----

This encounter was always going to be an "interesting" one. On the one hand there was Maurice Robinson, the ambitious young chess teacher inundated in enthusiasm who got meaningful experience and was not disgraced in losing in round 1 of the Masters KO to Jamaica's first Fide Master Grantel Gibbs (1/2-1 1/2). On the other hand, there was Hector Diston the experienced campaigner who had set the Jamaican chess world alight with his recent upset of national champion FM Warren Elliott in game 2 round 1 of the Masters KO ("A" section).

Although Diston shocked Elliott in game 2 he went on to lose both of the rapid play-off games against a resurgent Elliott and was thus relegated to the "B" tournament of the Masters KO. Nonetheless, his stocks (and certainly his rating !) had increased. The opponents were playing their first game in category "B" of the Masters KO.

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5

The classical sicilian. Thousands of games have been played with this opening which goes as far back as 16th century Italy. The defence reputedly got its name from the legendary Greco in the 17th century and rose to prominence in 1834 being featured in the eagerly awaited "unofficial world championship clash" between the gifted Frenchman Louis Charles de Labourdonnais, the "unofficial world champion" (who "reigned" from 1821 to 1840) and the brilliant Irishman Alexander McDonnell who was the best player in England at the time. Both men reportedly played a series of six matches with the prodigious Francophone winning 45, drawing 13 and losing 27. This was also allegedly the first macth in which a record of the moves was kept, not by the players themselves but by William Greenwood Walker, arguably McDonnell's greatest aficionado and the secretary of the Westminster Club. By winning, Labourdonnais preserved the great tradition started by his predecessors Legal, Philidor and Deschapelles, all Frenchmen who ruled the world of chess for 100 years before Labourdonnais.

6.Nf3

Interesting and slightly stronger was 6.Bb5+ ! A 1953 game continued 6...h6 7. Bc4 Be6 8.Qe2 Qc7 9. Bxe6 f xe6 10.Nh4 a6 11. Ng6 Rg8 12. h4 Nbd7 13.g4 d5 14.0-0 d4 15.Nd1 Bc5 16. Kg2 Qc6 17.f3 h5 18.g5 Kf7 19.Nxe5+ Nxe5 20. gxf6 gxf6+ 21.Kh3 Rg6 and Black went on to win.E, Burkhardt v. k. Heinrich (DDR - ch 04th Jena), 1953 0 -1 (40).

6...Be7 7.Bc4

At the Manila Olympiad in 1992 there was a crushing victory in the Men's section in a very short game which continued 7...h6 8.Be3 Nbd7 9.Nh4 Nb6 10.Bb5+ Bd7 11.Nf5 0-0 12.Bxb6 axb6 13.Bxd7 Qxd7 14.Nd5 Nxd5 15.Qg4 Bg5 16.Nxh6+ resign:Bolzoni, V.A./Jensen, C.

7...0-0 8.h3

More active was 8.Bg5 !? A tense struggle in Ljubljana, Slovenia continued thus... 8.0-0 Bg4 9. h3 Bh5 10.Re1 Qd7 11.Be2 Bg6 12.Bf1 Nc6 13.Nh4 Kh8 14.Nxg6+ fxg6 15.Be3 Nh5 16.g3 Rf7 17.Nd5 Raf8 18.c3 Nd8 19.Qd2 Ne6 20.Nxe7 Qxe7 21.Rad1 Rd8 and Black again won. Robatsch, K v. Gabrovsek, Z., 1955, 0-1 (46).

8...Nc6

Black has already almost achieved equality due to White's fairly passive opening with the white pieces.

9.Be3 Na5

Qa5 or Be6 were useful options.

10.Be2

A waste of a tempo which indicates that 7. Bc4 wasn't a solid choice. Perhaps Robinson changed his mind from a Sozin-like game and wanted to settle for something a little more positional.

10...Be6

Diston has played solidly hitherto and has now achieved equality.

11.Nd2 11.Qd2

preparing to castle long or 11.Ng5 attacking Black's strong bishop deserved attention. The text move wastes another tempo. Amazingly, although he had not completed his development Robinson continued to break one of the most hallowed rules of chess - moving a piece more than once in the opening without any good reason. In this case, el caballo - the knight- four times without any apparent compensation.

