World championship finally starts

Position No.6105: Black to play and win. From the game Farrukh Amonatov-Azat Sharafiev, Russian Team Championship, Dagomys 2010.

Solution to Position No.6104: White wins with 1 Qd8+ Bf8 2 Qc7, threatening 3 Qh7 mate and 3 Qxc4+. If 2…Be6+, both the routine 3 f5 and the amusing 3 Kg5 Bg7 4 Qb8+ Bf8 5 Qxb7 Bg7 6 Qb8+ Bf8 7 Qxa7 Bg7 8 Qxe3 win.

The long-awaited world championship match between champion Viswanathan Anand and challenger Veselin Topalov did not start on time, because volcanic ash prevented Anand from flying to Sofia, Bulgaria. He arrived by car after a 40-hour journey, and the World Chess Federation delayed the first game to April 24.

Topalov, a national hero in Bulgaria, thrilled his fans with a rousing victory in the first game. Any fears that Anand was suffering from automobile lag were quickly dispelled as he took a 21/2-11/2 lead with convincing wins as White in the second and fourth games.

The 12-game match is scheduled to conclude May 13. Games begin at 5 a.m. PDT. The offical site, anand-topalov.com, provides live coverage and interviews.

National news

Southern California high school champion Christian Tanaka tied for first place in the 1,307-player National High School Championship two weeks ago in Columbus, Ohio. Tanaka was one of 10 players who scored 6-1 to lead the 323-player Open section. On tiebreak, Kristopher Meekins of Ohio won the national title. A total of 1,307 players competed in the five-section tournament.

Local news

Only 86 players competed in the Western Pacific Open last weekend in Los Angeles, but the tournament boasted a strong field with two grandmasters and six International Masters. The titled players swept the prizes, as GMs Melikset Khachiyan and Alejandro Ramirez and IMs Andranik Matikozyan, Enrico Sevillano, Sam Shankland and Jacek Stopa shared first place with 4-1 scores. Next at 31/2-11/2 were IM Tim Taylor, Konstantin Kavutskiy and top expert Ankit Gupta.

Simone Liao and Simone Sobel scored 41/2-1/2 to lead the Premier (under-2000) section. Chantelle Field and Hovanes Salvaryan tied for first at 4-1 in the Amateur (under-1400) section.

Two scholastic events attracted an additional 21 players. Qinhong Chen, Karl Tolentino and Noah Daniels took top prizes. Expert Jeff Phillips led the 13-player Hexes. John Hillery and Anthony Ong directed.

The Santa Monica Bay Chess Club will begin its four-round club championship at 7 p.m. Monday. The club meets every Monday evening in St. Andrew’s Church, 11555 National Blvd. in Los Angeles. For more information, contact Pete Savino at (310) 827-2789 or at [email protected].

Today’s games

GM Veselin Topalov (Bul-garia)-GM Viswanathan Anand (India), World Championship, Game No.1, Sofia 2010: 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 d5 The Gruenfeld Defense. 4 cxd5 Nxd5 5 e4 Nxc3 6 bxc3 Bg7 7 Bc4 Topalov con-sistently relies on this traditional treatment of the Exchange varia-tion, rather than the modern 7 Nf3. c5 8 Ne2 Nc6 9 Be3 0-0 10 0-0 Na5 A recently fashionable alter-native to 10…Qc7 11 Rc1 Rd8 and 10…Bg4 11 f3 Na5. 11 Bd3 b6 Welcoming 12 dxc5 bxc5 13 Bxc5 Qc7, as Black’s Knight will settle on c4. 12 Qd2 Many games have tested 12 Rc1 e5 13 dxc5, a superior pawn grab. Nevertheless, Black gets adequate compensation from 13 … Be6 14 c4 bxc5 15 Bxc5 Bh6. e5 13 Bh6 Typically, Topalov goes for a direct attack. cxd4 14 Bxg7 Kxg7 15 cxd4 exd4 16 Rac1 Topalov’s second, Cheparinov, defeated Kamsky in 2008 with 16 f4 f6 17 Rac1 Bg4 18 Ng3 Bd7 19 h4, although Black later had a winning position. In 2009, Topalov and Kamsky drew after 16 f4 f6 17 e5 Bd7 18 exf6+ Qxf6 19 Ng3 Kh8 20 f5 gxf5. Qd6 New, but hardly a surprise. Both players continued to play quickly, following home analysis. 17 f4 f6 18 f5!? Ambitious. White could recover the pawn by 18 Bc4 Bb7 19 Nxd4, but 19…Rad8 20 Bd5 (not 20 Ne6+ Qxe6 21 Qxd8 because of 21…Qxe4! 22 Qd7+ Kh8 23 Rf2 Nxc4) Bxd5 21 Nb5 Qe6 22 exd5 Qxd5 23 Qxd5 Rxd5 24 Nxa7 only draws. Qe5 Expect Black to test 18…Bd7 next. 19 Nf4 g5 20 Nh5+ Kg8 21 h4 h6 Not 21…gxh4?? 22 Qh6 Rf7 23 Rf4!, and White wins. 22 hxg5 hxg5 23 Rf3! Intending to invade at g5 by 24 Rg3 and 25 Nxf6+. Kf7?? Critical, and far from clear, is 23…Bd7 24 Rg3 Rac8 25 Nxf6+. Topalov claimed a powerful attack for White, which seems accurate. 24 Nxf6! Crushing. White’s army will invade before Black’s Queenside awakes. Kxf6 After 24…Qxf6 25 Rc7+ Ke8, White can win by 26 Bb5+ Kd8 27 Rfc3 a6 28 Ba4 b5 29 R3c5 Nb7 30 R5c6 or by 26 Rh3 Bd7 27 Rh7 Rf7 28 Rxf7 Qxf7 29 e5. 25 Rh3 Rg8 Trying to defend g5. If 25…Qf4, the elegant 26 e5+! wins: 26…Qxe5 27 Rh6+ Kf7 28 Rh7+ Kf6 (avoiding 28…Kg8 29 Qxg5+ Kxh7 30 f6+) 29 Re1 Qf4 30 Qb4, or 26…Kxe5 27 Re1+ Kf6 28 Qe2. 26 Rh6+ Kf7 27 Rh7+ Ke8 Nor will 27…Rg7 repel the attack. After 28 Rxg7+ Kxg7 29 Qxg5+, Black cannot stand 29…Kf7 30 Qd8 or 29…Kf8 30 Qh4! Bd7 31 f6 Re8 32 Rf1. 28 Rcc7 Kd8 29 Bb5! Qxe4 Against 29…a6, White wins with 30 Rce7! Qxe7 (or 30…Qd6 31 Qxg5! Rxg5 32 Re8 mate) 31 Qxd4+ Bd7 32 Rxe7. 30 Rxc8+, Black Resigns. Black must lose a piece by 30…Kxc8 31 Qc1+ Nc6 32 Bxc6 Qe3+ 33 Qxe3 dxe3 34 Bxa8.

