Chess 13/08/2011

Alan Tate of Edinburgh will be Scotland's next titled chess player. Tate recently earned the third and final "norm" required for the International Master title with a fine result in the Czech Open.

A slight increase in his international rating is the only remaining requirement, and at Tate's current rate of improvement that will not take long. After that Tate's ultimate target is the World Chess Federation's highest title – Grandmaster. Tate already has one GM norm, so two more to go.

In the recent British Championship in Sheffield, English IM Jonathan Hawkins achieved his second GM norm. I follow Hawkins' progress closely because, like me, he was an unexceptional club player as a young adult and gradually improved to grandmaster level through years of study. In fact, Hawkins is now playing better than I ever did. His norm included a win over a fast-improving young Scot, Clement Sreeves. The game is a beautiful demonstration of the art of winning from a level position.

White: C Sreeves; Black: J Hawkins Opening: Philidor Defence.

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 exd4 4 Qxd4 a6 5 Bg5 Nc6 6 Qd2 Be7 7 Bxe7 Qxe7 8 Nc3 Nf6 9 0–0–0 0–0 10 Nd5 Nxd5 11 exd5 Ne5 12 Nxe5 dxe5 13 d6 cxd6 14 Qxd6 Qg5+ 15 Qd2 Qg4 16 Bd3 Qa4 17 a3 e4 18 Qf4 f5 19 f3 b5 20 fxe4 Bb7 21 Qc7 Bxe4 22 Bxe4 Rac8 23 Bd5+? Simpler was 23 Qe5 when 23...Qxe4 24 Qxe4 fxe4 25 Rhe1 will draw easily. 23...Kh8 24 Bb3 Qxb3! 25 cxb3 Rxc7+ 26 Kb1 Black has a healthy kingside pawn majority while White's prospects of creating a passed pawn on the queenside are hampered by his doubled b-pawns. 26...g6 27 Rd6 Re8 28 Rd2 White was struggling anyway, but switching to and fro between an active approach and passivity offers Black a free move. 28...Kg7 29 Rc1 Rxc1+ 30 Kxc1 Kf6 31 Kd1 Re6 32 Rd7 h5 33 Kd2 f4 34 Rd5 g5 35 h4 g4! A superbly judged sacrifice. 36 Rxh5 Re3 37 Rh8 Kg7! Another high-class move; stepping backwards may look surprising, but it denies the white rook the space it needs to attack Black's kingside pawns. 38 Ra8 Rg3 39 Ra7+ Kg6 40 Rxa6+ Kh5 In endings, creating passed pawns is more important than the simple number of pawns. White reaches the time control two pawns up, but is lost due to the power of the f- and g-pawns. 41 Re6 Rxg2+ 42 Re2 f3 White resigned.