Chess: Kumaran gets a second opinion

THE BRITISH Championship ended last week in Dundee with a medical conference convened to settle the matter of a play-off match.

Dharshan Kumaran, 18, and Michael Hennigan, 22, had shared first place and the rules specified a quick-play match to decide the title before the prize- giving on Saturday morning.

Before the last round however, Kumaran had been developing symptoms of influenza and requested a postponement. The players' fathers, Dr Kumaran and Dr Hennigan, promptly held a professional consultation and agreed that the patient was sick. The match will take place later this week.

Besides influenza - which as it developed seemed to improve his play - Kumaran owed his success to a calm and rational approach, good technique and tactical alertness. He needed all of those in his eighth round win against Andrew Martin, and his illness might have helped, for Martin declined a draw on the tenth move. Had Kumaran not been feeling off-colour, he might not have offered a draw, and if so, Martin might not have played so uncompromisingly. On such circumstances are British championships won and lost.

After the opening, Black's position was passive, but with no clear weaknesses to attack. Kumaran's 15 . . . Bc8 and 19 . . . Nb8 (20. Qxa7? loses a piece to b6) were typically patient. Black's long-term plan has to be to push in the centre with f6 and e5, but White's initiative must be contained before he can think about expansion.

Martin's 19. b4?] carried signs of impatience, and Black's next few moves exploited it. Encouraged to attack the pawn on e6, Martin fell into temptation with 24. Nf4? Kumaran's reply looked at first sight like a blunder, but after 25. Nxg6+ Kg7] it was clear that White had been sucked into a trap.

After winning the queen, Black had to tread carefully, but avoiding any errors of calculation Kumaran calmly beat off the pieces swarming round his king. At the end 45. Rxh6 Qf1 46. Rg3 Ne2 finishes matters.

White: Martin

Black: Kumaran

1 e4 c6 24 Nf4 Bh6

2 d4 d5 25 Nxg6+ Kg7

3 exd5 cxd5 26 Nxe7 Bxd2

4 Bd3 Nc6 27 Rxe6 Qf4

5 c3 g6 28 Nxd5 Qf5

6 Nf3 Nh6 29 Ne7 Qd3

7 0-0 Bg7 30 R1e4 Nf8

8 Re1 0-0 31 Nf5+ Kh8

9 Bxh6 Bxh6 32 Re7 Bg5

10 Nbd2 Bg7 33 Nxg5 fxg5

11 Nb3 Qd6 34 Nh6 Rd7

12 Rc1 Re8 35 Re8 Kg7

13 h3 Bd7 36 Nf5+ Kg6

14 Rc2 Rad8 37 Ne3 Rf7

15 Rce2 Bc8 38 Ng4 Kg7

16 Bb5 e6 39 Re3 Qb1+

17 Nc5 f6 40 Kh2 Qxa2

18 Qa4 Re7 41 R8e5 h6

19 b4 Nb8 42 Re2 Qc4

20 Qc2 b6 43 R2e3 Ng6

21 Nd3 Kh8 44 Re6 Nf4

22 Qd2 Bd7 White resigns

23 Bxd7 Nxd7