I am delighted to announce that the field for the London Chess Classic 2009 is complete with the addition of GM David Howell of Seaford. This creates a balance to the event, an eight player all play all, with four world class players pitched against England's four highest rated Grandmasters.

The line up is

Magnus Carlsen, Norway 2770

Vladimir Kramnik Russia 2759

Ni Hua China 2724

Michael Adams England 2703

Hikaru Nakamura, Hikaru USA 2701

Nigel Short England 2674

David Howell England 2613

Luke McShane England 2596

Play begins Tuesday December 8th and runs until Tuesday December 15th 2009.

The tournament will be the prestigious held in the capital since the Phillips and Drew tournament in 1984. The tournament rating average is over 2690 but with several of the players in fine form and gaining points I am hopeful it will reach 2700.

Nigel Short dominated the recent Sigeman tournament at Malmo and Nakamura won the US Championship held at St Louis.  

Vladimir Kramnik was top scorer at the Azerbaijan v Rest of the World match with 6.5/8.

V Kramnik - G Guseinov

AZE vs World Rapid Baku (5)

Sicilian Defence

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.c3

(Kramnik avoids the main lines after 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 (4...Nf6 5.e5 Nc6 or 4.Nxd4 Bg7)

3...Bg7 4.d4 cxd4 5.cxd4 d5 6.e5 Nh6 7.h3!

(Scuttling Black's attempts to pressure d4 by preventing Bg4)

7...Nc6 8.Nc3 0-0 9.Bb5

(Exchanging a piece attacking d4)

9...Bf5 10.Bxc6 bxc6 11.0-0 f6 12.Re1 Nf7 13.Bf4

(Overprotecting the key point e5)

13...g5 14.Bh2 Nh8?!

(14...Qd7 15.Na4!; 14...Rc8!?)

15.Ne2 Be4 16.Nd2 Ng6 17.Ng3 f5

(17...Bxg2!? 18.Kxg2 Nf4+)

18.Nb3

(Establishing control, the threat is f3)

18...f4 19.Nxe4 dxe4 20.Nc5

(Even better than 20.Rxe4)

20...Qd5 21.Nxe4 Nh4 22.Qb3 Qxb3 23.axb3 h6 24.Nc5 Nf5 25.Re4

(An odd looking move but there is a dastardly idea)

25...Rfd8 26.Ne6 Rd7 27.Bxf4!

27...Kf7

(27...gxf4 28.Rxf4 traps the knight)

28.Nc7 Rxd4

(28...Rxc7 29.e6+)

29.Rxd4 Nxd4 30.Nxa8 gxf4 31.Rxa7 Bxe5 32.Rb7 Ne6 33.b4 Bxb2 34.Nb6 Kf6 35.Nc8 1-0

the extra material ensures an easy win

M Brooks - H Nakamura

US Ch Saint Louis (8)

Sicilian Sveshnikov

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Nd5 Nxd5 8.exd5 Ne7 9.c4 Ng6 10.Bd3 Be7 11.0-0 0-0 12.Bxg6!? hxg6 13.Be3 f5 14.f3 b6 15.f4 a6 16.Nc3 exf4 17.Bxf4 Bf6 18.Be3

(18.Qd3 b5!?)

18...Bd7 19.Bd4 Rc8 20.Qd3 Qc7 21.Bxf6 Rxf6 22.b3

(22.Qd4)

22...Qc5+ 23.Kh1 b5! 24.Rae1

(24.Rf4 g5 25.Rd4 b4 26.Ne2 Re8)

24...bxc4 25.Qg3 cxb3 26.Ne4!? fxe4 27.Rxf6 Bf5! 28.Rxd6 b2 29.Rc6 Rxc6 30.dxc6 Qc1 31.Qb3+ Kh7 32.Qd1 Qxd1 33.Rxd1 e3 34.c7 e2! 0-1

In view of 34...e2 35.Re1 b1Q 36.Rxb1 Bxb1 37.c8Q e1Q#

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