Kasparov's Fighting Chess
1993-1998
Tibor Karolyi and Nick Aplin
Kasparov's Fighting Chess
1993-1998
Tibor Karolyi and Nick Aplin
First published in the United Kingdom in 2006 by Batsford
151 Freston Road London
WI06TH
An imprint of Anova Books Company Ltd Copyright © Batsford 2006
Text copyright © Tibor Karolyi and Nick Aplin The moral right of the authors has been asserted.
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Contents
Introduction 5
Symbols 8
1993 9
Game 1 [C88] GK - Nigel Short PCA World Ch (I) II Game 2 [C88] GK - Nigel Short PCA World Ch (3) 19 Game 3 [897] Nigel Short - GK PCA World Ch (4) 28 Game 4 [C88] GK - Nigel Short PCA World Ch (7) 35 Game 5 [E35] GK - Nigel Short PCA World Ch (9) 40 Game 6 [035] GK - Nigel Short PCA World Ch (15) 45 Game 7 [B87] GK - Nigel Short PCA World Ch (16) 50
1994 62
Game 8 [044] GK - Vassily Ivanchuk Linares 62
Game 9 [BI7] GK - Gata Kamsky Linares 68
Game 10 [885] GK - Viswanathan Anand Linares 74
Game II [000] Jan Timman - GK Moscow rapid 79
Game 12 [CII] GK - Nigel Short Amsterdam 80
Game 13 [C42] GK - Jan Timman Amsterdam 85
Game 14 [E97] Gata Kamsky - GK New York rapid 96 Game 15 [B33] GK - Vladimir Kramnik Novgorod 101
Game 16 [833] GK - Alexei Shirov Horgen 110
Game 17 [DJ9] GK - Vladimir Kramnik Paris rapid 117 Game 18 [882] Zoltan Almasi - GK EU-Cup fmal 118 Game 19 [A41] GK - Zurab Azmaiparashvili Moscow Olympiad 118 Game 20 [B92] Lembit 011 - GK Moscow Olympiad 121
1995 124
Game 21 [C51] GK - Viswanathan Anand Riga 124
Game 22 [B47] G K - Edvins Kengis Riga 133
Game 23 [817] GK - Vladimir Epishin Moscow rapid 136 Game 24 [B80] Veselin Topalov - GK Amsterdam 137
Game 25 [A48] Artur Yusupov - GK Novgorod 139
Game 26 [037] GK - Rafael Vaganian Novgorod 140
Game 27 [B92] GK - Nick de Firmian New York rapid 145 Game 28 [B85] Viswanathan Anand - GK PCA World Ch (9) 148 Game 29 [C80] GK - Viswanathan Anand PCA World Ch (10) 154 Game 30 [B78] Viswanathan Anand - GK PCA World Ch (11) 159 Game 31 [877] Viswanathan Anand - GK PCA World Ch (13) 163 Game 32 [BOl] GK - Viswanathan Anand PCA World Ch (14) 166
Game 33 [043] GK - Viktor Korchnoi Horgen 177
Game 35 [E92] Vladimir Kramnik - GK Paris rapid 184 Game 36 [851] Leonid Yudasin - GK EU-Cup final 185
1996 186
Game 37 [E89] J eroen Piket - G K Amsterdam 186
Game 38 [B"14] GK - Viswanathan Anand Amsterdam 188
Game 39 [892] GK - Boris Gelfand Amsterdam 190
Game 40 [884] GK - Viswanathan Anand Moscow rapid 200 Game 41 [882] Judit Polgar - GK Dos Hermanas 201 Game 42 [A43] GK - Alexander Graf Geneva rapid 205 Game 43 [890] Viswanathan Anand - GK Geneva rapid 209 Game 44 [852] Alexei Shirov - GK Yerevan Olympiad 215 Game45 [C45] GK - Ivan Sokolov Yerevan Olympiad 216 Game 46 [E32] GK - Anatoly Karpov Las Palmas 222
1997 232
Game 47 [C45] GK - Predrag Nikolic Linares 232
Game 48 [E59] GK - Vladimir Kramnik Linares 238
Game 49 [A25] GK - 80ris Gelfand Novgorod 243
Game 50 [Cll] GK - Evgeny Bareev Novgorod 250
Game 51 [CI8] GK - Nigel Short Novgorod 251
Game52 [A25] Loek van Wely - GK Tilburg 252
Game 53 [E25] GK - Judit Polgar Tilburg 256
Game 54 [890] Alexei Shirov - GK Tilburg 260
Game 55 [D27] GK - Jeroen Piket Tilburg 267
1998 275
Game 56 [817] GK - Viswanathan Anand Linares 275 Game 57 [D58] Veselin Topalov - GK Sofia rapid match 287 Game 58 [885] Emil Sutovsky - GK Tel-Aviv clock simul 290 Game59 [866] GK - Vassily Ivanchuk Frankfurt rapid 298 Game 60 [DI5] Jan Tirnman - GK EuroTel Trophy 305
Kasparov's Record: Statistics 1993-1998 309
Epilogue 314
Index of Openings 314
Introduction
When (:hess pundits attempt thedaunting task of naming the greatest players of all time, there are currently only two candidates who stand a chance of claiming the ultimate accolade. Garry Kasparov is one of them.
In many sports, the greatest player is not necessarily the one with the best competitive record. Muhammad Ali lost a couple of fights and was floored on a few occasions, most notably by Henry Cooper. A few boxers have a better record than the former Cassius Clay, and yet Ali is considered the greatest heavyweight fighter of all time. There are many who think that Garry Kasparov was the greatest in chess. Others consider that Robert Fischer at his best was slightly the more dominant player. There will always be a debate as to which of these two was greater. What is indis-putable is that Kasparov completed the most successful competitive career ever, as he was undoubtedly the best player in the world for the longest period of time, Garry gained the title of World Champion from Karpov in 1985. He was ranked world number one for two decades - a record that is probably unparalleled in any other sport. Moreover, not only was his level of performance impressive, his style of play too was as aggressive and entertaining as could be imagined.
When this book was completed and only the editing remained, we heard the sad news that Kasparov had announced his retirement. There would be no more masterpieces over the board, at least in regular games.
He had already produced such a rich collection of games that it was indeed a privilege and a challenge to review
them in detail. They are well known to the public, and many in fact have been analysed before. However, no anth-ology has yet been published dealing with the same period as the present book. There have been many books written about many great players, but this one attempts to go into a degree of detail that very few have attempted before. Collectively, the games pro-vide a new and interesting picture of the Champion who becomes the successor to his 'Great Predecessors'.
This book covers Garry's career from 1993 to 1998. These were some of his most inventive years. In the new millennium he still produced a number of astonishing games, but not with quite the same frequency as in the period marked by the matches against Short and Anand, and by super-tournaments such as Linares and Wijk aan Zee. A second volume, covering 1999-2005, is also nearing com-pletion.
Whereas in 1993 computer chess programs were relatively weak, it is interesting now to place some of Garry's positions under the combined scrutiny of human and computer. Most of his own analyses, published at the time when the games were played, were documented with the aid of symbols and accepted conventions, but written text offers a more access-ible elucidation of his art.
The book is very much a chess book. Kasparov's political and chess-political activities are not discussed. Nor will there be any attempt to deal with his personal life, although those topics too would have been captiv-ating. On the Internet you can dis-cover Garry's opinions on the Roman Empire, but while such matters are
enlightening, they are not relevant to this book. Incidentally, if you search for Garry's name on the Internet, most of the available sites relate to his computer matches. This is a little sad, as the chess community ought to remember him for his splendid games and results in human tournaments, not his less appealing computer chess activities. The gems he produced should be treasures on permanent display.
In the process of compiling our analyses, many things came as a sur-prise. Here are two examples. First, Garry's predilection for play on the flanks, notably along the h-file, had not been recognized before. Secondly, while Fischer's amazing run of victories is well known, Kasparov's own best undefeated sequence of 63 games (from round 10 at Wijk aan Zee 1999, to the second game of the Kramnik match) has been less well documented!
These and other surprises led to some fundamental changes in our approach to the material. After working on a shortish list of 40 games, we realized we had already written enough to fill one book. Batsford kindly agreed to extend their commitment to two volumes. I then altered the scope of the work by providing almost game-by-game descriptions of Garry's tournament performances during this phase of his career. This provides a more realistic impression of the environment and the sporting factors that are involved.
One important topic emerged more clearly during the process of study and writing. It concerned the necessity for professional players to protect and even hide the fruits of long hours of opening preparation. Chess has its own vaults of highly confidential and secret material. One wonders what new surprises might have emerged from these vaults if Garry had not
decided to retire. Will anyone else become a beneficiary of this treasure trove?
We hope to have avoided one pitfall. Kasparov is a chess giant, and the various elements of his play are very hard to judge objectively. Yet we have not tried to elevate his status gratuitously. We cannot make him into a larger figure than he is in reality.
The 'I' in this book refers to Tibor Karolyi, the chief author and also a junior chess trainer. Earlier I spent a dozen years as a professional player travelling to tournaments and spend-ing considerable time with other chessplayers, but mainly with those from England and the Soviet Union. Garry was a participant in some of those early tournaments - indeed he was an opponent in one game played some twenty-five years ago. This contact with the chess world has made it possible to share some relevant experiences. The culture, including chess culture, of my native Hungary appears to lie somewhere in between its English and Russian counterparts.
