EN PASSANT - Calgary Chess · Youth Chess Festival in recent years. Irwin Lipnowski joined a team...

En Passant No 166 February 2001 1

EN PASSANTFebruary 2001 No.166 février 2001

phone: 613–733–2844 fax: 613–733–5209 toll free order line: 1–800–563–4476editor: [email protected] office: [email protected] internet: www.chess.ca

En Passant StaffEditor: Knut Neven

Layout/Design: Knut NevenCover Design: David Miriguay

Technical Assistance: David Miriguay

PublisherEn Passant, Publishers Ltd.

Address2212 Gladwin Cres, EÐ1

Ottawa, OntarioK1B 5N1Canada

ISSN 0822Ð5672

Distributed six times a year for themonths of February, April, June,

August, October and December. Allarticles, annotations, or notes not

otherwise credited are written by theEditors. Opinions expressed are thoseof the writers and do not necessarilyrepresent the opinions of En Passant,

Publishers Ltd.

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on the cover...

8 The Canadian MenÕs team was ranked 47th at the recent ChessOlympiad in Istanbul, but booked an excellent result byplacing in a tie for 25th-31st. Jack Yoos tells a story that beginswith two last-minute emergency replacements, and ends withan impressive silver medal on second board for our own KevinSpraggett! The players annotate a selection of very interestinggames, Jonathan Berry provides the photography, and StefanieChu comes through at the last moment before we go to presswith several games by the WomenÕs team.

inside...

2 Editorial, and Letters to the Editor.

27 Our FIDE Representative and Zonal President Philip Haleyreports briefly from the FIDE Congress in Istanbul.

28 Oropesa del Mar has become the de facto home of the WorldYouth Chess Festival in recent years. Irwin Lipnowski joined ateam of 21 junior players in Spain as team captain, and cameaway impressed by the play of his young charges. He was alsoastonished at the considerable resources that are now beingdevoted by many countries to the development of youthchess programs. The results are clearly beginning to show!

38 Across Canada.

advertisers...

IFC Keres Memorial4 Coming Events7 EOCA Grand Prix

24 2000 Index37 Olympic Fund43 ICC44 Rating Lists

IBC Ontario OpenOBC Canadian Open

2 En Passant No 166 février 2001

Letters

Editorial

Saint John

Excellent. Best issue I have seen.

Richard Bowes

Victoria

After long consideration I havedecided to respond to Jack JeffreyÕsletter in the December issue, in whichhe criticizes the Expert and Mastermembers of the Victoria Chess Clubfor refusing to spend more time withweaker players.

Jack, when you see me playing chesswith certain people, you shouldnÕtassume that IÕm sticking with my owngroup and avoiding the woodpushers.

Most of my casual opponents are ÔAÕand ÔBÕ Class players, not Experts orMasters, and thus anywhere from 300to 600 points below me in rating. Inother words, and no insult is intendedby this, while they may not bewoodpushers to you, they aredefinitely woodpushers to me. Theseguys are happy to play me becausethe disparity in strength gives them agood chance of learning something.From time to time one of them beatsme and is justifiably proud of it. Manyof the other Masters, such as DaveHerder, Harry Moore, and George

Kostadinov also spend hours playingand analyzing with much weakeropponents.

I also do not share your view thatExperts and Masters are somehowobligated to spend half of the clubmeeting time dishing out advice tobeginners. Your young charges have alot to learn from the other membersof the Victoria Chess Club, and I donÕtnotice those players helping out, nordo I notice you asking them.

Despite your belief that I must havereceived such help from Masterswhen I was a young player, I canassure you that this is definitely notthe case. Most Masters I know learnedwhat they know by working hard ontheir own, and not by practicingagainst very strong players.

In recent years Juri Vetemaa, YanTeplitsky, Kevin Spraggett, JohnDonaldson, and Jack Yoos have allreceived compensation for theirlectures and exhibitions at the VictoriaChess Club. And while I am nevergoing to be an IM, I suspect thatmany of these players would agreewith me that I, too, am qualified togive a lecture and to receivecompensation for it.

Dan Scoones

Victoria

Last November the girls basketballteam of George Jay ElementarySchool played its first game of theseason, and you will be surprised toknow that every member of thestarting lineup had a CFC rating!Against a much taller team the chessplayers exhibited an amazinglyfocused defense and finished the firstquarter six points ahead. In thesecond quarter, several substitutionsof non chess players into the gameresulted in a seven point lead by theopposition by half time.

In the second half the George Jaysquad reverted to 100% CFC ratedplayers and eventually went on towin the game by a single point. Therehas to be a moral here somewhere!Has anyone else ever heard of anElementary School fielding a 100%CFC rated basketball team!?

Jack Jeffrey

Vancouver

That is a fantastic article you wrote onKasparovÐKramnik. The annotationswere excellent! Some additionalinformation for your readers: while inIstanbul, Kevin Spraggett and I weresitting in the hotel bar one night when

The results of the membership surveyfrom the October 2000 issue of themagazine are in, and by the time thisissue reaches our readers a page onthe Chess Federation of Canadawebsite will give the details. I wouldlike to sincerely thank all of you whotook the time to respond, because itwas your feedback that clearlyshowed us why we should keep theprint version of the magazine!

In due time, if the available resourcesallow us to do so, we may try to offera limited online version in addition tothe printed magazine, again based onyour feedback from the survey. Butnot to worry, no drastic overnightchanges were ever intended by theGovernors who simply passed amotion at the AGM in Edmonton lastsummer to conduct a membershipsurvey on the subjectÖ

What surprised me the most aboutyour responses to the survey was thenumber of rather passionate pleas tokeep the current print version alive,and the positive comments about themagazine in general. Perhaps this isunderstandable, given that many ofyou have been reading and collectingEn Passant magazine for a long time.

Some of you even let us know whatkind of material you would like to seemore frequently on our pages, andthese requests have also been noted.

Many readers will already know thatthe MenÕs team did very well at theOlympiad, but I agree with Jack Yoosin his assessment that it will take aconsiderable effort by the entireCanadian chess community to pavethe way for similar positive results inthe future. This year, BelzbergTechnologies stepped in with a much

appreciated and significant financialcontribution, and I think that we havealso seen a Ôchange of the guardÕ inthe composition of the national teamwith the addition of Igor Zugic andPascal Charbonneau. While KevinSpraggett and Alexandre Lesiege arevery clearly our two best players, Iam sure that they, too, will agree onthe importance that the developmentof young talent has on our long-termprospects in international competition.Anyone who has ever tried to earn aFIDE norm at Canadian tournamentsknows how difficult this is. Our topplayers face an uphill battle in theirdevelopment without enoughopportunities to gain internationalexperience. It takes money, and ittakes the support of the rest of thechess community to provide theseopportunitiesÖ

Knut Neven


Adult Junior Jr. Part. Family

Annual Membership CFC Prov $$ CFC Prov $$ CFC Prov $$ CFC Prov $$Alberta 33 5 38 22 3 25 10 1 11 16.50 2.50 19British Columbia 33 12 45 22 3 25 10 3 13 16.50 6 22.50Manitoba 33 20 53 22 10 32 10 3 13 16.50 10 26.50New Brunswick 33 3 36 22 2 24 10 2 12 16.50 1.50 18Newfoundland 33 3 36 22 2 24 10 2 12 16.50 1.50 18Nova Scotia 33 7 40 22 3 25 10 3 13 16.50 2.50 19Northwest Territories 33 0 33 22 0 22 10 0 10 16.50 0 16.50Ontario 33 7 40 22 3 25 10 2 12 16.50 3.50 20Prince Edward Island 33 0 33 22 0 22 10 0 10 16.50 0 16.50Quebec 33 0 33 22 0 22 10 0 10 16.50 0 16.50Saskatchewan 33 10 43 22 7 29 10 0 10 16.50 5 21.50Yukon 33 0 33 22 0 22 10 0 10 16.50 0 16.50Foreign 33 0 33 22 0 22 10 0 10 16.50 0 16.50

ÒNoteÓ The CFC column is the amount collected by the Chess Federation of Canada. The Prov column is theamount collected by each provincial association. The $$ column is the amount the member must pay.

Adult Memberships are open to anyone over the age of 17. Pay theamount in the Adult $$ column.

Junior Memberships are open to individuals aged 17 or less. Pay theamount in the Junior $$ column.

Junior Participating Memberships are open to individuals aged 17 orless. These members can play in tournaments, but do not receive En

Passant. Pay the amount in the Participating $$ column.

Family Memberships: the first member pays the Adult fee in the $$column. Each other member at the same address pays the Family fee in the

$$ column.

Life Membership rates depend on age: 30 & under $660; 31Ð40 $577.50;41Ð50 $495; 51Ð60 $412.50; 61 and over $330. Provincial dues are not

included in Life rates. Supply proof of age if over 30.

a very strong grandmaster Ð who shallremain nameless Ð joined us for adrink on KevinÕs invitation. Kevinalmost immediately asked him aboutthe match, and this is what he had tosay in the hour that followed:

Ò1) Kramnik tricked Kasparov byfrequently playing the Petroff inrecent events.

2) The Berlin Defense was a brilliantanti-Kasparov choice.

3) Kasparov mistakenly thought thatKramnikÕs weak point as Black was inthe king pawn openings, and hetherefore spent too much time on hispreparation in this area in an attemptto crush Kramnik.

4) Kasparov has unique problemswith Black against Kramnik, becauseKramnik takes away his KingÕs Indianand Benoni Ôwin openingsÕ.

5) Frustrated with the Black pieces,Kasparov felt tremendous pressure tosucceed with White.

6) When KramnikÕs Berlin Defensestopped Kasparov, he stubornlyrefused to back down and becameobsessed with it.

7) Subsequently it was too late tobreak down Kramnik with 1.d4 sincethis normally takes longer. Kasparovsimply had no options left.

8) KasparovÕs inability to pressureKramnik with White resulted in acycle where the World Champion hadto expend all of his energy reservestrying to hold on with the Blackpieces.Ó

Jack Yoos

Merrick, US

Congratulations on an extremelycomprehensive job on the WorldChampionship match in theDecember issue of the magazine.

IM Danny Kopec

Toronto

William Darch passed away 85-years-old on December 9, 2000, at HumberRiver Regional Hospital following abrief illness. He was a formerExecutive member of the WestonChess Club, and long time member ofthe Peel Chess Club in Brampton. Heis survived by siblings Audrey,Duncan and June Haliday, and stepdaughter Teenie. Memorial donationsin his name may be made to thecharity of choice.

Mark S. Dutton

Winnipeg

Congratulations on your wonderfulcoverage and annotations of theKasparovÐKramnik Braingames WorldChampionship match in theDecember issue of En Passant.

Irwin Lipnowski


Coming Events

The Coming Events advertising sectionis brought to you by the

Chess Federation of Canada.

Note: This is free for allCFC-Rated events.

Players: When you enter by mail,include your name, address, CFC

number, expiry date, rating and datepublished (if you are entering your first

CFC event, you are probably anunrated player), and birthdate if youare a junior Ð all with your entry fee.

CFC membership is required in thesetournaments except where indicated. Ifyou buy a CFC membership with your

entry, obtain a receipt from theorganizer. Please bring your chesspieces, boards and clocks. Unless

stated otherwise all tournaments areNon-Smoking and No Computers.

SummaryDate: Dates of the event

Place: Location of the event

Rds: Number of rounds

Type: Rating type either Regular orActive and either Swiss orRound Robin (RR)

Times: Round times, Ò/Ó = next day

TC: Time Controls, SD meansSudden Death Ð all remainingmoves in fixed time

EF: Entry Fee.

Sec: Sections tournament is brokendown into

Prizes: $$BEN = Prizes based uponentries, $$Gxx = Guaranteedprize of xx

Reg: Registration time instructions

Org: Tournament organizer andcontact information

Misc: Other important information

UR Unrated; Jr. Junior; Sr. Senior, Cd.Cadet (under 16) Bye n A half-point

bye is available in round(s) n ifrequested in advance with entry; CC

Chess Club; S Smoking allowed.

