News 2019-20 – Page 29 – Broadstairs Chess Club

05Feb 2021

Knights at the Opera

If you thought that the great Marx Brothers’ film contained strange and wonderful moves, just wait until you see the chess!

It has only been a week since the Tata Steel chess tournament concluded and the next event is already upon us.

Saturday 6^th February will see the start of the Opera Euro Rapid. Sixteen of the world’s top players, including World Champion Magnus Carlsen will battle through a series of matches for their share of the $100,000 prize fund.

I will keep you updated during the tournament but please remember, chess fans are luckier than followers of other sports as most big events are covered live, and for free with expert commentary, online.

03Feb 2021

Game of the Week

Once again we have plenty of great games that have been played during the past week, including many from the, just concluded, 2021 Tata Steel Chess Tournament

However my choice was played last night, online, in the Thanet All Play All Event, superbly organised by Andy Flood.

The featured match shows how one brilliant combination can win a game and should give us all hope that, if players at our level work on their tactics during the lockdown, we should all be very formidable opponents once over the board chess resumes.

Please play through and enjoy the game of the week, I am sure you will like it

White: RichardDavies Black: Agent_Pavement

Thanet All Play All 2021 Round 5 (Lichess)

   1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 {The very popular London System, unsurprisingly Black plays   the most aggressive reply} c5 3. e3 Qb6 4. b3 {Unusual but ok, White has   nothing to fear if Black takes on b2} g6 5. Nf3 Bg7 6. c3 O-O {Black gets his   King to safety before starting on an attacking plan} 7. Bd3 Nc6 8. Qc2 {   White should have castled, there is an amazing combination available for Black   now, if he sees it} Nd5 {The best move and the first move in an impressive   combination and spotted very quickly} 9. Bg3 cxd4 10. exd4 Ndb4 {wow a concept seen on move 8!} 11. cxb4   {White is now lost! Better was Qd2} (11. Qd2 Nxd3+ 12. Qxd3 d6 13. O-O {   Black is better, but all is still to play for}) 11... Nxd4 {Black is now   winning thanks to the sparkling combination} 12. Nxd4 Qxd4 13. Nc3 {probably   in shock from the tactics White blunders further} Qxc3+ 14. Ke2 Qxc2+ 15. Bxc2   Bxa1 16. Rxa1 d5 {d6 looks more natural, blocking the dark squared Bishop but   the engine agrees that this is the best move} 17. Rd1 Rd8 18. f3 Bf5 {good   move, of course exchanges will favour Black} 19. Bxf5 gxf5 20. Bf2 b6 21. f4   Rac8 22. Rd2 {All White can do is defend} e6 23. Bh4 Rd7 24. Bf6 Rdc7 25. Kd3   a5 26. bxa5 bxa5 27. g3 a4 28. Be5 Rc6 29. b4 a3 30. Bf6 Rc4 {A great move   Black forces the Bishop away from the a1-h8 diagonal} 31. Be7 Rc3+ 32. Ke2 Rc2   33. Bc5 Rxd2+ 34. Kxd2 f6 {Nice move, freeing the King and preparing e5 at a   later date} 35. Kc3 e5 36. Kb3 d4 {the best move again, the central pawns   almost win on their own} 37. Kc4 Kf7 38. b5 d3 {excellent, the King can't stop   the pawn and defend the Bishop} 39. b6 d2 40. b7 Rd8 {Rb8 was better, but   after a near perfect game from his opponent White resigned} 0-1

02Feb 2021

Puzzle no. 4

The puzzle today comes from a game played last week, in the Thanet All Play All event. Both Kings are under attack. The game finished in perpetual check after White played Ng5+

Can you do better?

White to play

31Jan 2021

The Flying Dutchmen

Wijk aan Zee not only has a beautiful and sandy beach, it also offers very high level chess. If that reminds you of Broadstairs, you are not wrong.

The 2021 Tata Steel Chess Tournament has just concluded and proved to be an extremely successful event for the home players. After 13 rounds there was a tie for first place between the two participants from The Netherlands, World number 11 Anish Giri and World number 66 Jorden Van Foreest.

If anyone needs proof as to how well both of them performed just look at the players left in their wake, World Champion Magnus Carlsen, World number 2 Fabiano Carauna, current joint leader of the Candidates MVL and new superstar Alireza Firouzja all fell short.