The co-author, Nick Aplin, has no such professional connections with chess, but as a long-standing enthusiast and periodically a manager of junior and senior chess teams travelling from Singapore, he feels a close attachment to the game. For him, the study of Kasparov's games was one thing that helped him in his efforts to stay on terms with a fast improving twelve-year-old son! It so happens that the twenty-year period of Garry's dominance coincides with the duration of Nick's permanent resid-ence in Singapore.
For a short while I was faced with a dilemma: whether or not to contact Garry personally about the book. Naturally a time will come when he documents his own perceptions of the
games, and the resulting anthology will doubtless have a unique approach. In the end, no contact was made with him. It is clear from experience that it is not in the personal interest of the top players to have someone else analysing their games. From their viewpoint it is unfortunate that they have no copyright on their masterpieces like music composers. They no doubt feel that when it comes to analysing a chess career, it is better for the material to remain in their own domain. On a related note, it would be surprising to hear that all the living World Champions were delighted at Garry writing books about them. If a player is active, a highly detailed book might provide useful information and ammunition for his rivals, saving them energy in the discovery of ideas and tactical nuances.
Garry may not fully appreciate some of the observations in our book, even though their purpopse is to
7
Introduction explain and celebrate his magnificent play. Hopefully, as he loves chess, he will be happy about the result and agree that his games deserve searching and sometimes critical scrutiny. He must know that there is so much to learn from him. Our general attitude is that controversial opinions and even misjudgements in analysis can stim-ulate future commentators and make positive contributions to our under-standing and enjoyment of chess.
Significantly, Garry's games re-mind me of the work of the great Russian painter Surikov. In particular, Surikov's masterpiece The Boyarin Morozova creates the same intense impression of exceptional artistic value and power as Kasparov's magic art. His games reveal the touch of the chess genius and will remain in your consciousness for the rest of your life. Do not miss this experience - but remember, sometimes you may think you are dreaming!
Symbols
+
check;l; slight advantage for White
=+= slight advantage for Black
±
clear advantage for White+
clear advantage for Black+-
decisive advantage for White-+
decisive advantage for Blackequal game good move !! excellent move
!? move deserving attention ?! dubious move
? weak move
?? blunder
1993
Garry Kasparov had captured theworld crown in 1985 at the age of 22. Since that victory he had been sole winner in ten of the eighteen major tournaments he had contested. He had shared fIrst place in another fIve of those events. When Vassily Ivanchuk won the 1991 Linares tournament, Garry's winning record stretched back 9 years and 9 months. His worst result came later in 1991 when he shared third and fourth places in the Euwe Memorial. It was there that Valery Salov and Nigel Short scored three wins each to Garry's two.
We join Kasparov's career two years later, in 1993, as he was about to face the challenger Nigel Short. The Englishman was riding high on impressive victories in the Candidates series, and had the lUXury of home advantage. The World Champion was 30 years old at the time, maybe the best age for a man who has accumulated considerable competitive wisdom and energy. Incidentally, 1993 was to be the last year in which the chess world had only one reigning World Champion.
Garry had been the dominant player since becoming the world's youngest-ever World Chess Champion by defeating Karpov. He not only defended his title against Karpov in three matches in a row but also achieved better results in round-robin tournaments than his illustrious pre-decessor. Garry's last match against the Russian ex-World Champion in 1990 had fInished with a score of 12:11, or4 wins to 3.
Garry's record during the fIrst three years of the 1990s had been impressive. The inability of his rivals to beat him makes the point very
emphatically. In 1990 he lost just one game - to Gulko. In 1991 he lost only two 'regular' games - one to Ivanchuk and one to Anand - as well as one rapid game to Timman. In 1992, he lost 3 games in all: to Anand, Kamsky and HUbner. The loss to Anand was a rapid game in the Paris Immopar fmal, where Garry still managed to beat the Indian grandmaster 3:1. In 1993, up until the title match, he lost just one rapid game to Michael Adams; that was all.
As the reigning champion from 1985 until the Short match, Garry played a total of 362 games and registered a plus score - in some cases a huge one - against all the top professionals. He lost only 19 regular games with Black and only 4 with White. Of the 23 losses, only nine were in round-robin tournaments. He won 99 games with White and 68 with Black.
In rapid chess he won 10 with Black and lost only 4, while with the white pieces his record was even more impressive - he won 14 and lost only one out of 3 7 games.
Kasparov holds many records, but perhaps his greatest achievement is that he has been the dominant player for the longest period of time - at least in the twentieth century. Emanuel Lasker was not active in competitions throughout his tenure of the World Championship. Jose Raoul Capa-blanca cannot be judged on his play during World War I. He held the world crown from 1921 to 1927. Alexander Alekhine was the best from 1927-28 until 1934, but from 1935 until he regained his title from Max Euwe two years later, he did not win a single major tournament. Nobody
established any form of domination in that period, and then the development of chess champions was held back by World War II. Mikhail Botvinnik was convincingly the best in 1948, but in the 1950s he was just one of the leading players along with Vassily Smyslov and David Bronstein.
In the 1960s no one really domin-ated, although if you had to pick one player it would probably be Boris Spassky rather than Tigran Petrosian or Mikhail Tal. Bobby Fischer took over for a period, but withdrew mysteriously after 1972. Anatoly Karpov was demonstrably the best player from 1975 until 1985.
In comparison with these eminent players Kasparov was the undisputed star from 1985 until 1998 - a period of nearly fourteen years. Viswanathan Anand achieved superior results in 1998, but it was just for a single year; Kasparov regained the mantle in 1999. In 2000 Garry lost the title, so it cannot be said that he produced the best results that year. Then he came back in 2001 as clearly the best. Nobody matched his results. His magic lasted until the end of 2002 with the annual Linares battle.
Since then his results have been no worse than those of his rivals, and indeed few of them can come close to matching him. His performance in the Bled Olympiad in 2002, where he scored 71h. out of nine, was magical. That said, Kasparov now no longer shows himself to be indisputably the best individual player on a year-by-year basis.
One other point needs to be made about his achievements: none of the previous World Champions played against such strong opposition. All Kasparov's games are against chess professionals, and the vast majority of them have been against the top 25 players.
Nigel Short had surmounted many a
tough obstacle on his way to the title match. He qualified from the Inter-zonal in Manila when he had to beat Mikhail Gurevich with Black, then went on to win matches against the very strong grandmasters Jonathan Speelman and Boris Gelfand. After that he eliminated the still mighty Karpov, who was ranked number two in the world. His score with White in that match was outstanding: 41h. out of five. In the World Championship Candidates final, Nigel faced Jan Timman. Again his performances with White were generally incisive, and they provided him with the plus score that enabled him to meet Kasparov. Nigel had needed skill and toughness at critical moments in these matches, and gained valuable experience from them.
Virtually nobody gave Short any chance at all against Kasparov, such was the latter's dominance. Never-theless, most games in the match were extremely tense battles. The best of them were very exciting and enter-taining.
Kasparov-Short: The PCA World Championship Final FIDE was unable to raise a good enough prize fund for the match. In response, the Champion and challenger broke away and est-ablished a new organization. They managed to raise one of the biggest sums that had ever been made available for a championship, though this still fell short of the Fischer-Spassky re-match of 1992. It seems that a prize fund to the Champion'S liking can only be found easily if a Western player is involved. Such is the sad reality.
The match took place in London and attracted huge media attention. Kasparov was a very clear favourite,
particularly as the draw gave him White in the first game. He began the match with what proved to be an exciting and memorable encounter.
Game 1
G.Kasparov (2805) White N.Short (2655) Black PCA World Championship
(151 game), London 1993 Ruy Lopez [C88]
I e4
When facing an opponent who may play any of several alternative open-ings, you tend to rely on a narrow range of preferences. Deep down Nigel must have been uncertain about Kasparov's first move, even though he must have been well prepared for both 1 e4 and 1 d4. In his teenage years, Garry had opened more often than not with 1 d4 or 1 c4, and rarely with the king's pawn. By 1993, he was playing 1 e4 more often than the closed openings. In the Linares tournament just before the PCA World Champ-ionship in London, the last five opponents in his games with White were Bareev, Timman, Anand, Gelfand and Kamsky. Of this group, Anand did best - he lost in 65 moves! The only game Garry lost with White in the early 1990s was in the 1991192 Reggio Emilia tournament. He won far more often with White than he drew. Truly a remarkable perform-ance.
1 .•. e5
Nigel's main weapon up to this point in his career had been the French. He clejlfly felt that it might be too obvious a target - Kasparov would have prepared himself for it extremely well. In fact, Garry had had excellent results against the French, winning 5 games out of 5 in 1992. Preparing a new option in the Sicilian would have been a risky venture. Consequently, 1 ... e5 was no surprise. Nigel
obviously felt'that this opening would make all the difference for him.
