Chess - The Scotsman 18/02/2012

I WORK with great kids every day in my school classroom, and the chess fans among them were interested and amused to learn that the KID, or King’s Indian Defence, is one of the most popular openings that often results in the sort of brilliant victories that you’d want to frame.
By PAUL MOTWANI
Published 18th Feb 2012, 00:00 BST

One attractive and rather quick win that particularly caught my attention in IM David Vigorito’s excellent Attacking Chess, The King’s Indian, Volume 1 was a game from 2008 in which a Czech GM checked out when a Polish IM polished him off with the KID. If you happen to have similar musical tastes to mine, then in the background you’ll enjoy listening to a beautiful song called Polish Girl by a group called Neon Indian while you play through the game. The book can be bought by visiting the website www.everymanchess.com

White: V Talla; Black: M Szelag.

Opening: KID

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 A Chinese superstar who is about to turn 18 next Monday, and no longer a kid, is the women’s world champion Hou Yifan, who normally plays 2...e6. However, after 3 Nf3 she does sometimes play the Benoni 3...c5, which can result in rather KID-like positions after 4 d5 d6 5 Nc3 exd5 6 cxd5 g6. 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4 d6 5 Nf3 0-0 6 Be2 e5 7 0-0 Nc6 8 d5 8…Ne7 9 Ne1 Nd7 10 Nd3 f5 11 Bd2 Nf6 12 f3 f4 13 c5 g5 This is all standard stuff, and it’s typical of the double-edged KID that while White undertakes queenside action, Black on the opposite wing goes straight for the white king. 14 cxd6 cxd6 15 Rc1 Ng6 16 Nb5 Threatening to invade on c7 and e6. 16…Rf7 White would certainly not be worried by 16…Qb6+?! 17 Nf2. 17 Qc2 Ne8 18 a4 h5 Threatening …g4. 19 Nf2 Bf8 20 h3 20 Nxa7 Rc7 21 Ba5 Rxc2 22 Bxd8 Rxe2 23 Nxc8 Rxa4 is considered to be level. 20…Rg7 21 Qb3 Vigorito gives ample, crystal-clear comments to many moves, and here he explains that “White prepares to double rooks on the c-file. The queen is also useful here for defence–after mass exchanges on g4, she may slide along the third rank.” 21…Nh4 22 Rc2 a6 23 Na3 Nf6 24 Be1 “This move sizes up the h4-knight and clears the second rank for defence” – Vigorito. 24…g4 25 hxg4 hxg4 26 fxg4 Nxg4 27 Rxc8? White evidently believed that he had sprung a trap, but in fact he has just fallen into one… 27…Nxf2! Ouch! Now it’s clear that 28 Rxd8 would allow 28…Rxg2 mate. 28 Bxf2 Rxc8 29 Qh3 Nxg2 30 Bg4 Ne3! 31 Bxe3 Qd7! 32 White resigned.