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Chess: Sergei Movsesian surprises in Corus tournament

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  • Chess: Sergei Movsesian surprises in Corus tournament

    Los Angeles Times, CA
    Feb 1 2009


    Sergei Movsesian surprises in Corus tournament

    By Jack Peters, International Master
    February 1, 2009

    Position No. 6040: White to play and win. From the game Sergei
    Movsesian-Michael Adams, Wijk aan Zee 2009.

    Solution to Position No. 6039: White wins with 1 h6!, threatening 2
    Bxh7+ Kxh7 3 hxg7+. If 1...g6, then 2 Bxg6 hxg6 3 Qxg6+ Kh8 4 Qg7+!
    wins. The "best" defense, 1...Rc7, still loses to 2 Bxh7+ Kf7 3 Bc5!
    Qxc5 4 Re1! g5 5 Qg4.

    The first nine rounds of the great Corus tournament in Wijk aan Zee,
    Netherlands, have barely separated the field of 14
    grandmasters. Nearly all remain in contention for first prize, close
    behind the 5.5-3.5 scores of leaders Levon Aronian (Armenia), Leinier
    Dominguez Perez (Cuba) and Sergey Karjakin (Ukraine). For latest
    results, see coruschess.com.

    Julius Loftsson

    Julius Loftsson, one of California's best players in the 1960s and
    1970s, died Sept. 16 in Los Angeles. He was 67.

    Loftsson was a native of Iceland who moved to the Bay Area as a
    teenager and settled in Los Angeles a few years later. He reached
    Senior Master status, with a rating higher than 2400. He had to give
    up chess in the early 1980s after suffering ulcers that were
    aggravated by the tension of tournament play.

    Local news

    The country's premier team tournament, the U.S. Amateur Team
    Championship, will be held at four locations on the holiday weekend of
    Feb. 14 to 16. In our area, the USAT West is scheduled at the Warner
    Center Marriott, 21850 Oxnard St., Woodland Hills. Any group of four
    players averaging fewer than 2200 (master level) in rating counts as a
    team. For help in joining a team, see westernchess.com.

    Grandmaster Melikset Khachiyan won the Westwood Winter Open, a
    tournament of 40-minute games, last Sunday at the Los Angeles Chess
    Club. Khachiyan scored an impressive 5-0, defeating IM Enrico
    Sevillano and three masters. Takashi Kurosaki took second prize at
    4-1. Robert Akopian, Garush Manukyan and Sevillano shared third place
    at 3.5-1.5.

    Ernesto Soto led the Reserve (under-1800) section with 4.5-.5. John
    Hillery, director of the 37-player event, plans the Westwood Spring
    Open on April 19.

    There were 90 players at the AAA Chess Club scholastic tournament in
    Glendale on Jan. 24. Boris Kitapszyan led the Open (grades K-12)
    section, Roberto Rochin won the K-8 section, and Blaine Hargis
    finished first in K-5. Harut Keshishian directed.

    The Santa Monica Bay Chess Club, which meets at 7 p.m. Mondays in
    St. Andrew's Church, 11555 National Blvd. in Los Angeles, will begin a
    four-round tournament Monday. Call Pete Savino at (310) 827-2789 for
    details.

    Today's games



    Eric Hansen (Canada)-GM Melikset Khachiyan, Western Class
    Championships, Agoura Hills 2009: 1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Nc3 e5 4 Nf3 Nbd7
    By a tricky move order, Black reaches the Philidor Defense. 5 Bc4 Be7
    6 0-0 0-0 7 h3 Theory concentrates on 7 Re1 and 7 Qe2. c6 8 Bb3?! Only
    8 a4 keeps an edge. b5 9 a3 Bb7 Equal chances. 10 Re1 a6 11 dxe5 A
    small concession, as Black will use c5. But White eliminates worry
    over . . . e5xd4 and . . . d6-d5. dxe5 12 Qe2 Qc7 13 Bg5 h6 14 Bh4Nc5
    15 Bg3 Simpler is 15 Ba2. Bd6 16 Rad1 Rfe8 17 Nh4 Bf8 18 Qf3 a5 19
    Ba2?? Allowing a fine combination. Instead, White should maintain
    equality with 19 Nf5 b4 20 Na4. b4 20 Nb1 Ncxe4! 21 Rxe4 c5 22 Rde1
    Necessary. White must drop material after 22 Nd2? Rad8. Rad8 23 Nf5
    Nxe4 24 Rxe4 Bxe4 25 Qxe4 c4! Immobilizing White's Queenside. White
    must avoid 26 Bxc4? Rd1+ 27 Kh2 Rxb1. 26 Ne3 Rd4 27 Qf3 Again, the
    best try. After 27 Qxd4 exd4 28 Bxc7 dxe3, Black recovers a piece by
    29 fxe3 Rxe3 30 Kf2 b3! or 29 Kf1 Rc8! 30 Bxa5 b3 31 cxb3 cxb3 32 Bxb3
    Rc1+. Qc828 Kh2 Qe6 Threatening 29 . . . b3. 29 c3!? It's tempting to
    insert 29 axb4 axb4, when 30 c3 b3? 31 Bxb3 cxb3 32 cxd4 exposes the
    pawn at b3 and should draw. But Black could improve with 30 c3 Qa6!,
    retaining a winning advantage after 31 cxd4 Qxa2 32 Qe4 Qxb2 33 Nxc4
    Qxd4. b3! 30 Bxb3 cxb3 31 cxd4 exd4 32 Nf1? White may be able to
    survive 32 Nf5 Qe1?! 33 Qd3. Black should meet 32 Nf5 by 32 . . . Rd8
    33 Qd3 Qc6! (threatening 34 . . . Qc2) 34 Qxb3 Qe4, recovering a piece
    with a probable win. Qe2! Absolutely decisive, despite the roughly
    even material. 33 Nbd2 Qxf3 34 Nxf3 The attempt to blockade by 34 gxf3
    a4 35 Nc4 Re2 36 Nfd2 is foiled by 36 . . . d3 37 Kg2 Bc5 38 Kf1 Bd4,
    intending 39 . . . Bxb2. Re2 35 N1d2 The b-pawn will claim a Knight
    after 35 Nxd4 Rxb2 36 a4 Bc5 37 Nf3 Bb4. a4 36 Kg1 Bc5 37 Kf1 d3 38 h4
    Useless is 38 Nc4 Rc2. g5!, White Resigns.

