3/5/2019 – The Swedish town of Skara enjoys a good reputation among chess players. The European Team Championship 1980 took place in Skara, and in this tournament English Grandmaster Tony Miles defeated World Champion Anatoly Karpov with 1...a6. Skara's chess tratition is still alive, though on a smaller scale. | Photo: Lars OA Hedlund
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First and second place for Bellon-Cramling
The first Västgöta Open, organised by the chess federation of Västergötland, was played in 1984, back then in Alingsås. Since 1986 the Champion of Västergötland has been crowned in this open tournament and since 1988 the open has been regularly played in Skara.
In 2013 Skara had a population of about 18,500 but it has been the seat of a bishop for almost 1,000 years.
The cathedral in Skara | Photo: Holger Blauhut
In the times of the reformation the city lost its cultural and economic influence, and in the 19th century its own municipal administration helped its decline by refusing to let the railway line Stockholm – Göteborg go through Skara.
But the local chess club, founded in 1912 as Skara Schack Sällskap made the small city famous among chess players. In 1980 the European Team Championship took place in Skara. Players like Karpov, Tal, Petrosian, and Kasparov won gold for the Soviet Union. The English Grandmaster Tony Miles played his most famous game in this tournament — after 1.d4 a6! he won with Black against Karpov.
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1.e4
1,185,008
54%
2421
---
1.d4
959,510
55%
2434
---
1.Nf3
286,503
56%
2441
---
1.c4
184,834
56%
2442
---
1.g3
19,892
56%
2427
---
1.b3
14,600
54%
2428
---
1.f4
5,954
48%
2377
---
1.Nc3
3,911
50%
2384
---
1.b4
1,791
48%
2379
---
1.a3
1,250
54%
2406
---
1.e3
1,081
49%
2409
---
1.d3
969
50%
2378
---
1.g4
670
46%
2361
---
1.h4
466
54%
2382
---
1.c3
439
51%
2425
---
1.h3
289
56%
2420
---
1.a4
118
60%
2461
---
1.f3
100
47%
2427
---
1.Nh3
93
66%
2506
---
1.Na3
47
62%
2476
---
Please, wait...
Around 1980 Karpov dominated the chess world completely. Unfortunately, Miles
almost had to play with Black against the World Champion, and though Karpov
occasionally did not mind a quick draw with Black, he was a terrible force
with White. Thus, Miles had a terrible score against Karpov. But in this game
Miles was the one to triumph...1.e4a6!Psychologically interesting and
provoking Karpov to play for a win. Of course, such a trick only works once.2.d4b53.Nf3Bb74.Bd3Nf64...e65.Qe25.e5Nd56.Ng5!?/\->
5...e66.a4c56...b4(Miles)7.dxc57.e5c4∞(Miles)7.c3c48.Bc2d5/\b4-><< (Miles)7...Bxc58.Nbd2b49.e5Nd510.Ne4Be711.0-0?!A solid move but missing a chance.11.Bg5leads to a clear
advantage for White.11...Nc612.Bd212.Bg5f6!/\Qc7,0-0-0 |^12...Qc713.c413.Ng3h5!?13...bxc314.Nxc3Nxc315.Bxc3Nb4!According
to Miles the position is now equal. However, maybe this is too optimistic and
White is still better.16.Bxb4Bxb417.Rac1Qb618.Be418.Ng5!?Be719.Qh519.Nxh7g620.Nf6+Bxf621.exf6Qd419...Bxg520.Qxg50-0∞
(Miles)18...0-019.Ng5Refraining from sacrificing the bishop on h7. If
Karpov wanted to play for a win - which one can safely assume - the bishop
sacrifice offered much better chances than the game continuation. Though
letting a computer prove that the sacrifice is correct is different from
