John Henderson Reports on the British Championships in Scarborough

Round 9-10 Wednesday-Thursday 8-9th August 2001

TRY, TRY AND TRY AGAIN

YES indeed I am a nationalist at heart – though perhaps not with a capital “n”. And like most good Scots, I hate watching encounters with the "Auld Enemy", England. Whether it's football, rugby or chess, as a nation we always seem to have that ability to press the self-destruct button.

Being a teensy-weensy bit Mcbiased, I suppose it was just too much to ask for a Scottish victory at the British. It would have been a result right up there with other great Scottish victories: Bannockburn (where Mel Gibson defeated the English) and Wembley 1967 (where the late, lamented Jim Baxter decided, in his own words, “to extract the urine!”.

Sadly, though, despite our day in the sun, as a nation we have a long track record of being on the opposite end of the struggle. The battle of Flodden in 1513; Elizabeth I having Mary Queen of Scots beheaded in 1587; the Glen Coe massacre of 1692; the crushing of the 1745 rebellion; England trouncing Scotland at Hampden Park in 1989.

Two summers ago, I stood in Edinburgh's Princess Street with Edinburgh Castle astride the Mound to my left and the Scottish National Gallery in front. But this day was the day after the Queen had given Scotland back her own parliament for the first time in over 300 years. The whole town was practically levitating from the effects of this incredible shift. What a pity they named it devolution but hey, the English have been pulling numbers like this on us Scots for centuries.

But one man brought that attitude grinding to a halt. One man with a sovereign soul and a leonine heart: Outlaw and defender of Scottish Independence, William Wallace - made famous on film by Mel Gibson. Braveheart serves to remind us that anything can be achieved by anyone as long as they want it bad enough – and we badly wanted a Scottish win in Scarborough

Now I’ve been coming to the British for more years than I care to remember, and believe me Scottish winners of the UK's premier chess tournament have been far and few between. In fact, we need to go back 55-years to 1946 in Nottingham for the last Scot to win the British crown – and even then they didn’t want to let him in the tournament!

Curiously, in that first post war championship - which featured C.H.O'D Alexander, Reginald Broadbent, Harry Golombek, Robert Wade and William Winter, all past or future British Champions - the Scottish nominee to play, Elgin lawyer Robert Forbes Combe (relatively unknown in England and elsewhere for that matter) was initially refused his entry, as the organisers believed "he wasn't strong enough."

They’re may have been a kernel of truth in that statement. After all, wasn’t he the very same RF Combe that holds (and still does!) the record for the shortest loss – four moves, and with white! - in an Olympiad?

R Combe – V Hazenfuss

Folkstone Olympiad, 1933

1 d4 c5 2 c4 cxd4 3 Nf3 e5 4 Nxe5?? Qa5+ 0-1

The matter was soon resolved by William Fairhurst, the then godfather of Scottish Chess and famed bridge designer, who successfully appealed to the organising committee, vouching for Combe's character and playing strength, before they reluctantly succumbed and allowed Combe to play. As luck would have it, and against all the odds, Combe justified his inclusion by bringing the title to Scotland again nine years but only two championships after Fairhurst's pre-war win in 1937. Sadly for Combe, he died just a few years later.

Rowson and Shaw

Could we repeat Combe’ surprising success this year? Our #1 player Jonathan Rowson fell back early in the second week with a couple of uncharacteristic losses. But we hadn’t given up hope for an elusive win: John Shaw was playing the tournament of his life and held the lead with just a few rounds to go. Could it happen? Could we have a long-overdue Scottish victory?

So, coming in to the final straight, John Shaw not only had the lead, but he was also on course for his first GM norm. Would it be Braveheart with a glorious £10,000 first prize and a GM norm? Or again would it be a case of Faintheart as we frantically reach for the self-destruct button?

Gallagher,J (2516) - Shaw,J (2478) [B31]

