825 Classical Chess Games Annotated

◦ Gioachino Greco• Unknown

Rome1619 1-0Chess notation is a wonderful invention – a timemachine that allows us to enjoy chess games ofall eras, even those played hundreds of yearsago. Here we see one of the first great chessmasters, Gioachino Greco, in action. While Grecois credited with developing some gambits, hismain contribution to chess was to publish wittycollections of games that illustrate his theories.Greco considered the following one of his bestgames.1.e4 b6 The Queen’s Fianchetto opening. An earlyfianchetto by Black shows a willingness to defendagainst a big pawn center, picking away at it fromthe wings. In ceding so much territory, Black mustbe on constant guard against direct attacks on theKing, as this game amply illustrates. 2.d4 The nat-ural move. White is happy to build an advantage inspace. 2...Bb7 3.Bd3 Greco often preferred de-veloping his bishop to d3, rather than c4 or b5. Asthis game progresses, you will see that this pieceis perfectly placed. 3...f5 Black offers a pawn tobreak up the enemy center. 4.exf5 White ac-cepts the pawn, and the fireworks begin. 4...Bxg25.Qh5+ g6 It is interesting that hundreds of yearsafter this game was played, all of the moves so farare still considered "book." If you weren’t awareof the date, you might believe that this game wasfrom the Hypermodern movement of the early 20thcentury. 6.fxg6Nf6 Black gets greedy and losesimmediately. The typical continuation is 6...Bg77.gxh7+ Kf8 8.hxg8=Q+ Kxg8 9.Qg6 (or Qg4)Bxh1 and Black has a reasonable game. 7.gxh7+Nxh5 Gleefully seizing the enemy queen, but notseeing the danger. 8.Bg6# Even after four cen-turies, some games can still elicit a smile.1-0

◦ Captain Smith• Philidor?London1790 0-1 C24The modern era of chess begins with Philidor’s po-sitional analysis of the openings. Though he diedin the 18th century, his was the most widely printedbook in chess history. In this historically interest-ing game Philidor actually demonstrates the powerof a superior pawn formation, confirming his fa-mous maxim: "Pawns are the soul of chess."

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 c6 4.Bg5 h6 5.Bxf6Qxf6 6.Nc3 b5 7.Bb3 a5 8.a3 Bc5 9.Nf3 d610.Qd2Be6 11.Bxe6 fxe6 12.O–O g5 Discour-aged from castling on the Queenside, White findshimself under siege on the Kingside. 13.h3 Nd714.Nh2 h5 15.g3Ke7 The lines are clearly drawn:Black’s command of space allows him to attack atwill. 16.Kg2 d5 17.f3 Nf8 18.Ne2 Ng6 19.c3Rag8 20.d4 Bb6 21.dxe5 Qxe5 22.Nd4 Kd723.Rae1 h4 24.Qf2Bc7 25.Ne2 Passive defenseseems worse here than the try 25. exd hxg 26.dxe6+ Ke8 27. Nxc6 with chances. 25...hxg326.Qxg3Qxg3+ 27.Nxg3Nf4+ 28.Kh1Rxh329.Rg1Rxh2+ 30.Kxh2Rh8+ 31.Nh5Rxh5+32.Kg3Nh3+ 33.Kg4Rh4# 0-1

◦ Edinburgh• LondonCorrespondence Match (5)England1824 1-0 C44The first half ot the 19th century was the goldenage of postal chess because players from differ-ent cities and countries could not easily competein any other way. This game enabled Edinburgh tobeat London (2 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss). Newspaperscarried all the moves, thus exposing the public forthe first time to master chess. The Scotch Gamewas new, later became popular, then went out offashion and was revived by Kasparov in the 1990s.This battle assumed epic proportions after move 32when rooks on either side penetrated behind enemylines. Watch for the spectacular march of White’sking at the end.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.d4Nxd4 Better is 3...exd4.Now White dominates the center. 4.Nxd4 exd45.Qxd4 Ne7 6.Bc4 Nc6 7.Qd5 Qf6 8.Nc3Bb4 9.Bd2 d6 10.Bb5Bd7 11.Qc4 Too manyqueen moves. The threat of Bxc6 is easily parried.Simply 11. O-O is indicated. 11...Bc5 12.O–OO–O 13.Qd3 Ne5 14.Qg3 Bxb5 15.Nxb5 c6Driving the knight back but weakening the pawn ond6. 16.Nc3 Nc4 17.Bg5 Qg6 18.b3 f6 19.Bc1Qxg3 20.hxg3 Bd4 21.bxc4 Bxc3 22.Rb1 b623.Rd1 Rae8 Disdaining passive resistance by23...Rad8, the London team seeks active counter-play. Black stands better – White’s pawn struc-ture is a shambles. 24.Rb3Ba5 25.f3 f5 26.exf5Re2 Also playable is 26...Rxf5. 27.g4 Rxc228.Bf4Rxc4 29.Bxd6Re8 30.Ra3 h6 31.Bc7Re2 32.Rd8+ Kh7 If 32...Kf7 33. Bd6 Re8 34.Rd7 with advantage. 33.Rc8 Rc1+ Better is33...Rcc2 34. Kh2 Rxg2 but Black has no inkling

1

of the astonishing sacrifice that White is planning.34.Kh2Ree1 35.Kh3Rh1+ 36.Bh2Bc3 Set-ting a trap on 37. Rxc6? Be5! 38. Rxc1 Rxh2mate. 37.f4 Bd2 38.g3 Ba5 Still playing to wininstead of steering for an easy draw by 38...Bxf439. gxf4 Rc2 40. Rxa7 R2xh2 41. Kg3 Rh3,etc. 39.Re3 Rc2 Winning a piece, but appear-ances are deceptive. 40.g5Rhxh2+ 41.Kg4 h5+42.Kf3Rhf2+ 43.Ke4 g6 The only way to parrythe threat of g6 and Rh8 mate. 44.Rc7+ Kg845.Ke5 Adhering to the Steinitzian precept: Theking is a fighting piece – use it! 45...Rc5+ Alsofutile is 45...Bc3 46. Rxc3 Rxc3 47. Kf6 forc-ing mate. 46.Kf6Rxf5+ 47.Kxg6Rf8 48.Rg7+Kh8 49.Kh6 No more than a draw is gained by49. Ree7 Bc3. 49...Bb4 50.Re6 Rf5 The onlyway to stop the threat of mate in two. 51.Rh7+Kg8 52.Rg6+ Kf8 53.Rxc6 Rc5 An excitingmoment. If 53...Kg8 54. g6 h4 55. Rg7 Kh8 56.Rxa7 hxg3 57. g7 Kg8 58. Rc8 Rf8 59. gxf8/QBxf8 60. Rg7 Kh8 61. Rxf8 mate. 54.Rf6+Ke855.g6 Rc3 56.g4 Bf8+ 57.Rxf8+ Kxf8 58.g7+Kf7 59.Rh8 Rc6+ 60. Kh7 No power on earthcan stop White’s pawn from queening. Black re-signs.1-0

◦ MacDonnell, A.• La Bourdonnais?62nd Match Game1834 0-1 B32In a sense, the MacDonnell-La Bourdonnais en-counters marked the beginning of modern chess –a set match of serious games between recognizedchampions, in which all the games were recordedand published. This was the Frenchman’s mostfamous win of the match (really a series of sixmatches, won by La Bourdonnais +45, =13, -27),in which we have the unusual spectacle of a massof pawns overcoming a Queen.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nxc6A positional error, strengthening Black’s centralpawns, but such niceties were little known inthe 1830’s. 5...bxc6 6.Bc4 Nf6 7.Bg5 Be78.Qe2 d5 9.Bxf6 Bxf6 10.Bb3 O–O 11.O–Oa5 12. exd5 cxd5 13.Rd1 d4 14.c4Qb6 15.Bc2Bb7 16.Nd2 Rae8 17.Ne4 Bd8 18.c5 Qc619.f3 Be7 20.Rac1 f5 Not 20...Bxc5? 21.Nxc5Qxc5 22.Bxh7+. Instead, Black offers an Ex-change sacrifice to get his central pawns moving.21.Qc4+Kh8 22.Ba4Qh6 23.Bxe8 fxe4 24.c6exf3 25.Rc2 Not 25.dxc6?, as 25...Qe3+ 26.Kh1fxg2+ 27.Kxg2 Rf2+ will lead to mate. 25...Qe3+

26.Kh1 Bc8 27.Bd7 f2 Threatening 28...Qe1+29.Qf1 Qxd1 f1Q+. 28.Rf1 d3 29.Rc3 Bxd730.cxd7 e4 31.Qc8 In turn threatening 32.Qxf8+and 33.d8Q. 31...Bd8 32.Qc4 Qe1 33.Rc1 d234.Qc5Rg8 35.Rd1 e3 36.Qc3Qxd1 37.Rxd1e2 White Resigns.0-1

◦ La Bourdonnais• MacDonnell, A.?21st Match Game1834 0-1 C23The MacDonnell-La Bourdonnais encounterswere, in a real sense, the beginning of modernchess – a series of formally arranged games, all ofwhich were preserved and published. This is oneof many wild attacking games in which both sidesplay for mate. The final position is quite amusing.1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Qe2 Nf6 4.d3 Nc6 5.c3Ne7 6.f4 exf4 Ignoring the center; a modernplayer would surely have answered 6...d6. 7.d4Bb6 8.Bxf4 d6 9.Bd3Ng6 10.Be3 O–O 11.h3Re8 12.Nd2Qe7 13.O–O–O c5 Correctly strik-ing back in the center, though in 1834 Black’splan was probably limited to opening a file nearthe White King. 14.Kb1 cxd4 15.cxd4 a516.Ngf3 Bd7 17.g4 h6 18.Rdg1 More logicalseems 18.Rdf1 followed by Rhg1; as the gamegoes, the Rhg1 never does very much. 18...a419.g5 hxg5 20.Bxg5 a3 21.b3Bc6 22.Rg4Ba523.h4 Bxd2 24.Nxd2 Ra5 25.h5 Rxg5 Withthis Exchange sacrifice Black takes control ofthe dark squares and obtains a strong initiative.26.Rxg5 Nf4 27.Qf3 Nxd3 28.d5 White mustlose material, for 28.Qxd3 Nxe4 29.Nxe4? Bxe4wins the White Queen, and 29.Rgg1 Nf2 is notmuch better. 28...Nxd5 29.Rhg1 Nc3+ 30.Ka1Bxe4 31.Rxg7+Kh8 32.Qg3 Threatening matewith 33.Rh7+, but Black’s attack is still verystrong. 32...Bg6 33.hxg6 Qe1+ 34.Rxe1 Thefinal blunder; after 34.Nb1 White retains draw-ing chances 34...Rxe1+ 35.Qxe1Nxe1 36.Rh7+Kg8 37.gxf7+Kxh7 38.f8=QNc2# 0-1

◦ Ludwig Bledow• von Der LasaMatchBerlin1839 1-0 C53Bledow was a math professor who founded "ThePleiades," a society that set itself the task of rais-ing the standard of the game in Germany at a time

2

when Paris and London were the chess centers ofEurope. Morphy’s great principles – occupying thecenter with pawns, opening lines for attack, rapiddevelopment even at the cost of material – alreadywere in evidence in this early game. A unique twistis the way White exploits the weakness on f7.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bc4Bc5 4.c3Qe7 One ofthe earliest defenses to the Giuoco Piano. Nowa-days 4...Nf6 is preferred. 5.d4 Bb6 To hold thecenter. If 5...exd4 6. O-O dxc3 7. Nxc3 the threatof Nd5 is irksome. 6.O–O d6 7.a4 a5 8.Be3Nf69.dxe5 Also feasible is 9. Nbd2 to maintain tensionin the center. 9...Nxe5 10.Nxe5 dxe5 11.Bxb6cxb6 12.Nd2 O–O 13.Qe2Bd7 13...Be6 wouldneutralize the pressure on f7. Now White givesup a pawn to speed up his development, a dubi-ous plan that works. 14.Rad1 Bxa4 15.b3 Bc616.f4 Opening lines is essential but Blacks fortressis hard to crack. 16...Rad8 Also good is 16...b5!17. fxe5 Qxe5 18. Rf5 Qxc3. 17.fxe5 Qxe518.Rf5Qd6 Correct is 18...Qxc3 19. e5 Qd4 20.Kh1 Ne4. 19.e5 Qc5+ 20.Kh1 Ne4 Little re-lief is offered by 20...Nd5 21. e6; or 20...Rde8 22.Rdf1. 21.Nxe4Rxd1+ 22.Qxd1Bxe4 23.Rxf7Black overlooked this trick. 23...Rxf7 24.Qd8+Qf8 25.Bxf7+Kxf7 26.e6+Kg8 27.e7 The mo-bility of this passed pawn played a decisive role inthe attack. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Pierre de Saint-Amant• Howard StauntonMatch (13)Paris1843 1-0 D40The unofficial world championship. The leadingplayer after Labourdonnais in France was the col-orful Pierre St. Amant, who served was secre-tary to the governor of French Guiana – until heprotested against the slave trade. Later he tried hishand as an actor, then became a successful winemerchant, and was a captain in the National Guardduring the 1948 revolution. In 1851 he became theFrench consul to California eight years after theEnglishman Howard Staunton bested him in a se-ries of memorable matches. On a visit to LondonSt. Amant defeated Staunton 3.5 - 2.5 for a stake ofone guinea. This led to a demand for a return matchjust before Christmas in the same year, which waswon by Staunton 13-8, marking an end to Frenchchess supremacy. Here, in an almost symmetricalposition, White’s sway over the open e-file enableshim to launch a combination of unusual beauty.Like so many other losers, however, St. Amant at

least had the satisfaction of winning the most bril-liant game.1.d4 e6 2.c4 d5 3.e3 Now considered too pas-sive because it hems in the bishop on c1. 3...Nf64.Nc3 c5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.a3 A slight loss of time,but the principles of positional play were stilllargely unknown in those days. 6...Be7 7.Bd3O–O 8.O–O b6 9.b3 Bb7 10.cxd5 exd5 Alsoplayable is 10...Nxd5 but Black has no desire tosimplify. 11.Bb2 cxd4 12.exd4Bd6 More perti-nent is 12...Re8 to develop a fresh piece. 13.Re1a6 14.Rc1Rc8 15.Rc2Rc7 16.Rce2 h6 Blackcould instead contest the file by 16...Re7 eitherhere or on the next move. 17.h3 Qc8 18.Qd2Nd8 19.b4 Ne6 Walking into a pin. Preferableis 19...b5. 20.Bf5 Ne4 Staunton later sug-gested 20...Bf4 but Black’s game is already diffi-cult. 21.Nxe4 dxe4 22.d5 Of course not 22.Bxe4?Bxe4 23. Rxe4 Rc2 winning a piece. 22...exf3 Thelast chance is 22...Bf4 23. Qd1 exf3 24. Rxe6 Qd8.23.Rxe6Qd8 24.Bf6 Shattering the enemy king-side. 24...gxf6 25.Rxd6 The spectators broke outinto enthusiastic applause. If 25...Qxd6 26. Qxh6forces mate. 25...Kg7 Nowadays a master wouldresign here since he only gets a rook in return forhis queen. 26.Rxd8Rxd8 27.Be4 fxg2 28.Qf4Rc4 29.Qg4+ Kf8 30.Qh5 Ke7 31.d6+ Kxd632. Bxb7 Kc7 33.Bxa6 Rc3 34.Qb5 White’smaterial superiority is just too great. Black resigns.1-0

◦ Staunton, H.• St. Amant, P.Match (5)Paris1843 0-1 B21Howard Staunton was born in 1810. After a briefstint as an actor, he became an eminent Shake-spearean scholar and then England’s top player af-ter defeating St. Amant in a series of memorablematches. Because of his plodding style, Staunton’sgames are not very impressive. Today he is remem-bered chiefly for having ducked Paul Morphy whocrossed the Atlantic to challenge him to a match.Morphy described him as the author of a chesshandbook and some "devilish bad games."1.e4 c5 2.f4 e6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.c3 d5 5.e5 Qb6Good alternativess are 5...f6 or d4. 6.Bd3 Bd77.Bc2 Rc8 8.O–O Nh6 9.h3 Be7 10.Kh2 f511.a3 a5 12.a4 Makes little sense except to de-velop the knight at a3. 12. d4 right away isbetter. 12...Nf7 13.d4 h6 14.Re1 g6 15.Na3cxd4 16.Nxd4Nxd4 17.cxd4 g5 18.Nb5Bxb519.axb5 Rc4 Loss of time. 20.Bd3 Rc8 Not

3

20...Rxd4? 21. Be3. 21.Be2 gxf4 22.Rf1 Bet-ter is 22. Bxf4 22...Ng5 23.Bxf4 Ne4 24.Rc1Rxc1 25.Qxc1 Kd7 26.Qe3 Bg5 27.Bd3Rg8 28.Bxe4 dxe4 29.Bxg5 hxg5 30.Qb3 g431.Rd1 Overly cautious. 31. Rxf5! offers draw-ing chances. 31...gxh3 32.Qxh3 Qd8 "The lat-ter portion of this game is conducted with remark-able skill by both parties," commented Staunton.33.d5 Kc8 34.Qc3+ Kb8 35.d6 f4 36.Qc5 e337.Qc2Qh4+ 38.Kg1Rc8 39.Qe2Rh8 WhiteResigns. Clocks were not used in those days; thegame lasted 9 1/2 hours; today it would take be-tween four and five hours.0-1

◦ F. A. Hoffmann• A. D. PetrovMatchWarsaw1844 0-1 C54The main feature of this ancient game is the simul-taneous assault by White on f7 and Black on f2,the weakest square on each side. Black’s maneu-vers culminate in a magnificent queen sacrifice anda relentless king hunt.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4exd4 6.e5 Nowadays 6. cxd4 is preferred. 6...Ne4More energetic is the counter-thrust 6...d5. 7.Bd5Looking for adventure, but violating principle bymoving the same piece twice. Simply 7. cxd4 Bb48. Bd2 Nxd2 9. Nbxd2 would give White a peace-ful life. 7...Nxf2 8.Kxf2 dxc3+ 9.Kg3 Exposesthe king to some danger. Safer is 9. Ke1. But not9. Be3 Bxe3 10. Kxe3 cxb2. 9...cxb2 10.Bxb2Ne7 11.Ng5 Too eager to attack instead of think-ing about his own safety. It’s time to consolidatewith 11. h3 to give the king an escape square onh2. 11...Nxd5 12.Nxf7 O–O Giving up an en-tire queen to control the f-file. White didn’t reckonwith this sacrifice! 13.Nxd8 There’s nothing bet-ter. If 13. Nh6 gxh6 14. Qxd5 Rf7 15. Qxc5 Qg516. Kh3 d6 wins. Or 13. Qxd5 Rxf7 14. h3 Qg515. Kh2 Qf4 16. g3 Qf2 17. Qg2 Qxg2 18. Kxg2Rf2 followed by Rxb2. 13...Bf2+ 14.Kh3 d6+15.e6 Nf4+ 16.Kg4 Nxe6 Threatening mate intwo by 17...Rf4 and Rh4. 17.g3Nxd8+ 18.Kh4Rf4+ 19.Kg5Ne6+ 20.Kh5 g6+ 21.Kh6Rh4+22.gxh4Be3# A pretty king hunt.0-1

◦ Anderssen, A.• Kieseritsky?

London1851 1-0 C33One of Anderssen’s masterpieces, known as the"Immortal Game." Black neglects his develop-ment, and Anderssen offers both Rooks to showthat two active pieces are worth a dozen sleepingat home.1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4Qh4+ 4.Kf1 b5 5.Bxb5Nf6 6.Nf3Qh6 7.d3Nh5 8.Nh4Qg5 9.Nf5 c610.Rg1 cxb5 11.g4 Nf6 12.h4 Qg6 13.h5 Qg514.Qf3 Now threatening to trap the Black Queenwith 15.Bxf4. 14...Ng8 15.Bxf4 Qf6 16.Nc3Bc5 17.Nd5Qxb2 18.Bd6 A brilliant move, themain point of which is to divert the Black Queenfrom the a1-h8 diagonal. Now Black cannot play18...Bxd6? 19.Nxd6+ Kd8 20.Nxf7+ Ke8 21.Nd6+Kd8 22.Qf8++. 18...Qxa1+ 19.Ke2Bxg1 Andnot 19...Qxg1 20.Nxg7+ Kd8 21.Bc7++. 20.e5Na6 More resistance could have been offered by20...Ba6, but White should still win after 21.Nc7+Kd8 22.Nxa6 Bb6 23.Qxa8. 21.Nxg7+ Kd822.Qf6+Nxf6 23.Be7# 1-0

◦ Anderssen, A.• Dufresne?Berlin1853 1-0 C52White sacrifices a piece to open the central filesagainst the uncastled Black King, and despite hisseemingly adequate development and counterat-tacking chances, Black comes out a tempo shortin one of the finest combinations on record, justlyknown as the "Evergreen Game."1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 The EvansGambit, in which White sacrifices a flank pawnfor rapid development and a powerful center.4...Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.d4 exd4 7.O–O d3 8.Qb3Qf6 9.e5 Qg6 10.Re1 Nge7 11.Ba3 b5 Blackin turn gives up a pawn to complete his devel-opment, but White’s control of the center makesit difficult for Black to coordinate his forces.12.Qxb5 Rb8 13.Qa4 Bb6 14.Nbd2 Bb715.Ne4 Qf5 16.Bxd3 Qh5 17.Nf6+ A tempo-rary piece sacrifice to exploit the exposed positionof the Black King. But this is not without danger,as Black now obtains an open g-file for counter-play. 17...gxf6 18.exf6 Rg8 19.Rad1 Offering asecond piece and far stronger than the defensive19.Be4. 19...Qxf3 20.Rxe7+Nxe7 Black cannotescape with 20...Kd8, in view of 21.Rxd7+! Kc822.Rd8+ Kxd8 [or 22...Rxd8 23.gxf3] 23.Be2+,winning. 21.Qxd7+ Kxd7 22.Bf5+ Ke823.Bd7+Kd8 24.Bxe7# 1-0

4

◦ Paulsen, L.• Morphy, P.?New York1857 0-1 C48Paul Morphy competed in only one tournament inhis short career, the 1st American Chess Congressin 1857. In the final round of this knock-out event,he defeated German master Louis Paulsen by ascore of +5, =2, -1. In this game, he demonstratesboth his better grasp of positional play – Black’scontrol of the center files makes a marked contrastto White’s flailing on the flanks – and his combina-tive ability, as he finishes the game with a startlingand brilliant Queen sacrifice.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bc55.O–O O–O 6.Nxe5 Re8 Rather than permitthe "fork trick" 6...Nxe5 7.d4, Black sacrificesa Pawn for rapid development. 7.Nxc6 dxc68.Bc4 b5 9.Be2 The seemingly more logical9.Bb3 fails to 9...Bg4 10.Qe1 [or 10.Ne2 Rxe4winning the pinned Knight] 10...b4, and if 11.Na4Rxe4 traps the White Queen. 9...Nxe4 10.Nxe4Rxe4 11.Bf3 Re6 12.c3 If White were ableto follow up with d2-d4, this would be a goodmove, but he can’t. He should reconcile him-self to 12.d3. 12...Qd3 13.b4 Bb6 14.a4 bxa415.Qxa4 Bd7 16.Ra2 Rae8 Threatens matewith 17...Qxf1+. White’s reply defends againstthis sacrifice, but allows another, which Paulsencan hardly be blamed for missing. Relativelybest was 17.Qd1 17.Qa6 Qxf3 18.gxf3 Morphytook 12 minutes to decide on 17...Qxf3, an un-usually long time for him. Paulsen, a notori-ously slow player, thought for over an hour be-fore capturing the Queen. 18...Rg6+ 19.Kh1Bh3 20.Rd1 Black threatened 20...Bg2+ 21.Kg1Bxf3++, and 20.Rg1 fails to 20...Rxg1+ 21.Kxg1Re1+. The key line, which Paulsen probablymissed at move 17, is 20.Qd3 [hoping to return theQueen with 20...Qxg6] 20...f5!, and White is help-less. 20...Bg2+ 21.Kg1 Bxf3+ 22.Kf1 Bg2+23.Kg1 Bh3+ 24.Kh1 Bxf2 25.Qf1 Bxf1 26.Rxf1 Re2 27.Ra1 Rh6 28.d4 Be3 White Re-signs.0-1

◦ Morphy, P.• Anderssen, A.?9th Match Game, Paris1858 1-0 B44

A school teacher, later professor of mathemat-ics, Adolph Anderssen had to fit this now-historicmatch into the Christmas holidays. In some cases,two games were played in one day. This gameand many others in the series give lie to the myththat Anderssen was interested only in attacks onthe King. Here he answers a sharp assault on theSicilian - repeated by Fischer more than a centurylater - with equal energy. The result is a violentminiature.1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.Nf3Nc6 4.Nxd4 e6 5.Nb5d6 6.Bf4 e5 7.Be3 f5 So far, a modern line. An-derssen’s move is adventurous and not easy to re-fute. 8.N1c3 f4 But Nf6 was surely more logi-cal. 9.Nd5 fxe3 10.Nbc7+ Kf7 11.Qf3+ Nf612.Bc4 A wonderful attacking move, keeping op-tions open and threatening a variety of things.12...Nd4 An aggressive try, instead of runningwith 12...Kg6. 13.Nxf6+ d5 14.Bxd5+ Kg615.Qh5+ Kxf6 16.fxe3 At last! 16...Nxc2+17.Ke2 The Black King is now bare on the f-file.Black resigns.1-0

◦ Morphy, P.• Count Isouard?Paris1858 1-0 C41Waiting for Anderssen to arrive from Breslau, PaulMorphy enjoyed the delights of Paris - includingthe Opera House. During The Marriage of Figarohe entertains his hosts with this elegant brilliancy,mating on the 17th move with his last two pieces!1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Bg4 Not yet in the Phili-dor Defense! After a few forced moves Whitegets a big jump in development. 4.dxe5 Bxf35.Qxf3 dxe5 6.Bc4Nf6 Seems natural, but Qe7was necessary, as this game shows. 7.Qb3 Qe78.Nc3 Development, not material! 8...c6 9.Bg5b5 Far too optimistic, given the congestion of theblack pieces. 10.Nxb5 cxb5 11.Bxb5+ Nbd712.O–O–ORd8 13.Rxd7 Removing another de-fender. 13...Rxd7 14.Rd1 Qe6 Air at last - butnow Morphy shows how simple a mate can be.15.Bxd7+Nxd7 16.Qb8+Nxb8 17.Rd8# 1-0

◦ Henry Bird• Paul MorphyLondonEngland1858 0-1 C41In olden times the object was to win with beautiful

5

strokes, and fans often felt cheated when good de-fense frustrated a brilliancy. Morphy was the fatherof positional play, and his style was the antithesisof romanticism. Instead of going for the quick kill,he brought out all his pieces as rapidly as possible.But close scrutiny of his 400 recorded games re-veals that many of his combinations were flawed.Here, a pawn ahead with a routine win in sight, heembarks on a celebrated sacrifice that needlesslyallowed Bird drawing chances.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 Philidor’s Defense – even thoughthere are no recorded games showing that Philidorever played it! 3.d4 f5 Philidor’s Counter Attackis rarely seen nowdays because its considered toorisky. The strongest reply is 4. Bc4 fxe4 5. Nxe5!4.Nc3 fxe4 5.Nxe4 d5 6.Ng3 Sharper is 6. Nxe5dxe4 7. Qh5 g6 8. Nxg6 Nf6 9. Qe5. 6...e4 7.Ne5Nf6 Black is out of danger and getting readyto castle. 8.Bg5 Bd6 9.Nh5 Too many knightmoves. Better is 9. f3. 9...O–O 10.Qd2 Qe811.g4 A better fight is 11. Nxf6 gxf6 12. Bxf6!Rxf6 13. Qg5 Rg6 14. Nxg6 hxg6 15. Qxd5. Thetext simply gives up a pawn without sufficient com-pensation. 11...Nxg4 12.Nxg4 Qxh5 13.Ne5Nc6 14.Be2 Qh3 15.Nxc6 bxc6 16.Be3 Rb817. O–O–ORxf2 A memorable conception – butit should yield only a draw against best defense.18.Bxf2 Qa3 19.c3 Qxa2 20.b4 Qa1+ 21.Kc2Qa4+ 22.Kb2 22. Kc1! would force Black totake a draw by perpetual check since 22... Bxb4?loses to 23. cxb4 Rxb4 24. Qg5! 22...Bxb423.cxb4 Rxb4+ 24.Qxb4 Qxb4+ 25.Kc2 Moresuicidal tendencies. Black seems to have noth-ing better than perpetual check against 25. Ka2.25...e3 26.Bxe3 Also hopeless is 26. Be1 Bf5 27.Bd3 Qa4 28. Kc1 Qa1 29. Kc2 Bxd3 30. Rxd3Qa2 31. Kc1 Qg2. 26...Bf5+ 27.Rd3 Futile is27. Bd3 Qc4. 27...Qc4+ 28.Kd2Qa2+ 29.Kd1Qb1+ Black now prevails on 30. Kd2 Qxh1 31.Ra3 Qxh2. The art of defense was in such a back-ward state that inferior tactics often succeeded inthose days. White resigns.0-1

◦ MacDonnell, G. A.• Boden?London1861 1-0 C51Once dubbed the "Koh-i-Noor" of chess, this gameis quite typical of the period – a slashing attack ap-pears out of nowhere, for defensive technique waslittle understood even by the best players. The win-

ner should not be confused with La Bourdonnais’opponent, Alexander McDonnell.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bb65.O–O d6 6.h3 Nf6 7.d3 O–O 8.Nc3 h6 9.Be3Nxb4 10.Ne2 Nc6 11.Ng3 d5 12.Bb5 dxe413.Bxc6 bxc6 14.Nxe5 exd3 15. cxd3 Qe816.Bxb6 axb6 17.f4 Nd5 18.Qh5 f6 19.Ng6Qe3+ 20.Kh2 Rd8 21.Rfe1 Qxd3 22.Rad1Qc2 The black Queen’s foraging expedition hasleft Black far behind in development. 23.Ne7+Kh8 24.Qf7 Bxh3 Black clears the back rankwith gain of tempo in order to answer the threatof Ng3-h5 with Rd8-g8. On other moves, say24...Bb7, White’s point is 25.Rxd5 cxd5 26.Nh5Rg8 27.Ng6+ Kh7 28.Nxf6++. 25.Re2 Qxd126.Nh5 Rg8 27.Nxg8 Rxg8 28.Re8 Black re-signs.1-0

◦ Johannes Zukertort• Adolf AnderssenMatch (9)Breslau1865 1-0 C60After Zukertort lost two title matches to Steinitz,a critic ascribed these setbacks to the fact that he"was not yet Zukertort in 1872" (the first time)and "was no longer Zukertort in 1886" (the secondtime). Here he thrashes his teacher Anderssen (of-ten considered the world’s best player when Mor-phy retired) after dropping the first three games.This one proved to be the turning point of thematch, and it shows how notions of beauty change.Wild sacrifices that were applauded a century agousually fail today against ruthlessly precise de-fense; yet Anderssen was caught off guard, suc-cumbed in a mere dozen moves, then lost the nextfive games.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nge7 The so-calledCozio Defense to the Ruy Lopez is seldom seentoday. 4.c3 d6 5.d4 Bd7 6.O–O Ng6 The mainproblem with this setup is that it takes severalmoves before Black can safely castle. 7.Ng5 h6Virtually inviting White to sacrifice on f7. Safer is7...Be7 8 Qh5 exd4. 8.Nxf7 Kxf7 9.Bc4+ Ke7A much tougher defense is 9...Ke8 10. Qh5 Nce7(or Qf6). 10.Qh5Qe8 The same fate awaits Blackon 10...Be8 11. Bg5! hxg5 12. Qxg5 Kd7 13. Qf5Ke7 24. Qe6 mate. The only way to stave off mateis 10...d5 in order to create an escape square forthe king at d6. 11.Qg5+ hxg5 12.Bxg5# Thus thestudent surpassed his teacher. Black resigns.1-0

6

◦ Anderssen, A.• Steinitz, W.?13th Match Game, London1866 0-1 C65In a see-saw match a new force emerges in the per-son of Wilhelm Steinitz. In this decisive game,the younger man launches a "pawn roller" againstWhite’s King, while the man famous for the "Im-mortal" and "Evergreen" games pursues a posi-tional attack on the Queenside. The White Kingruns, but can’t hide.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5Nf6 4.d3 d6 5.Bxc6+bxc6 6.h3 g6 7.Nc3Bg7 8.O–O O–O 9.Bg5 h610.Be3 c5 11.Rb1 Ne8 12.b4 cxb4 13.Rxb4c5 14.Ra4 The Rook seems aggressive but isout of play. 14...Bd7 15.Ra3 f5 16.Qb1Kh8 17.Qb7 a5 18.Rb1 a4 19.Qd5 Qc820.Rb6 Ra7 21.Kh2 f4 22.Bd2 g5 23.Qc4Qd8 24.Rb1 Nf6 25.Kg1 Nh7 26.Kf1 h527.Ng1 g4 28.hxg4 hxg4 29.f3 Qh4 As usualin such positions, everything seems defended butthe cramped defender runs out of moves. 30.Nd1Ng5 31.Be1 Qh2 32.d4 gxf3 33.gxf3 Nh3 Go-ing after bigger stakes. 34.Bf2 Nxg1 35.dxc5Qh3+ 36.Ke1 The King would be soon mated af-ter 36. Kxg1 Rg8. 36...Nxf3+ 37.Rxf3 Qxf338.Nc3 White is a full Rook down - but there’s al-ways the h file! 38...dxc5 39.Bxc5Rc7 40.Nd5Rxc5 Enough! 41.Qxc5 Qxe4+ 42.Kf2 Rc843.Nc7Qe3+ White resigns.0-1

◦ Matchego• Falkbeer?London1869 0-1 C39In playing over these games, it is best not to ask toomany questions about the defenders’ play – the gapin strength between master and amateur was oftenenormous. Relax and enjoy the tragicomic plightof the White King, as he is driven across the boardand mated with his pieces still at home.1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.h4 g4 5.Ne5 Nf66.Nc3 White’s set up (known as the KieseritskyGambit) is acceptable – he can recover either theg5 or f5 pawn – but he should now play 6.d4,to answer 6...d6 with 7.Nd3. 6...d6 7.Nc4 Be78.d4 Nh5 9.Be2 Bxh4+ 10.Kd2 Qg5 11.Kd3Nc6 12.a3 Bf2 13. Nd5 Bxd4 14.Nxc7+Kd8 15.Nd5 15.Nxa8 is no worse than the game,but it runs into something like 15...d5 16.exd5Bf5+ 17. Kd2 f3+ 18.Ke1 f2+ 19.Kf1 Ng3++.

15...f5 16.Nxd6 fxe4+ 17.Kc4Qxd5+ 18.Kxd5Nf6+ 19.Kc4 Be6+ 20.Kb5 a6+ 21. Ka4 b5+22.Nxb5 axb5+ 23.Kxb5Ra5+ 24.Kxc6Bd5+25.Kd6Ne8# 0-1

◦ Carl Hamppe• Philipp MeitnerViennaAustria1872 1/2-1/2 C25There seems to be a deep-rooted prejudice againstdraws, and complaints are frequently heard aboutuninspired draws in modern master competition.But if neither side makes a mistake, splitting thepoint is a logical result. Chess literature abounds indraws far more exciting than many a decisive out-come. Here the sheer logic of the situation forcedthe spirited combatants to make peace in a mere 18moves! The Golden Treasury of Chess dubbed it"perhaps the most extraordinary game ever played"– not the least of its virtues is the incredible jour-ney undertaken by White’s king deep into enemyterrain.1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Bc5 3.Na4 Bxf2+ To exploitthe awkward knight on the rim. More prudent is3...Be7. 4.Kxf2 Qh4+ The point is that on 5.g3 Qxe4 attacks both a4 and h1. 5.Ke3 Qf4+6.Kd3 d5 7.Kc3 Qxe4 8.Kb3 Na6 9.a3 Toprevent 9...Qb4 mate. Another possibility is 9.d4. 9...Qxa4+ A thunderbolt! 10.Kxa4 Nc5+11.Kb4 a5+ 12.Kxc5 Ne7 Threatening 13...b614. kb5 Bd7 mate. 13.Bb5+Kd8 14.Bc6 b6+15.Kb5Nxc6 16.Kxc6 But not 16. c3? Nd4 17.cxd4 Bd7 mate. 16...Bb7+ 17.Kb5 How manypieces can Black give away? This bishop can’tbe accepted in view of 17. Kxb7? Kd7 18. Qg4Kd6 followed by Rhb8 mate. 17...Ba6+ 18.Kc6Again best. If 18. Ka4? Bc4 followed by b5 mate.18...Bb7+ Draw by repetition on 19. Kb5 Ba6.A fitting conclusion to one of the most remarkableking hunts in chess history.1/2-1/2

◦ Bird, H.• Mason?New York1876 1-0 C01This brilliancy-prize game by Henry Edward Bird,one of England’s premier players for half a century,features a speculative queen sacrifice with the un-usual combination of two rooks and knights againstqueen, rook and knight. A delight!

7

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.exd5 exd5 5.Nf3Bd6 6.Bd3 O–O 7.O–O h6 8.Re1Nc6 9.Nb5Bb4 10.c3 Ba5 11.Na3 Bg4 12.Nc2 The con-tinuing fight for good squares for the pieces.12...Qd7 13.b4 Bb6 14.h3 Bh5 15.Ne3 Rfe816.b5 Ne7 17.g4 Bg6 18.Ne5 Qc8 19.a4 c620.bxc6 bxc6 21.Ba3 Ne4 Black seeks ex-changes, but in this case White’s position growsstronger. 22.Qc2 Ng5 23.Bxe7 Rxe7 24.Bxg6fxg6 25.Qxg6 Nxh3+ 26.Kh2 Nf4 27.Qf5Ne6 The exchange of Queens would have leftBlack with a poor endgame, but now there’sworse... 28.Ng2 Qc7 29.a5 Bxa5 30.Rxa5Rf8 If 30...Qxa5 31. Ng6! (not 31. Nxc6Qc7+). 31.Ra6 A marvelous conception, espe-cially since 31. Qc2 is safe. 31...Rxf5 32.gxf5Nd8 33.Nf4 Qc8 34.Nfg6 Re8 Prove It! saysBlack: 35.Nxc6 And he does. Yet the combinationis by no means clear: 35...Nxc6 36. Rxe8+ Qxe837. Rxc6 keeps Rook & Knight for the Queen,but White is hardly a winner. 35...Qc7+ 36.Nce5Qxc3 37.Re3 Qd2 38.Kg2 Qxd4 39.f6 gxf640.Rxf6 Ne6 41. Rg3 Ng5 42.Ng4 Kg743.Nf4Qe4+ 44.Kh2 White has too many forksand pins for Black to handle - otherwise, the end-ing is Black’s. 44...Nh7 45.Nh5+Kh8 46.Rxh6Qc2 47.Nhf6 Re7 48.Kg2 d4 49.Ne5 Qc850.Ng6+ A rollicking good game! Black resigns.1-0

◦ Blackburne, J.• Schwarz, A.BerlinGermany1881 1-0 C01Joseph Henry Blackburne was a chess professionalall his life and the greatest player England pro-duced in the 19th century. Here is his most bril-liant game at his finest triumph in Berlin where hefinished first ahead of Zukertort and every leadingmaster with the exception of Steinitz, who did notparticipate.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3Nf6 4.exd5 Considered tootame today. 4. Bg5 is preferred. 4...exd5 5.Nf3Bd6 6.Bd3 c6 7.O–O O–O 8.Ne2 White couldfirst take the precaution of 8. h3. 8...Bg4 9.Ng3Qc7 10.Be3 Nbd7 11.Qd2 Rfe8 12.Rae1Ne4 13.Qc1Bxf3 14.gxf3Nxg3 15.hxg3Bxg316.Kg2 16. fxg3 Qxg3+ leads to a draw by per-petual check. 16...Bd6 17.Rh1Nf8 18.Rh3 g619.Reh1Rad8 20.Bg5Rd7 21.c4 "White’s de-sign from this move in combination with the bril-liant finish belongs to the finest efforts of chessgenius in modern play," wrote Steinitz. 21...dxc4

22.Bxc4 h5 Weakens the kingside. Better is22...Be7. 23.Rh4 b5 24.Bb3 Ne6 25.Bf6Nf4+ Loses. The last hope was 25...Be7 26. Bxe6Bxf6 27. Bxd7 Qxd7. 26.Qxf4 Bxf4 27.Rxh5gxh5 28.Rxh5 Black Resigns. Mate can’t beaverted on h8.1-0

◦ Chigorin, M.• Zukertort, J.London International (1)England1883 0-1 C67This event featured the introduction of the double-faced clock now standardized in tournament play.Russia’s Mikhail Chigorin finished fourth in a fieldof 14 after biting the dust in the first round againstJohannes Zukertort, who won with 22-4 – threepoints ahead of future world champion WilhelmSteinitz. Here White erred by relinquishing thetwo bishops too soon and is punished by a sprightlycombination.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O–O Nxe45.d4Be7 6.d5 Today 6. Re1 is preferred. 6...Nd67.Bxc6 It’s better to retreat with 7. Ba4 but Chig-orin was known for preferring knights over bish-ops. 7...dxc6 8.dxc6 f6 Preserving the centralpawn mass. 9.cxb7Bxb7 10.Be3 O–O 11.Nbd2Nf7 12.Qe2 f5 13.Nb3 f4 14.Bc5 e4 The pawnsadvance like molten lava. 15.Nfd4 f3 16.Qb5Qc8 17.Rfd1 Ba6 To stop the queen from get-ting back to f1. 18.Qa4 Ng5 Tearing White’skingside apart due to the double threat of Nh3+ orQg4. Premature would be 18...Qg4? 19. Nxf3!19.Nxf3 exf3 20.Rd7 Equally inadequate is 20.Bxe7 Nh3+. Now a king hunt begins in earest.20...fxg2 21.Rxe7Nh3+ 22.Kxg2Nf4+ 23.Kf3Qh3+ 24.Ke4 Bb7+ 25.Kd4 Ne6+ 26.Kc4Rf4+ 27.Nd4 Nxc5 28.Kxc5 Also futile is 28.Re8+ Kf7. 28...Qh5+ 29.Kc4Rxd4+ White Re-signs. His queen falls after 30. Kxd4 Qg4+.0-1

◦ Zukertort• Blackburne?London1883 1-0 A13A striking combination by Zukertort, perhaps thelast of the "old school" masters. After his defeatby Steinitz in 1886, it became clear that Steinitz’spositional theories had brought a new aspect to thegame.

8

1.c4 e6 2.e3 Nf6 3.Nf3 b6 4.Be2 Bb7 5.O–Od5 6.d4 Bd6 7.Nc3 O–O 8.b3 Nbd7 9.Bb2Qe7 10.Nb5Ne4 11.Nxd6 cxd6 12.Nd2Ndf613.f3Nxd2 14.Qxd2 dxc4 15. Bxc4 d5 16.Bd3Rfc8 17.Rae1Rc7 18.e4Rac8 19.e5Ne8 20.f4g6 21.Re3 f5 22.exf6 Nxf6 23.f5 Ne4 24.Bxe4dxe4 25.fxg6Rc2 26.gxh7+Kh8 27.d5+ e5 Nowit seems that White must lose a piece, but the activeWhite Rooks, the exposed position of the BlackKing, and the strong Bishop on b2 provide thebasis for an "overloading" combination. 28.Qb4R8c5 On 28...Qxb4 29.Bxe5+ Kxh7 30.Rf7+Black will soon be mated. A typical variation is30...Kg6 31.Rf6+ Kh5 32.Rh3+ Kg5 33.Rg3+ Kh534.Rf5+ Kh6 35.Bf4+ Kh7 36.Rh5++. 29.Rf8+Kxh7 30.Qxe4+Kg7 31.Bxe5+Kxf8 32.Bg7+Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Zukertort, J.• Steinitz, W.?7th Match Game, New York1886 0-1 E57The first match recognized as a World Champi-onship contest began badly for Steinitz. Then hesettled down into a positional game that has eversince been his hallmark. The battle here, andin innumerable Queen’s Gambits since, has beenover the strength or weakness of the isolated queenpawn, and, later, the "hanging pawns" in the cen-ter.1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 c5 5.Nf3Nc6 6.a3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 cxd4 8.exd4Be7 9.O–OO–O 10.Be3 Bd7 11.Qd3 Rc8 12.Rac1 Qa513.Ba2Rfd8 14.Rfe1Be8 15.Bb1 g6 16.Qe2Bf8 17.Red1Bg7 18.Ba2Ne7 White has failedto solve the problem of the isolated queen pawn,defending it passively, and now tries to set upthe flimsy combination 20. Nd5: 19.Qd2 Qa620.Bg5 Nf5 21.g4 21. Qe1, recommended byLasker, would hold the queen pawn because ofthe threat of Bxe6. The desperate text move pro-vokes a simple combination. 21...Nxd4 22.Nxd4e5 23.Nd5Rxc1 24.Qxc1 exd4 25.Rxd4Nxd526.Rxd5 Rxd5 27.Bxd5 Qe2 28.h3 h6 Whitesaves himself after 28 ... Bxb2 29. Qc8 Qd1+ 30Kh2 Be5+ 31. f4 Qd2+ 32. Kg3. 29.Bc4 TheQueen and two Bishop ending is treacherous, butafter 29. Be3 Bxb2 30. Qb1 Kh2 31. Bxb7 it’s stilla game. 29...Qf3 30.Qe3 Qd1+ 31.Kh2 Bc632.Be7Be5+ Finally, the rub. If 32. Qxe5 Whiteis mated by 32...Qh1+ and 33...Qg2+, etc. 33.f4

Bxf4+ 34.Qxf4Qh1+ 35.Kg3Qg1+ White Re-signs.0-1

◦ Blackburne, H.• Lipschutz?New York1889 1-0 D55White allows his opponent to obtain two passedpawns on the Queenside in exchange for postinga Rook on the seventh rank. The game was ad-journed at move 31, and not only Lipschutz, butthe spectators – including Steinitz – were certainthat Black must win. The combination initiated byWhite’s 32nd move brought a rude awakening.1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 b6 5.Bg5Be7 6.e3Bb7 7.Rc1Nbd7 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Bd3O–O 10.O–O Ne4 Black has completed his de-velopment without difficulty (White should havetried to exploit the weakened c6 square with somecombination of Qa4, Bb5 and Ne5), and he nowbegins to take the initiative, occupying his out-post on e4. 11.Bf4 c5 12.Qe2 f5 13.Rfd1 c414.Bxe4 fxe4 15.Ne5 Nf6 16.g4 Qe8 17.Qf1Bd6 18.h3 Rd8 19.Qg2 b5 Black has a spaceadvantage and chances to create a passed pawn onthe Queenside, so White must try to stir some-thing up on the g-file. 20.Ne2 b4 21.Ng3 Nd722.Nxd7 Rxd7 23.Ne2 Bxf4 24.Nxf4 Rdf725.g5 Rf5 26. Kh1 a5 27.Rg1 Bc8 28.Qg3Qa4 29.b3 cxb3 30.axb3Qxb3 31.Rc7 a4 32.g6h6 33.Rxg7+ Amazingly, White now has a win-ning attack. If 33...Kh8 34.Rh7+ Kg8 35.g7 Rg536.gxf8Q+ Kxf8 37.Ne6+ and wins. 33...Kxg734.Nh5+ Rxh5 35.Qc7+ Kf6 36.Qd6+ BlackResigns.1-0

◦ Chigorin, M.• Pollock?New York1889 1-0 C51Though he demonstrated many ideas well ahead ofhis time, Chigorin was best known in his own eraas a fierce attacker. Here he makes good use of oneof his favorite weapons, the Evans Gambit.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bc4Bc5 4.b4Bxb4 5.c3Bc5 6.O–O d6 7.d4 exd4 8.cxd4 Bb6 9.Nc3Na5 At the time a popular defense in this "Nor-mal Position" of the Evans, but later it was re-alized that, while eliminating the Bc4 was desir-able in principle, Black in his undeveloped state

9

could not afford the time lost. 10.Bg5 f6 11.Bf4Nxc4 12.Qa4+Kf7 13.Qxc4+Be6 14.d5Bd715.Ne2 Qe8 16.a4 Ne7 17.Be3 Ng6 18.Bxb6cxb6 19.Qb4 Qe7 20.Ng3 Rac8 21.Nd4 Rc522.f4 Rhc8 23.Qd2 Rc4 24.Ne6 Nh4 25.Qd1Bxe6 26.dxe6+Kg8 Black has eliminated the in-trusive Knight at e6, but the pawn that replacesit is at least as annoying. He should have played23...Nf8. 27.Qg4 Ng6 28.Nf5 Qc7 29.e7 Kf730.Rad1 Qc5+ 31.Kh1 Rc6 32.e5 With all theBlack pieces tied down – the Knight must shieldthe g7 pawn, and the Queen and Rook are tiedto the defense of the d6 pawn – White openslines to the Black King with this pawn advance.32...fxe5 No better is 32...dxe5 – 33.Rd8 (threat-ening e8Q+) Nxe7 34.Qxg7+ Ke6 35.Nxe7, andthere is no good defense to f4-f5 mate. 33.Nxd6+Rxd6 34.fxe5+ Rf6 35.e8=Q+ Kxe8 36.Qd7+Kf8 37.exf6 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Lasker, Em.• Bauer?Amsterdam1889 1-0 A03An early example of the double-Bishop sacrifice,the "chess mill" theme, and the skill of the then-young Emanuel Lasker, who only five years laterwould challenge Steinitz for the World Champi-onship.1.f4 d5 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 Nf6 4.b3 Be7 5.Bb2b6 The flank development of his Queen Bishopfits in well with White’s central formation, butBlack’s play is rather obliging – he ought to havetried either for an early e6-e5, or ...c7-c5 fol-lowed by ...d5-d4. 6.Bd3 Bb7 7.Nc3 O–O8.O–O Nbd7 9.Ne2 c5 10.Ng3 Qc7 11.Ne5Nxe5 12.Bxe5 Qc6 13.Qe2 a6 14.Nh5 Nxh515.Bxh7+ A bolt from a rather stormy sky. Thekey factors of the combination are a) the possi-bility of quickly bringing a Rook into the attack(19.Rf3), and b) the presence of undefended Blackpieces, giving the White Queen the chance fora double attack (22.Qd7). 15...Kxh7 16.Qxh5+Kg8 17.Bxg7 Kxg7 18.Qg4+ Kh7 19.Rf3 e520.Rh3+ Qh6 21. Rxh6+ Kxh6 22.Qd7 If itwere not for this sting at the end of the combi-nation, Black would have quite enough materialfor his Queen. Now White has a decisive mate-rial and positional advantage. 22...Bf6 23.Qxb7Kg7 24.Rf1 Rab8 25.Qd7 Rfd8 26.Qg4+Kf8 27.fxe5 Bg7 Not 27...Bxe5 28.Qe6 28.e6Rb7 29.Qg6 f6 30.Rxf6+Bxf6 31.Qxf6+Ke8

32.Qh8+ Ke7 33.Qg7+ Kxe6 34.Qxb7 Rd635.Qxa6 d4 36.exd4 cxd4 37.h4 d3 38.Qxd3Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Steinitz, W.• Chigorin, M.?4th Match Game, Havana1892 1-0 C65Their first match here in 1889 was the bloodiestin world championship history: a single draw outof 17 games! The second time around, there werestill only five draws in 23 games, but the championretained his title only by slugging it out with theferocious Russian.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 d6 5.c3 g66.Nbd2 Bg7 7.Nf1 O–O 8.Ba4 Nd7 9.Ne3Nc5 10.Bc2 Ne6 Typical maneuvering to holdthe center, but Steinitz now attacks the King-side. 11.h4 Ne7 12.h5 d5 13.hxg6 fxg6 14.exd5Nxd5 15.Nxd5 Qxd5 16.Bb3 Qc6 17. Qe2Bd7 18.Be3 Kh8 19.O–O–O Rae8 20.Qf1 a521.d4 Now the long-delayed opening of the center.21...exd4 22.Nxd4Bxd4 White’s 20th move pre-vents 22...Nxd4: 23. Rxh7+ Kxh7 and 24. Qh1+with mate to follow: 23.Rxd4 Nxd4 24.Rxh7+Kxh7 25.Qh1+ Kg7 26.Bh6+ Kf6 27.Qh4+Ke5 28.Qxd4+Kf5 29.Qf4# 1-0

◦ Siegbert Tarrasch• George MarcoDresdenGermany1892 1-0 C66For many years Tarrasch was considered Lasker’sstrongest contender for the crown. He was thechess teacher to world, and his books have stoodthe test of time. Here he shows the latent power inthe Ruy Lopez and springs one of the deepest trapsfound in opening theory.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 d6 4.d4 Bd7 5.O–OThe attempt to win a pawn backfires after 5. Bxc6Bxc6 6. dxe5 dxe5 7. Qxd8 Rxd8 8. Nxe5Bxe4. Another approach is the Showalter Attack5. Nc3 Nf6 6. Bxc6 Bxc6 7. Qd3 defend-ing e4 and preparing to castle queenside. 5...Nf66.Nc3Be7 7.Re1 O–O This careless move costsa pawn. After 6...exd4 7. Nxd4 O-O Black iscramped but solid. 8.Bxc6 Bxc6 9.dxe5 dxe510.Qxd8Raxd8 11.Nxe5Bxe4 12.Nxe4Nxe413.Nd3 Of course not 13. Rxe4? Rd1 mates.Now the pin on the e-file is fatal. 13...f5 14.f3

10

Bc5+ 15.Nxc5 But not 15. Kf1 Bb6 16. fxe4fxe4 (with check!) 17. Nf4 e3 18. g3 g5 regain-ing the piece. 15...Nxc5 16.Bg5 Rd5 17.Be7Re8 18.c4 The final point: White holds the extrapiece after 18...Nd3 19. cxd5 Nxe1 20. Rxe1 Kf721. Bb4. Anything else also costs Black material.Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Chigorin, M.• Tarrasch, S.Match (4)St. Petersburg1893 0-1 C00By WWI anybody who read chess books under-stood the principles of chess either directly or in-directly because of Tarrasch’s untiring efforts. Hisgospel was attack, but this game demonstrates thathe was also capable of producing defensive mas-terpieces.1.e4 e6 2.Qe2 c5 3.g3 Nc6 4.Nf3 White is aim-ing for what is known today as a reverse King’sIndian formation. A good alternative is 4. f4.4...Be7 5.Bg2 d5 6.d3Nf6 7.O–O O–O 8.Nc3a6 9.Bg5 h6 10.Bf4 b5 11.Rfe1 d4 More logicalis 11...Bb7 to keep the center fluid. 12.Nd1Nd713.Kh1 Re8 14.Rg1 e5 15.Bd2 Nf8 16.Ne1Ne6 17.f4Bb7 18.f5Ng5 19.Nf2 Tarrasch sug-gested 19. h4 Nh7 20. Nf3 striving for g4-5.19...Rc8 20.Qh5 Nh7 21.Nf3 c4 22.Bf1 cxd3The first capture. Both sides now proceed to attackon opposite wings. 23.cxd3Ng5 24.Bxg5Bxg525.Ng4 Kf8 26.Be2 Bf6 27.h4 Qd6 28.Nfh2Ne7 29.Raf1 Stronger is 29. Nxf6 Qxf6 27. Raf1(threatening Ng4 which would immediately wouldbe refuted by 27.Ng4? Qxf5! 29...Ng8 30.Bd1Rc7 31.Bb3 Rec8 32.Nf2 Bd8 33.Qe2 a534.Nf3 a4 35.Bd1Bc6 "The beginning of a finemaneuver which makes it possible for the Rooksto penetrate to the 7th rank" – Tarrasch. 36.g4f6 37.Nh3Be8 38.Qh2Bf7 39.a3Bb3 40.Nf2Bxd1 41.Nxd1 Rc2 42.Qg3 b4 43.axb4 Qa644.Nf2Rxb2 45.g5 hxg5 46.hxg5Rcc2 47.Ng4Qd6 48.gxf6 The winning maneuver is 48. Qh3!Qc7 49. Qh8! Qf7 50. Ra1! Rxb4 51. gxf6 gxf652. Nh4! 48...Bxf6 49.Qh3 a3 The best defenseis to ignore the attack! 50.Nxf6Qxf6 51.Rg6 a252.Rxf6+ The losing move. White has at least adraw with 52. Ng5! Ke7 53. Rxf6 gxf6 54. Qh7+Kd6 55. Qxg8. 52...gxf6 53.Rd1 Rb1 54.Qf1Rcb2 55.Nd2 Rxd1 56.Qxd1 Rxd2 57.Qc1Rxd3 58. Kg2 Rc3 59.Qa1 Rc2+ 60.Kf3 d361.Qd1 Or 61. Ke3 d2 62. Ke2 Rc1. 61...Rb262.Qa4 d2 White Resigns. A titanic tussle.

0-1

◦ Emanuel Lasker• Wilhelm SteinitzWorld Championship Match (13)Montreal1894 0-1 C68Although Lasker won the title by 12-7, the oldlion showed his teeth in this game by demonstrat-ing that the absence of queens does not necessarilydiminish the action. With singleness of purpose,Steinitz sacrifices a pawn to break up the hostilepawn mass and dominate the open d-file. Notewor-thy is the superiority of the bishop over a knight inthe ensuing endgame.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc65.d4 exd4 6.Qxd4 Qxd4 7.Nxd4 c5 More ac-curate is 7...Bd7! to meet 8. Bf4 with O-O-O. For 7...Bd6 see Lasker-Capablanca, St. Pe-tersburg 1914. 8.Ne2 Bd7 9.Nbc3 Insteadof this routine developing move 9. b3! posesBlack more problems 9...O–O–O 10.Bf4 Bc611.O–O Nf6 12.f3 Be7 13.Ng3 g6 14.Rfe1Nd7 15.Nd1 Nb6 16.Nf1 All this regroupingbehind the lines demonstrates that White lacks agood plan. 16...Rd7 17.Be3Rhd8 18.b3 c4 Thispawn sacrifice eliminates Black’s only weaknessand wrecks White’s queenside pawns. 19.Bxb6cxb6 20.bxc4 Bb4 21.c3 Bc5+ 22.Kh1 Rd323.Rc1 a5 24.Nde3 f5 25. exf5 Leads to troubleby opening lines for the two bishops. Necessaryis 25. Nd5 right away. 25...gxf5 26.h3 PerhapsLasker intended 26. Nxf5 Rxf3! 27. Ne7 Bxe728. gxf3 but saw too late that Bxf3 29. Kg1 Bc530. Ne3 Rd2 is crushing. 26...Rg8 In additionto oblique pressure on the h1-a8 diagonal, Blacknow exerts vertical pressure on the g-file. Again if27. Nxf5? Rxf3! 28. gxf3 Bxf3 29. Kh2 Bg1mate. 27.Nd5 Bxd5 28.cxd5 Rxd5 29.Red1Rxd1 30.Rxd1 f4 This pawn paralyzes the ad-verse knight as well as White’s kingside pawns.If now 30. Nh2 h5; or 30. Nd2 Rd8. 31.Kh2Re8 32.a4 Kc7 33.h4 Kc6 34.c4 Bb4 35.Kh3Re1 36.Rxe1 Bxe1 Masterly liquidation. Blackholds all the trumps with the more active bishopand king. 37.Kg4 Kc5 38.Kxf4 Kxc4 39.Ke4Also hopeless is 39. h5 b5 40. axb5 a4 and thepawn queens. 39...Bxh4 40.g3 Bd8 41.Ne3+Kb4 42.Kd3 Kxa4 43.Kc2 Kb4 44.f4 Kc545.f5 Kd6 46.g4 b5 47.Nd1 Ke5 48.Nc3 b449.Na4Kd4 50.Nb2 b5 51.Kb3Be7 52.g5 a4+53.Nxa4 bxa4+ 54.Kxa4 Ke5 55.Kb3 Kxf5White Resigns.0-1

11

◦ Lasker, Em.• Steinitz, W.?7th Match Game, New York1894 1-0 C62Lasker comes to the New World and seizes thechampionship. This game, famous for the deadlyerror on move 34 by Black, began a run of fivestraight wins by Lasker in his inimitable style ofsmoke and mirrors.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 d6 4.d4 Bd7 5.Nc3Nge7 A discredited defense that would lend to fur-ther weaknesses after 6. Bg5, but Lasker preferssimple development. 6.Be3 Ng6 7.Qd2 Be7This commits Black to Kingside Castling, afterwhich White’s attack is obvious. 7...a6 had to betried at once. 8.O–O–O a6 9.Be2 exd4 10.Nxd4Nxd4 11.Qxd4Bf6 12.Qd2Bc6 13.Nd5 O–O14.g4 Re8 15.g5 Bxd5 16.Qxd5 An unneces-sary sacrifice, when exd5 is positionally crush-ing. 16...Re5 17.Qd2Bxg5 18.f4Rxe4 19.fxg5Qe7 20.Rdf1Rxe3 21.Bc4Nh8 22.h4 c6 23.g6Lasker is now swimming, down two pawns andpitching a third. After 23...hxg6 24. h5 not d5 25.hxg6 dxc4? 26. Rxh8+ and mate in five, but sim-ply 24...gxh5. 23...d5 24.gxh7+ Kxh7 25.Bd3+Kg8 26.h5 Re8 27.h6 g6 28.h7+ Kg7 29.Kb1Qe5 30.a3 c5 31.Qf2 c4 32.Qh4 f6 33.Bf5Kf7The Bishop can be taken here, because Black isone move ahead of the following line after 34.Qh6+, and 34. Rhg1+ Ng6 is adequate. 34.Rhg1gxf5 Now this is fatal. Simply 34...d4 shouldwin, as 35. Qh6 is met by Rg3. 35.Qh5+Ke7 36.Rg8Kd6 37.Rxf5Qe6 38.Rxe8Qxe839.Rxf6+ Kc5 40.Qh6 Re7 41.Qh2 Cat andmouse. 41...Qd7 42.Qg1+ d4 43.Qg5+ Qd544.Rf5Qxf5 45.Qxf5+Kd6 46.Qf6+ Black Re-signs.1-0

◦ Pillsbury, H.• Tarrasch, S.?Hastings1895 1-0 D55The story of Harry Nelson Pillsbury is remarkable.In 1895 he traveled to Europe to compete in hisfirst international tournament – and won, ahead ofnames like Lasker, Tarrasch and Chigorin. Thougha frequent and successful tournament player, henever obtained the match for the world champi-onship he sought, and his early death in 1906 de-

prived the world of one of its greatest players.Among other things, Pillsbury showed the worth ofthe Queen’s Gambit in an era when anything otherthan 1.e4 e5 was often dubbed "Irregular."1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.Nf3Nbd7 6.Rc1 O–O 7.e3 b6 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Bd3Bb7 10.O–O c5 11.Re1 c4 At the time it wasthought that Black’s Queenside pawn majorityshould give him the advantage – given time,he will advance his b and c pawns and cre-ate a passed pawn on the c-file. But Pillsburyshows that White’s active pieces are of greater im-port. 12.Bb1 a6 13.Ne5 b5 14.f4Re8 15.Qf3Nf8 16.Ne2Ne4 17.Bxe7Rxe7 18.Bxe4 dxe4White does not object to exchanging a few pieces,for the Black Bb7 cannot easily participate in thedefense of the Kingside. 19.Qg3 f6 20.Ng4Kh821.f5Qd7 22.Rf1Rd8 23.Rf4Qd6 White hassteadily strengthened his position while Black tem-porized. 24.Qh4 Rde8 25.Nc3 Bd5 26.Nf2Qc6 27.Rf1 b4 28.Ne2 Qa4 It seems thatBlack’s strategy has succeeded, for he must nowobtain a passed pawn on the Queenside. But all theWhite pieces are poised for an attack on the BlackKing. 29.Ng4Nd7 Not 29...Qxa2? 30.Nxf6! andwins. 30.R4f2Kg8 And now if 30...Qxa2 31.Nf4Bf7 32.Ng6+ Bxg6 33.fxg6 h6 34.Nxh6 gxh635.Qxh6+ Kg8 36.Rf5 wins. 31.Nc1 c3 32.b3Qc6 33.h3 a5 34.Nh2 a4 35.g4 axb3 36.axb3Ra8 37.g5 Ra3 38.Ng4 Bxb3 39.Rg2 Kh840.gxf6 gxf6 41.Nxb3 Rxb3 42.Nh6 Threaten-ing Rg8++. 42...Rg7 43.Rxg7 Kxg7 44.Qg3+Kxh6 Forced, as 44...Kf8 45.Qg8+ picks off theRb3. 45.Kh1 A quiet but deadly move – Black ishelpless against the threat to close the mating netwith 46.Rg1. 45...Qd5 46.Rg1 Qxf5 47.Qh4+Qh5 48.Qf4+ Qg5 49.Rxg5 fxg5 50.Qd6+Kh5 51. Qxd7 c2 52.Qxh7# 1-0

◦ Steinitz, W.• von Bardeleben?Hastings1895 1-0 C54Steinitz was definitely past his best in 1895, butas he himself said, "I may be an old lion, but Ican still bite someone’s hand off if he puts it inmy mouth." The choleric von Bardeleben left theroom after move 25 and permitted his time to ex-pire, whereupon Steinitz demonstrated to the on-lookers a brilliant 10-move mating combination.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4exd4 6.cxd4 Bb4+ 7.Nc3 d5 A rare alternative

12

to 7...Nxe4 8.O-O, when Black may choose be-tween 8...Nxc3 9.bxc3 d5 [9...Bxc3 10.Qb3 hasbeen known to be very good for White since thetime of Greco] and the speculative Moller Attack,8...Bxc3 9.d5, now thought to lead to a draw withbest play. 8.exd5Nxd5 9.O–OBe6 10.Bg5Be711.Bxd5Bxd5 12.Nxd5Qxd5 13.Bxe7Nxe7Black still hopes to connect his Rooks by castling,but he will be unable to shake off the pressure onthe central files. A slightly better try was 13...Kxe714.Re1+ Kf8. 14.Re1 f6 15.Qe2Qd7 16.Rac1c6 Allowing a powerful pawn sacrifice. Better was16...Kf7, and if 17.Qxe7+ Qxe7 18.Rxe7+ Kxe719.Rxc7+, the ending is by no means clear, thoughWhite will have enough pawns for the Exchange.17.d5 A fine move – the d5 square, which Blackhas been using for his pieces, will be occupied bya Black pawn, the d4 square is made accessible toWhite, and the c-file will be opened. 17...cxd518.Nd4Kf7 19.Ne6Rhc8 20.Qg4 g6 21.Ng5+Ke8 22.Rxe7+ Of course the Rook cannot becaptured by the Queen (22...Qxe7 23.Rxc8+) and22...Kxe7 leads to 23.Re1+ Kd6 24.Qb4+ Kc725.Ne6+ Kb8 26.Qf4+. But after Black’s nextmove, every White piece is en prise, and mateis threatened on c1... 22...Kf8 23.Rf7+ Kg8No better is 24...Kf8 25.Nxh7+ 24.Rg7+ Kh825.Rxh7+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Chigorin, M.• Pillsbury, H.Hastings (1)England1895 1-0 C30Chigorin’s had an outstanding result with secondprize at this landmark event which assembled 22leading masters of the day for the first time. Hisfirst round game against a newcomer from Amer-ica making his European debut was an epic strug-gle where the caliber of both attack and defense issensational. After this loss, nobody dared to dreamthat Pillsbury would finish first.1.e4 e5 2.f4 Bc5 3.Nf3 d6 4.Bc4 A well knowtrap is 4. fxe5 dxe5 5. Nxe5? Qh4+ and wins.4...Nc6 5.Nc3Nf6 6.d3Bg4 7.h3Bxf3 8.Qxf3Nd4 9.Qg3 More complex than the tame retreat9. Qd1. 9...Nxc2+ Safer and sounder is 9...exf4!10. Qxg7 Rf8 11. Kd1 Qe7 12. Rf1 Rg8! 10.Kd1Nxa1 11.Qxg7Kd7 All standard at the time. Not11...Rf8? 12. fxe5 dxe5 13. Rf1 Be7 14. Bg5 andwins. 12.fxe5 dxe5 13.Rf1Be7 14.Qxf7 Laskerclaimed that 14. Bg5 was stronger, an opinion thathas been debated for decades. 14...Kc8 15.Bg5

Rf8 16.Qe6+Kb8 17.Bh6Re8 18.Qxe5Nd719.Qh5Nb6 Lasker recommends instead 19...Bf820. Bg5 Be7 which draws as the best course.But both sides are playing to win! 20.Bd5 a6Chigorin noted that Black must fight for a drawin the ending 20...Nxd5 21. Qxd5! 21.Kd2Nxd5 22.Nxd5 Rg8 23.g4 Bb4+ Fine recom-mends 23...Bc5 instead. And Lasker pointed outthat 23...Bg5+ 24. Bxg5 25. Qxg5 Nb3+ 26.axb3 Rxg5 27. Rf7 is in White’s favor. 24.Nxb4Qd4 25.Nc2 Nxc2 26.Kxc2 Rg6 New Russiananalysis claims that 26...Ka7 27. Rf3 c5 is evenstronger for Black. 27.Bd2 Rd6 28.Rf3 Qa4+29.Kc1Qxa2 30.Bc3Rc6 31.Qxh7 b5 32.Qe7Qb3 33.Kd2 a5 34.Rf5Kb7 If 34...b4 35. Rb5+Ka7 36. Bd4+ Ka6 37. Rc5 wins. 35.Rc5Raa6 36.g5 Rxc5 37.Qxc5 Rc6 38.Qd5 Qa4The ending is hopeless for Black after the queenswap, but now White’s passed pawns decide the is-sue anyway. 39.g6 b4 40.g7 bxc3+ 41.bxc3Qa342.g8=Q Qxc3+ 43.Ke2 Qc2+ 44.Kf3 Qd1+45. Kg3 Qg1+ 46.Kh4 Qf2+ 47.Kh5 Qf3+48.Qg4 Qf6 49.Qgf5 Qh6+ 50.Kg4 Black Re-signs.1-0

◦ Bernhard Fleissig• Carl SchlechterViennaAustria1895 0-1 A00Mild-mannered Schlechter was known as the draw-ing master but was always a feared opponent –and the only one to nearly dethrone Lasker in their1910 match for the world championship, whichended in a 5-5 tie. This brilliant game influencedthe Hastings tournament committee to invite theyoungster of 21, who then had no more than lo-cal prominence, to take part in the greatest event ofthat era. Schlechter finished a respectable ninth ina field of 22.1.b4 Dubbed the "orangoutang opening" by Tar-takower when it surfaced again at the mighty tour-nament in New York 1924. 1...e6 2.Bb2 Nf63.a3 c5 4.b5 d5 5.d4 Feeble. 5. e3 is indicated.5...Qa5+ Forcing White to subject himself to adangerous pin in order to guard the pawn on b5.6.Nc3 Ne4 7.Qd3 cxd4 8.Qxd4 Bc5 Begin-ning an immortal combination. 9.Qxg7 Bxf2+10.Kd1 d4 Shattering any illusion that White issafe – with the amusing point of 11. Nxe4 Qe1mate! 11.Qxh8+ Ke7 12.Qxc8 If 12. Nf3then ...dxc3. 12...dxc3 13.Bc1 Nd7 This de-flection sacrifice entombs the White queen far

13

from the action. 14.Qxa8 Cooperating by snatch-ing more material but 14. Qc4 was necessary.14...Qxb5 15.Bf4Qd5+ 16.Kc1Be3+ This ex-traordinary move prepares another extraordinarysacrifice. 17.Bxe3 Nf2 For if 18. Bxf2 Qd2 19.Kb1 Qd1 20. Ka2 Qxc2 mate. White Resigns.0-1

◦ Pillsbury, H.• Lasker, Em.?St. Petersburg1896 0-1 D40Lasker scores a brilliant combinative victory overarch-rival Pillsbury. The players castle on oppositewings, but White loses time with his prematurelydeveloped Queen – time which Black uses to makea truly profound Rook sacrifice.1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3Nf6 4.Nf3 c5 5.Bg5 cxd46.Qxd4Nc6 7.Qh4 Better is 7.Bxf6, which Pills-bury played with success against Lasker at Cam-bridge Springs 1905. 7...Be7 8.O–O–O Qa59.e3 Bd7 10.Kb1 h6 11.cxd5 exd5 12.Nd4O–O 13.Bxf6 Bxf6 14.Qh5 Aiming at a King-side attack with f2-f4 and g2-g4, but the Queenwould be better posted for defensive purposes atf4 or g3. 14...Nxd4 15.exd4 Be6 16.f4 Rac817.f5 Rxc3 18.fxe6 Better than 18.bxc3 Qxc319.fxe6 Qb4+ 20.Kc2 [or 20.Ka1 Rc8 21.Qg4 Rc2]20...Rc8+ 21.Kd3 Qxd4+ 22.Ke2 Rc2+ 23.Kf3Rf2+ 24.Kg3 Qe3+ 25.Qf3 Be5+ 26.Kg4 h5+ andwins. 18...Ra3 19.exf7+ Also insufficient areI) 19.bxa3 Qb6+ 20.Ka1 Bxd4+ 21.Rxd4 Qxd4+22.Kb1 fxe6 23.Be2 Qe4+ 24.Ka1 Rf2 25.Re1Qd4+ 26. Kb1 Qd2 and wins; II) 19.e7 Re820.bxa3 Qb6+ 21.Kc2 Rc8+ 22. Kd2 Bxd423.e8Q+ Rxe8 24.Bd3 Qa5+ 25.Kc1 Rc8+ 26.Bc2Rxc2+ 27.Kxc2 Qc3+. 19...Rxf7 20.bxa3Qb6+21.Bb5 Forced, as 21.Kc2 loses to 21...Rc7+22.Kd2 Qxd4+ 23.Ke1 Qc3+ 24.Rd2 Re7+ 25.Be2Bg5. 21...Qxb5+ 22.Ka1 Rc7 23.Rd2 Rc424.Rhd1 Rc3 25.Qf5 Qc4 26.Kb2 Rxa327. Qe6+ Kh7 28.Kxa3 A bit more tena-cious was 28.Kb1, but Black is still winning after28...Bxd4 29.Qf5+ g6 30.Qf7+ Bg7 31.Qxb7 Ra4.28...Qc3+ White Resigns.0-1

◦ Lasker, Em.• Steinitz, W.?2nd Match Game, Moscow1896 1-0 C64

A preview of Russian hegemony in chess a half-century later: Moscow is the venue for Lasker’seasy "return match" victory. The mating combina-tion in this game is spectacular, as if Lasker feltthat winning was not enough.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Bc5 4.c3 Nge75.O–ONg6 6.d4 exd4 7.cxd4Bb6 8.Nc3 O–O9.a4 a6 10.Bc4 h6 11.h3 d6 12.Be3 Nce713.Re1 c6 14.Qb3Bc7 15.Nd2Rb8 16.Rac1b5 17.axb5 axb5 18.Bd3Kh8 19.Ne2 f5 20.exf5Bxf5 21.Bxf5 Rxf5 22. Ng3 Rf8 23.Qe6Qc8 24.Qxc8Rfxc8 25.Nb3Kg8 26.Ne4Kf727.g3 Ke8 28.Re2 In an unclear position thee-file proves to be White’s strength. 28...Kd729.Rce1 Bb6 30.Bf4 Bc7 31.h4 h5 If 31...Nxf4 32. Nf6+! followed by 33. Rxe7 (+).32.Bg5 Bd8 33.g4 hxg4 34.h5 Nf8 35.Nec5+dxc5 36.Nxc5+Kd6 36...Kc7 avoids mate but isa hopeless endgame after 37. Bxe7. 37.Bf4+Kd538.Re5+ Kc4 39.Rc1+ Kxd4 40.Nb3+ Kd341.Re3# 1-0

◦ Wilhelm Steinitz• Emanuel LaskerWorld Championship Match (3)Moscow1896 0-1 C54Lasker is the great apostle of common sense inchess. Faced with the dilemma of keeping an ex-tra pawn with an edge or keeping an extra piecewith an agonizing defense, he unhesitatingly re-nounces the greater material possession. Steinitzrelaxes when the smoke clears and throws away alikely draw in an opposite colored bishop ending.Finally he falls prey to a positional paralysis knownas Zugzwang.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4exd4 6.cxd4 Bb4+ 7.Nc3 Sacrificing a pawn.Tamer and safer is 7. Bd2 Bxd2 8. Nxd2. 7...Nxe48.O–OBxc3 9.bxc3 The main line of the GiuocoPiano is 9. d5 to keep Black cramped, but theline has been defanged and is rarely seen in mod-ern master practice. 9...d5 10.Ba3 This sacrificeis unsound, but what else is there? Black standswell after 10. Bd3 O-O safely retaining the ex-tra pawn. 10...dxc4 11.Re1 Be6 Returning thepiece without a fight. Lasker senses danger andquickly rejects 11...f5 12. Nd2 Kf7 13. Nxe4fxe4 14. Rxe4 with a dangerous attack. Evenif Black has a decent defense, Lasker won’t playinto a prepared variation. 12.Rxe4 Qd5 13.Qe2O–O–O 14.Ne5 Rhe8 15.Nxc6 Qxc6 16.Re1Rg8 17.Re5 b6 18. Bc1 g5 Returning the pawn

14

to open lines on the g-file for an attack. Thewrong way to capture would be 19. Bxg5? h6!19.Rxg5 Rxg5 20.Bxg5 Rg8 21.f4 Bd5 22.g3Kb7 Material is even and White should be able tohold a draw. 23.h3 Qb5 24.Kh2 Rg6 25.Qc2f6 26.Bh4Bc6 27.g4Qd5 Regrouping to createmating threats on the long diagonal. 28.Qf2 Leadsto trouble. Much better is 28. f5. 28...h5 29.g5fxg5 30.Bxg5 30. fxg5 was the last chance to fightfor a draw. Now White is reduced to marking time.30...h4 31.Rf1 If 31. Rg1? Rxg5! 32. fxg5 Qd6wins. 31...Rg8 32.Qd2 a5 33.a4Re8 34.f5Rg8White is in zugzwang – any move loses material.35.Re1Qxf5 36.Re5Qf3 37.d5Qg3+ 38.Kh1Qxe5 39.dxc6+Kxc6 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Tarrasch, S.• Marco, G.?Vienna1898 1-0 C42Siegbert Tarrasch was the great explicator ofSteinitz’s theories, but the dogmatic certainty withwhich he expounded them in the end provoked theHypermodern reaction of the 1920’s. Tarrasch ig-nored those aspects of Steinitz not congenial to hisstyle (e.g. defense of cramped positions), but inthe exploitation of a space advantage and the useof active pieces he had few peers.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3Nxe4 5.d4Be7 6.Bd3Nf6 The usual move is 6...d5, main-taining the Knight at e4. Black’s choice leads toa solid but rather cramped position, not a happychoice against Tarrasch. 7.O–O O–O 8.h3 Aplayer with a space advantage should avoid ex-changes [contrariwise, a player with a cramped po-sition should seek to free himself by exchangingpieces], and so White prevents the exchange of theBc8. 8...Be6 9.c4 c6 10.Ng5Na6 11.Nc3Nc712.f4 h6 13.Nf3 There would be little point in cap-turing the Be6, as White will soon play f4-f5 andg2-g4, leaving the Bishop with hardly any moves.13...Qc8 14.Qc2 Rb8 Instead, 14...d5 15.c5 b616.b4 a5 17.Na4 leads to a different but not a muchbetter pawn structure. 15.f5Bd7 16.Bf4 b5 17.b3c5 18.d5 b4 19.Ne2 a5 20.g4 White has the ini-tiative, and so his pawn advances support an at-tack, while Black’s pawn on h6 only invites theopening of a file by a later g4-g5. 20...Nh7 21.h4Qd8 22.Bg3 a4 At last Black succeeds in open-ing a line for counterattack, but his pieces lacksufficient mobility to support the Rook. 23.Kh1

Ra8 24.Rae1Ne8 25.Nf4Bf6 26.Ne6 The de-cisive breakthrough. The Knight cannot be cap-tured safely, e.g. I) 26...Bxe6 27.fxe6 g6 28.exf7+Rxf7 29.Bxg6 Re7 30.Rxe7 Qxe7 31.Re1, witha huge advantage to White. 26...axb3 27.axb3Qb6 28.Nxf8 Kxf8 29.g5 hxg5 30.hxg5 Nxg5Or 30...Bxg5 31.f6 g6 32.Bxg6 fxg6 33.Qxg6 andBlack must lose a piece. 31.Qh2 Kg8 32.Nxg5Bxg5 33.f6 g6 34.Bxg6 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Lasker, Em.• Blackburne, J.LondonEngland1899 0-1 C62Blackburne was basically a tactician who usuallycame to grief against the leading masters becauseof his positional faults. But even in his later yearshe remained a feared competitor; at age 57 he un-corked a beautiful victory over the world cham-pion.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 d6 4.d4 Bd7 5.d5Locking the center is dubious. Better is 5. O-O. 5...Nb8 6.Bd3 Be7 7.Nc3 Nf6 8.Ne2 c69.c4 Na6 10.Ng3 Nc5 11.Bc2 b5 Mixing itup. Safer is 11...O-O but Blackburne stakes ev-erything on an attack. 12.b4 Nb7 13.dxc6 Bxc614.cxb5 Bxb5 15.a4 Bd7 16.O–O g6 17.h3 h5Going on the offensive while neglecting the safetyof his own king. 18.Be3 a5 19.b5 Rc8 20.Rc1Nc5 21.Nd2 h4 22.Ne2 g5 23.Bxg5 White’sgame is so strong that he can simply ignore thisoffer and continue with 23. f3 Nh5 24. Nc3.23...Rg8 24.Bxh4Bxh3 25.Bg3Be6 Black haswell-posted knights and open files for the sacri-ficed pawn. 26.Re1 Ng4 27.Nf1 Bg5 28.Rb1Rh8 29.Nc3 Intending to meet 29...Qf6 with 30.f3. 29...Bf4 30.Nd5Qg5 31.f3Rh1+ 32.Kxh1Bxg3 33.Nxg3 If 33. fxg4 Qh4+ 34. Kg1 Bf3mate. 33...Nf2+ 34.Kg1 Nxd1 35.Nf5 Bxf536.exf5Qd2 White is a queen down and resignedin a few moves.0-1

◦ Janowski, D.• Pillsbury, H.?London1899 1-0 C42The flamboyant David Janowski had two disas-trous runs at the world championship - scoring asingle victory in the matches with Lasker. Yet

15

he left his mark on the game in his insistence onthe power of the two Bishops. Here he deftlydispatches the American, Harry Nelson Pillsbury,with a characteristic Bishop move.1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Bb4 4.Nxe5 O–O5.Be2 d6 6.Nf3 Bxc3 7.dxc3 Nxe4 8. O–ONd7 9.Re1 Ndf6 10.Bd3 Nc5 11.Bg5 Thispin has a long-term consequence of either cramp-ing Black’s development or forcing a pawn weak-ness. 11...h6 12.Bh4Bg4 13.h3Nxd3 14.Qxd3Bxf3 15.Qxf3 g5 16.Bg3 Nd7 17.Qf5 Whitenow has a space advantage because of the weak-ened Black pawns. 17. Qxb7 Rb8 would havebeen a poor transaction. 17...Kg7 18.Rad1Re819.f4 Rxe1+ 20.Rxe1 Nf8 21.h4 Qd7 22.Qd3gxh4 23.Bxh4Ng6 24.Bf2 f5 Trying to lock theposition. 25.c4 Kh7 26.Qf3 Rg8 27.Kh2 b628.g3 a5 29.Qd5Rf8 30.Bd4 The last two cen-tralizing moves put White in command. 30...Qf731.Qc6 Rg8 32.Qd5 Rf8 33.a4 White can waitfor exchanges, holding the King file. 33...h5 34.b3h4 35.Qf3Kh6 36.gxh4Rg8 37.Rg1Nf8 Thepawn cannot be recaptured, but Black counts onrepositioning his knight. 38.Rg5 Ne6 39.Bf6A well-planned exchange sacrifice. Now 39 ...Nxg5 is met by 40. fxg5+ and 41. Qxf5+.39...Ng7 40.Qd5 Qe8 41.Qg2 Qf7 42.Bxg7+Rxg7 43.Rxg7Qxg7 44.Qg5+Kh7 45. Qxf5+Kh8 46.Qh5+Kg8 47.Qg5 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Pillsbury, H.• Marco, G.?Paris1900 1-0 D55Harry Nelson Pillsbury’s record is perhaps lesswell known than it should be; his illness and pre-mature death in 1906 deprived the world of thematch against Lasker he had long sought. Here hescores another fine victory with the Queen’s Gam-bit, as Marco thinks to improve on the Pillsbury-Tarrasch game from Hastings 1895.1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3O–O 6.Nf3 b6 7.Bd3 Bb7 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Ne5Nbd7 10.f4 c5 11.O–O c4 The same faulty strat-egy adopted by Tarrasch. The strength of White’sKingside attack was not properly understood in1900. 12.Bc2 a6 13.Qf3 b5 14.Qh3 Threatening15.Nxd7 Qxd7 16.Bf5 and 17.Bxf6. 14...g6 15.f5b4 16.fxg6 hxg6 Not 16...bxc3? 17.Bxf6 Nxf618.Rxf6 fxg6 19.Bxg6 hxg6 20. Rxg6++. 17.Qh4bxc3 18.Nxd7Qxd7 19.Rxf6 a5 20.Raf1Ra621.Bxg6 fxg6 22.Rxf8+ Black resigns, as he

will soon be mated after 22...Bxf8 23.Rxf8+ Kxf824.Qh8+ Kf7 25.Qh7+ Kf8 26.Qxd7.1-0

◦ Marshall, F.• Burn, A.?Paris1900 1-0 D55In his autobiography, Marshall, perhaps tongue incheek, attributes his victory in this game to the factthat it didn’t last long enough for Burn to light hispipe...1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3Nf6 4.Bg5Be7 5.e3 O–O6.Nf3 b6 7.Bd3Bb7 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Bxf6Bxf610.h4 White now threatens the well known sac-rifice 11. Bxh7+ Kxh7 12. Ng5+, and if 12...Bxg5 13. hxg5+ 10...g6 11.h5Re8 12.hxg6 hxg613.Qc2 Nd7 14.Bxg6 fxg6 15.Qxg6+ Bg716.Ng5Qf6 17.Rh8+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Alexander Halprin• Harry Nelson PillsburyMunichGermany1900 1/2-1/2 C67More proof that draws need not be dull. Runningneck and neck with Schlechter and Maroczy forfirst prize, Pillsbury was slated to face one of theweaker players next. His main rivals showed Hal-prin some novel and intricate analysis against Pills-bury’s favorite defense to the Ruy Lopez. Whitemerely rattled off the moves that had been shownto him the night before, while the American had tothread his way through an unfamiliar minefield.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O–O Nxe45.d4Nd6 6.dxe5 Starts his homework. The usualline is 6. Bxc6 bxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5. 6...Nxb5 7.a4d6 8.e6 fxe6 9.axb5 Ne7 10.Nc3 Ng6 11.Ng5Black must not be given time to castle into safety.11...Be7 12.Qh5 Bxg5 13.Bxg5 Qd7 14.b6cxb6 15.Nd5 The threat of Nxb6 practically forcesBlack to capture the knight, giving White an opene-file while the other rook is coming into the gamevia a3. Blacks outlook looks grim. 15...exd516.Rfe1+Kf8 Better than 16...Kf7 17. Re7 whenBlack’s material advantage is offset by his vulner-able king. 17.Ra3 With the dire threat of 18. Rf3Kg8 19. Re7! Qc6 20. Rf8! Kxf8 21. Qf3 Kg822. Qf7 mate. 17...Ne5 18.Rxe5 dxe5 19.Rf3+Kg8 20.Bh6 Qe7 Black is walking a tightrope.He rejects 20...gxh6 21. Rg3 Kf8 22. Qxe5 Rg8

16

23. Qf6! Qf7 24. Qd8, etc. Or 20...Qe6 21. Qg5Qd7 22. Bxg7! Qxg7 23. Qd8 and mate next. Nowhe is hoping for 21. Rg3 Be6! 21.Bxg7 Kxg722.Rg3+Kf8 23.Rf3+Kg7 24.Rg3+Kf8 Bothsides must be content with perpetual check. A glo-rious battle.1/2-1/2

◦ Juan Corzo• Jose CapablancaMatch (8)Cuba1901 0-1 C25Nobody has to be a child prodigy like Capablancato enjoy playing chess – but it sure helps. At age 13he narrowly won a famous 13-game match againstCuba’s top player. The boy wonder took only fiveminutes on this clean victory and introduced a newmove that has stood the test of time.1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 exf4 4.Nf3 g5 5.h4 g46.Ng5 h6 7.Nxf7Kxf7 8.d4 White’s knight sac-rifice is known as the Hamppe-Allgaier Gambit.Inferior is 8. Qxg4? Nf6 9. Qxf4 Bd6 when Blackgains the initiative. On 9. Bc4 d5 10. Bxd5 Ke8Black’s king is secure. 8...d5 9.exd5 In game sixCorzo drew with 10. Be2. Nowadays, 9. Bxf4opening the f-file is considered more promising.On 9. Nxd5 f3 10. gxf3 Nge7 11. Bc4 Nxd512. Bxd5 Kg7 13. Bf4 Be7 White lacks compen-sation for the sacrificed piece. 9...Qe7+ 10.Kf2g3+ 11.Kg1 Nxd4 12.Qxd4 Qc5 13.Ne2 Qb6Capa’s new move, a prepared variation, which hasheld the field ever since. The old line was 13...Bg414. Be3 fxe3 15. Qxg4. 14.Qxb6 axb6 15.Nd4Bc5 16.c3 Ra4 17.Be2 Bxd4+ 18.cxd4 Rxd419.b3 19. Bh5 Kg7 20. b3 would offer slightlymore resistance. 19...Nf6 20.Bb2Rd2 21.Bh5+Nxh5 22.Bxh8 f3 23.gxf3 Nf4 24.Be5 Rg2+25.Kf1 Rf2+ 26.Ke1 Nd3+ Spectators wereconvinced that a new Morphy had arisen, but theirenthusiasm was cut short a few months later whenCapa lost both of his games to Corzo in the CubanNational Championship. Of course, Capablancamore than made up for it twenty years later, win-ning the World Championship from Lasker. WhiteResigns.0-1

◦ Capablanca, J.• Corzo, J.Cuban Championship MatchHavana1902 1-0 D02

At age 12 Capablanca won this set match with JuanCorzo. Reinfeld in THE IMMORTAL GAMESOF CAPABLANCA notes that this game with theCuban champion "is perhaps the most remarkableof Capablanca’s career: the arduous jockeying forposition in the middle game, the delightful andcarefully calculated Queen sacrifice and the ensu-ing accurate endgame play – are all worked outwith a skill which is astonishing in one so young."1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 c5 3.e3 Nc6 4.b3 Unusual. InMY CHESS CAREER Capa wrote: "I began toplay with the conviction that my adversary wassuperior to me; he knew all the openings, and Iknew none...he had the experience and all the tricksthat go along with it, while I was a novice. Thefirst two games were quickly won by him, butsomething in the third, which was a draw, showedme that he had his weaknesses and gave me thenecessary courage and confidence. From thereon, he did not win a game, but only scored fivemore draws before I won the four required. 4...e65.Bb2 Nf6 6.Nbd2 cxd4 7.exd4 Bd6 8.Bd3O–O 9.O–ONh5 Simply 9...Bd7 is called for in-sstead. 10.g3 f5 11.Ne5 Nf6 12.f4 Preferableis 12. a3. 12...Bxe5 13.fxe5 Ng4 More logi-cal is 13...Ne4 to centralize the knight. 14.Qe2Qb6 15.Nf3 Bd7 Stronger is 15...Nb4 first tostrive for opposite colored bishops. 16.a3 Kh817.h3 Nh6 18.Qf2 Nf7 19.Kg2 g5 Weakensthe kingside. More logica is 19...Rac8. 20.g4Ne7 21.Qe3 Rg8 22.Rae1 Ng6 23.gxf5 Nf4+24.Kh2 Nxd3 25.Qxd3 exf5 26. c4 Forcingopen the long diagonal. 26...Qe6 27.cxd5 Qxd528.e6 Bb5 29.Qxb5 Capa gets carried away byhis youthful spirit. A simpler win is 29. Qd2 Bxf130. exf7 Qxf7 31. d5+. 29...Qxb5 30.d5+ Rg731.exf7 h6 32.Nd4Qxf1 There is nothing better.33.Rxf1 Rxf7 34.Rxf5 Rxf5 35.Nxf5+ Kh736.Ne7 The fireworks are over and White preparesfor the victorious advance of the d-pawn. 36...Rf837.Kg2 h5 38.d6 g4 39.hxg4 hxg4 40.Be5Kh641.d7 Rd8 42.Ng8+ Rxg8 If 42...Kg6 43. Nf6Kf7 44. Bc7 wins. 43.Bf6 Kg6 44.d8=QRxd8 45.Bxd8 b5 46.Kf2 Kf5 47.Ke3 Ke548.Kd3 Kd5 49.Kc3 g3 50.Bh4 g2 51.Bf2 a552.b4Ke4 Hoping for 53. bxa5? Kd5 with a bookdraw! 53.Bb6Kd5 54.Kd3Kc6 55.Bg1Kd556.Bh2 Kc6 57.Kd4 a4 58.Ke5 Kb6 59.Kd5Ka6 60.Kc5 Black Resigns1-0

◦ Pillsbury, H.• Lasker, Em.?

17

Cambridge Springs1904 1-0 D40Pillsbury was already suffering from the illness thatwould snatch him away in another two years. YetPillsbury drives to victory in this landmark tourna-ment by beating the world champion in a variationhe lost with eight years earlier. The attack on theBlack King caught in the center is the finest in theliterature of the game.1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 c5 5.Bg5cxd4 6.Qxd4 Nc6 7.Bxf6 The improvement on7.Qh4, as played at St. Petersburg, 1896 againstthe same opponent. (See Classic Game number23.) 7...gxf6 8.Qh4 dxc4 9.Rd1Bd7 10.e3Ne511.Nxe5 fxe5 12.Qxc4Qb6 13.Be2Qxb2 Thefamous "poisoned pawn" lures Lasker from simpledevelopment. 14.O–ORc8 15.Qd3Rc7 16.Ne4Be7 17.Nd6+Kf8 18.Nc4Qb5 19.f4 In spite ofBlack’s compact position this line-opening thrustwins quickly. Best now was 19...e5, giving backthe pawn to close lines. 19...exf4 20.Qd4 f621.Qxf4Qc5 22.Ne5Be8 23.Ng4 f5 24.Qh6+Kf7 25.Bc4 A thunderbolt, made possible by thepotential fork at e5. 25...Rc6 26.Rxf5+ Qxf527.Rf1 Qxf1+ 28.Kxf1 Bd7 29.Qh5+ Kg830.Ne5 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Schlechter, C.• Marco, G.?Monte Carlo1904 1-0 D63The post-Steinitz era was thought by many to bea time of dull play in comparison to the previouscentury, culminating in Capablanca’s prediction ofa "draw death." But the greatest masters of the pe-riod were still able to rise above the uniformity ofstyle and produce such sprightly games as the fol-lowing.1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3Nf6 4.Bg5Be7 5.e3 O–O6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.Rc1 a6 8.c5 b5 9.b4 c6 10.Bd3a5 11.a3 Re8 12.O–O Nh5 13.Bxe7 Qxe714.Ne5 Nxe5 15.Bxh7+ Kf8 16.Qxh5 Nc417.Bd3Qf6 18.Bxc4 bxc4 19.b5Bd7 20.bxc6Bxc6 21.Rb1 g6 22.Qh6+ Ke7 23.Rb6 Kd724.Qh3Qg5 25.Rfb1Rh8 26.Qf3 f5 27.Rxc6Kxc6 28. Nxd5 The second sacrifice cannot beaccepted – 28...exd5 29.Rb6+ Kc7 30.Qxd5 andBlack will be mated, e.g. 30...Rhb8 31.Qd6+Kc8 32.Rc6+ Kb7 33.Qc7++. 28...Rab8 29.Nf4+Kd7 30.Rb7+ Rxb7 31.Qxb7+ Ke8 32.c6Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Lasker, Em.• Napier, W.?Cambridge Springs1904 1-0 B34It is not often that a player will name one ofhis losses as the best game he ever played, butsuch was the case with William Napier’s celebratedgame against Emanuel Lasker. In many ways thisgame is archetypal of Lasker’s play; it rarely mat-tered to him whether he stood better or worse, butonly whether the tension could be maintained.1.e4 c5 2.Nc3Nc6 3.Nf3 g6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4Bg7 6.Be3 d6 7.h3 The usual plans for Whitein this "Dragon" variation are Be2 followed byKingside castling and a central advance with f2-f4, or f2-f3 followed by O-O-O and a pawn at-tack on the Kingside with h2-h4-h5. Instead Whitechooses to advance his Kingside pawns beforesecuring his King, and Black correctly respondsby opening the center. 7...Nf6 8.g4 O–O 9.g5Ne8 10.h4 Nc7 11.f4 e5 12.Nde2 d5 Logical,but safer was the preparatory 12...Bg4. The textleads to unfathomable complications, which at firstglance – and even second and third – seem to favorBlack. 13.exd5 Nd4 14.Nxd4 Nxd5 A strongintermediate move; after 15.Nxd5 exd4 Black re-covers all of his material with advantage. 15.Nf5Nxc3 16.Qxd8 Rxd8 17.Ne7+ Kh8 It is re-markable how long the Black Knight remains un-touched at c3. Now neither 18.Nxc8 nor 18.bxc3exf4 19.Bd4 Bxd4 20.cxd4 Re8 are satisfactory forWhite. 18.h5 With the sudden threat of 19.hxg6fxg6 20.Nxg6+ Kg8 21.Bc4+ Nd5 22.Bxd5+ Rxd523.Ne7+. 18...Re8 19.Bc5 gxh5 Preventing thethreat described above. White still does not wishto take the Nc3, for after 20.bxc3 Bf8 21.Bb5Rxe7 22.Bxe7 Bxe7 Black would have more thanenough for the Exchange. 20.Bc4 exf4 21.Bxf7Ne4 A very fine conception, which might wellhave succeeded against a lesser player than Lasker.22.Bxe8Bxb2 23.Rb1Bc3+ 24.Kf1Bg4 De-spite his extra Rook, White’s position is none toohappy – Black threatens Rxe8, Nxc5, Nd2+ andNg3+. But now Lasker returns all the materialto retake the initiative, and soon proves that theBlack King is less safe than the White. 25.Bxh5Bxh5 26.Rxh5 Ng3+ 27.Kg2 Nxh5 28.Rxb7a5 29.Rb3Bg7 30.Rh3Ng3 31. Kf3 The onceexposed White King becomes a strong attackingpiece, and the Black f4 pawn cannot be held, as31...Be5 is met by 32.Ng6+. 31...Ra6 32.Kxf4

18

Ne2+ 33.Kf5 Nc3 34.a3 Na4 35.Be3 There isno good defense to the threat of g5-g6. 35...Bf836.Bd4+Bg7 37.g6 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Rotlevi, G.• Rubinstein, A.LodzPoland1907 0-1 D40Akiba Rubinstein deserved a title match but nevergot one. Had he faced Lasker in 1910 (instead ofSchlechter) he might well have realized his life’sambition. His most famous brilliancy has beenreprinted in numerous anthologies.1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 Considered too passivebecause it hems in the bishop. 3...c5 4.c4 Nc65.Nc3 Nf6 6.dxc5 Only helps Black develop.Better is 6. Bd3 or a3. 6...Bxc5 7.a3 a6 8.b4Bd6 9.Bb2 O–O 10.Qd2 Losing more time. Ei-ther here or on the next move more logical is10. cxd5 exd5 11. Be2. 10...Qe7 11.Bd3 dxc412.Bxc4 b5 13.Bd3Rd8 14.Qe2Bb7 15.O–ONe5 16.Nxe5 Bxe5 17.f4 Sadly weakening thekingside. 17...Bc7 18.e4 Another display of suici-dal tendencies. 18. Rad1 is indicated. 18...Rac819.e5Bb6+ 20.Kh1Ng4 21.Be4Qh4 22.g3 If22. h3 Bxe4 23. Nxe4 Ne3 is fatal. 22...Rxc323.gxh4 Rd2 24.Qxd2 Bxe4+ 25.Qg2 Rh3White Resigns in the face of ...Rxh2 mate.0-1

◦ Marshall, F.• Capablanca, J.?New York1909 1-0 D53Frank Marshall, victor at Cambridge Springs,1904, wrote that he thought this Cuban studentwould be a pushover. But the U.S. Championshipwas on the line, and the match was contestedin several cities around New York. Marshall’slone victory came at Scranton, Pennsylvania, gameseven. He took only 45 minutes to contrive an ele-gant finish.1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3Nf6 4.Bg5Be7 5.e3Ne4The Lasker Defense, which is revived from timeto time, hopes to simplify the position. 6.Bxe7Qxe7 7.Bd3 More usual is 7. cxd5, gaining apawn majority in the center at once. 7...Nxc38.bxc3 Nd7 9.Nf3 O–O 10.cxd5 exd5 11.Qb3Nf6 12.a4 c5 Black can now hold the center withc6, but has underestimated the intent of 12. a4.

13.Qa3 b6 14.a5 Bb7 15.O–O Qc7 16.Rfb1Nd7 17.Bf5Rfd8 This loses a pawn. Black hadto return the knight to f6. 18.Bxd7 Qxd7 19.a6Bc6 20.dxc5 bxc5 21.Qxc5Rab8 Black has al-lowed Ne5 just to set up this trap. 22.Rxb8Rxb823.Ne5Qf5 24.f4 The King is quite safe at f2 andg3. 24...Rb6 So that 25. Nxc6 allows perpetualcheck by 25...Rb1+ 26. Rxb1 Qxb1+ 27. Kg3Qg6+, etc. 25.Qxb6 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Rubinstein, A.• Lasker, Em.?St. Petersburg1909 1-0 D32In this and a famous win over Capablanca, theenigmatic Polish émigré uses the same maneuver,Qc1, at a crucial point. Rubinstein parries theWorld Champion’s tactical diversions and wins afine endgame.1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Bg5 c5 5.cxd5exd5 6.Nc3 cxd4 7.Nxd4Nc6 8.e3Be7 9.Bb5Bd7 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.Nxd5 The win of thepawn is temporary, but this time Lasker’s opponenthas seen a little deeper. 11...Bxd4 12.exd4 Qg513.Bxc6 Bxc6 14.Ne3 O–O–O Now 14...Bxg215. Rg1 Qa5+ 16. Qd2 Qxd2+ 17. Kxd2 Be4! 18.Rxg7? Bg6. But 18. Re1 would keep the initia-tive. Lasker chooses to complicate. 15.O–ORhe816.Rc1 Rxe3 17.Rxc6+ bxc6 18.Qc1 A cele-brated "in-between" move that gains an endgameadvantage. 18...Rxd4 19.fxe3Rd7 A pawn mustgo. 20.Qxc6+ Kd8 21.Rf4 f5 22.Qc5 Qe723.Qxe7+ Kxe7 24.Rxf5 Rd1+ 25.Kf2 Rd2+26.Kf3 Rxb2 27.Ra5 Rb7 28.Ra6 Black isdoomed to passive play while the White King andpawns advance: 28...Kf8 29.e4 Rc7 30.h4 Kf731.g4Kf8 32.Kf4Ke7 33.h5 h6 34.Kf5Kf7 35.e5Rb7 36.Rd6Ke7 37.Ra6Kf7 38.Rd6Kf839.Rc6 Kf7 40.a3 Finally, a waiting move de-cides. The Black Rook has only one "Safe" square,e7, which allows 41. e6+, and after a King movecomes 41. Kg6. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Frederic Lazard• Amadee GibaudParisFrance1909 1-0 C54These two Frenchman are famous for the suppos-edly shortest decisive tournament game ever be-tween two masters, in 1921 (l. d4 Nf6 2. Nd2 e5

19

3. dxe5 Ng4 4. h3?? Ne3! and White resignsas he must either drop his queen or get mated) –yet it never really happened! This game, however,is real. "After we have paid our dutiful respectsto such frigid virtues as calculation, foresight, selfcontrol and the like, we always come back to thethought that speculative attack is the lifeblood ofchess. In this game, at any rate, White pawn sacri-fice on spec yields rich dividends." – Fred Reinfeld1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d4 exd4 5.c3Nf6 Here 5...dxc3 6. Nxc3 would transpose intoa Scotch Gambit. 6.cxd4 Bb4+ 7.Nc3 Nxe48.O–O Bxc3 9.d5 Bf6 A more popular alterna-tive is 9...Ne5. 10.Re1 Ne7 11.Rxe4 d6 12.g4Aptly named the Bayonet Attack. Better is 12.Bg5. 12...h6 After 12...O-O! 14. g5 Be5 15.Nxe5 dxe5 16. Rxe5 regains the pawn but Whiteis saddled with several pawn weaknesses. 13.h4Kf8 14.h5 To stop ...Ng6. 14...g5 15.Nd4 c6 Itsdangerous to start operations before safeguardingthe king. Correct is 15...Kg7 16. Qf3 Re8 whenWhite doesnt have enough for the sacrificed pawn.16.Qf3 Nxd5 Instead of going after more mate-rial 16...Kg7 is essential. 17.Bd2 Nc7 Neces-sary now is 17...Bxd4 18. Rxd4 Be6. 18.Rae1d5 19.Bb4+ Kg7 Black expects to win a piece,but now comes a whole series of hammer blows.20.Re7 dxc4 No better is 20...Bxe7 21. Rxe7Rf8 22. Bc3!! Qxe7 23. Nf5 Kh7 24. Nxe7.21.Nxc6 Qd3 Mate ensues after 21...bxc3 22.Qxf6! Kxf6 23. Bc3. 22.Rxf7+ Kxf7 23.Re7+Kg8 24.Qxf6Rh7 25.Re8+ If 25...Nxe8 26. Qf8mate. This glorious battle received a brilliancyprize. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Janowski, D.• Lasker, Em.?2nd Match Game, Paris1909 0-1 C49With seven wins against one loss in this ten-gamematch Lasker solidified his throne. In hindsight,these one-sided matches look like sandbagging byLasker. But, Janowski was always a dangerous op-ponent, and in this game seemed to be crowdinghis adversary out - until Lasker’s Knight on move24 takes off on a decisive journey.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bb45.O–O O–O 6.d3 d6 7.Bg5 Bxc3 8.bxc3 Ne79.Bc4 Ng6 10.Nh4 Nf4 11.Bxf4 exf4 12.Nf3Bg4 13.h3 Bh5 14.Rb1 b6 15. Qd2 Bxf3The disrupted Kingside is seldom worth the openg file in this opening. 16.gxf3 Nh5 17.Kh2

Qf6 18.Rg1 Rae8 19.d4 Kh8 20.Rb5 Qh621.Rbg5 f6 22.R5g4 g6 23.Bd3 Re7 24.c4White appears to be in complete control, but nowthe Knight dances into action. 24...Ng7 25.c3 Thebest hope was 25. d5, when the Knight will be shutout for some time. 25...Ne6 26.Bf1 f5 27.R4g2Rf6 28.Bd3 g5 29.Rh1 It’s mate after 29. exf5Qxh3+ 30. Kxh3 Rh6+ 31. Kg4 Rh4++ 29...g430.Be2 Ng5 31.fxg4 f3 32.Rg3 fxe2 White Re-signs.0-1

◦ Lasker, Em.• Schlechter, C.?10th Match Game, Berlin1910 1-0 D94This game has ignited intense controversies, bothfrom its shrouded history and its play. For manyyears it was believed that Schlechter, ahead by apoint in the final game, had only to draw to win theworld championship. Why did he, the "drawingmaster," suddenly decide to play for a win? Laterresearch has shown that the match terms forced thechallenger to win by two points, and this fact en-tered into Fischer’s controversy with FIDE over thedefense of his title in 1973. At a critical stage,Schlechter misses the winning maneuver and be-comes only a footnote in chess championship his-tory.1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 g6 5.Nc3 Bg76.Bd3 O–O 7.Qc2 Na6 8.a3 dxc4 9.Bxc4 b510.Bd3 b4 11.Na4 bxa3 12.bxa3 Bb7 13.Rb1Qc7 14.Ne5Nh5 15.g4 Lasker suddenly changesthe complexion of the game, which might havebeen placid after the natural 15. O-O. 15...Bxe516.gxh5 Bg7 17.hxg6 hxg6 18.Qc4 Bc8 Ask-ing for 19. Bxg6 Be6 20. Bxf7+ Bxf7 21.Qxa6 Bd5, winning back a pawn with a com-manding position. 19.Rg1 Qa5+ 20.Bd2 Qd521.Rc1 Bb7 22.Qc2 Qh5 23.Bxg6 Relying onthe simple combination 23...fxg6 24. Qb3+ and25. Qxb7. But 23. Bc4 e6 24. Qe4 was position-ally stronger. 23...Qxh2 24.Rf1 fxg6 25.Qb3+Rf7 26.Qxb7 Raf8 The refutation: if now 27.Qxa6 Rxf2 28. Rxf2 Rxf2! 29. Qe8+ Kh7 30.Qg4 Rxd2 31. Qf3 Rg2! and wins. 27.Qb3Kh8 28.f4 g5 It’s now a dog fight. 29.Qd3gxf4 30.exf4Qh4+ 31.Ke2Qh2+ 32.Rf2Qh5+33.Rf3Nc7 With the knight finally in play Blackhas everything to hope for. 34.Rxc6Nb5 35.Rc4Rxf4 With the World Championship in his grasp,Schlechter becomes brilliant, when the methodi-cal 35...Rd8 36. Be3 e5! would have capped

20

an orgy of pins. Now Lasker escapes, and saveshis crown. 36.Bxf4Rxf4 37.Rc8+Bf8 38.Kf2Qh2+ 39.Ke1Qh1+ The game is drawn if Blackcan force the exchange of Rook and Queen atf3 39...Qh4+, etc. But Black had to win togain the title. 40.Rf1 Now if 40... Rxf1+,etc. White saves his Queen pawn. 40...Qh4+41.Kd2Rxf1 42.Qxf1Qxd4+ 43.Qd3 Now theWhite King enters the battle if 43...Qxd3+ 44.Kxd3 Kg7 45. Nc5 Kf7 46. a4 Sd6 47. Ra8.43...Qf2+ 44.Kd1 Nd6 45.Rc5 Bh6 46.Rd5Kg8 47.Nc5Qg1+ 48.Kc2Qc1+ 49.Kb3Bg750.Ne6 Qb2+ 51.Ka4 Kf7 The sad reality. Af-ter everything else 52. Qg6 wins immediately.Now, however, Black is simply ground down.52.Nxg7 Qxg7 53.Qb3 Ke8 54.Qb8+ Kf755.Qxa7 Qg4+ 56.Qd4 Qd7+ 57.Kb3 Qb7+58.Ka2Qc6 59.Qd3Ke6 60.Rg5Kd7 61.Re5Qg2+ 62.Re2 Qg4 63.Rd2 Qa4 64.Qf5+Kc7 65.Qc2+ Qxc2+ 66.Rxc2+ Kb6 67.Rd2Nc8 68.Kb3 Kc6 69.Rc2+ Kb7 70.Kb4 Na771.Kc5 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Lasker, Em.• Janowski, D.?5th Match Game, Berlin1910 1-0 D32Janowski obtains his famous bishop pair and hasLasker struggling to survive the opening. At acrucial moment, however, he backs away froma promising Queen sacrifice, and Lasker swiftlyturns the tables.1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nf3Be6 6.e4 dxe4 7.Nxe4Nc6 8.Be3 cxd4 9.Nxd4Qa5+ 10.Nc3 O–O–O 11.a3 Nh6 12.b4 Qe513.Ncb5 Nf5 Lasker has been outplayed in hishaste to attack the enemy King. Now he hatchesa plot. 14.Rc1 Nxe3 15.fxe3 Qxe3+ 16.Be2Be7 Janowski’s famous bishop pair sweep theboard, but Lasker dares his opponent to be brilliant.17.Rc3 Bh4+ The Queen sacrifice 17...Qxc3+18. Nxc3 Nxd4 would have left the White kingdangerously exposed. Now Lasker swarms back.18.g3 Qe4 19.O–O Bf6 20.Rxf6 gxf6 21.Bf3Qe5 22.Nxa7+ Kc7 23.Naxc6 bxc6 24.Rxc6+Kb8 25.Rb6+ Kc8 26.Qc1+ Kd7 27.Nxe6fxe6 28.Rb7+Ke8 29.Bc6+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Carl Schlechter• Emanuel Lasker

Match (1)Vienna1910 1/2-1/2 C66Lasker saw chess, above all, as a struggle. Strengthof character and iron nerves enabled him to occupythe throne for 25 years, from 1894-1921, longerthan anyone else. Here he saved his title on a 5-5tie after losing game five but came from behind towin a drawn position in the final game (see Lasker-Schlechter, game 10). Eight other games weredrawn. The outcome might have been very differ-ent had Lasker lost this game. He was outplayed,but desperate ingenuity rescued what looked like ahopeless endgame two pawns down (also see hismiraculous save against Edward Lasker at NewYork 1924). A vivid demonstration of mind overmatter.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O–O d6 5.d4Bd7 6.Re1 exd4 7.Nxd4 Be7 8.Nc3 O–O9.Bxc6 Relinquishing the two bishops to wreckBlack’s pawn structure. 9...bxc6 10.Bg5 Re811.Qf3 h6 12.Bh4 Nh7 To ease the cramp byswapping bishops. A mistake would be 11...Ng4?12. Bxe7 Qxe713. Nxc6! Bxc6 14. Qxg4snaring a pawn. 13.Bxe7 Qxe7 14.Rad1 Nf815.h3 Ng6 16.Qg3 Qg5 Once again seeking torelieve pressure by exchanges. 17.Qxg5 hxg518.f3 f6 19.Kf2 Kf7 20.Nde2 a5 21.b3 Reb822.Nc1 Be6 23.Nd3 c5 24.Nb2 Ne5 After24...c4 25. Nd5 Bxd5 26. Rxd5 cxb3 axb3 Black’sa-pawn would become vulnerable. 25.Nd5 Rb726.Re3 Nc6 27.Rc3 g6 28.a4 f5 29.Ne3 Re830.Nec4 Ra7 Rightly abstaining from 30...fxe4?31. Rxd6! 31.Re1 Bxc4 32.Nxc4 Kf633.Ne3Ne5 34.exf5 gxf5 35.g3Rh8 36.f4 gxf437.Nd5+Kf7 38.Nxf4 White now has a concreteadvantage due to his passed h-pawn. 38...Rb739.Kg2 c4 Weary of defending, Lasker seekscounterplay on the b-file. 40.bxc4 Rb4 41.c5Rxa4 42.cxd6 cxd6 43.Rc7+ Kf6 44.Nd5+Kg5 45.h4+ Kh6 46. Ne7 Rf8 47.Rd1 Rf7Trying to hold the pawn is useless. If 45...Nc4 48.Kf2 threatens Rd4. 48.Rxd6+Kh7 49.Re6Ng650.Rxg6 Rxe7 51.Rgc6 Rxc7 52.Rxc7+ Kg653.Rc6+ Kf7 53. c4 Ra3 54. Ra6 is the bestwinning chance. 54.Kf3 Re4 Pitching a sec-ond pawn to prevent c4 followed by Kf4. Inade-quate is 54...Ra1 55. Ra6 a4 56. Kf4 Rf1 57. Kg5Rf3 48. Rxa4 Rxg3 49. Kxf5 and wins. 55.Rc5Kf6 56.Rxa5Rc4 57.Ra6+Ke5 58.Ra5+Kf659.Ra6+ Ke5 60.Ra5+ Kf6 61. Ra2 Finallythe rook is forced to a passive post to defend thepawn on c2. 61...Ke5 62.Rb2 Rc3+ 63.Kg2Kf6 64.Kh3 Rc6 Avoiding the trap 64...f4? 65.

21

Rb3 Rxc2 66. Rf3 and wins. 65.Rb8 Giving backone pawn to make inroads. 65...Rxc2 66.Rb6+Kg7 67.h5Rc4 Cutting off the king. 68.h6+Kh769.Rf6Ra4 A draw, where grace under pressurerescued Lasker from the brink of defeat. The abil-ity to save bad games is equally as impoarant as theskill to win won games.1/2-1/2

◦ Reti, R.• Tartakower, S.ViennaAustria1910 1-0 B15Most likely the most famous miniature of all time.The finale is striking and elegant.1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4Nf6 5.Qd3Nowadays 5. Nxf6+ is virtually automatic. 5...e5It’s risky to open the position before completingdevelopment. Safer is 5...Nbd7. 6.dxe5 Qa5+7.Bd2Qxe5 8.O–O–ONxe4 If 8...Qxe4 9. Re1pins the queen. The best way to survive is 8...Be7.9.Qd8+Kxd8 10.Bg5+ Black Resigns. Mate en-sues after 10...Ke8 (or 10...Kc7 11. Bd8) 11. Rd8.1-0

◦ Capablanca, J.• Molina?Buenos Aires1911 1-0 D53A famous example of the Bishop sacrifice at h7.The usual feature of this game is that the sacrificedoes not lead directly to mate, but rather to a sus-tained initiative from which Black is unable to re-cover.1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3Nf6 4.Bg5Nbd7 5.e3 c66.Nf3 Be7 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Bxe7 Nxe7 9.Bd3c5 In principle this is the correct reaction, chal-lenging White’s central pawn, but Black cannot af-ford to open lines when behind in development.Capablanca had no equal in demonstrating theadvantage in such "simple" positions. 10.O–OO–O 11.dxc5 Nxc5 12.Bxh7+ Kxh7 13.Ng5+Kg6 The only move – 13...Kh6 14.Nxf7+ winsthe Queen (the Rf8 is overloaded), and 13...Kg814.Qh5 is a winning attack, e.g. 14.Re8 15.Qxf7+ Kh8 16.Rad1 and Rd1-d4-h4. 14.Qg4f5 Again best. Capablanca points out that 14...e5 would lose to 15.Ne6+ Kf6 16.f4 e4 17.Qg5+Kd7 19.Rfd1+ Nd3 20.Nxe4 Kc6 21.Rxd3 Qxd322. Rc1+ Kb6 23.Qc7+, followed by mate in fivemoves. 15.Qg3 Kh6 16.Qh4+ Kg6 17.Qh7+

Kf6 18.e4 Ng6 19.exf5 exf5 20.Rad1 Nd3 21.Qh3Ndf4 22.Qg3Qc7 23.Rfe1Ne2+ A blun-der, but other moves are little better – 23.Be624.Rxe6+ Nxe6 25.Nd5++, or 23...Bd7 24.Nd5+Nxd5 25.Nh7+ Kf7 26.Qxc7 Nxc7 27.Rxd7+ Kg828.Nxf8, with a winning endgame. 24.Rxe2Qxg3 25.Nh7+ Kf7 26.hxg3 Rh8 27.Ng5+Kf6 28.f4 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Rubinstein, A.• Capablanca, J.?San Sebastian1911 1-0 D33Rubinstein earned his reputation as an endgamespecialist with games like this. (See also ClassicGame number 36.) To outplay Capablanca, even apawn up, required the highest artistry.1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 c5 3.c4 e6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nc3Nc66.g3Be6 7.Bg2Be7 8.O–ORc8 9.dxc5Bxc510.Ng5 Nf6 11.Nxe6 fxe6 12.Bh3 The begin-ning of an unusual attack on Black’s weak cen-ter. 12...Qe7 13.Bg5 O–O 13...Rcd8 was nec-essary. 14.Bxf6 Qxf6 15.Nxd5 Qh6 Black’sreposte - but White has seen further. 16.Kg2Rcd8 17.Qc1 exd5 If the queens are exchanged,Bxe6+ holds the knight. 18.Qxc5 Qd2 19.Qb5Nd4 20.Qd3 Qxd3 White not only holds thepawns but forces the queen exchange. 21.exd3Rfe8 22.Bg4 Rd6 23.Rfe1 Rxe1 24.Rxe1Rb6 25.Re5 An active solution to Black’s pres-sure. 25...Rxb2 26.Rxd5 Nc6 27.Be6+ Kf828.Rf5+ Ke8 29.Bf7+ Kd7 30.Bc4 a6 Other-wise 31. Rb5 exchanges rooks with an overpower-ing endgame. 31.Rf7+Kd6 32.Rxg7 b5 33.Bg8a5 34.Rxh7 a4 35.h4 b4 Out of nowhere Capa-blanca has conjured up a drawing line: if Whiteloses a spot in the b-file for his Rook, Rxa2 fol-lowed by b3 wins! 36.Rh6+Kc5 37.Rh5+Kb638.Bd5 For the above reason, 38. Bc4 was essen-tial. 38...b3 Capablanca misses 38...Rxa2! WhenWhile must find 39. Bc4! Rc2 40. Rb5+ Kc741. Bg8 to keep chances for a win. 39.axb3 a340.Bxc6 Rxb3 40...a2 is met by 41. Rb5+ Ka642. Rb8! 41.Bd5 a2 42.Rh6+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Lasker, Ed.• Thomas, G.?London1911 1-0 A80

22

The noted chess author Edward Lasker should notbe confused with his distant cousin Emanuel. Theyoung German player visited a London chess clubin 1912 and was invited to play a game with theclub champion Sir George Thomas. The result wasa brilliancy which has graced the anthologies eversince.1.d4 f5 2.Nf3 e6 3.Nc3Nf6 4.Bg5 White meetsBlack’s Dutch Defense with an attempt to open thegame with e2-e4. The most logical response tothe placement of the White Knight on c3 is d7-d5, adopting a "Stonewall" formation, but this isnot to everyone’s taste. 4...Be7 5.Bxf6Bxf6 6.e4fxe4 7.Nxe4 b6 8.Bd3Bb7 9.Ne5 O–O So thatif 11.Nxf6+ gxf6, the Queen defends the h7 pawn.With four pieces attacking the Black King and onlythe Nf6 defending, it seems that there should be acombination, and indeed there is. 10.Qh5 Qe711.Qxh7+ Kxh7 12.Nxf6+ Kh6 Or 12...Kh813.Ng6++. From now on, all Black’s moves areforced. 13.Neg4+Kg5 14.h4+Kf4 15.g3+Kf316.Be2+Kg2 17.Rh2+Kg1 18.Kd2# 1-0

◦ Capablanca, J.• Bernstein, O.?San Sebastian1911 1-0 C66The young Capablanca was admitted to this event,intended to be limited to those who had taken atleast two third prizes in international tournaments,only at the insistence of Frank Marshall, who Capahad beaten in a match two years before. The Cubanwon the event convincingly, losing only one gameto Rubinstein. Ossip Bernstein had been one of themost vocal opponents of Capablanca’s admissionto the tournament, and by chance they met in thefirst round.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O–O Be75.Nc3 d6 6.Bxc6+ bxc6 7.d4 exd4 8. Nxd4Bd7 Black has adopted the Steinitz Defense tothe Ruy Lopez, in which he obtains a crampedbut solid position. The doubled Black c-pawn de-prives White of the use of the d5 square, and Blackmay hope for counterplay on the b-file. On thewhole, White stands slightly better. 9.Bg5 O–O10.Re1 h6 11.Bh4 Nh7 12.Bxe7 Qxe7 In acramped position, it is generally a good idea toexchange a few pieces to obtain greater freedomof movement. 13.Qd3 Rab8 14.b3 Ng5 Inthe days when this defense was popular, it wasmore common for Black to regroup with ...Rfe8,Nh7-f8-g6, eyeing the e5 square. 15.Rad1 Qe5

16.Qe3 Ne6 17.Nce2 Qa5 18.Nf5 Nc5 Thethreat against the a2-pawn proves not to be a realone, for after 18...Qxa2 19.Qc3 (threatening to trapthe Queen with 20.Ra1) Qa6, White would ob-tain a strong attack with something like 20.Nf4f6 21.Qg3 g5 22.Ng6 Rf7 23.Nxh6+ Kg7 24.Nxf7Kxg6 25.Nxd6 cxd6 26.Rxd6 Rb7 27.e5. 19.Ned4Kh7 To meet the threat of 20.Nxc6 Bxc6 21.Ne7+and 22.Nxc6. The a2 pawn still cannot be cap-tured in view of 19...Qxa2 20.Ra1 Qb7 21.Reb1.20.g4Rbe8 21.f3Ne6 22.Ne2Qxa2 Seeing nodirect threat, Black thinks that it is time to cap-ture the a-pawn, but 22...Qb6 would have mini-mized White’s advantage. 23.Neg3 Qxc2 Theonly chance of defense was 23...f6, to defend theg7 pawn with ...Rf7. 24.Rc1Qb2 25.Nh5Rh8Other moves are no better. Two variations givenby Capablanca are 25...g5 26.e5 f6 27.Qd3, and25...g6 26.Qxh6+ Kg8 27.e5 gxh5 28.gxh5, andthere is no answer to the threat of Re1-e2-g2+.26.Re2 Qe5 27.f4 Qb5 28.Nfxg7 Nc5 Losingquickly. Capablanca expected 28...Nxg7, thoughWhite is still winning after 29.Nf6+ Kg6 30.Nxd7f6 31.e5 Kf7 32.Nxf6 Re7 33.Ne4. 29.Nxe8Bxe830.Qc3 f6 31.Nxf6+ Kg6 32.Nh5 Rg8 33.f5+Kg5 34.Qe3+Kh4 35. Qg3+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Rubinstein, A.• Spielmann, R.San SebastianSpain1912 0-1 A85Spielmann was noted for his tactical ability. In hisbook THE ART OF SACRIFICE, he wrote: "Thebeauty of a game of chess is usually assessed, andnot without good reason, according to the sacrificesit contains." He classified this as a King hunt.1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 3.Nc3Bb4 4.Bd2Nf6 5.g3 O–O6.Bg2 d6 7.a3 Too slow. Better is 7. Nf3 im-mediately. 7...Bxc3 8.Bxc3 Nbd7 9.Qc2 c510.dxc5 Only helps Black free his game. Better is10. Nf3. 10...Nxc5 11.Nf3Nce4 12.O–OBd713.Rfd1 The wrong rook. Better is 13. Rad1.13...Rc8 14.Bxf6 Unpleasantly forced. Not 14.Nd2? Nxf2! 15. Kxf2 Ng4+ 16. Kf3 Bc6+ wins.This sacrifice would be impossible with the rookstill on f1. 14...Qxf6 15.Qb3Rc7 16.Ne1Nc517.Qb4 f4 18.Nd3 fxg3 19.fxg3Nxd3 20.Rxd3Qf2+ 21.Kh1 Bc6 22.e4 Forced. If 22. Bxc6Qxe2 is decisive. 22...Rcf7 23.Re1 a5 24.Qc3Qc5 25.b4Bxe4 "The hostile King is forced intothe open. I could not calculate the combinationmore exactly, and I had to rely entirely on my

23

conviction that favorable variations would occuras a matter of course" – Spielmann. 26.Rxe4 If26. Bxe4 Rf1+ 27. Rxf1 Rxf1+ 28. Kg2 Rg1+29. Kf3 Qh5+ 30. Ke3 Qxh2 and Spielmannnoted, "He who would not boldly undertake to winsuch a position with Black will never go far inthe domain of the sacrifice." 26...Rf1+ 27.Bxf1Rxf1+ 28.Kg2 Qf2+ 29.Kh3 Rh1 Black is aRook down, but drives the King to the fourthrank. Such an attack must get home!" – Spielmann30.Rf3 Qxh2+ 31.Kg4 Qh5+ 32.Kf4 Qh6+33.Kg4 g5 Threatening ...Qh5 mate. 34.Rxe6Qxe6+ 35.Rf5 Also hopeless is 35. Kxg5 h6+ 36.Kf4 Re1. 35...h6 36.Qd3 Kg7 37.Kf3 Rf1+38.Qxf1 Qxf5+ 39.Kg2 Qxf1+ 40.Kxf1 axb441. axb4Kf6 42.Kf2 h5 White Resigns0-1

◦ Spielmann, R.• Tarrasch, S.San SebastianSpain1912 0-1 C80Tarrasch was noted for his exemplary handling ofthe two bishops. Here is a striking example.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–ONxe4 "This I hold to be the best – and com-pletely satisfactory – defense to the Ruy Lopez"– Tarrasch. Half a century later Korchnoi re-vived it with some success. 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d58.a4 "This move that once seemed to strong al-most deserves a "?" for after it White has diffi-culty equalizing" – Tarrasch. Nowadays 8. dxe5is routine. 8...Nxd4 9.Nxd4 exd4 10.Nc3Nxc311.bxc3 c5 12.axb5 Be7 13.Qf3 Tarrasch sug-gests 13. cxd4 c4 14. Ba4 O-O 15. bxa6 Rxa616. c3 to make an escape square for the bishop onc2. 13...Be6 14.Rxa6 O–O 15.cxd4 c4 16.Ba2Not 16. Ba4? Qd7! snaring a piece. 16...Rxa617.bxa6Qa5 18.Bb1 c3 Hemming in the bishoponce and for all. 19.Qg3Rc8 20.f4Bf5 21.Re1Bf6 22.Kh1 h6 Not 22...Qxa6 23. Qxc3! due tothe back rank mate. 23.h3 Rb8 24.Be3 Qxa625.Rd1Qa1 26.Qe1Be4 27.Kh2Be7 28.Qf1f5 29.Re1Bh4 White’s bishops are locked behinda wall of pawns and he is now forced to weakenhis kingside. 30.g3 Be7 31.Bf2 Bd6 32.Rc1Kh7 33.Re1 Rb6 34.Rc1 Ba3 35.Re1 Qb236.Qe2 Rb4 37.Rg1 Rb6 White is reduced tomarking time while Black devises a way to pen-etrate. 38.Re1 Qb5 39.Qh5 Qxb1 40.Rxb1Rxb1 41.g4 Bc1 White Resigns in view of 42.Kg3 g6 43. Qh4 Bxf4+! 44. Kxf4 g5+.0-1

◦ Ossip Bernstein• Akiba RubinsteinVilnaRussia1912 1/2-1/2 C48For many years before the first world war Rubin-stein was considered the leading contender, but henever got a title match. Here he champions whathas since become known as the Rubinstein Vari-ation of the Four Knights Game. A remarkablefeature of this game is that he gives up two pawnswithout any immediate return and yet comes withinan ace of victory.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Nc3Nf6 4.Bb5Nd4 Thismove, which seems to violate principle by mov-ing the same piece twice, took a lot of steam outof White’s system. The text had been tried atleast twice before (in Elson-Delmar, Philadelphia1875 and Maroczy-Marshall, Monte Carlo 1902)and Rubinstein fashioned it into a sound defensiveweapon. 5.Bc4Bc5 True to the spirit of the vari-ation, Black offers a pawn for rapid development.6.Nxe5 Qe7 7.Nf3 Deficient would be 7. Nxf7d5; or 7. Bxf7 Kf8 8. f4 d6. 7...d5 8.Bxd5Bg4A troublesome pin, much better than 8...Nxd5 9.Nxd5 Qxe4 10. Ne3 Bg4 11. d3. 9.d3 c6 10.Bb3Nd7 11.Bg5 Qd6 Also feasible is 11...Nxf3 12.gxf3 Qxg5 13. fxg4 Ne5. 12.Nb1 Qg6 13.Be3Bxf3 14.gxf3 Qg2 15.Kd2 It seems as if onlya miracle can save White now, but he managesto get his king to safety and hang onto his extrapawn. 15...Nxf3+ 16.Kc1 Rd8 17.h3 Bxe3+18.fxe3 Nde5 Bringing more force into the fray.Black finds a way to molest the enemy king evenin his new stronghold. 19.Qf1Qg5 20.Qe2Nd421.Qd2 White must allow a draw by repetition.Not 21. Qf2 Nxb3 22. axb3 Rxd3. 21...Ndf322.Qe2 Nd4 A curious draw where Black neverhad time to castle. Rubinstein won this doubleround robin ahead of his worthy rival by a halfpoint and beat a budding Alekhine, who was then20, in both of their encounters.1/2-1/2

◦ David Janowsky• Frank MarshallMatchBiarritz1912 0-1 C42A surprising queen sacrifice punishes White forhis sins in the opening. "One ideal was always

24

with me: to play the most interesting and beauti-ful chess of which I was capable. From 1900 to1925 Janowsky and I must have played somethinglike 100 serious games. This is the most sparklingof the lot" – Marshall.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3Nxe4 5.d4d5 6.Bd3Bd6 More aggressive than the custom-ary 6...Be7. 7.c4 Premature. Better is 7. O-O Bg48. c4 O-O?! 9. cxd5 f5 10. Nc3 as in Spielmann-Marshall, Hamburg 1910. 7...Bb4+ 8.Kf1 Thishas little to recommend it, but if 8. Nbd2 O-O 9.O-O Bxd2! 10. Bxd2 Bg4 gives Black fine play.8...O–O 9.cxd5Qxd5 10.Qc2Re8 11.Nc3 Thisharmless-looking move proves fatal. Better is 11.Be3. 11...Nxc3 12.bxc3Qxf3 Some of Marshall’smost sensational moves look like typographical er-rors. 13.cxb4 He dare not capture the queen since13. gxf3? Bh3 14. Kg1 Re1 mates. 13...Nc614.Bb2 As so often happens, White is a victim ofsacrificial shock. Better is 14. h3. Now comesa second shock. 14...Nxb4 15.Bxh7+ Kh816.gxf3 Accepting the challenge. If 16. Qc4 Bh3!is unpleasant. 16...Bh3+ 17.Kg1Nxc2 18.Bxc2Re2 19.Rc1Rae8 No rest for the weary. Whiteis a piece down and the queens are gone, but his at-tack is still in full swing. 20.Bc3R8e3 Ingeious– but 20...Rxc3! 21. Rxc3 Re6! is a quicker finish.21.Bb4 No better is 21. fxe3 Rg2 22. Kf1 Rxc223. Kg1 Rg2 24. Kf1 Rxb2 with a winning tac-tic known as a windmill.. 21...Rxf3 Now Whiteis helpless. If 22. Re1 Rfxf2 23. Rxe2 Rf1 mate.22.Bd1Rf6 Elegant to the end. If 23. Bxf3 Rg6forces mate. White Resigns.0-1

◦ Levitzky, S.• Marshall, F.?Breslau1912 0-1 C10Though he was not quite the equal of Lasker or Ca-pablanca, Frank Marshall was for many years oneof the top half-dozen players in the world, and aformidable tournament competitor. His aggressiveattitude, combinational flair and imagination pro-duced an amazing number of brilliant games likethis one. It is said that after the startling conclu-sion, the spectators showered the board with goldcoins.1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.Nc3 c5 A double-edged systemwhich Marshall long played with success, for hehad no aversion to accepting a positional weak-ness for tactical chances. 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.exd5exd5 6.Be2Nf6 7.O–OBe7 8.Bg5 O–O 9.dxc5

Be6 10.Nd4 Bxc5 11.Nxe6 A dubious idea;Black obtains strong central pawns and open f-file, and White will never have time to exploitthe potentially weak e6 pawn. 11...fxe6 12.Bg4Qd6 13.Bh3 Rae8 14.Qd2 Now Black obtainsa clear advantage. The defensive 14.a3 was cer-tainly better. 14...Bb4 15.Bxf6 Rxf6 16.Rad1White had to meet the threats of both ...Nf6-e5 and...d5-d4, but now Black’s Rooks become very ac-tive. 16...Qc5 17.Qe2 Embarking on what he be-lieves to be an exchanging combination, but Mar-shall has seen further. Better was 17.a3 Bxc318.Qxc3 Qxc3 19.bxc3, though Black now standsclearly better in the endgame. 17...Bxc3 18.bxc3Qxc3 19.Rxd5Nd4 20.Qh5 White had seen thisfar – on 20.Qe5? Nf3+! 21.gxf3 Rg6+ wins,but now if 20...g6 21.Qe5 is playable. How-ever ... 20...Ref8 21.Re5 Perhaps White hadplanned 21.Rc5, overlooking 21... Rxf2! (22.Rxf2Qe1+, or 22.g3 Ne2+ 23.Kh1 Rxf1+). 21...Rh622.Qg5 On 22.Qg4, 22...Nf3+, discovering on theundefended Re5 would win routinely. 22...Rxh323.Rc5 Not 23.gxh3? Nf3+. Now White hopesfor something like 23...Qb4 24.Rc7 g6 25.Qe5, butBlack finishes the game elegantly. 23...Qg3White Resigns.0-1

◦ Nimzowitsch, A.• Tarrasch, S.?St. Petersburg1914 0-1 D30Tarrasch was the great explicator of Steinitz’s theo-ries, though he provoked the "Hypermodern" reac-tion through his dogmatism and rejection of thoseaspects of the game not congenial to his own style.In the use of a space advantage and active pieces hehad few peers, and here he gives another exampleof the double-bishop sacrifice, as in Lasker-Bauer.1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 c5 3.c4 e6 4.e3 Nf6 5.Bd3Nc6 6.O–O Bd6 7.b3 O–O 8.Bb2 b6 9.Nbd2 Bb7 10.Rc1 Qe7 11.cxd5 exd5 12.Nh4g6 13.Nhf3 Rad8 14.dxc5 bxc5 15. Bb5Ne4 16.Bxc6 Bxc6 17.Qc2 Nxd2 18.Nxd2d4 19.exd4 Bxh2+ 20.Kxh2 Qh4+ 21. Kg1Bxg2 22.f3 If 22.Kxg2 Qg4+ 23.Kh2 Rd5 and24...Rh5++. 22...Rfe8 23.Ne4 Qh1+ 24.Kf2Bxf1 25.d5 The White Queen is lost on 25.Rxf1Qh2+, and 25.Nf6+ Kf8 26.Nxe8 Qg2+ 27.Ke3Rxe8+ 28.Kf4 g5+ 29.Kf5 Qxc2+ 30.Rxc2 Bd3+leaves Black with an extra Rook. 25...f5 26.Qc3Qg2+ 27.Ke3 Rxe4+ 28.fxe4 f4+ 29.Kxf4

25

Rf8+ 30.Ke5 Qh2+ 31. Ke6 Re8+ 32.Kd7Bb5# 0-1

◦ Lasker, Em.• Capablanca, J.?St. Petersburg1914 1-0 C68At the end of the first half of this double-roundtournament, Capablanca stood a point and a halfahead of his nearest rivals Lasker and Tarrasch.When he met Lasker again in the seventh of the tenfinal rounds, even a draw would virtually assure theCuban of first place. But Lasker, the great chesspsychologist, adopted an opening in which Blackmight indeed try for the advantage, but could notreadily obtain a draw. The result was a great vic-tory over a great opponent.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.d4exd4 6.Qxd4Qxd4 7.Nxd4 A surprising choicein a "must-win" situation, for the Exchange Varia-tion is generally considered to allow Black equal-ity. But the equality is of a dynamic nature, asBlack must use his two Bishops to counterbalanceWhite’s Kingside pawn majority, and the sort playin which Capablanca excelled – gradual simplifi-cation to a technical endgame – will not do, foreach exchange of pieces brings White closer toa won King-and-pawn ending. 7...Bd6 8.Nc3Ne7 9.O–O O–O 10.f4 Re8 11.Nb3 f6 12.f5A move that could be made only by an inexperi-enced player – or a very strong one. White ac-cepts a permanently backward e-pawn and weak-ens the e5 square, but he cramps the Black po-sition and will obtain the e6 square for a Knightand the h2-b8 diagonal for his Bishop. 12...b613.Bf4Bb7 14.Bxd6 Again a surprise decision,undoubling Black’s pawns. White has calculatedthat the Knight he will post at e6 will preventBlack from coordinating his pieces, and the WhiteRooks will threaten to penetrate on both sides ofthe board. 14...cxd6 15.Nd4Rad8 16.Ne6Rd717.Rad1 Nc8 18.Rf2 b5 19.Rfd2 Rde7 20.b4Kf7 21.a3 Ba8 In hindsight, Black should playhere 21...Rxe6 22.fxe6+ Kxe6, with a pawn forthe Exchange and a solid position. But it is noteasy to make such a decision in a seemingly ten-able position. 22.Kf2 Ra7 23.g4 h6 24.Rd3a5 25.h4 Preparing to open a line for his Rookswith g4-g5. 25...axb4 26.axb4 Rae7 27.Kf3Rg8 28.Kf4 g6 29.Rg3 g5+ 30.Kf3 Nb6 On30...gxh4 31.Rh3 White recovers the pawn withadvantage, but now he must avoid 31.Rxd6 Nc4

32.Rd1 Ne5+ 33.Ke2 gxh4, and Black stands wellwith his centrally posted Knight. 31.hxg5 hxg532.Rh3Rd7 33.Kg3Ke8 34.Rdh1Bb7 35.e5A fine move, capping White’s strategic play witha tactical blow. Now the e5 square will be occu-pied by a Black pawn, and White will use e4 asa pivot point for his Knight. 35...dxe5 36.Ne4Nd5 37.N6c5 Bc8 An not 37...Re7 38.Nxb7Rxb7 39.Nd6+, picking off a Rook. 38.Nxd7Bxd7 39.Rh7Rf8 40.Ra1Kd8 41.Ra8+Bc842.Nc5 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Spielmann, R.• Flamberg, A.?Mannheim1914 1-0 C29Rudolph Spielmann was in many ways a man outof his proper time. Dubbed "the last knight of theKing’s Gambit," he sought a return to the swash-buckling style of Morphy and Anderssen.1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4 d5 4.fxe5 Nxe4 5.Nf3Bg4 6.Qe2Nc5 7.d4Bxf3 8.Qxf3Qh4+ 9.g3Qxd4 10.Be3 Qxe5 11.O–O–O c6 12.Nxd5cxd5 13.Rxd5Qe6 No better is 13...Qe4 14.Bb5+Nc6 15.Bxc5 Qxf3 16.Re1+. 14.Bc4 Qe415.Bxc5 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Rubinstein, A.• Vidmar, M.?Berlin1918 0-1 A52During the second and third decades of the cen-tury, dissatisfaction grew with the correct but color-less play of the post-Steinitz era, in which mastersscored against opponents who had not assimilatedthe "new" principles of positional play but gener-ally drew with one another. One of the attemptsto enliven Black’s play was the Budapest Gambit,a sharp pawn sacrifice upset of the mighty Rubin-stein.1.d4Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5Ng4 4.Bf4 In this wayWhite can keep the pawn, but he must play very ac-curately. Alternatives are the aggressive 4.e4 Nxe55.f4, and 4.Nf3 Bc5 5.e3 Nc6 6.Be2, returning thepawn for a slight positional advantage, which mostplayers nowadays prefer. 4...Nc6 5.Nf3 Bb4+6.Nc3 Also good is 6.Nbd2, but White must avoidthe trap 6...Qe7 7.a3 Ngxe5 8.axb4? [8.e3 iscorrect] Nd3++. 6...Qe7 7.Qd5 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3

26

Qa3 9.Rc1 f6 10.exf6 If 10.e6 dxe6 11.Qh5+ g612.Qxg4, Black recovers the piece with 12...e5.10...Nxf6 11.Qd2 d6 12.Nd4 O–O 13.e3 Sur-prisingly, this turns out to be a fatal error. Whitemust prevent the entry of the Knight into e4 with13.f3, when Black’s compensation for the pawn isunclear. 13...Nxd4 14.cxd4 Ne4 15.Qc2 Qa5+16.Ke2 Not much better was 16.Kd1, in viewof 16...Bf5 17.Bd3 Nxf2+. 16...Rxf4 17.exf4Bf5 18.Qb2Re8 19.Kf3Nd2+ 20.Kg3Ne4+21.Kh4 Had White repeated moves with 21.Kf3,Black would have resorted to the winning line21...h5 22.h3 h4, closing the mating net. 21...Re622.Be2 Rh6+ 23.Bh5 Rxh5+ 24.Kxh5 Bg6+White Resigns.0-1

◦ Capablanca, J.• Janowski, D.?New York1918 1-0 D30During the First World War, only a handful of tour-naments were held, and those in the United Stateswithout most of Europe’s great players. Capa-blanca performed almost flawlessly during this pe-riod, earning the nickname "The Chess Machine."Here is a splendid example of a brilliancy prizegame that is largely positional.1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.e3c6 6.Nbd2 Usual here is 6. Nc3. 6...Be77.Bd3 dxc4 Allowing the knight to developstrongly, there was no reason to reduce the cen-tral tension. 8.Nxc4 O–O 9.O–O c5 10.Rc1b6 11.Qe2 Bb7 12.Rfd1 Nd5 13.Nd6 Bc614.Ne4 f5 Shutting the b1-h7 diagonal, but at thecost of long lasting positional weakness. 15.Bxe7Qxe7 16.Ned2 e5 17.dxe5Nxe5 18.Nxe5Qxe519.Nf3 Qe7 20.Nd4 As Black cannot stand thepin Bc4 after Bd7, the following exchange isforced. 20...cxd4 21.Rxc6 Nb4 22.Bc4+ Kh823.Re6 d3 24.Rxd3 Qc5 25.Rd4 b5 26.Bxb5Nxa2 27.Bc4Nb4 28.Qh5 All of a sudden, theBlack king is in trouble. 28...g6 29.Rxg6Rad830.Rg7 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Capablanca, J.• Marshall, F.?New York1918 1-0 C89Marshall launches a fierce counterattack by means

of a subtle opening novelty (now known as theMarshall Gambit), but Capa’s chess instinct en-ables him to thread his way through the pitfalls.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O–O 8.c3 d5 Marshall’sinnovation, sacrificing a pawn for a strong at-tack. 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.Rxe5Nf6 12.Re1Bd6 13.h3Ng4 14.Qf3Qh4 15.d4Nxf2 16.Re2Bg4 17.hxg4Bh2+ 18.Kf1Bg319.Rxf2 Qh1+ 20.Ke2 Bxf2 21.Bd2 Bh422.Qh3 Rae8+ 23.Kd3 Qf1+ 24.Kc2 Bf225.Qf3 Qg1 26.Bd5 c5 27.dxc5 Bxc5 28.b4Bd6 Or 28...Be3 29.Bxe3 Rxe3 30.Nd2 Qxa131.Qxe3, and White should win with his mate-rial advantage. 29.a4 a5 30.axb5 axb4 31.Ra6bxc3 32.Nxc3 Bb4 33.b6 Bxc3 34.Bxc3 h635.b7 Re3 36.Qxf7+ Rxf7 37.b8=Q+ Kh738.Rxh6+Kxh6 39.Qh8+Kg6 40.Qh5# 1-0

◦ Alekhine, A.• Sterk, K.?Budapest1921 1-0 D37Alekhine considered this game very characteristicof his style – maneuvers on the Queenside divertthe Black pieces, setting the stage for a surpris-ing mating attack with threats on both sides of theboard.1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 Nbd7 5.e3Bd6 6.Nb5 Be7 7.Qc2 c6 8.Nc3 O–O 9.Bd3dxc4 10.Bxc4 c5 11.dxc5Bxc5 12.O–O b6 13.e4Bb7 14.Bg5 Qc8 15.Qe2 Bb4 16.Bd3 Bxc317.Rfc1Nxe4 The main variation Alekhine ana-lyzed was 17... Nc5 18.Rxc3 Bxe4 19.Bxf6 Bxd320. qe3 gxf6 21. b4 Bg6 22.bxc5 bxc5 23.Rxc5,with good chances for the Pawn. 18.Bxe4Bxe4 19.Qxe4Nc5 20.Qe2Ba5 21.Rab1Qa622.Rc4Na4 23.Bf6 Now if 23...h5 24.Rg4 Qxe225.Rxg7+ Kh8 26. Ng5, and there is no defenseto 26.Rh7+ and 27.Rh8++. 23...Rfc8 24.Qe5The main idea is 24...Qxc4 25.Qg5 Kf8 26.Qxg7+Ke8 27.Qg8+ Kd7 28.Ne5+ Kc7 29.Qf7+ and30.Nxc4. 24...Rc5 25.Qg3 g6 26.Rxa4 Qd327.Rf1Rac8 28.Rd4Qf5 29.Qf4Qc2 30.Qh6Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Emanuel Lasker• Jose CapablancaWorld Championship Match (10)Havana1921 0-1 D61

27

This is generally considered the finest game ofthe match and the one most characteristic of theCuban’s style. After Capa won the world title ef-fortlessly by the score of 9-5, he wrote:"The oneoutstanding feature of the match – the one mostcritics overlook – is that not once did Lasker havea won game." Capablanca’s claim was challengedby Gyula Breyer, a Hungarian master who claimedLasker probably missed a win in this game onmove 17. Capa’s book on the match doesn’t men-tion it, and the debate over whether White couldhave won still rages to this day.1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3Nf6 4.Bg5Be7 5.e3 O–O6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.Qc2 c5 Ultra sharp. Safer is thestodgy 7...c6. 8.Rd1 Once popular but risky is8. O-O-O which could expose the king to dan-ger. 8...Qa5 9.Bd3 Threatening Bxh7. Better is9. cxd5. Game 7 was eventually drawn after 9.cxd5 Nxd5 10. Bxe7 Nxe7 11. Bd3 Nf6. 9...h610.Bh4 cxd4 Releasing tension in the center andisolating Whites d-pawn. A satisfactory alternativeis 10...dxc4 11. Bxc4 Nb6 12. Be2 Bd7 18. O-ORac8. 11.exd4 dxc4 12.Bxc4Nb6 13.Bb3Bd714.O–ORac8 At Moscow 1935, Capa varied hereagainst Stahlberg with 14...Bc6 but stood worse af-ter 15. Ne5 Bd5 16. Nxd5 Nbxd5 17. Qe2 Rad818. f4! Ne8 19. Bxe7 Nxe7 20. f5! Nxf5 21.Nxf7! 15.Ne5 Bb5 This much-admired move isactually inexact since it loses a tempo by drivingthe rook to a better square. Better is 15...Bc6 atonce. 16.Rfe1Nbd5 White got a winning attackin Euwe-Landau, Noordwijk 1938, after 16...Bc417. Bxc4 Nxc4 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Nd7 Rfd820. Nxf6 gxf6 21. Rd3. But this move couldlead to trouble. Safer is 16...Rc7. 17.Bxd5 Thisfamous position appeared all over the world be-cause of Gyula Breyer’s sensational analysis giv-ing White the nod after 17. Bxf6! Bxf6 (not17...Nxf6? 18. Ng6! Rfe8 19. Rxe6!) 18. Bxd5exd5 19. f4! Bxf4 20. Qf5 Bg5 21. Qxd5 a622. a4 Rcd8 23. Qxb7 Bxa4 24. b4 Qf5 25.Nxa4 Qxf5 26. Nc5. 17...Nxd5 18.Bxe7 Nxe719.Qb3 Bc6 Also okay is 19...Ba6. 20.Nxc6bxc6 21.Re5 Qb6 22.Qc2 Rfd8 23.Ne2 Toopassive. 23. Na4 leads to equal chances. 23...Rd524.Rxd5 cxd5 25.Qd2 Nf5 26.b3 h5 27.h3Lasker’s last chance to draw was 27. Ng3! Nxg328. hxg3. Now Capa dominates the c-file andgrinds him down with his renowned endgame tech-nique. 27...h4 28.Qd3 Rc6 29.Kf1 g6 30.Qb1Losing even more ground. 30. Qd2 was bet-ter. 30...Qb4 31.Kg1 31. Qb2 offers more re-sistance. 31...a5 32.Qb2 a4 Instructive. This ad-vance eliminates the remaining weakness in Blacks

pawn structure and saddles White with anotherisolated pawn. 33.Qd2 Qxd2 34.Rxd2 axb335.axb3 Rb6 36.Rd3 Ra6 37.g4 hxg3 38.fxg3Ra2 39. Nc3Rc2 40.Nd1Ne7 41.Nc3Rc1+42.Kf2Nc6 Material is even, but White’s isolatedpawns are too weak to hold. 43.Nd1Rb1 44.Ke2Rxb3 Picking up the pawn and the point. The trickis 45. Rxb3 Nxd4+ followed by Nxb3. Laskernow puts up a good fight but to no avail. 45.Ke3Rb4 46.Nc3 Ne7 47.Ne2 Nf5+ 48.Kf2 g549.g4Nd6 50.Ng1Ne4+ 51.Kf1Rb1+ 52.Kg2Rb2+ 53.Kf1 Rf2+ 54.Ke1 Ra2 55.Kf1 Kg755...f6 was quicker, but White is reduced to to-tal passivity and must sit back to await his in-evitable doom. 56.Re3Kg6 57.Rd3 f6 58.Re3Kf7 59.Rd3 Ke7 60.Re3 Kd6 61.Rd3 Rf2+62.Ke1 Rg2 63.Kf1 Ra2 64.Re3 e5 65.Rd3exd4 66.Rxd4 Kc5 67.Rd1 d4 68.Rc1+ Kd5If 69. Rd1 Ng3+ 70. Ke1 Rg2 snares a piece.This is generally considered the finest game of thematch and the one most characteristic of Capa’sstyle. Lasker described the logic of the Cuban’splay from move 24 as "enchanting." White Re-signs.0-1

◦ Grunfeld, E.• Bogoljubow, E.ViennaAustria1922 1-0 E10Austria’s Ernst Grunfeld was a great theoreticianwho possessed an encylopedic knowledge of theopenings. A prominent star in the 1920s, he laterbecame too content with colorless draws. Here isone his finest early efforts.1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 c5 4.d5 b5 The Blu-menfeld Counter Gambit achieved popularity inthis tournament. 5.Bg5 h6 Saemisch-Spielmann,Teplitz-Schonau 1922, equalized after 5...bxc4 6.e4 Qa5+ 7. Nc3 Nxe4 8. Bxc4 Nxc3 9. Qd2 Qb4!6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.Nc3 b4 Also in White’s favor is7...bxc4 8. e4 d6 9. Bxc4 e5 10. Qa4+. 8.Nb5Na6 9.e4Qxb2 Too risky. Safer is 9...e5. 10.Bd3Qf6 11.e5 Qd8 12.dxe6 The star move, muchstronger than 12. d6 Bb7. Now Black gets matedon 12...fxe6 13. Bg6+ Ke7 14. Qd6. 12...dxe613.Be4 Qxd1+ 14.Rxd1 Rb8 15.Bc6+ Ke716.Nxa7 g5 A last gasp. 17.Bb5Bg7 18.Nc6+Kf8 19.Rd8# A powerful positional masterpieceby Grunfeld, who successfully combined theoryand practice.1-0

28

◦ Alekhine, A.• Yates, F.?London1922 1-0 D64An extreme example of the "weak square com-plex." Alekhine so thoroughly dominates the darksquares that in the end even his King can marchacross the board to complete the mating net.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bg5O–O 6.e3 Nbd7 7.Rc1 c6 8.Qc2 Re8 9.Bd3dxc4 10.Bxc4 Nd5 11.Ne4 f5 Black’s 9th and10th moves constitute the so-called "Capablancafreeing maneuver," with which Black hopes to ex-change a few pieces and gain time to develophis "problem Bishop" at c8. Black’s last moveleads to trouble, for he thus weakens the squaresd6/e5/f6 in which the dark-squared Bishops willsoon be exchanged. 12.Bxe7Qxe7 13.Ned2 b5Trying to secure a square for the Bc8, but theopen file which results will fall to White’s con-trol, and and c5 joins the list of weak dark squares.14.Bxd5 cxd5 15.O–O a5 16.Nb3 a4 17.Nc5Nxc5 18.Qxc5 Qxc5 19.Rxc5 b4 With the ex-change of Queens, Black’s chance for counterplayhas vanished, and his weak queenside pawns willforce him to become even more passive. 20.Rfc1Ba6 21.Ne5 Reb8 Now on 21...Rec8 22.Rxc8+Rxc8 23.Rxc8+ Bxc8 24.Nc6 threatens both Ne7+and Nxb4. 22.f3 b3 23.a3 h6 24.Kf2Kh7 25.h4Rf8 26.Kg3 Rfb8 27.Rc7 White prepares todouble Rooks on the 7th rank, with the inci-dental threat of 28.Nd7 and 29.Nc5. 27...Bb528.R1c5Ba6 29.R5c6Re8 30.Kf4Kg8 31.h5Bf1 32.g3 Ba6 33.Rf7 Kh7 34.Rcc7 Rg835.Nd7 Kh8 36.Nf6 Rgf8 37.Rxg7 A piecesacrifice which prepares the final mating combina-tion. 37...Rxf6 38.Ke5 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Emmerich, ?.• Moritz, ?Hauptturnier B, 22nd German Chess CongressBad Oeynhausen1922 1-0 D08"Black had a win but he didn’t see it, played some-thing else and lost. He probably regretted it therest of his life," says Gene Hackman, starring asa weary private eye who tinkers with a pocketset during stakeouts in NIGHT MOVES, a 1975movie. Chapter One of the novel by Alan Sharpidentifies the game: "Back to the wall, in dangerof defeat, Moritz had a Queen sacrifice leading toan exquisite mate by means of three little knight

moves, prancing in interlocking checks, driving theking into the pit. In the heat of something now lost,Moritz had missed it, played defensively and lost."1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 The rarely seen Albin CounterGambit. 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Nbd2 f66.exf6 Qxf6 7.g3 Bg4 8.Bg2 O–O–O Blackgave up a pawn for rapid development. 9.O–ONge7 10.Qb3 A good alternative is 10. a3to enforce b4. 10...Ng6 11.a4 Bb4 12.a5Pitching a pawn to open lines. Better is 12.h3. 12...Bxa5 13.Qa4 Rhe8 14.Nb3 Rxe215.Nxa5Bxf3 16.Bh3+Rd7 17.Qb5 Strongeris 17. Nxb7! 17...Nce5 18.Bxd7+ Also playableis 18. Bg5! 18...Nxd7 19.Ra3 Re5 20.Qb3Nh4 21.Bf4Qg6 22.Bxe5Nxe5 23.Qb5Qh524.Qc5 Nhg6 25.Qb5 If 23. Qxd4 Qh3 winsoutright. 25...Nf4 26.Re1 The last hope was26. Rfa1. 26...Bd5 Missing a forced mate by26...Qxh2+ 27. Kxh2 Ng4+ 28. Kg1 Nh3 29.Kf1 Nh2 mate – the killer knight moves. 27.cxd5Nh3+ 28.Kf1 Black Resigns – his attack ran outof steam.1-0

◦ Bogolyubov, E.• Alekhine, A.?Hastings1922 0-1 A90A remarkable game, in which Black graduallytakes control of the whole board. A recurringcombinative theme is the strength of an advancedpassed pawn, which may create mating threats orsneak through to its Queening square.1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.g3 e6 4.Bg2 Bb4+ 5.Bd2Bxd2+ 6.Nxd2 A better piece formation forWhite is 6. Qxd2 followed by 7.Nc3 6...Nc67.Ngf3 O–O 8.O–O d6 9.Qb3 Kh8 10.Qc3 e5Black obtains parity in the center by means ofa tactical trick – 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.Nxe5? Nxe513.Qxe5 Qxd2. 11.e3 a5 12.b3Qe8 13.a3Qh514.h4 The e5 pawn still cannot be taken – 14.dxe5dxe5 15.Nxe5 Nxe5 16.Qxe5 Ng4 wins the Queen.14.b4 is also bad, as 14...e4 forces 15.Ne1, break-ing the connection of the two Rooks and allowing15...axb4 16.axb4 Rxa1 17.Qxal Nxb4. 14...Ng415.Ng5Bd7 16.f3Nf6 17.f4 e4 18.Rfd1 Betterwas 16.d5. Now Black consolidates his advantagein the center and on the Kingside. 18...h6 19.Nh3d5 20.Nf1Ne7 Black would like to exchange hisd5 pawn for the White one on c4, obtaining the finesquare d5 for his Knight, and he prepares...a5-a422.b4 dxc4. White prevents this, but at the cost ofa different concession. 21.a4 Nc6 22.Rd2 Nb4

29

23.Bh1 Qe8 The main threat of this move canbe seen in the game. The other defenses, aboutequally bad, are 24.cxd5 (giving Black the Queen-side). White prefers to sacrifice a pawn. 24.Rg2dxc4 25.bxc4 Bxa4 26.Nf2 Bd7 27.Nd2 b528.Nd1Nd3 29.Rxa5 b4 30. Rxa8 On 30.Qa1Rxa5 31.Qxa5 Qa8 32.Qxa8 Rxa8 the Black Rook,Bishop and Knight will escort the b-pawn in, whilethe White Bh1 is quite out of play. Instead, Whiteplays an exchanging combination, but his opponenthas seen further. 30...bxc3 31.Rxe8 c2 Surpris-ingly, Black gets a new Queen, for the pawn can-not be stopped. 32.Rxf8+ Kh7 33.Nf2 c1=Q+34.Nf1 Ne1 Threatening 35...Nf3++. 35.Rh2Qxc4 36.Rb8Bb5 37.Rxb5Qxb5 38.g4Nf3+39.Bxf3 exf3 40.gxf5 Qe2 Now White is re-duced to pawn moves, for if 41.Rh3 Ng4 42.Nxg4Qg2++, or 41.Nh3 Ng4! 42. Rxe2 fxe2, andthe pawn will promote. 41.d5 Kg8 42.h5 Kh743.e4 Nxe4 44.Nxe4 Qxe4 45.d6 cxd6 46.f6gxf6 47.Rd2Qe2 Forcing an easily won King andpawn ending. 48.Rxe2 fxe2 49.Kf2 exf1=Q+50.Kxf1Kg7 51.Kf2Kf7 52.Ke3Ke6 53.Ke4d5+ White Resigns.0-1

◦ Maroczy, G.• Tartakower, S.?Teplitz-Schonau1922 0-1 A85A marvelous intuitive sacrifice. When offering theRook at move 17, Tartakower’s judgment told himthat White would have no way to secure his Kingor obtain a counterattack, so that Black would beable to bring up the reserves at leisure.1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.a3 Be7 5.e3 O–O6.Bd3 d5 7.Nf3 c6 8.O–ONe4 The "Stonewall"system of the Dutch Defense. Black hopes to usehis strongly posted Knight at e4 to support an at-tack on the White King. 9.Qc2Bd6 10.b3Nd711.Bb2 Rf6 12.Rfe1 Rh6 13.g3 Qf6 14.Bf1g5 15.Rad1 g4 16.Nxe4 Opens the file for Black,but 16.Nd2 Nxf2 17. Kxf2 Rxh2+ 18.Bg2 Bxg3+is crushing. 16...fxe4 17.Nd2 Rxh2 18.Kxh2Qxf2+ 19.Kh1 Nf6 20.Re2 Qxg3 21.Nb1Nh5 22. Qd2Bd7 23.Rf2Qh4+ 24.Kg1Bg325.Bc3 White must return some of the material,for if 25.Rg2 Rf8 26.Qe2 Rf3 27.Bc3 Bd6 28.Be1g3 29.Nd2 Qg4, followed by Nh5-g7-f5, Blackhas a winning attack. 25...Bxf2+ 26.Qxf2 g327.Qg2Rf8 28.Be1Rxf1+ 29.Kxf1 e5 30.Kg1Bg4 31.Bxg3 White cannot survive 31.Rd2 exd432.exd4 Bf3. 31...Nxg3 32.Re1 Nf5 33.Qf2

Qg5 34.dxe5 Bf3+ 35.Kf1 Ng3+ White Re-signs.0-1

◦ Siegbert Tarrasch• Richard RetiVienna (10)Austria1922 1-0 B10A problem-like finish caps this magnificent con-test. The most impressive feature is the relentlessmarch of White’s king from g1 to f7 to mate hisluckless adversary.1.e4 c6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3 Nf6 Also playable is3...dxe4. Weaker is 3...d4 4. Ne2 c5 5. d3.4.exd5 cxd5 5.d4 Bg4 6.h3 Bxf3 White wreststhe initiative on 6...Bh5 7. g4 Bg6 8. Ne5.7.Qxf3 e6 8.Bd3Nc6 9.Be3Be7 Black’s solidsetup is hard to crack. But not 9...Qb6 10. O-O Qxb2? (or 10...Nxd4 11. Qf4 Bc5 12. Na4)11. Nb5 with the double threat of Rfb1 and/orNc7. 10.O–O O–O 11.a3 a6 12.Ne2 b5 13.Bf4Qb6 14.c3 Na5 15.Rad1 Nc4 16.Bc1 Qc6More logical is 16...a5 right away. 17.Ng3 a518.Rfe1 b4 No need to stop for 18...Rfe8 to pre-vent 20. Nf5. 19.axb4 axb4 20.Nf5 exf5Leads to a severe weakening of the dark squareson the kingside. Simply 20...Bd8 is indicated.21.Rxe7 bxc3 22.bxc3 g6 23.Bh6 Nb2 Trad-ing a good knight for an ineffectual bishop. Bet-ter is 23...Rfe8. 24.Rb1 Nxd3 25.Qxd3 Rfb8A tougher defense is 25...Rfe8. Now Whitegets a bind. 26.Rxb8+ Rxb8 27.Qg3 Rd828.Qe5 Ra8 Black is all tied up and runningout of good moves. 29.Rc7 Qe6 30.Qxe6 fxe631.Rg7+ Kh8 32.Re7 Kg8 33.f3 There’s norush. 33. Rxe6 Kf7 gives Black counterplay.33...Ne8 34.Kh2 Nd6 35.Rg7+ Kh8 36.Rd7Nb5 37.Kg3 Nxc3 38.Kf4 Black’s extra pawnis trivial. He is helpless against the incursion ofWhite’s king on the dark squares. 38...Nb539.Ke5 Re8 40.Kf6 Black can’t breathe. If40...Kg8 41. Rg7 Kh8 42. Rb7 Nd6 43. Rd7 Nb544. Kf7 Rg8 45. Rd8! Rxd8 46. Bg7 mate. Blackresigns.1-0

◦ Alekhine, A.• Yates, F.CarlsbadCzechoslovakia1923 0-1 E62Frederick Yates was England’s outstanding repre-sentative after Blackburne was no longer on the

30

scene. Here is his most celebrated victory whichearned him a brilliancy prize.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 O–O 5.Nc3d6 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.d5 Nb8 A hypermodern idea.Black lures the pawns forward in the hope of un-dermining them later. Also playable is 7...Na58. Nd2 c5. 8.e4 Nbd7 9.O–O a5 10.Be3 Bet-ter is 10. h3. 10...Ng4 11.Bd4 Nge5 12.Nxe5Nxe5 Better is 12. Nd2. Exchanges ease Black’scramp. 13.c5 dxc5 14.Bxc5 b6 15.Bd4 Ba616.Re1 Qd6 17.Bf1 Not 17. f4? Nd3! 18.Bxg7 Qc5+ wins. 17...Bxf1 18.Rxf1 c5 Hopingfor 19. dxc6? Qxd4! 20. Qxd4 Nf3+ 19.Bxe5Qxe5 20.Qb3 Rab8 21.Qb5 A strategical er-ror. Correct is 21. Rad1. 21...f5 22.Rae1 f423.Qd7Rbd8 24.gxf4Qxf4 25.Qe6+ The pawnis immune: 25. Qxe7? Qg4+ 26. Kh1 Qf3+27. Kg1 Rde8 28. Qd7 Re5 and wins. 25...Kh826.f3Qg5+ 27.Kh1Rd6 28.Qh3Be5 29.Re2Rdf6 30.Nd1 Rf4 31.Ne3 Rh4 32.Qe6 Qh533.Ng4 Rxg4 Launching a long combination.34.fxg4 Rxf1+ 35.Kg2 Qxh2+ 36.Kxf1 Qh1+37.Kf2 Bd4+ 38.Kg3 Qg1+ 39.Kh3 Qf1+40.Rg2 Qh1+ 41.Kg3 Qe1+ 42.Kh3 g5 Thethreat of Qh4 mate wins material. 43.Rc2Qf1+ 44.Kh2 Qg1+ 45.Kh3 Qh1+ 46.Kg3Qd1 47.Rc3 Qg1+ 48.Kh3 Qf1+ 49. Kg3Bf2+ 50.Kf3Bg1+ White Resigns without wait-ing for 51. Kg3 Qf2+ 52. Kh3 Qh2 mate.0-1

◦ Saemisch, F.• Nimzovich, A.CopenhagenDenmark1923 0-1 E18Aron Nimzovich was the greatest player of the hy-permodern school. His wizardry was most evi-dent in closed positions when he found moves thatwere often termed "mysterious." This classic be-came known as the "Immortal Zugzwang Game."1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2Be7 6.Nc3 O–O 7.O–O d5 This standard Q’s In-dian Defense was radically new in 1923. Today7...Ne4 is considered best. 8.Ne5 c6 9.cxd5 Onlyhelps Black solidify his center. Better is 9. e4 orb3. 9...cxd5 10.Bf4 a6 11.Rc1 b5 12.Qb3 An-other positional misjudgment. 12. Nd3 leads toan even game. 12...Nc6 13.Nxc6 Bxc6 14.h3Qd7 15.Kh2 Nh5 16.Bd2 f5 17.Qd1 A tacitadmission that Qb3 was wrong. 17...b4 18.Nb1Bb5 19.Rg1 Bd6 20.e4 The losing move. 20.e3 still makes a fight of it. 20...fxe4 21.Qxh5Rxf2 22.Qg5Raf8 23.Kh1R8f5 24.Qe3Bd3

25.Rce1 To prevent ...Re2. 25...h6 White Resigns.25...h6 is one of the most remarkable winningmoves on record. There is no direct threat, but al-most anything White does will eventually lose ma-terial – though he is not technically in "zugzwang."Here are a few possibilities: (A) 26. g4 R5f3! 27.Bxf3 Rh2 mate. (B) 26. a3 a5 27. axb4 axb428. b3 Kh7 and White faces the same predicament.(C) 26. b3 a5 and White has still run out of goodmoves.0-1

◦ Grunfeld, E.• Alekhine, A.?Carlsbad, CZ1923 0-1 D64Another superb Alekhine combination, as he out-plays opening expert Grunfeld in the middlegame.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bg5Nbd7 6.e3 O–O 7.Rc1 c6 8.Qc2 a6 9.a3 h610.Bh4Re8 11.Bd3 dxc4 12.Bxc4 b5 13.Ba2c5 14.Rd1 cxd4 15.Nxd4 Qb6 16.Bb1 Bb717.O–O Rac8 18.Qd2 Ne5 19.Bxf6 Bxf620.Qc2 g6 21.Qe2 Nc4 22.Be4 Bg7 23.Bxb7Qxb7 24.Rc1 e5 25.Nb3 e4 26.Nd4 Red827.Rfd1 Ne5 28.Na2 Nd3 29.Rxc8 Qxc830.f3Rxd4 31.fxe4 Black wins on 31.exd4 Bxd4+32.Kf1 Nf4 33.Qxe4 Qc4+ 34.Ke1 Nxg2+ 35.Kd2Be3+. White hopes to escape with the text move, asBlack has two pieces "en prise." 31...Nf4 32.exf4Qc4 33.Qxc4 Rxd1+ 34.Qf1 Bd4+ White Re-signs.0-1

◦ Rubinstein, A.• Hromadka?Mahrisch-Ostrau1923 1-0 C30Rubinstein’s lucid play demonstrates the positionalbasis of the King’s Gambit, as his diversionarythreats on the open f-file prove a prelude to the de-cisive combinative blow against the Black King onthe other flank.1.e4 e5 2.f4 Bc5 Black may decline the King’sGambit in this manner, for 3.fxe5? loses horri-bly to 3...Qh4+ 4.g3 Qxe4+ and 5...Qxh1. 3.Nf3d6 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Bc4 Nc6 6.d3 Bg4 This oldvariation has the effect of preventing White fromcastling, but more in accordance with the po-sition was challenging White’s powerful Bishopwith 6...Be6. 7.h3 Bxf3 8.Qxf3 Nd4 9.Qg3

31

Qe7 Capturing the Rook with 9...Nxc2+ 10.Kd1Nxa1 yields White an overwhelming attack, e.g.11.fxe5 dxe5 12.Qxg7 Rf8 13.Bg5 Be7 14.Rf1 etc.10.fxe5 dxe5 11.Kd1 c6 12.a4 Rg8 13.Rf1 h614.Ne2 O–O–O Black hopes to secure his Kingon the Queenside, but White will combine actionon the f-file and the g1-a7 diagonal via the "pivotpoint" f2. 15.Nxd4 Bxd4 16.c3 Bb6 17.a5Bc7 18.Be3 Kb8 19.Kc2 With his last move,Black threatened to exploit the pin on the d-filewith ...Nxe4; this was not on before because ofQg4+. 19...Ka8 20.Rf3 Preparing 21.Qf2, whenhe would threaten both Bxa7 and Bxh6. 20...Nd5A clever move, enabling the Knight to reach the"outpost" square f4. The tactical point is 21.exd5?cxd5 22.Ba2 e4 23.Bf4 exf3 24.Bxc7 Rc8, andwith the threat of ...Qe2+ Black has a strong at-tack. 21.Bg1 Nf4 22.Qf2 Bb8 23.g3 Clear-ing the f-file. Black had not feared this move,for he thought that his reply would lead to theexchange of the important Bg1, breaking the at-tack, but Rubinstein has seen farther. 23...Nxh324.Rxf7 Qd6 25.Qb6 A startling move. Whitethreatens 26.Qxb7++, and the Queen cannot betaken in view of 25...axb6 26.axb6+ Ba7 27.Rxa7+Kb8 28.Rfxb7+ Kc8 29.Ba6, with unavoidablemate. 25...Rd7 26.Bc5 The point of the com-bination; the Black Queen has few flight squares,and after 26...Qc7 27.Qxc7 Rcx7 28.Rxc7 Bxc729.Bxg8 White picks off the undefended Rook ong8. 26...Rxf7 27.Bxd6 Rf2+ 28.Qxf2 Nxf229.Bc5 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Richard Reti• Karel TreybalCarlsbadCzechoslovakia1923 1/2-1/2 E19When Reti popularized the hypermodern openingnamed after him (1. Nf3), he had some profoundpositional concepts in mind such as controlling thecenter from the wings instead of occupying it withpawns. But when confronted with such admirabletacticians as Dr. Treybal, the game became as wildas anything arising out of the King’s Gambit.1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 c5 4.Bg2 Nc6 5.O–OBe7 6.Nc3 d5 Black occupies the center withpawns in a classical style. Meanwhile, Reti triesto undermine it from the wings, a typical hyper-modern strategy. 7.cxd5Nxd5 8.Nxd5 exd5 Alsofeasible is 8...Qxd5 to avoid the isolated pawn. Ifthen 9. d3 O-O 10. Be3 Qh5 is roughly equal.9.d4 c4 Black boldly aims for a queenside pawn

majority at the expense of giving White controlof the center. 10.b3 O–O 11.bxc4 dxc4 12.d5Nb4 13.Ne5Qc7 14.f4Bf5 15.e4 f6 16.a3 Thegame now takes a critical turn. Black reckonedon 16. exf5 fxe5 17. fxe5 Qxe5 18. Bf4 Qxf519. d6 Qc5 20. Kh1 Rfd8 21. d7 Nd3 22.Bxb7 Rxd7! threatening not only Rxb7 but Nf2as well. 16...Bc5+ 17.Kh1 fxe5 18.axb4 Bd4The only way to save one of the bishops. 19.exf5Bxa1 20.d6 Qd7 21.fxe5 Rxf5 22.Rxf5 Qxf523.Bf4 Bxe5 24.Bxb7 On 24. Qd5 Kh8 thebishop on e5 is immune owing to the mate threaton the back rank by Qb1. 24...Bxf4 25.Bxa8Bxd6 The bishop is again untouchable owing toQf1 mate. 26.Qd5+ Qxd5+ 27.Bxd5+ Kf828.Bxc4Bxb4 29.Kg2Ke7 Another great fight-ing draw. Black can’t make progress despite hisextra pawn, owing to opposite colored bishops.1/2-1/2

◦ Richard Reti• Akiba RubinsteinCarlsbadCzechoslovakia1923 1-0 A07Chess would not have advanced to the healthyeclecticism which characterizes it today were it notfor the hypermoderns. In the 1920s Reti consis-tently won high prizes, though he never reached thepinnacle before his untimely death at age 40. Hereis a game of immense historical importance, whichdemonstrated the value of his new opening (1.Nf3)against one of the oldtimers. Curiously, Reti de-molishes Black’s pawn center in order to occupy itwith his own pawns!1.Nf3 d5 2.g3Nf6 3.Bg2 g6 4.c4 d4 This pawnbecomes weak. Better is 4...c6 to bolster the center.5.d3 Bg7 6.b4 Undermining support for Black’sadvanced d-pawn. 6...O–O 7.Nbd2 Since Blackhas occupied the center with a pawn, White pro-ceeds to undermine and destroy it. 7...c5 Givingup a pawn in order to reinforce the center after 8.bxc5 Nc6 9. Nb3 e5. But 7...Re8 intending e5is better. 8.Nb3 cxb4 9.Bb2 Nc6 10.Nbxd4Nxd4 11.Bxd4 The outcome of the opening is cu-rious. White stands better because he can occupythe center with pawns, leading to a hypermodernparadox: If you occupy the center immediately,the pawns may become weak. This suggests thatoccupation itself is not the culprit – just prema-ture occupation. 11...b6 12.a3Bb7 13.Bb2 bxa314.Rxa3 Qc7 15.Qa1 Kmoch wrote: "One mayconfidently assert that Reti did not discover thismove, he invented it!" 15...Ne8 16.Bxg7 Nxg7

32

17.O–O "At last! The older masters were oftenhorrified by the lack of precautions that hypermod-erns took to defend their king" – Reuben Fine. Ofcourse not 17. Rxa7? Rxa7 18. Qxa7 Ra8 trappingthe queen. 17...Ne6 18.Rb1 Bc6 19.d4 Be420.Rd1 White stands better because, curiously, heis now able to occupy the center with pawns! Now20...Qxc4 loses to 21. Nd2. 20...a5 20...Qxc4?21. Nd2 costs Black a piece. 21.d5Nc5 22.Nd4Bxg2 23.Kxg2Rfd8 24.Nc6Rd6 25.Re3Re826.Qe5 f6 27.Qb2 e5 Reti provoked this advanceby Black. Now White’s knight cannot be dislodgedand his next step is to focus on the weak b-pawn.28.Qb5Kf7 29.Rb1Nd7 30.f3Rc8 Hoping tofree his game with Nb8. 31.Rd3 e4 A desper-ate gasp for air. If 31...Nb8 then 32. c5 wins.32.fxe4Ne5 33.Qxb6 Vindicating White’s entirestrategy. 33...Nxc6 34.c5 Rd7 35.dxc6 Rxd336.Qxc7+ Rxc7 37.exd3 Rxc6 38.Rb7+ Ke839.d4 Ra6 40.Rb6 The quickest path to victory.After 40...Rxb6 41. cxb6 Kd7 42. e5 a4 43.e6 Kxe6 44. b7 White queens first. 40...Ra841.Rxf6 a4 42.Rf2 a3 43.Ra2 Kd7 44.d5 g545.Kf3 Ra4 46.Ke3 h5 47. h4 gxh4 48.gxh4Ke7 49.Kf4Kd7 50.Kf5 One of the earliest tri-umphs of hypermodernism. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Capablanca, J.• Lasker, Em.New York (14)USA1924 1-0 D13This magnificent fighting game took place threeyears after Lasker lost the title to Capablanca.Lasker won first prize by scoring 80% in this dou-ble round robin, but Capa had the satisfaction ofposting 1 1/2 out of two in their individual encoun-ters here.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 cxd5 5.Nf3Nc6 6.Bf4 e6 7.e3 Be7 7...Bd6 is less cramp-ing. 8.Bd3 O–O 9.O–O White should stop for9. h3 to provide an escape square for his bishop onh2. 9...Nh5 10.Be5 f5 More consistent is 10...f6.11.Rc1 Nf6 12.Bxf6 gxf6 Doubled pawns are aweakness, but this prevents White from controllinge5 and opens the g-file for counterplay. 13.Nh4Kh8 14.f4Rg8 15.Rf3Bd7 16.Rh3 Pointless.16...Be8 17.a3Rg7 18.Rg3Rxg3 19.hxg3Rc820.Kf2Na5 21.Qf3 Better is 21. Qe2 right away.21...Nc4 22.Qe2 Nd6 23.Rh1 Ne4+ Correct is23...Bf7! and if 24. g4 Ne4+ 25. Bxe4 fxe4 sothat White’s Queen can’t penetrate the kingside.24.Bxe4 fxe4 25.Qg4 f5 26.Nxf5 A promising

sacrifice netting 3 pawns for the piece. 26...exf527.Qxf5 h5 28.g4Rc6 29.g5 An error. Alekhineshowed that 29. Nxd5 would have won. 29...Kg8Returning the favor. Lasker gives 29...Rd6! 30.g4 Kg8 as the proper defense. 30.Nxd5 Bf731.Nxe7+Qxe7 32.g4 hxg4 Overlooking an easydraw by 32...Rc2+ 33. Kg3 Re2 34. g6 h4+!but Black is still playing to win. 33.Qh7+ Kf834.Rh6Bg8 Simpler is 34...Rxh6. 35.Qf5+Kg736.Rxc6 bxc6 37.Kg3 Qe6 The losing move.Alekhine pointed out 37...Bf7! still draws; if 38.Qxg4 c5. 38.Kxg4 Qxf5+ 39.Kxf5 Bd5 40.b4a6 41.Kg4Bc4 42.f5Bb3 43.Kf4Bc2 44.Ke5Kf7 45.a4 Kg7 Three passed pawns are decisiveafter 45...Bxa4 46. Kxe4. 46.d5 Bxa4 47.d6 c548.bxc5Bc6 49.Ke6 a5 50.f6+ Black Resigns inview of 50...Kf8 51. g6 a4 52. g7+ Kg8 53. f7+Kxg7 54. Ke7 and f8=Q coming next.1-0

◦ Emanuel Lasker• Edward LaskerNew York (6)USA1924 1/2-1/2 C99Emanuel Lasker’s greatest triumph after he wasdethroned came at age 55, in this famous doubleround-robin with 11 stars. Undefeated, he won bya margin of 1.5 points ahead of runner-up Capa-blanca (who took the title from him in 1921) andfour points ahead of Alekhine (who took the titlefrom Capa in 1927). The advantage changed handswhen he persisted in trying to win a drawn positionagainst his namesake Edward Lasker (no relation).White’s narrow escape with a knight against rookand pawn added a new chapter to endgame theory.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O–O 8.c3 d6 9.h3 Na510.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 Black tries to hold e5at all costs in this closed defense to the RuyLopez. 12.Nbd2 cxd4 13.cxd4 Bd7 14.Nf1Rfc8 15.Re2 Nh5 A dubious pawn sacrifice.16.dxe5 dxe5 17.Nxe5 Bxh3 18.Nxf7 Knownto the trade as a desperado sacrifice. The knightsells itself for as much material as possible. Now18...Bxg2 is refuted by 19. Qd5. 18...Be6 19.Ng5Bc4 20.Bd3 Rd8 21.Rc2 Pin and counter-pin!21...Nf4 22.Bxf4 Much stronger is 22. Bxc4followed by Qg4. 22...Qxf4 23.Nh3 Qe524.Bxc4+Nxc4 25.Qe2Rd4 26.f3Rad8 Whiteis a pawn up but Black’s control of the d-file giveshim some compensation in the form of a bind.27.Rac1Bc5 28.Kh1Bb4 29.b3Nd2 30.Ne3

33

Gives Black an opportunity to turn the tables. Sim-ply 30. Nh2 leaves the enemy knight strandedon d2. 30...Ba3 "I had no more time left to fig-ure through 30...Nxe4! 31. fxe4 Rxe4 32. Rc8Re8! which would have won a solid pawn and thegame," noted Edward Lasker. 31.Rd1Bb4 32.a3Ba5 33.b4 Bc7 Hoping for 34. Ng4? Nxe4!But White has an effective rejoinder. 34.f4 Nxe435.Kh2Rxd1 36.Nxd1 But not 36. fxe5? Bxe537. g3 R1d2. 36...Qe7 37.Rxc7 Spoiling thefruits of his labor. Instead 37. N1f2! Rd4 38.Qe3 Bb6 39. Re2 snares a piece. 37...Qxc738.Qxe4 Qc4 Certainly not 38...Rxd1?? 39.Qe8 mate. White now tries desperately to winby keeping queens on the board. 39.Qe7 Qc840.Ndf2 h6 41.Qa7Qe6 42.Qb7Qd5 43.Qb6Exchanging queens leads to a draw and if 43.Qxa6 Ra8 regains the pawn. 43...Rd6 44.Qe3Re6 45.Qc3 Qc4 46.Qf3 Qc6 47.Qd3 Rd648.Qb3+ Qd5 49.Qb1 Re6 White’s rejectionof a draw by repetition allowed Black to steadilyimprove his position. 50.Ng4 Re2 51.Nxh6+51. Ngf2 would hold the balance. In persistentlyavoiding the draw, White comes dangerously closeto losing. 51...gxh6 52.Qg6+ Kf8 53.Qxh6+Ke8 54.Qg6+ Kd8 55.Qg3 Re8 56.Qf2 Rg857. Qc2 Here 57. Qb6 would force a draw,but White is still striving for more. 57...Qd658.Qc3Kd7 59.Qf3Kc7 60.Qe4Rg7 61.Qf5Re7 62.Ng5 Trying to activate the knight provesfruitless. 62. Qc2 Kd8 63. Qc3 would stillmaintain parity.. Now White drops his a-pawn.62...Re3 63.Ne4Qe7 64.Nf6Kb8 The point is65. Nd5? Qh4 wins. Now Black is playing fora win. 65.g3Rxa3 66.Kh3Ra1 67.Nd5Rh1+68.Kg2Qh7 69.Qxh7Rxh7 70.Kf3Kb7 71.g4Kc6 72.Ke4Rh8 Threatening 73...Re8 74. Kd4Rd8 pinning the knight. Alekhine recommends72...Rd7 instead. 73.Ne3 Re8+ 74.Kd4 Rd8+75.Ke4 a5 Creating a passed pawn before White’spawns advance too far. 76.bxa5 b4 77.a6 Kc578.a7 b3 79.Nd1 Ra8 80.g5 Rxa7 81.g6 Rd782.Nb2 Rd2 83.Kf3 The point of White’s bril-liant defense. If 83...Rxb2? 84. g7 queens.83...Rd8 84.Ke4 Rd2 85.Kf3 Rd8 86.Ke4Kd6 87.Kd4 Rc8 88.g7 Ke7 89.g8=Q Rxg890.Kc4 Rg3 91.Na4 Kf6 92.Kb4 Kf5 Oddlyenough, Black cannot win despite his material ad-vantage. This position was previously unknownto theory and later became famous as the LaskerDraw. 93.Nb2 Ke4 94.Na4 Kd4 95.Nb2 Rf396.Na4Re3 97.Nb2Ke4 98.Na4Kf3 99.Ka3Ke4 100.Kb4 Kd4 101.Nb2 Rh3 102.Na4Kd3 Giving up the pawn to break the blockade.

But rook vs. knight without pawns on the boardis a well-known book draw with best defense.103.Kxb3Kd4+ Draw agreed.1/2-1/2

◦ Richard Reti• Jose CapablancaNew York (5)USA1924 1-0 A15In this elite event, Capa started slowly with fourdraws before losing to Reti – the first tournamentgame he had lost in eight years. It created a sen-sation. Although Capa’s debacle was due solely toa miscalculation, this game brought the unortho-dox theories of the hypermoderns to the attentionof the public. Far from being discouraged by sucha bad start, Capa showed his mettle by winning 10and drawing 5 in the remaining 15 rounds to finishsecond behind Lasker.1.Nf3 The Reti Opening is named in honor of thefounder of the Hypermodern school which held,in opposition to classical theory, that the centercould be controlled from the wings rather than bydirectly occupying it with pawns. 1...Nf6 2.c4g6 3.b4 Bg7 4.Bb2 O–O 5.g3 b6 Capablancatreats the opening simply as well as soundly and,after a few moves, attaints a perfectly even posi-tion. – Alekhine. 6.Bg2 Bb7 7.O–O d6 8.d3It’s somewhat odd to see both sides fianchetto alltheir bishops. Here Reti sticks too closely to hishypermodern principles by not occupying the cen-ter directly with 8. d4. 8...Nbd7 9.Nbd2 e510.Qc2 Re8 11.Rfd1 a5 12.a3 h6 13.Nf1 c514.b5Nf8 15. e3Qc7 Preparing to break with d5but White beats him to it. 16.d4 Finally advanc-ing the pawn with greater impact than would havebeen the case on move 8. 16...Be4 17.Qc3 Moreaccurate is 17. Qc1 right away. 17...exd4 18.exd4N6d7 A miscalculation. After 18...Ne6! 19. dxc5dxc5 19. Qc1 it’s an even game. 19.Qd2 cxd4A miscalculation. Simply 19...Rad8 avoids theworst. 20.Bxd4Qxc4 21.Bxg7Kxg7 22.Qb2+Kg8 23.Rxd6 Qc5 Also inadequate is 23...Nc524. Ne3. 24.Rad1 Ra7 25.Ne3 Qh5 The cen-ter is liquidated but White controls more space anddominates the d-file. It’s all over in a few moves.26.Nd4 Bxg2 27.Kxg2 Qe5 Nothing works. If27...Rxe3 28. fxe3 Qxd1 29. Nf5! wins. 28.Nc4Qc5 29.Nc6 Rc7 30.Ne3 Ne5 31.R1d5 Trap-ping the queen. A great personal triumph for Retias well as a vindication for his theories in general.Black Resigns.1-0

34

◦ Richard Reti• Efim BogoljubovNew YorkUSA1924 1-0 A13While his victory over Capablanca was a personaltriumph for Reti, this win against Bogoljubov inthe same event is one of the finest games on record.White’s delayed occuption of the center, com-bined with subtle positional maneuvers, leads toa problem-like twist. His effort was awarded thevery first brilliancy prize given in a tournament.1.Nf3 Nf6 A flexible reply that doesn’t commitBlack to any course of action. 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 Oc-cupying the center in a classical style. Anothergood reply is 3...b6. 4.Bg2 Bd6 5.O–O O–OOn 5...dxc4 6. Qa4+ regains the pawn. 6.b3Re8 7.Bb2 This double fianchetto was a hall-mark of the Hypermoderns, who were also knownas "chess cubists." 7...Nbd7 8.d4 Less forcefulis 8. d3. 8...c6 9.Nbd2 Ne4 Leads to trou-ble by opening lines before Black has completedhis development. More steadfast is 9...b6 fol-lowed by Bb7. 10.Nxe4 dxe4 11.Ne5 f5 Theonly way to save the e-pawn, but it weakens thekingside. Also inadequate is 11...Nf6 12. Qc2.12.f3 exf3 13.Bxf3 Qc7 A lesser evil would be13...Nxe5 14. dxe5 Bc5 15. Kg2 Bd7. 14.Nxd7Bxd7 15.e4 e5 Struggling to free himself. 16.c5Bf8 17.Qc2 exd4 18.exf5 Rad8 Hoping for 19.Bxd4 Bxf5. Instead White launches a decisive as-sault. 19.Bh5Re5 20.Bxd4Rxf5 Allows a bril-liant finish but 20...Rd5 21. Rad1 is equally bad.21.Rxf5 Bxf5 22.Qxf5 Rxd4 23.Rf1 Rd8 Ofno avail is 23...Qe7 24. Bf7 Kh8 25. Bd5! g626. Qxf8 winning a piece. 24.Bf7+Kh8 25.Be8Black will get mated and resigns. A beautiful finaltouch.1-0

◦ Torre, C.• Lasker, Em.?Moscow1925 1-0 A46Carlos Torre burst on the chess scene when hemoved from his native Mexico to New Orleansand then New York in the 1920s. In this game,played on his 21st birthday, he sweeps the seventhrank with an unusual discovered-check combina-tion. Tragically, his career was cut short in a few

years because of illness. This celebrated game ishis birthday gift to posterity.1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bg5 c5 4.e3 cxd4 5.exd4Be7 6.Nbd2 d6 7.c3 Nbd7 8.Bd3 b6 9.Nc4Bb7 10.Qe2 Qc7 11.O–O O–O 12.Rfe1 Rfe813.Rad1Nf8 14.Bc1Nd5 15. Ng5 b5 16.Na3b4 17.cxb4Nxb4 White’s opening is less than ele-gant, but he works up some threats. 18.Qh5Bxg519.Bxg5Nxd3 20.Rxd3Qa5 21.b4Qf5 Betterwas 21... Qd5 22. Rg3 h6 when the Queen controlsc4. 22.Rg3 h6 23.Nc4Qd5 Still hoping to profitfrom the pin, but 23... hxg5 24. Nxd6 leads to anequal game. 24.Ne3Qb5 Now the pin backfires.25.Bf6 Qxh5 26.Rxg7+ Kh8 27.Rxf7+ Kg828.Rg7+ Kh8 29.Rxb7+ Kg8 30.Rg7+ Kh831.Rg5+Kh7 32.Rxh5Kg6 33.Rh3Kxf6 Af-ter the carnage, White emerges three pawns up:34.Rxh6+ Kg5 35.Rh3 Reb8 36.Rg3+ Kf637.Rf3+ Kg6 38.a3 a5 39.bxa5 Rxa5 40. Nc4Rd5 41.Rf4 Nd7 42.Rxe6+ Kg5 43.g3 BlackResigns.1-0

◦ Reti, R.• Alekhine, A.?Baden-Baden1925 0-1 A00Reti was one of the leaders of the "Hypermodern"movement, a group of masters who rebelled againstthe dogmatism of Tarrasch (who claimed that thecenter must be occupied by pawns) and demon-strated the power of counterattack against an im-mobile center. Here, Reti obtains a fine strate-gic position from his opening experiment, but isensnared by Alekhine in a whirlwind of combi-nations. This is an incredibly complicated gamewhere everything is suspended in mid-air. Master-magician Alekhine pulls the strings, finding onestroke after another, each more powerful than thelast, so that his harassed opponent is given nobreathing space.1.g3 e5 2.Nf3 e4 3.Nd4 d5 4.d3 exd3 5.Qxd3Nf6 6.Bg2Bb4+ 7.Bd2Bxd2+ 8. Nxd2 O–OBlack occupies the center with a pawn, Whitestrikes at it from the wings. Chances are roughlyeven. 9.c4 Na6 10.cxd5 Nb4 11.Qc4 Nbxd512.N2b3 c6 Now White has pressure on the h1-a8diagonal and the c-file; the Knight on d4 aims at c6,where they intersect, and the Nb3 can move to c5,attacking b7. Black must play very energetically tomaintain the balance. 13.O–ORe8 14.Rfd1Bg415.Rd2 Qc8 16.Nc5 Bh3 17.Bf3 White cor-rectly declines the pawn sacrifice, for Black wins in

35

17.Bxh3 Qxh3 18.Nxb7 Ng4 19.Nf3 Nde3 20.fxe3Nxe3 21.Qxf7+ Kh8 [not 21...Kxf7 22.Ng5+ and23.Nxh3] 22.Nh4 Rf8, and if 23.Qb3 Rf1+ mates.17...Bg4 18.Bg2 Bh3 19.Bf3 Bg4 20.Bh1Naturally White does not want to agree to a draw,or change his powerful Bishop. But the position ofthe B on h1 allows Black a hidden combinationalidea at move 26. 20...h5 21.b4 a6 22.Rc1 h423.a4 hxg3 24.hxg3 Qc7 25.b5 Instead Alekhinerecommends 25.e4 Nb6 26.Qb3, but White didnot wish to block the diagonal of his Bishop,and Black’s threat is far from obvious. 25...axb526.axb5 Re3 One of Alekhine’s most surprisingcombinations. 27.Nf3 The Rook cannot betaken because of 27.fxe3 Qxg3+ 28.Bg2 Nxe3, andBlack threatened 27...Rxg3+ with the same idea.But a better defense, according to Alekhine, was27.Bf3 Bxf3 28.gxf3 cxb5 29.Nxb5 Qa5, thoughBlack is still somewhat better; 30.Rxd5? fails to30...Re1+ 31.Rxe1 Qxe1+ and 32...Ra1. 27...cxb528.Qxb5Nc3 29.Qxb7Qxb7 30.Nxb7Nxe2+31.Kh2 An amazing position – with so manypieces of both color "en prise" it seems difficultto say even who has the advantage. But with hisnext move, Alekhine embarks on a 12-move com-bination that ends in the capture of the strandedKnight on b7. 31...Ne4 A crazy setting whereeverything seems to be hanging. Yet Black willtrap the knight at b7 after 12 more forced moves.32.Rc4 Not 32.fx3? Nxd2 winning the Exchange.32...Nxf2 33.Bg2Be6 34.Rcc2Ng4+ 35.Kh3Ne5+ 36.Kh2 Rxf3 37.Rxe2 Ng4+ 38. Kh3Ne3+ 39.Kh2 Nxc2 40.Bxf3 Nd4 If 41.Re3Nxf3+ 42.Rxf3 Bd5, winning a piece. 41.Rf2Nxf3+ 42.Rxf3Bd5 White Resigns0-1

◦ Johner, P.• Nimzowitsch, A.?Dresden1926 0-1 E50Nimzowitsch’s maneuvers puzzled his contempo-raries, and this game is a case in point (Qd7-f5-h7).The justification lies in the importance of the Blackpawn on e4, which cramps the White position. Itmust be "overprotected," and any pieces engaged insuch activity find themselves well-posted for laterattack.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 O–O 5.Bd3c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.O–O Bxc3 8.bxc3 d6 9.Nd2b6 10.Nb3 e5 11.f4 e4 12.Be2 Qd7 13.h3Ne7 14.Qe1 h5 15.Bd2 Qf5 16.Kh2 Qh717.a4 Nf5 18.g3 a5 19.Rg1 Nh6 20.Bf1

Bd7 21.Bc1 Rac8 22.d5 Kh8 23.Nd2 Rg824.Bg2 g5 25.Nf1 Rg7 26.Ra2 Nf5 27.Bh1Rcg8 28.Qd1 gxf4 29.exf4 Bc8 30.Qb3 Ba631.Re2 Or 31.Bd2 Rg6 32.Be1 Ng4+ 33.hxg4hxg4+ 34.Kg2 Bxc4 35.Qxc4 e3, and the threatof 36...Qh3++ forces 36.Nxe3 Nxe3+, winningthe Queen. 31...Nh4 32.Re3 Bc8 33.Qc2Bxh3 34.Bxe4 Bf5 35.Bxf5 Nxf5 36.Re2h4 37.Rgg2 hxg3+ 38.Kg1 Qh3 39.Ne3 Nh440.Kf1Re8 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Colle, E.• Gruenfeld, E.BerlinGermany1926 1-0 A47The Belgian master Edgar Colle is rememberedmostly for the opening named after him – the ColleSystem. Here is one of his most famous brillian-cies.1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 b6 The Colle Systemproper arises after 3...d5 4. Bd3 c5 5. c3. 4.Bd3Bb7 5.Nbd2 c5 6.O–O Be7 7.b3 cxd4 8.exd4d6 9.Bb2 Nbd7 10.c4 O–O 11. Rc1 Re812.Re1 Qc7 The start of a hypermodern maneu-ver to shift the queen to a8! More relevant is12...Rc8. 13.Qe2 Rac8 14.Nf1 Qb8 15.Ng3Qa8 16.Ng5 g6 17.Nxf7 Kxf7 18.Qxe6+ Kg719. d5Nc5 20.Nf5+Kf8 21.Qe3 gxf5 22.Qh6+Kf7 23.Bxf5Bxd5 24.Rxe7+Rxe7 25.Qxf6+Ke8 26.Qh8+Kf7 27.Bxc8 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Nimzovich, A.• Rubinstein, A.DresdenGermany1926 1-0 A34Before 1920 Akiba Rubinstein was consideredLasker’s most likely challenger, yet he never gota shot at the title. The Old Guard seemed baffledby Nimzovich’s mysterious moves; here is anothertriumph of his new ideas.1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4Nb4 Simpler is 5...Nxc3 but Rubinstein proba-bly figured 6. d3 was necessary because clas-sical dogma taught that the king shouldn’t movein the opening. White’s next comes as a shock.6.Bc4 e6 Now he sees that 6...Nd3+ 7. Ke2Nf4+ 8. Kf1 only aids White. 7.O–O N8c68.d3Nd4 9.Nxd4 cxd4 10.Ne2 a6 11.Ng3Bd612.f4 O–O 13.Qf3 Kh8 14.Bd2 f5 15.Rae1

36

Nc6 16.Re2Qc7 17.exf5 exf5 Since White con-trols the e-file, most players would continue au-tomatically with 18. Rfe1. Instead Nimzo hasan inspiration and embarks on a long journeywith his knight. 18.Nh1 Bd7 19.Nf2 Rae820.Rfe1 Rxe2 21.Rxe2 Nd8 A necessary con-tortion since 21...Re8 is met by 22. Qd5. 22.Nh3Bc6 23.Qh5 g6 24.Qh4Kg7 25.Qf2Bc5 26.b4Bb6 27.Qh4 Back to the old stand now thatBlack’s bishops have been diverted to the queen-side. 27...Re8 28.Re5Nf7 If 28...h6 29. g4! re-freshes the attack. 29.Bxf7Qxf7 30.Ng5Qg831.Rxe8Bxe8 32.Qe1 "Black is lost. In spite ofthe scanty material a mating attack is in the air" –Nimzovich. 32...Bc6 33.Qe7+ Kh8 34.b5 Qg7On 34...axb5 35. Bb4 infiltrates with Bd6 next.If 34...Bd8 35. Nf7+ caps the triumphant journeyfrom h1 to g5. 35.Qxg7+ Kxg7 36.bxc6 BlackResigns1-0

◦ Capablanca, J.• Spielmann, R.New York InternationalUSA1927 1-0 D38Few people predicted that Capa would lose histitle to Alekhine in 1927. Shortly before theirmatch in Buenos Aires, Capa won this event 2 1.2points ahead of Alekhine – the pinnacle of the greatCuban’s career. This game which demonstrateshis proverbial simplicity was awarded the first bril-liancy prize.1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4Nd7 4.Nc3Ngf6 5.Bg5Bb4 6.cxd5 exd5 7.Qa4 Inexact. The best courseis simply 7. e3 c5 8. Bd3 Qa5 9. Qc2 c4 10. Bf5.7...Bxc3+ Correct is 7...c5! and if 8. dxc5 Bxc3+9. bxc3 Qc7! 8.bxc3 O–O 9.e3 c5 IntensifiesBlack’s problems. More prudent is 9...c6. 10.Bd3c4 11.Bc2Qe7 12.O–O a6 13.Rfe1Qe6 Blackstrives to prevent e4 at all cost. 14.Nd2 b515.Qa5Ne4 Stops e4 yet meets with other prob-lems. On 15...Bb7 16. f3! followed by e4 cre-ates a central steamroller. 16.Nxe4 dxe4 17.a4Qd5 18.axb5 Qxg5 19.Bxe4 Rb8 The troublewith 19...Ra7 is 20. b6! Qxa5 21. bxa7! But nowthe a-pawn proves deadly. 20.bxa6 Rb5 21.Qc7Nb6 22.a7 Bh3 23.Reb1 Rxb1+ 24.Rxb1 f525.Bf3 f4 26. exf4 Black Resigns. A flawless per-formance by Capablanca.1-0

◦ Alekhine, A.• Capablanca, J.

World Championship (34)Buenos Aires1927 1-0 D51From the point of view of sheer technique, manycritics consider this the finest game of Alekhine’scareer. It clinched the title for him – and Capanever got a rematch.1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.e3c6 The Q’s Gambit Declined was a workhorse inthis match. 6.a3 Be7 7.Nf3 O–O 8.Bd3 dxc49.Bxc4Nd5 10.Bxe7Qxe7 11.Ne4 An attemptto improve on 11. Rc1 Nxc3 12. Rxc3 e5 as in their5th match game. 11...N5f6 12.Ng3 c5 13.O–ONb6 A tad more accurate is 13...cxd4 14. Nxd4Ne5. 14.Ba2 cxd4 15.Nxd4 g6 16.Rc1 Bd717.Qe2 Rac8 18.e4 e5 19.Nf3 Kg7 20.h3 h6Losing time. Preferable is 20...Rxc1 21. Rxc1 Rc8with a likely draw in sight. 21.Qd2 The threat ofQa5 poses many problems. 21...Be6 This mistakecosts the point, match and set. Em. Lasker pointedout a saving resource with 21...Na4! and if 22. Qa5Nxb2 23. Qxa7 Ra8. 22.Bxe6 Qxe6 23.Qa5Nc4 24.Qxa7 Nxb2 The best try. If 24...b525. b3. 25.Rxc8 Rxc8 26.Qxb7 Nc4 27.Qb4Ra8 White is a pawn up but faces enormousproblems in converting it into victory. 28.Ra1Qc6 29.a4Nxe4 30.Nxe5Qd6 31.Qxc4Qxe532.Re1 Nd6 33.Qc1 Qf6 34. Ne4 Nxe435.Rxe4 Rb8 The endgame is almost a facsim-ile of those reached in the 1st and 21st gamesof this match. 36.Re2 Ra8 37.Ra2 Rooks be-long BEHIND passed pawns. 37...Ra5 38.Qc7Qa6 39.Qc3+Kh7 40.Rd2 Black now must ei-ther allow the pawn to advance or face matingthreats. If 40...Rxa4? 41. Rd8 wins outright.40...Qb6 41.Rd7 Qb1+ 42.Kh2 Qb8+ 43.g3Rf5 44.Qd4 Qe8 45.Rd5 Avoiding the trap of45. Rd8? Rxf2+! 45...Rxd5 46. Qxd5 wins, soBlack opts to keep rooks on the board. 45...Rf346.h4Qh8 47.Qb6 Not 47. Qxh8+ Kxh8 48. a5Ra3 draws. 47...Qc3 48.Kg2Rf6 49.Qd4 Forc-ing a swap in a way that prevents Black’s rook fromgetting behind the passed pawn. The rest is a mat-ter of technique. 49...Qxd4 50.Rxd4Kg7 51.a5Ra6 52.Rd5 Rc6 53.Rd4 Ra6 54.Ra4 Kf655.Kf3 Ke5 56.Ke3 h5 57.Kd3 Kd5 58.Kc3Kc5 59.Ra2 Kb5 60.Rb2+ Kc5 61.Ra2 Kb562. Kd4 Rd6+ 63.Ke5 Re6+ 64.Kf4 Ka6Black’s king and rook have switches places. Nowall the decisive action takes place on the kingside.65.Kg5 Re5+ 66.Kh6 Rf5 67.f4 Rc5 68.Ra3Rc7 69.Kg7Rd7 70.f5 gxf5 71.Kh6 f4 72.gxf4Rd5 73.Kg7 Rf5 74.Ra4 Kb5 75.Re4 Ka6Also hopeless is 75...Kxa5 76. Re5+. 76.Kh6

37

Rxa5 77.Re5Ra1 78.Kxh5Rg1 79.Rg5Rh180.Rf5 Kb6 81.Rxf7 Kc6 82. Re7 Black Re-signs1-0

◦ Flohr, S.• Lustig?Prague1928 1-0 C77In the 1930’s, Salo Flohr was the most successfultournament player after Alekhine. Here he sys-tematically demolishes the Black King’s position,sacrificing a piece for each pawn, and slaughtersthe denuded monarch. This game was included byHans Kmoch in his classic "Pawn Power in Chess"to illustrate the "sweeper-sealer" – White’s 23rdmove simultaneously frees a square for his piecesand denies one to Black by forcing him to occupyit with a pawn.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.Qe2Be7 6.c3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.h3 Na5 9.Bc2 c510.d4 Qc7 11.O–O O–O 12.d5 c4 13.Be3 Bd714.Ne1 Nb7 15.Nd2 Rfe8 16.g4 g6 17.f4 Animportant decision – White gives up the e5-square,but opens lines for his pieces at a time when Blackis cramped and cannot readily post a Knight there.17...exf4 18.Rxf4 Rf8 19.Rf2 Ne8 20.Nef3Nd8 21.Raf1 f6 22.Bh6 Ng7 23.e5 At the costof a pawn, White opens the b1-h7 diagonal forhis Bishop, obtains the e4 square for his Knight,deprives Black of the e4 square and open e-file,and makes a passed pawn. If Black now plays23...fxe5, then after 24.Ng5 Nb7 25.Nde4 Rxf226.Qxf2 White has a winning attack on the f-file – 26...Rf8? 27.Qxf8+! Bxf8 28.Nf6+ Kh829.Nf7++. 23...dxe5 24.Ne4 Nf7 Also poor is24...f5, e.g. 25.d6 Bxd6 26.Nxd6 Qxd6 27.Rd1Qe7 28.Nxe5. 25.Bxg7 Kxg7 26.Nh4 Nd6No better is 26...f5 27.Nxg6! hxg6 28.gxf5Bxf5 29.Rxf5 gxf5 30.Qg2+ Kh7 31.Rxf5, and if31...Rg8 32.Rh5+ Nh6 33. Nf6+. 27.Nxf6Bxf6Not 27...Rxf6 28.Qxe5 Qd8 29.g5. 28.g5 Ne829.Nxg6 hxg6 30.Bxg6 Kxg6 31.Qe4+ Kg732.Qh4Kg8 There is no defense, despite Black’shuge material advantage – 32...Rh8 33.gxf6+ Kg834.f7+. 33.gxf6Nxf6 34.Qg5+Kh8 Or 34...Kf735.Rxf6+ Ke7 36.Re6++. 35.Rxf6Qc5+ 36.Kh2Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Richard Reti• Jose Capablanca

BerlinGermany1928 0-1 C74The Siesta Variation as an antidote to the RuyLopez was born this year, and Capa used it to takerevenge for the defeat inflicted on him by Reti atNew York 1924. Here Reti rejects a drawing lineearly on, only to watch his king subjected to with-ering crossfire.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.c3 f5The Siesta Variation creates a crisis in the center.If 6. exf5 Bxf5 6. d4 e5 8. Bg5 Be7 9. Nh4 Be6Black is okay, as in an earlier Steiner-Capablancagame at Budapest 1928. 6.d4 fxe4 7.Ng5 A drawis virtually forced after 7. Nxe5 dxe5 8. Qh5 Ke7!9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. Bg5 Nf6 11. dxe5 Qd5! 12.Bh4 Ke6 13. Bxf6 gxf6 14. Qe8 Kf5 15. Qh5,etc. 7...exd4 8.Nxe4 Nf6 9.Bg5 Be7 10.Qxd4A heedless capture. Chances are roughly equal af-ter 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. Qh5 g6 12. Qd5. 10...b511.Nxf6+ gxf6 Now White has three pieces enprise! 12.Qd5 bxa4 13.Bh6Qd7 Creating an es-cape square for the king on d8. A terrible mistakewould be 13...Bd7?? 14. Qh5 mate. 14.O–OBb715.Bg7 O–O–O 16.Bxh8Ne5 17.Qd1 Equallyhopeless is 17. Qd4 Nf3! 18. gxf3 Rg8 19. Kh1Bxf3 mate. 17...Bf3 18.gxf3 What else? If 18.Qd4 Rg8 19. g3 Qh3 is fatal. 18...Qh3 Anotherhammer blow. The double threat of 19...Rg8 orNxf3 cannot be parried. White resigns.0-1

◦ Spielmann, R.• Honlinger, B.MatchVienna1929 1-0 B15This game is chock full of surprises. In his book"The Art of Sacrifice" Spielmann refers to it as anexample of the mating sacrifice.1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4Nf6 5.Ng3Nowdays 5. Nxf6+ is an automatic response.5...e6 6.Nf3 c5 7.Bd3 Nc6 If 7...cxd4 8. Nxd4Qxd4?? 9. Bb5+ wins the queen. 8.dxc5Bxc5 9.a3 O–O 10.O–O b6 11.b4Be7 12.Bb2Qc7 Loss of time. Correct is 12...Bb7 rightaway. 13.b5 Na5 14.Ne5 Bb7 15.Ng4 Qd8Spielmann suggested 15...Qf4 as a better defense.16.Ne3Nd5 Removing a defender from the king-side. 16...Rc8 was essential. 17.Qh5 g6 18.Ng4Bf6 Of course not 18...gxh5? 19. Nh6 mate.19.Nxf6+ Nxf6 20.Qh6 Rc8 21.Rad1 Qe722.Rfe1 Ne8 23.Nf5 Qc5 Also inadequate is23...gxf5 24. Bxf5 f6 25. Bxe6+. 24.Re5 Bd5

38

25.Ne7+ Black Resigns, thus avoiding the prettyfinish 25...Qxe7 26. Qxh7+! Kxh7 27. Rh5+ Kg828. Rh8 mate.1-0

◦ Stahlberg, G.• Alekhine, A.?Hamburg1930 0-1 E23A brilliancy prize game, in which White’s seem-ingly well-founded maneuvers on the Queensideare refuted by the opening of a file near the WhiteKing. For the serious student, it is notable thatBlack’s combination centers on the apparently im-pregnable f3 pawn, at the intersection of the forceson the f-file and a8-h1 diagonal.1.d4Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3Bb4 The Nimzo-IndianDefense, popularized by Aron Nimzowitsch, seeksto exert indirect pressure on the light squaresd5 and e4, and preserves the option of doublingWhite’s c-pawn. The formation adopted by Whiteavoids the latter danger, but permits Black an ad-vantage in development. 4.Qb3 c5 5.dxc5 Nc66.Nf3 Ne4 7.Bd2 Nxc5 8.Qc2 f5 Controllinge4, and preparing [after ...O-O] to open the f-file. 9.a3 Bxc3 10.Bxc3 O–O 11.b4 Ne4 12.e3b6 13.Bd3 Preserving the dark squared Bishopwith 13.Bb2 would lose additional time; one vari-ation given by Alekhine is 13...Bb7 14.Bd3 Qe715.Bxe4 fxe4 16.Qxe4 Nxb4! 17.Qxb7 Nd3+, withadvantage to Black. 13...Nxc3 14.Qxc3 Bb715.O–O Ne7 16.Be2 Qe8 17.Rfd1 Rd8 18.a4Losing too much time, as it turns out that Whitewill be unable to do much with the open a-file.Better was 18.Qe5 f4 19.Qc7 Bxf3 20.Bxf3 fxe321.fxe3 Nf5, with an unclear position. The at-tack Black now launches is very instructive. 18...f419.a5 fxe3 20.Qxe3 Nf5 21.Qc3 d6 A defen-sive measure against the coming entry of the WhiteRook at a7 – now he defends with ...Rd8-d7.22.axb6 axb6 23.Ne1 e5 Securing the d4 squarefor the Black Knight; Black correctly concludesthat White will never have time to exploit the weak-ened light squares. 24.Ra7 Nd4 25.Qe3 Rd726.Ra2 Rdf7 27.f3 Rf4 28.Bd3 Qh5 29.Bf1Qg5 30.Rf2 h6 Simple, but very strong. Blacknow threatens 31...Rxf3 32.Qxg5 Rxf2, winning aRook because of the mate threat, and if 31.Qd2Black reaches a won King and pawn ending with31...Bxf3 32.Nxf3 Nxf3+ 33.Rxf3 Rxf3 34.Qxg5Rxf1+ 36. Kxf1 hxg5 37.Ke2 Kf7 38.Kf3 Ke639.Ke4 b5!, and the connected passed pawns will

win easily. White’s next move fails to defendagainst the threat. 31.Kh1Rxf3 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Stahlberg, G.• Kashdan, I.OlympicsHamburg1930 0-1 E23Kashdan was America’s leading player in the early1930s until the advent of Fine and Reshevsky. Hewas nicknamed "The Little Capablanca" becauseof his technical mastery. Here is his best game ontop board against Sweden in the world team cham-pionship.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qb3 c5 5.dxc5Nc6 6.Nf3Ne4 7.Bd2Nxc5 8.Qc2 O–O 9.e4An instructive error. Correct is 9. a3. 9...Qf610.O–O–O b6 But not 10...Bxc3 11. Bxc3 Qf4+12. Nd2 Qxf2? 13. b4! winning a piece. Thetext creates an escape square for the knight on b7.11.Bd3 a5 12.Kb1Qg6 13.Rhg1Ba6 14.Be3Nxd3 15.Qxd3 Bxc3 16.bxc3 d5 17. exd5Qxd3+ 18.Rxd3Bxc4 19.Rd2Bxd5 20.Bxb6Rfb8 21.Rb2 a4 22.Bc7 No better is 22. Bc5 a3!23. Rxb8+ Rxb8+ 24. Ka1 Rb2. 22...Rc8 23.Bf4Na5 24.Rc1 Be4+ 25.Ka1 Nb3+ White Re-signs0-1

◦ Sultan Khan Mir• Capablanca, J.?Hastings1930 1-0 E12It is rare when an unknown beats a former WorldChampion; rarer still when the unknown has onlyrecently learned European moves! Khan flashedacross the chess scene in the early ’30s when his"master" brought him to England from India - andthen he returned to oblivion. But not before out-playing some of the world’s greatest.1.Nf3 Nf6 2.d4 b6 3.c4 Bb7 4.Nc3 e6 5.a3d5 6.cxd5 exd5 7.Bg5 Be7 8.e3 O–O 9.Bd3Ne4 10.Bf4 Nd7 11.Qc2 f5 12.Nb5 The In-dian prodigy eschews castling for an immediateforay - setting the tone for the rest of the game.12...Bd6 Better was 12...a6! When 13 Qxc7 axb514 Qxb7 Ndc5 15 bxc5 Nxc5 16 Qc7 Nxd3+wins. 13.Nxd6 cxd6 14.h4 Rc8 15.Qb3 Qe716.Nd2Ndf6 17.Nxe4 fxe4 18.Be2Rc6 19. g4The Kingside now belongs to White. 19...Rfc820.g5 Ne8 21.Bg4 The d-pawn can wait. White

39

forces the action. 21...Rc1+ 22.Kd2 R8c2+23.Qxc2 Rxc2+ 24.Kxc2 Qc7+ 25.Kd2 Qc426.Be2Qb3 27.Rab1Kf7 Black’s initiative hasrun out of gas, and White’s rooks slowly take overthe board. 28.Rhc1 Ke7 29.Rc3 Qa4 30.b4Qd7 Otherwise, 31. b5 imprisons the Queen.31.Rbc1 a6 32.Rg1 Qa4 33.Rgc1 Qd7 34.h5Kd8 35.R1c2 Qh3 36.Kc1 Qh4 37.Kb2 Qh338.Rc1Qh4 39.R3c2Qh3 40.a4Qh4 41.Ka3Qh3 42.Bg3 Now everything is in order for thefinal assault. 42...Qf5 43.Bh4 g6 44. ... Qh3?44. g6+ Qxh4 45. gxh4 44.h6 Qd7 45.b5 a546.Bg3Qf5 47.Bf4Qh3 48.Kb2Qg2 49.Kb1Qh3 The pawn is still immune because the Queenwould be lost after 49... Qxf2 50. Bh5 Qh4 51.Rh2. 50.Ka1 Qg2 51.Kb2 Qh3 White has "tri-angulated" his King to achieve this position withhis move. 52.Rg1Bc8 The Queen is trapped af-ter the threatened 53. Bg4 and 54. f3. 53.Rc6At last, the breakthrough. 53...Qh4 54.Rgc1Bg4 55.Bf1 Qh5 The Queen is trapped after55...Qxf2+ 56. R6c2. 56.Re1 Infinite patience,to keep the Queen penned up. 56...Qh1 57.Rec1Qh5 58.Kc3 To make progress the King has toguard e2. 58...Qh4 59.Bg3Qxg5 60.Kd2Qf561.Rxb6Ke7 62.Rb7+Ke6 63.b6Nf6 64.Bb5Qf3 65.Rb8 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Alekhine, A.• Nimzowitsch. A.?San Remo1930 1-0 C17In the years following his match with Capablanca,Alexander Alekhine dominated the internationalchess scene. He was not satisfied with winning atournament by a small margin, but played everygame with a fierce will to win. San Remo 1930,was one of his greatest triumphs, as he won bya margin of 3 1/2 points, and would not agree todraws even in the final rounds. Here his artful useof pins reduces Nimzowitsch, who finished second,to virtual Zugzwang in only 30 seconds.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.Bd2Ne76.Nb5 Bxd2+ 7.Qxd2 O–O 8.c3 b6 Black triesto solve the problems of his "bad" Bishop at once,but better was 8...Nf5, preventing Nd6+ and exert-ing pressure on the d4 pawn. 9.f4 Ba6 10.Nf3Qd7 11.a4 Nbc6 12.b4 cxb4 13.cxb4 Bb714.Nd6 f5 After this strategic error, Black’s gamebecomes critical. The immediate danger lay on theQueenside, and after 14...a5 15.Bb5 axb4 16.O-O White’s initiative would be far less than in the

game. 15.a5Nc8 The alternative 15...bxa5 16.b5and 17.Rxa5 is obviously very good for White.16.Nxb7 Qxb7 17.a6 Qf7 Not 17...Qe7 18.Bb5Nxb4? 19.Rb1, trapping the Knight. 18.Bb5N8e7 19.O–O h6 20.Rfc1 Rfc8 21.Rc2 Qe8Black cannot simplify with 21...Nd8 22.Rac1 Rxc223.Rxc2 Rc8 24.Rxc8 Nxc8 25.Qc3!, followed by26.Qc7, and the Queenside pawns cannot be de-fended. 22.Rac1 Rab8 23.Qe3 Rc7 24.Rc3Qd7 A desperate attempt to hold his position to-gether on the c-file – Black will bring his King tod8 to give traditional support to the Rc7. 25.R1c2Kf8 26.Qc1 Rbc8 27.Ba4 Threatening to wina piece with 28.b5. Black must surrender the b6pawn to gain time to bring his King to the defense,but he will soon find himself with no good move.27...b5 28.Bxb5Ke8 29.Ba4Kd8 30.h4 Blackresigns. For after a few irrelevant pawn moves,Black will have to make a move, say ...Qe8, whichremoves a defender of c7, and b4-b5 will win atonce.1-0

◦ Flohr, S.• Rellstab, L.HastingsEngland1930 1-0 A34Although Flohr was not admitted to the MastersSection of this traditional chess festival (won byEuwe), he ran away with the Premier Reserve Sec-tion by posting an extraordinary 7 wins and 2draws. Here is the prettiest game of the entirecongress.1.c4 c5 2.Nc3Nf6 3.g3 d5 4.cxd5Nxd5 5.Bg2Nc7 Simpler is 5...Nxc3. 6.b3 e5 7.Bb2 Be78.Rc1 O–O A Sicilian Defense with colors re-versed. A better idea is 8...f6 9. Na4 Ne6. 9.Na4Nd7 10.Nf3 f6 11.Qc2Ne6 No longer effectivewith the other knight on d7. But if 11...Rb8 12.d4! is quite strong. 12.Nh4 Nb6 More consis-tent is 12...Re8 or Rb8. 13.Nf5 Nxa4 14.bxa4Rb8 15.f4 exf4 16.gxf4 Re8 If 16...Nxf4 17.Qc4+ Ne6 18. Bd5 Kf7 White can regain thepawn by 19. Nxg7 or continue the attack withRg1. 17.Rg1 Bf8 The losing move. 17...Kh8was necessary. 18.Bc6 Nd4 Relatively bestnow is 18...Kh8 19. Bxe8 Qxe8. 19.Nh6+Kh8 20.Nf7+Kg8 21.Nh6+ Gaining time on theclock by repeating moves. 21...Kh8 22.Nf7+Kg8 23.Qc4 Rxe2+ 24.Qxe2 Nxe2 25.Nxd8Nxg1 Also inadequate is 25...bxc6 26. Kxe2 Rxb227. Rb1 Rxa2 28. Rb8. 26.Bd5+Kh8 27.Nf7+Kg8 28.Kf2Nh3+ 29.Kg3 b5 Desperation. The

40

knight is trapped. 30.axb5Bb7 31.Bc4 a6 32.a4axb5 33.axb5Nxf4 34.Kxf4 h5 35.Rg1Kh7 36.Bxf6 Black Resigns. On 36...gxf6 37. Bd3+ leadsto mate.1-0

◦ Kashdan, I.• Bogoljubov, E.BledYugoslavia1931 0-1 D75"When I am White, I win because I am White.When I am Black, I win because I am Bogoljubov,"said the man Alekhine used as a punching bag intwo title matches (1929 and 1934). The follow-ing game was described by Fine as "the finest po-sitional victory of Bogoljubov’s career."1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.Nf3 O–O 5.g3d5 6.cxd5 Nxd5 7.Bg2 Nxc3 8.bxc3 c5 9.O–ONc6 10.e3 It’s a bad sign when such a tame moveis necessary. 10...Qa5 11.Qb3 Rb8 12.Nd2Drifting. Better was 12. Ba3 immediately.12...Qc7 13.Ba3 b6 14.dxc5Ba6 15.Rfd1 bxc516.Qd5 The losing move. 16. Qc2 was necessary.16...Nb4 If 17. cxb4 Bxa1 18. Rxa1 Rfd8 wins.17.Qb3 Nd3 18.Qc2 Qa5 19.Nb1 c4 Inviting20. Bxe7? Rb2 trapping the queen. 20.Bc1Rb621.Na3 Asphyxiated, White gives up a pawn forcounterplay. 21...Bxc3 22.Rb1 Rxb1 23.Nxb1Be1 24.f4 Bf2+ 25.Kh1 Qh5 Switching to theother wing is crushing. 26.Nd2 Bxg3 27.Nf3Bxh2 28.Nxh2 Qxd1+ 29.Qxd1 Nf2+ WhiteResigns0-1

◦ Alexander Alekhine• Geza MaroczyBledYugoslavia1931 1-0 D66The scene of Alekhine’s greatest triumph. Hisheroic figure loomed large as he took undisputedfirst with 15 wins and 11 draws in a strong fieldthat included most top players of the day. Thissprightly victory is typical of his enterprising style.He sacrifices a pawn to drive the enemy king fromits lair, and the Hungarian champion goes astray inthe complications.1.d4 d5 2.Nf3Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Bg5Nbd7 5.e3 h66.Bh4 Be7 7.Nc3 O–O A standard position inthe Queen’s Gambit Declined. 8.Rc1 c6 9.Bd3 a610.O–O Another idea is 10. a3 in order to create aretreat for the bishop in case of 10...dxc4 11. Bxc4

b5 12. Ba2. 10...dxc4 11.Bxc4 c5 "It is ratherrisky to delay the development of the queenside.Instead 11...b5 followed by Bb7 and c5 was stilla fairly good alternative." – Alekhine. 12.a4Qa513.Qe2 cxd4 14.exd4 Nb6 15.Bd3 "Practicallyleaving the a-pawn to its fate. For the moment, itis true, it cannot well be taken because of 16. Ne4!with a very strong attack; but it remains weak al-most until the dramatic end" – Alekhine. 15...Bd716.Ne5 Rfd8 17.f4 A sharp attempt to attack atany cost. Alekhine later suggested the simple 17.Qf3 as a better way to exploit White’s spatial ad-vantage. 17...Be8 18.Ng4Rxd4 19.Bxf6Bxf620.Nxf6+ gxf6 21.Ne4 Rad8 The correct de-fense is 21...f5 22. Nf6 Kg7 with an uncertain re-sult. Now White cleverly protects his bishop in-directly without losing any time. 22.Nxf6+ Kf823.Nh7+ Ke7 24.f5 R8d6 Seems to hold ev-erything. But not 24...Rxd3? 25. f6 Kd7 26.Qxd3. 25.b4 Qxb4 Also inadequate is 25...Rxb426. Qh5! e5! 27. f6 Kd8 28. Qxh6. 26.Qe5Nd7 27.Qh8Rxd3 No better is 27...Qb6 28. a5!Qxa5 29. Rc8. 28.f6+ The quietus. If 28...Kd829. Qxe8! Kxe8 30. Rc8 mate. Or 28...Nxf6 20.Qxf6. Black resigns.1-0

◦ Spielmann, R.• Stoltz, G.StockholmSweden1931 0-1 C06Stoltz, one of Sweden’s leading players, was bril-liant but erratic. His famous game features a spec-ulative queen sacrifice against an avid attacker.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2Nf6 4.e5Nfd7 5.Bd3 c56.c3Nc6 7.Ne2Qb6 8.Nf3 cxd4 9.cxd4Bb4+10.Kf1 f6 11.Nf4 Spielmann, as usual, plungesahead. Safer is 11. exf6 followed by g3 and Kg2,a maneuver called "castling by hand." 11...fxe512.Nxe6 e4 13.Bf4 exf3 A surprising queen sacri-fice. 14.Bc7Nf6 15.Nxg7+Kf7 16.Bxb6Bg417.g3Bh3+ 18.Kg1Kxg7 19.Bc7 It’s not clearthat Black has enough compensation for the queenon 19. Bc5! Bg2 20. Bf1. 19...Rhe8 20.Be5 Alsoinadequate is 20. Qxf3 Nxd4 21. Qf4 Re4! 22.Qg5+ Kf7. 20...Nxe5 21.dxe5 Rxe5 Black hasonly two minor pieces for the queen but the threatof Rae8 is deadly. If 22. a3 Re1+ wins. 22.Qb3Bc5 23.Bf5 No better is 23. Qxb7+ Re7 24. Qxa8Ng4! 25. Rf1 Nxf2! 26. Rxf2 Re1. Or 23. Bf1Bxf2+! 24. Kxf2 Ne4+ is also decisive. 23...Bxf524.Qxb7+Kg6 25.Qxa8Re2 26.h4 Despite hisextra material, there is no defense. If 26. Rf1 Bh3!

