Independent Pursuits: Chess
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Your support makes all the difference.A DECADE or so ago, English juniors were much feared. After an interregnum we're back, with many congratulations to Nicholas Pert and Ruth Sheldon, the European boys' and girls' under-18 gold medallists.
For Sheldon, this a second gold medal after her success at the European girls under-14s in Bratislava in 1993. Seeded sixth, she faltered in the second round with a loss to the Spaniard Gomez-Cabrero Lopez but had a wonderful tournament thereafter, ending up a whole point clear on 9/11.
The victory of Nicholas Pert from Ipswich, in a tournament with 12 international masters and slightly more holding the lesser title of Fide master, is by far his greatest achievement to date. In an interview with El Pais, Pert ascribed his success partly to restricting his preparation with the grandmaster Stuart Conquest to just two hours, so as to remain fresh for the game. Seeded 15th, he also felt that the pre-tournament favourites were under more pressure in the finishing straight, after nine of them bunched on 6/8 with three rounds remaining.
Pert had joined this leading group with a victory against the strong Romanian Levente Vajda - which he said was his first intimation that he might be in with medal chances. He followed this with two further wins against the Ukrainian Fedorchuk and the Israeli Gershon, and was able to coast in the last round with a peaceful draw as Black against the Russian Alexei Ilijushin which left both equal on 81/2/11, but Pert the easy winner on tie-break.
Here is that crucial eighth round game. Vajda got wonderful play with the pawn sacrifice starting 15... b5 but Pert kept his head and sacrificed the exchange with 26 Rxc3! to create counterplay. Black ought to have been doing quite well but after losing two tempi on moves 31 and 32, he was on the ropes. Pert kept his nerve well in the queen ending. In the final position after 54... gxf5+ 55 Kxf5 Kd7 56 Kxf6 Ke8 57 Kg7! wins.
White: Nicholas Pert
White: Levente Vajda
King's Indian Defence
1 d4 Nf6
2 Nf3 g6
3 g3 Bg7
4 Bg2 0-0
5 0-0 d6
6 c4 Nbd7
7 Nc3 e5
8 e4 exd4
9 Nxd4 Re8
10 h3 a6
11 Re1 Rb8
12 Rb1 Ne5
13 b3 c5
14 Nc2 Nc6
15 Nd5 b5
16 cxb5 Nxd5
17 exd5 Rxe1+
18 Nxe1 Nd4
19 bxa6 Bxa6
20 Bb2 Qa5
21 Bxd4 Bxd4
22 Nf3 Bf6
23 Qd2 Bc3
24 Qf4 Qxa2
25 Rc1 Qb2
26 Rxc3! Qxc3
27 Qxd6 Qa1+
28 Kh2 Re8
29 Qxc5 Bf1
30 b4 Bxg2
31 Kxg2 Rd8
32 Nd4 Re8
33 d6 Re4
34 d7! Rxd4
35 Qc8+ Kg7
36 d8Q Rxd8
37 Qxd8 Qe5
38 Qd3 h5
39 h4 Kf8
40 Qd8+ Kg7
41 Qa8 Qb5
42 Qa5 Qc6+
43 Kh2 f6
44 Qa7+ Kf8
45 Qb8+ Ke7
46 b5 Qf3
47 Qa7+ Ke6
48 Qc5 Qd5
49 Qxd5+ Kxd5
50 Kh3 Kc5
51 g4 hxg4+
52 Kxg4 Kxb5
53 f4 Kc6
54 f5 1-0
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