Volume 142

DECEMBER
2022

A MYSTERIOUS 18TH CENTURY SCRIPT

PUZZLES THE CHESS WORLD
THE LONDON CHESS CLUB -
AN UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT

TWO KEY EVENTS OF 2022

THAT WILL HAVE A HUGE IMPACT ON CHESS
 IMPRESSUM
Contents
BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE
Founded 1881

www.britishchessmagazine.co.uk

Chairman Shaun Taulbut

Director Stephen Lowe

Editors

715
Milan Dinic and Shaun Taulbut The Women’s Candidates
Chinese Triumph
Photo editor in Monaco
David Llada

Prepress Specialist
708 A mysterious 18th century script
Milica Mitic
puzzles the chess world
Photography THE LONDON CHESS CLUB -
Michał Walusza / FIDE Official, AN UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT
Mark Livshitz / FIDE Official, By Dean Cooke and David Shankland
Victoria Jenssen, Shutterstock, Wikipedia
731 World Team Championship 2022
Advertising China triumphs amid
Stephen Lowe US disappointment
By GM Aleksandar Colovic
Enquiries
[email protected]
739 Five championships and
ISSN 0007-0440 the curious case of Yuri Sakharov
© The British Chess Magazine Limited By Peter O'Brien

Company Limited by Shares 744 Book Review

Registered in England No 00334968 ‘1000 Checkmate Combinations’
By James Pratt
Postal correspondence:
Albany House, 14 Shute End
Wokingham, Berkshire RG40 1BJ
745 Openings for Amateurs
The Freddy Krueger Attack
Subscription By Pete Tamburro
[email protected]
12 monthly issues 750 Art and Chess
UK: £55 | RoW: £85 The White Queen of New York
By Celia Rabinovitch
Printed in the UK: by Lavenham Press Ltd
757 The Wisdom of Harry Golombek OBE
Cover photography:
BCM
Grandmaster Emeritus
By GM Raymond Keene OBE

706 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 LOOKING BACK AT 2022
So this is Christmas The war does not mean the end of chess
And what have you done in Russia, of course, but it surely marks a
Another year over new and very different era without Russia
And a new one just begun on the world scene.
The other key chess event of 2022 was
So sang John Lennon in his 1971 hit. The Magnus Carlsen’s decision to surrender
song is also known by its other title - War is his title of World Champion. Following
Over. We all know how far away from that years of speculation, the five−time world
the world is now… champion finally decided to call it a day.
It’s the time of the year when things are The pressures surrounding the matches for
summed up, reviewed, and New Year’s the title and Carlsen not being motivated by his
Resolutions are being made. So, what about next opponent (Ian Nepomniachtchi, whom he
chess in 2022? convincingly defeated in the previous match)
If these were normal times, the key moment for have left Carlsen without the flame and desire to
2022 in chess would have been the spectacular keep the highest of chess crowns. Such a decision
Chennai Olympiad organised by India and the is, truly, extraordinary and has ominously sad
stellar success of Uzbekistan in the Open and echoes of previous champions who have simply
Ukraine in the Women’s section. However, walked away from their crowns.
there are two other events from 2022 which - in There are two obvious outcomes of
the opinion of BCM - are more likely to have Carlsen’s decision. Firstly, in 2023, after 10
an impact on chess. The Russian invasion of years of King Carlsen, the world will have
Ukraine and the decision of Magnus Carlsen to a new chess champion - either from Russia
give up the title of World Champion. or from China. Either way the chess crown
The decision of Russia to invade Ukraine has will move east, and in conjunction with
brought the planet to the brink of another global broader political and economic trends this
war and has precipitated chaos and catastrophe may conceivably lead to two chess worlds
for chess. Russia - which is synonymous - one in the West and the other in the East.
with chess - has been banned from all global Secondly, it remains to be seen what will
competitions, stripped of all international happen to Carlsen and his “brand”. Will
events and, as a consequence of sanctions he achieve his new target, the 2900 ELO
and isolation by the West, is likely to lose a rating; how will his chess business fare after
lot of chess talent. Its chess federation is also the chess crown is no longer associated
considering joining that of Asia. In Ukraine - with his name? And if Carlsen remains the
one of the greatest and strongest chess nations world’s highest rated player but is playing
in the world - chess players have been forced to alongside a new world champion - how will
flee or have had to replace warfare on the chess the chess world sustain that dualism?
board with real life warfare in trenches and Here at BCM we will continue to follow
with weapons. How many great talents, hopes these and other stories in chess, bringing
and opportunities have already been swept you fresh and, we hope you will agree,
away by this brutal war, we will never know. interesting material and insights.
The chess world without Russia and Ukraine We would like to thank you all for being
is like football without Brazil, Spain or Italy, or our loyal readers, and for the emails and
like cricket without England, India or Pakistan. comments (both praising and criticising us).
Yes, many Russian and Ukrainian players have We would also like to say - sorry: if we have
ended up abroad with their lives dislocated. made a typo, missed a good game or if your
But the war is about Russian/Ukrainian soil. copy of BCM arrived late. We try our very
The impact on Russian and Ukrainian chess best for you, and after all, we’re only human...
players and the wider chess cultures in these We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a
countries is of course collateral damage, and in Happy New Year!
the scheme of things its importance should not
be overstated. But the damage is particularly Let's hope it's a good one
poignant in view of the many supremely Without any fear
talented players which these countries have Milan Dinic
nurtured and developed and whose talents Shaun Taulbut
have inspired the wider chess world. Stephen Lowe
12/142

BCM Exclusive
A MYSTERIOUS
18TH CENTURY SCRIPT
PUZZLES THE CHESS WORLD

THE
LONDON
CHESS CLUB - AN
UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT
By Dean Cooke and David Shankland
708 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE
 December 2022

The BCM has occasionally featured mutually incompatible. One thing that is
Philidor and the London Chess Club in certain is that it would have taken a great
its pages. We are pleased to add to that deal of time and careful study to compile.
valuable series through a description of
an unpublished 18th century manuscript,
compiled it would seem by a person within François-André Philidor
the club, or at least very close to it
François−André Philidor (1726−1795)
The practice of compiling manuscript travelled extensively throughout Europe
notebooks on opening theory famously improving his game against the likes of
became a standard part of a grandmaster’s his countryman Legall de Kermeur, the
repertoire throughout the twentieth century. Syrian Phillip Stamma, and his famous
More recently of course such explorations American friend, Benjamin Franklin. But
of opening variations have become an from 1774 onwards, he was engaged to
integral part of the offerings of subscriber act as the chess teacher to an exclusive
chess websites. This manuscript is an club based in Parsloe’s Club, London.
early work along these lines: it marks an This became known as the London Chess
innovation whereby an already experienced Club. It consisted of only 100 members,
player is attempting to record in writing each of whom paid a subscription of two
and study a variation exhaustively from all guineas; the proceeds were used to support
possible sources, in order to better prepare Philidor financially. His talent for chess,
himself and to improve his practical his publications, and his role as a teacher,
chances against similarly skilled opponents. combined with his readiness to entertain
It is therefore easy to imagine our, sadly and play blindfold simultaneous games,
unknown, eighteenth−century gentleman have ensured that he is remembered as one
determined to improve his game, pouring of the great figures in chess history.
carefully over each variation over his port
in his study as he swears never to get caught During the early years of the club, three
out again. London editions of Philidor’s Analyse du
jeu des échecs were published. One was a
Or, alternatively, perhaps it is a volume translation into English and two were in
from a projected larger series, which would the original French. One was published by
look at other openings systematically, an subscription and included a dedication to
early Modern Chess Openings? This would the chess club (“Aux très illustres et très
explain too its encyclopaedic use of sources respectables membres du club échecs ... A.
and highly concentrated subject matter. D. Philidor à Londres 4 Juin, 1777”). This
These two explanations, of course, are not edition forms a vital part of our story. In
order to explain how, we turn now to the
It is easy to imagine our, manuscript itself.
sadly unknown, eighteenth The manuscript
century gentleman
determined to improve his The manuscript consists of approximately
160 pages of text and short−hand chess
game, pouring carefully over notation on 126 leaves, with the addition
each variation over his port of some loosely inserted pages. It is
bound in Italian 18th−century panelled
in his study as he swears calf with elaborate gilt tooling, rubbed,
never to get caught out again possibly a stationer’s binding. The first
and final leaves are written in Italian on

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paper produced in Italy, and show signs The manuscript consists of

of having been augmented over time with
the addition of English paper, and the text approximately 160 pages of
continues in Italian, French, and English text and short−hand chess
- the latter increasingly predominating. It
therefore seems probable that the volume notation on 126 leaves,
was bought in Italy in the mid−18th century with the addition of some
as a stationer’s blank book and augmented
over the period of perhaps a decade - loosely inserted pages. It is
although by whom is far from certain, as
we shall see. bound in Italian 18th−century
panelled calf with elaborate
In terms of its content, it consists of a
detailed analysis of the main lines of the gilt tooling, rubbed, possibly
Bishop’s Gambit opening, which derives a stationers binding
from the King’s Gambit (1.e4 e5. 2.f4
ef. 3.Bc4). It brings together notes from is at Salvio p.21 [...] also Cozio p.390 3
Philidor’s 1777 edition, published at the Rec.g favor [...]How Wte might have playd
behest of the London Chess Club, and ill.” On the following page (f3r), he writes
compares these with variations from “NB from Rege. 4t The Remorq. (b) p.243.
printed and manuscript sources. Other than [...] Lolli. Difesa il Gambito. P.220 C.XXI.
Philidor’s text, among the most frequently Carrera. P.392. Rgr p.390 Ouuero”, presents
mentioned are Alessandro Salvio (c. 1575 variations “if the Blk. 9−12 [...] Salvio
− c. 1640), apparently drawing from his L.III.C.VI.”, and adds notes like “NB
La Scacchaide Tragedia; Pietro Carrera’s The above is 1st Game of Calebrius .146.
(1573−1647) Il Gioco degli Scacchi. Carlo wth the Defence p.149. wth this addition.
Cozio’s (c.1715−c.1780) Il giuoco degli There he fills up the blank of 1bLK [...]
scacchi (1766); Giambattista Lolli (1698− This p.391 above is [notation] Salvio Cap
1769) and Philipp Stamma (1705−1755), XX. P.22 [...] where he says tis best to
as well as “Calabri” i.e. Gioachino Greco play”. The scribe is clearly multilingual
(1600−1634) and “Lopes” i.e. Ruy Lopez and moves from Italian, to French, and to
(1530−1580). English with ease, presumably guided by
his sources.
The manuscript is arranged dos−à−dos.
One end is entitled “Gambitt[s]” (prefaced These detailed references to sources are
by a brief section entitled “Considerazi. juxtaposed with other mentions to living
sa: Il Gambito Carrera M.C.XVII. p406”), figures, Very adventurs: Says Payne”
and the other, “Gambitt[s] Refused”, (f18r), “Bad Says Payne falso Cozio.
making remarks to both sections along C.30. p.234” ((b)f22r). Lady and Lord
the way, like “Whether he takes or not tis Payne are both recorded as subscribers
all one since he can find no safe place”. to the 1777 edition, as is “Bernard”
Each line is meticulously recorded, noting whose name occurs several times in the
player, game and page numbers, and many manuscript. But one of the most frequent
contain further annotations. For example, names to appear is “Barwell”. ‘Edward
on f2v. he writes “1s. Gambett. [...] Carrera Barwell, Esq.’ and ‘Nath. Barwell Esq.’
L.V.I. C.IX. p.388 copio”, and compares are both listed among the subscribers.
sections of the gambit to which he adds These names provide tantalising clues
his thoughts on the possible outcomes about the original club members, not
(“Phillidor 1st Gambt Else if - play - The least because Twiss in his book Chess,
BLK gives up 1 [...] Gambet besides a published 1787−89, mentions only a few
better situation wd have attack [...] This - of its strongest players.

710 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 December 2022

In terms of its content, it consists of a detailed analysis of the

main lines of the Bishop’s Gambit opening, which derives
from the King’s Gambit (1.e4 e5. 2.f4 ef 3.Bc4). It brings
together notes from Philidor’s 1777 edition, published at the
behest of the London Chess Club, and compares these with
variations from printed and manuscript sources
which it consists can be combined to
The unusual notation elegant effect. Additionally, a superscript
one or two after a pawn symbol means
A most unusual feature of the manuscript is that the pawn moves forward one or
its notation. During the eighteenth century, two spaces from its current position,
a number of different notations were and, just as in the descriptive system,
employed, which eventually settled down a symbol can be used to indicate either
around two different variants: the descriptive the destination square or the piece. The
(P−K3; Kt−KB3 and so on), and the algebraic shorthand is unusual to our eyes today,
(e3, Nf3). The author of this manuscript but it is without a doubt a great advance
when surveying his sources was faced with on the Philidorian notation, and concise
both of these, including the very clumsy and enough to record games, should that be
long−winded descriptive form employed by required, as they are being played. The
Philidor, and the early algebraic employed author himself is evidently thoroughly
by Stamma. His answer was to use neither, at home with it and writes quickly and
but instead write in a form of shorthand, a accurately. The manuscript is persuasive
partial key to which he himself includes. evidence that, when writing the history
of chess notation, we should take into
The secret to understanding this notation account shorthand systems along with
is to realise that the different signs of the more usual descriptive and algebraic.

The shorthand notation:

a) partial key found within manuscript, b) sample variation, c) modern transliteration

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Provenance Manuscript on Chess in English, Italian, and

French. A Series of Games, etc., extracted
from Carrera, Lolli, Salvio, &c. and the
“Value and Chronicle of Players” in which
most of the eminent players and writers
are noted, from the earliest period to about
1640. 2 post 8vo. notebooks of 165 leaves,
with a number of loose additions: eighteenth
century Italian binding, richly gilt. 18th cent.
[£]3 [s.]3 [d.]0”. We do not have a volume
entitled “Value and Chronicle of Players”,
so it may be that the two were separated, or
that our manuscript either did not appear in
the catalogue or is not clearly identifiable.
However, their binding notes are similar,
as is the reference to “English, Italian, and
French”, so it seems possible that they are
one and the same.

Who wrote the manuscript?

Richard Penn (1735-1811), whose
bookplate the manuscript bears, was the
lieutenant governor of the Province of
Bookplate of Richard Penn, front pastedown Pennsylvania from 1771 to 1773 and later a
member of the British Parliament. He was
educated at Eton College and St John’s
The manuscript has to the inner paste-down College, Cambridge before joining the
the bookplate of Richard Penn Jr. (1735-1811). Inner Temple in in 1752. He was elected
A later inscription to the pastedown reads a trustee of the College and Academy
“Mr Rimington Wilson / Chess Library”. of Philadelphia (now the University of
James Wilson Rimington Wilson “was well Pennsylvania) in 1772, serving as president
known for many years as an ingenious solver of the board in 1773 and 1774. He returned
of problems, an industrious collector of fine to England in 1775.
(unpublished) games and the possessor of the
best chess library in the world.”1 This library, We can find no record of Penn having
which also contained sporting and gaming an interest in chess. However, of his
books, was sold at Sotheby’s in 1928, but in four children, Richard Penn, FRS (1784-
a fashion that did posterity no favours: many 1863) showed a notable aptitude for the
of the books and manuscripts were grouped game and an interest in writing in code.
together into small lots, often with only the In 1829 he published On a New Mode of
first title mentioned, making exact matching Secret Writing, on a ciphering system;
almost impossible except for some of the and his Maxims and Hints for an Angler
named items. was published with Maxims and Hints
for a Chess Player (London, 1833). The
Bernard Quaritch bought many of the lots and hand of our scribe, while bearing some
issued catalogues supplemented with books resemblance, is not a close match for either
from other properties. Their catalogues were Penn. Where similarities do occur, these
itemised but still brief. The closest reference seem more generic than specific, so the
we can find to our manuscript is: “949. connection remains elusive.

712 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 December 2022

One further possible figure for our bookplate appears on the pastedown), and
compiler is the George Atwood (1745− they were contemporaries at the House
1807), who was an important and known of Commons: Barwell served as a clerk
member of the club. He was educated at there, and Penn as a Member of Parliament.
Westminster School, and Trinity College, Barwell was friends with Eva Maria Veigel
Cambridge (Fellow 1770, M.A. 1772, ). (1724−1822)2 and with her husband, the
Atwood was elected FRS in 1776 and won actor−manager David Garrick (1717−1779),
its Copley Medal in 1796. He was regarded both of whom were chess enthusiasts, and
as a pioneer in that he began to write Mrs Garrick’s name appears as a subscriber
down games by Philidor and others, at a to the 1777 Philidor.
time when it was unusual to record them.
Indeed, it is partly due to Atwood that we The numerous references to Barwell appear
have a good knowledge of Philidor today. to stem from a manuscript either written by
This possibility is all the more intriguing him, or in his possession. On f5v. following
in that he was supposed to have been busy notation on the game (“Segue Salvio. C.III
in putting together an exhaustive survey of p.55 [king] Gambett”), a note reads: “NB
openings. But, as with Penn, while there are (vid. Barwells Short hand MSS”, and on
similarities to Atwood’s hand, we are not this same page he also records “Altrimte
confident in ascribing it to him. Barwl No 172”. This latter is representative
of other similar notes which abbreviate
Barwell’s name and state the game reference
Barwell number. Barwell’s original “Barwells Short
hand MSS” is probably now lost - certainly
What do we know of the mysterious we can find no other references to it - but
Barwell who figures so prominently in it is used continuously throughout this
this manuscript? Of the two Barwells manuscript, both as the initial example
mentioned among the subscribers to the and as an oft−mined source for variations
1777 Philidor, Edward is the more likely. on gambits (e.g. “Sequel Barw. No 122 -
He was admitted to the Inner Temple in from here Autremt”, “Altrimte”, “Variation”
1751 (a year before Richard Penn, whose - here as elsewhere, he switches easily

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between different languages). A tantalising shorthand rather than the two systems
note on f5v. reads “Segue my Variats. L that we now know? How does the system
preceedg page”raising the possibility that employed by our writer fit in with the others
the author might be identified via their that may have been used? When did the use
variation on the game. of shorthand to record chess games die out?
How much of this manuscript represents
original play, and how much is copied from
Questions persist sources? If it were fully transcribed, what
would it tell us about the state of knowledge
Alas, none of these leads is conclusive. of the Bishop’s Gambit at that time? How
In the end, we cannot be sure whether would a digest of all the names featured
our author is Atwood, Penn, or another as within fit in with our current knowledge
yet unidentified scribe. Nevertheless, our of the London Chess Club? What does it
manuscript, along with that to which it refers tell us about that complex mix; individuals,
− the elusive Barwell’s “Short hand MSS” clubs, manuscripts, and printed sources that
− demonstrates that others connected to the eventually gave rise to modern chess? And,
London Chess Club were stimulated to seek above all, is it possible to find out who the
to codify and systemise. Equally interesting author was?
is its notation, and its attempt to draw upon
multiple sources to produce an up−to−date All comments and advice most welcome.
opening compilation for individual use.
To have a manuscript that epitomises the
transformation of chess under Philidor at References:
the London Chess Club at the end of the
Eighteenth Century is remarkable. 1. “Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic
News”, Saturday 8th December 1877, p.22
There are many ways that the as yet scanty
research that we have been able to do could 2. http://www.davidgarrickhereford.org.uk/
be taken forward: how common was it for wp−content/uploads/2016/07/1992−24_36−
chess manuscripts of the day to employ Mrs−Garricks−diary.pdf

714 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 December 2022

THE WOMEN’S CANDIDATES – POOL A

Chinese Triumph IN MONACO

By GM Aleksandar Colovic; www.alexcolovic.com
Photo: Michał Walusza / FIDE Official
The women’s World Championship cycle MARIA MUZYCHUK – LEI TINGJIE
was supposed to be a mirror image of the
open cycle, with the eight players already The match between Maria Muzychuk and
known for the Candidates Tournament. Lei Tingjie saw a decisive game at the very
However, the events from 24 February this beginning. In the Slav Defence, Muzychuk
year threw a major spanner in the works failed to solve the opening problems and
and FIDE was forced to act. lost a pawn, after which she didn’t really
have a chance to come back.
The solution they came up with was to
change the cycle and instead of a Candidates Lei Tingjie – Mariya Muzychuk
Tournament they moved to matches in
which they split the eight participants into Women Candidates Pool A Monaco MNC (1.1)
two pools. One pool had the Ukranian
players, the Muzychuk sisters, and the other 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.¤f3 ¤f6 4.e3 ¥g4 This
had all the Russian players. The idea was is a solid alternative to the traditional main
clear – to avoid Ukrainians facing Russians, move 4...¥f5.
at least at the initial stage.
5.h3 ¥h5 Usually Black takes on f3 here,
Pool A consisted of Anna and Maria but the retreat is also possible.
Muzychuk, Humpy Konery and Lei Tingjie.
The matches took place in Monaco from 6.g4 ¥g6 7.¤e5 ¤bd7 8.¤xg6 hxg6
25 October to 6th November. They were 9.cxd5 cxd5 10.¤c3 e6 All theory so far,
contested over four classical games with a with White now having more than one
rapid tie-break in case of a tie. sensible move at her disposal.

