825 Classical Chess

Games Annotated
◦ Gioachino Greco B N B B
Q N B B N
1.e4 e5 2. c4 f6 3.d3 c6 4. g5 h6 5. xf6
• Unknown
Q B B
xf6 6. c3 b5 7. b3 a5 8.a3 c5 9. f3 d6
10. d2 e6 11. xe6 fxe6 12.O–O g5 Discour-

N
Rome aged from castling on the Queenside, White finds

N K
1619 1-0 himself under siege on the Kingside. 13.h3 d7
Chess notation is a wonderful invention – a time 14. h2 h5 15.g3 e7 The lines are clearly drawn:

K N N N
machine that allows us to enjoy chess games of Black’s command of space allows him to attack at

R B Q N K
all eras, even those played hundreds of years will. 16. g2 d5 17.f3 f8 18. e2 g6 19.c3

R Q B N
ago. Here we see one of the first great chess ag8 20.d4 b6 21.dxe5 xe5 22. d4 d7
masters, Gioachino Greco, in action. While Greco 23. ae1 h4 24. f2 c7 25. e2 Passive defense
is credited with developing some gambits, his seems worse here than the try 25. exd hxg 26.

Q Q N N K R
main contribution to chess was to publish witty dxe6+ Ke8 27. Nxc6 with chances. 25...hxg3

R R K R N R
collections of games that illustrate his theories. 26. xg3 xg3+ 27. xg3 f4+ 28. h1 xh3

Greco considered the following one of his best
games.
1.e4 b6 The Queen’s Fianchetto opening. An early
fianchetto by Black shows a willingness to defend
against a big pawn center, picking away at it from
the wings. In ceding so much territory, Black must
be on constant guard against direct attacks on the
King, as this game amply illustrates. 2.d4 The nat-
B B
ural move. White is happy to build an advantage in
space. 2... b7 3. d3 Greco often preferred de-
veloping his bishop to d3, rather than c4 or b5. As
this game progresses, you will see that this piece
is perfectly placed. 3...f5 Black offers a pawn to
B
break up the enemy center. 4.exf5 White ac-
Q
cepts the pawn, and the fireworks begin. 4... xg2
5. h5+ g6 It is interesting that hundreds of years
after this game was played, all of the moves so far
are still considered "book." If you weren’t aware
of the date, you might believe that this game was
N
from the Hypermodern movement of the early 20th
century. 6.fxg6 f6 Black gets greedy and loses
immediately. The typical continuation is 6...Bg7
K N K R
29. g1 xh2+ 30. xh2 h8+ 31. h5 xh5+
32. g3 h3+ 33. g4 h4# 0-1
◦ Edinburgh
• London
Correspondence Match (5)
England
1824 1-0 C44
The first half ot the 19th century was the golden
age of postal chess because players from differ-
ent cities and countries could not easily compete
in any other way. This game enabled Edinburgh to
beat London (2 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss). Newspapers
carried all the moves, thus exposing the public for
the first time to master chess. The Scotch Game
was new, later became popular, then went out of
fashion and was revived by Kasparov in the 1990s.
This battle assumed epic proportions after move 32
when rooks on either side penetrated behind enemy
lines. Watch for the spectacular march of White’s
king at the end.
N N N

N
7.gxh7+ Kf8 8.hxg8=Q+ Kxg8 9.Qg6 (or Qg4) 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 xd4 Better is 3...exd4.

N Q N B N Q Q N
Bxh1 and Black has a reasonable game. 7.gxh7+ Now White dominates the center. 4. xd4 exd4

B B B B B Q
xh5 Gleefully seizing the enemy queen, but not 5. xd4 e7 6. c4 c6 7. d5 f6 8. c3
seeing the danger. 8. g6# Even after four cen- b4 9. d2 d6 10. b5 d7 11. c4 Too many

B
turies, some games can still elicit a smile. queen moves. The threat of Bxc6 is easily parried.

Q N Q B N
1-0 Simply 11. O-O is indicated. 11... c5 12.O–O
O–O 13. d3 e5 14. g3 xb5 15. xb5 c6
◦ Captain Smith
N N B Q B
Driving the knight back but weakening the pawn on
• Philidor
Q B B R
d6. 16. c3 c4 17. g5 g6 18.b3 f6 19. c1

R R
? xg3 20.hxg3 d4 21.bxc4 xc3 22. b1 b6
London 23. d1 ae8 Disdaining passive resistance by
1790 0-1 C24 23...Rad8, the London team seeks active counter-

R B
The modern era of chess begins with Philidor’s po- play. Black stands better – White’s pawn struc-

R R
sitional analysis of the openings. Though he died ture is a shambles. 24. b3 a5 25.f3 f5 26.exf5

B R B R R B
in the 18th century, his was the most widely printed e2 Also playable is 26...Rxf5. 27.g4 xc2

R R K
book in chess history. In this historically interest- 28. f4 xc4 29. xd6 e8 30. a3 h6 31. c7

R R
ing game Philidor actually demonstrates the power e2 32. d8+ h7 If 32...Kf7 33. Bd6 Re8 34.
of a superior pawn formation, confirming his fa- Rd7 with advantage. 33. c8 c1+ Better is
mous maxim: "Pawns are the soul of chess." 33...Rcc2 34. Kh2 Rxg2 but Black has no inkling

1
 K B B
K R K R B B R R B
of the astonishing sacrifice that White is planning. 26. h1 c8 27. d7 f2 Threatening 28...Qe1+

Q
34. h2 ee1 35. h3 h1+ 36. h2 c3 Set- 29.Qf1 Qxd1 f1Q+. 28. f1 d3 29. c3 xd7

B B B Q Q R
ting a trap on 37. Rxc6? Be5! 38. Rxc1 Rxh2 30.cxd7 e4 31. c8 In turn threatening 32.Qxf8+

Q R R Q Q R
mate. 37.f4 d2 38.g3 a5 Still playing to win and 33.d8Q. 31... d8 32. c4 e1 33. c1 d2
instead of steering for an easy draw by 38...Bxf4 34. c5 g8 35. d1 e3 36. c3 xd1 37. xd1

R R
39. gxf4 Rc2 40. Rxa7 R2xh2 41. Kg3 Rh3, e2 White Resigns.

R K
etc. 39. e3 c2 Winning a piece, but appear- 0-1

K R K
ances are deceptive. 40.g5 hxh2+ 41. g4 h5+

R K
42. f3 hf2+ 43. e4 g6 The only way to parry
◦ La Bourdonnais
K
the threat of g6 and Rh8 mate. 44. c7+ g8
• MacDonnell, A.
R
45. e5 Adhering to the Steinitzian precept: The
?
king is a fighting piece – use it! 45... c5+ Also
21st Match Game
K R K R R
futile is 45...Bc3 46. Rxc3 Rxc3 47. Kf6 forc-
1834 0-1 C23
K K
ing mate. 46. f6 xf5+ 47. xg6 f8 48. g7+
The MacDonnell-La Bourdonnais encounters
B R R
h8 49. h6 No more than a draw is gained by
were, in a real sense, the beginning of modern
R
49. Ree7 Bc3. 49... b4 50. e6 f5 The only
chess – a series of formally arranged games, all of
K R K R R
way to stop the threat of mate in two. 51. h7+
which were preserved and published. This is one
g8 52. g6+ f8 53. xc6 c5 An exciting
of many wild attacking games in which both sides
moment. If 53...Kg8 54. g6 h4 55. Rg7 Kh8 56.
B B Q N N
play for mate. The final position is quite amusing.
R K
Rxa7 hxg3 57. g7 Kg8 58. Rc8 Rf8 59. gxf8/Q
N
1.e4 e5 2. c4 c5 3. e2 f6 4.d3 c6 5.c3
R B R K
Bxf8 60. Rg7 Kh8 61. Rxf8 mate. 54. f6+ e8
e7 6.f4 exf4 Ignoring the center; a modern
K R R K
55.g6 c3 56.g4 f8+ 57. xf8+ xf8 58.g7+
B B B N B
player would surely have answered 6...d6. 7.d4
f7 59. h8 c6+ 60. h7 No power on earth
R N Q
b6 8. xf4 d6 9. d3 g6 10. e3 O–O 11.h3
can stop White’s pawn from queening. Black re-
e8 12. d2 e7 13.O–O–O c5 Correctly strik-
signs.
ing back in the center, though in 1834 Black’s
1-0
K
plan was probably limited to opening a file near

N B R
the White King. 14. b1 cxd4 15.cxd4 a5
◦ MacDonnell, A.
16. gf3 d7 17.g4 h6 18. dg1 More logical
• La Bourdonnais
seems 18.Rdf1 followed by Rhg1; as the game
?
B B R B
goes, the Rhg1 never does very much. 18...a4
62nd Match Game
B N R R
19.g5 hxg5 20. xg5 a3 21.b3 c6 22. g4 a5
1834 0-1 B32
23.h4 xd2 24. xd2 a5 25.h5 xg5 With
In a sense, the MacDonnell-La Bourdonnais en-
this Exchange sacrifice Black takes control of
counters marked the beginning of modern chess –
R N Q N
the dark squares and obtains a strong initiative.
a set match of serious games between recognized
26. xg5 f4 27. f3 xd3 28.d5 White must
champions, in which all the games were recorded
lose material, for 28.Qxd3 Nxe4 29.Nxe4? Bxe4
and published. This was the Frenchman’s most
N R N K
wins the White Queen, and 29.Rgg1 Nf2 is not
famous win of the match (really a series of six
B R K Q
much better. 28... xd5 29. hg1 c3+ 30. a1
matches, won by La Bourdonnais +45, =13, -27),
xe4 31. xg7+ h8 32. g3 Threatening mate
in which we have the unusual spectacle of a mass
B Q R
with 33.Rh7+, but Black’s attack is still very
N N N N
of pawns overcoming a Queen.
strong. 32... g6 33.hxg6 e1+ 34. xe1 The
1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 e5 5. xc6
R Q N R
final blunder; after 34.Nb1 White retains draw-
A positional error, strengthening Black’s central
K K QN
ing chances 34... xe1+ 35. xe1 xe1 36. h7+
B N B B
pawns, but such niceties were little known in
g8 37.gxf7+ xh7 38.f8= c2# 0-1
Q B B B
the 1830’s. 5...bxc6 6. c4 f6 7. g5 e7

R Q B
8. e2 d5 9. xf6 xf6 10. b3 O–O 11.O–O
◦ Ludwig Bledow
B N R N B Q
a5 12. exd5 cxd5 13. d1 d4 14.c4 b6 15. c2
• von Der Lasa
B R
b7 16. d2 ae8 17. e4 d8 18.c5 c6
19.f3 e7 20. ac1 f5 Not 20...Bxc5? 21.Nxc5 Match
Qxc5 22.Bxh7+. Instead, Black offers an Ex- Berlin

Q K B Q B
change sacrifice to get his central pawns moving. 1839 1-0 C53

R
21. c4+ h8 22. a4 h6 23. xe8 fxe4 24.c6 Bledow was a math professor who founded "The

Q
exf3 25. c2 Not 25.dxc6?, as 25...Qe3+ 26.Kh1 Pleiades," a society that set itself the task of rais-
fxg2+ 27.Kxg2 Rf2+ will lead to mate. 25... e3+ ing the standard of the game in Germany at a time

2
when Paris and London were the chess centers of
Europe. Morphy’s great principles – occupying the
center with pawns, opening lines for attack, rapid
development even at the cost of material – already
were in evidence in this early game. A unique twist
N N B B Q B
is the way White exploits the weakness on f7.
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. c4 c5 4.c3 e7 One of
B
the earliest defenses to the Giuoco Piano. Nowa-
days 4...Nf6 is preferred. 5.d4 b6 To hold the
B N
center. If 5...exd4 6. O-O dxc3 7. Nxc3 the threat
of Nd5 is irksome. 6.O–O d6 7.a4 a5 8. e3 f6
N N B
9.dxe5 Also feasible is 9. Nbd2 to maintain tension
N Q B
in the center. 9... xe5 10. xe5 dxe5 11. xb6
cxb6 12. d2 O–O 13. e2 d7 13...Be6 would
neutralize the pressure on f7. Now White gives
R B B
up a pawn to speed up his development, a dubi-
ous plan that works. 14. ad1 xa4 15.b3 c6
R
16.f4 Opening lines is essential but Blacks fortress
Q
is hard to crack. 16... ad8 Also good is 16...b5!
R Q
17. fxe5 Qxe5 18. Rf5 Qxc3. 17.fxe5 xe5
Q K N
18. f5 d6 Correct is 18...Qxc3 19. e5 Qd4 20.
Kh1 Ne4. 19.e5 c5+ 20. h1 e4 Little re-
N R Q B R K
lief is offered by 20...Nd5 21. e6; or 20...Rde8 22.
R Q
Rdf1. 21. xe4 xd1+ 22. xd1 xe4 23. xf7
Q B K K R R B Q
Black overlooked this trick. 23... xf7 24. d8+
f8 25. xf7+ xf7 26.e6+ g8 27.e7 The mo-
bility of this passed pawn played a decisive role in
the attack. Black Resigns.
1-0
◦ Pierre de Saint-Amant
• Howard Staunton
Match (13)
Paris
1843 1-0 D40
The unofficial world championship. The leading
player after Labourdonnais in France was the col-
orful Pierre St. Amant, who served was secre-
tary to the governor of French Guiana – until he
protested against the slave trade. Later he tried his
hand as an actor, then became a successful wine
merchant, and was a captain in the National Guard
during the 1948 revolution. In 1851 he became the
French consul to California eight years after the
Englishman Howard Staunton bested him in a se-
ries of memorable matches. On a visit to London
St. Amant defeated Staunton 3.5 - 2.5 for a stake of
one guinea. This led to a demand for a return match
just before Christmas in the same year, which was
won by Staunton 13-8, marking an end to French
chess supremacy. Here, in an almost symmetrical
position, White’s sway over the open e-file enables
him to launch a combination of unusual beauty.
Like so many other losers, however, St. Amant at
3
least had the satisfaction of winning the most bril-
liant game.
N
1.d4 e6 2.c4 d5 3.e3 Now considered too pas-
N N N
sive because it hems in the bishop on c1. 3... f6
4. c3 c5 5. f3 c6 6.a3 A slight loss of time,
B
but the principles of positional play were still
B
largely unknown in those days. 6... e7 7. d3
O–O 8.O–O b6 9.b3 b7 10.cxd5 exd5 Also
B B
playable is 10...Nxd5 but Black has no desire to
R
simplify. 11. b2 cxd4 12.exd4 d6 More perti-
R R R R R
nent is 12...Re8 to develop a fresh piece. 13. e1
a6 14. c1 c8 15. c2 c7 16. ce2 h6 Black
Q Q
could instead contest the file by 16...Re7 either
N N
here or on the next move. 17.h3 c8 18. d2
B N
d8 19.b4 e6 Walking into a pin. Preferable
is 19...b5. 20. f5 e4 Staunton later sug-
N
gested 20...Bf4 but Black’s game is already diffi-
cult. 21. xe4 dxe4 22.d5 Of course not 22.Bxe4?
Bxe4 23. Rxe4 Rc2 winning a piece. 22...exf3 The
R Q B
last chance is 22...Bf4 23. Qd1 exf3 24. Rxe6 Qd8.
R
23. xe6 d8 24. f6 Shattering the enemy king-
side. 24...gxf6 25. xd6 The spectators broke out
into enthusiastic applause. If 25...Qxd6 26. Qxh6
forces mate. 25... g7 Nowadays a master would
resign here since he only gets a rook in return for
R Q K Q K K
his queen. 26. xd8 xd8 27. e4 fxg2 28. f4
B K B R Q
c4 29. g4+ f8 30. h5 e7 31.d6+ xd6
32. xb7 c7 33. xa6 c3 34. b5 White’s
material superiority is just too great. Black resigns.
1-0
◦ Staunton, H.
• St. Amant, P.
Match (5)
Paris
1843 0-1 B21
Howard Staunton was born in 1810. After a brief
stint 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 memorable
matches. Because of his plodding style, Staunton’s
games are not very impressive. Today he is remem-
bered chiefly for having ducked Paul Morphy who
crossed the Atlantic to challenge him to a match.
Morphy described him as the author of a chess
N N Q
handbook and some "devilish bad games."
B B
1.e4 c5 2.f4 e6 3. f3 c6 4.c3 d5 5.e5 b6
B R N B K
Good alternativess are 5...f6 or d4. 6. d3 d7
7. c2 c8 8.O–O h6 9.h3 e7 10. h2 f5
11.a3 a5 12.a4 Makes little sense except to de-
N R N
velop the knight at a3. 12. d4 right away is
N N N B
better. 12... f7 13.d4 h6 14. e1 g6 15. a3
R B R
cxd4 16. xd4 xd4 17.cxd4 g5 18. b5 xb5
19.axb5 c4 Loss of time. 20. d3 c8 Not
 B R
N B N R
20...Rxd4? 21. Be3. 21. e2 gxf4 22. f1 Bet- London

