Lubomir Kavalek

International Chess Grandmaster

Huffington Post, December 19, 2010

The HuffPost-ICC Holiday Chess Puzzles Contest

Today's puzzles consist of three parts: a trivia question, a chess problem and a chess study. The last two are often used by coaches to improve the chess skills of their students. They learn to think more precisely because they have to find a unique solution.

Try to solve all three puzzles and you can win a membership at the Internet Chess Club (ICC). Send your solutions to: icchuffpost@chessclub.com.

The overall winner will get one year, a runner-up 6 months and four others 3 months of free Internet Chess Club (ICC) membership. The winners will be announced on January 1, 2011.

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Trivia:

Name at least three world chess champions who played the King's gambit in serious competitions.

Problem:

Can you find how White mates in two moves? White to move first.

Study:

Can you find how White wins? White to move first.

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More than 30,000 members from all over the world regularly enjoy playing casual or tournament chess games against each other on ICC; watching others play, including hundreds of titled chess masters; and viewing a daily video service and live commentary of major tournaments on our Chess.FM service.

Today's puzzles consist of three parts: a trivia question, a chess problem and a chess study. The last two are often used by coaches to improve the chess skills of their students. They learn to thi...

Today's puzzles consist of three parts: a trivia question, a chess problem and a chess study. The last two are often used by coaches to improve the chess skills of their students. They learn to thi...

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Chess Puzzles #30 - Checkmate in 3 moves

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Chess Puzzles #31 - Checkmate in 3 moves

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Chess Puzzles #3 - Checkmate in 3 moves

Lubomir Kavalek

International Chess Grandmaster

Huffington Post, December 15, 2010

Norway's Magnus Carlsen Fights and Wins in London Chess Classic

The second London Chess Classic, one of this year's major chess events, finished Wednesday. But many chess players may ask: Who actually won the all-grandmaster tournament?

Magnus Carlsen doesn't have to worry. According to the rules set up by the London organizers, the 20-year-old grandmaster from Norway finished first and will collect 50,000 Euros for his efforts. He benefited from the soccer scoring system -- 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and no points for a loss -- favoring players who fight and win. Carlsen scored 13 points, two points ahead of the world champion Vishy Anand of India and Luke McShane of England. It was a great recovery by Magnus who started with two loses in the first three games.

But ask the traditionalists, who for several centuries counted one point for a win and a half point for a draw, and they will tell you that in the year 2010 three players shared first place in London: McShane, Anand and Carlsen.

In the annals of chess history the final results will be noted as follows:

Carlsen, Anand, Luke McShane - 4,5 points in 7 games
Vladimir Kramnik (Russia) and Hikaru Nakamura (USA) - 4 points
Michael Adams (England) - 3,5 points
David Howell (England) - 2 points
Nigel Short (England) - 1 point

In 1851, Adolf Anderssen, one of the best attacking players of the 19th century won the first international tournament in London. The English capital attracted many great players ever since. Garry Kasparov played three world championships there. Some of the best came this year.

The fight for first place was anticipated between the world's top two rated players, Anand and Carlsen. But McShane played the role of the spoiler when he knocked Carlsen down in the first round and remained successful throughout the best tournament of his young chess career.

The game between Anand and Carlsen was a dramatic duel in the Breyer variation of the Spanish with many ups and downs. With a pawn sacrifice soon after the opening, the world champion tried to swing the chances to his side. It was risky, but Carlsen failed to find several good defenses and Anand had him on the ropes. Although the Indian grandmaster missed stronger continuations, he was able to come up with the winning setup in the end.

Anand - Carlsen
London Chess Classic 2010, Round 3

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 (The starting position of the Closed Spanish.) 9...Nb8 (Swinging the knight via b8 to d7 to protect the pawn on e5 is an idea of a talented Hungarian master Gyula Breyer. It dates back to 1920. At the end of the 19th century, the first world champion William Steinitz and his rival, Mikhail Chigorin, also protected the pawn on e5 with a knight, but they did it rather clumsily with the knight from f6.) 10.d4 Nbd7 11.Nbd2 Bb7