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The four candidates of pool A (from left to right):

Maria Muzychuk, Lei Tingjie Humpy Konery and Anna Muzychuk

11.¥d2 13...¥d6 14.¢g2 g6 Black intends to castle

XIIIIIIIIY by hand too, keeping the rook on the h-file.
9r+-wqkvl-tr0
9zpp+n+pzp-0 15.£e2 White prepares the e4–break, in
order to open the position.
9-+-+psnp+0
9+-+p+-+-0 15.¤b5!? is the more forcing way preferred
by the machine. After 15...¥b8 16.¥b4
9-+-zP-+P+0 ¤b6 17.¦c1 White has an initiative on
9+-sN-zP-+P0 the queenside which is not so easy to
9PzP-vL-zP-+0 extinguish.
9tR-+QmKL+R0 15...¢f8 16.e4 dxe4 17.¥xe4
xiiiiiiiiy
This is the engine’s top choice from several XIIIIIIIIY
equally good moves. White has the advantage 9-+rwq-mk-tr0
of the pair of bishops but the position is closed 9zpp+n+p+-0
and Black set-up is solid and weakness-free.
These factors make the position balanced. 9-+-vlpsnp+0
9+-+-+-zp-0
11...g5 One of the possible moves, stopping
a possible expansion on the kingside 9-+-zPL+P+0
with g5. The alternatives were 11...¤b6, 9+-sN-+-+P0
11...¦c8 or 11...¥e7. 9PzP-vLQzPK+0
12.¥d3 ¦c8 13.¢f1 White castles by hand 9tR-+-+-+R0
as the rook needs to remain on h1 to defend xiiiiiiiiy
the pawn on h3.

716 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 December 2022

By taking with the bishop White keeps the establish blockade on the light squares (d5
knight on c3 and maintains control of the in particular) and leave White with a dark-
square in front of the IQP. squared bishop after the exchange on c3.

17.¤xe4 was also possible, after 17...¥f4 20.¥xf4 gxf4 21.£e4 Immediately
18.¤xg5 ¤d5 19.h4 (19.¤f3 ¤7f6 gives targeting the pawn on f4.
Black good compensation for the pawn.)
19...£b6, hitting both d4 and b2 with good 21...¤c4?!
play for Black. XIIIIIIIIY
17...¤xe4 18.£xe4 White’s initiative is 9-+rwq-mk-tr0
unpleasant: Black cannot easily defend the 9zp-+-+p+-0
pawns on g5 and b7.
9-+-+p+p+0
18...¤b6 Black decides to give up the 9+-+-+-+-0
pawn on b7 in order to gain time to activate 9-+nzPQzpP+0
her pieces.
9+-sN-+-+P0
18...¦b8?! defends the pawn on b7 but after 9PzP-+-zPK+0
19.d5! White is much better prepared for
the opening in the centre. 9tR-+-+-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy
18...b6 is another move to avoid giving This looks active as it attacks the pawn on
up a pawn, but White can push d5 at any b2, but White can regroup.
point thanks to Black’s lack of control of
that square. So after 19.¦ac1 ¢g7 20.£f3, 21...£f6 was preferable. 22.¦ad1 ¢g7
threatening ¤e4. 20...¥b4 21.a3 ¥xc3 23.£f3 is still better for White, but Black
22.¥xc3, Black is very sensitive on the is better coordinated after 23...¦hd8
long diagonal with the d5 threat hanging in
the air. 22.¦ac1! ¤xb2 23.¤e2 After taking on f4
the knight will still control the d5–square,
19.£xb7 but it will also be closer to the kingside,
XIIIIIIIIY unlike Black’s knight far away on b2.
9-+rwq-mk-tr0 23...¢g7 24.¤xf4 £f6 25.d5 White is a
9zpQ+-+p+-0 pawn up and has the initiative. The game is
objectively winning for her.
9-sn-vlp+p+0
9+-+-+-zp-0 25...¦xc1 25...e5 was better, but after
9-+-zP-+P+0 26.¤e2 White has a dangerous passed
pawn on d5, something that Black didn’t
9+-sN-+-+P0 want to allow.
9PzP-vL-zPK+0
26.¦xc1 ¦d8 27.¦c7 White is a piece up
9tR-+-+-+R0 in the attack on the kingside. The knight
xiiiiiiiiy on b2 is a mere onlooker. The threat is
19...¥f4?! After the exchange of bishops ¤xe6 now.
the pawn on f4 will be vulnerable.
27...exd5 28.¤xd5 £d6 29.£d4+ ¢h6
19...¢g7 20.£f3 ¥b4 was a better way to 30.£f4+ This also wins, though in a more
obtain compensation. Black would like to prosaic and somewhat longer way.

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30.g5+! led to mate by force, for example Lei Tingjie - Mariya Muzychuk
30...¢xg5 31.£e3+ ¢h5 32.¤f4+ ¢h6
33.¤e6+ ¢h7 34.¦xf7+ ¢g8 35.¦g7+ Women Candidates Pool A Monaco MNC (1.3)
¢h8 36.£h6#.
XIIIIIIIIY
9-+r+-+-+0
30...£xf4 31.¤xf4 f6 32.¦xa7 9+p+nvlk+-0
XIIIIIIIIY 9-zpn+p+-zp0
9-+-tr-+-+0 9+L+p+pzp-0
9tR-+-+-+-0 9-+-zP-zP-+0
9-+-+-zppmk0 9+PvLNzPP+P0
9+-+-+-+-0 9P+-mK-+-+0
9-+-+-sNP+0 9+-+-+-tR-0
9+-+-+-+P0 In thexiiiiiiiiy
same variation of the Slav Defence as in
9Psn-+-zPK+0 the first game, Lei exchanged queens on move
8 and applied steady pressure. She had things
9+-+-+-+-0 under control, but here she loosens the grip.
xiiiiiiiiy
White it two pawns up and the rest was 29.¦c1? White voluntarily gives up control
relatively simple. of the g-file.

32...¦d2 33.h4 ¤d1 34.¤h3 g5 35.hxg5+ 29.b4 gxf4 (29...¤cb8 30.a4 ¦g8 now Black
fxg5 36.¦a6+ ¢g7 37.¦a5 ¢f6 38.¢g3 threatens ...gxf3 with ...fxe3 that comes with
¤c3 39.¤xg5 ¦xa2 40.¦f5+ 40.¦xa2 check, so White should move the king. 31.¢e2
¤xa2 41.¤e4+ was a good alternative. ¥d6 32.fxg5 ¦xg5 33.¦xg5 hxg5 34.a5
and White keeps on pressing with zero risk.)
40...¢g6 41.¤h3 ¤e4+ 42.¢h4 ¦a1 43.f3 30.¤xf4 ¤f6 31.¤d3, with ¤e5 next, kept the
¤d2 44.¤f4+ ¢h7 45.¤e6 ¦a3 46.¢h5 advantage.
¦e3 46...¤xf3 47.¦xf3 ¦xf3 48.¤g5+
was White’s indirect defence of the pawn 29...gxf4 30.¤xf4 ¦g8 31.¢e2 The king
on f3. moves closer to the f2–square so that
Black’s threat of ...¦g3 is harmless.
47.¤g5+ ¢g8 48.¢g6 ¤c4 49.f4 ¦b3
50.¤h7 ¦b6+ 51.¤f6+ ¢f8 52.¦c5 ¤d2 31...¥a3 32.¦d1 ¥d6 Black has activated
53.¦c7 The threat of mate on f7 ends her pieces and is not worse any more.
things effectively.
33.¤d3?
XIIIIIIIIY
1–0
9-+-+-+r+0
9+p+n+k+-0
Losing in the first game is not the end of
the match, but it immediately sets the tone 9-zpnvlp+-zp0
for the remainder of it. Muzychuk couldn’t 9+L+p+p+-0
pose problems in the next game when she 9-+-zP-+-+0
was White, when Lei’s Petroff was rock
solid. 9+PvLNzPP+P0
9P+-+K+-+0
The chance unexpectedly appeared in the
third game. 9+-+R+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy
718 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE
 December 2022

This shows that White was worried about the

exchange on f4, but that wasn’t dangerous
for White. By avoiding the doubling of the
f-pawns White allows Black to take over
the initiative.

33.¢f2 ¥xf4 34.exf4 ¤f6 35.¦c1 ¤h5

36.¥d2 keeps everything covered as the
pawn on d4 is taboo in view of 36...¤xd4?
37.¦c7+ ¢g6 38.¥d7 when Black’s
queenside pawns are likely to fall.

33...¦g2+ 34.¤f2 ¤f6 Now Black starts to

apply pressure. The knight aims for h5 and
g3, with the idea of the pawn break ...f4
being quite annoying for White.
Lei Tingjie
The immediate 34...f4 is met by 35.e4 and
this is the reason why Black played the game but here it fails to 37...¦g3 38.¤g4 ¦xf3+
move, controlling the e4–square. 35...dxe4 39.¢e2 ¦xh3 and White doesn’t have
36.fxe4 ¤f6 37.e5 ¤d5 38.¥e1 ¥e7 39.¦d3 ¤xh6 as she did in the game.) 37...¤h5
¥h4 and Black has the initiative, though after 38.¢f1 ¦g3 39.¢e2 fxe3 40.¥xe3: this is
40.¢f1 White should be able to defend. a transposition to the game.

35.¦c1? 37.¥xe3 ¤e7 38.¥d3?!

XIIIIIIIIY XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-+-+0 9-+-+-+-+0
9+p+-+k+-0 9+p+-snk+-0
9-zpnvlpsn-zp0 9-zp-vlpsn-zp0
9+L+p+p+-0 9+-+p+-+-0
9-+-zP-+-+0 9-+-zP-+-+0
9+PvL-zPP+P0 9+P+LvLP+P0
9P+-+KsNr+0 9P+-+KsNr+0
9+-tR-+-+-0 9+-tR-+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy xiiiiiiiiy
For a second time in the game the move 38.¢f1 was the better defence. White can
¦c1 is a mistake! use the active position of the bishop on
e3 (allowed by Black with the exchange
35.¥e1! allowed White to defend on e3) after 38...¦g3 39.¤g4 ¦xf3+
successfully. After 35...f4 36.¢f1 ¦g3 (39...¤f5! is better when White again
37.e4 White has everything defended. loses a pawn but under worse conditions.
40.¥f2 ¦xf3 41.¤xf6 ¢xf6 42.¢g2
35...f4! 36.¥d2 fxe3 The immediate ¦f4 and Black has excellent winning
36...¤e7 was quite strong. The point is chances.) 40.¢e2 ¦xh3 41.¤xh6+ -
in keeping the c1–h8 diagonal closed, but this is possible thanks to the bishop being
this was difficult to foresee. 37.¥d3 (In on e3. White is a pawn down, but with
the game White could have played 37.¢f1 drawing chances.

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38...¤h5 39.¢f1 ¦g3 40.¢e2 ¤c6 This

is still OK, though the knight doesn’t have
many prospects on c6.

40...¤f4+ was more forcing. After

41.¥xf4 ¥xf4 42.¦d1 h5 White is
practically paralysed. Black threatens to
win a pawn after 43.a3 ¥g5 44.a4 ¥f6
when the pawn on d4 cannot be defended
as White cannot stop the knight from
coming to c6 or d4 for the decisive second
attack on the pawn.

41.¦d1 ¤f4+ 42.¥xf4 ¥xf4 43.¥b5

Now we see why Black’s 40th move was
imprecise. White threatens to exchange
bishop for knight, so the knight needs to Mariya Muzychuk
go back to e7, thus giving away two tempi.
43...¢e7?
XIIIIIIIIY 47...¦xh3 48.a4 ¦h2+ 49.¢e3 ¦a2 Black
tries to stop a5.
9-+-+-+-+0
9+p+-mk-+-0 50.b5! Curiously enough, even sacrificing
a second pawn with 50.a5!? was possible.
9-zpn+p+-zp0 After 50...bxa5 51.bxa5 ¦xa5 52.¦g1
9+L+p+-+-0 White’s excellent central control (the
9-+-zP-vl-+0 knight on d3 and the pawn on d4 stop all
of Black’s three central pawns) and active
9+P+-+PtrP0 pieces give her great drawing chances.
9P+-+KsN-+0
50...cxb5 51.axb5 ¦a5 52.¦h1 This was
9+-+R+-+-0 White’s idea on move 50. She will pick up
xiiiiiiiiy Black’s h-pawn and, in view of the limited
A mistake in evaluation. The exchange on space where the action takes place (from b-
c6 is in White’s favour as then she has all to f-files), the knight is an excellent piece
her weak pawns defended. and this ensures that White won’t lose.
52...¦xb5 53.¦xh6 ¦b1 54.¦h7+ ¢e8
43...¤e7 still offered excellent chances. Black 55.f4 Black cannot make progress any
lost time, but White’s pawn weaknesses are more. White keeps checking and attacking
still there, for example 44.¤d3 ¥d6 45.¤f2 the pawn on e6.
¤f5, again with the threat to attack the pawn
on d4 with the bishop. 55...b5 56.¦h6 ¢d7 57.¦h7+ ¢c6
57...¥e7 doesn’t help either. 58.¤c5+
44.¥xc6! bxc6 45.b4 Stopping a possilbe ¢e8 59.¦h8+ (but not 59.¤xe6?? ¦e1+
...c5. Black is still better, but no longer which loses the knight.) 59...¥f8 60.¢d3
winning. and now ¤xe6 is a threat.

45...¥d6 46.¦c1 ¢d7 47.¤d3! White 58.¦h6 ¢d7 59.¦h7+ ¢c6 60.¦h6 ¢d7
sacrifices the h3–pawn in order to create
a passed a-pawn and obtain active ½–½
counter-chances.

720 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 December 2022

After this excellent chance Muzychuk 11.£xf3 ¥d6 12.¤xd7 ¤xd7 13.¥a3
didn’t get another one. In the fourth game Eventually, the bishop didn’t even go to
she didn’t achieve anything against the b2. White has some symbolic pressure, but
Petroff and Lei won the match with 2.5-1.5. Black is absolutely fine.

The first game was decisive in the 13...£b8 Black defends the bishop on d6,
other match between Koneru and Anna though castling was also fine.
Muzychuk. Black’s king was stuck in the
centre and Muzychuk failed to sense the 14.dxc5 Before Black castles White tries to
danger. speed up the tempo of the game.

Humpy Koneru - Anna Muzychuk 14...¤xc5 15.£c6+ ¢e7 16.¤d2

White has managed to keep Black’s
Women Candidates Pool A Monaco MNC (1.1) king in the centre, but in view of
Black’s good development that is not a
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 Muzychuk usually plays problem for her.
the Grunfeld or the Slav, so this was the
opening surprise prepared for the match. 16...¦c8
XIIIIIIIIY
3.¤f3 ¤f6 4.e3 e6 5.¥xc4 c5 6.0–0 a6
7.b3 9rwqr+-+-+0
XIIIIIIIIY 9+-+-mkpzpp0
9rsnlwqkvl-tr0 9pzpQvlp+-+0
9+p+-+pzpp0 9+-sn-+-+-0
9p+-+psn-+0 9-+-+-+-+0
9+-zp-+-+-0 9vLP+-zP-+-0
9-+LzP-+-+0 9P+-sN-zPPzP0
9+P+-zPN+-0 9tR-+-+RmK-0
9P+-+-zPPzP0 xiiiiiiiiy
16...¥xh2+ would transpose to the game
9tRNvLQ+RmK-0 after 17.¢h1 ¦c8 18.£f3;
xiiiiiiiiy
This harmless-looking move has become 16...£b7! was the simplest, exchanging
increasingly popular lately. queens with complete equality and no risk
whatsoever.
7...¤bd7 Black has more than one good
option here, such as taking on d4 or putting 17.£f3 ¥xh2+ This is somewhat
the knight on c6. risky as Black is stuck with the king in
the centre.
8.¥e2 The natural continuation would have
been 8.¥e2, but Koneru was surprised and 17...¢f8 18.h3 ¢g8 gives Black a very
tries to confuse her opponent. solid position.

8...b6 9.¤e5 ¥b7 10.¥f3 ¥xf3 In his 18.¢h1 ¥d6? Black’s desire to insulate
online games with Ding Liren, Aronian her king on the a3–f8 diagonal is
didn’t take the bishop and chose to defend understandable, but the bishop is subject
it with 10...£c7 or 10...£b8. He lost all to an attack here by both the knight
three of them. (from c4) and the rook (from d1).

