There’s nonetheless half a yr to go, however IM Anna Zatonskih’s victory within the third annual Cairns Cup earlier this month appears sure to rank among the many most surprising outcomes of 2023.
Although she is a four-time former U.S. ladies’s nationwide champion (in addition to a former ladies’s champ in her native Ukraine), the 44-year-old Zatonskih was the lowest-rated participant — by an excellent margin — within the 10-woman discipline on the Chess Club of St. Louis, a discipline that included former ladies’s world champion GM Alexandra Kosteniuk and eight-time U.S. ladies’s titleholder Irina Krush. But Zatonskih took management early and by no means seemed again, clinching first place with a spherical to go and ending an undefeated 6-2 (Indian GM Humpy Koneru needed to withdraw for well being causes midtournament and her video games weren’t counted), some extent away from Kosteniuk, to take house the $45,000 first prize.
It didn’t come simple, both — Zatonskih’s 4 wins (three with the black items) averaged over 63 strikes, and she or he needed to survive a grueling 130-move final-round ordeal defending an opposite-colored bishop ending towards Krush, avoiding defeat by lastly having the ability to declare the 50-move draw rule.
Zatonskih’s most full efficiency might have come towards Kosteniuk, the No. 1 seed with a virtually 200 ranking factors benefit. It’s a French Defense Advance Variation wherein, true to the character of the opening, either side are prepared to simply accept some structural blemishes in pursuit of internal positional magnificence. Kosteniuk as White permits her queenside to be busted up and renounces castling in alternate for the bishop pair and a half-open b-file, however neither works to her benefit within the making certain play.
White’s awkward king comes again to harm her after 15. Qb4 Rc8! (not enjoying White’s recreation; unhealthy now could be 16. Qxb7?? Nxd2+ 17. Nxd2 Qxb7 18. Rxb7 Rc1+ 19. Bd1 Rxd1+ 20. Ke2 Rxh1 21. Rb8+ Kd7 22. Rxh8 Ra1, profitable a chunk) 16. Bg5 Rc7 17. Bd1? (Kg1 h6 18. Bxe7 Rxe7 19. h4 presents White hopes of an inexpensive recreation) Bxd1 18. Rxd1 Qa6!, and now Black has strain on the weak a-pawns and threatens a few nasty found checks.
Black pockets the additional pawn on 20. Qb3 Qxa3, however what’s equally spectacular is how Zatonskih doesn’t enable her higher-rated opponent a sniff of counterplay for the remainder of the sport; e.g. 39. Ba3 Ra2!, and Kosteniuk should imprison her personal bishop with 40. b5 as 40. Bf8 (Bc1 Ra1 41. Rd1 Nc3) g5! 41. hxg6+ fxg6 42. Nf3 g5 43. Rg4 Ra1+ 44. Kh2 Nxf2 is profitable. And on 49. Rxb5 (as a substitute of the sport’s 49. Kh2), 49. Ne2+ 50. Kh1 (Kf1 Ne3+) Ra1+ 51. Kh2 Ne3 is a neat solution to lure a misplaced rook.
By 51. Ne1 Ne3, Black’s benefit has grown to an alternate and 4 pawns and White might honorably resign. Kosteniuk is lastly satisfied to name it quits after 61. Bb4 Re3!, when White sees there’s no hope in 62. Kg2 Rxf3! 63. Kxf3 Nxd4+, selecting off the opposite rook.
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The lengthy Krush-Zatonskih endgame battle evokes recollections of one other contest involving opposite-colored bishops, taken from Christian Hesse’s endlessly entertaining 2011 ebook, “The Joys of Chess.” Today’s diagrammed place comes from an 1898 recreation between two of the strongest gamers of the day — Russia’s Mikhail Chigorin and Germany’s Siegbert Tarrasch.
In an nearly completely blockaded place, Tarrasch declined White’s provide of a draw.
A ticked-off Chigorin then eliminated his personal bishop from the board and reportedly muttered, “So win the game now!” Black noticed that even a free further bishop didn’t change the analysis and sheepishly agreed to separate the purpose. A number of these outdated chess tales grow to be lower than correct. Here’s hoping this one was true.
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Like Zatonskih, FM Orest Popovich, who died March 14 on the age of 90, was a local of Ukraine who contributed mightily to American chess over a protracted profession after emigrating in 1949. He earned a PhD. in chemistry and devoted a lot of his time to translating and selling Ukrainian literature. At the chessboard, he defeated many notable gamers and was a four-time New Jersey state champion.
GM Andy Soltis has a pleasant, prolonged appreciation on Chess Life Online, and we provide right here a pleasant cut-and-thrust win by Popovich over one other of the sturdy American masters of the postwar period, IM Edward Formanek. It’s a Winawer French this time, however once more each gamers sacrifice esthetic charms in pursuit of tactical and strategic benefit.
