Games: Chess

Everybody wants to attack. You can see this cult of aggression reflected in the oxymoronic titles of books such as The Grunfeld Defence for the Attacking Player, yet in real life at least as many games are won by good defensive technique as by brilliant attacking play. But it's generally the attacking successes that get published.

To redress the balance, here is a fine defensive achievement from Wijk aan Zee. Salov played an interesting idea in the opening with 12...Bxd4!? and 13...f6 giving up one bishop to leave the other in harmony with a black- squared pawn formation. When White attacked with 16.Nb6, 17.c4 and 18.c5, however, it all looked a little shaky.

Salov solved the problem cleverly by offering his rook on b8. After 20.Bxb8 Qxb8 21.g3 Ne5 the threat of Nf3+ causes White severe problems. Instead, Shirov opened another front for his attack along the f-file, and after 24.Nxe7 Black's game looked critical. His position falls apart after 24...Nxe7 25.Rxf6+.

After the exchange of queens, 26...Nxe7 27.Rxf6+ would still have been fatal, but Salov defended calmly with 26...Rh6 - and that is when White became carried away by the momentum of his attacking ambitions. 27.Nxc6 bxc6 would have left a draw almost certain. Instead Shirov had the brilliant idea of 27.h4?! when 27...Nxe7 28.hxg5 Rg6 29.Rxf6+ wins for White.

A brilliant idea, but a bad one. After 27...gxh4! 28.Be3 (Nxc6 was still best) Ne5! White was struggling.

White: Alexei Shirov

Black: Valery Salov

Sicilian Defence

1 e4 c5 20 f4 gxf3

2 Nf3 d6 21 Rxf3 Rd8

3 d4 cxd4 22 Raf1 Qg6

4 Nxd4 Nf6 23 Nd5 Qxe4

5 Nc3 a6 24 Nxe7 Qd4+

6 Be3 Ng4 25 Bf2 Qxc5

7 Bg5 h6 26 Bxc5 Rh6

8 Bh4 g5 27 h4 gxh4

9 Bg3 Bg7 28 Be3 Ne5

10 Be2 h5 29 R3f2 Rh5

11 Bxg4 hxg4 30 Rxf6+ Kxe7

12 0-0 Bxd4 31 Bc5+ Rd6

13 Qxd4 f6 32 Bxd6+ Kxd6

14 Nd5 Nc6 33 b3 Rg5

15 Qe3 Be6 34 Rh6 Ke7

16 Nb6 Rb8 35 Rxh4 Bd5

17 c4 Kf7 36 Rf2 Nf3+

18 c5 dxc5 White resigned

19 Qxc5 Qg8