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British
Championships 2000
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John Henderson's Round 6 Report on Saturday 5th August
EMPIRE AND ALL THAT
CAN you name me the player who lost a title match to Garry Kasparov but never won the British Championships when he played in it? Well, before you start sending us emails to point out Nigel Short's victories in 1984, 1987 and as recently as 1998, did you stop to consider India's Vishy Anand, who competed in the British as a teenager in the 1980s? Since its inception in 1904, at the height of British Empire (remember, when we ruled the globe over our minions?), the rules and regulations - which barely have been revised since - for this fortnight-long event was drawn up, players from as far a field as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh have all had the right to play in the UK's premier chess tournament. Curiously, this has resulted in there being no such title as English chess champion.
Viswanathan Anand played in Blackpool 1989
Although the last “Johnnie Foreigner” to win the tournament was the recently departed Canadian ace Abe Yanowsky – incidentally, the first British Champion to become a grandmaster - in 1953, perhaps the most interesting to do so was the almost legendary Mir Sultan Kahn, who won the title three-times, in 1929, 1932 and 1933, and also played top-board for England at the Prague and Folkstone Olympiads of 1931 and 1933.
A truly great natural player, Sultan Khan was taken by Sir Umar Hayat Khan (an army officer in charge of the horses for King George V) into his household as a servant in 1926 and only played in Europe from 1929-33 while his master was based in England. Totally illiterate (he couldn't speak English and had to have an attendant write down his score), the amazing thing about Sultan Khan was that he had to learn the rules of chess in Europe, which were different than Eastern chess (pawns could only move one square at a time, for example, and he had no knowledge of any sort of opening theory).
He was possibly unique in being described by Capablanca as a genius; and he included Flohr, Rubenstein and Capablanca himself among his victims.
Sultan Khan,M - Capablanca,J [E12]
Hastings 1930/31 (3)
1 Nf3 Nf6 2 d4 b6 3 c4 Bb7 4 Nc3 e6 5 a3 Although generally much weaker in the opening than other phases of the game due to his handicap of being a “newcomer” to the game, Sultan Khan with 5 a3 introduces a simple idea taken up many years later by Tigran Petrosian and now deeply theoretical due to the influence of Garry Kasparov. 5 ..d5 6 cxd5 exd5 7 Bg5 Be7 8 e3 0–0 9 Bd3 Ne4 10 Bf4! Nd7 11 Qc2 f5 12 Nb5 Bd6? 12 ..a6! 13 Nxc7 (13 Qxc7 axb5 14 Qxb7 Ndc5! 15 dxc5 Nxc5; 13 Bxc7? Qc8) 13 ..Rc8 14 Ne6 Rxc2 15 Nxd8 Rxb2 16 Nxb7 Nxf2 13 Nxd6 cxd6 14 h4 Rc8 15 Qb3 Qe7 16 Nd2 Ndf6 17 Nxe4 fxe4 18 Be2 Rc6 19 g4 Rfc8 20 g5 Ne8 21 Bg4 Rc1+ 22 Kd2 R8c2+ 23 Qxc2!!
Decisive; but Khan’s exploitation against the ex-world champion and chess icon was extraordinarily calm.23 ..Rxc2+ 24 Kxc2 Qc7+ 25 Kd2 Qc4 26 Be2 Qb3 27 Rab1 Kf7 28 Rhc1 Ke7 29 Rc3 Qa4 30 b4 Qd7 31 Rbc1 a6 32 Rg1 Qh3 33 Rgc1 Qd7 34 h5 Kd8 35 R1c2 Qh3 36 Kc1 Qh4 37 Kb2 Qh3 38 Rc1 Qh4 39 R3c2 Qh3 40 a4 Qh4 41 Ka3 Qh3 42 Bg3 Qf5 43 Bh4 g6 44 h6 Qd7 45 b5 a5 46 Bg3 Qf5 47 Bf4 Qh3 48 Kb2 Qg2 49 Kb1 Qh3 50 Ka1 Qg2 51 Kb2 Qh3 52 Rg1! Bc8 53 Rc6 Qh4 54 Rgc1 Bg4 55 Bf1 Qh5 56 Re1 Qh1 57 Rec1 Qh5 58 Kc3 Qh4 59 Bg3 Qxg5 60 Kd2 Qh5 61 Rxb6 Ke7 62 Rb7+ Ke6 63 b6 Nf6 64 Bb5 Qh3 65 Rb8 1–0
Sultan Khan,M - Flohr,S [E90]
Prague Olympiad (6), 1931
1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 g6 3 c4 Bg7 4 Nc3 d6 5 e4 0–0 6 Be3 Nbd7 7 Nd2 e5 8 d5 Ne8 9 Be2 f5 10 f3 f4 11 Bf2 a5 12 a3 Nef6 13 b4 b6 14 Na4 Re8 15 c5 dxc5 16 bxc5 Nxc5 17 Nxc5 bxc5 18 Bxc5 Nd7 19 Bf2 Ba6 20 Bxa6 Rxa6 21 Qc2 Ra8 22 0–0 Bf8 23 Rfc1 Bd6 24 Nc4 Qe7 25 Nxd6 cxd6 26 Rab1!
