Chess

The early pace in the world junior championship was set by the Russian representative, Yevgeny Najer. His win against Giorgi Kacheishvili (Georgia) was a good example of his aggressive style and inventive strategy.

After carrying out the standard plan of ...dxc4, Qe7 and e5, Black seemed to run out of ideas. His 11...Bb8 is an ugly move designed to prevent the white knight from forking queen and bishop when it reaches f5, but if this is the best he has, then he must already have made a mistake. Perhaps he had intended 11...e4, deciding only when he arrived there that 12.Ng5 Bxh2+ 13.Kxh2 Ng4+ 14.Kg1 Qxg5 15.Qxe4 Qh4 16.Qf4 was good for White.

12...h6 made real the threat of ...e4, but 13.Nh4! (threatening Ng6) and 14.f4! left Black in a critical position. If he plays 14...e4, then 15.Nf5 Qe8 16.Ng3 rounds up the e-pawn. He therefore had no choice but to open the position by exchanging pawns, but his poor state of development then spelt disaster.

Black must have hoped that his 15...Qb4 would gain time by attacking the d-pawn, but the splendid 16.Bxf7+ effectively finished him off. After 19...Ne8 Black seemed to have everything protected, since 20.Nxh6+ Kh8 is not immediately fatal, but 20.Rf7! neatly solved the problem. After 20...Qxf7 21.Nxh6+ the black queen is lost.

Black consequently had to give up his queen for rook and bishop, but with White also having an extra pawn, the issue was never in doubt, even if the black knights did subsequently give sterling service holding their king's defences together. At the end, with 41.Qxf8, Qxb7 and Nf5 all threatened, even the good knights couldn't help.

White: Yevgeny Najer

Black: Giorgi Kacheishvili

World Junior Championship Zagan, Poland 1997.

1 d4 d5 21 Rxf8+ Nxf8

2 c4 c6 22 Qf7 Bd6

3 Nc3 Nf6 23 Re1 Bxf5

4 e3 e6 24 Qxf5 Nf6

5 Nf3 Nbd7 25 g4 Rd7

6 Qc2 Bd6 26 g5 Ng8

7 Bd3 0-0 27 Qh3 Bc7

8 0-0 dxc4 28 Re4 Bb6

9 Bxc4 Qe7 29 Be3 Rad8

10 Bd2 e5 30 Ne2 Nh7

11 Bb3 Bb8 31 Kg2 Rd6

12 Rfe1 h6 32 Qg4 Rg6

13 Nh4 Rd8 33 Qf5 Nf8

14 f4 exf4 34 Ng3 Rgd6

15 exf4 Qb4 35 h4 Rd5

16 Bxf7+ Kxf7 36 Qf7 R5d7

17 Qg6+ Kg8 37 Qh5 Bxd4

18 Nf5 Qf8 38 Bxd4 Rxd4

19 Re7 Ne8 39 Rxd4 Rxd4

20 Rf7 Kh8 40 Qf7 resigns