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Oh, Yerevan!

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  • Oh, Yerevan!

    The New York Sun
    July 2, 2004 Friday

    Oh, Yerevan!

    By BORIS GULKO and GABRIEL SCHOENFELD


    Is there such a thing as national style in chess? One testing ground
    for answering this question is the recently concluded match in Moscow
    between selected great players from around the world and the best
    players of Armenia. The unusual tournament is devoted to the memory
    of Tigran Petrosian, the 1963-69 world champion. The Armenian team
    featured such strong players as Garry Kasparov (whose mother is
    Armenian), Peter Leko (whose wife is Armenian), and the Israeli
    grandmaster Boris Gelfand (who was a pupil of Petrosian). Despite
    this array of Armenian (and near-Armenian) talent, the world team
    won, 18.5 to 17.5.

    The best game of the match was played by a genuine Armenian, Rafael
    Vaganian, against the British grandmaster Michael Adams. Throughout,
    Vaganian played in the unique style of the late, great Petrosian. If
    Armenia can be said to have a national style in chess, it is
    exemplified by white's play in this particular game.

    VAG ANIAN VS. ADAMS

    (white) (black)

    Queen's Pawn Game

    1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 b6 4.Bd3 Bb7 5.0-0 d5 6.b3 Bd6

    More precise here was 6...Nbd7

    7.Bb2 Be7 with the intention of exchanging the white knight on d7

    immediately should it appear on

    e5. 7.Bb2 0-0 8.Ne5 c5 9.Nd2 Nc6

    It was better to keep control over

    the e4 square by playing 9...Nbd7

    and to meet 10.f4 with 10...Ne4. 10.a3 a5 11.f4 Ne7 More consistent
    was 11...a4 and 12.Bb5 Na7 13.bxa4 c4 is not dangerous for black.
    After the move in the game, black's previous move is shown to be a
    waste of time. 12.Rf3 cxd4 In case of 12...c4 the ground would be
    prepared for Petrosian's favorite operation, the positional exchange
    sacrifice: 13.bxc4! dxc4 14.Ndxc4 Bxf3 15.Qxf3 with huge
    compensation. 13.! Bxd4! Bxe5? This exchange weakens the black
    squares in black's camp. The immediate 13...Ne4 14.Rh3 Nf5 15.Bxe4
    dxe4 16.Ndc4 Nxd4 17.exd4 Be7 18.c3 g6 was better; also, 13...Nf5
    14.Rh3 Rc8 would yield a playable position to black. 14.fxe5 Ne4
    15.Rh3 Nf5 16.Bxe4! dxe4 17.Nc4 Nxd4 Now the white knight will
    dominate the board, but the alternative 17...b5 18.Nd6! Bc6 (black is
    the victim of a beautiful mate after 18...Nxd6 19.exd6 g6 20.Qh5!)
    19.Qh5 h6 20.Bc5 Nxd6 21.Bxd6 Re8 22.Rg3 would lead to unbear able
    pressure on the kingside. 18.exd4 Bc6 19.Nd6 Qg5 Again black had a
    sad choice: in case of 19...a4 20.Qh5 h6 21.Rg3 Kh7 22.Rf1 Ra7
    23.Rf6! gxf6 24.Rh3 he would be mated on the kingside. Now however he
    perishes on the queenside. 20.Rc3! Bd5 21.Rg3 Qf4 22.c4 Bc6 23.Qf1!
    Qxf1+ No better was 23...Qh6 24.Qf6 Qxf6 25.exf6 g6 26.c5. 24.Rxf1
    Rab8 25.Rf4 b5 26.c5! a4 More stubborn was 26...b4 27.a4 Bd5. 27.b4
    Rbd8 28.Rfg4! g6! 29.Rf4 Kg7 30.Rf6! White has obtained full control
    over the black squares. The position is a startling reminder of the
    famous game Petrosian-Mecking from a Dutch tournament in 1971. Black
    is condemned to utter passivity. 30... Rd7 31.Kf2 Ra8 32.Ke3 Raa7
    33.h4 h6 34.Rh3 Rd8 35.Rh1 Re7 36.h5 g5

    (See diagram)

    37.d5! The final blow is on a white square. 37... Bxd5 Of course, not
    37...ed because of 39. Nf5+. 38.Nxb5 1-0
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