Chess

Hikaru Nakamura won the sixth Gibtelecom Masters in Gibraltar on Thursday with an incredible comeback. The former U.S. champion dropped two draws and lost one game in the first half, but won his last five games. With two rounds to go, Nakamura was still 1 1/2 points behind top Chinese grandmaster Bu Xiangzhi, who rocketed to the lead by amassing 7 1/2 points in the first eight games. When Bu stumbled, losing one game and making a short draw in the last two rounds, Nakamura caught him. They both scored eight points in 10 games, but in the playoff Bu didn't have a chance against Nakamura's blitzing skills. The American secured the $24,000 first prize by winning both playoff games.

Another American grandmaster, Varuzhan Akobian, finished one point behind the winners. In his victory against the English International Master Andrew Greet in the Catalan opening, Akobian performed a little combination, catching black's kingside pieces sleeping.

Akobian-Greet

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 a6 4.Nc3 d5 5.d4 dxc4 6.Bg2 b5?! (The players reached the gambit variation of the Catalan by transposition, but instead of castling, white has his knight on c3. The difference is apparent in the next move.) 7.a4! (Akobian hits immediately, undermining black's pawn chain on the queenside.) 7...b4 8.Ne5! (An important zwischenzug, securing the diagonal h1-a8. ) 8 ...Ra7 9.Ne4 Nxe4 (The more complicated 9...Bb7 10.f3 Nc6 was worth the try.) 10.Bxe4 Bb7 11.Bxb7 Rxb7 12.0-0 Qd5?! (Trying to prevent white from building a strong pawn center with 13.e4, but 12...c5 is a better way to do it.) 13.Bf4 (White simply brings his last light piece out, but the move has some venom.) 13...Nc6? (Black falls right into the trap. After 13...Bd6 14.Re1 Bxe5 15.Bxe5 0-0 16.e4 Qd7, black has some chances to fight back.)

14.e4! (With a little combination, white is able to create powerful pressure on the black position.) 14...Qxe4 15.Re1 Qd5 16.Nxc6 Qxc6 17.d5 (White is attacking with great efficiency using the pin along the e-file.) 17...Qd7 18.Qd4 (Preventing black from developing the kingside, but 18.Qh5 Rb6 19.Rad1 seems more powerful.) 18...c6 19.d6 (An annoying thorn, hard to remove.) 19...f6 20.Qxc4 e5? (Black wants to eliminate white's unpleasant d-pawn, but it does not work. After 20...Kf7 white secures a clear advantage with 21.Red1 a5 22.Rac1 g5 23.Be3 Bg7 24.Qxc6.) 21.Rad1 Bxd6 22.Be3 (The winning threat is 23.Bc5 and black doesn't have adequate defense.) 22...Qc7 (After 22...Qe7 23.Qxc6+ Rd7 24.Rd2 0-0 25.Red1 wins.) 23.Qe6+ Be7 24.Bc5 Kf8 25.Bxe7+ (After 25...Qxe7 26.Qc8+ Kf7 27.Qxh8 wins.) Black resigned.

Hooked on Chess

New in Chess has just published Bill Hook's memoir "Hooked on Chess," in which the Silver Spring master chronicles his passion for chess, art and gambling. Also included are his photographs, capturing chess life and chess players -- from street hustlers to world champions.

Virginia Open

The champion of Japan, Shinsaku Uesugi, and Edward Lu, a student at Thomas Jefferson High School in Alexandria, shared first place at the 40th Virginia Open, played in Springfield Jan. 25-27. They finished with 4 1/2 points in five games. The amateur section ended with Ilya Kremenchugskiy winning on tiebreak over Richard Fraser, Nicholas Cravotta and Shane Lewis.

Solution to today's study by A. Wotawa (White: Ke6,Ba8,P:f2,g2,h5; Black: Kh4,P:a4,c4,g7): 1.h6! gxh6 2.Kf5 a3 3.Bf3 h5 4.Be2 a2 5.Bf1 a1Q 6.g3 mate.