ODT100126

=**Ker earns eleventh New Zealand title**=




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

The 117th New Zealand Championship took place in Auckland during the first half of this month. Top seed IM Anthony Ker of Wellington emerged as the front-runner after four rounds by beating co-leader Mike Steadman of Auckland. Drawing with his closest rival FM Nic Croad (also of Wellington) in the next game Ker extended his lead to full point over Croad by round 7. Just when his eleventh championship title seemed to be in the bag, Ker suffered two consecutive losses: to FM Bruce Watson and promising junior 14-year-old Daniel Shen, both of Auckland. This put Croad in the lead by half a point over Ker, Watson and Shen with two rounds to play. In the end it was Ker's cool head and experience that prevailed, finishing with back-to-back wins while the others could only muster draws.

The final leading scores were 1 Ker 8½/11, 2 Croad 8, 3 Shen 7½, 4-5 Watson & Steadman 7...(28 players). The Major open was won by another junior player with great potential, 12-year-old Alan Ansell of New Plymouth, while the Women's championship went to Shirley Wu, at 18 also still a junior.

Today's game is Ker's win with the black pieces over Gino Thornton (Auckland) from the sixth round. It reveals that the champion did not always have things his own way. media type="custom" key="26325890" The Saemisch setup with f3 against the Pirc Defence is a good choice against Ker, as he had shown himself to be vulnerable to the White attacking idea of g4-g5 in an earlier round against Steadman. Black having blocked the g & h files, White's plan is now to prise open the f-file. His strong pawn centre means his king will be safe on the kingside behind his own attack. Not 20...Qxb2? 21 Qxb2 Rxb2 22 fxg6 fxg6 23 Nxg6 Rg8 24 Nf4 and white will soon have connected passed pawns. Black craftily offered a draw with this move. White's queen will beat his two rooks easily with one of them bottled up on the kingside, so he sacrifices a pawn to get it out of the corner. White rightly declined the offer, but it may have cost valuable thinking time. Having built a winning position White suddenly loses the thread and makes a series of aimless moves. On this or the next three moves White could have more profitably played Nfxh5, pocketing another pawn and threatening to exchange Black's defensive bishop on g7 with a winning attack. This needless concession of the third rank comes back to haunt White. Unlike his opponent, Black has had a clear plan – mobilise his pair of rooks down the b-file and along the vulnerable first three ranks. After finally capturing on h5 the knight is forced back to defend against Black's threat of doubling rooks along the second rank. An unfortunate choice, allowing the black bishop to enter the attack with gain of tempo. Black's rooks have immobilised the White minor pieces abut he could still win after 38 h5! when his queen's superior mobility combined with a pawn on g6 weave a ready mating net around the black king. E.g. 38...Nf8 39 g6 Ra2 40 Qf3 Be8 41 Qf5! Rxf1 42 Kxf1 Rxd2 43 Qd5+ and Black has to start giving back material to postpone mate. The perfect defensive post – defending g6 and h7 and supporting 39...Bd7. White's pawns are obstacles to his own attack. The ending after 42 Nf3!? Rf1+ 43 Ke2 Raxf3 44 Qxf3 Rxf3 45 Kxf3 Ne6! 46 Be3 a5! looks losing for White thanks to the diversion of the passed a-pawn. Constructing the decisive mating net - e.g. 44 e5 Bf5! 45 Kf3 Rb3+ 46 Be3 Rxh2 etc. White resigns, as 46 dxe6 Nxe6+ 47 Kd5 Nxf4+ wins the house.
 * 1.e4 d6**
 * 2.d4 Nf6**
 * 3.Nc3 g6**
 * 4.Be3 c6**
 * 5.f3!? b5**
 * 6.g4 ---**
 * 6.--- h6**
 * 7.Qd2 Bg7**
 * 8.h4 h5**
 * 9.g5 Nfd7**
 * 10.Nge2 Nb6**
 * 11.Ng3 Qc7**
 * 12.Bd3 N8d7**
 * 13.Nce2 a6**
 * 14.f4! ---**
 * 14.--- c5**
 * 15.c3 Nc4**
 * 16.Bxc4 bxc4**
 * 17.f5 Qb7**
 * 18.O-O cxd4**
 * 19.cxd4 Rb8**
 * 20.Nf4! Nf8**
 * 21.Rab1 Bd7**
 * 22.b3 Bc6**
 * 23.bxc4! Qxb1**
 * 24.Rxb1 Rxb1+**
 * 25.Kh2 Nd7!?**
 * 26.fxg6 O-O**
 * 27.gxf7+ Rxf7**
 * 28.Qc2?! ---**
 * 28.--- Rb4**
 * 29.Qe2?! Rf8!**
 * 30.a3?! Rb3**
 * 31.Ne6 Rfb8**
 * 32.Nxg7 Rb2!**
 * 33.Bd2 Kxg7**
 * 34.Nxh5+ Kg8**
 * 35.Ng3 Ra2**
 * 36.Nf1 Rb1**
 * 37.Kg2 Rxa3**
 * 38.Qg4? ---**
 * 38.--- Nf8!**
 * 39.Kf2 Bd7**
 * 40.Qh5 Bh3**
 * 41.Nh2 Rh1**
 * 42.Bf4 ---**
 * 42.--- Ra2+**
 * 43.Ke3 Rb1!**
 * 44.d5 Rb3+**
 * 45.Kd4 e5+**


 * 0-1**


 * Solution:** 1 Bf8+ Kg5 (1...Kxh5 2 Qh3+ Kg5 3 Nf3#) 2 Nf3+ Kxh5 3 Qh3#.