WGM Ning Chunhong (China)-GM Zhao Zue (China), Chinese Team Championship, Ningbo 2010: 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 0-0 Nf6 5 d3 d6 6 c3 The modern treatment of the Giuoco Piano. Bb6 7 Bb3 The Bishop often hides at c2, as in the Ruy Lopez. Ne7 Instead of the usual 7…0-0. 8 Nbd2 c6 9 Nc4 Bc7 10 Bg5 Stronger is 10 d4, although 10…Ng6 11 dxe5 dxe5 12 Qxd8+ Kxd8 13 Bg5 Ke7 appears very drawish. Ng6 11 Nh4 h6!? 12 Nxg6 fxg6 13 Bd2 g5 Black controls the f-file and the square f4, thanks to the doubled pawns. Chances are even. 14 Qe2 Qe7 15 Rfe1 a5 16 a4 Safer is 16 Ne3 a4 17 Bc2. Be6 17 d4? Now Black exploits the loose Bishop. White should keep equality by 17 Bc2 or 17 Be3 0-0 18 Nd2. Qf7! 18 Ra3?! Awkward. However, if White escapes the pin by 18 Ba2 0-0 19 b3, Black pockets a pawn by 19…Nxe4! 20 Qxe4 Qxf2+ 21 Kh1 d5 22 Qe2 dxc4. Probably best is 18 f3 0-0 19 h3 (stopping …g5-g4) b5 20 axb5 cxb5 21 d5 Nxd5! 22 Nxd6 Bxd6 23 Bxd5 Bxd5 24 exd5 Qxd5 25 Red1, when Black cannot easily capitalize on her extra pawn. 0-0 19 Bc1 White can maintain equal material temporarily by 19 f3 g4 20 Be3 gxf3 21 gxf3 exd4 22 cxd4 Nh5 23 Nd2 d5, but she has no satisfactory answer to …Nh5-f4. exd4 20 cxd4 Nxe4! 21 Nxa5 Hoping for 21…Bxa5? 22 Bxe6 Qxe6 23 Qxe4. Instead, 21 f3 lets Black keep a pawn by 21…Bxc4 22 Bxc4 d5 23 fxe4 dxc4. d5! More decisive than gaining a pawn by 21…Bxb3 22 Nxb3 Nxf2!, which relies on 23 Rf1? Rae8! 24 Qxf2 Qxf2+ 25 Rxf2 Re1+. 22 Nxb7 Rae8 Massing for an unstoppable Kingside attack. One threat is 23…Bc8 24 Nc5 Nxc5, discovering on the Queen. 23 Nc5 Black refutes 23 Be3 Bc8 24 Nc5 convincingly with 24…Nxf2 (threatening 25…Ng4) 25 Qxf2 Qh5. Or, if 23 f3 Qh5, Black can finish attractively by 24 h3 Bxh3! 25 gxh3 Ng3 26 Qd1 Qxh3 27 Re3 Qh1+ 28 Kf2 Rxf3+! 29 Rxf3 Qh2 mate or 24 g3 Nxg3 25 hxg3 Bh3 26 Bxd5+ cxd5 27 Qf2 Rxe1+ 28 Qxe1 Rxf3 29 Rxf3 Qxf3 30 Qf2 Qd1+ 31 Kh2 Qxc1 32 Kxh3 Qh1+ 33 Kg4 g6 and 34…Qh5 mate. Bg4! 24 Qf1 Qh5 25 f4 As 25 h3 Rxf2 26 Qd3 loses to 26…Bf3. Bxf4 26 Bxf4 Rxf4, White Resigns. White cannot stand 27 Qd3 Nxc5 or 27 Qxf4 gxf4 28 Rxe4 Rxe4 29 Nxe4 Qe8.