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Chessville
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ChessBase Magazine 95 Reviewed by Prof. Nagesh Havanur
The faithful readers of Chessville have a legitimate grievance. After an initial promise (see my review of ChessBase Magazine 94) CBM reviews have not appeared for a long time. I plead guilty to the charge even as these wonderful CDs have been jostling for attention for months. A tough academic schedule had prevented me from doing justice to these CDs and writing about them in proper detail. It goes without saying that there is no better way of acquainting oneself with the vast mass of games played during the year than reading the ChessBase Magazine.
This issue has 1563 games of which as many 400 games are annotated. Apart from high category events like the Budapest, Dos Hermanas, Karpov Poikovsky and Sigeman & Co. tournaments, there are also games from the National Championships of France, Denmark, Poland and team events like the Bundesliga. Aficionados of rapid events would find games from the Karpov-Macieja Match and SIS-MH Masters Denmark event (won by Anand - who else?). The Multimedia report on the European Individual Championship held at Istanbul is found rather wanting. The indifferent picture and sound quality is sought to be excused with the following words by the young lady reporter: "… due to some technical problems, picture and audio may not be synchronous when playing the video. Please apologize." [sic] We do. Considering the chaotic and controversial circumstances of this tournament one wonders how she managed to take any pictures at all and also conduct interviews. Fortunately for her, she was not playing in this tournament. Otherwise she would have spent sleepless nights worrying about paying the exorbitant hotel bills (Courtesy: The Turkish hosts backed by the ECU). It was the conflict between the players and the organizers over this issue of hotel accommodation at this venue that eventually led to the forming of ACP (Association of Chess Professionals). Today the ACP has become a force to be reckoned with in the chess world. [Editor: For more information about the ACP, read this interview with its President, GM Joel Lautier.] Then there is the hilarious explanation of the Georgian GM Zurab Azmaiparashvili on how he came to withdraw the move against Vladimir Malakhov. The young Russian GM, apparently overawed by the stature of his opponent (Zurab Azmaiparashvili is the Vice-President, FIDE), did not complain to the arbiter. Thus not only did Azmai win the game but also the Championship, half a point ahead of the twice unlucky Malakhov.However, other players did not take kindly to the “J’adoube” act, and were critical of Azmai, not even caring to remember that he was only following the worthy footsteps of such illustrious figures as soccer legend Maradona and chess star Kasparov. Unfortunately, the Hand Of God seems to have haunted Azmai for quite some time with newshounds following him round the globe with the same questions.It is with a sense of relief that the reader turns to games from other events in this CD. As a number of games from super tournaments featured in this CD have appeared in chess magazines, I have chosen a relatively little-known game from the Karpov-Macieja Rapid Match. Karpov won by the score 6-2. The game is of some theoretical importance: Macieja,B (2634) - Karpov,A (2686) [C45] 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 The young Polish GM knows that the Ruy Lopez is Karpov’s forte. Hence, the decision to play the Scotch. But Karpov has had considerable knowledge and experience of this opening, having encountered it in his World Championship Match against Kasparov in 1990. 3…exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nxc6 bxc6 6.e5 Qe7 7.Qe2 Nd5 8.c4 Ba6 9.b3 0-0-0
10.g3 10.Bb2 is an alternative. But the text is more flexible. White is keeping an option to develop his dark-squared bishop to a3. 10...g5 11.Ba3? This move is too optimistic and appears to be a big mistake. 11.Bg2 Bg7 12.Bb2 could transpose to one of the main variations. 11...Nb4!N 12.Bb2 White has lost a tempo, but probably Macieja thought that the knight on b4 is doing nothing... 12...Bg7 White is already in big trouble... 13.Bg2 13.a3 Nd3+! 14.Qxd3 Bxe515.Qe3 Bb2! 16. Qe7 Rhe8 is also bad for White. 13...Nd3+!
A very instructive punishment for White's inaccurate play in the opening. 13...Bxe5 14.0-0 Rhe8 is also good for black, but the move played by Karpov is spectacular. 14.Qxd3 Bxe5 15.Bxe5?! White decides to sacrifice the exchange, but it’s of no avail. If 15.Qe3 or 15.Qe2 there follows 15...Bxb2 16.Qxe7 Rhe8 17.Qe3 Rxe3+ 18.fxe3 Bxa1 19.0-0 d5. White’s plight is no worse... 15...Qxe5+ 16.Qe3 Qxa1 17.0-0 Kb8-+
17…Qa2 ?? 18. Qa7 wins. 18.Nc3 Qb2 19.Rb1 Qa3 20.Qxg5 Rhe8 21.Qf5 Qd6 22.Rd1 Not 22.Qxf7 Qd2-+ 22...Qe5 Here the unnamed CBM commentator recommends 22.. Qg6 to avoid exchange of queens. Against the text move 22… Qe5, he suggests that White could now play 23.Qxe5 Rxe5 24.Bxc6 with some chances to survive. But Karpov had taken this possibility into account. In this line after 24.Bxc6? Bb7! Wins easily.
Now 25. Bxd7?? fails to …Rxd7 with the threat of back rank mate. 23...f5 24.Bf3 Bb7 25.b4 f4 26.c5 h5 27.Ne2 fxg3 28.hxg3 h4 . 29.Kg2 Rg8 30.Rd4 30.Qd3 d6 hxg3 31.fxg3 Rxg3+! 32.Nxg3 Qxd4 33.Qb3 Ba6 34.b5 0-1 The most important part of the CD is its section on Theory. There are eight texts on openings with select databases by acknowledged experts in the field. 1) English Opening By GM Zoltan Ribli Besides, the magazine also offers a special report on Semi-Slav Defence(D43-49) by GM Christopher Lutz with 37 annotated games. The Magazine also carries the following regular features:
In this last section the author continues his discussion of the search for opening novelties in modern chess with a number of examples. The following game is a cut and thrust battle with a TN in Sicilian Richter-Rauzer Variation Voekler (2382) - Meins (2436) [B65] Bundesliga 2003 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 Be7 8.0-0-0 Nxd4 9.Qxd4 0-0 10.f4 Qa5 11.Bd3 h6 12.h4 Rd8 13.Kb1 Bd7 14.Qe3 Bc6 15.e5 dxe5 16.fxe5 Ng4! TN
Not 16...Rxd3?? 17.Rxd3 hxg5 18.hxg5 Bxg2 19.gxf6 Bxh1 20.Qg1! 1-0 Shirov-Anand Melody Amber 1998 17.Qe2 If 17.Qf4 hxg5 18.hxg5 Qb4! wins. 17.Qg3 hxg5 18.hxg5 Qxe5 19.Qxg4 Qxg5 20.Qh3 Qh6 is the lesser evil for White. After 21.Qxh6 gxh6 22.Rxh6 Black's position is preferable on account of the two bishops and a compact pawn structure. 17...hxg5 18.Qxg4 Qxe5 19.Rde1 Qd4 20.Qh5 g6 21.Bxg6 Qg7! 22.Bd3 gxh4 23.Rhg1 Rd4 24.Ne4 Rad8 25.g3 R8d5 26.Qe2 h3 27.Qh2 Re5 28.Nf2 Rxe1+ 29.Rxe1 Rb4 30.Nd1 Bg2 31.g4 Rxg4 32.Qc7 Bf8 33.a3 Rg3 34.Nf2 h2 35.Be4 Bxe4 36.Rxe4 Rg1+ 37.Ka2 h1Q 38.Nxh1 Rxh1 39.Qxb7 Qg1 40.Rf4 Qb1+ 41.Kb3 Rh3+ 0-1 Recommended.
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