FM Steve Giddins reports from the Staunton Memorial tournament 2006

The 2006 Staunton Memorial tournament opened today in the august and beautiful surroundings of Simpsons in The Strand. And what a venue it is! As Dutch GM Yge Visser commented to me, at the start of the round, “This is what a chess tournament should look like – carpets, chandeliers, paintings on the walls, etc. Not some leisure centre sports hall, reeking of disinfectant and chlorine, with training shoes squeaking on the floor, and basketball hoops hanging from the walls!”

The setting may be quintessentially English, but the Dutch were the ones who brought the real class to the chessboard today, allowing their English opponents just a half point in five games. Howell-L’Ami set the tone. The former avoided his opponent’s favourite Berlin Wall ending, and chose instead the quiet 4 d3 variation. However, in a fairly balanced-looking position, he mistakenly allowed the exchange of dark-squared bishop by 19 Bg5?, after which the weaknesses in White’s camp became serious. Two moves later, he was already in desperate trouble, and the blunder 23 Ne2? did no more than put him out of his misery.

Visser himself got off to a good start, beating Levitt in convincing style. The opening must have been of special interest to Lawrence Day, since White’s anti-French / Sicilian formation is one the Canadian IM has played and written about extensively, and christened “The Big Clamp”. Levitt loosened the long diagonal with an early 8...b5, and after Visser’s thematic pawn sacrifice 10 e5!, White soon had a large advantage, as his knight penetrated to f6. However, his subsequent knight sacrifice may not have been wholly correct. In the critical position after 27 g6, Black had to try 27...fxg6 28 Qxg6 Qe7, when the silicon monster still demands to be shown how White can continue the attack (29 Ref4 Rb1 holds). Instead, Levitt’s 27...Rb1? lost by force.

Werle-Speelman was a manoeuvering game, in which Black seemed to have no problems at all for much of the duration, although in fairness, it should be added that Werle turned down a draw on move 19. Speelman eventually got his bishop stuck on c3, and after its diagonal was cut by 39 e5, he suddenly found his kingside looking like the Marie Celeste. 40...Qd4? was the last straw (40...Qe7 is the only chance), after which the Black monarch was unceremoniously mated.

WGM Tea Lanchava is the second-lowest rated player in the field, but got off to a splendid start, by demolishing Peter Wells. Having out-manoeuvered her opponent in the early middlegame, to achieve the thematic advance e3-e4, she then ruthlessly demolished his exchange sacrifice, winding the game up with a crushing kingside attack.

The only Englishman to score half a point was Mickey Adams, who faced Timman. Another of the h3/d3 anti-Marshall systems, which are currently so popular at top level, this time brought White no advantage, and the game simplified to a draw on move 25.

Finally, Ivan Sokolov made a winning start against Lawrence Day.  In a typical QGD Minority Attack, Sokolov broke through on the queenside, whilst Black’s knights were tangled up on the other side of the board. The tactical blow 25 Ne4! forced a decisive simplification of the position, and White’s queenside pawns swept away the last vestiges of resistance.