Nunn tops in Hastings Premier

 

Focus on games in two events

 

Mark of Malaysians

 

Kasparov is still the best

 

Showdown in Las Palmas

 

New national champions

 

Record entries in Kepong Junior

 

Champions from Asia

 

New ruling for entry

 

National champs to the fore

 

Disappointment in Spain

 

Spanish action

 

Russia all the way

 

Iljumzhinov wins election

 

Good show from our chaps

 

Chess Olympiad ends

 

Close fight between Russia and China

 

Assault on Russian defence

ASSAULT ON RUSSIAN DEFENCE

The 32nd Chess Olympiad opened in Erevan, Armenia, last Sunday and this three-week competition promises to be one of the most interesting in recent years.

The defending champion is Russia but there is a strong possibility that we can get a surprise winner. The Russian team looks formidable enough, but it may not be unbeatable this time.

The strongest members of the Russian team are of course Gary Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik; but, while Evgeny Bareev, Sergei Rublevsky, Alexey Dreev and Sergei Tiviakov are not pushovers, they are not exactly the best players in Russia either.

The Olympiad has attracted almost all the best players in the world with only the world champion Anatoly Karpov, Gata Kamsky and Viswanathan Anand missing.

The Bulgarian team is powered by Veselin Topalov on first board. Topalov is one of the most successful players this year and he defeated Kasparov in Moscow 1994 to establish his name on the world chess scene.

Spain has Alexei Shirov, Valery Salov and Miguel Illescas in their line-up, England is depending on Nigel Short, Michael Adams and Jon Speelman, while the Hungarian team has Judit Polgar playing on top board. Hungary has included their teenaged sensation Peter Leko in their team too.

With Ukraine led by Vassily Ivanchuk, Germany by Artur Yusupov and Robert Hubner, and the United States sending some of their best players - Joel Benjamin, Boris Gulko, Larry Christiansen, Boris Kaidanov, Nick DeFirmian and Alexander Yermolinsky - the list of contenders for the gold medal is quite extensive.

The key to success in such events is to be able to score points on all boards in every match. Each match is played over four boards, and a good performance on the fourth board counts as much as winning on the other boards.

The trick is also to hold the strongest rivals to a draw or a narrow loss, and then score heavily at every other opportunity. Teams can make up for bad starts by dropping down in the standings and then play against weaker teams which they can beat heavily. Very often, the medals are decided by good performances on the last day of competition.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian contingent departed from Kuala Lumpur last Friday. Before they left for the airport, the contingent paid a courtesy call to Culture, Arts and Tourism Minister Datuk Sabbaruddin Chik, who is also the president of the Malaysian Chess Federation.

In the men's team are, from far left, Lim Yee Weng, Tan Wei Sin, Ooi Chern Ee, Fide master Mas Hafizulhelmi, Mok Tze Meng and international master Jimmy Liew. Mok is a last-minute replacement for Azahari Md Nor.

The women's team consists of Khairunissa Wahiduddin, Nurulhuda Wahiduddin, Eliza Hanim Ibrahim and Roslina Marmono.

Heading the contingent to Erevan is Ibrahim Abu Bakar, while the other members of the contingent are team manager Chan Kwai Keong, Ibrahim Yaacob who will be an arbiter in the Olympiad and Abdul Hamid Majid who sits in the pairing committee.

Meantime, check out these links to various sites offering news on the Chess Olympiad:

Mark Crowther's Chess Page
Armenian News Agency
Olympiad site
Inside Chess on the Olympiad
Icelandic Chess Page
Planet Chess

BEIJING TOUGH ON FOREIGNERS

The third annual S.T. Lee Cup, played late last month in Beijing, China, was won by Suat Atalik, a grandmaster from the central Asian country of Turkmenistan.

This open Swiss system tournament was a major event in the Chinese chess calendar and almost all the Chinese top players took part in it. Many foreign players also participated, and this gave the Chinese an opportunity to test their play against the foreigners.

As an indication of the depth of the Chinese players' preparation and capability, the top-seeded Estonian grandmaster Jaan Ehlvest could only finish in a lowly 19th position. Ehlvest completely ruined his result by losing to Tong Yuanming, Lin Weiguo and Wang Zili.

Probably the best result in the Chinese eyes was that achieved by their woman grandmaster Zhu Chen. She finished fifth and along the way, drew with Ehlvest, Atalik and Mikhail Ulibin, a Russian grandmaster. Among those who lost to her were Latvian grandmaster Igors Rausis, Israeli grandmaster Ilya Smirin and China's own grandmaster, Xu Jun. Her only loss in the entire event was to Tong Yuanming.

All in all, the foreign players faced quite a hard time in Beijing.

Top standings: Suat Atalik (Turkmenistan), Mikhail Ulibin (Russia), Konstantin Landa (Russia) and Lin Weiguo (China) 7.5 points; Zhu Chen (China), Evgeny Pigusov (Russia) and Igor Stohl (Slovak Republic) 7 points; Lubomir Ftacnik (Slovak Republic), Liang Chong (China), Tong Yuanming (China), Xu Yang (China), Wang Zili (China) and Xu Jun (China) 6.5 points; Wang Yaoyao (China), Wang Pin (China) Ilia Smirin (Israel), Zhang Zhong (China) and Ye Jiangchuan 6 points; Jaan Ehlvest (Estonia), Alon Greenfeld (Israel), Igors Rausis (Latvia), Peng Xiaomin (China), Peter Szekely (Hungary) and Qin Kanying (China) 5.5 points.

Here is a game from the tournament.

