Reflections on Istanbul

The 34th Chess Olympiad
Istanbul, 28th October-12th November 2000

by John Emms

Istanbul was my first experience of a Chess Olympiad as a player (I went to Novi Sad in 1990, but that was as a coach for the Kenyan team, quite an experience and quite another story). Istanbul was also not my first time playing for the England team. I had my "baptism of fire" in the European Team Championships in Batumi, Georgia last year, and with that experience behind me, I now felt much more comfortable with the demands of being board 6, rather than board 3 in our weakened team last year.

England line up to face Poland. Mickey Adams is on the far right. He is followed by Nigel Short, Julian Hodgson and Jon Speelman. Adams' opponent is Mikhail Krasenkov.

I guess it's a bit unfair to compare Istanbul with Batumi, but I'd like to say a few things about the advantages and disadvantages for the team. One of the main plusses was that the venue was easy walking distance from the hotel, whereas in Batumi, the hotel was a long and treacherous mountain drive away from the playing venue. Our hotel in Istanbul was comfortable and very centrally placed, facing the city's busy main square. The only unfortunate by-product of this was a unusually high noise level, which was amplified by the incessant tooting of taxi horns well into the early hours of the morning. I was lucky that on one hand I was usually so shattered after the day's events that I would fall straight to sleep, plus, more importantly, my room was at the back of the hotel and was thus shielded from the constant bedlam. Being such a vibrant city with bags of history, Istanbul is a great place to visit, and had much to offer in the way of sightseeing on the free days.

In general I would say that the organisation of the Olympiad was excellent and there were only a few minor glitches. The use of sensory boards to help record the games can at best be described as a partial success, with some of the early bulletins being absolutely full of gobbledegook. In round 2 the players were told to reset their pieces and replay their moves after about three minutes of play, as the software hadn't been set up properly. Following this episode adjusting pieces before the game was strictly forbidden! The lights also temporarily went out in round 3, but I have to state once again that these were only minor incidents, which are virtually unavoidable in such a big operation.

Vassily Ivanchuk, board 1 for the bronze medallists Ukraine

Finally I should move onto the results and I would say that the men's team's 7th place was a slight disappointment, but not totally unexpected and certainly not a disaster. As far as I can see there is one outstandingly talented team at the moment, which is Russia, who were missing a few K's, but were still strong enough that their latest star Alexander Grischuk only made board 6! Russia are followed by a few countries on the same level, which include the likes of Hungary, Ukraine, Israel, USA and England, and then slightly lower down there are teams such as China, Holland, Germany (who played brilliantly to get silver), Bulgaria and the European Team Champions Armenia. Our problem was that although we were very difficult to beat (our only loss was against the Germans in the final round), we were not ruthless enough against weaker opposition in the middle rounds. We were bogged down by a long and frustrating run of 2-2 draws and 2½-1½ victories. We eventually stepped up a gear when we beat France 3-1 in the 12th round (our best result), but could only consolidate a place in the top ten in the final two rounds against Russia and Germany. I was reasonably happy with my score of 6/9, but individually our best performer was definitely Michael Adams, who was always in contention for a board prize and finally finished with an impressive 8½/12.

The women's team experienced a much more topsy-turvy route to their final position of joint 7th (or 9th on tie-break). Highlights included three 3-0 shut-outs and a 2-1 victory over the 5th seeds Yugoslavia. In between there were some sticky moments, including a 3-0 loss to Armenia, but overall this was a good result for a team seeded 12th. Board 3 Jovanka Houska was the pick of the team, and her aggressive play was deservedly rewarded with an excellent score of 8½/12 (7 wins, 3 draws and 2 defeats).

It only remains for the team to once again give their thanks to Duncan Lawrie Ltd, whose financial support has been absolutely invaluable throughout many years and without whom England would not have been able to compete at such a high standard for so long.

Full results of the English teams can be found at http://www.bcf.org.uk/national/olymp2000.htm or in the December results supplement.

John Emms

Morovic Fernandez-Adams

Croatia-England
Olympiad, Istanbul 2000

Notes by GM John Emms - Game in Java Window

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 g3 Ba6 5 b3 Bb7
This is less popular than the ultra-solid 5...Bb4+ 6 Bd2 Be7, but Adams has used it with success before.
6 Bg2 Bb4+ 7 Bd2 a5 8 0-0 0-0 9 Qc2 d6 10 Nc3 Nbd7 11 Rad1
11 Rfe1, aiming for e2-e4, is another way for White, for example 11...Bxc3 12 Bxc3 Be4 13 Qb2 d5 14 Bh3! (preparing Nd2) 14 ..Bf5 15 Bxf5 exf5 16 Nh4 and White had a small plus in the game Chernin-Romanishin, Tastrup 1992.
11...Bxc3 12 Bxc3 Be4 13 Qc1
13 Qb2 looks quite natural, but after 13...c6! 14 Rfe1 b5 as in Epishin-Benjamin, New York 1993, Black is fine. The bishop on c3 has no useful retreat along the long diagonal after....b5-b4. 13 Qc1 was Epishin's recommendation.
13...a4!
Black continues actively. This is not the first time Adams has used this idea to create queenside counterplay.
14 Bh3
White continues with the usual plan of trying to force the bishop away from its dominating e4-outpost. Moving the knight immediately would allow Black an exchange of bishops and an easy equality.
14...b5! 15 Nd2
15 cxb5 axb3 16 axb3 Qb8 picks up the b5-pawn and leaves White with a weak one on b3.
15...axb3 16 axb3 bxc4 17 bxc4 Ra2!

