Position No. 6107: White to play and win. From the game Yuri Vovk-Peter Varga, French League, Mulhouse 2010.
Solution to Position No. 6106: Quickest is 1…Rgh8! 2 cxd6+ Kd8 3 Bg2 Rh2, foreseeing 4 Kf1 Rh1+. If 1…Qh6 2 cxb6+ Kd8, White can delay checkmate by 3 Qc7+.
Viswanathan Anand of India, world champion since 2007, retained his title by defeating Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria, 6-1/2 - 5-1/2 in their match in Sofia, Bulgaria. Anand won Tuesday's final game, as Black, to end the most exciting championship of the last two decades.
Topalov seemed to have the momentum after Anand lost the drawish ending of the eighth game and overlooked at least four chances to win a fierce struggle in the ninth game. However, he could not capitalize on minimal advantages in the next two games, as Anand defended well. Tuesday's game turned in Anand's favor when Topalov, probably fearing Anand's superiority in the speed chess tiebreakers that would follow another draw, gambled by snatching a pawn and exposing his King.
This match was originally scheduled for 2009. The World Chess Federation (FIDE) will determine Anand's next challenger in an eight-player event later this year.
Campomanes dies
Florencio Campomanes died May 3 at age 83 in Baguio City, Philippines. Campo served from 1982 to 1995 as the most effective FIDE president in history. His most notable achievements were ending the Soviet Chess Federation's boycott of Soviet defector Viktor Korchnoi and spreading chess to every corner of the world in the 1980s.
Campo was vilified (absolutely wrongly, in my opinion) for halting the five-month world championship match between Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov in 1985 and ordering a rematch, which Kasparov won. When Kasparov broke away from FIDE in 1993, Campo made the less defensible decision to inaugurate a new champion, which led to 13 years of chaos with two "champions."
Campo traveled constantly, displaying both his personal charm and his love of chess. I remember two of his visits to Los Angeles in the early 1980s, where he handled his political duties smoothly, then spent hours challenging masters at speed chess. I am delighted that he outlived most of his critics.
Local news
The Lina Grumette Memorial Day Classic, a local tradition since 1980, begins Friday evening in the Hilton Hotel, 5711 W. Century Blvd. in Los Angeles. Organizer John Hillery has scheduled the tournament a week earlier than usual because he could not find an affordable playing site on Memorial Day weekend. Entrants may opt for a two-day schedule, beginning Saturday morning. For full details, see westernchess.com.
Robert Hutchinson scored 4-1/2 - 1/2 to win the 35th Anniversary Open at the La Palma Chess Club. Leigh Hunt, George Shahin and Joe Warhula tied for second place at 3-1/2 - 1-1/2. Vic Alfaro took first prize in the second section of the 34-player tournament. Shahin and Hutchinson also won best game prizes.
The club meets Friday evenings in Central Park, 7821 Walker St. in La Palma. See the club's comprehensive website at lapalmachess.741.com for much more.
Today's games