(We can see the elegance and flexibility of Breyer's setup: the knight on d7 protects the center, the bishop on b7 attacks it. The c-pawn is not hindered and can advance any moment. In addition, black may also strike in the center with d6-d5. ) 12.Bc2 Re8 13.a4 (White is at a crossroads. Swinging the knight to the kingside 13.Nf1 Bf8 14.Ng3 was the usual popular plan, but after 14...g6 white needed to open a second front and played 15.a4 c5 16.d5 and with the center closed, white can use his space advantage to prepare a combined attack on both wings. The first game between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky in 1992 comes immediately to mind. Blacks later realized that after 15.a4 keeping the center flexible with 15...Bg7 16.Bd3 c6 is not a bad idea.) 13...Bf8 14.Bd3 c6 15.b4 Rc8!? (A new, good waiting move. Carlsen previously played 15...Nb6 against Anand, clarifying the matters on the queenside immediately, but after 16.axb5 cxb5 17.d5 white had the edge.) 16.axb5 cxb5 17.Bb2 (White is ready to close the center with 18.d5 and black has to react.)

17...d5! (And just like that black equalizes. After the pawns disappear from the center, black's pieces will be well placed.) 18.exd5 (After 18.dxe5 dxe4 19.Nxe4 Nxe5 20.Nxe5 Rxe5 21.Nxf6+ Qxf6 black has a slight edge.) 18...exd4 19.Rxe8 (After 19.Nxd4 Nxd5 the black pieces have a larger playground.) 19...Qxe8 20.c4 (By advancing the c-pawn Anand can eliminate all pawns on the queenside. Everybody expected a quick draw.) 20...bxc4 21.Nxc4?! (Anand gambles and sacrifices a pawn. After 21.Bxc4 Nb6 22.Bxa6 Bxa6 23.Rxa6 Nbxd5 24.Nxd4 Bxb4 there is not much to play for.) 21...Nxd5 22.Nxd4 Nxb4 23.Nf5 (Anand moves his knight to an aggressive position, hoping for some attacking chances. But the legendary grandmaster David Bronstein claimed that the bishop on f8 can defend well against the knight on f5. Let's see...) 23...Nxd3 24.Qxd3

24...Be4? ("A huge oversight," said Carlsen, but fork is a fork and it could be a choice of many club players since Anand's little combination is not obvious. Still, Magnus should have played 24...Qe6! 25.Ncd6 Rc5 26.Nxb7 Rxf5 with black's advantage.) 25.Qd4 Bxf5?! (Sacrificing the queen with 25...Qe6!? 26.Ncd5 Rb8 27.Re1 Bxf5 28.Rxe6 Bxe6 gives black good chances to hold.) 26.Nd6 (Forking the whole army of black pieces, Anand gets a strong pressure.) 26...Qd8 (After 26...Bxd6?? 27.Qxg7 mates; and after 26...Qe6 27.Nxc8 Nc5 28.Ba3 Qxc8 [or 28...Nb3 29.Qd8 Qxc8 30.Rd1! h5 31.Bxf8] 29.Rc1 Be7 30.Bxc5 white should win.) 27.Nxf5 (A critical position. White threatens 28.Nh6+!)

27...f6? (Black can't recover after this mistake. Instead, Magnus had two possibilities to stay in the game:
A. 27...Qf6 28.Qxf6 Nxf6 29.Bxf6 gxf6 30.Rxa6 is unpleasant for black, but the material is reduced and there is hope, for example 30...Rc5 31.g4 [31.Rxf6 Bg7 =] 31...h5 32.Rxf6 hxg4 33.hxg4 Rc4 34.f3 Rc2;
B. The computers want to fight back with 27...Rc6 28.Nxg7 Qb6! forcing the exchange of queens.) 28.Rd1 Rc2 (Carlsen defends aggressively. He probably didn't like that after 28...Rc7 29.Qd5+ Kh8 30.Qf7 his pieces are pinned down.) 29.Nh6+! (It didn't take Anand long to claim a big advantage.) 29...gxh6 (After 29...Kh8 30.Nf7+ wins.) 30.Qg4+ Bg7?! ( Magnus should have made it more difficult for white with 30...Kh8 31.Rxd7 Qxd7 32.Bxf6+ Qg7 33.Bxg7+ Bxg7, although after 34.Qe6 Bf8 35.Qf5 Rc1+ 36.Kh2 Bg7 37.Qe6 Ba1 [37...Bf8 38.Qe5+ Kg8 39.Qg3+ Kh8 40.Qb8 Kg8 41.Qb3+ Kh8 42.Qb2+ wins the rook.] 38.Qe8+ Kg7 39.Qe7+ Kg8 40.f4 white has winning chances.) 31.Qe6+ Kh8 32.Rxd7 Qf8