Tong Yuanming - Jaan Ehlvest

1. e4 c5, 2. Nf3 e6, 3. c3 d5, 4. exd5 Qxd5, 5. d4 Nf6, 6. Bd3 Nc6, 7. O-O Qd8, 8. dxc5 Bxc5, 9. Qc2 Qc7, 10. Bg5 h6, 11. Bxf6 gxf6, 12. Nd2 Bd7, 13. a4 Be7, 14. Nc4 h5, 15. Re1 h4, 16. a5 Rad8, 17. Qe2 Kf8, 18. b4 a6, 19. Rd1 Be8, 20. Qe3 Kg7, 21. Be2 f5, 22. Rxd8 Bxd8, 23. Rd1 Be7, 24. Qb6 Qb8, 25. Qe3 Qc7, 26. Qd2 Bf6, 27. Nd6 Ne7, 28. c4 Ba4, 29. Qf4 Bxd1, 30. Nxf5 Nxf5, 31. Qxc7 Bxe2, 32. Ne5 Bh5, 33. g4 hxg3, 34. hxg3 Nh6, 35. f3 Rd8, 36. g4 Bg6, 37. Nxg6 Kxg6, 38. Qxb7 Rd4, 39. b5 Kg5, 40. Qc7 Rd2, 41. bxa6 Bd4, 42. Kf1 Rf2, 43. Ke1 Rxf3, 44. a7 Bxa7, 45. Qxa7 Nxg4, 46. a6 1-0

All set for Chess Olympiad

 

Penang score a double

 

Deep Blue rematch

 

The Merdeka challenge

 

All eyes on Fide hot seat

 

Merdeka event due next

 

Internet chess

 

Intrigue in Fide elections

INTRIGUE IN FIDE ELECTIONS

The dust has hardly settled in the World Chess Federation's world championship cycle but already, attention is turning to the next agenda in the federation's chess calendar, the biennial Chess Olympiad and the annual Fide General Assembly in Erevan, Armenia, this September.

Already, news filtering in from Europe has it that the United States, the Russian and the German Chess Federations are jointly proposing Jaime Sunye-Neto as a candidate for the next Fide presidential elections.

Sunye-Neto, a Brazilian grandmaster, was for many years a member of the Players' Council, a body within Fide. Eighteen months ago, he was made the chairman of Fide's Committee on Assistance to Chess Developing Countries (CACDEC).

He is well-known for his organisational abilities, having organised a large number of successful events in South America. This included the American Grand Prix which consisted of a series of open tournaments around the continent with good prizes and playing conditions.

If Sunye-Neto decides to accept the nomination as a Fide presidential candidate, he will be standing against the incumbent president, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, who is also the political president of the Russian autonomous republic of Kalmykia.

It is not known who will be on Sunye-Neto's presidential ticket but the same news from Europe suggests that Steve Doyle (USA), Egon Ditt (Germany) and Andrei Makarov (Russia) are already on Sunye-Neto's team.

Among this trio, Makarov stands out as a puzzle. Two years ago, though he was very much a Kasparov supporter (he still is, I am sure), he was instrumental in getting the 1994 Chess Olympiad and Fide General Assembly successfully hosted in Moscow by the Russian Chess Federation of which he is its president.

At this General Assembly, Florencio Campomanes stepped down and Ilyumzhinov was elected as the new Fide president. Makarov's reaction to Ilyumzhinov was very negative. Their relationship did not improve, instead it markedly deteriorated when Ilyumzhinov chose Elista, Kalmykia's capital city, as the venue for the Fide world chess championship match. Makarov went as far as to disclaim any responsibility for the organisation of the match, including security for the players and officials.

But suddenly, Makarov and Ilyumzhinov have made up and in Elista, they both announced that they intended to organise a unification match between Anatoly Karpov and Gary Kasparov in Russia next year for a prize fund of not less than US$2 million (about RM5 million).

Interestingly, their proposal called for this match to be played outside the jurisdiction of both Fide and Kasparov's Professional Chess Association. This match would be considered an encounter "between the 13th and 14th Fide world champions" and the winner would be proclaimed the "Absolute World Champion."

"The match between Karpov and Kasparov is essential. Chess cannot do without it," Makarov was quoted as saying.

"We have an agreement in principle to meet for a prize fund of not less than US$2 million, and the match will take place in 1997," said Ilyumzhinov.

The Fide president also said he obtained Karpov's agreement to the match after the 45-year-old Russian retained his Fide world title. Kasparov had been approached by Makarov although a later news report said that Kasparov denied having agreed to play this match.

The Makarov puzzle does not end here. Clearly, he has a foot in both the Ilyumzhinov and the Sunye-Neto camps. Whatever happens, he cannot lose.

When asked why he supported Ilyumzhinov and was also on Sunye-Neto's ticket, he said: "Well, there is a place for the Russian Chess Federation - the largest in the world - on Sunye-Neto's ticket but I insist on this: I am Makarov and I also support Kirsan."

If this sort of comment makes Makarov look like a fence-sitter, perhaps Ilyumzhinov's explanation best sums up the situation. He said that, at the start of the Karpov-Kamsky match, he found that although all the members of the Fide Executive Council supported him, some of them were also on Sunye-Neto's list.

He said he wanted the intrigues and manoeuvres to be stopped. "Fide had been living too long on such intrigues and that brought this body to the verge of collapse. As the president of the Kalmykian Republic, I cannot take the risk of being involved in such manoeuvres.

"That is the reason why I want to be elected without mentioning who would be on my list. I do not want the federations to fight to death for one month during the Chess Olympiad," he said.

BAYVIEW RESULTS

The seventh round of the sixth Penang Bayview Chess League was played last Sunday at The City Bayview Hotel.

Chung Ling High School "A" continued to lead in Division One, inflicting a 3.5-0.5 win on Universiti Sains Malaysia. The Old Frees Association managed to beat Chung Ling High School "B" by 2.5-1.5 while Penang Free School "A" beat Pessca 4-0.

The MSSPP Juniors won their second straight match by blanketing Hewlett-Packard "1" 4-0, while Penang Free School "B" narrowly won by a 2.5-1.5 score against Penang Development Corporation.

In Division Two, Chung Ling High School "D" beat Union High School 3-1 while Penang Free School "D" whitewashed Penang Chinese Girls High School 4-0.

In other matches, Chung Ling High School "C" beat Penang Free School "C" by 3.5-0.5, and Hitachi Semiconductors beat the MSSPP Girls by 2.5-1.5. The match between Intel and St Xavier's Institution was drawn 2-2.

Standings after six rounds: Division One - CLHS "A" 23 points, OFA 20.5 points, PFS "A" 19.5 points, PFS "B" 15.5 points, PACL 12 points, USM and PDC 9.5 points each, CLHS "B" and MSSPP Juniors 9 points each, HP "1" 7 points and Pessca 5.5 points;

Division Two - PFS "D" 20 points, CLHS "D" 19 points, SXI 15.5 points, Intel 14 points, HP "2" 12.5 points, Hitachi 10 points, MSSPP Girls and Union 8.5 points, PFS "C" 6.5 points and PCGHS 6 points.

