Bravo Tommaso!

Apprendiamo da Laura (la mamma) che Tommaso Zolfanelli, all’esordio in un torneo giovanile di scacchi classici, “è stato proprio bravo, si è divertito ed è arrivato 5° su 29 e 1° su 10 della sua categoria (cadetti)...”. Ad maiora!

Due vite una svolta

Scacchi960 Simul su 10 scacchiere del Maestro Internazionale Vangjel Buli c/o Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna” Firenze, 25 aprile 2009

The Diehards of the Position Number 518

International Master Vanjel Buli gives a 10-board simultaneous chess960 display at Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna” in Florence, Italy on April 25, 2009.

Me, Let’s Hope I Make It

International Master Vanjel Buli gives a 10-board simultaneous chess960 display at Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna” in Florence, Italy on April 25, 2009.

Fischerandom Kaos

International Master Vangjel Buli performing a 10-board chess960 simultaneous exhibtion at Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna” in Florence, Italy, April 25, 2009.

Life After Marriage

• Evgeny Yakovlevich Gik, “Chess Queen Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk and Her Family”, «Интеллектуальные игры» (Intellectual games), No. 5(15), 2008, pp. 10–13.

In the Cage

Dimitri Reinderman – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
71st Corus Chess Tournament (Group B); Wijk aan Zee, January 19, 2009
English Opening A20

1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. 0-0 Be7 7. d4 exd4 8. Nxd4 Nxd4 9. Qxd4 Nf6 10. Qa4+ c6 11. Rd1 Bd7 12. Nc3 0-0 13. e4 Qb6 14. Qc2 Bg4 15. Re1 Be6 16. h3 Rad8 17. Be3 Qa6 18. f4 Nd7 19. e5 Bc5 20. Ne4 Bxe3+ 21. Rxe3 Qb6 22. Qf2 f6 23. exf6 Nxf6 24. Ng5 Bd5 25. Bxd5+ Nxd5 26. Rb3 Qxf2+ 27. Kxf2 Rd7 28. Ne6 Re8 29. Nc5 Rde7 30. Nxb7 Re2+ 31. Kf3 h5 32. Nd6 R8e3+ 33. Rxe3 Rxe3+ 34. Kf2 h4. 34. ... Rd3 35. Nc4 h4 was also possible. 35. Rg1 hxg3+ 36. Rxg3 Re6 37. Nf5 g6 38. Nd4 Rf6 39. f5 c5 40. Nf3

40. ... Rxf5? After a series of forced moves, Black finally goes astray. The right move was 40. ... Ne7! 41. Nh4 (41. fxg6 Nf5=) 41. ... Kf7 with excellent drawing chances. 41. Rxg6+ Kf7 42. Ra6 Nf4 43. Rxa7+ Ke6 44. h4 Nd3+ 45. Kg3 Nxb2 46. Kg4 Rf8 47. h5

47. ... c4? Her only hope for a draw consisted in 47. ... Nc4! heading for f5 via e3. 48. h6 c3 49. h7 Kd5 50. Ne1 Nc4 51. Kg5 Nd6 52. Kg6 Ne8 53. Rf7 Rh8 54. Rf3 Kd4 55. Nc2+ Kc4 56. Rh3 1 : 0. Black finally ended up in zugzwang.

The Incredible Lightness of Being

Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov – Garry Kimovich Kasparov
World Chess Championship 1985; match game 4; Moscow, September 12, 1985
Queen’s Gambit Declined D53

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Bxf6 7. e3 0-0 8. Qc2 Na6 9. Rd1 c5 10. dxc5 Qa5 11. cxd5 Nxc5 12. Qd2 Rd8 13. Nd4 exd5 14. Be2 Qb6 15. 0-0 Ne4 16. Qc2 Nxc3 17. Qxc3 Be6 18. Qc2 Rac8 19. Qb1 Rc7 20. Rd2 Rdc8

In “Chess, Chance and Conspiracy” by Mark Segal, Statistical Science, September 2007, Vol. 22, No. 1, 98–108, p. 3, Bobby Fischer was quoted as saying: “Starting on move 21, White makes no less than 18 consecutive moves on the light squares. Incredible!”.
21. Nxe6 fxe6 22. Bg4 Rc4 23. h3 Qc6 24. Qd3 Kh8 25. Rfd1 a5 26. b3 Rc3 27. Qe2 Rf8 28. Bh5 b5 29. Bg6 Bd8 30. Bd3 b4 31. Qg4 Qe8 32. e4 Bg5 33. Rc2 Rxc2 34. Bxc2 Qc6 35. Qe2 Qc5 36. Rf1 Qc3 37. exd5 exd5 38. Bb1 Qd2 39. Qe5 Rd8 40. Qf5 Kg8 41. Qe6+ Kh8 42. Qg6 Kg8 43. Qe6+ Kh8 44. Bf5 Qc3 45. Qg6 Kg8 46. Be6+ Kh8 47. Bf5 Kg8 48. g3 Kf8 49. Kg2 Qf6 50. Qh7 Qf7 51. h4 Bd2 52. Rd1 Bc3 53. Rd3 Rd6 54. Rf3 Ke7 55. Qh8 d4 56. Qc8 Rf6 57. Qc5+ Ke8 58. Rf4 Qb7+ 59. Re4+ Kf7 60. Qc4+ Kf8 61. Bh7 Rf7 62. Qe6 Qd7 63. Qe5 1 : 0.

