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Chessville
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It is the dream of every aspiring chess player to know how a GM prepares for a tournament and follow in his footsteps. The moot question is: Where does the arsenal of a GM's armory come from? Indeed, with the sheer profusion of first class games from national and international events all over the world it is hardly possible for a tournament player to separate the grain from the chaff. A professional publication like ChessBase Magazine offers him invaluable assistance by introducing an element of order into this chaos and helps him to navigate uncharted seas. This magazine is published six times per year on CD. Each issue offers complete games from major events along with regular sections on openings, tactics, endings and strategy etc. As it happens to be a flagship for ChessBase, it also offers useful information on the products of the parent company.
The main database in the present issue includes 1513 OTB games of which 450 are annotated by GMS like Stohl, Rogozenko, Hecht, Hübner and others. Few games are annotated by the players themselves. However, it hardly matters here as the annotations have a high standard. Besides, they are mercifully brief and to the point. Apart from games from super-tournaments like Linares, Reykjavik and Bundesliga team matches, National Championship games of India, France and Israel are also included. These games are particularly helpful to players who prepare for international tournaments as they offer a glimpse into the home preparation of prospective opponents. This issue has wonderful reports on the Linares and Reykjavik events, with memorable images capturing the mood of the tournament scene. One would welcome such in-depth reports on other events like Melody Amber and the Bundesliga Team Championship. Besides, one would look forward to detailed reports on National Championships with contributions from chess journalists. With such reporting the magazine would have a global outlook. In my view the Bundesliga season rarely gets the public recognition it deserves in the English speaking world. With the participation of GMs like Anand, Shirov, Grischuk and others, the Bundesliga has become one of the strongest events in the world. It also offers an opportunity for showcasing young talent as in the following game. Sandipan Chanda is a gifted 19-year-old player from Kolkata. He has become the 9th grandmaster of India . A. Graf (formerly, Alexander Nenashev) hails from Uzbekistan. He is an experienced GM, and has recently settled down in Germany. Sandipan Chanda-A.Graf, Bundesliga 2003 1.e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Be3 a6 7.f3 b5 8.g4 Bb7 9.Qd2 Nc6 10.0-0-0 Ne5 11.g5 Nfd7 12.f4 b4
13.Na4?! At this point 13.Nd5 is the usual move. After 13… exd5 14.exd5 Bxd5 15.Bg2 Qa5 16. Bxd5 Qxd5 17.fxe5 dxe5, a dynamic balance is reached. But white has a more ambitious idea. 13… Bxe4 14.fxe5 It is too late for 14.Rg1 as it is met by 14… Nf3 15.Qg2 Qc8 16.Nxf3 Qxc6 17.Nd4 Bxg2 18.Nxc6 Bxc6 19.Nb6 Nxb6 20.Bxb6 Be4. Black is a pawn up with the better position. 14…Bxh1 15.Bg2 Bxg2 16.Qxg2 Rc8 17.g6!?
17...hxg6 17…Nxe5?! is met by 18.gxf7! with the following variations: 18.Nxe6 Qh4?! 19.exd6 Not 19.Nxf8 Nxe5 20.Nb6 Rc6 21.Nxg6 Qxh2 22.Nf4 g5. White is lost. 19…Bxd6 20.Qb7
The position is full of pitfalls. If 20.Rxd6 Qe1+ 21.Rd1 Qxe3+ Black wins. 20…Rb8 21.Nxg7+? Tempting and wrong. After this unfortunate move the
knight is out of play. 21…Ke7 22.Qxc6 Qxf6 23.Nc5 Nxc5 24.Rxd6 24.Bxc5 fails to 24...Qxg5+ 26.Kb1 Qxc5
24… Nd3+! This move was missed by White. 25.cxd3 Qf1+ 26.Kc2 Rxh2+ 27.Bd2 Rxd2+ 28.Kxd2 Qxf4+ 0-1 A) Amar's Opening: 1.Nh3 (86
Games) There is also a separate article on recent developments in Semi-Slav Defence with nine deeply annotated games by Christopher Lutz. The section on strategy is remarkable for the perspective it offers on modern chess. Its feature article, " Novelty! - The Opening And The Search For The New'' is full of good humor and common sense. The author, Peter Wells, has a way of putting the reader at ease and winning him over to his argument. In this article he suggests that it is perfectly possible for a great many players to discover new ideas in openings. They need not be daunted by the vast amount of information and assessment which forms the bulk of theory. After all, theory is hardly written in stone. Much of what constitutes theory is in a state of flux and under constant review. As he puts it, "we are all guilty at times of fixed patterns of thinking and … this, combined with a certain predisposition to believe theory can lead us to overlook the obvious." If we can liberate our minds from stereotyped thinking it is possible for us to find strong new moves in positions generally believed to have already undergone careful examination. He quotes with approval Dvoretsky's words, "It is important to include in your repertoire some systems and variations on which your opinion differs, even if only slightly from that of the theorists.'' Then comes the friendly tip: Beware of high profile novelties. Such cases are well worth checking twice. He follows it up with this illustration: Garcia, I -Torrecillas Martinez, A 1996 1.e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nc6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Be3 Be7 8.Bb3 0-0 9.0-0 a6 10.f4 Nxd4 11.Bxd4 b5 12.e5 dxe5 13.fxe5 Nd7 14.Qxg4 Bb7 15.Rxf7??!
This move was first played in the game Kuznetsov-Molev 1993. Now the move 15...Rxf7? loses to 16.Qxe6 Bc5 17.Qxf7+ Kh8 18.Bxc5 Nxc5 19.Bd5! Bxd5 20.Qxd5. 15…Kxf7 16.Bxe6+ Ke8 17.Qh5+ g6 18.Qxh7
In the stem game Black played the weaker 18…Qc7? And after 19.Qg6! Kd8 20.Rd1 Kc8 ran into serious difficulties and lost. Perhaps Garcia trusted the outcome of the game played three years ago. But now comes the refutation. 18…Nxe5! 19.Rd1 Qd6! 20.Bb3 Rd8 21.Nd5 Bxd5 22.Bxe5 Qb6+ 23.Bd4 Bxb3 0-1 After this disaster white has chosen the sober 14.Ne4 or 14.Rad1 in this variation. As Peter Wells puts it, the challenge for a good player is how to strike a balance between respect for theory and skepticism towards it. Last, but not the least, the Magazine offers GM Hübner's analytical review of the Kasparov-Deep Junior match followed by philosophical reflections on the power of technology and the fear evoked by the silicon monsters. Here is a magazine that offers much food for thought. Read (and see!)
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