The London Chess Classic, graced by two former world champions Viswanathan Anand and Vladimir Kramnik, as well as the world number two, Fabiano Caruana, is nearing its close. Full details can be found on www.londonchessclassic.com and there is still time for chess fans to visit the event at Olympia, since it runs to 14 December.
The London Classic continues the great tradition of outstanding events and superlatively creative games which have been played in the capital. London has been the home to such outstanding champions of the game as Andre Philidor, Wilhelm Steinitz and Emanuel Lasker while Steinitz himself claimed that two of the supreme creative masterpieces of his time were played in London. Those two examples cited by Steinitz are given this week as the main game and the puzzle.
Zukertort-Blackburne: London 1883; Zukertort Opening
1 c4 e6 2 e3 Nf6 3 Nf3 b6 4 Be2 Bb7 5 0-0 d5 6 d4 Bd6 7 Nc3 0-0 8 b3 Nbd7 9 Bb2 Qe7 An inaccuracy which allows White to seize the bishop pair. A sensible precaution would have been 9 … a6. 10 Nb5 Ne4 11 Nxd6 cxd6 12 Nd2 Ndf6 13 f3 Nxd2 14 Qxd2 White has emerged from the opening with a comfortable advantage. He is in possession of the bishop pair and he can also begin to construct a powerful pawn centre by means of e4 after due preparation. 14 … dxc4 15 Bxc4 d5 16 Bd3 Rfc8 17 Rae1 Rc7 18 e4 Rac8 19 e5 Ne8 (see diagram 1) 20 f4 White’s kingside attack is beginning to run on oiled wheels. 20 … g6 21 Re3 f5 A drastic solution to White’s concentration of force on the kingside. However, it leaves Black’s central and kingside pawn structure full of holes. 22 exf6 Nxf6 23 f5 Ne4 24 Bxe4 dxe4 25 fxg6 Rc2 Black has struggled manfully to make the most of his chances in the open c-file and it would have been scarcely possible to foresee the utterly brilliant counter measure which Zukertort had planned in advance. 26 gxh7+ Kh8 27 d5+ e5 28 Qb4!! (see diagram 2) One of the most astounding, brilliant and beautiful moves in the entire history of chess. The death blow against Black’s king is inaugurated by a queen sacrifice on an open square on the opposite side of the board. 28 … R8c5 If 28 … Qxb4 29 Bxe5+ will force mate, e.g. 29 … Kxh7 30 Rh3+ Kg6 31 Rf6+ Kg7 (31 … Kg5 32 Rg3+ Kh5 33 Rf5+ Kh6 34 Bf4+ Kh7 35 Rh5 mate) 32 Rg3+ Kh7 33 Rf7+ Kh6 34 Bf4+ Kh5 35 Rh7 mate. 29 Rf8+!Now 29 … Qxf8 is met by 30 Bxe5+ Kxh7 31 Qxe4+ Kh6 32 Rh3+ Kg5 33 Rg3+ Kh5 34 Qg4+ Kh6 35 Qg6 mate. 29 … Kxh7 30 Qxe4+ Kg7 31 Bxe5+! Kxf832 Bg7+! A final tactic. Now 32 … Qxg7 33 Qe8 is mate. 32 … Kg8 33 Qxe7 Black resigns
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