6) FM Warren Elliott (2377) - NM Russel Porter (2298) [B48]
36th Jamaican Chapionships, NMLS Kingston, Jamaica
(1), 28.02.2004
[Wilkinson,Ian]
"Time Will Tell " - Robert Nesta Marley,
OM, Jamaican Prophet, Singer, Reggae Icon. The 2004 Jamaican
national chess championships have taken on added significance as the 36th Chess
Olympiad is scheduled to be held in Mallorca, Spain in October, 2004.
The first six players at this year's tournament will qualify to play in the
Olympiad. Jamaica's freshly-minted number one rated player FM Warren Elliott
started his quest for the 2004 national title by using the White pieces to
defeat the solid NM Russel Porter in round one in a
tense Sicilian affair. The time control was game in ninety minutes with thirty
seconds increment per move from move one. Run tingz ! 1.e4
c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 The Taimanov
variation of the Sicilian Defence has unfolded on the battlefield. 6.Be3 The 13th world champion preferred 6.Be2
but could only draw against the megaGM after 6...a6
7.0-0 Nf6 8.Be3 Bb4 9.Na4 Be7 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Nb6 Rb8 12.Nxc8 Qxc8 13.Bd4 0-0
14.e5 Nd5 15.c4 Nf4 1/2-1/2 (42), Kasparov, G - Anand,
V, Linares, Spain, 2002.
Interestingly, the English checkmated the French after 6.g3 a6 7.Bg2 d6 8.0-0
Bd7 9.Re1 Bd7 10.Nxc6 Bxc6 11.Qg4 h5 12.Qe2 h4 13.a4 hxg3 14.hxg3 Nf6 15.a5 Rc8
1-0 (48), Adams, M - Lautier, J, Enghiens les Bains, France, 2003. [ Elliott could have given serious consideration to
6.Ndb5!?|^ and after 6...Qb8 7.Be3 Nf6 8.f4+/= with White clearly having the
initiative.] 6...a6 7.Qd2 Nf6 8.0-0-0 Diagram The Latin American
preferred 8.f3 but went down in a towering inferno to the raging Zambian after
8...Bb4 9.a3 Be7 10.g4 h6 11.0-0-0 Ne5 12.h4 b5 13.Be2 Nc4 14.Bxc4 bxc4 15.g5
Nh5 16.Nce2 g6 17.Qc3 e5 18.Nb3 d6 19.Na5 Be6 20.f4 Rc8 0-1 (30), Michelone, M - Simutowe, A, Merida, Mexico, 2003. 8...Bb4 9.f3 Na5 [ 9...d5!?] 10.Nb3 d5
11.e5= Up to the first ten moves the Jamaicans were following the very
recent "TV" clash when the "fastest pawn in the East" conquered
the combative man from the Balkans after 11.Kb1 Nxb3 12.axb3 dxe4 13.Nb5 Qe7
14.Nc7+ Qxc7 15.Qxb4 Nd5 16.Qxe4 Nxe3 17.Qxe3 Bd7 18.Qd4 e5 19.Qb4 0-0-0 20.Bd3
Be6 0-1 (42), Topalov, V - Anand,
A, TV Blitz, Sofia, Bulgaria, 2004. 11...Nd7= Although Porter has not
yet completed his development he has a solid position as his pieces prepare to
swarm all over Elliott's countryside. The contest is roughly even. 12.Bd4 Only recently during a battle on Dutch soil White
preferred 12.Nxa5 and signed the peace treaty after 12....Bxa5 13.Bd4 Bb6
14.Bxb6 Nxb6 15.Qg5 0-0 16.Rd4 Nd7 17.f4 f6 18.exf6 Nxf6 19.Bd3 Qb6 20.Ne2 Bd7
21.Rd1 Rac8 1/2-1/2 (42), Nijboer, F - Lobron, E, Wijk Aan Zee (GM"B"), 2004. 12...Nc6!?=/+ According
to the "Silicon beast" Black is slightly better. Porter could have
also tried [ 12...Nxb3+ 13.axb3 Qa5=/+] 13.f4
Nxd4 14.Nxd4 Bxc3!? Black creates doubled pawns for White on the
"c" file but perhaps he could have maintained the pin a bit longer
and tried to improve the position of his pieces with [ 14...Nc5 and if
15.Qe3 Qa5 16.Nde2= preserves a tense equality.] 15.Qxc3
Qxc3 16.bxc3= Diagram After the dust has settled the position seems to be
level. 16...b5 17.Bd3 Nc5 18.Rde1 This looks
like a slight inaccuracy. Although the queens are off the board, the Black king
is still in the centre. White should have gone on the offensive immediately
with [ 18.h4!] 18...Bd7=/+ The point.
After this simple developing move, Black is better. 19.Kd2
Rc8 20.Re3 0-0 21.Rhe1 Rc7 22.Rh3 [ One possible way for the Montegonian to have launched a counter-offensive was with
22.g4!? but the Kingstonian would have still had the
edge after 22...Rfc8 23.f5 Na4!-/+ when the weakness created on c3 is
manifest.] 22...g6 23.Ree3 f5 24.exf6 Rxf6 25.Rh4 Na4 26.Reh3 With c3 about to be laid bare Elliott places his card on
counter-attack along the h-file. "Mi naw dead so
eazi" ("I'm not going to die without a
fight") the former national champion must have thought. 26...Be8
27.Ne2 Fortifying c3. 27...Nc5 28.g4 a5 29.g5 The infantryman marches relentlessly forward. 29...Rf8
30.Nd4!= The steed gallops to a really perfect
square in the heart of the battlefield. Warren was now threatening
to win the pawn on b5 and seemed to have re-taken the initiative. 30...b4 The dreaded Fide time control which has drawn so many
complaints was, by now, affecting Porter seriously. 31.cxb4
axb4 32.Nf3 Nxd3!=/+ 33.cxd3 Ra7 34.Ke3 Diagram 34...Rxa2?? In the
severe time crunch, Porter hurriedly grabs the pawn....a fatal blunder. After
the correct continuation [ 34...Rf5! Black is
at least equal with his b-passer looking very dangerous.] 35.Rxh7+- and in a huff the national master left the
playing area in a manner reminiscent of the 11th world champion Bobby Fischer.
In the final position, Black has no good moves and he can only stave off mate
by serious material loss. For example, 35...d4+ (35...Rf5 runs into mate after
36.Rh8+ Kf7 37.R3h7#) 36.Nxd4 Bd7 (leaving e8 for the monarch) 37.Rxd7 + -
reaping the harvest. Time did tell ! 1-0