R Q K Q B B
ter is 22. Bxf4 22... g5 23. xf4 e4 24. c1 1851 1-0 C33

R B B Q
xc1 25. xc1 d7 26. e3 g5 27. d3 One of Anderssen’s masterpieces, known as the

R
g8 28. xe4 dxe4 29. xg5 hxg5 30. b3 g4 "Immortal Game." Black neglects his develop-

Q Q
31. d1 Overly cautious. 31. Rxf5! offers draw- ment, and Anderssen offers both Rooks to show
ing chances. 31...gxh3 32. xh3 d8 "The lat- that two active pieces are worth a dozen sleeping

B Q K B
ter portion of this game is conducted with remark- at home.

K Q K Q N N Q N N Q N
able skill by both parties," commented Staunton. 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3. c4 h4+ 4. f1 b5 5. xb5

Q Q K R Q R R N Q Q
33.d5 c8 34. c3+ b8 35.d6 f4 36. c5 e3 f6 6. f3 h6 7.d3 h5 8. h4 g5 9. f5 c6

Q
37. c2 h4+ 38. g1 c8 39. e2 h8 White 10. g1 cxb5 11.g4 f6 12.h4 g6 13.h5 g5

N B Q N
Resigns. Clocks were not used in those days; the 14. f3 Now threatening to trap the Black Queen

B N Q B
game lasted 9 1/2 hours; today it would take be- with 15.Bxf4. 14... g8 15. xf4 f6 16. c3
tween four and five hours. c5 17. d5 xb2 18. d6 A brilliant move, the
0-1 main point of which is to divert the Black Queen
from the a1-h8 diagonal. Now Black cannot play

Q K B
18...Bxd6? 19.Nxd6+ Kd8 20.Nxf7+ Ke8 21.Nd6+
◦ F. A. Hoffmann
Kd8 22.Qf8++. 18... xa1+ 19. e2 xg1 And
• A. D. Petrov
N
not 19...Qxg1 20.Nxg7+ Kd8 21.Bc7++. 20.e5
Match
a6 More resistance could have been offered by
Warsaw
N K
20...Ba6, but White should still win after 21.Nc7+
1844 0-1 C54
Q N B
Kd8 22.Nxa6 Bb6 23.Qxa8. 21. xg7+ d8
The main feature of this ancient game is the simul-
22. f6+ xf6 23. e7# 1-0
taneous assault by White on f7 and Black on f2,
the weakest square on each side. Black’s maneu-
◦ Anderssen, A.
vers culminate in a magnificent queen sacrifice and
• Dufresne
N N B B N
a relentless king hunt.
?
N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. c4 c5 4.c3 f6 5.d4
Berlin
B
exd4 6.e5 Nowadays 6. cxd4 is preferred. 6... e4
1853 1-0 C52
More energetic is the counter-thrust 6...d5. 7. d5
White sacrifices a piece to open the central files
Looking for adventure, but violating principle by
against the uncastled Black King, and despite his
moving the same piece twice. Simply 7. cxd4 Bb4
seemingly adequate development and counterat-
N K K
8. Bd2 Nxd2 9. Nbxd2 would give White a peace-
tacking chances, Black comes out a tempo short
ful life. 7... xf2 8. xf2 dxc3+ 9. g3 Exposes
in one of the finest combinations on record, justly
B
the king to some danger. Safer is 9. Ke1. But not
N N B B
known as the "Evergreen Game."
N N
9. Be3 Bxe3 10. Kxe3 cxb2. 9...cxb2 10. xb2
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. c4 c5 4.b4 The Evans
e7 11. g5 Too eager to attack instead of think-
Gambit, in which White sacrifices a flank pawn
ing about his own safety. It’s time to consolidate
B B Q
for rapid development and a powerful center.
N N
with 11. h3 to give the king an escape square on
Q Q R N B
4... xb4 5.c3 a5 6.d4 exd4 7.O–O d3 8. b3
h2. 11... xd5 12. xf7 O–O Giving up an en-
f6 9.e5 g6 10. e1 ge7 11. a3 b5 Black
N
tire queen to control the f-file. White didn’t reckon
in turn gives up a pawn to complete his devel-
with this sacrifice! 13. xd8 There’s nothing bet-
opment, but White’s control of the center makes
ter. If 13. Nh6 gxh6 14. Qxd5 Rf7 15. Qxc5 Qg5
Q R Q B N B
it difficult for Black to coordinate his forces.
16. Kh3 d6 wins. Or 13. Qxd5 Rxf7 14. h3 Qg5
N Q B Q N
12. xb5 b8 13. a4 b6 14. bd2 b7
B K
15. Kh2 Qf4 16. g3 Qf2 17. Qg2 Qxg2 18. Kxg2
15. e4 f5 16. xd3 h5 17. f6+ A tempo-
N K N
Rf2 followed by Rxb2. 13... f2+ 14. h3 d6+
rary piece sacrifice to exploit the exposed position
N K
15.e6 f4+ 16. g4 xe6 Threatening mate in
of the Black King. But this is not without danger,
R K N K K R
two by 17...Rf4 and Rh4. 17.g3 xd8+ 18. h4
R R
as Black now obtains an open g-file for counter-
B
f4+ 19. g5 e6+ 20. h5 g6+ 21. h6 h4+
play. 17...gxf6 18.exf6 g8 19. ad1 Offering a
22.gxh4 e3# A pretty king hunt.
Q R N
second piece and far stronger than the defensive
0-1
19.Be4. 19... xf3 20. xe7+ xe7 Black cannot
escape with 20...Kd8, in view of 21.Rxd7+! Kc8
◦ Anderssen, A.
Q K B K
22.Rd8+ Kxd8 [or 22...Rxd8 23.gxf3] 23.Be2+,
• Kieseritsky
B K B
winning. 21. xd7+ xd7 22. f5+ e8
? 23. d7+ d8 24. xe7# 1-0

4
 A school teacher, later professor of mathemat-
ics, Adolph Anderssen had to fit this now-historic
◦ Paulsen, L. match into the Christmas holidays. In some cases,
• Morphy, P. two games were played in one day. This game
? and many others in the series give lie to the myth
New York that Anderssen was interested only in attacks on
1857 0-1 C48 the King. Here he answers a sharp assault on the
Paul Morphy competed in only one tournament in Sicilian - repeated by Fischer more than a century
his short career, the 1st American Chess Congress later - with equal energy. The result is a violent
in 1857. In the final round of this knock-out event,
N N N N
miniature.
he defeated German master Louis Paulsen by a
B B
1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3. f3 c6 4. xd4 e6 5. b5
score of +5, =2, -1. In this game, he demonstrates d6 6. f4 e5 7. e3 f5 So far, a modern line. An-
both his better grasp of positional play – Black’s
N
derssen’s move is adventurous and not easy to re-
control of the center files makes a marked contrast
N N K Q N
fute. 8. 1c3 f4 But Nf6 was surely more logi-
to White’s flailing on the flanks – and his combina-
B
cal. 9. d5 fxe3 10. bc7+ f7 11. f3+ f6
tive ability, as he finishes the game with a startling 12. c4 A wonderful attacking move, keeping op-
N N N N B B
and brilliant Queen sacrifice.
N
tions open and threatening a variety of things.
N R
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. c3 f6 4. b5 c5
N B K
12... d4 An aggressive try, instead of running
5.O–O O–O 6. xe5 e8 Rather than permit
Q K N
with 12...Kg6. 13. xf6+ d5 14. xd5+ g6
N
the "fork trick" 6...Nxe5 7.d4, Black sacrifices
K
15. h5+ xf6 16.fxe3 At last! 16... xc2+
B B
a Pawn for rapid development. 7. xc6 dxc6 17. e2 The Black King is now bare on the f-file.
8. c4 b5 9. e2 The seemingly more logical Black resigns.
9.Bb3 fails to 9...Bg4 10.Qe1 [or 10.Ne2 Rxe4 1-0
N N
winning the pinned Knight] 10...b4, and if 11.Na4

R B R
Rxe4 traps the White Queen. 9... xe4 10. xe4
xe4 11. f3 e6 12.c3 If White were able ◦ Morphy, P.
to follow up with d2-d4, this would be a good • Count Isouard
?
Q B
move, but he can’t. He should reconcile him-
Paris
Q B R R
self to 12.d3. 12... d3 13.b4 b6 14.a4 bxa4
15. xa4 d7 16. a2 ae8 Threatens mate 1858 1-0 C41
with 17...Qxf1+. White’s reply defends against Waiting for Anderssen to arrive from Breslau, Paul
this sacrifice, but allows another, which Paulsen Morphy enjoyed the delights of Paris - including
the Opera House. During The Marriage of Figaro
Q Q
can hardly be blamed for missing. Relatively
best was 17.Qd1 17. a6 xf3 18.gxf3 Morphy he entertains his hosts with this elegant brilliancy,

N B
took 12 minutes to decide on 17...Qxf3, an un- mating on the 17th move with his last two pieces!
usually long time for him. Paulsen, a notori- 1.e4 e5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 g4 Not yet in the Phili-

B
dor Defense! After a few forced moves White
R K
ously slow player, thought for over an hour be-

Q B N
gets a big jump in development. 4.dxe5 xf3
B R
fore capturing the Queen. 18... g6+ 19. h1

Q Q
h3 20. d1 Black threatened 20...Bg2+ 21.Kg1 5. xf3 dxe5 6. c4 f6 Seems natural, but Qe7

N B
Bxf3++, and 20.Rg1 fails to 20...Rxg1+ 21.Kxg1 was necessary, as this game shows. 7. b3 e7
Re1+. The key line, which Paulsen probably 8. c3 Development, not material! 8...c6 9. g5

N B N
missed at move 17, is 20.Qd3 [hoping to return the b5 Far too optimistic, given the congestion of the

R R
black pieces. 10. xb5 cxb5 11. xb5+ bd7
B K B K B
Queen with 20...Qxg6] 20...f5!, and White is help-

R R Q
12.O–O–O d8 13. xd7 Removing another de-
K B K B Q B
less. 20... g2+ 21. g1 xf3+ 22. f1 g2+
fender. 13... xd7 14. d1 e6 Air at last - but
R R R R B
23. g1 h3+ 24. h1 xf2 25. f1 xf1 26.

B N Q N R
xf1 e2 27. a1 h6 28.d4 e3 White Re- now Morphy shows how simple a mate can be.
signs. 15. xd7+ xd7 16. b8+ xb8 17. d8# 1-0
0-1
◦ Henry Bird
◦ Morphy, P. • Paul Morphy
• Anderssen, A. London
? England
9th Match Game, Paris 1858 0-1 C41
1858 1-0 B44 In olden times the object was to win with beautiful

5
strokes, and fans often felt cheated when good de- ner should not be confused with La Bourdonnais’

N N B B B
fense frustrated a brilliancy. Morphy was the father opponent, Alexander McDonnell.

N N B
of positional play, and his style was the antithesis 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. c4 c5 4.b4 b6

N N N N B
of romanticism. Instead of going for the quick kill, 5.O–O d6 6.h3 f6 7.d3 O–O 8. c3 h6 9. e3

B N Q
he brought out all his pieces as rapidly as possible. xb4 10. e2 c6 11. g3 d5 12. b5 dxe4

B N Q N
But close scrutiny of his 400 recorded games re- 13. xc6 bxc6 14. xe5 exd3 15. cxd3 e8

Q K R R Q R
veals that many of his combinations were flawed. 16. xb6 axb6 17.f4 d5 18. h5 f6 19. g6

Q
Here, a pawn ahead with a routine win in sight, he e3+ 20. h2 d8 21. fe1 xd3 22. ad1

N
embarks on a celebrated sacrifice that needlessly c2 The black Queen’s foraging expedition has

allowed Bird drawing chances.
N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 d6 Philidor’s Defense – even though
there are no recorded games showing that Philidor
ever played it! 3.d4 f5 Philidor’s Counter Attack
K Q B
left Black far behind in development. 23. e7+
h8 24. f7 xh3 Black clears the back rank
with gain of tempo in order to answer the threat
of Ng3-h5 with Rd8-g8. On other moves, say

R Q
is rarely seen nowdays because its considered too 24...Bb7, White’s point is 25.Rxd5 cxd5 26.Nh5

N R N R R
Rg8 27.Ng6+ Kh7 28.Nxf6++. 25. e2 xd1
N N N
risky. The strongest reply is 4. Bc4 fxe4 5. Nxe5!
26. h5 g8 27. xg8 xg8 28. e8 Black re-
N
4. c3 fxe4 5. xe4 d5 6. g3 Sharper is 6. Nxe5
signs.
N
dxe4 7. Qh5 g6 8. Nxg6 Nf6 9. Qe5. 6...e4 7. e5
1-0
B B N
f6 Black is out of danger and getting ready

Q Q
to castle. 8. g5 d6 9. h5 Too many knight
moves. Better is 9. f3. 9...O–O 10. d2 e8 ◦ Johannes Zukertort
11.g4 A better fight is 11. Nxf6 gxf6 12. Bxf6! • Adolf Anderssen
Rxf6 13. Qg5 Rg6 14. Nxg6 hxg6 15. Qxd5. The Match (9)

N N Q N
text simply gives up a pawn without sufficient com- Breslau

N B Q N B R
pensation. 11... xg4 12. xg4 xh5 13. e5 1865 1-0 C60

R
c6 14. e2 h3 15. xc6 bxc6 16. e3 b8 After Zukertort lost two title matches to Steinitz,
17. O–O–O xf2 A memorable conception – but a critic ascribed these setbacks to the fact that he

B Q Q Q K
it should yield only a draw against best defense. "was not yet Zukertort in 1872" (the first time)

Q K
18. xf2 a3 19.c3 xa2 20.b4 a1+ 21. c2 and "was no longer Zukertort in 1886" (the second
a4+ 22. b2 22. Kc1! would force Black to time). Here he thrashes his teacher Anderssen (of-

B
take a draw by perpetual check since 22... Bxb4? ten considered the world’s best player when Mor-

R Q Q K
loses to 23. cxb4 Rxb4 24. Qg5! 22... xb4 phy retired) after dropping the first three games.
23.cxb4 xb4+ 24. xb4 xb4+ 25. c2 More This one proved to be the turning point of the
suicidal tendencies. Black seems to have noth- match, and it shows how notions of beauty change.