playing it at the board.19.Bxh7+!offers chances:Kxh720.Ng5+Kg6!21.Qg4Komplizierter istf5!21...f6?!? (Miles) but22.Nxe6+Kf723.Nxf8Kxf823...Bxf824.Qxd7+Kg825.e6+-24.exf6gxf625.Qxd7Rd826.Qh7and White should win.22.Qg3Qd4!=/+ (Miles), but that is not
correct:22...Rg823.Rc7!(Fritz)Bc6!23...Rae824.Nxe6+Kf725.Ng5+Ke726.e6+-24.Nxe6+Kf725.Qb3!Ke825...Rgf826.Rd1Ke727.Rxc6Qxc627...dxc628.Nf4+-28.Qxb4++-26.Rc1Ba527.Qd1dxe627...Qxc728.Nxc7+Bxc729.e6+-28.R7xc6±23.h3!23.Nxe6+Qg424.Nxf8+Bxf825.Qxg4+fxg426.Rfd1=23.Rc7Bc624.h3Qxb2!24...f4?25.Qg4Kh626.Qh4+Kg627.Rxc6dxc628.Qh7+Kxg529.h4+Kg430.Qg6+Kxh431.Kh2+-25.Nxe6+Kf7∞23...Kh5!23...f4?24.Qg4Kh625.Rfd1Qxe526.Qh4+Kg627.Rxd7!Rh828.Nf7+-24.Nh7!24.Rc7Bd525.Nh7Be726.Rxd726.Nxf8Bxf827.Rxd7Qh4!26...Bh426...Rh827.Rxe7Rxh728.Rxg7Rxg729.Qxg7Ra7=27.Qxg7Rg828.Nf6+Bxf629.Qh7+Kg530.exf6Kxf6=24...Be724...Bd2?!25.Rfd1Qf426.Qxg7Bxc127.Nxf8Rxf828.Qxf8Bc629.Qf7+Kh630.Rd3±25.Rcd1Qxa425...Qh426.Qxg7Rg827.Nf6+Bxf628.Qh7+Kg529.f4++-26.Qxg7Rg827.Nf6+Bxf628.Qh7+Kg529.f4+Qxf430.Rxf4Kxf431.exf631.Qxd7Rxg2+32.Kf1Rg1+33.Kxg1Rg8+34.Kf1Bg2+35.Ke1Bh4+=31...Rxg2+32.Kf1Be4Black now
threatens 33...Rh2 and 33...Rag8.33.Rd2!?Rxd234.Qh6+Ke535.Qxd2Kxf636.Qxd7White can play for a win without any risk.19...h620.Bh7+?!
Karpov - uncharacteristically - seems to have lost his sense of danger her,
maybe because of Black's provocative opening.20.Bxb7Qxb721.Qe4Qxe422.Nxe4leads to an absolutely equal ending.20...Kh821.Bb1?!21.Be421...Be722.Ne422.Qd3g6(Miles)22...Rac8Blundering a pawn
because there is no compensation through possible threats on the diagonal
b1-h7.23.Qd3?After23.Rcd1Black remains with a slight plus.23...Rxc124.Rxc1Qxb225.Re1?!Better is25.Rd1!?g626.Nd625...Qxe5-+26.Qxd7Bb4!27.Re3Qd528.Qxd5Bxd5The rest is a matter of
technique. Even Karpov is helpless against the pair of bishops and an extra
pawn.29.Nc3Rc830.Ne2g531.h4Kg732.hxg5hxg533.Bd3a534.Rg3Kf635.Rg4Bd636.Kf1Be537.Ke1Rh838.f4gxf439.Nxf4Bc640.Ne2Rh1+41.Kd2Rh242.g3Bf343.Rg8Rg244.Ke1Bxe245.Bxe2Rxg346.Ra8Bc70–1
Chess-wise things have calmed down a bit again in Skara again, although 164 players took part in the Västgöta Open 2000. This year 93 players came to the "Stadshotell" to play in the open tournament, a Swiss tournament with a time limit of 45 minutes for the game and 10 seconds increment per move.
The Stadshotellet, the playing venue | Photo: Holger Blauhut
Last year, GM Juan Bellon won the tournament, and this year he had almost repeated his victory but then his wife GM Pia Cramling got the better of him.
Juan Bellon, Pia Cramling | Photo: Lars OA Hedlund
Thomas Ernst was the third grandmaster who played in the open. But in the very first round he only drew and had to concede half a point, and in the end he finished fifth, behind Torbjörn Glimbrant and Daniel Ronneland. Ronneland was the best player from Västgöta and for the second time after 2013 he became regional champion.
GM Thomas Ernst (left, with White) vs Per Øistein Nordtug | Foto: Holger Blauhut
The playing venue | Photo: Holger Blauhut
As usual in Sweden, there were a lot of rating prizes to win. The system to divide the rating groups works about as follows: one ignores the nominally strongest players on the starting list, and then takes the next ten players on the starting list to define a rating group. The best three of each group of ten win rating-prizes. I finished 17th but still won money.
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