Poisoned Pawn

An exciting variation in the chess openings is known as the Poisoned Pawn. The theme is an early foray by the black Queen in the Sicilian Defence to grab White’s pawn on b2. Black wins material, but suffers in terms of development. It was a favourite of Bobby Fischer, who experienced ups and downs on both sides in a number of classic games.

Istvan Bilek vs. Robert J. Fischer  (1962)

Georgi Tringov vs, Robert J. Fischer   (1965)

Guy Mazzoni vs. Robert J. Fischer  (1967)

Robert J. Fischer vs. Efim Geller  (1970)

Milan Matulovic vs. Robert J Fischer  (1970)

Bruno Parma vs. Robert J. Fischer  (1970)

Boris Spassky vs. Robert J. Fischer  (1972)

  Summary of Fischer’s use of the Poison Pawn as Black: in spite of the one loss to Spassky, Fischer’s record with the black side of the Poisoned Pawn might be described as the Gift that kept on giving (geddit?  answer at base of column ).
 
The world of chess turpitude has reached a new low after a Russian chess player and coach apparently attempted to actually poison her childhood rival by covering her pieces in deadly mercury. This easily surpasses any of the cheating ploys of which Hans Niemann has been falsely accused after his victory against Magnus Carlsen and would form a spectacular new chapter in Bill Hartston’s classic manual, How to cheat at chess.

My account of this more than bizarre incident relies heavily on Russian sources, since, for obvious reasons, there is a current dearth of western chess journalists in Russia to check and verify the facts. 

The alleged perpetrator is now facing a possible prison sentence. Amina Abakarova, 43, a noted player and coach in her region of Russia, was caught on a security camera smearing her rival’s pieces with the substance ahead of a tournament in Makhachkala, southern Russia.

According to the World Health Organisation, even minor exposure to mercury can have serious health consequences. The most notorious case in history was that of the First Emperor of Chin, the ruler who unified China, burnt all the old books and completed The Great Wall. According to legend, he was prescribed Mercury packages to achieve immortality, but the remedy proved to have the opposite effect. 

In the shocking footage from Makhachkala, Ms Abakarova can be seen looking nervously around a room full of chess boards, to ensure that no one else was present. Of course, she had overlooked the possibility of all-seeing security cameras.

She then approaches her opponent’s table, takes what appears to be a vial from her bag, and pours the substance on the pieces, before looking around the room again.

The victim required medical treatment after experiencing “severe dizziness and nausea” during the game, but she was able to continue with the tournament.

It is alleged that Ms Abakarovacan poisoned Umayganat Osmanova in an act of revenge, after the latter had allegedly insulted her after a previous game. Abakarova is now facing up to three years behind bars for the incident.

Sazhid Sazhidov, a Dagistani sports official, said: “We have video proof showing that one of the players at the Dagestani chess championship, Amina Abakarova from the city of Makhachkala, applied an unidentified substance, which later turned out to contain mercury, to the table where Umayganat Osmanova from the city of Kaspiisk was set to play against her.” 
 
Osmanova described her ordeal, saying she felt “terrible, disgusting, and morally depressed” when she realized she had been poisoned. She said another player and a member of the organization also became ill.
 
“I still feel bad. In the first minutes, I felt a lack of air and a taste of iron in my mouth. I had to spend about five hours on this board. I don’t know what would have happened to me if I hadn’t seen it earlier,” she told  Russia Today.
 
We have already seen Bobby Fischer’s adventures with the Poisoned Pawn variation. Here is one of the original experiments with it, featuring an astounding attack by Mikhail Tal, the Wizard of Riga: 

Mikhail Tal vs. Alexander Tolush

​USSR Championship, Leningrad, 1956, rd. 17​

1.e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Qb6 8. Qd2 Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. e5 dxe5 11. fxe5 Nfd7 12. Ne4 Qxa2 13. Rb3

Despite this move forming part of main line theory in the Najdorf Poisoned Pawn variation, Pancho, our silicon sidekick, is insistent that,  13. Rd1 , is the best way for White to proceed.