Wilderness years

A picture of Bobby Fischer dating back to his “wilderness years” (from 1972 to 1992), when like a zombie he’d been staring at his private murals in a basement at Pasadena, surrounded by bigots and religious fanatics.

Los Angeles County, California, likely early 90s. Fischer, with a white beard, is seated at centre. Photo courtesy of Bobby Fischer.

Er Morphy della Tiburtina

La seconda norma di Daniele Vocaturo all’Open di Reykjavik (24 marzo-I aprile) non è un pesce d’aprile! Da antologia, poi, l’attacco con cui ha “immortalato” il quotato Grande Maestro Tiger Hillarp Persson:

D. Vocaturo (2445) – T. Hillarp Persson (2686)
Reykjavik, 26 marzo 2009
Francese C18

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Cc3 Ab4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Axc3+ 6. bxc3 Ce7 7. h4!? Un Pedone in fuga! 7. ... Cbc6 8. h5 Da5 9. Ad2 Ad7 Dopo 9. ... cxd4 10. cxd4 Da4 è promettente il sacrificio di Pedone di Kasparov: 11. Cf3! Cxd4 12. Ad3 con gratificante compenso per il Pedone. 10. h6! gxh6 11. Tb1!? 0-0-0 Vocaturo conosce la variante come le sue tasche, e la contemplazione dell’alternativa 11. ... Dc7 gli avrà sicuramente evocato ricordi piacevolissimi: 12. Cf3 0-0-0 13. Axh6 cxd4 14. cxd4 Cf5 15. Ag5 Tdf8 16. g4! Ccxd4 17. Cxd4 Dc3+ 18. Ad2 Dxd4 19. De2 Ce7 20. Th3 Cc6 21. Thb3 b6 22. Da6+ Rc7 23. Ae3! Dxe5 24. Txb6!! axb6 25. Dxb6+ Rd6 26. Dc5+ Rc7 27. f4 De4 28. Tb4! Dxe3+ (28. ... Dh1 29. Db6+ Rc8 30. Ta4! +-) 29. Dxe3 Cxb4 30. axb4 Ac6 31. b5 Ab7 32. Dc5+ Rb8 33. b6 f6 34. Dd6+ Ra8 35. Da3+ 1 : 0, Vocaturo – Stromboli, Campionato Italiano Under 20, Castione della Presolana 2006. 12. Tb5! Dxa3? Un Pedone davvero indigesto! Il precedente era 12. ... Da4! 13. Db1 (13. Txc5? b6 14. Tb5 Cxd4!) 13. ... Ca5 (13. ... cxd4 14. Txb7 dxc3 15. Axc3 Thg8?! 16. Th4!! Dxh4 17. Aa6 +-; 13. ... b6 14. dxc5 De4+ 15. Rd1 Cxe5 16. Txb6! Ac6 17. Tb4 Cc4 18. Cf3 ±) 14. Txc5+ Rb8 15. Th3!? b6 (era probabilmente più consona 15. ... Cc4) 16. Tf3 Ra8? (16. ... Cf5 17. Txf5!? exf5 18. Txd5) 17. Tb5! Cc4 (17. ... Axb5? 18. Axb5 Dxa3 19. Ac1! +-) 17. ... Cc4 18. Tb4 Cxa3 (18. ... Dxa3 19. Txf7) 19. Txa4 Cxb1 20. Ta1 Cxd2 21. Rxd2 Tdf8 22. Ad3 Thg8 23. g3 h5 24. Ce2 h4 25. Th1! hxg3 26. Cxg3 Th8 27. Ch5 Cg8 28. Tg1! f5 (28. ... Ae8 29. Tg7 f5 30. Cf4 Af7 31. c4!) 29. Tg7 Ac8 30. Cf4 Ch6 31. c4! dxc4 (31. ... Tfg8 32. Txg8 Cxg8 33. cxd5 exd5 34. Cxd5 Ab7 35. Txf5! Axd5 36. Tf8+ Rb7 37. c4 Ag2 38. f4 +-) 32. Axc4 Td8 33. c3 Cg4? 34. Re2 The8 35. Th3! (Δ 36. f3) 35. ... Td7 36. Txd7 Axd7 37. Txh7 b5 38. Ab3 Ac8 39. f3 a5 40. fxg4 1 : 0, Morozevich – Lputian, Sochi 2007. 13. Txc5 Oppure 13. Db1! ove se, per esempio, 13. ... b6 allora 14. Tb3 Da5 15. Db2 Cb8 16. Ta3 Aa4 17. Txa4 Dxa4 18. Ab5 Da5 19. c4 +- (analisi di Kavalek). 13. ... a6 14. Db1 Rc7 15. c4 Sua Maestà è già in imbarazzo (Th1-h3). 15. ... b6 16. cxd5! bxc5 17. d6+ Rc8 18. Th3 Da4 19. Tb3 Cd5 20. dxc5 Tdg8 21. c4! Cde7 22. Ce2! Dxc4 23. Cc3 Dxc5 24. Ce4 Dxe5 25. dxe7 Cxe7

Dopodiché Vocaturo corona il suo immaginifico attacco con uno scaccomatto da mille e una notte: 26. Tb8+!! Dxb8 27. Axa6+ Rc7 28. Aa5+ Rc6 29. Dc2+ Rd5 30. Dd3+ Re5 31. Ac3+ Rf5 32. Cd6+ Rg5 33. Dg3+ Rh5 34. Ae2+ Tg4 35. Dxg4 matto!