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 The Rossolimo Variation: It's almost as if there's a sort of Sicilian 3 Bb5 theme tournament taking place on the top boards. For Gallagher, however, this is the first time he's played this variation. This must have come as a big psychological blow to Shaw - finding himself up against his own pet-line. Maybe he would have been better trying 1 ..e5 and hoping Joe punts the King's Gambit. 3 ..g6 4 Bxc6 dxc6 5 d3 Bg7 6 h3 Nf6 7 Nc3 Nd7 8 Be3 e5 It's difficult for Black to do without this move. It stakes out space in the centre, while restricting White's piece play. 9 Qd2 Qe7 10 Bh6 f6 Exchanging first on h6 may prove a better way for Black: 10 ..Bxh6!? 11 Qxh6 f6 12 Nh2 Nf8 13 f4 exf4 14 Qxf4 Ne6 15 Qd2 Nd4 16 0–0 0–0 17 Nd1 Bd7 18 Ne3 b6 19 c3 Ne6 20 Nhg4 h5 21 Nh2 Rad8 22 Rad1 Bc8 23 h4 Qc7 24 Qf2 Ng7 25 Nf3 Bg4 26 d4 Rde8 27 dxc5 Rxe4 28 Rd6 Qe7 29 Nxg4 hxg4 30 Nd2 Re2 31 Qf4 Nf5 32 Qxg4 Nxd6 33 cxd6 Qe3+ 34 Kh1 Rxd2 35 Qxg6+ Kh8 36 Qh5+ Kg7 37 Qg4+ Kh7 38 Qf5+ Kh6 39 Rf3 Rd1+ 40 Kh2 0–1 Bologan,V-Damljanovic,B/Igalo 1994/EXT 2000. 11 Bxg7 Qxg7 12 Qe3 b6 12 ..Qe7 13 Nd2 Nf8 14 f4 exf4 15 Qxf4 Ne6 16 Qh6 Nd4 17 0–0–0 Be6 18 Rhf1 0–0–0 19 Rde1 Rhf8 20 g4 Rf7 21 Rf2 Qc7 22 Ref1 Qe5 23 Rf4 Rdf8 24 Nb3 Nxb3+ 25 axb3 Kd7 1/2–1/2 Nevednichy,V-Spasov,V/Nis 1996/EXT 99 . 13 a3 a5 14 0–0 0–0 15 Nh2 Bb7 What to do with the bishop? This is Black's problem for the whole game. 16 f4 Another big player of the 3 Bb5 Sicilian is Mickey Adams, who firmly believes in this sort of set-up for White. He defeated Kramnik from a similar position last year at Dortmund. 16 ..Rae8 17 fxe5 Nxe5

Black is solid and he has a superb knight outpost on e5. However, White slowly builds-up whilst Black struggles to find a way to create any counter-chances. 18 Rf2 Qd7 19 Raf1 Kg7 19 ..f5? 20 Qg3! Kh8 21 exf5 gxf5 22 b3 and the f-pawn is too weak. 20 Ne2 Qd8 21 Qd2 Qd6 22 Qc3! Nice: White stops any ideas of c4, and also looks at x-ray threats on f6. But still: Black is solid as a rock - Can he thwart all of White's threats when he finally rearranges his pieces to where he wants them? 22 ..Ba6 23 b3 Rf7 24 Rb1 Rd8 25 Nf1 Qe7 26 Rd1 Bc8 27 Ne3 Ba6 There's nothing constructive Black can do in this sort of position: he's just passing until White finally decides how he's going to make a breakthrough. 28 Nf4 Re8 29 Rb1 Qd6 30 Ne2 Ree7 31 b4! Here it comes! 31 ..cxb4 32 axb4 axb4 33 Rxb4 b5 Stopping White mobilising the centre pawn's with 33 ..c5!? might have been better. Although it leaves a gaping hole on d5, at least he can use his bishop to defend against it. 34 Rb1 (34 Ra4?! b5 35 Ra5 b4! 36 Qxc5 Qxc5 37 Rxc5 b3 Black's better.) 34 ..b5 35 Nf4 b4 36 Qb3 Bb7 Black can make a better job of defending this position than what he played in the game. 34 Rb1 Bc8 35 d4 Nd7 36 Ng3! Threatening Nf5+ winning. 36 ..Nb6 37 Rf3 Kg8 38 Rd1 Ra7 39 e5!

And played at just the right time - Black's flag was hanging! 39 ..Ra3 40 Qb2 Na4 Decisions, decisions - and with seconds left on his clock. But it doesn't really matter what Black does here: 40 ..fxe5 41 dxe5 Qe7 42 Rxf7 Kxf7 43 Qd4 c5 44 Qf4+ Kg7 45 Ne4 Be6 46 Nf6 and White's winning. 41 Qc1 Qf8 41 ..fxe5?? 42 Nc4 Oops! 42 ..bxc4 43 Qxa3 Qxa3 44 Rxa3 Nb6 45 dxe5 wins easily. 42 exf6 b4 43 Rdf1 Nc3 44 Nc4 Ba6 At long last Black finds something useful to do with the bishop! Unfortunately it's too late! 45 Nxa3 Bxf1 46 Qxf1 bxa3 47 Rxc3 a2 48 Qa1 Ra7 49 Rf3 Qf7 50 Ne4 Qd5 51 f7+ Kf8 52 Nf6 52 Nf6 Qxd4+ 53 Qxd4 a1Q+ 54 Qxa1 Rxa1+ 55 Rf1 Rxf1+ 56 Kxf1 h5 57 Nd7+ Kxf7 58 Ne5+ Ke6 59 Nxc6 is an easy win. 1–0