41

27. Qc6 Bxf2+ 28. Rxf2 Re1 mates. 26...Bxf2+27.Kf1 Bd3 28.h5+ Kg5 White Resigns. If 29.Rd1 Rd2 mate.0-1

◦ Spielmann, R.• Eliskases, E.?Match, Linz1932 0-1 D31One of history’s greatest attacking players,Rudolph Spielmann, throws everything at the ris-ing star Erich Eliskases of Austria. A Queen sacri-fice caps a brilliant defense.1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 c6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.e4 b56.e5 Bb7 7.Be2 Ne7 8.Ne4 Nd5 9.O–O Nd710.Nfg5Be7 11.f4 g6 12.f5 The Spielmann style,and it almost works. 12...exf5 There’s a spec-tacular mate after 12...gxf5 18. Nxe6 fxe6 19.Bh5+ Kf8 20. Bh6+ Kg8 21. Qg4+! fxg4 22.Bf7++ 13.e6 fxe6 14.Nxe6Qb6 15.a4 15. Rxf5c5! 16 g7+ Kd8 leaves too many pieces hanging.15...fxe4 16.a5 Qa6 17.Qc2 N7f6 18.Rxf6 Apiece down, White offers the exchange. 18...Bxf6The Knight must guard the fork at c7. But theBlack Queen is still lost: 19.Qxe4 Kf7 20.Nc5Rae8 21.Qf3 Rxe2 22.Nxa6 Not 22. Qxe2Bxd4+ and 23...Bxc5. 22...Re1+ 23.Kf2 Rhe824.Nc5Bc8 25.b4Kg8 26.Bb2R1e3 27.Qd1c3 Now a pawn decides. 28.Bc1 c2 29.Qxc2Re2+ 30.Qxe2 Bxd4+ 31.Be3 Rxe3 32.Qf1Ra3+ White Resigns.0-1

◦ Philip Milner-Barry• C.H.O.D. AlexanderCambridgeEngland1932 0-1 C34After their halcyon days at Cambridge, both ofEngland’s leading players worked to crack Nazicodes during WW2. This donnybrook featuresthreats, counter threats, sacrifices and counter sac-rifices. This Pierce Gambit, a throwback to the19th century, is fraught with danger for both sides.1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 exf4 4.Nf3 g5 There isnothing better than this classic defense that holdsthe pawn. 5.d4 g4 Accepting the challenge. 5...d6(or Bg7) 6. d5 is in considered in White’s favor.6.Bc4 gxf3 7.O–O d5 8.exd5 Bg4 9.Re1+ Bet-ter is 9. Qe1. Bold but insufficient is 9. dxc6f2 10. Rxf2 Bxd1 11. cxb7 Bg4 12. Bb5 Bd7.9...Nge7 10.gxf3 Sharper is 10. Ne4 Bg7 11.

gxf3. 10...Bh3 11.Bxf4 Rg8+ 12.Bg3 Na513.Bb5+ c6 14.Ne4 Hoping for 14...cxb5? 15.Nf6 mate. But simply 14. dxc6 is the best chance.14...Bg7 15.Kh1 Now White’s "attack" comes toa standstill after 15. dxc6 Qxd4 forcing an ex-change of queens. Also bad is 15. Nd6? Qxd6!16. Bxd6 Bxd4 17. Kh1 Bg2 mate. 15...Qxd516.c4 Qd7 Black defends with extreme care bynot opening more lines after 16...Qxd4 17. Qe2.17.d5 Kf8 Better than 17...cxb5 18. d6. 18.d6Nf5 19.Nc5 Nxg3+ 20.hxg3 Qf5 21.d7 Bd4This ingenious reply stymies the double threat ofd8/Q or Qd6 mate. 22.Nxb7 Desperately trying tomix it up. If 22...Nxb7 23. Bxc6 threatens bothRe8 and Qxd4. 22...Qh5 Ignoring diversions onthe other flank, Black threatens Bf1 mate. It’s allover now. 23.Re8+ Rxe8 24.dxe8=Q+ Kxe825.Qe2+Kf8 26.Nxa5Bg4+ White resigns, justin time to avoid getting mated after 26. Kg2 Qh3.0-1

◦ Flohr, S.• Botvinnik, M.Match (6)Moscow1933 1-0 E38In the early 1930s Salo Flohr was considered themost likely challenger for Alekhine, and his drawnmatch against Botvinnik was considered a triumphfor Soviet chess. Flohr became averse to risk, toooften content to settle for draws. His mastery ofthe endgame was legendary, as in this classic two-bishop finale.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 c5 5.dxc5Na6 6.a3 Flohr’s improvement on 6. g3 intheir second match game. 6...Bxc3+ 7.Qxc3Nxc5 8.f3 d6 9.e4 e5 10.Be3Qc7 11.Ne2Be612.Qc2 O–O 13. Nc3Rfc8 14.Be2 a6 15.Rc1Ncd7 16.Qd2 Qb8 Not 16...Bxc4? 17. Nd5.17.Nd5 Bxd5 Now White gets a bind. Bet-ter is 17...Kf8. 18.cxd5 Rxc1+ 19.Qxc1Qd8 20.O–ORc8 21.Qd2Qc7 22.Rc1Qxc1+23.Qxc1 Rxc1+ 24.Bxc1 Kf8 Despite the ad-vantage of two bishops vs. two knights, it re-quires tremendous technique to convert this into awin due to the balanced pawn structure. 25.Kf2Ke7 26.Be3 Kd8 27.Ke1 Kc7 28.Kd2 Nc529.b4 Ncd7 30.g3 Nb6 31.Kc2 Nbd7 A betterdefense was 31...Na4! 32. Kb3 b5 when the ac-tive knight blocks the advance of the queensidepawns. 32.a4 Nb6 33.a5 Nbd7 34.Bc1 Kd835.Bb2Ne8 36.Kd2Nc7 More active is 36...g6followed by Ng7 and f5. 37.Ke3 Ke7 38.Bf1

42

Ne8 39.h4 Nc7 40.Bh3 Ne8 The first adjourn-ment. 41.f4 f6 42.Bf5 g6 If 42...h6 43. Kf3 fol-lowed by Kg4-h5-g6. 43.Bh3 h6 44.Bc1 Ng745.fxe5 dxe5 Ugly but forced. If 45...Nxe5 46 Bc8;or 45...fxe5 46. Kf3 h5 47. Bg5+ Ke8 48. Bh6snares a piece. 46.Kf3 h5 47.Be3Kd6 48.Bh6Ne8 49.g4 Opening lines so the two bishops canpenetrate. 49...hxg4+ 50.Bxg4 Nc7 The lastchance to resist lay in 50...Ke7! 51.Be3 Nb552.Ke2 Nc7 53.Kd3 f5 54.exf5 gxf5 55.Bxf5Nxd5 56.Bd2N7f6 57. Kc4Kc6 58.Bg6 b5+59.Kd3 Ne7 60.Be4+ The sealed move beforethe second adjournment. Now White’s passed h-pawn is a decisive factor. 60...Ned5 61.Bg5Nh562.Bf3Ng3 63.Bd2Kd6 64.Bg4Nf6 65.Bc8Kc6 66.Be1 More accurate than 68. Bxa6 Nf5.66...e4+ 67.Kd4 Ngh5 68.Bf5 Kd6 69.Bd2Black Resigns. After Bxe4 Black is helpless.1-0

◦ Lilienthal, A.• Capablanca, J.HastingsEngland1934 1-0 E24Hungary’s Andre Lilienthal, a regular on the tour-nament circuit in the 1930s, went to Russia in1935 and became a Soviet citizen. His most cele-brated victory over the mighty Capablanca featureda startling queen sacrifice.1.d4Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3Bb4 4.a3 The SaemischVariation was in vogue but has since fallen into dis-favor. White forces an exchange saddling him withdoubled pawns but in return gets the two bishops.Is it worth it? 4...Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 b6 Nowadays5...c5 is preferred. 6.f3 d5 7.Bg5 h6 8.Bh4Ba69.e4Bxc4 Avoiding complications that arise from9...g5 10. Bg3 dxe4 11. Be5 Nbd7 12. Qa4! Bb713. c5! 10.Bxc4 dxc4 11.Qa4+ Qd7 12.Qxc4Qc6 13.Qd3Nbd7 14.Ne2Rd8 Aimed at stop-ping 15. c4? Ne5 but walking into a pin is trouble-some. 15.O–O a5 16.Qc2Qc4 17.f4 Renews theinitiative. Black would welcome 17. e5 Nd5 18.Bxd8 Kxd8. 17...Rc8 More loss of time. Blackshould castle to get his king out of the center beforeit’s too late. 18.f5 e5 Courting more danger. Rel-atively best is 18...O-O. 19.dxe5 Qxe4 The lastchance to fight back is 19...Ng4! 20.exf6 Thissurprising riposte is crushing. White gets only aminor piece for the queen, but his attack is brutal.20...Qxc2 21.fxg7 Rg8 22.Nd4 Qe4 23.Rae1Nc5 No better is 23...Qe5 24. f6! 24.Rxe4+Nxe4 25.Re1Rxg7 26.Rxe4+ Black Resigns. If

26...Kf8 27. Be7+ Kg8 28. Bf6. This game waspublished around the world.1-0

◦ Reshevsky, S.• Capablanca, J.?Margate1935 1-0 D35The American prodigy rose to the championship-contender rank with games like this in the 1930s.Here he strangles the former World Champion withadroit positional play, then makes a long Kingmarch to prepare the final combination.1.d4Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Bg5Nbd7 5.cxd5exd5 6.e3 Be7 7.Bd3 O–O 8.Qc2 c5 Moti-vated by White’s threat to castle queenside, thisadvance is riskier than 8...c6. 9.Nf3 c4 10.Bf5Re8 11.O–O g6 12.Bh3 Nf8 13.Bxc8 Rxc814.Bxf6 Bxf6 15.b3 Qa5 The Queen’s pawnis lost if 15...cxb3, so Black goes swimming introubled waters. 16.b4 Qd8 16...Qxb4 17. Rb1followed by 18. Rxb7 is decisive positionally.17.Qa4 a6 18.b5 Re6 19.Rab1 Rb8 20.Rb2Be7 21.bxa6Rxa6 22.Qc2Ne6 23.Rfb1Ra724.a4 Nc7 25.Ne5 Qe8 White has no immedi-ate breakthrough, but he keeps up the pressure:26.f4 f6 27.Ng4 Qd7 28.h3 Kg7 29.Nf2 Ba330.Ra2Bd6 31.Nfd1 f5 32.Nb5Ra5 33.Nxc7Bxc7 34.Nc3 Now the Knight again attacksBlack’s weak White squares. 34...Qe6 35.Qf2b6 36.Qf3 Rd8 37.Rab2 Qe7 Defending thed-pawn indirectly: if 38. Rb5 Rxb5 39. Rxb5Qa3 40. Nxd5 c3! 38.Rb4 Rd7 39.Kh1 Bd840.g4 The break comes in the Kingside. 40...fxg441.hxg4 Qd6 42.Kg1 Bc7 43.Kf2 Rf7 Whiteintends to hide his King on the Queenside, butthis move forces White to first lock up that wing.44.g5 Bd8 45.Ke2 Bxg5 Patient defense with45...Qe6 was better. Now Reshevsky forces a tac-tical win. 46.Rxb6 Qa3 47.Kd2 Be7 48.Rb7Rxa4 49.Qxd5 The Rook is immune because of49. Nxa4 Qd3+, but Black is now defenseless.49...Ra5 50.Qxc4 Rh5 51.Kd3 Qa8 52.Qe6Qa3 53.R1b3 Qa1 54.Rxe7 Qf1+ 55.Kd2Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Euwe, M.• Alekhine, A.?26th Match Game, Zandvoort1935 1-0 A90

43

The "Pearl of Zandvoort" was undoubtedly themost striking game of the 1935 world champi-onship match, in which Max Euwe unexpectedlytook the title from Alekhine. When White sacri-fices a piece for three central pawns, Black mustplay for counterattack, but his own King proves tobe too exposed.1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 3.g3 Bb4+ 4.Bd2 Be7 5.Bg2Nf6 6.Nc3 O–O 7.Nf3 Ne4 8.O–O b6 9.Qc2Bb7 10.Ne5Nxc3 11.Bxc3 White correctly re-fuses the Exchange sacrifice, for after 11.Bxb7Nxe2+ 12. Kg2 Nxd4 13.Qd3 Nbc6 Black hasmore than enough compensation. 11...Bxg212.Kxg2 Qc8 13.d5 d6 14.Nd3 e5 15.Kh1 c616.Qb3 Kh8 17.f4 e4 18. Nb4 c5 19.Nc2Nd7 20.Ne3Bf6 21.Nxf5Bxc3 22.Nxd6Qb823.Nxe4 Bf6 24.Nd2 g5 25.e4 gxf4 26.gxf4Bd4 27.e5Qe8 28.e6Rg8 29.Nf3Qg6 30.Rg1Bxg1 31. Rxg1 Qf6 32.Ng5 Rg7 There isnothing better, since 32...h6 loses to 33.Nf7+ Kh734.Qd3+ Rg6 35.Ne5 Nxe5 36.fxe5 Qg7 37.d6,and the pawns cannot be stopped. 33.exd7Rxd734.Qe3Re7 35.Ne6Rf8 36.Qe5Qxe5 37.fxe5Rf5 38.Re1 h6 39. Nd8 Rf2 40.e6 Rd241.Nc6Re8 42.e7 b5 43.Nd8Kg7 44.Nb7Kf645.Re6+Kg5 46.Nd6Rxe7 47.Ne4+ Black Re-signs.1-0

◦ Glucksberg• Najdorf, M.?Warsaw1935 0-1 A85Polish-Argentinean Grandmaster Miguel Najdorfhas had a long and remarkable career. Never lack-ing in self-confidence, he declared in 1947 thathe would soon become world champion. Thoughhis natural ability was perhaps the equal of that ofany player in the world, he lacked the disciplineand persistence required in the age of Botvinnik toreach the highest level. In this game, sometimescalled the "Polish Immortal," Black strips bare theenemy King, finally sacrificing four pieces to driveit into mating net.1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e6 4.Nf3 d5 5.e3 c66.Bd3 Bd6 7.O–O O–O 8.Ne2 Nbd7 9.Ng5Hoping to gain time by the attack on the e6 pawnto play 10.f4, blocking the dangerous Bd6. Blackreacts energetically. 9...Bxh2+ 10.Kh1 Or10.Kxh2 Ng4+, recovering the piece with advan-tage. Now rather than retreat, the Bishop Blackcontinues his attack. 10...Ng4 11.f4 Qe8 12.g3Qh5 13.Kg2 Bg1 14.Nxg1 Qh2+ 15.Kf3 e5

The decisive breakthrough – now the c8-Bishopjoins the attack. Without this move, it would notbe so clear that Black has enough for the piece.16.dxe5 Ndxe5+ 17.fxe5 Nxe5+ 18.Kf4 Ng6+19.Kf3 f4 20.exf4Bg4+ 21.Kxg4Ne5+ 22.fxe5h5# 0-1

◦ Keres, P.• Winter, W.OlympicsWarsaw1935 1-0 B29Paul Keres was a young unknown when herepresented Estonia at the world team champi-onship. This swashbuckling gambit against Eng-land’s William Winter made him famous.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.Nc3 e6 Betteris 4...Nxc3 followed by d5. 5.Nxd5 exd5 6.d4d6 7.Bg5 Qa5+ 8.c3 cxd4 Hoping for 9. Qxd4Nc6 10. Qf4 dxe5 11. Nxe5 Qc7! 9.Bd3dxc3 10.O–O cxb2 Too greedy. Black should de-fend with 10...Nc6 11. Re1 Be6. 11.Rb1 dxe512.Nxe5 Bd6 13.Nxf7 This sacrifice rips Blackwide open. 13...Kxf7 14.Qh5+ g6 What else? If14...Kf8 15. Rfe1 Bd7 16. Re3 threatens Rf3+15.Bxg6+ hxg6 16.Qxh8 Bf5 17.Rfe1 Be418.Rxe4 dxe4 19.Qf6+ Black Resigns. Mate iscoming after 19...Kg8 20. Qxg6+ Kf8 21. Qxd6+Kf6 22. Qf6+1-0

◦ Botvinnik, M.• Tartakower, S.?Nottingham1936 1-0 A55Future World Champion Botvinnik wins a bril-liancy prize game against the imaginative but er-ratic Tartakower. The attack beginning at move 20is notable for the manner in which White closes themating net with a series of "quiet" (non-checking)moves.1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 d6 3.d4 Nbd7 4.g3 e5 5.Bg2Be7 6.O–O O–O 7.Nc3 c6 8.e4 Qc7 9.h3 Re810.Be3 Nf8 11.Rc1 h6 12.d5 Bd7 13.Nd2g5 14.f4 gxf4 15.gxf4 Kg7 16.fxe5 dxe5 17.c5cxd5 18.Nxd5 Qc6 19.Nc4 Ng6 20.Nd6 Be621.Nxe7 Nxe7 22. Rxf6 Kxf6 23.Qh5 Ng624.Nf5 Taking away the flight square e7 fromthe Black King, with the threat of 25.Qxh6and 26.Bg5++. The Knight is immune, as24...Bxf5 25.exf5 both attacks the Ng6 and dis-covers an attack on the Qc6. 24...Rg8 25.Qxh6

44

Bxa2 26.Rd1Rad8 27.Qg5+Ke6 28.Rxd8 f629.Rxg8Nf4 30. Qg7 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Fine, R.• Grunfeld, E.?Amsterdam1936 1-0 D39Reuben Fine was one of the strongest players inthe world in the 1930’s. His best result was un-doubtedly his first place tie with Paul Keres in thegreat AVRO tournament of 1938, in a field of theeight best players in the world. Unfortunately, hegave up serious play after World War II to pursue acareer in psychoanalysis. Here he defeats openingtheoretician Ernst Grunfeld at his own game, refut-ing a system then considered favorable for Black.1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 dxc4 TheVienna variation, thought at the time to be astrong answer to White’s "inaccurate" move or-der. 5.e4 Bb4 6.Bg5 c5 7.e5 cxd4 8.Qa4+Nc6 9.O–O–O Bd7 10.Ne4 Be7 11.exf6 gxf612.Bh4 Nb4 Previous analysis ended at thispoint, claiming, a win for Black as White mustlose his Queen (13.Qa3 Nd3+), but Fine’s nextmove proves this to be incorrect. Better was12...Rc8, when Black has three pawns for the pieceand the position is far from clear. 13.Qxb4Bxb4 14.Nxf6+Kf8 15.Rxd4 Now White winsa third piece for the Queen and maintains astrong attack. 15...Qa5 16.Nxd7+ Ke8 TheBlack King is stuck in the center, for 16...Kg717.Bf6+ Kg6 18.Nfe5+ wins at once. 17.Nf6+Kf8 18.Bxc4 Rc8 19.Kb1 h5 20.Rhd1 Be721.Nd7+ Ke8 22.Bg3 Rg8 23.h3 Rg7 24.a3b5 25.Bb3 b4 26.axb4 Bxb4 27.Be5 Rxg228.Rxb4 The initial move of the new combina-tion that will leave White with a decisive ma-terial advantage in the endgame. 28...Qxb429.Nf6+ Ke7 30.Rd7+ Kf8 31.Bd6+ Qxd632.Rxd6 Rxf2 33.Rd3 Ke7 34. Nxh5 Rf1+35.Bd1 Avoiding the trap 35.Ka2? Rc5!, win-ning a piece. 35...Rg8 36.Nd4 e5 37.Nc6+Ke6 38.Ka2 Rxd1 39.Rxd1 Rg5 Now Whitemust be a bit careful, as the Black King is ac-tively posted and the connected passed pawnscould become dangerous. But White is still win-ning. 40.Nf4+ exf4 41.Nd4+Kf6 Not 41...Ke5?42.Nf3+ 42.Rf1 Ra5+ 43.Kb1 Ra4 44.Nf3Re4 45.Re1Re6 46.Rxe6+ fxe6 47.Kc2 e5 48.Kd3 Kf5 49.Nd2 Kg5 50.Ke4 Kh4 51.Kxe5Kxh3 52.Kxf4 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Alexander Alekhine• Mikhail BotvinnikNottingham (5)England1936 1/2-1/2 B72This first encounter beteween a past and futureworld champion is brief but exciting. It illustrateshow a flank thrust is best parried by a counter-thrust in the center. The normal balance of positionis maintained through all the various complicaons.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 "On another occasion Iwould probably have played 3. b4, a sacrifice forwhich White has to my mind sufficient strategicalreasons. But playing for the first time with the So-viet Champion, for whose play I have the greatestappreciation, I did not like the idea of being ac-cused of overweening confidence, undue boldness(and this independent of the result of the game) orof such things as under-estimating, bluster, etc." –Alekhine. 3...cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be2Bg7 7.Be3 Nc6 8.Nb3 Be6 Fischer recom-mends 8...O-O first, and if 9. f4 a5! 10. a4 Be611.g4 N b4! and the knight cannot be dislodgedby a3. 9.f4 O–O 10.g4 The usual continuation is10. O-O Na5. This thrust permits White to forcea quick draw – but no more. 10...d5 11.f5 Sharperthan 11. e5 d4! 12. Nxd4 Nxd4 13. Bxd4 Nxg414. Qd3 a6 15. O-O-O with about even chances, asin Levenfish-Botvinnik, Moscow 1936. 11...Bc812.exd5 Nb4 13.d6 "Doubtless the best move. Ifinstead 13. fxg6 hxg6 14. Bf3 Nxg4 15. Bxg4Bxg4 16. Qxg4 Nxc2 17. Ke2 Nxa1 18. Rxa1Bxc3 19. bxc3 Qxd5 with rook and three awnsfor two minor pieces" – Alekhine. 13...Qxd6 Ofcourse not 13...exd6? 14. g5 Ne8 16. f6 entomb-ing the bishop. 14.Bc5 Black is in no danger after14. Qxd6 exd6 15. O-O-O gxf5. 14...Qf4 Againthe only move. If 14...Qxd1 15. Rxd1! Nc6 (not15...Nxc2? 16. Kd2) 16. g5 gives White a distinctadvantage. 15.Rf1Qxh2 16.Bxb4Nxg4 Black,already a piece down, must give up another one inorder to force perpetual check. 17.Bxg4 Compul-sory acceptance since 17. Bc5 Qg3 18. Bf2 Bxc319. bxc3 Qxc3 20. Qd2 Qxd2 21. Kxd2 Nxf222. Rxf2 Bxf5 gives Black 4 pawns for the piece.17...Qg3+ 18.Rf2 Otherwise 18. Kd2? Bh6 19.Ke2 Qe3 mate. 18...Qg1+ 19.Rf1Qg3+ 20.Rf2Qg1+ Draw agreed. "A short but sharp and well-played game" – Alekhine.1/2-1/2

◦ Keres, P.

45

• Euwe, M.?Zandvoort1936 0-1 C02Max Euwe held the World Championship for onlya year – his good sportsmanship in granting his ri-val so early a rematch was widely admired at thetime – and he has always been overshadowed bythe towering figures of Alekhine and Botvinnik.But at his peak he was a very strong player indeed,and his best games are models of logic and pre-cision. Here he thoroughly outplays Paul Keres,whose nervous attempt to break open the positionis calmly refuted.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.Nf3 cxd4 5.Qxd4Nc6White’s loss of a tempo is not so important in sucha closed position, but the defense of the e5 pawnwill cause him some headaches. More usual is4.c3. 6.Qf4 f5 7.Bd3Nge7 8.O–ONg6 9.Qg3Be7 10.Re1 O–O 11.a3Nb8 Hoping to bring theKnight to e4 via d7 and c5. White tries to pre-vent this by posting a Knight on b3. 12.Nbd2 a513.Nb3Na6 14.a4Nb4 15.Nfd4Bd7 16.Bb5Nc6 17.c4 Hoping to center, but this doesn’t workout. Correct was the quiet 17.c3, with abouteven chances. 17...Nxd4 18.Nxd4Bc5 19.Qd3Bxb5 20.Nxb5 The combination 20.Nxe6? losestwo pieces for a Rook after 20...Bxc4 21.Qg3Qb6. 20...Qh4 21.Qf1 The problem with 17.c4 isnow apparent – 21.Qg3 is answered by 21...Qxc422.Nc7 Bxf2+. 21...Rad8 22.Be3 d4 23.Bd2 d324.b3 On 24.Bxa5 Black could sacrifice the Ex-change – 24...d2 25.Red1 Nxe5 26. Bxd8 Rxd827.h3 f4, and Black’s attack can hardly be re-sisted. 24...f4 25.Re4 Rf5 Now Black combinesthreats against the White King with a flanking ac-tion against the e5-pawn. 26.Rae1 Rh5 27.h3Rg5 28.Nd6 Qxh3 29.Bxf4 Nxf4 30.Rxf4Qg3 31.Rfe4Rh5 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Mikhail Botvinnik• Jose CapablancaMoscowUSSR1936 0-1 A30Sponsored by the state, the Soviet Union dom-inated chess after WWII – but it didn’t happenovernight. A remarkable series of internationaltournaments in the 1930s proved to be a harbingerof things to come. Here Botvinnik took first, de-spite losing to runner-up Capablanca in time pres-sure. The first 37 moves show Botvinnik at his best– the next two at his worst. Later that year he and

Capa shared first at the great Nottingham tourna-ment in England, ahead of the era’s other leadingplayers.1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 b6 4.Bg2 Bb7 5.O–Oc5 6.b3 Nc6 More flexible is 6...Be7 7. Bb2 d5.7.Bb2 Be7 8.Nc3 O–O On 8...d5 9. cxd5 exd510. d4 White controls the center. 9.d4 Nxd410.Nxd4 Bxg2 11.Kxg2 cxd4 12.Qxd4 Qc7After 12...Bc5 13. Qd3 d5 the resulting isolatedpawn is very weak. 13.e4Rad8 The wrong rook!More tenacious is 13...Rfd8. 14.Rad1 Qb715.f3 Ne8 The failure to play d6 leads to trou-ble. 16.Rd2 f5 17.Rfd1 Bg5 18.Rd3 Bf619.e5 Be7 20.Qf2 Rf7 Black’s backward pawnon d7 deprives him of counterplay. Capa later sug-gested 20...g5!? 21.Qd2Bb4 22.a3Bf8 23.Ne2Nc7 24.Nf4 g6 25.h4 b5 Opening lines helpsWhite invade. But if 25...Qc8 26. a4 tightens thescrews. 26.cxb5 Qxb5 27.Rc1 Qb7 28.Rxc7Good enough but 28. Qa5 d5 29. exd6 Bxd6 30.Be5 is even stronger. 28...Qxc7 29.Nxe6 dxe630.Rxd8 f4 31.g4 Qe7 32.Kh3 Qb7 33.Qd3Kg7 34.b4 a5 35.b5 a4 36.g5Bc5 37.Rd6 Blackis busted. But in severe time pressure, with onlya few moves to go before reaching adjournment onmove 40 more sensible is, simply 37. Kg2 avoidingcomplications. 37...Bxd6 38.exd6+Kf8 39.Bf6Tosses away the win. After 39. Qc3! Ke8 40.Qc6 Rd7 41. Be5 Black is all tied up. 39...Ke840.Be7 Ruins everything. White can still holdafter 40. Kg2 Kd7 41. Qc4. 40...Rf5 41.Qc3Kd7 42.b6 Qc6 43.Qg7 Also inadequate is 43.Qxc6 Kxc6 44. b7 Rb5. 43...Qxf3+ 44.Kh2Qg3+ 45.Kh1 Qxh4+ 46.Kg1 Qe1+ 47.Kh2Kc6 48.Qb2Rd5 49.Qc2+Kb5 White resigns,as he runs out of checks after 50. Qb2 Ka6.0-1

◦ Botvinnik, M.• Fine, R.NottinghamEngland1936 1/2-1/2 A09An exciting draw. In his memoirs Fine writes:"Many players look with boredom on a drawngame. They want blood, and not enough flowsif neither side wins. Yet frequently the skill re-quired in holding off an attacking opponent ismuch greater than that needed to beat a weak de-fense. This is one of the most difficult games I everplayed. Out of a seemingly innocuous opening theRussian grandmaster suddenly built up a most omi-nous attack, and it required very exact calculationto hold him off."

46

1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Na3 c5 4.Nxc4Nc6 5.b3"I have always felt that White gets the worst ofit here. Probably best is 5. Nce5 (Keres-Fine,Semmering-Baden 1937) which forced an earlydraw" – Fine. 5...f6 6.Bb2 e5 7.g3Nge7 8.Bg2Nd5 An inaccuracy. Better is 8...Nf5. 9.O–OBe710.Nh4 O–O 11.Qb1Rf7 12.Nf5 If 12. Be4 g6is tenable. 12...Be6 13.f4 exf4 14.gxf4Nb6 "Themost difficult move I was called on to make. Whitehas emerged with a strong attack. Given enoughtime he can double on the g-file with all kinds ofthreats; Black must simplify as quickly as possi-ble" – Fine. 15.Be4Bxc4 16.bxc4Nxc4 17.Bc3Nd4 18.Nxd4 cxd4 19.Bxh7+Kf8 20.Bb4 d3"Sacrificing a meaningless pawn for the sake ofclarification. If instead 20...Qb6? 21. Bxe7+Rxe7 22. Qd3! Nd6 23. Qh3! with a pow-erful attack" – Fine. 21.Bxe7+ Rxe7 22.Qxd3Qxd3 23.exd3Nb6 24.Be4Rd8 25.Rac1Nd526.a3Red7 "The smoke has cleared. White’s ex-tra pawn has no meaning. The rest requires lit-tle comment" – Fine. 27.Kg2 b6 28.Kf3 Nc729.Ke3 Na6 30.Rc3 Nc5 31.Rf2 Rd4 32.f5Ra4 33.Rg2Rad4 34.Rf2Ra4 35.Rg2Rad436.Rc4R4d6 Draw by Agreement.1/2-1/2

◦ Alekhine, A.• Fine, R.HastingsEngland1936 1-0 C90Fine describes it as "the best game I ever lost"in his memoirs. "I held out well until move 28when a choice between two knight moves arose.Later analysis showed that one would have won;the other, which I picked, lost. In spite of my mis-take I have always admired the originality and in-genuity which Alekhine displayed in his conductof the attack."1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 Na5 9.Bc2c5 10.d4 Qc7 11.Nbd2 O–O 12.Nf1 Theoryrecommends 12. h3 to prevent Black’s reply.12...Bg4 13.Ne3 Bxf3 14.Qxf3 cxd4 15.Nf5dxc3 16.Qxc3Rfc8 Forced but good. Black nowholds the pawn. 17.Qg3 Bf8 18.Bd3 Nc619.Bg5 Ne8 20.Rac1 Qb7 21.a3 g6 22.Nh6+Bxh6 23.Bxh6 Nd4 24.Rcd1 b4 25.f4 exf426.Qxf4 bxa3 27.bxa3 Rc3 28.Qf2 Ne6 "Aseemingly innocuous move which tosses victoryaway. Correct is 28...Nc6! when Black’s defense isimpregnable, e.g. 29. Bb1 Ne5 30. Ba2 Rac8 andWhite has no real continuation. Time pressure was

beginning to add to my other worries here" – Fine.29.a4 Rac8 30.Rf1 R3c7 "The defense has be-come too difficult. If 30...Nc5 31. Bb1 Nxa4 32.Ba2 R3c7 33. Rb1 Qa7 34. Bxf7+! Rxf7 35. Qxa7and wins, for if 35...Rxa7 36. Rf8 mate. 31.Rb1Qc6 32.a5 Nc5 "Perhaps the best chance was togive up the exchange with 32...Qc5 33. Be3 Qxa534. Bb6 Qe5" – Fine. 33.Bc4 Qd7 34.Qa2Nxe4 Desperation. But if 34...Ne6 35. Bxe6 Qxe636. Qxe6 fxe6 37. Rf8 mate. 35.Rxf7 Qxf736.Bxf7+Rxf7 37.Qe6 Black Resigns1-0

◦ Keres, P.• Hromadka, K.?Prague1937 1-0 E61Hromadka pioneered the system of defense nowknown as the Modern Benoni, though it did notachieve real respectability until Tal took it uptwenty years later. Here Keres demonstrates thedanger of exchanging the Bg7: even if Black winsmaterial in the process, his King position is noteasy to defend.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 g6 4.Nc3 d6 5.g3 Bg76.Bg2 O–O 7.e4 a6 8.a4 Re8 9. Nge2 e610.O–O exd5 11.cxd5Nbd7 By transposition, wehave arrived at a position from the Modern BenoniDefense. White will strive for f2-f4 and e4-e5 inconjunction with a Kingside attack; Black seekstactical counter chances against b2 and e4. 12.h3Rb8 13.a5Ne5 Proves a loss time; he should play13...b5 14. axb6ep Rxb6 at once. 14.f4Ned7 Heapparently intended 14...Nc4 15.Qa4 b5, but after16.axb6ep Nxb6 17.Qc2, White would have twoextra moves in comparison with the position thatcould have arisen from the last note. 15.g4 b516.axb6 Qxb6 17.g5 Nh5 18.Bf3 Bd4+ Blackhad counted on this, as 19.Nxd4 cxd4 20. Na4 Qb421.Bxh5 gxh5, despite Black’s pawn weaknesses,gives him strong counterplay against the e4-pawn.But White’s subtle reply refutes the idea. 19.Kg2Ng7 20.Ra4 Black has been forced to block theBishop’s only retreat, and now White forces itsexchange for a Knight. 20...Bxc3 21.Nxc3 f522.Re1 Qd8 23.b3 Qb6 White prepares to takecontrol of the a1-h8 diagonal, but Black can makea few threats against the b3 pawn. 24.exf5Rxe125.Qxe1 gxf5 26.Ra2Nf8 Both players concludethat Black cannot spare the time to capture the b3pawn, for White’s threat of h3-h4-h5-h6 is verydangerous. 27.Re2Qd8 28.h4Rxb3 29.h5Bd730.h6Ne8 31.Bh5Ng6 32.Bxg6 hxg6 33.Re7

47

a5 34.Nd1 Nc7 35.Qe2 A simpler way to winwas 35.Rg7+ Kh8 36.Qe7 Qxe7 37.Rxe7, win-ning a piece. But in Black’s time trouble, Whiteplays for mate. 35...Nxd5 A tougher defense was36...Nb5, but White is still winning after 36.Rg7+Kh8 37.Bb2 Nd4 38.Bxd4 cxd4 39.Rxg6, and thed6 pawn will fall as well (39...Bc8 40.Rxd6 Qxd641.Qe8+ mates). 36.h7+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Euwe, M.• Alekhine, A.?5th Match Game, Amsterdam1937 1-0 D28Although Alekhine regained the World Champi-onship handily in 1937, the mathematician Dr.Max Euwe was a worthy rival, producing master-pieces like this in a losing cause. A slight open-ing advantage leads to a crisp middlegame with aBishop trapped in an open board.1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 a6 4.e3 Nf6 5.Bxc4e6 6.O–O c5 7.Qe2 Nc6 8.Nc3 b5 9.Bb3 Be7White’s 8th move prepared a spot for the bishop, if9...c4 10. Bc2 Nb4 11. Bb1. 10.dxc5Bxc5 11.e4b4 12.e5 Opening up the position favors the onewith open lines. 12...bxc3 13.exf6 gxf6 14.Qc4Qb6 15.Qxc3 Nd4 Black’s position hangs by athread - moves like this can only mask the in-herent weaknesses. 16.Nxd4 Bxd4 17.Ba4+Ke7 18.Be3Bxc3 19.Bxb6Be5 20.Rad1Kf821.f4 The Bishop has no haven from the maraud-ing Rooks. 21...Bxb2 22.Rf3 Bb7 If 22...f523. Rb3 Bf6 24. Bc6 wins the Rook. 23.Rb3Ba3 24.Rxa3Rg8 25.Rg3Rxg3 26.hxg3Bd527.Bb3Bxb3 28.axb3Ke8 29. b4Rb8 30.Bc5Rc8 31.Ra1Rc6 32.Kf2 f5 33.Ke3 f6 34.Kd4Kf7 35.Kc4Kg6 36. Rd1Kh5 37.Rd6Rxd638.Bxd6 Kg4 39.Be7 Kxg3 40.Bxf6 Kxf441.Kc5 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Paul Keres• Samuel Reshevsky7th OlympiadStockholm1937 1-0 C90After an opening inaccuracy, Reshevsky strugglesto obtain equality. He manages to beat back thefirst wave of attack but his positional weaknessesstill remain. The second wave of attack, when itcomes, proves irresistible.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 Na5 A more ac-curate sequence is 8...O-O 9. h3 Na5. After thetext White can save time by dispensing with h3.9.Bc2 c5 10.d4Qc7 11.a4 b4 Weakens the queen-side but if 11...Bd7? 12. axb5 axb5 13. b4 snaresa piece. 12.cxb4 cxb4 13.h3 Unnecessary. Bet-ter is 13. Nbd2 at once. 13...O–O 14.Nbd2Be6 More to the point than 14...Bd7 15. Nf1 Rfc816. Ne3 as in Keres-Tylor, Margate 1937. 15.Nf1Rfc8 16.Ne3 g6 More active than 16...Ne8 17. b3f6 18. Bb2 Bf8 19. Bd3 as in Keres-Berg, Ke-meri 1937. 17.b3Nh5 18.Bb2Bf6 19.Rc1 exd420.Nxd4Qd7 21.Rb1Rc5 22.Ndf5Bxf5 "Af-ter the exchange of bishops, Black remains in amost dubious position, since both his knights arebadly placed on the edge of the board and alsohave no point of support in the center. Much bet-ter chances are offered here by the quiet protec-tion of d6 by 22...Be5! after which White wouldnot find it easy to increase his initiative. Blackcould, however, hardly have attained full equality.White could then play, for instance, 23. Bd4! Forthe rest, Black cannot well accept the piece sac-rifice, since after 22...gxf5 23. exf5! Bxf5 24.Bxf5 Rxf5 25. Qg4 Ng7 26. Bxf6 would win."– Keres 23.exf5 Bxb2 24.Rxb2 Re8 25.Bd3"The first inaccuracy, which allows Black the op-portunity of activating his pieces. Much strongerhere was 25. Qg4 Qe7 26. Qd4! and Blackwould experience difficulties in protecting his d-pawn." – Keres 25...Qc6 26.Qg4Qb6 After beat-ing back the first wave of attack, Reshevsky shouldtry 26...Rc3 27. Bf1 Re4. Passive defense provesfutile. 27.Rbe2 Rce5 28.fxg6 hxg6 29.Bxg6fxg6 30.Qxg6+ Kh8 Immediately fatal. So is30...Ng7 13. Nf5! Qc7 14. Nxg7 Qxg7 15.Qxe8! Necessary is 30...Kf8! 31. Nd5! Qd8but White should still win with 32. Rxe5 Rxe533. Rxe5 dxe5 34. Qf5 Kg8 35.Qxe5! 31.Nf5R8e6 32.Qxh5+ Kg8 33.Qg5+ Kf8 34.Qg7+Ke8 35.Nxd6+ Black resigns, as he loses a wholerook after 35...Qxd6 36.Rxe5 Rxe5 37. Rxe5 Kd838 Rxa5.1-0

◦ Paul Keres• Alexander AlekhineMargateEngland1937 1-0 C71Alekhine suffers one of the shortest defeats in hiscareer after leaving his king in the center too long.

48

Even world champions cannot violate basic prin-ciples, and this incisive victory, coupled with a tiefor first, firmly established young Keres (then 21)as a leading contender for the title.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.c4"Alekhine was fond of using this variation and em-ployed it in some important games, achieving anunber of fine successes with it. So, since my op-ponent was very well acquainted with the opening Idecided to try this move, which was seldom played,and from the positional aspect scarcely compareswith the usual 5. c3." – Keres 5...Bd7 6.Nc3 g67.d4 Bg7 More exact is 7...exd4 8. Nxd4 Bg79. Nxc6 bxc6 10. O-O Nf6 as in Unzicker-Keres,Hastings 1954. 8.Be3Nf6 This inaccuracy allowsWhite to grasp the initiative. Better is 8...Nge7or exd4. 9.dxe5 dxe5 Better to relieve the crampby 9...Nxe5 10. Nxe5 dxe5. After the next moveBlack’s inability to castle becomes a real draw-back. 10.Bc5 Nh5 11.Nd5 Nf4 12.Nxf4 exf413.e5 Later it was discovered that simply 13. O-O! Qf6 14. Bd4! maintains the advantage withoutany risk. 13...g5 "Alekhine thought a long time be-fore making this move and eventually came to theconclusion that accepting the pawn sacrifice wouldimperil his game too much. Later a joint analysisled us to conclude that 13...Nxe5 14. Qe2 f6 15.O-O-O c6 is tenable." – Keres 14.Qd5Bf8 Blackobserves the danger and desists from the intended14...g4 15. e6! Bxe6 16. Bxc6 bxc6 17. Qxc6 Bd718. Qe4 Be6 19. Rd1 and wins. 15.Bxf8 Rxf816.O–O–OQe7 Again, if 17...g4 18. e6 fxe6 19.Qh5 wins. "With the text move Alekhine sets acunning trap and hopes thus to escape from thenoose himself." – Keres 17.Bxc6 Prevents Blackfrom castling. He was hoping for 17. Nxg5 O-O-O. 17...Bxc6 18.Qd3Bd7 Offering a pawn to getthe king to safety. No better is 18...h6 19. e6! fxe620. Ne5 Rg8 21. Qh3 Qf6 22. Rfe1. 19.Nxg5O–O–O 20.Nf3 A prudent retreat. If 20. Nxh7Bg4 21. Qe4 Bxd1 22. Nxf8 Ba4! 23. Nh7 Qd7with counterplay. 20...f6 21.exf6 Rxf6 The lasthope was 21...Qxf6! "It is interesting to observethat Alekhine was afraid of a possible 22. Qxh7as he said after the game. I, on the other hand,would have contented myself with 22. Qd4 Qxd423. Nxd4 having regard to the fact that my timeon the clock was by now rather restricted." – Keres22.Rhe1Qb4 A final error in a lost position. Buton 22...Qg7 23. Qd4 (threatening Qa7 or Ne5) thewin would not be in doubt. 23.Qxd7+ Black re-signs. If 23...Rxd7 24. Re8 mates.1-0

◦ Botvinnik, M.• Capablanca, J.AVRO (11)Holland1938 1-0 E49Ranks among the great masterpieces. Botvinnikfinished third behind Fine and Keres but ahead ofAlekhine, Capablanca, Euwe and Flohr at this dou-ble round event sponsored by a Dutch radio stationthat ushered in the new generation.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 d5 5.a3 Anoriginal idea at a time when 5. Nf3 was routine.5...Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 c5 7.cxd5 exd5 8.Bd3 O–O9.Ne2 b6 10.O–OBa6 11.Bxa6Nxa6 12.Bb2Botvinnik pointed out that 12. Qd3 is more accu-rate. 12...Qd7 13.a4 A neccessary preparation for13. Qd3 which, if played immediately, would bemet by Qa4! 13...Rfe8 14.Qd3 c4 Botvinnik rec-ommended 14...Qb7 to keep it fluid. 15.Qc2Nb816.Rae1 Nc6 Stronger is 16...Nh5! 17. h3 f5 torestrain e4 once and for all. 17.Ng3 Na5 18.f3Nb3 19.e4 Qxa4 Winning a pawn but divert-ing the queen from the action on the other wing.20.e5Nd7 21.Qf2 g6 22.f4 f5 23.exf6Nxf6 24.f5Rxe1 25.Rxe1 Re8 26.Re6 Rxe6 Inadequateis 26...Kf7 27. Rxf6+ Kxf6 28. fxg6+ Kxg6 29.Qf5+ Kg7 30. Nh5+ Kh6 31. h4 Rg8 32. g4 Qc633. Ba3! 27.fxe6 Kg7 28.Qf4 Qe8 29.Qe5Qe7 29...h6 was the last chance to resist. NowBotvinnik unleashes a sacrificial flurry. 30.Ba3Qxa3 31.Nh5+ gxh5 32.Qg5+ Kf8 33.Qxf6+Kg8 34.e7 Qc1+ 35.Kf2 Qc2+ 36.Kg3 Qd3+37.Kh4 Qe4+ 38.Kxh5 Qe2+ 39.Kh4 Qe4+40.g4 Qe1+ 41.Kh5 Black Resigns – he has runout of checks and has no defense against Qf8 mate.1-0

◦ Alexander Alekhine• Eero BookMargateEngland1938 1-0 D28Another splendid combination by Alekhine, themaster-magician who pulls all the strings and sac-rifices a rook without any obvious follow-up or im-mediate return. In the Queen’s Gambit Accepted,Black must be careful not to advance his queensidepawns too fast or he may face a punishing break-through in the center – which happened here!1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Bxc4 c56.O–O Nc6 Usually 6...a6 is played right awaybefore deciding whether this knight belongs onc6 or d7. 7.Qe2 a6 8.Nc3 b5 9.Bb3 b4 Either8...Bxe7 or cxd4 first is more prudent. 10.d5

49

Na5 If 10...exd5 11. Nxd5 Nxd5 12. Rd1 regainsthe piece advantageously. 11.Ba4+Bd7 12.dxe6fxe6 13.Rd1 A remarkable combination based onintuition that could not be analyzed to the very end.13...bxc3 14.Rxd7 Nxd7 15.Ne5 Ra7 16.bxc3A full rook down, White calmly stops to recapturethe pawn. The forcing 15. Qh5 g6 16. Nxg6 hxg617. Qxh8 Kf7 is good for Black. 16...Ke7 The bestdefense is 16...Be7! 17. Qh5 g6 18. Nxg6 hxg6 19.Qxh8 Bf8. White has only two pawns for the piecewhile Black is still tied up, and the outcome wouldremain in doubt. 17.e4Nf6 18.Bg5Qc7 19.Bf4Qb6 No better is 19...Qb7 20. Qe3! Kd8 21. Qd3Kc8 22. Rb1 Qxe4 23. Nf7! Qxd3 24. Rb8 mate.The amazing thing is that Black has no good de-fense even though he is a full rook ahead. 20.Rd1g6 21.Bg5Bg7 22.Nd7Rxd7 If 22...Qb7 23. e5also wins. 23.Rxd7+ Kf8 24.Bxf6 Bxf6 25.e5On 25...Qb1 26. Rd1 Qf5 27. exf6 Qxf6 28. Qxa6is lethal. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Fine, R.• Botvinnik, M.AVROHolland1938 1-0 C17The pinnacle of Reuben Fine’s career was sharingfirst with Keres ahead of Alekhine, Capablanca,Euwe and Flohr to determine a challenger forAlekhine’s title. But WWII intervened and Fine,unable to make a living from chess, became a psy-choanalyst. Here he had the satisfaction of demol-ishing a future world champion with a preparedvariation.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.dxc5 "Thisis the prepared move. Unlike Euwe, I make it a rulenot to analyze such lines too profoundly before thegame because it is most essential to be able to meetwhatever surprises come up over the board and noteverything can be foreseen" – Fine. 5...Ne76.Nf3 Nbc6 7.Bd3 d4 8.a3 Ba5 9.b4 Nxb410.axb4 Bxb4 11.Bb5+ Nc6 "The fatal error.Necessary was 11...Bd7 12. Qxd4 Bxc3+ 13. Qxc3Bxb5 14. Nd4 with about equal chances" – Fine.12.Bxc6+ bxc6 13.Ra4 Bxc3+ 14.Bd2 "Sud-denly Black discovers that he is lost. The Bishop ishopelessly shut out, and it is only a question of timebefore White’s superior development makes itselffelt" – Fine. 14...f6 15.O–O O–O 16.Bxc3 dxc317.Qe1 a5 18.Qxc3 Ba6 19.Rfa1 Bb5 "Hop-ing for 20. Rxa5 which would bring some free-dom to the Black pieces" – Fine. 20.Rd4 Qe721.Rd6 a4 22.Qe3 Ra7 23.Nd2 a3 24.c4 Ba4

25.exf6Qxf6 26.Rxa3Re8 27.h3Raa8 28.Nf3Qb2 29.Ne5Qb1+ 30.Kh2Qf5 31.Qg3 BlackResigns. "There are too many threats on all sides.The most immediate one is 31. Rd7 Re7 32. Rxa4!Rxa4 33. Rd8+" – Fine.1-0

◦ Fine, R.• Flohr, S.?Amsterdam1938 1-0 C17The American Grandmaster, prolific author, andpsychiatrist Reuben Fine has produced manysparkling games like this: sharp tactical playspringing right out of the opening.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.Bd2Ne76.Nf3Nf5 7.dxc5Bxc5 8.Bd3Nh4 Black haslost time with this Knight’s wandering. 9.O–ONc6 10.Re1 h6 11.Na4 Bf8 If 11...Be7 12.Nxh4 Bxh4 13. Qg4. 12.Rc1 Bd7 13.Nxh4Qxh4 14.c4 dxc4 15.Rxc4 Qd8 16.Qh5 Whitenow controls the action across the board, answer-ing 16...b5 with 27. Rf4. 16...Ne7 17.Rd4g6 18.Qf3 Qc7 19.Nc3 Nf5 20.Nb5 Qb621.Rxd7 A familiar theme: not only is the BlackKing in trouble - the White Bishops are in control.21...Kxd7 22.g4 Nh4 23.Qxf7+ Be7 24.Bb4Rae8 25.Bxe7 Rxe7 26.Qf6 a6 27.Rd1 axb528.Be4+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Pleci• Endzelins?Buenos Aires1939 1-0 C10A lesser-known masterpiece from the last pre-war Olympiad. With a flurry of sacrifices, Whitedemonstrates that an advantage in development re-mains of decisive importance even after the ex-change of Queens.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4Nd7 5.Nf3c5 6.dxc5 Nxc5 7.Qxd8+ Kxd8 8. Bg5+ f69.O–O–O+ Ke8 10.Bb5+ Kf7 11.Rd8 Be7Instead, 11...fxg5 loses at once to 12.Ne5+ Ke713.Re8++, while 11...Nxe4 12.Ne5+ Ke7 13. Re8+Kd6 14.Nf7+ Kc5 15.Nxh8 Kxb5 16.Rxf8 leavesWhite with a material advantage, and he retainshis dominating Rook on the 8th rank. 12.Ne5+fxe5 13.Nd6+ Kg6 The Knight still cannot becaptured, for if 13...Bxd6 14.Be8+ Kf8 15.Bg6++.14.Bxe7Nxe7 15.Rxh8 a6 16.Be2 e4 17.f4 b5

50

18.Re8 Kf6 19.Rf8+ Kg6 20.h4 Bb7 21.h5+Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Ernst Rojahn• Moshe Czerniak8th OlympiadBuenos Aires1939 1/2-1/2 B00A great fighting draw – wild, woolly, madcap. Cz-erniak was born in Poland but remained in Ar-gentina along with several other European masterswhen this world team championship ended at theoutbreak of World War II. In 1950 he settled in Is-rael, won the national championship and then rep-resented his adopted country in nine consecutiveOlympiads.1.e4 Nc6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.g4 This stab usedto be considered unthinkable because it weak-ens the pawn structure. Now it is a standardweapon in White’s arsenal. 4...Bg6 An alterna-tive is 4...Bd7 to prevent 5. e6. 5.Nh3 e66.Nf4Be4 7.Rg1Nh6 8.Be3Be7 9.Nd2Bh410.Nxe4 dxe4 11.Bg2 Qe7 12.Bxe4 Why therush to capture this pawn? Simply 12. c3 is bet-ter. 12...Nxe5 13.g5 Not 13. dxe5 Qb4+ followedby Qxe4. 13...Nc4 Better than 13...Bxg5? 14.Rxg5 Qxg5 15. dxe5. 14.gxh6 Nxe3 15.hxg7Leads to fireworks. Instead 15. Qd3! givesWhite a clear advantage. 15...Bxf2+ 16.Ke2Rg817.Qd3 Bxg1 Expecting 18. Rxg1 Nd5! and allis well. 18.Qb5+ c6 19.Bxc6+ Kd8 20.Bxb7Nxc2 21.Qa5+ Qc7 22.Nxe6+ fxe6 23.Qg5+Qe7 All roads lead to Rome. If 23...Ke8 24. Qh5.Or 23...Kd7 24. Qb5. 24.Qa5+ Any attempt byBlack to escape perpetual check is disastrous. Forexample, 24...Ke8 25. Bc6 Kf7 26. Rf1 Kxg7 27.Rxg1 Kh8 28. Qe5 Rg7 29. Bxa8. Or 24...Kd7 25.Qb5 Kc7 26. Rc1 Bxd4 27. Rxc2 Kb8 28. Rc8!Rxc8 29. Bxc8 Kxf8 30. g8/Q!1/2-1/2

◦ Reuben Fine• Samuel ReshevskyUSA Championship (17)New York1940 1/2-1/2Reuben Fine (1914-1993) was AmericaŠs greatestinternational star in the 1930s, sharing first withKeres at AVRO 1938 ahead of Alekhine, Botvin-nik, Capablanca, Euwe, Flohr and Reshevsky (hischief rival on the domestic scene). Fans spoke ofa "jinx" when referring to FineŠs inability to con-vert winning positions into a win against "Sammy"

or ever to win the U.S. Championship. Here Re-shevsky again nosed him out for the title by snatch-ing a draw from the jaws of defeat. "Unemployedfrom 1939 to 1941, Fine saw that a future dedi-cated to chess was bleak at best, and he obeyed thedictates of common sense, returning to school inthe mid 1940s and earning a psychology doctoratein 1948 from U.C.L.A. I believe that in Americanevents, Fine often found himself wondering whyhe was playing chess for pennies and let his mindwander." – Denker and Parr in "The Bobby FischerI Knew And Other Stories."1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bc4Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5Na5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8. Be2 h6 9.Nf3e4 10.Ne5Bd6 11.f4 An old question is whetherBlack has enough compensation for the pawn. If11. Ng4 Nxg4 12. Bxg4 Qh4! 13. Bxc8 Rxc8 14.Qe2 O-O 15. Nc3 Rce8 gives Black good counter-play. 11...Qc7 12.O–O O–O 13.Nc3 Making noattempt to hold the pawn with 13. d4 exd3ep 14.Nxd3 c5. 13...Bxe5 14.fxe5 Qxe5 15.d4 exd316.Qxd3 Ng4 17.Bf4 A brave decision to sac-rifice the Exchange. 17.Rf4 or Bxg4 are feasiblealternatives. 17...Qc5+ 18.Kh1 Nf2+ 19.Rxf2Qxf2 20.Rf1 Qh4 21.Qd6 Bg4 22.Ba6 Bc8Reshevsky led by a half point and only neededa draw to regain the title of U.S. champion. Hewould be delighted to repeat moves after 23. Be2Bg4. 23.Bd3 Be6? ? - The main drawback ofBlackŠs game is the knight stranded on a5. Blackhas nothing to fear from 23...Qd8 24.Qxd8 Rxd825. Bc7 Nb7 26. Bxd8 Nxd8 with an even end-ing. 24.Qb4 Qh5 25.Bc7 Nc4 26.Bxc4 Qh427.Bf4 The simplest winning line is 27. b3! keep-ing two pieces for a rook. 27...Bxc4 28.Qxc4g5 29.g3 Qg4 Hoping to snare a piece with thepin. If now 30.Ne4 Qe6 31. Qxe6 fxe6 sets up an-other pin along the f-file. 30.Qxc6 gxf4 31.Rxf4Equally good is 31. Qxh6 fxg3 32. Rf4 g2+ 33.Kg1 Qg6. 31...Qe6 32.Qf3 f5 33.Qd5 Rae834.Kg2 Qxd5+ 35.Nxd5 Re2+ 36.Rf2 Rxf2+37. Kxf2 Kf7 38.c4 a5 39.b3 Re8 40.a3 Rc8WhiteŠs victory has become problematic becausethe rook is so active. 41.Nc3 If 41. Ke3 a4! bustsup WhiteŠs connected pawns. 41...Ke6 42.Ke3Ke5 43.Kd3 Rb8 44.Nb5 Rd8+ 45.Kc2 h546.b4 axb4 47.axb4 h4 48.c5 hxg3 49.hxg3Kd5Not 49...Rb8? 50. c6! Rxb5 51. c7 and queens.50.Kd3? Tosses away winning chances. Correctis 50. Nd6! A possible variation is 50...Ke6 51.b5Rg8 52.b6 Rxg3 53.b7 Rg8 54. Nc8 and the pawnqueens. 50...Rg8 51.Nc3+ Kc6 52.Ne2 Rg453.Kc3 Kd5 54.Nf4+ Kc6 55.Kc4 The last trybut itŠs not enough to win. 55...Rxg3 56.b5+

51

Kd7 57.Kd5 Rg1 58.Nd3 Rd1 59.Kc4 Rb160.Nf4Rb2 61.Nd5Rb1 62.Nb6+Kc7 Drawby Agreement. Another hard-fought duel betweenthe two greatest rivals in American chess. Onceagain Fine let his nemesis escape.1/2-1/2

◦ Reshevsky, S.• Fine, R.New York State ChampionshipUSA1941 1/2-1/2 E49This event began in 1878 and is probably thelongest running ANNUAL event in the world. Therivalry between America’s two leading players waslegendary; here’s how Fine himself described thisseesaw battle: "Although we played on a par withthe best of that time our own games displayed afantastic series of blunders. Either he rescued a lostposition against me, or I did against him. Nor werethese subtle mistakes; many of them were so obvi-ous that the rankest amateur could have seen them.Each wanted to beat the other, yet unconsciouslyeach was reluctant to do so."1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 d5 5.a3Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 c5 7.cxd5 exd5 8.Bd3 O–O9.Ne2 b6 10.O–OBa6 11.Bxa6Nxa6 12.Qd3An improvement on 12. Bb2 (see Botvinnik-Capablanca, AVRO 1938. 12...Qc8 13.Bb2 cxd4"I had counted on the opening of the c-file to giveme adequate counterplay, but this hope proved il-lusory. Consequently the coldblooded 13...c4 14.Qc2 Re8 15. Ng3 Ne4! was preferable" – Fine.14.cxd4 Nc7 15.Rfc1 Qd7 16.f3 Rfe8 17.Ng3Ne6 18.Re1 Not 18. e4? dxe4 19. fxe4 Nc5!snaring the e-pawn. 18...Rac8 19.Rad1 Qa420.Rd2Qc4 21.Qb1Qb3 "I was still under theimpression that the counter- action along the c-file was adequate. Since it is not, I should havetried 21...Red8 when it is still quite difficult forWhite to advance his e-pawn" – Fine. 22.Nf5Rc7 23.e4Rec8 24.Rd3Qa4 But not 24...Qc2?25. Qxc2 Rxc2 26. Ne7+ and Nxc8. 25.e5Ne8 26.Ne3 Qb5 27.Rd2 Qb3 28.Rd3 Qb529.Rd2 Qa5 Black should repeat moves with29...Qb3. 30.Qd1Qb5 31.g3 g6 32.f4 f5 33.Qf3Rd8 34.g4 N8g7 35.gxf5 Nxf5 36.Ng4 Rf737.Nf6+ Kh8 38.Rc1 Rxf6 Otherwise Blackhas no constructive plan. 39.exf6 Rf8 40.Re1Rxf6 41.a4 The sealed move – to clear a3 for thebishop. Now 41...Qxa4 42. Qxd5 is obviously badfor Black. 41...Qd7 42.Rf2 Nc7 43.Rc2 Rf744.Rec1Ne8 45.Ba3Nf6 "Missing the point toWhite’s last move. After 45...Kg7 46. Qe2 Nf6 47.

Qe5 Nh4 was probably still tenable for Black" –Fine. 46.Rc8+Kg7 47.Bf8+Kg8 On 47...Rxf848. R8c7 pins the queen. 48.Bd6+ Missing48. Qxd5! which is decisive. The queen can’tbe captured because Bh6 mates. 48...Ne8 49.Be5Ne7 50.Ra8 Nc6 51.h3 Nxe5 52.dxe5 Qxa453.Rcc8 Rf8 54.e6 Kg7 55.e7 Rxf4 56.Qd3Rf5 57.Rc2 Qh4 Missing a chance to win by57...Qa1+ 58. Kh2 Qe5+ 59. Qg3 Qxe7. Nowthe comedy of errors continues. 58.Re2 White inturn can win by 58. Rxe8! Rg5+ 59. Kh2 Qf4+ 60.Kh1 Rg3 61. Rg8+ 58...Rg5+ 59.Rg2 Rxg2+60.Kxg2Qxe7 61.Qxd5 Draw. On 61...Qe2+ 62.Kg1 Qe1+ 63. Kg2 compels Black to take perpet-ual check. "This may have been the most importantgame of chess played in the Western hemisphere in1941" – Chess Life, June 19991/2-1/2

◦ Keres, P.• Botvinnik, M.USSR Absolute ChampionshipMoscow1941 0-1 E35A charming miniature. Botvinnik with Blackcrushes the Estonian in 22 moves after Keres cas-tles too soon on the wrong wing.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 d5 5.cxd5exd5 Also good is 5...Qxd5 but Botvinnik hassomething new in mind. 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bh4 c58.O–O–O Meets with a drastic refutation. Bet-ter is 8. e3 or simply dxc5. 8...Bxc3 Improv-ing on 8...O-O? 9. dxc5 Bxc3 10. Qxc3 withadvantage – Mikenas-Botvinnik, USSR Champi-onship 1940. 9.Qxc3 g5 10.Bg3 cxd4 11.Qxd4Nc6 12.Qa4 Awkward but perhaps necessary tosafeguard White’s king is 12. Qe3+!? Be6 13.Kb1. 12...Bf5 13.e3 Rc8 14.Bd3 Qd7 Break-ing the pin leaves the enemyking with pitiful fewdefenders. 15.Kb1 Bxd3+ 16.Rxd3 Qf5 17.e4Nxe4 18.Ka1 O–O 19.Rd1 b5 20.Qxb5 Nd421. Qd3Nc2+ 22.Kb1Nb4 White Resigns0-1

◦ Alexander Alekhine• Klaus JungePrague (11)Czechoslovakia1942 1-0 E03Going into the last round, Junge led by a half pointand needed only a draw to take first prize. Alekhinelaunched a far-sighted but risky pawn sacrifice thatpaved the way for a spectacular and unexpected

52

rook sacrifice. This dramatic game was used in"Knight of the Id," a play by Richard Laurie aboutAlekhine’s last days, when he was shunned by thechess world as a Nazi collaborator after the war.Speaking of this game, the fictional Alekhine says:"There is a moment in chess when your opponentknows he is lost. He knows he can do nothing tosave himself. All moves lose. It is not checkmate.It is before checkmate. Everything he can do iswrong. There are no good moves. All moves lose.It is a very terrible spot to be in, but it is fun towatch him squirm. He stares at the board, but itdoes not change. Nothing can be changed and thereis no hope. He is a mouse and I am the cat. I watchhim very closely as he suffers. When the game isover, I will feel sympathy for him, but not now.Now I watch him twist and turn and tear himself toribbons. His agonies are mine."1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 dxc4 5.Qa4+Nbd7 In an earlier game at another Nazi-sponsored tournament in Munich 1942 betweenthe same players (with colors reversed), Alekhinechose the more usual plan 5...Bd7 6. Qxc4 Bc6.6.Bg2 a6 7.Qxc4 b5 White’s best reply is 8.Qc2 immediately. 8.Qc6 Rb8 Slightly betteris 8...Ra7 in order later to cross over to d7 after...c5. 9.O–O Bb7 10.Qc2 c5 11.a4 White hasnothing after 11. dxc5 Bxc5 so Alekhine sacrificea pawn to seek the initiative. 11...Bxf3 Spurningb4 and acepting the offer. 12.Bxf3 cxd4 13.axb5axb5 14.Rd1 Qb6 If 14...Bc5 15. Bf4 e5 (or15...Rc8 16. Bb7) 16. Bxe5 Nxe5 17. Qxc5 Nxf318. exf3 White is winning. 15.Nd2 e5 Blackshould strive to castle as quickly as possible by15...Be7. 16.Nb3 Nc5 Neglecting the safety ofhis king. White still would be hard-put to justifyhis pawn sacrifice after 16...Be7! 17. e3 dxe318. Bxe3 Qe6. 17.Nxc5 Bxc5 If 17...Qxc5 18.Bc6 Nd7 (or 18...Kd8 19. Qxc5 Bxc5 20. Bxb5!)19. Qxc5 Bxc5 20. Ra5 regains the pawn ad-vantageously. 18.Ra6 A bolt from the blue.18...Qxa6 19.Qxc5 Qe6 If 19...Nd7 20. Bc6 f621. Qd6 is crushing. 20.Bc6+ Nd7 21.Bxd7+Kxd7 Forced. If 21...Qxd7 22. Qxe5 Qe7 23.Qxb8 picks up the rook. 22.Qa7+ Kc6 Losesby force After 22...Kd6. It is unclear whetherWhite has anything better than a draw by perpet-ual check. 23.Bd2 Rhc8 24.e4 Qb3 25.Ra1b4 Trying in vain to create an escape square forthe king on b5. 26.Ra6+ Kb5 27.Ra5+ Kc628.Qc5+Kd7 29.Ra7+ Black resigns, as he getsmated on 29...Ke6 30. Qe7. A German soldier,Junge was killed in action at age 21, just before thewar ended in 1945.

1-0

◦ Vassily Smyslov• Mikhail BotvinnikMoscow ChampionshipUSSR1943 1-0 C82Chess flourished in the Soviet Union despite thebloodiest war in its history. The intense rivalrybetween two of its leading players extended tomore than 100 games and three title matches in thecourse of their long careers. In this early encounter,Botvinnik varies on move 11 from a variation madefamous two years later in the 1945 USSR-USARadio Match (see Smyslov-Reshevsky). Smyslovobtained a material advantage of two pieces for arook and then patiently suffered while untanglinghis pieces from the back rank.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–ONxe4 The Open Defense has withstood the test oftime. 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.c3 Bc5More usual is 9...Be7 leaving c5 free for the knight.Botvinnik has a surprise in mind which had not ap-peared in any Soviet tournaments. 10.Nbd2 O–O11.Bc2 Nxf2 Black can be criticized for tryingto seize the initiative so early, but it is not easyfor White to solve all the problems that will facehim. Reinforcing the knight by 11...f5 is proba-bly the best plan (see the aforementioned Smyslov-Reshevsky game. 12.Rxf2 f6 13.exf6 Qxf614.Qf1Bg4 15.Kh1 Leads to a prolonged defen-sive task. Preferable is 15. Qd3! Qf5 16. Qxf5Bxf5 17. Bb3 Rad8 18. Nf1 Bxf2 19. Kxf2 witha favorable ending. 15...Bxf2 16.Qxf2 Rae817.Qg3 Ne5 18.Bd1 "Overprotecting f3. Whitenow has to withstand a powerful onslaught by theexcellently placed black pieces before he is able tountangle his group of pieces on the bank rank." –Smyslov. 18...Nd3 Smyslov recommends 18...h5as more active, and if 19. h4 Nd3 20. Kh2 c521. Nf1 with a tense struggle ahead. 19.h3Bh5 20.Bc2 Nf4 21.Ng1 "White prevents theintrusion of the rook at e2 and at the same timecarries out a regrouping of his minor pieces." –Smyslov. 21...c5 22.Ndf3 Ne2 23.Nxe2 Rxe224.Bd1 Re6 If 24...Bxf3 25. gxf3 Re6 26. Bd2followed by f4 and Bf3 frees White’s position.25.Bd2 h6 26.Kh2Re4 It’s still a hard game af-ter 26...Bg6. White now gains a decisive advan-tage. 27.Ng5 hxg5 28.Bxh5 Re5 29.Bf3 Qe730.a4Kh7 Allowing White’s rook comes into playbut 30...b4 fails to 31. cxb4 cxb4 32. Bxb4! Qxb433. Qxe5 31.axb5 axb5 32.Ra7 Qd6 33.Bg4Too hasty is 34. Bxg5? Rxf3! 35. gxf3 Re2.

53

33...Rd8 34.Kh1 In time trouble, White over-looks 34. Bf4! right away. 34...d4 35.cxd4 cxd436.Bf4 Re1+ Not 35...gxf4 37. Bf5! Rxf5 38.Qxg7 mate. 37.Qxe1 Qxf4 38.Rd7 Rxd739.Bxd7 d3 40.Bg4 White’s extra piece is deci-sive. Also sufficient is 40. Bxb5. 40...d2 41.Qe2b4 42.Qd3+ g6 43.Kg1Kh6 44.b3Kg7 45.Bf3Qf7 46.Kf2 Qe6 47.Qe3 Qd6 48.Bd1 Qd549.g4 Kh7 50.Ke2 Black could have resignedlong ago. After a spite check by 50...Qg2 51. Kd3it’s all over. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ David Bronstein• Mikhail Botvinnik13th USSR Championship (5)Moscow1944 1-0 C92David conquers Goliath! 20-year-old Bronsteinwas 15th in his first try for the Russian champi-onship, then the strongest series of tournamentsin the world. Soviet tournaments thrived despiteWWII. Were it not for this victory over the win-ner and future world champion, his performance(15th in a field of 18) would have gone unnoticed.This tense encounter features a sharp opening anda difficult ending that should have been drawn butBotvinnik tried too hard to win. In 1951 they drewa title match 12-12.1.e4 e5 A departure from Botvinnik’s habitualFrench Defense with 1...e6. 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a64.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3O–O 9.h3Be6 The usual continuation is 9...Na5.10. Bc2 c5. The text is a result of Botvinnik’ssearch to rehabilate forgotten moves. 10.d4 Bet-ter than 10. Bc2 d5! 11. exd5 Qxd5 12. d4exd4 13. cxd4 Qh5 14. Nc3 Rad8 with a satis-factory position, as in Yates-Duras, Bradford 1911.10...Bxb3 11.Qxb3 exd4 12.Nxd4 Improving onSpielmann-Schlechter, Prague 1906, where Blackgot a good game after 12. cxd4 d5 13. e5 Ne414. Nc3 Nxc3 15. bxc3 Na5 16. Qc2 Nc4 17.Nd2 Qd7 18. Nxc4 bxc4 19. f4 f5! 12...Nxd413.cxd4 c5 14.dxc5 dxc5 15.e5 Nd7 In a laterround Lilienthal tried 15...Ne8 16. Qg3 Qb6. 16.a4c4 17.Qg3 Re8 18.Rd1 Bh4 More prudent is18...Qc7 19. Bf4 Qc6. 19.Qg4 MisjudgingBlacks reply. The critical line is 19. Qf4! Qe720. g3 Nxe5 21. gxh4 Nd3 with unclear prospects.Now Black gets a better endgame. 19...Bxf2+20.Kxf2Nxe5 21.Rxd8Nxg4+ 22.hxg4Raxd8White’s development is backward. Black standsbetter with a rook and two pawns for bishop andknight. 23.axb5 axb5 24.Bd2Rd3 25.Ra5Rb3

26.Bc1 This retreat is necessary. Not 26. Bc3?b4 27. Bd4 c3. 26...f6 27.Ra3 Rd3 28.Rxd3cxd3 29.Be3Re4 30.Kf3Rb4 31.Bc1 g5 32.g3Rc4 33.Be3 h5 Banking on his long experience,Botvinnik embarks on a faulty plan and spurns adraw by repetition with 33...Rb4 34. Bc1 Rc4 35.Be3 Rb4, etc. 34.gxh5 g4+ 35.Kf2Rc2+ 36.Nd2Rxb2 37.Bf4Ra2 38.Ke3 Once Black succeedsin winning the d-pawn and blocking the b-pawn thetwo pieces will win easily. 38...Ra3 39.Kd4Kf740.Ke4 b4 41.Kd4 Ra5 42.h6 Rb5 43.Kc4Rb6 44.Kc5 Avoiding 44. Nb3 Rc6! 45. Kxb4Rc2 drawing. 44...Rb7 45.Nb3 The point. Blackno longer has a check on the c-file. 45...Kg646.Kc4Rb6 47.Nc5Kh7 48.Kb3 d2 49.Bxd2Rd6 50.Bf4 Rd1 51.Ne4 Skirting the last trap.Not 51. Kxb4 Rd4 52. Kc3 Rxf4! and wins.51...Kg6 52.Nf2 Rb1+ 53.Kc2 Ra1 54.Kb2Ra3 55.Nxg4 Rc3 56.Ne3 Rd3 57.Nc2 Rd158.Nxb4 Completing the winning process out-lined at move 38. 58...Kf5 59.Nc6Rd7 60.Kc3Ke4 61.Kc4 Kf5 62.Nd4+ Ke4 "There was noneed for the king to be so active. After 62...Kg6 itis still not clear how White can win. After Botvin-nik’s mistake in this simple endgame, White winsin two moves with a short but nice combination" –Bronstein. 63.Ne6Kf5 64.Nf8 Finally reeling ina big fish. If 64...Rf7 65. Bd6 followed by h7 netsthe rook. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Reshevsky, S.• Vasconcellos?Boston1944 1-0 C02By no means a typical game by Reshevsky, a playernoted for dour maneuvering and resourceful de-fense. The explanation: Reshevsky had clinchedfirst place in the U.S. Open with a round to spare,and was determined to have fun in his last game.When Black wastes time capturing the worthlessb2 pawn, White sacrifices a Knight to rip open thecenter and checkmates the defenseless Black King.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.dxc5Nd7 5.Nf3Bxc56.Bd3 Ne7 7.O–O Nc6 8.Bf4 Qc7 Hoping towin the e5 pawn. Safer was 8...Be7 followed by9...O-O, but not 8...O-O? 9.Bxh7+! Kxh7 10.Ng5+with a winning attack. 9.Nc3 a6 Black cannotwin a pawn with 9...Ndxe5? 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 be-cause of 11.Qh5! [11...Bd6 12.Nb5]. 10.Re1Qb6 Pointless; he should play 10...Nb6 followedby ...Bd7 and ...O-O-O. 11.Bg3 Qxb2 Consis-tent, but fatal. 12.Nxd5 exd5 13.Rb1 Qa3

54

14.e6 Nf6 White also has a strong attack af-ter 14...fxe6 15.Ng5 Nf8 16.Qf3 Nd8 17.Qxd5.15.exf7+Kxf7 16.Bh4Nb4 It is logical to elim-inate the Bd3, but surrendering control of the e5square quickly proves fatal. A better try was16...Be7. 17.Ne5+ Kf8 Black avoids 17...Kg8because of the variation 18.Bxf6 Nxd3 19.Qxd3Qxd3 20.Nxd3 Bxf2+ 21.Kxf2 gxf6 22.Re7 witha winning ending, but the text leads to a far worsedebacle. 18.Bxf6 Nxd3 Forced – if 18...gxf619.Qh5! fxe5 20.Rxe5 Bd7 21.Qf3+ Kg7 22.Rg5+,etc. 19.Bxg7+ Kxg7 20.Rxb7+ Be7 The thirdsacrifice cannot be accepted – 20...Bxb7 21.Qg4+Kf6 22.Qf3+ Ke7 23.Qf7+ Kd6 24.Qd7++. Alsoinsufficient is 20...Kh6 21.Nf7+ Kg7 22.Nxh8+Kxh8 23.Re8+ Bf8 24.Qa1+ Nb2 25.Qxb2+!Qxb2 26.Rxf8++. 21.Qh5 Rf8 Or 21...Bxb722.Qf7+ Kh6 23.Ng4+ Kg5 24.Qg7+ Kf5 25.Nh6+Kf4 26.Qg3++. 22.Qg5+ Kh8 23.Ng6+ hxg624.Qh6+Kg8 25.Qxg6+Kh8 26.Rbxe7 BlackResigns.1-0

◦ Denker, A.• Botvinnik, M.?USA-USSR Radio Match, New York/Moscow1945 0-1 D44The U.S. had dominated international team com-petition in the 1930’s and this postwar match wasexpected to be one-sided. So it proved, but in theother direction, as the Soviet team won 15-1/2 to4-1/2. This was the first-board encounter betweenthe U.S. and Soviet champions.1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.Nf3Nf6 5.Bg5 dxc46.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.Nxg5 hxg5 10.Bxg5Nbd7 A novelty in 1945, this is now known asthe Botvinnik System, or the Anti-Meran Gam-bit. 11.exf6Bb7 12.Be2Qb6 13.O–O O–O–O14.a4 b4 15.Ne4 c5 16.Qb1 Qc7 17.Ng3 cxd418.Bxc4 Qc6 19.f3 d3 20.Qc1 Bc5+ 21.Kh1Qd6 22.Qf4 Also insufficient is 22.Bf4, e.g. 22...Rxh2+ 23.Kxh2 Rh8+ 24.Nh5 Rxh5+ 25.Kg3 e526.Be3 e4+ 27.f4 Qxf6 28.Kf2 Qxf4+, and wins.22...Rxh2+ 23.Kxh2 Rh8+ 24.Qh4 Rxh4+25.Bxh4Qf4 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Smyslov, V.• Reshevsky, S.USA-USSR Radio MatchNew York & Moscow1945 1-0 C82

Throughout the 1930s the United States was adominant force in world chess. American teamsled by Reshevsky and Fine won gold medals at fourstraight Olympiads. The first important sportingevent after WWII and one that marked the begin-ning of Soviet chess supremacy was a ten boardmatch in September 1945 where moves were trans-mitted by short wave radio. Each player faced hisopponent twice and the result was totally unex-pected. Reshevsky lost both his games to a fu-ture world champion as the USSR crushed the USA15.5 - 4.5.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–ONxe4 Nowadays the Open Defense to the RuyLopez is less popular than 5...Be7. 6.d4 b57.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.c3 Bc5 10.Nbd2 O–O11.Bc2 f5 Safer is 11...Nxd2. The Dilworth At-tack 11...Nxf2!? 12. Rxf2 f6 13. exf6 is consideredbetter for White. 12.Nb3 Bb6 13.Nfd4 Nxd414.Nxd4 Bxd4 15.cxd4 f4 16.f3 Ng3 17.hxg3fxg3 18. Qd3Bf5 19.Qxf5Rxf5 20.Bxf5Qh421.Bh3 Qxd4+ 22.Kh1 Qxe5 23.Bd2 Qxb2Fine wrote: "We radioed for the time consumed bythe other team. Reshevsky, who had taken about anhour and a half for the first 23 moves, found to hisdismay that Smyslov had used exactly one minute!The whole variation we later discovered had beenpublished in the June issue of their official chessmagazine. Foreign material always took a longtime to reach our shores and during the war the de-lay of course was much worse than ever before."24.Bf4 c5 Two intriguing alternatives are 24...d4or c6. 25.Be6+ Kh8 26.Bxd5 Rd8 27.Rad1c4 28.Bxg3 c3 29.Be5 b4 30.Bb3 Rd2 31.f4h5 32.Rb1 Rf2 33.Rfe1 Qd2 34.Rbd1 Qb235.Rd8+ Kh7 36.Bg8+ Kg6 37.Rd6+ Kf538.Be6+ Kg6 39.Bd5+ Kh7 40.Be4+ Kg841.Bg6 If 41...Rd2 42. Red1 threatening Rd8+ iscurtains. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Kottnauer, C.• Bronstein, D.Moscow vs. Prague MatchCzechoslovakia1946 0-1 E67Abounds in delightful tactics! Fighting an uphillbattle, White finds moves that are just short of win-ning by force. The endgame has all the pungencyof a composed problem.1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 d6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.O–ONbd7 6.d4 e5 7.Nc3 O–O 8.d5 Closing the cen-ter is inferior to 8. e4 or b3. Bronstein did much topopularize the King’s Indian Defense; in this team

55

match his individual score with it was 4-0. 8...a59.e4 Nc5 10.Ne1 Nfd7 11.Be3 f5 12.Qd2 b613.Nc2 Ba6 14.Na3 Nf6 15. f3 Qe7 16.exf5gxf5 17.Rae1 h5 18.Nab5 Nh7 19.Bh3 Rae820.Qc2Bc8 21.Na7 Better is 21. a3 Qf7 22. b4Nb7. The text prepares an unclear pawn sacrifice.21...Bd7 22.Nc6Qf7 23.b3Bxc6 24.dxc6Ne625.Nd5 Nd8 26.a3 Nxc6 27.b4 axb4 28.axb4Nd8 Careful! Not 28...Nd4? 29. Bxd4 exd430. Bxf5! 29.Ra1 f4 30.Ra7 Ng5 31.Bc8Nde6 A possible draw could result after 31...fxe332. Rxc7 Nxf3+ 33. Kh1 Nd4 34. R1xf7 Rxf735. Qg6 e2 36. Nf6+. 32.Bxe6Nxe6 33.Bxb6Ra8 34.Rxa8Rxa8 35.Bf2 fxg3 Even strongeris 35...Ra3! 36.Bxg3 Nd4 37.Qg2 c6 38.Nb6Ra6 39.c5 Ra2 40.Qh3 d5 41.Kh1 Ra3 42.f4e4 43.Nc8 e3 44.Nd6 Qg6 45.b5 Nxb5 Leadsto a difficult but favorable ending. Inferior is45...cxb5 46. f5 Qg4 47. Qg2. 46.f5 Qg447.Qxg4 hxg4 48.Nxb5 cxb5 49.f6Bf8 Simpleris 49...e2 50. Re1 Bxf6 51. Rxe2 Rc3. 50.f7+Kh7 51.c6 b4 52.Rc1 Ra8 53.c7 Rc8 54.Rd1b3 55.Rxd5 Loses quickly. More resistance is of-fered by 55. Kg2 b2 56. Kf1 Kg6 57. Ke2 Kxf758. Kxe3 though Black’s extra pawn should prevailin the long run. 55...e2 56.Rb5 Rxc7 57.Rxb3Rc1+ 58.Kg2 Bc5 White Resigns. A problem-like finish caps a hard game. On 59. h3 Rg1+ 60.Kh2 Rxg3! wins; or 59. Bf2 Bxf2 60. f8=Q Rg1+61. Kxf2 e8=Q mate.0-1

◦ Zita, F.• Bronstein, D.?Prague1946 0-1 E68The long-term impact of the post-war Soviet mas-ters lies in their exploration of unbalanced posi-tions – how much piece activity is worth a struc-tural weakness? This period saw a renaissance ofthe King’s Indian Defense, in which Black acceptsa space disadvantage for tactical counter-chances.1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 d6 4.d4 Nbd7 5.g3g6 6.Bg2 Bg7 7.O–O O–O 8.b3 Re8 9.Bb2c6 10.e4 exd4 11.Nxd4 Qb6 12.Qd2 Nc513.Rfe1 a5 14.Rab1 a4 15.Ba1 axb3 16.axb3Ng4 17.h3 Rxa1 18.Rxa1 Nxf2 Now Blackwins back the pinned Knight on d4 after 19.Kxf2Nxb3, and 19.Qxf2 Nd3 is even worse. 19.Re3Nxh3+ 20.Kh2 Nf2 21.Rf3 Ncxe4 22.Qf4Ng4+ 23.Kh1 f5 24.Nxe4 Rxe4 25.Qxd6Rxd4 26.Qb8 Rd8 27.Ra8 Be5 28.Qa7 Qb429.Qa2Qf8 30.Bh3Qh6 White Resigns.

0-1

◦ Bronstein, D.• Kamishov, M.Moscow ChampionshipUSSR1946 1/2-1/2 B56One of the scrappiest draws on record. The actionbegins on move 15 and never lets up; later bothsides have pawns poised on the 7th rank before fourqueens make a dramatic entrance.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf65.Nc3 d6 6.Nde2 An experiment that does notjustify losing a tempo. 6...e6 7.g3 a6 8.Bg2Qc7 9.O–O Be7 10.b3 O–O 11.Bb2 b5 12.a312. Qd2 immediately is better. 12...Rd8 13.Qd2Bb7 14.Rad1 Rac8 15.h3 d5 After 50 min-utes of thought. Instead simply 15...b4 is suffi-cient for an advantage. 16.exd5 b4 17.Qe3 bxc3Leads to immense complications. "I would prefer17...exd5 with subsequent play against White’s nu-merous weaknesses" – Bronstein. 18.dxc6 Rxd119.Rxd1 cxb2 20.cxb7 Rd8 21.Rxd8+ Qxd822.Nc3Bxa3 23.Nb1Qd1+ If 23...Bd6 24. Qd4picks up the b-pawn. 24.Kh2 Bd6 25.Nc3Qxc2 26.Qd4 Throws away a win by 26. Qb6!Bf8 27. Qd8! 26...Nd5 27.Bxd5 If 27. Nxd5exd5 28. Qxd5 Qc7 29. Be4 leads to a prob-able draw. 27...exd5 28.Qb6 Bxg3+ 29.Kxg3Qxc3+ 30.Kg2 h6 Finally Black finds the rightmoment to make luft. 31.b8=Q+Kh7 32.Q6d8b1=Q 33.Qg8+ Kg6 34.Qd6+ Qf6 35.Qxf6+Kxf6 36.Qd8+ Ke6 Black could retain winningchances with 36...Kg6 37. Qxd5 Qf5 38. Qd6+Qe6. 37.Qe8+ Kd6 38.Qd8+ Ke6 39.Qe8+Kd6 40.Qd8+Kc6 41.Qe8+ Draw. If Black triestoo hard to escape the perpetual by 41...Kb6 42.Qd8+ Kc5 43. Qe7+ Kd4?? 44. Qe3 mates.1/2-1/2

◦ Geller, E.• Kogan?Odessa1946 1-0 B53Even at the beginning of his career, it was evidentthat Efim Geller was a player of great potential. Hecorrectly assesses the myriad tactical possibilitiesas Black and White attack on opposite wings, anddrives the Black King across the board with a re-lentless attack.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4Nc6 5.Bb5Bd7 6.Bxc6 Bxc6 White surrenders the two

56

Bishops to obtain a slight advantage in devel-opment. Nowadays 6...bxc6 is more popular.7.Nc3Nf6 8.Bg5 e6 9.O–OBe7 10.Rad1 O–O11.Rfe1 Qc7 12.h3 b5 13.Nh2 Rfd8 14.Rd3a5 15.Rf3 b4 16.Rxf6 bxc3 17.Ng4 h5 18.Bh6Three White pieces are en prise, but none canbe taken – 18...gxf6 19.Nxf6+ Bxf6 20.Qxf6,18...gxh6 19.Nxh6+ Kh7 20.Rxf7+, or 18...hxg419.Rg6 e5 20.Rxg7+ Kh8 21.Qd1 and Black willnot last long. 18...e5 19.Qe3 hxg4 20.Bxg7Kxg7 21.Qh6+ Kg8 22.Rf5 Be8 23.Rh5 f624.Rh4 Qc8 25.Qh8+ Kf7 26.Rh7+ Ke627.Qg7 Kd7 There is nothing better – 27...Qc728.Qxg4+ mates. 28.Re3 cxb2 29.Qxe7+ Kc630.Rc3+ Kb6 31.Rxc8 b1=Q+ 32.Kh2 Rd733.Qxe8Rxh7 34.Qc6+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Alexander, C.• Botvinnik, M.Radio Match: England vs. USSRLondon and Moscow1946 1-0 C18In a series of radio matches with other nations, theUSSR proved it was the strongest chess power af-ter WWII. Alexander was a mathematician whoworked with Alan Turing on breaking Germancodes during the war. On top board he produceda stirring upset against the future world champion.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3Bxc3+6.bxc3Ne7 7.Qg4 cxd4 Provocative. More usualis 7...Nf5 8. Bd3 h5. 8.Qxg7Rg8 9.Qxh7Qa510.Rb1 Qxc3+ 11.Bd2 Qc7 More consistentis 11...Qxa3. 12.f4 Nbc6 13.Nf3 Bd7 14.Ng5Rxg5 The best try. If 14...Rf8 15. h4 is too strong.15.fxg5 O–O–O 16.Qxf7 Qxe5+ 17.Kd1 Nf518.g6Ne3+ 19.Kc1Qe4 20.Bd3Qxg2 21.Re1Ne5 Botvinnik maintained that 21...Nc4 wouldhold, but subsequent analysis showed that 22.Bxc4 dxc4 23. Qf6! Qxh2 24. Bg5 Qg3 25.Kb2! Qc3+ 26. Ka2 Qxc2+ 27. Rb2 stillwins. 22.Qf4 Nf3 23.Re2 Qh3 24.Bxe3 e525.Qf7 dxe3 26.g7 Qg4 27.h3 Qg1+ 28.Kb2Qg3 29.Bg6 Nd4 30.g8=Q Rxg8 31.Qxg8+Kc7 32.Qh7Kd6 The complications are over andthe rest is easy. On 32...Nxe2 33. Bf5 does thetrick. 33.Bd3 e4 34.Qh6+ Kc7 35.Rxe3 Qe536.Ka2Nf5 37.Qg5Be6 38.Be2 d4+ 39.Reb3b5 40.Qd2 d3 41.Bg4 Black Resigns1-0

◦ Evans, L.• Pilnick, C.

Marshall Club ChampionshipNew York City1946 1-0 C13A number of America’s most promising youngplayers cut their teeth at the world famous Mar-shall chess club at 23 West 10 Street in Manhattan.This brilliancy brought 14-year-old Larry Evans tothe attention of the chess fraternity.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.Bxf6Better is 5. e5. It’s not customary to relinquish thetwo bishops without provocation, but White chosethis little- known variation because his standingin the tournament forced him to try to win at allcost. 5...Bxf6 6.e5 Be7 7.Qg4 O–O Black hasnothing to fear from castling into it. He has madeno weaknesses, lost no tempi and therefore goesabout completing his development in the calm as-surance that premature attacks should be repulsed.And he is right. 8.O–O–O c5 9.h4 cxd4 10.Nce2Nc6 11.f4 Qa5 12.Kb1 d3 The pawn was inde-fensible in any event, so White is forced to ac-cept regain it by blocking d3 for his bishop. Not13. Rxd3? Qe1+ 14. Nc1 Qxf1. 13.cxd3 Bd714.Rh3 Rac8 Leads to trouble. 14...f5! wouldbring the attack to an abrupt standstill. However,Pilnick becomes too intent on his own counterat-tack. 15.Rg3 g6 16.d4 b5 17.h5Nb4 Inducing aweakness. Now the race is to get there "fustest withthe mostest." 18.a3Nc6 19.hxg6 fxg6 20.Nc3 Tountangle the pieces. White already had to envis-age the sacrifice of his queen on move 24. 20...b421.Bd3 Whenever possible make a threat withgain of time. Now 21...bxc3? is refuted by 24.Bxg6. 21...Be8 22.Nf3 bxa3 The defense with22...Rf5 fails owing to 23. Bxf5 exf5 24. Qxf5.And 22...bxc3 23. Qxe6+ Bf7 24. Bxg6! is sim-ilar to the game. 23.Qxe6+ Bf7 24.Bxg6 axb2Admirable nonchalance. Accepting the queen alsoloses to 24...Bxe6 25. Bxh7+ Kh8 (if 25...Kf7 26.Bg6+ Kg7 27. Be8+! Kh8 28. Rh1 mates) 26.Rh1! Rxf4 27. Bc2+ Bh4 28. Nxh4. 25.Bxh7+Kh8 26.Qh6Qa1+ Black is left with only a fewspite checks. 27.Kc2 b1=Q+ 28.Rxb1 Nb4+29.Kd1 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Bronstein, D.• Levenfish, G.USSR ChampionshipMoscow1947 1-0 D48After Black misses a chance to equalize, his kingbecomes a target in the center. Thereafter Bron-stein prosecutes the attack with vigor and elegance.

57

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 c6 4.e3 e6 5.Bd3dxc4 The Meran Variation. A good alternative is5...Bd6. 6.Bxc4Nbd7 7.Nc3 b5 8.Bd3 Weakeris 8. Bb3 b4 9. Ne2 Ba6. 8...a6 9.e4 c5 10.e5cxd4 11.Ne4 A novelty at the time. The mainline is 11. Nxb5. 11...Nd5 12.O–O Bb7Black never recovers from this error of judgment.12...Be7 leads to equality. 13.Bg5 Qb8 Now13...Be7 is refuted by 14. Nd6+. 14.a4 Nxe515.Nxe5Qxe5 16.axb5 a5 17.f4Qb8 18.f5Qe5White’s attack still rages after 18...exf5 19. Rxf5Bb4 20. Qf3. 19.b6 Bd6 20.Nxd6+ Qxd621.fxe6 f6 If 21...Qxe6 22. Re1 Ne3 23. Bb5+Kf8 24. Qxd4 wins. 22.Qh5+ Kd8 23.Bh4Qxe6 24.Rae1Ne3 25.Qc5Qd5 26.Qc7+Ke827.Qxg7 Rf8 If 27...Rg8 28. Bb5+! wins.28.Bb5+ Bc6 29.Bxc6+ Qxc6 30.Bxf6 Rf731.Qg8+ Rf8 32.Qg5 Kd7 33.Rf2 More ac-curate is 33. Qg7+ but it makes no differ-ence. 33...Qxb6 34.Qg7+ Kc6 35.Bxd4 Rxf236.Bxe3 Qxb2 37.Rc1+ Kb5 38.Qb7+ Ka439.Rc4+Ka3 40.Bc1 Black Resigns1-0

◦ Warner, ?.• Evans, L.2nd USA Junior ChampionshipCleveland1947 0-1 C84"Evans uncorks a move, his 18th, which has all theearmarks of precocious youth. It is brash, impu-dent – and inspired! It is typical of the talent ofthe 15-year-old prodigy who played it" – IrvingChernev.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.c3 Weak – because in order to regain thepawn White must part with the two bishops. Bet-ter is the usual 6. Re1. 6...Nxe4 7.Re1 Nc58.Nxe5 Relatively better is 8. Bxc6 dxc6 9. Nxe5.8...Nxe5 9.Rxe5Nxa4 10.Qxa4 O–O 11.d4 d512.Qb3 Losing time instead of developing thequeenside with 12. Nd2. 12...Bd6 13.Re1 A fa-tal pin arises after 13. Rxd5? Be6. 13...Qh414.g3 Weakens the light squares. But Black’s at-tack gathers even more momentum after 14. h3Bxh3. 14...Qh5 15.c4 The best chance is 15. Be3.15...dxc4 16.Qxc4 Bh3 17.Qb3 17. Nc3 is thebest try. If 17...c6 (or 17...Qf3 18. Qd5) 18.Qd3 holds everything. 17...Rfe8 18.Rd1 Every-thing is bad. If 18. Bd2 Rxe1+ 19. Bxe1 Qe2wins. 18...Re3 18...Qe2 also wins but this is morestunning. 19.fxe3 The point is 19. Bxe3 Qf3forces mate; if 19. Qc2 Re2 also wins. 19...Qe220.Qxb7Qxd1+ 21.Kf2Qf1# It’s mate!

0-1

◦ Bronstein, D.• Szily, J.Moscow vs. Budapest Match (1)Hungary1949 1-0 D31White sacrifices a central pawn to obtain rapid de-velopment. Later Black’s queen is a helpless ob-server of the spectacle taking place on the oppositewing.1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.e4 dxe4 5.Nxe4Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Qxd4 Accepting the challenge.Bronstein-Kotov, 1948 USSR Championship led toequality after 6...Bxd2+ 7. Qxd2 Nf6 8. Nxf6+Qxf6 9. Nf3 O-O. 7.Bxb4 Qxe4+ 8.Be2 Na6Safer than 8...Qxg2 9. Bf3 Qg6 10. Ne2. 9.Bc3f6 10.Qd6 Stronger than 10. Nf3 Ne7 11. O-O O-O allowing Black’s king haven. 10...Bd711.O–O–O O–O–O 12.Qg3 Qg6 Stronger is12...e5! 13. Qxg7 (or 13. Bd3 Qf4+) Bf5! withequal chances. 13.Qe3 b6 Relatively better is13...c5. 14.Nh3 Qh6 15.f4 Ne7 16.g4 e5 Thebest hope was 16...c5. 17.Bd2 Decisive. Now 18.Qa3 is threatened. 17...Nc5 18.Qa3 e4 19.Nf2Kb7 20.f5 Qh4 21.Be3 Nd3+ 22.Nxd3 exd323.Rxd3Nxf5 24.Rhd1 Black Resigns – he runsout of checks after 24...Nxe3 25. Rxd7+ Rxd7 26.Rxd7+ Kc8 27. Qxa7 Qe1+ 28. Bd1.1-0

◦ Boris Spassky• ?Leningrad Junior ChampionshipUSSR1949 1-0 D28Fame came to a future world champion at age12 when this sprightly miniature was published inchess magazines around the world. Unlike manyjuniors, young Boris preferred 1. d4 before he dis-covered 1. e4 but this early game already showedhis talent for attack.1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 c5 5.Bxc4e6 6.O–O a6 7.Qe2 White got no advantage inSpassky-Nikolaevsky, USSR 1963 after 7. a4 cxd48. cxd4 Nc6 9. Nc3 Be7 10. Be3 O-O. 7...b58.Bb3Nc6 9.Nc3 cxd4 Dangerous but playable.9...c4 leads to double-edged play where Black’squeenside majority offsets White’s control of thecenter. 10.Rd1 Bb7 Tempting fate. 10...d3(or Be7) blunts White’s initiative. 11.exd4 Nb4Seems to prevent d5 but White crashes throughanyway with a classic clearance sacrifice. Safer is

58

11...Be7. 12.d5 Nbxd5 13.Bg5 Be7 14.Bxf6gxf6 15.Nxd5 Bxd5 15...exd5 holds out longer.16.Bxd5 exd5 17.Nd4 Kf8 More tenacious is17...Qd7 18. Re1 Kf8. 18.Nf5 h5 Black’s pawnstructure is a shambles. He hopes to resist in theending after 19. Nxe7 but Spassky finishes off instyle. 19.Rxd5Qxd5 20.Qxe7+Kg8 21.Qxf6Black cannot parry two mortal threats. If 21...Rh7(to stop Qg7 mate) 22. Ne7 Kf8 23. Nxd5 snaresthe queen. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Evans, L.• Opsahl, H.Dubrovnik Olympic (8)Yugoslavia1950 1-0 D3618-year-old Evans was the overall high scorer with90% in a field of 14 nations when the worldteam championship resumed after WWII. Everyone of the 81 moves is a lesson in this game fromUSA vs. Norway, which Chernev described as "asymphony of heavenly length." CHESS REVIEWadded: "The classic minority attack is the maintheme; interwoven in the magic pattern is a glo-rious knight’s tour and a very instructive rook andpawn ending."1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.e3Be7 6.Qc2 O–O 7.cxd5 exd5 8.Nf3 c6 9.Bd3Re8 10.O–ONf8 11.Rab1Ne4 12.Bxe7Qxe713.b4 The minority attack has been played thou-sands of times. Basically White’s plan is to weakenthe opposing queenside pawn majority by using histwo pawns as a battering ram to create a weak-ness on c6. 13...a6 14.a4 Nxc3 An unmotivatedswap. More active is 14...Ng6 followed by f5 tocreate counterplay on the kingside. 15.Qxc3Bg416.Nd2 Pointless is 16. Ne5 Bh5 followed by f6driving the knight back. 16...Qg5 17.Rfc1 Re618.b5 axb5 19.axb5 Bh3 20.g3 Rae8 21.bxc6bxc6 22.Bf1 Easy does it! White has achieved hisobjective of weakening the base of the pawn chainbut the hasty 22. Rb6? Rxe3! 23. fxe3 Qxe3+24. Kh1 Qf2 25. Rg1 (or 25. Bf1 Re2) 25...Re1forces mate. 22...Bxf1 23.Nxf1 Ng6 24.Rb6Ne7 Black’s attack has backfired and he is saddledwith a target on c6. 25.Qb4 h5 26.Rb8 Rxb827.Qxb8+ Kh7 28.Qf4 Qxf4 Weak. Blackshould never exchange queens unless his back isto the wall. Correct is 28...Qg6. 29.gxf4 g630.Nd2Rd6 31.Kf1Kg7 32.Ra1Rd7 33.Nb3Rb7 34.Nc5 Rb2 35.Ra7 Kf6 36.Ra6 Rb1+37.Kg2 Rb2 38.Ra7 Rb1 39.Rc7 Ra1 Betteris 39...Rb2 to prevent White from playing f3 in

the future (see note to move 45.) 40.Nd3 Ke6The best defense is 40...Ra6. White now discoversan amazing forced win based on a magical mys-tery knight’s tour. 41.Nc5+Kf6 42.Nd7+Ke643.Nf8+ Kf6 Never 43...Kd6? 44. Rd7 mate!44.Nh7+ Ke6 45.Ng5+ Kd6 The point of thecircular maneuver becomes clear after 45...Kf6 46.f3! with the deadly threat of e4-e5. This wouldnot be possible with Black’s rook on b2 (note tomove 39.) 46.Rb7 f6 Or 46...f5 47. Nh7!+ Ke648. Nf8+! Kf6 49. Nxg6! Kf6 50. Nxg6! returningcounter-clockwise to gain a pawn. 47.Nh7Ke648.Nf8+ Kf7 49.Nxg6 Kxg6 50.Rxe7 Whiteis a pawn ahead, true, but the ending is still dif-ficult because of his doubled pawns. 50...Kf551.Rc7 Rc1 52.Rc8 Kg6 53.Kg3 Rc2 54.h4Kf5 55.Rh8Kg6 56.f5+Kxf5 57.Rxh5+Kg658.Rh8 The first phase of the ending is over.White dissolved his doubled pawn and created apassed h-pawn. 58...Kf5 59.Rg8 Rc1 60.Kg2Ra1 61.h5Ra7 62.Rg3Rh7 63.Rh3 Rooks be-long BEHIND passed pawns! 63...Kg5 64.Kf3Rh6 Although White can’t retain the extra pawn,he continually threatens to enter a winning kingand pawn ending by using a "sword of Damocles"motif whereby the h-pawn is held over Black’shead to make further inroads. If 64...Rxh5 65.Rxh5+ Kxh5 66. Kf4 transposes into the game.65.Rh1 Kf5 66.Kg3 Kg5 On 66...Rh8 67. h6!transposes into the game. 67.Rh4Kf5 68.Rf4+Kg5 69.Rg4+ Kf5 Again 69...Kxh5 70. Rh4+Kxh5 71. Rh4+ forces a rook swap and leadsto a won king and pawn finale. 70.Kh4 Rh871.Rg7Ra8 72.h6Ra1 Trying to get behind thepassed pawn instead of remaining passive. 73.Rg3Rh1+ 74.Rh3 Rg1 75.Rf3+ The hasty 75. h7?Rg4+ 76. Kh5 Rg4+ only draws. 75...Kg676.Rg3+ Rxg3 77.Kxg3 Kxh6 78.Kg4 Kg679.Kf4 Kg7 Zugzwang. If 79...f5 80. Ke5 alsowins. Black would like to pass but can’t! 80.Kf5Kf7 81.f3 White has the opposition and invade ei-ther at g6 or e6. E.g. 81...Ke7 82. Kg6 Ke6 83. f4f5 (or 83...Ke7 84. f5) 84. Kg5. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Efim Geller• Josef VatnikovUSSR Championship Semi-FinalsKiev1950 1-0 B88It’s impossible to lose without making a mistake,but sometimes it’s not easy to figure out exactlywhere this mistake occurred. Even after Whitefound a refutation to this line over the board,

59

Black’s ninth move, placing his knight on the rim,continued to be adopted in other games!1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf65.Nc3 d6 6.Bc4 The Sozin Attack became a fa-vorite of Fischer in the 1960s. 6...e6 7.O–OBe78.Be3 O–O 9.Bb3 A precautionary retreat beforetaking action in the center. Other tries are 9. a3Qc7 10. Ba2 a6 or 9. f4? d5 10. exd5 exd5 11. Be2Re8 and Black stands well. 9...Na5 "This maneu-ver is not without its advantages since: 1. Blackexchanges the bishop at b3; 2. The bishop reachesb7 a move earlier in comparison with ...a6 and b5.Even so, the diversion of the knight to the edge ofthe board causes serious doubts," noted Botvinnik.Fischer-Spassky, 4th match game 1972, continued9...a6! 10. f4 Nxd4 11. Bxd4 d5 12. a3 Bb7 13.Qd3 a5! 14. e5 dxe5 15. fxe5 Nd7 16. Nxb5Nc5 15. Bxc5 Bxc5 18. Kh1g5 and Black has suf-ficient compensation for the pawn. 10.f4 b6 Thecapture is now essential by 10...Nxb3 11. axb3 a6.11.e5 Improving on 11. Qf3 Bb7 12. g4 Rc8 13.g5 (Padevsky-Botvinnik, Leipzig Olympiad 1960).Now 13...Rxc3! would be good for Black (14. gxf6Rxe3!). 11...Ne8 The lesser evil is 11...dxe5 12.fxe5 Nd5 (if 12...Nd7! 13. Rxf7! Rxf7 14. Nxe6wins) 13. Nxd5 exd5 14. Qf3. 12.f5 dxe5 Notime for 12...Nxb3 13. Nc6! Qc7 14. Nxe7 Qxe715. f6! Or 12...exf5 13. e6 Nxb3 14. Nc6 Qc715. Nd5. 13.fxe6 f6 In Bilek-Petrosian, 1961 Eu-ropean Team Championship, Black won a sensa-tional game after 13...Nxb3 14. Nc6 Qd6 15. Nd5?(correct is 15. Qxd6! Bxd6 13. axb3 Bxe6 17.Nxa7) Bh4! 16. exf7 Rxf7 17. Rxf7 Nxa1! 18.Qf1 Bf6 19. Nxf6 Nxf6 and wins. 14.Nf5Nxb315.Nd5 Nd4 16.Ndxe7+ Kh8 17.Ng6+ Ouch!On 17...hxg6 18. e7! ends further resistance. Blackresigns.1-0

◦ Botvinnik, M.• Bronstein, D.World Championship (17)Moscow1951 0-1 E45For many years FIDE rules gave Soviet champi-ons two big advantages: draw odds in a limited 24game match and a rematch clause if they lost. Inhis first defense since gaining the crown in 1948,Botvinnik held it on a 12-12 tie. Though he re-mained a strong competitor, Bronstein never couldearn another challenge.1.d4Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3Bb4 4.e3 b6 5.Ne2Ba6The immediate attack on c4 takes the sting out ofWhite’s setup. 6.a3Be7 7.Ng3 d5 8.cxd5Bxf1

9.Nxf1 exd5 10.Ng3 Qd7 White has gainednothing out of the opening, and his bishop ishemmed in to boot. 11.Qf3 Nc6 12.O–O g613.Bd2 O–O 14.Nce2 More logical is 14. b4to pressure the queenside. 14...h5 15.Rfc1 h416.Nf1 Ne4 17.Nf4 a5 18.Rc2 Bd8 Neutraliz-ing the pressure on c7 for good. 19.Be1 Ne720.Qe2 After this White is reduced to passivity.The best chance is 20. Nd2. 20...Nd6 21.f3 g522.Nd3 Qe6 23.a4 Ng6 24.h3 f5 25.Bc3 Bf626.Re1Rae8 27.Qd1Rf7 28.b3Rfe7 29.Bb2f4 Inviting 30. exf4 Qxe1! 31. Nxe1 Rxe1 with abind. 30.Ne5Bxe5 31.dxe5Nf7 32.exf4Nxf433.Nh2 c5 34.Ng4 d4 35.Nf6+ Fatal. The onlyhope was 35. Bc1. 35...Qxf6 White Resigns0-1

◦ Euwe, M.• Evans, L.Wertheim Memorial (5)New York1951 0-1 E1919-year-old Evans outplays the former worldchampion by creating a pawn storm on the queen-side as White’s knight on h5 plays no role in theaction, iIllustrating the maxim that "knight on therim equals trim."1.d4Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3Bb7 5.Bg2Be76.O–O O–O 7.Nc3 Ne4 8.Qc2 Nxc3 9.Qxc3f5 10.Ne1 More active tries are 10. b3 or Be3.10...Bxg2 11.Nxg2 Bf6 12.Be3 d6 13.Qc2Qc8 14.Nf4 c6 15.Qb3 Too many queens moves.Better is 15. Rad1. 15...g5 16.Nh5 This mis-placed knight is the source of future grief. Better is16. Ng2 c5 17. Rad1. 16...Be7 17.c5 d5 18.cxb6axb6 19.f3 No better is 19. Qxb6 Nd7 20. Qb3Qe8 21. g4 fxg4. 19...Nd7 20.g4 Qa6 21.Qc2Qc4 22.Qxc4 An error of judgment since Whitenow faces an uphill battle in the ending. Rela-tively better is 22. Rfc1. 22...dxc4 23.f4 fxg424.fxg5 Rxf1+ 25.Kxf1 b5 26.Kg2 Going thewrong way. Better is 26. Ke1. 26...Nb6 27.Kg3b4 28.Kxg4 b3 29.d5 Desperation. But if 29. a3c3 30. bxc3 Nc4 is strong. 29...Nxd5 30.Bd4bxa2 31.Nf6+ Bxf6 32.gxf6 Nb4 33.Kf4 Kf7There’s no rush to play Nc2. 34.Be5Nc2 35.Rd1a1=Q 36.Rd7+ Ke8 37.Re7+ Kf8 38.Rxh7Qf1+ 39.Kg3Qf5 White Resigns0-1

◦ Mikhail Botvinnik• Efim Geller19th USSR Championship

60

Moscow1951 0-1 D00"Every player has games which are especiallymemorable. I include this one: my first ever meet-ing at the board with the leader of the Soviet ChessSchool. Whether or not to give perpetual checkwas what Botvinnik had to decide on his 26thmove. The position was level, but this was not thedynamic equilibrium of a middlegame where onecan hope to tip the scales in one’s own favor, butequilibrium which demanded an accurate evalua-tion of the coming endgame." – Geller1.d4 Nf6 2.g3 d5 3.c4 dxc4 4.Nf3 Nc6 4...c5is also possible and then 5. Qa4 followed byQxc4 transposes into the Catalan Opening. Whiteshould now continue with 5. Qa4 anyway. 5.Nc3e5 6.Nxe5 Best. If 6. d5 Nb4 7. e4 (not 7.Nxe5 Bf5) Bg4! 8. Qa4 Qd7! 6...Nxe5 7.dxe5Qxd1+ 8.Nxd1Ne4 9.Bg2Bb4+ 10.Kf1Nc511.Be3 Be6 12.Nc3 Rash would be 12. Bxc5Bxc5 13. Bxb7 Rb8 14. Bc6 Ke7 when for thepawn Black has the two bishops and strong pres-sure. 12...O–O–O 13.f4Bxc3 14.bxc3Na4 In-stead of clinging to the two bishops, Black seeksto control d5 and rapidly advance his queensidepawns. 15.Rc1 Bd5 16.Bh3+ Kb8 17.Rg1Rhe8 18.Kf2 Be4 An inaccuracy which letsWhite equalize. Correct is 18...b5! right away.19.Rgd1 Rxd1 20.Rxd1 Nxc3 21.Rc1 Nxa222.Ra1 Nb4 23.Bxa7+ Ka8 24.Bb6+ Kb8Trying to avoid the perpetual check by 24...Na6 25.Bxc7 is too risky. 25.Ba7+ Ka8 26.Be3+ Mis-taken judgment. White should take the repetitionwith 26. Bb6. Now he regains the pawn but losesthe initiative. 26...Na6 27.Ra4 Bd5 28.Bd7Rd8 29.Bb5 Be6 30.Bxa6 Even worse is 30.Bxc4 Bxc4 31. Rxc4 b5. 30...bxa6 31.Rxa6+Kb7 32.Ra5 Rd1 33.Rc5 Rh1 34.Kg2 "Theking is lured onto a white square since 34. h4 h5firmly blockades the kingside" – Geller 34...Ra135.Rb5+ Kc6 36.Rc5+ Kd7 37.f5 White goestotally on the defensive because he does not likethe looks of 37. Bd4 Ra2 38. Kf3 h5. 37...Bxf538.Rxc4Ra2 39.g4Be6 40.Rd4+Kc8 41.Kf3Ra5 The sealed move. The game was adjournedhere. 42.g5 Not 42. Kf4 c5 43. Rd2 Ra4picking up the pawn on g4. 42...c5 If 42...Rxe543. Rh4 Bf5 44. Bd4 gives White good coun-terplay. 43.Rh4 c4 44.Rxh7 g6 45.Rh8+ Kc746.Rd8 Bd5+ A great stroke. Both 46...Kxd847. Bb6 or 46...Rxe5 47. Bf4 lead to an obvi-ous draw. 47.Kf2 c3 48.Rd6 c2 49.h4 Essen-tial was 49. Bc1 but White was short of time.49...Bc4 50.Rd4 Ba6 51.Rf4 Rxe5 52.Rxf7+

Kc6 53.Rf6+ Kd5 54.Rxa6 The last hope was54. Bf4 Re4 55. Bc1 Rxe2 56. Kf3 Re1 57. Bd2Bd3. 58. h5 gxh5 59. Rh6. 54...Rxe3 55.Ra1Rc3 56.Rc1 Kc4 57.Ke1 Kb3 58.Kd2 Kb2White has no more good moves. If 59. e4 Rd3.59.Rxc2+ Rxc2+ 60.Kd3 Kb3 61.Ke4 Rc4+62.Ke5Kb4 White resigns. 0-10-1

◦ David Bronstein• Mikhail BotvinnikWorld Championship Match (6)Moscow1951 0-1 B63A heartreaking loss for Bronstein, who never gotanother crack at the title. He started with fourdraws and a win, but this debacle in the next gamealmost broke his spirit. Bronstein attributed hisfinal blunder on move 57 to a slip of the hand:"Time trouble was over and I started thinking aboutthe opening, immersing myself in all the detailsof Black’s 8th move for a full 45 minutes. ThenI accidentally touched my king and had to moveit." Botvinnik retained his title on a 5-5 tie with 14draws in this 24-game title match.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf65.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 h6 After this Blackmust accept doubled pawns. Safer is 7...Be7.8.Bxf6 gxf6 Forced. Not 8...Qxf6? 9. Ndb5.The question is whether Black’s two bishops com-pensate for his doubled pawns. 9.O–O–O a610.f4 Bd7 11.Kb1 Be7 12.Be2 In many linesthis bishop is headed for h5. Another plan is 12.g3 followed by Bh3 and f5 in order to break upBlack’s compact pawn mass in the center and ex-ert more pressure on e6, which guards the key d5square. 12...Nxd4 13.Qxd4 Qa5 14.Rhf1 h5Creates a new weakness but stops Bh5 once andfor all. 15.Rf3 Qc5 A mistake would be 15...O-O-O? 16. b4 Qc7 17. Nd5! exd5 18. Rf3pinning the queen. 16.Qd2 Bc6 17.Re3 Qa518.Bf3 O–O–O 19.Qd3 Now Nd5 is a seriousthreat. But if 19. Nd5 Qxd2 20. Nxe7 Kd7 21.Rxd2 Kxe7 equalizes. 19...Rd7 20.h4Kb8 21.a3Bd8 22.Ka2Qc5 Botvinnik defends tenaciously.Of course not 22...Bb6? 23. b4. 23.Re2 a5 24.a4Bb6 25.b3 Rc8 26.Qc4 Qxc4 27.bxc4 Rh8The next phase revolves around White’s attemptto win the pawn on h5. 28.Kb3 Rdd8 29.Rd3Bg1 30.Red2 Kc7 31.Ne2 Bf2 32.Rd1 Bc533.Ng3 Rdg8 34. Ne2 Playing to win. If 34.Nxh5 Bxe4 35. Nxf6 Bxd3 36. Nxg8 Bg6 37.Ne7 Rxh4 38. Nxg6 fxg6 equalizes. 34...Rh735.f5 e5 36.Nc3 Bd4 37.Rxd4 exd4 38.Rxd4

61

Rhg7 39.Ne2Rxg2 Returning the Exchange be-fore White gets in Nf4. 40.Bxg2Rxg2 41.Nf4Rg3+ 42.Kb2 Rg4 43.Nxh5 Rxh4 44.Nxf6Kb6 Giving up another pawn in order to domi-nate the weak dark squares. But not 44...Bxa4 45.c5! 45.Rxd6 Kc5 46.e5 Rd4 46...Rf4 47. Nd7Bxd7 48. Rxd7 Rxf5 49. Rxb7 Rxe5 also draws.47.Rxd4 Kxd4 48.Ng4 Bxa4 49.e6 fxe6 50.f6Another drawing line is 50. fxe6 Kxc4 51. e7 Bc652. Nf6 a4 53. e8=Q Bxe8 54. Nxe8 a3 55. Kxa3Kc3. 50...Be8 51.Kb3 e5 52.c3+ Ke4 53.Nh6Kf4 54.f7Bxf7 55.Nxf7 e4 56.Nd8 e3 57.Kc2Bronstein’s famous slip of the hand. Instead 57.Ne6 Kf3 58. c5 e2 59. Nd4 Kf2 60. Nxe2 Kxe2 61.Ka4 Kd3 leads to an easy draw. 57...Kg3 A dra-matic turnaround. This sublety forces a new queen.Critics noted that Bronstein’s weak endgame playin this match cost him the crown. White Resigns.0-1

◦ Mengarini, A.• Reshevsky, S.USA ChampionshipNew York City1951 1-0 B71Veteran Samuel Reshevsky won every nationalchampionship in which he had competed until hewas runner-up to 19-year-old Larry Evans, theyoungest player to win title up to Bobby Fischer.Ariel Mengarini (a psychiatrist by profession) fin-ished midway in a field of 12 yet posted this stun-ning upset over Reshevsky.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Nc3Nf6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4g6 After all the jousting, a standard Dragon Si-cilian. 6.f4 Nc6 7.Be2 Qb6 8.Be3 Riskierthan 8. Nb3. 8...Bg7 More prudent is 8...Bd7.8...Qxb2 is also playable but fraught with dan-ger. 9.e5 Nd7 Avoiding the trap of 9...dxe5? 10.Nxc6 Qxc6 11. Bb5. 10.Nf5 Qxb2 11.Nxg7+Kf8 12.Bd2Nd4 13.O–OQxc2 14.Qe1Kxg715.f5 Throwing caution to the winds to exploitBlack’s misplaced queen. Now Reshevsky gob-bles a third pawn. 15...dxe5 There’s nothing wrongwith 15...Nxe5. If 16. fxg6 hxg6 17. Rc1Nxe2+ 18. Qxe2 Qd3 holds. 16.Bc4 Qb2 Thequeen becomes a target here, but on 16...Nxf517. Rf2 (threatening Bh6+) is strong. 17.fxg6Nf6 18.gxf7 Be6 19.Bxe6 Nxe6 20.Rb1 Qa321.Rxb7 Rhf8 22.Kh1 Rxf7 23.Qxe5 Rd824.Qxe6Rxd2 25.Ne4Qe3 If 25...Re2 26. Qf5!is crushing. 26.Rxe7 Rd7 27.Qxf7+ Black Re-signs1-0

◦ Efim Geller• Efim KoganOdessa Team ChampionshipUSSR1951 1-0 B53"The romance of chess held an irresistible attrac-tion for me. I did not yet understand the strict log-icality of the laws of chess strategy, which I fre-quently broke for the sake of cavalier attacks onthe enemy king. I was often punished but I didnot complain since the emotional satisfaction froma successful brilliant attack accompanied by a cas-cade of sacrifices more than compensated for anyisolated misfortunes." – Geller.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 Good for sur-prise, but now almost completely supplanted by 4.Nxd4. 4...Nc6 5.Bb5 Bd7 6.Bxc6 Bxc6 Alsosatisfactory is 6...bxc6. 7.Nc3 Nf6 8.Bg5 e69.O–O Be7 10.Rad1 O–O 11.Rfe1 Qc7 12.h3The gain of a pawn by 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. Qxd6Qxd6 14. Rxd6 Bxc3 15. bxc3 Rfc8 is completelywithout danger for Black. 12...Rfd8 13.Nh2"Black has completed his final preparations, andhis offensive in the center and on the queensidepromises to be highly formidable. But I was luredby the mirage of my intended attack. Today Iwould probably play 13. a3 so as to answer b5 with14. e5 dxe5 15. Qxe5" – Geller. 13...b5 14.Rd3"Typical romanticism! Black has no weaknesses,and it is clear that White’s attack should simply notsucceed" – Geller. 14...a5 15.Rf3 b4 16.Rxf6The only consistent continuation.White is in a badway after 16. Nd1 e5 17. Qd3 d5. 16...bxc3 Thecorrect defense is 16...gxf6! 17. Ng4 e5 18. Qc4bxc3! 19. Nh6 Kh8 20. Nxf7 Kg7 21. Bh6 Kg622. Re2 d5 and the attack comes to a standstill.17.Ng4 h5 18.Bh6 e5 Not 18...hxg4 19. Rg6!Now an extraordinary position is reached whereWhite’s queen, rook, bishop and knight are men-aced; in addition the pawn on c3 is not far fromqueening! 19.Qe3 hxg4 But not 19...gxf6? 20.Qf3! 20.Bxg7 Kxg7 Black is still trying to win.He should allow a draw by 20...Bxf6! 21. Bxf6Kf8! 22. Qg5 cxb2 23. Qg7 Ke8 24. Qg8Kd7 15. Qxg4 with perpetual check. 21.Qh6+Kg8 22.Rf5 Be8 23.Rh5 f6 24.Rh4 Threaten-ing 25. Qh7 Kf8 26. Rxg4 when mate is in-evitable. 24...Qc8 25.Qh8+Kf7 26.Rh7+Ke627.Qg7 Kd7 28.Re3 This decisive intermediatemove brings more force to bear against Black’shapless king. 28...cxb2 29.Qxe7+Kc6 30.Rc3+Kb6 31.Rxc8 b1=Q+ Black is not saved evenby the appearance of a new queen with check.32.Kh2Rd7 33.Qxe8Rxh7 34.Qc6+ It’s mate

62

after 34...Ka7 35. Rxa8. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Keres, P.• Taimanov, M.?USSR Championship, Moscow1951 1-0 A17In a critical last-round game, Keres selects an old-fashioned opening setup in which judgment andexperience are more important than preparation,and he converts his space advantage into a slash-ing attack on the poorly defended Black King.1.c4Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.e3Be7 5.b3 O–O6.Bb2 b6 7.d4 White’s move order was chosenin order to avoid the Nimzo-Indian and Queen’sIndian Defenses, in which Taimanov was a greatexpert. 7...Bb7 8.Bd3 dxc4 9.bxc4 c5 10.O–Ocxd4 11.exd4 Nc6 Black chooses to give his op-ponent the so-called "hanging pawns" on c4 andd4, which may become weak in the endgame – butwhich may also advance powerfully in the mid-dlegame. 12.Qe2 Re8 Avoiding a little trap –12...Nxd4? 13.Nxd4 Qxd4 14.Nd5! Qc5 15.Bxf6gxf6 16.Qg4+ Kh8 17.Qh4, and to avoid mateBlack must play 17...f5, losing a piece. 13.Rfd1Rc8 14.Rac1 Qd6 15.Bb1 Qf4 16.d5 exd517.cxd5 Nb8 18.Rd4 Qd6 19. Rcd1 Bf820.Ne4 White exchanges several defenders of theBlack King. White’s space advantage and con-trol of the center allow his other forces to jointhe battle quickly, while Black cannot say thesame. 20...Nxe4 21.Rxe4 Rxe4 22.Qxe4 Qh6A slightly better defense was 22...g6, but Whitewould still have a strong attack after 23.Qd4 f624.h4 Nd7 25.h5. 23.Ng5 Bd6 Not 23....g6?24.Nxf7 Kxf7 Qe6++. Now White disdains thewin of the h7 pawn, seeking bigger game. 24.h4Nd7 25.Qf5 Nf6 26.Bxf6 gxf6 27.Nxf7 Qc1After 27...Kxf7, White would obtain a winningending with 28.Qd7+ Kg8 29.Qxd6 Rc1 30.Qb8+Bc8 31.Rxc1 Qxc1+ 32.Kh2 Qxb1 33.Qxc8+ Kf734.d6, and the pawn cannot be stopped. 28.Qxh7+Kf8 29.Nxd6 Qxd1+ 30.Kh2 Qxd5 31.Nxb7Qe5+ 32.g3 Rc7 33.Qh8+ Kf7 34.h5 Rxb735.Qh7+ Ke6 36.Qxb7 Qxh5+ 37.Kg2 BlackResigns.1-0

◦ George Koltanowski• Humphrey BogartOffhand Game (0)San Francisco

1952 1-0George (Kolty) Koltanowski, the greatest show-man and promoter that chess ever knew, died at age96 in 2000. A diamond cutter by trade, he left Bel-gium before the second World War and created adaily chess column that ran without interruption for52 years in The San Francisco Chronicle. Thoughhis tournament results were modest, he wrote morethan a dozen chess books and made headlines in1937 by taking on 34 opponents at once withoutsight of the board to set a blindfold record with 24wins and 10 draws. He even took on the Chessmas-ter development team at the age of 94 in five simul-taneous games, easily winning all of them. He wasa tireless exhibitor and raconteur who entertainedfans with his speciality, the KnightŠs Tour. Spec-tators posted random words and phone numbers inthe 64 squares of a giant chessboard. Kolty memo-rized the hodgepodge in seconds and, while blind-folded, called out the path required for a knight totouch every square on the board as he recalled thesescraps of information in order. "I donŠt know howhe does it," said his wife. "He canŠt even remem-ber to bring home a loaf of bread from the super-market." "Pawns are like buttons," Kolty often said."Lose too many and the pants fall down by them-selves." In his newspaper office he played withoutsight of the board against movie star and chess ex-pert Humphrey Bogart, who lost by a mere pawn.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Bd3 Nf6 5.Ne2Bg4 ItŠs too soon to know whether the bishop be-longs here. Better is 5...Bd6 to prepare castling.6.O–O Bd6 7.f3 Be6 8.Bf4 O–O 9.Nd2 Nc6More flexible is 9...Re8 before deciding where topost the knight. 10.c3Ne7 11.Bxd6Qxd6 12.f4c5?! ?! - Overly aggressive. More prudent is12...Bf5 13. Nf3 Rae8. 13.Nf3 Less accurate than13. dxc5 Qxc5+ 14. Nd4. 13...Nf5 Strongeris 13...b6 in order to recapture on c5 with a pawnand keep control of d4. Even 13...c4 14. Bc2Bf5 minimzes WhiteŠs initiative. 14.Qd2 Ne415.Qc1 Rac8?! ?! - A waste of time. Again15...b6 is indicated. 16.dxc5 Qxc5+ 17.Ned4Nxd4 18.Nxd4 Rc7 19.f5 Bd7 20.Bxe4 dxe421.Qf4 Re8 22.Rae1 Re5? Gives up a pawnwithout a fight and leads to a hopeless ending. Thelast chance to avoid material loss is 22...Bb5! 23.Rf2 Bd3. 23.Rxe4Rxe4 24.Qxe4Bc6 25.Qe3Black has managed to stave off the immediate mat-ing threats but cannot overcome the lethal disad-vantage of being a pawn down. Since Kolty isblindfolded, however, there is always a chance hewill overlook something. Indeed, he is starting todrift. Sharper is 25. Qf4 Re7 26. f6 Re2 27. Qb8+

63

Re8 28.Qg3. 25...Re7 26.Qg3 Re8 27.f6 g628.Qh4? The queen is already on a strong outpostand should stay there. Simply 28.Re1 is indicatedto challenge the e-file. 28...h5? Bogart in turnmisses his main chance. 28...Re2! 29.Rf2 Re1+30.Rf1 Re2 draws. 29.Re1Rxe1+ 30.Qxe1Qd631.Nxc6 Qxc6 32.Qe7 Qc8 33.h3 Qc6 34.b4Qxc3 35. Qe8+ Kh7 36.Qxf7+ Kh6 37.Qe7Qc1+ Comes close to drawing – but not quite.38.Kf2Qf4+ 39.Ke2Qc4+ 40.Kf3Kg5? Mak-ing it easy. The best try is 40...h4! forcing Whiteto find a move like 41. Qe4! in order to win. If40...Qf1+ 41. Kg3 h4+ 42. Kh2 Qf4+ 43. Kg1Qc1+ 44. Kf2 Black eventually will run out ofchecks. 41.f7+ Black resigns. Bogart once workedin a chess stall at Coney Island and was arguablythe strongest player in the Hollywood community.1-0

◦ Erno Gereben• Efim GellerBudapestHungary1952 0-1 B90Geller was awarded a brilliancy prize for this, as hefirst sacrificed a bishop, and then both of his rookson the altar of attack. Such generous offerings arenot excessive when in pursuit of the enemy king –all is repaid in the event of success.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.h3 Nc6 7.g4 A serious loss of time. 7. Be3is indicated. 7...Nxd4 8.Qxd4 e5 9.Qd3 Be710.Bg2 Be6 11.b3 Further neglect of the law ofrapid developmen. More consistent is 11. f4..11...O–O 12.Bb2 b5 13.O–O–O Castling into it.Better is 13. O-O even though the kingside hasalready been weakened by premature pawn ad-vances. 13...b4 14.Ne2 Black’s attack also pro-gresses on 14. Nd5 Bxd5 15. exd5 Nd7. 14...a515.f4 Nd7 16.f5 Nc5 17.Qf3 a4 17...Bd7 is finebut this is much more vigorous. Now if 18. fxe6fxe6 19. Qg3 Bh4 20. Qh2 Rf2 21. Rhe1 Bg5wins quickly for Black. 18.h4 axb3 19.axb3Ra2Decisive penetration on the open file. Black’s at-tack almost plays itself. 20.fxe6 fxe6 21.Qg3Qa5 22.c4 Rxb2 23.Kxb2 Qa3+ 24.Kb1 Ra825.Nc1Qa1+ 26. Kc2Ra2+ The final sacrificegets everything back in spades. 27.Nxa2 Qxa2+28.Kc1 Nxb3+ 29.Qxb3 Qxb3 White’s king isstripped bare and it’s just a matter of time beforeblack gets his bishop into the game. 30.Rd2Qc3+ 31.Rc2Qe3+ 32.Kb2Qa3+ 33.Kb1 b334.Rb2 Qb4 35.g5 Bd8 36.Rc1 Bb6 37.Bh3Kf7 38.h5 Bd4 39.g6+ hxg6 40.hxg6+ Ke7

White resigns. Hopeless is 41. Rf1 Bxb2 42. Rf7Ke8 43. Kxb2 Qxc4.0-1

◦ Keres, P.• Smyslov, V.?Zurich1953 0-1 A34This was a game of great sporting importance:Keres desperately needed a win to retain any hopeof overhauling the tournament leader Smyslov.White finds an aggressive and original means ofbringing both Rooks into the attack, but Black’scareful defense and central counterattack carry theday. Smyslov went on to win the tournament,and the right to challenge Botvinnik for the worldchampionship in 1954.1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.Nf3 c5 4.e3 Be7 5.b3O–O 6.Bb2 b6 7.d4 cxd4 8.exd4 d5 9.Bd3Nc610.O–OBb7 11.Rc1Rc8 The strategic point ofthe next few moves will be whether or not Blackplays ...d5xc4. This would open a diagonal for hisBb7 and give him pressure against the d4 pawn, butwould allow White a mobile pawn center c4/d4.Black postpones the decision. 12.Re1 Nb413.Bf1Ne4 14.a3Nxc3 15.Rxc3 Preparing thetransfer of the Rook to the Kingside. Obviouslybad was 15.Bxc3? Na2. 15...Nc6 16.Ne5 Nxe517.Rxe5 Now both White Rooks are active, andBlack must play with great care. 17...Bf6 18.Rh5g6 19.Rch3 dxc4 Smyslov thought a long timeon this move, the more so as there is no forcedmate to be seen, but in the end chose the position-ally based counterattack in the center. His judg-ment was correct, for though a forced win is notevident, White would have a strong attack after19...gxh5 20.Qxh5 Re8 21.a4!, threatening to cutoff the Black King’s escape with Ba3, e.g. 21...Qd622.c5 bxc5 23.Qh6 Bg7 24.Qxh7+ Kf8 25.dxc5.20.Rxh7 Keres persists in playing for a win. Hecould still make a draw with 20.Qg4 c3 21.Bxc3Rxc3 22.Rxc3 Qxd4 23.Qxd4 Bxd4 24.Rc7 gxh525.Rxb7. 20...c3 21.Qc1 Obviously bad for Whiteare 21.Bxc3? Rxc3 22.Rxc3 Kxh7 and 21.Bc1Qxd4. Keres finds a way to keep the attack goinga bit longer. 21...Qxd4 But not 21...cxb2? 22.Qh6Qxd4 23.Rh8+ Bxh8 24.Qh7++. 22.Qh6 Rfd823.Bc1 Bg7 24.Qg5 Qf6 25.Qg4 c2 26.Be2Rd4 27.f4Rd1+ 28.Bxd1Qd4+ White Resigns.0-1

◦ Taimanov, M.• Evans, L.

64

USA-USSR Match (4)New York1954 0-1 E99A Soviet team came to New York at the height ofthe Cold War. America lost badly, but one of itsfew bright spots was Evans’ plus score in his fourgame set with Taimanov, whose prepared variationmet with a shocking rejoinder.1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 O–O Invit-ing 5. e5 Ne8 6. d4 d6 putting White’s ad-vanced center under pressure. 5.d4 d6 6.Be2 e57.O–O Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Ne1 Nd7 10.Nd3 f511.f3 f4 12.Bd2 g5 13.Rc1 Rf6 14.c5 Better is14. b4 h5 when both sides race to attack eachother on opposite wings. 14...Nxc5 15.Nxc5 dxc516.Na4 b6 17.b4 cxb4 18.Bxb4 Bf8 19.Rxc7More consistent is 19. Qb3. 19...Nf5 A boltfrom the blue! White hoped for 19...Qxc7? 20.d6 Qd8 21. dxe7 Bxe7 22. Bxe7 Qxe7 23.Qd5+ and Qxa8. 20.Bxf8 Qxc7 21.Ba3 Ne322.Qc1Qg7 23.Rf2Bd7 24.Nc3 g4 25.Bb2 g326.hxg3 Qxg3 27.Bf1 Rc8 27...Rh6 also wins.28.Qe1 b5 29.Ne2 Qh4 30.g3 fxg3 31.Nxg3Nxf1 Another winning path is 31...Qxg3 32. Rg2Qxg2+ 33. Bxg2 Nxg2 34. Kxg2 Rc2+. 32.Nf5Rg6+ 33.Kxf1 Qh1+ 34.Ke2 Rc2+ 35.Kd1Qxe1+ 36.Kxe1 Rg1+ White Resigns. WhenTaimanov went to have a drink at the bar, he washeard to mutter, "What did that little boy do tome?"0-1

◦ Mikhail Botvinnik• Vassily SmyslovWorld Championship Match (14)Moscow1954 0-1 E68World champion Botvinnik defended his title on a12-12 tie against Bronstein in 1951 and Smyslovin 1954. In this fighting game, Smyslov springs asurprise as early as move 11 in a main variation ofthe King’s Indian Defense. In the ensuing compli-cations Botvinnik defends with extreme care, butone slip proves to be his undoing. Smyslov capshis attack with a neat queen sacrifice.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 O–O 5.Nc3d6 6.Nf3Nbd7 7.O–O e5 8.e4 c6 9.Be3 A moverendered dubious by this seminal game. Sim-ply 9. h3 is indicated. 9...Ng4 10.Bg5 Qb611.h3 exd4 "A highly unpleasant surprise, lead-ing to great tactical complications." – Smyslov.12.Na4 Qa6 13.hxg4 b5 14.Nxd4 Black standswell on 14. cxb5 cxb5 15. Nxd4 bxa4 16.e5 Bb7; or 14. Be7 Re8 15. Bxd6 bxa4 16.

Nxd4 Ne5. 14...bxa4 15.Nxc6Qxc6 16.e5Qxc417.Bxa8 Nxe5 "Black has excellent play for theExchange, since the white pieces are disunited andcan easily come under attack. If 18. Qxd6 Qxg4with dangerous threats on the kingside, while af-ter 18. Be7 Bxg4 19. Qd5 Re8 20. Bxd6Rd8 21. Qxc4 Nxc4 one of the attacked bish-ops is lost." –Smyslov 18.Rc1Qb4 19.a3Qxb220.Qxa4 Bb7 21.Rb1 "For a number of movesWhite has been defending carefully, but here hefails to find the best reply. After 21. Bxb7 Qxb722. Rc3! h6 23. Bf4 Nf3 24. Rxf3 Qxf3 25.Bxd6 Rd8 26. Bc5 the game is almost level. Themove played meets with a convincing refutation"– Smyslov. 21...Nf3+ 22.Kh1 Bxa8 23.Rxb2Nxg5+ 24.Kh2Nf3+ 25.Kh3Bxb2 It’s all overbut the shouting. Black has three minor pieces forthe queen and a continuing attack. 26.Qxa7Be427.a4 Kg7 28.Rd1 Be5 29.Qe7 Rc8 Black’srook comes into play and quickly decides the issue.30.a5 Rc2 31.Kg2 Nd4+ 32.Kf1 Bf3 33.Rb1Nc6 On 34. Qc7 Bd4 is lethal. White Resigns.0-1

◦ Botvinnik, M.• Smyslov, V.?12th Match Game, Moscow1954 1-0 D18This see-saw match reached a turning point in thisgame midway through. With both kings under fire,Botvinnik drops the poison with 31. f7+, a combi-nation worthy of a composed problem. The matchwas drawn, but it was clear that the title was vul-nerable.1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4Bf5 6.e3 e6 7.Bxc4 Bb4 8.O–O Nbd7 9.Nh4O–O 10.f3 Botvinnik plays to create a strongpawn center. 10...Bg6 11.e4 e5 12.Nxg6hxg6 13.Be3 Qe7 14.Qe2 exd4 15.Bxd4 Bc516.Bxc5 Qxc5+ 17.Kh1 g5 18.g3 If White isable to start a Kingside pawn-roller he wouldhave fine attacking chances. 18...Rad8 19.Ba2Rfe8 20.Rad1Nf8 21.Rxd8Rxd8 22.e5Nd523.Nxd5 cxd5 24. Qd2Ne6 25.f4 gxf4 26.gxf4Qc6 Smyslov places the queen on the long whitediagonal, hoping to attack himself. He is neverable to do this however, so 26...Qd4 playing forthe endgame is better. 27.f5 Nc5 28.Qg5 Rd729.Rg1 f6 30.exf6 Ne4 This looks strong, butBotvinnik has a shot. 31.f7+ Rxf7 32.Qd8+Kh7 33.Bxd5 Nf2+ 34.Kg2 Qf6 Black has nochoice, but the endgame with an extra bishop is an

65

easy win for Botvinnik. 35.Qxf6 Rxf6 36.Kxf2Rxf5+ 37.Bf3Rf4 38.Rg4 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Bronstein• Keres?Goteburg1955 1-0 E41In this Brilliancy Prize game David Bronsteinshows that his drawn match for the World Champi-onship in 1951 was no fluke. Bronstein is famousfor his innovative attacking combinations.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 c5 5.Bd3 b66.Ne2 Bb7 7.O–O cxd4 8.exd4 O–O 9.d5 Thismakes a claim to Black’s territory. If Black plays9...exd5 10 cxd5 Nxd5 11. Nxd5 Bxd5 then 12.Bxh7+ Kxh7 13 Qxd5 is strong. 9...h6 10.Bc2Na6 The Knight is misplaced here. 11.Nb5 Thestart of Bronstein’s sacrifices. He threatens 12 a3Be7 13 d6 winning the bishop, so Black is forcedto capture pawns while White attacks the king.11...exd5 12.a3Be7 13.Ng3 dxc4 14.Bxh6 gxh615.Qd2 Black must now deal with the terriblethreat of 15. Qxh6, 16. Nf5 and 17. Qg7.Keres finds a defense by giving back his extramaterial. 15...Nh7 16.Qxh6 f5 17.Nxf5 Rxf518.Bxf5Nf8 19.Rad1 Material is roughly equal,but White’s control of the center and attackingchances make for a decisive advantage. 19...Bg520.Qh5Qf6 21.Nd6Bc6 22.Qg4Kh8 23.Be4Bh6 24.Bxc6 dxc6 25.Qxc4 Nc5 26.b4 Nce627.Qxc6 Bronstein has gained a decisive mate-rial advantage as well. The rest is just tech-nique. 27...Rb8 28.Ne4 Qg6 29.Rd6 Bg730.f4 Qg4 31.h3 Qe2 32.Ng3 Qe3+ 33.Kh2Nd4 34.Qd5Rc8 35.Nh5Ne2 36.Nxg7Qg3+37.Kh1 Nxf4 or 37...Qxg7 38. Qh5+ Kg8 39.Qxe2 38.Qf3Ne2 39.Rh6+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Byrne, D.• Fischer, R.?New York1956 0-1 D97Known as "the game of the century" until that titlewas usurped by a later Fischer brilliancy, this gamesaw the 13-year-old Bobby Fischer defeat one ofthe strongest American players with a startlingQueen sacrifice that many players would not evenhave considered. It was already clear that Fischerwas far ahead of his contemporaries, and he wouldsoon overtake even the resilient Reshevsky.

1.Nf3Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3Bg7 4.d4 O–O 5.Bf4d5 Transposing into the Grunfeld Defense, inwhich Black permits White to form a large pawncenter in hopes of counterattacking against it.6.Qb3 dxc4 7.Qxc4 c6 8.e4 Nbd7 9.Rd1 Nb610.Qc5Bg4 11.Bg5 Neglecting his Kingside de-velopment will soon bring White into difficulties;better was 11.Be2. 11...Na4 The first surprise.Now 12.Nxa4 Nxe4 13.Qb4 (or 13.Qxe7 Qxe714.Bxe7 Rfe8) Nxg5 14.Nxg5 Bxd1 15.Kxd1Bxd4 would be winning for Black. 12.Qa3Nxc3 13.bxc3 Nxe4 14.Bxe7 Qb6 15.Bc4 In-stead, 15.Bxf8 Bxf8 gives Black too much forthe Exchange, e.g. 16.Qc1 Nxc3 17.Qxc3? Bb4.15...Nxc3 16.Bc5 Rfe8+ 17.Kf1 Be6 What isstriking about this combination is that it is com-prised of several seemingly unrelated variations,all of which work perfectly. In addition to thetext, there is 18.Bxe6 Qb5+ 19.Kg1 Ne2+ 20.Kf1Ng3+ 21.Kg1 Qf1+ 22.Rxf1 Ne2++, and 18.Qxc3Qxc5 19.dxc5 Bxc3 20.Bxe6 Rxe6 with an ex-tra pawn in the endgame (21.Rd7 Rae8 22.g3R6e7). 18.Bxb6 Bxc4+ 19.Kg1 Ne2+ 20.Kf1Nxd4+ 21.Kg1 Black wins at once on 21.Rd3axb6 22.Qc3 Nxf3 (Qxc4 Re1++). 21...Ne2+22.Kf1 Nc3+ 23.Kg1 axb6 24.Qb4 Ra4 Ob-taining a decisive material advantage, since af-ter 25.Qd6 Nxd1 26.Qxd1 Rxa2 there is no de-fense to 27...Ra1. 25.Qxb6 Nxd1 26.h3Rxa2 27.Kh2 Nxf2 28.Re1 Rxe1 29.Qd8+Bf8 30.Nxe1 Bd5 31.Nf3 Ne4 32.Qb8 b533.h4 h5 34.Ne5 Kg7 35.Kg1 Bc5+ 36.Kf1Ng3+ 37.Ke1 Bb4+ 38.Kd1 Bb3+ 39.Kc1Ne2+ 40.Kb1Nc3+ 41.Kc1Rc2# 0-1

◦ Bent Larsen• Svetozar Gligoric12th OlympiadMoscow1956 1-0 B92Larsen was virtually unknown when he representedDenmark on first board in this world team cham-pionship, but he earned his grandmaster title byvirtue of a sensational 77.8%, the best score of anyother top board. Here is an instructive illustrationof how to convert an advantage from one phase ofthe game to the next. When the fireworks are over,White wins an even king and pawn ending becausehe can create an outside passed pawn.1.Nf3 c5 2.e4 d6 A quick transposition from theReti Opening to a Sicilian Defense. 3.d4 cxd44.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e5 Creates a back-ward pawn on d6 but gains a tempo by attacking

66

the knight. This system was considered too uglyto be playable before 1940. 7.Nb3 Be7 8.O–OO–O 9.Bg5 A quiet line aimed at increasing thepressure on d5. 9...Nbd7 10.a4 b6 A bit moreaccurate is 10...h6 inviting 11. Bxf6 Nxf6 12.Bc4 Be6! 11.Bc4 Bb7 12.Qe2 Qc7 13.Rfd1Rfc8 14.Nd2 h6 If now 15. Bh4 g5! is okay forBlack. 15.Bxf6 Nxf6 16.Bb3 Bc6 17.Nc4Nxe4 A freeing combination that should equal-ize. 18.Nxe4 d5 19.a5 dxc4 20.Qxc4 Rf8 If20...Bxe4 21. Qxe4 b5 22. Qf5! increases the pres-sure on f7. 21.axb6Qxb6 22.Nd6Bb5 23.Nxb5axb5 24.Qd5Rxa1 25.Rxa1Bc5 After defend-ing well, Black begins to go astray. Correct is25...Qc5! 26.Ra8 Bxf2+ The losing move. Thebest chance is 26...Rxa8 27. Qxa8 Bf8 28. Qd5Qa7. Another possibility is 26...Qc7 27. Rxf8Kxf8. Now a series of forced exchanges convertsWhite’s initiative from the midgame into a wonending. 27.Kf1 Qf6 28.Qxf7+ Qxf7 29.Bxf7+Kxf7 30.Rxf8+Kxf8 31.Kxf2 A neat simplifica-tion. Now White can create an outside pawn on thequeenside and penetrate with his king on the otherwing. 31...Ke7 32.Ke3Kd6 33.Ke4 b4 Passivedefense also fails. If 33...Ke6 34. c3 Kd6 35. b3Ke6 36. h4 h5 37. c4 gxc4 38. bxc4 Kd6 39. g3g6 40. c5! Kxc5 41. Kxe5 with Kf6 coming next.34.c3 b3 35.c4 g6 36.g4 h5 37.gxh5 gxh5 38.h4Kc6 Black has run out of good moves. If 38...Kc539. Kxe5 Kxc4 40. Ke4! gains the opposition andeventually captures the pawn on b3. 39.Kxe5Kc540.Kf5Kd4 41.Kf4Kc5 42.Ke5Kxc4 43.Ke4Kc5 44.Kd3 Kd5 45.Kc3 Ke4 46.Kxb3 Kf547.Kc3 Black resigns. "White queens first. I stillconsider this one of my most beautiful games" –Larsen. The finale could have been 47...Kg4 48.b4 Kxh4 49. b5 Kg4 50. b6 h4 51. b7 h3 52. b8=Qh2 53. Qb7.1-0

◦ Evans, L.• Najdorf, M.Dallas (14)USA1957 1-0 A04A prime example of asphyxiation. At the end ma-terial is even but Black resigns because all goodmoves have been snuffed out.1.Nf3 c5 2.g3 Nc6 3.Bg2 g6 4.O–O Bg7 5.e4d6 A Sicilian Defense by transposition. 6.c3 e57.d3 Nh6 More natural is 7...Nge7 towards thecenter. 8.Ne1 O–O 9.f4 exf4 10.Bxf4 Ng411.Na3 Nge5 12.Kh1 Qb6 13.Qd2 Be6 Bothsides have staked out their prospects: White on the

kingside, Black on the queenside. 14.Nec2 Qa615.d4Nc4 16.Nxc4Bxc4 17.Rf2 cxd4 18.cxd4Rfe8 19.Bh6 Qa5 Hopine for a swap to breakthe attack. A good alternative is 19...Bh8. 20.Qf4Bxd4 21.Nxd4 Nxd4 22.Qxd6 Rad8 23.Qf6Qe5 24.Bg5 Qxf6 25.Bxf6 Rd6 26.Rd1 Nf527.Rxd6 Nxd6 28.Rd2 Nc8 29.b3 Be6 Cen-tralizing looks natural but a better chance to holdis 29...Ba6. Now White’s two bishops sweep theboard. 30.e5 b6 31.Bc6Rf8 32.Kg2 h6 33.Kf3Kh7 34.Bd7 Black Resigns. Disgusted, Najdorfthrows in the towel without waiting for disaster. If34...Bxd7 35. Rxd7 g5 (or 35...Kg8 36. e6 fxe637. Rg7+ Kh8 38. Rxg6+) 36. e6 Kg6 37. e7 Re838. Rd8 Nxe7 39. Rxe8 Kxf6 40. Ke4 wins in thelong run.1-0

◦ Bobotsov, M.• Tal, M.VarnaBulgaria1958 0-1 E81A blow to tradition! Black’s queen sacrifice rev-olutionized the whole evaluation of this opening,and it’s amazing how his attack gains momentumwith each move.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 O–O6.Nge2 c5 7.Be3 Nbd7 8.Qd2 a6 9.O–O–OQa5 10.Kb1 b5 Setting the stage for a queen sac-rifice by ignoring the threat of Nd5. Cramped butsolid is 10...Re8 11. Nc1 (Evans- Mednis, USAChampionship 1964) and now 11...Rb8 is correct.11.Nd5 Nowadays most players interpolate 11.dxc5 dxc5 first. 11...Nxd5 A shocker! Inferioris 11...Qd8 12. dxc5. 12.Qxa5 Nxe3 Blackhas two knights for the queen and hopes to usethe latent power of his g7 bishop for an attackagainst b2. White should be able to exploit hismaterial advantage, but how? Theorists still dis-agree about who stands better. Probably the betterplayer! 13.Rc1Nxc4 14.Rxc4 White is too will-ing to return material and open the b-file in the bar-gain. Sturdier is 14. Qe1 exd4 15. Nf4. 14...bxc415.Nc1Rb8 16.Bxc4Nb6 17.Bb3 A trifle bet-ter is 17. Be2 but Black already has enough com-pensation for the queen, which is a helpless specta-tor. 17...Bxd4 18.Qd2Bg7 19.Ne2 c4 20.Bc2c3 Opening more lines. If 21. Nxc3 Nc4 winsoutright. 21.Qd3 cxb2 22.Nd4 Bd7 23.Rd1Rfc8 24.Bb3Na4 25.Bxa4Bxa4 26.Nb3Rc327. Qxa6 Bxb3 28.axb3 Rbc8 29.Qa3 Rc1+30.Rxc1 Rxc1+ It’s mate next move, so WhiteResigns.

67

0-1

◦ David Bronstein• Boris Spassky25th USSR Championship (10)Riga1958 0-1 E54On his road to the world championship, Spassky,like his Russian rivals, honed his talent in strongSoviet championships. Meanwhile, Bronstein, af-ter tying a title match in 1951, never again reachedthe heights because he sought beauty at the ex-pense of practical results. His predilection for out-landish ideas and eccentric maneuvers producedmany memorable games, but he frequently paid aprice for his overflowing imagination. Here, forexample, he goes out on a limb by misplacing hisrook on the rim – an idea that meets with a drasticrefutation.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 c5 5.Bd3O–O 6.Nf3 d5 7.O–O dxc4 8.Bxc4 b6 This vari-ation of the Nimzo-Indian became fashionable atZurich 1953. Bronstein’s tournament book is con-sidered one of the gems of chess literature. 9.Qe2Bb7 10.Rd1 cxd4 11.Rxd4 A dubious idea.Simply 11. Nxd4 or exd4 is called for. 11...Qe712.Bd2Nbd7 13.Be1 e5 14.Rh4 One bad moveleads to another. White should concede the er-ror of his ways and retreat to d1. 14...e4 15.Nd4Ne5 16.Nf5 Trying to justify his eccentric ma-neuvers. Better is 16. Bb3. 16...Qc5 17.Na4Qa5 18.Ne7+ Kh8 19.Bb3 Bxe1 20.Qxe1Nf3+ The finishing touch. White must lose hismisplaced rook. 21.gxf3 Qg5+ 22.Kh1 Qxh423.Qg1 Qh5 Black’s material superiority is de-cisive and the knight on e7 is stranded. 24.Rc1Qxf3+ 25.Qg2 Rad8 26.Qxf3 exf3 27.Rc7Rd2 28.Rxb7Rxf2 Elegant to the end. White’sback rank is vulnerable. If 29. Kg1 Rg2 30. Kf1Ng4 is the quietus. 29.h3Ne4 30.Nf5Rg2 Whiteresigns. It’s mate next with Nf2.0-1

◦ Boris Spassky• Mikhail Tal25th USSR Championship (19)Riga1958 0-1 E26This crucial last round encounter decided firstplace. "On move 23 I offered a draw. Spasskydecided that he could without risk continue thestruggle, and perhaps he was right. In any case, itwas I who committed the first mistake after which

he seized the initiative. He conducted the mid-dle game superbly and at adjournment my posi-tion gave serious call for alarm. When the gameresumed, I considered that it should finish as adraw. For a long time I maintained the equilib-rium, though it is true I had to find a number ofdifficult moves. The strength of one of these wasevidently underestimated by Spassky who by iner-tia continued playing for a win in a now level po-sition. Suddenly the advantage changed hands andmy counter-attack became irresistible." – Tal1.d4Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3Bb4 4.a3 The SaemischVariation is a surprising departure from Spassky’spet 4. Bg5. 4...Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 c5 6.e3Nc6 7.Bd3e5 Varying from the theoretically recommended7...O-O 8. Ne2 b6 9. e4 Ne8. 8.Ne2 e4 9.Bb1b6 10.Ng3Ba6 11.f3 Unclear is 11. Nxe4 Nxe412. Bxe4 Bxc4 13. f3. And if 11. Qa4 Na512. Nxe4 Nxe4 13. Bxe4 Rc8! regains the pawn.11...Bxc4 White gets a dangerous initiative af-ter 11...exf3 12. Qxf3 Bxc4 13. Nf5 O-O 14.e4. 12.Nf5 O–O 13.Nd6 Bd3 14.Bxd3 exd315.Qxd3 cxd4 16.cxd4Ne8 Putting the questionto the knight: either swap or retreat! 17.Nf5d5 18.a4 Nd6 19.Nxd6 Too risky is 19. Ba3Nxf5 20. Bxf8? Qg5. 19...Qxd6 20.Ba3Nb4 21.Qb3 a5 22.O–O Rfc8 23.Rac1 Qe6White refused a draw here. 24.Bxb4 axb4 25.Kf2Qd6 26.h3 Better is 26. Kg1 Qe6 with equal-ity. Now Black can grab the initiative with 26...h5!26...Kf8 27.Rc2 Rxc2+ 28.Qxc2 g6 29.Rc1Qd7 30.Qc6 Qxc6 31.Rxc6 Ra6 "More accu-rate was 31...Rxa4 32. Rxb6 Ke7 bringing theking over towards the rook. Most probably thegame would then have been drawn, whereas nowthe struggle flairs up with renewed vigor." – Tal32.a5 b3 33.axb6 b2 34.b7 b1=Q 35.Rc8+Kg736.b8=QRa2+ "It is amusing that the two pawnshave queened on the same file. Black now givesthe first check, but this is not very important." –Tal 37.Kg3 Qe1+ 38.Kh2 Qxe3 39.Rg8+ Kf6Black’s task would be easier after 39...Kh6 40.Qf8 Kh5 41. Qxf7 Rxg2! 42. Kxg2 Qd2 withperpetual check. 40.Qd6+ Qe6 41.Qf4+ Qf542.Qd6+Qe6 43.Qg3Qe3 44.h4Re2 "Weakeris the tempting 44...Ra1 45. Qd6 Qe6 46. Qf4!Qf5 47. Qh6." – Tal 45.Qd6+ Qe6 46.Qf4+The sealed move, and the game was adjourned.46...Qf5 47.Qh6 Ke7 48.Qf8+ Kf6 49.Qg7+Ke7 50.Ra8 Qd7 Forced to stop the threat ofRa7. 51.Qf8+ Kf6 52.Ra6+ Re6 53.Qh8+Ke7 54.Ra8Re1 55.Kg3 h5 Preparing a refugefor the king on f4. 56.Kf2 Re6 57.Rc8Rd6 58.Qf8+ Kf6 59.Re8 Re6 60.Qh8+ Kf5

68

61.Qh6 Kf6 Not 61...Rxe8? 62. Qg5 Ke6 63.Qe5 mate.. 62.Qh8+Kf5 63.Rd8Qc6 64.Rc8White should settle for a draw by 64. Kg3 sincehis attack has petered out, but he tries too hard towin and loses. 64...Qa6 65.Kg3Qd6+ 66.Kh3Re1 67.g3Rg1 68.f4Re1 "Threatening to trans-fer the queen to e6 and then penetrate into the en-emy camp. The only defense was 69. Re8 Rxe870. Qxe8 Qe6 but this gives Black a clear advan-tage." – Tal 69.Rc2Qe6 70.Rf2Rh1+ 71.Kg2Qe4+ 72.Rf3Kg4 73.Qc8+ f5 On 74. Qc3 Rf175. Kxf1 Qxf3 76. Qxf3 Kxf3 wins the king andpawn ending. White Resigns.0-1

◦ Yuri Averbakh• Mikhail Tal25th USSR ChampionshipRiga1958 0-1 A76Vintage Tal. A sharp Benoni Defense, a piece sac-rifice, a stupendous finishing touch. Later it wasdiscovered that Tal’s combination was dubious, butit worked over-the-board!1.d4Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5 The-ory condemns 5. Nxd5 Nxd5 6. Qxd5 Nc6 becausethe Queen will be driven away from d5 with lossof time. 5...d6 6.e4 g6 7.Be2 Bg7 "The charac-teristic position of this popular variation has beenreached. Black creates a weakness on d6 and al-lows White to seize the center. In return he obtainscounterplay associated with his pawn majority onthe queenside. An important role is played by thebishop on g7 which exerts strong pressure alongthe a1-h8 diagonal." – Tal 8.Nf3 O–O 9.O–ORe8 An alternative is 9...Bg4 10. h3 Bxf3 11.Bxf3 Nbd7. 10.Qc2 More usual is 10. Nd2 aim-ing to post this knight eventually on c4. 10...Na611.Bf4Nb4 12.Qb1Nxe4 A typical Tal gamble.More prudent is 12...Nh5 or Qe7. 13.Nxe4 Bf514.Nfd2Nxd5 15.Bxd6 Already a decisive error.Later analysis showed that White gets an advantagein all variations aftrer 11. Bg3! Qe7 12. Bf3 Rad817. Re1! Now Black regains his piece and remainsa pawn ahead. 15...Nf6 16.Bf3 Nxe4 17.Nxe4Bxe4 18.Bxe4Qxd6 19.Qc2Re7 "The techni-jcal stage begins. With opposite-colored bishopsit is very difficult to realize the extra pawn on thequeenside, and therefore Black decides to build upan attack on White’s king using the open e-file andthe possibility of his bishop occupying an activepost at d4" – Tal. 20.Bf3 Rae8 21.Rad1 Bd422.a4 b6 23.b3 Re5 24.Rd2 h5 25.Re2 Rxe226.Bxe2 h4 White has eased his defensive task

by exchaning a rook but storm clouds are gather-ing on the kingside. 27.Kh1 27. h3 looks better.27...Qf4 28.g3Qf6 29.Qd1Rd8 30.Bg4Bxf231.Qe2 Seems to win the pinned bishop. Also fu-tile is 31. Qf3 Qxf3 32. Bxf3 hxg3 33. hxg3 Rd2.31...Rd2 This neat trick saves the bishop and de-cides the game. If 32. Qxd2 Qc6 mates. 32.Qe8+Kg7 33.gxh4Qd4 34.Bh3Qd3 35.Bg2 Or 35.Qe5 Kh7 36. Qf4 Qd5! 37. Bg2 Qxg2 38. Kxg2Be3 39. Kh1 Bxf4 40. Rxf4 Kg7 leaves White apawn behind in a hopeless ending. 35...Rd1 If 36.Qb5 Rxf1 37. Bxf1 Qe4 38. Bg2 Qxh4 wins asecond pawn. White Resigns.0-1

◦ Polugaevsky, L.• Nezhmetdinov, R.?Sochi1958 0-1 A53Black drives the White King into a mating net inthe center of the board with an amazing intuitiveQueen sacrifice. The game is far more impressivethan similar examples from the 19th century, forWhite’s defense is by no means weak.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 d6 3.Nc3 e5 4.e4 exd4 5.Qxd4White trades time for space, and Black must playenergetically to prevent his opponent from consol-idating. 5...Nc6 6.Qd2 g6 7.b3 Bg7 8.Bb2O–O 9.Bd3 Ng4 10.Nge2 Qh4 11.Ng3 Nge512. O–O f5 13.f3 Bh6 14.Qd1 f4 15.Nge2 g516.Nd5 g4 Now White must take drastic mea-sures to meet the threat of 17...g3 18,h3 Bxh3,with a winning attack. 17.g3 fxg3 18.hxg3 Qh319.f4 Now White has calculated that he can sur-vive 19...Nf3+ 20.Kf2 Qh2+ 21.Ke3, with the pow-erful counter-threat 22.Rh1. 19...Be6 20.Bc2Of course not 20.fxe5? Be3+. 20...Rf7 21.Kf2Qh2+ 22.Ke3 Bxd5 23.cxd5 Nb4 24.Rh1 Itseems that Black has overextended himself, but... 24...Rxf4 25.Rxh2 The alternatives are clearlybad – 25.Nxf4 Nxc2+, 25.gxf4 Bxf4+ 26.Nxf4Nxc2+, and 25.Bxe5 Rf3+ 26.Kd4 Qf2+. But hasBlack really enough for his Queen? 25...Rf3+26.Kd4 Bg7 27.a4 He must meet the threat of27...b5 followed by 28...Nec6++. 27...c5+ 28.dxc6bxc6 29.Bd3 Now the threat was 29...c5++.29...Nexd3+ 30.Kc4 d5+ 31.exd5 cxd5+ 32.Kb5Rb8+ The entry of the last piece into the attack isimmediately decisive. 33.Ka5 Nc6+ White Re-signs.0-1

69

◦ Tolush, A.• Taimanov, M.?Riga1958 1-0 B65Alexander Tolush was one of those players who,though not quite of top rank, produced an amazingnumber of brilliant and original games in his ca-reer. In this game, the players attack on oppositewings, and it seems that Black’s attack is quite asstrong as White’s. But Tolush nonchalantly sacri-fices the exchange to eliminate Black’s best attack-ing piece, and threads his way through a maze ofcomplications to take that point.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf65.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 e6 White’s system is known asthe Richter-Rauzer Attack. He prepares to elimi-nate Black’s important defensive Nf6, and his planusually entails castling Queenside and advancinghis Kingside pawns. 7.Qd2Be7 8.O–O–ONxd49.Qxd4 O–O 10.f4 h6 11.Bh4 Qa5 12.Qg1Preparing g2-g4-g5 to open lines against the King;he is also ready to answer 12...e5 with 13.f5.12...Bd7 13.g4 White does not win a piece with13.e5 dxe5 14.fxe5, as Black plays not 14...Qxe515.Bxf6 but 14...Bc5 15.Bf2 Bxf2 16.Qxf2 Qxe5.But now this is a real threat. 13...Bc6 14.Be1Qc7 15.Bd3 d5 16.e5Ne4 17.Bxe4 dxe4 18.h4b5 19.Bg3 b4 20.Ne2Bd5 White’s attack seemsto have bogged down [he cannot yet open a filewith 21.g5 because of 21...h5], but his next movegives the game a new aspect. 21.Rxd5 exd522.Qd1 Rfd8 Too passive – he should try to re-gain the initiative with 22...Bc5 23.Qxd5 Be3+24.Kb1 Rad8 25.Qxe4 Rd2 26.Nc1 Rc8, and theposition remains unclear; 27.c3? is answered by27...Rxb2+!. 23.Nd4Qc4 24.Kb1Bc5 25.Bf2a5 26.g5 h5 27.e6 A strong move – White luresaway the f7 pawn to permit g5-g6, closing the netaround the Black King. 27...fxe6 28.g6 a4 Thelast chance was 28...Bxd4 29.Bxd4 e3, and af-ter 30.Re1 [30.Bxe3 Qe4 eliminates the dangerouspawn at g6] 30...a4 31.Rxe3 the outcome remainsin doubt. 29.Nxe6 d4 On 29...Bxf2 30.Qxh5the King has no escape. 30.f5 d3 31.Bxc5b3 Desperately trying to complicate matters. On31...Qxc2+ 32.Qxc2 dxc2+ 33.Kxc2 Rd5 34.Bd4White should win routinely. 32.cxb3 Simpler was32.cxd3 Qxd3+ 33.Qxd3 Rxd3 34.Re1. Tolushcontinues to play for the attack, and sets off anotherround of fierce complications. 32...axb3 33.axb3Qa6 34.Ba3 d2 35.Nxd8 But not 35.Qxh5?,when 35...Qd3+ 36.Ka2 Rxa3+! even wins forBlack! 35...Qd3+ 36.Ka2 e3 37.Rh2 Still not

37.Qxh5? since after 37...Rxa3+ 38.Kxa3 Qd6+the White King will be unable to escape the checks.37...Qxd8 And now 37...Rb8 fails to 38.f6! gxf639.Nc6 Qxb3+ 40.Qxb3 Rxb3 41.Ne7+ [of coursenot 41.Kxb3? d1Q+] Kh8 42.g7+ Kxg7 43.Nf5+and 44.Nxe3, with a winning ending. Now Whitegoes over to the attack again. 38.f6 gxf6 39.Qxh5Ra7 40.Rh1 Qd3 41.Qc5 Rxa3+ 42.Qxa3d1=Q 43.Rxd1Qxd1 44.Qe7 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Fischer, R.• Larsen, B.InterzonalPortoroz1958 1-0 B77After an ill-advised attempt by Larsen to compli-cate the game, Fischer slays the Dragon. It’s anobject lesson in how to mount an assault againsta fianchettoed king position by prying open the h-file.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 O–O 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.Bc4Nxd4 Since then Black has sought many waysto neutralize the Yugoslav Attack. More popularnow is 9...Bd7. 10.Bxd4 Be6 11.Bb3 Qa512.O–O–O b5 13.Kb1 b4 The counterattack isstymied on 12...Bxb3 13. cxb3! 14.Nd5 Bxd515.Bxd5 It’s better to seek pressure along the e-file and abandon the attack by 15. exd5 Qb5 16.Rhel a5 17. Qe2! (Tal- Larsen, Zurich 1959).15...Rac8 In a higher sense the, losing move. Cor-rect is 15...Nxd5! 16. Bxg7 (or 16. exd5 Qxd5 17.Qxb4) 16... Nc3+! 16.Bb3 Now the bishop ex-erts a watchful eye on the kingside and can’t be dis-lodged. 16...Rc7 17.h4Qb5 Fischer gives 17...h518. g4! hxg4 19. h5! gxh5 20. fxg4 Nxe4 21. Qe3Nf6 22. gxh5 e5 23. h6 and wins. 18.h5 Rfc8Again if 18...gxh5 19. g4! is strong. 19.hxg6hxg6 20.g4 a5 21.g5 Nh5 21...Ne8 doesn’t workeither after 22. Bxg7 Nxg7 23. Rh6! e6 24. Qh2Nh5 25. Bxe6 fxe6 26. Rxg6+ Ng7 27. Rh1.22.Rxh5 "I’ve made this sacrifice so often, I feellike applying for a patent" – Fischer. 22...gxh523.g6 e5 24.gxf7+ Kf8 25.Be3 d5 The best try.If 25...a4 26. Qxd6+ Re7 27. Qd8+! Rxd8 28.Rxd8+ Re8 29. Bc5+ spells finis. 26.exd5 Rxf727.d6 Rf6 28.Bg5 Qb7 29.Bxf6 Bxf6 30.d7Rd8 31.Qd6+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Mikhail Tal• Efim Geller

70

25th USSR ChampionshipRiga1958 1-0 C96On his path to the world championship, Tal estab-lished his credentials by taking first in the power-ful Soviet national championship with 9 wins, 3losses, 7 draws in a field of 20. "In the presentgame I wanted to try a dubious idea involvingan immediate flank blow, but I did not obtain anadvantage." –Tal Blow follows counter-blow un-til Geller, after a brilliant defense, finally stumblesand loses his way in a welter of complications.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O–O 8.c3 d6 9.h3 Na510.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Bb7 12.b4 "12. Nbd2 is notdangerous for Black. White must evidently blockthe center with 12. d5."– Tal 12...cxb4 13.cxb4Nc4 14.Nbd2 d5 15.exd5 exd4 "Stronger perhapswas 15...Nxd5" – Tal. 16.Nxc4 bxc4 17.Qxd4Bxb4 18.Rb1 "Thanks to this move White is ableto keep his initiative alive, whereas moves by theother rook would let it die away." – Tal 18...Bxe118...Nxd5 fails to 19. Bxh7! Kxh7 20. Ng5 Kg821. Qh4 Nf6 22. Rxb4 threatening Rxb7 and/orBb2. 19.Rxb7 Re8 "Although objectively thismay be the strongest move, 19...Qxd5 20. Qxd5Nxd5 would have dampened White’s aggressiveintentions." – Tal 20.d6 Qc8 21.Bg5 "Also pos-sible was 21. Rc7 Qe6 22. Bg5 Nd5 23. Rc5Nc3 with a completely unclear position." – Tal21...Re2 Splendid! Not 21...Qxb7 22. Bxf6 gxf623. Qh4 with a terrific attack. 22.Rc7 Qe623.Nxe1 Rxe1+ 24.Kh2 Rd8 "The only movein view of the threat of Re7. 24...Nd7 fails to 25.Ba4." – Tal 25.Bxf6 gxf6 "An unexpected blunderwhich distorts the logical course of the game. Nec-essary was 25...Qxf6 26. Qxf6 gxf6 27. d7 withan interesting ending. Black would probably havehad to give back the Exchange by 27...Kg7 28. Bf5Re5 29. Rc8 Rxf5 30. Rxd8 Rd5 when White can-not realize his minimal advantage. Now, however,it is all over." – Tal 26.Re7 Qxd6+ If 26...Qxe727. Qg4 does the trick. 27.Qxd6Rxd6 28.Rxe1Rd2 29.Rc1 Rxf2 30.Be4 Rxa2 31.Rxc4 a532.Rc8+ Kg7 33.Rc7 If 33...Rd2 (to stop thethreat of Bd5) 34. Ra7 Rd4 35. Bc2 effectivelyends all resistance. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Tal, M.• Fuster, G.InterzonalPortoroz1958 1-0 B17

This is one of the games with which Tal burst uponthe world chess scene. Spectacularly sacrificing abishop for only two pawns, he succeeds in pinningBlack’s king to the center while mounting an at-tack.1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4Nd7 5.Nf3Ngf6 6.Nxf6+ 6. Ng3 has been tried to avoid sim-plifications, but the retreat costs a tempo and placesthe knight on a dubious post. 6...Nxf6 7.Bc4Bf5 A mistake is 7...Bg4? 8. Bxf7+! Kxf7 9.Ne5+. 8.Qe2 e6 9.Bg5Be7 10.O–O–O h6 Therefinement 10...Bg4! 11. h3 Bxf3 12. Qxf3 Nd5!13. Bxe7 Qxe7 snuffs out White’s budding initia-tive (Fischer- Petrosian, Bled 1961.) 11.Bh4Ne412.g4 Surprisingly effective. Of course White hadto reckon with 12...Bxh4 15. gxf5 Nxf2 16. fxe6O-O 15. exf7+ with ample compensation for losingthe exchange. 12...Bh7 13.Bg3 Nxg3 14.fxg3Qc7 15.Ne5 Bd6 16.h4 f6 Black should seeksome relief with 16...Bxe5 17. dxe5 Rd8 sincethe reduction of material offers drawing chances.Now he is hoping for 17. Nf3 O-O. No suchluck. 17.Bxe6 fxe5 18.dxe5 Be7 Not 18...Bxe519. Rhe1 Bd6 20. Bd7+! 19.Rhf1Rf8 20.Rxf8+Bxf8 21.Qf3Qe7 22.Qb3Rb8 To fend off thethreat of Rd7. 22...Rd8 is refuted by 23. Bf7+!Qxf7 24. Rxd8+ Ke7 25. Rd7+. It’s all overnow anyway. 23.Bd7+ Qxd7 24.Rxd7 Kxd725.Qf7+ Be7 26.e6+ Kd8 27.Qxg7 The bishophas no refuge. If 27...Be4 28. Qh8+ Kc7 29. Qe5+followed by Qxe4 does the trick. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Bobby Fischer• Samuel ReshevskyUSA Championship (6)New York1958 1-0 B35Its no longer possible for a master just to sit downand play a tournament game. To achieve good re-sults, preparation is half the battle. Fischer used toransack obscure chess periodicals for opening nov-elties whose true worth was overlooked; here hebags Reshevsky’s queen in a dozen moves with atrap he found between two unknowns in a Russianchess magazine.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.Nc3Bg7 6.Be3Nf6 7.Bc4 O–O 8.Bb3Na5 Care-lessly abandoning the center. Safer is 8...d6. Blackprobably was expecting 9. O-O Nxb3 10. axb3d5! 9.e5Ne8 The lesser evil is 9...Nxb3 10. exf6Nxa1 11. fxg7 Nxc2 12. Nxc2 Kxg7. Now the roofcaves in. 10.Bxf7+Kxf7 Or 10...Rxf7 meets withthe same stunning reply. 11.Ne6 dxe6 Forced. If

71

11...Kxe6 12. Qd5 Kf5 13. g4 Kxg4 14. Rg1 Kh415. Bg5 Kh5 16. Qd1 mates. 12.Qxd8 Nc6 Forall intents and purposes the game is over, becauseBlack only has two minor pieces for the queen.Reshevsky’s stubborn resistance just delays the in-evitable and the rest requires no comment. 13.Qd2Bxe5 14.O–O Nd6 15.Bf4 Nc4 16.Qe2 Bxf417.Qxc4 Kg7 18.Ne4 Bc7 19. Nc5 Rf620.c3 e5 21.Rad1 Nd8 22.Nd7 Rc6 23.Qh4Re6 24.Nc5 Rf6 25.Ne4 Rf4 26.Qxe7+ Rf727.Qa3Nc6 28.Nd6Bxd6 29.Rxd6Bf5 30.b4Rff8 31.b5 Nd8 32. Rd5 Nf7 33.Rc5 a634.b6 Be4 35.Re1 Bc6 36.Rxc6 bxc6 37.b7Rab8 38.Qxa6Nd8 39.Rb1Rf7 40.h3Rfxb741.Rxb7+Rxb7 42.Qa8 If 42...Rd7 43. a4 costsBlack more material. White’s winning techniquewas efficient and instructive. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Tal, M.• Petrosian, T.Candidates’ TournamentYugoslavia1959 1/2-1/2 B94A genius of attack versus a genius of defense. Theoutcome is a stupendous draw marked by mutualgive-and-take.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.Bg5 Nbd7 7.Bc4 Qa5 8.Qd2 e6 9.O–OSharper is 9. O-O-O b5 10. Bb3 Bb7 11. Rhe1 Nc512. Bxf6 gxf6 13. Qf4 Be7 14. Qg4! (Stein-Tal,USSR Championship 1962). 9...h6 10.Bh4 g5Safer is 10...Be7. 11.Bg3 Nh5 12.Bxe6 Wherethere’s a will there’s a way to sacrifice. Gufeld-Petrosian, USSR 1959, went 12. Rad1 Ne5 13.Bb3 Nxg3 14. hxg3 g4 with good counterplay.12...fxe6 13.Nxe6Nxg3 14.fxg3Ne5 15.Rxf8+The only way to refresh the attack. Not 15. Nxf8Qc5+ 16. Kh1 Rxf8. 15...Rxf8 16.Qxd6 Rf617.Nc7+ Faltering at the critical moment. Correctis 17. Qc7! b6 18. Ng7+ Kf8 19. Nh5! regain-ing material. 17...Kf7 18.Rf1 Rxf1+ 19.Kxf1Nc4 Energetic defense. If Black stops to protecthis rook by 19...Ra7 20. Nc3d5 creates hideousthreats to his king. 20.Qxh6 Qc5 21.Nxa8 On21. Ned5 Ne3+ forces simplifications. 21...Nd2+22.Ke2 Bg4+ 23.Kd3 Qc4+ 24.Ke3 Qc5+ If25. Kxd2 Qd4+ 26. Ke1 leads to the same result.Draw.1/2-1/2

◦ Tal, M.• Polugaevsky, L.

26th USSR ChampionshipTbilisi1959 1-0 B94Polugaevsky survives a ferocious attack and seemswell on his way to recovery. However, after swap-ping queens, he is beguiled by the calm setting andunderestimates the force of Tal’s initiative .1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.Bg5 Nbd7 7.Bc4 Qa5 8.Qd2 e6 9.O–OBe7 10.Rad1Nc5 Safer is 10...h6 11. Bh4 Ne512. Be2 g5 13. Bg3 b5 14. a3 Bb7 (Olafsson-Evans, Buenos Aires 1960). 11.Rfe1 Bd7 12.a3Qc7 13.b4 Na4 14.Nxa4 Bxa4 15.Bxe6 Astock sacrifice in an unusual setting. 15...fxe616.Nxe6 Qxc2 Now how can White sustain hisattack? 17. Qxc2 Bxc2 18. Rc1 Ba4 19. Nc7+ Kf720. Nxa8 Rxa8 21. Rc7 Bc6 22. e5 dxe5 23. Rxe5Re8 (threatening Nd5) is in Black’s favor. 17.Qd4Kf7 18.Rc1 Qa2 19.e5 dxe5 20.Qxe5 Qxf2+White must capture in view of 21. Kh1 Bc6.21.Kxf2 Ng4+ 22.Kg1 Nxe5 23.Rxe5 Bxg524.Nxg5+Kg6 25.Ne6Rhe8 Plausible but dis-astrous. The best chance to draw is 25...Rac8. Thetext loses a vital tempo. 26.Re3 Rac8 27.Rf1Bb5 28.Rg3+Kh6 29.Nxg7Rf8 30.Re1Rf631.h3Rc2 32.Re5Rc1+ 33.Kh2 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Tal, M.• Nievergelt, E.ZurichSwitzerland1959 1-0 B63The magician from Riga embarks on a typicallyspeculative sacrifice to maintain the initiative. Onesurprise follows another until Black finally cracksunder the strain.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf65.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 h6 Tal-R.Byrne, Ha-vana Olympics 1966, continued 7...a6 8. O-O-OBd7 9. f4 Be7 10. Nf3 b5 11. Bxf6 gxf6 12.f5! and now 12...b4! 13. Ne2 e5 is better thanByrne’s 12...Qa5 13. Kb1 O-O-O 14. g3 Kb8 15.Bh3 with lasting pressure. 8.Bxf6 gxf6 9.O–O–Oa6 10.f4 Bd7 11.Be2 More forceful is 11. g3followed by Bh3 and f5 as in the above-quotedgame. 11...h5 12.Kb1 Qb6 13.Nb3 O–O–O14.Rhf1Be7 15.Rf3 The rook hopes to find em-ployment on the third rank where it can shuttleto either wing. 15...Rdg8 16.Bf1 Kb8 17.Rd3Bc8 18.a3 h4 19.Qe1 Rg4 20.Nd5 The first ofseveral surprises. Black is forced to capture, butthe result is by no means unfavorable for him.20...exd5 21.exd5Ne5 22.fxe5 fxe5 The net result

72

is that Black straightened out his doubled pawnsand opened diagonals for his bishops. White mustattack now or perish in the long run. 23.Na5Bd8Safer is 23...Ka8. 24.Nc6+Ka8 Not 24...bxc6 25.Rb3 pinning the queen. 25.Rb3Qc7 26.Rc3 Talnotes: "After 26. Nxd8 Qxd8 White has no attack,and Black would be better. Therefore I decided tosacrifice a piece. Because of this I was criticizedconsiderably, and heard: ’It was incorrect...Tal waslucky...It was a bluff...Tal was dead lost’ – but I didnot see at what point I was dead lost, and concern-ing other accusations of the wise critics, I consolemyself with pleasure that chess fans, spectatorsand readers are happy only when grandmasters riskrather than just push wood." 26...bxc6 27.Rxc6Qb7 28.Rxd6 Black gets too much for the queenon 28. Bxa6 Qxa6 29. Rxa6+ Bxa6 and so decidesto capture a second pawn to step up the pressure.28...Ra4 Stronger is 28...Qe7 29. Rc6 Bb7 30.d6 Qd7 31. Rc3 e4. 29.Rd3 Bc7 30.Rf6 Bd831.Rc6 e4 After 31...Re8! White has no immedi-ately decisive blow. 32.Rb3 Ba5 33.Qe3 Qa734.Qh6 The final jolt. Had Tal not taken risks,such a complex setting would not have occurred.Of course the queen is immune because of Rxc8+.34...Rd8 35.Bxa6 Bd2 36.Qf6 Qd7 37.Bxc8On 37...Rxc8 38. Ra6+ is fatal. A startling climax.Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Fischer• Benko?Bled1959 1-0 B57A vintage Fischer brilliancy, as he makes the de-molition of a top Grandmaster look easy with aprecisely calculated Kingside attack.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf65.Nc3 d6 6.Bc4 The Sozin Attack, long a favoriteof Fischer’s. 6...Qb6 7.Nde2 e6 8.O–O Be79.Bb3 O–O 10.Kh1 Na5 11.Bg5 Qc5 12.f4b5 13. Ng3 b4 Better was 13...Nxb3 14.axb3b4. After the text Black is in trouble. 14.e5dxe5 More or less forced – 14...bxc3 15.exf6 Bxf616.Bxf6 gxf6 17.Ne4! Qf5 18.Nxd6 Qg6 19.Rf3Kh8 20.Rg3 Qh6 21.Qg4, threatening 22.Qg8+and 23.Nxf7++. 15.Bxf6 gxf6 Slightly betterwas 15...bxc3, but White still has a strong at-tack after 16.Ne4 Qb4 17.Qg4 Bxf6 18.Nxf6+ Kh819.Qh4 h6 20.Ng4. 16.Nce4Qd4 17.Qh5Nxb3Also insufficient are: I) 17...Kh8 18.Qh6 Rg819.Nxf6 Rg7 20.Nh5 and II) 17...exf4 18.Nf5! exf519.Rxf4 Qxe4 (else 20.Rh4 will mate) 20.Rxe4

fxe4 21.Qxa5. 18.Qh6 exf4 Or 18...f5 19.c3!,and after the Queen leaves the a1-h8 diagonal Nh5will mate. 19.Nh5 f5 20.Rad1 Qe5 21.Nef6+Bxf6 22.Nxf6+Qxf6 23.Qxf6 Now White winsroutinely. 23...Nc5 24.Qg5+ Kh8 25.Qe7 Ba626.Qxc5Bxf1 27.Rxf1 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Kholmov, R.• Keres, P.?Tbilisi1959 1-0 B30When Black adopts a provocative defense thatleaves his pieces scattered, White essays a long-term piece sacrifice to confine the Black King tothe central files. The game is particularly impres-sive because of several variations in which Whitehad to judge that his initiative would persist evenafter the exchange of Queens.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5Nf6 4.e5Ng4 5.Bxc6dxc6 6.O–O g6 7.Re1 Bg7 8.h3 Nh6 9.Nc3b6 10.d4 cxd4 11.Nxd4 c5 If Black can consol-idate and complete his development, he will standwell with his two Bishops, so White must act atonce. 12.Nc6 Qd7 Black discovers that he can-not exchange Queens – 12...Qxd1 13.Rxd1 Bb714.Nb5! Bxc6 15.Nc7+ Kf8 16.Nxa8, and he can-not recapture because of the mate threat at d8.13.Nxe7Kxe7 There were many defenses to con-sider. The obvious 13...Qxd1 14.Rxd1 Kxe7 workspoorly after 15.Bg5+! Ke6 16.Rd6+ Kf5 17.f4;the threat is 18.Bxh6 and 19.Rf6++, and 17...Ng8allows 18.g4++, while 17...Be6 runs into 18.Ne2Ke4 19.Ng3+ Ke3 20.Re1++. There remainsonly 17...Bxe5, surrendering material after 18.Rd5f6 19.Bxh6. Slightly better than the game was13...Qxe7, but Black is still in trouble after 14. Nd5Qd8 15.Nf6+ Bxf6 [or 15....Ke7 16.Bg5] 16.exf6+.14.Bxh6 Bxh6 15.Qf3 Bg7 16.Nd5+ Kd8Other moves also have their drawbacks – 16...Ke817.Nf6+ Bxf6 18.exf6+ and 19.Qxa8, or 16...Kf817.e6 Qb7 18.e7+ Ke8 19.Qf6! Qxd5 20.Qxg7Qd4 21.Re5. 17.Rad1Bb7 18.Qb3Bc6 Thereis no escape – 18...Kc8 is answered by 19.Nxb6+and 18...Ke8 by 19.Nf6+. 19.Nxb6 axb6 20.Qxf7Bxe5 21.Rxd7+ Bxd7 22.Rxe5 Kc7 23.Re7Rad8 24.a4 g5 25.Qd5Rhe8 26.Rxh7 g4 27.a5gxh3 28.axb6+Kxb6 29.Rxd7 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Evans, L.• Bisguer, A.

73

USA ChampionshipNew York City1959 1-0 C42Bisguier plays with the recklessness of an angrybull charging a locomotive in this rare sideline ofthe Petrov Defense. The final move alone is worththe price of admission.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nf6 3.Nxe5 Another try for advan-tage is 5. d4 exd4 5. e5 Ne4 6. Qe2!? (Fischer-German, Stockholm 1962 instead of 7. Qxd4 d5.3...d6 Necessary. A standard trap is 3...Nxe4? 4.Qe2 d5 5. d3 Qe7 6. dxe4 Qxe5 7. exd5 gain-ing a pawn. 4.Nf3Nxe4 5.c4 Playable but ratherharmless, this offbeat alternative to 5. d4 was in-troduced by Dr. Kaufmann of Vienna in the 1890s.Also the endgame after 5. Qe2 Qe7 6. d3 Nf6 7.Bg5 Qxe2+ 8. Bxe2 Be7 is rather drawish (Spassky- Petrosian, 15th match game 1969.) 5...d5 6.Nc3Bc5 Black provokes White’s next gain of tempo inorder to win a pawn, but he has no hold on the cen-ter, his king is not yet castled, and his developmentlags. Safer is 5...Nf6. 7.d4Bb4 8.Qb3 c5 9.Bd3Qa5 10.O–O "White uses his advantage energet-ically and with classic simplicity" – Hans Kmoch.10...Nxc3 11.bxc3 Bxc3 Not only attacking arook but also preventing a check on the king file.But it is the setting for a debacle. 12.Bb2Bxb213.Rae1+ A vital in-between-move. The point isthat Black must nove his king, thus forfeiting theright to castle. 13...Kf8 14.Qxb2 cxd4 15.cxd5Nd7 Trying desperately to catch up in develop-ment. Not 15...Qxd5? 16. Qb4+ Kg8 17. Re8mate. 16.Qxd4Nf6 17.Qe5Qc5 18.Ng5Bd719.Ne4 Nxe4 19...Qxd5? loses a piece to 20.Nxf6. 20.Rxe4 Re8 21.Qf4 Qxd5 22.Rfe1Rxe4 Unwise is 22...Qxd3? 23. Rxe8+ Bxe8 24.Qb4+ 23.Bxe4Qe6 24.Qb8+Be8 25.Qxa7 b6Black defended sensibly but can’t recover from hisfaulty opening. Only 25...g6 offers some fightingchances but White is still on top after 26. Qxb7Qxa2 27. Qb4+ Kg7 28. Qd4+ 26.Qa3+ Qe7Also futile is 26...Kg8 27. Bxh7+ and Rxe6 next.27.Bc6 The point is 27...Qxa3 28. Rxe8 mate.Black was hoping for drawing chances after 27.Qxe7+ Kxe7 28. Bxh7+. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Tal, M.• Smyslov, V.?Bled1959 1-0 B10Throughout the 1950’s it seemed that the duel be-tween Botvinnik and Smyslov would continue until

the years took their toll on the older player. It wasthen that Tal arrived on the scene, and his imagi-nation, daring and calculating ability brought himto the World Championship in 1960. In this gamefrom the 1959 Candidates’ Tournament, he downsSmyslov with a sustained initiative and a flurry ofcombinations.1.e4 c6 2.d3 d5 3.Nd2 e5 4.Ngf3 Nd7 5.d4Despite the seeming loss of time, White in thisvariation of the Caro-Kann forces open the cen-ter before Black has completed his development.5...dxe4 6.Nxe4 exd4 7.Qxd4Ngf6 8.Bg5Be79.O–O–O O–O 10.Nd6Qa5 11.Bc4 b5 12.Bd2Qa6 13.Nf5 Bd8 14.Qh4 bxc4 15.Qg5 Nh5Black is in serious trouble – after 15...g6 16.Bc3White has many threats, starting with 17.Qh6gxf5 18.Rxd7 Bxd7 19.Ng5, with unavoidablemate. 16.Nh6+ Kh8 17.Qxh5 Qxa2 18.Bc3Nf6 19.Qxf7Qa1+ Not 19...Rxf7 20.Rxd8+ Ng821.Rxg8++. 20.Kd2 Rxf7 Even worse is20...Qxd1+ 21.Rxd1 Rxf7 22.Nxf7+ Kg8 23.Nxd8,and White is a piece ahead. 21.Nxf7+ Kg822.Rxa1 Kxf7 23.Ne5+ Ke6 24.Nxc6 Ne4+25.Ke3Bb6+ 26.Bd4 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Letelier, R.• Fischer, R.Leipzig OlympicsEast Germany1960 0-1 E70In a hunt for material, Letelier overextends his cen-ter but neglects to safeguard his rear. His haplessmonarch, unable to castle, is soon forced to abdi-cate.1.d4Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3Bg7 4.e4 O–O 5.e5 NowWhite has his center to defend. He should resistthis temptation and pursue orderly developmentwith 5. Nf3 or f3. 5...Ne8 6.f4 d6 7.Be3 7. Nf3dxe5 8. dxe5 leads to a better foothold in the cen-ter. 7...c5 8.dxc5 Nc6 9.cxd6 Overly aggressive.Safer is 9. Nf3 Bg4 10. Be2. 9...exd6 10.Ne4 Afurther violation of principle by moving the samepiece twice. More realistic is 10. Nf3. 10...Bf511.Ng3 "The only chance lay in the consistent 11.Nxd6 Nxd6 12. Qxd6 Qxd6 13. exd6 Bxb2 14.Rd1 Nb4! 15. Kf2 Nxa2 16. Ne2 a5" – Fis-cher. 11...Be6 12.Nf3Qc7 13.Qb1 One contor-tion leads to another. 13...dxe5 14.f5 e4 Openinglines for a quick kill. 15.fxe6 exf3 16.gxf3 f5 17.f4Nf6 18.Be2 Rfe8 19.Kf2 Rxe6 Regaining thepawn with an overwhelming position. The finish iselegant. 20.Re1 Rae8 21.Bf3 Rxe3 22.Rxe3Rxe3 23.Kxe3 Qxf4+ Inviting 23. Kxf4 Bh6

74

mate. If 23. Kf2 Ng4+ 24. Kg2 Ne3+ 26. Kf2Nd4 27. Qh1 Ng4+ 28. Kf1 Nxf3 is lethal. WhiteResigns.0-1

◦ Botvinnik, M.• Tal, M.World Championship (6)Moscow1960 0-1 E69By mixing it up with his famous opponent andlaunching wild sacrifices, Tal won the title 12.5 -8.5. This game is typical. At a critical momentBotvinnik goes astray when posed with problemsthat are hard to solve over the board.1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 O–O5.d4 d6 6.Nc3 Nbd7 7.O–O e5 8.e4 c6 9.h3Qb6 10.d5 Locking the center to avoid surprises.10...cxd5 11.cxd5Nc5 12.Ne1 12. Re1 is a bettertry for an advantage. 12...Bd7 13.Nd3 Nxd314.Qxd3 Rfc8 Already Black has achieved easyequality. 15.Rb1 Nh5 16.Be3 Qb4 17.Qe2Rc4 18.Rfc1Rac8 19.Kh2 f5 20.exf5Bxf5 21.Ra1 Nf4 Typical Tal. He prefers to sacrifice apiece rather than retreat by 21...Nf6. 22.gxf4 exf423.Bd2 Qxb2 24.Rab1 f3 25.Rxb2 The losingmove. Subsequent analysis showed that White canwin with 25. Bxf3! Bxb1 26. Rxb1 Qc2 27. Be4!Rxe4 28. Nxe4 Qxb1 29. Nxd6 Rf8 30. Qe6+25...fxe2 26.Rb3 Rd4 27.Be1 No better is 27.Be3 Rxc3 28. Rbxc3 Rd1. 27...Be5+ 28.Kg1Bf4 A quicker win is 28...Rxc3! 29. Rbxc3Rd1 30. Rc4 Bb2. 29.Nxe2 Rxc1 30.Nxd4Rxe1+ 31.Bf1 Be4 Black’s extra pawn is nowdecisive. 32.Ne2Be5 33.f4Bf6 34.Rxb7Bxd5Now if 35. Rxa7? Rxe2 36. Bxe2 Bd4+ andBxa7 wins. 35.Rc7 Bxa2 36.Rxa7 Bc437.Ra8+Kf7 38.Ra7+Ke6 39.Ra3 d5 40.Kf2Bh4+ 41. Kg2 Kd6 42.Ng3 Bxg3 43.Bxc4dxc4 44.Kxg3 Kd5 45.Ra7 c3 46.Rc7 Kd447.Rd7+ and White Resigns...0-1

◦ Mikhail Botvinnik• Mikhail TalWorld Championship Match (6)Moscow1960 0-1 E69Tal was famous for making intuitive sacrifices thatwere hard to refute but not completely sound. Thisstrategy helped him wrest the title from Botvin-nik in their first title match. When critics up-braided Tal, he replied: "Extraordinarily tense,

full-blooded struggles that are absolutely withoutany mistakes are only to be found in distant inter-planetary chess tournaments."1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 O–O 5.d4d6 6.Nc3 Nbd7 7.O–O e5 8.e4 c6 9.h3 Thismove is generally considered necessary to preventthe bishop from getting harassed by ...Ng4 afterit gets to e3. For 9. Be3 Ng4 10. Bg5 Qb6see Botvinnik-Smyslov, 1954. 9...Qb6 10.d5cxd5 11.cxd5 Nc5 12.Ne1 Bd7 13.Nd3 Nxd314.Qxd3 Rfc8 "A critical position. I took along time to choose which plan to use. A de-tailed analysis proved that 14...Ne8 14. Be3 Qd8is worth consideration. White cannot create anyreal threat on the queenside and Black carries out...f5 without any trouble."– Tal 15.Rb1 Subse-quently, the position of the rook gives Black a veryimportant tempo. Instead Tal suggests 15. Qe2.15...Nh5 16.Be3 Qb4 17.Qe2 Rc4 18.Rfc1Rac8 19.Kh2 f5 20.exf5Bxf5 21.Ra1Nf4 "Inmy opinion the arguments which this move raisedwere completely pointless. All the other continu-ations are bad, and if the knight sacrifice is incor-rect, then a question mark should be placed afterBlack’s 17th move." – Tal 22.gxf4 exf4 23.Bd2Another critical line is 23. a3 Qb3 24. Bxa7 Be5."It is possible that subsequently there will be founda way to strengthen White’s defense, but I am surethe double-edged knight sacrifice on f4 appeared tobe a correct decision." – Tal 23...Qxb2 24.Rab1f3 25.Rxb2 Botvinnik finally buckles under thestrain. After 25. Bxf3 Bxb1 26. Rxb1 Qc2 27.Rc1 (later it was found that 27. Be4!! Rxe4 28.Nxe4!! Qxb1 29. Nxd6 Rf8 30. Qe6 gives Whitea better ending) Qb2 (if 27...Qf5 28. Bg4 Qe529. Qxe5 Bxe5 30. f4 Rxc3 31. Bxc8 wins)28. Rc1 draws by repetition. 25...fxe2 26.Rb3Rd4 27.Be1Be5+ 28.Kg1Bf4 Missing a quickwin by 28...Rxc3! 29. Rbxc3 Rd1. 29.Nxe2Rxc1 30.Nxd4Rxe1+ 31.Bf1Be4 32.Ne2 Not32. Rxb7 Bd3. With two active bishops and anextra pawn, Black’s win should be a matter ofproper technique. 32...Be5 33.f4Bf6 34.Rxb7Bxd5 Inviting 35. Rxa7? Rxe2! 36. Bxe2 Bd437. Kf1 Bxa7. 35.Rc7 Bxa2 36.Rxa7 Bc4Now not 36...Rxe2? 37. Ra8! Kg7 38. Bxe2.37.Ra8+Kf7 38.Ra7+Ke6 39.Ra3 d5 There’sno rush. White has some drawing chances af-ter 39...Bxe2 40. Re3 Kf5 41. Rxe2. 40.Kf2Bh4+ 41.Kg2 Kd6 42.Ng3 Bxg3 43.Bxc4dxc4 44.Kxg3 Kd5 45.Ra7 c3 46. Rc7 Kd4The game was adjourned and Botvinnik saw noway to save it, so he resigned.0-1

75

◦ Polugayevsky, L.• Petrosian, T.USSR ChampionshipMoscow1960 1-0 E54Petrosian gets caught in the opening and is slaugh-tered by a 22- year-unknown, who captured thecoveted Soviet crown seven years later. Polu-gayevsky prosecutes his attack with great elan.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 O–O 5.Bd3d5 6.Nf3 c5 7.O–O dxc4 8.Bxc4 b6 9.Qe2 It’shard to squeeze anything tangible out of this soliddefense. Just for the record White has a half dozenplausible moves: 9. Qd3 and a3 are most fre-quently seen. 9...Bb7 10.Rd1Nbd7 More usualis 10...cxd4 11. cxd4 Nbd7 to provide a retreatfor the bishop at e7. 11.d5 Bxc3 12.dxe6 Ba513.exd7Qc7 An innocent-looking offender. Cor-rect is 13...Qe7 14. e4 Rad8 15. Bg5 Qxe4 16.Qxe4 Bxe4 17. Bxf6 gxf6 and Black drew theending in Najdorf-Smyslov, Havana 1962. 14.e4Nxd7 14...Bxe4 15. Bg5 leaves Black in a hope-less tangle. 15.Ng5 Rad8 Meets with a charm-ing refutation. But 15...Ne5 16. Bf4 Rae8 17.Qh5 h6 18. Nxf7 Rxf7 19. Bxe5 Rxe5 20.Qxf7+! Qxf7 21. Rd8+ Kh7 22. Bxf7 alsowins. 16.Bxf7+ Rxf7 17.Ne6 Qc8 18.Nxd8Ba6 The only hope; on 18...Qxd8 19. e5 decides.19.Qe3Re7 20.Qb3+ c4 21.Qa3Nc5 Also in-adequate is 21...Qxd8 22. Bg5. 22.Be3 Rxe423.Bxc5Qxc5 24.Qf3 Black never saw daylight.If 24...Re7 25. Ne6 Rxe8 26. Rd8 mates. BlackResigns.1-0

◦ Petrosian, T.• Unzicker, W.?Hamburg1960 1-0 D30With his quiet, positional style, Petrosian failed toexcite the chess public as did the charismatic Tal,but at his best few could match his depth of concep-tion. Here he paralyzes the Black position by con-trolling the only open file, then sets off on a longKing march to prepare the decisive breakthrough.1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bg5 d5 4.c4 c6 5.Qc2Be7 6.e3 O–O 7.Nc3 h6 8.Bf4 Nbd7 9.cxd5cxd5 10.Bd3 a6 11.O–O b5 12.a4 b4 13.Na2Ne8 14.Nc1 a5 15.Nb3 Ba6 16.Bxa6 Rxa617.Qd3 Ra7 18.Rfc1 Nd6 19.Bxd6 Bxd620.Rc6 Nb8 21.Rc2 Nd7 22. Rac1 Nb6

23.Qb5 Nc4 24.Nfd2 Nxd2 25.Rxd2 Qa826.Rdc2 Rd8 27.Rc6 g6 28.g3 Kg7 29.Kf1Kg8 30.h4 h5 Now White sets out on a remark-able plan – he will transfer his King to b1, ad-vance his Kingside pawns to open another file, andlaunch a direct attack on the Black King. Blackcannot answer in kind, for the White Rooks onthe c-file make that part of the board quite unsafefor him. 31.R1c2 Kg7 32.Ke1 Kg8 33.Kd1Kh7 34.Kc1 Kg8 35.Kb1 Kh7 36.Qe2 Qb737.Rc1 Kg7 38.Qb5 Qa8 39.f4 Kh7 40.Qe2Qb7 41.g4 hxg4 42.Qxg4 Qe7 43.h5 Qf6 44.Ka2 Kg7 45.hxg6 Qxg6 46.Qh4 Be7 47.Qf2Kf8 48.Nd2 Rb7 49.Nb3 Ra7 50.Qh2 Bf651.Rc8 Rd7 52.Nc5 b3+ Or 52...Ra7 53.f5Qxf5 54.Rxd8+ Bxd8 55.Qb8, winning a piece.53.Kxb3 Rd6 54.f5 Rb6+ 55.Ka2 Black Re-signs.1-0

◦ Gligoric, S.• Bobotsov, M.HastingsEngland1960 1-0 B99An important theoretical game. Today it looks likeold hat, but Gligoric’s queen sacrifice was a trailblazer.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 h6 8.Bh4 Be7 9.Qf3 Qc710.O–O–O Nbd7 11.Bd3 b5 More active is11...g5! 12. fxg5 Ne5. 12.e5 Bb7 13.Nxe6fxe6 14.Bg6+ Kf8 On 14...Kd8 15. Qh3!dxe5 16. Qxe6 steps up the pressure. 15.exf6Bxf3 16.fxe7+ Kg8 17.gxf3 Nf6 18.Bxf6 gxf619.e8=Q+ Rxe8 20.Bxe8 d5 Later analysis re-vealed Black might be able to hold a draw with20...Kf8! 21. Bh5 Rg8 22. f5 b4! 23. Ne4Rg2. 21.Rd4Kh7 22.Bh5Qc5 23.Rhd1Rc824.R1d2 f5 25.Ne2 Kg7 26.Kb1 Kf6 27.a3a5 28.Ng3 b4 29.a4 Qc6 30.b3 Qc3 It’s onlya matter of time before White breaks through onthe either the g or e-file. 31.R4d3 Qc5 32.Re2Qg1+ 33.Kb2Rc3 34.Rdd2 d4 A little better is34...Rc8 to prevent the bishop from escaping to e8.35.Rg2 Qe3 36.Be8 d3 37.cxd3 Qe1 38.Rc2Rxd3 39.Bb5 Rc3 White forces mate after39...Rd1 40. Nh5+ Kf7 41. Rg7+ Kf8 42. Rc8+.40.Bc4 Rxc2+ 41.Rxc2 e5 42.fxe5+ Qxe5+43.Ka2 f4 44.Ne4+Kg6 45.Rg2+Kh5 46.Nf2Qe8 47.Bd3 Kh4 48.Rg4+ Kh5 49.Bg6+Black Resigns.1-0

76

◦ Vassily Smyslov• Boris SpasskyMatch Moscow vs. LeningradLeningrad1960 1-0 B41Smyslov’s best games are characterized by an ab-sence of error combined with apparently simplebut powerful positional maneuvers. Here, he ef-fortlessly demolishes a future world champion in aseemingly equal position by retreating his queen tothe first rank, in order to exploit weak dark squares.A nice illustration of how to use the sweep of twobishops to switch an attack from one flank to theother.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 "Anold opening system which first occurred in 19thcentury games of the brothers Louis and WilfredPaulsen. It is characterized by the development ofthe queen at c7 followed by b5 and has becomevery popular in our time." – Smyslov 5.c4 Nc6Spassky deviates from the usual 5...Nf6 6. Nc3Bb4 which is satisfactory for Black. 6.Nc3 Bc57.Nb3 Bb4 8.Bd3 Nge7 9.O–O O–O Black’slast chance to double the pawns by 9...Bxc3 be-fore castling. 10.Qc2 Bxc3 It’s unwise to swapa bishop for a knight without provocation. Betteris 10...Ne5 11. Be2 Qc7 12. a3 Bxc3 13. Qxc3with chances to equalize. Now White’s advantageof the two bishops becomes very real. 11.Qxc3 d512.Be3 dxc4 13.Bxc4 Qc7 14.Rac1 Rd8 Thisturns out badly. Better is 14...Bd7 right away. 15.f4Bd7 At first glance, Black seems to have suc-cessfully completed his development with a solidbut cramped position. 16.Qe1 A subtle retreat,aimed at increasing the pressure against b6 com-bined with kingside threats. 16...b6 No relief isoffered by 16...b5 17. Be2 Be8 18. Qf2 Rab8 19.Nc5 invading on the weak dark squares. 17.Qf2Rdb8 Moving the rook again shows why his 14thmove was wrong. 18.f5Qc8 Black cannot defendthreats on both sides of the board. If 18...exf5 19.Bf4 wins the Exchange. 19.Nd4 Stronger than19. f6 Ng6 20. fxg7 Qe8 when Black can re-sist by controlling the strong square e5 with hisknight. 19...Nxd4 "It is difficult to suggest any-thing better. After 19...e5 20. Nxc6 Nxc6 21.Bd5 Qe8 22. f6 White’s attack is very dangerous,while if 19...exf5 20. exf5 with the threat of f6" –Smyslov. 20.Bxd4Nc6 21.fxe6Bxe6 22.Bxe6Now 22...Qxe6 is met by 23. Rxc6! Qxc6 24. Qxf7and mate next. An impresive crush. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Spassky, B.

• Bronstein, D.USSR ChampionshipMoscow1960 1-0 C36Spassky confronts Bronstein with his own favoriteweapon – the King’s Gambit. The finale is featured(without credit) in the James Bond movie "To Rus-sia With Love."1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 d5 4.exd5 Bd6 5.Nc3Ne7 More usual is 5...Nf6. 6.d4 O–O 7.Bd3Nd7 8.O–O h6 Losing time. Better is 8...Nf6.9.Ne4 Nxd5 10.c4 Ne3 11.Bxe3 fxe3 12.c5Be7 13.Bc2Re8 14.Qd3 e2 15.Nd6 White cankeep the upper hand without risk by 15. Rf2Nf8 16. Ne5 but Spassky already feels the lureof immortality. 15...Nf8 Black might draw by15...exf1=Q+ 16. Rxf1 Bxd6 17. Qh7+ Kf8 18.exd6 cxd6 19. Qh8+ Ke7 20. Re1+ Ne5 21. Qxg7Rg8 22. Rxh6 Qb6 23. Kh1 Be6 24. dxe5 d5.16.Nxf7 exf1=Q+ 17.Rxf1Bf5 If 17...Kxf7? 18Ne5+ Kg8 19. Bb3+ leads to mate. The bestpractical chance is 17...Qd5 18. Bb3 Qxb3 19.Qxb3 Be6. 18.Qxf5Qd7 19.Qf4Bf6 20.N3e5Qe7 20...Bxe5 21. Nxe5 Rxe5 holds out longer.21.Bb3 Bxe5 22.Nxe5+ Kh7 23.Qe4+ BlackResigns. The queen falls on 23...g6 24. Rf7+and 23...Kh8 24. Rxf8+ followed by Ng6+ matesshortly.1-0

◦ Fischer, R.• Tal, M.Leipzig OlympiadGermany1960 1/2-1/2 C17Any contest between these two giants arouses in-terest, and this could have gone either way. Aftera seesaw struggle it settles in a draw by perpetualcheck – a valid if frustrating result.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Ba5Unpopular retreat – but never refuted. 6.b4 cxd4Also playable is 6...cxb4 7. Nb5 Nc6 8. Nf3 a6 9.Nd6+ Kf8 10. Bd3 b3+ 11. Kf1 Bc7. 7.Qg4Ne78.bxa5 dxc3 9.Qxg7 Rg8 10.Qxh7 Nbc6 The-ory says White stands better on 10...Nd7 11. Nf3Nf8 12. Qd3 Qxa5 13. h4! (Smyslov-Botvinnik,9th match game 1954.) 11.Nf3 Qc7 There’snothing wrong with 11...Qxa5 12. Rb1 Qc7 13.Bf4 Bd7 14. Bg3 O-O-O (Damjanovich-Udovcich,Yugoslavia 1963). 12.Bb5 Bd7 White’s h-pawn heads for a touchdown after 12...Rxg2 13.Kf1! Rg8 14. Rg1! Rxg1+ 15. Kxg1. 13.O–OO–O–O 14.Bg5 Underestimating Black’s reply.Fischer claims he missed a win with 14. Bxc6!

77

Bxc6 15. Qxf7 d4 16. Qxe6+ Bd7 17. Qxe7Rxg2+ 18. Kxg2 Bh3+ 19. Kxh3 Qxe7 20.Bg5 with a decisive material advantage as soonas White can consolidate. 14...Nxe5 15.Nxe5Bxb5 16.Nxf7 Leads to an exciting draw. Whitecould maintain some tension with 16. Bxe7 Qxe717. Rfe1. 16...Bxf1 17.Nxd8 Rxg5 18.Nxe6Rxg2+ 19.Kh1 But not the hasty 19. Kxf1? Rxh220. Qf7 Rh1+ 21. Kg2 Qh2+ 22. Kf3 Qh3+ andwins. 19...Qe5 20.Rxf1 Qxe6 21.Kxg2 Qg4+In view of his material deficit Black must take theperpetual check after 22. Kh1 Qf3+ etc.1/2-1/2

◦ Botvinnik, M.• Tal, M.?17th Match Game, Moscow1960 1-0 B18The Latvian whirlwind Mikhail Tal became theyoungest champion in chess history (age 23) in1960. To this day he remains one of the most in-ventive minds over the chess board. In this keygame, just when Tal’s attack seems to have hit awall, Botvinnik stumbles in time trouble and isoverwhelmed with mating threats.1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4Bf5 5.Ng3Bg6 6.Bc4 e6 7.N1e2Nf6 8.Nf4Bd6 9.Nxg6hxg6 10.Bg5 Nbd7 11.O–O Qa5 12.f4 Thisstrange move locks White’s bishop on the g5square, but helps control the center. It was typ-ical of Tal, the magician of the chessboard, toplay bizarre and confusing moves. 12...O–O–O13.a3 Qc7 14.b4 Nb6 15.Be2 Be7 16.Qd3Nfd5 17.Bxe7 Qxe7 18.c4 Nf6 19.Rab1 Qd720.Rbd1Kb8 21.Qb3Qc7 22.a4 The beginningof an attack against the king. 22...Rh4 23.a5Nc8 24.Qe3 Ne7 25.Qe5 Rhh8 Not 25...Qxe526. fxe5 Nd7 27. Rxf7 26.b5 cxb5 27.Qxb5 a628.Qb2 Rd7 29.c5 Ka8 30.Bf3 Nc6 31.Bxc6Qxc6 32.Rf3 Tal’s steady pressure has been metby Botvinnik’s accurate defense. Now Tal beginsa direct attack, threatening 33. Rb3, 34. Rb6and 35. c6. Botvinnik must defend actively.32...Qa4 33.Rfd3 Rc8 34.Rb1 Qxa5 35.Rb3Qc7 36.Qa3 Ka7 37.Rb6 Qxf4 38.Ne2 Qe439.Qb3 Qd5 Black must play 39...Ka8 withchances to defend. 40.Rxa6+ Kb8 Black ismated after 40...bxa6 41. Qb6+ Ka8 42. Qxa6+Ra7 43. Qxc8. 41.Qa4 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Bent Larsen• Efim Geller

Nimzovich MemorialCopenhagen1960 1-0 A09"I consider this one of my best games ever. I likeits logical progress, the queenside action preparedfor the destruction of the enemy pawn center, andafter this the direct attack against the king becamepossible" – Larsen.1.g3 d5 2.Bg2 e5 3.Nf3Nc6 3...e4 4. Nd4 leadsto an Alekhine’s Defense reversed where White hasa move in hand. 4.O–O Nf6 After 4...e4 5. Ne1followed by d3 Black has his center to defend. 5.c4d4 If 5...dxc4 6. Qa4. Clearly unfavorable now is5...e4? 6. Ng5 h6 7. cxd5 Qxd5 8. Nxe4 Nxe49. d3. 6.d3 Bd6 7.Na3 O–O Few masters liketo swap a bishop for a knight but Larsen consid-ers even 7...Bxa3 playable. 8.Rb1 Re8 9.Nc2a5 10.b3 h6 11.a3Bf5 12.b4 axb4 13.axb4Qd714.b5 Nd8 The game is roughly even and Whitenow tries to undermine Black’s center. 15.e3dxe3 16.Nxe3 Bh7 Better is 16...Bh3 althoughWhite retains an edge with 17. d4. 17.Bb2 c618.Ra1 Contesting the only open file. If Blackreplies 18...Rc8 then 19. d4 is coming. 18...Rxa119.Qxa1 cxb5 Riskier is 19...Bxd3 20. Rd1 Be221. Nxe5. 20.Nxe5Qc7 21.Nf3Be7 Too dan-gerous is 21...Bxd3 22. Bxf6 Bxf1 23. Nd5! Qxc424. Nd2! 22.Rc1 "For me this was the most dif-ficult move of the game. 22...Bxd3 is met by 23.Nd5" – Larsen. 22...bxc4 23.dxc4 Qb6 24.Nd5Nxd5 25.cxd5 Bf8 26.Bd4 Qb3 27.Ne5 b5 Inserious time trouble, Black rejects 27...Bf5 28. g4Necessary is 27...Qb5 to stop Nd7. 28.Nd7 Ba3Black lacks a good defense. If 28...Qa3 29. Bxg7snares a pawn. Or 28...f6 29. Bxf6! 29.Bxg7Bxc1 30.Nf6+ Kxg7 31.Nxe8+ Kf8 32.Qh8+Ke7 Suddenly the dazed king must wander into theopen. No better is 32...Bg8 33. Nf6. 33.d6+Kd734.Nf6+ Kc8 35.Bh3+ Kb7 36.Qxd8 Qd1+37.Kg2 Bd3 38.Bc8+ Ka8 39. Qa5+ Blackresigns, as mate is unavoidable after 39...Kb8 40.Qc7 Ka8 41. Qb7.1-0

◦ Gligoric, S.• Fischer, R.BledYugoslavia1961 1/2-1/2 E98This draw has the charm of perfection. The tim-ing and ingenuity produces a harmonious flow ofmovement, like a graceful ballet.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3O–O 6.Be2 e5 7.O–O Nc6 8.d5 If 8. Be3 Re8!

