghsoodloo Parham 2715 5 0 0 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1
4 GM Praggnanandhaa R 2747 5 1 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 1
5 GM Navara David 2667 4.5 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½
6 GM Rapport Richard 2717 4.5 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½
7 GM Gukesh D 2743 4.5 ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 1 ½
8 GM Bartel Mateusz 2660 3.5 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½
9 GM Keymer Vincent 2738 3.5 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 1
10 GM Vidit Santosh Gujrathi 2747 3 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0

224 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 April 2024
Albert Einstein; Source: wikipedia.org

CHESS,
PHYSICS
AND ME
By Grandmaster
Raymond Keene OBE

BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 225

04/144
Two of the greatest Jewish intellectuals,
Lasker (1868-1941) and Einstein (1879-
1955) were contemporaries and friends.
Emanuel Lasker, son of a Jewish cantor,
and world chess champion from 1894 to
1921, shared many concerns with that
genius of Relativity, Albert Einstein.
Not least was his preoccupation with the
future of European Jews. Towards the
end of his career, Lasker published The
Community of the Future. This was a
political tract, in which he demonstrated
many of his ideas to create an ideal society.
Two problems were especially prominent in
his lucubrations: the fate of European Jews,
highlighted of course by the irresistible rise
of the Nazis in Germany, and the spectre of
widespread unemployment.
To resolve the first problem, Lasker even
proposed the near geographical homonym,
Alaska, as a possible refuge for Jewish
immigration, a proposal that at that time
of intractable emergency did not sound as
outlandish as it might today. Lasker also
pondered deeply on the origins of anti-
Semitism and identified unemployment as a
major cause of resentment against the Jews.
His remedy to cure the evil of unemployment
was to establish communities modelled on
the Kibbutz system, then popular in Israel,
in order to prepare and train people for
the job market. Lasker comprehended that
work did set free and empower populations,
a stance in complete opposition to the
Satanic Nazi parody, erected over the gates
of Dachau, Theresienstadt and Auschwitz:
Arbeit macht frei.
While winning and holding the World
Chess Championship for 27 years, Lasker
had earned a PhD in Mathematics, with
his 100-page 1905 thesis Zur Theorie der
Moduln und Ideale. This work is regarded
as one of the foundations of modern algebra.
A confirmed polymath, he published
several philosophical works, wrote one
verse drama and regularly commented
upon political events. In his prime Lasker
was one of the most dominant champions,
226 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE
only losing the title to Capablanca in 1921.
In addition, he was a first-class contract
bridge player, writing about this and other
games, including Draughts, Go and his own
invention, the equally homonymic Lasca.
At the age of eleven Lasker was sent to
Berlin to study mathematics, where he
lived with his brother Berthold, eight
years his senior, who, around 1879, the
year of Einstein’s birth, taught him how
to play chess. To supplement their income
Emanuel Lasker played chess and card
games for modest stakes, principally at the
Cafe Kaiserhof. His rise was rapid and by
1893 Lasker was beginning to look like a
convincing aspirant to world honours.
The incumbent champion, Wilhelm Steinitz,
had already twice despatched the Russian
Titan, Mikhail Tchigorin, and with the next
natural challenger, Dr Siegbert Tarrasch,
puzzlingly reluctant to enter the lists,
Lasker travelled to the new world, where
his challenge to Steinitz was played out in
1894, at venues in New York, Philadelphia,
and Montreal. Steinitz had previously
announced that he would win easily against
his relatively inexperienced opponent, so
it came as a something of a shock to the
chess world, when it was Lasker who won
the first game. Thus, on the transatlantic
field of honour, two German-speaking Jews
battled it out for the supreme chess title,
while a third, Tarrasch, watched helplessly
from the sidelines, as his dream of chess
imperium vanished before his eyes.
Lasker won convincingly with ten wins,
five losses and four draws, thus becoming
the second universally recognised World
Chess Champion, and confirmed his title
by beating Steinitz even more convincingly
in their re-match in 1896-1897 (ten wins,
five draws, and a mere two losses).
Einstein was, of course, a serious candidate
for the supreme genius of all time. Yet, like
Lasker, he was deeply concerned by the
plight of European Jewry, and at one point, as
we shall see, he even declined the presidency

of the newly formed state of Israel. In just
a few years, his brilliant insights entirely
changed the way the universe is perceived,
while his mighty equation, E=MC2, was
to make available both for creative and
destructive purposes, an energy source of
hitherto unimagined intensity — atomic
power. Indeed, Einstein’s investigations
ushered in the atomic age. For the very first
time, human beings were actually placed
in the position of understanding how the
universe works, while simultaneously being
given the terrifying capacity to annihilate
their own world.
Einstein has the reputation of having been
a relative dunce at his school in Munich,
but this is a misapprehension. Although
precocious, he did not excel in those
subjects taught by the Luitpold Gymnasium,
where he was a pupil. Einstein was later to
denounce their lessons as “lies”, and he
was in fact expelled from the school on the
grounds that he was a “disruptive influence”
on his fellow students. He had an enquiring
mind and often used to daydream. When he
applied himself to something that he really
enjoyed doing, he would excel.
Two games of chess won by Einstein do
survive. My heart likes to believe that
these are as genuine, like well attested
games by Tolstoy, Randolph Churchill and
Prokofiev, though my head warns that they
might belong in the apocryphal category,
inhabited by games attributed to Napoleon
and Pope John Paul II.
Einstein studied music as a boy and
eventually became an accomplished
violinist, playing for relaxation. While
playing a duet with a professional violinist,
Einstein missed a few notes and beats. This
prompted his exasperated companion to
ask “What’s the matter with you, Einstein?
Can’t you count?”
It is clear, though, that early in his life
(he was fascinated by a compass at the
age of five), Einstein was determined to
probe the secrets and solve the riddle of
April 2024
the physical world. He was inspired by a
book of Euclid’s geometry and he made a
particular point of studying Michelangelo’s
pictures. By the age of 16, Einstein had
already written a scientific paper on the
relationship between electricity, magnetism
and the ether. He reported at the time that he
came up with his theories by encouraging
himself to play mind games, in which he
allowed his imagination to run riot.
Einstein also reported that in one
daydreaming session, he had imagined
riding on a sunbeam to the end of the
universe. To his amazement, when he got to
“the end of the universe”, he found he was
back where he had started his “journey”,
and thus concluded that the universe must be
both finite and curved. In his paper, Einstein
explored the question “what would happen
if one could follow a beam of light at the
speed of light?” As a result, he discovered
a paradox which, in scientific jargon, is “a
spatially oscillating electromagnetic field at
rest”. In other words, in spite of moving at
a vast speed, one would appear to have not
moved at all.
In 1895, Einstein joined the Swiss Federal
Polytechnic School at Zurich, at an age two
years below the standard age of enrolment.
There Einstein studied under Professor
Hermann Minkowski, the Russo-German
mathematician, whose special interests
were the theory of numbers, space and time.
Einstein could not have found a teacher
more in tune with his own predilections.
Einstein took Swiss nationality in 1901, and
in 1902 he was appointed Examiner at the
Swiss Patent Office. From this point on, his
achievements begin to take on the aspect of
an intellectual roller coaster.
Einstein published a steady stream of
scientific papers on a number of problems
in the field of physics. One concerned the
quantum theory of Germany’s greatest
physicist, Max Planck (1858-1947), which
held that energy changes or emissions occur
in violent, abrupt instalments, packages or
quanta. Planck himself was to become a
BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 227
04/144
Nobel Prize winner, President of the Berlin
Science Academy and a member of the
Royal Society.
In 1905, Einstein applied Planck’s quantum
theory to light and published his revolutionary
paper on Special Relativity. From 1909
onwards, the scientific world realised that
a new Galileo or Newton was upon them,
and showered Einstein with Professorships
– for example, in Zurich, Prague and Berlin.
In 1916, Einstein published his theory of
General Relativity. Three years later, two
British expeditions confirmed, through
their observation of eclipses, that Einstein’s
theories were correct.
The world of science was now in ferment,
but excitement also gripped the world at
large. As the Times of London wrote: “The
scientific conception of the fabric of the
universe must be changed. It is confidently
believed by the greatest experts that enough
has been done to overthrow the certainty of
ages, and to require a new philosophy of
the universe. A philosophy that will sweep
away nearly all that has hitherto been
accepted as the axiomatic basis of physical
thought. The ideals of Aristotle and Euclid
and Newton, which are the basis of all our
present conceptions, prove in fact not to
correspond with what can be observed in
the fabric of the universe. Space is merely
a relation between two sets of data and an
infinite number of times may coexist. Here
and there, past and present, are relative
not absolute and change according to
the ordinates and coordinates selected.
Observational science has in fact led back
to the purest subjective idealism.”
Lasker disagreed with Einstein’s theories and
wrote forcefully in opposition to them. This,
however, did not deter the great physicist
from contributing a magnificently insightful
foreword to Dr J Hannak’s standard
biography of the great chess master. Einstein
wrote: “Emanuel Lasker was undoubtedly
one of the most interesting people I came
to know in my later life. Few indeed can
have combined such a unique independence
228 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE
of personality with so eager an interest in
all the great problems of mankind.” One of
these, of course, was Einstein’s Theory of
Relativity, which Lasker hated.
Einstein again: “Lasker’s keen analytical
brain had immediately and clearly
recognised that the entire problem hinged
on the constancy of the velocity of light in
empty space. He clearly saw that, once such
constancy was admitted, the relativisation
of space was unanswerable, whether one
liked it or not, and he did not like it at all…
I rather liked Lasker’s stubborn intellectual
independence, a most rare quality in a
generation whose intellectuals are almost
invariably mere camp followers. And so
I let the matter rest.” “Stubborn” here is
Einsteinspeak for “wrong”. Nevertheless,
one wonders how Einstein and Lasker
would have fared within the groupthink
corral of our modern woking classes.
Hitler’s rise to power in the 1930s, and
the particularly pernicious version of
Nazi-inspired groupthink which infected
Germany in the 1930s, led to Einstein
leaving Europe and establishing himself
at Princeton in the United States, where he
lived for 20 years. In September 1939 he
wrote to President Roosevelt, advising him
to start work on an atomic bomb project
and warning of the dangers of a possible
German initiative in this field. This was
to lead directly to the Manhattan Project,
so brilliantly depicted in the recent Oscar
dominating film Oppenheimer.
The equation, E=MC2, where energy
equals mass multiplied by the speed of
light, squared, demonstrates that a very
small amount of mass is the equivalent of
a vast amount of energy. By utilising this
theory, two German scientists, Otto Hahn
and Fritz Strassman, were already engaged
in 1938 in splitting the uranium atom.
They were thus on the brink of unleashing
untold energy for Germany. Fortunately,
though, Werner Heisenberg, Germany’s
top physicist during the 1940s, succeeded
in leading the Nazi authorities down a

