Saturday 1 August 2009

For Queen and Country

The British Championship is underway in the seaside resort of Torquay, and despite removing the eligibility of Commonwealth players to play in the event a few years ago there are still a few foreign devils taking part. Although it is formerly English players, who having moved to sunnier climes (some temporarily), answering the call of Queen and country and returned to the motherland.
One such player is Gary Lane, who does have the excuse of having grown up in Torquay (well next door in Paington). And in todays issue of Chess Today, he is the featured game, playing a well known sacrifice in the Sicilian against Peter Wells. I'm not sure what current theory says about it all, but I do have a vague recollection of having played it myself (and winning) in a correspondence game about 20 years ago.

Lane, G v Wells, P
2009 British Championship

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bc4 e6 7. Be3 Be7 8. Qe2 a6 9. O-O-O Qc7 10. Bb3 Na5 11. g4 b5 12. g5 Nxb3+ 13. axb3 Nd7 (D)
14. Nf5!
{First played by Velirimovic back in 1965} exf5 15. Nd5 Qd8 16. exf5 Bb7 (16... O-O? 17. f6 gxf6 18. Bd4 Ne5 19. gxf6 Bxf6 20. Rhg1+ +-) 17. f6 gxf6 18. Rhe1 Bxd5 19. Rxd5 Rg8 20. Bf4 Kf8 21. Bxd6 Bxd6 22. Rxd6 fxg5 23. Qd2 g4 24. f4 (24. Re5!) 24... Ra7 25. Qb4 a5 26. Rxd7+ axb4 27. Rxd8+ Kg7 28. Rd5 Ra1+ 29. Kd2 Rxe1 30. Kxe1 Re8+ 31. Kf2 Rc8 32. Rxb5 Rxc2+ 33. Kg3 Rxb2 34. Rxb4 h5 35. h3 gxh3 1/2-1/2

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