February 1999 Atlantic Chess News Column  by Life Master Brian McCarthy

      The pursuit of a graduate degree at New Jersey's medical school has reduced my recent tournament schedule from about 45 tournaments a year to 4 or 5 tournaments however one event I have been sure to make is the incomparable US amateur team championship. Last year I was fortunate enough to play Fide World Champion Karpov who was trying to publicize his expanding Internet business. This year I also faced another booming web business in the Chesswise team of GM Michael Rohde and IM Maurice Ashley of Maurice Ashley Teaches Chess CD - Rom fame. Of course Maurice is also known for his fine commentary during world championship matches with British GM King and a large base of loyal fans who faithfully watch his play. Based on the enterprising style he adopts here it is easy to see why.

     Congratulations to fellow columnist James West for their incredible board 29 victory in the US Amateur East held here in New Jersey. He held his white in a key draw with my top board IM Ronald Burnett and we represented the highest rated team of Jack Collins, Bobby Fischer's 1st and only coach. Although mainly victorious because I couldn't mate Michael Shapiro and refused 2 simple draws that it turns out would have won the match and eliminated them, the next round Woody McCleland, our state champion, lost a rook in a double rook and 5 pawns against 2 rooks and 3 or maybe 2 to give Shapiro a 6-0 score on board 2!

     I want to thank my teammates, all students at one time, for their efforts which surprised and impressed even the coach. Board 1 was IM Ronald Burnett who scored 1.5 out of two against other titled players, on board 3 was NJ High school champion Tom Bartell and board 4 Oren Gall. Tommy and Oren both survived two pawn down positions to save us in round two when Ronald and I only produced a point. Oren even won his game. Going into the last day Oren, Tommy and I were all 3.5 out of 4!

     The Chesswise team was arguably the strongest there with the only team to have a GM and an IM but we beat them 3.5 - .5 and hopefully clearly demonstrated that our style of chess can play with anyone.

1. e4 c5

This is the Sicilian Defense, the most popular answer to 1.e4, and known for its fighting qualities. Fischer and Kasparov are among its adherents, and virtually all of the young stars such as Kramnik, Kamsky, Anand, Shirov, and Polgar have it in their repertoire. White must choose between the straightforward 2.Nf3 and 3.d4, opening the center, and a number of lesser options.

2. Nf3

White prepares 3.d2-d4, leading to the exciting lines of the Sicilian.

e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6

The Paulsen/Kan Variation.

5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be2 b5

I had success drawing former US Junior champ IM Boris Kreiman to win $3,000.00 in the World Open two years ago using an early b5 offshoot of the Tajmanov (meaning the knight is on c6 already) following an idea used in a Shabalov-Rohde money game that GM Rohde won. However a thorough rereading of Tajmanov's opinion on the matter has kept that to a speed weapon recently. Here I use an enterprising idea tried by no less than Anatoly Karpov which did end unsuccessfully in Igor Ivanov's great victory over Karpov in Igor's youth back in old Russia. Maurice and I played together in the bank league for years and I know he has much knowledge of many openings, but he only switched to e4 a few years ago so I decided to explore some old questions.

I also give up the chance to play main lines with the Schevenengen or Tajmanov transposition that Maurice is offering with Nc3. Although I will admit the move ...b5 looks risky albeit almost unsound it has enjoyed some success against very strong players:

7. O-O Bb7 8. Re1 Nc6 9. a4 b4 10. Nd5 exd5 11. exd5 Nxd4 12. Bxa6+ Ne6 13. dxe6 fxe6 14. Bxb7 Qxb7 15. Qh5+ Ke7 16. Bg5+ Nf6 17. Rad1 h6 18. Bh4 g5 19. Bxg5 Rg8 20. Bxf6+ Kxf6 21. g3 Rg5 22. Qh4 Ra5 23. Qf4+ Rgf5 24. Qd4+ Kf7 25. Qxd7+ Qxd7 26. Rxd7+ Be7 27. Rb7 Rxa4 28. Re4 Raa5 29. Rexb4 Rad5 30. Rc4 Rd1+ 31. Kg2 Rd2 32. Rcc7 Kasparov Garry-Vdovin 1/2-1/2 USSR Round 1 1977

and : 7. O-O Bb7 8. Re1 Nc6 9. Nxc6 dxc6 10. e5 Rd8 11. Bd3 Ne7 12. Bg5 h6 13. Qh5 Rd7 14. a4 b4 15. Ne4 Ng6 16. Nd6+ Bxd6 17. exd6 Rxd6 18. Bxg6 fxg6 19. Qh4 Qf7 20. Qg3 Kd7 21. Bf4 Rd5 22. c4 bxc3 23. bxc3 g5 24. Be5 Rf8 25. c4 Rd2 26. Rf1 Kc8 27. Qe3 Qd7 28. Rab1 Rf5 29. g4 Rd3 30. Qc5 Rf7 31. Rfe1 Rd2 32. Bg3 Qd4 33. Qxd4 Rxd4 34. Rxe6 c5 35. Re5 Rxc4 Kamsky, Gata - Lutz, Christopher Dortmund Germany Round 7 1993

