Howard Staunton was the Victorian polymath who became unofficial world champion in chess, as well as writing the history of the British Public School system and producing a collector’s item edition of the works of Shakespeare. For the past four years a Staunton Memorial tournament has been held at Simpson’s-in-the-Strand, London and this year’s event featuring Michael Adams and Jan Timman is the strongest event of its kind in London for over 20 years.
The only person invited to the 2007 Staunton Memorial who was not a grandmaster has now earned the title in the Four Nations Chess League. Gawain Jones has not only become England’s latest grandmaster, he has also shot ahead of his rival and junior, David Howell, in the international rating list.
Further good news for the Staunton Memorial is that the celebrated Sobkowski chess set belonging to Morris Sobkowski, a founding member of the Friends of Chess organisation, and a survivor of five Nazi concentration camps, has been donated back to the tournament by the previous winner and grandmaster Jon Levitt. The famous chess set was first given to the tournament by the widow of Morris Sobkowski – Trudi Sobkowski. Morris and his love of chess survived the Nazi death camps at Auschwitz, Funfteichen, Kruppwerke Maerstadt, the Dora V2 rocket caverns and finally Belsen. A true miracle.
Here is the game which clinched the award of the Sobkowski chess set to grandmaster Jon Levitt in 2005.
White: David Howell
Black: Jonathan Levitt
Staunton Memorial, London 2005
French Defence
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nd2 c5 4 exd5 Qxd5 5 Ngf3 cxd4 6 Bc4 Qd6 7 Qe2 Nc6 8 Nb3 Be7 9 Bd2 a6 10 0-0-0 Nf6 11 Kb1 b5 12 Bd3 Bb7 13 Rhe1 0-0 14 g4
White is having difficulties regaining the sacrificed pawn and so prefers to play in true gambit style.
14 … g6
It was also possible to grab the material with 14 … Nxg4 15 Rg1 f5 16 Rde1 Bc8.
15 g5 Nh5 16 Be4 Rfe8 17 Bc1 Qc7 18 Nbxd4 Nxd4 19 Rxd4 Bxe4 20 Qxe4 Bc5 21 Rd3 Rad8 22 Rc3
White has developed a reasonable initiative.
22 … Qb6 23 Ne5 Rd5
This would be a bad moment to grab a pawn. After 23 … Bxf2 24 Rf1 Qd4 25 Qe2 Black has got his pieces rather tangled up.
24 Ng4 Red8 25 Rf3 R8d7 26 a3
Here White can win a pawn with 26 Nh6+ Kf8 27 Qxe6 Qxe6 28 Rxe6 Bd6 when Black has some initiative and the position is messy.
26 … Bf8 27 Rh3 Bg7 28 Rg1 Qd4 29 Qf3 Kf8 30 Ne3 R5d6 31 Rg4 Qa7 32 Rgh4 Qb7 33 Qe2 Qh1
Here White decided to go ‘all-in’ but this fails to beat a counter-tactic.
34 Rxh5 gxh5 35 Qxh5 Rd1
This is the first move of a combination which lasts until the end of the game.
36 Nxd1 Rxd1 37 Rf3 Rxc1+ 38 Ka2 Ra1+ 39 Kb3 Rxa3+ 40 Kxa3 Qa1+ 41 Kb4 Qa4+
Taking the pawn with 41 … Qxb2+ limits the queen’s options.
42 Kc5 Bd4+ 43 Kd6
If 43 Kc6 Qc4+ 44 Kb7 Qd5+ 45 Kxa6 Qc6+ 46 Ka5 Bb6+ 47 Kb4 Qc4+ 48 Ka3 Qa4 is mate.
43 … Qb4+ 44 Kc6 Qc5+ 45 Kd7 Qa7+ 46 Kd6
46 Kc8 Be5 47 Rc3 Qb8+ 48 Kd7 Qe8 is mate.
46 … Qe7+ 47 Kc6 Ke8 White resigns
The only way to avert mate is by taking on f7 but that leads to a hopeless endgame.