Organizers of CFC-rated events shouldsend notices to: The CFC, 2212 GladwinCrescent, EÐ1, Ottawa, ON, K1B 5N1 bythe 25th of each even numbered month(e.g., February). Notices must state the

name of the organizer and whethersmoking is allowed. A prize fund isconsidered to be guaranteed by the

organizer unless explicitly statedotherwise.

A tournament in a small town (under75,000 population) may qualify for anLTIP grant. Write to the CFC for details

of this program.

Ontario

Scarborough CC New 80% ActivesDate: February 17, March 17, May 26,

June 23, July 8Place: MacGregor Park Recreation

Centre, 2231 Lawrence Ave ERds: 6Type: Active SwissTimes: 2, 3:20, 4:30, 6, 7:10, 8:20TC: G/30EF: $40; $30 Jr/Sr; less $10 SCC

members and titledPrizes: $BEN 80%Reg: 12:30Ð13:45 at site; or cheques

to Scarborough CC, 72 CavehillCrescent, Scarborough, ON,M1R 4P9

Org: Bryan Lamb, (416)391Ð[email protected]

Kitchener KW Winter OpenDate: February 23Ð25Place: Kitchener City Hall (main floor),

200 King St. WRds: 5Type: Regular SwissTimes: 6:30 / 9:30, 3 / 9:30, 3TC: 30/90, SD/60EF: Open $35; U2000 $30, U1600

$25; less $10 Jr/Sr; $10 late feeafter February 16

Prizes: $$BENReg: 17:30Ð18:15 at site; or cheques

to Albert Den-Otter, 11 HermiePlace, Kitchener, ON, N2H 4X9

Org: Albert Den-Otter (519)744Ð5213,[email protected]

Misc: Bye 1Ð4; SWOCL Grand Prix

DCC Saturday ActivesDate: February 24, March 24, May 5,

June 2, July 28, August 25Place: 1681 Bayview Ave, two blocks

south of Eglinton, aboveChessÕn Match, Toronto

Rds: 6Type: Active SwissTimes: 12:30, 1:45, 3, 5, 6:15, 7:30TC: G/30EF: $40; $10 late fee; less $10 Jr/Sr,

women, titled, 2400+Sec: Open, U2000, U1600Prizes: $$BEN 70%Reg: 11:00Ð12:00 at site; or cheques

to Mark S. Dutton, Suite 3910,Leaside Towers, 95 ThorncliffePark Dr, Toronto, ON, M4H 1L7

Org: Mark S. Dutton (416)467Ð9715Misc: Bye 1Ð5, max. 3; http://

www.play.at/duttonchess

Scarborough CC Thursday Spring RRDate: March 1 to April 5

Place: Scarborough CC, WexfordSeniors Community Centre,1860 Lawrence Ave. E

Rds: 5Type: Regular Round RobinTimes: 7TC: 30/75, SD/30EF: SCC members freePrizes: TrophiesOrg: Bryan Lamb, (416)391Ð4777

[email protected]; http://webhome.idirect.com/~blamb/

Niagara Falls ActiveDate: March 11Place: Niagara College, Maid of the

Mist Campus, Room MM1, 5881Dunn Street

Rds: 5Type: Active SwissTimes: 10, asapTC: G/30EF: $25; $10 Jr, first time CFCPrizes: $$BENReg: 09:00Ð10:00 at site; no phone

entries; or cheques to ChrisVanderlee, 5319 Victoria Ave,Upper Apt, Niagara Falls, ON,L2E 4E6

Org: Chris Vanderlee (905)358Ð3615;John Erickson (905)371Ð8855;Romie Matino (905)374Ð0271

Misc: Bring sets and clocks

Ottawa RA Spring OpenDate: March 24Ð25Place: RA Centre, 2451 Riverside DriveRds: 5Type: Regular SwissTimes: 9, 2:15, 7:30 / 9, 2:15TC: 30/90, SD/60EF: $35; $15 amateurs; less $5 RA

CC members; $10 late feePrizes: $$BENReg: Until 08:45 at site; or cheques to

Doug Burgess, 126 RutherfordCourt, Kanata, K2K 1N5, byMarch 16

Misc: Bye 1Ð3; EOCA Grand Prixevent; bring clocks

Scarborough CC Youth TournamentsDate: March 24, April 14, May 26, June

3, July 8Place: Scarborough CC, Wexford

Collegiate Cafeteria, 1176Pharmacy Ave, Scarborough

Rds: 5Type: Active SwissTimes: 10:30, 11:30, 1, 2, 3TC: G/30EF: $10; less $2 SCC Jr membersPrizes: SCC/CFC memberships,

trophies, medalsReg: 10:00Ð10:30 at site; or cheques


to Scarborough CC, 72 CavehillCrescent, Scarborough, ON,M1R 4P9

Org: Bryan Lamb, (416)391Ð[email protected]; http://webhome.idirect.com/~blamb/youth.htm

Misc: Lecture and simul after theevent; $3 for non-SCC members

Scarborough CC Sunday Spring RRDate: March 25 to April 29Place: Scarborough CC, Wexford

Seniors Community Centre,1860 Lawrence Ave E

Rds: 5Type: Regular Round RobinTimes: 1:30TC: 40/120, SD/60EF: SCC members freePrizes: TrophiesOrg: Bryan Lamb, (416)391Ð4777


DCC Wednesday Spring Fever SwissDate: March 28 to April 25Place: 1681 Bayview Ave., two blocks

south of Eglinton, aboveChessÕn Math, Toronto

Rds: 6Type: Regular SwissTimes: 6:30TC: 40/120, SD/60EF: Free with DCC membershipPrizes: N/AReg: 18:00Ð18:30 at site; or cheques


Org: Mark S. Dutton (416)467Ð9715Misc: http://www.play.at/duttonchess

Toronto Senior ChampionshipDate: March 31 Ð April 1Place: Bradgate Arms, 54 Foxbar RoadRds: 5Type: Regular SwissTimes: 11, 3 / 10, 2, 6TC: G/75EF: $25; $5 amateur; $2 late feePrizes: $$BENReg: 10:00Ð10:30 at site; or cheques

to Wilf Ferner, 121 Trudelle St.#711, Scarborough, ON, M1J3K4 by March 21

Org: Wilf Ferner [email protected]: Bring sets, boards, clocks; open

to DOB before 51/03/31; http://webhome.idirect.com/~blamb/GTCL/senior.htm

Scarborough CC Thursday Spring SwissDate: April 12 to May 10Place: Scarborough CC, Wexford


Rds: 6Type: Regular SwissTimes: 7

TC: 30/75, SD/30EF: SCC members freePrizes: TrophiesOrg: Bryan Lamb, (416)391Ð4777


DCC Wednesday Mayflower SwissDate: May 2 to May 30Place: 1681 Bayview Ave., two blocks





Scarborough CC Sunday Summer SwissDate: May 14 to June 25Place: Scarborough CC, Wexford


Rds: 5Type: Regular SwissTimes: 1:30TC: 40/120, SD/60EF: SCC members freePrizes: TrophiesOrg: Bryan Lamb, (416)391Ð4777


Toronto Victoria Day OpenDate: May 19Ð21Place: Best Western Primrose Hotel,

111 Carlton Street, TorontoRds: 6Type: Regular SwissTimes: 11, 5:30 / 11, 5:30 / 11, 5:30TC: 40/120, SD/60EF: $50; $10 late fee; less $10 Jr/Sr,

2400+, titled & women; GM freeSec: Open, U2000, U1800, U1600&URPrizes: $$BEN 70%Reg: 08:30Ð09:30 at site; or cheques

to Mark S. Dutton, Suite 3910,Leaside Towers, 95 ThorncliffePark Dr, Toronto, ON, M4H 1L7by May 14

Org: Mark S. Dutton (416)467Ð9715,[email protected]

Misc: Bye 1Ð5, max. 3; GTCLsanctioned; FIDE rated; bringsets and clocks; special rates atBest Western 1Ð800Ð268Ð8082

DCC Wednesday Spring Into Summer SwissDate: June 6 to July 11Place: 1681 Bayview Ave., two blocks


Rds: 6

Dutton ChessY2K Toronto Events

All events share the followingdetails unless noted otherwise.

Place: Best Western PrimroseHotel, 111 Carlton St. (at Jarvis)

Rds: 6 Type: Regular Swiss

TC: 40/120, SD/60

TD/Org: Mark S. Dutton(416)467Ð9715, (416)219Ð7933

[email protected], http://www.play.at/duttonchess

Events:

Toronto Class ChampionshipMarch 9Ð11; 5 rds; FIDE rated

Toronto OpenApril 13Ð15; 6 rds; FIDE rated

Victoria Day OpenMay 19Ð21; 6 rds; FIDE rated

Father's Day OpenJune 14Ð17; 5 rds

Toronto Summer InternationalAugust 15Ð19; 9 rds.

$$G15,000; FIDE rated

Place: Dutton Chess Club, 1681Bayview Avenue, 2nd floor

Misc: Adults $99, Jr./Sr. $69;join anytime with 1/2 pt. byes!

Mondays:

G/15 Events; Open 18:00Ð23:006rds; start at 19:30; EF $10

Wednesdays:

40/120, SD/60; start at 18:30

Cabin Fever IIFebruary 14 to March 21

Spring Fever IIMarch 28 to April 25

Mayflower IIMay 2 to May 30

Saturdays:

G/5 Blitz; 2 Events each Week7 double rds. Swiss

Times: 13:00 & 16:00 EF: $10

Regular Afternoon Events40/120, SD/60; 12:00Ð18:00

March Into AprilMarch 3 to April 21

Spring Into Summer IIApril 28 to June 23

DCC Active Series #11Ð16G/30; 6 rds.; EF $40, Jr $30

February 24, March 24, May 5,June 2, July 28, August 25


Type: Regular SwissTimes: 6:30TC: 40/120, SD/60EF: Free with DCC membershipPrizes: N/AReg: 18:00Ð18:30 at site; or cheques



Toronto Fathers Day OpenDate: June 15Ð17Place: Best Western Primrose Hotel,

111 Carlton Street, TorontoRds: 5Type: Regular SwissTimes: 7 / 10, 4:30 / 10, 4:30TC: 40/120, SD/60EF: $60; $20 late fee; less $20 Jr/Sr,

2400+, titled & women; GM freeSec: Open, U2000, U1800, U1600&URPrizes: $$BENReg: 17:00Ð18:30 at site; or cheques

to Mark S. Dutton, Suite 3910,Leaside Towers, 95 ThorncliffePark Dr, Toronto, ON, M4H 1L7by June 11

Org: Mark S. Dutton (416)467Ð9715,[email protected]

Misc: Bye 1Ð4, max. 2; GTCLsanctioned; bring sets andclocks; special rates at BestWestern 1Ð800Ð268Ð8082

Canada Day OpenDate: June 30ÐJuly 2Place: 1681 Bayview Ave., two blocks


Rds: 6Type: Regular SwissTimes: 10, 4:30 / 10, 4:30 / 10, 4:30TC: 40/120, SD/60EF: $60; $20 late fee; less $20 Jr/Sr,

titled, women; GMs freeSec: Open, U2000, U1600&URPrizes: $$BEN 70%Reg: 08:30Ð09:30 at site; or cheques

to Mark S. Dutton, Suite 3910,Leaside Towers, 95 ThorncliffePark Dr, Toronto, ON, M4H 1L7by June 29

Org: Mark S. Dutton (416)467Ð9715Misc: Bye 1Ð5 max. 3; http://


DCC Wednesday Days of Summer SwissDate: July 18 to August 29Place: 1681 Bayview Ave., two blocks





Simcoe Day OpenDate: August 4Ð6Place: 1681 Bayview Ave., two blocks


Rds: 6Type: Regular SwissTimes: 10, 4:30 / 10, 4:30 / 10, 4:30TC: 40/120, SD/60EF: $60; $20 late fee; less $20 Jr/Sr,

titled, women; GMs freeSec: Open, U2100, U1700&URPrizes: $$BEN 70%Reg: 08:30Ð09:30 at site; or cheques

to Mark S. Dutton, Suite 3910,Leaside Towers, 95 ThorncliffePark Dr, Toronto, ON, M4H 1L7by July 30

Org: Mark S. Dutton (416)467Ð9715Misc: Bye 1Ð5 max. 3; http://


Toronto Summer InternationalDate: August 15Ð19, 2001Place: Best Western Primrose Hotel,

111 Carlton Street, TorontoRds: 9Type: Regular SwissTimes: 6 / 10, 4:30 / 10, 4:30 / 10, 4:30 /

10, 4:30TC: 40/120, SD/60EF: GMs free; $100 by May 31, $125

by August 1, $150 thereafterSec: Open, U2200, U2000, U1800,

U1600/U1400/URPrizes: $$G15,000Reg: Cheques to Mark S. Dutton,

Suite 3910, Leaside Towers, 95Thorncliffe Park Dr, Toronto,ON, M4H 1L7

Org: Mark S. Dutton, (416)467Ð9715,[email protected]

Misc: Bye 1Ð8 max. 3; top sectionFIDE rated; brings sets, clocks;special rate at Best WesternPrimrose Hotel 1Ð800Ð268Ð8082

British Columbia

Bulkley Valley FebruaryDate: February 17Place: Amenities Room, 1211 Bulkley

Drive, SmithersRds: 3Type: Regular SwissTimes: 9:30, 1, 4:30TC: G/90EF: $5Prizes: $$BENReg: 09:00Ð9:30 at siteMisc: [email protected]

ScarboroughChess ClubTournament

Schedule

All events have the followinginformation in common unless

noted otherwise.