18 f3
In his column in the Sunday Telegraph, Nigel Short criticised this move, preferring instead 18 Nxe4 Nxe4 19 Rfe1 with an equal position.
18...Bc2 19 Rde1 c5
It's true that White possesses the bishop pair, but on the other hand he is extremely passive. After Black's last move the white centre comes under some pressure.
20 d5 exd5 21 Bxd7 Nxd7 22 cxd5 Qa8 23 Bb2?
23 e4 was a stronger defence.
23...Qa4
23...Rb8!? 24 Qxc2 Rbxb2 25 Qf5 Nb6 also looks good for Black.
24 Bc3 Nb6 25 e4 Bd3!
Black has infiltrated via the queenside and now his position is becoming overwhelming.
26 Rf2 Rc2 27 Qa1 Qxa1 28 Bxa1 Ra8 29 Nb3 Nc4 30 e5
This desperate lunge loses, but 30 Nc1 Bxe4! 31 fxe4 Rxf2 32 Kxf2 Rxa1 also leaves White with a hopeless position.
30...Rxf2 31 Kxf2 Bc2!
The knight has nowhere to go.
32 Nd2 Nxd2 33 exd6 Nc4 34 d7 Ba4 35 Rc1 Bb5 0-1

This game may be found annotated in the database download file.

Short-Nataf

France v England
Olympiad, Istanbul 2000

Notes by GM John Emms - Game in Java Window

1 e4 c5 2 Nc3 Nc6 3 g3
The Closed Sicilian has been making a bit of a comeback in recent years, its exponents including both Nigel Short and Mickey Adams.
3...g6 4 Bg2 Bg7 5 d3 Rb8 6 f4 d6 7 Nf3 e5?!
After the game Nigel pointed out that in this system ...Rb8 and ...e5 do not mix very well, "a bit like coca-cola and champagne."
8 0-0 Nge7 9 f5!
The extravagance of ...Rb8 allows White the time to initiate a swift kingside offensive in this thematic manner.
9...gxf5 10 Nh4 Nd4
Black can attempt to hang on to the pawn with 10...fxe4 but following 11 Qh5 White's attack is extremely dangerous, for example 11...Be6 12 Nxe4 h6 13 Bh3! Bxh3 14 Rxf7 and Black is in some trouble.
11 exf5 f6
11...Nexf5? loses to 12 Qh5.
12 Nd5 Nxd5 13 Bxd5

White's opening has been a complete success. The bishop sits proudly in the d5-outpost, preventing Black from castling kingside. With the black king stranded in the middle of the board, White can look to open up the position to his advantage.
13...Qe7 14 a4 Bd7 15 c3 Nc6 16 Be3 Nd8 17 d4 Nf7 18 dxc5 dxc5 19 Qb3 b6 20 Rad1 Rd8 21 Rd2 Kf8 22 a5
Over the last few move Short has gradually increased the pressure and Black now feels obliged to offload a pawn.
22...Bh6 23 Bxh6+ Nxh6 24 axb6 axb6 25 Qxb6 Kg7 26 Qa7 Kf8

27 Be4?!
After the game Nigel commented that 27 Be6! would have been more crushing, for example 27...Be8 28 Qxe7+ Kxe7 29 Rxd8 Kxd8 30 Ra1 and White remains a pawn up with a devastating position. After the game continuation Black is able to put up some resistence, although the final result is never really in any doubt.
27...Nf7 28 Rfd1 Be8 29 Qxe7+ Kxe7 30 Rxd8 Nxd8 31 Ng2 Ba4 32 Rd2 Nf7 33 Ne3 Nd6 34 Nd5+ Kf7 35 Nxf6 Nc4 36 Bd5+ Kxf6 37 Bxc4 Kxf5 38 Kf2 h5 39 b3 Bc6 40 Rd6 Bh1 41 h3 Rf8 42 Ke3 Kg5 43 h4+ Kg4 44 Rg6+ Kh3 45 Be2 Rb8 46 Bd1 Bd5 47 c4 Bf7 48 Rg5 Rb4 49 Ke4 Be6 50 Rxh5 Kxg3 51 Kxe5 Bxc4 52 Rg5+ Kh3 53 bxc4 Rxc4 54 h5 Kh4 55 Rg1 1-0

Istanbul Women's Olympiad

by Women's Team Captain Peter Wells

Istanbul as a city does not disappoint. It is a truly fascinating mix of East and West, of the religious and secular, a rich cauldron of cultural influences which at least to the naked eye, seem to blend together with a fair degree of tolerance. It is also far from relaxing - we were staying on Taxsim Square, the absolute pulse of the city, and to say it never sleeps would be to understate the case. It was almost as hectic by night as by day, simply to walk around was a more or less entertaining challenge. Like John I can write with the extra equanimity that results from a room at the back of the hotel, for those less fortunate, sleeping was hardly a simple task.

However, my main real regret is that we did not manage to see more of the place, but Olympiads are pretty punishing, and the huge gap between the first and second rest days did not help.