7. O-O Bb7 8. Re1

I am not sure if Nf6 is a novelty or not, but it made more sense than the alternatives and takes a calculated gamble, 8...Nc6 and the idea of Bd6 leads to near equality. One thing is clear, I understood that my effort to out book Maurice had failed and the prospects of a lifeless middlegame after Nc6 Nxc6 or the risk involved with the successful in practice 8 ...d6 9 a4 bought me to the thought of a waiting move. If I could stop those 2 party spoilers Nxc6 or a4 then we will finally get to see Maurice on his own. Much to his credit, Maurice responds with imagination and produces an advantage of about a quarter pawn on the computer.

Nf6 9. Bf3 d6

Ok this is the point of my novelty, I quickly relapse to the 2650 idea of a Najdorf set up where Bf3 and e5 threaten to win large amounts of material, but only if I screw up. So IM Ashley decides to make this a family affair and invites his Bishop and Knight over to my place.

10. Bf4 e5 11. Nf5

exf4 loses in dramatic fashion as per Zarkov: exf4 12. e5 dxe5 13. Bxb7 Ra7 14. Qd4!! a real computer move hitting my rook on a7 and undermining my pawn defense without regard to what looks dangerous. I am not sure if IM Ashley saw all the tactics but I would be a bigger liar than Bill Clinton if I claimed I did. Sometimes especially when trying to win with black you must be prepared to play on instinct as Tal urges so often in his Life and Times book and Lev Alburt has stressed to me in lectures at the Manhattan and conversations. However there is risk to this strategy as the very next round we drew the eventual east champs because I failed to execute a complicated mate after an intuitive sacrifice. The sac won beautifully despite my opponents claims to the contrary, but unlike the time trouble plagued perfectionists who don't sac till they see it all, I rely on my ability to solve problems as they arise. I really don't miss too many mates. I went 1-1 against opposition, who thanks to Maurice, were higher rated and my team went into the last round tied for first and ahead on all tiebreaks so scientifically the intuitive method wins out but if we were 5-0 we wouldn't have had to play another Collins Kid team!

g6 12. Bg5 Nbd7 13. Nh6

IM Burnett thinks this may be misplaced machismo and that the simple Ne3 eyeing my Boleslavsky hole at d5 gave white at least a better than normal opening edge. Nh6 may not be good for a clear edge but it does end up getting a good game and the knight is hard to get rid of.

Be7 14. Qd2 Rc8 15. Rac1 Nb6 16. Nd1

An efficient regrouping with minimal pawn weaknesses, but its still not too late for a4!? as per Botvinik's original treatment of the system. Maurice is going for the king and sees no need for queen side pieces. I feel my king is fine and see no need for kingside pieces. I figured this wouldn't end in a draw.

Qd8 17. Qe3 Nfd7 18. Bxe7 Qxe7 19. b3

A classic rule to prevent outposts with preemptory pawn moves, but nearly anyone can see that Nc4 will hurt.

Kf8 20. Qd2 Nc5 21. Ne3 Rd8 22. Qa5 Qc7 23. Qd2

Here I offered a draw to Maurice who had 27 minutes for 27 moves and he went into a huddle with his Chesswise team led by GM Rohde. I feel safe in assuming Maurice wanted a draw or he would not have wasted any time. His attempt b4 is enterprising and produced a great position requiring exact play on my part for many moves.

Bxe4 24. b4 Bxf3 25. bxc5 dxc5 26. Qc3 b4 27. Qa1 Bb7

Zarkov initially loves black at over two pawns (-204) after 400,000 moves however white has much play and we are playing at about 11:30 with 2 more hours to go, computers have little of these worries. Zarkov saw that white had almost even chances by just trading on e4 at the draw offer due to the firepower in the center, but even with his queen buried on a1 and only one warrior left in enemy territory and out of supplies, Maurice prepares to sac both knights and a rook if needed. I play the defense found by Zarkov in 5 seconds.