33.Ba3? (A ghost of the famous game Botvinnik-Capablanca, AVRO 1936, where similar deflecting sacrifice was decisive. But here Anand floats away from a direct win: 33.Rf7! , for example:
A. 33...Qb8 34.Re7 Rc8 35.Rxg7 Qxb2 36.Qf7 Qa1+ 37.Kh2 Qe5+ 38.f4 Qxf4+ 39.Rg3 Qxg3+ 40.Kxg3 Rg8+ 41.Kh4 Rxg2 42.Qf8+ Rg8 43.Qxf6+ Rg7 44.Qe5! a5 [44...Kg8 45.Qe8 mate.] 45.Kh5 a4 46.Kxh6 a3 47.Qxg7 mate.
B. 33...Qc8 34.Qe7 Rc1+ 35.Kh2 Qb8+ 36.g3 Rc2 37.Bd4 Qg8 38.Qxf6! Bxf6 39.Bxf6+ Qg7 40.Rf8 mate.)
33...Qg8 (33...Qxa3 is not entirely clear, for example 34.Rd8+ Qf8 [On 34...Bf8 35.Qxf6+ Kg8 36.Qe6+ Kh8 37.Qf7 Rxf2 38.Kxf2 wins.] 35.Rxf8+ Bxf8 36.Qxf6+ Kg8 black can try to fight.) 34.Qxa6 (Black will have a hard time to protect the last two ranks and the f-pawn.) 34...Qe8 35.Qa7! Qg8 (Black is forced to defend passively. After 35...Qe1+ 36.Kh2 Qe5+ 37.g3 Qe8 38.Rxg7 wins.)

36.Be7?! (Anand could have cut off the black rook with 36.Bc5! and only after 36...Re2 37.Be7 threaten to win with 38.Rd8.) 36...Rc8 37.Qa6 Qe8 38.Ra7 Kg8 39.Qe6+ (But not 39.Bxf6? Bxf6 40.Qxf6 Rc1+ 41.Kh2 Qb8+ and black (!) wins.) 39...Kh8 40.Qa6 Kg8 41.Qe6+ (The time control is over and Anand can assess the position. Black's pawns on the kingside are shattered, but can white mount a successful siege of the pawn f6 and win it? The problem is that black can't do anything. Carlsen has to wait for Anand to demonstrate how to set up the pieces the best way.) 41...Kh8 42.Kh2 Rc6 (After 42...Ra8 43.Rc7 white keeps the pressure on.) 43.Qb3 Rc8 44.Bd6 Qg6 45.Qb7 Rd8 46.Bg3 Rg8 47.h4 Qf5 48.Qc7 Qd5 49.Ra5 Qe4 50.Qd7 Qc4 51.Qf5 Qc8 52.Qf3 Qd7 53.Bf4 Qf7 54.g3 Re8 55.Be3 Rg8 56.Ra6 Re8 57.Ra7 Re7 58.Qa8+ Qf8 59.Ra6 Re8 60.Qc6 Rc8 61.Qf3 Qf7 62.Ra7 Qe6 63.Qb7 Qg8 64.Bf4 Rd8 65.Qa6 Re8 66.Rc7 Ra8 67.Qc6 Re8 68.Be3 Rb8 69.Bd4

(Anand found the ideal position. White combines the attack on the pawn on f6 with the threats on the 8th rank.) 69...Qf8 (After 69...Rf8 70.Re7 Rf7 71.Re6 f5 [or 71...Rf8 72.Rxf6 Rxf6 73.Qxf6 wins.] 72.Qc3 f4 73.Bxg7+ Rxg7 74.Qe5 wins.) 70.Qc3 Re8 71.Rc6 (Picking up the pawns.) 71...Qf7 (After 71...f5 72.Rc7 wins.) 72.Bxf6 Rf8 (Black also loses after 72...Kg8 73.Bxg7 Qxg7 74.Qd2 h5 75.Rc5+-) 73.Bxg7+ Qxg7 74.Qe3 Qb2 75.Kg2 Qb7 76.Qxh6 Qf7 (After 76...Rc8 77.Qf6+ Kg8 78.Qe6+ wins.) 77.Rc2 Black resigned.

