Ulster Chess Chronicle

Former Ulster and Irish champion IM Brian Kelly obtained his first GM norm at the Staffordshire Millennium International Chess Congress, held in the Guildhall, Lichfield. The Congress, sponsored by Hadens Solicitors and organised by Adam Raoof, was part of the Lichfield International Arts Festival. The 21-year-old former Methodist College schoolboy finished equal second behind GM Aaron Summerscale in the Category 8 GM International, one of three events in the Congress.

Kelly's first opponent is the 16-year-old American girl, who came to prominence when one of the expert advisors in the Kasparov versus the World Internet game.

In a previous game Brian had played 11.a3 in this position. Kelly - Flear, Hastings Challengers 1995/96 continued 11...Qe7 12.Ne4 Nxe4 13.Bxe4 f5 14.Bd3 c5 15.Be2 Rac8 16.dxc5 Nxc5 17.Bd2 Ne4 18.Qd1 Rfd8 19.Rc1 Nxd2 20.Nxd2 Bxh2+ 21.Kxh2 Qd6+ 22.Kg1 Qxd2 23.Qxd2 Rxd2 24.Rxc8+ Bxc8 25.Bxb5 Rxb2 26.Rc1 Bb7 27.Bd7 Bd5 28.Rc7 a6 29.Ra7 Rb6 30.Bc8 Bc4 31.Rc7 Bd3 32.Re7 Bc4 33.Rc7 Bd3 34.Re7 1/2-1/2

(Rohde -Sherzer, World Open, Philadelphia 1989 had gone instead15.d5 c4 16.Be2 Ne8 17.a4 a6 18.axb5 axb5 19.Rxa8 Bxa8 20.Bg5 f6 21.Bh6 Ng7 22.b3 cxb3 23.Qxb3 b4 24.Ra1 Nc5 25.Qxb4 f5 26.Qc4 fxe4 27.Ng5 Qb7 28.N5xe4 Nxe4 29.Nxe4 Qb2 30.Ra7 Qb1+ 31.Bf1 1-0)

15...Nxe5 16.Bxb5 Nxf3+ 17.gxf3 Qc7 18.Bg5 Ne8 19.Rac1 Qb6 20.Bc4 Ng7 21.Qb3 Be5 22.Rd7 Qxb3 23.Bxb3 Bc8 24.Rd2 Ne6 25.Bxe6 Bxe6 26.Rxc5 Bxg3 27.hxg3 Bxa2 28.Bf6 Rfc8 29.Ra5 Be6 30.g4 Kf8 31.Kg2 Rc7 32.Kg3 Rd7 33.Rc2 Rb7 34.f4 Rb6 35.Rc7 a6 36.f5 Rc8 37.Rd5 1-0

White is a pawn up with a winning advantage.

Black now jettisons a second pawn hoping for 21.Nxd6 Qxd6 22.Qxe4 Nf6 with some counterplay.

21.Qxe4! g6 22.Qg4 Ne5 23.Qg3 Nc4 24.Nxd6 Qxd6 25.Bf4 Qf6 26.b3 Nb6 27.Be5 Qd8 28.d6 Nd7 29.Bb2 Re8 30.Nf5 f6 31.Ne7+ Kg7 32.h4 Qa5 33.Bc3 Qh5 34.Rac1 Rad8 35.Re1 Rf8 36.Bd4 a6 37.Rc7 Bd5 38.Qh3 1-0

After his excellent Round 1 win, Kelly suffers a setback in this game against one of the three GMs in the tournament.

M. Gurevich-Prie Clichy 1993 went 11.Rd1 Qc7 12.Bg5 c5 13.Bc2 Rfe8 14.dxc5 Bxe4 15.Bxe4 Nxe4 16.Bxe7 Nc3 17.bxc3 Rxe7 18.cxb6 Nxb6 19.Rd4 Rc8 20.Rad1 f6 21.Re4 e5 22.Nh4 Nxc4 23.Rxc4 Qxc4 24.Rd8+ Kf7 25.Qh5+ g6 26.Qxh7+ 1-0

Brian overlooks a tactical sequence. Instead 16...bxc5 would leave the position roughly equal.

If 17...gxf6 then 18.Qg4+ Kf8 (18...Kh8 19.Nxf7#) 19.Bxh7 with the threat of mate by Qg8 is decisive.

After 21...Rxd3 (21...Rf8 22.Rh3+ mating) 22.Qxe8+ Kh7 23.Qh5+ Kg8 24.Qf7+ Kh7 25.Nxd3 Qxc4 26.Re3 the threat of .Rh3+ is decisive so Black resigned.

