THE Isle of Lewis Chess Festival (24-28 July) not only promised to be
the event of the year in Scotland, it proved to be just that. More than
230 players competed from all over Scotland and further afield. Four
top-class grandmasters battled in a special invitation grandmaster
tournament.
Many players brought spouses and families on holiday to the island, to
the great delight of the Western Isles Tourist Board. Chess brought more
people to Lewis than any other sporting event or other attraction has
done or is likely to do this year. That includes the island's renowned
sea angling competition and open golf championship. I was there, too,
and it was a great occasion.
The grandmasters played in Stornoway's newly restored Nan Eilan
museum, which also housed an exhibition of the famous Lewis chessmen, on
loan from the British Museum for four months this year. The chessmen are
every bit as mysterious and intriguing as their reputation and could not
fail to inspire a competitive edge in all who saw them. They were
splendidly exhibited with excellent on-line computer information about
their origins and importance in the ancient Norse world to which they
belonged.
In the grandmaster tournament, which attracted considerable coverage
on Grampian television as well as in the national press, 19-year-old
Judit Polgar (Hungary), won convincingly with 5/6, ahead of Simen
Agdestein (Norway) 3[1/2], Nigel Short (England) 2 and Paul Motwani
(Scotland) 1[1/2]. In the Scottish Co-op Open Championship, Mark Hebden
won with 5[1/2]/6. Among other prize-winners, Mark Marshall took the
Western Isles prize for his score of 4/6 in the Minor championship.
Many thanks must go to the organising Lewis Chess Club and the
sponsors -- Western Isles Island Council, Western Isles Enterprise,
Western Isles Tourist Board, the Gannochy Trust, Scottish Co-op, the
Bank of Scotland and Scotia Pharmaceuticals -- who hope to establish the
festival annually. Here is one of the best games from the grandmaster
tournament.
White: S. Agdestein
Black: N. Short
Stornoway 1995
Queen's Gambit Declined
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 d5 4 Nc3 Be7 5 Bf4 0-0 6 e3 c5 7 dxc5 Bxc5 8 a3
Nc6 9 Qc2 Qa5 10 0-0-0 Be7 11 h4!
Poor Short has to face Kasparov. The PCA world champion introduced
this move in a game against Vaganian in Novgorod two months ago. The
main idea is that after 11 . . . dxc4 12 Bxc4 e5 13 Bg5 is possible.
After the old 11 g4, the same line would leave White's g-pawn under
attack.
11 . . . Rd8 12 Nd2
Agdestein tries to improve on a second game at Novgorod,
Kasparov-Ehlvest, which continued 11 g4 and was eventually drawn.
12 . . . Rd7?!
Short reacts with a rather ungainly and probably suspect plan, whose
main problem is that it fails to develop his queenside while White
develops kingside pressure.
13 Bd3 Qd8 14 cxd5 exd5 15 Nf3 Qf8 16 g4!
White can safely play this aggressive move because of his pressure on
h7. While White's kingside attack is moving into gear, Black is still
far from establishing counter-balancing queenside play.
16 . . . Ne4 17 Ne5 Nxe5 18 Bxe5 f6 19 Bd4 Rc7 20 f3!
Just as Black's pieces are beginning to line up against White's king,
Agdestein demonstrates that White's attack is stronger following a long
combinational line introduced by this fine pawn move.
20 . . . Nxc3 21 Bxh7+ Kh8 22 Bxc3 Bxa3 23 Rxd5!
Not 23 bxa3 Qxa3+ 24 Kd2 Bxg4 25 fxg4 Rac8 and Black has a real
attack. But now 24 Rh5 is a deadly threat and Black can only sacrifice
his queen's bishop under disadvantageous circumstances.
23 . . . Bxg4 24 fxg4 Rxc3 25 Qxc3 Rc8 26 Qxc8 Qxc8+ 27 Bc2
And if 27 . . . Qc3 28 Rd8+ and mates. Black now has to go completely
on to the defensive and is defenceless against the combined fire-power
of White's two rooks and king's bishop.
27 . . . Be7 28 Rhd1 Kg8 29 Rd7 Kf8 30 Kb1 a5 31 h5 Qc6 32 Bf5 a4 33
Rc1 Black resigns
Or if Black's queen moves, 34 Rc8+ and wins.
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