Place: Scarborough Chess Club,Wexford Seniors CommunityCentre, 1860 Lawrence Ave,

Scarborough, ON

Club Hours: Sundays12:30Ð20:30 (games at 13:00),Tuesdays 18:30Ð23:00 (games

at 19:00), Thursdays18:30Ð23:00 (games at 19:00)

Org: Bryan Lamb(416)391Ð4777

[email protected]

Misc: Scarborough Chess Clubmembership required ($100/yr

Adult, $75/yr Sr, $50/hr Jr).Events are CFC-rated (CFC

membership required). Entryfees to events covered by club

membership. Discounts formembers 5+ years, and for

bringing new members. http://webhome.idirect.com/~blamb/

SCC: [email protected]

Special Events:

Thursday Evening EventsTC: 30/90, SD/30

Times: 7, one game per week

Sunday Afternoon EventsTC: 40/120, SD/60

Times: 1, one game per week

Ongoing Blitz TournamentsSundays: G/5, $10 at 17:00

Tuesdays: G/15, $10 at 19:00

Active TournamentsPlace: MacGregor Park

Recreation Centre, 2231Lawrence Avenue

Date: Saturdays on Feb. 17, Mar.17, Apr. 28, May 26, June 23

Type: Active SwissRds: 6

Time: 14:00EF: $40; $30 Jr/Sr/titled & SCC

SCC Thursday Spring RRDate: March 1Ð29Type: Regular RR

Rds: 5

SCC Spring SwissDate: April 5 to May 17

Type: Regular SwissRds: 6


Kelowna WinterfestDate: February 24Ð25Place: Sandman Inn, KelownaRds: 5Type: Regular SwissTimes: 9, 2, 7 / 9, asapTC: 30/90, SD/60EF: $25, $20 Sr, $15 JrPrizes: $$BENReg: 08:30Ð09:00 at siteOrg: Wally Steinke (250)545Ð6677,

[email protected]; JohnNeufeld (250)766Ð4118,[email protected]

Misc: Sandman Inn (250)860Ð6409;bring sets, clocks

Victoria Regional Chess ChallengeDate: March 10Place: Claremont Secondary SchoolRds: TBAType: Active Swiss/RRTimes: 10, asapTC: G/30EF: $10Sec: KÐ12 students; two per school/

grade from Victoria regionPrizes: Medals and ribbonsReg: 09:00 at siteOrg: Justin Aylward 361Ð1924

[email protected]; TimBethell 389Ð0899; Brian Raymer595Ð0025; Lynn Stringer658Ð5207 [email protected]

Misc: Provincial Chess ChallengeQualifier; light concession

Claremont Regional Junior ChampionshipDate: March TBAPlace: Claremont Secondary SchoolRds: TBAType: Active Swiss/RRTimes: 10, asap

TC: G/30EF: $10Sec: U18, U16, U14, U12, U10Prizes: Trophies, medals and ribbonsReg: 09:00 at siteOrg: Justin Aylward 361Ð1924

[email protected]; TimBethell 389Ð0899; Brian Raymer595Ð0025; Lynn Stringer658Ð5207 [email protected]

Misc: Provincial Junior ChampionshipQualifier; light concession

UBC Tuesday Night March/AprilDate: March 20, 27, April 3, 10, 17Place: UBC, Location TBARds: 5Type: Regular SwissTimes: Rd.1 7 / 6:30 / 6:30 / 6:30 / 6:30TC: 40/90, SD/60EF: $15; $12 UBC CC members; $8

Jr; Masters and new CFC freeReg: 18:30Ð19:00 at sitePrizes: $$BENOrg: Lyle Craver 980Ð2040Misc: Bye 1Ð4

Vancouver Provincial Chess ChallengeDate: April 14Place: BC Institute of Technology,

VancouverRds: TBAType: Active Swiss/RRTimes: 10, asapTC: G/30EF: TBASec: Open to KÐ12 students qualified

from regional eventsPrizes: Medals and ribbonsReg: TBAOrg: Justin Aylward 361Ð1924

[email protected]; TimBethell 389Ð0899; Brian Raymer

First, second and third prizes go to the players who accumulate the mostpoints in the Open sections of seven events. Other prizes are won by thoseaccumulating the most points in all events, in any section. Rating categoryis determined by established rating at the time of their first tournament inthe then current Grand Prix. All others are eligible for the Unestablished

Rating prize.

Grand Prix Prizes

First Prize: $419Second Prize: $219Third Prize: $1191950Ð2199 $2191700Ð1949 $219Under 1700 $219Unestablished Rating: $119Total Prizes: $1533

Grand Prix Winners1982-83 Kevin Spraggett; 1983-84 Stephen Ball; 1984-85 Brian Hartman; 1985-86 Gordon

Taylor; 1986-87 Brian Hartman; 1987-88 John Armstrong & Glenn Johnstone; 1988-89Deen Hergott; 1989-90 Deen Hergott; 1990-91 Deen Hergott; 1991-92 Deen Hergott;

1992-93 Deen Hergott; 1993-94 Gordon Taylor; 1994-95 Gordon Taylor; 1995-96 GlennJohnstone; 1996-97 Deen Hergott; 1997-98 Deen Hergott & Michael Schleifer; 1998-99

Deen Hergott; 1999-2000 Tom OÕDonnell & Deen Hergott

Grand Prix Schedule

1. Renfrew Open P. Naish August 26Ð272. Ottawa Open D.Burgess September 16Ð173. Outaouais Open H.Seguin November 3Ð5

4. Seaway Valley Open R.Lacroix November 18Ð195. R.A. Winter Open T.Fleming January 13Ð14

6. Kingston Open R.Hutchinson February 10Ð117. R.A. Spring Open D.Burgess March 24Ð25

8. Arnprior Open M.Wasmund May 5Ð69. Eastern Ontario Open D.Burgess June 9Ð10

19th Annual

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Alberta

ECC John TournamentsDate: Monday nightsPlace: Edmonton Chess ClubRds: 4Type: Active SwissTC: G/30EF: $2Reg: 18:30Ð19:15 at siteOrg: John Quiring (403)468Ð9173

New Brunswick


Bathurst CRCC TornadosDate: March 10, May 12, July 14,

September 8, November 10Place: NBCC, Youghall Drive, BathurstRds: 4Type: Regular SwissTimes: 9, 11:30, 2:30, 5TC: G/60EF: $20; $5 Cd; $2 with first time

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Fredericton Snowflea IIIDate: March 16Ð18Place: Room DÐ203, Centre

Communautaire Sainte-Anne,715 Priestman Street,Fredericton

Rds: 5Type: Regular SwissTimes: 18:30 / 10, 4:30 / 9, 3:30TC: G/120, rd.1; 40/120, SD/60,

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$2 Club D'echecs Sainte-Annemembers; free with first timeCFC membership

Prizes: $$BEN 75%Reg: 17:30Ð18:15 at siteOrg: Chris Maund

[email protected]: Bye 1Ð4; bring sets and clocks

Fredericton Spring OpenDate: April 27Ð29Place: Room DÐ203, Centre

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Rds: 5Type: Regular SwissTimes: 18:30 / 10, 4:30 / 9, 3:30TC: G/120, rd.1; 40/120, SD/60,

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Nova Scotia

Bluenose Chess Club ChampionshipDate: February 16Ð18Place: Room 224Ð226, Dalhousie

University Student UnionBuilding, 6136 University Ave,Halifax

Rds: 5Type: Regular SwissTimes: 6:30 / 10, 4 / 9:30, 3TC: 30/90, SD/60EF: $30; $25 Sr; $15 Jr; less $5

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for section up; free with firsttime CFC membership

Sec: Open, U1800Prizes: $$BENReg: 18:00Ð18:20 at siteOrg: John Klapstein (902)443Ð4907,

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Bridgewater Lunenburg County OpenDate: April 20Ð22Place: Auberge Wandlyn Inn, 50 North

Street, BridgewaterRds: 5Type: Regular SwissTimes: 7 / 9:30, 3 / 9, 2:30TC: 30/90, SD/60EF: $25; $10 Jr/Sr/Masters; free with

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[email protected], Home(902)624Ð9361 Work(902)634Ð8811

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Prince Edward Island

Charlottetown OpenDate: May 5Ð7Place: Colonel Gray High School

LibraryRds: 5Type: Regular SwissTimes: 9:30, 1, 7 / 9, 2TC: G/90 rd.1; 40/120, SD/60 rd.2-5EF: $25; $15 Jr; $10 CdPrizes: $$BENReg: 09:00 at siteOrg: Fred McKim (902)626Ð2676 (w)

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Newfoundland

Mid-Winter KnightsDate: February 23Ð25Place: University Student Center

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The 34th

achievement. The Canadian MenÕsteam was ranked 47th and finished ina tie for 25thÐ31st at the IstanbulOlympiad, while the WomenÕs teamwas ranked 57th and finished in a tiefor 56thÐ61st place. Considering thesmall chess community in Canada, theresult of the MenÕs team in particularis quite remarkable. Kevin Spraggettwon the silver medal on board two,while Pascal Charbonneau and IgorZugic both achieved IM norms. Wewere paired up in 10/14 matches, andplayed three of the top twelve teamsto lose by a single point!

Superlatives aside, how can we doeven better? The answer goes back tomy earlier points about assigningpriorities. The success of the nationalteam depends not on the presentstrength of our players alone, but alsoon sponsorship levels, and the qualityof organization and communitysupport in general. This year we werevery fortunate to benefit from thegenerous support of BelzbergTechnologies Inc, and I would like topublicly thank them on behalf of thenational team and the entire Canadianchess community. Their supportmade it possible to send completeteams including a captain to theevent, which is a prerequisite toperforming up to our potential.Sponsorship also helps attract the bestplayers, and indirectly benefits theentire chess community by freeing upCFC financial resources for otherimportant applications.

This yearÕs team also benefit from theinfusion of youth represented by IgorZugic and Pascal Charbonneau, and itis clear to me that the promotion ofjunior chess is a key ingredient offuture international successes. Alsoimportant are sufficient opportunitiesfor our strong players to gain valuableexperience at high level events, andthe support of the chess communityin general. Team morale in Istanbulwas very high, and the many positivecomments on the internet postedduring the event really helped in thisregard. On the other hand, it wouldhave been less distracting if a number

of observers back home could haveheld off on their self indulgentpolitical squabbling, much of whichwas at the team membersÕ expense.

