Chess in the Chaos

Bangkok, 28 luglio 2008
Foto: Isadora Duncan

Fischerandom Chaos

La prima macchina per calcolare fu inventata e costruita nel 1643 dal filosofo e matematico Pascal. Verso la fine dello stesso secolo, il filosofo e matematico Leibniz discusse una possibilità più ambiziosa: arrivare grazie a un linguaggio “universalizzato”, addirittura alla macchina per pensare. Con i computer o cervelli elettronici d’oggi, ci siamo più o meno arrivati; l’“automazione del pensiero” è sulla buona strada...
O sulla cattiva? Converrà continuare così, o non sarà meglio tornare alla buona, semplice, vecchia tavola pitagorica?

Carlo Fruttero e Franco Lucentini(1)

S. Mamedjarov (2757) – G. Kamsky (2718)
Magonza, 2007
Posizione 829
[FEN "rknbqrbn/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RKNBQRBN"]

La posizione presenta una debolezza congenita per entrambi: i Pedoni g2 e g7 indifesi! Negli scacchi classici – la mitica posizione 518 – i Pedoni sono invece tutti difesi! 1. d4 Il precedente (!!!) era 1. e4 c5? (1. ... e5!) 2. f3! Ab6?? (2. ... d6 3. Dg3 Cg6 4. Axc5 ove se 4. ... Db5 allora 5. Cd3 ±) 3. Dg3+ e requiem, Bacrot – Lanka, Magonza 2005. 1. ... f5 2. f3 Cd6 3. c3 Cg6 4. f4? Un “tempo” perduto per scongiurare e7-e5. 4. ... Ad5 5. Df2 e6 6. Ab3 Ae4+ 7. Cd3 Vieppiù compromettente. 7. ... Ch4! 8. g3?? Per non cedere un Pedone (8. Cg3 Axg2)... 8. ... Cg6... il Bianco piange e seppellisce un Cavallo! 0 : 1.

(1) Carlo Fruttero e Franco Lucentini, “L’Ora di Fantascienza”, Giulio Einaudi editore s.p.a., Torino, 1982, p. 203.

Italian Graffiti

Foto: Isadora Duncan

Pavlovian

In an interview with Janis Nisii for Torre & Cavallo Scacco!, No. 7-8, July-August 2008, pp. 14-19, the “unnumbered” former World Chess Champion Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov, among other matters, gave his opinions about Fischerandom chess (a.k.a. chess960):

— What do you think of variants like chess960? — For me, it is indifferent, but the problem with Fischerandom is for the mass of non-professional players. There are many players who don’t have too much time to study chess, but for example they have their Sicilian and with Fischerandom they could no longer play it. For me it’s fine, we professionals would adapt, but I doubt amateurs can do the same. Ordinary players want to go to the club on Saturday and play the French or the Sicilian. It would be a great tragedy for them because they do not want to lose their French!

Happy Hour

Long Way Back

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Anna Olehivna Muzychuk
5th North Urals Cup; Krasnoturinsk, July 22, 2007
Sicilian Defence B43

Notes by Woman Grandmaster Tatiana Valeryevna Grabuzova, ChessPro.ru.

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 b5 6. Bd3 Bb7 7. 0-0 d6 8. Re1 Be7 9. a4 b4 10. Na2 Nf6 11. Bd2 a5 12. Bb5+TN (Ed. Note: 12. c3 bxc3 13. Bb5+ Nbd7 14. Nxc3 Rc8 15. Qf3 0-0 16. Qg3 Ne5 17. Rad1 Nfg4 18. Nf3 f5 19. Bf4 Nxf3+ 20. Qxf3 Nf6 21. Qh3 Nxe4 22. Nxe4 Bxe4 23. Rxe4 fxe4 24. Qxe6+ Kh8 25. Qxe4 Rc5 26. Re1 Bg5 27. Bg3 Qf6 28. Bd3 g6 29. f3 Rc1 30. h4 Bd2 31. Rxc1 Bxc1 32. b4 axb4 33. Qxb4 Be3+ 34. Kh1 Bf4 35. Bf2 Rc8 36. g3 Be5 37. f4 Bc3 38. Qb7 Re8 39. Qd5 Qe6 40. Bd4+ Kg8 41. Qxe6+ Rxe6 42. Bxc3 Re3 43. Bc4+ Kf8 44. Bf6 Rxg3 45. Kh2 Rf3 46. Bg5 Ra3 47. Bb5 Kf7 48. Kg2 Ke6 49. Bd8 Kf5 50. Bc7 d5 51. a5 Ke4 52. a6 d4 53. Bb6 d3 54. Kf2 Ra1 55. a7 d2 56. Be2 Kxf4 57. Bd4 Ra2 58. Bd1 Ke4 59. Bb6 Kd3 60. Bc5 Ra1 61. Bb6 ½ : ½ Houska – A. O. Muzychuk, 7th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship, Kuşadası 2006) 12. ... Nbd7 13. Nc6 Bxc6 14. Bxc6 Rc8 15. Bb5 0-0 16. c3 bxc3 17. Bxc3 Nc5 18. Qf3 Qb6 19. Rad1 Rfd8 20. Qg3 h6 21. Nc1 Nh5 22. Qf3 Nf6 23. Nd3 Nxd3 24. Rxd3 d5 25. Bd4 Qc7 26. exd5 Rxd5 27. Rc3 Qd8 28. Rxc8 Qxc8

29. Qc3?! More reliable is 29. Bc3. 29. ... Qd8! 30. Bxf6 (30. Be3? Bb4) 30. ... Bxf6 31. Qc1 Rd2 32. b3 Bb2 33. Qc6 Bd4. As usual, in the middlegame opposite-coloured Bishops favour the attacker. 34. Rf1 Qf6 35. Qa8+ Kh7 36. Qe4+. In my opinion, White should try to reduce Black’s attacking force on the Kingside and, regardless of the possibility of doubled Pawns, offer the exchange of Queens with 36. Qf3!?. 36. ... g6 37. Be2 (37. Qf3). 37. ... Rb2. The b3-Pawn is doomed. 38. Bf3 Rxb3 39. Rd1. Black gave up something of her dynamic potential in order to gain an extra Pawn, but White’ situation is still not much improved — in an opposite-coloured Bishops middlegame.

After 39. ... Rb4 40. Qc6 Rb2. The f2-Pawn is inevitably lost as well. 41. Kh1. 41. Rf1 is not sufficient because of the simple 41. ... Bxf2+. 41. ... Rxf2. And after 34 moves Black realised her material advantage. 42. Qe4 Be5 43. Kg1 Rb2 44. Rf1 Rb4 45. Qe2 Qf4 46. g3 Qd4+ 47. Kh1 Rb2 48. Qe1 Ra2 49. Bg2 Kg7 50. Qxa5 Rxa4 51. Qb5 Ra1 52. Rxa1 Qxa1+ 53. Bf1 h5 54. Kg2 Qa8+ 55. Kh3 Qe4 56. Bd3 Qe3 57. Be2 Bd4 58. Qd3 Qe5 59. Bf3 Be3 60. Kg2 Bg5 61. Qe2 Qc5 62. Qe4 Bf6 63. Be2 Qb6 64. Bf3 Qd8 65. Be2 Qd2 66. Qd3 Qe1 67. Qd1 Qb4 68. Qd3 Bd4 69. Qc4 Qb2 70. Kh3 Qa1 71. Qd3 Qg1 72. Qe4 e5 73. Qb7 Qe3 74. Bc4 Qf2

75. Qe7. Ed. Note: The final mistake, losing on the spot. 75. ... Qf5+ 0 : 1.