CHESS BY VICTOR STRUGO
The Cape Town Masters Challenge will take place at the WP Bridge Centre in Sea Point from 4th to 8th January 2023. The ten highest rated entrants will play a full round robin. The next 30 players will contest a 9-round Swiss. Games will have a 90min time limit with 30sec increments from move 1. For more information, contact Burton van Staden on Whatsapp 073 212-4785 or email president@chesswp.co.za.
Two of our top players met in the 2022 Cape Town League, producing an instructive game, characterised by accuracy and patience until a crack developed in the defence.
IM Henry Steel – IM Watu Kobese (Guioco Piano): 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 d3 (Unambitious but solid, avoiding the old gambit line of the Two Knights Defence 4 Ng5 d5 5 exd5 Na5 6 Bb5+ c6 7 dxc6 bxc6 8 Be2 which remains dangerous even in the present computer age)
4 Be7 5 O-O O-O 6 Nc3 d6 7 a4 Bg4 8 h3 Bh5 9 Nd5 Nxd5 10 Bxd5 Kh8 11 g4 Bg6 12 c3 Qd7 13 a5 a6 14 Re1 Nd8 15 Kg2 c6 16 Ba2 f6 17 d4 Qc7 (After probing on both wings, White also makes the first central thrust, but Black’s quiet defensive set-up is perfectly solid) 18 Nh4 Bf7 19 Nf5 Bxa2 20 Rxa2 g6 21 Ng3 Ne6 22 d5 cxd5 23 Qxd5 Qd7 24 b4 Rac8 25 c4 Rc7 (25 Nc7 is also fine as Black gets some play after 26 Qxb7?! Rb8 27 Qa7 Rxb4. Instead 26 Qd1 Ne6 gets White nowhere) 26 Be3 Rfc8 27 Rc1 Bf8 28 Ne2 Qf7 29 Rac2 f5 30 f3 Be7 31 exf5 gxf5 32 c5 (Correct. If he just sits, Black redeploys toward the airy Kside) 32 fxg4 33 hxg4 Ng5?!
(An inaccuracy. The Q-swop will favour White. 33 Bf8! was best as the B will prove exposed on e7) 34 Qxf7 Nxf7 35 Nc3! dxc5? (He throws it all away. 35 Rc6 36 Nd5 Bf8 37 Rb1 Nd8 was still defensible) 36 Nd5 Rd7 37 Nb6 Rcd8 38 Nxd7 Rxd7 39 Bxc5 Bg5 40 Re1 Kg7 41 Ree2 Kf6 42 Bb6 Bf4 43 Rc7 Rd3 44 Rxb7 Ng5 45 Rc2 Nxf3 (Allows a quick mate but 45 e4 was also hopeless) 46 Rc6+ and Black resigned, faced with 46 Kg5 47 Rg7+ Kh4 48 Bf2+ Bg3 49 Bxg3 mate.
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Madrid 2022, Judit Polgar – Magnus Carlsen, blitz. Black has just played 15 … Ra8-c8?? Can you see White’s reply that forces resignation?