Balance of Power
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The USSR dominated the global chess scene from the end of the WWII until Communism’s collapse. But even after the dissolution of the Muscovite empire, Russia remained the strongest chess country in the world. But there is another Communist empire now rising: the People’s Republic of China. Chinese female players have won the last three Olympiads. But an even more significant development came this past August in Moscow, where China defeated Russia in a match. This is no small development: we are witnessing a profound shift in the global balance of power. As the following game shows, the Chinese are particularly adept in the realm of tactics.
RUBLEVSKY VS. WANG YUE (white) (black) Sicilian Defense
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 d6 4.0-0 Bd7 5.Re1 Nf6 6.c3 a6 7.Bf1 Bg4 8.d3 Bxf3! Exchanging the knight before the b1 knight will be ready to replace it after developing on d2. 9.Qxf3 g6 10.Bg5 Bg7 11.Nd2 0-0 12.Qh3 Re8 This loses time for black. It was better to play immediately 12…b5 and 13…b4, creating counterplay. 13.Rad1 b5 14.Nf3 h5 And now it was preferable 14…b4 despite the fact that after 15.d4! bxc3 16.bxc3 cxd4 17.cxd4 Nb4 (or 17…d5 18.e5 Ne4 19.Bd3) 18.Rd2 white’s position is a little better. 15.Qg3 Now white starts to lose time. Much stronger was 15.d4! cxd4 16.cxd4 d5 17.Ne5! Rc8 18.Nxc6 Rxc6 19.e5 with a clear advantage. 15… Qd7 16.h3 e5! 17.Nh4 Nh7 Parrying the obvious threat 18.Nf5 gxf5 19.Bxf6. 18.Be3 b4 19.Be2 Qe6 20.Ra1 bxc3 21.bxc3 Rab8 22.Bd1 Na5 23.Ba4 Red8 24.Nf3 Rb2 25.Bd2 Here the push in the center was bad: 25.d4 exd4 26.cxd4 cxd4 27.Bxd4 Bxd4 28.Nxd4 Qc4; but deserving of attention was 25.Nd2! Rxa2 26.Nc4 Rxa1 27.Rxa1 Nxc4 28.Bb3 and the weakness of the white squares in black’s camp guarantees a permanent advantage to white. 25… Qe7 26.Bc1 Rbb8 27.Nd2 Qc7 28.Ba3 28.Bb3 Nf6 didn’t promised much because the b3 bishop lacks safe squares on the diagonal a2-g8. 28… Bh6 29.Rad1 Kg7 30.Nf1? Lulled into a false sense of security by quiet maneuvers, white overlooks a tactical blow. He had to return the bishop by 30.Bc1 30… Bf4! 31.Qf3
(See diagram)
31… Nc4! 32.dxc4 Or on 32.Bc1 Nb2 and black is better. 32… Qa5 33.Bxc5? White had to save the defender of the d4 square, i.e., the c3 pawn. After 33.Bc6 Qxa3 34.Re2 Rb2 35.Rxb2 Qxb2 36.a4 white would have a playable position. 33… dxc5 34.Bb3 Ng5 35.Qe2 Qxc3 36.Rd5 Ne6 37.Red1 Nd4 38.Qd3 Rxd5! 39.cxd5 The alternative was 39.exd5 Qxd3 40.Rxd3 e4 41.Rd1 h4! with a significant advantage for black. 39… Qxd3 40.Rxd3 c4! Black continues to deliver heavy tactical blows. White already has no defense. 41.Bxc4 Ne2+ 42.Kh1 Rb1 43.g3 Rxf1+ 44.Kg2 Rc1! 45.Bxa6 Bg5 46.d6 Nd4 47.f4 Rc2+ 48.Kf1 Rxa2 49.Bc8 Bd8 50.fxe5 Nc6 51.e6 fxe6 52.Bxe6 Ra1+ 53.Kg2 Ne5 54.Rd2 Bb6 55.h4 Rg1+ 56.Kh3 Nf3 57.Re2 Bd4! After this bishop comes to e5, mate will be inevitable.
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