Chess - The Scotsman 28/04/2012

In chess, different styles of play tend to produce different levels of consistency. The cautious strategists deliver steady excellence while the aggressive tacticians have extreme highs and lows.

The canonical example of the reliable strategist is Anatoly Karpov, whose performances from the mid-1970s till the mid-90s varied between genius and mere brilliance. Perhaps the most inconsistent of the world champions was the young Mikhail Tal, who was famous for his attacking play which led to numerous losses and a great many more wins. In his later years Tal developed a quieter style and set world records for the longest unbeaten streaks.

Nowadays the inconsistent tactician is best exemplified by Alexander Morozevich. At his best he was the world No.2, but soon after that he was barely scraping into the top 50.

Recently he has been on a good run, as shown by the following game from the Russian team championships. Black is Dmitry Jakovenko, who became European Champion a week before this game, but on the day Morozevich proved far too strong.

White: A Morozevich; Black: D Jakovenko. Opening: Slav Defence.

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4 5 a4 e6 6 e4 A speculative pawn sacrifice which suits perfectly Morozevich’s style.

The materialists prefer 6 e3. 6...Bb4 7 e5 Nd5 8 Bd2 b5 9 axb5 Bxc3 10 bxc3 cxb5 11 Ng5 In compensation for the missing queenside pawn, White has attacking prospects on the kingside. 11...Nc6 12 Qh5 Qe7 13 h4 b4 14 Bxc4 bxc3 15 Bc1 Nxd4 Grabbing this pawn uses more time than Black can afford.

In a game two months earlier Morozevich had faced 15...Ncb4 and won quickly. Jakovenko clearly thought his move was an improvement, but he misjudged the danger. A better defence was 15...g6 with the idea 16 Qh6 Qf8 when the exchange of queens calms the position.

16 0–0 h6 This threatens nothing as the h-pawn is pinned; Black’s last hope was 16...Qc7. 17 Bxd5 exd5 18 Ba3 Now the king will never be able to castle; Black is lost. 18...Qc7 19 e6! Morozevich doesn’t need any pawns. In fact, he wants them to disappear so he can use the open lines. 19...Bxe6 20 Nxe6 Nxe6 21 Qxd5 Rd8 22 Qb3 h5 A desperate attempt to develop the h8-rook, but at this stage nothing will help. 23 Rfe1 Rh6 24 Qb4 The threat of Qf8+ winkles out the king. 24...Kd7 25 Rac1 Rb8 26 Qa4+ Kc8 27 Bb4 Black resigns.