Round 7 (April 17, 2000)

Gormally, Daniel   -  Ward, Christopher  1-0   51  E10  Nimzo indian
Pert, Nicholas     -  Hummel, Patrick    1/2   38  E62  Kings indian
Aagaard, Jacob     -  McDonald, Neil R   1/2   44  C03  French; Tarrasch
McNab, Colin A     -  Afek, Yochanan     1/2   21  E60  Kings indian
Norris, Alan J     -  Krush, Irina       0-1   29  D11  Slav defence


Millennium Masters Oakham ENG (ENG), 11-19 iv 2000cat. VII (2406)
---------------------------------------------------------------
                                 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 
---------------------------------------------------------------
 1 Gormally, Daniel   m ENG 2504 * = 1 0 . 1 1 = . 1  5.0  2549
 2 Pert, Nicholas     f ENG 2396 = * = = = . 1 . 1 1  5.0  2569
 3 Ward, Christopher  g ENG 2509 0 = * 1 . = . 1 1 1  5.0  2552
 4 Hummel, Patrick      USA 2347 1 = 0 * 0 1 . 0 1 .  3.5  2430
 5 Aagaard, Jacob     m DEN 2396 . = . 1 * = 0 0 1 =  3.5  2379
 6 McDonald, Neil R   g ENG 2438 0 . = 0 = * = 1 . 1  3.5  2400
 7 Krush, Irina      wm USA 2399 0 0 . . 1 = * 1 0 1  3.5  2401
 8 Afek, Yochanan     m ISR 2349 = . 0 1 1 0 0 * = .  3.0  2381
 9 McNab, Colin A     g SCO 2424 . 0 0 0 0 . 1 = * =  2.0  2227
10 Norris, Alan J     f SCO 2301 0 0 0 . = 0 0 . = *  1.0  2129
---------------------------------------------------------------

NORM-AL SERVICE WILL SOON BE RESTORED

Danny Gormally, keeps his norm chances alive after beating Chris Ward.

WELL, it made a change to see Danny Gormally with the sign of a faint smile on his face. After defeating the former British Champion, top seed GM Chris Ward, Gormally has managed to rekindle his chances of finally achieving a GM norm here at Oakham. By comparison for Gormally, the search for the Holy Grail must seem easier as he’s missed the GM norm by the slenderest of margins on at least six previous occasions.

After losing in the fourth round to Patrick Hummel, Gormally took it badly – again! He was going around kicking anything and everything in sight: the school cat, chairs, books, and brick-walls “I’ll never become a GM,” he muttered in a menacing manner (leading us to look for the nearest straightjacket). “I just don’t concentrate enough to become one. I think I’ll give up after this tournament.”

However, Danny-boy is back with a sporting chance because if he can score two wins against Jacob Aagaard and Colin McNab in the final two rounds, the norm is his at long-last! Also on the GM trail is Old Oakhamian Nick Pert, the former world under-18 champion. With one performance norm at Hastings already under his belt, Pert similarly needs to beat both Yochanan Afek and Neil McDonald for his second norm at his alma mater.

Also on the norm hunt is 15-year-old Patrick Hummel, who needs just 1.5/2 for his second IM norm. He achieved his first norm last year at the ChessWise International Open in Stratton Mountain, Vermont.

After winning the 1999 USA National High School Championship last year at the age of 14, Patrick equalled a 25-year record for being the youngest winner.

Gormally,D (2504) - Ward,C (2509) [E10]

1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 e6 3 c4 a6!? (Designed to counter [3 ..a6 4 g3 with 4 ..b5] 4 Bg5 [4 Nc3 c5 5 d5 b5] 4 ..c5 5 d5 exd5 6 cxd5 d6 7 Nc3 b5 8 a4 b4 9 Ne4 Be7 10 Bxf6 Bxf6 11 Qc2 0–0 12 e3 Bf5 [12 ..b3!? 13 Qxb3 Nd7 14 Qc2 Rb8 15 Rb1 Nb6 16 Rd1 Bb7 17 Bc4 Nxc4 18 Qxc4 Bxb2 19 0–0 Bc8 20 Rb1 Rb4 21 Qc2 Bf5 22 Nfd2 Be5 23 f4 Bf6 24 Rxb4 cxb4 25 Qc6 ½–½ Zaltsman,V-Ortega,L/Havana 1985/MCD (25)] 13 Bd3 Bxe4 14 Bxe4 g6 (Basically, Black has now got a good Benoni) 15 0–0 [15 h4!? with the all-out kingside assault was the brave option.] 15 ..Nd7 16 Nd2 a5 [16 ..Bg7 17 Bd3 Ne5 18 Be2 f5 was also an option for Black.] 17 Bd3 Nb6 18 e4 Bd4 19 g3 Qf6 20 Rab1 Rac8 21 Nc4 Nxc4 22 Bxc4 h5 [22 ..Qe5!? 23 Bd3 (23 Kg2 f5 24 exf5 Qxf5 25 Qxf5 Rxf5 26 f4 Re8; 23 Rfe1 f5 24 exf5 Qxf5 25 Qxf5 Rxf5) 23 ..c4! 24 Bxc4 f5 25 exf5 Rxf5 with lots of pressure for the pawn.] 23 Kg2 h4 24 f4 Qh8! (Staying clear of any possible e5 advance whilst finding a way towards the White king.) 25 b3 Kg7 26 Rbe1 f6 27 Be2 Qh6 28 Bg4 Rce8 29 Be6 Rh8 30 g4 g5 [30 ..Re7! defending f7 was better.] 31 e5! dxe5 32 fxe5 Rhf8 33 Rf5 [33 exf6+ Rxf6 34 Bf5! leaves Black with a few problems to solve on the e-file.] 33 ..fxe5 34 Ref1

