Olita Rause Wins Capa X Anniversary Tournament
by FIDE Master Alex Dunne

The CAPA X Anniversary Grandmaster Tournament has ended with a victory for Olita Rause of Latvia. This was a Category XVI tournament featuring three Argentinian correspondence GMs and three foreign super-GMs. The three Argentine players included Roberto Gabriel Alvarez (2605), Ruben Berdichesky (2633), and many-time world championship finalist Juan Sebastian Morgado (2618). The three foreign invitees were Hans-Marcus Elwert (2681) of Germany, recent winner of the strongest e-mail tournament to date, Grigory Sanakoev (2585) of Russia, 12th World Correspondence Champion, and Olita Rause (2637) of Latvia, strongest woman correspondence player ever and currently Number 4 in the world rankings.

GAME OF THE MONTH
Olita Rause has a universal style. Whether it is a violent middlegame attack or a close endgame, she shows exceptional prowess. Here she gives a lesson in the age-old conflict of good knight versus bad bishop.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 dxc4 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Qa4 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 Nd5 8. Bxb4 Ndxb4 9. 0-0 Rb8 10. Nc3 a6 11. Ne5 0-0 12. Bxc6 Nxc6 13. Nxc6 bxc6 14. Qxc4 Rxb2 Setting a difficult problem for both sides: Is Black's shattered pawn structure and bad bishop worth the pawn? 15. Rab1 Rb6 16. Qc5 h6 17. Rfd1 Rxb1 18. Rxb1 Qd6 19. Ne4 Qd5 20. Qxd5 cxd5 21. Nc5 Re8 22. Rb8 Kf8 23. a4 Ke7 24. a5 Bd7 25. Rxe8+ Bxe8 26. Nxa6 With a passed a-pawn and a healthy knight, White has a winning endgame. 26. ... Kd6 27. f4 Bb5 28. Nc5 Kc6 29. Kf2 Bc4 30. h4 h5 31. Kf3 Bb5 32. e3 Bf1 33. f5! This temporary pawn sacrifice shatters Black's resistance. 33. ... exf5 34. Kf4 Be2 35. Ke5 Bf3 36. Na6 Kd7 37. Nb4 f6+ 38. Kf4 Be4 39. a6 Kc8 40. Nc6 Bd3 41. Ne7+ Kb8 42. Nxd5 Bxa6 43. Ne7 Bc4 44. Nxf5 g6 45. Ne7 Bf7 46. Ke4 c6 47. Nxc6+ Kc7 48. Nb4 Kd6 49. Kf4 Bc4 50. e4 Ke6 51. Ke3 Kd6 52. Nd3 Bb3 53. Kf4 Ba2 54. e5+ Ke7 55. Nc5, Black resigns.

* Two-time U.S. Correspondence Champion Stephen Jones presents some thoughts on computer-assisted correspondence chess. He fully agrees that if the rules prohibit computer-generated analysis, then it is cheating to use computers. However, since computers are not prohibited in ICCF tournaments, there are certain skills in using computers that are not discussed in American journals because they are prohibited in domestic play. It puts American players at a disadvantage in ICCF tournaments. Computers do not make the game easier for the players. No one dares to merely play a program recommendation. When using a computer, the player's focus becomes "over the horizon" of the computer programs. You look 10 to 12 moves ahead. The computer's evaluation of the position will be based only on four to six moves ahead.

The reason that an individual can substantially improve on a computer's analysis is that computer programs use the "crunch" method, analyzing every possible continuation. Even the fastest computer quickly gets overwhelmed looking more than a few moves in advance. The player must manually limit and direct the computer through critical candidate moves.

Thus the secret is for the player to have the judgment to reject a computer's evaluation of the position in favor of a more promising line of analysis. It is very common to follow some line move after move, which the computer dismisses as losing, only to have the computer suddenly change its mind and completely reverse its previous assessment. This is the way games with computer-assisted analysis are won or lost.

* Black puts up an iron defense against all of White's pieces, but in the end there is no stopping a distant pawn.

