Chess: How does Black win?

EVER since Frank J Marshall deployed his secret weapon against Jos Ral Capablanca at the New York tournament of 1918, the Marshall Attack in the Ruy Lopez has continued to bamboozle even the best of chess minds even to this day.

The myth goes that Marshall deliberately kept his analysis secret for seven years before playing it against Capablanca, but this has since been debunked by historians.

According to author/journalist Andy Soltis, in his book Chess Lists, Marshall is on the record as having played it during some skittles and semi-serious club games before 1918 – but then again, Marshall was never one to let the facts get in the way of a good story.

Regardless of its origins, it continues to wreak havoc both at club and elite level in the game over 90 years on – and the latest high-profile victim is Ukrainian world No 7 Vassily Ivanchuk, who got hit by some stunning new theory in it by Hungary's Peter Leko at the World Team Championship in Ningbo, China.

Most elite players opt for the mainline these days for an easy draw – but Leko, who is a leading Marshall maven, came up with a fantastic novelty of 18...f4!! 19.cxd5 c5! which caused mayhem for Ivanchuk.

In time-trouble, he missed his best shot at drawing with 30 Kf1 Qh3+ 31 Kf2 Qh4+ 32 Ke3 Qh6+ etc. In the end though, after 42 Rxc2 Qe4! wins.

V Ivanchuk - P Leko

8th World Team Ch., (4)

Ruy Lopez, Marshall Attack

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0–0 Be7 6 Re1 b5 7 Bb3 0–0 8 c3 d5 9 exd5 Nxd5 10 Nxe5 Nxe5 11 Rxe5 c6 12 d4 Bd6 13 Re1 Qh4 14 g3 Qh3 15 Qe2 Bg4 16 Qf1 Qh5 17 Nd2 f5 18 c4 f4 19 cxd5 c5 20 Re4 c4 21 Bc2 fxg3 22 hxg3 Bxg3 23 fxg3 Rxf1+ 24 Nxf1 Qh3 25 Re3 Rf8 26 Bd2 Bf3 27 Rxf3 Rxf3 28 Be4 Rxg3+ 29 Nxg3 Qxg3+ 30 Bg2 Qd3 31 Be1 Qxd4+ 32 Bf2 Qxb2 33 Rf1 Qd2 34 Bc5 g6 35 Rf8+ Kg7 36 Rf2 Qd1+ 37 Rf1 Qd2 38 Kh2 c3 39 Rf2 Qe1 40 Bd4+ Kh6 41 Bh3 c2! 0–1