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The Indian star Humpy Koneru

18...¥e5 was better, when White has 19...¢e8 20.¦ad1 ¥f8 was better, though
compensation for the pawn, but Black no human would play this, to leave the king
is fine after 19.¦ac1 ¢f8 20.¤e4 ¢g8 on e8 with so many pieces on the board.
when White regains the pawn and the The idea, however, is to keep control of the
position is just equal after the exchanges d7–square, thus preventing ¦d7 as in the
21.¤xc5 bxc5 22.¥xc5 a5. game. Still, White keeps strong initiative
after 21.¥b2.
19.¤c4
XIIIIIIIIY 20.¦ad1 ¥e7 21.¥xc5! bxc5 22.¦d7
This is the key difference. With the king on
9rwqr+-+-+0 f8 the rook has access to the d7–square.
9+-+-mkpzpp0
22...¦a7 23.¤d6 £xd6 24.¦xa7 White
9pzp-vlp+-+0 has decisive material advantage, so Black
9+-sn-+-+-0 resigned.
9-+N+-+-+0 1–0
9vLP+-zPQ+-0
9P+-+-zPP+0
The second game saw Muzychuk charge
9tR-+-+R+K0 at Koneru’s Petroff only to see her attack
xiiiiiiiiy backfire. Black could have practically
Black is under severe pressure now as wrapped the match up with a win, but she
the bishop is short of squares on the failed to take her chance. And as usual in
a3–f8 diagonal. such cases, and not only in chess matches,
you get punished for the chances you
19...¢f8? The decisive mistake. didn’t take.

722 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 December 2022

15...¤xg5 16.¤xg5 g6 White’s pieces are

Anna Muzychuk - Humpy Koneru at risk of being pushed back, so Muzychuk
lunges forward.
Women Candidates Pool A Monaco MNC (1.2)
XIIIIIIIIY 17.e6 fxe6 17...f6!? was another good
9r+ltr-vlk+0 option that refutes the attack.
9zppwq-+pzpp0 18.¦xe6 ¤e7?
9-+n+n+-+0 XIIIIIIIIY
9+-zppzPN+-0 9r+ltr-vlk+0
9-+-+-+-+0 9zppwq-sn-+p0
9+-zPL+N+-0 9-+-+R+p+0
9PzP-+-zPPzP0 9+-zpp+NsN-0
9tR-vLQtR-mK-0 9-+-+-+-+0
xiiiiiiiiy 9+-zPL+-+-0
White has built a promising attacking 9PzP-+-zPPzP0
position on the kingside, but now she
becomes impatient and rushes in. 9tR-+Q+-mK-0
xiiiiiiiiy
15.¥g5? This mistake turns the tables And Koneru doesn’t withstand the pressure!
dramatically.
18...¤e5! was the winning move, going
15.¥c2, with the idea of £d3. 15...c4 after the important bishop on d3. 19.£e2
16.£e2, is a slower build-up for White, but ¤xd3 20.¤e7+ (20.£xd3 gxf5 leaves
one that is difficult to parry as Black’s play White without pieces to attack.) 20...¥xe7
on the queenside is unlikely to distract White this is simpler than 20...¢h8, which should
from the attack on the other side. White has also win. 21.¦xe7 £f4 22.h4 preparing
ideas like ¤3d4, ¥e3–d4, h4–h5–h6 etc. ¦g7 by defending the knight on g5 first

Humpy Koneru and Anna Muzychuk

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(22.¦e8+ ¦xe8 23.£xe8+ £f8 White is 25...£g7 26.£xe6+ ¢h8 27.£h3+ is

simply a piece down for nothing; 22.¤xh7 another way to give a perpetual.
c4! cements the knight on d3. It is controlling
the e1–square and also attacking the pawn 26.£h5+ ¢g8 27.£g6+ ¢h8 28.£h5+
on f2, thus tying down White’s queen. Black
is a piece up and White’s pieces cannot ½–½
coordinate to create something tangible on
the kingside; 22.¦g7+ is flashy, but doesn’t
work. 22...¢xg7 23.£e7+ ¢h6 24.¤f7+ Muzychuk decided to keep it solid in
¢h5 25.£e2+ ¥g4 when the checks the third game and switched from the
end.) 22...¦f8 (22...c4 is also possible, as Queen’s Gambit Accepted in favour
23.¦g7+ ¢xg7 24.£e7+ ¢g8 25.£xd8+ of the Semi-Tarrasch. She didn’t
£f8 26.£xd5+ ¢g7 leads to a position have problems holding the draw. This
where Black is a piece up, though some increased the pressure for both players
commotion in the position still remains.) in the fourth game, which was a must-
23.¤xh7 ¥f5 24.¤xf8 ¦xf8 Black should win situation for Muzychuk.
be winning here as the monster knight on
d3 is dominating the position. 18...¥xe6 Anna Muzychuk - Humpy Koneru
was a safe option, giving Black a small
advantage after 19.¤xe6 £f7 20.¤xd8 Women Candidates Pool A Monaco MNC (1.4)
¦xd8 21.¤e3 ¥h6. XIIIIIIIIY
19.¤h4 The threat to sacrifice on g6 is 9-+-+-trk+0
strong enough to give White sufficient 9+-+-+-+p0
compensation.
9p+-+pvLpzP0
19...c4 19...¥xe6 20.¤xe6 £d6 21.¤xd8 9+-vlqzP-+-0
¦xd8 leads to an equal position. 9P+-zpR+Q+0
20.¥xg6 Now the game ends in a perpetual 9+-+R+-+-0
check after. 9-+r+-zPP+0
20...hxg6 21.¤xg6 ¥xe6 22.£h5 ¤xg6 9+-+-+-mK-0
23.£xg6+ ¢h8 24.£h5+ ¢g8 25.£g6+ xiiiiiiiiy
¢h8 The Petroff was solid in the beginning, but
XIIIIIIIIY as tensions rose White managed to build
an attack on the kingside. Here she finally
9r+-tr-vl-mk0 finds a way to get to Black’s king.
9zppwq-+-+-0
35.¦exd4! ¥xd4 36.¦xd4 White’s idea is
9-+-+l+Q+0 to reach the seventh rank.
9+-+p+-sN-0
9-+p+-+-+0 36...£a2 Black seeks counterplay.
9+-zP-+-+-0 36...£c6 was the only way to stop ¦d7
9PzP-+-zPPzP0 but this also fails to save the game as, after
37.¦d6 £c4 38.£xe6+ £xe6 39.¦xe6,
9tR-+-+-mK-0 the endgame is winning for White - the
xiiiiiiiiy bishop on f6 is not weaker than a rook,
25...¥g7?? 26.£h7+ ¢f8 27.¤xe6+ wins Black’s king is confined to the eighth rank
the queen; and White has two pawns (or even three - if

724 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 December 2022

she takes the one on a6) that are difficult to Now White is winning again, in a similar
stop from advancing. way to that mentioned in the note to
White’s 40th move.
37.¦d7 ¦xf6 38.exf6 £a1+ 39.¢h2
£e5+ 40.¢h3?? 42...¦c8 43.£e4 £g5 44.£d4+ e5
XIIIIIIIIY 45.£h4 £f5+ 46.£g4 £f8 47.£g5 ¦e8
48.¦xa6 White has the better king and is a
9-+-+-+k+0 passed pawn up.
9+-+R+-+p0
48...¢g8 49.¦f6 £e7 50.a5 £d7+
9p+-+pzPpzP0 51.¢h2 e4 52.a6 £c7+ 53.g3 e3 54.£d5+
9+-+-wq-+-0 ¢h8 55.£d4 ¢g8 56.£d5+ ¢h8 57.¦f7
9P+-+-+Q+0 £c3 58.£d7 Black is getting mated and
the match istied.
9+-+-+-+K0
9-+r+-zPP+0 1–0
9+-+-+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy A nervy win under difficult circumstances!
The notorious 40th move!
The rapid tie-break was cautious in the
40.f4! £xf6 41.¦g7+ ¢h8 42.¦a7 ¢g8 first two games and then exploded in the
43.¦xa6 wins for White, though it will take last two. In the third rapid game Muzychuk
some time to convert. obtained an excellent position with White
in the Petroff, but allowed Black to turn
40...£xf6?? Black misses the chance to things around and build up an attack after
win the match. she went pawn-grabbing on the kingside.

40...¦xf2! would have led to a draw. Anna Muzychuk - Humpy Koneru

White’s king is too weak to allow her
Women Candidates Pool A Monaco MNC (1.7)
queen to enter the attack. 41.¦d8+
¢f7 42.¦d7+ ¢g8 is a repetition,
XIIIIIIIIY
while 43.¦g7+ ¢h8 44.f7? even loses 9-+ktrr+-+0
for White after 44...£e3+! 45.£g3 9zpp+-+R+p0
£xh6+.
9-+n+-+-+0
41.¦g7+ ¢h8 42.¦a7 9+-zppvlPvL-0
XIIIIIIIIY 9q+-+-+-+0
9-+-+-+-mk0 9+-zP-+N+P0
9tR-+-+-+p0 9PzP-+-zP-+0
9p+-+pwqpzP0 9+K+R+Q+-0
9+-+-+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy
9P+-+-+Q+0 White is a pawn up and can easily be two
up, but she should be a bit careful about her
9+-+-+-+K0 queenside.
9-+r+-zPP+0
20.¥g5? This helps Black to lift the rook
9+-+-+-+-0 along the sixth rank, but it also weakens the
xiiiiiiiiy c3–pawn.

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20.¦e1! ¦d6 21.f6 kept everything under 23.¥f4 ¤b4? Black errs too.
control - Black has nothing on the queenside,
while her kingside is falling apart. 23...£a3! 24.¥c1 £b4, with ...c4 to come,
would have given her a decisive attack.
20...¦d6? Natural, but the immediate strike
on c3 was already good. 24.a4 ¦c6?

20...¥xc3! 21.bxc3 d4! and the engine

XIIIIIIIIY
gives zeroes, but this is not that easy for 9-+k+r+-+0
a human to grasp, especially not at faster 9zpp+-+-+R0
time controls. The main line leads to an
equal pawn (!) endgame. 22.¥c1 (22.cxd4 9-+r+-+-+0
£b4+ 23.¢a1 £c3+ is a perpetual.) 22... 9wq-zpp+P+-0
dxc3 23.¦xd8+ ¤xd8 24.¦xh7 £e4+ 9Psn-+-vL-+0
25.¢a1 £xf3 26.£b5 £xf5 27.£xe8
£xh7 28.¥g5 £d3 29.£xd8+ £xd8 9+Pvl-+N+P0
30.¥xd8 ¢xd8 31.a4! with a draw! 9-+-+-zP-+0
21.¦xh7? Allowing Black a second chance. 9+K+R+Q+-0
xiiiiiiiiy
21.£d3! was probably the simplest, 24...¦d7 25.¦xd7 ¢xd7 was better, but
defending c3 and having £c2 at her disposal. White is now again on top after 26.¥e3.

21...¥xc3! 25.£b5! White is winning again.

XIIIIIIIIY 25...£xb5 26.axb5 ¦e2 27.¥d2 ¥xd2
9-+k+r+-+0 28.bxc6 ¥c3 29.cxb7+ ¢b8 30.¦g1??
9zpp+-+-+R0 XIIIIIIIIY
9-+ntr-+-+0 9-mk-+-+-+0
9+-zpp+PvL-0 9zpP+-+-+R0
9q+-+-+-+0 9-+-+-+-+0
9+-vl-+N+P0 9+-zpp+P+-0
9PzP-+-zP-+0 9-sn-+-+-+0
9+K+R+Q+-0 9+Pvl-+N+P0
xiiiiiiiiy 9-+-+rzP-+0
Black is out of danger now.
9+K+-+-tR-0
22.b3? But now she’s even winning! xiiiiiiiiy
Allowing a perpetual, when there was
22.bxc3 was the only move. 22...¤e5 a single move that prevented it, and,
(22...¤b4 23.¦d2 ¦b6 24.¦h6! ¤xa2+ coincidentally, was winning at the same
25.¦xb6 ¤xc3+ 26.¢b2 axb6 27.¢xc3 time!
£a3+ 28.¢c2 £a2+ with a perpetual
check.) 23.¢a1 ¦a6 24.£e2 ¤xf3 25.¦e7 30.¤d2! breaks the harmony of Black’s
¦xe7 26.¥xe7 d4 is rather messy, with the pieces and wins, for example: 30...¥xd2
engine claiming it’s dead equal. 31.¦g1! ¥g5 32.h4! ¤a2 33.¦g3!
preventing the ...¤c3–a2 drawing
22...£a5 Moving to b4 or a3 was also good. mechanism. 33...¥d8 34.f6 with a win.

726 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 December 2022

30...¦b2+ Now the game ends in a draw. 16...¥xd4 17.exd4 £xe2 Black wins a
piece thanks to the pin on the c-file.
31.¢c1 ¤d3+ 32.¢d1 ¤xf2+ 33.¢c1
¤d3+ 34.¢d1 ¤f2+ 35.¢c1 ¤d3+ 0–1
36.¢d1 ¤f2+ 37.¢c1 ¤d3+ 38.¢d1

½–½ An abrupt end of a tense match where

clearly the nerves were the deciding factor.

A topsy-turvy game that must have been THE FINAL

exhausting for both players. The last game
showed that Muzychuk controlled her The finalists changed their repertoires
nerves better. for the final match. Lei switched from
the Petroff to the Sicilian and Muzychuk
Humpy Koneru - Anna Muzychuk changed from the QGA and the Semi-
Tarrasch and reverted to her favourite
Women Candidates Pool A Monaco MNC (1.8) Grunfeld. The first three games were very
XIIIIIIIIY balanced with no chances for anything for
either player.
9-+rtr-+k+0
9zpp+lwqpzpp0 The match was decided in the final game.
9-+-+-snn+0 Lei Tingjie – Anna Muzychuk
9+-vl-+-+-0
Women Candidates Pool A Monaco MNC (2.4)
9-+-sN-+-+0
9zP-sN-zP-+-0 1.d4 ¤f6 2.c4 g6 3.¤c3 d5 Muzychuk had
9-zPQ+LzPPzP0 no problems in game two, so she sticks to
the Grunfeld. I remember asking myself the
9tR-vL-+RmK-0 question whether the Grunfeld is a good
xiiiiiiiiy opening for decisive games. The problem
The Schara-Hennig Gambit gave Black is that White has too wide a choice of lines
free play for the pawn, but White is in it and remembering everything under
solid and without weaknesses. She severe pressure of a "must-not-lose game"
needs to finish development, but must is very difficult.
do so carefully.
4.cxd5 ¤xd5 5.e4 ¤xc3 6.bxc3 ¥g7
16.¥d2?? A terrible blunder that ends 7.£a4+ Deviating from 7.¥e3 from game
the match on the spot. White is impatient two.
to finish development and misses an
elementary tactic. 7...¤d7 8.¤f3 0–0 9.¥e2 ¤b6 The main
alternative is 9...c5.
16.¦d1 was a good move, defending
the knight on d4 and threatening b4 10.£b4 £d6 11.0–0 ¥g4?! Here’s Black
and ¥b2. 16...¥b6 (after 16...¤h4 failing to remember her theory.
17.b4 ¥xd4 18.¦xd4 ¥f5 19.£d1
White manages to absorb Black’s 11...£xb4! 12.cxb4 ¥g4 gave Black a good
initiative.) 17.h3 (17.¥f1 ¥g4 may be endgame. After 13.¥e3 ¦fd8 14.¦fd1 c6
a bit annoying.) 17...£e5 18.¥f1 keeps Black is very solid.
the position tense where Black has
compensation, but nothing concrete. 12.£b3!

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The Finals

XIIIIIIIIY
9r+-+-trk+0 ¤c5 19.£e3 b6 20.¦bd1 keeps the
9zppzp-zppvlp0 pressure for White.) 18.¥xf3 b6 19.¦e1
with a comfortable plus for White, in a
9-sn-wq-+p+0 way similar to what happened later in
9+-+-+-+-0 the game.
9-+-zPP+l+0 14...¥xf3 15.¥xf3 c6 Black undermines
9+QzP-+N+-0 the pawn on d5 as the only way to obtain
9P+-+LzPPzP0 active play.
9tR-vL-+RmK-0 16.¥a3 £c7?! Too passive. If Black is
xiiiiiiiiy not vigilant she may easily drift to a quiet
White threatens ¥a3 now and Black’s position with no active play to oppose
usual counterplay against White’s centre is White’s pair of bishops.
lagging behind.
16...£f4! was better, threatening ...¥e5.
12...¥e6 Provoking d5 in order to be able 17.¦fe1 (17.¥xe7? is possible. 17...¥e5
to undermine that pawn. 18.¦fe1 ¦fe8 though after 19.d6 £h2+
20.¢f1 ¥xd6 21.¥xd6 £xd6 Black is at
13.d5 ¥g4 14.h3?! A bit too blunt. least equal here.) 17...¥e5 18.¦ac1 cxd5
19.exd5 ¤c4 with an excellent position
14.¦b1! was quite good, moving the rook for Black.
out of the long diagonal and threatening
c4. 14...c6 15.c4 cxd5 16.exd5 with the 17.¦ae1 White removes the rook from a1
idea of ¥a3. 16...¤d7 Black must try so that she can play c4.
to maintain the blockade on the dark
squares. 17.h3 ¥xf3 (17...¥f5 18.¥a3 17...cxd5 18.exd5 ¥f6?!

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 December 2022

21...h5 22.¥e2 ¦ac8 23.¦e1 23.£e3!

XIIIIIIIIY was stronger, attacking the pawn on e7.
9r+-+-trk+0 23...¦e8 24.d6 and White wins the pawn
9zppwq-zpp+p0 on e7. (or even the slower 24.¦d1 ¦cd8
25.g4 hxg4 26.hxg4 threatening g5 when
9-sn-+-vlp+0 the pawn on e7 falls. 26...g5 27.¦d2 puts
9+-+P+-+-0 Black practically in zugzwang. The threat
of d6 still remains and Black has hardly
9-+-+-+-+0 any useful moves to make.)
9vLQzP-+L+P0
9P+-+-zPP+0 23...¦d7?! Muzychuk plays the game with
a very passive mindset.
9+-+-tRRmK-0
xiiiiiiiiy 23...¤d7! was a good practical chance,
Passive again. with the idea that after 24.¥xe7 (24.g4
this is better, not rushing to take on e7
18...¥e5 was better: if Black can establish immediately. 24.¦xe7!? ¥xe7 25.¥xe7
a bishop on d6 and a knight on c5 she will ¦e8 26.d6 £a5 27.¦d1 £e5 is rather
be fine. 19.¦xe5!? £xe5 20.c4 ¦ac8 21.c5 unclear though White is the one who’s
looks very threatening, but Black can hold pressing.) 24...¤c5 25.¥xc5 £xc5
after 21...¤d7 and White doesn’t have a 26.£xb7 ¦b8 27.£c6 ¥d4: even though
direct breakthrough. White is two pawns up, Black has blockade
on the dark squares in a position with
19.¦e4 Planning c4. opposite-coloured bishops.

