Chess - 03/12/2011

THE Scottish chess players who have attracted most attention recently are at opposite ends of the age spectrum.

Firstly, IM Craig Pritchett and FM Philip Giulian took part in the World Senior Championship in Croatia. Both players performed well in the main event, but the highlight was Pritchett winning the Blitz tournament with 81/2/9, one and a half points clear of the field.

Meanwhile, nine Scottish youngsters were playing in the World Youth Championship in Caldas Novas, a Brazilian city that is famous, apparently, as a hydrothermal resort. None of the Scots was a medal contender but all looked to be fighting hard. For example, in the under-12 section Colin Howie defeated a Slovakian with a highly respectable international rating. In fact, with a grading gap of 500 points, the numbers suggested Howie had no chance. Instead, he won in beautiful sacrificial style.

White: C. Howie; Black: R. Kavon. Opening: Sicilian Defence.

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e5 The Sveshnikov variation is one of Black’s most ambitious lines of the Sicilian Defence. 6 Ndb5 d6 7 Bg5 a6 8 Na3 b5 9 Nd5 Be7 10 Bxf6 Bxf6 11 c4 White had clearly done his homework: 11 c4 is a trendy line in grandmaster chess. 11...b4 12 Nc2 a5 13 g3 0–0 14 h4 White plans to exchange light-squared bishops and leave the knight on d5 as the undisputed star of the position. 14...Be7 15 Bh3 Bxh3 15...Be6 was a good idea, so that an exchange of bishops on e6 would evict White’s beautiful knight. 16 Rxh3 Ra7 17 Qh5 Qc8 18 Rh1 Qe6 19 Qf5 Qc8 20 g4 The bold approach; instead, after 20 Qxc8 Rxc8 21 b3, White would have a safe endgame edge. 20...Qb8 21 b3 a4 22 Ke2 Qb7 23 g5 Rfa8 Black threatens to exchange pawns on b3, then swap all the rooks on a1, forcing Nxa1 and allowing the killing fork ...Nd4+. 24 h5! Quite rightly ignoring the threat. 24...axb3 25 g6! Once again White finds the only good move. 25...bxc2? Black cannot resist the temptation of a free piece. Stronger was 25...Bg5! for example: 26 axb3 Rxa1 27 Rxa1 Rxa1 28 Qxf7+ Qxf7 29 gxf7+ Kxf7 30 Nxa1 g6 with a complex ending. 26 Qxf7+ Kh8 27 h6! Black must have missed this crushing advance. 27...Nd4+ Black hopes for 28 Kf2 Bg5+ exchanging queens and winning. Instead 27...Rg8 is mated quickly by 28 hxg7+ Rxg7 29 Rxh7+ Rxh7 30 Qxh7#. 28 Kf1! Facing an inevitable mate, Black resigned.