Clocked in Virginia Beach

Ironically, a chess tournament marking 1,000 years was decided by a few precious ticks of the clock.

In the critical encounter at the fifth annual Millennium Chess Festival, held April 2 through 4 in Virginia Beach, New York GM Hikaru Nakamura escaped with a win from a drawn position when fellow GM Julio Becerra forfeited on time. Nakamura went on to draw his final game to finish in a tie for first with GM Ildar Ibragimov at 41/2-1/2. Ibragimov defeated FM Boris Privman in Round 5 to earn a share of the title.

Some 267 players competed in five sections in the event, including six grandmasters and three IMs. The brainchild of local organizer Tom Braunlich, the Millennium has quickly established itself as one of the elite East Coast events on the chess calendar.

Today’s diagrammed position takes us straight to the dramatic climax, with Becerra as Black desperately trying to hold on with virtually no time left on his clock.

Black has been trying to save a tough ending, down three pawns to two on the kingside for about 40 moves, and is just about to reach the promised land when disaster strikes.

Nakamura has just played 85. f6, putting the question to the awkwardly placed Black bishop. Becerra finds the right response with 85…Bxf6!! 86. Nxf6 Rf1+, but his flag fell before he could demonstrate the draw. It looked as if the check was harmless, but Black had a fiendish stalemate trick set up had he only the time to spring it.

Thus, if White had played 87. Ke5 (Kg5 makes no difference), then 87…Rf5+! 88. Kxf5 is a draw because Black has no legal moves. Running away with 88. Ke6 Re5+! 89. Kd6 Re6+! 90. Kd7 Re7+ only makes matters worse. A very hard loss to take.

Nakamura, America’s newest and youngest grandmaster, put himself in position to win by opening with three strong victories, including a wipeout of FM Boris Zisman in today’s first game. In an English, Black aims for a solid if passive setup with 14. e4 b6 15. Qe2 Be8 but finds himself saddled with a cluttered position ill-suited to respond to White’s lightning attack.

With Black’s pieces clumped in the middle, Nakamura strikes with 19. e5 Be7 20. Ng5! h6 (Bxg5 21. Bxg5 Nxd4? 22. Qg4 and both Black rooks hang) 21. Ne4 Rac8 22. Bxh6!.

With no pieces in the vicinity of his king, Black can neither accept nor decline the offer. It’s over on 22…gxh6 (Nxd4 23. Qg4 g6 24. Nd6! Bxd6 25. Rxd4 wins a piece) 23. Qg4+, and Zisman gives up facing 23…Kf8 (Bg5 24. Nf6+ Kh8 25. Nxd7; or 23…Kh8 24. Nf6 Bxf6 25. exf6 Nxd4 26. Qg7 mate) 24. Nf6 Ba3 (Bxf6 25. exf6 Qd5 26. Qg7 mate) 25. Nh7+ Ke7 26. Qh4+ f6 27. Qxf6 mate.

FM Bryan Smith offers a far more impressive defensive stand in his win over IM Danny Kopec at the Millennium. Kopec takes a hyper-aggressive tack in this French Defense with 11. h4 Nc6 12. Rh3 c4 13. Rg3!? (points for courage, but White ends up riding the tiger; boring but equal was 13. Be2 h5 14. Qf4 Qe7) cxd3 14. Qxg7+, sacrificing the piece for a scary-looking attack.

After 15. Qf6+ Kd7 16. Qxf7+ Ne7 17. Rg6 (Nf3 dxc2 18. Kxc2 Rf8 19. Qh7 Kc6 20. Rb1 Nf5 is clearly better for Black) Rf8 18. Qxe6+ Ke8, White has obtained a third pawn for his piece but now faces a nasty dilemma. His f-pawn is hanging, his queen is attacked, and any queen move allows the pinned Black knight to capture on g6.

With 19. Qd6 Nxg6 20. Qxg6+ Ke7 21. Nf3, White has some play against the exposed Black king, but now the forlorn Black pawn on d3 comes into its own. There followed 21…Qb6 22. e6 (Qxb6 axb6 23. cxd3 gives White four pawns for a rook, but on 23…Bh3! 24. gxh3 Rxf3, the White pawns fall like tenpins) Bxe6 23. Re1 dxc2 24. Qxh6 (Kxc2 Rg8 25. Qxh6 Rxg2 26. Qe3 Kd7 frees Black’s game) Rae8 25. Ng5. White’s hopes to scare up counterplay against the pinned bishop are rudely thwarted.

Smith’s 25…Rxf2+ 26. Ke3 c1=Q+! neatly ends the contest, as 27. Rxc1 (Kxf2 Qd2+ 28. Re2 [Kf1 Rf8+] Qxe2+! 29. Kxe2 Bg4+ 30. Ke3 Qxh6) Qb2 28. Qxe6+ Kd8 pins the White queen while threatening instant mate. Remarkably, it took only 26 moves in a French Defense for the Black c-pawn to navigate its way to the queening square, which may be a new record.

Other section winners — Under 2000: Larry Larkins, 41/2-1/2; Under 1800: Walter Key, 5-0; Under 1600: Michael Spargo, 41/2-1/2; and Under 1300: Tan Dang, 5-0. Nakamura, rounding out a very successful weekend, also took clear first in the 50-player blitz tournament, played late into the night even though the clocks were being set ahead for Sunday’s final rounds with the daylight-saving change.

Once again, a big thanks to Millennium staffer Mike Atkins for supplying the standings and game scores.

World titleholder Vladimir Kramnik of Russia will defend his title for the first time in four years in a 14-game match in Brissago, Switzerland, starting Sept. 25, organizers now say. Kramnik faces Hungarian challenger Peter Leko for his half of the disputed world crown.

FIDE, the international chess federation, has announced it will go ahead with its own world-title knockout tournament this summer in Libya, even though current FIDE champ Ruslan Ponomariov of Ukraine almost certainly will boycott the event. Whether the victors in Switzerland and Libya will then meet for a unification match remains very much up in the air.

Millennium Chess Festival V, Virginia Beach, April 2004

NakamuraZisman

1. c4c513. Qd1Rd8

2. Nf3Nf614. e4b6

3. Nc3d515. Qe2Be8

4. cxd5Nxd516. Rfd1cxd4

5. g3Nc617. cxd4Bd6

6. Bg2e618. Be3Qd7

7. 0-0Be719. e5Be7

8. d4Nxc320. Ng5h6

9. bxc30-021. Ne4Rac8

10. Rb1Qc722. Bxh6gxh6

11. Qa4Bd723. Qg4+Black

12. Bf4Qc8resigns

Millennium Chess Festival V, Virginia Beach, April 2004

KopecSmith

1. e4e614. Qxg7+Ke7

2. d4d515. Qf6+Kd7

3. Nc3Nf616. Qxf7+Ne7

4. Bg5Bb417. Rg6Rf8

5. e5h618. Qxe6+Ke8

6. Bd2Bxc319. Qd6Nxg6

7. bxc3Ne420. Qxg6+Ke7

8. Qg4Kf821. Nf3Qb6

9. Bd3Nxd222. e6Bxe6

10. Kxd2c523. Re1dxc2

11. h4Nc624. Qxh6Rae8

12. Rh3c425. Ng5Rxf2+

13. Rg3cxd326. Ke3c1=Q+

White resigns

David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by e-mail at dsands@washingtontimes.com.