B
ing better than perpetual check against 25. Ka2. Wild sacrifices that were applauded a century ago
25...e3 26. xe3 Also hopeless is 26. Be1 Bf5 27. usually fail today against ruthlessly precise de-

B R
Bd3 Qa4 28. Kc1 Qa1 29. Kc2 Bxd3 30. Rxd3 fense; yet Anderssen was caught off guard, suc-

Q K Q K
Qa2 31. Kc1 Qg2. 26... f5+ 27. d3 Futile is cumbed in a mere dozen moves, then lost the next

Q
27. Bd3 Qc4. 27... c4+ 28. d2 a2+ 29. d1
N N B N
five games.
b1+ Black now prevails on 30. Kd2 Qxh1 31. 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 ge7 The so-called
Ra3 Qxh2. The art of defense was in such a back-
B N
Cozio Defense to the Ruy Lopez is seldom seen
ward state that inferior tactics often succeeded in today. 4.c3 d6 5.d4 d7 6.O–O g6 The main
those days. White resigns.
N
problem with this setup is that it takes several
0-1 moves before Black can safely castle. 7. g5 h6

N K B K
Virtually inviting White to sacrifice on f7. Safer is
7...Be7 8 Qh5 exd4. 8. xf7 xf7 9. c4+ e7
◦ MacDonnell, G. A.
Q Q
A much tougher defense is 9...Ke8 10. Qh5 Nce7
• Boden (or Qf6). 10. h5 e8 The same fate awaits Black
? on 10...Be8 11. Bg5! hxg5 12. Qxg5 Kd7 13. Qf5
London Ke7 24. Qe6 mate. The only way to stave off mate
1861 1-0 C51
Q B
is 10...d5 in order to create an escape square for
Once dubbed the "Koh-i-Noor" of chess, this game the king at d6. 11. g5+ hxg5 12. xg5# Thus the
is quite typical of the period – a slashing attack ap- student surpassed his teacher. Black resigns.
pears out of nowhere, for defensive technique was 1-0
little understood even by the best players. The win-

6
◦ Anderssen, A. N K Q K
N K B K K
15...f5 16. xd6 fxe4+ 17. c4 xd5+ 18. xd5
• Steinitz, W.
N K R K B
f6+ 19. c4 e6+ 20. b5 a6+ 21. a4 b5+

K N
? 22. xb5 axb5+ 23. xb5 a5+ 24. xc6 d5+
13th Match Game, London 25. d6 e8# 0-1
1866 0-1 C65
In a see-saw match a new force emerges in the per-
◦ Carl Hamppe
son of Wilhelm Steinitz. In this decisive game,
• Philipp Meitner
the younger man launches a "pawn roller" against
Vienna
White’s King, while the man famous for the "Im-
Austria
mortal" and "Evergreen" games pursues a posi-
1872 1/2-1/2 C25
tional attack on the Queenside. The White King
There seems to be a deep-rooted prejudice against
N N B N B
runs, but can’t hide.
draws, and complaints are frequently heard about
N B B
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 f6 4.d3 d6 5. xc6+
uninspired draws in modern master competition.
B R N R
bxc6 6.h3 g6 7. c3 g7 8.O–O O–O 9. g5 h6
But if neither side makes a mistake, splitting the
R
10. e3 c5 11. b1 e8 12.b4 cxb4 13. xb4
point is a logical result. Chess literature abounds in
BR Q
c5 14. a4 The Rook seems aggressive but is
draws far more exciting than many a decisive out-
K Q R Q Q
out of play. 14... d7 15. a3 f5 16. b1
come. Here the sheer logic of the situation forced
R R K B Q
h8 17. b7 a5 18. b1 a4 19. d5 c8
the spirited combatants to make peace in a mere 18
Q R N K N K
20. b6 a7 21. h2 f4 22. d2 g5 23. c4
moves! The Golden Treasury of Chess dubbed it
N Q
d8 24. b1 f6 25. g1 h7 26. f1 h5
"perhaps the most extraordinary game ever played"
27. g1 g4 28.hxg4 hxg4 29.f3 h4 As usual
– not the least of its virtues is the incredible jour-
N
in such positions, everything seems defended but
ney undertaken by White’s king deep into enemy
N B Q N
the cramped defender runs out of moves. 30. d1
N B N B
terrain.
B N
g5 31. e1 h2 32.d4 gxf3 33.gxf3 h3 Go-
1.e4 e5 2. c3 c5 3. a4 xf2+ To exploit
Q K
ing after bigger stakes. 34. f2 xg1 35.dxc5
K Q
the awkward knight on the rim. More prudent is
N R Q
h3+ 36. e1 The King would be soon mated af-
K Q
3...Be7. 4. xf2 h4+ The point is that on 5.
N
ter 36. Kxg1 Rg8. 36... xf3+ 37. xf3 xf3
K K Q K N
g3 Qxe4 attacks both a4 and h1. 5. e3 f4+
B R N
38. c3 White is a full Rook down - but there’s al-
6. d3 d5 7. c3 xe4 8. b3 a6 9.a3 To
R Q Q K R
ways the h file! 38...dxc5 39. xc5 c7 40. d5
Q K N
prevent 9...Qb4 mate. Another possibility is 9.
N Q
xc5 Enough! 41. xc5 xe4+ 42. f2 c8
K K N
d4. 9... xa4+ A thunderbolt! 10. xa4 c5+
43. c7 e3+ White resigns.
B K B
11. b4 a5+ 12. xc5 e7 Threatening 13...b6
0-1
K N K
14. kb5 Bd7 mate. 13. b5+ d8 14. c6 b6+

B K
15. b5 xc6 16. xc6 But not 16. c3? Nd4 17.
◦ Matchego
cxd4 Bd7 mate. 16... b7+ 17. b5 How many
• Falkbeer
pieces can Black give away? This bishop can’t
?
B K
be accepted in view of 17. Kxb7? Kd7 18. Qg4
London
Kd6 followed by Rhb8 mate. 17... a6+ 18. c6
1869 0-1 C39
B
Again best. If 18. Ka4? Bc4 followed by b5 mate.
In playing over these games, it is best not to ask too
18... b7+ Draw by repetition on 19. Kb5 Ba6.
many questions about the defenders’ play – the gap
A fitting conclusion to one of the most remarkable
in strength between master and amateur was often
king hunts in chess history.
enormous. Relax and enjoy the tragicomic plight
of the White King, as he is driven across the board 1/2-1/2

N N N
and mated with his pieces still at home.
◦ Bird, H.
N
1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3. f3 g5 4.h4 g4 5. e5 f6
6. c3 White’s set up (known as the Kieseritsky • Mason
Gambit) is acceptable – he can recover either the ?

N B
g5 or f5 pawn – but he should now play 6.d4, New York

N B B K Q K
to answer 6...d6 with 7.Nd3. 6...d6 7. c4 e7 1876 1-0 C01

N B N B N
8.d4 h5 9. e2 xh4+ 10. d2 g5 11. d3 This brilliancy-prize game by Henry Edward Bird,

K N
c6 12.a3 f2 13. d5 xd4 14. xc7+ one of England’s premier players for half a century,
d8 15. d5 15.Nxa8 is no worse than the game, features a speculative queen sacrifice with the un-
but it runs into something like 15...d5 16.exd5 usual combination of two rooks and knights against
Bf5+ 17. Kd2 f3+ 18.Ke1 f2+ 19.Kf1 Ng3++. queen, rook and knight. A delight!

7
 N N N B
B B R N N R B N B
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 f6 4.exd5 exd5 5. f3 22. xc4 h5 Weakens the kingside. Better is

B B N B N N
d6 6. d3 O–O 7.O–O h6 8. e1 c6 9. b5 22...Be7. 23. h4 b5 24. b3 e6 25. f6

Q B R
b4 10.c3 a5 11. a3 g4 12. c2 The con- f4+ Loses. The last hope was 25...Be7 26. Bxe6

Q B B N R R
tinuing fight for good squares for the pieces. Bxf6 27. Bxd7 Qxd7. 26. xf4 xf4 27. xh5

N B N Q
12... d7 13.b4 b6 14.h3 h5 15. e3 fe8 gxh5 28. xh5 Black Resigns. Mate can’t be

B N
16.b5 e7 17.g4 g6 18. e5 c8 19.a4 c6 averted on h8.
20.bxc6 bxc6 21. a3 e4 Black seeks ex- 1-0

Q N B R B
changes, but in this case White’s position grows

Q N K N Q
stronger. 22. c2 g5 23. xe7 xe7 24. xg6
◦ Chigorin, M.
N
fxg6 25. xg6 xh3+ 26. h2 f4 27. f5
• Zukertort, J.
e6 The exchange of Queens would have left
London International (1)
N Q B R
Black with a poor endgame, but now there’s
England
R
worse... 28. g2 c7 29.a5 xa5 30. xa5
1883 0-1 C67
R
f8 If 30...Qxa5 31. Ng6! (not 31. Nxc6
This event featured the introduction of the double-
R
Qc7+). 31. a6 A marvelous conception, espe-
faced clock now standardized in tournament play.
N N Q N R
cially since 31. Qc2 is safe. 31... xf5 32.gxf5
Russia’s Mikhail Chigorin finished fourth in a field
N
d8 33. f4 c8 34. fg6 e8 Prove It! says
of 14 after biting the dust in the first round against
Black: 35. xc6 And he does. Yet the combination
Johannes Zukertort, who won with 22-4 – three
is by no means clear: 35...Nxc6 36. Rxe8+ Qxe8
points ahead of future world champion Wilhelm
Q N
37. Rxc6 keeps Rook & Knight for the Queen,
Steinitz. Here White erred by relinquishing the
Q R Q K Q
but White is hardly a winner. 35... c7+ 36. ce5
two bishops too soon and is punished by a sprightly
R N R N N K
xc3 37. e3 d2 38. g2 xd4 39.f6 gxf6
N N B N N
combination.
N Q K
40. xf6 e6 41. g3 g5 42. g4 g7
B N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 f6 4.O–O xe4
43. f4 e4+ 44. h2 White has too many forks
B
5.d4 e7 6.d5 Today 6. Re1 is preferred. 6... d6
N N K R
and pins for Black to handle - otherwise, the end-
7. xc6 It’s better to retreat with 7. Ba4 but Chig-
Q N R K N Q
ing is Black’s. 44... h7 45. h5+ h8 46. xh6
orin was known for preferring knights over bish-
N
c2 47. hf6 e7 48. g2 d4 49. e5 c8
B B N
ops. 7...dxc6 8.dxc6 f6 Preserving the central
50. g6+ A rollicking good game! Black resigns.
N Q N B
pawn mass. 9.cxb7 xb7 10. e3 O–O 11. bd2
1-0
N Q
f7 12. e2 f5 13. b3 f4 14. c5 e4 The pawns

Q R B
advance like molten lava. 15. fd4 f3 16. b5
◦ Blackburne, J.
Q N
c8 17. fd1 a6 To stop the queen from get-
• Schwarz, A.
ting back to f1. 18. a4 g5 Tearing White’s
Berlin
kingside apart due to the double threat of Nh3+ or
Germany
N R
Qg4. Premature would be 18...Qg4? 19. Nxf3!
1881 1-0 C01
19. xf3 exf3 20. d7 Equally inadequate is 20.
Joseph Henry Blackburne was a chess professional
R N K N K
Bxe7 Nh3+. Now a king hunt begins in earest.
all his life and the greatest player England pro-
Q K B K N K
20...fxg2 21. xe7 h3+ 22. xg2 f4+ 23. f3
duced in the 19th century. Here is his most bril-
R N N K
h3+ 24. e4 b7+ 25. d4 e6+ 26. c4
liant game at his finest triumph in Berlin where he
Q K R
f4+ 27. d4 xc5 28. xc5 Also futile is 28.
finished first ahead of Zukertort and every leading
Re8+ Kf7. 28... h5+ 29. c4 xd4+ White Re-
master with the exception of Steinitz, who did not
signs. His queen falls after 30. Kxd4 Qg4+.
N N
participate.
0-1
N
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 f6 4.exd5 Considered too

B B N
tame today. 4. Bg5 is preferred. 4...exd5 5. f3
◦ Zukertort
B N
d6 6. d3 c6 7.O–O O–O 8. e2 White could
• Blackburne
Q B N Q R R
first take the precaution of 8. h3. 8... g4 9. g3

N Q B N B
c7 10. e3 bd7 11. d2 fe8 12. ae1 ?

K
e4 13. c1 xf3 14.gxf3 xg3 15.hxg3 xg3 London

B R N R
16. g2 16. fxg3 Qxg3+ leads to a draw by per- 1883 1-0 A13

R R B R
petual check. 16... d6 17. h1 f8 18. h3 g6
19. eh1 ad8 20. g5 d7 21.c4 "White’s de-
sign from this move in combination with the bril-
liant finish belongs to the finest efforts of chess
genius in modern play," wrote Steinitz. 21...dxc4
A striking combination by Zukertort, perhaps the
last of the "old school" masters. After his defeat
by Steinitz in 1886, it became clear that Steinitz’s
positional theories had brought a new aspect to the
game.

8
 N N B B Bxf4+ 34.Qxf4 Qh1+ 35.Kg3 Qg1+ White Re-
B N N B
1.c4 e6 2.e3 f6 3. f3 b6 4. e2 b7 5.O–O

Q N N N N N
d5 6.d4 d6 7. c3 O–O 8.b3 bd7 9. b2 signs.