Note that in the replay windows below you can click on the notation to follow the game.

The solutions to last week's puzzles:

Note that in the replay windows below you can click on the notation to follow the game.

Note that in the replay windows below you can click on the notation to follow the game.

We recieved this response:

Dear Lubosh,

I refer to Noam Elkies' Chess Puzzle. Chess Life 1985, solution to which you furnished today.

Did I find a cook? After 1.Bg6, what if 1...d4? So that if 2.e8Q+ Bg8 3.Bh7 Bc1+ 4.Kc2 (if 4.Kxc1 g1Q+) Kxh7 5.Qh5+ Bh6?

Warmest regards,
Elmer Dumlao Sangalang
Manila, the Philippine­s

Answer: Instead of 3.Bh7, try 3.Bf7. White wins. Thanks for your interest in this column.

Photo by Frederic Friedel

Lubomir Kavalek

International Chess Grandmaster

Huffington Post, December 11, 2010

Chess Puzzles: Imagination Breeds Creativity

How do chess players create beautiful games and compositions? Do they dig deep into their memory and retrieve ideas of others or do they use their own imagination? Obviously, it is a combination of both, because what they learn and remember and what they create themselves goes hand in hand. The art of creating is remembering and imagining.

Some years ago, I saw an interesting position in which only two pieces - queen and bishop - staged a successful attack on the black king. It was published in 1750 by Dominico Ercole del Rio, a lawyer from the Italian town of Modena, in his 110-page book on chess. As the title Sopra il giuoco degli scacchi osservazioni pratiche d'anonimo autore Modenese suggests, he was pretending to be an anonymous Modenese author.

Dominico Ercole del Rio Modena 1750

White wins

The solution: 1.Bg8! h6 2.Qe8 Qe5 (Or 2...g5 3.Bb3+ Kg7 4.Qg8 mate.) 3.Be6+ Kh7 4.Qg8+ Kg6 5.Bf7+ Kf5 (Or 5...Kg5 6.f4+ wins.) 6.Qh7+ Kg5 7.Qg6 mate.

Note that in the replay windows below you can click on the notation to follow the game.

A few years later I saw a chess study in which del Rio's idea blossomed fully. The author was Noam D. Elkies and it was published in Chess Life in 1985.

Noam D. Elkies Chess Life 1985

White wins

The solution: 1.Bg6! Bc3+! (After 1...Bc1+ 2.Kc2! d4 3.e8Q+ Bg8 4.Bf7 wins.) 2.Kxc3 (After 2.Kc2? Bb1+ 3.Kxb1 g1Q+ wins for black.) 2...d4+ 3.Kb4! (The only square. We can see later why the white king can't go to the second rank.) 3...g1Q (After 3...Bf7 4.Bxf7 g1Q 5.e8Q+ Kh7 6.Qg8+ Kh6 7.Qh8+ Kg5 8.Qxg7+ wins.) 4.e8Q+ Bg8 5.Bh7!! (A marvelous coup in del Rio style! In addition, both white pieces prevent the black queen from any checks. It is now clear that either 3.Kb2 or 3.Kd2 would be refuted with 5...Qh2+.) 5...Kxh7 6.Qh5 mate.

Note that in the replay windows below you can click on the notation to follow the game.

At that time, the 19-year-old Elkies had his brilliant career in mathematics ahead of him. At age 26, he became the youngest full professor at the Harvard University, surpassing by two years the record previously held by president Barak Obama's chief economic adviser, Lawrence Summers, and the law professor Alan Dershowitz. Exceling in music and chess compositions, Elkies also won the 1996 Individual World Chess Solving Championship.

