Anand mauls Illescas in Leon chess festival

By Kristianus Liem

JAKARTA (JP): Indian chess star Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand crushed Spain's top Grandmaster Miguel Illescas 4,5-1,5 in a six- game match which was part of the main attraction at this year's 10th City of Leon chess festival in Spain.

The match was held from June 8 to June 13. The tournament's closing ceremony was June 14.

Anand, who is ranked number two in the world with an Elo rating of 2765, won the third and sixth and drew the rest.

The opening game saw Illescas play surprise opening, the Bogo- Indian defense for the first time in his career under classical chess rules. Anand played quietly and took a draw without taking any major risks.

Illescas, who has Elo rating 2635, perhaps had hoped to win at least one game and hope to shatter the Indian's confidence.

But he never got past Anand's defensive wall and strangely, the match was decided in this area.

Anand won two of his blacks -- game two and six -- and one white where he accepted a pawn sacrifice to win the game three.

With the Black pieces, Anand accepted the Queen's Gambit on the three occasions and excelled. This opening frustrated White and was Anand 's trump card. Anand got 2.5 points from three rounds. Here is one of the games, in the second round.

White: GM Miguel Illescas

Black: GM Viswanathan Anand

Queen's Gambit Accepted

1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4

Anand has played this line before and it is part of his repertoire. His first attempt to use it internationally met with success when he beat Sri Lankan Aturpane in the Dubai Olympiad of 1986.

3.Nf3 a6

A peculiar move order to which some players respond by making a4 from the White side.

4.e3 Nf6 5.Bxc4 e6 6.0-0 c5 7.Bb3

Or 7.Qe2 b5 8.Bb3 Bb7 9.Rd1 Nbd7 10.Nc3 and White position slightly better.

7...Nc6 8.Qe2 cxd4 9.Rd1 Be7 10.exd4 Na5 11.Bc2 b5 12.Nc3 Bb7 13.Ne5 Rc8!?

A natural looking move, also a novelty. Taking his time White collapses under pressure from this point.

14.a3 0-0 15.Rd3?

Embarking on a wrong and aggressive plan. It is necessary to play

15.Be3 and connect the Rooks before opening up the position. Illescas called this "the mistake" in his postmortem analysis.

15...Nc4

It might sound funny to move a piece on the queen-side while White is preparing for a premature attack on the king-side but the move is a perfect defense as it dislodges the well-posted White Knight on e5.

16.Rg3?

It was still not too late to pull back into the game with 16.b3 White's lack of planning and foresight to predict the outcome of a short-natured offensive takes hold of the game.

16...Qxd4 17.Bh6??

Blunder. The text costs a piece. Better 17.Nxc4 even though that means White will have to play a pawn down.

17...Nxe5

Black takes the Knight with thanks as it is only one check that he will have to face.

18.Rxg7+ Kh8 19.Rd1 Qc5

See diagram.

20.Rd5?

The final mistake. 20.Rg5 is better but still it may not be sufficient to alter the final result after 20...Rg8 21.Rxe5 Rxg2+ 22.Kf1 Rxh2 (Black also wins after 22...Rxf2+ 23.Qxf2 Qxf2+ 24.Kxf2 Ng4+ 25.Ke2 Nxe5) 23.Ke1 (White cannot take the Queen because 23.Rxc5 Rh1# checkmate) 23...Rh1+ 24.Kd2 Qd4+ 25.Kc1 Rxd1+ 26.Nxd1 Be4 and Black is winning.

20...Bxd5 21.Qxe5 Be4!

White resigned here. A fine intermezzo which forcibly dissolves a few pieces and leaves White a Rook down. For example 22.Qxc5 {Or 22.Qg3 Bg6 (of course not 22...Bxc2?? because 23.Rxh7+ Bxh7 24.Qg7#) 23.Rxg6 hxg6 24.Bxf8 Bxf8 25.Qh4+ Kg7 26.Qxf6+ Kxf6 27.Ne4+ Ke5 28.Nxc5 Rxc5 22...Rxc5 23.Bxe4 Rh5 24.Rxh7+ Nxh7 25.Bxf8 Nxf8. A great win for Anand. Particularly impressive since he took just 37 minutes to achieve it. 0-1