Spectators are welcome and there is no charge. Playing days at Simpson’s-in-the-Strand are 7-18 August inclusive apart from 14 August which is the day off.
here is a fine win with notes by the winner-commonwealth grandmaster lawrence day
Howell – Day; Staunton Memorial, London 2005; Pterodactyl Defence
1 e4 g6 2 d4 Bg7 3 Nc3 c5 4 dxc5 Bxc3+ Originally, 1977-84, I tried 4 … Qa5 here. White played often played 5 Nf3 Bxc3+ 6 bxc3 Qxc3+ 7 Bd2 Qxc5 leading to gambit play. Personally, after accepting it in a dozen or so games, I concluded that White didn’t really have enough for his gambit pawn. However in Mestel-Day, Lucerne 1982 White improved with 5 Bd2 Qxc5 6 Nd5 when the elementary threat is 7 Bb4 Qc6 8 Bb5 trapping the Queen. Theory then had only Robert Byrne’s 6…Na6(?) as a suggestion, but I had prepared 6…b6!? when the position after 7 Be3 Qc6 8 Bb5 Qb7 9 Bd4 f6! is extremely complicated. Nowadays I prefer 4 … Bxc3+. 5 bxc3 Nf6 The obvious move is 5…Qa5 but there is a serious problem after 6 Qd4 Nf6 7 Qb4! when exchanging queens recovers the pawn but is positionally umpleasant. The retreat 7 … Qc7 and say 8 f3 Na6 9 Bxa6 bxa6 10 Rb1 a5 11 Qb5 gives White a bind on the queenside. 6 Qd4 Initially Black’s fifth looks impossible since 6 e5 Ne4 7 Qd4 traps the Knight; however the visuals deceive since 7…Qa5 counter-attacking c3 while making c5 an ideal flight leaves White with grim prospects. 6 … Nc6 7 Qe3 Qa5 8 Bd2 b6 9 cxb6 axb6 Black has played a genuine gambit; White has more pawns but they are weak and easily blockaded. 10 Bd3 Ba6 11 f4 The advance of the e-pawn is White’s only apparent method of drumming up play. 11 … d6 12 Nf3 Qc5 13 0-0 Nd7 14 Nd4 Na5 15 e5 Nc4 (diagram 1) Establishing the blockade. Black seems to stand well. 16 Bxc4 Bxc4 17 exd6 Qxd6 18 Rf3 Ra5 19 f5 Ne5 20 Rh3 h5 21 fxg6 Nxg6 22 Rb1 Re5 23 Qf2 b5 24 a4 Returning the pawn to obtain some activity, but it is hard to believe it is sound. 24 … bxa4 25 Rb4 Qa6 26 Nf3 Rd5 27 Rb6 Qa7 (diagram 2) 28 Be3 28 Rc6! was the only way to stay in the game. 28 … Rd1+ 29 Ne1 Qc7 30 Rb4 a3 31 Ra4 a2 32 Ra8+ Rd8 33 Ra3 0-0 34 Qf3 h4 35 Bf2 Bd5 36 Qg4 Ra8 37 Bd4 e5 38 Bf2 Rxa3 39 Qg5 Be6 40 Rxh4 a1Q 41 Rh6 Kg7 42 Bh4 Qc5+ 43 Kh1 Qxe1+ 44 Bxe1 Ra1 White resigns The comments to the above game were generously supplied by the winner
RAY KEENE FOR CHESSVILLE-PLS NOTE THE HOWARD STAUNTON WEBSITE WHERE WE WILL PUT UP THE GAMES-SEE BELOW–
ARBITERS ARE DR ERIC SCHILLER AND BOB WADE OBE
Did he design chess sets too?
It should always be remembered that Mr. Staunton knew he would be defeated by Paul Morphy. Thus, finding every excuse to avoid playing Morphy…even after promising to do so.
Mr. Staunton was a fine chess player and a fine scholar. Yet, his legacy has this one bruise on it and that is his refusal to play Morphy. Even his contemporaries thought Staunton’s treatment of Morphy and continual breaking his promise to play him was quite unprofessional considering that, during this period of chess history, the word “honor” still meant something amongst players unlike today when it means nothing to the chess elite.
But, I love Staunton chess pieces!
As a Londoner it’s great to have a regular high rated international Tournament to follow and occasionally visit.
BUT!! Why, Oh WHY!! start the tournament on the penultimate round of the British Championships, held this year in Liverpool. This has robbed the British Championship of the possibility of entries from the top strata of British Chess.
Even if it was not the intention of the UK players and organisers of this event to slight the British Chess establishment, it unfortunately would appear to the casual observer that is what has been achieved.
Can I suggest that the sponsors and organisers of both events discuss their next dates well in advance to avoid such a clash in the future?