CHESS

LEONARD BARDEN

After the chess, the law court. Alexander Khalifman, internationally ranked No 45, beat Vladimir Akopian 3.5-2.5 to win the Fide world championship in Las Vegas.

Anatoly Karpov refused to defend his title because there was no challenge round, and has filed a breach of contract suit against the world chess body, claiming more than $lm compensation.

Meanwhile there has been an ominous silence about the proposed match between Garry Kasparov and Viswanathan Anand. It is claimed that one sponsor balked at the $3m prize money at the last minute, and efforts to revive two earlier bids also failed.

David Howell, 8, set a world age record at the Mind Sports Olympiad by beating the grandmaster John Nunn, a former British champion. It was a remarkably mature game for five-minute blitz. Only a few weeks earlier David had demolished England's top female player, Harriet Hunt, in the BCF rapidplay at Scarborough. Hunt is a WGM, rated 2420 by Fide, and an IM at men's level subject to ratification, so that too was a record.

Last year I criticised David's omission from the 1998 European and world under-10 championships. Now the Sussex boy is the youngest of the Saitek BCF team in the 1999 European junior championships in Greece.

John Nunn v David Howell

1 e4 e5
2 Nf3 Nc6
3 Bb5 a6
4 Ba4 Nf6
5 d3

Avoiding the Marshall 5 Re1 b5 6 Bb3 0-0 7 c3 d5 about which Nunn has written books but which also happens to be David's favourite!

b5 6 Bb3 Be7
7 0-0 0-0
8 Nbd2 d6
9 c3 Na5
10 Bc2 c5
ll Rel Re8
12 Nfl Bf8
13 Ng3 g6
14 Bg5 Bg7
15 Qd2
Bb7 16 h4 h5!

Stops White's h5, and later on the h4 pawn becomes weak.

17 Rad1 Nc6
18 a3 Rc8
19 Bbl Na5
20 Ba2 c4
21 d4 exd4
22 cxd4 Qb6
23 d5 Ng4
24 Nd4 Ne5
25 Bb1 Nb3
26 Nxb3 cxb3
27 Be3 Qd8
28 Bg5 Qb6
29 Qe3

White heads for the endgame. In l987 Nunn lost the first three games of a blitz match to Judit Polgar, 11, but recovered to win 6-4 after switching from tactics to endings. Here he tries the same approach, but objectively White should repeat moves for a draw.

Qxe3
30 Rxe3 Nc4
31 Rxb3 Nxb2
32 Rc1 Rxcl+
33 Bxcl Nc4
34 Bd3?


34 Kfl avoids the back rank trick, but Bf6 is still better for Black.

Bxd5! 35 exd5 Rel+
36 Kh2 Rxcl
37 Ne4 Ne5
38 Be2 Nd7
39 g3 Be5
40 Kg2 Nc5
41 Nxc5 Rxc5
42 Rd3 Rc3
43 Kf3 Rxd3+
44 Bxd3 f5
45 Ke2 Kf7
46 Kf3 Ke7
47 Ke3 Kf7
48 Kf3 Bb2
49 a4 bxa4
50 Bxa6 Kf6
51 Ke2 Ke5
52 Bc4 Kd4
53 Ba2 Kc3
54 Kdl Ba3
55 Ke2 Bcl
56 Kdl Kb2
57 Bc4 Bh6
58 Ke2 a3
59 Kd3 a2
60 Bxa2 Kxa2
61 Kc4 Bd2
62 Kb5 Bel
63 Kc6 Bxf2
64 Kxd6 Bxg3+
65 Ke6 Bxh4
66 d6 f4 0-1

No. 2591

Ron Harman v Terry Chapman, Ilford 1971

Level material, and a queen swap imminent, but Black's next turn launched a forced winning sequence. What happened?