At 44, he still likes to challenge himself. He saw Ladislav Prokes's work in which the white queen chases the black king counter clockwise around the board. By moving the black pawn from d7 to h5 and removing the pawn on g7 from the original work, Elkies was able to swing the windmill in an opposite direction as well:

Noam D. Elkies
Huffington Post 2010

White wins

1.f4+ Kg4 2.Qg3+ Kf5 3.Qg5+ Ke4 4.Qxe5+ Kf3 5.Qe3+ Kg4 6.Qg3+ Kf5 7.Qxd3+! (Preparing to spin the windmill the other way.) 7...Kg4 (After 7...Kxf4 white wins the black queen either with 8.Qg3+ Ke4 9.Qe3+ Kxd5 10.Qb3+; or with 8.Qe3+ Kg4 9.Qg3+ Kf5 10.Qf3+. Trying to escape with 7...Kf6 8.Qc3+ transposes to the main line two moves early.) 8.Qg3+ Kf5 9.Qh3+! Ke4 (Again 9...Kf6 10.Qc3+ Kf5 [On 10...e5 11.Qxe5 mates.] 11.Qe5+ transposes to the main line.) 10.Qe3+ Kf5 (After 10...Kxd5 11.Qb3+ wins) 11.Qe5+ Kg4 12.Qg5+ Kf3 13.Qg2+! Kxf4 14.Qg3+ Ke4 (On 14...Kf5 15.Qf3+ wins.) 15.Qe3+ Kxd5 16.Qb3+ wins.

Note that in the replay windows below you can click on the notation to follow the game.

The solutions to first two studies appears next week.

Lubomir Kavalek

International Chess Grandmaster

Huffington Post, December 2, 2010

The Man With Too Much Chess Talent

Dragoljub Velimirovic used to be one of the world's most feared attackers, always looking for the impossible. His imaginative play was compared to the colorful world champion Mikhail Tal's razzle-dazzle. His playing style was unique, daring and often falling off the edge. He made risky moves and so many of them that you wondered how much punishment his chess pieces could take. He loved to create confusion on the chessboard, always believing he could find a beautiful escape from a bad situation. He had enough talent to pull it off, perhaps "too much talent " as Bobby Fischer once put it when we discussed the play of the Serbian grandmaster and champion.

At 68, Velimirovic doesn't seem to slow down. Still teasing and provoking, he took part in the Czech Coal Match in the spa resort of Marianske Lazne last month and was awarded a magnificent glass trophy for his entertaining play. He was a member of the veteran team that lost to the young ladies, the "Snowdrops," 14 to 18.

Velimirovic, who had opening lines named after him, always thrived on sharp play. For almost four decades, the Serbian grandmaster countered the Alekhine defense by charging his pawns forward as far and as quickly as they could go. They were like soldiers coming from the trenches in a big wave, huffing and puffing and dying one after another. He played the same way against the Lithuanian grandmaster Viktorija Cmilyte (pictured right), one of the world's top women players. When three from the Four Pawn Attack disappeared, Velimirovic used the last one to entomb the black king. Cmilyte refuted his reckless play with marvelous counterpunches and was expected to win. But in situations like that Velimirovic is always dangerous. Here is the dramatic game:

Velimirovic - Cmilyte

Veterans vs. Snowdrops, Marianske Lazne 2010

1.e4 Nf6 (It doesn't take much to provoke the Serbian grandmaster. Humpy Koneru played the Modern defense 1...g6 against him and Velimirovic immediately rammed it with 2.h4 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.h5.)
2.e5 Nd5 3.c4 Nb6 4.d4 d6 5.f4 (Velimirovic was always fond of the Four Pawn Attack, a messy, chaotic line that suites his style.) 5...dxe5 (Richard Reti's 5...g6 is advocated by Tim Taylor in his recent book Alekhine alert - a repertoire for Black against 1.e4, published by Everyman Chess.) 6.fxe5 Nc6 7.Be3 Bf5 8.Nc3 e6 9.Nf3 Be7 10.d5 exd5 (Nearly 40 years ago, Velimirovic encountered the immediate 10...Nb4 11.Rc1!? f6 [After 11...exd5 12.a3 c5 13.axb4 d4 14.Bxd4 cxd4 15.Nxd4 Qb8 16.Qe2 Be6 17.c5 Nd7 18.Rd1!? Nxe5 19.Nxe6 fxe6 20.Qh5+ g6 21.Qh3! black is in trouble.] 12.a3 Na6

13.g4! -a deflecting pawn sacrifice - 13...Bxg4 14.Rg1 f5 15.h3 Bxf3 16.Qxf3 0-0 17.Rc2 Qd7 18.Rd2 Rae8 19.d6 cxd6 20.Qh5 Rc8 21.c5 Rxc5 22.Bxc5 Nxc5 23.Rdg2 g5 24.Bb5 Qd8 25.b4 Ncd7 26.exd6 Bf6 27.Ne2 Ne5 28.Nf4 Qxd6 29.Rxg5+ Kh8 30.Qxh7+! Black resigned, Velimirovic,D (2490)-Gipslis,A (2580)/Havana 1971)