19...¦fc8? Seems like a one-move blunder: 24.g4! h4 Black cannot take on g4 as after
with her next move White chases away the ¥xg4 she loses material.
rook from c8 and advances with c4.
25.£e3 Threatening g5 and ¥g4.
19...¤c8, with the idea of ...¤d6,
was better. 20.¦c4 £b8 21.¦b4 ¤d6 25...g5 26.¥d3 White has forced the
22.c4 £c7 with ...b6 next and although opening of the b1–h7 diagonal and now
passive Black’s position is not easy threatens to use it for an attack against
to breach. Black’s king.

20.¥g4 ¦d8 21.c4 26...¤a4 The knight wants to land on c5,

but it’s too late for it now.
XIIIIIIIIY
9r+-tr-+k+0 26...¢g7 27.£f3 ¦h8 28.£f5 is also
9zppwq-zpp+p0 winning for White.
9-sn-+-vlp+0 27.¥xe7 White chooses the pedestrian way
9+-+P+-+-0 to win.
9-+P+R+L+0 27.¦e6! was a nice move to make. Black
9vLQ+-+-+P0 cannot take as 27...fxe6 28.£e4 the attack
9P+-+-zPP+0 is decisive. 28...¢f8 29.£g6 with the
double threat of £xf6 and dxe6. 29...exd5.
9+-+-+RmK-0
xiiiiiiiiy 27...¦xe7 28.¦xe7 £xe7 29.£xe7 ¥xe7
Now White got everything she wanted. 30.¦xe7 ¤c5 31.¥f5 ¢f8

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XIIIIIIIIY
9-+r+-mk-+0
9zpp+-tRp+-0
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-snP+Lzp-0
9-+P+-+Pzp0
9+-+-+-+P0
9P+-+-zP-+0
9+-+-+-mK-0
xiiiiiiiiy
32.¦xf7+! The precise, and only, way.

32.¦xb7 looks tempting, but in fact it Prizes like Faberge eggs

allows Black to organise a blockade on
the dark squares after 32...¤xb7 33.¥xc8 41...¤b7 42.¢e5
¤c5 34.¢g2 ¢e7 35.¢f3 ¢d6 36.¢e3
¢e5 and though the engine claims this is 1–0
winning for White (who at some point must
push c5 to free the c4-square for the king)
it is very impractical to enter this position Lei Tingjie showed nerves of steel in both
when there is a good alternative available. matches and won them without needing a
tie-break. She had tough moments, as in the
32...¢xf7 33.¥xc8 b6 34.¥f5 White wins third game against Maria Muzychuk, but
easily now because she can create another she was more resilient than her opponents,
passed pawn on the kingside by pushing f4. who both cracked under the pressure of
match-play.
34...¢f6 35.d6 ¤b7 36.d7 ¢e7 37.f4!
Creating a passed pawn on the g-file. Lei will await the winner of Pool B, where
Goryachkina plays Kosteniuk and Lagno
37...gxf4 38.¢f2 ¤d6 39.¢f3 ¤xc4 40.¢xf4 plays Tan Zhongyi, to decide the challenger
¤d6 41.g5 The g-pawn is unstoppable. for the World Champion Ju Wenjun.

WOMEN CANDIDATES MONACO, POOL A - SEMIFINAL - ROUND 1

Rk NAME FED Rtg 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pts
1 GM Koneru Humpy IND 2574 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 3½
3 GM Muzychuk Anna UKR 2534 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 3½
2 GM Lei Tingjie CHN 2535 1 ½ ½ ½ 3½
4 GM Muzychuk Mariya UKR 2527 0 ½ ½ ½ 1½
WOMEN CANDIDATES MONACO, POOL A - FINAL - ROUND 2
3 GM Muzychuk Anna UKR 2534 ½ ½ ½ 0 1½
2 GM Lei Tingjie CHN 2535 ½ ½ ½ 1 2½

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WORLD TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP 2022

Of the four teams that didn’t qualify it

CHINA was the US that drew most attention. The
reason for this was their board one - Hans
TRIUMPHS amid Niemann. He led a team that lacked all of
the country’s best players. The Americans
US disappointment didn’t play well. They won only one (!)
By GM Aleksandar Colovic; game and lost four of the five matches they
played. Niemann played all games, with
www.alexcolovic.com two losses and four draws.
Photo: Mark Livshitz /
Pool A saw China, France, Spain and
FIDE Official Ukraine qualify for the play−offs. Pool B had
The World Team Championship took place Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, India and Poland.
in Jerusalem from 20 to 25 November. The
time control of 45 minutes with a 10−second The play−offs consisted of two matches,
increment from move one made it a rapid with players reversing colours.
event, which also allowed for two games
per day to be played. Already in the quarter−finals three of the
favourites were eliminated. Spain beat
The event is very far from the prestige Azerbaijan by winning the second match
of the Olympiad and a lot of teams send after drawing the first. Olympiad winners
second or third tier players to participate. Uzbekistan, playing without their top
board Abdusattorov, but again led by their
The format was also different, with the 12 talismanic team captain GM Ivan Sokolov,
teams split into two groups of six and the beat Ukraine twice, in spite of being
top four qualifying for the play−off phase. underrated. The Indians fielded a mixed

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team with only Nihal Sarin from the other Ivanchuk was piling up the pressure
three of the ‘four musketeers’ of Gukesh, on Black’s position and here finds an
Erigaisi and Praggnanandhaa. They beat incredibly beautiful move to crown it.
France in the quarter-finals, but lost to
Uzbekistan (again, after the Olympiad) 26.¤d7!! A worthy candidate for the move
in the semi-final. Nihal didn’t play well, of the year! White attacks the knight on f6
scoring two out of five in the group phase and the bishop on d6.
and losing two games in the play-offs,
costing them the tie-break for third place 26...¦exd7 After 26...¦xc2 27.¤xf6+
when they lost 3-1 in the blitz to Spain. ¢g7 28.¦xc2 ¥xa3 (28...¢xf6 29.¦c8
wins the queen.) 29.¦c8 £d6 30.¤e8+
The surprise winners were China. They ¦xe8 31.¦xe8 leaves White an exchange
arrived with largely unknown and low- up.
rated players and yet they won all their
matches in the play-offs without a need 27.¥xd6 ¦xc2 28.¦xc2 ¦xd6 29.¦c8
for a tie-break. In the whole event they lost £xc8 30.¥xc8 Black chose the most
only one game! We may have not heard of resilient way, but he is still lost.
the next generation of Chinese players, who
are locked in their own country and cannot 30...¤c6 31.£xa6 31.¥xa6 ¤xd4 32.¢g2
travel and play, but that doesn’t mean they was another option.
don’t exist.
31...¤xd4 32.¢g2 ¢g7 33.b4 White’s
Second-placed Uzbekistan showed that plan is to create a passed pawn on the
their Olympic success was not a one-off queenside, while Black must try to create
wonder. Even playing without their best counterchances on the other side of the
player they seemingly easily reached the board.
final. Spain finished third, a balanced mix
of youth (Santos Latasa, Anton Guijarro) 33...¤c2 34.£a4 ¤e1+ 35.¢f1 ¤f3
and experience (Shirov) - a great success 36.£d1 ¤e5 37.£d4 ¤f3 38.£f4?
for a country with a long chess tradition. XIIIIIIIIY
Here’s a selection of interesting moments 9-+L+-+-+0
and decisive games from the event. 9+-+-+pmkp0
Vasyl Ivanchuk - Jorden Van Foreest 9-zp-tr-snp+0
13th World Teams Pool A Jerusalem ISR (5.3)
9+-+p+-+-0
XIIIIIIIIY 9-zP-+-wQ-+0
9-sn-wq-+k+0 9+-+-+nzP-0
9+-tr-trp+p0 9P+-+-zP-zP0
9pzp-vl-snp+0 9+-+-+K+-0
9+-+psN-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy
Curiously enough, this natural move gives
9-+-zP-+-+0 Black serious counterchances.
9vLP+-+-zPL0 38.£c3! ¤g5 39.f3! effectively kept the
9P+R+-zP-zP0 knights at bay
9+-tR-+QmK-0
38...¤e4! This wouldn’t have been possible
xiiiiiiiiy with a queen on c3. Now Black threatens

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 December 2022

...¦f6 and when the knight from f3 moves 45...¦d1! 46.£xb6 (46.£b2 ¤g4 is also
...¦xf2. sufficient for a draw.) 46...¦d2 would
have led to a draw after 47.¢f1 ¦d1+
39.¢g2? This lets the win slip. 48.¢e2 ¦d2+ 49.¢f3 f5! with the threat
of ...¤g4 when either White or Black will
39.¢e2 ¤d4+ (39...¦f6 40.£xf3! ¦xf3 give perpetual.
41.¢xf3 is a winning bishop vs. knight
endgame for White thanks to the outside 46.¥d3??
passed pawn.) 40.¢d3 ¤c6 41.b5 ¦f6 XIIIIIIIIY
42.bxc6 ¦xf4 43.gxf4 ¤d6 44.¥g4 ¤b5
45.¥f3 ¤c7 46.¢d4 ¢f6 47.¥xd5 should 9-+-+-+k+0
also be winning for White. 9+-+-+p+p0
39...¤e1+ 40.¢f1 ¤d3? Black is not 9-zp-+-+p+0
precise either. The reason is the fast time 9+-+p+-+-0
control, which has two sides of the coin: 9PzP-wQn+n+0
on one side more interesting and exciting
games, on the other, spoiled masterpieces 9+-+L+-zP-0
and ridiculous blunders. 9-+-+-+KzP0
40...¦f6! 41.£e5 ¤f3 42.£xd5 ¤fd2+ 9+-tr-+-+-0
43.¢g1 ¦xf2 Black threatens mate after xiiiiiiiiy
...¤f3, so White is forced to give up his Eventually it’s the player with no knights
queen. 44.£d4+ ¢f8 45.£xf2 ¤xf2 who cracks under the constant need to
46.¢xf2 ¤c4 with a drawn endgame as calculate the tricky jumps.
Black can centralise the king quickly.
46.h3! was still winning for White, though
41.£e3 ¤dxf2 42.£d4+ ¢g8 43.a4? it’s clear things have got complicated.
XIIIIIIIIY 46...¦c2+ 47.¢g1 ¤h2 (47...¦c1+ 48.¥f1)
48.£e3 and White controls everything.
9-+L+-+k+0
9+-+-+p+p0 46...¦d1! The pin turns the tables: apart
from the threat of ...¤f2 to win the bishop
9-zp-tr-+p+0 Black also threatens ...¦d2.
9+-+p+-+-0
9PzP-wQn+-+0 47.a5 ¦d2+ It was more precise to take on
a5 first, but these subtleties are beyond the
9+-+-+-zP-0 players’ scope with little time left.
9-+-+-sn-zP0
48.¢g1? 48.¢f3 was the only move to
9+-+-+K+-0 stay in the game longer, after 48...¤xh2+
xiiiiiiiiy 49.¢f4 bxa5; now, instead of taking
Allowing the activation of the rook. on a5, White can take on d5 - this is
the reason why it was more precise to
43.b5! prevents ...¦c6 and it was the correct include the exchange on a5 on move 47.
way to advance the queenside pawns. 50.£xd5 ¤f2 51.£a8+ ¢g7 52.¢e3
¦xd3+ 53.¢xf2 ¤g4+ 54.¢g2 axb4
43...¦c6! Now Black has enough with excellent winning chances for Black.
counterplay again.
44.¥a6 ¦c1+ 45.¢g2 ¤g4? Missing 48...¤ef2?! 48...bxa5! 49.bxa5 ¦d1+
another chance. 50.¢g2 h5! creates mating threats.

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49.£xd5? The final mistake. 21.¥xc4 bxc4 22.¦ae1 White successfully

defends his weak pawns on c3 and a2 by
49.£xb6 ¤xd3 50.h3 still allowed placing his rooks on e3 and e2.
White to stay in the game for a while,
though Black should win after 50...¤ge5 22...¦ab8 23.¦1e2 ¦b1+ 24.¢f2 ¦c1
51.£d8+ ¢g7 52.£xd5 covering f3. 25.e5 Now White is the one with the better
52...¦d1+ 53.¢h2 ¦f1! pawn structure. He can create a passed
pawn on the kingside.
49...¤h3+ 50.¢f1 ¤e3+ 51.¢e1 ¦d1+
52.¢e2 ¤xd5 53.¢xd1 ¤f2+ 54.¢d2 25...¦d7 A possible move, but one that
¤xd3 A piece down and with the queenside shows that Black is without ideas.
pawns under control, White resigned. A
typical rapid game - high-level play when 25...¦d3 26.¦xd3 cxd3 27.¦d2 ¦xc3
there is time to think and atrocious mistakes 28.¢e3 ¦a3 29.¦xd3 ¦xa2 30.¦d8+ ¢g7
when there is no time left. 31.¦d7 thanks to the threats of ¦xc7 and
e6 White draws easily.
0–1
26.g4 ¦d3 If Black wanted to play
this move, why didn’t he play it on
Li Di – Ortik Nigmatov the previous move, not giving away a
whole tempo?
13th World Teams Play-off Jerusalem ISR (3.2)
XIIIIIIIIY 27.¦xd3 cxd3 28.¦d2 ¦xc3 29.¢e3
¦a3 30.¦xd3 ¦xa2 31.f5 Black has won
9r+-tr-+k+0 a pawn, but White’s advanced pawns and
9zppzp-+p+p0 active pieces guarantee against a loss.
9-+-+-+p+0 31.¦d8+ ¢g7 32.¦d7 was also sufficient
9+-+-+-+-0 for White.
9-+l+PzP-+0 31...gxf5 32.gxf5 ¢g7?!
9+-zP-tR-zP-0 XIIIIIIIIY
9P+-+-+-zP0 9-+-+-+-+0
9tR-+-+LmK-0 9zp-zp-+pmkp0
xiiiiiiiiy 9-+-+-+-+0
The game that decided the second match
of the final. Black is somewhat better here, 9+-+-zPP+-0
controlling the only open file and having the 9-+-+-+-+0
better structure, but objectively this should
be a draw. Black’s next move was a real 9+-+RmK-+-0
shocker to me! 9r+-+-+-zP0
20...b5 A move that would have never 9+-+-+-+-0
crossed my mind. Black voluntarily wrecks xiiiiiiiiy
his structure. The open b-file that he obtains Another wasted move, just like 25...¦d7.
in return brings very little. Black’s play in this endgame is truly puzzling.

20...¥xf1 21.¦xf1 ¦d2 22.¦f2 ¦ad8 kept 32...¢f8 33.¦d7 ¦c2 34.f6 (or 34.¦d8+
some advantage for Black, though White ¢e7 35.¦a8, which also reduces material
should draw. after 35...¦xh2; 36.¦xa7 should also

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 December 2022

draw.) 34...¢e8 35.¦e7+ ¢f8 36.¦d7 is XIIIIIIIIY

a draw by repetition.
9-+-+-mk-+0
33.¦d7 The threat is e6, so the king is 9tR-+-+p+-0
forced to go to f8.
9-+-+-zP-zp0
33...¢f8 34.¢f4!? A very curious decision. 9+-+-zP-+K0
White senses Black’s insecurity and keeps 9-+-+r+-zP0
the tension.
9+-+-+-+-0
34.f6 ¢e8 35.¦e7+ ¢f8 36.¦d7 is the 9-+-+-+-+0
draw by repetition that we mentioned in the
previous comment.
9+-+-+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy
34...h6?? Well, this one is the most natural move
in the position, but it fails to win! The
XIIIIIIIIY astonishing win consisted in not taking the
9-+-+-mk-+0 pawn on a7!
9zp-zpR+p+-0
44.¦b7!! the point is that White doesn’t
9-+-+-+-zp0 need the a7–pawn to win and by keeping
9+-+-zPP+-0 the pawn alive and the rook on b7 White
only allows the c-file as the closest one for
9-+-+-mK-+0 the black rook and this is too close for the
9+-+-+-+-0 endgame that arises afterwards: 44...¢g8 -
9r+-+-+-zP0 this would have saved Black in the game,
but here White wins after (44...¦xe5+
9+-+-+-+-0 45.¢xh6 is similar to the game.) 45.¢xh6
xiiiiiiiiy ¦xh4+ 46.¢g5 ¦e4 (46...¦a4 47.¦b8+
And it pays off immediately! Black panics ¢h7 48.¦f8 wins the f7–pawn.; 46...¦c4
and prevents ¢g5, but blunders. 47.¦b8+ ¢h7 48.e6! is the same idea as
in the line after 46...¦e4.) 47.¢f5 ¦c4 the
34...¦c2 35.¢g5 ¢e8 36.¦d4 ¢e7 is rook cannot use the b or a-file, which would
a draw.; 34...¢e8 35.¦xc7 h6 was the have drawn, as seen in the comment to
correct way to execute the idea to prevent Black’s 44th move. 48.¦b8+ ¢h7 49.e6!
¢g5. Now it’s a draw as 36.f6 can be met and the pawn will promote. (49.¦f8? ¦c7
by checks from behind 36...¦f2+ 37.¢e4 draws!) 49...fxe6+ 50.¢xe6 ¦c6+ the side
¦e2+ 38.¢d4 ¦d2+ 39.¢e3 ¦xh2 with checks are too close now. 51.¢e7 ¦c7+
a draw as White cannot squeeze more from 52.¢d6! ¦f7 53.¢e6 with f7 next.
his advanced pawns.
44...¦xe5+? Now White wins by simply
35.f6! Now White wins! advancing the h-pawn.

35...¢e8 36.¦e7+ ¢f8 37.¦xc7 ¢e8 44...¢g8! 45.¢xh6 ¦xh4+ 46.¢g5 ¦e4
38.¦e7+ ¢f8 39.¦b7 ¢e8 40.h4 Black is 47.¢f5 ¦b4!. Now the rook is far enough
paralysed now. Compared to the previous advanced to give lateral checks. 48.¦a8+
note White has kept his h-pawn and wants ¢h7 49.e6 (49.¦f8 ¦b7) 49...fxe6+
to go after the h6–pawn. 50.¢xe6 ¦b6+ with a draw. Amazing lines!

40...¦f2+ 41.¢g4 ¦e2 42.¦e7+ ¢f8 45.¢xh6 ¦e8 46.¢h7 ¦b8 47.h5 ¦c8
43.¢h5 ¦e4 44.¦xa7? 48.¦a5 The threat of ¦g5–g8 forces Black

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to move the king and let White’s king come Introducing even more tension into the
to g7. position.