13… Qa1+

Pancho is also of the view that  13… h6,  promised Black the better position.

14.Kf2 Qa4?

The text is a serious error. Black needed to play,  14… h6 15. Bb5  (15. Rc3 Nc6 16. Bb5 Qxh1 transposes)  15… Qxh1 16. Rc3 Nc6 17. Nxc6 bxc6 18. Bxc6 hxg5 19. Bxa8 Bc5+ 20. Nxc5 O-O 21. Nxd7 Bxd7 22. Qxd7 Rxa8,  with chances for both players.

 15. Bb5? 

Typical of Tal’s dazzling wizardry, but in the subsequent 68 years computer technology exposes the flaws in even the most coruscating of concepts. The spectacular text is, in truth, a surprising missed opportunity, in return, by the Wizard of Riga. A crushing advantage is available after,  15. Nxe6 fxe6 16. Nd6+ Bxd6 17. Qxd6 Rf8+ 18. Kg3 Nf6 19. exf6 Qd7 (19… gxf6 20. Be2 Qd7 21. Bh5+ Rf7 22. Qc5 Qc6 23. Qxc6+ Nxc6 24. Bxf6 Kf8 25. Bxf7 Kxf7 26. Bb2+)  20. Qxd7+ Nxd7 21. fxg7 Rg8 22. Bh6 Kf7 23. Bd3 Rxg7+ 24. Bxg7 Kxg7 25. Rc3 Ne5 26. Rc7+ , when despite the material deficit, it is White with the momentum and the attack.

15… axb5 16. Nxb5 f6 17. exf6?!

Another misstep by White, grants Black a slight advantage. Correct was  17. Re1 Nxe5 18. Nbd6+ Bxd6 19. Nxd6+ Ke7 20. Rxe5 Ra6 21. Re4  (21. Nf5+ Kf7 22. Nd6+ Rxd6 23. Qxd6 Qc6 24. Qxb8 Qxc2+)  21… Qd7 22. Nf5+ Kf7 23. Rd4 Qc7 24. Rc3 Qa5 , with a material advantage.

17… gxf6?

This awful misjudgement completely flips the advantage. Black remains significantly better after,  17… Qxe4 18. fxg7 Bc5+ 19. Re3 Qf5+ 20. Ke2 Qg4+ 21. Ke1 Ra1+ 22. Kf2 Qf5+ 23. Ke2 Rg8 24. Nc7+ Kf7 , when Black offers his Queen, but for more than sufficient compensation. For example,  25. Rf3 Rxh1 26. Rxf5+ exf5 27. Qd5+ Kxg7 28. Ne6+ Kh8 29. Nxc5 Rxg5 .

18.Re1 Ra6?

Two blunders in a row and the contest is effectively over, bar the small matter of winning. If Black plays  18… Nc6 , he remains significantly worse, but still participating, still hoping.

19.Bxf6 Nxf6?!

It is almost sadistic to examine White’s demolition of what remains of a misplaced defence around an uncastled king.   Yet there is a fascination in watching Tal rain down the blows.

20.Nxf6+ Kf7 21. Rf3?!

One can hardly be critical, so overwhelming is Whites advantage; but the text is natural and wrong. Both  21. Ne4  or  Qg5  are stronger moves. The first cuts off the queen from the fourth rank; the second seriously reinforces a possible  22. Rf3 ,without dropping the knight on b5.  

21… Qh4+ 22. Kf1 e5 23. Qd5+ Be6!?

I could not resist asking Pancho for a move recommendation in this most pleasant puzzle. After a frighteningly short consideration, the following line was furnished:  24. Nh5+!Kg6 25. Qd3+ e4 26. Nf4+ Kh6 27. Qxe4 Bg4 28. Nd4. White has all of his pieces activated, and collaborating in a deadly king hunt.

