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Court for Arbitration in Sport (Lausanne)
Karpov seeks to have Ilyumzhinov removed from the ballot

IM Malcolm Pein - Friday 17th September 2010

Anatoly Karpov takes FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov to the Court for Arbitration in Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland this week in an attempt to get his ticket invalidated.

Legal battles are underway in Lausanne as the Court of Arbitration in Sport as Anatoly Karpov tries to secure the nomination of the Russian Chess Federation in the FIDE Presidential elections which will take place in two weeks time at the Chess Olympiad in Khanty Mansisk. The Russian Federation initially voted for Karpov and a video of this meeting can be seen on the internet. Shortly afterwards the federation's office in Moscow was taken over by force by supporters of FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and a new vote was taken. Remarkably, this went in favour of the incumbent.

The proceedings of the CAS are usually closed to the public and it is not known if its ruling will come before the election.

I continue my tribute to Bent Larsen with another of his victories over a world champion. Looking through this game I was struck my how Smyslov's original opening play, a kind of King's Indian Reversed but with a knight rather than a pawn on d3, was more reminiscent of opponent's experimentation. White stands quite well but then 16.f4 is mistimed.

Vassily Smyslov - B Larsen

Hastings 72-73

Closed Sicilian

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 e6 3.Qe2 Nc6 4.Nf3 Nge7 5.g3 d5 6.Bg2 d4 7.Nd1 e5 8.0-0 f6 9.b3 Bg4 10.Nb2 Qd7 11.a4 g5 12.h3 Be6

(12...Bxh3 13.Nxe5 Nxe5 14.Qh5+ N7g6 15.Bxh3 g4 16.Bg2)

13.h4! h6 14.Nd3! Nc8 15.Nh2 Rg8

(15...gxh4 16.Qh5+ Qf7 17.Qxh4)

16.f4?!

(16.Ba3 b6 17.a5)

16...gxf4 17.gxf4 Qg7 18.f5 Bf7 19.Kh1 Nd6 20.Rg1 c4! 21.bxc4 Nxc4 22.Bb2 0-0-0 23.Bf3 Qh7 24.Rxg8 Qxg8 25.Rg1 Qh7 26.Bc1 h5 27.Nb2 Nb6 28.Qb5 Nd7 29.Nd3 Bd6 30.a5 a6 31.Qa4 Rg8 32.Ba3 Rxg1+ 33.Kxg1 Bxa3 34.Qxa3 Qh6

(34...Qg8+ 35.Kf2 Qd8 wins a pawn but this keeps up the pressure)

35.Nf1 Bc4 36.Kf2 Bxd3 37.Qxd3 Qf4 38.Ng3 Qxh4 39.Bxh5 Nc5 40.Qa3 Nxe4+ 0-1


M Bobotsov - B Larsen

Busum 1969

English Opening

1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4 4.g3 0-0 5.Bg2 d5 6.0-0 dxc4 7.Qa4 Na6 8.a3 Bd7 9.Nb5 Qe8 10.Nfd4 e5

(It appears Larsen is about to win material but he sacrifices)

11.Bxb7 exd4 12.Bxa6 Bh3!! 13.axb4?

(13.Re1 Qc6 14.f3 Bc5 and Rab8 is good for Black)

13...Qe4 14.Bb7

(14.f3 Qxe2 15.Rf2 Qe1+ 16.Rf1 Qxf1#)

14...Qxb7 15.f3 Bd7 0-1