Justin Sarkar – Mark Hebden
91st Hastings International Chess Congress; Hastings, January 5, 2016
King’s Indian Defence E97
Notes by Grandmaster Kevin Spraggett, Spraggett on Chess, January 7, 2016
91st Hastings International Chess Congress; Hastings, January 5, 2016
King’s Indian Defence E97
Notes by Grandmaster Kevin Spraggett, Spraggett on Chess, January 7, 2016
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 0-0 6. Be2 e5
7. 0-0 Nc6 8. d5 Ne7 9. b4 a5 10. Ba3 axb4 11. Bxb4 b6 12. a4
Re8 13. Qd3 Nf5 14. a5 bxa5 15. Rxa5 Rb8 16. Nb5 Bd7 17. Ra7
Bxb5 18. cxb5 Nd4 19. Nxd4 exd4 20. Ba5 Rc8 21. Rc1 Nxe4
22. Rcxc7 Rxc7 23. Bxc7 Qg5 24. g3 Qc1+ 25. Bf1 h5 26. b6. A sharp position! White threatens to simply keep advancing his Pawn, which is unstoppable. In the game Hebden – probably in his usual time trouble – actually tried to stop it and lost quickly:
26. ... Nc5(?) 27. Qc4! Qb1 28. Bxd6! Mark probably overlooked this move or the next, or both. 28. ... d3 29. Qf4 f5 30. Bxc5 Re1 31. Qb8+ 1 : 0. It is forced mate.
Had Hebden more time on the clock then – from the above diagram – he would have probably found this saving resource: 26. ... Nxf2!! Attacking the Queen and virtually forcing White to capture the Knight as 27. Qc4? gets mated after 27. ... Nh3+ 28. Kh1 Qe3! as the reader can easily verify for himself. 27. Kxf2 Re3! The whole point of Black’s sacrifice. The Queen can not move! Losing almost immediately are both 28. Qa6? d3! 29. b7 Rf3+! with mate in 4 moves and 28. Qb5 d3! etc. as in the above variation. Somewhat better is 28. Qc4!?, but after 28. ... Rc3! 29. b7!? (Losing immediately is 29. Qe2 d3!) 29. ... Qe3+! 30. Kg2 Qf3+ Black still has a winning attack. 28. b7! The only reasonable move! The next moves are forced... 28. ... Rxd3 29. b8=Q+ Kh7 30. Bxd3 Qe3+ And the game will end in perpetual check! If White tries to avoid this, then he will lose in a curious fashion: 31. Kg2 Qd2+ 32. Kh3? 32. Kg1 was correct, allowing perpetual check. Now White is lost, despite a huge material advantage, because his King is too exposed: 32. ... Qxd3! Threatening mate starting with a check on f1. 33. Qb2!? What else? 33. ... Qf5+ 34. Kg2 Qxd5+ 35. Kg1 d3! Now with the Black Pawn advancing and the Bishop coming into play, White finds himself unable to save the game! The readers can easily verify this for themselves. Remarkable concept!
Had Hebden more time on the clock then – from the above diagram – he would have probably found this saving resource: 26. ... Nxf2!! Attacking the Queen and virtually forcing White to capture the Knight as 27. Qc4? gets mated after 27. ... Nh3+ 28. Kh1 Qe3! as the reader can easily verify for himself. 27. Kxf2 Re3! The whole point of Black’s sacrifice. The Queen can not move! Losing almost immediately are both 28. Qa6? d3! 29. b7 Rf3+! with mate in 4 moves and 28. Qb5 d3! etc. as in the above variation. Somewhat better is 28. Qc4!?, but after 28. ... Rc3! 29. b7!? (Losing immediately is 29. Qe2 d3!) 29. ... Qe3+! 30. Kg2 Qf3+ Black still has a winning attack. 28. b7! The only reasonable move! The next moves are forced... 28. ... Rxd3 29. b8=Q+ Kh7 30. Bxd3 Qe3+ And the game will end in perpetual check! If White tries to avoid this, then he will lose in a curious fashion: 31. Kg2 Qd2+ 32. Kh3? 32. Kg1 was correct, allowing perpetual check. Now White is lost, despite a huge material advantage, because his King is too exposed: 32. ... Qxd3! Threatening mate starting with a check on f1. 33. Qb2!? What else? 33. ... Qf5+ 34. Kg2 Qxd5+ 35. Kg1 d3! Now with the Black Pawn advancing and the Bishop coming into play, White finds himself unable to save the game! The readers can easily verify this for themselves. Remarkable concept!
Justin Sarkar (R.) vs. Mark Hebden (L.)
Photo: Lara Barnes
Photo: Lara Barnes
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