IM Gormally has on a number of occasions narrowly missed out on a GM norm. Interestingly his FIDE rating is higher than that of any of the GMs in the tournament.

More usual here is the immediate 10...Be6

12...Nd4 is a more active alternative. Two examples of this line:

Schlosser - Romanishin, Altensteig 1992 13.Nxe5 Rxe5 14.e3 Nxb3 15.Qxb3 a4 16.Qa2 Rb5 17.Rfd1 Bg4 18.Bxb7 Bxd1 19.Rxd1 Rb8 20.Be4 Qd7 21.Bd4 Qe6 22.Qxe6 fxe6 23.Bc6 Ra5 24.Rb1 Rd8 25.Bxb6 cxb6 26.d4 b5 27.Rxb5 Ra6 28.Bb7 1/2-1/2

Rotstein - Gipslis, Minsk 1993 13.e3 Nxf3+ 14.Nxf3 f6 15.Qc2 c5 16.Nd2 a4 17.Nc4 Be6 18.Ba1 Re7 19.Rb1 Rd7 20.bxa4 Nxc4 21.dxc4 Ra7 22.Rfd1 Rxd1+ 23.Rxd1 Qe8 24.Be4 g6 25.Qd3 Rxa4 26.Bxb7 Bxc4 27.Qc2 Bf7 28.Bb2 Ra7 29.Bd5 Qa4 30.Bxf7+ Kxf7 31.Qd3 Qa6 32.Qd8 Qb7 33.Bc3 Qe7 34.Qc8 Qe6 35.Qb8 Rxa3 36.Ba5 Qc6 37.Qd8 c4 38.e4 Rd3 39.Rxd3 cxd3 40.Qxd3 h5 1/2-1/2

24.b4 Na4 25.Qd2 Nb3-+

With his previous move Black had invited complications but it is he who goes wrong. Instead 24...Ncxb3 25.Nxb3 Nxb3 and Black is slightly better

25...Ncxb3 26.Qxf7+ Kxf7 27.Nxb3 Nxb3 28.Rxc7+ and White wins.

White has gained a pawn, but the win is still some way off.

Black has defended well, but here keeping both Rooks on looks stronger.

Black has achieved an equal endgame but his next move is perhaps over-ambitious,

Instead Black should have played 44...Rb8 45.a5 Rg8+ 46.Kh4 Kxc5

White has regained the initiative.

51...Nb4 (on 51...Nb8 52.Rxc5+ Kd6 53.Rc4 or 51...Nc7 52.Rxc5+ Kd6 53.Rc4 White wins the e-pawn) 52.Rxc5+ Kd6 53.Rb5 threatening 54.Bc5+

With the win in this game Brian is definitely back on course for the GM norm.

In Malich -Timman Amsterdam 1972 Black exchanged on c4 instead. 14...bxc4 15.dxc4 f5 16.Bc3 e4 17.Bxg7 Kxg7 18.Nce3 Nd4 19.Nf4 Bf7 20.h4 h6 21.Nc2 Qb6 22.Nxd4 cxd4 23.b3 Qc5 24.Qc1 Rb6 25.f3 d3+ 26.Kh2 dxe2 27.Nxe2 exf3 28.Bxf3 Rfb8 29.Qc3+ Qe5 30.Nd4 f4 31.Rfe1 Rxb3 32.Rxb3 Rxb3 33.Rxe5 Rxc3 34.Rxe7 Kf6 35.Rd7 Rxc4 36.Rxf7+ 1-0

White has a definite advantage, but realising it will not be easy

Making White's task easier.

The alternatives 33.dxe4 and 33.Nxd6 were riskier.

Here 35...Ra1 36.Kd2 f4 37.f3 (37.gxf4 Bh6 and the tables are turned) 37...Be5 would provide much sterner resistance.

White resigned because after 44.Kc2 the threat of 45.Bf4 and 46.e6+ is decisive.

Brian gets the better of the opening duel against his experienced IM opponent.

