ODT121030

=**International flavour to South Island Championship**=




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

The 2012 South Island Championship was hosted by the Otago Chess Club at the end of the school holidays earlier in the month. The 31 entrants included four overseas players among the top seeds, providing a rare chance for international competition for the other players from throughout New Zealand.

The event was dominated by the Australian duo of GM Darryl Johansen and IM Gary Lane, who established a clear lead over the rest by the middle of the nine rounds. Lane went half a point ahead with a win over Otago club champion Robert Wansink in round seven, while Johansen drew with IM Peng Kong Chan of Singapore. The two leaders both won their remaining games to stay in this order. As the highest placed South Island residents, Wansink and defending champion FM Stephen Lukey from Christchurch became joint South Island Champion for 2012. Final leading scores: 1 Lane 8/9; 2 Johansen 7½; 3-5 Wansink, Chan & Lukey 6 points.

Today's game is from the eighth round and features the tournament victor IM Gary Lane venturing an opening gambit as Black to win a key game against FM Robert Smith of Auckland. media type="custom" key="25232262" The Exchange Slav Defence is not known for offering Black much scope for dynamic play. But with this pawn sacrifice Lane manages to inject some life. Keeping the extra material is possibly overambitious and leads to a big deficit in development for White. The more circumspect 8 Ne4 has lead White to give back two pawns for development after 8... Qb6 9 Nf3 Qxb2 10 Rb1 Bb4+ 11 Ned2 Bxd2 12 Nxd2 Qxa2 in a couple of grandmaster games. Not 11 Nxd4? Qb4+ winning the knight. Although two pawns up, White's queen is hemmed in and he has problems developing his pieces. The text may be the best way to contain Black's threats while gradually unravelling his kingside. 13 Nf3? Ng4 is clearly bad, 13 Nxd4? Bc5 too dangerous, while 13 Rc1 0-0 14 Nc7? Ng4 15 Nh3 Be1! shows that White can't take Black's threats lightly. The c-file is more important than defending the d-pawn, which White has no time to take without exposing himself to attack. Restricting the black knight as well as creating potential threats down the long diagonal, to which Black has to turn his immediate attention. Here White had a chance to simply matters by giving up his queen: 19 Qxc6!? Bxc6 20 Rxc5 a6 21 Rxc6 axb5 22 Kc2 bxa4 23 Nxd4 Qxe5 with full material compensation for the queen and active pieces, though his exposed king makes it less attractive. Black achieves nothing with the immediate forcing line 19... a6?! 20 Nfxd4 Bxd4 21 Nxd4 Qxb2 22 Rxc6 Qxd4+ 23 Qd2 Qxf2 24 Qxd5 Qxg1+ 25 Kd2, so he improves his queen position and tightens the screws. The release of tension on the long diagonal frees the Black pieces to attack the white king, but White is so tied up he has few choices. Possibly the only chance was the fiendish variation 20 Nfxd4! Bxd4 21 Rxc6 Bxg2! 22 Rxh6!? (or 22 Rd6 Bb6 23 Qd2 Bxh3 24 f3 trying to contain the black pieces) gxh6 23 Nxd4 Qxb2 24 Nf5! Qb1+ 25 Kd2 Qxg1 26 Nxh6+ Kh8 27 e6! Qxf2! 28 Qg5 Qd4+ 29 Ke1 Qb4+ 30 Kf2 Qb6+ 31 Kxg2 Qxe6 when Black miraculously avoids having to administer perpetual check. White must then retain queens for drawing chances as the ending after 32 Qe5+!? Qxe5 33 Nxf7+ Kg7 34 Nxe5 Re8 35 Nc6 a6! 36 Kf3 Rc8 (obtaining a passed a-pawn) wins for Black. Relaxing the defence of d3, but the slightly better 23 Rc2 d3! 24 exd3 Bxd6 25 exd6 Rxc2 26 Nxc3 Qxd3+ also wins material for Black as 27 Kc1 Rc8 with the double threat of mate and 28...Qe1+. Now 26 exd6? Re8+ leads to mate.
 * 1.d4 d5**
 * 2.c4 c6**
 * 3.cxd5 cxd5**
 * 4.Nc3 Nc6**
 * 5.Bf4 e5!?**
 * 6.Bxe5 Nxe5**
 * 7.dxe5 d4**
 * 8.Qa4+?! ---**
 * 8.--- b5**
 * 9.Nxb5 Bd7**
 * 10.Qa6 Qb8**
 * 11.a4 ---**
 * 11.--- Bb4+**
 * 12.Kd1 Nh6**
 * 13.h3 ---**
 * 13.--- 0-0**
 * 14.Nf3 Rc8!**
 * 15.Rc1 Bc5**
 * 16.g4! ---**
 * 16.--- Be6**
 * 17.Bg2 Bd5**
 * 18.Rg1 Rc6**
 * 19.Qa5 ---**
 * 19.--- Qb7!**
 * 20.Ne1?! ---**
 * 20.--- Bxg2**
 * 21.Rxg2 a6!**
 * 22.Nd6 Qb3+**
 * 23.Nc2 ---**
 * 23.--- d3!**
 * 24.exd3 Qxd3+**
 * 25.Ke1 Bxd6**
 * 26.Rg3 ---**
 * 26.--- Qe4+**
 * 27.Re3 Bb4+**
 * 28.Qxb4 Qxb4+**
 * 29.Nxb4 Rxc1+**


 * 0-1**


 * Solution:** 1 Bh6+! Kxh6 (1... Kh8 2 Qf8+ Ng8 3 Qg7#) 2 Qf8+ Kg5 3 h4#.