ODT131015

=**Victorious return for Wang**=




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

IM Wang Puchen, had a victorious return to competition in New Zealand at the North Shore Open last month. He has been based in the United States for several years after gaining a chess scholarship to study at the University of Texas, Dallas.

Wang was rated over 100 points higher than his closest rival, FM Ben Hague of Auckland. These two met in the fourth round, and Wang prevailed after parrying Hague's attack. No one else proved a match for Wang, and he won with a clean slate of 5/5. IM Paul Garbett finshed second on 4 points, followed by a four way tie for third on 3½ between Hague, Hans Gao, Hao Jia and Daniel Runcan, all of Auckland.

Today's game from the third round features Wang playing with the white pieces against John Duneas of Mt Maunganui. media type="custom" key="24934116" The Slav Defence usually allows Black to develop his light-squared bishop outside his pawn chain. The point of White's quiet system is to exchange it for a knight. Black prefers to decline the pawn sacrifice 9... dxc4, where White gains a mobile centre to go with his two bishops, and it will be a long time before Black's extra pawn will make itself felt. Embarking on a plan to force the advance or exchange of White's c4 pawn. An alternative was 11... dxc4 12 Qxc4 e5 countering in the centre. Momentarily under-defending the d-pawn, which allows White to advantageously open the long diagonal. Better was 13... Re8 when 14 e4?! can be met by 14... e5! with equal chances. Now 14... e5?! 15 dxe5 Nxe5 16 exd5 b4 17 Ne4 cxd5 18 cxd5 wins a pawn, since walking into the multiple pins after 18... Nxd5?! 19 Nxd6 Qxd6 20 Rad1 Rad8 21 Bxb4 Qxb4 22 Bxd5 forks e5 and a6, picking up a second pawn. Neither does 14.... b4 15 e5! bxc3 16 exd6 Qxd6 17 Bxc3 offer Black more than the move played. Black appeared to have a chance to break out with 17... bxc4 18 Qxc4 c5 19 Bb7?! Rb8 20 Bxa6 cxd4 and his two centre pawns should be a match for White's two queenside passed pawns. But simply 19 dxc5 Nxc5 20 Bg2 retains White's edge. Denying the queen access to the active a5 square. Instead 22... Qa5! (hitting g5) 23 Bf4 c5 24 dxc5 Bxc5 allows Black to blockade the white queenside pawns. If 23.... Qd7 24 Rfd1 c5 then 25 dxc5! Qxa4 26 Bb7 Rxc5 27 Bd6 wins the exchange. This power of the white bishops once the position is opened is a recurring theme in the rest of the game. White's last move contained the hint of an attacking gesture on the kingside, which prompts Black into a committal advance. More resilient was marking time by 26... Rb8 and if 27 Bf4 Rbc8, challenging White to make any headway. There is no way to stop White obtaining an advanced passed pawn. E.g. 28... e5 29 Bd5 Nxd5 30 cxd5 Bxc5 31 Bxc5 Rxc5 32 Rb8+ Rc8 33 Qb1 Kh7 34 Rxc8 Qxc8 35 h5! and the d-pawn combined with Black's weakened king position should win the queen ending. The positionally desirable 28... Bxc5? fails to 29 Bb7 winning the exchange. The attempt to win the c-pawn by 30...e5, threatening 31... e4, is met by 31 Qf1 and if Black avoids the exchange of queens, the white queen will come to b5. Even after the better 32... Bb4 defending a5, 33 Qb6! Nd5 34 Qb7 Rb8 35 Qxa8 Rxa8 36 c7 Rc8 37 Bxd5 exd5 38 Bb6 Kf8 39 Rd1 Bd6 40 Rxd5 Ke7 (40... Bxc7? 41 Rc5) 41 Rxa5 Bxc7 42 Ra7 and White will exchange to a winning pawn ending. Suicide – but 34... Rxb8 35 Bxd5 leads to an improved version of the previous note. The c-pawn will cost a rook.
 * 1.d4 d5**
 * 2.c4 c6**
 * 3.Nf3 Nf6**
 * 4.e3 Bf5**
 * 5.Nc3 e6**
 * 6.Nh4 ---**
 * 6.--- Bg6**
 * 7.Nxg6 hxg6**
 * 8.g3 Nbd7**
 * 9.Bg2 Bd6**
 * 10.0-0 0-0**
 * 11.Qe2 a6**
 * 12.Bd2 b5**
 * 13.b3 Qe7?!**
 * 14.e4! dxe4**
 * 15.Nxe4 Nxe4**
 * 16.Bxe4 Rac8**
 * 17.a4 Nf6**
 * 18.Bg5 Qd7**
 * 19.Bf3 Bb4**
 * 20.Rad1 bxa4**
 * 21.bxa4 Qc7**
 * 22.Rb1 a5?!**
 * 23.Bf4 Qa7**
 * 24.Be3 Qa6**
 * 25.Rfd1 Rfd8**
 * 26.h4!? c5?**
 * 27.dxc5 Rxd1+**
 * 28.Qxd1 Qxc4**
 * 29.Rc1 Qa6**
 * 30.c6 Be7**
 * 31.Qd4 Qa8**
 * 32.Kg2 Qb8**
 * 33.Qb6! Nd5**
 * 34.Qxb8 Nxe3+**
 * 35.fxe3 Rxb8**
 * 36.c7 Resigns**


 * 1-0**


 * Solution:** 1 Qxh7+!! Kxh7 2 Rh5+ Kg6 3 Bf7#.