48...¢e8 49.¢g7 ¦c4 50.¦a8+ ¢d7 21.¤xf3 was the alternative. 21...¦xf3
51.¢xf7 22.¥d1 £f7 23.¥xf3 £xf3 24.¦e6 ¦d8
25.¦ae1, with an unclear position.
1–0
21...¦f6? Black’s attack evaporates now.
Lu Shanglei - Radosław Wojtaszek
21...bxc4 was the only move. After 22.dxc4
13th World Teams Play-off Jerusalem ISR (1.1) ¤f6 23.c5+ ¥d5 24.cxd6 ¤g4! leads
to approximate equality in a very sharp
1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3.¥b5 a6 4.¥a4 position after 25.¥xd5+ cxd5 26.h4 ¦xf2
¤f6 5.0–0 ¥e7 6.¦e1 b5 7.¥b3 0–0 8.c3 27.£d3.
Nowadays, White allows Black to enter the
Marshall only if he wants to make a draw. 22.¤xf3 ¤f4 22...£xf3 23.cxd5 c5 (or
23...¥c5 24.dxc6+ ¢h8 25.¦e2 ¦af8
8...d5 9.exd5 ¤xd5 10.¤xe5 ¤xe5 26.d4! ¥xd4 27.¦d1 ¥b6 28.¥d5 and
11.¦xe5 c6 12.d3 ¥d6 13.¦e1 £h4 The White consolidates with ¦dd2 next while
move 13...¥f5 is the most popular one. remaining two pawns up.) 24.¦e6 ¦af8
25.¦ae1 when Black hopes to keep the
14.g3 £h3 15.£f3 Here White usually blockade on d6, but it’s an uphill struggle.
plays 15.¦e4.
23.c5+ ¢h8 24.¥d1!
15...¥g4 16.£g2 £h5 17.¥e3 ¥f3 XIIIIIIIIY
17...¥h3 18.£e4 ¥f5 19.£d4 – otherwise,
it’s a repetition if the queen goes back to 9r+-+-+-mk0
g2. 19...¥e7!?, with good compensation 9+-+-+-zpp0
for Black.
9p+pvl-tr-+0
18.£f1 f5 18...¤f4!? was an interesting 9+pzP-+-+q0
alternative. 19.¥xf4 ¥xf4 20.¥d1 9-+-+-sn-+0
¥xd1 21.¦xd1 ¦ae8, with compensation
for the pawn. 9+-+P+NzP-0
9PzP-+-zP-zP0
19.¤d2 f4 20.¥xf4 ¦xf4 21.c4!?
9tR-+LtRQmK-0
XIIIIIIIIY xiiiiiiiiy
9r+-+-+k+0 White defends the only white piece that
9+-+-+-zpp0 was hanging, leaving a lot of black pieces
to hang.
9p+pvl-+-+0
9+p+n+-+q0 24...¤h3+ 25.¢g2 ¥xc5 26.d4 26.¦e5!?
9-+P+-tr-+0 £xe5 27.¤xe5 ¦xf2+ 28.£xf2 ¤xf2
29.¥f3 was another way to win, when the
9+L+P+lzP-0 knight on f2 won’t find its way out.
9PzP-sN-zP-zP0
26...¥xd4 26...¥b6 27.¤g1 wins material
9tR-+-tRQmK-0 for White as the queen and knight on h3 are
xiiiiiiiiy hanging. 27...£d5+ 28.¥f3 doesn’t help.

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 December 2022

27.¤xd4 £d5+ 28.¤f3 ¤g5 29.¦e5 obscure ¦fe1–e2–c2 manoeuvre, with a

Breaking the pin and winning more return to e2 soon afterwards.
material. A high-tempo game that showed
Lu Shanglei’s superiority in the calculation 30...¦c8 Black removes the rook from the
of variations. attacked square.

1–0 31.£b7 ¦b8 32.£a7 ¦c8 33.£b6! White

continues to press for more and sets a trap.

Bai Jinshi – Shamsiddin Vokhidov 33...¦b8? Into which Black falls!

13th World Teams Play-off Jerusalem ISR (3.1) 33...b4! was the only way. White cannot take
XIIIIIIIIY the pawn because the bishop is hanging,
9-+r+-+k+0 while, if34.¥f3 £c5 35.£xc5 ¤xc5, the
endgame is at least equal for Black.
9+-+-+pzpp0
9-+-+psn-+0 34.f4!
9+p+-wq-+-0 XIIIIIIIIY
9-+p+-+-+0 9-tr-+-+-+0
9+n+-zPL+P0 9+-+-+pmkp0
9-zPQ+-zPP+0 9-wQL+psnp+0
9+-+R+RmK-0 9+p+-wq-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy 9-+p+-zP-+0
Black has excellent compensation for the 9+n+-zP-+P0
exchange in view of the great knight on b3 9-zP-+-+P+0
and the advanced queenside majority.
9+-+R+RmK-0
27.£b1 White finds a way to activate the xiiiiiiiiy
queen along the a-file. This is the tactical idea that White had.
The rook returned to the vulnerable square
27...g6 A normal move, opening a luft for so the f4–push is strong even in slightly
the king, but Black could have been more different circumstances.
prophylactic.
34...£xf4 34...¦xb6 35.fxe5 attacks
27...£c7! 28.£a2 £b6 would have the knight on f6, which ensures that
been a great prophylactic manoeuvre, White saves the bishop. After 35...¤g4!?
stopping White’s plan to activate the (35...¤g8 36.¥e8! ¦b7 37.¦d7 is winning
queen on the queenside. for White.) 36.hxg4 ¦xc6 37.¦d7 White
should win as both his rooks become very
28.£a2 Now White threatens £a6–d6. active and Black doesn’t have the time to
push ...b4 and ...c3.
28...¦b8 Black removes the rook from c8
so that £a6 comes without an attack. 35.£a7! The removal of the f-pawn has
opened the f-file for White and the dormant
29.£a7 ¢g7 30.¥c6!? White has started rook on f1 is transformed into the game-
to create threats. Now he wants to play f4, deciding piece!
when the queen cannot continue to defend
the rook on b8. The engine proposes the 35...£e5

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WORLD TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP 2022

XIIIIIIIIY
9-tr-+-+-+0 POOL A
9wQ-+-+pmkp0 TEAM 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rk
9-+L+psnp+0 NED 1.5 4 0.5 2 1.5 5
9+p+-wq-+-0 FRA 2.5 3.5 2 1.5 2 2
9-+p+-+-+0 RSA 0 0.5 0.5 0.5 0 6
9+n+-zP-+P0 CHN 3.5 2 3.5 3 3 1
9-zP-+-+P+0 UKR 2 2.5 3.5 1 2 4
9+-+R+RmK-0 ESP 2.5 2 4 1 2 3
xiiiiiiiiy
36.¦xf6! Catastrophe on f7 in the offing.

36...¢xf6 The queen is glued to e5 as the

hapless rook on b8 needs protection. POOL B
TEAM 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rk
36...£xf6 37.£xb8. IND 2 2.5 0.5 3 2 3
37.¦f1+ ¢g5 38.¦xf7 Threatening £e7. POL 2 2 2 1.5 2 4
White has a decisive attack. AZE 1.5 2 2.5 3 2.5 2
38...¦h8 39.£e7+ ¢h6 40.£h4+ £h5 UZB 3.5 2 1.5 2.5 2.5 1
41.£f6 ¦g8 42.¥f3 Black resigns as USA 1 2.5 1 1.5 1.5 6
42...£g5 43.¦xh7 wins the queen. This
game won the first match of the final for ISR 2 2 1.5 1.5 2.5 5
the Chinese team.

1–0

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 December 2022

FIVE CHAMPIONSHIPS AND

THE CURIOUS CASE OF
YURI SAKHAROV
“ENDINGS AND OPENINGS”:
A REVIEW OF “MASTERPIECES AND DRAMAS OF THE
SOVIET CHAMPIONSHIPS VOLUME III (1948- 1953)” by
SERGEY VORONKOV, PUBLISHED BY ELK AND RUBY, 2022
By Peter O'Brien
The subject relates to the five championships
of 1948 to 1952, along with the match at
the beginning of 1953 to resolve the 1952
tie between Botvinnik and Taimanov (a
match completed one month before Stalin’s
death in March 1953). Nevertheless, given
that the same period witnessed frequent
appearances of several Soviet grandmasters
in tournaments and Olympiads abroad,
there are extensive references to events
outside the USSR.

Voronkov’s Introduction strikes a powerful

blow at the very outset. Though the original
Russian language version of this work was
published in 2019, the Introduction to the
English text is dated September 2022 - a
mere few weeks ago!

Voronkov wastes no time in confronting

In this, perhaps the final work in the great us with the Ukrainian pivot. And he does
trilogy so painstakingly constructed by Sergey so via that remarkable figure, Fyodor
Voronkov, we are regaled with reinforcement Bogatyrchuk, himself an ex−Soviet
and refinement of crucial historical themes champion and indefatigable commentator
set out in the first two volumes, but also with on Soviet political affairs. He managed to
new ideas and provocative suggestions. This emigrate to Canada in 1949, from where he
book gives us not only some 76 games and immediately published a long essay entitled
positions; it contains around 220 photos and “Chess of the Red Propaganda”. This text
cartoons, many of which are published for described how the game was utilised in the
the first time; splendid snippets of poetry and USSR. Bogatyrchuk followed with another
song which cut to the quick of what’s really broadside directed at Soviet collusion (pace
going on; and its text is still richer than in the Magnus) in tournaments, while maintaining
previous works. his criticism of the system. Voronkov then

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in its entirety, into Voronkov’s hands

(the Introduction notes that Voronkov is
planning another trilogy on the life of the
“genius”) speaks volumes for the position
of trust which our author has consolidated.

But, still more, consider this. In 1951, one

of the four semi−finals determining who
would qualify for the Soviet final was held
in Lvov (western Ukraine). It was won by
a young Ukrainian called Yuri Sakharov
(in a field that contained Aronin, Simagin,
Flohr and Mikenas, among others). Yet he
did not play in the final. What happened?
The Bulletin of that 19th championship final
was ominous. It printed the full tables of
how the other three semi−finals had ended,
but simply mentioned the names of three
qualifiers from Lvov, omitting the name of
Sakharov. In effect, he did not exist. Close
Sergey Voronkov on half a century later, some of Voronkov’s
Ukrainian friends who had sought to trace
provides us with this oh−so−telling quote events provided enlightenment.
from the Bogatyrchuk text: “To be honest,
I can’t imagine an independent Ukraine if It transpired that Sakharov’s father, a colonel
there is a totalitarian regime in Russia. It’s in the Red Army and Deputy Director of a
clear to me that such a regime will quickly major research institute, had been found to
gobble up Ukraine and other states which, come from an aristocratic lineage. Hence
like Ukraine, might emerge on the outskirts he was executed in 1938. When the Great
of the former Russia. Thus, I think that Patriotic War started, Yuri was therefore not
the only way to a democratic Ukraine lies conscripted. With the Nazi invasion, he was
through a democratic Russia’. caught in occupied territory, used as slave
labour and ultimately sent to Belgium to
Voronkov then quotes himself, from a work in coal mines. Liberation of Belgium
speech he made in Prague in November meant that Sakharov was now with the
2014 (i.e. post the annexation of Crimea) allies. He managed to return to Ukraine
held to commemorate the 70th anniversary where he earnt the magnificent victory in
of the signing of the Prague Manifesto. the Lvov semi−final. As a fluent speaker of
What he said then was ‘Knowing about Ukrainian, Russian, Polish and German, he
the recent events in the Ukraine, I really had been working on the Ukrainian Sports
don’t want Bogatyrchuk’s words to become Committee.
prophetic. Maybe it’s vice versa - the Soon after the chess triumph, he was
way to a democratic Russia is through a denounced as having been a translator for
democratic Ukraine?” the Gestapo. It appears that another Nazi
slave, a lady who had also been in Belgium,
The book draws on what is the exceptional had recognised him and apparently thought
network of contacts, in the chess world and he had been a collaborator because he
outside it, which the author has developed sometimes brought food to the inmates
over the years. For instance, the fact that of the Belgian camp. What had actually
so many photos are drawn from David happened was that he had played chess
Bronstein’s own archive which has passed, with Belgians (including the famous

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 December 2022

grandmaster Alberic O’Kelly de Galway

- a papal count whom this author had met
when he was a child), won money and
used it to buy food for his compatriots. The
upshot was his arrest and sentence for 25
years on the grounds of treasonous activity.
He managed to obtain release after five
years and was not considered to have any
criminal record. He then started training
top Ukrainian players, won the Ukrainian
championship on a couple of occasions
and qualified on five occasions for the
Soviet championship, achieving more than
respectable results. Yet the surveillance
never stopped. Voronkov’s friends found
a record dated April 1967 which asserted
that “While serving time, he came into
close contact with a number of Ukrainian
nationalists, took part in organized anti−
Soviet activity in the camps. After release,
he continued to maintain criminal links
with them.” There is no solid evidence to
support the assertion. Some years later,
Sakharov’s bloodied body was found by Yuri Nikolaevich Sakharov
railway tracks near his dacha in the Kiev
region. to give the lie to his thoroughly deserved
subsequent nickname of “Iron Tigran” with
From the strictly chess angle, the the degree of risk that he deliberately took
championships covered here offer a on. If we recall that, in these final years
wonderful feast. For these were the years of Stalin, a number of players (above all
when absolutely top players, who were those of Jewish background) were playing
still young, clashed with a new generation under extreme psychological pressure due
of “young guns” that contained many to the ferocious campaign against “rootless
of the players who were to dominate cosmopolitans”, then the quality of play
the world chess scene for at least two is still more notable. Maybe this pressure
decades more (and in some cases for still perversely provided a spur to still more
longer). Brilliancy prizes were given for creativity, with players thinking that at least
exceptional games, special prizes were they would leave a legacy should the worst
awarded for things like “best score against occur?!
grandmasters”, and a very strong accent
placed on fighting chess. In fact, players How did top players perform? In the five
were prohibited from agreeing to draws championships covered in this volume, Keres
before 30 moves had been played. The took two titles, Bronstein two (including
levels achieved were truly exceptional. shared first places), and Botvinnik, Smyslov
and Kotov one each. More generally,
To describe players as fearless would sell Voronkov provides an annex ranking of
them short. Indeed, some of the sparkling the performance of players throughout the
talents (I am thinking of Geller and ten championships held from 1939 to 1952
Taimanov in particular) threw prudence inclusive. Of the 15 players who appeared in
out of the window in efforts to win at all five or more of these tournaments, Botvinnik
costs. Even the young Petrosian seemed has the highest overall points score, with

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Botvinnik in The Hague

Chess Set, with text "The Battle on the Ice chess set, commemorating Russia's victory over the
Teutonic Knights in 1242. Presented as a gift to Stalin."

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 December 2022

a percentage just above 70%. In the much

lower bracket of 58 to 62% come Smyslov,
Keres, Boleslavsky and Bronstein. On this
reckoning, the long−time world champion
has a striking superiority. If we use a slightly
different measure, namely those who played
100 or more soviet championship games
in the period, then again Botvinnik has a
pronounced edge among the 12 participants
in this group. With respect to longevity,
it would be remiss not to mention such
fine players as Levenfish, Lilienthal and
Ragozin, who all managed at least 90 games
and registered performances around 40% or
more. In the period covered, the only players
outside the USSR who could match these
cohorts were Reshevsky, Najdorf and Euwe.
It would take the rest of the world some time
to catch up.

The points made by Bogatyrchuk and

Voronkov relating to the State role in chess
are of course fully valid. It is at the end of the
1940s and the beginning of the 1950s that Samuel Reshevsky
the leading players are on a State stipend,
can earn the chance to play in foreign between Soviet history and the history of
tournaments, and devote themselves totally chess in the USSR. He has demonstrated
to the game (not everyone did - Averbakh beyond any doubt how the game benefitted
is a case in point). This situation created from massive public encouragement, but
both opportunities and risks. A failure also the terrible costs for so many players and
to perform, especially a failure against their families. Across the ages there has been
non−Soviets, could be costly (as Spassky the question of whether chess is a science,
and Taimanov discovered some 20 years an art, or both. The Soviet school provided
later). The State wanted total dominance endless examples of both. Yet it also opened
to be maintained. As Voronov notes in the another angle - that of the tragedies, deceits,
Introduction, André Gide wryly perceived injustices and sheer suffering that so many
that the USSR wished to be world−famous fine exponents of the game could suffer,
“for more than ballet”. frequently for the most flimsy of reasons,
and often enough for no reason at all.
Voronkov says that this volume was
intended to be the end of the series on A legendary manager of the Liverpool
Soviet championships, but the door may football club, Bill Shankly, was once
remain ajar for a sequel in view of a confronted with the suggestion that he
promise made to that magnificent player seemed to treat football as if it was a
and observer, Yuri Averbakh. question of life or death. His famous
response, delivered in a rich Scottish
Let’s hope that is the case! But if not, I brogue, was said to be ’Och aye, laddie,
cannot end this review without stressing it’s much more important than that”. Who
the immensity and value of Voronkov’s would have thought that the 64 squares
achievement. He has sustained throughout could be put in the same league - and that
the trilogy the theme of the interaction for real?

BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 743

 BOOK REVIEW
12/142

‘1000
Checkmate
Combinations’
Victor Henkin (Batsford 2022)

Introduction by Tal entitled

‘Don’t Reinvent the Bicycle’ p 336,
figurine algebraic notation, no use of
Rabars, games from all eras.

Published originally in Russian in the

1970s and regarded as a classic, this new
edition, which first appeared ten years
ago, contains everything you need to know
about delivering checkmate.

‘1000 Checkmate Combinations’

contains many tactical positions, studies
and problems and, obviously, many
complete games. Each of the 14 chapters
covers a different piece (six of these)
or combination of pieces (eight here
including three piece set−ups) that are are 1.5 inches square, a little small for
able to deliver checkmate. Nothing too older readers’ eyes, I feel. The translators,
recent is used although the absence of Sarah Hurst and Jimmy Adams, have
a player index might have helped. (I am done a first class job. Victor Henkin was
told there are no games by Kasparov a well−respected, experienced Russian
at all, although - no crime - I spotted writer and player, but not a GM as
a game by the author and several from the cover indicates. He died in 2010.
the nineteenth century). The fifteenth Notwithstanding, this is a recommendable
chapter provides solutions and all of publication way above the average and,
this condensed into a modest 16 pages, with a cover price of £15.99, this is quite
a feat in itself! Strangely the word or some bargain.
abbreviation for checkmate is boiled
down to “X” which is hardly standard The author was co−author of Tal’s Winning
and may take a bit of getting used to. Chess Combinations: The Secrets of
It is hard not to be impressed with the Winning Chess Combinations Described
depth of the author’s reading, though I and Explained with former world champion,
was surprised that the playing location the late Mikhail Tal.
of games used is not given. Was space,
the lack of it, such a factor? *
Need a catalogue? Write to:
We find a little poetry to lead off the BT Batsford Holdings, Ltd.,
occasional chapter headings and even 43 Great Ormond Street,
mention of chatrang and everything is London WC1N 3HZ
presented in a chatty, relaxed style that
seems entirely appropriate. The diagrams James Pratt

744 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 December 2022

Openings
for Amateurs by Pete Tamburro; [email protected]

THE FREDDY
KRUEGER ATTACK

By Pete Tamburro;
[email protected]
This game from the 2022 British
Championship caught my eye. Playing
3.h4 has a tendency to do that. Seeing
that it was to be used against a Gruenfeld
structure, that brought me back to world
correspondence champion Hans Berliner’s
championing since the 1960s of that sort
of thing against the main line Gruenfeld.
He even spent some time on it in his book,
"The System." Upon further research I was
stunned to discover that Alexander Grischuk
had essayed it against Ian Nepomniachtchi
in a 2019 rapid in Amsterdam, and then
Maxime Vachier Lagrave had hit Nepo
with it at a FIDE Grand Prix tournament
just four months later. Grischuk lost and
MVL drew. It has never really caught on,
but it ought to be called the Freddy Krueger
Attack because of its aggressive attack and
because it keeps rising from the grave as
Freddy did in those nine horror movies.