34 ..e4? [34 ..Kh8! looks like it might save the day for Black: A) 35 Rxf8+?! Rxf8 36 Rxf8+ Qxf8 37 Qf5 Qxf5 38 Bxf5 (38 gxf5? c4 39 bxc4 b3 40 f6 e4 41 Bf5 Bc5 42 Bxe4 g4 43 Bf5 b2 44 Bc2 Kg8 45 Bg6 Bd6 46 h3 g3 47 Kf3 Kf8) 38 ..Kg7 39 d6 Kf6 A1) 40 Kf3 h3 41 Kg3 (41 Ke4) 41 ..c4; A2) 40 h3 40 ..c4!; B) 35 Qe4! 35 ..Rxf5 36 Qxf5 Qg7 37 Qf7 Qxf7 38 Rxf7 c4 39 bxc4 Rb8! (39 ..b3 40 Rb7) 40 d6 (40 Rf1? b3 41 Rb1 Kg7 42 Kf3 b2) 40 ..b3 41 Bf5 b2 42 d7 Kg8 43 Be6 Kh8 44 Bf5 with an equal position.] 35 Qxe4 Rxf5 36 Qxf5 h3+ [36 ..Qf6 37 Qd3! Qe7 38 Rf7+ Qxf7 39 Bxf7] 37 Kh1 Qf6 38 Qd3 Qe7 39 Rf3 [39 Rf7+! Qxf7 40 Bxf7 Re1+] 39 ..Rf8 40 Rxh3 Rh8 41 Rxh8 Kxh8 42 Qg6 Qf8 43 Bf5 Qg7 44 Qe8+ Qg8 45 Qh5+ Kg7 46 Qxg5+ Kf8 47 Qxg8+ Kxg8 48 Bd3 Be5 49 Kg2 Kg7 50 h4 Bd6 51 g5 1–0

Alan Norris is Irina Krushed in round 7.

Norris,A (2301) - Krush,I (2399) [D11]

1 c4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 e3 Nf6 4 Nf3 a6 5 c5 (The problem with this move is its only effective against the ..a6 Slav if the dark-squared bishop is outside the pawn chain.) 5 ..Bg4 [5 ..Bf5 6 Nh4 Bg4 7 Qb3 Ra7 8 h3 Bh5 9 g4 Bg6 was seen in Larssen-Gormally, Politiken Cup, 1998] 6 b4?! (This has to be too early.) 6 ..e5! 7 Be2 [7 dxe5?! Nfd7 8 Bb2 (8 h3 Bxf3 9 Qxf3 a5!; 8 Nbd2 a5 9 Qa4 b5!) 8 ..b6! all undermine the White position - proving this early why 6 b4 is wrong.] 7 ..e4 8 Nfd2 Bxe2 9 Qxe2 g6 10 Nb3 Nh5 11 Nc3 f5 12 g3 Ng7 13 h4 Ne6 14 a4 Bg7 15 Ba3 [White would have been better with either: 15 h5!? Nd7 (15 ..g5? 16 h6 Bf6 17 Qh5+) 16 hxg6 hxg6 17 Rxh8+ Bxh8 18 Bb2; or 15 Bb2!? Nd7 16 h5 Qc7 17 Kd2] 15 ..0–0 16 b5 axb5 [Opening the a-file and releasing the tension works out to White's advantage. I think Black should have continued with 16 ..Nd7!? 17 bxc6 (17 b6? Nf6 and, with the queenside blocked, Black can build-up the kingside attack.) 17 ..bxc6 18 a5 Nf6 19 Na4 Rb8 20 Nb6 Nc7! 21 Kd2 Nb5] 17 axb5 Nd7 18 Kd2 Nf6 19 Bb4 Rc8 [19 ..Qe7!? 20 Rhb1 Rfb8 21 Na4 Nc7 22 b6 Ne6 23 Nc3 Bh6 with chances for both sides.] 20 Ba5?! [20 Ra7! Rf7 21 Na5 has to be a better option for White.] 20 ..Qe7 [20 ..Qd7!? 21 Ra2 Ra8 22 Rha1 Rfb8 23 Na4 Qe8 24 Nb6 Ra7] 21 Na4 Nh5 22 Nb6 Rce8 23 Bc3 f4 24 gxf4 Nhxf4!

25 exf4 Nxf4 26 Qe3 [26 Qd1 e3+! crashes through] 26 ..Ng2 27 Qg5 [No better is 27 Qg3 Rxf2+! 28 Kc1 Bh6+ 29 Kb1 e3 30 Qe5 Qf8] 27 ..Rxf2+ 28 Kc1 Qf8! [Threatening ..Bh6] 29 Kb1 [29 Bd2 Bxd4! 30 Nxd4 Qxc5+] 29 ..Qf3 0–1

Y Afek

Israel "50", 1998

Another entertaining endgame study by Yochan Afek, composed to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of Israel in 1998.

With Black threatening ..Qc8+ picking-up one of the bishops, how does White secure the draw? Thankfully, I managed to find White’s fourth move – the key to securing the draw!

Solution

Y Afek

Israel "50", 1998

1 Bc4+ Kg1 [1 ..Kf2 2 Bd4+ Ke1 3 Ng2+ Kd2 (3 ..Kd1 4 Bg1 Qc8+ 5 Kg3 and White has set-up a fortress making it impossible for Black to win) 4 Be3+ Kc3 5 Be2=] 2 Bd4+ Kh1 3 Be2 Qd7+ 4 Nf5!! Qxf5+ 5 Kg3 Qg5+ 6 Bg4 with a mutual zugwang.