blind alley, as befits the originator of the
Uncertainty Principle, and thus helped to
deflect Nazi science from concentrating on
the creation of an atomic weapon.
After the detonation of atomic bombs
on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the
subsequent cessation of global hostilities,
Einstein, who had earlier written an anti-
war book with Sigmund Freud (Why War?,
1933), urged international control of all
atomic devices. Then, in common with
Charlie Chaplin, Einstein also protested
against the communist witch-hunt of
Senator Joseph McCarthy’s Un-American
Activities Committee. In 1952, Einstein
was offered the presidency of the newly
created state of Israel, but declined to
accept the honour, saying: “Equations are
more important to me, because politics are
for the present, but an equation is something
for eternity!”
Examination of Einstein’s brain after his
death revealed that it contained 400 per
April 2024
Emanuel Lasker;
Source: World Chess Hall of Fame
cent more glial cells per neurone than
usual, which would have had the effect of
boosting his power of association between
seemingly disparate items way beyond the
average. But whether this was the cause or
effect of his genius, it is impossible to tell.
Einstein’s great predecessor, Sir Isaac
Newton, wrote of his three inspirational
friends, Amicus Platonis, Amicus
Aristoteles and Amicus Veritas. Plato and
Aristotle knew nothing of chess, but in my
heart of hearts I yearn to believe that those
two quasi-apocryphal Einstein games are,
indeed, a true indication of the chess ability
of possibly the greatest genius humankind
has ever known.
Now for my own experiences with physics,
somewhat less illustrious, I fear, than those
of Lasker and Einstein. During my thirteen
years at Dulwich College and Trinity
College Cambridge (1959-1972) I observed
a curious phenomenon. According to the
eminent British scientist and novelist C.
BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 229
04/144
P. Snow, in his Rede lecture of 1959, a
major problem had gradually arisen in the
intellectual life of Western society. Snow
described it as a split into “two cultures”
with science on the one hand and the
humanities on the other. He lamented this
development as being a major handicap to
solving the world’s most pressing problems.
As a pupil at Dulwich, I sympathised with
his argument. Already struggling with
maths, I never did manage to work out
what logarithmic tables were and why they
were useful. Accordingly, I arrived at my
first physics lesson, armed with a certain
degree of scepticism. Once the class was
seated, a gushingly enthusiastic physics
master proceeded to explain why the
human eye and the camera worked in the
same way. His fervour failed to make the
leap between his mind and mine. Descartes
may have said that the human body is a
machine, but I instinctively rebelled against
this proposition, reasoning as follows: that
consciousness (definitely), intelligence
(sometimes) and quite possibly even a soul,
animated human vision, while a camera
functioned purely mechanically, and then
only according to its operator’s instructions.
Sensing that I was never going to excel at
physics, I decided to devote any time that
might have gone to physics, to studying and
playing chess.
Whereas my preferred field of academic
endeavour focused on Latin, French,
German and English literature, most of
my contemporary young chess hopefuls
were mathematicians. Indeed, the head of
the mathematics department at Dulwich
College personally tried to persuade me
to specialise in maths. Little did he know.
He had only looked at my chess results
and drawn what he thought was the
appropriate conclusion. Had he examined
my maths papers he might have spared
himself the effort.
Allegedly the Napoleonic-era Prussian
military theoretician Carl Philipp Gottfried
230 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE
von Clausewitz once remarked that cash is
to the economy, as war is to international
politics and diplomacy, in other words,
crunch time.
Adopting the politics to war analogy,
whether apocryphal or not, exams are an
unfortunate fact of life. They are balanced
on the opposite side of the equation
attributed to Clausewitz by how much
attention you were paying in class. In my
case, none, so I was fully prepared to score
zero in ‘O’ Level Physics, the Cretaceous
Period equivalent of modern GCSE’s.
Come the exam, I sat down at my desk,
wrote my name at the top of the paper,
waited for the obligatory thirty minutes to
expire and then walked out, the exam page
unblemished by even the most microscopic
intervention from my part.
But then came the physics practical where,
to my horror, I discovered that the rules
were different. No one was permitted
to leave before the full three hours had
elapsed. Which Torquemada of the ‘O’
Level inquisitory board, I asked myself,
had devised that particular torture?
There was nothing for it, but to try to
answer the question, and here there dawned
a faint glimmer of hope. The invigilator
handed out Vernier Calipers to measure
the distance which formed the substance
of the question. If there was one thing
I accidentally remembered from the
generally abortive physics lessons I had
been forced to attend over the previous 3
years, it was that Vernier Calipers measured
microdistances.
So, I set to work and sought to fill the
three tedious hours by actually answering
the question. After two hours and fifty-
nine minutes had elapsed, I came up with
the answer of 120 meters. This seemed
instinctively to be wrong. Summoning
my chess skills, which regularly required
thinking quickly in a crisis, and when short
of time, I hastily inserted a decimal point,
shifting it as far to the left of 120 meters as

