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Chess Is For All Ages In his ninth decade, this month’s player says that chess has
“age-old deceptions to be wary of.” By GM LEV ALBURT
I LEARNED CHESS WHEN I WAS FIVE- years-old and I’ve enjoyed chess ever since, for 65 years already, albeit in somewhat different ways. So, obviously, does Chet Lowney, the winner of this month’s award. Truly, chess is a game for all ages. Writes Mr. Lowney, who also titled the entire
story (my further comments are in italics): I use this Internet game of mine to show my
fellow seniors in my beginner’s chess class at our local senior center that the royal game can have age-old deceptions to be wary of. Although I’m 84 years old I find that a game like this can give an intermediate wood-pusher the same joy as a golfer hitting a hole-in-one.
ALEKHINE’S DEFENSE (B03) Intimadator (1509) Shintowin (1534)
85th GK Tournament (Internet) Time control: 2 days per move
1. e4 Nf6 To make room for c2-c4. 6. ... Nc6
d5, however, is a weak 3. exd5, and Black is already better: 3. ... Nxd5 4. Bc4 Nb6! (not 4. ... Nxc3 5. Qf3, with advantage for White) 5. Bb3 Nc6 6. Nf3 Bf5 7. d4 e6 8. 0-0 Na5, and one of Black’s knights will soon occupy the c4-square.
2. ... Nd5 3. d4 d6
7. 0-0
Better is 7. Qe2, avoiding the trade of queens. 7. ... dxe5 8. dxe5 g6
This weakens his castle as later developments will prove. Black here must go into the ending: 8. ... Qxd1 9.
Rxd1 Na5; otherwise, his king will remain vulnerable. Fortunately for Black, that ending seems to be okay for him.
9. Nc3 Bd7 As Chet correctly noted, 8. ... g6 actually weakens
Black’s position (and wastes the tempo). Thus, to exchange queens now is too late.
4. Bc4
White’s best move here is 4. Nf3, with advantage no matter what Black does.
2. e5
I thought of developing 2. Nc3 but decided to gain tempo by forcing his knight to move twice. While 2. e5 is White’s best move, 2. Nc3 is also good.
Now 2. ... e5 is one of the Vienna’s main lines, but most “Alekhiners” would abhor its symmetry. I used to play 2. ... d5, and after 3. e5 Ne4 (3. ... Nd7 is likely to transfer into a French, while 3. ... d4 leads to White’s slight-edge) 4. Nce2! f6! 5. d3 Ng5, holding by a thread.
(see diagram top of next column) Below master level, the most popular reply to 2. ...
18 October 2015 | Chess Life
4. ... e6 After 4. ... Nb6! 5. Bb3 Bf5 (not 5. ... dxe5 6. Qh5)
Black is somewhat better (if 6. Qf3, then 6. ... Qc8), while 4. ... e6 blocks the c8-bishop and leaves White with more space—and excellent attacking chances!
5. Nf3
Don’t want to give up a good bishop early even though it would double his pawns. Besides, after 5. Bxd5? exd5 Black will easily exchange the doubled d6-pawn.
5. ... Nb6 6. Bb3
10. Be3 Yes, White can afford to waste a tempo—but why? Of
course—10. Ne4!
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