CHESS

Igor Zugic, 18, of Toronto has earned a Grandmaster norm in the Jack Collins tournament at the Marshall Chess Club in New York. Mr. Zugic scored 6 points out of 9, including 2 out of 4 against Grandmasters. Mr. Zugic has not attained the lesser (but highly sought-after) title of International Master, but this result should confirm that. He will need two more norms for the Grandmaster title. The popular youth plays an aggressive and confident game, an attitude that goes a long way, even against Grandmasters. He had White against Grandmaster Alexander Stripunsky. 1.d2-d4 d7-d5 2.c2-c4 c7-c6 3.Ng1-f3 Ng8-f6 4.Nb1-c3 e7-e6 5.c4xd5 e6xd5 6.Bc1-g5 h7-h6 The text has scored well for Black in recent years. In an earlier game, Angelo Young had played 6. ... Nb8-d7 against Mr. Zugic. 7.Bg5xf6 Much more common is 7.Bg5-h4. 7. ... Qd8xf6 8.Qd1-b3 Bf8-d6 9.e2-e3 O-O 10.Bf1-d3 Qf6-e7 11.O-O-O Bc8-e6 12.Rh1-g1 Nb8-a6 13.g2-g4 g7-g6 14.Bd3xa6 b7xa6 Nominally, it is good to double and isolate the opponentÕs pawns, but in the huggermugger of play, the open b-file against the King will usually prove more valuable. 15.Qb3-c2 Qe7-f6 16.Qc2-e2 Ra8-b8 17.Nf3-d2 c6-c5! BlackÕs attack arises first. 18.d4xc5 Bd6-e5 19.Nd2-b3 Be5xc3 20.b2xc3 Diagram: Few of the preceding moves have been forcing. For example, Black could have played 18. ... Bd6xc5, or White could have tried 19.Nd2-b1, though after 19. ... Rf8-c8 20.f2-f4 Be5xc3 21.Nb1xc3 Rc8xc5 22.Rd1-d4 Qf6-e7! WhiteÕs position is nowhere near as solid as he might have hoped. 20. ... d5-d4! Black jettisons an important pawn to free his Bishop. Although the pawn can be captured so many ways that it makes your head spin, Black gains a strong attack in any case. 21.e3xd4 White protects himself against aggression along the c-file, but exposes inroads from the right. 21. ... Be6xb3 22.a2xb3 Rb8xb3 23.Kc1-c2 Rb3-b7 24.Rg1-e1 Qf6-c6 25.Qe2-c4 Rf8-b8 26.d4-d5 Rb7-b2+ 27.Kc2-d3 Qc6-f6 28.f2-f4 Qf6-h4 29.d5-d6 Even with complete leisure at home, the complications are almost incalculable. However, the players must already have expended most of their 2 hours for 40 moves. White has a strong passed pawn on d6, but his King appears fatally exposed. Black has many moves to consider, for example, taking a pawn at h2 or at g4 with the Queen, or checking first at h3 and then taking one of the pawns. Instead, he ignores the pawns, getting as close as possible to the King. 29. ... Qh4-f2 30.Qc4-d5! Qf2-c2+ 31.Kd3-d4 Qc2-f2+ 32.Re1-e3 Rb8-e8? A seductive move that loses. BlackÕs best chance was either 32. ... Qf2xf4+ or 32. ... Rb2-d2+. 33.Qd5-f3 Rb2-d2+ 34.Kd4-c4 Re8xe3 If 34. ... Qf2xf3 35.Re3xe8+ and Rd1xd2 win easily. 35.Qf3xf2 Re3-e4+ 36.Qf2-d4 Black resigned. In a couple of variations, Black wins a Rook, but the d6-pawn queens.