New Zealand’s
leading senior (over-60) player Richard Sutton has been awarded the
FIDE (World Chess Federation) master title.
Sutton
achieved this by winning the 2004 South Island and Otago
championships and taking his international rating past the 2300
threshold.
For many years, Sutton’s
busy academic career in law curtailed his chess activity.
Nonetheless, he still found time to win three New Zealand
championship titles and gain national master titles in New Zealand
and the United States.
International
honours for Sutton are well overdue and the Otago and wider national
chess communities are delighted the FIDE master title has been
awarded to him.
Today’s game
features Sutton representing New Zealand with the white pieces
against Miodrag Todorcevic, of the former Yugoslavia, at the Skopje
Olympiad in 1972.
Sutton has kindly
assisted with the annotations.
1 e4 g6
2 d4 Bg7
3
Nc3 d6
4 f4 Nf6
5
Nf3 0-0
6 Bd3 Nc6
7
Be3 —
White has established a
classical set-up in response to Black’s Pirc Defence. Black
must attack the centre immediately. 7 — e5 8 fxe5 dxe5 9 d5
Nd4? This overly aggressive continuation may have been based on a
miscalculation. Correct was 9 — Ne7, 10 Qd2 c6. 10 Nxe5 Nxd5 11
Bxd4 Nf4 12 Bc4 Nxg2+?! Black opts for all-out attack. He could
retrieve his piece with 12 — c5 but White would retain a
comfortable advantage. 13 Kf2 Qh4+ Sacrificing further material to
fuel the attack. 14 Kxg2 Bh3+ 15 Kg1 Rad8 Black can’t make
substantive progress after 15 — Qg5+ so he brings his rook into
play. 16 Bd5 Qg5+ 17 Kf2 c5 18 Bxc5 Bxe5 19 Rg1! — A key move.
White intends to use his rook to shield his exposed king. 19 —
Qh4+ 20 Rg3 Be6 21 Qf3! — White is well on the way to
consolidating his advantage. 21 — Bxd5 22 exd5 Rfe8 23 Kg2! b6
24 Bf2 Bxg3 25 hxg3 Qb4 Although White has given back most of the
extra material, his king is safe and his pieces are well placed to
exploit Black’s weakened king position. 26 Rf1! f5 27 Qd3 Qxb2
28 d6! — Now that Black’s king is fully exposed, White
penetrates with his major pieces. 28 — Re6 29 Qc4 Rdxd6 30 Rd1
Rc6 31 Qd5 Qxc3 32 Qd8+
1-0
Black is mated after 32 . . .
Kg7, 33 Rd7+ Kh6, 34 Qh4#.
Problem: White to play win.
Solution: 1 Qg8+ Qg7, 2 Qe8+ Kh6, 3
Nf5#. 