John Henderson Mainz Reports

Round 5-6 28th June 2001

MAINZ AND THE BEAST OF BAKU

THE chess mad Burgomaster of Mainz, Jens Beutel, who is largely responsible for this tournament taking place, has a remarkable record over the board against world champions: He’s drawn with three of them in the past year! Apart from his two draws with Anand and Kramnik at this year’s Chess Classic, last year at Frankfurt during a Garry Kasparov simul, Beutel’s infuriated the Beast by holding him to a draw. Coincidentally, I discovered, to much mirth in the pressroom, that Mainz is also twinned with Garry’s hometown of Baku in Azerbaijan, where, according to the records, they have been on friendly terms since 1984.

Beutel’s is a strong chess player for a politician, and can be freely seen in the front row of the audience during all of the sessions of the “Duel of the Champions”, carefully watching each move. I can confirm, after also drawing with him during the special Fischer Random journalist and celebrity challenge held on the rest day, that he plays a mean game with a rating at around 2100. He came second in the tournament behind the manager of the local chess club Schott Mainz, Erich Siebenhaar, he of monumental works on the Alekhine Defence fame. Talking to Beutel’s after our game, he suggested I should tell you all something about “his” city: Mainz.

Mainz, statue of Johannes Gutenberg and the dome of Mainz.

Since the good lady and myself have spent the best part of a week touring around this awe-inspiring city in-between the chess (I knew there was another reason for being here apart from a free holiday!) at least let me tell you a thing or two about it – at the risk of being contradicted on world history at a later date by Garry Kasparov, who will no doubt tell me that it was once part of the Great Russian Empire ruled by King Arthur, who in-between being in charge of the Knights of the Round Table was actually the real Shakespeare!

So here goes...

German writer Carl Zuckmayer once declared in one of his many works, “Mainz is the birthplace of the peoples of Europe.” By that, he meant that this ancient German city, situated right on the banks of the Rhine, has so much history attached to it that it could be said to be the starting point of many memorable events in world history.

Mainz (pron. “mints”), the new home city for Hans-Walter Schmitt’s Chess Classic extravaganza, has a population of around 200,000 and is literally steeped in history – a fact you can’t escape as you look around every nook and cranny of the labyrinth of small streets and passages, which lead through the old city centre.

Archeologically, it dates back over 2000 years to 13 B.C. (No. Not Before ChessBase!) where it was the Camp of the Roman 14^th Legion in Kästrich under Nero Claudius Drusus (if my history serves me right here, this senior military figure was none other than the father of the Roman Emperor C-C-C-Claudius) where it was called Moguntiacum (the Roman name for Mainz), and proves the cities wealthy heritage.

Sacral architecture is immediately ubiquitous in many areas of Mainz. The six towers of the Romanesque cathedral are literally outstanding, in both senses of the word. This imposing cathedral's animate history is characterised alternately by fires and renovations; a history once begun by Archbishop Willigis.

During the 18^th Century the best architects and most talented sculptors gave the city its unique image and underlined it with a splendour of new churches and palaces. The way the city and the church are intertwined is clearly visible in the fabulous Dom of Mainz (Cathedral of SS. Martin and Stephen). An imposing piece of architectural art that has dominated the skyline of Mainz for over 1000 years, it is situated right in the heart of the city. It is unusual for a soaring cathedral to be surrounded by residential buildings around a thriving market place, yet in many ways it is a perfect reflection of the religious and temporal world of medieval times.

Immediately after being proclaimed archbishop in 975, Willigis began the construction of the cathedral, based on the model of the boss’ home of St.Peter’s in Rome. Unfortunately, divine intervention took a funny turn on the day of its consecration in 1009, when the building was destroyed by fire from a bolt of lightning! All that remained of poor old Willigis’ cathedral was the bronze knockers (still defiantly situated where the main entrance is today in Market Gate). His successor, Archbishop Bardo, ordered it to be rebuilt on the old foundations, and it was consecrated in 1036 and dedicated to SS. Martin and Stephen.

