Chess

This summer, I enjoyed spending time with my wife's relatives, friends and their children in China. Most of them use an extra English name that sounds like their Chinese name, such as Wendy for Wen Li. One boy, in particular, made me think of chess and of Scotland, for he adopted the name Andrew of our patron saint. He was also keen to ask me for various tips regarding the 'Royal Game'. Andrew especially liked the ideas we discussed regarding pawn chains, as well as some tactical tricks associated with the opening 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 c5 4 c3 Nc6 5 Nf3 Qb6 6 Bd3. Coincidentally, after 6...cxd4 7 cxd4 Bd7, the Milner-Barry Gambit 8 0-0!? is the subject of a chapter in The Alterman Gambit Guide: White Gambits. In fact, GM Boris Alterman's Quality Chess book – www.qualitychess.co.uk – gives the reader ammunition to confidently play any of the ten featured attacking systems. Let's now examine a magical miniature sample game from Paris 2002.

White: X Lebrun; Black: J Talamon. Opening: French, Milner-Barry Gambit.

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 Perfect: here we have two French players playing the French Defence in the capital of France! 3 e5 c5 4 c3 Nc6 5 Nf3 Qb6 6 Bd3 Another of Alterman's reference games that particularly caught my attention was a super-GM clash – Shirov-Anand, New Delhi 2000 – where, after 6 a3 a5 7 Bd3 Bd7 8 0-0 cxd4 9 cxd4 Nxd4 10 Nxd4 Qxd4 11 Nc3, White actually had an improved version of the Milner-Barry Gambit because of the weakening of the b5-square and the fact that Black could no longer play ...a6. For that reason, Alterman suggests that Black should prefer the main alternatives 6...c4 or 6...Bd7 instead of 6...a5. 6...cxd4 7 cxd4 Bd7 8 0-0 Nxd4 9 Nxd4 Qxd4 10 Nc3 Qxe5 The principal alternative is 10...a6 – compare with the previous note. 11 Re1 Qb8 Alterman is honest and objective when he tells us that both players probably have to agree to a draw by repetition after 11...Qd6 12 Nb5 Qb6 13 Be3 Qa5 14 Bd2 Qb6 15 Be3, as neither player can profitably deviate. 12 Nxd5 Bd6 13 Qg4 Quite right: fast development and attack take priority here over defending the relatively unimportant h2-pawn. 13...Kf8 14 Bd2 Bxh2+?! 15 Kh1 h5 If 15...Bd6 16 Bb4 exd5, then 17 Qf4! wins neatly. 16 Bb4+ Bd6 17 Qf4! Bxb4 18 Qxb4+ Ke8 19 Rxe6+!! fxe6 Or 19...Bxe6 20 Bb5+ Bd7 21 Re1+ Kd8 22 Qf8+. 20 Bg6+ Kd8 21 Qf8+ Be8 22 Qxe8 mate.