Insurance Chess Club
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Simultaneous Display by Elmira Mirzoeva
22-Apr-2005
PATH FROM HOME
Geoff Naldrett reports on how we came to entertain a Simultaneous display from Russian Woman Grandmaster Elmira Mirzoeva:
I met Elmira at the Kramnik-Leko World Championship match in Switzerland, which she was covering as a reporter for the Russian TV sports channel she works for.
I met her again at Hastings, where she was playing, and where she was also producing (for Stewart Reuben) a DVD of the Hastings tournament and Club, both of which are well known in Russia. In the past the Russians have sent two very strong players to the Hastings tournament each year.
I knew Elmira wanted some shots of London for her DVD, and a cameraman was coming over towards the end of the tournament to film her. I offered to show them round London for the day, an offer they were pleased to accept.
Elmira said she would repay the compliment if I was ever in Moscow, and gave me details of the Aeroflot Open, to be held in Moscow in February. I thought "why not?!", so played in the Aeroflot Open. Even the Aeroflot "minor", in which I played, had an upper rating limit of 2200, equivalent to BCF 200, so I was obviously going to be on a hiding to nothing, but still managed 3/9, thanks to two draws and wins in the last two rounds.
Elmira came back to England over Easter to promote the finished DVD and offered to give a simul against ICC players, an offer I thought was too good to miss! I think this is the first simul we have had since Centenary Year (1993). She also agreed to give a simul at lunchtime at the Chess & Bridge shop, which took place on the same day - Maundy Thursday! Here she won 10 games out of 11, losing only to a strong ringer.
We then had to go to a casino, where Stewart Reuben got the money he owed Elmira for the DVD, then had a protracted late lunch with him, so Elmira and I didn't get to Belgrave Road until 6.00 pm, with our simul due to start at 6.30. Unfortunately an over-officious security man had sent Brian Atkinson away, as he did not by then have a list of the participants. We must have just missed Brian, who unfortunately had a wasted journey from Windsor.
In
the end Elmira took on 13 players, nearly half of whom had been
recruited by Steven Walsh of Athenaeum - the second time I have
had to rely on Steven this season to boost our numbers! I
found it very difficult to recruit players willing and able to play
on Maundy Thursday evening, so was very grateful for Steven's efforts.
Our players included James Aldred and his young son William, who gave a very good account of himself before losing. Let's hope he follows his father into the actuarial profession, or into insurance!
Either we were stronger opposition than Elmira had to faced at lunchtime, or she was tiring in her second simul of the day, but we managed to score four wins against her, by David Sedgwick (game given below, or click here for the on-screen Game Viewer: Mirzoeva-Sedgwick, but do scroll down for the picture given with the game text below) and James Aldred and by Steven Walsh and Mike Rose of Athenaeum, and two draws by Ian Calvert and Paul Carlucci, a friend of mine. Those who were unsuccessful were William Aldred, Colin Bartlett, Jack Macnamara, and, from Athenaeum, Richard Wright, Mike Shephard, Paul Dodd and Maria Sant: +7 =2 -4. All the losers put up stiff resistance, and Elmira had no easy wins!
My thanks to those who turned out on Maundy Thursday evening, in what proved to be a very enjoyable and successful evening. I am sure Elmira charmed all those she met. As well as being a WGM and a TV sports presenter Elmira is also a fashion model in what little spare time she has!
The Athenaeum players felt Elmira needed some nourishment, so took us to a nearby restaurant, where Steven Walsh insisted on picking up the bill! One of his players then drove us all the way home to my sister's house, where Elmira was staying, which rounded off a very pleasant and successful evening!
GWN
Pictures by Geoff Naldrett.
One of Elmira's defeats came at the hands of our Champion:
Elmira
Mirzoeva - David Sedgwick
Simultaneous Display, London, 24.03.2005
Notes
by Ian Hunnable, ably assisted by Fritz.
Click here for the on-screen MyChess Game Viewer: Mirzoeva-Sedgwick, but do scroll down for the picture given with the game text below.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5!?
It took me a little while to identify this. The Oxford Companion to Chess classifies it as the 'QP Counter-Gambit' and has this reference: "A line of doubtful merit... sometimes called the Englund Attack" ...but perhaps a useful weapon in simuls...?
3.d3
3.Nxe5+=
3...Nf6 4.Nbd2 Nc6 5.Be2 Bc5 6.0-0 h6 7.exd5 Qxd5 8.Nc4 0-0 9.Be3 Bg4 10.Nfd2 Bxe2 11.Qxe2 b5
Driving the knight from its outpost and thus relieving pressure on the e5 pawn. An alternative might be 11...Nd4 12.Bxd4 exd4 13.Ne4 Nxe4 14.dxe4 Rae8 15.Rfe1 Qg5=
12.Bxc5
Qxc5 13.Nb3 Qe7
The game in progress (right) has reached this diagram.
14.Ncd2 Rad8 15.Rfe1 Nd5 16.Nf3 Rfe8 17.a4
17...bxa4
17...b4 18.Qe4 Qd6=
18.Rxa4 Qd7 19.Rea1 Nf4
19...f5=
20.Qe4 f5 21.Qc4+ Kh8
This gives White the chance to gain the advantage - a chance she spurns. Better was 21...Qe6+=
22.Nc5
22.Ra6 e4 23.Qxc6 Qxc6 24.Rxc6 exf3 25.Rc4 (25.Rxc7 Rd6 26.Nd2 Ra6 27.Rd1 fxg2 28.Rc4 g5=) 25...Nxg2 26.Nd4 Nf4 27.Nxf3+/-
22...Qe7 23.Nb7 Nd4 24.Nxd4
24.Nxd8 Nxf3+ 25.gxf3 Qg5+ 26.Kf1 Rxd8=/+
24...exd4 25.Rf1 Qg5 26.g3 Rd7 27.Qc6 Rde7 28.Raa1
This is where the game starts to slip away from White. Either 28.Nc5 Qg4 29.Rxa7 Nh3+ 30.Kg2 Ng5 31.Ra8 Qh3+ 32.Kg1 Rxa8 33.Qxa8+ Kh7 34.Qg2 Qh5 35.Kh1=/+ or 28.Qf3 Ng6 29.Rxd4 Ne5 30.Qg2 Qd2=/+ held better prospects.
28...Qg4 29.Nc5 Re2 30.Kh1 Nh3 31.Nb3
Allowing an attractive finish, but 31.Kg2 Ng5 32.Kg1 Nf3+ 33.Kg2 Nd2 34.h3 Qg5 35.Ne4 R8xe4 36.dxe4 Nxf1 37.Rxf1 fxe4-+
31...Nxf2+ 32.Rxf2
Or 32.Kg1 Nh3+ 33.Kh1 R8e3 threat ...Rxh2+ 34.Nxd4 Nf2+ 35.Rxf2 Rxf2-+
32...Rxf2 33.Qxe8+ Kh7 34.Nxd4
34.Kg1 Qf3-+
34...Qh3 0-1
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