ODT071106

=**Strong turnout in Nelson**=


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

The traditional South Island Championship contested at the start of October was this year restyled as the Nelson International Open and held at the Rutherford Hotel in Nelson. Tournament organiser Hilton Bennett was able to attract a number of strong international players to the field of 44 as part of a 'package deal' with the Auckland International Master tournament held the previous week. The experiment was very successful and could be repeated in future years.

In the event the two top seeds, visiting English GM Stuart Conquest and New Zealand's only grandmaster Murray Chandler, had to be content with second place on 7/9, half a point behind Australian GM Darryl Johansen. Fourth went to another international, Australian IM Stephen Solomon, on 6½ while a group of local players shared fifth on 6 points: FM Scott Wastney, Quentin Johnson, Daniel Baider and John van Ginkel. The 2007 South Island Champions were Johnson (Dunedin) and van Ginkel (Nelson) as the highest placed residents, with van Ginkel also taking the Cole Cup as the top Nelsonian.

GM Johansen was the only unbeaten player in Nelson, drawing with the two other GMs and beating all others until a final round draw ensured first place. In today's game from round three his experience is too much for promising Wellington junior, Daniel Baider, playing with the black pieces. media type="custom" key="26755464" In this line of the English Opening, Black allows White to build a big pawn centre similar to the Gruenfeld Defence, hoping it will provide a target for attack. More common is 12 ... Nc6 13 Bb2 Bf6 immediately applying pressure to the exposed d-pawn. The maneouvre to f6 seems to leave the knight with less to do. The strong knight on e5 should have been challenged with 15 ... Nd7. White is now able to establish a permanent asset in an advanced passed pawn. White could have prevented this sortie with 18 Rad1 before 19 Nc6, but the time lost is only temporary. The dangerous c-pawn ensures White will regain control. Black has been driven back and prefers this tricky retreat to the more humble 28 ... Qd8. White now had a brilliant win by 29 Bxf6! Rxe1+ 30 Qxe1 gxf6 31 Qe8+ Kg7 and now not 32 c7? when we see the point behind Black's idea: 32 ... Qxa2! 33 Qe1 (33 c8=Q?? Qxf2+ mates) Qc2! 34 c8=Q Bxf2+ 35 Qxf2 Qxc8 and Black has excellent drawing chances. Instead 32 Bd5! with a surprise mating attack thanks to the misplaced black queen: 32 ... Kh6 33 Qxf7 Bd4 (stopping mate) 34 Qh5+ Kg7 35 g5! with mate in every variation E.g: 35 ... fxg5 36 Qxg5+ Kf8 37 Qg8+ Ke7 38 Qe6+ Kd8 39 Qd7#. An illustration of the attacking power of opposite coloured bishops. The chosen move is not really a mistake, as it retains all White's positional trumps. The try 29 ... Qxa2!? 30 gxf6 Bxf2+? fails to 31 Kh1 Bxe1 32 Qg5 mating. Now the pawn can't be stopped – but after 30 ... Rf8 White should win.
 * 1. c4 e6**
 * 2. Nf3 Nf6**
 * 3. g3 b6**
 * 4. Bg2 Bb7**
 * 5. O-O Be7**
 * 6. Nc3 O-O**
 * 7. Re1 d5**
 * 8. cxd5 Nxd5**
 * 9. e4 Nxc3**
 * 10. bxc3 c5**
 * 11. d4 cxd4**
 * 12. cxd4 Nd7**
 * 13. Bb2 Nf6**
 * 14. Ne5 Rc8**
 * 15. Qb3 Ne8?**
 * 16. d5! exd5**
 * 17. exd5 Bc5**
 * 18. Nc6 Bxc6**
 * 19. dxc6 Qd2**
 * 20. Rf1 Qg5**
 * 21. Rae1 Nf6**
 * 22. Re5 Qg6**
 * 23. h3 Rfe8**
 * 24. Rfe1 Rxe5**
 * 25. Bxe5 Qf5**
 * 26. Qb2 Re8**
 * 27. g4 Qd3**
 * 28. Qc1 Qa6!?**
 * 29. g5 Nh5**
 * 30. Bd4 Qc8?**
 * 31. Rxe8+ Qxe8**
 * 32. Bxc5 bxc5**
 * 33. Qxc5 Nf4**
 * 34. c7 Qc8**
 * 35. Bb7 Ne2+**
 * 36. Kh2 Resigns**


 * 1-0**


 * Solution:** 1 ... Rg1+! 2 Kxg1 Nf3+ 3 Kh1 Rh2# (3 Kf1 Bxh3#).