Jonathan Mestel (1957- )
Andrew Jonathan Mestel was born on 13th March 1957 into an academic family, his father being a professor of astrophysics. He showed chess talent from an early age and in 1974 won the World Cadet Championship (under 18) by a margin of 1½ points, although the title was unofficial in those days. His ascent to higher levels was rapid, and in 1976 he won the British Championship, starting the tournament with nine consecutive victories.
Jonathan became a grandmaster in 1982, and further British Championship titles followed in 1983 and 1988.
He was a member of the English Olympiad team from 1976 to 1988, only missing 1986 when the event was held in Dubai and Israel was excluded. Jonathan’s best result was in 1984, when he gained the gold medal for the best performance on first reserve board. In recent years he has not been very active, although he has often played in the 4NCL.
In parallel to his over the board career, he has been one of Britain’s top chess problem solvers for several decades, winning the British Championship a record 18 times. He was world problem-solving champion in 1997, gaining the solving GM title, and was a member of the successful British solving team which won the World Team Championship three years consecutively from 2005 to 2007.
In addition to his chess activities, Jonathan is also a grandmaster at bridge, and I suspect his triple grandmaster title is unique. He has also had a successful academic career and is a professor of applied mathematics at Imperial College, London, with a speciality of magnetohydrodynamics. When he told me this was his research area, I said ‘Oh, like the Earth’s magnetic field’, but he replied ‘Oh no, those are weak magnetic fields. I deal in strong magnetic fields.’
He has always had a fondness for developing his bishop at g7 with Black, and along with Tony Miles helped advance the theory of the Dragon Sicilian in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In line with this, he has also regularly played the King’s Indian Defence with Black, as in the following game against the then US champion. It was one of the most exciting and unpredictable games I have ever witnessed at a chess Olympiad.
Lev Alburt - Jonathan Mestel
Thessaloniki Olympiad 1984
King’s Indian Defence
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2 0-0 6.Bg5
The Averbakh Variation, still a dangerous line against the King’s Indian.
6…Nbd7 7.Qd2 e5 8.d5 Nc5 9.Bf3
This continuation was briefly popular in the 1980s, but today 9.f3 is practically the only move employed.
9...a5 10.0-0-0 Bd7 11.h4
The idea of Bf3 is to use the bishop to support an h4-h5 push, but Mestel’s simple reply crosses this plan.
11...h5
Now White must perform an extensive reorganisation of his forces to prepare g4, the only effective way to make further progress on the kingside.
12.Nge2 a4
Black edges forward with his queenside counterplay.
13.Ng3
Black must take care, as White is threatening the dangerous piece sacrifice 14.Bxh5 gxh5 15.f3!.
13...Kh7 14.Be2
Now 14.Bxh5 gxh5 15.f3 (15.Nxh5 Nxh5 16.Bxd8 Raxd8 followed by ...Bh6 gives Black a clear advantage, as here the three active pieces are worth more than a queen and two pawns) fails to 15...Qe8 16.Bxf6 Bxf6 17.Nxh5 Be7, and White lacks Qh6.
14...Qe8
Black cannot make more progress on the queenside directly, so he prepares ...f5, which is also useful against White’s kingside activity.
15.f3 Ng8 16.Nf1?
Too casual; White wants to play g4, but Black is well prepared to meet this. 16.Nb5, targeting the c7-pawn, would have maintained the balance.
16...f5 17.g4 f4?!
Even this favours Black, but the strongest continuation was 17...fxg4 18.fxg4 Nf6! 19.gxh5 (19.Bxf6 Rxf6 20.gxh5 Bh6 21.Ne3 gxh5 leaves White horribly pinned) 19...Nfxe4 20.Nxe4 Nxe4 21.Bd3 Nxd2 22.Bxg6+ Kg8 23.Bxe8 Nb3+ 24.axb3 Bxe8, and Black’s active pieces give him a substantial advantage.
18.Nh2 Nh6 19.Kb1 Nf7
The elimination of White’s dark-squared bishop usually favours Black in the King’s Indian.
20.Rdg1 Rh8!
To support the h5-pawn after a possible ...Nxg5 and ...Kg8.
21.Bf1 Nxg5?!
There was no need to rush with this, as the bishop wasn’t going anywhere. 21...Kg8 was better.
22.gxh5 gxh5 23.hxg5
23.Rxg5 Bf6 24.Rgg1 Rg8 gives Black a huge advantage, as White’s kingside minor pieces have no active prospects.
23...Kg6
The position is again roughly equal. White has few active ideas, but it’s also very difficult for Black to make progress.
24.Bg2?
The bishop isn’t doing anything here. White should have transferred his queen to h4, with the aim of exchanging his bad bishop by Bh3.
24...Qc8
For the moment neither side seems able to hit on a good plan. Black could have stepped up his dark-squared pressure by ...Qb8-a7-b6.
25.Qf2 Ra6 26.Bf1 Rb6 27.Nb5 Qd8 28.Be2 Bc8 29.Rd1 Rh7 30.Qh4 Bf8 31.Rdg1 Qe7 32.Kc2 c6 33.Nc3 Qf7 34.Bf1 Bd7 35.Be2 Be7
Black finally starts to make progress. The idea is the eventual transfer of the bishop to d8 and then b6 or a5.
36.Nf1 Qg8 37.Nd2 Qa8 38.Bf1 Qc8 39.Kb1?!