seemed consistent with a micro distance. I
then submitted my answer.
Needless to say, it was not correct. Combined
with contributing a blank sheet of paper
(apart from my name at the top, of course)
for the theory exam, my expectations of a
high grade after the catastrophic viva were,
to put it mildly, on the low side of zero.
Imagine, however, my indignation when the
overall result came out as “ungraded”! This
struck me as monstrously unfair. According
to The Inquisition’s own rules, grade one
was top (budding physics genius) while
grade nine was bottom (confirmed physics
sub moron). There was no “ungraded.” That
level of disastrous non achievement simply
did not exist at the time.
Less determined spirits might have given up
at this point, but fired by an unquenchable
hunger and thirst for academic justice,
I submitted a formal complaint to
Torquemada’s office and demanded the
just desserts of my well earned grade nine.
To my astonishment, a few weeks later,
Inquisition HQ came back to me with an
apology, a correction and confirmation of
my grade nine. Justice had triumphed.
Several years later, a doubtless vitally
important government reform of education,
reversed the polarity of ‘O’ Level grades.
Grade one had now been recalibrated
as bottom, while grade nine had been
redefined as the new top, pinnacle and
Everest of Physics excellence.
As stated earlier, Sir Isaac Newton had
once famously said, when asked who
were his sources of scientific inspiration:
“Amicus Platonis”, “Amicus Aristotelis”
and “Amicus Veritas”. Armed with my
splendidly revised, shiny grade nine I
felt, with Newton, that I could now claim
Amicus Einstein, Amicus Heisenberg and
in particular Amicus Blind Chance, as my
new best friends.
From the above it should be clear that I
was definitely on the humanities side of
April 2024
the Niveous Equation, but what impressed
me, as I progressed through the groves of
Academe, was that, on the whole (with one
or two exceptions) mathematicians tended
to be far more receptive to the arts, than vice
versa. This was the curious phenomenon
mentioned in my opening paragraph.
Take, for example, my old friend Nick
Patterson. As a junior chess player I had
become used to all opposition crumbling
before me. Even if I did not necessarily
win a tournament, I experienced no
sensation of having encountered a superior
chess intellect, talent or understanding.
That changed when I faced Nick in the
penultimate round of the 1962/63 London
Under-16 Chess Championship. I had
been on course to win the title, but Nick
demolished me in our game and I had to
be content with a share of second place,
behind the precocious Bill Hartston, a two
times future British champion.
Nick was a brilliant mathematician but also
a polymath who went on to become a code-
breaker at GCHQ, Irish chess champion,
alternating top / second board for Ireland
in the 1970 chess Olympiad at Siegen in
Germany, a financial data analyst in New
York and now a key member of the David
Reich Institute at Harvard, analysing DNA
to detect the origins of humanity. Nick
has come up with the theory that humans
diverged genetically from chimpanzees but
then briefly (in geological time) merged
again, before we branched out decisively
on our own. From my own experience, I can
well believe it. The theory of a regression
is eminently plausible. Nick’s DNA work
also has potential in identifying and
tracking historic and pre-historic patterns
and outbreaks of disease.
The New York Times interviewed Nick,
on December 12, 2006, and, apropos the
two cultures divide, wrote: “Dr Patterson
belongs to a new breed of biologist. The
shelves of his office in Cambridge Mass.
carry arcane maths titles, yet he can
converse just as deeply about Buddhism or
BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 231
04/144
Thucydides, whose writings he has studied
in Ancient Greek.”
Will The New York Times one day reach
the astonishing conclusion that I am an
expert in Bayesian statistics or Conway’s
Group Theory, or even acknowledge the
fact that I am an undoubted physics genius
with a stratospheric grade nine at ‘O’
Level? Somehow I doubt it.
In the C. P. Snow Lecture at Christ’s
College Cambridge on October 14, 2009
(reported in Issue 235 of The Christ’s
College Magazine, the following year)
Professor Lisa Jardine explained the chief
ongoing danger connected with C. P.
Snow’s identification of the Two Cultures
Syndrome. The problem stems from
the fact that politicians responsible for
national and international policy tend to
have little or no scientific training. Prime
Minister Margaret Thatcher was a rare
exception, having been a research chemist
at Somerville College, Oxford, while
Angela Merkel actually studied Physics at
Karl Marx University of Leipzig.
As a rule, however, in matters requiring
scientific knowledge, Presidents and
Prime Ministers have little scientific
background. For example, the now
disgraced Jair Bolsonaro studied at The
Brazilian Military Academy, Donald
Trump (Economics at Wharton School of
the University of Pennsylvania), Pedro
Sanchez (Economics at Complutense
University Madrid), David Cameron
(PPE, Oxford), Theresa May (Geography,
Oxford), Vladimir Putin (Law, Leningrad
State University) and, of course, Boris
Johnson (Classics and Ancient History,
Oxford). Such world leaders must perforce
surround themselves with scientific gurus,
whose expertise they cannot verify from
personal experience.
The relevance to the Coronavirus situation
and the widespread debate over the
scientific advice given to governments
around the world is manifest. Perhaps from
232 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE
now on, we should require all world leaders
to hold a degree in epidemiology before
being elected to office. More realistically,
unlike my younger self, aspiring world
leaders should follow Leonardo da Vinci’s
exhortation: to see the science in art / the
art in science, and aim to acquire some
basic training in scientific method.
As Nick Patterson wrote to me, at least I
should know the logarithm of 1. Answers
on a postcard please….
This month’s game is Nick Patterson’s win
against me, which halted my progress in
the London Junior Chess Championship.
My idea of sacrificing rook for knight was
strategically sound, but tactically defective,
and should have been prefaced on move
19 by taking White’s pawn on h4 with my
queen, giving check.
Nicholas J Patterson (2345) -
Raymond Keene (2455) [C18]
London Junior Championship England,
04.01.1963
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.¤c3 ¥b4 4.e5 c5 5.a3
¥xc3+ 6.bxc3 £c7 7.¤f3 f5?! A very rare
beast, indeed!
8.¥e2
XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnl+k+ntr0
9zppwq-+-zpp0
9-+-+p+-+0
9+-zppzPp+-0
9-+-zP-+-+0
9zP-zP-+N+-0
9-+P+LzPPzP0
9tR-vLQmK-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy
It would not be until 25 years later,
that a Master game would follow in
these footsteps, but 8. c4 fared no better
[Maksimovic(2400)-Rasidovic(2370),
 April 2024
XIIIIIIIIY
0–1, GMA Open, Belgrade, 1988. Engines 9-sn-+-trk+0
suggest that both: 8.h4 ¤e7 9.¦h3 O-O 9+-+lwq-zp-0
10.h5, and 8.¦b1 ¤e7 9.h4 b6 10.¦h3 h6
11.¦g3; offer White a very pleasant game. 9-tRP+p+-zp0
9zp-+psnp+-0
8...¤e7 9.0–0 b6 10.a4 0–0!?
9P+-+-+-+0
11.¤g5 h6 12.¤h3 ¥d7? The text is not 9vL-zP-+-+-0
disastrous, but 12...¥a6 and ...¢h7 are 9-+PwQLzPP+0
definite if only slight, improvements.
9+-+-+-mKR0
13.¤f4 ¤bc6 14.h4 a5? Again, I could xiiiiiiiiy
have ceded less with either, 14...¢h7 or Powerfully more effective would have been,
14...¤a5. 27.c4! Black is swept away after either: 27...¥c6
28.¥b2 ¤f7 29.¦h3, or 27...¤xc4 28.¥xc4
15.£d2 ¦ac8 16.¥b2 ¤b8 17.¦fc1 dxc4 29.¦b7 c3 30.£d6 £xd6 31.cxd6.
£d8 17...¤bc6 offered a somewhat more
resistant profile. 27...£xa3 28.cxd7 £e7 29.¦b7 ¤bxd7
30.¥b5?! White jettisons yet more impetus.
18.¢h2 Over-cautious. White stood very Correct was 30.c4, when after 30...dxc4,
well after both 18. dxc5! and c4. 31.¦h3 ¦f7 32.£xa5 £d6 33.¦b1, when
White enjoys a significant advantage.
18...¤ec6 19.¦h1 £e7?
XIIIIIIIIY 30...¦b8?! Both players playing with
openly exposed nerves. Black should have
9-snr+-trk+0 played 30...£a3 in order to constrain
9+-+lwq-zp-0 White’s growing initiative.
9-zpn+p+-zp0 31.¦xb8+ ¤xb8 32.£d4? Further
9zp-zppzPp+-0 evidence of fear of flying. White should
9P+-zP-sN-zP0 have played 32.¦h3, with a healthy edge.
9+-zP-+-+-0 32...¤bc6 33.¥xc6 ¤xc6 34.£b6 £a3??
XIIIIIIIIY
9-vLPwQLzPPmK0 9-+-+-+k+0
9tR-+-+-+R0 9+-+-+-zp-0
xiiiiiiiiy 9-wQn+p+-zp0
The move is alluded to in the preamble.
Black should have played, 19...£xh4 + 9zp-+p+p+-0
immediately. 9P+-+-+-+0
20.¤g6 £f7 21.¤xf8 ¦xf8 Anything but. 9wq-zP-+-+-0
Both 21...£xf8, or ¢xf8, were preferable 9-+P+-zPP+0
to diverting the rook from the c-file. 9+-+-+-mKR0
22.¥a3 £e7 23.¦ab1 £xh4+ 24.¢g1 Thar’xiiiiiiiiy
she blows! 34...£d6 defers the
£d8 25.dxc5 £e7 26.¦xb6 Winning-post inevitable, but resistance is futile!!
nerves? 26.¦h3 bxc5 27.¦b5 £g5 28.f4
£d8 29.¥xc5 is crushing. 35.£xc6 £c1+ 36.¢h2 £f4+ 37.g3 £xf2+
38.¢h3 £e2
26...¤xe5 27.c6 1–0

BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 233

04/144

4NCL DIVISION ONE - REPORT

By IM Shaun Taulbut
After six rounds in the 4NCL Division One 9...£b8 10.f4 10.¤c4 b5 11.¤d6+ ¥xd6
Wood Green are in top spot, having won 12.exd6 c4 13.¥e4 £xd6 14.a4 ¦b8 15.d3
all their matches, closely followed by The is slightly better for White.
Sharks and Manx Liberty. (See the placings
at the end of the article.) 10...gxf4 11.¤f3 ¤h6

We shall look at two games by younger XIIIIIIIIY

players, starting with a fine win on the top 9rwq-+kvl-tr0
board by William Claridge-Hansen against
Lupulescu in the match Manx Liberty
9zpp+l+p+-0
against Oxford 1. 9-+n+p+-sn0
9+-zp-zP-+p0
Constantin Lupulescu -
William Claridge-Hansen 9-+-zp-zp-+0
4NCL 2023–24 England ENG (5.1)
9sN-zPL+N+-0
9PzP-zPQ+PzP0
1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 e6 3.c3 White avoids the 9tR-vL-+RmK-0
Open Sicilian, potentially transposing
to a French Defence with one important xiiiiiiiiy
difference in that White has not yet played 11...h4 12.¥e4 h3 is a good alternative,
d4. weakening g2.

3...d5 4.e5 d4 Black prevents White from 12.¦e1 ¦g8 13.b3 a6 14.¥b2 dxc3
following up with d4: a good and combative 15.¥xc3 15.dxc3 ¤g4 is good for Black.
decision.
15...b5
5.¤a3 ¤c6 6.¥d3 6.¥b5 ¥d7 is also XIIIIIIIIY
playable for White but Black has equality.
9rwq-+kvlr+0
6...¥d7 7.0–0 Allowing Black a good 9+-+l+p+-0
option on the kingside.
9p+n+p+-sn0
7...g5 Black can now attack the white 9+pzp-zP-+p0
knight on f3 with …g4 and put pressure 9-+-+-zp-+0
on the white pawn on e5; Black plays
energetically to generate a kingside attack. 9sNPvLL+N+-0
9P+-zPQ+PzP0
8.£e2 h5 Black gains space and also plans
a further advance of the h-pawn against the
9tR-+-tR-mK-0
castled white king. xiiiiiiiiy
9.¤e1 If 9.¤c4 g4 10.¤e1 b5 11.¤d6+ Black expands on the queenside as well,
¥xd6 12.exd6 c4 13.¥e4 d3 slightly cramping White’s minor pieces; the threat
favours Black. of a fork forces White to retreat further.