After Ron Livshits and Yan Teplitskywithdrew from the team at the lastpossible moment due to concernsabout their safety in Turkey, tworeplacement players had to be foundimmediately. David Cummings andmyself reacted quickly by letting theofficials know that we would beinterested and able to go on suchshort notice and, together with thehelp of CFC President Maurice Smithand the office staff the necessaryarrangements were made without amoment to spare.

The first day in Istanbul found theteam at the tournament site to sortout our badges and attend theopening ceremony. Unfortunately thebadges proved to be somewhat moredifficult to attain than points duringthe event, and the opening ceremonyfeatured little more than the usualplatitudes by politicians and officials,followed by several videos that weredesigned to advertise Istanbul as afuture host of the Summer OlympicGames. To their credit, the organizersof the Olympiad itself actually did acreditable job. Initial problems withthe sensory boards, for example, wereresolved in later rounds.

The Players

Dale Kirton played a key role in ourteamÕs success in his role as captain.He is a former Manitoba Champion,and has more recently made himself aname as an opening theoretician.

by Jack Yoos

Opening Remarks

Often friends ask me how they canbecome stronger chess players, andmy usual reply is that they first needto find an answer for themselvesabout what motivates them to pursuesuch a goal. Obviously it makes littlesense for an average club player in hisforties to begin serious professionaltraining towards a grandmaster title,when this kind of effort is more likelyto produce frustration than results.

Priorities can differ widely, and formany players the enjoyment of thegame is all they need. Usually someadvice can be given on improvingspecific skills, and focusing their workon the aspects of the game that theyenjoy the most. Essentially, you aremore likely to excel at something if itis both enjoyable and important toyou. Similarily, I feel that the successor failure of our Canadian Olympicteam is inextricably linked to the levelof appreciation and importance withwhich the team members and thechess community as a whole view it.

The success of the Australian Olympicteam in Sydney last summer, forexample, is a testament to the valuetheir athletic community places on

Chess OlympiadIstanbul 2000

Kevin Spraggett

Alexandre Lesiege


Dale possesses all of the essentialattributes to succeed in this position:he is a strong player in his own right,able to participate constructively inanalysis sessions, and in accuratelykeeping the team up-to-date on theprogress of a match so that criticaldecisions regarding draw offers can bemade appropriately. The workload ofa team captain is considerable, and hewent out of his way to make a greatcontribution.

Alexandre Lesiege is our reigningnational champion and played on firstboard. He is a veteran member of theOlympic team and a world classgrandmaster, whose professionalapproach to team competitions andgenerous relations with teammembers were greatly appreciated.

Kevin Spraggett played board twoand needs no introduction afterdominating Canadian chess for a fullgeneration. His boundless energy isevident when analyzing games, andof course when grinding down otherGMs in long games.

Igor Zugic played board three and isa new addition to the national team.In spite of his young age, there islittle in his play that suggests theslightest inexperience. He has a verymature positional style, and with theexception of Alexandre and Kevin isclearly as strong as anyone else inCanada.

Pascal Charbonneau was theyoungest player on the team, also anewcomer, and played board four. Hehas a very outgoing and friendlypersonality that belies his tough andmature play. Just like Igor, Pascal isalready looking for GM norms in hisnear future.

David Cummings was a late additionto the team and played as firstalternate. He is one of the very fewtop players who does not play chessprofessionally. David has a positionalstyle that is well suited to reliablyholding down a bottom board in ateam event like the Olympiad, wherethe first two boards are representedby very strong grandmasters. He hasplenty of international experience, acool head under pressure, and acurrent opening repertoire that makeshim a tough customer even for verystrong opposition.

Jack Yoos was second alternate, alsoa late addition to the team, and theonly representative from Western

Canada. His aggressive style andpolished opening repertoire cast himin the role of Ôrabbit basherÕ, and hevows to return to the team havingeradicated some of the erratic resultshe is sometimes prone to.

Round 1Canada 4Ð0 Surinan

Lesiege, A Ø Dos Ramos, CZugic, I Ø Motoewi, R

Charbonneau, P Ø Gajadin, DCummings, D Ø Treu, ACanada 0Ð3 Bulgaria

Charest, J Ù GM Voiska, MargaritaBelc, D Ù GM Velcheva, Maria

Bryskine, M Ù Djingarova, Emilia

Suprisingly, there were not so manyteams that made it through the firstround unscathed. The pairings for thenext day were often not posted untilwell after midnight, and as a result theteam would usually discuss the lineupat the player meeting around 10pm,just before looking over the dayÕsbatch of games. Dale would make afinal decision first thing in the morningand submit our lineup by about 8am,and the final pairings would go up afew hours before the round.

Having made the ÔcutÕ in the firstround, we were paired down to amuch lower rated team from Surinam,and Kevin and I were to warm thebench this time. Since access to theplaying site is restricted to players andteam captains, those active on a givenday have to wear an additional badgeto get past security. As a result,handing over your badge to the teamcaptain after losing a game took onthe sullen ceremony of a baseballpitcher handing over the ball to thecoach after he is yanked from thegame. The next day would be spenton the bench.

Round 2Georgia 2Ð2 Canada

Lesiege, A Ú Giorgadze, GiorgiSpraggett, K Ú Sturua, ZurabZugic, I Ø Kacheishvili, GiorgiYoos, J Ù Gelashvili, Tamaz

Canada 3Ð0 MacauCharest, J Ø Mak, SBelc, D Ø Choi, K

Chu, S Ø Dylis Ma, P

Based on KevinÕs experience andwisdom, our team would take thetwenty minute walk to the site eachday, rather than jostle for one of the

buses provided by the organizers.This proved to be a highly beneficialpractice for us, since the fresh airhelped clear our heads and relaxtense nerves.

Fortunately for us, the Georgians satout one of their heavyweights todayand benched Zurab Azmaiparashvili.Still, they would be formidableopponents with one world classplayer and three other grandmastersin their lineup. As would become thenorm for much of the duration of theOlympiad, our team did not impresswith their opening preparation today,but began to look really good towardsthe latter part of the first time control.Igor had recovered from a badopening to win after a slip from hisopponent, while our top two boardsseemed headed for a draw.Unfortunately, yours truly sold out anadvantageous position in amateurishfashion to eventually lose in theending. Still, we had passed a veryimportant test against one of the topteams in the event.

Notes by

Igor Zugic

Kacheishvili, GiorgiZugic, Igor

Istanbul ol (2), 2000Reti A07

1.»f3 »f6 2.g3 d5 3.ºg2 c6 4.0-0ºf5

Probably stronger is 4Öºg4.

5.d3 e6 6.»bd2 h6 7.b3

In ReshevskyÐSunye Neto, Lone Pine1977, the American GM preferred7.½e1 ºc5 8.e4 ºh7 9.½e2 0-0 10.b3a5 11.a3 »bd7 12.ºb2 b5÷.

7Öºe7 8.ºb2 0-0 9.»e5!?

Other moves are 9.½e1 and 9.¼e1.

9Öa5

JungÐNickoloff, Ontario 1997, went9Ö»bd7 10.e4 ºh7 11.½e2 »xe512.ºxe5 ¼e8 13.ºb2 a5 14.a3 ½b615.¼ae1 »d7 16.¾h1 ºf6 17.ºxf6»xf6 18.f4 ½c5 19.»b1 ¼ad8 20.e5»d7 21.½f2 ½xf2 22.¼xf2 Ú.

10.e4 ºh7 11.a3 »bd7

Another possibility is 11Ö»a6!?although I am not sure what to dowith the »/a6.

12.»xd7 »xd7 13.½e2 ¼e8


This position should be equal, but it isnot easy for either side to come upwith a good plan.

14.¾h1 »f8 15.f4 f6?!

This is the start of a dubious plan tobring the bishop to f7. Better ideasare 15Öd4 to blunt WhiteÕs bishop onthe long diagonal, or 15Öb5 to beginplay on the queenside.

16.»f3 ºg6 17.½e3 ºf7 18.g4 c519.a4

Otherwise Black plays Öa4 himself.White is slightly better.

19Öd4 20.½f2 »d7

Black clears square/f8 for the rook incase White opens the f/file.

21.g5!?

White has several possibilities here:

A) after 21.h4 (or 21.¼ae1 ½c722.½g3 e5) 21Ö½c7 22.½g3 (22.ºc1ºd6) 22Öºd6 23.ºc1 e5 24.f5 ¾f825.g5 hxg5 26.hxg5 ¾e7 27.g6 ¼h8+28.ºh3 ºe8 29.¼f2 »b6! 30.¼h2 ºc6the position looks unclear and Blackshould not be worse. He can returnthe knight to d7 and begin active playon the queenside with Öb5; or

B) 21.e5!? and now

B1) 21Ö¼f8 22.exf6 »xf6 23.»e5ºd6 24.½g3 (24.ºxb7 ºxe5 25.fxe5»xg4 26.½g3 ¼b8 27.½xg4 ¼xb7intending 28.¼g1 ½d5+) 24Öºxe525.fxe5 »d5 looks equal; while

B2) 21Öf5 22.gxf5 exf5 23.ºh3 ºe624.¼g1 ¾h8 25.½g3 g5! 26.fxg5 hxg5actually leaves Black slighly bettersince 27.»xg5 ºxg5 28.½xg5 ºd5+29.ºg2 ½xg5 doesnÕt work for White.

21Öhxg5 22.fxg5 ¼f8 23.½g3 fxg524.ºc1 ½b8! 25.»xg5

Also about equal is 25.½h3 ½d6 (or25Ög4 26.½xg4 »e5 27.»xe5 ½xe5)26.»xg5 ºxg5 27.ºxg5 e5 28.½h4¼ae8.

25Ö½xg3 26.hxg3 ¼ae8 27.ºh3ºxg5 28.ºxg5 ºh5 29.¼xf8+»xf8 30.¼f1 b6 31.¾g2 ºf732.ºf4 e5

Although the position is very slightlybetter for White, Black should havelittle trouble holding on.

33.ºg5 »h7 34.ºd7??

A decisive miscalculation in mutualtime trouble.

34Ö»xg5 35.ºxe8 ºxe8

It is likely that my opponent missedthe defense of ¹/e5 after 36.¼f5 »f7.

36.g4 ºd7 37.¾g3 ºe6?

Alexandre pointed out after the gamethat Black wins immediately with thetrivial 37Ö»h7! (planning Ög5, Ö¾g7,Ö»f6, and taking on g4) 38.¾h4 g5+39.¾h5 ¾g7 and the deadly threat40Öºe8. After the text Black is stillwinning, but not quite as easily.

38.¾h4 »f7

BlackÕs knight begins a long journey.

39.g5 »d8 40.g6 »c6 41.¼f2 »b442.¾g5 »a2 43.¼f3 »c3

With the incidental threat of 44Öc4 tobreak up WhiteÕs pawns.

44.¼f1 »e2

During the game I wasnÕt convincedthat I had taken into account all of thepossible White resources in the line44Öc4 45.bxc4 »xa4 46.¼b1 (46.¼a1ºd7) 46Ö¾f8! (after 46Öºd7? 47.¾h5¾f8 48.¼f1+ it is no longer easy towin) 47.c5 »xc5 (not 47Öbxc5?48.¼b5) 48.¼xb6 ºd7¬.

45.¼f2 »f4 46.¼f1 ¾f8 47.¼h1ºh3 48.¾h4 ºg2 49.¼h2 ¾e750.¾g5

Black has a winning ¾+¹ endgameafter 50.¾g3 ºh3! 51.¼xh3 »xh352.¾xh3 ¾f6.

50Öºh3 51.¼h1 ¾d6 52.¼h2

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52Öc4! 53.bxc4

Black also wins after 53.dxc4 ¾e654.¼h1 ºg2 55.¼e1 ºf3.