The Olympiad as an event must be regarded as a success for the organisers. Especially considering that earlier in the year the venue appeared to be in some doubt, there were considerably fewer problems than might have been anticipated, and those helping were generally both competent and friendly. OK, so the farcical start of Round 2 finally confirmed that technology takes precedence over the players, but did that really tell us anything we didn't suspect already? The early bulletins contained rather more eccentricities than usual, but in the later stages the service was really impressive. There was pleasingly little waiting around. It was perhaps a pity that the players were spread across so many hotels with little focal point, but the job of ferrying them to and fro was accomplished consummately. Our hotel too was fine, although in a country whose cuisine provides plentiful possibilities for vegetarians, it would have to be said, in all fairness, that our restaurant did not.

The English women's team followed to a degree the advice often given to orchestras. Begin and end well, and if what occurs in the middle becomes a little blurred, so be it. The format of Olympiads in particular rewards good finishing, and 5/6 in the last two rounds took us from a perfectly respectable performance to a really creditable position of =7 (9th on tie-break) with a team score of 25 points (+ 8) well ahead of the expectation based on our 12th seeding.

In fact a detailed look at the results reveals a more complex pattern. There were basically three/four disappointing days - Rounds 4, 7 and 8 clearly, with a further slight set-back in Round 12. Set against this were several highly positive developments: the number of 3-0 victories, against quite reasonable sides was very encouraging, as was the ability to recover from adversity - the disappointing round four being followed in the subsequent two days by two superb victories, the latter over the number five seeds. Similarly after the really low point of Round 8, when the team's score had been reduced to +3 and our standing to 25th, we put together a patient, sensible recovery against some rather useful opposition which was scarcely really interrupted - and round 12 too could easily have gone either way!

When I come to reflect on the individual performances I am really struck by the admirable fighting spirit shown by the whole team. Harriet was not perhaps at her very best - her superb result in Batumi one year ago showed what she is capable of (although this would be a tough benchmark for anyone). Her determination, commitment to the team, and desire to play even when things were not going smoothly were impressive, and it is pretty handy to have a board one who makes a healthy plus score when not in top form! Susan, especially given her lack of match practice before the event can be quite satisfied with her very solid result. She lost only once, largely because she tended to be extremely tough when she found herself in difficulties. Jovanka has been capable for some years of turning in great results (Dresden 1998, European Youth Championships 2000) but had not hitherto shone for the national team. Now she has. +5 was a fine achievement and with this her recent surge in rating deservedly continues. Heather started very well, later found the going tough, but I am pretty confident that she will benefit greatly from the whole experience and is a very useful addition to the squad of players for the future.

At the top of the women's section we are witnessing the gradual take over of the Chinese after years (perhaps decades when one looks into the composition of the once dominant Soviet teams) of Georgian ascendancy. The very powerful Russian, Ukrainian and Yugoslav sides also impressed to produce a top five performing exactly to seeding. Nevertheless, I have the impression that observers of Olympiads are struck by the tremendous and ongoing rise in the strength of the women's game, not just among these few teams but reaching deep into the competition. This bodes very well for the future, and emphasises that this was really a good result, but it is also represents a challenge. The English team is young, promising and also becoming stronger, but I returned home clear in my mind that a program of coaching would be a sensible way to proceed to ensure that we fully realise our exciting potential.

Thanks are due to Sue Richards who made a really valuable contribution to team morale, and also to John Emms, Jonathan Speelman and Nigel Short who gave their time generously in assisting our preparation. We are as always enormously grateful to the truly fantastic support of Duncan Lawrie which continues to enable England to compete at the highest level.

Peter Wells

Full results of the English teams can be found at http://www.bcf.org.uk/national/olymp2000.htm or in the December results supplement.

Houska-Chelushkina

England v Yugoslavia
Women's Olympiad, Istanbul 2000

Notes by GM John Emms

1 e4 c5 2 Nc3 g6 3 g3
Another Closed Sicilian!
3...Bg7 4 Bg2 Nc6 5 d3 Rb8 6 Be3 b5 7 Qd2 b4 8 Nd1 d6 9 Ne2 Qb6 10 0-0 a5 11 f4
I must confess, I don't know too much about this line, but both sides seem to have played quite logically. Black has delayed developing her kingside in order to accelerate her actions on the other wing. Now, however, the problem on the kingside must be addressed.
11...Nh6
Black plans to halt White's f-pawn by playing ...f7-f5 herself. This can also be done immediately, for example 11...f5 12 Bf2 Nf6 13 Ne3 0-0 as in Hartston-Keene, Hastings 1971.
12 h3 f5 13 Bf2 Nf7 14 Ne3 Nd4 15 exf5 gxf5 16 c3!?
It seems strange to open up the position on the queenside, where Black appears to be strongly placed, but this works well.
16...bxc3 17 bxc3 Qb2 18 Qxb2 Rxb2 19 Nxd4 cxd4 20 Nc4 dxc3 21 Nxb2 cxb2 22 Rab1 a4 23 a3 Bc3 24 Rfc1!
Giving back the exchange ensures a lasting advantage in the endgame. White's bishops will be particularly effective on the open board.
24...bxc1Q+ 25 Rxc1 Bd7 26 Rxc3 Nd8 27 Rc7 Rg8 28 Bf3 Ne6 29 Bh5+ Kd8 30 Rc2 Nc5 31 d4 Ne4 32 Be1 e6 33 g4 Be8 34 Ba5+ Ke7 35 Rc7+ Bd7

36 Be1!
There is no rest from the constant harassment from the bishop pair. Now White threatens Be1-h4+.
36...d5 37 Bb4+ Kd8 38 Ra7 fxg4 39 Ra8+ Bc8 40 Bf7! Rg7 41 Bxe6 gxh3+ 42 Kh2 Rc7 1-0
43 Ba5 wins material.

