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The Staunton
Memorial 2007
Simpson’s-in-the-Strand, 7-18
August
Howard Staunton
was the Victorian polymath who became unofficial world champion in chess, as
well as writing the history of the British Public School system and
producing a collector’s item edition of the works of Shakespeare. For
the past four years a Staunton Memorial tournament has been held at
Simpson’s-in-the-Strand, London, and this year’s event featuring Michael
Adams and Jan Timman is the strongest event of its kind in London for over
20 years.
The only person
invited to the 2007 Staunton Memorial who was not a grandmaster has
now earned the title in the Four Nations Chess League. Gawain Jones
has not only become England’s latest grandmaster, he has also shot ahead of
his rival and junior, David Howell, in the international rating list.
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Simpson's-in-the Strand
History
In 1828, Samuel Reiss opened the Grand Cigar Divan
on the site of the Fountain Tavern, which had been the home of the
famous literary association, the Kit Kat Club. The
establishment soon developed as a coffee house, where gentlemen
smoked cigars with their coffee, browsed over the daily journals
and newspapers, indulged in lengthy conversations about the
politics of the day and played chess, sitting on comfortable
divans or sofas.
Chess matches were played against other coffee
houses in the town, with top-hatted runners carrying the news of
each move. The Grand Cigar Divan soon became recognized as
the Home of Chess in this country. Today, one of Simpson's
original chess sets is displayed in the Bishop's Room. |
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Further
good news for the Staunton Memorial is that the celebrated Sobkowski chess
set belonging to Morris Sobkowski, a founding member of the Friends of Chess
organisation, and a survivor of five Nazi concentration camps, has been
donated back to the tournament by the previous winner and grandmaster Jon
Levitt. The famous chess set was first given to the tournament by the widow
of Morris Sobkowski – Trudi Sobkowski. Morris and his love of chess survived
the Nazi death camps at Auschwitz, Funfteichen, Kruppwerke Maerstadt, the
Dora V2 rocket caverns and finally Belsen. A true miracle.
Here is the game
which clinched the award of the Sobkowski chess set to grandmaster Jon
Levitt in 2005.
David Howell
vs Jonathan Levitt
Staunton Memorial, London 2005
French Defence
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.Ngf3 cxd4 6.Bc4
Qd6 7.Qe2 Nc6 8.Nb3 Be7 9.Bd2 a6 10.0-0-0 Nf6 11.Kb1 b5 12.Bd3 Bb7 13.Rhe1
0-0 14.g4
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White is having difficulties regaining the sacrificed pawn
and so prefers to play in true gambit style.
14...g6
It was also possible to grab the material with 14 ... Nxg4
15 Rg1 f5 16 Rde1 Bc8.
15.g5 Nh5 16.Be4 Rfe8 17.Bc1 Qc7 18.Nbxd4 Nxd4 19.Rxd4
Bxe4 20.Qxe4 Bc5 21.Rd3 Rad8 22.Rc3
White has developed a reasonable initiative.
22...Qb6 23.Ne5 Rd5
This would be a bad moment to grab a pawn. After 23 ... Bxf2
24 Rf1 Qd4 25 Qe2 Black has got his pieces rather tangled up.
24.Ng4 Red8 25.Rf3 R8d7
26.a3
Here White can win a pawn with 26 Nh6+ Kf8 27 Qxe6 Qxe6 28
Rxe6 Bd6 when Black has some initiative and the position is messy.
26...Bf8 27.Rh3 Bg7 28.Rg1 Qd4 29.Qf3 Kf8 30.Ne3 R5d6
31.Rg4 Qa7 32.Rgh4 Qb7 33.Qe2 Qh1
Here White decided to go ‘all-in’ but this fails to beat a
counter-tactic.
34.Rxh5 gxh5 35.Qxh5 Rd1
This is the first move of a combination which lasts until
the end of the game.
36.Nxd1 Rxd1 37.Rf3 Rxc1+ 38.Ka2 Ra1+ 39.Kb3 Rxa3+
40.Kxa3 Qa1+ 41.Kb4 Qa4+
Taking the pawn with 41 ... Qxb2+ limits the queen’s
options.