The 22 participating teams are locked in intense battle on Sundays until Aug 11. The City Bayview Hotel is the sponsor for the annual event.

The eighth round on July 28 will be played at the hotel's Revolving Restaurant on the 15th floor.

PERAK TOURNAMENT

Eleven-year-old Aaron Yee created a sensation by winning the fourth leg of the Perak rating tournament in Ipoh last week with a perfect score of six points from the six-round event which attracted 50 players.

Along the way towards winning this event, Aaron upset Deon Moh who was this year's Perak Juniors and Selangor Juniors under-12 champion. Aaron also beat Nayan Mahmud who had won the second leg in Batu Gajah two weeks ago, and also Koh Khoon Seng who was the winner of the first leg three weeks ago.

In a thrilling final-round game between the only two players with 100% scores, the in-form Aaron convincingly beat off a challenge from Mohd Hussein Jamil. Hussein had to settle for joint second to fourth placings with Ahmad Mudzafar Ramli and Bakri Abdul Karim.

In fifth position was Wan Najmudin Wan Omar with 4.5 points; while nine players shared the sixth to 14th prizes.

The final leg of the Perak rating series will be played this Monday at the Sek Men Tok Muda Abdul Aziz in Sungei Siput Utara, Perak. Interested players can register at the playing venue by 8.30am on Monday.

According to the Perak Chess Association secretary, Eddy Fong, the top 20 players on the Perak rating list would be invited to play in a tournament next month to select the Perak teams for the 1996 Merdeka team championship in Kuala Lumpur. Contact Fong (05-466-9370) for details.

Karpov clings on to title

 

Match winds down

 

Kamsky strikes back

 

Kamsky's in further trouble

 

Disaster strikes for Kamsky

 

Battle of the giants

 

Karpov-Kamsky showdown in Elista

 

Tips from the Finn

 

A chess-ful of activities

 

Sixth Penang chess league

 

Experience gained worth the effort

 

Fide crisis redlines

 

Sportsboy of the year

 

Amsterdam focus

 

Chess can be a school subject, too

 

Computers continue to improve in chess

 

Alekhin anniversary

Last Sunday was the 50th anniversary of the death of Alekhin. Alexander Alekhin, if you do not already know, was one of the greatest world chess champions this century.

Born into the Russian aristocracy in 1892, Alekhin was the world chess champion from 1927 to 1935 and again from 1937 until his death in 1946. His dazzling combinative play went unparalleled in his time, and his genius was a strong influence on every great player since then, including Gary Kasparov.

Despite his genius on the chessboard, however, Alekhin died in abject poverty in 1946. It was just after the end of the world war and Alekhin, like many other chess players in post-war Europe, found life very difficult.

His health had been bad: years of heavy drinking and smoking had finally taken its toll. Liver ailments and hardening of the arteries counted among his many health problems. Years earlier, he had even contracted scarlet fever.

Tournaments were few and far inbetween, and those that were organised offered miserable prizes. Alekhin also suffered from being labelled an anti-Semitic, the result of playing in several tournaments in Germany during the war and having authored several anti-Semitic articles in Nazi newspapers - though he tried to deny them.

Then Alekhin received a formal challenge to his title from Mikhail Botvinnik. The match never materialised. While negotiations were going on, Alekhin was found dead one day in a Portuguese hotel. Legend has it that true to his lifestyle, a bottle of liquor was still clutched in his hands.

Alekhin's death probably saved him from a humiliating defeat at the hands of Botvinnik who, two years later, went on to claim the world championship title as his. Alekhin thus died as world champion, undefeated.

At the height of his chess-playing powers, Alekhin combined his talents with another gift: the ability to write penetrating notes to his games. While these may contain mistakes and some boasts about how much he saw during his games, they remained among the very best of chess literature.

Through his play and writing, he was one of the most influential players of all time. Among his notable books were two collections of his best games played between 1908 and 1937.

Here is a game, played in Baden-Baden in 1925, which Alekhin considered as one of his most brilliant efforts. The notes to this game are quoted directly from Alekhin's book, My Best Games of Chess, 1924-1937 which is publiched by BT Batsford of London.

Richard Reti - Alexander Alekhin

1.   g3           e5 

2.   Nf3          e4 

3.   Nd4          d5 

4.   d3         exd3 

5.   Qxd3        Nf6 

6.   Bg2        Bb4+

7.   Bd2       Bxd2+

8.   Nxd2        0-0

9.   c4          Na6 

10.  cxd5        Nb4 

11.  Qc4       Nbxd5 

12.  N2b3         c6 

13.  0-0         Re8 

14.  Rfd1        Bg4 

15.  Rd2         Qc8 

16.  Nc5        Bh3! 

17.  Bf3 

By his previous move Black had offered a pawn, the acceptance of which would have been fatal for White, for instance: 17.Bxh3 Qxh3, 18.Nxb7 Ng4, 19.Nf3 Nde3!, 20.fxe3 Nxe3, 21.Qxf7+ Kh8!, 22.Nh4 Rf8 and wins.

17.  ...         Bg4 

18.  Bg2         Bh3 

19.  Bf3         Bg4 

20.  Bh1         h5! 

21.  b4           a6 

22.  Rc1          h4 

23.  a4         hxg3 

24.  hxg3        Qc7 

25.  b5         axb5 

26.  axb5       Re3! 

It seems almost incredible that this spectacular move not only stops White's attack but even brings him serious trouble. And yet it is so. It is obvious enough that the rook cannot be taken because of 27...Qxg3+, followed by 28...Nxe3 and wins; and also that White has to do something in order to parry 27...Rxg3+!, etc.

27.  Nf3 

As the following shows, this natural move loses perforce. Also insufficient was 27.Kh2 because of 27...Raa3!, 28.Ncb3 (not 28.fxe3 Nxe3 followed by 29...Nf1+ etc) 28...Qe5!, 29.bxc6 bxc6 with a powerful attack as 30.fxe3 would still be bad because of 30...Qh5+ followed by 31...Qh3. The only chance of salvation was 27.Bf3! Bxf3, 28.exf3! cxb5, 29.Nxb5 Qa5! still with advantage for Black, as 30.Rxd5? would lose immediately after 30...Re1+, 31.Rxe1 Qxe1+ followed by 32...Ra1.

