Chess

With Errol Tiwari

Carlsen v Eljanov

Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, plays host to one of the most fancied invitational chess tournaments in the world in January of each year. This year’s version of the tournament was contested in three separate groups. Group A was a Category 20 event with an average rating of 2742, and featured, among others, world champion Anand, Carlsen, Kramnik, Mamedyarov, Aronian and Topalov.
The tournament produced some instructive games.  Former world champion Garry
Kasparov analysed and commented on some of the games. Here are two of those games:
Carlsen-Eljanov and Van Wely-Polgar, from the tournament.
Carlsen, M (2733) – Eljanov, P (2692)
Corus A Wijk aan Zee NED (2), 13.1.2008 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bg5 Ne4 6.Bh4 Nxc3 7.bxc3 dxc4 8.Qa4+ Qd7
9.Qxc4 b6 10.e3 Ba6 11.Qb3 Bxf1 12.Kxf1 0–0 13.Ke2 c5 14.dxc5 Na6 15.Rhd1 Qb7 16.c6
Qxc6 17.Bxe7 Rfe8 18.Ba3 Qxc3 19.Qxc3 Bxc3 20.Rac1 Bb4 21.Bb2 Bf8 22.Nd4 Nc5 23.g4
Re4 24.Kf3 Rae8 25.h3 f6 26.Ba3 Kf7 27.Rc2 Na6 28.Bxf8 Kxf8 29.Rc6 Kg7 30.Nb5 R4e7

William and Nisa Walker, proprietors of the Oasis and Oasis Too cafes, in association with Young’s bakery, sponsored a knockout rapid chess tournament with a difference. Sixteen players emerged from the initial round to form four select groups. The winner of the preliminary round was veteran Learie Webster who played unbeaten, and is a favourite to win the tournament. The top four finishers of the four groups played a semi-final round, and the final was played last evening at the Oasis cafe in Carmichael St. The winner walked off with $40,000 and the runner-up got $20,000. In picture, Webster is relaxed as Tiwari studies the board. Webster, in his usual way, launched a blistering attack on the white pieces from which Tiwari never recovered.
William and Nisa Walker, proprietors of the Oasis and Oasis Too cafes, in association with Young’s bakery, sponsored a knockout rapid chess tournament with a difference. Sixteen players emerged from the initial round to form four select groups. The winner of the preliminary round was veteran Learie Webster who played unbeaten, and is a favourite to win the tournament. The top four finishers of the four groups played a semi-final round, and the final was played last evening at the Oasis cafe in Carmichael St. The winner walked off with $40,000 and the runner-up got $20,000. In picture, Webster is relaxed as Tiwari studies the board. Webster, in his usual way, launched a blistering attack on the white pieces from which Tiwari never recovered.

31.Rdd6 Nc5 32.Nc7 Rf8 33.h4 Rff7 34.Nd5 Rd7 35.Rxd7 Nxd7 36.Kg3 Nc5 37.f3 h6 38.Nf4
g5 39.Nh5+ Kg6 40.f4 gxf4+ 41.exf4 Kh7 
42.f5 Kg8 43.Kf3 Nd7 44.Ke4 Kf8 45.Rc8+ Ke7 46.Kd5 b5 47.Rh8 Nb6+ 48.Kc6 Nc4 49.Ra8
Ne5+ 50.Kc5 Nd7+ 51.Kxb5 Kd6 52.Rxa7 Rf8 53.Kb4 Nc5 54.Kc4 1–0
 

Van Wely v Polgar

Van Wely, L (2681) – Polgar, Ju (2707)
Corus A Wijk aan Zee NED (2), 13.1.2008
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3 b6 5.Qb3 c5 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bh4 g5 8.Bg3 Ne4 9.e3 Bb7 10.Bd3 Nxg3 11.hxg3 g4 12.Ne5 d6 13.Nxg4Bxg2 14.Rh2 Bf3 15.Be2 Bxg4 16.Bxg4 Nc6 17.Bf3 Qd7 18.0–0–0 Bxc3 19.Qxc3 0–0–0 20.Rdh1 cxd4 21.exd4 e5 22.Bxc6 Qxc6 23.d5 Qd7 24.Rxh6 Rxh6 25.Rxh6 Qg4 26.b3 f5 27.Qe3 f4
28.gxf4 Rf8 29.Rxd6 Rxf4 30.Qg3 Qe2 31.Qh3+ Rg4 32.f3 Qe1+ 33.Kc2 Qe2+ 34.Kc3 Qe3+ 35.Kc2 Qe2+ 36.Kc3 Qe3+ 37.Kc2 ½–½

 

Judit Polgar, First Lady of Chess. The Hungarian grandmaster is the strongest woman ever to play chess. Judit is the highest-ranked of the three famous Polgar sisters who were groomed in an experiment by their parents, both professors of physics, to become exceptional chess players. The girls were privately tutored for half a day and played chess for the other half. Judit is now a chess professional and participates regularly in some of the strongest tournaments in the world.
Judit Polgar, First Lady of Chess. The Hungarian grandmaster is the strongest woman ever to play chess. Judit is the highest-ranked of the three famous Polgar sisters who were groomed in an experiment by their parents, both professors of physics, to become exceptional chess players. The girls were privately tutored for half a day and played chess for the other half. Judit is now a chess professional and participates regularly in some of the strongest tournaments in the world.