78

9. dxe5 dxe5 10. Qxd8 (Larsen-Fischer, Monaco1968) 10...Rxd8! 11. Bg5 Rf8! is roughly equal.8...Ne7 9.Ne1Nd7 10.Nd3 The older 10. f3 f511. Be3 f4 12. Bf2 g5 gives Black good attack-ing prospects. 10...f5 11.exf5Nxf5 Also playableis 11...gxf5 12. f4 Ng6. After the text Black’sgrip on d4 offsets White’s grip on e4. 12.f3 Nf613.Nf2 Nd4 14.Nfe4 Nh5 15.Bg5 Qd7 16.g3h6 17.Be3 c5 An intricate pawn sacrifice. On17...Nxe2+ 18. Qxe2 g5 19. c5 White wouldhave a comfortable space advantage. 18.Bxd4exd4 19.Nb5 a6 20.Nbxd6 d3 Giving up a secondpawn to open the diagonal for his bishop on g7. Afine concept. Black gets adequate counterplay after21. Bxd3 Bd4+ 22. Kh1 Nxg3+ 23. Nxg3 Qxd6.21.Qxd3Bd4+ 22.Kg2 Another try is 22. Rf2!?On 22. Kh1 Nxg3+ 23. Nxg3 Qxd6 White retainshis extra pawn but his weak squares provide Blackwith even chances. 22...Nxg3 Anyway! Black hadto visualize this resource and determine its sound-ness when he began this adventure at move 17.23.Nxc8 Unclear is 23. Nxg3 Qxd6 24. Rab1.White is a pawn ahead but has a weak kingside.23...Nxf1 24.Nb6 Qc7 Blow for blow. Blackthreatens mate-in-2. 25.Rxf1Qxb6 26.b4Qxb4Too precarious is 26...cxb4 27. c5! Bxc5 28. Nxc5Qxc5 29. Qxg6+. 27.Rb1 Qa5 Black can holdafter 28. Rxb7 Rf7. 28.Nxc5 Qxc5 29.Qxg6+Bg7 30.Rxb7Qd4 31.Bd3Rf4 32.Qe6+Kh833.Qg6 33...Kg8 34. Qe6+ draws by repetition.Neither side dares disturb the surface tension.1/2-1/2

◦ Reshevsky, S.• Fischer, R.Match (5)Los Angeles1961 0-1 D42For pure excitement it is hard to match the "des-perado" tactics which predominate in the middlegame. Reshevsky emerges with the better of it butthe clock proves to be his undoing.1.d4Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5Nxd5 5.Nf3c5 6.e3Nc6 7.Bd3Be7 Another plan is 7...cxd48. exd4 g6. 8.O–O O–O 9.a3 cxd4 10.exd4Nf6R. Byrne-Bisguier, USA Championship 1964, ledto equality by 10...Bd7 11. Qc2 g6 12. Bh6Re8 13. Qe2 f5 14. Nc3 Bf6. 11.Bc2 b612.Qd3 Bb7 13.Bg5 g6 14.Rfe1 Re8 15.h4Rc8 16.Rac1Nd5 17.Ne4 f5 Triggering incred-ible complications. 18.Nc3Bxg5 19.Nxg5Nf420.Qe3Qxd4 21.Nb5Qxe3 Best. Fischer gives21...Qd5 22. Qxf4 Qxb5 23. Nxe6 Qxb2 24.Qh6! with an irresistible attack. 22.fxe3 Nxg2

23.Kxg2 Nd4+ 24.Be4 "I can still hear the au-dience gasping with each blow, thinking each ofus had overlooked it in turn. ’Fischer is winning!’or ’Reshevsky is winning!’ The true state of af-fairs will crystallize in a matter of moves" – Fis-cher. 24...Bxe4+ 25.Nxe4 Nxb5 26.Nf6+ Kf727.Nxe8 Rxe8 28.a4 Nd6 29.Rc7+ Kf6 Blackcan ill-afford to part with his rook after 29...Re730. Rec1. 30.Rec1 To maintain control of the c-file. On 30. Rxa7 Rc8! 30...h6 31.Rxa7 Ne432.Ra6 Rd8 33.Rc2 The best way to preservewinning chances. Fischer gives 33. Rxb6 Rd2+34. Kg1 g5 35. Rcc6 g4 36. Rxe6+ Kg5 38. Rh6f4 with even chances. 33...Rd3 34.Rxb6 Rxe335.a5 f4 36.Rf2 Short of time, Reshevsky returnsmaterial and banks on his queenside pawns. Buthe should allow a draw with 36. a6! f3+ 37. Kf1Rd3, etc. 36...Nxf2 37.Kxf2 Re5 38.b4 Re339.a6 Ra3 Now White is stymied and Black isready to mobilize his kingside pawns. 40.Rc6The only hope is 40. b5 but this was the lastmove of the time control and White relied on in-stinct, not calculation. 40...g5 41.hxg5+ hxg542.b5 g4 43.Rc8 Kf5 44.b6 g3+ 45.Ke1 Ra1+46.Ke2 g2 47.Rf8+Ke4 48.Rxf4+Kxf4 49.b7g1=Q Sharper is 49...Ke4! 50. b8=Q Ra2+ 51.Ke1 g1=Q mate! The text also wins – by a hair.50.b8=Q+ Kf5 51.Qf8+ Ke4 52.Qa8+ Kd453.Qd8+ Kc4 54.Qd3+ Kc5 55.Qc3+ Kd656.Qd2+Ke5 57.Qb2+Kf5 After 58. Qb5+ Kf659. Qb2+ e5 stops the torrent of checks and Black’smaterial superiority can finally prevail. White Re-signs.0-1

◦ Gaspariantz,• Eidlin,MoscowUSSR1961 1/2-1/2 B98Two unknowns enrich the theory of the notoriousGoteborg Variation which came into being one dayat the 1955 Swedish Interzonal when three Argen-tinians (Najdorf, Panno, Pilnik) suffered terribledefeats with this secret weapon at the hands ofthree Soviet stars (Keres, Geller and Spassky, re-spectively).1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4Be7 8.Qf3 h6 9.Bh4 g5 A re-markable idea. Black voluntarily smashes open hiskingside to obtain domination over e5. It’s evenmore remarkable that as a result of many gameswith this sharp variation theory now regards it asdrawish! Nowadays 9...Qc7 is the prescription

79

for maintaining tension. 10.fxg5 Nfd7 11.Nxe6The same move those three Soviets chose on thatfateful day when confronted with Black’s surprise.11...fxe6 12.Qh5+ Kf8 13.Bb5 The purpose ofthis thrust is to clear the way for castling. Thebishop is also able to eliminate on d7 or c6 a knightwhich can play a vital role in many lines. 13...Rh7Panno lost after 13...Ne5 14. Bg3! Bxg5 15. O-O+ Ke7 16. Bxe5 Qb6+ 17. Kh1 dxe5 18. Qf7+.Najdorf and Pilnik promptly switched to 13...Kg7but fared no better after 14. O-O Ne5 15. Bg3Ng6 16. gxh6+ Rxh6 17. Rf7+ Kxf7 18. Qxh6axb5 19. Rf1+. 14.O–O+ A good illustration ofthe creative evolution in opening theory. At thetime this game was played Gligoric- Fischer, Por-toroz 1958, was known to favor Black after 14.Qg6 Rf7 15. Qxh6+ Kg8 16. Qg6+ Rg7 17.Qxe6+ Kh8 18. Bxd7 Nxd7 19. 0- O-O Ne5 20.Qd5 Bg4. 14...Kg8 15.g6 Rg7 16.Qxh6 Bxh417.Rf7Qf6 This simplifies matters; the ramifica-tions of 17...Rxf7 18. gxf7+ Kxf7 19. Qh7+ Kf8appear to be drawish. 18.Rxf6 Bxf6 19.Be2Ne5 20.Bh5Bd7 21.Rf1Be7 With a rook andtwo minor pieces for the queen, Black is in goodshape. 22.Rf7 Nxf7 23.gxf7+ Rxf7 24.Bxf7+Kxf7 25.Qh5+ On 25...Kg7 26. Qg4+ Kf8 27.Qh5! forces a perpetual.1/2-1/2

◦ Nezhmetdinov, R.• Tal, M.28th USSR ChampionshipMoscow1961 1-0 B85The mighty Tal prey falls prey to the kind of daz-zling tricks he usually inflicted on others. It’s aunique experience to see him on the receiving endof a sacrifice for a change.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3e6 6.Be2 a6 7.O–OQc7 8.f4Nbd7 9.g4 White’sintentions are clearly anything but benign. Objec-tively better is 9. Bf3 but it’s a sound psycholog-ical ploy to play aggressively against opponentswho like to attack. 9...b5 10.a3 Bb7 11.Bf3Nc5 Misplacing the knight. Correct is 11...h6!12.Qe2 e5 13.Nf5 g6 14.fxe5 dxe5 15.Nh6 Theknight is curiously well posted here, mainly be-cause of the pressure exerted on f7. Not the leastof its merits is the prevention of castling. 15...Ne616.Bg2 Bg7 Maybe Black should try 16...Bxh617. Bxh6 Nd4 18. Qd1 Qb6. Now he falls preyto a sacrifice that is far from obvious. It requiressome intricate tactics to justify it. 17.Rxf6Bxf618.Nd5 Qd8 Rejecting 18...Bxd5 19. exd5 Nd4

20. Qf2 because of the dual threats of d6 or Qxf6.19.Qf2 Nf4 20.Bxf4 exf4 21.e5 Opening lines.If now 21...Bh4 22. Nf6+ Qxf6 23. exf6 Bxf2+24. Kxf2 Bxg2 25. Re1+ Kf8 26. Kxg2 Re827. Rd1 gives White a bind. 21...Bxe5 22.Re1f6 23.Nxf6+ Qxf6 24.Qd4 Each blow is morepowerful than the last. 24...Kf8 The point is24...Bxg2 25. Rxe5+ Kf8 26. Rf5! wins. 25.Rxe5Qd8 26.Rf5+ gxf5 27.Qxh8+ Ke7 28.Qg7+Ke6 29.gxf5+ The queen falls after 29...Kd6 30.Nf7+. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Tal, M.• Olafsson, F.BledYugoslavia1961 1-0 B48Tal’s intuition leads him into an unsound combi-nation but he has the clock on his side and luck –the luck of the strong. Indeed, how many playersin the world would have found the refutation over-the-board?1.e4 c5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e6 5.Nc3Qc7 6.Be3 a6 7.a3 Nf6 8.f4 d6 Transposinginto the cramped but solid Scheveningen Variation.This is a critical moment; Black’s move determinesthe character of the game. Against Yanofsky atStockholm 1962 Olafsson decided to simplify with8...Nxd4 9. Qxd4 Ng4 10. Bd2 Qc5 11. Qxc5Bxc5 12. Nd1 d6 with equal chances. 9.Qf3Be710.Bd3 O–O 11.O–OBd7 12.Rae1 b5 13.Qg3Kh8 14.Nxc6 Bxc6 15.e5 Ng8 With the dubi-ous idea of bringing this knight to f5 via h6. Natu-ral and better is 15...Ne8. White would still haveattacking prospects, to be sure, but it would behard to crash through since Black’s kingside con-tains no organic weaknesses. 16.Qh3 Nh6 17.f5Tal spent 40 minutes and later said he should haveplayed 15. Kh1 instead of this premature sacri-fice. 17...Nxf5 18.Rxf5 There’s no turning back.Bad is 18. Bxf5 exf5 19. exd6 Bxd6 20. Rxf5Bd7. 18...exf5 19.Bxf5 g6 20.Bd4 Kg8 A fewmonths afterwards some Moscow amateurs found20...Qd8! 21. exd6+ Bf6 22. Qh4 Bg7! whichforces simplifications and collapses Tal’s combina-tion. 21.e6 Bg5 22.exf7+ Rxf7 23.Bxg6 Rg723...Rf6 offers more resistance. 24.Qe6+ Kh825.Be8 h6 26.Bxc6Qxc6 27.Ne4Re8 28.Qg6Good enough but even simpler is 28. Qf7 Reg829. Nxg5 hxg5 30 Qh5 mate. 28...Re7 29.h4Qd5 30.Bxg7+Rxg7 31.Qxd6Qxd6 32.Nxd6Bxh4 33.Re8+Rg8 34. Nf7+Kg7 35.Rxg8+

80

Kxg8 36.Nxh6+Kh7 37.Nf5Bg5 38.b3 Blacklost on time.1-0

◦ Bagirov V.• Kholmov R.USSR ChampionshipBaku1961 0-1 C63Someone once said that chess is 99% tactics. Thisgame illustrates a typical tactical trick in the rarelyseen Schliemann Defense to the Ruy Lopez. Noteespecially the power of doubled rooks on an openfile near the end.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 f5 It’s a good idea tocatch opponents by surprise with offbeat but unre-futed opening ploys. 4.Nc3Nf6 5.Qe2 Better is5. exf5; it’s too early to post the queen. 5...Bc56.exf5 Qe7 7.Ne4 Kholmov claims that 7. Bxc6dxc6 8. Qxe5 Bxf2+! 9. Kf1 Qxe5 10. Nxe5Bd4 11. Nf3 Bxc3 followed by Bxf5 only leadsto equality. And Black is okay on 7. d3 Nd4 8.Nxd4 Bxd4. 7...Nxe4 8.Qxe4 O–O 9.O–O d610.Bxc6 bxc6 11.d4 Black gets compensation forthe pawn after 11. Qxc6 Bxf5 12. d3 Rab8 14. b3Bg4! (if 14. Nd2 Be2!). 11...Bxf5 12.Qe2Bb613.dxe5 d5 14.h3 Be4 15.Ng5 Rf5 16.Nxe4Rxe5 17.Qa6Rxe4 18.Be3Re8 19.Bxb6 cxb6Black has straightened out his pawns and now hasundisputed control of the open e-file, but materialis even. 20.Qd3Qf6 21.b3 h5 22.Rad1R8e523.Qc3 Preparing the faulty plan of contesting thee-file. More active is 23. c4 to strive for coun-terplay along the d-file. 23...c5 24.Rfe1 Blackalready has the initiative and trying to challengethe open file is both futile and fatal. 24...Rxe1+25.Rxe1Re2 White resigns. Hobson’s choice be-tween getting mated or dropping a rook: 26. Qa1Qxf2+. Or 26. Qxf6 Rxe1+ 27. Kh2 gxf6.0-1

◦ Ivkov, B.• Portisch, L.BledYugoslavia1961 1-0 C18Both queens disappear from the board after a sharptheoretical dispute. But White’s attack still rages,and a storm soon descends upon the hapless Blackmonarch.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 Striking atd4, the base of the pawn chain on e5. 5.a3Bxc3+6.bxc3Qc7 7.Qg4 In the long run 7. Nf3 may be

more reliable. The question is whether this excur-sion with the queen is or is not premature. 7...f58.Qg3 Ne7 White gets a pull after 8...dxc4 9.cxd4 Ne7 10. Bd2 O-O 11. Bd3 b6 12. Ne2 Ba613.Nf4 Qd7 14. Bxa6 Nxa6 15. Qd3 Nb8 16. h4(Reshevsky - Botvinnik, Moscow 1948.) 9.Qxg7Rg8 10.Qxh7 cxd4 11.Kd1 Tal’s idea in order todevelop the knight at f3 where it is more aggressivethan at e2. 11...Bd7 Black scorches his kingside inreturn for powerful pressure on the other wing andin the center. 11...Nbc6 also is feasible. 12.Qh5+Kd8 13.Ne2Ba4 Lands in brackish waters sincethe bishop is needed where it is to defend e6. Cor-rect is 13...dxc3. 14.Nf4Qxe5 On 14...Qxc3 15.Ra2 Bd7 16. Qf7 Qc6 17. h4 is hard to meet.15.Qf7 Bd7 16.Bd3 Qd6 17.Re1 Genuinelyrisky. Safer is 17. cxd4. 17...e5 Underestimat-ing White’s attack. The best chance is 17...Nbc618. Nxe6+ Bxe6 19. Rxe6 Qxh2. 18.a4Be8 Rel-atively best. If 18...Nbc6 19. Ba3 Qh6 20. Nxd5!Nxd5 21. Qxg8+. 19.Qe6Qxe6 20.Nxe6+Kd7Had he foreseen the sequel, he might have goneto c8 directly. 21.Nc5+ Kc8 22.Rxe5 Nbc623.Re2 Rxg2 24.Bxf5+ Kd8 There is no goodshelter. If 24...Kc7 (or 24...Nxf5 25. Rxe8+) 25.Bf4+ Kb6 26. Rb1+ Kxc5 27. Rb5+ Kc4 28. Bd3+Kxc3 29. Bd2 mate. 25.Nxb7+ Kc7 26.Bf4+Ne5 Disagreeably forced in view of 26...Kxb7 27.Rb1+ Ka6 28. Bd3+ Ka5 29. Bc7+ Kxa4 30. Ra1mate. 27.Rxe5 Nxf5 28.Re7+ Kc6 29.Rc7+Kb6 30.Rb1+ Ka6 31.Rc6+ Inviting 31...Bxc632. Nc5+ Ka5 33. Bc7 mate. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Tal, M.• Hecht, H.Varna OlympicsBulgaria1962 1-0 E13Sheer fantasy! Tal keeps finding an array of bewil-dering and unpredictable moves until his opponentdrops from exhaustion.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Bg5Bb7 6.e3 h6 7.Bh4Bxc3+ Also seen frequentlyis 7...g5 8. Bg3 Ne4 9. Qc2 Bxc3+ 10. bxc3d6. 8.bxc3 d6 9.Nd2 e5 10.f3 Qe7 11.e4 Nbd712.Bd3 Nf8 13.c5 Ultrasharp. Steadier is 13.Nf1 or O-O. 13...dxc5 13...g5 14. Bb5+! c6 15.cxd6 Qxd6 16. Nc4 transforms the positon dras-tically. On 13...bxc5 Tal said he was exploring14. d5 to control c4 and b5 with hopes of ex-ploiting the open b-file. This is murky. 14.dxe5Qxe5 15.Qa4+ Surprises follow with increasing

81

regularity. Tal is determined to fight for the ini-tiative come hell or high water. 15...c6 Tal saidthat on 15...N8d7 16. Qc2 his two bishops plusthe mobile center would compensate for the pawn,but this assessment is rather optimistic. 16.O–ONg6 If 16...Qxc3 17. Nc4 Qxd3 18. Rad1 b519. Rxd3 bxa4 20. Nd6+ Ke7 21. Nf5+ Ke822. Nxg7+ Ke7 23. Nf5+ Kd8 24. Nd6+ Ke725. Nxb7 wins. 17.Nc4 Qe6 18.e5 b5 19.exf6This unexpected queen sacrifice is just the begin-ning of an inspired combination. 19...bxa4 20.fxg7Rg8 21.Bf5 With only a bishop as material com-pensation for the queen, White gives that awayas well! 21...Nxh4 Taking everything in sight.If 21...Qxc4 22. Rfe1+ Qe6 23. Rxe6+! fxe624. Bxg6+ Kd7 25. Rd1+ Kc7 26. Bg3+ leadsto a decisive attack. 22.Bxe6 Ba6 23.Nd6+Ke7 24.Bc4 Rxg7 25.g3 Kxd6 26.Bxa6 Nf5It’s a pity that after defending so well Black fal-ters in the absence of a threat. After 26...Rb8 hecould hardly lose with an extra pawn. 27.Rab1 f628.Rfd1+ Ke7 29.Re1+ Kd6 30.Kf2 c4 Pitch-ing a pawn to squirm out of a potential matingnet. 31.g4 Ne7 32.Rb7 Rag8 33.Bxc4 Nd534.Bxd5 cxd5 35.Rb4Rc8 36.Rxa4Rxc3 37.Ra6+Kc5 If 37...Rc6 38. Rxc6+ Kxc6 39. Re6+and Rxf6 wins. 38.Rxf6 h5 39.h3 hxg4 40.hxg4Rh7 41.g5Rh5 42.Rf5Rc2+ The sealed moveand the game was adjourned but White’s con-nected pawns are decisive. 43.Kg3Kc4 44.Ree5d4 45.g6 Rh1 46.Rc5+ Kd3 47.Rxc2 Kxc248.Kf4Rg1 49.Rg5 Inviting 49...Rxg5 50. Kxg5d3 51. g7 d2 52. g8=Q d1=Q 53. Qb3+ Kd7 54.Qxd1+ Kxd1 55. f4, etc. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Efim Geller• Bobby FischerCandidates Tournament (2)Curacao1962 1-0 B92This positional gem shows why Geller was oneof the few players in the world with a plus scoreagainst Fischer (5 wins, 4 losses, 2 draws). "A lit-tle earlier at the Stockholm Interzonal Fischer hadtried the flank development of his queen’s bishopagainst me but had failed to equalize. It was clearto me that the American grandmaster would notsimply abandon his favorite variation but would tryto find an improvement for Black. And, of course,counter-measures were taken on my part so that his10th move did not catch me unawares" – Geller.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.Be2 e5 7.Nb3Be7 A month later in round

16 Fischer varied with 7...Be6 8. O-O Nbd7 9. a4Be7 10. f4 Qc7 11. f5 and again landed in an in-ferior position. 8.O–O O–O 9.Be3 Qc7 Univer-sally adopted then, but nowadays considered inac-curate. More precise is 9...Be6 followed by Nbd7.10.a4 Be6 At Stockholm, Fischer had difficultiesafter 10...b6 11. Qd2 Bb7 12. f3 Bc6 13. Rfd1Nbd7 14. Qe1 h6 15. Qf1 Qb7 16. Bc4 Rfc817. Rd2 Nf8 18. Nc3! Ng6 19. N1a2 aim-ing at d5 as the final destination. 11.a5 Nbd712.Nd5 Nxd5 White also retains the upper handon 12...Bxd5 13. exd5 b5 14. axb6 Nxb6 15. c4!But in general Fischer was reluctant to part withthe two bishops. 13.exd5Bf5 14.c4Bg6 15.Rc1Nc5 "Fischer was obviously afraid of sharpeningthe position by 15...f5 16. c5 f4 17. cxd6 Qxd618. Bc5 Nxc5 19. Nxc5 but that is what he shouldhave played, although White’s position would haveremained attractive. On the other hand, the at-tempt to blockade the critical c5 square proves il-lusory, and Black’s game can no longer be saved"– Geller. 16.Nxc5 dxc5 17.b4Rac8 17...cxb4 al-lows 18. Bb6 and c5 with a complete positionalbind. 18.Qb3Bd6 19.Rfd1Qe7 20.bxc5Bxc521.Bxc5 Rxc5 22.Ra1 "Without the transfer ofthis rook to b6 it is difficult for White to combinethe threat of winning the b-pawn with the advanceof his d-pawn" – Geller. 22...Rd8 23.Ra4 Bf524.Rb4 Bc8 25.Rb6 Rd6 If 25...Rxa5 26. d6Qd7 27. Bf3 wins the pawn on b7. 26.Qb4Qc727.Rxd6 Qxd6 28.Rb1 Qc7 More tenacious is28...g6 so that if 29. Qa3 Rxd5! 29.Qa4 Bd730.Qa3Rxa5 31.Rxb7Qxb7 32.Qxa5 g6 "Theidea conceived in the opening has been carried out,so to speak, in its purest form: the two connectedpassed pawns in the center are irresistible. All thatis required of White now is accuracy" – Geller.33.h3 Qb1+ 34.Kh2 Bf5 35.Qc3 Qe4 36.Bf3Qd4 37.Qxd4 exd4 38.g4 Bc8 39.c5 a5 40.c6Kf8 41.d6 After this sealed move, Black resigned.If 41...Ke8 42. Bd1 Ba6 43. g5 Bb5 44. c7 Bd7 45.Ba4 forces the win. Or 41...a4 42. c7 a3 43. Bc6a2 44. d7 Bxd7 45. Bxd7 a1=Q 46. c8=Q does thetrick.1-0

◦ Fischer, R.• Bolbochan, J.InterzonalStockholm1962 1-0 B90Bolbochan, burdened with a bad bishop against agood knight, defends with extreme care but is grad-ually forced to retreat behind his own lines. Fis-

82

cher’s invasion on the weak squares, culminatingin a keen combination, is a model of accuracy.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.h3 Nc6 Too loosening is 6...e5 7. Nde2Be6 8. g4 d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Bg2. 7.g4Nxd4 8.Qxd4 e5 9.Qd3 Be7 More accurate is9...Be6! so as to retreat the knight to d7 with-out hemming in the bishop. 10.g5 Nd7 11.Be3Nc5 Better is 11...Bxg5 12. Bxg5 Qxg5 13. Qxd6Qe7 holding White to a minimal edge. 12.Qd2Be6 13.O–O–O O–O 14.f3 Rc8 15.Kb1 Nd7Regrouping. The knight has no future on c5 soBlack tries to post it on b6 where it can leap to c4.16.h4 b5 17.Bh3Bxh3 18.Rxh3Nb6 19.Bxb6Qxb6 White won the fight for control of d5 anddominates the light colored squares. 20.Nd5Qd821.f4 It’s instructive to watch how Fischer workswith threats on both sides of the board to aug-ment his positional superiority. 21...exf4 22.Qxf4Qd7 23.Qf5 Rcd8 24.Ra3 Qa7 25.Rc3 "Ob-jectively best is 25. Nxe7+ Qxe7 26. Rxa6 Rfe827. a4! But I was hoping to win in the middlegame. Ironically I wouldn’t have been awardedthe brilliancy prize had I chosen the best line here.They don’t give medals for endgame technique"– Fischer. 25...g6 26.Qg4 Qd7 27.Qf3 Qe628.Rc7 Rde8 29.Nf4 Qe5 30.Rd5 Qh8 Thequeen must cower in the corner. 31.a3 h6 Black de-fended a difficult position rather well, but his backis still to the wall. Fischer gives 31...f6 32. Qb3!Rf7 33. Rxd6 fxg5 34. hxg5 Qe5 35. Rf6! Rf836. Rxf7 Rxf7 37. Rc8+ Bf8 38. Ne6 and wins.32.gxh6Qxh6 33.h5Bg5 34.hxg6 fxg6 35.Qb3Rxf4 What else? If 35...Kh8 36. Nxg6+ Qxg637. Rxg5 Qxg5 38. Qh3+ mates. 36.Re5+ Kf837.Rxe8+ Now 37...Kxe8 38. Qe6+ Kf8 39. Qc8mates. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Fischer, R.• Najdorf, M.Varna OlympicsBulgaria1962 1-0 B90Here the originator of the Najdorf Variation en-counters some surprising and effective tactics. Af-ter only 24 moves he is bound hand and foot, avictim of Fischer’s supreme artistry.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.h3 A recommendation of Weaver Adams, au-thor of a controversial pamphlet in the 1940s enti-tled "White to play and win." 6...b5 7.Nd5Bb7Black’s troubles begin here. Better is 7...Nxe48. Qf3 Nc5 9. b4 e6 (if 9...Nb7 10. Qc3! is

hard to meet) 10. bxc5 exd5 11. Qxd5 Ra7 witheven chances. 8.Nxf6+ gxf6 9.c4 bxc4 By ac-cepting the pawn Black subjects himself to tremen-dous pressure. More prudent is 9...Bxe4. 10.Bxc4Bxe4 11.O–O d5 12.Re1 A hard move to find,but the only one to sustain the initiative. Fischergives 12...dxc4 13. Rxe4 Qd5 14. Qf3 e6 as the rel-atively best defense. 12...e5 13.Qa4+Nd7 Whitegets a bind on 13...Qd7 14. Bb5! axb5 15. Qxa8Bd6 16. Rxe4! dxe4 17. Qxe4. 14.Rxe4 dxe415.Nf5 Bc5 16.Ng7+ Ke7 17.Nf5+ Ke8 NowBlack has lost the option of castling and his de-fensive task is hopeless. 18.Be3 Bxe3 19.fxe3Qb6 20.Rd1 Ra7 21.Rd6 Qd8 Also futile is21...Qxb2 22. Bxf7+! Kd8 23. Qa5+ Kc8 24.Ne7+ Kb8 25. Nc6+ Ka8 26. Nxa7, etc. 22.Qb3Qc7 23.Bxf7+Kd8 24.Be6 The grand old mas-ter has no appetite to continue. If 24...Rb7 25. Qa4Qc8 26. Qa5+ Ke8 27. Qxa6 Kd8 28. Bxd7 Rxd729. Rxd7+ Qxd7 30. Qxf6+ Kc7 31. Qxe5+ Kb832. Qxh8 is decisive. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Tal, M.• Mohrlok, D.Varna OlympicsBulgaria1962 1-0 B63"This is the only game I played in 1962 which I feltsatisfied about," wrote Tal. Yet like many of hisvintage brilliances it has a murky quality, and onecan’t help but wonder how he would have fared hadhis nemesis, Korchnoi – or a machine – conductedthe defense.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf65.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 The Rauzer Variation is aimedagainst the Dragon Variation (6...g6? 7. Bxg6). Itcomes and goes out of fashion. 6...e6 7.Qd2Be78.O–O–O O–O 9.Nb3 Tal-Larsen, 6th matchgame 1969, continued 9. f4 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Qa511. Bc4 Bd7 12. Kb1 Bc6 13. Rhf1 h6 14.Bh4 Qh5! with even chances. 9...Qb6 10.f3 a611.g4 "If 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Qxd6 Bg5+ witha good attack. I don’t like to win such pawns"– Tal. 11...Rd8 12.Be3 Qc7 13.g5 Nd7 14.h4b5 15.g6 fxg6 "I played this pawn sacrifice inprevious games and Mohrlok was obviously pre-pared and replied very quickly," wrote Tal. "In apractice game a few years ago my chess trainerKoblenz played 15...hxg6 but then White quicklybroke through along the h-file with 16. h5 gxh517. Rxh5 Nf6 18. Rh1 d5 19. e5! Nxe5 20.Qh2 Kf8 21. Qh8+! Ng8 22. Bf4 Bd6 23. Rh7."16.h5 gxh5 17.Rxh5 Nf6 18.Rg5 "White wants

83

to switch the attack between the h and g files ac-cording to Black’s defense, so he posts one rookon each file, with the queen supporting from be-hind" – Tal. Now 18...b4! 19. Na4 Rb8 woulddeny White’s knight access later to d5. 18...Ne519.Qg2 Bf8 20.Be2 "Mohrlok had played veryrapidly up to here, but now thought for 20 minutes,so I guessed that 20. Be2 must be a new move.Afterward he told me he expected 20. Bd4 butthen comes 20...h6! 21. Rg3 Nh5 22. Rh3 Nf4winning the Exchange" – Tal. 20...Nc4 21.Bxc4bxc4 22.Nd4 Rb8 23.Rh1 Rb7 24.Rh6 "Thestrongest move in the game. White’s main idea isto play f4-f5 to create a knight outpost at d5, or al-ternatively f4 and e5 to drive Black’s knight awayfrom the protection of the h-pawn" – Tal. 24...Kf725.Rh4 Qb6 26.Nd1 "The knight goes on thedefense, but only temporarily. Black’s queen hasto move again" – Tal. 26...Qc7 27.f4 h6 28.Rg6Re8 The only chance is 28...Ke8 though 29. f5 e530. Ne6 Bxe6 31. fxe6 (menacing Rxf6) still at-tacks with full force. 29.f5 e5 30.Nc3Qd8 Whatelse? If 30...exd4 31. Rxf6+! gxf6 32. Nd5 threat-ens both the queen and Qg6 mate. 31.Nc6 BlackResigns.1-0

◦ Littlewood, N.• Botvinnik, M.HastingsEngland1962 0-1 B75White launches a blitz attack against his renownedopponent which narrowly fails to a very fine sav-ing clause. As Botvinnik remarked at the time, itseemed that White had a 50-50 chance of success.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 a6 8.Bc4 b5 9.Bb3 Bb710.Qd2Nbd7 Black keeps his king in the centeras long as possible until White declares himself.His queenside maneuvers are designed to discour-age White from castling on that wing. Black gotthe worst of it after 10...h5 11. a4 b4 12. Na2a5 13. c3 (Bisguier-Reshevsky, 2nd match game1957). 11.O–O–O Nc5 12.Kb1 Nxb3 13.cxb3Capturing away from the center is frowned on be-cause the resulting pawn configuration gives Blacka won king and pawn ending – if he ever get there.A big if. On 13. axb3 Qc7 followed by O-O-O solves Black’s opening problems. 13...O–O14.Bh6 Bxh6 15.Qxh6 b4 16.e5 This gamblemeets with a stinging refutation. Better is 16.Na4 e5 17. Nc2 a5 18. Ne3 to gain control of

d5. 16...Nd7 17.h4 bxc3 18.h5 dxe5 Barden re-lates: "A dramatic moment. Here there was hub-bub among the spectators, who had the vision of anew Saint George arising to slay the Dragon. Evenmany of the other masters were taken in and gath-ered around White’s position, which was viewedwith a mixture of amazement and envy. As Botvin-nik sat calmly at the board – and even adjusted histie – while Littlewood’s head remained buried inhis hands, doubts began to arise." 19.hxg6 Nf620.bxc3 Now White remains a piece down and isdesperate. He intended 20. Nf5 but saw the catchafter 20...c2+! 21. Kxc2 Qc8+ followed by Qxf5.20...exd4 21.gxh7+ Kh8 22.Rxd4 Qa5 23.Qe3Nd5 24.Qd2 Nxc3+ 25.Ka1 Rad8 26. Rc1Qxa2+ 27.Qxa2Nxa2 28.Rxd8Rxd8 An anti-brilliancy! White Resigns.0-1

◦ O’Kelly, A.• Penrose, J.Varna OlympicsBulgaria1962 1/2-1/2 B49Some draws are more fascinating than many a de-cisive game; this is one of the most unusual drawson record. Black’s superlative defensive play is re-warded when he marches his king into enemy ter-rain and lives to tell the tale.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e6 Thisused to be considered inferior on account of 5. Nb5d6 6. Bf4 when e5 saddles Black with a hole ond5. However, this weakness is offset by White’sloss of time with the knight. 5.Nc3Qc7 6.Be2More flexible is 6. Be3 reserving the option of go-ing directly to d3 with this bishop. 6...a6 7.O–ONf6 8.Be3 Bb4 9.Nxc6 Pressure against his e-pawn compels White to simplify – or to specu-late with 9. Na4!? (see Koehler-Evans, 1968).9...bxc6 10.Bd3 Now the drawback of 6. Be2 canbe seen more clearly since White loses a tempo.But 10. Qd4 c5 11. Qc4 Bb7 12. Bf3 Qe5!13. Bd2 O-O is slightly better for Black (Gligoric-Taimanov, Buenos Aires 1960). 10...d5 11.exd5cxd5 12.Bd4 Be7 13.Re1 O–O Castling into it"sans peur ni reproche" – O’Kelly. 14.Qf3 Bb715.Re3Rfe8 16.Rae1Rad8 17.Qh3 Preparinga massive attack. Only timely countermeasureswill save Black. 17...Ne4 18.Qh5Bf6 Again theonly move, but sufficient. Not 18...g6? 19. Qxh7+Kxh7 20. Rh3 Kg8 21. Rh8 mate. Or 18...f5? 19.Rh3 h6 20. Bxg7 Ng5 21. Qg6! 19.Nxe4 Whitehas nothing more than a draw after 20. Rxe4 dxe421. Bxf6 gxf6 22. Bxe4 f5. 19...Bxd4 20.Qxh7+

84

"White must go for the sacrifice since 20. Ng5 h621. Rh3 Qf4 gives Black the initiative" – Pen-rose. 20...Kxh7 21.Nf6+ Kh6 22.Rh3+ Kg523.Nh7+Kg4 24.Be2+Kf4 25.Bd3 White hasnothing better. If 25. Rh4+ Ke5 escapes the matingnet. Or 25. Bh5! Bxf2+ 26. Kxf2 Qxc2+ 27. Kg1Qxh7! 25...Kg4 26.Be2+ Kf4 27.Bd3 Kg4It’s hard to believe White has nothing better than arepetition. If 28. Kf1 Bxf2! 29. Kxf2 Qf4+ is thesaving clause.1/2-1/2

◦ Lutikov, A.• Klavins, J.Team ChampionshipUSSR1962 1-0 B48Black is stalked relentlessly after a rather minorslip in the opening. The result is a textbook modelthat illustrates the power of the initiative.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e6 5.Nc3Qc7 6.Be3 a6 7.a3 b5 8.Nxc6 Qxc6 Gligoric-Darga, Sarajevo 1962, continued 8...dxc6 9. Be2Bb7 10. O-O c5 11. f4 Be7 12. Bf3 Nf6 13. e5Rd8 14. Qe1 Nd5 with equal chances. 9.Be2Bb710.Bf3 Qc7 11.e5 Rc8 12.O–O Bxf3 13.Qxf3d6 If 13...Qxe5 14. Qb7 regains the pawn favor-ably. 14.exd6 Bxd6 15.Bd4 Bxh2+ Snap-ping the bait. 15...Nf6 16. h3 Be7 maintains par-ity. 16.Kh1 Be5 17.Nd5 Qb8 Not 17...exd5?18. Bxe5 Qxe5 19. Rfe1 pinning the queen. Thenext sequence is forced. 18.Bxe5Qxe5 19.Nb6Rd8 20.Rad1 Rxd1 21.Rxd1 f5 22.Nd7 Qe423.Qg3Qe2 24. Qb8+Kf7 25.Ne5+Kf6 Theking seems to have reached safety and Black hassome nasty threats of his own. However, he stillhas no time to draw a free breath. 26.Qf8+Kxe527.Qxg7+Nf6 28.Qg3+Ke4 No avail is 28...f429. Qg5+ Ke4 30. f3+ Ke3 31. Qc5 mate. 29.f3+Ke3 30.Re1 f4 31.Rxe2+Kxe2 32.Qxf4 BlackResigns.1-0

◦ Stein, L.• Portisch, L.InterzonalStockholm1962 1-0 B42One careless move costs Black the game when heoverlooks a sparkling twist. Remarkable.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 Black’smove order is quite deliberate. 4...Nc6 allowsWhite to set up a Maroczy Bind after 5. Nb5 d6

6. c4 which many players using the TaimanovVariation would rather not face. 5.Bd3 Nf66.O–OQc7 7.Nd2Nc6 8.Nxc6 bxc6 9.f4Bc5+10.Kh1 d6 More consistent is 10...d5 but that’s an-other story. 11.Nf3 e5 12.fxe5 dxe5 13.Nh4 O–O14.Nf5 Be6 15.Qe2 a5 16.Bc4 Kh8 17.Bg5Nd7 Virtually forced. Not 17...Ne8 18. Bxe6 fxe619. Qc4! exf5 20. Qxc5, etc. 18.Rad1 Nb6White gets a break. After 18...Bxf5 19. exf5 f6he would retain an edge but it’s hardly enough towin. 19.Nxg7 Bxc4 Forced. On 19...Kxg7 20.Bf6+ Kg8 21. Qh5 wins. 20.Bf6Be7 Also futileis 20...Nd7 21. Rxd7! Or 20...Bxe2 21. Nf5+ Kg822. Nh6 mate. 21.Qf3 If 21...Bxf6 22. Qxf6 Nd723. Rxd7! clinches matters. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Spassky, B.• Ciric, D.Student Team ChampionshipCzechoslovakia1962 1-0 B29Good defense can be just as exciting and exhaust-ing as attack. Not convinced? Follow Spassky’sthoughts in the days before he became WorldChampion.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.Nc3 e6 For4...Nxc3 see Gurgenidze-Lein 1967. White getsthe edge after 4...Nc7 5. d4 cxd4 6. Qxd4! Nc67. Qe4. 5.Nxd5 exd5 6.d4 Nc6 7.dxc5 Bxc58.Qxd5 Qb6 The most aggressive choice in thisrisky line. 9.Bc4 Bxf2+ 10.Ke2 O–O 11.Rf1Bc5 12.Ng5 Nxe5 Black remains a pawn downon 12...Nd4+ 13. Kd1 Ne6 14. c3. The idea be-hind the text is to swiftly mobilize his forces withWhite’s king stranded in the middle of the board. Itnearly works. "This was a surprise indeed! Need-less to say, I was far from a state of tranquillity.It isn’t much pleasure coping with special analy-sis, carefully thought out in a calm atmosphere athome. Even if this analysis has a slight inaccu-racy, finding it during a vital game where time forthinking is limited isn’t easy at all. No wonder Ipondered over my reply for exactly an hour beforemaking up my mind" – Spassky. 13.Qxe5 "Un-questionably the most crucial moment of the game.By accepting the sacrifice I had to live up to hisbold challenge. 13. Nxf7 Nxf7 14. Rxf7 Qe6+15. Qxe6 gave me a somewhat better ending anda guarantee against all unpleasantness, but a deci-sion of this kind would have been equal to back-ing out of the fight" – Spassky. 13...d5 14.Qxd5"Analyzing 14. Bxd5 Bg4+ took up most of mytime but I finally rejected it" – Spassky. 14...Re8+

85

15.Kf3Qf6+ 16.Kg3Bd6+ 17.Rf4 "Evidentlythis reply was overlooked by my rival in the anal-ysis he made at home. He probably reckoned onlyon 17. Bf4 after which 17...Re3+ would bringhim victory" – Spassky. 17...Be6 "It is impos-sible to see how Black can keep up the dying flameof attack because of the danger to f7" – Spassky.18.Nxe6 Rxe6 19.Qxd6 Qg6+ 20.Rg4 Re3+After 20...Rxd6 21. Rxg6 Rxg6+ 22. Kf2 it be-comes only a matter of time before the power of thetwo bishops against a rook will be felt. 21.Bxe3Qxd6+ 22.Kf2 Re8 23.Rf4 Re7 24.Bb3 Qe525.Re1 g5 26.Rf3 Kg7 27.Rd1 f6 28.Kg1 g429.Bd4 "We found out after the match that thepiece sacrifice had been prepared by the Yugoslavsespecially for this contest with the Soviets. But thesurprise, as you can see, had both its merits anddemerits" – Spassky. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Keres, P.• Fischer, R.Candidates Tournament (14)Curacao1962 1/2-1/2 B20Keres is strategically outplayed but manages toneutralize White’s advantage when the game is ad-journed. Fischer then refuses a draw and makesprogress in the ending until Keres finds an inge-nious saving resource.1.e4 c5 2.Ne2 d6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2Bg7 5.O–O Bet-ter is the immediate 5. c3 Nc6 6. d4. 5...Nc6 6.c3e5 7.d3 Nge7 8.a3 Fischer calls this a "lemon."Better is 8. Be3 to strive for d4. 8...O–O9.b4 b6 10.f4 exf4 11.gxf4 d5 12.e5 "Poker-faced,as always, Keres made this move as though itwere the most natural one on the board. Butit was the last thing he wanted to do, since itexposes the poverty of White’s strategy" – Fis-cher. 12...Bg4 13.h3 Bxe2 14.Qxe2 f6 15.b5Na5 16.Nd2 Fischer suggests 16. Ra2 instead.16...fxe5 17.fxe5 Rxf1+ 18.Nxf1 Nb3 19.Rb1Nxc1 20.Rxc1 Qc7 21.Re1 Rd8 "Despite thedrawing tendencies of the opposite- colored bish-ops, White has a difficult game; he’s weak on allthe squares and his king is somewhat exposed"– Fischer. 22.Nh2 d4 23.cxd4 cxd4 24.Nf324. Ng4! Rf8 25. Rf1 would lead to equal-ity. 24...Bh6 25.Qa2+Kh8 26.Qe6Nd5 Hop-ing for 27. Nxd4? Qc5 but 26...Nf5! is bet-ter. 27.Nh2 Ne3 28.Bc6 Rf8 29.Nf3 Bf430.Nxd4 Bxe5 31.Nf3 Bd4 32.Rxe3 Bxe3+33. Qxe3 Qg3+ 34.Kf1 Qxh3+ 35.Ke1 Qf536.d4 Kg7 37.Kf2 "The right plan – the king

must stay on the kingside to blockade Black’spawns" – Fischer. 37...h5 38.Kg3Qg4+ 39.Kh2Rf4 40.Qe7+Kh6 "The game was adjourned andKeres sealed his move. Upon resuming the nextday, he offered me a draw, which I rejected...I feltno harm could come from continuing since therewas little danger of losing. Besides, winning thisgame would still have put me in contention forfirst place even as late as round 14, the halfwaymark" – Fischer. 41.Qe2Qf5 42.Qe3 g5 43.Kg2Rg4+ 44.Kf2 Rf4 45.Kg2 Qc2+ "Beginning aseries of exploratory checks to see if White goes tothe wrong square. For instance 46. Kg3? Rg4+47. Kh3 Qg2 mate. Hope springs eternal!" – Fis-cher. 46.Kh1Qb1+ 47.Kh2Qa2+ 48.Kh3Qf749.Kh2Qf6 50.Kg2Kg7 51.Kg3 h4+ 52.Kg2Rg4+ 53.Kh1 Rg3 54.Qe4 g4 55.Nh2 Qg556.Nf1 "A blunder on the last move of the time-control. Perhaps Keres has allowed me to get a lit-tle too much out of the position, but he can stillhold a draw with 56. Qe5+! Qxe5 57. dxe5(threatening Bd7) Rxa3 58. Nxg4, etc." – Fis-cher. 56...Rh3+ The winning line is 56...Rxa3!immediately. 57.Kg1 Rxa3 58.d5 g3 59.Bd7Ra1 60.Bf5 Qf6 "I must confess that I still ex-pected to win. But now Keres really starts to findmoves!" – Fischer. 61.Qf4 Re1 62.d6 Re5 An-other winning try is 62...Kf7. 63.Qg4+Kf8 64.d7Rd5 65.Kg2Rxd7 66.Bxd7 "I thought this wasa mistake at the time, but that he was lost anyway.Keres, however, has seen just one move further"– Fischer. 66...Qf2+ 67.Kh3 Qxf1+ 68.Kxh4g2 69.Qb4+Kf7 70.Qb3+Kg7 71.Qg3+Kh7"Now I was sure I had him" – Fischer. 72.Qe5"What’s this? He makes no attempt to stop mefrom queening!? Gradually my excitement sub-sided. The more I studied the position, the more Irealized Black had no win" – Fischer. 72...Qh1+73.Bh3Qxh3+ On 73...g1=Q 74. Qh5+ Kg7 75.Qg6+! Kxg6 stalemate. 74.Kxh3 g1=Q 75.Qe7+Kh8 76.Qf8+Kh7 77.Qf7+ Draw.1/2-1/2

◦ Tal, M.• Keres, P.Candidates TournamentCuracao1962 0-1 C96Clashes between these two titans are always mem-orable. A few rounds later, plauged by illness, Talwas forced to withdraw, paving the way for Pet-rosian to become Botvinnik’s challenger.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O–O 8.c3 d6 9.h3 Na5

86

Later 9...Nd7 achieved some popularity. 10.Bc2c5 11.d4Nd7 12.Nbd2 cxd4 13.cxd4Nc6 14.a3In an earlier round Tal tried 14. Nb3 a5 15. Be3a4 and Keres reached equality. A better approachis 14. d5 Nb4 15. Bb1 a5 16. a3 Na6 17. b4!14...exd4 15.Nb3Nde5 16.Nfxd4Bf6 17.Bd2Prelude to disaster. Simpler is 17. Nxc6 Nxd618. f4. 17...Nxd4 18.Nxd4 Nd3 19.Nc6 Try-ing to avoid 19. Bxd3 Bxd4 20. Rb1 Qf6 withpressure. But now Black springs a surpising com-bination. 19...Nxf2 20.Qf3 No better is 20. Qh5Nxh3+ 21. Kh2 g6; or 20. Nxd8 Nxd1 21. Nxf7Bd4+ 22. Kh2 Nxb2; if 20. Kxf2 Qb6+ 21. Be3Qxc6 wins. 20...Nxh3+ 21.Kh2Be5+ 22.Nxe5dxe5 23.Red1Nf4 24.g3Ne6 25.Bc3Qg5 26.Rd6Qh6+ 27.Kg1Nd4 Winning material. NowWhite is clearly lost. 28.Rxh6 Nxf3+ 29.Kf2gxh6 30.Kxf3 Re8 31.Rh1 Kg7 32.Bb3 Bb733.Bd2 f5 34. Rxh6 Rad8 35.Rb6 Bxe4+36.Ke2 Bf3+ 37.Ke1 f4 38.Bc3 fxg3 39.Rxa6Rd4 40. Ra7+Kh6 41.Rf7 and White Resignswithout waiting for 41...Rf4.0-1

◦ Gufeld, E.• Kavalek, L.?Marianske Lazne1962 0-1 C64A sharp opening leads to a remarkable setting, witha Bishop and swarm of pawns overcoming twoRooks.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Bc5 4.c3 f5 5.d4fxe4 6.Ng5 Bb6 7.d5 e3 8.Ne4 Qh4 9.Qf3Nf6 10.Nxf6+ gxf6 11.dxc6 exf2+ 12.Kd1 dxc613.Be2 Be6 14.Qh5+ Qxh5 15.Bxh5+ Ke716.b3 Bd5 17.Ba3+ Ke6 18.Bg4+ f5 19.Bh3Rhg8 20.Nd2 Bxg2 21. Bxg2 Rxg2 22.Rf1Black is winning – 22.Nc4 (22.Ke2 f1Q+ winsback the piece) Rg1+ 23.Ke2 Rag8 24.Nxb6Rxh1 25.Rxh1 Rg1. 22...Rd8 23.Ke2 Rxd2+24.Kxd2 e4 25.Bf8 f4 26.b4Rg5 27.Bc5Rxc528.bxc5Bxc5 29.Rab1Kf5 30.Rb4 f3 31.Rd4Bxd4 32.cxd4Kf4 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Tal, M.• Gligoric, S.MoscowUSSR1963 1-0 B99Since Gligoric himself was an arch exponent of theWhite side of this opening, it is interesting to watch

how he conducts the defense. Tal altered the nor-mal flow of events with a surprising piece sacrificeon move 15, probably a prepared variation.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Be7 8.Qf3 Qc7 9.O–O–ONbd7 10.g4 b5 11.Bxf6 Fischer wrote: "Glig-oric and I have a standing feud with this posi-tion, which we reached no less than three times. Ilost twice and drew once with Black." Bernstein-Fischer, USA Championship 1958 continued 11.Bg2 Bb7 12. Rhe1 b4 13. Nd5!? exd5 14. exd5Kf8 15. Nf5 Re8 and Black (for a change) won.11...Nxf6 12.g5Nd7 13.a3 Careless is 15. Bh3?b4! 16. Nce2 Bb7 and Black already assumesthe initiative (Smyslov-Fischer, Candidates’ 1959).13...Bb7 14.Bh3 O–O–O 15.Bxe6 Highly spec-ulative. Gligoric-Fischer, Candidates’ 1959 went15. f5!? Bxg5+ 16. Kb1 e5 17. Ndxb5 axb518. Nxb5 and now Fischer gives 18...Qb6! (in-stead of his Qc5) 19. Nxd6+ Kc7 20. Nxf7 Bf6with even chances. 15...fxe6 16.Nxe6 Qc4 Flus-tered, Gligoric finds a square where the queen turnsout to be maladjusted. Better is 16...Qb6! 17.Nd5Bxd5 18.exd5 Kb7 Slightly better is 18...Kb819. b3 Qc8 and if 20. Nd4 Ka8 holds. 19.b3Qc8 20.Rd3Nb6 21.Rc3Qd7 22.Rc7+Qxc723.Nxc7 Kxc7 24.Qc3+ Kb8 25. Qxg7 Nc826.Re1 Rdg8 Black can offer only token resis-tance in view of his pawn deficit. On 25...Rhg827. Qxh7 Rh8 28. Rxe7 is good enough towin. 27.Qd4 Bd8 28.Re6 Rf8 29.h4 h6 30.g6Rhg8 31.h5 Rf5 32.Qe4 Rxh5 33.Re8 Rxe834.Qxe8 Bf6 35.c4 bxc4 36.bxc4 Rh3 37.Kd2Bc3+ 38.Kc2Bd4 39.f5Rxa3 40.c5 dxc5 41.d6Ra2+ 42.Kd3Ra3+ 43.Kc4 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Miguel Najdorf• Paul KeresPiatigorsky Cup (12)Santa Monica1963 1-0The strongest international tournament in Americasince New York 1924 and 1927, or Dallas 1957.Keres and Petrosian shared first in a double roundrobin ahead of Najdorf, Olafsson, Reshevsky,Gligoric, Benko and Panno. Bobby Fischer didnŠtgo because the organizers rejected his demand for a2, 000appearancefee, butheopinedthatNajdorfspositionalwizardy(whichoustedKeresfromthelead)wasthefinestgameintheentireevent.1.d4 e6 2.c4 Rejecting an invitation to transposeinto a French Defense with 2. e4. 2...Bb4+ 3.Nc3f5 Transposing into a Dutch Defense but the bishopon b4 is misplaced. 4.e3Nf6 5.Bd3 O–O 6.Ne2d6 7.O–O "White could play 7. a3 obligating the

87

exchange of BlackŠs bishop. However, why lose atempo for this when the bishop is not strong here?You must never have fear of poorly placed pieces.DonŠt force your opponent to make a good move!"– Najdorf 7...c5 8.b3! WhiteŠs last undevel-oped minor piece is headed for the long diagonal.8...Nc6 9.Bb2 e5 A strategic error which opensthe game too early before Black is fully ready forcombat. Better is 9...Ba5 or Qe7. 10.dxe5 dxe511.Nd5! Be6 12.Ng3 g6 A weakening move.But White also stays on top after 12.....Nxd5 13.cxd5 Bxd5 (not 13...Qxd5? 14. Bc4) 14. Bxf5.13.f4! "A good move and very easy, because ev-ery time you want to exploit an advantage youmust opening the position even if you have to sacri-fice." – Najdorf 13...Nxd5 14.cxd5Bxd5 15.fxe5Be6 16.Ne2 "The knight has accomplished itspurpose at g3 and is now looking for a betterstrategic square. WhiteŠs play is very clear. Hemust remove the bishop on e6 and weaken the de-fense of blackŠs king. The bishop on b4 is use-less." – Najdorf 16...Qe7 17.Nf4 Nd8 18.Qf3"Now is the time for the heavy artillery." – Najdorf18...Rc8 19.Rad1 a6 20.Bc4! Bxc4 21.bxc4Nf7 22.e6 Ng5 23.Qd5 Rc6 "The difference inaction of the two bishops must now be compared.If 23...Qc7 24. e7+ Rf7 25. Qd8+ winning. If23...Ne4 24. Qe5 Nf6 25. Nd5 or Rd7 wins." –Najdorf 24.Qe5Nxe6 25.Qh8+Kf7 26.Qxh7+Ke8 27.Qxe7+ Simplicity itself. 27. Qxg6+ Qf7wins more slowly. 27...Kxe7 28.Nxg6+ Ke829.Nxf8 Nxf8 30.Rxf5 b5 31.cxb5 axb5 32.h4Ra6 33. a3 Bxa3 34.Bxa3 Rxa3 35.Rxc5Black Resigned. White has an overwhelming ma-terial preponderance.1-0

◦ Saidy, A.• Bednarsky, B.Tel AvivIsrael1964 1-0 E81White launched an intricate combination only be-cause, at the time, he believed his position to beinferior. Saidy criticizes his own sacrifice – but itturns out to be sounder than his faith in it. PaulKeres noted: "Although not a model performance,I nevertheless like this game and the original con-clusion very much. I think most chess fans willtoo."1.c4 g6 2.Nc3 Bg7 3.d4 Nf6 4.e4 d6 5.f3 c66.Be3 a6 7.Qd2 b5 This anti-Saemisch systemwas worked out by Robert Byrne. Instead of pas-sively waiting for White to mount a kingside at-

tack, Black mounts a rapid diversion on the queen-side. 8.Bd3Nbd7 9.Nge2 O–O 10.O–O bxc4 Agood alternative is 10...e5. 11.Bxc4Nb6 12.Bb3a5 13.Na4 Ba6 14.Rfc1 Nfd7 15.Rc2 "TheBlack pawn on c6 is backward, but capturing it by15. Rxc6 would give him strong play via 15...Bb516. Nxb6 Nxb6 17. R6c1 a4. But now my seren-ity is destroyed by the next move" – Saidy. 15...c516.Nxc5 Without this sacrifice Black stands wellafter 16. dxc5 Nxa4 17. Bxa4 Nxc5. "I pon-dered for 40 valuable minutes, appalled by myown disjointed pieces and the fact Black has soswiftly freed his position. I must admit now that,had I seen a quiet way to retain an edge, no bril-liancy would have been hatched (with such a longgestation period)" – Saidy. 16...dxc5 17.dxc5 a4Tougher to meet is 17...Nc8 18. Rd1 Bxe2 19.Qxe2 Qc7 with a hard fight in the offing. 18.Bxf7+Rxf7 19.cxb6 Bxe2 The best practical chance.Saidy was pessimistic about 19...a3 but White hasno reason to complain after 20. Rd1 axb2 21. Nc3.20.Qxe2 Even stronger is 20. b7! Rb8 21. Rac1Ba6 22. Rc8. 20...Nxb6 21.Rd1Qb8 The deci-sive error in a flawed contest. Correct is 21...Nd7!22. Rcd2 e6 and if 23. Qb5 Qb8 saves the piece.22.Qb5Nc8 23.Rd8+Rf8 24.Qd5+ If 24...Kh825. Rxf8+ Bxf8 26. Bd4+ is a killer. Black Re-signs.1-0

◦ Bronstein, D.• Larsen, B.?Amsterdam1964 0-1 E73In the 1960’s, the Soviet chess hegemony wasthreatened first by Bobby Fischer and then byDanish Grandmaster Bent Larsen. Fischer’s dis-putes with organizers over playing conditions kepthim out of world championship competition for adecade, but Larsen produced a series of tournamentvictories unmatched since Alekhine, including a tiefor first with Spassky, Smyslov and Tal in the 1964Interzonal. In this game, Bronstein adopts a veryaggressive continuation against the King’s IndianDefense, but Larsen combines defense and coun-terattack to take the point.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2O–O 6.Bg5 c5 7.d5 White has a space advan-tage, but Black has opened the long diagonal forhis Bishop at g7. 7...e6 8.Nf3 h6 9.Bf4 Most ex-perts prefer 9.Bd2, for reasons that will be seenin the next note. 9...exd5 10.exd5 Re8 11.Nd2Naturally White would prefer to castle, but then

88

11...Ne4 12.Nxe4 Rxe4 would gain a tempo by at-tacking the Bf4. 11...Nh5 12.Bg3 Not 12.Be3Rxe3! 13.fxe3 Qh4+ 14.g3 Nxg3 15.Nf3 Qh3,and Black has more than enough for the Exchange.12...Bg4 13.O–ONxg3 14.hxg3Bxe2 15.Nxe2Bxb2 16.Rb1 Bg7 17.Rxb7 Nd7 Now Blackthreatens to trap the Rook with ... Nb6 and ...Qc8.Rather than retreat it, White tries to use its ac-tive position on the 7th rank for attack. 18.Nf4Nb6 19.Re1Bc3 20.Ne4Bxe1 Now Black hasa large material advantage, but his King is poorlydefended, and White threatens to break throughwith a Knight sacrifice at e6 or g6. 21.Ne6Bxf2+Luring the King to f2 so that Black will have a sav-ing check on the f-file in some variations. Hopelessis 21...fxe6 22.Qg4 Re7 23.Qxg6+ Kf8 24.Nf6, andif 24...Rxb7 25.Qg8+ Ke7 26.Qg7++. 22.Kxf2fxe6 23.Qg4Rf8+ 24.Kg1Rf6 25.Qh3 This isquickly refuted by a counterattack. The positionremains unclear after 25.dxe6; one amusing vari-ation (not forced) is 25...Qf8 26.e7 Rf1+ 27.Kh2Qf5 28.Qxf5 Rxf5 29.Rxa7!, and Black must ac-cede to a draw by 29...Rb8 30.Rb7 Ra8 31.Rxb6Re5 32.Nf6+ Kf7 33.e8Q+ Raxe8 34.Nxe8 Rxe835.Rxd6 Re4, since the Black Rook has no safesquare on the 8th rank. 25...Qf8 26.Ng5 The ap-parently dangerous 26.Nxf6+ Qxf6 27.Qxh6 failsto 27...Qd4+ 29.Kh2 Qh8, pinning the Queen.26...Rf1+ 27.Kh2Rf5 28.Nxe6Rh5 29.Qxh5gxh5 30.Nxf8Rxf8 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Averbach, Y.• Estrin, Y.Moscow ChampionshipUSSR1964 1-0 D39Prepared variations play an increasing role in mod-ern competition now that huge databases are read-ily available to all players. In this game White’snovelty on move nine, prepared at home, poses ma-jor problems.1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3Nf6 4.Bg5Bb4+ 5.Nc3dxc4 The Vienna Variation gives rise to trickycomplications where Black tries to profit from theabsence of the c1-bishop on the queenside. 6.e4c5 7.Bxc4 The main line is 7. e5 cxd4 8. Qa4+Nc6 9. O-O-O (Fine- Euwe, AVRO 1938. 7...cxd48.Nxd4Qc7 Meets with a stunning rebuttal. Al-ternatives are 8...Bxc3+ or Nbd7 or 8...Qa5 9. Bxf6Bxc3+ 10. bxc3 Qxc3+ 11. Kf1 Qxc4+ 12. Kg1O-O 13. Qg4 g6 (Trifunovic-Gligoric, Mar DelPlata 1953). 9.Qb3Bxc3+ On 9...Nxe4 10. Qxb4Nxg5 11. O-O threatens h4. And on 9...Qc5

10. Bxf6 gxf6 11. O-O Qxd4 12. Qxb4 Nc613. Qb3 White stands better. 10.Qxc3 Nxe4Underestimating the reply. The best chance is10...Qe5. 11.Nb5 Qc5 12.Qxg7 Rf8 13.Bh6Qxf2+ A better defensive try is 13...Nd7 14. Rc1a6. 14.Kd1Nd7 15.Re1Nef6 16.Bxe6Qxb2If 16...fxe6 17. Rxe6+ Kd8 18. Qe7 mate. 17.Rc1Piquant. 17...fxe6 still allows mate-in-two. Andif 17...Qxb5 18. Bc4+ snares the queen. Finally17...Kd8 18. Bxd7! Kxd7 19. Qxf8 is crushing.Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Foguelman, A.• Bronstein, D.InterzonalAmsterdam1964 0-1 D25Bronstein’s speculative pawn sacrifice in the open-ing pays dividends when Foguelman allows hisqueen to be cut off from the scene of action. Suchgambles, however, don’t succeed that often againstprecise defense.1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bg4 Morepopular is 4...e6 5. Bxc4 c5. 5.Bxc4 e6 6.Qb3The acid test, exploiting the absence of the bishopfrom the queenside. 6...Bxf3 7.gxf3 c5 Blackdoesn’t want to weaken his queenside with 7...b6or lose time defending the pawn with 7...Qc8.8.Qxb7 Nbd7 Should Black get away with thisgambit? White’s kingside is a shambles and hisqueen has been plunged out of play; but he has thetwo bishops, and a pawn is a pawn. 9.dxc5Bxc510.f4 O–O 11.O–O An inaccuracy. Much safer is11. Nc3 to prevent the next move which bars thequeen from returning to the queenside. 11...Nd512.Rd1 Loss of time. Necessary is 12. Bxd5 Rb813. Qa6 exd5 14. Qe2 returning the queen to thehome front where it is needed. 12...Rb8 13.Qc6Qh4 14.Nc3Rb6 15.Qxd7Nxf4 16.Ne2 Alas,there is nothing better. If 16. Bf1 (16. exf4 Qxf2+17. Kh1 Qf3 mate) 16...Qg4+ 17. Kh1 Qf3+ 18.Kg1 e5! swinging the rook to g6. 16...Nh3+17.Kg2Nxf2 18.Rd4Ng4 19.Rf4 If 19. Rxg4Qxg4+ 20. Ng3 Qxc4 wins material. 19...Qxh2+20.Kf1 Bxe3 21.Bd5 Bxf4 Inviting 22. Bxf4Qf2 mate. White Resigns.0-1

◦ Velimirovic, M.• Sofrevsky, J.Yugoslav ChampionshipBelgrade

89

1964 1-0 B89Sacrificing pieces for rapid development is com-mon in many sharp variations of the Sicilian De-fense. But here White’s innovation was so unex-pected that it sent theoreticians scurrying back tothe drawing board.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e6 5.Nc3d6 6.Be3Nf6 7.Bc4Be7 8.Qe2 This system isVelimirovic’s lasting contribution to opening the-ory. 8...a6 9.O–O–O Qc7 10.Bb3 Na5 11.g4b5 12.g5Nxb3+ Careless is 12...Nd7? 13. Bxe6!fxe6 14. Nxe6 Qc6 15. Nxg7+. The second playermust guard against this stock attack. 13.axb3Nd7 14.Nf5 The only try for an advantage, oth-erwise Black’s solid position coupled with the twobishops must be assessed as favorable. The TrojanHorse must be accepted. If 14...Bf8 (for 14...b4 seeMedina-Pomar, 1969) 15. Bd4! exf5 16. exf5+Kd8 17. Rhe1 Qa5 18. Nd5 wins. 14...exf515.Nd5 Qd8 16.exf5 O–O The best defense is16...Bb7! The last word has yet to be utteredon this remarkable line. 17.f6 gxf6 There’s noway to return the piece gracefully. If 17...Nxf618. gxf6 Bxf6 19. Bb6 Qd7 20. Nxf6+ gxf621. Rhg1+ yields a winning attack. 18.Bd4Ne519.gxf6Bxf6 20.Rhg1+Bg7 Equally unappetiz-ing is 20...Kh8 21. Bb6. 21.Bxe5 dxe5 22.Qxe5f6 23.Ne7+ Kf7 A prettier finish is 23...Kh824. Rxd8 fxe5 25. Rxf8+ Bxf8 26. Rg8 mate.24.Qh5+ Mate is not far away after 24...Kxe7 25.Rxg7+. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Velimirovic, M.• Nikolic, P.BelgradeYugoslavia1964 1-0 B89A seminal game which brought young Velimovicand his novel attacking system to the attention ofthe chess world. In an exhibition of daring and in-genuity, he sacrifices a rook and knight to rip openthe position.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf65.Nc3 d6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Be3 Be7 8.Qe2 O–O9.O–O–O Qc7 10.Bb3 a6 11.g4 Nxd4 Elimi-nating the bishop by 11...Na5 is more stubborn.12.Rxd4 Velimirovic-Galjovic, Belgrade 1966,featured a curious finish after 12. Bxd4 b5? 13.g5 Nd7 14. Qh5 Nc5 15. Rhg1 Bb7 16. Bf6!b4 17. Qh6! Black Resigns. 12...b5 13.g5 Nd714.Qh5 Ne5 Time-consuming. It’s better to tryand erase the bishop on b3 by 14...Nc5. 15.f4Nc6 16.Rd3Nb4 17.Rd2Rd8 18.f5 g6 19.fxg6

hxg6 20.Qh4 More precise is 20. Qd1 preparingh4-h5. 20...Nc6 21.Qg3Ne5 22.h4Bb7 23.h5b4 24.hxg6Nxg6 Not 24...bxc3 25. Rh8+! Kxh826. Qh4+ Kg7 27. Qh7 mates. 25.Rdh2 bxc326.Bd4 e5 27.Rh8+ Nxh8 28.g6 White’s force-ful maneuvers have all been based on the powerof the b3 bishop which Black should have takenpains to eliminate long ago. There is no longer anydefense. 28...Bf6 29.gxf7+ Kf8 30.Rh7 Nxf731.Qg6 Bg5+ 32.Kb1 Rd7 33.Qg7+ Ke8 34.Qg8+ It’s mate next, so Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Larry Evans• Mikhail TalInterzonalAmsterdam1964 0-1 B40Evans tries to emulate Tal by pushing his kingsidepawns in a sharp middlegame. However, just whena draw seems likely, Tal finds a clever way to ex-ploit the unfortunate position of White’s king byforcing it into enemy terrain. At the end, whena draw by repetition of moves looks inevitable,Black wins by a single tempo.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.Nc3 a6 4.Be2 b5 5.d4 cxd46.Nxd4 Bb7 7.a3 Qc7 8.O–O 8. f4 has moresting. On 8...b4 9. axb4 Bxb4 10. Ra4! led toa promising pawn sacrifice in Hort-Tal, Moscow1963. 8...Nf6 9.Qd3 Shows the drawback toWhite’s setup. Had he played 8. f4 he could notproceed with Bf3. 9...d6 10.Bg5 Nbd7 11.Qe3Be7 12.Rad1 O–O 13.f4 Rac8 "Rather routineplay. I had no doubt that 13...Rfe8 would havebeen more prudent. In this case on 14. g4 e515. Nf5 Bf8 could have followed." – Tal 14.g4In the spirit of Tal, this is the only way to en-liven the proceedings. 14...Nb6 15.Bxf6 Bxf616.g5Bxd4 "Unfortunately, Black is forced to ex-change this strong bishop, since after 16...Be7 17.f5 e5 18. Nb3! Nc4 (the attempt to win a pieceby 18...d5 19. exd5 Nc4 20. Bxc4 bxc4 21. f6is too dangerous) 19. Bxc4 bxc4 20. f6 cxb321. fxe7 Qxe7 22. bxc3 with a positional advan-tage." – Tal 17.Rxd4 e5 18.Rd2 exf4 19.Rxf4Rfe8 20.Qf2Qe7 "Black could also have played20...d5 but this would achieve nothing real af-ter 21. exd5 Nxd5 22. Nxd5 Bxd5 23. Rxd5Rxe2 24. Qxe2 Qxf4 25. c3." – Tal 21.h4 Nc422.Bxc4 Rxc4 23.Rd4 Rec8 24.Rxc4 Rxc425.Qa7 Qd7 26.Kf2 "With the idea of movingthe king over to the queenside at the first opportu-nity. Black does not wish to allow this, and he him-self opens the game up, which leads to the White

90

pieces becoming active. 26...d5 27.Nxd5Rxc2+28.Kg3Rc8 29.Rf6 "Once again cleverly played.White avoids the traps." – Tal Inadequate is 29.Nb6 Qd3. 29...Ra8 30.Qc5 Rd8 31.Rb6 31.Rf5 is feasible. Riskier is 31. Ne7 Kh8 32. Rxf7Qd3 33. Rf3 Qxe4 34. Nc6 Rg8. 31...Bxd532.exd5 Qf5 33.Qd6 Right idea, wrong execu-tion. White has defended a difficult position verywell, but after 37. Qc7! Black has nothing betterthan to give a few checks and then capture on d5with the queen – then Rb8 forces a drawn ending.33...Qd3+ 34.Kg2Qc2+ 35.Kg3Qb3+ 36.Kf4A bad square – but forced. If 36. Kg2 Qxb2; or36. Kg4 h5 37. gxh6 Rxd6. 36...Re8 37.Rb8 Thedecisive mistake, the the rest is forced. White haschances to hold after 37. Qe5 Qc4 38. Kg3 Qc839. Qd4 g6. 37...Qe3+ 38.Kg4 f5+ 39.gxf6 h5+40.Kxh5 Qf3+ 41.Kg5 Qxf6+ 42.Qxf6 gxf6+43.Kxf6Rxb8 44.d6 White comes within an aceof drawing, but no such luck. On 44. Ke7 Rb7!is the only move that wins: e.g., 45. Ke8 Rh7 46.d6 Rxh4 47. d7 Re4 48. Kd8 Kf8 49. Kc7 Rc4.44...Kf8 45.h5Rb7 46.Ke6 Of no avail is 46. h6Ke8 47. Kg6 Kd7 48. h7 Rb8 49. Kg7 Kxd6 50.h8/Q Rxh8 51. Kxh8 Kd5 picking up the queen-side pawns. 46...Rh7 47.Kd5Ke8 48.Kc6Kd8White resigns. 0-10-1

◦ Evans, L.• Berger, B.InterzonalAmsterdam1964 1-0 B19Sometimes you have to rely on intuition when youcan’t calculate clearly to the end of a combina-tion. White’s speculative knight sacrifice doesn’tyield immediate dividends, though it soon becomesapparent that Black’s uncastled king will find nohaven.1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4Bf5 5.Ng3Bg6 6.Nf3Nd7 7.h4 The weakening of the pawnstructure is compensated by the subsequent controlof space. White gets only a slight pull by 7. Bd3e6 8. O-O Ngf6 9. Re1 Be7 10. c4 O-O 11. b3Qa5 12. Bxg6 hxg6 13. Qe2 (Evans-Benko, USAChampionship 1962.) 7...h6 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3Bxd3 10.Qxd3 Qc7 11.Bd2 Ngf6 12.O–O–Oe6 13.Kb1 c5 Black should castle long either nowor on the next move before undertaking action inthe center. If 13...Bd6 14. Ne4 Bf4 15. Be1!followed by g3 avoids the swap maintains tension.14.c4 cxd4 15.Nxd4 a6 Black originally intended15...Ne5 but after 16. Qe2 Nxc4 17. Nxe6 Black’s

king won’t escape the central crossfire. His defen-sive task is also difficult on 15...O-O-O 16. Nb5Qb8 17. Ne4! Nxe4 18. Qxe4. 16.Nxe6 fxe617.Qg6+Kd8 18.Rhe1 Gibralter crumbles afterthis quiet developing move. 18...Kc8 Giving upa second pawn to find sanctuary. On 18...e5 (or18...Qxc4 19. Bc3) 19. Bc3 Kc8 20. f4! exf4 21.Bxf6 Nxf6 22. Re8+ mates. 19.Rxe6 b6 20.Qf5Another quiet move, intending Bf4. 20...Kb721.Bf4Qc5 Also inadequate is 21...Qc8 22. Ne4Ka7 (if 22...Nxe4 23. Qxe4+ Ka7 24. Rc6!) 23.Nxf6 Nxf6 24. Rxf6! gxf6 25. Rd7+ etc. 22.Rxf6If 22...Nxf6 23. Rd7+ Kc6 24. Rc7 mate. BlackResigns.1-0

◦ Bakulin, N.• Bronstein, D.USSR ChampionshipMoscow1964 0-1 B16Black’s patient strategic buildup is rewarded whenhe gets an opportunity to splurge a rook and bishop.The finish is artistic and original.1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf65.Nxf6+ gxf6 Less vibrant is 5...exf6. The textis double- edged, anticipating use of the open g-file in return for the ugly doubled pawns. 6.Be3Bf5 7.Qd2 e6 8.Ne2Nd7 9.Ng3Bg6 10.Be2White’s knight is not particularly well-placed.More consistent is 10. h4 h5 11. Bd3 followedby castling queenside. 10...Qc7 11.O–O A coura-geous but risky decision. White anticipates Black’scastling long and hopes to use his queenside pawnsas battering rams. His own king, however, be-comes vulnerable. Safer is 11. O-O-O. 11...h512.Rfd1 h4 13.Nf1 h3 14.g3 O–O–O 15.c4 Al-lowing Black to establish a blockade. More per-tinent is 15. b4 e5 16. c4. 15...c5 16.d5 e517.Rac1 f5 18.b4 Bd6 Stronger than 18...cxb419. c5. White seems to have reached a maximumbut Black still has the dynamic break f4. 19.f3Leads to trouble. More active is 19. f4 though al-ready White has lost his precious initiative. 19...f420.Bf2 Rde8 21.Kh1 Rhg8 22.Re1 e4 Blackclearly holds all the trumps. The threat of ...e3 ishorrific. 23.Bxc5 Nxc5 24.bxc5 Qxc5 25.Bd1Bc7 26.gxf4 e3 27.Qe2 The pawn is poisoned:27. Rxe3 Rxe3 28. Qxe3 Qxe3 29. Nxe3 Bxf430. Rc3 Re8 wins. Now begins a sacrificial orgy.27...Bd3 28.Qxd3 Rg1+ 29.Kxg1 e2+ 30.Ne3No better is 30. Kh1 Qf2. 30...Rxe3 31.Qf5+Re6+ 32.Kh1 Qf2 If 33. Qxh3 Qxe1+ 34. Kg2Qf1+ 35. Kg3 e1=Q+. White Resigns.

91

0-1

◦ Fischer, R.• Benko, P.USA Championship (10)New York1964 1-0 B09This was the year 20-year-old Fischer made chesshistory with an 11-0 clean sweep against Amer-ica’s top players, a feat unlikely ever to be repeated.Benko exhibited some suicidal tendencies in themanagement of his defense; he scarcely expectedthe bombshell that exploded on move 19.1.e4 g6 2.d4Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.f4Nf6 5.Nf3 O–O6.Bd3 Bg4 Black’s path is thorny. In Fischer-Perez, Havana 1965 White got a pull after 6...Nc67. e5 dxe5 8. fxe5 Nd5 9. Nxd5 Qxd5 10. c3Bg4 11. Qe2. 7.h3 Bxf3 8.Qxf3 Nc6 9.Be3e5 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.f5 gxf5 11...Nd4 12. Qf2gxf5 13. exf5 b5 14. O-O is also in White’s fa-vor. 12.Qxf5 Nd4 13.Qf2 On 13. Qxe5 Ng4yields tons of counterplay. Now White consistentlystrives to dominate the f-file. 13...Ne8 14.O–ONd6 15.Qg3 Kh8 Black gets an inferior endingon 15...f5 16. Bh6 Qf6 17. Qxg7+ Qxg7 18. Bxg7Kxg7 19. exf5 N6xf5 20. Rae1 Rae8 21. Ne4.16.Qg4 c6 More active is 16...c5! followed by b5.17.Qh5 Qe8 Now either 17...Ne6 or c5 is essen-tial. 18.Bxd4 exd4 Hoping for 19. e5 f5! but he’sin for a rude shock. 19.Rf6Kg8 20.e5 h6 21.Ne2But not 21. Rxd6 Qxe5! with chances to survive.Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Geller, Y.• Smyslov, V.Match (1)Moscow1965 1-0 D87This was one of a series of candidates’ matchesto determine a challenger for world champion Pet-rosian. The way Smyslov is dispatched at the out-set was demoralizing, and he was eliminated by afinal score of 5.2 - 2.5. Geller makes it all look soeasy, winding up with a neat queen sacrifice.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Bc4 c5 8.Ne2 Refrainingfrom 8. Nf3?? O-O 9. O-O Bg4! 8...O–O9.O–O Nc6 9...cxd4 10. cxd4 Nc6 11. Be3 Bg412. f3 Na5 15. Bxf7+ was frowned on by theorybut later revived by Karpov in his title matches vs.Kasparov. 10.Be3Qc7 11.Rc1Rd8 12.f4 Moreforceful than 12. Qe1 e6 13. f4 Na5 14. Bd3 f5

(Spassky-Fischer, Piatigorsky Cup 1966). 12...e6Another critical defense is 12...Bg4 13. f5 gxf5 14.Bxf7+! Kh8! 15. exf5 cxd4 16. cxd4 Bxe2 17.Qxe2 Bxd4 (Shiskin-Bondarevsky, USSR 1960)which was shortly drawn. 13.Kh1 b6 Black’sproblems can be traced to this lackluster response.Safer is 13...Na5 14. Bd3 f5. White now seizesthe opportunity to prevent this defense. 14.f5Na5 The best chance is 14...Ne5! 15. Bf4 Qe7.15.Bd3 exf5 16.exf5Bb7 17.Qd2Re8 18.Ng3Qc6 19.Rf2Rad8 Black lost time regrouping hisrooks while White achieved steady developmentwithout wasting any moves. 20.Bh6Bh8 21.Qf4Rd7 22.Ne4 c4 23.Bc2 Rde7 24.Rcf1 Rxe425.fxg6 f6 Of course not 25...Rxf4? 26. gxh7 mate.26.Qg5 Qd7 Again if 26...fxg5 27. Rf8 mates.Now White can also win by 27. gxh7+ Kxh728. Qh5. 27.Kg1 Bg7 28.Rxf6 Rg4 29.gxh7+Kh8 30.Bxg7+Qxg7 31.Qxg4 On 31...Qxg4 32.Rf8+ forces mate – ideal exploitation of a weakback rank. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Evans, L.• Bisguier, A.USA Championship (4)New York City1965 1-0 D42Holes in the pawn structure often are exploitedin the endgame. Here the weak dark squares onBlack’s kingside prove fatal after the queens aregone.1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.d4 d5 4.Nf3 c5 5.cxd5Nxd5 6.e3 A quiet line to postpone the battleinstead of the sharper 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ swapping pieces. 6...Nc67.Bd3 Be7 8.O–O O–O 9.a3 cxd4 10.exd4Bd7 11.Bc2 Qc7 12.Qd3 g6 Weakening h6and f6 but it stops the mate threat. 13.Bh6Rfe8 14.Rfe1 Rac8 15.Nxd5 exd5 16.Rac1Bf5 17.Qd2Bxc2 18.Rxc2Qd7 19.Qf4Bd620.Qf6 Bf8 21.Bxf8 Rxf8 22.h4 h5 23.b4 a624.Rc5Rfe8 25.Rec1Rcd8 26.a4Re6 27.Qg5Qe7 28.b5 axb5 29.axb5 Na5 30.Rc7 Qxg531.Nxg5Rf6 32.Re1 b6 33.Ree7Rf8 34.Rcd7Nc4 35.Rxd5 Rd6 36.Rd7 Rxd5 37.Rxd5 f638. Nh3 Rf7 39.Rd8+ Kh7 40.d5 Na3 41.d6Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Keres, P.• Geller, Y.Match (8)

92

Moscow1965 1-0 D41The hallmark of the artist is simplicity. Keres’ de-ceptively effortless attack comes like a storm outof a still blue sky.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c5 5.cxd5Nxd5 Avoids the isolated d-pawn after 5...exd5that is characteristic of the pure Tarrasch Defense.6.e3 Nc6 7.Bc4 Nxc3 This exchange tends togive White’s center a momentary stability. An al-ternative is 7...cxd4 8. exd4 Be7. 8.bxc3 Be79.O–O O–O 10.e4 b6 11.Bb2Bb7 12.Qe2Na513.Bd3 Rc8 14.Rad1 cxd4 Opening lines re-bounds to White’s favor. Better is 14...Qc7 await-ing further developments. 15.cxd4 Bb4 16.d5exd5 17.exd5 Qe7 A better defense is 17...Bc318. Bxc3 Rxc3 19. Rfe1. White’s control of thecentral files is clear yet far from decisive. 18.Ne5f6 19.Qh5 g6 20.Nxg6 hxg6 21.Bxg6 Qg7 If21...Nc4 22. Rd3 Nxb2 23. Rg3 Qg7 24. Bh7+.22.Rd3Bd6 23.f4Qh8 24.Qg4Bc5+ 25.Kh1Rc7 26.Bh7+Kf7 27.Qe6+Kg7 28. Rg3+ Fi-nally forcing 28...Kxh7 29. Rh3 mate. Black Re-signs.1-0

◦ Kholmov, R.• Bronstein, D.32nd USSR ChampionshipKiev1965 1-0 B99Kholmov’s sacrifices are so startling that one is leftwith the impression he stumbled into them by acci-dent. Actually, his concept is incredibly beautifuland profound.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 For 3. e5 Nd5 seeSpassky-Ciric, 1962. 3...d6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Be7 8.Qf3 Qc7 This accu-rate reply prevents Bc4. 9.O–O–O Nbd7 10.g4b5 11.Bxf6 gxf6 12.f5 Ceding control of e5 inorder to exert pressure on e6. An exciting drawin Padevsky-Evans, Havana Olympics 1966, re-sulted from 12. Bd3 Bb7 13. Kb1 Nc5 14. f5b4 15. Nce2 d5 16. fxe6 dxe4 17. exf7+ Kf818. Bxe4 Bxe4 19. Qxe4 Nxe4 20. Ne6+ Kxf721. Nxc7 Ra7. 12...Ne5 13.Qh3 O–O Fis-cher tried this against Gligoric at the Candidates’tourney in 1959. Weaker is 13...Bd7 14. g5!fxg5 15. fxe6 fxe6 16. Nxe6. 14.g5 b4 This er-ror meets with a stunning refutation. Correct is14...fxg5 15. fxe6 fxe6 16. Nxe6 Qd7 17. Nd5Qxe6 18. Qxe6+ Bxe6 19. Nxe7+ Kf7 with atleast equal chances. 15.gxf6Bxf6 16.Rg1+Kh817.Qh6 Qe7 18.Nc6 A shocker. Some readers

thought it was a misprint! It soon becomes clearthat White is fighting to clear e4 for his knight atany cost. 18...Nxc6 19.e5Bg5+ If 19...Nxe5 20.Ne4 is decisive; likewise 19...Bxe5 20. f6 Bxf621. Bd3. 20.Rxg5 f6 21.exd6Qf7 22.Rg3 bxc323.Bc4 cxb2+ 24.Kb1 Nd8 25.Rdg1 More ef-ficient is 25. d7! Bxd7 26. Rxd7 snuffing out allresistance. 25...Ra7 26.d7 Rxd7 27.fxe6 Nxe628.Bxe6Rd1+ 29.Rxd1Bxe6 30.Kxb2Rb8+31.Ka1Bxa2 31...Bf5 offers more fight but in thelong run White’s material preponderance wouldprevail. 32.Rgd3 Qe7 33.Kxa2 Qe6+ 34.Rb3Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Evans, L.• Blackstone, J.1st American OpenSanta Monica1965 1-0 B84In this donnybrook neither side is afforded the lux-ury of castling as both kings are perched precar-iously in the center with shells exploding aroundthem. White’s knight tour to the edge of the moveis one of the weirdest winning moves in chess his-tory!1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.Be2 e6 Also playable is 6...e5 which, how-ever, has the drawback of creating a backwardpawn at d6 on an open file. 7.f4 Qc7 8.Bf3Bd7 9.g4 h6 A sensible reaction since Blackgets some space on the h-file after the inevitableg5. 10.g5 hxg5 11.fxg5 Ng8 12.Be3 PerhapsWhite ought to speculate on 12. g6!? fxg6 13.Bg4 although he has no clearcut continuation after13...Qc8. 12...Ne7 13.h4 Nbc6 14.Nb3 Bet-ter is 14. Qe2 and O-O-O. 14...Ng6 15.h5 Nge516.Be2 b5 17.Qd2Nc4 18.Bxc4 bxc4 19.Nd4Ne5 20.Qg2Rb8 The best practical chance. On20...O-O-O 21. O-O-O the board belongs to White.Now Black has two bishops, a strong knight on e5and pressure along the b-file. On the other handWhite will mobilize his forces on the f-file andstrive for g6. It’s interesting to watch how tac-tics are wedded to these strategic concepts in thisdouble-edged position. White’s immediate prob-lem is how to defend the pawn on b2. If 21. O-O-OQb7 22. b3 a5 Black’s attack is likely to come first.21.Rb1 Qa5 22.Ke2 Kd8 A maneuver knownas "castling by hand." 23.Nf3 Bc6 24.Nxe5Qxe5 25.Qf3Rb7 26.Bf4Qc5 27.Rhd1Rd728.Rd2 Be7 The game is rapidly approaching aclimax. The apparently strong 28...d5 is refutedby 29. Be3! d4? 30. Bxd4 Rxd4 31. Rxd4+

93

Qxd4 32. Rd1 pinning the queen. 29.Rbd1Bxg5Losing patience. Safer is 29...Kc8 30. Be3 Qe5.30.Bxd6 Qb6 The best chance is 20...Qa5 31.Rd4 Bf6 32. Rxc4 Bb5 33. Nxb5 Qxb5 34.b3 with an edge. 31.Bf4 Bxf4 32.Qxf4 Ke8Not 32...Rxh5? 33. Rxd7+ Bxd7 34. Rxd7+Kxd7 35. Qxf7+ and Qxh5 next. 33.Qe5 Rh734.Rxd7 Bxd7 35.Nd5 Qc6 Better is 35...Qb7but 36. Ne3 keeps an advantage. 36.Qb8+Qc8 37.Nc7+Kd8 Again forced. If 37...Kf8 (or37...Ke7 38. Qb4+ Kf6 39. Rf1+) 38. Qxc8+ Bxc839. Rd8+ mops up. 38.Nxa6 Rxh5 39.Qb6+Ke7 40.Qd6+ Ke8 41.Nc7+ Kd8 42.Na8 If42...Ke8 (to stop Qf8 mate) 43. Nb6 is the quietus.Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Tal, M.• Larsen, B.MatchYugoslavia1965 1-0 B82Tal in the saddle! His reckless and profound knightsacrifice triggers a ferocious struggle; the soundessof this ploy baffles analysts even today.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e6 5.Nc3d6 6.Be3 In their 8th match game Tal adoptedthe positional 6. g3. He got some slight pressurebut Larsen managed to draw without too much ef-fort. 6...Nf6 7.f4Be7 8.Qf3 O–O Some playersprefer to delay castling with 8...Bd7 and wait tosee where White’s king will live. 9.O–O–O Qc710.Ndb5Qb8 11.g4 a6 12.Nd4Nxd4 13.Bxd4b5 14.g5 Nd7 15.Bd3 b4 16.Nd5 "The light-ning bolt that shatters open a veritable Pandora’sbox of combinative havoc" – R. Byrne. The wayto refute a sacrifice is to accept it; an old maxim,but still true. Black can’t decline by 16...Bd8 be-cause of 17. Nf6+. 16...exd5 17.exd5 f5 One ofBlack’s problems is that he has so many plausiblereplies! 18.Rde1Rf7 19.h4Bb7 20.Bxf5 Pick-ing up a second pawn for the piece. Perhaps 20.h5 is stronger. 20...Rxf5 21.Rxe7Ne5 Returningthe piece. Tougher resistance is offered by 21...Rf722. Rxf7 Kxf7. 22.Qe4Qf8 Too late for 22...Rf723. Rxf7 Nxf7 24. g6! hxg6 25. Qxg6 Qf8 26.Rg1. 23.fxe5 Rf4 24.Qe3 Rf3 The last chanceto fight back is 24...Bxd5 25. exd6 Rxd4 26. Qxd4Bxh1. 25.Qe2Qxe7 26.Qxf3 dxe5 27.Re1Rd828.Rxe5Qd6 29.Qf4Rf8 30.Qe4 b3 31. axb3Rf1+ 32.Kd2 Qb4+ 33.c3 Qd6 34.Bc5 Qxc535.Re8+ Rf8 36.Qe6+ Kh8 37.Qf7 A prettyfinish. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Johan Barendregt• Rudolf TeschnerEuropean Team ChampionshipHamburg1965 0-1 C68"Opening theory is a strange, speckled animal,"observed Bent Larsen. Indeed, certain variationsseem to go in and out of fashion for no apparentreason. For example, the exchange variation of theRuy Lopez lost favor for about 40 years until 1965,when an obscure 41-year-old Dutch professor tookup the cause. The widespread publiclation of thisminiature, which he lost, might have doomed itonce again, except it caught Bobby Fischer’s eye.A year later the future world champion rehabili-tated 5. O-O to win several spectacular games atthe 1966 Olympiad in Havana.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc65.O–O Until now the usual continuation was 5. d4exd4 6. Qxd4 Qxd4 7. Nxd4 Bd7! with an endingwhere Black’s two bishops outwiegh White’s su-perior pawn structure and kingside pawn majority.When Fischer started playing this move, the vari-ation took off. and suddenly became fashionable.5...Bg4 6.h3 h5 Some opening manuals awardedit an exclamation mark and dismissed the variationwithout further analysis. 7.d3Qf6 8.Nbd2Ne79.Re1 Ng6 10.d4 Bd6 11.hxg4 hxg4 12.Nh2Rxh2 The critical position. Instead of capturingthe rook, which loses quickly, White can retainan edge by 13. Qxg4! This discovery probablyprompted Fischer to re-examine the entire varia-tion. 13.Kxh2 Qxf2 14.Re2 Already White islost. It’s too late for 14. Qxg4 Ke7 threateningRh8. 14...exd4+ 15.e5 Also futile is 15. Kh1Qh4 16. Kg1 Qh2 17. Kf2 Bg3 18. Kf1 Qh1mate. 15...Bxe5+ 16.Rxe5+ Nxe5 17.Kh1 Nobetter is 17. Ne4 Nf3! 18. Qxf3 Qh4 19. Kg1gxf3. 17...O–O–O The threat of Rh8 is loom-ing. "I lost not only the game but the variation,"lamented Barendregt, unaware that his misfortunehad awakened the interest of Bobby Fischer. WhiteResigns.0-1

◦ Mikhail Tal• Lajos PortischCandidate Match (2)Bled1965 1-0 B10An engrossing psychological study. Tal’s murkyrook sacrifice is probably unsound and good for a

94

draw at best. Yet when Portisch tries to refute it, hesuccumbs to a bit of wizardry.1.e4 c6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bg4White’s avoidance of d4 is designed to meet thenormal 4...Bf5 by 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Ne5 Bh78. Qh5 g6 9. Bc4! e6 10. Qe2 (threatening Nxf7.5.h3Bxf3 6.Qxf3Nd7 7.d4Ngf6 8.Bd3Nxe49.Qxe4 e6 10.O–OBe7 11.c3Nf6 12.Qh4Nd513.Qg4Bf6 Dodging the obvious trap 13...O-O?14. Bh6 Bf6 15. Qe4 g6 16. Bxf8. 14.Re1Qb615.c4 "Correct was the reserved 15. a3 with thehope in a protracted struggle of exploiting the fa-mous pair of bishops. But the fact that the blackking has stood with impunity in the center of theboard for 14 moves provoked this reaction." – Tal15...Nb4 16.Rxe6+ The only way to justify theprevious move since if 16. Bxb1 Qxd4 picks upa pawn for nothing. 16...fxe6 17.Qxe6+ Kf8 Adifficult decision. Portisch plays for a win insteadof acquiescing to a draw by 17...Kd8 18. Qd6 Ke819. Qe6, etc. Tal’s genius consists of posing hisopponents with tempting ways to go wrong. Hegives 17...Be7 18. Bg6! Kd8! as unclear. 18.Bf4Rd8 19.c5Nxd3 20.cxb6 "Still out for blood. Myfirst intention here had been to force a draw at lastby 20. Bh6! to which Black has one good reply20...Qxb2 (less good is 20...Qc7 21. Qxf6 Kg822. Bxg7!). But not every c-pawn can reach a7.I therefore decided on the risky, though not losing,capture of the queen" – Tal. 20...Nxf4 21.Qg4Nd5 Fischer suggests 21...g5. But not 21...Rxd4?22. Qc8 Rd8 23. Qxd8! Bxd8 24. bxa7 and thepawn queens. 22.bxa7 Ke7 Headed for refugevia d6 and c7. "Stronger was the straightfoward22...g6! How the game would have finished in thiscase, I do not know. But at the board it seemedto me that the pawn on a7 insures White to a sig-nificant degree against defeat." – Tal 23.b4 Ra8Instead Tal recommends 23...Kd6 24. b5 Kc7.24.Re1+ Kd6 25.b5 Rxa7 Loses instantly. Asso often happens, the defender is exhausted by allthe tactics. Fischer suggests 24..Rfd8. 26.Re6+Kc7 27.Rxf6 On 27...gxf7 28. Qg7 followed byQxh8 is decisive. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Kavalek, L.• Matulovic, M.BucharestRomania1966 1-0 E76Black’s aggressive formation boomerangs when heruns into a surprising rook sacrifice. What is re-

markable is that his position appeared perfectlysafe just one move earlier.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 d6 4.Nc3 g6 5.e4 Bg76.f4 O–O 7.Bd3 e6 8.dxe6 Better than 8. Nf3exd5 9. cxd5 Qb6. 8...fxe6 9.Nge2Nc6 10.O–ONd4 11.Ng3Ne8 More consistent is 11...a6 striv-ing for rapid expansion with b5. 12.Be3 Qh4Risky. 12...Nc7 followed by a6 is more thematic.13.f5 exf5 14.Qd2 f4 Unclear is 14...fxe4 15. Bg5Qg4 16. Bxe4. White’s initiative compensates forhis pawn, but Black has numerous defensive re-sources. 15.Bxf4 Ne6 16.Be3 Rxf1+ 17.Rxf1Bd7 Correct is 17...Nf6 threatening Ng4. 18.Nd5Nf6 It’s already difficult. If 18...Bc6 19. Qf2is hard to meet. 19.Rxf6 Bxf6 20.Nf5 gxf521.g3 Bc3 Forced. If 21...Qh3? 22. Nxf6+Kf7 23. Bf1! impales the queen. 22.bxc3 Qd823.exf5 Ng7 Now the roof caves in, but no bet-ter is 23...Nf8 24. Bg5 Qa5 25. Bf6. 24.Bg5Qf8 25.Nf6+ Kh8 26.Nxd7 Qf7 27.Nf6 Nh528.Nxh5 Qxh5 29.Bf6+ Kg8 30. Be4 h631.Qxd6Re8 32.Bd5+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Pachman, L.• Uhlmann, W.Havana OlympicsCuba1966 1-0 D86In 1966 Fidel Castro hosted the Chess Olympiad.Here Wolfgang Uhlmann of East Germany, a spe-cialist in the Gruenfeld Defense, faces Ludek Pach-man of Czechoslovakia, one of the world’s leadingopening theoreticians. Their clash gives off un-common sparks, especially after White sacrificesthe Exchange.1.d4Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 The exchangevariation is the sharpest way to proceed against thissturdy defense. 4...Nxd5 5.e4Nxc3 6.bxc3Bg77.Bc4 O–O 8.Ne2Nc6 More usual is 8...c5 nib-bling at the center right away. The idea behind thetext is to defer this blow until Black has completedhis development with ...b6, Bb7, and Na5 so that hecan then maintain his pawn on c5 instead of beingcompelled to swap it for the d-pawn. 9.O–O b610.Be3 Bb7 11.Rc1 e6 12.Bd3 Qd7 13.Qd2Na5 14.c4 f5 The disadvantage of this setup nowbecomes apparent. Since c5 is not playable, Blackassails the center from another direction. 15.f3Nc6 16.Bb1 Na5 17.Rfd1 Qa4 A reasonablealternative is 17...Ba6. 18.Nc3Qd7 Kmoch rec-ommends giving up the queen with 18...Qxc4 19.Nd5 exd5 20. Rxc4 Nxc4 21. Qe2 Nxe3 22. Qxe3dxe4. 19.Ne2Qa4 20.Nf4Nxc4 Better is 20...

95

Rfe8. It’s always interesting to observe a player’sreaction when his offer of a draw by repetition isspurned. 21.Rxc4 Qxc4 22.Rc1 Qa4 23.Nxe6Rf7 Returning material with 23...fxe4 was to beconsidered. 24.Nxg7Kxg7 24...Rxg7 loses moreslowly after 25. exf5 gxf5 26. Bxf5 Bxf3 27. Be6+Kh8 28. Bg5 Rf8 29. Rf1! 25.exf5 gxf5 26.Bf4h6 27.Be5+Kg6 28.Qf4Bc8 29.g4 h5 30.gxf5+Bxf5 31. Qg3+ If 31...Kh7 32. Bxf5+ Rxf7 33.Qg7 mate. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Pomar, A.• Johansson, G.Havana OlympicsCuba1966 1-0 E53White lays a diabolical trap of uncommon beauty.It succeeds because he sees one move further thanhis opponent.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 This has re-placed both 4. Qc2 or Qb3 which used to bemore fashionable. 4...O–O 5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 c57.a3 More usual is 7. O-O. Now White has to de-lay castling. 7...Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 Qc7 9.Qc2 dxc410.Bxc4 cxd4 Sharper is 10...b6 so that if 11. O-O cxd4 12. cxd4 Ba6! 11.cxd4 b6 11...b5 12.Bd3 Qxc2 13. Bxc2 slightly favors White in theending because of his two bishops. 12.Qd3Bb713.Bd2Rc8 14.Rc1Be4 15.Qe2Qb7 16.O–OFinally! Now Black should play 16...h6! 16...a617.Ng5Bxg2 18.Bxe6Bxf1 Missing the point.White has only a minimal edge after 18...fxe6! (not18...Rxc1? 19. Bxf7+ Qxf7 20. Rxc1!) 19. Rxc8+Qxc8 20. Kxg2 h6. 19.Qf3 The demonic ultrapoint. If 19...Qxf3 20. Rxc8+ mates. 19...Bg2 In-adequate, but so is 19...Nc6 20. Nxf7! 20.Qxb7Bxb7 21.Bxc8Bd5 No better is 21...Bc6 22. e4h6 23. d5 Be8 24. e5 Nxd5 25. Bb7. 22.e4Nxe423.Nxe4 Bxe4 24.Re1 f5 Forced. On 24...Bc625. Bb7! is crushing. 25.Be6+Kh8 All choicesare bad. If 25...Kf8 26. Bb4+ Ke8 27. Bxf5.26.Bxf5Bc6 27.d5 If 27...Bb5 28. Re7 Na6 29.Bc3 is decisive. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Larsen, B.• Matanovic, A.ZagrebYugoslavia1966 1-0 E07This serene game is typical of modern chess. Blackis holding his own until an oversight leads to a shat-tering denoument.

1.c4Nf6 2.g3 e6 3.Bg2 d5 This setup is designedto deaden the scope of the fianchettoed bishop sothat, in the words of Nimzovich, it will "bite ongranite." 4.Nf3 Be7 5.O–O O–O 6.d4 Nbd77.Nbd2 c6 Solid yet 7...b6 at once is preferableto profit from White’s last move which exerts nopressure on d5. 8.b3 b6 9.Bb2 Bb7 10.Rc1Rc8 11.e3 dxc4 Black opted for 11...Rc7 withthe idea of Qa8, Rfc8 and c5 in Keres-Ragozin,USSR Championship 1947. 12.Nxc4 c5 13.Qe2cxd4 14.Nxd4 Bxg2 15.Kxg2 Nc5 16.Rfe1More natural seems 16. Rfd1. White has an edgein space, but the game has an essentially draw-ish character due to the symmetrical pawn forma-tion: 2 vs. 2 on the queenside and 4 vs. 4 onthe kingside. 16...Qd5+ 17.f3 Rfd8 18.e4 Qb719.Ne5 Bf8 20.Rc2 Re8 Black may be lulledinto a false sense of security by the absence ofany direct threat. Better is 20...a5 to stop b4 andease the pressure. 21.Rec1 Nfd7 22.Ng4 Na623.a3 Nab8 24.Rc4 a6 25.Qc2 Rxc4 26.Qxc4b5 27.Qc3 White won the battle for control of thec-file but it lacks any great significance. If 27. Qc7Qxc7 28. Rxc7 Bd6 they could agree to a draw.27...b4 28.axb4Bxb4 More prudent is 28...Qxb4.Black is slowly drifting into trouble. 29.Qe3Be730.Rc4 Rc8 Weary of prolonged defense, Blackmisses the right move 30...Nf6. The text overlooksone of the most difficult two- move combinationsever seen in a practical game. 31.Nxe6 Rxc4 If31...fxe6 32. Qc3 wins owing to the double threatof Qxg7 mate and/or Rxc8. 32.Nh6+ Mate is un-avoidable on 32...gxh6 (or 32...Kh8 33. Bxg7) 33.Qxh6. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Byrne, R.• Evans, L.?U.S. Championship, New York1966 1-0 B97During the 1960’s, Larry Evans was one of thestrongest U.S. players after Fischer, known as a"pawn-grabber" for his – well justified – faith inhis defensive abilities. Robert Byrne lures him intoa prepared line of the "Poisoned Pawn Variation," arisky but resilient defense in which Black snatchesa pawn at the cost of his development. The resultis one of the most brilliant games of the decade.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4Qb6 8.Qd2Qxb2 9.Rb1Qa3Despite thirty years of tournament practice, it isnot yet clear which side stands better in this po-sition, or even what White’s next move should

96

be. Alternatives to the game are 10.f5, 10.Be2and 10.e5 dxe5 11.fxe5 Nfd7 12.Ne4. 10.e5 dxe511.fxe5 Nfd7 12.Bc4 Bb4 The text seems logi-cal, but 12...Qa5 is now considered better. 13.Rb3Qa5 14.O–O O–O 15.Bf6 gxf6 Losing. The onlytry is 15...Nxf6 16.exf6 Rd8, preparing to retreatthe Queen or Bishop to f8 for defensive purposes.16.Qh6Qxe5 17.Nf5 It is essential to prevent f6-f5, which would allow the Black Queen to retreat tog7. 17...exf5 18.Ne4 The third sacrifice clears thethird rank for the Rook. Now if 18...fxe4 19.Rh3,or 18...Qxe4 19.Rg3+ Qg4 20.Rxg4+ fxg4 21.Bd3wins [21...Rd8 22.Bxh7+ Kf8 23.Bg6+ Kg824.Qh7+ Kf8 25.Qxf7++]. 18...Bd2 19.Nxd2Qd4+ 20.Kh1Ne5 21.Rg3+Ng4 Also unsatis-factory are 21...Ng6 22.Rh3 and 21...Qg4 22. Qxf6Ng6 23.Rxg4 fxg4 24.Bxf7+. 22.h3Qe5 23.Rf4Qe1+ 24.Nf1 Qxg3 25.Rxg4+ Not 25.Nxg3?Nxh6. 25...Qxg4 26.hxg4 Nd7 27.Ng3 Kh828.Bd3 Rg8 29.Bxf5 Rg6 30.Bxg6 fxg6 31.Ne4 b5 32.g5 Bb7 33.Nxf6 Nf8 34.Qh2 Bc835.Qe5Ne6 36.Nd7+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Larsen, B.• Petrosian, T.2nd Piatigorsky Cup (7)Santa Monica1966 1-0 B39Larsen’s concluding queen sacrifice is frosting onthe cake. Remarkably, he ties up the world cham-pion in knots - and makes it look so simple.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.Be3Bg7 He could avoid the Maroczy Bind by 5...Nf6but Petrosian has a predilection for cramped po-sitions. 6.c4 Nf6 7.Nc3 Ng4 8.Qxg4 Nxd49.Qd1 Ne6 "9...Nc6 seems preferable, althoughit does not change my estimation that this line israther difficult for Black" - Petrosian. 10.Qd2d6 11.Be2 Bd7 12.O–O O–O 13.Rad1 Bc614.Nd5 Re8 "This move I do not understand.Why not 14...Nc5 15. f3 a5 - I intended 16. Rfe1followed by Bf1 but it would not be easy to at-tack the solid Black position" - Larsen. 15.f4Nc7 16.f5 Na6 17.Bg4 "A difficult decision -and probably wrong. Very strong would have been17. b4!" - Larsen. 17...Nc5 18.fxg6 hxg6 19.Qf2Rf8 20.e5 "Winning the queen would give Black astrong position: 20. Bxc5 dxc5 21. Nf6+ Bxf622. Rxd8 Raxd8. This White can never win,and he might lose" - Larsen. 20...Bxe5 21.Qh4Bxd5 22.Rxd5 Ne6 The losing move. The bestchance is 22...e6. 23.Rf3 Bf6 24.Qh6 Bg7

25.Qxg6 "Basically uncomplicated, but nonethe-less beautiful and rare" - Petrosian. 25...Nf4 Thesame fate is in store on 25...fxg6 26. Bxe6+; or25...Nc7 26. Qxg7+! Kxg7 27. Rg5+ Kh8 28. Rh3mate. 26.Rxf4 fxg6 27.Be6+Rf7 28.Rxf7Kh829.Rg5 b5 30.Rg3 Black Resigns. "My sense ofself-criticism is probably not strong enough. I re-ally do not blame myself for that mistake on move17" - Larsen.1-0

◦ Bent Larsen• Tigran PetrosianPiatigorsky Cup (7)Santa Monica1966 1-0 B39Larsen was Denmark’s best player for most of thelast half of the 20th century. There is always some-thing heady about a queen sacrifice, especiallyagainst a world champion who didn’t lose manygames during his reign.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.Be3Bg7 6.c4 The Maroczy bind subjects Black toa lasting cramp. 6...Nf6 7.Nc3 Ng4 8.Qxg4Nxd4 9.Qd1 Ne6 10.Qd2 d6 11.Be2 Bd712.O–O O–O 13.Rad1 A more aggressive setupthan 13. Rfd1 followed by Rac1, f3 and b3 aschosen by Keres against Petrosian at the Candi-dates tournament in 1959. The immediate threatis c5. 13...Bc6 14.Nd5 Re8 "After the hesitat-ing text move I felt justified in starting an attack,"wrote Larsen, who recommends 14...Nc5 15. f3a5 because winning the queen by 16. Bxc5 andNf6 is not favorable for White. 15.f4 Nc7 16.f5Na6 17.Bg4 "A difficult decision – and proba-bly wrong!" wrote Larsen, who points out that 17.b4 Nb8 18. b5 is better. 17...Nc5 18.fxg6 hxg619.Qf2Rf8 20.e5 Larsen considers this the finestmove in the game. Winning the queen by 20. Bxc5dxc5 21. Nf6 Bxf6 22. Rxd8 Raxd8 is good forBlack. 20...Bxe5 21.Qh4 Bxd5 22.Rxd5 Ne6The best defense is 22...e6! Now White’s attackgathers momentum. 23.Rf3Bf6 The only hope is23...f5 24. Rh3 Ng7 24.Qh6 Bg7 25.Qxg6 "Ofcourse it was wonderful to make this move, but itwas not a difficult decision. Spectators were saidto be have been surprised. What move did theyexpect? 25. Qh4?" – Larsen 25...Nf4 Desper-ation. But if 25...Nc7 26. Qxg7Kxg7 27. Rg5Kh7 28. Rh3 mate. 26.Rxf4 fxg6 27.Be6+Rf7Also futile is 27...Kh7 28. Rh4 Bh6 29. Bxh6.28.Rxf7 Kh8 29.Rg5 b5 30.Rg3 White wins."My sense of self-criticism is probably not strong

97

enough. I really do not blame myself for that mis-take on move 17." – Larsen1-0

◦ Garcia, G.• Evans, L.Havana Olympics (13)Cuba1966 0-1 B49White loses the initiative early on. Watch for thezigzag gyrations of Black’s bishop which starts outat b4 and winds up on h2 just three moves later!1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nc6 5.Nc3a6 6.Be3 Qc7 7.Be2 Nf6 8.O–O Bb4 9.Na4O–O Somewhat risky. So is 9...Nxe4 10. Nxc6Qxc6 11. Nb6 Rb8 12. Bf3 f5 13. Bxe4 fxe4 14.Qh5+ with attacking prospects. For 9...Bd6 seeKoehler-Evans, 1968. 10.Nxc6 dxc6 11.c4 Hop-ing for 11...Nxe4? 12. c5 stranding the bishop atb4. Better is 11. Bb6! Qf4 12. Bd3 (12...Nxe4?13. g3 Qe5 14. Qe2. 11...Bd6 12.Bb6 Toolate. 12...Bxh2+ 13.Kh1 Qf4 14.g3 Qh6 Evenbetter than 14...Bxg3 15. fxg3 Qxg3. 15.Kg2e5 White suddenly saw the fatal weakness of hish3 and is now helpless against a flurry of checks.16.Rh1 Qh3+ 17.Kf3 Bg4+ 18.Ke3 Qh6+19.Kd3Rfd8+ 20.Bxd8Rxd8+ 21.Kc2Rxd122.Raxd1 g6 23.f3Qe3 24.Rxh2Bxf3 25.Nc3Bxe4+ 26.Nxe4 Nxe4 27.Rg2 Nf2 28.Rxf2Qxf2 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Bobby Fischer• Boris Spassky17th OlympiadHavana1966 1/2-1/2 C93This eagerly awaited clash between the USA andUSSR, who were in a tight race for the world teamchampionship, was delayed over a week when theSoviets refused to postpone the start of the roundfrom 4pm to 6pm on Friday to accommodate Fis-cher’s religious convictions – despite assurancesbefore going to Cuba that his request for a changein schedule would be honored. America protestedby forfeiting on all four boards. Finally Moscowrelented and cabled instructions to play the roundon a free day. World champion Petrosian was re-placed on first board by Spassky, who fought backheroically after being pinned to the ropes all game.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O–O 8.c3 d6 Ending spec-ulation that Spassky would risk his pet Marshall

Attack with 8...d5. 9.h3 h6 10.d4 Re8 11.Nbd2Bf8 12.Nf1Bd7 13.Ng3Na5 14.Bc2 c5 15.b3cxd4 Opening the c-file to get some breathingspace. Spassky-Portisch, Luagno 1968, contin-ued 15...Nc6 16. d5 Ne7 17. c4 closing the cen-ter. 16.cxd4 Nc6 17.Bb2 g6 An alternative is17...Rc8 18. a3 Qb6 19. b4 a5 as in Janovsevic-Geller, Belgrade 1969. 18.Qd2 Bg7 19.Rad1Qb6 20.Nf1 Aiming to redeploy this knight ond5, a typical Ruy Lopez theme to exploit Black’scramp. 20...Rad8 21.Ne3 Qb8 22.Bb1 Qb7Marking time and regrouping, since there is noway to improve his position. If 22... exd4 23.Nd5 regains the pawn, so Black tries to maintainhis strong point on e5. 23.Rc1 Kh7 24.a3 Bc8In effect, Spassky is saying "come and get me!"White gains too much space whenever Black re-linquishes the center. Too dangerous is 24...exd425. Nxd4 Nxe4 26. Bxe4 Bxb2 27. Qxb2 Rxe428. Nxc6 Bxc6 29. Ng4 (or Qf6). 25.Bc3 Bd726.Qb2Qb8 27.b4Kg8 28.Rcd1Nh7 29.Ba2Ng5 In cramped positions, exchanges ease pres-sure. 30.Nxg5 hxg5 31.dxe5 dxe5 32.Nd5Ne733.Nxe7+Rxe7 34.Qd2 White clearly maintainsthe initiative. 34...Bf6 35.Qd6 Kg7 36.Qxa6Allows counterplay. Much stronger is 36. Re3!36...Rc8 37.Rd6 Rxc3 38.Rxf6 Be6 Turningthe tables. If 39. Bxe6 Kxf6! Now Whitemust sacrifice the Exchange and fight for a draw.39.Rxe6 fxe6 40.Rd1 Qb7 An error on the lastmove of the time control. Spassky fails to find40...Qe8! White sealed his reply and the gamewas adjourned. 41.Qxb7 Rxb7 42.Bxe6 Rxa343.Kh2Ra4 44.Rb1Rc7 45.f3Ra6 If 45...Rc646. Bd7 holds. 46.Bb3 Ra3 47.Rb2 Ra148.Kg3 Kf6 49.Kg4 Rc3 50.Bd5 Raa3 51.h4gxh4 52.Kxh4Ra1 53.Rd2Raa3 54.Kg4Rd355.Rc2 Rac3 56.Ra2 Ra3 57.Rb2 A draw, asneither side can make progress. Three years laterSpassky wrested the crown from Petrosian in 1969and then faced Fischer for the last time beforetheir famous title bout at Reykjavik in 1972 (seeSpassky-Fischer, Siegen 1970).1/2-1/2

◦ Padevsky, N.• Matanovic, A.Havana OIympicsCuba1966 0-1 B09White gets an extremely dangerous mating attackat the cost of a pawn. The defender finds an orig-inal way to return the pawn, then assumes the ini-tiative and concludes with beautifully sharp tactics.

98

"Some like it hot" was the title one critic gave tothis minor masterpiece. It represents the triumphof the counterattack.1.e4 d6 2.d4Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.f4Bg7 5.Nf3 O–O6.e5 Nfd7 Black lands in an inferior ending if hetries to avoid the following wild attack by 6...dxe57. dxe5 Qxd1+ 8. Kxd1 Rd8+ 9. Ke1 Nd5 10.Nxd5 Rxd5 11. Be4 Rd8 12. Ng5 (Bronstein-Vasiukov, USSR Championship 1966). 7.h4 Theconsistent follow-up but 7. Be3 is sturdier. 7...c58.h5 cxd4 9.Qxd4 For 9. hxg6 see Sorokin-Duborik, 1968. 9...dxe5 10.Qf2 All part of themaster plan. White pitches pawn to get his queento the h-file. Tamer is 10. fxe5 Nxe5 11. Qh4Bf5! 10...e4 A vast improvement over 10...exf411. hxg6 hxg6 12. Bxf4 Nf6 13. Qh4 when the at-tack gathers too much momentum. 11.Ng5Nf612.hxg6 hxg6 13.Qh4Qd4 A vital link in the de-fensive scheme. Now if 14. Nh7 Rd8 repulses theattack. 14.Nb5 Qb6 15.Bc4 If 15. Nxe4 Re8staves off mate (16. Nxf6+ exf6+) and White’sforces remain disjointed. 15...Bg4 16.f5 Throw-ing caution to the winds in order to activate thebishop on c1. But Black gets the initiative after16. Nxe4 Nbd7 17. Nf2 Be6. 16...gxf5 17.Nh7Nbd7 18.Nxf8Nxf8 19.Nc3 White can only re-treat – sad but true. On 19. Bh6 Nh5 20. Bxg7Qe3+ 21. Kf1 Ng3+ wins. 19...Rc8 20.Bb3 e621.Qf2 White’s on the run. Now that the offen-sive is over, his endgame is lost. He evidentlyforgot Pillbury’s maxim: "Conduct the attack sothat when the fire is out...it isn’t! 21...Qxf2+22.Kxf2 Ng6 23.Be3 An amusing line is 23.g3 Bf3 24. Re1 Ng4+ 25. Kf1 Bd4 threateningNh2 mate! 23...f4 24.Bxa7 e3+ 25.Bxe3 Evenless appealing is 25. Kg1 Nh5 26. Kh2 Be5.25...Rxc3 26.bxc3 Ne4+ 27.Kg1 fxe3 28.Bc4Bxc3 29.Rb1Nd2 30.Rxb7Nxc4 31. Rc7 e232.Kf2Bd4+ Winning a whole rook. 32...e1=Q+33. Rxe1 Bxe1+ 34. Kxe1 would present moretechnical difficulties. 33.Kg3 Ne3 34.Rc8+Kg7 35.Re1Be5+ 36.Kf2Nd1+ 37.Kg1Bg338.Rxe2Bxe2 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Kozomara, V.• Byrne, R.SarajevoYugoslavia1967 0-1 E60"My opponent was so impressed by the piece sacri-fice that the first thing he asked me after the gamewas whether it was prepared analysis. Not only

was it not prepared analysis, it was not even pre-pared on my previous move. It was a clear case ofshooting from the hip" – Robert Byrne, longtimechess columnist for The New York Times.1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.b4 O–O 5.Bb2d6 6.e3 Nbd7 7.Be2 e5 8.O–O Black recoversthe pawn with a comfortable position after 8. dxe5Ng4. 8...e4 9.Nfd2 Re8 10.Nc3 Nf8 11.a4 h512.a5N8h7 "It is often difficult to decide, in caseof attacks on opposite wings, what if any defen-sive measures one ought to take time out for. Per-haps I should have played 12...a6 but in the faceof White’s sweeping pawn avalanche, defensivemoves usually turn out to create more weaknessesthan they shield" – Byrne. 13.a6 b6 14.f4 exf315.Bxf3Bg4 "I considered this so essential as tobe obvious, but my opponent told me later than in aprevious game 15...Rb8 was chosen and he scoredquickly against it" – Byrne. 16.h3Bh6 A thunder-bolt! White expected 16...Bxf3 17. Qxf3 Ng5 18.Qf4 Ne6 19. Qf2. 17.hxg4Bxe3+ 18.Rf2 Whitedoes better to seek counterplay with 18. Kh2 Ne4!19. g3 Nxd2 20. Bxa8 Nxf1+ 21. Qxf1 Qxa8 22.gxh5. 18...Nxg4 19.Bxg4Qh4 20.Qf3 The mostdemanding defense is 20. Nde4 hxg4 21. Qd3with lots of fight left. 20...Ng5 21.Qxe3 Rxe322.Nd5 White looks okay with three minor piecesfor the queen. But the next move punctures thisillusion. 22...hxg4 23.Nxe3 Qg3 24.Re2 Nh3+25.Kf1 Byrne gives 25.Kh1 Nf4 26. Rae1 Nxe227. Rxe2 Re8 28. Ndf1 Qf4 29. Kg1 Qe4 win-ning. 25...Nf4 26.Ne4 Qh4 27.d5 f5 28.Nf6+Kf7 29.Rd2 g3 30.Ke1 Qh1+ 31.Nf1 Nxg2+32.Kd1 The rest needs no comment. On 32. Rxg2Qxg2 33. Bd4 Rh8 followed by Rh1 does thetrick. 32...Qxf1+ 33.Kc2Ne3+ 34.Kb3Qxc4+35.Ka3 Nc2+ 36.Rxc2 Qxc2 37.Rh1 Qxb2+38.Kxb2Kxf6 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Byrne, R.• Bisguier, A.USA ChampionshipNew York1967 0-1 E07"When you don’t know what to do, wait for youropponent to get an idea – it’s sure to be bad," ad-vised wily Dr. Tarrasch. Here Black encouragesWhite to pursue his fixation with winning a pinnedpiece, which proves to be his undoing.1.c4Nf6 2.g3 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Bg2Be7 5.d4 O–O6.O–ONbd7 7.cxd5 This exchange frees Black’s"problem child," his c8- bishop. A good alternativeis 7. b3. 7...exd5 8.Nc3 c6 9.Qc2Re8 10.a3 a5

99

11.Bg5Nb6 12.Rad1Nc4 13.Ne5 Better is 13.Rfe1 to strive for e4. 13...Nd6 14.f3Nd7 15.Bf4More consistent is 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. Nxd7 Qe3+17. Rf2 Bxd7 18. Rd3 Qe7 19. e4 with chancesfor initiative. 15...Nxe5 16.dxe5 Qb6+ 17.Kh1Nc4 18.Na4 Qb5 19.e4 dxe4 20.Rfe1 The dieis cast. White prepares the seemingly devastatingthreat of Bf1 pinning the knight. 20...Be6 21.Bf1The consequences of 21. Rxe4 Nxa3 22. bxa3Bb3 are ramified but seem to favor Black. 21...exf322.Re4Rad8 Exploiting the weakness of White’sback rank. 23.Rb1 g5 24.Rxc4 The point is24. Bc1 Nxa3! wins. 24...gxf4 25.gxf4 There isno hope after 25.Rxf4 Qxe5. 25...Qd5 26.Nb6Qd2 27.Qe4Qf2 28.Rc2Qxb6 29.Bd3Rxd330.Qxd3 Bd5 31.h3 Kh8 32.Rf1 Rg8 Black’stwo bishops are just too powerful. White could re-sign on the spot. 33.Rcf2 Rg3 34.Kh2 Rg2+35.Rxg2 fxg2 36.Rg1 Qxg1+ Of course 37.Kxg1 Bc5+ leads to mate. White Resigns.0-1

◦ Pomar, A.• Szabo, L.BeverwijkHolland1967 0-1 A69As a child prodigy Spain’s Arturo Pomar at age13 drew a game with world champion AlexanderAlekhine in 1944! Here Pomar adopts a line whichwas considered to be in White’s favor, but Szabouncorks a resource that casts doubt on this evalua-tion.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2O–O 6.f4 Once considered the scourge of theKing’s Indian Defense, the so-called Four PawnsAttack has been shorn of its terror. 6...c5 7.d5e6 8.Nf3 exd5 9.cxd5 Sharper than the insipid9. exd5 Bf5. 9...Re8 10.Nd2 a6 11.a4 Ng412.Bxg4 Qh4+ 13.g3 Qxg4 14.Qxg4 White’spawn on d5 can become infected after 14. O-O Bd4+! 15. Kh1 Qh3! 16. Nf3 Bg4 17.Qd3 Nd7! 18. Bd2 Bxf3+! 18. Qxf3 f5 20.exf5 Rxf5 21. Rfe1 Nf6 (Kerr-Evans, Washing-ton 1969). 14...Bxg4 15.Kf2 Bd4+ An im-provement on 15...f5 16. h3 fxe4 17. Nc4! Bf318. Re1 Bf8 19. Nb6 Ra7 20. a5. 16.Kg2 Nd717.h3 Bxc3 18.bxc3 Be2 19.Re1 Bd3 20.Re3c4 21.Ba3 A critical position for the judgment ofthe whole variation, and the subject of an articleby Zaitsev who concluded that White stood bet-ter. The key move he considered is 21...f5 22.e5 Nb6 23. Bxd6 Nxd5 24. Rxd3! cxd3 25.c4 and winning chances are with White after he

fixes the queenside with a5 and c5, then goes afterthe d-pawn. 21...Nb6 22.Bxd6 Nxd5 23.Ree1The interesting course if 23. Rxd3 cxd3 24. c4Nc3 25. Kf3 b5! 26. cxb5 axb5 27. a5 with astiff fight. 23...Nxc3 24.Be5Rxe5 25.fxe5Rc826.Ra3 No time for 26. Kf3 b5 27. Ra3 b4, etc.26...Ne2 27.Kf2 c3 28.Nb3 Willy-nilly Whiteshould try his luck with 28. Rxe2. 28...c2 29.Nc1Nxc1 30.Rxc1 Bxe4 31.Ke3 Rc4 32.a5 h533.Kd2 Rc5 Picks up a third pawn for the Ex-change and effectively ends all resistance. 34.Re1Rxe5 35.Kc1 f5 36.Rb3 Rxa5 37.Rxe4 fxe438.Rxb7 Ra3 39.g4 h4 40.Rb6 Kf7 41.Kxc2Rxh3 42.g5Rg3 White Resigns. A good illustra-tion of the "creative evolution" that goes into judg-ing an opening. The middle game and endgameflowed directly out of the opening. Theory nowdecrees White should abstain from this line unlesshe can produce some improvement.0-1

◦ Vladimirov, Y.• Doda, Z.LeningradUSSR1967 1-0 A69Players often spend many hours preparing for tour-nament games; here White’s ultrasharp openinghas all the tang of home cooking. Black quite prop-erly nibbles at the dish, as befits a polite guest, butmakes the mistake of accepting a second helping.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 g6 4.Nc3 d6 5.e4 Bg76.f4 O–O 7.Nf3 e6 8.Be2 exd5 9. cxd5 A riskygambit is 9. e5?! dxe5 10. fxe5 Ng4 11. Bg5Qa5 12. cxd5 Nxe5 13. O-O (Nei-Westerninen,Helsinki 1966). 9...Re8 10.e5 It’s questionablewhether White should undertake such action be-fore castling. Safer is 10. Qc2. 10...dxe5 11.fxe5Ng4 12.Bg5 Qb6 13.O–O Nxe5 A pitfall is13...c4+? 14. Kh1 Nf2+ 15. Rxf2 Qxf2 16. Ne4Qb6 17. Nd6 Rf8 18. Be7 Nd7 19. Nxc4 regainingmaterial with a clear advantage. 14.Nxe5 Bxe515.Bc4Qxb2 A bold choice. Sturdier is 15...Bf5.16.d6 A logical extension of White’s idea to utilizethe open f-file. Black’s problems are now moreeasily solved in analysis than over-the-board. If16...Be6 17. Bxe6 fxe6 18. Qf3 Nc6 19. Qf7+looks good. 16...Bf5 17.Bxf7+ More accurate is17. Rxf5+! gxf5 18. Bxf7+! transposing into thegame without allowing Black the option pointedout in the next note. 17...Kxf7 18.Rxf5+ gxf5Now White’s attack becomes irresistible. The quiet18...Kg7! poses more problems because the rook isleft hanging in the air and White’s entire queenside

100

is about to be scorched. 19.Qh5+ Kf8 20.Rf1Bd4+ 21.Kh1 Re6 22.Rxf5+ Bf6 23.Bh6+Kg8 24.Qg5+ Kf7 Of course not 24...Bxg5 25.Rf8 mate but Black is lost anyway since 24...Kh825. Bg7+! Kg8 (25...Bxg7 26. Qd8+) 26. Bxf6+Kf8 27. Bg7+ Ke8 28. Rf8+ Kd7 29. Qd8+leads to mate. 25.Rxf6+ Rxf6 26.Qg7+ Ke627.Qe7+ Black does not care to take his king fora stroll in view of 27...Kf5 28. Qe4 mate. BlackResigns.1-0

◦ Bobby Fischer• Efim GellerMonte Carlo (6)Monaco1967 0-1 B97"It was clear to me that the vulnerable point of theAmerican grandmaster was in double-edged, hang-ing, irrational positions, where he often failed tofind a win even in a won position. This led to mydecision to challenge Fischer in a very sharp gameand, what’s more, in his favorite variation. Playerswho are devoted to certain opening systems knowhow unpleasant it can be to play against oneself inthe purely psychological sense. To be objective,it must be pointed out that there is always anotherside of the coin, as was indeed the case here. Theopening subleties of the variation were well knownto Fischer, whereas I had to search very hard forgood continuations in an unfamiliar situation" –Geller.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qb6 8.Qd2 Leads to the so-called poison pawn variation. "The less commit-ting 8. Nb3 would have looked like moral capitu-lation on White’s part." – Geller. 8...Qxb2 9.Rb1Qa3 10.f5 As Black, Fischer had several timesrefuted the overly aggressive 10. e5. 10...Nc611.fxe6 fxe6 12.Nxc6 bxc6 13.e5 Opening alllines in the center to facilitate the attack. Inade-quate is 13. Bxf6 gxf6 14. Be2 Rg8 14. O-O14. Bh5 Ke7 leads nowhere) Qc5 15. Kh1 Qg5forcing an exchange of queens. 13...Nd5 Fis-cher once defended with 13...dxe5 14. Bxf6 gxf615. Ne4 Be7 16. Be2 h5! "But I was playing thisvariation for the first time in my life. It was incon-ceivable to try and work out all the possible com-plications at the board, and I decided that Black’spawn center should enable his king to sit it out"– Geller. 14.Nxd5 cxd5 15.Be2 dxe5 16.O–OBc5+ A better defense is 16...Ra7! 17. c4 Qc5 18.Kh1 d4 19. Qc2 Be7 20. Qa4 Rd7 as in Bednarsky-Sakharov, Varna 1968. 17.Kh1Rf8 18.c4 "Up to

this point Fischer had played very quickly, obvi-ously following his prepared analysis. Here for thefirst time he sank into thought and made the usualmove in this sort of position" – Geller. 18...Rxf1+19.Rxf1 Bb7 20.Bg4 "Fischer’s only mistake,made after 20 minutes thought. It was here thatmy correctly evaluated aspect of his character cameinto effect: in unfamiliar sharp positions he was aptto lose his way. He had to make a choice between:(a) Rf3; (b) 20. Bd1; (c) 20. Qc2; (d) his con-tinuation in the game. After the game I pointedout that 20. Qc2! makes it difficult to parry thethreat against h7" – Geller. Three months later inTal-Bogdanovic, USSR vs. Yugoslavia, White wonafter 20. Qc2! e4 . Bg4 Be7 22. Qf2! O-O-O 23.Bf4 Bd6 24. Bxe6 Kb8 25. Qb6 Bxf4 26. Qxd8.20...dxc4 21.Bxe6 Qd3 22.Qe1 Be4 "The ideais to paralyize White’s heavy pieces. The bishopin the center is simultaneously both a shield and asword. Fischer at this point looked very dismayed"– Geller. 23.Bg4 Rb8 24.Bd1 Kd7 25.Rf7+Ke6 White resigns. "Contrary to the normal stateof affairs, Black’s king in the center is now safe,whereas its colleague, which is in its customaryplace, is in a trap. On 26. Rxg7 Bxg2 27. Kxg2Rb2 28. Kh1 Qd5 mates." – Geller.0-1

◦ Hennings, A.• Moehring, G.National ChampionshipEast Germany1967 1-0 B89It’s amazing how much hot water a master canwade into in the first dozen moves despite a centuryof opening theory. Here Black’s defensive setupis mangled even though every one of his movesseems plausible.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 d6 5.Nc3e6 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bc4 Considered inferior un-til Fischer rehabilitated it. 7...Be7 8.Qe2 O–OWhile not an error, castling generally should bedelayed in favor of rapid queenside action witha6 and b5. 9.O–O–O Qc7 10.Bb3 a6 Ratherslow. 10...Na5 is indicated. 11.g4 b5 12.g5Nxd413.Bxd4 Nd7 14.Rhg1 Nc5 If such a naturalmove leads to trouble, then Black already is walk-ing a tightrope. Better is 14...Bb7. 15.Qh5 b4Black can hardly be blamed for overlooking thereply. But he still loses after 15...Nd7 16. g6!hxg6 17. Rxg6. 16.Bf6 This elegant coup threat-ens the still more elegant Qh6! 16...Re8 17.Rg3bxc3 18.Rh3 cxb2+ 19.Kb1 Bxf6 20.gxf6 Kf821.e5Ne4 On 21...dxe5 22. fxg7+ Ke7 23. Qg5+

101

also wins. 22.fxg7+ Ke7 23.Qh4+ f6 24.Qxe4d5 25.g8=QRxg8 26.Rxh7+ Enough is enough!Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Fischer, R.• Dely, P.SkopjeYugoslavia1967 1-0 B88A crisp miniature. Black tries to solve his openingproblems superficially and is on the receiving endof two fatal jolts.1.e4 "Best by test" – Fischer. 1...c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3Nc6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3a6 8.f4 Qa5 White got good attacking prospectsafter 8...Na5 9. f5! Nxb3 10. axb3 Be7 11. Qf3O-O 12. Be3 Bd7 13. g4 e5 14. Nde2 (Fischer-Bielicki, Mar Del Plata 1960). 9.O–O Nxd4 Abetter solution is 9...d5 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. f5 witha slight initiative, but nothing serious. 10.Qxd4d5 Naively attempting to free his game with Bc5.The lesser evil is 10...Qc5 11. Qxc5 dxc5 al-though White has an endgame advantage with 12.a4. 11.Be3 Nxe4 Better but far from good is11...dxe4 12. Nxe4 Be7 13. Nd6+. 12.Nxe4 dxe413.f5Qb4 Fischer gives 13...exf5 14. g4! Be6 15.gxf5 Bxb3 16. axb3 Qb4 17. Ra4 Qxd4 18. Rxd4Be7 19. Rxe4 Kf8 20. f6! Bxf6 21. Rxf6 gxf622. Bh6+ and mates. 14.fxe6 Bxe6 Overlook-ing the concluding combination. 14...fxe6 is nowthe only hope. 15.Bxe6 fxe6 16.Rxf8+ Qxf817.Qa4+ Mate or heavy material loss is unavoid-able, so Black Resigns. If 17...b5 18. Qxe4 Rd819. Qc6+ Rd7 20. Rd1 Qe7 21. Bb6! and thethreat of Qc8+ is devastating.1-0

◦ Fischer, R.• Geller, Y.SkopjeYugoslavia1967 0-1 B88A flawed masterpiece. Fischer has a momentarylapse; his ultra sharp attack meets with a stunningrefutation.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3Nc6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Be3 Be7 Black should startrapid action on the queenside with 7...a6 8. Bb3Qc7 9. Qe2 b5 10. O-O Na5 (or Bb7). 8.Bb3O–O 9.Qe2 Qa5 Trying to improve on the cus-tomary 9...a6 10. O-O-O Qc7 11. g4. 10.O–O–ONxd4 11.Bxd4 Bd7 12.Kb1 Bc6 13.f4 Rad8

14.Rhf1 b5 15.f5 The die is cast. 15. a3 is saferbut costs a tempo, which definitely is not to Fis-cher’s taste. 15...b4 16.fxe6 bxc3 17.exf7+ Kh818.Rf5 Qb4 19.Qf1 Fischer says this was thehardest move in the game to find (45 minutes).Black must meet the threat of Rxf6. 19...Nxe4Objectively better is 19...Ng4 20. Bxc3 Qb7 21.Qf4 with three pawns for the piece, but who canquarrel with success? 20.a3 White loses his wayin the labyrinth. Fischer gives 16. Qf4! as thewinning move. One line he offers is 16...cxb2 17.Rh5! Nc3+ 18. Kxb2 Nxd1+ 23. Kc1 Rxf7 24.Bxf7! Bd7 25. Bxg7+ snaring the queen. 20...Qb721.Qf4 Ba4 White overlooked this shot whichturns the tables. 22.Qg4 Bf6 23.Rxf6 Bxb3The point is 24. Rf4 (or 24. cxb3 Nxf6) 24...Ba2+!25. Kxa2 Qxb2 mate. White Resigns.0-1

◦ Evans, L.• Zuckerman, B.USA ChampionshipNew York City1967 1-0 B765-time national champion Larry Evans received thebrilliancy prize against Bernard Zuckerman, whooften was called "Zuckerbook" in chess circles be-cause of his encyclopedic book knowledge. Herehe displays a rare piece of bad judgment by gob-bling a tainted pawn in the opening. The dose islethal.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3g6 6.Be3 Nc6 7.f3 Bg7 8.Qd2 O–O Postpon-ing castling with 8...Bd7 or Rc8 has been foundwanting, since Black’s king is not secure in thecenter and he is minus the serves of his rook onh8." 9.O–O–O The main alternative is 9. Bc4.9...Nxd4 Black has to show that he has enoughcompensation for the pawn after 9...d5 10. Nxc6bxc6 11. exd5 Nxd5 12. Nxd5 cxd5 13. Qxd5Qc7 14. Qc5 (Evans-Padevsky, Havana 1964.)10.Bxd4 Be6 11.Kb1 Qc7 Not 11...Qa5? 12.Nd5! 12.h4 Rfc8 13.h5 Nxh5 Opening the fileis too dangerous. Correct is 13...Qa5 14. hxg6hxg6 15. a3 15...Rab8 16. g4 b5 (Evans- Zucker-man, USA Championship 1970.) 14.Bxg7Kxg715.g4Nf6 16.Qh6+Kg8 17.e5 dxe5 18.g5Nh519.Bd3 19. Rxh5 gxh5 20. Bd3 transposes intothe same line. 19...e4 Black has no valid defenseto the threat of Rxh5. If 19...f5 20. Rxh5 gxh521. Qxe6+ Kh8 22. Qxf5 wins. 20.Rxh5 gxh521.Nxe4 Better than 21. Bxe4 Qe5. 21...Qf422.Nf6+ exf6 23.Bxh7+ Kh8 24.Bf5+ Kg825.Qh7+ Kf8 26.Qh8+ Etiquette dictates that a

102

master not play on until mate – 26...Ke7 27. gxf6!Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Spassky, B.• Suetin, A.MoscowUSSR1967 1-0 B48An object lesson in how to sustain the initiative.Each time Black is on the verge of equalizing,Spassky finds an ingenious way to prevent it.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 e6 3...e5 is alsoplayable but creates a hole on d5. 4.d4 cxd45.Nxd4Qc7 6.Be3 a6 7.Nb3 A dubious attemptto improve on either 7 a3 or Bd3. 7...Nf6 8.f4Bb4 9.Bd3 O–O Lacks vitality. More forcefulis 9...d5 10. e5 d4! 11. Nxd4 Nd5. 10.O–OBxc3Again better is 10...d5. Black should not swap hisgood bishop just to double the c-pawns. 11.bxc3d6 In accordance with classical theory, Black triesto keep the center closed to minimize the scopeof White’s two bishops. More forcing, however,is 11...d5 12. e5 Nd7 followed by an eventual f5.12.Rf3 e5 13.f5 d5 14.Rg3Kh8 14...dxe4 wouldbe met by 15. Bh6. 15.exd5 Ne7 15...Nxd5 al-lows the powerful stroke 16. Qh5 Nxe3 17. f6g6 18. Qh6 Rg8 19. Rxe3 Qd8 20. Ne4 Qf8 21.Qh4 with a bind. 16.Bc5 Nfxd5 17.Qg4 Rg818.Rh3 Nf6 19.Qg5 Ned5 20.Rf1 b6 21.Be4Bb7 Black could ease the pressure somewhat with21...bxc5 22. Bxd5 Rb8 (but not 22...Nxd5? 23.Rxh7+). 22.Bxd5Bxd5 23.Be7Qc6 No rest forthe weary. If 23...Qxe7 24. Rxh7+ wins. 24.Rh6Ne4 25.Rxc6 Nxg5 26.Rd6 Again Black is al-lowed no breathing space. After 26. Rxb6 Ne4regains the pawn. The text eliminates drawingchances stemming from opposite colored bish-ops. 26...Bxb3 27.axb3 Ne4 28.Rxb6 Nxc329.f6 Material is even but White has managed topreserve his initiative despite the disappearanceof queens. 29...Rge8 30.fxg7+ Kxg7 31.Rb7Ne2+ 32.Kh1 Nf4 33.g3 Ng6 If 33...Ne6 34.Bd6 Nd8 35. Rd7 e4 36. Bc7 nabs at least apawn. 34.Bd6Nh8 35.c4Kg6 36.g4Re6 37.c5Kg5 38.h3 e4 39.Kg2 e3 40.Bf4+Kg6 41.Rb6This insures the gain of a pawn and with it thegame. Note the power of the bishop contrastedwith the immobile knight. 41...e2 42.Re1 Rc843.b4 a5 44.Rxe2 axb4 45.Rexe6+ fxe6 46.Be5h5 47.Rxe6+ Kf7 48.Rb6 hxg4 49.hxg4 Ke750.Bxh8 Rxh8 51.Rxb4 Ke6 52.Rc4 Kd5Black is hoping for a miracle. He should resign.53.Rc1Rg8 54.Kg3Kc6 55.Kf4Rf8+ 56.Ke5

Rg8 57.Kf5 Rf8+ 58.Ke6 Rg8 59.Rg1 Ofcourse 59...Kxc5 60. g5 is fatal. White’s smoothtransition from a superior midgame to a won end-ing illustrates once again that a chess game is anorganic whole. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Bogdanovic, R.• Suetin, A.Match: Yugoslavia vs. USSRBelgrade1967 1-0 B49Blow and counterblow – a violent clash of willsfrom start to finish. Exhausted by all the complica-tions, Black falls into a deadly snare while tryingto avoid a draw.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nc6 5.Nc3Qc7 6.f4 a6 7.Be3 b5 The popularity of thisTaimanov System is due largely to the great lat-itude it offers the second player. Here Black ig-nores the kingside to start a diversion on the otherwing. 8.Nxc6 Qxc6 9.Be2 Ba3 An ingeniousnovelty designed to improve on 9...b4 10. Bf3!bxc3 11. e5 cxb2 12. Rb1 Qc3+ 13. Bd2 Qa3 14.Bxa8. 10.Bd4Bxb2 11.Nxb5Bxa1 12.Bxa1axb5 If 12...Kf8 13. Nd6 yields a strong bind.13.Bxg7 Qxe4 14.O–O Rxa2 15.Bd3 Qe3+16.Kh1Bb7 17.Bxh8Nh6 17...Ne7 looks betterbut the text gives the knight access to g4. 18.Bxb5Bd5 19.Rf3Qc5 Black seems justified in playingfor the win. He spurns 19...Ng4 20. Rxe3 Nf2+21. Kg1 Nxd1 22. Rd3 Rxc2 23. Rxd1 Rxg2+24. Kf1 Rxh2 with a draw in view. 20.c4 Bc621.Bxc6Qxc6 22.Qb1Re2 Still with an eye onthe main chance but forgetting about his own backrank. Better is 22...Ra8 23. h3 f5. 23.Qb8+Ke724.Bf6+ Satan never sleeps. It’s mate in three.24...Kxf6 25.Qd8+ If 25...Kf5 26. Qg5+ Ke4 27.Qe5 mate. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Gurgenidze, B.• Lein, A.35th USSR ChampionshipTbilisi1967 1-0 B29Everything proceeds serenely until White’s unex-pected knight sacrifice on move 11. Black mustdecline the "gift" but he never recovers from thedisruption it caused.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3Nf6 3.e5Nd5 4.Nc3Nxc3 5.dxc35. bxc3 d5 is easier for Black to handle. Captur-ing away from the center violates principle but al-lows for rapid development. "Before the ending the

103

gods have placed the middle game," observed Dr.Tarrasch. 5...Qc7 Hoping to mobilize the queen-side and perhaps castle there, but he never gets thechance. Nimzovich opined that 5...d5 is best. Heonce played 5...b6? overlooking 6. e6! f6 7. Ne5!fxe5 8. Qf3 (Votolchek-Pachman, Prague 1944).6.Bf4Nc6 7.Bc4 e6 8.O–O b6 9.Re1 Overpro-tecting e5 in order to free the knight. Now Blackshould reply 9...h6 followed by Bb7 and O-O-O.9...f5 10.Nh4 g6 The final error. Necessary is10...Ne7 after which White would not find it easyto exploit his initiative. If 11. Qd6 Nd5! equalizes.11.Nxf5 Na5 The only defense. If 11...exf5 12.e6 d6 13. e7! Bxe7 14. Bxd6 Qd7 15. Qd5 Rf8 16.Bxe7 Nxe7 17. Qxa8 wins. Or 11...gxf5 12. Qh5+Kd8 13. Rad1 followed by Bxe6 and Black’s kingwill be caught in a crippling crossfire. 12.Bd5Bb7 12...exd5 loses to 13. Nd6+ Kd8 14. Qxd5with myriad threats. 13.Nd6+ Bxd6 14.exd6Qc8 15.Bh6 Now Black’s king is hemmed in thecenter and victory is only a step away. 15...Rg816.Qf3 Bxd5 17.Qxd5 Nc6 18.Rad1 With thenew and ugly threat of 19. Rxe6+. 18...Nd819.Qg5Nc6 20.Qf6 g5 21.Re5 Black is hog-tiedand resigns. If 21...Qd8 22.Rxe6+ dxe6 23. Qxe6+Ne7 24. d7+ butchers him.1-0

◦ Suetin, A.• Taimanov, M.LeningradUSSR1967 1-0 B28A colossal struggle. Black manages to stagger outof a beautiful combination bloody but unbowed –only to falter in the quiet aftermath.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 a6 3.c3 A legitimate attempt toprofit from Black’s passive last move. White hopesto establish a pawn mass in the center. 3...d54.exd5 Qxd5 5.d4 Nf6 6.Be2 e6 7.O–O Be78.Be3 cxd4 9.cxd4 O–O 10. Nc3 Finally gainingthe tempo which Taimanov has been trying to denyhim. But Black already is safely castled and canafford the slight loss of time. 10...Qd6 11.Rc1Nbd7 12.Qd2 Nb6 12...b5 is more active butTaimanov has another idea in mind. 13.Bf4Qd814.Ne5 Nfd5 15.Bg3 Bd7 16.f4 Bb5 Whencramped, try to exchange pieces! 17.Rf3 Bxe218.Qxe2Rc8 19.Rcf1Bb4 Too slow. 19...Nxc320. bxc3 Na4 21. Be1 b5 produces the necessarycounterplay. 19...f5 weakens the e-pawn but alsodeserves consideration. 20.Ne4 Ne7 21.a3 Bd622.Bh4 f6 22...Nbd5 would prevent the followingcombination but 23. f5 is still strong. 23.Nxf6+

Rxf6 Not 23...gxf6 24. Rg3+ Kf8 25. Qg4Nf5 26. Qg8+! Rxg8 27. Nf7 mate. 24.Bxf6gxf6 25.Rg3+ Kf8 26.Qg4 Bxe5 27.fxe5 f528.Rxf5+ Ke8 Forced. On 28...exf5 29. Qg7+Ke8 30. e6 Qd5 31. Wh8+ Ng8 32. Rxg8+Ke7 33. Qg7+ Kd6 34. Rxc8 Nxc8 35. Qd7mate. 29.Rf1 Kd7 30.Rb3 Rc6 A pity thatafter having survived the worst Black fails to of-fer the best resistance with 30...Rc4 31. Rf6Nf5. 31.d5 Nbxd5 32.Rxb7+ Kc8 33.Rb3Qa5 34.h3 Qd2 35.Kh2 Kc7 A valiant defensethat fails. All things considered 35...Ng6 is thebest practical chance. 36.Rf7Qc2 37.Rc3Rxc3It’s all over after 37...Nxc3 38. Rxe7+ Kd8 39.Qg7. 38.bxc3Kd7 39.c4 h5 If 39...Ne3 40. Qd4+wins. 40.Qh4 Qg6 41.Qf2 Ne3 42.Rxe7+Kxe7 43.Qxe3Qf5 44.Qd4 a5 45.c5 Black Re-signs.1-0

◦ Fischer, R.• Stein, L.Sousse InterzonalTunisia1967 1-0 C92In this violent clash of wills between the Ameri-can and Soviet champions, Fischer’s prosecutionof the attack is crowned by a brilliant bishop sac-rifice. Stein declines, carrying the struggle into theendgame. Voted best game of 1967 by the jury ofthe prestigious CHESS INFORMANT.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.h3 Theattempt to dispense with this prophylactic move(which prepares d4 and prevents the pin on g4) hasnot fared too well. Black achieved easy equality inFischer-Korchnoi, Stockholm 1962 after 9. d4 Bg410. Be3 exd4 11. cxd4 Na5 12. Bc2 Nc4 13. Bc1c5 14. b3 Na5 15. d5 Nd7 16. Nbd2 Bf6. 9...Bb710.d4 Na5 11.Bc2 Nc4 12.b3 Nb6 13.Nbd2Nbd7 More active is 13...exd4 14. cxd4 c5. 14.b4Thwarts c5 and prepares a dominating buildup by15. Bb2 followed by c4. 14...exd4 15.cxd4 a516.bxa5 c5 Inferior is 16...Rxa5 17. d5! c5 18.dxc6 Bxc6 19. Nd4 with a target against the iso-lated b-pawn. 17.e5 dxe5 18.dxe5 Nd5 19.Ne4Nb4 "Not 19...Rxa5 20. Neg5 h6 21. Qd3 g6 22.Ne6! wins" – Fischer. 20.Bb1 Rxa5 21.Qe2Nb6 Stein commits the strategic error of press-ing too hard on the queenside and allowing Whiteto become entrenched on the other wing. Bet-ter to safeguard the king by 21...Re8 and Nf8.22.Nfg5 Bxe4 23.Qxe4 g6 24.Qh4 h5 25.Qg3Nc4 26.Nf3Kg7 27.Qf4Rh8 28.e6 f5 Fischer

104

recommends 28...Bf6 with a hard fight. 29.Bxf5Qf8 The best way to decline the offer. Fischergives 29...gxf5 30. Qg3+ Kh7 31. Ng5+! Bxg532. Bxg5 Qd3 33. Qc7+ Kg6 34. Qf7+! Kxg5 35.Qg7+ Kf4 36. Rad1! 30.Be4 In the heat of bat-tle White misses the clincher 30. Nh4! Bxh4 31.Qxh4 Qxf5 32. Qe7+ Kg8 33. Qd8+ Kg7 34. Qc7+Ke8 35. e7. 30...Qxf4 31.Bxf4 Re8 Time trou-ble. Better is 31...Rxa2. Now White wins mate-rial and the rest is a matter of technique. 32.Rad1Ra6 33.Rd7 Rxe6 34.Ng5 Rf6 Equally inad-equate is 34...Ra6 35. Bb1 Kf6 36. Ne4+ Kf737. Nxc5. 35.Bf3Rxf4 36.Ne6+Kf6 37.Nxf4Ne5 38.Rb7Bd6 39.Kf1Nc2 40.Re4Nd4 41.Rb6Rd8 42.Nd5+Kf5 43.Ne3+Ke6 44.Be2Kd7 45.Bxb5+Nxb5 46.Rxb5Kc6 47.a4Bc748.Ke2 g5 49.g3 Ra8 50.Rb2 Rf8 51.f4 gxf452.gxf4 Nf7 53.Re6+ Nd6 If 53...Bd6 54. Rf6!ends resistance. 54.f5Ra8 55.Rd2Rxa4 56.f6Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Tal, M.• Keres, P.MoscowUSSR1967 0-1 C83The Open Defense to the Ruy Lopez never enjoyeda wide following despite the advocacy of Euwe,Korchnoi and Tarrasch. Here Keres springs an im-provement that gives him a won game before Talcan even get all his pieces out of the box.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–ONxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5Be6 9.Qe2Be710.c3 O–O 11.Bc2 Bronstein enjoyed some suc-cess with this rare attempt to dislodge the knight.It avoids the simplifications arising after 11. Nbd2,which is the normal move here. 11...Qd7 Thispawn sacrifice was originally recommended by Dr.Euwe. After 12. Bxe4 dxe4 13. Qxe4 Bd5 thereseems to be no good way for White to keep hispawn. 12.Rd1 f5 13.Nbd2 On 13. exf6 Nxf614. Ng5 Bg4 15. f3 Bc5+ 16. Kh1 Rae8 Blackgets great activity. 13...Kh8 Anchoring the knighton e4. The game reaches its climax right here.White’s last two moves were intended to dislodgeblack’s knight but the text sets his game tumblingdownhill. If 14. Nxe4 fxe4 15. Bxe4 dxe4!16. Rxd7 exf3 17. Qd1 Bxd7 18. Qxd7 Rad8.With Black’s king still on g8, this line could be re-futed by 19. Qe6+ and Be3. 14.Nb3 Bf7 Thisquiet retreat proves deadly since White must nowcope with a vicious pin after Bh5. 15.Nbd4Bh516.Nxf5 Desperately fishing in troubled waters.

The passive 16. Nxc6 Qxc6 17. Qd3 Qg6! tiesWhite up, but he still has a chance to live after18. Re1 f4 19. Nd2. 16...Qxf5 17.Rxd5 Bg618.Qe3 Rad8 19.Rxd8 Rxd8 20.Nd4 Nxd421.cxd4 c5 22. d5 It’s also all over after 22. f3cxd4! 23. Qe1 d3 24. fxe4 Qxe4 25. Qxe4 Bxe426. Bb1 d2. 22...Qxe5 23.f3 Bg5 24.f4 Qxd525.Bxe4 Bxe4 26.fxg5 White finally establishedmaterial equality – at the cost of his king. Therest is forced. 26...Qd1+ 27.Kf2 Qc2+ 28.Qe2Rf8+ 29.Ke1 Qa4 30.b3 Qd4 White Resigns.On 31. Bb2 Qg1+ 32. Kd2 Rd8+ 33. Kc3 Qd4mate.0-1

◦ ?• N. RadchenkoUnknownUSSR1967 0-1 C59Full many a flower is born to blush unseen. Somemasterpieces were created by players nobody everheard of, and just one great effort can make youfamous. Inside Chess unearthed this obscure gameand noted: "Radchenko is not a household nameeven in his native Russia, but he is the creator of abrilliant game that deserves to be considered as oneof the best of the century." Noteworthy are the gy-rations of Black’s queen from one side of the boardto the other. The final queen sacrifice on move 25is truly inspired.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bc4Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5Na5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Be2 h6 9.Nf3 e410.Ne5 Qd4 11.f4 Bc5 A main line in the TwoKnights Defense. White can’t castle, but a ques-tion debated for ages is whether Black has enoughcompensation for the pawn. 12.Rf1Qd8 This re-treat averts the threat of c3 and b4 forking a piece.13.c3 Nd5 14.Qa4 O–O 15.b4 An old analysisby Paul Keres gives 15. Qxe4 Re8 16. d4 asthe right path. 15...Qh4+ 16.Kd1 Rd8 17.Kc2Bf5 18.bxc5 e3+ 19.Kb2 Greater resistance is of-fered by 19. d3 Qxh2 20. Qxa5 Qxg2 21. Kd1.19...Rdb8+ 20.Ka3Qd8 21.Bb2 exd2 22.Rd1Bc2 23.Qxc2 Nb3 The knight is immune. If24. Qxb3 Qa5 25. Qa4 Qxc5. 24.Nc4 Nxa125.Qxd2Qb6 Decisive. If 26. Ka4 (or 26. cxb6axb6) Qb5 27. Ka3 Qa6 28. Na5 Qxa5 mate.26.Ka4Qb5+ 27.Ka3Qa6+ 28.Na5Qxa5# 0-1

◦ Rossolimo, N.• Reissman, P.

105

Puerto Rico OpenRio Piedras1967 1-0 C54Rossolimo was awarded a special brilliancy prizefor this fantastic queen sacrifice. The elegant finaleis reminiscent of Marshall’s famous win over Lev-itsky in 1912 where spectators were so delightedthat they showered the board with gold pieces.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4exd4 6.cxd4 Bb4+ 7.Bd2 Black emerges un-scarred on 7. Nc3 Nxe4 8. O-O Bxc3 9. d5 Ne510. bxc3 Nxc4 11. Qd4 O-O! 7...Bxd2+ 8.Nbxd2d5 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Qb3 Nce7 Not quite soundis 10...O-O?! 11. Bxd5 Na5 12. Bxf7+ Rxf7 13.Qc3 Re7+ 14. Ne5. 11.O–O c6 12.Rfe1 O–O13.a4 b6 An ill-advised attempt to improve on themain line with 13...Qb6. 14.Ne5Bb7 15.a5Rc816.Ne4 Qc7 He must try 16...Rc7 to create a re-treat for the bishop at c8. 17.a6Ba8 18.Qh3Nf419.Qg4 Ned5 20.Ra3 A fine idea. The inactiverook swings over to the kingside to reinforce theattack. 20...Ne6 His predicament is critical. If20...f6 21. Bxd5+ Nxd5 22. Qe6+ Kh8 23. Ng6+hxg6 24. Rh3 mate. The best chance to fight backis 20...c5. 21.Bxd5 cxd5 22.Nf6+Kh8 23.Qg6Qc2 If 23...fxg6 24. Nxg6+ hxg6 25. Rh3 mate.Black can last a few moves by giving up his queenfor two knights by 23...gxf6 24. Qxf6+ Ng7 25.Rg3 Rg8 26. Nxf7+ Qxf7 27. Qxf7. The textevokes a beautiful point. 24.Rh3 Black Resigns.If 24...Qxg6 25. Nxg6+ fxg6 26. Rxh7 mate.1-0

◦ Fischer, R.• Miagmarsuren, L.InterzonalSousse1967 1-0 A08Fischer dropped out of this world championshipqualifier over a scheduling dispute when he wasleading and delayed his prospects for several years,but he created a number of beautiful games. Herethe Mongolian champion is so intent on breakingthrough on the queenside that he forgets about hisking. Fischer’s concluding queen sacrifice is capti-vating and perfectly timed.1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.Nd2 The purpose of this moveorder is to avert an exchange of queens after3...dxe4 4. dxe4. 3...Nf6 4.g3 c5 5.Bg2 Nc66.Ngf3 Be7 7.O–O O–O White’s quiet builduppostpones sharp hand-to-hand battle until the mid-dle game where operations will take place behindclosed lines. 8.e5 Nd7 9.Re1 b5 10.Qe2 b4

11.h4 a5 12.Nf1 a4 13.a3 "Believe it or not, I ac-tually spent more time on this innocuous push (15minutes) than on any other move in the game! Ididn’t want to allow Black to get in ...a3 therebycreating holes (weak squares) on c3 and a3. Onthe other hand, by stopping to meet his positionalthreat I am forced to postpone my own schemesfor at least two moves. Chess is a matter of del-icate judgment, knowing when to punch and howto duck" – Fischer. 13...bxa3 14.bxa3 Na5 Thisdecentralization is inadvisable. Black should try14...Nd4 or Ba6 right away. 15.Ne3Ba6 16.Bh3Permanently discouraging the f6 freeing maneu-ver. 16...d4 17.Nf1 Fischer is a law unto himself.He abstains from the natural 17. Ng4 because thisknight is headed instead for e4. Meanwhile Blackhas secured d5 for his knight. 17...Nb6 18.Ng5Nd5 It’s remarkable that such an obvious moveis inferior. 18...h6! 19. Ne4 c4 offers reasonablecounterplay. 19.Bd2Bxg5 19...c4 was still a bet-ter try. But not 19...h6? 20. Nxe6 fxe6 21. Bxe6+Kh8 22. Bxa5 Qxa5 23. Bxd5 gaining two buttons.20.Bxg5Qd7 21.Qh5 "Make way for the heavyartillery" – Fischer. Black should now take the pre-caution of 21...Kh8. 21...Rfc8 22.Nd2Nc3 Ru-inous. Again 22...c4 is the best chance. With allBlack’s pieces clustered on the other wing, his kingis ripe. 23.Bf6 Qe8 Forced. Not 23...gxf6 24.exf6 Kh8 25. Nf3 Nd5 26. Ng5 Nxf6 27. Qh6Qe7 28. Bf5! and wins. 24.Ne4 g6 25.Qg5Nxe426.Rxe4 c4 27.h5 cxd3 28.Rh4 Ra7 To defendthe second rank after 29. hxg6 fxg6. 29.Bg2 Asubtle move whose sly purpose soon becomes ap-parent. 29...dxc2 Also lost is 29...Qf8 30. Be4!dxc2 31. hxg6 fxg6 32. Bxg6! hxg6 33. Rh8+Kf7 34. Rh7+! Ke8 35. Rxa7 Bd3 36. Rxa5.30.Qh6Qf8 31.Qxh7+ Black Resigns. It’s mateafter 31...Kxh7 32. hxg6+ Kxg6 33. Be4.1-0

◦ Gheorghiu, F.• Uhlmann, W.SofiaBulgaria1967 1-0 A08A quiet opening gives rise to splendid tactics.White positional sacrifice of the Exchange is fullyjustified, and the final twist is simply delicious.1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.Ngf3 Be7 5.g3c5 6.Bg2 Nc6 7.O–O O–O 8.Re1 A King’s In-dian Reversed. This is a well-known positionwhere each side is about to attack on the oppo-site wing. Who will get there first? 8...b5 9.e5

106

Nd7 10.Nf1 a5 11.h4 b4 12.Bf4 a4 13.a3 An at-tempt to improve on the customary 13. N1h2 a314. b3 Na7! where Black gets counterplay againstthe weak dark squares. 13...bxa3 14.bxa3 Ba615.Ne3Nd4 16.c4Nb3 Stronger is 16...dxc4 17.Nxd4 (or 17. Nxc4 Nb3) 17...cxd4 18. Bxa8 dxe319. Bf3 exf2+ with very active play. 17.cxd5Nxa1 18.Qxa1 exd5 19.Nxd5Bxd3 Much saferis 19...Nb6. Now Black’s in trouble. 20.e6 Nf621.Nxe7+Qxe7 22.Ne5Bg6 23.Nc6 Spurning23. Bxa8 Rxa8. 23...Qb7 24.Bd6 Be4 Allowsa pretty finish. On 24...Kh8 25. Bxf8 Rxf8 26.Qe5 Black won’t survive for long. 25.Rxe4Qxc626.Bxf8Rxf8 If 26...Nxe4 27. Qxg7 mate. Blackresigned without waiting for 27. Qxf6! Qxe4 (or27...gxf6 28. Rg4+Kh8 29. Bxc6) 28. Qxf7+!Rxf7 29. exf7+ Kxf7 30. Bxe4 emerging a pieceahead.1-0

◦ Reshevsky, S.• Seidman, H.USA ChampionshipNew York1968 1-0 D92Despite stout resistance, Reshevsky transports asmall advantage into the endgame. His startlingsacrifices of a knight for two pawns unleashes thefull fury of two bishops vs. two knights.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bf4O–O 6.Rc1 This quiet, positional system was fa-vored by Hungarian grandmaster Lajos Portischand world champion Tigran Petrosian. It yieldsa shaded advantage. 6...c5 7.dxc5 Be6 8.e3Qa5 9.Nd4 Nc6 10.Nxe6 fxe6 11.Qa4 Qxc512.Qb5 Qxb5 13.cxb5 Nb8 More forceful is13...Na5 14. Be2 Rac8 15. O-O Nc4 (Portisch-Evans, Havana 1964. 14.Bd3 Nbd7 15.Ke2 e516.Bg3 e4 17.Bb1Rac8 18.Na4Ng4 19.Rhd1e6 20.Rxc8 Rxc8 21.f3 exf3+ 22.gxf3 Nge523.e4 dxe4 24.Bxe4 b6 25.Rd6 The tempting25. f4 Nf6 26. Bb7 Rc2+ 27. Rd2 Rxd2+ 28.Kxd2 Ned7 leads only to even chances. 25...Nf826.b3 g5 Harder to beat is 26...Nf7 27. Rc6Rd8. Judging from a casual inspection, Black’sworries are over. White’s reply is so startlingthat Seidman can be forgiven for overlooking it.27.Nxb6 axb6 28.Rxb6 h5 29.Ra6 h4 30.Bf2Neg6 31.Ra8 Stronger is 31. Rc6 cutting offBlack’s rook. 31...Rxa8 A much better try is31...Nf4+ 32. Kd2 Rxa8 33. Bxa8 Nh3 34. Ba7Be5 35. Ke2 Bxh2 36. Kf1. "White’s pawns wouldprevail, but not without a struggle" – Reshevsky.32.Bxa8Be5 33.Bg1Nf4+ 34.Kf1Nd7 35.a4

Bc7 36.Bc6 Nb8 37.Be4 Nd5 38.Bxd5 exd539.b4 The clincher. "It is imperative to advance thea-pawn, and in order to effect this advance Whiteb-pawn has to be at b4" – Reshevsky. 39...Kf740.a5Nd7 41.b6Bd8 42.b7Nb8 43.Ba7Bc744.b5Nd7 45.a6Bxh2 46. b8=QBlack Resigns.If 46...Nxb8 47. Bxb8 Bxb8 48. b6 and a7 wins.1-0

◦ Addison, W.• Sigurjonsson, B.ReykjavikIceland1968 1-0 E54Black springs an opening novelty, but White goesone better. Addison’s sprightly bishop sacrifice onmove 15 is followed by equally energetic tactics.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 O–O 5.Bd3c5 6.Nf3 d5 7.O–O dxc4 8.Bxc4Qe7 9.a3Ba510.Bd3 Strictly speaking, this retreat is unneces-sary. Another approach is 10. Bd2 followed byRc1. 10...a6 Rather pointless. More natural is10...Nc6. 11.e4 cxd4 12.e5 dxc3 The best de-fense is 12...Nd5 and if 13. Bxh7+!? Kxh7 14.Ng5+ Kg8 15. Qh5 Qxg5 16. Bxg5 dxc3 17. Bf6Bd8. 13.exf6 gxf6 Of course not 13...Qxf6 14.Bg5. 14.Qa4 Nc6 15.Bxh7+ Kh8 White winswith a curious queen triangulation after 15...Kxh716. Qh4+ Kg7 17. Qg4+ Kh7 18. Qh3+ Kg719. Bh6+ Kg6 20. Nh4+ Kh7 (if 20...Kxh6 21.Nf5+ compels mate) 21. Bxf8. 16.Be4 b5 Evenworse is 16...Bc7 17. Bxc6 bxc6 18. Qh4+ Kg8 19.Qg4+ Kg8 10. Bh6 Rg8 21. Qh5. 17.Qd1 Rd818.Nd4 A clearance sacrifice to give the queenaccess to h5. 18...Qc5 19.Bxc6 Rxd4 20.Qf3Ra7 21.Qxf6+ Kh7 22.Be3 Bb6 23.Rad1 e524.Bh6 Rg4 25.Be4+ Black Resigns. A lastgasp might have been 25...Rg6 26. Qg7 mate. Or25...Kg8 26. Rd8+.1-0

◦ Donner, J.• Portisch, L.BeverwijkHolland1968 1-0 E50Grandmasters are doomed to heavy material lossalready by move 13. Here is the spectacle: a sud-den refutation of a recognized line, then a suddenmatting attack.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 c5 5.Bd3O–O 6.Nf3 b6 It’s customary to contest the cen-ter by 6...d5. 7.d5 The logical reply, bottling

107

up the center to cramp Black’s game. An alter-native is 7. O-O Bb7 8. Na4 cxd4 9. exd4 Qc7!10. a3 Be7 11. Nc3 d5 (Gligoric-Smyslov, Mal-lorca 1967). 7...Bb7 This doesn’t help break thegrip. 7...b5!? offers more practical chances. Butnot 7...exd5 8. cxd5 Nxd5? 9. Bxh7+ Kxh7 10.Qxd5 Nc6 11. Qh5+ Kg8 12. Ng5 weaving a mat-ing net. 8.e4 b5 Safer is 8...exd5 9. cxd5 Re8.9.e5 bxc4 10.Bb1Nxd5 Falling for a stock com-bination as old as chess itself. The best chance is10...Bxd5 11. Bg5 h6 12. Bh4 Qa5 13. exf6 Bxc3+14. bxc3 Qxc3+ 15. Qd2 Qxd2+ (not 15...Qxa1?16. O-O!) 16. Kxd2 and Black can fight on withthree pawns for his piece. 11.Bxh7+ Kxh7 Ofno avail is 11...Kh8 12. Ng5 g6 13. Qg4 Kg714.Qh4 Rh8 15. Nxe6+ fxe6 16. Qh6+. 12.Ng5+Kg8 Taken by surprise, Black prepares to concedehis queen without a fight. He’s lost anyway after12...Kg6 13. h4! Nxc3 14. Qg4! Ne4+ 15. Kf1Nxg5 16. hxg5 Rh8 17. Rh6+! gxh6 18. gxh6+Kh7 19. Qg7 mate. 13.Qh5 Qxg5 14.Bxg5Nxc3 15.a3 Ne4+ Even worse is 15...Ba5 16.Bd2. Further resistance proves futile since twominor pieces can’t match a queen. 16.axb4Nc6 17.Be3Nxb4 18.O–ONc2 19.Rac1Nxe320.fxe3 Bd5 21.Rf4 f5 22. exf6 Rxf6 23.Rcf1Raf8 24.Rxf6 Nxf6 25.Qe5 Ne4 26.Rxf8+Kxf8 27.Qb8+ Kf7 28.Qxa7 Bc6 29.h4 Kg630.g4Kh6 31.Qb8Kh7 32.Qf8Nf6 33.g5Ne4The minor pieces can’t do much. If 33...Nh5 34.Qf7 Ng3 35. g6+ Kh6 36. Qf4+ picks up morematerial. 34.Qf7 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Horowitz, A.• Evans, L.USA Championship (2)New York1968 0-1 A79Passive play is punished drastically. White driftsand gets outplayed in this model example of a goodknight vs. a bad bishop.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5d6 6.e4 g6 7.Nf3 There are many ways to meetthe Benoni Defense ranging from this quiet po-sitional approach to the sharp 7. f4. 7...Bg78.Be2 O–O 9.O–O Re8 Black also can aim tosimplify with 9...Bg4. 10.Nd2 Na6 11.f3More flexible is 11. Re1 reserving the option off4. 11...Nc7 12.a4 b6 13.Nc4 A better idea is13. Rb1 aiming for b4. 13...Ba6 14.Bg5h6 15.Bh4Qd7 16.g4 Drastically weakening thef4 square – the source of White’s future prob-lems. More sensible is 16. Qd2. 16...Rab8

17.Bg3 Bxc4 18.Bxc4 a6 19.Re1 b5 20.axb5axb5 21.Bf1 b4 22.Ne2 h5 23.h3 hxg4 24.hxg4Nb5 25.Kg2 Ra8 26.Qd3 Nh7 27.Qd2 Qe7White has "won" the two bishops but his prospectsare lifeless and his weakness on the dark squares isevident 28.Qd3 Nd4 29.Rxa8 Rxa8 30.Nxd4Bxd4 31.Re2 g5 For all practical purposes thewinning move. The bishop on f1 is no matchfor the knight aiming at Nf8-g6-f4. 32.Qb5Be5 33.Qc6Ra1 34.Qc8+Nf8 35.Bxe5Qxe536.Qf5 Ng6 37.Qxe5 Nxe5 38. Rf2 c4 Thecomplete triumph of Black’s strategy – he will cre-ate a passed pawn while White watches helplessly.39.Kg3 Ra2 40.Re2 b3 White Resigns. Thethreat of c3 is devastating.0-1

◦ Szabo, L.• Sigurjonsson, G.ReykjavikIceland1968 0-1 D47Tiny Iceland produces the largest number of grand-masters per capita than any nation in the world.In this sleeping beauty GM Sigurjonsson’s piecesspring to life after the prick of his 21st move thatspectacularly opens diagonals for his hemmed inbishops.1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 Divert-ing from a Slav Defense to the Queen’s GambitDeclined. Also feasible is 4...dxc4. 5.e3 Nbd76.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5 8.Be2 Sharper is 8. Bd3but White has a twist in mind. 8...Bb7 9.a3This is it – to prepare b4. 9...a6 More naturalis 9...Bd6 with the idea of meeting 10. b4 witha5 (thus saving a tempo). However, Black’s strat-egy is to let White expand on the queenside whilecounter-punching in the center. 10.b4Bd6 Szabo-Wade, Haifa 1958, produced equality after 10...a511. Rb1 axb4 12. axb4 Nd5 13. Nxd5 exd5 14.O-O Bd6 15. Qc2 h6. 11.O–O O–O 12.Bd2 Pas-sive. Stronger is 12. e4 e5 13. Bg5. 12...Qe713.Qc2 e5 14.Rae1 Rac8 15.Ng5 h6 16.Nge4Bb8 17.Ng3 More active is 17. f4 exd4 18. exd4Qd8 19. Nc5. 17...Rfe8 18.Nf5 Qe6 19.dxe5Ill-conceived because it releases the pressure onc5. Necessary is 19. f4. 19...Nxe5 20.Nd4Qd7 21.Nb3 c5 A surprising stroke that refutesWhite’s strategy. 22.Nxc5Rxc5 23.bxc5Nf3+24.Bxf3Bxf3 25.Ne2 Forced. If 25. gxf3? Qh326. f4 Ng4 mates. 25...Ne4 26.Ng3 Best. If26. Bc1 Ng5! 27. Nf4 Qg4 is decisive. Or 26.Nd4 Bxh2+! 27. Kxh2 Bxg2! 28. Kxg2 Qg4+29. Kh2 Re5. 26...Nxd2 27.gxf3Nxf3+ 28.Kg2

108

Qc6 29.e4Nxe1+ 30.Rxe1Bxg3 31.hxg3Re5This timely simplication nets a pawn; the outcomeis no longer in doubt. 32.Rd1 Rxc5 33.Rd8+Kh7 34.Qe2 f5 35.Rd4 Rc4 36.Rxc4 Qxc437.Qxc4 bxc4 38. Kf3 g5 39.exf5 h5 40.Ke4c3 White Resigns. When White stops the passedpawn with 41. Kd3 Black simply creates anotherone by 41...h4 which can’t be stopped.0-1

◦ Bent Larsen• Wolfgang Unzicker13th OlympiadLugano1968 1-0 D41"I do not deliberately play openings that are obvi-ously bad, but I emphasize the surprise element,"wrote Larsen, who is famous for flank attacks byadvancing his rook’s pawn during a lull. Afterhis trademark offer of his h-pawn on move 14, henoted: "I suddenly got this idea and couldn’t resistit! It is doubtful whether White gets enough for thepawn by correct play, but in practice such a sacri-fice offers good chances, as surprise is an importantpsychological weapon."1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.d4 c5 5.cxd5Nxd5 By recapturing with the knight, Blackavoids the isolated pawn resulting from exd5 inthis Tarrasch Defense. 6.e3 Nc6 7.Bc4 cxd48.exd4Be7 9.O–O O–O 10.Re1Nxc3 11.bxc3b6 12.Qc2 Bb7 13.Bd3 g6 14.h4 "The bookmove 14. Bh6 must still be considered best." –Larsen 14...Rc8 "Unzicker only thought for a fewminutes, then declined the kind offer. White hopesto exploit the weakness of the dark squares after14...Bxh4 15. Bh6 Re8 16. Nxh4 Qxh4 17. Qd2but it is doubtful whether he gets enough for thepawn by correct play." – Larsen 15.Qd2Bf6 Nowit’s too late to grab a pawn in view of 15...Bxh4?16. Qh6 Bf6 17. Ng5 Bxg5 18. Bxg5 f6 19. Rxe6fxg5? 20. Rxg6 hxg6 21. Qxg6 Kh8 22. Qh7mate.. 16.h5 Na5 Decentralizing this knight isdangerous. Much better is 16...Ne7 coming to theaid of the kingside. 17.Ne5Bxe5 18.Rxe5Nc419.Bxc4 Rxc4 20.Qd3 Stronger than 20. Qh6Rxc3! 21. Bg5 f6 22. hxg6 Rc7! 20...Rc5 Morestable is 20...Bd5. Now Black will have to weakenhis kingside even more to avoid losing a pawn.21.Rxc5 bxc5 22.hxg6 fxg6 Otherwise 22...hxg623. Ba3 Qd5 24. Qg3 costs Black a pawn. 23.Bh6Stronger than 23. Ba3 Rf5! 24. Bxc5?? Rxc5.23...Rf7 24.Rb1 cxd4 25.cxd4 Qd5 Material iseven but Black’s problem is his weak back rank.Larsen gives 25...Qh4 26. Qe3 Qg4 27. d5! Qf5

28. Rb5! a6 29. Rc5 when the invulnerable d-pawndivides Black’s position in two. 26.Qg3Rc7 Toprevent the threat of Qb8. 27.Rb5 Rc1+ Makesthe win easier but if 27...Qe4 28. d5! is hard tomeet. 28.Bxc1Qxb5 29.Qb8+Kf7 30.Ba3 e531.Qd6 g5 White threatened mate in two by Qe7.If 31...Qe8 32. Qc7 Kg8 33. Qxb7 picks up thebishop. 32.dxe5Qc6 33.e6+Kg6 A pretty under-promotion arises after 33...Kf6 34. e7! Qxd6 35.e8=N! Ke6 36. Nxd6. 34.e7+Kh5 Again forced.If 34...Qxd6 35. e8=Q is the winning touch. 35.f3g4 Black has no good defense. If 35...Qxd6 36.e8/Q Qg6 37. g4 Kh4 38. Qe1 Kh3 39. Qf1 Kg340. Bd6! Qxd6 41. Qg2 Kh4 42. Qh1 Kg3 43.Qh2 Kxf3 44. Qxd6 snags the queen. 36.Qe5+Black resigns. 1-01-0

◦ Parma, B.• Szabo, L.SolingenGermany1968 1-0 B96Szabo provokes a familiar sacrifice for the sake ofrefuting it and suffers a stinging loss. The gameconfirms conventional wisdom that Black is ill-advised to tamper with the standard move order inthis variation of the Sicilian Defense.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Nbd7 8.Bc4 b5 This worksno better here than it ever has, but there is noeasy way to discourage the pending sacrifice one6. A good alternative is 8...Qa5. 9.Bxe6 Theexclaim is not for originality but merely to indi-cate its great strength. On 9. Bb3 Bb7 Black canhold his own. 9...fxe6 10.Nxe6 Qb6 A betterdefense is 10...Qa5. But not 10...Qe7? 11. Nd5!Qxe6 12. Nc7+ Kf7 13. Nxe6 Kxe6 14. Qd4Bb7 15. O-O-O with a dangerous attack beforeBlack can consolidate. 11.Nd5 Nxd5 12.Qxd5Qe3+ Of course not 12...Bb7? 13. Nc7+ Qxc714. Qe6+. 13.Kf1Nb6 14.Nc7+Kd7 15.Qf7+Kc6 16.Nxa8 Matanovic-Gufeld, Yugoslavia vs.USSR 1969, continued 16. Nd5! Qxe4 17. Qc7+Kxd5 18. Rd1+ Ke6 19. Re1 Qxe1+ 20. Kxe1h6 21. f5+! Kd5 22. Qxb6 hxg5 23.Kf2 Rh424. Rd1+ Ke5 25. Qc6 Rb8 26. Qe8+ Black re-signs. 16...Nxa8 17.Qd5+Kc7 18.Re1 Parma’snew move. Theory awarded White a plus after18. Qxa8 but Black can hold with 18...Be6 19.b3 d5 20. Qd8+ Kb7 21. Re1 Qd2 22. f5 Qxc223. fxe6 Qd3+ 24. Re2 Qd1+ 25. Re1 Qd3+ etc.18...Qa7 19.e5 dxe5 20.Qxe5+ Kb7 21.Be7Nc7 22.Qd6 Bxe7 23.Rxe7 Qb6 24. Qxb6+

109

Kxb6 25.Rxg7 Nd5 Black could still put up awhopping fight with 25...Ne6! 26. Rf7 Rd8. 26.g3Ne3+ 27.Kf2Ng4+ On 26...Nxc2 28. Rd1 keepsthe knight locked up while the kingside pawns ad-vance. 28.Ke2Bb7 29.Re1Nxh2 30.Kf2Rd8Of no avail is 29...h5 31. Re6+ Bc6 32. Rgg6 Ng4+33. Ke2 Rc8 34. f5. 31.Re6+Bc6 32.g4Rd2+33.Re2 Rd6 34.f5 Rd4 35.Kg3 Nf1+ 36.Kh4Nd2 37.f6Nf3+ 38.Kg3 h5 39.gxh5Rd1 40.f7Nd4 41.f8=Q Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Koehler, W.• Evans, L.USA National Open (2)Las Vegas1968 0-1 B49After a brief theoretical skirmish a remarkableendgame blooms in only 15 moves. Black gam-bles on an Exchange sacrifice, proving once againthat ingenuity will out even in well-trodden paths.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nc6 5.Nc3a6 6.Be3 Qc7 7.Be2 Nf6 8.O–O It’s debatablewhether White should stop for 8. a3 to preventBlack’s next move. 8...Bb4 9.Na4 Bd6 Blackhas a welter of interesting choices. For 9...O-O!?see Garcia-Evans, 1966. Another offbeat idea is9...Ne7!? 10. c4 Nxe4 11. Bf3 Nc5 12. a3Nxa4 13. axb4 Nxb2 14. Nxe6 dxe6 15. Qd4O-O 16. Qxb2 (Lepeshkin-Furman, USSR Cham-pionship 1966) and now 16...Nf5 is just fine forBlack. 10.g3 b5 11.Nxc6 This slight transposi-tion proves harmful. Correct is 11. Nb6! Rb8(Fischer pointed out that 11...Qxb6 12. Nxe6!yields a terrific attack) 12. Nxc8 Rxc8. 11...Qxc612.Nb6Bb7 The real point is to save this bishop.White keeps the upper hand after 12...Rb8 13.Nxc8 Rxc8 14. Bd3. The next few moves areforced. 13.Nxa8 Qxe4 14.Bf3 Qxf3 15.Qxf3Bxf3 16.Nb6 h5 Black has a pawn for the Ex-change and his minor pieces are stationed mag-nificently. The immediate threat is h4. 17.h4Maybe 17. a4 right away is better. But not 17.h3? h4 18. g4 Nxg4! 19. hxg4 h3. 17...Ng418.a4 Ke7 19.axb5 axb5 20.b4 Nxe3 21.fxe3Bc6 22.c4 Bxg3 23.cxb5 Bxb5 24.Rfc1 Rb825.Nc8+ Kf6 26.Na7 Bxh4 Black just keepseating pawns. 27.Rc7Bg3 28.Nxb5Bxc7 Moreefficient than 28...Rxb5 29. Rxd7 h4 30. Raa7with drawing chances. 29.Nxc7 Rxb4 30.Ne8+Ke7 31.Ra8 h4 32.Kf2 g5 The rest is a visitto the butcher shop. The knight is no match forfour pawns. 33.Ng7Rb2+ 34.Kf3 f5 35.Nh5 e5

36.e4 g4+ 37.Ke3 f4+ 38.Nxf4 exf4+ 39.Kxf4 g340.Rh8Rh2 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Bilek, I.• Gheorghiu, F.BucharestRomania1968 1-0 B25Seldom is premature castling punished so drasti-cally. White’s energetic combination reveals thepotential of his hitherto unfashionable opening sys-tem.1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 d6 3.g3Nc6 4.Bg2 g6 5.d3Bg76.f4 e5 7.Nh3 Nge7 8.O–O O–O Careless. Theright plan is 8...exf4! 9. Nxf4 O-O 10. Nfd5 Nxd511. Nxd5 Be6 12. Nf4 Bd7 13. c3 b5 with equalchances (Bilek-Evans, Lugano Olympics 1968).9.f5 gxf5 Necessary is 9...f6 either here or on thenext move. 10.exf5Bxf5 11.Rxf5Nxf5 12.Be4Nfd4 12...Nfe7 is refuted by 13. Bxh7+ Kxh7 14.Qh5+ Kg8 15. Ng5. However, tough resistancecould still be offered by 12...Nxg3! 13. hxg3 f5.13.Qh5Re8 Also inadequate is 13...f5 14. Bd5+Kh8 15. Ng5 h6 16. Qg6! hxg5 17. Qh5+ Bh818. Qxh6 mate. 14.Qxh7+ Kf8 15.Bg5 Qd716.Nd5 Re6 17.Rf1 Nxc2 18.Bg6 The finish-ing touch. Black’s king can’t escape from its tightwedge. If 18...Rxg6 19. Qxg6. 18...N2d4 19.Bh6Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Bilek, I.• Evans, L.18th Olympiad (7)Lugano, Switzerland1968 0-1 B25A classic illustration of how Black should handlethe closed Sicilian. 5-time USA champion Evansfirst makes sure his king is impregnable and thensacrifices a piece to penetrate on the queenside.1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3d6 6.f4 e5 7.Nh3 Nge7 8.O–O exf4 The pointis 8. gxf4 f5 stops the attack cold. 9.Nxf4O–O 10.Nfd5 Nxd5 11.Nxd5 Be6 12.Nf4Bd7 13.c3 b5 14.a3 Creates a new weaknesswithout stopping Black’s strategy to break withb4 and thus activate his bishop along the a1-h8diagonal. Better is 14. Bd2 or Be3. 14...a515.Be3Ne5 16.h3 a4 17.Qd2Bc6 18.Rf2Rb819.Raf1 Qd7 20.Qd1 Qb7 White’s prospectson the kingside have come to a standstill whileBlack masses for the inevitable b4. 21.Bc1 b4

110

22.axb4 Better is 22. cxb4 axb4 23. d4. 22...cxb423.c4 b3 24.Kh2Qa6 25.Re1Rb7 White is re-duced to marking time while Black quietly pre-pares to double rooks followed by a3. 26.Be3 a327.Qe2Nxc4 The most efficient winning method.28.dxc4Bxb2 29.Qd3Be5 30.Bd4 b2 31.Ne6a2 32.Bxe5 b1=Q 33.Qxd6Re8 34.Nc7Rxc735.Bc3 Also hopeless is 35. Qf6 Rxe5. 35...Qxe136.Bxe1 a1=Q 37.Qxc7Qb7 White Resigns0-1

◦ Spassky, B.• Geller, Y.Match (6)Moscow1968 1-0 B25Spassky’s lopsided score in this match of 3 1/2 -1/2 with the "closed" system against the Siciliandid much to revive its popularity. Geller is defeatedwith apparent ease when his queenside counterplayproves ineffectual.1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Chigorin employed this move withsuccess at the turn of the century. White plans ondominating d5 which means that it will be diffi-cult for either player to open the center. Thus thesystem is known as "closed" because the strugglemostly will be confined to the wings. 2...d6 3.g3Nc6 4.Bg2 g6 5.d3 Bg7 6.f4 An elastic con-tinuation reserving f3 or h3 for his knight. Theolder moves were 6. Nge2 or Be3. 6...Nf6 For6...e5 see Bilek-Gheorghiu, 1968. A more viableplan is 6...e6 followed by Nge7 and f5. Only af-ter this crushing defeat did Geller switch to thatidea in their last match game. 7.Nf3 O–O 8.O–ORb8 9.h3 In their second match game Spasskytried 9. Nh4 Nd4 10. f5 b5 11. Bg5 b4 12.Nb1!? when Black chances were better. 9...b510.a3 a5 11.Be3 b4 12.axb4 axb4 13.Ne2 Bb7The bishop is inactive here and does not help indefending the kingside. Better is 13...Ne8 14.Rb1 Nc7 15. f5 Nb5 (Reshevsky-Korchnoi, match1968). 14.b3 Until now it replicated their fourthgame where Spassky played 14. Qd2 instead. Thepoint of the text is that this pawn will not be un-der fire if and when Black’s rook arrives at a2.14...Ra8 15.Rc1 Ra2 16.g4 Qa8 17.Qe1 Qa618.Qf2 Na7 Too slow. Better is 18...Nd7! 19.f5Nb5 20.fxg6 hxg6 Necessary is 20...fxg6 21. Nf4Bc8. 21.Ng5 Na3 22.Qh4 Rc8 23.Rxf6 exf624.Qh7+ Kf8 The fever seems to have subsidedand there appears to be a lull. But the next blowshatters Black’s illusions. 25.Nxf7 Rxc2 If25...Kxf7 26. Bh6 Rg8 27. Nf4 d5 28. exd5 f529. Ne6 wins. 26.Bh6 Rxc1+ 27.Nxc1 Kxf7

28.Qxg7+ Ke8 29.g5 f5 A last gasp. Mate isunavoidable on 29...fxg5 30. Bxg5. 30.Qxg6+Kd7 31.Qf7+Kc6 32.exf5+ Black Resigns. Af-ter 32...Kb6 33. Qxb7+ Qxb7 34. Bxb7 Kxb6 35.f6 the pawns can’t be stopped.1-0

◦ Tal, M.• Gligoric, S.Match (1)Moscow1968 0-1 C93Tal, one of the greatest attackers in history, lost alot of his fire due to poor health. Yet he remaineda dangerous opponent even after losing the crownback to Botvinnik in 1961. Here he is stymiedby ruthlessly precise defense after failing to landa roundhouse blow.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.h3 h6The idea is to hold the center by Re8 and Bf8while preventing the Ng5 which aims at f7. 10.d4Re8 11.Nbd2 Bf8 12.Nf1 Bb7 13.Ng3 Na514.Bc2Nc4 15.a4 d5 16.b3 After 16. exd5 exd4Black drew without difficultly in Stein-Spassky,Amsterdam 1964. 16...dxe4 17.Nxe4 Nxe418.Bxe4 Stein-Reshevsky, Los Angeles 1968, waseventually drawn after 18. Rxe4!? Bxe4 19. Bxe4Nb6 20. Bxa8 Nxa8 21. axb5 axb5 22. Be3exd4 23. Nxd4 Qd5. 18...Bxe4 19.Rxe4 Qd520.Rg4 A wild try for advantage. Steadier is 20.Re1 Na5 21. axb5 Nxb3 22. Rxa6 exd4! withequality. 20...Na5 21.Bxh6Nxb3 22.Ra3 Mix-ing it up. The rook is untouchable in view of22...Bxa3? 23. Rxg7+ Kh8 24. Ng5 Re7 25.Qh5. Later their fifth match game was drawn af-ter 22. Rb1 bxa4 23. Nxe5 Qe6! 24. Qf3c5. 22...bxa4 23.Rxa4 Rab8 24.Rxa6 Notbest. Gligoric suggested 24. Qf1 and Tal thought24. Be3 is right. 24...exd4 25.cxd4 The cor-rect path is 25. Nxd4. 25...c5 Much stronger is25...Ra8! 26. Rxa8 Rxa8 when White must ad-dress the threats of Ra1 in addition to c5 and f5.26.Be3 Rb4 27.Rg5 Qb7 28.Rh6 Nxd4 Sim-pler is 28...g6 when White must sacrifice a rookon g6 to obtain a draw. 29.Nxd4 Rb1 30.Bc1Qb2 31.Qh5 This faulty combination nearly suc-ceeds. Correct is 31. Nb3 Qe2 32. Qd5 with a keenstruggle in the offing. 31...Qxc1+ 32.Kh2Bd6+33.Rxd6 Qf4+ 34.Rg3 Qxd6 35.Nf5 Ree1This is what Tal overlooked. The mate threat com-pels White to plunge into unfavorable simplifica-tions. 36.Qxf7+Kxf7 37.Nxd6+Ke6 38.Rg6+Kd5 39.Nf5 Rb7 40.Ne3+ Rxe3 A witty way

111

to eliminate technical problems. 41.fxe3 Rc7Adhering to the principle that rooks belong BE-HIND passed pawns. The rest is window dress-ing. 42.Kg3 c4 43.Kf4 c3 44.e4+ Kc4 45.Ra6c2 46.Ra1Kd3 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Ivkov, B.• Donner, J.Capablanca MemorialCuba1968 1-0 C81"This is the kind of game I always admire: a newidea in the opening, an excellent conception of themiddle game and, finally, a spectacular kingside at-tack involving sacrifices" – Rossolimo.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–ONxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5Be6 9.Qe2Nc510.Rd1 Nxb3 11.cxb3 Violating principle bycapturing away from the center is an original idea.White hopes to exploit the open c-file. 11...Be7Perhaps Black should regroup with 11...Nb8 12.Bg5 Be7 13. Bxe7 Qxe7 14. Nc3 c6. 12.Nc3O–O 13.Be3 Na5 14.Rac1 Nb7 15.Ne4 Bg4Black’s has lost control over c5. If 15...Rc8 16.Nc5 Nxc5 17. Bxc5 f6 18. Nd4 is strong. 16.h3Bxf3 17.Qxf3 c6 He should hasten to simplifywith 17...dxe4 18. Rxd8 exf3 19. Rxa8 Rxa8 20.Rxc7 Bd6! 21. exd6 Nxd6. 18.Ng3Rc8 19.Nf5g6 Allows a brilliant conclusion. After 18...Kh820. Qg3 Rg8 White maintains a firm grip but therewould be no immediate way to win. 20.Rxd5Qe8It’s also over after 20...exd5 21. Rxc8 Qxc8 22.Nxe7+ with a family fork. 21.Bh6 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Tal, M.• Donner, J.BeverwijkHolland1968 1-0 C18Ordinarily it is difficult to launch an attack in thisvariation of the French Defense because of the bar-ricaded pawn structure. However, Tal succeeds inconfining Black’s king to the center and then pro-ceeds to open lines with wild abandon.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3Bxc3+6.bxc3Qc7 White reinforced his center at the costof doubled pawns and Black hastens to exert pres-sure along the c-file. 7.Nf3 b6 8.a4Ba6 9.Bxa6Black can mount a sturdy defense against 9. Bb5+Bxb5 10. axb5 a5 11. O-O Ne7 (Stein-Byrne,Sousse 1967.) 9...Nxa6 10.Qe2 Nb8 Avoiding

the trap 10...cxd4 11. Qb5+! Kd8 12. Qxa6 Qxc3+13. Ke2 Qxa1 14. Bg5+ winning the queen. 11.a5bxa5 11...cxd4 12. O-O is unclear but White’sattacking prospects remain bright. 12.Ba3 Nd713.dxc5 Ne7 14.c6 This thematic pawn sacrificeopens the a3-f8 diagonal and hems the Black kingin the center. 14...Qxc6 15.O–O Qxc3 The pur-pose is not so much to gain another pawn as to pre-vent Nd4. 16.Rfd1 Nc6 Tal feels that 16...Qc417. Qd2 Nc6 may be somewhat better; in that caseWhite can continue his attack with 18. Bd6 fol-lowed by 19. Ra3. 17.Bd6 Qc4 18.Qe3 Qe4Desperately trying to swap queens and diminishthe force of the attack. 19.Qb3 Nb6 Prevent-ing Qb7. With two extra pawns Black’s positionlooks cozy and his king is ready to go to d7 witha measure of safety. But the next move shattershis illusions. 20.c4Qxc4 21.Qa3Qa6 22.Rac1Rc8 Black could organize a better defense with22...Nc4 immediately. 23.Nd2 f6 It’s hard to con-ceded that Black’s solid position already is lost.Another possible defense is 23...Nd4. 24.exf6gxf6 25.Qf3 Kd7 Relatively better is 25...Nd7.26.Qxf6Rhe8 Even worse is 26...Kxd6 27. Ne4+Kc7 28. Nc5 Qe2 29. Qg7+. 27.Ne4 Ne728.Nc5+ Rxc5 29.Bxc5 Nc4 30.Bxe7 BlackResigns. The point is 30...Rxe7 31.Rxd5!+. One isleft with the impression that Black could have con-siderably improved his defense somewhere alongthe way, but that doesn’t detract from Tal’s coura-geous performance.1-0

◦ Sorokin, E.• Duborik, N.Postal GameUSSR1968 1-0 B09Correspondence chess takes place far from thehurly burly of the tournament arena, but it doesn’tlack tension. Many theoretical novelties are rigor-ously tested by mail, and this one contains its shareof fireworks.1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.f4 Bg7 5.Nf3O–O 6.e5 Less sharp but also playable is 6. Bd3.6...Nfd7 7.h4 c5 8.h5 cxd4 9.hxg6 A wild piecesacrifice. For 9. Qxd4 see Padevsky- Matanovich,1966. 9...dxc3 10.gxf7+ Rxf7 11.Bc4 e6 Hop-ing for 12. Bxe6? Nxe5! Another possible de-fense is 11...Nf8 12. Ng5 e6 13. Nxf7 Kxf7 14.Qh5+ Kg8 15. Bd3 h6 and now 16. g4 leads tomurky complications. 12.Ng5 Nxe5 Returningthe piece to destroy the center. 13.fxe5 The realtest of whether this line is sound would come after

112

13. Qh5 h6. 13...Qa5 Sets everything right again.Black misses a clear win by 13...cxb2! 14. Qh5Qxg5! 14.Qh5 The queen will return twice moreto this square, and each time with new threats.14...Qxe5+ 15.Be2 Rf5 16.g4 cxb2 16...Qg3+17. Kd1 Rd5+ 18. Bd3 Rxd3+ is exquisitely re-futed by 19. Ke2! and the king slips out whileBlack is faced with deadly mating threats. 17.gxf5Qa5+ 18.Kd1Qd5+ 19.Bd3Qxh1+ 20.Qxh1bxa1=Q An ingenious defense. Now White is atthe crossroads: play to win a rook down or take aprobable draw with 21. Qxh7+ Kf8 22. Qg6 Ke723. Qf7+ Kd8 24. Nxe6+ Bxe6 25. fxe6 Qf6 26.Qxb7 Qxe6 27. Bg5+ Bf6 28. Bxf6+ Qxf6 29.Qxa8. 21.Qh5 Qf6 22.fxe6 Nc6 Sorokin ana-lyzes wins against either 22...Qe7 or Bxe6 but per-haps Black can find an escape clause. 23.e7Bg4+24.Qxg4 d5 On 24...Ne5 25. Bxh7+ Kh8 26. Qh3still demolishes the defense. 25.Qh5 Black Re-signs. If 25...Qxe7 26. Bxh7+ Kf8 27. Ba3! Qxa328. Qf7 mate.1-0

◦ Botvinnik, M.• Portisch, L.MonacoFrance1968 1-0 A29Botvinnik was noted for his strategic depth. Hisgames seldom feature brilliancies but when giventhe opportunity he shows that he is always alert toall the dormant tactical implications.1.c4 e5 2.Nc3Nf6 3.g3 d5 4.cxd5Nxd5 5.Bg2Be6 Another try is 5...Ne7 6. Nf3 Nbc6 7. d3Nf5. 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.O–O Nb6 8.d3 Be7 9.a3a5 The main drawback is that Black is essayinga well- known variation of the Sicilian Defensea move down. This restraining maneuver merelycreates a weakness. More active is 9...f5 10. b4Bf6. 10.Be3 O–O 11.Na4Nxa4 12.Qxa4Bd513.Rfc1 Re8 Portisch himself queries this lack-luster developing move but fails to offer a satis-factory alternative. He could try 13...f5 14. Qb5Bf6 (15. Qxb7? Nd4). 14.Rc2 Bf8 15.Rac1Nb8 Hoping to neutralize White’s control of thefile with c6 on the next move, but it doesn’t work.Necessary is 15...e4 16. dxe4 Bxe4 17. Rd2 Qf6though White keeps the initiative with 18. Rc4!16.Rxc7 Bc6 17.R1xc6 bxc6 18.Rxf7 h6 Therook is immune: 18...Kxf7? 19. Qc4+ Kg6 20.Ng5 Qf6 21. Be4+ Kh5 22. Bf3+ Kg6 23. Bh5+Kxh5 24. Qh4+ Kg6 25. Qxh7 mate. HadBlack seen what was in store he might have tried18...Be7. 19.Rb7Qc8 20.Qc4+Kh8 Black can

avoid the holocaust with 20...Qe6 21. Nxe5 Qxc422. Nxc4 a4 but with strong diagonals for his bish-ops and two pawns for the Exchange White shouldwin the ending. 21.Nh4 Qxb7 22.Ng6+ Kh723.Be4 Bd6 24.Nxe5+ g6 Forced. If 24...Kh825. Nf7+ wins the house. 25.Bxg6+ Kg726.Bxh6+ Black Resigns. Neat to the end. If26...Kxh6 27. Qh4+ Kg7 28. Qh7+ Kf6 29. Ng4+Ke6 30. Qxb7 wins. No better is 26...Kf6 (or26...Kh8 27. Nf7+ Kg8 28. Nxd6+) 27. Qf4+ Ke628. Bf7+ Ke7 29. Qg5 mate. Voted the best gameof 1968 by the CHESS INFORMANT jury of eightgrandmasters.1-0

◦ Smyslov, V.• Liberzon, V.RigaUSSR1968 1-0 A25"My best game in ten years," said former worldchampion Smyslov. His queen sacrifice is verydeep and proves to be an unexpected bonus for hispositional superiority.1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.Rb1d6 6.b4 a6 Also playable is 6...f5 right away so asnot to create a queenside target. Evans-Spassky,Lugano Olympiad 1968, continued 7. d3 Nf6 8.b5 Ne7 9. e4 O-O 10. Nge2 a6 with equal-ity. 7.e3 f5 8.Nge2Nf6 9.d3 O–O 10.O–OBd711.a4 Rb8 12.b5 axb5 13.axb5 Ne7 14.Ba3To prevent Black from freeing his game with c5.14...Be6 15.Qb3 b6 16.d4 e4 17.d5Bf7 18.Nd4Qd7 19.Bb2 "According to the great teachers ofthe past – Anderssen, Lasker, Alekhine – beforeone attacks, every piece must be on its best square.Since the bishop has served its purpose on a3 itis moved to its best attacking post" – Smyslov. Ifnow 19...Ra8 20. Ra1 followed by Ra6 so Blackdecides to launch a kingside offensive. 19...g520.Nce2 Kh8 21.Ra1 Ng6 22.f4 exf3 23.Rxf3Ne7 24.Nc6 Rbe8 25.Ned4 Nfxd5 Probablythe best practical chance to end slow strangulation.26.cxd5Bxd5 27.Nxf5Rxf5 The queen can’t betaken: 27...Bxb3 28. Bxg7+ Kg8 29. Ncxe7+ Rxe730. Bxf8 Kxf8 31. Ra8+ Kf7 32. Nd4+ followedby Nxb3 wins. Also bad is 27...Nxf5 28. Qxd5Bxb2 29. Raf1. 28.Bxg7+ Kg8 Disagreeablebut necessary since 28...Kxg7 29. Qc3+ Kg8 30.Rxf5 Qxf5 31. Rf1 Qe6 32. Rf6! gains material.29.Rxf5 Bxb3 30.Rxg5 Ng6 Best. Not 30...h631. Nxe7+ Rxe7 32. Ra8+ Re8 33. Bxh7+ Kh7 34.Rg7+ wins. Time to take stock. White has onlya rook and bishop for the queen, but she will be

113

subjected to unrelenting harassment. 31.Bh6Qe632.h4Qxe3+ 33.Kh2Qc3 34.Rf1Bc4 35.Rf2Qe1 36.Rgf5 Bxb5 37. Bd2 Qb1 The queenis almost more trouble than it’s worth. She has tobe constantly protected and is inefficient both fordefense and attack. 38.Bd5+Kh8 39.Bc3+Ne540.Nxe5 dxe5 41.Rxe5 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Benko, P.• Horowitz, A.USA ChampionshipNew York1968 1-0 A14Black single-mindededly pursues a consistentstrategic theme: exploiting White’s weak square onb3. This obsession proves to be his downfall whenhe is caught off guard on the opposite flank.1.c4 c6 2.Nf3 d5 3.b3 Nf6 4.g3 e6 Passive.4...Bf5 (or g6) is more enterprising. 5.Bg2Be76.Bb2 O–O 7.O–O a5 8.a3 c5 An obvious lossof time, since the pawn took two moves to reacha square it could have reached in one. Better is8...Nbd7 but not 8...a4 9. b4 dxc4 10. Ne5 favor-ably regaining the pawn. 9.cxd5 exd5 10.d4Na6A strange place for the knight, but consistent withhis attempt to exploit b3. More flexible is 10...b6.11.Nc3Bf5 12.Ne5 cxd4 13.Qxd4Nc5 Appar-ently White fell into a trap and left b3 vulnerable.If he is obliged to retreat with 14. Qd1 Qb6 15.Nxd5 Nxd5 16. Bxd5 Rad8 would be tough tomeet. 14.Nxd5 Nxb3 15.Qf4 Nxd5 Necessaryis 15...Bc2 16. Nxe7+ Qxe7 17. Rae1 Rfd8 withfair chances of survival. 16.Qxf5Nxa1 17.Nxf7The killer. Black was hoping for 17. Rd1 Ne3!17...Qc8 If 17...Nc2 18. Be4! Ra6 19. Qh5! Rh620. Qxh6! Equally hopeless is 17...Rxf7 18. Bxd5.18.Nh6+ Kh8 19.Qxd5 Nc2 20.Qg8+ BlackResigns. A banal smothered mate after 20...Rxg821. Nf7.1-0

◦ Medina, G.• Pomar, A.MalagaSpain1969 1-0 B89Another testament to the infinite richness of chess.Black’s refinement on move 14, aimed at thwart-ing the Velimirovic attack, spawns a host of newcomplications.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 The scantexperience with 4. dxc5 Nxe4 5. cxd6 e6 6.

Qd3 Nxd6 7. Nc3 indicates that White holdsthe edge. 4...cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nc6 6.Bc4 Qc77.Bb3 a6 8.Be3 e6 9.Qe2 Be7 10.O–O–ONa5 11. g4 Nxb3+ 12.axb3 b5 13.g5 Nd714.Nf5 b4 Apparently Pomar has no taste for14...exf5l 15. Nd5 as in Velimirovic-Sofrev- sky,1966, but his medicine may be even more bit-ter. 15.Nxg7+ An imaginative gamble. The pru-dent 15. Nxe7 bxc3 16. Nxc8 Rxc8 gives Blacksome counterplay despite his abysmally weak d-pawn. 15...Kf8 16.Qh5 Kxg7 The complica-tions are also monstrous after 16...bxc3 17. Qh6!Qa5. 17.Bd4+Ne5 18.f4 Saving the knight with18.Na4 would lose the momentum of the attack af-ter 18...Bb7. 18...bxc3 19.Bxc3 Bb7 Black canhope to weather the storm by returning the pieceby 19...h6 20. fxe5 Bxg5+ 21. Kb1 dxe5 but22 h4! is very strong. Desperate measures areneeded and the answer is 19...Qxc3! 20. bxc3Ng6 netting three pieces for the queen. 20.fxe5dxe5 21.Rd7 Qxd7 22.Qh6+ Kg8 23.Bxe5 f624.gxf6 Bc5 Or 24...Bf8 25. Rg1+ Kf7 26. Qh5mate. 25.Qg7+ Qxg7 26.fxg7 Rarely does onepawn win two rooks! 26...Kf7 27.gxh8=QRxh828.Bxh8 Bxe4 29.Rf1+ Bf5 An Exchange andpawn down, Black could safely resign instead ofdragging it out to the bitter end. 30.Be5 Be3+31.Kb1Kg6 32.Bf4Bd4 33.Re1Kh5 34.Kc1Kg4 35.Be5 Bf2 36.Rf1 Be3+ 37.Kd1 Bc538.Rf4+ Kh3 39.Rf3+ Kg2 40.Rg3+ Kf241.Kd2 h5 42.Rg8 a5 43.c4 Finally gets thepassed pawn moving! 43...h4 44.Rc8 Be3+45.Kc3 Ke2 46.b4 Bd2+ 47.Kb3 Bxb4 48.c5Be4 49.c6 Ke3 50.Ka4 Bd5 51.Kb5 Ke452.Bf6 h3 53.Rd8Ke3 54.Rxd5 Black Resigns.At last the pawn triumphs after 54...exd5 55. c7.1-0

◦ Tal, M.• Bolbochan, J.Havana OlympicsCuba1969 1-0 B89One expects Tal to prevail in positions replete withattacking themes. But the unique twist he gives thetask each time is truly marvelous. Here his "quiet"maneuver on move 25 is the straw that broke thecamel’s back.1.e4 c5 "It is more desirable to try 1...e5 againstTal but Bolbochan is a hard-headed opponent whosteps aside for no one" – R. Byrne. 2.Nf3 Nc63.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Be3 Nf67.Bc4 Be7 8.Qe2 O–O 9.Bb3 a6 The imme-diate 9...Na5 snuffing out the bishop on b3 is the

114

right way to get into the fight. 10.O–O–O Qa5It’s preferable to reserve this square for the knight.Better is 10...Qc7. 11.Kb1 Re8 More active is11...Bd7 and b5. Black mistakenly supposes thatthe breakthrough will come with f4-e5 and braceshimself against that pawn advance. 12.Rhg1Bd713.g4 Nxd4 14.Bxd4 Bc6 15.g5 Nd7 16.Rd3g6 17.h4 Nc5 18.h5 Nxb3 Capturing the rookwould allow White’s bishops to rake the kingside,so the kind offer is declined. On 18...Nxd3 19.Qxd3 Bxg5 20. hxg6 fxg6 21. e5 gives a po-tent attack. 19.axb3 e5 20.Be3 Qc7 This retreatexposes the folly of 10...Qa5. 21.Bd2 Rad822.Rh1Bf8 23.Qg4 b5 24.Qh4 b4 25.Nd1 d5Bolbochan is a very stubborn, indefatigable de-fender, and he has managed to prime a promis-ing counterattack. 26.Ne3 dxe4 27.Ng4 Theknight’s mission is revealed. Now if 27...exd3 28.Nf6+ Kh8 29. hxg6 dxc2+ 30. Kc1 fxg6 31.Qxh7 mates. 27...f5 28.Nf6+Kf7 29.hxg6+Ke630.Nxe8 Quite a road traveled all the way fromd1! 30...Rxe8 31.gxh7 Bg7 32.Rdh3 Bd533.Qh5Kd7 34.Qxe8+ Black Resigns. Brilliantto the very end. On 34...Kxe8 35. h8=Q+ Bxh8 36.Rxh8+ Ke7 37. Bxb4+ nets a whole rook.1-0

◦ Tsheshkovsky, V.• Lutikov, A.USSR ChampionshipMoscow1969 1-0 C41Black attempts a refutation of a book refutation,but one more refutation restores the original judg-ment. The more things change, the more they re-main the same.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Weaker is theonce popular 4. dxe5 Nxe4 5. Nbd2 Nxd2 6.Bxd2 Be7! 7. exd6 Qxd6 8. Bc3 O-O 9. Qxd6Bxd6 with a drawish ending (Boleslavsky-Keres,Moscow 1962). 4...Nbd7 5.Bc4 Be7 6.O–OO–O 7.a4 c6 8.Qe2 exd4 Better is 8...Qc7 tomaintain the central tension. Obviously Lutikovis steering for a prepared variation since he al-ready used this same defense against Smyslov atthe Chigorin Memorial in 1960. That game con-tinued 8...a5 9. h3 exd4 10. Nxd4 Nc5 11. Rd1Qc7 12. Bf4 with a freer game. 9.Nxd4 Nxe4Without this follow-up the previous move aban-doning the center loses much of its point. 10.Nxe4d5 11.Nf5 Black undoubtedly had some improve-ment in mind over Suetin-Gusev, Tula 1950 whichwent 11. Ba2 dxe4 12. Rd1 Bf6 13. Nf5 Qc714. Qxe4 Nc5 15.Qf3 Be5 16. Bg5! with clear

advantage. 11...dxc4 This must be Lutikov’s nov-elty. In case of 11...dxe4 White need not retreathis bishop as in the previous note and would thusgain an extra tempo for the attack. An old Keresanalysis runs 11...dxe4 12. Qxe4 Bf6 13. Nh6+!gxh6 14. Bd3 Re8 15. Qxh7+ Kf8 16. Bxh6+Ke7 17. Rfe1+ Kd6 18. Bf4+ Be5 19. Qxf7 butBlack by no means can be counted out. 12.Bh6Nf6 The tricky resource Black relied on. A blun-der would be 12...Bf6? 13. Bxg7 Bxg7 14. Qg4.White also gets a terrific attack after 12...gxh6 13.Qg4+ Bg5 14. Nxh6+ Kg7 15. Nxg5! Kxh6 16.Qh4+ Kg6 17. Qxh7+ Kxg5 18. f4+ Kf6 19.Qh6+. 13.Neg3 The refutation of the refutation.This simple yet elegant retreat is precisely the kindof move one is prone to overlook in home analy-sis. With one stroke White protects the knight onf5 and renews the attack on both e7 and g7. Un-clear is 15. Rad1 Bxf5! 14. Rxd8 Raxd8 withcompensation for the queen. 13...Bxf5 14.Nxf5gxh6 15.Nxe7+ Kg7 16.Nf5+ Kg6 17.Ne7+Kg7 White repeated moves to gain time on theclock, a common tournament practice. 18.Qe5Qb8 Understandably Black is anxious to dislodgethe queen from its dominating post. However, hecould offer tougher resistance with 18...Re8 19.Rfe1 Qb8 frustrating the maneuver which ensues inthe game. 19.Nf5+ Kg6 20.Nd6 Kg7 21.Rfe1Rd8 22.Rad1Rd7 Shaken by the turn of events,Black can only sit back and wait for White to applythe finishing touch. 23.Rd4Qc7 24.Rg4+ BlackResigns. If 24...Kf8 25. Qxf6 Qxd6 26. Qh8 mate.1-0

◦ Smejkal, J.• Smyslov, V.HastingsEngland1969 1-0 B06Tournament winner’s Smyslov only loss wasagainst this young Czech player. After one inad-vertent move the roof caved in.1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.c3 An unpretentious systemaimed at bolstering the center. 3...d6 4.f4 Nf65.e5 Nd5 6.Nf3 O–O The game has earmarksof Alekhine’s Defense where White has refrainedfrom driving the knight away with c4. Black hasnothing to fear – yet. 7.Bc4 c6 8.a4Na6 9.O–ONac7 10.Qe1 f6 A handy defensive move whichassails the central pawn wedge and mutes the ma-neuver Qh4 and Ng5. 11.Qh4Be6 12.Na3Qd713.Bd2 b5 14.Bd3Nb6 15.axb5 cxb5 16.Rae1a6 Underestimating the attack. Better is 16...dxe517. fxe5 a6 with a hard game for both sides. Now

115

the roof caves in. 17.exd6 exd6 18.Rxe6 Qxe619.f5 g5 More resistance is offered by 19...gxf5 20.g4 Qf7 21. Bxf5 h6. Smyslov, however, is stillshaken by Smejkal’s 18th move. 20.Nxg5 fxg521.Bxg5Qd7 22.f6Bh8 For the nonce Black hasstaved off mate and held onto the extra rook. Butall hope is soon squelched. 23.Bf5Ne6 24.Qg4Kf7 25.Qh5+Kg8 26.Qg4Kf7 27.Bxh7Ke8Forced. If 27...Nxg5 28. Qh5+ Ke6 29. Bf5+ wins.White lost nothing by repeating moves to gain timeon the clock. 28.f7+Rxf7 29.Bg6Nd8 30.Qh5Piling more pressure on the pinned rook and hittingthe bishop as well. Now if 30...Bg7 31. Bxd8. Theend is near. 30...Qe6 31.Qxh8+ Kd7 32.Bxf7Black Resigns. On 32...Nxf7 33. Qg7 Black mustlose a piece.1-0

◦ Milko Bobotsov• Bent LarsenBusumWest Germany1969 0-1 A17"Light desert after dinner" is how Larsen describesthis game, his shortest win over a grandmaster.After all the warnings against leaving the king inthe center too long, this illustrates the danger ofcastling too soon. Bobotsov carelessly drops apawn on move six and goes from bad to worse ashe desperately tries to regain it. As usual, one badmove leads to another.1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4 4.g3 More cus-tomary is 4. Qc2 in order to recapture with thequeen, after O-O 5. a3 Bxc3 6. Qxc3 b6 7. Bg2Bb7. 4...O–O 5.Bg2 d5 6.O–O An instructiveerror. White fails to realize he can’t get the pawnback. Correct is 6. cxd5 or 6. a3 Be7 (if 6...Bxc37. bxc3 dxc4 8. Ne5 regains the button 7. d4 andif dxc4 8. Qa4 followed by Qxc4. "This is goingto cost him the game!" – Larsen 6...dxc4 7.Qa4"Contrary to many Catalan variations, this is nei-ther with check nor with a threat against the blackpawn on c4." – Larsen The problem, of course, isthat 7. Ne5 is refuted by Qd4! 7...Na6 8.a3Bd79.Nb5 "Looks crazy – and it is. But on 9. Qc2 Bd6White can’t regain the pawn." – Larsen 9...Qe810.Nfd4 "After 10. Nxcd7 Bxa4 11. Nxe8 Be7!12. Nxf6 Bxf6 White has won back the pawn, buthow can he develop his queenside? Also hopelessis 10. axb4 Bxb5 11. Qa5 Nd5." – Larsen 10...e511.Bxb7 exd4 12.Bxa6 "Another possibility was12. axb4 Bxb5 13. Qa5. Black cannot keep thepiece, but several variations are very advantageous,the most interesting being 13...Nb8 14. Bxa8 c6

15. Qxa7 Qxe2 which wins quickly." – Larsen12...Bh3 This surprising riposte decides the game.13.axb4 Loses quickly. So does 13. Re1 Qc6 14.f3 Bc5 15. Qxc4 d3 16. Kh1 Rae8. The only wayto keep the game alive is by giving up the Exchangewith 13. Nc3. 13...Qe4 14.Bb7 If 14. f3 Qxe2forces mate. 14...Qxb7 15.f3Bd7 White resigns.Black prefers to win the pinned knight, rather than15...Bxf1 16. Kxf1 d3 which also wins. Note thatthe bishop on c1 played no role in the action.0-1

◦ Petrosian, T.• Gligoric, S.?Rovinj-Zagreb1970 0-1 E97It is when both sides play to win that the most ex-citing chess is produced. In this game, Gligoric of-fers a consistent and sound piece sacrifice, whichought only to have maintained the balance. Pet-rosian’s attempt to hold on to everything results inhis Queen being exiled to h1.1.c4 g6 2.Nf3 Bg7 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 O–O 5.e4d6 6.Be2 e5 7.O–O Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.b4 Whitetries to accelerate his Queenside play [he plansto play c5 and c5xd6, followed by play againstd6 and c7]. The drawback of this move is thatthe weakening of the long diagonal permits theBlack Nf6 to take a more active role than usual.9...Nh5 10.Nd2Nf4 11.a4 f5 12.Bf3 g5 13.exf5Nxf5 14.g3 Nd4 The only consistent follow-up. On 14...Ng6 15.Nde4, White’s pieces domi-nate the Kingside and his pawns are ready to ad-vance on the other wing. 15.gxf4Nxf3+ 16.Qxf3Safer was 16.Nxf3 exf4 17.Bb2 g4 18.Kh1, return-ing the piece with approximate equality. 16...g417.Qh1 Petrosian believes the sacrifice to be un-sound and is unwilling to permit Black to recoverhis material with 17.Qd3 Bf5 18.Nde4 exf4 19.f3[but not 19.Bd2? f3, followed by 20.Rxf3 Bxc321.Qxc3 Bxe4 22.Rxf4 Qg5+ 23.Qg3 Qxg3+, witha likely draw. 17...exf4 18.Bb2 Bf5 19.Rfe1f3 20.Nde4 Qh4 21.h3 Be5 The Queen at h1has no scope and serves only to obstruct the WhiteKing. Now 22.hxg4 Qxg4+ 23.Kf1 Bxc3 is crush-ing – 24.Nxc3? Bd3+. 22.Re3 gxh3 23.Qxf3Bg4 24.Qh1 h2+ 25.Kg2 Qh5 26.Nd2 Bd4All the Black pieces are attacking. Now amove of the Rook allows 27...Rxf2+, and 27.Rae1fails to 27...Bh3+ 28.Rxh3 Qg4+ 29.Rg3 Rxf2++.27.Qe1 Rae8 28.Nce4 Black has a winning at-tack – 28.Kh1 Rxe3 29.fxe3 Bf3+ 30.Nxf3 Qxf3+31.Kxh2 Be5+ 32.Kg1 Qg4+. 28...Bxb2 29.Rg3

116

Be5 30.Raa3Kh8 31.Kh1Rg8 32.Qf1Bxg333.Rxg3Rxe4 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Petrosian, T.• Gligoric, S.Rovinj - Zagreb (5)Yugoslavia1970 0-1 E97Petrosian was a hard man to beat because he tookfew risks and seemed content to draw with hispeers. Here Gligoric upends him with a thematicpiece sacrifice in a sharp line of the King’s IndianDefense. The effort was awarded a brilliancy prize.1.c4 g6 2.Nf3 Bg7 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 O–O 5.e4d6 6.Be2 e5 7.O–O Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.b4 Nh5Also playable is 9...Nd7 but Black seeks his for-tune on the kingside. 10.Nd2 Veering from theusual 10. g3 f5 11. Ng5 Nf6 12. f3. 10...Nf411.a4 f5 12.Bf3 g5 13.exf5Nxf5 14.g3Nd4 Thissacrifice is nearly forced since 14...Ng6 15. Nde4gives White a bind. 15.gxf4 Nxf3+ 16.Qxf3 g417.Qh1 A curious retreat. Better is 17. Qd3 Bf518. Nde4 exf4 19. Bxf4 Bxe4 20. Qxe4 Bxc321. Ra3! with a drawish ending. 17...exf418.Bb2 Bf5 19.Rfe1 f3 Nailing White’s queento the cross. 20.Nde4 Qh4 21.h3 Be5 22.Re3gxh3 23.Qxf3Bg4 24.Qh1 h2+ 25.Kg2 No helpis afforded by 25. Kf1 Rf3! 25...Qh5 26.Nd2Bd4 27.Qe1 Forced. If 27. Rae1 Bh3+! 28. Rxh3Qg4+! 29. Rg3 Rxf2 mate. 27...Rae8 28.Nce4Bxb2 29.Rg3Be5 30.Raa3Kh8 31.Kh1Rf732.Qf1 Bxg3 33. Rxg3 33. Nxg3 lasts longerbut is just as bad. 33...Rxe4 White Resigns. If34. Nxe4 Bf3+ kills.0-1

◦ Boris Spassky• Bobby Fischer14th Chess OlympiadSiegen, Germany1970 1-0 D87The most eagerly awaited game in the entireOlympiad took place in the USSR-USA match be-tween the world champion and his inevitable chal-lenger. This victory was of the utmost importancefor Spassky, who prevailed after a tense struggle,raising his record to three wins and two draws outof five games against Fischer before their 1972showdown for the crown. Fischer stood well inthe opening but lost his way in the midgame, asSpassky succeeded in imposing his own will on thecourse of events.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4Nxc3 6.bxc3Bg7 7.Bc4 c5 8.Ne2Nc6 9.Be3O–O 10.O–O Qc7 The main line is 10...cxd411. cxd4 Bg4 12. f3 Na5. Karpov later re-vived the discredited 13. Bxf7!? Rxf7 14. fxg4with some success against Kasparov in their ti-tle bouts. 11.Rc1 Rd8 12.h3 Deviating from12. Qe1 e6 13. f4 Na5 14. Bd3 with whichSpassky defeated Fischer at Santa Monica 1966.12...b6 13.f4 e6 14.Qe1 Na5 15.Bd3 f5 16.g4Aggressive and logical to pry open the kingsidefor an attack. Chances are now roughly equal.16...fxe4 17.Bxe4 Bb7 18.Ng3 Nc4 19.Bxb7Qxb7 20.Bf2 Qc6 21.Qe2 cxd4 22. cxd4 b523.Ne4 Bxd4 Risky and widely condemned be-cause it loosens the squares around Black’s king.Safer is 23...Rf8. 24.Ng5 Bxf2+ 25.Rxf2 Rd6Spassky recommended 25...Re8. 26.Re1 Qb627.Ne4Rd4 28.Nf6+Kh8 Better is 28...Kg7 ac-cepting an eventual trade of queens and a likelydraw after 29. Qxe6. Fischer seriously misjudgesthe position in playing for the win. 29.Qxe6Rd630.Qe4 Rf8 A waste of time. More pertinent is30...Rad8 31. g5 Rd2 32. Rf1 Rxf2 33. Rxf2 Qe3with equal chances. 31.g5 Rd2 32.Rf1 Qc7 Afatal error. Necessary is 32...Rxf2 33. Rxf2 Qe3even though White still retains a better ending with34. Qxe3 Nxe3 35. Rd2. 33.Rxd2Nxd2 34.Qd4Rd8 35.Nd5+Kg8 Hoping for 36. Qxd2 Qc5 re-gaining the piece. 36.Rf2 Nc4 37.Re2 Rd638.Re8+ Kf7 39.Rf8+ Snaring the queen after39...Kxf8 40. Qh8 Kf7 41. Nxc7. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Polugaevsky, L.• Tal, M.?USSR Championship1970 1-0 D41The Bishop sacrifice on h7/h2 is a rare bird thesedays, and rarer still in top-level competition, buthere we see former world champion Mikhail Talfalling victim to a refined version. The gamedemonstrates the "transformation of advantages,"as White trades space and material for time, ad-vancing his central pawns with a sacrifice to obtaina winning attack. It also shows the level of prepara-tion required of Grandmasters – Polugaevsky hadexamined the position arising at move 25(!) in hispre-tournament analysis.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c5 5.cxd5Nxd5 6.e4 Nxc3 7.bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+9.Bd2Bxd2+ 10.Qxd2 It had been assumed for

117

many years that Black could equalize in this vari-ation, since he could exchange several pieces. ButPolugaevsky and Spassky analyzed it in prepara-tion for Spassky’s 1969 match with Petrosian, anddiscovered that things were not so simple if Whitefound the right squares for his Rooks. 10...O–O11.Bc4Nc6 12.O–O b6 13.Rad1Bb7 14.Rfe1Neither Rook is placed on an open file, but bothsupport the advance of the central pawns at theright moment. White’s plan may involve cre-ation of a passed d-pawn, or a cramping advanceof the e4-pawn in anticipation of a Kingside at-tack. 14...Na5 15.Bd3 Rc8 16.d5 exd5 17.e5At the cost of a pawn, White has activated hisBishop and deadened Black’s. The Black minorpieces are a long way from Kingside ... 17...Nc418.Qf4 Nb2 19.Bxh7+ Kxh7 20.Ng5+ Kg6Forced; 20...Kh6? 21.Ne6+ is obviously out,and 20...Kg8 runs into something like 21.e6 fxe622.Qh4 Re8 23.Qh7+ Kf8 24.Qh8+ Ke7 25.Qxg7+Kd6 26.Nf7+, or 22...Rf5 23.Qh7+ Kf8 24.Qh8+Ke7 25.Qxg7+ Kd6 26.Rxe6+ Kc5 27.Qxb2 Rxg528.Qc3+ and mate soon. 21.h4 The point of thecombination; White threatens 22.h5+ Kxh5 23.g4+Kg6 24.Qf5+ Kh6 25.Qh7+ Kxg5 26.Qh5+ Kf427.Qf5++. 21...Rc4 22.h5+ Kh6 23.Nxf7+Kh7 24.Qf5+ Kg8 25.e6 Qf6 Now on 25...Qe726.h6! is crushing: 26...Nxd1 27.h7++, 26...gxh627.Qg6++, or 26...Rxf7 27.exf7+ Qxf7 28.h7+.26.Qxf6 gxf6 27.Rd2 Rc6 The Knight cannotbe saved, for on 27...Nz4 comes 28.Nd6 Rc729.e7. 28.Rxb2 Re8 29.Nh6+ Kh7 30.Nf5Rcxe6 31.Rxe6 Rxe6 32.Rc2 Rc6 33.Re2Bc8 34.Re7+ Kh8 35.Nh4 f5 36.Ng6+ Kg837.Rxa7 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Westerinen, H.• Evans, L.Olympiad (7)Siegen, Germany1970 0-1 B99"’A typical Evans game!’ sneered my team-mates,implying that the win was routine once I had thepawn in my pocket. But to be on the defensethrough an entire game is a little hard on the nerves– even mine. One would prefer not to play suchhard chess every round, but trying to win withBlack always requires a certain degree of risk" –Larry Evans.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4Be7 8.Qf3 h6 9.Bh4Qc7 "Inmany variations it is important to prevent Bc4 andsubsequent sacrifices on e6" – Evans. 10.O–O–O

Nbd7 11.Bd3 g5 12.e5 This prepared variation ishard to refute but basically unsound because Blackis solid. More usual 12. fxg5 Ne5. 12...gxh4"Very risky is 12...dxe5 13. Nxe6 fxe6 14. Bg6+Kf8 15. hxg5 hxg5 16. Bxg5 Kg7 17. Qg3! Ifthere is a hole in this attack, it certainly wouldbe unpleasant to have to find it over the boardwith the clock ticking" – Evans. 13.exf6 Nxf614.Rhe1 Bd7 15.Qf2 O–O–O Black is healthyas long as he can castle but 15...d5 is even moreaccurate. 16.Nf5 Bc6 17.Qa7 The only way toincrease the pressure. If 17. Nxe7+ Qxe7 18.Qxh4 Bxg2 holds the pawn. 17...Rhe8 18.Nd4White can’t regain the pawn. If 18. Nxh6 Bf8;or 18. Nxh4 Nh5 19. Qf2 Nxf4! (20. Qxf4?Bg5 pins the queen). 18...Nd7 Curiously, thefact that Black has a number of plausible movescomplicates his defensive task! 19.f5Ne5 20.fxe6Bg5+ 21.Kb1 fxe6 22.a3 Bd7 Snatching a sec-ond pawn by 22...Bxg2 23. Nxe6 Rxe6 24. Bf5Qf7 is okay but too complicated in time pressure.Black’s aim is to consolidate as fast as possible.23.Be4Qb8 24.Qb6 d5 25.Bd3 Now White getspushed off the board. He must mix it up by 25.Bxd5! exd5 26. Nxd5. 25...Bf4 26.Re2 Neces-sary was 26. h3 to save the pawn but the rest ofthe game was played "blitz" by both sides in acutetime pressure. 26...Bxh2 27.Rf1 Qc7 28.Qa7Nc6 29.Nxc6 Qxc6 30.Rf7 Bb8 Now Black’sking is safe and the rest is technique. 31.Qd4Bg332.Qg7 e5 33.Rf6Re6 34.Rxe6Qxe6 35.Bh7Kb8 36.Rd2 Bc6 37.Ne2 Bf2 38.Nc3 Bd439.Ne2 Be3 40.Rd3 d4 41.Rb3 e4 White Re-signs0-1

◦ Fischer, R.• Larsen, B.Interzonal (9)Palma, Mallorca1970 0-1 B89This game is memorable because it was Fischer’sonly loss in this qualifying event before an in-credible winning streak that brought him the worldchampionship in 1972. A year later Fischer wipedout the Great Dane 6-0 in their candidates’ match.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3Nc6 6.Bc4 The Sozin Variation, a Fischer favoritethat Short revivied with some success in his 1993title match vs. Kasparov 6...e6 7.Bb3Be7 8.Be3O–O 9.Qe2 a6 10.O–O–OQc7 11.g4Nd7 12.h4The correct continuation is 12. g5! accord-ing to Velimirovic, the originator of this attackingscheme. 12...Nc5 13.g5 b5 14.f3 Bd7 14...b4 is

118

well met by 15. Na4. 15.Qg2 b4 16.Nce2Nxb3+17.axb3 Black also stands well on 17. Nxb3 a5 18.Kb1 a4 19. Nbc1 Ne5. 17...a5 18.g6 fxg6 19.h5Nxd4 20.Nxd4 g5 21.Bxg5 Bxg5+ 22.Qxg5h6 23.Qg4 Rf7 Larsen’s cool defense now pre-cludes 24. Nxe6? Qc8 25. Rxd6 Re7. 24.Rhg1a4 25.bxa4 e5 26.Ne6 Useless is 26. Nf5 Bxf527. exf5 Rxa4 28. Kd2 d5. 26...Qc4 27.b3Qxe6 28.Qxe6 Bxe6 29.Rxd6 Re8 White hasonly two pawns for the piece, but Black still facestechnical problems. 30.Rb6Rxf3 31.Rxb4Rc832.Kb2Rf2 33.Rc1Bf7 Winning an importantpawn, after which the path will be cleared for theadvance of his own h-pawn. 34.a5 Ra8 35.Rb5Bxh5 36.Rxe5 Be2 37.Rc5 h5 38.e5 Bf339.Kc3 h4 40.Kd3 Re2 41.Rf1 Rd8+ 42.Kc3Be4 43.Kb4 Rb8+ 44.Ka3 h3 45.e6 Bxc245...h2 is also sufficient. Here it was adjourned.46.b4Re3+ 47.Kb2Bd3 48.Ra1Ba6 49.Rc6Rxb4+ 50.Kc2 Bb7 51.Rc3 Re2+ 52. Kd1Rg2 White Resigns0-1

◦ Evans, L.• Browne, W.USA National Open (7)Sparks, Nevada1970 1-0 B52This game features a check on the third move, re-sulting in early exchanges which contain a drop ofpoison. Enroute to the title, Evans disposed of hismain rival with pellucid simplicity.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Not popular becauseit poses too few problems. 3...Bd7 The sim-plest. Complex alternatives are 3...Nc6 or Nd7.4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.O–O Nc6 6.d4 cxd4 7.Nxd4g6 The cause of Black’s future problems becauseit gives White an iron grip on d5. More forc-ing is 7...Nf6 to prevent White from setting up afavorable form of the Maroczy Bind on the nextmove. If 8. Re1 e6 9. c4 Be7 offers chancesfor equality. 8.c4 Nf6 9.Nc3 Nxd4 10.Qxd4Bg7 11.b3 O–O 12.Bb2 Qe6 Misplacing thequeen. Better is 12...Rfc8 before exposing thismajor piece to danger. 13.Nd5 Rfc8 14.f4 Ne815.Qf2Bxb2 16.Qxb2Nc7 17.f5Qd7 18.Ne3Avoiding exchanges which would merely relieveBlack’s cramp. Now the threat is 19. Ng4 f620. Qxf6! 18...f6 19.Rad1 Qc6 20.Nd5 Nxd521.exd5 Qd7 22.fxg6 hxg6 23.Rde1 Piling upon the backward pawn on an open file. Black isnow strategically lost. 23...Kf7 24.Re6 Occupy-ing the "hole" and exerting more pressure on f6.24...Rf8 25.g4 Kg7 Also inadequate is 25...g5

26. Rfxf6!+ gxf6 27. Qxf6+ Kg8 28. Qxg5+Qg7 29. Rg6. 26.g5 Qd8 27.Rfe1 Qb6+ Des-peration. If 27...Rf7 28. Rxe7! does the trick.28.Kg2 Rae8 29.gxf6+ Kh7 30.Rxe7+ Rxe731.fxe7Re8 32.Qf6 Black Resigns1-0

◦ Geller, E.• Gligoric, S.USSR Vs. WorldBelgrade1970 1-0 C93"When you play the Ruy Lopez, it’s like milk-ing a cow," said Bronstein, referring to the grad-ual squeeze on Black. Gligoric reaches a tenableposition but carelessly lets the Russian execute asurprising combination.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.h3 h6Black wants to hold his strongpoint on e5 and pre-vents Ng5, an idea popularized by Smyslov. 10.d4Re8 11.Nbd2 Bf8 12.Nf1 Bb7 13.Ng3 Na514.Bc2 Nc4 15.b3 Nb6 16.Bb2 Nbd7 In theirthird game Gligoric varied with 16...c5 17. dxe5dxe5 18. c4 Nbd7 19. Qe2 b4 20. Rad1 Qa5 21.Bb1 Re8 22. Nf5 Rae8 23. Ne3 Nb8 24. Nd5 Nc625. Rd2 and they agreed to a draw, though White isslightly better. 17.Qd2 c5 18.Rad1Qa5 19.dxc5dxc5 20.c4 b4 20...Qxa2? 21. Ra1 Qxb2 22. Reb1costs the queen. 21.a4Qc7 Starting to go wrong.21...Rad8 first is better. 22.Nf5 Nb8 Bad tim-ing. The best defense is 22...Rad8 23. Nd6 Bxd624. Qxd6 Qa5. Black underestimates White’snext move. 23.Nxe5 Rxe5 24.Bxe5 Qxe525.f4 Qe6 26.e5 Ne8 27.Nh4 Nc6 28.Qd3 g629.f5 gxf5 30.Nxf5 Qg6 31.Qe2 Good enoughbut even more crushing is 31. Qd7. 31...Qg5Losing the queen but if 31...Qe6 32. Qe4 still wins.32.h4 Qf4 33.g3 Qxe5 34.Qg4+ Qg7 35.Nxg7Nf6 36.Qf4 Bxg7 37.Qc7 Rb8 38.Rd6 Ng439.Rxc6Bd4+ 40.Kf1 Black Resigns1-0

◦ Anatoly Karpov• Alexander ZaitsevUSSR Championship Semi-FinalsKuibyshev1970 1-0 B17One of the wildest games you would ever expect tosee from the normally conservative Karpov, whomarches his king into the center and finally wan-ders to the queenside for safety. "It can’t be classi-fied as correct, but what is a correct game? One

119

that is ideally played by both sides; consideringthat neither is a machine, perhaps there will be aslight inaccuracy." – Karpov.1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4Nd7 5.Nf3Ngf6 6.Nxf6+Nxf6 7.Ne5Bf5 The bishop willbe harassed on this square. Another plan is 7...Be6followed by g6 and Bg7. 8.c3 e6 9.g4Bg6 10.h4"Inspired by the games of Tal, the pawns want tounderscore the insecure position of the bishop ong6. The point is that h6 is not playable becauseof Nxg6, and it is simply not possible to switchto another diagonal by 10...Be4 11. f3 Bd5 12.c4" – Karpov. 10...Bd6 11.Qe2 Inadequate is11. h5 Be4 12. f3 Bxe5! 11...c5 12.h5 Anoversight. 12. Bg2 gives White a small advan-tage. 12...Be4 13.f3 cxd4 14.Qb5+ Nd7 "I for-got about 15. Nxd7 Bc6! And on 15. Qxd7 Qxd716. Nxd7 Bxf3 would be very unpleasant. WhenI saw all this, I decided to plunge into the jungleof tactical complications" – Karpov. 15.Nxf7Bg3+ 16.Ke2 Steinitz once quipped, "My kinglikes to go for a stroll in the opening." 16...d3+17.Ke3Qf6 Also good is 17...Kxf7 18. Kxe4 Nf6.18.Kxe4Qxf7 19.Rh3 a6 20.Qg5 h6 Stronger is20...e5! 21. Rxg3 Nc5 22. Ke3 O-O 23. Rh3 Rad8threatening ...Ne4. 21.Qe3 e5 "It may be hard tobelieve, but White already has the advantage. Zait-sev should take the forced draw: 21...Nf6 22. Kxd3Nxg4 23. fxg4 Qxf1 24. Kc2 Qxh3 25. Qxe6 Kd826. Qd5 Kc8 27. Qf5 Kb8 28. Bf4 and Black can-not avoid perpetual check. But how can one resistplaying for mate in such a position?!" – Karpov.22.Kxd3 Bf4 23.Qg1 O–O–O 24.Kc2 Bxc125.Rxc1 Returning the pawn, but completing mo-bilization of all the pieces. 25...Qxa2 26.Rh2Rhf8 27.Rd2Qa4+ 28.Kb1 Voila! Safe at last.Now, a mistake would be 28...Rxf3 29. Rcd1 con-trolling the d-file. 28...Qc6 29.Bd3 Kc7 Anycapture on f3 is futile in view of the pin by 30. Bf5.30.Be4 Qb6 31.Qh2 Rde8 32.Rcd1 Completedomination! A classic example of the superiorityof a bishop over a knight. 32...Nf6 33.Bg6Re734.Re1Qb5 35.Rde2Nd7 36.Bf5Rxf5 Blackgives up the Exchange rather than the weak pawnon e5. 37.gxf5Qd3+ 38.Ka1Qxf5 39.Qh4Nf640.Qc4+ Kd8 41.Qc5 Nd7 42.Qd5 Kc8 43.Re4 b5 The only defense against Rc4. The restis a matter of technique. 44.Qa8+Kc7 45.Qa7+Kd8 46.Qxa6 Qxh5 47.f4 Qf5 48.Qa8+ Kc749.Qa5+ Kc6 50. c4 b4 51.Qxb4 Re6 52.fxe5Kc7 53.Qa5+ Kb7 54.Qb5+ Rb6 55.Qd5+Kc7 56.Kb1 Qf2 Black’s last futile threat isQxb2 mate! 57.R4e2 Qf5+ 58.Qe4 Qxe4+59.Rxe4Nc5 60.R4e3Ne6 61.Kc2 g5 62.Kc3

h5 63. b4 Ra6 64.c5 Ra3+ 65.Kc4 Rxe366.Rxe3 h4 67.b5 Kd8 68.b6 Kd7 69.Rd3+Kc8 70.Rd6 h3 Too little, too late. 71.Rxe6 g472.Rh6 Black Resigns1-0

◦ Fischer, R.• Petrosian, T.USSR Vs. World (1)Belgrade1970 1-0 B13An important historical contest. After an absenceof almost two years from tournament chess, Fis-cher agreed to take second board behind Larsen inthis ten board match and roared back with 3-1 overPetrosian in their set. This sweet taste of victoryrestored Fischer’s confidence to renew his assaulton the citadel.1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.Bd3 Nc6 5.c3Nf6 6.Bf4 Bg4 7.Qb3 Na5 7...Qc8! is moreaccurate. If 8. h3 Bh5. 8.Qa4+ Bd7 9.Qc2e6 Hems in the Bishop. Petrosian suggested 9...a6.Capablanca once played 9...Qb6 in this position.10.Nf3 Qb6 11.a4 To saddle Black with a badbishop by stopping ...Bb5. There is nothing tofear from 11...Nb3 12. Ra2. 11...Rc8 12.Nbd2Nc6 13.Qb1 Nh5 14.Be3 h6 15.Ne5 Nf616.h3Bd6 17.O–OKf8 18.f4Be8 19.Bf2Qc720.Bh4Ng8 21.f5Nxe5 22.dxe5Bxe5 23.fxe6Bf6 24. exf7Bxf7 25.Nf3Bxh4 26.Nxh4Nf627.Ng6+ Bxg6 28.Bxg6 Ke7 29.Qf5 Kd8 30.Rae1 Qc5+ 31.Kh1 Rf8 32.Qe5 Rc7 33.b4Qc6 34.c4 dxc4 35.Bf5 Rff7 36.Rd1+ Rfd737.Bxd7Rxd7 38.Qb8+Ke7 39.Rde1+ BlackResigns.1-0

◦ Vassily Smyslov• Bobby FischerMallorca Interzonal (2)Spain1970 0-1 A36The better player will win with either color, but ittakes longer with Black. Fischer said the turningpoint in his career came with the realization thatBlack should play to win instead of just steering forequality, and this solid triumph with Black over aformer world champion proves his point. His vic-tory ahead of the powerful Soviet contingent in afield of 24 launched his remarkable run to the ti-tle in 1972. In order to pave the way for Fischerto compete in Mallorca, however, every Americanwho played in the previous zonal qualifying roundhad to sign a waiver and step down!

120

1.c4 g6 2.Nc3 Bg7 3.g3 c5 4.Bg2 Nc6 5.b3 e66.Bb2Nge7 7.Na4 Smyslov tries to improve onhis draw with Fischer earlier in the year at BuenosAires which continued 7. Nf3 O-O 8. Na4? e5!(inviting 9. Nxc5? e4! 10. Bxg7 exf3). Fischerwrested the initiative and at first refused Smyslov’soffer of a draw by saying, "I don’t take draws inunder 40 moves!" 7...Bxb2 8.Nxb2 O–O 9.e3d5 10.cxd5 Nxd5 11.Ne2 b6 12.d4 White paysdearly for failing to castle here. The king lookssafe enough for now, but Fischer finds ways to putit under acute pressure. 12...Ba6 13.dxc5 Qf614.Nc4 Nc3 15.Nxc3 Qxc3+ 16.Kf1 Rfd817.Qc1 Bxc4+ 18. bxc4 Qd3+ 19.Kg1 Rac820.cxb6 axb6 21.Qb2 Na5 22.h4 The result ofBlack’s pawn sacrifice is activity for all of his ma-jor pieces. Necessary is 20. Bf1! Nxc4 23. Qf6Qd5 24. Bxc4 Rxc4 and only now 25. h4 withgood drawing chances for White. Soon the pres-sure becomes unbearable. 22...Nxc4 23.Qf6Qf524.Qxf5 gxf5 25.h5 Rd2 26.Rc1 Rc5 27.Rh4Ne5 28.Rxc5 bxc5 29.Ra4 c4 Black’s advan-tage has been translated into an active passedpawn and a good knight against a bad bishop.30.h6Kf8 31.Ra8+Ke7 32.Rc8Rxa2 33.Bf1Rc2 34.Kg2 Ng4 35.Kg1 Rxf2 36. Bxc4Rf3 37.Kg2 Rxe3 38.Rh8 Nxh6 39.Rxh7Ng4 40.Bb5 Rb3 41.Bc6 Rb2+ 42.Kg1 Ne543.Ba8 Rb8 Black’s two extra pawns are deci-sive. In his heyday Smyslov was nearly invinciblewith White. This dynamic victory with Black overa former world champion showed that Fischer wason his way to the top. White Resigns.0-1

◦ Larsen, B.• Spassky, B.USSR Vs. WorldBelgrade1970 0-1 A01The USSR won this match by a narrow margin. Onthe top board world champion Spassky demolishedBent Larsen in a delightful miniature. White’s kingis a sitting duck with four of his pieces out of actionon the queenside.1.b3 e5 2.Bb2Nc6 3.c4Nf6 4.Nf3 Provocative.More solid is 4. Nc3. 4...e4 5.Nd4Bc5 6.Nxc6Aids Black by opening lines for his quick develop-ment. Instead 6. e3 is indicated. 6...dxc6 7.e3 Toopassive – and creates a hole on d3. White shouldsettle for 7. d4 exd3 8. Qxd3. 7...Bf5 Wisely re-serving the option of queenside castling. 8.Be2Qe7 9.Qc2 O–O–O 10.f4 Creates a fresh weak-ness which is immediately exploited. Better is 10.

Nc3. 10...Ng4 11.g3 Virtually forced since 11. O-O? Rxd2! 12. Nxd2 Nxe3 wins. Or 11. Nc3 Rxd2!12. Qxd2 Bxe3 13. Qc2 Bf2+ bags the queen. Nobetter is the pawn snatch 11. Bxg7 Rhg8 12. Bb2Qh4+! 13. g3 Nxe3! 14. dxe3 Rxg3! 11...h5 12.h3h4 13.hxg4 Of no avail either is 13. Bxg4 Bxg4 14.hxg4 hxg3 15. Rg1 Rh1! 16. Kf1 Qh4. 13...hxg314.Rg1Rh1 Another gift that can’t be refused be-cause White gets mated after 15. Kf1 Rxg1+ 16.Kxg1 Qh4. 15.Rxh1 g2 16.Rf1 Equally bad is16. Rg1 Qh4+ 17. Kd1 Qh1 16...Qh4+ 17.Kd1gxf1=Q+ White Resigns. If 18. Bxf1 Bxg4+ 19.Kc1 Qe1 mates.0-1

◦ Evgeny Vasiukov• Alexander MatanovichSkopjeYugoslavia1970 1-0Players frequently complain that you can onlyget away with brilliant games against relativelyweak opposition. Maybe. But the victim herewas no slouch. GM Matanovich was the formereditor-in-chief of the prestigious Chess Informantand he boasts a solid record of achievements inchess. This unknown masterpiece has never beenincluded in the standard works about spectacularattacking games. One critic noted that "it ush-ered in 70s-style attacking chess without attractingmuch attention at the time." WhiteŠs spectactular30th move alone is worth the price of admission!1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.d4 Con-sidered inferior to 9. h3 because of BlackŠs re-ply exerting pressure on d4. 9...Bg4 10.d5 Clos-ing the center is relatively tame but alternatives areno better. If 10. Bd5 Qd7; or 10.Be3 exd4 11.cxd4 Na5 12. Bc2 Nc4 13. Bc1 c5 equalizes.10...Na5 11.h3 A novelty at the time. An effec-tive response is 11...Nxb3 12. axb3 Bd7. 11...Bh512.Bc2 c6 13.dxc6 Qc7 ThereŠs no rush to re-capture. White keeps the edge after 13...Nxc614. g4 Bg6 15. Nh4. 14.Nbd2 Qxc6 15.Nf1Rfe8 16.Ng3 Bg6 17.Nh4 Bf8 This retreat isunnecessary. Black should regroup by bringinghis knight into play with 17...Nc4. 18.a4! Open-ing a second front on the queenside is highly ef-fective. 18...Nd7 19.Nhf5 Nb6 20.axb5 axb521.h4 f6 Weakens the kingside. Better is 21...Nb7.22.h5Bf7 23.Qg4Kh8 24.Nh4Nb3 25.Bxb3Bxb3 26.Ng6+ Kg8 Resisting the temptation of26...hxg6? 27. hxg6 with mayhem looming on

121

the open h-file. 27.Nf5 Qc7 Guarding the sec-ond rank. Of course not 27...Rxa1? 28. Nh6+!gxh6 29. Nxe5+ followed by Nxc6. 28.Be3Rxa1 29.Rxa1 Na4 30.c4!! Bxc4 Matanovichremarked drily that on 30...bxc4 31 g3 Black ispowerless against the threat of Kg2, Rh1 and h6!Even so, that remains to be seen. 31.Rc1 Nxb2Tempting but wrong. The best defense against thethreat of b3 is 31...Nc5. 32.Bb6! Qb7 The mainpoint is that 32...Qxb6 is refuted by 33. Nxf8 Qc734. Nd7! Qxd7 35. Nh6+ snaring the queen.33.Rxc4! The reason for this sacrifice soon willbe apparent. White appears to be after the king buthis real goal is the queen! 33...Nxc4 34.Nh6+!gxh6 35.Ne7+ Kf7 36.Qg8+ Kxe7 37.Qxh7+Ke6 The absence of the bishop on c4 rules outan interposition on f7. 38.Qxb7 Nxb6 39.Qxb6f5 40.Qxb5 Rd8 41.Qd5+ Kf6 42.exf5 Kxf543.Qf7+ Ke4 44.Qc7 Black resigns. The houseof cards collapses. Any rook move loses the rook,and if 44...Be7 45. Qxe7.1-0

◦ Evans, L.• Browne, W.USA Open Championship (7)Ventura, California1971 1-0 E56A positional gem by Evans enroute to his fourthOpen title. This key victory enabled him to tie forfirst with Browne, who made a few subtle errorsand slowly got outplayed.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 O–O 5.Bd3c5 6.Nf3 d5 7.O–O dxc4 8.Bxc4Nc6 9.a3Ba5If now 10. dxc5 Bxc3 11. bxc3 Qa5 regains thepawn. 10.Qd3 If now 10. dxc5 Bxc3 11. bxc3(of 11. Qxd8 Rxd8 12. bxc3 Ne4) Qa5 regainsthe pawn. 10...cxd4 11.exd4 Bb6 12.Rd1 h613.h3 A handy waiting move before deciding ona plan. 13...Qe7 14.Be3Rd8 15.Qe2 Rejecting15. Rac1 e5! 15...Nd5 16.Rac1 Nxe3 17.fxe3Bd7 Black has "won" the two bishops but mean-while White fortified his center. 18.Kh1 Be819.Ba2Rac8 20.d5Nb8 21.dxe6 fxe6 22.Rxd8Rxd8 23.Qc4Bd7 A bit better is 23...Rd6. NowBlack gets tied up. 24.Ne5Bc8 Even more irk-some is 24...Bxe3 25. Rd1! Bc8 26. Ng6! Qe8 27.Rxd8 Qxd8 28. Qxc8! Qxc8 29. Ne7+ and Nxc8.25.Qe4 Suddenly Black faces threats to his kingafter Bb1. 25...Nc6 26.Ng6 Qf6 27.Nf4 Qe5Giving up a pawn. Unpalatable is 27...Kf7 28. Rf1.28.Nxe6 Bxe6 29.Bxe6+ Kh8 30.Qxe5 Nxe531.Nd5 Nd3 32.Rc2 Bc5 Black’s last hope to

reach parity is to retain the opposite colored bish-ops. 33.Rc3 Nf2+ 34.Kg1 Ne4 35.Rc4 Ng536.Rxc5Nxe6 37.Rb5 b6 38.Nb4Nc7 39.Rf5Rd1+ 40.Rf1Rd2 41.Rf2Rd1+ 42.Kh2Re143.Rf7Nb5 44.Nd5Re2 45.b3Rd2 46. Rd7Nxa3 Black can put up a better fight with 46...Rb247. a4 Na3 48. b4 a5 49. bxa5 bxa5 but 50. Rc7and Rc5 wins anyway. 47.Rd8+ Kh7 48.Nf6+gxf6 49.Rxd2Nb5 50.Rd5 Black Resigns1-0

◦ Mark Taimanov• Bobby FischerCandidates Match (3)Vancouver1971 0-1FischerŠs 6-0 victory in this historic match cata-pulted him on the road to the World Championship.In the next match, he also eviscerated Bent Larsenby 6-0 in the semifinals, and then trounced Pet-rosian in Buenos Aires to qualify for his title matchwith Spassky at Reykjavik in 1972. "Our thirdgame holds a special place in my chess biography.It caused me acute suffering at the time and tor-mented me for many years," noted Taimanov in hisbook entitled "I Was Fischer’s Victim!"1.d4Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O–O6.Be2 e5 7.O–O Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Bd2 Varyingfrom 9.Ne1 (Taimanov-Evans, USA-USSR match1954). The idea behind the text is to get in c5as fast as possible. By keeping his knight on f3White hopes to exploit the hole created at e6 withNg5 after Black launches the essential counter ...f5.9...Ne8 Differing circumstances decide whetherthe knight should go to e8 or d7. The text allowsthe bishop on c8 to observe the e6 square. 10.Rc1In Korchnoi-Geller, 3rd match game in Moscow –taking place at the same time as this game – Whitetried 10. b4 to enforce c5 more quickly. 10...f511.Qb3 b6 12.exf5 gxf5 13.Ng5 Nf6 14.f4 h615.fxe5 dxe5 16.c5 Double-edged, but the sequelshows it was played intuitively with no idea of aconcrete follow-up. The simple retreat 16. Nf3is a good alternative. 16...Nfxd5 17.Nxd5Nxd518.cxb6 axb6 19.Rc6 Threatening Bc4. 19...Kh8"All my understanding of chess, all my experienceand feeling for the game convinced me that theposition should be won, and yet no concrete wayto victory could be found. Having become disil-lusioned with 20. Qh3 I began examining otherideas – such as 20. Rd1 – but also in vain. Andhere, I have to admit, I was seized by the feelingof helplessnes, of despair: ’Is this Fischer invul-nerable, is he somehow bewitched?’ I again re-

122

turned to 20. Qh3, again worked through dozens ofvariations, and again without success. And mean-while the clock was ticking, time trouble was ap-proaching. According to the arbiters’ reckoning,I pondered over the position for 72 minutes! Per-haps in all the fifty years of my career I have neverspent so much time on one move! And I simplycollapsed psychologically. My energy dried up,apathy set in, everything lost point, and I madethe first move that popped into my head. It lost,of course." – Taimanov 20.Nf3 This retreat effec-tively concedes the game. But computer analysisreveals no forced win after 20. Qh3 Nf6, despiteboth players’ claim that Taimanov missed a winby 20. Qh3. 20...Bb7 21.Rg6 Nf4 22.Bxf4exf4 "At the cost of worsening of his pawn struc-ture in the center, Fischer opens up the position,after which his bishops become irresistibly strong.This is another example of his favorite methodof transforming one type of advantage into an-other." – Taimanov 23.Rd1 Qe7 24.Re6 Qc5+25.Kf1 Rfd8 "Fischer is in his element. Afterseizing the initiative, with impressible energy hedevelops his offensive over the entire board. Now26...Bd5 is threatened." – Taimanov 26.Rxd8+Rxd8 27.Qa4 Qc1+ 28.Kf2 Bf8 29.b4 Be4One good move after another by Fischer leavesWhite in an awful position. 30.Re8 After thismistake, White could resign. 30...Bc6 31.Qxc6Qxc6 32.Rxd8 Qf6 33.Rc8 Qe7 34.Kf1 Kh7Breaking the pin and freeing the bishop. WhiteŠsrook and knight are no match for the mighty queen.35.Nd4 Bg7 36.Nb5 Be5 37.a3 Qd7 38.Ra8f3 39.gxf3Bxh2 40.Kg2Qg7+ 41.Kxh2Qe5+White Resigned. 42...Qxe2 is coming next. "Herethe game was adjourned and, of course, I resignedwithout resuming. I was able to play a match withan outstanding Grandmaster who was to occupy anhonored place in history, and to experience enor-mous creative pleasure, since it was generally con-sidered that, despite the sensationally catastrophicresult, the games themselves were exceptionallyinteresting and hard-fought." – Taimanov0-1

◦ Bobby Fischer• Tigran PetrosianCandidates Match (1)Buenos Aires1971 1-0 B44Riding the crest of a 19-game winning streak, Fis-cher faced the imperturbable ex-world champion.Petrosian was well prepared and refuted one of

his opponents pet weapons against the Sicilian De-fense. Departing from his usual cautious style, heseized he initiative with a sensational 11th move.But he went astray, swapped pieces and drifted intoan inferior ending where his great defensive geniuswas foiled by the clock. Short of time, Petrosianmissed good drawing chances.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 Pet-rosian varied with 4...a6 in their seventh matchgame. 5.Nb5 d6 6.Bf4 A dubious, time-consuming maneuver. More solid is 6. c4 with aMaroczy Bind. 6...e5 7.Be3Nf6 8.Bg5Be6 Im-proving on 8...Qa5 9. Qd2! Nxe4 10. Qxa5 Nxa511. Be3 Kd7 12. N1c3! Nxc3 13. Nxc3 as inFischer-Taimanov, 2nd match game 1971. 9.N1c3a6 10.Bxf6 gxf6 11.Na3 d5 Prepared analysis,improving on 11...Nd4 12. Nc4 f5 13. exf5 Nxf514. Bd3 as in Fischer-Taimanov, 6th match game1971. 12.exd5 Bxa3 13.bxa3 Qa5 14.Qd2O–O–O 15.Bc4Rhg8 16.Rd1Bf5 Also strongis 16...Rxg2 17. Ne4 Qb6! 17.Bd3Bxd3 Miss-ing the thematic 17...e4! 18. Be2 Rxg2 19. Qe3Ne5 with active winning chances. 18.Qxd3Nd419.O–O Kb8 20.Kh1 Qxa3 Leads to trouble.More viable is 20...f5 21. f4 f6 with even chances.21.f4 Rc8 22.Ne4 Qxd3 White also keeps theadvantage on 22...Qxa2 23. Rf2! 23.cxd3 Rc224.Rd2 Rxd2 25.Nxd2 f5 26.fxe5 Re8 Thepawn can’t be defended by 27. Nc4 because of...b5. 27.Re1 Nc2 28.Re2 Nd4 29.Re3 Nc2Black is content to draw by repetition. 30.Rh3White, however, is not. 30...Rxe5 31.Nf3Rxd532.Rxh7 Rxd3 33.h4 Petrosian must find a wayto stop this dangerous passed pawn. 33...Ne3 Themost precise defense is 33...Nd4. 34.Rxf7Rd1+35.Kh2Ra1 36.h5 f4 A better try is 35...Rxa2 but36. Kh3 would still win. 37.Rxf4Rxa2 38.Re4Nxg2 39.Kg3Ra5 40.Ne5 Cutting the rook offfrom stopping the pawn while the stranded knighton g2 will fall. A dramatic and exciting game ina match that proved to be the last obstacle to Fis-cher’s ascent to the crown against Spassky in 1972.Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Fischer, R.• Petrosian, T.Candidates’ Match (7)Buenos Aires1971 1-0 B48During his remarkable run for the title Fischerwiped out both Taimanov and Larsen 6-0. In thelast match former world champion Petrosian man-aged to halt the winning streak before succumbing

123

by 6 1/2 - 2 1/2. Fischer won their last four games,starting with this positional masterpiece reminis-cent of Capablanca.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3Nc6 6.Nxc6 bxc6 Nowadays 6...dxc6 is consid-ered safer. 7.O–O d5 8.c4 More forceful than8. Nd2 Nf6 9. Qe2 Be7 leading to equal chances,as in Spassky-Petrosian, 9th match game 1969.8...Nf6 9.cxd5 cxd5 10.exd5 exd5 White wrestedthe advantage after 10...Nxd5 11. Be4! Be7 12.Nc3 Bb7 13. Qa4+ Qd7 14. Qxd7+ Kxd7 15.Rd1 in Averbach-Taimanov, 27th USSR Champi-onship 1960. 11.Nc3 Be7 12.Qa4+ Qd7 Prob-ably expecting 13. Bb5 axb5 14. Qxa8 O-O withan unclear position. The best defense is 12...Bd713. Qd4 Be6. 13.Re1 Qxa4 14.Nxa4 Be615.Be3 O–O 16.Bc5 Creates a bind by exploit-ing the weak dark squares. 16...Rfe8 17.Bxe7Rxe7 18.b4Kf8 19.Nc5Bc8 20.f3Rea7 Betteris 20...Rxe1+ 21. Rxe1 Nd7 to dislodge White’sknight from its dominating post on c5. 21.Re5Bd7 22.Nxd7+ Giving up a good knight for abad bishop. If 22. a4 Bc6 offers tough resistance.22...Rxd7 23.Rc1 Rd6 24.Rc7 Nd7 25.Re1g6 26.Kf2 h5 27.f4 h4 Creating a new weak-ness. Less is conceded by 27...Nb6 28. Ree7 Rf6.28.Kf3 f5 29.Ke3 d4+ 30.Kd2 Nb6 31.Ree7Nd5 32.Rf7+Ke8 33.Rb7Nxb4 34.Bc4 BlackResigns. 34. Rh7 was also crushing right away.1-0

◦ Bobby Fischer• Tigran PetrosianCandidates Match (7)Buenos Aires1971 1-0 B48Petrosian was a hard man to beat and held Fischereven in the first five games before losing four ina row. This match proved to be the last obstaclein Fischer’s path to the summit. This clean vic-tory, where he simplifies to an ending with only agood bishop against a passive knight, reminiscentof Capablanca at his best, is generally consideredFischer’s finest effort in this match.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 A systemintroduced last century by German master LouisPaulsen. The idea is to fianchetto the bishop afterb5 with latent pressure on the center. 5.Bd3Nc66.Nxc6 bxc6 Many opening manuals recommend6...dxc6 as safer. 7.O–O d5 8.c4 Improving on 8.Nd2 Nf6 9. Qe2 Be7 10. b3 O-O 11. Bb2 a5 as inSpassky-Petrosian, 1st match game 1969. 8...Nf69.cxd5 cxd5 10.exd5 exd5 Accepting an isolatedpawn. 11...Nxd5 11. Bd4! is also in White’s favor,

as is 10...Qxd5 11. Nc3. 11.Nc3 Be7 12.Qa4+Qd7 Rejecting 12...Bd7 13. Qc2! O-O 14. Bg5.13.Re1 Veering for an endgame instead of goingfor material by 13. Bb5!? axb5 14. Qxa8 O-Owith unclear complications. 13...Qxa4 14.Nxa4Be6 15.Be3 O–O 16.Bc5Rfe8 White’s controlof c5 gives him a permanent bind. 17.Bxe7Rxe718.b4 Fixes the weakness on a6. Now 18...a5can be met by 19. b5 with a dangerous passedpawn. 18...Kf8 19.Nc5Bc8 20.f3Rea7 21.Re5Bd7 22.Nxd7+ Sweet simplicity – one of Fis-cher’s trademarks. If instead 22. a4 Bc6 Blackcan organize a line of defense with Nd7 in reserve.22...Rxd7 23.Rc1Rd6 24.Rc7Nd7 25.Re2 g6Black is hogtied. 25...Nf6 would allow the inva-sion 26. R2e7. 26.Kf2 h5 27.f4 h4 Creating anew weakness. 27...Nb6 28. R2e7 Rf6 is harder tobeat. 28.Kf3 f5 29.Ke3 d4+ Black cannot allowthe king to get to d4. 30.Kd2Nb6 31.Ree7Nd532.Rf7+Ke8 33.Rb7Nxb4 34.Bc4 And Blackresigns. Petrosian has no defense to the threat ofRh7. I f 34...Rc8 35. Rh7 Rf6 36. Rh8 Rf8 37.Bf7 Kd8 38. Rxf8 mate.1-0

◦ Keres, P.• Byrne, D.Church’s Fried Chicken (8)San Antonio1972 1-0 D94This game was awarded the brilliancy prize in oneof the greatest international tournaments ever heldin the United States. Despite making a secondqueen, Black was unable to stave off mate.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.e3This modest continuation leads to a quieter gamethan 5. Bf4. 5...O–O 6.cxd5 Nxd5 7.Bc4 Nb6Also feasible is 7...Nxc3 8. bxc3 c5 9. O-O Qc7.8.Bb3 c5 9.O–O After 9. dxc5 N6d7 Black re-gains the pawn with easy equality. "It is not incharacter with White’s opening strategy to captureon c5" – Keres. 9...cxd4 10.exd4Nc6 11.d5Na512.Bg5 Indirectly protecting the pawn on d5 byexerting pressure on e7. Now on 12...Nxb3 13.Qxb3 Bxc3 14. bxc3 Nxd5? (or 14...Qxd5 15.Bxe7) 15. Rad1 snares a piece. 12...h6 13.Be3Bg4 14.h3Bxf3 15.Qxf3Nbc4 16.Bc1Nxb317.axb3 Nd6 18.Re1 Re8 19.Be3 b6 "Not thebest way to protect the a-pawn. Firstly, it will re-main attacked by White’s rook and secondly the c6square is weakened. A better move was 19...a5" –Keres. 20.Bf4 Qd7 21.Ra4 Keres recommends21. g4 or Be5 at once. 21...Rac8 22.g4 a523.Be5Rc5 24.Rf4Bxe5 "White dominates the

124

kingside and the center, therefore Black must seekcounterplay on the queenside. The exchange one5 makes White’s task easier. Better seems to be24...b5 at once for 25. Bxg7 Kxg7 26. Ne4 Nxe427. Rxf7+ Kg8 28. Rxe4 Qxd5 is not immedi-ately decisive" – Keres. 25.Rxe5 b5 26.Qe3Qc727.Rf3 b4 28.Ne2 a4 Hoping for 29. bxa4? Nc4but now White launches a decisive offensive. If28...Kh7 29. Qf4 keeps Black at bay. 29.Qxh6a3 30.bxa3 bxa3 31.Rg5 a2 There’s no good de-fense against the threat of Rxf7. If 31...Rc1+ (or31...e6 32. Rf6! Re7 33. Rgxg6+) 32. Kg2 Qc233. Nxc1 is decisive. 32.Rxf7 a1=Q+ 33.Kg2Black Resigns. Capturing the rook leads to mate.So does 33...Qf6 34. Rxg6+ Kxf7 35. Qh7+ Kf836.Rg8.1-0

◦ Evans, L.• Keres, P.Church’s Fried Chicken (13)San Antonio1972 1-0 E42An example of slow positional strangulation. PaulKeres, who was widely regarded as the best playerwho never became world champion, tries a dubiousidea in the opening and never recovers from thecramp.1.d4Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3Bb4 4.e3 c5 5.Ne2 d6 Adubious idea that preserves the two bishops at thecost of a permanent cramp. More stable is 5...cxd46. exd4 d5. 6.a3 Ba5 7.Rb1 Nc6 8.b4 Bc7White keeps the edge after 8...Bb6 9. Na4. Or8...cxb4 9. axb4 Bxb4 10. Rxb4 Nxb4 11. Qa4+Nc6 12. d5 winning two pieces advantageouslyfor rook. Now White spurns 9. dxc5 dxc5 10.Qxd8+ Bxd8 11. bxc5 Be7 12. Nb5 O-O 13. Nd6Bxd6 14. cxd6 Rd8 regaining the pawn. 9.g3 a5A grave strategic error creating a hole on b5. Bet-ter is 8...O-O 10. Bg2 cxd4 11. exd4 e5 holdingWhite to a minimal space advantage. 10.bxc5 dxc511.Bg2 cxd4 12.exd4 O–O 13.O–OQe7 14.Qa4Ra6 15.Re1 Discouraging the freeing maneuver15...e5 16. d5 Nd4 17. Nxd4 with a fatal pin alonethe e-file. Now Black can’t find a happy squarefor his queen. 15...Rd8 16.Nb5 Bb8 17.Bb2Na7 18.Nbc3 "Cramped positions bear the germsof defeat" – Dr. Tarrasch. Ergo White avoids ex-changes. 18...Qc7 19.Bc1 Qe7 20.h3 Nc6 Hecould try to ease the pressure with 20...b6 but thispawn remains weak no matter what. 21.Be3Ne822.d5 Ne5 23.c5 Qd7 Keres pondered 32 min-utes and decided his position was lost. Neces-sary but unpleasant is 23...exd5 24. Nxd5 Qf6.

