ODT100601

=**First New Zealand correspondence grandmaster**=




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

Mark Noble of Lower Hutt attracted nationwide media attention last month when he became New Zealand's first correspondence chess grandmaster. The 47 year-old accountant, who is also a FIDE master in over-the-board play, has largely concentrated on correspondence play for the last 15 years. He earned the International Master title in 1992 and became a Senior International Master in 2008 – each iteration requiring several 'norms' or tournament performances of a required standard against sufficiently strong opposition. In achieving the highest title of correspondence chess, Noble forms an elite club with Murray Chandler, New Zealand's only over-the-board grandmaster.

The lesser known world of correspondence chess is quite different to its over-the-board counterpart, most notably in the time needed to complete a game. Moves are exchanged every few days and deep analysis of variations and study of opponent's games marks the play at the top level. Before the advent of the Internet, international games were played by post and took many years. But now exchanging moves by web-server reduces the waiting time considerably and most games finish within one or two years.

Today's game is from an International Correspondence Chess Federation team match Australia and New Zealand versus Portugal, started in 2008. Noble is playing White against Carlos Salvador Marques. media type="custom" key="26246182" The notoriously sharp 'poisoned pawn' variation of the Sicilian Najdorf was championed by Bobby Fischer back in the 1960s. Because of the extra thinking time allowed in correspondence play, sharp openings with material imbalances are popular. Offering a second pawn for the attack. This is the first move that I can't find played before, though a serious correspondence player's database would be far more extensive. Both players have been heading away from the beaten path in the last few moves. Threatening 16 ...Bb4 forcing a queen exchange – White side-steps the threat. Black picks up the third pawn on offer. The question now is can he develop his pieces and survive White's attack? The large material imbalance with positional compensation decreases the effectiveness of computer analysis and human judgement becomes the deciding factor. Now a future move by Black's f-pawn will now unmask an attack on the rook after a capture by the white e-pawn. Preparing to defend the 2nd rank with 23...Ra7 looks preferable. White spurns the offer of two pieces for a rook by 25 Rxd7 etc. in favour of the immediate breakup of the Black kingside – the black queen hastens to the defence. Hoping White will take the draw by repetition on offer with 32 Qh4+ etc. since 31...Kf8 loses to 32 Bh6+ Ke7 33 Qg5+ Qxg5 34 Bxg5+ Kf8 35 Rxb1. But White has calculated a better continuation involving a rook swing to the kingside. The last chance is that White will win a piece by 35 Rxd7!? Bxd7 36 Bf6+ Rg7 37 Bxg7+ Qxg7 38 Qh4+ Kg8 39 Qd8+ Qf8 40 Qxd7 when Black's extra pawns might still allow him to draw. No such luck. White's extremely precise move forces the win of the black queen, either by 35 ... Rg6 36 Qg4! Kg8 37 Rh3 Qg7 (37...Nxe5 38 Bxg6 Nxg4 39 Bxh7+ loses a rook instead) 38 Bxg6 Nxe5 39 Bh7+! Qxh7 40 Qg3! Qg7 41 Bf6!! Ng6 42 Bxg7 etc. or by 35 ... Qh5 36 Qf4! Rxg5 37 Rh3! Qxh3 38 Qxg5 and the black queen must be sacrificed to avert mate e.g. 38... Qc3? 39 Qh6+ Kg8 40 Bh7+ Kh8 41 Bg6+ Kg8 42 Qh7+ and mate next move. Typically with correspondence chess, the beautiful closing variations are consigned to the notes.
 * 1.e4 c5**
 * 2.Nf3 d6**
 * 3.d4 cxd4**
 * 4.Nxd4 Nf6**
 * 5.Nc3 a6**
 * 6.Bg5 e6**
 * 7.f4 Qb6**
 * 8.Qd2 Qxb2**
 * 9.Rb1 Qa3**
 * 10.e5 h6**
 * 11.Bh4 dxe5**
 * 12.fxe5 Nfd7**
 * 13.Ne4!? ---**
 * 13.--- g5**
 * 14.Bg3 Qxa2**
 * 15.Rd1 Qb2**
 * 16.Qe3 Nc6**
 * 17.Nxc6 bxc6**
 * 18.Be2! Qxc2**
 * 19.O-O Bc5**
 * 20.Nxc5 Qxc5**
 * 21.Rd4 O-O**
 * 22.Rc1 Qb6**
 * 23.Rcd1 Rb8?!**
 * 24.h4! c5**
 * 25.Rd6! ---**
 * 25.--- Qd8**
 * 26.hxg5 Qxg5**
 * 27.Bf4 Qg6**
 * 28.Qh3 Qf5**
 * 29.Qxh6 Rb1**
 * 30.Qh2 Re8**
 * 31.Qg3+ Kh8**
 * 32.R6d3! Rxd1+**
 * 33.Bxd1! Qh7**
 * 34.Bg5 Rg8**
 * 35.Bc2! Resigns**


 * 1-0**


 * Solution:** 1 Qxg6+! hxg6 2 Bxg6+ Ke7 3 Bc5#.