In February the Cambridge International Open returned to the University Arms Hotel. In the penultimate round, the experienced Dutch grandmaster Sergei Tiviakov was half a point clear of a strong field, and looked to be coasting towards victory against his Danish opponent. Playing White in the position below, his bishop and two passed pawns outweigh Haubro’s extra rook.

Sergei Tiviakov-Martin Haubro

Cambridge International Open, February 2024 (see left diagram)

Tiviakov, co-author of Rock Solid Chess (New In Chess, 2023) is the epitome of a safe pair of hands at the chessboard. His position is characteristically tidy, in that every unit is protected by something else. But the most efficient path to victory involves some precise tactics: that is 40 Rxb8! Rxb8 41 Bd5 which cunningly invites 41…Rxb3+, since after 42 f3 Rb8 43 Be6! the c6-pawn marches on. Or if 41…Kc5 42 b4+! Kb6 43 f4, White will bring up the king to support another passed pawn on the kingside, with an easy win. 40 c7 Rbc8 41 Rb7 e6! A crucial defensive measure, since 42 Bc6 Rf7! rounds up the c7 pawn. White’s win is gone. 42 Rb6 Ke5 43 Rc6 Rf7 44 f3 Now either capture on c7 is met by f3-f4+, winning the d6-pawn, with a likely draw. Haubro correctly holds onto it. Rd7 45 f4+ Kf6 46 f5 A desperate gamble. 46 b4 Rdxc7 47 b5 Rxc6 48 Bxc6 would just about suffice for a draw, but it is dispiriting to accede to this when the win had been so close. exf5 47 c5 Rcxc7 48 Rxc7 Rxc7 49 c6 Seen from afar, Tiviakov may have fancied his chances, but Black has time to sever the link with the bishop. fxg4 50 b4 Ke5 51 b5 d5! 52 Kxg4 Kd6 53 Kh5 d4 54 b6 Rxc6 White resigns

Thus Haubro seized the lead, but Tiviakov recovered and caught him in the final round. They were joined by the top seed Michael Adams, who narrowly won the title on tiebreak, adding to his victory in last year’s inaugural edition. Peter Wells, the former Olympiad team captain and one of England’s most accomplished trainers (including to me on many occasions), defeated a fellow grandmaster from Ukraine in a ferocious miniature.

Peter Wells-Eldar Gasanov

Cambridge International Open, February 2024

1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 d5 3 c4 e6 4 Nc3 c6 5 e3 a6 6 Qc2 c5 7 dxc5 Bxc5 8 a3 O-O 9 b4 Ba7 10 Bb2 Qe7 11 Rd1 Rd8 12 Be2 dxc4 13 Rxd8+ Qxd8 14 Ne4 Sniffing a kingside attack, this is far more enterprising than recapturing on c4. Nbd7 15 O-O b5 16 Nxf6+ Nxf6 17 Ng5 (see right diagram)

h6 The decisive error. Remarkably, 17…Bb7 18 Rd1 Qe8 19 Bxf6 gxf6 20 Qxh7+ Kf8 just about clings on. 18 Rd1 Qe8 19 Bxf6 gxf6 19…hxg5 20 Rd8 wins the queen. 20 Qh7+ Kf8 21 Rd8 Black resigns