24.Qxd7Bxd7 More resistant is 24...Rxd7 25. c6Re7. 25.Rxb7 exd5 26.Nxd5 Be6 27.Reb1Rxd5 28.Rxb8 Kf8 29.Bxd5 Bxd5 30.Nd4Ke7 31.R1b6Ra7 32.Bf4Nf3+ If 32...Nd7 33.Nf5+ Kf8 34. Bd6+ leads to mate. 33.Nxf3Bxf334.c6Nd6 35.c7 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Boris Spassky• Bobby FischerWorld Championship (1)Reykjavik1972 1-0This loss at the outset of their famous title matchbrought FischerŠs lifetime record against Spasskyto 4 losses and 2 draws. After 29...Bxh2?!?! in adead drawn position, a roar ran through the play-ing hall. "One move and we hit every front pagein the world!" exclaimed a joyous Icelandic orga-nizer. Years later a fan noted: "It was undoubtedlythe most famous single move played in my life-time. The popular press described it as a terriblegaffe, and I even remember a report that Spasskylooked up from the board in disbelief. He trappedthe bishop and eventually Fischer resigned, yet mycomputer finds nothing wrong with the pawn grab.Was it truly the losing move?"1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.e3White canŠt win a piece by 5. Qa4+ Nc6 andchooses a solid line. 5...O–O 6.Bd3 c5 Thisthrust makes it hard for White to seize the initia-tive. Fischer got into trouble against Reshevskyin their 7th match game 1961 with 6...Nc6 7. a3Bxc3+ 8. bxc3 Na5 9. Nd2 c5 10. O-O. 7.O–ONc6 8.a3 Ba5 More natural is 8...Bxc3 9.bxc3b6 10. dxc5 bxc5. 9.Ne2 Too tame. A bet-ter try for advantage is 9. cxd5 exd5 10. dxc5Bxc3 11. bxc3. 9...dxc4 10.Bxc4 Bb6 11.dxc5Qxd1 12.Rxd1 Bxc5 13.b4 Be7 14.Bb2 Bd715. Rac1 Rfd8 White has a slight space ad-vantage but no points of entry. 16.Ned4 Nxd417.Nxd4 Ba4 18.Bb3 Bxb3 19.Nxb3 Rxd1+20.Rxd1Rc8 Seizing the open file is better than20...Rd8 21. Rc1. 21.Kf1 Kf8 22.Ke2 Ne423.Rc1 More simplification. They could agree toa draw right now. 23...Rxc1 24.Bxc1 f6 25.Na5Nd6 26.Kd3Bd8 27.Nc4Bc7 28.Nxd6Bxd629.b5 Bxh2?! ?!?! - Not fatal in itself, thoughcritics attributed BlackŠs loss to this pawn snatch.Having demonstrated that the champion could notachieve anything with White, Fischer now seemsto be saying, "You canŠt draw with me that eas-ily." Reuben Fine noted: "Every beginner knowsthat this move is a blunder, so why did Bobby do

125

it? Afterwards he told me he miscalculated, think-ing that after 30. g3 h5 31. Ke2 h4 32. Kf3 h3he could escape, but overlooking 33. Kg4 trapsthe bishop. I think a psychological explanation ismore in order. Bobby is out to show that he canmake what everybody would consider an impossi-ble move; caught up in this fantasy, he does notcalculate properly." 30.g3 h5 31.Ke2 h4 32.Kf3Ke7 Too late Fischer saw that his intended 32...h333. Kg4 Bg1 34. Kxh3 Bxf2 35. Bd2! seals off hisbishopŠs escape route. But Black still has drawingresources. 33.Kg2 hxg3 34.fxg3Bxg3 35.Kxg3Kd6 36.a4Kd5 Black has 2 pawns and an activeking for the piece. 37.Ba3 Ke4 38.Bc5 a6 Ev-ery pawn that goes off the board increases BlackŠsdrawing chances. But not 38...b6? 39. Bxb6! axb640. a5 bxa5 41. b6 and the pawn queens. 39.b6f5 40.Kh4 f4? ? - The last move of the time con-trol costs a precious half-point. The right plan is40...Kd5! A key theme is to force White to play a5,then liquidate all kingside pawns and rush the kingheadlong towards a8 for stalemate. One possiblevariation: 41. Bd4 e5 42. Bc3 f4 43. exf4 exf4 44.Kg4 Kc5 45. a5 g5 46. Kxg5 Kd6 47. Kxf4 Kd748. Kf5 Kc8 49. Be5 Kd8 50. Ke6 Kc8 51. Bd6Kd8 52. Bc7+ Kc8 53. Ke7 stalemate (but withthe pawn still on a4 White wins because 53...a5is forced.) Now it was adjourned and Spasskysealed his move. 41.exf4 Kxf4 42.Kh5 Kf543.Be3 Ke4 44.Bf2 Kf5 45.Bh4 e5 "Excuseme, Boris," said Bobby, springing out of his chairto rush backstage and order the cameras turnedoff. This cost Fischer 33 minutes on his clock,but his position can no longer be saved. 46.Bg5e4 47.Be3 Kf6 48.Kg4 Ke5 If WhiteŠs pawnwere on a5, then Black could draw by steering fora8. 49.Kg5Kd5 50.Kf5 a5 51.Bf2 g5 52.Kxg5Kc4 53.Kf5Kb4 54.Kxe4Kxa4 55.Kd5Kb556.Kd6 Black gets in zugzwang again after 56...a457. Kc7 Ka6 58. Bc5 Kb5 59. Bf8 Ka6 60. Be7,etc. Fischer smiled and extended his hand to re-sign.1-0

◦ Spassky, B.• Fischer, R.World Championship Match (3)Reykjavik1972 0-1 A77Fischer now trailed by two points after losing thefirst game and forfeiting the second when he re-fused to show up unless the cameras were turnedoff. Spassky, reportedly defying orders to returnto Russia, saved the match by agreeing to play in

a private room away from cameras instead of onstage in front of a full house. "Just this once,"he said. "Never again." Good sportsmanship costSpassky the title, and he was punished for it whenhe got back home. For the first time ever he lost agame to Fischer and then went on to drop the match12.5 - 8.51.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5 d66.Nc3 g6 7.Nd2 The idea is to swing this knightto c4 and then bear down on the backward pawnon d6 with Bf4. A drawback is moving the samepiece twice. More usual is 7. e4. 7...Nbd7 8.e4Bg7 9.Be2 O–O 10.O–ORe8 Pressuring e4 lim-its White’s freedom of action. 11.Qc2 A goodalternative is 11. a4 to help restrain Black’s strate-gic threat of a6 and b5. Another approach is Pet-rosian’s 11. f3 which gives solid protection to thecentral pawn chain. 11...Nh5 12.Bxh5 gxh513.Nc4 A month later at the Skopje Olympiad,White sought an edge in Gligoric-Kavalek with 13.a4 Ne5 14. Nd1! Qh4 15. Ne3 Ng4 16. Nxg4hxg4 17. Nc4 Qf6 18. Bd2. 13...Ne5 14.Ne3Qh4 15.Bd2 The bishop is passive here. Bet-ter is 16. f3! to reinforce the e-pawn and pre-vent Black’s next move. 15...Ng4 16.Nxg4 hxg4Undoubling the pawns eliminates Black’s majorweakness. 17.Bf4 Qf6 18.g3 Creating a seri-ous weakness on the light squares and weaken-ing e4 since now f3 can be met by gxf3. Betteris 18. Qd2 or 18. Bg3 h5 19. f3. 18...Bd719.a4 b6 20.Rfe1 a6 21.Re2 b5 22.Rae1 Thisis White’s last chance to break in the center with22. axb5 axb5 23. Rxa8 Rxa8 24. e5 dxe525. Rxe5. 22...Qg6 23.b3 Re7 24.Qd3 Rb825.axb5 axb5 26.b4 To stop the threat of b4 andBb5. If 27. cxb4 Na2. 26...c4 27.Qd2 Rbe828.Re3 h5 29.R3e2Kh7 30.Re3Kg8 31.R3e2Bxc3 32.Qxc3 Rxe4 33.Rxe4 Rxe4 34.Rxe4Qxe4 35.Bh6 Qg6 36.Bc1 Qb1 37.Kf1 Bf538.Ke2 Qe4+ 39.Qe3 Qc2+ White is pinninghis hopes for a draw on opposite colored bishops.Not 39...Qxd5? 40. Qg5+. Black must remem-ber that his own king is insecure. 40.Qd2 Qb341.Qd4 The only chance to fight on is 41. Ke1.41...Bd3+ "I sealed a crusher!" exulted Fischerwhen the game was adjourned. Upon resumptionSpassky pondered his predicament for five minutesbefore tipping his king. If 42. Ke1 Qxb4+ picks upa second pawn. Or 42. Ke3 Qd1! 43. Qb2 Qf3+44. Kd4 Qe4+ 45. Kc3 Qe1! 46. Bd2 Qe5 mate.0-1

◦ Portisch, L.• Larsen, B.

126

Church’s Fried Chicken (15)San Antonio1972 1-0 A70This crucial last round victory catapulted Hun-gary’s Lajos Portisch into a tie for first at 10.5 -4.5 with future world champion Anatoly Karpovand past world champion Tigran Petrosian in theirAmerican debut. Larsen confesses that he didn’tknow what Portisch was planning when he gave upthe Exchange.1.d4 e6 2.c4 Declining 2. e4 entering the FrenchDefense. 2...c5 3.d5 exd5 4.cxd5 d6 5.Nc3g6 6.Nf3Bg7 7.Bf4Nf6 8.Qa4+Bd7 9.Qb3Qc7 10.e4 O–O 11.Be2 Nh5 12.Be3 Na613.Nd2 f5 More thematic is 13...Rab8 fighting forb5. 14.exf5 gxf5 Any other recapture is metby 15. g4. 15.Bxh5 f4 16.O–O fxe3 17.fxe3Nb4 18.Nce4 "It was here I realized that Whitemay very soon get strong threats against my king,and that he is also planning to send this knight toe6. White’s pawn plus is not very important, buthis pieces can produce threats before Black can"– Larsen. 18...a5 19.Ng5 a4 20.Qc4 h6 21.Ne6Bxe6 22.dxe6 d5 23.Bf7+Kh8 24.Qh4Qe5 "Adesperate attempt. After 24...Nc6 25. Nf3 Qe7 26.Qh5 threatening Nh4 is a killer" – Larsen. 25.Nf3Qxe3+ 26.Kh1 Nd3 27.Rae1 Nxe1 28.Rxe1Qd3 "Portisch paused to think a long time. I washoping for 29. Ne5? Bxe5 30. Qxh6+ Qh7 31.Qxh7+ Kxh7 32. Rxe5 c4 33. Rxd5? Red8! Butwhen his move finally came, it was one to whichthere was no answer" – Larsen. 29.Qh5 a3 30.b3Bc3 "Sheer desperation. There is nothing to bedone against e7. Now I planned to resign on 31.Bg6. But nothing is wrong with Portisch’s solu-tion" – Larsen. 31.e7 Kg7 32.exf8=Q+ Rxf833.Bxd5 Bxe1 34.Qe5+ Rf6 35.Qe7+ BlackResigns. On 35...Kg6 36. Be4+ spells finis.1-0

◦ Fischer, R.• Spassky, B.?6th Match Game, Reykjavik1972 1-0 D59Once the "sideshow" events had been put asideand he settled down to play chess, Fischer clearlydemonstrated his superiority in his World Champi-onship match with Boris Spassky. Many observerssuggested that Fischer’s limited opening repertoirewould prove his undoing (he had rarely begun withany move but 1.e4), but in the 6th game he showedan equal mastery of Queenside play.

1.c4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bg5O–O 6.e3 h6 7.Bh4 b6 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.Bxe7Qxe7 10.Nxd5 exd5 11.Rc1 Be6 12.Qa4 c513.Qa3 Rc8 14.Bb5 a6 15.dxc5 bxc5 16.O–ORa7 17.Be2 Nd7 18.Nd4 Qf8 19.Nxe6 fxe620.e4 With his play against the "hanging pawns"(c5 and d5) White has pushed the Black piecesinto passive positions, and now he opens the cen-ter for direct attack. 20...d4 21.f4 Qe7 22.e5Rb8 23.Bc4 Kh8 24.Qh3 Nf8 25.b3 a5 26.f5exf5 27. Rxf5Nh7 28.Rcf1Qd8 29.Qg3Re730.h4 Rbb7 31.e6 Rbc7 32.Qe5 Qe8 33.a4Qd8 34.R1f2Qe8 35.R2f3Qd8 36.Bd3Qe837.Qe4 Nf6 38.Rxf6 gxf6 39.Rxf6 Kg8 40.Bc4Kh8 41.Qf4 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Browne, W.• Zuckerman, B.?New York1973 1-0 D60Perhaps the most successful American player ofthe post-Fischer era, Walter Browne from 1974 to1983 won or tied for first in the U.S. Championshipno less than six times. Here he shows the advan-tages of the "isolated Queen’s pawn" (open e-file,open diagonals for the Bishops, outpost square one5), in a game described at the time as an "orgy ofsacrifices."1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Be7 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bg5O–O 6.e3 Nbd7 7.Bd3 dxc4 8.Bxc4 c5 9.O–Oa6 10.a4 cxd4 11.exd4 Nb6 12.Bb3 Bd713.Ne5 Bc6 14.Bc2 Nbd5 15. Bb1 Nb416.Re1 g6 17.Bh6 Re8 18.Ra3 Qd6 19.Ne2Rad8 20.Rh3Qd5 21.Nf3Qa5 22.Nc3Nbd5Black has been outplayed – the result of all thismaneuvering has been to transfer the White Rookfrom a1 to h3, where it participates in the at-tack. 23.Ne5Nxc3 24.bxc3Bxa4 25.Qe2Bd726.Bg5 Nd5 27.Nxf7 Bxg5 The only move,as 27...Kxf7 loses to 28. Rxh7+ Kg8 29.Qe4.28.Rxh7 Nf6 The Rook cannot be taken either– 28...Kxh7 29.Qh5+ (the g6 pawn is pinned),and other moves are no better; one variation is28... Ne7 29.Bxg6 Nxg6 30.Qh5 Nf4 31.Rh8+Kg7 32. Qh7+ Kf6 33. Ne5 Re7 34.Ng4++.29.Bxg6Nxh7 Or 29...Bb5 30.Qe5 Rd5 31.Qxf6Bxf6 32.Nh6+ Kf8 33.Rf7++. 30.Qh5 Qxc331.Qxh7+ Kf8 32.Rf1 Qxd4 33.Ne5 Qf434.Nxd7+Rxd7 35.Qh8+Ke7 36.Qxe8+Kf637.Qxd7 Kxg6 38.Qxe6+ Bf6 39.Qe8+ Kh640.g3 Qb4 41.Re1 a5 42. Re6 Qb2 43.Qf7Kg5 44.h4+Kg4 45.Qg6+Kh3 46.Qf5# 1-0

127

◦ Grefe, J.• Browne, W.USA ChampionshipEl Paso, Texas1973 1-0 B99A big upset occurred in American chess when JohnGrefe, a young Californian master, tied for firstwith Kavalek in America’s most prestigious event.Grefe faded and never seemed able to repeat thissuccess, but here is his outstanding victory againstthe pet Sicilian Defense of 6-time USA championWalter Browne.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 This moveorder allows White the opportunity to set up aMaroczy Bind with 5. c4. 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.Bg5 e67.f4 h6 A useful interpolation, though it weakensg6. The sharp 7...Qb6!? is also feasible. 8.Bh4Be7 9.Qf3Nbd7 10.O–O–OQc7 11.Be2Rb8White gets 3 pieces for the queen and a strong ini-tiative on 11...b5 12. e5! Bb7 13. exf6! Bxf314. Bxf3 Bxf6 15. Bxf6 Rc8 16. Bxg7. 12.Qg3Rg8 Though Black’s pieces are poorly coordi-nated and he has lost the right to castle, it’s hardfor White to make progress. 13.Rhf1 g5 14.fxg5Ne5 15.Nf3 b5 Necessary is 15...hxg5. 16.Nxe5b4 Black relied on this thrust, rejecting 16...dxe517. gxf6! Rxg3 18. fxe7 Rg5 19. Bxg5 hxg520. Bh5! 17.Nxf7 bxc3 18.gxf6 Rxg3 19.fxe7Rg5 20.Bxg5 hxg5 21.Nxd6+ Black Resigns. If21...cxb2+ 22. Kb1 Kxe7 23. Rf7+ wins the house.1-0

◦ Bronstein• Ljubojevic?Petropolis1973 1-0 B03One of the most exciting games of the "interreg-num" between Fischer’s retirement and the rise ofKarpov. The meeting of two courageous tacticiansproduces a fierce battle in which both Kings areunder attack.1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 Nb6 5.f4 dxe56.fxe5 c5 7.d5 e6 8.Nc3 exd5 9.cxd5 c4 10.Nf3Bg4 11.Qd4Bxf3 12.gxf3Bb4 13.Bxc4 O–O14.Rg1 g6 15.Bg5 Qc7 16.Bb3 Bc5 17.Qf4Bxg1 18.d6 Qc8 19.Ke2 A little too imagina-tive; 19.O-O-O would have given White the advan-tage with less risk, e.g. 19...Bc5 20.Ne4 N8d721.Rc1Qc6 22.Rxc5 By means of an Exchangesacrifice, White succeeds in posting a Knight at the"hole" on f6. 22...Nxc5 23.Nf6+ Kh8 24.Qh4

Qb5+ 25.Ke3 h5 The White King is not as ex-posed as it seems – 25...Qd3+ 26.Kf2 h5 27.Nxh5gxh5 28.Bf6+ Kg8 29.Qg5+ and wins. 26.Nxh5Qxb3+ 27.axb3 Nd5+ 28.Kd4 Ne6+ 29.Kxd5Nxg5 30.Nf6+Kg7 31.Qxg5Rfc8 32.e6 fxe6+33.Kxe6 Rf8 34.d7 a5 35.Ng4 Ra6+ 36.Ke5Rf5+ 37.Qxf5 gxf5 38.d8=Q fxg4 39.Qd7+Kh6 40.Qxb7Rg6 41.f4 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ David Bronstein• Oscar PannoInterzonal (13)Petropolis1973 1-0"Bronstein won the longest game of the tourna-ment, and it was wonderfully rich in strategic andtactical surprises. He eventually queened a pawn(in front of his castled king!) but still had to workhard to win as all BlackŠs remaining forces mu-tually defended each other," stated the tournamentbook. Bronstein didnŠt qualify for the next stageof the world championship, but he had the satisfac-tion of creating the craziest game of 1973. An ed-itor asked him to annotate the game. "ItŠs impos-sible!" exclaimed Bronstein. "Neither of us knewwhat the next move was going to be. I can’t eventell you if I was winning. Such a game is played inthe air."1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5Nf6 4.Qe2 At his ti-tle match vs. Kramnik in 2000, Kasparov failed towin a single game against the Berlin Defense af-ter 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf58.Qxd8+ Kxd8. 4...Be7 5.c3 Departing from 5.0-0 d6 6.d4 exd4 7.Nxd4 Bd7 8.Nxc6 bxc6 9.Bd30-0 10.Nc3 Re8 (Janowski-Winawer, 1897). Alsoinnocuous is 5.Bxc6 dxc6 6.Nxe5 Qd4 regainingthe pawn. 5...d6 6.d4Bd7 7.d5Nb8 8.Bd3 Nat-urally! When your opponent is cramped, avoidexchanges. 8...c6 9.c4 Na6 10.Nc3 O–O 11.h3Nc5 12.Bc2 cxd5 13.cxd5 Qc7 Setting a lit-tle trap (14. b4? Ncxe4!) but 13...Rc8 seiz-ing the open file, looks more flexible. 14.Bd2g6 15.b4 Na6 16.a3 Nh5 17.g3 Rac8 18.Bb3Kh8 19.O–O–O Believe it or not, the king is safehere, despite BlackŠs temporary control of the c-file. 19...b5 20.Kb2Qb7 21.Bh6Rfd8 22.Qd2Nb8 23.g4 Nf6 24.Bg5 Be8 Much more ac-tive is 24...a5 and if 25.bxa5 Qa7. 25.Qe2Nbd7 Unnecessarily giving up a pawn for counter-play. Correct is 25...Rc7. 26.Qxb5Qc7 27.Rc1Nb6 28.Qa6 Qd7 29.Rhe1 Kg7 30.Be3 Rb831.Nd2 h5 32.g5 A good alternative is simply32.f3. 32...Nh7 33.h4 f6 34.gxf6+Bxf6 35.Rh1

128

Qe7 36.Nf3Rd7 37.Nb5 An awkward post anda loss of time. More logical is 37. Ne2. 37...Rdb738.Nc3Bd7 39.Ka2Bg4 40.Nh2Bd7 41.Nf3Bg4 42.Nd2 Playing to win by rejecting a repe-tition of moves with 42.Nh2. 42...Bxh4 43.Bc2Bg5 44.Nb3 Bxe3 45.fxe3 Rc7 46.Bd3 Bc847.Qa5 a6 Provocative. Safer is 47...Nf6 andif 48.Nb5 Rcb7. 48.Bxa6 Ra7 49.b5 Nc450.Qb4 Nxa3 51.Kxa3 Also okay is 51. Qxa3Bxa6 52. bxa6 Rb6 53. Kb1 Raxa6 54. Qb2Qb7 55. Kc2. 51...Bxa6 52.b6! Raa8 53.Na4Nf6 54.Na5 Rc8 55.Rc6 Kh6 56.Rxd6 Rc257.Rc6 Stronger is 57. b7 Bxb7 58. Nxb7but Bronstein is hoping to get even more in re-turn for his menacing passed pawn. 57...Ra2+58.Kb3Qxb4+ 59.Kxb4Nxe4 Restoring mate-rial equality but WhiteŠs b-pawn is very danger-ous. 60.Rg1Ng5 61.Rc7Rd8 62.Rd1 Strongeris 62. Ra7. 62...Be2 63.Rb1Rxd5 64.Nc5Ne665.b7 Rxa5 66.Kxa5 Nxc7 67.b8=Q Rxc5+68. Kb6 Ne6 A difficult ending. Black hastwo minor pieces and two pawns for the queen.69.Qe8 Bg4 70.Rg1 Rd5 71.e4 Prolonging theagony. The most efficient win is 71.Rxg4! Rd6+72.Kb7 Nc5+ 73.Kc7 Rd7+ 74.Kc6 hxg4 75.Kxc5.71...Rd6+ 72.Ka5 Ra6+ Hoping for 73.Kxa6?Nc7+ followed by Nxe8. ItSs still tricky. 73.Kb4Rb6+ 74.Kc3 Kg5 75.Qe7+ Kf4 76.Qf6+Kxe4 77.Re1+ Kd5 78.Rxe5+ A little betteris 78. Qxe5+ but the ending is hard to win inany event. 78...Kd6 79.Ra5Rc6+ 80.Kd2Bf581.Qe5+ Kd7 82.Rd5+ Ke7 83.Ra5 Rd6+White has trouble making progress. 84.Ke1Rd8 85.Ke2 Bd3+ 86.Ke3 Bf5 87.Ra3 Rd788.Qh8 Kf7 89.Ra8 Rc7 90.Kf2 Ke7 This isquestioned in the tournament book, but itŠs hardto suggest a foolproof defense for Black. 91.Qe5Kf7 92.Rh8 Rc2+ 93.Ke3 Nf8 94.Qd5+ If94.Rxh5 Re2+! 95.Kxe2 Bg4+ 96.Ke3 gxh5 ishard to beat. 94...Ne6 95.Qe5Nf8 96.Kf4Rc8If 96...Ne6+ 97.Kg3 Nf8 98.Rxh5. 97.Kg3 Rd898.Qc7+ Rd7 99.Qc4+ Be6 100.Qb4 Re7101.Kh4 The king enters the fray decisively on thedark squares. 101...Re8 102.Kg5Bf5 103.Kh6Re7 104.Qb3+ Re6 105.Qb2 Black Resigns.The threat of Qg7+ is lethal. 105...g5+ 106.Kxg5merely delays the inevitable. A great fight!1-0

◦ Smyslov, V.• Mecking, H.InterzonalPetropolis, Brazil1973 0-1 A29

Henrique Mecking was a boy wonder who won theBrazilian national championship at 13. His great-est success was winning this qualifier for the worldtitle by a wide margin. Unfortunately his careerwas cut short by a debilitating nerve disorder.1.c4 e5 2.Nc3Nf6 3.Nf3Nc6 4.g3Bb4 5.Bg2O–O 6.Nd5 Less ambitious but more prudent is 6.O-O. 6...e4 7.Nh4 Bc5 8.O–O Re8 9.d3 exd310.Qxd3Ne5 11.Qc2 c6 12.Nc3 Leads to trou-ble. Almost anything is better. 12...Nxc4 13.Na4Mecking probably anticipated 13. Ne4 Nxe4 14.Bxe4 Rxe4! 15. Qxe4 d5 16. Qc2 Bh3 17. Rd1Qf6 with a good attack. 13...Bf8 14.Qxc4 b515.Qd4 bxa4 16.e4 Ba6 17.Re1 Qb6 18.Be3If 18. Qxa4 Bc5. 18...Bb4 19.Qxb6 axb620.Red1 Be2 21.Rd4 c5 22.Rxb4 No better is22. Rd6 Rab8! 22...cxb4 23.e5 Ng4 24.Bxa8Nxe3 25.Re1 Bc4 26.Be4 Nd5 27.a3 bxa328.bxa3 Nc3 29.Bf3 f6 30.Rc1 Rxe5 Outlaw-ing 31. Rxc3 Re1+ 32. Kg2 Bf1+ 33. Kg1Bh3 mate. 31.Kg2Rc5 32.Rxc3Bf1+ 33.Kxf1Rxc3 34.Bd5+ Kf8 35.Ke2 Rxa3 From hereBlack’s game plays itself. The two minor piecesare no match for the rampaging rook. 36.Kd2b5 37.Nf5 b4 38.Ne3 b3 39.Kc3 Ra2 40.Kb4Rxf2 41.Kxa4 b2 42.Ba2 Rxh2 43.Kb3 Rh344.Nf1Rh1 45.Nd2Rg1 White Resigns0-1

◦ Gudmundur Sigurjonsson• Pal BenkoCosta Brava (2)Spain1974 1-0 B85The only thing more painful than a loss is a shortloss. Alas, this appalling fate befell the normallycautious Benko, who gobbled a dangerous pawnand never recovered from this fatal error of judg-ment. He extricated his queen by returning thepawn, but his king remained hostage in the cen-ter – proving once again that failure to castle is a amajor cause of disaster in the opening, even amonggrandmasters.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3d6 6.Be2 a6 7.f4Qc7 8.O–OBe7 9.Be3 b5 It’susually premature for Black to seek counterplaybefore safeguarding his king. The precautionary9...Nbd7 (or O-O) is more prudent. 10.e5 dxe511.fxe5 Qxe5 Risky. Necessary is 11...Nfd7 12.Bf3 Bb7 13. Bxb7 Qxb7 even though White re-tains the initiative after 14. Qg4. 12.Bf4 Qc513.Bf3 Nd5 Of no avail is 13...Ra7 14. Bxb8Rd7 15. Bc6! 14.Nxd5 exd5 15.b4 Qc4 Nobetter is 15...Qb6 16. Bxd5 Bb7 17. Bxf7! Kxf7

129

18. Bc7 snaring the queen by discovered check.16.Re1 Kf8 17.c3 Bd7 18.Qd2 Even 18. Qe2is strong but White wants to keep queens on theboard. 18...Qc8 Black has no defense. If 18...Nc619. Be2 traps his queen. Or 18...Bf6 19. Bd6 Kg820. Bc5 Nc6 21. Be2 leads to the same debacle.19.Bxd5 Black resigns, beacuse on 19...Nc6 20.Qe3! Bf6 21. Nxc6 Bxc6 22. Qc5 mops up. 1-01-0

◦ Browne, W.• Bisguier, A.USA ChampionshipChicago1974 1-0 C42Enroute to the first of his six victories in Amer-ica’s highest title, Walter Browne (born in Aus-tralia) smashed veteran Arthur Bisguier (who wonthe title in 1954) with a prepared variation on move14 that has an interesting history.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3Nxe4 5.d4d5 6.Bd3 Be7 7.O–O Nc6 This aggressive linein Petrov’s Defense was always considered ad-equate – before this game. 8.c4 Nb4 9.cxd5Nxd3 10.Qxd3 Qxd5 11.Re1 Bf5 12.Nc3Nxc3 13.Qxc3 c6 14.Bh6 Bobby Fischer onceshowed this crushing novelty to some friends, al-though he never got a chance to use it. Until nowtheory considered the position equal. If 14. Bg5 f6holds; or 14. Re5 Qd7 leads to nought. 14...Rg8On 14...gxh6 15. Re5 Qd7 16. Rae1 Be6 17. d5!cxd5 18. Rxe6 wins. Also if 14...Be4 15. Bxg7Rg8 16. Rxe4 Qxe4 17. Re1 Qg6 18. Qb4 O-O-O19. Rxe7 does the trick. 15.Re5 Qd7 16.Rae1Be6 17.Ng5 No rest for the weary. The best trynow is 17...Bxg5 18. Bxg5 h6 19. Bh4 g5 20. Bg3Kf8. 17...O–O–O 18.Nxf7Bxf7 19.Rxe7Qxd420.Rxf7 Qxc3 21.bxc3 gxh6 Black’s endgameis lost because White’s kingside pawns will ad-vance too fast. Speed is of the essence. 22.Rb1Rg5 23.h4Rb5 24.Rxb5 cxb5 25.Rxh7Rd1+26.Kh2 Rd2 27.Rxh6 Rxa2 28. h5 Rxf229.Rh8+ Kc7 30.h6 Kb6 31.Kh3 a5 32.g4 b433.cxb4 axb4 34.Re8 Rf1 35.Kg2 Rf7 36.g5Rf5 37.h7Rxg5+ 38.Kf3Rh5 39.h8=QRxh840.Rxh8 Black Resigns1-0

◦ Larry Evans• Pal Benko5th Lone Pine (5)California1975 1-0 D31

Louis Statham, a wealthy inventor, sold his housein the Holmby Hills of Los Angeles to Playboy’sHugh Hefner and retired to Lone Pine. This tinytown is about ten blocks long and three blocks widenestled at the foot of Mount Whitney with High-way 395 running through it. In the 1970s Stathanpaid all expenses to lure masters from far and wideto the strongest series of Swiss events ever held inAmerica until then. He also donated a Town Hallto Inyo County with the proviso that it be availablefor these chess tournaments, which unfortunatelyended with his demise. In this game, White getsa withering attack when Black leaves his king inthe center too long. The final combination adds apiquant flavor.1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Be7 Black’s move orderis careful and deliberate. The usual 3...Nf6 allows4. Bg5 pinning the knight. 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bf4c6 6.e3Bf5 7.g4 This bayonet thrust is an idea ofBotvinnik, who used it several times in defense ofhis title against Petrosian in 1963. White weak-ens his pawn structure to create double-edged playand seek an early initiative. 7...Be6 8.Bd3Bd6Better is 8...Nd7 instead of moving the same piecetwice. 9.Qf3 Bxf4 10.exf4 h5 11.f5 Bd7 Not11...hxg4 12. Qe3! snaring a piece. 12.gxh5Qf6 13.O–O–O Ne7 14.Re1 Na6 Unnecessarycontortion. Now Black’s king never reaches safety.Either 14...Kf8 or O-O was preferable. But riskyis 14...Qxd4 15. Nge2 Qf6 16. Ng3 with a stronggrip. 15.Bxa6 bxa6 16.Nge2Bxf5 Loses. Nec-essary is 16...Kf8. 17.Ng3Qh6+ 18.Qe3Qxe3+19.Rxe3 Be6 20.Na4 Preparing to occupy thehole on c5. 20...Kd7 21.Rhe1Kd6 22.Nc5Rh623.f4 Throwing fresh fuel into the fire. 23...Rf6Seems sufficient, but now White has a unique win-ning combination. 24.f5 Nxf5 25.Rxe6+ fxe626.Rxe6+Rxe6 27.Nxf5+Kc7 28.Nxe6+Kd729.Nexg7 Rc8 Black could resign here. Thismove merely prolongs the agony. 30.h6 a5 If in-stead 30...Rh8 White simply marches his king to g6and advances the pawn to h7. 31.Kd2 a4 32.h4 a533.Ke3Rb8 34.Kf4Rxb2 35.h7Rb8 36.Kg5After 36...Rh8 37. Kg6 the rest is easy. "I shouldhave played the Benko gambit!" moaned Benko ashe tipped his king. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Lubomir Luboyevic• Sergei MakarichevAmsterdamHolland1975 0-1 C42What’s new under the sun? Many players are so

130

busy studying new wrinkles that they neglect oldopenings.We have a tendency to forget that "TheBook" is merely the accumulated wisdom frommaster games of the last two centuries. Here Yu-goslavia’s Luboyevic, the victor in this annual IBMseries of tournaments (since cancelled), was thevictim of some musty analysis against his runner-up, a hot prospect from Russia who faded from thescene.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3Nxe4 5.d4d5 6.Bd3 Be7 For the more aggressive 6...Bd6see Janowsky-Marshall, match 1912. 7.O–ONc68.Re1 Bg4 9.c3 f5 10.Qb3 O–O 11.Nfd2 11.Qxb7 Rf6 12. Qb3 Rg6 gives Black a dangerousattack. Also inferior is 11. Bf4? Bxf3 12. gxf3Ng5 13. Kg2 Qd7 14. Qc2 Ne6 as in Lasker-Pillsbury, St. Petersburg 1895. The best reply is11. Nbd2 Kh8 12. h3! as in Karpov-Korchnoi, 6thmatch game 1974. 11...Nxf2 So old, it’s new!12.Kxf2Bh4+ 13.g3 f4 14.Kg2 fxg3 15.Be4 In1902 Schlechter’s analysis showed that Black alsowins against 15. hxg3 Qd6! 16. gxh4 Rf2! 17.Kxf2 Qh2 18. Ke3 Qg3 19. Nf3 Re8 20. Kd2Rxe1! 21. Qxd5 Be6. 15...Bh3+ 16.Kg1 Run-ning for cover. Also hopeless is 16. Kxh3 Qd717. Kg2 Rf2 18. Kg1 Qh3 19. Qxd5 Kh8 20.Nf1 Rxf1! 21. Rxf1 Qxh2 mate. 16...gxh2+17.Kxh2Qd6+ 18.Kh1Bxe1 19.Qxd5+Qxd520.Bxd5+ Kh8 21.Nf3 Bg3 Although Whiteseems to have survived the worst, his undevel-oped queenside is his Achilles’ heel. 22.Ng1Bf123.Nd2 Rae8 24.Ne4 No better is 24. Nxf1Rxf1 25. Kg2 Ree1. 24...Rxe4 25.Bxe4Rf2 26.Nf3Bg2+ 27.Kg1Bxf3 28.Bxf3Rxf3Black emerges from the complications a piece up.If 29. Kg2 Rd3 ends further resistance. White Re-signs.0-1

◦ Efim Geller• Mikhail TalAlekhine MemorialMoscow1975 1-0 B08Strategic struggle, tactics, a trap, an attack – thisgame has it all – plus an original finish. Underfire from a sharp offensive, White’s king elbowsits way through the ranks of its own and enemyforces deep into opposing territory until it is withina handshake of its Black colleague. "Throughoutmy wide tournament experience, I do not recall asimilar king march," noted Geller.1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Be2"Harmoniously developing pieces in the cen-

ter, White avoids disclosing his plans." – Geller5...O–O 6.O–OBg4 7.Be3Nc6 8.Qd2 e5 9.d5Ne7 10.Rad1 "White has an advantage in spaceand must seek some way to attack. It is difficult todo this on the queenside, since the knight at c3 hin-ders the advance c4. Therefore he plans f4. Blacktoo must aim for ...f5 since he has no other plan.White’s last move prevents ...c6, although also pos-sible was 10. a4 which I played in a later game."– Geller 10...Bd7 11.Ne1 Ng4 12.Bxg4 Bxg413.f3 Bd7 14.f4 exf4 Also feasible is 14...Bg415. Rb1 as in Karpov-Timman, Tilburg 1977.15.Bxf4 f5 16.Nf3 fxe4 17.Nxe4Bg4 18.Rde1Qd7 19.Neg5 "The result of the strategic battleis obvious. White has set his sights on e6 andBlack is faced with a difficult defense." – Geller19...Rae8 20.c4 Bolstering d5 and preparing Nd4.White wants to occupy e6 with a knight, not arook. 20...Nc8 21.Nd4 Rxe1 22.Rxe1 Re823.Rxe8+Qxe8 24.h3Bd7 25.Nde6Bxe6 26.Nxe6 Qf7 27.b3 Qf6 Swapping rooks eased thepressure but Black is still cramped. The immediatethreat was Nd8 and Nxb7. So, Black sacrifices apawn to get counterplay. 28.Nxc7Qa1+ 29.Kh2Bd4 30.Qe2 White could win immediately by 30.Qc1! Qxa2 31. Qe1 with a mating attack. Butwithout this inaccuracy the marathon march of hisking from h2 to f8 would never have occurred.30...Ne7 31.Nb5 Avoiding the cunning trap 31.Qxe7? Qg1 32. Kg3 Qf2 33. Kg4 Qxg2 34. Bg3h5 35. Kh4 Qe4! 36. Qxe4 Bf6 mate! 31...Bg1+Both players are short of time. More complicatedis 31...Qg1 32. Kg3 Nf5 33. Kf3 Bf6. 32.Kg3Nf5+ 33.Kf3Nh4+ 34.Kg4Nf5 35.Qe8+Kg736.Qd7+ Kh8 37.Nxd6 Qd1+ 38.Kg5 Qh5+39.Kf6Bd4+ 40.Ke6Ng7+ 41.Kf7 g5+ Blackresigns. The time scramble is over and after 42.Kf8 Black runs out of checks. 1-01-0

◦ Ljubojevic, L.• Andersson, U.?Wijk aan Zee1976 1-0 B85When two players of contrasting styles meet, theresult is a battle of ideas which can only enrichthe game. Ljubojevic is one of the most danger-ous attacking players of the modern era, while UlfAndersson is one of the most difficult players todefeat. With a sharp pawn sacrifice, White placesmany practical problems before his opponent, andwith the clock ticking, Andersson is unable to findthe hidden path to the draw.

131

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nc6 5.Nc3Qc7 6.Be2 a6 7.O–O Nf6 8.Be3 Be7 9.f4 d610.Qe1 O–O 11.Qg3 Bd7 12.e5 dxe5 13.fxe5Nxe5 14.Bf4 Bd6 15. Rad1 Qb8 16.Rd3White will combine threats against the pinnedKnight with the transfer of pieces for an at-tack on the King. 16...Ne8 17.Ne4 Bc718.Rc3 Nc6 19.Bxc7 Nxd4 20.Bd3 Of coursenot 20.Bxb8 Nxe2+ and 21...Nxg3. 20...Qa721.Nc5 Bb5 22.Be5 Nc6 23.Bxh7+ Kxh724.Rf4 f6 25.Rh4+Kg8 26.Qh3Nd8 27.Bd4b6 28.Nxe6 Nxe6 29.Qxe6+ Qf7 30.Qe4 g5Correct was 30...Qxa2. Then 31.Qxa8 is bad –31. ..g5 32.Rh3 Qb1+ 33.Kf2 Qf1+ 34.Kg3 Qf4++,or 32.Rg4 Nd6 33.Qf3 Qb1+ 34.Kf2 Qf1+ 35.Kg3Nf5+ 36.Kh3 Kf7 and 37...Rh8+. So White mustplay [30...Qxa2] 31.Qh7+ Kf7 32. Qh5+, with adraw by repetition. 31.Rh6Ra7 32.Rch3Qg733.Rg6Raf7 34.a4 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Efim Geller• Mikhail Tal44th USSR ChampionshipMoscow1976 1/2-1/2 B85Some drawn games are endowed with enough fan-tasy and unheard melodies to please those whovalue not only results but beauty. Here, Geller’sunexpected 19th move, although inferior, causedhis opponent to note it was dictated "by the soul ofa chess artist."1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.Be2 e6 7.O–O Nc6 8.Be3 Be7 9.Qe1More usual is 9. f4. Black sometimes can dis-pense with ...Qc7. White’s move order forces itto move off the d-file after the imminent Rd1.9...O–O 10.Rd1 Qc7 Voila! By transpositionthey reach the main line of the Scheveningen Vari-ation 11.f4Nxd4 12.Bxd4 b5 13.e5 dxe5 14.fxe5Nd7 15.Ne4 Heading for the kingside where themain battle will take place. Now 15...Nxe5? is re-futed by 16. Qg3; and if 15...Qxc2 16. Bd3 leadsto an irresistible attack. 15...Bb7 16.Nf6+ Kh8The only defense. Not 16...gxf6 17. Qg3! Kh8 18.exf6! Qxg3 19. fxe7 and White emerges with morematerial. 17.Qh4 h6 18.Qh5Bc5 19.Rf2 "I ex-pected 19. Nxd7 Qxd7 20. Bxc5 Qc6 regaining thepiece. But after considerable thought Geller madeanother move, dictated, as soon becomes clear, bythe soul of a chess artist. I must confess that thiscame as a surprise. At first I examined a contin-uation which seemed satisfactory: 19...Bxd4 20.Rxd4 Nxe5 21. Rh4 Rfd8 (not 21...Ng6 or Qc5

22. Qxh6!! leads to mate) and here, to my hor-ror, I noticed 22. Qg5!! White would force im-mediate capitulation. Of course, to be co-authorof such a work of art would have been honorable,but I nevertheless declined. It would have been aterribly crushing defeat" – Tal. Yet in his notes,Geller pointed out that simply 19. Kh1! is stronger.19...Rad8 20.Ng4 Be4 Gets to the kingside inthe nick of time. 21.Nxh6 gxh6 22.Qxh6+Kg823.Rd3 It is here that White’s 19th move becomesimportant! With his king on h1 23. Bd3!! wouldnow be decisive. 23...Bxd4 But not 23...Nxe5?24. Rh3 forces mate. Or 23...Bxd3 24. Bxd3.Draw agreed. White must take the perpetual checkby 24. Rg3 Bg6 25. Qxg6 Kh8 26. Qh6, etc. But24. Rxd4? Bg6 25. Rh4 is parried by Qxe5.1/2-1/2

◦ Geller, E.• Karpov, An.?USSR Championship, Moscow1976 1-0 C16Garry Kasparov once suggested that Grandmasterscould be divided into "maximalists" and "minimal-ists" – those who try to find the best move in ev-ery position, and those who economize their timeand effort to achieve the best tournament stand-ing. Efim Geller belongs to the first group. Oneof the top Soviet GMs since the early fifties, he hasproduced many fine games, and here he outplaysthe World Champion, concluding with a spectacu-lar Queen sacrifice.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 Qd7 5.Nf3b6 A provocative defensive system – Black qui-etly prepares to exchange his "bad" Bishop, anddares White to exploit his laggard developmentin this closed position. 6.Bd2 Ba6 7.Bxa6Nxa6 8.O–O Nb8 9.Ne2 Be7 10.Rc1 b5White threatens to open a file on the Queen-side, which Black temporarily prevents. 11.Nf4h5 12.b3 Ba3 13.Rb1 a5 14.c4 c6 White re-futes 14...bxc4 15.bxc4 dxc4 with 16.d5! exd517.e6, opening lines against the Black King af-ter, say, 17...fxe6 18.Re1. 15.c5 Bb4 16.Bc1a4 17.Nd3 Ba5 18.bxa4 bxa4 19.Qxa4 Whitehas won a pawn, but the a2 pawn is weak andWhite’s Bishop would have little scope in anendgame. So White prepares an Exchange sac-rifice to keep the initiative. 19...Qa7 20.Bg5Bc7 Nearly forced, as Black gets into trouble onthe Queenside after 20...Qa6 21.Rb3 Ne7 21.Rgb1Nd7 22.Ra3. 21.Rxb8+ Qxb8 Not 21...Bxb8?22.Qxc6+ Kf8 23.Qc8++. 22.Qxc6+ Kf8

132

23.Nf4 Ra7 24.Nh4 Qe8 White threatened towin back the Exchange with a two-pawn profit with25.Nhg6+ fxg6 26.Nxg6+. 25.Qxe6 fxe6 Cap-turing on e6 with the Queen leads to about thesame thing as the game, and other moves do notdefend against White’s threat to win the Queenwith 26.Nfg6+. 26.Nfg6+ Qxg6 Or 26...Kf727.Nxh8+ Kf8 28.N5g6+, and Black must play28...Qxg6 anyway. 27.Nxg6+ Ke8 28.Nxh8Ra4 29.Rd1Ne7 30.Bxe7Kxe7 31.Ng6+Kf732.Nf4Bxe5 33.dxe5Rxf4 Black pawn has wonback a pawn, but the passed White c-pawn and theactive White Rook leave him with no real hopeof saving the game. 34.Rc1 Ke8 35.c6 Kd836.c7+ Kc8 37.g3 Ra4 38.Rc6 Rxa2 39.Rxe6g5 40.Rd6 Rd2 41.e6 Kxc7 42.e7 Black Re-signs.1-0

◦ Korchnoi, V.• Polugaevsky, L.?7th Match Game, Evian1977 1-0 D47Karpov’s first challenger for the World Champi-onship was Victor Korchnoi. Though playing un-der many handicaps – after his defection to theWest in 1976, Soviet Grandmasters boycotted tour-naments in which he competed, and it is difficultfor any master to stay in top form without top-flightcompetition – he came to the Candidates’ Matchesarmed with many new ideas and a fierce will towin, and scored decisive victories over Tigran Pet-rosian, Lev Polugaevsky and Boris Spassky.1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.d4 c6 5.e3Nbd7 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5 8.Bd3 Bb79.O–O b4 10.Ne4 Be7 11.Nxf6+ Nxf6 12.e4O–O 13.Qc2 h6 14.Be3 Rc8 15. Rfd1 c516.dxc5 Ng4 17.Bd4 e5 18.h3 exd4 19.hxg4Rxc5 20.Qd2 a5 21.Rac1Qd7 22.Rxc5Bxc523.g5 hxg5 24.Qxg5 Qe7 25.Qh5 g6 26.Qh6Qf6 27.Bc4 d3 28. e5 Qf5 29.Rxd3 Be430.Rd6 A "diverting" sacrifice – on 30...Bxd631.Ng5 wins, as Black no longer has 31...Qxf2+,and 30...Bxf3 removes one of the guards fromg6, allowing 31.Rxg6+ (the f7 pawn is pinned).30...Qg4 31.Rf6 Bf5 32.b3 Bd4 33.Nxd4Qxd4 34.Rxg6+ Bxg6 35.Qxg6+ Kh8 36.Qh6+ Kg8 37.e6 Qe4 38.exf7+ Rxf7 39.Qf6Qb1+ 40.Kh2Qh7+ 41.Kg3Qd3+ 42.f3Qxc443.Qd8+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Stefano Tatai• Anatoly KarpovLas PalmasSpain1977 0-1 A34Las Palmas was the sunny setting of another re-sounding triumph for the world champion, whomade it look easy by scoring 90% in a strong field.As a rule Karpov is prepared for long games, pa-tiently nursing small advantages. His style engen-ders no seething or turbulence; he prefers positionswhich seem drab, stodgy and drawish, yet he wonnumerous brilliancy prizes. This melee, capped byhis stunning queen sacrifice, is a textbook illustra-tion on the perils of pawn snatching.1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 Steering into an English Openinginstead of a Sicilian Defense by 1. e4. 2...Nf63.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.g3 g6 6.Bg2 Bg77.Qa4+ A double-edged innovation. More usualis 7. O-O but White is willing to lose time in orderto try and gain a pawn. 7...Nc6 Intending to an-swer 8. Qc4 with Ndb4. 8.Ng5 e6 9.Nge4Nb6Preferring to give up a pawn rather than defendby 9...Qe7. 10.Qb5 c4 11.Na4 O–O 12.Nxb6axb6 13.Qxc4 e5 Karpov took an hour on thismove and rejected 13...Bd7 14. Nc3! 14.Qc2Nd4 15.Qb1 In order to gain a pawn White losttime and violated opening principles by moving hisqueen five times within the first 15 moves. 15...f516.Nc3 e4 17.d3 b5 18.Be3 "Again the only de-fense. White could not play 18. e3 Nf3 19. Bxf3exf3 20. Nxb5 Qa5 21. Nc3 b5" – Karpov. 18...b419.Nd1 Re8 20.dxe4 fxe4 21.Bxd4 Rightly re-jecting 21. Bxe4? Rxe4 22. Qxe4 Bf5 23. Qxb7Nc2. But he might try returning the pawn with 21.O-O Nxe2 22. Kh1 to get the king out of the cen-ter. 21...Qxd4 22.a3 Bg4 Threatening Bf3 andavoiding the trap of 22...bxa3 23. O-O! 23.Qc2Qd3 24.exd3 Relatively better is 24. Qd2 Qxd225. Kxd2 Rad8 26. Ke1. 24...exd3+ 25.Kd2Re2+ 26.Kxd3Rd8+ 27.Kc4Rxc2+ 28.Kxb4Rcd2 29.f3Bf8+ 30.Ka5Bd7 White throws inthe towel in view of 30. Ne3 Bc5 threatening Ra8mate. Or 31. Kb6 Rxg2 32.Kc7 Be7 nets a piece.0-10-1

◦ Mikhail Tal• Efim Geller46th USSR ChampionshipTbilisi1978 1/2-1/2 D55Another fighting draw between these great antago-nists. Tal plays in the spirit of Tal and Geller de-

133

fends sharply in the spirit of Geller. A series ofcombinational blows drives Black’s wobbly kinginto the center, but White sacrificed so much ma-terial to achieve this goal that he must be contentwith perpetual check.1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4Nf6 4.Bg5Be7 5.e3 O–O6.Nf3 h6 7.Bxf6Bxf6 8.Rc1 c6 The most flex-ible plan. Persisting with the aim of playing ...c5gave White the advantage in Geller-Ivkov, Bever-wijk 1965, after 8...b6 9. cxd5 exd5 10. Bd3 Bb711. O-O Qe7 12. Re1 c5 13 e4! 9.Bd3 Nd710.cxd5 If 10. O-O dxc4 11. Bxc4 e5 allowsBlack easy equality. 10...exd5 11.b4Be7 Perhaps11...a6 to delay the minority attack. 12.b5 Ba313.Rc2 On 13. Rb1 Qa5 14. Qb3 c5! seizes theinitiative. Or 13. bxc6 bxc6 14. Rc2 c5! and15. Nxd5? is refuted by cxd4 with the threat ofQa5. 13...Bd6 Now 13...c5? 14. Nxd5 cxd415. Nxd4 renders the queen check at a5 harm-less. 14.O–O Nf6 15.bxc6 bxc6 16.Na4 Ne4Too passive would be 16...Bd7 17. Nc5 Qe7 18.Qc1! with continued pressure on c6. Struggling toequalize, Geller invites 17. Rxc6 Bd7 18. Rc1 Ba319. Rb1 Qa5 with excellent counterplay. 17.Ne5Qe8 18.f3 Black equalizes against 18. f4 f6 19.Bxe4 dxe4 20. Nc4 Be7! 21. d5 Qf7 22. d6 (or22. dxc6 Ba6) Rd8. 18...c5 Black continues tostrive for the initiative and also rids himself of hismain weakness, the backward c-pawn. 19.fxe4cxd4 "An unusually picturesque position: doubledWhite and Black pawns, and both White knightshanging. It would be a blunder to play 19...Qxa4?20. cxd5 when cxd4 fails to 21. Nxf7!" – Geller20.Ng4 "On 20. Nc6?! dxe4 21. Bb5 d3 theinitiative passes to Black, although he has onlytwo pawns for the piece." – Geller 20...dxe4 Blowand counter-blow! White’s attack flourishes after20...Bxg4 21. Qxg4 Qxa4 22. e5! 21.Bc4 Reject-ing 21. Rxc8 Rxc8 22. Nf6 gxf6 23. Qg4 Kh824. Rxf6 Rc1 25. Bf1 Qe6! when it is White whomust concern himself with how to hold the draw.21...Bxg4 22.Qxg4 Qxa4 23.Rxf7 Maintainingthe tempo of the attack. If 23. Bb3 Qa5 holds.23...Rxf7 24.Bxf7+ Kxf7 25.Qf5+ Ke7 Blackloses after 25...Kg8? 26. Qd5 Kh7 27. Qxe4 g6 28.Qb7. 26.Qxe4+ Kd7 27.Qb7+ Ke6 28.Qe4+Kd7 Also drawn is 28...Be5 29. Rc6 Kf7 30. Qd5Kf8 31. Qc5 Kg8 32. Qd5 Kh8 33. Rxh6 gxh6 34.Qxe5, etc. 29.Qb7+ A draw. It’s perpetual checkafter 29...Ke6 30. Qe4.1/2-1/2

◦ Christiansen, L.• Seirawan, Y.

?Berkeley1978 1-0 B08In the round-robins which predominate at the inter-national level, every player may expect a reason-able prize, but in American "Swiss" tournaments(a large number of players compete over a week-end, with equal scores being paired in each round),a last-round game may mean the difference be-tween a substantial prize and a long walk home. Inthis game, Seirawan outplays his opponent strate-gically, but Christiansen launches a clever counter-attack which leads to a King-hunt and a very longdiscovered check.1.Nf3 g6 2.e4 Bg7 3.d4 d6 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Be2O–O 6.O–O Nc6 7.d5 Not a very strong systemfor White; though he obtains a temporary spaceadvantage, the Black position is without weak-nesses, and Black will will obtain counterplayby attacking the advanced pawn with...c6 or e6.7...Nb8 8.Bg5 c6 9.Qd2 Qc7 10.Rad1 Nbd711.Rfe1 a5 12.Bf1 Incorrectly assessing the po-sition – he ought to play 12.a4. Now Black getstoo much space on the Queenside, and combinesthreats against b2 and c2 with a flanking actionagainst the d5 pawn. 12...a4 13.a3 Re8 14.h3Nb6 15.Bh6 cxd5 16.Bxg7Kxg7 17.exd5Bd718.Re3Ra5 19.Rd3Nc4 20.Qc1Rc5 21.Ng5White is being pushed back, and certainly doesn’twant to go over to passive defense with 21.Qa1. Hedecides to sacrifice a pawn to gain time to transferhis pieces to the Kingside. 21...Nxa3 22.Rd4h6 23.Nge4Nxe4 24.Rxe4Nc4 25.Rdd4Nb6Better was 25...b5, preparing for the creation ofa passed pawn on the a-file, but mainly keepingthe option of bringing the Nc4 back to the de-fense of the King via e5. 26.Rh4 Rh8 Blackcannot play 26...g5, for White has a winning at-tack with 27.Rxh6! Kxh6 28.Rh4+ Kg6 29.Bd3+Bf5 30.Qd1 gxh4 31.Qg4+ Kh6 32.Qxf5. 27.Qa1Ra8 It was essential to bring another piece tothe Kingside with 27...Bf5. 28.Bd3 g5 29.Rxh6Black must have assumed that this combinationwould not work with the White Queen so far away.Well, he was mistaken. 29...Kxh6 30.Rh4+Kg7The second Rook cannot be taken, for if 30... gxh431.Qc1+ Kh5 32.Qd1+ Kh6 33.Qd2+ soon mates.31.Rh7+Kf6 And on 31...Kf8 32.Qd1, followedby 33.Qh5 wins. 32.Rh6+ Kg7 33.Rh7+Kf6 34.Ne4+ Kg6 Or 34...Ke5 35.b4+! Kxd536.bxc5 dxc5 37.Nxg5 c4 38.Be4+ Kc5 39.Rh5f5 40.Bxf5 Bxf5 41.Ne4+ Kd5 42.Rxf5+ Kxe443.g4 followed by mate. 35.Qd1 g4 White alsomates after 35...Kxh7 36.Qh5+ Kg7 37.Qxg5+ Kf8

134

38.Qh6+ Kg8 39.Nf6+. 36.Qd2Rxd5 37.Qh6+Kf5 38.Rxf7+ Short of time, White misses sev-eral quicker wins, such as 38.Nxd6+ Ke5 39.Nxf7+Kd4 40. Qe3++. 38...Ke5 39.Qg7+ Ke640.Rf6+ Ke5 41.Rxd6+ Kf4 42.g3+ Black Re-signs.1-0

◦ Belle• Chess?Detroit1979 1/2-1/2 A79At the American computer championship Whiteplays a masterful game that even Karpov pro-nounced "very human." The breakthrough 44. e5!is worthy of a Grandmaster, but thereafter tech-nique fails the machine, and the endgame is drawn.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5d6 6.e4 g6 7.Nf3 Bg7 8.Be2 O–O 9.O–ORe8 10.Nd2 Na6 11.f3 Nc7 12.a4 b6 13.Nc4Ba6 14.Bg5 h6 15.Bh4 g5 Until this movethe computers had been following opening theory.15...g5 weakens the Kingside, but at least gainssome space. 16.Bf2 Nh5 17.Ne3 Bc8 18.Qc2Nf4 19.Bc4 Bd7 20.Rfd1 Qf6 21.Bg3 Nh522.Be1 Nf4 23.Kh1 a6 24.Bg3 b5 25.axb5axb5 26.Rxa8 Rxa8 27.Bf1 b4 28.Ne2 b329. Qb1 If 29. Qxb3 Ba4 wins the ex-change. 29...Nh5 30.Bf2 Nf4 On 30...Qxb231. Qxb2 Bxb2 32. Rb1 Ra7 33. Nc4 isall right for White. 31.Nc4 Nxe2 32.Bxe2Bb5 33.Bg3 Ra4 34.Qc1 Bf8 35.Rd2 Qd836.Qf1 h5 37.Kg1 h4 38.Bf2 Bg7 39.Ne3Bxe2 40.Qxe2 Ra1+ 41.Rd1 Ra2 42.Qd3Rxb2 43.Nc4 Rc2 44.e5 A fine pawn sacri-fice which produces a powerful passed d-pawn.44...Bxe5 45.Nxe5 dxe5 46.Qxb3 Re2 47.Kf1c4 48.Qb7 Ra2 49.Bb6 h3 Black is losing apiece, but has some chances due to the advancedpawns. 50.Qxc7 Qf6 51.Qd8+ Qxd8 52.Bxd8Rxg2 53.Re1 Most humans would play d6, win-ning easily. Computers often have difficulty inthe endgames. 53...c3 54.Rxe5 c2 55.Re8+Kg756.Bxg5Rxg5 57.Rc8Rg2 58.d6Rxh2 59.d7Rd2 60.Kg1Rxd7 61.Rxc2Rd3 62.Rf2Kf663.Kh2 Draw by Agreement.1/2-1/2

◦ Mahia, G.• Quinteros, M.San Miguel OpenArgentina

1980 1-0 B97At this obscure South American tournament anunknown named Gustavo Mahia, who was neverheard from again, created a gem destined for theanthologies. In the words of Gray’s ELEGY: "Fullmany a flower is born to blush unseen, and wasteits sweetness on the desert air." A thunderbolt thatshatters on the enemy on the spot is wondrous tobehold, and White’s fantastic bishop sacrifice onmove 24 elevates this game to greatness. His vic-tim was GM Miguel Quinteros, once an aide toBobby Fischer.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 a6 3.Nc3 d6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4Nf6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qb6 8.Qd2 The "poi-son pawn" variation. 8. Nb3 is rather tame.8...Qxb2 9.Rb1 Qa3 10.e5 dxe5 11.fxe5 Nfd712.Be2 For 12. Bc4 Bb4 see Byrne-Evans, USAChampionship 1966. 12...Bb4 13.Rb3 Qa514.O–O O–O 15.Bf6Nxf6 An improvement over15...gxf6 16. Qh6! 16.exf6 Rd8 17.fxg7Rxd4 Instead 17...Bc5! seems to refute the at-tack. 18.Qh6Qe5 If 18...Bxc3 19. Rxf7! Kxf720. Qxh7 looks strong. 19.Ne4 Qxe4 20.Bh5Rd7 21.Rd3 Bc5+ 22.Kh1 Bd4 23.Rg3 Nc6Loses beautifully. So does 23...f5 24. Qxh7+!Kxh7 25. g8=Q+. 24.Bg6Qxg6 If 24...fxg6 25.Rf8 mate; or 24...hxg6 Qh8 mate. 25.Rxg6Ne726.Rxf7Kxf7 27.g8=Q+Nxg8 28.Qxh7+Ke829.Rxg8# Mate1-0

◦ Alburt• Peters?U.S. Championship1981 0-1 A62In this brilliancy prize game from the 1981 U.S.Championship, Black’s sharp Exchange sacrificeproduces a complex position with the struggleranging all across the board, a typical example ofModern Benoni at its best.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 c5 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5d6 6.Nc3 g6 7.Nf3 Bg7 8.Bg2 O–O 9.O–ORe8 10.Bf4 Ne4 White has adopted the "Fi-anchetto Variation" against the Benoni, develop-ing his Bishop at g2. He hopes thus to safe-guard his King and gradually advance his centerpawns (e2-e4, f2-f4, e4-e5). Black hastens to ob-tain counterplay with his Rook on the half-opene-file. 11.Nxe4 Rxe4 12.Nd2 Rb4 A finesse,luring the a-pawn to a dark square so that it will be"en prise" after...Bxb2. 13.a3Rxf4 14.gxf4Bxb215.Ra2 Bg7 It seems that Black has good com-pensation for his small investment – a pawn for

135

the Exchange, a three-to-One pawn majority on theQueenside, and a powerful dark-squared Bishop.But now White advances his center pawns, and theposition becomes very sharp and unclear. 16.e4Na6 17.Re1 b5 18.e5 Bf5 19.e6 Nc7 20.Nb3a5 21.Rae2 Bc3 22.e7 Qd7 23.e8=Q+ After23.Nxc5 dxc5 24.d6, Black seizes the advantage byreturning some material: 24... Re8 25.dxc7 Qxc7,with two good pawns for the Exchange. 23...Rxe824.Rxe8+ Nxe8 25.Re3 Bf6 26.Nxa5 Ng7 Acurious reversal: White has maintained the mate-rial balance and will now get the upper hand onthe Queenside, but Black will launch a decisiveattack against the weakened White King position.27.Nc6 Nh5 28.Bf1 Or, 28.Rb3 Nxf4 29.Rxb5Nxg2 30.Kxg2 Be4+ 31. f3 Qg4+, with a winningattack. 28...c4 29.a4 Nxf4 30.axb5 c3 31.b6 c232.Qc1 White could set a trap with 32.Qe1 Bb2?33. Rb3 c1Q 34.Qxc1 Bxc1 35.b7, getting a newQueen, but Black would play instead 32...Nxd5!33.Rb3 Qxc6 34.b7 c1Q 35.b8Q+ Kg7, winningeasily. 32...Nxd5 33.Rb3 Nxb6 34.Rxb6Be4 35.h3 Or: I) 35.Qf4 c1Q 36.Qxc1 Qg4+; II)35. Bg2 Bxg2 36.Kxg2 Qg4+ 37.Kf1 Qd1+; III)35.f3 Bxc6 Rb8+ Kg7 37.Qxc2 Qa7+. 35...Qf536.Bg2 Slightly better was 36.Rb3, but after 36...Qg5+ 37.Qxg5 Bxg5 38.Rc3 c1Q 39.Rxc1 Bxc1White emerges two pawns behind. 36...Qg537.Ne7+ Kg7 38.Nf5+ gxf5 39.Qxg5+ Bxg540.Rc6Bxc6 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Korchnoi, V.• Kasparov, G.?Olympiad, Lucerne1982 0-1 A64A Titanic struggle. Karpov chose not to play inthe match in which he would have to face his bitterenemy Korchnoi, and so the first-board encounterwas between the former challenger and the nextone. Kasparov chose a sharp and risky piece sac-rifice to stir up threats against the White King, andeven Korchnoi’s great defensive skills prove insuf-ficient.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 c5 5.d5 d66.Nc3 O–O 7.Nf3 e6 8.O–O exd5 9.cxd5 a6 Aposition of the Modern Benoni has been reachedby transposition from the King’s Indian Defense.White now adopts a strategy aimed at prevent-ing ...b7-b5; he hopes to stifle Black’s counter-play and gradually assumes the initiative in thecenter. 10.a4 Re8 11.Nd2 Nbd7 12.h3 Rb8

13.Nc4 Ne5 14.Na3 Nh5 15.e4 Rf8 A refine-ment. Earlier, the immediate 15...f5 had beentried, but it was eventually discovered that Whitecould get the advantage with 16.exf5 Bxf5 17.g4Bxg4 18.hxg4 Qh4 19.gxh5 Rf8 20.h6 Bh8 21.Ne4Ng4 22.Qxg4 Qxg4 23.Nxd6 Be5 24.Ne4, and thethree pieces and passed d-pawn will prove strongerthan the Queen. 16.Kh2 f5 17.f4 b5 On a re-treat of the Ne5 Black’s position would collapseat once – after 18.exf5 he cannot recapture with-out losing a piece, and without the cooperationof the Ne5 Black would have no real attackingchances. 18.axb5 axb5 19.Naxb5 fxe4 Now on20.fxe5 Bxe5 Black has a very dangerous attacke.g. 21.Bf4 Nxf4 22.gxf4 Bxf4+ 23.Kg1 Bd7! witha clear advantage; if the Nb5 moves, 24...Bd4+will be crushing. Korchnoi’s move is stronger,but the position remains unclear. 20.Bxe4 Bd7Now on 21.Nxd6 Rb6 22.fxe5 Bxe5 23.Nc4 Bxg3+24.Kg1 Rbf6 Black brings another piece into theattack with the decisive effect. 21.Qe2 Qb622.Na3 Rbe8 23.Bd2 The critical point of thegame. Two better defenses, which have been ex-tensively analyzed without a clear conclusion, are23. Qg2 Qd8 24.Bd2, and 23.Kg2!? Nf7 24.Qd323...Qxb2 24.fxe5 Not 24.Rfb1? Nf3+, but both24.Ra2 and 24.Nc2 avoid the rapid debacle of thegame. 24...Bxe5 25.Nc4Nxg3 26.Rxf8+Rxf827.Qe1Nxe4+ 28.Kg2Qc2 29.Nxe5Rf2+ Al-lowing White to continue resistance by sacrificinghis Queen. Immediately decisive was 29...Nxd2!,e.g. 30.Nxd7 Nf3+ 31.Qe2 Nh4+ 32.Kg1 Qxc333.Qe6+ Kh8 34.Nxf8 Qg3+ 35.Kf1 Qg2+ 36.Ke1Kf3+ 37.Kd1 Qd2++. 30.Qxf2 Nxf2 31.Ra2Qf5 32.Nxd7 Nd3 Material is approximatelyequal, but Black’s Queen and Knight cooperatebetter than White’s scattered army. 33.Nb6 runsinto 33...Qf2+ 34.Kh1 Qf3+ 35.Kh2 Nf4 36.Bxf4Qxf4+ 37.Kg2 Qg5+, followed by a check pick-ing up the Nc3. 33.Bh6 Qxd7 34.Ra8+ Kf735.Rh8Kf6 36.Kf3Qxh3+ White Resigns.0-1

◦ Smyslov, V.• Ribli, Z.?5th Match Game, London1983 1-0 D42The old lion proves that he can still bite, as VassilySmyslov, World Champion in 1957, crushingly de-feats favored Hungarian Grandmaster Zoltan Ribli.Smyslov won the quarterfinal Candidates’ Match6 1/2-4 1/2, avoiding modern theoretical varia-tions and relying on classical positions in which

136

his greater experience gave him the edge.1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 d5 4.Nc3 c5 5.cxd5Nxd5 6.e3 Nc6 7.Bd3 Be7 8.O–O O–O 9.a3cxd4 10.exd4Bf6 11.Qc2 h6 A typical "isolatedQueen pawn" position – White has more spaceand greater freedom of movement, while Blackwill try to maneuver against the potentially weakd4 pawn. Experience has shown that the chancesare dynamically equal. 12.Rd1 Qb6 13.Bc4Rd8 The combination 13...Nxd4? 14.Nxd4 Bxd415.Na4 Qc7 16. Rxd4 b5 fails to 17.Bxh6! gxh618.Rg4+ Kh8 19.Qd2. 14.Ne2 Bd7 15.Qe4Nce7 16.Bd3 Ba4 Black assumes that the pen-etration of the White Queen to h7 will not bedangerous, but he’s mistaken. 16...Ng6 wouldprevent the attack which arises in the game, and16...Bb5 would at any rate gain a tempo over thegame continuation. 17.Qh7+ Kf8 18.Re1 Bb519.Bxb5 Qxb5 20.Ng3 Ng6 21.Ne5 Nde722.Bxh6 A fine move, permitting the other Whitepieces to assist the Queen in the attack. 22...gxh6?is obviously impossible (23.Qxf7++), and both22...Rxd4 23.Nxg6+ 24. Nh5 gxh6 25.Nxf6 and22...Bxe5 23.Rxe5 Nxe5 24.Qxg7+ Ke8 25.dxe5are as bad as the game (25...Ng6 26.Qg8+ Ke727. Bg5+). 22...Nxe5 23.Nh5 Nf3+ In viewof variations like 23...Rxd4 24.Nxf6 gxh6 25.Qxh6++ and 23...N5g6 24.Bxg7+ Bxg7 25.Qxg7+Ke8 26.Nf6++, the Knight sells its life as dearlyas possible, doubling the White pawns. 24.gxf3Nf5 25.Nxf6 Nxh6 26.d5 The thematic line-opening advance of the isolated pawn. Now on26...gxf6, White wins with the variation 27.dxe6Qg5+ 28.Kh1 fxe6 29.Rg1 Qf4 30.Rg7 Qxf3+31.Kg1 Rd1+ 32.Rxd1 Qxd1+ 33.Kg2 Qd5+ 34.f3Qd2+ 35.Kh3, escaping the checks. 26...Qxb227.Qh8+ Ke7 28.Rxe6+ A sacrificial combi-nation that wins the Black Queen. 28...fxe629.Qxg7+ Nf7 Or 29...Kd6 30.Ne4+. 30.d6+Rxd6 31.Nd5+ Rxd5 32.Qxb2 b6 33.Qb4+Kf6 34.Re1 Rh8 35.h4 Rhd8 36. Re4 Nd637.Qc3+ e5 38.Rxe5 Rxe5 39.f4 Nf7 40.fxe5+Ke6 41.Qc4+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Nesis, G.• Blocker?Correspondence1984 1-0 E04An unusual game demonstrating that the effects ofa positional piece sacrifice can be felt far into theendgame stage; this game is even more unusual be-cause it was played by correspondence. In "postal"

chess, many players feel a sacrifice must be calcu-lated to the very end, yet it is clear that in this gamesuch depth of calculation wasn’t possible. What-ever the method, the result is very good chess.1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 The Catalan.White announces his willingness to give up the c-pawn for development, central control, and coordi-nation. 4...dxc4 Before 4.g3, this capture could bemet with e2-e3 and Bxc4, but White is unlikely toweaken the Kingside if he plans this development:the Bishop is firmly committed to development ong2. 5.Bg2 a6 6.O–O b5 7.Ne5 Nd5 8.a4Bb7 9.e4 Nf6 10.axb5 axb5 11.Rxa8 Bxa812.Nc3 c6 13.Bg5 Bb7 14.Nxf7 Kxf7 15.e5h6 16.Bxf6 gxf6 17.Qh5+Kg7 18.Ra1 Headingfor a7. Although Black has a whole extra piece, theonly one he has developed is the sad specimen onb7, blocked in by his own pawns. Furthermore,Black’s King finds little shelter. 18...f5 19.Ne2Rg8 20.Nf4 Qd7 21.Ra7 Kh8 22.Nxe6 Gain-ing control of the seventh rank, and planningthe win of both e- and f-pawns. Later, Whitewill advance his pawn mass with great effect.22...Qxe6 23.Rxb7Bg7 24.Rf7Rf8 25.Rxf8+Bxf8 26.Bh3Na6 27.Bxf5Qe7 28. Qg6Nb429.Be4 Qd7 30.Kf1 Nd5 31.f4 b4 Black is al-most in Zugzwang, as to move any piece severelyworsens his position. The only plan left is to pushQueenside pawns, and they soon run out of moves.32.Ke2 c3 33.b3 c5 34.dxc5 Bxc5 35.Qxh6+Kg8 36.e6Nxf4+ 37.Qxf4Qxe6 And now the fi-nal stage where two connected passed pawns provesufficient to overcome the drawing power of the"opposite color" Bishops. 38.Kf3Qf7 39.Qxf7+Kxf7 40.h4 Be7 41.Bb1 Ke6 42.Kg4 Bd643.h5Ke5 44.h6Kd4 45.Kh4Ke3 46.g4Kd247.g5 Bf4 48.Kh5 c2 49.Bxc2 Kxc2 50.g6Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Beliavsky, A.• Nunn, J.?Wijk aan Zee1985 0-1 E81Despite the vast amount of theory that has accu-mulated on the King’s Indian Defense over the last40 years, it is still possible for a creative player toproduce an original game. John Nunn is one ofthe new generation of GMs who have made Eng-land one of the world’s leading chess powers (sil-ver medal in the 1986 Olympiad, behind the SovietUnion), while Beliavsky is one of the top Sovietplayers after Kasparov and Karpov.

137

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 Thepopular Saemisch Variation – White securely de-fends his e4 pawn, and is ready in some lines toadvance his Kingside pawns (g2-g4, h2-h4-h5xh6),in conjunction with Queenside castling. 5...O–O6.Be3Nbd7 7.Qd2 c5 A logical plan, increasingthe activity of the Bg7. The alternative is some-thing like 7...e5 8.d5 Nh5 followed by ...f7-f5, butthis is the sort of thing the Saemisch is designedto meet. 8.d5Ne5 It is usually incorrect to movethe same piece twice in the opening, but Black’smove discourages Nge2 (...Nxc4), Nh3 (...Bxh3and ...Nxf3+), and f4 (...Neg4, exchanging the im-portant Be3). The right reply is paradoxical 9.Bg5,threatening 10.f4, as played in Timman-Nunn ina later round of the same tournament. 9.h3Nh5 10.Bf2 The most reasonable alternative is10.Qf2, but White would have tactical problemsbased on the juxtaposition of his King and Queenon the same diagonal, e.g. 10...e6 11.f4 Bf6 12.g3Nxg3. 10...f5 11.exf5Rxf5 Offering a piece sac-rifice to get at the uncastled White King. 12.g4Rxf3 13.gxh5 Of course not 13.Nxf3? Nxf3+,forking King and Queen. No better is 13.O-O-ORf7 14.gxh5 Qf8, skewering the two bishops, e.g.15.Ne4 Bh6 16.Be3 Bxe3 17.Qxe3 Rxf1. Possibleis 13.Be2 Rxf2 14.Kxf2, but after 14...Qf8+ Blackhas more than enough for the Exchange. 13...Qf814.Ne4 A good defensive move, which should en-able White to hold the balance. 14...Bh6 15.Qc2The critical point of the game. White tries to holdall his material, but fails to set up a solid defense.Correct was 15.Qe2, attacking the Rook in earnest,and after 15...Nd3+ 16.Qxd3 Rxd3 17.Bxd3 Qf418.Rd1, it seems the White can hold the posi-tion, though the Black pieces remain very active.15...Qf4 16.Ne2 Taking the Rook now leads toan inferior endgame – 16. Nxf3 Nxf3+ 17.Kd1Bf5 18.Bg3 Qe3 19.Bf2 Qxe4 Bxe4 21.Bg2 Rf8,and though White has apparent material advan-tage, the active Black Bishops cooperate far bet-ter than the clumsy White Rooks. 16...Rxf217.Nxf2 Nf3+ 18.Kd1 Qh4 19.Nd3 The onlyway to save the Knight, in view of the threat of...Qe1++. 19...Bf5 Threatening 20...Ne1, and if21.Nxe1 Bxc2+ 22.Nxc2 Qg5 and wins. Rela-tively best now is 20.Nc3, but Black is still on topafter 20...Nd2!, e.g. 21.B3 Nxf1 22.Rxf1 Qh5+23.Ke1 Qxh3 24.Rd1 Qg3+ 25.Rf2 Be3. 20.Nec1Nd2 Threatening now the "staircase" maneuver21...Qe4 22.Rg1 Qe3 23.Rh1 Qf3+. 21.hxg6hxg6 22.Bg2Nxc4 23.Qf2Ne3+ 24.Ke2Qc425.Bf3 Rf8 26.Rg1 Nc2 Threatening to con-fiscate the Bf3 as well with...Nd4 and ...Bxd3.

27.Kd1Bxd3 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Yusupov, A.• Nogueiras, J.?Montpellier1985 1-0 D35Even in a quiet Queen’s Gambit, opening inaccu-racies may meet with a drastic refutation. It is truethat in closed positions maneuvering may be moreimportant than rapid development – but you mustbe certain that the position will remain closed.1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bg5Nbd7 Black avoids the sharp Anti-Meran Gam-bit (5...dxc4 6.e4) and transposes into the Queen’sGambit declined. 6.cxd5 exd5 7.e3 Bd6 8.Bd3Nf8 9.Ne5 Qb6 Or 9...Ng6 10.f4 O-O 11.O-O, with a good attacking formation for White,as Pillsbury demonstrated at the turn of the cen-tury. 10.O–O Bxe5 Black does not care for10...Qxb2 11.Rc1 Bxe5 12.dxe5 N6d7 13.f4, butif he doesn’t plan to take the b2 pawn, his 9thmove makes little sense. 11.dxe5 Ng4 12.Qa4White is only slightly better after 12.Bf4 Ng613.Bxg6 hxg6 14.h3 Nh6. Now White threat-ens 13.Nxd5, and 12...Bd7 runs into 13.e6 Bxe614.Nxd5 Bxd5 15.Qxg4, with two Bishops anda development advantage. 12...Qxb2 13.Rac1Bd7 14.Qd4 With a plethora of threats – 15.Nxd5Qxd4 16.Nc7++ and 15.Ne4 Qb6 16.Nd6++ chiefamong them, while 14...Qb6 fails to 15.e6 Bxe616.Qxg7. 14...f6 15.exf6 gxf6 16.Bxf6 Rg8No better was 16...Nxf6 17.Qxf6 Rg8 18.Nxd5.17.Nb5 Qxb5 Since 17...Qxd4 18.Nd6 is stillmate. 18.Bxb5 Ne6 19.Qb2 cxb5 20.Bh4Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Karpov, An.• Kasparov, G.?24th Match Game, Moscow1985 0-1 B85Once more a game in which the sporting factorsoutweighed the chessic ones. After 23 games, Kas-parov led by a score of 12-11, but a 12-12 tie wouldallow Karpov to retain the World Championship,and he had White in the last game. Kasparov re-mained true to himself, eschewing passive defenseand once more adopting the double-edge SicilianDefense. Karpov obtains an attack sufficient for adraw, but his attempts to obtain more lead only to

138

a slashing counterattack and a decisive victory forthe challenger from Baku.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.Be2 e6 7.O–O Be7 8.f4 O–O 9.Kh1 Qc7Black adopts the solid and flexible ScheveningenSystem. His pawns on e6 and d6 deny Whitethe use of the central squares d5/e5/f5, and hecan prepare counterplay with ...b5, ...d5 or ...e5 asevents dictate. 10.a4 Nc6 11.Be3 Re8 12.Bf3Rb8 13.Qd2Bd7 14.Nb3 b6 15.g4 White mustchoose between two fundamentally different plans:the piece attack, with something like Qd2-f2-g3and f4-f5, and the pawn storm, as adopted in thegame. The drawback of the latter plan is that theWhite King may become exposed if the first playerlater loses the initiative. 15...Bc8 16.g5 Nd717.Qf2 Bf8 18.Bg2 Bb7 19.Rad1 g6 20.Bc1Freeing the third rank so that the Rd1 may betransferred to the Kingside. 20...Rbc8 Kasparovlater recommended instead 20...Nc5 21.Nxc5 bxc522.Rd3 Nd4 23.Rh3 Qe7, with a satisfactory po-sition for Black. 21.Rd3 Nb4 22.Rh3 Bg723.Be3 A preparatory move typical of Karpov,but according to Kasparov the immediate 23.f5would be more dangerous for Black. 23...Re724.Kg1 Rce8 A strange-looking idea, but Blackthus defends his second rank (especially f7) anddiscourages f4-f5, for the opening of the e-filemay be to his advantage. 25.Rd1 f5 Suddenlytaking the initiative at the cost of a pawn sacri-fice. If 26.Qd2 e5! 27.exf5 gxf5, the doubledRooks on the e-file no longer look so silly. 26.gxf6Nxf6 27.Rg3Rf7 28.Bxb6Qb8 29.Be3Nh530.Rg4 Nf6 31.Rh4 Objectively best was to re-peat moves with 31.Rg3 Nh5, but this would beequivalent to resigning the World Championship.31...g5 32.fxg5 Ng4 33.Qd2 Nxe3 34.Qxe3Nxc2 35.Qb6 Ba8 Now it is clear that the Rh4is quite out of play, and the White position is veryloose. 36.Rxd6 A losing blunder in a difficult po-sition. The game remains unclear after 36.Qxb8Rxb8 37.Bh3, when best play seems to be 37...Re738.Rxd6 Rxb3 39.Rd8+ Kf7 40.Rxa8 Rxb2, whenBlack has sufficient compensation for the pawn.36...Rb7 37.Qxa6 Rxb3 Even better, accord-ing to Kasparov, was 37...Nb4 38.Qa5 Qxd6, forif 39.e5 Qd3 40.Bxb7 Qe3+ mates. 38.Rxe6Rxb2 39.Qc4Kh8 40.e5Qa7+ 41.Kh1Bxg2+42.Kxg2Nd4+ White Resigns.0-1

◦ Korchnoi, V.• Hulak, K.?

Zagreb1987 1-0 E99The King’s Indian Defense can still reach indepen-dent positions with unique positional and strategicelements.1.Nf3Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3Bg7 4.e4 O–O 5.Be2d6 6.d4 e5 7.O–ONc6 8.d5Ne7 9.Ne1 Prepar-ing f2-f3 and routing the Knight to d3, where itsupports Queenside action. 9...Nd7 10.Be3 An-other interesting plan for White is the fast prophy-lactic g2-g4. 10...f5 11.f3 f4 12.Bf2 g5 13.Nb5a6 14.Na7 Korchnoi seems to prefer to delay thethematic play c4-c5 in favor of first gaining someother advantage. After this move, Black cannot af-ford to allow Na7xc8, since that Bishop is essen-tial to both offense and defense, so a material im-balance is forced. 14...Rxa7 15.Bxa7 b6 16.b4Bb7 17.c5 dxc5 18.Rc1Nc8 19.bxc5Ba8 20.c6Nf6 21.Bxb6Nxb6 22.Bxa6 White has a Rookand two pawns against Black’s two minor pieces,but more importantly the maneuvers on the Queen-side to achieve this have advanced White’s ob-jectives there while Black has been doing noth-ing on the other wing. Black would now liketo focus on the White King, but finds this diffi-cult with his Bishop out of play on a8. 22...g423.Nd3 g3 24.h3 Ne8 25.Nc5 Qb8 26.a4 Nd627.a5Nbc8 28.Kh1Qa7 29. Qc2Ne7 30.Rb1Ng6 31.Rfc1Bf6 32.Bf1Bxc6 33.dxc6Qxa534.Ra1 Qb4 35.Ne6 Black Resigns. The mainthreat is to trap the Queen with Rc1-b1.1-0

◦ Karpov, An.• Kasparov, G.?15th Match Game, Seville1987 1/2-1/2 D97Karpov makes a strong-looking Exchange sacrificein the 1987 World Championship match, but Kas-parov wriggles well and avoids the ax.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3dxc4 6.Qxc4 O–O 7.e4 Na6 The Grunfeld wasa staple between these two during these earliermatches. Later, Kasparov switched to the King’sIndian as Black, which seems a good choice asthe Grunfeld structures seem to suit Karpov’sstyle. 8.Be2 c5 9.d5 e6 10.O–O exd5 11.exd5Bf5 12.Rd1 Re8 13.d6 This is actually oneof the quieter lines in the Grunfeld, but alreadyWhite is advancing his passed d-pawn to thesixth. Black must prove this pawn weak, or startsome fast counterplay with the Queenside major-ity. 13...h6 14.h3 Nb4 15.Bf4 Nd7 16.Rd2

139

a6 17.Qb3 b5 18.Qd1 c4 19.a4 Nc5 Black iswilling to give up a pawn to plant his Knight ond3. 20.axb5 Nbd3 21.Bxd3 Nxd3 22.Rxd3And White is willing to give up a Rook to re-move it. White gets plenty of compensation forthe Exchange, but in the end it isn’t enough to win.22...cxd3 23.Nd5 axb5 24.Ne7+ Kh7 25.Rxa8Qxa8 26.Nxf5 gxf5 27.Qxd3 Qe4 28.Qxb5Ra8 29.Bd2 Rd8 30.Qc5 Qe6 31.Bf4 Bxb232.Nh4Bf6 33.Qxf5+Qxf5 34. Nxf5 h5 35.g4hxg4 36.hxg4 Kg6 37.Kg2 Bb2 38.Ne7+ Kf639.Nc6 Rd7 40.Nb8 Rd8 41.d7 Ke6 42.Kf3Ba3 43.Bc7 Draw by Agreement.1/2-1/2

◦ Karpov, An.• Kasparov, G.?5th Match Game, Seville1987 1-0 D87These two giants have played well over 150 seri-ous tournament games over the years, and the dif-ference between them is only two or three pointsoverall (in Kasparov’s favor). They don’t get alongwell away from the board, but their feuds seem toend eventually in friendly post-mortem analysis oftheir games. This is, Kasparov explains, becausethey are the only people who truly understand whatthe other is doing on the chessboard.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4Nxc3 6.bxc3Bg7 7.Bc4 c5 8.Ne2Nc6 9.Be3O–O 10.O–O Bg4 11.f3 Na5 12.Bxf7+ Eventhough this line was played several times byKarpov and Kasparov in World Championshipmatches, it never caught on with anyone else. Thiswas either because no one else understood whatwas going on, or they did and the two contendersfor the throne were too stubborn to give it up. Ineither case, this unusual line of the Grunfeld led tosome very hard games. 12...Rxf7 13.fxg4Rxf1+14.Kxf1 Qd6 15.e5 Qd5 16.Bf2 Rf8 17.Kg1Bh6 18.h4 Qf7 19.Bg3 Be3+ 20.Kh2 Qc421.Rb1 b6 22.Rb2 Qd5 23.Qd3 Nc4 Whatdoes Black get for his pawn? A firm blockadeof the central pawns, and all of his pieces active.However, White’s King remains fairly safe, andwith a pair of Rooks and two minor pieces ex-changed, any storm Black can manufacture will besmall, or at least smaller than if all of the pieceswere still on. 24.Rb1 b5 25.Kh3 a6 26.Ng1 cxd427.Nf3 Rd8 28.a4 dxc3 29.Qxc3 Qe6 30.Kh2bxa4 31.Rb4Nd2 32.Rxa4Nf1+ 33.Kh3Rd134.Qc2Rc1 35.Qe2 h5 Well, this storm doesn’tlook so small now that it has centered on the White

King! But White’s defensive resources aren’t sosmall, either. In fact, White will prove in just a fewmoves that Black has over-extended. 36.Be1Qd737.Qxa6Ra1 38.Qxg6+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Korchnoi, V.• Ljubojevic, L.?Tilburg1987 1-0 E56When Korchnoi goes after the King, sometimes itis necessary to have some heavy duty shears to getout of the net. Ljubo left his shears home this day.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 O–O 5.Bd3d5 6.Nf3 c5 7.O–O Nc6 8.a3 Ba5 9.h3 dxc410.Bxc4 Bd7 11.Bd3 Qe7 12.Ne4 Nxe413.Bxe4 cxd4 14.exd4 h6 15.b4 Bb6 16.b5Na5 17.a4 Rfd8 18.Ba3 Qf6 19.Bb4 Qf420.Bb1 a6 21.Qd3 g6 22.Bd2Qf5 23.Qe3 Vik-tor doesn’t want to try his luck in the endgamewith his vulnerable d-pawn: his target wearsthe crown with the cross. 23...Qh5 24.Ne5axb5 25.Bxa5 Bxa5 26.Qf4 Be8 27.Ng4 Kf828.Nf6 g5 29.Qe5Qh4 30.Ng4Bb6 31.Qh8+Ke7 32.Qf6+ Kf8 33.Rd1 Bc7 34.Ra3 h535.g3 Qxh3 36. Nh6 h4 37.Bf5 Be5 38.Qxe5exf5 39.Re3 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Ftacnik, L.• Farago, I.?Altensteig1987 1-0 E12Grandmaster Lubomir Ftacnik, now of Slovakia,has been among the top players in the world forseveral years. In this game he wins Farago’s Queenfor two Rooks, normally a poor trade, but alsopicks up some pawns. The odd feature is the lengthof time that the Queen actually stays on the playingfield. Both players know it is gone, so why botherto remove it?1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 b6 4.Nc3 Bb7 5.a3d5 6.cxd5Nxd5 7.Qc2Nxc3 8.Qxc3 h6 9.Bf4Bd6 10.Bg3 O–O 11.e3 Nd7 12.Bb5 Bxg313.hxg3 c5 14.Rd1Qe7 15.Bxd7Bxf3 16.gxf3Qxd7 17.dxc5 Qc6 18.e4 bxc5 19.Rh5 Rfc8Black would avoid the following problem if heused the other Rook. 20.b4 f5 In this apparentlysimple position, Black cannot afford to exchangehis weak c-pawn with 20...cxb4 because of theblazing back-rank tactic, 21.Rd8+! Kh7 22.Qxc6

140

Rxc6 23.Rxa8. Ftacnik specializes in the transi-tional stages of the game, and it is when things ap-pear to be getting simpler that you must really becareful. 21.bxc5 fxe4 Again not 21...Qxc5 be-cause of 22.Rd8+! 22.Qe5 exf3 23.Rd6 Qe824.Rxe6 Qf7 25.Rexh6 gxh6 26.Rxh6 Whitehas calculated that the two major pieces workingtogether will lead either to mate or the win of theQueen. 26...Qe8 27.Re6Rab8 28.Qg5+ Whiteshows he is in no hurry to actually capture theQueen. 28...Kf8 29.Qf4+ Qf7 30.Rf6 Re8+31.Kd1 Rbd8+ 32.Kc2 Rd7 33.c6 Again, nohurry. Where can she go? 33...Rc8 34.Qxf3Rcc7 35.Kc3Re7 36.Kd4Ke8 37.Rxf7 Now,it is finally necessary. Notice how White’s positionhas improved, though. 37...Rxf7 38.Qe4+Rce739.Qg6 Rc7 40.Kd5 Re7 After 41.Kd6, Whitecan win by a variety of methods, so Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Gulko, B.• Campora?Biel1987 1-0 E06Gulko’s Queenside ambitions are stymied, so heswitches his attention to the King. A sustained at-tack follows.1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Be7 4.g3 Nf6 5.Bg2O–O 6.Qc2 c6 7.O–O b5 8.c5 a5 9. Nbd2Nbd7 10.e4Nxe4 11.Nxe4 dxe4 12.Qxe4Ra613.Re1 Re8 14.h4 Nf6 15.Qc2 Nd5 16.a4b4 17.Ne5 Qc7 18.Be4 A familiar battery isformed to provoke Kingside weaknesses. White’spieces coordinate well for the coming Kingside at-tack. 18...g6 19.h5 Bf6 20.hxg6 hxg6 21.Bxg6fxg6 22.Qxg6+ Kf8 23.Re4 Ke7 24.Bg5 Rf825.Rf4Qd8 Not 25...Nxf4 26.Qg7+ winning thehouse. 26.Rxf6Nxf6 27.Re1 Down by a Rook,White takes time to bring his remaining pieces intoplay. 27...Qd5 Black is effectively in Zugzwang;any move he makes damages him. 28.Qg7+Ke829.Bxf6 Ra7 30.Qg6+ Raf7 31.Nxf7 Rxf732.Re5 Qf3 33.Qg8+ Black Resigns. 33...Rf834.Rxe6+ is the end.1-0

◦ Beliavsky, A.• Portisch, L.?Szirak1987 0-1 A79A model Modern Benoni game by the veteran Hun-garian Lajos Portisch.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5 d66.Nc3 g6 7.e4Bg7 8.Be2 O–O 9.O–ONa6 Oneof the modern ideas in the Modern Benoni is toplay ...Nb8-a6-c7 to support the ...b7-b5 advance,or failing that, to at least get the Knight out ofthe way. 10.Nd2 White likes the c4-square forthis Knight, from which it may pressure the d6-pawn. White may later choose Bc1-f4 or f2-f4and e4-e5 to continue the attack. 10...Re8 11.f3This announces that White has opted for pieceplay against d6, rather than fast pawn action inthe center. Black reacts appropriately. 11...Nc712.a4 b6 13.Nc4 Ba6 14.Bg5 Qd7 15.Rb1Since Black is prepared to remove the Knight,White tries to get in b2-b4. 15...Bxc4 16.Bxc4a6 17.b4 b5 18.Bd3 c4 19.Bc2 bxa4 Makinga square for that Knight-c7. The passed c-pawnis now an important feature, and the straightfor-ward, logical moves he finds to simplify the po-sition are very pretty. 20.Bxa4 Nb5 21.Kh1Qb7 22.Bxb5 axb5 23.Be3 Ng4 24.Bd4 Ne325.Bxe3 Bxc3 26. Bd4 Bxd4 27.Qxd4 Qa728.Qc3 Now White’s major pieces are tied tothe blockade of the c-pawn. 28...Qe7 29.Ra1Rxa1 30.Qxa1Rc8 31.Rc1Qc7 32.Qc3Ra833.f4 Qa7 34.Qd2 Qa2 35.Qe1 Qb2 36.Rb1c3 37.h3 Ra2 38.Qf1 c2 39.Rc1 Qxb4 40.e5Rb2 41.Qf2Qe4 42.Kh2Qxd5 White Resigns.Black will end up with two extra pawns and a wellcentralized Queen: an easy win.0-1

◦ Hjartarson, J.• Ljubojevic, L.?Belgrade1987 0-1 D46Candidate Johann Hjartarson of Iceland here fallsvictim to a Kingside attack.1.d4Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c6 5.e3Nbd76.Bd3 Be7 7.O–O O–O 8.e4 dxe4 9.Nxe4 b610.b3 c5 11.Bb2 Bb7 12.Qe2 cxd4 13.Nxd4Nc5 14.Nxc5 Bxc5 15.Nf3 Qc7 16.Ne5Rad8 17.Rad1 Rd6 18.Ng4 Nxg4 19.Qxg4f6 20.Bc2 Qe7 21.Rxd6 Bxd6 22.Re1 e523.h4 This seems to be where White starts togo wrong. He should settle for rough equal-ity after 23.Be4. 23...Rd8 24.h5 Bb4 25.Re2Qd7 26.Bf5Qd1+ 27.Kh2Bd2 28.Be6+Kh829.Bd5Bf4+ 30.g3 f5 31.Qh4Bxg3+ 32.Kxg3Rxd5 33.cxd5Qxd5 White had apparently hopedthis series of desperado sacrifices would fail inview of 33...Qxe2 34.Qd8#, but now Black’s bat-tery will keep White busy. 34.Qb4Qf3+ 35.Kh4

141

h6 36.Re3Qxf2+ 37.Rg3Qh2+ 38.Rh3Qf2+39.Rg3 Kh7 40. Kh3 Qf1+ 41.Kh4 Qh1+42.Rh3Qg1 43.Rg3 The threat was ...Qg1-g5#.43...Qh2+ 44.Rh3 Qxb2 45.Qc3 Qf2+ WhiteResigns. Now 46.Qg3 Qd4+ mates and 46.Rg3Qh2+ 47.Rh3 Qf4#.0-1

◦ Tukmakov, V,• Sveshnikov, E.?Sochi1987 0-1 D43Evgeny Sveshnikov is well known for his eccentrictaste in opening variations; he even has one majorvariation of the Sicilian named after him.1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 c6 5.Bg5h6 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.g3 Nd7 8.Bg2 Be7 9.O–Odxc4 10.Ne4Qf5 11.Nfd2Nb6 Black desires tohold on to the c4-pawn for a while. Rather thanbecause he holds an extra pawn, Sveshnikov in-tends to open the d-file and use the c-pawn’s in-fluence over the d3 outpost square to his advan-tage. 12.a4 Qa5 13.Qc2 O–O 14.Rfd1 Rd815.e3 e5 16.dxe5Bg4 17.f3 Although White maystand somewhat worse anyway, this weakens thee3-pawn giving a Rook on d3 a target. Better seems17.Bf3. 17...Be6 18.f4 Rd3 The clear and natu-ral exploitation of the open d-file. 19.Bf1 Rxe320.Bxc4Rxe4 21.Bxe6 White evidentially over-looked the check, ...Qa5-c5, which would follow21.Qxe4. 21...Re2 22.Bg4Qd5 23.Bxe2Bc5+24.Qxc5 Qxc5+ 25.Kf1 Nd5 Black has a win-ning material advantage. 26.Nc4 g5 27.fxg5 hxg528.Rac1 Ne3+ 29.Nxe3 Qxe3 30.Bc4 Qxe5White Resigns.0-1

◦ Korchnoi, V.• Ribli, Z.?Reggio Emilia1987 0-1 D43The Semi-Slav variation of the Queen’s GambitDeclined has a reputation for leading to compli-cated play. The following game is no exception.Viktor Korchnoi, probably the strongest playernever to wear the World Championship crown, triesto blow away fellow Grandmaster Zoltan Ribli.Accurate play from the Hungarian leaves Whitewith a terribly weak pawn on d6 which proves tobe Black’s margin of victory.1.c4 c6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nf3 e6 5.Qb3A popular way of avoiding the complexities of

the Meran Variation that arises after 5.e3 Nbd76.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5. 5...dxc4 6.Qxc4 b57.Qb3 a6 8.Bg5 Nbd7 9.e4 h6 10.Bxf6 Whitesurrenders the Bishop pair for the Classical cen-ter (pawns on e4 and d4) but Black’s positionis quite resilient. 10...Nxf6 11.e5 Nd7 Theright square from which the liberating advance...c6-c5 is supported. 12.Be2Bb7 13.O–OBe714.Ne4 Rc8 Preparing ...c6-c5. 15.Rfc1 Qb616.a4 c5 17.Nd6+ The main alternative, 17.Nxc5,leaves slightly better after 17...Nxc5 18.dxc5 Bxc519.axb5 Bxf2+ 20.Kh1 O-O-Ribli. 17...Bxd618.exd6 c4 19.Qb4 Bxf3 20.Bxf3 O–O Nowthat things have settled down it’s possible to eval-uate the position. White’s pawn on d6 can’t beprotected, and the only hope to save the gameis by generating play against the enemy b-pawn.21.axb5 axb5 22.Ra5Rb8 23.Re1Rfd8 24.h3Nf6 25.Re5 Qxd6 Capturing the d-pawn insuch a way that other pawns are likely to fall aswell. 26.Qxd6Rxd6 27.Raxb5Rxb5 28.Rxb5Rxd4 29.Be2Ne4 30.Rb8+Kh7 31.Rb4Rd232.Bxc4 Nxf2 With a four versus two majorityon the Kingside the rest of the game is a sim-ple matter of technique in Ribli’s capable hands.33.Rb3Rc2 34.Bb5Kg8 35.Rf3Ne4 36.Bd3Rc1+ 37.Rf1 Rxf1+ 38.Kxf1 Nf6 39. Ke2Kf8 40.Ke3 Ke7 41.Kd4 Kd6 42.Bc4 Nd743.b4 f5 44.Be2Nb6 45.Bh5 e5+ 46.Kd3Nd547.Kc4 Nf4 48.Be8 Nxg2 49.Kb3 Ne3 WhiteResigns.0-1

◦ Chernin, A.• Vyzhmanavin?Lvov1987 1-0 D39White sacrifices a piece for pressure, and finds away to win the ending.1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.d4 dxc4 5.e4Bb4 6.Bg5 c5 7.Bxc4 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Bxc3+9.bxc3Qa5 10.Bb5+ With weak points at c3 ande4, and a hanging Bishop on g5, White must usehis development advantage quickly. 10...Bd711.Bxf6 gxf6 Capturing 11...Qxc3+ first is dan-gerous: 12.Kf1 gxf6 13.Rc1 with nasty threats.When behind in development, think twice aboutgrabbing material and opening lines against yourown King. 12.Qb3 a6 13.Bxd7+ Nxd714.Nxe6 fxe6 15.Qxe6+ Kd8 16.Rd1 Qxc3+17.Ke2 Qb2+ 18.Kf3 Qc3+ 19.Ke2 Qb2+20.Kf3 Qc3+ 21.Kg4 Going for it. The com-ing complications are hard to assess. 21...f5+

142

22.Kh5 Qg7 23.Rxd7+ Qxd7 24.Qf6+ Kc725.Rc1+ Kb8 26.Qxh8+ Ka7 27. Qe5 Rg828.Rc7 Qd8 29.Qe7 Qxe7 30.Rxe7 Rxg231.exf5 Rxf2 32.Kg5 Rg2+ 33. Kh6 Rxa2Black may be lost anyway, but it is hard to imagineit is worse to capture the h-pawn with check on oneof these moves. 34.h4 Rf2 35.Re5 b5 36.Kg7b4 37.f6 b3 38.Re7+Kb6 39.Re3 b2 40.Rb3+Ka5 41.f7 Rg2+ This series of checks is neces-sary because White threatens Rb3xb2. 42.Kxh7Rf2 43.Kg6Rg2+ 44.Kh6Rf2 45.Kg7Rg2+46.Kf8Ka4 47.Rb6 a5 48.h5Rh2 49.h6Rxh650.Rxb2 Rh1 51.Rb6 Ka3 52.Ke7 Black Re-signs. After 52...Rf1 53.Rf6 White promotes, and52...Rh7 53.Ke8 leads to a Rook vs Pawn endingwhere Black is much too slow.1-0

◦ Lukacs, P.• Sosonko, G.?Rotterdam1987 1-0 D38If you’re behind in development, space, and cen-tral control, why not grab a pawn for your trou-bles? Gennadi Sosonko of the Netherlands is givena fairly clear explanation in this game.1.d4Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3Bb4 5.Bg5 h66.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.Rc1 O–O 8.a3 Bxc3+ 9.Rxc3dxc4 10.Rxc4 Nc6 11.e4 Rd8 12.e5 Qg613.Bd3Qxg2 14.Rg1Qh3 15.Qe2Ne7 16.d5exd5 Capture with a piece allows Rc4-h4, trap-ping the Queen. 17.Rh4Qe6 18.Nd4Qb6 19.e6At the minimal cost of another pawn, White gainsa square for his Queen and cuts off communica-tions along the sixth rank. 19...Bxe6 20.Qe5Kf8 21.Bb5 Nf5 22.Nxf5 Bxf5 23.Qxg7+Ke7 24.Rxh6 Rg8 Not 24...Qxb5 25.Qe5+ Be626.Rxe6+ fxe6 27.Rg7+ and mates. 25.Qe5+Be6 26.Qf6+ Kd6 27.Qf4+ Ke7 28.Qf6+Kd6 29.Rxg8 Rxg8 30.Qxf7 Rg1+ 31.Bf1Qa5+ 32.b4 Rxf1+ 33.Kxf1 Qb5+ 34.Ke1Qd7 35.Qf4+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Yusupov A.• Ljubojevic L.?Tilburg1987 1-0 D37Yusupov’s sharp, tactical play against Ljubo’shanging center pawns leads to a Queen endingwhere the passed pawn decides.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4O–O 6.e3 b6 7.Rc1 c5 8.dxc5 bxc5 9.Be2Bb710.O–ONbd7 11.cxd5 exd5 12.Ne5Nb6 13.a4a5 14.Bf3 Re8 15.Nb5 Ra6 16.Nd3 c4 Thehanging pawns, side-by-side on open files in thecenter, are notorious. They are strong only if theyare impervious to attack or can advance with dis-organizing effect; they are weak when forced toadvance into a blockade. Here the White forcesare coordinated, and the pawns are weak. 17.Bc7Qd7 18.Ne5 Qc8 19.b3 Na8 20.bxc4 Nxc721.cxd5 Bd6 22.Nc4 Bc5 23. Nxa5 Rxa524.Rxc5 Qd8 25.Nd6 Qxd6 26.Rxa5 Bxd527.Qd4 Qe6 28.Bxd5 Ncxd5 29.Rd1 Rc830.Rc5 Rxc5 31.Qxc5 h5 32.a5 Qe4 33.h3 g634.Qc6 Qb4 35.a6 Qa5 36.Qb7 Qa4 37.Rb1Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Timman, J.• Short, N.?Belgrade1987 1-0 D36This game was played in Yugoslavia in 1987 be-tween the two players who are now each challeng-ing for the World Championship against the twoplayers (Kasparov and Karpov) who have ownedthe title for nearly twenty years. There are twoways of playing the Exchange variation of theQueen’s Gambit Declined: the normal way, plan-ning a minority attack on the Queenside, and JanTimman’s way, with e2-e4 accepting an isolatedpawn and attacking the King.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.cxd5The Exchange variation has a quiet reputation,since it allows the Black Bishop on c8 to freely de-velop. White’s normal plan is to develop piecesand begin play with the Queenside minority ofpawns: b2-b4, a2-a4, b4-b5 intending to weakenthe Black pawn that normally will be found on c6.5...exd5 6.Bg5 c6 7.Qc2 g6 Black wants to de-velop the Bishop aggressively to f5, but this moveweakens the Kingside and provokes the DutchGrandmaster to switch plans. 8.e4 dxe4 9.Bxf6Bxf6 10.Qxe4+ Kf8 Even after 10.Qe7 Whitewill maintain an initiative, but perhaps that moveis safer. 11.Bc4Kg7 12.O–ORe8 13.Qf4Be614.Bxe6 Rxe6 15.Rfe1 Rxe1+ 16.Rxe1 Nd717.Ne4Be7 18.h4Qb8 19.Ne5 f6 20.Ng5Nf821.h5 gxh5 22.Qf5Qc8 23.Nd7 Discovering anattack against the Bishop. 23...Qxd7 24.Qxd7Nxd7 25.Rxe7+ Kg6 26.Nf3 26.Nxh7 looksgood, since it regains a pawn and sets up the trap

143

26...Rd8 27.Rxd7! Rxd7 28.Nf8+, but Black canjettison a second pawn instead: 26...Nb6! 27.Rxb7,when the White Knight is looking claustropho-bic. White may well pick up two or even threepawns for this piece, but the more conservativemethod chosen by Timman is better. 26...Rd827.Kh2 Nf8 Short finds it impossible to save allof his pawns on the seventh rank, so he offers someof them to gain piece activity. 28.Rxb7 Ne629.Rxa7 Nxd4 30.Nh4+ Kg5 31.g3 f5 32.f4+Kf6 33.Rxh7 Ke6 34. Rh6+ Kd5 35.Rxh5Ke4 36.Rh7 Kd3 37.Rf7 Rd5 38.b4 Kc439.a3Kb3 40.Ra7Nc2 41.Ra5Rd2+ 42.Kh3Nxa3 43.Ra6 Rc2 44.Nxf5 The two connectedpassed pawns decide. 44...Nb5 45.Ne7 Nd446.Rb6 Rc3 47.Kg4 Ka4 48.Rb7 Nc2 49.f5Nxb4 50.Rxb4+ Kxb4 51.f6 Ra3 52.f7 Ra853.Nxc6+Kc5 54.Ne5Kd6 55.Ng6 Black Re-signs.1-0

◦ Boensch U• Chekhov V.?Halle1987 1-0 D20The Queen’s Gambit doesn’t have the mad-dog at-tacking reputation that its Kingside counterpart hasearned, but somebody forgot to tell Uwe Boensch!1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 e5 4.Nf3 exd4 5.Bxc4Bb4+ 6.Nbd2 Nc6 7.O–O Qf6 8.e5 Qg69.Nh4 Qg4 10.Ndf3 Be6 11.h3 Qe4 12.Bd3Qd5 13.Ng5 Qxe5 14.Nhf3 Qd5 15. Be4Qd7 16.Bxc6 bxc6 17.Nxe6 fxe6 18.Nxd4O–O–O 19.Qa4 Qxd4 20.Be3 Qxb2 21.Rab1Qa3 22.Qxc6 Ne7 23.Qxe6+ Rd7 24.Rb3Qxa2 25.Qe4 c5 26.Rxb4 cxb4 27.Qa8+ Kc728.Rc1+Kd6 29.Qe4 Closing the net. 29...Nd530.Bf4+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Miles, A• Seirawan, Y?Zagreb1987 1-0 D20An instructive endgame.1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nc3 a6 4.e4 b5 5.a4 b46.Na2 Bb7 7.f3 e6 8.Bxc4 c5 9. Ne2 Ne710.Be3 cxd4 11.Nxd4 Nec6 12.Nb3 Qxd1+13.Rxd1 White has a slight advantage in theendgame due to Black’s weaknesses on the queen-side. 13...Ne5 14.Be2 Bc6 15.Rc1 Bxa4

16.Rc8+ Ke7 17.Nac1 Bxb3 18.Nxb3 Kd719. Bxa6 Rxa6 20.Rxb8 Kc7 21.Re8 Ng622.Ke2 Bd6 23.Rc1+ Rc6 24.Rxh8 Nxh825.f4Rxc1 26.Bxc1 e5 27.f5Kc6 28.Kd3Kb529.g4 f6 30.g5 fxg5 31.Bxg5 Nf7 32. Bh4 g533.fxg6 hxg6 34.Nd2Bf8 35.Nc4Bh6 36.Bf6Bf4 37.h3Kc5 38.b3Kb5 39.Be7Bc1 40.Ke2Bf4 41.Nd6+ Nxd6 42.Bxd6 Ka5 43.Kf3Kb5 44.Kf2 Bh2 45. Kg2 Bf4 46.Kf3 Bh247.Kg4 Bf4 48.h4 Bd2 49.Bxe5 Kc5 50.Bf4Be1 51.Kg5 Kd4 52.e5 Kd5 53.Kxg6 Bxh454.Kf7 Ke4 55.Bh2 Bf2 56.e6 Bc5 57.Ke8Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Donchev, D.• Nikolov, Sa.?Bulgaria1987 1-0 B97Grandmaster Dimitar Donchev, one of Bul-garia’s strongest players, is noted for his attack-ing prowess. His opponent, countryman SashoNikolov, is an International Master. This gameserves as a reminder that in the Sicilian Black mustalways be especially vigilant about his opponent’stactical opportunities.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qb6 8.a3 The text avoids thecomplex lines of the Poison Pawn variation of theNajdorf Sicilian (8.Qd2 Qxb2), while indirectlyprotecting the b-pawn. 8...Nc6 Capturing on b2would be a grave error as 9.Na4 traps the Queen.9.Nb3Be7 10.Qf3 O–O 11.O–O–OQc7 12.g4b5 13.Bg2 A classic Sicilian position with oppo-site side castling has arisen. The plan for bothplayers is well known: attack the enemy King asquickly as possible. Here White is ahead in devel-opment but Black has compensation in the pawn ona3 which invites ....b7-b5-b4 quickly opening lines.13...Rb8 Sharp Sicilian middlegames often allowlittle room for error. Here Black makes one smallimperceptible error and is never given a chance torecover. The text, preparing ...b5-b4, looks com-pletely natural, but leaves the Knight on c6 loose.Correct was 13...Bb7 giving the Knight extra pro-tection. 14.e5 Nd5 15.Rxd5 The start of a bril-liant combination that seeks to exploit the lack ofharmony in Black’s position. 15...exd5 16.Nxd5Qd7 Note that 16...Qd8 fails to 17.Na5! Qxa518.Bxe7 Nxe7 19.Nxe7+ Kh8 20.Nc6. 17.Na5Nxa5 18.Nxe7+Kh8 19.f5Bb7 Now the threatof f5-f6, prying open the Black Kingside, is in theair. Note that 19...f6? offers no relief as 20.Ng6+!

144

hxg6 21.Qh3+ Kg8 22.Bd5+ Rf7 23.fxg6 wins.20.f6 A fantastic conception that required greatimagination. Donchev sacrifices his Queen foronly one piece but draws the enemy King out intothe open. 20...Bxf3 21.fxg7+ Kxg7 22.Bf6+Kh6 23.Bxf3 Rg8 The terrible threat of 24.g5mate leaves Black with only one choice. 24.Rg1Hoping for 24.h4 Rxg4! breaking the attack.24...Qxe7 Now 24...Rg5 would be met by 25.h4!.With 25.g5+ looming Black is forced to give uphis Queen. 25.Bxe7 dxe5 26.g5+ Kg7 27.Bf6+Kf8 28.Rd1 The smoke has cleared and White isway ahead despite being the Exchange down. Allof his pieces are active while Black’s Rook on g8 isbottled up. 28...Nc4 29.Rd7Nb6 30.Ra7Re831.Be4 h6 32.h4 hxg5 33.hxg5 Rc8 34.Rb7Nc4 35.Bd5 Rg7 36.Bxg7+ Kxg7 37.Bxf7Nd6 38.Be6+ Simplifying down to an easily wonBishop versus Knight ending. 38...Nxb7 39.Bxc8Nd6 40.Bxa6 Kg6 41.b3 Kxg5 42.c4 bxc443.Bxc4Kf4 44.a4Nxc4 45.bxc4Kg3 46.Kd2Kf2 47.Kd3 Kf3 48.a5 e4+ 49.Kd4 e3 50.a6e2 51.a7 e1=Q 52.a8=Q+ Kf4 53.Qf8+ NowDonchev demonstrates how to win with Queen andpawn versus Queen. Note how he centralizes hisQueen before trying to advance his pawn. This al-lows for more chances for cross-checks (answeringa check with an interposition that also gives check).The cross-check, which threatens to trade down toa won pawn ending, is a major weapon in Queenendings. 53...Kg5 54.Qg7+ Kf5 55.Qf7+ Kg556.Qd5+ Kf6 57.Kc5 Qa5+ 58.Kc6 Qa6+59. Kc7 Qa7+ 60.Qb7 Qa3 61.Qc6+ Kg562.c5 Kh5 63.Qd5+ Kh4 64.c6 Qg3+ 65.Kd8Qa3 66.c7 Qf8+ 67.Kd7 Qg7+ 68.Kc6 Qc3+69.Qc5Qf3+ 70.Kb5Qb7+ 71.Kc4Qc8 Blackruns out of checks after 71...Qa6+ 72.Kb4 Qb7+73.Ka5! 72.Qd6 Kh5 73.Kc5 Kg4 74.Qd4+Kh3 75.Qe3+ Kg4 76.Qe4+ Kg3 77.Qe5+Kh4 78. Kb6Kh3 79.Qc3+Kg4 80.Qc6Kh381.Ka7 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Ernst Th.• Novikov, I.?Poznan1987 1-0 B971.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4Qb6 8.Qd2Qxb2 The SicilianPoison Pawn is one of the most analyzed variationsin chess. Some of its lines include multiple piecesacrifices by White; all feature attacks against theBlack monarch. Yet for all of the high-powered

analysts that have placed this position on theirboards, the line continues to elude definition. Theoverall soundness of the gambit is still in doubt.9.Rb1 Qa3 10.f5 Nc6 11.fxe6 fxe6 12.Nxc6bxc6 13.Be2 Be7 14.O–O Qa5 15.Bf3 e516.Bh5+ Kd8 The 16...Nxh5 is out of the ques-tion, since 17.Bxe7 Kxe7 18.Nd5+ wins the Queen.17.Be3 Threatening the Queen again, with Be3-b6+. Since these direct threats appear to lead toa White advantage by force, one could concludethat the move 14...Qa5 was faulty. 17...c5 18.Rxf6gxf6 19.Bh6 Rg8 The Rook was in jeopardyfrom Bishops coming to f7 and g7. 20.Qd5Fork! 20...Rxg2+ 21.Kxg2Qxc3 22.Kh1Qxc223.Rc1 Qf2 24.Qxa8 Qh4 25.Rg1 Qxh5 26.Rg8+Bf8 27.Rxf8+Ke7 28.Rxc8Qd1+ Witha huge material deficit, Black’s only hope is per-petual check. The method White uses to evade thechecks is worthy of study - and of course Whiteneeded to work all of this out before he grabbedthe Rook. 29.Kg2 Qe2+ 30.Kg3 Qe1+ 31.Kf3Qf1+ 32.Ke3 Qe1+ 33.Kd3 Qf1+ 34.Kc2Qc4+ 35.Kd2 Qxa2+ 36.Ke3 Qb3+ 37.Kf2Qc2+ 38.Kg3 Qc3+ If 38.Qd3+ Kh4. 39.Kg4f5+ 40.exf5Qd4+ 41.Kg3Qg1+ 42.Qg2 BlackResigns.1-0

◦ Estevez, G.• Canda, D.?Managua1987 1-0 B62According to Averbach, in his "Chess Tactics forAdvanced Players," all chess tactical motives canbe distilled into one common theme, the double at-tack. Still, the series of double attacks ending thisgame make a pleasing impression.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3Nc6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Bb5Bd7 8.Bxc6 bxc6 9.Qf3h6 10.Bh4 c5 11.Nb3 Bc6 12.O–O–O Qc713.Bxf6 gxf6 14.Nd5 Actually, this is a com-mon sacrifice in the Sicilian. The setting here isa bit unusual. 14...exd5 15.exd5 Bb7 16.Qxf6Rg8 17.Rhe1+ Be7 18.Nxc5 Kd8 19.Rxe7Qxe7 20.Nxb7+ Kd7 21.Qc3 Rac8 22.Qb4Rc7 23.g3Rg5 24.Na5Qe2 25.Qa4+Ke7 26.Nc6+ Driving the King into the tactic. 26...Kf827.Qf4 A double attack, in a way: d6 is hit and f7is pinned. 27...Rg6 28.Nd4 Hitting the Queen...28...Qe5 29.Ne6+ And the e6 square. Now thefork wins too much material. Black Resigns.1-0

145

◦ Muelner, I.• Janosi, E.?Correspondence1987 0-1 B81Sometimes the tactics in correspondence games areso deep that a quick overview of the game makesyou wonder if both players set up the pieces wrong.Even after careful study, the tactics and positionalevaluations Black arrived at in this game are im-pressive.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf65.Nc3 d6 6.g4 The dreaded Keres attack. 6...h67.Rg1 Be7 8.Be3 a6 9.Be2 Nc6 10.Qd2 g511.O–O–O Bd7 12.h4 gxh4 It’s hard to imaginethat the weak, doubled extra pawn just created willeventually promote. 13.f4 Qc7 14.Nf3 b5 15.e5White regains the pawn with this move, but yieldsBlack an enduring initiative. 15...dxe5 16.fxe5Nd5 17.Nxd5 exd5 18.Bxh6Rc8 19.Kb1Rg820.Bf4 Be6 21. Rc1 d4 22.Ng5 Bxa2+23.Kxa2 Nb4+ 24.Kb3 Qc6 25.c3 a5 26.Nh7d3 27.Ka3 Qe6 28.b3 a4 It is conceivable thatBlack foresaw the final position of the gamewhen playing this move. 29.Nf6+Bxf6 30.bxa4Ra8 31.Bd1 Nc2+ 32.Bxc2 dxc2 33.Kb2Rxa4 34.Ra1 Be7 35.Rxa4 bxa4 36.Qxc2Qc4 37.Qd2 Rg6 38.Ka1 Rb6 39.Rb1 Rb340.Rxb3 axb3 41. Kb2 Qa4 42.Kb1 Ba343.Qg2Bc1 44.Bxc1 h3 45.Qe2Qa2+ And theh-pawn Queens – White Resigns.0-1

◦ Vladimirov, E.• Epishin, V.?USSR1987 1-0 B81There are three basic ways to attack the Sicilianstructure seen in this game: e4-e5, f4-f5, and g4-g5. Usually the g4-g5 idea is to drive away the de-fending Knight-f6, but here White uses it to openthe g-file, then follows up with f4-f5, which is nor-mally used to soften the d5-square.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3e6 6.g4 An attacking idea attributed to the greatEstonian Grandmaster Paul Keres. It certainly setsunpleasant problems for Black, who must have sec-ond thoughts about castling after a move like this.6...h6 7.h4Be7 8.g5 hxg5 9.Bxg5Nc6 10.Qd2a6 11.O–O–O Bd7 12.f4 Nxd4 Black tries toclear some space for his cramped pieces by ex-changing. 13.Qxd4 Bc6 14.Rg1 Qa5 15.Bh3Qc5 16.Qd3 b5 17.f5 b4 Understandably, Black

would prefer to drive the c3-Knight away beforereacting ...e6-e5, since a Knight hopping into d5would be very strong. 18.Be3Qa5 19.Qc4Bb720.fxe6 bxc3 21.Rxg7 d5 Hoping to reduce theeffect of the White Queen on the a2-g8 diagonal.Black’s King is caught in the center, and the passedpawn that will soon appear on f7 will make someserious threats. 22.Qb3 cxb2+ 23.Kb1 Qb5 Itisn’t easy to suggest an improvement for Black.With this move he hopes to reduce the attack-ing force by exchanging Queens. 24.exf7+ Kf825.Rdg1 Qxb3 26.Bh6 Ng4 27.Rh7+ Nxh628.Rxh8+ Kxf7 29.Rh7+ Black Resigns. TheBlack Knight is a goner, since even after 29...Ke830.axb3 Nf7 31.Rgg7 wins pieces.1-0

◦ Nunn, J.• Marin, M.?Szirak1987 1-0 B80British Grandmaster John Nunn knows his stuff inseveral openings. At the Interzonal tournament in1987, he got to demonstrate a thing or two aboutthe Sicilian.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.Be3 e6 7.Qd2 b5 8.f3 Nbd7 9.g4 h610.O–O–O Bb7 11.Bd3 Ne5 12.Rhe1 Nfd713.f4 b4 Black has made several moves withKnights while White has been compactly central-izing his forces. Now Black hopes to force theKnight c3 to retreat before his own steed fleesthe scene, but Nunn seizes the chance to ad-vance! 14.Nd5 Nxd3+ 15.Qxd3 exd5 16.exd5Be7 17.Nc6 Bxc6 18.dxc6 Nf6 19.Bb6 Manylines were opened by White’s excellent thematicsacrifice of a Knight on d5, and naturally his ma-jor pieces are well prepared to take advantage.19...Qxb6 20.Rxe7+Kf8 If 20...Kxe7 21.Qxd6+and 22.Re1+. 21.Qxd6Kg8 22.g5 hxg5 23.fxg5Rc8 24.c7 Qxd6 25.Rxd6 Ng4 26.Rd8+ Kh727. Red7 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Ljubojevic, L.• Beliavsky, A.?Belgrade1987 1/2-1/2 C95The Breyer variation of the Ruy Lopez featurescomplex strategic play that can degenerate into adevastating Kingside attack for White, or a swamp

146

full of pawns rolling up the Queenside for Black.As played by these two strong Grandmasters, it isall of the above.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.h3 Nb810.d4Nbd7 11.Nbd2Bb7 12.Bc2Re8 13.Nf1Bf8 14.Ng3 g6 15.a4 c5 16.d5 c4 17.Bg5 h618.Be3 Nc5 19.Qd2 h5 20.Bg5 Be7 21.Bh6Nfd7 22.Qe3Rb8 23.Rf1Bf8 24.Bxf8Rxf825.Nd2 Bc8 26.f4 White begins the Kingsideassault, giving up the e5-square to open the f-file. 26...exf4 27.Qxf4Ne5 28.Nf3Qe7 29.axb5axb5 30.Qh6 b4 And here come the Black pawns.One recent World Championship game in the re-lated Zaitzev system had the ultimate Black pawnmass - four extra connected passed pawns on theQueenside. However, Black fell into a drawingtrick later. 31.Ne2 b3 32.Bb1 Nxf3+ 33.Rxf3Qe5 34.Nf4Qg7 35.Qg5Re8 36.Rg3Re5 37.Qd8+ Qf8 38.Qf6 Nd7 39.Qh4 Kh7 40.Ra4Nb6 41.Ra7Rb7 42.Rxb7Bxb7 43.Rf3Qe844.Qf6Qe7 45.Nxh5 Tactics based on the looseBishop-b7 and possible connected passers forWhite. If 45...gxh5 46.Qxf7+ starts taking pawnsto compensate for the Knight. 45...Qxf6 46.Rxf6Re7 47.Rxd6 Nc8 48.Rd8 gxh5 49.e5+ Kg750.d6 Nxd6 51. Rxd6 Rxe5 And after the fire-works, equality. 52.Kf2 Rg5 53.g3 h4 54.g4Rd5 55.Rxd5Bxd5 56.Bf5Kf6 57.Bc8Ke558.Ke3 f6 59.Ba6 Be6 60.Bb5 Bd5 Draw byAgreement.1/2-1/2

◦ Short, N.• Korchnoi, V.?Zagreb1987 1-0 C54In 1987, the decidedly youthful British phe-nomenon Nigel Short did well in a strong interna-tional event in Zagreb, Yugoslavia. The sport ofchess will be much worse off due to the conflict inYugoslavia; clearly funding chess tournaments isno longer a priority there.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bc4Bc5 4.c3 The GiuocoPiano, an ancient opening. The original idea wasto get in d2-d4 as fast as possible, often at the costof a pawn or two. Nigel chooses a more mod-ern treatment here, expanding on the Queenside.4...Nf6 5.b4 Bb6 6.d3 a6 7.O–O O–O 8.Nbd2d5 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Qb3 Nf4 11.d4 Be6 Theexperienced Korchnoi prefers to finish develop-ment rather than speculate on the position after11...exd4. 12.dxe5 Nxe5 13.Nxe5 Qg5 14.g3

Ne2+ 15.Bxe2 Collecting three minor pieces forthe Queen. 15...Bxb3 16.Ndf3 Qf6 17.axb3Rae8 Three minors are usually more than a matchfor a Queen, but the presence of other pieces canmuddy things up a bit. Also, the placing of thepieces is critical. 18.Bf4 h6 19.Bc4 g5 20.Ng4Qxc3 21.Nxh6+Kg7 22.Nxg5Qxb4 23.Nhxf7Bd4 24. Rad1 Qc3 25.Rd3 Qb2 26.Bc1Bxf2+ 27.Kg2Qa1 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Gligoric, S.• Short, N.?Zagreb1987 0-1 C19Nigel Short is one of the world’s leading experts onthe French Defense.1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.Nc3Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3Bxc3+6.bxc3Ne7 7.a4Nbc6 8.Nf3Qa5 9.Qd2Bd710.Bd3 c4 11.Be2 O–O 12.O–O f6 A thematicbreak against the head of the pawn chain. Nim-zowitsch extols the virtues of attacking the base(BASE) of a chain, but the modern game is perhapsa little more flexible. 13.Ba3Rae8 14.Bd6Rf715.g3 Nf5 16.Bb4 Qc7 17.Rfe1 fxe5 18.dxe5Nxb4 19. cxb4Ref8 Black now gets play on thehalf-open f-file and in the center, where his pawnmass is fairly mobile. 20.Ng5Re7 21.Bg4Be822.c3 a5 23.bxa5 Qxa5 24.Qb2 Bc6 25.f4 h626.Nf3 d4 27.cxd4 Not 27.Nxd4 Nxd4 28.cxd4Qd5 when Black owns the long diagonal to theWhite King. 27...g5 Opening the file for fireworksagainst the f3-point. 28.fxg5 h5 29.Bxh5 Nxg330.hxg3 Bxf3 31.Qa3 Qd5 32.Rad1 Gligoricnow recognizes the dangers in 32.Qxe7 Qxd4+, butit is too late. 32...Rh7 33.g4Bxd1 34.Rxd1Rf3White Resigns.0-1

◦ Perenyi, B.• Portisch, L.?Hungary1987 1-0 C16In closed positions, maneuvering becomes the rule,and frequently unusual developments are possible.However, this game played in Hungary in 1987had both players try something quite rare: the fi-anchetto of the Queen!1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 b6 Most activeis 4...c5, attacking the base of White’s pawn chain.s often leads to wild complications. 5.Qg4 Bf8

147

6.Nh3Ne7 7.Bg5Nbc6 8.Bb5Bd7 9.O–O–Oh6 10.Be3 a6 11.Be2 Qc8 12.Nf4 Qb7 Blackfirst finds b7 for his Queen. His game is cramped,but playable; he intends to castle long. 13.Qf3O–O–O 14.Nh5 Be8 15.g4 Kb8 16.Qg2 Nowthe fianchettoed Queens are in opposition on thelong diagonal. The Black pieces have adequatelydefended the Kingside, and now White will switchto the other wing, attacking with a battery ofQueen and Bishop, and supporting with a Rooklift. 16...Rc8 17.Qf1 Ka7 18.f4 Bd7 19.Rg1Na5 20.Rg3 c5 Unfortunately, Black’s main hopefor active play is also on the Queenside. Open-ing the game here is dangerous, since the BlackKing will become more exposed. However, itis hard to be too critical, since passive defenseis doomed. 21.dxc5 bxc5 22.Bg1 Ng6 23.Ne4Capture of this Knight leads to immolation onthe a-file: 23...dxe4 24.Ra3. Note the pin of c5and the loose Bishop d7, which both play a tac-tical role. 23...Rb8 24.Nxc5 Qxb2+ 25.Kd2d4 26.Rb1Bxc5 White gets more than sufficientcompensation for the Exchange after 26...Qxb127.Qxb1 Rxb1 28.Nxd7. The ending would beall but hopeless. 27.Rxb2 Rxb2 28.Qa1 Rhb8Black has almost enough for the Queen, but thepin of c5 and weakness on the a-file come back tohaunt him. 29.Kc1R2b4 30.Rc3Bb6 31.Rb3Nxb3+ 32.axb3 a5 33.Bc4 Ne7 34.Bxd4 Nc635. Bxb6+ R8xb6 Better is 35...R4xb6, butWhite should still win. 36.c3 Rxb3 37.Bxb3Rxb3 38.Kc2 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Ivanchuk, V.• Angelov, K.?Varna1987 1-0 B01After a weirdly violent opening exchange, Blackfinds his Knight difficult to extract.1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.d4 e55.dxe5 Nc6 6.Nf3 Bb4 7.Bd2 Bg4 8.a3 Nd4Black must rely on tactical devices to remain inthe game. 9.Bb5+ c6 10.O–O Bxf3 11.axb4Bxd1 12.bxa5 Bxc2 13.Ba4 Ne7 14.Bxc2Nxc2 15.Ra4 Incarcerating the Knight. 15...Rd816.Ne4Nf5 17.g4Nfd4 18.Nd6+Ke7 19.Bc3c5 20.Nxb7 Rd5 21.Rc4 h5 22.Rxc5 Rxc523.Nxc5 hxg4 24.Kg2 Nf3 25.Rd1 Rxh2+26.Kg3 Ke8 27.Ne4 Rh6 28.Kxg4 Nh429.Rc1 Finally the trapped Knight decides mat-ters. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Hebden, M.• Jadoul, M.?Tarnby1987 0-1 B00British International Master Mark Hebden tries tosneak off with some material belonging to his un-known opponent, only to be swamped with a sus-tained onslaught of Black pieces.1.e4 Nc6 2.d4 e5 3.dxe5 Nxe5 4.Nf3 Nxf3+5.Qxf3Qf6 6.Qg3Qg6 7.Qxc7 Hunting for ma-terial at the cost of development is often dangerous.7...Bd6 8.Qc4 Nf6 9.Nc3 Be5 10.Bd2 O–O11.O–O–O d5 12.exd5 b5 Black throws awayQueenside pawns to get open lines. 13.Nxb5Bf514.Bc3Rfc8 15.Qa4 a6 16.Nd4Rxc3 17.bxc3Rb8 18.Nb3 Ne4 19. Qxa6 Qg5+ 20.Kb2Nxc3 21.Re1Qd2 22.Bd3Ne2+ 23.Kb1Qc3White Resigns.0-1

◦ Volovik, D.• Kozlov, V.?USSR1987 1-0 A11A right smart execution. White’s mating attack isswift and final.1.e4 a6 2.d4 b5 In the early ’80s, the St. George at-tack (...b7-b5) gained some popularity when TonyMiles used it to defeat World Champion Karpov.What few noticed was the huge number of off-beat openings Miles had tried against Karpov withzero success first. That he eventually scored withone of them shouldn’t be too surprising, and acareful study of that game proved it was hardlythe fault of the opening. However, public tasteis seldom based on good logic, and it took sev-eral serious setbacks, including this game, beforethe St. George found the obscurity it truly de-serves. 3.Nf3 Bb7 4.Bd3 Nf6 5.Qe2 e6 6.a4c5 Miles’ success came by playing this move at theright moment and transposing into a tame line ofthe Sicilian where the advanced Queenside pawnsmay be useful. The position was equal, but Kar-pov played too hard to refute the odd opening,and eventually overpressed. Here, White plays ac-curately, proving the Black Queenside to be ad-vanced too fast, and finding great squares for hisKnights. 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.Nbd2 b4 9.e5 Nd510.Ne4 Be7 11.Bg5 O–O 12.Nd6 Bc6 13.h4f6 With the White pawn cramping the Kingside

148

from e5 and the Knight firmly entrenched on d6,Black has few chances to survive. This attempt todrive off the attackers meets with a swift refutation.14.exf6 gxf6 15.Ne5 fxg5 16.Qh5Rf5 17.Bxf5exf5 18.Qf7+ Kh8 19.Ng6+ And mate next, soBlack Resigns.1-0

◦ Georgiev, Kir.• Rajkovic, D.?Vrsac1987 0-1 A31By transposition this game reaches the HedgehogSicilian, in which White attempts to keep a bindon the center using the Maroczy-style constructionc4, e4, f3. This is a very effective strategy againstthe Dragon formations (Black fianchettos the KingBishop), but active play is harder to develop versusthe flexible and reactive Hedgehog. In this game,the White player decides to advance the Kingsidepawns in a storm, willy-nilly, and is suitably pun-ished as the Black pieces infiltrate the weaknessesleft behind.1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 b6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Bb7 5.Nc3Nf6 6.f3 d6 7.e4 Nbd7 8.Be3 e6 9.Be2 Be710.Qd2 a6 11.O–O O–O 12.Rfd1Re8 13.Rac1Qc7 14.Bf1 Rac8 15.Kh1 Qb8 16.Qf2 Bd817.Nc2 Bc7 18.g4 There is nothing wrong withWhite’s game until this move. White is simplynot placed to attack the Kingside; more reason-able is continued maneuvering. Once the e-pawnis secure, White might consider a plan with f3-f4, or a4-a5, or even b2-b4 and c4-c5(?!?). Re-gardless, he will need to consider the potentialcounterstrikes ...b6-b5 and ...d6-d5 on every singleplay. If Black achieves one of these, White may godown like a rock. 18...h6 19.h4 d5 Reaction in thecenter against the (premature/unprepared) wing at-tack. White’s Kingside actions amount to hara-kiri.20.g5 Bg3 21.Qg2 dxe4 22.fxe4 hxg5 23.hxg5Nxe4 24.Nxe4 Nc5 25.Bxc5 Rxc5 26.Rd7Ba8 27.Rcd1Rxg5 The result of White’s King-side attack: he lost all of his King’s cover for thetemporary gain of a piece. White must now makeanother material adjustment. 28.Nxg5 Bxg2+29.Bxg2 Qf4 30.Nh3 Qxc4 31.Nd4 Qxa232.Rf1Be5 33.Nf3Bf6 34.Nfg5Qxb2 An un-usual material imbalance: Queen, Rook, Bishop,and four Pawns vs. two Rooks, two Knights,Bishop, and zero. 35.Nxf7Re7 36.Rxe7Bxe737.Rf2Qd4 38.Rf4Qd1+ 39.Rf1Qd4 40.Nf4It would seem to be in White’s favor to continuethe repetition and hope for a draw, but of course

Black has just been repeating to reach the timecontrol at move forty. 40...Bf6 41.Bh3 Kxf742.Bxe6+Ke7 43.Bf5Qd2 44.Bd3 b5 45.Rf3Be5 46.Ng6+ Kd6 47.Kg1 Bd4+ 48.Kf1 a5Meeting 49.Bxb5 with 49...Qd1+ 50.Kg2 Qg1+and ...Qg1xg6. White Resigns.0-1

◦ Kasparov, G.• Karpov, An.?8th Match Game, Seville1987 0-1 A29This World Championship game was played inSpain between the two players who have domi-nated the Championship since Fischer’s refusal todefend it in 1975. Karpov defeated Korchnoi in1975 (Candidates Finals), 1978, and 1981. Karpovand Kasparov have played in every match for thetitle since, until the odd happenings of this year(1993). Nigel Short qualified to challenge Kas-parov, and together they broke away from FIDE,organizers of the title match since the death ofAlekhine. FIDE countered by replacing them withKarpov and Timman, who had each lost a matchto Short during the qualification process. This maylead to the odd situation of having both Kasparovand Karpov claiming the title, although at this pointFischer himself may have as legitimate a claim asanyone else.1.c4Nf6 2.Nc3 e5 3.Nf3Nc6 4.g3Bb4 5.Bg2O–O 6.O–O e4 7.Ng5 Another treatment is to re-treat the Knight to e1. When Black captures on c3,White can then recapture with the d-pawn, and ma-neuver the Knight e1-c2-e3-d5. Moves like Bc1-g5fit in well with this plan. 7...Bxc3 8.bxc3 Re89.f3 e3 In the next game of the match with thesecolors, Black captured on f3 here and lost badly.Apparently, between the games analysts for bothcamps had decided the gambit offered here wasn’tsound. 10.d3 The move 10.d4 is a possible im-provement. 10...d5 11.Qb3 Na5 12.Qa3 c613.cxd5 cxd5 14.f4 Nc6 15.Rb1 Qc7 16.Bb2Bg4 17.c4 dxc4 18.Bxf6 gxf6 19.Ne4 Kg720.dxc4 Rad8 21.Rb3 Nd4 22.Rxe3 Qxc423.Kh1 White’s pieces are badly placed to defendagainst Karpov’s well-coordinated army. 23...Nf524.Rd3 Bxe2 25.Rxd8 Rxd8 26.Re1 Re827.Qa5 b5 28.Nd2 Qd3 29.Nb3 Bf3 30.Bxf3Qxf3+ 31.Kg1Rxe1+ 32.Qxe1Ne3 White Re-signs.0-1

149

◦ Kasparov, G,• Karpov, An.?2nd Match Game, Seville1987 1-0 A21The two best players in the world essay the EnglishOpening. Kasparov gives away the Bishop pair,in an open position suicide against Karpov, but re-ceives ample compensation in the form of unassail-able central squares for his Knights. After lengthymaneuvers he finds a weakness to attack.1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 d6 3.g3 c5 4.Bg2Nc6 5.a3 g6 6.b4Bg7 7.Rb1 Nge7 Black’s structure is knownas the Botvinnik formation, and it is most com-monly played from the White side in the Englishor as a Black defense to the Closed Sicilian. Asa defense in symmetric English variations it isslightly suspect. Black shuts in his own King’sBishop, and weakens d5 voluntarily. We will seeshortly just how important the d5 and e4 squarescan become. 8.e3 O–O 9.d3Rb8 10.Nge2Be611.b5Na5 12.Bd2 b6 13.O–ONb7 14.e4 Sim-ilarly shutting in White’s Bishop, but note howmuch harder it is for a Black Knight to reachd4. 14...Kh8 15.Qc1 f5 16.Bg5 Qe8 17.Bxe7Qxe7 18.exf5Bxf5 19.Nd5Qd7 20.Qd2Na521.Nec3 Rbe8 22.Ne4 And now White’s dom-ination of the central light squares is complete.22...Nb7 23.a4 Na5 24.h4 Nb7 25.Kh2 Rb826.Ra1Na5 27.Ra3Rf7 28.Qc3Rd8 29.Ra2Bh6 30.Ng5 Rff8 Of course, Black cannot af-ford to open the h-file (...Bh6xg5), so the Bishopremains inactive. 31.Re2 Bg7 32.Qc2 Rde833.Ne3Bh6 34.Bd5Bg7 35.Qd1 h6 This willeventually allow White to target the g6-pawn.However, it is very difficult to just sit and playpieces back and forth against the dynamic WorldChampion; he’ll certainly come and get you even-tually. 36.Ne4 Qd8 37.Ra2 Bc8 38.Nc3 h539.Be4 Re6 40.Ncd5 Bh6 41.Ng2 Supportingthe f4-break. 41...Kg7 42.f4 exf4 43.Ngxf4Re544.Nxg6 Rxf1 45.Qxf1 Rxe4 46.dxe4 Kxg6Although the material count now appears to favorBlack, closer inspection reveals the Black piecesare completely unable to organize a simple de-fense. 47.Rf2 Qe8 48.e5 dxe5 49.Rf6+ Kg750.Rd6 Black Resigns. Qf6 will win a piece ormore.1-0

◦ Georgiev, Kir.• Tischbierek, R.?Bulgaria-DDR Match, Bulgaria

1987 1-0 A06White essays a most original and effective King-side expansion.1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Bg4 3.Bg2 Nd7 4.c4 c6 5.cxd5cxd5 6.Nc3 e6 7.d3Ngf6 8.O–OBe7 9.h3Bh510.g4 Bg6 11.Nh4 Played both to allow the winof the Bishop pair and to free the f-pawn for ad-vance. 11...Bc5 12.Na4 Bd6 13.e4 d4 14.f4 e515.f5 b5 But White isn’t winning a piece with hisadvance, because his Knight, too, is vulnerable.16.Nc3 dxc3 17.bxc3Rc8 18.Qe1Nc5 19.Rf3Na4 20.Bd2 a6 21.Bf1 Nd7 22.d4 Ndb623.Ng2 Qc7 24.h4 f6 25.fxg6 Finally it is nec-essary to regain the piece. 25...hxg6 26.g5 Nor-mally the open h-file and advanced Kingside pawnswould be a source of concern for White, but herethe Black King has no safe home, and the Whitecenter is surprisingly secure. 26...fxg5 27.Qg3Rh5 28.Bxg5Nd7 29.Qg4Nf8 30.dxe5Bxe531.Bxb5+ Clearing f1 with tempo. When theKnight-f8 is undermined, the light squares it isguarding will be open to occupation by the WhiteQueen. 31...axb5 32.Raf1 Bf6 33.Bxf6 gxf634.Rxf6 Qc5+ 35.Kh1 Rc6 36.Rxf8+ Qxf837.Rxf8+ Kxf8 38.Nf4 Rh6 39.Qg5 Winninga Rook. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Kasparov, G.• Smirin, I.?Moscow1988 1-0 E97An instructive Kasparov combination.1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.d4O–O 6.Be2 e5 7.O–ONc6 8.d5Ne7 9.Nd2 a510.a3Nd7 11.Rb1 f5 12.b4 b6 13.f3 f4 14.Na4axb4 15.axb4 g5 16. c5Nf6 17.cxd6 cxd6 18.b5Bd7 19.Nc4 Nc8 20.Ba3 Ne8 21.g4 Stop-ping Black’s attack on the kingside. 21...fxg322.hxg3 g4 23.Bc1 gxf3 24.Bxf3 Nf6 25.Bg5Ra7 26.Rf2 Rb7 27.Rb3 Ra7 28.Rb1 Rb729.Rb3 Ra7 30.Rb4 Kh8 Better is 30...Qe8.31.Qf1 This is where the combination starts.31...Bxb5 32.Rxb5 Rxa4 33.Bg2 h6 34.Bh4Qe8 35.Bxf6 Rxf6 36.Rxf6 Qxb5 37. Re6This is the move that Kasparov had to see whenstarting his combination. The Knight is indi-rectly protected: 37...Qxc4 38.Re8+ Kh7 39.Qf5#and 37...Rxc4 38.Qf7. 37...Kg8 38.Bh3 Rxc4Overlooking White’s reply, but who would haveseen what was coming? Best is 38...Ra7, afterwhich White transposes into a superior endgame

150

with 39.Ne3 Qxf1+ 40.Kxf1. 39.Rxh6 An un-expected way to clear the e6-square for theBishop! 39...Bxh6 If 39...Qc5+, then 40.Kh1 Rc141.Be6#. 40.Be6+ Kh8 41.Qf6+ Black Re-signs. If 41...Kh7, then 42.Qf7+ Bg7 43.Bf5+ Kh844.Qh5+ Kg8 45.Be6+ Kf8 46.Qf7#.1-0

◦ Suetin, A.• Sale, S.?Sibenik1988 0-1 E80Always look for unexpected moves.1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.c4 d6 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.f3 Nc66.Be3 a6 7.Qd2 Rb8 8.d5 Ne5 9. h3 Nh510.Qf2 f5 11.f4 O–O A brilliant piece sacrifice.12.fxe5 Black also has compensation for the sac-rificed piece after 12.exf5 Bxf5 13.fxe5 Bxe5.12...fxe4 13.Qh4 Bxe5 Threatening 14...Bg3+.14.Nge2 b5 With active pieces and open lines andWhite’s King stuck in the center, Black has com-pensation for the sacrificed piece. 15.g4 Ng3Black must go forward with courage. 15...Nf6?!16.cxb5 followed by 17.Bg2 gives White a largeadvantage. Black cannot allow White to consoli-date. 16.Nxg3Rf3 17.Nge2Rxe3 18.Bg2Qf819.Nxe4 Correct is 19.Nd1. 19...bxc4 20.Qf2Rxe2+ 21.Qxe2Rxb2 22.Qf3Rxg2 23.Qxf8+If 23.Qxg2, then 23...Bxa1 24.Rf1 Qg7 wins.23...Kxf8 24.Rc1 Bb7 25.Rf1+ Ke8 26.Nd2Bxd5 27.Nxc4 Bg3+ 28.Kd1 Rxa2 Black’stwo Bishops and numerous pawns give him a de-cisive advantage. 29.Rc3 Bg2 30.Rg1 Ra1+31.Rc1 Rxc1+ 32.Kxc1 Bf4+ 33.Kd1 Bd534.Nd2 Kd7 35. Kc2 Be5 36.Kd3 c5 37.Nc4Bxc4+ 38.Kxc4 Kc6 39.Rd1 g5 40.Rd3 a541.Rd2 a4 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Beliavsky, A.• Kasparov, G.?Belfort1988 0-1 D97A sparkling win by the World Champion. Grand-master Alexander Beliavsky has a reputation forbeing a fearless fighter but occasionally he seemsto lose his sense of danger. Here Kasparov in-troduces a strong novelty (15...Qf5!) which paysquick dividends when Alexander goes wrong al-most immediately (17. . Rd1? - correct was17.Rd6!). The conclusion is vintage Kasparov withall sorts of tactical complications.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3dxc4 6.Qxc4 O–O 7.e4 Na6 8.Be2 c5 9.d5e6 10.Bg5 exd5 11.Nxd5 Be6 12.O–O–OBxd5 13.Rxd5 Qb6 14.Bxf6 Qxf6 15.e5 Qf516.Bd3Qc8 17.Rd1 b5 18.Qh4Nb4 19.Bxg6fxg6 20.Rd7Qe8 21.Re7Bh6+ Things look badfor Black but a few quick thunder bolts, based onWhite’s weak back rank, make the true nature ofthe position crystal clear. 22.Kb1 Rd8 23.Rd6Qc6 24.a3 Rxd6 25.exd6 Qxd6 26.axb4 cxb427.Qe4 b3 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Yusupov, A.• Kasparov G?Moscow1988 1/2-1/2 D89One of the reasons for the popularity of openingslike the Kings Indian Attack (1.Nf3 followed by2.g3, 3.Bg2, 4.O-O, 5.d3, 6.Nbd2, and 7.e4) is dueto the closed nature of the position the critical stageof the game tends to be delayed. More forcefulopenings, like the Grunfeld for example, tend tosupernova much earlier on. The following game isa good case in point.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4Nxc3 6.bxc3Bg7 7.Bc4 c5 8.Ne2Nc6 9.Be3O–O 10.O–O Bg4 11.f3 Na5 12.Bd3 cxd413.cxd4 Be6 14.Rc1 A critical juncture whereWhite must choose between the text and themain line - 14.d5. 14...Bxa2 15.Qa4 Be616.d5 Bd7 17.Qb4 e6 18.Rfd1 exd5 19.exd5Re8 20.Bf2 b5 21.Nd4 Nc4 22.Nc6 Bxc623.dxc6 Nb2 24.Bxb5 Forced as 24.c7 wouldbe met by 24...Qxd3!. 24...Nxd1 25.c7 Qd526.Bxe8 Nxf2 27.c8=Q Rxc8 28.Rxc8 Nh3+29.gxh3 Yusupov has no choice but to acceptthe draw as 29.Kf1?? gets mated by 29...Qd3+30.Ke1 Qe3+ 31.Kd1 Nf2+ 32.Kc2 Qd3+ 33.Kc1Qd1+. 29...Qd1+ 30.Kg2 Qe2+ 31.Kg1 Drawby Agreement.1/2-1/2

◦ Karpov, A.• Kasparov, G.?Belfort1988 1-0 D87Anatoly Karpov has done well against Garry Kas-parov when the latter defended against 1.d4 withthe Grunfeld and this game is no exception. HereKasparov employs a fashionable line against the

151

Exchange variation which involves a pawn sacri-fice. White’s ragged pawn structure and slightlyinsecure King provide some compensation but thereal key to this line is whether the Bishop on g7 isactive. in this game Karpov is so effective at bot-tling it up that in desperation Kasparov is forced tounsoundly sacrifice the Exchange.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4Nxc3 6.bxc3Bg7 7.Bc4 c5 8.Ne2Nc6 9.Be3O–O 10.O–OBg4 11.f3Na5 12.Bxf7+ Till themid 1980’s the routine continuation was 12.Bd3but now the text is all the rage. 12...Rxf7 13.fxg4Rxf1+ 14.Kxf1 Qd6 15.e5 Qd5 16.Bf2 Rd817.Qa4 b6 18.Qc2 Rf8 19.Kg1 Qc4 20.Qd2Qe6 21.h3Nc4 22.Qg5 h6 23.Qc1Qf7 24.Bg3g5 25.Qc2Qd5 26.Bf2 b5 27.Ng3Rf7 28.Re1b4 29.Qg6 Kf8 30.Ne4 Rxf2 31.Kxf2 bxc332. Qf5+ Kg8 33.Qc8+ Kh7 34.Qxc5 Qf7+35.Kg1 c2 36.Ng3 Bf8 37.Nf5 Kg8 38.Rc1Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Korchnoi, V.• Timman, J.?Brussels1988 1-0 D86The Grunfeld is one of Black’s most respected an-swers to 1.d4 because it combines both soundnessand the opportunity for dynamic counterplay. Ifthere is one drawback to this defense it’s that it re-quires careful handling or White’s center can serveas a springboard for a Kingside attack . That’s thecase in the following game between Dutch GM JanTimman and the great Viktor Korchnoi of Switzer-land. When Black makes an insignificant error onmove 11 things quickly start to go downhill.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4Nxc3 6.bxc3Bg7 7.Bc4 b6 This is an usual con-tinuation. Normally Black plays either 7...c5 or7... O-O. 8.Nf3 Experience with 7...b6 is limitedbut the traditional answer has been 8.Qf3 threat-ening e5 in some positions. The text is logi-cal and contains the hidden trap 8...Bb7 9.Bxf7+!.8...O–O 9.O–O Bb7 10.Qc2 Since White playsRe1 shortly one might wonder why not now? Theanswer is that that Qc2 not only guards e4 butalso protects c3. This enables the first playerto meet 10...c5 with 11.d5. 10...Nc6 11.Re1Qd7 A small but significant error. Accordingto Timman the path to equality was reached by11...Qd6 12.e5 (otherwise the Bishop is unable tobe posted on a3) 12...Qd8 13.e6 f5 14.Ng5 Na5.

12.Rb1 e6 13.Ba3Rfd8 14.h4 The lack of pres-sure on White’s center means a Kingside attackhas good chances to succeed. 14...Na5 15.Bf1c5 16.dxc5 Necessary as Black would have toomuch counterplay after ...cxd4. 16...Qc7 17.Qc1bxc5 18.h5 Nc6 19.hxg6 hxg6 20.Qg5 A multi-purpose move which eyes both the Kingside andc-pawn. 20...Rab8 21.Bxc5Qa5 22.Rb5Qxc323.Reb1 Bf6 24.Qh6 a6 Not 24...Ba6 becauseof 25.Rxb8 Rxb8 26.Ng5 winning. 25.R1b3Qc226.Ne1 Winning a piece and the game. 26...Qd227.Qxd2Rxd2 28.Rxb7Rxb7 29.Rxb7Rxa230.Rb6 Nd4 31.Rxa6 Ne2+ 32.Bxe2 Rxe233.Nf3 Rxe4 34.Ra8+ Kg7 35.Bf8+ Kh736.Ra7 g5 37.Rxf7+ Kg6 38.Rd7 g4 39.Nd2Re1+ 40.Nf1 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Efimov, I.• Mikhalchishin, A.?Uzhgorod1988 0-1 D81A game of attacks and counterattacks.1.d4Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Qb3 dxc4 5.Qxc4Na6 6.Bf4Bg7 7.e4 O–O 8.Rd1 c5 9.d5Qb610.Rd2 e6 11.d6 e5 This move starts a tacti-cal storm. 12.Bxe5 Nxe4 13.Qxe4 If 13.Nxe4,then 13.Bxe5 14.d7 Bxd7 15.Rxd7 Rad8 is goodBlack because White’s King is stuck in the cen-ter. 13...Bf5 14.Qh4 Bxe5 15.Nd5 Rae816.Ne7+ If 16.Nxb6, then 16...Bf6+ or if 16.d7,then 16...Qxb2 17.dxe8=Q Qc1+ with a strongattack. 16...Kg7 17.Nxf5+ gxf5 18.Be2 Qb419.Qg5+ If 19.Qxb4, then 19...Nxb4 20.a3 Nc6followed by ...Nd4 is good for Black. 19...Kh820.Nh3 f6 21.Qxf5Bxb2 22.a3Qa5 Stronger is22...Qc3 threatening ...Qc1+. 23.d7Rd8 24.Nf424.Kd1 would have held out longer. Now Whiteloses a Rook. 24...Bc1 25.O–O Qxd2 26.Bd3Rf7 27.Ne6Rdxd7 28.Bc4Qc3 29.Bb5Rde730.Nd8Rf8 31.Ne6Rff7 32.Nd8Rf8 33.Ne6Rg8 34.Nf4 Bxf4 35.Qxf4 Qe5 36.Qh4 Qg537.Qh3 Qg4 38.Qxg4 Rxg4 39.Rd1 Rd440.Rc1Nc7 41.Bf1 b6 42.Rc4Kg7 White Re-signs.0-1

◦ Knaak, R.• Christiansen, L.?Saloniki1988 1-0 E41The Art of defense.

152

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 c5 5.Bd3Nc6 6.Ne2 cxd4 7.exd4 d5 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.a3Be7 10.Bc2 O–O 11.Qd3 g6 12.h4 Forsakingcastling to start a kingside attack. 12...e5 Thebest way to meet a flank attack is with a counter-attack in the center. 13.dxe5 Nxc3 If 13...Bf5,then 14.Qxd5 Bxc2 15.Bg5! is good for White.14.Qxc3 Bg4 Black has sacrificed a pawn, buthopes to take advantage of White’s King beingstuck in the center. 15.f3 Rc8 Black needsto press forward with his attack. White has alarge advantage after 15...Be6 16.Bh6 followed by17.Rd1. 16.fxg4 Nxe5 17.Qb3 Forced. Not17.Qxe5 Rxc2 18.O-O Bc5+ with a strong attack.17...Bxh4+ Better is 17...Ng4, although Whiteis better after 18.Bd2 followed by O-O-O. 18.g3Rxc2 19.Qxc2 Nd3+ 20.Kf1 Qd5 21.Ng1 Abrilliant defensive move. 21.Rxh4? and 21.Rh2lose to 21...Qf3+. 21...Re8 Threatening 22...Re1#.If 21...Qxh1, then 22.Qxd3. 22.Bh6 Bxg323.Rd1 Qxh1 24.Qxd3 Qh2 24.Qxh6 wouldhave held out longer, although White has a bigadvantage after 24...Qxg3. 25.Qe2 Forcing theexchange of Queens, after which White is eas-ily winning. 25...Qxe2+ 26.Nxe2 Be5 27.b4b5 28.Rd7 Ra8 29.Nd4 a6 30.Nc6 Bf6 31.g5Bb2 32.Ne7+ Kh8 33.Nd5 a5 34.bxa5 BlackResigns.1-0

◦ Malaniuk, V.• Ivanchuk, V.?Moscow1988 0-1 E20In 1988 the 19 year old untitled UkrainianIvanchuk was suddenly one of the top five playersin the world.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.f3 d5 5.a3 Be76.e4 dxe4 7.fxe4 e5 8.d5Ng4 9.Nf3 Better is 9.b4to prevent Black’s next move. 9...Bc5 10.b4Bf2+ 11.Ke2 White has had to forego castling,but 12.h3 is threatened. What is Black going to dowith his Bishop? 11...c5 Black intends to retreathis Bishop to d4. 12.Nb5 If 12.h3, 12.dxc6, or12.bxc5, Black replies 12...Bd4. 12...a6 13.Qa4axb5 13...O-O 14.h3 would be to White’s advan-tage. 14.Qxa8Bd4 15.Nxd4 Better would havebeen 15.Ra2, although Black still has a big ad-vantage after 15...Nd7. 15...cxd4 16.Qxb8 O–O17.Ke1 If 17.h3, then 17...Qh4 wins. 17...Qh4+18.g3 Qf6 19.Bf4 The best chance. If in-stead 19.Ra2, then 19...Qf3 20.Bg2 Qc3+ 21.Bd2Qb3 wins. 19...g5 Stronger is 19...d3?. 20.c5

Suddenly Black has lost his advantage and thegame is unclear. 20...exf4 21.Qd6 Qg7 22.Bd3Ne5 23.Kd2 f3 24.Bxb5 g4 25.Qe7 Ng6 If25...Qh6+, then 26.Kc2 Qe3 27.Qxe5 Qc3+ leadsto perpetual check. 26.Qg5 Better is 26.Qd6 withan equal position. 26...h6 27.Qh5 d3 28.Bxd3A blunder in time pressure. 28.e5 is necessarywith an unclear position. 28...Re8 The Queen istrapped! 29.h3Re5 30.hxg4Rxh5 31.gxh5Ne532.Rae1 Qg5+ 33.Kc2 f2 34.Rd1 Qe3 WhiteResigns.0-1

◦ Karpov, An.• Portisch, L.?Tilburg1988 1-0 E18A positional masterpiece by Karpov.1.d4Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3Bb7 5.Bg2Be76.Nc3 Ne4 7.Bd2 Bf6 8.O–O O–O 9.Rc1 c510.d5 exd5 11.cxd5 Nxd2 12.Nxd2 d6 13.Nc4Ba6 14.Qb3Bxc4 15.Qxc4 a6 This leaves weakpawns at a6 and b6. Better is 15...Nd7. 16.a4Nd7 17.e3 Ne5 18.Qe2 c4 19.Be4 Guardingthe d3-square. 19...Re8 20.Bc2 Rc8 21.Ne4Be7 22.b3 cxb3 23.Bxb3 Qd7 24.Rxc8 Not24.Qxa6 due to 24...Nf3+ 25.Kg2 Qg4. 24...Qxc825.Rb1 White targets the weaknesses in Black’sposition. 25...Qf5 26.Nd2Rb8 27.Bd1 Whitewould like to play Nb3-d4 hitting the weaknessat c6. 27...Qc8 28.Nb3 Bf6 29.Nd4 Qb730.Qc2 g6 If 30...Qxd5?!, then 31.Rxb6. 31.Be2Kg7 If 31...Qxd5, then 32.Bxa6 Nf3+ 33.Nxf3Qxf3 34.Qc7 is good for White. 32.Qb3 Nd733.Nc6 Ra8 34.Qb4 Qc7 35.Kg2 h5 Prevent-ing Bg4. 36.h3 Kg8 37.Bd1 Re8 Better is37...Kg7. 38.g4 hxg4 39.Bxg4 Kg7 If 39...Nc5,then 40.Qxb6 Qxb6 41.Rxb6 Nxa4 42.Rxa6 witha large advantage for White. 40.Bxd7 Qxd741.Qf4 Not 41.Qxb6?! Qf5 with an unclear po-sition. 41...Rh8 42.Qg4 Qe8 If 42...Qc7,then 43.f4. 43.Rxb6 Rh4 44.Qf3 Rxa445.Rb8Qd7 Much better is 45...Qe4 exchangingQueens. 46.Ra8Bh4 47.e4Bf6 48.Qd3Qb749.Rb8 Qd7 50.Qc2 Ra3 51.Rb3 Ra1 Betteris 51...Rxb3, although White has a large advantageafter 52.Qxb3 followed by 53.Qa3. 52.Rf3 Thereis no defense against 53.Rxf6 and 54.Qc3+ pick-ing up the Rook. 52...Qb7 53.Rxf6Qb5 54.Qc3Qf1+ 55.Kg3Qg1+ 56.Kh4 Black Resigns.1-0

153

◦ Korchnoi, V.• Seirawan, Y.?Brussels1988 0-1 E16Annotations by Yasser Seirawan. A word of warn-ing to the uninitiated. When you sit down acrossfrom Viktor Korchnoi, be prepared to play, becausehe will. I’ve had some real slugfests with Viktor,and just a few draws.1.d4Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3Bb4+ 4.Bd2Qe7 5.Bg2Nc6 6.Nf3 Bxd2+ 7.Nbxd2 d6 8. O–O O–O9.e4 e5 10.d5Nb8 11.b4 With his central wedge,White has the choice of playing for the Queensidewith b2-b4-c4-c5 or the Kingside by Ne1-d3 andf2-f4. It’s rather a matter of taste, but I feel that theQueenside is the right choice. White’s problem ishis Bishop. My problem is that I need to exchangea few pieces to breathe. 11...a5 A critical moment.The alternative was 11...Bg4 and Bxf3, exchang-ing a pair of minors. The decision was tough be-cause White’s Bishop would take over the vacatedh3-c8 diagonal and keep my Rooks off c8. As atrade of c-pawns is always a prominent concern insuch positions, I delayed the Bishop sally. 12.a3Na6 13.Qb3 White could also consider the imme-diate 13.Nf3-e1, and b4xa5 might follow. 13...c614.dxc6 A shock. It’s rare to see Viktor voluntar-ily cede the center. His treatment is not so easy tomeet. With an eventual Nb3, he hopes to force meto exchange on b4. He’ll then attack d6 and c6 byeither c4-c5, or b4-b5. For my part, if I can relo-cate my Knight from a6 to d4, I’ll gain a sizableadvantage. 14...bxc6 15.Qc3Bg4 A logic glitch.If I wanted to exchange pieces, I’m late. Insteadof wasting time, I should have played 15...Nc7(not fearing c4-c5) or 15...Re8 (fearing c4-c5),while preparing Nc7-e6. In either case the gamewould be dynamically equal. 16.Nh4 A wonder-ful, multi-purpose move. It immediately threatensNf5 when, after the exchange, White’s Bishop willreturn to life with a vengeance. It also protectsthe pawn on e4, thereby freeing the Knight for d2-b3-a5. I now disappeared into deep thought, wellaware of my growing troubles. 16...Rfb8 Laskersaid "long think, wrong think." This move helpsnothing. Both 16...g6 and 16...Nc7 were betterchoices. 17.Rfb1 Viktor trusts me. He made thismove is response to my rhythm. The threat againstb4 is pure imagination. Being an optimist, I’d ratemy game as lousy after 17.Nf5. 17...Nc7 18.h3A hard move to judge, as it facilitates my plan of...Nc7-e6. My choice is 18.Nb3, when White’splay on the Queenside comes too fast. 18...Bd7

19.bxa5 Both Viktor and I love pawns, but whata grub! This completely destroys the Queensidestructure, and gives up c5 to boot. White’s positiondemands 19.Nf5 with a big edge. Viktor plungeshead over heels into quicksand. 19...g6 20.Rb6Ne6 21.Rab1 Rd8 22.Nb3 c5 The first indica-tion that things have run afoul. Viktor continuesto swim ahead, believing that the drum beats histempo. Not so. I’m preparing my counterblow...Bd7-a4, in order to gain d4 for one Knight andvacate d7 for the other. In the post-mortem, Vik-tor found ways to make the desperate sortie Nh4-f5work now and on subsequent moves. Such tacticsshouldn’t work. Still, Viktor is right. After 19.bxa5White’s position has become desperate. 23.a6Bc8 24.Qa5 Viktor plunges deeper into self-madequagmire. The kicking is soon over. Absolutelyforced is 24.Nf5. 24...Nd7 Immediately decisive.Loss of the Exchange is unavoidable. If 25.Rc6,then Bb7 or Nb8; while if 25.Rb5, then Bxa6.25.Nd2 Nxb6 26.Rxb6 Nc7 The little guy ona6 shouldn’t be allowed to wonder far. 27.a7Ne6 28.Rb8 Rxa7 29.Qc3 Nd4 30.Kh2 Be631.Rxd8+ Qxd8 32.Nhf3 Qa8 Imprecise. Bet-ter first is 32...Nxf3+. Time pressure has becomea factor. 33.Nxd4 cxd4 34.Qb4 Ra6 35.Bf1Kg7 35...Qa7 kills. 36.c5 dxc5 37.Qxc5 Ra538.Bb5 f6 39.a4 Ra7 40.f4 exf4 With time con-trol reached, the game is over. 41.gxf4 Qb842.Kg2Rf7 43.f5Qf4 44.Qxd4 gxf5 Excellent!The Rook will threaten a deadly check on the openg-file. Viktor must swap Queens. 45.Qf2Qxf2+46.Kxf2 fxe4 47.Nxe4 Bxh3 48.a5 Ra7 49.a6Bc8 50.Nc5Rc7 51.Na4Bd7 52.Bxd7Rxd753.Nc5 Ra7 54.Ke3 h5 White Resigns. An in-vigorating victory!0-1

◦ Yusupov, A.• Sokolov, A.?Moscow1988 1-0 E04Those that play the Catalan have to accept the real-ity that in many lines White must sacrifice a pawnin the opening. Regaining the material isn’t usuallyvery difficult - the challenge lies in finding a wayto recover the material and still keep some sort ofpositional advantage.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 dxc4 5.Nf3c5 6.O–ONc6 7.Ne5Bd7 8.Nxc4 cxd4 9.Bf4Nd5 10.Nd6+ Bxd6 11.Bxd6 Nde7 12.Nd2O–O 13.Qb3 Bc8 14.Nc4 Re8 15.Rfd1 Nf516.Bc5 e5 17.e4 Nfe7 18.Nd6 Rf8 19.Nxb7

154

White doesn’t actually win back his pawn with thismove, as b2 will soon fall, but he does gain thetwo Bishops which is very important. 19...Bxb720.Qxb7 Rb8 21.Qa6 Rxb2 22.Qa4 Qb823.Bf1 f5 24.Ba3 Rb6 25.exf5 Nb4 26.Rab1Nec6 The losing move in a tense position. Cor-rect was 26...Ned5 when 27.Bc4+ Kh8 28.Bxb4Rxb4 29.Rxb4 Qxb4 30.Qxb4 leaves White muchbetter but with no immediate win. 27.Bg2 Rd828.Bxc6 Nxc6 29.Rxb6 Qxb6 30.Qc4+ Kh831.Qf7 Rg8 32.f6 Qd8 33. Be7 Nxe7 34.fxe7Qd7 35.Rd3 A strong move which threatens Rf3and Qxg8+. 35...h6 The tempting 35...e4 al-lows 36.Rxd4 Qxd4 37.Qxg8+ winning. 36.Rf3Rc8 37.Qf8+Kh7 38.Rf7Rc1+ 39.Kg2Qc6+40.Kh3Qe6+ 41.Kh4 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Beliavsky, A.• Portisch, L.?Linares1988 1-0 E04Grandmasters Alexander Beliavsky of Ukraine andLajos Portisch of Hungary are two of the greatestfighters in the history of chess. Both players arenoted for their scholarly approach to the game andhave done much to enrich opening theory.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 The Catalan, an open-ing that is seldom seen at the amateur level butwhich is a favorite is a favorite in Grandmasterpraxis. White can easily obtain terrific Queen-side pressure if Black isn’t careful. 3...d5 4.Bg2dxc4 5.Nf3Bd7 6.Ne5Bc6 7.Nxc6Nxc6 8.e3Nd5 This attempt to hold onto the pawn seems torisky. Concentrating on development with 8...Qd7seems more solid. 9.O–O Be7 10.Qe2 Nb611.Rd1 O–O 12.Nd2Na5 13.Nf3Qc8 14.Bd2Nc6 15.Bc3Nb4 16.Ne5N4d5 17.Be1 Whitewants to win back the pawn but on his own terms- maintaining the two Bishops. 17...c5 18.Rac1cxd4 19.Nxc4 Qe8 20.Rxd4 Rc8 21.b3 Qb522.Qd1Bc5 23.Rd3Bb4 24.a4Qa6 25.Bxb4Nxb4 26.Rd6 A dream position for the Cata-lan. White’s pieces rake the Black Queenside.26...Nc6 27.Ne5 Qa5 28.Nxc6 bxc6 29.Rcxc6Rxc6 30.Bxc6 A pawn up and with the better po-sition to boot the rest is a formality for Beliavsky.30...Qc5 31.Bf3 Qg5 32.Qd2 Qe7 33.Rd4 e534.Rd6 e4 35.Be2 h6 36.a5 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Dlugy, M.• Wedberg, T.

?New York1988 1-0 A77Grandmaster Maxim Dlugy, a former World JuniorChampion and Interzonalist, is one of the strongestplayers in the United States. His opponent, IMTom Wedburg, has represented Sweden in severalChess Olympiads. The game between these twoplayers is a model demonstration of how to playagainst the aggressive but risky Modern Benoni.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5d6 6.Nc3 g6 7.Nd2 The Knight prepares to goto its ideal post at c4 where it would hit the keysquares e5 and d6. The text also has the virtue ofsidestepping ...Bg4 after White plays e4. 7...Nbd7Meeting Nc4 with ....Nb6. 8.e4Bg7 9.Be2 O–O10.O–O Re8 11.a4 Ne5 12.Qc2 Nh5 This ag-gressive move first caught the public eye whenFischer used it to defeat Spassky in their WorldChampionship match in Reykjavik. The advan-tages of 12...Nh5 are clear - after 13.Bxh5 gxh5Black has the two Bishops, an open g-file, and theuse of the g4 square. However the dark side of12...Nh5 shouldn’t be ignored. Black’s Kingsidepawn structure gets ripped apart and he has a per-manent hole on f5. 13.Bxh5 gxh5 14.Nd1 TheKnight immediately heads to e3 where it can eyethe f5 square. An added bonus is that Ra3 - g3is now possible. 14...Qh4 15.Ra3 Bd7 16.h3b5 17.axb5 Bxb5 18.Re1 f5 19.Ne3 f4 20.Nf5Qf6 21.Nxg7 Chess is often like alchemy. HereWhite trades his beautiful Knight on f5. Why? Be-cause once the Bishop on g7 is gone Black’s Kingwill be especially vulnerable. 21...Qxg7 22.Nf3Rf8 23.Nxe5 Qxe5 24.Rf3 Rf7 25.Bd2 Re826.Qc1 Ref8 27.Bc3 Qe7 28.g3 The killingblow and the logical conclusion to White’s play.The rest is a well well orchestrated King hunt.28...Qg5 29.Kh1Re8 30.gxf4Qh4 31.f5Rxe432.Rg3+ Kf8 33.Qh6+ Ke7 34.Rge3 Bd335.Kg1 Rxf5 36.Qxh7+ Kd8 37.Ba5+ BlackResigns.1-0

◦ Agdestein, S.• Ljubojevic, L.?Wijk aan Zee1988 1-0 A61Norwegian Grandmaster Simen Agdestein hasachieved a unique distinction - he is both a worldclass chess and soccer player. Here he boots Yu-goslav Grandmaster Ljubomir Ljubojevic all overthe board in a good old fashioned king hunt.

155

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5d6 6.Nc3 g6 7.Bg5 h6 8.Bh4 Nbd7 9.Nd2g5 10.Bg3 Nh5 11.Nc4 Nb6 12.e3 Nxg3 By...h6, ...g5, and ...Nh5 Black has managed tohunt down the White Bishop but at a definitecost. Black’s Kingside has been loosened and thef5 square looks weak. 13.hxg3 a6 14.a4 Bg715.Qd2 Nxc4 16.Bxc4 Bd7 17.a5 Qf6 Thestart to a bad plan. Black would be perfectlyokay after 17...b5 18. axb6 Qxb6. 18.Ra3 Amulti-purpose move which prepares Rb3 as wellas strengthening White’s position along the thirdrank. 18...O–O–O Typical Ljubojevic who lovesto live on the edge. The Black King now makesa very inviting target. 19.Rb3 Rde8 20.Rb6Qe5 21.Qd3 Bf6 22.Bxa6 Ljubo put his headin the Lion’s mouth and now he must pay theprice. 22...bxa6 23.Qxa6+ Kd8 24.Rb7 Thisquiet move contains a very nasty threat - Rxd7+.24...Reg8 25.Na4 Black’s last move freed e8for his King so White brings in reinforcementsto continue the attack. 25...Ke8 26.Nb6 Bg427.Nc4Qxd5 28.Qa8+Bd8 29.Re7+ The finalshot. Having won the Queen for only Rook andBishop the rest is quite easy. 29...Kxe7 30.Qxd5Bc7 31.Qb7Kd8 32.Nb6Bxb6 33.axb6Bd734.Qc7+Ke7 35.b7Ke6 36.O–ORd8 37.Rd1Ba4 38.b8=Q Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Hoi, C.• Gulko, B.?Saloniki1988 1-0 A47A modern day brilliancy.1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 c5 3.e3 Nf6 4.Bd3 b6 5.O–OBb7 6.Nbd2 cxd4 7.exd4Be7 8.Re1 O–O 9.c3d6 10.Qe2 Re8 11.Nf1 Nbd7 12.Ng3 Bf8Black has an excellent defensive setup. He is nowpreparing to break with ...e6-e5. Afterwards, hisonly concern would be the potential weakness ofthe f5 square. 13.Bg5 h6 This move doesn’t fitin with the plan of ...e6-e5, so Black decides onanother course. I prefer ...Qc7 followed by ...g7-g6, ...Bg7, and ...e6-e5. 14.Bd2 Qc7 15.Bc2White is floundering without a plan. A normalcourse would be to press matters on the Queen-side with 15.Ba6 and a2-a4-a5. Like the text, thisplan would step out of the ...e6-e5-e4 hit. 15...Bd5Black tries immediately to take advantage of theweakening of c4. The deployment of the Bishopis very provocative and gives White a plan. Per-haps the modest 15...Bc6 preparing ...b6-b5, se-

curing d5 for the Knight was better. 16.b3 Qb717.Nh4 b5 18.Qd3 What does one make of thisposition? It’s easy to get the impression that Whitehas been outplayed and that Black has taken overthe initiative. Black feels justified here in pun-ishing White for his play. That explains Boris’soverly optimistic thrust ...g7-g5, which he playsthis move. The problem as I see it is that Black’spieces are ill-prepared to support this thrust. Par-ticularly unfavorable is the placement of the Knighton d7. But outside of ...g7-g5, does Black have an-other plan? If Black sits, perhaps White will tryf2-f4 and build up a "real" Kingside attack. 18...g519.Nf3 Bxf3 20.gxf3 Bg7 21.h4 gxh4 22.Ne4Qc6 23.Kh1 Suddenly Black is in big trouble.White has two screaming Bishops and the open g-file. Boris tries to force White’s hand with provoca-tive defense. 23...Nh5 The purpose of this move isto play ...f7-f5 as quickly as possible. 24.Rg1Kf8Black is convinced that 24...f5 25.Bxh6 quicklytorches his King. 25.Rxg7 Kxg7 Mandatory, as25...Nxg7 26.Bxh6 f5 27.Rg1 Re7 28.Qe3 fxe429.Rxg7 Rxg7 30.Qg5 is curtains. 26.Bxh6+ Amagnificent follow-up to the exchange sacrifice.White can’t allow the Black King to waltz to safetyon e7. Thus 26.Rg1+ Kf8 27.Bxh6+ Ke7 wouldlead to a dead end. 26...Kxh6 27.Rg1 White’s at-tack is frightening. In all likelihood Black is losthere. 27...f5 28.Qe3+ f4 The retreat 28...Kh7 ismet by the brutal 29.Qg5 and if 29...Ng3+ 30.fxg3h3, trying to keep the g-file closed, 31.g4 is strong.29.Nxd6 Qxd6 30.Qd3 Nf8 31.Qh7+ BlackResigns. What horrible irony to be mated by aRook supported by the Bishop which made sucha strange retreat on move fifteen.1-0

◦ Magerramov, E.• Oll, L.?Klaipeda1988 1-0 D44Azerbaijani GM Elmar Magerramov took secondplace in the final USSR championship. His oppo-nent, Estonian GM Lembit Oll, has been rated over2600.1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5dxc4 Initiating the razor sharp Anti-Meran Gam-bit. First popularized by Botvinnik over 50 yearsago the Anti-Meran even today defies a completeanalysis. 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.Nxg5hxg5 10.Bxg5 Nbd7 11.g3 Qa5 12.exf6 b4 13.Ne4Ba6 14.Qf3 O–O–O 15.Be2Nb6 16.Be3Bb7 17.O–O c5 18.dxc5 Na4 19.Bxc4 Nxb2

156

20.c6 Bxc6 21.Rac1 Kb7 22.Bxe6 A stunningshot that puts White in the driver’s seat. Now22...Nd3 fails because of 23.Rxc6 Ne5 24.Nd6+.22...fxe6 23.Rxc6 Kxc6 24.Rc1+ Kd7 25.f7Nd3 26.Nf6+ Kd6 27.Ne8+ Ke7 28. Bg5+Qxg5 29.Rc7+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Gavrikov, V.• Kharitonov, A.?Moscow1988 1/2-1/2 D37A rare example in which it is better to promote apawn to a Knight rather than a Queen.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4O–O 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5Bxc5 8.cxd5Nxd5 9.Nxd5exd5 10.a3 Nc6 11.Bd3 Bb6 12.O–O Bg413.h3 Bh5 14.b4 Re8 15. Ra2 Planning Rd2to threaten the weak d5-pawn. 15...d4 Blacktries to liquidate the weak pawn. 16.b5 Bxf317.Qxf3 dxe3 Correct is 17...Na5 or 17...Ne5.18.bxc6 Qxd3 19.cxb7 exf2+ 20.Kh2 20.Rfxf2Qxf3 21.gxf3 Rab8! would result in an equalposition. 20...Qxf1 If 20...Qxf3, then 21.gxf3Rab8 22.Bxb8 Rxb8 23.Rb2 Rxb7 24.Rfxf2 wins.21.bxa8=QQg1+ 22.Kg3 f1=N+ 23.Kh4 Drawby Agreement.1/2-1/2

◦ Kasparov, G.• Andersson, U.?Belfort1988 1-0 D36Swedish GM Ulf Andersson has a reputation forbeing one of the hardest players in the world to beatbut Garry Kasparov is equal to the task. The Ex-change Variation of the Queen’s Gambit Declinedenjoys its popularity in part to its great flexibility.It can be interpreted as a Queenside middle gamewhen White castles short and goes for the minorityattack (Rab1 and b2-b4-b5). Or it can be seen asan aggressive attacking scheme when White goeslong and throws his Kingside pawns up. Here Kas-parov elects to follow a third plan - short castlingand playing for e3-e4.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5c6 6.Qc2 Be7 7.e3 Nbd7 8.Bd3 O–O 9.Nge2The Knight can also go to f3 but on e2 it sup-ports the plan of e4 much more efficiently. Thef-pawn is left free to advance and the Knight cancome to g3. 9...Re8 10.O–O Nf8 11.f3 Be6

12.Rae1 Rc8 13.Kh1 N6d7 14.Bxe7 Rxe715.Nf4 Rc7 16.Qf2 Nf6 17.e4 dxe4 18.fxe4Rcd7 19.d5 cxd5 20.Bb5 Rc7 21.exd5 Bd722.Be2Rc8 23.Qxa7 White’s efforts have bornefruit. The captured pawn on a7 will not win thegame itself but instead Kasparov will trade it forother advantages that will do the trick. 23...b624.Qa6 Ne4 25.d6 Clearing the d5 squares forhis Knights and preparing to trade the weak d-pawn for the enemy b-pawn. 25...Nxd6 26.Nfd5Re5 27.Qxb6Nf5 28.Qxd8Rxd8 29.Bd3 Therest is simple technique but it is instructive to seehow Kasparov systematically converts his advan-tage. 29...Rxe1 30.Rxe1Ng6 31.a4Kf8 32.a5Nd4 33.Bxg6 hxg6 34.Rd1 Ne6 35.Nb6 Bc636.Rxd8+ Nxd8 37.b4 Ne6 38.b5 Black Re-signs.1-0

◦ Karpov, An.• Yusupov, A.?Moscow1988 1-0 D36This was voted best game in the last half of 1988by Chess Informant.1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4 Be7 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.cxd5exd5 6.Bg5 c6 Black takes advantage of the pre-mature exchange of pawns on d5 in order to de-velop his light-squared Bishop. 7.Qc2 g6 8.e4 Adouble-edged decision. White accepts an isolaniin order to prevent Black from developing hisBishop. The tame 8.e3 Bf5 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3Nbd7 is equal. 8...Nxe4 Better is 8...dxe4 9.Bxf6Bxf6 10.Qxe4 Kf8 with approximate equality. Thetext lands Black into some unexpected difficulties.9.Bxe7 Kxe7 Forced. If 9...Qxe7, then 10.Nxd5is awkward to meet. 10.Nxe4 dxe4 11.Qxe4+Be6 12.Bc4Qa5+ 13.Kf1Qf5 14.Qe3 An un-usual position has arisen. Both sides have compro-mised their King position, making routine devel-opment impossible. Therefore, normal considera-tions such as White’s isolated pawn become lessof a factor. At any rate, White’s development isstraightforward. He intends Re1, h2-h4, Rh3, andNg5. It’s hard to believe that Black should havedifficulties equalizing, but where to put the King?Going Kingside walks into White’s intended h2-h4. Going Queenside is more inviting, but will re-quire a number of tempi. 14...Nd7 15.Re1Rae816.d5 Is this really the Karpov we all know and(grudgingly) admire? If so, what is he doing sac-rificing pawns? Has Kasparov forced him to addanother element to his style? Certainly we could

157

have expected 16.Bxe6 fxe6 17.Qa3+ Kf7 18.h4with advantage to White. But the pawn sacrificeis even stronger. It completely gums up Black’spieces. Also, it really leaves Black in a quandaryconcerning his King. Suddenly the Queenside isn’tso inviting. Since Black’s last moves have beensolid developing ones, we must trace his problemsto 8...Nxe4. 16...cxd5 17.Bb5 a6 18.Qa3+ Byusing a series of ladder checks with his Queen,White is able to retreat his Bishop with tempo andrecover his sacrificed pawn. 18...Kd8 19.Qa5+Ke7 20.Qb4+Kf6 21.Qd4+Ke7 22.Bd3Qh523.h4 Preparing the introduction of the Knightand King’s Rook into the attack. Black can’tstop Ng5 with 23...h6 because 24.g4 wins theQueen. 23...Kd8 24.Ng5 Rhf8 25.Be2 Shov-ing the Black Queen into an even worse hidingplace. White’s domination of the position is near-ing completeness. Yaacov Murey once told me thatthe Queen placement is the dominant theme in allmiddlegame positions. He would therefore statethat Black is lost. I agree. 25...Qh6 26.Bf3Re727.Qb4 The start of a forced sequence of movesthat nets a material plus. 27...Nf6 28.Qd6+Rd729.Qf4Ng8 30.Bg4Kc8 A merciful end wouldbe 30...Bxg4 31.Qb8 checkmate. 31.Bxe6 fxe632.Rc1+ Kd8 33.Nxe6+ Ke7 34.Qxf8+ Qxf835.Nxf8 Kxf8 36.Rh3 Ne7 37.h5 Kg7 38.h6+Kf6 39.Rf3+Ke6 40.Re1+Kd6 41.Rf6+Kc742.g4Nc6 43. Re8 Black Resigns. An absolutelysuperb game by Anatoly Karpov. Has chess reallyevolved to a point where a single opening inaccu-racy can be so ruthlessly exploited?1-0

◦ Kasparov, G.• Campora, D.?Saloniki1988 1-0 D351.c4 Nf6 2.d4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 exd55.Bg5 Be7 6.e3 O–O 7.Bd3 Nbd7 8.Nge2Re8 9.Qc2 Nf8 10.O–O–O Be6 11.Kb1 Ng412.Bxe7 Qxe7 13.Nf4 Nf6 14.f3 Preparing akingside attack with g2-g4. 14...c5 15.g4cxd4 16.exd4 Qd6 17.Qd2 a6 18.Nce2 Mov-ing the Knight to g3 where it can hop into g5.18...Re7 19.Ng3 Ng6 20.Ng2 Nd7 21.Rhg1Ree8 22.Rdf1 Threatening f4-f5. 22...Ngf823.Ne3 Kh8 If 23...Qf4, then 24.Nh5 Qh6 25.f4is strong. 24.Nh5 g6 If 24...f6, then 25.Nf5Bxf5 26.gxf5 followed by 27.Qg2 with a strong at-tack. 25.f4 gxh5 26.f5 h4 The only move. Blackneeds to keep the g-file closed. 27.fxe6 fxe6 28.g5

Re7 If 28...Ng6, then 29.Bxg6 hxg6 30.Qf2 Re731.Ng4 is winning. 29.Ng4 Rg7 30.Nh6 Qb6If 30...Qe7, then 31.Rg4 followed by Rgf4 win-ning. 31.g6 Opening a line for the entry of theQueen. 31...hxg6 32.Nf7+Kg8 33.Qh6Rh7 If33...Rxf7, then 34.Bxf7 is decisive. 34.Rxg6+Nxg6 35.Qxg6+ Rg7 36.Qh6 Black Resigns.If 37.Qh8# is threatened and if 36...Rxf7, then37.Rg1+.1-0

◦ Huzman, A.• Lin, Ta.?Belgrade1988 0-1 D28An example in which the wrong Rook is moved.1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 a6 4.e3 e6 5.Bxc4 c56.O–O Nf6 7.Qe2 b5 8.Bd3 cxd4 9.exd4 Bb710.a4 b4 11.Bg5Nc6 Allowing his pawns to getdoubled, but Black feels that he will be all right.12.Bxf6 gxf6 Not 12...Qxf6 13.d5. 13.Rd1Ne7Black hopes to obtain counterplay along the g-fileand a8-h1 diagonal. His plan is Nd5-f4. 14.Nbd2Nd5 15.Qe4 Be7 15...f5 16.Qe5 Rg8 17.Bxf5is good for White. 16.Nb3 f5 17.Qe5 Bf618.Qg3Ne7 Threatening 19...Rg8. 19.Nc5Bd520.Bxa6 If 20.Nxa6, then 20...Rxa6! 21.Bxa6Rg8 22.Qh3 Ng6 followed by 23...Nf4 wins.20...Rxa6 Not 20...Ra7? 21.Bb5+ Kf8 22.Ne5 andWhite wins. 21.Nxa6Rg8 22.Qf4Ng6 23.Qc7Not 23.Qg3 Kf8 threatening 24....Nh4 winning.Also bad is 23.Qb8 Qxb8 24.Nxb8 Nf4. 23...Qa824.Qd6 Threatening 25.Nc7#. 24...Bd8 25.Rdc1An error in time pressure. Correct is 25.Rac1. TheRook is needed on d1 to cover the d2-square as wewill see in some variations that follow. 25...Nh426.Nc7+ Also losing is 26.Rc7 Nxf3+ 27.Kh1 Ne5as is 26.Nxh4 Bxg2. 26...Bxc7 27.Rxc7 Nxf3+28.Kf1 Loses immediately. 28.Kh1 would haveheld out longer, although Black is much better after28...Qd8. 28...Bc4+ White Resigns. If 29.Rxc4,then 29...Nd2+ wins. Now it’s clear why the wrongRook was moved to c1.0-1

◦ Psakhis, L.• Speelman, J.?Hastings1988 0-1 D21Grandmasters Lev Psakhis and Jonathan Speelmanof England are two of the most creative players

158

in the world. Despite their fancy for inventionthey both have achieved some significant results- Speelman is a two time Candidate and Psakhistwice won the USSR championship.1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 c5 4.d5 e6 5.Nc3exd5 6.Qxd5 Qxd5 7.Nxd5 Bd6 8.Nd2 Ne79.Nxc4Nxd5 10.Nxd6+Ke7 11.Nxc8+Rxc8This line of the Queen’s Gambit Accepted, pio-neered by GM Yasser Seirawan, is quite controver-sial. is quite controversial as Black willingly givesWhite the two Bishops. Compensation comes inthe form of a lead in development and a harmo-nious position. 12.g3Nc6 13.Bg2Rd8 14.Bg5+f6 15.Bd2 Rd6 16.O–O Rad8 17.Rfc1 b618.Kf1 a5 19.Be1 g6 20.Rab1 Ndb4 21.a3Na2 Expecting the Knight to go back to d5 butthe ever inventive Speelman has something else instore even if it isn’t quite exactly sound. 22.Rc4Nd4 23.b3 The natural question is why not 23.Ra1attacking the trapped Knight? Speelman plannedthe variation 23...Nb3 24.Rxa2 Rd1 25.Re4+ Kf726.f4 Rb1 27.Kf2 Nc1! but as New York GMJoel Benjamin points out White can improve with27.Re3! meeting 27...Nc1 with 28.Be4. 23...Nb524.Rb2Nac3 25.a4Nd1 26.Rb1Na3 27.Rcc1Nxb1 28.Rxb1 f5 29.Bb7 White is the Exchangedown but the two Bishops are good compensation.Tarrasch was the first to note that two Bishopsand a Rook, while inferior on a purely material-istic level, often are of equal practical value to twoRooks and a Knight. 29...g5 30.Ba6 f4 31.Bd3A blunder caused by time pressure. Correct was31.Bb5 with equal chances. 31...Rxd3 The stan-dard way of winning an Exchange up is to give itback for a pawn. This game is a good practicalexample. 32.exd3 Rxd3 33.Ke2 Rd5 34.gxf4gxf4 35.Rc1Nb2 36.Bc3Nd3 37.Rg1Nb4 38.Rg7+Kf8 39.Bb2Rd3 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Karpov, An.• Speelman, J.?Brussels1988 1-0 D20Anatoly Karpov, World Champion from 1974-1985, is one of the greatest players of all time. Hisopponent, Jonathan Speelman of England, is a two-time Candidate who is noted for his original play.1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 Nf6 4.e5 Nd5 5.Bxc4Nb6 6.Bb3 Nc6 7.Be3 Bf5 8.Ne2 e6 9.O–ONa5 10.Ba4+ c6 Here 10...Nxa4 11.Qxa4+ Nc6(10...c6 11.Bd2) 12.Nbc3 a6 13.Ng3 Bd3 14.Rfe1

is slightly better for White (Karpov and Za-itzev). Note that while Black has the d5 squareit doesn’t quite compensate for White’s space ad-vantage. 11.Bc2 Bg6 12.Nbc3 Nac4 13.Qc1Be7 14.Bxg6 hxg6 15.Ne4Rh4 16.N2g3Qd517. Qc2 O–O–O 18.Bg5 Bxg5 A strong po-sitional move. After the exchange of BishopsWhite will have a strong grip on c5, d6, and g5.19.Nxg5Rd7 20.Nf3Rf4 21.Rad1 g5 22.Qc1Classic Karpov. The modest looking text con-ceals a nasty threat - 23.b3. Now Speelman isforced to sacrifice the Exchange for insufficientcompensation. 22...Rxf3 23.gxf3 Qxf3 24.Rfe1g4 25.Re4 Nxb2 26.Rd2 N2a4 27.Qc2 Qa328. Rxg4 g6 29.Ne4 Kb8 30.Rg3 Qe7 31.h3Qh4 32.Kh2 Qf4 33.Kg2 Qh6 34.Rdd3 a635.Rg4 Rd5 36.h4 Rb5 37.Rb3 Nd5 38.Rf3Rb4 39.Ng5 Ne7 40.a3 Rb2 41.Qxa4 BlackResigns.1-0

◦ Seirawan, Y.• Beliavsky, A.?Brussels1988 0-1 D14White never recovers from a mistake in the open-ing.1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 cxd5 5.Bf4Nc6 6.e3 Bf5 7.Nf3 e6 8.Bb5 Nd7 9.O–OBe7 10.Bxc6 bxc6 11.Rc1 Rc8 12.Na4 Cor-rect is 12.Ne5. 12...g5 Starting a sudden king-side offensive to which there is little defense.13.Bg3 h5 14.h3 g4 15.hxg4 hxg4 16.Ne5 If16.Nh2, then 16...Bh4! 17.Nxg4 Qg5 is strong.16...Nxe5 17.Bxe5 If 17.dxe5, then 17...c5 witha large advantage to Black. 17...f6 18.Bg3 Kf719.Re1 19.f3 would have held out longer, althoughBlack is much better after 19...gxf3 20.Qxf3Qg8. 19...Rh5 20.Qd2 If 20.Kf1, then 20...Qa5.20...Be4 21.Kf1 If 21.Nc3, then 21...Qh8 22.Kf1Rh1+ 23.Ke2 Bxg2 wins. 21...Bf3 There is no de-fense to ...Rh1#, so White Resigns.0-1

◦ Tal, M.• Speelman, J.?Reykjavik1988 1-0 A43A combination by Tal.1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.Be2 Nf6 5.Nc3O–O 6.O–O c5 7.d5 Na6 8.Re1 Nc7 9.Bf4

159

b5 10.Nxb5 Not 10.Bxb5? Nh5. 10...Nxe411.Nxc7Qxc7 12.Bc4Nf6 13.Rb1Re8 14.h3a5 15.Qd2 Qb6 16.Re3 Ba6 17.Bxa6 Qxa618.Rbe1Kf8 Better is 18...Qc4 with an equal po-sition. 19.Ng5 Qb7 Better is 19...h6. 20.c4Qb4 21.Qe2 h6 21...Nxd5 22.cxd5 Qxf4 23.Ne6+fxe6 24.Rf3 e5 25.g3 is also good for White.22.Nxf7 Kxf7 23.Rb3 Qa4 24.Qe6+ Kf825.Rb7 Threatening Bxd6. 25...Qxc4 Also los-ing are 25...Rad8 26.Rxe7 or 25...Ra6 26.b3 Qxa227.Rxe7 Rxe7 28.Qxe7+ Kg8 29.Qb7. 26.Bxd6Ng8 If 26...Nxd5, then 27.Bxe7+ Rxe7 28.Rxe7Nxe7 29.Qxc4 wins. 27.Re3 Threatening Rf3+.27...Bf6 28.Rf3Kg7 29.Bxe7Rxe7 30.Rxe7+Nxe7 If 30...Bxe7, then 31.Rf7+ Kh8 32.Qxg6wins. 31.Qxf6+ Kg8 32.Qf7+ Kh8 33.Qxe7Qxd5 34.Rf7 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Caturian, V.• Bangiev, A.?URS1988 1-0 B99An attack against the uncastled King.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Be7 8.Qf3 Qc7 9.O–O–ONbd7 10.g4 b5 11.Bxf6Nxf6 12.g5Nd7 13.f5Nc5 14.f6 gxf6 15.gxf6 Bf8 16.Qh5 Rg8 Bet-ter is 16...Bd7. 17.e5 Opening the positionup. 17...dxe5 Better is 17...Bd7. 18.Bxb5+axb5 19.Ncxb5 Qb6 19...Qa5? loses imme-diately to 20.Nc6. 20.Qxe5 Na6 20...Ra7?loses to 21.Nxa7 Qxa7 22.Nc6 and 20...Bh6+loses to 21.Kb1 Rg5 22.Nc7+ Kf8 23.Nxa8.21.Nf5 Bb7 21...Qc5 22.Ng7+ and 21...Bd722.Nbd6+ both win for White. 22.Rhf1 Bc6If 22...Rd8, then 23.Nbd6+ Bxd6 24.Rxd6 Qc525.Ng7+ Rxg7 26.Rxd8+ Kxd8 27.Qxc5 Nxc528.fxg7 wins. 23.Nbd6+ Bxd6 24.Qxd6 BlackResigns. If 24...Qc5, then 25.Ng7+ Rxg7 26.fxg7Qxd6 27.Rxd6 wins.1-0

◦ Tolnai, T.• Georgiev, Kir.?Saint John1988 0-1 B97Bulgarian Grandmaster Kiril Georgiev is rankedamong the top 15 players in the world. His op-ponent in this game, fellow GM Tibor Tolnai ofHungary, is noted for his aggressive play.

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qb6 The famous Poison Pawnvariation of the Najdorf Sicilian, a long time fa-vorite of Bobby Fischer, is still one of the mostcontroversial variations in chess. Black breaks therules by going pawn grubbing with his Queen inthe opening but a clear refutation has yet to be dis-covered. 8.Qd2 Qxb2 9.Rb1 Qa3 10.f5 Nc611.fxe6 fxe6 12.Nxc6 bxc6 13.e5 dxe5 14. Bxf6gxf6 15.Ne4 Be7 16.Be2 h5 Necessary to stopthe threat of 17.Bh5+. 17.O–O f5 18.Bf3 Kf7Accepting the piece would be risky - 18...fxe419.Bxe4 and the twin threats of 20.Bxc6+ and20.Bg6 mate are difficult to meet. At best Black’sKing will be stuck in the middle of the board andsubject to a fierce attack. 19.Kh1 Ra7 20.Rb8Rd7 21.Qe2 h4 22.Bg4Kg7 23.Bxf5 This sac-rifice looks likes it’s winning but Georgiev has ahidden resource that turns the tables. 23...exf524.Qf2Rd1 A move that illustrates how chess haschanged from the previous century. Then Blackwould have all most certainly have clung on toall his booty till he was mated. Modern defen-sive technique is considerably more sophisticatedand the weapon of simplification - which Blackuses here - is well known. 25.Rxd1 fxe4 TwoBishops for a Rook is a winning material advan-tage but Black will have to to show considerabletechnique in view of his exposed King. The firststep is to coordinate his pieces. 26.Qe2 Kh627.Qxe4 Qc5 28.Rf1 Qd5 A standard sort ofmove to make when ahead in material. Since sim-plifying is in Black’s favor he offers a trade whileimproving the position of his Queen. 29.Qe2 h3Effectively ending the game. To stave off immedi-ate defeat White is forced to give up more material.30.Rf3 Rg8 31.Qe3+ Bg5 32.Rxh3+ Bxh333.Qxh3+ Kg6 34.Rxg8+ Qxg8 35.Qg4 Qf736.Qe4+ Qf5 37.Qxc6+ Bf6 38.Qxa6 Qxc239.h4Qe4 40.h5+Kg5 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Short, N.• Ljubojevic, L.?Amsterdam1988 1-0 B66Though his results have been uneven, youngBritish GM Nigel Short is considered by many theWest’s best hope to regain the world championship.After a tiny inaccuracy, he is able to sacrifice twopieces to smoke out the Black King and drive itall the way to h2 before administering the coup degrace.

160

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf65.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 a6 8.O–O–O h69.Be3 Bd7 10.f4 b5 11.Bd3 Be7 12.Kb1 b413.Nce2 O–O 14.h3 Qc7 15.g4 Qb7 16.Ng3Nxd4 17.Bxd4 Bc6 18.Rhe1 Rfe8 Better was18...Rfd8 – it turns out that the e8 square willbe needed for the Knight. 19.g5 hxg5 20.fxg5Nd7 21.Bxg7 Kxg7 22.Nh5+ Now if the Kingretreats to the back rank, 23.g6 will rip openthe position with decisive threats, e.g. 22...Kf823.g6 Bd8 24.gxf7 Kxf7 25.Rf1+ Nf6 26.Qh6, or22...Kg8 23.g6 24.gxf7+ Kxf7 25.Rf1+ Kg6 26.h4Bh6 27.Qg2+ Kxh5 28.Be2+. So Black decides totake his King for a walk. 22...Kg6 23.e5+Kxh524.Qf4 Bxg5 25.Qxf7+ Kh4 26.Qh7+ Kg327.Qh5Kh2 On 27...Rg8 28.Qg4+ Kh2 29.Re2+Bg2 30.Be4 wins. 28.Qxg5Rg8 29.Rd2+Bg230.Qf4+Rg3 31.Be4Qxe4 32.Qxe4 Black Re-signs.1-0

◦ Georgiev, Kir.• Sax, G.?Reggio Emilia1988 1-0 B81White sacrifices to get at the King.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3e6 6.g4 h6 7.h4 Nc6 8.Rg1 h5 9.gxh5 Nxh510.Bg5 Nf6 11.Rg3 a6 12.Nxc6 bxc6 13.Qf3Bd7 14.O–O–O Be7 15. e5 Opening upthe d-file. 15...dxe5 16.Ne4 Rb8 17.Bxf6gxf6 18.Qg2 Threatening 19.Rg8+ as well as19.Rgd3. 18...Rf8 19.Bc4 Qb6 If 19...Qa5,then 20.Ra3! Bxa3 21.Nxf6+ Ke7 22.Rd7+ Kf623.Qg5# or if 19...f5, then 20.Bxe6!. 20.Rb3Qa7 21.Rbd3Rb7 22.Qg7 f5 23.Nd6+Bxd624.Rxd6 White’s threat is just to advance his h-pawn. 24...Qxf2 25.Bxe6 The final break-through. 25...fxe6 26.Rxd7 Qf4+ 27.Kb1Rxb2+ 28.Kxb2 Black Resigns. Black will runout of checks after 28...Qb4+ 29.Kc1 Qa3+ 30.Kd2and White marches his King over to the kingside.1-0

◦ Sobura, H.• Pieniazek, A.?Poland1988 1-0 B81A brilliant Rook sacrifice.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3e6 6.g4 h6 7.h4 Be7 8.Qf3 h5 9.gxh5 Nxh5

10.Bg5 Nc6 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.O–O–O Bxg5+Better is 12...Rb8. Black clearly overlookedWhite’s 16th and 17th moves. 13.hxg5 Qxg5+14.Kb1 Ke7 Even are is 14...Qc5 15.e5! and14...d5? 15.exd5 cxd5 16.Nxd5! exd5 17.Rxd5winning. 15.Be2 g6 16.Rxd6 Kxd6 17.Qxf7The key move. The King cannot retreat. 17...a5Other moves also offer no hope. For example,17...c5 18.Rd1+ Kc6 19.Bb5+ or 17...e5 18.Rd1+Kc5 19.Na4+. 18.Rd1+ Ke5 If 18...Kc5, then19.Na4+ Kb4 20.Rd4#. 19.Bxh5 Rxh5 20.f4+Qxf4 21.Qg7+ Black Resigns. If 21...Qf6, then22.Qc7#.1-0

◦ Tal, M.• Zaitshik, G.?Tbilisi1988 1-0 B82Many consider the late Tal to be one of the fivegreatest players of all time. Watch his magic atwork.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3e6 6.f4 a6 7.Qf3 Qb6 8.a3 Nc6 Not 8...Qxd4??9.Be3 trapping the Queen. 9.Nb3Qc7 10.Bd3Be7 11.Bd2 O–O 12.O–O b5 13.Rae1 b4 Bet-ter is 13...Bb7. 14.Nd5 exd5 15.exd5 Bg4 If15...Nb8, then 16.axb4 followed by 17.c4 is goodfor White. 16.Qg3Nxd5 17.Qxg4Nf6 18.Qh3d5 Better is 18...bxa3. 19.a4 Rfe8 20.Kh1 a521.Qf3 Bd6 22.c4 bxc3 23.Bxc3 The Bish-ops are directed right at the King. 23...Rxe124.Rxe1 Bb4 25.Bxf6 The King hunt starts!25...Bxe1 26.Qh5 gxf6 If 26...h6, then 27.Qg4g6 28.Bxg6 wins. 27.Qxh7+ Kf8 28.Qh8+Ke7 29.Qxa8 White has won a pawn and Black’sKing remains open. White’s passed h-pawn couldlater have a decisive effect. 29...Bf2 30.Bb5Nd4 31.Qe8+Kd6 32.Qf8+Ke6 White is win-ning in the endgame after 32...Qe7 33.Qxe7+Kxe7 34.Nxa5. 33.Nc5+ Kf5 34.Bd7+ Ne6If 34...Kf4, then 35.Qh6+ Ke5 36.Nd3+ Kd637.Qxf6+ wins. 35.Qxf7Qxc5 36.Qxe6+Kxf437.Qxf6+ Ke3 38.Qg5+ Kd3 39.Be6 Kc440.Qf4+ Bd4 41.Qc1+ Kb4 42.Qxc5+ Kxc543.b3 White is easily winning in the endgame.43...Kd6 44.Bc8 Ke5 45.g3 Ke4 46.Kg2 Bc547.Bb7 Bb4 48.h4 Bc3 49.Kh3 Be1 50.g4Ke5 51.g5 d4 52.Ba6 Bb4 53.Kg4 Ke4 54.g6Bf8 55.Kg5 Black Resigns.1-0

161

◦ Enders, P.• Orgovan, S.?Gyongyos1988 1-0 B80White sacrifices a Knight and then a Rook right inthe opening.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Nc3 e66.Be3Nf6 7.g4 e5 8.Nf5 g6 9.g5 gxf5 10.exf5 d511.Qf3 d4 12.O–O–O Nbd7 Better is 12...Nc6.13.Rxd4 A new move. Previously 13.Bd2 hadbeen tried. Black’s King will be under a vicious at-tack for the rest of the game. 13...exd4 14.Bxd4Bc5 15.Bxc5Nxc5 16.Bc4Qd4 17.Re1+Kf818.gxf6Qxf6 Not 18...Qxc4? 19.Qg3 winning im-mediately. 19.Qe3 White is threatening 20.Qe8+Kg7 21.Rg1+ and mate in a few moves. 19...Bxf520.Qxc5+Kg7 21.Nd5Rac8 If 21...Qh6+, then22.f4 wins. Perhaps Black’s best chance was21...Rhc8 although White would have a large ad-vantage after 22.Qe3 Qd6 23.Nb6. 22.Qe3Rxc4If 22...Qh6, then 23.f4 Rhe8 24.Qd4+ f6 25.Re7+wins. 23.Rg1+ Bg6 If 23...Qg6, then 24.Qe5+wins. 24.Nxf6 Kxf6 If 24...Rxc2+, then 25.Kb1wins. 25.c3 Rhc8 26.h4 h5 27.Rg5 Kg7 28.f4Kf8 29.f5Re8 30.Qg3 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Ljubojevic, L.• Timman, J.?Amsterdam1988 1-0 B80Grandmasters Jan Timman and Ljubomir Ljuboje-vic have been among the World’s best players forclose to two decades. Each is noted for his originalplay and fighting spirit.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.Nc3 d6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Qxd4Much less common than 5.Nxd4 but well moti-vated. White is prepared to surrender the Bishoppair (Bb5 and Bxc6) in return for rapid develop-ment. 5...Nc6 6.Bb5 Bd7 7.Qd3 Nf6 8.Bf4a6 9.Bxc6Bxc6 10.O–O–OBe7 A serious mis-take after which Black is in real trouble. Correctwas 10... Qb6 when 11.Bxd6 O-O-O 12.e5 Bxd613.exd6 Ng4 14.Qd4 Qxd4 15.Rxd4 f5! leads withunclear to unclear play -Rajkovic. 11.Rhe1Qb612.Bxd6 O–O–O 13.e5Ne8 14.Nd5 A very nicetactical shot that Ljubojevic had to find severalmoves ago. Now Black has to go pawn grabbingwith his Queen. White uses this time to whip up anoverpowering attack. 14...Bxd5 15.Bxe7 Rd716.Qa3 Qxf2 17.Rd2 Qb6 18.Nd4 f6 19.Bc5Qc7 20.c4 The killing blow as 20...fxe5 is met by

21.cxd5 exd4 22.Rc2 Qf4+ 23.Kb1 Kb8 24.dxe6winning. 20...Bxc4 21.Rc2 fxe5 22.Nxe6 Qc623.Rxe5 Nc7 24.Rxc4 Nxe6 25.Qh3 Nc7 26.b3Qf6 27.Bd4Rd8 28.Rxc7+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Short, N.• Sax, G.?Saint John1988 1-0 B33The Svesnikov variation of the Sicilian is typicalof the sort of openings that have developed afterthe Second World War. Rather than just play toequalize Black immediately aims for the initiativeby creating imbalances from the word go.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf65.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5 9.Bxf6gxf6 A key position in the Sveshnikov. Blackhas compensation for his inferior pawn structurein the two Bishops, the g-file, opportunities for...f5, and the awkward position of White’s Knighton a3. 10.Nd5 f5 11.Bd3 Be6 12.Qh5 Bg713.O–O f4 14.c4 bxc4 15.Bxc4 O–O 16.Rac1Ne7 17.Rfd1 Rc8 18.Nxe7+ Qxe7 19.Rc3 Avery effective consolidating move that plans b3and Rcd3 pressuring the d6 move. It also con-tains a trap - 19...Rc6?? would lose a piece to 20.Bxe6 Rxc3 21.Bf5. 19...Kh8 20.b3 f5 21.Rh3h6 22.Bxe6 Qxe6 23.Rhd3 White has a clearpositional advantage. His next step is to activatehis one poorly placed piece - the Knight on a3 -while Black’s Bishop on g7 languishes. 23...Rcd824.Qe2 fxe4 25.Qxe4 f3 26.Nc4 Consistently in-creasing the pressure. The natural 26.Rxf3 allowsBlack to mobilize his center pawns after 26...d527.Qh4 Rfe8 threatening ...e4. 26...Rf4 27.Qd5Qg4 28.Rxf3 Rxf3 29.Qxf3 Qxf3 30.gxf3 d531.Kf1 Bf6 32.Nb6 Forcing the pawn to d4 af-ter which White’s King enters the Black positionthrough the c4 and e4 squares. 32...d4 33.Ke2Bg5 34.Nc4 Bf4 35.h3 Rg8 36.b4 Rg2 37.a4Kg7 38.b5 axb5 39. axb5Kf6 40.b6Ke6 41.b7Rg8 42.Rb1 Rb8 43.Rb5 Kd7 44.Na5 Kc745.Kd3 Kd6 46.h4 Kc7 47.Rb2 Bh2 48.Ke4Bf4 49.Rc2+ Kd7 50.Kd3 Bh2 51.Rc1 Bf452.Rg1Kd6 53.Kc4 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Judith Polgar• Pavlina AngelovaWomen’s OlympiadGreece

162

1988 1-0 B31There’s an old saying that "Chess is a sea in whicha gnat may drink and an elephant may bathe." Oneof the allures of this ancient pastime is that no twogames are ever alike; but we do know that amongthe vast number of recorded games there are somecurious coincidences – identical twins born yearsapart. At age 12 Judith Polgar played for Hun-gary in this world team championship and earneda brilliancy prize for her effort that unwittingly du-plicated a brevity played ten years earlier by twoobscure Russians (Levchenkov vs. Egarian). Pol-gar went on to become the highest rated woman inchess history.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.O–OBg7 5.c3 e56.d4 exd4 7.cxd4 Nxd4 8.Nxd4 cxd4 9.e5 Ne7White sacrificed one pawn for the initiative but itwould be fatal to snatch a second one by 9...Bxe5?in view of 10. Re1 f6 11. f4 winning the bishop.10.Bg5 O–O 11.Qxd4Nc6 Stronger is 11...Nf5!12.Qh4Qb6 13.Nc3Bxe5 14.Rae1Bxc3 Tak-ing the bait. White would still have to find compen-sation for the pawn after 14...Bg7! 15.bxc3Qxb516.Qh6 Qf5 Alas, Black no longer has any de-fense. If 16...f6 17. Bxf6! Rxf6 18. Re8 Kf719. Qf8 mate. 17.Qxf8+ Kxf8 18.Bh6+ Kg819.Re8# A fine illustration of how to exploit aweak back rank.1-0

◦ Van der Wiel, J.• Timman, J.?Amsterdam1988 1/2-1/2 C95This wild game, between two of Holland’s bestplayers, is a good example of counterattack be-ing the best defense. Van der Wiel sacrifices theExchange for a central pawn roller and Kingsideattacking chances which look to be unstoppable.Timman saves the day by launching a sharp coun-terattack which ends in perpetual check.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.h3 Nb810.d4 The Breyer variation of the Ruy Lopezwhereby Black loses some time relocating hisKnight to a better square. In return the c-pawn becomes free to advance, the Bishop hasa clear diagonal, and the Knight on d7 helpsstrong point the e5 pawn. 10...Nbd7 11.Nbd2Bb7 12.Bc2Re8 13.Nf1Bf8 14.Ng3 g6 15.a4c5 16.d5 c4 17.Bg5 h6 18.Be3 Nc5 19.Qd2h5 20.Bg5 Be7 21.Bh6 Nh7 22.Ra3 Rb823.Be3 Van der Wiel, in his notes to this game,

which appeared in Chess Informant, mentions thatonly with this move have the players left thetheoretical highway in the highly analyzed RuyLopez. 23...Bf6 24.axb5 axb5 25.Rea1 Bc826.Ne2Bd7 27.Nc1Qc7 28.Na2Ra8 29.Nb4Rxa3 30.Rxa3 Qc8 31.Ra7 Bd8 32.Bxc5dxc5 33.Nc6 Bb6 34.Rxd7 The logical followup to White’s previous play but not necessarilycorrect. 34...Qxd7 35.Nfxe5 Qd6 36.f4 Nf6Van der Wiel suggests that with the interpolationof 36...Bc7! 37.g3 and only now 37...Nf6, Blackwould be slightly better. 37.Qf2 Bc7 38.Qg3Nh7 39.Nxf7 Qxf4 Blow for blow. The text isforced as 39...Kxf7? loses to 40.e5 Qd5 41.Qxg6+Kf8 42.Qh6+. 40.Qxg6+Kf8 41.d6Ra8 Coun-terattack is the only defense. 42.e5Ra1+ 43.Bb1Qc1+ 44.Kh2 Rxb1 45.dxc7 Qg1+ 46.Kg3Qe1+ 47.Kh2 Draw by Agreement.1/2-1/2

◦ Nunn, J.• Beliavsky, A.?Brussels1988 1-0 C95Mastery of the Ruy Lopez is the hallmark of manytop GMs. So rich and complex is this opening thatcertain players, like Anatoly Karpov, are quite con-tent to play either color of the "Spanish Torture".The players in the following game, GrandmastersJohn Nunn of England and Alexander Beliavsky ofUkraine, are noted for their virtuosity in 1.e4 e5openings and their attacking skills. This sharp en-counter does both players credit.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.h3 Nb810.d4 Nbd7 11.Nbd2 Bb7 12.Bc2 Re8 13.b4Bf8 14.a4Nb6 15.a5Nbd7 16.Bb2 g6 17.Rb1Nh5 18.c4 Having made all the necessary prepara-tory moves White tries to blow open the center butBlack should be okay. 18...bxc4 19.dxe5 Nxe520.Nxe5 dxe5 21.Nxc4 Qf6 22.Ba4 Nunn, inhis notes to the game, criticizes this move for los-ing control of the d3 square. He suggests that23.Re3 would have given him a slight advantage.22...Re6 23.Qb3Rb8 More logical was 23...Rd8with ...Nf4 soon to follow. 24.Bd7 A cleveridea bringing the Bishop to the Kingside for de-fense. 24...Re7 25.Bg4 Nf4 26.g3 h5 27.gxf4hxg4 28.Nxe5 gxh3 29.Ng4Qh4 30.Nf6+Kh831.Re3 Bc8 32.Nd7+ Kg8 33.Rxh3 Qg4+34.Qg3 Qxg3+ 35.fxg3 Bg7 36.Nxb8 Bxh337.Bxg7Kxg7 38.Nxa6 The rest of the game is

163

very easy for Nunn. 38...Rxe4 39.Nxc7 Re240.b5 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Lau, R.• Lukacs, P.?Budapest1988 0-1 C93A trite but true chess maxim is that the best an-swer to a wing attack is a counterattack in the cen-ter. Hungarian Grandmaster Petar Lukacs gives anexcellent demonstration of how effective a pawnbreak can be in the following game against Ger-man GM Ralf Lau.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.h3 Re810.d4 Bb7 11.Ng5 Rf8 12.Nf3 Re8 13.Nbd2Bf8 14.a3 h6 15.Bc2Nb8 16.b4Nbd7 17.Bb2g6 18.Qb1Bg7 19.Nb3Rc8 20.a4 d5 21.Nxe5Nxe5 22.dxe5 Nxe4 23.f3 Ng5 24.Nc5 Nxf3+Black decides to strike while all the White piecesare sleeping on the Queenside. 25.gxf3 Qg5+26.Kh1 Qg3 27.Re2 Qxh3+ 28.Kg1 Rxe529.Qf1 As 29.Rxe5 would be met by 29...Qg3+.29...Rg5+ 30.Kf2Qh4+ 31.Ke3Re8+ 32.Kd3Qc4+ 33.Kd2 Qf4+ 34.Kd3 Qc4+ 35. Kd2Rxe2+ 36.Qxe2Qf4+ 37.Ke1 On 37.Kd3 Blackwins with 37...Bc8! 38.Qe8+ Kh7 39.Qxc8 Rg2!.37...Rg1+ 38.Kf2 Qg3+ 39.Ke3 Rg2 40.Qd1Qe5+ 41.Kd3Bc8 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Sokolov, A.• Portisch, L.?Brussels1988 1-0 C92Opening preparation continues to advance at afrightening rate. Hungarian Grandmaster LajosPortisch is well known for his opening eruditionbut here he falls victim to a powerhouse noveltyprepared by Andrei Sokolov and his second masterYurkov. Everything had been seen before 24.b3!!.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf65.O–O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O–O9.h3Bb7 10.d4Re8 11.Ng5Rf8 12.Nf3Re813.Nbd2 Bf8 14.a4 h6 15.Bc2 exd4 16.cxd4Nb4 17.Bb1 c5 18.d5Nd7 19.Ra3 c4 20.Nd4Ne5 21.axb5Qb6 22.Nxc4Nxc4 23.Rg3Bc824.b3 This replaces the earlier 24.Bxh6. Whitestill intends to take on h6 but first wants to en-sure that the f - pawn will advance with tempo.

24...Ne5 25.Be3 A necessary move to take alongas the immediate 25.f4 would be strongly answeredby 25...Nbd3!. 25...Ng6 26.f4 Qd8 27.f5 Ne528.Qd2 a5 29.Bxh6Qh4 30.Kh2Bd7 31.Bg5Qh5 32.Rf1 g6 33.Nc6 Bxc6 34.dxc6 Rab835.fxg6 fxg6 36.c7Rbc8 37.b6Qh7 38. Rxf8+Rxf8 39.Qxd6 Everyone knows the normal valueof the pieces but here everything is topsy turvy.White is a Rook down but two big passed pawns,passive Black pieces, and very active White onesspell victory for the first player. 39...Nbc6 40.Bf6Rxf6 41.Qxf6Qd7 42.b7 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Psakhis, L.• Smagin, S.?Protvino1988 1-0 C92A game featuring an attractive central pawn mass.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O–O 8.c3 d6 Sometimeswhen Black chooses this move order in the RuyLopez it is to play 8...d5, the Marshall Gambit.9.h3Be6 The following are all "book" in this po-sition: 9...Re8, 9...Bb7, 9...Nd7, 9...Nb8, 9...Na5.All are better than the text. 10.d4 Bxb3 11.axb3In order to avoid a serious loss of time, Black wasforced into the a-file opening exchange. Now thec4 square is off-limits to the Black Knight, andthe a-pawn will be a constant source of worry.11...Re8 12.d5Nb8 13.c4 c6 14.Qd3 b4 15.Bd2c5 16.Be3 Nbd7 17.Nbd2 h6 18. Nf1 Nh719.Ng3 Bg5 20.Nf5 Qf6 The d6-pawn is a bigtarget, and after this the Queen can be driven off.Slightly better is 20...Nf8, although White’s attackis still dangerous. 21.Nh2 h5 22.Bxg5 Nxg523.h4 Nh7 24.g4 g6 25.g5 Qd8 26.Nxd6 Rf827.Nb7 Qb6 28.Na5 f6 Hoping to open linesagainst the White King, and take advantage ofthe off-side Knight-a5. 29.Qh3 Nb8 30.f4 Ra731.fxe5 fxg5 32.e6Qd8 33.e5 gxh4 34.Qe3Re735.Kh1 Rf5 36.Qxc5 Ng5 37.Qe3 Nxe6 IfBlack could eliminate all of the center pawns andactivate his Rooks on the center files, the piece sac-rifice would be well worthwhile. 38.dxe6 Rxe639.Qc5 h3 40.Rad1 Qe8 41.Qc7 Rf8 42.Rd6It seems White’s Rooks are more active, though.42...Re7 43.Qb6 g5 44.Rg6+ Rg7 45.Rxg7+Kxg7 46.Qf6+ Kh7 47.Qxg5 Nc6 48. Rg1Black Resigns.1-0

164

◦ Hjartarson, J.• Korchnoi, V.?Saint John1988 1-0 C82One of the biggest surprises of the 1988 WorldChess Festival in Saint John, New Brunswick, wasIcelandic Grandmaster Johann Hjartarson’s elimi-nation of Viktor Korchnoi in the first round of theCandidates.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–ONxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.c3Be7 10.Nbd2 Nc5 11.Bc2 Bg4 12.Re1 Qd713.Nf1Rd8 14.Ne3Bh5 15.b4Ne6 16.Nf5 d417.Be4 Bg6 18.g4 h5 19.h3 Kf8 20.a4 Black’sopening has turned out to be a failure. His King isstuck in the center and there is little hope that hisRooks will ever be connected. The text increasesWhite’s advantage by preparing to open the a-filefor his Rook. 20...hxg4 21.hxg4 Qe8 22.axb5axb5 23.Ra6 A natural but very strong movethat commences the start of cleanup operations.23...Nb8 24.Rxe6 fxe6 25.Nxe7 Bxe4 Forcedas 25...Kxe7 is met by 26.Bg5+ while 25...Qxe7leaves the Bishop hanging on g6. 26.Rxe4 dxc3Now 26...Qxe7 allows 27.Bg5 followed by Bxd8and recapturing on d4. 27.Ng6+Kg8 The Knightis immune - 27...Qxg6 28.Qxd8+ Kf7 29.Qxh8Qxe4 30.Ng5+. 28.Rd4 Rxd4 29.Qxd4 Rh3The Knight still cannot be taken as 29...Qxg6would be met by 30.Qd8+ Kh7 31.Ng5+ win-ning. 30.Ng5 Rh6 31.Nf4 Nc6 32.Qxc3 Qd833.Nf3 Nxb4 34.Bd2 Qa8 35.Kg2 Nc6 36.g5Two pieces for a Rook is a winning material advan-tage but it is still instructive to see how Hjartarsonactually collects the point. 36...b4 37.Qc5 Rh738.Nxe6 g6 39.Qd5 Kh8 40.Ned4 Qc8 41.e6Nxd4 42.Nxd4 c5 43.Bf4 Ra7 44.Nc6 BlackResigns.1-0

◦ Ivanchuk, V.• Tukmakov, V.?New York1988 1-0 C82Ukrainian Grandmaster Vassily Ivanchuk is amongthe world’s best. The 1988 New York Open was hisbreakthrough event and the following game againstcompatriot Vladimir Tukmakov was a key victoryfrom this famous event.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–ONxe4 The Open Ruy Lopez differs from theClosed (5...Be7) in that Black eschews maintaining

a strong point on e5 in favor of easy developmentfor his pieces. The strategical plans are determinedby the pawn structure. White, with four pawns ver-sus three on the Kingside aims for the Kingsidewhile Black is King on the other side of the board.6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.Nbd2 Nc510.c3 Be7 11.Bc2 Bg4 12.Re1 O–O 13. Nf1Bh5 14.Be3 Bg6 15.Ng3 Re8 16.h4 A strongmove which forces Black to yield control of hisf5 square. 16...Bxc2 17.Qxc2Nd7 18.Bf4Nf819.h5 Ne6 20.Be3 Na5 21.Rad1 Nc4 22.Bc1c5 Black has succeeded in mobilizing his Queen-side pawn majority but Ivanchuk’s Kingside ac-tion counts for more. 23.Qf5 Ra7 24.Ne4Nb6 25.Neg5 Bxg5 26.Bxg5 Qc8 27.Be3 h628.Nh4 Rc7 29.Qg4 Ng5 30.Nf5 Rxe5 Blackhas no satisfactory answer to the threats of Bxg5and f2-f4 followed by Nxh6+. 31.Bf4 Qxf532.Qxf5 Rxf5 33.Bxc7 Nd7 34.f4 Ne6 35.g4Nxc7 36.gxf5Kf8 37. Re2Nb8 38.Re5 BlackResigns.1-0

◦ Vasyukov, E.• Rantanen, Y.?Belgrade1988 1-0 C78Yrjo Rantanen is one of three Grandmasters thatFinland has produced. Evgeny Vasyukov is oneof several hundred that the USSR produced. Bothplayers are noted for their skill in attacking the en-emy King.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–Ob5 6.Bb3 Bb7 7.d3 A quiet way to avoid thesharp theory arising from the Archangel variation(5...Bb7). 7...Be7 8.Re1 O–O 9.Nbd2 Re810.Nf1 Bf8 11.c3 Na5 12.Bc2 d5 13.Qe2 c514. Ng3 d4 15.cxd4 cxd4 Here a safer recap-ture was 15...exd4. Now Black starts to get intodifficulties. 16.Bd2 Rc8 17.Rec1 b4 18.Qe1A good move which ties Black down. 18...Qb619.a3 Nc6 20.Ba4 a5 21.Qd1 Nd7 22.axb4axb4 23.Nf5 Nc5 24.Ng5 Student body right.GM Vasyukov starts to bring his pieces over tothe Kingside. 24...Rc7 25.Qh5 h6 26.Nxf7The start of a magnificent combination. Notethat it can’t be refused as 26...Nxa4 would bemet by 27.Qg6! Rf7 28.Nxh6+ Kh8 29.Nf7+Kg8 30.Ng5 winning. 26...Rxf7 27.Rxc5 Gain-ing control of the a2-g8 diagonal for the Bishop.Note that 27...Qxc5 fails to 28.Bb3 Nd8 29.Qg6threatening Nxh6+. 27...Bxc5 28.Qg6 A quietmove with a deadly threat. Now 28...Rxf5 fails

165

to 29.exf5 Rf8 30. Bxh6 Qc7 31.Bb3 Kh832.Bg5. 28...Kf8 29.Bxh6Ree7 White wins af-ter 29...gxh6 30.Qxh6+ Kg8 31.Bb3 Bf8 32.Qg6+Kh8 33.Bxf7. 30.Qh7 Ke8 31.Qg8+ Kd732.Nxe7 Kxe7 On 32...Rxe7 33.Bxg7 followedby pushing the h-pawn does the trick. 33.Bg5+Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Beliavsky, A.• Petursson, M.?Reykjavik1988 1-0 C42One mistake and it’s all over.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 Despite its symmetrical na-ture, the Petroff can be a very sharp opening andis employed by some of the top Grandmastersin the world. 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d56.Bd3 Bd6 7.O–O O–O 8.c4 c6 9.cxd5 cxd510. Nc3Nxc3 11.bxc3Bg4 12.h3Bh5 13.Rb1Nd7 14.Rb5 Nb6 15.c4 Bxf3 16.Qxf3 dxc417.Bc2 White is planning a4-a5. 17...a6 Better is17...Qc7. 18.Bg5 axb5 Black decides to give uphis Queen. If 18...Qc7, then 19.Bf6 results in a de-cisive kingside attack. For example, if 19...axb5or 19...gxf6, then 20.Bxh7+. 19.Bxd8 Rfxd820.Qh5 g6 21.Qxb5 Bc7 22.a4 Rxd4 23.Qc5Rd7 24.g3Re8 If 24...Nxa4, then 25.Bxa4 Rxa426.Qb5 wins. 25.a5Re5 26.Qb4Nd5 27.Qxb7Rde7 28.a6 Bb6 29.Qc8+ Kg7 30.Qxc4 Rc731.Qa4Re2 32.Bb3Nc3 33.Qb4Ba7 34.Bc4Rc2 35.Bd3 Rd2 35...Ra2 would have heldout longer, although White is still winning after36.Qd6. 36.Qf4 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Short, N.• Huebner, R.?Tilburg1988 1-0 C42A super Grandmaster suffers a "Short" defeat.Robert Huebner is known as the strongest "ama-teur" chess player in the world, although what thatmeans in chess is that he has another career. It cer-tainly doesn’t mean he refuses any prize money!Being a non-professional has serious disadvan-tages in these times of advancing opening theoryand computer-aided study, and Huebner has foundit more and more difficult to compete successfullyagainst players like Short.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe45.d4 d5 6.Bd3Bd6 7.O–O O–O 8.c4 c6 9.Nc3

Nxc3 10.bxc3 dxc4 11.Bxc4Bg4 12.Qd3Nd713.Ng5 Nf6 14.h3 Bh5 14...Bd7 15.Re1 isslightly better for White. 15.f4 Threatening to winthe Bishop with g4 and f5. 15...h6 16.g4 hxg517.fxg5 Nxg4 18.hxg4 Qd7 If 18...Bxg4, then19.Qe4 Qd7 20.g6 is strong. Instead Black sacri-fices a piece for an attack on the open King, but itsinsufficient. 19.gxh5 Qg4+ 20.Kf2 Rae8 Blackis threatening 21...b5 22.Bb3 Bg3+ 23.Qxg3 Re2+.21.Rg1Qh4+ 22.Kg2 b5 23.Bb3 c5 If 23...Re4,then 24.Qf3 is forced and strong. 24.Rh1Black Resigns. White wins after 24...Qg4+ 25.Kf1c4 26.Bd1 Re1+ 27.Kxe1 Qg2 28.Qe2 Qxh1+29.Kd2.1-0

◦ Hjartarson, J.• Nogueiras, J.?Belfort1988 0-1 C18Grandmasters Johann Hjartarson of Iceland and Je-sus Nogueiras of Cuba have reached the Candi-dates stage of the World championship cycle. Bothplayers are known for doing their homework butNogueiras is especially noted for his diligence infinding novelties in the opening. Here he applies aknown idea (16...Na5) in a new setting.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 Ne7 5.a3Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 c5 7.Qg4 This move, which caninitiate wild play, is not for the faint- hearted.White wins a pawn, a passed h-pawn at that,but matters are hardly clear. Black has a lotof counterplay that shouldn’t be underestimated.7...Qc7 8.Qxg7 Rg8 9.Qxh7 cxd4 10.Ne2Nbc6 11.f4 Bd7 12.Qd3 dxc3 13.Qxc3 Nf514.Rb1 O–O–O 15.Rg1 d4 16.Qd3Na5 A newmove that turns out well. The text may look a bitodd - it temporarily decentralizes the Knight - butit is well motivated. With 16... . Na5 Black makesthe c6 square available for his Bishop, opens thec-line for counterplay, and prepares to bring theKnight to c4. 17.g4 Ba4 18.c3 Bc2 19.Qxc2d3 20.Qa2 Qc5 21.Rg2 Ne3 Four outstandingmoves in a row have caught the White King inthe middle. 22.Bxe3Qxe3 23.Rg3 d2+ 24.Kd1Qf2 25.Kc2 d1=Q+ 26.Rxd1 Rxd1 27.Kxd1Qxf1+ 28.Kd2 b5 29.Ke3 Nc4+ 30.Ke4 Qf231.Qc2 Rxg4 32.Qd3 Rxf4+ 33.Nxf4 Nd2+White Resigns.0-1

◦ Karpov, An.• Farago, I.

