Games: Chess

It's Wimbledon all over again! The new knock-out format for the world chess championship is really a silly way to conduct a serious tournament, but how can we complain when there are two Britons in the last 16? Which of Nigel Short and Michael Adams is the Rusedski and which is the Henman, however, has yet to be determined. Sadly, the third Briton, Matthew Sadler, was eliminated in round three after losing the second game of his match with Alexei Dreyev.

Short beat Andrei Sokolov 2-0, beginning with this powerfully played game.

White: Nigel Short

Black: Andrei Sokolov

1 e4 c5 15 g5 bxc3

2 Nf3 e6 16 gxf6 Bxf6

3 d4 cxd4 17 e5 Bh4

4 Nxd4 Nc6 18 Qxc3 d5

5 Nc3 d6 19 Nc5 Qc7

6 Be2 Nf6 20 f5 d4

7 Be3 Be7 21 Rxd4 Nxd4

8 0-0 Bd7 22 Qxd4 Bd5

9 Nb3 a6 23 Qxh4 Qxe5

10 f4 b5 24 Qd4 Qxd4

11 a3 0-0 25 Bxd4 e5

12 g4 Bc8 26 Be3 a5

13 Qe1 Bb7 27 Rd1 resigns

14 Rd1 b4

When Sokolov played 14...b4, he must have expected 15.axb4 or 15.Na4. His reaction to 15.g5 looks like one of shock. Instead of calmly retreating with 15...Nd7, he went down the main line of White's calculations ending, after 20.f5! in a position that was probably already lost. 20...Nxe5 loses a piece to 21.Nxb7, so he played 20...d4, perhaps missing the strength of White's exchange sacrifice.

After 22.Qxd4, neither 22...Qc6 23.Bf3 nor 22...Be7 23.Nxb7 Qxb7 24.f6 offers Black any chance of survival, so Sokolov abandoned the bishop on h4. With two minor pieces for a rook, however, White emerged with a comfortably won position. At the end, Black resigned rather than wait for the inevitable advance of the white b- and c-pawns.

Michael Adams beat Sergei Tiviakov by 11/2-1/2, winning the first game and drawing the second. The win was typical of Adams at his most powerful. White's quiet opening play secured him a clear advantage against rather too casual play from Tiviakov. After 12.d4 White had everything he wanted: the bishop pair and a big pawn centre, but Black's position had no real weakness.

White's 17.h4! was a good idea, both creating the possibility of a later h5 and envisaging development of the bishop after g3 to h3. All the same, White had little real advantage before Black played 25...Nxe4. perhaps the apparent hesitancy of White's 24.Rd2 and 25.Rdd1 encouraged him, but Black's position became surprisingly difficult after the exchange of minor pieces.

29.h5! was an inspired way to gain room for White's minor pieces, after which Black's game fell apart.

White: Michael Adams

Black: Sergei Tiviakov

1 e4 c5 19 Be3 Qe8

2 Nf3 d6 20 Qa3 Qe7

3 Bb5+ Nc6 21 Qxe7 Nxe7

4 0-0 Bd7 22 g3 h6

5 Re1 Nf6 23 Rd6 Nc8

6 c3 a6 24 Rd2 Nf6

7 Bf1 Bg4 25 Rdd1 Nxe4

8 d3 g6 26 Bxh6 Bxh6

9 Nbd2 Bg7 27 Rxe4 f6

10 h3 Bxf3 28 Rc4 Re7

11 Nxf3 0-0 29 h5 gxh5

12 d4 cxd4 30 Nh4 Rh7

13 cxd4 Rc8 31 Bh3 Ne7

14 Qb3 Rc7 32 Be6+ Kh8

15 Bf4 Nd7 33 Rc7 f5

16 Rad1 Qb8 34 Rdd7 Bg5

17 h4 e5 35 Ng6+ resigns

18 dxe5 dxe5