Chess

NEW things are happening in the Old Indian... In response to 1 d4, a number of strong grandmasters are playing 1...Nf6, 2...d6, and soon ...e5 with the support of ...Nbd7 if necessary.

Actually, that was my own choice, too, as Black against Gm Mark Hebden at a special open Scottish Championship in 2009. I lost the game (at least partly through rustiness due to a long lack of match practice in the preceding four years), but I was not unhappy with my opening selection.

Now my interest in the Old Indian has been given an extra, fresh boost

by Gm Alex Cherniaev's excellent new Everyman book, The New Old Indian.

It's choc-full of original ideas, and you are warmly encouraged to read more on www.everymanchess.com. In the meantime, let's now enjoy a 1958 golden oldie in which Rashid Nezhmetdinov – one of the most talented attacking chessplayers of all time – defeated the great Lev Polugaevsky in truly stunning style using the Old Indian Defence.

Perhaps the first error is that the word 'defence' should be changed to

'counter-attack'!

White: L Polugaevsky; Black: R.Nezhmetdinov. Opening: Old Indian.

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 d6 3 Nc3 e5 4 e4

Cherniaev mentions that Gm Jonathan Rowson has had some success with 4

dxe5 dxe5 5 Qxd8+ Kxd8 6 Nf3 Nbd7 7 Rg1! followed by g2-g4-g5, and so the Russian Gm prefers 6...Nfd7 to allow ...f6 if necessary. Naturally, the position remains rich in possibilities for both sides, but I think Cherniaev is right to favour the knight retreat on move 6. 4...exd4 5 Qxd4 Nc6 6 Qd2 g6 7 b3 Bg7 8 Bb2 0-0 9 Bd3 Cherniaev also considers 9 f3, which merits consideration because it supports e4 while preventing the active attacking move that Black plays next in the actual game... 9...Ng4! The good author also mentions 9...Nd7 followed by ...Nc5 and

...f5. 10 Nge2 Qh4 11 Ng3 11 g3 Qh5!? 12 Nf4 Qc5 is interesting and very dynamic. Cherniaev's simple 11...Qd8 is possible too. 11...Nge5 my computer prefers to keep the knight actively placed on g4 and instead to centralise the other black knight with 11...Nce5. The intentions

are 12 Be2 f5! or 12 Bc2? Nxh2!. In the latter case, Black is already practically winning, as the white king cannot castle to safety on account of 13 0-0-0 Bh6. 12 0-0 f5 13 f3 13 f4? Ng4 is "curtains" for White. 13...Bh6 14 Qd1 f4 15 Nge2 g5 16 Nd5 g4! Rightly pressing on with

the attack, threatening ...g3 and not stopping to protect c7. 17 g3 fxg3 18 hxg3 Qh3 19 f4 Be6! Tempting 20 Nxc7, which would allow 20...Rxf4!!. 20 Bc2

If 20 fxe5? then 20...Bxd5 threatens ...Be3+. 20...Rf7 21 Kf2 Qh2+ 22 Ke3 Bxd5 23 cxd5 Nb4 24 Rh1? This fatal error wins material but loses the game, although admittedly the refutation is quite shocking... 24...Rxf4!! 25 Rxh2 25 gxf4 falls to 25...Bxf4+! 26 Nxf4 Nxc2+.

25...Rf3++ 26 Kd4 Bg7 An easier route to victory is 26...c5+ 27 dxc6ep b5! threatening ...Nexc6 mate. 27 a4 27 Ng1 is more tenacious. 27...c5+ 28 dxc6ep bxc6 29 Bd3 Nexd3+ 30 Kc4 d5+ 31 exd5 cxd5+ 32 Kb5 Rb8+ 33 Ka5 Nc6+ 34 White resigned, in view of 34 Ka6 Rb6 mate.