Round 2 (April 12, 2000)

Ward, Christopher  -  McNab, Colin A     1-0   46  A42  Queen's pawn
Krush, Irina       -  McDonald, Neil R   1/2   42  A90  Dutch defence
Pert, Nicholas     -  Aagaard, Jacob     1/2   62  D30  Queen's gambit
Hummel, Patrick    -  Afek, Yochanan     0-1   44  D20  QGA;
Norris, Alan J     -  Gormally, Daniel   0-1   34  A38  English; 1.c4 c5


Millennium Masters Oakham ENG (ENG), 11-19 iv 2000cat. VII (2406)
---------------------------------------------------------------
                                 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 
---------------------------------------------------------------
 1 Ward, Christopher  g ENG 2509 * . . . . . . 1 1 .  2.0      
 2 Krush, Irina      wm USA 2399 . * = . . . 1 . . .  1.5  2586
 3 McDonald, Neil R   g ENG 2438 . = * . . . . . . 1  1.5  2543
 4 Aagaard, Jacob     m DEN 2396 . . . * . = . . 1 .  1.5  2603
 5 Gormally, Daniel   m ENG 2504 . . . . * = . . . 1  1.5  2541
 6 Pert, Nicholas     f ENG 2396 . . . = = * . . . .  1.0  2450
 7 Afek, Yochanan     m ISR 2349 . 0 . . . . * 1 . .  1.0  2373
 8 Hummel, Patrick      USA 2347 0 . . . . . 0 * . .  0.0      
 9 McNab, Colin A     g SCO 2424 0 . . 0 . . . . * .  0.0      
10 Norris, Alan J     f SCO 2301 . . 0 . 0 . . . . *  0.0      
---------------------------------------------------------------

The Oakham GM tournament takes place 11th-19th April 2000, Oakham School, Rutland, Leicestershire. Games start at 1300 hours each day except the last, when there will be an 1100 start. The event is Category VII with an ELO average of 2406). There is a slightly unusual time rate: using Digital Clock, the initial rate of play is 40 moves in 100 minutes, but throughout the game each player receives 30 seconds for every move made. After 40 moves each player is given a 50-minute bonus After 60 moves each player is given a 10-minute bonus. Players must keep an up-to-date scoresheet at all times. John Henderson reports daily (see his round twp report below).

John Henderson reports on Round 2.

GOODBYE MR. CHIPS!

WHEN Garry Kasparov first mooted the idea of organising the first world schools' team championship on the Internet (which he's now got off the ground) when he visited Oakham in 1997 to launch the Kasparov Scholarship, he commented that it's important to have chess on the curriculum because "it teaches kids so many qualities in life: logic, focusing on targets, discipline and responsibility."

Likewise, it was a view that Oakham's headmaster, Tony Little, only too readily agreed with. "Here at Oakham we also recognises the value of chess in education. It helps to encourage concentration, memory, self-reliance, decision-making and sportsmanship."

Kasparov lecturing.

The Scholarship at Oakham (or "Okhaam" as Kasparov pronounces it in his rich Russian brogue) fits in with the Kasparov vision of introducing chess to the world as an educational tool. The world champion has successfully started a number of chess schools in Russia and has also opened a chess academy in his name in Tel Aviv, Israel.

The first scholar to arrive at the school was Zhanna Lazhevskaya in 1998. She was a 14-year-old from the closed city of Gregorny, which is home to a nuclear reprocessing centre where both her parents work. She had been the Under-18 Urals champion when she was enrolled at the Kasparov Chess Academy in Podolosk when she was selected to study at Oakham. The next year, a second scholar, Alexander Yastrebov, 15, from the small town of Chita in Russia, followed.

Both are already getting plenty of high-level experience of chess at the school, playing in the first division of Britain's professional chess league, the 4NCL, for the London team of Wood Green.

Last October Garry made a return to Oakham to see how his scholars were getting on and to hold a two-hour masterclass with a selection of other UK juniors. Garry's two hours soon turned into four hours as the chess teacher, Graham Lee, and myself had to physically drag the world champion away form the school.