04 Jan 00 Basingstoke Rapidplay, Basingstoke Chess Club, Sherbourne Rd, Basingstoke
Joe French 31 Brocas Drive, South View, Basingstoke, RG21 2LS (01256 472537)

*#05-07 Jan 01 Fulprint 14th York Chess Congress, Langwit College, University of York, Heslington, York
Neville Pearce, 6 Tyneham Way, Strensall, York, YO32 5BH (01904 491287)

*06 Jan 01 Central London Rapidplay, International Students House, 229 Gt Portland St, London W1N 5HD
Chris Todd, 3 Hurst Lodge, Finchley Road, London NW11 0AN (020 8381 4406)

*06-07 Jan 01 Spectrum Congress, Plough & Harrow Hotel, Edgbaston, Birmingham
Norman Went, 53 New Zealand Way, Rainham, Essex RM13 8JT 01708 551617, mob 07712 811973

*06-07 Jan 01 Barnet Congress, Q.E. Boys School, Queens Road, Barnet.
H Blank, 17 The Crescent, Hadley Common, Barnet, EN5 5RQ (Tel: 020 84496163)

06-07 Jan 01 The Wrekin "Stars Barred" Congress, Madeley Court, Telford, Shropshire
Graham Shepherd, 12 Hazler Orchard, Church Stretton, Shropshire, SY6 7AL (01694 722580)

*06-07 Jan 01 Hastings Weekend Congress, Horntye Park Leisure Complex
P Buswell 51 Kenilworth Road, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, TN38 0JL (01424 444321)

08 Jan 01 CCF Chess Challenge84-90 Chipstead Valley Rd, Coulsdon, Surrey
Scott & Emma Freeman 84-90 Chipstead Valley Rd, Coulsdon, Surrey 020 8645 0302 (day); 020 8645 0412 (fax) )

*@08-12 Jan 01 6th South Wales Masters, The Castle Room, Newport (Leisure) Centre
Chris Dunworth 4 Hyam Court, Glendower Street, Monmouth, NP25 3DG (Tel: 01600 772538)

10 Jan 01 Coulsdon Blitz - Open (12 rounds)84-90 Chipstead Valley Rd, Coulsdon, Surrey
Scott & Emma Freeman 84-90 Chipstead Valley Rd, Coulsdon, Surrey 020 8645 0302 (day); 020 8645 0412 (fax) )

13 Jan 01 Golders Green Rapidplay Golders Green Church Hall, West Heath Drive (off North End Rd), NW11
Adam Raoof 21 Golderton, Prince of Wales Close, London NW4 4QZ 020 8202 0982 tel/fax

*13 Jan 01 Coulsdon 12x10mins Open Blitz84-90 Chipstead Valley Rd, Coulsdon, Surrey
Scott & Emma Freeman 84-90 Chipstead Valley Rd, Coulsdon, Surrey 020 8645 0302 (day); 020 8645 0412 (fax) )

13 Jan 01 SCCU County Matches
U175: Kent-Essex; Sussex-Surrey
U125: Essex-Surrey; Herts-Kent
Controller: David Smith, 21 Chigwell Road, LONDON, E18 1LR. Tel: 020 8530 2118 (answer machine 020 7486 0632)

*14 Jan 01 Heywood Rapidplay
Bill O'Rourke NCCU 101 Queens Park Road, Heywood, Lancs 01706 627874

*@19-21 Jan 01 (and 03-04 Feb 01) 2nd Yateley Manor International, Yateley Manor School, Reading Road, Yateley, Hampshire
Ray Clark High Cedars, Oak End Way, Gerrards Cross, Bucks, SL9 8DA 07802 306210 (Mon-Fri daytime) or 01753 883300 (other times)

20 Jan 01 SCCU County Matches
OPEN: Bucks-Sussex; Cambs-Kent; Oxon-Herts; Middx-Essex
U150: Essex-Kent; Herts-Sussex
U100: Essex-Kent; Surrey-Middx
Controller: David Smith, 21 Chigwell Road, LONDON, E18 1LR. Tel: 020 8530 2118 (answer machine 020 7486 0632)

20 Jan 01 EPSCA Rapidplay U11 Championships Broadgreen C.S, Liverpool
P W Purland, 63 Croxteth Road, Liverpool L8 3SF (0151 733 4854)

20-21 Jan 01 Spectrum Congress, Novotel, Sheffield
Norman Went, 53 New Zealand Way, Rainham, Essex RM13 8JT 01708 551617, mob 07712 811973

*21 Jan 01 33rd Richmond Rapidplay
Richard James 95 Lyndhurst Avenue, Twickenham TW2 6BH 020 8898 1190 or 020 8898 0362 or
Gavin Wall 19 Coleford Road London SW18 1AD Phone 020 8874 8562

*26-28 Jan 01 REDCAR CONGRESS, Redcar.
G Walsh, 2 Smiths Dock Park Rd, Normanby, Middlesborough TS6 0JN (Tel: 01642 455381)

@27-28 Jan 01 4NCL 2000/1: Rounds 5 and 6, Birmingham Grand Moat House
Adam Raoof 21 Golderton, Prince of Wales Close, London NW4 4QZ 020 8202 0982 tel/fax

