The Week in Chess: IM Malcolm Pein of the Daily Telegraph: Chess Columns

17th Sigeman and Co tournament in Malmo 2009

Short dominates

IM Malcolm Pein of the Daily Telegraph

Monday June 8th 2009

Nigel Short is well on the way to victory at the Sigeman and Co tournament in Malmo now in its seventeenth successive year. Short was well on the way to a 100% score in the six player event after winning his first three games before Tiger Hillarp-Persson managed to draw a rook and pawn endgame a pawn down.

Short used 6.Qf3 a rare sideline against the Sicilian Najdorf in round three. The move was analysed by the American Andrew Karklins in the 1990s. If we go back to basics, 5...a6 the characteristic move of the Najdorf Variation intends to play b7-b5 so 6.a2-a4 or 6.Qd1-f3, which meets 6...b5 with 7.e5! winning material, are the only two moves to directly cross Black's plan. Early queen development is frowned upon in general terms but here the queen can go to g3 and then h4 to assist in a kingside attack

N Short - N Grandelius

Sigeman & Co Malmo (3)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Qf3 Nbd7 7.Be2 g6 8.Be3 Bg7 9.h3

(9.0-0 Ne5 10.Qg3 Nfg4 Might be annoying)

9...Ne5 10.Qg3 b5 11.f4 Nc4 12.Bxc4 bxc4 13.f5 Bb7

(13...Qb6!? 14.Ne6 Qxb2 15.Nxg7+ Kf8 16.Kd2 Qxc3+! 17.Kxc3 Nxe4+ wins but 13...Qb6!? 14.Ne6 Qxb2 15.Nxg7+ Kf8 16.0-0 Qxc3 17.Ne6+! is better and if fxe6?? 18.Bh6+! wins the queen)

14.Qh4 Qa5 15.0-0 0-0

(15...Nxe4!? 16.Nxe4 Qd5)

16.Rad1 Rae8

(Now the kingside becomes rather constipated and Short finds a lovely sacrifice to exploit this. 16...Qb4 or 16...Rfe8)

17.fxg6 hxg6 18.Nf5!

Nils Grandelius