1. d4 f5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. 0-0 0-0 6. c4 d6 7. Nc3 Nc6 8. d5 Ne5 9. Nxe5 dxe5 10. Qb3 h6 11. Rd1 Kh8 12. e4 b6 13. exf5 Bxf5 14. Re1 Ne8 15. Bd2 Nd6 16. Nd1 Qd7 17. Bc3 Nf7 18. Rc1 Bh3 19. Bh1 Rac8 20. Qc2 g5 21. Ne3 e6 22. Rcd1 exd5 23. Rxd5 Qe6 24. Qa4 c6 25. Rd2 Rc7 26. Red1 Qf6 27. b3 Rfc8 28. c5 Be6 29. Bg2 Qe7 30. cxb6 axb6 31. Qe4 Qf6 32. Re1 Rd8 33. Rxd8+ Qxd8 34. Nc4 Bxc4 35. Qxc4 c5 36. a4 Qd6 37. Bd5 Nd8 38. Qe4 Nc6 39. Bc4 Qf8 40. Qg6 Bf6 41. Re3 Rd7 42. Bd3 Rf7 43. Bb5 Nd4 44. Bc4 Rd7 45. b4 Rd8 46. bxc5 bxc5 47. Bxd4 cxd4 48. Rf3 Rd6 49. a5, Black resigns.

* Black's attack succeeds by sheer will despite 500-plus rating points.

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e4 Nc6 4. Nf3 Bg4 5. Bxc4 e6 6. Bb5 Nge7 7. Nbd2 a6 8. Be2 Ng6 9. h3 Bxf3 10. Nxf3 Nh4 11. d5 exd5 12. exd5 Nxf3+ 13. Bxf3 Ne5 14. 0-0 Bd6 15. Be2 0-0 16. Qb3 Qh4 17. Be3 f5 18. Rfe1 Ng4 19. Bd4 Rae8 20. Qxb7 Re4 21. Ba7 Qe7 22. Qxa6 Qe5 23. g3 Nxf2 24. Bxf2 f4 25. Bd3 fxg3 26. Rxe4 gxf2+ 27. Kf1 Qh2 28. Rd1 Qxh3+ 29. Ke2 f1=Q+ 30. Rxf1 Rxf1 31. Kd2 Qh6+ 32. Kc2 Rc1+ 33. Kb3 Qd2 34. Re8+ Kf7 35. Rf8+ Ke7 36. Re8+ Kf6 37. Re6+ Kg5 38. Rxd6 cxd6 39. Ka3 Qe3 40. Ka4 Qd4+ 41. b4 Rc3 42. Qxd6 Qxd3 43. Qe5+ Kh4 44. Ka5 Ra3+ 45. Kb6 Qe3+ 46. Qxe3 Rxe3 47. b5 g5, White resigns.

* When Black allows a White pawn to the seventh rank, his attack ends and White wins.

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 Be7 8. 0-0-0 0-0 9. f4 h6 10. Bh4 Nxd4 11. Qxd4 Qa5 12. Bc4 d5 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. e5 Be7 15. Bb3 Bd7 16. h4 Rac8 17. f5 Bc5 18. Qd3 d4 19. fxe6 dxc3 20. exd7 cxb2+ 21. Kb1 Rcd8 22. Qd5 Qc7 23. Rhf1 Qc6 24. Rxf7 Qxd5 25. Rxf8+ Kxf8 26. Rxd5 Ba3 27. e6 Ke7 28. Rf5, Black resigns.

* To Marshall Gambit players and Ruy Lopez addicts everywhere: Tim Harding (Chess Mail) has published a CD Rom The Total Marshall at $29.50. North America orders/distribution: The Chess Cafe, www.chesscafe.com, P.O. Box 30, Milford, CT 06460. Correspondence players will find this an invaluable reference work.

Capa X Anniversary Grandmaster Correspondence Tournament � Category XVI

1. Olita Rause 2637 Latvia -- 11/2 1/21/2 1/21 1/21 11 71/2
2. R. Gabriel Alvarez 2605 Argentina 01/2 -- 1/21/2 1/21/2 11/2 11 6
3. Juan S. Morgado 2618 Argentina 1/21/2 1/21/2 -- 11 01/2 1/21/2 51/2
4. Grigory Sanakoev 2585 Russia 1/20 1/21/2 00 -- 1/21 11 5
5. Hans-Marcus Elwert 2681 Germany 1/20 01/2 11/2 1/20 -- 11/2 41/2
6. Ruben Berdichesky 2633 Argentina 00 00 1/21/2 00 01/2 -- 11/2