 24. Nd7+?

It is important to first note that the apparently natural  24. Qxb7+??  is a complete disaster. After  24… Kg6 25. Rg3+ Kh6 26. Ne4 Rg8 27. Kg1 Rxg3 28. hxg3 Qd8,  there is no justification for the sacrifice. All Black’s pieces are coordinated and White has a doubled pawn for a piece – not enough.

But it is quite difficult to adequately describe the text move. Overthinking? Underthinking? Sometimes, against the Magician that Tal was, opponents easily crumbled. Others, simply failed to acknowledge an opportunity when it presented itself…

24… Kg6??

… Disaster! Most likely after  24… Ke7!  is,  25. Qc5+ Ke8 26. Qc8+ Ke7 27. Qxb8 Bg7 28. Qxb7 Qc4+ 29. Kg1 Qc8 30. Qc7 Qxc7 31. Nxc7 Rc6 , and in an equal position, both players have chances. After the text, there is only to be regret, despondency and an inevitable defeat.  

25.Nxe5+ Kg7 26. Rg3+ Qxg3

Alternatively, 26…  Qg5 27. Rxg5+ Kf6 28. Qd8+ Be7 29. Qxh8+ Kxg5 30. Qg7+ Kh5 31. Qxh7+ Kg5 32. Qg6+ Kf4 33. Nd3  checkmate.

27.Qxb7+ Nd7 28. hxg3 Rb6 29. Qc7 Bc5 30. Nxd7 Bc4+31. Re2.  Black resigns 1-0

There is no defence for Black against the coming onslaught after,  31… Bxe2+ 32. Kxe2 Re8+ 33. Kd3 Rxb5 34. Nxc5+ Kg8 35. Ne6 Rxe6 36. Qd8+ Kf7 37. Qd7+ Kf6 38. Qxb5 , and wins.

And referring to my translingual pun with Bobby Fischer’s Poisoned Pawn games, the word  Gift  is German for poison…  

STOP PRESS

Coincidentally… A dispute that has caused scandal in the world of elite chess, and captured headlines across the globe, is due to be settled in London as chess grandmasters Vladimir Kramnik and José Martínez Alcántara face off, starting this coming Monday, between August 19-21. A three-day chess tournament “Clash of Blames”, set to answer the question whether widespread cheating in chess is a reality or grandmasters’ delusion. 

Vladimir Kramnik, the 14th World Chess Champion (2000-2006), has voiced strong concerns about cheating in online chess, sharing evidence of widespread deception through easily accessible softwares. He challenged José Martinez, who represents the new generation of chess players who do exceptionally well online and whose performance raised Kramnik’s suspicions, to a match that was supposed to be played both online and offline. 

This match, with full-scale anti-cheating measures, was supposed to help answer Kramnik’s suspicions. The rematch will be upgraded to tighten tournament measures, following a controversial encounter in the first “Clash of Claims” tournament in Madrid last June, where technical issues on platform chess.com led to inconclusive results, further fuelling the debate.

This  highly-anticipated showdown will take place at the Guild Esports in Shoreditch. The organisers, World Chess, are determined to provide a fair and decisive outcome by utilising their own Chessarena.com platform, the only such platform to feature an anti-cheating engine endorsed by FIDÉ, the international chess federation. 

The anti-cheating engine allows the platform to offer a superior choice for online chess, offering advanced features and reliability that cater to amateur and professional players. It is set to ensure transparency and integrity throughout the tournament, to bring the ongoing controversy to a close.  

With Kramnik’s reputation on the line and José Martinez Alcántara seeking redemption, the stakes are high, promising an electrifying competition, hosted in-person and on the Chessarena.com platform, with live commentary from prominent figures in the chess community and interactive segments for viewers worldwide. 

Ray’s 206th book, “  Chess in the Year of the King  ”, written in collaboration with Adam Black, and his 207th, “  Napoleon and Goethe: The Touchstone of Genius  ” (which discusses their relationship with chess) are available from Amazon and Blackwells. 

A Message from TheArticle

We are the only publication that’s committed to covering every angle. We have an important contribution to make, one that’s needed now more than ever, and we need your help to continue publishing throughout these hard economic times. So please, make a donation.