Graham Lee

Anyone can apply to the school for a chess scholarship (though on entry, they must be aged 11, 13 or 16), and if interested should contact the Registrar, Oakham School, at registrar@oakham.rutland.sch.uk, telephone 0033(0)1572-722487. Alternatively, if anyone has any specific inquiry about chess at Oakham, they are welcome to contact the chess teacher, Graham Lee at glee@globalnet.co.uk.

The Oakham School website is at: http://www.oakham.org.uk

Of the 1,000 or so pupils at the innovative school, some 500 stay in the dormitories. And this is where the players for the Millennium Masters are staying for the duration of the event.

However, on arrival, they soon discovered that, due to an impending re-wiring of the school dormitories, they've had to do without the likes of ChessBase and Fritz in their rooms. If you pardon the pun, but when GM Chris Ward in a state of alarm told me of the predicament of not being able to use his trusty laptop to prepare for his opponents, I turned round and said to him "So, it's a case of Goodbye Mr Chips then, Chris!"

Chris Ward

Still, even without his trusty old laptop filled to the gunnels with variation after variation on his favourite lines, Chris has taken the sole lead after two rounds after defeating Scotland's Colin McNab.

Ward,C (2509) - McNab,C (2424) [A42]

1 d4 d6 2 e4 [McNab likes to play 2 c4 e5, so Ward goes into a King's Indian via the Pirc/Modern.] 2 ..g6 3 c4 e5 4 Ne2 Bg7 5 Nbc3 [Given half the chance, Ward would like to transpose into his favourite KID Samisch. So...] 5 ..exd4 6 Nxd4 Nc6 7 Be3 Nge7 8 h4 h5 9 Qd2 Ne5 10 0–0–0 c6 11 Kb1 [A prophylactic move that's played to make a future ...Qa5 look silly.] 11 ..a6 12 Nf3 Be6 [In the post mortem, both players soon found that 12 ..Qa5 was indeed problematic for Black: 12 ..Qa5 13 Nxe5 (13 Qxd6 Nxf3 14 gxf3 Be6 15 Bg5 Bf8 16 Qd4 is also crushing) 13 ..dxe5 14 Bc5 Bf6 (14 ..Bg4 15 Nd5 Qxd2 16 Nc7+ Kd7 17 Rxd2+ Kxc7 18 Bxe7 Rhe8 should be OK for Black though.) 15 Nd5!! (The point of moves like 11 Kb1. It's a common theme in the KID - Without it, Black would simply have 15 ..Qxd2+) 15 ..Qxc5 16 b4! Qd4 17 Qxd4 exd4 18 Nc7+ Kf8 19 Nxa8] 13 Nxe5 dxe5 14 Qc2 Qc7 15 Na4! (Eyeing up the hole on b6.) 15 ..Rd8 16 Be2 0–0 17 Rxd8 [Personally speaking, I much preferred squeezing Black with 17 Bb6 Rxd1+ 18 Rxd1 Qc8 19 Nc5 As played in the game, White allows Black some breathing space.] 17 ..Qxd8 18 Rd1 Qb8 19 Nc5 Bc8 20 Nd7 Bxd7 21 Rxd7 Bf6 22 Bg5 [Now was the time to turn the screws on the Black position with 22 g4! hxg4 (22 ..Rd8 23 Rxd8+ Qxd8 24 gxh5 Bxh4 25 c5) 23 Bxg4 Bxh4 24 Bc5 Re8 25 Bd6 Qa7 26 c5] 22 ..Bxg5 23 hxg5 Rd8 24 Qd2 Rxd7 25 Qxd7 Kf8 26 c5 b5 [If 26 ..b6 27 Qd6 Qxd6 28 cxd6 Ng8 29 Bxa6 Ke8 30 Bc4 b5 31 Bb3 c5 32 Bd5 wins.] 27 Bd1 a5 28 a4?

