South Is title to Sutton
• Chess
By Tony Dowden
The 2004 South Island title has gone to
former New Zealand champion and national master Richard Sutton, of Dunedin.
Sutton was in fine form, winning seven games and
losing just once, against Graeme Spain’s “homebrewed” Scandinavian defence.
Spain, a perennial northern visitor from Te Awamutu, took second place on
6.5 points.
Quentin Johnson, of Dunedin, overcame the slings
and arrows associated with organisation to take a well-merited third place
with 6 points. Second seed Tony Dowden struggled to find form and faded to
sixth.
The full results of the event can be viewed on the
Otago Chess Club’s website.
Peter Leko, of Hungary, has taken a narrow 4.5-3.5
lead against Vladimir Kramnik, of Russia, in their world championship match
in Brissago, Switzerland. If Leko can hold on to the lead in the remaining six games, he will become the first
Hungarian to clinch the open world title.
Today’s game sees Richard Sutton in action in round
5 of the South Island event, with the black pieces, against popular administrator
Alan Aldridge, of Wellington.
1 d4 Nf6
2 c4 g6
3 Nc3 d5 The double-edged Gruenfeld defence 4 e3 Bg7
5 Bd3 O-O 6 Nge2 c5! White has adopted a cautious set-up which allows Black
to equalise without difficulty 7 dxc5 dxc4 8 Bxc4 Qxd1+ 9 Nxd1 Ne4 10 O-O
Nc6 11 f3 Nxc5 12 a3? — White is struggling to untangle his pieces but this
hands the b3 square to Black 12 — Na5! 13 Ba2 Nab3 14 Rb1 Be6 15 Ndc3 Rfd8
16 e4 Bc4 17 Bxb3 Nxb3 18 Be3 Bxc3 White cannot avoid losing the exchange,
which then results in a lost ending.
0-1
Today’s solution: 1 Qxf2+; 2 Qxf2 Rxd1+; 3 Qf1 Rxf1#.