Chessbase lists it as "hot," so we ought to

pay attention...

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Chris Ward – Martin Walker ¤xe6 12.0–0² and White has the same
advantages as mentioned previously, although
British Championship Torquay Devon, the kingside castling with f4 in prospect and
England (1), 13.08.2022 control over g5 tends in White’s favour. That
centre counterplay has dissipated. Still, it’s
tough.) 7...¤xh5 8.g4 ¤f6 9.g5 ¤h5 10.¥e2
1.d4 ¤f6 2.c4 g6 3.h4!? ¥xc3+ A real Dzindzi move - giving up the
XIIIIIIIIY fianchettoed bishop to create the doubled
pawns. What motivates this? Look at the
9rsnlwqkvl-tr0 position. Where does White castle? 11.bxc3
9zppzppzpp+p0 ¤g7 12.£d3 is a difficult game;
9-+-+-snp+0 II
9+-+-+-+-0 Although this is transpositional, we’re
9-+PzP-+-zP0 taking a different route for Black with the
queen knight: 3...d6 4.¤c3 ¥g7 5.e4 c5
9+-+-+-+-0 6.d5 e6 7.¥e2 Even before considering
9PzP-+PzPP+0 the QN move, this is also possible against
the King’s Indian along with g4 before h4.
9tRNvLQmKLsNR0 Down the road a bit in this column, we’ll
xiiiiiiiiy talk about these possibilities against the KI.
The grandmaster gives the FM an early 7...exd5 8.exd5 ¤bd7 The question here is
warning. This is not going to be an easy which is better - going with ¤c6 and ¤d4 or
game. Now anyone who has had any kind going with ¤bd7 and perhaps ¤e5 or even
of opening lessons knows the rule is that if ¤f6. In any event, it’s presence on d7 has
your opponent tries an early flank attack, to be temporary so the bishop on c8 isn’t
you have to counterattack in the center. It blocked and the queen can still defend the
gets a little tricky here. backward d6 pawn. White now has the issue
of dealing with balanced pawn numbers on
3...¥g7 This certainly meets the criterion, but each side, so h5 seems to be the only viable
does it work? way of continuing to get something out of
the position. 9.h5 (9.¤f3 ¤g4 10.¤g5 ¤df6
I 11.¥xg4 ¤xg4 (11...¥xg4? 12.f3 gives
3...c5 4.d5 d6 (4...¥g7 5.¤c3 d6 just White an extra tempo to launch an attack.)
transposes.) 5.¤c3 ¥g7 and we have a 12.£e2+ £e7 13.£xe7+ ¢xe7 14.0–0
Benoni. What’s historically interesting is that ¥f5 and Black has no problems. The king
out of about 6,000 Benonis on the database, will eventually be quite comfortable on d7
you can’t find one played in the 20th century. babysitting the d6 pawn) 9...¤xh5 10.¥xh5
There are less than a dozen 21 years into the With the hope that the Black f- and h-pawns
21st century. 6.e4 e6 This works well in the will be a liability in the endgame. 10...gxh5
King’s Indian lines with early White activity 11.£e2+ £e7 12.£xe7+ ¢xe7 13.¥g5+
on the kingside. So c5 is best when you have f6 14.¥f4 ¤e5 15.¥xe5 (15.b3?? ¤d3+)
e6 to also attack the White pawn chain. 7.h5!? 15...fxe5 16.¦xh5² and it’s an endgame
(Better, or at least a little saner, is 7.dxe6 ¥xe6 of competing values. Black has the two
8.¤h3 ¤c6 9.¤f4 ¤d4 10.¥d3 h5 Fighting bishops, but the White knights can find
for the g4 square - no small matter. (A risky a secure home on e4 as one can mutually
alternative is 10...£d7 11.f3 0–0–0 12.¥e3 protect the other on the light e4 square.
¥h6 13.g4 ¥xf4 14.¥xf4 and White still has Black can’t afford to use his light squared
the advantage in space, the two bishops, a bishop to exchange on e4 because the other
possible castled haven on the queenside and knight will then gallop around all sorts of
a lock on the backward d6 pawn.) 11.¤xe6 Black light squares. The Black h-pawn will

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 December 2022

get some attention from the White doubled fxg6 14.¢g2 h5! and Black’s counter
rooks on the file. If Black discourages the attack comes on the kingside!
rooks with h6, then White will have to look
at taking control of f5 rather than e4, maybe 5.h5!
with f3 and g4 and the king moving up to XIIIIIIIIY
help the cavalry. Some real planning and
accurate play might squeeze something out 9rsnlwqk+-tr0
of an indifferent defence; 9zppzp-zppvlp0
III 9-+-+-snp+0
Black, if not amenable to Benoni or King’s 9+-+p+-+P0
Indian formations, can always opt for the 9-+PzP-+-+0
Gruenfeld and a gambit try or two. 3...d5
4.cxd5 c6 (A slightly less violent gambit, 9+-sN-+-+-0
and very Gruenfeld-like try would be 4...c5 9PzP-+PzPP+0
5.dxc6 ¤xc6 6.¤f3 ¥g7 7.¤c3 0–0 8.e3
and now you can choose among 8...£c7 9tR-vLQmKLsNR0
(8...£a5; 8...£b6; 8...¥g4; 8...¥f5; But not xiiiiiiiiy
8...e5 If you’re from the "a pawn is a pawn" Ready or not, here we come!
school, you’re happy as White.)) 5.dxc6
¤xc6 6.¤f3 e5 (6...¥g4 7.e3 e5 8.¥e2 exd4 5...¤xh5 What else? Counterattacking
9.¤xd4 ¥xe2 10.£xe2 ¥g7 11.¤xc6 bxc6 alternatives are
and White’s a pawn up with Black having
weak, isolated queenside pawns.) 7.dxe5 I
(7.¤xe5 £xd4 8.¤xc6 £xd1+ 9.¢xd1 5...0–0 6.hxg6 hxg6 7.¤f3 c6 8.¥f4 ¥f5
bxc6±) 7...£xd1+ 8.¢xd1 ¤g4 9.¢e1 9.£c1! ¦e8 10.¥h6 ¥h8 11.¤h4 e6
¥g7 10.¥d2 and Black gets one pawn back, 12.¥g5 ¤bd7 13.cxd5 cxd5 14.f3! £b8!
but it’s unclear how he gets compensation for 15.¥e3! and White has serious attacking
the remaining pawn. Worth a try is 10...h5. ideas with g4;

IV II
An earlier 3...h5 which reaches a situation 5...c5 6.h6 ¥f8 7.cxd5 ¤xd5 8.¤f3 ¤xc3
bordering on chaos: 4.¤c3 d5 5.¥g5 c5 9.bxc3 cxd4 10.cxd4 e5 11.e3 ¥b4+
6.¥xf6 exf6 7.cxd5 £b6. 12.¥d2 ¥xd2+ 13.£xd2 e4 14.¤e5 and
White is in very good shape as he has
4.¤c3 d5?! Nepo’s move choice, using excellent current and future posts for all his
the Gruenfeld strategy of waiting for the pieces. Because of the rook lift along the
queen knight to move to c3, but there are h-file, White doesn’t even have to castle.
problems with it. He can slide over to f1 if need be. So, none
of these counters in the centre are all that
A line worth looking into is 4...c5 5.d5 d6 clear either.
6.e4 e6 7.¥e2 exd5 8.exd5 ¤bd7 and we’re
back in earlier variations (Black seems OK 6.cxd5 The decoy h-pawn allowed White
against a more aggressive approach: 9.g4 to capture the Black centre pawn, provides
(More solid is 9.¤f3 0–0 and it’s a game, the opportunity at the right moment to
although both 10.¥g5 and (10.¥f4 will play ¦xh5 to attack the castled position
have to be looked at closely by both sides, that may arise. Black doesn’t choose the
and, in the latter case, Qb6 will perform move that Nepo played, which was e6.
both defense and counterattack.)) 9...0–0
10.h5 ¤e5 11.f3 (11.h6 ¥h8 12.f3 £e7 6...c6?! 6...e6 MVL-Nepo went 7.g4 (7.dxe6
13.¢f1 ¤fd7) 11...£e7 12.¢f1 h6 13.hxg6 ¥xe6 8.¤f3 ¤c6! 9.e3 (9.d5?? ¥xc3+

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10.bxc3 £xd5 11.£xd5 ¥xd5µ) 9...£e7 12...¥g4! In difficult, cramped positions you
and Nepo went on to win.) 7...¤f6 8.dxe6 have to untangle and try to make exchanges.
¥xe6 9.e4 ¥xg4 10.f3 ¥e6 (10...¥h5!?)
11.¥g5 and White had compensation for 13.£e3 White wants to recapture with the
the pawn with the open lines and pawn queen on e2. He could have good game
centre, but Nepo drew. with 13.£c3 ¥xe2 14.¥xe2 e6 15.¤c5
¥xc5 16.£xc5 , and if Black tries to scare
7.e4 The only thing wrong with Black’s the White queen with 16...¦c8 (Against
6th move as White establishes a solid pawn the more solid 16...£e7 17.£xe7+ ¤xe7
centre with kingside attacking prospects, 18.¥b5+ ¢f8 19.¥h6+ ¤g7 20.g4 White
whereas Black doesn’t get a similar counter has some decent endgame chances if the
on the queenside. knights can be reined in by the bishops
and the White rooks can command the
7...cxd5 8.e5 ¥f8 A sad necessity c-file. Compare this with the later game
because of the g4 threat or even the ¥e2 position where the queens haven’t been
threat, the knight has to start making exchanged. Then the White advantage
plans to withdraw. That, in turn raises is greater.) then White gets the scary
the spectre of Black not being able to moves in first: 17.g4 ¤g7 18.¥h6 ¦g8
find a safe haven on either the kingside 19.¦c1+–.
or queenside.
13...¥xe2 14.£xe2 e6? Worth a try would
9.£f3 Both 9.¤f3 and 9.g4 and 9.£b3 be 14...¤g7 15.¥e3 e6 16.g4 h5 although
are quite good as well. It’s a sign of how White would still have more space, the two
good your position is when you have bishops and better future communication
three good choices for moves. Other than between the rooks.
the easily met threat on d5, it’s not clear
how the played move is better than the 15.g4 ¤g7 16.¥h6!
other two mentioned choices. XIIIIIIIIY
9...¤c6 10.¥b5!? 10.£xd5 ¤xd4 11.¦h4 9r+-+kvl-tr0
¤c6!= (Not 11...¤c2+ 12.¢d1 £xd5+ 9zpp+q+psnp0
13.¤xd5 ¤xa1 14.¤c7+ ¢d8 15.¤xa8
¥e6 16.¥c4±); 9-+n+p+pvL0
9+L+pzP-+-0
Really solid seems 10.¥e3! ¥e6 9N+-zP-+P+0
11.¤h3 ¤g7 12.¤g5 h5 13.¥d3 and
White has potential threats against e6, 9+-+-+-+-0
f7, and g6, with no counterplay for 9PzP-+QzP-+0
Black on the queenside.
9tR-+-mK-+R0
10...¥e6!? This annotator is not a fan xiiiiiiiiy
of turning bishops into pawns unless Worth a diagram. Black’s dreadful position
absolutely necessary, and here it is not is especially noticeable with the fianchettoed
necessary: 10...a6 11.¥xc6+ bxc6 12.b3 knight that has no square to hop to and a
£a5 13.¥d2 ¤g7 with equal play. bishop that can’t move. Castling on the
queenside is dangerous because of the
11.¤ge2 £d7 12.¤a4 One of the upcoming ¦c1. The Black king is stuck in
problems with ¥e6 rears its head - ¤c5 is the centre, while the White king, also on its
threatened, and there is no e6 to allow the home square, hasn’t a care in the world.
bishop to take it. If b6, then c6 becomes
weak with the bishop pin there. 16...¦g8 17.¦c1 ¥e7 18.¦h3

748 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 December 2022
XIIIIIIIIY
9r+-+k+r+0 The sorry tale of the Gruenfeld bishop ends
on d8. If ¦d6, then ¤b7 finishes it. There
9zpp+qvlpsnp0 are quite a few theoretical questions to ask
9-+n+p+pvL0 here and variations to study. It still is a
matter of basic principles.
9+L+pzP-+-0
9N+-zP-+P+0 A wing attack has to be countered in the
9+-+-+-+R0 centre. Somehow the defence will revolve
around that. There are quite a few variations
9PzP-+QzP-+0 and ideas in the notes above, which speaks
9+-tR-mK-+-0 to its complicated nature.

Thexiiiiiiiiy
prototypical killer rook lift. A tip of the If you’re a Gruenfeld player who is not
hat to the long−gone h−pawn for providing comfortable in this type of struggle, you
the path. might consider the Nimzo−Indian. If you’re a
Benoni or King’s Indian player, this game is
18...¦c8 19.¢f1 Just about any move is relevant for you because of its transpositional
fine at this juncture. nature. I found a special personal interest in
the King’s Indian aspect as GM Boris Gulko
19...£c7 20.¥xc6+ bxc6 21.£a6 had shown me a related White line that I will
Resignation would be quite justified here. cover in 2023. Stay tuned!

21...c5 22.¤xc5 £c6 23.£xc6+ ¦xc6 For White, it’s a dangerous weapon. For
24.¦b3 f6 25.exf6 ¥xf6 26.¦b8+ ¥d8 Black, he had best be prepared with his
27.¥g5 Black Resigned. counter plan or this Freddy Krueger Attack
1–0 will come back to terrorise him.

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Art and chess
12/142
AN ART HISTORIAN TALKS TO BCM ABOUT THE IDEAS CONNECTING CHESS AND DESIGN

The White Queen of New York

By Celia Rabinovitch; Photo: Victoria Jenssen / author

W e met with Victoria Jenssen, art

historian and conservator, to talk
about the chess sets of artist−designer Carol
about their box of Janeway tiles, tiled
trays, and Janeway’s illustrated ceramics
book of 1950 in our home: Ceramics and
Janeway, covered in her new book, The Potterymaking for Everyone. Although I
Art of Carol Janeway: A Tile & Ceramics am an art historian, I had never thought to
Career With Georg Jensen Inc. And Ossip ask my parents about their Janeway tiles
Zadkine In 1940s Manhattan. and trays arranged on our sideboard. I knew
my family had a woodworking business
The art of Carol Janeway portrays the exotic in the 1940s; they made trays for Georg
life and artistic career of a woman whose Jensen Inc. (no relation) in New York City.
commercial success as a tile decorator and There, Jensen’s set the Janeway tiles in the
ceramist in New York in the 1940s and later trays made by my family.
retirement due to lead poisoning offer a
fascinating study. Victoria Jenssen presents In our home we had this mid−1940s Janeway
the career of yet another previously tile set meant to be mounted in a wooden
unrecognised woman artist, Carol Janeway cheesetray for sale at Jensen’s. Such crowned
(1913−1989), who was an entrepreneur and doves were self−portraits that appear on
a single mother. her business card. Her birds and beasts
characteristically had flirtatious human eyes.
Celia Rabinovitch: Tell us about yourself. She always signed her works on the front.
What is your professional background and
how did you become interested in the art C.R: Who was Carol Janeway? Why did
and chess sets of Carol Janeway? her work and life become important to you?

Victoria Jenssen: After my parents’ V.J: I became fascinated by her story, that
deaths around 2000, I became curious of an entrepreneurial woman artist known

750 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 December 2022

to my family but unknown to the world. leave a swathe of 1940s press coverage of
I found that Carol Janeway (1913−1989) her tiles, her fireplaces, and her chess sets.
had an illustrious career and deserved to
be seen in our age. She was a beautiful, She lived in Greenwich Village in Milligan
educated, charismatic New Yorker who Place. Because I attended NYU just down
spoke with Kathryn Hepburn’s society the street, we likely participated in the
drawl. She lived in London, Paris, and same 1960s protests, mostly to prevent
Moscow among artists and journalists in the city and NYU from destroying historic
the 1930s, and moved in the same society in buildings and neighbourhoods. But I never
New York upon her return in 1939. The war tried to meet her. After 2000, I became
made imports unavailable to Georg Jensen intrigued with researching her exotic
Inc., the high−end Fifth Avenue Manhattan life. I collected her ceramics, bought an
gift store. Janeway and several other archive which originated from her estate,
American designers filled in this gap with and wrote this art history monograph on
their wares. Jensen’s mail−order catalogues, Carol Janeway.
showroom, and advertising launched her
ceramics and tile career until she undertook C.R: How are the chess sets and tables
an independent career in 1948. Her designs seen as part of the Carol Janeway oeuvre?
can be called ‘folk−modern’ in style, with
very clean lines. Her commercial success V.J: The chess sets are part of her
in the 1940s ended with her lead poisoning expansion in 1943 into glazed cast slipware
diagnosis in 1950. She turned her energies and ceramic sculpture, which included
to politics and saving the Village from doorknobs, jewellery, statuettes, in addition
destruction and development. By the 1960s to chess pieces, all wholesaled to Georg
her ceramic career was forgotten by sales Jensen Inc. The press initially depicted
venues and her clients. She did, however, her as a hand−decorator of tiles and a
designer of tiled fireplace surrounds, trays,
and tables. She started distancing herself
A mid-1940s Janeway tile set meant to be
from Jensen’s in 1945, when she designed
mounted in a wooden cheesetray. Such
and produced gaming tables for chess,
crowned doves were self-portraits that appear
backgammon, and checkers, all of which
on her business card. She always signed
she sold from her East 8th Street studio.
her works on the front
(4-1/4 inch square tiles, author’s collection)
C.R: What more can you tell us about Carol
Janeway’s artist-designed chess sets?

V.J: Her chess sets are modernist, mid−century

ceramic sculptures executed in a small scale.
They’re abstract, yet recognisable as chess
pieces. The Queens and Kings are three inches
tall, top−heavy in fact. They were modelled
in wet clay, cast to make slip moulds, then
slip cast in either two colours of earthenware
slip, and finally fired. Red clay was used for
the under−colour for the white pieces, glazed
with a translucent white engobe. White clay
was used for the reflective under−colour for
the coloured pieces. Its difficult to determine
if she executed the same shapes over that
seven−year production period or slightly
altered the shapes of some pieces.