27 Jan 01 York Rapidplay, Elmbank Hotel, York
Peter Cloudsdale, 5 Pear Tree Close, Huntington, York YO32 9Q2 01904 767177

28 Jan 01 NORWICH RAPIDPLAY, Pinebanks, White Farm Lane, Norwich.
Keith Osborne, 8 Rectory Court, Elm Grove Lane, Norwich NR3 3LM (Tel: 01603 400361, Fax: 01603 487433)

03 Feb 01 SCCU County Matches
OPEN: Essex-Bucks; Kent-Oxon; Surrey-Cambs; Herts-Middx
Controller: David Smith, 21 Chigwell Road, LONDON, E18 1LR. Tel: 020 8530 2118 (answer machine 020 7486 0632)

*03 Feb 01 Central London Rapidplay, International Students House, 229 Gt Portland St, London W1N 5HD
Chris Todd, 3 Hurst Lodge, Finchley Road, London NW11 0AN 020 8381 4406

03-04 Feb 01 SOUTH OF ENGLAND U11 CHAMPIONSHIPS Yateley Manor School, Camberley.
Joe French 31 Brocas Drive, South View, Basingstoke RG21 2LS (Tel: 01256 472537)

*@03-04 Feb 01 (and 19-21 Jan 01) 2nd Yateley Manor International, Yateley Manor School, Reading Road, Yateley, Hampshire
Ray Clark High Cedars, Oak End Way, Gerrards Cross, Bucks, SL9 8DA 07802 306210 (Mon-Fri daytime) or 01753 883300 (other times)

*03-04 Feb 01 24th Kidlington Tournament, Exeter Hall, Oxford Road, Kidlington, Oxon
Nick Jones 95 Cogges Hill Road, Witney, Oxon, OX8 6XU 01993 772952, Fax 01993 706206

*03-04 Feb 01 CLEVELAND RAPIDPLAY, Hartlepool.
K Smith Flat 15, Central Buildings, Church Street, Hartlepool TS24 7EB (Tel: 01429 279264)

*04 Feb 01 VERNON STOCKPORT RAPIDPLAY, The Alma Lodge Hotel, 149 Buxton Rd (A6), Stockport.
P Taylor, 10 Lodge Farm Close, Bramhall, Stockport SK7 3BZ (Tel: 0161 4400733)

*09-11 Feb 01 CREWE CONGRESS, Pyms Lane, Crewe.
J McPhillips 7 Barnfield, Tatternhall, Chester CH3 9HE (Tel: 01829 770762)

*09-11 Feb 01 PORTSMOUTH CONGRESS, Portsmouth Grammar School, High Street Portsmouth.
P McEvoy, 77 Lime Grove, Paulsgrove, Portsmouth, Hants PO6 4DQ (Tel/Fax: 02392 388341)

10 Feb 01 Golders Green Rapidplay Golders Green Church Hall, West Heath Drive (off North End Rd), NW11
Adam Raoof 21 Golderton, Prince of Wales Close, London NW4 4QZ 020 8202 0982 tel/fax

03 Feb 01 SCCU County Matches
U175: Essex-Surrey; Kent-Sussex
Controller: David Smith, 21 Chigwell Road, LONDON, E18 1LR. Tel: 020 8530 2118 (answer machine 020 7486 0632)

@16-24 Feb 01 <<< CANCELLED >>> Jersey International Festival
9-round Open incorporating the Jersey Championships
7-round Holiday Major & Minor 18-24 Feb

17 Feb 01 SCCU County Matches
OPEN: Cambs-Sussex; Herts-Kent; Oxon-Surrey; Middx-Bucks
U150: Essex-Herts; Kent-Surrey
U100: Surrey-Essex; Middx-Kent
Controller: David Smith, 21 Chigwell Road, LONDON, E18 1LR. Tel: 020 8530 2118 (answer machine 020 7486 0632)

17-18 Feb 01 EPSCA NATIONAL SCHOOLS QUALIFYING ROUNDS t.b.a.
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*23-25 Feb 01 30th Dyfed Congress, Cliff Hotel, Gwbert-on-Sea, Cardigan
Roland Spencer, Riverside, Ponthirwaun, Cardigan, Ceredigion, SA43 2RJ (01239 682703)

24 Feb 01 SCCU County Matches
OPEN: Herts-Cambs
U175: Sussex-Essex; Surrey-Kent
U125: Surrey-Herts; Sussex-Essex
Controller: David Smith, 21 Chigwell Road, LONDON, E18 1LR. Tel: 020 8530 2118 (answer machine 020 7486 0632)

24 Feb 01 Saturday Primary Schools' Chess League (Div 1-36), Coulsdon Chess Fellowship, 84-90 Chipstead Valley Rd, Coulsdon, Surrey
Scott & Emma Freeman 84-90 Chipstead Valley Rd, Coulsdon, Surrey 020 8645 0302 (day); 020 8645 0412 (fax)

24-25 Feb 01 WEST OF ENGLAND JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS Swindon.
M Debbage, 7 Linley Close, Old Town,Swindon SN1 4DY (Tel: 01793 617619)

Light at the End of the Stairs!

World Youth Chess Championships
Oropesa, 11th to 23rd October 2000

Report by Coach IM Gary Lane

This year's World Junior Championship ended on the final night with a problem that the English coaches Angus Dunnington, Glenn Flear and I had failed to anticipate. How to guide 22 players and relatives down six flights of stairs in the pitch black for the waiting buses to take us to the airport? The storms that have ravaged Britain had first visited Spain resulting in a powercut in the small town of Oropesa. The solution came in the form of portable computers, which were turned on to act as the most valuable torches that I have ever seen!