[White misses the clear route to goal. 28 Qd6! Qxd6 29 cxd6 Ng8 30 Bb3 a4 31 d7! Ke7 32 Bxf7] 28 ..Qc8? [Black misses the “drawing moment": 28 ..bxa4! 29 Qd6 (29 Bxa4 Qb4 30 Qd8+ Kg7 31 Qxe7 Qxa4 32 Qxe5+ Kg8) 29 ..Qb5! 30 Qd8+ Kg7 31 Qxe7 Qd3+ 32 Kc1 Qc4+ 33 Kb1 Qd3+ 34 Kc1 (34 Bc2 Qf1+ 35 Ka2 Qc4+) 34 ..Qc4+] 29 Qd6 bxa4 30 Bxa4 Ke8 31 Qxe5 Qa6 32 Qh8+ Kd7 33 Qd4+ Ke8 34 g3 Qe2 35 Qh8+ Kd7 36 Qd4+ Ke8 37 Ka2 Qg4 38 Qh8+ [Due to the time control being in Fischer mode with the addition of 30 seconds per move up to move 40, White repeats the position a few times to get nearer the time control and at the same time gain a few minutes on the clock.] 38 ..Kd7 39 Qd4+ Ke8 40 Qe5 Kf8 41 Bb3 Qd7 42 Qf6 Qe8 43 e5 Ng8 44 Qd6+ Ne7 45 Ka3 Qc8 46 Qf6 [46 Qf6 Qf5 47 Ka4! Qxf6 48 gxf6 Nf5 49 Kxa5 and White soon clears up in the ending.] 1–0

Danny Gormally

Norris,A (2301) - Gormally,D (2504) [A38]

1 Nf3 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 g3 Bg7 4 Bg2 0–0 5 0–0 d5 6 cxd5 Nxd5 [Being a Gruenfeld player, its no surprise that Gormally heads for this line against the English.] 7 Nc3 c5 8 Nxd5 Qxd5 9 d3 Nc6 10 Be3 Bxb2 11 Rb1 Bf6 12 Nd4?! [Not the best. More precise is Ulf Andersson's 12 Qa4! Qd6 13 Rfc1! Nd4 (13 ..b6 14 d4!) 14 Nxd4 cxd4 15 Bh6! Rd8 16 Bxb7 Bxb7 17 Rxb7] 12 ..Qxa2 13 Ra1 [Best now is 13 Nxc6, but after 13 ..bxc6 14 Bxc6 Bh3 15 Bxa8 Rxa8! 16 Re1 Bc3, the ending favours Black - Not only is he a pawn up, but the a-pawn is huge.] 13 ..Qb2 14 Rb1 Qa3 15 Ra1 Qb4 16 Rb1 Nxd4!

17 Rxb4 cxb4 18 Bxd4 Bxd4 19 Qa4 a5 [White just won’t be able to stop the rampant pawns running up the board.] 20 Rb1 Bc3 21 Bd5 e6 [Black also had 21 ..Rd8!? 22 Bc4 Bd7 23 Bb5 Bxb5 24 Qxb5 a4 25 Qc4 b5! 26 Qxb5 a3 27 Rc1 a2 28 Qc4 Bb2 29 Rf1 Rdc8!] 22 Bc4 Rd8 23 Bb5 Rd5 24 e4 Rxb5 [Black's showboating now with this cheeky move - and one that, with correct play from White, could be difficult to convert for the win. Instead, Black should have opted for 24 ..Rc5! 25 Bc4 b6 26 Qe8+ Kg7 27 Bb3 Ra7 28 Qd8 Rac7] 25 Qxb5 a4 26 e5? [26 Rc1!? might just have made Black sweat a bit for the win: 26 ..a3 27 Qe8+ Kg7 28 Rc2! b3 (28 ..a2 29 Rxa2 Rxa2 30 Qxc8 Bd4 31 Qc4) 29 Rxc3 a2 30 Rc7 a1Q+ 31 Kg2 Qf6 32 Rxc8 Rxc8 33 Qxc8 Qd4 34 Qxb7 Qxd3 35 Qb4 h5 36 e5 Qc2 37 Qa4 (37 Qf4 b2 38 Qf6+ Kg8 39 Qd8+ Kh7 40 Qf6 Qf5) 37 ..Qa2 38 Qf4 Qa8+ 39 Kh3 b2 40 Qf6+ Kg8] 26 ..a3 27 d4 [27 Qe8+ Kg7 28 Qd8 Bxe5 29 d4 a2 30 Ra1 Bf6 31 Qb6 e5 32 Qxb4 exd4 33 Qd2 Be6] 27 ..a2 28 Ra1 Bxa1 29 Qe8+ Kg7 30 Qd8 Bd7 31 Qxa8 b3 32 Qd8 b2 33 Qf6+ Kg8 34 Qd8+ Be8! [34 ..Be8 35 Qxe8+ Kg7 36 Kg2 b1Q 37 Qd8 Qe4+ 38 f3 Qxd4] 0–1