166

?Wijk aan Zee1988 1-0 C18Former World Champion Anatoly Karpov has atremendous feel for the game. His positional un-derstanding is so fine that it is rare to find a gameof his where things get out of control. The Poi-son Pawn variation of the French Winawer wouldhardly seem his cup of tea but the following gameflows.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 Ne7 5.a3Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 c5 7.Qg4 Qc7 8.Qxg7 Rg89.Qxh7 cxd4 10.Ne2Nbc6 11.f4Bd7 12.Qd3dxc3 13.Qxc3 Nf5 14.Rb1 Rc8 Hjartarson-Nogueiras, Belfort 1988, saw 14...O-O-O, butthe text, if followed up correctly, is also quiteplayable. 15.Bd2 b6 This gives the b-pawn ex-tra support and allows the possibility of ...Nc6-a5-c4 c4, but stronger was 15...a6 with ...Nce7and ...Bb5 to follow. 16.g3 Qb7 17.Qd3 Nce718.Rg1 Rc4 19.g4 Nh4 20.Rg3 Qc8 21.Rb2Nhg6 22.Rf3 Nc6 23.Rf2 Rh8 24.h3 Qd825.Qg3 Qe7 26.Rf3 Qc5 27.Kd1 Ra4 Decen-tralizing. Better was 27...d4 with the Exchangesac 28...Rc3 soon to follow. 28.Rc3Qe7 29.Nc1d4 30.Rcb3 Na5 31.Rb4 Nb7 32.Rxa4 Bxa433.Rb4 Qd7 34.Nb3 As 34...Bxb3 isn’t possi-ble (35.Bb5). 34...d3 35.Qxd3 Qxd3 36.Bxd3Bxb3 37.Rxb3Nc5 38.Rc3Ke7 39.Bf1Rd840.Rc4 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Nunn, J.• Yusupov, A.?Linares1988 0-1 C19John Nunn is not only one of England’s top play-ers but he is also an outstanding writer on all as-pects of the game. His opponent, Artur Yusupov ,formerly of Russia but now representing Germany,has reached the Candidates level of the WorldChampionship cycle several times.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 Ne7 5.a3Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 c5 7.Nf3 Qc7 8.a4 b6 9.Bb5+This move, which looks like it loses a tempo, is ac-tually well motivated. After 8...b6 Black is threat-ening 9...Ba6 ridding himself of his bad Bishop.. The maneuver 9.Bb5+ Bd7 10.Bd3 stops this.9...Bd7 10.Bd3 Nbc6 11.O–O h6 A necessarymove to throw in as the immediate 11...O-O losesto 12.Bxh7+ Kxh7 13.Ng5+ with a winning at-tack. 12.Re1 O–O 13.Ba3Na5 14.dxc5 A typ-ical plan in this position. White wants to open the

position for his Bishops and undouble his c-pawnswith Nf3-d2-b3. 14...bxc5 15.Nd2Bxa4 Cuttingacross White’s plan and starting some incrediblycomplicated play. 16.Bxc5Qxc5 17.Rxa4Qxc318.Re3 Kh8 19.g4 Nunn has excellent Kingsideattacking chances for his pawn and the text, threat-ening g4-g5, demands drastic action from Black.19...Nac6 20.Nf3 Rab8 21.Bc4 Qb2 22.Bb3Ng6 23.Ra2 Rxb3 Trapping the Queen wouldnot be the right way to describe what is hap-pening here as Yusupov will have fantastic com-pensation. 24.Rxb2 Rxb2 25.Qc1 Rb4 26.h3Rfb8 27.Kh2 a5 28.Kg3Rc4 29.c3 a4 30.Nd2Ncxe5 This game is a good illustration that some-times the standard numeric values for the piecesdon’t apply. Yusupov has sacrificed more materialand after 31.Nxc4 Nxc4 he would have only twoKnight’s and two pawns - and a winning position.Instead of winning the Exchange Nunn elects toeliminate the dangerous a-pawn. 31.Qa1 Rc732.Qxa4 Rbc8 33.Qa5 Nc4 34.Nxc4 Rxc435.h4 Nf4 Black’s plan is clear - attack the c-pawn three times and win it. 36.g5 h5 37.Rf3 e538.Qa7 Rxc3 39.Rxc3 Rxc3+ 40.Kh2 Rh3+41.Kg1 Rxh4 42. Qb8+ Kh7 43.Qxe5 Kg644.Qd6+ Ne6 45.Qxd5 Rg4+ 46.Kh2 Rxg547.Qe4+ The position is an easy win for Yusupovas the White Queen is helpless without an out-side support. It’s instructive to see how Yusupovpatiently improves his position and prepares towin Nunn’s f-pawn. 47...Rf5 48.Qd3 Ng549.Kg3 Nf3 50.Qe4 Ne5 51.Qc2 Ng4 52.f3Ne5 53.f4 Ng4 54.Qd3 Nh6 55.Qd6+ Kh756.Qd3 g6 57.Qd7Ng4 58.Qa7Kg7 59.Qd4+Nf6 60.Qb2 Kh7 61.Qb7 Nd5 62.Qa7 Nxf463.Qd7Ne6 64.Qb7Rf4 65.Qb5 h4+ 66.Kh3g5 67. Qb7 Nf8 68.Qd5 Kh6 69.Qd6+ Ng670.Qd2 g4+ 71.Kg2 Kh5 72.Qd5+ f5 73.Qd7h3+ 74.Kg1 g3 75.Qh7+ Kg5 76.Qxh3 Nh4White Resigns.0-1

◦ Nunn, J.• Nikolic, Pr.?Amsterdam1988 1/2-1/2 C18GM Predrag Nikolic of Bosnia has the distinctionof having qualified for both the World Cup andCandidates cycle in 1990. Only a handful of play-ers managed to pull off this difficult double.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3Bxc3+6.bxc3 Qc7 7.Nf3 Ne7 8.a4 b6 9.Bb5+ Bd710.Bd3Nbc6 11.O–O h6 12.Re1 O–O 13.Bf4

167

In Nunn-Yusupov, we saw 13.Ba3, here the En-glish GM varies. 13...Ng6 14.Bg3 cxd4 15.Nxd4White captures this way because 15.cxd4 wouldbe met by 15...Nb4. If Black can exchange offthe Bishop on d3 the first player’s chances fora successful Kingside attack are greatly reduced.15...Na5 16.Re3 Nc4 17.Bxc4 Qxc4 18.h4Bxa4 19.h5Ne7 20.Bf4Nf5 A neat tactical de-fense of the Kingside - 21.Nxf5 Qxf4. 21.Rd3Bd7 22.Rb1 a5 23.g4 Nunn understands exactlywhat is happening. White is losing on the Queen-side so he needs to get something going on theKingside. 23...Nxd4 24.Rxd4 Qc7 Black needsto stay on the e-pawn to delay g4-g5. 25.Qf3Rac8 26.c4 dxc4 27.g5 hxg5 28.h6Bc6 Captur-ing the Bishop leads to a unstoppable White attack- 28...gxf4 29. hxg7 Kxg7 30.Qg4+ Kh7 31.Qh5+Kg7 32.Qg5+ followed by 33.Rf4 wins. 29.Qg4gxh6 30.Bxg5 f5 31.exf6 hxg5 32.Qxg5+ Thestart of 22 consecutive checks! Nunn’s training as amathematician (he has a doctorate) is in evidence.32...Kf7 33.Qh5+Kxf6 34.Qh4+Kf7 35.Rf4+Ke8 36.Rxf8+ Kxf8 37.Qh8+ Kf7 38.Qh7+Kf6 39.Qh6+ Kf7 40.Qh7+ Kf6 41.Qh6+Ke5 42.Qg5+ Kd6 43.Qg3+ Kd5 44.Qg5+e5 45.Qd2+ Ke4 46.Qe3+ Kf5 47.Qh3+ Kg648.Qg4+ Kf7 49.Qf5+ Kg8 50. Qe6+ Tryas he might Black is unable to escape from thechecks and he must finally agree to split the point.50...Kg7 51.Qg4+Kh8 52.Qh3+Kg8 53.Qe6+Kg7 Draw by Agreement.1/2-1/2

◦ Wolf, J.• Gerbich?Correspondence1988 1-0 C02Correspondence chess allows enough time for re-flection that ordinary masters can sometimes playat over the board GMs. Here J. Wolf plays a bril-liant sacrificial attack that any player would beproud to have played.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3Qb6 5.Nf3Bd7 TheWade variation. Black intends ....Bd7-b5 tradingoff his bad Bishop. 6.Be2 Bb5 7.c4 A sharp at-tempt to combat Black’s plan. White sacrifices apawn to open the game and exploit his superior de-velopment. 7...Bxc4 8.Bxc4 Qb4+ On 8...dxc4White has 9.d5. 9.Nbd2 dxc4 10.a3Qa5 11.O–ONc6 12.Nxc4 Qa6 13.Nd6+ Bxd6 14.exd6cxd4 15. d7+ Ke7 16.Nxd4 Nf6 17.Nf5+ exf5A bolt from the blue which while not leading toa forced win is still extremely strong. 18.Re1+

Kd8 19.Bf4 Ne7 The losing move. Accordingto Kerpf and Wolf the only chance for Black was19...Qb6 20.Qe2 Qd4 21.Bg5 with unclear play.20.Rc1 Nfd5 21.Rxe7 Nxf4 Here 21...Kxe7lost to 22.Qxd5 Qe6 23.Qc5+ Kxd7 24.Qb5+ Kd825.Qa5+ b6 26. Qd2+ intending Re1. 22.Qe1Qd6 23.Rxf7Qe6 24.Qa5+ b6 25.Qxa7Qe1+26.Rxe1 Rxa7 27.Re8+ Rxe8 28.dxe8=Q+Kxe8 29.Rxa7 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Kasparov, G.• Karpov, A.?Amsterdam1988 1-0 B17The following game, between two of the greatestplayers of all time, is a classic demonstration ofthe realization of a small advantage.1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4Nd7 5.Ng5Moving the Knight three times in the first fivemoves may look like it violates basic opening prin-ciples but 5.Ng5 is a based on an idea - to force...e6 to shut in Black’s c8-Bishop. 5...Ngf66.Bd3 e6 7.N1f3 Bd6 8.O–O h6 9.Ne4 Nxe410.Bxe4 O–O 11.c3 e5 12. Bc2 Re8 13.Re1exd4 14.Rxe8+Qxe8 15.Qxd4 Despite all of thesimplification White’s small lead in developmentand greater board room give him an annoying lit-tle edge. 15...Qe7 16.Bf4 Bxf4 17.Qxf4 Nf818.Re1 Be6 19.Nd4 Rd8 20.h4 Qc5 21.Re3Qd6 22.Nxe6 fxe6 A serious error that showsthat even the great players occasionally err. Kar-pov, whose positional understanding is second tonone, knows that 22... fxe6 creates a terrible weak-ness on e6 and that 22...Nxe6 is right. So whydid he play 22...fxe6? Perhaps because he didn’twant to lose a tempo after 22...Nxe6 23.Qe4 Nf8and that he wanted more room to maneuver onhis second rank. However, as the game shows inno uncertain terms, the weakness on e6 is morethan Black’s position can stand. 23.Qg4 Qd224.Bb3 Kh8 25.Re2 Qd6 26.g3 a6 27.Kg2Re8 28.Re3 Re7 29.Rf3 Rd7 30.Qh5 Qe731.Qe5 Rd8 32.a4 b5 33.Qe4 Qc7 34.Rf4 c535.Qf3Qd6 36.axb5 axb5 37.Rf7Rb8 38.Ra7b4 39.Bc2 bxc3 40.bxc3 Qe5 41.Rf7 Nh742.Qg4 Kg8 43.Re7 Nf8 44.Qf3 c4 45.Be4Kh8 46.Bc6 Nh7 47.Qf7 Nf8 48.Re8 Nor-mally Queen and Knight work better together thanQueen and Bishop but this position is an excep-tion. The passive placement of the Black Knight,the vulnerable King, and the weak pawns on e6 andc4 spell defeat. All of this explains why White

168

exchanges Rooks. Soon after Black starts losingpawns and later the game. 48...Rxe8 49.Bxe8Nh7 50.Bd7 Nf6 51.Bxe6 h5 52.Bxc4 Qe4+53.Kh2 Kh7 54.Qe6 Qf3 55.Qe1 Ng4+56.Kg1Qc6 57.Bd3+ g6 58.Qe7+Kh6 59.Be4Qb6 60.Qf8+ Kh7 61.Qf7+ Kh6 62.c4 Qa663.c5 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Short, N.• Speelman, J.?Hastings1988 0-1 B17Hastings has the longest tradition of any tourna-ment in the world, going back to 1895. England’stop two players take each other on.1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4Nd7 5.Bc4Ngf6 6.Ng5 e6 7.Qe2 Threatening 7.Nxf7.7...Nb6 8.Bb3 h6 9.N5f3 c5 10.Bf4 Nbd511.Be5 Qa5+ 12.Nd2 b5 Forced. White can’tbe allowed to complete his development withNg1-f3 and O-O, as Nd2-c4 would come toostrongly. 13.c4 bxc4 14.Bxc4Nb6 Again, Blackisn’t comfortable with development as usual. If14...cxd4 15.Nf3 Be7 16.O-O and after the even-tual Nd2-b3, Black’s Queen is missing a home.With the text, Jonathan tries to make d5 avail-able for his First Lady. 15.b4 Nigel must haveseen some variations in which the Black Queengets trapped. Perhaps he overlooked that after15...Qxb4 16.Rb1 Qa5 17.Rb5, the reply ...Qc3 ispossible since the back rank is weak. If Black’sQueen isn’t trapped, then Nigel has pitched apawn for nebulous compensation. 15...Qxb4 Not15...cxb4 as 16.Nb3 Qa3 17.Bb5+ Bd7 18.Bxf6gxf6 19.Bxd7+ Nxd7 20.d5 qualifies as good com-pensation. 16.Rb1Qa5 17.Bb5+Bd7 18.Bxf6gxf6 19.Nf3 Against 19.d5, Black has 19...Qxa2defending e6. 19...cxd4 20.O–O A natural mis-take. The Knight on b6 is an excellent defender.It blocks the b-file, controls c8 (check out the c-file), and lends a hand to the support of Black’sKing. Thus, it should be pushed back by 20.Bxd7+Nxd7 21.O-O, when White has play on the b-file.20...Rd8 21.Ne4 Be7 22.Nxd4 Kf8 Cool de-fense by Jonathan. His King is well protected bythe wall of pawns on f7, f6, and e6. Gradually, hispieces can gain activity with moves like ...f6-f5, or...Rh8-g8-g6. Also, Black’s Queen may land up onthe monster square e5. Black is better. 23.Rfd1 f524.Ng3 Better is 24.Bxd7. 24...Bxb5 25.Nxb5Nd5 Centralizing the Knight and setting up mul-tiple forks on c3. 26.Rb3 h5 Black has taken

over the initiative completely. 27.Nd4 Better is27.Nxh5. 27...Nf4 A high-class move, combin-ing defense and attack. White’s pieces are poisedfor sacrifices against e6 and f5. The text move ad-dresses such threats while opening up the d-file forannoying exchanges and pins. That’s the defensivepart - the really good news is that White has noconvenient way to guard e1. If 28.Qf3 or 28.Qc2,then 28...Rxd4 and 29...Qe1+ decides immediately.28.Qf1 Both players were in time trouble here.28...Qxa2 "Give me your pawns, baby." 29.Rf3h4 A marvelous move. Who could guess that theRook on h8 would be putting decisive pressurealong the d-file? 30.Ngxf5 exf5 31.Rxf4 Rh632.Ra1 Better is 32.Rxf5. 32...Qd2 33.Ne2 Theonly move was 33.Qc4, although Black would stillhave a large advantage. 33...Re6 34.Rxf5Qxe235.Qc1 Red6 White Resigns. There is no gooddefense to 36...Rd1+.0-1

◦ Short, N.• Speelman, J.?London1988 0-1 B09The 1988 Candidates Match between GMs NigelShort and Jonathan Speelman of England was ex-tremely hard fought. The following game, thefourth of the match, is a good demonstration of thedanger of playing for a win without just cause.1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.Nc3Bg7 4.f4Nf6 5.Nf3 O–O6.Be2 c5 7.dxc5 Qa5 8.O–O Qxc5+ 9.Kh1Nc6 10.Bd3 Bg4 11.Qe1 Bxf3 12.Rxf3 Nb4Black trades pieces to try to blunt White’s im-pending Kingside attack. 13.Be3 Nxd3 14.cxd3Qb4 15.Rb1 a5 16.f5 Rac8 17.Bg1 a4 18.a3Qb3 19.Bd4 e6 20.Qg1 b5 21.g4Nxg4 An ex-cellent practical decision from Speelman who un-derstands that the routine 21...h6 just leaves himworse. 22.f6 Nxf6 23.Bxf6 Bxf6 24.Rxf6 b425.axb4 a3 26.Qd1Qxb4 27.Rf2 axb2 28. Na2Qd4 29.Rfxb2 d5 30.Rb4 Qa7 31.Nc1 Start-ing to drift. Necessary was 31.Ra4. 31...dxe432.dxe4 A serious mistake. Having made muchof the play early on White finds it hard to reori-ent himself to the new demands of the position.32...Qe3 King safety is everything here. 33.Qg1The last chance to fight, albeit with the inferiorposition, was by 33.Nb3 Rfd8 Rfd8 34.Qf1 Rc235.Re1. 33...Qf3+ 34.Qg2Qd1+ 35.Qg1Rfd836.Nb3 Qf3+ 37.Qg2 Rd1+ 38.Rxd1 Qxd1+39.Qg1Qe2 40.h3Rc2 White Resigns.0-1

169

◦ Sax, G.• Seirawan, Y.?Brussels1988 1/2-1/2 B09Annotations by Yasser Seirawan. Chess Informantvoted this the theoretically most important gamefor the first half of 1988.1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.f4 Bg7 5.Nf3 c56.Bb5+Bd7 7.e5Ng4 8.e6 I confess; I’ve facedthis situation as Black many times. And like theblind leading the blind I’ve followed my peersand played 8...Bxb5 9.exf7+ Kd7 10.Nxb5 Qa5+11.Nc3... One day when preparing for the Za-greb Interzonal, NM James Blackwood, IM JohnDonaldson, and I asked ourselves what happens ifwe just take the e-pawn? This then is our jointanalysis: 8...fxe6 9.Ng5 Bxb5 10.Nxe6 Bxd411.Nxd8 Our analysis runs 11.Nxb5 Qa5+ 12.c3Bf2+ 13.Kd2 Be3+ 14.Kc2 Qa4+ 15.Kb1! Qe4+16.Qc2 Qxc2+ 17.Kxc2 with an unclear position.Naturally, Gyula didn’t like having to call it peaceso quickly with White. Thus, he did the properthing. He thought for 72 minutes, and then took myQueen. 11...Bf2+ 12.Kd2Be3+ Draw by Agree-ment.1/2-1/2

◦ Balashov, Y.• Torre, E.?Lugano1988 0-1 B07Grandmaster Eugenio Torre of the Philippines wasthe first Asian player to participate in the Candi-dates. He is also well known for having servedas Bobby Fischer’s second during his 1992 matchwith Boris Spassky. His opponent, Yury Balashovof Russia, has been rated over 2600 and has a winover Anatoly Karpov to his credit.1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 The Pirc Defense,named after the Yugoslav Grandmaster who wasamong the first to appreciate the counterattack-ing possibilities of this elastic defense. 4.Be3 c65.Qd2 b5 Black shows his deep understanding ofthe position by avoiding two tempting but inaccu-rate moves. Here ...Bg7 would only lose a tempoto a future Be3-h6 and moving his Queen earlywould be misguided as what Black really needs hisquick counterplay on the Queenside and in the cen-ter. 6.Bd3Nbd7 7.Nf3 e5 8.a4 b4 9.Ne2 exd410.Nexd4 c5 11.Ne2Bg7 12.Rd1Bb7 13.Ng3

O–O 14.O–O Re8 15.Bf4 Bf8 The game isabout equal as the weak pawns on e4 and d6 can-cel out. 16.Rfe1 a6 17.Bc4 d5 18.Ba2 Saferwas 18.exd5. Now Black destroys White’s onceproud center in truly hypermodern fashion. 18...b319.Bxb3 c4 20.Ba2 dxe4 21.Ng5 Rc8 22.h3Qb6 23.a5 Qa7 24.Kh2 Qc5 25.N5xe4 Nxe426.Qxd7 Bc6 27.Nxe4 Bxe4 28.Bd6 The los-ing move. Necessary was 28.Re2 or 28.Bg3.28...Bxd6+ 29.Rxd6 Kg7 30.Re2 Bf5 WhiteResigns.0-1

◦ de Firmian, N.• Miles, A?Cambridge Springs1988 1-0 B07One rarely sees a strong Grandmaster lose in 20moves as in this game from the U.S. championship.1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 c6 4.f4 Qa5 The En-glish GM is known for playing unorthodox open-ings. 5.Bd3 e5 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.dxe5 dxe5 8.fxe5Nfd7 9.Bf4 Bb4 White gets too big of an ad-vantage after 9...Ba3? 10.Bd2 Bxb2 11.Nb5 Qd812.Nd6+ Kf8 13.Rb1. 10.O–O O–O 11.Nd5An unexpected Knight sacrifice. For the pieceWhite will have two central pawns and the d3-h7 diagonal will be opened. 11...Bc5+ It is bet-ter to accept the sacrifice, although White willhave a strong attack: 11...cxd5 12.exd5 and be-cause of the threat of 13.Bxh7+, Black should play12...Be7. 12.Kh1 Bd4 It was still better to play12...cxd5. 13.e6 fxe6 14.Bc7 Qa4 15.Ne7+Kh8 16.Ng5 h5 If 16...Bxd1, then 17.Rxf8+ Nxf818.Nf7#. 17.Rxf8+Nxf8 18.Qf1Nbd7 19.Qf7Nf6 20.e5 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Andersson, U.• Greenfield, A.?Saloniki1988 1-0 A30Sweden’s top player Ulf Andersson is known forhis quiet style, but he is also capable of quite theopposite.1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 b6 4.Bg2 Bb7 5.O–Oc5 6.Nc3Be7 7.d4 cxd4 8.Qxd4 d6 9.b3Nbd710.Nb5 Nc5 11.Rd1 Nfe4 12.b4 A strong ex-change sacrifice. 12...Bf6 13.Qe3Bxa1 14.bxc5bxc5 15.Ng5 Bd4 If 15...Qxg5, then 16.Qxg5Nxg5 17.Bxb7 Rb8 18.Bxg5 wins. 16.Nxd4 cxd4

170

17.Rxd4 Nc5 18.Bxb7 Nxb7 19.Nxf7 Kxf720.Qf3+ Kg8 If 20...Qf6, then 21.Qxb7+ Kg622.Rg4+ wins. 21.Qxb7 The threat is 22.Rg4g6 23.Bh6. 21...Rb8 22.Qe4 Kf7 23.Ba3 Qf6If 23...Rb6, then 24.c5. 24.Bxd6 Rb1+ 25.Kg2Re8 26.Be5 Qf5 27.Qe3 g5 If 27...Kg6, then28.Rf4 or if 27...Kg8, then 28.Rd7 wins for White.28.h4 h6 29.g4 Black Resigns. If 29...Qg6+, then30.h5 Qc2 31.Qf3+ Kg8 32.Rd7 wins.1-0

◦ Andersson, U.• Speelman, J.?Reykjavik1988 1/2-1/2 A30Black needs to play originally to hold the balance.1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 Nf6 3.g3 b6 4.Bg2 Bb7 5.O–Og6 6.b3Bg7 7.Bb2 O–O 8.Nc3Na6 9.Rc1 e610.d4 d5 11.cxd5 Nxd5 12.Na4 Rc8 13.Qd2Ndb4 White would end up with a slightly bet-ter position after 13...Qe7 14.dxc5 Nxc5 15.Bxg7Kxg7 16.Nxc5 Rxc5 17.Qb2+ Kg8 18.Rxc5 Qxc519.Ne5. Andersson is famous for grinding hisopponents down in very simple positions. 14.a3Na2 Black must play this move to hold the bal-ance. 14...Nc6? 15.dxc5 is good for White.15.Rc2 If 15.Ra1, then 15...b5 is good for Black.15...Bd5 15...Be4? 16.dxc5 Bxc2 17.Qxc2 Bxb218.Qxb2 b5 19.Qxa2 bxa4 20.b4! is good forWhite. 16.dxc5 Bxb3 17.Bxg7 Kxg7 18.Rxa2Qxd2 18...Bxa2 19.Qxa2 Nc5 is slightly better forWhite. 19.Rxd2 Bxa4 20.cxb6 axb6 21.Rd6White has a slight advantage in the endgame dueto his more active pieces and Black’s weak b-pawn. 21...Rc6 22.Rxc6 Bxc6 23.Rb1 Rb824.Ne5 Bxg2 25.Kxg2 Nc5 26.Rb4 Rb7 Not26...Ra8? 27.Rxb6 Ra3 28.Rc6 followed by Rc7with a large advantage to White. 27.f4 b5 Threat-ening simplification with ...Na6 followed by ...b4.28.Nc6Na6 29.Rb3Nc5 30.Rb4Na6 31.Rb2Rb6 32.Ne5 Nc7 Not 32...b4? due to 33.Nd3b3 34.Kf2 with a large advantage to White. 33.a4b4 34.Nd3 Nd5 35.e4 Nc3 36.Rxb4 Draw byAgreement.1/2-1/2

◦ Ehlvest, J.• Kasparov, G.?Reykjavik1988 0-1 A28A Kasparov combination.

1.c4Nf6 2.Nc3 e5 3.Nf3Nc6 4.e3Bb4 5.Qc2O–O 6.d3 Better is 6.Nd5. 6...Re8 7.Bd2Bxc3 8.Bxc3 d5 9.cxd5 Nxd5 10.Be2 Bf511.Rd1 If 11.e4, then 11...Nf4 12.exf5 Nd4 isstrong. 11...a5 12.O–OQe7 13.a3 If 13.e4, then13...Ndb4 14.Qb1 Bg4 is good for Black. 13...a414.Be1 Better is 14.Rfe1. 14...Bg6 15.Qc4 Bet-ter is 15.Rc1. 15...Red8 16.Nd2 The decisiveerror. 16.d4! was necessary. Now comes aKasparov combination. 16...Nd4 17.exd4 Nf418.Bf3Rxd4 19.Qb5 19.Qc3 is better, althoughBlack has a big advantage after 19...Rad8. 19...c620.Bxc6 20.Qb6 Ra6 traps the Queen. 20...bxc621.Qxc6 Qd8 22.Nf3 Rd6 23.Qb5 If 23.Qb7,then 23...Rb6 traps the Queen. 23...Rd5 24.Qb4e4 25.Bc3 An error in time pressure. 25.Nd2would have held out longer, although Black is win-ning after 25...Qh4. 25...Ne2+ White Resigns.0-1

◦ Vaganian, R.• Chernin, A.?Naberezhnye Chelni1988 1-0 A28Two top Soviet Grandmasters battle it out.1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.a3 d5 5.cxd5Nxd5 6.Qc2 Nxc3 7.bxc3 Bd6 8.g3 Qe7 9.d3O–O 10.Bg2 Bd7 11.O–O Na5 12.Nd2 c513.Ne4 f5 If 13...f5, then 14.c4 followed by Nc3-d5 is good for White. 14.Nxd6Qxd6 15.f4 Whiteneeds to open the position up for his two Bishops.15...Rae8 16.fxe5 Qxe5 17.Rf2 Bc6 18.Bxc6Nxc6 19.Qb3+ Rf7 20.g4 Na5 21. Qa4Nc6 Not 21...b6 due to 22.gxf5 winning a pawn.22.Bd2 Re6 If 22...fxg4, then 23.Rxf7 Kxf724.Qc4+ is good for White. 23.Raf1 Rg6 24.g5Re6 Not 24...h6?! as 25.Qc4+ Kf8 26.Qxf7+and 27.Rxf5+ is strong. 25.e4 g6 26.Qb3 Na527.Qc2 c4 An error in time pressure. Better is27...Nc6. Now Black will lose a pawn. 28.exf5gxf5 29.d4 Qe4 30.Qxe4 Rxe4 31.Rxf5 Rg4+32.Kh1 Rxf5 33.Rxf5 Nc6 If 33...Nb3, then34.Bf4. 34.Rc5 Re4 35.Rxc4 Kf7 36.Rc5Kg6 37.Kg1 Re2 38.Bf4 Ne7 39.Kf1 Rb240.Ke1 Nf5 41.d5 Nh4 42.Kd1 Ng2 43.Bd2Kf5 44.d6+ Black Resigns. Black’s position ishopeless after 44...Ke6 45.Kd5 Kd7 46.Rd4 trap-ping the Knight.1-0

◦ Kasparov, G.• Sokolov, A.

171

?Belfort1988 1-0 A19Russian GM Andrei Sokolov stunned the chessworld when he reached the Candidates final in1987. He hasn’t been able to repeat that successbut he does hold the distinction of being one ofthe few players in the world to have beaten bothKasparov and Karpov. This game however is notone of his more golden moments. Kasparov playsa very sharp pawn sacrifice and Sokolov, who isbetter noted for his attacking play rather than de-fensive prowess, quickly goes down.1.c4Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.e4 The text, which keeps thegame going along pure English lines and sidestepsthe Nimzo-Indian (3.d4 Bb4), is perfect for Kas-parov’s aggressive style. 3...c5 A more circum-spect choice was 3...d5 aiming for 4.e5 d4 5.exf6dxc3 6.bxc3 Qxf6 7.d4 e5. The text offers White achance to play a very promising gambit. 4.e5Ng85.Nf3Nc6 6.d4 cxd4 7.Nxd4Nxe5 8.Ndb5 a69.Nd6+Bxd6 10.Qxd6 f6 11.Be3 So far so the-ory. For the sacrificed pawn White has the twoBishops, a lead in development, and lots of play onthe dark squares. 11...Ne7 12.Bb6Nf5 13.Qc5d6 14.Qa5 Qe7 15.O–O–O O–O 16.f4 Nc617.Qa3 e5 18.g4 A strong novelty that overturnsexisting theory. Previous to this game 18.c5 hadbeen tried and found wanting. With the text Whiteprepares to lock in Black’s Bishop and in so doinghis Rook on a8 as well. 18...Nfd4 19.Nd5 Qf720.f5 g6 21.Rg1 Grandmaster Sergey Makarichev,one of Kasparov’s coaches, gave this move twoexclamation marks in Chess Informant 45. Why?Partly because 21.Qxd6 is messy but also becausethe text will open lots of lines which should fa-vor the better developed player - White. 21...gxf522.g5Kh8 23.gxf6Be6 24.Qxd6Bxd5 25.cxd5Qxf6 This move seems like it loses a piece butSokolov has seen a trick a few moves down theroad. Unfortunately for him Kasparov’s evaluationof the position has gone much deeper. He foreseesthat despite being temporarily a pawn down in theending he has all the winning chances thanks to histwo Bishops. 26.Qxf6+Rxf6 With the point that27.dxc6 is met by 27...Rxc6 check picking up theBishop. 27.Kb1Nd8 28.Bc5Rc8 29.Be7Rf730.Bd6 Nf3 31.Rg3 e4 32.Be2 Rf6 33.Bf4Rg6 White’s two Bishops have done their joband the rest is easy. 34.Bxf3 Rxg3 35.Bxe4fxe4 36.hxg3 Kg7 37.Rd4 Nf7 38.Rxe4 Rd839.Re7 Rxd5 40.Rxb7 h5 41.Ra7 a5 42.a4Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Speelman, J.• Karpov, An.?Saloniki1988 0-1 A15Karpov shows how to win in a simple position.1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 b6 3.g3 e6 4.Bg2 Bb7 5.O–OBe7 6.Nc3 O–O 7.b3 d5 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.Bb2c5 10.Rc1 Nd7 11.Nxd5 Bxd5 12.d4 Rc813.Qd2 cxd4 14.Rxc8 Better is 14.Qxd4 with anequal position. The text allows Black’s Queento take up an active role. 14...Qxc8 15.Qxd4Nf6 16.Rc1 Qa6 Winning a pawn. 17.e3Qxa2 18.Nd2 Bc5 19.Qe5 Bd6 20.Qd4 Ba321.Bxa3 Qxa3 22.Rc7 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 h624.Nc4Qxb3 25.Rxa7Qc2 Threatening ...Ne4.26.Ne5 If 26.Nxb6, then 26...Ne4 27.Kf3 Qxf2+28.Ke4 Qf5#. 26...Ne4 27.Nd3 Nd2 28.Ne5b5 29.h4 Ne4 30.Nd3 Qc4 31.Qd7 An error intime pressure. Better is 31.Qxc4 bxc4 or 31.Ne5Qc2 32.Nd3 Nf6 33.Ne5 h5 with a large advan-tage to Black in either case. 31...Nd2 Threatening32...Qe4+ to which there is no defense. 32.Rc7Qe4+ 33.Kh2 Nf3+ 34.Kh3 g5 35.hxg5 hxg5White Resigns. There is no defense to 36...g4+37.Kg2 Ne5+.0-1

◦ Piket, J.• Kasparov, G.?Tilburg1989 0-1 E99The 20 year old Hollander Piket has a great future.But currently the World Champion Kasparov re-mains out of his league.1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.Nc3 O–O 5.e4d6 6.Be2 e5 7.O–ONc6 8.d5Ne7 9.Ne1Nd710.Be3 f5 11.f3 f4 12.Bf2 g5 13.b4 Nf6 14.c5Ng6 The King’s Indian Defense often results inpositions in which there is a race between White’sattack on the queenside and Black’s on the king-side. 15.cxd6 cxd6 16.Rc1 Rf7 This is botha defensive and offensive move. The rook de-fends the 7th rank and the Bishop is moved tof8 for defensive purposes, but later this Rook canbe moved to the g-file for attacking purposes.17.a4 Bf8 18.a5 Bd7 19.Nb5 Better is 19.Kh1perhaps followed by Bg1. Now Black’s attackcomes fast. 19...g4 20.Nc7 g3 21.Nxa8 Better is21.hxg3 fxg3 22.Bxg3 although Black is better inthis complicated position after 22...Bh6. 21...Nh5

172

22.Kh1 The only move. White loses quicklyafter 22.Bxa7 Qh4 23.h3 Bxh3 24.gxh3 Qxh325.Rf2 gxf2+ 26.Kxf2 Nh4. 22...gxf2 23.Rxf2Ng3+ 24.Kg1 The attack is too strong. 24.hxg3fxg3 followed by ...Qh4+ immediately ends thegame. 24...Qxa8 25.Bc4 a6 26.Qd3 26.hxg3fxg3 27.Rb2 Qd8 28.Kf1 Bh6 29.Ke2 Qg5 is alsohopeless. 26...Qa7 27.b5 axb5 28.Bxb5 Nh1White Resigns. 29.Kxh1 Qxf2 leaves White apiece down.0-1

◦ Polugaevsky, L.• Georgiev, Kir.?Haifa1989 1/2-1/2 E97An instructive tactical game.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2O–O 6.Nf3 e5 7.O–ONc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Nd2 c510.Rb1 Ne8 11.b4 b6 12.bxc5 bxc5 13.Nb3 f514.Bg5 Kh8 15.exf5 gxf5 16.f4 Rg8 17.Qe1Threatening 18.Qh4. 17...Qd7 18.Bh5 Ba619.Qh4 e4 The only move. If 19...Nc8, then20.Bg6 Bf8 21.Bxe8 Qxe8 22.fxe5 dxe5 23.Bf6+wins. 20.Nxe4 fxe4 21.Bxe7 Bxc4 22.f5Threatening f5-f6. White has a large advantage.22...Bxf1 23.Rxf1 c4 24.Nc1 Qb7 25.Ne2Be5 If 25...Qxd5, then 26.Bg6 is strong. 26.f6Nc7 27.f7 Nxd5 28.fxg8=Q+ Rxg8 29.Bg5Qg7 30.Rf5 Ne3 31.Rxe5 Nxg2 Not 31...dxe532.Bf6. 32.Qf2 Nf4 If 32...Nh4, then 33.Rd5Qa1+ 34.Qf1 wins. 33.Nxf4 Qxe5 If 33...dxe5,then 34.Ng6+ wins. 34.h4 Threatening 35.Ng6+.34...e3 35.Qf3 h6 36.Bf7 White was in timetrouble. 36.Ng6+ would have won more quickly.36...e2 37.Nxe2 Rg7 38.Bd5 Completely blow-ing the win. 38.Qh5 would have won easily. NowWhite has to fight for a draw. 38...hxg5 39.h5 g440.Qf8+Kh7 41.Nf4 g3 If 41...c3, then 42.Ne6.The text move threatens 42...g2 winning. 42.Kg2The only move. 42...Qb2+ 43.Kf3Qf2+ 44.Ke4Qc2+ 45.Kf3 g2 Black sacrifices his Queen topromote a new one. 46.Be4+ Qxe4+ 47.Kxe4g1=Q 48.Qf5+ Kh6 49.Qf6+ Kh7 50.Qf5+Kh8 51.Qf8+ Kh7 52.Qf5+ Draw by Agree-ment.1/2-1/2

◦ Portisch, L.• Nunn, J.?Skelleftea

1989 0-1 E92The Hungarian Grandmaster Portisch is one of thestrongest players in the world, especially with theWhite pieces. But the English Grandmaster Nunnis extremely dangerous in sharp positions in whichhe is attacking.1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.Nc3 O–O 5.e4d6 6.Be2 e5 7.Be3 h6 8.O–ONg4 9.Bc1Nc610.d5 Ne7 11.Ne1 f5 12.Bxg4 fxg4 13.Nc2 g514.Ne3 Rf4 15.Bd2 Bd7 16.b4 Ng6 17.Rc1Black plans to continue his attack on the king-side with ...Nh4 followed by ...Qe8 and ...Qh5.17...Nh4 18.Kh1 White needed to play 18.f3 gxf319.g3 right away. Now he is in trouble. 18...Qe819.f3 Black was planning to play 19...Qh5 fol-lowed by 20...Nf3 21.gxf3 gxf3 and 22...Rh4.Black would have a big advantage after 19.Nf5Nxf5 20. Bxf4 gxf4 21.exf5 Bxf5 followed by22...Qg6. Even worse is 19.g3 Nf3 followed by20...Qh5. 19...gxf3 20.g3 Even worse is 20.gxf3Qh5 followed by 21...Nxf3. 20...Qh5 21.gxh4Also bad is 21.gxf4 exf4 followed by 22...Bh3.White’s best hope is 21.Rf2. 21...Rxh4 22.Rf2g4 23.Nf1 Rh3 Threatening 24...g3. 24.Kg1Qg6 Again threatening a decisive breakthroughwith 25...g3. 25.Ng3 White is threatening tostop Black’s attack with 26.Nf5 Bxf5 27.gxf5Qxf5 28.Qc2 followed by Ne4. 25...Rf8 26.Nf5Otherwise Black will breakthrough with 26...h5followed by 27...h4. 26...Rxf5 27.exf5 Bxf528.Ne2 Now White has no defense against ...g3.He can only postpone the inevitable. 28...fxe229.Qxe2 Bd3 30.Qd1 g3 31.hxg3 Be4 WhiteResigns.0-1

◦ Christiansen, L.• Gurevich, I.?Philadelphia1989 1-0 E90Black has a ferocious kingside attack, but Whitedefends by counterattacking.1.c4 g6 2.Nc3 Bg7 3.d4 c5 4.d5 d6 5.e4 Nf66.Nf3 e6 7.h3 Na6 8.Bd3 O–O 9. O–ONc7 10.a4 e5 11.Bg5 h6 12.Bd2 Nh5 Prepar-ing to start his kingside attack with ...f7-f5.13.Qc1 g5 14.Ne2 Nf4 15.Nxf4 gxf4 16.Kh2f5 Planning g2-g3. 17.exf5 Bxf5 18.Bxf5 Rxf519.Qc2 White must prevent ...e5-e4. 19...Qd720.Rab1 Preparing a queenside attack with 21.b4.20...Raf8 Worth considering was blockading thequeenside with 20...a5. Then White planned toplay 21.Rfe1 followed by infiltrating with his

173

Queen with 22.Qb3. 21.b4 Ne8 22.Rfe1 b623.a5 Rh5 Better is 25...Qc8 to prevent White’s25th move. 24.bxc5 bxc5 25.a6 Now theRook has an infiltration square at b7. 25...Qg426.Rb7 Rff5 27.Qd3 Not 27.Rxa7? Rxh3+28.gxh3 Rh5 29.Ng1 f3 winning. 27...Nf628.Rxa7 Qg6 29.Kg1 Better is 29.Rxb7 Ng4+30.Kg1 Rxh3 31.a7 winning. Now Black’s at-tack becomes very dangerous. 29...e4 Not im-mediately 29...Rxh3 due to 30.Nxe5. 30.Rxe4Rxh3 31.Rxg7+ Other moves lose: 31.Ree7 Bf8and 31.Rb7 Rfh5 32.Re8+ Nxe8. 31...Kxg7 Not31...Qxg7 32.Re7 winning. 32.Bc3 Re5 A verystrong move that breaks the pin on the diagonal.33.Bxe5 33.Nxe5 Rxd3 34.Nxg6 Rxc3 leads to anequal position. 33...dxe5 34.a7Nxe4 35.Qe2 Not35.a8=Q? Rh1+ 36.Kxh1 Nxf2+ and 37...Nxd3with a large advantage to Black. 35...Rxf336.a8=Q Also good is 36.Qxf3 Nd2 37.Qe2 Qb1+38.Kh2 Nf1+ 39.Kh3. 36...Rxf2 37.Qb7+ Kg838.Qc8+ Kh7 39.Qd7+ Kh8 40.Qdg4 Rxe2Not 40.Qeg4? Rf1+ 41.Kxg1 Ng3+ 42.Qxg3 fxg3with an equal position. 41.Qxg6Ng3 42.Qxh6+Kg8 43.Qe6+ Kg7 44.Kh2 Nf1+ 45.Kh3 f346.Qg4+ White needs to be careful. 46.gxf3Rh2+ 47.Kg4 Ne3+ allows a draw by perpetualcheck. 46...Kh6 47.Qxf3 Re3 48.d6 Black Re-signs. There is no way to stop the d-pawn.1-0

◦ Levitt, J.• Martin, And.?Glasgow1989 1-0 E87This game features a well-known sacrifice of theQueen for a two pieces and a pawn.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 O–O 5.f3 d66.Be3 e5 7.d5 Nh5 8.Qd2 Qh4+ 9.g3 Nxg310.Qf2 Nxf1 11.Qxh4 Nxe3 12.Ke2 Nxc413.Rc1 Na6 14.Nd1 Nb6 15. Ne3 Bd716.Nh3 f6 17.Nf2Nc8 18.Nd3 c5 19.Qg3Bh620.h4 Bb5 Better is 20...Bxe3. 21.a4 Bxd3+Not 21...Bxa4 22.h5 g5 23.Nf5 Bg7 24.h6 with awinning advantage. 22.Kxd3 Nb4+ 23.Ke2 f524.h5 Bxe3 White’s kingside attack is very dan-gerous. 25.hxg6 h6 If 25...Bxc1, then 26.gxh7+Kh8 27.Rg1 wins. 26.Rxh6 The decisive break-through. 26...Bxh6 If 26...Bxc1, then 27.Qh3 Kg728.Rh7+ Kxg6 29.Qh5+ Kf6 30.Qf5 checkmate.27.Qh3 Kg7 28.Rh1 Bg5 If 28...Rh8, then29.Qxf5 Rf8 30.Qh3 Rh8 31.Qd7 Kxg6 32.Qe6+Kg7 33.Rg1 wins. 29.Qh7+Kf6 30.Qd7 Threat-ening 31.Qe6+ Kg7 32.Rh7 checkmate. 30...Bh6

If 30...Kxg6, then 31.Qh7+ Kf6 32.Qxf5+ wins.31.Rxh6 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Gheorghiu, F.• Piket, M.?Lugano1989 1-0 E81Romanian Grandmaster Gheorghiu, who won theworld junior championship in 1963, takes on a newpromising talent, 20-year-old Piket of Holland.1.d4 d6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 Nf6 5.f3 O–O6.Be3 c5 7.Nge2Nc6 8.Qd2 a6 9.O–O–OQa510.Kb1 e6 11.Bh6 b5 The players attack theopposing Kings on opposite sides of the board.12.Bxg7 Kxg7 13.dxc5 b4 It appears that theKnight has no safe squares. 14.Nd5 Worse is14.cxd6 bxc3 15.Qxc3 Qc5 with a large advantageto Black. 14...exd5 15.cxd5 dxc5 White’s centralpawns are too powerful after 15...Ne5 16.cxd6. SoBlack gives back the piece. 16.dxc6 Be6 17.b3Not 17.Nc1? c4. 17...Rfd8 18.Qc2 Rxd1+19.Qxd1 Rd8 20.Qc1 Not 20.Qc2? Nd5!21.exd5 Bf5. 20...Rd3 Threatening 20...Bxb3.21.Qc2 c4 22.Nf4 22.bxc4 b3 23.axb3 Qe1+gives Black too much play. 22...cxb3 23.Nxe6+fxe6 24.axb3 Not 24.Qxd3? Qxa2+ 25.Kc1 b2+winning. 24...Rc3 25.Qb2 Rxc6 26.Bc4Qc7 27.Rd1 e5 Not 27...Qxh2 28.Rd7+ winning.28.Qd2 a5 29.Qd8 Qa7 Better is 29...a4 withcounter chances. 30.g4 Suddenly the Black Kingis finding itself in a mating net. 31.g5 is threat-ened. 30...Qe3 If 30...g5, then 31.h4 h6 32.hxg5hxg5 33.Rh1 wins. 31.h4Rxc4 If 31...Nxe4, then32.Qd7+ wins. 32.Qe7+Kh6 33.Qf8# 1-0

◦ Seirawan, Y.• Kasparov, G.?Skelleftea1989 1/2-1/2 E73Every now and then a GM plays a game so compli-cated that he doesn’t know what’s going on.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 The lasttime I played this position, Garry was White and Iwas Black. 5.Be2 O–O 6.Bg5 c5 7.d5 h6 8.Be3e6 9.Qd2 exd5 10.cxd5Re8 11.f3 h5 An impor-tant move. Black uses his h-pawn to gain spaceon the Kingside. White has won some fine gamesby playing g2-g4 and h2-h4. 12.a4 a6 13.a5 Bothplayers are waiting. White wants to play Ng1-h3-f2. Of course, Black is waiting for the opportunity

174

to play Bc8xh3. The question is: who will bene-fit more from the waiting game? Kasparov’s nextmove answers that question. Black will. Whiteshould have played 13.h4. 13...Nh7 An impor-tant new idea in the position. Black intends f7-f5,attacking White’s trump, his powerful center. IfBlack succeeds in destroying the center, he wins.White’s position will be ruined. I now had to un-dertake a major rethink of the position. 14.Bd1Not pretty, but necessary. 14...Nd7 The waitinggame is over. Black has won the first battle. Whitehas been forced into an ugly scheme of develop-ment. 15.Nge2 Ne5 16.b3 Qh4+ More naturalis 16...f5. 17.Bf2Qf6 18.Qe3 Continuing to mis-use all my pieces, while only a couple of Black’sare clumsily placed (Qf6, Nh7). Better is 18.Be3.18...h4 Another benefit of 11...h5. White can’t al-low h4-h3 but, by playing h2-h3 myself, my King-side becomes a rigid target. Black will also keepthe mighty outpost on e5. 19.h3 g5 20.O–OBd7 Iain’t happy. How often do you see a Bishop volun-tarily "developed" at d1? My Knights are particu-larly sad. The Knight on e2 is an object of ridicule.Look at those Black pawns. My King is the ob-ject of Black’s attentions. My Bishops are wonder-ing what to do, while my Rooks have no clue! Inshort, if I were the World Champion, with White’sposition, I’d offer a draw and excuse myself. Be-fore all else, my King needs protection. 21.Kh1Nf8 22.Bg1Nfg6 23.Bh2 c4 When making thismove, Garry literally screwed the pawn into thec4-square, then he rubbed the pawn on the squarehard enough to rock the table. I was so delightedby this move and its accompanying motions that Icouldn’t repress a smile. In an instant, my Rooksnow know where to play. The Knight on e2 is of-fered the d4-square, while my Queen is unleashedon the g1-a7 diagonal. 24.Rb1 Rac8 25.Qa7Nf4 As good as anything else. Black is impal-ing himself on White’s defenses. 26.bxc4 Afterthe simple 26.Bxf4 gxf4 27.Qxb7, Black is in realtrouble. 26...Nxc4 27.Rxb7 A capture made withhigh hopes. I’m amazed that I could play sucha bad move. Once again, I was too sure of myKing’s defenses. 27.Bxf4 was forced. Now Blackhas a ferocious attack against my King. 27...Nd228.Rg1 Here, my confidence in victory was ab-solute! After all, isn’t Black’s Bishop simplytrapped? In fact, the position is harrowingly com-plicated. 28...Nxh3 29.e5 My intended resource.The structure g2-f3-e4-d5 was supposed to cor-ral Black’s Knights. They’ve jumped the fence.My best chance to save the game is 29.Rxd7.29...Rxe5 29...Qf5! causes White real problems.

30.Rxd7 Nxg1 31.Qxg1 In making this move, Iwas once again fully confident of victory. Mostof the little horrors hovering around my King havedisappeared. I’m ahead in material. Things neverappeared so rosy; the only drawback was the timecontrol. At least that was mutual. I had 5 min-utes left until move 40 while Garry had 6 minutesleft. Unfortunately, my confidence was not fullywarranted. White’s Knights on c3 and e2 step oneach other’s hooves. My Queen is passive. And thef3-pawn can easily be undermined by h4-h3. Bothplayers were beginning to tense up. I felt my mindhad slipped into high gear and was speeding at100 miles per hour! 31...Ree8 Correct is 31...h3!32.Rxd6Qf5 33.Ba4 Garry had overlooked thisgrab from the crypt when playing 33...Ree8. Ihad been dreaming of such a moment ever since14.Bd1. 33...Qd3 A tremendous reaction to theshock of 33.Ba4. Black’s Queen is omnipresent ond3. My Knights are in concrete shoes. The bum’srush d5-d6-d7 is nigh impossible, as the Queen isbehind the d-pawn. 34.Bxe8 Rxe8 35.Rc6 I’veno doubts the position is fully won for White. Am Inot a full piece up? Proving the matter, however, isnot easy. 35...h3 His only chance. 36.Bg3 Correctis 36.Qf2! 36...hxg2+ 37.Qxg2Nxf3 38.d6Re6An unpleasant surprise. I hadn’t reckoned on be-ing mated on the h-file. 39.Qf2 g4 40.Rc8+ Thenormal last-move-of-time-control mistake. If a winstill exists, it must be 40.Kg2!. 40...Kh7 Now thatthe time control had been reached, I sank into deepthought and couldn’t believe my eyes. My mindhad stopped working. I couldn’t find a win. Af-ter a thirty-seven minute think, I decided to force arepetition. 41.Nf4Rh6+ 42.Kg2Ne1+ 43.Kg1Nf3+ Draw by 3-fold Repetition.1/2-1/2

◦ Gelfand, B.• Ftacnik, L.?Budapest1989 1-0 D85Another example of attacking the King.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4Nxc3 6.bxc3 c5 7.Nf3Bg7 8.Rb1 O–O 9.Be2Nc6 10.d5 Ne5 11.Nxe5 Bxe5 12.Qd2 b613.f4 Bg7 14.c4 e5 15.O–O f5 16.Bb2 Qd617.Qc3 Re8 18.Bd3 Re7 Correct is 18...fxe419.Bxe4 Re7. Now Black’s kingside is weak-ened. 19.exf5 gxf5 20.fxe5 White sacrificesa pawn to get his pieces at the Black King.20...Bxe5 21.Qd2 Not 21.Qd2? Bxh2+ 22.Kh1Qh6. 21...Bxh2+ 22.Kh1 Be5 23.Qg5+ Qg6

175

Not 23...Rg7 24.Bxe5 Qxe5 25.Qd8+ Kf7 26.Rbe1with a strong attack. 24.Qxe7 Qh6+ 25.Kg1Qe3+ 26.Kh1 Qh6+ 27.Kg1 Qe3+ 28.Rf2White sacrifices his Queen to avoid the perpet-ual check. In exchange he will have a Bishopand Rook and a very powerful attack. 28...Bh2+29.Kxh2 Qxe7 30.Rf3 Qd6+ 31.Rg3+ Kf732.Rf1 h5 If 32...f4, then 33.Bc1 wins. 33.Bxf5h4 34.Bg6+Kg8 If 34...Ke7, then 35.Bf6+! Kd736.Bh4 Kc7 37.Rf7+ Kb8 38.Bg5 followed by Bf4wins. 35.Bh7+ Kxh7 36.Rf7+ Kh6 37.Bc1+Black Resigns. If 37...Kh5, then 38.Rh7 followedby mate.1-0

◦ Vaisser, A.• Pein, M.?Budapest1989 1-0 D85Black, the well-known British chess merchantMalcolm Pein, does not find the right defense.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4Nxc3 6.bxc3Bg7 7.Nf3 c5 8.Rb1 O–O 9.Be2cxd4 10.cxd4 Qa5+ 11.Bd2 This is a well-known sacrifice that has been played many timesbefore. Black will lose a lot of time return-ing his Queen. 11...Qxa2 12.O–O b6 13.Qc1Qe6 14.Bc4 Qxe4 15.Re1 Qb7 16.Bb4 Be617.Rxe6 Sacrificing the exchange to get open linesfor his pieces. 17...fxe6 18.Ng5 Nc6 A newmove in this theoretical variation. 19.Nxe6Kh8 20.Bc3 Threatening 21.Nxg7 Kxg7 22.d5+.20...Bf6 21.Qh6 Rg8 Correct is 21...Rf7. After22.Nc5 Qc8 23.Bxf7 bxc5 24.Bxg6 Qg8 25.Be4the position is unclear. 22.Re1 Rg7 Now Blackis loss. He could have put up the most resis-tance with 22...Qc8, although after 23.Re3 threat-ening 24.Qxh7+ White has a big advantage. 23.g4Threatening g4-g5. 23...Na5 If 23...g5, then24.Bd3. 24.Bd3 Qc6 25.Ba1 Rf7 If 25...Qf3,then 26.g5 Qh5 27.Qxh5 gxh5 28.f4 is winning forWhite. 26.g5 Bg7 27.d5 Qxd5 28.Bxg7+ Kg829.Bxg6 Black Resigns. Of course if 29...hxg6,then 30.Qh8#.1-0

◦ Browne, W.• Nickoloff, B.?New York1989 1-0 D89Grandmaster Walter Browne has won the most USchampionships since Bobby Fischer.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4Nxc3 6.bxc3Bg7 7.Bc4 c5 8.Ne2Nc6 9.Be3O–O 10.O–O Bg4 11.f3 Na5 12.Bd3 cxd413.cxd4 Be6 14.Qa4 a6 15.d5 b5 16.Qb4 Nc617.Qc5Bxa1 18.Rxa1Ne5 19.Bh6 White willwin back the exchange because Black’s kingsideis weak. 19...Bd7 20.Qd4 f6 21.Bxf8 Kxf822.Rd1Qc7 23.f4Nxd3 24.Rxd3Bg4 25.Rc3Qb8 Not 25...Qa7 26.Qxa7 Rxa7 27.Nd4 with alarge advantage to White. 26.e5 fxe5 Better is26...Bxe2 27.exf6 exf6 28.Qxf6+ Kg8 29.Qe6+Kg7 30.Qxe2 Qxf4 with an equal position. 27.fxe5Qa7 If 27...Bxe2, then 28.Qf2+. 28.Rc5 Kg8If 28...Bxe2, then 29.e6! Kg8 30.Rc8+ wins.29.Nc3 Rd8 30.d6 Be6 31.a3 exd6 32.exd6Qg7 33.Re5 Bf7 34.Ne4 h6 35.Nf6+ Kh8Black Resigns. If 35...Qxf6, then 36.Re8+ wins.Black resigned here because 36.Re7 wins.1-0

◦ Georgiev, Kir.• Ivanchuk, V.?Reggio Emilia1989 0-1 D88An interesting endgame.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4Nxc3 6.bxc3Bg7 7.Bc4 c5 8.Ne2 O–O 9.Be3Nc6 10.O–O Bg4 11.f3 Na5 12.Bxf7+ Rxf713.fxg4 Rxf1+ 14.Kxf1 cxd4 15.cxd4 e5 16.d5Nc4 17.Bf2 Qf6 18.Kg1 Rf8 19.Qe1 Bh620.Ng3 Qa6 Threatening 21...Rxf2. 21.Kh1Not 21.Nf1 Nb2!. 21...Qa4 22.Qe2 b6 23.h4Bf4 24.Nf1 Better is 24.g5 with an unclear po-sition. 24...Nd6 25.Re1 Rc8 26.g3 Rc227.Qf3 Qxa2 28.Kg1 Bh6 29.g5 Bg7 30.Ne3Rc7 31.Ng4 Rf7 32.Qe3 If 32.Nf6+, then32...Bxf6 33.gxf6 Ne8. 32...Qc2 Threatening33...Nc4. 33.h5 Better is 33.Rc1, although af-ter 33...Qxe4 34.Rc8+ Rf8 Black has a large ad-vantage. 33...Nc4 Better is 33...gxh5!. 34.Qc1Qxc1 35.Rxc1 gxh5 If 35...b5, then 36.h6 Bf837.Nf6+ is unclear. 36.Rxc4 hxg4 37.Rc8+Bf8 38.Be1 Better is 38.Kf1! with an unclearposition followed by marching the King to thequeenside. 38...Kg7 39.Bc3Bd6 40.Rc6Bc5+41.Kg2 Rf2+ 42.Kh1 Bd4 43.Bb4 If 43.Rc7+Kg6 44.Bxd4 exd4 45.d6 Rf8 with a large advan-tage to Black. The text threatens Be7. 43...Rf744.Re6 Rb7 45.Rc6 If 45.Be7, then 45...b5 isstrong. 45...a5 46.d6 46.Ba3 would have heldout longer, although Black is much better after46...b5. 46...axb4 47.Rc7+Kf8 Not 47...Rxc7??48.dxc7 and the pawn promotes. 48.Rxb7 b3

176

49.Rb8+Kf7 50.d7 b2 51.Rf8+ If 51.d8=Q, then51...b1=Q+ 52.Kg2 Qg1#. 51...Ke6 52.d8=N+White Resigns.0-1

◦ Zakharov, A.• Khenkin, I.?URS1989 1/2-1/2 D87An endgame results with Queen versus Rook,Bishop, and Knight.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4Nxc3 6.bxc3 c5 7.Bc4Bg7 8.Ne2Nc6 9.Be3O–O 10.O–OBg4 11.f3Na5 12.Bxf7+ A vari-ation played by Karpov during the world champi-onship match. 12...Rxf7 13.fxg4Rxf1+ 14.Kxf1Qd6 15.Qa4 A new move. 15...Qxh2 Blacksacrifices a Knight to start attacking the King.16.Qxa5 Rf8+ 17.Ke1 The only move. Not17.Bf2? Qh4 18.g3 Qh1+ 19.Ng1 Qh2 win-ning. 17...Qh1+ 18.Ng1 White must play pre-cisely. 18.Bg1 Bh6 19.Qxc5 Qxg2 followed by...Qf1 wins. 18...Qxg2 If 18...Bh6, then 19.Kd2is unclear. 19.Qb5 Bh6 20.Qe2 Qg3+ Winsthe Queen, but White gets lots of material forit. 21.Kd2 Rf2 22.Bxh6 Rxe2+ 23.Nxe2Qh3 Not 23...Qxg4 24.Rf1 followed by 25.Rf8#.24.Be3 Good for Black is 24.g5?! c4. 24...Qxg4Material is roughly equal. A Rook, Bishop, andKnight is about equivalent to a Queen and twopawns. 25.Rf1 Threatening 26.Bh6. 25...h625...Kg7 26.Nf4 is good for White. 26.Bxh6Qxe4 27.Rf8+ Kh7 28.Bg5 Qe6 29.a4 cxd430.cxd4 Qa2+ 31.Ke1 Qxa4 32.Rf7+ Kg833.Rxe7 Qb4+ 34.Kf2 a5 Its a race betweenWhite’s attack and Black’s a-pawn. 35.Bf6 Qb6Not 35...Qd6? 36.Rg7+ Kf8 37.Be5 followed byNf4 with a strong attack. 36.Be5 a4 37.Nf4Qb2+ Both players are playing accurately in timepressure. Not 38...Kf8? 39.Bg7+! nor 38...a3?38.Ne6. 38.Kg1 Qc1+ 39.Kh2 Qb2+ 40.Kg1Qb1+ 41.Kh2Qb2+ Draw by Agreement.1/2-1/2

◦ Simoncini, R.• Denaro?Correspondence1989 1-0 D87The following game was a correspondence gameplayed between two of the finest correspondenceplayers in the world. In this type of chess game

each player mails a move at a time to his opponent.Sometimes the games last several years! The ben-efit of such games is that both players can literallyanalyze the games to death...1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4Nxc3 6.bxc3Bg7 7.Bc4 c5 8.Ne2Nc6 9.Be3O–O 10.O–OBg4 11.f3Na5 12.Bd5 The play-ers are in the main variation of the Grunfeld De-fense. 12.Bd5 and 12.Bd3 cxd4 13.cxd4 Be614.d5 Bxa1 15.Qxa1 f6 are among the most top-ical ways to meet the Grunfeld. 12...Bd713.Rb1 Qc7 14.Bf4 Qc8 15.e5 Be6 16.Be4Bc4 17.Qa4 Bxe2 18.Rf2 Ba6 19.Qxa5 Thislittle tactical skirmish has allowed White to ex-change his passive Knight. The position favorsWhite because his Bishops control more spacethan their counterparts. 19...cxd4 20.cxd4 Qd721.Be3Rac8 22.Rfb2Rc7 23.f4 e6 24.d5 exd525.Bxd5Rfc8 26.Rd1Qf5 27.Qa4 g5 28.Rf2Black is ambitious. He was anxious to clear adiagonal for his g7- Bishop but simultaneouslyweakened his King. It would’ve been betterto play 27...h5 preparing ...Rc7-c2 with reason-able chances. 28...gxf4 29.Bxf4 Bxe5 30.Bg3Qg5 31.Rxf7 Rxf7 32.Bxe5 Bc4 33.h4 Thegame gets more complicated. The immediate33.Bxc4 Rxc4 34.Qxc4 Qe3+ 35.Kh1 Qxe5 leavesBlack with a playable position. 33...Qe3+ Again33...Qxe5 fails because, 34.Bxf7+ allows the un-pleasant choice of how to lose a rook: 34...Kxf735.Qd7+ or 34...Bxf7 35.Qg4+; a familiar friend.34.Kh1 Qe2 35.Bxf7+ Bxf7 36.Qd7 Re837.Bc3 Qc4 38.Rd3 Qxh4+ 39.Rh3 Qf4 40.Rf3Qh6+ 41.Kg1Rf8 42.Be5 Black gives up.He has no way of meeting White’s threat of Rf3-g3+. Thus 42...Bg6 43.Qe6+ or 42...Qc1+ 43.Kh2Qh6+ 44.Rh3 Qc6 45.Rg3+ wins.1-0

◦ Cvitan, O.• Terzic, S.?Zenica1989 1-0 E60How to take advantage of dark-squared weak-nesses.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.g3 O–O 5.Bg2c5 6.O–O d6 7.b3Nc6 8.Bb2Rb8 9.Nc3Bd710.Rc1 Qc8 Better is 10...cxd4 11.Nxd4 Nxd412.Qxd4 a6 with a slight advantage to White.11.Qd2 Bh3 12.d5 Bxg2 13.Kxg2 Na5 TheKnight is completely out of play on the edge ofthe board and this is one of the reasons why Whitehas such a large advantage. 14.e4 White’s plan is

177

e4-e5. 14...a6 15.Rfe1Qc7 16.e5 dxe5 17.Nxe5b5 18.cxb5 axb5 19.Ne4Nxe4 20.Rxe4 Threat-ening 21.b4. 20...Qd6 21.Rd1 21.Qxa5?! Qxd522.f3 Ra8 is unclear. 21...Ra8 22.h4Rfd8 Betteris 22...h5. 23.h5 e6 24.h6 If 24.Nxf7, Black shouldplay 24...Qxd5!, but not 24...Kxf7? 25.dxe6+.24...Qxd5 If 24...Bf8, then 25.Ng4 or if 24...Bh8,then 25.Nxf7. 25.Qf4 Because of the threats of26.hxg7 and 26.Qxf7+, Black must give up hisimportant Bishop and he becomes very weak onthe dark squares. Control of the a1-h8 diago-nal is so powerful that White even gives up aRook for it. 25...Bxe5 26.Bxe5 Qxd1 27.Qf6Kf8 28.Rf4 Qd5+ The only move. 29.f3 Qb730.Qg7+ Ke8 31.Qg8+ Kd7 32.Rxf7+ Kc633.Qxh7 Rd7 If 33...Qb6, then 34.Qxg6 wins.34.Qxg6 Re8 If 34...Rxf7, then 35.Qxe6# or if34...Rd2+ 35.Kh3 Qc8, then 36.h7 wins. 35.Rf8Ree7 The only move. If 35...Rxf8, then 36.Qxe6+wins. 36.h7Rd2+ 37.Kf1Qd7 38.Qe4+Kb639.Rb8+ Nb7 40.h8=Q Rd1+ 41.Kf2 Qd2+If 41...Rd2+, then 42.Ke3 Rxa2 43.Rxb7+ wins.42.Qe2 Qd5 43.Bc3 b4 44.Ra8 Rd3 45.Bf6Rd7 46.Qb8Rh7 47.Qa7+Kc7 48.Be5+Kd749.Qxb7+ Black Resigns. 49...Qxb7 50.Qxd3+Kc6 51.Qe4+ wins.1-0

◦ Beliavsky, A.• Timman, J.?Lucerne1989 1-0 E32A battle between two super Grandmasters.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 O–O5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 b6 7.Bg5 Bb7 8.f3 d69.e4 c5 10.d5 Nbd7 11.Nh3 h6 12.Bf4 Re8Black sacrifices the d-pawn, believing that theBishop will get trapped. This does not turn outto be the case. 13.dxe6 fxe6 14.Bxd6 e515.O–O–O Re6 16.Be2 Qc8 If 16...Ne8, then17.Bxe5 Rxe5 18.Rxd7 wins. 17.Rd3 Ne818.Rhd1Qc6 19.b4 Not 19.Bc7 Nef6. 19...cxb4If 19...Nxd6, then 20.b5 Qc7 21.Qd2 wins backthe piece with a large advantage. 20.Bxb4Hence White has won a pawn, but Black hassome compensation because White’s King posi-tion is open and the c-pawn is weak. 20...Ndf621.Qb3 a5 22.Bc3Ba6 23.R3d2Rc8 24.Kb1Kh7 Correct is 24...Bxc4 25.Bxc4 Qxc4 26.Qxc4Rxc4 27.Bb2 followed by Nf2-d3 with a slightadvantage to White due to the weak e5-pawn.25.Bb2Nd6 Again 25...Bxc4 was correct. 26.c5Nb5 If 26...Bxe2, then 27.Qxe6 Bxd1 28.Rxd6

Qxc5 29.Rxd1 Qc2+ 30.Ka2 Qxd1 31.Qxc8 wins.27.cxb6 Qxb6 28.Ka1 a4 29.Qb4 Not 29.Qa4Nc3 30.Qxa6? Qb3 winning. 29...Rb8 30.f4White gets his pieces into action. 30...Qc7 Not30...exf4 31.Nxf4 Rxe4 32.Bd3 winning. 31.fxe5Rxe5 32.Rc1 Of course not 32.Bxe5?? Qxe5+followed by ...Nc3. 32...Qe7 33.Qxe7 Rxe734.e5 Nd7 35.e6 Nf8 36.Nf4 g5 If 36...Nxe6,then 37.Bd3+ Kg8 38.Nxe6 Rxe6 39.Bc4 wins.37.Nd5Rxe6 38.Nf6+Kg6 39.Bh5+ Black Re-signs. If 39...Kg7 40.Nd7+ or 39...Kf5 40.Rf1#.1-0

◦ Malaniuk, V.• Kveinys, A.?URS1989 0-1 E20White’s Queen hunts down a Rook but his King isleft standing in the center.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.f3 d5 5.a3 Be76.e4 dxe4 7.fxe4 e5 8.d5Bc5 9.Bg5 h6 10.Bh4Bd4 11.Nb5 Safer is 11.Qc2. 11...Bxb2 12.Rb1a6 The only move. Very bad is 12...Bd4 13.Nxd4exd4 14.e5. 13.Bxf6 gxf6 14.Qa4 A dubiousidea. Better is 14.Rxb2. 14...axb5 15.Qxa8 If15.Qxb5+, then 15...c6 16.Qxb2 Qa5+ followedby 17...Qxa3 leads to a great advantage for Black.15...Bc3+ 16.Kd1 Na6 17.Kc2 O–O Enticingthe White King to expose itself. 18.Kxc3 Qd619.Rxb5 If 19.Rb3, then 19...Qb6 wins. 19...c619...Qxa3+? 20.Kd2 does not give Black any-thing. 20.Ra5 Better is 20.Rb3. 20...cxd521.Rxa6 bxa6 Better is 21...d4+. 22.Qxd5Qb6Threatening 23...Rd8. 23.Qd3 Rd8 24.Qg3+Kh7 25.Bd3Qa5+ 26.Kc2Bd7 27.Ne2Ba4+28.Kc1 Bb3 29. Rf1 A fatal error in time pres-sure. Correct is 29.Qf3! with an unclear posi-tion. 29...Qxa3+ 30.Kd2 Bxc4 31.Nc1 Qb2+32.Kd1 If 32.Ke3, then 32...Bxd3 33.Nxd3 Rxd3+34.Kxd3 Qb5+ wins. 32...Bxd3 White Resigns.33.Nxd3 Qb1+ 34.Ke2 Qc2+ wins.0-1

◦ Shirov, A.• Eingorn, V.?Stockholm1989 1-0 E20White wins a pawn in the opening, but his King isleft stuck in the center. Will he be able to defend?1.d4 e6 2.c4 Bb4+ 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 d5 5.a3Be7 6.e4 c5 7.cxd5 exd5 8.dxc5 Bxc5 9.e5

178

Nfd7 10.Qxd5 O–O 11.f4 Qb6 12.Nf3 Bf2+13.Ke2 Nc5 14.b4 Not 14.Kxf2? Rd8 15.Qc4Ne4+ mating. 14...Rd8 15.bxc5 Bxc5 16.Qe4Qb3 17.Bd2 The only way to save the Knight.17...Rxd2+ 18.Kxd2Qb2+ 19.Kd3 Not 19.Qc2Be3+. 19...Qxa1 20.e6 With Black’s pieces mis-placed, the counterattack starts. 20...fxe6 21.Ng5g6 22.Qe5Be7 23.Nxe6Kf7 The decisive mis-take. Correct is 23...Bf8. 24.Qg7+ Ke8 If24...Kxe6, then 25.Kc2 and the rest of White’spieces enter the action decisively. 25.Nc7+ Kd826.Qh8+ Black is able to start his own counterat-tack after 26.Nxa8? Bf5+. 26...Kd7 If 26...Kxc7,then 27.Nd5+ wins the Queen. 27.Nxa8 Qxa328.Kc2 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Karpov, An.• Adorjan, A.?Lucerne1989 1-0 E15This was voted best game in the last half of 1989by Chess Informant.1.d4Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3Ba6 5.b3Bb4+6.Bd2 Be7 7.Bg2 c6 8.O–O d5 9.Bc3 O–O10.Ne5 Nfd7 11.Nxd7 Nxd7 12.Nd2 Rc813.e4 b5 14.Re1 dxe4 15.Bxe4 bxc4 16.bxc4Nb6 17.c5 Usually such a move cannot be rec-ommended, as gives up the d5 square and leavesthe d-pawn backward. However, here it isquite strong because it prevents the break ...c6-c5 and allows White to concentrate on a king-side attack. 17...Nd5 18.Qc2 g6 19.Nf3 Bf620.Ne5 The Knight is very strong on e5, but20...Bxe5 would leave the dark squares aroundBlack’s King very weak. 20...Qc7 21.h4 Withthe idea of h4-h5 weakening Black’s kingside.21...Rfd8 22.Bd2 Bg7 Threatening 23...Nb424.Bxb4 Rxd4. 23.Rad1 Ne7 24.Qc3 Threat-ening Qa3. 24...Bb5 Perhaps the exchange sacri-fice 24...Rxd4 25.Qxd4 Bxe5 offers more chances.Now White gets a large advantage. 25.Bc2Nf5 26.Bf4Qb7 27.a4Ba6 28.Be4Qa8 29.h5g5 If 29...Ne7, then 30.hxg6 hxg6 31.Qf3 pres-suring f7 and c6. 30.Bxg5 f6 31.h6 Nxh6 If31...Bh8, then 32.g4 Ne7 33.Qc2 wins. 32.Bxh6Bxh6 33.Qb3 Re8 34.Ng4 Kg7 If 34...Bg7,then 35.Bf5 wins. 35.Kg2 Threatening 36.Rh1.35...f5 36.Nxh6 Kxh6 37.Bxf5 exf5 38.Qf7Black Resigns. There is no defense to 39.Rh1+ fol-lowed by mate.1-0

◦ Portisch, L.• de Firmian, N.?Reggio Emilia1989 1-0 E14Black’s King is forced to go on a death march.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.e3 Bb7 5.Bd3 c56.O–O Be7 7.Nc3 cxd4 8.exd4 d5 9.b3 O–O10.Bb2Nc6 11.Re1Rc8 12.Rc1Re8 13.cxd5Nxd5 14.Nxd5 Qxd5 15.Be4 Qd7 The deci-sive error. Almost any other Queen move thatdoes not leave it en prise was better. For example,15...Qa5 or 15...Qd8. 16.Rxc6 The Knight comesinto e5. This is why d7 is such a bad square forthe Queen. 16...Bxc6 17.Ne5 Qb7 18.Bxh7+This is the real point of White’s exchange sac-rifice. 18...Kf8 If 18...Kxh7, then 19.Qh5+Kg8 20.Qxf7+ Kh7 21.Qg6+ Kg8 22.d5 winning.19.Qh5Bb4 20.Bd3 g6 Not 20...Bxe1 21.Ba3+Re7 22.Qh8 checkmate. Also bad is 20...Bxg221.Ba6. 21.Qh6+ Ke7 If 21...Kg8, then 22.Ng4Qe7 23.d5 winning. 22.d5 Bxe1 If 22...Bxd5,then 23.Qh4+ wins the Bishop. 23.Ba3+ Kd824.Qh4+ Kc7 25.dxc6 Qa8 26.Qf6 b5 27.Bc5Rcd8 28.Qxf7+ Kc8 29. Bxb5 a6 30.Qd7+Black Resigns. 30...Rxd7 31.cxd7+ or 30...Kb831.c7+ win easily.1-0

◦ Krasenkov, M.• Arbakov, V.?Moscow1989 1-0 E05A King hunt.1.Nf3 d5 2.d4Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.g3Be7 5.Bg2 O–O6.O–O dxc4 7.Na3 Bxa3 8.bxa3 b5 Black triesto hang onto the gambit pawn. 9.a4 a6 10.Ba3Re8 11.Ne5 Nd5 12.e4 Nf6 13.Nxf7 A well-known sacrifice in this opening. 13...Kxf7 14.e5Nd5 15.Qh5+Kg8 16.Be4 g6 17.Bxg6 hxg6 Anew move. Previously 17...Re7 had been played.18.Qxg6+ Kh8 19.Rfe1 White is threatening19.Re4 followed by Qh6+ and Rg4+. 19...Nc3The only move. 20.Re3 Bb7 If 20...Re7, then21.Qf6+ wins or if 20...Nd7, then 21.Rxc3 Nf822.Qh5+ followed by Rf3 wins. 21.Rxc3 Nd722.Qh6+ Kg8 23.Qg6+ Kh8 24.Qh6+ Kg825.g4 Threatening Rh3. 25...Re7 If 25...Be4, then26.Re1 Bh7 27.g5 followed by g6 wins. 26.Rh3Nf8 Better is 26...Be4, although White would havea large advantage after 27.g5 Rh7 28.Qxe6+ Kh829.Be7. 27.Qh8+ Kf7 28.Rh6 Ke8 29.Rxe6Rxe6 30.Qxf8+Kd7 31.Qf7+Re7 32.e6+Kc6

179

33.Qf6 A surprisingly strong move. If insteadWhite takes the Rook, then Black is all right af-ter 33...Qxd4. 33...Qd5 If 33...Qg8, then 34.Qf3+Kb6 35.Bc5+ wins, or if 33...Qf8, then 34.Qe5is strong. 34.Bxe7 Kb6 35.f3 Rg8 36.Bc5+Ka5 37.Qf4 c3 37...Kxa4 would have held outlonger. 38.axb5 axb5 39.a4 Rc8 40.axb5+Kxb5 41.Rb1+Kc4 42.Qe3 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Cranbourne, C.• Crespo, R.?Correspondence1989 1-0 A69Correspondence games are interesting becausethey involve a lot of deep calculation.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 The Benoni defense leads tovery sharp positions. 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd55.cxd5 d6 6.e4 g6 7.f4 Bg7 8.Nf3 O–O 9.Be2Re8 10.e5 dxe5 11.fxe5Ng4 12.Bg5 f6 13.exf6Bxf6 14.Qd2 Bf5 15.O–O Bxg5 16.Qxg5Qxg5 17.Nxg5 Despite the exchange of Queens,the position is still very sharp. White has alarge advantage in the endgame due to his ac-tive pieces. 17...Ne3 18.Bb5 Rd8 19.Rfe1A spectacular sacrifice. Black’s King will bein a lot of danger. 19...Nc2 20.Re7 a6 If in-stead 20...Nxa1, then White would continue hisattack with 21.g4!. 21.Bc4 b5 22.Rf1 bxc4If 22...Ne3, then 23.Nce4! will win. 23.g4Ne3 If 23...Bxg4, then 24.Rff7 results in a mat-ing attack. 24.gxf5 Nxf5 If 24...Nxf1, then24...Nxf1 25.f6 Rf8 26.Rg7+ Kh8 27.Rxh7+ Kg828.f7+ wins. 25.Rc7 Nd7 26.Nce4 Threaten-ing 26.Rxd7 Rxd7 27.Nf6+. 26...Nf8 27.Nf6+Kh8 28.Rxf5 gxf5 29.Ne6 Rd6 30.Rg7 BlackResigns. The threat is 31.Rg8 checkmate and30...Nxe6 allows 31.Rxh7 checkmate.1-0

◦ Silman, J.• Christiansen, L.?Los Angeles1989 0-1 A57The American GM Christiansen is one of the besttactical players in the world.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 The Benko Gambit.Black sacrifices a pawn in exchange for open filesagainst White’s queenside pawns. But White de-clines the offer. 4.cxb5 a6 5.Nc3 axb5 6.e4b4 7.Nb5 d6 8.Bf4 g5 Not 8...Nxe4 9.Qe2 and

if 9...Nf6 10.Nxd6+. 9.Bxg5 Nxe4 10.Bf4Qa5 11.Bc4 Bg7 12.Qe2 b3+ 13.Kf1 f5 14.f314.Qh5+? Kd8 is good for Black. 14...O–O TheKnight of course cannot retreat due to Nxd6+.15.fxe4 fxe4 16.g3 If 16.Qxe4, then 16...Qd2 isstrong. 16...Qxa2 Beautiful! 17.Rxa2 Whitemust accept the offer. 17.Re1 Ra4 followedby ...Ba6 is too strong. 17...bxa2 18.Bxa2Rxa2 Black is threatening 19...Rxb2 and 19...Ba6.19.Nc7 Bf5 20.Ne6 Rxb2 21.Nxf8 Correctis 21.Qe3. 21...Rxe2 22.Nxe2 Kxf8 23.Kf2Na6 Black has too many pawns for White toput up any resistance. 24.Bd2 Nc7 25.Nf4Be5 26.Ba5 Bxf4 27.Bxc7 Bg5 28.h3 Ke829.g4Bc8 30.Kg3Bd2 31.Rb1 e3 32.Kf3Kd733.Bb8Ba6 34.h4 e2 35.Kf2Bd3 36.Ra1Kc837.Ba7Kb7 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Yusupov, A.• Karpov, An.?London1989 1-0 A46One needs to play a very spectacular game to de-feat Anatoly Karpov.1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bg5 c5 4.e3 b6 This is acommon opening mistake. It is surprising that Kar-pov fell into it. 5.d5 White gains a dominatingposition with this move. 5...exd5 6.Nc3 Be77.Nxd5 Bb7 8.Bxf6 Bxf6 9.c3 O–O 10.Bc4a6 11.O–O b5 12. Bb3 Better is 12.Nxf6+ Qxf613.Bd5 Nc6 14.Qd2 d6 15.Rfd1 Rfd8 16.a4 with alarge advantage to White. 12...d6 13.Qd2 Nd714.Rfd1 Bxd5 15.Bxd5 Rb8 16.Qc2 Nb617.Rd2 g6 18.Rad1Qc7 19.Qe4 Worth consid-ering is 19.h4, because 19...h5 would not be pos-sible. After 19...Kg7 20.h5 Qe7 21.g3 followedby Kg2, White has an initiative. 19...Kg7 20.h4Qe7 21.Qf4Be5 22.Nxe5 dxe5 23.Qg3Rbd824.h5 Rd7 Not 24...Rd6 because of 25.hxg6 andif 25...hxg6, then 26.Bxf7!. 25.b3Rfd8 26.e4 g527.Qe3 h6 28.c4 Rc7 Black wants to play Nb6-d7-f6 to hit the weakness at h5. 29.Rd3 Nd730.Bxf7 With both players short on time, Whitecomplicates the position with a spectacular Bishopsacrifice. 30...Kxf7 Not 30...Qxf7? because of31.Qh3 winning the Knight. 31.Qd2 White’s com-pensation for the piece is that Black’s pieces arepinned to the Knight, he has weak pawns, andthe King has little protection. 31...Ke8 32.Qa5bxc4 If 32...Rc6, then 33.cxb5 axb5 34.Qxb5 Qe635.Rd5 with a strong attack. 33.bxc4 Rcc8 Thedecisive error. Black wanted to play 33...Nf8.

180

34.Qa4 Threatening 35.Rd6. 34...Rc7 35.Qxa6Rb8 36.Qg6+ Kf8 36...Kd8 would have heldout longer, although 37.Rd6 Kc8 (or 37...Qe8 38.Qxh6) 38.Re6 Nf8 39.Rxe7 Nxg6 40.Re8 Kb741.Rb1+ is winning. 37.Rf3+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Sokolov, I.• Beliavsky, A.?Palma1989 1-0 A46A risky pawn grab backfires in this game.1.d4Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bg5 c5 4.e3Qb6 5.Nbd2Qxb2 This well known variation leads to verysharp positions. Black has a pawn more, but heloses a lot of time moving his Queen. He may laterfind it difficult finding a safe place for his King.6.Bd3 Nc6 7.O–O d5 8.Bxf6 gxf6 9.c4 Nb410.Be2Qa3 11.e4 White must not waste any timeopening up the position. 11...dxe4 12.Nxe4Be713.Qd2 Bd7 14.Qf4 O–O–O 15.Nxf6 cxd416.Nxd4Bc6 17. Nb5Qa5 Better is 17...Bxb5,although White still has a good position after18.cxb5 Bd6 19.Qe4 Nd5 20.Bf3 Kb8 21.Rad1.18.Ne4Bxe4 19.Qxf7 A spectacular piece sacri-fice. Black is unable to defend all his weak points.19...Rd7 20.Qxe6 Bc6 21.Bg4 Threatening22.Qxe7. 21...h5 Both 21...Kb8 22.Qe5+ and21...Re8 22.Rad1 Qd8 23.Nxa7+ lose. 22.Bh3Bd8 23.Rad1 Rh7 24.a3 Nc2 The Knight hasno good squares. 24...Na6 25.Nxa7+ also loses.25.Qg6 Forking the Knight and Rook wins a piece.25...Re7 26.Qxc2 a6 27.Na7+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Seirawan, Y.• Korchnoi, V.?Barcelona1989 0-1 D481.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.e3Nf6 5.Nf3Nbd76.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5 8.Bd3 a6 9.e4 c5 10.d5c4 11.dxe6 cxd3 12.exf7+ Kxf7 13.e5 Qe7 Theonly move. 14.Ng5+ Ke8 15.O–O Not 15.f4?Nxe5 16.O-O Qa7+ winning. 15...Nxe5 16.Re1h6 17.f4 Overlooking Black’s 18th move. Correctis 17.Nge4. 17...hxg5 18.Rxe5 Qxe5 19.fxe5Bc5+ 20.Be3 If 20.Kh1, then 20...Ng4 wins, or if20.Kf1, then 20...Rh2 21.Qxd3 Rh1+ 22.Ke2 Bg4+wins. 20...Bxe3+ 21.Kf1Nh5 Better is 21...Rf8.22.Qxd3 Rf8+ 23.Ke1 Bf2+ 24.Kf1 Be3+25.Ke1 Nf4 26.Qe4 Ra7 27.g3 If 27.Qc6+,

then 27...Bd7 28.Qe4 Rc7 followed by ...Bc6wins. 27...Bb7 28.Qh7 Ne6 29.Ne4 Bxe430.Qxe4 Bf2+ 31.Kf1 If 31.Ke2, then 31...Bc5!32.b4 Nd4 followed by ...Bb4 wins. 31...Bxg3+32.Kg2Bf4 33.Rd1Ke7 34.Rd6Rd8 35.Qd5Rxd6 36.Qxd6+ Kf7 37.b4 Rc7 38.Qxa6Rc2+ 39.Kf3 Better is 39.Kf1. 39...Bxe540.h3Kf6 41.Ke4Rc4+ 42.Ke3Rxb4 43.Qc6Bf4+ 44.Kf2 Rb2+ 45.Kf1 Rxa2 46.Qxb5Be3 47.Qc6 Rf2+ 48.Ke1 Ke5 49.Qb5+Nc5 50.Qe8+ Kf4 51.Qb8+ Kf3 52.Qa8+Kg3 53.Qa3 Rf3 54.Ke2 Ne6 55.Qe7 Nf4+56.Kd1Nxh3 57.Qxg7 g4 58.Kc2Nf4 59.Qg8Rf1 60.Kc3Re1 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Meszaros• Zagorskis?Budapest1989 1-0 D46An unexpected sacrifice leaves Black without a de-fense.1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 c6 4.e3 e6 5.Nbd2Nbd7 6.Bd3 Bd6 7.O–O O–O 8.e4 dxe49.Nxe4 Nxe4 10.Bxe4 Nf6 11.Bc2 h6 12.b3c5 Black should complete his development with12...b6. 13.Bb2 cxd4 14.Qxd4 Qe7 15.Rad1Rd8 16.Qh4 Bc7 17.Rxd8+ Qxd8 18.Rd1Qe7 19.Ne5 White has a very big advantagedue to his active pieces. 20.Ng4 is threat-ened. 19...Kf8 20.Ng4 Ne8 If 20...Nxg4, then21.Bxg7+. 21.Bxg7+ Nxg7 22.Nf6 White isthreatening 23.Qxh6 and 24.Qh8 checkmate. Notimmediately 22.Qxh6 due to 22...f5. 22...Qc5There is no defense. If 22...Bd8 23.Qxh6 Qxf624.Qh8 checkmate. White has a large advantageafter 22...Nf5 23.Bxf5 Kg7 24.Qg4. 23.Nh7+Ke8 Black could have held out longer with23...Kg8. White intended to then play 24.b4.24...Qxb4 would lose to 25.Rd8+ Bxd8 26.Qxd8+Ne8 27.Nf6. White would have a big advantage af-ter 24...Qb6 25.c5. 24.Qf6Qh5 25.h3Qe5 Thissaves the Knight but loses the Queen. If 25...Nf5,then 26.Qh8+ Ke7 27.Qf8 checkmate. 26.Rd8+Bxd8 27.Qxe5 f6 28.Bg6+Kd7 29.Nf8+ BlackResigns, as he has the unpleasant choice between29...Ke7 30.Qc5# or 29...Kc6 30.Be8+.1-0

◦ Kasparov, G.• Hjartarson, J.?

181

Tilburg1989 1-0 D39The Icelandic Grandmaster Hjartarson tries tochallenge Kasparov in a very theoretical opening,but the world champion is always well prepared.1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.e4Bb4 The old Vienna variation has become verypopular lately. 6.Bg5 c5 7.Bxc4 cxd4 8.Nxd4Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Qa5 10.Bb5+ Bd7 11.Bxf6gxf6 12. Qb3 a6 13.Be2 Nc6 14.O–O Qc715.Rab1 Na5 16.Qa3 Rc8 17.Rfd1 Qxc3This pawn grab is too risky. Better is 17...Qc5.18.Qd6 Threatening 19.Nf5. 18...Qc7 19.Nf5exf5 Also bad are 19...Nc6 20.Ng7+ Kd8 21.Qa3and 19...Qxd6 20.Nxd6+ Ke7 21.Nxc8+. 20.Qxf6O–O 20...Rg8 would have held out longer, al-though White would have an extremely strong at-tack after 21.exf5. 21.Rd3 f4 The only move tostop 22.Rg3+. 22.Rd5 h6 The only way to stop24.Rg5+. If instead 22...Rfe8, then 23.Rg5+ Kf824.Rg7 Bf5 25.exf5 Rxe2 26.h3 Qe7 27.Qh6 Re1+28.Kh2 Rxb1 29.f6 wins. 23.Qxh6 f5 24.Rb6With the Rook on d5 blocked off from the attack,the other Rook comes into the picture. 24...Bc6The only way to stop 25.Rg6+. If instead 24...Nc6,then 25.Bc4 wins immediately. 25.Rxa5 Qh7 If25...Qxb6, then 26.Qg6+ Kh8 27.Ra3 wins imme-diately. 26.Qxf4 Black Resigns. It’s all over after26...Bxe4 27.Qg5+ Qg7 28.Rg6.1-0

◦ Lautier, J.• Kupreichik, V.?Palma de Mallorca1989 1-0 D38The Frenchman Lautier shocked the chess world in1988 when at 15 years old he won the world juniorchampionship. Since then he has become one ofthe strongest Grandmasters in the world. Here heoutmaneuvers the Soviet Grandmaster Kupreichik,who is a former KGB agent.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Bg5h6 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.Qb3 c5 8.cxd5 exd5 9.a3Bxc3+ 10.Qxc3 c4 11.b3 O–O Not 11...Be6?12.bxc4 dxc4 13.e4. Black sacrifices a pawn inorder to gain time. 12.bxc4 dxc4 13.Qxc4 Be614.Qb5 Bg4 15.e3 White is a pawn ahead buthe is behind in development and his King is stillin the center. With the text he sacrifices backthe pawn. 15...Bxf3 16.gxf3Qxf3 17.Rg1Nc618.Rd1 Not 18.Rg3? Nxd4!. 18...Rfe8 19.Rg3Qe4 Better is 19...Qf6. 20.Bg2 Black did notbelieve this was possible due to his next move,

but... 20...Nxd4 If 20...Qe7, then 21.Bxc6 bxc622.Qxc6 Qxa3 23.Qxh6 wins. 21.Qb2 Nc2+22.Kf1Qc4+ 23.Kg1 g5 If 23...g6, then 24.Bd5wins. 24.Rd6 Re6 If 24...Rad8, then 25.Bd5threatening 26.Rg6+ wins. 25.Rxe6Rd8 Threat-ening 26...Rd1+ winning. If 25...fxe6, then 26.Qf6wins. 26.Bf1 Qxe6 If 26...Rd1, then 27.Re8+leads to mate. 27.Qxc2 After the smoke hascleared, White is a piece up. 27...Rc8 28.Qb2Qe4 29.Qf6 Qc6 30.Qxc6 Rxc6 31.Rg4 Rc132.Ra4 a6 33.Rb4 Ra1 34.a4 a5 35.Rd4 Kf836.Kg2 Ke7 37.Bb5 b6 38.Rd7+ Black Re-signs.1-0

◦ Nikolic, Pr.• Vaganian, R.?Lucerne1989 0-1 D55Converting a small advantage into a win.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bg5O–O 6.e3 h6 7.Bxf6 Bxf6 8.Qb3 c6 9.Rd1Nd7 10.Bd3 Rb8 11.Qc2 dxc4 12.Bxc4 b513.Be2 Qa5 14.O–O c5 15.a3 Better is 15.dxc5Nxc5 16.b4 Qxb4 17.Nxb5. Now Black gets aslight advantage. 15...b4 16.axb4 Qxb4 17.Na4Bb7 18.dxc5 Better is 18.Nxc5 Nxc5 19.Qxc5Qxc5 20.dxc5 Bd5 21.Rd2 Rfc8 with only aslight advantage to Black. Now Black’s advan-tage grows. 18...Be4 19.Qc4 Bc6 20.Nb6 Not20.Ra1? Qxc4 21.Bxc4 Rb4 winning. 20...Qxc421.Nxc4 Nxc5 22.Ra1 Ba4 Black’s advantageis due to his active pieces, especially his two Bish-ops. 23.Nd4 Rb4 24.Ra3 Rd8 25.b3 Bxd426.bxa4 26.exd4 Nxb3 wins for Black. 26...Bb227.Nxb2 Rxb2 28.Bf3 Nb3 29.Re1 Good forBlack is 29.a5 Nd2 30.Re1 Nxf3+ 31.gxf3 Rdd232.Rf1 g5 and White is all tied up. 29...a5 Fix-ing the a-pawn on the same color as the Bishop.30.h3Kf8 31.Rd1Ke7 32.Rxd8Kxd8 33.Bd1Nc5 34.Rc3Ne4 35.Rc4Rb4 A blunder wouldbe 35...Nxf2 36.Bc2 trapping the Knight. 36.Rc1Not 36.Rxb4? axb4 37.Kf1 b3 winning the Bishop.36...Nd2 37.Rc3 Ne4 38.Rc1 f5 39.Kf1 Ke740.f3Nd2+ 41.Kf2Nc4 42.Rc3Nb2 Black tar-gets the weak a-pawn. 43.Bc2Kd6 Not 43...Nxa444.Ra3. 44.Ke2 h5 A strong move. Black fixesthe pawns on the kingside. 45.f4 h4 46.Rc8White decides to give up his a-pawn in exchangefor one of Black’s kingside pawns. 46.Ra3 g647.Bb3 e5 48.fxe5+ Kxe5 49.Kd2 Nc4 is winningfor Black. 46...Nxa4 47.Bxa4 Rxa4 48.Rg8Ra2+ 49.Kf3Rc2 50.Rxg7Rc7 51.Rg8Ra7

182

A very important concept. Black wins because heis able to get his Rook behind the passed pawn.52.Ke2 a4 53.Rd8+ Ke7 54.Rd2 a3 55.Ra2Kd6 With White’s pieces tied down to the passedpawn, the Black King’s entry into the game is de-cisive. 56.Kd2Kd5 57.Kd3Ra8 58.Kc3Ke459.Kd2 Rd8+ White Resigns. If 60.Ke2, then60...Rd3.0-1

◦ Malinin, V.• Zagorskis?Correspondence1989 1-0 D61In correspondence chess, the players do not need tocalculate quickly and there are no exciting scram-bles in time pressure. However, the strategic ideastend to be deeper and the players must calculatemuch farther.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Bg5 Be7 5.Nf3O–O 6.Qc2 Nbd7 7.e3 c5 8.O–O–O Qa59.Kb1 dxc4 10.Bxc4 cxd4 11.Rxd4 h6 12.h4a6 White’s attack on the h-file is unstoppable af-ter 12...hxg5? 13.hxg5. 13.Rh3 This game is sim-ply a race between whose attack will come first.White on the kingside or Black on the queenside.Therefore Black should have considered sacrific-ing a pawn with 12...b5. 13...b5 14.Bxe6 A sac-rificial attack begins. Black’s kingside is rippedopen. 14...fxe6 15.Bxh6 b4 White’s attack istoo strong after 15...gxh6 16.Qg6+ Kh8 17.Rg3Rg8 18.Qxh6+ Nh7 19.Rdg4. 16.Rg3 Rf717.Ng5 gxh6 18.Nxf7+ Kf8 19...Kxf7 20.Qg6+Kf8 21.Rf4 loses quickly. 19.Nxh6 Qh5Worse is 19...bxc3 20.Qg6 threatening 21.Qg8+.20.Rg6Ne5 If 20...bxc3, then 21.g4 Qxh4 22.g5is strong. 21.Rxf6+ Bxf6 22.Ne4 Be7 If22...Qxh6, then 23.Nxf6 and Black’s King hasno defenses. 23.Qc7 Bd7 24.Nc5 Bxc5 If24...Qxh6, then 25.Qxe5 Bxc5 26.Qxc5+ Ke827.Rg4 Qh7+ 28.e4 Rb8 29.Qg5 Rc8 30.h5 is win-ning. 25.Qxc5+ Ke8 26.Rg4 Qxh6 27.Rg8+Kf7 28.Rxa8 Qh7+ 29.Ka1 Qxh4 If 29...Qd3,then 30.Qf8+ Kg6 31.h5+ Kxh5 32.Qh8+ leavesthe Black King in a mating net. 30.Qf8+ BlackResigns. After 30...Kg6 31.Qg8+ Kf5 32.Rf8+Ke4 33.Rf4+ wins the Queen.1-0

◦ Kasparov, G.• Deep Thought?

Exhibition, New York1989 1-0 D20The World Champion was invited to New Yorkto face off with the world’s leading main-framecomputer program in a two-game exhibition at theMarshall Chess Club. The first game was a typi-cal grandmaster crush, as Deep Thought was tieddown to defense of the King pawn. In this, the sec-ond game, Kasparov opens the game up tacticallyand shows how a hesitant computer can be hungout to dry.1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 Nc6 4.Nf3 Bg4 5.d5Ne5 6.Nc3 c6 7.Bf4 Ng6 8.Be3 cxd5 9.exd5Ne5 Deep thought loses time moving the samepiece twice in the opening. Kasparov jumps atthe chance to exploit his advantage in develop-ment. 10.Qd4 Nxf3+ 11.gxf3 Bxf3 12.Bxc4Qd6 Black could not play 12. ...Bxh1 13. Bb5+,but 12. ...a6 would have been a better defense.13.Nb5 Qf6 14.Qc5 Qb6 15.Qa3 e6 16.Nc7+Qxc7 17.Bb5+ Qc6 Black has nothing better.18.Bxc6+ bxc6 19.Bc5 Bxc5 20.Qxf3 Bb4+21.Ke2 cxd5 A human would probably resignin this position, but Deep Thought doesn’t mindplaying out a lost game. 22.Qg4 Be7 23.Rhc1Kf8 24.Rc7 Bd6 25.Rb7 Nf6 26.Qa4 a527.Rc1 h6 28.Rc6 Ne8 29.b4 Bxh2 30.bxa5Kg8 31.Qb4Bd6 This is hopeless, but otherwiseWhite plays 32. Qe7. 32.Rxd6 Nxd6 33.Rb8+Rxb8 34.Qxb8+Kh7 35.Qxd6Rc8 36.a4Rc437.Qd7 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Polugaevsky, L.• Torre, E.?Biel1989 1-0 D18The Soviet GM Polugaevsky and Filipino GMTorre have both been world championship candi-dates in the past.1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4Bf5 6.e3 e6 7.Bxc4 Bb4 8.O–O O–O 9.Nh4Bg4 10.f3 Bh5 11.g4 Bg6 12.e4 Nbd7 13.g5Ne8 14.Nxg6 hxg6 15.Be3 Nd6 16.Be2 Ba517.Kh1 Qe7 18.Rb1 Rfd8 19.b4 Bxb4 Blacktakes the bait. White would have a large spaceadvantage after 19...Bc7 20.f4. 20.Rxb4 Nf521.exf5 Qxb4 22.Qd2 exf5 If 22...gxf5, then23.g6 is strong. 23.Rb1 White has a large ad-vantage because the two Bishops are much betterthan a Rook. 23...Qa5 24.Rxb7Rab8 25.Rxb8Rxb8 26.d5 Opening up the position makes his

183

pieces more active. 26...cxd5 27.Bb5 Nb6 Bet-ter is 27...Ne5 although White has a large ad-vantage after 28.Bf4 Nxf3 29.Qd3. 28.Bd4 Avery powerful diagonal for the Bishop. White isplanning Qf4-e5. 28...Nc4 29.Qf4 Rd8 30.h4Qb4 Better is 30...a6, although White is still win-ning after 31.Bc6 Rd6 32.Bb7 Qd8 33.h5 Qd734.h6!. 31.Qc7 Rf8 32.Bxc4 dxc4 White iswinning in the endgame after 32...Qxc4 33.Qxc4dxc4 34.Bxa7. 33.Qe5 f6 34.Qe6+Kh7 35.gxf6Qb7 36.Nd5 gxf6 If 36...Qf7 37.fxg7 Qxe638.gxf8=N+ wins. 37.Kg2 Kh6 38.Nxf6 Rd839.Ng8+Kh5 Black Resigns. 40.Qg5 wins.1-0

◦ Epishin, V.• Kupreichik, V.?Daugavpils1989 0-1 D11How to attack an exposed King.1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Qc2 g6 5.Bf4Na6 6.e3 Bf5 7.Qb3 Nb4 Black will imme-diately get his piece back, but the text move in-volves a couple of pawn sacrifices. 8.Qxb4 e5 9.c59.Qxb7 Rb8 10.Qxc6+ Bd7 is unclear. 9...exf410.exf4 b6 11.Ne5 bxc5 12.Qb7Bd7 13.Nxd7If 13.Nxc6, then 13...Qc8 14.Qxc8 Rxc8 15.Nxa7Rb8 16.a4 c4 is good for Black. 13...Nxd714.Qxc6 Rc8 15.Qxd5 cxd4 16.Bb5 Better is16.Nd2 Bb4 17.Qe4+ Qe7 with an unclear posi-tion. Now White’s King is stuck uncomfortably inthe center. 16...Bb4+ 17.Ke2 If 17.Kd1, then17...O-O 18.Qxd7 Qh4 19.g3 Qh5+ 20.Be2 Qc5wins. 17...O–O 18.Rd1 If 18.Qxd7 Qh4 19.g3Qh5+ 20.g4 Rfe8 21.Qxe8 Rxe8 22.Bxe8 Qxg4+ isgood for Black. 18...Qh4 19.Kf1 If 19.Qxd7, then19...Qh5+ 20.g4 Rfe8+ 21.Kf1 Qh3+ 22.Kg1 Rcd823.Bf1 Qh4 24.Qa4 Be1 wins. 19...Qxh2 20.Nd2If 20.Bxd7, then 20...Rc2 wins. 20...Nf6 21.Qg5If 21.Qxd4, then 21...Qh1+ 22.Ke2 Qh5+ wins.21...Bxd2 22.Qxf6Rc2 23.Ke2Bxf4+ 24.Kd3Rxf2 25.Bc6 Qg3+ 26.Bf3 Rxf3+ White Re-signs. 27.gxf3 Qxf3+ 28.Kc4 Rc8+ wins.0-1

◦ Yusupov, A.• Timman, J.?Linares1989 1/2-1/2 D10Timman tries a new move out from his home labo-ratory.

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.cxd5 cxd5 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.Bf4e5 This is Timman’s new move. 6.Bxe5 Worseis 6.dxe5 d4. 6...Nxe5 7.dxe5 d4 8.Ne4 Not8.Qa4+? b5! 9.Nxb5 Bd7. 8...Qb6 9.Nf3 Whiteneeds to get his pieces developed. 9...Qxb210.Rb1Bb4+ Not 10...Qxa2 11.Nxd4. 11.Ned2Bxd2+ 12.Nxd2Qxa2 13.e3 dxe3 14.fxe3Be615.Rxb7Rd8 16.Qc1 Not 16.Bb5+?! Kf8 17.O-O g6 followed by ...Kg7 with a large advantageto Black. 16...g6 Black is intending to castle byhand via Kf8-g7. 17.Qc3 Not 17.Bc4? Bxc418.Nxc4 Qxg2 winning. 17...Kf8 Not 17...Nh6?18.Qb4. 18.Bd3 Rc8 19.Qb4+ Kg7 20.O–ONh6 21.Ne4 Intending Ng5. 21...Rhd8 22.Nd6Bd5 23.Be4Bxb7 24.Qxb7Rb8 25.Qe7Rf8Not 25...Qe6? 26.Rxf7+ winning the Queen.26.Qf6+ Kg8 27.Qg5 Kg7 28.Qf6+ White de-cides to draw by repetition of moves. If instead28.h3, then 28...Ng8!. 28...Kg8 29.Qg5 Kg730.Qf6+ Draw by 3-fold repetition.1/2-1/2

◦ Pinter, J.• Karolyi Jr., Tibor?Budapest1989 1-0 A87Black makes a mistake in the opening and suffersa quick knockout.1.d4 f5 2.g3Nf6 3.Bg2 g6 4.c4Bg7 5.Nc3 O–O6.Nf3 d6 7.O–O Qe8 8.b3 e5 9. dxe5 dxe510.e4 Nc6 11.Nd5 Qd7 12.Ba3 Re8 Correctis 12...Rd8. 13.exf5 e4 If 13...gxf5, then 14.Nh4is strong. 14.Ng5 gxf5 If 14...Qxf5, then 15.f4.15.Nxf6+ Bxf6 16.Qh5 White has no objectionto sacrificing the exchange here, as his Bishop willcontrol the a1-h8 diagonal. 16...Bxa1 17.Rxa1Rd8 18.Bb2Qe7 19.Re1Nd4 If 19...Bd7, then20.Rxe4 fxe4 21.Nxe4 wins. 20.Bxe4 Whitebrings his last pieces into the attack. Black hasno defense. 20...fxe4 21.Rxe4 Nf3+ If 21...Ne6,then 22.Rg4 wins. 22.Kg2 Not 22.Qxf3 Qxg5or 22.Nxf3 Qxe4. 22...Bh3+ 23.Kxf3 Black Re-signs. White wins after either 23...Qd7 24.Qxh3!or 23...Qf8 24.Rf4 Rd3+ 25.Ke2 Bf5 26.Ne4 Bxe427.Rg4!.1-0

◦ Karpov, An.• Yusupov, A.?Linares1989 1-0 A88

184

This was voted the second best game during thefirst half of 1989 by Chess Informant.1.c4 f5 2.d4 Nf6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.Nc3 d66.Nf3 O–O 7.O–O c6 8.b3 Qc7 Planning ...e7-e5. 9.Ba3 a5 Planning ...Na6-b4. 10.Rc1 Na611.Qd2Bd7 12.Rfe1 Planning e2-e4. 12...Nb413.Bb2 e5 Better is 13...Rae8. Black missesWhite’s 16th move. 14.a3 Na6 15.dxe5 dxe516.Nb5 cxb5 The only move. 17.cxb5 Nc518.Bxe5 Qb6 19.Bxf6 Bxf6 20.Qd5+ Win-ning back the piece. 20...Ne6 21.Qxd7 Rad822.Rc6 White had to see this move when play-ing his 16th move. 22...Rxd7 Worse is 22...bxc623.Qxe6+. 23.Rxb6 Nc5 24.b4 axb4 25.axb4Ne4 26.e3 Kf7 27.h4 White is two pawns upand Black has little chance against Karpov’s greattechnique. 27...Rb8 28.Rc1 Ke7 29.Nd4 Kf7If 29...Bxd4 30.exd4 Rxd4, then 31.Rc7+ Rd732.Rxd7+ Kxd7 33.Bxe4 fxe4 34.h5. 30.Bxe4fxe4 31.Ne6Bd8 32.Ng5+Bxg5 33.hxg5Re834.Rc4Kg7 35.Kg2Rf7 36. Rd6 h6 37.gxh6+Kxh6 38.b6 Re5 39.Rc7 Rf8 40.Rxb7 Ref541.Rd2Rb5 42.Rd4 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Hodgson, J.• Gurevich, M.?Haifa1989 0-1 A80The English GM Hodgson has been very success-ful with an unorthodox style, but will it workagainst a super Grandmaster like Gurevich?1.d4 f5 2.Nf3Nf6 3.h3 An unusual move in thisposition. The idea is to play Bf4 and to have aretreat square at h2 in case of ...Nh5. 3...g64.Bf4 Bg7 5.e3 d6 6.Nbd2 Nc6 7.c3 O–O8.Qb3+ Kh8 9.O–O–O If 9.Ng5?!, then 9...e5is good for Black. 9...Qe8 Threatening ...e7-e5. 10.d5 Na5 11.Qa3 b6 12.Nb3 Not 12.b4?Nxd5! 13.bxa5 Nxc3. 12...Ne4 13.Bg3 The onlyway to defend f2, but now White’s pawn struc-ture is weakened. 13...Nxg3 14.fxg3 e6 Sacri-ficing a pawn in exchange in exchange for openlines. 15.Nxa5 bxa5 16.Qxa5 c6 17.dxc6Qxc618.Qb4 d5 19.h4 Threatening h4-h5. 19...Bd7Not 19...h6 20.Ne5 Qe8 21.Bb5 winning. 20.Nd4Qc8 21.h5 g5 22.h6 Bf6 23.g4 Rb8 24.Qa3Qe8 Not 24...fxg4?! 25.Bd3 followed by Rdf1with good attacking chances. 25.Bd3Ba4 26.b3Weakening the queenside. Correct is 26.Bc2.26...Bd7 27.Kb1 e5 28.Nxf5 Sacrificing a pawnto open the h8-a1 diagonal. 28...e4 29.Bc2Bxf530.gxf5 Qc6 31.c4 The only move. 31...Rfd8

Not 31...Qxc4?? 32.Qxf8+ winning. 32.c5 Rb533.Bxe4 Rxc5 34.Qxa7 Rc8 Black has a win-ning position. Both players were in time pres-sure here. 35.Bxd5 Qb5 Black has an evenquicker win with 35...Rxd5 36.Rc1 Rd1! 37.Rhxd1Qe4+. 36.Rd2 36...Rc1+ 37.Rxc1 Qd3+ wasthreatened. 36...Rxd5 37.Qf7 Rd6 38.Rc2If 38.Rxd6, then 38...Qxf5+ wins. 38...Qxf539.Rc1 Qxc2+ White Resigns. If 40.Rxc2, then40...Rd1+ mates.0-1

◦ Purgin, N.• Kantsler, B.?Belgorod1989 1-0 A43White sacrifices a Knight to open up the King po-sition.1.d4 g6 2.e4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.f4 Nf6 5.Nf3c5 6.d5 O–O 7.e5 Ne8 8.Be2 Nd7 9. e6fxe6 10.dxe6 Ndf6 11.O–O Nc7 If 11...Bxe6,then 12.Ng5. 12.Ng5 d5 Not 12...Nxe6 13.Bc4.13.f5 Opening up the kingside. 13...gxf5 14.Rxf5Nxe6 15.Bf3 Nd4 16.Rxf6 Bxf6 Better is16...Bxf6. White would have a strong attack af-ter 17.Bxd5+ e6 18.Be4 h6 19.Qh5!. 17.Bxd5+Kh8 If 17...e6, then 18.Qh5 Bxg5 19.Bxg5 witha large advantage to White. 18.Nxh7 Crackingopen the King’s defenses. 18...Nf3+ If 18...Kxh7,then 19.Qh5+ Kg7 20.Qh6#. 19.Kh1 Not19.Qxf3?? Bd4+. 19...Kxh7 20.Qxf3Qe8 21.g4Threatening 22.Qh3+. 21...Kg7 If 21...e6, then22.Be4+ Kg8 23.Qh3 Qf7 24.Be3 followed by Rf1and g5 wins. 22.Bf4 Bd4 23.Rf1 Threatening24.Bh6+. 23...Bd7 24.Qg3 e5 If 24...Qg6, then25.Be5+. 25.Bh6+ Bringing the King out into theopen. 25...Kxh6 26.Qh4+ Kg7 27.Qg5+ Qg628.Qe7+ Kh6 29.Qh4+ Kg7 30.Qe7+ Kh631. Rxf8 Re8 If 31...Rxf8, then 32.Qxf8+ Kg533.Qe7+ wins. 32.Qh4+Kg7 33.Qh8# 1-0

◦ Kasparov, G.• Speelman, J.?Barcelona1989 1-0 A42This was voted the third best game in the first halfof 1989 by Chess Informant.1.d4 d6 2.e4 g6 3.c4 e5 4.Nf3 exd4 5.Nxd4Bg76.Nc3Nc6 7.Be3Nge7 8.h4 h6 Better is 8...f5.9.Be2 f5 If 9...O-O, then White gets a strongattack after 10.Qd2 Kh7 11.g4. 10.exf5 Nxf5

185

11.Nxf5 Bxf5 12.Qd2 Qd7 Better is 12...Qf6.13.O–O O–O–O It was better to try 13...h5 fol-lowed by ...O-O. White’s attack on the queen-side will be unstoppable. 14.b4 Nxb4 15.Nb5Nc2 If 15...Bxa1, then 16.Qxb4 Be5 17.Nxa7+Kb8 18.Bf3 is strong. 16.Bf3 d5 Trying to blockthe h1-a8 diagonal. Either 16...Bxa1 17.Nxa7+Kb8 18.Rb1 or 16...Nxa1 17.Nxa7+ Kb8 18.Qa5c6 19.Nb5! is winning for White. 17.Bxd5Nxa1 18.Nxa7+ Kb8 19.Qb4 Qxd5 If 19...c5,then 20.Bf4+! Ka8 21.Qa5 wins. 20.cxd5Nc2 21.Qa5Nxe3 22.fxe3Rhe8 23.Nb5Rxd524.Qxc7+Ka8 25.Qa5+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Wahls, M.• Huebner, R.?Germany1989 1/2-1/2 B89The players castle on opposite sides of the boardand wildly attack each other’s King.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf65.Nc3 d6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Be3 a6 8.Qe2Qc7 9.Bb3Be7 10.O–O–O O–O 11.g4 Nxd4 12.Rxd4 b513.g5 Nd7 14.f4 Nc5 15.f5 exf5 16.Bd5 Rb817.exf5 b4 17...Bxf5 18.Rf1 also leads to an un-clear position. 18.g6 18.Ne4 Bxf5 19.Ng3 Bg6would be better for Black. 18...hxg6 The Knight ispoisoned. Not 18...bxc3 19.Qh5 h6 20.Bxh6 win-ning immediately. 19.fxg6 Be6 20.Bxe6 Nxe621.Nd5 White must give up the exchange, but hisattack is very strong. 21...Nxd4 22.Bxd4 Bg5+23.Kb1 Qb7 24.Qh5 Not 24.Qg2 Bh6 25.Re1Rfe8 26.Rxe8+ Rxe8+ 27.Nf6+ Kh8 winning forBlack. 24...Bh6 25.Nf6+ The only way to con-tinue the attack. 25...gxf6 Not 25...Kh8 26.Rg1threatening 27.Qxh6+. 26.Rg1 fxg6 27.Qxh6Rf7 Not 27...b5 28.Bxf6. 28.b3 Protecting hisKing against back rank mates. 28.Rxg6+ Rg7 or28.Qxg6+ Rg7 29.Qxf6 Rxg1+ 30.Bxg1 Qe4 aregood for Black. 28...Rc8 29.h4 Again 29.Rxg6+Rg7 30.Bxf6 Qh1+ 31.Kb2 Rxc2+ 32.Kxc2 Qe4+followed by 33...Rxg6 is good for Black. 29...Rh7White has a strong attack after 29...Qc7 30.h5Qxc2+ 31.Ka1 and if now 31...g5?, then 32.Rxg5+wins immediately. 30.Rxg6+Rg7 31.h5Qh1+31...Rxg6 32.Qxg6+ Qg7 33.Qf5 allows Whitea strong attack. 32.Kb2 Rxc2+ Black decidesto force a draw by perpetual check. OtherwiseWhite’s attack would be too strong. 33.Kxc2Qe4+ 34.Kc1 Qe1+ 35.Kb2 Qe2+ 36.Kc1Qe1+ Draw by Agreement.1/2-1/2

◦ Short, N.• Ljubojevic, L.?Belgrade1989 1-0 B81How to blow away a super Grandmaster.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3e6 6.g4 h6 7.h4 Nc6 8.Rg1 h5 9.gxh5 Nxh510.Be3Nf6 11.Nf3 a6 12.Qe2Qc7 13.O–O–Ob5 14.Ng5 Qa5 If 14...Rxh4, then White gets astrong attack after 15.f4 and Qf2. 15.f4 Whitewastes no time. 15...b4 16.Nb1 Qxa2 17.e5dxe5 18.fxe5 Nd5 19.Bg2 Be7 20.Nxf7 WithBlack’s Queen off to the side of the board, theposition is ripe for such a sacrifice. 20...Kxf721.Be4 Ke8 22.Rxg7 Bd7 23.Qg4 Kd8 If23...Nxe5, then 24.Rxe7+ wins or if 23...Nxe3,then 24.Rg8+ Bf8 25.Qg7! wins. 24.Bxd5 exd525.e6Be8 26.Bb6+Kc8 27.Qf4Ra7 28.Bxa7Rxh4 29.Qg3Qc4 30. Rxe7 Black Resigns. If30...Nxe7, then 31.Qb8#.1-0

◦ Nunn, J.• Thorsteins, K.?Lugano1989 1-0 B81The English Grandmaster John Nunn was awardedhis doctorate in mathematics from Oxford when hewas 21, but since then has chosen a career as achess player. He is known as an aggressive attack-ing player.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3d6 6.g4 Be7 7.g5 Nfd7 8.h4 O–O 9.Be3 Nc610.Bc4 Nxd4 11.Qxd4 a6 Better is 11...Ne5.12.O–O–O b5 13.Bb3 Nc5 14.f4 Qa5 15.h5b4 16.h6 e5 It appears that White is losing apiece. 17.Nd5 But Nunn has seen furtherahead. 17...Nxb3+ If 17...exd4, then 18.Nxe7+Kh8 19.hxg7+ Kxg7 20.Bxd4+ f6 21.gxf6+ fol-lowed by 22.Rdg1+ results in mate in a few moves.18.axb3 Bxg5 Now 18...exd4 loses to 19.Nxe7+Kh8 20.Bxd4 f6 21.g6. 19.fxe5 Black could finallytake the Queen after 19.fxg5? because of 19...exd420.Nxe7+ Kh8 21.Bxd4 Qxg5. 19...Bxe3+ If19...dxe5, then 20.Qxe5+ Bxe3+ 21.Kb1 wins.20.Qxe3 Black’s King is without defense. 20...g621.Qg5 f6 The only defense to 22.Ne7+ Kh823.Qf6#. 22.Ne7+ Kf7 This loses the Queen.But if 22...Kh8, then 23.Nxg6+ hxg6 24.Qxg6 Ra7

186

25.exf6 threatening 26.Qg7+ wins. 23.e6+ BlackResigns.1-0

◦ Sax, G.• Ehlvest, J.?Skelleftea1989 1-0 B81A super Grandmaster makes an error in the openingand suffers a quick knockout.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3d6 6.g4 Be7 7.g5 Nfd7 8.h4 Nc6 9.Be3 O–O10.Qh5 d5 Better is 10...a6. 11.O–O–O dxe412.Nxe4 Qa5 13.Nxc6 bxc6 14.Bd4 e5 Not14...Qxa2? 15.Nf6+ Bxf6 16.gxf6 e5 17.fxg7 win-ning. 15.Bc3 Qxa2 If 15...Qc7, then 16.Rxd7!Bxd7 17.Bd3 g6 18.Qh6 wins. 16.Rxd7 Bxd717.Nf6+ Bxf6 If 17...gxf6, then 18.gxf6 Bxf619.Rg1 Bg7 20.Qh6 wins. 18.gxf6Qa1+ Correctis 18...Qe6, although after 19.Bh3 Qxf6 20.Bxd7White has a large advantage. 19.Kd2Qa4 20.b4Preventing ...Qg4. The threat is now 21.Qg5 g622.Qh6 mating. 20...Rfd8 If now 21.Qg5, then21...Bf5+ and 22...Bg6. 21.Bd3 gxf6 22.Ra1Qb5 23.Qxh7+Kf8 24.Qh6+ Of course not im-mediately 24.Bxb5?? due to 24...Bf5+. 24...Ke725.Bxb5 cxb5 26.Qe3 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Damljanovic, B.• Kasparov, G.?Belgrade1989 0-1 B70The world champion can beat even the strongestGrandmasters swiftly and powerfully with theBlack pieces.1.Nf3 c5 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2Bg7 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4Nc6 6.Nb3 d6 7.Nc3 Nf6 8.O–O O–O 9.e4Bg4 10.f3 Be6 11.Kh1 The King was exposedto checks along the a7-g1 diagonal. 11...b512.a4 bxa4 13.Rxa4 Nd7 14.f4 Nb6 15.Ra1a5 16.Nd5 Better is 16.e5 Nb4 with an un-clear position. 16...a4 17.Nd2 Bd7 18.Ra3Better is 18.c3. 18...Na5 19.f5 Nxd5 20.exd5Qb6 21.fxg6 fxg6 Black has a big advantage be-cause White’s pieces are awkwardly placed. 22.b3Rxf1+ 23.Nxf1 axb3 24.cxb3 Rb8 25.Bg5Nxb3 26.Bxe7 Nd4 Better is 26...Qb4 with alarge advantage to Black. 27.Rd3 A fatal errorin time pressure. Better is 27.Bg5! Qxb2 28.Ra7Bf5 29.Be3 Be5 with just a slight advantage to

Black. 27...h6 The e7-Bishop is in danger of get-ting trapped. 28.Ne3 The final error. White’s bestchance is 28.Bxd6 Qxd6 29.Rxd4 Bxd4 30.Qxd4Rb1 with a large advantage to Black. 28...Re8White loses a piece. 29.Nc4Qb4 30.Nxd6Rxe731.Ne4Nf5 32.Qf3Qe1+ White Resigns.0-1

◦ Speelman, J.• Beliavsky, A.?Amsterdam1989 1/2-1/2 C92Two former world champion candidates square offin the Ruy Lopez opening.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.h3 Nd710.d3 This quiet move was favored by the worldchampion of the last century, Wilhelm Steinitz.10...Nb6 11.Be3 Na5 12.Bc2 c5 13.Nbd2Nc6 14.d4 exd4 15.cxd4 f5 Black wants to de-stroy White’s center. 16.dxc5 dxc5 17.Qc1Threatening 18.Bxc5 Bxc5 19.Bb3+. 17...Kh818.exf5 Bxf5 19.Be4 White keeps the pressureon. 20.Bxc6 and 20.Bxc5 are threatened. Whitewins a pawn, but then Black is able to start acounterattack. 19...Rc8 20.Bxc5Bxc5 21.Qxc5Na4 22.Qa3 Nd4 23.Nxd4 Qxd4 24.Bxf5Rxf5 25. Ne4 Nxb2 26.Qxa6 Rcf8 Better is26...Rd8. Now with his next move White is ableto go into an endgame a pawn up. 27.Qd6Qxd628.Nxd6Rd5 Worse is 28...Rxf2 29.Rf1! Rxf1+30.Rxf1 Ra8 (30...Rxf1+ 31.Kxf1 b4 32.Ke2 iswinning for White.) 31.Nxb5 with a big ad-vantage. 29.Ne4 h6 30.Rab1 Nc4 31.Re2Re5 32.Nc3Rxe2 33.Nxe2Ra8 34.Nc3Ra335.Rb3Rxb3 36.axb3Na5 37.b4Nc6 38.Nd5Kg8 39.f4 Kf7 40.Kf2 Ke6 41.Nc7+ Kf5 42.Ke3 Nxb4 43.g4+ Kf6 44.Ke4 Nc6 45.Nxb5Ne7 46.Nc7 Ng6 47.Nd5+ Kf7 48.Ne3 Ne749.h4Ng6 50.h5Nf8 51.Ke5 Black has hung ontough and finally White makes a mistake. Whitewould have had a big advantage after 51.Kf5! Ne652.Nc2!. Now Black is able to make a draw.51...Nd7+ 52.Kd5 Nf6+ 53.Kd6 g6 To forcethe draw Black needs to liquidate all of White’spawns. 54.hxg6+ Kxg6 55.Ke5 h5 56.f5+ If56.g5, then 56...Nh7 followed by 57...Nxg5 draw-ing. 56...Kg5 57.gxh5 Nxh5 58.Nc4 Kh659.Nb6Kg7 60.Ke6Nf4+ 61.Ke7Ng6+ Drawby Agreement.1/2-1/2

187

◦ Van der Wiel, J.• Sokolov, I.?Haninge1989 1-0 C91White cracks open Black’s King position with sac-rifices.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O–O 8.d4 d6 9.c3 Bg410.d5 Na5 11.Bc2 Qc8 12.h3 Bd7 13.Nbd2c6 14.b4 Nb7 15.dxc6 Bxc6 This weakens thef5 square. Better is 15...Qxc6. 16.Nf1 Re817.Ng3 h6 This unnecessarily weakens the king-side. Better is 17...g6. 18.Nh4 White intends toplay 19.Qf3. 18...Nxe4 19.Rxe4 19.Nxe4 Bxh4is all right for Black. 19...Bxe4 20.Bxe4 Bxh421.Nf5 d5 If 21...Bf6, then 22.Bxh6! is strong.22.Qg4 Not 22.Qxd5? Qxc3. 22...Bg5 23.Bxg5hxg5 24.Qxg5 g6 25.Nh6+Kf8 If 25...Kg7, then26.Ng4 wins. 26.Bxg6Qd8 The only move. Not26...fxg6 27.Qf6#. 27.Qg4Qf6 If 27...fxg6, then28.Qxg6 Nd6 29.Rd1! wins. 28.Bxf7 Qxh629.Qg8+ Better is 29.Bxd5. White was short ontime here. 29...Ke7 30.Bxe8 Rxe8 31.Qxd5White has a large advantage because Black’s Kingis exposed and his numerous pawns outweighthe Knight. 31...Nd6 32.Qxe5+ Kf8 33.Qd4Re4 34.Qb6 Qe6 35.Qxa6 Re1+ 36.Rxe1Qxe1+ 37. Kh2 Ne4 Black’s best chance was37...Qe5+ 38.g3 Ne4. 38.Qe6 Threatening39.Qe5 and 40.f3. 38...Qb1 39.f3 Nf2 40.Qc8+Kf7 41.Qb7+ Black Resigns. Black loses hisKnight after either 41...Kg6 42.Qb6+ or 41...Kg842.Qa8+ and 43.Qa7+.1-0

◦ Sax, G.• Portisch, L.?Skelleftea1989 0-1 C75One error allows Black a fierce kingside attack.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.c3Bd7 6.d4Nge7 7.Bb3 h6 8.Nbd2Ng6 9.Nc4Be7 10.Ne3 Bg5 11.Nxg5 White gains theBishop pair but gives Black an open h-file.11...hxg5 12.g3 Preventing the Knight from com-ing into f4. 12...exd4 13.cxd4 Kf8 This is thesafest spot for the King. 14.O–O Bh3 15.Qf3Qd7 16.Rd1 Re8 17.Nf5 This move is an er-ror because the Knights outpost cannot be held.Correct is 17.Bc2. 17...g4 18.Qe3 If 18.Qd3,then 18...Nce5 wins immediately. 18...Rh519.Nh4 The only defense to 19...Rxf5. 19...Rxh4

20.gxh4 Nxh4 White will find it impossible todefend his King. 21.Bd5 Ne7 22.Bc4 Nef523.Qc3 If 23.Qd3, then 23...Nxd4 wins imme-diately. 23...Rxe4 24.Bf1 Nxd4 25.Be3Ndf3+ 26.Kh1 Bxf1 27.Rxf1 Ng6 28.Rad1Qe7 White Resigns. There is no defense to29...Qh4.0-1

◦ Makarichev, S.• Tukmakov, V.?Palma de Mallorca1989 1-0 C46How to take advantage of a weak square in youropponent’s position.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Nc3 g6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nxd4Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Qd2 O–O 8. O–O–ONxd4 9.Bxd4 d6 10.f3 Be6 11.g4 c5 12.Be3Qa5 13.Bh6 Trading off an important defen-sive piece and weakening the squares around theKing. 13...Bxh6 Not 13...Bxa2?? 14.Bxg7 Kxg715.Nxa2 Qxa2 16.Qc3! winning, as there is nodefense to g5. 14.Qxh6 b5 White has a strongattack after 14...Bxa2 15.h4. 15.Bxb5 Rab816.a4 a6 17.Rxd6 axb5 18.e5 Nxg4 Black mustgive back the piece. 18...Ne8? 19.Ne4 threat-ening 20.Nf6+ wins immediately. f6 is a weaksquare which White takes advantage of. 19.fxg4Qb4 20.a5 White must keep the queenside closed.20...Qxg4 21.Re1 Threatening Ne4-f6. 21...Qf5In order to meet 22.Ne4 with 22...Qxe5. 22.Qh4b4 Better is 22...Kg7 or 22...h5. 23.Ne4 h524.Rd2 Threatening Rf2. 24...Kg7 The onlymove. 25.Qf6+ Kh6 26.Nxc5 Rb5 27.Nxe6fxe6 28.Qxf5 Rxf5 28...exf5 would have offeredbetter chances. 29.a6 Rfxe5 If 29...Ra5, then30.Rd6 wins. 30.Rxe5 Rxe5 31.Rd6 White iswinning due to his passed a-pawn. 31...Kg5 32.c4Kh4 33.Kc2Kh3 34.Kb3Kxh2 35.Kxb4Re136.a7 Ra1 37.Rd2+ Black Resigns. If 37...Kg3,then 38.Rd3+ followed by 39.Ra3 or if 37...Kg1,then 38.Rd1+ wins.1-0

◦ Makarichev, S.• Razuvaev, Y.?Moscow1989 0-1 C28A contest between two strong Soviet Grandmas-ters.1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d3 Na55.Nge2Nxc4 6.dxc4Bc5 7.h3 Of course White

188

does not fall for 7.Bg5? Bxf2+. 7...h6 8.Ng3d6 9.O–O Be6 10.Qd3 O–O 11.Bd2 a6 Cre-ating a retreat square for the Bishop in case ofNa4 and also planning ...b5 to open lines for hispieces. 12.a4 c6 With the idea of ...d5. Theside with the two Bishops wants the position to beopened up. 13.Rad1Qe7 14.Kh1 The start of adubious plan. Better is 14.b3. 14...Rad8 15.f4exf4 16.Bxf4 17.Nf5 is threatened. White wouldhave a strong position except for Black’s nextmove. 16...Ng4 17.Nf5 Of course not 17.hxg4Qh4#. Also bad is 17.Qe2 Qh4. 17...Bxf5 18.exf5Nf2+ 19.Rxf2 Bxf2 20.Ne4 Black has won theexchange, but can he withstand White’s comingattack. 20...Qh4 Not 20...Bc5 21.f6. 21.Qf3Be1 The saving move. Not 21...Bc5? 22.Bg3Qe7 23.f6 with a very good position for White.22.f6 If 22.Nxd6, then 22...Bb4 or if 22.Bxd6,then 22...Rfe8. 22...g5 23.Bh2 If 23.Bxd6, then23...Rf8 24.g4 h5!. 23...Rfe8 Not 23...d5? dueto 24.Nxd6 followed by 25.Nf5. 24.Nxd6 g425.hxg4 Better is 25.Qxg4 Qxg4 26.hxg4 althoughBlack has a large advantage after 26...Bb4 followedby 27...Re6. 25...Rxd6 26.Rxd6Bd2 Threaten-ing 27...Re3+. 27.Qh3 If 27.g3, then 27...Qh3wins. 27...Qe1+ 28.Bg1 Be3 29.Qh2 Bxg1White Resigns. If 30.Qxg1, then 30...Qh4+ 31.Qh2Re1#.0-1

◦ Blatny, P.• Vladimirov, E.?Alma-Ata1989 1-0 C18A game full of tactics.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3Bxc3+6.bxc3 Ne7 7.Qg4 O–O 8.Bd3 Nbc6 9.Qh5Nf5 10.Nf3 f6 11.g4 c4 The only move. 12.Be2Nfe7 13.exf6Rxf6 14.Ng5 h6 Not 14...Rh6 be-cause of 15.Qf7+ Kh8 16.Qf3 winning. 15.Nf3Qf8 16.g5 g6 17.Qh3 Not 17.Qxh6 Rxf3 win-ning. 17...e5 18.Qg2Re6 19.gxh6 exd4 20.cxd4Rxe2+ Sacrificing the exchange to open up theKing’s position. The position is unclear after20...Qf5 21.Be3 Qxc2 22.h7+! Kh8 23.Rd1.21.Kxe2 Qf5 22.Kd2 The only move. 22...b523.Re1 c3+ 24.Kxc3 b4+ 25.axb4Nxb4 26.Re2Not 26.Kxb4? Qxc2 followed by ...Rb8+ win-ning. 26...Ba6 27.Rxa6 Qc8+ 27...Nxa6?28.h7+ Kh8 29.Kd2 followed by Qg5 is good forWhite. 28.Kb2 The King is too exposed after28.Kxb4 Rb8+. 28...Qxa6 29.h7+ Now Whiteis able to start his own counterattack. 29...Kh8

30.Bf4 Threatening 31.Be5+. 30...Qa2+ Not30...Qxe2# 31.Be5+ Kxh7 32.Qh8+ Kf7 33.Ng5#.31.Kc1Nd3+ The only move. White was threat-ening 32.Be5+. 32.Kd1 White must play pre-cisely. 32.Kd2 Rc8 33.Kxd3 Qc4+ wins for Black.32...Rc8 The losing move. 32...Nb2+, 32...Qa1+,or 32...Qb1+ all would have given Black an equalposition. 33.Qg5 Threatening Qf6+. 33...Qb1+34.Bc1 Rc6 34...Qxc1+ 35.Qxc1 Nxc1 36.Rxe7is winning for White as is 34...Nb2+ 35.Ke1 Nd3+36.Kf1. 35.Qh6 Threatening Qf8+. 35...Rc836.Qg5 Rc6 37.Ne5 Nxc1 38.Nf7+ Black’sKing is in a mating net. 38...Kxh7 39.Qh6+Kg840.Qh8+ Kxf7 41.Qh7+ Kf8 42.Qxe7+ Kg843.Qd8+ Kh7 44.Re7+ Kh6 45.Qh8+ Kg546.Qe5+ Kh6 If 46...Kg4, then 47.h3+ leads tomate. 47.Qe3+ g5 48.Qh3+ Black Resigns. If48...Kg6, then 49.Qh7#.1-0

◦ Ernst, T.• Rogers, I.?Lugano1989 0-1 C07Tactics in the endgame.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.Ngf3cxd4 6.Bc4 Qd6 7.O–O Nf6 8.Nb3 Nc69.Nbxd4Nxd4 10.Nxd4Bd7 11.b3 a6 12.Bb2Qf4 13.Qe2 Bd6 14.g3 14.Nf3?! Bc6 15.Ne5Nd7 is good for Black. If now 16.g3, then16...Nxe5!. 14...Qg4 15.Qxg4 Nxg4 16.Rad1Bc5 17.Be2 Better is 17.Nf3 to avoid Black’snext move. 17...e5 18.Nf3 e4 19.Ng5 Not19.Nd2 e3. 19...Ne3 20.Rxd7 Correct is 20.fxe3Bxe3+ 21.Kg2 Bxg5 22.Bxg7 Rg8 23.Bf6 witha slightly better position for White. 20...Kxd721.Re1 f5 Not 21...Nxc2? 22.Rc1. 22.Nf7Rhc823.fxe3 Bxe3+ 24.Kf1 Rxc2 Black is better be-cause of his extra pawns and his pieces are moreactive. 25.Ne5+Ke7 26.Nc4Bc5 27.Bxg7 Bet-ter is 27.Rc1 exchanging off Black’s active Rook.27...f4 28.Bh6 The only move. Not 28.gxf4? Rg8or 28.Be5? f3 winning. 28...f3 29.Bd1 Rf2+30.Kg1 Re2+ 31.Kf1 Rf2+ 32.Kg1 Rxa2+33.Kh1 Not 33.Be3? f2+ winning immediately.33...Kf6 34.Rxe4 Ra1 35.Re1 Rd8 36.Bd2The only move. 36...Bb4 37.Bxf3 Again the onlymove. If 37.Bxb4, then 37...Rdxd1 38.Bc3+ Kg5!wins. 37...Rxe1+ 38.Bxe1 Bxe1 39.Bxb7 a5White’s chances to hold this ending are very slim.40.Bc6Rd3 41.Ba4Rf3 42.Kg1Ke6 43.Kg2Rf2+ 44.Kh3 Bc3 45.Bc6 Ra2 46.Be4 h647.Bc6 Kf5 Threatening ...Kg5 followed by

189

...Bd4-g1. 48.Ne3+ Kg5 49.Ng2 White plansto play Nh4-f3. 49...Rb2 Black’s plan is to sac-rifice the exchange for the b-pawn and then winwith his advanced a-pawn. 50.Bd5Kf6 51.Nh4Ke5 52.Bg8Ke4 53.Bh7+Kd5 54.Bg8+Kc555.Ng6 If instead 55.Nf5, then 55...Kb4 56.Nxh6Rxb3 and the a-pawn cannot be stopped. 55...Kb456.Ne7 Ka3 Not 56...Rxb3? 57.Nc6+ Ka358.Bxb3 Kxb3 59.Nxa5 with an equal position.57.Nc6Rd2 58.Bc4Rd6 59.Na7Kb4 60.Bg8Rg6 61.Bd5 Rd6 62.Bg8 Bd4 63.Nc8 Rd864.Be6 If 64.Ne7, then 64...Rxg8 followed by65...Kxb3 wins. 64...Bc5 The Knight cannot es-cape. Now Black wins just by capturing the b-pawn. 65.Kg4 Rd3 66.Kh5 Rxb3 67.Bxb3Kxb3 68.Kxh6 a4 69.g4 a3 70.g5 a2 71.g6Bd4White Resigns.0-1

◦ Rubin, D.• Glek, I.?Correspondence1989 1/2-1/2 C07This correspondence game features lots of sacri-fices and some very sharp tactics.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.Ngf3cxd4 6.Bc4 Qd6 7.O–O Nf6 8.Nb3 Nc69.Nbxd4Nxd4 10.Nxd4 a6 11.b3Qc7 12.Qe2Bd6 13.Nf5 The fireworks begin. 13...Bxh2+14.Kh1 O–O 15.Nxg7 Qe5 Not 15...Kxg716.Bb2 Qf4 17.Qh5 winning. 16.g3 16.Bh6Qxe2 17.Bxe2 Be5 leads to an equal position.16...Qxa1 17.c3 b5 17...Qxc3 18.Bb2 wins forWhite. 18.Bd3Rd8 Unclear is 18...Qxc3 19.Bb2Qc6+ 20.f3. 19.Be4 Nxe4 20.Qxe4 Qxc3 If20...Rb8, then 21.Qe5 threatening both 22.Qxb8and 22.Nh5. 21.Nh5 Black has a big advantageafter 21.Qxa8 Qxg7. 21...Qd3 22.Qg4+ Qg623.Qh4 Bb7+ 24.Kxh2 e5 25.Bb2 White isdown in material but Black’s kingside is very weak.25...Re8 Black must give back the exchange tokeep the White’s bishop out of play. 26.Nf6+Kg7 27.Nxe8+ Rxe8 28.Rc1 Qf5 29.Qf4 Badis 29.f4 h6 30.Rc7 Qe4 31.Qg4+ Kf8 and Whitecannot defend his King. 29...Kg6 30.Qxf5+Kxf5 Black is better in the endgame, but will itbe enough to win? 31.Rc7 Bd5 32.Rd7 Ke633.Ra7Rc8 Black could have kept his extra pawnwith 33...Ra8, but decides to activate his Rook in-stead. 34.g4 Worse is 34.Rxa6+ Kf5 with a strongattack. 34...Rc2 35.Rxa6+ Bc6 36.Kg3 f637.f4Kd5 38.Ba1 e4 39.Ra7 e3 40.Re7Rg2+

White’s kingside pawns would become quite dan-gerous after 40...Rxa2 41.Bxf6. 41.Kxg2 Kd6+42.Kf1 Kxe7 43.Ke2 Bd7 44.f5 h5 45.gxh5Bxf5 46.Kxe3Bg4 47. h6Kf7 Draw by Agree-ment.1/2-1/2

◦ Dreev, A.• Azmaiparashvili, Z.?Moscow1989 1-0 B07A contest between two Soviet super Grandmastersends quickly.1.d4 g6 2.e4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.Bg5 Nf6 5.f4O–O 6.Nf3 c6 7.Qd2 b5 8.Bd3 Bg4 9.e5b4 10.Ne2 Bxf3 11.gxf3 Nd5 12.Bc4 a513.O–O–O White is intending to weaken Black’skingside with f4-f5. 13...Qd7 14.f5 This pawnsacrifice opens lines and gains time for White’sattack. 14...Qxf5 15.Ng3 Qe6 16.f4 dxe517.f5 Qd6 18.fxg6 hxg6 19.Rdg1 exd4 Bet-ter is 19...f5. 20.Nf5 Qe5 If 20...exf5, then21.Bh6. 21.Nxg7Ne3 If 21...Qxg7, then 22.Bh6Qe5 23.Rg5 Qe4 24.Bxd5 cxd5 25.Re1 winsfor White. 22.Bxe3 dxe3 23.Qd3 Threatening24.Qxg6. 23...Kxg7 24.Bxf7 Qh5 25.Rxg6+Black Resigns. If 25...Kxf7, then 26.Rf1+ Ke827.Rxf8+ Kxf8 28.Qd8+ Kf7 29.Qg8#.1-0

◦ Kudrin, S.• Miles, A.?USA1989 0-1 B00This game from the U.S. championship features aRussian born Grandmaster against an English bornGrandmaster, the latter well known for his creativebut sometimes unorthodox style.1.e4 Nc6 2.d4 e5 3.dxe5 Nxe5 4.Nf3 Bb4+5.c3Bd6 6.Nbd2Nxf3+ 7.Nxf3Ne7 8.e5Bc59.b4 Bb6 10.Bf4 O–O 11.Bc4 Ng6 12.Bg3d6 Black is willing to sacrifice a pawn to openlines for his pieces. 13.exd6 Re8+ 14.Be2Qf6 15.O–O cxd6 16.Bb5 Not 16.Bxd6 dueto 16...Rxe2. 16...Rd8 17.Qd2 Bg4 18.Nd4Rac8 19.Rac1 Ne5 20.Rfe1 Black has a weakd-pawn, but his active pieces gives him the ad-vantage. 20...Rc7 21.Bf1 a6 22.Re4 Qg623.Rce1 f6 24.Kh1 Rdc8 25.R4e3 Bd7 26.a4h5 27.f4 This weakens the kingside. Better is27.a5. 27...Ng4 28.Re7 h4 Black calculated

190

many moves ahead before playing this strong sac-rifice. 29.Bxh4Qh5 30.Bg3 This obvious moveloses for White. Better was 30.Nf3, although after30...Qxh4! 31.Nxh4 Nf2+ 32.Kg1 Ne4+ 33.Qe3Bxe3+ 34.Rxe3 d5 Black has the better position.30...Rxc3 31.Rxd7 Rxg3 32.h3 Qd5 This po-sition is full of tactics. Black threatens both33...Qxd4 and 33...Rxh3+. 33.Nf3 Qxf3 Beau-tiful! 34.gxf3 is met with 34...Rg1 checkmate!34.Bc4+ Rxc4 35.gxf3 Rxh3+ 36.Kg2 Rh2+Black wins back the Queen and is left at leasta piece ahead. 37.Kg3 Rxd2 38.Ree7 White’sonly hope is a counterattack on the Black King,but this proves futile. 38...Nh6 39.Rxg7+ Kf840.Rh7 Rcc2 41.Rh8+ Ng8 42.Kg4 Rg2+43.Kf5Rg7 44. Rxd6Rc6 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Rodriguez, Am.• Miles, A.?Palma de Mallorca1989 0-1 B00English GM Miles plays a game in the style of thegreat chess thinker Aron Nimzowitsch.1.e4Nc6 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4Nf6 4.Nc3Bg4 5.Be3e6 6.Be2 Be7 7.O–O O–O 8.Re1 d5 PureNimzowitsch. Black intends to exchange off hisQueen Bishop after fixing the pawns on lightsquares. 9.h3 Bh5 10.e5 Nd7 11.Qd2 Nb612.b3 Bg6 13.Bd3 Qd7 14.Ne2 With the ideaof Nf4. 14...Nb4 15.Bxg6 fxg6 16.c3 Betteris exchanging off his bad Bishop with 16.Bg5.16...Na6 17.Bg5Ba3 18.Qc2Rac8 Not 18...c519.Bc1. 19.b4 Threatening 19.Nd2 and 20.Qb3,trapping the Bishop. 19...Rxf3 The only move,but a strong one as well. White’s kingside isfull of holes. 20.gxf3 Rf8 21.Kg2 Qf7 22.Qd3Nc4 23.Bc1Bxc1 24.Raxc1Nb8 With the ideaNc6-e7-f5. 25.h4 Nc6 26.f4 Ne7 27.Rh1 Nf528.Rh3Qe7 29.Rch1 a5 Creating a second front.30.bxa5Ra8 31.Ng3Rxa5 32.h5Qf7 33.Qb1b6 34.hxg6 Qxg6 35.Rxh7 Kf7 35...Nce3+36.Kg1 is unclear. 36.R7h5 Nce3+ 37.Kg1Qg4 Black has a large advantage. 38.R1h2 If38.Rg5, then 38...Qxf4 wins, or if 38.R1h3, then38...Nxg3 wins. 38...Nxg3 39.fxg3Qxg3+ Whitecannot hold this position because of his openKing and weak pawns. 40.Kh1 Qf3+ 41.Kg1Qg4+ 42.Kf2 Nd1+ 43.Kf1 Ne3+ 44.Kf2Nd1+ 45.Kf1 Qf3+ 46.Kg1 Qe3+ 47.Kf1Nxc3 48.Qe1 Qd3+ 49.Kg1 Rb5 The Rookcomes into action. ...Rb1 is threatened. 50.R5h3If 50.Rd2, then 50...Qg6 51.Rg5 Rb1. 50...Qxd4+

51.Kg2 Rb2+ 52.Kf3 Qd3+ 53.Kg4 Qf5+54.Kf3 Ne2 White Resigns. 55...Nd4+ is threat-ened, and if 55.Rxe2, then 55...Qxh3+.0-1

◦ Kasparov, G.• Salov, V.?Barcelona1989 1-0 A34This was voted the best game of the first half of1989 by Chess Informant.1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 b6 3.Nc3 c5 4.e4 d6 5.d4 cxd46.Nxd4 Bb7 7.Qe2 Nbd7 8.g3 Rc8 Better is8...e6. Black needs to be developing his king-side. 9.Bg2 a6 10.O–O Qc7 Again, better is10...e6. 11.b3 e6 12.Nd5 This move was dis-covered in Kasparov’s home laboratory. 12...Qb8If 12...exd5, then 13.exd5+ Kd8 14.Bb2 givesWhite the advantage. 13.Rd1 g6 Again 13...exd514.exd5+ Kd8 15.Nc6+ is good for White. 14.Bg5Bg7 If 14...exd5, then 15.exd5 Be7 16.Nc6 is win-ning for White. 15.Bxf6 Nxf6 16.Nxb6 Rd8Better is 16...Rc7, although White has a large ad-vantage. 17.e5 Bxg2 If 17...dxe5, then 18.Nc6is strong. 18.exf6 Bxf6 19.Nxe6 Cracking openthe defenses around Black’s King. 19...fxe620.Qxe6+ Be7 21.c5 Protecting the Knight onb6. 21...Bb7 22.Re1Qc7 23.c6Bxc6 24.Rac1Threatening 25.Rxc6. 24...Rd7 25.Nxd7 Qxd726.Qc4 Bb7 If 26...Bb5, then 27.Qc8+ wins.27.Qc7 Rf8 28.Qb8+ Kf7 29.Rc7 Black Re-signs.1-0

◦ Kasparov, G.• Vaganian, R.?Skelleftea1989 1-0 A33Vaganian would win the Soviet Championship in1989, but playing Black against the world cham-pion is not an easy task for anyone.1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.d4 cxd45.Nxd4 e6 6.g3 Qb6 7.Ndb5 d5 8.Bg2 d49.Na4 Qa5+ 10.Bd2 Bb4 11.Nc5 The knightmoves to the strategically important outpost atd3. 11...O–O 12.Nd3 Bxd2+ 13.Qxd2 Qxd2+14.Kxd2 Rd8 White has some advantage in theendgame because of his pawn majority on thequeenside. The game will be determined by howeffectively he will utilize it. 15.c5Ne8 16.Na3 f617.f4Bd7 18.Nc4Rab8 19.b4Ne7 20.a4Bc6

191

21.Bf3 a6 22.Rhb1 Nc7 23.Nd6 Nf5 24.b5axb5 25.axb5Nxd6 Black had been doing fine upto here. But this move is a mistake and Kasparovdoes not give him a second opportunity. Correct is25...Bxf3 26.Nxf5 Bxe2 27.Ne7+ Kf7 28.b6 Ne829.c6 Kxe7 30.c7 Bf3 31.Ra7 Rbc8 32.cxd8(Q)+Rxd8 33.Nc5 Nd6. 26.bxc6 Nc4+ 27.Kc1 bxc628.Rxb8 Black’s problem now is that both hisc- and d- pawns are weak. 28...Rxb8 29.Ra4Ne3 30.Bxc6 e5 If 30...Rd8, then 31.Ra7 Ned532.Kb2 Rb8+ 33.Rb7 Rxb7 34.Bxb7 Nc3 35.e4followed by Kb3 and Kc4 with a large advantage toWhite. 31.fxe5 fxe5 32.Nxe5Ne6 33.Ra5Rc834.Kd2Kf8 Not only is White a pawn ahead, buthis pieces are also better placed. Black has nohope. 35.Kd3Ke7 36.Ra7+Kf6 37.Nd7+Kg538.Bf3 Nf5 39.h4+ Kg6 40.Ra6 Kf7 41.Bd5Re8 42.Ne5+ Kf6 43.Nf3 Black Resigns. Inorder to stop 44.Ng5, Black must play 44...h6.But after 45.g4 Ne3 46.Bxe6 Rxe6 47.Rxe6+ Kxe647.Nd4+ White wins.1-0

◦ Karpov, An.• Hjartarson, J.?Seattle1989 1-0 A29The rising Icelandic GM takes on the former worldchampion in the quarterfinals of the world champi-onship. This was voted the fourth best game duringthe first half of 1989 by Chess Informant.1.c4 e5 2.g3Nf6 3.Bg2 d5 4.cxd5Nxd5 5.Nc3Nb6 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.O–O Be7 8.a3 Be6 9.b4O–O 10.Rb1 Anticipating that the b-file willget opened after Ne4-c5 and ...Bxc5. The Rookalso guards the b3-square should Black play...Nd4. 10...f6 11.d3 Qd7 12.Ne4 Nd5 13.Qc2b6 Preventing Ne4-c5, however this contradictsone of Steinitz’ rules - "don’t make weaknesseswhere your opponent is attacking." 14.Bb2Rac815.Rbc1 Nd4 16.Bxd4 exd4 17.Qc6 Qxc618.Rxc6 Bd7 19.Nxd4 White has more thanenough compensation for the exchange. 19...Bxc620.Nxc6 Rce8 21.Rc1 Karpov plays like apython the way he deprives his opponents of allcounterplay. 21...f5 22.Nd2 Nf6 23.Nxa7 Bd6If 23...c5, then 24.b6 followed by an attack onthe b6-pawn. 24.e3 c5 25.Nc4 Bb8 26.Nc6 b527.N4a5 cxb4 28.axb4 Nd7 Preventing 29.Rc5.29.d4 Threatening Bg2-f1. 29...g5 30.Nxb8Rxb8 31.Rc7Nf6 32.Nc6Rb6 33.Ne7+Kh834.Nxf5 Ra6 35.Rc1 Ra2 36.h3 Rb2 37.e4Rxb4 38.g4 h5 39.e5 hxg4 If 39...Nh5, then

40.hxg4 and White’s central pawns are too power-ful. 40.exf6 gxh3 41.Bxh3Rxf6 42.Rc8+Kh743.Rc7+ Kg6 44.Rg7+ Kh5 45.f3 Black Re-signs. There is no good defense to 46.Bg4#.1-0

◦ Kasparov, G.• Short, N.?Barcelona1989 1-0 A20When the number-one and number-three-ratedplayers get together to rumble it’s always an ea-gerly awaited match-up. The audience didn’t dis-appoint the players, nor did the players disappointthe audience.1.c4 e5 2.g3 d6 3.Bg2 g6 4.d4 exd4 5.Qxd4Nf6 6.Nc3 Bg7 This gives White an advantagein the ending. The middlegame after 6...Nc6 7.Qd2Bg7 8.b3 is also better for White. 7.Qe3+Qe7 8.Qxe7+ Kxe7 9.b3 A powerful move thatNigel had missed when allowing the exchange ofQueens. The move has several points. It protectsc4, making counterplay based on ...Bc8-e6 impos-sible. Also, when Black plays ...c7-c6, protectingd5 and neutralizing the Bishop on g2, White thencan play Bc1-a3 pressing against d6. Black has ableak future. He’ll have to sit passively, waiting tocounterpunch. The question is, what is the best de-fensive arrangement for Black’s pieces? Should heforgo playing ...c7-c6 and play ...a7-a5 with ...Nb8-a6 in mind? Or should he bite the bullet, play9...Rd8 intending ...c7-c6, ...Bc8-e6, ...Nb8-d7-b6,and ...d6-d5? The choice is not an easy one evenwith hindsight. 9...a5 Nigel didn’t like this moveand blamed it for his problems in this game. He felt9...Rd8 aiming for an eventual ...d6-d5 was better.10.Bb2 c6 11.Na4 A very strong move. Black issentenced to keep watch over the b6 square whilehis Kingside his kingside is paralyzed on the a1-h8 diagonal. White already has a significant ad-vantage. It’s moves like this -moving the samepiece twice, decentralizing the Knight, etc. - thatgives chess teachers nightmares. 11...Be6 It’s hardto question a move like this, but Black’s positioncraves exchanges. Better is 11...Nh5 or 11...Ne8intending to exchange Bishops and use e6 for theKnight. This would have relieved some of the pres-sure on Black’s position. With the benefit of hind-sight, it’s plain that Black had to be willing to makea major concession to trade these Bishops. 12.Nf3Nbd7 Nigel is drifting. In combination with ...a7-a5, this method of development is not logical.13.Nd4 Now all of White’s pieces are working. As

192

soon as the first player doubles on the d-file Blackcan resign. 13...Rhc8 14.O–O Rab8 15.Rac1Garry is wrong to discourage ...b7-b5. After theindicated 15.Rfd1, followed by Rd2, Black is his-tory. If 15...b5?!, then 16.cxb5 cxb5 17.Nc3 b4 and18.Ncb5, intending Na7, and the game would endbefore it had properly begun. 15...Ne8 16.Rfd1The handwriting is on the wall. Black has to holdhis breath and play some ugly moves before thingsget any worse. 16...c5 The best move, but Ican’t bring myself to give such a move an excla-mation mark! Review my earlier notes. 17.Nb5Bxb2 18.Nxb2 Nb6 19.Nc3 Na8 The Knighton b6 is a dead piece. The White pawn structureof b3-c4 stifles its movements. White has a wongame. 20.Nba4 Nec7 21.Rd2 Bd7 22.Ne4Garry tightens the noose. 22...Ne8 Forced. If22...Bxa4 23.bxa4 Ne8 (If 23...Nb6, 24.Rxd6 Nxa425.Rd3 intending Ra3 wins material.) 24.Rb1 atonce, Black is forced to play ...b7-b6, after whichmaterial losses will become unavoidable. 23.Nac3Bc6 24.Rcd1 Rd8 White has achieved all hecan on the queenside and in the center, and it’snot enough to win the game. How to step up thepressure? It’s clear that the Kingside has to getinvolved. The winning idea will be to play e2-e3, f2-f4, g3-g4-g5 and then to push the h-pawn.Garry now sets this plan in motion. 25.g4 Blackisn’t given the chance to exchange pieces by ...f7-f5 and Bc6xg2. 25...Nac7 26.a4 Once again pre-venting any freeing of the Black position by ...b7-b5. White can work in peace. 26...Ne6 27.e3h6 28.f4 Rd7 29.h4 Rbd8 30.Ng3 Preparing afull-court press. White wants to play g4-g5 andforce the exchange of h-pawns. If Black avoidsthis with ...h6-h5, then f4-f5-f6+ comes in decisivefashion. 30...N6g7 31.Nd5+ Precise play. It’s tooearly to play 31.g5 hxg5 32.hxg5 f6, when lineswill be opened on the kingside because White isn’tcompletely mobilized to take advantage of them.Parting with the Bishop by 31...Bxd5 32.Bxd5 Nf633.Bf3 doesn’t help matters. 31...Kf8 32.Kf2Readying the blow g4-g5 and Bg2-h3. 32...Ne633.g5 hxg5 34.hxg5 N6c7 35.Bh3 f5 36.gxf6Rh7 37.Nxc7 Nxc7 38.Bg2 Ne8 Nothing isaccomplished by 38...Rh2, as 39.Kg1 forces ex-changes on g2. 39.Bxc6 bxc6 40.Kg2 Harness-ing Black’s Rook. White now wants to protect hispawn with e3-e4-e5. 40...Rb8 41.Rd3 d5 Desper-ation. If 41...Rhb7, then 42.e4 Rxb3 43.e5 R3b444.Rc3 Rxa4 45.Ne4, with the intention of Nxd6or Rh1-h8+ and Ne4-g5 mate, quickly decides mat-ters. 42.cxd5 cxd5 43.Rxd5Rxb3 It now seemslogical for White to fall into the trap 44.e4 Nxf6

45.Rxc5 Rxg3+, winning for Black. Unfortunatelyfor Nigel, the strongest part of Garry’s game ishis fine tactical ability, which he now demonstratesonce more. 44.Ne4 A superb move. White uti-lizes all his pieces to weave a mating net. Whiteintends Rd5-e5 and Rd1-d8. 44...Rxe3 45.Re5Rh5 Nigel is still kicking. When I first saw thisposition I thought that Nigel had squirmed out. In-deed, after 46.Nxc5 Rexe5 47.Nd7+ Kf7 48.fxe5Nc7, Black has good blockading chances. Garry’snext move removes all hope. 46.Re6 Renew-ing the threat of Rd1-d8. 46...Re2+ Nigel canchoose his own execution: 46...Nc7 47.Rd8+ Kf748.Re7 mate or 46...Nxf6 47.Rd8+ Kf7 48.Rxf6+Ke7 49.Rff8 and the Knight on e4 is taboo be-cause of Re8+ and Rxe4. 47.Kf3 Rhh2 48.f7The final brilliancy. 48...Rhf2+ 49.Nxf2 Rxe650.fxe8=Q+ Kxe8 51.Rc1 Black Resigns. Aclinical masterpiece by Garry Kasparov.1-0

◦ Speelman, J.• Short, N.?Barcelona1989 1-0 A17Black’s King is left stuck in the center.1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 b6 4.e4 Bb7 5.Bd3White intends to play Bc2 and d4. 5...c5 6.e5Ng4 7.O–ONc6 8.Be4 f5 9.exf6Nxf6 10.Bxc6Bxc6 11.d4 Bxf3 12. Qxf3 cxd4 13.Nb5 Rc814.Bf4 a6 15.Nxd4Rxc4 16.Rfd1 Threatening17.Nxe6. White has compensation for the sacri-ficed pawn because Black’s King is stuck in thecenter. 16...Qc8 17.Rac1 Kf7 If 17...Be7,then 18.Rxc4 Qxc4 19.Qa8+ is slightly better forWhite. 18.Qe2Rxc1 Not 18...b5? 19.Nf3 threat-ening 20.Ne5+. 19.Rxc1 Qa8 Not 19...Qb7?,as 20.Nxe6! wins at once. 20.Nf3 Bc521.Ne5+ Ke7 22.Bg5 Rf8 23.Rd1 d6 24.b4dxe5 25.bxc5 bxc5 26.Qc2 Threatening 27.Qxh7.If 26.Qxe5, then Black holds with 26...Qc6.26...Kf7 27.Bxf6Kxf6 28.Rd3 e4 A blunder intime pressure. Correct is 28...Kf7. 29.Qc3+Kf5Also losing are 29...e5 30.Rd6+ Kf7 31.Qc4+!and 29...Kf7 30.Rd7+ and 29...Kg6 30.Rg3. In-stead Black brings his King into the center, butit has little chance for survival there. 30.Rd7e3 31.Qxc5+Kg6 32.Qxe3Qc6 33.Qg3+Kf534.Qh3+ Ke5 35.Qg3+ Kf5 36. Rc7 Qe437.h4 h6 38.Rxg7 Qe1+ 39.Kh2 Qe5 40.Ra7Qxg3+ 41.Kxg3 Rg8+ 42.Kh3 Rc8 43.Rxa6Rc3+ 44.g3 h5 45.Ra5+ e5 46.f4 Ke4 47.fxe5Kf3 48.e6Kf2 49. Rf5+ Black Resigns.

193

1-0

◦ Velikov, P.• Dorfman, I.?Palma de Mallorca1989 0-1 A04This game has a wild King hunt.1.Nf3 g6 2.g3 Bg7 3.d4 c5 4.c3 b6 5.dxc5bxc5 6.Qd5 White hunts down a pawn butloses in a lot of time in the process. 6...Nc67.Qxc5Nf6 8.Bg2Ba6 9.Nd4Nxd4 10.Qxd4O–O 11.Bxa8 Grabbing the Rook is risky asit leaves the kingside weak. Safer is 11.Qd1.11...Qxa8 12.f3 e5 Black must lose no time inopening up the position. 13.Qd1 Of course13.Qxe5 Re8 loses immediately. 13...e4 14.Kf2Black would have compensation for the sacri-ficed material after 14.O-O exf3 15.Rxf3 Re8.14...Re8 15.Re1 Qc6 16.Na3 Qe6 17.Nc2Qh3 18.Kg1 Not 18.Rh1? exf3 19.exf3 Re2+winning immediately. 18...Re5 Threaten-ing 19...Rh5. 19.Bf4 19.Ne3 Rh5 20.Nf1 exf3loses immediately as does 19.g4 Nxg4 20.fxg4Qxg4+ 21.Kh1 e3 22.Rf1 Rg5. 19...Rd5 An im-portant in-between move. On 19...Rh5, Whitecan defend with 20.g4. 20.Nd4 Rh5 21.g4Nd5 22.Qb3Nxf4 23.Qb8+Bc8 24.Qxc8+ If24.Qxf4, then 24...Be5. 24...Bf8 25.Kf2 Re526.Ke3 exf3+ 27.Kxf4 If 27.Kd2, then 27...f228.Rf1 Rxe2+ 29.Nxe2 Qd3+ wins. 27...d6 28.e4If 28.Nxf3, then 28...g5+ 29.Nxg5 Qe3 checkmate.28...f2 Threatening 29...g5 checkmate. 29.Nf3fxe1=Q 30.Rxe1 h5 31.Nxe5 dxe5+ 32.Kg5 If32.Kxe5, then 32...Qh2+ 33.Qd5 Qd2+ 34.Kc4Qxe1 wins. 32...Kg7 33.Qd7Qxg4+ White Re-signs. 34.Qxg4 f6 is a very pretty checkmate.0-1

◦ Gelfand, B.• Kasparov, G.?Linares1990 1/2-1/2 E99A titanic struggle between two giants.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2O–O 6.Nf3 e5 7.O–O Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Ne1Nd7 10.Nd3 f5 11.Bd2Nf6 12.f3Kh8 13.Rc1c5 This makes it more difficult for White to at-tack on the queenside. 14.g4 And this makes itmore difficult for White to attack on the king-side. 14...a6 15.Nf2 h6 16.h4 fxg4 17.fxg4Neg818.Kg2 Nh7 19.Rh1 Bf6 20.g5 White sacri-fices a pawn to keep Black’s pieces inactive. To

Black’s advantage is 20.Kg3 Bxh4+ 21.Rxh4 Rxf2and even worse is 20.h5 Bh4. 20...hxg5 21.h5Qe8Good for White is 21...Ne7 22.Bg4. 22.b4 Whitesuddenly switches the focus to the queenside.22...cxb4 23.Na4 Bd8 24.Bxb4 Bd7 25.hxg6Better is 25.Nb2. Then Kasparov intended to play25...Rxf2+ 26.Kxf2 Ngf6 with attacking chances.25...Qxg6 26.c5 Threatening 27.c6. 26...g4 Bet-ter is 26...Nf6 to meet 27.c6 with 27...Nxe4.27.c6 g3 28.Nd3 bxc6 29.dxc6Rc8 30.Bf3 Not30.cxd7? Rxc1 31.Nxc1 Rf2+ 32.Kg1 Qxe4 win-ning. 30...Rxf3 31.Qxf3 Bg4 32.Qxg3 Not32.Qe3? Bg5 winning. 32...Qxe4+ 33.Kg1 Cor-rect is 33.Kh2. 33...Nf6 34.Bxd6Qd4+ Correctis 34...Rxc6 35.Rxc6 Qxc6 36.Nxe5 Qxa4 with alarge advantage to Black. 35.Nf2Qxd6 36.Nxg4Qd4+ 37.Nf2 Qxa4 38.Qxe5 Rc7 39.Rh2Rg7+ 40.Rg2 Bc7 41.Qf5 Qxa2 42.Qc8+Qg8 43.Qxg8+Kxg8 44.Rxg7+Kxg7 45.Nd3Draw by Agreement.1/2-1/2

◦ Korchnoi, V.• Ye, J.?Novi Sad1990 0-1 E99An incredible back-and-forth tactical marvel,played at the Olympiad between the former So-viet Korchnoi, now playing for the Swiss, and thetop board for the Chinese team, relative newcom-ers to the world of top-level chess. In this game,Ye, Jiangchuan proves that age and experience arenot always victorious over inventive youth.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2O–O 6.Nf3 e5 7.O–O This is a standard line inthe King’s Indian Defense. Note that White can-not now win a pawn by 7.dxe5 dxe5 8.Qxd8 Rxd89.Nxe5 due to 9...Nxe4 with complications. 7.dxe5is playable, however, with positions more favor-able to the style of Korchnoi’s nemesis, AnatolyKarpov. 7...Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Ne1 Preparing tomeet ...f7-f5 with f2-f3, and also repositioning theKnight to support c4-c5. An alternative is to re-treat to d2, heading for the c4 square after c4-c5. White’s play is on the Queenside, while Blackwill mount a direct assault on the White monarch.9...Nd7 10.Be3 f5 11.f3 f4 12.Bf2 g5 13.Nb5This move is normally played a little later, afterNe1-d3, Ra1-c1, c4-c5, and c5xd6. With the ex-change of c-pawns, White is better prepared toattack down the open c-file, and Nb5 threatensboth the a-pawn, the d-pawn, and the c7 square.Now Black takes a moment to defend the a-pawn

194

and slow the c-pawn’s advance. 13...b6 14.b4a6 15.Nc3 h5 16.Kh1 Nf6 17.c5 g4 18.cxb6cxb6 19.Rc1 g3 Black is more than willing tosacrifice a pawn or two to open Kingside lines.20.Bg1 gxh2 21.Bf2 h4 22.Na4 Rb8 23.b5axb5 24.Bxb5Nh5 25.Kxh2Ng3 26.Rg1Ng627.Nd3 Kh7 28.Nb4 h3 29.Rxc8 Basicallyforced, due to Black’s increasing initiative. NowKorchnoi hopes to get some pawns for the ex-change. 29...Rxc8 30.gxh3Rh8 31.Bxb6Qe732.Nd3Rb8 33.Bc6Kg8 34.Nf2Nh4 35.Qd3Kf7 36.Rc1 Rxb6 And Black returns the mate-rial to set up an unusual diagonal pin against theloose Knight f2. 37.Nxb6 Qa7 38.Qb3 Rb839.Rb1 Bf6 40.Qb4 Nxf3+ 41.Kg2 Nh4+42.Kg1 Bd8 43. Qxd6 Rxb6 44.Qe6+ Kg745.Rxb6 Qxb6 46.Qd7+ Kh6 47.Qe6+ Ng648.Kg2Kg7 49. Qd7+Be7 50.d6 Walking intomate, but there is no real defense. 50...Nh4+51.Kg1Qb1+ 52.Kh2Nf1+ White Resigns.0-1

◦ Stohl, I.• Uhlmann, W.?Euwe Memorial, Amsterdam1990 0-1 E97The text is a model King’s Indian Defense game,where Black first stymies White on the Queenside,then goes for a full bodied attack on the King.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2O–O 6.Nf3 e5 7.O–ONc6 8.d5Ne7 9.Nd2 a510.a3Bd7 11.Rb1 Thus far both players are fol-lowing the recommended line of play. White’s ideawill be to advance on the Queenside. Black willtry to instigate play on the Kingside. 11...a412.b3 axb3 13.Nxb3 c5 14.dxc6 Bxc6 15.Qd3Nh5 A move that is reminiscent of Game three inthe 1972 match between Bobby Fischer and BorisSpassky. Black is willing to accept doubled pawnsin return for open lines to attack White’s King.He feels comfortable doing this as White’s Queen-side pieces haven’t reached their attacking poten-tial. 16.Bxh5 gxh5 17.Qh3 f5 18.Qxh5 fxe419.Qe2Ng6 20.Nd5Kh8 21.Qxe4Ra4 Whitehas won a pawn and appears to have a nice block-ade in the center. All of which appears to be a gooddeal. But, Black has prepared a much deeper point.Using the light-squared Bishop, he will undermineWhite’s pieces in the center. Once they have beenswept away, he will attack White’s King upon thelight squares. 22.Qe2Qh4 23.Nb4Bd7 24.g3White is obliged to make this weakening Kingsidemove. If 24.Rd1 Nf4 25. Bxf4 exf4 26.Rxd6 f3!

27.gxf3 Bh3 would have fatal consequences. Thetext tries to prevent ...Ng6-f4. 24...Qh3 25.Bb2Bh6 A very sly move. Black activates his Bishopwhile secretly clearing the g-file for his Rook to at-tack. 26.f3 Be6 27.Rbd1 Nf4 Everything is inreadiness and the fireworks now begin. Note that ifthe attack does fail, White will win. This is wherethe importance of calculation comes in. In thiscase, Black has either calculated or intuited that hisattack is worth the offered material. 28.gxf4Rg8+29.Kh1 Bxc4 30.Qf2 Bxf4 An excellent move.Had Black rushed to recapture his piece, a surprisewould await: 30...Bxb3 31.fxe5! Bxd1 32.dxe6+Bg7 33.Rxd1 and White has sacrificed material forthe initiative. 31.Rg1 Rxg1+ 32.Rxg1 Bxb333.Rg4Qh6 34.Nd3Bd5 35.Nxf4Rxf4 WhiteResigns.0-1

◦ Kamsky, G.• Petursson, M.?Reykjavik1990 1-0 E91Black gets a strategically lost position when hisown Bishop becomes trapped behind his pawns.1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.d4 Bg7 4.Nc3 O–O 5.e4d6 6.Be2 Bg4 7.Bg5 Nc6 8.d5 Bxf3 9.gxf3Ne5 10.h4 c6 11.f4 Ned7 12.h5 cxd5 13.exd5Nc5 Better is 13...Qa5. 14.Qc2Qa5 15.O–O–Ob5 16.Bxf6 exf6 Worse is 16...exf6. White getsa very strong attack after 17.hxg6 fxg6 18.Rxh7Kxh7 19.Rh1+ Kg7 20.Bh5. 17.h6 Bh8 18.f5Completely shutting in the Bishop. Now it willas if Black is a piece down. 18...b4 19.Ne4Nxe4 20.Qxe4 Rfe8 21.Qc2 Qxa2 22.Bd3Kf8 23.Rde1 Qa1+ 24. Kd2 Qa5 25.Rxe8+Rxe8 26.Re1 Re5 If 26...b3+, then 27.Qc3Qxc3+ 28.bxc3 Rxe1 29.Kxe1 and Black’s Kingwill be no match for White’s King and Bishop.27.Re3 gxf5 28.f4Rxe3 29.Kxe3Qc5+ 30.Kf3Qg1 31.Bxf5 a5 If 31...Qh1+ 32.Kg3 Qxh6,then White creates a strong passed pawn with33.c5. 32.b3Qh1+ 33.Kg3Qg1+ 34.Qg2Qe3+35.Qf3 Qg1+ 36.Kh3 Ke7 37.Qe2+ Kd8 38.Qg2 Forcing an exchange of Queens. 38...Qxg2+39.Kxg2 Kc7 40.Kf3 Kb6 41.Ke3 Black Re-signs. White wins after 41...Kc5 42.Kd3 Kb643.Kd4 Kc7 44.c5 or 42...a4 43.bxa4 b3 44.Kc3.1-0

◦ Karpov, An.• Kasparov, G.

195

?23rd Match Game, Lyons1990 1-0 E87This was the next to the last game of the24 game match. Kasparov had a two gamelead, and was therefore assured of at least adrawn match, enough to retain his title. Butthere was still something to play for! As wellas the honor Karpov could gain by winningthe last two games to tie the score, there was a1, 000, 000bonustrophytotheclearwinner.TherewasalsotheboastKasparovmadeabout”crushing”Anatolythistime.Inanycase,KarpovmadeamatchofitbyrefutingGarry′suncharacteristicallyunsoundpiecesacrifice.However, hewasunabletowininthefinalroundwithBlack, andKasparovtriumphedbytheslimmestofmargins.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 O–O6.Be3 e5 7.d5 Nh5 8.Qd2 Qh4+ 9.g3 Qe710.O–O–O Playing the Samish against the King’sIndian and castling on opposite wings announcesAnatoly’s intention to fight. 10...f5 11.exf5 gxf512.Nh3Na6 13.Rg1Nf6 14.Nf2Kh8 15.Be2Bd7 16.Bg5 Nc5 17.g4 Battling for positionalcontrol of e4. 17...e4 18.fxe4 fxe4 19.Be3Na420.g5 Nxc3 21.bxc3 Ng8 22.Ng4 c5 23.dxc6Bxc6 24.h4 d5 Played hastily, this is apparentlybased on faith in the phantom of Black Queen,Bishop, and Rook coordinating an attack againstthe White King on the dark square. 25.cxd5Bxd526.Qxd5 Rac8 No better is 26...Qa3+ 27.Kb1Qxc3 28.Bd4. The move 28.Bd4+ also refutes27...Bxc3 in this line, in fact winning anotherpiece. 27.Qd6 Blocking the Queen’s route toa3, and effectively ending the game. 27...Rxc3+28.Kb1Qf7 29.Bd4 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Beliavsky, A.• Kasparov, G.?Linares1990 1/2-1/2 E84A tactical skirmish leaves White the exchangeahead, but Black seems to have enough resourcesto hold the position.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 O–O6.Be3 Nc6 7.Qd2 a6 8.Nge2 Rb8 9.Nc1 e510.Nb3 exd4 11.Nxd4Ne5 12.Rd1 c6 13.Be2b5 14.cxb5 axb5 15.b4 c5 16.Nc2 cxb4 17.Nxb4Be6 18.O–O Black has the better position after18.Qxd6 Qxd6 19.Rxd6 Nc4 20.Bxc4 Ne8 21.Rd4Bxc4. 18...Qa5 19.Qxd6 Nc4 Not 19...Rfd820.Bb6. 20.Bxc4 bxc4 21.Nc6 Not 21.Rb1 Qa3.21...Qxc3 22.Bd4 Nxe4 23.Bxc3 Not 23.fxe4Bxd4+ 24.Rxd4 Rb7 with a slight advantage toBlack. 23...Nxd6 24.Bxg7Kxg7 25.Nxb8Nf526.Nd7Rc8 27.Nb6Rc6 Black has enough forthe exchange due to his active pieces and passedc-pawn. 28.Rb1 c3 29.Rb4 Bxa2 30.Rc1 c2

31.Kf2 h5 32.Ke2 Be6 33.Kd2 Rd6+ Bothplayers were very short on time. 34.Kxc2This is a mistake. Correct is 34.Ke2 with anequal position. 34...Ne3+ 35.Kb2Nxg2 36.Nc4Rd3 Black misses 36...Rd5 37.Nb6 Rd2 38.Rc2Rxc2 39.Kxc2 Ne1+ 40.Kd1 Nxf3 with big advan-tage. 37.Ne5 Re3 38.Re4 Kf6 39.Rxe3 Nxe340.Nd3Bd5 41.Ne1 Draw by Agreement.1/2-1/2

◦ Marin, M.• Mascarinas, R.?Manila1990 1-0 E80White throws everything he can at Black’s King.1.d4Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 c5 6.d5O–O 7.g4 White does not hide his aggressive in-tentions. 7...e6 The best way to meet a flank attackis with a counterattack in the center. 8.Nge2 exd59.cxd5 a6 10.a4Nfd7 11.h4Ne5 12.Ng3 Whiteis planning 13.Be2 and 14.f4. 12...f5 13.gxf5gxf5 14.f4 Ng4 Better is 14...Nf7. 15.Be2Threatening 15.Bxg4 fxg4 after which White willhave a commanding center. 15...Nh6 16.e5 dxe517.Nh5 e4 18.Nxg7 Kxg7 19.b4 Opening upthe a1-h8 diagonal. 19...cxb4 20.Qd4+ Rf6If 20...Qxf6, then 21.Qxb4 followed by 22.Bb2.21.Rg1+ Ng4 Otherwise 22.Qxb4 followed byBb2 is very strong. 22.Bxg4 Kh6 Other movesalso lose: 22...fxg4 23.Ne4, 22...bxc3 23.Bxf5+,or 22...Nc6 23.Be2+ Kh6 24.Qc4 bxc3 25.Qxc3.23.Nxe4Rg6 If 23...fxe4, then 24.Bxc8. 24.Ng5Be6 25.Nxe6Rxe6+ If 25...Qxh4+, then 26.Qf2Rxg4 27.Rxg4 Qxg4 28.Nc7. 26.Be2 Rf6 If26...Qxh4+, then 27.Qf2. 27.Rg8 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Seirawan, Y.• Gelfand, B.?Tilburg1990 0-1 E73Every year a super Grandmaster tournament is heldin Tilburg, Holland.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2O–O 6.Bg5 Na6 A fairly new idea by whichBlack sidesteps the main lines of the AverbakhSystem and quietly "develops." But, can it be goodto develop your Knight to the rim? 7.f4 This aimsto refute Black’s sixth move. The normal 7.Qd2e5 8.d5 Nc5 9.f3 would be a straight transposition.I wanted to punish Black’s opening. 7...c6 The

196

text is a restrained response to White’s pawn-mass,preparing subtle undermining moves like ...Qd8-b6and ...Na6-c7-e6. 8.Nf3Nc7 9.d5Nh5 Anothernibbling move. Black avoids direct confrontationsbut continues to feint and jab. 10.f5 gxf5 Thismove deserves a commendation for bravery, butit is plainly bad. 11.exf5 Nf6 12.dxc6 Whitechooses to give up the center in order to focus onthe Black King. 12...bxc6 13.g4 White’s primi-tive plan (Qd1-d2, Bg5-h6) may decide the issue.13...Rb8 14.Qd2Na6 15.Nd4Qb6 My plan inthis position was simple: Stop black on the queen-side and kill him on the kingside. This led me tomistakenly shore up my queenside with... 16.Nb3Correct is 16.b3. 16...Nb4 The only move, buta good one. While stopping Bg5-e3, Black in-troduces the possibility of ...Nxa2. I now wentinto a "long think, wrong think" routine. Whitewants to move the Bishop on g5 and play g4-g5. 17.Bh4 Understandable but wrong. The po-sition demanded the Karpovian retreat 17.Bd1!.17...Nxa2 18.Rxa2Qxb3 19.O–O My last movewas played with great confidence. I couldn’t be-lieve that Black could survive. White’s threats in-clude g4-g5, f5-f6, as well as Ra2xa7xe7. NowBoris went into a deep think and uncorked a mas-terful defensive stroke. 19...Re8 This move goesto the very heart of the position. Black will al-low White to sacrifice an Exchange only on hisown terms. White must occupy g5 with a pawn,and in the meantime Black simply protects e7. Af-ter having launched myself into the position, I feltas if I had stepped into a cold shower. Black stillhas his Queenside pressure while White’s attack ischimerical. 20.Bd1Ne4 21.Qe3Nxc3 22.Bxb3Bd4 23.Qxd4 Ne2+ 24.Kf2 Nxd4 25.Ba4Black is slightly better, but time pressure was aboutto affect my play. 25...Rb6 26.Re1Kf8 27.Re4Nb3 28.Bxb3 Rxb3 29.Re3 Rxe3 30.Kxe3a6 31.c5 d5 32.Ra4 e6 33.f6 e5 34.h3 Natural,but bad. White puts another pawn on a lightsquare. Best was 34.Bg3 with a rather simple draw.34...d4+ Black’s only chance to win. 35.Ke4Be6 36.Rxa6 Bd5+ 37.Kd3 Bg2 38.Bg5 YesVirginia, Grandmasters really do blunder Rooks!38.Rb6 should draw. 38...Bf1+ White Resigns.Why does the realization that you’ve made a blun-der wash over you the moment you release thepiece?0-1

◦ Karpov, An.• Lautier, J.?

Biel1990 1-0 E69Anatoly Karpov was the World Champion from1975-1985. Here he faces the young French Cham-pion Joel Lautier. Does the young man have whatit takes to push the former World Champion aside?1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 O–O5.O–O d6 6.d4 Nbd7 7.Nc3 e5 8.h3 c6 9.e4Qb6 10.Re1 exd4 11.Nxd4 Ne8 12.Nf3 Ne513.Nxe5 A simplifying move which is the hall-mark of Karpov’s game. Karpov tries to channelthe game into quiet lines of play where his superiorpositional skills can be demonstrated. 13...dxe514.Qa4 a5 15.a3 Nc7 16.Be3 Qxb2 Ambitiousyouth at work! The text puts Black’s Queen inimminent danger in return for a pawn. On theother hand, 16...Qa6 17.Bf1 would secure Whitea clear plus. 17.Rec1 b5 18.Qd1 bxc4 Notmuch choice here. If 18...b4?? 19.Na4 snares aQueen. 18...Be6 19.Qd6 threatens 20.Rab1 simi-larly winning Black’s Queen. The text makes herretreat possible. 19.Bc5 Ne6 Black is forced tocough up material. White has the double threatof 20. Rab1 and 20.Bxf8 winning. 20.Na4 Qb321.Bxf8 Bxf8 22.Bf1 Although White has wonan exchange, Black has two pawns as compensa-tion. White’s advantage lies in the fact that Black’sc-pawns are doubled. This clue should show ushow to win the game. 22...Nd4 23.Rxc4Qxd124.Rxd1 Be6 According to Karpov’s notes, thisis a mistake. More resistance could have beenoffered by 24...Bxa3 25.Nb6 Rb8 26.Ra4 Bb427.Nc4 when White will play Nc4xa5 but it’s stilla fight. 25.Rc3 Rd8 26.Kg2 Rb8 27.Nc5Rb2 28.Bd3 Ba2 29.Na4 Rb3 30.Ra1 Rxc331.Nxc3 Bb3 32.Ne2 a4 33.f4 Nb5 34.fxe5Bg7 35.Rc1 Bxe5 36.Rxc6 Nxa3 Black hasmanaged to win White’s a3-pawn. But his piecesare dominated by the d3-Bishop and White Rook.37.Ng1Kf8 38.Nf3Bb2 39.Nd2Bd1 40.Rc7Be5 41.Rc5Bd4 42.Rc8+Ke7 43.Rc7+Ke644.Nf3 Bb2 45.Rb7 Bc1 46.Kf2 h5 47.Be2Bb3 48.Nd4+ Ke5 49.Nxb3 axb3 50.Rxb3Kxe4 51.Bd3+ Black Resigns. Continuing tokeep Black’s a3-Knight locked up. After 51...Kd452.Ke2 Black’s kingside pawns are targeted for ter-mination.1-0

◦ Gelfand, B.• Smejkal, J.?Novi Sad1990 1/2-1/2 D85

197

This game is a relatively short draw, but there aresome sharp tactics on the way. No "GM" drawhere; both sides are clearly at risk.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4Nxc3 6.bxc3Bg7 7.Nf3 The move Nf3 was oncethought to be undesirable in the exchange GrunfeldDefense, due to Black’s ability to pin the Knightand put more pressure on the d-pawn. However,tactical resources were uncovered, and the moveis now played routinely. 7...c5 8.Rb1 O–O9.Be2Nc6 10.d5Ne5 Capture on c3, even withcheck, would lead only to the forcible exchangeof the critical fianchettoed Bishop and the time-losing retreat of the Knight - far too large a priceto pay for a mere pawn. 11.Nxe5Bxe5 12.Qd2b6 13.f4 Bg7 14.O–O e6 15.dxe6 fxe6 16.Qe3Bb7 17.Bc4 Qd7 18.f5 The beginning of an at-tractive plan to tactically profit from the pin ofthe weak e-pawn. 18...gxf5 19.exf5Bd5 20.Qd3Qc6 21.Bg5 Finally connecting the Rooks, butnow Black obtains equality through tactical means.21...Be4 22.Qh3Rxf5 23.Rxf5Bxb1 Naturallynot 23...Bxf5 24.Qxf5. 24.Bxe6+ Kh8 25.Rf1Bg6 26.c4Qd6 27.Bd5 Draw by Agreement.1/2-1/2

◦ Gelfand, B.• Ivanchuk, V.?Tilburg1990 1-0 D85The text features a match-up between two of to-day’s youngest chess stars. This game was playedin Tilburg, Holland in an atmosphere where thewinner was expected to clinch first place in thetournament.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd55.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Nf3 c5 8.Rb1 O–O9.Be2 cxd4 10.cxd4 Qa5+ 11.Bd2 An impor-tant theoretical pawn sacrifice. The position after11.Qd2 Qxd2+ 12.Bxd2 Rd8 is considered equal.11...Qxa2 12.O–O Bg4 13.Bg5 h6 14.Be3 Asurprising retreat. Both players evaluated the posi-tion after 14.Bxe7 Re8 15.Rxb7 Nc6 16.Bc5 Rxe4as balanced. 14...Nc6 15.d5 Na5 16.Bc5 Bf617.e5Bxe5 18.h3 It appears that White has madean oversight as 18.Nxe5?? Bxe2 works well forBlack. Also 18.Bxe7 Rfe8 19.d6 Nc6 doesn’t of-fer White much. Still, he has calculated well. Hisnext move clarifies who is in charge. 18...Bxf319.Bxf3 Rfe8 Black cannot give up control ofthe a1 square. Example: 19...Bd6 20.Bxd6 exd621.Ra1 winning the Knight a5. 20.d6 Qc4

Black is forced to respond to the threat of Bf3-d5 which would trap his Queen. Thus 20...exd621.Bd5 Nc4 22.Rxb7 dxc5 23.Bxf7+ Kh8 24.Bxe8Rxe8 25.Qd7 wins. 21.d7 Qxc5 22.dxe8=Q+Rxe8 23.Qa4 The scorpion’s sting at the tail ofthe combination. Black will soon find himself in anexchange-down ending. The result is a python-likesqueezing to death. The technical phase is worthyof our highest compliments and deserves carefulstudy. 23...Nc6 24.Rxb7 Rc8 25.Bxc6 Rxc626.Rxe7 Qxe7 27.Qxc6 Bd4 28.Qd5 Bb629. g3 h5 30.Kg2 Kg7 31.Rb1 Qe2 32.Qf3Qe6 33.Qc3+ Kh7 34.Re1 Qd5+ 35.Qf3Qd7 36.Rd1 Qe7 37.Rd3 Kg7 38.Qc6 Qe239.Rf3 Qa2 40.Qc3+ Kg8 41.Qb3 Qxb3 42.Rxb3 Kf8 43.Kf3 Ke7 44.Rb2 Ke6 45.Ke4Kd6 46.Rd2+ Ke6 47.Kf4 Kf6 48.Rc2 Bd449.Ke4 Bb6 50.Rc6+ Ke7 51.f4 Kd7 52.Rf6Ke7 53.Rc6 Kd7 54.Kd5 Bc7 55. Rc4 a5 Aconsiderable mistake. Although the position is los-ing, this accelerates defeat. Now White can gethis Rook behind Black’s passed a-pawn, a cru-cial point. In that case, the Rook will attack theKingside too. 56.Rc6Bd8 57.Ra6Ke7 58.Ke4Bc7 59.Kd5 Bd8 60.Ra7+ Kf6 61.Ra8 Be762.Rxa5 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Yusupov, A.• Gulko, B?Hastings1990 0-1 D86White hunts down a pawn with his Queen, butleaves his kingside undefended.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 The Gruenfeld de-fense is a very sharp and theoretical opening.4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Bc4O–O 8.Ne2 Nc6 This is a less common movethan 8...c5. 9.O–O b6 10.Bg5 Bb7 11.Qd2Qd6 12.Rad1 Na5 13.Bd3 c5 14.d5 e6 15.c4Ba6 16.Qc2 exd5 17.exd5 Qd7 Black prevents18.Qa4 followed by Bd2. 18.Ng3Rae8 19.Bd2Nb7 20.Ne4Nd6 21.Nxd6Qxd6 22.Qa4 Thestart of a very risky plan. Better is 22.Rfe1 withan equal position. 22...Bc8 23.Qxa7Be5 Whitehas won a pawn, but with his Queen out of play,Black quickly mobilizes his forces for a kingsideattack. 24.h3 This weakens the kingside. Bet-ter is 24.f4. 24...Bd4 Threatening 25...Bxh326.gxh3 Qg3+. 25.Kh1 If White tries to bring hisQueen back in play with 25.Qa3, then 25...Bxh326.Bxg6 Bxg2 27.Bxh7+ Kxh7 28.Kxg2 Rg8+ iswinning for Black. 25...Qf6 26.Be3 If White tries

198

to bring his Queen back into play with 26.Qc7,then 26...Be5 27.Qc6 Qh4 threatening 28...Bxh3wins for Black. 26...Bxh3 White’s King is undera bloody siege. 27.Bxd4 cxd4 28.d6 If 28.gxh3,then Black has a winning attack after 28...Qh3+29.Kh2 Re5. 28...Re5 Threatening 29...Bxg2+30.Kxg2 Rg5+. 29.f4 Re3 30.Qb7 White losesvery quickly after 30.gxh3 Qh4. 30...Qh431.Kg1Bxg2 Now White must give up his Queento avoid getting mated. 32.Qxg2 Rg3 33.Be4Rxg2+ 34.Bxg2 Qf6 35.d7 Qd6 36.f5 Qxd737.Bd5 Qe7 38. Rf3 Qe5 39.Rdf1 g5 40.f6Re8 41.Kh1 g4 42.Rf5 Qe3 43.Rh5 Re544.Rh2 d3 45. Bxf7+ Kxf7 46.Rxh7+ Kg647.f7 Kxh7 48.f8=Q Qh3+ White Resigns. It’scheckmate after 49.Kg1 Qg3+ 50.Kh1 Rh5.0-1

◦ Karpov, An.• Kasparov, G.?17th Match Game, Lyons1990 1-0 D85After a mass of King’s Indian Defenses with Black,Kasparov returns to the Grunfeld in this game inthe second half of the 1990 New York-Lyons WorldChampionship match. Karpov seemed happyenough with this decision, and his straightforwardthematic play brought him a needed victory.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4Nxc3 6.bxc3Bg7 7.Be3 c5 8.Qd2 O–O 9.Nf3Bg4 10.Ng5 cxd4 11.cxd4 Nc6 12.h3 Bd713.Rb1 Rc8 14.Nf3 Be6 15. Bd3 Restrainedplay, as 15.d5? Na5 16.dxe6?? Bc3 would be un-fortunate. Black is attempting to direct play intodynamic lines that would favor his style, but thebig pawn center eventually forces Black into pas-sive defense. 15...Na5 16.O–O Bc4 17.Rfd1b5 18.Bg5 a6 19.Rbc1 Bxd3 20.Rxc8 Qxc821.Qxd3Rd8 22.Rc1Qb7 23.d5Nc4 24.Nd2Nxd2 25.Bxd2 Rc8 26.Rc6 Occupying the c6-outpost with a big advantage. Every exchange hasfavored White, since the d-pawn is far more im-portant than the Queenside majority, and Karpovis very dangerous in simple positions. 26...Be5Of course, 26...Rxc6 27.dxc6 Qxc6 28.Qd8+ Bf829.Bh6 won’t do. 27.Bc3 Bb8 28.Qd4 f629.Ba5Bd6 30.Qc3Re8 31.a3Kg7 32.g3Be533.Qc5 h5 34.Bc7 Ba1 35.Bf4 Qd7 36.Rc7Qd8 37.d6 g5 38.d7 Rf8 39.Bd2 Be5 40.Rb7Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Dolmatov, S.• Speelman, J.?Hastings1990 1-0 E54White’s sacrificial attack on Black’s king eventu-ally wins Black’s Queen.1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 The Panov-Botvinnik attack is popular method of combat-ing the Caro-Kann defense. White usually con-cedes weaknesses in his pawn structure in ex-change for active pieces and strong attackingchances. 4...Nf6 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nf3 Bb4 7.Bd3dxc4 8.Bxc4 O–O 9.O–O Nbd7 10.Bg5 Bxc311.bxc3 Qc7 12.Bd3 Qxc3 Black has won apawn, but can he defend against the coming at-tack? 13.Rc1 Qa5 14.Ne5 Nxe5 15.Rc5 Qa316.dxe5Qxc5 16...Nd7 17.Rb5 leaves White withthe much better position. 17.Bxf6 Re8 Thiscreates a defensive square for the Queen on f8,but better was 17...gxf6. White could then eitherforce a perpetual check with 18.Bxh7+ or playfor a win with 18.Qg4+ Kh8 19.Qh4. 18.Bxh7+Black’s defenders are knocked out. 18...Kxh7Worse is 18...Kf8 19.Qg4 gxf6 20.exf6 winning.19.Qh5+ Kg8 20.Qg5 Qf8 Not 20...g6 21.Qh6winning immediately. 21.Rd1 Bringing the Rookinto the attack will win Black’s Queen. 21...b622.Rd4 Ba6 23.Rg4 Threatening to win imme-diately with 24.Qh6. 23...Be2 24.Bxg7 Tooslow is 24.Rg3?! Red8 25.h3 Rd3. 24...Bxg425.Bxf8+ Kxf8 26.Qxg4 White has a big ad-vantage because of his passed h-pawn. 26...Rac827.h4 Ke7 28.Qg5+ Kd7 29.Qf4 a5 Black de-cides not to tie his pieces down to the f-pawn andinstead concentrates on creating his own passedpawn on the queenside. 30.Qxf7+Kc6 31.Qf3+Kc5 32.Qe3+Kc6 33.Qf3+Kc5 34.Qa3+Kc435.Qb3+ Kc5 36.a4 An important move to slowdown Black from creating a passed pawn on thequeenside. 36...Rb8 37.Qc3+ Kd5 38.f4 Ke439.Qf3+Kd4 40.Qc6Ke3 41.Qc1+Ke2 42.h5Rec8 43.Qf1+ Kd2 44.Qb5 Ke3 45.g3 Kd446.Kg2 Kc3 47.h6 It would have been betterto march all the kingside pawns in unison with27.g4. 47...Rh8 48.Qd7 b5 Not 48...Rxh6??49.Qc7+. Black’s only hope is to create a passedpawn. 49.axb5 a4 50.b6 a3 51.Qa4 Kb2 Worseis 51...Ra8 52.Qc6+ Kb2 53.b7. 52.Qb4+ Ka253.h7 Rbc8 53...Rxh7 loses to 54.Qd2+ Kb155.Qd3+. 54.b7 Rc2+ 55.Kf3 Rb2 56.Qc4+Rb3+ 57.Kg4 Kb2 58.Qc8 Rxh7 59.b8=QRg7+ 60. Kh5 Rxg3 61.Qd6 Rh3+ 62.Kg6Rbg3+ 63.Kf7 Rh7+ 64.Kxe6 Rh6+ 65.Kf5

199

Rxd6 66. exd6 a2 67.d7 a1=Q 68.Qb7+ BlackResigns. 68...Kc3 69.d8=Q is hopeless.1-0

◦ Sokolov, I.• Korchnoi, V.?Novi Sad1990 1-0 E44The Nimzo-Indian Defense, played often by andnamed after Aron Nimzowitsch, whose plan in thisposition was to capture the Knight on c3 and dou-ble White’s c-pawns. There are many plans avail-able to White, some of which avoid the doubledpawns, and some of which allow the doubling. Inthis case, White chooses to avoiding the doubling,and the games transposes into a non-standard lineof the Queen’s Indian.1.d4Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3Bb4 4.e3 b6 5.Ne2Ne46.Qc2 Bb7 7.a3 Bxc3+ 8.Nxc3 Nxc3 9.Qxc3Qh4 Played against the natural central expansionf2-f3, e2-e4. 10.b3 O–O 11.Bb2 f6 To avoid be-ing mated after d4-d5. 12.d5 exd5 13.Rd1 d413...dxc4 14.Bxc4+ would open too many linesagainst the Black King. 14.Rxd4 Qh5 15.Be2Qg6 16.Rg4 Qb1+ 17.Bd1 Nc6 18.O–O Now19.Bc2 is a nasty threat. White has gained timewith a unique Rook-lift and now the Bishop-pairare preparing to drive home the point. 18...Qf519.Rg3 Qe5 20.Qd2 Qe8 21.Bc2 Ne5 22.h4d6 23.Qe2 f5 24.f4 Ng4 25. Bxf5 Rxf526.Qxg4 Rf7 27.Bxg7 Qd7 Two pawns down,Black decides to try his luck in the endgame. Alas,no help is forthcoming, even with opposite-colorBishops. 28.Qxd7 Rxd7 29.Bc3+ Kf8 30.f5Re8 31.f6Be4 32.Rf4Bg6 33.Kf2Kf7 34.h5Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Kasparov, G.• Spassky, B.?Linares1990 1-0 E35A current world champion against a former worldchampion.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 d5 5.cxd5exd5 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bh4 c5 8.dxc5 Nc6 9.e3g5 10.Bg3 Ne4 11.Nf3 Qf6 12.Bb5 Nxc313.Bxc6+ bxc6 Correct is 13...Qxc6 14.bxc3Bxc5 15.O-O with only a slight advantage toWhite. 14.a3 g4 14...Bf5 15.Qd2 is much betterfor White. 15.Be5 Black is all right after 15.Nd4

Nb5. 15...Ne4+ 16.axb4 Qf5 17.Bxh8 gxf318.Rg1 Good for Black is 18.gxf3 Qxf3 19.Rg1Bg4. 18...Qg4 Better is 18...fxg2. 19.Qd1Ng5 20.Qd4 Ne4 21.Qe5+ Be6 22.Qf4 Qg623.Qxf3 f6 24.Qf4Kf7 25.f3Ng5 26.Kd2Qf526...Rxh8 27.Rxa7+ loses immediately. 27.h4Qxf4 28.exf4 Nh7 29.g4 Black Resigns. 30.g5is coming and 29...Rxh8 30.Rxa7+ is hopeless.1-0

◦ Seirawan, Y.• Korchnoi, V.?Novi Sad1990 1/2-1/2 E38The following game was played at the 1990 chessOlympiad. The featured game was played betweenthe USA’s top board Yasser Seirawan and Switzer-land’s Victor Korchnoi. In a team event no onewants to risk the wrath of one’s teammates by los-ing, but winning is nice too.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 c55.dxc5 Na6 6.a3 Qa5 7.Bd2 Nxc5 8.Rc1Bxc3 9.Bxc3 Qa4 10.b4 Qxc2 11.Rxc2 Na412.Bxf6 gxf6 13.e4 After a sharp opening, theplayers have found themselves in a "simple" end-ing. I had hoped to exploit Black’s fractured pawnstructure. 13...a5 14.Bd3Rg8 15.Ne2 Laying atrap that Black immediately falls for. But the ques-tion soon becomes, "Who is trapping whom?" IfWhite wanted, he could have secured an advan-tage with 15.f4! in order to develop by Ng1-f3.15...Rxg2 16.Ng3 axb4 17.axb4 Nc5 Now thatthe g2-Rook’s retreat has been cutoff, I had ex-pected Black to try 17...Nc5 18.Bf1 Rxg3 19.hxg3Ra1+ 20.Ke2 Nxe4 21.Rxh7 with a likely win.18.Bf1Nd3+ A spectacular move. It is very rarein chess to see such a tactic. Black’s Knight at-tacks White’s Bishop. The Bishop moves. ThenBlack moves the Knight to the same square theBishop just came from! Now 19. Ke2 Rxf2+20.Kxd3 Ra3+ 21.Rc3 Rf3+ costs White the game.19.Bxd3 Rxg3 20.hxg3 Ra1+ 21.Kd2 Rxh122.Ra2 d6 23.Ra8 Kd7 24.Bc2 Rf1 Draw byAgreement.1/2-1/2

◦ Miles, A.• de Firmian, N.?Manila1990 0-1 E38Under the new program to qualify a challenger for

200

the world championship, this single tournament inthe Philippines produced seven contenders to joinKarpov in a series of play-off matches. FormerU.S. champion Nick de Firmian just missed quali-fying, but had the satisfaction of winning the Bril-liancy Prize with this game. From the beginningBlack looks for a slugfest against White’s safe po-sitional play. Black escalates the sacrifices until hisopponent’s "safe" play at a critical juncture is any-thing but safe.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 c5 5.dxc5Na6 6.a3 Bxc3+ 7.Qxc3 Nxc5 8.f3 d5 9.cxd5b6 Black is playing for quick development. If 10.dxe6 Bxe6 Black would have more than enoughplay for the pawn. 10.b4 Na4 11.Qb3 b512.e4 a6 13.Ne2 O–O 14.Bg5 h6 15.Bh4 exd516.e5 Re8 Again de Firmian is willing to sacri-fice to open the game. Now 17 exf6 d4 allowsBlack many threats, so Miles plays safely. 17.f4g5 18.Bf2Ne4 19.Bd4Be6 20.Qf3Rc8 21.f5Bd7 22.Ng3 Miles wants to play 23. Bd3 and24. O-O with a safe positional advantage, butthis position is too sharp for that. Necessary was23. e6, beginning great complications. 22...Rxe523.Be2 No better is 23. Bxe5 Qe7 24. Nxe4 Qxe5.23...Qe8 24.Nh5 Rxf5 25.Qe3 Rc3 The ex-change sacrifice reduces White’s counterattackingchances. 26.Bxc3 Naxc3 27.Bg4 d4 28.Qxd4Nc5+ 29.Kd2 Nb3+ 30.Kxc3 Nxd4 31.Bxf5Qe3+ 32.Bd3 Bf5 33.Rad1 Ne2+ 34.Kc2Qe5 Moves have been forced since 27...d4. Nowthe threat is 35...Qc3+. 35.Kd2 Qb2+ 36.Ke3Bg4 37.Rd2 White is lost after 37. Ng3 Nxg3 38.hxg3 Bxd1, but in time pressure Miles overlooked.37...Qd4# 0-1

◦ Ward, C.• Suba, M.?Eastbourne1990 0-1 E20The following game played in England features ariveting struggle between a classical player play-ing for the center versus a hypermodern player whoprefers to develop on the flanks.1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 c5 3.Nf3 e6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4Bb4 6.g3 O–O 7.Bg2 d5 8.Qb3Bxc3+ 9.Qxc3e5 10.Nb3 d4 11.Qa5 Qe8 The first in an ex-cellent series of moves. Black has earned con-trol of the center at the cost of two Bishops. Inthe ending 11...Nc6 12.Qxd8 Rxd8 13.Bg5 fol-lowed by Nb3-c5, White’s chances are preferable.Black needs to keep Queens on the board and pur-sue dreams of Kingside attacks. 12.O–O Nc6

13.Qa4 h6 14.Nc5 a5 15.a3 A dubious decision.Best was 15.e3 fighting for central control. 15...e416.b4 Qe7 17.Nb3 Rd8 18.Bb2 e3 19.f4 Bh3A fantastic positional idea. The piece sacrifice isbased upon the idea that White’s remaining pieceswill have a bleak existence. Declining the sac-rifice with 20.b5 Bxg2 21.Kxg2 d3! 22.exd3 e223.Rfe1 Rxd3 gives Black a vicious attack. Anal-ysis by G. Flear. 20.Bxh3 axb4 21.Qb5 bxa322.Bc1Ne4 This is Black’s point. His pieces takeup dominating positions while White’s pieces areblocked in by the fence of Black’s central pawns.A brilliant concept. 23.Bg4 d3 24.exd3 No choicehere. If 24.Bxe3 dxe2 25.Rfe1 Rd3! 26.Bb6 Nd6wins back the piece with interest. 24...Rxd3 25.c5Nf2 26.Rxf2 The unpleasant point is that Blackthreatens 26...Qe4 with ...Qe4-h1 mate the princi-ple threat. The other way to meet this is by 26.Bf3e2! 27.Kxf2 Rxf3+ promotes. 26...exf2+ 27.Kxf2Qe4 28.Ra2Qd5 29.Rd2Rxd2+ 30.Bxd2 a231.Bf3 Qxf3+ 32. Kxf3 a1=Q 33.Qxb7 Thefinal spectacular point is revealed. Capturing by33.Nxa1 allows the knight fork 33...Nd4+ winningbecause Black is an exchange up in the ending. Amarvelous game. 33...Qh1+ 34.Ke3Rb8 WhiteResigns.0-1

◦ Seirawan, Y.• Timman, J.?Brussels1990 1-0 E21Even Grandmasters occasionally "oops". Here’sone featuring Dutch hero Jan Timman against anAmerican Grandmaster.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Qb3c5 6.a3 Ba5 7.Bg5 Nc6 8.O–O–O Bxc3 9.d5The only move to keep an advantage. After 9.Qxc3Ne4 Black is quite comfortable. 9...exd5 A terriblemistake. In fact a losing mistake! The whole pointis that Black voluntarily removes his e6-pawn forWhite’s c4-pawn. Why is this so crucial? Con-sider White’s Bishop on f1: with the c4-pawn miss-ing, suddenly the Bishop is released with devastat-ing effect. Amazingly, Jan had prepared 9...Be510.dxc6 Bc7 =. 10.cxd5 Be5 11.dxc6 Qe712.cxd7+ Bxd7 13.e3 Rd8 14.Rxd7 Morphywould be proud. White doesn’t waste a tempoin attacking. After 14.Bb5? Bd6 Black is stillkicking. 14...Rxd7 15.Bb5 Bd6 16.Rd1 O–O17.Bxd7Qxd7 18.Bf4 c4 19.Qc2Ne8 20.Ng5f5 21.Qxc4+Kh8 22.Bxd6Nxd6 23.Qd5Rd8

201

24.Ne6Qc8+ 25.Kb1Rd7 26.Qxd6 Black Re-signs.1-0

◦ Polugaevsky, L.• Wojtkiewicz, A.?Haninge1990 1-0 E17A good example of how to play against hangingpawns.1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2Be7 6.O–O O–O 7.b3 d5 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Bb2Re8 10.Nc3Na6 11.Ne5 c5 12.Rc1Bf8 13.e3Nc7 14.Na4 Ne6 15.dxc5 bxc5 16.Ng4 Ne4Better is 16...Nxg4 17.Qxg4 Qe7 18.Rfd1 Red8.17.f3Nd6 18.f4 Not 18.Nxc5 Nxc5 19.Rxc5 Nc4.Now 18.f5 is threatened. 18...Ne4 19.Nf2 Nf6Now Black will lose a pawn. But White ismuch better after either 19...Nxf2 20.Rxf2 threat-ening both 21.f5 and 21.Rd2 or 19...f5 20.Nxe4dxe4 21.g4. 20.f5Ng5 21.Nxc5Bxc5 22.Rxc5Nge4 Not 22...Rxe3 23.Bc1. 23.Nxe4 Nxe424.Qd4 f6 25.Rc2 Qd6 26.Rfc1 Re7 27.Qa4Threatening 28.Ba3. 27...Qd8 28.Ba3 Rf7If 28...Rd7, then 29.Rd1 threatening 30.Bxe4 isstrong. 29.Rd1 Qb6 30.Qd4 Qa5 31.Bb4Qb5 32.Bxe4 dxe4 33.Rc7 Rxc7 If 33...Qe8,then 34.Rxf7 Qxf7 35.Qd8+ Qe8 36.Qxe8+ Rxe837.Rd7 wins. 34.Qd8+ Qe8 Not 34...Rxd835.Rxd8+ Kf7 36.Rf8 checkmate. 35.Qxc7Bc6Worse is 35...Ba6 36.Rd7. 36.Rd6 Bb5 37.a4Rc8 38.Qa5 Bd3 39.Qd5+ Kh8 40.Rd7 h641.g4Qe5 42.Qxe5 fxe5 43.Bd6Rc1+ 44.Kg2Rd1 45.Rxa7 Bf1+ 46.Kf2 Rxd6 47.Kxf1Rb6 48.a5 Rxb3 49.a6 Black Resigns. Blackloses after either 49...Rxe3 50.Rb7 Ra3 51.b7 and52.f6 or 49...Ra3 50.Ra8+ followed by a7, h4, andg5.1-0

◦ Yusupov, A.• Ljubojevic, L.?Linares1990 1-0 E15A brilliant tactical shock can strike when least ex-pected.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.Nbd2Bb7 6.Bg2 c5 7.O–O cxd4 8.Nb3 Be79.Nbxd4 O–O 10.b3 d6 11.Bb2 a6 12.Rc1Nbd7 13.b4 Qb8 14.a3 Rc8 15.Qb3 Bf816.Rfd1 d5 17.Ng5 dxc4 18.Rxc4 Rxc4

19.Qxc4 b5 Black has played well up to here, butthis move is a mistake. Correct is 19...Ne5 20.Qb3Bxg2 21.Kxg2 Qb7+ with equality. 20.Qb3Bxg2 21.Ndxe6 Instead of the obvious 21.Kxg2,White finds a brilliant tactical shot. 21...Qb7If 21...Bd5, then White wins with 22.Rxd5Nxd5 23.Qxd5 Nf6 24.Bxf6 gxf6 25.Nxf7 Kxf726.Nc7+. 22.Nf4 Nc5 23.bxc5 Bc6 24.Bxf6gxf6 25.Nf3Bxc5 If 25...Re8, then 26.Nh5 Rxe227.Nxf6+ Kg7 28.Qc3 wins. 26.Nh5 Bxf3 If26...Qe7, then 27.Qc3 wins, or if 26...Be7, then27.Qe3 Kh8 28.Qh6 wins. 27.exf3 Qc6 28.Kg2Bxf2 28...Be7 29.Qe3 also loses. 29.Qb2 Bc530.Nxf6+ Kf8 31.Nxh7+ Kg8 32.Nf6+ Kf833.Rc1 Rd8 34.Ne4 Black Resigns. Its all overafter 34...Rd5 35.Rxc5 Rxc5 36.Qb4.1-0

◦ Cramling, P.• Psakhis, L.?Tel-Aviv1990 0-1 A70The official world of international chess has longbeen divided into the men’s half (95%+) and thewomen’s half (5%-), with tournaments exclusivelyfor women and events that attracted only men, al-though they were in theory open to all. This wasnot entirely bad for the women players, because intruth none was good enough to compete with thebest male players. All this began to change in the1980s, however, and now there are a few womenplayers who choose to play almost exclusively withthe men. Most of these are the Polgar sisters, butin this game we see one of the brave non-Polgars,Sweden’s Pia Cramling, in a losing effort againstIsraeli GM Lev Psakhis.1.d4 e6 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nf3 c5 4.d5 d6 5.Nc3 exd56.cxd5 g6 7.e4 a6 8.h3 The modern Benoni is adangerous opening for both sides. Black may bepositionally busted: the d-pawn is a target, he hasfewer center pawns, and the White e-pawn threat-ens to advance with cramping effect. But in com-pensation, he gets a powerful Bishop on the longdiagonal and Queenside play in the form of b7-b5... if White allows it. Normal in these posi-tions is a2-a4 to delay the Queenside expansionand to secure the c4 square for the White Knight(Nf3-d2-c4). Presumably White was worried about...Bg4 pinning this Knight, but the side-effects ofthe pin are less serious than those of the b7-b5push. 8...b5 9.Bd3Bg7 10.O–O c4 Opening thec5 square for a Black Knight. 11.Bc2 O–O12.Bf4 Bb7 13.Qd2 Qb6 14.Be3 Qc7 15.a3

202

Nbd7 16.Rfe1 Rfe8 17. Rad1 Re7 18.Bg5Ree8 19.Nd4 Pia was apparently uninterested indiscovering if her illustrious opponent would al-low a repetition draw after 19.Be3 (Re7 20.Bg5etc.). This is a healthy decision; White should playfor more, and to limit your ambition ultimatelylimits your results. 19...Nc5 20.Bh6 Bh821.Bf4 Nh5 22.Bh2 Qb6 23.Nc6 This is a re-curring tactical theme in Benoni positions, but hereit turns out badly. White is induced to sacrifice twopawns. 23...Bxc6 24.dxc6 Be5 25.Nd5 Qxc626.f4 Bxb2 27.e5 dxe5 28.fxe5 Nd3 And thisremoves the Knight from d5, which was White’smain compensation for the material. 29.Bxd3Qxd5 30.Qxb2 cxd3 31.Re3 Rad8 32.Qc3Rc8 33.Qxd3 Qa2 34.Qd5 Qxd5 35.Rxd5Ng7 36.Re1 Ne6 37.Rd6 a5 38.Rb6 Rb839.Ra6 b4 40.Rxa5 Material equality has beenrestored, but at the cost of a passed b-pawn. 40...b341.Rb1 b2 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Chernin, A.• Wahls, M.?Dortmund1990 1-0 A61White makes a positional exchange sacrifice afterwhich Black’s position falls apart.1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 c5 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5d6 6.Nc3 g6 7.h3 A new move. The idea isto prevent Black from having access to the g4square. 7...a6 8.a4 Preventing Black from ex-panding on the queenside with ...b7-b5. 8...Qe79.Bg5 Bg7 10.Nd2 Nbd7 11.e3 O–O 12.Bd3h6 13.Bh4 Rb8 14.O–O Ne5 15.Bc2 g516.Bg3 b5 17.axb5 axb5 18.f4 Nc4 If 18...Nd3,then 19.Bxd3 Qxe3+ 20.Kh2 Qxd3 21.fxg5 hxg522.Bxd6 with a large advantage. 19.Nxc4 bxc420.fxg5 hxg5 21.Rxf6 Eliminating this Knightshatters Black’s position. 21...Qxf6 If 21...Bxf6,then White starts a mating attack with 22.Qh5.22.Ne4 Qg6 Not 22...Qxb2 23.Rb1 winning.23.Nxd6 Not 23.Bxd6 Bf5. 23...f5 24.Nxc4 Forthe exchange, White has two pawns and openlines. Black’s position is also full of weaknesses.24...Rb4 25.Bd3 Bb7 If 25...Ba6, then 26.Ne5.26.Be1 Bxd5 Black has no choice but to re-turn the exchange. 27.Bxb4 cxb4 28.Ra5Qe6 29.b3 White has a big advantage becauseBlack’s pawns on f5 and g5 are weak. 29...Bb730.Qc2 f4 31.Rxg5 f3 If 31...fxe3, then 32.Ne5is strong. 32.gxf3 Both players were getting shorton time here. 32...Rxf3 If 32...Qxh3, then

33.Ne5 Bxf3 34.Bc4+ Kh8 35.Ng5+ is strong.33.Ne5 Rxh3 If 33...Rxe3, then 34.Bc4 Bd535.Bxd5 Qxd5 36.Rxg7+ Kxg7 37.Qg6+ followedby 38.Qh6+ and 39.Qxe3. 34.Bc4 Stronger is34.Rxg7+ Kxg7 35.Qc7+. 34...Rh1+ 35.Kf2Rh2+ Better is 35...Bd5, although White wouldretain his advantage with 36.Qg6. 36.Kg1Rh1+37.Kf2Rh2+ 38.Kg3Rh3+ Better is 38...Rxc239.Bxe6+ Kf8 40.Ng6+ Ke8 41.Nf4 with only aslight advantage for White. 39.Kf4 Rh4+ If39...Bd5, then 40.Bxd5 Qxd5 41.Qc8+ picks up theRook. 40.Ng4 Here Black lost on time, but his po-sition was hopeless in any case.1-0

◦ Akopian, V.• de Firmian, N.?Moscow1990 1/2-1/2 A63A sharp game full of tactics.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5 d66.Nc3 g6 7.g3 Bg7 8.Bg2 O–O 9.O–O Nbd710.Nd2 Nh5 11.Nc4 Ne5 12.Nxe5 Bxe513.Bh6 Re8 14.Qd2 Rb8 15.a4 a6 16.Rab1b5 Not 16...Bf5? 17.e4 Bxc3? 18.Qxc3 Bxe419.g4 Nf6 20.Rbe1 winning. 17.axb5 axb5 18.b4c4 19.e4 f5 20.Rbc1 Qf6 Threatening 21...f4.21.Bg5Qg7 22.Rfe1Nf6 23.Bh6Qf7 24.exf5Bxf5 25.h3 Bd3 26.Bf4 Qd7 If 26...Bxc3,then 27.Qxc3 Nxd5 28.Bxd5 Qxd5 29.Ra1 witha large advantage. 27.Bxe5 dxe5 28.Qg5 Qd629.Ra1Re7 Not 29...Qxb4? 30.Qxf6 Qxc3 31.d6with the threat of Bd5+. 30.Ra5 h6 Deflectingthe Queen, as 30...Qxb4 31.Qxf6 Qxc3 32.Qxe7Qxe1+ 33.Kh2 Qxa5 34.Qe6+ Kf8 35.Qd6+ Kf736.Qxb8 is good for White. 31.Qxh6 Qxb432.Rea1 Qxc3 33.Ra8 Qxa1+ The only move.33...Rb7 34.Rxb8+ Rxb8 35.Ra7 loses imme-diately. 34.Rxa1 b4 The passed queensidepawns are very dangerous. 35.Ra6 Rf736.Qg5 Better is 36.Bf1. 36...b3 37.Rxf6 Not37.Qxe5 Nd7 38.Qb2 c3 39.Qc3 b2 winning.37...Rxf6 38.Qxf6 b2 39.Qe6+ Kh7 40.Qe7+Kh6 41.Qh4+ Draw by Agreement.1/2-1/2

◦ Shirov, A.• Hauchard, A.?Paris1990 1-0 A57The 18 year old Shirov is a possible challenger tothe world championship someday.

203

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 The Benko Gam-bit is one of the most popular defenses to 1.d4.4.cxb5 a6 5.b6 d6 6.Nc3Nbd7 7.a4Qxb6 Bet-ter is 7...a5. 8.a5 Qc7 9.e4 g6 10.f4 White hasa very commanding center and will later try toplay e4-e5. 10...Bg7 11.Bc4 O–O 12.Nf3 Re813.O–O e5 14.dxe6 fxe6 15.Ng5 Nf8 16.f5 h6Not 16...gxf5 17.Bf4 Rd8 18.exf5 winning. 17.e5dxe5 If 17...hxg5, then 18.exf6 Bxf6 19.Nd5 wins.18.fxg6 hxg5 If 18...Nxg6, then White wins with19.Rxf6 Bxf6 20.Qh5 Qg7 21.Nge4. 19.Bxg5N8d7 If 19...Nxg6, then 20.Bxf6 Nf4 21.Qg4 Rf822.Ne4 wins. 20.Qf3 Ra7 21.Rad1 Threaten-ing 22.Rxd7. 21...Qb7 22.Qh3 Qc6 23.Nd5exd5 24.Rxd5 Kf8 Worse are 24...Nb6 25.Rd7+Nxc4 26.Rxf6 Qxf6 27.Qh7+ Kf8 28.Rxa7 or24...Qe6 25.Rd7 Qxc4 26.Bxf6. 25.Qh7 Threat-ening both 26.Bh6 and 26.Rd7. 25...Re6 26.Bh6Ke8 27.Qxg7Nxd5 28.Qh8+Ke7 29.g7Rxh6If 29...Rg6, then 30.Qf8+ Nxf8 31.gxf8=Q+ Ke632.Bg5 wins. 30.Rf7+ Kxf7 Or 30...Kd631.Qxh6+ winning. 31.g8=Q+ Ke7 32.Qd8+Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Ivanchuk, V.• Seirawan, Y.?Reykjavik1990 1-0 A56Annotations by Yasser Seirawan. This was my firstgame with the world’s fourth-highest-rated played.I looked forward to the opportunity to test him;but as the game got underway I began to feel ner-vous. Ivanchuk is a shy, reserved young man whohas several distracting habits at the board. For in-stance, he rarely looks at the board. Usually, helooks directly up in the air, or at the space behindyour head. I began to wonder what was going tofall down on me - or sneak up on me!1.d4Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e5 I sometimes enjoy play-ing this closed Benoni variation because it leads torich strategical positions. I wanted to steer my op-ponent as far away as possible from a sharp theo-retical struggle. This didn’t prevent Ivanchuk fromplaying the most topical line. 4.Nc3 d6 5.e4Be76.h3 O–O 7.Nf3Nbd7 8.g4 The Kingside expan-sion is crucial for White in this variation. Black’splan is ...Nf6-e8, ...g7-g6, ...Ne8-g7, and ...f7-f5.By employing a King’s Indian Defense attackingmotif, Black’s position takes on a lot of the ad-vantages of that opening with fewer drawbacksthan usual. Black has stopped White’s play on theQueenside with c7-c5. Also, Black’s "bad" Bishop

on e7 is actually on the right square. Black of-ten plays ...Bg7-f8 or ...bg7-h6 in K.I.D. positions.From e7 the Bishop, if allowed, will play to g5 -or to d8 and a5. 8...Ne8 9.Bd3 g6 10.Be3 It’scommon for White to play 10.Bh6 Ng7 11.Rg1,etc. In this case, Black usually plays ...Kg8-h8 and...Nd7-f6-g8 chasing away White’s Bishop on h6.This works out nicely for Black because his King isno longer on the g-file. Therefore, 10.Be3 is moreexact. 10...Ng7 11.Rg1 Nf6 12.Qe2 h5 An in-teresting attempt to force a resolution of the king-side situation. I had become disenchanted with theidea of forcing ...f7-f5 through. This loss of re-solve, however, constituted a severe psychologicalproblem. Because of my attempt to avoid the basicconfrontation in the position, White gains a clearadvantage. Best was 13...Nfe8!. 13.Nd2 Qd7The only way to justify the eccentric ...h7-h5. Stillthe move took a long time: my mind went swim-ming in a stream of tactical complications. 14.f3Played without hesitation. This left me cursing allthe time I had wasted on 13...Qd7. The drawbacksof f2-f3 are clear. White weakens a whole com-plex of dark squares on the Kingside. Also, theKnight can’t return to f3, and White’s Queen nolonger hits h5. This allows Black good play onthe dark squares. Better is 14.Bc2!. 14...Nh715.O–O–O Bg5 By trading dark-squared Bish-ops, Black solves his strategic problems. 16.Bxg5Nxg5 17.Qg2Qe7 18.h4Nh7 19.Qg3 The crit-ical moment in the game. My approach to this po-sition was quite lazy. I was satisfied with myselffor "outplaying" my opponent through exchangingBishops. Clearly, White’s only chance in the po-sition is g4-g5 and f3-f4. In this case, I reasonedthat the Kingside would become closed, and that Iwould get two key squares: g4 and e5. So, withoutfurther ado, I played the "obvious"... 19...a6 ...es-sentially losing the game. Obviously Black wantsto play b7-b5 - but who does this favor? Lookat that lousy Knight on d2. Let it jump to c4,however, and it becomes an entire cavalry. No,it is still correct to play defensively, completelykilling White’s only play in the position (g4-g5 andf3-f4) with 19...Nf6! 20.g5 Nd7 when it’s clearthat the first player is going nowhere on the King-side. Black can then prepare a Queenside advance:...Ng7-e8-c7 and ...a7-a6. 20.g5 I was now horri-fied to discover that both my Knights had been cutout of the action. White intends Rdf1, f3-f4, andNd2-f3. If White gains control of the e4-sqaure,the game is over. 20...f6 A panicky reaction towhat I felt was my impending doom. Black canstill fight with 20...Re8. Now, though, I open up

204

the position in the worst possible way. 21.gxf6Rxf6 22.Rdf1 Bd7 23.f4 exf4 24.Rxf4 Rxf425.Qxf4 Rf8 26.Qh6 Be8 27.e5 As simple asa baby’s smile. Black’s position is completely dev-astated. 27...Qxe5 28.Bxg6 Bxg6 If 28...Nf6,29.Nf3 is embarrassing. 29.Qxg6 Kh8 30.Nce4Nf5 31.Qxh5 Nd4 32.Qxe5+ dxe5 33.Rg6Rf4 34.Rb6 Rxh4 35.b3 Rh1+ 36.Kb2 Rh237.Rxb7Ng5 38.Ka3Nxe4 39.Nxe4 Black Re-signs. Once Ivanchuk got his chance, he exploitedhis opportunity with ruthless precision.1-0

◦ Gelfand, B.• Beliavsky, A.?Linares1990 1-0 D37Castling on opposite sides of the board leads tosharp play.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4O–O 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.Qc2 Nc6 9.a3Qa5 10.O–O–OBd7 11.g4Rfc8 11...Nxg4 justopens lines for White on the kingside. 12.Kb1Bf8 13.g5 Nh5 14.Bg3 Ne7 15.Ne5 Be816.Be2 f6 17.gxf6 gxf6 18.Nf3Bg6 19.e4 dxe420.Nh4 Nxg3 21.hxg3 f5 22.g4 Bg7 23.gxf5exf5 24.Nxg6 hxg6 25.Nb5 Qb6 Not 25...Rd8as then White plays 26.c5 followed by Qc4+.26.Qb3 Kf8 27.c5+ was threatened. If 26...Qc5,then 27.Rd7 a6 28.Nd6. 27.Rh7 Rd8 If 27...a6,then 28.Qb4 axb5 29.Rxg7. 28.Rdh1 Qf6 If28...a6, then 29.Rxg7 Kxg7 30.Qc3+ with a de-cisive attack. 29.c5 Rd2 30.Rxg7 Kxg7 Not30...Qxg7 31.Nc7 threatening both 32.Nxa8 and32.Ne6+. 31.Nc7 Qe5 Black must give up theRook. If 31...Rh8, then 32.Rxh8 Kxh8 33.Qh3+Kg8 34.Bc4+ Kf8 35.Qh6+ wins. If 31...Rxe2,then 32.Ne6+ Kg8 33.Ng5+ Kg7 34.Rh7+ wins.32.Nxa8 Rxe2 33.Nc7 Qxc7 Black will losehis Rook after this. But 33...Rxf2 34.Qxb7 loseseven faster. 34.Qc3+ Kf7 If 34...Kf8, then35.Qf6+ Ke8 36.Qe6 followed by Rh8+ wins.35.Qc4+ Kf6 36.Qxe2 Qxc5 37.Rc1 Qd538.Rd1 Qc5 39.Rd7 Qc6 40.Qd1 Ke6 41.Rd8Nd5 42.Qb3 a5 43.Qg3Ne7 Not 43...Kf744.Rd6. 44.Qb8 Qb6 45.Rd2 Qc6 46.Qd8 b647.a4 g5 48.Qd4 g4 49.Rd1 Threatening 50.Rh1.49...Qc5 50.Qd7+ Ke5 51.Qe8 Kf4 52.Qb8+Kg5 If 52...Kf3, then Black soon gets mated after53.Qg3+ Ke2 54.Rc1 Qd4 55.Rc2+. 53.Qd8Kf454.Rc1Qb4 55.Rc3Ng6 56.Qf6Ne7 57.Qe6Kg5 58.Rc7 Black Resigns. It’s all over af-

ter 58...Ng6 59.Rg7 Qe1+ 60.Ka2 Qxf2 61.Rxg6+Kf4 62.Rf6.1-0

◦ Gurevich, M.• Beliavsky, A.?Moscow1990 1-0 D37A positional masterpiece by Gurevich.1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.d4 Be7 5.Bf4O–O 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.Be2 dxc4 9.Bxc4a6 10.Qe2 b5 11.Bd3 Bb7 12.O–O Nbd713.Rfd1 Qe7 Threatening ...e6-e5-e4. 14.Bg5Rac8 15.a4 b4 16.Nb1 a5 17.Nbd2 h6 18.Bh4Bb6 19.Be4Nc5 20.Bxb7Qxb7 21.Bxf6 gxf622.Nd4 White is slightly better because of Black’sweaknesses at a5 and h6. 22...Rfd8 23.Nc4 f524.Nb5 Rxd1+ 25.Rxd1 Rd8 26.Nbd6 Qc727.g4 Ne4 Not 27...fxg4 28.Qxg4+ Kh7 29.Qh5Rd7 30.Rd4 winning. 28.Nxe4Rxd1+ 29.Qxd1Qxc4 29...fxe4 30.b3 is good for White. TheKnight is much better than the Bishop. 30.Nf6+Kg7 31.b3 Qc6 32.Nh5+ Kf8 33.gxf5 exf534.Ng3 Now Black has weaknesses at a5, f5,f7, and h6. 34...f4 Black sacrifices a pawnto give White some pawn weaknesses and createmore scope for his Bishop. 35.exf4 Qe6 36.Qf3Bc7 37.Kg2Ke7 38.Qe3Kd7 39.Qd3+ Whitecannot yet go into an endgame as Black’s Kingwould be too active: 39.Qxe6+ Kxe6 followed byKd5-d4-c3. 39...Kc8 40.Kf3 Qc6+ 41.Kg4Qe6+ 42.f5 Qf6 43.Qd5 Qg5+ 44.Kf3 Qf645.Ne4 White transfers his Knight to a more ac-tive post. 45...Qh4 46.Nc5Qf4+ 47.Ke2Qe5+Not 47...Qxh2 48.Qa8+ Bb8 49.Qb7+ Kd8 50.Qd7checkmate. 48.Qxe5 Bxe5 49.h3 Kc7 50.Ke3Kc6 51.Ke4 Bf6 52.Nd3 Kd6 53.f4 54.Ne5 iscoming. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Bellon Lopez, J.• Georgiev, Kir.?Tarrasa1990 1-0 D58Sometimes when you need to win, a satisfying wayis to start an all-out attack on the King. Here theSpanish Grandmaster throws caution to the wind,storms the Black King, and even gives away hismost powerful piece to continue the attack. Hisoptimism is well rewarded.1.d4Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3Be7 5.Bg5 h66.Bh4 O–O 7.e3 b6 8.Qc2 Bb7 9.Bxf6 White

205

surrenders the Bishop pair in order to launch aKingside attack. 9...Bxf6 10.cxd5 exd5 11.g4c5 12.O–O–O cxd4 13.exd4Nc6 14.h4 g6 15.g5hxg5 16.hxg5Bxg5+ 17.Kb1Bf6 18.Bd3Nb419.Bxg6 And now the Queen is offered. For theQueen, White gets two minor pieces and forcesthe Black King to take a long walk. 19...Nxc220.Bh7+ Kg7 21.Rdg1+ Bg5 22.Nxg5 Kf623.Rh6+ Ke7 24.Bxc2 Qd7 25. Re1+ Kd826.Re5 Kc7 27.Bf5 Qd8 28.Be6 f6 29.Bxd5fxe5 30.Rh7+ Kb8 31.Rxb7+ Kc8 32.Ne6exd4 33.Nxd8 dxc3 34.Ne6Rf5 35.Rc7+Kb836.Rd7 c2+ 37.Kxc2 Rxf2+ 38.Kc3 Black Re-signs.1-0

◦ Seirawan, Y.• Dreev, A.?Reykjavik1990 1-0 D10The poisoned pawn.1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 cxd5 5.Bf4Qb6 A very bold pawn grab. An early teacherof mine had a memorable way of warning againstcapturing the b-pawn with the Queen in the open-ing: "In the ending with gusto! But never in theopening!" 6.e3 Qxb2 Consistent. Vlastimil Hortgot a bad game against me in the 1986 Wijk aanZee tournament after 6...Nc6?! 7.Bd3! Bg4 8.f3when the Black Queen on b6 was dreadfully mis-placed. 7.Bb5+Nc6 8.Nge2Qa3 Dreev feareda2-a3 and Ra1-a2 trapping the Queen. 9.Ba4My best move of the whole game. The movehas three purposes: it threatens Nc3-b5, cuts offthe Black Queen’s retreat to a5 making Ra1-b1-b3 a threat, and opens the b-file. Black’s reply isforced. 9...a6 10.Rb1 e6 11.O–O The crucial po-sition. Black must find a defense. He is reducedto two choices: chasing White’s black-squaredBishop away by ...Nf6-h5, ...f7-f6, and ...Qa3-e7etc., or biting the bullet with 11...b5. As it turnsout, Dreev makes the wrong choice. 11...Nh512.Be5 f6 13.Bxc6+ bxc6 14.Bc7 Black’s gameis in shambles. He can’t develop his Kingside be-cause the Queen is lost after Rb1-b3. The Knighton h5 is still on the laundry list. My main linelasted only two moves. After 14...f5 15.Qc2 Bd716.Na4, White is left with an overwhelming po-sition. Dreev decides to chase away the meddle-some Bishop. 14...Qe7 15.Ba5 Keeping the b-file open for operations. 15...Qf7 As good asanything else. If 15...f5, 16.Qc2 Bd7 17.Na4 is

positional overkill. 16.Qc2 Winning. The dou-ble threat of Nc3xd5 and g2-g4 is impossible tomeet. 16...c5 17.dxc5 With my opponent short ontime, I decided to play for a direct attack ratherthan pick up the Knight on h5. My threat isQc2-c4+. Play is forced. 17...Bd7 18.Nd4 e519.c6 exd4 20.Rb7Bxc6 21.Rxf7Kxf7 22.Ne2Bb5 23.Nxd4 Bxf1 24.Qc6 Bc4 25.Qxa8 g526.Qc8 Moving in on the Black King and keep-ing his pieces paralyzed. 26...Ng7 27.Bc3 Rg828.g4 h5 29.Nf5 Nxf5 30.gxf5 Dreev now hap-pily watched his flag fall.1-0

◦ Seirawan, Y.• Tisdall, J.?Reykjavik1990 1-0 A86Annotations by Yasser Seirawan: This game fea-tures a positional piece sacrifice.1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.g3 Bg7 5.Bg2O–O 6.Nh3 I prefer this deployment over the stan-dard 6.Nf3. White intends to control the e6-squareby Nh3-f4 and d4-d5. White also eyes e4 withthe Bishop on g2. This makes e2-e4 a source ofworry for Black. 6...d6 7.d5 c6 8.Nf4 e5 9.dxe6Qe7 10.O–O A key position for this variation. Itseemed to me that Black had two choices. Hecan capture on e6 with the Bishop, or delay thecapture by ...Na6, intending ...Na6-c5xe6. InsteadJon plays a provocative move. 10...g5 Normally,I prefer a "controlled game" and disdain specula-tive attacks. But when my opponent forces myhand... Charge! 11.Nfd5 An easy decision.White gets two pawns for a piece and an excel-lent bind. My thoughts were that for Black to un-ravel his Queenside, he needs at least four moves:...Nb8-a6-c5, b7-b6, and ...Bc8-a6. With Black’sKingside pawn shield so advanced, White’s fourmoves should drum up fatal threats. 11...cxd512.cxd5 Ne8 Well played. Bad is 12...h6, fur-ther weakening his Kingside, in particular thecomplex of squares f5, g5, and g6. 13.f4gxf4 Forced. Trying to keep the Kingside closedfails after 13...g4? 14.e4. 14.Bxf4 Na6 Thefirst of four moves to freedom. 15.e4 Nc5 Twomoves to go (...b7-b6, ...Bc8-a6). 16.exf5 Rxf5For a fleeting moment, Black considered 16...b6?17.g4 Ba6 18.Rf3. Fleeting indeed. White’s tidalwave of pawns will wash Black clean. 17.Qg4Qf6 18.Be3 Forcing Black to bring the WhiteQueen’s Rook into battle. 18...Rxf1+ 19.Rxf1Qe5 20.Qf3 Nf6 21.Bf4 Underestimating my

206

own position. This move forced Black to returnthe piece, but he would have to do it anyway. Cor-rect is 21.Kh1! and Black is helpless to preventthe loss of d6, after which White’s center rolls for-ward. 21...Qd4+ 22.Kh1 Nxe6 23.dxe6 Bxe624.Qxb7Re8 25.Nb5Qxb2 26.Nc7Qxb7 27.Bxb7 This is the position that I saw when play-ing 21.Bf4. I now expected the simple execution27...Rb8 28.Nxe6 Rxb7 29.Nxg7 kxg7 30.Bxd6with a win. Black jolted me back to reality with abrilliant counterstroke. 27...Bc8 The game is nowin doubt. 28.Bxc8Rxc8 29.Bxd6Ne4 30.Bf4Bd4 Black feels the remorseless ticking of hisclock. Black wants to activate his Rook by drivingthe Knight from c7. He’s unsuccessful. Best wasthe immediate activation 30...Rb8! 31.Ne6 Rb2!32.Nxg7 Nf2+ 33.Kg2 Nd3+ 34.Kh3 Kxg7 withgood drawing chances. The text loses a tempo.31.Kg2 a5 Too late! Black realizes that 31...Bb632.Rc1 is fine for White. There is no pin on the c-file. Black now plays for ...a5-a4-a3, Bd4-b2, andNe4-c3. White stops the party before it gets outof hand. 32.Rd1 Bb2 White intends to activatehis King and drive Black’s pieces back. 33.Rb1Ba3 34.Kf3Nf6 Black’s resistance is unraveling.35.Rb7 Now the game is back under control. Allof White’s pieces are more active than their coun-terparts. The extra pawn helps too. 35...Bb4 Atime pressure-pass. 36.a4 Securing Black’s a-pawnon a dark square, which means it is more of a targetthan White’s. 36...Nd7 37.Ne6 Nc5 38.Rg7+Kh8 39.Be5Nd3 40.Bd4 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Sokolov, I.• Karlsson, Lars?Stockholm1990 1-0 A85White goes on a king hunt from one side of theboard to the other.1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 Bb4 5.Bd3Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 c5 7.Ne2 b6 8.O–O O–O 9.Ng3Nc6 10.e4 cxd4 Better is 10...fxe4 11.Nxe4 Nxe412.Bxe4 d5. 11.exf5 dxc3 If 11...e5, then Whitegets a strong attack after 12.Bg5 Qe8 13.Bxf6Rxf6 14.Qg4 followed by 15.Nh5. 12.Ba3Re8 13.Bd6 Na5 14.Rc1 Ba6 15.Rxc3 Rc816.fxe6 dxe6 If 16...Rxe6, then 17.Bf5 Re8 18.Nh5followed by 19.Rg3 is strong. 17.c5 Nd518.Qg4 White is massing his pieces on the king-side and is not going to let a Rook slow downthe attack. 18...Nxc3 19.Nh5 Re7 20.Bxa6Rxc5 21.Nf6+ Kh8 22.Bxc5 bxc5 23.Nxh7

The defenses around Black’s King are rippedopen. 23...Kxh7 24.Qh3+ Kg8 25.Qxc3 Ma-terial is back to even, but Black has weaknessesall over the board and his King is not very safe.25...Qb6 26.Bd3 Rd7 27.Bg6 Nc6 28.Qh3Nd4 29.Qh7+ Kf8 30.Qh8+ Ke7 31.Qxg7+Kd6 32.Qf8+Kd5 33.Re1Qd6 34.Qa8+Kc435.Qe4 Kb5 36.Rb1+ Ka5 37.Qd3 Black Re-signs. There is no good defense to 38.Qa3#.1-0

◦ Korchnoi, V.• Gurevich, M.?Rotterdam1990 1-0 A81Many consider Viktor Korchnoi to be the strongestplayer of all time never to become world champion.He is now past his prime, but even at age 59 he isstill one of the best.1.d4 f5 The Dutch defense is considered to be anti-positional, but it creates dynamic chances. 2.g3Nf6 3.Bg2 g6 4.Nh3 d6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Nf4 c67.d5 e5 Black temporarily sacrifices a pawn toget his pieces developed. 8.dxe6 d5 Not imme-diately 8...Qe7 because of 9.e4 fxe4 10.Nxe4 Nxe411.Bxe4 Bxe6 12.O-O O-O 13.Re1 with a large ad-vantage to White. 9.h4 While Black must take thetime to get his pawn back, White provokes weak-nesses on the kingside. 9...Qe7 10.h5 g5 11.h6Bf8 12.Nh5 Rg8 13.Nxf6+ Qxf6 14.Bxd5 Adaring piece sacrifice. 14...Bxe6 Black shouldhave taken the Bishop. After 14...cxd5 15.Nxd5Qd8 16.Qd4 Bxe6 17.Nf6+ Kf7 18.Qxd8 Bb4+the position is unclear. 15.Bxe6 Qxe6 16.e4Bxh6 If 16...fxe4, then 17.Qh5+ Qg6 18.Bxg5winning. 17.Qf3 fxe4 18.Qxe4 Rg6 19.Be3Nd7 20.O–O–O O–O–O 21.Qa4 Also possibleis 21.Qxe6 Rxe6 22.Rxh6 Rxh6 23.Bxg5. In-stead White directs his attention at the Black King.21...a6 22.Rxh6 Rxh6 23.Bxg5 Re8 24.Bxh6Qxh6+ 25.Kb1 White has a big advantage. Heis a pawn ahead and Black’s King’s position isfull of holes. 25...Qe6 26.Qd4 Nf6 27.a3 h528.Na4Qe5 29.Qd3Kc7 Both players were get-ting short on time here. 30.Nc3Kc8 31.f4Qe732.Qd4 Rg8 33.Rd3 Re8 34.b4 Qe6 35.Kb2Kc7 36.Na4 Nd5 37.c4 Nf6 38.Qb6+ Kc839.Nc5 Qe7 If 39...Qe2+, then 40.Kb3. 40.Qa7Qc7 41.Na4 Also strong is 41.Nxa6. 41...Qh742.Qd4 h4 42...Qe7 would have held out longer.43.Qd6Re2+ 44.Kb3Nd5 45.Nb6+ Black Re-signs. 45...Nxb6 46.Qd8 checkmate.1-0

207

◦ Rodriguez, Am.• Herrera, I.?Las Palmas1990 1-0 B99White goes on a sacrificial mating attack.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Be7 8.Qf3 h6 9.Bh4 Qc710.O–O–O Nbd7 11.Be2 Rb8 12.Qg3 Rg813.Rhf1 Nc5 Better is 13...g5 14.fxg5 Ne5.14.e5 dxe5 15.fxe5Nfe4 16.Nxe4Nxe4 17.Qf4Black’s King is stuck in the center and is in a lot ofdanger. 17...Bxh4 18.Qxh4Nc5 Not 18...Qxe5?19.Nc6 followed by mate on d8. Also good forWhite is 18...Ng5 19.Bb5+! axb5 20.Nxb5 Qe721.Nd6+ Kf8 22.Nxf7 followed by Rd8+. 19.Nb5axb5 20.Rxf7 The defenses around Black’s kingare ripped open. 20...Kxf7 If 20...g5, then21.Rxc7 gxh4 22.Bh5+ wins. 21.Bh5+ g622.Qf6+ Ke8 23.Bxg6+ Rxg6 24.Qh8+ Kf7If 24...Ke7, then 25.Qh7+ Ke8 26.Qxc7 Nd727.Rxd7 wins. 25.Rf1+Ke7 26.Qf8+ Black Re-signs. Black gets mated after 26...Kd7 27.Rf7+Kc6 28.Rxc7+ Kxc7 29.Qd6#.1-0

◦ Ivanchuk, V.• Kasparov, G.?Linares1990 0-1 B97The world champion Kasparov gives a special ef-fort in games against Ivanchuk, who may one daychallenge him for his championship.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qb6 8.Qd2 Qxb2 The poi-soned pawn variation of the Najdorf Sicilian hasbeen thoroughly analyzed. 9.Rb1Qa3 10.f5Nc611.fxe6 fxe6 12.Nxc6 bxc6 13.Be2Be7 14.O–OO–O 15.Rb3Qc5+ 16.Be3Qe5 17.Bf4Qc5+18.Kh1 Ng4 19.h3 e5 20.Na4 Qa7 21.Bc4+Kh8 22. hxg4 exf4 23.Nb6 d5 The first newmove in the game, which Kasparov had no doubtprepared in his home analysis. 24.exd5 cxd525.Bxd5 Rb8 26.Nxc8 Rbxc8 27.Rh3 Qb628.Re1Bg5 29.Re6Qd8 Not 29...Qb1+ 30.Kh2Qxc2 31.Qxc2 Rxc2 32.Be4. 30.c4Rb8 31.Qd3Bh4 32.Be4Qg5 33.Bxh7Rfd8 According toKasparov, 33...f3 would have won. 34.Qc2f3 35.Rxf3 Not 35.gxf3 Rd2 winning. 35...Rd236.Qe4Rd1+ 37.Kh2Re1 This move is a mis-take. According to Kasparov, 37...Qc1 should

have been played. Both players were gettingvery short on time here. 38.Qf5 Rxe6 39.Qxe6Kxh7 40.Qe4+ g6 Not 40...Kg8? 41.Rf5 win-ning. 41.Rh3 The decisive error. Correct is41.Rf7+ Kh6 42.Qd4 Rg8 43.g3 Qd8 44.Rd7 Qb845.Qd2 Bg5 46.Qg2 Bh4 with an equal position.41...Kg7 42.Qd4+Kg8 43.Qe4Qf6 White Re-signs. Black is a piece ahead and will start his ownattack after 44.Rf3 Qd6 45.Kh3 Kg7 46.c5 Rh8.0-1

◦ Ljubojevic, L.• Gelfand, B.?Novi Sad1990 1-0 B96Yugoslavia has long prided itself on its chess tradi-tions. So has the Soviet Union! In this Olympiadmatch-up of chessic giants, the game from boardone was a classic duel.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Nbd7 8.Qf3 The Najdorf Si-cilian is considered one of the sharpest openingsin the modern players repertoires. Theory consid-ers that Black’s 7...Nbd7 allows White a strongattack after 8.Bc4 b5 9.Bxe6 fxe6 10.Nxe6 Qa5with sharp play. Ljubojevic playing White, wasn’tanxious to find out what Gelfand had in store forhim and so sidestepped the theoretical recommen-dation. 8...Qc7 9.Be2 b5 10.f5 b4 Black cleverlydodges 10...e5? 11.Ne6 fxe6 12.fxe6 Nb6 13.Bxf6gxf6? 14.Qxf6 winning. Analysis by Gelfand. Thetext seeks to first drive away White’s c3 Knight.11.fxe6Ne5 12.Qxf6 A brilliant yet forced move.A line like 12.exf7+? Qxf7 will cost White his c3-Knight. 12...gxf6 13.Nd5Qa7 The only defense.In this case, Black must ensure that White has asmany pieces in capture as possible. 14.Nxf6+Kd8 15.Nd5+ Ke8 16.Nf6+ At this point, un-able to perceive all the complications, Ljubojevicchose to force the repetition. In their analysis af-ter the game, both players felt that ViswathanandAnand’s recommendation of 16.Bh5 was the mostdangerous, citing 16.Bh5 Bg7 17.Rf1 as leadingto a winning attack. Later Gelfand found 16.Bh5Bh6!! as leading to a win for Black. Thus the repe-tition was the correct decision. 16...Kd8 17.Nd5+Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Ermenkov, E.• West, G.?

