ODT051122

=**Short on tour**=


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

Nigel Short, former child prodigy and England's leading grandmaster for the greater part of the last two decades is conducting a simultaneous exhibition tour of New Zealand this month. He will be taking on all the main centres, including Dunedin at the Otago Chess Club on November 30th.

Short's uncompromisingly attacking style of play has resulted in many quick victories against sharp openings such as the Sicilian defence. One particularly aggressive white set-up versus the Sicilian became known as the 'English Attack' owing to the tournament successes of Short and other leading English grandmasters in the eighties (including New Zealander GM Murray Chandler, based in England at that time).

Today's game features a typically incisive Sicilian win by Short as White against Ye Jiangchuan, taken from his tournament victory last year in the Shianjin Hotel Cup, China. The annotations owe much to Short's own in the UK Sunday Telegraph. media type="custom" key="27143914" By transposition we have arrived at a Sicilian Scheveningen position. White's next move is part of an unusual plan that strengthens Black's centre but looks to exploit his slower development by organising threats against his King. The Q will head to the kingside via d3 and the dark-square B will eye the long diagonal from b2. Black co-operates somewhat by castling kingside. Sacrificing a pawn for the attack. Already it may have been wiser to return the pawn with 16 --- d5 17 Nxe4 dxe4 18 Bxe4 Bxe4 19 Rxe4 when White retains a slight advantage. Now White's Rook joins the attack with numerous threats. Unleashing the Bishop along the weakened diagonal. Now if 18 --- Nd7, 19 Qxh7+! mates. Or if 18 --- Nh5, 19 Qxh5! So Black clears a way for the Q to join the defence... ...which White prevents. Now since 20 --- exf5 is met by 21 Rxe7! Black blocks the long diagonal in an attempt to escape the terrorising dark Bishop, and rushes to exchange the light-squared one. The Bishop returns on a new diagonal. It is doubtful whether Black has an adequate defence. If 26 --- Nh5, 27 Rgf3 and 28 Rf7. The text allows a pretty finish which astute readers will notice bears a strong resemblance to the problem in the previous column, from a game won by another great English player – J. H. Blackburne. It is mate after 27 --- Kxh7 28 Rh3+ Kg7 29 Bh6+ Kh8 30 Bf8+ Bh4 31 Rxh4.
 * 1.e4 c5**
 * 2.Nf3 e6**
 * 3.d4 cxd4**
 * 4.Nxd4 Nc6**
 * 5.Nc3 Qc7**
 * 6.Be2 a6**
 * 7.0-0 Nf6**
 * 8.Kh1 Be7**
 * 9.f4 d6**
 * 10.Nxc6 bxc6**
 * 11.Qd3 0-0**
 * 12.b3 Bb7**
 * 13.Bb2 c5**
 * 14.Rae1 Rae8**
 * 15.Qh3! ---**
 * 15. --- Nxe4**
 * 16.Bd3 Nf6**
 * 17.Re3 g6**
 * 18.Nd1! ---**
 * 18. --- c4**
 * 19.bxc4 Qc5**
 * 20.f5! ---**
 * 20. --- e5**
 * 21.Rg3 Be4**
 * 22.Ne3 Bxd3**
 * 23.cxd3 Kh8**
 * 24.Bc1! ---**
 * 24. --- Rg8**
 * 25.fxg6 fxg6**
 * 26.Nd5! Nxd5**
 * 27.Qxh7+!! Resigns**


 * 1-0**


 * Solution:** 1 --- Qxg2+! 2 Qxg2 Ng3+! 3 hxg3 Rh8#