2 ctJt3 ctJc6 3 it b5
The variation 3 d4 exd4 4 ctJxd4 itc5 5 ite3 ctJf6 6 c3 ctJge7 7 itc4 0-0 8 0-0 itb6 9 ctJc2 d6 had been played between the same opponents at Linares 1992. Garry went on to win that game as well.
3 ... a6 4 ita4 ctJf6 5 0-0 ~e7 6 l:el b5 7 .tb3 0-0
Nigel's main variation in the Ruy Lopez is usually the Zaitsev or else 7 ... d6 8 c3 0-0 9 d4 ctJd7. In 1991, however, he had started to play the Marshall Attack and used it with some success; he had drawn all his games against very strong grandmasters like Karpov, Anand and Timman.
8a4
Interestingly, Kasparov had not played this variation before the present match. Later he became very successful with it, conceding only two draws out of 8 games and even beating such a resolute player as Leko. The Marshall would have arisen after 8 c3 d5. It's quite remarkable that in Garry's career this opening had not occurred before in a game with either colour. Was this purely by chance, or by design?
8 ... b4
A voiding the danger of a prepared variation. In Anand-Short, Amsterdam 1992, Nigel had played differently with 8 ... itb7. The continuation was 9 d3 d6 10 ctJc3 ctJa5 11 ~a2 b4 12 ctJe2l:tb8 13 ctJg3 c5 14 ctJf5 itc8 15 ctJe3 ~e6 16 Ji.d2 ctJe8 17 Ji.xe6 fxe6 18 c3 ctJc6 19 ctJc4 ctJc7 20 ite3 Ji. f6 21 lIc 1 bxc3 22 bxc3 d5 23 ctJcd2 ite7. This long game fmally ended in a draw.
9d3
In My Great Predecessors, Garry indicates that Yefim Geller helped him prepare this particular line.
9 ..• d6 10 a5 ~e6
Black can also play 1O ... .Jtg4 or 10 ..
J:Ib8.
11 ttJbd2
11 i.c4 is possible; Nigel was to face that move 9 years later. There followed 1 L.~c8 12 ttJbd2 l::ie8 13 ttJfl ttJd8 14 i.g5 i.xc4 15 dxc4 ttJe6 16 i.xf6 i.xf6 17 ttJe3 l::ib8 18 ttJd5 i.d8 19 ~d2, and Black went on to lose a complicated game (Stefansson-Short, 2nd match game, Reykjavik 2002).
11 ... lIb8 12 i.c4! ~c8
It is natural to develop rather than help your opponent's development. The simpler 12 ... i.xc4 13 ttJxc4l:te8, followed by l:tb8-b5, should be all right too.
13 ttJn
After 13 c3 i.xc4 14 ttJxc4 l::ib5 15 i.d2 bxc3 16 bxc3, Black has a number of playable options: primarily
16 ... ~d7 (also 16 ... ~e6, 16 ... l::te8). 13 ... l::te8
Ever since this game, opening theory has shifted to the main alternative: the prophylactic 13 ... h6. In Leko-Grischuk, Dubai rapid 2002, Black reached a pleasant position after 14 h3 J:Ie8 15 ttJe3 i.f8 16 i.d2 i.xc4 17 ttJxc4 ~e6 18 ttJh2 nb5 19 b3 g6 20 ttJg4 'it>h7 21 ttJxf6+ 'iVxf6 22 .Jte3 ii.g7 23 :tta4 'iVe6
14
ttJe3
14 ... ttJd4?
Nigel wants to simplify the position and reduce the tension. Players no longer go in for this simplification, as it leads to a somewhat passive pos-ition. If Nigel had been playing the French, he would have been much less likely to make an incongruous move like this. A better line was 14 ... i.xc4 15 ttJxc4 ttJd8, when according to Garry the position is completely equal (I5 ... :ttb5 looks attractive too; or even
15 ... h6).
15 ttJxd4 exd4 16 ttJd5!
An interesting situation arises after 16 .Jtxe6 ~xe6 (16 ... fxe6 17 ttJc4 d5 would create an unusual pawn structure, but Black is probably all right here) 17 ttJc4 c6 (after 17 ... d5 18 exd5 'iVxd5 19 i.f4, Black has to be careful; on 17 ... ttJd7 - trying to get rid of the knight on c4 - White plays 18 i.f4 and things aren't so simple, though the most he can claim is a slight edge) 18 i.f4 l::Ibd8 19 ~d2
ttJh5. 16 ... ttJxd5
If 16 ... i.xd5 (Black is certainly worse without his light-squared bishop), then 17 exd5 ttJd7 18 'iVg4! and White is better.
16 ... c5 looks like a sensible option, as it helps Black to build up his position but doesn't reveal his intent-ions. There can follow:
(a) 17 ~f3 ttJxd5 18 exd5 .Jtg4 19 'iVf4 i.g5! (a neat back-rank combination) 20 l::txe8+ 'iVxe8 21 'iVe4 i.xcl 22 I:txcl 'iVxe4 23 dxe4 i.d7, and Black can neutralize the bishop on c4.
(b) 17 ttJxe7+ l::txe7 18 i.f4 (or 18 i.g5 i.xc4 19 i.xf6 gxf6 20 dxc4 f5 21 ~d2 fxe4 22 'iVg5+ 'it>f8, and Black is doing alI right), and now after 18 ... ttJe8 Black gets rid of the enemy light-squared bishop and eases the pressure on his position. If instead 18 ... 'iVc6 19 i.xd6 i.g4 20 f3 'iVxd6 21 fxg4 tiJd7, the position of the knight on e5 will provide some
com-pensation, though it's hard to say whether this is enough.
(c) However, thanks to some tactics, the immediate 17 iH4! works for White and keeps up the pressure: 17 ... ~xd5 (or 17 .. .lllxd5 18 exd5 .tg4 19 .txa6 .txdl 20 .txc8 .txc2 21 ~xd6 and Black is in trouble) 18 exd5 ~f5 (the snag with this move is that Black can't afford to E~ck
up the d5-pawn) 19 i.d2 Ma8 (l9 . ..tllxd5 20 g4 wins for White) 20 f4 (intending ~dl-D) 20 ... .i.d8 (if 20 .. .lllxd5, then 21 g4 again works) 21 l:txe8+ liJxe8 22 ~D, and White will keep pressing while Black has to wait passively.
17 exdSi.d7
17 ... ~ g4? would be a mistake. Black would like to unsettle White's pieces with this move or even force t2-D, but unfortunately for him there is a neat tactical riposte in 18 i.xa6!. Nigel admitted missing this at move
14. 18.i.d2
18 ~D looks like one option, keeping open the possibility of developing the queen's bishop on f4. However it does not prevent the same simplification that occurs in the game: 18 ... ~f6 (18 ... .i.b5 19 .i.d2) 19 :!::txe8+ i.xe8 20 i.f4 i.b5 21 :!::tel i.xc4 22 dxc4 d3 23 ~xd3 .i.xb2, and although Black is still a little worse, he should be able to hold out.
18 •.. .i.f6
Black has to move this bishop sooner or later. If he opts for 18 ... .i.b5, to exchange the light-squared bishops at once, White has two ways of maintaining the pressure. After 19 'ti'D 'ti'b7, or 19 i.b3 .i.d7 20 ~D, he has the edge.
19 :!::txe8+ .axe8 20 ~e2 .abS 21l:tel
The opening is over, and Garry has the better position since he controls the only open file. However Black has no evident weakness, and if he
manages to nullifY White's domin-ation of the e-file he can easily hold the game. That said, he will need to play carefully over the next few moves.
21 ... ~xc4
21...\t>f8? is not the answer; although it counteracts the pressure in the e-file, it loses to a direct tactical stroke: 22 .i.xb5 l:txb5 23 Vj'e4, and White invades.
22 dxc4 h6
Black must defend patiently, and sooner or later he has to rid himself of his back-rank problem. Opening the kingside with g7-g6 would allow ~d2-h6, and exchanging that bishop would weaken d4. As Fta~nik has pointed out, a drastic attempt to throw off the pressure with 22 ... d3? would fail to 23 Vj' xd3 i. xb2 24 :!::t b 1 i. c3 (after 24 ... .i.a3 25 Vj'b3 Vj'e8 26 c3 Vj'e2 27 cxb4 Vj'xd2 28 ~xa3 I:te8 29 ~c1, Black is simply a pawn down) 25 i.xc3 bxc3 26 I:tb3! and White picks up a pawn.
23 b3
23 l{j'e4!? comes into consideration, as it stops c7-c5 and prepares a pawn onslaught on the kingside. Black still can't get at the b2-pawn under favourable conditions: after 23 ... d3 24 'iYxd3 i.xb2 25 lIbl etc., the fact that Black has gained the move h7-h6 doesn't improve matters enough to make his position attractive.
23 ••• c5
After 23 ... ~d7 24 ~e4, the rook must defend the b4-pawn for some time to come. White has a free hand in preparing a pawn onslaught on the kingside, while Black's position re-mains rather passive.
This is a pivotal moment in the game. By his own admission, Garry had thought 23 ... c5 unplayable. Possessing the more promising pos-ition, he now faces a difficult choice. He decides to keep the position closed.
241.f4!?