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In her early chess sets, the opposing

sides were glazed in shiny black and
mottled white. Over the next decade, the
shapes of these sets seem unchanged, but
she introduced monochrome−coloured
glazes. In The Imagery of Chess Revisited
exhibition of 2005, Larry List displayed
a variety of her coloured chess pieces
on a modern purpose−made board. These
17 pieces were Janeway’s sales samples
retained from her Village ceramic store
after it closed in the early 1950s. While
her collection lacked any white samples,
it preserved monochrome chess pieces
glazed in four colours (yellow, black, Janeway examines her fired chess pieces in light
crimson/brown, and light green) with emanating from her kiln
other colours likely available. Larry (1944, NEA Wireservice. Carol Janeway Papers,
List proposed that Janeway’s Kings and Archives of Philadelphia Museum of Art)
Queens could be portraits of Russian−
French sculptor Ossip Zadkine, her Representative chess pieces from the Merryhill
wartime lover, and of Carol herself. Museum’s Janeway chess set. The Blue side
has a blue glaze applied over a white slip cast
C.R: Then there is her relationship with body. The White side has a white translucent
modernist sculptor Ossip Zadkine (1888- engobe glaze applied over a terra cotta
1967), a Russian-born emigre to France, coloured slip cast body
Jewish, who arrived in New York in 1941, (Photographs are courtesy of the
as a wartime refugee on the last ship from Merryhill Museum of Art)
Lisbon. Did he influence her designs?

V. J: Her early tile designs reflect his

loosely−drawn animals and birds. Carol
worked at refining her designs of birds
and beasts. She was a deft underglaze
ceramics painter. They met on her 28th
birthday, October 2, 1941, at his gallery
opening in New York. I’m sure she
sought him out then. Zadkine, her father’s
age, appreciated her attention, was drawn
to her beauty, and was amused that she
spoke Russian and loved Russian folk
art. Zadkine became her artistic mentor,
her arbiter of taste. He taught her clay
sculpture, moulding and casting, and
gouache painting. Her letters show that
she depended on his critiques of her
work. Zadkine was involved at some
level, if only as a sounding board, with
the design of Janeway’s chess sets. They
are indisputably her original works. They
were lovers until he returned to France in
September 1945.

752 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 December 2022

Janeway’s decorated tile chess tabletop shows her personification, the feather-crowned winging
dove, on the White Queen’s square
(24 x 24 inches. Photograph by Alex Peterka, 1945)

C.R: Is there a Russian element in Russian word for queen. Did Carol make
Janeway’s chess sets? The Kings are the queen, the most powerful chess piece,
Russian czars, not portraits of the clean- the koroleva or “Carol,” as in "Carol
shaven Zadkine, a refugee from Czarist Janeway", her name? Unfortunately, this
Russia and then France. The other pieces’ Carol/Caroleva identity is unprovable −
shapes seem traditional. but we can infer that this was from her
playful approach to design.
V. J: Janeway liked to put flirtatious self−
portraits in her designs, often by adding C.R: When did Carol Janeway first begin
a crown to whatever bird or beast she designing chess sets?
was depicting. Years before I located a
complete chess set, I would scrutinise V.J: In 1942, during wartime restrictions,
the one photograph of her intricately she made sculptural ceramic versions
decorated chess tabletop. She had painted of many functional items (doorknobs,
her whimsical birds in the white squares. I jewellery, utensil handles) in anticipation
looked for her crowned winging dove, her of the scarcity of metal for consumer
self−portrait, and found a feather−crowned products. Wedgwood and other commercial
version. Janeway had put it on the White potteries had already established a tradition
Queen’s square! Early on, I was aware of of ceramic chess sets. By December 1942,
Carol’s identification with this powerful she had designed, moulded, slip cast,
chess piece. glazed, and fired her first ceramic chess
set. Starting in 1943, these sets were
Janeway spoke Russian and loved offered by Georg Jensen Inc, along with
wordplay in any language, using it in her other wares. By the 1943 Christmas
her ceramic decorations. Korol’ is the season, Janeway offered “a black and
Russian name of the king chess piece, white glazed chess set, priced $60” for
sounding like ‘Carol’. The Russian name sale in the New York Society of Ceramic
for the queen chess piece is ferz, sounding Arts gift display.
clunky in English, not koroleva, the

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C.R: And did Carol Janeway play chess?

V.J: Given her lively intellectual bent, her

bohemian community and its love of chess,
it’s likely she played, and probably well. We
have a 1944 press photo of Janeway posed
in her studio cum apartment playing chess
with a friend, tweed−suited poet Niko Calas.
Chess was in the air in wartime New York
City. Masonry chess tables abound in New
York’s parks, and many cafés traditionally
provide a set upon request. Also, there was
the later chess café organised by the Russian
opera singer and friend of Duchamp’s,
Nicholas Rossolimo − he put out an album
of his songs on Kismet Record, the cover of
which was designed by Marcel Duchamp.

C.R: How did your research develop?

What was the starting point? Illustration of the practical aspects of Janeway’s
ceramic chess set as promoted in
V.J: I started with Google browser in 2006, House & Garden, June 1944
such searches then were more rewarding
than those of today. As a result, I lined up Assorted Janeway chessmen as presented in
research and meetings for a month in New The Imagery of Chess Revisited by Larry List,
York, meeting with chess curator Larry List 2005, the only known Janeway chess pieces at
and three others who knew Janeway. Manny the time of the exhibition and publication of
Greer had a gallery that represented her the book. The chess board is modern, made for
collection of Zadkine sculptures and was the exhibition
also Janeway’s Executor. Art collector Judith
Mallin interviewed Janeway and acquired
her papers, intending to write a book. She
shared the archive with me. I met her close
friend Ben Greene, former assistant to
Carol’s assemblyman. Ben and his friends
liked the elderly Janeway and helped her
with landlord problems. Carol’s niece,
author Eleanor Cooney, corresponded about
her. Eleanor put me in touch with Janeway’s
cheerful daughter, Sister Catherine Kiske,
the Order of Saint Clare.
Janeway’s chess set for the sheikh who banned chess
In a 1966 interview published in the New York Times, Janeway claimed that the Sheik
Ibn Saud owned a set and that someone paid $1,500 for it. Since Ibn Saud publicly
condemned the game of chess, there is more to this story.

− Perhaps one of his Saudi nephews at large in Manhattan in the 1940s bought him a set
and a chess table. Such an ensemble went for “only” $279 in 1947. Perhaps the $1,500 is
the adjustment to the 1966 dollar? There are mysteries to be solved.

754 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 December 2022

The Art of Carol Janeway:

A Tile & Ceramics Career with Georg Jensen
Inc. and Ossip Zadkine in 1940s Manhattan
Foreword by Pat Kirkham.
Altona, MB: Friesen Press, 2022.
450 p 850 ills.
Colour and b/w. index.
11 x 8−1/2 in. Paper: US$ 67.00,
Kindle: US$20.00. (available on Amazon)

The book on Carol Janeway is available on

Amazon, and the website, www.caroljaneway.
com.

I found over 100 articles in newspapers and according to her daybooks, she commissioned,
magazines from the 1940s, all with names of captioned, and submitted as an entry to The
Janeway clients and pictures of her ceramics. Imagery of Chess exhibition, Julien Levy
Gallery, that December 1944.
C.R: How did you begin your search for the
chess sets and chess tables by Carol Janeway? C.R: Has a complete Janeway chess set
been found?
V.J : Oddly the only art historical work done
on Janeway’s career by 2006 was about chess: V.J: In researching for the Imagery of Chess
curator Larry List’s The Imagery of Chess Revisited exhibition, Larry List asked if there
Revisited, the 2005 exhibition catalogue. were a Janeway chess set in the Merryhill
The Noguchi Museum invited Larry List to Museum of Art, Washington state, home of
rebuild the avant−garde The Imagery of Chess over 400 chess sets: The George E. Muehleck,
exhibition of 1944 at the Julien Levy Gallery. Jr. Gallery of International Chess Sets. They
Janeway and Zadkine were two of the thirty− did not. Imagine their surprise upon examining
two artists invited to the exhibition by Marcel List’s book to learn that they did have a
Duchamp in 1944−45. In remounting the show, Janeway set. Their complete blue and white
Larry encountered unfamiliar artists, Janeway ceramic chess set had been gifted to them in
for example. Fortunately, collector Judith Mallin 1960 by the Spitzer family of New York. The
provided the information and Janeway chess set came with an appraisal by Julius Carlebach
pieces, enabling him to present her in the 2005 who identified them as “Modern French
exhibition and catalogue. The Imagery of Chess pottery” valued at $100. The set probably came
of 1944 was more of a surrealistic chess event. from the Carlebach Gallery, in New York.
Incidentally, according to the gallery records no
Janeway chess sets were sold by Levy. C.R: Why was it hard to identify Carol
Janeway's chess sets?
Janeway’s art was not surrealist, unless you
count those human eyes in her birds and beasts. V.J: Janeway usually signed her works
Yet in her effects there was this photographic conspicuously on the front, yet, in the case of
portrait showing her studying her chess pieces, her chess sets, she signed only one piece, and on
her face gazing into a kiln emitting surrealistic the back: the White Queen. There was no White
kiln light. I propose that this was the image that, Queen in Judith Mallin’s random

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Janeway’s signatures are used to date her

wares. Along with other New York artists
participating in the creation of the Artist
Equity Association in 1947, Janeway
commenced incorporating the copyright
symbol, ©, with her signature in 1947, to
protect her authorship of her artistic work.
Because the signature on the Merryhill
White Queen bears no copyright symbol, it
predates 1947.

C.R: Will any replica sets be made for

collectors and chess players?

The author, Victoria Jenssen V.J: I don’t know. A complete set would have
to be moulded and produced with permission
collection of Janeway chess pieces. On the from the owner of her copyright and the
other, neither the vendor in 1960 nor the current owners of the chess pieces. It will
Merryhill Museum had checked all 32 pieces be in the common domain in 2059, 70 years
in search of a signature. Still, it was well over after her death in 1989. For now, there are
a decade after the Merryhill Museum had only two institutions that own Janeway chess
relabelled its Janeway chess set in 2005 that I pieces and a chess set: The Merryhill Museum
became aware of its existence. I connected with of Art in Goldendale, Washington state, and
Merryhill’s director, Colleen Schafroth, who the Philadelphia Museum of Art, now owner
assisted by examining and rephotographing of Judith Mallin’s collection and the Carol
chess pieces for my research. Janeway Papers.

Hardinge Simpole
is delighted to announce
the publication of

Fifty Shades
of Ray
Chess in the year of the
Coronavirus Pandemic

Raymond D. Keene
With an Introduction
by CJ de Mooi

756 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE oss �

eation of the �irst e

 December 2022

THE
WISDOM OF
HARRY GOLOMBEK OBE
GRANDMASTER EMERITUS
by Grandmaster
Raymond Keene OBE

As early role models for my over the board XIIIIIIIIY

play I selected Nimzowitsch, Petrosian and 9r+-wq-trk+0
the later Botvinnik, in the period when he
adopted ….g6 defences. However, for my 9zplzpnvlpzpp0
literary style in writing about chess I tried 9-zp-+p+-+0
to emulate the writing of the eloquently
loquacious  and greatly prolific Harry 9+-+n+-+-0
Golombek. 9-+-zP-+-+0
It so happened that his book  of Richard
9+-sN-+NzP-0
Reti’s Best Games (still in print with 9PzPQ+PzPLzP0
Hardinge Simpole) provided both an 9tR-vL-+RmK-0
example of inspiring writing and a further
hero to follow on the chessboard. I was xiiiiiiiiy
particularly impressed by Golombek’s This line was employed by Geller in his
distinction between Reti’s games with 1965 Candidates’ match with Smyslov, and
1. Nf3 and those when he graduated to 1. c4. resulted in easy equality for Black. Here, or
Golombek detected in those latter games a on the next move, a recapture on d5 with
clear strategic imperative by Reti as White the e-pawn would restrict the mobility of
to create incisive play on the light squares, Black’s queen’s bishop, though this might
especially along the h1-a8 diagonal.  not prove serious in view of the foothold
  Black would gain in the centre.
This month, two of my games inspired by
the joint mastery of Golombek and Reti, 10.¤xd5 ¥xd5 11.e4 ¥b7 12.¥f4 Smyslov
with a little homage to Petrosian thrown in played 12.¦d1, which got him nowhere. The
for good measure.  text seems to me logical to me, since White
  now has the opportunity to place his rooks
Raymond Keene - Karl Robatsch [E08] on d1 and e1, and in addition he has no
reason to fear the central thrust ...c7–c5 on
18th Clare Benedict Madrid ESP (1), account of the following pawn sacrifice.
14.03.1971
12...c5 13.d5 exd5 14.exd5 ¥f6 And not
1.c4 Paradoxically, this game opens with 1. 14...¥xd5 15.¦ad1 when Black must lose
c4 but soon transposes into something more material. 14...¤f6 would fail to 15 d6
akin to Reti’s own opening, 1.¤f3. followed by 16.¦ad1.

1...¤f6 2.¤f3 e6 3.g3 d5 4.¥g2 ¥e7 5.0– 15.h4 ¦e8 15...h6 is possible, although
0 0–0 6.d4 ¤bd7 7.£c2 b6 8.¤c3 ¥b7 White could then try 16.¤h2 and ¤g4,
9.cxd5 ¤xd5 attacking the weakness on h6.

BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 757

12/142

16.¤g5 ¤f8 17.¦ad1 ¥d4 Hoping to 23.¤f6+ gxf6 24.£xg6+ ¢h8 25.£xh6+
surround White’s d−pawn, but White’s next ¢g8 26.£g6+ ¢h8 27.¦xf6 ¦e7 28.¥e4!
move thwarts this. are inadequate, and I felt that after 21...¢xf7
22.¦f1+ ¢e7 there had to be a mate.
18.¥e3
XIIIIIIIIY 21...¢xf7 It is hopeless to decline. White
remains a pawn up with a rook firmly
9r+-wqrsnk+0 established on the 7th rank.
9zpl+-+pzpp0
22.¦f1+ ¢e7 Now I paused to think for
9-zp-+-+-+0 50 minutes before continuing with the
9+-zpP+-sN-0 combination. White is winning but some of
9-+-vl-+-zP0 the variations demand precise calculation.
9+-+-vL-zP-0 23.d6+ ¢d7 Or 23...¢e6 24.¤xc5+ bxc5
9PzPQ+-zPL+0 25.£xg6+ ¢d7 26.¦f7+ etc.
9+-+R+RmK-0 24.¦f7+ ¤e7 If 24...¢c8 then 25.¦c7+
xiiiiiiiiy ¢b8 (or 25...£xc7 26 dxc7 ¢xc7 27.¤d6
Now Black cannot capture at once on e3 in ¢xd6 28 £xg6+ ¦e6 29.£d3+ ¢c7
view of the sensitivity of f7. 30.¥xb7 ¢xb7 31.£d7+) 26.¦xb7+
¢xb7 27.¤xc5+ ¢b8 28.¤a6 mate.
18...h6 After the game Robatsch suggested 25.¤xc5 also wins easily.
18...f6 but this fails to 19.d6! ¥xg2
20.£b3+ c4 21.£xc4+ ¤e6 22.¤xe6 25.£a4+ ¢c8 There are two alternatives:
¥xf1 23.¢xf1 etc; en passant, it should a) 25...¥c6 26.¥h3 mate. b) 25...¢e6
also be mentioned that the variation 26.£c4+ and now:
18...¥xd5 19.¥xd4 ¥xg2 20.¥xg7! is in
White’s favour. b1) 26...¢d7 27.¥h3+ ¢c6 28.d7 ¦f8
29.£e6+ ¢b5 30.¤d6+.
19.¤e4 ¥xe3 20.fxe3 ¤g6?
XIIIIIIIIY b2) 26...¢e5 27.dxe7 ¦xe7 (if 27...£d5
28.£c3+ ¢e6 29.¤g5+) 28.¦f1! and
9r+-wqr+k+0 Black’s king is stranded. b3) 26...¥d5
9zpl+-+pzp-0 27.Rxe7+ ¦xe7 (if 27...£xe7 28.¤xc5+
¢xd6 29.£xd5+ etc.) 28.¤xc5+ bxc5
9-zp-+-+nzp0 (or 28...¢f6 29.£f4+ ¢g6 30.dxe7 £xe7
9+-zpP+-+-0 31.¥xd5) 29.£xd5+ ¢f6 30.£f3+
9-+-+N+-zP0 followed by dxe7 and £xa8 winning a piece.
9+-+-zP-zP-0 26.d7+ Leading to a surprising final twist.
9PzPQ+-+L+0
26...£xd7 Or 26...¢c7 27.dxe8=¤+
9+-+R+RmK-0 £xe8 28.£c4 and Black is helpless.
xiiiiiiiiy
A severe tactical error. Correct is 20...£e7! 27.¥h3! 27...£xh3 28.£xe8+; or
27...¥c6 28.£xc6+ ¤xc6 29.¥xd7+
21.¦xf7!! I played this sacrifice after ¢b8 30.¥xc6+-.
only a few minutes’ thought. It is clear
that both 21...¦xe4 22.£xe4 or 22.¦xb7 1–0
¦g4 23.£f5 and 21...¢xf7 22.¦f1+ ¢g8

758 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 December 2022

that I may have chosen the technically

Raymond Keene - P L Roe [A04] inferior alternative capture.
Southern Counties Championship 26.¥xd5 ¤d4 27.£d1 c5 28.bxc6 bxc6
Southend (ENG) (2), 26.02.1967
XIIIIIIIIY
1.¤f3 g6 Although the game starts 1.¤f3 9-+-+rtr-mk0
it soon transposes into a sharper line of the 9zp-+q+-vlp0
English Opening.
9-+pzp-+p+0
2.g3 ¥g7 3.c4 e5 4.¤c3 ¤e7 5.d4 d6 9+-+L+-+-0
6.¥g2 0–0 7.0–0 exd4 8.¤xd4 ¤bc6 9-+Psn-+-+0
9.¤xc6 ¤xc6 More combative is the
asymmetrical...bxc6. 9+-+-vL-zPP0
9P+-+-zP-mK0
10.¥d2 ¦e8 11.h3 ¥d7
9+-tRQtR-+-0
XIIIIIIIIY xiiiiiiiiy
9r+-wqr+k+0 White’s next surprise shot was my
9zppzpl+pvlp0 justification for the recapture with the
bishop on move 26.
9-+nzp-+p+0
9+-+-+-+-0 29.£xd4 !! The point, for if now ...¥xd4
9-+P+-+-+0 30.¥xd4 + is slaughterous.
9+-sN-+-zPP0 29...cxd5 30.£xd5 ¦e5 31.£g2 ¦a5
9PzP-vLPzPL+0 32.¦e2 £f7 33.¦d2 ¦c8 White now
trades weaknesses.
9tR-+Q+RmK-0
xiiiiiiiiy 34.¦xd6 ¦xa2 35.¦cd1 £f8 36.¦d7 a5
The opening mirrors game seven of XIIIIIIIIY
the 1963 World championship match
between Petrosian and Botvinnik which 9-+r+-wq-mk0
saw 1.c4 g6 2. ¤f3 ¥g7 3.¤c3 e5 4.g3 9+-+R+-vlp0
¤e7 5.¥g2 O−O 6.d4 exd4 7.¤xd4
¤bc6 8.¤xc6 ¤xc6 9.O−O d6 10.¥d2 9-+-+-+p+0
¥g4 11.h3 ¥e6.Black has not achieved 9zp-+-+-+-0
¦f8-e8 but has the more aggressively 9-+P+-+-+0
placed ¥e6 ... now, returning now to our
source game: 9+-+-vL-zPP0
9r+-+-zPQmK0
12.¦c1 ¤e7 13.b3 ¥c6 14.e4 £d7
15.¢h2 f5 16.¦e1 ¦f8 17.¥f4 fxe4 9+-+R+-+-0
18.¥xe4 ¦ae8 19.¤d5 ¤f5 20.£d3 xiiiiiiiiy
¤d4 21.¥g2 ¤e6 22.¥e3 ¤c5 37.¦xg7!
23.£c2 ¢h8 24.b4 ¤e6 25.b5 ¥xd5
A difficult choice. White can gain a 37...¢xg7 38.¦d7+ ¢f6 39.£f3+
pawn with cxd5 but after ...¤c5 I was
worried that the resultant opposite 1–0
bishop position might be hard to
convert. On the whole I am pleased

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QUOTES AND QUERIES

WILLIAM HEWISON GUNSTON:
A GREAT BRITISH AMATEUR
By Alan Smith
6226 William Hewison Gunston (1856-
1941) was a leading British amateur for
half a century, during which time he
won five brilliancy prizes. Here are all
of these prize winning games gathered
together for the first time. Note Gunston
had black in four of these games.