N Q B B
e7 10. b5 e4 11. xd6 cxd6 12. d2 df6 0-1

R R R R N
13.f3 xd2 14. xd2 dxc4 15. xc4 d5 16. d3
◦ Blackburne, H.
R N N B
fc8 17. ae1 c7 18.e4 ac8 19.e5 e8 20.f4
• Lipschutz
R K
g6 21. e3 f5 22.exf6 xf6 23.f5 e4 24. xe4
dxe4 25.fxg6 c2 26.gxh7+ h8 27.d5+ e5 Now ?
it seems that White must lose a piece, but the active New York
White Rooks, the exposed position of the Black 1889 1-0 D55

Q
King, and the strong Bishop on b2 provide the White allows his opponent to obtain two passed

R
basis for an "overloading" combination. 28. b4 pawns on the Queenside in exchange for posting
8c5 On 28...Qxb4 29.Bxe5+ Kxh7 30.Rf7+ a Rook on the seventh rank. The game was ad-
Black will soon be mated. A typical variation is journed at move 31, and not only Lipschutz, but

R
30...Kg6 31.Rf6+ Kh5 32.Rh3+ Kg5 33.Rg3+ Kh5 the spectators – including Steinitz – were certain

K Q K B K B
34.Rf5+ Kh6 35.Bf4+ Kh7 36.Rh5++. 29. f8+ that Black must win. The combination initiated by

N N N B
xh7 30. xe4+ g7 31. xe5+ xf8 32. g7+ White’s 32nd move brought a rude awakening.

B B R N B
Black Resigns. 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. c3 f6 4. f3 b6 5. g5

N
1-0 e7 6.e3 b7 7. c1 bd7 8.cxd5 exd5 9. d3
O–O 10.O–O e4 Black has completed his de-
velopment without difficulty (White should have
◦ Zukertort, J. tried to exploit the weakened c6 square with some
• Steinitz, W. combination of Qa4, Bb5 and Ne5), and he now
?
B Q R
begins to take the initiative, occupying his out-
7th Match Game, New York
B N N Q Q
post on e4. 11. f4 c5 12. e2 f5 13. fd1 c4
1886 0-1 E57
B R Q
14. xe4 fxe4 15. e5 f6 16.g4 e8 17. f1
The first match recognized as a World Champi- d6 18.h3 d8 19. g2 b5 Black has a space
onship contest began badly for Steinitz. Then he advantage and chances to create a passed pawn on
settled down into a positional game that has ever
N N N
the Queenside, so White must try to stir some-
since been his hallmark. The battle here, and
N R N B N R
thing up on the g-file. 20. e2 b4 21. g3 d7
in innumerable Queen’s Gambits since, has been
R K R B Q
22. xd7 xd7 23. e2 xf4 24. xf4 df7
over the strength or weakness of the isolated queen
Q Q R
25.g5 f5 26. h1 a5 27. g1 c8 28. g3
pawn, and, later, the "hanging pawns" in the cen-
R
a4 29.b3 cxb3 30.axb3 xb3 31. c7 a4 32.g6
ter.
N N N
h6 33. xg7+ Amazingly, White now has a win-

N B B K
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. c3 f6 4.e3 c5 5. f3 ning attack. If 33...Kh8 34.Rh7+ Kg8 35.g7 Rg5

B B Q R R Q N R Q K Q
c6 6.a3 dxc4 7. xc4 cxd4 8.exd4 e7 9.O–O 36.gxf8Q+ Kxf8 37.Ne6+ and wins. 33... xg7

B R R B B Q
O–O 10. e3 d7 11. d3 c8 12. ac1 a5 34. h5+ xh5 35. c7+ f6 36. d6+ Black

B R B B N
13. a2 fd8 14. fe1 e8 15. b1 g6 16. e2 Resigns.
f8 17. ed1 g7 18. a2 e7 White has failed 1-0
to solve the problem of the isolated queen pawn,
◦ Chigorin, M.
Q Q
defending it passively, and now tries to set up
• Pollock
B N
the flimsy combination 20. Nd5: 19. d2 a6
20. g5 f5 21.g4 21. Qe1, recommended by ?
Lasker, would hold the queen pawn because of New York

N N
the threat of Bxe6. The desperate text move pro- 1889 1-0 C51

N R Q R N
vokes a simple combination. 21... xd4 22. xd4 Though he demonstrated many ideas well ahead of

R R B Q
e5 23. d5 xc1 24. xc1 exd4 25. xd4 xd5 his time, Chigorin was best known in his own era
26. xd5 xd5 27. xd5 e2 28.h3 h6 White as a fierce attacker. Here he makes good use of one

B N N B B B
saves himself after 28 ... Bxb2 29. Qc8 Qd1+ 30 of his favorite weapons, the Evans Gambit.

B B N
Kh2 Be5+ 31. f4 Qd2+ 32. Kg3. 29. c4 The 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. c4 c5 4.b4 xb4 5.c3

N
Queen and two Bishop ending is treacherous, but c5 6.O–O d6 7.d4 exd4 8.cxd4 b6 9. c3

Q Q Q K B
after 29. Be3 Bxb2 30. Qb1 Kh2 31. Bxb7 it’s still a5 At the time a popular defense in this "Nor-

B B
a game. 29... f3 30. e3 d1+ 31. h2 c6 mal Position" of the Evans, but later it was re-
32. e7 e5+ Finally, the rub. If 32. Qxe5 White alized that, while eliminating the Bc4 was desir-
is mated by 32...Qh1+ and 33...Qg2+, etc. 33.f4 able in principle, Black in his undeveloped state

9
 B B Q K Q K Q R
N Q K Q B B Q Q
could not afford the time lost. 10. g5 f6 11. f4 32. h8+ e7 33. g7+ xe6 34. xb7 d6

N Q N B N B
xc4 12. a4+ f7 13. xc4+ e6 14.d5 d7 35. xa6 d4 36.exd4 cxd4 37.h4 d3 38. xd3

Q Q N R N R
15. e2 e8 16.a4 e7 17. e3 g6 18. xb6 Black Resigns.

R Q R N N Q
cxb6 19. b4 e7 20. g3 ac8 21. d4 c5 1-0

B K
22.f4 hc8 23. d2 c4 24. e6 h4 25. d1
xe6 26.dxe6+ g8 Black has eliminated the in-
◦ Steinitz, W.
trusive Knight at e6, but the pawn that replaces
• Chigorin, M.
Q N N Q K
it is at least as annoying. He should have played
?
R Q K R
23...Nf8. 27. g4 g6 28. f5 c7 29.e7 f7
4th Match Game, Havana
30. ad1 c5+ 31. h1 c6 32.e5 With all the
1892 1-0 C65
Black pieces tied down – the Knight must shield
Their first match here in 1889 was the bloodiest
the g7 pawn, and the Queen and Rook are tied
in world championship history: a single draw out
to the defense of the d6 pawn – White opens
of 17 games! The second time around, there were
lines to the Black King with this pawn advance.
still only five draws in 23 games, but the champion
32...fxe5 No better is 32...dxe5 – 33.Rd8 (threat-
retained his title only by slugging it out with the
N
ening e8Q+) Nxe7 34.Qxg7+ Ke6 35.Nxe7, and
N N B N
ferocious Russian.
R R Q K Q
there is no good defense to f4-f5 mate. 33. xd6+
N B N B N N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 f6 4.d3 d6 5.c3 g6
K
xd6 34.fxe5+ f6 35.e8= + xe8 36. d7+
N B N
6. bd2 g7 7. f1 O–O 8. a4 d7 9. e3
f8 37.exf6 Black Resigns.
c5 10. c2 e6 Typical maneuvering to hold
1-0
N
the center, but Steinitz now attacks the King-

N N Q B Q Q
side. 11.h4 e7 12.h5 d5 13.hxg6 fxg6 14.exd5
◦ Lasker, Em.
B B K R Q
xd5 15. xd5 xd5 16. b3 c6 17. e2
• Bauer
d7 18. e3 h8 19.O–O–O ae8 20. f1 a5
?
N B
21.d4 Now the long-delayed opening of the center.
Amsterdam
21...exd4 22. xd4 xd4 White’s 20th move pre-
1889 1-0 A03
R N R
vents 22...Nxd4: 23. Rxh7+ Kxh7 and 24. Qh1+
An early example of the double-Bishop sacrifice,
K Q K B K Q
with mate to follow: 23. xd4 xd4 24. xh7+
the "chess mill" theme, and the skill of the then-
K Q K Q
xh7 25. h1+ g7 26. h6+ f6 27. h4+
young Emanuel Lasker, who only five years later
e5 28. xd4+ f5 29. f4# 1-0
would challenge Steinitz for the World Champi-

N N B B
onship.
1.f4 d5 2. f3 e6 3.e3 f6 4.b3 e7 5. b2 ◦ Siegbert Tarrasch
b6 The flank development of his Queen Bishop • George Marco
fits in well with White’s central formation, but Dresden
Black’s play is rather obliging – he ought to have Germany

B B N
tried either for an early e6-e5, or ...c7-c5 fol- 1892 1-0 C66

N N N Q N
lowed by ...d5-d4. 6. d3 b7 7. c3 O–O For many years Tarrasch was considered Lasker’s

N B Q Q N N
8.O–O bd7 9. e2 c5 10. g3 c7 11. e5 strongest contender for the crown. He was the

B
xe5 12. xe5 c6 13. e2 a6 14. h5 xh5 chess teacher to world, and his books have stood
15. xh7+ A bolt from a rather stormy sky. The the test of time. Here he shows the latent power in
key factors of the combination are a) the possi- the Ruy Lopez and springs one of the deepest traps

N N B B
bility of quickly bringing a Rook into the attack found in opening theory.
(19.Rf3), and b) the presence of undefended Black 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 d6 4.d4 d7 5.O–O

K Q
pieces, giving the White Queen the chance for The attempt to win a pawn backfires after 5. Bxc6

K B K Q K R
a double attack (22.Qd7). 15... xh7 16. xh5+ Bxc6 6. dxe5 dxe5 7. Qxd8 Rxd8 8. Nxe5

R Q R K Q
g8 17. xg7 xg7 18. g4+ h7 19. f3 e5 Bxe4. Another approach is the Showalter Attack

N
20. h3+ h6 21. xh6+ xh6 22. d7 If it 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. Bxc6 Bxc6 7. Qd3 defend-

N B R
were not for this sting at the end of the combi- ing e4 and preparing to castle queenside. 5... f6
nation, Black would have quite enough material 6. c3 e7 7. e1 O–O This careless move costs

B Q B B
for his Queen. Now White has a decisive mate- a pawn. After 6...exd4 7. Nxd4 O-O Black is

K R R Q R Q Q R N B N N
rial and positional advantage. 22... f6 23. xb7 cramped but solid. 8. xc6 xc6 9.dxe5 dxe5

K B N
g7 24. f1 ab8 25. d7 fd8 26. g4+ 10. xd8 axd8 11. xe5 xe4 12. xe4 xe4

R Q R B Q K
f8 27.fxe5 g7 Not 27...Bxe5 28.Qe6 28.e6 13. d3 Of course not 13. Rxe4? Rd1 mates.
b7 29. g6 f6 30. xf6+ xf6 31. xf6+ e8 Now the pin on the e-file is fatal. 13...f5 14.f3

10
Bc5+ 15.Nxc5 But not 15. Kf1 Bb6 16. fxe4 0-1

ing the piece. 15...Nxc5 16.Bg5 Rd5 17.Be7

fxe4 (with check!) 17. Nf4 e3 18. g3 g5 regain-
◦ Emanuel Lasker
Re8 18.c4 The final point: White holds the extra • Wilhelm Steinitz
piece after 18...Nd3 19. cxd5 Nxe1 20. Rxe1 Kf7 World Championship Match (13)
21. Bb4. Anything else also costs Black material. Montreal
Black Resigns. 1894 0-1 C68
1-0 Although Lasker won the title by 12-7, the old
lion showed his teeth in this game by demonstrat-
◦ Chigorin, M. ing that the absence of queens does not necessarily
• Tarrasch, S. diminish the action. With singleness of purpose,
Match (4) Steinitz sacrifices a pawn to break up the hostile
St. Petersburg pawn mass and dominate the open d-file. Notewor-
1893 0-1 C00 thy is the superiority of the bishop over a knight in

N N B B
By WWI anybody who read chess books under- the ensuing endgame.

Q Q N
stood the principles of chess either directly or in- 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. xc6 dxc6
directly because of Tarrasch’s untiring efforts. His 5.d4 exd4 6. xd4 xd4 7. xd4 c5 More ac-
gospel was attack, but this game demonstrates that curate is 7...Bd7! to meet 8. Bf4 with O-O-

N B N
he was also capable of producing defensive mas- O. For 7...Bd6 see Lasker-Capablanca, St. Pe-

Q N N
terpieces. tersburg 1914. 8. e2 d7 9. bc3 Instead

B B
1.e4 e6 2. e2 c5 3.g3 c6 4. f3 White is aim- of this routine developing move 9. b3! poses

N B N R
ing for what is known today as a reverse King’s Black more problems 9...O–O–O 10. f4 c6

B B N N N N N N
Indian formation. A good alternative is 4. f4. 11.O–O f6 12.f3 e7 13. g3 g6 14. fe1

B B R
4... e7 5. g2 d5 6.d3 f6 7.O–O O–O 8. c3 d7 15. d1 b6 16. f1 All this regrouping

N N R B R
a6 9. g5 h6 10. f4 b5 11. fe1 d4 More logical behind the lines demonstrates that White lacks a

K R R B N N
is 11...Bb7 to keep the center fluid. 12. d1 d7 good plan. 16... d7 17. e3 hd8 18.b3 c4 This

N B N N B
13. h1 e8 14. g1 e5 15. d2 f8 16. e1 pawn sacrifice eliminates Black’s only weakness

B B K R
e6 17.f4 b7 18.f5 g5 19. f2 Tarrasch sug- and wrecks White’s queenside pawns. 19. xb6

R Q N N B R N
gested 19. h4 Nh7 20. Nf3 striving for g4-5. cxb6 20.bxc4 b4 21.c3 c5+ 22. h1 d3
19... c8 20. h5 h7 21. f3 c4 22. f1 cxd3 23. c1 a5 24. de3 f5 25. exf5 Leads to trouble

N B B
The first capture. Both sides now proceed to attack by opening lines for the two bishops. Necessary

N K B B Q N
on opposite wings. 23.cxd3 g5 24. xg5 xg5 is 25. Nd5 right away. 25...gxf5 26.h3 Perhaps

N R
25. g4 f8 26. e2 f6 27.h4 d6 28. fh2 Lasker intended 26. Nxf5 Rxf3! 27. Ne7 Bxe7

R
e7 29. af1 Stronger is 29. Nxf6 Qxf6 27. Raf1 28. gxf3 but saw too late that Bxf3 29. Kg1 Bc5

N B
(threatening Ng4 which would immediately would 30. Ne3 Rd2 is crushing. 26... g8 In addition

R B R N B Q
be refuted by 27.Ng4? Qxf5! 29... g8 30. d1 to oblique pressure on the h1-a8 diagonal, Black

N B B
c7 31. b3 ec8 32. f2 d8 33. e2 a5 now exerts vertical pressure on the g-file. Again if

N B R R
34. f3 a4 35. d1 c6 "The beginning of a fine 27. Nxf5? Rxf3! 28. gxf3 Bxf3 29. Kh2 Bg1

R R
maneuver which makes it possible for the Rooks mate. 27. d5 xd5 28.cxd5 xd5 29. ed1

N B Q B B N
to penetrate to the 7th rank" – Tarrasch. 36.g4 xd1 30. xd1 f4 This pawn paralyzes the ad-

B N R Q Q K
f6 37. h3 e8 38. h2 f7 39.a3 b3 40. f2 verse knight as well as White’s kingside pawns.

