Independent Pursuits: Chess
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Your support makes all the difference.ON WEDNESDAY I reported on the historic victory of 10-year-old Murugan Thiruchelvam from New Malden against the grandmaster Jonathan Levitt in the third game of their rapidplay match last Sunday.
Since learning chess at the age of three (!) Murugan has already racked up a fistful of world firsts including a draw with the formidable grandmaster Bogdan Lalic - last October, well before his 10th birthday on 11 December and qualification for a national championship (the British, of course) this January.
But, for all his palms, the most important thing is the quality of the young man's play. After last Sunday's match, which, to recap, he took quite easily after defeating a tired opponent in the last two games, Levitt said, "his potential is similar to Luke McShane's. I don't know of any other 10-year-old like him." Murugan himself stated that "the result made up for a loss against Nigel Short in the House of Commons. Next year I should like to try for Imre Hera of Hungary's IM norm record at 11 years seven months."
On Wednesday, I felt obliged to give Murugan's win. But in fact that was scrappy, and a much more impressive achievement was his truly master- strength preparation and endgame play in the previous game.
In a highly theoretical line of the French Tarrasch championed by Levitt, Murugan "decided to follow McShane vs Levitt (played last year at the Four Nations Chess League) and see what happens".
Levitt was the first to vary on move 31, when he preferred the immediate 31 ...b5 to 31 ...Rbd7 32 Re2 b5 which he played against Luke to achieve a considerably easier draw.
Although Black had structural compensation for White's extra pawn, White retained an edge and 35 ...a5?! may have been inaccurate - I prefer 35 ...Rd5 and if 36 Rh5 Rxh5+ 37 gxh5 Kh6 38 g4 Kg5.
Still, 45 ...Rb3! 46 Rxa4 Rc3 should have drawn - the rook attacks the pawn from the side and can check the white king away if he approaches.
But Murugan stumbled at the last. 53 Ke5! Ra5+ 54 Kd6 Rxg5 55 Kc6! (not 55 Rc8? Rg6+!) looks winning to me, eg 55 ...Rxg3 56 Rb8 Ra3 57 Kb6 Rb3+ 58 Kc7 Ra3 59 Kb7 Rb3+ 60 Ka8 Ra3 61 Rb6 f5 (61 ...f6 also loses) 62 Kb7 f4 63 a7 f3 64 a8Q etc.
White: Murugan Thiruchelvam
Black: Jonathan Levitt
French Tarrasch
1 e4 e6
2 d4 d5
3 Nd2 c5
4 exd5 Qxd5
5 Ngf3 cxd4
6 Bc4 Qd6
7 0-0 Nc6
8 Nb3 Nf6
9 Nbxd4 Nxd4
10 Nxd4 a6
11 Re1 Qc7
12 Bb3 Bd6
13 Nf5 Bxh2+
14 Kh1 0-0
15 Nxg7 Rd8
16 Qf3 Kxg7
17 Bh6+ Kg6
18 c3 Nh5
19 Bc1 Bf4
20 g4 Ng3+
21 fxg3 Bxc1
22 Raxc1 b6
23 Bc2+ Kg7
24 Be4 Rb8
25 Rc2 Bb7
26 Rh2 Bxe4
27 Qxe4 Qb7
28 Rxh7+ Kg8
29 Qxb7 Rxb7
30 Rh2 Rd3
31 Kg2 b5
32 Re2 b4
33 cxb4 Rxb4
34 Rh4 Kg7
35 Kh3 a5?!
36 Rh5 Rd5
37 Rxd5 exd5
38 Rd2 a4
39 a3 Rb5
40 g5 Kg6
41 Kg4 Rc5
42 Rd4 Rc2
43 Rxd5 Rxb2
44 Rd6+ Kg7
45 Ra6 Ra2
46 Rxa4 Ra1
47 Ra8 Ra2
48 a4 Ra3
49 a5 Ra2
50 a6 Ra4+
51 Kf5 Ra5+
52 Kf4 Ra4+
53 Kf3 Ra3+
54 Kf2 Ra2+
55 Ke1 Ra5
56 a7 1/2-1/2
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