98th British Chess Championships 2011 (7)
Short and Adams head for Round 8 showdown
IM Malcolm Pein - Wednesday 3rd August 2011
Favourites Nigel Short and Michael Adams lived up to their billings and meet as leaders in Round 8.
Michael Adams and Nigel Short are set for an eighth-round battle that may decide the Darwin Strategic 98th British Chess Championships at Sheffield. England's top two lead with 6/7 and have yet to play. Four rounds remain.
Short outplayed Gawain Jones and Adams gradually got the better of Simon Williams. Short played positionally against Jones with the English Opening and this was met with the Botvinnik System that Jones had played with colours reversed against Short recently at the Commonwealth Championships in South Africa. White plays for control of the d5 square which Black weakens in the opening. Hence Black prevents Bg5 takes Ne7 in the opening with 7...f6; but later on he allows this exchange via b4 and his centre is undermined.
N Short - G Jones
1.c4 c5 2.g3 Nc6 3.Bg2 g6 4.Nc3 Bg7 5.Nf3 e5 6.d3 Nge7 7.Bg5 f6 8.Bd2 d6 9.0-0 Be6 10.a3 Qd7 11.Rb1 0-0
(I would prefer 11...a5)
12.b4 cxb4 13.axb4 d5 14.b5 Nd8 15.Na4 Bf7 16.Bb4 Re8 17.Nd2 b6?
(Loses material but 17...f5 18.Nc5 Qc7 19.Qa4 e4 20.Rfc1 and 17...dxc4 18.Nxc4 are good for White)
18.Bxe7
(Or 18.Nc3 Rb8 19.Bxe7 Rxe7 20.Nxd5)
18...Rxe7 19.Nc3 e4 20.Nxd5 Bxd5 21.cxd5 exd3 22.d6
Gawain Jones
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Nigel Short
Position after 22.d6
22...dxe2 23.Qb3+ Nf7 24.dxe7 exf1(R+) 25.Nxf1 Re8 26.Bc6 Qxe7 27.Bxe8 Qxe8 28.Ra1 Qd7 29.Rd1 Qe8 30.Rc1 Qd7 31.Ne3 f5 32.Nd5 Be5 33.Rc7 Qxc7 34.Nxc7 Bxc7 35.Qa2 Bd6 36.Qxa7 Bc5 37.Qd7 Kg7 38.Qe6 Bd4 39.Kg2 Bc5 40.f3 h5 41.h3 Bd4 42.Qc4 Bc5 43.Qc3+ Kh7 44.Qf6 Nd6 45.Kf1 Ne8 46.Qf7+ Ng7 47.Ke2 Bd4 48.Kd3 Bf2 49.g4 fxg4 50.fxg4 Bc5 51.Ke4 Bg1 52.Ke5 Be3 53.Qd7 Kh6 54.Kf6 Bg5+ 55.Kf7 hxg4 56.hxg4 1-0
Gawain Jones
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Nigel Short
Final position, Black cannot defend g6.
Here is another proof position from the BCPS chess problem competition. The challenge is to set the pieces up at the starting position and arrive at the board below after eight moves by both sides.
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The challenge is to set the pieces up at the starting position and arrive at the board below after eight moves by both sides.
Answer: 1.a4 g6 2.Ra3 Bg7 3.Rb3 Bxb2 4.Na3 Ba1 5.Bb2 c5 6.Bxh8 Bxh8 7.Qa1 Bxa1 8.Rb1 Bg7
