ODT100323

=**Australian Championship a two-horse race**=




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

The Australian Closed Championship in Sydney in January was the occasion of two outstanding performances. Top seed GM Zhong-Yuan Zhao was expected to dominate and he duly won by a full point, but only after he was pushed to an extraordinary 10/11 by runner-up IM George Xie. The pair both won all their early games before Zhao beat Xie in round five. Then followed a tremendous chase by Xie, who won his next five games, catching up with Zhao and earning the 24 year old his second GM norm in the process. Zhao was forced to match Xie win for win over the remaining rounds to stay level. But in the final round, Xie was stopped by defending champion IM Stephen Solomon, allowing Zhao to take the championship with a win over FM Rej Tomek.

Today's game is from the tenth round of the Australian Championship and was the victory that secured a GM norm for Xie. He is playing White against 17 year old Max Illingworth. media type="custom" key="26288276" White has chosen an aggressive Austrian Attack formation against Black's Modern Defence, and his opponent responds with early expansion on the queen's flank – not committing his pieces just yet. A risky advance – Black gets control of the dark squared diagonals and launches an effective counter-attack. White continues with his central pawn thrust, while the Black pieces make use of the empty spaces left in their wake, making for a razor-sharp battle. Black's aggressive kingside intentions are clear: castling queenside and securing his knight in preparation. Ceding the exchange rather than 19 Qxd4 Bxd4 20 Ng5 axb5 21 fxg6 Rhg8 22 Bxg4 hxg4 23 Nf7 Rxg6! and Black will get a pawn and compensation for the exchange. Forcing off queens, since 22 Bxf3!? Bxf3 23 gxf3 exf6 24 bxa6 Rhe8 is somewhat risky. Eliminating the passed e-pawn but allowing White unwind his bishops. 24 ... axb5 25 Bxb5 Rhe8! giving back the exchange for the pawn would have drawn handily. The White bishops dominate from their central posts while Black's has no scope. There is no answer to the plan of b4-b5-b6-b7 etc. Or 39...Ke6 40 b7 Rxb7 41 Rxb7 Rxb5 42 a7 is curtains.
 * 1.d4 g6**
 * 2.e4 Bg7**
 * 3.Nc3 d6**
 * 4.f4 a6**
 * 5.Nf3 b5**
 * 6.Bd3 Nd7**
 * 7.O-O c5**
 * 8.d5!? ---**
 * 8.--- c4**
 * 9.Be2 Qb6+**
 * 10.Kh1 Ngf6**
 * 11.e5!? Ng4**
 * 12.e6 fxe6**
 * 13.dxe6 Ndf6**
 * 14.Nd4 Bb7**
 * 15.f5 O-O-O!?**
 * 16.a4 h5!?**
 * 17.axb5 Ne4**
 * 18.Nxe4 Qxd4**
 * 19.f6!? ---**
 * 19. --- Bxf6**
 * 20.Nxf6 Nf2+**
 * 21.Rxf2 Qxf2**
 * 22.Qf1! ---**
 * 22.--- Qxf1+**
 * 23.Bxf1 exf6**
 * 24.Bxc4 Rhe8?**
 * 25.bxa6 Bc6**
 * 26.Be3! d5**
 * 27.Bd3 Rxe6**
 * 28.Bd4! f5**
 * 29.Kg1 Kb8**
 * 30.b4 ---**
 * 30.--- Be8**
 * 31.b5 Kc7**
 * 32.Ra3 Re1+**
 * 33.Kf2 Rb1**
 * 34.Rc3+ Kd6**
 * 35.Bb6 d4**
 * 36.Bc7+ Kd7**
 * 37.Rc5 Rc8**
 * 38.b6 Bf7**
 * 39.Bb5+ Rxb5**
 * 40.Rxb5 Re8**
 * 41.Rb4 Kc6**
 * 42.b7! Kxc7**
 * 43.a7 Resigns**


 * 1-0**


 * Solution:** 1 Rxh6+! Kxh6 (1...Kg8 2 Qh3 and 3 Rh8#) 2 Qh3+ Kg5 3 Qe3+ Kh4 4 Qh6#.