27.  ...        cxb5 

28.  Qxb5       Nc3! 

29.  Qxb7       Qxb7

And not 29...Nxe2+ because of 30.Rxe2! Qxb7, 31.Rxe3! with some saving chances for White.

30.  Nxb7      Nxe2+ 

31.  Kh2

Or 31.Kf1 Nxg3+, 32.fxg3 Bxf3, 33.Bxf3 Rxf3+, 34.Kg2 Raa3, 35.Rd8+ Kh7, 36.Rh1+ Kg6, 37.Rh3 Rfb3! and wins.

31.  ...        Ne4! 

32.  Rc4!       Nxf2 

Insufficient would be 32...Nxd2 because of 33.Nxd2! or 32...Bxf3 because of 33.Rxe4 etc. The situation is still very complicated.

33.  Bg2        Be6! 

One of the important links of the combination.

34.  Rcc2       Ng4+ 

35.  Kh3        

Not 35.Kh1 because of 35...Ra1+

35.  ...        Ne5+ 

36.  Kh2       Rxf3! 

37.  Rxe2       Ng4+ 

38.  Kh3        Ne3+ 

39.  Kh2        Nxc2 

40.  Bxf3        Nd4 

If now 41.Re3 then 41...Nxf3+, 42.Rxf3 Bd5! (the final point!) winning a piece.

           0-1

INCIDENTALLY, last Sunday was Viktor Korchnoi's 65th birthday which he celebrated in style by playing in the Chess-in-the-Schools international chess tournament in New York, in the United States.

Present at the birthday party, organised by Don Schultz, were most of the contestants in the tournament. They included Joel Benjamin, Valery Salov, Michael Adams, Roman Dzindzihashvili, Grigory Serper, Ivan Sokolov, Josh Waitzkin and Leonid Shamkovich, as well as Korchnoi's wife, Pia.

Korchnoi at 65 is still one of the top players around and he showed it by defeating Salov on his birthday:

Viktor Korchnoi - Valery Salov

1. d4 Nf6, 2. c4 e6, 3. Nc3 Bb4, 4. e3 c5, 5. Bd3 Nc6, 6. Ne2 cxd4, 7. exd4 d5, 8. O-O dxc4, 9. Bxc4 O-O, 10. a3 Bxc3, 11. bxc3 e5, 12. Bg5 Qd6, 13. Re1 Bg4, 14. f3 Be6, 15. Bxe6 fxe6, 16. Bxf6 Rxf6, 17. Ng3 Qc7, 18. Ne4 Rh6, 19. d5 exd5, 20. Qxd5+ Qf7, 21. Rad1 Rf8, 22. c4 Rg6, 23. Nc5 b6, 24. Nd7 Rd8, 25. h4 Re6, 26. h5 Re7, 27. Qxc6 Rexd7, 28. Rxd7 Qxd7, 29. Qxd7 Rxd7, 30. Rxe5 Rd3, 31. Re7 Rxa3, 32. Kf2 Rc3, 33. Rxa7 Rxc4, 34. Rb7 Rc6, 35. g4 h6, 36. Kg3 Kh7, 37. Rb8 g5, 38. hxg6+ Rxg6, 39. Kh4 Rd6, 40. f4 1-0 (on time)

 

Indians win, Malaysians shine

Although it was an ample show of strength by the Indian international masters at the Malaysia-India match in Kuala Lumpur earlier this month, our local players came away from the match with their heads held high.

The three Indian international masters did not totally have an easy time during the 12-round match. Favoured though they were to win, none of them managed a clean slate against the Malaysians who showed that they were not over-awed by the occasion.

PS Mithrakanth, the winner of the match with 8 1/2 points, lost to Ooi Chern Ee while second-placed Lanka Ravi, on eight points, lost a game each to Mas Hafizulhelmi and Mok Tze Meng.

K Murugan probably had the most difficult time. He lost three games, all to Ooi, and he finished the event in fourth place. His loss in the last round was particularly disappointing as he overstepped the time control, but his position by then was already bad.

So each of the Indians lost at least once to our players but both Mithrakanth and Lanka Ravi had a huge surfeit of wins which ensured that they finished ahead of the Malaysians. The two foreigners scored six wins each, and the only comparable effort from the local players was Ooi's four wins in this event. Unfortunately, Ooi also lost four games and as a result, it was only a 50 per cent score for him.

Nevertheless, it is estimated that Ooi's international rating from his performance here in Kuala Lumpur has probably increased by 40 points.

Mas Hafizulhelmi started off the match in rather impressive manner. He was among the early leaders but he lost momentum after two losses in the middle stretch of the match. Thereafter, his play turned cautious and it seemed that he was more contented to draw his remaining games. Still, this strategy worked and he managed to keep his losses in this match to only three. Despite this cautious approach, Mas Hafizulhelmi's rating should climb marginally by eight points.

Mok was the only player to find himself out of his depth in this match. His high point was a nicely-constructed win against Lanka Ravi in the third round but after that, it was a struggle all the way for him. His rating is expected to suffer by nine points.

It was clear from the results of this match that our local players have generally made some inroads in upgrading their chess skills against foreign competition. There is still a lot of hard work ahead of them and it will not be easy, but will our players continue to find the time and effort to improve further? This match was probably a swan song for Ooi as his studies must now take centre stage. His objective, after getting impressive results in the recent SPM examinations, is to qualify for tertiary education overseas. We shall be seeing a lot less of him in future.

Mas Hafizulhelmi, the current national champion, is also at a crossroad since he will be sitting for his examinations this year but probably for him, there are still several months of profitable chess playing left in him before he begins to concentrate on his studies.

It is unfortunate but true that talented school players eventually drop out of the game because of their studies while many adult players give chess a backseat because they need to further their careers. But real chess addicts, it is observed, will always find their way back into the game after the completion of their studies.

The Malaysia-India match, played at the SuCasa Hotel Apartments in Kuala Lumpur, was sponsored jointly by Tan & Tan Development Berhad and Ipoh Garden Berhad. The organiser was the Malaysian Chess Federation.

Final standings: PS Mithrakanth 8 1/2 points; Lanka Ravi 8 points; Ooi Chern Ee 6 points; K Murugan 5 1/2 points; Mas Hafizulhelmi 5 points; and Mok Tze Meng 3 points.

GAMES OF THE WEEK

Here are the six games in the Malaysia-India match which were won by the Malaysians.