11.Bxb6?! (Interestingly, neither Taylor nor Valentin Bogdanov in Play the Alekhine, published last year by Gambit Publications, mentioned this move.
The main line is 11.cxd5 Nb4 12.Nd4 and now:
A. In one of the shortest games in this line, black played the faulty: 12...Bg6? 13.Bb5+ Kf8 14.0-0 Kg8 15.Nf5 [15.d6! cxd6 16.e6 with powerful pressure is even better.] 15...N4xd5? 16.Nxd5 Nxd5 17.Qxd5 c6 18.Qxd8+ 1-0 Holas,J-Sajtar,J/Podebrady 1956.

B. 12...Bd7! 13.e6?! [13.Qf3 is more solid .] 13...fxe6 14.dxe6 Bc6 15.Qg4 Bh4+ 16.g3 Bxh1 17.Bb5+ [The theory established 17.0-0-0 0-0 18.gxh4 Qf6 as the most popular line with roughly equal chances.] 17...c6 18.0-0-0 0-0 19.gxh4 h5 20.Qg3 cxb5 21.Bg5 Qb8 22.e7 Re8 [22...Nxa2+! 23.Nxa2 Rc8+ is stronger.] 23.Rxh1 Qxg3 24.hxg3 Rac8 25.Kb1 a6 26.Ne4 Rc7 27.Nf5 Nc8 28.Rc1 Rxc1+ 29.Kxc1 Nd5 30.Ned6 Nxd6 31.Nxd6 Rxe7 32.Bxe7 Nxe7 33.Kd2 b6 34.Ke3 g6 35.Kf4 Kg7 36.Kg5 Nd5 37.Ne8+ Kf7 38.Nd6+ Kg7 39.Ne8+ Kf7 40.Nd6+ Kg7 draw, Velimirovic,D (2500)-Kovacevic,V (2555)/Yugoslavia 1984)

11...axb6 12.cxd5 Nb4 13.Nd4 Bg6 14.d6?! (Undeniably, Velimirovic's style - going after the black king. White creates a big mess, hoping that black trips somewhere. Objectively, it is too sharp. But after 14.Bb5+ c6! 15.dxc6 0-0! 16.cxb7 Rb8 17.Nc6 [After 17.0-0? Bc5! wins.] 17...Nxc6 18.Bxc6 Qc7 19.Bd5 Bc5 the white king still looks vulnerable.) 14...Bh4+ (Avoiding 14...cxd6? 15.Bb5+ Kf8 16.0-0 Kg8 17.e6 with white's big advantage.) 15.g3 (White is overextended and his king is in trouble.)

15...Qg5?! (Cmilyte probably got mixed up with the variation 15...0-0 16.a3 Qg5. Hiding the king is a good idea in general, but a great idea against Velimirovic. Anyway, after 15...0-0 16.a3 [Accepting the piece is disastrous: 16.gxh4? Qxh4+ 17.Ke2 Rfe8 18.Nf3 Rxe5+ 19.Nxe5 Bh5+ 20.Nf3 Re8+ 21.Kd2 Qf4 mate.] black has the following possibilities:

A. 16...Qg5 17.Kf2 [After 17.axb4 Bxg3+ 18.hxg3 Qxg3+ 19.Kd2 Qf4+ black has a draw at hand.] 17...Qxe5 18.Nf3 Qc5+ 19.Qd4 Qxd4+ 20.Nxd4 Bf6 21.Rd1 Nd3+ 22.Bxd3 Bxd4+ 23.Kg2 Bxc3 24.bxc3 cxd6 25.Bxg6 hxg6 26.Rxd6 Rxa3 27.Rxb6 Rd8 28.Rxb7 Rd2+ 29.Kh3 Rxc3 30.Rf1 f5 31.Ra1 Kh7 0-1 Carlsson,A-Kuehnrich,H/ICCF corr 1982