    Julius Loftsson (U.S.A.)-Gildardo Garcia (Colombia), Lone Pine 1978: 1
    d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 e6 3 c4 b6 The Queen's Indian Defense. 4 g3 Bb7 5 Bg2 Be7
    6 0-0 0-0 7 b3 An alternative to the main line, 7 Nc3 Ne4. d6 8 Bb2
    Nbd7 9 d5!? Speculative. White obtains fair compensation from 9
    . . . exd5 10 Nh4 c6 11 cxd5 Nxd5 12 Nf5, but 10 . . . Ne4! is more
    testing. e5? Too timid. Now White gets space and the initiative
    without risk. 10 Nc3 a5 11 e4 Nc5 12 Qc2 Bc8 13 a3 g6 Imagining
    . . . f7-f5. 14 Ne1 a4 After 14 . . . Nh5 15 b4 axb4 16 axb4 Rxa1 17
    Bxa1 Na6 18 Nd3, White would welcome the opening of the center by 18
    . . . f5 19 f4!. 15 b4 Nb3 16 Rd1 Bd7 The Knight does little at b3,
    but 16 . . . Nd4 17 Qd3 only encourages White to undermine it with
    f2-f4. 17 Qd3 Nh5 18 f4 exf4 Ceding his strong point. However, 18
    . . . f6 19 Nc2 lets White push f4-f5 whenever he wants, while 18
    . . . Bf6 19 Qe3 Qe7 20 Nf3 makes f4xe5 a threat. 19 gxf4 Bf6 20 e5!
    Bg7 Not 20 . . . dxe5 21 Ne4 exf4? because 22 Nxf6+ Nxf6 23 Qc3 Kg7 24
    Rxf4 Bf5 25 d6! wins material. For example, 25 . . . Ra7 26 dxc7 Qe7
    loses to 27 Rxf5! gxf5 28 Qg3+ Kh8 29 Qg5. 21 Ne4 Re8 22 Ng3 Bg4?!
    Black's last hope is 22 . . . dxe5 23 fxe5 Bxe5 24 Bxe5 Rxe5 25 d6 c6,
    although White's passed d-pawn and active pieces look terrific after
    26 Qf3 Qe8 27 Nd3. 23 Nxh5 Bxh5 24 Nf3 Supporting e5, as 24 . . . Bxf3
    25 Qxf3 dxe5 26 fxe5 strikes at f7. Qd7 25 Rde1 Bg4 26 Ng5! Bf5 27 Be4
    Bxe4 White's sharpest refutation of 27 . . . h6 is 28 e6! fxe6 29
    Bxg7, with an unstoppable attack after either 29 . . . Qxg7 30 Nxe6
    Qf7 31 Bxf5 gxf5 32 Kh1 Kh7 33 Rg1 Rg8 34 Ng5+! hxg5 35 Qh3+ or 29
    . . . hxg5 30 Bb2 Bxe4 31 Rxe4 g4 32 dxe6 Rxe6 33 Qd5 Re8 34 f5! gxf5
    35 Qxf5. 28 Nxe4 dxe5 29 fxe5 Rad8 30 e6! fxe6 Nor can Black stand 30
    . . . Rxe6 31 Bxg7 Rxe4 32 Qxe4 Kxg7 33 Qe7. 31 Bxg7 Qxg7 Worse is 31
    . . . Kxg7 32 Nf6 Qd6 33 Qh3! Rh8 34 Rxe6. 32 Nf6+ Kh8 33 Nxe8 Rxe8 34
    dxe6 Easier is 34 Rxe6. Qd4+ 35 Qxd4+ Nxd4 36 Re4! Nf5 37 c5
    Preventing . . . Nf5-d6 and preparing the invasion Rf1-d1-d7. Kg7 38
    Rd1 Kf6 39 Rd7 Re7 40 Kf2 h5 41 cxb6 cxb6 42 b5 Rxe6 43 Rxe6+ Kxe6 44
    Rb7 Kd5 45 Rxb6 g5 46 Rg6 Nd6 As 46 . . . g4 47 Rg5 Ke6 permits 48
    Rxf5 Kxf5 49 b6, queening. 47 Rxg5+ Kc4 48 b6, Black Resigns.

    http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la- ca-chess1-2009feb01,0,7941356.story
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