The English Team in Oropesa

The chess results were encouraging for the state of English junior chess. David Howell in the under 10s and Murugan Thiruchelvam in the under 12s both finished in the top 10 and challenged strongly for medals. I am quite sure they will go on to greater success because they both displayed maturity beyond their years.

The team had the benefit of being assisted by co-manager Susan Richards who did an efficient job in sorting out any problems and ensuring the players could concentrate on the games. I should add that our players' fine behaviour away from the board was noted by other countries representatives, proving once again the all round impressive performance of these English juniors.

How They Fared

IM Angus Dunnington, Team Manager, reflects on the fortunes of the thirteen players

As far as the event organisation is concerned, the Spanish federation once again put together a professional team, coping well with the bizarre and serious weather problems and the transport from the airport(s) being smoothly done. They were also happy to help us with medical and other matters if necessary. The indefatigable IM Michael Rahal deserves a special mention in this regard. Here's a brief report on individual performances of the England squad:

Boys under-18: Desmond Tan
Score/position: 6½/11 13th=

Despite facing some tough opposition Des succeeded in demonstrating that he can perform to considerably higher than his rating suggests, producing more fighting chess than he has done in the past and earning a reputation among the higher seeds as a difficult opponent.

Girls under-18: Heather Richards
Score/position: 6½/11 11th=

A good all-round showing against experienced opposition from traditionally chess oriented countries; Heather has now made the transition from junior to senior chess. She would make a good coach herself and is a role-model for younger girls.

Boys under-16: Simon Buckley
Score/position: 6½/11 16th=

I would guess Simon is not pleased with his tournament, but this was nonetheless a decent result, and he seems on the verge of reaching a new plateau. IM norms won't be too long in coming.

Girls under-16: Sophie Tidman
Score/position: 4/11 60th=

Not surprisingly Sophie's doubling up European and World seems to have had a negative influence on her performance in the latter. Combine a physically draining schedule with a noticeably stronger tournament than the European, and a below-par score is difficult to avoid. Ironically Sophie could easily have notched up more points, with more than one of her games seeing her lack of confidence lead to her superiority on the board and better understanding of the game not earning her the full point.

Boys under-14: Gawain Jones
Score/position: 7/11 13th=

Being the second youngest in this 100+ event Gawain was going to have problems actually believing he could make a good score but, despite being almost an age-group younger than some, he managed to do well. He was quite disappointed to let the Australian IM and Olympiad player Zhao escape with a draw after dominating, but ultimately content with his score. The jump from under-12 to under-14 is considerable, so a score of 7/11 augers well for the future -with the older top seeds (2500, 2400+!) having to move up to the under-16 next year, he is able to put his result in a positive perspective.

Lawrence Trent
Score/position: 7/11 13th=

Lawrence was not the only one to be pleasantly surprised by his impressive final tally, achieved in no small part thanks to some lengthy opening preparation. He was happy, for example, to spend considerable time preparing with me during the rest day, and was deservedly rewarded for his efforts. Well done.

Rafe Martyn
Score/position: 6/11 28th=

Although FIDE ratings and the lack of them should not be taken too literally at this age, Rafe's score deserves praise considering his opposition. Very well prepared (an observation made by players and coaches alike), I would say he is stronger than he himself believes. Expect to see more of him in the future.

Girls under-14: Jessie Gilbert
Score/position: 6/11 24th=

There is no doubting Jessie's ability, nor her willingness to do the necessary preparation. With more experience she will realise - at the board - that she is the stronger player, a breakthrough that will win her more games.

Teresa Khoo
Score/position: 6/11 24th=

Teresa has the maturity to appreciate that a certain amount of time must be spent working on chess before the actual game! Her post-mortem ideas and reasoning point to her being a promising player with a logical style, making Teresa a good prospect for the future.

Boys under-12: Murugan Thiruchelvam
Score/position: 7/11 9th=

Murugan was at best hindered by his illness during the tournament. Nevertheless he was always in good spirits (I like his sense of humour) and he made a good score. There is no doubt he is going to develop into a strong player.

Girls under-12: Poppy Aarons
Score/position: 4½/11 52nd=

Once Poppy gets into the game she is a dangerous player indeed, but with so much hinging on surviving the opening it is not easy, even in this age group, to find points. Poppy coped well and showed signs of being capable of a considerably bigger score.

Boys under-10: David Howell
Score/position: 7½/11 7th=

David - unlike the rest of us! - appears quite capable of playing two or more tournaments consecutively. He was obviously in good spirits after his silver medal in the European but, refreshingly, his attitude in Spain was realistic. He tried hard and came close, facing some talented opposition. How long before we have TWO GMs called Howell...?

Girls under-10: Selina Khoo
Score/position: 4½/11 42nd=

As is the case with her sister, there is no reason why Selina should not become a leading player in future years. There is certainly no problem with her confidence and she by no means found the experience daunting.

Perhaps this is the best all-round team performance of the England squad at these championships. Having been to the last four World Youth events I have noticed that our players would benefit from learning about all aspects of preparation before the tournament itself, but this is a matter that can be addressed.

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BCM New Books

NEW Assistant Editor....