234 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 April 2024

16.¤c2 £a7 17.¢h1 ¦d8 18.¦f1 ¤e7 XIIIIIIIIY

19.¤g1 ¥c6 20.¤e1 If 20.¥e4 ¥xe4
21.£xe4 b4 22.¥b2 ¦xd2 Black is 9-+-+k+-+0
much better. 9+q+-+p+-0
20...£b7 21.¤ef3 ¤ef5
9p+-+p+-+0
XIIIIIIIIY 9+l+-zPn+-0
9-+-trkvlr+0 9-+-sn-zp-+0
9+q+-+p+-0 9+-+-+N+N0
9p+l+p+-sn0 9P+-+-+rzP0
9+pzp-zPn+p0 9+Q+-tRR+K0
9-+-+-zp-+0 xiiiiiiiiy
32.¤xf4 If 32.¢xg2 ¤h4+ 33.¢h1 ¤dxf3
9+PvLL+N+-0 34.£e4 ¥c6 35.£xf4 ¤g5+ 36.¢g1
9P+-zPQ+PzP0 ¤xh3#.
9tR-+-+RsNK0 32...¦g4 33.¤h5 ¤xf3 34.¤f6+ ¢f8
xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY
Black has strong pressure against g2.
9-+-+-mk-+0
22.¦ae1 ¦xd3 23.£xd3 c4 23...b4 9+q+-+p+-0
24.¥b2 ¤h4, with an attack on g2, is
decisive as the knight cannot be captured
9p+-+psN-+0
and defending g2 with a rook allows 9+l+-zPn+-0
either …¥b5 or …¤g4. 9-+-+-+r+0
24.bxc4 ¥c5 25.£e2 h4 26.d4 26.¤h3 is 9+-+-+n+-0
better for White here but now Black has a 9P+-+-+-zP0
winning attack.
9+Q+-tRR+K0
26...¥xd4 27.¥xd4 ¤xd4 28.£d3 ¤hf5 xiiiiiiiiy
White has no defence to the threatened
XIIIIIIIIY discovered checks, ie … ¤xe1+ and …
9-+-+k+r+0 ¤d2+
9+q+-+p+-0 0–1
9p+l+p+-+0
9+p+-zPn+-0
9-+Psn-zp-zp0
9+-+Q+N+-0
9P+-+-+PzP0
9+-+-tRRsNK0
xiiiiiiiiy
The black knights dominate the game.

29.cxb5 ¥xb5 30.£b1 h3 31.¤xh3

¦xg2

BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 235

04/144
XIIIIIIIIY
Now an excellent win by Scottish Junior 9-+r+r+k+0
Freddy Gordon against John Emms
9zplwq-+pzp-0
Frederick Waldhausen Gordon - 9-zp-+psn-zp0
John Emms 9+-+-sN-+-0
4NCL 2023–24 England ENG (5.2) 9-+-zPPzP-+0
1.d4 ¤f6 2.c4 e6 3.¤f3 d5
9+L+Q+-+P0
XIIIIIIIIY 9P+-+-+P+0
9rsnlwqkvl-tr0 9+-+RtR-mK-0
9zppzp-+pzpp0 xiiiiiiiiy
White has the initiative here, with more space
9-+-+psn-+0 for his pieces, and the white knight is very
active, so Black plays to exchange this knight.
9+-+p+-+-0
9-+PzP-+-+0 19...¤d7 20.£g3 ¤xe5 21.fxe5 White
has the half open f-file to mount pressure
9+-+-+N+-0 against the black king and his bishop is
9PzP-+PzPPzP0 superior to its counterpart.
9tRNvLQmKL+R0 XIIIIIIIIY
xiiiiiiiiy 9-+r+r+k+0
4.¤c3 c5 5.cxd5 ¤xd5 6.e4 ¤xc3 7.bxc3 9zplwq-+pzp-0
cxd4 8.cxd4 ¥b4+ 9.¥d2 ¥xd2+
10.£xd2 0–0 11.¥c4 9-zp-+p+-zp0
9+-+-zP-+-0
A standard Semi-Tarrasch position well 9-+-zPP+-+0
known to theory; White has a slight edge
with his pawn centre. 9+L+-+-wQP0
XIIIIIIIIY 9P+-+-+P+0
9rsnlwq-trk+0 9+-+RtR-mK-0
9zpp+-+pzpp0 xiiiiiiiiy
21...¦ed8 22.¢h2 ¥a6 22...a5 is also
9-+-+p+-+0 worth consideration, with the idea of … b5
9+-+-+-+-0 and … a4. White advances in the centre to
9-+LzPP+-+0 create a passed pawn.
9+-+-+N+-0 23.d5 ¥c4 24.d6 £b7 25.¦e3 b5 26.£f4
9P+-wQ-zPPzP0 £b6 27.¦g3 ¢h8 28.£xf7 28.d7 ¦b8
29.¦d6 £c7 30.£xf7.
9tR-+-mK-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy 28...¦g8 29.¥xc4 bxc4 30.d7 ¦cf8
11...¤d7 12.0–0 b6 13.¦fe1 ¥b7 14.¦ad1 31.£e7 c3 If 31...¦d8 32.¦d6 £a5
¦c8 15.¥b3 ¦e8 16.h3 ¤f6 17.£d3 h6 33.£xe6 c3 34.£xh6+ gxh6 35.¦xh6#.
17...£e7 is an alternative here.
32.¦xg7 ¦xg7 33.£xf8+
18.¤e5 £c7 19.f4
The d-pawn queens.
1–0

236 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 4NCL DIVISION ONE - THE PLACINGS AFTER SIX ROUNDS

Rk Name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 MP GP
1 Wood Green 4½-3½ 6-2 5½-2½ 6-2 7-1 5½-2½ 12 34½
2 The Sharks 1 3½-4½ 5-3 5½-2½ 6½-1½ 7½-½ 6½-1½ 10 34½
3 Manx Liberty 3-5 4½-3½ 5-3 6-2 6½-1½ 10 30
4 Wood Green Youth 3½-4½ 6-2 6-2 8 29½
5 Cheddleton 2-6 3-5 4-4 5½-2½ 5-3 7½-½ 7 27½
6 Alba 2½-5½ 1½-6½ 4-4 4½-3½ 5-3 4½-3½ 7 27½
7 Blackthorne 2-6 2-6 2½-5½ 4-4 4-4 4½-3½ 5-3 6 23
8 Chessable White Rose 1 2½-5½ 2-6 2½-5½ 3½-4½ 7½-½ 4½-3½ 4 22½
9 Barnet Knights A 1-7 3-5 3½-4½ 4-4 6-2 3 19½
10 Chessable White Rose 2 1½-6½ 2-6 3-5 ½-7½ 4-4 4½-3½ 3 15½
11 Celtic Tigers 1 2½-5½ ½-7½ ½-7½ 3½-4½ 2-6 4½-3½ 2 13½
12 Oxford 1 1½-6½ 1½-6½ 3-5 3½-4½ 3½-4½ 3½-4½ 0 16½

BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 237

April 2024
04/144

Openings
for Amateurs By Pete Tamburro; ptamburro@aol.com

Attacking patterns out of your Openings (Part I)

I’ve often talked about the "ten-move rule," in because younger players seem to have no
where amateurs lose the thread of their idea who played before they were born!
opening somewhere between moves ten and
fifteen. However, once you get to the early Koltanowski - Defosse
middle game, do you know the attacking
patterns that emerge out of the opening you Belgium National Championship, 1937
pick? In browsing through my 1937 BCM
volume, I ran across this brilliancy prize 1.d4 ¤f6 2.¤f3 e6 3.e3 d5 4.¥d3 c5 5.c3
game by George Koltanowski in the Belgian ¤c6 6.¤bd2 ¥e7 7.0–0 0–0 8.dxc5! Very
Championship. It’s a Colle System, which important! White wants to play e2–e4, but
Kolty made famous in his simul tours and a doesn’t want Black playing cxd4 when that
little booklet he used to sell. There’s a joke thrust happens, so white captures on c5.
among collectors that the rarest book in chess
is that Colle book that isn’t signed by him! 8...¥xc5 9.e4 £c7!
XIIIIIIIIY
The brilliancy calculation must have taken him
all of 30 seconds to figure out as there were 9r+l+-trk+0
two famous wins by Lasker and Tarrasch with 9zppwq-+pzpp0
the same two bishop sacrifice (also included 9-+n+psn-+0
in this article). His opponent apparently, and
innocently, wandered into it because he either 9+-vlp+-+-0
forgot or never played over those two games. In 9-+-+P+-+0
myriad conversations with GMs over the years,
I was always impressed by their ability to refer 9+-zPL+N+-0
to either certain games or positions going back 9PzP-sN-zPPzP0
many years. In Openings for Amateurs, I’ve 9tR-vLQ+RmK-0
always tried to bring some of these old classics
xiiiiiiiiy
238 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

