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How Chukky wins

Max Lange was a 19th- century German master best known for a trappy opening named after him. But he should be remembered for his innovative 1860 book of games by America’s Paul Morphy.

Today the biographical game collection that Lange pioneered is the second most popular form of chess book, after opening analysis. The best recent addition is “Vassily Ivanchuk, 100 Selected Games” by Nikolay Kalinichenko ($32.95, New In Chess), about the most interesting player in the world today.

“Chukky” is one of the few elite GMs who plays virtually ever major opening — and perhaps the only one who takes a chess set to tournaments, rather than just a computer.

He is the most streaky of top GMs, capable of beating anyone on a given day. But in one of his “black moods” he can lose to just about anyone.

At Candidates tournament in London this year, he lost five games on time — a record for an elite event. Yet he decided first place by beating Vladimir Kramnik in the last round.

In this week’s game, Black could have accepted the bishop sacrifice, 21 . . . Kxf7!, and have even chances after, say, 22 d7 Rf8 23 Ng5+ Kg8!. Instead, his rook-grabbing 23 . . . Bf4 landed him in a losing battle that pitted White’s queen against two rooks.