The key alternative is 24 dxc6!? With 24 ... ~xc6, Black would hope to obtain counterplay against the c2-pawn. There could follow:
(a) 25 ~g4 d5 26 cxd5 ~xc2, and Black is still alive.
(b) 25 ~h5 ~c5 (or 25 ... i.e5 26 'iVg4WfS, and it isn't easy to improve White's position), and now if 26 ~xc5 dxc5 27 \iifl <oi7fS 28 iH4,
then 28 .. JId8 29 .Jte5 (29 .Jtc7 l:td7, or 29 \iie2 l:te8+ 30 Wdl l:Ixel+ 31 Wxe I \iie7, and Black is safe) 29 ... .Jtxe5 30 l:txe5 d3 31 cxd3 lhd3 32 l:Ixc5 l:Ixb3 33 l:Ic6 l:tc3 and again Black holds.
(c) 25 ~f3 represents an interesting strategy. White tries to exchange major pieces and then bring his king tod3.
(cl) 25 ..
,vJlic7?
26 .ltxb4! (not 26 .ltxh6 d3!! 27 cxd3 .ltc3), and apawn is gone. It seems this relatively simple tactic was overlooked at the board. You can sense that there was considerable tension during the first game of the match. Even these very strong players were missing tactical opportunities.
(c2) 25 ... d5 26 'iVxd5 'iVxd5 27 cxd5 l:tc8 28 i.xb4 l:Ixc2 29 d6 and the passed pawn is dangerous.
(c3) 25 ... ~c5 26 i.xh6 (26 ne2 ~xa5) 26 ... d5 27 cxd5 ~xc2, and Black is still breathing.
(c4) 25 ... ~xf3 26 gxf3 \iifS (26 ... l:Ic8 27 i.xb4; or 26 ... g5 27 f4!?) 27 \iifl (27 f4!?) 27 ... g5 (or 27 ... .Jte5 28 f4 .Jtf6, and now not 29 \iie2 \iie7 30 \iid3+ \iid7 31 i.cl d5 32 cxd5 l:tb5, but 29 l:Ie4! - White first cuts off the black king, and only then approaches with his own: 29 ... g6 30 We2 i.g7 31 Wd3, and Black is in trouble) 28 \iie2 (28 l:Ie4 i.e5) 28 ... We7 29 \iid3+ \iid7 produces an endgame that is very difficult to judge. Black's position is better than it seems at first. If White plays 30 i.cl to go after the d4-pawn, Black has the resource 30 ... d5! 31 cxd5 l:tb5 with counterplay
(c5) On 25 .. .'~c5, White is some-what better. However, the position is not easy to break open.
(d) 25 ~e4 (White's most import-ant possibility) 25 ... llhe4 26 l:Ixe4 d5 (or 26 ... \iifS 27 \iifl, and White is
g~tting closer to the d4-pawn) 27 cxd5 lIc8 28 i.xb4 l:Ixc2 29 \iifl, with decent winning chances.
24 ••• ~d7
Keeping an eye on the a5-pawn with 24 .. :~c7!? would be risky, though playable: 25 ~ g4 (25 ~h5 \iifS, or 25 ~e4 l:td8 26 ~f5 i.e7 27 ~g4 \iifS 28 ~e2 i.f6 29 h3 ~e7 30 ~dl ~c7 and it isn't easy to see how White makes progress) 25 ... \iifS 26 'iVf5 l:(e8 27 l:Ixe8+ \iixe8 28 i.xh6 ~xa5. Black is somewhat worse, but his position is solid.
25 h3 ~d8
A practical decision, with a view to the gradual consolidation of Black's position. What are the alternatives?
(a) 25 ... 'iftf8? prepares to swap rooks (26 ~d3 ~e8 27 ~xe8+ 'it'xe8 28 ~g3 'ifte7). This wish is understandable, but it costs a pawn after 26 ~f3! ~e8? 27 l:txe8+ 'iftxe8 28.txh6.
(b) 25 ... .te5!? would be a typical computer move, which many players would be averse to making over-the-board unless the situation was desperate. On the other hand, this type of move can sometimes equalize: 26 .txe5 l:':te8 27 f4 to 28 ~h5 (28 Ii'd3 l:te7) 28 .. .'~·t7 29 'iVxt7+ cJ;;xt7 30 \t>t2 fxe5 31 'it'f3 'it'f6 32 g4 J:te7. In this variation Black escapes.
26 'ile4
26 ... h5!
This prevents White from gaining space, though it also slightly weakens Black's own king.
27l:te2 g6
Tony Miles's recommendation was 27 ... h4. It isn't a move you would like to make voluntarily, but it was possibly better than the one played in the game. At this point both players were already short of time.
28~f3..tg7
If 28 ... ~f5, then 29 ~e4! keeps up the pressure.
It would be very risky for Black to pin any hopes on obtaining perpetual check in the difficult queen ending after 28 ... 'it'g7? 29 .th6+ \t>xh6 30 'iVxf6l:te8 31l:txe8 'iVxe8 32 f4 (if 32 'iYxd6 then 32 ... 'iYel+ 33 'it'h2 'iVxt2, and now 34 'iVe5 h4 35 d6 f6 and Black will have perpetual, or 34 'iVg3 'iYf5 and it is far from over) 32 ... 'it'h7 33 'iYxd6 (after 33 \t>h2 'iVd7 34 Wg3 'iVf5 35 'iVxf5 gxf5 36 Wh4 White can't penetrate) 33 ... 'iVe3+ 34 'it'h2 h4 35 'iVe5 'iVg3+ 36 'it'gl d3 37 cxd3 'iVxd3. Black might escape, but even with Short's exceptional calculating ability it would have been unwise to risk this queen ending. So many variations, and in all of them Black is barely alive!
29l:te4
A nice move with which White gradually improves his position.
29 ..
...tf8 30
~e2 ~c7Nigel may well have been thinking about taking the a5-pawn.
31..tg5
Tightening the screw. In Kasparov's opinion, he was already winning here.
31 ••• ~c8
Black mustn't give up the 8th rank with 3l...l:td7? 32 ~e8. A line with some tactical justification is 31...l:ta8; we shall see in the notes to move 33 that the rook would be better placed on this square. After 32 l:te8 :c8
White is better, but he still has some work to do to crack Black's defence.
32 g4!
Garry knows how to attack! Up to this point he has been gradually improving the placing of his pieces; now it is time to open up Nigel's king.
32 ••• hxg4 33 .i.f6?
Here Garry uncharacteristically chooses an inferior attacking line, and actually lets Nigel of the hook. After 33 hxg4! ~xa5 34 .if6, there can follow:
(a) 34 ... .tg7 35 J:te8+ Wh7 36 J:txc8 .ixf6 37 ~e8 ~al + 38 Wg2 ~dl 39 ~xf7+ .ig7 40 ~f4 and White wins.
(b) 34 .. :~c7 35 g5 (in his Informant commentary Garry gives this a question mark and analyses 35 f3; his conclusion is that White holds the advantage) 35 ... ~d7 36 ~f3 .ig7 (on 36 ... ~f5 Garry misses 37 1:f4, which wins: 37 ... ~xc2 38 l:i.h4 .ig7 39 I!i'h3 +-) 37 l:.e7 'iYf5 38 'tj'xf5 gxf5 39 l:i.d7 .t f8 40 l:ta7 is a forlorn endgame for Black.
(c) 34 ... ~al+ 35 ~g2 d3! (35 ... 'iYcl 36 g5 wins) 36 ~f3 (White also stands better after 36 .txal dxe2 37 J:txe2) 36 ... dxc2 37 .txal cl=~ 38 ~f6 'iYh6, and now it looks as if Black can survive, as 'iYh6-g7 will capitalize on the unprotected position of White's bishop on al. But White
has a move that would have been hard to see in advance ....
39 l:.el!! (defending and simul-taneously creating a deadly threat) 39 ... .tg7 40 'iYxd6 .ixal 41 'iYxa6! (this wouldn't have been possible if Black had played I:td8-a8 on move 31; to spot this point with limited thinking time, and with the huge pressure of the high stakes in this event, would be asking too much even from these marvellous players) 4l...l:lf8 42 'iYxal 'tWf4 43 ~dl, and White has excellent winning chances - as Fta(:!nik showed in his analysis.
Now back to the game, where White has just played 33 .tf6. There followed:
33 ••• gxh3 34 ~g4
34 .. J:ta8?
This is simply a bad move, but both players were short of time. The correct reply was 34 ... .tg7!. In failing to play this, Nigel misses a splendid opportunity to set up a fortress - a
possibility that Kasparov had seen. After 35 Ue7 kxf6 36 Mxc7 J:Ixc7 37 ~xh3, Black is probably able to hold the position by doing nothing. White has no access point for an invasion with his queen, and it is very hard to see how he could create one.
35~xh3?