The BCF web site has a new assistant editor, John Sharp, who succeeds Syringa Turvey in the role. John will be looking after the calendar and directory of clubs and officials for this site. His email address is johnsharp@bcmchess.co.uk. Many thanks are due to Syringa for all the hard work she put into setting up the web site; we all wish her well, especially with her forthcoming happy event!

John Saunders

Nakhapetian-Thiruchelvam
World Under 12s Championship, Oropesa 2000

Notes by GM John Emms and Murugan Thiruchelvam - Game in Java Window

1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 exd5 cxd5 4 c4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e6 6 Nf3 Bb4
I wasn't quite sure whether I should play this or not, but I listened to my instincts.
7 Bg5!? 0-0
This looks sensible, but it may not be the best move.
8 Bd3 Nc6 9 0-0 Be7
By playing ...Bb4-e7, Black has effectively lost a tempo.
10 Re1 Nb4 11 Bf1 b6 12 Ne5!?
I think a better alternative is 12 a3! Nc6 13 Bxf6 Bxf6 14 cxd5 exd5 15 h3, when the move ...b7-b6 doesn't make sense, since the bishop is better placed on e6 rather than on b7.
12...Bb7 13 Rc1 dxc4 14 Bxc4 Nbd5
Avoiding tactics like Ne5xf7. For example. 14...Rc8?! 15 Nxf7! Rxf7 16 Bxe6 and White gets 2 pawns and a rook for 2 pieces.
15 f3!?
This is an interesting idea, but not very popular in these type of positions. You'll see why he played it later on.
15...a6 16 Bd3 b5 17 Bb1 Qb6 18 Nxd5 Bxd5 19 Ng4!
This is the reason behind f2-f3.
19...Rfd8 20 Qd3

20...Kf8!
Even though I have to give up a pawn, my king will be quite safe in the centre behind the wall of pawns. I can also put my rooks on h8 and g8 to put pressure on the kingside.
21 Nxf6 Bxf6 22 Bxf6 gxf6 23 Rc5 Ke7 24 Qxh7 Bc6 25 Rec1?
Clearly better was 25 Qh4!, for example 25...Rd6 26 b4 a5 27 Qf2 axb4 28 Be4 Rad8 29 Bxc6 Rxc6 30 Rxc6 Qxc6, with an equal position.
25...Rxd4! 26 Kh1??
And now the weakness of the back rank decides the game.
26...Qxc5! 0-1

Howell-Ben Yair
World Under 10s Championship, Oropesa 2000

Notes by GM John Emms - Game in Java Window

1 e4 Nf6 2 e5 Nd5 3 d4 d6 4 c4 Nb6 5 exd6 cxd6 6 Nc3 g6 7 Be3 Bg7 8 Bd3 0-0 9 Nge2 Nc6 10 b3 Nd7?!
Placing the knight back onto the f6-square looks like an extravagant waste of time. Black should instead strike out immediately in the centre with 10...d5. Then 11 c5 Nd7 12 Nxd5 allows 12...Nxc5!.
11 0-0 Nf6 12 h3!
Preventing the possibility of exchanges with either ...Ng4 and ...Bg4. Black's four minor pieces do not have enough space in which to operate smoothly.
12...b6 13 Qd2 Bb7 14 Rac1 Rc8 15 d5 Ne5 16 Bb1!
Once again preventing Black from alleviating his position with exchanges.
16...a6 17 a4 a5 18 Bd4 Ned7 19 Ng3 Nc5 20 Bc2 e5 21 dxe6 fxe6 22 Rfe1 e5 23 Bxc5 Rxc5 24 Nge4 Nxe4 25 Bxe4 Rf7 26 Bxb7 Rxb7

White has cleverly exchanged the right pieces, leaving himself with a classic "good knight versus bad bishop" situation. Black also has to put up with pawn weaknesses on at both b6 and d6.
27 Ne4 Rcc7 28 Rcd1!
A sign of mature play. White could capture on d6 immediately, but the weakness will not go away.
28...Rd7 29 Qd5+ Kf8 30 Re3 Rf7 31 Qxd6+ Qxd6 32 Rxd6 Rbd7 33 Red3 1-0
Black is only a pawn down but resignation is by no means premature. White dominates the board and will soon pick up Black's weak b6-pawn too.

British Rapidplay Championship

Leeds, 18-19 November 2000

Report by Sam Nicholls

Ameet Ghasi

Almost 400 players competed in this popular weekend rapidplay tournament, which was once again hosted by Leeds. Though lacking a sponsor this year, there was still over 3,000 pounds in prize money to play for.

In the Open section, there were 47 entrants, including five grandmasters, eight international masters and five fide masters. A major upset occurred when 13-year-old Ameet Ghasi from Birmingham shared first prize with grandmaster Aaron Summerscale. He lost only one game (to Mind Sports gold medallist Danny Gormally) and produced a stunning finish to win his last four games (beating two previous rapidplay champions in the process). This result compares with Nigel Short's achievement in finishing joint first (with Nunn & Bellin) in the 1979 British Championship as a fourteen-year-old.