11...a6

Better was 11...d5 ! hitting the centre especially since White has not castled.

12.0-0

Robinson, remembering what he tells his students, recovers his bearings and hurries to safety.

12...b5 13.a3 Rc8 14.f4 Bc4?!

A dubious move. Giving up the strong bishop unduly was not to be recommended. Better was the immediate 14...exf4.

15.Nxc4 Nxc4² 16.Bc1=

Tempting probably was 16. Bxc4 but the following line shows that Black still manages to preserve equality.
[16.Bxc4 bxc4 17.Rb1 Qa5 18.f5 Rb8 19.Qe2 d5 20.exd5 Nxd5 21.Nxd5 Qxd5 22.Ba7=]

16...Qb6+ 17.Kh1 Rc7

Better was 17...exf4.

18.Qd3 Rfc8?!

Still 18..exf4.

19.Qg3! Qb7

Better was 19...Qd4.

20.Bf3 exf4

Long overdue but a little ill-timed.!

21.Bxf4 Qb6

It was necessary to move the queen from the discovered attack by the bishop. If 21...Nxb2 ? then 22.e5 ! and the undertakers will have to be called for le chevalier on f6.

22.Bh6!

The most active continuation. 22...Bf8 Perhaps better was 22..g6. Tying the bishop to the defence of g7 although temporary could have been avoided.

23.Nd1?!

A surprising move which immediately restores the equilibrium. Robinson missed an opportunity to develop a promising initiative with 23. Bg5 ! A possible line is [23.Bg5 Nxb2 24.Bxf6 Rxc3 25.Rab1 Na4 26.Bxc3 Rxc3²]

23...Qd4 24.Re1 Ne5 25.Be3 Qc4 26.Nc3

The return of the "horse" to c3 vindicates the writer's comment to white's 23rd move.

26...Qc6?!

The position is the same as after the 22nd moves for each party, the only difference being that White's bishop is now on e3. The initiative suggested in the comments to White's 23rd move is still very germane.

27.Rad1

Strong, but stronger was 27.Bg5 !

27...Kh8 28.Re2!

Also good was 28.Rf1.

28...g6?

A bad decision. Definitely better was either 28... Qd7 or Qe8. The text move allows White to develop a dangerous initiative with the very active... 29.Nd5!

29.Nd5 Nxd5

Having allowed White access to the d5 square, hallowed territory in the Sicilian minefield, Black's 29th move is in reality forced. The following line is instructive [29...Nxf3 30.Nxf6 Ne5 31.Qh4 h5 32.Rf2 Be7 33.c3 Re8 34.Rd5 Bxf6 35.Rxf6 Rd7 36.Qg5 Qc4 37.Bd4 Kg8 38.Rfxd6 Qf1+ 39.Kh2 Rxd6 40.Rxd6 Qd3 41.Bxe5 Qxe4 42.Bd4 Kf8 43.Rd7 Re7 44.Rxe7 Qxe7 45.Bc5 Qxc5 46.Qxc5++-]

30.Rxd5

The alternative capture was also promising as evidenced by the variation [30.exd5 Qb7 31.c3 Bg7 32.Bf4 Re8 33.Rde1 Rce7 34.Bg5 f6 35.Bd2 Kg8 36.Bf4 Nxf3 37.Rxe7 Rxe7 38.Rxe7 Qxe7 39.Qxf3 f5 40.g4²]

30...Bg7 31.b3

Better was 31.c3 !

31...Qd7

Black has again achieved equality, a direct result of the inaccuracy of White's last move.

32.Red2 Nxf3!?

Diston had an interesting continuation at his disposal involving a queen sacrifice but it required balls of cast iron and nerves of steel. I wonder if he saw it ?
[32...Rxc2! 33.Rxd6 Rxd2! 34.Rxd7 Rxd7 35.Bg4 Nxg4 36.Qxg4 Rcd8 37.Bg5 f6 38.Bh4 g5 39.Bf2 Re7³]

33.gxf3

Also alright was 33.Qxf3 keeping the pawns connected and preparing a possible queen exchange on g4 with 34.Qg4 with White having a slight edge in the endgame after advancing His Royal Highness into the heat of the battle.

33...Qe7

Still 33....Rxc2 ! The text move again allows White the opportunity of commencing an internecine initiative and Robinson, like a hungry Eagle, swoops...