B. 16...c5 17.Nf3 Nc2+ 18.Kf2 Bg5 19.Bd3 Nxa1 20.Bxg6 hxg6 21.Qxa1 Bh6 22.Qa2 [22.Nd5! is better.] 22...Qd7 23.Qd5 Qf5 24.Re1 g5 25.Kg2 g4 26.Nh4 Qd7 27.Rf1 Rfe8 28.Nf5 Qc6 29.Ne7+ Rxe7 30.dxe7 Re8 31.Qxc6 bxc6 32.Na4 Rxe7 33.Nxb6 Rxe5 34.a4 Re4 35.a5 Rb4 36.Ra1 Rxb2+ 37.Kh1 Rb4 38.a6 1-0 Murey,J (2500)-Kovacevic,V (2560)/Hastings 1982)

16.d7+? (Velimirovic makes sure the black king stays in the middle, but he could have prevented black's castling with: 16.Kf2! threatening to win a piece with 17.Nf3 and after 16...Qxe5 [After 16...0-0 17.Nf3 wins.] 17.gxh4 [or 17.Qg4 0-0 18.Qxh4] 17...0-0-0 18.Nf3 Qc5+ 19.Qd4 white has the edge.) 16...Kd8 17.Kf2 Qxe5 18.gxh4 Nd3+! (Destroying white's coordination, the knight leap leads to a winning position for black.)

19.Bxd3 Qxd4+ 20.Kg2 (White can't protect the bishop. After 20.Ke2 Bh5+ wins. The game is virtually over, but for Velimirovic the fun only begins.) 20...Bxd3?! (A psychological slip. Velimirovic feels better with the queens on the board. Exchanging them with 20...Qxd3! wins comfortably, for example 21.Qxd3 Bxd3 22.Rad1 Bf5 and the d-pawn is doomed.) 21.Re1 h5 22.Kh1 Qd6 23.Qd2 Bc4 (Taking care of the d-pawn with 23...Bf5 was more advisable and better, for example 24.Qg5+ Qf6 25.Qxf6+ [25.Qg3 is met by 25...Qc6+ 26.Kg1 Qg6.] 25...gxf6 26.Nd5 Bxd7 27.Rad1 Bc6 and the pin wins it for black.) 24.Qg2 Qc6 25.Ne4 Bd5 (Computer engines come up with an elaborate, clever defense: 25...Rh6!? 26.Qxg7 Bd5 27.Qg5+ Kxd7 28.Rad1 Rd6 leading to a winning rook engdame: 29.Rxd5 Qxd5 30.Qxd5 Rxd5 31.Nf6+ Kd6 32.Nxd5 Kxd5 33.Re7 Kd6 34.Rxf7 Rxa2 and black wins.)

26.Rad1 Bxe4?! (Bringing the rook into play and protecting the bishop with 26...Ra5! left black with good winning chances, for example 27.b4 Bxe4 28.Rxe4 Rf5; or 27.Rd4 Bxe4 28.Rdxe4 [Black also wins after 28.Qxe4? Re5!; or after 28.Rexe4 Qc1+ 29.Qg1 Qxg1+ 30.Kxg1 Rxa2.] 28...Kxd7 29.Qxg7 Rd8! 30.Rd1+ Rd5 31.Qxf7+ Kc8 32.Rxd5 Rxd5 33.Qe8+ Qxe8 34.Rxe8+ Kd7 and the endgame is clearly in black's favor.) 27.Rxe4 Ra4?! (One square too far. 27...Ra5!? was still the best choice. It can transpose into previous note after 28.Rde1 Kxd7 29.Qxg7 Rd8 30.Rd1+ Rd5 31.Qxf7+ Kc8 etc.;
On the other hand, after 27...f5 28.Qg5+ Qf6 29.Qxh5! g6 (29...Rxh5? 30.Re8#) 30.Re8+ Rxe8 31.dxe8Q+ Kxe8 32.Re1+ Kf8 33.Qh6+ white should equalize.) 28.b4 (Keeping the black rook out of play.)

