ODT080325

=**World Champion shows strength**=


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

The Morelia/Linares supertournament repeated last year's unique two-continent format of playing the first half of the eight-player double round robin in Morelia, Mexico and the second half in Linares, Spain. By the time the players left for Spain at the halfway stage, world champion and top seed Vishwanthan Anand of India had shown his class and taken the clear lead. This he held until the end to finish on 8½/14 ahead of Norway's Magnus Carlsen in second on 8 points, with Levon Aronian (Armenia) and Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria) sharing third on 7½.

Today's game is from the first round at Morelia features one of three Anand wins with the black pieces in the tournament – usually a rare event at this level. Alexei Shirov of Spain is playing White. media type="custom" key="26622804" The Richter-Rauzer Attack is one of the most aggressive choices for White against the Najdorf Sicilian. White plans to castle on the queenside an launch an attack against the black king – as a result Black often defers castling kingside. A new move. Black abandons the option of queenside castling in order to develop his counter-attack on the white king. A typical sacrifice in this opening, breaking up the white king's shelter. Pursuing his own attack, but the move releases control of d5 to the black knight. Better than 20 ... Nxc3+ 21 Ka1 Nxd1 22 Qxg7+ Kd6 23 Rxd1, when White takes the initiative. Better was 22 Qh4+ forcing N7f6 when 23 Rf1 maintains some attacking threats, tying black pieces to the defence of f6, since 23 ... e4 allows 24 Bxb5! axb5 25 Rxd5! Bxd5 26 Qxf6+ with equality. The sacrifice 23 Bxg6+ hxg6 24 Qxg6+ Ke7 25 Qg7+ Kd6 achieves little. Now the actively placed Black pieces take over. Or 28 axb3?? Qa3 mate. Threatening the deadly 31 ... Qd4+ and on 31 Rd3 follows Qc2 mating, so White resigns.
 * 1. e4 c5**
 * 2. Nf3 d6**
 * 3. d4 cxd4**
 * 4. Nxd4 Nf6**
 * 5. Nc3 a6**
 * 6. Bg5 ---**
 * 6. --- e6**
 * 7. f4 Nbd7**
 * 8. Qf3 Qc7**
 * 9. O-O-O b5**
 * 10. Bd3 Bb7**
 * 11. Rhe1 Qb6**
 * 12. Nb3 Rc8!?**
 * 13. Qh3 Rxc3!**
 * 14. bxc3 Qc7**
 * 15. Kb1 Be7**
 * 16. e5!? ---**
 * 16. --- dxe5**
 * 17. f5 Nd5**
 * 18. Bxe7 Kxe7**
 * 19. fxe6 fxe6**
 * 20. Qg3 g6!**
 * 21. Rd2 Rc8**
 * 22. Qg5+? ---**
 * 22. --- Ke8**
 * 23. Qg4 ---**
 * 23. --- Nxc3+**
 * 24. Ka1 Bd5**
 * 25. Re3 Nf6**
 * 26. Qh4 Qe7**
 * 27. Bf1 Bxb3!**
 * 28. cxb3 ---**
 * 28. --- Nce4**
 * 29. Rb2 Rc1+**
 * 30. Rb1 Qc5**


 * 0-1**


 * Solution:** 1 ... Qe7+ 2 Ke5 (2 Kc7 Qc5#) Nc6+ 3 Ke4 f5#