10/12/2018 – Kings that go walkabout on a full board are rare but charming. At the Chess Olympiad 2018 in Batumi such wandering kings could be admired in two interesting games. In Mamedov vs Shankland (pictured) the voyage of the king was defensive, in the game Hillarp Persson vs Laurusas, which won the brilliancy prize in Batumi, the white king joined a mating attack against the black king. Both games have historical predecessors. | Photo: Lennart Ootes
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The defensive king: Mamedov vs Shankland
2018 was the most successful year in the career of US grandmaster Samuel Shankland so far: in April he won the US Championship, ahead of players such as Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So and Hikaru Nakamura, in May Shankland won the Capablanca Memorial, and in June he followed up with a victory at the American Continental Championship. At the Olympiad in Batumi, Shankland proved that he is indeed strong enough to deserve these successes: he played board four for the US team, scored 7 points from 10 games and thus added 3½ points to his current rating of 2722. Moreover, Shankland scored in important matches.
In round 8, when the US was playing against Azerbaijan and fought for gold, Shankland won with Black against Rauf Mamedov which helped the US to an important 2½-1½ victory. In the middlegame, with a number of pieces still on the board, Shankland suddenly started to walk his king from g8 to b8 to keep it better protected.
The Italian Game is considered a sound but quiet opening without early trades, giving rise to rich positions where plans are more important than forced variations. So shows black's plans on this DVD.
GM Daniel King had a closer look at the game
Shankland's king's march has a historical predecessor. At the Lone Pine Open 1976 Tigran Petrosian, world champion from 1963 to 1969, won with a similar manoeuvre against the USA International Master Jack Peters.
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1.c4Nf62.Nc3c53.g3Nc64.Bg2e65.Nf3Be76.d4d57.cxd5Nxd58.0-00-09.Nxd5exd510.dxc5Bxc511.a3a512.Ne1d413.Nd3Bb614.Bd2Re815.Rc1Bg416.Re1Rc817.h3Bf518.Qb3Be419.Bxe4Rxe420.Qb5Na721.Rxc8Nxc822.Bg5Qd623.Rc1Na724.Qf5Re825.Bf4Qd826.Rc2Nc627.h4h628.Qb5Na729.Qf5Nc630.Kf1!Beginning a remarkable manoeuvre: White would
like to advance his pawns on the kingside to attack the target on h6 but
before White advances his pawns he brings his king to safety. He can afford
this loss of time because Black has no serious counterplay.Re631.Qb5Na732.Qb3Nc633.h5Ne734.Ke1Nd535.Qb5Nf636.Kd1Nd537.Be5Ne738.g4Nc6White gradually makes progress while Black is just jumping around with
his knight.39.Bg3Na740.Qb3Nc641.Kc1Re442.f3Re343.Kb1Ne7?
One knight-retreat too many.More stubborn is43...Re644.Bh4!
After bringing his king to safety White starts to become active - and after
the exchange of the bishop against the knight Black's position quickly
collapses.Qd645.Bxe7Rxe746.Rc8+Kh747.Rf8Qc748.f4Black is tied
and can only watch how White continues with his attack.Bc549.Qd5Re5
A last tactical trick.After49...Bb650.Qf5+g651.Qf6Black will be
mated.50.Rxf7Black resigned. Apparently he did not want to test
Petrosian's technique in the endgame arising after 50...Rxd5 51.Rxc7 b6 52.
Nxc5 bxc5 53.Kc2.1–0
With famous classical examples from the works of the giants, the author talks in detail about principles of chess and methods of play that we can use during every stage of the game.
The aggressive king: Hillarp Persson vs Laurasas
The Swedish grandmaster and author Tiger Hillarp Persson is known for his original ideas and creative attacks. At the Olympiad in Batumi he played on board two for Sweden and scored 3½/7. However, his game against IM Tomas Laurusas from Lithuania in round 7 won the prize for the most brilliant game of the Olympiad.
Grandmaster Daniel King presents ten exemplary attacking performances. At key moments he stops and asks you to play a move. King then gives feedback on the most plausible continuations. It’s the next best thing to having your own personal trainer!
GM Daniel King also had a closer look at this game
This king's march also has a historical predecessor. In a famous and spectacular game played at the Tilburg tournament, 1991, Nigel Short sent his king into the middlegame from g1 to h6 to mate his opponent, Dutch grandmaster Jan Timman.
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1.e4Nf62.e5Nd53.d4d64.Nf3g65.Bc4Nb66.Bb3Bg77.Qe2Nc68.0-00-09.h3By preventing ...Bg4 White ensures that Black will be unable to lay
siege to the e5 pawn, keeping Black's bishop on g7 permanently out of play.a510.a4dxe511.dxe5Nd412.Nxd4Qxd413.Re1e614.Nd2Nd515.Nf3Qc516.Qe4Qb4Black is trying to prevent the transfer of White's queen to h4 but
Short is prepared to ruin his pawn structure and give up the bishop pair just
to gain h4 for his queen.17.Bc4Nb618.b3Nxc419.bxc4Re820.Rd1Qc521.Qh4b621...Bxe5?22.Ba3+-22.Be3Qc6Now White is free to pursue
his kingside attack without hindrance.22...Qe7?23.Qxe7Rxe724.Rd8+Bf825.Bh6Bb726.Bxf8+-22...Qf8was necessary.23.Ng5h623...h5!24.Ne4g525.Bxg5!hxg526.Qxg5Kh726...Qe727.Nf6+Kf828.Rd4
followed by Rh4-h7(h8+)27.Qh5+!Bh627...Kg828.Nf6+Bxf629.exf6+-and the Rd1 will swing over to the g-file to mate Black's king.28.Nf6+Kg728...Kh829.Rd4followed by Rg4-g8+29.Rd4Qh830.Rg4+Kf831.Qxh6+!Qxh632.Rg8+Ke733.Rxe8#23.Bh6Bh824.Rd8!Bb725.Rad1Bg726.R8d7!Against other moves26.Qe7(now answered byBxh6) would have been
very strong.26...Rf826...Qe427.Rxf7!Rogers,I: 'Timman saw this
move too late (Anand). ' (Short), with the ideaQxh427...Kxf728.Ng5+28.Rxg7+Kh829.Nxh4+-26...Bxe527.Rxf7!(Short) is also crushing.
After26...Bxh627.Qxh6White threatens 28.Rxf7!.27.Bxg7Kxg728.R1d4Rae829.Qf6+Kg830.h4!h531.Kh2!Rc8?!Now White has a fine
attacking position but the immobility of his knight on f3 prevents an
immediate knockout. However Short finds a phenomenal idea -to use his king as
part of the mating attack.32.Kg3!Rce833.Kf4!Bc834.Kg5!After
34... Bxd7 35.Kh6 or 34...Kh7 35.Rxf7+ Rxf7 36.Qxf7+ Kh8 37.Kh6 White mates.1–0
Chess trainers, again and again, emphasise how important it is to study "the classics". Games such as Petrosian vs Peters and Short vs Timman show that this advice is more than nostalgia.
Johannes FischerJohannes Fischer was born in 1963 in Hamburg and studied English and German literature in Frankfurt. He now lives as a writer and translator in Nürnberg. He is a FIDE-Master and regularly writes for KARL, a German chess magazine focusing on the links between culture and chess. On his own blog he regularly publishes notes on "Film, Literature and Chess".
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