26 ..Nf8 27 Qc6 Rab8 28 Rb6 Rxb6 29 Qxb6 Qd7 30 Rc6 Rc8 31 Be1 1–0
His last foray in the international field was the Folkstone Olympiad of 1933, after which he returned to India with his master, living the rest of his life as a farmer – never returning to the game, and died of tuberculosis in Pakistan in the 1960s.
Humpy Koneru and Amon Simutowe
This year, some of our colonial friends competing include Aleksander Wohl (Australia), Amon Simutowe (Zambia, who recently won the South African Zonal), Panja Mahesh Chandran (India, who drew in the first round with the reigning champion Julian Hodgson), Humpy Koneru (India), and Ramsawarmy Aarthie (India).
Alex Wohl
Wohl,A - Rudd,J [A26]
1 Nf3 Nf6 2 c4 From the man that voted to retain the monarchy recently in Australia, he remains patriotic by playing the English! 2 ..g6 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 g3 0–0 5 Bg2 d6 6 d3 e5 7 0–0 Nc6 8 Bg5 h6 9 Bxf6 Bxf6 9 ..Qxf6 tends to lead to the same set-up. 10 Rb1 a5 11 a3 Bg7 11 ..Nd4 12 Nd2 c6 13 e3 Ne6 14 b4 axb4 15 axb4 Bg7 16 Qc2 h5 17 b5 Bd7 18 bxc6 bxc6 19 Ra1 Rxa1 20 Rxa1 h4= Beim-Hebden, Rishon-le-Zion, 1992. 12 b4 axb4 13 axb4 f5 As with most English vs. King's Indian set-ups, the knight occupying the d4-square is the key for equality: 13 ..Nd4! 14 b5 c6 (14 ..Bg4?! 15 Nxd4! exd4 16 Nd5 Ra2 17 Re1 Re8 18 Bf3! Bxf3? A positional blunder leaving Black with a bad bishop vs. strong knight. 19 exf3 Rxe1+ 20 Qxe1 Ra8 21 Ra1! with a clear endgame advantage for White, Razuvaev-Ikonnikov, Geneva 1994.) 15 bxc6 bxc6 16 Nxd4 exd4 17 Ne4 d5 18 Nd2 Be6 19 cxd5 cxd5 and, despite the doubled d-pawns, Black has no problems, Johansen-Skembris, Moscow Olympiad 1994. 14 Nd2
With Black making his intentions clear with the advance of the f-pawn, Wohl eyes-up the d5 and e4 squares for his knights. 14 ..Kh7 15 Nd5 Nd4 16 e3 Ne6 17 b5 Bd7 18 Qc2 f4 19 Rfe1 fxe3 20 fxe3 Ng5 21 Ne4! Nf3+ Now, if 21 ..Nxe4 22 Bxe4 White controls the center and the White squares, with Black having no compensation - but in reflection this might have been better than allowing the White knights to dominate the bad bishops.. 22 Bxf3 Rxf3 23 Qg2 Rf8 24 Rf1! Bf5 25 g4 Bxe4 26 Qxe4 Ra2 27 Rxf8 Qh4 28 Qf3 Bxf8
Just look how the knight dominates the game! 29 h3 Bg7 Black tries to sacrifice a few pawns to activate the bad bishop, hoping it can coordinate with the active rook and queen. 29 ..c6? 30 bxc6 bxc6 31 Rb7+ wins. 30 Nxc7 e4 31 dxe4 Qe7 31 ..Be5 32 Ne6! Qe7 33 Nd4 Qg7 34 Rd1! 32 Nd5 Qe5 33 Qf4 With two pawns to the good and a dominant knight, White looks to exchange queens and thus avoid any catastrophe. 33 ..Qxf4 34 exf4 Re2 35 Rc1 Rxe4 36 Kf2! Stopping the rook returning to an active outpost on the second rank. 36 ..Bb2 37 Rc2 Bd4+ 38 Kf3 Re1 39 Re2! Rc1 40 Re7+ Kg8 41 Rxb7 Rxc4 42 Ne7+ Kf7 43 f5 gxf5 44 Nxf5+ Kg6 45 h4 Be5 46 Ne3 Rf4+ 47 Ke2 d5 48 Rb6+ Kf7 48 ..Kh7 49 Re6! Re4 50 Kd3 Rd4+ 51 Kc2 Bf4 52 Nf5 Rb4 53 b6! 49 Rxh6 d4 50 Nc4 Bg7 51 Rc6 Rxg4 52 b6 d3+ 53 Kxd3 Rg3+ 54 Ne3! Allowing White to defend the h-pawn and thus avoid the draw. 54 ..Be5 55 Ke4 Bb8 56 Rc8 Bd6 57 Nf5 Rg4+ 58 Kd5 Bf4 59 b7 Rg6 60 b8Q Bxb8 61 Rxb8 Rg1 62 Ke5 Kg6! Nice try! 63 Rg8+ Kh5 64 Rh8+ 64 Rxg1?? is stalemate! 64 ..Kg6 65 Rh6+ Kf7 66 Rf6+ Kg8 67 h5 Kh7 68 Rh6+ Kg8 69 Rg6+ 1–0
Sometimes we’ve even been known to travel to the colonies to do well! Recently Harriet Hunt’s younger brother, IM Adam Hunt, was in devastating form to win the Australian Masters, which finished only a few days ago. Unfortunately for Harriet, she couldn’t keep up her good form on the top boards, succumbing in tragic circumstances to the 1996 champion, Chris Ward.