53Öºd7 54.¼h1 »e6+ 55.¾f5»c5+ 56.¾g5 ºxa4 57.¼b1 ¾c758.¾f5 ºxc2 59.¼h1 ºxd360.¼h7 ºxc4 61.¼xg7+ ¾d6

After 62. ¼h7 ºe6+ White still cannotsave ¹/e4.

Ù.

Round 3Canada 2Ð2 Czech Republic

Lesiege, A Ú Movsesian, SergeiSpraggett, K Ø Hracek, ZbynekZugic, I Ú Babula, Vlastimil

Cummings, D Ù Oral, ThomasCanada 1Ð2 Turkmenistan

Belc, D Ù Geldyeva, MBryskine, M Ú Atbashieva, Guldjahan

Chu, S Ú Ovezova, Maral

The 12th ranked Czech Republicturned out to be an even toughercustomer, since they decided to giveus their strongest lineup. Alexandremade Movsesian squirm for a whilebefore settling for the draw, and Igorheld a safe draw against his nemesis.

Meanwhile, Kevin gave us a taste ofmore heroics to come when hedropped a massive bomb on HracekÕsposition with great dramatic timing. Inthe subsequent mayhem Kevin wassimply the better player, and he cameaway with the full point. On the lastboard, David collapsed in a frustratingtime scramble after earlier equalizingthe position with Black. This was oursecond draw against a top team.

Notes by

David Cummings

Oral, ThomasCummings, David

Istanbul ol (3), 2000Sicilian B40

1.e4 c5 2.»f3 e6 3.b3

This slightly unusual, but deceptivelydangerous line is a favorite of Oral.

3Ö»f6 4.e5 »d5 5.ºb2 »c6 6.g3b6!?

Instead 6Öºe7 7.ºg2 0-0 8.0-0 f6could be considered the main line,while the interesting 6Ö»de7 was

David Cummings


played in St.Amand-Spraggett,Quebec 1983.

7.ºg2 ºb7 8.0-0 ºe7 9.c4 »db4!

In the post mortem, my opponentsaid that he had underestimated thismove. Although Black loses time withknight, he does secure a stake in thecenter with the subsequent Öd5 andalso provokes the weakening a3.White is better after the alternative9Ö»c7 10.d4 since now the advance10Öd5 loses ¹/g7 after exchanges ond6 and c5 clear the long diagonal forWhiteÕs bishop.

10.d3

White rejects 10.d4 because hisopponent is fine after 10Ö»xd411.»xd4 ºxg2 12.¾xg2 (12.»xe6doesnÕt work because of 12Ödxe613.¾xg2 ½xd1 14.¼xd1 »c2)12Öcxd4 13.ºxd4 0-0. This timeBlackÕs knight finds a much betterhome on c6 than on c7 as in theprevious note.

10Öd5 11.a3

Clearly worse is 11.exd6 ½xd612.ºxg7 ¼g8 13.ºc3 »xd3 whenBlack follows up with 14Ö0-0-0.

11Ö»a6 12.»c3 »c7 13.d4 0-0

DIAG¼AM

A tense situation has arisen, in which anumber of different structures canarise from the various possible pawnexchanges in the center.

14.dxc5 bxc5 15.½c2 ½c816.¼ad1 »a5!?

Although I quite like this maneuver,here 16Ö¼b8 is also possible.

17.»e2 ¼b8

Black sets his eye on ¹/b3.

18.ºc3 »c6 19.»f4 d4

Although Black has achieved a fullysatisfactory position from the opening,I had used up a lot of time. This wasmy first game against a strong playerat this event, and I had yet to build

the necessary confidence tocontribute effectively to our teameffort. Psychologically this is evenmore difficult in an Olympiad, whereyou donÕt play every day.

20.ºd2

Around here the lights in thetournament hall failed, and it wascertainly difficult to maintain a line ofthought during the intermission thatfollowed. A little later in the playingsession a commotion near the exitdoors was followed by the cry "isthere a doctor in the house?" Ittranspired that an unfortunatespectator had been run over by apreoccupied grandmaster rushing tothe washroom, and was knocked outcold! Who said that chess was acerebral game?

20Öf6

When the lights came back on, Idecided to break up the center beforeWhite has time to organize a kingsideattack.

DIAG¼AM

21.exf6 ºxf6?!

A hasty recapture. To an unclearposition leads 21Ögxf6 when Black iscertainly not worse after 22.¼fe1 (or22.ºh3 »e5) 22Öºd6 followed byÖe5.

22.»d3

I hadnÕt appreciated the strength ofthis simple retreat, which forcesBlackÕs knight to a passive post on a6.

22Ö»a6 23.ºf4?!

This looks strong but may have beenbased on a miscalculation. Instead23.¼fe1 gives White an edge.

23Öe5

This temporary pawn sacrifice ismuch better than the passive 23Ö¼a8.Black relies on a tactic to win backthe ¹/b3.

24.»fxe5 »xe5 25.»xe5?

WhiteÕs best choice is clearly 25.ºxe5ºxg2 26.¾xg2 ½b7+ 27.¾g1 ½xb3when Black is fine.

25Öºxg2 26.¾xg2 ºxe5?

In time trouble both players miss thesurprising 26Ög5 (the straightforward26Ö½b7+ 27.¾g1 (not 27.»f3 ºe5!)27Ö½xb3 also looks better than thegame after 28.½xb3 ¼xb3 29.»d7¼d8 30.»xf6+ gxf6 31.¼fe1 ¾f7)when it is only Black who can hopeto win after 27.»g6 gxf4 28.»xf8

½c6+ 29.¾g1 ¼xf8 30.¼fe1 fxg331.hxg3 »c7.

27.ºxe5 ½b7+ 28.¾g1 ½xb329.½e4 ¼be8 30.½d5+ ¾h8?

Probably the decisive mistake. Instead30Ö¼f7 is preferable, with reasonableplay for Black after 31.¼fe1 ½f3.

31.¼de1 »b8

BlackÕs only chance is to activate the»/a6. Important is that 31Ö½f3 allowsthe shot 32.½xf3 ¼xf3 33.ºxg7+.

32.¼b1 ½c2 33.¼b7 ¼g8 34.¼fb1?

Both players were now in desperatetime trouble, which prevented myopponent from consolidated someextra material with 34.½xc5 ½e435.¼e7 ¼xe7 36.½xe7 and a winningposition.

ÜÜÜåÜÝìÝìõáêÝÜÝÜáàÜÝÜÝÜÝÜÝÝÜáîçÜÝÜÜÝÞáÜÝÜÝßÜÝÜÝÜßÜÜÝðÝÜßÜßÝêÝÜÝÜóÜÜÜ

34Ö»c6

Although even this move came as asurprise to my opponent, Black hasan improved version of the same ideawith 34Ö»d7! when Black threatensÖ»xe5 and Ö»b6 while the blockadeof the 7th rank prevents the gamecontinuation and leaves White lookingfor an adequate reply: now 35.¼7b2(Black is more than fine after35.½xd7 ¼xe5; while 35.ºf4 allows35Ö»b6) 35Ö½c3 leads to a probabledraw after 36.ºc7 »b6 37.ºxb6 axb638.¼xb6 ½xa3 39.¼6b3 ½a5 40.¼b5½c3 41.¼xc5 d3.

35.ºxg7+ ¼xg7 36.½xc6 ¼f837.¼1b2 ½xc4 38.½d6!

BlackÕs last trick is 38.¼xg7 ½c1+39.¾g2 ½xb2 when White has to bailout for a perpetual check with40.¼xh7+.

38Ö¼fg8 39.¼xg7 ½c1+ 40.¾g2½xb2 41.¼xa7 Ø.

Round 4Canada 1.5Ð2.5 Bulgaria

Lesiege, A Ú Topalov, VeselinCharbonneau, P Ú Georgiev, Kiril

Cummings, D Ú Delchev, AleksanderJohanne Charest

Marina Bryskine


Yoos, J Ù Kolev, AtanasCanada 1Ð2 Macedonia

Charest, J Ú Koskoska, GabrielBelc, D Ú Kierzek, Mira

Chu, S Ù Janevska, Aleksandra

8th ranked Bulgaria came at us todaywith GMs Topalov and Georgiev, justabout at the same time that a nastyvirus would begin to take its toll onteam Canada. By the end of our stayin Turkey, only Pascal had managedto escape the digestive problems andseveral nasty strains of the flu that ranrampant in the tournament hall.

The Bulgarians almost succumbed toAlexandre and Pascal on the top twoboards, but both games ended indraws. On board three David madevery sure to contain his GM opponentand also made a draw, but on boardfour my opponent unexpectedlytested me in a line of the KingÕsIndian that had already caused me bigproblems against Shabalov in the lastround of the Winnipeg CanadianOpen in 1997. With two consecutivelosses, I would now get a break topull myself together.

Notes by

PascalCharbonneau

Georgiev, KirilCharbonneau, Pascal

Istanbul ol (4), 2000Queens Gambit D27

1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.»f3 »f6 4.e3e6 5.ºxc4 c5 6.0-0 a6 7.dxc5ºxc5 8.½xd8+ ¾xd8 9.»bd2

»bd7

The immediate 9Ö¾e7 may be moreaccurate, as the text allows White totry a plan based on »g5-e4 to harrassBlackÕs bishop. In BoninÐIbragimov,New York 1992, Black eventuallyplayed Ö¾e8! in reaction to WhiteÕsknight maneuver in order to keepsquare/e7 for the retreat of his bishopand achieved equality.

10.ºe2

The bishop avoids harrassment by theadvance Öb5 and is often redirectedto square/f3.

10Öb6

Now White can react to 10Öb5 with11.a4 when BlackÕs queenside hasbeen noticably weakened.

11.b3 ºb7 12.ºb2 ¾e7 13.¼fd1¼hc8!?

How should Black arrange his rooks?The natural 13Ö¼hd8 comes to mind,but the d/file is congested with minorpieces and White is unlikely to tradeoff material immediately. The textintroduces the possibility Öºb4 whichwould force a White rook to c1 andinvite subsequent exchanges.

14.»e1

This position does not promise Whitemuch, but it is difficult to suggest aconcrete plan for more than equality.

14Öºb4!

Black activates his minor pieces andcounters the intended »d3 maneuver.

15.»d3 ºxd2 16.¼xd2 »e417.ºa3+

White has the tactical 17.ºf3 to keephis pieces more harmoniously placed,but Black remains very solid.

17Ö¾e8 18.¼b2 a5!?

Intending 19Öºa6 and sometimes thepawn advance Öb5-b4.

19.»f4 g6 20.ºf1

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At this point I felt that Black had apromising position with chances to

trap WhiteÕs º/a3. , but perhaps thisis an overly optimistic assessment.

20Öe5 21.»d3 f6

The direct 21Öb5!? 22.b4 ¼c3 23.¼b3¼xb3 24.axb3 axb4 25.ºb2 ¼xa126.ºxa1 »d2 27.»xb4 unfortunatelypeters out into a draw, as do manymore seemingly complicatedvariations.

22.f3 »c3 23.»f2 b5!? 24.b4 ºd5

Black tries to win the game by justpicking off ¹/a2, but against a strongGM like Kiril Georgiev such hopesarenÕt very realistic!

25.e4 ºe6 26.bxa5 ¼xa5 27.ºb4!¼xa2 28.¼axa2 »xa2 29.ºd2

And now there is no way to keep mypawn or exploit WhiteÕs back rank.The position is completely drawn.

29Öb4 30.ºxb4 »xb4 31.¼xb4¼c1

Throughout the game Kiril gave mesome rather strange and disrespectfullooks, and naturally declined my drawoffer around this point. Perhaps adraw with the White pieces against ayoungster was distasteful to him, orhe was simply trying to intimidate meinto blunderingÖ

32.»d3 ¼c2 33.h4 ¾e7 34.¼b7¾d6 35.¼b1 ¼d2 36.¼c1 f537.»f2 »c5 38.¼e1 fxe439.»xe4+ »xe4 40.¼xe4 ¼d441.¼xd4+ exd4

Finally the draw offer came, and I wasrelieved to have held one of theworldÕs top twenty grandmasters to adraw with the Black pieces.

