Chess
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Your support makes all the difference.WILLIAM HARTSTON spots the early signs of a Europe-wide epidemic of Mad Grandmasters' Disease.
Only rarely do grandmasters lose games in under 20 moves. Yet the early months of this year have produced three cases of top players stricken down almost before the game had begun. Here are the case histories of a disturbing trend.
Game 1: Impaled on a fork.
White: L Christiansen
Black: A Karpov
Wijk-aan-Zee 1993
1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. d4 b6 4. a3 Ba6 5. Qc2 Bb7 6. Nc3 c5
By losing a move with his bishop, Black has lured the white queen to c2 where she can no longer support the advance d5 which normally meets c5.
7. e4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Nc6 9. Nxc6 Bxc6 10. Bf4 Nh5 11. Be3 Bd6??
Positionally well motivated, striving for control of the black squares, but disastrous. In a later game, Karpov improved with 11 . . . Qb8]
12. Qd1 resigns
As every beginner knows, pieces should not be left unprotected.
Game 2: Skewered on a blunt pin.
White: J Polgar
Black: M Rivas
Seville 1993
1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nbd7 4. f4 e5 5. Nf3 exd4 6. Qxd4 c6 7. Be3 d5]?
Offering a pawn in an attempt to show that White has been neglecting her development, but such violent play with Black is rarely a good idea.
8. exd5 Bc5 9. Qd3 Qe7 10. Nd4] Nb6 11. dxc6 0-0?
There is no time for this luxury. The best move was 11 . . . bxc6 when 12. 0-0- 0? is strongly met by Ba6]
12. 0-0-0 bxc6 13. Bg1] Qc7 14. g3 Rd8??
Trying to keep up the pressure, Black blunders to instant defeat, but his game was already bad.
15. Ndb5] resigns
After 15 . . . Rxd3 16. Nxc7 Rxd1+ 17. Nxd1 Bxg1 18. Nxa8 White is decisively ahead on material.
Game 3: The king hunt.
White: D Kumaran
Black: A J Miles
Dublin 1993
1. d4 Nc6
A Miles favourite. Few take him up on the challenge to play 2. d5.
2. Nf3 d5 3. g3 Bg4 4. Bg2 Qd7 5. c4 e6 6. 0-0 0-0-0 7. Nc3 dxc4 8. Qa4 Bb4?
With this move, Black takes his originality one step too far.
9. Ne5] Nxe5 10. Qxa7]
Now 10 . . . Nc6 11. Qa8+ Nb8 12. Qxb7 is mate.
10 . . . c6 11. Bf4]]
Now 11 . . . Qxd4 loses to 12. Qxd4 Rxd4 13. Bxe5 and Black loses a rook.
11 . . . Bd6 12. Qa8+ Kc7 (see diagram)
Now it's mate in four:
13. Nb5+] Kb6
13 . . . cxb5 14. Qxb7 is mate.
14. Qa7+ Kxb5 15. a4+ resigns
Just in time to avoid mate by 15 . . . Kb4 16. Qb6.
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