Chess
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Your support makes all the difference.The principal constituents of a position are material, space and the initiative, of which the last is by far the most difficult to evaluate. Anyone can count pieces, then try to work out the tactics to see if any change to the material balance is imminent; anyone can see who controls more territory and judge the future space-grabbing pawn advances; but initiatives come and go. What looks like a promising attack, or a lead in development, can fade away after a few accurate defensive moves.
Playing 17. d5 in today's game from the recent Lloyds Bank Masters, Speelman calculated a series of exchanges, and judged that White's initiative still had enough steam. After 23. Qd6, Black is uncomfortably short of moves and very accident-prone.
24. Re3] set a venomous trap which Black fell into with 24 . . . f6? He may have seen 25. Nd7 Qc8] (but not 25 . . . Rxe3?? 26. Qf8 mate), but missed 25. Ng6]]
Since 25 . . . Rxe3 allows mate on f8, while 25 . . . Qc8 loses to 26. Ne7+ Rxe7 27. Qxe7, and 25 . . . Qb8 allows 26. Qd5 mate, Black's rook had to scuttle into the corner for safety.
27. Qe6] was unanswerable. The threat is 28. Ng6+ hxg6 29. Rh3 mate and after 27 . . . h6 28. Rh3 (threatening 29. Rxh6+ gxh6 30. Qxf6+ Kh7 31. Qf7+ Kh8 32. Ng6 mate) Kh7 29. Rxh6+] Kxh6 (or 29 . . . gxh6 30. Qf7+) 30. Qh3+ Kg5 31. Qf5+ it is mate next move.
White: J Speelman
Black: J Levitt
1 c4 c6 15 Bd2 Nxc3
2 e4 d5 16 Bxc3 Bf6
3 exd5 cxd5 17 d5 exd5
4 d4 Nf6 18 Bxd5 Bxc3
5 Nc3 e6 19 Rxc3 Na5
6 Nf3 Bb4 20 Rxc8 Qxc8
7 Be3 dxc4 21 Ne5 Bxd5
8 Bxc4 0-0 22 Qxd5 Qb7
9 0-0 b6 23 Qd6 Re8
10 Bg5 Bb7 24 Re3 f6
11 Rc1 Nc6 25 Ng6 Ra8
12 Re1 Be7 26 Ne7+ Kh8
13 a3 Rc8 27 Qe6 1-0
14 Ba2 Nd5
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