ETCETERA / Chess
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Your support makes all the difference.Nine-year-old Luke McShane, who last year won the World Under-10s Championship, scored his first win in a senior international event at the Lloyds Bank Masters in London last week. He explains the game for us.
White: Josh Manion (US)
Black: Luke McShane (England)
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 0-0 6. Nf3 e5 7. 0-0 Nc6 8. d5 Ne7 9. b4
So far it has been a normal King's Indian Defence, but I didn't know this move. I though I'd better just carry on wih the normal plan, moving my knight out of the way and playing f5.
9 . . . Ne8 10. c5 f5 11. Nd2 Nf6 12. f3 f4 13. Nc4 g5 14. Ba3 h5
He's building up a lot of pressure against d6, but I thought I could defend it enough.
15. b5 Ne8 16. Rb1 Rf6 17. b6 ab6 18. cxd6
I didn't like my position at all here, and even started thinking about 18 . . . Rxa3 19. dxe7 Qxe7, but after 20. d6 it's terrible.
18 . . . Nxd6 19. Bxd6 cxd6 20. Nxb6 Rb8
This is rather passive, but I didn't like the idea of my rook wandering unprotected on a5 or a3.
21. Qa4 Rf8
He threatened 22. Qa7 and I wanted my rook on b8 protected after 22 . . . Bd7 23. Nxd7 Qd7.
22. Rfc1 g4 23. Nc8 Rc8 24. fxg4 f3
I felt that I had to do something on the K-side, or else I would just get crushed. It is better to be two pawns down with some active play, than one down and hopelessly passive.
25. Bf3 Bh6 26. Rc2 Ng6 27. gh5 Nh4
Now it's three pawns, but at least I'm getting some pieces near his king.
28. Bg4 Rc7 29. h3 Qg5 30. Kh1 Qe3
I still thought I was going to lose, but I was playing on in the hope that something would turn up.
31. Nb5 Rg7 32. Qb3 Qxe4 33. Nxd6 Qd4 34. Nb5 Qf4 35. d6+ Kh7
The king looks safer on h8, but there are some lines where his d-pawn queens, and I didn't want it to come with a check.
36. d7 Nf5 37. Bf5 Qxf5 38. Rd1 Be3]
Now after 39. d8(Q) Rd8 40. Rd8 I mate him with Qf1+ and Qg1 mate, while 39. Qxe3 Qc2 leaves me threatening mate on g2.
39. Qc4 Bb6 40. Re2?? (see diagram)
I think he put his queen on c4 to cover f1, then forgot about it when playing this move. I was just going to play a normal move here, when I noticed something that made me very happy. I couldn't help giggling when I played it.
40 . . . Qf1+]] 41. Rxf1 Rxf1+ 42. Kh2 Bg1+ 43. Kh1 Bf2+ White resigned.
44. Kh2 Bg3 is mate. My opponent just knocked his king on its side, signed the score-sheets, stood up and walked out of the room. Afterwards, my dad told me that he had turned as white as a sheet when I sacrificed my queen.
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