ODT110531

=**Smith North Island Champion**=




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

The 2011 North Island Championship was held in Wellington over Easter. The field of 25 had a distinctly bimodal look, with the top three seeds rated 200 points ahead of the next group of players. Thus the games between the leading group of IM Anthony Ker (Wellington), FM Robert Smith (Mt Maunganui) and IM Paul Garbett (Auckland) were crucial to deciding the final result. As is transpired, Smith drew with Garbett in round 3 and beat Ker in round 4 to become favourite to win. But he had to wait until the round 7 draw between the other two to finally take the sole lead. These three won all their other games against the rest of the field to finish 1st Smith 7½/8; 2nd Garbett 7; 3rd Ker 6½. The group of five players sharing 4th place finished on 5 points, 1½ points back.

Today's game is the critical decisive game that determined the first three placings: Smith's crushing round four win against top seed Ker. media type="custom" key="25824406" Ker's favourite Pirc Defence. Black allows White a free hand in the centre in return for dynamic counter chances. An aggressive known pawn sacrifice, heralding a violent attack on Black's weakened kingside. Clearly the result of home preparation, this second pawn sacrifice improves on 11 Bd3 in Murillo – Byambaa, Turin 2006. The idea is to open the h-file with gain of time, and Black has little choice but to accept. It's hard to find a better move here as 12...Nd7? 13 Ng5 Ndf6 14 g4 leads to a kingside traffic jam. However 12...Nf4!? 13 Bxf4 Rxf4 14 Ng5 is similar to the game except Black has time for 14...h6! with chances of a successful defence. The safer looking alternative 13...Nf6 runs into the brilliant refutation 14 Nxh7!! Nxh7 15 Rxh7! Kxh7 16 Qh5+ Kg8 17 Bxg6 Rf6 (forced) 18 Ne4 Rxg6 19 Qxg6 Qf8 (defending against 19 Bh6) 20 Ng5 Qf6 21 Qe8+ Qf8 22 Qxc6 exploiting the undefended knight. The text move also leads to a violent irruption on the h-file. The disharmony among the Black queenside pieces sown by the pawn sacrifices constantly makes itself felt, leaving no time to defend on the kingside. Trying to return some material, but it's too late. Making way for the king's flight. After White's pretty queen switchback there was no defence to the final sacrifice. Winning the queen in a fitting finale to a real brilliancy by Smith against the 12-time New Zealand Champion.
 * 1.e4 d6**
 * 2.d4 Nf6**
 * 3.Nc3 g6**
 * 4.Nf3 Bg7**
 * 5.h3 O-O**
 * 6.Be3 a6**
 * 7.a4 b6**
 * 8.e5 Nfd7**
 * 9.e6!? ---**
 * 9.--- fxe6**
 * 10.h4 Nf6**
 * 11.h5! ---**
 * 11.--- Nxh5**
 * 12.Bd3 Nc6?!**
 * 13.Ng5 Nf4**
 * 4.Bxf4 Rxf4**
 * 15.g3! Rxd4**
 * 16.Qf3! Qe8**
 * 17.Rxh7 Rd5**
 * 18.Nxd5 exd5**
 * 19.Qh1! e6**
 * 20.Rh8+! Bxh8**
 * 21.Qh7+ Kf8**
 * 22.Qxh8+ Ke7**
 * 23.Qg7+ Kd8**
 * 24.Nf7+ Kd7**
 * 25.Ne5+ Kd8**
 * 26.Bxg6 Resigns**


 * 1-0**


 * Solution:** 1 Qxh7+! Kxh7 (1... Kf8 2 Qh8#) 2 Rh4+ Kg8 3 Rh8#.