Mainz is also the home to many other churches of equally outstanding architecture, such as the Church of St Peter, one of the most beautiful rococo churches in the Rhineland, the Augustine church with its grand façade between the fronts of the houses in the picturesque old town and the "Christchurch" in Neo-renaissance style and last but not least, the Gothic Church St Stephan, situated in the southwest of the old town, where the artist Marc Chagall transposed the Old Testament onto the stained glass windows in a beautiful blue colour. A magnificent work of art, which has long since become a magnet for many an astounded viewer.

However, unquestionably the most famous building in the city is the Gutenberg Museum, dedicated to the most famous son of this Rhineland city and one of the men of the 20^th Century, Johannes Gensfleisch Gutenberg (1400?-1468), without whom all those wonderful chess books from the likes of Ray Keene and Eric Schiller might not have been possible (Nice to put a name and face to the person responsible, isn’t it?). This humble German printer is credited with revolutionising the art of printing with the invention of a moveable typeface, which he used in his Mainz printing press situated in the cathedral to print the 42-line Bible, known as the Gutenberg Bible.

The international printing museum contains not only the works of the inventor, but also documents the history of writing in all principal cultures and the creation of book in the Middle Ages – including the works of English printer William Caxton, publisher of the second book to be printed in English, THE GAME AND PLAYE OF THE CHESSE, in 1475; consisting of 72-pages, it is the translation of a book by Jacobus de Cessolis that was printed in Bruges, Belgium. An original work is valued at over $100,000 – right up to their development into modern automated printing processes.

So there you have it. A little potted history of Mainz, definitely a city worth exploring – and even if there’s no chess in town!

Meanwhile, back at the “Duel of the Champions”, the tension is beginning to mount after Vishy Anand came storming back into contention after comprehensively beating Kramnik in game five of their 10-game match to tie the match.

Kramnik,V - Anand,V [D27]

Duel of the Champions Game 5

1 d4 d5 2 c4 dxc4 3 Nf3 e6 4 e3 Nf6 5 Bxc4 c5 6 0–0 a6 7 Bb3 Nbd7 8 Qe2 [8 e4!? is an interesting idea from Alex Yermolinsky, the idea being: 8 ..Nxe4 9 d5 Ndf6 10 dxe6 Bxe6 11 Bxe6 fxe6 12 Qe2 with play down the d- and e-files.] 8 ..b5 9 a4 Bb7 10 axb5 axb5 11 Rxa8 Qxa8 12 Nc3 b4 13 Nb5 Qb8 14 e4 cxd4 [Taking the pawn is, of course, fraught with danger: 14 ..Nxe4?! 15 Ng5 Bc6 16 d5! Bxb5 17 Qxe4 Nf6 18 Qe3 Bxf1 19 Nxf7!! Qxh2+! 20 Kxh2 Ng4+ 21 Kg1 Nxe3 22 Nxh8 Nxd5 23 Ba4+! with a winning advantage, Jussupow,A-Polgar,J/ Moscow Olympiad 1994.] 15 Nbxd4 Bd6 [15 ..Bc5?! 16 Rd1! 0–0 17 Nxe6!] 16 Bxe6 [This is something of a speculative line for Kramnik to be playing - and also a line which strangely favours black. Alternatively, 16 Bc2= ] 16 ..fxe6 17 Nxe6 h6!N