Mas Hafizulhelmi - Lanka Ravi

1. e4 c5, 2. Nf3 Nc6, 3. d4 cxd4, 4. Nxd4 Nf6, 5. Nc3 d6, 6. Bg5 e6, 7. Qd2 a6, 8. O-O-O h6, 9. Bf4 Bd7, 10. Nxc6 Bxc6, 11. Bxd6 Bxd6, 12. Qxd6 Qxd6, 13. Rxd6 Bxe4, 14. Rd2 Bc6, 15. f3 Ke7, 16. Bd3 Rhd8, 17. Rhd1 Rd6, 18. Be2 Rad8, 19. a4 Rxd2, 20. Rxd2 Rxd2, 21. Kxd2 a5, 22. Bb5 Kd6, 23. Bxc6 Kxc6, 24. Kd3 Nd5, 25. Nxd5 Kxd5, 26. f4 f6, 27. c3 e5, 28. fxe5 fxe5, 29. b3 h5, 30. g3 b6, 31. Ke3 e4, 32. h3 Ke5, 33. b4 Kd5, 34. b5 Kc4, 35. Kxe4 Kb3, 36. Kd5 Kxa4, 37. c4 Kb3, 38. c5 a4, 39. cxb6 a3, 40. b7 a2, 41. b8=Q a1=Q, 42. Qe5 Qa8+, 43. Kc5 Qa7+, 44. Kc6 Qa8+, 45. Kb6 Qd8+, 46. Qc7 Qf6+, 47. Kb7 Qf3+, 48. Ka7 h4, 49. gxh4 Qxh3, 50. Qe7 Qc3, 51. Qe6+ Ka4, 52. b6 Kb5, 53. Qd5+ Ka4, 54. b7 1-0

Ooi Chern Ee - K Murugan

1. d4 Nf6, 2. c4 e6, 3. Nc3 d5, 4. cxd5 exd5, 5. Bg5 c6, 6. e3 Nbd7, 7. Bd3 Be7, 8. Nf3 h6, 9. Bf4 O-O, 10. h3 Re8, 11. Qc2 Nf8, 12. O-O-O Be6, 13. g4 Qa5, 14. g5 Ne4, 15. gxh6 g6, 16. Ne5 Rac8, 17. Rdg1 Kh7, 18. f3 Nxc3, 19. bxc3 f5, 20. Nxg6 Ba3+, 21. Kd1 1-0

Mok Tze Meng - Lanka Ravi

1. e4 c5, 2. Nf3 Nc6, 3. d4 cxd4, 4. Nxd4 Nf6, 5. Nc3 d6, 6. Bc4 e6, 7. Be3 Be7, 8. Qe2 a6, 9. O-O-O Qc7, 10. f3 O-O, 11. g4 Na5, 12. Bd3 b5, 13. g5 Nd7, 14. f4 b4, 15. Nb1 Nc5, 16. Nd2 Re8, 17. Rhg1 Bb7, 18. h4 d5, 19. e5 Nxd3+, 20. Qxd3 Bf8, 21. h5 Nc4, 22. N2f3 a5, 23. g6 fxg6, 24. Ng5 Nxe3, 25. Qxe3 Bc5, 26. Qh3 Bxd4, 27. Rxd4 Rac8, 28. Rg2 Qb6, 29. Rd1 h6, 30. hxg6 hxg5, 31. Rh2 Kf8, 32. Qh8+ Ke7, 33. Qxg7+ Kd8, 34. Rh7 Rc7, 35. Qf6+ Kc8, 36. Rh8 Rxh8, 37. Qxh8+ Kd7, 38. Qh7+ Kc6, 39. g7 Qe3+, 40. Kb1 gxf4, 41. Qg6 Rxg7, 42. Qxg7 d4, 43. Qf6 Kd5, 44. Qe7 1-0

K Murugan - Ooi Chern Ee

1. d4 Nf6, 2. c4 e6, 3. g3 Bb4+, 4. Bd2 Qe7, 5. Bg2 Nc6, 6. Nf3 Bxd2+, 7. Nbxd2 d6, 8. O-O a5, 9. e4 e5, 10. d5 Nb8, 11. Ne1 O-O, 12. Nd3 Na6, 13. a3 c6, 14. dxc6 bxc6, 15. b4 c5, 16. b5 Nc7, 17. a4 Ne6, 18. Ne1 Nd4, 19. Nc2 Bb7, 20. Ne3 g6, 21. Ra3 Nd7, 22. Nb1 Nb6, 23. Nc3 f5, 24. exf5 Bxg2, 25. Kxg2 gxf5, 26. Ncd5 Qb7, 27. Kh3 f4, 28. gxf4 exf4, 29. Nxb6 Qxb6, 30. Nd5 Qb7, 31. Rd3 Rae8, 32. Rg1+ Kh8, 33. Rxd4 cxd4, 34. Qxd4+ Re5, 35. Rg5 Qd7+, 36. Kg2 Rff5, 37. Rxf5 Qxf5, 38. Nxf4 Qe4+, 39. Qxe4 Rxe4, 40. Nd5 Rxc4, 41. b6 Rxa4, 42. h3 Ra3 0-1

Ooi Chern Ee - PS Mithrakanth

1. d4 Nf6, 2. c4 e6, 3. Nc3 Bb4, 4. f3 d5, 5. a3 Be7, 6. e4 dxe4, 7. fxe4 e5, 8. d5 Bc5, 9. Bg5 h6, 10. Bh4 Bd4, 11. Nf3 c5, 12. Qc2 O-O, 13. Nb5 Qa5+, 14. b4 cxb4, 15. Nfxd4 exd4, 16. Bxf6 gxf6, 17. Qd2 Na6, 18. Bd3 Nc5, 19. O-O Nxd3, 20. Qxd3 a6, 21. axb4 Qxb4, 22. Rxf6 axb5, 23. Rxa8 Qxc4, 24. Qg3+ Kh7, 25. Qf4 1-0

K Murugan - Ooi Chern Ee

1. Nf3 Nf6, 2. c4 c5, 3. Nc3 e6, 4. g3 b6, 5. Bg2 Bb7, 6. O-O d5, 7. cxd5 Nxd5, 8. d4 Nxc3, 9. bxc3 Be7, 10. Qd3 Nc6, 11. Bb2 O-O, 12. Rfd1 cxd4, 13. cxd4 Rc8, 14. a3 Na5, 15. Bc3 b5, 16. Rab1 a6, 17. a4 Bc6, 18. Ne5 Bxg2, 19. Kxg2 bxa4, 20. e4 f5, 21. Be1 Bd6, 22. Qxa6 Ra8, 23. Qe2 Bxe5, 24. dxe5 Qc7, 25. Rdc1 Qd7, 26. Bb4 Rfe8, 27. Bd6 Rec8, 28. exf5 exf5, 29. Qf3 Qe6, 30. Rc7 Re8, 31. Re7 Qc8, 32. Rxe8+ Qxe8, 33. Qxf5 Nc4, 34. Rc1 a3, 35. Qf3 Qa4, 36. Qd5+ Kh8 0-1

 

Mother of all chess battles

Last week, the World Chess Federation (Fide) shocked journalists at a press conference in Paris by announcing that the world chess championship match between Anatoly Karpov and Gata Kamsky will be held in Iraq this June.

