Top-ranked U.S. GM Hikaru Nakamura rules the Rock, having just won this year’s edition of the strong Tradewise Gibraltar open tournament on the British Mediterranean outpost with an 8½-1½ score. Nakamura, now being challenged by rising GM Wesley So as the top-rated American player, didn’t drop a game, defeating ex-world champion Veselin Topalov and Chinese star GM Yu Yangyi along the way.
English GM David Howell was second, a half-point back, and Topalov and women’s world champion Hou Yifan of China were in a group of nine players at 7½-2½.
The St. Louis-based Nakamura offered a practical lesson in Swiss success against Indian GM Baskaran Adhiban, first confusing his opponent with a lesser-known opening line and then slowly rebuilding his position after an oversight nearly cost him his early advantage.
In a sharp Queen’s Gambit Accepted line, White’s nerves already betray him on the shaky 10. Ne2? (f3 is the main line and the one that challenges Black’s cheeky play) Bxe4 11. b3 Nc6 12. Nc3?! (against, 12. f3 was indicated) Bb4! 13. Bd2 Bxc3 14. Bxc3 b4 15. d5? (allowing Black to overwhelm the queenside; tougher was 15. Bd2, although Black still has the edge after either 15…c3 or 15…cxb3 16. Qxb3 Nxd4 17. Qc4 [Qxb4?? Nc2+] Ne7) bxc3! 16. dxc6 Qxd1+ 17. Kxd1 bxc3, and it appears the connected Black passers will win in very short order.
But an inaccuracy allows White back into the game: 18. c7 Kd7? (a chagrined Nakamura noted later that 18…Ne7! was the right move here; e.g. 19. Bb5+ Kf8 20. Ke2 b2 21. Rad1 g6 22. Bd3 Bxg2 23. Rhg1 Bb7 24. Bb1 Nd5 and White is busted) 19. Ra3! b2 20. c8=Q+! Kxc8 21. Rxc3+ Kd7 (Kb7 22. Rb3+) 22. Bd3 b1=Q+ (unfortunately for Black, 22…Bxd3?? 23. Rxd3 is now check, and White would win) 23. Bxb1 Bxb1 24. Rb3 Be5 25. Rb8, and Black faces a major headache in breaking the pin and untangling his kingside.
Black patiently sets about unwinding the White bind, finding 30. Rc7+ Kd6! 31. Ra7 Ne7!, when 32. Raa8 Bb5+ 33. Rxb5 Rxa8 would solve all his problems. Black finally breaks free after 32. Rd8+ Ke5 33. Rb7 (Rxe7 Bb5+ wins again) Kf6 34. Rdb8 Ng6 35. Rb6 h5 36. f3 Ba4 — with two minor pieces and an extra pawn, the rest is a matter of technique.
After 54. Rd1 Kg5 55. Rd2 f5, White’s rook has no chance of holding back the Black pawns; Adhiban resigned.
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Our column last year about famous chess-playing politicians missed a big one — an English MP whose 200th birthday we’re marking this year. The plummily named Marmaduke Wyvill may not ring many bells these days, but this Liberal politician held a seat in Parliament for more than 20 years starting in the 1840s, while ranking among the great English amateurs who came of age in the generation before Morphy.
Regarded by Staunton himself as one of the country’s finest players, Wyvill’s greatest claim to chess fame was his second-place finish in the 1851 London tournament, considered the first great tournament of the modern era. Wyvill lost in the finals to the great German Adolf Anderssen 4-2, who would go on to lose to Morphy in a famous world title match seven years later.
A good measure of Wyvill’s talent and fighting spirit can be found in his win over fellow Englishman Elijah Williams from the London tournament. (Williams would finish third after narrowly losing to Wyvill in the semifinals, 4-3.) On the White side of (appropriately) an English Opening, Wyvill plays the opening rather weakly (the solid 6. Nf3 suggests itself rather than the time-wasting 6. Bh5+?! Nxh5 7. Qxh5+ g6 8. Qh3 Nc6), and Black enjoys two excellent bishops when White finally unwinds his game after 13. d4 d6 14. exd6 cxd6.
