CHESS BY VICTOR STRUGO

Books make welcome Christmas gifts – even in a country that increasingly often has to read by candlelight! The third volumes of the indefatigable

Lyndon Bouah’s Reflections on Chess in the Rainbow Nation continues the local chronicling of our game from a personally involved vantage point (Lyndon has played at national championship level and contributed much to administration and coaching). The 82 annotated games by many top players add instructional value to historical documentation. Orders and enquiries to lyndon. bouah@gmail.com or 071 363-1306.

Turning to last month’s Sinquefield Cup in St Louis, Missouri, so much has already been written about Magnus Carlsen’s cheating accusations after his loss to Hans Niemann that I will avoid wasting column space on more speculations. Instead, here’s a first round game of historical interest because it paired the world champ against the challenger whom he trounced last year and then abdicated because couldn’t be bothered to play another 14-game match against his pasty. In

St Louis, Carlsen simply dismantled him in the unadventurous, hyper-accurate and excruciatingly stodgy style that we have come to expect and dread – but grudgingly admire!

Magnus Carlsen - Ian Nepomniachtchi (QGD

Exchange Variation): 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 d5 4 cxd5 exd5 5 Nc3 c6 6 Bf4 Bf5 7 e3 Nbd7 8 h3 Be7 9 g4 Be4 10 Be2 Qb6 11 Qb3 Qxb3 12 axb3 Bg6 13 Nh4 Bb4 14 Nxg6 hxg6 15 f3 Nf8 16 Kf2 Ne6 17 Bg3 Ke7 18 h4 a6 19 Kg2 Rad8 20 Bf2 Bd6 21 Bd3 Bb8 22 Na4 Bd6 23 Be1 c5?! (Black’s first micro-error: opening the position when White has the B-pair and a small spatial plus) 24 Nxc5

Nxc5 25 dxc5 Bxc5 26 Bd2 Rhe8?! (Better was

the patient 26 … Bb6) 27 b4! Bb6 28 b5 a5 (Now he sees that he must concede a Pawn or find his King dangerously exposed after 28 axb5 29 Bxb5

Rh8 30 Bb4+ Ke6 31 Ba4 Nd7 32 e4) 29 Bxa5 Bxa5 30 Rxa5 Kd6 31 Kf2 Re7 32 Rd1 Rh8 33 g5 Nd7

34 Ra4 Nc5 35 Rg4 Kc7 (35 … Nxd3+ seemed to offer better drawing hopes but 36 Rxd3 Kc5 37 b4+!

Kxb5 38 Rxd5+ Kb6 39 Rc4 is very unpleasant) 36 Bb1 Re5 37 Ba2 f6 38 gxf6 gxf6 39 Rxd5 Rxd5 40 Bxd5 Nd3+ 41 Kg3 Ne5 42 Rf4 Rd8 43 b6+ and

(predictably as ever!) Black resigned.

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I welcome comments, games and news at victor.strugo@gmail.com. Find local news at www.chesshub.org.za and facebook.com/ SACHESSPLAYERS.

Here’s a flamboyant finish by the “notorious” Hans Nieman at Reykjavik 2022 against Indonesia’s first woman GM, Irene Sukandar. Black to move and win.