by the 10th World Correspondence Champion Dr. Vytas (Victor) Palciauskas

Dr. Ian Brooks - New GM for England

This month's featured game is a victory by Dr. Ian Brooks over GM Alexei Tsvetkov of Russia in the Reg Gillman memorial. Dr. Brooks is 36 years old, married for 15 years to Holly, and has 7 year old boy/girl twins. He works professionally as a computational biophysicist at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) located at the University of Illinois in Urbana. Ian's research interests are in applying computational techniques to life science problems. In the past he has published papers on various topics such as HIV, Heart Disease, and Alzheimers. He has been living in the United States since 1987, and in the twin cities of Champaign-Urbana, Illinois since 1997.

Ian recalls his start in chess "I learned to play chess when I was about 11, started playing rated OTB events at about 16, and CC in 1985 at age 19. In my first serious CC tournament I went 0-10!" Well, with a start like that, there is only one way to go, and Ian did it very rapidly obtaining the GM title for his fine performance on board 1 in Olympiad XIV preliminaries. That was his second norm, the first being in the Reg Gillman Memorial. He is currently playing in the final of the US Championships and on board 2 for England in the final of Olympiad XIV against the US. Somewhat confusing, but who cares, this is ICCF chess.

Dr. Brooks illustrates excellent positional sense in his victory over GM Tsvetkov. Garnering the advantage of the two bishops, he exploits this advantage and black's weak pawn on b6 with ultimate skill. The game appears almost equal, especially to a silicon monster such as Fritz 6.0, but a deeper look reveals the total passivity of black's position due to his vulnerability on the dark squares. Once the queens are exchanged, white's dark squared bishop on e5 becomes the master of the position. Slowly and methodically Ian penetrates until Black is in a "virtual" zugzwang. Rather than suffer a slow death, black resigns.

The game analysis and comments in the brackets are those of Dr. Ian Brooks. I have included several additional comments that are denoted by VVP.

Brooks,I (ENG) - Tsvetkov,A (RUS) [A40]
Gillman Memorial B, 1999

1.c4 b6

The English defense; an unusual but perfectly playable and sound choice. Its reputation must be well established when a Russian GM plays it as black against an English hopeful! White immediately has a decision to make about how much space to grab in the center.

2.d4 Bb7 3.Nc3 e6 4.a3

Preferring caution to grabbing more space with e4 after which Bb4 can be awkward.

4...f5 5.d5 Bd6 6.Nf3 Nf6 7.g3 Na6 8.Bg2 0-0 9.Nd4 Be5 10.0-0 Nc5 11.Rb1 Nce4

11...a5 12.b4 axb4 13.axb4 Nce4 14.Nxe4 Nxe4 15.Bb2 Qf6 16.f4 Bxd4+ 17.Bxd4 Qf7 18.Bxe4 fxe4 ½-½ Csonkics,T-Jamrich,G/Budapest 1998.

12.Nxe4 Nxe4

12...fxe4 13.dxe6 c5 14.Nb5 d5 A) 15.cxd5 Qe8 16.e7 (16.Nc3 Bxc3³) 16...Qxe7 17.d6 Qd7 18.a4 Bc6=; B) 15.f4 15...exf3 16.Bxf3²; 12...Bxd4 13.Ng5 Be5 14.dxe6 Bxg2 15.Kxg2 dxe6 16.Nxe6 Qxd1 17.Rxd1 Rfe8 18.Ng5±

13.dxe6 Qf6

13...Bxd4 14.Qxd4 dxe6 15.Qe5 Qe7 16.Rd1

14.Nf3 dxe6 15.Nxe5 Qxe5 16.Qc2 Qf6

16...Rfd8 17.b4 c5 18.Bb2 Qc7 19.Rfd1 cxb4 20.axb4 Rac8

17.b4 Rfd8

17...Rad8 A) 18.Rb3!? e5 19.Rd3 c5 (19...Rxd3 20.exd3 Nd6) 20.Bb2 cxb4 21.axb4; B) 18.Bb2 18...Rd2 19.Qxd2 Nxd2 20.Bxf6 Bxg2 21.Kxg2 Rxf6 22.Rbd1 Nxf1 23.Kxf1²

18.Bb2 Qe7

18...e5 19.Rbd1²

19.Rfd1 c5 20.f3

Driving the knight back and preventing black from exchanging white squared Bishops. It also prepares e4.

20...Nf6 21.b5 Qc7

21...Ne8 22.Rxd8 Rxd8 23.Be5 Nf6 24.Qa4 Ba8 25.Rd1 Rxd1+ 26.Qxd1

22.Rxd8+

Having grabbed a space advantage on the Queenside and driven the black knight away white exchanges Rooks to leave a better Queen and minor piece ending.

22...Rxd8 23.Rd1 Rxd1+

23...Rd7 24.Rxd7 Nxd7 (24...Qxd7 25.Qd3) 25.Qa4 Ba8 26.Qd1 Bb7 27.e4

24.Qxd1 Kf7 25.Qd3 a6 26.a4 a5

Fixing the queenside pawn structure and leaving black with a permanent weakness on b6.