N R R N R K K B K
xd1 41. xd1 c2 42. g3 b4 43.axb4 a6 If now 30. Nh2 h5; or 30. Nd2 Rd8. 31. h2

Q R R B
44. f2 xb2 45.g5 hxg5 46.hxg5 cc2 47. g4 e8 32.a4 c7 33.h4 c6 34.c4 b4 35. h3
d6 48.gxf6 The winning maneuver is 48. Qh3! e1 36. xe1 xe1 Masterly liquidation. Black

B Q K K K K K
Qc7 49. Qh8! Qf7 50. Ra1! Rxb4 51. gxf6 gxf6 holds all the trumps with the more active bishop

N Q R
52. Nh4! 48... xf6 49. h3 a3 The best defense and king. 37. g4 c5 38. xf4 xc4 39. e4

R B B N
is to ignore the attack! 50. xf6 xf6 51. g6 a2 Also hopeless is 39. h5 b5 40. axb5 a4 and the

K K K K K K
52. xf6+ The losing move. White has at least a pawn queens. 39... xh4 40.g3 d8 41. e3+

R R Q K N K N
draw with 52. Ng5! Ke7 53. Rxf6 gxf6 54. Qh7+ b4 42. d3 xa4 43. c2 b4 44.f4 c5

R N R Q R Q N K N K B
Kd6 55. Qxg8. 52...gxf6 53. d1 b1 54. f1 45.f5 d6 46.g4 b5 47. d1 e5 48. c3 b4

R K R Q R K N K K K K
cb2 55. d2 xd1 56. xd1 xd2 57. c1 49. a4 d4 50. b2 b5 51. b3 e7 52.g5 a4+

Q R
xd3 58. g2 c3 59. a1 c2+ 60. f3 d3 53. xa4 bxa4+ 54. xa4 e5 55. b3 xf5

Q
61. d1 Or 61. Ke3 d2 62. Ke2 Rc1. 61... b2 White Resigns.
62. a4 d2 White Resigns. A titanic tussle. 0-1

11
 prived the world of one of its greatest players.
Among other things, Pillsbury showed the worth of
◦ Lasker, Em. the Queen’s Gambit in an era when anything other
• Steinitz, W. than 1.e4 e5 was often dubbed "Irregular."
? N N B B N
N R B
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. c3 f6 4. g5 e7 5. f3
7th Match Game, New York
B R
bd7 6. c1 O–O 7.e3 b6 8.cxd5 exd5 9. d3
1894 1-0 C62 b7 10.O–O c5 11. e1 c4 At the time it was
Lasker comes to the New World and seizes the thought that Black’s Queenside pawn majority
championship. This game, famous for the deadly should give him the advantage – given time,
error on move 34 by Black, began a run of five he will advance his b and c pawns and cre-
straight wins by Lasker in his inimitable style of ate a passed pawn on the c-file. But Pillsbury
N N B B N
smoke and mirrors.
B N R Q
shows that White’s active pieces are of greater im-
N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 d6 4.d4 d7 5. c3
N N N B R B
port. 12. b1 a6 13. e5 b5 14.f4 e8 15. f3
ge7 A discredited defense that would lend to fur- f8 16. e2 e4 17. xe7 xe7 18. xe4 dxe4
B N Q B
ther weaknesses after 6. Bg5, but Lasker prefers White does not object to exchanging a few pieces,
simple development. 6. e3 g6 7. d2 e7
Q N K
for the Black Bb7 cannot easily participate in the
This commits Black to Kingside Castling, after
Q R R R Q
defense of the Kingside. 19. g3 f6 20. g4 h8
B N
which White’s attack is obvious. 7...a6 had to be 21.f5 d7 22. f1 d8 23. f4 d6 White has
N Q B Q B N
tried at once. 8.O–O–O a6 9. e2 exd4 10. xd4
Q R N B N
steadily strengthened his position while Black tem-
R B Q
xd4 11. xd4 f6 12. d2 c6 13. d5 O–O
Q R N Q
porized. 24. h4 de8 25. c3 d5 26. f2
14.g4 e8 15.g5 xd5 16. xd5 An unneces- c6 27. f1 b4 28. e2 a4 It seems that
R Q B R
sary sacrifice, when exd5 is positionally crush- Black’s strategy has succeeded, for he must now
Q R R B N
ing. 16... e5 17. d2 xg5 18.f4 xe4 19.fxg5 obtain a passed pawn on the Queenside. But all the
e7 20. df1 xe3 21. c4 h8 22.h4 c6 23.g6
N N
White pieces are poised for an attack on the Black
Lasker is now swimming, down two pawns and
R K
King. 29. g4 d7 Not 29...Qxa2? 30.Nxf6! and
pitching a third. After 23...hxg6 24. h5 not d5 25. wins. 30. 4f2 g8 And now if 30...Qxa2 31.Nf4
K B
hxg6 dxc4? 26. Rxh8+ and mate in five, but sim-
N
Bf7 32.Ng6+ Bxg6 33.fxg6 h6 34.Nxh6 gxh6
K R K K
ply 24...gxh5. 23...d5 24.gxh7+ xh7 25. d3+
Q N
35.Qxh6+ Kg8 36.Rf5 wins. 31. c1 c3 32.b3
Q Q Q B K
g8 26.h5 e8 27.h6 g6 28.h7+ g7 29. b1
R R N B R K
c6 33.h3 a5 34. h2 a4 35.g4 axb3 36.axb3
e5 30.a3 c5 31. f2 c4 32. h4 f6 33. f5 f7
N R N
a8 37.g5 a3 38. g4 xb3 39. g2 h8
The Bishop can be taken here, because Black is
R R K Q
40.gxf6 gxf6 41. xb3 xb3 42. h6 Threaten-
R
one move ahead of the following line after 34.
K
ing Rg8++. 42... g7 43. xg7 xg7 44. g3+
Qh6+, and 34. Rhg1+ Ng6 is adequate. 34. hg1
K
xh6 Forced, as 44...Kf8 45.Qg8+ picks off the
Q
gxf5 Now this is fatal. Simply 34...d4 should Rb3. 45. h1 A quiet but deadly move – Black is
K R K R Q R Q
win, as 35. Qh6 is met by Rg3. 35. h5+
Q R Q Q
helpless against the threat to close the mating net
R K Q R Q
e7 36. g8 d6 37. xf5 e6 38. xe8 xe8
Q Q Q R Q
with 46.Rg1. 45... d5 46. g1 xf5 47. h4+
Q Q Q Q
39. xf6+ c5 40. h6 e7 41. h2 Cat and
K Q Q
h5 48. f4+ g5 49. xg5 fxg5 50. d6+
R Q Q K Q
mouse. 41... d7 42. g1+ d4 43. g5+ d5 h5 51. xd7 c2 52. xh7# 1-0
44. f5 xf5 45. xf5+ d6 46. f6+ Black Re-
signs.
1-0 ◦ Steinitz, W.
• von Bardeleben
◦ Pillsbury, H. ?
• Tarrasch, S. Hastings
? 1895 1-0 C54
Hastings Steinitz was definitely past his best in 1895, but
1895 1-0 D55 as he himself said, "I may be an old lion, but I
The story of Harry Nelson Pillsbury is remarkable. can still bite someone’s hand off if he puts it in
In 1895 he traveled to Europe to compete in his my mouth." The choleric von Bardeleben left the
first international tournament – and won, ahead of room after move 25 and permitted his time to ex-
names like Lasker, Tarrasch and Chigorin. Though pire, whereupon Steinitz demonstrated to the on-
lookers a brilliant 10-move mating combination.
N N B B N
a frequent and successful tournament player, he

B N
never obtained the match for the world champi- 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. c4 c5 4.c3 f6 5.d4
onship he sought, and his early death in 1906 de- exd4 6.cxd4 b4+ 7. c3 d5 A rare alternative

12
 Rf8 16.Qe6+ Kb8 17.Bh6 Re8 18.Qxe5 Nd7
19.Qh5 Nb6 Lasker recommends instead 19...Bf8
to 7...Nxe4 8.O-O, when Black may choose be-
tween 8...Nxc3 9.bxc3 d5 [9...Bxc3 10.Qb3 has

But both sides are playing to win! 20.Bd5 a6

been known to be very good for White since the 20. Bg5 Be7 which draws as the best course.
time of Greco] and the speculative Moller Attack,

N B B B in the ending 20...Nxd5 21. Qxd5! 21.Kd2

8...Bxc3 9.d5, now thought to lead to a draw with Chigorin noted that Black must fight for a draw

B B N Q B N Nxd5 22.Nxd5 Rg8 23.g4 Bb4+ Fine recom-

best play. 8.exd5 xd5 9.O–O e6 10. g5 e7
11. xd5 xd5 12. xd5 xd5 13. xe7 xe7
Black still hopes to connect his Rooks by castling, mends 23...Bc5 instead. And Lasker pointed out

N
but he will be unable to shake off the pressure on that 23...Bg5+ 24. Bxg5 25. Qxg5 Nb3+ 26.

R Q Q R Q N N
K R
the central files. A slightly better try was 13...Kxe7 axb3 Rxg5 27. Rf7 is in White’s favor. 24. xb4
14.Re1+ Kf8. 14. e1 f6 15. e2 d7 16. ac1 d4 25. c2 xc2 26. xc2 g6 New Russian

B R R Q
c6 Allowing a powerful pawn sacrifice. Better was analysis claims that 26...Ka7 27. Rf3 c5 is even

K Q B R Q Q
16...Kf7, and if 17.Qxe7+ Qxe7 18.Rxe7+ Kxe7 stronger for Black. 27. d2 d6 28. f3 a4+

Q K R K
19.Rxc7+, the ending is by no means clear, though 29. c1 xa2 30. c3 c6 31. xh7 b5 32. e7

R
White will have enough pawns for the Exchange. b3 33. d2 a5 34. f5 b7 If 34...b4 35. Rb5+

R R Q R Q Q
17.d5 A fine move – the d5 square, which Black Ka7 36. Bd4+ Ka6 37. Rc5 wins. 35. c5
has been using for his pieces, will be occupied by aa6 36.g5 xc5 37. xc5 c6 38. d5 a4
a Black pawn, the d4 square is made accessible to The ending is hopeless for Black after the queen

N K N R Q N Q
White, and the c-file will be opened. 17...cxd5 swap, but now White’s passed pawns decide the is-

K R QQ K Q K Q
18. d4 f7 19. e6 hc8 20. g4 g6 21. g5+ sue anyway. 39.g6 b4 40.g7 bxc3+ 41.bxc3 a3

K Q K Q K Q
e8 22. xe7+ Of course the Rook cannot be 42.g8= xc3+ 43. e2 c2+ 44. f3 d1+

Q Q Q Q K
captured by the Queen (22...Qxe7 23.Rxc8+) and 45. g3 g1+ 46. h4 f2+ 47. h5 f3+
22...Kxe7 leads to 23.Re1+ Kd6 24.Qb4+ Kc7 48. g4 f6 49. gf5 h6+ 50. g4 Black Re-
25.Ne6+ Kb8 26.Qf4+. But after Black’s next signs.

K R K
move, every White piece is en prise, and mate 1-0

R K
is threatened on c1... 22... f8 23. f7+ g8
◦ Bernhard Fleissig
R
No better is 24...Kf8 25.Nxh7+ 24. g7+ h8
25. xh7+ Black Resigns. • Carl Schlechter
1-0 Vienna
Austria
◦ Chigorin, M. 1895 0-1 A00
• Pillsbury, H. Mild-mannered Schlechter was known as the draw-
Hastings (1) ing master but was always a feared opponent –
England and the only one to nearly dethrone Lasker in their
1895 1-0 C30 1910 match for the world championship, which
Chigorin’s had an outstanding result with second ended in a 5-5 tie. This brilliant game influenced
prize at this landmark event which assembled 22 the Hastings tournament committee to invite the
leading masters of the day for the first time. His youngster of 21, who then had no more than lo-
first round game against a newcomer from Amer- cal prominence, to take part in the greatest event of
ica making his European debut was an epic strug- that era. Schlechter finished a respectable ninth in
gle where the caliber of both attack and defense is a field of 22.
sensational. After this loss, nobody dared to dream 1.b4 Dubbed the "orangoutang opening" by Tar-

B N B B N
that Pillsbury would finish first. takower when it surfaced again at the mighty tour-
1.e4 e5 2.f4 c5 3. f3 d6 4. c4 A well know nament in New York 1924. 1...e6 2. b2 f6

N N N B B Q Q
trap is 4. fxe5 dxe5 5. Nxe5? Qh4+ and wins. 3.a3 c5 4.b5 d5 5.d4 Feeble. 5. e3 is indicated.

N Q
4... c6 5. c3 f6 6.d3 g4 7.h3 xf3 8. xf3 5... a5+ Forcing White to subject himself to a

N N N Q Q B
d4 9. g3 More complex than the tame retreat dangerous pin in order to guard the pawn on b5.