This is not easy to find, but it is easy
to understand. Black develops a piece
(notice how many times we say that?),
prevents e4–e5, and even supports Black
doing his own thing by putting a piece or
a pawn on e5, or even f4.
10.£e2 The Black queen move comes in
handy after: 10.exd5 ¤xd5 11.¤e4 ¥e7
12.£e2 b6 13.c4 ¤f4
10...¥d6
XIIIIIIIIY
9r+l+-trk+0
9zppwq-+pzpp0
9-+nvlpsn-+0
9+-+p+-+-0
9-+-+P+-+0
9+-zPL+N+-0
9PzP-sNQzPPzP0
9tR-vL-+RmK-0
xiiiiiiiiy
One move suggested in several sources
and by Stockfish 16 is 10...h6; however,
the "equal" should be "complicated!"
Just take one possibility that leads to
an exchange sacrifice idea that White
should know: 11.e5 ¤g4 12.¤b3 ¥b6
13.¤bd4 ¤cxe5 14.¤xe5 ¤xe5 15.¥f4
f6 16.¦ae1 ¥d7 17.£h5 £c8 (17...¥c8
18.¦xe5!! fxe5 19.¥xe5 £f7 20.¥g6
£e7 21.¥c2 ¥c7 (21...£f7 22.£e2
¥c7 23.¤f3 b6 24.£d3 g5 25.¥xc7
£xc7 26.h4 gxh4 27.¤xh4 £g7
28.f4±) ) 18.¦xe5!! fxe5 19.¥xe5 £e8
20.£g4 £f7 21.f4²; In OFA, I looked
at 10...e5 11.exd5 ¤xd5 12.¥xh7+ and
was satisfied with the win of a pawn.
Reconsidering it years later, it seems
Black has play for the pawn: (12.¤e4
¥e7 13.¦e1 (13.¥c4 ¤b6 14.¥b3 ¥f5
15.¤g3) ) 12...¢xh7 13.£e4+ ¢g8
14.£xd5 ¥e7 That’s why it is always
good, as I also wrote back then, to do
your own homework and re-evaluate
positions and moves.
April 2024
11.¦e1 ¤g4 "White wants to enforce
e4–e5. Black wants to prevent it. It’s that
simple."-Openings for Amateurs book.
12.h3 ¤ge5 "White chases the defender
of the e5 square, but the defender becomes
the occupant--one way to prevent e4–e5!"
– OFA.
13.¤xe5 13.¥c2
13...¤xe5 14.exd5 exd5!? Black should
always consider getting rid of that "Colle"
bishop. 14...¤xd3 15.£xd3 ¦d8 16.¤f3 h6
17.¤d4 exd5 18.¤b5=.
15.¤f3 ¤xf3+? Much better, as pointed
out in OFA, is 15...¤xd3 16.£xd3 £c4
17.£xc4 dxc4 .The flurry of exchanges
is over. Where swapping queens didn’t
work before, it works now because
Black rid himself of his isolated d-pawn
and created an equal balance of pawns
on both sides. Black also has the two
bishops. The position is equal. White
has a slightly freer position, an excellent
outpost on d4 for his knight, and easy
access to the open files for his rooks.
Black has to bring his rooks and his
king to the centre to encourage further
exchanges. It can still get exciting:
18.¦e4 ¥e6 19.¤g5 ¥c5 20.¤xe6 fxe6
21.¥f4 ¦ad8 22.¦xc4 ¥xf2+ 23.¢xf2
e5 24.¢e3 exf4+ 25.¦xf4 ¦xf4
26.¢xf4 ¦d2 Black really has to be
on his toes in this line. This is a pretty
solid way to defend the Colle, although
you can see how dangerous it can be.
It’s good to know the ideas of both
sides. You can see that one little misstep
for White on move eight or Black on
move nine can make a difference in
the game’s direction. Developing your
pieces is good. Developing them with
an overall idea in mind is better. Now
we come to the part where a mistake by
the defence in the early middle game
sets up an opportunity for a decisive
attack. Just as Black has to know what
not to do, White has to know what to do
when Black falters.
BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 239
04/144

16.£xf3 ¥e6 17.¥e3 ¦ad8 18.¥c2 b5
19.¥d4 ¥c5 20.¦ad1 b4
XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-tr-trk+0
9zp-wq-+pzpp0
9-+-+l+-+0
9+-vlp+-+-0
9-zp-vL-+-+0
9+-zP-+Q+P0
9PzPL+-zPP+0
9+-+RtR-mK-0
xiiiiiiiiy
P.S. Milner-Barry, in the 1937 BCM, wrote
"There does not seem to be much wrong
with Black’s game apart from the minor
inconvenience of the isolated Pawn. But, as
usual, the Colle variation is more dangerous
than it looks."
Indeed. Too often all of us get a little lazy and
are seduced by the superficial harmlessness
of a quiet-looking position. In this game,
¤xf3+ seemed to reduce the material on
the board, but after this, the very nature of
the game changed. Even after 20...¥xd4
21.¦xd4 g6 22.¥b3 a5 23.a3 a4 24.¥xd5
¥xd5 25.¦xd5±, White’s extra pawn is on
the queenside and his queen and rook are in
dominant positions.
note that Black really didn’t have a good
move. For example: 21...£b6 22.£g3 g6
23.h4 bxc3 24.bxc3 ¦fe8 25.£f4 ¥d6
26.h5 ¥xe5 27.¦xe5 £c5 28.¥a4 £xc3
29.¥xe8 ¦xe8 30.h6 £a3 31.¦dxd5+–;
and 21...£d7 22.cxb4 ¥xb4 23.¥xg7
¢xg7 24.£d3 f5 25.£d4+ ¦f6
26.£xb4.
22.¥xh7+! When you consider that the
famous Lasker-Bauer game was played in
1889 and Nimzovich-Tarrasch followed
the theme in 1914, Kolty must have been
pleased to join the immortals. Defosse, on
the other hand, had to resolve to study more
classic games.
22...¢xh7 23.£h5+ ¢g8 24.¥xg7
¢xg7 The double-bishop sacrifice could
be ignored by Black; however, the result
would be the same. 24...f6 25.£h8+ ¢f7
26.¥xf8 ¥xf8 27.£h5+ ¢e7 28.£h7+
¢d6 29.¦xe6+ ¢xe6 30.£xc7+–.
25.£g5+ ¢h7 26.¦d4 Black could have
resigned after the rook lift.
26...¥h2+ 27.¢h1 £f4 28.¦xf4
¥xf4 29.£xf4 ¦g8 30.¦e5 and Black
achieves his goal of avoiding the
miniature games books.
1–0

21.¥e5 ¥d6?
XIIIIIIIIY That’s the first lesson. It’s important to
recognize positions that give you decisive
9-+-tr-trk+0 attacks. Now, if you do that, you’re
9zp-wq-+pzpp0 only halfway there. The second half is
recognising those patterns as they start
9-+-vll+-+0 to emerge. It’s one thing to have seen the
9+-+pvL-+-0 Lasker or Tarrasch games and another
9-zp-+-+-+0 to study how they emerged out of the
opening. That’s the flaw in many tactical
9+-zP-+Q+P0 study books today. They give you the
9PzPL+-zPP+0 position and essentially say, "OK, here’s
the mate. Find it!" Very few show you
9+-+RtR-mK-0 the whole game so you can see it form
xiiiiiiiiy as you approach it. For defenders, such
Again Milner-Barry: "Black is unaware as Defosse, they also have to be aware of
of the impending catastrophe." He did those emerging possibilities.

240 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 April 2024

Both these games are the double bishop

sacrifice, but both have more to it than Nimzovich - Tarrasch
Kolty’s quickie. Two good reasons to play St. Petersburg, 1914
over classic games.
XIIIIIIIIY
Lasker-Bauer 9-+-tr-trk+0
Amsterdam, 1889 9zp-+-wqp+p0
XIIIIIIIIY 9-+lvl-+p+0
9r+-+-trk+0 9+-zpp+-+-0
9+l+-vlpzpp0 9-+-+n+-+0
9pzpq+psn-+0 9+P+-zPN+-0
9+-zppvL-+-0 9PvLQsN-zPPzP0
9-+-+-zP-+0 9+-tR-+RmK-0
9+P+LzP-sN-0 xiiiiiiiiy
9P+PzPQ+PzP0 1...¤xd2! 2.¤xd2 Nimzo walks right into
it. A bit stiffer, but still losing, resistance
9tR-+-+RmK-0 was: 2.£xd2 d4 3.£e2 ¦fe8 4.¦fd1 ¥b7
xiiiiiiiiy 5.¦d2 ¥f4 6.¦e1 ¥c7 7.£d1 ¥xf3
1.¤h5! ¤xh5 2.¥xh7+ ¢xh7 3.£xh5+ 8.£xf3 ¥a5.
¢g8 4.¥xg7 ¢xg7 5.£g4+ ¢h7 6.¦f3
e5 7. ¦h3+ £h6 8.¦xh6+ ¢xh6 9.£d7 2...d4 3. exd4 3.¦fe1 ¦fe8.
¥f6 10.£xb7 ¢g7 11.¦f1 ¦ab8 12.£d7
¦fd8 13.£g4+ ¢f8 14.fxe5 ¥g7 15.e6 3...¥xh2+ 4.¢xh2 £h4+ 5.¢g1 ¥xg2
¦b7 16.£g6 f6 17.¦xf6+ ¥xf6 18.£xf6+ 6.f3 6.¢xg2 £g4+ 7.¢h1 ¦d5.
¢e8 19.£h8+ ¢e7 20.£g7+ ¢xe6
21.£xb7 6...¦fe8 7.¤e4 £h1+ 8.¢f2 ¥xf1 9.d5
f5 10.£c3 £g2+ 11.¢e3 ¦xe4+ 12.fxe4
1–0 f4+! 13.¢xf4 ¦f8+ 14.¢e5 £h2+ 15.¢e6
¦e8+ 16.¢d7 ¥b5#.

BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 241

04/144

GRANDMASTERS’
MISEVALUATIONS
By GM Aleksandar Colovic

I was going over Nigel Short’s games

from his book “Winning”. I always liked
Nigel and rooted for him in the 1980s
and 1990s as he was the “best from the
West” and I was curious to see how far
he could go.