Krush,I (2399) - McDonald,N (2438) [A90]

1 d4 e6 2 c4 f5 3 g3 Nf6 4 Bg2 c6 5 Nh3 d5 6 Nd2 Bd6 7 0–0 0–0 8 Qc2 b6 9 Nf3 Bb7 10 Nf4 [More usual in Nh3 lines against the Stonewall, White plays Bf4 immediately to try to exchange of the dark-squared bishop, which Black will reply with ..Be7.] 10 ..Re8 11 Nd3 Nbd7 12 Bf4 Bxf4 13 Nxf4 Rc8 [13 ..Ne4!?] 14 cxd5 [14 Ng5 Nf8 15 Qa4 a6] 14 ..Nxd5 [Both players spent a long time in the post mortem analysing the natural alternative of 14 ..cxd5!? 15 Qa4 a6 16 Rfc1 Rc4!, only to realise that after this resource, Black is more than holding his own. McDonald's move is more adventurous.] 15 Ne5 Nxe5 [15 ..c5!? 16 Bxd5 Bxd5 17 Rac1 Nxe5 18 dxe5 Qc7 19 Nxd5 exd5 20 f4 Qf7 21 e3] 16 dxe5 Nxf4 17 gxf4 Qh4 18 e3 Rc7 [18 ..Ba8!?] 19 Rad1

[19 Qa4! exploiting the weak Black queenside pawns looked better.] 19 ..c5 20 Bxb7 Rxb7 21 Kh1 Qh5 22 f3 h6 23 Rd6 g5 24 fxg5 hxg5 25 e4! Rf7 [25 ..fxe4 26 Qxe4 Rh7 27 Rf2 is good for White.] 26 f4 fxe4 27 Qxe4 Ref8 28 Rxe6 Rxf4 29 Rg6+ Kh8 30 Rxf4 gxf4 31 e6 [31 Qc6! was probably a better option as Black has to respond accurately to survive. However, in the end, it's also drawn: 31 ..Qf5 (31 ..Qd1+ 32 Rg1 Qh5 33 e6; 31 ..Kh7 32 Rg1! Kh8 33 e6) 32 Rg1! Rf7 33 Qg2! Kh7! 34 e6 (34 Qg8+ Kh6 35 Qh8+ Rh7) 34 ..Re7 35 Qg8+ Kh6 36 Qh8+ Rh7] 31 ..Qf5 32 Qxf5 Rxf5 33 Kg2 Kh7 34 Rg4 Re5 35 Rxf4 Rxe6 36 Rf2 Re3 37 Rd2 Kg6 38 Kf2 Rh3 39 Kg2 Re3 40 Kf2 Rh3 41 Kg2 Re3 42 Kf2 ½–½

Hummel,P (2347) - Afek,Y (2349) [D20]