Ú.

Round 5Canada 2Ð2 Indonesia

Lesiege, A Ú Handoko, EdhiSpraggett, K Ø Gunawan, Ruben

Zugic, I Ù Juswanto, DennyCharbonneau, P Ú Barus, Cerda

Canada 2.5Ð0.5 United Arab EmiratesCharest, J Ø Sultan, HodaBelc, D Ø Hussain, Nora

Bryskine, M Ú Hassan, Jawaher

Despite the higher ranking of theIndonesian team we were hopeful ofa victory, based on several otherrecent results against them. And whilethe early going looked promising, theresourceful and cunning style of theislanders proved to be sufficient for adrawn match when KevinÕs win wasoffset by IgorÕs first loss of the event.

Pascal Charbonneau


Round 6Canada 1.5Ð2.5 Macedonia

Lesiege, A Ú Mitkov, NikolaSpraggett, K Ú Nedev, Trajce

Charbonneau, P Ú Jacimovic, DCummings, D Ù Bogdanovski, Vlatko

Canada 0Ð3 UzbekistanCharest, J Ù Khegai, Angela

Bryskine, M Ù Khamrakulova, IChu, S Ù Levushkina, Elena

Our first clear setback came todayagainst Macedonia. Once again severalpromising positions fizzled, and wefound ourselves on the losing end of a1.5Ð2.5 score. David was our nextcasualty to the bugs, and lost a roughgame. Fortunately Alexandre, Kevinand Pascal held firm in spite of someuncomfortable moments. A bit shakenafter this round, we were lookingforward to finally getting paired downin the next round.

Notes by

Jack Yoos

Charbonneau, PascalJacimovic, Dragoljub

Istanbul ol (6), 2000French: Tarrasch C04

Pascal played many games of higherquality than this one, but hisopponent today would end upwinning the gold medal on boardthree, and I must confess that mychess tastes are shallow: I very muchprefer games with bright lights andloud bangs!

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.»d2 »c6

Pascal anticipated a French Defensefor this game. Unfortunately, hedevoted most of his preparation onthe fashionable 3Öºe7 instead of theonce popular but now rare text.

4.»gf3 »f6

Here 4Ödxe4 does not make muchsense, since it will prove difficult forBlack to develop his light squaredbishop.

5.e5 »d7 6.»b3

Black is prepared for a quick Öf6 andso the maneuver »f1-g3 can be a bitslow. On the queenside the knighthas future potential on c5 or even a5after the exchange ºb5xc6.

6Öa5

BlackÕs omission of the advance Öa5gives White additional possibilities to

react to BlackÕs queenside plans:6Öºe7 7.ºb5 »cb8 8.0-0 0-0 (8Öb69.½e2 a5 10.ºe3 0-0 11.ºd3 ºa612.c4 illustrates a typical motif inmany positions of this type whereWhite responds to the exchange ofhis good bishop and the opponentÕslagging development by changing thepawn structure) 9.c3!? (or 9.ºf4 b610.½e2 a5 11.a4 ºa6 12.c4 c613.cxd5 exd5 14.ºxa6 »xa6 15.e6when White has again used the timespent by Black on exchanging lightsquared bishop to justify a bold breakin the center in GrunfeldÐHug,Munich zt 1987) 9Öb6 10.»e1 andnow White has a straight forward planbased on f4-f5 to gain extra space onthe kingside with good attackingpotential. YanofskyÐPortisch, Munich1958, continued with 10Öc6 11.ºe2ºa6 12.ºxa6 »xa6 13.½g4 and Abeeventually finished off his opponentwith a sweet exchange sacrifice!

7.a4 ºe7 8.ºb5

The move ºb5 is not often seen inthe French, but BlackÕs single mindedpursuit of Öf6 justifies it here by theextra control White exerts over thecentral squares.

8Ö»cb8

Though it looks silly to waste timelike this, Black would have to be veryconcerned about his a/¹ if White gotin ºxc6 followed by ºd2.

9.h4!

PascalÕs advance is an efficient way tomobilize WhiteÕs pieces for a kingsideinitiative. The rook develops via h3and the knight can either go to g5 ortravel by h2 to g4.

9Öb6?!

Black is asking for a massacre on thekingside! More prudent is to keepWhiteÕs knight out of g5 with 9Öh6(9Öf6?! 10.exf6 ºxf6 11.»g5 ½e712.f4 h6 13.½h5+ ¾f8 14.ºd3 gaveWhite pressure in KissÐTopalov,Singapore 1990) 10.h5 (10.c3 b611.h5 c6 12.ºd3 ºa6 13.ºxa6 »xa614.ºe3 »c7 15.»h2 created dynamicpossibilities in DelauneÐSeirwan, US1979, although I do not understandwhy White bothered with 10.c3)10Öb6 11.¼h3 ºa6 12.¼g3 ºf813.¾f1 c6 14.ºxa6 »xa6 15.¾g1when WhiteÕs patient approach hasgenerated kingside pressure inAdamsÐBrooks, Sutton op 1987.

10.»g5! h6?!

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Black clearly lacks a sense of smell,even though White also amassed a lotof firepower on the kingside after10Öºa6 11.½h5 ºxg5 12.ºxg5 ½c813.¼h3 and crashed through BlackÕsdefenses after 13Öh6 14.ºf4 c615.ºxa6 »xa6 16.½g4 g6 17.h5 g518.ºh2 ½d8 19.f4 in the gameLoginovÐRustemov, cr 1994.

11.»xe6! fxe6 12.½h5+ ¾f813.¼h3 ¾g8

In GeorgievÐBorngaesser, Halkidiki1990, Black was too slow with13Öºa6 14.¼f3+ ¾g8 15.½f7+ ¾h716.ºxh6! ¾xh6 17.¼g3.

14.¼f3 ºf6!?

Black finds a good time to bail outand return the material. Georgievgives 14Ö¼h7 15.ºd3 »f8 16.ºxh7+»xh7 17.ºxh6; while 14Ö»f6 15.exf6ºxf6 16.½g6 ¾f8 17.¼xf6+! also winson the spot.

15.exf6

Since 15.½g6? »f8 is no good, Whitehas to accept the offering.

15Ö»xf6 16.½g6

Pascal moves in for the kill. DaleKirton suggested 16.½e5 intending toregroup with ½e2 when the damagealready inflicted on BlackÕs positionpays off eventually.

16Öc6

Black chases the bishop towards thevulnerable kingside, but he couldhardly tolerate the influence that thispiece exerted on his back rank fromits current post on b5.

17.ºd3

Perhaps 17.¼g3!? leads to a knockoutpunch somewhere around here, but Icannot cofirm this since I live in aFritz-free environmentÖ

17Ö½e7

Black has to defend against thedeadly 18.¼g3 and 19.ºxh6.

18.ºf4!?


This bishopÕs control of the h2-b8diagonal gives White additionaltactical possibilities.

18Ö»bd7 19.ºe5?

PascalÕs choice is consistent, but also abit slow and clumsy. Instead Whiteshould finish his development with19.¾f1! (planning 20.¼e1 next) when19Öc5 is met with 20.c4 and BlackÕsposition blows up completely.

19Öc5!

Finally counterplay!

20.½g3!?

To PascalÕs great credit he manages astylish draw right after squandering hisgreat position.

20Öc4 21.ºd6 ½d8 22.ºc7 ½e7Ú.

Round 7Canada 3Ð1 Ecuador

Lesiege, A Ø Matamoros Franco, CSpraggett, K Ø Bastidas Rodriguez, E

Zugic, I Ù Mera Cedeno, AngelYoos, J Ø Munoz Sotomayor, Hugo

Canada 0Ð3 NorwayCharest, J Ù Hagesaether, Ellen

Bryskine, M Ù Barth Berntsen, SheilaChu, S Ù Johnsen, Sylvia

What was supposed to be an easypairing against Equador proved to bemore difficult than anticipated. With anear-GM player on top board and noreal rating disadvantage on the lowerboards they put up a tough fit.

Fortunately for us Alexandre camethrough on top board with some veryshrewd opening preparation to makeit look easy with Black, and Kevinproduced a very nice crush with somepatient play on the White side of aStonewall Dutch. On the lower boardsIgor and I struggled a bit early on,with Igor succumbing to an oversightjust when things were getting better.As for myself, a messy position foundme with only one boot on and gunsblazing, until crashing through for adecent checkmate.

Round 8Canada 2Ð2 Kyrgyzstan

Lesiege, A Ú Moldobaev, EmelbekSpraggett, K Ú Magai, Vladimir

Zugic, I Ú Yurtaev, LeonidCharbonneau, P Ú Inarkiev, Ernesto

Canada 2.5Ð0.5 MoroccoBelc, D Ú Hind, Bahji

Bryskine, M Ø Amina, OubaaquaChu, S Ø Kamal, Fati

After so much excitement in theprevious round, we cautiously secureda stable draw with all four starters intodayÕs outing against higher rankedKyrgyzstan.

Notes by

Stefanie Chu

Bryskine, MarinaAmina, Oubaaqua

Istanbul ol f (8), 2000Marina finally broke her string ofdraws with the following cute trick.

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42.¼xg7+ ¼xg7 43.½f7+ Ø.

Round 9Canada 3Ð1 Yugoslavia

Lesiege, A Ø Ilincic, ZaltkoSpraggett, K Ø Ivanisevic, Ivan

Charbonneau, P Ù Solak, DraganYoos, J Ø Vuckovic, BojanCanada 2.5Ð0.5 SingaporeCharest, J Ú Tan, Winnie

Belc, D Ø Yapping XuChu, S Ø May Rolles, May

Yugoslavia missed a chance toavenge the loss of their basketballteam at the hands of the Canadiansquad in Sydney last summer, andwere instead convincingly thumpedon three of the four boards. OnlyPascal never got his plane off theground after a really bad opening.

Notes by

Jack Yoos

Yoos, JackVuckovic, Bojan

Istanbul ol (9), 2000Sicilian: Rauzer B66

1.e4 c5 2.»f3 d6 3.d4 cxd44.»xd4 »f6 5.»c3 »c6

My opponentÕs regular choice of theClassical Sicilian suits my sharp

approach to the opening, and allowedme to prepare something veryspecific for the occasion with the helpof team captain Dale Kirton.

6.ºg5 e6 7.½d2 a6

While I anticipated the line weactually played, I also reviewed manyof the more topical Rauzer lines. Here7Öºe7 8.0-0-0 »xd4 9.½xd4 a6 (theactive development of BlackÕs queenwith 9Ö0-0 10.f4 ½a5 is a popularalternative that White can answer with11.¾b1 h6 12.h4) is a different moveorder that gives White the additionaloption 10.ºc4 (10.f4 b5 leads back tothe game) when 10Ö½c7 11.ºb3 b5(11Öºd7 12.f4 ºc6 13.¼he1 ¼d814.f5 e5 15.½g1 0-0 16.g4Ã Kirton-Kollar, Winnipeg MB ch 1996)12.ºxf6 gxf6 13.f4 ½c5 14.½d3 ºd7intending Öa5 looks fine for Black.

8.0-0-0 ºe7!?

The older main line 8Öºd7 has notbeen very popular for a while, butcontinued recently in one of my owngames with 9.f4 b5 10.ºxf6 gxf6(after 10Ö½xf6?! 11.e5 BlackÕs º/d7 isbadly placed) 11.¾b1 ½b6 12.»xc6ºxc6 13.½e1 ºe7 (13Öb4 14.»d5)14.f5 b4 15.»e2 e5 (15Öºxe416.fxe6 fxe6 17.»g3 ºd5 18.¼xd5!exd5 19.»f5) 16.»g3 h5 17.h4 ºf818.ºc4 ¼c8 19.½e2 ¾e7 20.»xh5½c5 21.b3 ºh6 22.¼h3 a5 23.g4 a424.»xf6 ¾xf6 25.g5+ ºxg5 26.hxg5+¾xg5 27.¼hd3! ¼h4 28.½g2+ ¼g429.¼g3 ¼xg3 30.½xg3+ ¾f6 31.½h4+¾g7 32.¼h1 ½e3 33.f6+ ¾g634.½h5+ Ø YoosÐKhassanov,Brantford CA ch 1999.

