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| Chess by Malcolm Pein of the Daily Telegraph   Malcolm Pein writes for the Daily Telegraph (telegraph.co.uk)
you can read his chess columns along with those of Nigel Short and David
Norwood at their new
Chess
Club (to read the columns you need to register which is free).
Round 2 29th December 2003 Mark Hebden took the lead of the Hastings Premier with a second round victory over Stuart Conquest in a game that was settled by a blunder. The GM from Leicester is the only player on 2/2 after tempting his opponent into complicating the game, a course which was going to cost him a pawn before he lost a knight. Hebden played quietly, a sensible strategy against Conquest who hails from Hastings and is known for his attacking skill. After laying siege to an isolated queen's pawn Hebden had gradually secured an edge when Conquest staked all on a kingside attack but had to resign two moves later. The fourteen year old Ukrainian prodigy Katheryna Lahno got off the mark with a draw against the Russian IM Alexander Cherniaev but she had to struggle for much of the game after losing the theoretical battle in one of the most fashionable lines of the Sicilian Sveshnikov. Cherniaev stood better but the youngster managed to blockade his central passed pawns in a rook endgame. Last year's winner Peter Heine Nielsen of Denmark equalised quickly against Vladimir Epishin and the game between Scottish number one Jonathan Rowson and the British Champion Abhijit Kunte of India was also drawn quite quickly but only after some sharp play from the Scot failed to secure an advantage. Visitors to the congress can compete in events for all strengths and there is daily commentary on the Premier games from GM Chris Ward. The tournament continues until January 5th Round two results: Hebden 1-0 Conquest, Queen's Gambit Declined, 30 moves; Epishin draw Nielsen, Nimzo Indian, 20; Kotronias 1-0 Gormally, Ruy Lopez Berlin, 29; Rowson draw Kunte, Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2, 20; Lahno draw Cherniaev, Sicilian Sveshnikov,53 Scores: 1 Hebden (England), 2/2; 2-4 Epishin (Russia), Cherniaev (Russia), Kotronias (Cyprus) 1.5; 5-6 Nielsen (Denmark), Rowson (Scotland) 1; 7-9 Lahno (Ukraine), Kunte (India), Conquest (England) 0.5; 10 Gormally (England) 0 Hebden,M (2560) - Conquest,S (2545) [D30] Premier Hastings ENG (2), 29.12.2003 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 Be7 6.Bxe7 Nxe7 7.dxc5 Qa5+ 8.Nc3 Nbc6 9.e3 Qxc5 10.Be2 0-0 11.0-0 Bg4 12.Rc1 Rfd8 13.Nd4 Bxe2 14.Qxe2 Qa5 15.Nb3 Qb4 16.Rfd1 Rac8 17.h3 h6 18.Rc2 Qb6 [ 18...Qd6 19.Rcd2 Qe5 20.Qb5 is annoying. So maybe; 18...a6 19.Rcd2 Qd6 but this hardly inspires confidence.] 19.Rcd2 Nb4 20.Nd4 A patient buildup from Hebden. 20...Rd7? Allows White to activate his queen. Black's position was already uncomfortable however. 21.Qg4 Rcd8 22.e4! Rd6 23.e5 Rg6 24.Qh4 Re8 25.Ncb5! Nbc6 26.Nd6 Rf8 27.b3 Nxe5? was an error and Black is losing the a7 pawn for no compensation before he blunders. 28.Qxe7 Qxd6 29.Qxb7 Rg5?? 30.f4  Nd4 controls all the key squares while the Ne5 has no good squares. 1-0 |
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