The play off for first place was also very exciting, both blitz games were drawn (after Giri missed a win in game 1) so all was to play for in the Armageddon, Anish Giri playing with the White pieces. Even though Giri played well and achieved a powerful position, he was unable to beat the clock and Van Foreest claimed the game and more importantly the title

Both the new champion Jorden Van Foreest and runner up Anish Giri played so well it would be unfair not to feature a game from both players as well as the Armageddon that settled the tournament

White: Anish Giri Black: Aryan Tari

83^rd Tata Steel Masters – Rd 1

   1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. O-O   Bg4 7. h3 Bh5 8. g4 Nxg4 9. hxg4 Bxg4 10. Be3 Be7 11. Kg2 f5 12. Qe1 Bxf3+ 13.   Kxf3 f4 14. Bd2 g5 15. Bc3 Bf6 16. Nd2 Qe7 17. Rh1 h5 18. Ke2 g4 19. f3 g3 20.   Kf1 h4 21. Rh3 a5 22. a4 b6 23. Kg2 c5 24. Qb1 Kf7 25. b3 Rad8 26. Nc4 Kg6 27.   Qb2 Rh5 28. Rah1 Rdh8 29. Qa1 Kg7 30. Bb2 Kg6 31. Qb1 Rd8 32. Qe1 Kg7 33. Qa1   Rdh8 34. Na3 Kg6 35. Nb5 Bg7 36. Nc3 Qd8 37. Ne2 R8h7 38. Qe1 Qd6 39. Qc3 c6   40. Qc4 Rh8 41. Ba3 Qf6 42. Qa6 Rb8 43. Bc1 Bh6 44. Qa7 Qd8 45. Bb2 Qc8 46. Qe7   Bf8 47. Nxf4+ 1-0

White: Jorden Van Foreest Black: Pentala Harikrishna

83^rd Tata Steel Masters – Rd 11

   1. e4 e5   2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. O-O h6 7. Re1 O-O 8. Nbd2 a6 9. a4   Ng4 10. Re2 Kh8 11. h3 f5 12. d4 exd4 13. hxg4 d3 14. Bxd3 fxg4 15. Nd4 Nxd4   16. cxd4 Bxd4 17. Nf1 Qf6 18. Qc2 c5 19. Be3 Be5 20. Bc4 Bd7 21. Bd5 Rab8 22.   Ng3 b5 23. axb5 Rxb5 24. Qd1 a5 25. Ra2 Rfb8 26. Rd2 Qh4 27. b3 R5b6 28. Rxa5   Bc6 29. Bxc6 Rxc6 30. Nf1 Rcb6 31. g3 Qh3 32. Bxc5 dxc5 33. Rd8+ Kh7 34. Rxb8   Rxb8 35. Rxc5 Re8 36. Qd7 Qh5 37. Ne3 Ra8 38. Qb5 Re8 39. Qa5 Qg5 40. Rd5 Qe7   41. Nxg4 Bb2 42. f3 Rc8 43. Qd2 Qa3 44. Rd7 Qxb3 45. Qxh6+ Kg8 46. Qh5 Qe6 47.   Qd5 Qxd5 48. Rxd5 Rc2 49. Kf1 Bc1 50. Rd7 Kf8 51. e5 Bb2 52. f4 g5 53. Ne3 Rc5   54. e6 gxf4 55. gxf4 Rc1+ 56. Ke2 Ba3 57. Nf5 Rc8 58. Rf7+ Kg8 59. Kf3 Re8 60.   Nh6+ 1-0

Here is the very last game of the entire event, Giri played very strongly but Van Foreest always had the draw in hand, until that is he played the unexpected, and in a pure chess sense, losing move 56…. Rxf4+ allowing Giri to capture his Bishop. However the move would not have been on Giri’s pre-move radar and the surprise did the trick as Giri had only seconds to convert his advantage and Van Foreest duly won on time!

White: Anish Giri Black: Jorden Van Foreest

83^rd Tata Steel Masters – Armageddon

   1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 Nf6 3. e3 c5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Nbd2 e6 6.   c3 Bd6 7. Bg3 h6 8. Bb5 Be7 9. Ne5 Qb6 10. a4 O-O 11. O-O a6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13.   dxc5 Bxc5 14. b4 Be7 15. a5 Qb7 16. Nd3 Nd7 17. Nb3 Qb5 18. Nd4 Qb7 19. Rb1 Nf6   20. Nc5 Bxc5 21. bxc5 Qd7 22. Rb6 Ne4 23. Rxc6 Nxc3 24. Qc2 Nb5 25. Rb6 Na3 26.   c6 Nxc2 27. cxd7 Nxd4 28. exd4 Bxd7 29. Rc1 Bb5 30. Bd6 Rfc8 31. Bc5 Rc7 32.   Re1 Rac8 33. f4 h5 34. Kf2 Kh7 35. h3 Kg6 36. g4 hxg4 37. hxg4 Rc6 38. Rb7 R8c7   39. Rb8 Rc8 40. Rb7 R8c7 41. Rxc7 Rxc7 42. Re5 Bd7 43. Rg5+ Kh7 44. Bf8 g6 45.   Re5 f6 46. Re3 Kg8 47. Bc5 Rb7 48. Bb6 Bb5 49. Rxe6 Kf7 50. Re1 Re7 51. Rc1 Re4   52. Kf3 Be2+ 53. Kg3 Re3+ 54. Kf2 Re4 55. Rc7+ Ke8 56. g5 Rxf4+ 57. Kxe2 fxg5   58. Ra7 0-1

31Jan 2021