The games in the book are very

interesting and revealing. One aspect that
I found surprising was how sometimes
these great players could have bad days
and how easily they could be affected by
psychological factors. In the game Short-Timman from
Reykjavik 1987, Black obtained a
The following two games are good decent position in the French. However,
examples of both of these factors. instead of slower moves that improve

242 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE


Photo David Llada
his position (Short proposed …¢b8-a8)
he lashed out with 14…f5??, which only
gave him a hopeless position in exchange
for a couple of tempi spent to bring the
knight to e4, from where it was duly
chased away.
Here’s the position after seven moves, when
Black is positionally lost. I found it really
strange that a player of Timman’s strength,
easily a top five player at the time, could
commit such a bad positional mistake.
April 2024
In the game Polugaevsky-Short from
the same event, Short obtained a good
position from the obscure opening
1.¤f3 d6. It resembles a Sicilian,
where Black is very comfortable.
Instead of simple play 17…a6 and b5,
Short played 17…d5, which while not
bad (though he criticises this decision
in the book) shows a desire to force
matters. In fact, Short admits to being
rattled and feeling uncomfortable after
the loss in the previous round. After
18.e5 ¤e4 19.¥xe4 dxe4 20.¥e3 he
started to see ghosts and feared losing
his e4-pawn.
So, instead of calmly doubling on
the d-file, he lashed out with 20…f5?
21.exf6 ¥xf6 22.¥f2 and what he feared
he single-handedly made happen – he
lost the pawn on e4. He managed to draw
the game, but it was not a good pair of
decisions. In this case, the curious part
is his confession of playing under the
influence of his previous game.
This example shows that when GMs
demonstrate clear misevaluations or
play bad moves, there is always an
underlying reason for that. It’s just that
we rarely get to know it, a sin Timman’s
case, as honesty is rarely the best policy
in the world of elite sport – revealing
too much about oneself can easily help
the opposition.
Not everybody will be honest even after
their career ends, which makes these
glimpses even more valuable.
BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 243
04/144

WHAT HINDSIGHT CAN GIVE US

THE STORIES OF SPIELMANN,

VERLINSKY AND RAUZER
A REVIEW OF:

“A CHESS BIOGRAPHY OF RUDOLF SPIELMANN: FROM VIENNA TO MUNICH TO

STOCKHOLM” BY GRIGORY BOGDANOVICH, ELK AND RUBY, 2023

“A CHESS BIOGRAPHY OF BORIS VERLINSKY: FIRST GRANDMASTER OF THE SOVIET

UNION” BY SERGEI TKACHENKO, ELK AND RUBY 2023

“OBSESSION: A CHESS BIOGRAPHY OF VSEVOLOD RAUZER”, BY ALEXANDER

KONSTANTINOPOLSKY, ELK AND RUBY 2023

By Peter O’Brien
In the last few years, the publishing
house Elk and Ruby has been providing
an invaluable service to English-
speaking chess players who do not
read Russian by producing splendid
translations of works about players
and events mostly involving the Soviet
Union. The three books reviewed here
reinforce this service, at the same
time as adding a volume (originally
in Russian) on one of the outstanding
players of the German-speaking realm,
Rudolf Spielmann. All of these books
are labelled “Chess Biographies”. What
this term means is that, while each work
gives us something about the life and
times of the player, their biographies
are traced through their chess-related
activities. The focus on the “chess Spielmann is the best known, and the
personality” of the player almost standard picture of him is that of a hugely
inevitably invites a reassessment of the gifted combinative master who could give
contribution made to the development as good as he took with the world’s best
of chess and to the circumstances in during his lifetime. Rauzer is recognizable
which the player made that contribution. to most through his contributions to chess
Seen from this perspective of hindsight, theory, especially in a couple of openings,
the three players in question offer an the Sicilian and the French. Verlinsky is
unusually rich array of insights. maybe less well-known outside Russia. It

244 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE


Verlinsky is maybe less well-known
outside Russia. It may surprise many
to learn that he was, in fact, the first
grandmaster of the Soviet Union
may surprise many to learn that he was,
in fact, the first grandmaster of the Soviet
Union. How come more has not been heard
of such a player? The trio of volumes
here seek to adjust our ways of seeing
these players, both through deepening
our understanding of what we think we
already knew and throughopening our
horizons on many things of which we
were most likely unaware.
Despite the differences in the contexts in
which the three lived, they shared some
key characteristics. All were Jewish
and had to cope with the unprecedented
horrors of those times and places. For
them, chess effectively represented
their lives. Spielmann stated that it
was his profession and that at a time
when very few would make the same
affirmation. Unfortunately, the epoch in
which he lived offered scarce prospects
for sustaining such a profession and he
died in chronic poverty in 1942. Rauzer,
as the title of Konstantinopolsky’s book
indicates, became literally obsessed with
the game. Though his friends eventually
found him a plausible job providing
April 2024
little income, he in fact devoted all of
his waking hours to the search for truth
within chess. His theoretical insights
therefore went far beyond the opening
theory ideas which have traditionally
been the source of his fame. He too died in
1942, in appalling circumstances during
the siege of Leningrad. As for Verlinsky,
let us listen to that wonderful player
and incomparable authority on chess
in the USSR, namely Yuri Averbakh.
He was a good friend of Verlinsky and
said: “Chess was everything for him,
and he brought the philosophy of this
wise game to everyone who was ready to
receive it” (cited on p.10 of Tkachenko’s
book). Verlinsky died in 1950, at the age
of 62, While this may appear seem like
longevity compared with Spielmann and
Rauzer, the first grandmaster of the USSR
had in fact been virtually deaf since birth,
survived several Jewish pogroms and
suffered other brutal difficulties. Hence
for all three adversity was a constant in
their lives.
The core of Bogdanovich’s reassessment
of Spielmann is contained in five chapters,
occupying over 300 pages, of which one,
roughly 100 pages in length, examines
his legendary attacking skills, The next
four, however, highlight successively
Spielmann’s art as a defender, his positional
mastery, the knowledge of opening theory,
and his prowess in the endgame. It is
after these very important chapters that
Bogdanovich takes us into a series of issues
which would be a real bonus to find in other
biographies of players and their games.
The first of those issues is what the author
labels “The Costs of Style”. A risk-taker
Despite the differences in the contexts in
which the three lived, they shared some
key characteristics. All were Jewish and
had to cope with the unprecedented
horrors of those times and places. For
them, chess effectively represented
their lives
BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 245
04/144

condemns himself to occasions when the

endeavour backfires, and he loses. Some
of these defeats are at the hands of the
greats, such as Botvinnik, Schlechter and
Nimzowitsch. But some also happened
with somewhat less renowned, though
still superb, players. If you play with fire,
the chances of being burned are all too
real. Think of Real Madrid waiting for
added time to score the decisive goals, of
Djokovic risking innumerable tie-breaks,
or of Goggia, Schifrin and Brignone
banking everything on split seconds.
The spectators want nail-biting tension.
A second issue relates to what John
Nunn enunciated as the DAUT principle
(‘Don’t Analyse Unnecessary Tactics”).
Simply put, Nunn gives us the very
sound advice that, if we can reinforce
our position (especially an attacking one)
through straightforward moves involving
little risk, we should do so. Spielmann
certainly did not always follow this.
Hence Bogdanovich gives examples
of the extent to which an ”anti-DAUT”
approach might not be so good. A third
issue, once more revolving around the
subject of risk assessment in chess, relates
to the cases where “pragmatism” prevails.
Bogdanovich, following well-known
remarks of Tartakower, calls this cynicism
and asks whether Spielmann could also
be labelled a chess cynic. The answer
is that there are many instances where
the great Viennese master calculated his
options very well. His style may have had
its costs, but they were mostly kept well
under control.
The Rauzer book has the valuable feature
of bringing together older contributions by
Soviet players who knew the man and his
work very well. Thus a Konstantinopolsky
article of 1989 describes Rauzer as its author
knew him; Yudovich and Fogelevich, in a
short piece probably written in the mid-
1930s, provide an early look at Rauzer’s
theoretical contributions: Lazarev, writing
in 1975, underlines how Rauzer went
about his theoretical work and highlights
also the contributions to endgame theory;
“…There is every reason to place V
Rauzer among the founders of the Soviet
school, which defined the development
of chess thought for many years”
while Botvinnik, in a vignette published
in 1990, states categorically that “there
is every reason to place V Rauzer among
the founders of the Soviet school,
which defined the development of chess
thought for many years” (p.48). These
assessments are followed by a large
selection of games showing the depth of
Rauzer’s work. He was unquestionably
driven by the idea that the game
contained absolute truth and this should
be sought whatever the circumstances.
That notion was bad both for practical
results and Rauzer’s mental and physical
health. It also led to huge generalisations,
in particular his total conversion, from
the early 1930s onwards, to playing
only 1.e4. This was in direct contrast
to Breyer’s earlier statement that, after
this opening move, White’s game was
in its last death throes. Breyer was in
the hypermodern vein, while Rauzer’s
enormous theoretical efforts were in
defence of classicism in the game.
I am not sure I can do full justice to
Tkachenko’s magnificent book on
Verlinsky in a short review. Partly this

246 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE


is because his life as a Ukrainian Jewish
person living in a terrible era is a
theme which is of personal interest to
me, while here I must sell Tkachenko’s
detailed observations short. It is also
partly because we are talking about
a brilliant player who could beat the
world’s very best and did indeed win
the 1929 Soviet championship. That
this master of the attack is nowhere
near the first name that comes to mind
when discussing “the Soviet school”
is most likely due to a mix of the way
the USSR itself officially presented
its players and to gaps in our research.
Tkachenko has gone a very long way
towards correcting things. There are
130 games and game fragments where
the opponents represent more or less
the “Who’s Who” of Soviet chess till
the end of the 1940s. The material
leaves us in no doubt that Verlinsky
was a superb competitor, fighting
lifelong battle against severe obstacles,
somehow surviving through most of
the Stalinist times, and never failing
to produce works of art. Indeed, the
author’s opening lines are “dedicated to
Chess Heroes who produce works of art
against the Odds!” The book contains a
large selection of photos which portray
many of Verlinsky’s chess opponents,
but also splendid historical pictures of
places significant in Ukrainian history.
Thus, somewhat in contrast to the
books on Spielmann and Rauzer, this
work is devoted both to the man and
his circumstances.
In earlier BCM articles, I have argued
that excellent volumes on outstanding
players of the past not only tell us much
about the real history of the game, but
are also major insights into historical
periods and their consequences. With
this fine set of books, Elk and Ruby has
once more reiterated the message.
The British
Chess Solving
Championships
DAVID'S DOUBLE
Two British Chess Solving Championships on
the trot for David Hodge. He was the winner
last year, and he retained his title this year
David only won narrowly, both times, because
the evergreen Professor Jonathan Mestel came
very close to overtaking him. Mestel has
himself won the title many times and is also a
former World Chess Solving Champion.
Third place - one of the regulars? No, a
newcomer. Audrey Kueh, with no previous
experience at solving championships,
although a strong over-the-board player,
achieved a superb score. Audrey narrowly
edged ahead of Kamila Hryshchenko for
the bronze medal position. Kamila did get
a major prize, however - that for the best
solving performance over the last 12 months.
During 2023/24, she won multiple prizes,
had a massive increase in solving Elo rating,
and became a regular member of the British
solving team at international competitions.
In parallel with the British Championship
there is an Open held, at the same time and
with the same problems to solve. This was
won by one of the world’s best solvers, Eddy
van Beers from Belgium, with Vidmantas
Satkus of Lithuania and Abdelaziz Onkoud
of France in silver and bronze positions.
The competitions were held at the splendid
site of Harrow School, on February 17th.
They were sponsored by Winton, the
quantitative investment management firm
(winton.com).
In chess solving events, competitors try to
solve chess problems, such as White to play
and force mate in three moves, against the
clock. Points are awarded for how much of
the solution the solver finds.
See the next page |
»
04/144

