CHESS BY VICTOR STRUGO

Southern African players influenced the final result of the 2022 African Individual Championship. Last round top-board pairings against the redoutable Egyptians were: IM Dante Beukes (Namibia, 5.5) vs GM Ahmed Adly (leading with 7.5); GM Bassem Amin (7) vs GM Kenny Solomon (SA, 5.5); IM David Silva (Angola, 5.5) vs GM Hesham Abdelrahman (6.5).

When Beukes and Silva held their higher-rated opponents to draws while Solomon succumbed, top-rated Amin equalled his compatriots score and also pipped him to the title on tie-break. Amin thereby won his sixth African title, two ahead of Adly.

Mortals often wonder what offers the best chance of upsetting a Heffalump. Play solidly and he gradually grinds you down, accumulating small advantages that you don’t even notice. Play wildly and he’ll outanalyse you. Out-rated by 300 points, Kenny tries to unsettle Amin (presently the world’s No. 75) with unorthodox play, but thereby creates weaknesses that are exploited with clinical precision.

GM Bassem Amin (2663) – GM Kenny Solomon (2356) [King’s Indian Attack]: 1 Nf3 d5 2 g3 g6 3 c4 dxc4 4 Na3 Nc6 5 Nxc4 Bg7 6 d3 e5 7 Bd2

Nge7 8 b4 a6 (Unnecessary. Black has no reason to fear 8 ... Be6 9 b5 Nd4) 9 Bg2 Be6 10. Rc1 f6?!

(Antipositional play against a higher-rated opponent seldom pays off. Castling was fine, or even first playing 10 ... Bd5 since White will think twice before kicking the Bishop back with e4, saddling himself with a backward d-Pawn) 11 a4 Qd7 12 O-O g5? (Black is hardly going to castle long into a Pawn storm so launching his own offensive on the only side he can himself castle seems way too optimistic) 13 b5 axb5 14 axb5 Nd8 15 b6 c6 16 Bb4 Nf7 17 Nfd2 Nd5 18 Bc5 Bf8 (Tacit admission that his strategy has backfired. Amin proceeds to show that a centrally stranded King in the middlegame is undefendable) 19 Nb3 Be7 20 Qd2 f5 (It’s hard to suggest another move. 20... O-O? 21 e4! wins the Knight) 21 e4 Nf6 22 exf5 Bxf5 (22 ... Bxc4 23 Rxc4 O-O would last a bit longer but 24 Bxe7 Qxe7 25 Nc5 leads to a gradual crush) 23 Rfe1 Bxc5 24 Nxc5 Qe7 (White’s Rook is now x-raying the entire royal family. Something’s gotta give!) 25 Nxe5? Nxe5 26 Qxg5 and Black resigned, not tempted by the agony of 26 ... Kf7 27 d4 Be4.

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