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Chess Clubs


1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Bf5


A moderately fashionable line of the


Center Counter. 6. Bd2 c6 7. Bc4 e6 8. Nd5 Qd8 9. Nxf6+ gxf6 Another choice is 9. … Qxf6 10. Qe2 Bg4.


10. Bb3 Nd7 11. Qe2 Qc7 12. 0-0-0 0-0-0 13. Nh4 White has the better pawn structure but


Black can find good squares for all of his pieces. White’s overall advantage is small.


13. ... Bg6 14. g3 Kb8 15. Ng2 Dreaming of 16. Nf4 and 17. h4, but


Black won’t let this happen. Possibly 15. Kb1 or 15. Rhe1 improves because Black would be reluctant to advance … e6-e5 if White’s knight still observed f5 and g6.


15. ... e5! 16. dxe5 A good decision, although it straightens


out Black’s pawns. The superficially attrac- tive 16. Bc3 exd4 17. Bxd4 would not worry Black. After 17. … Bb4, he would get his rook to e8, with adequate counterplay.


16. ... fxe5 17. Rhe1 f6 18. f4! Maintaining pressure on Black’s pawns.


18. ... Bd6 19. fxe5 Bxe5 20. Be3 Rhe8 21. Qf2 White has played well to retain an edge.


This was a good moment to safeguard the king by 21. Kb1.


21. ... c5 22. Bc4? Natural, but faulty. White must have


overlooked Black’s startling reply. The critical variation is 22. Nf4 c4 23. Bxa7+ Kc8 24. Ba4 Qa5, provoking mass exchanges and a probable draw.


22. ... b5! Black foresees that 23. Bxb5? Qb7


would cost White material after 24. a4 (worse is 24. c4? Qe4) a6 25. Rxd7 Rxd7 26. Bxd7 Bxb2+! 27. Kd2 Qxd7+ 28. Ke2 Qxa4.


23. Bd3 Qa5 24. Bxg6 Correct. The “safer” 24. Kb1? actually


loses quickly to 24. … Bf7 25. a3 b4. 24. ... Qxa2! 25. Bxe8? White must continue cold-bloodedly


with 25. Bxh7 Qxb2+ 26. Kd2 Nf8+ 27. Ke2 Nxh7 28. Kf1. Black’s initiative has ended and he cannot easily keep his extra pawn.


25. ... Bxb2+ 26. Kd2 Ne5+ 27. Ke2 Qc4+ 28. Rd3 Rxd3 29. Kf1?!


Even the best defense, 29. Bxb5 Qxb5


30. Qf1, won’t save White, as 30. … Rc3+ picks up a second pawn.


29. ... Rxe3+ 30. Re2 Black dispatches 30. Kg1 brutally by 30.


… Rxe1+ 31. Qxe1 Nf3+, or 31. Nxe1 Bd4. 44 Chess Life — August 2011


30. ... Rf3, White resigned. Steinfl also won a brawl against a future


star, Daniel Naroditsky.


King’s Indian Defense, Four Pawns Attack (E76) Alessandro Steinfl (2272) IM Daniel Naroditsky (2494) Jimmy Quon Memorial Los Angeles, 1/23/2011


1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f4 0-0 6. Nf3 Na6


An ironic choice, as Steinfl often devel-


ops his knight to a6 when he plays the black side of the King’s Indian.


7. Bd3 e5 8. fxe5 dxe5 9. d5 Qe7 10. 0-0 Nc5 11. Bc2 a5 12. Qe1 Nh5


Black wants to counterattack with …


f7-f5. Perhaps 12. … b6 improves by keeping the option of … Nf6-g4 and induc- ing h2-h3.


13. Be3 b6 14. Rd1 Bg4 15. Nb5 f5? Both aggressive and consistent, yet White


will demonstrate a refutation. Black should hold White to a small advantage with the more patient 15. … Rad8 16. h3 Bc8.


16. exf5 e4 If 16. … gxf5, simply 17. d6 cxd5 18.


Rxd6 recovers the initiative.


17. d6! cxd6 18. Bxc5 dxc5 19. Qxe4 Qxe4 20. Bxe4 Rae8 21. Bd5+ Kh8 White could preserve his extra pawn


with 22. fxg6, but he imaginatively strives for more.


22. Nd6 Re7 23. fxg6 hxg6 Useless is 23. … Bxb2 24. Rb1 Re2, as


25. Nf7+ Kg7 26. gxh7 Kxh7 27. Rf2 gains more material.


24. Nf7+! Rexf7 Not 24. … Kh7? 25. N3g5+ Kg8 26.


Ne5+ Kh8 27. Nxg6 mate. 25. Bxf7


-+-+-tr-mk +-+-+Lvl- -zp-+-+p+


pz -zp-+-+n -+P+-+l+ +-+-+N+- PzP-+-+PzP +-+R+RmK-


After 25. Bxf7 Foreseeing 25. … Rxf7 26. Rd8+ Rf8


(worse is 26. … Bf8? 27. Ne5, when both


black bishops hang) 27. Rxf8+ Bxf8 28. Ne5 Bf5 29. Nxg6+ Bxg6 30. Rxf8+ Kg7 31. Rb8, with an easily won endgame.


25. ... Nf4 26. Bd5 Bxb2 27. Rb1 Bd4+ 28. Nxd4 cxd4 29. g3


Not fearing 29. … d3? because 30. gxf4


d2 31. Bf3 stops the pawn. 29. ... Ne2+ 30. Kg2 Rd8 31. Rxb6 Bf5 Black has no good answer to 31. … d3


32. Rxg6, as 32. … Bh5? would allow 33. Rh6+.


32. Rd1 d3 33. Rd2 Nc3 34. Bf3 a4 35. g4 Be4 36. c5 Rd4 37. c6 Bd5 37. c7, Black resigned.


Gupta wants Metropolitan Chess to


serve a mass of players, and therefore he invited several newcomers to the third Metro Invitational. In addition, he began the policy of running a concurrent qual- ifying tournament, open to all. Vadim Kudryavtsev won the first qualifier and earned a spot in the fourth invitational. Jacek Stopa of Poland took first prize


in the main event with an undefeated score of 7-2. Stopa is a versatile player, adept at all chess skills except keeping a legible scoresheet. Here he trounces the youngest norm-seeker.


Sicilian Defense, Maroczy Bind (B39) IM Jacek Stopa (2535) Kayden Troff (2354) 3rd Metropolitan Chess Invitational Los Angeles, 2/27/2011


1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. e4 By transposition, the players have


reached a position usually arising from the Sicilian Defense.


5. ... Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Nc3 Ng4 A standard method of trading knights


without giving White control of d4. 8. Qxg4 Nxd4 9. Qd1 Ne6 10. Rc1 Qa5 Other moves permit 11. b4, denying


Black’s knight a post at c5. 11. Bd3 b6 12. 0-0 Bb7 13. Bd2 Apparently untested by masters. White


has played 13. f4 and 13. a3 with consid- erable success.


13. ... Qc5 14. Nd5!? (please see diagram top of page 46)


14. ... d6? Too meek. Black will be shoved back-


ward. Instead, Black must accept the sacrifice with 14. … Bxb2 15. Rb1 Bg7. Then 16. Bb4 Qd4! keeps the extra pawn, as neither 17. Bxe7? Bxd5 nor 17. Nxe7?!


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