Endgame Studies
by Ian Watson
ian@irwatson.uk

M. Travasoni Y. Afek
L’Italia Scacchistica 1979 EBUR 2002 (version)
win draw

S. Abramenko G. Zachodjakin
Tsjernobyl Ty 1990 Shakhmaty v SSSR 1951
win draw

248 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 April 2024

BEAT THE BEST SOLVERS

Your challenge this month is to solve the studies used in the Winton British Chess Solving
Championship. If you can, you will have beaten every competitor. No-one got a perfect
score in the study-solving round.

At this year’s finals, some of the world’s top solvers came to Britain to compete against
the British solvers. Even the overall winner, Eddy van Beers from Belgium, did not fully
solve either of the two studies in the Open event. Five competitors did succeed with the
first of those two studies, but no-one fully solved the second one. David Hodge, who won
the British Champion title, got five out of five for the first, but only one out of five for
the second.

There is also another event (the Minor) that takes place simultaneously with the main
event, but with somewhat easier problems to solve. In this event there are also two studies;
only the winner, Gautam Jain, fully solved both of them.

The first two studies, composed by Travasoni and Afek, are the ones from the Minor. The
Abramenko and Zachodjakin are the ones from the Open event. I have put the four studies
in ascending order of difficulty so that you can build up to the toughest.

The usual solving procedures apply: You’ll need to set up these positions on a board. In
solving events, you can use a chess set and you can move the pieces to try and help you
solve. You solve against the clock; for these four studies give yourself an average of 30
minutes for each one, so 120 minutes in total. Points are awarded according to how much
of the composer’s solution you find, with five points available for each study if you find
it all. In the answers, I’ll show you where the points were awarded. You need to find the
composer’s main line; you can also write down sidelines if you’re not sure what the main
line is, but only the main line moves earn points. So, look for the most artistic, elegant line.

All the problems used in the events are on the British Chess Problem Society website;
visit www.theproblemist.org and click on WBCSC. There you can also access the 2023-
24 Postal Round problems; the British Championship is an annual event with qualifying
stages, including a stage in which a set of problems are sent out by e-mail/post. So, you
can practice your solving using the 2023-24 problems to get yourself ’match-fit’ for the
2024-25 qualifying stages!

The solutions are on page 253.

BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 249

04/144
QUOTES AND QUERIES
THE CENTURY-OLD MASTERY OF
CARLOS TORRE By Alan Smith
6253 The breakthrough player of 1924 was
that of Carlos Torre Repetto. He won the
Louisiana championship in 1923, scoring
+12 =2, then moved to New York and was
not overawed by the challenge.
Torre entered for the championship of the
New York State Chess Association, to be held
at Rochester. There were nine entrants, Torre
scored +6=2 and tied for first place with
1915 champion Harold Jennings. Roy Black
was third a point behind. Here is Torre’s game
against the player placed fourth.
Carlos Torre - Edward Bradford Adams
Rochester 1924
1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3.¥b5 g6 Steinitz and
Pillsbury both played this with success.
4.d4 exd4 5.¤xd4 ¥g7 6.¥e3 £e7 A
novelty which appeared a few times later.
7.¤c3 ¤f6 8.0-0 ¤xd4 8...¤xe4 9.¤xe4
£xe4 does not work 10.¥xc6 dxc6 11.¦e1 ¥g4
12.¥c5! ¥xd1 13.¦xe4+ ¢d7 14.¦xd1+.
9.¥xd4 c6 10.e5! ¤h5 10...cxb5?? 11.exf6
is a disaster.
11.¥c4 0-0 12.¦e1 b5 13.¥e2 ¤f4
14.¥f3 ¥a6 15.a4 b4 16.¤e4 ¥xe5
17.¤c5! ¤e2+ 18.¥xe2 ¥xd4 19.£xd4
¥xe2 20.¦ad1 ¦fe8 21.¦d2 £g5 22.f4
£f5 Black could have called it a day here.
23.¦dxe2 ¦xe2 24.¦xe2 d6 25.¤e4 ¦e8??
26.¤f6+ £xf6 27.¦xe8+ ¢g7 28.¦g8+
1-0
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 28th August 1924
250 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE
Torre moved swiftly on and just a couple
of days later he was competing at Detroit
in an eighteen-player all play all. This
was a much tougher event, where his
opponents included the previous year’s
winners Norman Whitaker and Stasch
Mlotkowski, draughts champion Newell
Banks plus two players of Polish origin
who would go on to represent the USA
in olympiads, Sam Factor and young
Sammy Reshevsky.
A couple of early withdrawals clouded
the picture for a while. Torre had +8=1
at the end of round ten, a win by default
followed and +3=3 thereafter. He won
the event by a two-and-a-half-point
margin. The next game was played in the
opening round.
Carlos Torre - Bertram Jenkines
Detroit 1924
1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3.¥b5 a6 4.¥xc6
bxc6 This is one way to avoid the
stodgier positions in the Exchange
variation, 4...dxc6 5.¤c3 f6 6.d4 exd4
7.£xd4 £xd4 8.¤xd4 was Torre -
Whitaker five rounds later.
5.d4 exd4 6.¤xd4 6.£xd4 £f6 7.0-0
£xd4 8.¤xd4 ¦b8 worked well for black
in Duras - Alekhine Mannheim 1914
6...¥c5 7.0-0 ¤e7 8.¤c3 0-0 9.¥e3
Threatening 10.¤xc6 9...¥xd4 9...¥b6
seems more sensible.
10.£xd4 d5 11.¦ad1 f5 Trying to force
white’s hand in the centre.
12.¥g5! fxe4 13.£c5 ¦f7 13...¦fe8.

14.¤xe4 ¥f5 15.¤g3 ¥e6 16.¦fe1 £d7
17.¥xe7 ¦xe7 18.¦e2 ¦ae8 19.¦de1
£d6 20.£xd6 cxd6 21.¤f5 A simple
tactic carries the day.
21...¥xf5 21...¦f7 is refuted by 22.¤xd6.
22.¦xe7 ¦xe7 23.¦xe7 ¥xc2 24.¦d7
d4 25.¦xd6 d3 26.¢f1 ¥b1 28.¦xc6
¥xa2 29.¦xa6 ¥b1 30.¢d2 ¢e7
31.b4 ¢d7 32.¦a7+ ¢c6 33.¦xg7 ¢b5
34.¦xh7
1-0
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 28th August 1924
When he returned to New York Torre
contested a four-game tie match with
Jennings. Torre lost game one, but equalised
at once, demonstrating exemplary skill with
the two bishops in the endgame.
Game three was a French Defence where
the players castled on opposite wings.
Torre’s attack was the swifter, which
left Jennings having to win with black in
game four.
Carlos Torre - Harold Jennings
Match game 4 New York 1924
1.d4 ¤f6 2.¤f3 g6 3.¤c3 Introduced in
the game Tartakower - Wahltuch London
1922.
3...¥g7 3...d5 4.¥f4 c6 5.e3 ¥g7 6.¥d3
0-0 7.0-0 ¤bd7 8.¦e1 c5 9.£d2 a6 10.¤e5
Torre - Yates Baden Baden 1925.
4.e4 b6 4...d6 transposes into what we now
call the Pirc Defence.
5.¥d3 ¥b7 6.¥f4 0-0 Black should stake
a claim to the centre with 6...c5 before he
commits his king.
7.£d2 ¦e8?! 8.0-0-0 d5 9.e5 ¤fd7
9...¤e4 runs into trouble 10.¥xe4 dxe4
April 2024
11.¤g5 f5 12.¤e6 £d7 13.¤xg7 ¢xg7
14.¥h6+ ¢g8 15.h4.
10.¥h6 ¥h8 11.h4 c5 12.¤e5 ¦f8
13.¥xf8 £xf8 14.¥xf8 £xf8 15.exf7+
¢g7 16.h5! 1-0 16...h6 17.hxg6 h5 is met
by 18.¦xh5! ¤xh5 19.¦h1 cxd4 20.¦xh5
dxc3 21.£h6+.
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 25th September 1924
All four match games were published in the
same column.
Torre finished in second place in a thematic
opening event at the Marshall CC. Frank
Marshall was first, but Torre was the only
player to defeat him.
Finally, in December, he played two
exhibition games defeating Morris Schapiro
and Janowski.
Carlos Torre - Morris Schapiro
Manhattan CC 1924
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.¤f3 ¤f6 4.¥g5 h6
5.¥xf6 £xf6 6.¤c3 c6 7.e3 ¤d7 Play has
transposed into a variation of the Queen’s
Gambit Slav.
8.¥d3 £d8 9.0-0 ¥e7 10.e4 dxc4
11.¥xc4 0-0 12.£e2 b5 13.¥d3 £b6?
13...b4 was a subsequent improvement,
14.¤a4 £a5 15.b3 ¥b7 16.¦ac1 ¦fd8
¦ee - Sveshnikov Wijk aan Zee 1981.
14.e5 ¦d8 15.£e4 ¤f8 16.¦fd1 ¥b7
17.£g4 c5 18.¤e4 c4 19.¤f6+! ¥xf6
20.exf6 g6 21.£h4 e5 22.dxe5 ¥xf3
23.£h6 ¤e6 24.¥xg6 fxg6 25.£xg6+
¢f8 26.gxf3 £b7 27.f4 ¤d4 28.¦xd4!
¦xd4 29.e6 ¦d7 30.¦e1 ¦e8 31.£xe8+!
1-0 31...¢xe8 32.exd7+ ¢d8 33.¦e8+
¢xd7 34.¦e7+.
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 31st December 1924
BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 251
 Problem
World
by Christopher Jones
cjajones1@yahoo.co.uk
Grandmaster of Chess Composition
Solutions are given on page 254

xiiiiiiiiy xiiiiiiiiy
Leonid Lyubashevsky and Paul Michelet and Steven Dowd
Leonid Makaronez (Israel) (London/USA)
Mate in 3 Mate in 7
Original Original

xiiiiiiiiy xiiiiiiiiy
Stanislav Hudak (Slovakia) Ljubomir Ugren (Slovenia)
Helpmate in 3 – 2 solutions Helpmate in 3 – 2 solutions
Original Original
252 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE
 April 2024

