Chess

The secret of successful chess is knowing when to take risks. Since a game cannot be lost without making a mistake, an essential part of the art of winning is knowing how to tempt your opponent into error. Players who strive too hard not to make mistakes themselves often find that they are setting the opponent too few problems.

Today's game, taken from last year's US Open Championship, is a good example of the sort of double-edged decision that wins games. Playing against the type of hedgehog formation adopted by Black here, White must take care not to push forward too energetically for fear of leaving too many weaknesses behind him. After 18...e5, White had to continue moving forward to keep the initiative. The crisis arrived with 23...b5 (see diagram). After 24.cxb5 Rxc1 25.Bxc1, the exchange of a pair of rooks and the distraction of the bishop from its duties on the long black diagonal lessen White's control of the game.

Schwarzman's decision to sacrifice a pawn with 24.c5!? was the right practical choice and forced Black back on to the defensive. It also seemed to have an unsettling effect on Black's play. Perhaps he overestimated his chances after 26...dxc5, but 26...Rxc5 looks far more natural. At least it would lead to the exchange of one of the dangerous white rooks.

As the game went, White's control of both open files after 28.Rf1 made the defence very difficult. Perhaps after 30.Rf7 Black had intended to chase the queen away with 30...Bf6, but then noticed the strength of 31.Rdd7! in reply. After this, he capsized with great rapidity. 31...Rf8 was motivated by the apparently logical desire to exchange an attacking piece, and also fear of the threat of 32.Nf5, but Black's calculations incorporated a terrible oversight. After 32.Rxf8 Bxf8, White was able to win at once with 33.Rd8! since 33...Qxd8 allows a knight fork at f7. Black could still have fought on with 32...Qxf8! 33.Rd8 Ne8.

White: Gabriel Schwarzman

Black: Alex Yermolinsky

1 c4 c5 18 Kh2 e5

2 Nc3 Nf6 19 Nf5 g6

3 g3 e6 20 fxe5 Nxe5

4 Nf3 b6 21 Qg5 Nh5

5 Bg2 Bb7 22 Nd5 Bxd5

6 0-0 Be7 23 Rxd5 b5

7 d4 cxd4 24 c5 f6

8 Qxd4 0-0 25 Nh6+ Kh8

9 Rd1 d6 26 Qe3 dxc5

10 b3 Nbd7 27 Bxe5 fxe5

11 e4 Qc8 28 Rf1 Rc6

12 Bb2 a6 29 Qg5 Bg7

13 Qe3 Qc7 30 Rf7 Nf6

14 Nd4 Rfe8 31 Rd1 Rf8

15 Rac1 Rac8 32 Rxf8+ Bxf8

16 h3 Qb8 33 Rd8 resigns

17 f4 Bf8

Gabriel Schwarzman, then the youngest American grandmaster at the age of 19, went on to win the tournament. His opponent, Alex Yermolinsky, finished as runner-up. Taking well-judged risks wins tournaments as well as just single games.