208

Miskolc-Tapolca1990 0-1 B70Who is fooling whom? White tricks Black withthe chameleon Sicilian, leading to the Dragon vari-ation. But Black seems to understand the Dragon alot better than White does.1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 d6 3.Nge2 g6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4Nf6 6.Bg5 Bg7 7.Bb5+ A positionally doubt-ful concept. The Bishop is strongly placed on c4,where is puts pressure on the Kingside. 7...Bd78.Qe2 a6 9.Bxd7+Nbxd7 10.O–O–O Announc-ing his intention to attack, but exchanging thelight-squared Bishop and placing the Queen one2 slow the White Kingside play. Black alreadyhas the edge. 10...O–O 11.f4 Rc8 12.e5 dxe513.fxe5 Qa5 14.Nf3 Rxc3 A standard sacrificein Dragon lines, this weakens the White Kingposition. 15.exf6 exf6 16.Rxd7 fxg5 17.bxc3Qxc3 18.Rxb7 Qa1+ 19.Rb1 Bb2+ 20.Kd2Rd8+ 21.Nd4 White is must return some mate-rial. 21...Rxd4+ 22.Ke3 Qxa2 23.Kf2 Rf4+24.Kg3 Qa3+ 25.Qd3 Bd4 26.Kh3 The threatwas ...Bf2+ and ...Rh4#. 26...g4+ 27.Kh4 If27.Kg3 Qd6 looks tasty. 27...Qe7+ 28.Kg3Bf2+29.Kxf4 Qf6+ 30.Kxg4 Variation 30.Ke4 Qf5#30...h5+ White Resigns.0-1

◦ Kalegin, E.• Yuferov, S.?Moscow1990 1-0 B52Another amazing attacking gem played in Russiaby relative unknowns. White is willing to sacrificeanything from pawns to Rooks to get at the enemyKing, with ultimate success.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ This way of avoidingthe main lines of the Sicilian is generally thought tobe quiet... 3...Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.O–O Nc66.c3 Nf6 7.d4 But White has one or two ways oflivening up the proceedings. 7...Nxe4 8.d5 Nb89.Re1 Nf6 10.Bg5 Qf5 Black now experiencessome difficulty in developing; White seems to haveadequate compensation for the pawn. 11.Bxf6gxf6 12.Nbd2Qxd5 Make that two pawns. 13.c4Qc6 14.Ne4 Kd8 Due to the pin along the e-file, both d- and f-pawns are under attack. 15.b4cxb4 Three. 16.c5 d5 17.Nd4 Qd7 18.c6 bxc6Four. 19.Nc5 Qe8 20.Re6 fxe6 And a Rook.21.Ndxe6+Kc8 22.Qg4 a5 23.Nxf8+ f5 Black’sturn. 24.Qxf5+ e6 25.Nfxe6 Nd7 26.Rc1 Ra727.Ne4 dxe4 28.Rxc6+ Kb8 29.Qf4+ Ka8

30.Nc7+ Rxc7 31.Qxc7 Nb8 32.Qxa5+ Kb733.Rc7# 1-0

◦ Hodgson, J.• Suba, M.?Blackpool1990 1-0 B50A sharp tactical match-up. English GM JulianHodgson at twenty-five represents the young lionsof today, while his opponent, Mikhail Suba, is oneof the venerable old guard of Romanian chess.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.c3 Nf6 4.Be2 Nc6 Avoid-ing the transparent trap: 4...Nxe4 5.Qa4+. 5.d4cxd4 Now 5...Nxe4? 6.d5! and 7.Qa4+. 6.cxd4Nxe4 It is considered to be very dangerous to grabthe e4-pawn in this line. Suba takes the approach,"If it’s not nailed down, why not take it?" 7.d5Qa5+ A necessary check. 8.Nc3 Nxc3 9.bxc3Nd8 Also seen is 9...Ne5 10.Nxe5 Qxc3+ whenBlack wins many pawns but suffers from lack ofdevelopment. 10.O–O e5 11.dxe6 White has gam-bited a pawn for open lines for his pieces. It isonly natural for him to open the game as muchas possible. Black’s problem is that his King isstuck in the center. 11...Nxe6 12.Nd4 Be713.Bb5+Kf8 14.Rb1 a6 15.Bc4Qc7 16.Bxe6A powerful move. Black’s c8-Bishop is forcedto cover the b7-pawn while avenues to Black’sKing are being opened. 16...fxe6 17.Re1 e518.Qf3+Bf6 19.Ba3 The best amongst a tempt-ing array. The tries 19.Bh6 and 19.Bg5 look good,but this one sets up the shots 20.Qd5 and 20.Rxe5which bring down the curtains. 19...exd4 20.Qd5Be7 21.Rxe7 Kxe7 22.Re1+ Kf6 Black hasto walk the plank. If 22...Kd8 23.Bxd6 wins,while 23...Kd7 24. Re6 is equally decisive.23.Bxd6Qd7 Again no choice. The materialistic23...Qxc3? 24.Be7+ Kg6 24.Re6+ would be deci-sive. 24.Re5Re8 25.Qf3+Kg6 26.Qh5+Kf627.Qf3+ Kg6 28.Qh5+ Kf6 29.Rxe8 Qxd630.cxd4 Very nice. Black has no moves. The grab30...Qxd4 31.Rf8+ Ke7 32.Qf7+ Kd6 33.Rd8+wins, while developing with 30...Bg4 31.Qe5+wins. 30...h6 31.h4 a5 32.Qf3+Kg6 33.h5+Kg5Admitting defeat. However 33...Kh7 34.Qe4+ g635.hxg6+ Qxg6 36.Re7+ wins. The rest is a mas-sacre. 34.Re5+ Qxe5 35.dxe5 Be6 36.Qxb7Rg8 37.Qe7+ Kf5 38.g4+ Kxe5 39.f4+ Kxf440.Qxe6Rd8 41.Qf7+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Kasparov, G.• Karpov, An.

209

?18th Match Game, Lyons1990 1-0 C92Annotations: Schussler. This was a disappointinggame for Karpov, as with the victory Kasparov es-sentially clinched the Championship in the NewYork-Lyons match. And the bad part was that Kar-pov’s team of seconds had prepared this line in ad-vance, and Kasparov walked right into it. His im-provement found at the board refuted the gambitand destroyed Karpov’s chances. One lesson to belearned is that if you are going to play chess, trustother people’s analysis only as far as you can verifyit yourself.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.h3 Nd710.d4Bf6 During the latter half of the match Kar-pov had started playing this e5-strongpoint line in-stead of the main Zaitzev Ruy Lopez that he startedwith. 11.a4 Bb7 12.Na3 exd4 13.cxd4 Nb614.Bf4 bxa4 This plan of gaining the Bishop pairin exchange for pawn weaknesses is dynamic playthat may fit better into Kasparov’s style. 15.Bxa4Nxa4 16.Qxa4 a5 17.Bd2 Re8 18.d5 Nb419.Bxb4 axb4 20.Qxb4Rb8 And it was this po-sition that Karpov was playing for. Black appearsto be threatening to gain great activity by movingthe light-bound Bishop, but White finds the rightidea, preventing ...Ba6. 21.Qc4 Qc8 22.Nd4Ba6 23.Qc3 c5 24.dxc6 Bxd4 25.Qxd4 Qxc626.b4 h6 27.Re3 Re6 28.f3 Rc8 29.Rb3 Bb530.Rb2Qb7 31.Nc2Qe7 32.Qf2Rg6 33.Ne3Qg5 34. Rbb1 Bd7 35.Ra5 Qe7 36.Ra7Qd8 37.Nd5 Kh7 38.Kh2 Rb8 39.f4 Re640.Qd4Qe8 41.Re1Bc6 42.Qd3Qf8 43.Rc1Bxd5 44.exd5+ Rg6 45.Qf5 Kg8 46.Rac7Rf6 47. Qd7 Rd8 48.Qxd8 Qxd8 49.Rc8Qf8 50.R1c4 Rf5 51.Rxf8+ Kxf8 52.Rd4 h553.b5 Ke7 54.b6 Kd7 55.g4 hxg4 56.hxg4 Rf657.Rc4 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Kasparov, G.• Karpov, An.?20th Match Game, Lyons1990 1-0 C92In the split match for the World Championship in1990, the scene changed from New York to Lyon,France. But the scene on the chessboard stayedmuch the same, with the contestants essaying theKing’s Indian Defense when Karpov was White,and the Ruy Lopez when Kasparov played theWhite pieces. Some variety occurred late in the

match, but most of the time the chess world wastreated to, or forced to endure, depending on yourorientation, a seemingly endless series of similarlines. This is one of the games that Kasparov wonbrilliantly - and when this occurred, even the criticsfound time to wonder.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.h3 Bb710.d4 Re8 The Zaitzev Ruy Lopez; Karpov isan acknowledged expert in the line. In fact, inthe months leading up to the match, some won-dered if the Ruy - one of the world’s oldest open-ings - wasn’t advantageous to Black! Karpov’smatch with Hjartarson in Seattle certainly left thatimpression. Kasparov quickly dispelled the no-tion, making a theoretical improvement the firsttime the line was played in this match, and win-ning nicely. Karpov improved in turn, but althoughhe got big advantages in several games, he failedto make the most of his chances. 11.Nbd2 Bf812.a4 h6 13.Bc2 exd4 14.cxd4 Nb4 15.Bb1 c516.d5 Nd7 17.Ra3 f5 18.Rae3 Once, Gary ex-perimented with e4xf5, nearly losing in gruesomefashion. Later he did it again, to the surprise ofall. 18...Nf6 19.Nh2Kh8 20.b3 bxa4 21.bxa4c4 22.Bb2 fxe4 23.Nxe4 Nfxd5 24.Rg3 Re625.Ng4 Qe8 26.Nxh6 c3 27.Nf5 cxb2 28.Qg4Bc8 29.Qh4+ Rh6 30.Nxh6 gxh6 31.Kh2Qe5 32.Ng5Qf6 33.Re8Bf5 34.Qxh6+Qxh635.Nf7+Kh7 36.Bxf5+Qg6 37.Bxg6+ At thisunimportant point, White errs. Leading to imme-diate mate is 37.Rxg6! 37...Kg7 38.Rxa8 Be739.Rb8 a5 40.Be4+Kxf7 41.Bxd5+ Black Re-signs.1-0

◦ Kasparov, G.• Karpov, An.?2nd Match Game, New York1990 1-0 C92This was the second game of the New York-LyonsWorld Championship Match. In the first, Karpovmissed a fairly easy win of a pawn, and the gamewas drawn. Now Kasparov came through witha major theoretical improvement against Karpov’sZaitzev Ruy Lopez, and after a controversial com-bination, Garry crashed through. At this point, itlooked like Kasparov’s prediction - that he wouldcrush GM Karpov and prove he was unquestion-ably the greatest player in the world - might justcome true. Karpov managed to come back, though,and once again the two titans played a remarkablyclose match.

210

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.h3 Bb710.d4Re8 11.Nbd2Bf8 12.a4 h6 13.Bc2 exd414.cxd4Nb4 15.Bb1 bxa4 This capture was alsoplayed by Karpov in his match against the Ice-lander Hjartarson in Seattle. There Johann failed tomake much from the White pieces, and openingstheoreticians were suggesting White might haveto vary from this pattern early - that perhaps theRuy was at best equal for White! 16.Rxa4 a517.Ra3Ra6 18.Nh2 This is where GM Hjartar-son tried 18.Rae3, with little success. The WorldChampion was watching, of course, and foundan improvement that may make 15...bxa4 doubt-ful. 18...g6 19.f3 Qd7 20.Nc4 Qb5 21.Rc3Bc8 22.Be3 Kh7 23.Qc1 c6 24.Ng4 Here isthe point. White’s pieces coordinate against theBlack King, and capture of the Knight on g4 wouldopen the h-file with nasty consequences. 24...Ng825.Bxh6 An interesting sacrifice, leading to fa-vorable complications. In this match-up, dynamictactical complications generally favor Kasparov,while quiet positional games seem better for Kar-pov. 25...Bxh6 26.Nxh6 Nxh6 27.Nxd6 Qb628.Nxe8Qxd4+ Although hardly commented on(after all, why not win a center pawn with check?),this gives White extra play on the open d-file. Sim-ply 28...Qd8 is safer. 29.Kh1Qd8 30.Rd1Qxe831.Qg5Ra7 32.Rd8Qe6 33.f4Ba6 34.f5Qe735.Qd2 Qe5 36.Qf2 With this maneuver Whitegains the critical diagonal for his Queen, withthreat of mate on h8. 36...Qe7 37.Qd4Ng8 38.e5Nd5 39.fxg6+ fxg6 40.Rxc6 Qxd8 41.Qxa7+Nde7 42. Rxa6 Qd1+ 43.Qg1 Qd2 44.Qf1Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Timman, J.• Karpov, An.?Kuala Lumpur1990 0-1 C92The winner of this match would play Kasparovlater in the year for the world championship.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.h3 Bb710.d4 Re8 Karpov is an expert on the Zait-sev variation of the Ruy Lopez. This varia-tion would be played many times in his worldchampionship match later that year against Kas-parov. 11.Nbd2 Bf8 12.a4 h6 13.Bc2 exd414.cxd4 Nb4 15.Bb1 c5 16.d5 Nd7 17.Ra3 f518.Rae3 f4 In the 20th game of the world cham-pionship match against Kasparov, Karpov played

18...Nf6. 19.R3e2 Ne5 20.Nf1 Nxf3+ 21.gxf3Qh4 22.Nh2 Re5 23.Qd2 Qxh3 24.Qxf4bxa4 25.Qg4 Qxg4+ 26.Nxg4 Ree8 27.f4 Theendgame is slightly better for White because of hiscentral pawn mass. 27...a5 28.f3 Ba6 29.Rg2Kf7 30.Rd1 Bc4 31.Ne3 White would liketo play e4-e5, but his d-pawn needs protection.31...Bb3 32.Re1 c4 33.e5 dxe5 34.Bg6+ Kg835.Ng4 The position is unclear after 35.Bxe8Rxe8 36.Ng4 Nd3. 35...Nd3 36.Nxh6+ gxh637.Bxd3+ Kh8 38.Bg6 Red8 39.Bd2 An er-ror in time pressure. Better are either 39.Bf7or 39.fxe5. 39...Bb4 40.Bc3 Bxc3 41.bxc3 a3Black’s outside passed pawns give him the ad-vantage. 42.fxe5 Rxd5 43.e6 Rd1 If 43...a2,then 44.f4 is unclear. 44.Rxd1 Bxd1 45.e7 Not45.Rd2? Ba4 46.e7 Kg7 47.Rd8 a2 winning.45...Ba4 The position is equal after 45...Bb3?46.Re2. 46.Bf7 The decisive error. Whiteneeded to start advancing his f-pawn with 46.f4.46...Rb8 47.Re2 Rb1+ 48.Kf2 Rb2 49.Bxc4Kg7 50.Ke1 Rxe2+ 51.Kxe2 h5 52.Bb3 Bd753.Ke3Kf6 54.Kf4Bc6 55.c4Kxe7 56.c5Be8White Resigns.0-1

◦ Martin, B.• Garcia Palermo, C.?Benasque1990 1-0 C92White shows us the value of a Kingside space ad-vantage and the power of the Rook lift.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.h3 a5Normal and better are 9...Na5 (Chigorin), 9...Nb8(Breyer), 9...Bb7 (Zaitzev), or even 9...Nd7. TheKnight moves generally prepare ...c7-c5. 10.d4 a411.Bc2 exd4 12.Nxd4 White doesn’t wish to losehis valuable light-squared Bishop to a Knight after12.cxd4 Nb4. 12...Nxd4 13.cxd4 d5 14.e5 Ne415.Nd2 The same logic applies here, although thistime White spurns the gain of a Pawn. Black’sBishops would get too much activity. 15...Nxd2Perhaps better is 15...f5, trying to block lines tothe King. Of course this yields a protected passedpawn, and in the long run the backward c-pawn onthe half-open file will be hard to defend. 16.Bxd2Be6 17.Bh6 gxh6 Declining the sacrifice with17...Re8 18.Qd3 g6 loses at least the b-pawn.18.Qd3 f5 19.exf6Rxf6 20.Qxh7+Kf8 21.Bg6Rxg6 The threat was Qh8+, ...Bg8, Qxh6#. Nowthe material balance is close to equal, but Kingsafety plays the most important role. 22.Qxg6

211

Bf7 23.Qxh6+ Kg8 24.Re3 Bh4 25.Rc1 b426.Rd1Rb8 27.Rdd3Rb6 28.Rg3+ The pointof White’s play. On any of the last few moves,...Qf6 or ...Qg5 is met by Rg3(+), an overload-ing combination. 28...Bxg3 29.Rxg3+ Rg630.Rxg6+ Bxg6 31.Qxg6+ Kh8 32.h4 BlackResigns.1-0

◦ Garcia, G.• Beliavsky, A.?Novi Sad1990 0-1 C781.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–Ob5 6.Bb3Bb7 One of Beliavsky’s pet lines. Notethat ...Nxe4 is met variously with Bb3-d5, Rf1-e1, or d2-d4, in all cases regaining the pawn. BigAl prefers this compact development with ...Bc8-b7 and ...Bf8-c5. 7.Re1 Bc5 8.c3 d6 9.d4 Bb610.Bg5 h6 11.Bh4 g5 12.Bg3 O–O 13.dxe5Nxe5 14. Nxe5 dxe5 15.Nd2 Qe7 16.Qe2Rad8 17.a4 Rd6 18.axb5 axb5 19.Nf1 Bc620.Bc2 Rfd8 21.Rac1 h5 22.h3 h4 23.Bh2Qe6 24.Ne3 Rd2 25.Qf3 Rxc2 A nice the-matic exchange sacrifice that quickly leads to thebaring of White’s King. 26.Nxc2 Rd2 27.Kh1g4 28.hxg4 Rxf2 29.Qh3 Nxe4 30.Ne3 Rxg231.Qxg2 h3 32. Qc2 Nd2+ 33.Kg1 Qxg4+White Resigns.0-1

◦ Hector, J.• Fernandez Garcia, J.?Spain1990 0-1 C47Johnny Hector is known for his exciting play andspecialty openings, but here he essays the ancientFour Knights Game, and his opponent was wellprepared.1.e4 Nf6 Is it the Alekhine Defense? 2.Nc3 e5The Vienna Game? 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.d4 No, it’sthe Scotch Four Knights! 4...exd4 5.Nd5 Be76.Bf4 d6 7.Nxd4 O–O 8.Nb5 White will soonbe made to pay for moving his Knights around toomuch. But without this attack, it is hard to seehow he can gain any advantage. 8...Nxd5 9.exd5Bg5 10.Bxg5 Qxg5 11.Qd2 Qe5+ 12.Be2 a613.Nxc7 Nd4 14.Nxa8 Bg4 15.c3 15.f3 is metby 15...Bxf3! Although White is up a Rook, heis in trouble. 15...Nxe2 16.Qe3 Qf6 The end-ing is OK for White, because the Knight e2 can-not escape. 17.Nb6Qd8 18.Nc4Re8 19.h3 The

Queen cannot be saved except by even greater ex-pense, so White takes the practical decision to jet-tison her. 19...Rxe3 20.Nxe3 Qb6 21.hxg4Qxb2 22.Rd1 Nxc3 23.Rd2 Qb5 There is norespite. White will not be allowed to castle.24.Nd1Ne4 25.Re2Qb4+ 26.Kf1 h6 27.Rh3Qd4 28.Re1 Qxd5 29.Kg1 b5 30.Rhe3 Nf631.Nc3 Qc4 32.Ne4 Leading to an ending withQueen and six Pawns against two Rooks andthree. 32...Nxe4 33.Rxe4 Qxa2 34.f4 a5 35.f5b4 36.Kh2 Qd2 37.R1e2 Qg5 38.Rb2 d539.Re8+Kh7 40.Ra8Qh4+ White Resigns.0-1

◦ Kasparov, G.• Karpov, An.?14th Match Game, Lyons1990 1/2-1/2 C45Kasparov re-introduces the Scotch into WorldChampionship play after more than a century. Thereal surprise was that he played it again and won!Even with these fine results, the Scotch is unlikelyto gain general popularity, as most of its sting wasremoved by analysts in the 1800’s.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf65.Nxc6 bxc6 6.e5 Qe7 7.Qe2 Nd5 8.c4 Ba69.b3 O–O–O 10.g3Re8 11.Bb2 f6 12.Bg2 fxe513.O–O h5 14.Qd2 Nf6 15.Qa5 Bb7 16.Ba3Qe6 17.Bxf8Rhxf8 18.Qxa7Qg4 19.Na3 h420.Nc2 h3 21.Bh1 Ne4 22.a4 Nc3 23.Rae1Ne2+ 24.Rxe2 Qxe2 25.Nb4 d5 26.cxd5cxd5 27.Bxd5 Bxd5 28.Nxd5 Qc2 29.Qa6+Kd7 30.Ne3 Qe4 31.Rc1 Rb8 32.Qf1 Rxb333.Qxh3+ Kd8 34. Qh5 Kc8 35.Qd1 Rxe336.fxe3 Qxe3+ 37.Kh1 Qe4+ 38.Kg1 Qe3+39.Kh1 Qe4+ 40. Kg1 Rd8 41.Qc2 Draw byAgreement.1/2-1/2

◦ Polgar, J.• Knaak, R.?Cologne1990 1-0 C18The youngest of the three Hungarian Polgar sisters,Judit, would go on to become the youngest Grand-master ever: in 1992 at the age of 15, she eclipsedBobby Fischer’s record by several months. In thisgame the strong German GM Rainer Knaak is out-combined by a 13-year-old girl. Her marveloussharp tactical style has in fact accumulated manyGM scalps.

212

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3Bxc3+6.bxc3 Ne7 7.Qg4 Qc7 8.Bd3 An unusual lineof the French Winawer. White normally cap-tures on g7 here with wild complications - whichare theoretically well known several moves deep.8.Bd3 suggests a willingness to explore lesser-known lines. 8...cxd4 9.Ne2 Qxe5 10.Bf4 Qf611.Bg5Qe5 12.cxd4 Refusing the draw by repeti-tion. 12...h5 13.Qh4Qc7 14.Bf4Qa5+ 15.Bd2Qd8 16.g4 e5 17.dxe5Bxg4 18.Rg1Qd7 19.f3Be6 20.Nd4 Nbc6 21.Nxc6 Nxc6 22.Rxg7Qc7 23.f4 Nxe5 Black wins the exchange, butthe Knight and Queen were the only defendersof the dark squares. Black’s position was in anycase desperate. 24.fxe5 Qxe5+ 25.Kf2 Qxg726.Rg1Qb2 27.Bb4 f6 28.Re1 O–O–O Return-ing a piece to try to find a haven for the King.29.Rxe6 Kb8 30.Qxf6 Qa2 The ending after30...Qxf6 would be very difficult for Black. TwoBishops in an open position should easily over-power a Rook and Pawn. 31.Qd4 Rc8 32.Bd2Ka8 33.Be3 Rxc2+ But keeping the Queen’son hasn’t proven to be without risk either. NowKnaak tries a few checks, but Judit defends prop-erly. 34.Bxc2 Qxc2+ 35.Ke1 Qb1+ 36.Kd2Qa2+ 37.Kd1 Qb1+ 38.Ke2 Qc2+ 39.Bd2Rf8 40.Qxd5 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Van Riemsdijk, H.• Hmadi, S.?Manila1990 1-0 C13This game features a double Rook sacrifice.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5Nfd7 6.h4 a6 7.Qg4 Bxg5 8.hxg5 c5 9.g6f5 Not 9...fxg6 10.Rxh7. 10.Qf4 h6 11.dxc5O–O 12.Nf3Nxc5 13.Bd3Nc6 14.Ne2Qa5+15.Kf1Ne4 16.c3Qb6 17.Nfd4Qxb2 17...Qc7was more cautious. 18.Rb1Nd2+ 19.Kg1Nxb120.Rxh6 Qd2 The second Rook could be taken:20...gxh6 21.Qxh6 Rf7 22.gxf7+ Kxf7 23.Nf4 andWhite’s attack is too strong. 21.Rh7 Qxf422.Nxf4 Despite the exchange of Queens, White’sattack is still dangerous. 23.Nh5 is threatened.22...Nxe5 23.Nh5 Nxg6 Black must give backsome pieces. Not 23...Nxd3 24.Rxg7+ Kh8 25.Nf3followed by Ng5, Rh7+, and g7. 24.Rxg7+Kh8 25.Rxg6Nxc3 Short on time, Black makesan error. Correct is 25...Nd2 to prevent White’snext move. 26.Nf3 b5 Black hopes to defendwith 27...Ra7. If 26...Ne4, then 27.Ne5 followedby Rg7 and Ng6#. 27.Rg7 Rg8 28.Re7 Ne4

28...Rb8 followed by 29...Rb7 would have held outlonger. 29.Bxe4 fxe4 30.Nf6 Black Resigns. Theonly defense to 31.Rh7# is 30...Rg7 31.Re8+ Rg832.Rxg8#.1-0

◦ Geller, E.• Dreev, A.?New York1990 1-0 C08A contest between two different generations.White is more than 44 years older than his oppo-nent, and his rating is 90 points lower. However, inhis prime Geller was one of the best players in theworld and should never be underestimated.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 a6 4.Ngf3 c5 5.exd5 exd56.Be2 c4 7.O–OBd6 8.b3 b5 9.a4Bb7 10.bxc4bxc4 11.Bxc4 White sacrifices a piece to openup the position. In his prime, Geller was oneof the finest combinational players. 11...dxc412.Nxc4 Be7 12...Ne7 13.Nxd6+ Qxd6 14.Ba3leaves White with a strong attacking position.13.Re1Qc7 14.Rb1 Threatening 15.Rxb7 Qxb716.Nd6+. Black is having trouble finding safetyfor his King. 14...Qxc4 15.Rxb7 Nc6 16.Nd2Qxd4 If 16...Qxa4, then 17.d5 is strong. 17.Bb2Qxa4 18.Re4 Qa2 19.Bxg7 O–O–O 20.Rb3Bf6 If 20...Nf6, then 21.Rc4 Rxd2 22.Rxc6+ Kd723.Qxd2 Kxc6 24.Qc3+ wins. 21.Qg4+ Kc722.Qf4+ Kc8 If 22...Rd6, then 23.Rd3 wins.23.Bxf6 Nxf6 24.Qxf6 Qxc2 25.Qf5+ BlackResigns, as he will lose his Queen by discoveredcheck. This was voted to be the best game in thefirst half of 1990 by Chess Informant.1-0

◦ Ermenkov, E.• Kovacevic, Vlado?Kavala1990 0-1 C04The pawn grab is King in this game. Some pawnsseem to be worth more than Queens, even.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Initiating the Tarraschvariation. White maintains some of the tensionin the center, but doesn’t put the Knight on c3,where it can be pinned. These lines are consid-ered to yield White a very small but fairly persis-tent advantage. 3...Nc6 Black’s main choices are3...c5, 3...Nf6, and 3...Nc6, although many othermoves have some validity. After the move cho-sen, Black will have to move the Knight again

213

to allow ...c7-c5, and then will probably return itto the natural c6 square. But since the positionwill remain closed (after e4-e5) this loss of timemay not be too serious. 4.Ngf3 Nf6 5.e5 Nd76.Bb5 Since White doesn’t really intend to cap-ture at c6, which would leave Black the possibilityof playing the strong freeing move ...c5 twice(!),this seems to just lose time. 6...a5 7.c3 Na78.Bd3 c5 9.O–O Nc6 10.Re1 cxd4 11.cxd4 a4By a simple tempo count, White is ahead in devel-opment. However, things are rarely so simple inchess, and a quick quality check shows that the un-moved Rook on a8 is at least as well placed as the"developed" White Rook, and pieces for both sideswill need to be shifted several times to find theright homes. Considering Black’s Queenside spaceadvantage, it is possible he already stands better.12.Nf1Be7 13.Ng3 h5 14.Ne2Nb6 15.g3Nb416.Bb1 Bd7 17.h4 Nc4 18.Nf4 Qb6 19.Kg2Kd8 20.Ng5 Bxg5 21.hxg5 g6 22.Ne2 Nc623.Rh1Kc7 24.Rh4Nxb2 25.Qd2 a3 26.Qf4Rhc8 27.Qxf7Rf8 28.Qxg6Nd1 29.Rf4Qb230.Bc2 Qxa1 31.Bxd1 Rxf4 32.gxf4 Qxa233.f5Qb1 34.Nc3Qxc1 35.fxe6Qxc3 36.exd7Qxd4 37.Qd6+ Kb6 38.e6 a2 39.Bf3 Qc5White Resigns.0-1

◦ Galdunts, S.• Tavadian, R.?URS1990 1-0 B19The former USSR was a chess powerhouse, withseemingly inexhaustible supplies of world-classplayers. The restrictive travel policies imposedby the state prevented most Soviet players fromever playing in international tournaments, so by thetime the rest of the world found out about a playerhe was already very strong. In this game two un-knowns play a fine battle.1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4Bf5 5.Ng3Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Nf3 Nd7 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3Bxd3 10.Qxd3 Ngf6 11.Bd2 Qc7 12.O–O–Oe6 13.Qe2 This is a main line in the Caro Kann;the retreat puts pressure on e6 and defends thee5 square, as well as removing the Queen frompossible attack along the d-file should Black cas-tle long. 13...c5 Normally, this is a desirablemove; it breaks in the center and gives the Blackpieces more room. In this position, it may beslightly premature - the weakness of the BlackQueenside isn’t at all obvious, though. 14.Kb1Getting off the c-file and preparing to bring a

Rook over. 14...Rc8 15.c4 cxd4 Again well mo-tivated, preventing d4-d5 which would render thec-file battery useless and pressure e6. But thenewly centralized Knight also hits at e6, and devel-ops some Queenside action, too. 16.Nxd4 Bc5Of course, 16...Qxc4 17.Rc1 is unacceptable, but16...a6 may run into 17.Nxe6. 17.Nb5Qc6 18.b4Suddenly Nb5xa7 is a problem. The Knight attacksmany dark squares in the heart of the Black po-sition, so it must be eliminated. 18...a6 19.bxc5axb5 20.cxb5 Qxg2 21.Rhg1 Qh3 22.c6 bxc623.bxc6Rxc6 24.Bb4Qh4 25.a3Rb6 26.Qb2Nd5 27.Rd4 Qd8 28.Rxd5 exd5 29.Qe2+Re6 30.Nf5 Qb6 31.Nxg7+ Kd8 32.Nxe6+fxe6 33.Rg7 Rf8 34.Qb2 Rf4 35.Rh7 Kc836.Qh8+Rf8 37.Qc3+Kd8 38.Qg7 Black Re-signs.1-0

◦ Short, N.• Seirawan, Y.?Manila1990 1-0 B12This was a crucial game on Nigel Short’s path tochallenge Kasparov for the world championship in1993.1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.c3 A Short spe-cialty. 4...e6 5.Be2 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.O–O h68.Be3 cxd4 9.cxd4Nge7 10.Nc3Nc8 11. Rc1a6 Better is 11...Nb6. 12.Na4 Nb6 13.Nc5Bxc5 14.Rxc5 O–O 15.Qb3 Nd7 16.Rc3Qb6 17.Rfc1 Qxb3 18. Rxb3 Rfb8 19.Nd2Kf8 20.h4 With Black tied down on the queen-side, White switches his attention to the king-side. 20...Ke8 21.g4 Bh7 22.h5 Nd8 Bet-ter is 22...Kd8, although after 23.f4 White has aspace advantage. 23.Rbc3Nb6 24.Nb3Na4 If24...Rc8, then 25.Nc5 is strong. 25...Nd7 wouldbe met with 26.Nxb7. 25.Rc7 Nxb2 26.Nc5White has a winning advantage. 26...b5 27.g5The decisive breakthrough. 27...Nc4 If 27...hxg5,then 28.Bxg5 followed by 29.Re7+ is decisive.28.gxh6 gxh6 29.Nd7Nxe3 30.fxe3Bf5 31.Kf2Rb7 32.Nf6+ Kf8 33.Rg1 Black Resigns. If33...Rxc7, then 34.Rg8+ Ke7 35.Re8#.1-0

◦ Kotronias, V.• King, D.?New York1990 1-0 B12

214

To win at chess, it is necessary to take risks. Herethe young Greek player Kotronias gives up the cen-ter to develop a flaming attack against his Englishcolleague.1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nc3 Qb6 5.Bd3Bxd3 6.Qxd3 e6 7.Nge2Nd7 8.O–ONe7 9.a4c5 10.a5 Qc6 11.dxc5 An inspired move. Butif White plays 11.f4 Nf5! gives Black a finegame. Perhaps throwing in 11.a6 in order to jus-tify the a-pawn advance was best. The text givesup a pawn in the hopes of crashing through in thecenter. 11...Nxe5 12.Qg3 N5g6 13.Nd4 Qxc514.Be3 e5 Such a weakening move deserves astrong rebuke. However, Black is already on theslippery slope of defeat. The solid move 14...Qc815.Ncb5 Nc6 16. Nc7+ costs Black an Exchangeand the opportunity to castle. 15.Ndb5Qc6 Blacksidesteps the wipeout: 15...d4 16.Bxd4 (16.Ne4 isalso strong.) exd4 17.Nc7+ Kd8 18.Nxa8 dxc319.Rfd1+ Kc8 20.Nb6+ axb6 21.axb6 wins. Anal-ysis by Andrianov. This nice comment illustratesBlack’s problem: his vulnerable King. 16.a6 b617.Rad1 d4 18.Qh3 A killing move. If Blackcaptures on either c3 or e3 White plays 19.Nd6+which will be devastating. The text sidestepsBlack’s tempo ...Ne7-f5 and also fixes to keepBlack’s King trapped in a crossfire. 18...Nc819.Bxd4 The piece sacrifice is immediately de-cisive. If 19...exd4 20.Nxd4 Qc7 21.Qf3 Rb822.Nc6 wins. Black has no answer for Rf1-e1+ andNc3-b5. 19...Nd6 20.Rfe1Nxb5 21.Bxe5Be722.Nxb5 O–O Black dare not accept the secondpiece offering. If 22...Qb5 23.Bxg7 Rg8 24.Qxh7wins. 23.Nd4 Qc5 24.b4 Qc4 25.Nf5 Bxb426.Qh6 Black Resigns. A painful finale. Blackis reminded about his endangered King. The point26...gxh6 27.Nxh6+ is indeed a beauty.1-0

◦ Van der Wiel, J.• Seirawan, Y.?Haninge1990 0-1 B09Annotations by Yasser Seirawan. It’s always agood idea to make sure none of one’s favorite lineshave been busted and before this game I quicklyscanned the games in New In Chess Yearbook 15.Sure enough, right on cue, GM Khalifman had justclobbered someone who played my favorite vari-ation of the Rat Defense. Rats! He had annotatedthe game, and had gone so far as to give my 8...fxe6a ?! mark. The cheek! His notes were short andsuccinct. Was it the end of my idea? I refused to

believe it, and spent a whole night and early morn-ing mulling the variation over. I hoped things werepatched up successfully because my next opponentwas the dangerous GM John van der Wiel.1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.Nc3Bg7 I prefer this move or-der to that of the classical Pirc (2...Nf6) becauseI consider it more flexible. In the variation whereWhite plays Bc1-e3 and Qd1-d2, angling for Be3-h6, it’s sometimes useful to have a Knight on g8.4.f4 Nf6 5.Nf3 c5 6.Bb5+ Bd7 7.e5 Ng4 8.e6fxe6 9.Ng5 Bxb5 10.Nxb5 Qa5+ 11.c3 Qxb512.Qxg4 cxd4 13.Nxe6 This position was eval-uated as winning for White by Khalifman. Aswe had both played quickly up to now, I imme-diately played my novelty. 13...Qc4 After makingthis move, I got up to get a glass of mineral wa-ter. While at the refreshment stand, I heard theother players joking, "How can this guy be lead-ing the tournament? he leaves his pieces hang-ing with check!" After a pause, John found hisonly chance for an advantage. 14.Nxg7+ Kf715.Nf5 Avoiding Black’s trap. On 15.Nh5? dxc3!(threatening...Qc4-e4+ and ...g6x h5) 16.Ng3 cxb217.Bxb2 Qb4+, Black safely recovers his piecewith the better game. 15...Qe6+ 16.Ne3 dxe317.f5 In my preparations I had decided that thiswas the only way for White to attain an advan-tage. Of course, 17.Qxe6+ Kxe6 18.Bxe3 Nc6is completely equal. 17...gxf5 18.O–O Nc6 Thetry 18...Nd7 19.Rxf5+ Nf6 seemed equally plausi-ble. After a lot of late-night deliberations, I pre-ferred the text because of the game continuation.It seemed to me that Black’s King was quite safeon d7 with a Knight protecting e7. The open fileson the Kingside guarantee Black adequate counter-play. 19.Rxf5+ Ke8 20.Rf8+ White is thinkingalong classical lines only and mistakenly plays intoan ending where he believes he stands better be-cause he has a Bishop versus a Knight and Blackhas three pawn islands to White’s two. But forWhite to retain any real threats he had to keep theQueens on the board. Better is 20.Qf3!. 20...Kd721.Qxe6+ Kxe6 22.Rxa8 Rxa8 23.Bxe3 Rf824.Re1 Losing a tempo. The game is quicklydrawn after 24.Rf1!. I was happy to see John try-ing to win this ending as my next move proves thatit is Black who has the pull. 24...Kd5 25.Bg5Another wasted tempo. Again 25.Rf1 is correct.25...e5 26.Rd1+ Ke6 27.Rd3 When I saw thismove, I realized that John was oblivious to the dan-ger. He is trying to play without his Queenside ma-jority and without his King! Black is well aheadin the race already. Time to drive the point home.27...d5 28.Rh3 White consistently carries out his

215

mistaken plan. White’s Rook on h3 is apparentlyactive, but the Black Rook on f7 does more - itcuts off White’s King. 28...Rf7 29.Bd2 d4 NowWhite began to sense the danger. Black is ready totransfer his King to e4, dominating White’s Rookalong the third rank. 30.Rf3Rd7 After White fi-nally discovers that his Rook belongs on the f-file,Black refuses the exchange. My center pawns arelusting to advance further. 31.cxd4 exd4 A diffi-cult move to sort out. Both ...Rxd4 and ...Nxd4appear to be better, but this isn’t the case. After31...exd4, Black’s Rook is nicely placed behind thepassed pawn. The e5-square becomes available forthe Knight - which may transfer to c4 - while the d-pawn itself is one square further advanced. 32.b3Ne5 33.Rf4Ng6 34.Rg4 White is worried aboutthe possible transfer of the Black Rook to the c-file.But the White Rook is poorly placed here. I had ex-pected 34.Rf1 when, despite the best efforts of bothWhite and Black, the position is only slightly betterfor Black. 34...Kd5 Freeing the Rook. 35.Kf1Just in time. White activates the King in prepa-ration for 35...Rc7 36.Ke2 Rc2 37.Kd3 and thegame is equal. 35...Rf7+ 36.Ke1Ne5 37.Rh4Rg7 38.Kf2 b6 39.Bf4 An interesting practicaldecision. Black is offered a Rook and pawn end-ing with an extra unit, but the extra h-pawn isn’tfantastic. Still, White has problems. 39...Nd3+40.Ke2 Nxf4+ 41.Rxf4 Rxg2+ 42.Kd3 Rxh243.Rxd4+ Ke6 The only winning chance Blackhas in this ending is to place his Rook behind hish-pawn, h7 being the ideal square. Then Black hasbut a single weakness on the Queenside (a7) whichhe protects with the Rook. Black has to use hisKing to keep White’s Rook from penetrating to theeighth and harassing Black’s Queenside. Karpovsaid the ending was a draw - but both sides havetheir problems. 44.a4 Rh5 With the transparentthreat of ...Rh5-d5. On a deeper level, Black plans...Rh5-d5+ - d7 and switching behind the h-pawn.45.Rg4Kf7 Black brings his King to the Kingsidein order to assist the h-pawn’s touchdown. 46.b4A probable error. White had to use this momentto penetrate with his Rook: 46.Rf4+ Kg6 47.Rf8.46...Re5 47.Kd4Re6 48.Kd5 h5 49.Rh4Rh6This is the cruncher. The passive White Rookmakes the rest look easy. 50.Ke5 Kg6 51.Kf4Kf6 Zugzwang! White must retreat. Now Whiteintends to blockade with his King. This leaves theWhite Queenside easy pickings. 52.Kg3 Ke553.Kh3 a6 54.Rc4 Kd5 55.Rc8 Rc6 56.Ra8b5 57.axb5 axb5 58.Ra1 Rc4 White Resigns.If 59.Rb1, then ...Rd4 with the unstoppable threat...Kc4-c3 and ...Rd5xd4.

0-1

◦ Smagin, S.• Sahovic, D.?Biel1990 1-0 B00This game was played at the annual chess festivalin Biel, Switzerland. Russian Grandmaster Smaginused a startling Queen sacrifice, catapulting him tovictory over his Yugoslav colleague.1.e4 Nc6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.c3 e6 5.Nd2f6 Black attacks the head of the pawn chain,rather than preparing the positionally superior ...c5,which has the drawback of costing too much time.Another plan for Black is to blockade the lightsquares with h5, g6, and Nh6. This would berisky unless the Bishop f5 can be exchanged, soit is normally played only if White has provideda Knight on f3 that can be pinned. It is alsostronger if White has committed his f-pawn to f4,since from f3 it can support the blockade-bustingmove g2-g4. 6.f4 Now that Black has chosen toplay ...f6, this move is desirable. 6...fxe5 7.fxe5Nh6 8.Ndf3Nf7 9.Ne2Be7 10.Ng3Bg4 Thiswork’s out badly. Better was 10...Bh4 pinning theg3-Knight. 11.Bd3 Ng5 12.Nxg5 A spectacu-lar move. White sacrifices his Queen for two mi-nor pieces and a dangerous attack. Black is forcedto accept the Trojan offer. 12...Bxd1 13.Nxe6Qb8 14.Nxg7+ Kd8 The first critical moment.Black must chose between this defense and themore testing: 14.Kf7 Bh6 15.Bf8 16.O-O Kg817.N7f5 Bg4 18.Rf4! Bf5 19.Bxf5 Nd8 20.Be4Bxh6 21.Bxd5+ Kg7 22.Nh5+ Kg6 23.Rf6+ Kxh524.Bf3+ Kg5 25.g3 - a ;remarkable variation givenby Smagin which demonstrates the dangers Blackfaces. 15.Kxd1 White has two minor pieces andtwo pawns for his sacrificed Queen. More im-portant, though, is that Black’s "extra" Queen isneatly buried on the Queenside. The rest of thegame is a struggle between keeping the Queen en-tombed or reviving her. 15...b5 16.Ne6+ Kc817.Nf5 Bf8 A poor choice. Black should havetried 17...Qb6 18.Nf4 Rd8 19.Ne3 when White isfor choice, but it is still a fight. Black didn’t want toput his Queen into a possible Knight fork. 18.Rf1Kb7 19.Bh6 Bxh6 20.Nc5+ Kc8 21.Nxh6Ne7 22.Be2Ng6 23.Nf7 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Olafsson, H.• Levitt, J.

216

?Reykjavik1990 1-0 A30A startling Rook sacrifice.1.c4Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.Nf3 c5 4.g3 b6 5.Bg2Bb76.O–OBe7 7.d4Ne4 8.Nxe4Bxe4 9.Bf4 O–O10.dxc5 bxc5 11.Qd2 Qb6 12.Rfd1 Rd8 Bet-ter is 12...Nc6. 13.Qe3Qb7 14.Bd6 Sacrificinga pawn to keep Black tied down. 14...Bxd615.Rxd6 Qxb2 16.Rad1 Qb7 17.Rxe6 fxe618.Ng5 h6 The best move. 18...Bxg2 19.Qxe6+and 18...Nc6 19.Qxe4 g6 20.Qh4 h5 21.Ne4 bothlose quickly. 19.Nxe4 Nc6 20.Nxc5 Qc720...Qb6 21.Nxd7 Qxe3 22.fxe3 Rac8 23.Bxc6Rxc6 24.Nf6+ also wins for White. 21.Nxd7Rac8 21...Rxd7 22.Qxe6+ Rf7 23.Bxc6 followedby 24.Rd7 wins immediately. 21...Re8 wouldhave held out the longest, although White’s at-tack is very strong after 22.Qe4 Rac8 23.Bh3Nd8 24.Qg6. 22.Qxe6+ Kh8 23.Be4 Ne7 If23...Ne5, then 24.Nxe5 Rxd1+ 25.Kg1 threatening26.Ng6+ wins. 24.Rd6Qxc4 25.Qxe7 Threaten-ing 25.Rxh6+ gxh6 26.Qh7#. 25...Qc1+ 26.Kg2Re8 27.Qf7Rxe4 28.Rg6 Black Resigns. Blackgets mated after 28...Qc3 29.Nf6 Qc7 30.Rxg7Qxf7 31.Rxf7 and Rh7.1-0

◦ Franco, Z.• Romero Holmes, A.?Leon1990 0-1 A21A game of unusual pins and material imbalance.1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Qxd4Nc6 5.Qd2Nf6 6.g3 Be6 7.e4 Be7 8.b3 Nxe4 White haslost a little time with his double fianchetto, andBlack finds a fine tactical method of exploitinghis developmental advantage. 9.Nxe4 d5 10.Bg2The piece cannot be saved, since retreat to c3 al-lows d5-d4 and Be7-b4 pinning the Queen, and10.cxd5 Bxd5 pins the Knight to a Rook and re-news the threat of Bb4. 10...Bb4 But Blackisn’t in a big hurry to simplify the position. Thepiece isn’t going anywhere, is it? 11.Nc3 d412.Bb2 Qf6 13.Nge2 O–O–O 14.Qc1 dxc315.Bxc3 Qe5 With threats on the center files,Black prevents White’s escape by O-O... but isn’tthere a piece hanging again? 16.Bxc6 bxc617.Bxb4 Bh3 18.Qc3 Qf5 19.g4 Bxg4 20.f3Rd3 21.fxg4 White has little choice but to sur-render the Queen for as much material as pos-sible. Normally a Rook and two minor piecesis more than enough, but here there is the small

matter of King safety. 21...Qe4 22.Qxd3 Qxd323.Rd1Qh3 24.Ng3Qxg4 25.O–O h5 26.Kh1h4 27.Nf5 Qe4+ 28.Kg1 Rh5 29.Ne7+ Kb730.Rd2Rg5+ 31.Kf2Rg2# 0-1

◦ Seirawan, Y.• Karpov, An.?Haninge1990 1-0 A20Scaling K2.1.c4 e5 2.g3 g6 3.d4 Attempting to lure Ana-toly into unfamiliar terrain. 3...d6 4.dxe5 dxe55.Qxd8+ Kxd8 6.Nc3 c6 How nice! A mis-take. This move took Karpov about a quarter ofan hour. Obviously Black is concerned about theposition of his King, so he prepares a home forhim on c7. The problem is that by playing thismove now., Black throws his timing off and al-lows White a strong attack. After 6...Be6! 7.b3Nd7, White has a slight advantage. 7.f4 Only thismove exposes the vulnerability of Black’s position.White wants to open the center and deny Black’sKing the c7-square. It is also a prelude to a longand complex pawn sacrifice. 7...Be6 8.Nf3Bxc49.Bh3 f5 10.b3 This goes to the very heart of theposition. The key question facing White is: "Whatare you going to do with the Bishop on c1?" Is itgoing to g5 with check? That is attractive to besure, but it implies f4xe5 which involves a largetempo loss. Beside, doesn’t the Knight want togo to e5? So that leaves Bc1-e3. Hardly inspir-ing. 10...Bb4 Karpov finds the only defense! Butwhen in his career has it happened that after 10moves he has only 27 minutes left for the last 30moves of time control? 11.Bb2 Bd5 12.e4 Fan-tastic! I’m fighting for the initiative at all costs.Somehow White has managed to develop all hisminors and play c4,d4,e4, and f4 while Black hasonly managed to move his Bishops, pawns and puthis King on a bad square! 12...fxe4 The only move.13.O–O–OBxc3 Excellent. Black finds the onlychance: sacrifice an Exchange! A cursory glanceshows he had no choice. If 13...Nf6? then 14.Ng5!(again not Nf3xe5), and Black is about to be slam-dunked. 14.Bxc3 exf3 15.Bxe5Nd7 16.Bxh8Ne7 Up to this point, the moves of the game havebeen incredibly complex and have taken a consid-erable toll on both player’s clocks. I had foreseenthis position when playing 12.e4 and had thought,"Okay, Black has a pawn for the Exchange." ButI reasoned that Black’s little fella on f3 was toofar from the supply lines, and that after a few deft

217

moves the game would be over. So I nonchalantlymade a lazy piece of analysis and played a mistake.17.Rhf1 Rooks belong on open files! Correct is17.Rhe1!. 17...Nf5 Five minutes for the next23 moves! 18.Bd4 h5 Forced. White threatenedBh3-g4xh3. 19.g4 hxg4 20.Bxg4 Nh4 21.Bf2Ng2 At this point, I realized that Karpov wouldlose on time. It would be physically impossible forhim to make the time control. But this didn’t stopKarpov from trying! 22.Bg1 Nh4 23.h3 Kc724.Bh2Nf6 25.f5+Kb6 26.fxg6Nxg4 27.hxg4Rg8 28.Rd4 a5 29.g5Nxg6 30.Kd2 About thistime, my flag was beginning to rise, preparatory toprecipitous descent. It was time to put the crimi-nal on f3 under lock and key! 30...Rf8 31.Bg1Black is still worse after 31.Bg3. 31...Ka6 In thepostmortem, we agreed that 31...Kc7! was equal.As my flag continued to rise, we played at light-ning speed. 32.Bf2 Rf5 33.Rg4 Ne5 34.Rg3Ng6 35.Rh1 Re5 36.Re1 And in this position,my opponent’s flag fell! After 36...Rf5 37.Re8 b638.Rd8 (intending Rd8-d6) 38...Kb7 39.Rh3 Rxg540.Rh7+ Ka6 41.a4, Black gets mated.1-0

◦ Mestel, J.• Flear, G.?Eastbourne1990 1-0 A14A crucial match-up to determining the BritishChampionship in 1990 was this tactical land minelaid by Jonathan Mestel.1.c4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.b3Nf6 4.g3Be7 5.Bg2 O–O6.O–O c5 7.Bb2 Nc6 8.e3 d4 9. exd4 cxd410.Re1 Ne8 11.d3 f6 12.Na3 e5 13.Nc2 Nc714.a3 a5 15.Rb1Be6 16. Nfxd4 White has suc-ceeded in playing a modern Benoni with severalextra tempi. But, if Black is able to secure his gamewith ...Qd8-d7, he should have a fine game. Whitegoes for a long winded combination. 16...Nxd417.Bxd4 exd4 18.Rxe6 Nxe6 19.Bd5 Kh8Black relinquishes his Knight. A line like 19...Ra620.Qe2! Qd7 21.Re1 Kf7 22.Nxd4 would be catas-trophic. 20.Bxe6 Bxa3 A fine response. Blacktakes advantage of the fact that the Bishop on e6is hanging. Thus 21.Nxa3 Qe7 is fine for Black.White had to calculate his next move, which setsup the threat of Qd1-h5. 21.Nxa3 Qe7 22.Bf5g6 23.Nc2 gxf5 24.Nxd4 f4 25.Qf3 fxg3 Thusfar Black has given as well as he’s taken. Hadhe tried 25...Rad8! 26.Ne2 (26.Qxf4 Qd6) fxg3first the game would have been unclear. By fail-ing to drive White’s Knight backwards, he cedes

White an advantage. 26.hxg3Rae8 27.Nf5Qb428.Kg2Rf7 29.Nh6Rff8 30.Nf5Rf7 31.Nh6Rff8 32. Rh1 Re7 33.Nf5 Rd7 34.Nh4Rg7 35.Qf5 Kg8 36.Qe6+ Kh8 37.Nf5 Rgf738.Nd6 Rg7 39.Nf5 Rgf7 40.Re1 This setsup the trap 40...Qxb3? 41.Qxf7 Rxf7 42.Re8+Rf8 43.Rxf8 check mate. Instead of playing forthis trick, White had a stronger continuation by40.Rh6! Qc5 41.Nd6 Qc6+ 42.Kg1 Kg8 (42...Kg743.Qh3 wins!) 43.Rxf6 Qxd6 44.Qg4+ wins.Analysis by G. Flear. While White has achievedpositional dominance, he must still win the game.40...Qc5 41.d4 Qc6+ 42.d5 Qc5 43.Re4 b644.d6 Qc6 45.Ne7 Qa8 46.Kg1 a4 47. bxa4Rg7 48.Nf5 Ra7 49.d7 Qd8 50.Rd4 Rxa451.Qe7 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Azmaiparashvili, Z.• Wahls, M.?Dortmund1990 1-0 A05A brilliant pawn sacrifice allows White a suddenmating attack.1.g3 g6 2.Bg2Bg7 3.Nf3Nf6 4.c4 O–O 5.O–Oc6 6.b3 Ne4 7.d4 d5 8.Bb2 Nd7 9.Qc2 Ndf610.Ne5Bf5 11.Qc1Nd7 Better is 11...a5. 12.f3Nd6 13.Nd2 Be6 14.e4 a5 White has good at-tacking chances after 14...Nxe5 15.dxe5 Nc8 16.f4.15.Nd3 Threatening 16.Nf4. 15...Re8 To meet16.Nf4 with 16...Nf8. 16.Nc5 Nxc5 17.dxc5Bxb2 18.Qxb2 Nc8 19.cxd5 cxd5 20.f4 Qc721.Rac1 dxe4 22.Nxe4 Na7 If 22...f6, then23.c6 bxc6 24.Rxc6 is strong. 23.Ng5 Bf524.g4 A very good move. Black’s king’s posi-tion is soon ripped open. 24...Bxg4 If 24...Bd3,then White wins with 25.Bd5 e6 26.Nxh7! Kxh727.Rf3. 25.Bd5 Rf8 If 25...e6, then 26.Ne4exd5 27.Nf6+ Kf8 28.Nxd5 wins. 26.f5 gxf5If 26...Bxf5, then 27.Rxf5 gxf5 28.Ne6! fxe629.Bxe6+ Rf7 30.Rc2 followed by Rg2 wins.27.Rc4 Threatening 28.Rxg4. 27...h5 28.Rxg4hxg4 29.Rxf5 e6 30.Ne4Rfd8 If 30...exf5, then31.Nf6+ and 32.Ne8+ wins the Queen. 31.Rh5e5 32.Rxe5 Nc6 33.Rg5+ Kf8 34.Qh8+ Ke735.Qf6+Kd7 36.Qf5+Ke7 37. Qxf7# 1-0

◦ Karlsson, L.• Seirawan, Y.?Haninge1990 0-1 A03

218

Annotations by Yasser Seirawan. This game fea-tures the rare Bird’s opening. When Black playsthe move order I play in this game, White has aproblem with his Queen’s Bishop.1.f4 d5 2.Nf3 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 c5 5.O–ONh6 6.Nc3 Nc6 Objectively speaking a "goodmove," but at this precise moment it would havebeen better to play 6...O-O. Black needs the Knighton b8 for the flexibility this offers in being ableto play ...d5-d4 when the Knight may go to a6.Then after some remedial action comes the stan-dard ...Na6-c7-d5 with good play. Also, once onc6, the Knight becomes a tactical target to Nf3-e5 or Nf3-g5 in case of ...b6. 7.d3 O–O 8.Bd2Better is the straightforward 8.e4!. 8...Nf5 9.Kh1White seems blissfully unaware of what is about tohappen to him. Black is aiming for the followingpawn structure: c5,b6,a7 vs. a2,b2,c2,d3. In thisposition, White’s Queenside pawn majority is be-ing clamped down. Since White is unable to takeaction on the Queenside without creating a weak-ness, Black will use his majority on the Kingsidefor an easy strategical win. White must avoid theabove structure, and the simplest way is with 9.e4.9...d4 At last! 10.Na4 b6 11.g4 Black is ideallyplaced for ...Qd8-c7, ...bc8-b7 and ...e7-e5 whenthe handwriting is on the wall. White has an offsideKnight on a4 and no clear line of play. With thetext, White regains some control of his e3-squareand tries to challenge in the center. 11...Nd612.h3 Bb7 13.e4 White is forced to allow Blackhis strategical aims. Why? Because Black hasmore space. By mobilizing his pieces behind hispawn wedge, Black can build a menacing position.White needs some space before his is pushed offthe board. 13...dxe3 14.Bxe3 Qd7 15.Nc3 f516.g5 Black is in his strategic glory. His remaininggoal is to win complete mastery of the d4-squarefor a minor piece. Once this is done, White will beforced to play c2-c3 when Black will swarm overthe resulting weaknesses. This means getting ridof the White Knight on f3 - preferably not in ex-change for the Black Knight on c6 as he is tick-eted for d4 - combined with the idea of utilizingmy Kingside majority. The next series of moves iseasy to see. 16...Nf7 17.Qd2Rae8 18.Rae1 e519.fxe5Nfxe5 20.Nxe5Rxe5 All the links in theplan are coming together. Still, it was important tobe vigilant to White’s counterplay. Lackadaisicalis 20...Bxe5? 21.Bd5+ and Qd2-g2 when Black’sdomination of d4 is hindered. 21.Bf4 Rxe122.Rxe1 Nd4 Mission accomplished. Black hasa protected passed pawn on the Kingside, whichbecomes more important as the minor pieces get

exchanged. At the moment, White’s immediateproblem is how to cope with the beast on d4. Hedecides to sacrifice a pawn for activity. 23.Bxb7Qxb7+ 24.Qg2Qxg2+ 25.Kxg2Nxc2 26.Re7Rf7 27.Re6 Rf8 28.Re7 Rd8 This move is ahallmark of Karpov’s. He is fantastic at limitinghis opponent’s pieces while maximizing his ownafter he has achieved his strategic aims. In thissituation White’s Rook has been allowed to pene-trate, but Black keeps White’s Knight on c3 nicelybottled up. It mustn’t be allowed the trip Nc3-d5-f6+. In the meantime, the pawn on d3 is about tobe slurped. 29.Rxa7 Ne1+ 30.Kf1 Nxd3 Onceagain, emulating Karpov. White is certainly havingtrouble maximizing his Knight, while Black’s f5-pawn is waiting for his role. 31.Bc7Rd7 32.Na4In time trouble, White chucks the game away. Ob-viously Black’s play to limit the Knights mobil-ity had made a strong impression on White’s psy-che. This attempt at mobilizing the Knight is re-ally no choice at all. Black’s pieces just work bet-ter. Probably the best line for White was 32.Bxb6Rxa7 33.Bxa7 Nxb2 34.Ne2 c4 when Black is win-ning, but White is still kicking. 32...b5 33.Nb6Black is getting pounded on a lot of meaning-less squares. 33...Rd4 Still preventing the Knightfrom reaching d5. 34.Ra8+ Kf7 35.Ra7Ke6 36.Ra6 Nb4 37.Ra5 Rd1+ 38.Ke2 Rb139.Rxb5Rxb2+ 40.Kf3Bd4 Black’s pieces areworking together flawlessly. 41.a4Ra2 42.Ra5Nd3 43.Ra8 At this point I had a really longthink. Of course the position is a win, as Black’spieces are all ideally placed. I’m also a pawn upand have a mating attack. Great. Now, stop for amoment and see if you can find the win. At firstthe idea of ...Nd3-e1+ and ...Bd4-f2+ seems veryappealing. Or perhaps the simple ...Rd4-f2+ and...f5-f4-f3. Hmmm, not so simple. After staring atthe board for a long time, I finally found the rightidea, a really strange Knight move - away from theaction! 43...Rf2+ 44.Kg3 Nc1 45.Re8+ Kf746.Rd8Ne2+ 47.Kh4Rf4+ 48.Bxf4Bf2+ 49.Bg3Bxg3# mate is a nice finish.0-1

◦ Korchnoi, V.• Kasparov, G.?Amsterdam1991 0-1 E99Even when played by two of the greatest playersalive, the King’s Indian Defense is a game of op-posite wing attacks, decided in favor of the playerwhose attack is the more efficiently planned - or

219

more likely against the player who wastes time.Kasparov is the world’s foremost expert on the dy-namic Black side of this defense.1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.d4O–O 6.Be2 e5 7.O–O The Classical King’s In-dian, reached by a move order that denies the Grun-feld to Black (also a Kasparov specialty), but alsodenies the Samish for White. 7...Nc6 8.d5 Ne79.Ne1 Another possibility is 9.Nd2, planning toput the Knight on c4 to pressure d6 after a generaladvance on that wing. The move played intendsNd3 and c5, when the Knight retains options ofswinging on the Queenside with Nb4 or headingback to defend the King, usually from f2. 9...Nd710.Be3 f5 11.f3 f4 12.Bf2 g5 Black continuesthe Kingside action. Frequently Black will maneu-ver pieces about to clear lines, defend Queensidesquares (d6 and c7 are key), and attack the King.Knight routes like Ng8-f6-d7-f6-e8 are common,while the other steed can be seen on the Nb8-c6-e7-g6-h4 highway. Black’s attacking chances shouldnot be underestimated. 13.a4 There are lines inwhich this move can play an important part, butthere doesn’t seem to be any hurry about playingit. Better is 13.Nd3 followed by c4-c5, c5xd6,Ra1-c1, and Nc3-b5, when Black is usually forcedto offer a pawn to maintain the Kingside tempo.13...Ng6 14.Nd3 Nf6 15.c5 h5 16.h3 Rf7 Animportant move, giving Black options to use theRook on the g- or h- files while defending c7 alongthe rank and allowing the Bishop to defend d6 fromf8 if necessary. 17.c6 White still does better tocapture on d6, transferring the base of the pawnchain. The move chosen costs too much time, andBlack’s attack breaks through. 17...a5 Slowingdown the occupation of c6 by the Knight (d3-b4-c6) and winning a tempo. Perhaps this excellentdefense is what Korchnoi overlooked; it is oftena bad idea to make defensive pawn moves on theside of the board that is being attacked by the op-ponent. 18.cxb7Bxb7 19.b4Bc8 20.bxa5Bh621.Nb4 g4 22.Nc6 Qf8 23.fxg4 hxg4 24. hxg4Bg5 Black has found a good route to activate the"bad" dark-squared Bishop. 25.Bf3Qh6 26.Re1Nh4 27.Bxh4 Bxh4 28.g5 Qxg5 29.Re2 Ng430.Rb1Bg3 31.Qd3Qh4 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Lazarev, V.• Uhlmann, W.?Hartberg1991 0-1 E98A game full of tactics and sacrifices.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3O–O 6.Be2 e5 7.O–O Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Ne1c5 10.Nd3 Ne8 11.Bd2 f5 12.f3 f4 13.g4 h514.h3 Not 14.g5? Bh3 15.Rf2 Nc8. 14...Kf7The h-file will become a place of confrontation.15.Kg2 Rh8 16.Rh1 Bf6 17.b4 White beginsoperations on the queenside. 17...b6 18.bxc5 bxc519.Rb1 Bh4 20.Nb5 g5 21.Qa4 Ng6 22.Ba5Qd7 23.Qa3 White is preparing a dubious sac-rifice. Better is 23.Nc3 Qxa4 24.Nxa4 Bg3 withan equal position. 23...Bg3 24.Nxd6+ Qxd625.Nxc5Nh4+ 26.Kf1Nf6 27.Bb4 a5 28.Bc3Not 28.Ne6? Qb8 or 26.Bxa5? Nd7 29.Rb5 Ba6winning. 28...hxg4 29.hxg4 Nd7 30.Rb5 Ba631.Rxa5 Nxf3 32.Rh5 Not 32.Bxf3? Rxh1+33.Bxf1 Bxc4+ 34.Kg1 Rxa5 35.Qxa5 Qxc5 or32.Rxh8? Rxh8 33.Rxa6 Rh1+ 34.Kg2 Rh2+winning. 32...Rxh5 33.gxh5 Nxc5 34.Qxc5Qxc5 35.Rxc5 g4 36.Rc7+ If 36.Bxf3, then36...gxf3 followed by Bc8-h3+. 36...Kf6 37.h6Kg5 38.h7 Rh8 39.d6 Worse is 39.c5 Nh2+ or39.Bxf3 gxf3 40.Bxe5 Rxh7! 41.Rxh7 Bxc4+ win-ning. 39...Nh2+ 40.Kg2 Not 40.Kg1? f3 41.Bd3Bf4 followed by ...g3. 40...Kh4 41.Rg7 f3+42.Kg1 If 42.Kh1, then 42...fxe2 43.d7 Bb7 wins.42...fxe2 43.d7 Nf3+ 44.Kh1 Be1 45.Bxe1+Also losing are 45.Rg8 Rxh7! 46.d8=Q+ Kg3and 45.d8=Q Rxd8 46.Rg8 Rxg8 47.hxg8=Q Kg3!.45...Nxe1 46.d8=Q+ If 46.Rg8, then 46...Rxh7!47.d8=Q+ Kg3 48.Kg1 Nf3#. 46...Rxd8 47.Rg8Rxg8 48.hxg8=Q Kg3 White Resigns. Whitecannot stop 49...Nf3 and 50...e1=Q+.0-1

◦ Hansen, Cu.• Nunn, J.?Wijk aan Zee1991 0-1 E97The tactics start in the opening and never stop.1.c4 g6 2.Nc3Bg7 3.d4Nf6 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O–O6.Be2 e5 7.O–O Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.b4 Called the"Bayonet" in this variation of the Classical King’sIndian Defense, White plays an early b4 to rushthe Queenside. 9...Nh5 10.g3 f5 11.Ng5 Nf612.f3 f4 13.c5 dxc5 14.Bc4 cxb4 15.d6+ Kh816. Nb5 Trying to win a piece with 16.dxe7leaves White’s minors seriously uncoordinated.After 16...Qxe7, Black threatens both ...Qe7-c5+and ...h7-h6 regaining the material with interest.16...h6 17.Nf7+ Rxf7 18.Bxf7 cxd6 19.Nxd6Bh3 20.Bb3 Kh7 21.Rf2 Nc6 22.Bb2 Qe723.Rc1Nd4 24.gxf4Nh5 25.fxe5Bxe5 26.Nf7

220

Nxb3 27.Nxe5 Nxc1 28.Qxc1 After the com-plications, Black is ahead a pawn. But more im-portantly, his pieces are active and the White Kingis threatened. 28...Rc8 29.Rc2 Rxc2 30.Qxc2Qg5+ 31.Kh1Qe3 32.Qc7+Ng7 33.Qc1Qe234.Qg1 g5 35.Bd4Ne6 36.Qg3Nf4 White Re-signs.0-1

◦ Legky, N.• Martinovic, S.?Fourmies1991 1-0 E94White sacrifices two pieces to get to the King.1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.Nc3 O–O 5.e4d6 6.Be2 e5 7.O–O exd4 8.Nxd4Re8 9.f3Nh510.g4Nf6 11.Be3 h5 This weakens the kingside.Better is 11...Nc6. 12.g5Nh7 13.f4 a6 With theidea of playing 14...c5, which is not possible im-mediately due to 14.Ndb5. 14.Bf3 Bh3 15.Rf2f6 16.Bxh5 Cracking open the kingside. 16...gxh517.Qxh5 Bd7 18.h4 f5 19.Nxf5 Sacrificing asecond piece. The pawns will be overwhelming.19...Bxf5 20.exf5 Rxe3 If 20...Bxc3, then 21.f6is strong. 21.f6 Bxf6 If 21...Nxf6?, then 22.gxf6Qxf6 23.Nd5 wins immediately. 22.gxf6 Rg3+23.Kh2Nxf6 24.Qf5Rg7 25.Rg1 Exchangingoff a key defender. 25...Nbd7 If 25...Rxg1, then26.Kxg1 Nbd7 27.Nd5. 26.Nd5 Nh7 26...Qf8would have been more tenacious. 27.Qe6+Kh8 28.Rxg7Qxh4+ If 28...Kg7, then 29.Rg2+Kh8 30.Ne7 wins. 29.Kg1 Kxg7 30.Rh2Nc5 If 30...Ndf8, then 31.Rg2+ Ng5 32.Qe7+ Kh833.Rxg5 winning. 31.Qe3 Qd8 32.Qg3+ Kh833.Qc3+Kg8 34.Rg2+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Gelfand, B.• Nunn, J.?Belgrade1991 1/2-1/2 E92The Kings Indian Defense usually involves a racebetween White’s attack on the queenside andBlack’s attack on the kingside.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3O–O 6.Be2 e5 7.Be3 h6 8.O–O Ng4 9.Bc1Nc6 10.d5 Ne7 11.Nd2 f5 12.Bxg4 fxg413.b4 a5 14.bxa5 Rxa5 15.Nb3 Ra6 16.c5 g517.Be3Ng6 18.a4Nf4 19.a5Bd7 20.Nd2 dxc521.Bxc5 Rf7 22.Qb3 Bc8 23.Nc4 h5 24.Nb5Rh6 Better is 24...h4. 25.d6 c6 If 25...Be6,

then 26.Nxc7 Rxc7 27.dxc7 Qxc7 28.Qb6 wins.26.Na7Be6 27.a6 bxa6 If 27...b5, then 28.Nxc6wins. 28.Nxc6 Qa8 29.Ne7+ Kh7 30.Qc2 h431.Rfd1 Better is 31.Nb6 Qe8 32.Rad1 threat-ening d6-d7 and White has a winning posi-tion. 31...Qe8 32.Nb6 g3 It is clear now thatthe wrong Rook was moved to f1. 33.Nf5gxf2+ 34.Bxf2Rhf6 35.Be3Bf8 36.Bxf4 exf437.Nd5 Bxf5 38.Nxf6+ Rxf6 39.exf5 Bxd640.Kh1 40.Rxa6?? is not immediately possibledue to 40...Bc5+. But better is 40.Re1 Qb5 41.Re6winning. 40...h3 Black’s only hope is an attack onWhite’ exposed King. 41.Rxa6 Qe3 42.Rf1 If42.Raxd6 Rxd6 43.Qc7+ Kg8 44.Qxd6, then Blackdraws with 44...hxg2+ 45.Kxg2 Qe2+. 42...g443.Ra4 43.Rxd6 Rxd6 44.Qc7+ Kg8 45.Qxd6still only draws due to 45...hxg2+ 46.Kxg2 Qe4+.43...hxg2+ 44.Qxg2Qd3 45.Rg1Bc5 46.Rxf4White must give back the exchange, because if46.Re1, then 46...Qxf5 followed by 47...f3 is goodfor Black. The position is equal after 46.Qxg4Bxg1 47.Qh4+ Kg7 48.Rxf4 Bd4. 46...Bxg147.Rxg4 Qxf5 Not 47...Be3? 48.Rg7+ Kh649.Rg6+! mating. 48.Rh4+ 48.Qh3+ Rh649.Rg7+ Kxg7 50.Qxf5 Bxh2 leads to a drawn po-sition. 48...Rh6 49.Qb7+ Kg8 50.Qb8+ Kg751.Qc7+ Kg8 52.Qd8+ Kf7 53.Qc7+ Kg854. Qb8+ White is repeating moves to savetime on the clock. 54...Kg7 55.Qb7+ Kg856.Rxh6Be3 Threatening both ...Bxh6 and ...Qf1checkmate forces the draw. 57.Qb8+ Kf7 Not57...Kg7? 58.Qh8+. 58.Qc7+ Kg8 59.Qd8+Kf7 60.Qc7+Kg8 Draw by Agreement.1/2-1/2

◦ Raicevic, V.• Vasiljevic, D.?Belgrade1991 1-0 E90White sacrifices a piece to activate his pieces andstart a mating attack.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 g6 4.Nc3 Bg7 5.e4 O–O6.Nf3 d6 7.h3 e6 8.Bd3 Na6 9. O–O e510.Ne2 Bd7 11.a4 Weakening the b4-square butpreventing Black from starting counterplay on thequeenside. 11...Nb4 12.Bb1 Nh5 13.Ra3 ThisRook will later be transferred over to the King-side. 13...f5 14.exf5 gxf5 15.Ng5 Nf6 16.Ng3e4 17.Ne6 Bxe6 18.dxe6 Ne8 19.Qh5 Qf620.Nxe4 Sacrificing a piece to open up the b1-h7diagonal. 20...fxe4 21.Bxe4 h6 22.Rg3 Threat-ening 23.Bxh6. 22...Qxe6 23.Re1 Qf7 24.Qh4Qxf2+ 25.Kh2Qf6 If 25...Qxe1, then 26.Rxg7+.

221

26.Bg5 Qxb2 If 26...hxg5, then 27.Qh7+ Kf728.Rf3 wins. 27.Bxh6Rf2 28.Bh7+ Black Re-signs. Black has the unpleasant choice between28...Kf7 29.Qe7# or 28...Kxh7 29.Bxg7+.1-0

◦ Beliavsky, A.• Timman, J.?Linares1991 1-0 E86The Saemisch is one of White’s sharpest varia-tions against the King’s Indian, frequently dis-playing opposite-wing castling and pawn storms.Here Russian "Big Al" Beliavsky allows DutchGM Jan Timman to capture Queenside material tohis heart’s content, while relentlessly storming theKing. The resulting endgame yields a textbook ex-ample of winning with a Knight and passed pawnsagainst a Rook.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 Thedefining moment for the Samish variation. Whiteplans Bc1-e3, Qd1-d2, O-O-O, Be3-h6, and h2-h4-h5 with a Kingside attack. A similar attackingstrategy against the Sicilian Dragon is called theYugoslav Attack. 5...O–O 6.Be3 e5 7.Nge2 c68.Qd2 Nbd7 9.O–O–O a6 10.h4 b5 Black canconsider h7-h5 trying to delay the White attack,or he can begin his own assault. There is also atheoretical debate about the best way to developthe Knight from b8, either to c6 or to d7 as inthis game. Black sometimes operates with Nb8-c6,Ra8-b8, a7-a6, and b7-b5, occasionally even omit-ting the move e7-e5. 11.h5 Qa5 The last thingBlack wants to do is open files on the Kingside,therefore he probably didn’t even consider captur-ing the h-pawn. Also, b5xc4 wins a pawn andopens the b-file, but it allows White a respite and isslower than the text. Everything depends on beingfirst with the attack. 12.Bh6 Bxh6 13.Qxh6 b414.Nb1Qxa2 15.Ng3Nb6 16.c5 White doesn’timmediately have enough force to break throughon the other side, so first he plays in the center.This move requires the following exchange sac-rifice. 16...Nc4 17.Rd2 Nxd2 18.Nxd2 Qa1+19.Nb1 Be6 20.cxd6 Qa5 Black runs back forthe defense. If White manages to dislodge theBlack Knight from f6, then mate will follow on h7.This was the point of 16.c5, to remove the Blackpawns from d6 and e5, and place at least one Whiteunit on e5, attacking the Knight. 21.Qg5 Qd822.dxe5 Nd7 23.Qh6 g5 24.Nf5 Bxf5 25.exf5f6 26.Bc4+Kh8 27.e6 White obviously has morethan enough for the exchange. 27...Ne5 28.Rd1

White could win a piece with 28.e7 instead, butthis would allow Black to eliminate all of the dan-gerous center pawns, and in fact the White Kingwould remain exposed. Play might continue (after28.e7) 28...Qxd6 29.exf8/Q+ Rxf8 when Black hasdefended and has threats of ...Rf8-d8, ...Ne5xc4,or ...Qd6-c5. Notice also that White’s Queen istrapped on h6, and that White must be careful notto allow ...Ne5-f7 removing it. 28...Nxc4 29.e7Qe8 30.Qxf8+ This takes care of the trappedQueen problem. 30...Qxf8 31.exf8=Q+ Rxf832.Rd4 Now a numerically equal ending has beenreached. However, White still has the passed d-pawn, and Black’s Queenside is seriously overex-tended. This is enough to win. 32...Ne5 33.Nd2Kg7 34.Ne4 Kf7 35.Nc5 Ra8 36.Rxb4 Ra737.Rd4Ke8 38.Kc2 a5 39.Kc3Kd8 40.Ne6+Kd7 41.Nc5+ Kd8 42.Re4 h6 43.b3 Ra844.g3Rb8 45.Rxe5 Black would meet 45.f4 with45...Rb5, but this exchange sacrifice creates twopassers for White, and Black’s Rook remains curi-ously bottled up. 45...fxe5 46.f6Ke8 47.d7+Kd848.Kd3Ra8 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Christiansen, L.• Nunn, J.?Munich1991 1-0 E81A growing trend is the participation of foreignGrandmasters in the traditional team matches inGermany. Former U.S. champion Christiansennow lives in Germany for this and for the oppor-tunity to compete more frequently in Europeanevents. The most impressive result of an Amer-ican player in years was Christiansen’s clear firstat Munich over an exceptionally strong field. Inthis game typical of his style, Christiansen un-leashes a fierce attack that swings from the centerto the King’s wing, finally resulting in a subtly wonendgame.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3O–O 6.Nge2 c5 7.d5 e6 8.Ng3 exd5 9.cxd5Na6 10.Be2 Nc7 11.O–O Rb8 12.Bf4 b513.Qd2Re8 14.Kh1 h5 15.Bg5Qd7 16.Rae1b4 17.Nd1 Nb5 18.Bc4 Nd4 19.Ne2 Nxe220.Rxe2Qc7 Nunn intends 21...Nd7 and 22...Ne5with a fine position, but Christiansen’s forcefulplay keeps Black off-balance for the rest of thegame. 21.e5 Rxe5 22.Rxe5 dxe5 23.d6 Qc624.Ne3 Ba6 25.Nd5 Nxd5 26.Bxd5 Qd7 27.Re1 Re8 28.Rc1 e4 29.fxe4 Bd4 Black seemsto be safe for the moment, but Christiansen finds

222

an original breakthrough that unleashes the powerof the passed d-pawn. 30.Bc6 Qxc6 31.Qxd4cxd4 32.Rxc6 Bb5 33.Rc7 Rxe4 34.h3 Blackmust lose material for the d-pawn. Nunn strugglesto confuse matters, but there is no escape. 34...f635.Bh6 d3 36.d7 Rd4 37.Rc8+ Kh7 38.d8=QRxd8 39.Rxd8 Kxh6 40.Kg1 f5 41.h4 Kg742.Kf2 Kf6 43.Ke3 Ke5 44.g3 Black Resigns.White’s rook will win one of the Black queen-side pawns, after which the White queenside pawnswould advance.1-0

◦ Timman, J.• Kasparov, G.?Tilburg1991 0-1 E67On move 19 Kasparov bangs his Knight onto f2and the board is in flames.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.g3 O–O 5.Bg2d6 6.O–ONbd7 7.Nc3 e5 8.Qc2 c6 9.Rd1Qe710.b3 exd4 11.Nxd4 Re8 12.Bb2 Nc5 13.e3a5 14.a3 h5 15.b4 Nce4 16.b5 Bd7 17.Rac1Each player is playing on opposite sides of theboard. Worth considering was 17.a4 h4 18.Re1with equality. 17...h4 18.a4 Even Timman, withall his experience, did not expect the strike fromout of the blue that follows. Better is 18.Re1 or18.Nxe4 Nxe4 19.Re1. 18...hxg3 19.hxg3 Nxf220.Qxf2 Worse is 20.Kxf2 Ng4+ 21.Kg1 Qxe3+22.Kh1 Qh6+ winning. 20...Ng4 21.Qf3 Nxe322...Nxd1 and 22...Bg4 are threatened. 22.Re1Bxd4 23.Nd5Ng4+ 24.Bxd4Qxe1+ 25.Rxe1Rxe1+ 26.Bf1 cxd5 27.Qxd5Rae8 28.Bf2 Not28.Bc3 Rxf1+. 28...Be6 29.Qxb7 Rc1 30.Qc6Rc8 31.Qe4 R8xc4 32.Qa8+ Kh7 33.b6 Rb434.Qxa5 If 34.b7, then 34...Rbb1 35.Qa6 Bc4wins. 34...Rbb1 35.Kg2Rc2 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Ivanchuk, V.• Yusupov, A.?Brussels1991 0-1 E67This game was the first of a two-game tie breakerthat was to decide the Candidates semifinalist, thechess world’s version of the Final Four. The gamewas played at the odd time limit of 60 moves in45 minutes, so it’s impossible to imagine what theplayers were seeing.1.c4 e5 2.g3 d6 3.Bg2 g6 4.d4 Nd7 5.Nc3Bg7 6.Nf3 Ngf6 7.O–O O–O 8.Qc2 This is a

dubious deviation from the well-trodden path of8.e4, which gives White a pull. 8...Re8 Better is8...exd4 9.Nxd4 Nb6!. The text allows White aneven more favorable transposition into the normal8.e4 lines. 9.Rd1 c6 10.b3 Qe7 Not a happyplacement of the Queen. 11.Ba3 This is asking fortrouble. After 11.e4! exd4 12.Nxd4 Nc5 13.f3 a514.a3 White keeps a persistent advantage. The textanticipates ...e5-e4, because it prevents the follow-up ...d6-d5. 11...e4 Forced. Also, at this timecontrol it’s nice to have the initiative. 12.Ng5e3 13.f4 This natural-looking move is actually acareless blunder. It makes White’s kingside struc-ture quite brittle. Black can now concentrate onsuch conceptions as ...h7-h5-h4xg3 and ...Nf6-h5.Therefore, correct was 13.f3! 13...Nf8 Black’s at-tack is suddenly very ominous. Ivanchuk sloweddown around this point to try and comfort his Kingand then pressed ahead on the queenside. 14.b4Bf5 15.Qb3 h6 16.Nf3 Ng4 17.b5 g5 18.bxc6bxc6 19.Ne5 It takes nerves of steel to play a movelike this one. Black’s pieces are flooding the king-side and White moves away a key defender. Vass-ily is playing with fire. But what else is he todo? After 19.fxg5 hxg5 White’s game lacks vital-ity, while Black’s attack is still picking up steam.19...gxf4 20.Nxc6 Qg5 21.Bxd6 In the hopesthat the Bishop can serve a defensive role on thed6-h2 diagonal. 21...Ng6 22.Nd5 White is tryingto rush his pieces back to the kingside. 22...Qh5The natural looking move to induce a weakness,but 22...fxg3 23.Bxg3 h5 appears to be winning.23.h4 Nxh4 The fun begins. Black is also forchoice after 23...fxg3 24.Bxg3 Nxh4 25.Nf4 Qg526.Nh3 Qf6 with advantage. Artur was determinednot to allow White’s pieces to get back. 24.gxh4Qxh4 The crucial moment. I thought that Black’sattack could now be repulsed by 25.Nce7+!, grab-bing the Bishop on f5. Ivanchuk thought for sev-eral minutes, hesitated, reached out his hand, andgrabbed the wrong Knight! Now, holding thewrong Knight, Ivanchuk looked grieved, then con-tinued as if nothing was wrong. How can theworld’s number two player grab the wrong piece?My guess is nerves. 25.Nde7+ A gross error. TheKnight on d5 was fulfilling a brilliant function, ithit the kids on f4 and e3 and it was just a hop fromthe kingside, whereas the Knight on c6 is obviouslyuseless. 25...Kh8 26.Nxf5Qh2+ 27.Kf1Re628.Qb7 Rg6 White will soon have to return hishoard of pieces to save his King. Now ...Qh2-h1+is the King-Kong threat. 29.Qxa8+ I like this verymuch! If you’re going to go down in flames, takeas much with you as you can! 29...Kh7 30.Qg8+

223

Kxg8 31.Nce7+ Kh7 32.Nxg6 fxg6 33.Nxg7From a material standpoint, White’s doing great,two Bishops and two Rooks for the Queen! But asmy first teacher, Jeffrey Parsons once said, "Con-centrate on what stays on the board, not on whatcomes off!" 33...Nf2 Instant death. Black threat-ens ...Nf2-h3 and ...Qh2-g1 mate. 34.Bxf4Qxf435.Ne6Qh2 The threat worked once before, per-haps it will work again? 36.Rdb1 Nh3 It stillwasn’t too late to blow the game by 36...h5?? al-lowing 37.Ng5+ Kh6 38.Nf3 which defends thehomestead. 37.Rb7+ Kg8 38.Rb8+ Qxb839.Bxh3Qg3 And Ivanchuk gave up. The moralof the story is that the next time you invite youropponent to push his pawn to e3, be sure that youtake it! Chess Informant voted this the best gamein the second half of 1991.0-1

◦ Yusupov, A.• Speelman, J.?Linares1991 1-0 E62This game from the strong Linares tournamentin 1991 pits the very popular Russian Grandmas-ter Artur Yusupov against the resourceful Brit,Jonathan Speelman. The advantage of the initia-tive is well illustrated here, as Yusupov continuallypressures Speelman’s King until finally material iswon.1.d4 d6 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2 Bg7 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.O–OO–O 6.c4 c6 7.Nc3 Bf5 8.Ne1 Qd7 9.e4 Bh310.f3 White makes a strong central barrier, thenprepares his Kingside play at leisure. When play-ing these hypermodern openings, it seems impera-tive that some central line-opening options are re-tained, since the disadvantage in space can be fa-tal in the long term. 10...Bxg2 11.Kxg2 Na612.Be3 Rfc8 13.Nd3 Ne8 14.Qe2 c5 15.d5Nec7 16.Nf2Rcb8 17.a4 White gladly gives upthe b4 square to a Knight in order to delay orprevent ...b7-b5. 17...Nb4 18.Ng4 Rf8 19.Bh6Bxh6 20.Nxh6+Kg7 21.Qd2 e6 22.dxe6Qxe623.Ng4 f6 24.h4 White still retains enough cen-tral control to casually advance the h-pawn toopen lines. White’s attack doesn’t look like much,but the Kingside initiative combined with Black’sslightly uncoordinated Knights will lead to biggerand better things. 24...Rad8 25.h5 f5 26.exf5Qxf5 27.hxg6Qxg6 28.Ne4Ne6 29.Rh1Rxf3A very good try. If White accepts the Exchangesacrifice, Black will take over the initiative againstWhite’s exposed King. 30.Qh6+ But White has

a method of simplifying while retaining a tacticaledge. 30...Qxh6 31.Rxh6 Nd4 32.Rah1 Rh833.Rxd6Nd3 Moves like Ng4-e5 and Rd6-d7 arethreatened, but this loses a piece without compen-sation. 34.Rxd4 cxd4 35.Kxf3 Nxb2 36.Rb1Rf8+ 37.Ke2 Nxc4 38.Rxb7+ Kg6 39.Kd3Ne3 40.Nxe3 dxe3 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Shirov, A.• Ernst, T.?Gausdal1991 1-0 D91An example of a quick knockout of a Grandmas-ter.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bg5Ne4 6.cxd5 Nxg5 7.Nxg5 c6 8.e3 cxd5 Bet-ter is 8...e6 9.Nf3 cxd5. 9.Qf3 Forcing weak-nesses. 9...f6 The only way to avoid losing apawn. 10.Nh3Bxh3 10...e6 11.Nf4 O-O 12.Bd3Nc6 13.h4 is good for White. 11.Qxh3 f5 12.g4Opening up the position. The Black King will notbe able to find a safe home. 12...O–O 13.gxf5gxf5 If 13...Rxf5, then 14.Bd3. 14.Rg1 Threat-ening a double attack with 15.Qg2. 14...e6The only move. 15.Ne2 Nc6 Transferring theKnight to a very strong outpost at f4. 16.Nf4Rf617.Bd3 Qe7 Better is 17...Qc7. 18.Ke2 Raf819.Rg5 R8f7 20.Rag1 Qc7 21.Rh5 Nxd4+ Adesperate attempt to prolong the game. 22.exd4Qxf4 23.Rxh7 Black Resigns. If 23...Kf8, then24.Rhxg7 Rxg7 25.Qh8+ wins.1-0

◦ Beliavsky, A.• Kamsky, G.?Belgrade1991 0-1 D91White sacrifices a pawn in the opening and has suf-ficient compensation. But Black plays a very gooddefense.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bg5Ne4 6.Bh4 Nxc3 7.bxc3 dxc4 8.e3 b5 Blacktries to hang onto his extra pawn. 9.a4 c610.Nd2 a6 11.Be2 Ra7 12.O–O O–O 13.Bf3Rd7 14.Qb1 Threatening 15.Nxc4. 14...Qc715.Ne4 Transferring his Knight to the strongoutpost at c5. 15...Rdd8 16.Qb4 f5 17.Nc5Rde8 Black would like to play 18...e5. 18.Rfd1Now 18...e5 would be met with 19.d5. 18...Bf619.Bxf6 Not 19.Bg3 e5 20.d5 Be7 pinning the

224

Knight. 19...Rxf6 20.Ra2 Nd7 21.Rad2Qb6 22.g3 Nxc5 23.Qxc5 Qxc5 24.dxc5 Kf7White does not have enough compensation for thepawn. 25.axb5 axb5 26.Ra2 Threatening Ra7followed by Rc7 winning the c6-pawn. 26...e5Threatening to block in the Bishop with 27...e4.27.Ra7+ Re7 28.Ra8 Bd7 Better was 28...e4.29.Rd8 Be8 30.e4 f4 31.g4 Both players werein time pressure. 31...g5 32.h4 Rh6 33.hxg5Rg6 34.Kf1 Rxg5 35.Ke2 Rg6 36.Rh1 Kg737.Ra1 h6 38.Raa8 Bf7 39.Ra6 Rc7 40.Rd6Rf6 41.Rd8 Kg6 42.Kd2 White would like toinfiltrate with his King via a5. 42...Kg5 43.Kc2Be6 44.Re8 Rg6 45.Ra1 Kf6 46.Rh1 Ra747.Kb2 b4 48.g5+ Worse is 48.cxb4?! c3+.48...hxg5 49.Rxe6+ White gives up the exchangeto stop ...g5-g4. His position has become quitebad. 49...Kxe6 50.Bg4+ Kf6 51.cxb4 Kg7Threatening 52...Rh6. 52.Rh5 Rh6 53.Rxg5+Rg6 54.Rxg6+ Kxg6 55.f3 Kf6 56.Kc3 Ke757.Kxc4 Ra3 58. Bh5 Kd7 59.Bg4+ Kc760.Bh5Kb7 61.Bg4Ra1 White Resigns. Blackwins after 62.Bd7 Rc1+ 63.Kb3 Rd1 64.Bg4 Ka665.Be6 Rd3+ 66.Kc4 Rxf3.0-1

◦ Shirov, A.• Kozul, Z.?Biel1991 1-0 D8720 year old Latvian GM Shirov proved himself tobe one of the best players in the world by winningthis strong tournament in Biel, Switzerland.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4Nxc3 6.bxc3Bg7 7.Bc4 c5 8.Ne2 O–O 9.Be3Nc6 10.Rc1 cxd4 11.cxd4Qa5+ 12.Kf1 Whiteforgoes castling because he intends to open upthe h-file by advancing his h-pawn. 12...Bd713.h4 Rfc8 14.h5 Nd8 15.f3 b5 16.Bb3 Rxc117.Bxc1 Qb6 Better is 17...Rc8. 18.hxg6 hxg619.Qe1 Transferring the Queen to the h-file.19...Rc8 20.Bg5 Not 20.Qh4?! Rxc1+! 21.Nxc1Qxd4 with counterplay. 20...Ne6 21.Bxe7 g5This is Black’s only defense against Qh4. 22.d5Nd4 23.Bxg5 b4 24.Be3 Qa6 25.Bxd4 Bxd426.Qd2Bg7 27.d6Bb5 28.Bxf7+ The finishingtouch. 28...Kf8 If 28...Kxf7, then 29.Qd5+ Kf830.Qf5+ Kg8 31.Qe6+ Kf8 32.Rh5 results in a de-cisive mating attack. 29.Be6Rc1+ If 29...Bxe2+,then not 30.Qxe2 Rc1+, rather 30.Kf2. 30.Qxc1Bxe2+ 31.Kf2Bd4+ 32.Kg3Qxd6+ 33.Qf4+Ke7 34.Rh7+ Black Resigns. Black loses hisQueen after 34...Kxe6 35.Rh6+.

1-0

◦ Karpov, An.• Kamsky, G.?Tilburg1991 0-1 D85An instructive ending.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4Nxc3 6.bxc3Bg7 7.Be3 c5 8.Qd2Qa5 9.Rb1a6 10.Rc1 cxd4 11.cxd4Qxd2+ 12.Kxd2 O–O13.Nf3 e6 14.Bc4 Nc6 15.Rhd1 Bd7 16.Ke1Na5 17.Be2 Rfc8 18.Bd2 Nc6 19.Bc3 Na720.Bd2Nb5 Better is 20...Nc6. 21.e5Bc6 22.a4Na7 23.Ra1 Bd5 24.Kf1 White intends to ma-neuver his Knight to d3 via e1. 24...Nc6 25.a5Fixing Black’s pawns on the queenside. 25...Rc726.Be3Bf8 27.Ne1Bb4 28.Rdc1 This positionis much better for White. 28...Bxe1 OtherwiseBlack would get into a very cramped position afterthe Knight comes to d3. 29.Rxe1Nb4 30.Rac1Not 30.Rec1 Nc2 31.Rab1 Ba2. 30...Nc2 31.Bg5Rac8 32.Red1 Nb4 33.Rxc7 Not 33.Rb1?!Na2 threatening ...Nc3. 33...Rxc7 34.Rb1 Nc235.Bd8 Rc8 36.Bb6 Threatening Bc5 trappingthe Knight. 36...Be4 Threatening 37...Ne3+ and37...Nd4. 37.Rd1 Rc3 38.Bc5 Kg7 39.Kg1Rb3 40.f3Bc6 41.Kf2Nb4 42.Rd2Bd5 43.h4Nc6 44.Bb6 h5 Trying to win the a-pawn with44...Ra3 is risky after 45.Rc2 Nxa5 46.Rc8 andBlack’s King could get into a mating net withBc5-f8+ or Bd8-f6+. 45.Rc2 Ra3 46.g4 Ra1If 46...hxg4 47.fxg4 Rh3, then White creates anoutside passed pawn with 48.g5. 47.Rc3 Rh148.Kg3 g5 A strong move which creates an out-side passed pawn. 49.hxg5 h4+ 50.Kg2 If 50.Kf2,then 50...Rh2+ 51.Ke3 h3 and the passed pawnwill become dangerous. 50...Re1 51.Rc2 Not51.Kf2 h3! winning. 51...Kg6 52.Kf2 Ra153.f4 Ra3 54.Rd2 The losing move. Correct is54.Kg1 Rg3+ 55.Kh2. 54...Rg3 Cutting the Kingoff from the passed pawn. 55.Bc5 If 55.Rd3,then 55...Rg2+ 56.Ke3 Rxe2 57.Kxe2 Bc4 wins.55...Kg7 56.Rd3 If 56.f5, then 56...Rg2+ 57.Ke3h3 wins. 56...Rg2+ 57.Kf1 Rxe2 58.Kxe2Bc4 59.d5 White must sacrifice a pawn to get hisBishop back in time to stop the h-pawn. 59...exd560.Kd2Bxd3 61.Kxd3 d4 White will not be ableto stop both passed pawns without losing a piece.62.Ke2 If 62.Bxd4, then 62...Nxd4 63.Kxd4 h3wins. 62...h3 63.Kf3 d3 64.Be3Nd4+ 65.Kg3h2 66.Kxh2 Nf3+ 67.Kg3 d2 68.Bxd2 Nxd269.f5 Nc4 70.Kf4 Nxa5 71.Ke4 Nc6 72.Kd5a5 White Resigns.

225

0-1

◦ Speelman, J.• Short, N.?London1991 0-1 D76A tactically complex middlegame betweenBritain’s top two players leads to a simple,theoretically known Rook ending.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.g3 O–O 5.Bg2d5 6.cxd5 Nxd5 7.O–O Nb6 8.Nc3 Nc6 9.e3Re8 10.h3 a5 11.Rb1 a4 12.Ne1 Bf5 13.e4Bd7 14.Nc2 e5 15.dxe5 Nxe5 16.f4 It is clearthat Black has already more than equalized. Thismove will cause trouble later along the diago-nals to the White King. 16...Nec4 17.Qf3 Qe718.b3 axb3 19.axb3 Qc5+ 20.Kh2 Nd6 21.e5Nb5 22.Nxb5Bxb5 23.Rf2Bc6 24.Qe3Qxe325.Nxe3 Bxg2 26.Kxg2 f6 27.Ng4 Leads toa pawn-down Rook endgame. Better chancesto hold are given by 27.exf6, although Black’spieces gain activity. 27...fxe5 28.fxe5 Nd529.Nh6+ Bxh6 30.Bxh6 Rxe5 31.g4 Rae832.Rbb2 Ne3+ 33.Bxe3 Rxe3 34.b4 Rc335.Rf3Ree3 36.Rxe3Rxe3 37.b5Kf7 38.Rc2Re7 39. Kf3 Ke6 40.Kf4 h6 41.Rd2 g5+42.Kg3 c5 43.bxc6 bxc6 44.Rd8 Ke5 45.h4gxh4+ 46.Kxh4 c5 47.Rc8Kd5 48.Rd8+Kc649.Rc8+ Kb6 50.Rb8+ Kc7 51.Rb1 Re652.g5 hxg5+ 53.Kxg5Kc6 54.Rc1 Slightly moretesting is 54.Kf5, bringing the King one file closerwith tempo on the Rook. However, the theory ofthese endings is well known, and Short seems com-pletely competent to win against the best defense.54...Kb5 55.Rb1+Ka4 56.Rc1Kb4 57.Rb1+Ka3 58.Rc1Rc6 59.Kf4 c4 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Yusupov, A.• Ivanchuk, V.?Brussels1991 1-0 E43Yusupov sacrifices a Rook and follows up withsome masterful strokes, winning a sparkling tac-tical brilliancy.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 b6 5.Bd3Bb7 6.Nf3 O–O 7.O–O c5 8.Bd2 cxd4 9.exd4d5 10.cxd5 Nxd5 Black tried 10...Bxc3 11.bxc3Qxd5 12.Re1 Nbd7 13.Qe2 Qh5 14.a4 a6 15.Reb1Rfd8 with equality in Reshevsky-Smyslov, Zurich1953, but giving up a Bishop for a Knight while

improving your opponent’s pawn structure is not toeveryone’s taste. 11.Rc1Nc6 12.Re1Rc8 Blackcannot generate proper pressure against the d4-pawn: 12...Nf6 13.Bg5. 13.Re4 Nce7 Yusupovbadly needed a win, so extraordinary measures canbe easily justified. You don’t see Rooks beingtransferred to h4 this early very often. 14.Nxd5Nxd5 Forced, as 14...exd5? 15.Rh4 loses and14...Bxd2 15.Nxe7+ Qxe7 16.Qd2 Bxe4 17.Bxe4also fails to simple tactics. 15.Rh4 g6 I canthink of players who would not hesitate to go for15...f5 16.Rh3. The strangely placed Rook seemslike a good reason for a permanent weakening ofpawn structure. 16.Rxc8Qxc8 17.Ng5 There isonly one direction - forward. 17...Be7 18.Qg4Ba6 Already playing with fire. Much safer was18...Nf6 19.Qh3 h5. 19.Qh3 h5 20.Rxh5 gxh521.Bh7+ Kg7 22.Qxh5 Nf6 A terrible movethat tries to cope with the threat 23.Bf5! Nf624.Nxe6+. Better was 22...Bxg5!. 23.Nxe6+ fxe624.Qh6+ Kh8 25.Bf5+ Kg8 26.Qg5+ Kh827.Qh4+ Kg8 28.Qg5+ Kh8 29.Qh4+ Kg830.Qg3+ Kh8 31.Qh3+ Kg7 32.Qg3+ Kh833.Qh3+Kg7 34.Bxe6Qxe6 The Black Queengoes because of the mate threat. The other wayround with 34...Rh8 35.Qg3+ Kf8 36.Bxc8 Bxc837.Qb8 could not save the day. 35.Qxe6 Bd8The tempting 35...Re8 would not be good after36.Bg5!. 36.g4Re8 37.Qf5Bc4 38.g5 Black Re-signs. Black is cornered after the simple 38.g5 Nd539.Qd7+ Kf8 40.g6.1-0

◦ Gual, A.• Garbarino, R.?Spain1991 0-1 E42Black starts a quick counterattack, sacrifices apiece, and then his Queen!1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 b6 5.Ne2c5 6.a3 Ba5 7.Rb1 Na6 8.Bd2 O–O 9.d5Bb7 10.e4 exd5 11.exd5 Ng4 12.Ng3 Qh413.Be2 Rae8 14.Nce4 White is having trou-ble finding safety for his King. If 14.h3,then 14...Nxf2! 15.Kxf2 f5 followed by 16...f4.14...Nxh2 15.Nd6 f5 Black must keep on at-tacking. 16.Nxb7 The decisive error. Correct is16.Nxe8 or 16.Bxa5. 16...f4 17.Nf1 f3 This pawnhas a great future. 18.Rxh2Qxh2 19.Nxh2 fxg220.Bxa5 g1=Q+ White Resigns. White’s positionis hopeless after 21.Kd2 Qxh2 22.Bc3 Rxf2.0-1

226

◦ Kozul, Z.• Ionescu, Co.?Berga1991 1-0 E38Another instructive kingside attack.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 c5 5.dxc5Bxc5 6.Nf3 Qb6 7.e3 Qc7 8.b3 b6 9.Bb2Bb7 10.Rd1 Be7 11.Bd3 Na6 12.Nb5 Qc613.Qd2Nc5 14.O–O a6 15.Nbd4Qc7 16.Bb1O–O Better was 16...Be4. This diagonal is laterused for a dangerous attack. 17.Ne2 Rfd8 Ifnow 17...Be4, then 18.Bxf6 Bxf6 19.Bxe4 Nxe420.Qxd7 wins a pawn. 18.Ng3 White maneu-vers his pieces in preparation for a kingside at-tack. 18...d6 Better was 18...Nfe4. Now the at-tack comes in full force. 19.Ng5 h6 20.f4 Rac8If 20...hxg5, then Whites attack is very strong af-ter 21.fxg5. 21...Ne8 22.Qc2 g6 23.Rxf7 losesimmediately while White wins back his piece af-ter 21...Nfe4 22.Nxe4 Nxe4 23.Bxe4 Bxe4 24.Qd4with a double attack. 21.Qc2 Ncd7 22.Nh5Now there is no way to stop White from makinga direct hit deep into Black’s kingside. 22...hxg523.Bxf6 Nxf6 24.Nxf6+ Bxf6 25.fxg5 Bxg526.Qh7+ Kf8 27.Bg6 Bxe3+ If 27...Bf6, then28.Qh8+ Ke7 29.Qxg7! Bxg7 30.Rxf7+ Ke831.Rxc7+ Kf8 32.Rxb7 wins. 28.Kh1 d5 Worseis 28...Rd7 29.Qh8+ Ke7 30.Qxg7. 29.Rxf7+Qxf7 30.Bxf7 Kxf7 31.Rf1+ Ke7 32.Qxg7+Kd6 33.Qg3+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Karpov, An.• Ljubojevic, L.?Reykjavik1991 0-1 E32An instructive endgame.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 O–O 5.a3Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 b6 7.Bg5Bb7 8.f3 c5 9.e3 cxd410.Qxd4 Nc6 11.Qd6 Ne4 12.Bxd8 Nxd613.Bh4 Ba6 14.b3 Nf5 15. Bf2 Na5 16.Rb1d5 As Black is ahead in development, he needsto open up the position quickly before White con-solidates. 17.cxd5 Bxf1 18.Kxf1 exd5 19.g4Ne7 20.Ne2Rac8 21.Rb2 21.Kg2 Rc2 22.Nd4would have given White a slight advantage. 21...f5Black needs open lines, otherwise Karpov is go-ing to squeeze him. 22.Kg2 If 22.g5, then22...f4! is strong. 22...fxg4 23.fxg4 h5 24.gxh5Rf5 25.h6 Better is 25.Rc1 with a slight advan-tage for White. 25...Rg5+ 26.Bg3 Nf5 27.Kf2Not 27.Kf3? Rf8 28.Bf4 Nh4+ 29.Kf2 Rg2+.

27...Nxh6 28.Nd4 Better is 28.Rd1 with an equalposition. 28...Ng4+ 29.Ke2 Not 29.Kf3 Rf830.Ke2 Nxh2!. 29...Nf6 Black has a slight ad-vantage due to his better placed pieces. 30.Kf3Nc6 31.Ne6Rf5+ 32.Kg2Re8 33.Nd4Nxd434.exd4 Re3 Threatening 35...Rff3. 35.Re1Rd3 36.Re5 Rff3 37.Re7 a5 38.b4 Correct is38.Be5!. 38...Nh5 39.bxa5 Nxg3 40.hxg3 Thelosing move. White could have held the posi-tion with 40.axb6 Nh5 41.Re1 Nf4+ 42.Kg1 Rb343.Reb1. 40...Rxg3+ 41.Kh2 bxa5 42.Rd7More tenacious is 42.Re5. 42...Rg5 43.Rg2Rxg2+ 44.Kxg2 Rxd4 45.Kf3 Rd3+ 46.Ke2Rxa3 47.Rxd5 Kh7 48. Kf2 Kh6 49.Rc5 g550.Kg2Kh5 51.Rd5Kh4 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Bareev, E.• Sax, G.?Hastings1991 1-0 E31This wild attacking game was played in the tradi-tional Christmas tournament at Hastings, England.GM Bareev is now acknowledged as one of thestrongest players in the world, with good chancesto eventually challenge for the World Champi-onship title, and GM Sax of Hungary is also amongthe elite. Any game between these players shouldbe watched with interest.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Bg5 h6 5.Bh4c5 6.d5 d6 7.e3 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 e5 In Nimzo-Indian lines, Black often captures on c3, thentries to blockade the center and build up a slowattack against the White weaknesses. By play-ing Bg5, White sharpens the struggle; the Bishopis placed offside for defensive duty, but the pincan be decidedly unpleasant for Black. 9.f3g5 10.Bg3 e4 11.h4 g4 12.h5 Regaining theh4 square for the Bishop. 12...exf3 13.gxf3Qe7 14.Bh4 Qxe3+ 15.Qe2 Qxe2+ 16.Nxe2Nxh5 17.O–O–O White offers many pawns, buteach capture opens a line against the Black King.17...Nd7 18.fxg4 Ng7 19.Ng3 Kf8 20.Ne4Ne5 21.Nxd6Bxg4 22.Re1Nf3 23.Be7+Kg824.Re3 f5 25.Be2 Ng5 26.Bxg4 fxg4 27.Rg1Now it is clear the White has woven a net aroundthe monarch. 27...Kh7 28.Rxg4 Kg6 29.Reg3Nh5 30.Rxg5+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Epishin, V.• Ehlvest, J.

227

?Tarrassa1991 1-0 E18An instructive example of a kingside attack.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2Be7 6.O–O O–O 7.Nc3Ne4 8.Bd2Bf6 9.Rc1d6 10.d5 Nxd2 11.Qxd2 e5 12.h4 White doesnot hide his intentions. 12...Nd7 13.Bh3 g6This allows White to open up the h-file. Worthconsidering is 13...Be7 followed by 14...Nf6.14.e4 Bg7 15.h5 Nf6 16.hxg6 hxg6 17.Kg2Preparing to transfer his Rooks to the h-file.17...Qe7 18.Rh1 Rfe8 19.Rh2 Qf8 20.Rch1Bh6 21.Qe2 If 21.Ng5, then Black is fine after21...Nh7. 21...Qe7 22.Bd7 Qxd7 23.Rxh6Kg7 24.Qd2 Threatening 25.Nh4 followed by26.Nf5+. 24...Rg8 25.Qg5 Qe7 26.Nb5 WithBlack tied up on the kingside, White makes threatson the other side of the board. 26...Qd8 If 26...a6,then 27.Rh7+ Kf8 28.Nxc7 Nxh7 29.Qxe7+ Kxe730.Nxa8 with a large advantage to White. 27.Nh4Nxe4 If 27...Kf8, then 28.Nxg6+ wins immedi-ately. 28.Rh7+ Kf8 29.Nxg6+ Ke8 Whitewins immediately after either 29...Rxg6 30.Rh8+or 29...fxg6 30.Qh6+ Ke8 31.Nc7+. 30.Qf5Qd7 31.Qxe4Rxg6 32.Nxc7+ The icing on thecake. 32...Qxc7 33.Qxg6 Qe7 34.Rxf7 Qxf735.Rh8+ Ke7 36.Rh7 Rf8 37.Qe6+ Kd8 38.Rxf7 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Karpov, An.• Salov, V.?Reykjavik1991 1-0 E18Karpov conducts a magnificent space game, simplein concept but agonizingly tricky in execution.1.d4Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3Bb7 5.Bg2Be76.Nc3 Ne4 7.Bd2 Bf6 8.O–O O–O 9.Rc1 d610.d5 Nxd2 11.Qxd2 Qe7 12.e4 Nd7 13.Nd4Bxd4 Black trades off his Bishop before lockingthe pawns on that color. 14.Qxd4 e5 15.Qd2a5 White is also better if Black tries to chal-lenge White on the kingside after 15...g6 16.f4 f517.Rce1. 16.f4 Nc5 17.f5 f6 White has a largespace advantage. The only drawback is his badBishop. 18.Bf3 g5 Blocking the kingside allowsWhite to switch his attention to the kingside. 19.b3Not immediately 19.a3? due to 19...a4 fixing thequeenside. 19...Bc8 20.Bd1 Bd7 21.a3 Ra722.b4 Nb7 23.Rf2 Nd8 24.Qe3 axb4 25.axb4Nf7 26.h4 Kh8 Black starts counterplay alongthe g-file. 27.Kf1 White uses the second rank

to deploy his Rooks and moves his King over tothe queenside where it will be safer. 27...Rg828.Rcc2 Qf8 If 28...Ra1, then 29.Ra2. 29.Ra2Rxa2 30.Rxa2 gxh4 31.gxh4Qg7 32.Ke1Nh633.Ra7 Be8 34.Kd2 Qg2+ Black sacrifices apawn for counterplay. Good for White is 34...Ng435.Bxg4 Qxg4 36.Qh6. 35.Kc1 Nf7 If 35...Rg3,then 36.Qd2 but not 36.Rxh6 Rxc3+. 36.Rxc7Rg3 37.Qd2 Qh3 38.Kb2 Kg7 39.Rc8 Theplayers were in time trouble here. 39...Bd740.Rc7 Be8 41.Be2 Qxh4 42.c5 Creating apassed pawn in the center. 42...bxc5 43.bxc5Kf844.c6 Qh2 45.Rc8 Qf2 46.Rb8 Qc5 47.Qc2Ng5 48.Rb3 Rg2 49.Rb5 Qa7 50.Qd3 h551.Qc4Qd4 52.Kb3Rg3 53.Kc2Rg2 54.Kb3Rg3 55. Kc2 Rg2 56.Qd3 Qa7 57.Rb7 Qc558.Rb5 Qa7 59.Rb7 Qc5 60.Kb3 h4 61.Qc4Qxc4+ 62.Bxc4 Nf3 If 62...h3, then 63.c7 h264.c8=Q h1=Q 65.Qd8 winning. 63.Bb5 Nd4+64.Kc4 h3 If 64...Rc2, then 65.Ba4. 65.c7Nxb5If 65...Bxb5+, then 66.Nxb5 Rc2+ 67.Nc3 wins.66.c8=Q h2 67.Qe6 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Agdestein, S.• Karpov, An.?Gjovik1991 0-1 E15Not only is the Norwegian Simen Agdestein oneof the top Grandmasters in the world, he is also aprofessional soccer player. This is former worldchampion Karpov’s lone win in a four game matchthey played which ended in a tie.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.b3Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Be7 7.Nc3 O–O 8.e4 d5 9.cxd5Bxf1 10.Kxf1 exd5 11.e5 Ne4 12.Kg2 Qd713.Qe2 Nxc3 14.Bxc3 c5 15. Rhe1 Qe616.Ng1 White intends to maneuver his Knight tof4 via h3. 16...Nc6 17.dxc5 d4 18.Bd2 Bxc519.Qe4 Rfe8 20.f4 Rad8 21.Nf3 d3 22.Ng5Qd5 23.Rac1 Nd4 24.b4 Be7 25.Qxd5 Rxd526.Nf3 Nc2 27.Re4 b5 Preventing Rc4 and fix-ing the b4-pawn. 28.Ne1 Bxb4 29.Bxb4d2 30.Bxd2 Rxd2+ Having a Rook on the sec-ond rank gives Black the advantage. 31.Kh331.Kf3? f5 32.exf6 Nd4+ wins. The best moveis 31.Kg1! Nxe1 32.Rexe1 Rxa2 with only a slightadvantage for Black, according to Karpov. 31...f5This wins the exchange by force. 32.Nf3 Rf233.Rd4Nxd4 34.Nxd4 g6 35.Nxb5Rb8 36.a4If 36.Nxa7, then 36...h6 threatening 37...Rbb2winning. 36...h6 This move prevents the WhiteKing from escaping a mating net via Kh4-g5.

228

37.Rc6 If 37.e6, then 37...a6 38.Nc7 Rbb2 wins.37...Rb6 38.Rc8+Kg7 39.Rc7+Kf8 40.Rc8+Ke7 41.Rc7+ Kd8 42.Rxa7 If 42.Rg7, then42...g5 43.fxg5 hxg5 wins. 44...Rh6+ is threatenedand if 44.Nd6, then 44...Rbb2. 42...g5 43.Ra8+ If43.fxg5 hxg5 44.g4, then 44...f4! wins. 43...Ke744.Ra7+Kf8 45.Ra8+Kg7 46.Ra7+Kg6 TheKing escapes the checks on h5. 47.g4 fxg4+48.Kxg4Rxf4+ 49.Kg3Re4 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Karpov, An.• Andersson, U.?Reggio Emilia1991 1-0 E15Sweden’s Ulf Andersson has a reputation as a hardman to beat.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4+ 4.Nbd2 b6 5.g3Ba6 6.Qc2 Bb7 7.Bg2 Be4 8.Qb3 Bxd2+9.Bxd2 O–O 10.O–O d6 11.Rfd1Qe7 12.Qe3Nbd7 13.Bc3 Rfe8 14.Rac1 h6 15.b3 Rac816.Bh3 c6 17.Bb2 Rc7 18.Nd2 Bg6 19.Nb1a6 Black puts his defensive faith in the third-rowpawn wall. It seems in the long run White’s spa-tial advantage and Bishop pair are going to winthrough, so the opening must be judged unsuc-cessful for Black. 20.Bg2 Rec8 21.Ba3 Ne822.Nc3 Qd8 23.Qd2 Rb7 24.e4 b5 25.Ne2Rbb8 26.Nf4 Bh7 27.c5 d5 28.e5 a5 29.Re1Ra8 30.Bb2 b4 If the Queenside gets entirelylocked up, White will have free reign on the otherwing. The problem is that White is well-placed tocontest any open lines on the left as well. 31.Ra1Qc7 32.a4 bxa3 33.Rxa3 Qb7 34.Bc3 Nc735.Bxa5Nb5 36.Ra4 This is one of those posi-tions that a Grandmaster resigns in, but most play-ers look at and wonder "why?" Black is an uncom-pensated pawn down, will lose control of the a-file,has awkwardly placed Knights, and is playing Ana-toly Karpov. Better to end the suffering now.1-0

◦ Khalifman, A.• Ivanchuk, V.?Reykjavik1991 0-1 E12Both sides make errors in a time scramble.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.Nc3 Bb7 5.a3 d56.Qa4+ Qd7 7.Qc2 dxc4 8.e3 c5 9.Bxc4 Qc810.Qe2 Nbd7 11.O–O a6 12.Rd1 b5 13.Ba2Be7 14.e4 b4 15.Na4 Qc6 16.Nxc5 Nxc5

17.dxc5 bxa3 18.e5 Ne4 19.Nd4 Qxc5 20.f3Rd8 21.Be3 axb2 22. Qxb2 White has com-pensation for the pawn because Black is a littlebit behind in development. 22...Qc3 23.Qe2Nc524.Rac1 The wrong Rook. Correct is 24.Rdc1.White’s Rook is not well placed on d1 because theKnight could become pinned. 24...Qa5 25.f4 g626.f5 Trying to keep Black off balance, but the sac-rifice is unsound. Better is 26.Bb1, although Blackis much better after 26...Rd5 (preventing f4-f5).26...gxf5 27.Nxf5 Rxd1+ 28.Rxd1 Rg8 Whitewould have too strong of an attack if the Knightis taken: 28...exf5 29.Bxf7+ Kxf7 30.Qh5+. In-stead Black starts a counterattack along the g-file. 29.Ng3 h5 30.Bxc5 Qxc5+ 31.Kh1 h432.Bxe6 The Knight cannot move due to the at-tack on g2. 32...hxg3 Not 32...fxe6? 33.Qh5+winning. White sacrifices a piece and starts a des-perate attack. 33.Bxf7+ Kxf7 34.Qh5+ Kg7The players were in time trouble here. Betteris 34...Ke6 35.Qh6+ Kxe5 36.Re1+ Be4 winning.The text move is an error and now White will beable to hold the position. 35.Qg4+Kh6 36.Qh3+Kg6 37.Qxg3+ White also makes an error in timepressure. Correct is 37.Qg4+ Bg5 38.Rd6+ withan equal position. Now Black is again winning.37...Bg5 38.Qd3+ If 38.Rd6+ Kf7 39.Qb3+ Kf8wins. 38...Kg7 39.Qd7+ Qe7 40.Qxe7+ Bxe741.Rd7Rd8 White Resigns. 42.Rxe7+ Kf8 wins.0-1

◦ Polgar, Sz.• Christiansen, L.?San Francisco1991 1-0 E14The Polgar sisters, Szusza, Sofia and Judith, fromBudapest, have defied the conventional wisdomthat women cannot compete on equal terms withmen. Their answer is results: at the age of 15 in1991 Judith is an eyelash from becoming a Grand-master. At the 1990 Olympiad, the Hungarianwomen’s team did the previously impossible: tookfirst place above the Soviets. Szusza, the oldest ofthe trio, won the Brilliancy Prize for this relent-less Kingside attack at the Pan-Pacific tournamentin 1991.1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 c5 4.Bd3 b6 5.c4Bb7 6.Nc3 cxd4 7.exd4 Be7 8.O–O d5 9.cxd5Nxd5 10.Ne5 O–O 11.Qg4Nf6 12.Qh4Nbd713.Rd1 Ne4 14.Qh3 Ndf6 15.d5 The pawnmoves to a square guarded four times! 15...Nxc316.bxc3 Bxd5 17.Bg5 g6 18.Qh4 h6 Chris-tiansen tries to wriggle out from the pressure White

229

gained from the pawn sacrifice, but Polgar insteadadds fuel to the fire. 19.Bxg6 fxg6 20.Qxh6Nh7 21.Qxg6+Kh8 22.Bxe7Qxe7 23.c4Qh4Black could not move the bishop away as 24. Rd7would win. 24.cxd5Qxf2+ 25.Kh1Rf6 26.Qe4exd5 27.Qxd5 Rg8 28.h3 Rf5 29.Rf1 Qxf1+30.Rxf1Rxf1+ 31.Kh2Rg7 32.Qd4 The queenand knight work very well together. Christiansenhas material equality, but cannot defend his kingagainst Polgar’s slow attack. 32...Rf6 33.h4Kg834.g4Nf8 35.g5Re6 36.Ng4Rge7 37.h5Nd738.g6Ne5 39. Nh6+Kf8 40.Qf4+Ke8 41.Nf5Nxg6 42.hxg6 Rxg6 43.Qb8+ Kf7 44.Nxe7Kxe7 45. Qxa7+Kd8 46.a4Kc8 47.Kh3Rc648.Kg3 Rc3+ 49.Kf4 Rb3 50.Ke5 Black Re-signs.1-0

◦ Kamsky, G.• Wolff, P.?Philadelphia1991 1-0 A48A contest between the 1991 and 1992 US champi-ons.1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Bf4 Bg7 4.e3 O–O 5.h3Preserving the Bishop in anticipation of ...Nh5.5...c5 6.c3 cxd4 7.exd4 d6 8.Be2 Qb6 9.Qb3Qxb3 10.axb3 White is slightly better in theendgame, partly due to his open a-file. 10...Nc611.O–O e5 12.dxe5 Nd5 13.Bh2 dxe5 14.Rd1Nb6 15.Nbd2Be6 16.b4 Threatening 17.b5 win-ning the e-pawn. 16...f6 17.Ne4 The Knight eyesan outpost at c5 or d6. 17...Bd5 Better is 17...Rf7or 17...Bc4. 18.Nd6 Ne7 19.c4 Rfd8 20.c5 a621.Ra5 Kf8 22.g4 Threatening g4-g5, isolatingthe e-pawn. 22...g5 An ugly move to have toplay because of the hole at f5, but g4-g5 had to beprevented. 23.b5 axb5 24.Rxb5 Na4 25.Rxd5Sacrificing the exchange to get two connectedpassed pawns. 25...Nxd5 26.Nxb7 Rdb8 27.c6Ne7 28.Nd4 A nice way to activate his pieces.28...exd4 Also bad is 28...Ke8 29.c7 Rc8 30.Nd6+winning. 29.Bxb8 Rxb8 30.c7 Rc8 31.Nd6Rxc7 32.Rb8+ Nc8 33.Nxc8 f5 Yes 33...Kf7would have held out longer, although White is win-ning after 34.Nd6+ Ke6 35.Nf5. 34.Nb6+ BlackResigns.1-0

◦ Gelfand, B.• Lobron, E.?

Munich1991 1-0 D43White’s kingside attack is strong, but Black had away to defend.1.d4Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c6 5.g3Nbd76.Bg2 dxc4 7.a4 Bb4 8.O–O O–O 9.Qc2 Qe710.Bf4 a5 11.Rad1 Nd5 12.Bc1 Bd6 13.Ne4b5 14.Nfg5 f5 If 14...h6, then 15.Nxd6 hxg516.Ne4. 15.Nxd6 Qxd6 16.e4 Nb4 17.Qe2h6 18.Nh3 fxe4 19.Qxe4 Black’s weakened king-side gives White compensation for the sacrificedpawn. 19...Ra7 If 19...Nf6, then 20.Qg6 isstrong. 20.Nf4 White could have forced a drawwith 20.Bxh6 gxh6 21.Qg6+. 20...Nf6 21.Qe2Re8 22.Nh5 Qf8 23.Nxf6+ Qxf6 24.Bf4 TheBishop repositions itself on the powerful e5-square. 24...Nd5 25.Be5Qf8 26.Be4 The Bish-ops menace the Black King. 26...Rd8 27.h4White continues his kingside attack with a pawnstorm. 27...Bd7 Better is 27...Ba6. 28.g4Be8 29.f4 Rf7 30.g5 Nxf4 Black could havestopped White’s attack cold with the exchange sac-rifice 30...Rf5. After 31.Bxf5 Qxf5 32.gxh6 Bh5Black has sufficient compensation. 31.Qh2 Not31.Qg4? h5. 31...Nd3 32.gxh6 Nxe5 33.Qxe5gxh6 If 33...Qd6, then 34.Rxf7! Qxe5 35.h7+Kxf7 36.dxe5 Rxd1+ 37.Kf2 wins. 34.Rxf7Bxf7 35.Kh1 Qd6 36.Qf6 Kf8 37.Rf1 Rd738.Qh8+ Ke7 39.Bg6 Qd5+ 40. Kh2 Kd6Black Resigns. White wins after 41.Qb8 Rc742.Rxf7.1-0

◦ Gelfand, B.• Kamsky, G.?Linares1991 1-0 D47A battle between two future contenders for theworld championship.1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3Nbd76.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5 8.Bd3 Bb7 9.O–Oa6 10.e4 c5 11.d5 c4 12.Bc2 e5 13.Qe2 Bd614.Bg5 O–O 15.Nh4Be7 If 15...g6, then Whitewould play 16.Nd1 followed by 17.Ne3. 16.Nf5Nxd5 17.exd5 If 17.Bh6, then 17...Nxc3 18.Qg4Ne2+ is unclear. 17...Bxg5 18.Nd6 Rb8 Bet-ter is 18...Nc5. 19.Nxb7 Rxb7 20.d6 Whitehas compensation for the sacrificed pawn becauseof his advanced passed d-pawn and more activepieces. 20...Rb6 21.Rfd1 g6 22.a4 b4 Bet-ter is 22...Bf6. 23.a5 Rb8 23...bxc3 24.axb6cxb2 25.Rxa6 is good for White. 24.Nd5 Bet-ter is 24.Ne4. 24...c3 Black sacrifices back the

230

pawn to get his own passed pawn. 25.bxc3 b326.Bb1Nc5 27.Nc7 Dubious is 27.Qxe5?! Re828.Ne7+ Bxe7 29.Qxc5 Bxd6. 27...e4 Openingup the h8-a1 diagonal for the Bishop. 28.Bxe4Bf6 29.Bc6Bxc3 30.Rab1Bxa5 31.Qe5Bb632.Nd5 Threatening 33.Ne7+. Both players weregetting short on time here. 32...f6 33.Qf4 Kh834.Ne7 Stronger is 34.Qh6 Qd6 35.Nf4 threat-ening Nxg6+ winning. 34...Kg7 35.h4 Nd736.Kh1 Ne5 Correct is 36...Bc5 with an unclearposition. 37.Rxb3Bc5 38.Rg3Rb4 39.Nf5+Kh8 If 39...Kf7, then 40.Qh6 gxf5 41.Rg7+Ke6 42.Re7+ wins. 40.Qh6 Rf7 41.Bd5 gxf542.Bxf7 Rg4 Also losing is 42...Ng4 43.Rxg4Rxg4 44.f3 Rg7 45.Be6. 43.Qh5 Rxg3 44.fxg3Ng4 45.Qxf5Nf2+ 46.Kh2Ba7 47.Re1Kg748.Re7 Qxd6 49. Rxa7 Qd4 50.Bg8+ BlackResigns. 50...Qxa7 51.Qxh7+ wins the Queen.1-0

◦ Wells, P.• Conquest, S.?London1991 1-0 D47White displays a shocker.1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3Nbd76.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5 8.Bd3 b4 9.Na4 c510.e4 cxd4 11.Bb5 Qa5 12.Bc6 Rb8 13.O–ONot 13.Bf4 due to 13...b3+. Now it appearsthat Black will be able to hold on to his ex-tra pawn. 13...e5 14.Bf4 Intentionally plac-ing a Bishop en prise to break Black’s block-ade. 15.Nxe5 is threatened. 14...Bd6 Whitegets a strong attack if Black takes the Bishop:14...exf4 15.e5 Nd5 16.Nxd4. 15.Bg3 Threat-ening 16.Nxd4. 15...Bc7 Not 15...Nh5? due to16.Nxe5!. 16.Rc1 White has sufficient pressurefor the sacrificed pawn. 16...O–O 17.b3Rd8 Bet-ter is 17...Bb7. Now White wins back his pawn.18.Bxd7 Nxd7 Not 18...Bxd7 due to 19.Rxc7.19.Nxd4 Nf6 Better is 19...Bb7. Both playerswere getting short on time here. 20.Nc6 Sacri-ficing the Queen for two Rooks is not bad, buteven better is 20.Rc5. 20...Rxd1 21.Rfxd1Qb522.Nxb8 Bg4 22...Qxb8 23.Bxe5! loses imme-diately. 23.Rxc7 Bxd1 24.Rc8+ Ne8 25.Nc6h5 If 25...Kf8, then 26.Nxe5 threatening Nc4 andNd6. 26.h4 Correct is 26.Rxe8+ Kh7 27.Rd8.Now Black gets a big advantage. 26...Kh727.Rxe8 Qxc6 28.Rxe5 Material is even, butWhite’s pieces are disorganized. 28...f6 Correct is28...Qc2. 29.Re7Bg4 30.f3Be6 31.Rxa7Kg632.Kh2Bf7 33.Rc7Qb5 34.Nc5Qe2 35.Nd7

Kh6 36.Nxf6 Black has fallen apart in time pres-sure. 36...gxf6 37.Rxf7 Qxa2 38.Rxf6+ Kg739.Rb6 Qxb3 40.Bd6 Black’s flag fell here buthe was lost in any case.1-0

◦ Karpov, An.• Anand, V.?Brussels1991 1-0 D45A masterful performance by Karpov.1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3Nbd76.Qc2 Bd6 7.Be2 O–O 8.O–O dxc4 9.Bxc4Qe7 10.h3 a6 11.e4 Of course, this is the onlyway to test Black’s opening setup. After d5xc4,if White doesn’t use his central majority, thenBlack gets fine queenside play. 11...e5 12.Rd1Awaiting developments while reinforcing the cen-ter. Clearly the d-file will be opened and theRook is well-positioned on d1. Black’s ...a7-a6 hascommitted him to queenside play, thus the rolesare clear. White will play in the center, Blackon the queenside. The following moves are con-sequential for both players. 12...b5 13.Bf1 c514.d5 c4 Forced. White mustn’t be allowed toplay b2-b3 and a2-a4. 15.a4 Rb8 16.axb5 axb517.Ra5 Both forced and good. Black can’t be al-lowed to play ...Nd7-c5 and Bc8-d7 with an excel-lent game. Now Black’s pawns are forced into akind of death march. 17...b4 18.Na4 Very good.Although the Rook’s retreat on a5 is cut off, itwill happily roost on a7. A Knight on c5 wouldbe formidably placed, so White ensures its ex-change. 18...Qd8 19.Ra7 b3 A major compro-mise. Black’s risky strategy has better chancesafter 19...c3. 20.Qe2 After 20.Qxc4?, ...Rb4followed by ...Nf6xe4 solves Black’s problems.20...Nc5 21.Nxc5 Bxc5 22.Ra1 Both playershave been on a collision course to this position.Anand has put his faith in his far-flung queensidepawns, Karpov in his center. The outcome is morethan just a matter of victory or defeat in one game.The result will test the mettle of Black’s entireopening strategy! 22...c3 23.Nxe5 c2 It’s not ev-ery day that you get a protected passed pawn on c2!Frightening to be sure. However, the rascal is com-pletely blocked and White’s center is extremelymenacing. So despite Black’s queenside gains,White is for choice. 24.Rd3 Well played. Fromthis perch, the Rook supports the d-pawn, eyesthe b3-pawn, and has the potential for a kingsideshift. White’s problem is his vulnerable e4-pawn,Black has to be quick with his tactical shots, else

231

defeat is assured. White’s principal threat is Ne5-c6. 24...Qe8 This simply fails. Better is 24...Bd7.25.Nc6Rb6 26.Be3Nxe4 Black is forced to en-ter a long, but narrow, tactical path. The result is aloss after 26...Bxe3 27.Qxe3, hitting the b3-pawn,Black has no chances. 27.Bxc5 Nxc5 28.Re3Well played. After 28.Ne7+ Kh8 29.Rc3 Ba6!30.Qe3 Na4! Black is making it messy. With thetext, Karpov controls the flow. 28...Qd7 29.Qc4Every move is a blow. If the Knight moves, theb3-pawn falls. 29...Rxc6 30.dxc6 Qd1 31.Re1Qd6 32.Qc3 Consolidating the extra wood. If32.Ra5 Qd2, now Ra1-a5 is the threat. The Knighthas no squares after 32...Be6 33.Ra5, winning.The game is lost for Black. Here Karpov had afew minutes left to make the time control, giv-ing Anand his final chance. Unfortunately, Whiteremains in complete control. 32...Qd5 33.c7Bb7 34.Ra5 Ne4 35.Rxd5 Nxc3 36.Rd3 Not36.bxc3?? b2. 36...Na2 37.Rxb3 Bc8 38.Bc4The last difficult move. Black has no remain-ing tricks. 38...g6 39.Ra3 c1=Q 40.Rxc1Nxc141.Rc3 Re8 42.Rxc1 Re7 43.Bf1 Black Re-signs.1-0

◦ Ljubojevic, L.• Timman, J.?Reykjavik1991 1-0 D39Black makes an error early and is under pressurethe rest of the way.1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 d5 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.e4Bb4 6.Bg5 c5 7.Bxc4 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Bxc3+9.bxc3 Qa5 10.Bb5+ Nbd7 11.Bxf6 Qxc3+12.Ke2 gxf6 Better is 12...Qb2+ 13.Kf1 gxf6.The King is better placed on e2 than f1 as he isable to develop his King Rook quicker. 13.Rc1Qb4 Not 13...Qa5? 14.Rxc8+ Rxc8 15.Bxd7+Kxd7 16.Nb3+ winning the Queen. 14.Rc4 Qe715.Qc1 O–O 16.Rc7 a6 17.Ba4 Qd6 18.Rd1Ne5 If 18...Nb6, then 19.Rc3 Nxa4 20.Rg3+wins. 19.Nf5 Qb4 20.Rd4 Qb6 21.Ne7+Kg7 22.Qc3Ng6 23.Nxg6 Not 23.Nxc8? Raxc824.Rxc8 Rxc8 25.Qxc8 Qxd4 losing. 23...hxg624.e5 Opening up the King’s position. 24...fxe525.Rd3Kg8 26.Qxe5Qb4 27.Rh3 f6 Black hasno defense against the three major pieces attackinghis King. 28.Qe3Qb2+ 29.Kf3 g5 Black had todefend against Qh6. For example, if 29...Qe5, then30.Rg7+ Kxg7 31.Qh6+ Kf7 32.Qh7#. 30.Rhh7Rd8 31.Rcg7+Kf8 32.Qc5+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Nenashev, A.• Vaganian, R.?Moscow1991 1-0 D58A nice strategical game from the last USSR cham-pionship.1.d4 e6 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3h6 6.Bh4 O–O 7.Nf3 b6 8.Bd3 Bb7 9.O–ONbd7 10.Qe2 Ne4 11.Bg3 White avoids ex-changes which would make it easier for Black toequalize. 11...Ndf6 12.cxd5 exd5 13.Rac1 c514.Rfd1 Nxc3 15.Rxc3 c4 After this move isplayed, White tries for the e3-e4 break. 16.Bb1 b517.Rcc1 Ne4 18.Ne5 Qe8 19.f3 Nd6 20.Bf4Sidestepping 20.e4 dxe4 21.fxe4 Bg5. 20...Bg521.Kh1 Qe6 22.Qc2 g6 23.h4 Bxh4 24.Bxh6Bg3 25.Bf4Bxf4 26.exf4Kg7 Better is 26...Qf6making it more difficult for White to advancehis pawns. 27.g4 b4 28.Kg2 Rh8 29.Qd2 a530.Re1 Qf6 31.g5 Qe6 32.Ng4 The Knightheads to the outpost at f6. 32...Ne4 If 32...Qd7,then 33.Re5 is strong. 33.Bxe4 Not 33.fxe4??Qxg4+. 33...dxe4 34.Kg3 Rh5 In a losing po-sition Black allows White to play a nice com-bination. 35.d5 Qxd5 This loses a piece, butalternatives are also bad: 35...Qb6 36.Nf6 or35...Bxd5 36.Qd4+ Kf8 37.fxe4. 36.Qxd5Bxd537.Nf6 exf3 Also bad is 37...Be6 38.Nxh5+ gxh539.fxe4. 38.Nxd5Rah8 39.Kxf3Rh2 40.Re4Rxb2 41.Nf6 Rd8 42.Rexc4 Rxa2 43.Rc8Rad2 44.Rh1 R2d3+ 45.Kg4 Black Resigns.If 45...Rxc8, then 46.Rh7+ Kf8 47.Rh8+ and48.Rxc8 easily wins.1-0

◦ Korchnoi, V.• Short, N.?Tilburg1991 1/2-1/2 D54The average rating of the eight participants at theTilburg tournament was 2666, at that time the high-est in history.1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4Nf6 4.Bg5Be7 5.e3 O–O6.Rc1 h6 7.Bh4 Nbd7 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Bd3 c610.Bg3 To avoid the exchanges that would re-sult after ...Ne4. 10...Nb6 11.Nf3 Bg4 12.h3Bh5 13.Bh2 White is intends to start advanc-ing his kingside pawns. 13...Bxf3 14.Qxf3Bd615.g4Bxh2 16.Rxh2 White has decided to leavehis King in the center and start a kingside attack.

232

16...g6 17.h4 Qd6 18.Rg2 Kg7 19.Kd1 Thestart of a dubious King march. 19...Rae8 20.Kc2Ne4 21.h5 Qe7 22.Qf4 g5 23.Qf5 White triesto prevent the ...f7-f5 break by Black. But thiswill be impossible to enforce, as Black will bringhis Knight on b6 to d6. 23...Nc8 24.Bxe4 dxe425.Qa5 f5 26.gxf5 Qd7 27.Kb1 Rxf5 28.Qa4Qf7 29.Rg4 Nb6 Better is 29...Rxf2. 30.Qxa7Nc4 31.d5 Not 31.Nxe4? Rxe4 32.Rxe4 Nd2+.31...cxd5 32.Qd4+ Kg8 33.Nxe4 dxe4 This al-lows White to enter an equal ending. 34.Qxc4Qxc4 35.Rxc4Rxf2 36.Rgxe4Rxe4 37.Rxe4Rh2 38.a4Rxh5 Now it’s a race between White’spawns on the queenside and Black’s pawns on thekingside. 39.a5Rh4 40.Re8+Kf7 41.Rb8Ra442.Rxb7+ Kg6 43.Rb6+ Kh7 Black decides totake a perpetual check. It is risky to block thepawns with 43...Kh5. White is better after 44.Rb5Kh4 45.b3 Re4 46.a6. 44.Rb7+ Kg6 45.Rb6+Kh7 46.Rb7+ Draw by Agreement.1/2-1/2

◦ Kozul, Z.• Dorfman, I.?Cetinje1991 1-0 D27Both players sacrifice pieces to get at each other’sKings. The two Bishops are the deciding factor inthe endgame.1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.e3 Nf6 4.Nf3 e6 5.Bd3 dxc46.Bxc4 c5 The opening transposes from a Slavdefense into a Queens gambit accepted. 7.O–Oa6 8.a3 b5 9.Ba2 Bb7 10.Nc3 Nbd7 11.Qe2Be7 12.Rd1Qb8 13.e4 cxd4 14.Nxd4Bd6 Not14...O-O 15.Nxe6 winning. 15.g3 O–O 16.f3Rd817.Be3 White plans on playing 17.b4 and Nd4-b3-a5, however Black’s next move changes the di-rection of the game. 17...h5 18.b4 h4 19.g4Nf8 Maneuvering the Knight toward the newlycreated hole at f4. 20.Qf2 Ng6 UnderestimatingWhite’s next move. Better is 20...h3. 21.Nxe6fxe6 22.Bxe6+Kf8 If 22...Kh8, then 23.Bf5 andthe pawn on h4 falls. 23.Bf5 Ne5 If 23...Kf7,then 24.Qa2+ wins immediately. If 23...Ne7, then24.g5 is good for White. 24.Bb6Nxf3+ Black de-cides to sacrifice his piece back. 24...Bc7 25.Bd6+Kg8 26.g5 is good for White. 25.Qxf3 Bxh2+26.Kg2Rxd1 26...Bc7 27.Bc5+ Kg8 28.g5 winsfor White. 27.Rxd1 Qg3+ 28.Qxg3 Bxg329.g5 Ne8 29...Nh5 would have held out longer.30.Nd5 Bxd5 Also losing is 30...Be5 31.Bc5+Kg8 32.Nb6. 31.Rxd5 Rb8 32.Bc5+ Kg833.Rd7 White is winning because of his active

pieces. The two Bishops control the whole board.33...Nc7 34.Kh3 Re8 35.Bg6 Rc8 36.Bd4Ne8 37.e5Be1 38.e6 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Karpov, An.• Timman, J.?Tilburg1991 1-0 D24Karpov’s games are always extremely instructive.1.d4Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.Qa4+c6 6.Qxc4 b5 7.Qb3 Nbd7 8.Bg5 Qa5 9.e3Ba6 10.Bxf6 gxf6 Not 10...Nxf6 11.Ne5 hittingthe c-pawn. 11.Bd3 b4 12.Ne4 Rd8 13.Rc1Sacrificing a pawn for the initiative. Black isfine after 13.Bxa6 Qxa6 14.Rc1 Be7. 13...Bxd314.Qxd3 b3+ Dubious is 14...Qxa2 15.O-O Qa516.Ra1 with a strong position for White. 15.Nfd2bxa2 16.O–O f5 17.Nc3 White will win back theweak a-pawn. 17...Bg7 18.Ra1 O–O 19.Rxa2White is better because of Black’s weak pawns.Black should try to make liquidations with ...c6-c5 or ...f5-f4. 19...Qc7 20.Nb3 Trying to re-strain the ...c6-c5 break. 20...c5 Black must playthis move now while he has the chance. 21.Qc4Rc8 22.Nb5 Qb6 23.Nxa7 Rc7 24.Nb5 Rb725.Ra5 cxd4 26.exd4 Rbb8 Black has compen-sation for the pawn because White’s pieces areawkwardly placed. 27.Qa4 Rfd8 28.Rc1 Nf629.Nc5 Ne4 30.Qa3 Qc6 A bad mistake. Bet-ter is 30...Bxd4 or 30...Nd6. 31.Na7 Qc7 Theonly move. 32.b4 Reinforcing the c5-Knight andprotecting the c1-Rook. Black’s game is so badnow that he must give up the exchange. 32...Qf433.Nxe4 fxe4 34.Nc6 Bxd4 35.Qg3+ Qxg336.hxg3 e3 37.Kf1 exf2 38.Nxd8Rxd8 39.Rd1Pinning the Bishop. Black has a pawn for the ex-change, but White’s passed b-pawn gives him goodwinning chances. 39...Kg7 40.Re5Kf6 41.Re2Ke7 42.b5 f5 43.Rc2Rd5 44.Rb1Bb6 45.Rc6Rd6 46.Rxd6 Kxd6 Black must try to elimi-nate the passed b-pawn, after which White cleansup on the kingside. 47.Ke2 Kd5 48.Rh1 Kc449.Rxh7 Kxb5 50.Re7 Bd4 51.Rxe6 Kc552.g4 fxg4 53. Rg6Kd5 54.Rxg4Ba7 55.Rg7Bb6 56.Re7 Black Resigns, as his King is cut offfrom the kingside and hence the situation is hope-less.1-0

◦ Sokolov, I.• Piket, J.

233

?Korfu1991 1-0 C42An instructive example of how to play with an iso-lated d-pawn.1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e3 e5 4.Bxc4 exd4 5.exd4Nf6 6.Nc3 Be7 7.Nf3 O–O 8.h3 Preventing...Bg4. 8...Nbd7 9.O–O Nb6 When playingagainst an isolated pawn, it is a good idea tocontrol the square in front of the pawn with aKnight. 10.Bb3 c6 11.Ne5Nfd5 12.Ne4Be613.a3 Qc7 14.Re1 Rad8 15.Qf3 Qc8 16.Bc2f6 This leads to a favorable endgame for White.16...Bf5 17.Nf6+ would give White a slight advan-tage. 17.Qh5 fxe5 18.Nd6Nf6 19.Nxc8Nxh520.Nxe7+ Kf7 21.Rxe5 g6 22.Bg5 Rxd4 If22...Nf6?, then 23.Rae1 Rd6 24.f4 followed by25.f5 wins for White. 23.Rae1 Rd6 24.f4 f4-f5will be decisive. 24...Nc4 25.Rc5 Not 25.Bb3?Nxe5 26.fxe5 Rd4 and Black will maintain equal-ity. 25...Nf6 26.f5Kxe7 27.Rxc4 gxf5 28.Bxf5Kd7 29.Rf4 Bxf5 30.Rxf5 Re8 31. Rxe8Nxe8 32.Rf7+ Kc8 33.Rxh7 Rd5 34.h4 Nd635.Bf4 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Speelman, J.• Short, N.?5th Match Game, London1991 1-0 A92For many years the British struggled to create evenone Grandmaster, and now they can boast at leasta half-dozen. Whether this is due to the successof some great plan, is the result of an increase inthe game’s popularity, or is just blind luck is un-certain. Nigel Short is the first English player tochallenge for the World Championship since thedays of Howard Staunton in the mid 1800’s. Inthis game, though, he falls victim to another strongBrit, the inventive Jonathan Speelman.1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 The Dutch Defense has often beenconsidered to be unsound at the highest levels.The reason Black chooses to play ...e7-e6 before...f7-f5 is to avoid some nasty gambit lines - oneof which even dates back to and is named afterStaunton. 1.d4 f5 2.e4 is the Staunton Gambit,and it is a weapon that is still feared by playersof the Dutch. Short also wouldn’t mind a trans-position to the French (1.d4 e6 2.e4), as he is anacknowledged expert in the opening. 3.g3 Nf64.Bg2 Be7 5.Nf3 d5 Setting up the Stonewall,descriptively named for the wall of Black pawnson the light squares. Its biggest disadvantage is the

truly bad Bishop on c8, which usually must repo-sition itself via d7-e8-h5 in order to get any activ-ity. However, Black will make a virtue of this ne-cessity and try to begin a Kingside attack involv-ing this theme. 6.O–O O–O 7.Qc2 Bd7 8.b3Not to fianchetto, but to play out all the way to a3and exchange for Black’s good minor piece. 8...a59.Ba3 c6 10.Bxe7 Qxe7 11.Ne5 Be8 12.Nd3Bh5 13.Nf4 g5 14.Nxh5 The White Knight hasmade a rather extensive tour just to exchange forthe bad Bishop. This does reduce Black’s Kingsidechances. 14...Nxh5 15.Nd2 Nd7 16.a3 Nhf617.Qc3Nb6 18.Rab1Rf7 19.b4 axb4 20.axb4Ne4 21.Bxe4 fxe4 22.b5 Ra3 Black wants tokeep the b-file closed, and he was going to losecontrol of the a-file anyway with his plan involv-ing ...Rf8-f7. The option was to try 22...c5 in-stead of first exchanging Rooks. White still hasan edge with, among other things, the thought off2-f3 blowing open the center. 23.Rb3 Rxb324.Qxb3 c5 25.Qe3Nd7 26.dxc5Nxc5 27.Qd4Rf5 28.Ra1 Now watch how smoothly the gameis decided by Speelman’s control of the a-file, andafter that, the seventh rank. 28...Kf7 29.Ra8Nd7 30.Ra7 Nf6 31.Qb6 Kg6 32.Qxb7 Qc533.Qf7+ Kh6 34.e3 Qb4 35.g4 Forcing mate(Qf7-g7, or if ...Nf6xg4, Qf7xh7). Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Dreev, A.• Malaniuk, V.?Moscow1991 1-0 A81A game from the last-ever USSR championship.White shows how to take advantage of holes inyour opponent’s position.1.d4 f5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 d6 4.Nf3 g6 5.b3 Bg76.Bb2 O–O 7.O–O h6 8.c4 Qe8 9. Qc2 Na610.Nbd2 c6 11.Rae1 One of the disadvantagesof the Dutch defense is that it leaves a weak-ness at e6. White tries to take advantage ofthis by playing for the e2-e4 break. 11...Qf712.Bc3 Not immediately 12.e4 due to 12...fxe413.Nxe4 Nxe4 14.Qxe4 Bf5 15.Qxe7 Bd3 or15.Qe3 Nb4. 12...g5 13.e4 fxe4 14.Nxe4 Bd715.Nxf6+ exf6 16.d5 Taking advantage of the holeat e6. 16...c5 Not 16...cxd5 due to 17.Nxg5 fol-lowed by Bxd5. 17.Re6 The hole at e6 al-lows White to break through. 17...Nc7 Worseis 17...Bxe6 18.dxe6 Qe7 (18...Qxe6 19.Nxg5)19.Qf5 followed by 20.Nd2 and 21.Be4. 18.Rxd6Qe7 19.Rxd7 Qxd7 Now there are no holes in

234

Black’s position at f5 and g6. 20.Rd1 Threat-ening 20.d6. 20...Rad8 21.b4 b6 Not 21...cxb4which gives up the d4-square. 22.bxc5 bxc523.d6 Ne8 24.Qg6 Taking advantage of the holeat g6. 24...Kh8 The best move is 24...Qf7, al-though White is much better after 25.Ne5! Qxg626.Nxg6 Rf7 27.Bd5. 25.Nxg5 fxg5 If 25...hxg5,then 26.Qh5+ Kg8 27.Bd5+ Rf7 28.Ba5 winning.26.Qxh6+ Kg8 27.Bd5+ Rf7 28.Qxg5 Kf829.Bxf7Kxf7 30.Bxg7Nxg7 31.Qxc5 Black’sKnight is no match for White’s pawns. 31...Ne832.Qh5+ Kf8 33.Qh8+ Kf7 34.Qh5+ Shorton time, White repeats moves. 34...Kf8 35.c5Qe6 36.Rd4Rd7 37.Qh8+Kf7 38.Qh7+Kf839.Rf4+ Black Resigns. A pawn is promoted after39...Rf7 40.Rxf7+ Qxf7 41.Qxf7+ Kxf7 42.d7.1-0

◦ Isaev, A.• Timoshenko, A.?Correspondence1991 0-1 B99In the ending opposite colored Bishops can bedrawish, but in the middlegame they can be deadlybecause it is hard to confront an attack.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Nbd7 8.Qf3 Qc7 9.O–O–OBe7 10.Bd3 h6 11.Bh4 g5 12.e5 If 12.fxg5,then 12...Ne5 13.Qe2 Nfg4 winning back thepawn. 12...gxh4 13.exf6Nxf6 14.f5 e5 15.Nde2Bd7 16.Be4Bc6 17.Nd5Bxd5 18.Bxd5Rc819.Nc3 b5 20.Bb3 Qc6 21.Qe2 Rg8 22.Nd5a5 23.Nxf6+Bxf6 24.Bd5Qb6 25. Rd3Rg5Believe it or not, this is the first new move inthe game! 26.Kb1 Kf8 27.c3 b4 28.c4 Whiteis hoping to establish a blockade with 29.Qe4.28...e4 Sacrificing a pawn to open the diagonal forthe Bishop. 29.Bxe4 Re8 30.Rd5 h3 31.g3 b332.axb3 Trying to keep lines closed with 32.a3loses to 32...Rxe4 33.Qxe4 Qf2. 32...a4 33.b4a3 34.bxa3 Rg4 Deflecting White’s Queen sothat he can penetrate with his own. 35.Qxg4Qf2 36.Bc2 Re3 37.Ra5 The best defense was37.Qf4. 37...Qg2 37...Rb3+ does not immedi-ately work due to 38.Kc1 Bb2+ 39.Kd1. 38.Rd1Rb3+ 39.Kc1 Bb2+ 40.Kb1 Bd4+ White Re-signs. 41.Kc1 Be3+ wins.0-1

◦ Kiroski, T.• Bielczyk, J.?

Dojran1991 1-0 B67In this game there are lots of sacrifices and in theend an amazing King hunt.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf65.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 a6 8.O–O–O Bd79.f4 h6 10.Bh4 Rc8 11.Nf3 Qa5 12.Kb1 b513.e5 b4 14.exf6 bxc3 15.fxg7 Bxg7 16.Qxd6Rc7 17.Bc4Qb6 If 17...cxb2, then 18.Ne5 wins.18.Bb3 a5 19.a4 Rg8 20.f5 Bf8 21.fxe6 fxe6Not 21...Bxd6 22.exf7#. 22.Qd3 Rxg2 23.Bg313.Rhg1 Ne5 is unclear. 23...Qxb3 In a difficultposition Black tries to mix it up with a Queen sac-rifice. 24.cxb3 Rxb2+ 25.Ka1 Nb4 26.Qg6+Kd8 27.Qf6+ Ke8 28.Qg6+ Kd8 29.Bxc7+Kxc7 30.Rxd7+Kxd7 31.Rd1+Ke7 32.Qh7+Kf6 33.Qh8+ Bg7 34.Qd8+ Kf5 35.Nh4+Kg4 36.Rd4+ Not 36.Rg1 Kh3! with an unclearposition. 36...Kh3 37.Rd3+Kxh2 38.Qc7+ e539.Nf3+ Kh1 40.Rd1+ Kg2 41.Qxg7+ Kxf342. Rf1+ Ke4 43.Re1+ Kd3 44.Qg3+ Kc245.Re2+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Gipslis, A.• Hracek, Z.?Brno1991 1-0 B56White sacrifices both his Rooks. The classical dou-ble Rook sacrifice is the subject of a fascinatingbook by GM Seirawan and IM Minev, titled "TakeMy Rooks."1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3Nc6 6.Be3 In this variation White compromiseshis pawn structure in exchange for quick devel-opment and open lines. 6...Ng4 7.Bb5 Nxe38.fxe3 Bd7 9.O–O g6 10.Bxc6 bxc6 11.Qf3f6 12.e5 dxe5 13.Nxc6 Bxc6 If 13...Qc8, then14.Nxe5 fxe5 15.Qf7+ Kd7 16.Rad1 is strong.14.Qxc6+ Kf7 15.Rad1 Qc8 16.Rxf6+ Crack-ing open the King’s position. 16...exf6 17.Rd7+Be7 18.Rxe7+Kxe7 19.Nd5+Kd8 If 19...Kf7,then 20.Qxf6+ Kg8 21.Ne7#. 20.Qd6+ Qd721.Qxf6+ Kc8 22.Qxh8+ Kb7 23.Qxe5 Thesmoke has cleared. White has a large advan-tage because he has three pawns for the exchangeand Black’s King remains open. 23...Rc8 24.c3Qa4 25.h3 Qxa2 26.Qe7+ Ka8 27.Qe4 Kb828.Qf4+ Kb7 29.Ne7 Rc7 If 29...Rc4, then30.Qf7 is strong. 30.Qe4+ Kb8 31.Qe5 Kb7 If31...Qb1+, then 32.Kf2 Qxb2 33.Nd5 Qb7 34.Kg1!is strong. 32.Qe4+Kb8 33.Nc6+Kc8 34.Qe8+Kb7 35.Nd8+ Kb6 If 35...Kb8, then 36.Nf7+

235

Rc8 37.Qb5+. 36.Ne6 Qxb2 Black has to giveback the exchange. If 36...Rc4, then 37.Qb8+wins. 37.Nxc7Qa1+ If 37...Kxc7, then 38.Qe7+Kb6 39.Qd6+ Kb7 40.Qb4+ wins. 38.Kh2Kxc739.Qe5+Kc6 40.e4 a5 41.Qd5+Kb6 42.Qd6+Kb7 43.Qd5+ Not 43.e5? Qxc3 44.e6 Qc7and Black wins. 43...Kb6 44.Qd4+ Kb745.e5 White is winning because his pawn is far-ther advanced, his Queen is centrally positioned,and his King is safer from checks. 45...Qe146.Qd7+Kb6 47.Qd6+Kb7 48.e6 g5 49.Qd7+Not 49.e7? g4! and the threat of ...g3+ stopsthe e-pawn. 49...Kb6 50.Qd8+ Ka6 51.Qf6An important position for the Queen as after51...g4 52.hxg4, Black does not have 52...Qh4+.51...a4 52.e7+Kb7 53.Qxg5Kc7 If 53...a3, then54.Qb5+ Kc7 55.e8=Q wins. 54.Qa5+ Kd655.Qd8+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Kamsky, G.• Kasparov, G.?Tilburg1991 1/2-1/2 B85Kamsky and Kasparov are sworn enemies.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3d6 6.Be2 a6 7.a4Nc6 8.Be3Be7 9.O–O O–O10.f4 Qc7 11.Kh1 Re8 12.Bf3 Rb8 13.Qd2Bd7 14.Rad1 Na5 c4 is a common outpost forthe Knight in the Sicilian defense. 15.b3 Prevent-ing the Knight from invading. 15...Rec8 16.Nde2Be8 17.Ba7Ra8 18.Bd4Nc6 Black sacrificesa pawn to try to gain the initiative. Worse is18...Nd7 19.f5 with a large advantage to White.19.Bxf6 Bxf6 20.Qxd6 Qb6 Black could havemaintained equality with 20...Qxd6 21.Rxd6 g522.g3 gxf4 23.gxf4 Nb4. 21.e5 Be7 22.Qd2Bb4 23.Qd3 Rd8 24.Qe4 Qc5 25.Na2 Bd226.c3 a5 Preventing b3-b4. 27.Nac1 Bxc128.Rxc1 Rac8 29.Ng3 This allows a shot byBlack. Better is 29.Qb1 with a large advantage toWhite. 29...Nb4 30.Rcd1Qxc3 31.Qxb7Qxb332.Rxd8 Rxd8 33.Qc7 Rd4 34.Ne4 Qd3 35.Rg1 Rxe4 This becomes an exchange sacrifice.Black hopes to later attack the King with his Queenand Knight. 36.Qc8Kf8 37.Qc5+Kg8 38.Qe7g6 Not 38...Bc6? 39.Bxe4 and Black cannot re-capture without getting mated. 39.Qxe8+ Kg740.Bxe4Qxe4 41.Rf1Nd3 42.Qb5Qe3 Thereis nothing that White can do about ...Nf2+ forc-ing a draw. 43.h3Nf2+ 44.Kh2Qxf4+ 45.Kg1Nxh3+ Draw by Agreement.1/2-1/2

◦ Sisniega, M.• Vera, R.?Mexico1991 1-0 B80White sacrifices his Queen to get to the King.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.Be3 e6 7.f3 Nc6 8.g4 Be7 9.Qd2 O–O10.O–O–O Its a wild race between White’s at-tack on the kingside and Black on the queenside.10...Nd7 11.h4 Nde5 12.Qg2 Qc7 13.g5 b514.f4Nxd4 15.Bxd4Nc6 16.Be3Bb7 17.Kb1Rac8 Much better is 17...d5 18.exd5 Nb4. 18.Qf2Rfe8 19.Bb6 Qb8 20.h5 b4 21.Ne2 Ne522.Ng3 Not 22.fxe5? Bxe4. 22...Nc4 23.Ba7Qa8 24.Bd3 Rc7 25.Bd4 e5 Better is 25...Bf8.26.fxe5 dxe5 Better is 26...Nxe5. 27.g6 fxg6 If27...Bf6, then 28.Bc5 or if 27...Rf8, then 28.Nf5winning in each case. 28.hxg6 hxg6 28...h6would have held out longer. 29.Bc5 Rxc5 Bet-ter is 29...Nd6 although White is much better after30.Bxb4. 30.Qxc5 This Queen sacrifice immedi-ately ends the game. 30...Na3+ If 30...Bxc5, then31.Bxc4+ Kf8 32.Rhf1+ Ke7 33.Rf7#. 31.bxa3Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Short, N.• Khalifman, A.?Germany1991 1-0 B78The Yugoslav variation of the Sicilian Dragonleads to wild attacks on the opposite sides of theboard.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 O–O 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.Bc4Bd7 10.h4 Rc8 11.Bb3 Ne5 12.O–O–O Nc413.Bxc4 Rxc4 14.h5 Sacrificing a pawn to openup the h-file. 14...Nxh5 15.g4 Nf6 16.Nb3Re8 17.Bh6 Bh8 18.Bg5 Qc8 19.Rh4 Rxc3Better is 19...Nxg4 20.fxg4 Bxg4 21.Re1 h5 withan unclear position. 20.bxc3 Be6 20...Nxg4was still better. 21.Rdh1 Threatening 22.Rxh7Nxh7 23.Qh6 winning. 21...Bg7 22.e5 Thiskeeps Black’s King Bishop tame. 22...dxe5 If22...Nd5, then 23.Rxh7 Bxe5 24.f4 followed byQh2 wins. 23.Bxf6Bxf6 24.Rxh7Qc4 Threat-ening to stop White’s attack by exchanging Queenswith 25...Qf4. 25.Kb1 Qf4 If 25...Bg7, then26.Rxg7+ Kg7 27.Qh6+ Kf6 28.g5+ Kf5 29.Rg1wins. 26.Qg2 Bg7 27.Qh3 f5 28.Nc5 Bc8

236

If 28...Bd5, then 29.Nd7 threatening 30.Rxg7+wins. 29.gxf5 Bxf5 29...Qxf5 would have heldout longer although White is winning after 30.Qh4followed by Ne4. 30.Ne6 Bf6 31.Rg7+ Bxg732.Qh7+ Kf7 33.Nxg7 Kf8 34.Qh8+ Kf735.Qxe8+ Kxg7 36.Qxe7+ Kg8 37.Rd1 BlackResigns. There is no defense to 38.Rd8#.1-0

◦ Zezulkin, J.• Kulagin, A.?Czestochowa1991 1/2-1/2 B78A game of King hunts and tactics.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.Bc4 Nc6 8.f3 O–O 9.Qd2Bd7 10.O–O–O Rc8 11.Bb3 Ne5 12.h4 Nc413.Bxc4 Rxc4 14.h5 Nxh5 15.g4 Nf6 16.Nb3Re8 17.Bh6 Bh8 18.Bg5 Qc8 19.e5 Nxg4The only move. 19...dxe5 20.Bxf6 loses apiece. 20.fxg4Bxe5 21.Nd5Be6 22.Ne3 Not22.Nxe7+? Rxe7 23.Bxe7 Bf4 winning as is 22.c3?Bxd5 23.Qxd5 Rxc3+. 22...Ra4 23.Kb1 Qc624.Qf2 Qa6 25.Nd5 Not 25.a3 Rxa3 26.bxa3Qxa3 with a strong attack. 25...Rxa2 26.Bc1Ra4 27.Rxh7 Not 27.Qh4? h5 or 27.Nc7? Ra1+28.Nxa1 Qa2+. 27...Kxh7 28.Qh4+ Kg829.Rh1 Rc8 The only move. Not 29...Rb8?30.Qh7+ Kf8 31.Bh6+ Ke8 32.Nc7+ winning theQueen. 30.Nxe7+ Kf8 31.Bh6+ Not 31.Nxc8?Ra1+ winning. 31...Ke8 32.Nxc8 Bxc8 Bet-ter is 32...Ra1+! 33.Nxa1 Qa2+ 34.Kc1 Qxb2with a strong attack. 33.Bf8Kd7 Not 33...Kxf8?34.Qd8+ Kg7 35.Qh8#. 34.Nc5+ Opening up theKing. 34...dxc5 35.Qe7+ Kc6 36.Qxc5+ Kd737.Rd1+ Bd4 38.Qe7+ Kc6 39.Qd6+ Kb540. Qd5+ Kb6 41.Qd6+ Kb5 42.Qd5+ Kb643.Qd8+Kb5 44.Qd5+ Draw by Agreement.1/2-1/2

◦ Rodriguez, J.• Gil, J.?Spain1991 0-1 B53A good example of how to counterattack.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 Nc65.Bb5 Bd7 6.Bxc6 Bxc6 7.Nc3 Nf6 8. Bg5e6 9.O–O–O Be7 10.Rhe1 O–O 11.e5 dxe512.Qh4 Qc7 13.Nxe5 Rac8 14.Rd3 Transfer-ring the Rook over to the kingside. 14...Nd515.f4 h6 16.Rh3 Better is 16.Nxc6 bxc6 17.Bxe7

Nxe7 with an equal position. 16...Bd8 17.Nxd5Bxd5 18.Rc3 Qa5 Black sacrifices a Rook toget at the King. 19.Rxc8 hxg5 20.Qf2 Not20.fxg5? Bxg5+ 21.Qxg5 Qxe1#. 20...Qxa2 21.c4Bxg2 22.Qc2 If 22.Qxg2, then 22...Qa1+ wins.22...gxf4 23.Nd7 f3 24.Nxf8 Bg5+ 25.Qd2Bxd2+ 26.Kxd2 Qxb2+ 27.Kd3 f2 White Re-signs.0-1

◦ Ivanchuk, V.• Kasparov, G.?Linares1991 1-0 B51The annual tournament in Linares, Spain, is oneof the strongest in the world. The winner of thisevent, in the words of Kasparov, can consider him-self the "tournament World Champion." In 1991,the youthful Ivanchuk scored a stunning victoryover Kasparov in Linares, and laid claim to beinga legitimate challenger for the title.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+Nd7 4.d4Nf6 5.O–Ocxd4 Capture of the e-pawn can lead to trouble.White gets quick development and play on thee-file. 6.Qxd4 a6 7.Bxd7+ Bxd7 8.Bg5 h69.Bxf6 gxf6 10.c4 For the Bishop pair, White getsdevelopment and a space advantage. This move isan attempt to keep control of d5, since in the longrun, ...d6-d5 might open the position to Black’sgain. 10...e6 11.Nc3 Rc8 12.Kh1 h5 13.a4And this is to control the ...b7-b5 break. A closed,maneuvering game where White’s Knights can re-main in the center would suit Ivanchuk just fine.13...h4 14.h3 Be7 15.b4 a5 16.b5 Qc7 17.Nd2Qc5 18.Qd3 The two Bishops have better chancesto shine in the endgame, so White avoids theexchange of Queens. 18...Rg8 19.Rae1 Qg520.Rg1 Qf4 21.Ref1 Although White seems tobe defending passively, it will turn out that theBlack Queen and Rook are insufficient attackingforce, and White will drive them away with gainof time. 21...b6 22.Ne2 Qh6 23.c5 Making asquare for a Knight. 23...Rxc5 24.Nc4 Kf825.Nxb6 Be8 26.f4 f5 27.exf5 Rxf5 28.Rc1Kg7 As can be seen from many great attackinggames, the factor most important to the evaluationof a position is King safety. Here the Black Kingfails to find a comfortable home, and the Whitepieces move to box him in. 29.g4 Rc5 30.Rxc5dxc5 31.Nc8Bf8 32.Qd8Qg6 33.f5Qh6 34.g5Qh5 35.Rg4 exf5 36.Nf4 Qh8 37.Qf6+ Kh738.Rxh4+ Black Resigns.1-0

237

◦ Kasparov, G.• Anand, V.?Tilburg1991 1-0 B48Anand has always been a difficult opponent for theworld champion.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Qc75.Nc3 e6 6.Be3 a6 7.Bd3 Nf6 8.O–O Ne59.h3 Bc5 10.Kh1 d6 11.f4 Nc6 Better is ei-ther 11...Ng6 or 11...Ned7. 12.e5 Nxe5 Othermoves were bad for Black too. For example,12...dxe5 13.Ndb5! axb5 14.Bxc5 Nd4 15.Bxd4exd4 16.Bxb5+ Bd7 17.Qxd4 and White is a pawnahead. 13.fxe5 dxe5 14.Bb5+ axb5 15.Ndxb5Qc6 16.Bxc5Qxc5 17.Nd6+Ke7 Also losing is17...Kf8 18.Nce4. 18.Rxf6 gxf6 19.Nce4 Black’sKing is stuck in the center and he will be un-able to defend it. 19...Qd4 20.Qh5Rf8 21.Rd1Qe3 22.Qh4 Qf4 23.Qe1 Threatening 24.Qb4.23...Ra4 If 23...f5, then 24.Qb4 fxe4 25.Nxe4+Ke8 26.Qb5+ Ke7 27.Qc5+ Ke8 28.Qc7 mating.24.Qc3Rd4 Black cannot prevent White’s Queenfrom infiltrating. 24...Rd8 25.Qc7+ Bd7 26.Nc8+Rxc8 27.Rxd7+ also wins for White. 25.Rxd4Qf1+ 26.Kh2 exd4 27.Qc5 Kd7 if 27...Qf4+,then 28.g3 Qe5 29.Nxc8+ Kd7 30.Nb6+ with mateto follow. 28.Nb5 Qf4+ 29.g3 Black Resigns.If 29...Qe5, then 30.Nf6+ Qxf6 31.Qd6+ Ke832.Nc7#.1-0

◦ Short, N.• Gelfand, B.?Brussels1991 1-0 B23British GM Nigel Short defeats Gelfand in a matchalong the road to becoming the first non-Russianchallenger to the world championship since BobbyFischer.1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 d6 3.f4 Nc6 4.Nf3 g6 5.Bc4Bg7 6.O–O e6 7.d3 Nge7 8.Qe1 White trans-fers his Queen to h4 for attacking purposes.8...Nd4 9.Nxd4 cxd4 10.Ne2 O–O 11.Bb3Nc6 12.Bd2 Preventing ...Na5. 12...d5 13.e5 f614.exf6 Bxf6 15.Kh1 Planning Ng1-f3 control-ling the weakness at e5. 15...a5 16.a4 Qd617.Ng1 Bd7 18.Nf3 Nb4 Better is 18...Rae8.Now Black starts having trouble with his weakd-pawn. 19.Qf2 Qc5 20.Bc3 Nc6 21.Rae1b6 22.Bd2 Nb4 Better is 22...Rae8 followed by

23...Re7 and 24...Be8. Now White starts a quick at-tack on the Kingside. 23.Qg3 b5 Black is short ontime. 24.f5 The decisive breakthrough. Open linesare created for the Bishop and Rook with this pawnsacrifice. 24...exf5 25.Ne5 Be8 Not 25...Bxe526.Qxe5 Rae8 27.Bxb4 winning. Most tenaciouswas 25...Ra7 although White remains much bet-ter after 26.Nxd7 Rxd7 27.Rxf5. 26.axb5 Qxb527.Rxf5Kh8 28.Rxf6 Now Black’s kingside willbe indefensible. 28...Rxf6 29.Ng4 Rf5 OtherRook moves allow Qe5+. 30.Nh6 Rh5 31.Qf4Black Resigns. 32.Qf8+ and 32.Qf6+ are boththreatened.1-0

◦ Benjamin, J.• Kamsky, G.?Los Angeles1991 0-1 C89The US championship in this year was played as aknockout tournament and the two survivors squareoff for the final match.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O–O 8.c3 d5 The Mar-shall attack. Black sacrifices a pawn but getsvery active play. 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Nxe5 Nxe511.Rxe5 c6 12.Re1Bd6 13.g3 A common movehere. This temporarily blunts Black’s attack, but itweakens the light squares. 13...Qd7 14.d3 Qh315.Re4 Qd7 16.Nd2 f5 17.Re1 Kh8 18.Qh5Nf6 19.Qh4 c5 Black is planning to put pressuredown the a8-h1 diagonal. 20.Nf3 Bb7 21.Ng5h6 22.Bd2 Qc6 23.f3 c4 This wins back thepawn. 24.Bd1 Otherwise f3 falls. For example,24.dxc4? Nh7 wins for Black. 24...cxd3 25.Ne6Rf7 26.Kg2 Bc5 27.Ng5 Rff8 28.Ne6 Ng4Sacrificing the exchange to keep the attack go-ing. 29.Nxf8 Rxf8 30.b4 Bd6 31.Qh5 Qb632.Rf1Ne3+ 33.Bxe3Qxe3 34.Bb3 Both play-ers were in time pressure here. 34...Qd2+ 35.Rf2Qxc3 36.Rd1 Bxb4 Black has a large advan-tage. 37.Qg6 d2 38.Rdxd2 White correctly sacri-fices back the exchange to get rid of the passed d-pawn. 38...Bxf3+ 39.Rxf3Qxd2+ 40.Rf2Qe341.Bf7 Qe4+ 42.Kh3 Qg4+ 43.Kg2 Qxg644.Bxg6 Rf6 45.Bxf5 Opposite colored Bishopendings can be hard to win, but along with Black’sextra pawn, the presence of pawns on both sidesof the board and Rooks gives Black excellent win-ning chances. 45...Bc5 46.Rf1 g5 47.Bd3Rd6Exchanging Rooks would lead to a dead draw.48.Rd1 Kg7 49.Be2 Bd4 50.Bf3 Correct wasforcing a pawn exchange with 50.h4. 50...b4

238

51.Rc1 Again better is 51.h4. 51...Bc3 52.Rd1Rb6 53.Rd7+ Kf6 54.Bd5 Ke5 55.Bb3 Rf656.h4 Better is 56.h3 followed by g4. Now hispawns are fixed on the same square as the op-ponent’s Bishop. 56...g4 57.Rg7 h5 58.Re7+Winning a pawn allow Black’s King to infil-trate: 58.Rg5+ Kd4 59.Rxh5 Ke3 threatening...Rf2+. 58...Kd4 59.Rd7+ Ke4 60.Rf7 Rd661.Rf2 a5 62.Bf7 Rh6 63.Bb3 Ke3 64.Kf1Ra6 Threatening ...a5-a4. 65.Ba4 Rd6 66.Be8Rd1+ 67.Kg2 Be1 68.Rc2 Rd5 69.Rb2 If69.Bc6, then 69...Bd2 followed by 70...Rf2+.69...Re5 70.Bd7 Kd3 71.Kf1 Bd2 72.Rb3+Bc3 73.Rb1 Kc2 74.Rb3 Re1+ 75.Kf2 Kd276.Bb5Ra1 77.Bc4 a4 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Kamsky, G.• Ivanchuk, V.?Linares1991 0-1 C89In 1991, Ivanchuk was the heir-apparent to thechess throne, and Kamsky was an even younger up-start who had defected from Russia to the USA TheMarshall Gambit is well regarded theoretically, butat the highest levels it is usually only expected todraw.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O–O 8.c3 d5 The definingmove of the Marshall Gambit to the Ruy Lopez.It was introduced by Frank Marshall in a famousgame against the World Champion J. R. Capa-blanca, and in a rare event for a first-time appear-ance of a new gambit, Capablanca refuted an un-sound variation at the board. Marshall refined hisconcept, and the gambit returned with greater suc-cess in later games. 9.exd5Nxd5 10.Nxe5Nxe511.Rxe5 c6 Marshall originally played 11...Nf6,intending ...Be7-d6 and ...Nf6-g4 with attack. Itwas this line that the great Cuban Champion Ca-pablanca refuted with incisive defense. 11...c6is the improvement. 12.d4 Bd6 13.Re2 Some-what more common is 13.Re1, with difficult andwell-analyzed variations. 13...Bg4 14.f3 Bh515.Bxd5 cxd5 16.Nd2 f5 17.Qb3 Bf7 18.Nf1f4 19.Bd2 Qd7 20.Rae1 Although White nowappears to control the e-file, in fact there are no en-try points. White is soon reduced to passively mov-ing the same pieces back and forth. 20...a5 21.a3a4 22.Qd1 Bg6 23.Bc1 Rf7 24.h3 An attemptto get some maneuvering room for Nf1-h2-g4, butit also makes another weakness on the Kingside.24...Bf5 25.Nh2 h5 26.Rf2 Raf8 27.Nf1 Rf6

28.Nh2Kh8 29.b3 Now, rather than await execu-tion on the Kingside, Kamsky tries for activity onthe Queenside. But this just creates another weak-ness, and Black happily switches over to attack thenew target. 29...Rc8 30.Bb2Kh7 31.Nf1Rff832.Rfe2Rc7 33.Nh2Rfc8 34.Nf1 b4 35.axb435.cxb4 loses control of the c2 square (35...Bc2).35...a3 36.Bxa3 Rxc3 37.Kh2 Ra8 38.Bb2Rd3 39.Qc1Rc8 40.Rc2Rxc2 41.Qxc2Bg642.Qf2 Bxb4 43.Re5 Rd1 Black’s Rooks andminor pieces have thoroughly infiltrated White’sgame. 44.Qe2 Rb1 45.Rg5 Qc6 46.Re5 Qc2The exchange of Queens would leave unguardedtwo minor pieces simultaneously, so Black man-ages to get the Queen in, too. White now winsa pawn with check, but soon must capitulate.47.Rxh5+ Kg8 48.Qe6+ Bf7 49.Rh8+ Kxh850.Qxf7 Qc6 Protecting against the unendingchecks; White cannot save both pieces. 51.Bc3Bxc3 52.Qf8+ Kh7 53.Qf5+ Qg6 White Re-signs.0-1

◦ Polgar, J.• Anand, V.?Munich1991 1-0 C83There has never been a chess phenomenon like Ju-dith Polgar. She would later become the youngestGrandmaster in history.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–ONxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.c3 Be710.Nbd2 Qd7 11.Bc2 Nxd2 12.Qxd2 Bg413.Qf4 Bxf3 14.Bf5 Qd8 15.Qxf3 Sacrific-ing a pawn for open lines. 15...Nxe5 16.Qe2Qd6 17.Re1Nc6 18.Bg5 Preventing Black fromcastling. 18...Kf8 Other moves are worse. For ex-ample, 18...f6 19.Qh5+ Kf8 20.Re6 Qc5 21.Rxf6+!gxf6 22.Be6 wins. 19.Be3 g6 20.Bh6+ Kg821.Qg4Qf6 22.Bc2 If 22.Re5, then Black shouldplay 22...Ne5!. 22...Bf8 23.Bg5 Qd6 24.Bf4Qd8 25.Rad1 Black’s misplaced King’s Rookgives White a large advantage. 25...Na5 26.h4c6 27.h5 Nc4 28.hxg6 Creating weaknesses inthe Black King position. 28...hxg6 29.b3 Nd6If 29...Nb2, then 30.Bxg6 fxg6 31.Qxg6+ Bg732.Qe6+ Kf8 33.Bd6+ winning. 30.Bxg6 fxg631.Re6 If 31.Qxg6+, then 31...Bg7 and 32.Bxd6is met with 32...Rh6. 31...Rh7 32.Bxd6 Not32.Rxg6+ Rg7 33.Bxd6 Qxd6 winning. 32...Bg7If 32...Bxd6, then 33.Rxg6+ Kh8 34.Qd4+ win-ning. 33.Rde1 Better is 33.Rxg6 with a win-ning position. 33...Rh6 34.g3 Qd7 35.Bf4 g5

239

36.Bxg5Rg6 37.Qf5 Better is 37.f4. 37...Rxe638.Qxe6+ Better is 38.Rxe6 Re8 39.Rxe8+ Qxe840.Bf6 winning. Now White has only a slight ad-vantage. 38...Qxe6 39.Rxe6 Rc8 40.Bd2 Kf741.Re1 c5 42.Kf1 c4 43.bxc4 Rxc4 Correct is43...bxc4 44.Rb1 d4 with only a slight advantageto White. 44.Rc1Ke6 45.Ke2 d4 46.cxd4Bxd447.Be3Bb2 48.Rxc4 bxc4 49.Kd2 White winswith her two connected passed pawns. 49...Bg750.Kc2Kd5 51.f3Bf6 52.Bh6Be5 53.g4Bd454.Bd2 Bb6 55.Bc1 Ba5 56.a4 Ke5 57.Bg5Kd5 58.Bd2 Bc7 59.Bc3 Bf4 60.Bf6 Bg361.g5 Bh4 62.Bd8 Bf2 63.g6 Bd4 64.Ba5Ke6 65.Bc3 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Gipslis, A.• Dobrovolsky, L.?Bardejovske Kup1991 0-1 C54A brilliant kingside attack.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3d6 6.O–OBb6 7.Nbd2 O–O 8.Re1Ne7 9.Nf1Ng6 10.h3 c6 11.Bb3 Be6 12.Ng3 h6 13.d4Nh7 14.Be3 Better is 14.Bc2 followed by 15.Nf5.14...Qf6 15.Qe2 Rad8 16.Rad1 Bc8 17.Bc2Ng5 18.Nxg5 hxg5 Black’s commanding con-trol over the f4-square give him the advantage.19.dxe5 dxe5 20.Bxb6 axb6 21.Qe3 b5 22.Nf1g4 23.hxg4 Bxg4 24.Rxd8 Rxd8 25.g3 A fu-tile attempt to keep the Knight out of f4. Bet-ter is 25.f3. 25...Nf4 The Knight comes inanyway. 26.Nh2 If 26.gxf4, then 26...exf427.Qc5 Qg6 wins. 26...Qg5 27.Kh1 If 27.f3,then 27...Rd2! wins. For example, 28.Qxd2Nh3+ or 28.fxg4 Qh6 29.Nf3 Rg2+ 30.Kf1 Qh1+.27...Rd6 The Rook goes to the front before Whitecan organize a successful defense. 28.f3 Bh329.Rg1Nd3 30.Qa7 If 30.Qxg5, then 30...Nf2#.30...Qd2 31.Bxd3Rh6 Threatening 32...Qxh2+and 33...Bf1#. 32.g4 Bxg4 33.Rg2 Bxf334.Bf1 Qf4 Threatening 35...Qxh2#. 35.Qg1Bxe4 36.Be2 Rg6 37.Bf1 Qd2 38.b4 Qxa2White is in zugzwang. White Resigns.0-1

◦ Kasparov, G.• Karpov, An.?Tilburg1991 1-0 C45This is the 159th game played between the current

and former world champion. Kasparov comes upwith a novelty in the opening. Karpov fights backbut cannot save the game.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf65.Nxc6 bxc6 6.e5 Qe7 7.Qe2 Nd5 8.c4 Ba69.b3 g6 10.f4 This is the novelty. White plansQf2 and the Knight on d5 will be en prise. 10...f611.Ba3 Qf7 12.Qd2 Nb6 13.c5 Bxf1 14.cxb6axb6 Also bad is 14...Bxa3 15.b7. Correct is14...Ba6. 15.e6 Not 15.Bxf8? Bxg2 16.Qxg2Rxf8 17.O-O fxe5. 15...dxe6 If 15...Qxe6+,then 16.Kxf1 Bxa3 17.Nxa3 Rxa3 18.Re1 wins.16.Bxf8 Rd8 17.Qb2 Bxg2 17...Bd3 offeredmore chances. 18.Qxg2 Kxf8 19.Qxc6 Rd620.Qc3 Black does not have enough compen-sation for the piece. 20...Kg7 21.Nd2 Rhd822.O–O–O Qe8 23.Qxc7+ R8d7 24.Qc2 Qb825.Nc4 Rd5 26. Qf2 Qc7 27.Qxb6 Qxf4+28.Qe3Qg4 29.Rdg1Qh4 30.Rg3 e5 31.Rh3Qg4 32.Rg1 Rd1+ 33.Rxd1 Qxd1+ 34.Kb2h5 35.Rg3 Qh1 36.Qf2 h4 37.Qg2 Qxg2+38.Rxg2 g5 39.a4 Kg6 40.a5 e4 41.b4 h342.Rg3Rh7 43.a6 f5 44.Ra3 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Short, N.• Gelfand, B.?7th Match Game, Brussels1991 1/2-1/2 C42White sacrifices the exchange for a strong attack.But later Black sacrifices a piece.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 The Petroff defense has be-come a popular opening in the big leagues. 3.Nxe5d6 4.Nf3Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3Bd6 7.O–O O–O8.c4 c6 9.cxd5 cxd5 10. Nc3 Nxc3 11.bxc3Bg4 12.Rb1 b6 13.Rb5Bc7 14.h3 a6 15.hxg4This is a new move. White will get a strongattack for the exchange. 15...axb5 16.Qc2 g616...h6?! 17.g5! is good for White. 17.Bh6Re818.Bxb5 Re4 19.g5 Correct is 19.c4. 19...Qd620.Ne5Qe6 Black should have sacrificed the ex-change back with 20...Rxe5 when he still had thechance. 21.f4 Securing the strong Knight out-post. 21...Nc6 Black sacrifices a piece for coun-terplay. 21...Bxe5 22.fxe5 Nc6 23.Qf2 followed byBd3 would have been good for White. 22.Nxc622.Bxc6 Bxe5 23.Bxa8 Bxf4 is good for Black.22...Rxf4 23.Rxf4 White still could have retainedhis advantage with 23.Qd2. 23...Bxf4 Threat-ening 24...Qe1#. 24.Ne5 Not 24.Qe2? Rxa2.24...Bxe5 25.dxe5 Qxe5 Usually two Bishopsare better than a Rook, but here White’s King isopen. Therefore chances are equal. 26.a4 Qe1+

240

27.Kh2 Rc8 28.Qd3 Qe5+ If 28...Rxc3, then29.Qd4 forces Black to take a perpetual check with29...Qg3+ 30.Kg1 Qe3+. 29.Qg3 Qxc3 30.Qf4Qc7 31.Kg3Qc3+ 32.Kh2Qc7 33.Kg3Qc3+Draw by Agreement.1/2-1/2

◦ Nunn, J.• Nikolic, Pr.?Belgrade1991 1-0 C19British GM Nunn is like a loose cannon capableof blowing away the defenses of the world’s moststurdy GMs.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3Bxc3+6.bxc3Ne7 A slightly unusual move for Predrag.He often times side steps the Winawer pawn sacri-fice (7.Qg4) by playing 6...Qc7 anticipating 7.Qg4f6 with a different middlegame plan. Of courseWhite can play 7.Nf3 reverting back to main lineswhere Black has committed himself to ...Qd8-c7,thereby losing several options. 7.Nf3 John isrightly regarded as one of the world’s foremosttheoreticians and practitioners of 1.e4. he can becounted upon to challenge the sharpest lines. Inter-estingly, he eschews the debate over 7.Qg4. 7...b6The text is a favorite of Nikolic. Black plays forthe exchange of his problem Bishop (...Bc8-a6).8.Bb5+ Bd7 9.Bd3 Strategically, a very sharpdecision. White permits ...Bd7-a4 which hampersthe development of White’s queenside (a3-a4, Bc1-a3). More common is 9.a4 with a strategicallycomplex game. 9...Ba4 Accepting the perch toroost. 10.dxc5 An ugly move. White wants toinsure that the game is opened for his two Bish-ops. The move implies the sacrifice of the e5-pawn. 10...bxc5 11.O–O c4 12.Be2 Ng6 Ac-cording to Nikolic, this reasonable looking moveis his only mistake of the game! It took 23 flawlessmoves by White to demonstrate why the move wasbad! I suppose Nikolic missed something in hiscalculations! Essentially, White has already sac-rificed his game positionally. He is banking onan attack based on Nf3-d4/g5, f2-f4-f5. From thisperspective Black should be developing pieces to-wards a defense. Thus 12...Nd7 or 12...Qa5, play-ing for ...Qa5xc3, ...Ba4xc2 defending the king-side are preferable. 13.Ng5 A forced and pow-erful pawn sacrifice. Black must accept the gift, asotherwise f2-f4-f5 is a free attack. 13...Nxe5 Not13...h6? 14.Nxe6 fxe6 15.Bh5 winning a pawn.14.f4Nd3 In general, when defending it is a good

idea to exchange pieces. This move has the unfor-tunate drawback of allowing White to play Qd1-h5 in one move. 15.Bxd3 cxd3 16.f5 e5 17.Qh5And this is the rub. Black’s King is now trappedin the center. Surprisingly both players now em-bark on a forced line in which White must sacri-fice a piece. 17...Qe7 The best. After 17...Qb6+18.Kh1 g6 19.Qh6 is a smash. Black is close toconsolidating, but it is White’s move. 18.Ne6Kd7 A sad reality. After 18...g6 19.fxg6 fxe620.g7+ or 19...fxg6 20.Qxe5 is a clobber. Mean-while, White threatens Bc1-g5 developing withtempo. Black prepares to meet this with ...f7-f6. 19.Bg5 f6 20.Be3 Around this time, Whitehas to be satisfied with the idea of 10.dxc5 open-ing up the b-file. 20...Na6 21.cxd3 g6 The mosttesting. If Black doesn’t try to undermine theKnight on e6 he may as well resign. 22.Qg4Bc6 23.Nd4 A wonderfully intuitive piece sacri-fice. Neither player was able to calculate all thelines. Black is forced to go for the ride, whileWhite felt that Black’s exposed King and disor-ganized pieces were sufficient. Certainly, in prac-tice, White’s role is easier. 23...exd4 24.Bxd4 h525.Qh3 g5 26.Rfe1 Qf8 27.Re6 Rh6 28.Qe3A powerful move. White prevents ...Na6-c7 be-cause Bd4-c5 wins the d6-square. Besides control-ling the e-file, the a7-pawn is also given attention.28...Re8 29.Re1Nc7 30.Bc5Qf7 31.Be7 Onlythis move justifies White’s attack. Black threat-ened to simply waltz away with his King. Now31...Kc8? leaves the Bishop en prise. White threat-ens Re6-d6xc6. 31...Rh7 32.Qc5Bb7 33.Qxa7Killing. Now 33...Bc6 34.Rd6+ Kc8 35.Rb1 Bb536.Rxb5 Nxb5 37.Qa8+ Kc7 38.Qc6+ soon mates.33...Kc8 34.Rb1Rxe7 35.Rxb7 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Timman, J.• Ljubojevic, L.?Amsterdam1991 1-0 C19Ljubomir Ljubojevic has long been one of the topplayers in the world, although he has never chal-lenged for the World Championship. He is knownfor his inventive tactical style, which explains theDutch Grandmaster’s avoidance of complicationsin the opening. Timman’s restraint pays off whenhis Yugoslav colleague allows a strong blockade onthe central dark squares.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3Bxc3+6.bxc3 Ne7 7.Nf3 Qc7 8.a4 Rather than one ofthe tactical maelstroms available in the Winawer

241

French (7.Qg4 is often followed by Qxg7 andmass complications), White has chosen a posi-tional treatment. 8...b6 9.Bb5+ This lookslike a loss of time, but actually it is an importantmove directed against ...Bc8-a6, exchanging thelight-squared Bishops. After the Bishop interposesagainst the check, White retreats to a useful squareand if Black were to try ...Bd7-c8, it would be hewho loses time. 9...Bd7 10.Bd3 Nbc6 11.O–Oh6 12.Re1 O–O 13.Bf4 f5 One of many stan-dard ideas in the French. Black hopes to blockthe Kingside attacking lines, assuming that Whitewill not wish to both open the f-file for Black’sRook and lose the Bishop pair. But White under-stands the important idea of blockade, and sets outon a thoroughly "Nimzowitschian" course. 14.exf6Qxf4 15.fxe7 Nxe7 16.Bb5 Qc7 17.Qe2 Bc8With the weak e-pawn, Black no longer desiresto exchange this Bishop. 18.Qe5 White nowfirmly controls e5 with pieces. Black’s game iscramped. 18...Qd8 Normally, cramped positionsdesire exchanges, but in this one the exchange ofQueens doesn’t help. The Bishop on c8 is espe-cially passively placed for an endgame. 19.dxc5bxc5 20.Rad1 Rf6 21.Qe3 Qd6 22.Ne5 Nf523.Qh3 Bb7 24.Qh5 Ne7 25. Bd3 Raf826.Ng4 White has once again turned his attentionto the Kingside. 26...Rf4 27.Re3R8f7 28.Rde1Bc8 29.Bg6Nxg6 30.Qxg6Kf8 31.Ne5R7f532. Qh7Rxe5 The threats of Ne5-g6+ and Qh7-h8+ were too much. 33.Rxe5 Rxa4 34.R5e3Bd7 35.Rf3+Rf4 36.Rg3Rf7 37.Qh8+Ke738.Rxg7 Qf4 39.Rxf7+ Kxf7 40.Qh7+ Ke841.Rb1Kd8 42.g3Qd6 43.Qxh6Kc7 44.Qh8Bc8 45. f4 Black Resigns. The final effect of thee5-blockade; White will play Qh8-e5 next, win-ning easily.1-0

◦ Short, N.• Timman, J.?Amsterdam1991 1-0 C17Nigel Short and Jan Timman are both participat-ing in World Championship matches in 1993, butthey aren’t playing each other! Short begins playwith Kasparov, while Timman squares off againstKarpov, due to a political power-play on the partof Kasparov and Short. It remains to be seen ifthe whole mess will turn out to be good for chess(through media exposure and increased prizes), orif it will put the lot of the average Grandmasterback several years. Whatever the ultimate result,

Short is a huge underdog vs Garry Kasparov, whileTimman has better but not quite equal chancesagainst Anatoly Karpov.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Ba5An old line. Now the standard "refutation" be-gins 6.b4, but Short doesn’t want to discover hisopponent’s improvement on theory the hard way.6.Qg4 Ne7 7.dxc5 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 Qa5 9.Bd2Ng6 10.h4 h5 11.Qg5 Nd7 12.c4 Complicatedopening play. White hopes to use the Bishop pairby opening up the center; Black will try to exploitWhite’s weak pawns. 12...Qa4 13.cxd5 Ndxe514.Be2 Qe4 15.O–O–O Although White’s Kingposition looks precarious, he threatens play onthe d-file. 15...O–O 16.Bc3 f6 17.Qd2 Qxg2Now Black feels the need to try to keep the ma-terial balance under control. The problem is,this leads to a loss of time and more open King-side lines. 18.Nh3 exd5 19.Bxh5 Nc4 20.Qd4Nge5 21.Nf4 Qe4 22.Qxd5+ Qxd5 23.Nxd5Kh7 24.Rhg1 Bf5 25.Ne7 Be4 26.Rd4 Bf327.Bg6+ Kh8 28.h5 Rad8 29.Rh4 Black Re-signs. In the end Black’s King proves the moredangerously placed.1-0

◦ Shirov, A.• Nikolenko, O.?Moscow1991 1-0 C11An attack on an open King.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Nce2c5 6.c3 Nc6 7.f4 b5 8.a3 Slowing down Black’sattack on the kingside. 8...a5 9.Nf3 b410.axb4 cxb4 11.f5 White sacrifices a pawn tocreate an outpost for his Knight at f4 and toweaken Black’s pawn structure. 11...exf5 12.Nf4Nb6 13.Bb5 Bb7 Worse are 13...Qc7 14.c4 or13...Bd7 14.e6 fxe6 15.Nxe6. 14.e6 Bd6 Badis 14...f6 15.Ne5! fxe5 16.Qh5+. 15.exf7+Kxf7 16.O–O Re8 Black tries to castle artifi-cially. 17.Nxd5 Bxh2+ White will get a fe-rocious attack after 17...Nxd5? 18.Ng5+ Kg619.Rxf5!. 18.Kxh2 Qxd5 19.c4 This forcesBlack’s Knight into an awkward position on c4where it will be hard to defend. 19...Nxc420.Ng5+Kg6 If 20...Kg8, then 21.Rxf5 is strong.21.Bxc4 Qxc4 22.Qf3 Rf8 Correct is 22...Ne7.White should then play 23.Qg3. 23.Qg3 Sacri-ficing a Rook but threatening a deadly discoveredcheck. 23...Qxf1 24.Ne6+ Kf7 25.d5 Threaten-ing 26.Qxg7+. 25...Rg8 If 25...Ke8, then 26.Qxg7Rf7 27.Qg8+ Ke7 28.Bg5 is winning. 26.Qc7+

242

Kg6 27.dxc6Bc8 28.Nf4+Kf6 If 28...Kg5, then29.Qe7+ Kg4 30.Nd5 is strong. 29.Qd6+ Kf730.Qd5+Kf8 31.Be3 32.Bc5+ is coming. BlackResigns.1-0

◦ Kengis, E.• Djurhuus, R.?Gausdal1991 0-1 C05It is very rare when a strong Grandmaster with theWhite pieces is knocked out so quickly.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4c5 6.c3 Nc6 7.Ndf3 Qb6 8.Ne2 cxd4 9.cxd4Be7 10.a3 Preventing Black’s pieces from hav-ing access to the b4 square. 10...O–O 11.Ng3f6 Opening up the f-file. 12.Bd3 fxe5 13.fxe5Ndxe5 14.dxe5 A new move. Black sacrificesa Knight for two pawns and gains lots of activ-ity for his pieces. 14...Nxe5 15.Be2 Of coursenot 15.Nxe5?? Qf2+. 15...Bd7 16.Nxe5 Whitemistakenly thinks that he can get away with this.Correct is 16.Rf1. 16...Qf2+ 17.Kd2 Rac8 Pre-venting the White King from fleeing to safetywith Kc2 and Kb1. 18.Qb3 Other moves lose aswell. For example, if 18.Nxd7, then 18...Rf4 fol-lowed by 19...Rd4+ or 18.Nf3 Rxf3 19.gxf3 Bg5+20.Kd3 Bb5#. 18...Bg5+ 19.Kd3 If 19.Kd1, then19...Qd4+ 20.Nd3 Ba4 wins the Queen. 19...Rf4Threatening mate on d4. 20.Nf3 If 20.Bxf4, then20...Qxf4 and there is no way to prevent mate.Likewise 20.Be3 Rf3! wins quickly. 20...Be8White Resigns. 21...Bg6+ will be decisive.0-1

◦ Bareev, E.• Christiansen, L.?Biel1991 0-1 B09The Russian Bareev is one of the top ten playersin the world, but the American Grandmaster is atough fighter who excels in sharp tactics.1.d4 d6 2.e4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.f4 Bg7 5.Nf3Na6 6.Bc4 O–O 7.e5 Nh5 8.Be3 c5 9.O–Ocxd4 10.Qxd4 Bf5 11.Rf2 Nc5 12.Rd1 Rc813.Ng5 The threat of 14.Bxc4+ Rxf7 15.Qc4forces Black’s reply. 13...Qe8 14.Bb5 Qd815.Be2 Better is 15.Qb4 and if 15...h6, then16.Nxf7!. 15...h6 16.Nf3 Bxc2 17.Rd2 Bf518.Nh4 Bd7 19.Rd1 If 19.g4, then 19...Nf620.exf6 Bxf6 attacking both the Queen and Knight.

19...Nf6 20.f5 If 20.exf6, then 20...Bxf6 attackingboth the Queen and Knight. 20...dxe5 21.Qb4 a522.Qa3 Nce4 23.Nxe4 Nxe4 24.Rff1 g5 25.f6Creating a square for the Knight at f5. 25...exf626.Nf5Qc7 Black must sacrifice the exchange torelieve some of the pressure, but his pawn majoritygives him the advantage. 27.Ne7+Kh8 28.Nxc8Rxc8 29.Qe7 The players were short on time.29...Be6 30.Qxc7 Rxc7 31.Rd8+ Kh7 32.g4White must try to hold pawn back Black’s pawnmass. 32...f5 33.gxf5 33.Bd3 should have beenconsidered. 33...Bxa2 34.f6 Correct is 34.Ra1.Now Black’s kingside pawns become unstoppable.34...Nxf6 35.Bb5 Be6 36.Bb6 Rc8 37.Rxc8Bxc8 38.Bxa5 Kg6 39.Bc4 Bh3 40.Re1 e441.Re3 Bd7 42.b4 Bf8 43.Re1 Bd6 44.Rd1Bf4 45.Bb6 h5 46.Ra1 Ng4 47.Bd5 If 47.h3,then 47...Be3+ 48.Bxe3 Nxe3. 47...Bxh2+48.Kg2 Be5 49.Ra8 Nf6 50.Bxb7 h4 51.Be3h3+ 52.Kg1 Bg4 White Resigns. There is nogood defense to 53...h2+ and 54...Bf3.0-1

◦ Beliavsky, A.• Anand, V.?Munich1991 0-1 B09Viswanathan Anand from India is known for theincredible speed of his play. This is both a strengthand a weakness: he never suffers from time pres-sure and his opponents can be unnerved by hisquick responses, but most of his losses come fromfailing to double-check tactics. Here we see him athis best, trading blows with the powerful Al Beli-avsky.1.d4 d6 2.e4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.f4 Although itstarted with 1.d4, the game has transposed to theAustrian Attack against the Pirc Defense. 4...Bg75.Nf3 O–O 6.Be3 b6 Not so much to fianchetto,but to support the central challenge ...c7-c5. 7.e5Ng4 8.Bg1 c5 9.h3 Nh6 10.d5 Bb7 11.Qd2Nf5 12.Bh2 dxe5 13.fxe5 e6 Black’s mission inthese modern defenses is to allow White to build abig pawn center, then challenge it from the wingsand smash it with pawn levers. The classical mas-ters of the last century would be scandalized to al-low White pawns to reach the fifth rank; Anandis pleased because he will prove they are overex-tended. 14.O–O–O exd5 15.Nxd5 Nc6 16.c3Ncd4 17.Nf6+ Bxf6 18.cxd4 Bg7 19.d5 Herewe go again. Now the important strategic featureis that the Kings are castled on opposite wings.Each side will mount an attack. 19...c4 20.Be2

243

Rc8 21.Kb1Bh6 22.Bf4Bxf4 23.Qxf4Bxd524.h4 c3 25.bxc3Rxc3 26.h5Ne3 27.Ng5Qc728.Nxh7 No defense for either side, just go, go,go. White appears to have come in first, with seri-ous consequences after 28...Kxh7 29.hxg6++ Kg830.Rh8+ and mates. Otherwise, surely 29.Nf6+will be too strong? 28...Rb3+ Obviously, Blackhad to see this when playing 21...Bh6. Now it isWhite who is mated, and all with check. Work itout. White Resigns.0-1

◦ Short, N.• Timman, J.?Tilburg1991 1-0 B04A strategical masterpiece with a beautiful Kingmarch at the end.1.e4 Nf6 The Alekhine is a rare guest in today’sbig leagues. 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 g6 5.Bc4Nb6 6.Bb3 Bg7 7.Qe2 Currently, this is themost topical way of meeting Alekhine’s defense.Usual is 7.a4 or 7.Ng5. Here White sidestepsan early Queen exchange and strengthens his e5-pawn. If this pawn can be maintained, Black’sgame will be cramped and the Bishop on g7 willhave to re-deploy. 7...Nc6 8.O–O O–O Obviously8...Bg4? 9.Bxf7+ is a sucker’s trap. 9.h3 a510.a4 dxe5 11.dxe5 Nd4 In a cramped position,Black correctly seeks exchanges. 12.Nxd4Qxd413.Re1 A critical moment. Black has to decide onhis scheme of development. What will he do withhis light-square Bishop? If he blocks it in with...e7-e6, then the only chance for activation is bya fianchetto. That will cost a lot of tempi. Play-ing 13...Bf5 develops the Bishop, but it’s a use-less development, since there is no harmony withthe rest of Black’s pieces. 13...e6 Best. But thisdevelopment takes a lot of time. 14.Nd2 Nd515.Nf3 Qc5 16.Qe4 A nasty move. White pre-vents 16...b6, as 17.c4 picks up a piece. 16...Qb417.Bc4 A beautiful move. Grabbing a pawn by17.Bxd5?! exd5 18.Qxd5 Bd6 gives Black ex-cellent compensation. The text invites Black toweaken White’s pawn structure in exchange fortempi. If Black doesn’t go along with the menu,then White develops by hitting the Black Queen.17...Nb6 18.b3Nxc4 19.bxc4Re8 20.Rd1Qc5This strikes me as being overly cooperative. Aline like 20...Ra6 21.Qh4 Rc6 22.Rd8 Qf8 23.Ba3Rxd8 24.Bxf8 Rxf8 loses material, but offers kick-ing chances. 21.Qh4 b6 22.Be3 Qc6 Reluc-tant to defend passively with 22...Qf8 23.Ng5 h6

24.Ne4 Bxe5 25.Bxh6, when White has an excel-lent game, Timman drifts towards a lifeless posi-tion. 23.Bh6 Bh8 This is excessive. The po-sition after 23...Bb7 24.Bxg7 Kxg7 25.Qf6+ Kg826.Rd4 is a positional crunch, but what happensis even worse! 24.Rd8 Bb7 25.Rad1 Bg7 Re-versing an earlier decision. White was threateningQh4-e7 and Rd1-d7. 26.R8d7 Rf8 If 26...Bxe527.Rxf7 followed by Rd1-d7 is over. 27.Bxg7Kxg7 28.R1d4 Preventing a possible Qc6-e4.28...Rae8 29.Qf6+Kg8 30.h4 h5 Up to now, weapplaud the wonderful way that Short has tied uphis opponent, and the following exploitation of hisadvantage is breathtaking. 31.Kh2 Rc8 32.Kg3Rce8 33.Kf4Bc8 34.Kg5 Black Resigns. Thereis no defense to 35.Kh6 and 36.Qg7#.1-0

◦ Wojtkiewicz, A.• Bellon Lopez, J.?Klooster1991 0-1 A37When White gets tied up hunting down the pawnson the queenside, Black goes hunting on the king-side.1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nc3 e5 4.g3 g6 5.Bg2Bg7 6.a3 a5 7.O–O d6 8.Ne1Be6 9. d3Nge710.Nc2 d5 11.cxd5Nxd5 12.Ne3Nde7 13.Ne4b6 14.Qa4 O–O Black feels that he has enoughcompensation for the pawn sacrifice. Also pos-sible is 14...O-O. 15.Nxc5 bxc5 16.Bxc6 Nxc617.Qxc6 White has won a pawn, but giving up hisKing Bishop leaves his kingside weak. 17...Rc818.Qa4 f5 19.Nc4 f4 20.Qxa5 Qg5 21.f3 e4Opening up lines for his pieces. 22.Qa6 If22.g4, then 22...Bd4+ 23.Kh1 exd3 24.exd3 Qxg4!25.fxg4 Bd5+ wins. 22...Bh3 23.Bxf4 If 23.dxe4,then 23...Bd4+ is very strong. For example, 24.Rf2fxg3! 25.Bxg5 Bxf2+ 26.Kh1 g2#. 23...Rxf424.dxe4 Bd4+ 25.Kh1 If 25.e3, then 25...Rf6wins. 25...Rcf8 26.Rfd1 Rxe4 27.fxe4 Qh528.Ne3 If 28.Rxd4, then 28...Qxe2 29.Rd2 Rf1+wins. 28...Bxe3 29.Qc4+ Kg7 30.Qc3+ Bd431.Rxd4 cxd4 32.Qxd4+Rf6 33.Qa7+ If 33.e5,then 33...Re6 34.Rc1 g5 35.Rc7+ Kh6 36.Qd8 Qg6wins. 33...Kh6 34.Qe3+ g5 35.Kg1 35.e5 wouldhave held out longer. 35...Qf7 White Resigns.There is no defense to 36...Rf1+.0-1

◦ Hansen, Cu.• Ftacnik, L.

244

?Groningen1991 1-0 A34White rips opens Black’s King position and Blackis hard pressed to find a defense.1.c4Nf6 2.Nc3 c5 3.Nf3 b6 4.e4Nc6 5.d4 cxd46.Nxd4 Bb7 7.f3 e6 8.Be3 Qb8 9.Qd2 Be710.g4 O–O 11.O–O–O Rc8 12.g5 Ne8 Risky is12...Nh5 13.Nxc6 Bxc6 14.Kb1 a6 15.f4 threat-ening 16.Be2. 13.Nxc6 Bxc6 14.Kb1 Wiselymoving his King off the c-file. Risky is 14.h4 b515.cxb5 Bxb5 16.Bxb5 Qxb5 17.Qd7 Qa5. 14...a615.h4 b5 16.h5 bxc4 Black hopes to make useof the open b-file. 17.g6 fxg6 18.hxg6 hxg619.Rg1Bf6 20.Rxg6Kf7 21.Rg2 d5 Necessarywas 21...Qb4 22.Bd4 Bxd4 23.Qxd4 Rab8 24.Rd2Qb6 and Black should equalize. 22.exd5 exd523.Nxd5 c3 24.Qd3 Better than 24.Nxc3 Bxf325.Qd7+ Kf8 with an unclear position. 24...Ba4If 24...c2+, then 25.Qxc2 Bxd5 26.Qxg6+ wins.25.Qg6+ Kf8 26.Nxf6 c2+ Worse is 26...gxf627.Bh6+ Ke7 28.Re2+. 27.Rxc2 Rxc2 If27...Bxc2+, then 28.Qxc2 Nxf6 29.Bc5+ Kg830.Bc4+ Kh8 31.Rh1+ mates. 28.Nd7+ Bxd729.Qxc2 Be6 30.Qc5+ Kf7 If 30...Kg8, then31.Bc4 Bxc4 32.Qxc4+ wins. 31.Rd7+Bxd7 If31...Kg8, the 32.Bc4. 32.Bc4+ Be6 Also bad is32...Kg6 33.Qg5+ Kh7 34.Qh5#. 33.Qf5+ Ke734.Qxe6+ Kd8 35.Bb6+ Nc7 36.Bd5 Ra737.Bc6 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Vaganian, R.• Portisch, L.?Reggio Emilia1991 1-0 A30The opening stages of chess games carry names,and frequently beginners put too much faith inthese names. A not-uncommon tendency at thelower levels is to ignore the opponent’s play. Onequote: "I played the King’s Gambit against the Si-cilian." For more experienced players this is hu-morous, but every player has experienced dramatictranspositions in the opening. This game beginsas an English, but transposes into the Sicilian onmove nine.1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 a6 4.e4 Qc7 5.g3 d66.Bg2 Nf6 7.O–O Be7 8.b3 b6 9. d4 cxd410.Nxd4Bb7 11.Bb2Nc6 The formation Blackhas adopted is now called the Hedgehog. Amore common development of the Knight-b8 inthese systems is to d7, from whence it eyes c5

and e5. White usually builds up for a King-side attack, keeping control of the center with hisc4, e4 bind. 12.Rc1 Nxd4 13.Qxd4 Rb814.Rfd1 O–O 15.Ba3Rfd8 16.h3Ba8 17.Rd2h6 18.Bb4Rd7 19.Qe3 b5 20.cxb5 axb5 21.e5Nd5 22.Rxd5 exd5 23.Nxd5 Qd8 24.e6 fxe625.Ba5 Qxa5 26.Qxe6+ Kh8 27.Qxd7 Bxd528.Bxd5Qd8 29.Qe6Qf8 30.Rc7Bf6 31.Rf7Qe8 32.Rxf6 gxf6 33.Qxf6+ Kh7 34.Qxd6Rd8 35.Qc7+ Kh8 36.Qc3+ Kh7 37.Qd3+Kh8 38.Qd4+ Kh7 39.Kg2 Qe7 40.Qd3+Kh8 41.Qxb5Qe5 42.Bc6 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Speelman, J.• Sax, G.?Hastings1991 1-0 A31This lively game was played at the annual Christ-mas tournament in Hastings, England, betweenthe popular British Grandmaster Jonathan Speel-man and Gyula Sax from Hungary. Appropriately,they played the English Opening, and the Englishplayer won with some nifty tactics in the transi-tional stages of the game.1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.d4 cxd45.Nxd4 Qb6 6.Nb3 e6 7.a3 d5 8.Be3 Qd89.cxd5Nxd5 10.Nxd5 exd5 11.g3Be7 12.Bg2Bf6 13.Qd2 d4 Traditional Nimzowitschian strat-egy against the isolated pawn is to first block-ade it, then surround and destroy it. Black actsquickly to prevent the physical blockade of thepawn, advancing it as a gambit to win the Bishoppair and hopefully inconvenience the White King.14.Bxc6+ bxc6 15.Bxd4 Qd5 16.O–O–O Saxmay have thought he was winning a piece here,but this move allows 16...Qxb3 to be met by17.Bxf6 with threat of mate. The opening stage isover, and the transitional tactics here favor White.16...Bg5 17.f4Qxb3 18.Bxg7Be7 19.Bxh8 f620.e4 White is temporarily ahead the Exchangeand two Pawns, which would normally be morethan a match for the Bishop pair. But Blackwill soon win the Bishop on h8, and then willhave two Bishops for the Rook and Pawns. Ascan be seen in many of these games, King safetyplays a major role in the evaluation of the posi-tion, and soon Speelman heads into an endgamewhere tactics again predominate. 20...Kf7 21.f5Rb8 22.Rhe1 Ba6 23.Qc2 Qxc2+ 24.Kxc2Rxh8 25.Rd7Rd8 Black’s light-squared Bishopis in trouble. The passive 25...Ra8 barely mer-its consideration, if only because of 26.e5. Other

245

moves allow 26.Rxa7, when the Bishop may betrapped by a3-a4 and b2-b3. The move playedenvisions control of the d3 square. Watch whathappens. 26.Rxa7 Bd3+ 27.Kc3 Kf8 Whitethreatened 28.Rd1 Bxe4(?) 29.Rxd8 winning bymeans of the pinned Bishop. 28.Rd1 Anyway!28...Bxe4 29.Rxe7 Black Resigns. The point be-ing 29...Kxe7 30.Re1 or 29...Rxd1 30.Rxe4, in ei-ther case reaching an easily won Rook ending.1-0

◦ Vaganian, R.• Hjartarson, J.?European Cup1991 1-0 A30Many strong Grandmasters are hired by chessclubs to play for them in team competitions. TheArmenian and Icelandic Grandmaster play for Ger-man clubs.1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 b6 4.Bg2 Bb7 5.O–Oc5 6.Nc3 d6 7.Re1Nbd7 8.e4Ne5 9.d4Nxf3+10.Bxf3 cxd4 11.Qxd4Be7 12.b3 O–O 13.Ba3Qb8 Black’s pawn formation is known as thehedgehog. He keeps his pieces behind the thirdrank for a while and sometimes White will overex-tend himself. 14.Rad1 Rd8 15.Re3 Ne816.Red3 h6 17.Qe3 Bg5 18.Qe2 a6 19.Bg2Better is 19.e5! Bxf3 20.Qxf3 dxe5 21.Rxd8Bxd8 22.Rd7 with a large advantage. 19...Qc720.Bb4 Be7 21.Qd2 Bc6 22.f4 Better is 22.a4to prevent Black’s next move. 22...b5 23.cxb5axb5 24.h3 Rdc8 25.Qe3 Qb7 26.a3 Nf627.Kh2 Nd7 Better is 27...Bf8 threatening ...d5.28.Bxd6 Bxd6 29.Rxd6 Rxa3 30.Nd5 LikelyBlack overlooked this move. 30...Bxd5 Worseis 30...exd5 31.exd5 which is winning for White.31.exd5 Rc2 32.Rd2 Rxb3 Now White has avery beautiful combination. 33.dxe6 White willget his Queen back because this pawn will be pro-moted. 33...Rxe3 34.exd7Re2 35.d8=Q+Kh736.Rxh6+ The finishing touch. If 36...gxh6, then37.Qd3+ wins. Or if 36...Kxh6, then 37.Qg5+ Kh738.Qh5+ Kg8 39.Rd8+ wins. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Vaganian, R.• Sokolov, I.?Rogatska Slatin1991 0-1 A29White makes one mistake after which Black grabsthe initiative and never relinquishes it.

1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 Bc5 5.d3O–O 6.Bg2 d6 7.O–O h6 8.a3 a5 9. e3 Prepar-ing d3-d4. 9...Bf5 10.b3 Qd7 11.Bb2 Bb612.d4 exd4 13.exd4 Bg4 14.Na4 Ba7 15.Qd2If 15.d5, then 15...Bxf3 16.Bxf3 Ne5 is unclear.15...Rfe8 16.Rae1 d5 17.Rxe8+ This is a mis-take from which White is never able to recover.Correct is 17.cxd5 Qxd5 18.Ne5 Qb3 with an un-clear position. 17...Rxe8 18.Ne5Ne4 White ap-pears to have overlooked this move. 19.Qe119.Bxe4 Nxe5 wins for Black as does 19.Qc2Nxe5 20.dxe5 Nxf2 21.Rxf2 dxc4!. 19...Nxe520.dxe5 Ng5 21.Qxa5 White has big problemsbecause of the weakness at f3. If 21.Bxd5, then21...Nf3+ 22.Bxf3 Bxf3 followed by ...Qh3 wins.21...Bf3 Threatening 22...Qh3! winning immedi-ately. 22.Qc3 If 22.Bxf3, then 22...Nxf3+ 23.Kg2Nh4+! 24.gxh4 Qg4+ results in a mating attack.22...Bxg2 23.Kxg2 dxc4 24.e6 24.bxc4 Qxa4 and24.Qxc4 Qh3+ both lose. 24...Nxe6 25.Qf3 If25.Qxc4, then 25...b5. 25...Ng5 26.Qd1 Qc6+27.f3 cxb3 28.Nc3 Qe6 29.g4 Qc4 30.Re1Rxe1 31.Qxe1 Bd4 32.h4 Ne6 33.Qe4 Qc534.Qe1 Qc4 35.Qe4 Qc5 Black repeats movesbecause he was in time pressure. 36.Qe1 Bxc337.Bxc3 Qxa3 38.Qd2 Qd6 39.Qb2 Nf4+White Resigns.0-1

◦ Akopian, V.• Stambulian, A.?URS1991 1-0 A16White sacrifices two pieces to hunt down the op-posing King.1.c4Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.g3Bg7 4.Bg2 O–O 5.O–Od5 6.cxd5Nxd5 7.Nc3Nxc3 8. bxc3 c5 9.Rb1Nc6 10.Qa4 Na5 11.Qh4 e6 Better is 11...Bf5.12.Ng5 h6 13.Ne4 g5 This weakens the king-side, but White has a big advantage after either13...Qxh4 14.gxh4 or 13...Qc7 14.Nf6+ Kh8 15.d4.14.Qh5 Qc7 15.Rb5 White keeps the pressureon. 15...f5 If 15...b6, then either 16.Nf6+ or16.Nxg5 are good. 16.Rxc5 Not 16.Nxc5? a6.16...Nc6 17.Qg6Bd7 If 17...fxe4, then 18.Bxe4Rf6 19.Qh7+ Kf7 20.Ba3 with a strong attack.18.Ba3 fxe4 19.Bxe4 Rf6 19...Rf5 would haveheld out longer, although White has a big advan-tage after 20.Bxf5 exf5 21.d4. 20.Qh7+ Kf721.Rxg5 Black Resigns, as he gets mated after21...hxg5 22.Qh5+ Kg8 23.Bh7+ Kh8 24.Bg6+Kg8 25.Qh7#.1-0

246

◦ Korchnoi, V.• Timman, J.?2nd Match Game, Brussels1991 0-1 A18Black gets a very bad position and his only hope isa desperate counterattack.1.c4Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.e4 d5 These days 3...c5 4.e5Ng8 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.d4 cxd4 7.nxd4 Nxe5 8.Ndb5 isconsidered a fearsome pawn sacrifice, especiallyin the hands of Kasparov. 4.e5 Ne4 5.Nf3 Be76.Qc2 Forcing Black to resolve the tension toWhite’s advantage. 6...Ng5 Over the board inspi-ration? Black’s game lacks dynamic chances af-ter 6...Nxc3 7.bxc3 c5, but the text cedes a largecenter for free. 7.Nxg5 Bxg5 8.cxd5 exd5 9.d4Be7 10.Be3 O–O 11.O–O–O A sharp decision.White wins with a kingside pawn storm. Thushe must only prevent a hit to his center. Thetext annuls ...c7-c5. 11...Nc6 Seems artificial, butthere is no "correct" way to attack White’s King.Black must be bold or get crunched on the king-side. 12.a3 Na5 13.Bd3 h6 14.Qe2 IntendingBd3-c2, Qe2-d3 to induce ...g7-g6 and the win ofa pawn. While a question of attacking styles, Isee no reason to reject the effective pawn roller15.f4! 14...b5 A courageous offer by Timman.Most GMs are loath to offer a pawn to Korch-noi. But here a pawn sacrifice is necessary. With-out it, White plays alone. 15.Bc2 Winning theh6-pawn! If 16.Bxb5 or 16.Nxb5 Rb8!, it is ev-ident that Black has reasonable counterattackingchances. White shouldn’t be distracted from hisown designs. 15...Rb8 Again well played. Whitehad added Qe2xb5 to his menu of possibilities.The text envisages opening the b-file to White’sKing. 16.Qd3 g6 17.Bxh6 b4 Masterful. Tim-man recognizes that timing is crucial. 17...Re8?18.h4 b4 19.axb4 gives White several tempi overthe game. The position is not about material, it’sabout King safety. That means cutthroat chess.18.axb4 Rxb4 19.Qg3 A crucial moment. Theensuing positions do not work out well for White.His Queen is misplaced and his kingside attackgrinds to a halt. Better is 19.Bxf8. 19...Bh4 Butthis is the rub. Black hits the Queen and forces herto a bad square. Additionally, the Bh4 does a nicejob of delaying White’s h-pawn attack. In pass-ing, White’s threat of Bc2xg6 is stopped. A movewith multiple bonuses! 20.Qf4 c6 An easy moveto second-guess. Black defends his d5-pawn andopens the way for ...Qd8-b6. However, 20...Be6

offers much the same, while developing a piece.21.Rde1 Played after a long think. Korchnoi com-pletely underestimates Timman’s threats. His ideaof Rd1-e1-e3-g3 is far too slow. It also leaves the d-pawn vulnerable. Better is 21.Bxf8 Bg5 22.Bxb4.21...Be6 22.Re3 c5 Classical chess. An attackon the flank is best met by a counter in the cen-ter. 23.Bxf8Bg5 24.Qg3Kxf8 White’s game isa wreck. With time-trouble to boot, the end is clear.25.h4Bh6 26.h5 g5 27.Na2Rb8 Played withouthesitation. Timman wants to keep his pressure onthe b2- pawn. Still, 27...Rxd4 is much better forBlack. I see no defense against ideas like ...Na5-c4and ...g5-g4. 28.dxc5 g4 29.Kb1 Nc4 30.Rb3Nd2+ 31.Ka1Nxb3+ 32.Bxb3Qa5 Black hasgreat pressure for his two pawns, but I felt Whitecould draw with 33.Bc2 d4 34.Qa3 Qxa3 35.bxa3Bg7 36.Re1 Rb5 37.Nb4 Rxc5 38.Kb1 etc. Withhis flag flying high, Korchnoi uncorks a howler.33.Rd1 Qb5 The game is over now. 34.Rd3Bf5 35.Rxd5Qxb3 36.Qxb3Rxb3 37.c6Rd338.Nb4 Rxd5 39.Nxd5 Ke8 40. Nf6+ Kd841.f3 gxf3 42.gxf3 Be6 43.Ng8 Bf4 44.h6 Be-cause Viktor didn’t know the move number, heblitzed to this point though he had made the timecontrol at move 40. He stopped blitzing here whenhis flag fell. 44...Bxe5 45.h7 Kc7 46.f4 Bg747.Nh6Kxc6 48.f5Bb3 49.Kb1Kd6 50.Ng4Bd5 51.Nh6Ke5 52.Kc2Kf4 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Korchnoi, V.• Vladimirov, E.?Salamanca1991 0-1 A19White makes some dubious moves in the opening,but he is able to recover.1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.e4 c5 4.e5 Ng8 5.Nf3 d66.exd6 Bxd6 7.d4 cxd4 8.Nxd4 a6 9.Be3 Nf610.Qf3 O–O 11.O–O–O The King is very ex-posed on the queenside. 11...Nbd7 Prevent-ing 12.g4 due to 12...Ne5. 12.Kb1 If 12.Nxe6,then 12...fxe6 13.Rxd6 Ne8. 12...Qc7 13.h3Not 13.Ndb5? axb5 14.Nxb5 Qa5. 13...Ne514.Qe2Bd7 15.Nb3 Better is 15.Bf4. 15...Ng616.f3 Be5 17.Qf2 Bxc3 18.Bb6 Qc8 19.bxc3e5 Black is a bit better because his King issafer than White’s. 20.h4 h5 21.Rd6 Re822.Nc5 Bc6 23.Qg3 e4 24.Kb2 exf3 Better is24...Qb8. 25.gxf3 Qf5 26.Bd3 Qxf3 27.Qxf3Bxf3 28.Rg1 Rac8 Better is 28...Ng4. NowWhite is able to restore the equilibrium. 29.Bxg6fxg6 30.Rxg6 Rc6 31.Rxc6 Bxc6 32.Bc7

247

Re2+ 33.Kb3 Be8 Both players were in timepressure here. 34.Rg5 Bf7 35.Be5 Correct is35.Re5. 35...Ne8 36.Nxb7 Re4 37.Na5 Rxh438.Kb4 This pins the c-pawn, which he needsto start advancing. Better is 38.Ka3. 38...Re439.Kc5 h4 40.Kb6 h3 41.c5 Re2 42.c6 Rb2+White has good chances after 42...h2 43.Bxh2Rxh2 44.c7. 43.Ka7Rb5 Not 43...h2 44.c7 h1=Q45.c1=Q with an unclear position. Now White is introuble because his Bishop is pinned to his Rook.44.c7 Nxc7 45.Rxg7+ Kf8 46.Rg5 Ne8 WhiteResigns. There is no defense to 47...h2.0-1

◦ Korchnoi, V.• Timman, J.?4th Match Game, Brussels1991 1/2-1/2 A19White sacrifices a pawn in the opening whichhas been known to give him dangerous attackingchances. Black gives the pawn back to transposeinto the endgame.1.c4Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.e4 c5 4.e5Ng8 5.Nf3Nc66.d4 cxd4 7.Nxd4 Nxe5 8.Ndb5 a6 9.Nd6+Bxd6 10.Qxd6 f6 11.Be3 Ne7 12.Bb6 Nf513.Qb4 Nc6 Better is 13...Qe7. 14.Qc5 Qe715.O–O–O Qxc5 16.Bxc5 d6 Sacrificing thepawn back to break the bind that White has onthe position. 17.Bxd6 It is better to retain thisBishop with 17.Ba3. The d-pawn is weak andcannot be held in any case. 17...Nxd6 18.Rxd6Ke7 19.c5 Bd7 20.g3 Rac8 21.Bh3 Underes-timating Black’s next move. Better is 21.Bg2.21...Ne5 Now White has trouble with his ad-vanced c-pawn. 22.Rhd1 Rhd8 23.Bg2Rxc5 24.Bxb7 a5 25.Be4Ng4 Better is 25...f5.26.R6d2 f5 27.Bg2 Nf6 28.f4 Fixing Black’spawns. 28...Rb8 29.Re1 h6 30.Rd4 Rb431.Red1 g5 32.a3 Rxd4 33.Rxd4 Ng4 34.h4Ne3 35.Bf3 gxh4 36.gxh4 Bc6 37.Be2 Nd538.Kd2 Nxc3 39.bxc3 Be4 40.Rc4 Rd5+ 41.Ke3Kd6 42.Rc8Rc5 43.Ba6 Draw by Agree-ment.1/2-1/2

◦ Salov, V.• Beliavsky, A.?Linares1991 1-0 A14Salov makes a gutsy but dubious sacrifice, thengets lucky. This game is a testimony to never giv-ing up.