K Q B
9. Qd1. 9... xc2+ Safer and sounder is 9...exf4! 6. c3 e4 7. d3 cxd4 8. xd4 c5 Begin-

N Q K K
10. Qxg7 Rf8 11. Kd1 Qe7 12. Rf1 Rg8! 10. d1 ning an immortal combination. 9. xg7 xf2+
xa1 11. xg7 d7 All standard at the time. Not 10. d1 d4 Shattering any illusion that White is

R B Q Q K Q
11...Rf8? 12. fxe5 dxe5 13. Rf1 Be7 14. Bg5 and safe – with the amusing point of 11. Nxe4 Qe1

B N
wins. 12.fxe5 dxe5 13. f1 e7 14. xf7 Lasker mate! 11. xh8+ e7 12. xc8 If 12. Nf3

K B
claimed that 14. Bg5 was stronger, an opinion that then ...dxc3. 12...dxc3 13. c1 d7 This de-
has been debated for decades. 14... c8 15. g5 flection sacrifice entombs the White queen far

13
 Q
from the action. 14. xa8 Cooperating by snatch- A preview of Russian hegemony in chess a half-

Q B Q K B
ing more material but 14. Qc4 was necessary. century later: Moscow is the venue for Lasker’s
14... xb5 15. f4 d5+ 16. c1 e3+ This ex- easy "return match" victory. The mating combina-

B N
traordinary move prepares another extraordinary tion in this game is spectacular, as if Lasker felt
sacrifice. 17. xe3 f2 For if 18. Bxf2 Qd2 19. that winning was not enough.
Kb1 Qd1 20. Ka2 Qxc2 mate. White Resigns. N N B B N
N B N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 c5 4.c3 ge7
0-1
B B N
5.O–O g6 6.d4 exd4 7.cxd4 b6 8. c3 O–O

R Q B N R R
9.a4 a6 10. c4 h6 11.h3 d6 12. e3 ce7

B K N
13. e1 c6 14. b3 c7 15. d2 b8 16. ac1
◦ Pillsbury, H.
B B R N R Q
b5 17.axb5 axb5 18. d3 h8 19. e2 f5 20.exf5
• Lasker, Em.
Q Q R N K N K
xf5 21. xf5 xf5 22. g3 f8 23. e6
?
K R
c8 24. xc8 fxc8 25. b3 g8 26. e4 f7
St. Petersburg
K
27.g3 e8 28. e2 In an unclear position the
1896 0-1 D40
R B B B
e-file proves to be White’s strength. 28... d7
Lasker scores a brilliant combinative victory over
29. ce1 b6 30. f4 c7 31.h4 h5 If 31...
arch-rival Pillsbury. The players castle on opposite
B B N N
Nxf4 32. Nf6+! followed by 33. Rxe7 (+).
wings, but White loses time with his prematurely
N K
32. g5 d8 33.g4 hxg4 34.h5 f8 35. ec5+
developed Queen – time which Black uses to make
B K
dxc5 36. xc5+ d6 36...Kc7 avoids mate but is
N N N B
a truly profound Rook sacrifice.
R K R K N K
a hopeless endgame after 37. Bxe7. 37. f4+ d5
Q N Q
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. c3 f6 4. f3 c5 5. g5 cxd4
R
38. e5+ c4 39. c1+ xd4 40. b3+ d3
6. xd4 c6 7. h4 Better is 7.Bxf6, which Pills-
41. e3# 1-0
B Q
bury played with success against Lasker at Cam-

B K N
bridge Springs 1905. 7... e7 8.O–O–O a5

B B Q
9.e3 d7 10. b1 h6 11.cxd5 exd5 12. d4
◦ Wilhelm Steinitz
O–O 13. xf6 xf6 14. h5 Aiming at a King-
• Emanuel Lasker
side attack with f2-f4 and g2-g4, but the Queen
World Championship Match (3)
N B R
would be better posted for defensive purposes at
Moscow
R
f4 or g3. 14... xd4 15.exd4 e6 16.f4 ac8
1896 0-1 C54
17.f5 xc3 18.fxe6 Better than 18.bxc3 Qxc3
Lasker is the great apostle of common sense in
19.fxe6 Qb4+ 20.Kc2 [or 20.Ka1 Rc8 21.Qg4 Rc2]
chess. Faced with the dilemma of keeping an ex-
20...Rc8+ 21.Kd3 Qxd4+ 22.Ke2 Rc2+ 23.Kf3
tra pawn with an edge or keeping an extra piece
R
Rf2+ 24.Kg3 Qe3+ 25.Qf3 Be5+ 26.Kg4 h5+ and
with an agonizing defense, he unhesitatingly re-
wins. 18... a3 19.exf7+ Also insufficient are
nounces the greater material possession. Steinitz
I) 19.bxa3 Qb6+ 20.Ka1 Bxd4+ 21.Rxd4 Qxd4+
relaxes when the smoke clears and throws away a
22.Kb1 fxe6 23.Be2 Qe4+ 24.Ka1 Rf2 25.Re1
likely draw in an opposite colored bishop ending.
Qd4+ 26. Kb1 Qd2 and wins; II) 19.e7 Re8
Finally he falls prey to a positional paralysis known
20.bxa3 Qb6+ 21.Kc2 Rc8+ 22. Kd2 Bxd4
as Zugzwang.
R
23.e8Q+ Rxe8 24.Bd3 Qa5+ 25.Kc1 Rc8+ 26.Bc2
Q N N B B N
B N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. c4 c5 4.c3 f6 5.d4
B
Rxc2+ 27.Kxc2 Qc3+. 19... xf7 20.bxa3 b6+
N
exd4 6.cxd4 b4+ 7. c3 Sacrificing a pawn.
21. b5 Forced, as 21.Kc2 loses to 21...Rc7+
B
Tamer and safer is 7. Bd2 Bxd2 8. Nxd2. 7... xe4
Q K R R R
22.Kd2 Qxd4+ 23.Ke1 Qc3+ 24.Rd2 Re7+ 25.Be2
8.O–O xc3 9.bxc3 The main line of the Giuoco
R R Q Q K R
Bg5. 21... xb5+ 22. a1 c7 23. d2 c4
Piano is 9. d5 to keep Black cramped, but the
Q K K
24. hd1 c3 25. f5 c4 26. b2 xa3
B
line has been defanged and is rarely seen in mod-
27. e6+ h7 28. xa3 A bit more tena-
ern master practice. 9...d5 10. a3 This sacrifice
cious was 28.Kb1, but Black is still winning after
is unsound, but what else is there? Black stands
Q
28...Bxd4 29.Qf5+ g6 30.Qf7+ Bg7 31.Qxb7 Ra4.
R B
well after 10. Bd3 O-O safely retaining the ex-
28... c3+ White Resigns.
tra pawn. 10...dxc4 11. e1 e6 Returning the
0-1
piece without a fight. Lasker senses danger and
quickly rejects 11...f5 12. Nd2 Kf7 13. Nxe4
◦ Lasker, Em. fxe4 14. Rxe4 with a dangerous attack. Even
• Steinitz, W.
R Q Q
if Black has a decent defense, Lasker won’t play

N R N Q R
? into a prepared variation. 12. xe4 d5 13. e2

R R B
2nd Match Game, Moscow O–O–O 14. e5 he8 15. xc6 xc6 16. e1
1896 1-0 C64 g8 17. e5 b6 18. c1 g5 Returning the pawn

14
to open lines on the g-file for an attack. The Ra8 24.Rae1 Ne8 25.Nf4 Bf6 26.Ne6 The de-
R R B R B
wrong way to capture would be 19. Bxg5? h6! cisive breakthrough. The Knight cannot be cap-

K
19. xg5 xg5 20. xg5 g8 21.f4 d5 22.g3 tured safely, e.g. I) 26...Bxe6 27.fxe6 g6 28.exf7+

Q K R Q
b7 Material is even and White should be able to Rxf7 29.Bxg6 Re7 30.Rxe7 Qxe7 31.Re1, with

B B Q Q N K N
hold a draw. 23.h3 b5 24. h2 g6 25. c2 a huge advantage to White. 26...axb3 27.axb3

Q
f6 26. h4 c6 27.g4 d5 Regrouping to create b6 28. xf8 xf8 29.g5 hxg5 30.hxg5 xg5

Q K N
mating threats on the long diagonal. 28. f2 Leads Or 30...Bxg5 31.f6 g6 32.Bxg6 fxg6 33.Qxg6 and

B B B
to trouble. Much better is 28. f5. 28...h5 29.g5 Black must lose a piece. 31. h2 g8 32. xg5
fxg5 30. xg5 30. fxg5 was the last chance to fight xg5 33.f6 g6 34. xg6 Black Resigns.

R
for a draw. Now White is reduced to marking time. 1-0

R Q R R
30...h4 31. f1 If 31. Rg1? Rxg5! 32. fxg5 Qd6
wins. 31... g8 32. d2 a5 33.a4 e8 34.f5 g8
◦ Lasker, Em.
R Q R Q Q K
White is in zugzwang – any move loses material.
• Blackburne, J.
Q K
35. e1 xf5 36. e5 f3 37.d5 g3+ 38. h1
London
xe5 39.dxc6+ xc6 White Resigns.
England
0-1
1899 0-1 C62
Blackburne was basically a tactician who usually
came to grief against the leading masters because
◦ Tarrasch, S.
of his positional faults. But even in his later years
• Marco, G.
he remained a feared competitor; at age 57 he un-
?
corked a beautiful victory over the world cham-
Vienna
N N B B
pion.
1898 1-0 C42
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 d6 4.d4 d7 5.d5
Siegbert Tarrasch was the great explicator of
N B B N N N
Locking the center is dubious. Better is 5. O-
Steinitz’s theories, but the dogmatic certainty with
N N N B
O. 5... b8 6. d3 e7 7. c3 f6 8. e2 c6
which he expounded them in the end provoked the
9.c4 a6 10. g3 c5 11. c2 b5 Mixing it
Hypermodern reaction of the 1920’s. Tarrasch ig-
N B
up. Safer is 11...O-O but Blackburne stakes ev-
nored those aspects of Steinitz not congenial to his
B B
erything on an attack. 12.b4 b7 13.dxc6 xc6
style (e.g. defense of cramped positions), but in
14.cxb5 xb5 15.a4 d7 16.O–O g6 17.h3 h5
the exploitation of a space advantage and the use
B R R
Going on the offensive while neglecting the safety
of active pieces he had few peers.
N N N N N N N N B
of his own king. 18. e3 a5 19.b5 c8 20. c1
B B N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 f6 3. xe5 d6 4. f3 xe4 5.d4
c5 21. d2 h4 22. e2 g5 23. xg5 White’s
e7 6. d3 f6 The usual move is 6...d5, main-
game is so strong that he can simply ignore this
taining the Knight at e4. Black’s choice leads to
R B B B B
offer and continue with 23. f3 Nh5 24. Nc3.
a solid but rather cramped position, not a happy
23... g8 24. xh4 xh3 25. g3 e6 Black has
choice against Tarrasch. 7.O–O O–O 8.h3 A
R N N B R
well-posted knights and open files for the sacri-
player with a space advantage should avoid ex-
R N
ficed pawn. 26. e1 g4 27. f1 g5 28. b1
changes [contrariwise, a player with a cramped po-
B N Q R K
h8 29. c3 Intending to meet 29...Qf6 with 30.
sition should seek to free himself by exchanging
B N
f3. 29... f4 30. d5 g5 31.f3 h1+ 32. xh1
B N N N N
pieces], and so White prevents the exchange of the
N K N N B
xg3 33. xg3 If 33. fxg4 Qh4+ 34. Kg1 Bf3
N
Bc8. 8... e6 9.c4 c6 10. g5 a6 11. c3 c7
Q
mate. 33... f2+ 34. g1 xd1 35. f5 xf5
12.f4 h6 13. f3 There would be little point in cap-
36.exf5 d2 White is a queen down and resigned
turing the Be6, as White will soon play f4-f5 and
in a few moves.
Q Q R
g2-g4, leaving the Bishop with hardly any moves.
0-1
13... c8 14. c2 b8 Instead, 14...d5 15.c5 b6

B B
16.b4 a5 17.Na4 leads to a different but not a much
◦ Janowski, D.
N
better pawn structure. 15.f5 d7 16. f4 b5 17.b3
c5 18.d5 b4 19. e2 a5 20.g4 White has the ini- • Pillsbury, H.
tiative, and so his pawn advances support an at- ?

N
tack, while Black’s pawn on h6 only invites the London

Q B
opening of a file by a later g4-g5. 20... h7 21.h4 1899 1-0 C42
d8 22. g3 a4 At last Black succeeds in open- The flamboyant David Janowski had two disas-

K
ing a line for counterattack, but his pieces lack trous runs at the world championship - scoring a
sufficient mobility to support the Rook. 23. h1 single victory in the matches with Lasker. Yet

15
he left his mark on the game in his insistence on will soon be mated after 22...Bxf8 23.Rxf8+ Kxf8
the power of the two Bishops. Here he deftly 24.Qh8+ Kf7 25.Qh7+ Kf8 26.Qxd7.
dispatches the American, Harry Nelson Pillsbury, 1-0

N N N B N
with a characteristic Bishop move.

B N B N
1.e4 e5 2. c3 f6 3. f3 b4 4. xe5 O–O
◦ Marshall, F.
N R N B N B
5. e2 d6 6. f3 xc3 7.dxc3 xe4 8. O–O
• Burn, A.
d7 9. e1 df6 10. d3 c5 11. g5 This
?
pin has a long-term consequence of either cramp-
Paris
B B N Q
ing Black’s development or forcing a pawn weak-
1900 1-0 D55
B Q B N Q
ness. 11...h6 12. h4 g4 13.h3 xd3 14. xd3
In his autobiography, Marshall, perhaps tongue in
xf3 15. xf3 g5 16. g3 d7 17. f5 White
cheek, attributes his victory in this game to the fact
now has a space advantage because of the weak-
that it didn’t last long enough for Burn to light his
K R R
ened Black pawns. 17. Qxb7 Rb8 would have
N N B B
pipe...
RR N Q Q
been a poor transaction. 17... g7 18. ad1 e8
N B B B B
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. c3 f6 4. g5 e7 5.e3 O–O
B N B
19.f4 xe1+ 20. xe1 f8 21.h4 d7 22. d3
6. f3 b6 7. d3 b7 8.cxd5 exd5 9. xf6 xf6
K Q R K
gxh4 23. xh4 g6 24. f2 f5 Trying to lock the
10.h4 White now threatens the well known sac-
Q R B
position. 25.c4 h7 26. f3 g8 27. h2 b6
R
rifice 11. Bxh7+ Kxh7 12. Ng5+, and if 12...
Q
28.g3 a5 29. d5 f8 30. d4 The last two cen-
Q N B Q B
Bxg5 13. hxg5+ 10...g6 11.h5 e8 12.hxg6 hxg6
Q R Q R
tralizing moves put White in command. 30... f7
N Q R
13. c2 d7 14. xg6 fxg6 15. xg6+ g7
31. c6 g8 32. d5 f8 33.a4 White can wait
16. g5 f6 17. h8+ Black Resigns.
Q K R R N
for exchanges, holding the King file. 33...h5 34.b3
1-0
h4 35. f3 h6 36.gxh4 g8 37. g1 f8 The

R N B
pawn cannot be recaptured, but Black counts on
repositioning his knight. 38. g5 e6 39. f6 ◦ Alexander Halprin
A well-planned exchange sacrifice. Now 39 ... • Harry Nelson Pillsbury
Munich
N Q Q Q Q B
Nxg5 is met by 40. fxg5+ and 41. Qxf5+.
Germany
R R Q Q K Q
39... g7 40. d5 e8 41. g2 f7 42. xg7+
1900 1/2-1/2 C67
K Q K Q
xg7 43. xg7 xg7 44. g5+ h7 45. xf5+
h8 46. h5+ g8 47. g5 Black Resigns. More proof that draws need not be dull. Running
1-0 neck and neck with Schlechter and Maroczy for
first prize, Pillsbury was slated to face one of the
◦ Pillsbury, H. weaker players next. His main rivals showed Hal-
• Marco, G. prin some novel and intricate analysis against Pills-
? bury’s favorite defense to the Ruy Lopez. White
Paris merely rattled off the moves that had been shown
1900 1-0 D55 to him the night before, while the American had to

N N B N N
Harry Nelson Pillsbury’s record is perhaps less thread his way through an unfamiliar minefield.

