Three Grandmasters share first spot in U.S. Masters

By Kristianus Liem

JAKARTA (JP): Grand Masters Alexander Shabalov, Dmitry Gurevich and Suat Atalik shared 1st-3rd places with 6 Match Points from seven rounds in a 130 player field at the U.S. Masters chess tournament from March 6 to March 9, 1997.

Only players who were USCF (United Stated Chess Federation) 2,000 rated or higher (or had once been) were invited, along with about a dozen junior players. Players came from 25 states and eight countries with the field including 15 GMs and 12 IMs. The tournament was at the Hyatt Regency Oak Brook, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois.

Chicago GM Dmitry Gurevich, Pittsburgh's Alex Shabalov and Cleveland's Suat Atalik each split US$10,000 prizes. Atalik is actually from Istanbul, Turkey, and was only visiting his friend GM Alexander Yermolinsky in Cleveland, but maybe this globe trotter will make it his new home.

Certainly Suat felt comfortable in Chicago after round one. The venerable NM Jerry Hanken is better known these days as an organizer and writer than as a player, but he still has teeth. Jerry swatted Suat all over the board before committing a truly horrible oversight. Surviving this nightmare was clearly a sign to the 32-year-old Turk that this was his tournament. He scored five out of his next six with wins over GM Alexander Shabalov and IM Leonid Sokolin and draws with GMs Gregory Kaidanov and Alexander Ivanov. The latter occurred in the last round when Atalik, pressing for a win with the Black pieces, fell just short. The leader from start to finish, Suat was the deserving winner on tie-break.

The others top scores with 5,5 MP were GMs Lembit Oll, Alexander Yermolinsky and Alexander Ivanov plus untitled Alexander Reprintsev. They got US$460 apiece. Here is the game from the champion. set 6pt all

White: NM Jerry Hanken

Black: GM Suat Atalik

English Opening

1.c4 Nf6 2.g3 c6 3.Bg2 d5 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.Qc2 b5?!

The text move only good if White played 5.Na3. Here the right way to defend the pawn is 5...Qd5 with the idea ...Bf5. For example 6.Nc3 Qh5 7.Nd1 e5 8.Ne3 e4 9.Nh4 Be6 10.Bxe4 Nxe4 11.Qxe4 Nd7 12.Nhg2 Nc5 13.Qc2 draw, Tseitlin-Pinter, Beesheva 1991.

6.a4 Bb7 7.Nc3 a6 8.0-0 e6 9.Ne1

A thematic idea in this position. White prepares to play d3 and answer ...exd3 by Nxd3 with compensation for the pawn. Note the power of White's Bishop on g2.

9...Nd5

Answering White's threat of capturing twice on b5 by blunting the diagonal.

10.d3 Nb4?

It's look good but actually not, because Black squanders several tempi with this poor horse.

11.Qb1 cxd3 12.Nxd3 Nd5

Unfortunate, but 12...Nxd3 would be met not by 13.exd3, but by 13.Rd1! when White's pieces rake Black's position.

13.e4 Nxc3 14.bxc3 Nd7 15.Rd1 Qc7 16.c4 bxc4 17.Bf4 Qc8 18.Nb2 Bc5 19.Nxc4 0-0 20.Bd6

A strong series of moves has given Hanken a tremendous position. Black now has to give up the Exchange, as White threatens to take on c5 and then play Nd6, winning the Black 's Bishop on b7.

20...Ra7? 21.Bxf8

Better here 21.Bxc5 Nxc5 22.Qb6 and White wins a piece.

21...Kxf8 22.Nd6 Qc7 23.Nxb7 Rxb7 24.Qc2 Qe5 25.Rab1 Rc7 26.Kh1 Ba7 27.f4 Qc5 28.Qd3

This is even better than exchanging Queens.

28...g6 29.Qxa6 Nf6 30.h3 Qf2 31.Qd3 Kg7 32.Rd2 Qc5 33.Qd6

Also winning 33.e5!? Nd5 34.Rc2 Qa5 35.Rc4.

33...Qa5 34.Qb4 Qh5 35.Qc3 e5 36.fxe5 Nxe4!?

See diagram. It is hard to know what sort of symbol to attach to this move. It should lose on the spot, but Black's position is losing anyway. The exclaim is for allowing White a chance to go wrong. If 36...Ng4 37.e6+ Qe5 38.Qb2 f6 39.Rd7+ Rxd7 40.exd7 Qxg3 41.Qxf6+ (Not 41.hxg4 Qh4+ 42.Bh3 Qxh3+ 43.Qh2 Qxg4 44.d8Q Qxe4+ 45.Qg2 Qh4+ and draw by perpetual check) 41...Nxf6 42.d8Q Nxe4 43.Rb7+ Kh6 44.Qf8+ Kg5 45.Qe7+ Nf6 46.Rxa7 White wins.

37.Qb2??

A terrible blunder. With 37.Bxe4 and White has triumphed 37...Qxh3+ 38.Rh2 (the move White missed) Black would be a Rook down. Maybe Hanken was in time pressure.

37...Nxd2 38.e6+

If 38.Qxd2 Qxe5 39.Kh2 Bd4 40.Re1 Qd6 41.Rd1 Rd7 and Black's position much better than White.

38...f6 39.Qxd2 Re7 40.Qd6 Bc5 41.Qxc6 Qe5 42.Qd5 Qe3 43.Qf3 Qxe6 44.Kh2 h5 45.h4 f5 46.Qd5 Qe3

Material is even, but White's position is not so easy because of his weakened king-side and the shock he must be experiencing. In fact, Hanken loses almost without a struggle.

47.Qf3 Qxf3 48.Bxf3 Re3 49.Kg2 Ra3 50.Rb5

Better here 50.Rc1!? Bb4 51.Rc7+ Kf6 52.Rc6+ Kf7 53.Bd5+ Kg7 54.Rb6 with more resistance.

50...Ra2+ 51.Kh1 Bd6 52.a5?

Again a little bit better here 52.Bd5!? Rxa4 53.Kg2.

52...Bxg3 53.Bb7 Bxh4 54.a6 Bg3 55.Bc8 h4

White resigns here because he cannot improve his pawn and on the contrary with Black. 0-1