Well played, young sir
NINETEEN-YEAR-OLD Jonathan Mestel played brilliant chess (and several practical jokes as well!) at the British championships to become the youngest ever winner. After an unprecedented nice straight wins in a row he looked certain to beat the long-standing record of 9½/11 points, but surprisingly was held to a draw in round 10 and lost to a determined Andrew Whitely in the last game.
Grandmaster Tony Miles was never in the running after Mestel beat him, finishing with me on six and a half points.
Mestel's strategy was very similar for each game. Playing quietly, he would find a subtle idea his opponent had not foreseen in the position and so wrest the initiative. The conclusion was decided by sharp tactics of which he is a superb and speedy calculator.
Neat, K. - Mestel, J. - Portsmouth ch-BCF 1976
1.d4 d6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 e5 5.Nf3 exd4 6.Nxd4 Nc6 7.Be3 Nge7 8.Be2 O-O 9.O-O f5 10.exf5 Bxd4! Many players would automatically reject this move because it weakens the squares around the Black king, but Mestel aims to give White a weak, isolated pawn. 11.Bxd4 Nxf5 12.Be3 Nxe3 13.fxe3 Rxf1+ 14.Qxf1 Be6 15.Rd1 Qe7 16.Bf3 Ne5! The black pieces are headed: for the white kingside 17.c5 dxc5 18.Bxb7 Rf8 19.Qe1 c6! Mestel has transferred his advantages - now he has the weak pawns but very active pieces. If Neat plays 20. Ba6 then 20... c4 gives Black a strong attack combined with threats on the bishop. Neat prefers to try for counterplay with tactics. 20.Qg3 Rf5 Again threatening Qxb7 as Black's knight is defended 21.Rf1 Rg5 ( After 21...Qxb7 White regains his piece by 22.Rxf5 Bxf5 23.Qxe5 ) 22.Qf4 Bh3! 23.Rf2 Rg4 24.Qh6
Moves are clickable
The combination goes on (24.-- this time 24...Qxb7?? 25.Qf8# But Mestel has seen that one move further and forces a quick resignation ) 24...Bxg2! Decoying the rook from the important f file is the reason for this "sac"which refutes White's combination ( With the rook on the f file the same sequence that follows in the game works for White 24...Rh4 25.Nd5 Qd8 (25...cxd5? 26.Bxd5+ and White wins ) 26.Rf8+ Qxf8 27.Qxh4 ) 25.Rxg2 Rh4! 26.Nd5 But the rook is not on the f file and by declining this piece Mestel stops White's queen escaping to g5 (due to the fork ...Nf3+) 26...Qd8! Her Majesty has been cleverly trapped and no course remains, bar resignation 0-1
ROBERT BELLIN produced an amusing finish to his first round game, putting his opponent in zugzwang. A situation where you are forced to move and any move you play makes your position worse.
Lennox, C - Bellin, R - Portsmouth ch-BCF 1976
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bc4 Bd7 7.f3 a6 8.Be3 e6 9.Bb3 b5 10.O-O Be7 11.a4 b4 12.Na2 Qb8 13.Qd2 Nxd4 14.Bxd4 a5 15.Nc1 O-O 16.Nd3 e5 17.Be3 Be6 18.Bg5 Qd8 19.Nf2 h6 20.Bxf6 Bxf6 21.Nd1 Bg5 22.Qd3 Qb6+ 23.Kh1 Bxb3 24.Qxb3 Qc5 25.Rf2 Rac8 26.Re2 Rc6 27.Nf2 Rfc8 28.Rd1 Qc4 29.Qxc4 Rxc4 30.Rxd6 Rxc2 31.Rxc2 Rxc2 32.Nd1 Rc1 33.Rd3 Be3! 34.g3 Bd4 35.b3 Rc2 36.f4 f6 37.fxe5 fxe5 38.Rf3 Re2! 39.Rd3 h5!
Moves are clickable
White's knight, rook and king have slowly but surely been tied down and now none of them can move without material loss. 40.h3 g5 White will run out of pawn moves whereupon Rf3 will lose the knight to Re1+. Zugzwang! 0-1
FOR a combinative battle from beginning to end try the following game played in round six of the Auckland Chess Centre championships.
Power, P. W. - Gibbons, R. E. - Auckland Chess Centre Champs 1976
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 g6?! The opening? Well, the "Gibbons Gambit" must be as good a name as any! 3.Nxe5 Qe7 4.Nf3 Qxe4+ 5.Be2 Bg7 6.O-O Nf6? ...Ne7 was called for. 7.Nc3 Qc6? 8.Bb5 Qb6 9.Re1+ Kf8 10.b3 c6 11.Ba3+ Kg8 12.Qe2!?
Moves are clickable
(12.Qe2 A pleasant hour may be spent looking for mates after 12...cxb5 13.Nd5! Qa6! 14.Qe8+ Nxe8 15.Rxe8+ Bf8 16.Bxf8 -- ( For example 16...f6 17.Bh6+ Kf7 18.Re7+ Kg8 19.Rae1! Qe6 20.R1xe6 dxe6 21.Nxf6# ) ( A prettier line is Wayne Power's favourite 16...f5 17.Bd6+ Kf7 18.Ng5+! Kxe8 19.Nf6+ Kd8 20.Nf7# mate with three minor pieces! ) ( Black's best is 16...h6 but 17.Rxc8 Kh7 18.Re1 gives White the better chances ) ) 12...h6 13.Bd3 Kh7 14.Qe7 Rf8 15.Ne5 Ng8 16.Qxf7! A nice offer which obviousiy cannot be accepted. (16.Qxf7 Rxf7 17.Bxg6+ Kh8 18.Nxf7# ) 16...Ne7 17.Qxe7 Rf6 18.Bc5 Qc7 19.Nxg6 Rxg6 20.Qf7 1-0