Chessville - Crema Catalana - by GM Raymond Keene

Nigel Short and Garry Kasparov have done their bit for British schools chess by appearing in Parliament to support Malcolm Pein’s charity Chess in Schools and Communities, which is also backed up by an Early Day Motion in Parliament proposed, amongst others, by MPs Rachel Reeves and Yasmin Qureshi.

Nigel has been representing England in the European Championships in Greece where his recent change of style has become strikingly apparent. For the vast part of his career Nigel has been an adherent of 1 e4 but in recent tournaments he has shown himself to be an expert practitioner of the subtle Flank Openings, based on the fianchetto of at least one white bishop. Here is a striking example from the first round.

Short-Sveshnikov
European Teams, Porto Carras 2011; Catalan

1 c4 e6 2 g3

This wing development of White’s king’s bishop is characteristic of the flank opening systems.

2 ... d5 3 Bg2 Nf6 4 Nf3 dxc4

It is often felt that this liquidation of the centre eases Black’s defensive problems. However, as Short demonstrates here White still has plenty of prospects for developing and retaining the initiative.

5 Qa4+ Nbd7 6 Qxc4 c5 7 d3

From my own experience, Keene-Littlewood, England 1979, 7 0-0 a6 8 Qb3 Be7 9 Nc3 Rb8 10 d3 b5 11 Bf4 Rb6 12 a4 bxa4 13 Qa2 Bb7 14 Nxa4 Rb4 15 Bd2 Bd5 16 Qb1 Rb3 17 Bc3 Qa8 18 e4 Bc6 19 Qc2 also leads to a good game for White.

7 ... a6 8 Qb3 Bd6 9 0-0 Rb8 10 a4 b5 11 axb5 axb5 12 Nc3 0-0 13 Bg5

This is a new move. Previous theory has seen 13 Ng5 here as in Polugayevsky-Thorsteins, Reykjavik 1988.

13 ... h6

This overlooks White’s next. 13 ... Bb7 is better.

14 Ne4

Sveshnikov had probably not expected this move.

14 ... hxg5 15 Nxd6 g4 16 Ng5 c4 17 dxc4 Nc5 18 Qd1 bxc4 19 Ra7

White’s forces converge on f7 – the traditional weakness in the king’s fortifications.

19 ... Qb6 20 Rxf7 Ba6 21 Qc2 Rxf7 22 Ndxf7 Qxb2 23 Qg6

With the disappearance of Black’s f-pawn White’s forces destroy the black king.

23 ... Rf8 24 Rb1 c3 25 Nh6+

This manoeuvre picks off some extra material before bagging the black queen.

25 ... Kh8 26 Ngf7+ Rxf7 27 Nxf7+ Kg8 28 Rxb2 cxb2 29 Qc2 Kxf7 30 Qxb2 Black resigns