ODT060117

=**Australian warm-up for Queenstown Classic**=


 * Problem:** Black to play and mate in 3.

Just under way is the biggest event yet held in New Zealand – the Queenstown Chess Classic. Featuring more than 170 players from over a dozen countries and incorporating the 2006 New Zealand Championship, competition will be fierce.

The tournament promoter is English-based New Zealand grandmaster Murray Chandler. He along with many of the other top seeds has been warming up for the event in the 2006 Australian Open Championship just completed in Brisbane. The winner was Australian number one and top seed in Queenstown, GM Ian Rogers with 9/11. The promising young Australian IM David Smerdon completed his first GM norm (part qualification for the grandmaster title) with a fine performance of 8/11 to share second place with Chandler.

Today's game features Chandler, playing Black, administering a stern lesson to Australian junior James Obst in the third round of the Australian Open Championship. media type="custom" key="27121542" In the Trompovsky Attack after say 4 Bf4 Black often targets the b2 pawn with Qb6. White's 4 Bc1 pre-empted this, but Black's N makes use of the d6 square to support a rapid counter against the White centre with ... f5. Rightly refusing White's tricky offer. After 11 --- Ng3+?! 12 hxg3 Qxh1 13 exd7+ Bxd7 14 Qe2+ White has 2 pawns and a raging attack for the exchange. Now only White's K is stranded in the centre. Evicting the pesky N and making room for the K on g2, but neglecting development. The weak pawn on f3 becomes a clear target along the open f-file and long diagonal. Homing in on f3. Preventing the opening of the h-file by 23 h5. White is allowed no chance. White cracks under the pressure, losing the f-pawn to a Queen fork. After the better 24 Rd2 Qa4 25 Rd6 (nothing else can move!) Rad8, White must cede the d-file when Black's attack should eventually prevail. A nice finish: 29 Rf3 Rxf3+ 30 Kg2 Qxe1 31 Nxf3 Qe2+ 32 Kh3 Qxf3+ 33 Kh2 Qg2 mate.
 * 1.d4 Nf6**
 * 2.Bg5 c5**
 * 3.d5 Ne4**
 * 4.Bc1 g6**
 * 5.f3 Nd6!?**
 * 6.e4 Bg7**
 * 7.c3 f5**
 * 8.exf5 Nxf5**
 * 9.Bd3 e5**
 * 10.dxe6?! Qh4+**
 * 11.Kf1 dxe6!**
 * 12.Qe1 Qd8**
 * 13.Bb5+ Nc6**
 * 14.Na3 O-O**
 * 15.Be3 Qb6**
 * 16.Bf2 a6**
 * 17.Bxc6 Qxc6**
 * 18.g4?**
 * 18. --- Nd6**
 * 19.Qe3 b6**
 * 20.Rd1 Nf7!**
 * 21.h4 Ne5**
 * 22.Rh3 h6!**
 * 23.Rg3 Bb7**
 * 24.f4?**
 * 24. --- Qa4!**
 * 25.Rd6 Rxf4**
 * 26.Rxb6 Qd1+**
 * 27.Qe1 Rxf2+!**
 * 28.Kxf2 Rf8+**


 * 0-1**


 * Solution:** 1 ... Nf3+! 2 gxf3 (2 Kh1 Rxh2#) Rg6+ 3 Kh1 Bxf3#