CHESS Lubomir Kavalek

Magnus Carlsen won the elite grandmaster group at the 40th chess festival in the Swiss city of Biel last week. The brilliant 16-year-old Norwegian grandmaster had to beat the top-rated Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan in the last round to catch Alexander Onischuk, a Maryland grandmaster and former U.S. champion. They shared first place in the tournament with 5 1/2 points in nine games, but Carlsen prevailed in the playoff 3 to 2. Radjabov, Alexander Grischuk of Russia, Judit Polgar of Hungary and Yannick Pelletier of Switzerland finished a half point behind the winners.

Onischuk is having a great summer. At the end of June he shared third place in a powerful Aerosvit tournament in Foros in his native Ukraine. Finishing first with Carlsen in Biel is one of his finest results. Carlsen called his victory the most important success in his chess career, but it came with a dramatic twist. Leading by a full point with three rounds to go, the Norwegian suddenly lost two games. But his last-round victory against Radjabov in the hybrid Philidor defense was power chess at its best.

Carlsen-Radjabov

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Nge2 Nbd7 5.g3 c6 (The French GM Christian Bauer pointed out an amusing variation in a similar position in his enjoyable opening treatise "The Philidor Files." After 5...b5!? 6.Nxb5 Nxe4 7.dxe5? Nxe5 8.Qd5?? Nf3+ 9.Kd1 Nxf2 mate. Of course, white should react to 5...b5!? with 6.Bg2.) 6.Bg2 b5 7.a3 Be7 8.0-0 0-0 9.h3 a5 10.g4 (This bayonet advance allows Carlsen to regroup his horses in time.) 10...Ba6 11.Ng3 b4 12.Nce2 bxa3 (Helping to activate white's queenside rook. The immediate 12...d5 or 12...h6 were preferable.) 13.Rxa3 d5 14.Re3 (In just two moves the rook is in the thick of the action in the center.) 14...dxe4 15.Re1! (Carlsen uses the e-file as a highway for his rooks.) 15...Qc7 (Radjabov took some time before making this move. Either 15...h6 or 15...Re8 look better.) 16.Nf5 Bd8? (Crawling backward the wrong way. Black should have tried 16...Rfe8 17.g5 Nd5 18.Rxe4 Bf8 with his dark bishop helping his king.)

17.g5 Nd5 18.Rxe4 f6 (Black has to hold on to his e-pawn because after 18...exd4? 19.Qxd4 f6 20.Nf4 white has decisive pressure.) 19.Neg3 g6 20.Nh6+ Kg7 21.dxe5 (21.gxf6+!? N5xf6 22.R4e3 was a strong alternative since after 22...Kxh6? 23.Nf5+!! white has a mating attack: 23...gxf5 24.Rg3+ f4 25.Rxe5! Nxe5 26.Bxf4 mate.) 21...fxg5 (After 21...fxe5 22.Ng4 black's position soon collapses.) 22.e6! (Unleashing the monster!) 22...Kxh6 (The counterpunching 22...Qa7?! is refuted by 23.e7!, for example 23...Qxf2+ 24.Kh2 Bc7 25.exf8Q+ Rxf8 26.Qd4+ and white has a decisive material advantage; or 23...Rxf2 24.e8N+! and white is a piece up since 24...Kxh6 leads to 25.Rh4 mate.)

23.e7! (Ramming the pawn down opens up the avenues to the black king.) 23...Qb6 (After 23...Bxe7 24.Rxe7 Nxe7 25.Rxe7 the black king is in trouble either after 25...Rad8 26.Qd4! Nf6 27.Qh4+ Nh5 28.Bxg5 mate; or after 25...Rae8 26.Bxg5+! Kxg5 27.Qg4+ Kf6 28.Rxd7 Re1+ 29.Bf1 Qe5 30.Qh4+ Qg5 31.Rd6+ winning.) 24.exf8Q+ Nxf8 25.c4!? (25.Re6!, threatening 26.Nf5 mate, is another way to win, e.g. 25...Nxe6 26.Rxe6 Nf6 27.Bxg5+! Kxg5 [or 27...Kg7 28.Rxf6! Bxf6 29.Qd7+ winning] 28.Qd2+ mating soon.) 25...Nf4 (After 25...Nf6 26.Bxg5+! Kg7 27.Re7+ Bxe7 28.Rxe7+ Kg8 29.Bxf6 wins.) 26.Qd6! (The queen joins the king's hunt.) 26...Kg7 27.Bxf4 gxf4 28.Re7+! (The final jab. After 28...Bxe7 29.Rxe7+ Kg8 [or 29...Kh6 30.Qxf4+ g5 31.Qf6+ Ng6 32.Qg7 mate] 30.Qe5! wins.) Black resigned.

Solution to today's three-mover by A. Galitsky (White: Ke3,Qg1,Bb1; Black: Ka1,Bh7,P:b2): 1.Qe1 Bxb1 2.Qd1 Ka2 3.Qa4 mate; or 1...Bg6 2.Bc2+ Ka2 3.Qa5 mate.