28...b5? (The game slips out of black's hands. It tends to happen in Velimirovic's games. When you thought you had him finished, he turned around and escaped. Still, black could have equalized after 28...f5! 29.Qg5+ Qf6 30.Qxh5 g6 31.Re8+ Rxe8 32.dxe8Q+ Kxe8 33.Re1+ Kf8 34.Qh6+ Kf7 35.Qh7+ Kf8 36.Qh6+ [or 36.Qxc7 Qc6+=] 36...Kf7=;
Cmilyte perhaps thought she could get away with 28...Rxa2, but white has two ways to refute it: A. 29.Qg5+ Qf6 [or 29...f6 30.Qg6!] 30.Qe3 Qc6 31.b5 wins.
B. 29.b5 Qc2 [29...Rxg2 30.bxc6 Ra2 31.cxb7 wins] 30.Qxc2 Rxc2 31.Ra4 Ke7 32.d8Q+ Rxd8 33.Re4+ wins.)
29.Qg5+ (White also wins after 29.Rde1 Kxd7 30.Qh3+! Kd8 31.Rd1+.) 29...Qf6 (After 29...f6 30.Qg6 threatening 31.Qe8+, wins for white.) 30.Qd5?! (The dance with the queen was unnecessary. White wins immediately with 30.Qe3! .) 30...Qc6 (30...Qd6 31.Qg5+ Qf6 32.Qe3 wins.) 31.Qe5 Qe6 32.Qd4 Qd6 33.Qg1 Qc6 34.Qg5+ Qf6 35.Qe3! (The white queen finally lands on the right square, threatening 36.Re8+.) 35...Qc6 36.Kg1 Qg6+ 37.Kf1 Qf5+ 38.Ke1 (Leaving black without good checks.) 38...Qxe4 39.Qxe4 Ra6 40.Qxb7 Black resigned.

Note that in the replay windows below you can click on the notation to follow the game.

A Napoleon Forgery

The fighting defense 1.e4 Nf6 was named after the world champion Alexander Alekhine in the 1920s, although it appeared in the chess literature already at the beginning of the 19th century. Two recent books cover the opening well. In Play the Alekhine, Valentin Bogdanov uses his experience spanning more than three decades and concentrates on the main lines.

Tim Taylor's Alekhine alert offers a complete repertoire against 1.e4. Although he mentions the popular trends, his recommendations include mostly exciting offbeat lines. It is clear that he loved writing the book and could not resist including a story about a game that was allegedly played in Paris in 1802.

Madame de Remusat - Napoleon I

1.e4 Nf6 2.d3 Nc6 3.f4 e5 4.fxe5 Nxe5 5.Nc3 Nfg4? (5...d5!) 6.d4 Qh4+ 7.g3 Qf6 8.Nh3 (8.Bf4 wins) 8...Nf3+ 9.Ke2 Nxd4+ 10.Kd3 Ne5+ 11.Kxd4 Bc5+ 12.Kxc5 Qb6+ 13.Kd5 Qd6 mate.

Had Taylor done his database research well, he could have found the same game with the same mate, but with reversed colors. I have added a few notes.

Napoleon I - Madame de Remusat

1.Nc3 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.e4 f5 4.h3? (Digging trenches is not in Napoleon's style. The game switched to the Philidor defense, but Napoleon missed the near-refutation: 4.d4! fxe4 5.Nxe4 d5? 6.Neg5 h6 7.Nf7!! Kxf7 8.Nxe5+ and white should win.) 4...fxe4 5.Nxe4 Nc6 6.Nfg5? ("Accident, hazard, chance, whatever you choose to call it, a mystery to ordinary minds becomes a reality to superior men," de Remusat quoted Napoleon. The move drops a piece.) 6...d5 7.Qh5+ g6 8.Qf3 (Threatening 9.Qf7 mate.) 8...Nh6? (A turnaround. The emperor was on the verge of defeat: After 8...Bf5 black would win a knight. White wins now, hunting madame's king to mate.) 9.Nf6+ Ke7 10.Nxd5+ Kd6 11.Ne4+! Kxd5 12.Bc4+! Kxc4 13.Qb3+ Kd4 14.Qd3 mate.

This time Napoleon Bonaparte allegedly played the game in 1804 at Malmaison Chateau, where he resided with his wife Josephine. Napoleon's opponent, Madame de Remusat, was Josephine's "dame du palais" or lady-in-waiting. There is no doubt that the two played chess against each other. "He did not play well, and never would observe the correct moves," de Remusat disclosed in her Memoirs.

Both games were later revealed to be the creation of a clever hoaxer who has been fooling the chess world for some time.

Note that in the replay windows below you can click on the notation to follow the game.

Photo of Viktorija Cmilyte by Vladimir Jagr