N
well known than it should be; his illness and pre- 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 f6 4.O–O xe4

N
mature death in 1906 deprived the world of the 5.d4 d6 6.dxe5 Starts his homework. The usual

N N N N
match against Lasker he had long sought. Here he line is 6. Bxc6 bxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5. 6... xb5 7.a4
scores another fine victory with the Queen’s Gam- d6 8.e6 fxe6 9.axb5 e7 10. c3 g6 11. g5

B Q B B Q
bit, as Marco thinks to improve on the Pillsbury- Black must not be given time to castle into safety.

N N B B N
Tarrasch game from Hastings 1895. 11... e7 12. h5 xg5 13. xg5 d7 14.b6

N B B N
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. c3 f6 4. g5 e7 5.e3 cxb6 15. d5 The threat of Nxb6 practically forces

N
O–O 6. f3 b6 7. d3 b7 8.cxd5 exd5 9. e5 Black to capture the knight, giving White an open
bd7 10.f4 c5 11.O–O c4 The same faulty strat- e-file while the other rook is coming into the game

R K
egy adopted by Tarrasch. The strength of White’s via a3. Blacks outlook looks grim. 15...exd5

B Q Q
Kingside attack was not properly understood in 16. fe1+ f8 Better than 16...Kf7 17. Re7 when

R
1900. 12. c2 a6 13. f3 b5 14. h3 Threatening Black’s material advantage is offset by his vulner-
15.Nxd7 Qxd7 16.Bf5 and 17.Bxf6. 14...g6 15.f5 able king. 17. a3 With the dire threat of 18. Rf3

Q N R R
b4 16.fxg6 hxg6 Not 16...bxc3? 17.Bxf6 Nxf6 Kg8 19. Re7! Qc6 20. Rf8! Kxf8 21. Qf3 Kg8

N Q R R R K B Q
18.Rxf6 fxg6 19.Bxg6 hxg6 20. Rxg6++. 17. h4 22. Qf7 mate. 17... e5 18. xe5 dxe5 19. f3+

B R
bxc3 18. xd7 xd7 19. xf6 a5 20. af1 a6 g8 20. h6 e7 Black is walking a tightrope.
21. xg6 fxg6 22. xf8+ Black resigns, as he He rejects 20...gxh6 21. Rg3 Kf8 22. Qxe5 Rg8

16
23. Qf6! Qf7 24. Qd8, etc. Or 20...Qe6 21. Qg5 At age 12 Capablanca won this set match with Juan

B K
Qd7 22. Bxg7! Qxg7 23. Qd8 and mate next. Now Corzo. Reinfeld in THE IMMORTAL GAMES

R K R K R K
he is hoping for 21. Rg3 Be6! 21. xg7 xg7 OF CAPABLANCA notes that this game with the
22. g3+ f8 23. f3+ g7 24. g3+ f8 Both Cuban champion "is perhaps the most remarkable
sides must be content with perpetual check. A glo- of Capablanca’s career: the arduous jockeying for
rious battle. position in the middle game, the delightful and
1/2-1/2 carefully calculated Queen sacrifice and the ensu-
ing accurate endgame play – are all worked out

N N
with a skill which is astonishing in one so young."
◦ Juan Corzo
1.d4 d5 2. f3 c5 3.e3 c6 4.b3 Unusual. In
• Jose Capablanca
MY CHESS CAREER Capa wrote: "I began to
Match (8)
play with the conviction that my adversary was
Cuba
superior to me; he knew all the openings, and I
1901 0-1 C25
knew none...he had the experience and all the tricks
Nobody has to be a child prodigy like Capablanca
that go along with it, while I was a novice. The
to enjoy playing chess – but it sure helps. At age 13
first two games were quickly won by him, but
he narrowly won a famous 13-game match against
something in the third, which was a draw, showed
Cuba’s top player. The boy wonder took only five
me that he had his weaknesses and gave me the
minutes on this clean victory and introduced a new
necessary courage and confidence. From there
N N N
move that has stood the test of time.
on, he did not win a game, but only scored five
N N K
1.e4 e5 2. c3 c6 3.f4 exf4 4. f3 g5 5.h4 g4
B N N B B
more draws before I won the four required. 4...e6
6. g5 h6 7. xf7 xf7 8.d4 White’s knight sac-
N
5. b2 f6 6. bd2 cxd4 7.exd4 d6 8. d3
rifice is known as the Hamppe-Allgaier Gambit.
N N
O–O 9.O–O h5 Simply 9...Bd7 is called for in-
Inferior is 8. Qxg4? Nf6 9. Qxf4 Bd6 when Black
B N
sstead. 10.g3 f5 11. e5 f6 12.f4 Preferable
gains the initiative. On 9. Bc4 d5 10. Bxd5 Ke8
Q
is 12. a3. 12... xe5 13.fxe5 g4 More logi-
Black’s king is secure. 8...d5 9.exd5 In game six
Q N B
cal is 13...Ne4 to centralize the knight. 14. e2
Corzo drew with 10. Be2. Nowadays, 9. Bxf4
K
b6 15. f3 d7 Stronger is 15...Nb4 first to
opening the f-file is considered more promising.
N Q N K
strive for opposite colored bishops. 16.a3 h8
On 9. Nxd5 f3 10. gxf3 Nge7 11. Bc4 Nxd5
17.h3 h6 18. f2 f7 19. g2 g5 Weakens
Q K
12. Bxd5 Kg7 13. Bf4 Be7 White lacks compen-
N Q R R N N
the kingside. More logica is 19...Rac8. 20.g4
K N Q Q N Q
sation for the sacrificed piece. 9... e7+ 10. f2
K N Q
e7 21. e3 g8 22. ae1 g6 23.gxf5 f4+
g3+ 11. g1 xd4 12. xd4 c5 13. e2 b6
Q Q
24. h2 xd3 25. xd3 exf5 26. c4 Forcing
Capa’s new move, a prepared variation, which has
B Q
open the long diagonal. 26... e6 27.cxd5 xd5
Q N
held the field ever since. The old line was 13...Bg4
28.e6 b5 29. xb5 Capa gets carried away by
B R B B R
14. Be3 fxe3 15. Qxg4. 14. xb6 axb6 15. d4
Q R
his youthful spirit. A simpler win is 29. Qd2 Bxf1
c5 16.c3 a4 17. e2 xd4+ 18.cxd4 xd4
N Q
30. exf7 Qxf7 31. d5+. 29... xb5 30.d5+ g7
N B R B
19.b3 19. Bh5 Kg7 20. b3 would offer slightly
R R R R N K
31.exf7 h6 32. d4 xf1 There is nothing better.
N B N B R
more resistance. 19... f6 20. b2 d2 21. h5+
N
33. xf1 xf7 34. xf5 xf5 35. xf5+ h7
K R K N
xh5 22. xh8 f3 23.gxf3 f4 24. e5 g2+
R
36. e7 The fireworks are over and White prepares
25. f1 f2+ 26. e1 d3+ Spectators were
K B K
for the victorious advance of the d-pawn. 36... f8
convinced that a new Morphy had arisen, but their
R N R
37. g2 h5 38.d6 g4 39.hxg4 hxg4 40. e5 h6
enthusiasm was cut short a few months later when
B K Q
41.d7 d8 42. g8+ xg8 If 42...Kg6 43. Nf6
Capa lost both of his games to Corzo in the Cuban
R B K K K K
Kf7 44. Bc7 wins. 43. f6 g6 44.d8=
National Championship. Of course, Capablanca
K K K B B
xd8 45. xd8 b5 46. f2 f5 47. e3 e5
more than made up for it twenty years later, win-
K
48. d3 d5 49. c3 g3 50. h4 g2 51. f2 a5
ning the World Championship from Lasker. White
B K K K B K
52.b4 e4 Hoping for 53. bxa5? Kd5 with a book
Resigns.
B K K K K K
draw! 53. b6 d5 54. d3 c6 55. g1 d5
0-1
K K
56. h2 c6 57. d4 a4 58. e5 b6 59. d5
a6 60. c5 Black Resigns
◦ Capablanca, J. 1-0
• Corzo, J.
Cuban Championship Match ◦ Pillsbury, H.
Havana • Lasker, Em.
1902 1-0 D02 ?

17
Cambridge Springs
1904 1-0 D40
Pillsbury was already suffering from the illness that ◦ Lasker, Em.
would snatch him away in another two years. Yet • Napier, W.
Pillsbury drives to victory in this landmark tourna- ?
ment by beating the world champion in a variation Cambridge Springs
he lost with eight years earlier. The attack on the 1904 1-0 B34
Black King caught in the center is the finest in the It is not often that a player will name one of
his losses as the best game he ever played, but
N N N B
literature of the game.
such was the case with William Napier’s celebrated
Q N B
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. c3 f6 4. f3 c5 5. g5
cxd4 6. xd4 c6 7. xf6 The improvement on game against Emanuel Lasker. In many ways this
7.Qh4, as played at St. Petersburg, 1896 against game is archetypal of Lasker’s play; it rarely mat-
tered to him whether he stood better or worse, but
Q
R B N
the same opponent. (See Classic Game number
only whether the tension could be maintained.
N Q Q B Q N N N N
23.) 7...gxf6 8. h4 dxc4 9. d1 d7 10.e3 e5

B B
11. xe5 fxe5 12. xc4 b6 13. e2 xb2 The 1.e4 c5 2. c3 c6 3. f3 g6 4.d4 cxd4 5. xd4

R Q R N
famous "poisoned pawn" lures Lasker from simple g7 6. e3 d6 7.h3 The usual plans for White

B N K N Q
development. 14.O–O c8 15. d3 c7 16. e4 in this "Dragon" variation are Be2 followed by
e7 17. d6+ f8 18. c4 b5 19.f4 In spite of Kingside castling and a central advance with f2-
Black’s compact position this line-opening thrust f4, or f2-f3 followed by O-O-O and a pawn at-

Q
wins quickly. Best now was 19...e5, giving back tack on the Kingside with h2-h4-h5. Instead White

Q Q N B N Q
the pawn to close lines. 19...exf4 20. d4 f6 chooses to advance his Kingside pawns before

K B N
21. xf4 c5 22. e5 e8 23. g4 f5 24. h6+ securing his King, and Black correctly responds

R R Q N N N
f7 25. c4 A thunderbolt, made possible by the by opening the center. 7... f6 8.g4 O–O 9.g5

R Q K B Q K
potential fork at e5. 25... c6 26. xf5+ xf5 e8 10.h4 c7 11.f4 e5 12. de2 d5 Logical,

N
27. f1 xf1+ 28. xf1 d7 29. h5+ g8 but safer was the preparatory 12...Bg4. The text
30. e5 Black Resigns. leads to unfathomable complications, which at first

N N N
1-0 glance – and even second and third – seem to favor
Black. 13.exd5 d4 14. xd4 xd5 A strong
◦ Schlechter, C.
N
intermediate move; after 15.Nxd5 exd4 Black re-
• Marco, G.
N Q R N K
covers all of his material with advantage. 15. f5
? xc3 16. xd8 xd8 17. e7+ h8 It is re-
Monte Carlo markable how long the Black Knight remains un-
1904 1-0 D63 touched at c3. Now neither 18.Nxc8 nor 18.bxc3
The post-Steinitz era was thought by many to be exf4 19.Bd4 Bxd4 20.cxd4 Re8 are satisfactory for
a time of dull play in comparison to the previous White. 18.h5 With the sudden threat of 19.hxg6

century, culminating in Capablanca’s prediction of
a "draw death." But the greatest masters of the pe-
riod were still able to rise above the uniformity of
style and produce such sprightly games as the fol-
R B
fxg6 20.Nxg6+ Kg8 21.Bc4+ Nd5 22.Bxd5+ Rxd5
23.Ne7+. 18... e8 19. c5 gxh5 Preventing the
threat described above. White still does not wish
to take the Nc3, for after 20.bxc3 Bf8 21.Bb5

N N B B B B
lowing. Rxe7 22.Bxe7 Bxe7 Black would have more than

N N R B N
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. c3 f6 4. g5 e7 5.e3 O–O enough for the Exchange. 20. c4 exf4 21. xf7

R N B Q
6. f3 bd7 7. c1 a6 8.c5 b5 9.b4 c6 10. d3 e4 A very fine conception, which might well

N N B K Q N B B R B K B
a5 11.a3 e8 12.O–O h5 13. xe7 xe7 have succeeded against a lesser player than Lasker.

B Q B B
14. e5 xe5 15. xh7+ f8 16. xh5 c4 22. xe8 xb2 23. b1 c3+ 24. f1 g4 De-

B R Q K R K
17. d3 f6 18. xc4 bxc4 19.b5 d7 20.bxc6 spite his extra Rook, White’s position is none too

Q Q R R Q R
xc6 21. b1 g6 22. h6+ e7 23. b6 d7 happy – Black threatens Rxe8, Nxc5, Nd2+ and

K N
24. h3 g5 25. fb1 h8 26. f3 f5 27. xc6 Ng3+. But now Lasker returns all the material

B
xc6 28. xd5 The second sacrifice cannot be to retake the initiative, and soon proves that the

B R N K N R
accepted – 28...exd5 29.Rb6+ Kc7 30.Qxd5 and Black King is less safe than the White. 25. xh5

R N R B R N K
Black will be mated, e.g. 30...Rhb8 31.Qd6+ xh5 26. xh5 g3+ 27. g2 xh5 28. xb7

K R R Q K
Kc8 32.Rc6+ Kb7 33.Qc7++. 28... ab8 29. f4+ a5 29. b3 g7 30. h3 g3 31. f3 The once
d7 30. b7+ xb7 31. xb7+ e8 32.c6 exposed White King becomes a strong attacking

R K
Black Resigns. piece, and the Black f4 pawn cannot be held, as
1-0 31...Be5 is met by 32.Ng6+. 31... a6 32. xf4

18
Ne2+ 33.Kf5 Nc3 34.a3 Na4 35.Be3 There is 13.Qa3 b6 14.a5 Bb7 15.O–O Qc7 16.Rfb1
no good defense to the threat of g5-g6. 35...Bf8 Nd7 17.Bf5 Rfd8 This loses a pawn. Black had
36.Bd4+ Bg7 37.g6 Black Resigns. to return the knight to f6. 18.Bxd7 Qxd7 19.a6
Bc6 20.dxc5 bxc5 21.Qxc5 Rab8 Black has al-
lowed Ne5 just to set up this trap. 22.Rxb8 Rxb8
1-0