Shaw,J (2478) - Emms,J (2532) [B22]

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 e6 At least it cuts out any possibility of 3 Bb5! 3 c3 Nf6 4 e5 Nd5 5 d4 cxd4 6 cxd4 d6 7 exd6 This must have been music to John Emms' ears. This is a rather insipid line that gives Black easy equality - not the sort of thing you should be punting against a GM like Emms. John Shaw must have been praying for the draw?. More adventurous is either 7 Nc3 or; 7 Bc4 7 ..Bxd6 8 Nc3 Nxc3 9 bxc3 Qc7 10 Bd2 Nd7 11 Bd3 b6 12 0–0 Bb7 13 Re1 0–0 14 Ne5 Nxe5 15 dxe5

15 ..Bxe5 Black can also choose to keep the pieces on the board: 15 ..Bc5 16 Qc2 h6 17 Rad1 Rfd8 18 Bc1 Rd7 19 Qe2 Rad8 20 Bc2 Rxd1 21 Rxd1 Rxd1+ 22 Bxd1 Bd4 23 cxd4 Qxc1 24 h3 Bd5 0–1 Martin Moreno,L-Vehi Bach,V/Zaragoza 1998/EXT 2000. 16 Bxh7+ Kxh7 17 Qh5+ Kg8 18 Qxe5 The alternative didn't fair all that better: 18 Rxe5 Rfd8 19 Bf4 f6 20 Qh8+ Kxh8 21 Rh5+ Kg8 22 Bxc7 Rd7 23 Bf4 e5 24 Be3 Rc8 25 a4 Rxc3 26 a5 Ra3 27 Rc1 Rxa5 28 Rh4 Rad5 0–1 Kabir,S-Sareen,V/Calcutta 1999/CBM 69 ext. 18 ..Qxe5 19 Rxe5 Rfd8 20 Be1 Not the sort of position to defend against a good, solid GM when you need a draw for the GM norm - Emms can play these sort of positions all night long until the cows come home. 20 ..Bd5 21 Re2 Bc4 22 Rd2 White's only glimmer of hope is to try and exchange down to an opposite coloured bishop ending. 22 ..Rxd2 23 Bxd2 Rd8 24 Be1 Horrible! Simply horrible. The only thing Shaw can do is just sit back and watch Emms do all the work. However, maybe he would have felt easier looking for a draw with 24 Be3 Rd3 25 a4 Rxc3 26 a5 bxa5 27 Rxa5 a6 28 Rc5 Rc2 29 h4 at least he's more likely to get the bishop ending. 24 ..e5 25 f3 Rd5 26 Kf2 f5

For his troubles, Wallace was subsequently hung, drawn and quartered; his head then being impaled on a spike at London Bridge. It seems a picnic to the torture Shaw (and me for that matter) was going through. 27 a3 Kf7 28 Rb1 Ra5 29 Ra1 Ke6 30 Bd2 Rb5 31 Ke1 Rb2 32 Kd1 Bb3+ 33 Ke2 Kd5 The king's coming in via c4-b3 to win. 34 g3 Bc4+ 35 Kd1 Bb3+ 36 Ke2 Bc4+ Cruel. This is just prolonging the agony. 37 Kd1 Bd3 38 Kc1 Rc2+ 39 Kd1 Kc4 40 h4 Rb2 41 h5 a6 42 Ke1 a5 43 Kd1 a4 44 Ke1 b5 45 Kd1 Kb3 46 Ke1 Bc4 46 ..Ra2?? 47 Rxa2 Kxa2 48 Bc1! and white draws - it's an opposite bishop ending. 47 Kd1 Bd5 48 Ke2 Bxf3+ 49 Kxf3 Rxd2 50 Rb1+ Rb2 51 Re1 e4+ 52 Kf4 Rf2+ 53 Kg5 Kxa3 54 Kg6 Kb2 55 Kxg7 a3 56 h6 a2 57 h7 Rh2 0–1

Oh well, as a contemporary of William Wallace, Robert the Bruce, once famously said, “Try, try and try again...”

You can contact John Henderson at: jbhthescots@cableinet.co.uk

The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of TWIC, Chess & Bridge Ltd or the London Chess Center.