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Last update: Friday June 3, 2005 9:44
Keith Arkell has been one of the most successful tournament players in England for some time now. Recently he came close to qualifying for the next prestigous Hastings Premier tournament before losing in the last round of this year's Challengers Event to long time rival Mark Hebden. His style is deceptive and his technical ability in apparently level positions makes him a force to fear when he gets you in ‘his grip’. Here is an example of one his games against Grandmaster strength opposition.
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White: Keith Arkell
Black: Pia Cramling
French league 1999
33 b5
In return for a minor concession, that
of losing control of the c5 square, White activates his dark-squared bishop
along the e1-a5 diagonal. Arkell anticipates at some stage placing it on b4,
putting pressure on the backward Black pawn on d6.
33...Nc4 34 Ra2!
The kind of quiet move which
is Keith Arkell's trademark. It keeps things 'tight at the back' by stopping
any plans Black has of bringing a piece into play via d2. When his opponent
runs out of any ideas of their own Keith will then improve his position until
he can deliver the 'killer blow'.
34...f5 35 Bb4 Bf8
Black cannot justify
35...fxe4? due to 36 Rc2 Nb6 37 Bxd6 when White's passed 'd'-pawn will prove a
real monster.
36 Rc2 Nb6 37 f3 fxe4 38 fxe4
Notice how weak
Black's backward 'd'-pawn is in comparison to White's backward 'e'-pawn. This
is a feature of having pawns fixed on the same colour as your opponents'
bishop.
38...Be7 39 Kf2 Nd7 40 Ba5 Rc8
Black could
have attempted a passive defence with 40...Nb6. Cramling prefers to utilise the
pin of the bishop on c6 to the rook on c1, in order to enable her to occupy the
c5 square with her knight.
41 Bb4
Black should now repeat the position
with 41...Rc7. Perhaps White's 40th move was to reach the time control or it
could have been a typical Keith 'nibble' in an attempt to provoke an
error.
41... Nc5?!
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42 Bxc5!
Most players would fear entering an
ending with opposite colour bishops due to their drawing tendencies, but Keith
has a deep understanding of such positions and realises that the dynamics of
this position are very much in his favour.
42...dxc5 43 Ra2 Rc7 44 Ke2
No rush! White
first of all optimises the position of his king. After all, in an ending the
king can become a very dangerous attacking piece!
44...Bd6 45 Kd3
Compare the comparative
placement of the Kings, rooks and bishops.
45...Kf8 46 Kc4 Ke7 47 g4 g5
Black is fast
running out of productive moves. At the moment she cannot move her rook or
bishop without losing material and is getting short of pawn moves as
well.
48 Ra6 Kd8 49 Bb7!!
Effectively winning a
pawn. Black cannot survive the rook and pawn ending by exchanging minor pieces
as the Black pawns are far too weak.
49...Rd7 50 Rxa7 Bb8 51 b6!
Now Black cannot
afford to 'win the exchange' as the 'a'-pawn would queen.
51...Rf7 52 Kxc5 Rd7 53 Kc6 Rd6+ 54 Kb5 1-0
Black didn’t want to wait to be shown the win after 54...Rd7 as 55 Ka6
Ke7 56 Bc8!! ends any resistance.