Garry returns the favour - it is his turn now to go wrong. Instead 35 ~g5!, with its direct mating threat, would have prepared the knockout punch. After 35 ... .i.g7 36 txh4 tIe8 (in The Times, Garry gives 36 ... ~d7 37 kxg7 Wxg7 38 ~h6+ Wf6 39 J:If4+, and now 39 ... We7 40 ~h4+ or 39 ... We5 40 ~g5+ f5 41 f3 and mate follows) 37 .i.xg7 Mel+ (37 ... Wxg7 38 ~h6+ Wf6 39 Uf4+ We7 40 Uxf7+ wins the queen) 38 Wh2 Wxg7 39 ~h6+ 'it'f6 40 Mf4+ We5 (or 40 ... We7 41 Mxf7+) 41 Wg3 l:.tgl+ 42 'it'f3
~d8 43 ~g7+ f6 44 ~f7, there is nothing Black can do to avoid being checkmated.
35 ...
.t
g7 36.t
xg7?This mistake in time trouble lets slip a simple win. After 36 l:e7! it is all over for Black, as 36 ... ~xa5 allows a spectacular sacrifice:
37 Mxf7! - Garry either missed this lovely mating blow or misjudged the rook endgame that arises from 36 .. .'''c8 (instead of 36 ... ~xa5) 37 ~xc8+ Uxc8 38 kxg7 <tJxg7
39 Ud7 Ue8 40 'it'fl. In this passive ending, Black is lost.
36 .. .'~xg7 37tIh4
37 .. J:tg8!!
A great defensive move, especially considering that it was played under severe time pressure. Black is pre-paring to march his king to safety on the queenside.
38 Mh7+ <tJf8
In playing this move, Nigel was refusing Garry's offer ofa draw.
39-..g4?
Kasparov gives 39 Wg2 We8 40 Vj' e6+ as equal.
Fta~nik's move is 39 ~e6!, which also secures the draw: 39 ... fxe6 (now Black's b- and d-pawns will acquire surprising strength; instead he could have forced repetition right away, with 39 . ..,::tg7 40 Mh8+ ~g8 41 l:th7) 40 l:.xc7 exd5 41 cxd5 l:.h8! (active play with the rooks!) 42 l:tc6! (not 42 J:d7? c4!, and Black forces a winning breakthrough: 43 bxc4 b3! 44 cxb3 d3 45 liId8+ <tJe7 -+). 42 ... We7 43 tIxa6 c4, when White has these choices:
(a) 44 llb6? (a tempting move, which might seem to make White's life easier than in variation 'b'), and now:
(al) 44 ... cxb3 45 cxb3 d3 (45 ... tIh5 46 <tJfl l:.xd5 47 a6 l:Ia5 48 l:txb4 l:ha6 49 tIxd4 is an easy draw) 46 l:txb4 l:tb8 47 ttd4 l:xb3 48 a6, and White holds.
(46 l:tc6 l:th5 47 a6 l:txd5 wins) 46 ... l:tc8! 47 l:te4+ 'it'f6 48 l:tel c2 49 l:tcl 'it'e5 50 b4 (after 50 'it'fl 'it'd4 51 'it'e2 'it'c3 Black wins, thanks to the dominant position of his king) 50 ... 'it'd4 51 b5 'it'xd3 52 b6 l:tb8, winning.
(b) 44 l:tc6 (given by Fta~nik)
44 ... cxb3 45 cxb3, and now:
(bl) 45 ... l:th5 46 l:tc7+ (after 46 'it'fl l:txd5 47 'it'e2 i:!.xa5 48 l:tc4 l:ta2+ 49 'it't3 d3 50 l:txb4, Black is better) 46 ... tJif6 47 a6 l:txd5 48 a7
r:t
as
49 W g2 l:t a2 50 tJi t3 We5 51 l:te7+ 'it'd5 52 ~c7 d3 53 tJie3 d2 54 We2 and White should hold, despite the pawn deficit.(b2) 45 ... d3 46 l:tc4 d2 (after 46 ... I:tc8 47 J:td4 J:tc3 48 f4 I:txb3 49 tJit2 White doesn't lose) 47 I:td4 I:th3 48 I:txd2 l';Ixb3. White remains worse, but there should be a way to hold the position. Fta~nik gives 49 a6?!, though after 49 ... l:ta3 50 l:tb2 i:!.xa6 51 i:!.xb4 I:tal+ 52 Wg2 :dl White has to struggle.
39 ... \f;e8
At this precise moment Nigel lost on time! A shocking end to a great battle (1-0). You could say that Kasparov was lucky. Yes and no! Yes it was a close thing, as Garry's flag went down as well, but he was probably helped by his previous plus score (one loss, ten wins) against his challenger. Nigel is a very tough
customer, but when playing with the burden of such a negative score, anyone's performance is bound to be affected. Kasparov succeeded in gaining an advantage from the opening. Objectively this was no great danger to Black, but the fact that Nigel had to play carefully made him play slowly. Of course, had Nigel won this game, the whole complexion of the match would have been different.
Let's return to the critical [mal position. Would Black's extra pawn have been sufficient to win?
40 lWe6+
This was Garry's suggestion to hold the position, but later he admitted it would fail. Instead, 40 \f;g2 is a waiting move that allows Black to solve the problem of his king. He can safely place it on the queenside, after which he should be winning. One way to achieve this is 40 ... tJid8 followed by VIilc7-e7.
40 .. .fte641 J1xc7 exd5 42 cxd5 11j8
43 ~/?
A very interesting move, suggested by Fta~nik in his excellent analysis of the game. White brings his king to the centre before starting to take the pawns.
Against 43 lIc6, Black has:
(a) 43 ... 'it'd7 44 I:txa6 J:tf5 45 l::tb6 (45 l:ta8 l:txd5 46 a6 \f;c7 wins) 45 ... l:txd5 46 a6 d3, and according to Kasparov Black should win.
(b) 43 ... I:tt3! 44 J:txa6 l:tc3 (Kasparov said this was the simplest rejoinder) 45 i:!.a8+ (45 i:!.xd6 I:txc2 46 a6 d3 47 a7 l:ta2 48 l:te6+ Wd7 49 I:te3 d2 50 i:!.d3 I:txa7 51 I:txd2 tta3 is simple enough for anybody) 45 ... Wd7 46 I:tg8 tJic7 47 J:tg7+ '.tJb8 48 l::hg6 J:txc2 49 '.tJfl c4 50 bxc4 d3 51 tJiel b3 52 J:hd6 b2 53 J:tb6+ tJic7 54 Wdl l:tcl+ 55 tJid2 bl=~ 56 J:hb 1 tlxb 1 , and as the white pawns are disconnected, Black's win shouldn't be difficult.
The Slovakian grandmaster doesn't analyse this possibility. He gives 43 ... Mf3, when there can follow:
(a) 44 J::ic6 J::ic3! (after 44 ... Wd7?
45 'ltJe2 l:'Ic3 46 Wd2 d3 47 cxd3 J::ixb3 48 Mxa6 J::ib2+ 49 We3 na2 50 Ma7+ Wc8 51 J::ia6 Wc7 52 J::ic6+ Wd7 53 a6 b3 54 ~b6 b2 55 a7 ~xa7
56 J::ixb2, Fta~nik evaluates the position as equal; his analysis ends here) 45 J::ixa6 (on 45 J:::rxd6 J::ixc2 46 WeI c4 47 bxc4 b3, White must lose his rook) 45 ... l:hc2 46 .i:rxd6 d3 47 WeI c4 48 bxc4 b3 49 J:::rxg6 b2 50 .i:rb6 ~cl+, and Black should win.
(b) 44 We2! J::ic3 45 Wd2 d3 46 cxd3 J::ixb3 47 J::ic6 rJ;;e7 48 !::!.xa6 J::ia3 49 f4 and White is alive.
With 43 ... J::if5! Black follows Garry's alternative plan from variation 'a' in the note to White's previous move.
44 llc6 llxd5 45 'It'e2 rJld7 46 J1xa6 J1e5+ 47 rJld2
And Black has excellent winning chances.
A dramatic game, in fact one of the
most dramatic first games ever witnessed in a World Championship match. The extreme tension un-deniably left its mark on the quality of the play. On the other hand, these talented rivals also produced moves that proclaimed their status as great players.
In game two, Nigel played 6 .ag5 against the predictable Najdorf. Kasparov switched to a very risky line of the Rauzer. He managed to stabilize the position, and Short allowed a standard exchange sacrifice on c3. In the ensuing endgame neither player was able to take control. They agreed a draw on the 51 sl move.
Games 3 and 4 of the match had decisive results, so we will examine them both in depth.
Game 2
G.Kasparov (2805) White
N.Short (2655) Black
PCA World Championship (3Td game), London 1993
Ruy Lopez {C88] 1 e4
Garry sticks to 1 e4. I wonder if he would have been so faithful to this move if his flag had been the first to fall in game one?
1...e5
It is easy to criticize this reply. In the previous games between these opponents, Garry had rarely played I e4 and yet performed extremely well. A Paulsen or a Sveshnikov would have made an interesting alternative, because Garry had obviously had less experience with those lines.
2 ttJO ttJc6 3 .i. b5 a6 4 .aa4 ttJf6 50-0 i..e7 6
l:l
elThe Ruy Lopez main line is a suitable choice against Garry. The only problem was that he had invested a significant amount of time with Geller in preparing this opening against Karpov; from his games with the latter, it was familiar territory. This is one reason why Nigel ended up with a catastrophic score of zero from his first three Ruy Lopez games in this match. It was especially unfortunate that this happened within the space of the first 7 games. After that, the outcome was all but decided.