The match will be held at either the Al-Rasheed Hotel in central Baghdad or the city's Congress Centre. Twenty games will be played and the match will last no more than 40 days.

Kirsan Iljumzhinov, Fide's 34-year-old Russian president, told a news conference that Russian defending champion Karpov and his Russian-born American-based challenger, Kamsky, will play for a prize fund of US$2 million (about RM5 million); Iraqi president Saddam Hussein would preside over the opening.

Iljumzhinov declined to say whether the prize money would come from the Iraqi government, but he did said that Saddam has agreed to soften his public image by shedding his customary military uniform in favour of a civilian suit when he attends the opening ceremony.

The Fide president said he negotiated on the match with the Iraqi Chess Federation, and that both Karpov and Kamsky have agreed to jointly donate US$500,000 (RM1.25 million) of their winnings to UNICEF for the benefit of Iraqi children and other humanitarian causes.

The decision in ordinary times would probably not have raised any eyebrows; however, at the moment, Iraq is still the subject of a United Nations trade sanctions and international diplomatic isolation because of its invasion of Kuwait in 1990 which culminated in the 1991 Gulf War.

However, Iljumzhinov said: "I believe the sanctions are economic, and culture and sport are not involved," adding that he has checked and found that there is no sports sanction against Iraq. International sporting activities have been held there during the period of UN economic sanctions.

Nevertheless, he wants the UN to rule on whether the economic embargo against Iraq applied to the planned match.

The Fide president said the federation received a bid from Montreal in November last year but until the end of January, it had not been formalised. The deadline for Canada to confirm their offer was extended but there was still no positive news by Feb 29.

Accordingly, Iljumzhinov started to explore other possibilities. Moscow and Baku showed interest initially but they did not provide any concrete proposals. Then Baghdad started to come into the picture.

"I talked to Saddam and asked him if he was ready to make his first knight move and he said yes," Iljunzhinov said.

lljumzhinov then contacted Karpov and Kamsky to inform them of this development. He said both players not only did not object to the possibility of playing in Baghdad, but they indicated their readiness to do so.

The Paris press conference lasted about one and a half hours during which time Karpov, Rustam Kamsky (Gata's father) and Fide deputy president Bachar Kouatly, answered questions from some 40 journalists, including from CNN.

The journalists were reportedly stunned to hear the news and could not believe the match could take place in Baghdad. Moscow seemed a more likely venue but Iljumzhinov said it would be a critical period in Russia because of the country's elections in June.

If the mother of all chess battles goes ahead in Baghdad, it will be a substantial public relations coup for Iraq in its bid to breech the wall of international ostracism.

The only fly in the ointment is American regulations that bar American citizens from playing in Iraq. Although Gata Kamsky is still not an American citizen, he is actively seeking to become one. Gata's father, Rustam, said the US State Department's initial reaction to Gata playing in Iraq has been unfavourable.

A day after the announcement of the match, the United States said Kamsky had been refused permission to play in Baghdad. A US$1 million (RM2.55 million) fine has been threatened.

State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns suggested that Saddam would be wiser to focus his energies on dragging his nation out from underneath the crippling UN economic sanctions than on hosting a costly chess event.

Burns said the match has also cast doubts on Iraq's complaints before the UN about the hardship imposed on it by the economic embargo.

"It tells you something about Saddam Hussein's priorities, that instead of feeding his people he is going to host a bunch of chess grandmasters."

Burns questioned Fide's rationale for scheduling the match in Baghdad, saying "Iraq ought to be isolated." He declined to comment on whether Kamsky would be given permission to play the match, but other US officials said he will not.

It would not be the first time that the United States government stepped in to prevent Americans from playing chess in politically explosive venues.

In 1992, the US Treasury Department banned former American chess champion Bobby Fischer from playing a rematch for US$5 million (RM12.5 million) against his former opponent, Russian emigre Boris Spassky, in Serbia.

Fischer, in typical fashion, ignored the ban, in which the US government argued that the match was in violation of UN sanctions which were effective in 1992 against Serbia and Montenegro. Fischer is still threatened with arrest if he returns to the United States from his present whereabouts in Hungary.

SPOTTED DOGGIE DO

The Royal Selangor Club will organise a one-day rapid-play tournament at its Card Room this Sunday.

Registration of players will be from 8.15am to 8.30am, and thereafter the first of the six scheduled rounds will be played. Entry fees are RM15 for under-14 players and RM20 for others.

Lunch is provided for all participants. During the lunch break, there will be a video screening on the second Bobby Fischer-Boris Spassky match in 1992.

PFS OPEN

Here is a final reminder to readers that the sixth Penang Free School open chess tournament will be held at the school on March 24.

This will be played over seven rounds and cash prizes, including a RM200 first prize, will be given to the top 10 players. There will also be various category prizes.

Entry fees are RM4 for players under 20 years old and RM6 for others.

To register for the event, contact Liong Ing Kiat or Lim Cheng Teik in the evenings. Alternatively, you can register electronically with Ronnie Lau at rlau@pl.jaring.my.

INDIANS DOMINATE

The Malaysia-India match in Kuala Lumpur earlier this month was won by Indian international master PS Mithrakanth who scored 8 1/2 points from 12 games. In second place was another Indian international master, Lanka Ravi, with eight points, while Malaysia's Ooi Chern Ee was third with six points.

Fourth was Indian international master K Murugan with 5 1/2 points, fifth was local Fide Master Mas Hafizulhelmi with five points, while in sixth place was another local player, Mok Tze Meng, with three points.

