The First Daily Chess Newspaper on the Net

Editors: GM Alexander Baburin, GM Ruslan Scherbakov and IM Vladimir Barsky.

CT-102, 16th February 2001

Chess around the Globe

J oseph Gallagher won with Black

against Alexei Barsov and caught
Andrei Kharlov, who drew his
game with Evgeny Vladimirov in
On this day in history … Vera Menchik
(1906 – 1944) was born in Moscow. She
was the first Woman’s World Chess
Champion and lived during her
the Calcutta Open. Gallagher and childhood in Russia and then
Kharlov share 1-2 places with 8 moved to England. She won 8
points out of 11. Our World Championships, some of
congratulations to the winners! them with a perfect score! She
was the first woman who
There was only one other decisive struggled – and not without
game on the top boards – Victor success! – with the strongest
Mikhalevsky beat Idelfonso Datu. male chessplayers. Amongst her
All other games were drawn. many scalps were Euwe and
Unfortunately the organisers haven’t put Reshevsky. In memory of the first
the games on their site yet so we can’t women World Champion an Olympic
judge whether these games were hard Trophy for women has her name – The
fought or peaceful. But in general this Vera Menchik Cup.
situation is quite typical for the last See also our annotated game section.
round of an open tournament. Chess
professionals don’t want to risk too Tactical Puzzles
much, because should they lose … all
their work for 11 or more days will be 1) Perlaska − Grassi Komo, 1907
unpaid!
1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.¥c4
Final standing: cxb2 5.¥xb2 ¥b4+ 6.¤c3 ¥xc3+?
7.¥xc3 £e7 8.£b3! 8.¥xg7!? £b4+÷
1-2. Kharlov, Gallagher – 8 points out of 8...£xe4+ 9.¢d2! £xg2 10.¤e2 ¤f6
11.¥xf6 gxf6 12.£e3+ ¢d8 13.¦hg1
11
£xh2 14.¦ae1 ¦e8?
3-8. Vladimirov, Ghaem, Sorokin, XIIIIIIIIY
Sandipan, Rahman, Mikhalevski – 7½ 9rsnlmkr+-+0
9-11. Prakash, Villamayor, Wajih – 7 etc.
9zppzpp+p+p0
9-+-+-zp-+0
This week another tournament finished –
9+-+-+-+-0
the championship of Byelorussia (12
participants, round-robin system, VII
9-+L+-+-+0
FIDE category). The strongest GM in the
9+-+-wQ-+-0
country, Alexei Fedorov, didn’t take part
9P+-mKNzP-wq0
in this event.
9+-+-tR-tR-0
Final standing:
xiiiiiiiiy
1. S. Azarov – 8 points out of 11 White to play
2-3. I. Ljutsko, V. Dydyshko – 7
2) Fink − Alekhin C44
4. S. Smetankin – 6½
Pasadena, 1932
5. A. Kovalev – 6 etc.
1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3.c3 d5 4.£a4 ¤f6
Information from D. Novitsky, site 5.¤xe5 ¥d6 6.¤xc6 bxc6 7.e5?! ¥xe5
www.kasparovchess.ru 8.d4 ¥d6 9.£xc6+?! ¥d7 10.£a6 0-0