6 ... b5 7 .ib3 0-0 8 a4 .ab7 The early part of the fITSt game had looked satisfactory for Nigel, but now he decides in favour of the commonest line in this variation.
9 d3 J:::re8
9 ... d5 is premature in this position, so 9 ... d6 is the most widespread continuation. However, Nigel hopes to be able to carry out the thematic advance d7-d5 later on. He had twice faced 9 ... J::ie8 when playing White
against Predrag Nikolic; both games ended in a draw. John Nunn has employed this move with convincing results, and Michael Adams has also played it periodically.
Interestingly, Garry doesn't develop his queen's knight on c3, the most obvious square.
10 lLlbd2
This is the move Garry chooses instead. Let's look at two others:
(a) 10 lLlg5 d5 11 exd5 lLld4 12 .i.a2 lLlxd5 13 l'lxe5 .i.xg5 14 .i.xg5 'ilYd7 15 l'lxeS+ (15 .i.xd5 .i.xd5 161'1xeS+ lIxeS 17 .te3 .i.xg2 IS \it xg2 ~ c6+ 19 \it g 1 occurred in Bacrot-Adams from the Europe Internet Blitz Championship; instead of 19 ... lLl f3+ 20 \it fl lLld4 with a draw, the game continued 19 ... lLlxc2 20 lLlc3 lLlxal 21 'ilYxal I/:!;V g6+ 22 \ithl 'ilYxd3, and Black stood better) 15 .. Jhes 16 tlld2 lLlb4 17 .i.bl tlle2+ IS \itfl .txg2+ 19 \itxg2l/:!;Vg4+ 20 'it'hl tllg3+. This impressive attack featured in the game Zapata-Nunn, Dubai 19S6.
(b) 10 tlla3!? has only been played a few times, yet White has fared extremely well with it. Ivanchuk-Adams, Linares 2002, continued 1O ... .txa3 (on 1O ... .i.c5 11 .i.g5, the pin is unpleasant) 11 bxa3 d5 12 exd5 lLlxd5 13 .Jtb2 tllf4 (13 .. :iVd6 looks reasonable) 14 .i.cl. Now instead of repeating with 14 ... tlld5, Black went
in for complications with 14 ... lLlxg2, and after some fIreworks Vassily went on to win: 15 lLlg5 tllxe I 16 I/:!;Vh5 'ilYd7 17 .i.xf7+
WfS
IS .i.e3 tlld4 19 Uxel etc.Kasparov himself developed the knight in similar fashion in a Ruy Lopez against Karpov. The ISth game of the 1990 World Championship match (Lyon/New York) went 1 e4 e5 2 tllf3 tllc6 3 .i.b5 a6 4 .i.a4 lLlf6 5 0-0 .i.e7 6 J::Iel b5 7 .i.b3 d6 S c3 0-0 9 h3 lLld7 10 d4 .i.f6 11 a4.Jtb7 12 lLla3 exd4 13 cxd4 lLlb6 14 .i.f4 bxa4 15 .i. xa4 lLl xa4 16 'iV xa4 a5 17 .i.d2 l:leS IS d5 lLlb4 19 .i.xb4 axb4 20 'iVxb4 l'lbS 21 'iVc4 ~cS 22 lLld4 .Jta6 23 I/:!;Vc3 c5 24 dxc6 .txd4 25 'iVxd4, and Garry went on to win in 57 moves.
10 •.• .i.rs
10 ... .i. c5 deserves consideration, seeing that .i. c I-g5 is no longer available. If 11 lLlfl, then 1l...h6.
11 c3 h6?!
In the present game this move produces a poor result. Top-level players have now switched to 11 ... lLla5. Shirov-Ivanchuk, Linares 2002, went 12 .i.a2 c5 13 d4 (13 lLlfl could be met by 13 ... c4!?; the game Kasimdzhanov - Onischuk, Moscow rapid 2002, continued instead with 13 ... d5 14 exd5 .i.xd5 15 axb5 axb5 16 .i.g5 .i.xa2 17 l:lxa2 I/:!;Vd5 IS c4 bxc4 19 .i.xf6 cxd3 20 l'lxa5 llxa5 21 .i.xe5, and after neatly capturing .i.lack's d- and c-pawns, the future World Champion eventually won) 13 ... d6 14 b4 exd4 15 bxa5 dxc3 16 lLlfl with immense complications.
12.i.a2!
This move was a novelty at that time. It injects serious threats into the position, and it is certainly very unpleasant to be confronted with it over-the-board. What is the idea behind the bishop's retreat? In the fIrst place, White has completely elimin-ated lLlc6-a5. Secondly, Nigel - who
has already been playing the opening slowly - now has to devote time to evaluating the consequences of ~ d 1-b3, fuIly aware that they must have been worked out by Garry and his team.
12 ... d6
Finally revealing how many squares his d-pawn will advance. Nigel intends to sacrifice his b-pawn. He avoids 12 ... 1:IbS?! 13 axb5 axb5 14
~b3, when Black is in trouble. Nigel doesn't want to go in for 12 ... d5?!, and we can well understand why - considering his current match position, and facing an opponent who has the advantage of analysing the position in advance. He must also have had the frrst game on his mind -the game in which he was holding on in a complicated position but lost on time. Was 12 .ta2 just a great practical bluff, or does it really give White an edge?
After 12 ... d5 13 exd5 lllxd5, White has:
(a) 14 d4, and now:
(al) 14 .. .'~·d6 IS llle4 (or 15 axb5 axb5 16 ~b3 :era5 17 llle4, and even if Black can stay alive, it is a huge risk to enter this variation) 15 ... ~d7
16 .txh6 exd4. Again, even with Nigel's special instincts and his ability to calculate accurately, it would be dangerous to play like this.
(a2) 14 ... llla7 (a somewhat desper-21
ate attempt to keep the posItIOn together) 15 b4! (better than IS d4 exd4, when Black manages to stay in the game after either 16 cxd4 lllb4 or 16 ~xd4 lllb4!!) 15 ... lllf6 (l5 ... aS 16 bxa5 b4 17 ~b3 leaves Black's pieces disunited) 16 ~b3 and, at the least, White is a little better.
(a3) 14 ... ~d7! 15 dxe5 lllf4 16 l:Ie4 llle6 17 b4 l:tadS IS ~c2 (1S .ibl llle7 19 .l::tg4 c5) IS .. .'~Je7
19 l'.:Xe I lllg6, and Black obtained reasonable compensation in Rasik-Berzinsh, Czech team championship 1995.
(b) 14 llle4! (compelling Black to take care of the threats of .Jtclxh6 and .ta2xd5) 14 .. .'~hS occurred in Rytshagov - Sammalvuo, Helsinki 1994: 15 lllfg5 ~d7 16 ~h5 llldS 17 lllf3 lllc6 IS d4 f5 19 llleg5 (19 lllg3 lllf6 20 ~xf5 is also horrible for Black) 19 ... exd4, and now the simplest win is 20 I:txeS IixeS 21 .Jtxd5 with gain of material. White missed this, and Black escaped with a draw.
Nigel had an additional option in 12 ... b4!? This is a somewhat ugly move as it gives up the c4-square, but it does save the pawn and keeps the position closed. It's interesting that nobody has mentioned this possibility in the analyses available up to now. The continuation 13 d4 (if 13 lllc4 a5, Black is just minimally worse and can consolidate his position) 13 ... bxc3 14 bxc3 exd4 15 cxd4 lllb4 16 .Jtbl a5 looks playable for Black.
13lllh4!?
Garry carries out a remarkably deep plan, demonstrating once again his inherent talent. However, the primit-ive approach of simply capturing the b-pawn was objectively stronger. We can only speculate on what was going on in Garry's mind. As long as he plays professional chess, and especial-ly if he wants to keep a particular line in reserve, he is unlikely to disclose
what he really thinks about a position. Nobody can blame him for that. One wonders who will be the beneficiary of such information now that Garry has announced his retirement.
12 .t a2 may even have been an over-the-board invention. Garry and his team may have anticipated a different approach from Black. Or possibly during the game his attention was diverted - he found the game continuation attractive, and simply forgot about the simplest reply. Still, 13 tZ:lh4 is a powerful move, even if not the best.
After the game, Kasparov himself recommended 13 axb5! but didn't suggest a follow-up. Tisdall says in his survey of the match that Black would gain decent compensation, while Ftatnik thought this move simply resulted in a position with White a pawn up. There would follow 13 ... axb5 14 '*Vb3 ~d7 (Black can't afford to lose the f-pawn; after 14 ... d5 15 ~xb5 dxe4 16 ~xb7 tZ:la5 17 ~b5 exf3 18 tZ:lxf3, White is winning) 15 ~xb5, and now:
(a) 15 ... l:ta6 16 .txf7+ wins. (b) 15 ... .ta6 16 .txf7+ ~xf7 17 ~xa6 and it is all over.
(c) 15 ... :i:rab8 16 b4, and Black has nothing for the pawn.