Brian is clearly quite happy to play this variation with either colour. In his round one game with Irina Krush he now played 7.Be2

In a previous game between the players Crouch had played 7.Bd2. Crouch - Kelly, Edinburgh 1997 had then continued 7...0-0 8.h3 Re8 9.0-0-0 e5 10.cxd5 cxd5 11.dxe5 Nxe5 12.Nxe5 Bxe5 13.Bd3 Bd7 14.f4 Bd6 15.Kb1 Rc8 16.Qb3 Bc6 17.Rhe1 a6 18.g4 b5 19.Bf5 Rb8 20.e4 dxe4 21.g5 b4 22.gxf6 Qxf6 23.Bxe4 bxc3 24.Bxc3 Bxe4+ 25.Rxe4 Qg6 26.Qd5 Qxe4+ 27.Qxe4 Rxe4 28.Rxd6 Rxf4 29.Rxa6 Rf3 30.Kc2 Rxh3 31.a4 h5 32.a5 h4 33.Rb6 Ra8 34.a6 Re3 35.b4 h3 0-1

Much sharper than 11...Qxe7

Kharlov - Lastin Novgorod Open 1999 varied with 14.Qxd4 Qe5 15.Qh4+ Nf6 16.f4 Qc7 17.Bd3 Bd7 18.Rhe1 Ba4 19.b3 Bc6 20.f5 Rhd8 21.Bc2 Qa5 22.Qg3 Kf8 23.fxe6 fxe6 24.Rxe6 Qxa2 25.Qc3 Qa3+ 26.Kb1 Rd6 27.Rxd6 Qxd6 28.Nf3 Qf4 29.Rd4 Qc7 30.Ng5 Re8 31.Rh4 Qe5 32.Qb4+ Kg8 33.Nf3 1/2-1/2

Avoiding the complications after 14.Qxh7 cxd4 15.Qxg7 d3+ 16.Kd1 Qb6 17.Bxd3 Qxf2

16.Qf4 keeping an eye on the d2 square looks better.

Black has won a pawn with his aggressive play.

Black nets a second pawn, and with it a winning position.

Scottish GM Paul Motwani is well known for his instructional books, with catchy titles like H.O.T Chess, C.O.O.L. Chess and Under the Microscope.

Taking his opponent out of the book lines. 5...d5 is almost invariably played here.

Zueger - Christiansen, Berne 1996 went instead 8...Re8 9.0-0 d6 10.Na4 Bf5 11.a3 d5 12.Nxc5 Nxc5 13.Nd4 Bg6 14.b4 Nce4 15.c5 b6 16.Bb2 bxc5 17.bxc5 Rc8 18.Rc1 Qe7 19.a4 Ng4 20.Nf3 f6 21.Bd4 Bh5 22.Re1 Rb8 23.Nd2 Nexf2 24.Bxf2 Nxf2 25.Kxf2 Qe3+ 26.Kf1 Rb2 27.Rc2 Rxc2 28.Qxc2 Bxe2+ 29.Rxe2 Qxe2+ 30.Kg1 Qe3+ 31.Kh1 Qf2 0-1

Was this a prepared variation or over-the-board inspiration?

Brian avoids the complications after 10.dxc6 Qxd1+ 11.Kxd1 Rd8+ 12.Nd2 (or 12.Bd2 Bxf2) 12...Ng4 13.cxb7 Nxf2+

Having three pawns to two on the queenside gives Black a slight advantage.

Over-pressing in a drawn position. Now White has slightly the better of it.

The immediate 36.a5 may give White better chances.

Kelly's final GM opponent Keith Arkell takes the game away from the main lines on move 4. Arkell's attempts to attack down the half-open g-file eventually go astray, and Brian takes an important step closer to the GM norm.

Much less common than 4.Nc3, 4.e3 or 4.cxd5 but perfectly respectable.

Fridman,D - Ruzele, Vilnius Zonal 1993 went instead 11.Nxe4 Bxe4 12.Ne1 Bxg2 13.Kxg2 b5 14.cxb5 cxb5 15.Nd3 a4 16.Qd2 Ra7 17.Rfc1 Qa8 18.Bc3 Re8 19.Rab1 Nf6 1/2-1/2

Black has successfully negated White's attempts to exploit the half-open g-file.

White resigned because now 47...Qg6+ forces an exchange of Queens, with a simple endgame win.

After his win in the previous round Kelly had reached the magic +4 target for the GM norm. He now "only" needs to draw his last two games to reach the GM norm of 6½. His opponent had recently gained his own first GM norm in the 1999/2000 4NCL, but was already out of the running for one in this event, and agreed to a draw after eight moves.

One game left; one draw required!

In the final round Kelly's opponent plays the Exchange Variation of the Slav, perhaps a hint that he may not be averse to a draw. After 16 moves the game is indeed drawn and Brian has successfully completed the task of gaining his first GM norm.

To gain the GM title Brian will need to obtain two more GM norms and reach 2500 on the FIDE Rating List. He will have an opportunity to gain the second norm at the British Championship in August 2000.