Up to now, the only move seen was the natural looking 17 ..g6 18 Bh6 (18 Qc4 Qc8 19 Ng7+ Kf8 20 Qe6 Kxg7 21 Qxd6 Qc5 22 Qf4 Re8 23 Be3 Qe7 24 Re1 Qxe4 25 Qd6 Qd5 26 Qxb4 Ne5 27 Rc1 Kg8 28 Qf4 Nd3 0–1 Campos Moreno,J-Magem Badals,J/Barbera del Valles 1995/EXT 97 (28).) 18 ..Ke7 19 Neg5 Rc8 20 Bg7 Rc5 21 Qd3 Bxh2+ 22 Nxh2 Rxg5 23 Re1 Kf7 24 Nf3 Rxg2+ 25 Kxg2 Kxg7 26 Nd2 Nc5 27 Qd4 Ne6 28 Qxb4 Nf4+ 29 Kf3 N4d5 30 Qd4 Ne7 31 Ke2 Nc6 32 Qb6 Nd7 33 Qe3 Ba6+ 34 Kf3 Qh2 35 Qc3+ Nde5+ 36 Ke3 Qh6+ 0–1 Campos Moreno,J-Adianto,U/Moscow 1994/CBM 44 ext (36).; 17 ..Ne5 18 Nxe5 Bxe5 19 f4 Qa7+ 20 Be3 Ba6 21 Ra1 Bxe2 22 Rxa7 Bxb2 23 Nxg7+ Kd8 24 Ra8+ Kd7 25 Rxh8 Nxe4 26 Rxh7 Nf6 27 Rh3 Bc3 28 Bc5 Nd5 29 Rxc3 bxc3 30 Kf2 c2 31 Ba3 Bd3 32 f5 Kc6 33 g4 Kb5 34 g5 Kc4 35 f6 Bg6 36 Ne6 Nb4 37 Nf4 Bf7 38 Bc1 Na2 39 Be3 Nc3 40 Kf3 Nd5 41 Bc1 1–0 Uhlmann,W-Balcerowski,W/Bad Liebenstein 1963/EXT 2000 (41).] 18 Nxg7+ [18 Rd1 Bxe4!; 18 e5 Bxf3 19 Qxf3 Nxe5 both with winning advantages for black.] 18 ..Kf7 19 Nf5 Bxe4 20 Nxh6+ Kg7 [20 ..Rxh6? 21 Bxh6 Bxf3 22 Qxf3 Bxh2+ 23 Kh1 Be5 24 g4! Qb5 25 Rd1 and white's well in the game.] 21 h3?

White's position is bad, but this makes it worse. The only option was: 21 Qd2 Bxf3 22 Qxd6 Qxd6 23 Nf5+ Kh7! 24 Nxd6 Rg8 25 g3 Ne5 26 Re1 Rd8 27 Rxe5 Rxd6 28 Re1 Rc6! and black has full control.] 21 ..Rxh6! 22 Bxh6+ Kxh6 23 Rd1 Bxf3! 24 Qxf3 Be5 25 Qe3+ Kg7 26 Qg5+ Kf7 27 Qf5 Nf8 28 b3 [28 g4!? was the overwhelming punt from the pressroom: 28 ..Bh2+ 29 Kh1 Qe5!, but black still has a superior position.] 28 ..Bc3 29 g3 Qe5!

This basically seals Kramnik's demise as it more or less forces the queens off. 30 Qxe5 Bxe5 31 f4 Bc3 32 Kg2 Ne4 33 g4 Nd2 34 f5 Nxb3 35 g5 Nc5 36 Kf3 b3 37 h4 b2 38 h5

38 Ke3 was probably better if white was going to pull off a swindle.] 38 ..Bd2 39 Rb1 Bc1 40 Ke2 [With the idea of Kd1 and Rxc1 drawing. If 40 h6 Na4 41 g6+ Nxg6 42 fxg6+ Kxg6 wins easily.] 40 ..Ne4 41 Kd3 Nd2 42 Rxb2 Bxb2 43 Kxd2 Kg7 44 Kd3 [44 Kc2 Be5 45 Kd3 Bf4 is much the same thing.] 44 ..Bc1 45 g6 Nd7 46 Ke4 Nf6+ 47 Ke5 Nxh5 48 Ke6 Bb2 0–1

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