England-Sweden Challenge

Three summers ago, I was invited to the Swedish city of Eskilstuna, for a brief but exciting match against their top player, the affable Nils Grandelius. Earlier this month, Grandelius visited London, this time to play a match against my England team-mate David Howell. The England-Sweden Challenge match was staged as part of the 30th anniversary celebrations of the founding of the London Chess Centre and the relaunch of Chess magazine. It was held in refined surroundings at the residence of Sweden’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, Mikaela Kumlin Granit. Seeing the photos, one yearns to play more chess in rooms with library ladders.

The ten-game match saw a striking contrast between Grandelius’s active approach and Howell’s supremely patient brand of chess. Howell survived a scare in game 1 and took the lead in game 4, squeezing out a win from a position which I had naively assumed was bound to end in a draw. Grandelius caught up in the seventh game, with this energetic treatment of the Italian Opening.

Nils Grandelius-David Howell

England-Sweden Challenge Match, March 2022

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 O-O Nf6 5 d3 O-O 6 Re1 h6 7 c3 d6 8 Nbd2 Bb6 9 h3 Ne7 10 d4 Nc6 11 a4 a5 12 Ra3 An imaginative way to maintain the central tension. The rook is well placed in case Black grabs a pawn on d4. Re8 13 Ba2 exd4 14 cxd4 Nxd4 15 Nxd4 Bxd4 16 Rd3 Ba7 17 e5 Qe7 18 Rg3 dxe5 19 Nc4 Kf8 20 Bxh6 gxh6 21 Qd2 Ng8 Stronger was 21…Ng4! since 22 hxg4 Qg5! puts a break on White’s attack. Instead 22 Rxg4 looks frightening but after 22…Qf6 (to defend h6) 23 Rg3 e4 (to prevent Rg3-f3) Black’s defences seem to hold up.