ODT120724

=Double holiday success for top Junior=




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

Luke Li confirmed his place as New Zealand's top junior player with back-to-back title wins in Auckland this month. He successfully defended his National Junior title with 6½/7 in the first week of the July school holidays and then went on to the North Island Championship in the second week.

Starting with four straight wins, Li lead or co-lead the tournament until the final round. He then accepted a draw offer from New Zealand Champion, FM Michael Steadman, to ensure he won the North Island title. This allowed visting Australian FM Chris Wallis to overtake Li and win the tournament on 7/8. Li finished second on 6½ and taking the North Island Championhip, as Wallis was inelligible. Third was shared by Steadman and FM Robert Smith on 5½.

Today's game was perhaps Li's sternest test during the North Island Championship, when he had to find some good moves to hold the draw as White against top-seeded Smith in the sixth round. media type="custom" key="25323896" In the Benko Gambit Black offers a pawn for harmonious development and lasting postional pressure against White's queenside. Declining the gambit pawn. By leaving Black's a-pawn, White holds up the activation of Black's bishop and rook, allowing his own development to proceed smoothly. Black's control of the b-file and long diagonal mean White must seek active play on the kingside or suffer in the long term. This move softens up the Black kingside at the risk of weakening his own king's position. Black can't really allow 10 h5 opening the h-file. Having provoked the weakening, White returns to conventional development. In the game De Santis – Piantoni 2006, White continued more aggressively with 10 f3 intending g2-g4. With the dual purpose of enabling Nc4 and advancing the pawn to f5. The drawback of 9 h4 is the knight outpost Black gains on g4. Keeping the f-file closed is more important than weaking the h-pawn. A risky pawn sacrifice to loosen the Black blockade of the kingside. The calm 19 Rae1 looked good, as if 19...Bxc4?! then 20 Bxc4 Qb7 21 b3 Ne5 22 Ne4 is fine for White. The d-pawn must go, as 20 Bxf6 Nxf6 21 Ne3 Bh6 is great for Black. There was much to be said for 22...Nf6! intending to advance his centre pawns quickly (23 Qd1? Ne4! shows that White can't target the h-pawn). The exposed bishop impedes this plan, but Black had another in mind. Of course after 24 Bxh5? Rh8 25 Qe2 Nf6 26 Bxf6+ Bxf6 it is Black who starts attacking on the kingside. The text sacrifices a second pawn to clear lines to the Black king. The immediate 25... Rh8 is better. Now White has the interesting 26 Bh6+!? since 26... Kxh6? 27 Qg5+ Kh7 28 Bd3+ wins, but 26...Kh8 27 Bxf8 Qxf5 28 Rxf5 Rxf8 leaves Black with more than ample compensation for the exchange. Slightly more accurate was 26...Rg8! covering key squares on the g-file. If the rook was on g8 then 27...Ne4! would win, but here meets 28 Bf6+! winning for White. Best was re-establishing the g-file blockade with 27....Ng4! when 28 Bxe7?! Be5 29 Qd3 Qe6 30 Bg5 Bxb2 31 Rab1 Bd4 leaves Black dominant, and 28 Rae1 Be5 29 Qd3 c4 30 Qd2 Qe6 is much the same. The text overlooks a thematic exchange sacrifice, which rescues White. Not 30...Ke8?? 31 Re1 winning. Black accepts the draw by threefold repetition. 33...Kh7 34 Bd3+ Kh6 35 Rf1 Qg4 (35...Qe6 36 Rxf6+! Qxf6 37 Qe3+ Kg7 38 Qg3+ is another forced repetition) 36 Rxf6+ Kg7 37 Qf2 when after 37...Rb7 38 Rd6! ( 37... Rhf8 38 Rf3!) White seems to maintain the balance: 38... Re8 39 Be2! Qxe2 40 Qf6+ Kh7 41 Qh6+ Kg8 42 Qg5+ leading to a perpetual.
 * 1.d4 Nf6**
 * 2.c4 c5**
 * 3.d5 b5**
 * 4.cxb5 a6**
 * 5.b6 ---**
 * 5.--- Qxb6**
 * 6.Nc3 d6**
 * 7.e4 g6**
 * 8.Be2 Bg7**
 * 9.h4!? ---**
 * 9.--- h5**
 * 10.Nf3 ---**
 * 10.--- Nbd7**
 * 11.Qc2 Rb8**
 * 12.Nd2 Ne5**
 * 13.f4 ---**
 * 13.--- Neg4**
 * 14.Nc4 Qc7**
 * 15.O-O O-O**
 * 16.f5 gxf5!**
 * 17.exf5 Bd7**
 * 18.Bg5 Bb5**
 * 19.Nxb5?! ---**
 * 19.--- axb5**
 * 20.Ne3 ---**
 * 20.--- Nxe3**
 * 21.Bxe3 Nxd5**
 * 22.Bg5 Bd4+**
 * 23.Kh1 Kg7**
 * 24.f6+! ---**
 * 24.--- Nxf6**
 * 25.Qf5 Qc8?!**
 * 26.Qf4 Rh8**
 * 27.Qg3 Kf8?!**
 * 28.Bxf6 Bxf6**
 * 29.Rxf6! exf6**
 * 30.Qxd6+ Kg7**
 * 31.Qg3+ Kf8**
 * 32.Qd6+ Kg7**
 * 33.Qg3+ Kf8**
 * 34.Qd6+**


 * Drawn**


 * Solution:** 1... Qe3+ 2 Kh2 Rh4+! 3 Kxg3 Qe1#.