(d) 15 ... J:teb8 16 ~b3, and Black can try to triple his major pieces on the a-file, e.g.:
(dl) 16 .. J:ii:a7 17 ~c2 (Tisdall doesn't analyse this move, while Ftatnik correctly gives it a
+-evaluation; White is just a pawn up, and he will eventually release the pin on the a-file) 17 ... I:!.ba8 18 b4 .tc8 (or 18 ... .ta6 19 tZ:lc4) 19 tZ:lc4, and White is much better.(d2) 16 ... :i:ra6 17 ~c2 :i:rba8 18 b4 tZ:le7 19 tZ:lc4 ~ a4 20 ~b 1 ~ e8 21 .tb2, and Black has nothing.
13 ••• iVd7?!
It would have been better to preserve the bishop pair with
13 ... tZ:le7, when White has various choices:
(a) 14 tZ:lb3, aiming to plant the knight on a5; but this can easily be stopped with 14 ... c5.
(b) 14 d4 is premature, as Garry shows: 14 ... exd4 15 cxd4 tZ:lc6, and White is unable to hold his centre together.
(c) 14 axb5, winning the pawn, is no longer convmcmg because of 14 ... axb5 15 ~b3 d5 16 c4 (16 ~xb5 .ta6), and now Black should do well with the natural 16 ... c6. He can also try 16 ... tZ:lc6 17 ~xb5 J::i.a7 (or 17 ... tZ:lb4 18 ~xb7 tZ:lc2) 18 cxd5 tZ:l b4, and there is no harmony among White's pieces.
(d) 14 tZ:lfl d5 15 ~f3 ~h7 16 tZ:lg3 c5 and Black can just keep his position together.
(e) 14 ~f3! (the move Garry intended, exerting pressure on the kingside) 14 ... ~d7 (14 ... d5 15 ~g3 looks unpleasant) 15 h3 (15 tZ:lfl
~g4) 15 ... d5 16 tZ:lfl (or 16 ~g3,
with some kingside initiative) 16 ... c5 17 .txh6 (17 tZ:lg3 c4) 17 ... c4, resulting in a very complex battle.
14 tZ:lg6 tZ:le7
Refraining from 14 ... d5, since with only one bishop he will naturally want to keep the position closed.
15 tZ:lxf8 ~xf8
By keeping his rook on e8, Nigel probably wants to exert pressure on
the e4-pawn. After 15 ... Mxf8 it might look promising to secure the king position and then play for f7-f5. However, White's two bishops give him the better prospects; 16 d4 would be the natural continuation.
16 f3!
This is a great move that shows very fine judgement. Garry says it wasn't necessarily inspired by the same pawn move in one of his games against Karpov. In both cases the idea was to bolster e4 and stifle the bishop on b7. Here is the game in question: 1 e4 e5 2 tZJf3 tZJc6 3 il.b5 a6 4 .Jta4 tZJf6 5 0-0 .Jte7 6 Mel b5 7 .Jtb3 d6 8 c3 0-0 9 h3 .Jtb7 10 d4 I:te8 11 tZJbd2 .Jtf8 12 a4 h6 13 .Jtc2 exd4 14 cxd4 tZJb4 15 .Jtbl bxa4 16 lha4 a5 17 I:ta3 J:1a6 18 tZJh2 g6 19 j3 ~d7 20 tZJc4 "'b5 21 J:1c3 .Jtc8 22 .Jte3 ~h7 23 ~cl c6 24 tZJg4 tZJg8 25 il.xh6 il.xh6 26 tZJxh6 tZJxh6 27 tZJxd6 ~b6 28 tZJxe8 ~xd4+ 29 '.t>hl ~d8 30 Mdl ~xe8 31 ~g5 Ma7 32 Md8 ~e6 33 f4 .Jta6 34 f5
Wie7 35 ~d2 "'e5 36 ~f2 ~e7
37 Wid4 tZJg8 38 e5 tZJd5 39 fxg6+ fxg6 40 lhc6 ~xd8 41 ~xa7+ tZJde7 42 J:1xa6 Widl+ 43 ~gl ~d2 44 ~fl 1-0 (Kasparov-Karpov, 2nd match game, Lyon/New York 1990).
Another way to prepare against d6-d5 was 16 ~f3. Black must then reply 16 ... d5, as otherwise tZJd2-fl-g3 is
strong. After the follow-up 17 tZJb3 (the alternative 17 tZJfl would be met by 17 .. .'~ c6) White will occupy the a5-square - another way of unsettling the black bishop.
16 ... nad8?!
Maybe it was better to stop b2-b4 with 16 ... c5!?, although sooner or later the position should open up and then the two bishops will become dangerous. An immediate I 7 d4 in reply is not so convincing, as White isn't yet well enough developed: 17 ... exd4 (or 17 ... cxd4 18 cxd4 tZJc6 19 d5 tZJb4 20 .Jtbl a5, and Black is all right) 18 cxd4 tZJc6 19 d5 tZJb4. White has the bishop pair, and the black bishop on b7 is badly placed; still, Black's activity probably ensures him a playable game.
On 16 ... d5, White can choose between 17 b4,
1'7
tZJfl c5, and 17 tZJ b3 when he is a little better. Garry would probably have chosen to move the knight to the kings ide.17 b4 tZJg6
If 17 ... d5, then 18 tZJb3 looks just as strong as in the game.
18 tZJb3 .Jtc8
On 18 ... tZJf4, White has more than one way to obtain an edge. After 19 il.xf4 exf4 20 ~d2, the bishop on b7 is almost dead. Other possibilities are 19 d4 and 19 .Jte3.
This amounts to a very subtle way of bringing the queen's rook into the game. White could also have kept the edge with 19 axb5 axb5 20 d4 (20 ~e3) 20 ... ~g8 (20 ... d5 21 liJc5) 21 ~c2 (or 21 .i.e3, and it is still very hard for Black to match this bishop in the long run). Garry's choice is certainly a very imaginative one.
19 ... liJh5
Nigel decides not to wait passively; the game continuation gives him better chances. After 19 ... ~e7
20 ~e3 (or 20 axb5 axb5 21 l:a7 and White can exert pressure in several ways, including along the a-file) 20 ... .lle6 21 liJa5 (21 d4) 2l...trc8 22 d4, White has the advantage.
If 19 ... ~g8 20 .i.e3, again Black is passively placed.
20 axb5 axb5 21 .i.e3!
Maybe not a spectacular move, but still very strong. It makes Black guess whether exploiting the open a-file or playing d3-d4 is White's main intention.
21. •• liJh4
2l...liJhf4 was also an option, trying to attack by playing h6-h5 and bringing the queen to g5 The first question is whether the sacrifice on g2 is a real threat or not:
(a) 22 :a7 liJxg2 23 ~xg2 ~h3+ 24 ~hl liJh4 25 !{:!Ve2 (25 l:tgl liJxi3 26 1:g2 .i.g4 does indeed look dangerous) 25 ... liJxi3 26 1:cl liJxh2 27 ~xh2 ~xe3. There is no point in allowing Black so much counterplay.
(b) 22 d4 liJxg2 23 ~xg2 'iVh3+ 24 Whl liJh4 25 1:a2 liJxi3 26 trfl liJxh2 27 :xh2 !{:!Vxe3, and White is probably better.
(c) 22 g3 liJh3+ 23 ~g2 liJg5 24 d4 (or 24 J:a7), and White will slowly increase his advantage.
(d) 22 tra2!? is Garry's recom-mendation.
221:ta2!
Garry's play during this phase recalls the style of none other than
Karpov. Slowly but inexorably, he improves his position.
22 ••• tre623 d4 trg6 24 ~hl Not 24 dxe5, when 24 ... !{:!Vh3 is a killer.
24 1:fl would also prevent 'ii'd7-h3 from destroying White's position, but sooner or later the king would have to step off the g-file anyway.
24 ..• 1:e8 25 dxe5
Garry probably felt that by now he had made enough consolidating moves, and it was time to strike more aggressively.
However, with 25 il.d3!? he could improve the placing of his light-squared bishop while further securing his king. If Black waits, the bishop can withdraw to fl, making certain that no tactics will work; afterwards White can open the centre.
In reply, the sacrifice 25 ... liJxg2 would simply fail to 26 1:xg2 1:xg2 27 ~xg2!{:!Vh3+ 28 ~hl :e6 29 1:g1 1:f6 30 liJd2, and the attack is repulsed.
25 ... f5 would also accelerate the end: 26 exf5 liJxf5 27 i..xf5 !{:!Vxf5 28 g4 and White wins a piece.
25 •.. trxe5
As the World Champion pointed out in his ['!formant analysis, 25 ... liJxg2 again leads nowhere: 26 l:txg2 Uxg2 27 ~xg2 'iVh3+ 28 ~hl! liJg3+ 29 ~gl :!:le6 30 hxg3, and wins.
26g4!
Now is the time to deliver the knockout punch.
26 ttgl was a very promIsmg alternative, as it stops the counter-attack. The sacrifice 26 ... LZ:lg3+ would fail to break through: 27 hxg3 ~xg3 28 f4 LZ:lf3 29 f5 (not 29 gxf3 l:th5+) 29 ... LZ:lxgl 30 Jixgl, and Black is lost.