Solutions to Endgames (See page 248)

Travasoni

1.¥h3+ (1 point) ¦g2 2.¤g4 (+1 point =2) ¥h5 3.¤f5 (+1 = 3) ¥xg4+ 4.¥xg4 ¦g3
5.¤xg3+ (+1 = 4) ¢g2 6.¤f1 ¢xf1 7.¥h3 (+1 = 5) mate.

This was the easiest because White has to keep Black bottled-up and so has very little
choice at each move.

Afek

1.¤a4 (1 point) ¦b2 2.¤xb2 d1£ 3.¤xd1 (+1 point = 2) h2 4.¤b2 h1£ 5.¤a4 (+1
= 3) £b1 6.¤b6+ £xb6+ 7.¢xb6 a4 8.¢a7 (+1 = 4) a3 9.¢a8 a2 10.¥a7 (+1 = 5)
a1£ stalemate.

It’s obvious that White must keep threatening mate, but unless you envisage the eventual
stalemate you won’t know why the knight has to go to a4 and not take on c4.

Abramenko

1.¦c1 (1 point) ¦g1 2.¦c7+ (+1 point = 2) ¢e6 3.¤c5+ ¢f5 4.¦f7+ (+1 = 3) ¢g4
5.¤d3 (+1 = 4) f1£ 6.¤e5+ ¢h3 7.¦h7+ ¢g2 8.¦h2 (+1 = 5) mate.

Quite a lot of options in this one, as you would expect in a competition for the best solvers.
Still, 1.¦c1 followed by 2.¦c7+ seemed to me to the most plausible. What I didn’t find
was the manoeuvre 5.¤d3 and 6.¤e5+ which is only plausible if it occurs to you that you
might be able to mate the Black king on the right-hand edge of the board.

Zachodjakin

1.¦h7+ (1 point) ¢e6 2.¦h1 ¤c3+ 3.¢a6 (+1 point = 2) ¤b1 4.¦e1+ (+1 = 3)
¢f7 5.¥d6 (+1 = 4) a1£ 6.¦e7+ ¢g6 7.¦e6+ ¢f5 8.¦e5+ ¢f6 9.¦xa5 (+1 = 5)
drawing because the queen will be exchanged - the White bishop will finally get to the
long diagonal. Black’s choices of king moves were to prevent the bishop getting to the
long diagonal. The White king needs to have gone to a6 to avoid there being any Black
queen checks in the final position.

Once you notice that Black will play ...¤c3+ and ¤b1 when you play ¦h1, the rook
check on h7 feels like a good idea as it gives you the option of a check from e1 which
will protect the bishop. I got that far but didn’t know where to place the White king after
...¤c3+. I even had the idea that the solution would finish with the rook delivering a
perpetual check, but I couldn’t find the only correct way to achieve that. So, only 1 out of
5. Oh, well, I was in strong company.

BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 253

04/144

Solutions to Problems
This month’s problems
As usual, we start with the shortest direct mate problem, but this time the three-
mover, typically for its composers, requires you to find a neat key move, against
which there are a number of defences, each refuted by a specific white second move,
and so may well not be the easiest to solve (you may prefer just to enjoy reading
through the solution); while our second problem, a first collaboration by another
two of our valued regular contributors, may be more tractable, especially if you
remember another recent offering by Paul Michelet in this column. Finally we have
two helpmates – in each we are looking for two collaborative bwbwbw sequences of
moves ending in Black being mated.

A neatly keyed three-mover Déjà vu?

One expects that in a good three-mover
the key move will not be too obviously
strong, but it is especially commendable
when the second move that the key
move threatens is itself also a quiet
move. Thus in our first problem 1.¥d2!
threatens 2.£g5, after which Black
would be unable to defend against the
impending 3.£e3#. So Black must
use his first move to prepare a second-
move defence. Such a defence would
be 2…¥xd3, preparing a defence by
3…¢xc4. Black cannot prepare this
by 1…¥c2 (2.Sxf3#), but why not
1…¥e2? The answer is the continuation
2.¤e4!, threatening 3.£c3#. On move
one this move, intercepting the h7-d3
line, would fail against 1…¢xd3, and if
2.£c3+ then 2…¢e2. But after 1.¥d2
¥e2 the defence 2…¢e2 is impossible.
In problem parlance, it turns out that
1…¥e2 is a remote self-block – always
testing for a solver to visualize, and
adding to the aesthetic charm of the
problem. A similar requirement for
foresight is required in the line 1…
f2 (threatening to guard e3 by means
of 2…f1=¤) 2.¥c3+ and now after
2…¢e3 3.£e5 is mate because Black
has obligingly blocked f2. The other
lines are 1…e5 2.¥e4 when 3.¤f5# is
unavoidable and 1…¥xf6 2.¢xf6 and
when Black prevents 3.£e5 by playing
2…c5 there is 3.£c3#.
Regular readers may recognize that
our second problem bears a similarity
to a five-mover by Paul Michelet that
appeared in the January Problem World.
Steven Dowd, who had also contributed
an original problem to that issue, upon
seeing the five-mover saw a way to
add a couple of introductory moves
that would (he felt, I’d feel, and, much
more to the point, Paul felt) enhance the
problem. Now it is the case that mating
Black does still rely upon advancing the
white pawn, but trying to do so straight
away is unsuccessful. Instead White
prepares the way by playing 1.¤g5!
¢g7 2.¤hf7!, and now after 2…¢f6 or
2…¢f8 we get the previously seen and
very appealing sequence 3.e4 ¢g7 4.e5
¢f8 5.e6 ¢g7 6.e7 ¢f6 7.e8=¤#.
Some people may deprecate such two-
move intros that serve only to set up
the main play – others (including me)
find that this sort of intro not only adds
to solving difficulty but, by hiding the
beautiful idea more deeply, adds also
to aesthetic appeal. (This can also be
an issue when evaluating endgame
studies.) What do you think – which
camp are you in?
Two three-move helpmates
In Stanislav’s helpmate, the white
knight is well placed to deliver mate,

254 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE


but we must somehow deal with the
black king’s potential flight squares.
A pleasing element of contrast is seen
in that although in one solution we
activate the white rook to guard flight
squares – 1.a4 (remember that, as per
helpmate convention, this is in fact
Black‘s first move) ¢e2 2.¢a5 ¦b1
3.¦a6 ¤b7# - in the other solution
the white rook must be sacrificed so
that Black can block a flight square
– 1.e2 ¦f1 2.exf1=¥ ¤b7 3.¥b5
¤c5#. A nice blend of similarities and
dissimilarities, albeit in a perfect world
one might perhaps want not to have to
play …¤b7 in both solutions.
ACMchess.com
April 2024
(See page 252)
In Ljubomir’s helpmate, we find that
pawn promotion (a feature, one way or
another, in all our problems this month)
comes centre stage in two well matched
solutions – 1.¦e7+ fxe7 2.¥d8 exd8=¥
3.c4 ¥b6# and 1.£g7 fxg7 2.¦h8+
gxh8=¦ 3.e3 ¦h4#. When I say that
promotions are a feature I could be more
specific and say under-promotions - in
contrast to games of chess this is the norm
in chess composition. Note too that in
this problem White promotes to the same
type of piece that Black sacrifices on
move two (Phoenix theme). And in both
Stanislav’s and Ljubomir’s problems we
have two nice model mates.
BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 255
It´s
now
even easier
to subscribe to
British Chess Magazine
An exclusive chess magazine!

We have some great news to share!

BCM goes interactive!

We are delighted to announce an exciting new partnership with one of the world’s most innovative
publishers of Chess eBooks, Forward Chess. Using state of the art technology, Forward Chess
now enables BCM readers to witness the magic of the chess board
unfold onscreen literally before their eyes.
Check it out and contact Forward Chess at forwardchess.com and experience the magic of movement!

Purchase or renew your subscription and have BCM delivered to your door:
On-line: visit our website www.britishchessmagazine.co.uk
Email: contact support@britishchessmagazine.co.uk, we’ll get back to you right away
By post: write to BCM at Albany House, 14 Shute End, Wokingham, Berkshire, England RG40 1BJ
with a cheque payable to British Chess Magazine Limited, your post and
email addresses (and if possible a contact phone number)

printed magazine

£55 UK
99
$114
12 issues per year
Non-UK
postage included

Thank you for your continuing support!

BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE, the World’s Oldest Chess Journal