London’s newest and most flamboyant chess entrepreneur, Andy Paulson of Agon, which has acquired all World Championship rights from Fidé, is set to stage a spectacular Grand Prix tournament at Simpson’s-in-the-Strand starting on 20 September. The superb line-up includes Peter Svidler, Hikaru Nakamura, Alexander Grischuk, Wang Hao (the victor of the recent tournament in Biel, ahead of Magnus Carlsen), former world title challengers Vesselin Topalov, Boris Gelfand and Peter Leko and rising star Anish Giri.
In addition to this tantalising feast of chess Andy is also bringing the World Championship qualifying tournament to London next March. This week a game and a puzzle by two of the illustrious competitors in the Grand Prix to be held at Simpson’s.
Nakamura-Aronian; London Chess Classic, London 2011; Queen’s Gambit Declined
1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Be7 4 cxd5 exd5 5 Bf4 c6 6 e3 Bf5 7 Nge2 In the Exchange variation of the Queen’s Gambit, White often launches a queenside attack based on the advance b2-b4. However, when he develops the king’s knight at e2 this often signifies that he plans instead to play in the centre or on the kingside. 7 … Nd7 8 Ng3 Bg6 9 Be2 Nb6 10 Be5 Nf6 11 h4 h6 12 h5 Bh7 13 Bd3 0-0 14 Bxh7+ Kxh7 15 Qc2+ Kh8 16 Nf5 Nc4 17 b3 Nxe5 18 dxe5 Ng4 19 f4 Qd7 20 0-0-0 (see diagram 1) Black’s next move plans a sacrifice of the exchange 20 … f6 21 e4 fxe5 22 Qe2 Nf6 23 Nh4 exf4 24 Ng6+ Kg8 25 Nxf8 Bxf8 26 exd5 cxd5 This is the idea. Black has two pawns and a bishop for the rook and the white king is a little vulnerable.
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