1.c4 e6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.O–OO–O 6.b3 c5 7.Bb2 Nc6 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.Nc3Nxc3 10.Bxc3Qc7 11.Qc2Rd8 12.Qb2 Whitewill try to make something of the battery on thelong diagonal. 12...Bf8 13.Rac1 Qb6 14.d3Bd7 15.Ne5Nxe5 16.Bxe5Rac8 17.Rc4 An-other unit joins the attacking force. 17...f618.Bxf6 Retreating the Bishop allows ...e6-e5,when Black is fine. 18...gxf6 19.Qxf6 Be820.Rg4+Bg6 21.h4 White threatens to regain thepiece with h4-h5. However, Black smoothly re-pulses the attack, and White is forced to part witheven more material to keep some play. 21...Bg722.Qg5 h5 23.Qxg6 hxg4 24.Be4Rc7 25.Kg2Rf7 26.h5Rf6 27.Qxg4Kf7 28.f4 It is very hardto believe White has sufficient compensation fora Rook. 28...Bh6 29.Bg6+ Kf8 30.Rf3 Qb431.Qh4 Kg7 32.e4 e5 33.fxe5 Qd2+ 34.Kh3Rxf3 35.Qxd8 Qg5 36.Qd7+ Kg8 White hasno more than a draw after 36...Kf8 37.Qe8+Kg7 38.Qd7+, but eliminating all of Black’spawns with 37.Qc8+ Kg7 38.Qxb7+ Kf8 39.Qa8+Kg7 40.Qxa7+ Kf8 41.Qb8+ Kg7 42.Qc7+ Kf843.Qxc5+ leaves a position where it is not clear thateven seven pawns for the Rook is enough to win.37.Qh7+ Oops. 37...Kf8 38.Qh8+ Ke7 39.Qe8#.Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Damljanovic, B.• Gelfand, B.?Belgrade1991 0-1 A07Grandmaster Boris Gelfand of Minsk is one of thetop five Grandmasters in the world.1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2 Bg7 4.O–O Nf65.d3 O–O 6.Nbd2 Nc6 7.c4 e5 8.cxd5 Nxd59.a3 h6 10.Qc2 a5 11.e3 Qe7 12.Ne4 This al-lows Black to play ...f7-f5 with tempo. Bet-ter is 12.Nb3. 12...Rd8 13.Bd2 f5 14.Nc5Qf7 15.Rab1 b6 16.Na4 Nde7 17.Ne1 Badis 17.b4? axb4 18.axb4 e4!. 17...Bb7 18.Nc3Rd7 19.b4 axb4 20.axb4 Nd8 21.Nf3 Bet-ter is 21.Bxb7 with just a slight advantage forBlack. 21...g5 22.Ra1Rb8 23.Rfd1 g4 24.Ne1Bxg2 25.Kxg2 Ne6 26.Kg1 In time pressureWhite is playing without a plan. 26...Ng527.Qa2Nf3+ 28.Kg2 e4 29.Qxf7+Kxf7 30.d4c5 Opening up lines for his pieces. 31.Nxf3exf3+ 32.Kf1 cxd4 33.exd4 Rxd4 Black haswon a pawn and is winning. 34.Be1 Rbd835.Rxd4 Rxd4 36.Ra7 Rd3 Not 36...Rxb4??37.Rxe7+. 37.Nb5 Rd5 38.Nc7 Rd7 39.Nb5

248

Rxa7 40.Nxa7 Ke6 41.Bd2 h5 42.Be3 Nd543.Nc8 Nxe3+ 44.fxe3 Bf8 45.Nxb6 Bxb446.Kf2 Kd6 47.Nc4+ Kd5 48.Nb6+ Ke449.Na4 h4 50.gxh4 Be7 51.h5 Bh4+ 52.Kf1Bg5 53.Nc5+Kxe3 54.Ne6Bh6 55.Nd8 f4 56.Nf7 g3 57.hxg3 fxg3 58.Nxh6 g2+ 59.Kg1 f2+White Resigns. 60.Kxg2 Ke2 forces the promotionof a pawn.0-1

◦ Shirov, A.• Nunn, J.?Germany1992 1-0 E99A Latvian GM and English GM square off in theGerman chess club league.1.d4Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O–O6.Be2 e5 7.O–O Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Ne1 Nd710.Nd3 f5 11.Bd2 Nf6 12.f3 h5 13.exf5 gxf514.f4 e4 15.Nf2Ng4 16.Nxg4 fxg4 This gives upcontrol of the center. Better is 16...hxg4. 17.Nxe4Bxb2 18.Rb1 Bd4+ 19.Kh1 Nf5 20.Bd3 b621.Re1 Bd7 22.Ng5 Rf6 23.Bb4 Threatening24.Bxf5 with a discovered attack on the Bishop.23...a5 24.Ba3 Bc3 25.Re2 White is threaten-ing to control the important a1-h8 diagonal with25.Rc1 Bb4 26.Bb2. 25...h4 26.Re6 Not 26.Rc1?due to 26...Ng3+ 27.hxg3 hxg3 28.Rxc3 Rxf4 win-ning the Knight on g5. 26...Nh6 If 26...Bxe6,then 27.Nxe6 Rxe6 28.Qxg4+ Ng7 29.dxe6 wins.27.Bh7+ Kg7 28.Qd3 Bxe6 29.Qxc3 Gainingcontrol of the a1-h8 diagonal is decisive. Whitenow threatens Bb2 and Ne4. 29...Bg8 30.Bb2Black Resigns. If 30...Bxh7, then 31.Ne6+ winsthe Queen.1-0

◦ Gurevich, M.• Gelfand, B.?Munich1992 1/2-1/2 E971.Nf3Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.d4 O–OWhite’s move order is used to reach the King’s In-dian Defense positions without allowing the Grun-feld Defense, in which Black plays ...d7-d5. 6.Be2e5 7.O–O Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Nd2 a5 10.a3 Nd711.Rb1 f5 12.b4 Kh8 13.Qc2 Ng8 14.f3 Ngf615.Bd3 f4 16.Nb5 b6 17.Bb2 g5 18.Be2 Ne819.g4 fxg3 20.hxg3 g4 21.fxg4 Qg5 22.Qd3Ndf6 23.Nf3Qxg4 24.Nxe5Qh3 25.Nc6 axb426.Rf2 bxa3 27.Nxa3Qh6 28.e5 dxe5 29.Nxe5

Nd6 30.Bc1 Qh3 31.Rh2 Qxh2+ 32.Kxh2Bf5 33. Qb3Rae8 34.Bf4Nd7 35.Bh5Nxe536.Bxe8 Ng4+ 37.Kg1 Bd4+ 38.Kf1 Rxe839. Qd1 Ne3+ 40.Bxe3 Bxe3 41.Kg2 Be4+42.Kh3 Nf7 43.Rb3 Ng5+ 44.Kh4 Nf3+ 45.Kh3Ng5+ 46.Kh4Nf3+ Draw by 3-fold repeti-tion.1/2-1/2

◦ Kamsky, G.• Kasparov, G.?Dortmund1992 1-0 E97The US champion knocks off the world champion.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3O–O 6.Be2 e5 7.O–O Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Nd2a5 10.a3Nd7 11.Rb1 f5 12.b4Kh8 13.f3Ng814.Qc2Ngf6 15.Nb5 axb4 16.axb4Nh5 17.g3Ndf6 18.c5 Bd7 19.Rb3 Bh6 20.Rc3 Bf4A Kasparov novelty that he worked out in hishome laboratory. 21.cxd6 Taking the Bishopis dubious: 21.gxf4?! Nxf4. Black threat-ens 22...Nxe2+ as well as 22...Nxd5 followed by23...Qg5+. 21...Nxg3 22.hxg3 One can imaginehow difficult it is for White as the world championhas probably worked out most of these complexvariations at home. 22...Nh5 23.gxf4 Nxf4 Butnot everything has been worked out perfectly. Cor-rect is 23...Qh4. 24.Bc4Nh3+ Black has nothingafter 24...Qg5+ 25.Kf2 Qh4+ 26.Ke3. 25.Kh1 Not25.Kg2 Qg5+ 26.Kxh3 f4 27.Kh2 Qg3+ 28.Kh1Qh3+ with a draw by perpetual check. 25...Qh426.Nb3 Clearing the second rank for his Queenfor defensive purposes. 26...fxe4 27.Qh2 Rf528.f4 Rh5 Threatening 29...Nf2+ 30.Rxf2 Qxf2.The players were short on time. 29.Qg3 Qxg3If 29...Nf2+, then 30.Qxh4+ Rxh4+ 31.Kg1 Rg4+32.Kf2 Ra2+ 33.Nd2 Rg2+ 34.Ke1 is winning forWhite. 30.Rxg3 exf4 31.Bb2+ Kg8 32.dxc7Bxb5 If 32...fxg3, then White wins immediatelywith 34.d6+. 33.Bxb5 fxg3 34.Kg2 Ng5 35.d6There is no stopping the connected passed pawns.35...Rh2+ 36.Kxg3Rxb2 37.Bc4+Kg7 38.d7Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Shirov, A.• Kovalev, A.?Germany1992 1-0 E94Black sacrifices a piece for a kingside attack, butwill it work?

249

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 O–O 5.Be2d6 6.Nf3 e5 7.O–O Na6 8.Be3 Ng4 9.Bg5Qe8 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.h3 h6 12.Bc1Nf6 13.Be3Nh5 Moving the Knight to the outpost on f4.14.c5 Nf4 15.Bb5 Qe6 16.Re1 16.Qa4? Nxg217.Kxg2 Qxh3+ wins for Black. 16...Nxg2 Sac-rificing a piece to open up the kingside. 17.Kxg2Qxh3+ 18.Kg1 Bg4 19.Bf1 Black has a strongattack after 19.Be2 f5. 19...Qh5 20.Be2 Rad8If now 20...f5, then 21.Nxe5!. 21.Nd2 f5 22.exf522.Bxg4? fxg4 followed by ...Rf3 gives Black astrong attack. 22...gxf5 23.Bxg4Qg6 If 23...fxg4,then 24.Nce4 is good for White. 24.Nce4 h524...fxe4 25.Kh1 is good for White. 25.Bg5 fxe426.Bxd8Rxd8 27.Qb3+Kh8 28.Nxe4Qxg4+29.Qg3Qf5 30.Qg5Qxg5+ 31.Nxg5 White hasa big advantage in the endgame due to his mate-rial advantage. 31...Rd4 Better is 31...Rg8, al-though White is much better after 32.Kf1. 32.Ne6Rg4+ 33.Kf1Bf6 34.Rad1Kh7 35.Re3Kg636.Rf3 Threatening 37.Rd7 and 38.Nf8+. 36...e437.Nf8+ Kf7 38.Rd7+ Kxf8 39.Rxf6+ Ke840.Rh7Nxc5 41.Rxc7Nd7 42. Rh6 Black Re-signs.1-0

◦ Gelfand, B.• Kasparov, G.?Linares1992 0-1 E92Gelfand tries to improve on a game that Kasparovhad in the previous world championship.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2O–O 6.Nf3 e5 7.Be3 c6 8.Qd2 exd4 Blackplays for a counterattack against the e4-pawn. Ifthat fails White will be able to obtain a bind.9.Nxd4 Re8 10.f3 d5 11.exd5 cxd5 12.O–ONc6 13.c5 White will try to convert his controlof the d6- and d4-squares into outposts for hispieces. 13...Rxe3 Black’s main compensation forthe exchange will be his powerful King Bishop.14.Qxe3 Qf8 15.Ncb5 This is the novelty thatGelfand had prepared. Karpov played 15.Nxc6against Kasparov in the 1990 world championship.15...Qxc5 16.Rac1 Not 16.Nf5? d4 17.Nfxd4 a618.Rac1 Qb6 and White loses material. 16...Qb617.Qf2Bd7 Black needs to start immediate activ-ity while White’s pieces are unstable in the centerof the board. 18.Rfd1 Re8 19.Bf1 White pre-pares the shot 20.Nxc6 bxc6 21.Nxa7 winning apawn. Currently this fails to ...d5-d4 at the endof the line, when the e2-Bishop ends up hang-ing. 19...Bh6 This is the rub. Black has beauti-

ful dark-square play. White has to deal with thetwin threats of ...Bh6xc1 and ...Bh6-e3. Blackhas seized the initiative. 20.Rc3 Nb4 21.Nc2Perhaps the decisive error. White plays into anending but underestimates the dangers. Betteris 21.a3. 21...Qxf2+ 22.Kxf2 Nxc2 23.Rxc2Be3+ 24.Ke1 Not 24.Kg3 because of 24...g5. If25.h3, then 25...Bg1 leads to mate and 25.h4 is alsobad after 25...Nh5+ 26.Kh2 Bf4+ 27.Kg1 gxh4.24...Bf4+ 25.Kf2Be3+ 26.Ke1Bg1+ 27.Kd2Bxh2 With two pawns for the exchange Black hasa large advantage in the ending. 28.Re1Rd8 Animportant principle in such positions is to avoidexchanging the major pieces when an exchangedown. The extra major piece acts as an importantdefender. Also, the difference in strength betweenRooks and minors are emphasized when the mi-nors have to face the Rook alone. 29.Kd1 Bf430.Nd4 a6 31.Bd3 h5 For Black to win he has tocreate targets in White’s camp. This means pound-ing out some outposts on the kingside. 32.Rc3h4 33.Bc2Bg3 34.Re2Kg7 35.Rb3Rb8 Not35...Bc8? 36.Re7 Kf8 37.Rexb7 and White hasgood chances to draw. 36.Rd2 b5 Black wants togive his Rook a bit more operating space. The a6-weakness is easily covered. 37.Ra3 Rb6 38.b4Bd6 39.Rb3 Nh5 Since the ending began, Kas-parov has played masterfully. White’s pieces arestill clumsy, the Rooks are ineffective and theBishop hasn’t arrived on b3 in time to harass thed5-pawn. Meanwhile Black has taken a grip onthe Kingside and is ready to increase the pres-sure there. 40.Ne2 Be6 41.a3 g5 42.Nd4 Kf643.Nxe6 White would lose quickly after 43.Rc3Bf4 44.Re2 Be5 45.Rd2 Nf4. 43...fxe6 44.Bd3Nf4 45.Rc3 d4 As Bobby Fischer once said, "Toget squares, you gotta give squares." Black stakesa claim for the e3- and c3-squares, while Whitegets e4 and others. Black makes the better deal.46.Rc8Nd5 47.Ke2 47.Re2 Nc3+ 48.Ke1 wouldhave held out longer. 47...Bf4 48.Rdc2 Ne349.Kf2 White gives back the exchange, hopingthat he will have chances in the ending with op-posite colored Bishops. 49...Bg3+ 50.Kg1Nxc2 51.Rxc2 g4 Played in order to get con-nected passed pawns. If White tries 52.Be4 gxf353.gxf3 h3 54.Rc6 Rxc6 55.Bxc6 d3 wins becauseof the outside passed pawn. 52.fxg4Kg5 53.Kf1e5 54.Ke2Kxg4 55.Rc8Rf6 56.Be4 Better was56.Rg8+. 56...Rf2+ 57.Kd3Bf4 58.Rg8+Kh559.Bd5Bg5 60.Ke4Rxg2 Adjourned but Whiteresigned without resuming. After 60.Kxe5 Bf6+61.Kxf6 Rxg8 62.Bxg8 d3 is a case of the over-worked Bishop. Another very impressive game by

250

Kasparov.0-1

◦ Timman, J.• Kasparov, G.LinaresSpain1992 0-1 E87Even against his most serious rivals Kasparov car-ries risk strategy to the maximum. In one of thestrongest series of the decade, he was undefeatedand led the field by a clear 2 points.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3O–O 6.Be3 e5 7.d5 Establishing a giant pawnwall to constrict Black. 7...Nh5 8.Qd2 f59.O–O–O Nd7 10.Bd3 Nc5 A provocative in-novation. 10...Ndf6 is usual. Now, with both sideson opposite wings, savage attacks can be expected.11.Bc2 a6 12.Nge2 b5 13.b4Nd7 14.cxb5 axb515.Nxb5 Rxa2 16.Nec3 Ra8 17. Kb2 Ndf618.Na7 fxe4 19.Nc6 Qd7 20.g4 Overreaching.Better is the humble 20. fxe4. 20...Nf4 21.g5N6xd5 A surprise. Inferior is 21...N6h5 22.Bxe4 dominating the board. 22.Nxd5 Nd3+ Ofcourse not 22...Qxc6?? 23. Ne7+ 23.Bxd3 exd324.Nce7+ Kh8 25.Nxc8 e4+ White Resigns. If26. Kb3 Qa4+ 27. Kc4 Qc6+ 28. Kb3 Qxd5 mate;or 26. Nc3 Qa4 27. Kc1 Qa1+ 28. Nb1 Ra2; finally26. Nf6 Rxf6 27. Bd4 Rxf3 carries the day.0-1

◦ Lautier, J.• Bologan, V.?Manila1992 1-0 E81The young French Champion, Joel Lautier, usesa swarm of Knights to win this game, played inthe Olympiad, or international team tournament, inManila. The Philippines have a long chess historyand many strong players; it is also the home of thepresident of FIDE (the international chess federa-tion), Florencio Campomanes.1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3.e4 d6 4.d4 Bg7 5.f3O–O 6.Be3 Nbd7 7.Nh3 c6 8.Qd2 e5 9.Be2a6 10.Nf2 exd4 11.Bxd4 b5 12.Rd1 Qa5 Inthis type of position arising from the King’s In-dian Defense, Black seeks compensation for hisweak d-pawn in Queenside expansion and activeplay. Lautier shows in this game that Whiteis not without a certain activity, too. 13.a3bxc4 14.Bxc4 d5 15.Ba2 Bb7 16.O–O Qc717.Rfe1Rad8 18.e5 A good plan to push Black’s

pieces out of position and ultimately weaken hisKingside. 18...Ne8 19.e6 fxe6 20.Rxe6 Nef621.Rde1 Rf7 22.b4 And this blockading moveprevents ...c6-c5. 22...a5 23.Na4 axb4 24.axb4Ra8 25.Bb3 Nf8 26.Be5 Qc8 27.Rxf6 Bxf628.Bxf6Rxf6 29.Nc5 Spurning the chance to re-gain the sacrificed material with 29.Nb6. 29...Rf730.Ng4 Qc7 31.Qb2 Rg7 Necessary to prevent32.Nh6 mate! 32.Nf6+Kf7 33.Na4 h6 34.Ng4Kg8 35.Nf6+Kh8 36.Ne8Rxe8 37.Rxe8Qf738. Qe5 h5 39.Nb6 Qd7 40.Rxf8+ Kh741.Nxd7 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Bareev, E.• Shirov, A.?Dortmund1992 1-0 E73A positional masterpiece.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2O–O 6.Bg5 h6 7.Be3 Nbd7 8.Qc2 e5 9.d5 c610.h4 h5 Allowing h4-h5 would weaken Black’skingside. 11.Nh3 cxd5 12.cxd5 a6 13.Ng5 b514.a4 b4 If 14...Rb8, then 15.a5 is strong. Whitewould later like to maneuver his Knight to c6 viaa2 and b4. 15.Nd1 a5 16.Rc1Bb7 17.Qc7Qb818.Bb5Rc8 19.Qxb8Raxb8 White is better inthe ending because of Black’s weaknesses at a5and d6. 20.Kd2 Rxc1 21.Kxc1 Rc8+ 22.Kb1Kf8 23.b3Ke7 24.Nb2Rc3 Better is 24...Ng4.25.Rc1 Black is unable to defend his position af-ter the exchange of Rooks. 25...Rxc1+ A bet-ter fighting chance was 25...Nxd5 26.exd5 Bxd5.26.Kxc1Ng4 27.Ba7Bh6 28.f3 f6 29.fxg4 fxg530.Be3Nc5 Also losing is 30...hxg4 31.hxg5 Bg732.Nc4 and the pawn on a5 falls. 31.hxg5 Bg732.Bxc5 dxc5 33.Nc4 Bc8 34.d6+ Kd8 35.d7Bxd7 36.Bxd7 Kxd7 37. Nxa5 Kc7 38.Nc4Black Resigns. Black’s King is tied down to thepassed a-pawn and his Bishop is completely shut-in, hence White’s King and Knight will be free toroam the board picking up Black’s pawns.1-0

◦ Hubner, R.• Kasparov, G.Dortmund (6)Germany1992 1-0 E69Kasparov managed to hold back a field of hungrylions by tying for first with Ivanchuk at 6-3. Thesensation of the tournament was the first-ever vic-tory of veteran Robert Hubner over the reigning

251

world champion. A wild and wooly midgame istypical tactical chess at its best.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 O–O 5.Nc3d6 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.O–O e5 8.e4 c6 9.h3 Qb610.c5 Leads to great complications. More usual is10. d5 Nc5. 10...dxc5 11.dxe5Ne8 12.Na4Qa613.Bg5 b5 14.Nc3 Nc7 15.Be7 Re8 16.Bd6Ne6 17.a4 b4 18.Ne2 Qa5 19.Nd2 Ba620.f4 c4 21.Kh2 Rad8 22.Qc2 Nb6 23.Rfd1Bf8 24.Nf3 c3 25.Ned4 Nxd4 26.Nxd4 cxb227.Qxb2Nc4 28.Qb3Qb6 29.a5Qb7 30.Bxf8Kxf8 31.e6 c5 32.e5Qc7 33.exf7Qxf7 34.Nc6Rxd1 35.Rxd1 Nxe5 36. Bd5 Bc4 37.Qc2Ng4+ Leads to a lost endgame. 37...b3! of-fers much better chances to survive. 38.hxg4Re2+ 39.Qxe2Bxe2 40.Bxf7Bxd1 41.Bc4 b342.Nxa7 b2 43.Ba2Be2 44. Kg2Bd3 45.Kf3Ke7 46.Ke3 b1=Q 47.Bxb1 Bxb1 48.Nb5Kd7 49.a6Kc6 50.f5 Black Resigns. If 50...gxf551. gxf5 Bxf5 52. Nd6! and the threat of a7 isdecisive.1-0

◦ Cebalo, M.• Gutman, L.?Bad Woerishofen1992 1-0 D85White rips open Black’s King’s position, sacrific-ing both his Rooks in the process.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Nf3 c5 8.Rb1 a6 9.Be2Qa5 10.O–O Sacrificing a pawn to gain timein development. 10...Qxa2 11.Bg5 Mak-ing it difficult for Black to castle. 11...Qa512.Qc1 Nd7 13.e5 Qd8 Worth considering is13...Qc7 followed by ...b6 and ...Bb7. 14.Rd1cxd4 15.Rxd4 h6 If 15...O-O, then White getsa strong attack with 16.Bh4 followed by Rh4.Best is 15...Qc7 16.Bh6 Bxh6 17.Qxh6 Ne5.16.Bh4 Qc7 Better is 16...O-O. 17.e6 Destroy-ing Black’s pawn structure. 17...fxe6 If 17...Nc5,then 18.exf7+ Kxf7 19.Bg3 followed by Ne5+ isgood for White. 18.Rc4 Qd6 If 18...Qd8, then19.Qc2 Nf8 20.Bd3 Kf7 21.Rf4+ Bf6 22.Ne5+wins. 19.Qc2 e5 20.Rd1 Qe6 21.Rc7 Qb622.Bc4 Kd8 If 22...Qxc7, then 23.Qxg6+ Kd824.Qxg7 wins. 23.Rcxd7+Bxd7 24.Qd3Qc625.Bd5 Qd6 26.Qb1 Ra7 27.c4 g5 28.Bg3g4 If 28...b6, then 29.Qe4 followed by 30.Nxe5is strong. 29.Nd2 Ba4 Better would havebeen 29...Rf8 30.Ne4 Qg6 followed by 31...Rf4.30.Ne4 Qc7 31.Be6+ Bxd1 32.Qxd1+ Ke833.Qxg4 Black has no good defense left. 33...Bf8

34.Qh5+ Kd8 35.Bxe5 Qc6 36.Qd1+ Ke837.Bd5 Qg6 38.Qd4 b6 39.Bxh8 Rd7 40.g3Black Resigns. White will play 41.Qe5 threaten-ing 42.Nf6+ and 42.Qb8+.1-0

◦ Seirawan, Y.• Mecking, H.?Sao Paulo1992 1-0 D85Mecking is widely considered to be the greatestLatin American chess talent since Capablanca. Adebilitating disease forced him to retire but he isnow making a comeback.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Be3 c5 8.Nf3 Nc6 9.Rc1cxd4 10.cxd4 Qa5+ 11.Bd2 An over-the-boardsacrifice. The resulting position is analogous tosimilar a2-pawn sacrifices in the Gruenfeld withan added plus for White- Black hasn’t castled.11...Qxa2 Black hardly has a choice, as othermoves just give him a bad game. 12.d5Ne5 Blackis forced to walk a narrow path. 13.Nxe5Bxe514.Bb5+ Bd7 15.Qe2 Threatening 16.Bxd7+and 17.Qb5+. 15...a6 Forced. 16.Bxd7+ Kxd717.Qg4+Kd8 Black correctly avoids ...e7-e6 and...f7-f5 which would allow White to open the gamewhen he needs to. 18.Qg5 The best way to un-tangle the White pieces. 18...f6 Too risky is18...Bb2 19.d6, White has opportunities for Bd2-a5+ and Rc1-c7. 19.Qe3 This was the posi-tion that I was aiming for when I provoked ...a7-a6. White’s compensation for the a-pawn is clear.19...Qa4 20.O–O Ke8 21.Bc3 Simple chess.Black’s Bishop on e5 occupies too powerful an out-post. White controls the c-file, but the businesssquare c7 is covered, thus an exchange of Bish-ops is in order. 21...Bxc3 22.Rxc3 Kf7 23.e5A powerful and thematic move. Black’s Kinghas found a temporary haven and White has toblow open its burrow. exf6 and Rc3-c7 are threat-ened. 23...Rac8 24.Rxc8 Rxc8 25.Qh3 Rf826.Qxh7+ Ke8 27.e6 Qe4 28.Rc1 Kd8 29.d6Qxe6 30.dxe7+ Qxe7 31.Rc8+ Kxc8 32.Qxe7Rd8 33.h4 b5 34.Qxf6 Rd1+ 35.Kh2 Kb736.Qf3+Kb6 37.Qxd1 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Ftacnik, L.• Krasenkov, M.?Dortmund

252

1992 1-0 D88A piece sacrifice turns the tables.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4Nxc3 6.bxc3Bg7 7.Bc4 c5 8.Ne2Nc6 9.Be3O–O 10.Rc1Na5 11.Bd3 e5 12.d5 b6 13.O–OBetter is 13.c4. 13...f5 14.f3 f4 15.Bd2 c4 16.Bc2h5 This weakens the g6 square. Better is 16...g5.17.g3 g5 18.Kh1 Kh8 19.Qe1 Qf6 20.Qf2Bh3 21.Rg1 Rf7 Better is either 21...fxg3 or21...Bh6. 22.gxf4 gxf4 23.Nxf4 This piecesacrifice will deflect Black’s Queen away fromthe important f4 square. 23...exf4 24.e5 Qxe5If 24...Qd8, then 25.e6 Rf8 26.Rce1 Bf6 27.Rg6wins. 25.Qh4 Bf5 If 25...Bd7, then 26.Rg5wins. 26.Qxh5+ Kg8 27.Bxf5 Qxf5 27...Rxf528.Rxg7+ Kxg7 29.Rg1+ wins. 28.Rxg7+Kxg729.Rg1+Kf8 The move 29...Kf6 would have heldout longer, although White is much better after30.Qh4+ Ke5 31.Rg5. 30.Qh8+ Ke7 31.Qxa8Kd6 If 31...Qd3, then 32.Qxa7+ Kf6 33.Qxb6+wins. 32.Bc1 Bringing the Bishop into play viaa3. 32...Rb7 If 32...Kc5, then 33.a4 followed by34.Ba3+ wins. 33.Ba3+ Kxd5 34.Qe8 BlackResigns. There is no defense to 35.Rg5 Qxg536.Qe4#.1-0

◦ Nikolic, Pr.• Epishin, V.?Wijk aan Zee1992 1/2-1/2 E60A great fighting game between two of the world’stop Grandmasters.1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.g3 c5 5.d5 d66.Bg2 a6 7.a4 e5 8.dxe6 Bxe6 9. Ng5 Bxc49...Nc6 10.Nxe6 fxe6 11.Nc3 is slightly better forWhite. 10.Nd2 Be6 11.Bxb7 Ra7 12.Bg2O–O 13.Nxe6 fxe6 14.O–O Nbd7 15.Rb1 d516.e4 Ne5 17.Nb3 c4 18.Nd4 Qb6 19.a5 Not19.exd5 exd5 20.Be3 Neg4 21.Bf4 Ne4 with ad-vantage to Black. Now Black appears to be introuble. He needs to keep his e-pawn guarded,but 19...Qd6 20.f4 followed by e5 loses a piece.19...Qd6 20.f4 Nxe4 Black gets good compen-sation for the sacrificed piece. 21.fxe5 Not21.Bxe4? dxe4 22.fxe5 Rxf1+ 23.Kxf1 Bxe524.Be3 Rd7 with a large advantage to Black.21...Rxf1+ 22.Qxf1Qxe5 23.Nf3Qd6 24.Be3Rb7 25.Qc1Qb4 Threatening 26...Nc3. 26.Bh3Nc3 27.Bxe6+ Kh8 28.bxc3 Qxb1 29.Qxb1Rxb1+ 30.Kg2 Rb2+ 31.Kf1 Rb5 32.Bb6Bxc3 33.Bd7 Rb2 34.Bc8 White has justenough resources to hold the position. 34...Bf6

35.Bxa6 c3 36.Ne1 c2 37.Nxc2 Rxc2 38.Bb7Rb2 39.Bxd5 Kg7 40.a6 Rxb6 41.a7 Ra642.a8=QRxa8 43.Bxa8 Draw by Agreement.1/2-1/2

◦ Shirov, A.• Georgiev, Kir.?Biel1992 0-1 E25Sometimes there is no justice. In this game,poor Alexi Shirov must have been asking himself,"What did I do wrong?" as his pawn-grabbing ispunished by an old-fashioned King hunt.1.d4Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3Bb4 4.f3 d5 5.a3Bxc3+6.bxc3 c5 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Qd3 White’s Queenis vulnerable to attack on this square, but he hadto defend the c3-pawn in order to advance e2-e4. 8...b6 9.e4 Ba6 10.Qd2 Bxf1 11.Kxf1Ne7 12.Ne2 Nbc6 And Black has taken advan-tage of the situation to prevent White from castling.Now White’s strong center could provide himsome King safety, but rather than settle for quietposition-building, he sets off on a material questthat leaves his King in grave danger. 13.dxc5Qc814.Qe3 O–O 15.cxb6Rd8 16.Kf2 axb6 17.Rb1Ne5 With the capture of the d3 square, Black rulesthe board. The loss of material is an unimpor-tant consequence. 18.Qxb6Qc4 19.Be3Nd3+20.Kg3 f5 21.Bg5 Rd7 22.Nd4 f4+ And theband played "Waltzing Matilda"... 23.Kh4Ng6+24.Kh5Nf8 25.Qc6Qa2 26.Rhg1 White can’teven afford to capture a whole Rook, as Black’sQueen would gain decisive proximity to the WhiteKing. 26...e5 27.Qxa8 Qf7+ 28.Kh4 h6 29.g4hxg5+ 30.Kh3 exd4 31.cxd4Nf2+ 32.Kg2Qa2Threatening a big discovered check. 33.Qb8Nd3+ 34.Kh1 Qe2 35.Rgf1 Rxd4 36.Qb3+Kh7 37.Qb5 Rd6 Idea: ...Rh6 and mate. 38.h4Ng6 39.Qxg5Nxh4 40.Qxh4+Rh6 41.Qxh6+Kxh6 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Shirov, A.• Karpov, An.?Biel1992 0-1 E25Shirov uses the same line against Karpov thathe used without success in his game with KirilGeorgiev. Karpov varies first, but he wins anyway.Will these youngsters never learn?1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.f3 d5 5.a3Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 c5 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Qd3 b6 9.e4

253

Ba6 10.Qd2Bxf1 11.Kxf1Ne7 12.Ne2Nbc613.dxc5 Qc7 Georgiev was happy with 13...Qc8.14.Qf4 e5 15.Qg4 O–O 16.Kf2 Na5 17.cxb6Qxb6+ 18.Be3 Qc6 19.Rhd1 Nc4 20. Bg5f6 21.Bc1 Qb6+ 22.Kg3 f5 23.exf5 Nxf5+24.Kh3 Nce3 25.Bxe3 Nxe3 26.Qe4 Qe6+27.Kg3 Nxd1 So much for White’s extra pawn.It is clear that King safety is much more impor-tant than the material in this opening. 28.Rxd1Rad8 29.Re1Qf5 30.Qxf5Rxf5 31.Kf2Rd232.Rb1 Ra2 33.Rb5 Rxa3 34. c4 Rf635.Rxe5Rc6 36.c5Ra5 37.Re7Rcxc5 38.Nf4Re5 39.Rc7Ra4 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Kamsky, G.• Portisch, L.?Manila1992 1-0 E12The top boards of the US and Hungary square offin the Olympiad.1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 b6 4.Nc3 Bb7 5.Bg5h6 6.Bh4 Be7 7.e3 Ne4 8.Bg3 Bb4 9.Qc2Bxc3+ 10.bxc3 d6 11.Bd3 Nxg3 12.hxg3 Qe713.Be4 Nc6 14.d5 Na5 15. dxe6 Bxe4 Bet-ter is 15...fxe6 16.Bg6+ Kd7 but not 15...Qxe6?16.Bxb7 Nxb7 17.Nd4. 16.Qxe4 O–O 17.exf7+Qxf7 18.Rh4 White has a large advantage.18...c6 If 18...Rae8, then 19.Qd5 is good forWhite. 19.Rd1 Rae8 20.Qd3 Re6 21.Rf4Qh5 22.g4 Qg6 If 22...Qh1+, then 23.Ke2 Qxg224.Rg1 Qh3 25.Rxf8+ Kxf8 26.Qf5+ is good forWhite. 23.Qxg6 Rxg6 24.Rfd4 c5 25.Re4Rgf6 26.g5 Stopping 26...g5. 26...hxg5 27.Rd5Rh6 28.Ke2 Rh1 29.Rxd6 Ra1 If 29...Rc1,then White doubles on the seventh with 30.Re7and Rdd7. 30.Rd2Rc1 31.Nxg5Rxc3 32.Re7Threatening 33.Rdd7. 32...Nc6 33.Rc7 Ne534.Ne6 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Kramnik, V.• Ulibin, M.?Chalkidiki1992 1-0 E16The famous "Bishop Pair" are not to be under-rated. Strong in the middle game, they are evenmore effective when facing two Knights on an openboard in the end game stage. Such is the case here.1.d4 e6 2.c4Nf6 3.Nf3Bb4+ Called the "Bogo-Indian," after Bogolyubov, a contemporary of

Alekhine. If White responds with Nb1-c3, thegame transposes to the "Nimzo-Indian," named forAron Nimzowitsch. 4.Bd2 Qe7 5.g3 Nc66.Nc3 O–O 7.Bg2 Bxc3 8.Bxc3 Ne4 9.Rc1d6 10.d5 Nd8 If he had known what effect thoseBishops were going to have on the rest of thegame, Black might have taken this opportunity toremove one with 10...Nxc3. Of course, Whitewould still have an edge. 11.dxe6 Nxe6 12.Bb4Bd7 13.Ne5 N6c5 14.Nxd7 Nxd7 15.O–O a516.Ba3Rfe8 17. b3 b6 18.Bb2Rad8 19.Qd4Qf6 20.Qxf6 Ndxf6 21.Rfd1 h6 22.e3 Nd723.Kf1 Re7 24.Ke2 Rde8 25.g4 White makesit harder for Black to solidify the e4 outpost forhis Knights. 25...Re6 26.h4R6e7 27.Bf3Ndc528.Rd5 Na6 29.a3 Nac5 30.b4 axb4 31.axb4Na6 32.b5 Nac5 33.Ra1 White’s space advan-tage makes it more likely that he can utilize openlines. 33...Nf6 34.Rdd1 Nfe4 35.Ra7 Kf836.g5 hxg5 37.hxg5Nxg5 38.Bc6Rc8 39.Rh1Kg8 40.Raa1 Nce6 41.Rh4 f6 42.Rg1 Kf743.Bd5Ke8 44.Rh8+Nf8 45.f4Ne6 46. Kf346.Bxe6 Rxe6 47.Rxg7 is also strong, but White’sbind on the position is strong enough that he is inno hurry. 46...f5 47.Rg6 Nc5 48.Bxg7 Rf749.Bxf8 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Fischer, R.• Spassky, B.?15th Match Game, Sveti-Stefan & Belgrade1992 1/2-1/2 E071.c4 e6 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 Be7 5.O–OO–O 6.d4Nbd7 7.Nbd2 b6 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Ne5Bb7 10.Ndf3 Ne4 11.Bf4 Ndf6 12.Rc1 c513.dxc5 bxc5 14.Ng5 Nxg5 15.Bxg5 Ne416.Bxe7 Qxe7 17.Bxe4 dxe4 18.Nc4 e3 19.f3Rad8 20.Qb3 Rfe8 21. Rc3 Bd5 22.Rfc1g6 23.Qa3 Bxf3 Along with some incrediblybrilliant play, Fischer exhibited some surprisinglyrusty-looking stuff, too. It is clear that he wasnot expecting this excellent sacrifice. 24.exf3 e225.Re1Rd1 26.Kf2Rxe1 27.Kxe1Qd7 Head-ing for d1 or h3. It seems Black must surelywin... 28.Qb3 Qh3 29.Ne3 Qxh2 30.g4 Rb831.Qd5Rxb2 32.Qd8+Kg7 33.Nf5+ But withthis move, White happily escapes with a draw.33...gxf5 Draw by Agreement.1/2-1/2

◦ Karpov, An.• Short, N.

254

?1st Match Game, Linares1992 1-0 A52The first game of the quarterfinal world champi-onship match. Short shocks everyone by playing adubious opening.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 The Budapest Gambit is un-sound. Nigel must’ve found something in Kar-pov’s historical record against this opening thathe liked. 3.dxe5 Ng4 4.Bf4 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bb4+6.Nbd2 A conservative choice championed byAkiba Rubinstein. White gains the two Bish-ops and a better game. 6...Qe7 7.e3 Ngxe58.Nxe5Nxe5 9.Be2 O–O 10.O–O d6 This leadsto a highly unpleasant position. Black had to becontent with 10...Bxd2 11.Qxd2 d6 and a solidinferiority. 11.Nb3 b6 12.a3 Bc5 13.Nxc5bxc5 14.b4 So White has won the two Bishopsafter all. Additionally, he now has queenside tar-gets upon which to gnaw. 14...Nd7 15.Bg4a5 Hoping to clarify the queenside. The pawn-minus ending 15...Bb7 16.Bxd7 Qxd7 17.bxc5 Qc618.Qd5! is very unpleasant for Black. 16.Bxd7Bxd7 17.bxc5 dxc5 18.Qd5 Ra6 19.Qe5 Re620.Qxc7 We can already speak about the positionas being won for White. An extra pawn, activeQueen, solid King...It’s to Nigel’s credit and fight-ing spirit that he nearly saves the game! Play on.20...Rc8 21.Qb7 Right idea, wrong execution.It’s clear that Black’s only source of counterplay isconnected with the moves ...Bd7-c6, ...Re6-g6, and...Qe7-e4. The text pins the Bishop preventing thisattack. But the b7-square is a light square, mean-ing when the Bishop pops out to the c6-square, itis with tempo. Simplest was 21.Qa7! Qe8 22.Rab1Bc6 23.Rb8, exchanging pieces while eyeing thea5- and c5-kids. 21...Qe8 22.Rab1 h5 NaturallyBlack makes White’s life as difficult as possible.Now, should Black achieve ...Re6-g6 and ...Bd6-c6, the defense Bf4-g3 runs into ...h5-h4. Blackalso avoids 22...Bc6? 23.Qxc8 Qxc8 24.Rb8 ex-changing pieces. 23.f3 While in the long run thisis a likely precaution, perhaps 23.h4!? first wouldbetter neutralize matters. 23...Bc6 24.Qb2 h425.h3 f5 26.Qc2 Qg6 27.Qc3 a4 28.Rf2 Rce829.Rd1 Qh5 30.Qc2 Qg6 31.Kh1 Qf6 Over-coming the horrible opening hasn’t been easy, butKarpov’s do-nothing approach has allowed Shortto do well. He now threatens ...g7-g5 and the ques-tion of who’s better comes to mind. 32.Qb2Qe7 I suspect that Karpov was in time pressureand that Short was entertaining the possibility ofwinning. After 32...Kf7, in order to ensure ...g7-g5, Black should draw comfortably. 33.Rfd2 g5

34.Bd6 Qf7 35.Bxc5 g4 36.fxg4 fxg4 37.Rf2Qh5 When declining the Queen swap, Short un-doubtedly had visualized the diagrammed positionand thought it was yummy. The c5-Bishop hangsas does the h3-pawn - the drawbridge to White’smonarch. Sadly for Short, White has a power-ful answer in ... 38.Qe2 Indirectly protect-ing the c5-Bishop, e.g., 38...Qxc5 39.Qxg4+ Kh840.Qxh4+! (if 40.Rf7, then 40...Bxg2+ gives somekicking chances) 40...Kg7 (now 40...Kg8 41.Qg4+Kh8 42.Rf7 is fatal, since White has picked upthe h4-pawn gratis) 41.Rf7+ Kxf7 42.Qh7+ Kf643.Rf1+ Ke5 44.Qf5+ Kd6 46.Rd1+ wins theQueen. 38...Rg6 A time-trouble mistake whichlightens White’s task, Black still has some attackafter 38...Re4, avoiding exchanges. 39.Rd6The clincher. White offers a piece exchange.39...Re4 The last lemon of a bad day. CertainlyBlack can try 39...Rxd6 40.Bxd6 Qg6 41.Qxg4Qxg4 42.hxg4 h3 with chances. 40.Rd8+ Kh741.Rf7+ Rg7 42.Rxg7+ Kxg7 43.Qb2+ BlackResigns.1-0

◦ Adams, M.• Kasparov, G.?Dortmund1992 0-1 D4520 year old Michael Adams is fast becoming oneof the top players in the world, but he is still nomatch for the world champion.1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.e3Nf6 5.Nf3Nbd76.Qc2Bd6 7.g4 White does not hide his aggres-sive intentions. 7...dxc4 7...Nxg4? 8.Rg1 justfavorably opens lines for White. 8.e4 Better is8.Bxc4. 8...e5 9.g5 exd4 10.Nxd4 If 10.exf6,then 10...Qxf6 attacks both Knights. 10...Ng411.h3 11.Nf5? Nde5 12.Nxg7+ Kf8 13.Nh5 Nf3+wins. 11...Nge5 12.Be3 Not 12.f4? Bc513.Nf5 Nf3+ 14.Ke2 Nd4 winning. 12...Nc513.O–O–ONed3+ 14.Kb1Qe7 Black’s Knightshave White in a stranglehold. 15.Rg1 g6 Pre-venting the Knight from coming into f5. 16.Bg2O–O 17.Ka1 17.Nde2 would have held out longer.17...Bf4 18.Bxf4 Nxf4 19.h4 Rd8 20.Qd2Threatening 20.Nxc6. 20...Ncd3 21.Qe3 Bg422.Rd2 22.f3 Qe5 or 22.Bf3 Bxf3 23.Nxf3 b524.e5 Nd5 win for Black. 22...Qe5 White resigns,as he loses quickly after 23.Nc2 Nxb2 24.Kxb2Rd3.0-1

255

◦ Karpov, An.• Shirov, A.?Biel1992 1-0 D45In an outstanding positional game, the formerWorld Champion takes full advantage of the weaklight squares the young Latvian creates around hisKing.1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Nf3Nbd76.Qc2 Bd6 7.Be2 O–O 8.O–O dxc4 9.Bxc4b5 10.Be2Re8 11.Rd1Qc7 12.b3 e5 With thiscentral break Black hopes to equalize, but the pres-sure White is able to exert with his active piecesagainst the Kingside proves too much. 13.h3Bb714.Bb2 a6 15.dxe5 Nxe5 16.a4 Rad8 17.Ng5Qe7 18.Nce4 Nxe4 19. Nxe4 Bb4 20.Ng3Eyeing f5 and h5. With his next move, Shirovhopes to avoid the weakening of his dark squaresthat would result from ...g6, but instead the lightsquares suffer. 20...f6 21.Bxe5 Removing the onlyreal light-square defender. 21...Qxe5 22.Bd3 h623.Bg6 Rf8 24.Nf5 c5 25.axb5 axb5 26.Ra7Qc7 27.Nh4 Rxd1+ 28.Qxd1 Ra8 29.Qg4Qc6 Of course, 29...Rxa7 would lose to 30.Qe6+and 31.Qe8 mate. 30.Rxb7Qxb7 31.Qe6+Kh832.Be4 Black Resigns. Not so much for the effectof the skewer, but to allow the Knight to check ong6.1-0

◦ Krasenkov, M.• Sveshnikov, E.?Moscow1992 1-0 D45A vicious and direct assault, launched with thegambit of a pawn... this is the Romantic chess thatwas supposed to have died 100 years ago!1.Nf3 d5 2.d4Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 c6 5.e3Nbd76.Qc2 Bd6 7.g4 Up to this point, the openinghas been one of the most boring and conserva-tive possible. By any rational understanding ofthe opening, Black has done nothing wrong; cer-tainly nothing that would justify this! 7...Nxg48.Rg1 Nh6 Hoping for 9.Rxg7? Qf6 with adouble attack on g7 and f3. 9.e4 dxe4 10.Nxe4Bb4+ Otherwise the Kingside will be ruined bythe combined assault of the White pieces. 11.Bd2Bxd2+ 12.Qxd2 Nf5 13.O–O–O Nf6 14.Bd3O–O 15.Rg2Nxe4 16.Bxe4Qf6 17.Ne5Rd818.Ng4 Qe7 Not 18...Qxd4? 19.Nh6+! afterwhich Black loses too much material: 19...Nxh620.Qxd4; 19...Kh8 20.Nxf7+; 19...Kf8 20.Qb4+

c5 21.Rxd4 wins. 19.Bxf5 exf5 20.Nh6+ Kh821.Rxg7 A brilliant destruction of the King’s re-maining guard. The true justification of White’soriginal pawn sacrifice can be seen in the factthat even as the final hammer blow falls, Black’sBishop remains on its original square. 21...Kxg722.Rg1+Kh8 23.Qe2 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Salov, V.• Ivanchuk, V.?Dortmund1992 0-1 D45Black grabs the initiative and never relinquishes it.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c6 5.e3Nbd7 6.Qc2 Bd6 7.Be2 O–O 8.O–O Qe79.Rd1 dxc4 10.Bxc4 e5 11.e4 exd4 12.Nxd4Nb6 13.Be2 Re8 14.Be3 Bd7 Not 14...Nxe4?15.Nxe4 Qxe4 16.Qxe4 Rxe4 17.Nxc6 bxc618.Rxd6 with a large advantage. 15.f3 Rad816.Bf1 Nbd5 17.Bf2 Nxc3 18.bxc3 Bc819.Rab1 Qc7 20.g3 h5 Creating weaknesses onWhite’s kingside. 21.Ne2 Threatening 22.Bxa7and 23.Bb6. 21...Nd7 22.f4 Not 22.Bxa7? is metwith 22...b6. The best move is 22.Bg2. 22...Bc523.e5 Worth considering is 23.Nd4. Now White’sKing becomes exposed. 23...Bxf2+ 24.Kxf2Qa5 25.Nd4 Nb6 26.Nb3 Qa3 27.Rd4 Betteris 27.Be2. 27...c5 28.Rd2Be6 29.Rbd1Rxd2+30.Rxd2Nc4 31.Bxc4Bxc4 32.Rd6Qa4 33.Ke3 A dubious King march. 33...b6 34.Kd2f6 This wins a pawn as now 35.exf6 is met with35...Re2+. 35.Kc1 fxe5 36.f5 Bf7 37.f6 37.Nd2followed by 38.Ne4 would have held out longer.Now Black wins a piece. 37...c4 38.Nd2 Qa3+White Resigns.0-1

◦ Van Wely, L.• Kramnik, V.?Manila1992 0-1 D4420 years old Van Wely and 17 year old Kramnikare two very promising players.1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 c6 3.c4Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc46.e4 b5 7.a4 Bb7 8.e5 h6 9. Bh4 g5 10.exf6gxh4 11.Ne5Nd7 12.Qh5 Unsound is 12.Nxf7?Kxf7 13.Qh5+ Kxf6. 12...Qxf6 13.Nxd7Kxd7 14.axb5 cxb5 15.Qxb5+ Bc6 16.Qxc4Bd6 17.Ra6 White plays for a direct attack asBlack is slightly better after 17.Nb5 Qf4 18.Nxd6

256

Qxd6. 17...Rhc8 18.Rxc6 Rxc6 19.Qa4 Qg520.Bb5 20.Bd3 Qc1+ 21.Nd1 Rb8 is good forBlack. 20...Qxg2 20...Qc1+ 21.Nd1 leads tonothing. 21.d5 21.Rf1 a6 22.d5 axb5 23.Qxa8exd5 is good for Black. 21...Qxh1+ 22.Ke2Kd8 23.Bxc6 Rb8 24.Nb5 Bad is 24.Qxa7Rxb2+ 25.Kd3 Qf1+. 24...exd5 25.Qa5+ Ke726.Qxa7+Kf8 27.Qe3Kg8 28.h3Bf8 29.Qf4Qe4+ 30. Qxe4 dxe4 31.Ke3 Rb6 32.Bd7Rf6 33.b3 Bc5+ 34.Kxe4 Rxf2 35.Kd5 Bb436.Nd4Kg7 37.Kc4Rf4 38.Kd5Kf6 39.Bc8Rf1 40.Bg4Bc3 41.Nf3Kg6 42.Nxh4+Kg543.Nf3+ Kf4 44.Nh4 Rf2 45.Bc8 Kg5 WhiteResigns.0-1

◦ Gelfand, B.• Yusupov, A.?Linares1992 1/2-1/2 D37Some sharp tactics in a theoretical opening.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4O–O 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5Bxc5 8.Qc2Nc6 9.a3Qa510.O–O–ONe4 11.Nb5 a6 12.Nc7 e5 13.Nxd5Bad is 13.Bxe5 Nxe5 14.Nxa8 Ng4 or 13.cxd5Qc7 14.Qxe4 exf4 15.dxc6 fxe3. 13...Nxf2 Not13...Bf5 14.Nh4 or 13...exf4 14.Qe4. 14.Ng514.Qxf2 exf4 15.Nxf4 Re8 is unclear. 14...Bf514...f5 15.Qf2 exf4 16.Qxf4 is good for White.15.Qxf2 Black is able to start a counterattack after15.Qxf5 g6 16.Nf6+ Kh8 17.Qd7 Bxa3. 15...exf416.Qxf4 Ne7 Bad is 16...Bg6 17.h4 with at-tack. 17.Nxe7+ Bxe7 18.Rd5 Qe1+ Weak is18.Bd3? Bxa3 19.Qxf5 Qc3+. 19.Rd1 Qa520.Rd5Qe1+ 21.Rd1 Draw by 3-fold repetition.1/2-1/2

◦ Vera, R.• Garcia, Gil.?Havana1992 1-0 D37White’s plan of castling long against the TarraschDefense is slightly unusual. Normally in this line,one side or the other ends up with an isolated d-pawn, which is blockaded and attacked. In com-pensation, the player with the isolated pawn hopesto develop piece activity.1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.Bf4O–O 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.Qc2 Nc6 9.a3Qa5 10.O–O–O Bd7 11.g4 However, it is clearthat White wants to develop a mad-dog attack on

the Kingside. Violent opposite-wing attacking isthe rule with opposite-wing castling. 11...Rfc812.Kb1 Bf8 13.Ng5 g6 14.h4 Bg7 15.h5 Be816.hxg6 hxg6 17.f3 b5 18.cxb5 Ne7 19.Be5 d420.Bxd4 Ned5 21.Nxd5 Rxc2 22.Nxf6+ Kf8Capturing the Knight leaves Black’s King in a cof-fin. 23.Ngh7+Ke7 24.Bc5+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Karpov, An.• Short, N.?7th Match Game, Linares1992 1-0 D58Another Karpov masterpiece.1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3O–O 6.Nf3 h6 7.Bh4 b6 8.Be2 Bb7 9.Bxf6Bxf6 10.cxd5 exd5 11.b4 Inhibiting ...c7-c5.Black plays it anyway, but does not get a strongpawn center. 11...c5 Otherwise White plays12.b5. 12.bxc5 bxc5 13.Rb1 Qa5 14.Qd2cxd4 15.Nxd4Bxd4 16.exd4Ba6 17.Nb5Qd818.O–ONc6 19.Rfd1Qf6 20.Bf1Rab8 21.a4Rfc8 22.Rb3 Bxb5 23.axb5 Nd8 24. Qa2White starts building up on the weak a-pawn.24...Rc7 25.Ra3 Qf5 26.Re3 Not 26.Rxa7?Rc2. Now 27.Re8+ Kh7 28.Bd3 is threatened.26...Ne6 Not 26...Rc2 27.Re8+ Kh7 28.Qxc2Qxc2 29.Bd3+ winning. 27.Re5 Qg4 28.Be2Qg6 29.g3 Rbc8 30.Bh5 Not 30.Rxd5? Rc2winning. Black also has a good position after30.Qxd5 Rd8 31.Qe4 Qxe4 32.Rxe4 Rcd7 win-ning the d-pawn. After the text White wins apawn. 30...Qf6 31.Qxd5 Threatening 32.Bxf7+.31...g6 32.Be2 Rc3 33.h4 Ra3 34.Qe4 Rcc335.Kg2 Kg7 36.d5 Nc5 37.Qd4 Rc2 38.Re8Raa2 38...Qxd4 would have held out longer, al-though White is much better after 39.Rxd4 Raa240.Kf3 Ra3 41.Re3. Now White wins the Queen.39.Rg8+ Kxg8 40.Qxf6 Rxe2 41.Ra1 Ne442.Rxa2 Rxa2 43.Qd4 Rxf2+ 44.Kg1 Re245.d6 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Magerramov, E.• Sherbakov, R.?Cheliabinsk1992 1-0 D52White sacrifices a pawn in the opening for openlines. Later he sacrifices even more for higher re-turns.1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5Nbd7 6.e3Qa5 The Cambridge Springs was first

257

played by Marshall at the turn of century, butit is still popular today. 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Qd2N7b6 9.Bd3 This is a pawn sacrifice. 9...Nxc310.bxc3 Na4 11.O–O Not 11.Rc1? Nxc3 fol-lowed by ...Bb4. 11...Qxc3 12.Qe2Qb2 13.Bc2Qb5 14.Qd1 Nc3 15.Qd2 Bb4 16.Bd3 Qa417.a3 Ba5 18.Qb2 f6 Not 18...O-O? 19.Be7Re8 20.Bb4 winning. 19.Bh4 Nd5 20.Rfc1Black’s misplaced Queen gives White more thanenough compensation for the pawn. The threatis 21.Rc4. 20...Bc7 21.Rc4 Qa5 22.Qc2 Bd623.e4 23.Bxh7 is not very strong after 23...Ne7.23...Nb6 Not 23...Nf4 24.Bg3. 24.Rc3 Qh525.a4 Bb4 Dubious is 25...Bxh2+ 26.Kxh2 g527.a5 Nd7 28.d5 with a big advantage to White.26.Rb3 a5 27.Bg3 O–O 28.Bc7 Nd7 29.Bc4Re8 30.e5Nf8 This allows White to open up theBlack King, but worse is 30...f5 31.Bd6! Bxd632.exd6 and the e6-pawn is very weak. 31.exf6gxf6 32.Nd2 White prepares to move his attackover to the kingside. The text move clears thethird rank for the Rook. 32...Qf7 33.Rg3+Ng6 More tenacious is 33...Kh8. 34.Bd3 Kg735.Nf3 Threatening Nh4. 35...Rg8 36.Bxg6hxg6 37.Ne5 The decisive breakthrough. 37...fxe538.Bxe5+ Kf8 Worse is 38...Kh6 39.Rh3+, butnow Black loses his Queen. 39.Rf3Qxf3 40.gxf3Bd7 41.Qe4 Be8 42.Rb1 Ke7 43.Rxb4 axb444.d5Rxa4 45. Qh4+ g5 46.d6+ Black Resigns.Qh7 is coming.1-0

◦ Kamsky, G.• Shirov, A.?Dortmund1992 1-0 D36White defers castling and instead opens the h-fileand starts a kingside attack.1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.cxd5exd5 6.Bg5 Be7 7.Qc2 g6 8.e4 O–O 9.e5 Ne410.Bh6 Re8 11.Bd3 Nxc3 Correct is 11...Nd612.O-O (if 12.exd6, then 12...Bg5+) 12...Nf5.12.bxc3 c5 13.h4 Preparing to open the king-side and weaken Black’s kingside. 13...cxd414.h5 Threatening 15.hxg6 hxg6 16.Bxg6 win-ning. 14...g5 If 14...Qc7, then 15.Bd2.15.Bxh7+ Kh8 16.Bg6 Be6 If 16...fxg6, then17.hxg6 Kg8 18.g7 followed by 19.Bxg5 wins.17.Nxd4 Qc8 18.Qd2 White breaks throughon g5. 18...fxg6 If 18...Nc6, then 19.Bxg5Bxg5 20.Qxg5 Nxd4 21.Qh6+ Kg8 22.Bh7+ Kh823.Rh3 is winning. 19.hxg6 Kg8 20.Rc1 Nc621.Bxg5 Qc7 If 21...Bxg5, then 22.Qxg5 Qc7

23.Nxc6 bxc6 24.Rh7 wins. 22.Bxe7 Rxe7If 22...Qxe5+, then 23.Kf1 Rxe7 24.Re1 Qf625.Rxe6 Rxe6 26.Nxe6 Qxe6 27.Rh8+! wins.23.Kf1 Rae8 24.Re1 Rg7 The only defense to25.Qh6 and 26.Qh8+. 25.Qh6 Kf8 26.Rh4Threatening 26.Rf4+. 26...Nxd4 27.Qh8+ Rg828.Qf6+Bf7 29.Qxf7+Qxf7 30.gxf7 Black Re-signs. White has an easily winning position after30...Kxf7 31.cxd4.1-0

◦ Spassky, B.• Fischer, B.Return Match (6)Sveti Stefan1992 1/2-1/2 D27At a press conference Bobby Fischer predicted theday was fast approaching when computers wouldbeat the best humans; and he suggested that per-haps the starting position might have to be changedbefore each game. "I think we’re coming to theend of the history of chess with the present rules,"he said with regret. "We have to get away fromthe game becoming simply a question of memo-rization." Going into this encounter Spassky ledby a point and while it was in progress IBM’sDeep Thought pointed out where he missed sev-eral chances to increase his lead. From now onmachines would play a dominant role in analyzingmaster games.1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 The Queen’s Gambit Accepted.It’s not a real gambit because White can regain thepawn. 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Bxc4 c5 6.O–O a67.dxc5Qxd1 8.Rxd1Bxc5 9.b3Nbd7 10.Bb2b5 Varying from 10...b6 in game 4. Match playmay lack variety, but it’s interesting to see whatimprovements the players hatch between rounds.This line is drawish and Spassky denies his leg-endary opponent a chance to mix it up in double-edged positions. 11.Be2 Bb7 12.Nbd2 Ke7Perhaps 12...O-O leaves the king less vulnera-ble. 13.a4 bxa4 14.Rxa4 Rhb8 15.Rc1 Bd516.Ne5 Bd6 17.Nxd7 Nxd7 18.Rxa6 Rxa619.Bxa6 f6 After this it’s all uphill. Deep Thoughtanalyzed to a draw with 19...Nc5! 20.Bc4 Bxc421.Rxc4 Nc5 22.Rc3 f5 Drifting into a lost po-sition. A tougher defense is 22...Na4 23. Rc2Nxb2 24. Rxb2 Ba3 25. Rb1 Bb4 26. Nc4Ra8. 23.Ba3 Ne4 24.Rc7+ Kd8 25.Bxd6Nxd2 26.Rxg7Rxb3 27.h4 h5 28.Bf4Ke8 29.Kh2 Overly cautious. The straightforward 29.Bg5 Ne4 30. Re7+ Kf8 31. Rxe6 Rb1+ 32. Kh2Nxf2 33. Rf6+ Kg7 34. Rxf5 grabs a second pawn.29...Rb2 30.Kh3Ne4 31.f3Nf2+ 32.Kg3Nd3

258

33.Bg5 e5 34.Kh3Nf2+ 35.Kh2Nd3 36.Bh6Ne1 37.Kg1Nd3 38.Bg5Rb1+ 39.Kh2Rb240.Re7+ Deep Thought found a simpler win by40. Rh7! Ne1 41. Kh3 Rxg2 42. Re7+ Kf843. Rxe5 Rh2+ 44. Kxh2 Nxf3+ 45. Kg3Nxe5 46. Kf4. 40...Kf8 41.Re6 Kg7 42.Kh3Re2 43.Rd6Ne1 44.Bf6+Kg8 45.Bxe5Rxe346.Bf4 Deep Thought pointed out the last chanceto win by 46. Rd5! Re2 47. Bg3 Nxg2 48. Rxf5picking up a second pawn. 46...Re2 47.Rg6+He could make Black sweat by 47. Rf6 Rxg2 48.Bg3 Rg1 49. Bxe1 Rxe1 50. Rxf5 Kg7 51. Rxh5.Although White is two pawns ahead, it’s still atheoretical draw with correct defense. 47...Kf748.Rg5Ke6 49.Bc7Ra2 50.Bb6Nd3 51.Kh2Ne1 52.Kh3 Nd3 53.Bc7 Rc2 54.Bb6 Ra255.Kg3 Ne1 56.Rxh5 Rxg2+ 57.Kf4 Nd3+58.Ke3 Ne5 59.Rh6+ Kd5 60. Bc7 Rg761.Bxe5 Kxe5 Draw by Agreement. "I playedterribly," conceded Fischer after this narrow es-cape. Despite this reprieve, he clearly was not hisold self.1/2-1/2

◦ Karpov, An.• Ivanchuk, V.?Reggio Emilia1992 1/2-1/2 D20When this game was played, Ivanchuk had tem-porarily taken over the number two position in theworld from Karpov.1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 Nf6 4.e5 Nd5 5.Bxc4Nb6 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.Be3 Be6 Of course not7...Nxd4?? 8.Bxd4 Qxd4 9.Bb5+ winning theQueen. 8.Nc3 Qd7 9.Nf3 O–O–O 10.h3 Pre-venting 10...Bg4. Karpov’s style is to play like apython and squeeze his opponents to death. ButIvanchuk is not a willing customer. 10...Nb411.Be2 Not 11.Be4?! Bc4. 11...f5 12.O–O h613.a3 N4d5 14.Ne1 Nxc3 Dubious is 14...g5?!15.Nd3 followed by 16.Nc5. 15.bxc3 Bc416.Nd3 e6 17.a4 g5 18.Qc2Qc6 Not 18...Nd5?!19.Nc5 Bxc5 20.Bxc4 with a large advantage toWhite. 19.Rfc1Bd5 20.Bf1Nc4 21.Bd2Rg822.Nb4Bxb4 23.cxb4Nxd2 24.Qxd2Qd7 25.Ra3 Kb8 Not 25...g4?! 26.hxg4 Rxg4 27.Rac3Rdg8 28.f3 and White is better. 26.Rac3 Rc827.b5 g4 28.h4Qe7 29.g3Qb4 30.Qd1 With thismove White loses his advantage. Correct is 30.Bg2preventing Black’s next move. 30...c6 31.Bg2 Not31.bxc6 Rxc6 32.Rxc6 Bxc6 33.Rc4 Qa5 with alarge advantage to White. 31...Bxg2 32.Kxg2cxb5 33.Rxc8+Rxc8 34.Rxc8+Kxc8 35.Qc1+

Not 35.axb5? Qxb5 36.Qc1+? Qc6+ winning.35...Kd7 Not 35...Qc4 36.Qxh6 bxa4 37.Qf8+Kd7 38.h5 which is good for White. 36.axb5 Dubi-ous is 36.Qxh6?! bxa4 37.h5 a3 38.Qg7+ Qe7 witha large advantage to Black. 36...Qxd4 37.Qxh6Qe4+ 38.Kh2 Qd5 39.Qg7+ Ke8 40.Qh8+Kd7 41.Qg7+ Ke8 42. Qg6+ Ke7 43.Qf6+Kd7 44.Qf7+ Kd8 45.Qf6+ Kd7 Draw byAgreement.1/2-1/2

◦ Shirov, A.• Anand, V.?Dortmund1992 1/2-1/2 D20A game full of tactics.1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 Nf6 4.e5 Nd5 5.Bxc4Nb6 6.Bb3 Nc6 7.Ne2 Bf5 8.Nbc3 e69.O–O Qd7 10.Be3 Rd8 11.Ng3 Bg6 Not11...Nxd4 12.Bxd4 Qxd4 13.Qf3 hitting both f5and b7. 12.h4 Nxd4 13.Bxd4 Not 13.h5 Bd3!and 14.Qxd3 is impossible due to 14...Nf3+.13...Qxd4 14.Qf3 Qxh4 14...c6 15.h5 Bd316.Rfe1 followed by 17.Rad1 is good for White.15.Qxb7 Bc5 Not 15...Be7? 16.Qc6+ Rd717.Rd1 and Black cannot castle without losing apiece. Now the threat is 16...Qxg3. 16.Qc6+16.Nge4 Bd4 17.Qc6+ Rd7 is good for Black.16...Nd7 17.Rad1 17.Nge4 Bb6 18.Rad1 O-O19.Rxd7 Bxe4 is good for Black. 17...Bb617...O-O? 18.Rxd7 Rxd7 19.Qxc5 and 17...Qxg3?!18.Rxd7 Rxd7? 19.Qxc5 are good for White.18.Rxd7 18.Na4? Bd4! and 18.Nce4? Ke7 areto Black’s advantage. 18...Rxd7 19.Rd1 O–OThe only move. Not 19...Qxg3?? 20.Qxd7+Kf8 21.Qd8#. 20.Rxd7 Qxg3 21.Qxb6 Qxc3The only move. 21...axb6 22.fxg3 wins a piece.22.bxc3 cxb6 23.Rxa7Rc8 The endgame is com-pletely equal. 24.c4 h5 25.Rd7 If 25.Rb7, then25...Bd3 wins the c-pawn. 25...Rc5 26.f4 b527.cxb5Rxb5 28.Kf2 Draw by Agreement.1/2-1/2

◦ Karpov, An.• Bareev, E.?Linares1992 0-1 A21Karpov is upset.1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 e5 4.dxe5 d4 5.Ne4Qa5+ 6.Nd2Nd7 7.e6 fxe6 8.g3 e5 9.Bg2Ngf610.Nf3 Be7 11.O–O Qc7 12.Qc2 O–O White

259

has a slight advantage due partially to his control ofthe e4-square. 13.b3 Re8 14.Bb2 Bf8 15.Ng5Nc5 16.h3 g6 17.g4 Bg7 18.Nde4 Better was18.e3. 18...Nfxe4 19.Nxe4 Ne6 20.b4 Prevent-ing the Knight from coming into f4 with 20.e3 ismet with 20...c5. 20...Nf4 21.e3 Nxg2 22.Kxg2a5 23.a3 Rf8 24.Rad1 Correct is 24.f3. NowBlack gains a slight advantage. 24...axb4 25.axb4dxe3 26.f3 If 26.fxe3, then 26...Rxf1 27.Rxf1Qe7 followed by ...Be6 and ...h5. 26...Qe727.Bc1Bh6 28.Rde1Be6 Not 28...Qxb4 29.g5.29.Bxe3 Bxe3 30.Rxe3 Qxb4 31.Rb1 Qe732.Nf2 Qf7 33.Qb2 If 33.Nd3, then 33...e434.fxe4 Bxc4 is strong. 33...Bxc4 34.Qxb7Qf435.Qxc6 White is forced to give up the exchange.35.Rc3 Bd5 is too strong. 35...Qxe3 36.Qxc4+Kh8 37.Rb3 White is hoping to play Qe2 fol-lowed by Re3 setting up a defensive fortress.37...Qd2 38.Qc5Rae8 39.Rd3Qf4 40.Qc3 Intime pressure White misses a way to hold the po-sition. Better is 40.Qc2 followed by Qe2 and Re3.40...Rc8 41.Qb2 Rc4 Black would like to playeither 42...Rfc8 or 42...Rd4. 42.Qe2 h5 43.Ne4h4 44.Re3 Rfc8 45.Qf2 Rc2 46.Re2 Rxe247.Qxe2 Kg7 48.Qf2 Qc1 49.Qxh4 Rc2+50.Nf2 g5 51.Qg3 Qe1 52.h4 Kg6 53.hxg553.f4 offered more chances. 53...Kxg5 54.f4+exf4 55.Qf3Rd2 White is in zugzwang. 56.Kh3Qf1+ Not 56...Qxf2 58.Qxf2 Rxf2 stalemate.57.Qg2Rxf2 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Kasparov, G.• Nikolic, Pr.?Manila1992 1-0 A21This game won the first brilliancy prize at theOlympiad.1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 e5 4.dxe5 d4 5.Ne4Qa5+6.Bd2 Qxe5 7.Ng3 Qd6 8.Nf3 Nf6 9.Qc2Be7 10.O–O–O O–O 11.e3 dxe3 12.fxe3 Weakeris 12.Bxe3 Qc7 with equality. 12...Qc7 13.Bc3Bg4 Better is 13...Na6 14.a3. 14.Bd3 Nbd715.Bf5 Threatening 16.Rxd7. 15...Bxf5 Whitehas a strong attack after 15...Rad8 16.Bxg4 Nxg417.Bxg7 Nxe3 18.Qd2. 16.Nxf5 Rfe8 17.Nxg7Ripping open Black’s kingside. 17...Kxg718.Qf5 Nf8 Weaker would be 18...Kf8 19.Ng5h6 20.Rxd7 Qxd7 21.Nh7+ or 18...Rad8 19.Rdf1Nf8 20.Qg5+ Ng6 21.Nh4. 19.h4 White brings inreinforcements. 19...h6 20.g4 Better is 20.Qg4+.20...Qc8 21.Qxc8 White’s attack would remainstrong after 21.Qc2 Kg8 22.g5. 21...Raxc8

22.g5 Nd7 23.e4 Not 23.Rxd7? hxg5 24.hxg5Kg6. 23...Rcd8 23...Kf8 offered better chances.24.Rdf1 Kf8 25.gxf6 Bxf6 If 25...Nxf6, then26.Ne5. 26.e5 Bg7 27.Rhg1 c5 28.Kc2 Re629.Rg4 Bh8 White still has strong pressure ascan be seen from the variation 29...h5 30.Rf4Bh6 31.Rxf7+ Kxf7 32.Ng5+ Ke7 33.Rf7+ Ke834.Nxe6 winning. 30.b4 b6 31.bxc5 bxc532.Rb1 Ra6 33.Rb2 Bg7 If 33...h5, then34.Rf4. 34.Rb7 Rxa2+ 35.Kb3 Ra6 36.e6Rxe6 37.Rxg7 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Kasparov, G.• Nikolic, P.30th Chess Olympics (12)Manila1992 1-0 A21In this matchup between Russia vs. Bosnia, Kas-parov created a memorable game that will take itsplace among his many creative achievements. Hiscomplex piece sacrifice was awarded the first bril-liancy prize.1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 e5 4.dxe5 d4 5.Ne4Qa5+6.Bd2 Qxe5 7.Ng3 Qd6 8.Nf3 Nf6 9.Qc2Be7 10.O–O–O O–O 11.e3 The battle lines al-ready are sharply drawn. Kasparov rejects 11. Bc3dxc3! 12. Rxd6 cxb2+ 13. Kb1 Bxd6 with rea-sonable compensation for the queen. 11...dxe312.fxe3Qc7 13.Bc3Bg4 13...Na6! would avoidmany future problems. 14.Bd3 Nbd7 15.Bf5Bxf5 16.Nxf5 Rfe8 17.Nxg7 A bolt from theblue. This long-range sacrifice could not be cal-culated to the very end. 17...Kxg7 18.Qf5 Nf8The best defense. Weaker is 18...Kf8 19. Ng5 h620. Rxd7! Qxd7 21. Nh7+! Or 18...Rad8 19.Rdf1 Nf8 20. Qg5+ Ng6 21. Nh4 with unbearablepressure. 19.h4 A profound conception. White isonly slightly better after 19. Rhf1 Kg8! 20. Bxf6Bxf6 21. Qxf6 Qe7. 19...h6 20.g4 Allows Blacksome hope. Stronger is 20. Qg4+ Ng6 21. h5 Qb622. hxg6 Qxe3+ 23. Kb1 fxg6 24. Qh4 and theattack triumphs. 20...Qc8 21.Qxc8 Regains thepiece. Even more crushing is 21. Qc2! Kg8 22. g5Ng4 23. gxh6 f5 24. Rhg1 Qe6 25. Nd4 Qxe3+26. Kb1. 21...Raxc8 22.g5 Nh7 23.e4 Red8A better defense is 23...Kf8! 24. gxf6 Nxf6 25.Rhg1 Red8 but White is still better with 26. Bd2.24.Rdf1Kf8 25.gxf6Bxf6 26.e5Bg7 27.Rhg1c5 28.Kc2 Rc6 29.Rg4 Bh8 30.b4 b6 31.bxc5bxc5 32.Rb1Ra6 33.Rb2Bg7 33...h5 34. Rf4is no help either. 34.Rb7 Rxa2+ 35.Kb3 Ra636.e6Rxe6 37.Rxg7 Black Resigns.1-0

260

◦ Karpov, An.• Short, N.?IT Linares1992 1-0 A81An interesting situation. These two are to meetthe month after this game is played in an elimi-nation match for the World Chess Championship.How should each proceed. Are ego points to bestruck? Is this a throw-away game to avoid tip-ping the hand as to opening preparations for the"big match"? Your guess is as good as mine! A du-bious opening novelty gives White an immediateadvantage.1.d4 f5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 e6 4.Nh3 Be7 5.O–OO–O 6.c4 d6 7.Nc3 Qe8 8.Nf4 g5 This weak-ens the kingside. Better are either 8...Bd8 or 8...c6.9.Nd3 Qg6 10.f4 h6 11.d5 Na6 12.b4 Karpovis known as a python for the way he strangu-lates his opponent’s pieces. 12...exd5 13.Nxd5Worth considering is 13.cxd5 in order to attack theweak c-pawn on the c-file. 13...Nxd5 14.Bxd5+Kh7 15.b5Nc5 16.Nxc5 dxc5 17.Qc2 a6 Blackneeds to try to get his queenside pieces developed.18.a4 Rb8 19.fxg5 hxg5 20.Ra3 c6 If 20...Be621.Bxe6 Qxe6 22.Re3 Qf6 23.g4 wins. 21.Bg2g4 is threatened. 21...Bf6 22.Be3Bd4 23.Bxd4cxd4 24.e3 dxe3 25.Rxe3 Be6 26.g4 Rbe827.bxc6 bxc6 28.c5 Not 28.Bxc6 Rc8. 28...Qf6If 28...Bd7, then 29.Rd3 followed by 30.Rd6.29.Bxc6 Rb8 If 29...Qd4, then 30.Qc3 Qxg431.Rg3. 30.gxf5 Bf7 If 30...Bxf5 31.Rxf5 Qxf532.Be4. 31.Bg2 Rb2 32.Qc3 Qxc3 33.Rxc3Rd8 34.c6 Rdd2 35.Be4 Re2 36.c7 Rxe4 37.c8=Q Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Rogers, I.• Milos, G.30th Chess Olympics (10)Manila1992 1-0 A41This game won the second brilliancy prize at theOlympiad’s Australia vs. Brazil matchup. Thiswas one of the prettiest games in the entire event,and the finishing touch is very nice indeed.1.d4Nf6 2.Nf3 d6 3.Nc3Bg4 4.e4 e6 5.h3Bh56.Qe2 Reinforcing e4 before playing g4. Morenatural is 6. Be2. 6...c6 7.g4 Bg6 8.Bg5 Be79.Bxf6 Bxf6 10.h4 White controls more space,but he could get overextended and Black’s twobishops might be dangerous in the future. 10...h6

11.O–O–O Nd7 12.Kb1 Qc7 13.Rg1 Prepar-ing g4-g5 or h4-h5. 13...h5 14.g5 Be7 15.d5 e516.Bh3 O–O–O 17.Nd2Kb8 It’s always a goodidea to break pins right away. 18.Nc4 Nb6Trying to reduce White’s pressure on the queen-side. 19.Nxb6Qxb6 20.Rd3 Prepares an assaultalong the third rank after an imminent Nd5. NowBlack should consider 20...c5 to close the lineson the queenside. 20...Ka8 21.a3 Rdf8 22.Bf5Stopping Black from starting his own counterplaywith ...f7-f5. 22...Bh7 Black wants to open up di-agonal for his Bishops with ...g7-g6 and ...f7-f6.23.Rgd1 g6 Again 22...c5 looks right. 24.dxc6bxc6 Not 24...gxf5 25.Nd5 winning immediately.25.Bd7 Qc7 The best try is 25...Rb8! 26. b3Qc7 although White retains an edge with 27. Bh3.26.Bxc6+ Qxc6 27.Nd5 Bd8 If 27...Qd7, then28.Rc3 Rc8 30.Qa6! wins. 28.Rc3Qb7 29.Rb3Qc6 If 29...Qc8, then 30.Rdd3 Ba5 31.Rb5 wins.30.Rdd3Ba5 31.Rdc3Bxc3 32.Qa6 Black re-signs. If 32...Qxa6, then 33.Nc7# or if 32...Rc8,then 33.Nb6+ Kb8 [33...Qxb6 34. Rxb6 Rb8 35.Rxb8+ Rxb8 36. Qc6+] 34.Nxc8 Kc7 35.Rxc3.1-0

◦ Shabalov, A.• Smirin, I.?Manila1992 1-0 B64This game won the third brilliancy prize at theOlympiad.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3Nc6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 Be7 8.O–O–O O–O 9.f4h6 10.h4 More risky than the normal 10.Bh4.10...Nxd4 11.Qxd4 a6 11...hxg5 12.hxg5 givesWhite too strong of an attack on the h-file. 12.Be2Qa5 13.Bf3 Rd8 14.g4 Bd7 15.Bxh6 Rip-ping open Black’s kingside. 15...gxh6 16.g5Ne8Not 16...Nh7 17.Rdg1 h5 18.Bxh5 and White hasthreats of Bxf7+ and g6. 17.Rdg1 h5 Tryingto keep the kingside closed. 17...Qc5 18.gxh6+Kh7 19.Qd2 followed by Qg2 is very strong.18.Bxh5 Threatening 19.Bxf7+ Kxf7 20.Qh8 Ng721.g6+ Kf6 22.Qh6. 18...Bf8 19.f5Qe5 20.Qd2Threatening 21.g6 f6 22.g7. 20...exf5 21.g6fxg6 Even worse is 21...f6 22.g7. 22.Rxg6+Kh7 23.Rhg1 fxe4 23...Nf6 would have offeredmore resistance. 24.Rh6+ Bxh6 25.Bg6+Kg7 26.Bxe8+ Kh7 26...Kf8 27.Qxh6+ Ke828.Qg6+ also loses. 27.Bg6+ Kg7 28.Bxe4+Kf7 29.Qxh6 Black’s position remains difficultbecause of his open King and White’s activepieces. 29...Rh8 30.Bd5+ Ke8 31.Qd2 Kd8

261

32.Re1Qh5 33.Ne4Qh6 34.Ng5Kc7 35.Re7Rae8 36.Qa5+ b6 Worse is 36...Kc8 37.Qb6.37.Qc3+ A blunder in time pressure. Betteris 37.Qxa6 and if 37...Rxe7, then 38.Qb7+ Kd839.Qxb6+. 37...Kd8 38.Rxd7+ Kxd7 39.Qc6+Ke7 40.Qc7+ Kf6 41.Qxd6+ Kf5 42.Qd7+Ke5 Returning the favor. The position wouldbe roughly equal after 42...Kf4. 43.Bf7 Qf844.Qd5+ White plays several checks before de-ciding on the best way to win. 44...Kf6 45.Qf3+Ke7 46.Qb7+ Kf6 47.Qxb6+ Kf5 48.Qf2+Ke5 49.Qg3+ Kf6 50. Qf4+ Ke7 51.Qc7+Kf6 52.Qc6+Ke5 53.Qd5+Kf6 54.Qf3+Ke755.Qb7+ Kd8 56. Qb8+ Ke7 57.Qa7+ Kd858.Qa8+ Ke7 59.Qa7+ Kd8 60.Qb6+ Ke761.Qe6+ Kd8 62. Qb6+ Ke7 63.Qxa6 Rb864.Qa7+ Kd6 65.Qd4+ Kc6 66.Bd5+ Kd767.Nf7 Threatening 68.Qa7+. 67...Rh6 68.Qg4+Kc7 69.Qf4+ Rd6 70.Qxd6+ Qxd6 71.Nxd6Kxd6 72.Bf7 Rf8 73. Bg6 Rf1+ 74.Kd2Rf2+ 75.Ke3 Rh2 76.h5 Ke5 77.Kd3 Kd578.Kc3 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Adams, M.• Salov, V.?Dortmund1992 1-0 B33A good example of how to play against the sharpSveshnikov defense.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf65.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5 9.Bxf6gxf6 10.Nd5Bg7 11.c3 f5 12.exf5Bxf5 13.Nc2O–O 14.Nce3 White will have an advantage ifhe can keep control of the d5 square. Other-wise Black’s two Bishops and center will becomevery strong. 14...Be6 15.g3 Ne7 16.Bg2 Rb817.O–O Nxd5 Better is 17...f5. 18.Bxd5 Kh819.a4 Opening up the a-file for his Rook. 19...Bh620.axb5 axb5 Better was 20...Bxe3. 21.Nc2Now the Knight takes up a very strong posi-tion on b4. 21...Qd7 22.Ra6 Bh3 23.Re1 Not23.Bg2?? Bxg2 24.Kxg2 Qb7+ picking up theRook. 23...Bg5 24.Nb4 Bd8 Black hopes toexchange off White’s active Rook with 25...Rb6.25.Be4 Bb6 25...Rb6 is met by 26.Qh5 with astrong attack. For example, 26...f6 27.Qf6 Rf728.Rxb6 Bxb6 29.Bxh7 winning. 26.Nd5 f527.Nxb6 Qd8 28.Nd7 Qxd7 29.Rxd6 Qe730.Rd7 Qg5 31.Bc2 e4 This loses quickly.Black could have offered more resistance with31...Rbe8. 32.Qd4+ Qf6 33.Qa7 Qh6 34.Ra1b4 35.Qd4+Qf6 36.Raa7Qxd4 37.cxd4 Black

Resigns. There is no defense to 38.Rxh7+ followedby 39.Bb3 or 39.Rag7.1-0

◦ Dolmatov, S.• Chekhov, V.?Germany1992 1-0 B33A nice kingside attack by White.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf65.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b59.Bxf6 gxf6 10.Nd5 f5 11.Bd3 Be6 12.O–OBxd5 13.exd5 Ne7 14.c3 Bg7 15. Qh5 Qd716.Rad1 Rc8 17.Nc2 Rc5 18.Ne3 e4 Not18...f4? 19.Nf5. 19.Bb1 O–O If 19...f4, then20.Ng4. 20.g3 White is planning to play 21.f3.20...b4 Better is first 20...Rb8. 21.cxb4Rb5 22.a3Bxb2 23.Kh1 Not immediately 23.f3?! due to23...Qa7. 23...Rc8 24.f3 Rc3 25.fxe4 Rxa3Not 25...Rxe3? 26.Qg5+. 26.Nxf5 Nxf5 27.e5Opens up the b1-h7 diagonal. 27...Nxg3+ 28.hxg3Bxe5 29.Qxh7+ Kf8 30.Rc1 Threatening both31.Rc8+ and 31.Rxf7+. 30...Rb7 31.Bf5 Qb532.Be6 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Luther, T.• Shirov, A.?Germany1992 0-1 B33This game was played in the Bundesliga. Thestrongest chess clubs in Germany meet every fewweeks for team competitions. The German Interna-tional Master Luther plays for Sindelfingen and theLatvian Grandmaster Shirov plays for Hamburg.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3Nc6 6.Ndb5 d6 The sharp Svesnikov variation isvery popular on the international circuit. 7.Bf4e5 8.Bg5 a6 9.Na3 b5 10.Bxf6 gxf6 11.Nd5 f512.Bd3 Be6 13.Qh5 Rg8 14.c3 Rxg2 15.Qf3Rg4 16.exf5 A novelty. 16.h3 had been pre-viously played. 16...Bxd5 17.Qxd5 Ne718.Qb7 Not 18.Qf3 Rf4. 18...Bh6 19.Nc2 Kf8Threatening 20...Rb8 21.Qxa6? Ra4. 20.Rd1Better is 20.Ne3 Bxe3 21.fxe3 Ng8 22.f6 Nxf623.Rf1. 20...Rb8 Not 20...Bg5 21.Be2 followedby 22.Rxd6. 21.Qf3Rf4 22.Qh3Bg5 23.Ne3e4 24.Qg3 Better is 24.Be2. 24...Nxf5 25.Nxf5Rxf5 26.Bxe4 Qe7 27.O–O 27.Rd4 Bh4 and27.Qxd6 Qxd6 28.Rxd6 Re8 29.Rd4 Rf4 30.f3f5 31.Rd5 Bh4 both win for Black. 27...Qxe428.Qxd6+Kg7 29.Qxb8Bf4 White Resigns.

262

0-1

◦ Romero Holmes, A.• Salov, V.?Wijk aan Zee1992 0-1 B33Black plays a risky but sharp opening.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Nc3 e6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4Nf6 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bf4 e5 8.Bg5 a6 9.Na3 b5The Sveshnikov is a very theoretical and popularopening. 10.Bxf6 gxf6 11.Nd5 f5 12.g3 fxe413.Bg2 Be6 14.Bxe4 Bg7 15.Qh5 15.Nf6+Qxf6 16.Bxc6+ Ke7 17.Bxa8 Qxa8 is good forBlack. 15...Rc8 16.c3Ne7 17.Rd1Rc5 18.Nb4Qb6 19.Qg5 Kf8 20.Qe3 h5 21.Nd3 Bad is21.Nxa6? Bh6, but not 21...Qxa6?? 22.Qxc5 dxc523.Rd8#. 21...Rc6 22.Bxc6Qxc6 Black has suf-ficient compensation for the exchange. White hadseveral weaknesses in his position. 23.f3 Bh624.Qf2 a5 25.O–O h4 26.g4 Nd5 27.Nc2 h328.Nc1 Better was 28.Qe2 with an unclear po-sition. 28...Bg5 29.Ne2 Bd8 The Bishop istransferred to the a7-g1 diagonal. 30.Kh1 Bb631.Qg3 b4 32.Ncd4 An unsound sacrifice in adifficult position. 32...exd4 33.Nxd4 Bxd434.Rxd4 bxc3 35.bxc3 Ke7 36.g5 Ne3 37.Rf2Nf5 38. Qf4Rh4 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Georgiev, Kir.• Shirov, A.?Biel1992 1-0 B33Played at the Festival in Biel, Switzerland, in 1992.Kiril Georgiev seems to shine especially againstShirov - for Georgiev, Shirov is a "good customer."It is sometimes this way in top-level chess, that forstylistic or psychological reasons, relatively equalstrength players may have very lopsided resultsagainst each other.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3Nc6 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bf4 e5 8.Bg5 a6 9.Na3 Thisis the defining position of the Sveshnikov Sicil-ian, but oddly enough it can be reached in an-other way that requires fewer moves. 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d67.Bg5 a6 8.Na3... looks familiar, no? The rea-sons for choosing one way over the other haveto do with minor sub-variations that are possi-ble in each line: the shorter route allows Whiteto choose 7.Nd5 instead, which some wish to

avoid; the longer version doesn’t really force Nd4-b5. 9...Be6 Black usually plays 9...b5 to pre-vent White from bringing his Knight back into thegame via c4. Then White might play Nd5, c3,Nc2, and Nce3 to control the d5 square - or hemight sacrifice a piece on b5 to try to take imme-diate advantage of the weaknesses Black has cre-ated by all of these pawn moves. 10.Nc4 Rc811.Bxf6 gxf6 12.Ne3Bh6 13.Bd3Bxe3 Eventhough this makes a weakling on e3, it also ex-poses Black’s doubled f-pawns to direct assault onthe file. 14.fxe3 Qb6 15.Qc1 Na5 It turns outBlack doesn’t have time for this maneuver, andthe off-side Knight allows White’s decisive tactics.15...Nb4 makes more sense. 16.O–OKe7 17.Qe1h5 Played both to allow ...Rh8-h6, defending thef6-pawn, and because 17...Qxb2 loses to 18.Na4(Qa3 19.Qxa5). 18.b3Qc5 19.Nd5+ Due to thethreat of b3-b4, among other things, Black mustcapture. 19...Bxd5 20.exd5Qxd5 21.Rd1 Whitethreatens to make a decisive discovery, but Blackcannot move the Queen away without hanging theKnight. 21...Rcg8 22.Qf2Rh6 22...Qe6 23.Bf5is even worse, if that is possible. 23.Bg6 BlackResigns.1-0

◦ Kengis, E.• Akopian, V.?Manila1992 0-1 B34The break-up of the Soviet Union created the op-portunity for many more countries to participate inthe Olympiad. Here Latvia and Armenia squareoff.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Qb65.Nb3 Nf6 6.Nc3 e6 7.Bd3 Be7 8.Be3 Qc79.f4 d6 10.Qe2 a6 11.g4 b5 12.O–O–O Bb713.g5Nd7 14.Kb1Nc5 15.Rhf1Na4 16.Nxa4The moves 16.Bd2 Nxc3+ 17.Bxc3 e5 results in anequal position. 16...bxa4 17.Nd2 Nb4 18.Bd4O–O 19.Nc4 d5 20.exd5 Nxd3 Not 20...Bxd5?21.Bxh7+! Kxh7 22.Qh5+ Kg8 23.Bxg7 resultsin a winning attack. 21.cxd3 Bxd5 22.Rc1Qb7 23.Nb6Rad8 24.Qe5 Also bad is 24.Nxa4Bxa2+. Correct is 24.Qe3. 24...f6 25.Qe3 Themoves 25.Qc7 fxg5 are good for Black. 25...a326.b3 fxg5 27.fxg5 Bd6 28.Bc5 A time trou-ble error. 28.Nc4 would have given Black onlya slight advantage. 28...Bxc5 29.Qxc5 Rxf130.Rxf1 Bg2 31.Rf2 If 31.Rf4 Bh3 threatening32...Qh1+ followed by ...Bf5. 31...Be4 32.dxe4Qxe4+ 33.Kc1 Qe1+ 34.Kc2 Qe4+ 35.Kc1

263

Qd3 36.Qc2 The only way to stop 36...Qd1#.36.Qxa3 Qc3+ wins immediately. 36...Qd4 Win-ning back the sacrificed piece. 37.Rf1 If 37.Nc4,then 37...Qa1+ 38.Qb1 Rd1+ wins. 37...Qxb638.Qf2Qb7 39.Qe2Qd5 40.h4 e5 41.Re1 Then41.Qc4 Qxc4 42.dxc4 Rc8 gives Black a winningendgame. 41...Rc8+ 42.Kb1Qc5 43.Rd1Qc344.Rf1 e4 45.Qf2 Qd3+ 46.Ka1 Qf3 Forcingthe exchange of Queens which results in a winningendgame for Black. 47.Kb1 Qxf2 48.Rxf2 e349.Rf3 If 49.Re2, then 49...Rc3 wins. 49...Re850.Rf1 e2 51.Re1 Kf7 52.h5 Re5 53.Kc2Rxg5 54.Rxe2 Rxh5 55.Kc3 Rf5 White Re-signs.0-1

◦ Fischer, R.• Spassky, B.?11th Match Game, Sveti-Stefan & Belgrade1992 1-0 B31In the Sveti Stefan/Belgrade match, both playerstried unusual systems against the Sicilian Defense.Several of the contests were in closed lines whereWhite played Nc3 and d3; this game followed theRossilimo pattern with White playing Bb5. NowWhite enters uncharted territory with a dynamicpawn sacrifice.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.Bxc6 bxc65.O–O Bg7 6.Re1 e5 7.b4 cxb4 8.a3 c5 9.axb4cxb4 10.d4 exd4 11.Bb2 d6 One can’t help butfeel Black should be trying to develop somewherearound here. All of these pawn moves seem to helpWhite more than Black. 12.Nxd4 Qd7 13.Nd2Bb7 14.Nc4 Nh6 15.Nf5 Bxb2 16.Ncxd6+Kf8 17.Nxh6 f6 18. Ndf7 Qxd1 19.Raxd1Ke7 20.Nxh8Rxh8 21.Nf5+ Just when Spasskyseems to have weathered the storm with only mi-nor damage, Fischer unleashes this discombob-ulating tail-ender. It is clear that Black can-not now survive. 21...gxf5 22.exf5+ Be5 23.f4Rc8 24.fxe5 Rxc2 25.e6 Bc6 26.Rc1 Rxc127. Rxc1 Kd6 28.Rd1+ Ke5 29.e7 a5 30.Rc1Bd7 31.Rc5+ Kd4 32.Rxa5 b3 33.Ra7 Be834.Rb7Kc3 35.Kf2 b2 36.Ke3Bf7 37.g4Kc238.Kd4 b1=Q 39.Rxb1 Kxb1 40.Kc5 Kc241.Kd6 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Ye, J.• Ivanchuk, V.?Manila

1992 0-1 B45A battle between China’s and Ukraine’s top play-ers.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3Nc6 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.e5 Nd5 8.Ne4 Qc7 9.f4Bb4+ 10.c3 Be7 11.Bd3 Qb6 12.c4 Better is12.Qe2. 12...f5 13.exf6 Worse is 13.Nf2 Ne314.Qf3 Qb4+ 15.Bd2 Qxb2. 13...Nxf6 Whitehas troubles because his King is stuck in thecenter. 14.Qc2 Nxe4 15.Bxe4 Ba6 16.Bd2Bf6 17.Rb1 Not 17.O-O-O Bxc4. 17...d518.Bxh7 The decisive error. Better is 18.Bd3.18...O–O–O 19.b3 Not 19.Bd3 Rxh2. 19...Qd420.Bd3 If 20.cxd5 Rxh7 21.Qxc6+ (21.Qh7Bd3) 21...Kb8 22.Qxa6 Qe4+ wins. 20...dxc421.Bxc4 Bxc4 22.bxc4 Bh4+ 23.Kd1 Qxf424.Kc1 If 24.Rb3, then 24...Bg5 25.Rd3 Qg4+wins. 24...Rxd2 25.Qxd2Qxc4+ 26.Qc2Qf4+27.Qd2 If 27.Kb2, then 27...Bf6+ 28.Kb3 Qe3+29.Ka4 Rh4+ wins. 27...Qe5 28.Qd3 If 28.Qb4,then 28...Bg5+ 29.Kc2 Qe2+ 30.Kb3 Rd8 wins.28...Qc5+ 29.Qc2 If 29.Kb2, then 29...Kc7 30.a3Rb8+ 31.Ka2 Qf2+ wins. 29...Bg5+ 30.Kb2Bf6+ 31.Kc1 Qe3+ 32.Qd2 Qa3+ White Re-signs. If 33.Kc2 Rd8 wins.0-1

◦ Luther, T.• Lukacs, P.?Budapest1992 0-1 C99A game full of sacrifices.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.h3 Na510.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 cxd4 13.cxd4Nc6 14.d5 Nb4 15.Bb1 a5 16.a3 Na6 17.b4Bd7 18.Qb3 axb4 The Ruy Lopez has beenthoroughly analyzed, but new moves are con-tinually been found. Previously 18...Nh5 fol-lowed by ...Nf4 had been played. 19.axb4 Nc520.bxc5 White sacrifices the exchange to get astrong passed pawn. The position is equal af-ter 20.Qc3 Rxa1 21.Qxa1 Na4. 20...Rxa121.c6 Bc8 22.Ba3 Black’s Rook is in danger ofgetting trapped. 22...Qa7 23.Bb4 Better is23.Re3 followed by 24.Qb2 with an unclear po-sition. 23...Nh5 Black starts counterplay on theother side of the board. 24.Nf1 Nf4 25.Ne3g6 26.Nc2 If 26.Nxe5, then 26...dxe5 27.d6 Bd828.d7 Bxd7 with a winning position. 26...Ra427.Na3 Bxh3 28.Nxb5 Not 28.gxh3 Nxh3+29.Kg2 Rxb4 followed by ...Qxf2+. 28...Rxb4

264

29.Qxb4 Qb6 30.g3 Again 30.gxh3 is not pos-sible due to 30...Nxh3+ and 31...Qxf2. The posi-tion is roughly equal. White has a strong passedpawn but his kingside is weak. 30...Nh5 31.Bd3Better is 31.Nd2 and if 31...Nxg3?, then 32.Nc4.31...Nxg3 32.Nxe5Nh5 Not 32...dxe5? 33.Qxe7and White is winning with his two passed pawns.33.Nc4 Qd8 34.Bf1 Nf4 35.Qb3 White bringshis Queen over to the queenside for defensive pur-poses. Not 35.Bxh3 Nxh3+ 36.Kf1 Nxf2! 37.Kxf2Bh4+ winning. 35...Bh4 Black must get hisQueen into the attack. In order to do so, he sac-rifices a Bishop, bringing the White King into theopen in the process. 36.Bxh3 Bxf2+ 37.Kxf2Qh4+ 38.Kf1 Nxh3 39.Qf3 Not 39.Re2 Qf4+40.Kg2 Qg4+ winning. 39...f5 Black gets his fi-nal piece into the attack. 40.c7 White seekscounterplay by trying to promote his passed pawn.40...Ng5 Not 40...fxe4? 41.Qxf8+ followed by42.c8=Q+ winning. 41.Qg2 fxe4+ 42.Ke2Qh5+43.Ke3 Better is 43.Kd2, escaping quickly to thekingside. 43...Nf3 44.Rd1 Ne5 45.Qe2 Thelosing move. Correct is 45.Rf1! Nxc4+ 46.Kd4and White will be all right. 45...Nxc4+ 46.Qxc4Qg5+ 47.Kxe4 Rf4+ White resigns, as he losesquickly after 48.Kd3 Qg3+ followed by ...Rxc4.0-1

◦ Fischer, R.• Spassky, B.Return Match (1)Sveti Stefan1992 1-0 C95Chess fans were giddy when the reclusiveAmerican, now 49, made a comeback. Heshowed up in war-torn Yugoslavia to playhis first tournament game in 20 years in a5millionduelbilledas”TheReturnMatchoftheCenturyBetweentheNever−DefeatedChampionoftheWorldBobbyF ischerandHisChallengerBorisSpassky.”Untilthefirstmovewasactuallyplayed,manypunditsdidn′tbelievethisreturnmatchwouldactuallytakeplace.Bobbysurprisedtheminmorewaysthanone, ashisfirstgamewasvirtuallyperfect.TheassembledGrandmasterswereleftwonderingifanytimehadpassedatall.F ischerscoredthenecessary10wins(with5lossesand15draws)after30gamesandprovedhestillrememberedhowthepiecesmovebeforevanishingagain−−probablyforever.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 This Morphy De-fense to the Ruy Lopez puts the question to thebishop – it must either take the knight or retreat.4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O–O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d68.c3 O–O 9.h3 Theory deems this better than 9.d4 Bg4! 9...Nb8 This retreat characterizes theBreyer variation of the Ruy Lopez. The Knight willreposition to d7, and moving it allows the c-pawnto advance. 9...Na5 is the main alternative. 10.d4Nbd7 11.Nbd2Bb7 12.Bc2Re8 13.Nf1 Vary-ing from their tenth game in 1972: 13. b4 Bf8 14.a4 Nb6 15. a5 Nbd7 which Fischer (white) wonin 56 moves. 13...Bf8 14.Ng3 g6 15.Bg5 h616.Bd2Bg7 Later Spassky varied with 16...exd4

17.cxd4 c5. 17.a4 c5 18.d5 c4 19.b4 The novelty.19...Nh7 Dooming Black to passivity. Capturingen passant with 19...cxb3 20. Bxb3 Nc5 leaves theposition fairly even and gets some breathing spacealong the c-file. But Spassky knew his opponenthad something special prepared, and was rightlyworried that Fischer would be well prepared for theobvious capture. 20.Be3 h5 21.Qd2Rf8 22.Ra3Ndf6 23.Rea1 Qd7 As Dr. Tarrasch observed,"Cramped positions bear the germs of defeat." In-stead of trying to contest the a-file Black shouldconsider 23...Rb8 followed by Bc8-d7 to post hisbishop on a better square. 24.R1a2Rfc8 25.Qc1Bf8 26.Qa1Qe8 27.Nf1 White is following a re-markably direct plan to dominate the a-file after itis opened - and it will be opened by axb5 at White’sdiscretion. Now the Knight is repositioned at b1 sothat after mass exchanges it will be able to hop upto a3, probably winning the b5 pawn. 27...Be728.N1d2 Kg7 29.Nb1 Nxe4 Weary of waiting,Spassky makes a desperate bid for freedom, sacri-ficing a piece to shift the momentum from White’sa-file buildup. This sort of sacrifice can be es-pecially effective when the opponent’s pieces areall busy doing something else, as they seem to behere. 29...Rab8, though unpleasant, may be ten-able. But not 29...Bf8 30. axb5 axb5 31. Ra7Rxa7 32. Rxa7 Ra8 33. Rxa8 Qxa8 (or 33...Bxa834. Qa5) 34. Qxa8 Bxa8 35. Na3 snaring apawn. 30.Bxe4 f5 But this is a mistake, open-ing the seventh rank for the White Rook’s invasion.Better is 30...Nf6, when Black gets some play forthe piece. 31.Bc2 Bxd5 32.axb5 axb5 33.Ra7Kf6 34.Nbd2 Rxa7 35.Rxa7 Ra8 36.g4 Fis-cher finds the most accurate route to victory. MostGMs would have relaxed a little here. 36...hxg437.hxg4Rxa7 38.Qxa7 f4 39.Bxf4 exf4 40.Nh4Bf7 41.Qd4+Ke6 42. Nf5 Crashing through inevery variation. 42...Bf8 43.Qxf4 Kd7 44.Nd4Qe1+ 45.Kg2 Bd5+ 46.Be4 Bxe4+ 47.Nxe4Be7 48. Nxb5 Nf8 49.Nbxd6 Ne6 50.Qe5Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Akopian, V.• Adams, M.?Oakham1992 1-0 C881.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O–O 8.h3 Bb7 9.d3 h610.Nbd2Re8 11.c3Bf8 12.a4Na5 13.Ba2 c514.Nb3Nc6 15.Be3 d6 16. Nbd2 d5 The move...d5 in the Ruy Lopez must be weighed carefully.

265

When played successfully, it can bring immedi-ate equality or more, sometimes much more. Butif it doesn’t work, it can help the White piecesspring into powerful attacking posts, and exposethe often awkwardly placed Black forces to newlyopened lines. Such is the case here, as Black dis-covers he must meet one direct threat after another.17.exd5 Nxd5 18.Ne4 Nxe3 The c5 pawn wasattacked. 19.Rxe3 Now White’s Rook has beenhelped to the third rank, where it defends the d-pawn and may participate in a Kingside attack.19...Na5 Trying to support the move ...c5-c4, butalso decentralizing. 20.Nfd2 Rc8 21.axb5 axb522.Rf3 c4 To block the a2-f7 diagonal. 23.Nf6+gxf6 24.Rg3+ Bg7 If the King moves, 24.Qg4will mate. 25.Qg4Kf8 26.Qxg7+Ke7 27.Qxh6Rg8 28.Rxg8 Qxg8 29.f3 Qg5 Straighteningout the doubled pawns, but only to reach a lostendgame. The loose Knight on a5 now takes itstoll. 30.Qxg5 fxg5 31.Bxc4 Nxc4 32.dxc4bxc4 33.Ra7Rb8 33...Rc7 makes no difference.34.Nxc4 Ke6 35.b4 And the two passed pawnsdecide. 35...e4 36.fxe4 Bxe4 37.Ra6+ Ke738.Nd2 Bd3 39.Rc6 Ra8 40.Kf2 f5 41.Rc7+Kf6 42.Rd7 Bb5 43.Rd5 Be8 44.g4 Bg645.Rd6+Kg7 46.b5Ra3 47.b6 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Short, N.• Karpov, An.?8th Match Game, Linares1992 1-0 C86This was a crucial game for Short to defeat Karpovin the quarter finals of the world championship.1.e4 e5 More often than not when Karpov’s backis up against the wall, he chooses the double Kingpawn defenses. 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Qe2 b5 7.Bb3 O–O 8.c3 d69.d4 Bg4 10.Rd1 exd4 11.cxd4 d5 12.e5 Ne4The players now find themselves in a position akinto the Open Ruy, an opening Viktor Korchnoi haschampioned for years, but one which I don’t thinkKarpov has ever played before. A bizarre departurefrom Karpov’s normal practice of sticking to whathe does best. 13.a4 bxa4 14.Bxa4 Nb4 15.h3Bh5 A necessary retreat. If 15...Bxf3? 16.gxf3Ng5 17.f4 Ne6 18.f5, Black will be rolled off theboard. 16.Nc3Bg6 17.Be3 White has built up afrightening advantage with simple moves. Black’squeenside and center pawns look like appetizers.Conversely, White’s center and queenside are tobe envied. 17...Rb8 18.Na2 Targeting the a6-pawn and opening up the c-file. 18...c5 19.dxc5

Nxc5 20.Nxb4Rxb4 21.Bc6 Black’s position iscoming apart. I don’t know where he went seri-ously wrong. 21...Qb6 22.Bxd5 Rxb2 23.Qc4Rc2 24.Qg4 A cruncher of a move. Besidesthreatening Nf3-d4-c6, all with tempo, there isnow the outside chance for h3-h4-h5 with a king-side win. 24...Qc7 25.Nd4 Rc3 26.Nc6 Re827.Bd4Rc2 Black quickly goes down in flames.After 27...Rd3 28.Rxd3 Nxd3 (or 28...Bxd3 29.e6f6 30.Rc1 wins) 29.Rxa6 White is merely a pawnup with an overwhelming position. 28.Nb4Rd829.Nxc2Bxc2 30.e6Bf8 31.exf7+Kh8 32.Re1Bg6 A scorching finish is 32...Rxd5 33.Qxg7+Bxg7 34.Re8 mate. 33.Re8 Rxe8 34.fxe8=QBxe8 35.Bxc5Bxc5 36.Qe6 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Kasparov, G.• Short, N.?Linares1992 1-0 C45A battle between the two contestants for the 1993world championship.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.d4 This old opening has beenre-popularized by Kasparov. 3...exd4 4.Nxd4Bc5 5.Be3Qf6 6.c3Nge7 7.Bc4 O–O 8.O–OBb6 9.Nc2 d6 10. Bxb6 axb6 11.f4 g5 Gainingcontrol of the e5-square, but weakening the king-side. Better is 11...Be6. 12.f5Ne5 13.Be2Bd714.c4 g4 This weakens the kingside even further.15.Nc3 h5 16.Qd2 Kh8 17.Qf4 Bc6 18.Ne3Nd7 Better is 18...Rg8. 19.Bxg4 Sacrificing apiece to open up the kingside. 19...hxg4 20.Nxg4Qh4 21.Rf3 Ng6 22.Qe3 Qxg4 If 22...Kg7,then 23.fxg6 Qxg4 24.gxf7 wins. 23.Qh6+Kg8 24.Rh3 Qxh3 The only reasonable de-fense to 25.Qh7#. If 24...Nf6, then 25.fxg6fxg6 26.Rg3 wins. 25.gxh3 Nge5 26.f6 Nxf627.Qxf6Rae8 28.Kh1Ng6 29.h4Re6 30.Qg5Rfe8 31. h5 Re5 32.Qh6 Rxe4 33.Nxe4Rxe4 34.Kg1 Ne5 34...Rg4+ would have of-fered more resistance. 35.Qg5+ Kh7 36.Qf5+Kh6 37.Rf1 Re2 38.Qf6+ Kh7 39.Qg5 Be4If 39...Rxb2 40.Rxf7 Nxf7 41.Qg6+ Kh8 42.Qf6+and 43.Qxb2. 40.h6Bg6 41.h4Re4 42.h5Rg4+43.Qxg4 Nxg4 44.hxg6+ fxg6 45.Rf7+ Kxh646. Rxc7 Ne5 47.Rxb7 Nxc4 48.b3 Black Re-signs.1-0

◦ Kasparov, G.• Anand, V.

266

?Linares1992 1/2-1/2 C18When this game was played, Kasparov had lost twoof his previous three games to Anand. The worldchampion would be out for blood.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3Bxc3+6.bxc3 Ne7 7.h4 Nbc6 8.h5 Qa5 9.Bd2 cxd410.cxd4Qa4 11.Nf3 This sacrifice is a new idea.Previously 11.Bc3 had been played. 11...Nxd412.Bd3 Nec6 13.Kf1 White is planning to play14.Rh4. 13...Nxf3 Better is 13...Nf5. 14.Qxf3b6 Better is 14...Qd4. 15.h6 Creating holes in thekingside. 15...Ba6 Worse is 15...g6 16.Qf6 Rg817.Rh4. 16.hxg7 Rg8 17.Bxa6 Black would getcounter chances with 17.Rxh7? Nxe5. 17...Qxa6+18.Kg1 Rxg7 Not 18...Nd4? 19.Qf6 threat-ening Bg5. 19.Qf6 Rg8 20.Rxh7 Qb721.Bg5Nd4 Black is planning to play ...Ne2-c3-e4. 22.c4 Trying to open up lines for his Queen’sRook. 22...Ne2+ 23.Kh2Nc3 24.Rh8Rxh8+25.Qxh8+ Kd7 26.Qh7 Rf8 27.Bh6 Re8 28.Qxf7+ Re7 29.Qg6 Short on time, White startsmaking errors. Better is 29.Qg8 which preventsBlack’s next move. 29...Qb8 30.cxd5 Nxd5 Not30...Qxe5+ 31.f4! Qh8 32.dxe6+ Rxe6 33.Qg7+winning. 31.Rd1 White could still have wonwith 31.f4. 31...Qxe5+ 32.f4 Qh8 33.f5 Qe5+34.Kh1 Draw by Agreement.1/2-1/2

◦ Shirov, A.• Bareev, E.?Hastings1992 0-1 C11Black sacrifices a piece to get a dangerous pawnmass in the center.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Nce2c5 6.c3 b5 7.f4 Nc6 8.a3 cxd4 9.Nxd4 Nxd410.Qxd4 Bc5 11.Qd3 O–O 12.Nf3 f6 13.Nd4Better is 13.Be3 or 13.exf6. 13...Nxe5 Alsoworth considering is 13...Qe7 14.exf6 Rxf6 fol-lowed by 15...e5. 14.fxe5 fxe5 Black has com-pensation for the sacrificed piece in his centralpawn mass and White’s open King. 15.Nc2Bf2+16.Kd1 e4 17.Qe2 e5 18.Be3Qh4 19.g3 Whitedecides to sacrifice the exchange to untangle hispieces. 19...Bxg3 20.hxg3 Qxh1 21.Kd2 a622.Bg2 Qh2 23.Rg1 Be6 24.Bf1 Qxe2+ 25.Bxe2Rac8 26.b4Rfd8 27.Bb6 Weak is 27.Bc5d4 28.cxd4 exd4 29.Nxd4 Rxc5. 27...Rd728.a4 bxa4 29.Bc5 Rc6 30.Ke3 Rdc7 31.Ra1

Bd7 32.Kd2 a5 33.Ne3 axb4 34.cxb4 The de-cisive error. Correct is 34.Bxb4. 34...Rxc535.bxc5 Rxc5 Now there is no stopping Black’spawns. 36.Rc1Rxc1 37.Kxc1Be6 38.Nc2 d439.Bb5Bb3 40.Na1 h5 41.Nxb3 axb3 42.Be8e3 43.Bxh5 d3 White Resigns. If 44.Bd1, then44...b2+ 45.Kxb2 e2 wins.0-1

◦ Anand, V.• Bareev, E.?Dortmund1992 1-0 C11An example of Knight versus bad Bishop.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3 a6 8.Qd2 b5 9. dxc5Bxc5 10.Bxc5Nxc5 11.Qf2Qb6 12.Bd3Rb813.O–ONb4 14.Rfd1 O–O Better was 14...Na4.15.Ne2 Bd7 16.Ned4 White’s command of thed4 square and Black’s bad Bishop gives White theadvantage. 16...Nbxd3 17.cxd3Na4 18.b4 Con-trolling the c5 square and fixing Black’s pawnson the same color as his Bishop. 18...a5 19.a3Rfc8 20.Rdc1 axb4 21.axb4 Rxc1+ 22.Rxc1Rc8 23.Rxc8+Bxc8 24.Qc2Bd7 25.Kf2Kf826.g4 Ke8 27.Ke3 f6 28.h4 Qb8 An importantmove. 28...Kf7? 29.exf6 gxf6 30.g5 allows Whiteto control the e5-square. 29.Qc1 Kf8 30.Ke2Kf7 31.Qe3 Qf8 If 31...Nc3, then 32.Kd2 Na233.f5 is strong. 32.f5 Qe8 33.g5 33.exf6 gxf634.fxe6+?! Bxe6 35.Nxe6 Qxe6 36.Qxe6+ Kxe637.Nd4+ Ke5 38.Nxb5 Kf4 is only drawn. With thetext move, White forces a breakthrough in Black’sposition. 33...exf5 34.gxf6 gxf6 35.Qh6 fxe5 If35...Qh8, then 36.exf6 is strong. 36.Qxh7+ Kf637.Qh6+ Kf7 38.Ng5+ Ke7 39.Qg7+ Kd640.Nf7+Kc7 41.Nxe5 White is winning becausehis pieces are so much better placed. White isthreatening to transpose into a winning endgamewith 42.Qxd7+, so Black must give up his b-pawn. 41...Nb6 42.Nxb5+ Kb8 43.Nd4 Qh5+44.Ndf3 Be8 45.Kf2 f4 46.Qe7 Nc8 47.Qf6Kb7 48.Qxf4 Qh8 49.Ng5 Qh6 50.Kg3 Nd651.Qf3 Bc6 52.Ngf7 Nxf7 53.Qxf7+ Kb654.Qf4 Qe6 55.h5 Bb7 56.Qf6 Black Resigns.If 56...Qxf6, then 57.Nd7+ followed by 58.Nxf6and 59.h6 easily wins.1-0

◦ Kasparov, G.• Anand, V.?

267

Reggio Emilia1992 0-1 C07Not only is the Indian Grandmaster Anand one ofthe best in the world, he is also one of the fastest.He often uses less than half the time of his oppo-nent. This was his second win against world cham-pion Kasparov in less than three months.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.dxc5Bxc5 6.Ngf3 Nf6 7.Bd3 O–O 8. Qe2 Nbd79.Ne4 b6 9...Ne4 10.Bxe4 Qh5 11.O-O Nf6leaves White with a slight advantage. 10.Nxc5Qxc5 11.Be3 Qc7 12.Bd4 Bb7 13.O–O–OLooks risky, but on 13.O-O, Anand had planned13...Ng4 14.Bxh7+ Kh8! and now Black threat-ens 15...Bxf3. 13...Nc5 14.Be5 If 14.Bxf6,then 14...Qf4+. 14...Nxd3+ 15.Rxd3 If 15.Qxd3,then 15...Qxc6. 15...Qc4 16.Nd4 If 16.Nd2, then16...Qg4. 16...Be4 The Bishop is transferred tothe defense of the King. Risky, but worth consider-ing is 16...Qxa2 17.Bxf6 gxf6. 17.Re3 Qxa218.Bxf6 Not 18.Rxe4 Qa1+ 19.Kd2 Nxe4+.18...Bg6 Too risky is 18...Qa1+ 19.Kd2 Qxh120.Rxe4 gxf6 21.Qg4+ Kh8 22.Qh4 Rg8 23.Qxf6+Rg7 24.Rg4 Rg8 25.Nf3 winning. 19.Ra3Qd5 20.h4 20.Qe5 Qxg2 is to Black’s advan-tage. Worth considering is 20.Be5 f6 21.Bg3 Qxd422.Qxe6+. 20...gxf6 21.h5 Qxd4 22.hxg6 hxg623.Rah3 Threatening mate in two. 23...f5 24.Rh4f4 25.Qf3 White could have maintained equal-ity with 25.g3 Rac8 26.gxf4. Now Black has aslight advantage. 25...Rac8 26.Rxf4 Qc5 27.c3Kg7 28.Rhh4 Correct is 28.Rfh4 Qg5 29.Kc2Qf5 30.Qxf5 exf5 31.Rd4 with only a slight ad-vantage to Black. 28...Qe5 29.g3 Qe1+ 30.Kc2Rcd8 31.Rd4 Qe5 32.Rhf4 Qc7 33.Qe3 e534.Rxd8 Rxd8 35.Re4 Rd5 36.g4 Better is36.f4 with only a slight advantage to Black. 36...b537.g5 Qd6 38.f3 a5 39.Qe2 Qe6 40.Qh2 Qf541.Qg3 If 41.Qh6+, then 41...Kg8 42.Kb3 Rd2winning. 41...Qd7 42.Qe1 b4 Black startsputting the King under pressure. 43.cxb4 If43.Rxe5, then 43...Qa4+ 44.Kc1 bxc3 wins. Thebest move is 43.b3, although Black would have alarge advantage. 43...Qa4+ 44.b3 If 44.Kc1, then44...axb4 45.Rxe5 Rd8 followed by 46...Rc8+ winsor if 44.Kc3, then 44...Qc6+ 45.Rc4 axb4+ wins.44...Qa2+ 45.Kc3 a4 46.bxa4 Qa3+ 47.Kc2Qxa4+ 48.Kc3 Qa3+ 49.Kc2 Rd3 White Re-signs. Black threatens 50...Qb3# and 50.Qb1 ismet with 50...Qc3#.0-1

◦ Kasparov, G.• Karpov, An.

?Linares1992 1-0 B17Contests between the current and former worldchampions are always bitter.1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4Nd7 5.Ng5Ngf6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Qe2 Threatening 8.Nxf7.7...Nb6 Not 7...h6? 8.Nxf7 winning at once.8.Bb3 h6 The grab 8...Qxd4? 9.N1f3 Bb4+ 10.c3Bxc3+ 11.Kf1 is suicidal for Black. 9.N5f3 c510.Bf4 An important wrinkle in this line. Blackhas no problems after 10.dxc5 Nbd7, intendingthe recapture ...Nd7xc5, with a comfortable game.Kasparov aims for maximum mobilization of hispieces and there isn’t a more active square for theBishop. 10...Bd6 11.Bg3 Qe7 12.dxc5 Bxc513.Ne5 White has emerged with a model positionagainst the Caro. White’s last move touches thevery heart of White’s strategic aims in the open-ing. It is well known that White tries to con-trol the e5-square and that a Knight is best placedhere. 13...Bd7 14.Ngf3 If 14.O-O-O, thenBlack should not play 14...O-O-O? 15.Nxf7! Qxf716.Qe5, rather 14...a5. 14...Nh5 15.O–O–O Un-sound is 15.Nxf7?! Nxg3 16.fxg3 Kxf7 17.Ne5+Ke8 18.Qh5+ Kd8 19.Ng6 Qg5+ 20.Qxg5 hxg521.Nxh8 Ke7 22.Ng6+ Kf6 with a large advan-tage to Black. 15...Nxg3 Not 15...O-O-O 16.Nxd7Nxd7 17.Be5 with a much better position forWhite. 16.hxg3 O–O–O 17.Rh5 A brilliantmove! The Rook controls the fifth rank. 17...Be8If 17...g6, then 18.Rh4. 18.Rxd8+ Kxd8 Not18...Qxd8? 19.Nxf7 winning. 19.Qd2+ Bd6A nice move to have provoked. Though a tar-get on c5, the Bishop was gunning on the f2-pawn and now that concern is over. In realityBlack had no choice, as 19...Kc8 20.Nd3 Bd621.Qc3+ picks up the g7-critter. It’s for suchreasons that Black’s King belongs on b8 or a8.20.Nd3 Taking time to sidestep Black’s ...f7-f6threat. 20...Qc7 Not 20...Kc8? 21.Qc3+ followedby 22.Qxg7. 21.g4 Threatening 22.g5. 21...Kc8If 21...f6, then 22.Nd4. 22.g5 Bf8 23.Rh4 Kb824.a4 White switches his attack over to the queen-side. 24...Be7 Better was 24...Nc8. 25.a5Nd5 If 25...Nc8, then 26.a6 is strong. 26.Kb1Threatening 27.c4. 26...Bd8 27.a6 Qa5 28.Qe2Threatening 29.Qe5+. 28...Nb6 29.axb7 Bxg530.Nxg5 Qxg5 31.Rh5 Qf6 If 31...Qxg2, then32.Nc5 is strong. 32.Ra5 Black will be unableto defend his King. 32...Bc6 33.Nc5 Threaten-ing 34.Qa6. 33...Bxb7 34.Nxb7Kxb7 35.Qa6+Kc6 36.Ba4+ Kd6 37.Qd3+ Nd5 38.Qg3+Qe5 39. Qa3+ Kc7 40.Qc5+ Kd8 41.Rxa7

268

Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Kasparov, G.• Karpov, A.Linares (2)Spain1992 1-0 B17Yet another chapter in the greatest rivalry of alltime. Kasparov nurses an from the opening andtransforms it into a striking victory after some orig-inal maneuvers. Keep your eye on White’s king’srook!1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4Nd7 5.Ng5Moving the knight a third time within the first fivemoves is an incredible violation of principle, yetthis emerged as the sharpest weapon against theCaro-Kann in the 90s. 5...Ngf6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Qe2Nb6 Black must exercise care. Not 7...h6? 8.Nxf7. 8.Bb3 h6 Suicidal is 8...Qxd4? 9. N1f3Bb4+ 10. c3 Bxc3+ 11. Kf1! 9.N5f3 c5 10.Bf4Maximum mobilization. On 10. dxc5 Nbd7!intending to recapture Nxc5 poses Black fewerproblems. 10...Bd6 11.Bg3Qe7 12.dxc5Bxc513.Ne5 Bd7 14.Ngf3 A difficult decision. 14.h3 to provide an escape square for the bishop onh2 is also feasible. Now Black eases the pressureby the following exchange. 14...Nh5 15.O–O–ONxg3 16.hxg3 O–O–O 17.Rh5 Trying to shiftsome wood to the other wing. The immediatethreat is Nxf7. 17...Be8 A typical Karpovian re-treat. More sensible seems 17...Rhf8 followed byKb8. 18.Rxd8+ Kxd8 19.Qd2+ Bd6 20.Nd3Qc7 21.g4 Beautifully timed. The main idea isto discourage Black’s king from seeking refuge onthe kingside. 21...Kc8 22.g5 Bf8 23.Rh4 23.gxh6 Rxh6 24. Rxh6 gxh6 merely swaps an ac-tive rook for a passive one. In addition to swing-ing the rook over to the queenside, a secondaryidea is g6 weakening e6. 23...Kb8 24.a4 Be725.a5Nd5 26.Kb1 Preparing c4. Black must cre-ate a retreat for his knight. 26...Bd8 27.a6 Qa5Better is 27...Nb6! right away. 28.Qe2 Nb629.axb7 Bxg5 30.Nxg5 Qxg5 31.Rh5 Qf632.Ra5 "The crowning achievement of White’sfantastic play since 17. Rh5" is how one critic de-scribed this maneuver. 32...Bc6 33.Nc5 Bxb734.Nxb7 Kxb7 35.Qa6+ Kc6 36.Ba4+ Kd637.Qd3+ Nd5 38. Qg3+ Qe5 39.Qa3+ Kc740.Qc5+ Kd8 41.Rxa7 Black Resigns. A flaw-less demonstration of Kasparov in top form.1-0

◦ Kasparov, G.• Ivanchuk, V.?Manila1992 1-0 A35Previous to this Olympiad Kasparov and Ivanchukplayed on the same team.1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.g3 d6 5.Bg2g6 6.d4 cxd4 7.Nxd4 Bd7 8.e4 Bg7 9.Nxc6Bxc6 Not 9...bxc6 due to 10.c5 dxc5 11.e5 Ng412.f4. 10.Be3 O–O 11.O–O a5 Preventing Whitefrom expanding on the queenside. 12.Rc1 a413.Qe2 Qa5 14.Rfd1 Rfc8 Better is 14...Nd7.15.c5 Ne8 White is much better after 15...dxc516.e5 Ne8 17.Nd5. 16.cxd6Nxd6 17.Nd5Bxd518.Rxd5 Rxc1+ 19.Bxc1 Qc7 20.Bf4 Qc421.Qxc4 Nxc4 22.b3 axb3 23.axb3 White hasthe advantage because of his two Bishops andactive pieces. 23...Na5 24.b4 Not 24.Rb5 Bd4and the Bishop gets active. 24...Nc6 25.b5Nd4 26.Bf1 h5 27.Kg2Nc2 28.Bd2 e6 29.Rc5Nd4 30.Be3 b6 31. Rc7 Ra1 32.Rc8+ Kh733.Rc7 Kg8 34.Rc4 Rd1 Not 34...e5 35.Rc8+Kh7 36.Rc7 and the f-pawn falls. 35.Rc8+ Kh736.Rd8 Be5 37.h3 Kg7 38.Bc4 Kf6 The los-ing mistake. Better is 38...Bf6 39.Rd7 g5Not 39...Kg7 40.Bxe6 winning. 40.Be2 Nxe241.Rxd1 Nc3 42.Rd8 Nxe4 43.Bxb6 Nc344.Rg8Nxb5 45.Bd8+ Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Hansen, Cu.• Akopian, V.?Groningen1992 0-1 A29White makes a mistake early in the game, Blackgrabs the initiative and never relinquishes it. Watchhow Black makes use of pins throughout the game.1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 g6 5.d4exd4 6.Nxd4 Bg7 7.Bg2 O–O 8.O–O Re89.Nc2 d6 10.b3 White wants to play Bb2 butthis move looks risky. 10...Bf5 11.Rb1Not 11.f3 d5. The text move steps out of thepin on the h8-a1 diagonal but steps into anotherone. 11...a5 Threatening 11...Nb4. 12.Re1 Plan-ning 12.e4. 12...Ne4 13.Nxe4 Bxe4 14.f3 Thisis an error that allow Black to grab the initia-tive. Correct is 14.Bxe4 Rxe4 15.f3 followed by16.e4. 14...Bxc2 15.Qxc2 Bd4+ 16.e3 Qg517.f4 Qc5 18.Qf2 Qf5 19.Bd2 Bc5 20.Rbd1a4 21.Bc3 Black constantly keeps the pressureon. 21...axb3 22.axb3 Nb4 23.Bxb4 Bxb424.Re2 Ra3 25.Bxb7 Not 25.e4 Bc5 26.exf5

269

Rxe2 winning. 25...Rxb3 26.Bc6 Re7 27.Qf3Qc5 28.Be4 Qb6 29.Rd3 White tries to easethe pressure with exchanges. 29...Bc5 White’se-pawn is very weak and he will be unable tosave it. 30.Kg2 Qb4 31.Rxb3 Qxb3 32.Bd5Rxe3 33.Rxe3 Bxe3 34.f5 Qc2+ 35.Kh1 Itwould have been difficult for Black to win af-ter 35.Kh3 Qf5 36.Qxf5 gxf5 37.Kg2 followed by38.Kf3. 35...Qc1+ 36.Kg2 g5 37.f6 If 37.Qh5,then 37...Qg1+ 38.Kh3 Qf1+ 39.Kg4 Qe2+ winsthe Queen. 37...h5 Black sacrifices a pawn toforce White’s Queen out of play and get theKing in a mating net. The threat is 38...Qg1+39.Kh3 g4+ 40.Kh4 Qxh2#. 38.Qxh5 If 38.Qf5,then 38...Qg1+ 39.Kf3 Qf2+ 40.Ke4 Qc2+ winsthe Queen. 38...Qg1+ 39.Kh3 If 39.Kf3, then39...Qd1+ wins the Queen. 39...Qf1+ 40.Bg2Qf5+ 41.g4 If 41.Qg4, then 41...Qh7+ wins im-mediately. 41...Qxf6 42.Be4 Qf1+ 43.Bg2Qd3 44.Bf3 Bf4 45.Kg2 Qd2+ 46.Kh1 If in-stead 46.Kf1, then 46...Be3 47.Be2 Qc1+ 48.Kg2Qg1+ 49.Kh3 Bf4 wins. 46...Qf2 47.Qh3 Be3White Resigns. 47.Qg2 Qe1+ wins.0-1

◦ Korchnoi, V.• Romanishin, O.?Polanica Zdroj1992 1-0 A29Korchnoi is fond of reversed openings, especiallyreversed Sicilians, where White plays a positionnormally associated with the opposite color, withone extra move in hand. Surprisingly only a fewmodern openings lend themselves to this strategy;apparently even the best defenses gain from thefact that as White, the opponent is expected totry to DO something. In Grandmaster play, theplayer of the Black pieces is often content to draw,therefore a strong defense can afford to be reactiverather than active.1.c4 e5 2.g3Nf6 3.Bg2 d5 4.cxd5Nxd5 5.Nf3Nc6 6.O–O Nb6 7.d3 Be7 8.Nc3 O–O 9.a4Played from either side of the board, the Sicil-ian Dragon is a strong weapon, promising play onthe half-open c-file and along the long diagonalof its fianchettoed Bishop. When the formationis played by White, many of the most aggressiveplans are no longer available to the opponent, suchas castling on opposite wings and pawn storming.For Black in this game, the strategy would havebeen too slow. He therefore chooses a cautiousplan, which unfortunately allows White to controlthe pace. 9...a5 10.Be3Ra6 11.Rc1 f5 12.Nb5

Bf6 13.Nd2Bd7 14.Bc5Re8 15.e4 f4 16. gxf4exf4 17.d4 With his big pawn center and total con-trol of the Queenside, it is clear that White is bet-ter. Count on Korchnoi to find a quick and artis-tic way to finish up. 17...Kh8 18.e5Bg5 19.Rc3Bh6 20.Bxb6Rxb6 21.Nc4Ra6 22.e6 Accord-ing to Nimzowitsch, the passed pawn is a crimi-nal who must be locked up or he will escape byrunning forward. The pawn’s "lust to expand" canbe seen clearly here. The mobile pawn center ad-vances at the cost of the enemy pieces. 22...Rxe623.d5 Rg6 24.dxc6 Qg5 25.Rg3 fxg3 26.fxg3Smooth defense of Black’s last few threats. Whitenow threatens Rf8 mate. 26...Rf6 27.Rxf6Qxf628.cxb7 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Christiansen, L.• Sokolov, I.?Groningen1992 0-1 A28Black combines defense with counterattack.1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e4 Bb4 5.d3d6 6.g3 a6 7.Bg2 b5 8.cxb5 axb5 9.O–O Bxc310.bxc3 Bd7 11.Nh4 White’s plan is to attackon the kingside starting with 12.f4. 11...O–O12.f4 h6 13.fxe5 Better is 13.Nf5 Bxf5 14.exf5d5 15.g4 with a strong attack. 13...dxe5 14.Be3Qe7 15.Kh1 Removing the King from the a7-g1 diagonal, but 15.Nf5 was still preferable.15...Rfd8 16.Qc2 Qd6 17.Rad1 Bg4 18.Rd2Worse is 18.Bf3 Bxf3+ 19.Rxf3 Nxe4 20.Qb3Qd5. 18...b4 19.h3 Be6 20.c4 Ra3 21.Rfd1Nd4 22.Qb2 c5 23.Kh2 Qa6 24.Bxd4 exd425.e5 Nd7 White’s position is very bad becauseof his weak pawns. 26.Re2 Nb6 Planning totransfer his Knight to the outpost at c3. 27.Rf2Na4 28.Qc1Nc3 29.Rdd2Nxa2 30.Qd1Nc331.Qh5 White’s only hope is a desperate attackon the kingside. 31...b3 32.g4 Worth consider-ing is 32.Rf6. 32...Ra2 33.g5 The best chancewas 33.Nf5 Bxf5 34.gxf5. 33...hxg5 Not33...Rxd2? 34.gxh6!. 34.Qxg5 Rb8 35.Bd5Rxd2 36.Rxd2 Qa2 36...b2 37.Rg2 would bevery strong for White. 37.Bxe6 Clearly hope-less is 37.Rxa2 bxa2. 37...fxe6 38.Ng6 Kf739.Rxa2 bxa2 40.Qe7+ White must give up hisKnight and hope for a perpetual check. There isnothing in 40.Nf4 a1=Q 41.Qg6+ Kg8 41.Qxe6+Kh8. 40...Kxg6 41.Qxe6+ Kh7 42.Qf5+ Kg842...Kh8 43.e6 would only draw. 43.Qe6+ Kh844.Qa6 Kh7 Black must be careful. 44...Rb145.Qc8+ Kh7 46.Qf5+ would draw. 45.e6 Rb2+

270

46.Kg3Re2 47.h4Re1 48.e7Rxe7 49.h5Re150.Qg6+ Kg8 51.Qa6 a1=Q 52.Qc8+ Kf753.Qd7+ Kf8 54.Qf5+ Ke7 55.Qxc5+ Kd756.Qf5+ Kc7 White Resigns. The Black Kingslips away to safety after 57.Qf7+ Kb6 58.Qg6+Ka5.0-1

◦ Webster, A.• Akopian, V.?Oakham1992 0-1 A25A game of many pins. At first, Black’s pins are rel-ative, with his Bishops bearing down on the opendiagonals to White’s Queenside, but then they turntheir attention toward the King to produce a pi-quant ending.1.c4 e5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 Nc6 4.Nc3 g6 5.e3Bg7 6.Nge2 O–O 7.O–O d6 8.d4 exd4 9.exd4Bf5 10.h3 h5 11.b3 Setting the stage for Black’slater play on the long diagonal, but in any casethe d4 pawn is a target, unable to be supportedby another pawn unless it advances - which in-creases the action of the Black Bishop on g7.11...Re8 12.d5 Nb4 13.a3 Nd3 14.Bg5 Qd715.Bxf6 Bxf6 16.g4 White tries to take advan-tage of the once-defended Knight, but Black hasplayed the opening too efficiently for this tacticto function. Notice how nicely the Black piecework together, and how clumsy the White onesappear. 16...hxg4 17.hxg4 Nb2 18.Qd2 Bd319.Bf3 Hopeless is 19.Qxb2, since 19...Rxe2 notonly regains the piece, but wins another: 20.Qc1Rc2. The pin can be an immensely powerful tacti-cal element. 19...Qe7 20.Ra2 Now on 20.Qxb2White may be fortunate enough to survive to abad endgame: 20...Bxe2 21.Qxe2! Bxc3 22.Qxe7Rxe7 and ...Rae8 with total control of the open e-file. But Black would probably continue as in thegame, 20...Be5! with Kingside threats. 20...Be521.g5Qd7 22.Rc1Qh3 23.Ng3Bd4 24.Rxb2Qxg3+ 25.Bg2Re2 26.Nxe2Bxf2+ White Re-signs.0-1

◦ Romanishin, O.• Chernin, A.?Polanica Zdroj1992 1-0 A25The mating net is a powerful weapon, even afterthe Queens are exchanged.

1.g3 e5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nc3 g6 4.d3 Bg7 5.Nd5Nd4 6.Bg2 c6 7.Nc3Ne7 8.e3Ne6 9.Nge2 d510.cxd5 cxd5 11.Qb3 d4 12.exd4 exd4 13.Ne4An interesting position. Black has an edge inspace, but he must be careful that the advancedd-pawn doesn’t become weak. White has ad-equate square for his pieces, especially the e4-point that is ideal for Knights. 13...O–O 14.O–ONc6 15.Nf4Rb8 16.Bd2Be5 17.Nd5 f5 18.f4Bg7 19.Ng5Kh8 20.Rfe1Qd6 21.Nb4Ned822.Qa3 h6 23.Nf3 Kh7 24.Ne5 Rf6 25.Rac1Bf8 Very complicated opening play. The positionwas roughly equal immediately out of the open-ing, but Black hasn’t been doing himself any favorsby expanding on the Kingside. His one strength,the space advantage, will soon be used againsthim as the lines opened up behind his advancedpawns are infiltrated by White pieces. 26.Nbxc6Black’s over-extended position will be more ob-vious after the exchange of Queens. 26...Qxa327.bxa3 Nxc6 28.a4 Nxe5 The White Knightis marvelously placed, and the pressure on c6is hard to take, but after this the passed e-pawnproves quickly decisive. 29.fxe5 Ra6 30.Rc7+Kh8 31.a5Re6 32.Bd5Re8 33.e6Bd6 34.Rf7b6 35.Bxh6 bxa5 36.Bg7+ Kg8 37.Bf6 Rb538.Rg7+ Kf8 39.e7+ And it’s all over. Rg7-g8will be mate next. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Korchnoi, V.• Shirov, A.?Biel1992 0-1 A13Viktor Korchnoi was Anatoly Karpov’s only chal-lenger for the World Championship during the late1970’s, until Garry Kasparov came along. Ofcourse, the long shadow of Bobby Fischer was castover all the pretenders to the throne during this pe-riod. Korchnoi never did break through against hisarch rival Karpov, and in this game he succumbs tothe young Latvian, Alexi Shirov.1.c4 e6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 c6 4.Qc2 dxc4 5.Qxc4b5 6.Qc2 Bb7 7.d3 Nf6 8.Nc3 a6 9.a4 Be710.Nf3Nbd7 11.O–O O–O 12.Rd1Rc8 13.e4Qb6 14.axb5 axb5 15.d4 c5 16.d5 exd5 17.e5d4 Shirov sacrifices a piece to gain passed pawns,active pieces, and a space advantage. These aremore than enough compensation. 18.exf6 Nxf619.Nb1 Rfd8 20.Qe2 Bf8 21.Bd2 b4 22.b3Bd5 23.Re1Bxb3 24.Ra6Qb7 25.Nxd4Bd526.Bxd5 Rxd5 27.Nc2 Rcd8 28.Rxf6 Whitetries to return some of the material for Kingside

271

play, but this proves insufficient. 28...gxf6 29.Bf4Qd7 30.Ne3Rd4 31.Nc4Qe6 32.Nbd2Qxe2Two pieces are often more than a match for aRook and a Pawn. But here they have two passedpawns to deal with, and in the endgame the Knightsfail to coordinate. 33.Rxe2 Ra8 34.Re1 Ra235.Re8 Kg7 36.Be3 Rd5 37.g4 Rc2 38.h4h5 39.g5 fxg5 40.hxg5 b3 41.Rb8 b2 42.Kg242.Rxb2 is met by Rdxd2!, leaving Black with asimple win after either 43.Bxd2 Rxc4 or 43.Rxc2Rxc2. 42...Be7 43.f4 f6 44.Rb7 Kg6 45.Kf3fxg5 46.Rb6+Kg7 47.Ke4 gxf4 48.Bxf4Rd4+49.Kf5 Bf6 50.Rb7+ Kg8 51.Kxf6 Rxf4+52.Kg6Kf8 53.Kxh5Rf2 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Browne, W.• Kamsky, G.National Open (5)Las Vegas1993 0-1 E97Kamsky tied for first in a field of 940 players.INSIDE CHESS noted: "The best played gameof the tournament was Gata’s stubborn defenseagainst Walter Browne’s virulent queenside attack.Gata digested the sacrificed material and scored thepoint."1.d4Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O–O6.Be2 e5 7.O–O Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Nd2 a5 It’sdebatable whether Black should take time to slowthe coming queenside offensive or start his king-side attack right away with Nd7 and f5. 10.a3Nd7 11.Rb1 f5 12.b4Kh8 13.f3 Strictly speak-ing, this move is not yet really necessary. Moreconsistent is 13. Nb3. 13...Ng8 14.Qc2 Ngf615.Bd3 f4 16.Nb5 b6 17.Bb2 Re8 18.c5 bxc519.Nb3 a4 20.Na5 Nb8 21.Qxa4 g5 22.Qc2g4 23.Nb3Rg8 24.Nxc5 Browne didn’t like thelooks of 24. bxc5 gxf3 25. Rxf3 Ng4 and in-stead gives up a piece for two pawns with morein the offing. 24...dxc5 25.Bxe5 c6 26.Nd6Qe7 27.bxc5 Nbd7 Of course not 27...Qxe5??28. Nf7 mate. White has plenty of compensa-tion for the piece. 28.Bd4Ne8 29.Bxg7+Qxg730.Nf5Qe5 31.dxc6Ndf6 32.Nh6Rg7 33.fxg4Bxg4 34.Qb2 Probably a time-pressure error.Stronger is 34. Rb7. 34...Qxc5+ 35.Kh1 Qh536.e5 Qxh6 37.exf6 Nxf6 38.Qe5 f3 39.gxf3Bh3 40.Rg1 Rag8 41.Rxg7 Qxg7 42.Qg3Qh6 43.Qf2 Bg2+ 44.Kg1 Bxf3+ 45.Kf1Bxc6 46.Qd4 Re8 47.h4 Qg7 48.Rb2 Ng449.Qxg7+ Kxg7 50.Rb6 Ne5 51.Be2 Ra852.Rb3Kf6 53.Kf2Ra4 Black gradually makesinroads with his extra piece. 54.Kg3Nc4 55.Bd3

h6 56.Rc3 Rxa3 57.Rxa3 Nxa3 58.Kf4 Bd559.Bh7Nc4 60.Bd3Ne5 61.Bc2Be6 62.Be4Bg4 63.Bc2 h5 64.Be4 Ng6+ 65.Kg3 Ne7White Resigns. The fatal threat of Nf5+ compelsWhite to swap his bishop for the knight.0-1

◦ Christiansen, L.• Karpov, A.Wijk aan Zee (2)Holland1993 1-0 E12The shortest loss of Karpov’s illustrious career.Wijk aan Zee’s annual Hoogoven Chess Festivalbroke with tradition this year and ran the premiersection as a knockout. Although top-seed Karpovwon the event, he was almost eliminated early onby America’s Larry Christiansen.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.a3 Popularized byPetrosian, this quiet move seems to have no bear-ing on the center. It prevents a pin by ...Bb4, thuspreparing an eventual Nc3 and d5. 4...Ba6 4...Bb7used to be played almost automatically. The textputs a finger on c4 so that if 5. e3 d5 6. cxd5 Bxf1disrupts White from castling. 5.Qc2Bb7 An ap-parent loss of time but White no longer can enforced5 with his queen on c2. Another idea is 5...c5 rightaway. 6.Nc3 c5 7.e4 cxd4 8.Nxd4Nc6 9.Nxc6Bxc6 10.Bf4 Nh5 11.Be3 Bd6 A misguidedway to put pressure on f4. On 11...Bc5 Black’sposition is perfectly playable, but he simply over-looks White’s reply, winning a piece. 12.Qd1Black Resigns. The double attack on d6 and h5is lethal. When grandmasters drop a piece withoutcompensation, they usually resign on the spot.1-0

◦ Short, N.• Kasparov, G.PCA World Championship (8)London1993 1/2-1/2 B86This might have been the most brilliant game ofthe match – and Short’s immortal effort – if hehad only iced Kasparov when he had the chance!He had to wait until game 16 for his first and onlyvictory but Kasparov, after several narrow escapes,defended his title decisively with a final score of12.5 - 7.5.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.Bc4 A favorite of Fischer’s against the Na-jdorf Sicilian. In two earlier match games Shortessayed 6. Bg5. 6...e6 7.Bb3 Nbd7 8.f4 Nc5

272

9.e5 White accepts a weak pawn on e5 in returnfor greater mobility. In game 6 Short got an edgewith 9. f5 Be7 10. Qf3 O-O 11. Be3 e5 12.Nde2 b5 13. Bd5. 9...dxe5 10.fxe5Nfd7 11.Bf4b5 12.Qg4 h5 13.Qg3 h4 14.Qg4 g5 Launch-ing incredible complications. Now 15. Bxg5Nxe5 favors Black; so does 15. Qxg5 Qxg5 16.Bxg5 Bg7. Instead Short decides on a startlingpiece sacrifice. 15.O–O–O Qe7 Probably insuf-ficient. 15...gxf4 is hard to crack. Short said heintended 16. Nxe6 which looked too dangerousto Kasparov, but the jury is still out. 16.Nc6Nxb3+ 17.axb3 Qc5 18.Ne4 Qxc6 19.Bxg5Bb7 20.Rd6Bxd6 Kasparov repeatedly finds theonly defense. Not 20...Qxe4? 21. Rxe6+! Be7 22.Rxe7+ Kf8 23. Qxd7. 21.Nxd6+ Kf8 22.Rf1Nxe5 23.Qxe6 Qd5 24.Rxf7+ After this Blackhangs by a thread but the fabulous 24. Qf6!! Rh7(not 24...Kg8? 25. Nf5) 25. Bh6+ Kg8 26. Nf5Re8 27. Rd1 Qe6 28. Rd8! Bc6 29. Ne7+ wins.24...Nxf7 25.Be7+Kg7 26.Qf6+Kh7 27.Nxf7Qh5 Forced. There is no other way to thwartNg5+. 28.Ng5+ Kg8 29.Qe6+ Kg7 30.Qf6+Kg8 31.Qe6+ Kg7 32.Bf6+ Kh6 33.Nf7+Kh7 34.Ng5+ Kh6 35.Bxh8+ Qg6 36.Nf7+Kh7 37.Qe7 Qxg2 Unclear is 37...Kg8! 38.Qxb7 Rf8 39. Ne5. 38.Be5 The last winning trywas 38. Bd4! 38...Qf1+ 39.Kd2 Qf2+ 40.Kd3Qf3+ 41.Kd2 Qf2+ Draw by Agreement. Whata game!1/2-1/2

◦ Engbersen, J.• Simmelink, J.Postal Chess (7)Via Mail1993 0-1 B78Postal chess affords unknown players enough timeto research openings deeply and search for impor-tant innovations. "Where can one find more art andless sport?" inquired one dyed-in-the-wool postal-ite in contrasting it to over-the-board chess wherea relentlessly ticking clock forces error. The first30 moves replicate Plater-Ropstorff, Cracow 1938,which exists in various databases. Hard to believebecause this entire setup against the Sicilian De-fense was virtually nonexistent in those days. In-credibly, White fails to come up with any signifi-cant improvement and perishes exactly in the samemanner as his predecessor.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 O–O 8.Bc4 An anti-Dragonsystem known as the Yugoslav Attack. 8...Nc6

9.Qd2 Bd7 10.h4 h5 Black has had consider-able success with this simple counter. Now all therage, it was discovered in 1938 but became popularonly in the 1970s due mainly to the games of BentLarsen, Tony Miles and Andy Soltis, thus illustrat-ing "creative evolution" in opening theory. Wherecan White improve from here? 11.O–O–O Rc812.Bb3Ne5 Before 1965 this move also was vir-tually nonexistent. 13.Kb1 Nc4 14.Bxc4 Rxc415.Nb3 Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (B78)also cites a number of other tries such as 15. Nde2or Nce2. 15...Qc7 16.Bd4 Bc6 17.g4 This pre-mature assault diverges from Tseshkovsky-Miles,Riga 1979, which continued 17. Qe2 b5 18. e5Nd5 19. exd6 Qxd6 20. Nxd5 Bxd5 21. Bxg7Kxg7 22. Qe3 e6 23. Qxa7 Ra4 24. Qe3 Rfa825. a3 Qg3 26. Nc5? (better is 26. Qg5) Rxh427. Rxh4 Qxh4 28. Nd7 Rd8 29. Qe5+ Kh6 30.f4? (the losing move; stronger is 30. Qf6) Bxg231. Rd2 Bc6 32. Nc5 f6 33. Qe3 Rxd2 34. Qxd2Qh1+ 0-1 17...e5 18.Be3 hxg4 19.h5 gxf3 20.h6Nxe4 Suicidal is 20...Bh8 21. h7+ Nxh7 22. Rxh7Kxh7 23. Qh2+ Kg8 24. Rh1. 21.hxg7 Nxd2+22.Nxd2Rg4 23.gxf8=Q+Kxf8 So far identicalto Popovich-Soltis, Marshall Club Championship,USA 1976, which also ended in Black’s favor. IfWhite had some improvement in mind, what is it?24.Nb3 Ke7 25.Rd2 b5 26.a3 a5 27.Rhd1 b428.axb4 axb4 Materially, White’s rook and twoknights are more than enough for the queen. YetBlack’s kingside pawns are decisive. 29.Nd5+Bxd5 30.Rxd5Rg2 White resigns. An amazingwin. In 1938 Plater-Ropstorff continued with onemore move (31. c3 f2) before White threw in thetowel.0-1

◦ Kasparov, G.• Short, N.PCA World Championship (1)London1993 1-0 C88Incredibly, both Kasparov and Short werepurged from the rating list of FIDE, theworld chess body, when they formed the Pro-fessional Chess Association (PCA) for their2.5milliontitlematchsponsoredbyTheLondonT imes.ThefirstgamewasatragedyforShortwhowormedoutofabadpositionandthenrefusedadrawbeforelosingontimewithvictoryinhiscrosshairs.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O–O 8.a4 Avoiding Short’spet Marshall Attack after 8. c3 d5!? leading tounclear complications. 8...b4 9.d3 d6 10.a5 Be611.Nbd2 Rb8 Weakens the a-pawn. Better is11...Re8. 12.Bc4 Qc8 13.Nf1 Re8 14.Ne3Nd4 Kasparov criticized this move and suggested

273

14...Bf8 followed by g6 and Bg7. 15.Nxd4 exd416.Nd5 Nxd5 But this is the real culprit. Moreprudent is 16...Bd8 17. Bf4 Qb7. 17.exd5 Bd718.Bd2 Bf6 19.Rxe8+ Bxe8 20.Qe2 Strongeris 20. Qe1 Qb7 21. Qe4 followed by Re1.20...Bb5 21.Re1 Bxc4 22.dxc4 h6 23.b3 c524.Bf4 Qd7 25.h3 Rd8 26.Qe4 h5 27.Re2 g628.Qf3Bg7 29.Re4Bf8 30.Qe2Qc7 Going af-ter the pawn leads to disaster. 30...Qf5 looks morenatural. 31.Bg5 Rc8 32.g4 hxg4 33.Bf6 Kas-parov claimed he missed a win with 33. hxg4 Qxa534. Bf6 Qa1+ 35. Kg2 d3 36. Qf3 dxc2 37. Bxa1c1/Q 38. Qf6 Qh6 39. Re1 Bg7 40. Qxd6 Bxa141. Qxa6 Rf8 42. Qxa1 Qf4 43. Qd1. 33...gxh334.Qg4 Ra8 Now 34...Bg7 35. Re7 Bxf6 36.Rxc7 Rxc7 is the only chance to hold the ending.35.Qxh3 Bg7 36.Bxg7 Flag hanging, Kasparovagain misses a win by 36. Re7! Qc8 (not 36...Qd837. Rxf7!) 37. Qxc8+ Rxc8 38. Bxg7 Kxg739. Rd7. 36...Kxg7 37.Rh4 Rg8 The attack isover and Short rightly refused a draw. 38.Rh7+Kf8 39.Qg4 Ke8 Short was thunderstruck whenthe arbiter informed him that his flag fell. Bothsides agreed Black is winning. Kasparov said: "Ithought at first I could play 40. Qe6+ but it losesto 40...fxe6 41. Rxc7 exd5 42. cxd5 Rf8 43. Rc6Rf3! 44. Rxa6 Rc3.1-0

◦ Khalifman, A.• Gulko, B.World Team Championship (4)Lucerne, Switzerland1993 1/2-1/2 C07In a field of ten top teams, the USA won resound-ingly with 22 1/2 out of a possible 36 points, a full2 1/2 points ahead of once dominant Russia. Fourout of six stars on the American lineup includingBoris Gulko were emigres from the former SovietUnion. This fighting draw is from the USA-Russiamatchup which was tied 2-2 on four boards.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.Ngf3 cxd4 5.exd5Qxd5 6.Bc4 Qd6 7.O–O Nf6 8.Nb3 Nc69.Nbxd4Nxd4 10.Nxd4 a6 Black lags in devel-opment but takes time out to guard b5. It’s hardfor White to develop an initiative against this solidformation. 11.Re1 Qc7 12.Bb3 Bd6 13.Nf5Giving up a pawn for an attack. On 13. h3 O-O equalizes easily. 13...Bxh2+ 14.Kh1 O–O15.Nxg7 Rd8 A vital intermezzo. If 15...Kxg716. Qd4! poses many problems. 16.Qf3 Moreactive than 16. Qe2 Kxg7 17. g3 Bxg3 18. fxg3Bd7. 16...Kxg7 17.Bh6+ An attempt to improve

on 17. g3 b5 18. Kxh2 Bb7 19. Qf4 Qc6 (Wolff-Gulko, USA Championship 1992). 17...Kg618.c3 Nd5 19.Re4 Kxh6 20.Rg4 Nf4 Stops21. Qh3 mate cold. 21.g3 Rd3 22.Qxf4+ Qxf423.gxf4 The attack is over. White remains a pawndown without compensation after the straightfor-ward 23. Rxf4 Bxg3 24. fxg3 f5. 23...Rh324.Kg2 Rh5 25.Rh1 Bd7 Now White mustfight hard for a draw. Also feasible is 25...e5 26Rg5. 26.Rxh2 Bc6+ 27.Kg1 Rxh2 28.Kxh2Rd8 29.f5 exf5 30.Rd4 Re8 31.Bxf7 Re232. Kg3 Rxb2 33.Bd5 Bxd5 34.Rxd5 Rxa235.Rxf5 After excellent defense Khalifman has fi-nally reached a theoretical draw. 35...Kg6 36.Rc5Rb2 37.c4 h5 38.f3 Rb4 39.Kf4 b6 40.Rc6+Kf7 41.Ke5 h4 42. Rh6 Rxc4 43.Rxb6 a544.Kf5 a4 45.Rb7+ Ke8 46.Rh7 a3 47.Ra7Rc3 48.Kg4Kd8 49.Kxh4Rxf3 50.Kg4Rb351.Kf4Kc8 52.Ke4Kb8 53.Ra4Kb7 54.Kd4Rh3 55.Kc5Rh5+ 56.Kb4 Draw by Agreement.1/2-1/2

◦ Chernin, A.• Polgar, S.ZonalBudapest1993 0-1 A28Susan Polgar, 24, the eldest of three grandmas-ter sisters, went on to capture the Women’s WorldChampionship. This game is a model example of aone-move disaster.1.c4 e5 2.Nc3Nf6 3.Nf3Nc6 4.e3 A slower sys-tem than 4. d4 exd4 allowing early central ex-changes. The idea is to delay d4 until White cangather more force behind it. 4...Bb4 5.Qc2Bxc3It’s unusual to swap a bishop for knight withoutprovocation but if 5...O-O 6. Nd5 could prove awk-ward. 6.Qxc3Qe7 7.d3 d5 8.cxd5Nxd5 9.Qc2O–O 10.a3 a5 11.b3 Bg4 11...f5 12. Bb2 f4 13.e4 Nf6 14. h3 Kh8 15. Be2 Bd7 16. Rc1 Rae8 17.O-O slightly favors White (Ermenkov-Bisguier,Lone Pine 1980). 12.Be2Rad8 13.O–O f5 14.h3Bh5 15.Bb2 If 15. Nxe5!? Qxe5 16. Bxh5f4 (not 16...Qxa1? 17. Bb2 Qa2 18. Ra1 trapsthe queen) 17. Bf3 fxe3 18. Bxd5+ Qxd5 19.Bxe3 Qxd3 leads to equality. 15...e4 16.dxe4 fxe417.Ne5 Sharper than 17. Nd4 Nxd4 18. Bxd4Bxe2 19. Qxe2 b6. 17...Bxe2 Polgar unexpect-edly allows her pawn structure to be ruined for thesake of an attack; but the pawn on e4 may be weakin the long run after 17...Nxe5 18. Bxh5 Nd3 19.Be2 Nxb2 20. Qxb2. 18.Nxc6 bxc6 19.Qxe2Rd6 20.Rac1 Careless. White can’t afford thisloss of time. Necessary is 20. Bd4! Rg6 21. f4

274

with chances for both sides. 20...Rg6 21.Bd4Rf3 Ends the show. Perhaps Chernin was hop-ing for 21...Qg5 22. f4 exf3 23. Rxf3 Qxg2+24. Qxg2 Rxf3 25. Qxg6 hxg6 26. Kg2 Rf7 27.Rxc6 with advantage. 22.g3Qh4 23.Kh2Rgxg324.fxg3 Qxg3+ 25.Kh1 Qxh3+ 26.Kg1 Rg3+27.Kf2 Qh4 One critic described this impressiveand deadly quiet move as "the jewel in the crown."28.Rh1 Rh3+ White Resigns, as he gets matedafter 29. Kg2 Qg3+ 30. Kf1 Rxh1.0-1

◦ Gelfand, B.• Karpov, A.Linares (8)Spain1994 0-1 E54A typically magnificent effort by Karpov who de-fends with deadly precision. Note how he nurseshis back rank, provoking his opponent to chargeforward like a raging bull.1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e66.Nf3 Bb4 A Nimzo Indian Defense by trans-position. 7.Bd3 dxc4 8.Bxc4 O–O 9.O–O b610.Bg5Bb7 11.Re1Bxc3 12.bxc3Nbd7 Sup-porting f6. Now it’s clear why Black delayed plac-ing this knight on c6. 13.Bd3Qc7 14.Rc1Qd615.Bh4 Rfc8 16.Bg3 Qa3 17.c4 Nf8 Not aneasy defensive move to spot, but as Larsen oncesaid, "With a knight on f8 I never get mated!"17...Qxa2 is just asking for trouble after 18. Ne5!18.Ne5 Ng6 19.Re3 Qf8 A typical Karpovianretreat, like waving a red flag in front of a bull, dar-ing White to lunge forward. 20.f4 Burning bridgesby going for an all-out attack. More prudent is20. a4. 20...Qd8 21.Bb1 Ne7 22.Bh4 Again22. a4 comes into consideration but White is fo-cused on the kingside. 22...Ng6 23.Bg5 Declin-ing a likely repetition by 23. Bg3 Ne7. 23...b5Playing for a win. If 24. cxb5 Qd5 regains thepawn with advantage. 24.Bxg6 hxg6 25.Rh3Rc7 Guarding against the threat of Rh8+. NowWhite has little choice but to sacrifice a pawn sinceon 26. c5 Qd5 Black seizes the initiative. 26.d5exd5 27.c5 Bc8 Brings the attack to a screech-ing halt. 28.Rb3 Qe8 29.Qd4 Bf5 30.Re3Qf8 31.Bxf6 gxf6 32.Nf3Be4 33.Nd2 f5 Sud-denly Black has an extra pawn and a safe king.White’s last trump is his passed c-pawn. 34.Rec3a5 35.c6 The pawn is weaker here. Better is 35.a3. 35...Qb4 36.Nb3 Qd6 37.Qf2 b4 38.Rc5a4 39.Nd4 Bd3 40.Qd2 Bc4 41.Qxb4 Qxf442.Qc3 Re8 Once again Karpov’s unique style

has completely bamboozled a world class grand-master. All Black’s pieces are better placed thantheir counterparts. 43.Rd1 Re3 44.Qc1 Qe445.Qa1 Rc8 Guarding the back rank. 46.Ra5Ra3 47.Qb1Qe3+ 48.Kh1Rxa2 49.Nf3Bb3The bishop has played a major role in the defense.First it blocked the e-file, then the c-file and finallythe b- file. The end is near. 50.Qc1 f4 51.Re1Rc2 52.Qa1Qb6 A last humiliation. The rook istrapped. White Resigns.0-1

◦ Polgar, J.• Kasparov, G.Linares (5)Spain1994 0-1 B85Hungarian whiz Judith Polgar, the youngest ofthree sisters who all became grandmasters, earnedthis exalted title in 1992 at age 15, thus shatteringBobby Fischer’s record by a few months. Judithbecame the highest rated woman ever and her firstencounter with world champion Kasparov createda sensation because he took a move back!1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.f4 e6 7.Be2Be7 8.O–OQc7 9.Qe1Nbd710.a4 b6 11.Bf3Bb7 12.Kh1Rd8 Not an idealpost for the rook but Black probably was concernedabout 12...O-O 13. e5 dxe5 14. fxe5 Ne8 15. Bf4with the freer game. 13.Be3 Sharper is 13. Qg3 O-O 14. f5 right away. 13...O–O 14.Qg3Nc5 15.f5e5 16.Bh6 Ne8 17.Nb3 Nd7 Since White’sknight is relatively ineffective on b3, Kasparovavoids the swap and keeps the tension. 18.Rad1Kh8 19.Be3Nef6 20.Qf2Rfe8 21.Rfe1 Drift-ing. 21. g4 is more in the spirit of attack. 21...Bf822.Bg5 h6 23.Bh4Rc8 Breaking the pin and re-assigning the rook to a higher mission on the openc-file. 24.Qf1 Be7 25.Nd2 Qc5 26.Nb3 Qb4Playing to win. Polgar has already signalled herreadiness to draw by repetition after 26...Qc7 27.Nd2 etc. 27.Be2Bxe4 28.Nxe4Nxe4 29.Bxe7Rxe7 30.Bf3 Nef6 31.Qxa6 Ree8 Eschewing31...Rxc2 32. Nd4! threatening Nxc2 and/or Nc6.Now Black has a strategically won game if he canmobilize a pawn steamroller in the center withe4 and d5. 32.Qe2 Kg8 33.Bb7 Rc4 34.Qd2Qxa4 35.Qxd6Rxc2 36.Nd2Nf8 A better wayto exploit his extra pawn is 36...Qf4 37. Rf1 Qd4.But Kasparov already touched the knight by play-ing 36...Nc5? and froze before changing his mindin view of 37. Bc6! skewering his queen and rook.Polgar, clearly startled, glanced at Kasparov andthen at the arbiter, who was monitoring the game

275

as it neared the time control at move 40. But shelodged no protest, as required by the rules to es-tablish a claim, and the arbiter later said that sinceKasparov’s hand was still on the knight, he had theright to move it to another square. "I was play-ing the World Champion and didn’t want to causeunpleasantness during my first invitation to suchan important event," Polgar explained afterwards."I was also afraid that if my complaint was over-ruled I would be penalized on the clock when wewere in time pressure." A few days later The Lon-don Times carried a front page story, "KasparovCheated, Opponent Claims." A video replay takenby a Spanish film crew during the game showedthat his hand did quit the piece for a mere fifth ofa second. Deliberate foul or an attempt to changehis grip on the knight? Shaken by the controversy,Kasparov stated: "I have the feeling I did not takemy hand off the piece. My conscience is clear."37.Ne4 N8d7 38.Nxf6+ Nxf6 39.Qxb6 Ng440.Rf1 e4 41.Bd5 e3 42.Bb3 Qe4 43. Bxc2Qxc2 44.Rd8 Rxd8 45.Qxd8+ Kh7 46.Qe7Qc4 White Resigns. If 47. Re1 Qf4 is decisive.Or 47. Kg1 e2 48. Re1 Qd4+ 49. Kh1 Nf2+ 50.Kg1 Nh3+ 51. Kh1 Qg1+! 52. Rxg1 Nf2 smoth-ered mate!0-1

◦ Judith Polgar• Gary KasparovLinares (5)Spain1994 0-1 B85Here is the famous touch move controversy, whereKasparov took a move back either by accident ordesign. His 17-year-old opponent failed to lodgea protest and didn’t complain until after she hadresigned. "I was playing the world champion andI didn’t want to cause unpleasantness during myfirst invitation to such an important event," she ex-plained. "I was also afraid that if my complaint wasoverruled I would be penalized on the clock whenwe were in time pressure." It turns out, however,that the game was being videotaped. Examinationof the frames later determined Kasparov removedhis hand from his knight on move 36 for 1/4 of asecond. "I have the feeling I did not take my handof the piece. My conscience is clear," he said. Thepress had a field day with this incident. Kasparov’senemies accused him of cheating, and it damagedhis reputation.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.f4 e6 7.Be2Be7 8.O–OQc7 9.Qe1Nbd710.a4 This push weakens the queenside but stops

Black’s expansion by b5. 10...b6 11.Bf3 Bb712.Kh1 Rd8 A mysterious rook move whoseaim is murky since it later goes to c8. Why notcastle right away? 13.Be3 O–O 14.Qg3 Nc515.f5 e5 16.Bh6 Ne8 17.Nb3 Nd7 An unusualretreat to avoid simplifications. More logical is17...Kh8 18.Rad1 Kh8 19.Be3 Nef6 20.Qf2Rfe8 21.Rfe1Bf8 22.Bg5 h6 23.Bh4Rc8 24.Qf1Be7 25.Nd2 This retreat bolsters e4 but 25.Qd3 is better. 25...Qc5 26.Nb3Qb4 Exploitingthe fact that White cannot dislodge the queen bya3. 27.Be2 An inconsistent retreat. More naturalis 27. Qd3. 27...Bxe4 28.Nxe4Nxe4 29.Bxe7Rxe7 30.Bf3 Nef6 31.Qxa6 Ree8 Also feasi-ble is 31...Rxc2 32. Nd4 Qc4. 32.Qe2 Kg833.Bb7 Rc4 34.Qd2 Qxa4 35.Qxd6 Rxc236.Nd2Nf8 At first Kasparov played 36...Nc5 butchanged his mind when he saw 37. Bc6! is toopowerful. Deliberate foul or an attempt to changehis grip on the knight and reverse direction? "Kas-parov did not take his hand off the knight, so hehad a perfect right to change his move," opined thearbiter, who was watching closely. Obviously thenaked eye can be fooled. 37.Ne4N8d7 38.Nxf6+Nxf6 39.Qxb6Ng4 40.Rf1 e4 The march of thispawn is decisive.. If 41. h3 e3! 42. hxg4 e2 wins.41.Bd5 e3 42.Bb3Qe4 43.Bxc2Qxc2 44.Rd8Rxd8 45.Qxd8+Kh7 46.Qe7Qc4 Polgar threwin the towel in view of 47. Kg1 e2 48. Re1 Qd4 49.Kh1 Nf2 50. Kg1 Nh3 51. Kh1 Qg1! 52. Rxg1Nf2 smothered mate. 0-10-1

◦ Kamsky, G.• Polgar, J.Linares (8)Spain1994 1/2-1/2 C89These two "wunderkinder" first played each otherat the New York Open in 1989 when Judith was 12and Gata was 14 when he defected with his fatherto the USA. She won but Gata soon got revenge ata tournament in India. Their first two games werebitterly hard fought, and this third encounter is noexception.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O–O 8.c3 d5 The Mar-shall Gambit has been analyzed more than 30moves deep in some lines and is currently con-sidered drawish! 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Nxe5 Nxe511.Rxe5 c6 Nowadays this is the move of choice.11...Nf6 12. Re1 Bd6 13. Re1 was won by Whitewhen Marshall first sprang his famous gambitagainst Capablanca at New York 1918. 12.d4Bd6

276

13.Re1 Qh4 14.g3 Qh3 15.Be3 Bg4 16.Qd3Rae8 17.Nd2Re6 Black mobilizes his heavy ar-tillery in order to get compensation for the pawn.18.a4 f5 19.Qf1Qh5 20.f4 bxa4 Opening the b-file for Black’s rook but giving White an open a-filein return. 21.Rxa4Rb8 22.Bxd5 cxd5 23.Qg2Also feasible is 23. Rxa6 Qe8 24. Bf2 Qd7 25.Rxe6 Qxe6 26. c4 dxc4 27. Qxc4 Qxc4 28. Nxc4Be2 29. Rc6 with an edge (Chandler-Littlewood,London 1987). 23...Qe8 24.Qxd5 Kh8 25.Nc4Bxf4 Looks brilliant but this is has all been ana-lyzed! 26.gxf4 Rg6 27.Nd6 Bf3+ Leads to adraw. An unclear try is 27...Bh3+ 28. Kf2 Rxb2+29. Re2 Rg2+ 30. Qxg2 Rxe2+ 31. Kxe2 Qh5+32. Qf3 Bg4 33. Qxg4 fxg4 (Canfell-Blatny, Al-tensteig 1988). 28.Kf1 Bxd5 29.Nxe8 Rxb230.Re2 White must consent to a repetition since30. Rea1 Bc6 leads to trouble. 30...Rb1+ 31.Re1Rb2 32.Re2Rb1+ Draw by 3-fold repetition.1/2-1/2

◦ Kasparov, G.• Lautier, J.Linares (13)Spain1994 0-1 C54In the 90s top players got younger and younger.French prodigy Joel Lautier made his debut at thesuper-tourney in Linares with a 7-6 plus score. Inthe last round he scored a well-deserved victoryover the world champion that the teenager is sureto treasure for a long time.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Kasparovlater successfully revived the Evans Gambit 4. b4!?in some critical games. 4...Nf6 5.d3 This slowsystem is more popular nowadays than 5. d4 exd46. cxd4 Bb4+ which resolves the central tensiontoo soon. Also see Waitzkin-Xie Jun, 1995. 5...d66.Bb3 h6 7.h3 a6 8.Nbd2 Be6 Now 9. Bxe6fxe6 10. Qb3 Qc8 leads to naught. 9.Bc2 Ba710.Qe2 Qe7 Each player refrains from castlinguntil the other commits himself first. 11.b4 Black’santidote to this flank attack is to break in the cen-ter. More feasible is 11. Nf1 O-O 12. Ng3. 11...d512.a4 b5 13.O–O O–O 14.axb5 axb5 15.d4 Ultrasharp, dangerous, preventing the threat of Bxf2+.15...exd4 16.e5 dxc3 17.exf6 Qxf6 Black getsa bushel of pawns for the piece and renews thethreat of Bxf2+. The next few moves are forced.18.Nb3 Nxb4 19.Bb1 d4 20.Rxa7 c2 Strongerthan 20...Rxa7 21. Nbxd4 Bc4 22. Qe4. Now if 21.Bxc2 Rxa7 22. Nbxd4 Bc4 23. Qe4 Nxc2 is crush-ing. 21.Rxa8 cxb1=Q 22.Rxf8+Kxf8 23.Qxb5Qxb3 24.Qb8+ Ke7 25.Qxc7+ Ke8 26.Bd2

Qd8 27.Qe5 Kf8 28.Nxd4 Nd3 29.Qe3 Qc4White Resigns. Somebody forgot to tell the lad hewas supposed to get creamed.0-1

◦ Karpov, A.• Topalov, V.Linares (4)Spain1994 1-0 A33Karpov seemed to find a second wind after regain-ing his FIDE crown against Timman in 1993. Hisgreatest triumph ever took place at the super tour-ney at Linares where he outclassed a field of 14with an amazing score of 11-2, a clear 2 1/2 pointsof his great rival Kasparov. Here Karpov preparesa clever and original plan on move 11 to utilize theopen center files.1.d4Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nf3 A good alternative to theusual 3. d5. White plans to fianchetto his bishopon g2 and exert pressure on the d-file. 3...cxd44.Nxd4 e6 5.g3 Nc6 6.Bg2 Bc5 7.Nb3 Be78.Nc3 O–O 9.O–O d6 10.Bf4 Nh5 Better is10...a6. 11.e3 A surprising, undogmatic move thatsurrenders the two bishops in order to utilize theopen e-file. The retreat 11. Be3 used to be auto-matic. 11...Nxf4 12.exf4Bd7 A better defensiveplan is 12...a6 and Qc7. 13.Qd2 Qb8 Defend-ing the d-pawn has already become a burden. Now13...a6 14. Ne4 Qc7 15. Rad1 is hard to meet.14.Rfe1 A nasty point is the idea of f5. Black wasbraced for 14. Rad1 Rd8 15. Ne4 Be8. 14...g615.h4 a6 16.h5 b5 17.hxg6 hxg6 18.Nc5 dxc5Going downhill fast. On 18...Be8 19. Nxe6! fxe620. Rxe6 Bf7 21. Rae1 Bxe6 22. Rxe6. 19.Qxd7Rc8 20.Rxe6 Witty. Black was hoping for 20.Bxc6? Ra7. If now 20...fxe6 21. Bxc6 Ra7 22.Qxe6+ Kg7 23. Bd7! wins. 20...Ra7 21.Rxg6+fxg6 Otherwise 21...Kf8 22. Qh3 fxg6 23. Qh8+Kf7 24. Bd5 mate. 22.Qe6+Kg7 23.Bxc6Rd824.cxb5Bf6 25.Ne4Bd4 26.bxa6Qb6 27.Rd1Qxa6 28. Rxd4 The second Exchange sacrificein the same game! 28...Rxd4 29.Qf6+ Kg830.Qxg6+ Kf8 31.Qe8+ Kg7 32.Qe5+ Kg8 If32...Kf8 33. Qxc5+ snares a rook; or 32...Kh633. Qg5+ Kh7 34. Nf6+ mates. 33.Nf6+ Kf734.Be8+ Kf8 35.Qxc5+ Qd6 36.Qxa7 Qxf637.Bh5Rd2 38.b3Rb2 39.Kg2 Black Resigns.Black has been denuded of all his pawns. An im-pressive victory by Karpov who makes it look soeasy.1-0

277

◦ Cifuentes, R.• Zvaginstsev, V.Wik aan Zee OpenHolland1995 0-1 D45The "Evergreen Game" (see Anderssen - Dufresne1853) is still fresh today. But tastes change andnow we prefer brilliancies to be less one-sided.Here Vadim Zvaginstsev, 18, an unknown Russiannew to the international arena, creates a modern ev-ergreen against a Chilean grandmaster.1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.c4Nf6 4.Nc3 c6 5.e3Nbd76.Qc2 b6 7.Be2 Bb7 8.O–O Be7 9.Rd1 O–O10.e4 dxe4 11.Nxe4 Qc7 Black is solid. NowWhite retreats his knight to avoid swaps whichwould ease Black’s cramp. 12.Nc3 c5 13.d5 exd514.cxd5 a6 To stop the threat of 15. d6 Bxd6 16.Nb5. 15.Nh4 g6 16.Bh6 Rfe8 17.Qd2 Bd618.g3 b5 19.Bf3 b4 20.Ne2Ne4 21.Qc2Ndf622.Ng2 Qd7 An alternative is 22...c4 23. Ne3Rac8. 23.Ne3 Rad8 24.Bg2 Careless. Whiteshould try 21. Nc4. 24...Nxf2 25.Kxf2 Rxe326.Bxe3 The best defense is 26. Kxe3 Ng4+ 27.Kd2 Nxh6 28. Kc1 but he was hoping Black mighttake a draw by perpetual check on move 29. Nosuch luck. 26...Ng4+ 27.Kf3 Nxh2+ 28.Kf2Ng4+ 29.Kf3 Qe6 30.Bf4 Re8 31.Qc4 Qe3+32. Bxe3 Rxe3+ 33.Kxg4 Bc8+ 34.Kg5 h6+35.Kxh6 Re5 White Resigns. The threat of Bf8or Rh5 mate can’t be stopped.0-1

◦ Seirawan, Y.• Polgar, J.Donner Memorial (8)Amsterdam1995 1-0 D38Yasser Seirawan was America’s top-ranked playerfor several years – until his interest shifted topublishing INSIDE CHESS, where he wrote: "Inpreparing for my first rated tournament gameagainst Judith Polgar, I was astonished at the num-ber of games that she has played. Although only19, she is a veritable veteran of the tournamentcircuit. As baseball great Yogi Berra might say,’They’re getting old early these days.’"1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 Inviting 4. Qa4+Nc6. More usual is 3...Be7 or Nf6. 4.cxd5 exd55.Nf3 Nf6 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bxf6 Qxf6 8.Qb3 c59.e3Nc6 10.Bb5 O–O 11.dxc5 d4 Forced. Blacklacks compensation for the pawn on 11...Bxc3+(or 11...Bxc5 12. Nxd5) 12. Qxc3 Qxc3+ 13.bxc3 Na5 14. Nd4. 12.Bxc6 dxc3 13.Qxb4cxb2 14.Rb1 bxc6 15.O–O There’s no rush to

win a pawn. If 15. Qxb2 Qg6 16. O-O Bh3 17.Nh4 Qg5 18. Qb4 Rad8 Black gets active pieceplay. 15...Ba6 16.Rfe1 Rab8 17.Qa3 Bc418.Nd4 Rfe8 Best. If now 19. Rxb2 Rxb2 20.Qxb2 Bxa2! 21. Qxa2 Qxd4 22. Qxa7 Qd5 of-fers good drawing chances. 19.f3 Qg5 20.Nxc6Rbc8 A tougher defense is 20...Rb5 21. Nd4Rxc5. 21.f4Qd5 22.Ne5Qxc5 23.Qxc5Rxc524.Rxb2Be6 "The presence of the a2-pawn givesWhite good chances. Converting this position to avictory is a long journey and I wasn’t terribly opti-mistic. This move gave me hope. After 24...Bd5!25. e4!? Ba8 26. Rbe2 f6 27. Nf3 Rc4 Black’spieces are very active and White has to forego e4"– Seirawan. 25.a4 f6 26.Nf3 Ra5 27.Ra1 Bd728.Kf2 Rc8 29.Rb4 g5 Gains space and forcespawn exchanges. With every trade Black comescloser to a draw. 30.fxg5 hxg5 31.Nd4Rc7 32.h3Kf7 33.g4 Ke7 34.Ra3 Kd6 35.Kg3 Kc5 "Ithink it was better to remain on the kingside with35...Ke7. Black might have a source of counterplayagainst the g4-pawn" – Seirawan. 36.Rb8 Kd537.Rf8 Ke5 38.Rf7 Rac5 39.a5 "At last my a-pawn is no longer a problem. White has made a lotof progress" – Seirawan. 39...Be8 40.Rf8 Bg641.a6 Bf7 42.h4 gxh4+ 43.Kxh4 Ke4 44.Kg3Ke5 45.Ra4 The idea is Nf3+ followed by Kf4making inroads with the king. 45...Bc4 46.Re8+Kd6 47.Rxc4Rxc4 48.Nb5+Kd5 49.e4+Kc650.Nxc7 Kxc7 51. Re6 Kd7 52.Rxf6 Rxe453.Rf7+Ke6 54.Rxa7Ra4 55.Rh7 "It isn’t toolate to spoil matters. After 55. Ra8 Kf6 56. a7?Kg7! Black draws. The not-so-secret key to win-ning rook endings is the active rook" – Seirawan.55...Kf6 Of course on 55...Rxa6 56. Rh6+ spearsa rook. 56.a7 Kg5 57.Kf3 Rf4+ 58.Ke3Ra4 59.Rg7+ Kf6 60.Rc7 Kg5 61.Kd3 Ra162.Kd4 Black Resigns. The end of a long haul.On 62...Kxg4 63. Kc5 Kf5 64. Kb6 Ke6 65. Kb7Rb1+ 66. Kc8 Ra1 67. Kb8 Rb1+ 68. Rb7 wins.1-0

◦ Kasparov, G.• Anand, V.PCA World Championship (10)New York City1995 1-0 C80Anand surged ahead with a win in game 9 after astring of eight draws. The turning point came inthis amazing game that sheds light on Kasparov’sdeep opening preparation. Blitzing out his first 22moves in under five minutes, he caught Anand bysurprise with a brilliant rook sacrifice on move 17.Demoralized by this defeat, Anand failed to win

278

another game as Kasparov proceeded to defend hisPCA title by the lopsided score of 10.5-7.5.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–ONxe4 The Open Defense to the Ruy Lopez hasnever been as fashionable as the solid 5...b5 6.Bb3 Be7. 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.c3Nc5 10.Nbd2 d4 11.Ng5 This startling sacri-fice was Karpov’s innovation against Korchnoi ingame 10 of their 1978 title match. For the record11...Qxg5 12. Qf3 O-O-O 13. Bxe6+ fxe6 14.Qxc6 Qxe5 15. b4 is good for White. 11...dxc312.Nxe6 fxe6 13.bxc3 Qd3 14.Bc2 Improvingon 14. Nf3 O-O-O! (Karpov-Korchnoi was laterdrawn after 14... Qxd1 15. Bxd1 Be7) in gamesix. 14...Qxc3 15.Nb3 Nxb3 After 45 minutesof intense thought, Anand rejected the critical al-ternative 15...Rd8 16. Bd2 Qxe5 17. Re1 Qd5 18.Rc1! with a promising initiative. 16.Bxb3 Nd4Kasparov later said that he and his team were alsogeared for 16...Qxa1 17. Qh5+ g6 18. Qf3 Nd8 19.Qf6 Rg8 20. Bg5 Qc3 21. Rd1. 17.Qg4 Qxa118.Bxe6 Rd8 No better is 18...Qc3 19. Bd7+Kf7 20. Be3. 19.Bh6 Qc3 The best defense.Hopeless is 19...Qxf1+ 20. Kxf1 gxh6 21. Qh5+Ke7 22. Qf7 mate. 20.Bxg7Qd3 21.Bxh8Qg622.Bf6 Be7 23.Bxe7 Qxg4 Staggering into alost ending, but what else can Black do? Evenworse is 23...Kxe7 24. Qh4+! Ke8 25. Bg4.24.Bxg4 Kxe7 25.Rc1 Not letting Black mo-bilize his pawns by c5. Kasparov now demon-strates impeccable technique as his kingside pawnscarry the day. 25...c6 26.f4 a5 27.Kf2 a4 28.Ke3b4 29.Bd1 a3 30.g4 Rd5 31.Rc4 c5 32.Ke4Rd8 33.Rxc5Ne6 34.Rd5Rc8 Equally futile is34...Rxd5 35. Kxd5 Nxf4+ 36. Kc4. 35.f5Rc4+36.Ke3 Nc5 37.g5 Rc1 38.Rd6 Black Resigns.If 38...b3 39. f6+ Kf8 40. e6 Nxe6 41. Bxb3 Nxg542. Rd8 mate.1-0

◦ Waitzkin, J.• Xie JunPan-Pacific Tournament (4)San Francisco1995 0-1 C54The 90s saw the emergence of the first grand-masters from Red China, which finally embracedWestern chess. In 1990 Xie Jun spearheadedtheir women’s team to third place in the biennialOlympiad. In 1991 she captured the women’sworld championship, breaking the Russian grip onthis coveted title, which she defended in 1993.Here she outplays young Joshua Waitzkin, subject

of the book and movie "Searching For Bobby Fis-cher."1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3This is currently considered the standard way toplay this opening, replacing the older 5. d4 exd46. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 Bxd2+ 8. Nbxd2 d5 lead-ing to early simplifications. 5...d6 6.O–O O–O7.Bb3 a6 8.Re1Ba7 9.h3Be6 Offering a tradeto limit White’s attacking prospects. Black wel-comes the doubled pawns which would strengthenthe center and open the f-file after 10. Bxe6 fxe611. Qb3 Qd7 12. Qxb7?? Rfb8 13. Qxa6 Bxf2+and Rxa6 next. 10.Nbd2 Bxb3 11.Qxb3 Rb812.Nf1Nh5 Stops Ng3 and eyes f4 for the knight.13.Bg5Qd7 14.Rad1Qe6 15.d4 White shouldstart thinking defensively with 15. Qxe6 fxe6 16.Be3 with equal chances. 15...exd4 16.cxd4Qxb317.axb3 f5 18.d5 Ne5 Allows White to equal-ize by 19. Nxe5 dxe5 20. Be3. First 18...fxe419. Rxe4 Ne5 20. N1h2 transposes to the game.19.N1h2 fxe4 20.Rxe4Rbe8 21.Rb4 Misplacesthe rook. Relatively best is 21. Ree1. 21...b522.Kf1 h6 23.Bc1 g5 The winning move. It takesh4 away from the rook and threatens Bc5. Now24. Re1 loses to Nd3. White is now all tied upand gives up a pawn to survive for a few moremoves. 24.Be3 Bxe3 25.fxe3 Nxf3 26.Nxf3Rxe3 27.Re1 Rxe1+ 28.Kxe1 Nf4 The tri-umphant culmination of Black’s strategy that be-gan with 12...Nh5. 29.Rd4Nxg2+ 30.Ke2Nf4+White Resigns.0-1

◦ Kasparov, G.• Anand, V.Tal Memorial (4)Riga, Latvia1995 1-0 C51Kasparov created a sensation by reviving the hoaryEvans Gambit and blew Anand away in 25 moves.This opening all but vanished from the masterrepertoire last century, but surprises like this arewhat make Kasparov such a dangerous competi-tor. He constantly injects new and creative ideasinto a broad range of opening theory. This victoryboosted his lifetime record over Anand to 10 1/2- 4 1/2 just prior to their PCA title match in NewYork.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4Anand subscribes to the theory that the best way torefute a gambit is to accept it. A few weeks later inAmsterdam Kasparov also defeated Jeroen Piket,who declined the pawn with 4...Bb6. 5.c3 Be7The modern method instead of the old 5...Ba5.

279

6.d4Na5 7.Be2 Less forceful is 7. Nxe5 Nxc4 8.Nxc4 d5. 7...exd4 8.Qxd4 Black has fewer prob-lems on 8. cxd4 d5. Leaving the pawn on c3 looksawkward but Black clearly will have problems get-ting his pieces out of the box; his first priority ismeeting the threat of Qxg7. 8...Nf6 9.e5 Nc610.Qh4 To force the knight to d5, an improvementon the stem game 10. Qf4 Nh5 11. Qg4 g6 (Melts-Gajevsky, Russia 1981). 10...Nd5 11.Qg3 g612.O–ONb6 Instead of this lackluster retreat, heshould seize the opportunity to castle come whatmay. 13.c4 d6 14.Rd1 Nd7 15.Bh6 Givingup a second pawn to keep Black from castling.15...Ncxe5 16.Nxe5 Nxe5 17.Nc3 In true gam-bit style. Kasparov isn’t about to let Anand es-cape for just an Exchange by 17. Bg7 Bf6 18.Bxh8 Bxh8. 17...f6 18.c5 Nf7 A better defen-sive try is 18...Bf8. 19.cxd6 cxd6 Else 19...Bxd620. Bb5+! c6 21. Re1+ Be7 22. Rad1! Bd7 23.Ne4 looks terrific. White’s next move keeps theBlack king hemmed in the center. 20.Qe3 Nxh621.Qxh6 Bf8 What else? If 21...Kf7 22. Bc4+Be6 23. Bxe6+ Kxe6 24. Re1+ Kf7 25. Nd5 Bf826. Qh3 Qc8 27. Qb3+ with Rac1 looming spellsannihilation. 22.Qe3+ Kf7 If 22...Qe7 23. Qf3(also strong is 23. Ne4) 23...Be6 24. Re1 O-O-O 25. Bc4 Bxc4 26. Rxe7 Bxe7 27. Qg4+ wins.23.Nd5 Be6 24.Nf4 Qe7 25.Re1 An insidiousand lethal little move. If 25...Bh6 26. Bc4; or25...Re8 26. Bb5 Bd7 27. Qb3+; or 25...d5 30.Bf3; or 25...Bd7 26. Qb3+ Kg7 27. Bb5 Qd8 28.Bxd7 Qxd7 29. Ne6+. Seeing no defense to all thevarious threats, Anand threw in the towel.1-0

◦ Berzinsh, R.• Meijers, V.Tournament GameLatvia1995 1-0 C23A throwback to the romantic 19th century whenwild ideas often succeeded – until the advent ofruthless defense. Many old openings are now rel-egated to a footnote in the opening manuals, butsome of them are making a ferocious comeback.1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 The Bishop’s Opening, rarely seennowadays, was cited 500 years ago in the famousGottingen Manuscript by Lucena. 2...c6 Moreforcing is 2...Nf6 to put pressure on e4. 3.Nf3d5 4.Bb3 Be6 5.O–O Useless is 5. Nxe5 Qg5.5...dxe4 6.Nxe5Bxb3 7.axb3Bd6 It’s too soonto decide where this bishop belongs. Better is7...Nf6 awaiting further developments. 8.d4 exd3Meets with a diabolical response. More prudent

is 8...Nf6. 9.Nc4 Be7 It’s not easy to castle.If 9...Nf6 10. Qxd3 Be7 11. Qxd8+ Bxd8 (or11...Kxd8 12. Nb6) 12. Nd6+ picks up mate-rial. 10.Qg4 Nf6 Preferable is 10...Kf8 or g6.11.Qxg7 Rg8 12.Qh6 dxc2 13.Nc3 Nbd7 Thelosing move. Necessary is 13...Rg6. 14.Re1Black Resigns! Suddenly there is no good defenseto the threat of Nd6 mate. If 14...Nf8 15. Qxf6. Or14...Qc7 15. Bf4.1-0

◦ Hubner, R.• Korchnoi, V.Pan Pacific Tournament (5)San Francisco1995 0-1 C11Korchnoi, still going strong at age 64, captured oneof the few international round robins ever held inthe USA with 8-3 in a field of 12 grandmasters.This miniature against one of Germany’s best play-ers is typical of his fighting style.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c56.Nf3Nc6 7.Be3 cxd4 Resolving the central ten-sion is less fashionable than 7...a6 or Qb6 but Ko-rchnoi has a new idea in mind. 8.Nxd4Qb6 Thisis it. Black threatens Bc5 and Qxb2. 9.Ncb5The most ambitious try at refutation. Zuniga-Korchnoi, Zagreb 1987, was drawn after 9. Na4Qa5+ 10. Nc3 Qb6 11. Na4. Another try is thespeculative pawn sacrifice 9. Qd2!? Qxb2 10.Rb1 Qa3 11. Bb5 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 Bb4. 9...a6The only move, much stronger than 9...Bc5 10.c3! and White is going to continue b4. Alsoweak is 9...Nc5 10. Nb3. 10.Nf5 Combin-ing threats against the king and queen. At firstglance White seems to be winning, but Korchnoifinds a cold- blooded defense. 10...Bc5 11.Bxc5Since so many pieces are hanging, White is wor-ried about becoming overextended. But it’s betterto steer for a draw by 11. Nbd6+ Kf8 12. Qh5Nd8 13. Nxg7! Bxe3 14. Nxe6+ fxe6 15. Qh6+Kg8 16. Qg5+ with perpetual check. 11...Nxc512.Nbd6+ Kf8 13.Qh5 Nd8 14.Nxg7 Qb4+This check is a killer because it disrupts White’snormal development. 14...Kxg7? 15. Qg5+ draws.15.c3Qxb2 16.Rd1Qxc3+ 17.Rd2 More stub-born is 17. Kf2 which Hubner rejected on accountof 17...d4 threatening Qe3 mate. 17...h6 18.Nge8Ne4 White Resigns. Amazing. On 19.Nxe4 dxe4threatens e3 or Kxe8. The best try is 19. Qd1 Ke720. Nxe4 dxe4 21. Ke2 Qc4+! 22. Ke1 Qb4 23. a3Qa5 winning.0-1

280

◦ Polgar, J.• Shirov, A.2nd Donner Memorial (6)Amsterdam1995 1-0 B06A lulu! All six previous games between these twofiery players were decisive. Judith Polgar, 19, lostthe first and won the next five in a row againstAlexei Shirov, 22. Three years later he emergedas Kasparov’s official challenger.1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 c6 4.Bc4 d6 5.Qf3e6 6.Nge2 b5 This early expansion leads to dif-ficulties. Safer is 6...Nd7. 7.Bb3 a5 8.a3 Ba69.d5 Very good. White seeks to open lines in or-der to exploit her superior development. 9...cxd510.exd5 e5 11.Ne4 Qc7 11...h6! would come inhandy instead of committing the queen so early.But not 11...f5? 12. Ng5 and Ne6. 12.c4 bxc413.Ba4+Nd7 14.N2c3Ke7 Black is clearly onthe ropes. If 14...Ne7 15. Nf6+ Bxf6 16. Qxf6Rg8 17. Ne4 is crushing. This was Shirov’slast chance for 14...h6! 15.Nxd6 Qxd6 16.Ne4Qxd5 Forced. On 16...Qb6 17. d6+ Ke8 18.Bxd7+ Kxd7 19. Qxf7+ is curtains. 17.Bg5+Ndf6 18.Rd1Qb7 19.Rd7+Qxd7 20.Bxd7 h621.Qd1 Black Resigns. If 21...hxg5 22. Qd6+Kd8 23. Ba4+ Kc8 24. Qc6+ Kb8 25. Qb6+ Bb726. Nd6 Ra7 27. Qd8 mates.1-0

◦ Nenashev, A.• Landenbergue, C.Geneva OpenSwitzerland1996 0-1 E42Alfred Hitchcock once made a movie called TheWrong Man. A chess sequel could be called TheWrong Rook. When both rooks are connected onthe back row and either one is free to occupy thesame post on an open file, which rook should beused? Some wry annotators quip "the wrong rook"no matter which one moves there! There are fewguiding principles, no pat answers; it just requiresgood judgment. INSIDE CHESS dubbed this "themost instructive error of 1996."1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 c5 5.Ne2d5 6.a3 Bxc3+ 7.Nxc3 cxd4 8.exd4 Nc6 9.c5O–O 10.Bf4 ECO says this move deserves atten-tion, and that’s all because there are few practicaltests. White has the advantage of the two bishopsand logically strives to obtain a bind. 10...Ne411.Nxe4 dxe4 12.Bd6 Re8 13.Qd2 e5 Leadsby force into an ending clearly in White’s favor.More forceful is 13...Qf6 and if 14. Rd1 e5 15.

d5 Nd4 because now 16. Bxe5? can be re-futed by Nf3+. 14.dxe5 Nxe5 15.Bxe5 Qxd2+16.Kxd2 Rxe5 17.b4 e3+ To obtain counter-play and stop Ke3. 18.fxe3 Bf5 19.Be2 Rd8+20.Ke1 Rxe3 21.Kf2 Re7 22.Rad1 NikolayMinev wrote: "Sure to become a notorious case ofthe Wrong Rook Syndrome! However, the grand-master’s blunder is inexplicable to me. Even if hehad been in serious time trouble, which is clearlynot the case here, instinct, common sense and thebasic knowledge of any more or less experiencedplayer should suggest the right decision. I showedthis position to four players with ratings rangingfrom 1600 to 2000. All, and I repeat all, de-cided without thinking on 22 Rhd1! The expla-nation for this intuitive decision was also unani-mous: White’s rook on h1 does not participate inthe play while the other rook on a1 is already inplace to support the imminent passed pawn on thequeenside. 22...Rxe2+ White Resigns. The pointis White drops a piece after 23. Kxe2 Bg4+. Buthad he challenged the file with 22. Rhd1 Rxe2+23. Kxe2 Bg4+ 24. Ke1 Bxd1 25. Rxd1 Rxd1+26. Kxd1 Kf8 27. Ke2 would lead to a king andpawn ending where White retains all the winningchances.0-1

◦ Ree, H.• Hitech11th Man Vs. Machine ChallengeHolland1996 1-0 A45Interest in the progress of chess computers intensi-fied in the 90s. For many years Aegon, a Dutch in-surance firm, sponsored a match between between50 players of varying strength against 50 differentprograms in 300 games at a time limit of 1.5 hoursper side. Nine grandmasters led the human teamin 1996, slaughtering the machines 41.5 - 12.5 in54 games. However, silicon won the war by amargin of 25 points (162.5-137.5) when flesh andblood faltered on the lower boards. Here Hitech, aprogram created at Carnegie Mellon University inPittsburgh, wriggled out of a fierce attack but wenthaywire and stumbled into a stupid mate just whenit had a draw in hand.1.d4 d5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 Bf5 4.c4 Be4 Violat-ing the principle against moving the same piecetwice in the opening. Better is 4...e6. 5.Nf3dxc4 6.Nbd2Bd5 7.Qc2 b5 8.O–ONbd7 9.e4Bb7 Most programs are taught to worship ma-terial gain and will go through contortions tohold a pawn. 10.e5 Nd5 11.e6 fxe6 12.Bh3

281

g6 13.Ng5 Bh6 14.Nxe6 Qb8 15.Ne4 Nb416.Qe2 Bxc1 17.Raxc1 Nd3 18.Ng7+ Kf819.Ng5 Nf6 The only defense preparing to meet19. Qe6 with Bd5. 20.Rfe1 e5 Fighting to sur-vive. Hopeless is 20...Nxe1 21. Rxe1. 21.dxe5Nd5 22.N7e6+ Kg8 23.b3 h6 24.Ne4 Nxe125.Rxe1 cxb3 26.axb3 Rh7 27. N6c5 Kh828.e6 Bc6 29.Qb2+ Rg7 30.Qe5 Qf8 31.f4 a5The machine is defending tenaciously by creat-ing a distraction on the queenside. 32.f5 gxf533.Bxf5 a4 34.bxa4 bxa4 35.Bg6Kg8 36.Bf7+Rxf7 37.exf7+Qxf7 38.Rf1Re8 39.Qd4Qg640.Nf6+ Nxf6 41.Rxf6 Qb1+ 42.Rf1 Qb6Nicely illustrating the difference between ma-chines and humans, who wouldn’t consider denud-ing their kingside in this manner. Instead 42...Qg643. Rf6 Qb1+ leads to a draw by repetition.43.Qg4+Kh7 On 43...Kh8! White seems to havenothing better than a draw by 44. Qd4+ Kg8 44.Qg4+ Kh8 since if 45. Qh5 Bb5 wards off the im-mediate threats. 44.Rf7+Kh8 45.Qg7# Mate1-0

◦ Kasparov, G.• Anand, V.Las PalmasCanary Islands1996 1/2-1/2 B92The world’s top six stars clashed in the strongestround robin of 1996 at Las Palmas. PCA championKasparov, 33, added another laurel to his seem-ingly endless string of triumphs (3 wins, 7 draws).For over a decade he and Karpov, 45, toweredabove their rivals, but Karpov posted his worst re-sult ever in this event (8 draws, 2 losses). The av-erage age of their four foes was 24! In this fight-ing draw Kasparov missed several good chancesagainst runner-up Anand, his last challenger for thePCA crown.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.Be2 e5 7.Nb3Be7 8.O–O O–O 9.Kh1 b510.a4 Bb7 The attempt to win a pawn by 10...b411. Nd5 Nxe4? fails to 11. Bf3 f5 12. Nxe7+Qxe7 13. Qd5+ and Qxa8. 11.Nd5 bxa4 12.Rxa4Bc6 13.Ra3Nxe4 14.Na5Nf6 15.Nxc6Nxc616.Bc4 Instead of regaining the pawn White optsfor a kingside attack by swinging his rook to h3.Anand said he prepared this line at home for Whitebut suddenly realized, to his horror, that he wasnow playing the wrong side! 16...Nd4 17.Rh3g6 18.Qd2 Nf5 19.Nxf6+ Bxf6 20.Bd5 Los-ing the thread. More consistent is 20. g4 withthe following possibility: 20...Qc8 21. Bd5 Nh422. Rg1! g5 23. Rxh4! gxh4 24. g5 Bg7

25. g6 Kh8 26. gxf7 Qf5 27. Bxa8 Rxa8 28.Qd5 Rf8 29. Bh6! and wins. 20...h5 21.Bxa8Qxa8 22.Ra3 Since the rook no longer servesany function on the kingside, it focuses again ona6. 22...Rc8 23.c3 Qb7 24.Qd3 Rc6 25.Rd1"A horrible move that fritters away the advantage,"said Kasparov. A better play is 25. Re1 intendingRe4-a4. 25...d5 Too late Kasparov saw 26. Qxd5?Rd6! Qxb7? Rxd1 mate. He now tries in vain towear Anand down, but in vain 26.Ra5 d4 27.cxd4exd4 28.b4 Nh4 29.f3 Qxb4 30.Rxa6 Rxa631.Qxa6Bg7 32. Qd3Nf5 33.Bf4Qb2 34.g3Kh7 35.Rd2 Qb7 36.Qe4 Qb5 37.Qd3 Qb738.Qe4Qb5 39.Kg1Qa5 40.Qd3Ne7 41.Rd1Nd5 42.Bd2 Qa7 43.Re1 Qd7 44.Kg2 Qa745.Kg1 Qa2 46.Re2 Qa1+ 47.Re1 Qa448.Rc1Nc3 49.g4Qa5 50.Re1Qc5 51.h3Bf652.f4 h4 53.Qf3Qb5 54.g5Bg7 55.Re7Qb1+56.Qf1 Qf5 57.Qe1 Qxh3 58.Rxf7 Qg4+59.Kh2 h3 60.Qf1 Ne4 61.Be1 d3 62.Qxh3+Qxh3+ 63.Kxh3 d2 Draw by Agreement.1/2-1/2

◦ Lugo, B.• Van Wely, L.14th New York Open (8)Manhattan1996 0-1 B80Newcomer Blas Lugo, who defected from Cuba,turned in a performance rating of 2740 to tie forfirst in a field of 520 at the strongest open tourna-ment in the world, then lapsed into obscurity. Inthis critical game, played in the penultimate round,Lugo nearly won all the marbles by sacrificing aknight for a ferocious attack but went astray in amaze of complications.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.Be3 e6 6...e5 7. Nf3 is generally thoughtto give White chances for a comfortable advan-tage. 7.f3 b5 8.g4 h6 9.Qd2 Nbd7 10.O–O–OBb7 11.Bd3 A more active idea is 11. h4 b412. Nce2 d5 13. Bh3! dxe4 14. g5 hxg515. hxg3 exf3 16. Nf4 Ne4 17. Qe1 f2 18.Bxf2 Qxg5 19. Be3 Qh4l 20. Ndxe6! Qxe1 21.Nxg7+ Kd8 22. Rhxe1 with a big edge (Anand-Beliavsky, Groningen 1993). 11...b4 Also feasibleis 11...Ne5. 12.Na4 d5 13.exd5 Nxd5 14.Nxe6fxe6 15.Bg6+Ke7 16.Rhe1Qa5 17.Bf4N7f6Avoiding the ugly trap 17...Qxa4? 18. Rxe6+ Kxe619. Re1+ Kf6 20. Qd4+ Kxg6 21. Qe4+ Kf722. Qe6 mate. 18.Qd4Rc8 Again 18...Qxa4? isbusted by 19. Rxe6+! Kxe6 20. Qe5+ Kd7 21. Qc7mate. 19.Qe5 After this the attack is extinguished.The critical line is 19. Rxe6+! Kxe6 20. Qe5+ Kd7

282

21. Bf8+ Kd8 22. g5 hxg5 23. Bxg5. 19...Rc620.g5 hxg5 21.Bxg5Kd7 22.Qb8Bc8 Anotherfine defensive riposte. But not 22...Qc7? 23.Rxd5+! 23.Qa7+ Qc7 24.Qe3 Rd6 25.Nc5+Kd8 26.Bxf6+ gxf6 27.Rxd5 Rxd5 28.Nxe6+Bxe6 29.Qxe6 Qd6 White Resigns. The fire isout.0-1

◦ Smyslov, V.• Bacrot, E.Six Game Training Match (3)France1996 0-1 B72Athletes often have short careers, while chessmas-ters usually improve with age – up to a point.Ex-world champ Vassily Smyslov, now 75, wasdemolished by 13-year old French prodigy Eti-enne Bacrot, who won four and drew two games.Smyslov, considered nearly invincible in his hey-day, made few obvious blunders and yet the ladoutplayed him in a positional style reminiscent ofthe old master himself.1.e4 c5 2.Nc3Nc6 3.Nf3 d6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4Nf6 6.Be2 g6 7.Be3Bg7 8.h4 O–O 9.h5 d5 Inaccordance with the principle that a flank attack isbest met by a reaction in the center. 10.hxg6 hxg611.Nxc6 Varying from 11. exd5 Nxd5 12.Nxc6bxc6 13. Nxd5 Qxd5 14. Qxd5 cxd5 15. O-O-O with which Smyslov had defeated Botvin-nik in the fifth game of their 1958 title match.11...bxc6 12.e5 Ne4 13.Nxe4 dxe4 14.Qxd8Rxd8 15.Bf4Be6 16.Rd1Rd5 17.Rxd5 cxd518.Kd2 d4 19.f3 e3+ Liquid center pawns ad-vance like molten lava. 20.Kc1 Rc8 21.Rd1g5 Also strong is 21...Bf5. 22.Bxg5Bxe5 23.b3f6 24.Bh4Kg7 25.f4Bf5 26.c4Bxf4 27.Rxd4Bd6 28.Bf3 Rh8 29.g3 Rc8 Now that White’sbishop is locked out of play on h4 the rook re-turn to do damage on the queenside. 30.Rd5Be631.Rd3 Bc5 32.Kd1 a5 33.Ke2 a4 34.Rd1 Aloss of time. Better is 34. g4 right away to try andactivate the bishop on h4. 34...Rb8 35.Rd3Rb636.g4 axb3 37.axb3Ra6 38.b4 White is hogtied.If 38. Be1 Ra2+ 39. Kf1 Kg6. 38...Ra2+39.Kd1 Bxb4 40.Rxe3 Bxc4 41.Re4 41. Be4offers more resistance. 41...Bb3+ 42.Kc1Bd2+White gave up without waiting for 43. Kb1 Bc3followed by Ra1 mate.0-1

◦ Shaked, T.• Yermolinsky, A.

43rd USA Championship (9)Parsippany, New Jersey1996 0-1 B22Alex Yermolinsky, 38, captured this nation’s high-est title when Russian emigres began to dominateAmerican chess after the fall of the Soviet empire.Newcomer Tal Shaked, 18, the early leader in thisevent, faded in the stretch and finished near thecellar in a field of 14. A year later, however, therapidly improving lad who hails from Arizona wonthe World Junior Championship.1.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 Since this Alapin Variation doesn’tdevelop a piece, Black can afford to strike quicklyin the center. Also playable is 2...Nf6 3. e5 Nd5which resembles Alekhine’s Defense but the pawnon c3 is not an asset. 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 Nf65.Nf3 g6 Seldom seen. More usual is 5...Bg4 toexert more pressure on d4. 6.Na3 Bg7 7.Nb5Much more forceful is 8. Bc4 Qe4+ 9. Be3 (acute mate ensues after 9. Kd2? Bh6) threaten-ing Bxf7+. 7...Na6 8.Be2 cxd4 9.Qxd4 Qxd410.Nfxd4 O–O The resulting endgame looksdrawish. 11.O–O Bd7 12.Nb3 Rfc8 13.Rd1Nc5 14.Nxc5Rxc5 15.a4 a6 16.Nd4 e5 17.Nb3Rd5 18.Rxd5 Nxd5 19.Na5 b6 20.Bf3 "Con-centrate! A single move can cost you the game,"Fischer wrote in his 1969 BOYS’ LIFE column.This is the single move that costs Shaked the gamebecause of his weak back rank. Correct is 20.Nc4. 20...e4 21.Bxe4 Re8 Now mate looms on22. Bxd5? Re1. 22.f3 Nxc3 23.Bc6 Bxc624.Nxc6 Nxa4 25.Rxa4 Re1+ 26.Kf2 Rxc127.Ne7+ Kf8 28.Nd5 Rc2+ 29.Kg3 Rxb230.Rxa6Bd4 31.f4Rb3+ 32.Kh4Kg7 33.Ra7b5 34.Rb7Bg1 Decisive in view of 35. h3 Bf2+36. Kg4 Rg3+. 35.Nc7 Bxh2 36.Ne8+ Kg837.Nf6+ Kg7 38.Ne8+ It’s common for playersto repeat moves when short of time as they ap-proach the control at move 40. 38...Kf8 39.Nd6f6 40.Rf7+ Kg8 41.Rxf6 b4 42.g4 Rf3 43.f5Bg3+ White Resigns. If 44. Kg5 Bf4+ 45. Kh4g5+ 46. Kh5 Rh3 mate.0-1

◦ Deep Blue• Kasparov, G.Six Game Match (1)Philadelphia1996 1-0 B22February 10, 1996, is a historic date. Not only be-cause the world’s best human was pitted against adull, black IBM machine 6.5 feet tall and weighing1400 pounds, but also because the computer de-feated him on that day. Deep Blue coolly repulsed

283

an attack that might have withered many humansand people began to wonder whether it marked theend of our superiority – not just in chess but in art,music and literature as well.1.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3Bg4 6.Be2 e6 7.h3 Bh5 8.O–O Nc6 9.Be3cxd4 10.cxd4Bb4 The bishop is in danger of get-ting misplaced. More usual is 10...Be7 11. Nc3Qd6. 11.a3 Ba5 12.Nc3 Qd6 13.Nb5 Qe714.Ne5 Bxe2 15.Qxe2 O–O 16.Rac1 Rac817. Bg5 Bb6 Now it’s clear the bishop wouldbe better posted on e7 to obviate this annoyingpin. 18.Bxf6 gxf6 19.Nc4 Rfd8 Of course not19...Bxd4? 20. Nxd4 Nxd4 21. Qg4+ Kh8 22.Qxd4. 20.Nxb6 axb6 21.Rfd1 f5 22.Qe3 Qf623.d5 Rxd5 24.Rxd5 exd5 25.b3 Kh8 Blacklaunches an attack to compensate for his brokenpawn structure. More prudent is 25...Ne7. If 26.Rxc8+ Nxc8 27. Qe8+ Kg7 28. Qxc8 Qa1+ 29.Kh2 Qe5+ 30. g3 Qe2 31. Qxf5 Qxb5 equal-izes. 26.Qxb6Rg8 Hoping for 27. Qxb7?? Qg5.27.Qc5 d4 28.Nd6 f4 29.Nxb7Ne5 30.Qd5 f331.g3Nd3 32.Rc7Re8 33.Nd6Re1+ 34.Kh2Nxf2 35.Nxf7+Kg7 Also futile is 35...Qxf7 36.Qd8+ Kg7 (or 36...Re8 37. Qxd4+) 37. Rxf7+Kxf7 38. Qd5+ Kg6 39. Qxf3 d3 40. Qxf2 Re2 41.Kg2. 36.Ng5+ Kh6 37.Rxh7+ If 37...Kg6 38.Qg8+ Kf5 39. Nxf3 wins. Kasparov was very up-set because he hadn’t expected to be confronted bysuch a strong program. But he won the next game,drew the third and fourth, then took the last two toemerge victorious at 4-2. "I always describe chessas a kind of psychological warfare. It’s a fight oftwo intellects, two egos, two wills," he said. "Butwhen playing a computer suddenly you don’t havean opponent, you have an operator in front of youwho just moves the pieces. It’s a kind of wall, youknow. It’s a face, but the person represents virtu-ally nothing to you." Few people were prepared forthe upset that took place a year later.1-0

◦ Shirov, A.• Timman, J.58th Wijk aan ZeeHolland1996 1-0 C80White’s knight sacrifice on move 11 was intro-duced in Karpov- Korchnoi, 10th match game1978. Kasparov repeated it twice in his PCA ti-tle defense against Anand in 1993. White declinedthe knight in all three games but Timman bravelyaccepted it and wound up fighting an uphill battle.At the very end, however, he gave up the ship at

the very moment that he had a draw in hand! Amonth after the game was over a German chess fandiscovered the hidden resource Timman missed. Acurious case of chess blindness.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–ONxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.Nbd2Nc5 10.c3 d4 11.Ng5 Qxg5 Kasparov-Anand,10th match game 1995, continued with the safer11...dxc3 12. Nxe6 fxe6 13. bxc3. 12.Qf3O–O–O 13.Bxe6+ fxe6 14.Qxc6 Qxe5 15.b4Qd5 16.Qxd5 exd5 17.bxc5 dxc3 18.Nb3 d419.Ba3 g6 Black does not have enough compen-sation for the piece. If 19...d3 20. Bb4 c2 21. a4should win. 20.Bb4 Bg7 21.a4 Kd7 22.axb5axb5 23.Rad1 Ke6 24.Rfe1+ Kd5 25.Bxc3Kc4 26. Ba5 Kxb3 27.Rb1+ Kc4 28.Rec1+Kd5 29.c6 Kd6 Black regained the piece buthas new problems. 30.Rxb5 Rb8 31.Bb4+Ke6 32.Re1+Kf6 33.Be7+Kf7 34.Rd5Rhc835.Rd7Kg8 36. g3Rb6 37.Rc1Rb3 38.Bc5d3 39.Rd1 Rcb8 40.Kg2 Bf8 41.Bxf8 Rxf842.R1xd3Rxd3 43.Rxd3Rf7 44.f4Re7 45.g4Re6 46.Rd8+ Kf7 47.Rd7+ Re7 48.Rxe7+Kxe7 49.g5 Black Resigns. Discouraged, Timmanfailed to find a draw by 49...Kd6! 50. h4 Kxc6 51.f5 Kd6! (in his mind’s eye he probably saw only51...gxf5? 52. h5 Kd6 53. g6 hxg6 54. h6! andthe pawn queens) 52. f6 Ke6 53. Kf3 Kd6 54.Ke4 Ke6 55. Kd4 Kd6 56. Kc4 Ke6 57. Kc5 Kd758. Kd5 Ke8! 59. Kc6 (or 59. Ke6 Kf8) 59...Kd860. f7 Ke7 61. Kxc7 Kxf7 62. Kd7 Kf8 63. Ke6Ke8 64. Kf6 Kf8 and White can make no furtherprogress.1-0

◦ Polgar, S.• Xie JunWomen’s World Championship (7)Jaen, Spain1996 1-0 C45Women’s chess took a great leap forward in the90s, prompting observers to wonder whether sep-arate titles for men and women should be abol-ished. Be that as it may, Hungary’s Susan Polgardethroned China’s Xie Jun by the lopsided scoreof 8 1/2 - 4 1/2. Most games were exciting, butthe defending champion was hampered by inferioropening knowledge. "Chess literature is still hardto get in China, but the game is getting very popularthere," said Xie Jun. Trailing by a point before thisgame, she desperately sought complications in or-der to even the score but faltered after only a dozenmoves.

284

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc55.Nxc6 Qf6 6.Qd2 dxc6 7.Nc3 Be6 8. Na4More direct is 8. Bd3 O-O-O 9. O-O with a sharpbattle in the offing. 8...Bd6 9.Qe3 Nh6 10.h3O–O 11.Be2Rfe8 12.Nc3Qe5 The queen isn’twell placed here. Better is 12...Qg6 13. O-Of5. 13.f4 Qa5 14.Bd2 Bb4 15.a3 Nf5 A tac-tical trick that almost work. 19...Rad8 offers thebest hope. 16.exf5 Bc4 17.Qd4 Bxc3 18.Bxc3Rxe2+ 19.Kf1 The fly in the ointment. Black hasno good discovered check. If 19...Re4+ 20. Qxc4Rxc4 21. Bxa5 gains a piece. Now Black hasto guard his queen as well as the threat of Qxg7mate. 19...Qxc3 20.bxc3 Re4+ 21.Kf2 Rxd422.cxd4 Rd8 23.Rhe1 Kf8 24.Re4 g6 25.f6Rd6 26.Re7 Rxf6 27.Rxc7 Rxf4+ 28.Ke3Rf6 29.Rxb7 a6 30.Re1Bf1 31.g4 g5 32.Rb6Bg2 33.Rg1Bd5 34.Rg3Bc4 35.d5 Simplifiesthe task by creating a passed a-pawn. 35...Bxd536.Rxa6 Kg7 37.Ra7 Rf4 38.a4 Kf6 39.Kd2Rf2+ 40.Kc1 Ke5 41.a5 Kd4 42.Kb2 Ke443.Rb7 c5 44.Rb6 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Kamsky, G.• Karpov, A.FIDE World Championship (6)Elista, Kalmykia1996 1-0 C43In 1989 Gata Kamsky, 14, defected from theUSSR. He rapidly rose to the pinnacle of Amer-ican chess and earned the right to challenge Kar-pov for the FIDE title. Going into this game Kam-sky was trailing by a point and had his last chanceto catch up, yet he lost the thread with a series ofaimless maneuvers. After returning with his shareof the purse (over half a million dollars) Gata an-nounced he was quitting chess to study medicine."We feel completely exhausted after many years offight against dark and mighty forces," said his fa-ther. "We no longer want to deal with corruption,dirty tricks and the Chess Mafia."1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nf6 3.d4Nxe4 4.Bd3 d5 5.Nxe5Nd7 6.Nxd7 Bxd7 7.O–O Bd6 8. Nc3 Arelatively new move instead of the usual 8. c4.The idea is to pursue rapid development by trad-ing knights after which the open b-file discour-ages Black from castling long. 8...Qh4 Taken bysurprise Karpov spent 43 minutes on this reply.On 8...Nxc3 9. bxc3 O-O 10. Qh5 f5 11. Rb1b6 12. Re1 Qf6 13. Qf3 gives White an endur-ing advantage (Kharlov-Nielson, Kemerovo 1995.9.g3Nxc3 10.bxc3Qg4 11.Re1+Kd8 12.Be2Qf5 13.Rb1 Possibly better is 13. c4 right away.

13...b6 14.c4 dxc4 15.Bxc4 Re8 16.Be3 Bc617.d5 Bd7 18.Bf1 h6 19.c4 Re7 20.Bd3 Qf621.Kg2 A strange interlude. More logical is 21.Qc2 Ke8 22. c5 bxc5 23. Bxc5 Kf8 24. Rxe7 Qxe725. Bd4. 21...Ke8 22.Bc2 Qc3 23.Bb3 Kam-sky’s zeal to win clouds his better judgment. Heshould admit his earlier lapses and steer for a drawby 23. Bd4 Qxe1 24. Qxe1 Rxe1 25. Rxe1+ Kf8.23...Kf8 24.Rc1 After this Black assumes the ini-tiative. Better is 24. Bd4 Rxe1 25. Bxc3 Rxd126. Rxd1 with even chances. 24...Qf6 25.Bc2Rae8 26.Qd3Bg4 27.Bd2 As so often happens,one bad move follows another. The last chanceto offer resistance is 27. f4. 27...Re2 28.Rxe2Rxe2 29.Rf1 Rxd2 Black Resigns, because of30. Qxd2 Qf3+ 31.Kg1 Bh3 32. Be4 Qxe4.1-0

◦ Hernandez, G.• Korchnoi, V.Training Match (2)Merida, Mexico1996 0-1 C00Mexico’s premier player Gilberto Hernandez, 25,was trounced 5 1/2 - 2 1/2 by Korchnoi 65, a deadlycounter-puncher and master of defense. "I like tocoax my opponents into attacking and to let themtaste the joy of the initiative so that they may getcarried away, become careless, and sacrifice mate-rial," said Korchnoi early in his career. This strug-gle illustrates his philosophy in action. Not manyplayers would coax White into building up such astrong attack, but Korchnoi massed his heavy ar-tillery along a central file and coolly marched hisking to safety on the queenside.1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.Qe2 c5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.g3 dxe46.dxe4 e5 7.c3 a6 A curious loss of time. 8.Bg2Be7 9.O–O Qc7 10.Na3 Nf6 11.Nc4 Be612.Ng5 Bxc4 13.Qxc4 O–O 14.f4 b5 15.Qe2c4 16.Nh3 Bc5+ 17.Kh1 Rfe8 18.f5 Rad819.g4 h6 20.g5 hxg5 21.Bxg5 Rd6 22.Rae1Kf8 Black sees a storm brewing and starts a re-lentless trek to the other wing. 23.Nf2 Qd724.Bf3 Rd8 25.Rg1 Ne7 26.Rg2 Qa7 27.a3Neg8 28.h3 Ke8 29.Ng4 Nxg4 30.hxg4 Blackis better after 30. Bxd8 Nf2+ 31. Rxf2 Bxf2.30...f6 31.Bc1Kd7 32.Rh2Kc8 33.Rh7R6d734.Qh2 An inaccuracy that permits Black to in-vade on the dark squares. Steadier is 34. Kg2.34...Bf2 35.Rf1 Be3 36.Bxe3 Qxe3 37.Qg1Qxg1+ 38.Kxg1 Kc7 39.Rf2 Kb6 40. Rg2Ka5 41.g5Ka4 42.gxf6Nxf6 43.Rhxg7Rxg744.Rxg7 Kb3 45.Re7 Kxb2 46. Rxe5 Kxc347.Re6Nd7 48.Rxa6Ne5 The knight is clearly

285

more potent than the ineffectual bishop. 49.Kf2Kd2 50.Re6Nd3+ White gave up without wait-ing for 51 Kg3 c3 and c2.0-1

◦ Lonoff, M.• Gurevich, D.9th Masters OpenChicago1996 0-1 A13Dmitry Gurevich, 37, is one of many Russian emi-gres who have enriched American chess. He set atorrid pace in a field of 79 including 15 grandmas-ters by taking calculated risks with Black. Thisstrategy paid off when he swept this event withseven straight wins, a streak reminiscent of Fis-cher’s 11-0 in the star-studded 1964 USA Cham-pionship.1.c4 e6 2.g3 d5 3.Nf3Nf6 4.Bg2 c6 5.b3Nbd76.O–O a5 7.Nc3Be7 8.d4 O–O 9.Qc2 b6 10.e4Ba6 11.e5 Ne8 Black has gone into a defensivecrouch, but his position contains no weaknesses.12.Ne2 Nc7 13.Rd1 a4 14.h4 Ra7 15.Bg5Re8 16.Bxe7Qxe7 17.Nf4Nf8 18.Rdb1Rc819.Bf1Bb7 20.Bg2 c5 A bold stroke to open theposition that leads to rousing complications. Moreprudent is 20...axb3 21. axb3 Rca8. 21.bxa4Better is 21. cxd5 Nxd5 22. Nxd5 Bxd5 23.bxa4 with equal chances. 21...dxc4 22.Rxb6 cxd423.Nxd4 Perhaps White intended 23. Rxb7 Rxb724. Nxd4 before realizing that 24...Nd5 is bet-ter for Black. 23...Bxg2 24.Nxg2Qc5 SuddenlyWhite’s pieces are placed awkwardly. 25.Nc6Raa8 26.Rab1 Nd5 27.R1b5 Qa3 28.Rb8Raxb8 29.Nxb8 Nb4 White’s stranded knightcauses his downfall. 30.Qe2 c3 31.Qf3 Qxa432.Rb7 Qe8 33.Nf4 c2 34.Ne2 Rxb8 WhiteResigns.0-1

◦ Kasparov, G.• Deep BlueSix Game Rematch (3)New York City1997 1/2-1/2Kasparov once again chose a modest opening totake the machine out of its book. He got a nice po-sitional advantage but couldn’t seem to crack DeepBlue’s ingenious defense. It was now becomingclear that he was in for the fight of his life.1.d3 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.c4Nf6 4.a3 d6 5.Nc3Be7Most masters would prefer the fianchetto 5...g6and Bg7 but the machine places a higher prior-ity on rapid rather than long-range development.

