Judit Polgar has not played much chess over the past three years. She’s been busy with something even more engrossing and demanding: She gave birth to two children. Nonetheless, the brilliant player from Budapest was among the 16 players who just competed in Elista for four spots in the world champion playoffs. Alas, Judit was poorly prepared. Still, when the score in her match with Evgeny Bareev was already hopeless, she played the most beautiful attack of the competition. The final score of their encounter: 3.5 – 2.5 in Bareev’s favor.

POLGAR V S . BAREEV (white) (black) Caro – Kann

1.e4 c6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Nf3 Bg4 4.h3 Bxf3 5. Qxf3 e6 6. Be2 Theory smiles on the pawn sacrifice 6.d4 dxe4 7. Nxe4!? Of course, black need not take the offer. 6… Nd7 7.d3 g6 8.0-0 Bg7 9. Bf4 A more straightforward plan is 9. Qg3 Qb6 10. Kh1 Ne7 11.f4! f5 12.e5 which in Anand-Karpov 1991 brought white an initiative. Polgar simply develops her pieces, hoping that the future will give her an opportunity to fight for the initiative. 9… Qb6 10. Nd1 Ngf6 11.a4 a5 12.g4!? A provocative move. It’s not entirely clear how it will create problems for black, but if black wants to exploit the weaknesses created by this move, he has to permit a sharpening of the position. 12… e5 Interesting as well was 12…dxe4 13. dxe4 Nc5 14. Be3 Nfd7 keeping the e5 square vacant for the black pieces. 13. Bd2 Nc5 14.g5! dxe4 15. dxe4 Nfd7?! Avoiding the principle line, black yields the initiative to his opponent. Black could play 15…Nfxe4!? 16. Be3 f5 (Not bad as well was 16… Qc7!? 17. Qg2 Qd6 18.f3 Nd2 19. Re1 e4 20. fxe4 0-0 and it is not clear how white can exploit the position of the black knight on d2.) 17. gxf6 Nxf6 with an unclear position. 16. Bc4!?

A more positional approach would be 16. Ne3!? 0-0 (In the case of 16…

Qxb2 17. Nc4 Qxc2 18. Rfc1 Qb3

19. Rc3 Qb4 20. Rca3 and the black queen is trapped.) 17. Nc4 Qc7 Instead Polgar tries to create threats against the black king.

16… 0-0

17.h4 Ne6?! Black overestimates his position. This move had to be prepared by 17…Rae8 18.h5 and only now 18… Ne6. 18. Bxe6 fxe6 19. Qh3 Qd4! 20. Nc3! Qxd2 21. Rad1 Qxc2 22. Rxd7 Qxb2?! More prudent was 22…Qb3 but after 23. Rfd1 white would still have strong pressure. 23.h5! gxh5? It looks like black would miraculously survive after 23… Rf7! 24. Qxe6 (There is no win after 24. Rxf7 Kxf7 25. Rb1 Qd2 26. Rxb7+ Kf8 as well.) 24…Raf8 25. Nd1 Qe2 26.h6 Qh5! (black would be completely paralyzed in case of 26…Bh8 27. Ne3 Qh5 28. Ng4 Qxg5 29. Rfd1) 27. Ne3 (There’s a perpetual after 27. hxg7 Qxg5+) 27…Qxg5+ 28. Ng4 Bxh6 29. Rb1 Qf4! 30. Rbxb7 Bg5!; Black would similarly lose in case of 23…Rae8 24. hxg6 hxg6 25. Rxg7+ Kxg7 26. Qh6+ Kg8 27. Qxg6+ Kh8 28. Kg2. 24. Qxe6+ Kh8

Now a beautiful final attack follows. 25. Rxg7! Kxg7 26. Qh6+ Kg8 An alternative line is 26…Kf7 27. Rb1 Qxc3 28. Rxb7+ and white is winning. 27.g6! hxg6 28. Qxg6+ Kh8 29. Kh1! An unusual finale: a quiet move of the king strikes the final blow. 29… Rf4 30. Qxh5+ Kg8 31. Rg1+ Kf8 32. Qh8+ Kf7 33. Qg7+ 1-0