Ghasi's record was as follows:

Ghasi-Hebden
British Rapidplay Championship, Leeds 2000

Notes by GM John Emms - Game in Java Window

It's Hebden to move in this very difficult position. White threatens Qh4-h6 and Black must be ready to meet this with ...Qf8. Black also has to contend with the idea of Rf1-f3-h3 and Qh4-h8 mate. It seems that the only way for Black is with the move 37...Qb8!, planning to meet 38 Rf3? with 38...Ra1+ 39 Bf1 Nd4 40 Rh3 Rxf1+ 41 Kg2 Qb2+! (the point of 37...Qb8) 42 Kxf1 Qe2+ 43 Kg1 Nf3+ 44 Rxf3 Qxf3 and Black wins. Instead Hebden chose
37...Qc8?
and after
38 Rf3 Ra1+ 39 Bf1 Nd4 40 Rh3 Rxf1+ 41 Kg2!
he was forced to give up his queen. The game continued
41...Bxf6 42 gxf6 Qxh3+ 43 Qxh3 Rxf6 44 Bxd4 cxd4 45 Qc8+ Kg7 46 Qxc6 Re6 47 Qd5 Kf8 48 Qxd4 Ke7 49 Kg3 Re5 50 Kf4 Kd7 51 Qa7+ Ke6 52 Qb8 Rc5 53 Qe8+ Kf6 54 Qh8+ Ke7 55 Qd4 Ke6 56 Ke3 Ke7 57 Kd3 Ke6 58 Qa1 Ke7 59 Qa7+ Ke6 60 Qb8 Ke7 61 Qb6 Re5 62 Qc7+ Ke6 63 Kd4 Rc5 64 Qd8 Re5 65 Qe8+ Kf6 66 Qd7 Re6 67 Kd3 g5 68 Kd4 Kg6

69 e5! dxe5+ 70 Ke3 e4 71 c5 g4 72 Qd2 f5 73 Qd5 Rf6 74 Kf4 g3 75 Kxg3 f4+ 76 Kf2 e3+ 77 Kf3 Rf5 78 Qe6+ Rf6 79 Qe4+ Kg5 80 c6 Rh6 81 Qxf4+ Kg6 82 Qxh6+ Kxh6 83 c7 1-0

New Titles for English Players

FIDE Congress, Istanbul, November 2000

Jovanka Houska in Istanbul

The following English players have been awarded titles from the FIDE Congress in Istanbul:

Grandmasters: Luke McShane
Jonathan Parker (from 1/1/2001)

Woman Grandmaster: Jovanka Houska

International Masters: Lawrence Cooper
Adam Hunt (conditional on rating of 2400)

Stephen Boniface and John Turrock were awarded the title of International Arbiter.

Many congratulations to them all!

News for Direct Members

Election of BCF Council Delegates for 12 months from 1st April 2001

This will give you notice of arrangements for the election of Direct Members' delegates to the BCF Council for 2001/2002.

Maximum number of delegates
Names of existing delegates are listed

Full Members (3)
Colin Crouch, Christina Harvey, Tony Suttill

Vice Presidents/Corporate Vice Presidents (1)
King's Head Chess Club

Family Members (1)
Susan Richards

Veteran Members (1)
Walter S Sebley

Student Members (1)
Vacant

Life Members (1) - Previous Membership Scheme
Vacant

Please note that the Special Class of membership does not have its separate representation at Council but for this purpose is subsumed into the Full Members Class. Special Members and Full Members are therefore entitled to nominate and vote for delegates who may be either those from the Full Members' Class or from the Special Members Class.

This is an opportunity for all Direct Members to exercise their democratic rights to elect delegates to the BCF's governing body, Council, which normally meets twice a year. It is hoped that nominations will be made for all posts.

Full Members including Special Members may nominate up to three delegates and other classes of membership - one delegate only. Nominations must be sent to the BCF Office and must be in writing and signed by the nominator. If you wish, you may nominate yourself. Nominations and voting rights are restricted to the same class of membership as the Direct Member concerned, with the exception of Special Members as described here.

Last day for nominations: the last day for the nominations to arrive in the BCF Office is Monday 12 February 2001.

March 2001 issue of ChessMoves
Nominees' names will be listed and they will be invited to contribute up to 50 words to outline their chess CV, for example, or on a topic they feel strongly about. As may be necessary, voting arrangements will be identified.

Finance Council meeting 2001
Newly elected delegates will be able to attend the Finance Council meeting to be held on Saturday 28 April in London.

Hastings Congress 2000/1

The 76th Hastings Chess Congress is due to be held from 28th December 2000 to 7th January 2001. The whole congress will be housed in the brand-new and prestigious Horntye Park Leisure Centre in Bohemia Road, Hastings (about 1 km from the town centre and near last year's venue).

Danny Gormally makes his first appearance in the Hastings Premier

Confirmed entries for the Hastings 2000/1 Premier as at 23rd November included:
Jon Speelman (ENG 2612)
Lev Aronian (ARM 2532)
Jim Plaskett (ENG 2526)
Zhang Zhong (CHN 2607)
Danny Gormally (ENG 2504)
Krishnan Sasikiran (IND 2594)
Sergei Beshukov (RUS 2428)
Lubomir Ftacnik (SLK 2608)

Two other English players will be invited. Confirmed entries to the Challengers include: Neil McDonald, Klaus Bischoff, Alexei Barson (the 2000 FIDE Olympiad board 6 gold medallist for Uzbekistan), Alexander Cherniaev & Andrew Ledger. Later note: Zhang Zhong was unable to appear because of visa difficulties. He was replaced by Klaus Bischoff (GER). Stuart Conquest and Matthew Turner were the final two English players to make up the ten.

The official site for the tournament is http://www.hastingschess.org.uk/.

John Saunders