Once again White’s leisurely manoeuvres fail to consider the time element. Now was the moment for 39.Bh3, which would have led to a roughly equal position. It’s possible Alburt was worried about losing the g-pawn, but this is never a worry; for example, after 39...Bxh3 40.Rxh3 Qd8 41.Rgh1 Bxg5?? 42.Rg1 White is winning, as Black is in an unbreakable pin.
39...Bd8 40.Be2?
After another slow move the balance starts to tip in Black’s favour. 40.a3 Ra6 41.Ne2! was correct, when Black must take care, since the obvious 41...Ba5?? loses to 42.Nxf4+! exf4 43.Qxf4 with a decisive attack.
40...Ra6 41.Bd1?
41.a3 Ba5 42.Rc1 would have been just slightly better for Black.
41...Ba5 42.Kc2 b5
Strong, but 42...a3! 43.b3 Bxc3 44.Kxc3 b5 would have been immediately decisive, as White’s king is hopelessly exposed.
43.dxc6 Bxc6 44.Nd5
Alburt finds the only way to play on.
44...Bxd5 45.exd5 bxc4
Black must be careful; for example, 45...Qf5+ 46.Ne4 Nxe4?? 47.fxe4 Qxe4+ 48.Kc1 is fine for White due to the threat of Bc2, although in this line the rather complicated 46...bxc4 47.Kb1 Rb6 48.Bc2 a3 still wins for Black.
46.Nxc4 Qf5+ 47.Kc1 Nd3+
It looks all over, but there are some surprises to come!
48.Kb1 Nxb2+?
Going for a brilliant finish, but 48...Nb4+ 49.Ka1 a3! 50.Nxa3 Bb6 was the cleanest winning line, since after ...Bd4 and possibly ...Nd3 Black has an overwhelming attack.
49.Kxb2?
The sort of move you play without thinking, but the surprising 49.Bc2! Nd3 50.Rd1 e4 (50...Rb7+? only draws after 51.Nb2 Rxb2+ 52.Ka1 Rxa2+ 53.Kxa2 Nb4+ 54.Ka1 Nxc2+ 55.Ka2 Nb4+) 51.fxe4 Rb7+ 52.Bb3! Qg4 53.Rxd3 would have offered considerable resistance.
49...Rb6+! 50.Nxb6 a3+!
A beautiful finishing combination, or it should have been!
51.Kxa3
51.Kc1 Rc7+ mates.
51...Bxb6?
In time-trouble it’s easy to make mistakes in such a complicated position. The winning line was 51...Qd3+! 52.Bb3 Bxb6 53.Rd1 (or 53.Qh2 Bd4) 53...Bc5+ 54.Kb2 Bd4+ 55.Ka3 Ra7+ 56.Kb4 Bc5#.
52.Qh2?
Now everything should be back on track. 52.Rg2! Qd3+ 53.Kb2 Bd4+ 54.Kc1 leaves Black with nothing more than perpetual check.
52...Qd3+ 53.Kb2 Bd4+ 54.Kc1
Now there’s a win by 54...Qa3+ 55.Kb1 Rb7+ 56.Bb3 Rxb3+ 57.axb3 Qxb3+ 58.Kc1 Be3+ 59.Qd2 Qc3+, but Jonathan decided to gain time by repeating moves.
54...Be3+ 55.Kb2 Bd4+ 56.Kc1 Be3+
Both players had reached the move 56 time-control (in those days, time controls arose at moves 40, 56, 72 and so on at intervals of 16 moves).
57.Kb2
Panic over, and it seems that now is the time to play the win with ...Bd4+ followed by ...Qa3+, and Jonathan’s hand was reaching for the bishop when he realised that ...Bd4+ would repeat the position for the third time. He sank into deep thought and the spectators who had not seen the prelude murmured uneasily to themselves. Surely the grandmaster couldn’t overlook the simple winning line? With considerable courage, Jonathan decided to keep playing for a win despite being a rook down.
57...e4!
The only move to win, preventing the pin by Bc2. Curiously, the extra tempo presented to White doesn’t help much, and adjournment analysis showed that there is no defence to Black’s attack.
58.Re1
Alburt thought for 50 minutes over his sealed move, but the position is hopeless. The key line runs 58.Rg2 exf3! 59.Bc2 (59.Rf2 Bxf2 60.Qxf2 Rb7+ 61.Bb3 Qe2+) 59...Rb7+ 60.Bb3 Bd4+ (for the moment Black must operate with checks as h5 is under attack) 61.Kc1 Qc3+ 62.Kd1 (62.Rc2 Qa1+ 63.Kd2 Be3+ mates next move) 62...Qa1+ 63.Kd2 (63.Kc2 Rc7+) 63...Be3+ 64.Kd3 Qd4+ 65.Kc2 Qe4+ 66.Kb2 Bd4+ 67.Kc1 fxg2! (with the pieces on e4 and d4 covering squares on the kingside Black can afford to allow Qxh5+) 68.Qxh5+ Kg7 69.Qh8+ Kf7 70.Rh7+ Kg6 and wins.
58...Bd4+ 59.Kc1 Bc5
59...Qa3+ 60.Kb1 Qc3 is a simpler way to win.
60.Re2 h4!
The only winning move, freeing the rook to set up the lethal threat of 61...Rc7.
61.Kb2
61.Ba4 Rb7 62.Bb3 Ba3+ 63.Rb2 Rc7+ 64.Bc2 Qd4 wins, while 61.Bb3 Ba3+ 62.Rb2 Rc7+ comes to the same thing.
61...Rc7 0-1
It’s mate in a few moves.