26 f4 is quite possibly a winning continuation, but it would give Black unnecessary attacking chances. Kasparov gives the move a question mark. There could follow:
(a) 26 ... LZ:lxg2 27 l:txg2 ~xg2 28 Wxg2 ~h3+ 29 Wgl Jig4 (29 ... tte6 30 f5) 30 ~d2 .tf3 31 lIfl (31 fxe5?? allows mate in 5 moves:
3l...~g4+ 32 Wfl LZ:lg3+!!, and now 33 Wf2 LZ:lxe4+ 34 Wfl LZ:lxd2+ 35 LZ:lxd2 ~ g2 mate, or 33 hxg3
~h3+ 34 ~gl ~hl+ 35 ~f2 ~g2 mate) 3l...l:te8 (after 31..:~g4+ 32
~f2 tte8 33 LZ:ld4 .txe4 34 Jixe4 ttxe4 White is a piece up, though it would still be quite a task to convert the advantage into a win) 32 LZ:ld4 (32 e5 .ta8) 32 ... .txe4 33 .txe4
~xe4 34 ~f3, and White should be able to sail home with the full point.
(b) 26 ... tLlg3+ 27 hxg3 lIxg3 28 fxe5 tLlxg2 29 l:hg2 l:txg2 30 ~xg2 ~h3+ 31 ~gl!! (the move Garry missed; he ends his analysis after 31 ~f2 ~h2+ 32 ~f3 ~h5+
25
and considers the posItIon equal). White is able to give up his queen in order to stop the perpetual check, and still has enough material to win:
31...~g3+ (or 3l...Jig4 32 ~xg4
~xg4+ 33 'liif2, and the rook and three minor pieces easily defeat the queen) 32 ~fl Jih3+ 33 'tt'e2 Jig4+ 34 ~d3 and wins.
26 ..• ttf6 27 Jid4?
The Champion has been playing vigorously, but this is a mistake that allows Nigel to stay in the game. Most likely Garry saw that 27 LZ:ld4! was winning, but he thought the game continuation was just as good.
After 27 LZ:ld4 tLlf4 (or 27 ... c5 28 tLlf5, and the attack has been repulsed) 28 tLlf5 tLlxfS 29 Jixf4 tLlh4 30 Jixe5 dxe5 31 ttd2, it is all over.
27 ... tLlg3+!!
By sacrificing material, Nigel opens up the king.
28 hxg3 tLlxt3 29 Axe5 ~xg4 30lIh2
The only move! 30 ..• tLlxel! 31 ~xel
31 ~xg4?? would be a horrible blunder in view of 31 ... ttfl mate.
31 .•. dxe5?
A very sad inaccuracy on Nigel's part. He probably thought he could still bring his queen to f3 later, but his mistake is a particularly costly one.
then need to play some good moves to stay alive, and those moves would have to be selected from several reasonable-looking 'candidates'. Also it would have been so hard psycho-logically for Garry to defend a tough position, knowing he had blown a golden opportunity earlier.
After 32 'litgl dxe5, White has the following choices.
(a) 33 Ji.c2? J:Ig6 34 J:tg2 Ji.h3. (b) 33 J:th4?! J:tg6 34 'lith2 l:d6
35 Ji.c2 g5 and Black wins.
(c) 33 J:te2 Ji.h3! 34 Cllc5 (if 34 'lith2, then 34 .. JWh5 wins) 34 ... J:tg6 35 'lith2 Ji.fl 36 Clld7+ 'lite8 37 Cllxe5 ~h5+ 38 <;tgl i..xe2 39 Cllxg6 fxg6, and White comes out a pawn down.
(d) 33 Cllcl!? l:g6 34 Clle2 'iVe3+! 35 ~t2 ~d2! 36 'lithl J:td6 37 Cllgl
~xc3. Black already has 3 pawns for the piece, and White is struggling to co-ordinate his forces.
(e) 33 J:td2, and now: (e 1) 33 ... :tg6 34 r.'Id3.
(e2) 33 ... l:d6 34 J:te2 (34 J:txd6 cxd6 35 'lith2 f5 36 Clla5 f4 37 .tc2 g5 produces an endgame difficult to judge; it should probably finish in a
draw), and now:
(e21) 34 ... .i.g4 35 J:te3 :tdl 36lhf3 l:xel+ 37 l:fl l:e3 38 ~g2 ~xc3 39 Cllc5, and suddenly White co-ordinates his pieces and takes over: 39 ... f6 (or 39 ... J:tc4 40 Ji.a2 :txb4 41 J:txf7+) 40 Ji.d3 c6 41 J:tal and Black is in trouble.
26
(e22) 34 ... i..h3 35 ~h2 (35 i..c2 J:tg6) 35 ... i..fl 36 l:d2 'iVxc3 37 ~xfl J:txd2+ 38 Cllxd2 ~xd2+
39 'lith3 ~xb4 40 Ji.a2, and White's activity secures him equal chances.
(e3) After 33 ... i..h3 34 Cllc5 l:tg6 35 'ltJh2 'iVh5, White is facing no direct threats, but it's hard for him to free himself from the pressure of Black's aggressive pieces: 36 i..c2 (after 36 Ji.a2 'ltJg8 37 Ji.d5 'ltJh7 38 J:ta2, Black can at least force a draw with 38 ... l:f6 39 l:tt2 l:g6, or alternatively play 38 ... Ji.c8+ 39 'ltJg2
~h3+ 40 ~f3 lH6+ 41 ~e2 Ji.g4+ which would really hurt) 36 ... 'litg8 (Garry ends his analysis here and says that there are counter-chances for Black; maybe White's position can be held, but it will take some effort) 37 Ji.b3 Wh7 38 J:ta2 Ji.c8+ (38 ..
J:tf6
39 l::tt2 J:tg~) 39 ~g2 (39 'it'gl ~f3 40 'it'h2 Itg5) 39 .. .'~·h3+ 40 ~f3 J:tf6+ 41 'it'e2 i..g4+ 42 'ittd2 J:tfl 43 'iVe3 J:tf3 44 ~el l:txg3, and playing this position will be no fun for White.32 Clld2!
Suddenly Black's attack has dis-appeared. Still, he has two pawns for the piece, and White has to be careful if he wants to convert his advantage into a win - for if he loses one more pawn, Black probably draws. White has a problem with the position of his king, and Black has chances of
bringing about perpetual check. Furthennore if Black manages to exchange the queens ide pawns, then despite White's extra piece the likely outcome is a draw.
32 ... ~d6
Stopping the bishop from crossing to the kingside. After 32 ... ~g8 33 .td3 .td7 34 .tn, White should slowly work his way out of the grip and win.
33 .te2 .lte6 34 '.t>gl ~g8
35 tLln
Garry gradually improves the placing of his pieces.
35 ... ~g5
35 ... ~f3 was possible. If Black makes waiting moves and does nothing, this will eventually result in a loss.
36 ~e3?!
According to Garry, 36 l':td2! was even better: 36 ... l:rc6 (36 ... h5 37 Mxd6 cxd6 38 .ltd3 should win; or 36 ... .i.h3 37 l:rxd6 cxd6 38 .i.d3, and again White wins) 37 ~al (after 37 l:!.dl Ita6 38 ~e3 Ita3 39 ~xg5 hxg5 40 .ltd3 ~xc3 41 .i.xb5 c5 42 bxcS l:rxc5 Black will at least exchange the e-pawn, with drawing chances; in this line, 40 l:rd8+ ~h7
41 l:rd3 .i.c4 42 l:re3 is a possibility) 37 ... ~h7 38 .i.d3 l:rd6 39 ~a5 c6 40 ~c7100ks like a win.
36 ... ~d8?
Nigel wants to keep the queens on 27
the board, which is understandable as he is behind in materiaL However, in this position it probably pays to eliminate some pawns: 36 ... ~xe3+
37 lLlxe3 l:i.c6 38 lLldl .tg4 39 l:i.d2 1l.xdl (39 ... ~f8 40 tLle3 1l.e6 41l:td3 wins) 40 1l.xdl l:i.xc3 41 ~t2 (41 l:rd5 c6 42l:i.xe5 :ad3 also enables Black to resist, at least for a while) 41 ... :ttc4 42 J::l:d8+ ~h7 43 Md5 Mxb4 44 :axe5 and Black has three pawns for the piece, though his chances of survival are limited
37l:td2 e6 38l:i.xd6 ~xd6 This way Black ends up with only two pawns for the piece, and his activity has been extinguished. One hope remains: his position has no serious weakness, and it isn't easy for White to penetrate to attack c6 or f7.
39~e5 ~xe5+
Or 39 ... ~c7 40 lLle3 ~h7 (if 40 ... f6, then 41 lLld5; alternatively 40 ... g6 41 liJd5 ~d8 42 liJe7+ ~g7 43 liJxc6 ~g5 44 ~t2, and White keeps his position together) 41 c4 bxc4 42 tLlxc4 f6 43 tLla5, and White wins.
40 bxe5 h5
Black has only one weakness, and it is deep inside his own position - but unfortunately not deep enough. Garry exposes this weakness in beautiful style. If 40 ... ~f8 41 liJd2 ~e7 42 ~t2 g6 43 1l.b3 1l.c8 44 liJf3, White quickly invades.