42.Kc5 Bd4+ 43.Kd6
If 43 Kc6 Qc4+ 44 Kb7 Qd5+ 45 Kxa6 Qc6+ 46 Ka5 Bb6+ 47 Kb4
Qc4+ 48 Ka3 Qa4 is mate.
43...Qb4+ 44.Kc6 Qc5+ 45.Kd7 Qa7+ 46.Kd6
46 Kc8 Be5 47 Rc3 Qb8+ 48 Kd7 Qe8 is mate.
46...Qe7+ 47.Kc6 Ke8 White resigns
The only way to avert mate is by taking on f7 but that leads
to a hopeless endgame.
Spectators are
welcome and there is no charge. Playing days at
Simpson’s-in-the-Strand are 7-18 August inclusive apart from 14 August which
is the day off.
Here is a fine win
with notes by the winner - Commonwealth Grandmaster Lawrence Day.
Howell – Day; Staunton
Memorial, London 2005; Pterodactyl Defence
1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 c5 4.dxc5 Bxc3+
Originally, 1977-84, I tried 4 ... Qa5 here. White
played often played 5 Nf3 Bxc3+ 6 bxc3 Qxc3+ 7 Bd2 Qxc5 leading to gambit
play. Personally, after accepting it in a dozen or so games, I
concluded that White didn't really have enough for his gambit pawn.
However in Mestel-Day, Lucerne 1982 White improved with 5 Bd2 Qxc5 6 Nd5
when the elementary threat is 7 Bb4 Qc6 8 Bb5 trapping the Queen.
Theory then had only Robert Byrne's 6...Na6(?) as a suggestion, but I had
prepared 6...b6!? when the position after 7 Be3 Qc6 8 Bb5 Qb7 9 Bd4 f6! is
extremely complicated. Nowadays I prefer 4 ... Bxc3+
5 bxc3 Nf6
The obvious move is 5...Qa5 but there is a serious problem
after 6 Qd4 Nf6 7 Qb4! when exchanging queens recovers the pawn but is
positionally unpleasant. The retreat 7 ... Qc7 and say 8 f3 Na6 9 Bxa6
bxa6 10 Rb1 a5 11 Qb5 gives White a bind on the queenside.
6 Qd4
Initially Black’s fifth looks impossible since 6 e5 Ne4 7
Qd4 traps the Knight; however the visuals deceive since 7...Qa5
counter-attacking c3 while making c5 an ideal flight leaves White with grim
prospects.
6 ... Nc6 7 Qe3 Qa5 8 Bd2 b6 9 cxb6 axb6
Black has played a genuine gambit; White has more pawns but
they are weak and easily blockaded.
10 Bd3 Ba6 11 f4
The advance of the e-pawn is White's only apparent method of
drumming up play.
11 ... d6 12 Nf3 Qc5 13 0-0 Nd7 14 Nd4 Na5 15 e5 Nc4
Establishing the blockade. Black seems to stand well.
16 Bxc4 Bxc4 17 exd6 Qxd6 18 Rf3 Ra5 19 f5 Ne5 20 Rh3 h5
21 fxg6 Nxg6 22 Rb1 Re5 23 Qf2 b5 24 a4
Returning the pawn to obtain some activity, but it is hard
to believe it is sound.
24 ... bxa4 25 Rb4 Qa6 26 Nf3 Rd5 27 Rb6 Qa7
28 Be3
28 Rc6! was the only way to stay in the game.
28 ... Rd1+ 29 Ne1 Qc7 30 Rb4 a3 31 Ra4 a2 32 Ra8+ Rd8 33
Ra3 0-0 34 Qf3 h4 35 Bf2 Bd5 36 Qg4 Ra8 37 Bd4 e5 38 Bf2 Rxa3 39 Qg5 Be6 40
Rxh4 a1Q 41 Rh6 Kg7 42 Bh4 Qc5+ 43 Kh1 Qxe1+ 44 Bxe1 Ra1 White resigns
The comments to
the above game were generously supplied by the winner.
-
Ray Keene
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