Shortly before this event Gunston won

first prize in a good tournament at
Cambridge. His score at Manchester was
a distinguished +6=6-7 .

Isidor Gunsberg - Gunston

Manchester 1890

1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3.¤c3 ¤f6

4.a3 Gunsberg used this novelty to defeat
Blackburne and Zukertort in 1887, but
three years later it had less surprise value.

4...g6 5.¥b5 £e7 6.d3 ¤d8 7.£e2

c6 8.¥a4 ¥g7 9.0-0 0-0 10.¥b3
h6 11.¥e3 d6 12.£d2  White has lost
a tempo in a Spanish, but it should
not have been disastrous. This move Another gold medal for Carlsen
was too casual and cost Gunsberg the
bishop pair.
26...¤f3+! 27.¢xh3 £h5+ 28.¢g3
12...¤g4 13.¤e2 ¥e6 14.c4 f5 15.exf5 £h2+ 29.¢f2 £xf4 30.gxf3 £xf3+
gxf5 16.h3 ¤xe3 17.fxe3 ¤f7 18.¤g3 31.¢g1 £g3+ 32.¢h1 ¢h8 33.c5 d5
¤g5 19.¦ae1 e4 20.¤d4 ¥xd4
21.exd4 £g7 22.dxe4 fxe4 23.¢h2 0-1
£g6 24.¤e2 ¥xh3 25.¤f4 ¦xf4
26.£xf4?  This misjudgement costs Field 20th, September 1890
white the game. 26.¦xf4 £h5 27.¥d1
would have won.

760 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 December 2022

19...¢f7 20.¤g3 ¥d6 21.¤e2 b5 22.¦he1

Gunston - Charles James Lambert ¤b6 23.¥a3 a5 24.¤f1 b4 25.¥c1 a4 26.¥e3
¦a8 27.¤c1 ¦a5 28.¤d3 ¦ga8 29.¦e2 axb3
Clifton 1896 30.cxb3 ¥xb3! 31.axb3 ¦a1+ 32.¢c2 ¦8a2+
33.¤b2 ¦xb2+ 34.¢xb2 ¦xd1 35.¤d2 ¤d7
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.¤f3 4.¥d3 36.h3?  He had to try 36.¤c4 ¥xh2 37.¦d2
is more accurate. Lasker, Fischer and with some hope of saving the endgame.
Carlsen all used that with success.
36...¤e5 37.¥f2 ¤d3+! 38.¢c2  38.¢a2
4...¤c6 5.c3 ¤f6 5...¥f5 equalizes.  ¤c1+
6.¥d3 g6 7.0-0 ¥g7 8.¦e1 0-0 9.¤bd2 38...¦c1+ 39.¢d3 ¦c3#
¤e8. 10.¤f1 £d6 11.£e2 f6 12.¤e3 ¢h8
13.¥c2 e5 14.¥b3 e4 14...¤c7! was best British Chess Magazine 1909, p.460
according to Hoffer who analysed 15.dxe5
fxe5 16.¤xd5  ¤xd5 17.¦d1 ¥e6 18.c4
¥g4 19.¦xd5 £f6 when black is clearly The year before Gunston had beaten Shories
better. The text allows a queen sacrifice. at Scarborough. Oxford 1910 was the first
edition of the Major Open. Gunston was clear
15.¤xd5! exf3 Hoffer advocated 15...f5 first a point and a half ahead of a strong field.
16.£xe8 ¦xe8  Black had little choice George Shories - Gunston
16...¥d7 17.¥f4! and white has a 4-2 pawn
majority on the queen’s side. Major Open, Oxford 1910

17.¦xe8+ ¥f8 18.¥h6  White only has a 1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3.¤c3 ¤f6 4.¥b5 ¥b4
rook for his queen, but black is completely 5.0-0 0-0 6.d3 d6 7.¥g5 ¤e7 8.¥xf6 gxf6
tied down. 9.¤h4 ¤g6 10.¤xg6  10.¤f5 was better.
The double exchange improves black’s pawn
18...¥e6 19.¦xa8 ¤d8 20.Bf4 £d7 structure and opens lines against his own king.
21.¤xf6! £e7 22.¦e1! ¢g7 23.¦xd8!
£xd8 24.¦xe6 ¥e7 25.¥e5 ¢h6 26.¦xe7 10...hxg6 11.f4 ¥c5+ 12.¢h1 ¢g7 13.£f3
exf4 14.£xf4 ¥d4! 15.¥c4? ¦h8 16.g3?
1-0 ¦xh2+! 17.¢xh2 g5 18.£f5 18.£d2 £h8+
19.¢g2 £h3+ 20.¢f3 ¥g4#, would have
London Evening Standard,  been an elegant finish. Shories fought on,
21st September 1896 but black’s queen runs the show.

18...¥xf5 19.¦xf5 Bxc3 20.bxc3 £e7 21.¢g2

Percy Wenman - Gunston ¦h8 22.¦e1 c6 23.¦ef1 ¦h6 24.¥b3 £e8
25.¢f3 d5 26.exd5 ¦h2 27.¦f2 ¦xf2+
1st class amateur B , Scarborough 1909 28.¢xf2 £d7 29.g4 cxd5 30.¥xd5 £a4
31.c4 £xc2+ 32.¢e3 £c1+ 33.¢e2 £b2+
1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3.¥b5 a6 4.¥xc6 dxc6 5.d4 34.¢e3 £xa2 35.¥xb7 £b1 36.¥f3 a5 37.c5
exd4 6.£xd4 ¥g4 7.¤bd2  Lasker preferred a4 38.¥d5 a3 39.¦f2 £c1+ 40.¢d4 £g1
7.¤c3 just a few weeks after this game. 41.¢e3 £xg4 42.d4 £g3+ 43.¦f3 £e1+
44.¢d3 £b1+ 45.¢d2 a2 46.¥xa2 £xa2+
7...¤f6 8.£xd8+ ¦xd8 9.¤e5 ¥e6 10.¤d3 47.¢d3 f5 48.¦e3 £b3+ 49.¢d2 £c4
¥e7 11.¤f4 ¥c8 12.f3 c5 13.b3 g5 14.¤e2 0-1
¦g8 15.¥b2 b6 16.0-0-0 ¥e6 17.¤g3 Times Literary Supplement, 
¤d7 18.¤h5 f6 19.¢b1? A bit slow 19.g4 15th September 1910
to be followed by h4 was much stronger.

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James Chrismas Waterman - Gunston

Major Open, Richmond 1912

1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3.¥b5 a6 4.¥a4 ¤f6 34...¦f6 35.£e8 ¦fg6 36.£d8?  36.£e7
5.0-0 ¥e7 6.d3 d6 7.¤c3 0-0 8.¤e2 ¤h5 heads for a draw by repetition. Maybe
9.¥xc6 bxc6 10.d4 f5 11.dxe5 11.exf5 is met white was playing for more?
by 11...e4  11...fxe4 12.¤fd4 £e8 13.exd6
¥xd6 Gunston was more interested in open 36...¦f6 37.£e7 ¥g2+ 38.¢h2 ¦f3
lines for his pieces than a tidy pawn structure. 39.£xe4+ ¦xe4 40.¢xg2 ¦f5 41.¦h1
¢g6 42.¦h3 ¦g4+ 43.¢f1 h4 44.c3 ¦g3
14.¤g3 ¤f4 15.¤de2 ¥g4 16.£e1? Hoffer 45.¦xg3 hxg3 46.f4 ¢h5 47.¢g2 ¢g4
pointed out the superior 16.¥xf4! ¥xf4 48.b4 ¦xf4
17.£e1
0-1
16...¤xe2+ 17.¤xe2 ¥xh2+ 18.¢xh2
£h5+ 19.¢g3 ¥xe2 20.¦h1 £g4+ Essex Times, 2nd November 1912
21.¢h2 ¦f5 22.¢g1 ¦af8 23.¥e3
¦8f6 24.¦h3 ¦h5 25.¦g3 £h4 26.¦h3
£xh3! A bold sacrifice. Gunston tied first with Abraham Speyer
whom he beat in their individual game.
27.gxh3 ¦xh3 28.¢g2 ¦h4 29.¢g3 ¦g4+ After he retired from over the board
30.¢h3 ¥f3 31.£b4 h5 32.£e7 ¢h7 play Gunston returned to postal chess and
33.£e5 ¦fg6 34.£e7 Taking on h5 further was British Correspondence champion in
imperils his king. 1924 and 1928.

762 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 December 2022

Problem
World
by Christopher Jones
[email protected]
Grandmaster of Chess Composition
Solutions are given on page 766

1
XIIIIIIIIY
9-+r+-+-+0
9wQ-+R+-+-0
9-+-+RvL-vl0
9+-+-+-+K0
9-+-+-+-+0
9zp-+-+p+-0
9LzP-+-+-+0
2 XIIIIIIIIY
9-vlKsn-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+p+-+-tR0
9+P+-mk-+-0
9Q+-+PzppvL0
9tr-+-+-sn-0
9-+-zp-sN-+0
9sN-mk-+rsN-0 9+-+q+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy xiiiiiiiiy
Michael Lipton (Brighton) David Shire (Canterbury)

3 4
Mate in 2 Mate in 2
Original Original
XIIIIIIIIY XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-+-+0 9-+-+-+-+0
9sn-zp-+-+-0 9+-+-+-mK-0
9-zp-+-+-+0 9k+-+-+-+0
9+p+-+-+-0 9+-+p+-+-0
9-+-+-+N+0 9-+-+-+-+0
9+-vLk+-+-0 9+-+-+q+-0
9-wQ-+-zp-+0 9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+Kvl-0 9+-+-tr-+L0
xiiiiiiiiy xiiiiiiiiy
Steven Dowd (USA) Ljubomir Ugren (Slovenia)
Mate in 4 Helpmate in 9
Original Original

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Endgame Studies
by Ian Watson
[email protected]

1 XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-zPk+-+K0
9-+-+-+-zP0
9+-+L+-+-0
2
XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+n+-zPK0
9k+-+-+P+0
9+-+p+-+-0
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-sN-+-vl-zp0 9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0 9+-+-+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy xiiiiiiiiy
E Grosz L Mitrofanov

3 4
Tijdschrift 1938 Vecherni Leningrad 1975
draw win
XIIIIIIIIY XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-+-+0 9k+-+-+-+0
9vL-+-tR-mKp0 9zp-mK-+-+-0
9-+-+-sn-+0 9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0 9+P+-+-+-0
9-+-zp-+-zP0 9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+p+-+-0 9+-+-+-+-0
9-vl-+-mk-+0 9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0 9+-+-+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy xiiiiiiiiy
B Badaj J Berger
New Statesman 1967 1890
draw win

764 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 December 2022

Turkeys for Christmas

I’m serving you up with Christmas turkey − your Chessmas dinner is four turkeys. I
shouldn’t really, because you may find them indigestible: one of them is badly cooked,
and the others are worse.

Four unsound studies. Your task is to find how they are unsound. I’ll give you the
composers’ solutions; you find the faults.

The composer’s solution to the first study was 1.¤d1 ¥d4 2.¤e3+ ¥xe3 3.¥a6 ¢c6
4.¥d3 followed by 4...h1£ 5.¥e4+ £xe4 with stalemate and 4...¢d5 5.¥a6 ¢c6 6.¥d3
with repetition. What’s wrong with that?

Even the great composers, like Leopold Mitrofanov, got things wrong before computers.
His solution to the second study was 1.¢g8 ¤f6+ 2.¢f7 ¤g4 3.¢e6 ¤h6 4.¢xd5 ¢b6
5.¢e6 ¢c6 6.¢e7 ¢d5 7.¢f8 ¢e6 8.g8£+ wins.

Badaj gave 1.¦b7 ¤h5+ 2.¢h6 ¥c1+ 3.¢xh5 d2 4.¥xd4+ ¢e2 5.¦e7+ ¢d3 6.¦e3+
¢c4 7.¦c3+ ¢xd4 8.¦g3 d1£+ 9.¦g4+ draws.

Berger’s intention was 1.¢c8 a5 2.b6 a4 3.b7+ ¢a7 4.b8£+ wins.

If you want an additional challenge, you could try correcting these studies. (Corrections to
the Grosz and the Mitrofanov were published in the study magazine EG during 2021 and
2022, and I’ll give you the details of those with the answers.)

The answers are on page 767.

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Solutions to Problems
This month’s problems

Michael’s is an excellent traditional two-mover – no significant try play, just a host

of interesting variations after the key move. By contrast, you may be drawn to some
interesting possibilities in David’s two-mover which fail for reasons germane to the
strategy of the problem. You may see quite quickly which piece will make the key
move in Steven’s four-mover, but to which square? And finally, another of Ljubomir’s
solving challenges. Black initiates a nine-move collaborative passage of play at the
end of which he is mated.

A host of defences

In Michael’s diagram, the white queen queen, so 2.¥f6 is mate. However, the
provides some set play – 1…¦c7 2.£xc7, other defence by this knight succeeds
1…¦c5+, 2.£xc5 – but can play a more – 1…¤b7!, and now if 2.¥f6 there is
dominant role after the key move, 1.£d4!. 2…¢e6. So what about 1.£c4, guarding
This move does not threaten mate but puts e6, and preventing any defensive move by
Black in zugzwang. No longer is 1…¦c7 the knight? Now similar considerations
met by 2.£xc7, but now by 2.¦xc7; arise in relation to the b8 bishop. Its
defensive move to d6 leaves d6 blocked
And, remarkably, each of Black’s other and e6 guarded and so permits 2.¥f6#;
moves permits immediate mate – we still but 1…¥a7! is a successful defence. We
have 1…¦c5+ 2.£xc5; we also have have to change tack and threaten 2.¥f6.
1…¦c4 2.£xc4; 1…Rc3 2.£xc3; 1…¦c6 The key move is 1.¢d7!. You will see
2.¦xc6; 1…¦c2 2.¤b3; 1…¥e3 2.£xe3; that the white queen pulls its weight –
1…¥d2 2.£xd2; 1…¤xe4 2.£xe4, and that after other
defences the white knight and white rook
1…¥f4 2.£xf4; 1…¥g5 2.¥xg5; provide mates.
1…¦xg1 2.£xg1; 1…¦d1 2.£xd1;
1…¦e1 2.¦xe1; 1…axb2 2.£xb2; and 1… Precision required
f2 2.¤e2. The queen intercepts the lines of
guard from the d7 rook and the f6 bishop, In Steven’s problem a move by the c3
but then in many cases moves off that line bishop will threaten immediate mate
of guard, reinstating the guarding roles of by £e2. But to which square? It turns
that rook and bishop. out that the right move is 1.¥g7!.
(This might confound solvers like me,
White queen under attack who anticipate that in any such choice
it’s always the most spectacular move,
In David’s problem it seems natural to 1.¥h8, that turns out to be the solution!)
use White’s strongest piece, the queen, After 1.¥g7 we have 1…¢c4 2.¤e3+
presently under fire from two black ¢c5 3.£d4+ ¢c6 4.£d5 and 1…¢e4
pieces, to threaten mate. Either 1.£b4 2.£d4+ when 2…¢f3 leads to 3.¥e5
or 1.£c4 will threaten 2.£c5. Is there and 4.£f4 [3…¥h2 4.¤xh2] and
a difference between these two ways of 2…¢f5 leads to 3.¤e5 and 4.£g4
threatening that mate? Well, after 1.£b4, [3…¢e6 4.£d7]. Note echo mates on g4
we see that after the defence 1…¤e6, e6 and d7. 1.¥h8? allows 1…¢e4!. And if
is blocked and d6 guarded by the white 1.£b4? then 1…¤c6!.

766 | BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE

 December 2022

(See page 763)

Another long helpmate

In long helpmates such as Ljubomir’s then if you spotted that the mating nest
you can bet that there is only one mate required the black pawn to be at d2, and
position that is achievable within the if you then followed the logical process
timescale specified – otherwise the to the mating sequence 1.¢b5 ¥g2
composer would have been unable to 2.¢c4 ¥h3 3.¢d3 ¥f5+ 4.¢e2 ¢f6
avoid a profusion of cooks leading to 5.d4 ¢e5 6.d3 ¢d4 7.¢d1 ¢c3 8.d2+
the alternative mating venue(s). Kudos ¢b2 9.£e2 ¥c2#.

Solutions to Endgames (See page 764)

Grosz
This study is cooked, because 4.¥f1 also draws (4.¥f1 h1£ 5.¥g2+ £xg2 stalemate).

Minski corrected this by moving the Black bishop to g7, changing the h4 pawn to being Black
and adding White pawns on d4 and f5; the solution goes 1.f6 ¥xf6 and then as Grosz.

Mitrofanov
4...¤f5 5.g8£ ¤e7+ or 5.g8¤ ¤h4 6.g7 ¤f5 draws, so the study is bust.

Polasek corrected this by adding a White pawn on b6.

Badaj

There are a lot of sidelines that you might have questioned, but I think they are okay. The fault
is the finish: Black busts it by 9...¢e3 and wins! John Roycroft commented: ‘Composer, strong
players, judges all failed to see this. Mass hypnosis.’

Berger

Maybe you noticed that White doesn’t have to play b7+ immediately, and said that the
study is cooked? No marks, because you missed something more fundamental: the position
is illegal! Black has no legal previous move. It’s one of the essential rules of studies that
the position must be achievable by a game of chess from the usual starting position. Yes,
often the diagram positions aren’t reachable by any sequence of even vaguely reasonable
moves, but there has to be a legal way to get to it. The rules of endgame studies hadn’t
been codified when Berger published this position.

BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE | 767

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