With Black having much the better of the play on the queenside, Wyvill launches a desperation counterattack on the kingside, finding a remarkable winning tactic after his opponent’s defense falters: 26. Rc1 Ba6?! (Rc8 27. Rfc2 b5 28. c5 b4 is better for Black) 28. Qh6! b5?! (cutting off the queen’s retreat, which will come back to haunt Williams; safer was 28…Qe8) 29. Nxg6! Bg7? (see diagram; accepting with 29…hxg6! was the right defense, with complex play after 30. Qxg6+ Rg7 [Bg7 31. Qxd6 b4 32. Qxa6 Rcf8 33. g3 bxa3 34. b3 Qd7 35. Qxa5 also possible) 31. Qe6+ Kh7 32. Bxd6 Bxd6 33. Qxd6 Rxc4 34. Rxc4 bxc4 35. Qxa6 Qb4) 30. Ne7+!!, a move whose point isn’t immediately clear.
White’s idea becomes clear after 30…Rxe7 (Kh8 31. Qxd6 threatens Qxa6, Nxc8 and b2-b3 on the next move) 31. Qxd6 Ree8 32. b3, and the Black queen is trapped as the White queen now guards the bishop on a3. There followed 32…Bf8? (the last hope was 32…Be5! 33. bxa4 Bxd6 34. Bxd6 bxc4 35. Bf4, and White’s extra pawn may not be enough to win) 33. Qg3+ Kf7 34. Bxf8 Rxf8 35. bxa4 bxa4 36. Qe5, and Black resigned a hopeless position.
Adhiban-Nakamura, Tradewise Gibraltar, Celeta, Gibraltar, January 2015
1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e4 b5 4. a4 c6 5. Nc3 a6 6. axb5 cxb5 7. Nxb5 axb5 8. Rxa8 Bb7 9. Ra1 e6 10. Ne2 Bxe4 11. b3 Nc6 12. Nc3 Bb4 13. Bd2 Bxc3 14. Bxc3 b4 15. d5 bxc3 16. dxc6 Qxd1+ 17. Kxd1 cxb3 18. c7 Kd7 19. Ra3 b2 20. c8=Q+ Kxc8 21. Rxc3+ Kd7 22. Bd3 b1=Q+ 23. Bxb1 Bxb1 24. Rb3 Be4 25. Rb8 g5 26. Ke2 Ke7 27. h4 gxh4 28. Rxh4 Bc6 29. Rc4 Be8 30. Rc7+ Kd6 31. Ra7 Ne7 32. Rd8+ Ke5 33. Rb7 Kf6 34. Rdb8 Ng6 35. Rb6 h5 36. f3 Ba4 37. Rxh8 Nxh8 38. Ke3 Ng6 39. Ra6 Bb3 40. Ra5 Bd5 41. Ra7 e5 42. Ra5 Be6 43. Rb5 h4 44. Rb1 Kg5 45. Rb5 f6 46. Rb7 Nf4 47. Kf2 Nh5 48. Rb6 Bf5 49. Rb8 Bg6 50. Rb4 Nf4 51. Ra4 Bf7 52. Ra7 Kg6 53. Ra1 Bd5 54. Rd1 Kg5 55. Rd2 f5 Black resigns.
Wyvill-Williams, London 1851
1. c4 e6 2. e3 f5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. f4 b6 5. Be2 Bb7 6. Bh5+ Nxh5 7. Qxh5+ g6 8. Qh3 Nc6 9. Nf3 Nb4 10. O-O Nd3 11. Ne5 Nxe5 12. fxe5 Bg7 13. d4 d6 14. exd6 cxd6 15. Rf2 O-O 16. Bd2 Qc7 17. Ne2 Rae8 18. Bb4 e5 19. Rd1 Rf7 20. Nc3 a5 21. Ba3 Qc6 22. d5 Qd7 23. Rdf1 e4 24. Ne2 Be5 25. Nf4 Qa4 26. Rc1 Ba6 27. Rfc2 Rc8 28. Qh6 b5 29. Nxg6 Bg7 30. Ne7+ Rxe7 31. Qxd6 Ree8 32. b3 Bf8 33. Qg3+ Kf7 34. Bxf8 Rxf8 35. bxa4 bxa4 36. Qe5 White resigns.
• David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by email at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
• David R. Sands can be reached at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
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