There will be a closer look at this tournament, including a selection of games, next week.

 

Queen of the board

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                         1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 

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Zsuzsa Polgar (Hungary)  0 = = 1 1 = 1 1 = = 1 0 1  8 1/2

Xie Jun       (China)    1 = = 0 0 = 0 0 = = 0 1 0  4 1/2

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There is a new queen of the chessboard, and her name is Zsuzsa Polgar. Last month, 26-year-old Polgar toppled Xie Jun in an embarassing one-sided match for the women's world chess championship crown which was played in the Spanish town of Jaen.

The match was scheduled for a maximum 16 games but the Hungarian required only 13 games to gain the 8 1/2 points needed for wresting the title from the Chinese player.

The match had begun on a positive footing for Xie who won the first game quite easily but after two short draws, everything went downhill for the Chinese grandmaster.

Xie could only score half a point from the next five games. In this crucial stage of the match, Polgar equalised by winning the fourth game, then took over the lead when she also won the fifth game. From then on, there was little that Xie could do to stop Polgar. There were two more wins for the Hungarian grandmaster in the seventh and eighth games. Then, after two more draws, Polgar won again.

For the demoralised Xie, winning the 12th game was perhaps her last-gasp attempt to claw her way back into the match but the 13th game, played immediately after the Chinese New Year break, went horribly wrong for her.

Seeing that she had lost a piece without compensation, Xie promptly resigned the game and with it, relinquished her title.

Zsuzsa Polgar is the eldest of the three Polgar sisters, the other two being Sofia and Judit. In the late 80s, she was already making a name for herself when she began competing exclusively and successfully in open competitions against male chess players.

The Polgar sisters hardly bothered to play against other women players in tournaments, and were not keen on the women's world championship cycles. The only exception was in 1988 when they led the Hungarian women's team to the gold medals at the biennial Chess Olympiad in Thessaloniki.

During the 90s, however, Zsuzsa Polgar seemed to have a change of heart and she turned her attention to the women's world championship title. In her first attempt at the title in the 1991-93 cycle, she advanced to the Candidate finals but she failed to qualify as the challenger when she lost to Nana Ioseliani.

But in the 1993-95 cycle, Polgar confidently swept aside all her rivals, including Maya Chiburdanidze last year, to become the challenger to Xie.

Xie won the title in 1991 when she dethroned Chiburdanidze from the champion's pedestal. Her first defence of the title was in 1993 against Ioseliani in Monaco and this match against Polgar in Jaen was only her second defence.

The site of the match was the Parador de Turismo de Santa Catalina which is next to the fortress of Fernando III near the summit of the Santa Catalina mountain in the Andalucian province of Jaen. Linares, a town well-known to chess players, is some 50km away.

For this match, Spanish businessman Luis Rentero had been appointed as its technical director on the basis of his past contributions to the annual Linares super-grandmaster tournaments.

Rentero, unfortunately, has his own ideas on how a tournament or match should be played. After Xie and Polgar had quickly drawn the third game of the match, Rentero sent a letter to the players in which he reminded them that Andalucia had made great sacrifices to hold the match.

Stating that the games until that point in the match had been a disappointment, he then accused the players of giving the impression that they had come to visit Jaen as tourists rather than chess players.

As the technical director of the event and regardless of any match regulation, he would not stand for this, he said. He threatened a US$25,000 fine on each player if they continued playing quick and short draws.

Both players were reported to be extremely upset with this letter and they both spoke to Rentero personally about it.

Before the fourth game was played, Polgar issued a public rebuke in which she said she was extremely insulted at the accusation that she had come to Jaen merely as a tourist.

She reminded Rentero that this was an official Fide world championship match and not a private tournament, such as the Linares, where he could impose extra regulations according to his whims and fancy.

Her objective at Jaen, she said, was to win the world chess championship title.

GAMES OF THE WEEK

Xie Jun - Zsuzsa Polgar, Game 6

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Ndb5 Bb4 7. a3 Bxc3+ 8. Nxc3 d5 9. exd5 exd5 10. Bd3 O-O 11. O-O d4 12. Ne4 Bf5 13. Bg5 Bxe4 14. Bxe4 h6 15. Bxf6 Qxf6 16. Qf3 Qxf3 17. Bxf3 Rac8 18. Rfe1 Rfd8 19. Rad1 Kf8 20. Kf1 Na5 21. Re2 Nc4 22. Re4 d3 23. cxd3 Nxb2 24. Rb1 Nxd3 25. Ra4 Nc5 26. Rxa7 Ra8 27. Rxa8 Rxa8 28. Bxb7 1/2-1/2

Zsuzsa Polgar - Xie Jun, Game 7

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nxc6 Qf6 6. Qd2 dxc6 7. Nc3 Be6 8. Na4 Bd6 9. Qe3 Nh6 10. h3 O-O 11. Be2 Rfe8 12. Nc3 Qe5 13. f4 Qa5 14. Bd2 Bb4 15. a3 Nf5 16. exf5 Bc4 17. Qd4 Bxc3 18. Bxc3 Rxe2+ 19. Kf1 Qxc3 20. bxc3 Re4+ 21. Kf2 Rxd4 22. cxd4 Rd8 23. Rhe1 Kf8 24. Re4 g6 25. f6 Rd6 26. Re7 Rxf6 27. Rxc7 Rxf4+ 28. Ke3 Rf6 29. Rxb7 a6 30. Re1 Bf1 31. g4 g5 32. Rb6 Bg2 33. Rg1 Bd5 34. Rg3 Bc4 35. d5 Bxd5 36. Rxa6 Kg7 37. Ra7 Rf4 38. a4 Kf6 39. Kd2 Rf2+ 40. Kc1 Ke5 41. a5 Kd4 42. Kb2 Kc4 43. Rb7 c5 44. Rb6 1-0

