Speelman on Chess
The Snith and Williamson 92nd British Championship took place in Douglas, capital of the Isle of Man from 1-12 August, It finished, as many readers will surely already know, in a second consective victory for the defending champion and hot favourite Jonathan Rowson: but only after a tough and absorbing battle in which Rowson had to fight his way back into contention, after a very poor start.
With a number of players in action instead at the European Team Championship in Gothenburg, the field was smaller than in recent years with just 46 entrants. However, there was plenty of conpetition for the top places with three other grandmasters in addition to Rowson - Stuart Conquest, John Emms and Chris Ward; plus six IMs and a number of young and ambitious FIDE Masters (FMs). Indeed it was two of these who discomfited Rowson in the first week, starting with 18-year-old Tim Woodward who actually defeated him in round two, after he overpressed from a better position. Rowson also dropped a draw in round six against Andrew Greet - or rather just managed to scramble a draw after being in terrible trouble. But he still won his other four games to reach the turn on 4.5/6.
At this stage Ward was leading the chase on 5/6 but as ever the second week of the championship was quite distinct from the first. The format of the Championship has remained constant for many years now: an eleven round Swiss held over a fortnight at the beginning of August with six rounds from Monday to Friday followed by a rest day on the Sunday and then the final shoot-out from Monday to Friday of the next week.
As long as you've got at least 4.5/6 - or at a pinch 4/6 then you're in with a shout; and indeed the second week's play invariably feels qualitatively different from the first, almost like a separate tournament. Just half-a-point behind Ward, Rowson was already well placed and he won a good game as White against the leader in round seven to hit the front together with Greet.
Rowson then drew as Black against IM Stuart Haslinger in a short but interesting game and won in round 9 as White against 18-year-old Stephen Gordon from Oldham, who nevertheless showed great promise overall, making 7/11 against a strong field.
Going into the peultimate round, Rowson led together with Conquest and in the crucial game of the tournament below, he beat his co-leader to open a gap of a whole point.His last round pairing wasn't ideal since he faced Emms, who had recovered from a horribly insipid start to storm back into contention. But Rowson had White and quickly gained a small clean advantage which induced Emms to offer the draw which saw Rowson confirmed as champion again on 8.5/11
Conquest and Haslinger were next on 8, and Emms and IM Richard Pert (the leader in the very early rounds) made 7.5 ahead of Gordon and Ward 7.
Stuart Conquest v Jonathan Rowson
Douglas 2005 (round 10)
Sicilian Najdorf
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 a4!? This quiet move avoids the main theoretical discussions after 6 Bg5, Bc4, Be3 or Be2.
6...g6 Changing tacks with a Dragon (5...g6) in which the inclusion of the sixth moves means that White can't realistically play the normally dangerous lines in which he castles long,
7 Be2 Bg7 8 Be3 0-0 9 0-0 Nc6 10 f4 Bg4 Sometimes played in the analogous line of the Dragon (without a4 a6) this is possible because the combinative liquidations after either 11 Bxg4 Nxg4 12 Qxg4 Nxd4 or 12 Nxc6 Bxe2 13 Nxd8 Bxd1 turn out to be perfectly playable for Black.
11 Nb3 Qc8 12 Kh1 Bxe2 13 Qxe2 Qg4 The queen is actively placed here but also mildly exposed.
14 Rf3 Rac8 15 Rd1 Qh5 16 Bg1 Rfe8
Jonathan Rowson (Black) Stuart Conquest (White to play)
17 Qf1?! Somewhat carelessly allowing Black to advance on the queenside. Instead 17 h3 looks sensible not yet threatening g4 - which loses a pawn to ...Nxg4 - but somewhat resticting the enemy queen.
17...b5! 18 axb5 axb5 19 Re1 If White captures either way on b5 then the e pawn falls giving Black the edge.
19...b4 20 Nb5 d5 Breaking in the centre.
21 e5!? This allows the enemy knight to settle on e4. Instead 21 Rh3 Qg4 22 Rg3 was possible when if Black wants to avoid a draw by repetition then he has to play 22...Qd7 but then 23 Nc5 Qd8 23 e5 is strong becaue the c5 knight controls e4 and a pawn sacrifice with 23...Ne4 is dubious.
However,Conquest,a fearless warrior, very possibly saw this but decided that he wanted more than a draw.
21...Ne4 22 Qd3 e6 23 N3d4 23 Nd2 looks sensible.
23...Qh4 24 Ra1 Nxd4 25 Bxd4 Ra8 26 Rg1 Qe7 27 Nd6 Finally fighting against the knight but the exchanges which follow help Black.
27...Nxd6 28 Bc5 Qb7 29 Bxd6 Bf8 30 Bxf8 Rxf8 This pawn structure is potentially quite acceptable to White with minor pieces on the board - though in this case Rowson's e4 knight was a pain.
But the exchanges have left Black with better targets than White so he now has a pleasant edge.
31 Qd2 Qe7 32 Rb3 Rfc8 33 f5?! Panicking. But if 33 Rxb4 Rxc2 34 Qxc2 Qxb4 is very unpleasant.
33...exf5 34 Qxd5 Rab8 35 Re3 Rc5 36 Qb3 If 36 Qd6 Qxd6 37 exd6 Rd5 -(possibly also 37...Rxc2) gives a clear advantage but this is also very bad.
36...Rxe5 37 Rxe5 Qxe5 38 h3 Rc8 39 Rd1 Qe2 40 Rd7 Rc4 41 Rb7 f4 42 Qf3 Trying to bail out but with his king stuck on the back rank the rook ending is lost.
42...Qxf3 43 gxf3 Kg7 44 b3 Rxc2 45 Rxb4 g5 46 Kg1 Kg6 47 Rb7 h6 48 b4 Rb2 49 b5 Kh5 50 Kf1 Or 50 Rxf7 Rxb5 51 Rh7 Kh4! 52 Rxh6+ Kg3 etc.
50...Kh4 51 Ke1 Kxh3 52 Kd1 Kg3 53 Kc1 Rb4 54 Kc2 Kxf3 55 Kc3 Rb1 56 Kc2 Re1 57 Rxf7 Re6 and Conquest resigned.
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