With 11. Nf3 Nxe5!? (dxc3 was safer) 12. Bf4 Qxc3 (unhealthy was 12 … f6? 13. Rb1! dxc3 14. Bd3 Qc5 15. Nxe5 fxe5 16. Qh5+ Kd8 17. Qxe5 Qxf2 18. Re1 Rxg2 19. Qf6, profitable) 13. Nxe5 (Rb1?? Nxf3 14. gxf3 Qxf3+) Qxa1+ 14. Bc1, Popovich provides up the alternate and pawn for sturdy strain on White’s kingside.
The play is sharp and doubled-edged for an excellent whereas, with each kings scrambling to seek out shelter. Black misses an excellent alternative for the benefit with 22 … Nd5! — as a substitute of the sport’s 22 … Kb6?! — 23. Qf7+ Qe7 24. Qxe7+ Nxe7 25. Bxc2 Nd5, and White is hard-pressed to justify his materials drawback. One remaining defensive lapse in a extremely messy place provides White the win.
Thus: 27. Qf8 Bd7? (nonetheless good right here was giving again the alternate with 27 … Rb8!; e.g. 28. Bxb8+ Kxb8 29. Nb6 Qa5!, when 30. Qxc8+?? loses to 30 … Ka7 31. Nc4 Rxf2+ 32. Kb1 Qb4+ and wins) 28. Bc5+ b6 29. Bxb6+!, shredding Black’s defensive protect for good. After 29 … Kb7 30. Nd6+ Kxb6 31. Rb1+ Nb4+ (Ka5 [Ka7 32. Rb7 mate] 32. Nb7+ Kxa4 33. Ra1 is mate) 32. Rxb4+ Bb5 33. Nc4+ Ka7 34. Qe7+ Kb8 35. Qd8+, Formanek resigned in mild of 35 … Kb7 36. Na5+ Ka7 37. Qc7 mate.
(Click on the picture above for a bigger view of the chessboard.)
Kosteniuk-Zatonskih, third Cairns Cup, St. Louis, June 2023
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. Na3 cxd4 7. cxd4 Bd7 8. Be2 Bb4+ 9. Kf1 Bxa3 10. bxa3 Na5 11. Qd3 Ba4 12. Bd2 Nc4 13. Rb1 Qc6 14. Qc3 Ne7 15. Qb4 Rc8 16. Bg5 Rc7 17. Bd1 Bxd1 18. Rxd1 Qa6 19. Kg1 Nc6 20. Qb3 Qxa3 21. h4 Qxb3 22. axb3 Na3 23. h5 h6 24. Bd2 Nb5 25. Rh4 O-O 26. Rg4 Kh7 27. Be1 Rfc8 28. Rd3 Ne7 29. Bd2 Rc2 30. Bb4 Nc6 31. Bd2 Ne7 32. Bb4 R8c7 33. Nh4 Nc3 34. Bd6 Rd7 35. Bb4 Rc7 36. Bd6 Rd7 37. Bb4 Ne4 38. Rf4 Nc6 39. Ba3 Ra2 40. b4 a6 41. f3 Ng3 42. Rg4 Nxh5 43. b5 axb5 44. Bc5 g5 45. f4 Nxf4 46. Re3 Ne7 47. Nf3 Nf5 48. Rb3 Kg6 49. Kh2 Kh5 50. Rxf4 gxf4 51. Ne1 Ne3 52. Kh3 Kg5 53. g3 Nf5 54. Nf3+ Kg6 55. gxf4 Rf2 56. Bb6 Re7 57. Ba5 Re8 58. Be1 Re2 59. Rxb5 Ra8 60. a5 b6 61. Bb4 Re3 White resigns.
Popovich-Formanek, New York, 1969
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 Ne7 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 c5 7. Qg4 Qc7 8. Qxg7 Rg8 9. Qxh7 cxd4 10. Kd1 Nbc6 11. Nf3 Nxe5 12. Bf4 Qxc3 13. Nxe5 Qxa1+ 14. Bc1 d3 15. Qxf7+ Kd8 16. Qf6 dxc2+ 17. Kd2 d4 18. Bb5 Qc3+ 19. Ke2 Qc5 20. a4 a6 21. Bd3 Kc7 22. Bf4 Kb6 23. Nc4+ Ka7 24. Bd6 Qh5+ 25. Kd2 Nc6 26. Kxc2 Rxg2 27. Qf8 Bd7 28. Bc5+ b6 29. Bxb6+ Kb7 30. Nd6+ Kxb6 31. Rb1+ Nb4+ 32. Rxb4+ Bb5 33. Nc4+ Ka7 34. Qe7+ Kb8 35. Qd8+ Black resigns.
• David R. Sands will be reached at 202/636-3178 or by e-mail at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
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