ODT111004

=**Junior championship hotly contested**=




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

The Otago and Southland Junior (under 20) championship held at the Otago Chess Club last month drew a large field of 38 players from Invercargill to Christchurch. After four of the six scheduled rounds, last year's winner Tim Rains (14, Christchurch Boys' HS) and runner-up Charlie Ruffman (15, Logan Park HS) lead on four points. Tim was the eventual winner of their fifth round clash, leading by a point ahead of a group of five players going into the final round. He was taken down at last by his brother Edward Rains (17, Christchurch Boys' HS) who joined him in first place. As both these Christchurch players were ineligible, the next two boards Chris Cho (14, John McGlashan) vs. Ruffman and Leighton Nicholls (13, home schooled) vs. Joel Smith (14, OBHS) would produce the champion. On both the younger player prevailed to leave Cho and Nicholls tied with the Rains brothers in first place on 5 points and joint 2011 Otago/Southland Junior Champions. Today's game is from the final of the FIDE World Cup tournament in Khanty Mansiysk, between two Russian grandmasters Alexander Grischuk and Peter Svidler. Russian Champion Svidler continued some of the best form of his life to win this the first game of four with the black pieces. He went on to draw the remaining three games to win the tournament. media type="custom" key="25710622" Don't try this at home folks – these guys are professionals. The Sicilian Kan often involves Black undertaking a pawn advance on the queenside and developing his queen before any other piece. Needless to say this is a risky strategy in less-skilled hands. White's move was new in this position and it is too dangerous for Black to capture the pawn: 10...Nxe5 11 Nxe5 Bxe5 12 Rxe5! Qxe5 13 Qf3! d5 (best) 14 Bf4 Qf6 15 Qg3! h5 (to meet 16 Bg5 or Be5 with h4) 16 Re1 h4 17 Qe3 Qd8 18 Nxd5! Qxd5 19 Be4 Qxa2 20 Bxa8 and White has a winning advantage thanks to his massive lead in development. Black sacrifices the d-pawn to lure the rook to an insecure position. Attempting to prevent 18 ... Qc8 but overlooking Black's next which exploits the shut-in rook to win material. White could have saved the rook by 18 Nc3 Nxc3 (18... Qe8 19 Rxd5 exd5 20 Nxd5 good for White) 19 bxc3 but then his broken queenside offers Black counterplay. Better was 18 Qd2 Qc8 19 Rxd5 exd5 20 Qxd5 with two pawns for the exchange and an edge. Sacrificing a full piece for three pawns. The alternative was 19 Rxc7 Qxc7 20 Ng5 h6 21 Nge4 entrenching his advanced knight on d6 and freeing the f-pawn to advance with some compensation for the material deficit. Until this point chances were roughly equal, but White's last move failed to safeguard the queenside (24 b3 was necessary) and the black knight infiltrates to turn the game. White had to hold his extra pawns with 25 b3 Nc3 26 Rd3 Ba5 (26...Nxa2? 27 Qd4! Qb8 28 b4! puts the knight offside), but Black's extra piece is starting to make itself felt. Now relatively best for White is the ending after 26 Nxc7 Rxc7 27 Qxc8+ Rxc8 28 Rd6 Nc4 29 Rxa6 Ngxe5 30 a4 b4 31 Bxe5 Nxe5 32 Ra5 Nc6 33 Rb5 hoping to draw with two extra pawns against the extra knight, but in serious time trouble Grischuk keeps matters complicated and soon has to give up more material.
 * 1.e4 c5**
 * 2.Nf3 e6**
 * 3.d4 cxd4**
 * 4.Nxd4 a6**
 * 5.Nc3 b5**
 * 6.Bd3 Qb6**
 * 7.Nf3 Nc6**
 * 8.O-O Qb8**
 * 9.Re1 Bd6**
 * 10.e5! Bc7**
 * 11.Bf4 Nge7**
 * 12.Qe2 Ng6**
 * 13.Bg3 Bb7**
 * 14.Rad1 Nce7**
 * 15.Be4 Bxe4**
 * 16.Nxe4 O-O!?**
 * 17.Rxd7 Nd5**
 * 18.Nd6? ---**
 * 18.--- Nb6!**
 * 19.Rxf7!? ---**
 * 19.--- Rxf7**
 * 20.Nxf7 Kxf7**
 * 21.Ng5+ Kg8**
 * 22.Nxe6 Qc8**
 * 23.Qg4 Ra7**
 * 24.Rd1?! Na4!**
 * 25.h3? Nxb2**
 * 26.Rd5?! Bb6**
 * 27.Rd6? Nc4**
 * 28.Qf5 Rf7**
 * 29.Qe4 Nxd6**
 * 30.exd6 Nf8**
 * White Resigns**


 * 0-1**


 * Solution:** 1 Rf8+ Kg7 2 Ne6+ Kh7 3 Rh1#.