6.g3 O–O 7.Bg2 Be6 8.O–O Qd7 9.Ng5 "IfI had played 9 b4 instead I would have crushedit," said Kasparov after the game. 9...Bf5 10.e4Bg4 11.f3Bh5 12.Nh3Nd4 13.Nf2 h6 14.Be3c5 15.b4 b6 16.Rb1 Kh8 The kind of myste-rious king move that also cropped up in gamesone and four. The machine probably was devis-ing a plan to rescue its bishop via g6, h7 and g8.17.Rb2 a6 18.bxc5 bxc5 19.Bh3 Qc7 Reject-ing 19...Bxf3 (not 19...Nxf3+? 20. Kh1 Qc7 21.g4) 20. Bxd7 Bxd1 21. Rxd1 Nxd7 22. Rb7Rfd8 23. Nd5. 20.Bg4Bg6 21.f4 exf4 22.gxf4Qa5 23.Bd2 Qxa3 24.Ra2 Qb3 25.f5 Qxd126. Bxd1 Bh7 27.Nh3 Rfb8 28.Nf4 Bd8Black is cramped but a pawn is a pawn. 29.Nfd5Nc6 30.Bf4 Ne5 31.Ba4 Nxd5 32.Nxd5 a533.Bb5 Ra7 34.Kg2 g5 35. Bxe5+ dxe5 36.f6To prevent f6 and Bg8. White’s bind compensatesfor his lost pawn but he can’t seem to make se-rious progress. 36...Bg6 37.h4 gxh4 38.Kh3Kg8 39.Kxh4 Kh7 40.Kg4 Bc7 41.Nxc7 Re-gaining the pawn leads to a draw but it’s not clearWhite can make more headway after 41. Ne7Rf8 42. Rh1 h5+ 43. Kg5 Bd8 44. Nf5 Rg8.41...Rxc7 42.Rxa5 Rd8 43.Rf3 Kh8 44.Kh4Kg8 45.Ra3 Kh8 46.Ra6 Kh7 47.Ra3 Kh848.Ra6 Draw by Agreement.1/2-1/2

◦ Fracnik, L.• Cvitan, O.Hamburg vs. FreiburgGermany1997 1-0 E97One of the flashiest games in the modern era tookplace at a league match in Germany’s famous"Bundesliga" where rival cities hire foreign grand-masters to play on their teams. A stunning queensacrifice capped Black’s violent onslaught as bothsides rushed to breakthrough on opposite wings.1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.Nc3 O–O 5.e4d6 6.Be2 e5 It’s well-known in this King’s IndianDefense that the attempt to gain a pawn by 7. dxe5dxe5 8. Qxd8 Rxd8 9. Nxe5 is foiled by 9...Nxe4.7.O–ONc6 8.d5Ne7 9.Nd2Ne8 10.b4 f5 11.c5Nf6 12.f3 f4 13.Nc4 g5 14.a4 Ng6 Both sideswaste no time attacking on opposite flanks. Whocomes first is an important theoretical question.15.Ba3 Rf7 16.b5 dxc5 17.Bxc5 h5 18.a5 g419.b6 g3 20.Kh1Nh7 21.d6 A necessary precau-tion is 21. Re1! in order to vacate f1 for the bishop.The reason soon becomes clear. A hard struggleis then in the offing after 21...cxb6 22. axb6 a6.21...Qh4 22.Bg1Bh3 23.bxc7 With the rook on

286

e1 this could be met by Bf1. Giving up the Ex-change by 23. Rf2 gxf2 24. Bxf2 is now White’sonly chance to survive. Instead a series of thunder-bolts shatters his fortress. 23...Bxg2+ 24.Kxg2Qh3+ 25.Kxh3Ng5+ 26.Kg2Nh4+ Black Re-signs without waiting for 27. Kh1 g2 mate.1-0

◦ Seirawan, Y.• Ivanchuk, V.FIDE Interzonal (2)Groningen1997 1-0 E70FIDE, in its ongoing rivalry with Kas-parov’s PCA, sponsored a 5million99 −playerknockouttodetermineachallengerforFIDEworldchampionKarpov.SeirawanwastheonlyAmericantosurvivethefirstround.Inthenextroundheupsetahighratedfavoritewiththisdelightfulbrevitybeforefallinginroundthree.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Bd3 e56.d5 a5 7.Nge2Na6 8.f3Nd7 9. Be3Bh6 Theidea is to swap an inactive bishop for an active oneafter 10. Bxh6 Qh4+ 11. Ng3 Qxh6. 10.Qd2Bxe3 11.Qxe3 c6 It’s too soon to open the centerbefore deciding where his king belongs, but Whitestill has attacking prospects after 11...Qh4+ 12. g3Qe7 13. h4 Nac5 14. O-O-O. 12.Qh6 Prevent-ing castling. "It would be a terrible error to play12. O-O? Qb6! when Black’s dark-square strat-egy would be crowned with success" – Seirawan.12...Ndc5 Better is 12...Nac5 13. Rd1 Nb6 14. b3Qe7. 13.Rd1Qb6 The final error, diverting thequeen from defense of the kingside. More tena-cious is 13...Qe7 14. Bc2 Bd7. 14.Bb1Ke7 Theking can’t survive in the center. But if 14...Qxb215. dxc6 bxc6 16. Rxd6 is too strong. Now Whiteproceeds to rip open lines on the kingside. 15.f4exf4 16.Rf1Rf8 17.Qxf4 The queen has done itsjob by preventing castling. Now now it’s time toreturn to the scene of action in the center. 17...f618.dxc6 Qxc6 19.Nd4 Qe8 Black keeps gettingpushed around. No better is 19...Qd7 20. Nd5+Kd8 21. Nb6 winning a whole rook. 20.Nd5+Kd8 21.Qxd6+Bd7 22.Nb5 Black Resigns. It’sa massacre. The immediate threat is Qb6+ fol-lowed by Nd6+.1-0

◦ Shaked, T.• Gyimesi, Z.World Junior Championship (8)Poland1997 1-0 E42The World Junior Championship has been heldfor players under 20 every other year since 1951.Three Russian teens – Spassky, Karpov, Kasparov

– all won it on their way to the crown. Shaked,19, who hails from Tucson, Arizona, was the sixthAmerican to gain the title. This key victory againsta young Hungarian grandmaster set the stage forhis final surge to the top.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 b6 5.Ne2 c56.a3 Ba5 7.Rb1 Na6 8.Qa4 Bb7 9.Bd2 Re-jecting the tempting attempt to trap the bishop by 9.b4 Bc6 10. b5 (if 10. Nb5 cxb4 11. axb4 Nxb4 12.Rxb4 a6!) 10...Be4 11. Ra1 Nb8. 9...Bc6 10.Qc2O–O 11.Ng3 Qc8 12.d5 Bb7 The refutation of12...exd5? is 13. Nf5! 13.e4Ne8 More prudent is13...d6. 14.Bd3 f5 Unwisely opening lines whilehis pieces are still asleep. Black hopes to mix it upwith 15. exf5 Bxc3 16. Bxc3 exd5. 15.O–O f416.e5 g6 Rejecting the sacrifice. One possible vari-ation is 16...fxg3 17. Bxh7+ Kh8 18. fxg3 Nec719. Qg6 Rxf1+ 20. Rxf1 Qe8 21. Rf8+! Qxf8 22.Qh5 Qe8 23. Bg6+ Kg8 24. Qh7 Kf8 25. Qh8+Ke7 25. Bg5 mate. 17.Bxg6 hxg6 18.Qxg6+Kh8 19.Qh6+ Kg8 20.Qg6+ Kh8 21.Nce4Qd8 Black clearly hoped to get a draw by perpet-ual check. No such luck. Not 21...Bxd2? 22 Ng5!Black now offers tough resistance but his positionhas already been sufficiently disrupted to offer littlehope. 22.Qh6+ Kg8 23.Bxf4 Qe7 24.b4 cxb425.Nh5 Nc5 To stop Rb3. Now 26. Nxc5 bxc527. Rb3 looks strong anyway, but White choosesanother path. 26.Nef6+ Nxf6 27.Nxf6+ Rxf628.exf6 Qh7 29.axb4 exd5 30.bxa5 dxc4 31.f7+Qxf7 32.Be5Qh7 33.Qxh7+Kxh7 34.axb6 a535.Bd4Nb3 36.Bc3 a4 37.Rfe1Bc6 38.Re7+Kg8 39.Rg7+ Kf8 40.Rh7 a3 41.Rh8+ Kf742.Rxa8 Bxa8 43.f3 Ke6 44. Re1+ Kf745.Kf2 d5 46.Ke3 a2 47.Ra1 Nxa1 48.Bxa1Ke6 49.h4 Bc6 50.h5 Kf5 51.g4+ Kg5 52.f4+Black Resigns. Black put up a stout defense butthe day of reckoning has arrived since 52...Kh6 (or56...Kxg4 57. h6) 53. f6 queens.1-0

◦ Bacrot, E.• Korchnoi, V.Training Match (3)Albert, France1997 1-0 D41In 1996 French prodigy Etienne Bacrot, 13,stunned the chess world by defeating former worldchampion Smyslov in a training match. The ladwon four and drew two games in a quiet posi-tional style reminiscent of the old master himself.The following year veteran grandmaster Korchnoi,66, won three, drew two, but was caught napping

287

in this game by failing to cope with a wild pawnmarching down the center of the board.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c5 5.cxd5Nxd5 6.e4 Nxc3 7.bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Nc69.Bc4 b5 Popularized by Fischer vs. Spassky intheir 1972 title match. Of course 10. Bxb5? Qa5+costs a piece. 10.Be2 Improving on Spassky’stame 10. Bd3. 10...Bb4+ 11.Bd2 Bxd2+12.Qxd2 Rb8 Safer is 12...a6. 13.d5 exd514.exd5 Ne7 15.d6 Nf5 16.Rd1 O–O Perhapshe intended 16...Rb6 but saw too late that 17.Bxb5+! Kf8 (not 17...Rxb5? 18. Qe2+ Kf8 19.Qxb5) 18. d7 Rxb5 18. dxc8=Q Qxc8 20. Qd8+wins. 17.d7Bb7 18.O–OQf6 The last chance tofight back is 18...Nh4. Now White obtains a bindwith a series of forcing moves. 19.Qf4 a6 20.g4Bxf3 21.Bxf3Nh4 22.Qxf6 gxf6 23.Be4Rfd824.Rd6 a5 25.f4Ng6 26.h4Kg7 He can’t breakthe grip by 26...Nxh4 because 27. f5! will trapthe knight. 27.h5Nf8 28.h6+Kxh6 29.g5+Kg730.gxf6+ Kg8 31.Bc6 Ne6 32.f5 Nc7 33.Rd3Rb6 34.Rc1 Na6 35.Re3 Rf8 36.Re8 Rb837.Bxb5 Black Resigns. Bacrot’s only win in thismatch, but a beaut.1-0

◦ Deep Blue• Kasparov, G.Six Game Rematch (2)New York City1997 1-0 C93This game truly stunned – or just plain terrified– many observers. Deep Blue caught the worldchampion in its boa constrictor grip and swallowedhim whole. Depressed to the point of despair afterbeing roundly outplayed, Kasparov actually gaveup in a position later found to be drawn. He neverrecovered from this emotional scar.1.e4 e5 Already a surprise. Kasparov abandons hispet Sicilian Defense with 1...c5 to confuse the ma-chine. 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.h3 h6 TheSmyslov System. Black holds the center and defersa decision on whether to put his knight on a5 or b8.10.d4 Re8 11.Nbd2 Bf8 12.Nf1 Bd7 13.Ng3Na5 14.Bc2 c5 15.b3 Nc6 16.d5 Ne7 17.Be3Ng6 18.Qd2 Nh7 19.a4 Opening lines on thequeenside. Up to here Deep Blue consumed onlyone minute on its clock. 19...Nh4 20.Nxh4Qxh421.Qe2Qd8 22.b4Qc7 23.Rec1 c4 Locking theposition leads to a serious cramp. A reasonablealternative is 23...cxb4 24. cxb4 Qb7. 24.Ra3Rec8 25.Rca1Qd8 26.f4 Opening a second fronton the kingside. 26...Nf6 27.fxe5 dxe5 28.Qf1

Ne8 This is Black’s last chance to make a bidfor freedom with 28...a5. 29.Qf2 Nd6 30.Bb6Qe8 31.R3a2 Be7 32.Bc5 Bf8 33.Nf5 Bxf534.exf5 f6 Black is reduced to passivity. Kar-pov suggests 34...e4 sacrificing a pawn for play onthe dark squares. 35.Bxd6 Bxd6 36.axb5 axb537.Be4 A startling un-computer like move thatcaused Kasparov to suspect some sort of human in-tervention. He was hoping to draw with 37. Qb6Rxa2 38. Rxa2 Ra8 39. Rxa8 Qxa8 40. Qxd6Qa1+ 41. Kh2 Qc1 42. Qb8+ Kh7 43. Qxb5 Qf4+.37...Rxa2 38.Qxa2 Qd7 39.Qa7 Rc7 40.Qb6Rb7 41.Ra8+Kf7 42.Qa6Qc7 43.Qc6Qb6+44.Kf1 Simply 44. Kh1 squelches all counter-play. 44...Rb8 45.Ra6 Black Resigns. Kasparovblue it! Analysis later showed he could draw with45...Qe3! 46. Qxd6 Re8!! (the star move) 47. Bf3Qc1+ 48. Kf2 Qd2+ 49. Be2 Qf4+ 50. Ke1 Qc1+51. Bd1 Qxc3+! 52. Kf1 Qc1! There are manymore lines, of course, but White has been unableto demonstrate a forced win.1-0

◦ Deep Blue• Kasparov, G.Six Game Rematch (4)New York City1997 1/2-1/2 B12Once again Kasparov achieved a comfortable ad-vantage with an offbeat opening and once againDeep Blue found a perfect defense to rescue a dif-ficult position. "I think I was winning at one point,but I was very tired and couldn’t figure it out," saidthe drained, ashen-faced champion.1.e4 c6 2.d4 d6 Kasparov again employs anoffbeat opening and avoids sharp tactical lines.3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bg4 5.h3 Bh5 6.Bd3 e67.Qe2 d5 8.Bg5Be7 9.e5Nfd7 10.Bxe7Qxe711.g4Bg6 12.Bxg6 hxg6 13.h4Na6 14.O–O–OO–O–O 15.Rdg1 The purpose of this move is un-clear. More relevant is 15. Qe3 to prepare h5.Now Black is solid and prepares to break in thecenter while White flounders. 15...Nc7 16.Kb1f6 17.exf6 Qxf6 18.Rg3 Rde8 19.Re1 Rhf820.Nd1 e5 A sound pawn sacrifice to activatehis pieces and seize key squares. 21.dxe5 Qf422.a3 Ne6 23.Nc3 Ndc5 24.b4 Nd7 25.Qd3Qf7 26.b5 Reminiscent of the first game wherethe machine also wrecked its own kingside. Here,however, White is a pawn up and the enemy kingwill be equally exposed. 26...Ndc5 27.Qe3 Qf428.bxc6 bxc6 29.Rd1Kc7 30.Ka1Qxe3 Leadsto a favorable ending, yet 30...Rf7 or Qc4 both lookstronger. 31.fxe3 Rf7 32.Rh3 Ref8 33.Nd4

288

Rf2 34.Rb1 Rg2 35.Nce2 Rxg4 A better win-ning try is 35...R8f2. 36.Nxe6+ Nxe6 37.Nd4Nxd4 38.exd4 Rxd4 39.Rg1 Rc4 40.Rxg6Rxc2 41.Rxg7+ Kb6 42.Rb3+ Kc5 43.Rxa7Rf1+ 44.Rb1 Rff2 45.Rb4 Rc1+ 46.Rb1Rcc2 47.Rb4 Rc1+ White was threatening Ra5mate! If 47...Ra2+ 48. Kb1 Rxa3 49. Rxa3Kxb4 50. Rh3 Re2 51. h5 Rxe5 52. h6 Re8 53.h7 Rh8 54. Kc2 also leads to a draw. 48.Rb1Rxb1+ 49.Kxb1 Re2 50.Re7 Rh2 51.Rh7Kc4 52.Rc7 c5 53.e6 Rxh4 54.e7 Re4 55.a4Kb3 56.Kc1 Draw by Agreement. A possibledrawing continuation is 56...c4 57. a5 c3 58. Kd1d4 59. a6 d3 60. a7 d2 61. Rb7+ Kc4 62. Rc7+Kb3 63. Rb7+ etc.1/2-1/2

◦ Deep Blue• KasparovSix Game Rematch (6)New York City1997 1-0 B17Today was Kasparov’s bluest day – the shortest,saddest loss in his career. He played the openingslowly, spending two minutes on the risky 7...h6?!which is known to be dubious (instead of the usualBd6). After this inversion of moves he shook hishead and rolled his eyes as Deep Blue instantly sac-rificed a knight. The champion crumbled instead ofputting up a strong defense.1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4Nd7 5.Ng5This strange move became popular over the lastdecade. One of the ideas behind it is to win thetwo bishops after 5...h6 6. Ne6! Qb6 (of course not6...fxe6? 7. Qh5 mates) 7. Nxf8. 5...Ngf6 6.Bd3e6 7.N1f3 h6 It’s a mystery why Kasparov triedto revive this discredited move since he was famil-iar with the standard 7...Bd6 8. Qe2 h6 9. Ne4Nxe4 10. Qxe4 Nf6. 8.Nxe6 Qe7 It’s question-able whether the queen is better on e7 or c7. Someprevious games continued 8...fxe6 9. Bg6+ Ke710. O-O Qc7 11. Re1 with a dangerous attack forthe piece, though Black actually won and drew sev-eral games in this variation. 9.O–O fxe6 10.Bg6+Kd8 11.Bf4 b5 11...b6 looks safer. Surely DeepBlue’s database contained a key game showing thisline as strong for White. Chandler-Hubner, Biel1987, went 11...Nd5 12. Bg3 Qb4 13. Re1 Be714. Qe2 Bf6 15. c4 Ne7 16. a3 Qb3 17. Bd3and White won in 27 moves. However Black camimprove with 17...Nf8 18. Rad1 Bd7 19. Ne5Be8. 12.a4Bb7 Black’s problem is that his kingis never safe. 12...b4 was the last chance to keeplines closed. 13.Re1Nd5 14.Bg3Kc8 A waste

of time since the king has nowhere to go. But if14...Qf6? 15. Bh4 pins the queen. 15.axb5 cxb516.Qd3Bc6 If 16...a6 17. c4 Nb4 18. Qc3 bxc419. Qxc4+ Bc6 20. Rxe6 is decisive. 17.Bf5 exf518.Rxe7 Bxe7 19.c4 Deep Blue 3.5 - Kasparov2.5. The champion didn’t even wait for 19...bxc4(or 19...Nb4 20. Qxf5 bxc4 21. Ne5 Rd8 22. Nxc6Nxc6 23. Qf4) 20. Qxc4 Kb7 21. Qa6 mate. "Kas-parov’s resignation was probably premature," saidone commentator. "But what we have seen today ispsychological weakness of the sort I’d never expectfrom him." In a press conference Kasparov lashedout at IBM, claiming it was difficult to prepare foran opponent whose games were not made availableto him beforehand.1-0

◦ Kasparov, G.• Deep BlueSix Game Rematch (5)New York City1997 1/2-1/2 A06Kasparov emerged with a strong endgame advan-tage after a complex up-and-down struggle. In anexciting finish, with White’s pawn poised to queen,the computer forced a draw in the nick of time byperpetual check – providing yet another frustrationfor the world champion.1.Nf3 d5 2.g3Bg4 3.Bg2Nd7 4.h3Bxf3 Thealternative is 4...Bh5. The machine traded bishopfor knight because to get a slight lead in develop-ment. 5.Bxf3 c6 6.d3 e6 Setting up a wall ofpawns so that the bishop on f3 will "bite on gran-ite." 7.e4Ne5 8.Bg2 dxe4 9.Bxe4Nf6 10.Bg2Bb4+ 11.Nd2 h5 An aggressive surprise insteadof the expected O-O. "I was very much amazed bythis move," said Kasparov. "I have to praise themachine for understanding very, very deep posi-tional factors. I think it’s an outstanding scien-tific achievement." 12.Qe2Qc7 13.c3Be7 14.d4Ng6 15.h4 e5 16.Nf3 exd4 17.Nxd4 O–O–O18.Bg5Ng4 19.O–O–ORhe8 Wrong would be19...Bxg5+ 20. hxg5 Qa5? 21. Rxh5 Rxh5 22.Qxg4+. 20.Qc2 Kb8 21.Kb1 Bxg5 22.hxg5N6e5 Inviting the risky snatch 23. Rxh5 c5 24.Nb5 Qb6 25. Rxd8+ Rxd8 26. Na3 Nxf2 (if27. Qxf2 Qg6+ snares the rook.) 23.Rhe1 c524.Nf3Rxd1+ 25.Rxd1Nc4 26.Qa4Rd8 Justin time to maintain parity since now 27. Rxd8+Qxd8 28. Qxc4? Qd1 mates. 27.Re1 Nb628.Qc2 Qd6 29.c4 Qg6 Okay but even betteris 29...Qd3. 30.Qxg6 fxg6 31.b3 Nxf2 32.Re6Kc7 33.Rxg6 Rd7 34.Nh4 Nc8 35.Bd5 Nd636. Re6 Nb5 37.cxb5 Rxd5 38.Rg6 Rd7

289

39.Nf5 Ne4 40.Nxg7 Rd1+ 41.Kc2 Rd2+42.Kc1 Rxa2 43.Nxh5 Nd2 The key move tosave a difficult position. Despite White’s dan-gerous g-pawn Deep Blue had already calculateda beautiful draw. 44.Nf4 Another try is 44.Re6 Nxb3+ 45. Kb1 Rh2! 46. Nf6 Nd2+47. Kc1 Nxb3+ and White must repeat movessince 48. Kd1? Rh1+ 49. Ke2 Nd4+ forksthe rook. 44...Nxb3+ 45.Kb1 Rd2 46.Re6 c447.Re3 Kb6 "The king is a fighting piece – useit!" (Steinitz). The concluding moves are so welltimed that they look like a ballet. 48.g6 Kxb549.g7 Kb4 Draw by Agreement. If 50. g8/QRd1+ 51. Kb2 Rd2+ etc. "I’m not afraid to ad-mit that I’m afraid. and I’m not even afraid to saywhy I am afraid," confessed Kasparov. "Deep Bluegoes beyond any known program in the world. Itmakes decisions that still cannot be made by anycomputer. Facing such a challenge with virtuallyno preparation before the match, I have to be ex-tremely cautious."1/2-1/2

◦ Kasparov, G.• Deep BlueSix Game Rematch (1)New York City1997 1-0 A07This 1.1millionrematchturnedouttobeamediaextravaganzaonaplanetaryscale.Forthefirsttimeeveramachinewonnotjustasinglegamebutawholeseriesagainsttheworldchampioninamatchthatcapturedglobalheadlines.UnlikeKasparov,DeepBluewasredesignedaftertheirmatchayearearlierandgrandmasterswereaddedtoitsteam.Hereareallsixgamesfromthishistoricconfrontation”betweentheworld′sgreatestchessplayerandKasparov, ”asIBM ′schairmanquipped.IBMdeclinedKasparov′schallengetoarubbermatch, promptingmanydisappointedfanstocallDeepBlueyellow.1.Nf3 d5 2.g3Bg4 3.b3 Kasparov’s employs off-beat openings to get the machine out of its databaseand make it "think" as quickly as possible. 3...Nd74.Bb2 e6 5.Bg2 Ngf6 6.O–O c6 7.d3 Bd68.Nbd2 O–O 9.h3 Bh5 10.a3 h6 11.Qe1 Qa512.e3 Bc7 This weird retreat led some critics toconclude that Deep Blue would be at a strategicdisadvantage throughout the entire series. Up tohere Kasparov, playing ultra cautiously, like a tur-tle, has not pushed a piece beyond his third rank.13.Nh4 g5 Kasparov greeted this weakening movewith barely concealed mirth. 14.Nhf3 e5 15.e4Rfe8 16.Nh2 Qb6 17.Qc1 a5 18.Re1 Bd619.Ndf1 dxe4 20.dxe4Bc5 Finally this bishop re-enters the game. 21.Ne3Rad8 22.Nhf1 g4 Kas-parov branded this "the big mistake." More soberis 22...Bg6. 23.hxg4 Nxg4 24.f3 Exposing theking to a pin is somewhat risky. Safer is 24. Nxg4Bxg4 25. Ne3. 24...Nxe3 25.Nxe3Be7 26.Kh1Bg5 27.Re2 a4 28.b4 f5 This savage counterat-tack actually gains material but exposes Black’sking to a draft. 29.exf5 e4 30.f4 Bxe2 No bet-ter is 30...Bxf4 31. gxf4 Bxe2 32. Qd2! threat-ening both Qxe2 and/or Qc3 with mayhem on thea1-h8 diagonal. 31.fxg5 Ne5 Allowing White

to preserve his phalanx of pawns. But 31...hxg5?32. Nc4! Bxc4 33. Qxg5+ wins outright. 32.g6Bf3 33.Bc3 Qb5 34.Qf1 Qxf1+ 35.Rxf1 h536.Kg1 Kf8 The best chance is 36...Ng4 37. f6!Re6! (rather than 37...Nxe3 38. f7+ Kf8 39. Bxf3!Nxf1 40. Bxh5 with the deadly threat of g7+)38. Bh3 Rxf6! 37.Bh3 b5 38.Kf2 Kg7 39.g4Kh6 40.Rg1 hxg4 41.Bxg4 Bxg4 42.Nxg4+Nxg4+ 43. Rxg4 Rd5 44.f6 Rd1 45.g7 BlackResigns. "I kept my promise before the match thatI would not play as Kasparov normally plays in hu-man events," said the exuberant victor. Who couldguess the extraordinary events that were to comenext week?1-0

◦ Kachiesvili, G.• Polgar, J.U.S. Open Championship (8)Hawaii1998 0-1 E94By age 22 Judith Polgar was the highest highestrated woman in history. She tied for first with BorisGulko, 51, in this field of over 300 players. Aftera draw with Gulko she disposed of two grandmas-ters in the last two rounds. But Judith had a closescrape in this eye-catching game.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2O–O 6.Nf3 e5 7.O–O If 7. dxe5 dxe5 8. Qxd8Rxd8 9. Nxe5 Nxe4 10. Nxe4 Bxe5 regainsthe pawn. 7...Na6 8.Re1 exd4 9.Nxd4 Re810.Bf1 Ng4 11.f3 Ne5 12.Be3 Nc5 13.Qd2Ne6 14.Nc2 Naturally avoiding swaps which onlyease Black’s cramp. White has a nice grip onthe position. 14...Qh4 15.Rad1 f5 16.exf5 gxf517.b3Kh8 18.Nd5Rg8 19.Kh1Bd7 20.f4 Thecool 20. Nd4 also keeps the advantage. 20...Ng421.Bg1 Rae8 22.g3 Qh5 23.Bg2 Nc5 Blackmixes it up with this risky pawn sacrifice. But if23...Bc6 24. Ncb4 holds counterplay to a min-imum. 24.Nxc7 Ne4 25.Bxe4 Rxe4 26.Rxe4fxe4 27.Nd5 Safer is 27. Re1. 27...Ne5 28.Bd4Nf3 29.Qe2Bc6 30.Bxg7+Rxg7 31.Nf6Qf732.Rxd6 Qe7 33.Qd1 Rg6 34.Qa1 Wins thequeen and loses. But also inadequate is 34. Rd8+Kg7 35. Nh5+ Kh6 36. f5 e3! 34...Qxd6 35.Ne8+Kg8 36.Nxd6Rxd6 Also possible is 36...Rh6 37.h4 Rxd6 first. 37.Ne3Rd2 38.Nf1Rf2 39.Qd1Kf7 40.Qb1 and White Resigns. He is hogtied inview of 40...Ne1! 41 Kg1 (if 41 Qxe1 e3+ 42 Kg1Rg2+ 43 Kh1 Rxg3 mates) Rg2+ 42 Kh1 Rb2! 43Qxb2 e3+ 44 Kg1 Nf3+ 45 Kh1 Ng5+ 46 Qg2 (or46 Kg1 Nh3 mate) e2! creating a new queen.0-1

290

◦ Kasparov, G.• Topalov, V.Advanced Chess match (2)Spain1998 1-0 D79Advanced Chess describes an experimentalcomputer-assisted format where each side canaccess a computer. It’s like an open book test.After six one-hour games, thise match ended 3-3.The best help Topalov got from the computer,ironically, was that Kasparov constantly got intotime-pressure consulting it! A month earlierin a straight four-game rapid match, however,Kasparov wiped out the same opponent 4-0. Thisseems to indicate that computers aid the weakerplayer.1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.g3 O–O 5.Bg2c6 6.Nc3 d5 7.cxd5 cxd5 When two top play-ers finally use strong computers to their heart’scontent, they arrive at total symmetry! 8.Ne5e6 9.O–O Nfd7 10.f4 Nc6 11.Be3 f6 12.Nf3f5 13.Ne5 Nb6 14.b3 Bd7 15. Qd3 Nc8The cause of Black’s future problems. Better is15...Rc8. 16.Bc1 Nxe5 17.dxe5 Rf7 18.Be3Bc6 19.Rfc1Qa5 20.a3 White’s space advantageis virtually decisive already. 20...a6 21.Bd4Bf822.e3 Be8 23.Qd2 Qd8 24.Bf1 Rc7 25.Qb2Rc6 26.Na4 Rxc1 26...b5 looks more naturalthan ceding White absolute control of the c-file.27.Rxc1 Bc6 28.Nc5 Qe8 29.a4 a5 30.Qc3Qf7 31.Bb5 Bxb5 32.axb5 h6 33.Na4 Ba334.Qxc8+ Rxc8 35.Rxc8+ Kh7 36.b6 BlackResigns. There’s no defense against 37. Rc7 witha deadly pin on the seventh rank.1-0

◦ Kramnik, V.• Shirov, A.Candidates Match (9)Spain1998 0-1 D70Latvia’s Alexei Shirov is one of the game’sgreatest gamblers. He seems to have the Laskertouch – an ability to find moves that maynot be best but which unnerve his opponent.Shirov upset Kramnik 5 1/2 - 3 1/2 to earna right to challenge Kasparov for an announced2millionpurseinthenewlycreatedWorldChessCouncilChampionship−−whichnevertookplace.ThisgamewasKramnik′slastchancetoeventhescoreinabest−of−10seriesbutShirovfoundastunningrooksacrificethatexposedWhite′skingtowitheringcrossfireinthecenteroftheboard.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.f3 d5 Transposing into hisfavorite Gruenfeld Defense, though this move or-

der prevents the swap of knights on c3. 4.cxd5Nxd5 5.e4 Nb6 The absence of this knight fromthe kingside could prove troublesome. MeanwhileWhite has his center to defend. 6.Nc3 Bg77.Be3 O–O 8.Qd2 e5 Varying from 8...Nc6 9. O-O-O e5 10. d5 Nd4 11. Nb5 Nxb5 12. Bxb5 Bd7with satisfactory play for Black (Padevsky- Pach-man, Moscow 1956. 9.d5 c6 10.h4 The die is cast.Since Kramnik is already a point behind in their10-game match, this is his last chance to even thescore with White. 10...h5 11.Be2 cxd5 12.exd5N8d7 13.d6 Double-edged! Does this advancestrengthen or weaken the pawn? More consistent is13. O-O-O or g4. 13...Nf6 14.Bg5Re8 15.Rd1Be6 16.Nh3 Nc4 17.Bxc4 Bxc4 18.b3 Ba6Safer is 18...Be6 here is a good example of thatLasker touch 19.Nd5 Necessary is 19. d7! (Kas-parov). On 19...Rf8 20. Nd5 Bb5 21. Kf2 securesan advantage. 19...e4 Just about the only way tocounter the threat of Nc7. Shirov’s energetic replyturns the tables. 20.Nxf6+ Going for material. If20. f4 e3! is hard to meet. 20...Bxf6 21.d7Qb6A stunning riposte that took spectators by surprise.Black gives up a rook to pursue his attack. Per-haps White expected only 21...Re6 22. Bxf6 Rxf623. fxe4. 22.dxe8=Q+Rxe8 23.Qe3 What else?White’s king is caught in a withering crossfire andis in trouble despite his huge lead in material. If23. Be3 Bxh4+ (see note to move 10) 24. Nf2exf3 wins. Or 23. f4 e3! 24. Qd6 Qa5+ 25. b4Qxa2 threatening Qe2 mate. 23...Bxg5 24.Qxb6Bxh4+ 25.Kd2 Staggering into a bad ending, buthe has no choice. If 25. Qf2 exf3+ 26. Kd2 Bxf227. Nxf2 Re2+ 28. Kc3 fxg2 29. Rhg1 Rxf2does the trick. 25...axb6 26.fxe4 Rxe4 27.Kc2Rg4 28.Rd2 Be7 Black has two pawns for theExchange and two potent bishops that sweep theboard. 29.Rg1 Kg7 30.Nf2 Rf4 31.Nd3 Re432.Rgd1Bb5 The bishop heads for greener pas-tures. Whether or not White can hold this ending isproblematical. 33.a4Bc6 The power of two bish-ops combined with a kingside pawn majority is suf-ficient to force the win. 34.Re1 Rxe1 35.Nxe1Bb4 36.Re2Bxe1 37.Rxe1Bxg2 A third pawnfor the Exchange in conjunction with three passedpawns on the kingside is decisive. White could re-sign here since he can’t cope with three connectedpassed pawns supported by the bishop. 38.Kd2 h439.Ke3 Bd5 40.b4 h3 41.Re2 f5 42.Rd2 Be443.Kf4Bg2 44.Rd7+Kf6 45.Rh7 g5+ 46.Kg3f4+ 47.Kg4Ke5 48.b5 White resigns, not waitingfor Kd4-e3-f2-g1 which can’t be stopped. On 48.Kxg5 f3 one of Black’s pawns must queen.0-1

291

◦ Anand, V.• Karpov, A.FIDE World Championship (6)Switzerland1998 1-0 A45Karpov only needed was a draw to clinch his title.His position was fine until he blundered in timepressure. This unexpected loss in the final gamesent the match into overtime at 3-3.1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 e6 Solid but more enterpris-ing is 2...Ne4. 3.e4 h6 4.Bxf6 Qxf6 5.Nc3d6 6.Qd2 g5 To prevent White from expandingwith f4. 7.Bc4 Nc6 8.Nge2 Bg7 9.Rd1Bd7 10.O–O O–O–O 11.Nb5 The unbalancednature of the position with kings castled on oppo-site wings promises a hard fight. A more activeplan was 11. a3 followed by b4. 11...a6 12.Na3 g4More natural is 12...Qg3 13. Qe3 Kb8. 13.f4 gxf314.Rxf3 Qe7 15.c3 h5 16.Rdf1 Rdf8 17.b4Na7 18.Nc2 Bh6 19.Qe1 Kb8 20.Bd3 Bc621.Nf4 Rfg8 Intending to meet 22. Nxh5 withf5. 22.d5 Be8 23.Qf2 Black need not fear 23.Nxh5 exd5 24. exd5 Qg5 25. Ng3 Qxd5. 23...Bg724.Nd4 Bd7 25.dxe6 This exchange only helpsBlack get some elbow room. Stronger is 25. Nfe2Be8 26. a4. 25...Bxd4 26.cxd4 fxe6 27.e5 Bc628.Ng6 Qd8 The losing move. The correct de-fense is 28...Rxg6! 29. Bxg6 (not 29. Rf8+ Rxf830. Qxf8+ Nc8 31. Qxe7 Rxg2+) 29...Bxf3 30.Qxf3 dxe5 31. dxe5 Qxb4 32. Qf6 Rc8 33. Bxh5Nc6. 29.Nxh8 Bxf3 30.Nf7 Qh4 Hoping todraw by 31. Qxh4? Rxg2+ 32. Kh1 Rf2+. NowBlack picks up a few pawns but it’s not to com-pensate for a piece. 31.Qxf3Qxd4+ 32.Kh1 d533.Rd1Qxb4 34.Rb1Qa4 35.Qxh5 White ex-tra piece combined with the passed kingside pawnsis decisive. 35...Nc6 36.Qe2 Ka7 37.Qf2+ b638.Rc1Kb7 39.h3Rc8 40.Qf6Nd4 41.Nd8+Kb8 42.Nxe6 Black Resigns. A great comebackfor Anand who, as one of the world’s fastest play-ers, was now favored to win the tiebreaker.1-0

◦ Karpov, A.• Anand, V.FIDE World Championship (1)Switzerland1998 1-0 D48Here are all 8 games from the shortest world cham-pionship match in history. Scheduled for 6 games,it went into overtime when Anand came from be-hind twice to tie 3-3. The time control then in-

creased to 25 minutes for each side. In this initialencounter Anand walked into an opening noveltyand succumbed despite a heroic struggle. "Since Ihad to play a short match and Anand was alreadyin fine form, I decided to play actively from thestart. This is a different strategic approach to longround robins where you have the luxury of playingyourself into a rhythm," wrote Karpov.1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 The Slav Defense bolsters the cen-ter with pawns. 3.Nc3Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Nf3Nbd76.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5 8.Bd3 Bb7 9.O–O a610.e4 c5 11.d5 Qc7 12.dxe6 fxe6 13.Bc2 c414.Qe2 Bd6 15.Nd4 Nc5 16.f4 e5 17. Ndxb5So far, so book. It’s strange that nobody thoughtof this before since White gets 3 pawns for thepiece and a slashing attack. Kasparov once played17. Nf5 without much success. 17...axb518.Nxb5 Qb6 19.Nxd6+ Qxd6 20.fxe5 Qxe521.Rf5 Qe7 22.Qxc4 Rc8 The main alternativeis 22...Ncxe4 23. Bf4 Rc8 24. Qb3 Rc5 and Blackis still alive. 23.Qb5+ Ncd7 24.Qxb7 Rxc225.Bg5 Qd6 26.Qa8+ Kf7 Loses. "More pre-cise was 26...Qb8 after which Black should suf-fer a little bit but eventually make a draw" (Kar-pov). 27.Qxh8 Qd4+ 28.Kh1 Qxe4 29.Rf3Rxg2 30.Kxg2 Ne5 31.Qxg7+ Wins. Anand,alas, expected to draw by perpetual check af-ter 31. Rf1 Nxf3 32. Rxf3 Qe2+ 33. Kg3Qe1+. 31...Kxg7 32.Bxf6+Kg6 33.Bxe5Qxe534.Rg1 h5 Not 34...Qxb2+ 35. Kh1 Kh6 36. Rh3mate. 35.b3Qe2+ 36.Rf2Qe4+ 37.Kf1+ Pro-longing the agony. Quicker is 37. Kh3+. The textcosts a pawn in time pressure but no matter howBlack twists and squirms, it’s all over. 37...Kh638.Rg3 Qb1+ 39.Kg2 Qe4+ 40.Rgf3 Qg6+41.Kf1 Qb1+ 42.Kg2 Qg6+ 43. Kh1 Qb1+44.Rf1 Qxa2 45.Rf6+ Kg7 46.Rf7+ Kh847.Rf8+ Kg7 48.R8f7+ Kg8 49. R7f3 Kg750.h3 Qc2 51.R1f2 Qe4 52.Kg2 Qb4 53.Re2Qd4 54.Re7+ Kg6 55.Re6+ Kg7 56.Rg3+Kf7 57.Rge3 Qd5+ 58.Kg3 Qg5+ 59.Kf2Qh4+ 60.Ke2Qd4 61.R6e4Qa1 62.Kd3Kf663.Re6+ Kf5 64.b4 Qc1 65.Kd4 Qc8 66.b5Qd8+ 67.Kc5 Qc7+ 68. Kb4 Qf4+ 69.Kb3Qc7 70.b6 Qd7 71.R3e5+ Kf4 72.Re4+ Kg373.Re3+Kh2 74.Kc4 h4 75.Kc5Qc8+ 76.Kd5Qd8+ 77.Ke4Qd7 78.Kf5Kg2 79.Kg5Qg7+80.Kxh4 Kf2 Since the queen is no match forthe coordinated rooks, Anand could have savedenergy and resigned here instead of dragging itout with spite checks. 81.R3e5 Qh8+ 82.Kg4Qg7+ 83.Kf5 Qh7+ 84.Kf6 Qh4+ 85.Kf7Qh7+ 86.Ke8Qb7 87.h4Qb8+ 88.Kf7Qb7+89.Kg6Qb8 90.h5Qg8+ 91.Kf5Qh7+ 92.Kf6

292

Kf3 93. Re3+ Kf2 94.Re2+ Kf3 95.R2e3+Kf2 96.Kg5Qg8+ 97.Kh4Qd8+ 98.Kh3Qd199. Re2+Kf3 100.Kh2 "I was in time trouble somissed 100. Re1! which wins immediately, sinceboth 101. Rf1+ and Rf6+ are threatened" (Kar-pov). 100...Qd8 101.R6e3+ Kf4 102.b7 Qb6103.Re4+Kf3 104.R2e3+Kf2 105.Re7Qd6+106.Kh3 Qb8 107.R3e5 Kg1 108.Rg7+ BlackResigns. On 108...Kf2 109. Rf7+ Kg1 110. Re1mate.1-0

◦ Karpov, A.• Anand, V.FIDE World Championship (3)Switzerland1998 1/2-1/2 D47After fireworks in the first two games, they settledfor a serene draw. In match play such a result isconsidered a moral victory for Black. With thescore tied at 1.5 apiece, Anand will enjoy the ad-vantage of White in the last three games.1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Nf3Nbd76.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5 8.Bd3Bb7 Now Whitevaries from 9. O-O as in the first game. 9.a3b4 10.Ne4 Nxe4 11.Bxe4 bxa3 12.bxa3 Bd613.O–O O–O 14.Bb2 Too tame because it doesnothing to hinder ...c5 dissolving the weak pawn.White’s best try is to seize the open b- file with14. Rb1 Qc7 15. Qa4 threatening Rxb7 and Bxc6.14...Rb8 15.Qc2 c5 A surprise. White proba-bly expected to keep an edge after 15...Nf6 16.Bd3. 16.Bxb7 Black has too many options after16. Bxh7+ Kh8 since retreating the errant bishopcosts a piece (17. Be4? Bxe4 18. Qxe4 Rxb2).Meanwhile ...Bxf3 threatens to smash the king-side. 16...Rxb7 17.dxc5 Bxc5 18.Rfd1 Qe719.a4 Draw by Agreement. The position is per-fectly balanced and the pawn structure is nearlysymmetrical.1/2-1/2

◦ Karpov, A.• Anand, V.FIDE World Championship (5)Switzerland1998 1/2-1/2 D45Once again Anand resorts to the Slav Defense.This time Karpov varies with 6. Qc2 to get an edgewhich he fails to exploit.1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Nf3Nbd76.Qc2Bd6 7.Bd3 A novel recent approach is 7.Bd2!? followed by O-O-O. 7...O–O 8.O–O dxc4

9.Bxc4 a6 10.Rd1 b5 11.Be2 Qc7 12.Ne4 In-nocuous. More promising is 12. e4 e5 13. h3.12...Nxe4 13.Qxe4 e5 13...Bb7 followed by c5 issimpler. 14.Qh4 Re8 15.Bd3 h6 16.Bc2 exd4It’s better to keep the tension and complete de-velopment with 16...Bb7. 17.Qxd4 Bf8 18.b3Nf6 White has a nice edge and should continue19. Bb2. 19.Qh4 g5 Inviting 20. Nxg5? Qe5;or 20. Qd4 Bg7 21. Bb2 Nh5. 20.Qg3 Qxg321.hxg3 c5 22.Bb2Bg7 23.Rd6Be6 24.Rad1Rec8 To mobilize his pawn majority on the queen-side. The immediate threat is Ne8. 25.Bxf6Bxf6 26.Be4 Ra7 27.Bd5 Bxd5 28.R1xd5Kg7 29.Rd2 Be7 30.Rb6 Bd8 31. Rbd6Be7 32.R6d5 A brave decision to play for thewin to end the match on the spot instead of tak-ing a draw by repeating moves. But it looksdangerous in view of Black’s queenside pawns.32...a5 Probably better is 32...c4 33. bxc4 Rxc4.33.Kf1 a4 34.Ke2 axb3 35.axb3Ra3 36.b4Rc337.bxc5 R3xc5 38.Rxc5 Rxc5 39. Nd4 Bf640.g4 b4 41.Rb2 Rc4 42.Kd3 Rc3+ 43.Kd2Bxd4 44.exd4Rc4 45.Kd3Rc3+ 46.Kd2Rc447.Kd3Rc3+ 48.Ke4 b3 49.f3Kf6 50.d5Rc4+51.Kd3 Rf4 52. Rxb3 Ke5 53.Rb6 Kxd554.Rxh6Ke5 55.Ke3Ra4 Draw by Agreement.White’s extra pawn is doubled and meaningless.1/2-1/2

◦ Anand, V.• Karpov, A.FIDE World Championship (4)Switzerland1998 0-1 D42Anand ambitiously tries to attack but creates weak-nesses by advancing his pawns. Karpov defendswith precision and forges ahead with a model vic-tory as Black.1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 The Panov-Botvinnik Attack against the Caro-Kann gainedpopularity in the early 1930s but is seldom seentoday. 4...Nf6 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nf3 Be7 7.cxd5Nxd5 8.Bd3Nc6 9.O–O O–O 10.Re1Bf6 11.Be4Nce7 12.h4Nf5 13.Qd3 It’s better to dom-inate the dark squares by 13. Bxf5 exf5 14. Nxd5Qxd5 15. Bg5 Bxg5 16. hxg5 Be6 17. Re5.13...Nxc3 14.bxc3 h6 15.h5 Only increases thevulnerability of the pawn. More pertinent is 15.Bxf5 exf5 16. Ba3. 15...Nd6 16.Ne5 Nxe417.Qxe4Bxe5 18.dxe5 f5 19.Qe2 White shouldexpose the weakness on e6 by 19. fxf6 Qxf6 20.Be3 with good pressure after 20...Qxc3 21. Rac1Qf6 22. Rc7. 19...Bd7 20.Rd1 Another slip.20. Ba3 Rf7 21. Rad1 is roughly equal. 20...Bb5

293

21.Qf3Qe8 22.Bf4Rc8 Safer is 22...Qf7 sincenow 23. Qxb7 Bc6 24. Qxa7 Qxh5 25. f3 isunclear. 23.Rd4 Rc4 24.Rad1 Qf7 25.Rxc4Bxc4 26.a3 Rc8 27.Rd4 Kh7 28.Bd2 Bd529.Qh3 b5 30.a4 bxa4 31.Rxa4 Rc4 32.Rxc4Bxc4 33.Qh4 Bb5 34.c4 Be8 35.c5 Qd7 36.Bc3 Qd3 37.Qd4 Qxd4 38.Bxd4 a5 39.c6Giving away the only trump. More resistant is39. f3 with chances to hold the opposite coloredbishop ending. 39...Bxc6 40.f3 f4 41.Bb2Be842.Bc1 a4 43.Bxf4 a3 44.Be3 Bxh5 45.Kf2Be8 46.Bd4Bc6 47.Bc3 a2 48.g3 h5 49.g4 h4White Resigns. The finale might be 50. f4 g5 51.f5 exf5 52. gxf5 Be4 53. f6 Bd5 followed by Kg6and the kingside pawns storm forward.0-1

◦ Lobron, E.• Korchnoi, V.3rd Bad Homburg InternationalGermany1998 0-1 D34Even at 67 veteran Viktor Korchnoi continued hiswinning ways. Always a tenacious defender, herehe pockets a pawn and clings to it for dear life.1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 The drabackto this classical Tarrasch Defense is the isolatedd-pawn. In return Black gets open lines for hispieces. 5.g3Nc6 6.Bg2Nf6 7.O–OBe7 8.Nc3O–O 9.Bg5 cxd4 10.Nxd4 h6 11.Bf4 Bg412.h3 Be6 13.Nxe6 fxe6 14.e4 d4 15.e5 Sacri-ficing a pawn for the initiative and a strong pairof bishops is often a successful tactic. 15...dxc316.exf6Bxf6 17.bxc3Bxc3 18.Rb1Qxd1 Stur-dier than 18...Na5 19. Qg4 Qf6 20. Be3 Rfd821. Rfd1 a6 22. Bb6 Rxd1+ 23. Rxd1 Nc6 24.Rd6 and White won in 41 moves (Gonzales-Vera,Havana 1984). 19.Rfxd1Rad8 20.Rxd8Nxd821.Be3 b6 22.Rd1 Bf6 23.Be4 Rf7 24.Bg6Rb7 25. Bf4Nf7 26.Rc1Rd7 27.Rc8+Bd828.Ra8 Kf8 29.Bc2 g5 30.Bb8 An unfortunatepost for the bishop. White can get compensationfor the pawn by 30. Bc1! 30...a5 31.Ba4 Rd232.Bb3Ke7 33.Bc4Kf6 34.Ra6Rc2 35.Bb3Rc8 36.Ba7Ra8 This pin is fatal. 37.Ba4Ne538.Bb5 Kf5 Heading for b7. "I like to take myking for a stroll," said Steinitz. 39.Kg2 Ke440.Be2Kd5 41.a4Nc6 42.Bb5Nb4 White Re-signs. On 43. Be2 Nxa6 44. Bf3+ Kd6 45. Bxa8Nc5 picks up a second pawn.0-1

◦ Lputian, S.• Dlugy, M.

16th New York Open (4)Manhattan1998 1-0 D26"This game simply took my breath away. I ex-perienced fascination, awe, amazement. Lputianobviously knows how to defy gravity, he sacri-fices pieces with the light touch of a genius. Allhis offerings were given for medium or long-termchances. Such a clear breach of common chesswisdom fascinates, and at the same time provokes.The final truth proves elusive." – GM Ftacnik.1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e3 e6 4.Bxc4Nf6 5.Nf3 c56.Qe2 a6 7.dxc5 This exchange only aids Black’sdevelopment. 7. O-O is a better way to fight for anadvantage. 7...Bxc5 8.e4Qc7 9.e5Ng4 10.O–ONxf2 11.b4 A novel approach designed to deflectthe bishop from the a3-f8 diagonal. Theory con-siders 11. Rxf2 Bxf2+ 12. Kxf2 b5 13. b3 O-O14. Ba3 bxc4 15. Bxf8 Kxf8 equal. Other triesare 11. Be3 Ng4; or 11. Nc3 Ne4+. 11...Nh3+12.Kh1 Nf2+ Tacitly offering a draw by repe-tition. A good alternative is 12...Ba7; but not11...Nd3+ 12. bxc5 Qxc5+ 13. Be3 Qxc4 14. Rc1Qxc1+ 15. Bxc1 Nxc1 16. Qc2 and wins. 13.Rxf2Bxf2 14.Nbd2Ba7 15.Ne4 O–O 16.Nf6+ gxf6The Trojan horse must be taken. If 16...Kh8 17.Ng5 Nd7 18. Qh5 Nxf6 (or 18...h6 19. Qxf7!)19. exf6 h6 20. Ne4 Bd4 21. Bxh6 is decisive.17.exf6Nd7 The losing move. For better or worse17...Rd8! is necessary to create an escape route forthe king via f8-e8 and leads to rich, unclear compli-cations. 18.Qd2Rd8 Also inadequate is 18...Kh819. Qh6 Rg8 20. Bd3 Nf8 21. Ng5 Qd7 22.Bf4 Bb8 23. Bxh7 Rxg5 24. Bg6+ Kg8 25. Qg7mate. 19.Qg5+ Kf8 20.Bf4 Qc6 Mate ensuesafter 20...Qxc4 21. Bd6+ Ke8 22. Qg8+ Nf8 23.Qxf8+ Kd7 24. Ne5. 21.Rd1 Nxf6 22.Rxd8+Ne8 White has regained the rook and also winsagainst 22...Ke7 23. Be5 Kxd8 24. Bxf6+ Kd725. Ne5+. 23.Ne5 Black Resigns. Also decisiveis 23. Qh6+ Ke7 24. Bg5+ Ke7 25. Bxf6+ Kf7 26.Ne5+ Kg8 27. Qg7 mate. Black has no appetitefor 23...Qe4 24. Qh6+ Ke7 25. Bg5+ f6 26. Bxf6+Nxf6 27. Qf8 mate.1-0

◦ Anand, V.• Karpov, AFIDE World Championship (8)Switzerland1998 0-1 D00Anand’s suicidal tendencies can be explained bythe fact that a draw would do him no good. He

294

had to win to tie the match again and reach anothertwo-game tiebreaker.1.d4 d5 2.Bg5 h6 3.Bh4 c6 "White must work toachieve the natural c4, and my queen can sail tothe queenside to exploit the absence of the Whitebishop" (Karpov). 4.Nf3 Qb6 5.b3 Bf5 6.e3 e67.Bd3Bxd3 8.Qxd3Nd7 9.c4Ne7 A new ideainstead of the usual 9...Ngf6. The knight headsfor the outpost on f5 to harass the bishop. Whiteshould now castle but gets too aggressive. 10.c5Qa5+ 11.Nc3 b6 It’s important to undermine thepawn chain before White gets in a3 and b4. Now12. cxb6 is necessary but Anand recklessly sac-rifices two pawns to confine Black’s king to thecenter. 12.b4 Qxb4 13.O–O Nf5 14.Rfc1bxc5 15.Rab1 Do or die! His only compensa-tion for the lost material is activity on the open file.15...c4 16.Qc2Qa5 17.Rb7Qa6 18.Rcb1Bd6"Materialistic computer programs wanted to select18...Nb6 but I already have enough material to winthe game. What Black is lacking is developmentand a safe king. Therefore I prefer the text whichin my view more accurately meets the demands ofthe position and match situation" (Karpov). 19.e4Nxh4 20.Nxh4 Rb8 21.Rxb8+ Bxb8 22.exd5cxd5 23.Ng6 Desperation to prevent Black fromcastling. 23...fxg6 24.Qxg6+ Kd8 25.Qxg7Re8 26.Qxh6Qa5 27.Qg5+Kc8 28.Qg6Rf829. Rc1 Qb6 30.Ne2 e5 31.Qh5 Qf6 32.Rf1Rh8 White Resigns. Thus Karpov remained FIDEchampion by a score of 5-3.0-1

◦ Timman, J.• Van Wely, L.10-game match (4)Holland1998 1-0 B50In a dogfight to determine the best Dutch player,Loek van Wely, 25, held veteran Jan Timman, 47,to a 5-5 tie and then won a speed playoff. "A cen-tury ago the spectators threw coins at the chess-board after a battle such as this," noted one critic.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.c3Nf6 4.Be2 g6 An old trapis 4...Nxe4? 5. Qa4+ snaring the knight. 5.O–OBg7 6.Bb5+ More consistent is 6. d3 insteadof moving the same piece twice in the opening.6...Bd7 7.Bxd7+ Qxd7 8.Re1 Nc6 9.d4 cxd410.cxd4 d5 11.e5 Ne4 12.Nc3 Sharper than 12.Nbd2 Nxd2 13. Qxd2 O-O 14. b3 Rac8 and adraw was agreed in Timman-van Wely, Wijk-aan-zee 1998. 12...Nxc3 13.bxc3 O–O 14.h4Rac815.h5Na5 Also playable is the Karpovian retreat16...Nd8 to inhibit e6. 16.Ng5 Rc6 17.e6 fxe6

18.hxg6 hxg6 19.Qg4 Rf6 20.Qh3 Nc4 Whowill come first – White on the kingside or Blackon the queenside? 21.Qh7+ Kf8 22.Nh3 Qd623.Bg5Rf5 24.f4Nd2 25.Re3Rxc3 26.Rxc3Bxd4+ 27. Kh1 Bxc3 28.Qxg6 Bg7 29.Rc1Nc4 Blocking the open file. But not 29...Qd730. Bh6 Bxh6 31. Qxh6+ Ke8 32. Ng5 Rf6 33.Qh5+ Kd8 34. Qh8+ Qe8 35. Rc8+! 30.Re1Rf7 31.Rxe6Qa3 32.Bh4Ne3 33.Ng5Qc1+34.Kh2 Ng4+ 35.Kh3 Rxf4 Threatening mate-in-two with 36. Qh1+. 36.Re1Qc3+ 37.g3Rf6No better is 37...Nf2+ 38. Kg2 Nd3 39. Ne6+Kg8 40. gxf4! 38.Nh7+ Kg8 39.Nxf6+ Nxf640.Rxe7Qc8+ 41.Kg2 Black Resigns1-0

◦ Sergei Tiviakov• Luke McShaneKilkenny Chess Festival (6)Ireland1998 0-1 B33British prodigy Luke McShane is a name to reckonwith. At age 14 he came from behind to tie for firstby upending the pre-tournament favorite, Russiangrandmaster Tiviakov (rated 2655). The kid is out-played most of the way and finds himself with abad bishop against a good knight. When given achance, he lands a Sunday punch.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf65.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 More complex than 6...a67. Nd6+ Bxd6 8. Qxd6 Qf6. Black is saddledwith a backward d-pawn in this complex Svesh-nikov Variation. 7.Bg5 Stronger than 7. Nd5Nxd5 8. exd5 Nb8 when Black gets a broad cen-ter by f5. 7...a6 8.Na3 b5 9.Bxf6 Trying to ex-ploit the doubled pawns, although some players fa-vor the positional approach 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6Bxf6 11. c3. 9...gxf6 White stays on top af-ter 9...Qxf6 10. Nd5 Qd8 11. Be3. 10.Nd5f5 11.exf5 Bxf5 12.c3 Bg7 13.Nc2 Be6 14.g3O–O 15.Bg2 a5 16.O–O Rb8 17.Qd2 An im-provement on 17. b4!? once adopted by Anandwhich merely created weaknesses in White’s posi-tion. 17...Qd7 18.Rad1 f5 19.Nde3 Temporarilyvacating d5 in order to exchange as many pieces aspossible on d5 to saddle Black with a bad bishopagainst a good knight on d5. When this plan works,White usually wins. When it doesn’t – watchwhat happens! Now 19...f4? is refuted by 20.Qxd6. 19...Rbd8 20.Bd5Ne7 21.Bxe6+Qxe622.Nd5 f4 23.Nxe7+ Qxe7 24.Qd5+ Kh8 25.Rfe1 Qf6 26.Re2 Bh6 27.Qxb5 White hasachieved his goal but snatching the pawn is per-ilous. The right plan is 27. b3 f3 28. Re4 Qf5

295

29. Rd3 Qh3 30. Ne1. 27...f3 28.Re4 Rb829.Qxa5 Isolates the queen on the wrong wing.29. Qd5 Rxb2 30. Ne1 is necessary to stay alive.29...Rxb2 Nimzovich termed such a maraudingrook a "pig." 30.Ne3Re2 31.Ng4Qg6 32.Rb4Bf4 The silent bishop comes to life and changesthe outcome completely. 33.h3 Bxg3 34.Qd5 If34. fxg3 Qc2 35. Rf1 Rg2 36. Kh1 Rh2! 37. Nxh2Qg2 mate. 34...Bxf2+ 35.Kf1Bc5 36.Rb7Rg2The threat of ...Rg1 is horrendous for White. WhiteResigns.0-1

◦ Shabalov, A.• Smirin, I.16th New York Open (5)Manhattan1998 0-1 B43Many unknowns made their name at this stel-lar event and earned FIDE titles here. The16th New York Open attracted 804 players,including 60 grandmasters vying for a piece of the175, 000prizefund.Oneofthemostexcitinggameseverplayedherefeaturedadaringknightsacrificethatfailedbyawhiskeragainstcarefuldefense.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 The KanVariation gives White the option to increase hisgrip on the center with 5. c4 which can be metby 5...Nf6 6. Nc3 Bb4. More appealing is 5 Bd3.5.Nc3 b5 6.g3 Bb7 7.Bg2 Nf6 8.O–O Prepar-ing a pawn sacrifice. More prudent is 8. a3 or Qe2.8...b4 9.Nd5 Otherwise 9. Na4 Bxe4 10. Bxe4Nxe4 gives White no compensation for the pawn.9...exd5 10.exd5 Bc5 11.Re1+ Kf8 12.Nf5 d613.Bf4 Bc8 14.Nd4 Qb6 15.Nc6 h6 This finedefensive move creates an escape square for theking on h7. Too dangerous is 15...Bxf2+ 16. Kh1Bxe1 17. Bxd6+. Black already has enough mate-rial and must find a way to consolidate. 16.Qd2Bb7 17.a3 a5 18.axb4 axb4 19.Rxa8 Bxa820.Ra1 Nxc6 21.Bxd6+ White’s compensationfor the piece is nebulous, so he tries to mix it up.Inadequate is 21. Rxa8+ Nd8. 21...Bxd6 22.dxc6Qb8 23.Rxa8 The attack also fizzles out after 23.c7 Qxc7 24. Rxa8+ Ne8 25. Qe2 Qe7. 23...Qxa824.Qxd6+Kg8 25.c7Qc8 26.Bf1Ne8 27.Qd8Qxc7 28.Qxe8+ Kh7 29. Qe4+ g6 30.Bc4Rd8 31.Bb3 The storm is over and White failsto make the most of his drawing chances with 31.b3. 31...Rd1+ 32.Kg2Rd2 33.Qf3Kg7 34.h4Rd6 35.Kh2 Rf6 36.Qe2 Qc5 37.Kg1 Qd4Now it’s apparent that the bishop is poorly placedon b3. Once the queens are off, White is lost.38.c3 bxc3 39.bxc3Qxc3 40.Bd5Rd6 41.Qa2Qe5 42.Bf3Qe1+ 43.Kg2Rd2 44. Qa7Qe545.Qa6 Qd4 Black makes constant inroads and

eventually forces the exchange of queens. 46.Qf1Ra2 47.Qe1 Kf6 48.Qf1 Qd2 49.Kg1 Ke750.Kg2Kf8 51.Bg4Rc2 52.Bf3Kg8 53.Be4Rc1 54.Qb5Qe1 55.Qe8+Kg7 56.Qe5+Kh757.Kf3 Qc3+ 58.Qxc3 Rxc3+ 59.Kf4 Kg760.g4 Drops a pawn. 60. Bf3 offers more resis-tance. 60...Rh3 White Resigns.0-1

◦ Kasparov, G.• Smirin, I.Clock Exhibition (1)Israel1998 1/2-1/2 B43Kasparov introduced a new concept by taking onthe best players of entire nations at once undertournament conditions. Here me faced the IsraeliOlympic team – a powerhouse of young formerRussians – all grandmasters. In the first round hewon 2 and drew 2. In the second round he wipedthem out 4 - 0! This was his only close call. Af-terwards, while still in Tel Aviv, he won two gamesvia Internet against Peter Svidler (3-time Russianchamp) who competed from St. Petersburg.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Nc3b5 6.Bd3Qb6 7.Nb3Qc7 A loss of time justi-fied by driving the knight from its dominant out-post on d4. 8.O–O Nf6 9.Re1 Bd6 10.g3 b411.Ne2Nc6 12.Ned4Nxd4 13.Nxd4 h5 Goodaggression, though it’s dangerous to leave the kingin the center. 14.Bf1 h4 15.Bg2 hxg3 16.hxg3Bb7 17.Bd2 Bc5 18.c3 Qb6 19.Qe2 d5 20.e5Ne4 21.Be3 Qc7 Spurning 21...bxc3 22. bxc3Nxc3 23. Qg4. 22.c4 Qxe5 23.Nb3 Bxe324.Qxe3 Qh5 25.Qb6 Rb8 26.c5 A viable al-ternative is 26. cxd5. 26...Qh2+ 27.Kf1 O–O28.c6 Ba8 29.Qxa6 f5 30.c7 Rbe8 31.Nd4 Abetter winning try is 31. Rac1 f4 32. c8=Q gxf3 33.Qxe8! 31...Nd2+ 32.Ke2Qxg2 33.c8=QQe4+34.Kd1Qxd4 35.Qaxe6+Rxe6 36.Qxe6+Rf737.Qe8+ Rf8 38.Qe6+ Rf7 39.Qe8+ Blackmust allow a perpetual check in view of 38...Kh739. Rh1+ Kg6 40. Qe6+ Rf6 41. Qe8+ Rf7 (not41...Kg5? 42 Qh5 mate) 42. Qe6+ etc.1/2-1/2

◦ Anand V.• Shirov, A.FIDE Knockout (5)Holland1998 1-0 C78FIDE’s new Wimbledon-style knock-out format with a prize fund of

296

5millionattracted98grandmastersfortherighttochallengeKarpovforthetitle.Eachroundconsistedoftwo−gamemini−matchesfollowedbyspeedgamestoresolveties.Byround5onlyeightplayerswerestillstanding; thefourloserseachgottheunheardofsumof96,000.Anand finally blasted his way to the top, thanks inpart to this lovely positional effort which a criticdubbed "the very best game from Groningen."1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–Ob5 6.Bb3 Bc5 Shirov is a sharp tactician whoblazed new trails by reviving the antiquated MollerDefense to the Ruy. 7.a4 Rb8 8.c3 d6 9.d4Bb6 10.Na3 O–O 11.axb5 axb5 12.Nxb5Bg413.Be3 exd4 14.cxd4Qe8 Eschewing 14...Nxe4?15. Bd5 Qe8 16. Qc2. 15.h3 Bd7 16.Nc3Nxe4 17.Re1 Nxc3 18.bxc3 Qc8 19.c4 Creat-ing an imbalance in a position which looks equalon the surface. Suddenly the bishop on b6 is inperil. 19...Bf5 20.Re2 Na5 21.Ba2 c5 22.d5Bd8 23.Bd2 Exploiting the misplaced knight ona5 is the key to White’s strategy. 23...Qa6 Whitegradually is increasing his advantage in space. Analternative is 23...Nb7 right away in order to meet24. Bc3 with Ba5 to ease the cramp. 24.Qa4Ra825.Bc3 Nb7 26.Qd1 Trading pieces only helpsBlack uncramp. 26...Ba5 27.Bb2Bb4 28.Nh4Bg6 29.f4 Now that the situation on the otherflank has been stabilized, White launches a king-side offensive that remains potent even after queensare gone. 29...Qa4 30.Qxa4 Rxa4 31.f5 Rfa832.Re7 Bh5 33.g4 f6 34.gxh5 Rxa2 35.Rxa2Rxa2 36.h6 This blow demolishes Black’s hopeof salvaging a draw. If 36...gxh6 37. Bxf6 Na5 38.Rg7+ Kf8 39. Rxh7 is the quietus. 36...Rxb237.Rxg7+ Kh8 38.Rxb7 Bc3 39.Rd7 Kg840.Rd8+Kf7 41.Rh8Bd4+ 42. Kf1 Black Re-signs. Not bothering with a last "spite check" by42...Rf2+ 43. Ke1.1-0

◦ Anand, V.• Karpov, A.FIDE World Championship (2)Switzerland1998 1-0 C78A dramatic turnaround. Karpov could have in-creased his lead to two points but missed a win andthen lost when he chose a "safe" natural move thatruined his position.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBc5 Karpov revives the old fashioned Moller De-fense that never caught on because White gains atempo in the center after attacking the bishop withc3 and d4. 6.c3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.a4 A good al-ternative is 8. d4 Bb6 9. h3. Now Karpov givesup the two bishops to prevent White from expand-ing in the center. 8...Bg4 9.d3 O–O 10.h3 Bxf3

11.Qxf3 Na5 12.Bc2 b4 13.Nd2 Rb8 14.Qe2Re8 15.Nf3 bxc3 16.bxc3Nb3 17.Bxb3Rxb318.d4 exd4 19.cxd4Rxf3 Black gets ample com-pensation for this enterprising sacrifice. Inferioris 19...Rxe4 20. Be3. 20.Qxf3 An interestingalternative is 20. dxc5!? Rc3 21. cxd6 Nxe422. dxc7 Qxc7 23. Qxa6. 20...Bxd4 21.Ra2Nxe4 22.Qd3 c5 23.Qxa6 d5 24.a5 c4 25.Be3Be5 26.Bb6 Qd7 27.Qa7 Qc6 28.Bd4 Bc729.Rb2 c3 30.Rb7Rc8 31.Bb6 Anand starts toget into trouble by misplacing his pieces. 31. Rc1!is simple and good. 31...Be5 32.Rxf7 c2 33.Rc1Nc3 34.Rf3 h6 By playing it safe Black misses awin with 33...Ne2+ 34. Kf1 Qe8! 35. Kxe2 Bb8+37. Re3 Qb5+ followed by Bxa7. 35.Qf7+Kh836.Re3 d4 37.Rxe5 d3 38.Bd4Rg8 39.Re6 d240.Rxc6 dxc1=Q+ 41. Kh2Qd2 42.Rc8 BlackResigns. A lucky reprieve for Anand.1-0

◦ Polgar, J.• Karpov, A.Exhibition Match (2)Budapest1998 1-0 B17One trend that emerged in the 90s was ActiveChess, where each side is allotted 25 or 30 minutesto complete the entire game instead of the standard40 moves in 2 or 2 1/2 hours followed by either anadjournment or sudden death. The modern maniafor speed was reflected in this eight game match,contested at the rate of two games a day, which Pol-gar won 5-3. Quality obviously suffers, the clockforces error, but chess marches on.1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4Nd7 5.Ng5Ngf6 6.Bd3 e6 7.N1f3 Bd6 8.Qe2 h6 Invit-ing 7. Nxe6?! fxe6 8. Bg6+ Ke7 followed byNf8 when White doesn’t have enough compensa-tion for the piece. 9.Ne4 Nxe4 10.Qxe4 Qc711.Qg4 Kf8 Best. Blacks want to avoid weak-ening a pawn by pushing it and if 11...O-O? 12.Bxh6 wins. 12.Be3 c5 13.dxc5Bxc5 14.O–O–ONf6 15.Qh4Bxe3+ 16.fxe3Bd7 17.Rhf1Rc818.Kb1Bc6 19.e4Kg8 20.c3Nd7 21.Bc2Ne522.Nxe5Qxe5 23.Qf2 f6 24.Qxa7Qxh2 25.e5Qxe5 White also keeps the initiative on 25...f5 26.g4. 26.Rfe1 Qc7 Black should try to get thequeens off by 26...Qb8! 27. Qxb8 Rxb8 28. Rxe6Kf7 breaking the attack. 27.Rxe6 Kf7 28.Bb3Kg6 29.Qd4 Rhd8 Finally the rook is free butthe king is in trouble. 30.Qg4+ Kh7 31.Bc2+Kg8 32.Rxd8+ Rxd8 Hoping for 33. Rxf6?Qe5. 33.Re1 Kf8 34.Bg6 Qd6 35.Qc4 Qd536.Qe2 Qd7 37.c4 Qd6 38.a3 Qd7 39.g4 Kg8

297

Is the king safer here? More tenacious is 39...Qd6.40.Bf5Qd6 41.Qc2Re8 42.Rd1Qc5 43.Bg6Ra8 44.Qd3 Qe7 45.Qd4 Be8 46.Be4 Bf747.c5 Correct is 47. Bd5! 47...Rc8 48.Bf5Rxc549.Qd8+ Qf8 A gross blunder in extreme timepressure. The only hope is 49...Qe8. 50.Bh7+Timber! The queen falls. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Morozevich, A.• Iordachescu, V.Chebanenco Memorial-KishinevMoldavia1998 1-0 B17At 16 young Alexander Morozevich had a fantasticbreakthrough by scoring 9 1/2 out of 10 at the 1994Lloyds Bank Tourney in London, and he was hailedas a future contender. Then he endured a long dryspell before winning the First Chebanenco Memo-rial with 8 1/2 out of 9 to obtain a magic Elo ratingof 2700, suddenly catapulting him into the world’stop ten.1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4Nd7 5.Ng5Ngf6 6.Bd3 e6 7.N1f3 Bd6 Reminiscent ofDeep Blue - Kasparov, 6th match game 1997,where the world champion succumbed in only 19moves after 7. h6?! 8. Nxe6! 8.Qe2 h6 9.Ne4Nxe4 10.Qxe4 Nf6 11.Qh4 An attempt to im-prove on the customary 11. Qe2. 11...Ke7 Oneof Karpov’s creative contributions to opening the-ory. Instead of seeking shelter on either wing, theKing takes part directly in the battle by clearing theconnection between his queen and rook to makeg5 possible! A wonderful concept – and if Whitedoesn’t take the bull by the horns he may eas-ily end up in serious trouble. Therefore he givesup a pawn. 12.Ne5 Bxe5 13.dxe5 Qa5+ 14.c3Qxe5+ 15.Be3 b6 16.O–O–O g5 Unnecessarilyweakens the kingside. Better is 16...Rd8 to for-tify the center. 17.Qh3 Improving on 17. Qa4c5 18. Rhe1 Bd7 19. Qa3 Rhd8 20. g3 Qc7 21.Bd4 Be8 22. Kb1 Rd5 and Black’s pawn eventu-ally prevailed (Kamsky-Karpov, Dortmund 1993).17...c5 18.Rhe1 Bb7 19.Bc4 Be4 Costs mate-rial. The game has reached critical mass. 19...Kf8is worth a try. But certainly not 19...Rad8? 20.Bxc5+! Qxc5 21. Rxe6+! fxe6 22.Qxe6+ Kf7 23.Qf7 mate. 20.f3 Bf5 21.g4 Bg6 22.Bd5 Qxd5Black’s dilemma is that he can’t simultaneously getthe rook and queen out of the way (if 22...Rad8?22. Bxc5+). So he jettisons the queen for whatseems like decent compensation, and stopping thehorrendous threat of Bxc5+ or Bxa8. 23.Rxd5Nxd5 24.Qg3 Rad8 25.f4 Nxe3 26.Qxe3 gxf4

27.Qxf4 h5 No better is 27...Rd5 28. Rf1 Rhd8 29.Qxh6. 28.Qg5+Ke8 29.Qh4 The winning strat-egy is to separate Black’s remaining forces into twogroups that can’t cooperate. 29...Rh7 30.g5Bd331.Qa4+ Rd7 32.Rd1 c4 33.b3 Rg7 34.bxc4Playing it safe with 34. h4 also works. 34...Kd835.c5 Rxg5 36.c6 Rd6 37.Qxa7 Rgd5 38.c7+Kd7 39.Qb7 Black resigns1-0

◦ Leko, P.• Beliavsky, A.Madrid (6)Spain1998 1-0 B08Hungarian prodigy Peter Leko became a grand-master by age 15. Here he shows how attackingon both wings at once can keep an opponent offbalance. There is little in the way of spectacularmoves, but he ratchets up the pressure by subtleand strong "little moves" a la Karpov.1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Be3One of the main points of this system is to followup with Qd2 and Bh6 to trade off Black’s bishopand thus weaken his king position after he cas-tles. Of course this all takes time while Blackstarts counterplay on the other wing. 5...c6 6.Qd2b5 7.Bd3 Bg4 8.e5 Clearer than 8. Bh6 O-O9. Bxg7 Kxg7 10. e5 dxe5 11. dxe5 Nfd7 12.Qe3 Qc7 13. e6 Bxe6 14. h4! with attack-ing prospects. 8...b4 9.Ne4 Nxe4 10.Bxe4 d5A major concession giving White a solid centerand a free hand to operate on either wing. Theb7-bishop is also muzzles. Better is 10...Bxf3 11.Bxf3 dxe5. 11.Bd3Bxf3 12.gxf3 a5 13.h4Nd713...h5? 14. e6! undermines Black’s kingside.14.h5Qb6 15.c4 bxc3 Relatively best even thoughit concedes the b-file. If 19...dxc4 20. Bxc4 givesWhite new targets against e6 and c6. Or 19...e620. Rc1 controls the c-file. 16.bxc3 e6 17.Rb1Qc7 18.Bh6 Bf8 19.Bg5 Rg8 20.hxg6 hxg621.Ke2 Almost White’s first non-forcing movesince the game began. Black’s problem is that hehas virtually no counterplay and his king is stuckin the center while White controls the only openfiles. 21...Be7 22.Bxe7 Kxe7 23.Qg5+ Ke824.f4Qd8 25.Qg3Kf8 26.Rbg1 Finally reveal-ing his hand. Leko intends to infiltrate on the king-side; his immediate threat is f5. 26...Rb8 27.f5Rb2+ 28.Ke3 exf5 29.Bxf5Nb6 30.Bd3Nc4+There’s no time for 30...Rxa2 31. Qf4. 31.Bxc4dxc4 32.Qf4Qe7 33.Rb1 Switching back to theother wing! Beliavsky could still offer token re-sistance by 33...Rxb1 34 Rxb1 Kg7 but 35. Rh1

298

f6 36. Rh3! fxe5 37. Qh6+ Kf6 38. Qh4+ Ke639. Qxe7+ Kxe7 40. dxe5 would force a wonendgame. 33...Qa3 34.Kf3 Renewing the threatof Rh7. A last gasp would be 34...Qxc3+ 35. Kg2g5 36 Qf5! Qxd4 37. Rxb2 Qxb2 38. Rb1. 34...g535.Qc1 Black Resigns. Pursuing his strategy withiron logic. Now Black must submit to 35...Rxa21-0

◦ Van der Veide, K.• Piket, J.Dutch ChampionshipRotterdam1998 1-0 B06An instructive game, again proving that failing tocastle early is the main reason for short losses. Theplayer who finished last in this event upsets Dutchgrandmaster Jeroen Piket, whose king got stuck inthe center.1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 c6 4.Nf3 d6 On 4...d5Fischer recommends 5. h3! to prevent Black frompinning the knight by Bg4. 5.h3 b5 6.Bd3 Nd77.O–O Bb7 8.Be3 a6 9.a4 e5 Too provocative.Correct is 9...b4. 10.axb5 cxb5 11.dxe5 dxe5 Ex-changes don’t help ease the cramp. If 11...Nxe5 12.Nxe5 dxe5 (or 12...Bxe5 13. f4) 13. Nxb5! axb514. Bxb5+ Kf8 15. Rxa8 Qxa8 16. Qd6+ Ne7 17.Rd1! is decisive. 12.Bxb5 axb5 13.Nxb5 Bf8Other defenses are dubious. If 13...Bc6 14. Rxa8Qxa8 15. Qd6! ties Black up. Or 13...Rxa1 14.Qxa1 Bc6 15. Nd6+ Kf8 16. Ng5! Nh6 17. Ndxf7Nxf7 18. Ne6+! 14.Qd3 Ra6 15.Rfd1 Qc816.Rxa6 Bxa6 17.Nd6+ Bxd6 18.Qxd6 Be2Desperately trying to reduce the attacking force.No better is 18...Ngf6 19. Bg5. 19.Rd5 Ne7 Abetter chance was 19...f6 or Bxf3. 20.Nxe5Nxd5Black also can’t survive for long after 20...Nxe521. Rxe5 Qd7 22. Qf6! with Bc5 or Bg5 looming.21.Nxd7Rg8 What else? If 21...Qd7 22. Qxe5+followed by Qxh8+ picks up too many pawns.22.Bg5Ba6 23.exd5Qxd7 24.Qe5+ Black Re-signs in view of 24...Kf8 25. Bh6+ Rg7 26. Bxg7+Kg8 27. Bh6 f5 28. Qf6.1-0

◦ Joerg Hickl• Arthur YusupovGerman ChampionshipBremen1998 1-0 A12The unification of Germany made it, overnight,the only country to really challenge Britain’ssupremacy in Western Europe. Joerg Hickl, 33,

won the national title in a field of 48 including 21grandmasters thanks in part to a striking sacrificeagainst Arthur Yusupov, formerly of the USSR.Black, obsessed with preserving his bishop, over-looks a spectacular sacrifice.1.c4 c6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e3 Nf6 4.b3 Bg4 5.Bb2 e66.Be2 Nbd7 7.Nc3 Bd6 8.Nd4 Attempting toimprove on 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Nd4 Bxe2 10. Ncxe2g6! 11. O-O O-O 12. Nf3 Qe7 13. Qc2 Ba314. Qc1 Bxb2 15. Qxb2 and a tame draw wasagreed in Ivkov-Campora, New York Open 1987.8...Bxe2 9.Qxe2 O–O To be considered is 9...g6denying the knight access to f5 in the ensuing play,but it doesn’t look necessary, does it? 10.cxd5exd5 On 10...cxd5 11. Ncb5 Bb8 12. Ba3 alsogives White the initiative. 11.Nf5 Bc5 Better is11...Bc7. 12.Na4 Bb4 Expecting 13. a3 Ba514. b4 Bc7 preserving the bishop. In retrospect12...Re8 13. Nxc5 Nxc5 holds White’s advantageto a minimum. 13.Nxg7 b5 Black clearly can’ttake the knight due to 13...Kxg7 14. Qg4+ Kh8 15.Qxb4. The former world championship candidatethought he was now winning a piece, but he re-ceived a rude shock. 14.Nf5 bxa4 15.Qh5 Blackoverlooked this spectacular reply. If 15...Nxh5 16.Nh6 mate. Now White regains the piece with in-terest. 15...Kh8 16.Qg4 Bxd2+ The doomedbishop sells itself as dearly as possible. 17.Kxd2Rg8 18.Qxa4 Rxg2 19.Ke2 Qg8 Desperatelyseeking counterplay. White’s powerful bishop tiesup both knights while the pawn on c6 and the rookon g2 are endangered. 20.Ng3 Qg6 21.Rac1Re8 22.Qf4 Even stronger is 22. Kf1 but Blackis lost anyway. 22...c5 23.Kf1 Rxg3 24.Bxf6+Nxf6 25.hxg3 Ne4 26.Rh6 Qg7 27.Rd1 Re528.Kg2 Ng5 29.Rc6 h6 30.Rxh6+ Black re-signs. 1-01-0

◦ Karpov, A.• Anand, V.FIDE World Championship (7)Switzerland1998 1-0 A07In this two-game tiebreak each player was allot-ted 25 minutes, a shocking climax for a so-calledworld championship match. After obtaining a wonposition – with a lot more time left on his clock toboot – Anand experienced an unmitigated disaster.1.Nf3 d5 2.g3Nf6 3.Bg2 c6 4.O–OBg4 Moresensible than hemming in the bishop by 4...e6.5.d3 Nbd7 6.Nbd2 e6 7.e4 Be7 8.Qe2 O–O9.h3Bh5 10.Re1 dxe4 11.dxe4 e5 Stops e5 onceand for all. 12.b3 Qc7 13.Bb2 Rfe8 14.Qf1 A

299

typical Karpovian retreat to break the pin. Morenatural is 14. Nf1 followed by g4 and Ng3-f5.14...Rad8 15.a3 b5 16.Bc3 Bf8 17.Nh4 Nc518.Bf3 Bg6 Not giving White a chance to elim-inate his worst piece by 18...Bxf3 19. Nhxf3.19.Nxg6 hxg6 Textbooks recommend capturingTOWARDS the center. 20.Bg2 a6 21.Qe2Ne622.Nf3Nd7 23.a4 b4 Reckoning that his controlof d4 offsets White’s control of c4. 24.Bb2 a525.c3 "It was better to prepare this with 25. Rad1c5 26. c3. 25. Rac1!? is also interesting" (Kar-pov). 25...bxc3 26.Bxc3 Rb8 27.Rab1 Bb428.Rec1 Bxc3 29.Rxc3 c5 30.Qe3 Qd6 31.h4Nd4 32.Bh3 Nb6 33.Rbc1 "Here I should se-cure the blockade of the c-pawn with 33. Nd2!From d2 the knight also protects my rook onb1, so Black does not have 33...Nxa4. I wouldthen be able to follow with 34. Rbc1 and Blackwould be thrown on the defensive since his c-pawn would be under pressure" (Karpov). 33...c434.bxc4 Nxa4 35.c5 Qe7 36.Ra3 Equally badis 36. Rc4 Rb3. Karpov suggests that the cor-rect choice is 36. Nxd4! exd4 37. Qxd4 Nxc338. Qxc3 Qxe4 39. c6 with compensation forthe Exchange. 36...Nxc5 37.Rac3Ncb3 38.Rc7Qf6 Anand, with 17 minutes left vs. Karpov’s3, misses an easier win with 38...Nxc1 39. Rxe7Nce2+ 40. Kg2 Rxe7 when the queen is over-powered by the two rooks and the passed a-pawn.39.R1c3 Nxf3+ 40.Qxf3 a4 Much stronger is40...Nd4 41. Qxf6 gxf6 42. R3c5 Ra8 getting be-hind the passed pawn. Now White’s passive bishopsprings to life. 41.Qxf6 gxf6 42.Bd7Nd4 Blackcan’t lose after 42...Re7 but he is still playing towin. 43.Bxe8 Ne2+ 44.Kg2 Nxc3 45.Bxf7+Kf8 46.Bxg6Nb5 47.Rf7+Kg8 48.Rxf6Ra849.h5 a3 50.h6 a2 51.Bf7+Kh7 52.Bxa2 Stop-ping the pawn in the nick of time! 52...Rxa253.g4 "This is the move which ultimately broughtvictory in the match, since at this moment Anandwas psychologically beaten. I could feel his nervesgive way; he could not believe that after I sufferedso many troubles I would refuse to accept a draw"(Karpov.) 53...Nc3 54.g5 Nxe4 55.Rf7+ Kg6Karpov says the last chance to hold is 55...Kg8!56. g6 Ra8 57. h7+ Kh8 58. g7+ Kxh7 59.Rf8 Kxg7 60. Rxa8 Kg6 – "a very importantmove which would most probably draw." 56.Rg7+Kf5 57.h7 Rxf2+ 58.Kg1 Kg4 59.h8=Q Kg360.Re7Rg2+ 61.Kf1Nd2+ 62. Ke1 Black Re-signs.1-0

◦ Alejandro Hoffman

• Hikaru Nakamura100th U.S. Open (9)Reno1999 0-1 E61The sensation of the tournament was 11-year-oldNakamura, who made history at age 10 as theyoungest American ever to attain the rank of mas-ter. In the last round he upset this Argentiniangrandmaster with a wild attack to finish a point outof the lead. Overall, in nine games Hikaru lost totwo grandmasters, held one to a draw and won sixgames outright.1.d4Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3Bg7 4.Nf3 O–O 5.Bf4This offbeat counter to the King’s Indian Defensenever gained favor because it develops the bishoptoo soon. More usual is 5. e4 or g3. 5...d66.h3 c5 7.d5 a6 8.a4 Restraining Black from free-ing his game by ...b5. 8...Nh5 9.Bd2 f510.e3 e5 11.dxe6 Bxe6 12.Be2 Nc6 13.O–Of4 14.Nd5 Bh6 Not an active post, but it in-creases the pressure on e3. 15.Ra3Bxd5 16.cxd5Ne7 17.e4 Nf6 18.Qb1 g5 19.a5 More perti-nent is 19. b4 right away. Now both sides pro-ceed to attack on opposite wings, and the ques-tion becomes, who will penetrate first? 19...Ng620.b4 cxb4 21.Bxb4 Qe7 22.Bd3 Stronger is22. Nd2 Ne5 23. f3 stopping the attack cold.22...g4 23.Nd4Nh4 23...gxh3? drops a piece af-ter 24. Nf5. 24.hxg4 Nxg4 25.Ne6 Neglect-ing his kingside. 25. f3 would prevent Black’sstunning reply. 25...Nf3+ 26.gxf3 Qh4 27.fxg4Qxg4+ 28.Kh2 Qh4+ 29.Kg1 Qg4+ 30.Kh2Qh4+ 31.Kg1 Kf7 32.Bc3 b5 Stopping Qxb7once and for all. If 32...Rg8 33. Bg7 staves offcheckmate. 33.Bg7 The only hope is 33. Rc1.33...Qg4+ 34.Kh2 f3 35.Rg1Qh4# Will Naka-mura achieve greater glory or, like so many otherchild prodigies before him, fall by the wayside?0-1

◦ Kasparov, G.• Svidler, P.Wijk-aan-Zee (12)Holland1999 1-0 D97Kasparov is a trend-setter in the opening. This vic-tory over Russian champion Peter Svidler featuresan innovation as early as move 11 in the Gruen-feld Defense that enabled him to nose out Anandfor first by 1/2 point. It turns out that the first 17moves were all prepared by Kasparov a night be-fore this key game, though he had doubts about theoutcome of his analysis.

300

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3dxc4 6.Qxc4 O–O 7.e4 a6 This system has stoodup fairly well over the years. 8.e5 b5 9.Qb3Nfd710.e6 Ultra sharp. Also double-edged is 10. h4.The older 10. Be3 c5 11. e6 cxd4! was foundto be okay for Black. 10...fxe6 11.Be3 Thismove was introduced in Levtchouk-Duong, Que-bec 1991 but was ignored because White lost thatgame. The main line used to be 11. Qxe6+ Kh812. Qe4 Nb6 13. Qh4 Nc6. 11...Nb6 On 11...Nf6Kasparov intended 12 a4! bxa4 13. Rxa4 strikinga blow from the other flank. Since the knight hasswung to the left, White now swings to the right!12.h4Nc6 13.h5Rxf3 Blunts the attack and ruinsWhite’s pawn structure but opens the g-file. Theidea is to keep White from gaining the initiative on13...Nxd4 14. Nxd4 Bxd4 15. O-O-O!? Bxe3+ 16.fxe3 Qe8 17. hxg6 hxg6 18. Bd3. 14.gxf3Nxd415.Rd1 Without this tactical nuance White wouldbe in bad shape. 15...c5 16.Bxd4 cxd4 17.hxg6h6 Best. More dangerous is 17...hxg6 18. Qc2.18.Rh5 It’s important to prevent Black’s knightfrom embedding itself on d5. Watch for the fur-ther peregrinations of this rook. 18...Qe8 19.Ne2Qxg6 20.Rh1Kh8 21.Rg1Qf7 22.Nxd4Nd523.Qd3Bd7 24.Qe4Rc8 25.Bd3Nf6 26.Qh4This fine attacking maneuver mounts a staircase tothe enemy king via b3-c4-d3-e4. 26...Rc5 Plau-sible but probably the decisive error. Essentialis 26...Nd5! to establish control over the key f4square. 27.Ne2Nd5 28.Rg6Qf8 29.Qe4Qf7If 28...Qf5 30. Rxg7 Qxe4 31. fxe4 Kxg7 32.exd5; or 28...Be8 29. Rxh6+! Bxh6 30. Qh7 mate.30.Kd2Nf6 31.Qe3 Black resigns. The final stepof the staircase. If now 31...Rh5 32. Rdg1 Bf8 33.Nf4 Rh2 34. R6g3 threatening Ng6+ is the quietus.1-0

◦ Anand V.• Svidler, P.Linares (6)Spain1999 1-0 D97After drawing his first five games, Anand postedhis first win with a blistering attack, and his finalmove is piquant. It’s very hard to find games in theentire history of chess that end in mate by castling;nowadays most masters resign just before it staresthem in the face.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3dxc4 6.Qxc4 O–O 7.e4 a6 8.e5 b5 9.Qb3Nfd710.h4 Varying from an earlier event at Wijk-aan-Zee where Kasparov played 10. e6 right awayagainst Svidler, probably prepared a better defense

in the meantime. 10...c5 11.e6 c4 12.Qd1 Nb613.exf7+Rxf7 14.h5Nc6 15.hxg6 hxg6 16.Be3Bf5 Already going astray since it allows Whiteto prosecute the attack with gain of tempo (18.g4). Either 16...Bg4 (or Nd5) would keep Blackon track. 17.Ng5Rf6 Trying to repair the previ-ous error is futile. Black should try to survive by17... Nxd4 18. Nxf7 Kxf7. 18.g4 Be6 19.Nce4Bd5 20.Qd2 Going after material with 20. Nxf6+exf6 21. Nf3 Qd7 allows Black more counter-play. 20...Rd6 Necessary is 20...Qd7 to free therook on a8. 21.f3 Bxe4 22.fxe4 Nd7 Rushingback to defend the kingside. Equally unappetiz-ing is 22...Nxd4 23. Qh2. 23.Qh2 Nf8 24.e5Rd7 25.Ne6 Qa5+ No better is 25...Nxe6 26.Bxc4 bxc4 27. Qh7+. 26.Bd2 Nxe5 27.Be2c3 28.Bxc3 b4 29.Nxg7 bxc3 30.Qh8+ Kf731.O–O+ Black Resigns. A noteworthy finale thathad both players chuckling. Technically speaking,it’s not mate because 31...Nf3+ 32. Rxf3+ Qf5 de-lays the inevitable.1-0

◦ Kramnik, V.• Svidler, P.Linares (9)Spain1999 1-0 D85In the most important match of his career againstShirov in 1998, 22-year-old Kramnik failed toobtain a title match with Kasparov because hecouldn’t cope with Shirov’s pet Gruenfeld De-fense. Here he experiments with a sharp approachthat helped him tie for second with Anand at 8-6in this elite double round robin at Linares, 2 1/2points behind Kasparov in the strongest tourna-ment of 1999. The NY Times called this game a"gem."1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Nf3 c5 8.Rb1 The Ex-change Variation of the Gruenfeld demonstratesthe conflict between occupying the center withpawns as Black strives to undermine this structure.The idea behind 8. Rb1 is to remove the rook fromthe a1-h8 diagonal. If now 8...Nc6 9. d5 Bxc3+10. Bd2 favors White. 8...O–O 9.Be2 cxd410.cxd4 Qa5+ 11.Bd2 A gambit that offers apawn for speedy development. The endgame with11. Qd2 offers White fewer prospects. 11...Qxa212.O–O Bg4 Inviting 13. Rxb7 Bxf3 14. Bxf3Bxd4 15. Rxe7 Nc6. The alternative 12...Qe613. Qc2 Qc6 14. Qd3 Qd6 15. Bb4 Qd8 16.d5 but be tenable but Black remains cramped.13.Be3 The older try is 13. Bg5. 13...Nc6

301

14.d5Na5 15.Bg5Bxf3 Better is 15...Qa3 hereor on the next move. 16.Bxf3 Rfe8 17.e5Nc4 This doesn’t work, but neither does 17...Bxe518. d6! exd6 19. Bd5 Qa3 20. Bd2 Nc6 21.Rxb7. 18.d6 Nxe5 19.Bd5 Qa3 20.Bxe7 Bf821.Bxb7 Bxe7 22.Bxa8 Bxd6 23.Bd5 Re7Despite dropping the Exchange, Black’s positionis still a tough nut to crack. White’s fine next movethreatening f4 renews his initiative. 24.Kh1 h525.h3Kg7 26.Qd2Bc7 27.Rbd1Nd7 No bet-ter is 27...Qd6 28. f4 Nd7 29. Qc3+ Kh7 30. Bxf7snaring another pawn. 28.Bxf7 Rxf7 29.Qxd7Rxd7 30.Rxd7+ Kh6 31.Rxc7 Qd3 32.Kg1Qd4 33.Rc2 Black resigns. On 33...Qa4 34. Rcc1nothing can stop White from doubling rooks on thea-file to capture the pawn on a7; then in the sameway White will double rooks on the sixth rank toannihilate the pawn on g6.1-0

◦ Sokolov I.• Kasparov G.Wijk-aan-Zee (9)Holland1999 1-0 E59This rather prosaic loss ended Kasparov’s sevengame winning streak against topnotch grandmas-ters. "It didn’t bother me. I’ve already validatedmy status as number one," he shrugged. AlthoughKasparov no longer wears the official FIDE crown,he still bestrides the chess world like a Colossusand many fans consider him the greatest player inhistory.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 O–O 5.Bd3d5 6.Nf3 c5 7.O–O Nc6 8.a3 Bxc3 9.bxc3Qc7 10.Qc2 dxc4 11.Bxc4 e5 This variation be-come popular at Zurich 1953 and has been testedcountless times since then. White usually retainsonly a minimal edge. 12.Bd3 Re8 13.e4 To-day 13. dxe5 is regarded as the main line butSokolov revives a move that was once popular inthe 1950s. 13...exd4 14.cxd4 Bg4 15.e5 Bxf316.exf6 Nxd4 17.Bxh7+ Kh8 18.fxg7+ Kxg719.Bb2 Rad8 20.gxf3 Other tries lack sting.Steven-Vehre, postal 1978, was drawn quickly af-ter 20. h3 Re5 21. Bxd4+ Rxd4 22. Bf5 Qc623. Kh2 Qd6+ 24. Kh1 Bxg2+ 25. Kxg2 Qd5+26. Kh2 Rxf5 27. Rae1. Langeweg- Ciujpers,Leeuwarden 1980 led to equality on 20. Rfc1 Rh821. Qxc5 Qxc5 22. Rxc5 Kxh7 23. Bxd4 Rhg824. Be5 Rxg2+ 25. Kf1 Rg6 26. Rc3 Bxg2+ 27.Ke2 Re8+ 28. Re3. 20...Rh8 21.Kh1Rxh7 Du-bious. A few games featuring 21...Kf8! generallyended well for Black. Kasparov said he knew about

this move but simply forgot about it in the heatof battle. 22.Rg1+ Kh8 23.Rg3 Qe5 24.Rag1Rh4 Believe it or not, this is probably the losingmove. In Porath-Stahlberg, Amsterdam 1954, adraw arose from 24...Qh5 25. R1g2 f6 26. Qc4(Sokolov said he intended to improve by 26. Qg6!)Qf7 27. Qxf7 Rxf7 28. f4 Rd6 29. Rh3+ Rh730. Rhg3 Re7 31. Rh3+ Rh7 31. Rhg3. 25.Qc1Kh7 Loses fast. The only chance to fight backis 25...Qh5 26. R1g2 but Black seems doomed inthe long run. 26.Qb1+Kh8 An ignominious re-treat but no better is 26...Qf5 27. Rg7+ Kh8 28.Qxf5 Nxf5 29. Rg8+ Kh7 30. Rxd8. 27.Qf1Qe6 "Not giving me the pleasure to execute mythreat 27...Rd6 28. Qh3!" (Sokolov). A strangething now took place. Kasparov wrote down hisopponent’s next move on his score sheet and evenshowed it to him! 28.Qg2 Black resigns. Triplingon the g-file is decisive. If 28...f5 29. Rh3 Qf6 30.Rxh4+ Qxh4 31. Qg7 mate.1-0

◦ Peter Kiriakov• Sergei TiviakovIsle of Man OpenPort Erin1999 1-0 E38A retired lighthouse guardian stubbornly defiedcommon sense by staging the first-ever interna-tional Open on this island back in 1992. Now anannual fixture, it attracted 54 players from 16 na-tions including 15 grandmasters in 1999. Thesetwo young Russian grandmasters didn’t make it tothe top, but they produced a sparkling game thatillustrates the old maxim about an ounce of pre-vention being worth a pound of cure. Black castlesearly – too early – his rook, bishop and knight arelocked up on the queenside and can’t come to theaid of his beleaguered king on the other flank.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 c5 5.dxc5Bxc5 6.Nf3 Qb6 7.e3 Qc7 Is forcing White toplay e3 worth the loss of time involved in movingthe queen a second time? 8.b3 b6 9.Bb2 Bb710.Be2 a6 11.Rd1 Be7 12.O–O O–O Provok-ing a strong rejoinder. Simply 12...d5 or d6 orh6 would save Black a lot of grief. 13.Ng5 Rd8One bad move leads to another. Better is 13...Re814. Nd5 exd5 15. Bxf6 g6 16. Bxe7 Rxe7 andBlack, if not satisfied, at least is still alive. 14.Nd5exd5 15.Bxf6 Bxf6 16.Qxh7+ Kf8 17.cxd5 d6Finally. But not 17...Bxg5? 18. d6 threateningQh8 mate! 18.Bh5 Played instantly. Black is apiece ahead but his forces are bottled up on thequeenside. 18...Bxg5 19.Qh8+ Ke7 20.Qxg7

302

Rf8 21.Qxg5+ Ke8 22.Rc1 Qd8 23.Qf5 Qe7Or 23...Qd7 24. Qe4 Kd8 25. Qh4 Ke8 (if 25...f626. Qb4!) 26. Rc4 threatening Re4. Now Whitewins back material while continuing to harass theenemy king. 24.Rc4Nd7 25.Rc7Bc8 26.Rfc1Strengthens the attack by bringing another big guninto play. 26...Kd8 27.Bg4Qe8 28.R1c6 Blackis tied up in knots. 28...Rg8 29.h3 b5 30.Qf4Qf831.Bxd7 Bxd7 32.Qf6+ Ke8 33.Rxd6 Rd834.Rdxd7 Black resigns. 1-01-0

◦ Korchnoi, V.• Spassky, B.10-game Exhibition match (8)Russia1999 1-0 A59Going into this 8th game Spassky trailed by a point.This was his last chance to catch up. The excit-ing finale proved to be the turning point of a matchwhich he ultimately lost 6-4.1.d4Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 The risky Benko Gam-bit. Black boldly sacrifices a pawn for queen-side pressure. 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6 g6 6.Nc3 Bxa67.e4Bxf1 8.Kxf1 d6 9.Nf3Bg7 10.g3 O–O 11.Kg2Nbd7 12.h3Ra6 13.Re1Qa8 14.Bg5 h615.Bd2 e6 16.dxe6 fxe6 17.Qc2 Another try is17. Kg1!? to get the king away from danger onthe long diagonal. 17...g5 18.a4 g4 More logicalis 18...d5 right away. 19.hxg4 Nxg4 20.Bf4 d521.Nb5 First 21. exd5 exd5 22. Nb5 clears thecenter. 21...e5 22.Nc7 White can retain a safeadvantage with 22. Bd2! 22...Qa7 23.Nxa6exf4 24.exd5 An alternative is 24. Qd3 c4 25.Qxd5+ Rf7 26 e5. 24...Qxa6 25.Re6 Qb726.Re7 fxg3 27.Qg6 Qxb2 28.Ra2 Who canblame him for guarding the second rank? Butstronger is 28. Qxg4 Qxa1 29. Rxd7 gxf2 30.Kxf2. 28...Ne3+ Spassky wants to keep queenson the board, and this is more complicated than28...Qf6. 29.Kh3 gxf2 30.Rxb2 f1=Q+ Thelosing move. Black draws by perpetual checkwith 30...Rxf3+! 31. Kh2 Rh3+! 32. Kxh3f1=Q+ 33. Kh2 Qf4+. 31.Kh2 Nf5 32.Rg2Qxg2+ 33.Kxg2 Nxe7 34.Qe6+ Rf7 35.Qxd7Nf5 36.Qc8+Bf8 37.Ne5Rg7+ 38.Kh3Nd639.Qe6+Kh7 40.Nd7Be7 41.Nxc5 Black Re-signs1-0

◦ Alexander Beliavsky• Etienne BacrotTraining Match (2)

France1999 1-0 D43Bobby Fischer once said, "When I was eleven, Ijust got good." Chess prodigies have always daz-zled the world with their billiance, but only a fewstayed the course to reach the summit. In 1996Bacrot, at age 13, captured headlines by beat-ing ex-world champ Smyslov in a serious trainingmatch. He failed to duplicate this feat three yearslater, when he lost one game and drew five againstveteran grandmaster Beliavsky, 45. The teenagerhas a bright future, but this instructive miiniatureshowed that Bacrot needs more seasoning beforehe is ready for prime time.1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5h6 6.Bh4 dxc4 7.e4 g5 To avoid the complica-tions stemming from 7...b5 8. e5. 8.Bg3 b59.Be2Nbd7 Black weakened his pawn structureto win a pawn and now 9...Bb7 awaiting furtherdevelopments seems more prudent. 10.d5 b411.dxe6 bxc3 12.exd7+Qxd7 Beliavsky beat Ata-lik a week earlier in the Yugoslav Team Champi-onship after 12...Bxd7 13. bxc3 Nxe4 14. Qd4Nxg3 15. hxg3 Rg8 16. Qxc4 Bg7 17. O-O.13.Qc2 g4 Hoping to solve his problems after 14.Ne5? Qd2! but now White crosses him up bypitching a second pawn. 14.Rd1 Qb7 15.Ne5Qxb2 16.Qa4 Qb5 The last chance to avert im-mediate disaster is with the ugly 16...Qb7 17. Bxc4Rh7. 17.Rd8+ Black Resigns. Black overlookedthis shot. If 17...Kxd8 18. Nxc6+ Qxc6 19. Qxc6mops up.1-0

◦ Anand V.• Kasparov G.Linares (10)Spain1999 0-1 B90Kasparov won this elite double-round tournamentin a field of eight top-ranked stars with 10 1/2 - 31/2 (7 wins, 7 draws) – an incredible 2 1/2 pointmargin over his nearest rivals Vladimir Kramnikand Viswanathan Anand, often touted as his mostprobable challengers. In this complicated strug-gle both players falter near the end; Anand’s slipproves fatal.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.f3 A popular plan to brace the center and laterlaunch an attack depending on which flank the en-emy king seeks safety. 6...e6 7.Be3 b5 8.g4 h69.Qd2Nbd7 10.O–O–OBb7 11.h4 b4 12.Nb1d5 13.Bh3 g5 A pawn sacrifice designed to pre-vent 13...dxe4 14. g5 with a dangerous attack.

303

14.hxg5 hxg5 15.exd5 Nxd5 16.Bxg5 Qb6 Animprovement over 16...Qa5 in Leko-Topalov fromthe third round. 17.Bg2 Rxh1 18.Bxh1 Rc819.Re1 To thwart the threat of ...Nc3 and start anoffensive. The question now becomes whose kingis safer? 19...Qa5 20.f4Qxa2 21.f5Nc5 22.fxe6Bg7 23.exf7+Kxf7 24.Bxd5+ Afterwards gameKasparov showed how Anand could force a drawwith 24. Qf2+! Kg8 25. Qf5 Bxd4 26. Qg6+ Bg727. Re8+ leading to perpetual check. 24...Qxd525.Re7+ Kg8 26.Rxg7+ Kxg7 27.Nc3 Avoid-ing the trap of 27. Nf5+? Qxf5 28. gxf5Nb3+. Now the resulting ending looks drawish be-cause of reduced material. 27...bxc3 28.Nf5+Kf7 29.Qxd5+ Bxd5 30.Nd6+ Kg6 31.Nxc8Kxg5 32.Nb6Be6 33.bxc3Kxg4 34.Kb2Kf435.Ka3 a5 36.Na4Ne4 Careless. Kasparov latersaid he could wrap it up with 36...Nd7! 37. Nb2Nb6 38. c4 Bxc4 39. Nxc4 Nxc4+ 40. Kb3Ne5! 41. Ka4 Nc6 42. Kb5 Ke5, etc. 37.Nb2Nxc3 38.Nd3+Ke3 39.Nc5Bf5 40.Kb2Nd541.Nb7 a4 42.c4Nb6 43.Nd6Bd3 44.c5Nd545.Ka3 Bc2 46.Nb5 Ne7 47.Na7 The losingmove. Correct is 47. Nc3! Kd4 48. Nxa4 Nc6 49.Nb2 Kxc5. Curiously, according to computer anal-ysis, the longest win with bishop plus knight vs.knight with perfect play by both sides requires 77moves. In 1990 FIDE raised the limit on draws inendgames without pawns from 50 to 75 moves andlater lowered it. 47...Kd4 48.c6 Nd5 49.Nb5+Kc5 50.c7 Bf5 White Resigns. Alas, his knightis trapped. If 51. Kxa4 Nb6+ 52. Ka5 Nc4+ 53.Ka6 (or 53. Ka4 Bc2 mate) Bc8+ 54. Ka7 Kxb555. Kb8 Nd6 and it’s all over.0-1

◦ Shirov, A.• Kasparov, G.Wijk-aan-Zee (7)Holland1999 0-1 B90Alexei Shirov is a fiery attacker. Here, how-ever his piece sacrifice goes awry. This was theirfirst encounter since Kasparov announced that Shi-rov (who defeated Kramnik in a 1998 candidates’match) would be his official challenger for theworld championship. When funding evaporated,alas, Kasparov reneged on his pledge and their pro-posed match fell through.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.Be3Ng4 7.Bg5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.Bg3Bg710.Be2 h5 11.Bxg4 hxg4 A risky enterprise. Inthe past Kasparov had preferred to recapture withBxg4. 12.O–O e6 A second surprise. In the

past Kasparov chose Nc6. 13.Qd2 An alterna-tive is 13. Nde2. Now Black introduces a newidea by pitching a pawn. 13...Nd7 14.Bxd6Ne515.Ncb5 Virtually forced since 15. Bc5 Qc7 isjust too strong. 15...axb5 16.Nxb5 f6 17.Rfd1Rightly rejecting 17. Nc7+ Kf7 18. Nxa8 Nc419. Qd3 Qxd6 20. Qxd6 Nxd6. Instead withtwo pawns for the piece White prefers to take hischances in the middle game. 17...Kf7 18.Qe2Bd7 19.Bxe5 fxe5 20.Nd6+ No better is 20.Qxg4 Qe7 21. Nd6+ Kg8 reaching safety with theking. 20...Kg6 21.Rd3 Too ambitious. The besttry is 21. Qxg4 Rh4 22. Qf3 Qf6 23. Qxf6+ Bxf624. Nxb7. 21...Qf6 22.Qxg4 Qf4 23.h3 Qxg424.hxg4 Bc6 25.c4 The ending is hard becauseWhite now has three pawns for the piece. An-other plan is 25. a3 Bf8 26. f3. 25...Rhd8 26.f3Bf8 27.c5 b6 Double-edged. Instead 27...Ra4! de-serves serious consideration. 28.b4 bxc5 29.bxc5Ra5 30.Rc3 Rb8 31.Rc2 Kf6 32.Kf2 Ba433.Rc3Rb2+ 34.Kg3Rc2 35.Rc1Rxa2 Thispawn must fall but it’s not over yet. 36.Rb1Bc6 37.Rb6 Ra6 38.Rb8 Be7 39.Rc1 Ra840.Rb6R2a6 41.Rbb1Be8 42.Rh1 It’s a mis-take to simplify by 42. Nxe8+ Rxe8 43. Rb6Rxb6 44. cxb6 Rb8 45. Rb1 Rb7 46. Rb5 Bd8picking up the pawn. 42...Bg6 42...Bxd6 43.exd6 Rxd6 44. Rh8 Rad8 45. Rb7 is harderto win. 43.Rb7 Rc6 44.Nf5 White’s nerves fi-nally give way and his game collapses. A muchtougher defense is 44. Rh6! Bxd6 45. cxd6 Rxd6reaching an ending where White still has techni-cal problems. 44...Bf8 45.Rh8 exf5 46.gxf5Bf7 47.Kg4Kg7 48.Rh5Bxc5 49.Rxg5+Kf6White resigns. White is two pieces down. Enoughis enough.0-1

◦ Alexei Shirov• Boris Gelfand8th Melody AmberMonaco1999 1-0 B80No tournament in the world is more unique than theMelody Amber, named after the daughter of spon-sor J.J. van Oosterom, a Dutchman who gave upchess to make his fortune. Each year he donatedbig bucks to watch a dozen grandmasters slug it outin two separate round robins: blindfold and quick-play (25 minutes apiece for the entire game). Thespectacle is exciting, yet it doesn’t prove much be-cause great players don’t always excel in these for-mats. Still, this rapid game shows that masters can

304

still display ingenuity and creativity even thoughthe clock forces error.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.Be3 e6 7.g4 This thrust was championed byPaul Keres. White is willing to weaken his pawnstructure to get a quick attack. 7...h6 8.Bg2 Re-turning to a conservative mode that was popularin the 1970s. Shirov-Kasparov, Linares 1999, wasdrawn quickly after 8. f4 e5 9. Nf5 h5! 10. gxh5exf4 11.Bxf4 Nxh5 12. Nxd6+ Bxd6 13. Bxd6Qh4+ 14. Kd2 Qg5+ 15. Ke1 Qh4+. 8...Nc69.h3Ne5 10.Qe2Qc7 Securing control of c4 forthe knight. 11.O–O–OBd7 12.f4Nc4 13.Kb1e5 14.Nb3 Rc8 The main drawback to Black’ssetup is that his king is still confined to the cen-ter. 15.Rd3 b5 16.g5 Fighting to dominate d5. 16.Bc1 was expected. 16...hxg5 Unclear is 16...Nxe317. gxf6 exf4 18. Nd4 Be6 19. Nd5 Bxd5 20.exd5 when Black’s king is a target in the center.17.fxg5Nh5 18.Nd5Qb7 19.Bc1Be6 20.Qe1Be7 21.Bf3Bd8 Although Black is developing,his king still hasn’t found a home. 22.Bg4 a523.Qd1 g6 24.Rf1 a4 25.Nd2Bxg5 This tempt-ing pawn snatch leads to trouble. Better is 25...a3.26.Bxe6 fxe6 27.Nxc4 bxc4 28.Qg4 exd5 Therook is immune due to 28...cxd3 29. Qxe6 Be7 30.Nxe7 dxc2 31. Ka1 Qd7 32. Qxg6 Kd8 33. Nd5!Rc6 34. Rf7 and wins. 29.Rxd5Qd7 30.Qxg5Qe6 31.Bd2 Rb8 32.Bc3 Rf8 The threat wasBxe5. Black has managed to hang on but his kingis too precarious to survive for long. 33.Rfd1Qf634.Qd2 Ng3 35.Qe3 Missing a quicker kill by35. Rxe5, but it hardly matters. 35...Qf4 36.Qa7Rd8 37.Bxe5 Qxe4 38.Bxg3 Qxd5 39.Qe3+Black Resigns. No credit for 39. Rxd5?? Rf1+ andit is Black who mates!1-0

◦ Judith Polgar• Viswanathan AnandDos HermanasSpain1999 1-0 B80Judith is the youngest of three sisters, all grand-masters, a product of their father’s theory that ge-nius is made, not born. She is usually willing totake risks, and her unclear double piece sacrificecaught Anand by surprise. Whether or not it wassound, Inside Chess called it a definite candidatefor best game of the year.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 At-tacking the e-pawn right away to prevent Whitefrom establishing the so-called Maroczy Bind byc4. 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e6 7.g4 A risky thrust. More

prudent is 7. Be2. 7...e5 8.Nf5 g6 9.g5 gxf5Virtually committing White to sacrifice a piece,since there is no compensation for the pawn on10. gxf6 f4 11. Bd2 Qxf6 12. Nd5 Qd8. 10.exf5d5 11.Qf3 Crosses Anand up. He probably ex-pected 11. gxf6 d4 12. Bc4 Qc7! 13. Qd3 dxe314. fxe3 b5! 11...d4 12.O–O–O Nbd7 13.Bd2dxc3 14.Bxc3 Bg7 Returning some material toblunt the attack and rejecting 14...Ng8 15. Qh5Qc7 16. f4. But perhaps the safest path was14...Rg8 15. gxf6 Qxf6. 15.Rg1 O–O 16.gxf6Qxf6 17.Qe3 Kh8 18.f4 Qb6 A better defenseis 18...Qh6 right away. 19.Qg3 Qh6 20.Rd6f6 21.Bd2 e4 22.Bc4 b5 23.Be6 Ra7 24.Rc6a5 White has a positional bind despite the materialdeficit. 25.Be3 Rb7 26.Bd5 Rb8 To meet thethreat of Rxc8. 27.Rc7 b4 28.b3 Rb5 29.Bc6Rxf5 30.Rxc8 Rxc8 31.Bxd7 Rcc5 32.Bxf5Rxf5 33. Rd1Kg8 34.Qg2 Black Resigns. Thethreat of Qxe4 is devastating.1-0

◦ John Nunn• Igor-Alexander NatafFrench Team ChampionshipMonaco1999 0-1 B32Competition among cities in various nations hasbecome one of the most popular chess events inEurope. Virturally any number of foreigners are el-igible to take part as professional "hired guns," andmany grandmasters depend on these fees for theirlivelihood. Nataf of Russia represented Clichy, asuburb of Paris, on top board against British GMNunn, and this beautiful game clinched Clichy’s7.5 - 2.5 victory over Monaco. Black threw every-thing but the kitchen sink at White’s king. Com-puter analysis suggested the combination was un-sound – one wonders how many classics will suffera similar fate – but sometimes machines don’t seeeverything!1.e4 c5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5d6 6.c4 White’s ability to gain total control overd5 in this manner is why many players prefer theSveshnikov Defense move-order 4.. .Nf6 5. Nc3e5 first. 6...Be7 7.N1c3 a6 8.Na3 f5 One ad-vantage of this move-order us that this advancewouldn’t be possible with the knight already on f6.Kudrin-Shabalov, Chicago 1997, continued quietlywith 9. exf5 Bxf5 10. Bd3 Be6. 9.Bd3 f4 10.g3White kept a slight edge with 10. Nc2 Nf6 11.b3 O-O 12. Bb2 Kh8 13. Qe2 Be6 14. Nd5in DeFirmian-Shabalov, U.S. Championship 1998.

305

10...Nf6 This pawn sacrifice is the only consis-tent continuation, but is it sound? 11.gxf4 exf412.Bxf4 O–O 13.Bg3 Ng4 14.Be2 Provokingthe sacrifice on f2. Alternatives are 14. Nd5 or O-O. 14...Nxf2 The merit of Black’s pawn sacrificerests on the soundness of this sacrifice. 15.Qd5+Computer analysis later discovered that 15. Bxf2!Rxf2 16. Kxf2 Bh4 17. Kg2! (not 17. Ke3? Qg518. Kd3 Nb4 19. Kd4 Bf2 mate!) Qg5 18. Bg4! isbetter for White (after 18... Bxg4 19. Qd5) but theplayers themselves found that 18...Ne5!! 19. h3 h5gives Black a very dangerous attack, probably win-ning. 15...Kh8 16.Bxf2 Nb4 17.Qh5 White’sking is also mortally exposed after 17. Qd4 Rxf218. Kxf2 Bh4 19. Kf3 Bh3. 17...Rxf2 18.Kxf2Bh4+ 19.Kg2 g6 Forces White’s reply since 20.Qh6 Bg5 snares the queen. 20.Qf3Qg5+ 21.Kf1Bh3+ This magical sacrifice is the beginning ofthe end. 22.Qxh3 Rf8+ 23.Bf3 No better is 23.Qf3 Rxf3 24. Bxf3 Qe3 25. Kg2 Qf2 26. Kh3Qxf3 27. Kxh4 h6. 23...Qe3 24.Qxh4 Nd325.Nd5 Qxf3+ 26.Kg1 Nf2 27.Kf1 Qxh1+28.Ke2 Qxa1 White resigns, as continuing thefight with 29. Ne3 Qxb2 30. Nac2 Qe5 is utterlyhopeless.0-1 29.Ne3Qxb2+ 30.Nac2Qe5 0-1

◦ Polgar, J.• Fritz 5.32Budapest (5)Hungary1999 0-1 B48In the 1990s computers continued their inexorablemarch toward domination. Judith Polgar, rated2677, dropped this 8-game match 5.5 - 2.5. Afterthree draws, she lost four out of five, finally man-aging one victory in the penultimate game when itwas far too late to catch up. Each side only had ahalf hour for the whole game; speed seems to favorthe machine.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nc6 5.Nc3a6 6.Be3 Qc7 7.Qd2 Nf6 8.f3 Ne5 9.O–O–OBb4 10.Nb3 b5 11.Bd4 h6 To prevent Qg5.12.Qe1 Dubious. Better is 12. Kb1 Nc4 13. Qf2O-O 14. Qg3 Bd6 15. Qe1 Be5 16. Bxe5 Qxe517. Qg3 with an edge (Anand - Portisch, Biel1993. 12...Nc6 13.Be3 O–O 14.g4 Too aggres-sive. White should first try 14. a3 to preventthe splintering of his queenside pawns. 14...Ne515.Qg3 Staking all on a kingside attack; better is15. Nxb5! 15...Bxc3 16.bxc3 Bb7 17.g5 hxg518.Bxg5 For better or worse White should try 17.Nc5. 18...Nh5 19.Qh3 Qxc3 20.Qxh5 Thelast hope was 20. f4. 20...Rfc8 21.Rd2 Nxf3

22.Rg2 Bxe4 The beginning of the end. Thethreat of Bxc2 is just too devastating. 23.Qg4 Alsoinadequate 23. Bh6 g6 24. Qh3 Bxc2. 23...f524.Qg3 Nxg5 25.Rhg1 Or 25. Qxg5 Bxc2.25...Bxg2 26.Qxg2Nf3 White Resigns0-1

◦ Gary Kasparov• Michael AdamsSarajevo (9)Bosnia1999 1-0 C45Kasparov, now 36, began 1999 with a bang by win-ning four elite events in a row – Wijk aan Zee,Linares, Sarajevo and Frankfurt. His rating soaredto 2851, surpassing Fischer’s peak of 2780 in 1972.Kasparov is constantly improving; his success islargely based on intense preparation and a willing-ness to embrace risk. Recently he revealed that al-most 4,000 opening novelties are stored in his com-puter waiting to be used. One of these innovationshelped him spring a surprise in the final round ofthis event against British star Michael Adams.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf65.Nxc6 bxc6 6.e5 Qe7 7.Qe2 Nd5 8.c4 Nb69.Nc3 Almost single-handedly, Kasparov has re-vived unfashionable openings such as this ScotchGame. In an earlier round he beat Jan Timmanwith 9. Nd2. 9...Qe6 10.Qe4Bb4 11.Bd2Ba612.b3 Bxc3 13.Bxc3 d5 14.Qh4 This is an at-tempt to improve on Luboyevic-Spassky, Montreal1979, which was drawn after 14. Qf3 dxc4 15.Be2 O-O 16. O-O Rad8 17. Rfe1 Rfe8 18. Rac1c5 19. Bf1 Nd5 20. bxc4 Nb4! 21. Bxb4 cxb422. Qe3. 14...dxc4 15.Be2 Nd5 15...O-O lookssafer. Failure to castle early is a major cause ofdisaster among both tyros and masters. 16.Bd4 c5Kasparov later suggested 16...Ne7 as an improve-ment. 17.Bxc5 Nc3 18.Bxc4 Qxe5+ 19.Be3Ne4 20.O–O Bxc4 21.bxc4 O–O Finally! NowBlack’s defenses are intact. 22.Rfe1Rfe8 23.f3Nd6 The last chance for a real fight was 23...Nc3!24. Kh1 Ne2 25. Bf2 Qb2. 24.Bf2 Qf5 25.c5Nb5 26.Qb4 Qd3 27.Red1 a5 28.Qa4 Qe229.Re1 Qd3 30.Rxe8+ Rxe8 31.Rd1 Snaresmaterial. If 31...Qe2 32. Re1 is simply decisive.Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Bartlomie Macieja• Eduard Rozentalis100th U.S. OpenReno

306

1999 0-1 C43This victory enabled Lithuanias Rozentalis to tiefor first with five other grandmasters in a field of485 players. Polish star Macieja rejected a draw byrepetition and then went astray. This duel showshow far opening theory has progressed, and thestruggle no longer seems to begin on move one.Their first 19 moves duplicated a game that wasdrawn a year earlier, and thereby hangs a tail.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 It’s tough to gain an ad-vantage against the solid Petrov Defense. 3. Nxe5d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Qe2 Qe7 6. d3 Nf6 has adrawish reputation. 3...Nxe4 4.Bd3 d5 5.Nxe5Nd7 6.Nxd7Bxd7 7.O–OBd6 8.c4 c6 9.cxd5cxd5 10. Qh5 Wins a pawn but Black gets goodcounterplay. 10...O–O 11.Qxd5Bc6 12.Qh5 g613.Qh3 Ng5 14.Bxg5 If 14. Qh6 Ne6 15. Be3Qf6 is okay for Black. 14...Qxg5 15.Nc3Rae816.Rad1 Re7 17.d5 Bd7 White has only oneway to save his queen. 18.Ne4 Rxe4 19.Qxd7Rd8 20.Qxb7 Both players were familiar withan earlier game that was drawn after 20. Qxd8Qxd8 21. Bxe4 Qh4 22. Rfe1 Qxh2 23. Kf1.White now strives for more. 20...Bxh2+ 21.Kxh2Rh4+ 22.Kg1Qh6 23.g3Rh1+ 24.Kg2Rh2+25.Kf3 White is not satisfied to force a draw by25. Kg1 Rh1 26. Kg2, etc. 25...Re8 26.Qd7 Thecritical defense is 26. Be4! f5 27. Ke2! Rxe428. Kd3 running to the queenside with two pawnsin his pocket. 26...Qh5+ 27.Qg4Rxf2+ A boltfrom the blue. 28.Rxf2 Qxd5+ 29.Kf4 Qd4+30.Kg5Qxf2 31.Qf4Qc5+ If 32. Kf6 Re6 mate;or 32. Kh4 Qh5 mate. 32.Bf5Qe7+ 33.Kh6 f634.Bxg6Qg7+ White Resigns. If 34. Kh5 Qxg635. Kh4 Re4 pins the queen.0-1

◦ Spassky, B.• Korchnoi, V.10-game Exhibition match (1)Russia1999 1-0 C02Both players deserted the USSR in the 1970s.Their relations deteriorated dramatically after Ko-rchnoi trounced Spassky in their last match to de-termine a challenger for world champ Karpov in1978. At the end, Spassky stood on stage angrilyshaking his fist at Korchnoi. Here 21 years laterSpassky got off to an easy start in a grudge matchsponsored in conjunction with the 275- year Ju-bilee Celebration of St. Petersburg University.1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb66.a3 a5 7.Bd3 Bd7 8.Bc2 h5 Closed positionsoften can afford loss of time. The idea is to secure

the knight on f5 without worrying about being dis-lodged by g4. 9.O–O Nh6 10.b3 Be7 11.Ra2A previous Korchnoi game reached equality after11. h4 cxd4 12. cxd4 Rc8 13. Bb2 Qd8 14. g3b5. 11...cxd4 12.cxd4Rc8 13.Bxh6 It’s unusualto swap a bishop for a knight without provocationbut Spassky wants to unclog his queenside fast.13...Rxh6 14.Qd2Rh8 15.h4Kf8 16.Qf4Kg817.Nbd2 g6 18.Rd1Kg7 19.Nf1Na7 20.Ng5Be8 21.Rd3 Nb5 22.Bd1 Rc3 23.Rad2 Qc7Correct is 23...Rxd3! 24. Rxd3 Nxa3. 24.a4Rxd3 25.Rxd3 Nc3 26.Ng3 Nxd1 27.Rxd1Qb6 28.Rd3 Qc7 29.Rf3 Bd8 30. Ne2 Qe731.Qc1 Qb4 32.Nf4 Bxg5 33.hxg5 Bc6 Not33...Qxd4? 34. Nxe6+! fxe6 35. Qc7+ Kg836. Qb8! Kg7 37. Qxb7+ Kg8 38. Qe7 Qa1+39. Kh2 Qxe5+ 40. g3 Qg7 41. Qxe8+ Kh7 42.Qxe6 wins. 34.Qe3 Rc8 35.Kh2 Be8 36.Nd3Qxb3 37.Qf4 Qxa4 Tougher is 37...Qb6! 38.Nc5 when White must find compensation for thepawn. 38.Qf6+Kg8 39.Nf4Kh7 Nothing helps.If 39...Qd7 40. Nxg6 fxg6 41. Qf8+ Kh7 42. Qh6+Kg8 43. Rf8 mate. 40.Nxe6 Black Resigns. It’smate after 40...fxe6 41. Qe7+ Kg8 42. Rf8.1-0

◦ Lautier, J.• Bologan, V.Enghien-les-Bains (8)France1999 1-0 B10Few fans noticed a strong category 15 tournamentin France without Kasparov & Co. GM ViktorBologan, 26, of Moldavia got off to a 6-1 start un-til he was stopped cold in ten moves by French GMJoel Lautier, 24, who beat Kasparov twice. Shortlosses by grandmasters contain instructive errors;this is no exception.1.c4 c6 2.e4 d5 Bent Larsen once suggested 2...e53. Nf3 Qa5!? to escape from reams of openingtheory. 3.cxd5 cxd5 4.exd5 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nbd7Also playable is simply 5...Nxd5. 6.Nf3 a6 7.d4Nb6 8.Ne5 Trying to improve on 8. Qb3 g69. Bg5 Bg7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. Bd3 O-O12. O-O a5 13. a4 Qd6 14. h3 Qb4! witha pleasant position (Motwani-Hodgson, Blackpool1988.) 8...Nbxd5 The wrong knight! Correct is8...Nfxd5! when White’s sharpest idea is 9. Ne4e6 10. a3 Be7 11. Bd3 with a hard struggle in theoffing. 9.Qa4+Bd7 Useless is 9...b5 10. Bxb5+axb5 11. Qxa8 when Black has no compensationfor the Exchange. 10.Nxd7 Black Resigns. Hesees too late that 10...Qxd7 11. Bb5! axb5 12.Qxa8+ is fatal.

307

1-0

◦ FRITZ 5.32• Kasparov, G.2-game Exhibition match (1)Germany1999 1/2-1/2 B07Machines seemed like the only opposition capa-ble of standing up to Kasparov in this decade.After back-to-back victories in two of theyear’s strongest tournaments at Wijk-aan-Zee andLinares, he faced the latest version of FRITZ at afast time limit of 15 minutes apiece during a com-puter convention in Hanover. Kasparov held theupper hand, yet games were drawn.1.e4 d6 2.d4 c6 Fearing the program’s huge open-ing database, Kasparov continues the kind of rear-guard defense he criticized himself for adoptingagainst Deep Blue in 1997. 3.Nf3Bg4 4.h3Bh55.Be3 e6 6.Nbd2 d5 7.e5 Relieves pressure by so-lidifying the center. More fluid is 7. Bd3. 7...Nd78.Bd3Ne7 9.O–OBg6 10.Be2Nf5 11.c3Be712.Qb3 b5 13.a4 Nxe3 14. fxe3 a6 15.Ra2Nb6 Forces White to resolve the queenside ten-sion. 16.axb5 axb5 17.Rfa1 Rxa2 18.Rxa2O–O 19.Ra7 Bg5 20.Nf1 Bh6 21.Ra6 Be422. Qb4 Bxf3 23.Bxf3 Nc4 24.Kf2 Qg5Seizing the initiative. 25.Rxc6 Nxe3 26.Qxb5Nxf1 27.Kxf1 Qc1+ 28.Ke2 Bf4 Overlooking28...Qc2+ 29. Kf1 Be3 30. Qe2 Qb1+ 31. Qe1Qxb2 snaring a pawn due to the threat of Qb5+and/or Bd2. 29.Rb6 Qe3+ 30.Kf1 Qc1+31.Ke2 Qe3+ 32.Kf1 Qc1+ 33.Ke2 Qc2+34.Kf1 Draw. If 34...Qxc3 35. Rb8! simplifiesto a draw.1/2-1/2

◦ Gary Kasparov• Veselin TopalovWijk-aan-Zee (4)Holland1999 1-0 B07After an absence of nearly a year from tournamentchess, Kasparov roared back with a resoundingvictory of 10-3 at the 61st Hoogovens Chess Fes-tival, 1/2 point ahead of Anand and two full pointsahead of Kramnik, his two most dangerous rivals,and in the process produced this genuine master-piece. He was rewarded with a brilliancy prize forwhat is arguably the finest attacking game of hiscareer. At the daily news conference, the visibly re-laxed and smiling champion was a totally differentman from the Kasparov who had paced the stage

in the playing hall, while waiting for his victim tomake moves.1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Be3 Bg7 Someexperts in this Pirc Defense suggest that 4...c6 5.Qd2 b5 6.f3 Nbd7 is more accurate. 5.Qd2 c66.f3 b5 7.Nge2 A tad premature. Stronger is7. O-O-O Nbd7 8. Bh6. 7...Nbd7 8.Bh6Bxh6 The point: Black lost time by moving thebishop twice instead of delaying Bg7. 9.Qxh6Bb7 10.a3 e5 11.O–O–O Qe7 12.Kb1 Safetyfirst but 12. g3 O-O-O 13. Bh3 looks morepromising. 12...a6 13.Nc1 O–O–O Topalov hasreached a fairly level position. 14.Nb3 exd415.Rxd4 c5 16.Rd1 Nb6 17.g3 Kb8 18.Na5Ba8 19.Bh3 d5 20.Qf4+ Kasparov said he de-cided here to embark on a speculative double-rook sacrifice. 20...Ka7 21.Rhe1 d4 Black hasthe initiative and still stands well. Also playableis 21...dxe4 and may have been safer. 22.Nd5Nbxd5 23.exd5 Qd6 24.Rxd4 One critic ob-served that this extraordinary combination is nonethe less stunning for having been born of neces-sity. 24...cxd4 "I couldn’t find any advantage forWhite after 24...Kb6! 25. Nb3 Bxd5 and I couldtell Topalov saw it too," said Kasparov. "But helooked up. Maybe he got a sign from above that heshould play a great game. It takes two, you know,to do that." 25.Re7+ Kb6 A second taste of thetainted bait would prove fatal. Not 25...Qxe7? 26.Qxd4+ Kb8 27. Qb6+ Bb7 28. Nc6+ Ka8 29.Qa7 mate. Now the king hunt begins in earnest.26.Qxd4+ Kxa5 Forced. If 26...Qc5 27. Qxf6+Qd6 28. Qd4+ Qc5 29.Qf6+ Qd6 30. Be6!! Bxd531. b4!! is the brilliant point. "If Black is goingto die, he will die with a full stomach" (Minev).27.b4+Ka4 28.Qc3 Even neater is 28. Ra7! rightaway. 28...Qxd5 Mate ensues after 28...Bxd5 29.Kb2 followed by Qb3+. 29.Ra7 Bb7 30.Rxb7Qc4 Topalov later said that he analyzed this posi-tion with his second (plus his computer program),and he was unable to find a win after 30...Rhe8!However, subsequent analysis gave White the nodafter 31. Rb6 Ra8 32. Bf1!! (to stop Qc4). Onepossible continuation is 32...Nd7 33. Rd6! Re1(not 33...Qxd6? 34.Qb3 mate) 34. Kb2 Re3 35.Qxe3 Qe5+ 36. Qxe5 Nxe5 37. f4. 31.Qxf6Kxa3The last chance to resist is 31...Rd1+ 32. Kb2 Ra833. Qb6 Qd4+ 34. Qxd4 Rxd4. 32.Qxa6+Kxb433.c3+ Kxc3 What else? If 33...Kb3 34. Qa2+Kxc3 35. Qb2+ Kd3 36. Bf1+ secures victory.34.Qa1+Kd2 An incredible setting. Also inade-quate is 34...Kb4 35. Qb2+ Ka5 36. Qa3+ Qa4 37.Ra7+. 35.Qb2+ Kd1 36.Bf1 Another hammerblow inviting 36...Qxf1 37. Qc2+ Ke1 38. Re7+

308

Qe2 39. Qxe2 mate. Or 36...Qd5 37. Qc1 mate.36...Rd2 Forced. If 36...Qxf1 37. Qc2+ Ke1 38.Re7 mates. 37.Rd7 Outstanding! Black is averitable pin cushion. 37...Rxd7 38.Bxc4 bxc439.Qxh8Rd3 40.Qa8 c3 41.Qa4+Ke1 42.f4 f543.Kc1Rd2 44.Qa7 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Topalov, V.• Ivanchuk, V.Linares (13)Spain1999 0-1 A30Ivanchuk tied for 5-6 in a field of eight stars (farbehind Kasparov) and was awarded the brilliancyprize for this dashing victory over Bulgaria’s lead-ing player. White’s failure to castle is responsiblefor his early demise.1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e6 5.g3Bb4+ 6.Nc3Qa5 More usual is 6...Nf6. 7.Nb5d5 8.a3Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Unclear is 9. Nxc3 d4 10.b4! Nxb4 11. axb4 Qxa1 12. Nb5 Nf6 13. Nc7+Ke7 14. Nxa8 Bd7 15. Bg2 Ra8 16. O-O withcomplications (Lerner-Khuzman, Kuibyshev 1986.9...Nf6 10.Bg2 O–O 11.Qb3 dxc4 12.Qxc4 e513.Nd6 Be6 14.Qd3 e4 Topalov probably un-derestimated the strength of this tempo-gainingmove. White’s already in big trouble. 15.Nxe4If 15. Qc2 Nd4! is strong. 15...Nxe4 16.Bxe4Rad8 17.Qc2 Nd4 18.Qb2 Nxe2 "A splendidcombination based on White’s uncastled king be-ing stuck in the center" – Ivanchuk. 19.Kxe2Rfe8 A deadly "quiet move." 19...Bc4+ onlydraws. 20.Qb4 On 20. f3 f5 retains the initia-tive. 20...Qh5+ 21.f3 f5 22.g4 Qh3 Accurate tothe end. 22...fxg4 23. Be3 is less clear. 23.gxf5If 23. Kf2 fxe4 24. Qxe4 Bd5 wins. 23...Bxf5"23...Qg2+ 24. Ke3 Qxh1 25. fxe6 Rd1 wasalso winning, but the text is more spectacular" –Ivanchuk. 24.Qc4+ Kh8 25.Re1 Rxe4+ WhiteResigns. If 26. fxe4 Bg4+ 27. Kf2 Qxh2+ 28. Ke3Qg3 mate.0-1

◦ Vladimir Akopian• Alexander KhalifmanFIDE World Championship (1)Las Vegas1999 0-1 A15The controversial knockout format started with 100grandmasters, but the winner was not required toface sitting FIDE champion Karpov, who boy-cotted the event and sued FIDE for contract viola-tion. After recovering from an inferior opening in

this first game, Khalifman went on to win the finalsix-game match in fine style by 3.5 - 2.5. But hislegitimacy as the real world champion was calledinto question. The rest of the world accorded thathonor to Kasparov, who bolted from FIDE in 1993.1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.b4 Bg7 4.Bb2 O–O 5.g3d6 6.Bg2 e5 Closing the long diagonal (a1-h8).Both bishops now bite on granite. 7.d3 Nh58.Nc3 f5 9.O–O Nc6 More usual is 9...g5 orNd7. 10.b5 Ne7 11.e4 c5 Black should leave thequeenside alone and continue with 11...f4. 12.bxc6bxc6 13.c5 d5 13...dxc5 14. Na4 is clearly inWhite’s favor. 14.exd5 cxd5 15.Qb3 e4 Virtu-ally forced since if 15...Kh8? 16. Nxe5! Bxe517. Nxd5! wins. 16.dxe4 After this Black re-tains his powerful center. White can keep an ad-vantage with 16. Ng5! and if 16...h6? 17. dxe4hxg5 18. exd5 is decisive. 16...fxe4 17.Nxe4Or 17. Ng5 Bf5. "The knight sacrifice hassome point to it. White deals with Blacks dan-gerous pawns once and for all; as compensationhe gets two pawns and a powerful light squarebishop. Additionally, the far advanced c-pawn willcause Black great difficulties in coordinating hispieces." – Khalifman. 17...Bxb2 18.Qxb2 dxe419.Ng5 Bf5 20.Nxe4 Rb8 21.Qc3 Better than21. Qa3 Bxe4 22. Bxe4 Nf6 23. Bg2 Qc7.21...Nd5 22.Qa3 Bxe4 23.Bxe4 Nhf6 24.Bf3Qc7 25.Rac1 Ne7 26.c6 Nf5 27.Qc3 Rbc828.Rfe1Qg7 Constant vigilance is required. Not28...Qf7? 29. c7 Ne8 30. Bd1! Nxc7 31. Bb3Nd5 32. Qxc8! Rxc8 33. Rxc8 and White is theone playing to win. 29.Rcd1 Rc7 30.Re6 h531.Qe5 Kh7 32.h3 Ng8 33.Qe4 Nf6 34.Qe5Ng8 35.Qe4 Rf6 Black avoids a draw by rep-etition. 36.Rxf6 Nxf6 37.Qb4 Qe7 38.Qb8Nd6 39.g4 Needlessly weakening the kingside.After 39. Qb4 or even Bg2 White possibly canstill draw by standing pat. 39...hxg4 40.hxg4Nf7 41.Kg2 Kg7 42.Re1 Qd8 43.Qb2 Ng544.Re3 White’s impending doom is not averted by44. Rd1 Qh8 45. Rh1 Qc8. 44...Qd6 45.Qa3Qxa3 Too hasty is 45...Qf4 46. Re7. 46.Rxa3Kf7 47.Be2 Ne6 48.Ra4 Nd5 49.Bf3 Ne750.Kg3 Kf6 51.Rc4 Ke5 Black’s extra pieceis proving decisive. 52.Rc1 Nd4 53.Re1+Kf6 54.Bg2 Nexc6 The capture of this pawnends White’s drawing chances. 55.f4Ne7 56.Bf1Rc3+ 57.Kg2Nc2 White Resigns. Picks up an-other pawn after 58. Rb1 Ne3.0-1

◦ Gary Kasparov• World Team

309

Kasparov vs. World (1)Internet1999 1-0 B52This landmark contest was sponsored by Microsofton its game zone, and it proved that chess is ideallysuited for the Internet. A cliffhanger that lasted124 days, it was hailed by many as the great-est correspondence game ever. A team of youth-ful coaches suggested moves and supplied analy-sis for the rest of the world to vote on. The movereceiving the majority of votes was then chosen.Each day, about 45,000 people logged on, and ul-timately some three million votes were receivedfrom 79 countries. Controversy erupted when ahacker claimed to be stuffing the ballot boxes withbad moves. Microsoft took steps to end tamper-ing by changing the rules to exclude non-Windowsusers from voting.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+Bd7 4.Bxd7+Qxd73% voted for 4...Kxd7?! The other 97% madea wiser choice. Also playable, of course, is4...Nxd7. 5.c4 Nc6 6.Nc3 Nf6 7.O–O g6 8.d4cxd4 9.Nxd4 Bg7 10.Nde2 Qe6 This daringnovelty, championed by then US Women’s Cham-pion Irina Krush, snatches a pawn and leads towild complications. More usual is 10...O-O asin Hort-Petrosian, San Antonio 1972. 11.Nd5Qxe4 12.Nc7+ Kd7 13.Nxa8 Qxc4 14.Nb6+axb6 15.Nc3 Ra8 16.a4 Ne4 17. Nxe4 Qxe418.Qb3 f5 Inviting 19. Qxb6? Nd4! threateningRa6, bagging the queen. 19.Bg5 Qb4 20.Qf7Be5 21.h3 Rxa4 22.Rxa4 Qxa4 23.Qxh7Bxb2 24.Qxg6 Qe4 25. Qf7 Bd4 26.Qb3 f4Selected by a narrow margin. Russian analystssuggested 26...Bc5 27. h4 Kc7 28. Qf7 d5 29.h5 Nd4 30. h6 Nf3+! 31. gxf3 Qxf3 and Whitecannot avoid a draw by perpetual check. 27.Qf7Be5 28.h4 b5 Both sides race to make new queenson opposite wings. 29.h5 Qc4 30.Qf5+ Qe631.Qxe6+ Kxe6 32.g3 fxg3 33.fxg3 b4 34.Bf4Bd4+ 35. Kh1 Instead of going into the cor-ner, 35. Kg2 looks logical but runs into 35...b336 g4 b2 37 g5 Nb4 38 g6 Nd3 39 h6 b1=Q (if39...Nxf4 40. g7 Kf7 41. Rxf4+ Bf6 42. Rf1Kg8 43. Rg1 Bg5 44. h7+! Kxh7 45. g8/Q+!Kxg8 46.Rxg4+ wins) 40 Rxb1 Nxf4+. With theking on h1, however, 41. Re1+! is now decisive(if 41...Kf6 42 g7 Kf7 43 Rxe7+; or 41...Be5 42g7 Kf7 43 Rg1Kg8 44 h7+! forces a new queen).35...b3 36.g4 Kd5 37.g5 e6 38.h6 Ne7 39.Rd1e5 40.Be3 Kc4 41.Bxd4 exd4 42. Kg2 b243.Kf3 Kc3 44.h7 Ng6 45.Ke4 Kc2 46.Rh1d3 47.Kf5 b1=Q 48.Rxb1 Kxb1 49.Kxg6 d250.h8=Q d1=Q 51.Qh7 b5 This inferior move

received 38% of the votes while 51...Ka1! got34%. 52.Kf6+ Kb2 53.Qh2+ Ka1 54.Qf4 b455.Qxb4Qf3+ 56.Kg7 d5 57.Qd4+Kb1 58.g6Qe4 Loses by a hair. The best drawing chance is58...Qf5! 59.Qg1+ Kb2 60.Qf2+ Kc1 61.Kf6d4 62.g7 51.01% voted to throw in the towel.Kasparov later demonstrated a forced mate in 25moves. "I spent more time analyzing this than anyother game," said Kasparov, who devoted over 100hours of study after Black’s tenth move caught himby surprise.1-0

◦ Alexander Khalifman• Gary KasparovLinares (2)Spain2000 1/2-1/2 D97FIDE recently nixed a unification match betweenKhalifman, their newly crowned world champion,and Kasparov, the strongest player in the world.With his usual ’modesty’ Kasparov proclaimed:"There is no clear number two in the world. Thegulf is so wide and my superiority is so obviousthat sponsors fear a title match with any of my chal-lengers won’t generate much interest." At the an-nual super tournament in Linares, six stars facedeach other twice. Kasparov shared the lead withKramnik at 6 points while the other four all tiedfor last (or third, if you will) at 4.5 points. Thisclosely-watched contest between two rival title-holders brought Khalifman’s overall record againstKasparov to a respectable four draws.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3dxc4 6.Qxc4 O–O 7.e4 Na6 8.Be2 c5 9.d5 e610.O–O exd5 11.exd5 Bf5 12.Be3 Qb6 13.b3Rfe8 14.Rad1 Rad8 A solid choice. Alterna-tives are 14...Rxe3!? or Ng4. 15.h3Qa5 16.Rfe1Nd7 17.Na4 Nb4 18.Bg5 Later it was deter-mined that 18. Bd2! is better. But 18. Nxc5?!Nxc5 19. Bxc5 Nc2 20. b4 Qa4 21. Rf1 b6 22.Bd4 Qxb4 gives Black a good endgame. 18...Nc219.Bxd8Qxd8 20.Rf1Nd4 Kasparov later saidhe felt obliged to fight to win with Black becauseKhalifman was the lowest rated rival in this tour-nament. But here Kasparov misses his best chancevia 20...Na3! 21. Qc1 Rxe2 22. Qxa3 Be4 23.Rfe1 Bxf3 24. gxf3 Rxe1 . Rxe1 Qg5 26. Kf1Qxd5 27. Re8 Bf8. 21.Nxd4 Bxd4 22.Rxd4Snuffing out complications that would ensue af-ter 22. b4 Re4 23. bxc5 Qh4. Instead, the gamepeters out into a draw. 22...cxd4 23.Bg4 Bxg424.hxg4Re4 25.f3Ne5 26.Qb4Nd3 Hoping for27. Qxb7 Re2 with a dangerous attack. 27.Qc4

310

Ne5 28.Qb4 Nd3 Going for the repetition ofmoves. If 26...Re2 27. Qxd4 Qf6 28. Qd1! Rxa229. Nc3 White stands better. 29.Qc4 Draw byAgreement. Out of a total of 30 games in thisevent, 23 were drawn! Capablanca once predictedthe "draw death" of chess, and Emanuel Laskerexplained why draws were on the rise: "Gamesplayed by men of equal strength, and played ac-curately, will end in draws and are apt to be dull.Brilliancy occurs usually from combinations thatare afforded by errors in combination."1/2-1/2

◦ Alexander Khalifman• Peter LekoTraining Match (1)Budapest2000 1/2-1/2 D97Newly crowned FIDE champion Khalifman, 34,flunked his first major test against Hungary’s Pe-ter Leko, who at 20 was already ranked amongthe world’s top ten. About a thousand specta-tors watched each game as Leko pleased his homecrowd with a dashing 4.5 - 1.5 victory in a remark-ably one-sided match. Khalifman stood no chanceagainst such merciless precision, losing all threegames with Black and merely drawing all threegames with White. Even so, the outcome of thematch might have been different had Khalifmanwon the very first game. Leko, on the ropes here,defends like a wizard.1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.Nc3 d5 5.Qb3dxc4 6.Qxc4 O–O 7.Bf4Na6 8.e4 c5 9.d5Bg4On occasion Kasparov has tried 9...e6 right away.10.Be2Nd7 11.Qb3Qb6 12.Qxb6 axb6 13.a3Bxf3 A reasonable alternative is an immediate13...f5. 14.gxf3 f5 15.Bg5 Bf6 Better than15...Bxc3 16. bxc3 Rxa3 17. Bxe7 Re8 18.d6. 16.h4Nc7 17.O–O–ONe8 18.Bxf6Nexf619.d6 fxe4 20.fxe4 Missing a chance to gain theadvantage by 20. dxe7! Rfe8 21. fxe4 Rxe722. Rhe1 followed by f4 and e5. 20...e5 21.Bb5Rad8 22.f3 Kg7 23.Rhf1 Nh5 24.Nd5 Nf425.Bxd7 Nxd5 26.Rxd5 Rxd7 27.Rxe5 Rf6Leko is in no hurry to extract the bone from histhroat, in view of 27...Rxd6 28. Re7 Rf7 29. Rxf7Kxf7 30. Rd1! 28.Rd5 Kf7 29.f4 Black seemsto hold by the skin of his teeth on 29. e5 Rf4 31.Re1 Ke6. 29...Rfxd6 30.Rxd6 Rxd6 31.Rd1Rf6 Black loses if he exchanges rooks because ofhis doubled pawns. 32.Rf1 Rd6 33.Rd1 Rf634.Rd7+ Ke6 35.Rxh7 Rxf4 36.Rxb7 Rxe437.Rxb6+ Kd5 38.Rxg6 Rxh4 Both rooks aredone with their feeding frenzy but White can’t

seem to do anything with his extra pawn. 39.Kc2Rh2+ 40.Kb1 c4 41.Rg5+ Kd4 42.Rg3 Ke5Draw by Agreement. Khalifman could have tor-tured Leko longer to avoid splitting the point sosoon. One possible variation is 43. a4 Kd4 44.Ka2 Rd2 45. a5 Kc5 46. Ra3 Rd7 47. Kb1 Ra748. Kc2 Kb5 49. Kc3 Rh7 and White can’t makeprogress.1/2-1/2

◦ Alexander Khalifman• Peter LekoLinares (8)Spain2000 1-0 D85Revenge is sweet. A few weeks after Leko crushedKhalifman in an exhibition match, the FIDE cham-pion demonstrated his recuperative power whenthey met again. Their first 21 moves replicatedKramnik-Kasparov at Linares 1998, which endedin a draw just one move later. But Khalifman un-corked a new move that turned the game in White’sfavor at the cost of a pawn, once again demonstrat-ing the value of prepared variations at the highestlevel.1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.Nc3 d5 5.cxd5Nxd5 6.e4 Nxc3 7.bxc3 c5 8.Rb1 O–O 9.Be2cxd4 10.cxd4 Qa5+ 11.Bd2 Qxa2 Of courseit’s risky to plunge the queen out of play to gaina pawn, but can Black be punished? 12.O–OBg4 For some time returning the gambit pawnwas the method of choice, but an alternative is12...b6 13. Qc1 Qe6 as in Gavrikov-Agrest, Es-tonia 1999. 13.Bg5 h6 Hoping to equalize on13...Bxe7 Re8 14. Rxb7 Nd7. 14.Be3 Nc615.d5 Ne5 16.Rxb7 e6 17.d6 Rfd8 18.Re1Bxf3 19.gxf3 Qa5 This line also was exploredin Lautier-Illescas, Wijk aan Zee 1997, which wasdrawn after 20. Bd2 Qa2 21. Be3 Qa5 22. Bd2Qa2, etc. 20.Rf1 Bf8 21.d7 Qa2 22.Bb5 Im-proving on 22. Re1 Qa5 draw agreed as in theaforementioned Kramnik-Kasparov game. White’spassed pawn now looms large. 22...a6 23.Ba4Nxf3+ 24.Kg2 Ne5 25.Bb6 Qc4 26.Qd4White wants to enter the endgame a pawn downwithout queens on the board and then use his d-pawn to gain material. 26...Qxd4 27.Bxd4Nd3 28.Bc6Nc5 29.Rc7Bd6 30.Bxc5Bxc731.Bxa8 Rxa8 32. Be7 Decisive. If now32...Bd8 33. Rc1! Bxe7 34. Rc8 wins outright.32...Rd8 33.Rd1 f5 34.Bxd8 Bxd8 35.exf5gxf5 36.Rd6 Kf7 37.Rxa6 Ke7 38.Kg3 Bc7+39.Kh4Kxd7 40.Ra7Kc6 41.Rxc7+ Elegantlyforcing a straightforward king and pawn ending.

311

41...Kxc7 42.Kh5 e5 43.Kxh6 Kd6 44.Kg5Ke6 45.h4 f4 46.h5 f3 47.Kg4 Hopeless is 47...e4 48. Kf4 Kf6 49. Kxe4. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Jeroen Piket• Veselin TopalovMelody AmberMonaco2000 1/2-1/2 A73Philidor’s blindfold display against two opponentsat Paris in 1744 was considered little short ofmiraculous. The Melody Amber, named after thesponsor’s daughter, required 12 grandmasters toface each other twice without sight of the boardat a fast clip of 25 minutes per side, which is notconducive to precise chess. The main feature ofthis double blind test is the position that arose after43. g4. The rules state that en passant capture isoptional, yet here it is forced, because it’s the onlyway to prevent mate. This predicament is so rareas to be almost nonexistent.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5 4.d5 d6 5.h3 Tak-ing the game out of book. A good way to ex-ploit this loss of time is 5...exd5 6. cxd5 b5or even 5...b5!? immediately. 5...g6 6.Nc3exd5 7.cxd5 Bg7 8.e4 O–O 9.Bd3 b5 Ultra-sharp because Black never succeeds in regainingthe pawn. Another idea is 9...Na6 10. O-ONc7. 10.Bxb5 Nxe4 11.Nxe4 Qa5+ 12.Nfd2Qxb5 13.Nxd6 Qa6 14.N2c4 Nd7 15.O–ONb6 16.Nxb6 Qxb6 Gives Black more counter-play than 16...axb6. 17.Nxc8 Raxc8 18.Rb1Rfd8 Black must regain the d-pawn or he is lost.19.Bf4Qb7 20.d6Bf8 21.Qd3Bxd6 22.Bxd6Rc6 23.Rfd1Qd7 Black prefers to keep queenson the board rather than go for the unpromisingending after 23...Rcxd6 24. Qxd6 Rxd6 25. Rxd6.24.Qa3 Rxd6 25.Rxd6 Qxd6 26.Qxa7 Re827.Qa3Re2 Black is still a pawn down but has ac-tive counterplay, thanks to his control of the centralfiles. 28.Qc3 Qb6 29.a4 c4 30.Rf1 Qb3 Invit-ing 31. Qxb3 cxb3 32. Rb1 Re4 33. Ra1 Re234. a5 Rxb2 35. a6 Ra2 which draws in the nickof time. 31.Rc1 Qxa4 32.Qd4 Qa6 33.Rxc4Rxb2 34.Qd8+ Kg7 35.Rc8 Rb1+ 36.Kh2Qe6 37. Qd4+ Black is walking a tightrope ow-ing to his back rank weakness. 37. Qh8 Kh6 38.Qf8 Kg5 39. Rc5 f5 40. Qd8 looks more danger-ous. 37...Kh6 38.Rg8 Qe7 Stops the threat ofQh4 mate. 39.h4 f6 40.Qd2+ g5 40...Kh5 looksprecarious but is also playable. 41.f4 gxh4 42.f5+Kh5 43.g4+ Desperately trying to weave a matingnet. If 43. Qf4 Rb4! avoids the trap 44...Qe5? 45.

Rg5! Kh6 46. Rg6 Kh5 47. Rh6 mate. 43...hxg3+En passant capture is absolutely forced – other-wise Black is checkmated! This setting occursin composed problems but rarely over-the-board.44.Rxg3Qe5 45.Qd7Qe2+ Black is out of thewoods and can even try 45...Qb2 46. Rg2 Qb7!46.Rg2 Qe5+ Forcing a draw by repetition after47. Rg3 Qe2, etc. It’s hard to shake the feeling thatWhite missed a win somewhere along the way inthis exceptional blindfold game.1/2-1/2

◦ Gary Kasparov• Alexander MorozevichSarajevo (7)Bosnia2000 1/2-1/2 D39A thrilling draw. The world champion offered a se-ries of pawns to Morozevich, who eagerly scoopedthem up. After castling on opposite sides, Kas-parov won a piece but the young Russian whippedup a dangerous counterattack. Kasparov respondedby sacrificing an Exchange and then a bishop toforce a draw by perpetual check. When two chessKamikazes collide, it’s the sort of result you’d ex-pect!1.d4 e6 2.Nf3Nf6 3.c4 d5 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.e4Bb46.Bg5 c5 Black also can try to hold the pawn by6...b5 7. e5 h6. 7.Bxc4 cxd4 8.Nxd4Qa5 9.Bd2O–O "A novelty. I’m not sure whether it is re-ally good." – Kasparov 10.Nc2 Bxc3 11.Bxc3Qg5 12.Qe2 Instead 12.Qf3 offers White a slightadvantage. 12...Qxg2 13.O–O–O Qxe4 If13...Nxe4 14. Bxg7! gives White a good attack.14.Rhg1 g6 Other replies are worse. If 14...Qxe2?15. Rxg7! Kxg7 16. Rg1 Kh6 17. Bxe2 threat-ening Bd2 mate. Or 14...e5? 15. Rxg7! Kxg7 16.Rg1 Kh8 17. Bxe5 Qc6 18. Nb4 wins. 15.Ne3 e5"15...Nbd7 16.Rd4 is bad for Black." – Kasparov16.f4 "Before, I had in mind 16. Rd6 Be6 17. Nd5Qxe2 18. Nxf6 Kg7 19. Bxe2 Kxf6 20. f4 Kg7 21.Bxe5 Kg8 and in this position the two bishops’ ad-vantage should equalize an extra-pawn. However,I was looking for more." – Kasparov 16...Be617.Bd3Qxf4 18.Rgf1 "At this moment I under-stood that after 18.Rdf1 Qh4 19.Be1 Rc8+ 20.Kb1Qa4 21.b3 Qc6! White has serious problems withthe c-file. The compensation for three extra pawnsis not sufficient." – Kasparov 18...Qh4 Just drop-ping a piece. Stronger is 18... Qg5. 19.Be1Qa4 20.Rxf6Nc6 21.Rxe6 "Another ’brilliant’idea. It is enough for a draw... but White could winafter 21. b3! Unfortunately I didn’t have enoughtime to calculate these complex lines." – Kasparov

312

21...Nd4 Much better than 21... fxe6 22. Bc4 Nd423. Rxd4! exd4 24. Bxe6 with a crushing attack.22.Qg4 Qxa2 23.Bxg6 A fascinating finale thatseems to end too soon in a draw. After 23...hxg6(or 23...fxg6 24. Rxg6 Kh8 25. Rxd4!) 24. Rxg6hxg6 25. Qxg6 Kh8 White has nothing better thanto take the perpetual check by 26. Qh6. Black canget mated if he tries to avoid a draw by 23... Nb324. Kc2 Rac8 25. Bc3 fxg6 26. Rxg6 Kh8 27.Qxc8!! Rxc8 28. Rd8 Rxd8 29. Bxe5 mate.1/2-1/2

◦ Vladimir Kramnik• Alexei ShirovLinares (5)Spain2000 1-0 D17"I can’t remember making any really serious mis-takes in this tournament," said Kramnik after shar-ing first with Kasparov in a double round robin(ahead of Leko, Khalifman, Anand and Shirov).This game sheds light on a critical variation of theSlav Defense that has baffled theory for decades.After only a dozen moves an ending is reachedwhere Black has three pawns for a piece. "In gen-eral I have the feeling that it might be slightly bet-ter for White, although close to a draw," notedKramnik, whose flawless endgame technique helpsavenge his loss of a match to Shirov in 1998.1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 c6 3.c4Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4Bf56.Ne5 Kramnik has used this Krause Attack ratherconsistently since 1994 and scored good resultswith it. Two rounds earlier against Anand he tried6. e3. 6...e6 7.f3Bb4 8.e4Bxe4 This piece sac isvirtually forced, since White regains the pawn ad-vantageously after 8...Bg6 9. Bxc4. 9.fxe4 Nxe410.Bd2Qxd4 11.Nxe4Qxe4+ 12.Qe2Bxd2+13.Kxd2Qd5+ 14.Kc2Na6 15.Nxc4 b5 Moreactive than 15...Rd8 16. Qe5 Qxe5 17. Nxe5 Nb418. Kb3 Nd5 19. Bc4 as in Evans-Kramer, NewYork 1951. Nowadays, no way has been foundfor White to show a real advantage after 15...O-O 16. Qe5 Rfb8. 16.axb5 Nb4+ 17.Kc3 cxb518.Rd1 Better than 18. Kxb4 bxc4 19. Qxc4Rb8. 18...Qc5 "This might be called a novelty,though it was played in Topalov-Anand, Dos Her-manas 1997. More usual is 18...bxc4 19. Rxd5Nxd5 20. Kd2. It’s not easy to break Black’s po-sition, but it’s no fun for him as he is suffering allgame long and the best he can hope for is a draw."– Kramnik 19.Qe5 Nd5+ 20.Rxd5 b4+ Whitestands well after 20...Qxd5 21. Nd6 Kf8 22.Qxd5exd5 23. Nxb5. 21.Kb3 Qxd5 22.Be2 "This isa very good move, which set him thinking for a

long time. After the game Shirov told me he hadnot looked at this possibility in his preparation. 22.Qxg7 was possible and does not lose by force oranything, but it is very dangerous for White after22...Qd1 23. Ka2 Qa4 24. Na3. I think he wasmainly expecting 22. Qxd5 exd5 23. Na5 but Idid not like the idea that his king might come intothe center. I opted for the text since it forces himto castle and remove his king from the center." –Kramnik 22...O–O Simply bad is 22...Qxg2? 23.Nd6 Kf8 24. Rf1. 23.Qxd5 exd5 24.Na5Rfe8"Black does have a material edge, but it is clear thatsome of his pawns are going to fall. I still believethat with very accurate play Black must be able tomake a draw. But it is an uphill struggle, as witnessthe fact that Alexei, who is a good player, tried andfailed." – Kramnik 25.Bf3 Rac8 26.Rd1 Re3+27.Ka4 b3 28.Rxd5 g6 It’s useful to stop backrank mate threats once and for all. 29.Rd7 Rc230.Ka3 Kg7 "This position requires deep analy-sis. There were some alternatives such as 30...a6which during the game I actually believed to be hisbest option but still 31. Bd5 Rf2 32. Nc4 Ree233. Kxb3 with reasonable winning chances, eventhough it will not be easy. Also 30...Rxf3 31. gxf3Rxh2 32. Nxb3 h5 33.Rxa7 h4 34. Rc7 is highlycomplicated. Too difficult to calculate, and that’swhy my opponent got into serious time trouble."– Kramnik 31.Rxa7 h5 32.h3 h4 33.Rb7 Rc534.Kb4Rf5 35.Rc7 g5 36.Nxb3Rf4+ 37.Rc4Rxc4+ "A serious mistake in time pressure. Butit seems Black is lost anyway, which leaves thequestion of where exactly he went wrong? Diffi-cult to say, perhaps his position was already veryunpleasant right after the opening and it never re-covered. Obviously his best chance was 37...Rexf338. gxf3 Rxf3 39. Rc3 (the point of 35. Rc7!)Rf2 40. Ka3 f5 41. Nd4 and White should bewinning." – Kramnik 38.Kxc4 f5 39.Nd4 Kf640.b4 Re1 "He had probably overlooked that af-ter 40...Ke5 41. Nc2 very nicely traps his rook." –Kramnik 41.b5Ke5 42.Nc6+Kd6 43.b6Rc1+44.Kb5 g4 45.b7 Rb1+ 46.Nb4 Kc7 47.hxg4fxg4 48.Be4 Black Resigns. If 48...Rb2 39. Kc4h3 50. gxh3 gxh3 51. Kc3 decides the issue(51...Re2 52. Na6).1-0

◦ Vladislav Tkatchiev• Jeroen PiketMatch (4)Cannes2000 1-0 D10

313

Tkatchiev, 26, a relative newcomer, drew an excit-ing eight game match with established Dutch starPiket, 31, who made a profound positional queensacrifice and then lost the thread. Instead of contin-uing his attack on the kingside, Piket inexplicablybunched his pieces on the other wing and suffereda reversal of fortune. Even fine conceptions requireproper follow-ups.1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 dxc4 4.e3 b5 5.a4 b4Avoids the well-known trap 5...a6? 6. axb5 cxb57. Nxb5! 6.Ne4 Sticks to his intention to sacri-fice a pawn. 6. Na2 regains it, but with no hopefor an advantage. 6...Qd5 7.Ng3 Nf6 8.Nf3Ba6 Better than 8...h5 9. e4! Nxe4 10. Nxe4Qxe4 11. Be2 as in Epishin-Ortega, Bozen 1999.9.Be2 e6 10.O–O Bd6 11.Bd2 Passive. An-other approach is 11. Qc2 (to enforce e4) Bxg312. hxg3 Nbd7 13. Nd2. 11...h5 12.Ne5 h413.Bf3 hxg3 A beautiful Queen sacrifice which isentirely voluntary since 13...Qa5 14. Nxc6 Qc7!15. Nxb4 Bb7 favors Black. 14.Bxd5 gxh2+15.Kh1 cxd5 Black has two minor pieces, twopawns and a compact, solid position for the Queen.It should at least be good enough to draw. 16.a5Bb5 Also feasible is 16...b3. 17.a6Nc6 18.Nxc6Bxc6 19.Ra5 Rb8 20.Qe2 Ne4 21.Rfa1 Bc7The wrong concept. White is virtually paralyzed.both his rooks and queen lack scope. Insteadof going after material, Black should ignore thequeenside and continue with 21...f5 followed byg5, Kf7, etc. 22.Be1 Bxa5 23.Rxa5 c3 24.f3Nd6 25.Bg3 Rb5 26.Ra1 Nc4 Time pressure.26...cxb2 27. Qxb2 Nc4 is better. Even 26...Nf5is feasible. 27.b3Nb6 Better is 27...Nd2 28. Qd1f6. 28.Bd6Kd7 To hold the game he should play28...f6 followed by Kf7. But spurred by the clockhe leaves his entire Kingside unprotected. 29.Bc5Rb8 30.Qf2 Nc8 31.Qg3 R8b6 Desperation.Black’s forces are bunched on the queenside with-out any future, leaving his kingside vulnerable. If31...g6 32. Qf4 activates the queen. 32.Qxg7Nd633.Qf8 Black Resigns. A bitter pill to swallow forPiket, who managed to draw the match after com-ing from behind.1-0

◦ Pavel Tregubov• Artashes Minasian5th Ubeda Open (10)Spain2000 1-0 A43Hannibal made a stop in Ubeda with his army ofelephants on his way to attack Rome, but not muchelse has happened here for centuries until chess

troops arrived recently. Lured by a significant prizefund, free food and hotel accommodations, plus amild climate even in January, titled players flockedto Spain for this event, held in conjunction withan elite closed tournament in nearby Linares. GMTregubov came from behind in the last round atUbeda to tie for first with GM Minasian via a pawnsacrifice in the opening that yielded mighty divi-dends.1.d4 c5 2.d5 g6 3.e4 Bg7 4.c4 d6 5.Nc3 e6 Es-chewing the double-edged 5...Bxc3+!? 6. bxc3leaving White with the two bishops but an annoy-ing doubled pawn. 6.Nf3 Ne7 7.Be2 O–O8.O–O exd5 9.cxd5 a6 10.a4Bg4 11.Nd2Bxe212.Qxe2 Re8 13.Nc4 A pawn sacrifice. Saferis 13. Qf3 Nd7 14. Nc4. 13...Bxc3 14.bxc3Nxd5 15.Qf3 Even stronger is 15. Qb2! Rxe416. Qxb7 Nxc3 17. Qxa8. 15...Nb6 16.Bg5The only way to justify the sacrifice, since 16.Nxb6 Qxb6 17. Bh6 Re6 offers Black sufficientdefensive resources. 16...Qxg5 17.Nxb6 Ra718.Rad1 Qd8 19.Nc4 Re6 20.e5 b5 Missing achance to reach parity with 20...Nd7! 21. exd6b5. 21.axb5 axb5 22.Nxd6Qg5 23.Nxb5Rd724.Rxd7 Nxd7 25.Qd1 More elegant than 25.Qa8+ Kg7 26. Nc7. 25...Qe7 26.f4 Rb6 27.c4Nf8 28.h3 Ne6 29.Qd5 Rb8 30.f5 Activatingthe rook. Black is a a pawn down and strugglesin vain. 30...gxf5 31.Rxf5 Qh4 32.Kh2 Rf833.Nd6Nf4 34.Qf3Ng6 35.Rxf7Rb8 36.Rf5Qd4 37.Qd5+Qxd5 38.cxd5Rd8 39.Ne4Kg740.e6 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Alexei Shirov• Sergei MovsesianSarajevo (10)Bosnia2000 0-1 B85This game shows there is no turning back aftercreating permanent weaknesses in the pawn struc-ture when you go all-out to attack. Here, leadingKasparov by 1/2 point going into the penultimateround, Shirov tried to clinch first by ripping apartBlack’s kingside. Czech grandmaster Movsesian,who once complained that players like him wereas good as the top 10 but never got invited to ma-jor tournaments, shot back with spirited defense..Both sides went astray in the complications. Thefinal result once again proved the validity of Tar-takower’s maxim that the victor is he who makesthe next-to-the-last-mistake.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Qc75.Nc3 e6 6.Be2 a6 7.O–ONf6 8.Be3Be7 9.f4

314

d6 10.Qe1 O–O After a transposition of moves theScheveningen Variation of the Sicilian Defense ap-pears on the board. 11.Qg3 Nxd4 12.Bxd4 b513.a3Bb7 14.Kh1Bc6 15.Rae1Qb7 16.Bd3b4 On 16...a5 White can try to prevent b4 by 17.b4!? or launch an attack by 17. e5. 17.Nd1 Al-lowing Black to split White’s pawn structure on thequeenside is inadvisable. More sensible, in viewof the fact that even a draw would enable Shirov tokeep the lead, is 17. axb4 Qxb4 18. Ne2. 17...bxa318.bxa3Rac8 19.Nf2 An attempt to improve on19. Ne3 Bxe4 20. Bxf6 Bxf6 21. Ng4 Bxd3 22.Nxf6 Kh8 23. Rb1 Qe7 24. Qxd3 Qxf6 25. Qxd6which was eventually drawn in Lautier-Movsesian,Malmo 1999. 19...Nh5 20.Qf3 g6 Weaker than20...Nxf4! 21. Qxf4 e5. Now White’s offensivegains momentum; his next move threatens Nh6mate.. 21.Ng4 f6 22.f5 exf5 23.Nh6+ Kh824.Nxf5 gxf5 25.Qxh5 fxe4 26.Qg5 Rf7 Tena-cious defense. Not 26...exd3? 27. Rxe7! Qxe7 28.Rxf6 and wins. 27.Bc4 Rg8 Again avoiding thetrap of 27...d5? 28. Bxa6! Qxa6 29. Rxf6 Bxf630. Bxf6 Rxf6 31. Qxf6 Kg8 32. Re3 and wins.28.Qe3 d5 29.Bb3 Qd7 30.Rf4 Rg4 31.Rf2Kg8 Shifting from one dangerous diagonal to an-other, but if 31...Qe6 32 .Qh3! looks unpleasant;31...Ba4 deserved consideration. 32.c4 Qe6 Ten-sion mounts. Dangerous as it appears, 32...f5 withthe idea of f4 is correct. 33.cxd5 Now the attackfizzles out and White doesn’t have enough for thepawn. Stronger is 33. Qh3 f5 34. cxd5 Bxd5 35.Rxf5! Qxf5 36. Bxd5 regaining the pawn witheven chances. 33...Bxd5 34.Bd1Rg5 35.h4 Sui-cidal. White opens his own veins by weakening hiskingside. 35...Rgg7 36.Bb2 Bd6 37.Rd2 Rg338.Bf3 Black wins brilliantly after 38.Qd4 Rh3!39. Kg1 (39. gxh3 Qxh3 40. Kg1 Rg7) 39...Bh240. Kf1 Bc4 41. Ree2 e3! 38...Rxf3 39.Qxf3exf3 40.Rxe6 Bxe6 White Resigns. The timecontrol has been reached and White sees that 41.Rxd6 f2! 42. Rd1 Bc4 snares a rook.0-1

◦ Alexander Morozevich• Predrag NikolicWijk-aan-Zee (13)Holland2000 1-0 C00Although Hoogovens Steel Company was acquiredby Corus, the new owner thankfully continued 61years of a rich chess tradition under a new name.The top section of this annual chess festival wasagain won by Kasparov, but a likely championship

contender emerged in youthful Alexander Moroze-vich, who finished fifth in a field of 14 grandmas-ters. This last round effort earned Morozevich thedaily spectators’ prize but angered Kasparov, whofelt he was more deserving. Kasparov thus left thewindy seaside resort in a foul mood, sensing thathe was treated with a lack of respect.1.e4 e6 2.d3 A passive system against the FrenchDefense that delays the battle until the midgameas White aims for a reverse King’s Indian. 2...d53.Qe2 dxe4 4.dxe4 e5 5.Nf3 Nd7 6.Nbd2 c67.b3 Qc7 8.Bb2 a5 9.g3 Another possibilityis 9. O-O-O a4 10. Nc4 f6. 9...Nh610.Bh3 f6 11.a4 Bb4 12.O–O O–O 13.Nc4Nf7 14.Ne1 Re8 15.Nd3 Bf8 16.Bc3 b6"Black’s play throughout has been exaggeratedlypassive, but here it was essential to remember thatsome active move was possible," wrote Moroze-vich, who suggested instead 16...Ng5 17. Bf5Nc5. 17.Bd2Nd6 18.Nxd6Bxd6 19.Be3Nf820.Bxc8 Raxc8 21.c3 Ne6 22.Rfd1 Rb8 23.b4 axb4 24.Nxb4 Bxb4 25.cxb4 c5 26.Rac1Qc6 27.Qa2 Kh8 28.Rd5 Ra8 29.a5 Nc730.Rdd1Qxe4 31.Qf7Ne6 32.axb6Qxb4 Theonly move. Not 32...Nd4? 33. Bxd4 cxd4 34. b7Rab8 35. Qxe8+ Rxe8 36. Rc8. 33.Rb1 Qa4This remote queen can no longer come to the aid ofthe kingside. 33...Qg4! is more tenacious. 34.b7Rab8 35.Rd7Qc6 36.Bh6Rg8 37.Rbd1 Thelast, precise move. White unites all his forces.37...Rbf8 38.Bxg7+ "This infantile combinationenabled me for the fourth time to win the specta-tors prize. In view of what I found with one and ahalf minutes left on my clock, I think it is my great-est creative achievement over the past few years."– Morozevich 38...Nxg7 39.Qxf8Rxf8 40.Rd8Ne6 41.Rxf8+ Nxf8 42.b8=Q Kg7 43.Qa7+Kh6 43...Kg8 holds out longer but is still hope-less. 44.Qf7 The final blow. If 44...Ng6 45. Rd7does the trick. Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Jeroen Piket• Gary KasparovFirst Inaugural Grand PrixInternet2000 1-0 A34This is the first top level tournament ever held en-tirely over the Internet. It began with 16 grandmas-ters before Dutch GM Piket knocked out Seirawan,Morozevich, Svidler and Kasparov to earn20, 000.”Ican′tthinkofanysportthatcanbebetterpromotedorpublicizedontheInternetthanchess, ”saidP iketafterthishistoricevent.ThecuriousthingaboutthisgameisthatKasparovuncharacteristicallyfailedtoputupafightwhenhemisplayedadrawnendingasthesecondstickedaway.1.Nf3Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5Nxd5 5.g3Nc6 6.Bg2 Nc7 The purpose of this retreat is

315

to enforce e5. But not 6...e5? 7. Nxe5! snar-ing a pawn. 7.d3 e5 This English Opening hastransposed into a reverse Sicilian where White isa move ahead. 8.O–OBe7 9.Nd2Bd7 10.Nc4O–O A well-known pawn sacrifice. The alterna-tive is 10...f6 11. f4. 11.Bxc6 Bxc6 12.Nxe5Be8 13.Qb3 Bf6 14.Ng4 Bd4 Improving on14...Bc6 15. Nxf6+ Qxf6 16. Qc4 Ne6 17. Be3 asin Ribli-Chandler, Lugano 1985. 15.e3 Shrinkingfrom 15. Qxb7!? Rb8 16. Qg2 f5 17. Ne3 f4 18.Nc4 f3 19. exf3 Bxc3 20. bxc3 Qxd3. 15...Bxc316.Qxc3 b6 17.f3Bb5 18.Nf2Qd7 Black seemsunable to get tangible compensation for the pawnhe sacrified. 19.e4 Ne6 20.Be3 a5 21.Rad1Rad8 If and when White advances his backwarde-pawn, then Black will pressure d3. 22.Rd2Qc6 23.Rc1Qb7 24.a3Nd4 25.Kg2Rc8 Thismove does nothing to improve the position. Simply25....h6 is indicated to prevent any future back rankmating threats. 26.Rb1 Rfd8 27.Bxd4 Rxd428.b4 Finally, White frees his cramped position.28...axb4 29.axb4 Qd7 30.bxc5 bxc5 31.Rbb2h6 32.Ra2 Kh7 Unable to improve his position,Black simply marks time. 33.Ra5Rd8 34.Qxc5Bxd3 35.Rxd3 Rxd3 36.Nxd3 Qxd3 37.Ra2Qb3 38.Qc2 Qxc2+ 39.Rxc2 h5 40.f4 g6 Bet-ter is 40...f6. 41.e5 Rd3 A clear mistake. Nec-essary is 41...Rd7. Now White’s king walks intoBlack’s crumbling bulwark. 42.Kh3Re3 43.Kh4Kg7 44.Kg5 Re1 45.Rc7 Re2 46.Re7 Ra2Black can no longer hold the ending. No better is46...Rxh2 47. e6. Black must move his rook, sinceif 26...Kf8 27. Kf6 penetrates decisively. 47.f5gxf5 48.e6 h4 49.Rxf7+ Kg8 50.Kf6 Black Re-signs.1-0

◦ Vladimir Kramnik• Gary KasparovLinares (8)Spain2000 1/2-1/2 A30Kramnik, one of the few players in the worldwith roughly an even score against Kas-parov, tied with him for first in this elitesuper tourney – pompting sponsors to put up2millionforatitlematchlaterintheyear.ThisbrilliantcreativeachievementbybothplayerswasvotedthemostspectaculargameatLinares.Afterhoursofshadow−boxing,Kramniklaunchedaferociousattackthatwouldhavekayoedalmostanyoneelse.Seeminglyunfazedbytimepressure,Kasparovwhippedupawonderfulcounterattacktosavethedraw.Hewalkedatightropeandcalculatedamazinglydeeplinesthathedemonstratedwithgreatgustointhepost−mortemtoagratefulaudience.1.Nf3Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.g3 d5 4.d4 dxc4 White getsa better ending after 4...cxd4 5. Bg2 dxc4 6. Qxd4Qxd4 7. Nxd4 a6 8. Nd2 e5 9. Nxc4! 5.Qa4+Bd7 6.Qxc4 Bc6 A risky pawn sacrifice. Moreusual is 6...cxd4. 7.dxc5 Bd5 8.Qa4+ Bc6

9.Qc4 Bd5 10.Qc2 After testing Black’s inten-tions, Kramnik tacticly declines a draw by repeti-tion. 10...e6 11.Bg2 Be4 12.Qc4 Bd5 13.Qh4Again avoiding a repetition of moves by 13. Qc2Be4 but now Black regains the pawn. 13...Bxc514.Nc3 Bc6 15.O–O Be7 Inaccurate. The rightplan is 15...Nbd7 16. Bg5 Be7 17. Rfd1 Qb6 18.Rac1 O-O. 16.Rd1 Qa5 17.Bd2 Nbd7 18.g4Launching a wild attack that nearly succeeds in-stead of the staid 18. Rab1. 18...h6 19.Qg3Qa620.h4 Qc4 21.Bf4 Qb4 So many queen moveswhile his king is still unsafe! After prolongedthought Black rejected 21...g5!? 22.a3 More pru-dent is 22. Nd4 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 Rc8 24. a3 Qb625. Rac1 O-O 26. Ndb5 with an unclear game.Now the complications are difficult to fathom over-the-board. 22...Qxb2 23.Nd4 g5 24.Nxc6 gxf425.Qd3 bxc6 26.Bxc6 O–O There’s no time for26...Rd8? 27. Rdb1 trapping the queen. 27.Bxa8Ne5 28.Qd4 Rxa8 29.Qxe5 Another criticalturning point. A likely draw results from 29. Rab1Qxe2! 30. Nxe2 Nf3 31.Kh1 Nxd4 32. Rxd4Bxa3. 29...Rc8 Better than 29...Nd5 30. Rab1Qxc3 31. Rxd5. 30.Rac1 Nd5 31.Nxd5Qxe5 32.Nxe7+Kg7 33.Rxc8Qxe2 The activ-ity of the queen is sufficient to draw in view ofthe scattered White forces. 34.Rg8+Kf6 35.Rd7Qe1+ 36.Kg2 Qe4+ 37.Kh2 Qc2 38.g5+ hxg539.Rxg5Qxf2+ Leads to perpetual check. Drawagreed.1/2-1/2

◦ Vladimir Kramnik• Gary KasparovBrain Games World Championship (2)London2000 1-0 (GM Larry Evans – CM9K Game 1)Five years elapsed since Kasparov, now 37,faced a new challenger after defending his titleagainst Anand in 1995. Brain Games Net-work (a private British dot-com entry that laterwas absorbed by Einstein TV in England) raised2millionfora16gamematchwithKasparov′sformerapprentice, V ladimirKramnik, 25.Theirpastrecordin23tournamentgameswas17drawsand3winsapiece−−adeadheat−−yetfewfansgavetheyoungerplayermuchofachance.Kasparovratedat2830wasahugefavoritedespiteoutrankinghisformidablefoebyamere79ratingpoints.BritishbookiesratedKramnikasa5−1underdog, butafteraninitialdrawthematchsuddenlywasthrownwideopenwhenheinflictedthefirstdefeatonthechampioninalmosttwoyearsinaserioustournamentgame.1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4Nxc3 6.bxc3Bg7 The Gruenfeld Defense, one ofKasparov’s favorites, has performed poorly in ti-tle matches since 1948. Black lost and drew manygames but only won twice. 7.Nf3 c5 8.Be3Qa59.Qd2Bg4 10.Rb1 Departing from the theoreti-cally favored 10. Rc1 but a well-prepared Kramnikshows that a line previously thought to be innocu-ous is hard to handle. 10...a6!? !? – Offering a

316

gambit which few players had the courage to ac-cept in the past because White’s kingside will beriddled with weaknesses. 11.Rxb7Bxf3 12.gxf3Nc6 13.Bc4 Rejecting 13. e5 cxd4 14. cxd4Qxd2+ 15. Kxd2 Nxe5! because 16. dxe5? O-O-O+ snares the rook on b7. 13...O–O 14.O–O cxd415.cxd4 Bxd4 Simpler is 15...Qxd2 16. Bxd2Nxd4. 16.Bd5Bc3 A critical decision. Black re-jects 16...Qxd2 17. Bxd2 Ne5 18. Bb4 and opts toremain a pawn down in a drawish-looking oppositecolored bishop ending. 17.Qc1 Nd4 18.Bxd4Bxd4 19.Rxe7Ra7 Of course not 19...Rae8? 20.Bxf7+! 20.Rxa7Bxa7 21.f4Qd8 22.Qc3Bb823.Qf3 Qh4 24.e5 g5 25.Re1! Kasparov con-fessed that he overlooked this shot which returnsthe pawn to keep the initiative. If now 25...gxf4 26e6! fxe6 27. Rxe6 is very dangerous. 25...Qxf426.Qxf4 gxf4 27.e6 fxe6 28.Rxe6Kg7 29.Rxa6Rf5 A pawn down, Black is clearly fighting for adraw. 30.Be4 Re5 31.f3 Re7 32.a4 Ra7? ? -Almost certainly the losing move. The best chanceto draw is 32...Ba7+ 33. Kg2 Be3. Now Black’spieces get entangled. 33.Rb6Be5 34.Rb4Rd735.Kg2 Rd2+ 36.Kh3 h5 37.Rb5 Kf6 38.a5Ra2 39.Rb6+ Ke7 A final mistake in a hope-less position. But 39...Kg7 40. a6 Bd4 41. Rg6+also wins in the long run. 40.Bd5 Black Resigns.If 40...Rxa5 (or 40...Re2 41. Re6+ Kd7 42. a6)41. Re6+ Kd7 42. Rxe5 Kd6 43. Rxh5 Rxd5 44.Rxd5+ Kxd5 45. Kg4 is easy. "It’s nice to startthe match like this, but there’s no reason to relax,"said a jubilant Kramnik. After two games morethan three million viewers had followed live movesand commentary by GM Larry Evans and other au-thorities on the official match website. But otherwebsites also transmitted moves and the sponsorsfound themselves unable to recoup their invest-ment by charging viewers.1-0

◦ Gary Kasparov• Vladimir KramnikBrain Games World Championship (3)London2000 1/2-1/2 (GM Larry Evans – CM9K Game2)After Bobby Fischer gave up competitive chess thecrown remained in the hands of Russians whosenames begin with K: Karpov, Kasparov – untilFIDE scrapped the system of long title matchesand introduced a Wimbledon style knockout in1999. Kramnik effectively revived the old BerlinDefense to the Ruy Lopez where both queensvanish on move 8. It was promptly dubbed the

Berlin Wall and Kasparov failed to crack it in fourgames, which were all drawn, a result that greatlyeased KramnikŠs defensive task with Black. Aftera sudden flurry of exchanges both players hadthree passed pawns on opposite sides of the board."At some point I realized it would be drawn. Itwas not a good result from the opening," concededKasparov after an inauspicious start (a loss and adraw in the first two games). Meanwhile, addingto the pressure against him, Alexei Shirov fileda lawsuit against Kasparov in a Spanish court for1.3millionindamages, claimingthatheistheonlylegitimatechallenger.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O–O Nxe45.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 The main line of the BerlinDefense. Black is okay after 6. dxe5?! Nxb57. a4 Nd6! 8. exd6 Bxd6. 6...dxc6 7.dxe5Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 This queenless endgame ishard to defend but limits WhiteŠs options. Nowhe must choose between 9. Rd1+ or g4 or thetext move. 9.Nc3 Bd7 10.b3 h6 11.Bb2 Kc812.Rad1 Their first game was quickly drawn after12. h3 b6 13. Rad1 Ne7 14. Ne2 Ng6! 15. Ne1 h5!16. Nd3 c5 17. c4 a5 18. a4 h4! 19. Nc3 Be6 20.Nd5 Kb7 setting up a blockade. 12...b6 13.Ne2c5 14.c4Bc6 15.Nf4Kb7 Rejecting 15...Bxf3?!16. gxf3 Be7 17. Nd5 Rd8 18. Nxe7+ Nxe7 19. e6.16.Nd5Ne7 17.Rfe1Rg8 18.Nf4 Not much isgained by 18. e6 fxe6 19. Rxe6 Nxd5 20. cxd5Bd7. 18...g5 19.Nh5Rg6 20.Nf6Bg7 21.Rd3Bxf3 22.Rxf3 Bxf6 23.exf6 Nc6 24.Rd3 Rf825.Re4 Kc8 26.f4 Perhaps White could do bet-ter with 26. h4 Nd4 27. Bxd4 cxd4 28. Rdxd4Rxf6 29. hxg5 hxg5 30. f3. 26...gxf4 27.Rxf4Re8 28.Bc3 Re2 29.Rf2 Re4! ! - To exertpressure on c4 and anchor his knight on d4 or e5.30.Rh3 a5 31.Rh5 a4 32.bxa4 Rxc4 33.Bd2Rxa4 34.Rxh6 Rg8 An alternative is 34...Rxh635. Bxh6 c4. Now it gets exciting. 35.Rh7Rxa236.Rxf7Ne5 37.Rg7 But not 37. Re7? Ra1+ 38.Rf1 Nf3+! 37...Rf8 38.h3 In the post mortem Kas-parov claimed that 38. h4 was "probably winning."Kramnik countered, "The ending is not seriouslybetter for White and may even become dangerousfor him. Kasparov had no chance to win." 38...c4!39.Re7Nd3 40.f7Nxf2 41.Re8+Kd7 42.Rxf8Ke7 43.Rc8 Kxf7 44. Rxc7+ Ke6 45.Be3Nd1 46.Bxb6 c3 47.h4 Kasparov claimed his lastwinning chance was 47. Kh2 c2 48. h4. 47...Ra6!48.Bd4 Ra4 49.Bxc3 Nxc3 50.Rxc3 Rxh4Now itŠs a well-known book draw. 51.Rf3 Rh552.Kf2Rg5 53.Rf8Ke7 Draw by Agreement1/2-1/2

◦ Vladimir Kramnik

317

• Gary KasparovBrain Games World Championship (4)London2000 1/2-1/2 (GM Larry Evans – CM9K Game3)"The endgame doesnŠt seem to happen very oftenanymore," proclaimed Kasparov before this matchbegan. KramnikŠs match strategy, however, wasprecisely to aim for queenless endgames as fast aspossible and thus rob his renowned opponent ofdynamic middle game tactics. Although drawn,this game was the longest and most exciting inthe entire series. A draw seemed imminent afterthe queens were swapped on move 7, yet Kram-nik stormed ahead with his kingside pawns to ex-ploit an imperceptible edge. Kasparov, squirm-ing, dropped a piece before the first time controlat move 40. No one expected him to rescue thegame but he fought back ferociously to find a Hail-Mary save. The finale turned into a comedy of er-rors when, after defending for 6 1/2 hours, Kas-parov tossed away the draw he had worked so hardto salvage. But Kramnik in turn succumbed to ablinding hallucination.1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 A surprise. Kasparov adoptsthe QueenŠs Gambit Accepted for only the sec-ond time in his career. 3.Nf3 e6 4.e3 c5 5.Bxc4a6 6.O–O Nf6 7.dxc5 In keeping with his strat-egy, Kramnik wisely aims to simplify. AgainstHuebner at Dortmund 2000 he tried 7. Bb3 cxd48. exd4 Nc6 9. Nc3 Be7 10. Re1 O-O 11.h4!? 7...Qxd1 8.Rxd1 Bxc5 9.Nbd2 Nbd710.Be2 b6 11.Nb3 Kramnik beat Karpov in arapid game at Frankfurt 1997 with 11. Nc4 Bb712. b3. 11...Be7 12.Nfd4 Bb7 13.f3 O–O14.e4Rfc8 15.Be3Kf8 16.Nd2Ne5 17.N4b3Rc6 18.Rac1 More ambitious than 18. Nd4which virtually forces a draw. 18...Rac8 19.Rxc6Rxc6 20.g4! A startling idea in an apparentlydrawn position. Even in such a simplified set-ting White gains an advantage in space by driv-ing back BlackŠs pieces with a pawn rush. 20...h621.h4Bc8 22.g5 hxg5 23.hxg5Nfd7 24.f4Ng625.Nf3 Rc2? More prudent is 25...Ke8 but Kas-parov, weary of passive defense, lashes out tofind counterplay. 26.Bxa6Bxa6 27.Rxd7Rxb228.Ra7Bb5 So the bishop can get back to e8. Ofcourse not 28...Rxa2 29. Ra8+. 29.f5 exf5 30.exf5Re2 31.Nfd4Re1+ If 31...Rxe3? 32. Nxb5 winsmaterial. BlackŠs awkwardly poised forces cre-ate a dilemma for him. 32.Kf2 Rf1+ 33.Kg2Nh4+ 34.Kh3 Rh1+ If 34...Nxf5? 35. Nxb5Nxe3 36. Ra8+ wins. 35.Kg4Be8 36.Bf2Ng237.Ra8 37. Nf3 is probably stronger. In any case,

BlackSs wayward knight is hard to save. 37...Rf138.Kf3Nh4+? Definitely costs a piece. 38...Nf4is essential but still hard to defend. 39.Ke2Rh1 40.Nb5Bxg5 41.Nc7Ke7 42.Nxe8Nxf543.Bxb6Kd7 44.a4Rh3 45. Nc5+Kc6 46.a5Re3+ 47.Kd1 Re7 48.Rc8+ Kb5 49.Ne4 Per-haps itŠs better to coordinate White’s pieces by 49.Nc7+. 49...Rxe4 50.Rc5+ Ka6 51.Nc7+ Kb752.Rxf5Be3! 53.Bxe3Rxe3 54.Rxf7 Remark-ably, this natural capture may actually be inferiorto 54. Nd5 Ra3 55. Nb4 extricating the knightfrom its awkward post on c7. 54...Re5 55.a6+Kb6 56.Rxg7Ra5 57.Kd2Ra1 58.Kc2Rh1?Simply 57...Ra5 holds the draw but after staringinto the abyss for so many moves Kasparov finallydrops his guard. 59.Kb2? Kramnik has a mirage.He said he saw the right path by 58. Rg8! Rh7 (if58...Kxc7 59 a7 wins; or 58...Ra1 59. Nd5+! Kc560. Rg5! ) 59. Rb8+ Ka7 but thought 60. Rb7was stalemate instead of mate! 59...Rh8 Incredi-bly, although a knight and a pawn down, Black nowwriggles out. 60.Kb3Rc8 61.a7Kxa7 62.Kb4Kb6 Black must defend with care but this endingis a known theoretical draw. Kramnik tests his op-ponent by playing on. 63.Nd5+ Ka6 64.Rg6+Kb7 65.Kb5 Rc1 66.Rg2 Kc8 67.Rg7 Kd868.Nf6Rc7 69.Rg5Rf7 70.Nd5Kd7 71.Rg6Rf1 72.Kc5Rc1+ 73.Kd4Rd1+ 74.Ke5 Drawby Agreement. A fighting draw in every sense ofthe word. Kramnik was obviously disappointednot to increase his slender lead to two points butsaid he was very pleased with his play before move40. Kasparov admitted that he overlooked a way tosave the piece by 38...Nf4.1/2-1/2

◦ Vladimir Kramnik• Gary KasparovBrain Games World Championship (10)London2000 1-0 (GM Larry Evans – CM9K Game 4)This game marked the end of an era. Kasparov,unable to win a single game out of 15 in the ti-tle match, later conceded that he was outpreparedand outplayed. He seemed weary and depressed af-ter suffering this second loss which sealed his fate."I feel that my relationship with Kasparov now ismuch the same as before – good," said Kramnikwhen it was all over. "He didnŠt have a chance toshow his best chess. It can’t be nice to lose yourtitle after so long, but he took it with good graceand accepted me as the new World Champion."1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 Varying from4. Qc2 in game 8 where Kasparov equalized eas-

318

ily. 4...O–O 5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 c5 7.O–O cxd48.exd4 dxc4 9.Bxc4 b6 A typical double-edgedposition where WhiteŠs attacking chances usu-ally outweigh the weakness of his isolated d-pawn. 10.Bg5Bb7 11.Re1Nbd7 12.Rc1Rc813.Qb3Be7? This optimistic and seemingly nat-ural retreat leads to severe problems. Correct is13...Bxc3 14. bxc3 Re8 bolstering the weak pointon e6. 14.Bxf6! Nxf6 On 14...Bxf6 15. Nb5! ishard to meet. 15.Bxe6! fxe6 16.Qxe6+ Kh817.Qxe7 Bxf3 18.gxf3 Qxd4 19.Nb5! Incredi-bly, this has all been played before but nobody hasfound a way for Black to equalize. WhiteŠs attackis powerful despite his exposed king and doubledpawns. 19...Qxb2 20.Rxc8Rxc8 21.Nd6Rb822.Nf7+? Kg8 23.Qe6 Rf8? Loses instantly.Black can hold out longer with 23...h5. 24.Nd8+Kh8 25.Qe7 Black Resigns. "ItŠs not often thatIŠm lost in the opening, but I still have six gamesleft and if I play like IŠm capable of playing, Imight still change the result," said Kasparov. Butthe last five games were drawn and the 16th wascancelled because even a win would not have dughim out of a two-point hole.1-0

◦ Viswanathan Anand• Alexei ShirovFIDE World Championship (4)Iran2000 1-0 (GM Larry Evans – CM9K Game 5)Fans wonder if the traditional title, which alwayshas been the main instrument for promoting chess,will even survive. A month after Kramnik scoreda major upset by dethroning Kasparov in Lon-don, FIDE held its rival 100-player knockout inIndia where native son Viswanathan Anand, 31,and LatviaŠs Alexei Shirov, 28, reached the fi-nals. Their brief playoff took place in Iran wherechess was banned by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989!Anand won easily (3 wins, 1 draw) but onlyFIDE loyalists regard him as the true championbecause Kasparov trounced him in their 1995 ti-tle match. "A tournament filled largely with un-knowns capped by a short match without much hu-man drama doesnSt excite a lot of interest exceptamong dedicated chess junkies. FIDE forgot whatWestern man has known ever since Aristotle wroteabout drama: We come to see tragic heroes, not thechorus," opined one critic. In this last game, trail-ing by two points, Shirov desperately sacrifices apiece to keep his hopes alive. Fireworks erupt butAnand, under fire, defended with his usual aplomb.

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Nce2In the words of the hypdermoderns, White hashis center to defend. The purpose of this awk-ward retreat is to bolster the center with c3 tokeep the pawn chain intact. 5...c5 6.f4 Nc6 7.c3Qb6 8.Nf3 f6 Biting at the center to relieve thecramp. 9.a3 Be7 10.h4 O–O 11.Rh3 a5 12.b3Qc7 13.Neg1!? !? – A new idea. Not 13. Ng3?cxd4 14. cxd4 fxe5 15. fxe5 Ndxe5 16. fxe5 Rxf3!17. Qxf3 Qxe5+ followed by Qxa1. Ajubov-Anturin, Russian Championship 2000, was drawnby perpetual check after 13. h5 b6 14. g4 cxd415. cxd4 fxe5 16. fxe5 Rxf3 17. Rxf3 Bh4+18. Kd2 Bg5+ 19. Ke1 Bh4+. 13...a4 14.b4 fxe515.fxe5Ndxe5! 16.dxe5Nxe5 17.Nxe5Qxe5+18.Qe2 ItŠs getting messy and both sides must ex-ercise extreme care. Black has two pawns for thepiece while WhiteŠs king is still stranded in thecenter. A mistake would be 18. Ne2 cxb4 18. axb4Qf5! 20. Bf4 e5. 18...Bxh4+ Inviting 19. Rxh4Qg3+ followed by Qxh4. 19.Kd1 Qf6? Ob-jectively better is 19...Qxe2+ 20. Bxe2 Bf2 butthe need to win at all costs persuades Shirov tokeep queens on the board. 20.Nf3 Qxc3?! ?! –Snatching a fourth pawn for the piece looks tempt-ing but the best practical chance is 20...g5 retainingthe tension. 21.Bb2 Qb3+ 22.Kc1 e5 Alas, theattack comes to a grinding halt because 22...Bf623. Bxf6 Rxf6 24. Nd2! ensnares the queen.Now Black loses a second piece. 23.Rxh4 Bf524.Qd1 e4 25.Qxb3 axb3 26.Nd2 e3 27.Nf3Rae8 28.Kd1 c4 29.Be2 Be4 30.Kc1 Re631.Bc3 Rg6 32.Rh2 Bd3 33.Bxd3 cxd3 Thetwo passed pawns look dangerous but itŠs only anillusion. 34.Kb2 d2 35.Kxb3 Rg3 36.Kb2 g537.Kc2 Rc8 38.Kd3 g4 39.Be5 Rc1 40.Rh1Rxg2 41.Nh4 Black Resigns.1-0

◦ Frank Poole• HAL 9000?Discovery 12001 0-1 C86In Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film, "2001: A SpaceOdyssey", super-computer HAL 9000 engages as-tronaut Frank Poole in a game of chess en routeto the planet Jupiter. Although only the last fewmoves are seen, the beginning of the game has beenreconstructed here. Frank and HAL undoubtedlyplayed the Ruy Lopez-Morphy defense opening.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBe7 6.Qe2 The so-called Worrall attack, in lieuof the usual 6. Re1. The idea is to use the King’s

319

Rook more profitably on d1, but Black has otherplans. 6...b5 7.Bb3 O–O 8.c3 This is an invitationto a variant of the "Marshall Gambit," which is usu-ally seen only against 6. Re1. 8...d5 And here itis, even more effective because of the White Queenis in a vulnerable position. 9.exd5 Wiser wouldhave been the tame 9. d1, holding the strong pointe4. 9...Nxd5 10.Nxe5 Nf4 This "in-between"move takes advantage of the Queen’s vulnerabilityto gain time. 11.Qe4 Nxe5 12.Qxa8 With threepieces to capture, none is a bargain: 12. Qxf4 al-lows the other Knight to sink into d2, with gain of atempo, and for the pawn Black has wonderful linesand a constricted enemy. 12...Qd3 Depriving theWhite Queen of the last safe retreat at e4, throttlingthe White center, and opening the brutal discoveryby the Queen’s Bishop on the next move. White isbusted. 13.Bd1 What else? Perhaps 13. Qa7, butthen Nf3+ 14. gxf3 and mate to follow after 15.Ne2+ Kg2 16. Bh3+. 13...Bh3 Of course! TheWhite Queen could play prosaically to a7, but theresult would be the same: 14.Qxa6 The film picksup the game at this point. Frank: "Anyway, Queentakes Pawn, okay." 14...Bxg2 HAL: "Bishop takesKnight’s Pawn." 15.Re1 Frank: "What a lovelymove. Rook to King one." 15...Qf3 HAL: "I’msorry Frank, I think you missed it: Queen to Bishopthree, Bishop takes Queen, Knight takes Bishop.Mate." While it is true that white has a lost po-sition, it is NOT a mate in two as HAL claims!Frank has many options besides Bxf3 that will pro-long the game. Could this mistake be the firstsign of the computer’s impending breakdown? Orhas HAL already begun to deliberately deceive hiscrew? 16.Bxf3 Nxf3# Frank: "Uh, huh. Yeahlooks like you’re right. I resign." HAL: "Thank youfor a very enjoyable game." Frank: "Yeah. Thankyou."0-1

◦ The Web• Chessmaster 8000The Web vs. Chessmaster 80002001 1/2-1/2The face of chess changed in 1999 when Kasparovtook on the World via the Net. It was the largestinteractive competition in history and introducedcountless people to the joys of e-mail chess. In asimilar challenge Chessmaster got Black by a ran-dom flip of the coin and had an hour to decide itsmove vs. "The Web" which had the remainder ofthe day (23 hours) to vote on its reply. The ma-chine was winning rather easily but left its kingin the corner too long, then made a few inferior

moves. The world’s lucky escape sheds some lighton the difference between how machines and hu-mans think.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 Considered the besttry for an advantage against the Petrov Defense.3. Nc3 Nc6 leads to the Four Knights Game; 3.d4 Nxe4 4. Bd3 d5 5. Nxe5 transposes into thetext. 3...d6 A necessary precaution. Not 3...Nxe4?4. Qe2. 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Bd67.O–O O–O 8.c4 c6 9.Qc2 9. cxd5 cxd5 letsBlack get to c6 with his knight. Another alternativeis 9. h3 to prevent Bg4 pinning the knight on f3.9...Na6 10.a3 Quietly trying to exploit the awk-ward position of the knight on the rim and shun-ning complications arising from the pawn snatch10. Bxe4 dxe4 11. Qxe4 Re8 12. Qd3 Nb4 13.Qb3 Bf5. 10...Bg4 Once more disdaining todefend the pawn by 10...f5 11. Re1 Re8 in favorof rapid development. 11.Nbd2 Rightly shunning11. Bxe4 dxe4 12. Qxe4 Bxf3 13. Qxf3 Qh4 14.h3 Qxd4 regaining the pawn favorably. 11...Nxd2A good alternative is 11...f5 to maintain the knighton e4. 12.Nxd2Qh4 13.g3Qh5 14.Qb3 Whitecan cripple the enemy pawn structure at the ex-pense of weakening his own light squares after14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Bxa6 bxa6 16. Qc6 Be7.14...Rab8 15.cxd5 cxd5 Going into an endgamewith 15...Qxd5 is also okay. In either case Whitehas no advantage. 16.Re1 Nc7 17.Nf1 Ne618.Be3Bc7 19.Nd2 It doesnŠt make much senseto bring the knight back from whence it came. 19.Qa4 looks more feasible. 19...Bb6 20.Qb4Nd8ItŠs not clear that the knight will be better on c6than e6. Better is 20...Rbc8 to occupy the open file.21.Bf4 Preferable is 21. Nb3 Nc6 22. Qd2 to im-prove the position of the queen. 21...Nc6 22.Qa4Bxd4 23.h4? ? - Remaining a pawn down with-out real compensation. Necessary is 23. Bxb8Rxb8 (if 23...Bxf2+ 24. Kxf2 Qxh2+ 25. Ke3Re8+ 26. Be4 seems to hold) 24. h4. 23...Rbc8More forceful is 23...Rbe8 but now Black is win-ning anyway. 24.Qb5 Bb6 25.Be3 Nd4 Whenahead in material, itŠs generally a good policy toswap pieces and head for the ending. Simpler is25...Bxe3 26. Rxe3 d4 27. Qxh5 Bxh5. 26.Qa4Qe5 27.Kg2 Qf6 28.Bg5 Qc6 29.Qxc6 Rxc630.Re7 f6 31.Be3 Bc8? Needlessly passive.Black could wrap it up with 31...Bc5! 32. Rxb7Bc8 33. Rb8 Bh3+ 34. Kxh3 Rxb8 snaring theExchange. 32.Re1 Bc5 33.Bxd4 Bxd4 34.b4Bb2 Good enough, but a human probably wouldchoose 34...Rc3. 35.Nb1 Be5 36.f4 Bd4 Againa human would prefer to drive the rook off theseventh rank by 36...Bd6. In any event BlackŠs

320

win with an extra pawn should now be a matter oftechnique. 37.Rd1Bb6 38.Rde1Bd8 39.R7e2Bg4 A human would pay more attention to thevulnerable king on the back rank and take timeout to create an escape square by 39...g6. 40.Rd2Bb6 41.Bc2 d4 42.Bb3+Kh8 43.Rc2 White isall tied up. If 43. Re7 Rc1. 43...Bd7 Rooks be-long behind passed pawns. A human might prefer43...Rd8 to bolster the passed pawn. 44.Re7Rd645.Nd2 Bc6+ 46.Kf1 Rd7 47.Rxd7 Bxd748.Nc4 Bc7 49.Na5! ! - White is desperatelyfighting for a draw and comes closer by invitingthis swap. 49...Bxa5 50.bxa5Bc6 51.Kf2 a6 Tostop a6 dissolving the doubled pawns. 52.Re2Rd8 53.Ke1 d3 54.Re3 d2+ 55.Kd1 g6 56.Bc4Ba4+ 57.Bb3 Bb5 A series of dilatory moveshas diminished BlackŠs advantage. The endgameis looking drawish after 57...Bxb3+ 58. Rxb3 Rd759. Rd2 h5 60. Rxd2. 58.a4 Bc6 59.Ke2 Bg260.Bc2 A bad mistake would be 60. Rd3? Bf1+!61. Kxf1 Rxd3 60...f5 61.Bd3 Rd4 62.Kxd2Rxa4 63.Re5 Ra3 Achieves nothing. ItŠs timeto activate the king with 63...Kg7. "The king isa fighting piece – use it!" advised old Steinitz.64.h5Kg7 65.g4 fxg4 66.hxg6 hxg6 67.Rg5Bf368.Rxg6+ Kf7 69.Rg5 Bc6 70. Rxg4 Rxa571.Kc3 Ra4 BlackŠs best winning chance is topush his pawns as fast as possible with 71...b5!What good is an extra pawn if you donŠt useit? 72.Rh4 Bd5 More loss of time. Why not72...b5 right away? 73.Rh6 a5 A theoreticaldraw ensues after 73...Rxf4 74. Bxa6! bxa6 75.Rxa6. 74.Rd6 Bc6 75.Bc4+ Ke7 OrdinarilyBlack would expect to win but the problem is thatWhite has now created a dangerous passed pawn ofhis own. 76.Re6+ Kd7 77.Re5 Kd6 78.Re6+Kc7 79.Re7+Kb6 80.Re1Ra3+ 81.Kd4Rf382. Ke5 a4 Black finally gets his pawns movingbut WhiteŠs passed pawn is now very menacing.83.f5Ka5 84.Be6 b5 85.f6Be8 86.Rh1Bg6 If86...b4 87. Rh8. 87.Rg1Re3+ Draw Agreed. Awondrous save! Black can no longer win after 88.Kd6 Bh5 89 Rh1 harassing the bishop.1/2-1/2

◦ Gary Kasparov• Viswanathan AnandCorus Tournament (3)Wijk aan Zee, Holland2001 1/2-1/2Holland hosts the first super tournament each Jan-uary sponsored by Corus, a steel company. The63rd edition of this classic featured KasparovŠsfirst appearance after losing his title to Kramnik

who, along with new FIDE champion Anand, com-peted in this star-studded field of 14. Kasparovproved he was still king of the hill, emerging un-defeated with 9 points (5 wins and 8 draws), nos-ing out Kramnik by a full point and Anand by¡ point.. In this eagerly awaited encounter eachplayer botched his winning chances.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–OBc5 A bit of a surprise. The Classical Defense tothe Ruy Lopez is seldom seen nowadays becausethe bishop is exposed to some risk. 6.c3 Nothingis gained by 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. Nxe5 Nxe4. 6...b57.Bb3 d6 8.a4 Bg4 To stop d4. A bad mistakewould be 8...Nxe4? 9.Bd5 spearing a knight. 9.h3Bxf3 10.Qxf3 O–O 11.a5!? !? - A risky decisionbecause the pawn is weak here. More prudent is11. d3 Na5 12. Bc2 b4 13. Nd2 Rb8. 11...Rb812.d3 Nd7 13.Be3 Kh8 14.Nd2 Ne7 15.Bc2Aiming for b4 to bolster the pawn on a5. Prema-ture is 15. d4 exd4 16. cxd4 Bb4 putting pressureon a5. 15...Bxe3 Anand does not likes the looksof 15...f5 16. Bg5. 16.fxe3 Hoping to profit fromopen lines on the kingside. Black has nothing tofear from 16. Qxe3 c5 because the bishop on c2has limited scope. 16...c5 17.Bb3 c4?! ?! - Giv-ing up a pawn for queenside counterplay. InsteadKasparov recommends 17...Nf6. Also playable is17...f5. 18.dxc4 Nc5 19.cxb5 Nxb3 20.Nxb3Rxb5 21.Qd1Qc7 22.Ra4Nc6 If 22...Rfb8 23.Nd2 f6 24. Nc4 exerts pressure on d6. Simply22...f6 is the best way to avoid trouble. White is apawn up but his doubled pawns are ugly. 23.Nd2Nxa5 Not much choice. If 23...Rxb2 24. Nc4 fol-lowed by Qxd6. 24.b4Nb7 25.Qc2? ? - Missinga spectacular winning chance by 25. Rxa6 Qxc326. Rxf7! Rg8 27. Qf1! Nd8 (not 27...Rxb4?28. Ra8!) 28. Rxg7!! Kxg7 29. Rxd6 Qxe3+30. Kh1 Qf4 31. Qxb5 Nf7 32. Rd3 Rc8 33.Nb3. 25...h6 Protecting the back rank. No needto worry about 26. Rxa6 Rxb4. 26.Qd3 Rb627.Rfa1 Rc6 28.R1a3 Better is 28. Rxa6 Rxc329. Qd5. 28...a5! Dissolving the weak pawn onceand for all. 29.Kh2? An unfortunate post. Cor-rect is 29. Kh1. Of course not 29. bxa5? Nc5.29...d5! ! 30.Qb5? Over-reaching. More pru-dent is 30. Qxd5 Rd8 31. Qa2 Rxc3 32. Rxc3Qxc3 33. Nf3 Qxe3 34. Qxf7 Qxe4. 30...d4! ! -Inviting 31. cxd4 exd4 CHECK. Now we see whythe king belongs on h1. 31.bxa5 dxc3 32.Nb3Nc5? Instead 32...c2! gives Black good winningchances. 33.Rc4Rb8 34.Qxc6Qxc6 35.Nxc5Qb5 36.Rcxc3Qe2 37.Nd7Rb2 Draw Agreed.38. Rc8+ Kh7 39. Nf8+ Kg8 40. Nd7+ Kh7 41.Nf8+ leads to perpetual check.

321

1/2-1/2

◦ Peter Leko• Vladimir KramnikExhibition Match (2)Budapest2001 1/2-1/2The line between classical and rapid chess be-came increasingly blurred in the new millenniumwhen FIDE pushed for faster time controls in ratedgames. Most serious fans thought it was a terri-ble idea guaranteed only to produce poorly playedgames. Despite the decline in quality, however,events that took weeks were now finished in days.After Vladimir Kramnik, 25, wrested the title fromKasparov, the first opponent he faced was Hun-garyŠs Peter Leko, 20, in a 12 game match at aspeed of 25 minutes per side. Again utilizing theBerlin Defense, Kramnik won this series by twopoints (7-5). A year earlier Leko won a similar ex-hibition match at a regulation speed against newlycrowned FIDE champion Alexander Khalifman. Inthis fascinating endgame Leko missed an incredi-ble shot on move 64 found later by a computer. ItSsnot clear that any player could find such a stunningresource over the board at any speed!1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O–O Nxe45.d4 Theory considers this better than 5. Re1 Nd66. Nxe5 Nxe5 7. Rxe5+ Be7. 5...Nd6 6.Bxc6White does not get enough compensation for thepawn after 6. dxe5 Nxb5 7. a4 Nd6 8. exd6Bxd6. 6...dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 Notmany players are comfortable defending this end-ing with Black since his reward is usually a drawafter a long and patient maneuvering. 9.Nc3Bd710.b3 White decides to develop before deployinghis rooks to the center. In games 4 and 8 Leko var-ied with 10. Rd1 Kc8 11. Ng5 Be8. 10...Kc811.Bb2 Be7 12.Rfe1 a5 13.h3 h5 14.Ne4 a415.Neg5 Be6 To prevent e6 once and for all.One computer suggested 15...Nh4!? 16.Nxe6 fxe617.Re4 axb3 18.axb3 Rxa1+ 19.Bxa1 Rd820.Kf1 Rd1+ 21.Re1 Rd5 BlackŠs defensivetask is unenviable. He avoids exchanges because ifall the pieces go off the board White probably winsby virtue of his kingside pawn majority. 22.Ke2Ra5 23.Kd3 Bc5 24.Bc3 Ra2 25.Rf1 Kd726.Ng5 Be7 27.Ne4 Nh4 Black makes tacticalthreats to offset the weakness of his pawn structure.28.g3 Nf3 29.Rd1 Ke8 30.Ke3 Ng5 31.Nxg5Bxg5+ 32.Kd3Ra8 33.Ke4Ra2 34.Kd3Ra835.Rf1 White signals his intention to play for awin by avoiding a repetition of moves. 35...Be736.f4 g6 37.Ke4 Ra2 38.Rf2 b5 39.g4 hxg4

40.hxg4 c5 Black seeks counterplay with his weakdoubled pawns, inviting 41. f5? gxf5+ 42. gxf5exf5+ 43. Kxf5 b4 44. Be1 Bh4. 41.Kd3 Kf742.Rh2 Kg8 43.Rh1 Ra8 44.f5! gxf5 45.gxf5b4 Of course not 45...exf5? 46. e6 with mate loom-ing on h8. 46.Bb2 Ra2 47.Ba1 c4+ 48.bxc4Ra3+ 49.Ke4Ra2 50.f6Bc5 51.Bd4Bxd4 52.Kxd4 Rxc2 53.Rb1 Rh2 54.Rxb4 White hasmade remarkable progress. 54...Rh4+ 55.Kc5Re4 56.Kc6 Kf7 57.Kxc7 Rxe5 58.Rb5 Re159.c5Kxf6 60.c6Rc1 61.Kb7Ke7 A more ac-tive drawing chance is 61...e5 62. c7 Kf5 63.c8/Q+ Rxc8 64. Kxc8 Kf4 65. Kd7 e4. 62.Rb2e5 63.c7 Kd6 64.c8=Q ? - Computer analysisshows that White can win by gaining a tempo with64. Rd2+ Ke6 65. Rd1! Rc2 (the best chance is65...Rxd1 66. c8/Q+ leading to a difficult queen vs.rook duel.) 66. c8/Q+ Rxc8 67. Kxc8 e4 68. Kc7Ke5 69. Ke6 e3 70. Kc5 Ke4 71. Kc4 getting backin time to win the pawn. 64...Rxc8 65.Kxc8Kd566.Kd7 e4 67.Rb5+Kd4 68.Ke6 e3 69.Kf5 e270.Re5 Kd3 71.Kf4 Kd2 Draw by Agreement.White is a tempo short. If his king were now on f3,then Kf2 would win.1/2-1/2

◦ Gary Kasparov• Anatoly KarpovLinares (5)Spain2001 1-0Despite losing his title to Kramnik several monthsearlier, Kasparov still remained number one be-cause of his incredible tournament results. Heblazed to victory in this double round robin with5 wins and 5 draws, 3 full points ahead of Pe-ter Leko, Judith Polgar and his old foe AnatolyKarpov (their rivalry was the greatest in chess his-tory). At Linares, Kasparov posted a win and drawagainst Karpov, raising his lifetime record to 30wins, 20 losses and 123 draws in 173 games. HereKarpovŠs fabled defensive genius is foiled by aslashing attack.1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Considered inferior to 3.Nc3 because it enables Black to free his queenŠsbishop. 3...Bf5 4.Nc3 e6 5.g4 This aggres-sive thrust proves that Kasparov is out for blood.5...Bg6 6.Nge2Ne7 A typical Karpovian maneu-ver. Most mortals would opt for 6...c5 immedi-ately. 7.Nf4 c5 8.dxc5 Varying from 8.h4 cxd49.Nb5 Nec6 10.h5 Be4 11.f3 a6 12.Nd6+ Bxd613.exd6 g5 14.Nh3 h6 15.fxe4 dxe4 16.Bg2 f517.O-O O-O 18.c3 Qxd6 19.gxf5 exf5 20.Qb3+Kh8 which Black won (Topalov-Anand, Linares

322

1999). 8...Nd7 A rare move. More commonis 8...Nec6 but Karpov goes his own way. 9.h4The first time Kasparov has tried this relativelynew (and very sharp) variation, which has beenseen mostly in blitz and rapid games. 9...Nxe510.Bg2 Better than 10. h5 Be4 or 10. Bb5+N7c6 but it remains to be seen whether the bishophas a future on this diagonal. 10...h5 A goodalternative is 10...h6. It would be interesting tosee how Kasparov would meet 10...d4!? 11.Nce2N7c6 12.h5 Bxc2! 13.Qxc2 d3. 11.Qe2 N7c6Also playable is 11...Nxg4 and if 12. Nb5 Qd713. Nd6+ Kd8. 12.Nxg6 Nxg6 13.Bg5! !- Harder to meet than 13.gxh5? Nxh4 14.Bxd5Nd4. 13...Be7 If 13...Qa5 then 14.gxh5 Nge515.O-O-O Bxc5 16.h6! gxh6 17.Bf6 Rg8 18.Bxd5!with a dangerous attack. 14.gxh5 Nf8 Worse is14...Nxh4? 15.Bxh4 Bxh4 16.Nxd5. But Blacklooks okay after 14...Nge5 15.Bxe7 Qxe7 16.Nb5Kf8. with a strong center. WhiteŠs pawns areweak and his prospects are dim if he canŠt finda way to prosecute the attack. 15.Nb5! !15...Nd7 Other defenses also favor White: 15...f616.Bf4 Qa5+ 17.Bd2 Qd8 18.h6 g6 19.Bxd5! Or15...Qa5+ 16.Bd2 Qd8 17.Bxd5 Nd4! 18.Qc4 exd5(18...Nxc2+ 19.Qxc2 exd5 20.c6) 19.Qxd4 Ne620.Qe5 Bxc5 21.h6. 16.h6! Nxc5! Excellent de-fense! Not 16...gxh6 17.Nd6+ Kf8 18.Qh5. Or16...g6 17.Bxe7 Kxe7 (17...Nxe7 18.O-O-O Kf819.h5 g5 20.Qd2 Nc6 21.c4!) 18.O-O-O Kf819.c4! destroys BlackŠs center. 17.Bf4 Threaten-ing Nc7+. An alternative is 17.hxg7 Rg8 18.Bf4!Rc8 19. O-O-O. 17...Kf8 Hanging on for dearlife. If 17...Qa5+ 18.c3 O-O-O 19. hxg7 Rhg820. Bc7 Qa4 21. Bxd8 Kxd8 22. h5 is decisive.18.hxg7+ Kxg7 19.O–O–O Kf8 A better try is19...Qa5 20.a3 Rag8! creating an escape squareon f8. 20.Kb1 More forceful is 20.c4! 20...a6Too dangerous is 20...Rxh4 21. Rxh4 Bxh4 22.Qh5. 21.Nc7! Rc8 22.Bxd5! Finally the bishopsprings to life! 22...exd5 23.Rxd5 Qxc7 Blackmust part with the lady. If 23...Rxc7 24.Rxd8+Bxd8 25.Bd6 does the trick. Or 23...Nd7 24. Qg4(even 24.Rh5! works). 24.Bxc7 Rxc7 25.Rf5Rd7 26.c3 f6? ? - Black has 3 minor pieces forthe queen; the last hope was 26...Rh6! 27.Rg1Nd8 28.Qg4Ke8 29.Rh5Rf8 30.Rxc5Bxc531.Qh5+ Black Resigns. White will be too farahead in material after 31...Rdf7 32.Qxc5. Anothersparkling game by Kasparov, who conducted theattack with tremendous energy.1-0

◦ Alexander Khalifman

• Sergei RublevskyEurope vs. Tatarstan (2)Kasan2001 1-0The level of worldwide activity exploded in thenew millennium, with tongue-twisting names pop-ping up as chess continues its inexorable marchtowards Asia. This match was held in Tatarstan,an autonomous Russian republic, pitting a "Euro-pean" team of Anatoly Karpov, Alexander Khal-ifman, Vladimir Korchnoi, Maya Chiburdanidze,Vladimir Akopian, and Victor Bologan against aTartarstan team of Alexei Dreev, Sergei Rublevsky,Andrei Kharlov, Alisa Galliamova, Ildar Ibragi-mov, and Artyom Timofeev. Europe trailed by apoint on the first day but caught up on the secondday for an overall 6-6 tie. In the best game of theevent, FIDE champion Khalifman seized the initia-tive right away and converted it into an exemplaryvictory.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 ThePaulsen Variation of the Sicilian Defense. 5.Bd3Nf6 More usual is 5...Nc6 to exert immediatepressure on d4. 6.O–O d6 7.c4 Black has al-lowed White to gain space but meanwhile setsup a hedgehog formation. 7...Bd7 8.Nc3 Nc69.Nxc6 Bxc6 10.b4 Preparing to develop thebishop on b2 while creating an eventual threatof b5. The only drawback is the weakening ofthe pawn on c4. 10...b6 11.Bb2 Be7 12.Qe2O–O 13.Rad1 Nd7 White controls more spaceand has good attacking prospects on the kingside.One example of a quick and merciless slaughterof the hedgehog is 13...Qc7 14.f4 Rad8 15.Kh1Bb7 16.Rf3 g6 17.Rh3 Nd7 18.Nb5! and Blackresigned, because if 18...axb5 19. Qh5! forcesmate. 14.f4 Bb7 Not many players will ventureto follow in RublevskyŠs footsteps, even thoughhe has defended this position many times. 15.Rf3g6 16.Rh3 Bf6 16...Qc7 is met by the already-known 17.Nb5! with the idea of getting the queento h5. If 17...Qd8 then 18.Nxd6! (but not 18.Qh5gxh5 19.Rg3+ Bg5!) 18...Bxd6 19.Qh5! gxh520 Rg3 mates. 17.e5! Exploiting a flaw inBlackŠs setup. RublevskyŠs queen has lingeredon d8! 17...dxe5 18.Be4 Qc7 19.Bxb7 Qxb720.Ne4Bg7 A mortal pin along the d-file ensueson 20...Be7 21.fxe5 Rac8 (or 21...Rfd8 22.Qf3!threatening Ne4-f6+ and at some point Rh3xh7!)22.Rhd3 Rfd8 23.Nd6 Bxd6 24.Rxd6. 21.fxe5Qc7 The pawn is taboo: 21...Nxe5? 22.Nd6!22.Nf6+ Bxf6 22...Nxf6 does not work in viewof 23.exf6 Bh8 24.Qe3! followed by Qh6. 23.exf6White is much better. He is threatening the

323

queenŠs trip to g7 and also an attack on the poorBlack knight with heavy pieces. 23...e5! 24.Rf3!Preserving his f6-pawn and reserving the threatof Qd2-h6-g7. Less convincing is 24.Rhd3 Nxf6(24...Qxc4? 25.Qe3! Nxf6 26.Qxe5) 25.Rd6(25.Bxe5 Rae8!) 25...Qe7 26.Qxe5 (an unclear po-sition arises after 26.Rxb6 Rfd8 27.Rxd8+ Rxd828.Rxa6 Ne4!) 26...Qxe5 27.Bxe5 Ng4. Then oneof BlackŠs rooks is transferred to c8. 24...Rfd825.Rd5 A critical move for White. Inferior is25.Qe3? Qxc4 26.Qh6 Nxf6! 25...h5 26.Rfd3Nf8 Avoiding the pitfall of 26...Nxf6 27.Qxe5!Qxe5 28.Rxd8+ Qe8 29.Bxf6. Or 26...Qxc4 27.Qd2. 27.Qxe5 Qxe5 28.Bxe5 Rxd5 29.Rxd5Thus White winds up with an extra pawn and awon endgame. 29...Ne6 30.c5 bxc5 31.bxc5Rc832.Bd6 g5 33.Kf2 Destination ...d7! The rest,as they say, is a matter of technique. 33...Kh734.Be7Kg6 35.Ke3Rb8 36.Rd2Kf5 37.Kd3Rb4 38.Kc3 Rb1 39.Kc4 Rc1+ 40.Kd5 h441.c6 g4 42.Kd6 g3 43.hxg3 hxg3 44.Kd7 Rc345.Bd6Kxf6 46. c7 Black Resigned. The pawnhas advanced too far! 46...Nxc7 47. Bxc7 gains apiece.1-0

◦ Shahade, Jennifer• Sagalchik, GennadyUSA Championship (1)Seattle2002 1-0Men and women finally competed together for thefirst time at this Championship. College studentJennifer Shahade was 16th in a field of 56 but cap-tured the womenŠs crown ahead of 7 other females."The average rating of the women was low andthere was a fear we would get crushed.... Win-ning my first game against grandmaster Sagalchikand drawing the next two against GMs Kudrin andSeirawan gave me a great shot of confidence thatlasted the whole tournament," she wrote. Here sheintroduces a spirited novelty in the opening andgains an advantage, then goes astray. Yet she wonthanks to the clock when Black overstepped ontime in a superior position. Who says there is noluck in chess?1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–ONxe4 The Open Defense to the Ruy Lopez, alongtime favorite of Korchnoi, is more active butless popular than 5...Be7 (the Closed Defense).6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.Nbd2 Alsoseen frequently are 9. Qe2 or c3. She appar-ently has a prepared variation in mind. 9...Nc510.c3 Bg4 SagalchikŠs pet line. More usual is

11...d4. 11.Bc2 Qd7 Attempting to improveon Smirin-Sagalchik, Minsk 1987, which contin-ued: 11...Be7 12.Re1 O-O 13.Nf1 Bh5 14.Ng3Bg6 15.Be3 Qd7 16.b4. 12.Re1 Be7 In severalprevious games Sagalchik played 12...Rd8 instead.13.Nf1 A less promising plan is 13. Nb3 Ne6 14.h3 Bh5 15. Bf5 Ncd8 16. Be3 a5 17. Bc5 a418. Bxe7 Qxe7 as in Karpov-Korchnoi, Baguio1978. 13...Bh5 14.b4!? !? - A sharp novelty.A previous game continued 14.Ne3 Rd8 15 b4 be-cause now Na4 is refuted by 16 Bf5! trappingthe queen. 14...Na4 15.Ng3! ! - Launching ex-treme complications by not bothering to defend thepawn on c3. Less ambitious is 15. Bxa4 bxa4 16.Bf4. 15...Nxc3 16.Qd2 Bg4 Not 16...Bxf3 17.Bf5! Ne2+ 18. Rxe2 Qd8 19. gxf3. 17.Qxc3Bxb4 18.Qe3 Bxf3 19.Bf5 Qe7 20.Bd2 In-spired play. White is two pawns down but threat-ens to win a piece. Weaker is 20. Qxf3 Nd4! 21.Qxd5 Rd8 22. Qe4 Bxe1 23. Qxe1 c5. 20...g621.Bxb4 Qxb4 22.Qxf3 Good enough but evenstronger is 22. e6! 22...Nd4 23.Bd7+! Kxd724.Qxf7+Kc8 25.Rac1Ra7 26.Qxd5 White iswinning but again 26. e6! is more forceful. 26...c627.Qe4? ? - Both sides are short of time. Whitemisses a forced win by 27. Red1! Rd8 (or 27...Rd728. Rxc6+ Kd8 29. Rd6) 28. Rxc6+! 27...Rd728.e6 Rd6 29.Qg4 Kc7 30.e7 Re8 31.Qg5?The advantage slips away. Stronger is 31. Qf4.31...Re6 32.Rxe6 Nxe6 33.Qd5 Nd4 Shahadewon on time but stands worse. She would be hard-pressed to hold a draw after 34. Qe5+ Qd6 35.Qxd6+ Kxd6 36. Rd1 c5 37. Ne2 Rxe7 38. Nxd4cxd4 39. Rxd4+ Kc5 40. Rd1 Re2. As time lim-its accelerate in modern chess, the clock plays anincreasingly dominant role.1-0

◦ Shahade, Jennifer• Seirawan, YasserUSA Championship (3)Seattle2002 1/2-1/2Shahade, rated 2302, proved her mettle by hold-ing a draw against defending champion Seirawan,rated 2644. This hard-fought game went rightdown to the wire. The tricky queen ending withboth sides rushing pawns toward the queeningsquare is exciting and instructive.1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 The once-dreaded Panov-Botvinnik Attack, introduced in the1930s, is aimed at exerting pressure against d5.It is no longer considered very dangerous. Less

324

forcing is 4. Bd3 (to prevent Black from develop-ing his bishop to f5). 4...Nf6 5.Nc3Nc6 6.Bg5e6 7.c5 To cramp Black and control the queen-side by a3 and b4, given enough time. Tryingto win a pawn by 7.cxd5 exd5 8. Bxf6 Qxf6 9.Nxd5 Qd8 leads to nought. 7...Be7 8.Bb5 Bd79.Bxc6 Usually 9. Nf3 is played first. 9...Bxc610.Nf3 Ne4 11.Bxe7 Qxe7 12.Qc2 12. Nxe4dxe4 13. Ne5 e3 is okay for Black. 12...e5! Strik-ing quickly in the center before White achievesa bind. 13.Nxe4 exd4 14.O–O dxe4 Simplerthan 14...d3 15. Qxd3 dxe4 16. Qc3 O-O 17.Rfe1. 15.Nxd4 O–O 16.Nxc6 bxc6 17.Rfe1 f518.Rad1Rad8 19.b4Qe6 20.a4 a6 21.Qe2 Bet-ter is 21. h3 to secure the back rank before tryingto exploit WhiteSs superior pawn structure. NowBlack gets active counterplay. 21...Qb3 22.Rxd8Rxd8 23.Qxa6 Qxb4 24.Rc1 Qa3 25.Qc4+Rd5 26.h3 h5 Turns out to be a weakness. Moreprudent is 26...h6. 27.Rc3 Qb2 28.Rc2 Qe529.Rd2 e3 30.Rxd5 cxd5 31.Qe2 f4 32.fxe3 fxe333.c6 Qc3 A better winning try is 33...Qa1+ 34.Kh2 Qxa4 35. Qxh5 Qxc6 36. Qe5 d4 37. Qxd4Qe6. 34.a5 d4 Once again better is 34...Qa1+35. Kh2 Qxa5. 35.a6 Qc1+ 36.Kh2 Qxc637.Qa2+ Kh7 38.a7 e2 39.Qxe2 Qc7+ 40.g3Qxa7 41. Qxh5+Kg8 42.Qe8+Kh7 43.Qh5+Kg8 44.Qe8+Kh7 45.Qh5+ Draw by ThreefoldRepetition. Neither side can make progress.1/2-1/2

◦ Ruslan Ponomariov• Zhu ChenDubai World Cup (1)United Arab Emirates2002 0-132 stars arrived for the first event of FIDEŠs newGrand Prix and learned to their dismay that theprize fund was cut in half. The format called fortwo games restricted to an hour apiece: 25 minutesper side with an increment of 10 seconds a move.Ties were broken in 10-minute games, promptingcritics to note that ignorance is blitz. "Speed de-stroys quality. It is not even about blunders creep-ing in; it is about emasculating the very contentof the game," said Gary Kasparov, who fears thatFIDEŠs fast new time limit will toll the death knellof classical chess. FIDE champ Ruslan Ponomar-iov, 18, was eliminated at the outset by ChinaŠsZhu Chen, 26, the womenŠs titleholder. Observersnoted that it was the first time a womenŠs worldchampion in any competition defeated her malecounterpart. In their first game she pressed for 71moves and missed a few wins before conceding a

draw. Then, with Black, she scored this historicvictory, albeit at a fast time limit.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4Nf6 5.Nc3a6 6.f3 e5 Russian analysts in the 1940s demon-strated that BlackŠs counterplay offsets the weak-ness of the backward d-pawn. 6...e6 is the chiefalternative. 7.Nb3Be6 8.Be3Be7 9.Qd2 h5!?Creates a weakness but stops g4 once and for all.Other setups seen frequently are 9...O-O 10. g4b5; or 9...Nbd7 10.g4 h6. 10.Be2 Reserving theoption of castling kingside. Instead Gerber-Nemet,Swiss Championship 2001, continued 10. O-O-ONbd7 11. Kb1 Rc8. 10...Nbd7 11.Nd5 Nxd512.exd5 Bf5 13.O–O O–O 14.Na5! Qc7 15.c4Bf6 16.Rac1 b6 17.Nc6 a5 The knight on c6is a bone in BlackŠs throat. Black removed it by17...Nb8 18. Nxb8 (stronger is 18. f4!) Raxb819. b4 Qd7 20. c5 bxc5 21. bxc5 dxc5 22. Rxc5Be7 in David-Dinstuhl, Germany 2000. 18.f4 exf419.Bxf4 Bg6 20.Bd3 Bxd3 21.Qxd3 Rae8Rejecting 21...Bxb2 22. Qe2! Bf6 (of coursenot 22...Bxc1?? 23. Ne7+ Kh8 24. Qxh5 mate)23.Ne7+ Bxe7 24.Qxe7. 22.Rc2 Nb8 23.Qg3h4 24.Qf3? ? - Not 24.Bxd6? Qxc6! But strongeris 24.Qa3! Be5 25. Nxe5 dxe5 26.Bg5 f6 27.Bxh4snaring a pawn. 24...Nxc6 25.dxc6Re6 The otherrook is planning 26...Rc8. 26.Rd2 Rc8 27.b3Qxc6 28.Rd5 Rce8 29.a4 Qc7 30.g4 Better is30. h3. White is a pawn down but has strongpressure. 30...Be5 31.g5 Qe7 32.Bd2 Bb2! !- Hoping to get the bishop to a3 and c5. 33.Rf5Bd4+ 34.Kh1Rf8 35.Qd5 Black keeps the edgeafter 35. Qg4 Re4 36. R5f4 Rxf4 37.Bxf4 Be3.35...Bc5 36.Bc3 Rg6 37.Re1 Qd8 38.Kg2?Better is 38. Re4 going after the pawn on h4.38...Qa8 39.Qxa8 Rxa8 40.Re7 f6 41.Kh3 d542.Re2 d4 43.Bd2 fxg5 44.Kg4Rf8 45.Rxf8+Kxf8 46.Re5 h3? Correct is 46...d3. 47.Kxh3?Missing 47.Bxa5! A comedy of errors courtesy ofthe ticking clock. 47...g4+ 48.Kg2 d3 49.Bf4? ?- 49. Rd5 Rd6 50. Kg3 still offers resistance. Nowit ends abruptly. 49...Rf6 50.Re4 d2 51.Bxd2Rf2+ 52.Kg3 Rxd2 53.Kxg4 Rd3 White canresign right here but is hoping the clock will savehim. 54.h4 Rxb3 55.Rf4+ Kg8 56.Kf5 Kh757.h5 Rh3 58.Kg4 Ra3 59.h6 Kxh6 60.Kf5Hoping for Rh4 mate. Anything can happen at thisspeed! 60...g6+ White resigns. A historic game.Is it likely that FIDE will abandon its obsessionwith speed over quality and restore slower timecontrols?0-1

◦ Gary Kasparov

325

• Ruslan PonomariovLinares (13)Spain2002 1-0Linares, which began in 1990, is usually thestrongest tournament held each year. Kasparov hasdominated the event by winning it eight times andfinishing second twice. His performance at thissuper-tournament in 2002 marked his ninth straighttournament victory in classical (slow) chess. Heconfirmed his number one ranking in grand style,outdistancing six hungry rivals with an 8-4 perfor-mance (4 wins, 8 draws). In the penultimate roundhe had the satisfaction of bashing FIDE championRuslan Ponomariov, 18, of the Ukraine, his runner-up who trailed by a full 1¡ points. At the closingceremony Kasparov retracted all the harsh thingsabout his young rival. "That was wrong and I willcorrect that. Ruslan made an excellent impressionon me. He is very strong and I am sure that wewill play many more games," generously concededKasparov.1.e4 e6 Ponomariov plays the French Defense forthe first time. 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd75.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6 7.c3 Bolstering thecenter. By delaying Bd3 White retains the optionof Bb5. 7...c5 8.Ne5Nd7 Trying to dislodge theknight, but retreating a developed piece is dubi-ous. More prudent is 8...a6. 9.Bb5Bd6 10.Qg4Kf8 Losing the right to castle is unpleasant. But if10...O-O? 11.Bh6 gains material. Now Kasparovsacrifices a pawn to get a dangerous initiative. Hiswillingness to take risks is what endears his gamesto chess fans. 11.O–O !? 11...Nxe5 12.dxe5Bxe5 13.Bg5Bf6 14.Rad1Qc7 Kasparov latersaid he expected 14...Qe7 15. Bxf6 Qxf6 and nowintended either 16. Qg3 regaining the pawn or 16.Qh5 pursuing the attack. 15.Qh4Bxg5 16.Qxg5f6 17.Qh5 g6 18.Qh6+ Kf7 If 18...Qg7? 19.Rd8+ Kf7 20. Be8+! Rxe8 21. Qxg7+ Kxg7 22.Rxe8 snares the Exchange. 19.Rd3 a6 20.Rh3Qe7 21.Bd3 f5 22.g4!? !? - Magically conjur-ing new threats and spurning 22. Qxh7+ Rxh723. Rxh7+ Kf6 24. Rxe7 Kxe7 which regainsthe pawn with an equal ending. 22...Qf6 23.Rd1b5 ItŠs hard to shake the bind after 23...fxg4 24.Rg3 e5 25. Bc4+ Ke8 (if 25...Ke7 26. Rgd3) 26.Rd5. 24.Be2 e5 25.Rhd3 Ra7? ? - Now itŠsall downhill. Black must try to diminish the at-tack by getting the queens off by 25...fxg4 26. Rd6Qf4 27. Rxg6 Qxh6 28.Rxh6. 26.Rd6 Qg7 Or26...Qe7 27. Rc6. 27.Qe3Rc7 28.a4 e4 Return-ing the pawn to get some breathing room. 29.axb5axb5 30.Bxb5 Qe5 31.Qg5 Qe7 32.Qh6 Be6

33.Qf4 A mad time scramble. A quicker win is 33.gxf5 gxf5 34. Be2. 33...Bc8 If 33...Rhc8 34. gxf5gxf5 35. Kh1! c4 36. Qh6 is annoying. 34.Qh6Be6 35.gxf5 gxf5 36.Be2 Bringing more force tothe attack is decisive. A new and lethal threat isBh5+. 36...Qf6 37.Bh5+ Ke7 38.Rxe6+ BlackResigned. Hopeless is 38...Kxe6 (or 38...Qxe6 39.Qg7+) 39. Rd6+ Kxd6 40. Qxf6+.1-0

◦ Alexei Shirov• Gary KasparovLinares (14)Spain2002 0-1Kasparov only needed a draw in the last roundto clinch first place but Shirov, who is a greatfighter over the board, bravely sacrificed a piecefor two pawns as early as move 11 in an excit-ing melee. Alas, Kasparov won, raising his over-all score against Shirov to a stupefying 14-0 (notcounting draws). They began a protracted feudwhen Kasparov choose Kramnik instead of Shirovas his challenger in 2000. Shirov, who had defeatedKramnik in a qualifying match, sued. Since thenthey no longer shake hands before their games.1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 A surprise? Kasparov oncequipped that some of his opponents write downhis second move (2...d6) before it has been madeon the board. 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e56.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5 9.Bxf6 A po-sitional approach is 9.Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf611. c3. 9...gxf6 Black will soon dissolve his dou-bled pawns. Also playable is 9...Qxf6 10. Nd5Qd8 11. c4 b4. 10.Nd5 f5 Many players pre-fer 10...Bg7 to blunt the piece sacrifice that occursin this game, but Kasparov seldom shuns a theo-retical duel. 11.Bxb5!? Shirov has scored bril-liant wins with this sacrifice. Tamer is 11. Bd3Be6. 11...axb5 12.Nxb5 Ra4 13.b4!? A sharptry that breathes new life into this variation. Blackhas fewer problems after 13.Nbc7+ Kd7 14. Nb6+Kxc7 15. Nxa4 Rg8. 13...Qh4 Aiming for coun-terpay on the kingside. 14.O–O Rg8 15.f4!?Heating things up by not allowing Kasparov to gofor a draw after 15. c3 f4! 16. Qxa4 Rxg2+with perpetual check. 15...Kd8! 16.c3 A crit-ical decision played quickly. Alternatives are 16.c4 or Nb6. Weaker is 16. Nxd6? Bxd6 17. Nb6Nd4 18. Nxa4 fxe4 with a decisive counterattack.16...Ra6 17.a4?! After a long think, but it createsno concrete threats. Instead 17. Ne3 attacking d6should be considered. Now Black seizes the initia-tive. 17...fxe4 18.f5? Played instantly but it costs

326

White the game. The best try is 18.Ndc7 Bh3 19.Ra2! 18...Bb7 19.Ra2 e3 20.Nxe3Qe4 21.Re1Equally futile is 21. Re2 Nd4! 22. cxd4 Bh6.21...Nxb4! 22.cxb4 Bh6 Relentless. The pres-sure on g2 is unbearable. 23.Kh1Bxe3 24.Qe2Even worse is 24.Nxd6 Qxg2+! 25. Rxg2 Bxg2mate. 24...Rc6 25.a5 Qxb4 26.Nxd6 Rxd627.Qxe3Qd4 28.Qc1Qd5 White resigns. With-out waiting for 29. Qb2 Rxg2! 30.Qxg2 Qb3.0-1

◦ Veselin Topalov• Alexander MorozevichNAO (1)France2002 1-0It takes more than money to produce a great chessculture, but subsidizing players canŠt hurt. Stalindid it when using chess to prove that the Sovietsystem was superior to the decadent West. ManyRussian players died or dispersed to the four cor-ners of the globe. Korchnoi defected to Switzer-land, and Spassky moved to France where a newpatron is determined to make that country a leadingchess nation. Nadej Ojjeh, the daughter of SyriaŠslongtime defense minister, poured a fortune fromher deceased husbandŠs oil and arms empire intochess. The first NAO tournament (bearing her ini-tials) was the strongest ever held in France. Theaverage age of ten players was 28, ranging fromex-world champion Anatoly Karpov (50) to Frenchchampion Etienne Bacrot (19). They both landedin a massive 5-way tie, 1¡ points behind BulgariaŠsVeselin Topalov, 26, and IsraelŠs Boris Gelfand,33. RussiaŠs Alexander Morozevich, 24, ranked#5 in the world, was dead last, but his games wereundeniably exciting. In this one WhiteŠs last moveis simply superb. At the end every piece on theboard is hanging, notably BlackŠs king.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4Nf6 5.O–Ob5 6.Bb3 Bc5 7.a4 White doesnŠt get muchfrom 7. Nxe5 Nxe5 8. d4 Bxd4 9. Qxd4 Nc6.7...Rb8 8.c3 d6 9.d4Bb6 10.axb5 axb5 11.Na3O–O Getting the king to safety instead of bother-ing to defend a pawn. 12.Nxb5Bg4 13.Bc2 h614.dxe5 Only helps Black to activate his pieces.14. d5 Ne7 15. c4 looks more logical. 14...Nxe515.Nbd4 d5 16.exd5Qxd5 17.h3Bh5 WhiteŠsextra pawn in the ending outweighs his doubledpawns after 17...Nxf3+ 18.Nxf3 Bxf3 19. Qxf3Qxf3 20. gxf3. 18.g4!? Nfxg4 19.Nxe5Nxe5 Sensibly rejecting 19...Ne3 20 Bxe3 Bxd121 Ndc6! 20.Qxh5Bxd4 21.Qf5Nf3+ 22.Kh1Qxf5 23.Bxf5 Bf6 24.Ra7 c5 25.Be4 Ne5

26. Rd1 Nc4 27.Bb7 Bg5? A likely drawwould result from 27...Rfd8! 28 Bd5 Nxb2 29Bxf7+ Kh7 30 Rxd8 Bxd8 31 Be3 Nd1 32 Bxc5Nxc3. 28.Bxg5 hxg5 29.b3 Ne5 30.Rd5 Rfe831.Rxc5Re7 Black is a pawn down without com-pensation but this only hastens his defeat. 32.Rb5Nd3 33.Be4! Black resigns. Every White and ev-ery Black piece is hanging! If 33...Rxb5 34. Ra8mates. Also futile is 33...Rxe4 34. Rxb8+ Kh735. Rxf7, losing the exchange and a pawn. Fi-nally, if 33...Nxf2+ 34.Kg2 Ree8 (not 34...Nxe4?35.Rxb8+ Kh7 36.Rxe7) 35.Rxb8 Rxb8 36.Kxf2,losing the knight for a pawn.1-0

◦ Peter Leko• Alexander MorozevichNAO Tournament (2)France2002 1-0"This was a very important fight, because we bothlost in the first round," said Leko. Black repeatsa line with which he lost earlier (see Topalov-Morozevich) and it quickly turns into a sharp the-oretical duel that was awarded the best game prizein Cannes.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf65.O–O b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 7.a4 Rb8 8.c3 Whiteintends to enforce d4 and drive the bishop onc5 back. 8...d6 9.d4 Bb6 10.Na3 O–O Ignor-ing the pawn. Black may be able to hold theendgame after 10...b4 11.dxe5 Nxe5 12.Nxe5+dxe5 13.Qxd8+Kxd8 14.Nc4 Be6. 11.axb5 axb512.Nxb5Bg4 13.Bc2 h6 14.d5 Bold and some-what risky, but White holds his extra pawn.Topalov chose the less ambitious 14.dxe5 againstMorozevich. 14...Ne7 15.h3 Bh5 16.Kh1 Asubtle prophylactic move. Black took 55 min-utes on his next move, searching for a way toget compensation for the pawn. The point isthat 16...Bxf2 is not made with check and canbe met by 17. Nxd6! 16...Nxe4 A sharp, tem-porary sacrifice to mix it up. 16...Qd7 first alsocomes into consideration. 17.Bxe4 f5 18.Bc2Meeting fire with fire! Simplifying with 18.Bd3e4 19.Be2 exf3 20.Bxf3 Bxf3 21.Qxf3 Ng6 givesBlack good counterplay. 18...Qe8 "A big sur-prise for me. I had calculated for about 40 minutesthe following line 18...e4 19.g4 fxg4 20.Nh2 Nf521.hxg4 Qh4, which looked very messy. But af-ter 22.gxh5 Bxf2 23.Qg4 Ng3+ 24.Kg2 Nxf1 25.Qxh4 Bxh4 26.Nxf1 Rf2+ 27.Kh3 Rxf1 28.Kxh4Rxb5 29.Bxe4, I had nothing to worry about, sinceWhite has a big advantage." – Leko 19.Ba4 e4

327

20.Nxc7 Qf7 21.Ne6 exf3 22.gxf3 "On 22.g3Bg4! WhiteŠs king could get into serious trouble."– Leko 22...Qf6 "A quiet move with a lot of poi-son. My first impression was that with a power-ful knight on e6 and two extra pawns I should beeasily winning. Howewer even after more then 30minutes struggling I was unable to find a clear de-cision and Black’s threats seemed more and moreserious." –Leko 23.Nxf8 Rxf8 24.Bb5 "This isthe point! White wants to activate his rook on a4and in an emergency the bishop can return to e2to protect the f3 pawn." – Leko 24...Qh4 25.Kg2g5 "This is simply a blunder. I expected the natu-ral 25...Ng6 26.Ra4 f4 27.Bd7 Ne5 28.Be6+ Kh829.Bg4 Bxg4 30.hxg4 Nxg4 31.fxg4 f3+ 32.Qxf3Rxf3 33.Kxf3 with a clear advantage. My oppo-nent also saw the same line, which is why he triedthe desperate text move – which is even worse."– Leko 26.Ra4 f4 27.Bd7 Ng6 28.Re4 Ne529.Rxe5 dxe5 30.Qd3 "30.d6 was also possible,but in time-trouble I first wanted to stabilize myposition." – Leko 30...Kg7 31.Qe4 Bc7 32.Bf5Rf6 33.c4Bf7 34.c5 h5 Black can get one pawnback but itŠs still hopeless after 34...Bxd5 35.Qxd5 Rxf5 36. b4 Qh5 37. Bb2. 35.d6 g436.fxg4 Both sides are short of time as they ap-proach the time control at move 40. Instead 36.dxc7 Qxh3+ 37. Kg1 would win on the spot.36...Bg6 37.Rg1 Bd8 38.Qxe5 f3+ 39.Kxf3Qxh3+ 40.Ke2 hxg4 41.Rxg4 Qh5 42. Bg5The final blow. 42...Bxf5 43.Bxf6+Kf7 No bet-ter is 43...Kh7 because of 44.f3. 44.f3 Black Re-signs. On 44...Bxf6 45. Qd5+ is decisive.1-0

◦ Viswanathan Anand• Anatoly KarpovEurotel Trophy Finals (5)Prague2002 1-032 stars – including Gary Kasparov, 39, andVladimir Kramnik, 27, the man who con-quered him for the title – competed for a500, 000purseattheEurotelTrophyinPrague.Butneitherreachedthefinals, whereV iswanathanAnand, 32, beatAnatolyKarpov, 51, by1−aftertwogamesofclassicalchess(witha7hourlimit)−−unlikeallthefastcontestsinpreviousrounds, whichoftenendedinablur.1.e4 e5 2.Nf3Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3Nxe4 5.d4d5 6.Bd3Nc6 7.O–OBe7 8.c4Nb4 Also seenfrequently is 8...Nf6 9.Nc3 0-0 10.h3. 9.Be2O–O Maybe 9...dxc4 10.Nc3 Bf5 11.Bxc4 c6 isa bit safer. 10.Nc3 Bf5 11.a3 Nxc3 12.bxc3Nc6 13.Re1 Re8 KarpovŠs plan deviates fromShirov-Karpov in the semi-finals, which contin-ued 13...dxc4 14.Bxc4 Bd6 15.Ra2! doubling on

the e-file by Rae2. 14.Bf4 An attempt to im-prove on 14.Bf1 Qd7 15.cxd5 Qxd5 16.Ne5 Qd617.Bc4 Nxe5 18.Rxe5 Bg6 19.Qe2 Qd7 20.Be3Bd6 21.Rxe8+ Rxe8 22.Bd3 Bxd3 23.Qxd3 b524.a4, ending in a draw, Pfreundtner-Buerger, Ger-many 1996. 14...dxc4 15.Bxc4 Bd6 A ques-tionable move by Black. Preferable is 15...Rc8 toguard the pawn on c7. 16.Rxe8+ Qxe8 17.Ng5Bg6 18.Bxd6 cxd6 19.h4Qe7 The net result ofall these maneuvers is that BlackŠs pawn struc-ture has been ruptured. How Anand exploits thisweakness is instructive. Perhaps the best defenseis 19...h6 20.h5 Bxh5 21.Qxh5 hxg5 22.Qxg5 Qd7.20.Qg4 h6 21.Nh3 Threatening Qxg6. Unsoundis 21.Ne6?.d5! 22.Bxd5 fxe6 23.Qxg6 exd5 andWhite has just lost a piece. 21...Qf6 22.Re1Bf523.Qf3 Kf8 24.Nf4 Bd7 A frustrating but nec-essary retreat for Black. Not 24...Re8? 25.Rxe8+Kxe8 26.Nh5 Qg6 27.Qxf5!! Qxf5 28.Nxg7+wins. Or 24...Qxh4 25.Bxf7! Kxf7 26. Qd5+ Kf627.Re6+!! 25.g3 Re8 26.Rxe8+ Bxe8 27.Qe4g5 28.hxg5 Also good is 28.Nd5 Qg6 29.Qxg6fxg6 30.hxg5 hxg5 31.Nf6 with an advantage forWhite. 28...Qxg5 Now BlackŠs pawns are splitlike bowling pins. But even worse is 28...hxg529.Nd5 Qe6 30.Qh7. 29.Bd5 Bd7 29...Qf6would avoid loss of material. 30.Qh7Qf6 Costsa pawn and the game. But on 30...Qg7 31.Qb1b6 32.Qb5 Nd8 33.Qc4 is hard to meet. 31.Bxf7Splat! 31...Ne7 Immediately fatal is 31...Qxf7?32.Ng6+ Ke8 33.Qh8+. A pawn down, Black triesto hold the ending, but AnandŠs endgame tech-nique is flawless. 32.Bb3 Bf5 33.Nh5 Bxh734.Nxf6 Bg6 35.Ng4 Kg7 36.Ne3 Be4 37.g4Kf6 38.Kh2 b6 39.Kg3 Kg5 40.Bf7 Unneces-sary, but it does no harm. Anand is reluctant tocommit himself on the last move of the time con-trol with either 40.f3 or f4+. 40...Kf6 41.Bc4Kg5 42.Bb3Kf6 43.f3Bg6 44.f4Be4 45.Bc4Bc6 46.Bd3 Bb7 47.Kh4 Bf3 48.Nc4 Nd5Karpov finally tries to activate his knight. 49.Kg3Bd1 50.Nxd6 Nxc3 51.Nf5 Kg6 52.d5 Ba452...Nxd5 loses a piece to 53.Ne3 with a discov-ered check. 53.d6Bd7 54.Kh4 a5 55.Ne3+Kf756.Kh5 b5 57.Kxh6 Ke6 58.g5 Kxd6 59.g6Black Resigns. WhiteSs passed pawns are too fast.This smooth positional effort by Anand is reminis-cent of Karpov in his prime.1-0

328