Strong showing at French chess tournament
By Kristianus Liem
JAKARTA (JP): This year's edition of Cappelle la Grande, held from Feb. 15 to Feb. 22, was one of the strongest open tournaments ever held, with 76 GMs, 93 IMs, 24 FMs and 292 FIDE rated players.
They competed in the nine-round Swiss system. No less than 49 countries were represented; among them were two Albanian players. The strongest country was, of course, Russia with super GMs Vladimir Epishin, Anatoly Karpov and Alexander Morozevich, with 42 players overall.
Cappelle la Grande is a small city, 10 kilometers from Dunkerque on the borders of the North Sea, France. The organizer, Michel Gouvart, tries to get players from as many countries as possible with a simple rule: every GM gets the same appearance fee regardless of rating.
So, many players -- especially GMs with a rating around 2500 -- came. The result, the nine-round Swiss system could not establish a single winner, and there was a huge 10-player tie for first place with 7 points apiece. Some GMs with high ratings were Vladimir Burmakin (2530), Lubomir Ftacnik (2595), Alexey Vyzmanavin (2585), Tony Miles (2550), Yuri Kruppa (2520), Mark Hebden (2515), and Darius Ruzele (2515), plus IMs V. Baklin (2530), Jean Marc Degraeve (2515), and Rustam Kasimdzhanov (2465). All IMs got the GM-norm.
One of the winners, GM Lubomir Ftacnik from Slovakia, delivered an early knockout with the black pieces against experienced Russian Grandmaster Miron Sher. Here is the game:
White: GM Miron Sher
Black: GM Lubomir Ftacnik
English Opening
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 c5 3.Nf3 e6 4.e3 Nc6 5.d4 d5 6.cxd5 exd5 7.Bb5 Bd6 8.dxc5 Bxc5
Black is playing the Queen's Gambit Accepted with colors reverse and a tempo down.
9.0-0 0-0 10.b3 Bg4
More active than 10...Be6 played by Petrosian against Botvinnik in the Moscow World Chess Championship of 1963, a draw in 41 moves.
11.Be2 a6 12.Bb2 Qd6
If 12...Ba7 13.Rc1 Qd6 14.h3 Be6 15.Bd3 Rad8 16.Ne2 Ne4 17.Ned4 Ne5 18.Nxe5 Qxe5 19.Nc6 Qxb2 20.Nxd8 Rxd8 21.Bxe4 Qxa2 22.Bxd5 Qa5 23.e4 and White wins in 29 moves, Portisch-Ligterink, Wijk aan Zee 1985.
13.Rc1?!
Here 13.Nd4 is hardly better, for example 13...Bxd4
14.Bxg4 Be5 15.g3 and now after 15...Qb4 16.Bf3 Bxc3 17.a3 Qc5 18.Rc1 Ne4 19.Bxe4 dxe4 20.Rxc3 Qf5 21.Rc2 Rad8 Black is fine. Now Black has time to get his Rook behind the d-pawn.
13...Rad8 14.Nd4
Portisch played against Suba in 1986 14.Qc2 Ba7 15.Rfd1 Rfe8 16.a3? but the Rumanian failed to launch a powerful attack with 16...d4! For example 17.h3 Bxf3 18.Bxf3 Ne5! 19.Bxb7 Neg4 20.hxg4 Nxg4 and White King is in a fire. In the game Suba played 16...h5 17.h3 Bc8 18.Bc4 Ne7 and Black wins after 67 moves, Portisch-Suba, Reggio Emilia 1986.
14...Bxd4 15.Bxg4 Be5 16.g3 d4 17.exd4 Bxd4 18.Bf3 Ne5 19.Be2?
See diagram. A losing blunder, but White's position was not easy. After 19.Bxb7? Qb6 (or 19...Qe7 20.Bxa6 Bxc3 Black wins) 20.Nd5 Qxb7 21.Bxd4 Rxd5 Black also wins; and after 19.Bg2 so does 19...Nd3! 20.Qc2 Ng4 21.Nd1 Nxc1 Black win the Exchange and also the game. The only way to continue was 19.Kg2 and Black just got slightly better after 19...Rfe8 20.Rc2 (or 20.Re1 Qd7 21.Rc2 Qf5 22.Rd2 Nxf3 23.Rxe8+ Rxe8 24.Qxf3 Qxf3+) 20...Qb6 21.Rd2 Bxc3 22.Bxc3 Rxd2 23.Bxd2 Rd8 24.Be2.
19...Qe6!
Taking advantage of the holes around White's King and threatening 20...Bxf2+ and then 21...Rxd1. Here White resigned, because after 20.Qc2 Qh3 21.Kh1 Nfg4 22.Bxg4 Nxg4 23.f3 Ne3 24.Qe2 Nxf1 25.Qxf1 Qxf1+ Black wins the Exchange with a better position. 0-1