The traditional New Year tournament in Pamplona was won by Alexander Morozevich of Moscow, taking 7 out of 8 possible points. His score would have been higher had he not overlooked a stalemate in a winning position. With his victory here, Morozevich is consolidating his place as a leading representatives of one of the two main tendencies in modern chess.

One of those tendencies, of which former world champion Anatoly Karpov is a foremost exponent, consists of following the main rules of strategy and logic, trying to retain full control over the development of the game. The contrary approach exemplified today by Morozevich is to strive perpetually for wild complications, creating games in which the free-form imagination and precise calculation are the most prized intellectual qualities.

Alexander Alekhine and Mikhail Tal are perhaps the most brilliant representatives of this latter school in the century that just passed. Morozevich’s encounter with Alexei Shirov at Pamplona is a outstanding specimen of the genre.

MOROZEVICH VS. SHIROV

(white) (black)

Grunfeld Defense

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Bd2 Nb6 6. Nf3 Bg7 7. Rc1 0-0 8. Bg5!

An opening idea developed by David Bronstein, “the great fumbler,” as he was called by Mikhail Botvinnik, certainly not for any sloppiness on his part but for his unflagging ability to generate a messy position. 8… h6 9. Bh4 g5 10. Bg3 c5 11.d5!?

Looking for complications. In Najdorf- Porticsh 1970 after 11.e3

cxd4 12. Nxd4 Nc6 13. Nxc6 Qxd1+

14. Nxd1 bxc6 an approximately equal endgame arose. 11… e6 12.d6!? Nd5?!

Looking for a refutation of white’s risky 12th move, black seemingly overlooks white impending 15th move. Probably 12…Nc6 was better, with a very tense struggle. 13.h4 g4 14. Ne5! Qxd6?! Looking for trouble. An exceptionally murky position would arise after 14…Nxc3 15. bxc3 (White hardly has enough compensation for the exchange after 15. Rxc3?! Nd7 16. Nxd7 Bxc3+ 17. bxc3 Bxd7) 15…Nd7 16. Nxd7 (white loses a piece after 16. Nxg4? f5) 16…Bxd7 17.e4. 15.e4! f5!? White’s idea was 15…Bxe5 16. Nb5! and white is winning. 16. exf5 After black’s fantastic 15th move, white has a great choice of unclear continuations. 1) 16. Ng6 f4 17. Bh2 (Not more clarity was provided by 17. Nxf4 Rxf4 18. Bxf4 Qxf4 19. exd5 g3 20. fxg3 Qxg3+ 21. Kd2 exd5) 17…g3 18. Nxf8 gxf2+ 19. Kxf2 Bd4+ 20. Ke1 Ne3 21. Qh5 Qxf8; 2) 16. exd5 f4 17. Nc4 Qd8 18. Bh2 Bxc3+ 19. Rxc3 exd5 In both cases white would enjoy a material advantage, but black would have attacking chances. Morozevich prefers the initiative to material gain. 16… Bxe5 17. Nb5! Black would have a counterattack after 17. Qxg4+ Kh8 18. Nb5 Bxg3 19. Nxd6 Bxd6 20. fxe6 Rf6. 17… Qc6 Now in a similar variation 17…Bxg3 18. Nxd6 Bxd6 19. fxe6 Bxe6 20. Bc4 Rf5 21. Qxg4+ white is much better because he has time to castle. 18. Bxe5 exf5 19. Nd6 Nb6 20.f3 Be6 21. Bb5 Another intricate position would arise after 21. fxg4 N8d7! (White is winning after 21…fxg4 22. Qd3) 22. Bf4 Nd5!). 21… Qd5 22. Qe2!? White would have a better endgame with 22. Qxd5 Nxd5 23. Nxb7 a6 24. Be2 Nd7 25. Bd6. Instead he prefers to complicate matters. 22… N8d7 23. Bf4 gxf3?! Black should not open the g-file. Preferable was 23…Rf6! 24. fxg4 fxg4 25. Rd1! Qxa2 26.0-0 Raf8 27.g3 with a position that is difficult to appraise. 24. gxf3 Kh7 25. Rd1! Qxa2 26. Kf2 Rf6 Black’s position is also very dangerous after 26…Rg8 27. Rhe1 Nf8 28. Bd3. 27. Rhg1 Raf8 In case of 27…Rg8 28. Rxg8 Kxg8 black would lose after the white pieces perform an elegant tango: 29. Ne8! Rf7 30. Rd6! Re7 31. Nc7! Kf7 32. Nxe6 Rxe6 33. Rxd7+ Nxd7 34. Bc4. 28. Be5 Nxe5 29. Qxe5 Nd7 No better for black was 29…Bg8 30. Bd3 Kh8 31. Rg6 Qe6 32. Rxh6+ Kg7 33. Nxf5+ and white is winning. 30. Bxd7 Bxd7 31. Ne4! fxe4 32. Rxd7+ Kh8 33. Rg6! 1-0