1 d4 d5 2 c4 dxc4 3 Nf3 c5 4 e4 [An interesting alternative is 4 d5 e6 5 Nc3 exd5 6 Qxd5 Qxd5 7 Nxd5 Bd6 8 Nd2 Nc6 9 Nxc4 Bb8 10 e4 Nf6 11 Be3!] 4 ..Nf6 5 e5 [5 Nc3 cxd4 6 Qxd4 Qxd4 7 Nxd4 e5 8 Ndb5 Kd8!? 9 Be3 Be6 10 0–0–0+ Nbd7 11 Bxa7 Rxa7! 12 Nxa7 Ng4 13 f3 (13 Rd2 Bc5) 13 ..Nf2 led to unclear complications in Arlaidi-Polgar,Z/Nova Gorcia 1991.] 5 ..Nd5 6 Bxc4 e6 [6 ..Nb6 7 Bb3!] 7 Bg5 Be7 8 Bxe7 Nxe7?! [8 ..Qxe7 9 dxc5 Qxc5 10 Nbd2! proved strong in Ftacnik-Arnold/Bundesliga 96-97.] 9 Nc3 [9 dxc5! Qa5+ 10 Nbd2 Qxc5 11 0–0 0–0 12 Qe2 and White can exploite the open c and d-files with rooks on c1 and d1. ] 9 ..cxd4 10 Qxd4 Qxd4 11 Nxd4 Nbc6 12 Nxc6 Nxc6 13 f4 Ke7! [Castling is pointless in such positions - The king is needed on e7 for the ensuing ending.] 14 Kf2 Bd7 15 Ne4 Nb4 16 a3 Bc6 17 Nc3 [17 Nd6!? Nd5 18 Bxd5 Bxd5 19 Rac1 Rhd8 20 Rc7+ Rd7 21 Rhc1 f6 (21 ..Rad8 22 Nc8+ Ke8 23 Nxa7) 22 Rc8!] 17 ..Na6 [17 ..Nd5 18 Nxd5+ Bxd5 19 Bxd5 exd5 20 Rac1 Rac8 21 Ke3 leaves White with a grudging, little endgame advantage.] 18 Rhd1 Rac8 19 Rd4 [Taking on a6 looked OK for White: 19 Bxa6!? bxa6 20 Rac1 Rhd8 21 b4 Rxd1 22 Nxd1] 19 ..Rhd8 20 Rad1 Rxd4 21 Rxd4 Nc7 22 g4 f6 23 Ke3 [23 Bd3 fxe5 24 fxe5 Rf8+ 25 Ke2 Nd5!] 23 ..fxe5 24 fxe5 g5 25 Rd2 a5 26 Bd3 h6 27 h4?!

[This is too committal as it opens more lines for the Black rook. More importantly, it leaves the g4 pawn without protection.] 27 ..Rf8 28 hxg5 Rf3+! 29 Ke2 hxg5 30 Ne4 Bxe4! 31 Bxe4 Rb3 32 Kd1 Na6 [32 ..Rb5 looks as if it just goes into a drawn king and pawn ending: 33 Rh2 Rxe5 34 Bxb7 Nd5 35 Bxd5 Rxd5+ 36 Rd2 Kd6 37 Rxd5+ Kxd5 38 b3! Ke4 39 b4 A) 39 ..axb4 40 axb4 Kd5 41 Kd2 Kd4! (41 ..Kc4?? 42 Ke3 Kxb4 43 Kd4) 42 b5 Kc5 43 Kd3 Kxb5 44 Kd4 Kc6 45 Ke5 Kd7 46 Kf6 Ke8; B) 39 ..a4 40 Ke2 Kd4 41 Kf3 e5 42 Kf2 Ke4 43 Ke2 Kd4 44 Kd2 Ke4 45 Ke2 Kd4] 33 Rh2 Nc5 34 Rh7+ Kd8 35 Bc2? [White has every chance to save the game after: 35 Kc2! a4 36 Bh1 Rg3 37 Bxb7 Rxg4 38 Bc6 Rc4+ 39 Kd1 g4 40 Rg7 Ne4 41 Bxe4 Rxe4 42 Kd2] 35 ..Rxb2 36 Rg7 Ra2 37 Rxg5 Rxa3 38 Rg8+ Kc7 39 g5 Rg3 40 g6 a4 41 Kc1 a3 42 Ra8 Na6 43 Bb1 Rg1+ 44 Kd2 Rxg6 0–1