Jack Yoos


Much more popular recently is 8Öh6.After 9.ºe3 ºd7 10.f4 ½c7 11.¾b1ºe7 12.ºd3 b5 I had prepared animprovement on SpraggettÐBaragar,Toronto CA ch 1996, which lookedunclear after 13.»f3!? b4 14.»e2 a5(14Ö»a5 15.ºd4 »c4 16.ºxc4 ½xc417.ºxf6 gxf6 18.e5! was played inYoos-Toth, Budapest 1998) 15.h3 0-016.g4 a4 17.g5 hxg5 18.»xg5 »a5.

9.f4

A reasonable and conservative optionis 9.ºxf6!? gxf6 10.f4 while 9.f3 plansto continue with English Attack ideas,and has been very fashionable of latein many lines of the Rauzer as well.

9Ö»xd4

After 9Öºd7 10.»f3 b5 we havetransposed back into one of the oldermain lines, where White has donewell with both the sharp 11.e5 b4 andthe typical light square squeeze after11.ºxf6 gxf6 followed by an eventualf5 advance.

10.½xd4 b5 11.ºxf6

Once Black commits to the popularadvance Öb5 on the queenside, Whiteusually reacts by doubling BlackÕs f/¹sto compromise his opponentÕs kingsafety. White plans to probe theweakened light squares in the centerwith an eventual f5 and by the use ofhis light squared bishop and queenagainst squares e6 and f7.

The alternative sequence 11.ºe2 ½c712.ºf3 ºb7 13.e5!? is anothercharacteristic plan in the Rauzer whenBlack has developed the knight to f6.

11Ögxf6

Kasparov gives 11Öºxf6 12.e5 dxe513.½c5 (13.½e4 ºd7 14.ºxb5 axb515.¼xd7 ¾xd7 16.¼d1+ ¾e817.¼xd8+ ¼xd8 18.fxe5«) 13Öºd714.»xb5 ºe7 (14Öaxb5 15.¼xd7«)15.»c7+ ¾f8 16.½xe5«.

12.e5

With this aggressive continuationWhite limits his opponentÕs pieceplay by fixing the pawn structure inthe center. However, because of hiscentral preponderance BlackÕs longterm prospects are good if Whitecannot cash in quickly on the lightsquares.

White was successful with 12.ºd3½c7 13.½e3 ½c5 14.½g3 inKasparov-Kramnik, Amsterdam 1996,although the placement of WhiteÕsqueen in this line has not attractedmany followers. The main alternative12.ºe2 has been popular for aboutfive years at the top level:

A) I was content with 12Öºb713.ºh5!? ½a5 14.e5 b4 15.»e4 ºxe416.½xe4 d5 17.½e3 f5 18.¾b1 and aWhite advantage in Yoos-Kuczaj,Calgary op 1996, until I saw the gameKasparov-Hracek, which we willexamine later; or

B) 12Ö½a5 13.e5! fxe5 14.fxe5 d515.»xd5! exd5 16.e6 0-0 17.¼d3ºg5+ 18.¾b1 ºxe6 Shirov-Kramnik,Monaco active 1996, and now 19.h4±Shirov; and

C) 12Ö½c7 13.f5 is a typicalcontinuation for this pawn structure,

when Black will have to be careful inavoiding a bind after White playsºh5. Lately practical experience hasshown that 13Ö½c5 (13Öh5? 14.fxe6fxe6 15.e5! intending ½e4 and ºxh5)14.fxe6 fxe6 (14Öºxe6!?) 15.½xc5dxc5 16.ºh5+ ¾f8 17.e5 f5 18.g4 b419.»e2 ºg5+ 20.¾b1 ¾e7 holds forBlack after, for example 21.gxf5 exf522.¼hg1 ºh6 23.ºf3 ¼b8 24.¼d6ºe6 25.ºd5 ºxd5 26.¼xh6 ¼bg827.¼g3 ¼g4.

12Öd5

White has an initiative after 12Ödxe513.½e4 ºd7 14.¼xd7 ¾xd715.ºxb5+ axb5 16.¼d1+ ºd6 17.fxe5fxe5 18.»xb5 according to Kasparov,while square f7 is very weak after12Öfxe5 13.fxe5 d5.

13.¾b1

This is a critical moment. Black wouldlike to bail out his king and castlequeenside, but WhiteÕs pressureagainst ¹/f6 prevents thedevelopment of BlackÕs queen. Blackalso cannot relieve the tension with13Öfxe5 14.fxe5 because theexchange dangerously opens the f/file for his opponent, nor is 13Öf514.g4 with a strong White initiative aviable option.

13Öºb7

This popular development of BlackÕsbishop should now be considered amistake, and Black should prefer thecritical continuation 13Ö¼g8!(intending 14.ºd3 f5 when 15.g4 hasbeen prevented) 14.f5 fxe5 15.½xe5½d6!

Instead 13Öºd7 14.½e3 (threatening15.exf6 followed by 16.»xd5) 14Öf515.g4 fxg4 16.h3 gxh3 17.ºxh3 ½c718.f5 gives White a pleasant initiative,while after the natural 13Öb4 thetransfer of WhiteÕs knight to thekingside with 14.»e2 a5 15.»g3 f516.»h5 ¼b8 17.g4 only punctuatesBlackÕs defensive problems. Whitewon quickly after 17Öfxg4 18.f5 ¼g819.»f6+ ºxf6 20.exf6 ½d6 21.ºg2¼g5 22.ºxd5 ºd7 23.¼he1 h624.fxe6 fxe6 25.½a7 Ø in Kasparov-Hracek, Erevan ol 1996.

14.f5! fxe5 15.½xe5 ºf6 16.½g3½e7 17.fxe6 fxe6 18.ºe2 h5

White quickly achieved a winningposition in Kasparov-Ivanchuk,Frankfurt 1998, after 18Ö0-0-0 19.ºg4h5 20.ºh3 h4 21.½f4 ºg7 22.¼he1¼h6 23.a3 ¼g6 24.ºxe6+.

Olympic ProblemsOvercome

A real dilemma was created whenwith less than a week to go beforethe Olympic team was to leave for

Istanbul, two players chose towithdraw because of a warning

issued by the US StateDepartment about the danger of

travel in Turkey. It was hoped thatthere would be a change of heart,but the withdrawal was absolutelyconfirmed just three days prior todeparture. This left no time for

normal procedures to findreplacements.

Trying to contact players, thenwaiting to see if they could make

arrangements at work and athome, as well as having the

necessary travel documents wasout of the question. The Turkishorganizing committee had to be

advised of any changes, and airlinetickets and schedules re-arranged.

We needed high rated playerswho we knew could go right

away. Fortunately, Jack Yoos andDavid Cummings fit both

categories. They agreed to play,and I felt that we were very

fortunate to get players rated over2400 with so little advance notice.

It seems that in every Olympiadwe have problems of this nature.

However, volunteers like Jack andDavid help us overcome these

problems. To those who agreed torepresent Canada, and to our

office personnel who had to makecontinually changing arrangementsin an urgent manner, I give a very

heartfelt Thank You.

Maurice SmithPresident

Chess Federation Of Canada


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19.a4!N

Suggested by Anand in his notes tothe game Anand-Kramnik, Wijk aanZee 2000, where he played 19.ºf3 0-0-0 20.h4? b4 21.»e2 e5 withadvantage to Black. Similarly, Whitegets nothing with 19.»e4 (19.¼hf1 0-0-0) 19Ödxe4 20.½g6+ ½f7 21.½xf7+¾xf7 22.¼d7+ ¾g6 23.¼xb7 ¼ab8and an equal position.

With the text White creates animportant distraction by tenderizinghis opponentÕs queenside pawnstructure before proceeding with hisattack against BlackÕs king.

19Öb4

The alternatives are 19Ö½g7 20.½h3;19Ö½b4 20.¼d3!; and 19Öbxa420.¼hf1.

20.»e4! ºh4?

BlackÕs first deviation from ourpreparation turns out to be the losingmove. Dale Kirton and I hadconcentrated on 20Ödxe4 21.½g6+½f7 22.½xf7+ ¾xf7 23.¼d7+ ¾g624.¼xb7 which looks safest for Black,although White is still clearly on top inspite of the opposite colored bishops.Also unpleasant for Black is 20Ö0-0-021.»xf6 ½xf6 22.¼hf1 ½e7 23.½e5.

21.ºxh5+! ¾d7

It is likely that my opponent hadmissed the fork 21Ö¼xh5 22.½g6+½f7 23.»d6+ in his earliercalculations.

22.½e5

The queen is a pig! She makes BlackÕsdark squared bishop miserable, andefficiently coordinates WhiteÕs finalattack from her unassailable positionat the center of the action.

22Ö¼ag8

Pascal Charbonneau points out theneat triangulation 22Ö¾c6 23.ºg4dxe4 24.½xe4+ ¾b6 25.½e3+ ¾c7(25Ö½c5 26.a5+; or 25Ö¾a5 26.½e5+

ºd5 27.ºxe6) 26.½e5+ ¾b6 27.a5+!¾a7 28.½d4+.

23.g3

Or 23.¼hf1!?

23Öºg5 24.ºg4 ¼h6 25.¼hf1

White swings his last remaining pieceinto action to finish the job. Here thecliche works for good reason!

25Ö¾c6 26.¼f7 ºf6 27.¼xf6 Ø.

Round 10Canada 2.5Ð1.5 Portugal

Lesiege, A Ú Fernandes, AntonioSpraggett, K Ú Galego, Luis

Zugic, I Ú Frois, AntonioCummings, D Ø Dias, PauloCanada 0.5Ð2.5 ColombiaCharest, J Ù Mateus, MarthaBelc, D Ù Palao, Maricela

Bryskine, M Ú Ortiz, Nadya

A serious bout with the flu meant thatI missed almost the entire day byresting in bed, and only got the newsof our result at the player meetingthat evening. David came throughwith a key win on board four tosecure our second victory in a row.

Notes by

David Cummings

Dias, PauloCummings, David

Istanbul ol (10), 2000Sicilian: Closed A08

1.e4 c5

Of my six games at the Olympiad,four were played on the Black side ofa Sicilian!

2.»f3 e6 3.d3 »c6 4.g3 »ge75.ºg2 g6 6.0-0 ºg7 7.c3 d5 8.½e2

This Day-esque development of thequeen is quite popular in the KingÕsIndian Attack today.

8Öb6 9.e5 ½c7 10.¼e1 ºa611.ºf4 h6 12.h4 0-0-0

Black has the double edged pawnsacrifice Ög5 in mind.

13.a4

The old game Hort-Furman, Wijk aanZee 1975, nicely illustrates the ideasfor both sides after 13.»bd2 ¼dg814.a4 g5 15.hxg5 »g6 16.a5 bxa517.ºe3 hxg5 18.ºxg5 »gxe5 19.ºf4»xf3+ 20.»xf3 ½b7 21.»e5 ºxe522.ºxe5 »xe5 23.½xe5 ºxd324.¼xa5 ½c7 25.½xc7+ ¾xc7

26.¼xa7+ ¾d6 27.¼xf7 c4 28.¼f6 ºf529.ºf3 ¼g7 30.¾g2 Ú.

13Ög5 14.hxg5 »g6 15.b4!?

White tries to launch his attack atmaximum speed.