This issue is prepared by IM Vladimir Barsky; technical editor – Graham Brown

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CT-102 Page 1 of 3
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11.¥e2 ¦e8 12.¤d2? ¦b8 13.a4 £e7 7.0-0?? £xa1 8.¤bd2 £xd1 9.¦xd1
14.¤f1 ¤c6 10.c3 ¥f5 11.¤e5 ¤xe5 12.¥xe5
XIIIIIIIIY e6 13.¤f1 ¤e4 14.¦b1 ¤xc3 0-1
9-tr-+r+k+0
9zp-zplwqpzpp0
9Q+-vl-sn-+0 A Baratz − V Menchik
Hastings2728 Hastings, 1927 A01
9+-+p+-+-0 Notes by IM Vladimir Barsky
9P+-zP-+-+0
9+-zP-+-+-0 This battle shows the brilliant tactical
9-zP-+LzPPzP0 skill of Vera Menchik.
9tR-vL-mKN+R0 1.b3?! d5 2.¥b2 ¤f6 3.e3 g6 4.¤f3 ¥g7
xiiiiiiiiy XIIIIIIIIY
Black to play 9rsnlwqk+-tr0
9zppzp-zppvlp0
Annotated Games 9-+-+-snp+0
9+-+p+-+-0
Of course in the first half of 20th century 9-+-+-+-+0
females were much weaker at chess 9+P+-zPN+-0
than in the present day. Nowadays you 9PvLPzP-zPPzP0
will rarely see such "masterpieces" in the 9tRN+QmKL+R0
World Women's Championship as the xiiiiiiiiy
following two games .. from the same
The Nimtzovich Opening isn't the most
event:
dangerous weapon for White but, of
course, it's playable. But from now on
B Janeckova − V Menchik
Wch (Women) Buenos Aires, 1939 D52
White started to play as if Black had
disappeared from the board.
1.d4 d5 2.¤f3 ¤f6 3.c4 c6 4.¤c3 e6 5.h3?!
5.¥g5 ¤bd7 6.e3 £a5 7.¤d2 ¥b4 This mark − not only for this move but
8.£c1 ¤e4 9.¤cxe4 dxe4 also for all White's set up.
XIIIIIIIIY 5...0-0 6.g4 c5 7.¥g2 ¤c6 8.d3 ¥d7?!
9r+l+k+-tr0 I can't understand this move. Yes,
9zpp+n+pzpp0 there is a rule for beginners: first of all
9-+p+p+-+0 you have to develop all your pieces (I
9wq-+-+-vL-0 prefer another form of this rule: if you
9-vlPzPp+-+0 don't know what to do − develop your
9+-+-zP-+-0 pieces!). But the Black bishop was just
9PzP-sN-zPPzP0 as good on c8 as on d7. 8...£c7!?;
9tR-wQ-mKL+R0 8...b6!?
xiiiiiiiiy 9.¤bd2 £c7 10.¤f1 ¦fd8 11.¤g3?
10.a3?? ¥xd2+ 11.£xd2 £xg5 0-1 XIIIIIIIIY
9r+-tr-+k+0
A Lougheed − V Menchik
Wch (Women) Buenos Aires, 1939 D02
9zppwqlzppvlp0
9-+n+-snp+0
1.d4 d5 2.¤f3 ¤f6 3.¥f4 c5 4.e3 £b6 9+-zpp+-+-0
5.¥d3? c4 6.¥e2 £xb2 9-+-+-+P+0
XIIIIIIIIY 9+P+PzPNsNP0
9rsnl+kvl-tr0 9PvLP+-zPL+0
9zpp+-zppzpp0
9-+-+-sn-+0 9tR-+QmK-+R0
9+-+p+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy
9-+pzP-vL-+0 Both players have moved their pieces
9+-+-zPN+-0 in their own camps, and White has lost
9PwqP+LzPPzP0 caution.
9tRN+QmK-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy
This issue is prepared by IM Vladimir Barsky; technical editor – Graham Brown
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CT-102 Page 2 of 3
Chess Today brings the latest chess news, annotated games and interviews directly to your mailbox, every day!

11...¤xg4! Answers
A very unexpected and strong blow! 1) 15.£xe8+!! ¢xe8 16.¤d4+ ¢f8
12.hxg4 17.¦e8+! ¢xe8 18.¦g8+ ¢e7 19.¤f5#
White doesn't want to receive another XIIIIIIIIY
blow: 12.¥xg7 ¤xe3! 13.fxe3 £xg3+-+ 9rsnl+-+R+0
12...¥xb2 13.¦b1 ¥c3+ 14.¤d2 ¤e5! 9zppzppmkp+p0
15.¥f3 £a5 9-+-+-zp-+0
Many years before the computer era
Black plays as Fritz suggests!
9+-+-+N+-0
16.¤gf1 £xa2
9-+L+-+-+0
If you can take a pawn with impunity 9+-+-+-+-0
why not do it? 9P+-mK-zP-wq0
17.¥e2 £a5 18.f4 ¤c6 19.¢f2 £c7 9+-+-+-+-0
Black prepares a break in the centre. xiiiiiiiiy
20.¥f3
XIIIIIIIIY 1-0
9r+-tr-+k+0
9zppwqlzpp+p0 2) 14...¥b5! 0-1
9-+n+-+p+0
9+-zpp+-+-0 Recommended Sites
9-+-+-zPP+0
9+PvlPzPL+-0 http://www.goodrickechess.8k.com/
9-+PsN-mK-+0 www.kasparovchess.ru
9+R+Q+N+R0
xiiiiiiiiy Contact information. Do you want to
20...d4! 21.¤e4 dxe3+ 22.¢g3 ¥g7 report a tournament or have a suggestion
23.¤xe3 ¥e8 24.£c1 h6 concerning Chess Today? E-mail us at
XIIIIIIIIY [email protected]. We always
9r+-trl+k+0 appreciate your comments and feedback!
9zppwq-zppvl-0 Please tell your chess friends about
9-+n+-+pzp0 Chess Today. Feel free to send them our
9+-zp-+-+-0 newspaper to sample – with more readers
9-+-+NzPP+0 the price will go down, while the quality
9+P+PsNLmK-0 will go up!
9-+P+-+-+0
9+RwQ-+-+R0 Chess Today is published by:
Alexander Baburin, 3 Eagle Hill, Blackrock, Co.
xiiiiiiiiy Dublin, Ireland.
Can you find a purpose to this move? Tel: (353-1) 278-2276
25.c3 Fax/phone: (353-1) 283-6839.
White couldn't... E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.chesstoday.net/
25...£xf4+! 26.¢f2 Editors:
Maybe if White grabbed the Queen this GM Alexander Baburin, GM Ruslan Scherbakov and
game would have been published in IM Vladimir Barsky.
chess text−books and all world would Technical editors:
know Mr. Baratz... 26.¢xf4 ¥e5#! Graham Brown. Ralph P. Marconi
Chess Today is copyright 2000 by Alexander
26...¤e5 In any case White resigned. Baburin © and protected intellectual property under
0-1 the International Copyright convention. Any
unauthorized reproduction, via print, electronic format,
or in any form whatsoever is strictly prohibited without
express written permission.

This issue is prepared by IM Vladimir Barsky; technical editor – Graham Brown

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CT-102 Page 3 of 3