Chris Ward vs Harriet Hunt
Ward,C - Hunt,H [E12]
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 Highly unusual from Ward, who normally plays the Capablanca system in the Nimzo with 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 Qc2. 3 ..b6 4 Nc3 Bb7 5 Bg5 d5? A tragic mistake as early as move 5. Harriet Hunt, who had probably prepared in-depth for Chris's Capablanca system, tries, we think, to transpose back into the Queen's Gambit Tarakower system - which she has played in the past - without noticing the subtle difference with the early ..b6. 6 cxd5 exd5 7 Qa4+!
In a flash, Chris notices the big difference! This move guarantees White an easy game. 7 ..Qd7?! The best reply Black has is the awkward 7 ..Bc6 8 Qc2! after which, White will gain a whole tempo as Black will again have to move the bishop.; also note that 7 ..c6? is also bad because of 8 Bxf6 Qxf6 (8 ..gxf6 9 e3!) 9 Nxd5! 8 Bxf6 Qxa4 9 Nxa4 gxf6 10 e3 Bd6 11 Rc1 a6 12 Nh4!
The knight's on the rim are certainly not dim! The h4 knight is heading towards the f5 hole and the a4 knight holds back Black from playing a freeing c5. In the long run though, the crippled kingside pawns will decide the day. 12 ..Nd7 13 Bd3 b5 14 Nc5! Freeing up d4 to give the knight an aother wonderful outpost, d4! This is simple chess at its best. 14 ..Nxc5 15 dxc5 Be5 16 Rc2 c6 17 f4 Bc7 18 0–0 0–0–0 19 Nf5 Just look at that dominant knight. 19 ..Rde8 20 Rf3 Kb8 21 Rg3 Bc8 22 Nd4 Kb7 23 Kf2 Reg8 24 Bf5 Rxg3 25 hxg3!
White has now created another winning maneuver with the possibility of Rc1–h1, and the h-pawn is doomed. 25 ..b4 Suggest something else? 26 Bxc8+ Rxc8 27 Rc1 h5 28 Rh1 Rh8 29 Rh4! f5 30 Nxf5 Bd8 31 Rh3 Bf6 32 b3 Kc7 33 g4! hxg4 34 Rxh8 Bxh8 35 Kg3 Kd7 36 Kxg4 The endgame is hopeless for Black. 36 ..Bf6 37 Kf3 Ke6 38 Nd4+ Kd7 No better is 38 ..Bxd4 39 exd4 f5 40 g4 Kf6 41 Kg3 Kg6 42 Kh4 Kf6 43 Kh5! fxg4 44 Kxg4 Kg6 45 f5+ Kf6 46 Kf4 39 Nf5 Ke6 40 g4 a5 41 Ke2 Bd8 42 Kd3 Bc7 43 Nd4+ Kd7 44 Nf3 Ke6 45 Kd4 f6 46 Kd3 Bd8 47 Nd4+ Kd7 48 Nf5 Bc7 49 g5 fxg5 50 fxg5 Be5 51 e4! The final piece in the jigsaw: the entry of the Whites King. 51 ..dxe4+ 52 Kxe4 Ke6 52 ..Bb2 53 Nd4! Bc1 54 g6 Bh6 55 Nf5 Bf8 56 Ke5 Ke8 57 Ke6; 52 ..Bh2 53 g6 Ke8 (53 ..Ke6 54 Nd4+) 54 Nd4 Bg1 55 Kd3 Kf8 56 Kc4; 52 ..Bh8 53 g6 Ke6 54 g7 Bxg7 55 Nxg7+ 53 Nd4+ 1–0