28. Neg4 Qc6 29. f3

Now all of a sudden Zarkov and me realized that white is better and f6 is just a joke. Zarkov puts the toll at lone warrior +128 versus me hurting. Another factor Zarkov can't fathom is the practical benefit of being prepared to sacrifice the exchange for the initiative, particularly when the opponent has 12 minutes for 21 moves.

Rd4 30. Nxe5 Qf6

Maurice pointed out after the game that useful movement of the long idle knight on h6 may have been his last chance to win, however the exchange sac Nexf7 Kg7 Kxh8 is not as appealing to Zarkov as freeing the useless rook with c3! now. even so zarkov says +97 with the exchange and +76 with Nexf7 and I concur with this less than a pawn up assessment. The wild swings of the computer is due to the optimism factor built in to make Zarkov the 2900 macho machine it is on the Internet chess club.

31. Nhxf7?! Rg8 32. c3 Rd2

Ok back to a manageable game I thought. again the supposedly materialistic computer like the space oriented Red1! as opposed to the material grab with cxb4.

33. cxb4 Qh4 34. Kh1 Qf2 35. Rg1

Zarkov is still convinced white is better and it is hard to disagree. In chess it is usually wise for the defender to swap as to minimize the invaders, but we had gone toe to toe for too long for me to curl up now. cxb4 activates the rook and Rxa2 Zark's favorite, gets the queen going 35...Rxa2 36.Qc3 Na4 37.Qc4 Rg7 38.Ra1 Rc2 +93. So I pretend to make a queen.

c4 36. Ng5 Rxa2 37. Nxg6+

The sac is fully justified in that white hasn't got a won game yet and this gets Maurice very close to the time control using my time to think. The non violent 37. Qb1 !? is also good for a white pull because Rb2 doesn't threaten a perpetual but a worse version of the game : 37. Qb1 Rb2?? 38.Nxh7+ Ke8 39.Nf6+ Kf8 40.Qa1 Rg7 41.Nxc4 Rxb4

Rxg6

He didn't get much of my time there, hxg6 gets mated quick.

38. Qh8+ Ke7

Taking on h7 and playing Nh3 promises a white edge despite my extra piece but the win seems problematic and can quickly sour with my impending mate threat. In one move my attack disappears and he can taunt me with checks until time control. Unfortunately for him, his board four didn't lose and guarantee they couldn't win until after he continued to play for broke.

39. Rce1+ Re2 40. Rxe2+ Qxe2 41. Qxh7+ Kf6 42. h4 Qe7

Zarkov can't decide between + two hundredths of a pawn or minus .02 and I would have taken a draw at any time in this dead even position.

43. Qh8+ Rg7 44. Qh6+ Rg6 45. Qh8+ Rg7 46. Rd1

Any good move the computer fails to see is an exclam by definition.

Kg6!

Zarkov likes black now and so do I, although it is probably still a draw. the king hasn't been this free from checks in a while.

47. Nh3 Nd5 48. h5+ Kf7 49. h6 Rg8 50. Qd4 Qf6 51. Qxc4 Qg6

Again I use a mate threat as a vital intermezzo or in between move. White temporarily has the 3rd pawn for the piece but his attack is gone and he is nearly lost.

52. Qa2! Rd8 53. h7

After h7 Maurice offered a draw but I figured there was minimal risk even if perfect play should draw. However my confidence only grew once I realized that Rd6!! would provide a safe haven and protect my vital last pawn. I vowed not to surrender the a6 pawn without a real attack.

Qxh7 54. Rd4 Rd6 55. Kg1 Qg6

Maybe just 56. Nf4 to tie me down for a few moves.

56. Rg4 Qd3 57. Ng5+ Kf8 58. Re4 Qd1+ 59. Kf2 Qc1 60. Ne6+ Kf7 61. Nc5 Bc6 62. Qxa6??

Long past midnight Maurice finally loses patience on defense.

Qd2+

Even though Zarkov sees the upcoming shot, it still likes Qe2 over the alternatives. The point is that Re7 is met by Kf8!! and a hurdle with Re2 after 64. Re7+ Kf8! 64. Qd2 Rd2 65. Ke3 Re2.

63. Qe2 Nc3!!

There is not much left Maurice will be down a rook for a few stray pawns.

64. Qxd2 Rxd2+ 65. Ke3 Nxe4 66. fxe4 Rxg2 67. Nd3

One last trick Rg4?? or rook random but not g5, then Ne5+! .

Bb5

And now with the bishop at its best spot 4 moves from a knight capture, a diagonal square away, Maurice resigns.