34.Qxd6! Qxd6?!

[34...Qh4 35.Kg2 Rxc2 36.Qxa6 Rxd2+ 37.Bxd2 Rg8 38.Bg5 Qe1 39.Qxb5+- is one line which shows that keeping the queens on the board was not necessarily better.]

35.Rxd6 Be5?!

Better ws 35...h5 or 35...h6. White has an excellent positional game, however, as Black has glaring weaknesses, for example, the pawn on a6 and the fact of White's queenside pawn majority which will yield a passed pawn in due course.

36.Rd8+!?

Strong but better was 36. Rxa6 ! a "ripe" occasion to vindicate the maxim "greed is good".

36...Rxd8 37.Rxd8+ Kg7 38.Rd2 Rc3 39.Re2 f6 40.Kg2 g5 41.Kf2 Kg6

The last five moves for each player have been strong. Although a pawn down, with careful play Black can hold the position as his Rook and King are (more) active. White has to play precisely, with Capablanca-esque or Karpov-ian technique, to try and squeeze out the win. Further, his position is still "delicate" and if he blunders Black might still get the full point.

42.Rd2

[42.Bb6 Rc6 43.Ba5 h5 44.Kg2 f5 45.Bb4 fxe4 46.fxe4 Kf6 47.Rd2 Bc7= and Black has achieved equality.]

42...Kh5

Better was 42...f5 or 42...h5.

43.Bb6 Bf4 [43...Rc6!] 44.Re2?

It is obvious that White, for now, cannot leave the second rank and the pawn on c2.

44...Be5

[44...Rc6]

45.Kg2! Kg6 46.Bf2 [46.Ba5] 46...h5 47.Bg3?

A weak move. Exchanges will assist Black in achieving the draw.

47...g4?!

Another error. Of course, Diston should have exchanged the Bishops after which his prospects for a draw would have increased significantly. The text move invites exchanging a well-placed pawn and possibly opens the door for an attack on the Black King.

48.hxg4!

While watching the game "live" I thought of three possible variations:
("A") [If White blunders with 48.fxg4?? then 48...Rxg3+ 49.Kf1 h4 50.Rh2 Rc3 51.Rh1 Rxc2 52.a4 b4-+ and it is White who is about to give up the ghost.;
("B") Also bad for White was 48.f4 gxh3+ 49.Kxh3 Bxf4 50.Rg2 Kg5 51.Kh2 Rxg3 52.Rxg3+ Kh4 53.Kg2 Bxg3-+ and Black is a clear piece up.;
("C") 48.f4 gxh3+ 49.Kh2 Bc7 50.Rd2 Kf7 51.Rd3 Rxc2+ 52.Kxh3 Ke7= and although there are Bishops of the same colour, the game is heading for a draw.]

48... hxg4

{Diston could have strengthened his credentials for >a draw with 48...hxg4 49. f4 Bc7 instead tragedy followed}

49. f4 Bd6

A painful blunder which loses on the spot. Best was 49. Bc7. Whether it was >fatigue or he was merely seeing "ghosts", Diston missed the simple 50. f5 + ! >with the discovered attack on the hanging bishop. As is so often said, >"hanging pieces fall off".}

50. f5+ Kf7 51. Bxd6 Rf3 52. Bc5 Rc3 53. Bd4 Rc8 >54. Kg3 Rg8 55. Rh2 Kg7

{Giving up the "g" pawn without compensation. As >the maxim goes, "one blunder leads to another".}

56. Rh4

{Of course, it is >patent and/or goes without saying that the immediate 56.Kxg4 is better.}

56...Rd8 57. Rxg4+ Kf7 58. c3 a5 59. Rg6 b4 60. Rxf6+ Ke7 61. Rh6

(61. axb4 axb4 62. Rb6 Rg8+ 63. Kf4 bxc3 64. Bxc3 )

61... bxc3

{The last in a litany of woes. Diston, now >immersed in distress, fails to see that his last piece, La Torre, the valuable >Rook, is lost. Better was 61...Rg8.} 62. Bf6+ Kf7 63. Bxd8 {Like Roberto Duran, >the legendary Panamanian pugilist, Diston said "no mas no mas" and threw in >the towel thus ending the torture.} 1-0

END