27.Kf2 Qd7 28.Be5

Improving the position of the Bishop before exchanging queens. If 28.Qxd7+?! Nxd7 29.e4²

28...Be4!?

Other choices were not much better. 28...Qxd3 29.exd3 Nd7 (29...Ne8 30.d4+-; 29...g5 30.Bc7 Nd7 31.f4 Bxg2 32.Kxg2 Kg6 33.Kf3 Kh5 34.Bd8 h6 35.h3±) 30.Bc7 e5 31.g4 fxg4 (31...g6 32.gxf5 gxf5 33.Bh3+-) 32.fxg4 Bxg2 33.Kxg2 Kf6 A) 34.Bd8+ Ke6 35.Kf3 Kd6 (35...Kf7 36.Ke4) 36.Ke4 Ke6 37.g5; B) 34.Kf3 34...h6 35.Ke4 Ke6 36.Bd8 Nf6+ 37.Bxf6 (37.Kf3 Nd7 38.h3 Kf7 39.h4 Ke6 40.h5 Kd6 41.Ke4 Ke6) 37...gxf6 38.Kf3 (38.h3 h5 39.gxh5 f5+ 40.Ke3 Kf6) 38...f5 (38...Kf7 39.Kf2 Kg6 40.Kf3) 39.gxf5+ Kxf5 40.Ke3

29.Qc3

29.fxe4?? Ng4+ 30.Ke1 Qxd3 31.exd3 Nxe5µ; 29.Qxd7+?? Nxd7 30.Bc7 Bc2 31.f4 Ke7 32.Bc6 Bxa4=

29...Bb7 30.Qc2 Qe7

30...Be4 31.Qc1 Bb7 32.Qf4 Qd1 33.Bc3 Qd8 34.h4

31.Qd3 g5 32.h4 gxh4

32...h6 33.g4 fxg4 34.h5! A) 34...Qf8 35.Bc7 gxf3 (35...g3+ 36.Kxg3 Nxh5+ 37.Kf2 Nf6 38.Bxb6) 36.exf3 Nxh5 37.Bxb6 Nf6 38.Bxa5+-; B) 34...Nxh5 35.Qh7+ Ke8 36.Qg8+ Qf8 (36...Kd7 37.Qb8) 37.Qxe6+ Qe7 38.Qg8++-

33.gxh4 Ke8 34.Kg3 Nd7
.

Black is out of useful moves. In the long run he cannot prevent the exchange of Queens followed by Bc7, as it occurs in the game: VVP ¹34...f4+ 35.Kh3 Bc8±

35.Bc7 Qf6 36.Qd6 Ba8 37.Kh3

37.Bxb6?? f4+=

37...Qg6 38.Qg3

38.Bxb6?? f4=

38...Kf7

38...Bb7 39.Qg5 Qxg5 40.hxg5 Kf7 41.Kg3 Kg6 42.Kf4]

39.Qg5 Qf6

[39...Qxg5 40.hxg5 Kg6 41.Kh4 Bb7 42.e4 fxe4 43.fxe4 Kf7 44.Kh5 Kg7 45.Bg3+-

40.Bd8 Qxg5

40...Qd4 41.Qe7+ Kg8 42.Qxe6+ Kh8 43.Bc7

41.hxg5

With the Queens gone, black's knight tied to the defense of the b-pawn and his bishop restricted to three squares, the position is critical. Tsvetkov sportingly resigned without waiting to see the continuations, for example:

[41.hxg5 A) 41...Kg6 42.Kg3 Kf7 43.e4 fxe4 44.fxe4 Bb7 45.Kf4 Ke8 46.Bc7 Ke7 47.Bf3 Kf7 48.Bh5+ Ke7 49.e5 Kf8 50.Bd6+ Kg7 51.Be8 Bc8 52.Bc7 Kf8 53.Bxd7 Bxd7 54.Bxb6 A1) 54...Bc8 55.Bxc5+ Ke8 56.Bb6 Bb7 57.Bxa5 Kd7 58.c5 Bd5 59.c6+ Kc8 60.Bb4 Bb3 (60...Kb8 61.a5 Bc4 62.b6 Ba6 63.Bd6+ Ka8 64.Kg4) 61.b6; A2) 54...Be8 55.Bxc5+ Kf7 56.Bd6; B) 41...h5 42.gxh6 Kg6 43.Kg3 Kxh6 44.Bh3 Kg6 45.e4+-; C) 41...e5 42.e4 fxe4 43.fxe4 Bb7 44.Kg3 Ke8 45.Bc7 Kf7 46.Kf3 Kg6 47.Bd8 Kf7 48.Bh3 Bc8 49.Bf5 Kg8 50.Kg4 Kf7 51.Kh5 Kg7 52.Be6 Kf8 53.Kh6 Ke8 54.Bc7 Bb7 55.Bf5]

1-0

VVP. A very nice positional game by the new GM. There is an interesting connection that I would like to mention. I was working as a young professor at the University of Illinois in Urbana when I won the 10th world championship in 1983. I can attest to the fact that the University setting and Champaign-Urbana offer a monastic environment that is very conducive for CC play. Thus, I predict much CC success in the future for Dr. Brooks.