15Ö»xf4 16.gxf4 »e7

This retreat looks safe, but Black canalso try 16Öcxb4 17.cxb4 »xb418.½d2 (Black is better after 18.¼a3¾b8 19.½d2 ºf8 20.¼c1 ½d7; and18.»c3 »xd3 19.»b5 ºxb5 20.axb5»xe1 21.½xe1 ¾b7 also looks fine)18Ö»xd3 19.ºf1 »c5 20.ºxa6+ »xa621.a5 »c5 22.axb6 axb6 23.»d4 witha clear conscience since 23Öhxg524.¼a8+ ¾d7 25.»b5 ½c6 26.¼a7+¾e8 holds after 27.»d6+ ¼xd628.exd6 d4 29.f3 ½xf3 30.½g2½xg2+ 31.¾xg2 »d3.

17.a5 b5 18.bxc5 hxg5 19.fxg5½xc5 20.»a3 »g6 21.½e3

During the game I was happy totrade queens, but it is not entirelyclear who gains more by keeping thequeens on. Black in fact threatens togenerate kingside play with Ö»f4 orÖ»h4 and pressure down the h/file.

21Ö½xe3 22.¼xe3 ¾d7

The immediate 22Öºf8 is analternative.

23.¼b1

Although not a bad move in itself, it ispart of a misguided plan to go after¹/b5 that begins to turn the game inBlackÕs favor. Instead, White canprobe the dark square weaknesses inBlackÕs camp with 23.»c2 »f4(23Öºf8 24.»b4 ºxb4 25.cxb4 ¼c8 isalso possible) 24.»b4 ºb7 25.a6 ºa8and in spite of the poor placement ofBlackÕs light squared bishop hisposition is much more resilient than itappears at first sight. WhiteÕs º/g2and ¼/e3 are not contributing much,and the extra ¹/g5 is weak. There canfollow 26.d4 (26.¼a5 ¼c8 27.d4allows 27Ö¼xc3; 26.»d4 is answeredby 26Ö¼h5; and 26.»d2 is met by26Öd4) when Black should play26Ö¼h5 with interesting tacticalcompensation for the pawn and goodchances after 27.ºf1 ¼dh8 28.ºxb5+¾c7 29.¾f1 ¼xg5! Now WhiteÕs bestoption is probably

A) 30.¾e1 »g2+ 31.¾d2 ¼f5 32.¼d3»f4 (32Ö¼h3 33.¼g1 ºh6+ is toorisky for Black after 34.¾c2 »f435.¼g8 »xd3 36.ºxd3 ¼fxf337.¼xa8) with a draw by repetition;since


B) 30.»g1 (intending to answer30Ö¼h1 with 31.¼g3) runs into30Öºxe5!! 31.dxe5 (after 31.¼xe5¼g2 White cannot prevent 32Ö¼h1)31Ö¼xg1+ 32.¾xg1 d4 and we cansee clearly what BlackÕs bishop isdoing on a8!

23Ö¼b8 24.d4

Fine for Black is 24.»c2 »f4 25.»b4ºb7 26.a6 ºa8 27.d4 ¼h5 28.»d3»xd3 29.¼xd3 ºf8.

24Ö»f4 25.ºf1

Now 25.»c2 can be answered by25Öb4 and 26Ö»e2+.

25Öºf8 26.»xb5?

White persists in capturing on b5, but26.»c2 ¼h5 27.»b4 ºxb4 28.¼xb4¼bh8 29.ºg2 ¼c8 30.ºf1 ¼ch8 withan equal position is more circumspect.

26Öºe7 27.c4

In an attempt to untangle his pieces,White opens up the position forBlackÕs benefit.

27Ödxc4 28.ºxc4 »h3+ 29.¾f1»xg5 30.¼bb3 ¼bc8 31.ºd3 ºb7

The light squared bishop is free atlast!

32.»d2

White can try to complicate matterswith 32.»xg5 ºxg5 33.»xa7 ¼c1+34.¾e2 ºd5 35.¼h3 but now35Ö¼xh3 36.ºb5+ ¾c7 37.¼xh3 ¾b7wins the »/a7.

32Ö¼c1+ 33.¾e2 ¼hh1

ÜÜÜÝÜÝÜÝÜÝáèÝôéàÝÜÜÝÜÝàÝÜÝßâÝÜßÜåÜÜÝÜßÜÝÜÝÝêÝæëÜÝÜÜÝÜãòßÜÝÝÜíÜÝÜÝìÜÜ

34.ºb1 ºd5

Black indeed wins material with thisidea, but a much faster way to wrapthings up is the deadly 34Ö»h3!35.¼xh3 ¼ce1+ 36.¾d3 ¼xh3+37.¾c2 ºe4+ 38.¾b2 ¼xb3+.

35.¼bc3

If 35.¼b2 »h3.

35Ö¼xb1 36.»xb1 ¼xb1 37.¼c7+¾e8

Not 37Ö¾d8 38.¼ec3

38.»xa7

A better try is 38.»d6+ when38Öºxd6 39.exd6 ºf3+ 40.¾d3 ¼d1+41.¾c4 a6 42.¾c5 ¼b1 still leavesBlack on top.

38Öºd8 39.¼c8 ¼b2+ 40.¾d3¾d7 41.¼c5 ¼a2 42.»b5 ºxa543.»c3 ºxc3 44.¼xc3 »f3

Now Black cleans up the Whitepawns one by one.

45.¼e2 ¼a4 46.¾e3 »xd4 47.¼b2»f3 48.¾e2 »xe5 49.¼g3 f550.¼c3 f4 51.¼cc2 f3+ 52.¾d1¼a1+

Black wins an exchange. With theother three games ending in draws, Iwas proud to provide the decisiveresult for Canada in this match.Despite his loss here, my youngopponent went on to make an IMnorm.

Ù.

Round 11Canada 1Ð3 Romania

Lesiege, A Ú Rogozenko, DorianSpraggett, K Ù Grigore, George

Charbonneau, P Ú Badea, BelaYoos, J Ù Cosma, IoanCanada 2.5Ð0.5 Iraq

Charest, J Ø Mohammed, JanerBryskine, M Ú Al-Rufei, Eman

Chu, S Ø Dalia Ameen, S

Here I would like to accept fullresponsibility for my own misguidedoptimism in deciding to play when Iwas still clearly not well enough to doso. Draws on two boards were notenough to prevent a decisive lossand, to make matters worse, Kevinmade a baffling blunder in a winningendgame, probably as a result of theadditional pressure and responsibilityhe felt trying to rescue the team yetagain.

Notes by

Stefanie Chu

Charest, JohanneMohammed, Janer

Istanbul ol f (11), 2000Italian C54

Most of JohanneÕs wins were quickand convincing affairs like this one.

1.e4 e5 2.»f3 »c6 3.ºc4 ºc54.c3 »f6 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 ºb4+7.»c3 »xe4 8.0-0 ºxc3 9.d5 »e710.bxc3 0-0 11.¼e1 »f6 12.d6 »f513.dxc7 ½xc7 14.½d3 d5 15.ºb3h6 16.ºa3 ¼d8 17.h3 ºe6 18.g4»e7 19.»d4

ÜÜìÝÜíÜÝôÝáàñÜåàáÜÜÝÜÝèåÜáÝÜÝàÝÜÝÜÜÝÜãÜÝÞÝçæßîÝÜÝÞÞÝÜÝÜßÜÝëÜÝÜëÜóÜÜÜ

Having outplayed her opponent fromthe opening, Johanne has obtained astrong position, with both bishopsbreathing fire from the queenside.Her opponentÕs reply loses a piece,but there is no defense to WhiteÕsdecisive threat of capturing on e6.

19Ö»g6 20.»xe6 fxe6 21.½xg6½f7 22.½xf7+ ¾xf7 23.c4 ¼ac824.cxd5 »xd5 25.¼ac1 ¼xc126.¼xc1 ¾f6 27.ºb2+ ¾g628.ºxd5 Ø.

Round 12Canada 2.5Ð1.5 Estonia

Lesiege, A Ù Kulaots, KaidoSpraggett, K Ø Sepp, Olav

Charbonneau, P Ø Kiik, KalleCummings, D Ú Sergei Zjukin, Sergei

Canada 2.5Ð0.5 JapanBelc, D Ø Xiaoqing Lai

Bryskine, M Ú Emiko NakagawaChu, S Ø Akemi Matsuo

After eleven invincible games in arow on top board, and in spite ofKevinÕs warnings that Alexandremight tire out at some point, ournumber one player indeed collapsedbriefly and lost two successive gamesin rounds 12 and 13. Fortunately,Pascal rose to the occasion with great

Diana BelcStefanie Chu


timing today to pull in the badlyneeded extra point.

Notes by

PascalCharbonneau

Charbonneau, PascalKiik, Kalle

Istanbul ol (12), 2000Alekhine B05

We felt confident about this match,since Estonia did not field their bestteam. Important for me personallywas reaching an IM norm with a winin todayÕs game, and therefore I wasdisappointed when a search of ourdatabase indicated that my opponentplays everythingÖ

1.e4 »f6

Öexcept the Alekhine! His choice canprobably be explained by thediscovery of some games of minefrom last summer in which I playedsome admittedly goofy variations inthis opening.

2.e5 »d5 3.d4 d6 4.»f3 ºg45.ºe2 c6 6.0-0

WhiteÕs most aggressive reaction tothis setup is 6.»g5 with a theoreticaladvantage. However, a morerestrained approach also gives Whitethe better game, and I had alreadydecided to avoid complications rightfrom the start.

6Öºxf3 7.ºxf3 dxe5 8.dxe5 e69.½e2!?

With this unusual choice White retainsthe option of bringing the rook to thee/file.

9Ö»d7 10.b3 ½c7 11.¼e1 ºb4?!

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This exchange is a major mistake,because Black needs the bishop todefend the dark squares on hiskingside. Since Black is soon in deeptrouble, he should have preferred thenormal plan 11Ö»e7 which can lead

to an interesting pawn sacrifice after12.»d2 »g6 13.»c4 b5!? 14.»d6+!ºxd6 15.exd6 ½xd6 16.a4! whenWhite certainly has compensation.

12.ºd2 ºxd2 13.»xd2 »f414.½e4 »g6 15.»c4

The knight heads for the importantsquare/d6.

15Ö0-0 16.ºh5!±

Without this excellent move Blackwould be fine! By removing theknight with 17.ºxg6 hxg6 followedby »d6, ¼e3 and f4 White eventuallybuilds up a huge attack on the h/file.

16Ö»e7

Black is now very passive, and amonster will soon land on square/d6.

17.¼ad1 ¼ad8 18.»d6 g6 19.ºg4»d5 20.½d4! c5?!

The tactics after 20Ö»xe5 never workbecause White always has the pawnadvance c4 to win a piece on the d/file. The text is necessary to preventc4-c5 with a totally passive positionfor Black, but leads to a fatalweakening of ¹/b7 and the h1-a8diagonal.

21.½b2 »b8 22.ºf3!±

At this point my opponent failed toput up much more resistance, as is sooften the case after a long and tiringdefense without counterplay.

22Ö»c6 23.ºxd5 exd5 24.¼xd5 f625.f4 fxe5 26.fxe5 »d4 27.½c3b6?? 28.¼xd4

This victory happily secured my IMnorm after eight games, although Iwas to blunder horribly in the 13thround from a superior position to spoilmy chances for a GM norm.

Dale Kirton provided me with muchvalued advice, while Kevin andAlexandreÕs experience really helpedmotivate and pull everyone together.I look forward to more opportunitiesof representing Canada at futureOlympiads, and really enjoyed thetime I spent with my team membersand meeting so many strong playersfrom around the globe.

Ø.

Round 13Canada 1.5Ð2.5 Uzbekistan

Lesiege, A Ù Kasimdzhanov, RustamSpraggett, K Ø Zagrebelny, Sergey

Zugic, I Ú Yuldashev, SaidaliCharbonneau, P Ù Safin, Shukhrat

Canada 1Ð2 Croatia

Belc, D Ø Macek, VlastaBryskine, M Ù Jelica, Mara

Chu, S Ù Bazaj Bockai

EN PASSANT - Calgary Chess · Youth Chess Festival in recent years. Irwin Lipnowski joined a team...

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