Xie Jun - Zsuzsa Polgar, Game 8

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Ndb5 Bb4 7. a3 Bxc3+ 8. Nxc3 d5 9. exd5 exd5 10. Bd3 O-O 11. O-O d4 12. Ne2 Qd5 13. Nf4 Qd6 14. Nh5 Nxh5 15. Qxh5 h6 16. Bd2 Bd7 17. Rae1 Rfe8 18. f4 Ne7 19. Re5 Bc6 20. Bb4 Qf6 21. Bc4 Bd7 22. Rg5 Be6 23. Bd3 Nc6 24. Bd2 hxg5 25. Qh7+ Kf8 26. fxg5 Qe5 27. Bf4 Qd5 28. Be4 Bf5 29. Bxf5 Re2 30. Bh3 d3 31. c3 Ne7 32. Qh8+ Ng8 33. g6 f6 34. b4 Qd8 35. Bg4 Re4 36. Qh5 Qe7 37. Bd2 Rd8 38. Bf3 Re5 39. Qg4 Qd7 40. Qc4 b5 41. Qb3 Qe6 42. Qxe6 Rxe6 43. h4 Ne7 44. h5 Nd5 45. Bg4 Re4 46. Bf3 Re5 47. h6 gxh6 48. Bxh6+ Ke7 49. Rc1 Ne3 50. Re1 Nc4 51. Rd1 Nb2 52. Rb1 Na4 53. Kf1 d2 54. Rd1 Rg5 55. Bxg5 fxg5 56. g7 Kf7 57. Kg1 Nxc3 58. Rf1 Kxg7 59. Bd1 Re8 60. Kf2 Rf8+ 0-1

Zsuzsa Polgar - Xie Jun, Game 9

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 8. exd5 cxd5 9. O-O O-O 10. Bg5 c6 11. Na4 Bd6 12. c4 h6 13. Bh4 Bg4 14. Qc2 Be6 15. Kh1 Rb8 16. Rad1 Re8 17. b3 Qe7 18. Rfe1 Rbd8 19. cxd5 cxd5 20. Qb2 g5 21. Bg3 Bb4 22. Re2 Ne4 23. Be5 Bg4 24. f3 Qxe5 25. Qxe5 Rxe5 26. fxg4 Rde8 27. Kg1 Nf6 28. Rxe5 Rxe5 29. h3 Be1 30. Kf1 Bh4 31. Nc3 d4 32. Ne2 Nd5 33. Rc1 Re3 34. Rd1 Kf8 35. Bc4 Rxe2 36. Kxe2 Nc3+ 37. Kd2 Nxd1 1/2-1/2

Xie Jun - Zsuzsa Polgar, Game 10

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. Nbd2 Nc5 10. c3 Be7 11. Bc2 d4 12. Ne4 d3 13. Nxc5 dxc2 14. Qxd8+ Rxd8 15. Nxe6 fxe6 16. Be3 Rd5 17. Rac1 Nxe5 18. Nxe5 Rxe5 19. Rxc2 Kf7 20. c4 b4 21. Rd1 Rd8 22. Rxd8 Bxd8 23. Kf1 Bg5 24. Ba7 Rf5 25. Ke2 Ke8 26. Kd3 Kd7 27. f3 c5 28. Re2 Be7 29. Bb8 a5 30. Ke4 Kc6 31. Be5 g6 32. g4 Rf8 33. Rd2 a4 34. Bg3 h5 35. Rd3 hxg4 36. fxg4 Rf1 37. b3 a3 38. Rd2 g5 39. Rd3 Ra1 40. Rd2 Rb1 41. Ke5 Rb2 42. Be1 Bd8 43. Rd6+ Kc7 44. Rd2 Kc6 45. Rd6+ Kc7 46. Rd2 1/2-1/2

Zsuzsa Polgar - Xie Jun, Game 11

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. O-O Nb6 8. Nc3 Nc6 9. d5 Na5 10. Bf4 c6 11. dxc6 Nxc6 12. Qc1 Bg4 13. Rd1 Qc8 14. Bh6 Qf5 15. Bxg7 Kxg7 16. Nd4 Nxd4 17. Rxd4 e5 18. Rd1 Qc8 19. b3 Bh3 20. Bxh3 Qxh3 21. Qe3 Nd7 22. Ne4 b6 23. Rd6 Rac8 24. Rad1 Nb8 25. Qg5 Qf5 26. Qxf5 gxf5 27. Nf6 Nc6 28. Nh5+ Kg8 29. R1d5 Kh8 30. Rf6 Rc7 31. e3 Rg8 32. h4 a6 33. Kg2 Ne7 34. Rd2 Ng6 35. Kh2 f4 36. Rxb6 fxe3 37. fxe3 e4 38. Nf6 Ne5 39. Nxg8 Nf3+ 40. Kh3 Nxd2 41. Nf6 Rc3 42. Kg4 Kg7 43. Kf4 Rc1 44. Rxa6 Rf1+ 45. Ke5 Rf3 46. Nh5+ Kf8 47. Kd6 1-0

Xie Jun - Zsuzsa Polgar, Game 12

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. c3 Bd7 7. O-O g6 8. Nbd2 Bg7 9. Re1 O-O 10. Nf1 b5 11. Bc2 h6 12. Ne3 Re8 13. a4 Rb8 14. axb5 axb5 15. h3 Be6 16. d4 exd4 17. cxd4 Bc8 18. Nf1 Nb4 19. Bb1 c5 20. Bd2 Nc6 21. dxc5 dxc5 22. Qc1 Nd4 23. Nxd4 Qxd4 24. e5 Nh7 25. Be3 Qc4 26. f4 Qxc1 27. Rxc1 c4 28. Ba7 Rb7 29. Be4 Rbe7 30. Bc5 Re6 31. Bd5 Ra6 32. Rxa6 Bxa6 33. Ra1 Bxe5 34. Rxa6 Bxb2 35. Rxg6+ Kh8 36. Bxf7 Rc8 37. Be6 Ra8 38. Ne3 Bg7 39. Nf5 Nf8 40. Bxf8 Bxf8 41. Nxh6 Ra6 42. Nf7+ Kh7 43. Rg3 Bg7 44. Ng5+ Kh8 45. Rg4 1-0

Zsuzsa Polgar - Xie Jun, Game 13

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. O-O Nc6 8. e4 Nb6 9. d5 Na5 10. Qe1 Nac4 11. Nc3 e6 12. b3 Qf6 13. bxc4 Qxc3 14. Qxc3 Bxc3 15. Rb1 Bg7 16. Bf4 c6 17. dxc6 bxc6 18. Bd6 Re8 19. c5 Nc4 20. e5 Ba6 21. Rfc1 Rec8 22. Bf1 Nxe5 23. Nxe5 Bxf1 24. Kxf1 1-0