Today’s Daily Telegraph column sees Malcolm Pein return to the recent Tata Steel Masters with an examination of Jorden van Foreest’s family tree.
Malcolm Pein on…Foreest’s Family Tree
Jorden van Foreest’s triumph at Tata Steel was one of the biggest shock results in chess history.
The 21-year-old Dutchman, playing on home soil, won a dramatic tie-break over Anish Giri after playing a superb tournament to score 8.5/13.
Van Foreest was rated 11th of the 14 players, but was well- prepared against the elite players and picked off four of the lesser lights. He remained unbeaten – only Giri ranked world number 11, and world number two Fabiano Caruana, also managed that.
Van Foreest comes from a family with a fine chess pedigree. His brother Lucas, 19, is also a Grandmaster, and his 13-year-old sister has already won multiple junior titles. His great-great- grandfather, Arnold Engelinus van Foreest, won the Dutch Championship in 1889, 1893, and 1902. Arnold’s brother, Dirk van Foreest, also won the championship in 1885, 1886, and 1887.
Van Foreest likes to attack and his great-great-grandfather Arnold was an aggressive payer who liked the King’s Gambit and Vienna Gambit, as many did in the 19th century.
A. E. van Foreest – J. F. Malta
Dutch Championship The Hague, 1890
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 exf4 4.Nf3 g5 5.h4 g4 6.Ng5 h6 7.Nxf7 Kxf7 8.d4 d6 9.Bxf4 Bg7 (It was probably better to run the king to g7, although even after 9…Nf6 10.Bc4+ Kg7 11.0–0 Be7 12.Qd3, White has very decent compensation) 10.Bc4+ Ke8 11.Ne2 Nf6 12.Qd3 Ne7 13.Bb3 (White’s is in absolutely no hurry. Everyone will be invited to the party which will begin with e4–e5) 13…a6?! 14.0–0 Rf8 15.c3 c6 (15…d5!?) 16.Ng3 b5? 17.Rad1 Ra7 18.Qe3 Rh8 19.Qe2 a5?
20.e5 Nfd5 (20…dxe5 21.dxe5 Nfd5 22.Nh5 Rg8 23.Be3 Rd7 24.Qf2) 21.Bxd5 cxd5 22.exd6 Kd7 23.dxe7 Qxe7 24.Qxb5+ Kd8 25.Qb6+ 1–0
Test Your Strength
J. Marikova – J. van Foreest
Potsdam Rapid, 2012
Black to play and win
Highlight the space below this line to revel the answer.
23…Qxh3+! 0-1 If 24.gxh3 Bf3+ 25.Kh2 Bf4#.
