Utut regains hope after third-round draw
Utut regains hope after third-round draw
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian grandmaster Utut Adianto regained his self-confidence as his third-round chess duel against Briton Nigel Short yesterday ended with a draw at the 41st move.
The Indonesian number one, who had been beaten two straight, played as a strategist rather than an aggressor yesterday.
He fortified his defense heavily and attacked only when he was completely sure the odds favored him.
The impatience of forcing a win he showed during the second- round on Friday taught him a lesson. What's more, yesterday's opening was a carbon copy of the first round. Short started with his favorite e4, and Utut replied with the Caro-Kann defense, which Short turned it into an advanced variant.
At the fifth move, world number 14 Short started to draw his sword. He sprang a surprise with an unusual move by placing his a2 pawn to a3. It took Utut quite a long time to tame the malicious effects of this detour.
Short, taking full advantage of playing white, went on with his crescendo of attacks.
"Utut was particularly pressed hard since then," chess analyst Kristianus Liem commented.
Roy Pitono, an international judge who refereed the match, said that Utut gained the upper-hand after Short blundered by locating his bishop from c1 to b2 in the 28th move.
"He should have moved his knight from b1 to d2 first before making that move. And thereafter he should have moved his bishop to h6," Roy said.
But Utut answered Short's mistake with another mistake in the 29th move. Utut moved his queen from d8 to b6 without making a halt at c7. "It was an immature move," Roy said.
"Utut could have won if he had not made the mistake," Short agreed.
Utut said he was "suffering body and soul", because after the unnecessary mistake he found that all his pawns in the back 6, 7 and 8 rows blocked the mobility of his queen, rooks and knights.
"Utut managed only to defend strongly after blundering. A small slip would have been enough to render him his third defeat," Roy said.
Fortunately, Utut had formed a very solid defense from the start. Thus, even though Short was at large with his blood- thirsty sword, it was difficult for him to find easy prey.
Knowing he didn't have the slightest chance of winning, Utut forced a great exchange in the 36th move which cost both parties all their knights and rooks.
With just a queen and six pawns left on each side, the two agreed that a draw would be a graceful solution. (arf)