CHESS BY VICTOR STRUGO

In each article, I encourage readers to send me their games – with or without notes. They don’t have to be brilliancies. The publishable range of interesting ideas and instructive themes (and worthwhile stories) in chess is limitless.

I received this game from SA-born Adrian Walker, now a UK resident, whom I remember from his long-haired 1970s days as a

Bulawayo resident. In SA’s largest ever event, the nationally televised 1,885-player knockout Oude Meester Grand Prix 1980, Adrian got as far as the last 16 before losing to Donald Macfarlane. This game was played in the 7th round of the 2021 4NCL Autumn Congress. His opponent is a fast-improving young Indian girl whose 1951 rating outrated Adrian by 213 Elo points.

Kaushal, Khushi – Walker, Adrian (QP Opening): 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nc3 d6 3 Bf4 Nbd7 4 e4 e5 5 dxe5 dxe5 6 Bg3 (With …e5, Black has already equalized, thanks to White’s slightly misplaced Bishop) 6 … c6 7 Nf3

Qc7 8 h3 Bd6 9 Bc4 h6 10 Qd2 b5? (Oops, a simple blunder wrecks Black’s position.

Now he must look for swindles….) 11 Bxb5 *

Bb4 12 Bd3 O-O 13 O-O Bb7 14 a3 Ba5 15 Rad1 Rad8 16 Rfe1 Rfe8 17 b4 Bb6 18 a4 a6 19 a5 Ba7 20 Qc1 Nh5 21 Bh2 Nf4 22 Bc4 Nf6 23 Bd3?! (Inexperience Starting to dither planlessly. White’s much superior position calls for exchanges on the d-file and on f4, followed by the central e5 advance) 23 … Bc8 24 Rd2 Qe7 25 Red1? g5! (Shunning the b-Pawn which White now misguidedly protects, isolating her Queen while the attack comes on the other side) 26 Qb2? g4 (White’s best chance now was 26 hxg4 Bxg4 27 Bxf4 exf4 28 Bxa6 and exchange as many attacking pieces as possible. Meek defence, stemming perhaps from inexperience, has a predictable outcome) 27 Ne1? gxh3 28 g3 (Burying the Bishop alive) 28 … N4h5 29 Be2 Rxd2 30 Rxd2 Bg4 31 Bxg4 Nxg4 32 Nd3 Qf6 33 Nd1 Qf3 34 Ne1 Qxe4 35 Ne3 Bxe3 36 Qb3 Bxd2 37 Qd3 Qxe1+ 38 Qf1 Qxf1+ 39 Kxf1 and White soon resigned.

With this, Adrian had the twin satisfactions of winning his section with 6/7 points and knowing that 63 extra years on the clock isn’t necessarily a handicap!

White found a killer in this position. Can you?