23.Ne5 Qf5 24.f4 The King is quite safe at f2 and

g3. 24...Rb6 So that 25. Nxc6 allows perpetual
◦ Rotlevi, G.
• Rubinstein, A.
Qg6+, etc. 25.Qxb6 Black Resigns.
check by 25...Rb1+ 26. Rxb1 Qxb1+ 27. Kg3
Lodz
Poland
1-0
1907 0-1 D40
Akiba Rubinstein deserved a title match but never
◦ Rubinstein, A.
got one. Had he faced Lasker in 1910 (instead of
• Lasker, Em.
Schlechter) he might well have realized his life’s
?
ambition. His most famous brilliancy has been
St. Petersburg
N
reprinted in numerous anthologies.
1909 1-0 D32
N
1.d4 d5 2. f3 e6 3.e3 Considered too passive
In this and a famous win over Capablanca, the
N N
because it hems in the bishop. 3...c5 4.c4 c6
enigmatic Polish émigré uses the same maneuver,
B
5. c3 f6 6.dxc5 Only helps Black develop.
Qc1, at a crucial point. Rubinstein parries the
B B Q
Better is 6. Bd3 or a3. 6... xc5 7.a3 a6 8.b4
World Champion’s tactical diversions and wins a
d6 9. b2 O–O 10. d2 Losing more time. Ei-
N N B
fine endgame.
Q B
ther here or on the next move more logical is
N N N B B
1.d4 d5 2. f3 f6 3.c4 e6 4. g5 c5 5.cxd5
B B R Q B
10. cxd5 exd5 11. Be2. 10... e7 11. d3 dxc4
B B B N
exd5 6. c3 cxd4 7. xd4 c6 8.e3 e7 9. b5
N N B
12. xc4 b5 13. d3 d8 14. e2 b7 15.O–O
d7 10. xf6 xf6 11. xd5 The win of the
B
e5 16. xe5 xe5 17.f4 Sadly weakening the
B Q
pawn is temporary, but this time Lasker’s opponent
R
kingside. 17... c7 18.e4 Another display of suici-
B B N
has seen a little deeper. 11... xd4 12.exd4 g5
B K N B Q
dal tendencies. 18. Rad1 is indicated. 18... ac8
13. xc6 xc6 14. e3 O–O–O Now 14...Bxg2
R
19.e5 b6+ 20. h1 g4 21. e4 h4 22.g3 If
15. Rg1 Qa5+ 16. Qd2 Qxd2+ 17. Kxd2 Be4! 18.
R Q B Q R
22. h3 Bxe4 23. Nxe4 Ne3 is fatal. 22... xc3
R
Rxg7? Bg6. But 18. Re1 would keep the initia-
23.gxh4 d2 24. xd2 xe4+ 25. g2 h3
R R R Q
tive. Lasker chooses to complicate. 15.O–O he8
White Resigns in the face of ...Rxh2 mate.
16. c1 xe3 17. xc6+ bxc6 18. c1 A cele-
0-1
R R
brated "in-between" move that gains an endgame

Q K R Q Q
advantage. 18... xd4 19.fxe3 d7 A pawn must
◦ Marshall, F.
Q K R R K R
go. 20. xc6+ d8 21. f4 f5 22. c5 e7
• Capablanca, J.
K R R R R
23. xe7+ xe7 24. xf5 d1+ 25. f2 d2+
? 26. f3 xb2 27. a5 b7 28. a6 Black is
New York
K R K
doomed to passive play while the White King and
1909 1-0 D53
K K K K K
pawns advance: 28... f8 29.e4 c7 30.h4 f7

R R K R K R K
Frank Marshall, victor at Cambridge Springs, 31.g4 f8 32. f4 e7 33.h5 h6 34. f5 f7 35.

1904, wrote that he thought this Cuban student
would be a pushover. But the U.S. Championship
was on the line, and the match was contested
in several cities around New York. Marshall’s
lone victory came at Scranton, Pennsylvania, game
seven. He took only 45 minutes to contrive an ele-
R K
e5 b7 36. d6 e7 37. a6 f7 38. d6 f8
39. c6 f7 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 move
comes 41. Kg6. Black Resigns.
1-0

N N B B N
gant finish.
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. c3 f6 4. g5 e7 5.e3 e4 ◦ Frederic Lazard
• Amadee Gibaud
B
The Lasker Defense, which is revived from time

Q B
to time, hopes to simplify the position. 6. xe7 Paris

N
xe7 7. d3 More usual is 7. cxd5, gaining a France

N N Q
pawn majority in the center at once. 7... xc3 1909 1-0 C54

N
8.bxc3 d7 9. f3 O–O 10.cxd5 exd5 11. b3 These two Frenchman are famous for the suppos-
f6 12.a4 c5 Black can now hold the center with edly shortest decisive tournament game ever be-
c6, but has underestimated the intent of 12. a4. tween two masters, in 1921 (l. d4 Nf6 2. Nd2 e5

19

3. dxe5 Ng4 4. h3?? Ne3! and White resigns
as 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 respects
to such frigid virtues as calculation, foresight, self
control and the like, we always come back to the
thought that speculative attack is the lifeblood of
chess. In this game, at any rate, White pawn sacri-
N N B B
fice on spec yields rich dividends." – Fred Reinfeld
N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. c4 c5 4.d4 exd4 5.c3
B N N
f6 Here 5...dxc3 6. Nxc3 would transpose into
B B
a Scotch Gambit. 6.cxd4 b4+ 7. c3 xe4
R N R
8.O–O xc3 9.d5 f6 A more popular alterna-
tive is 9...Ne5. 10. e1 e7 11. xe4 d6 12.g4
Aptly 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 White
K N
is saddled with several pawn weaknesses. 13.h4
f8 14.h5 To stop ...Ng6. 14...g5 15. d4 c6 Its
dangerous to start operations before safeguarding
the king. Correct is 15...Kg7 16. Qf3 Re8 when
Q N
White doesnt have enough for the sacrificed pawn.
B N
16. f3 xd5 Instead of going after more mate-
R
rial 16...Kg7 is essential. 17. d2 c7 Neces-
B K
sary now is 17...Bxd4 18. Rxd4 Be6. 18. ae1
d5 19. b4+ g7 Black expects to win a piece,
R
but now comes a whole series of hammer blows.
20. e7 dxc4 No better is 20...Bxe7 21. Rxe7
N Q
Rf8 22. Bc3!! Qxe7 23. Nf5 Kh7 24. Nxe7.
R K R N N
21. xc6 d3 Mate ensues after 21...bxc3 22.
K Q R R B
Qxf6! Kxf6 23. Bc3. 22. xf7+ xf7 23. e7+
g8 24. xf6 h7 25. e8+ If 25...Nxe8 26. Qf8
mate. This glorious battle received a brilliancy
prize. Black Resigns.
1-0
◦ Janowski, D.
• Lasker, Em.
? Qxa6 Bd5, winning back a pawn with a com-
2nd Match Game, Paris
1909 0-1 C49
With seven wins against one loss in this ten-game
match Lasker solidified his throne. In hindsight,
these one-sided matches look like sandbagging by
Lasker. But, Janowski was always a dangerous op-
ponent, and in this game seemed to be crowding
his adversary out - until Lasker’s Knight on move
N N N N B B Q
24 takes off on a decisive journey.
B B N R N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. c3 f6 4. b5 b4
B N N N B N R N R
5.O–O O–O 6.d3 d6 7. g5 xc3 8.bxc3 e7
B B R Q B
9. c4 g6 10. h4 f4 11. xf4 exf4 12. f3
g4 13.h3 h5 14. b1 b6 15. d2 xf3
N K
The disrupted Kingside is seldom worth the open
g file in this opening. 16.gxf3 h5 17. h2
20
Qf6 18.Rg1 Rae8 19.d4 Kh8 20.Rb5 Qh6
21.Rbg5 f6 22.R5g4 g6 23.Bd3 Re7 24.c4
the Knight dances into action. 24...Ng7 25.c3 The
White appears to be in complete control, but now
out for some time. 25...Ne6 26.Bf1 f5 27.R4g2
best hope was 25. d5, when the Knight will be shut
Rf6 28.Bd3 g5 29.Rh1 It’s mate after 29. exf5
30.Be2 Ng5 31.fxg4 f3 32.Rg3 fxe2 White Re-
Qxh3+ 30. Kxh3 Rh6+ 31. Kg4 Rh4++ 29...g4
signs.
0-1
◦ Lasker, Em.
• Schlechter, C.
?
10th Match Game, Berlin
1910 1-0 D94
This game has ignited intense controversies, both
from its shrouded history and its play. For many
years it was believed that Schlechter, ahead by a
point in the final game, had only to draw to win the
world championship. Why did he, the "drawing
master," suddenly decide to play for a win? Later
research has shown that the match terms forced the
challenger to win by two points, and this fact en-
tered into Fischer’s controversy with FIDE over the
defense of his title in 1973. At a critical stage,
Schlechter misses the winning maneuver and be-
comes only a footnote in chess championship his-
N B
tory.
Q N B
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3. f3 f6 4.e3 g6 5. c3 g7
B N B R
6. d3 O–O 7. c2 a6 8.a3 dxc4 9. xc4 b5
Q N N
10. d3 b4 11. a4 bxa3 12.bxa3 b7 13. b1
c7 14. e5 h5 15.g4 Lasker suddenly changes
B
the complexion of the game, which might have
B Q B
been placid after the natural 15. O-O. 15... xe5
16.gxh5 g7 17.hxg6 hxg6 18. c4 c8 Ask-
ing for 19. Bxg6 Be6 20. Bxf7+ Bxf7 21.
R Q B Q
R B Q Q B
manding position. 19. g1 a5+ 20. d2 d5
21. c1 b7 22. c2 h5 23. xg6 Relying on
the simple combination 23...fxg6 24. Qb3+ and
Q R Q
25. Qxb7. But 23. Bc4 e6 24. Qe4 was position-
R Q R
ally stronger. 23... xh2 24. f1 fxg6 25. b3+
f7 26. xb7 af8 The refutation: if now 27.
Q
Qxa6 Rxf2 28. Rxf2 Rxf2! 29. Qe8+ Kh7 30.
K Q
Qg4 Rxd2 31. Qf3 Rg2! and wins. 27. b3
K Q R Q
h8 28.f4 g5 It’s now a dog fight. 29. d3
gxf4 30.exf4 h4+ 31. e2 h2+ 32. f2 h5+
33. f3 c7 With the knight finally in play Black
R
has everything to hope for. 34. xc6 b5 35. c4
xf4 With the World Championship in his grasp,
Schlechter becomes brilliant, when the methodi-
cal 35...Rd8 36. Be3 e5! would have capped
 B R R B K
an orgy of pins. Now Lasker escapes, and saves Match (1)

Q K Q
his crown. 36. xf4 xf4 37. c8+ f8 38. f2 Vienna
h2+ 39. e1 h1+ The game is drawn if Black 1910 1/2-1/2 C66
can force the exchange of Rook and Queen at Lasker saw chess, above all, as a struggle. Strength

R
f3 39...Qh4+, etc. But Black had to win to of character and iron nerves enabled him to occupy

Q
gain the title. 40. f1 Now if 40... Rxf1+, the throne for 25 years, from 1894-1921, longer

K R Q Q Q
etc. White saves his Queen pawn. 40... h4+ than anyone else. Here he saved his title on a 5-5
41. d2 xf1 42. xf1 xd4+ 43. d3 Now the tie after losing game five but came from behind to
White King enters the battle if 43...Qxd3+ 44. win a drawn position in the final game (see Lasker-

Q K N R B R
Kxd3 Kg7 45. Nc5 Kf7 46. a4 Sd6 47. Ra8. Schlechter, game 10). Eight other games were

K N Q K Q K B
43... f2+ 44. d1 d6 45. c5 h6 46. d5 drawn. The outcome might have been very differ-

N Q K K
g8 47. c5 g1+ 48. c2 c1+ 49. b3 g7 ent had Lasker lost this game. He was outplayed,
50. e6 b2+ 51. a4 f7 The sad reality. Af- but desperate ingenuity rescued what looked like a
ter everything else 52. Qg6 wins immediately. hopeless endgame two pawns down (also see his

N Q Q K Q K
Now, however, Black is simply ground down. miraculous save against Edward Lasker at New

Q Q Q Q K Q
52. xg7 xg7 53. b3 e8 54. b8+ f7 York 1924). A vivid demonstration of mind over

K Q Q K R K R N N B N
55. xa7 g4+ 56. d4 d7+ 57. b3 b7+ matter.

Q R Q R Q Q B R N B N
58. a2 c6 59. d3 e6 60. g5 d7 61. e5 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 f6 4.O–O d6 5.d4

K Q Q R K R B
g2+ 62. e2 g4 63. d2 a4 64. f5+ d7 6. e1 exd4 7. xd4 e7 8. c3 O–O

N K K R K K N B R
c7 65. c2+ xc2+ 66. xc2+ b6 67. d2 9. xc6 Relinquishing the two bishops to wreck

K Q B N
c8 68. b3 c6 69. c2+ b7 70. b4 a7 Black’s pawn structure. 9...bxc6 10. g5 e8
71. c5 Black Resigns. 11. f3 h6 12. h4 h7 To ease the cramp by
1-0 swapping bishops. A mistake would be 11...Ng4?

B Q R N
12. Bxe7 Qxe713. Nxc6! Bxc6 14. Qxg4

N Q Q
snaring a pawn. 13. xe7 xe7 14. ad1 f8
◦ Lasker, Em.
Q
15.h3 g6 16. g3 g5 Once again seeking to
• Janowski, D.
K K N R
relieve pressure by exchanges. 17. xg5 hxg5
?
N B N N N
18.f3 f6 19. f2 f7 20. de2 a5 21.b3 eb8
5th Match Game, Berlin
22. c1 e6 23. d3 c5 24. b2 e5 After
1910 1-0 D32
N R
24...c4 25. Nd5 Bxd5 26. Rxd5 cxb3 axb3 Black’s
Janowski obtains his famous bishop pair and has
R N R N R
a-pawn would become vulnerable. 25. d5 b7
Lasker struggling to survive the opening. At a
N R
26. e3 c6 27. c3 g6 28.a4 f5 29. e3 e8
crucial moment, however, he backs away from
R B N K
30. ec4 a7 Rightly abstaining from 30...fxe4?
a promising Queen sacrifice, and Lasker swiftly
N N R
31. Rxd6! 31. e1 xc4 32. xc4 f6
N N
turns the tables.
N K N
33. e3 e5 34.exf5 gxf5 35.g3 h8 36.f4 gxf4
B N N B N
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. c3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5. f3
R
37. d5+ f7 38. xf4 White now has a concrete
Q N N Q
e6 6.e4 dxe4 7. xe4 c6 8. e3 cxd4 9. xd4
K
advantage due to his passed h-pawn. 38... b7
N N
a5+ 10. c3 O–O–O 11.a3 h6 12.b4 e5
R
39. g2 c4 Weary of defending, Lasker seeks
13. cb5 f5 Lasker has been outplayed in his
R R K N
counterplay on the b-file. 40.bxc4 b4 41.c5
R N Q B
haste to attack the enemy King. Now he hatches
K K N R R R
xa4 42.cxd6 cxd6 43. c7+ f6 44. d5+
B
a plot. 14. c1 xe3 15.fxe3 xe3+ 16. e2
g5 45.h4+ h6 46. e7 f8 47. d1 f7
e7 Janowski’s famous bishop pair sweep the
R K R N
Trying to hold the pawn is useless. If 45...Nc4 48.
R B
board, but Lasker dares his opponent to be brilliant.
R R R R R K
Kf2 threatens Rd4. 48. xd6+ h7 49. e6 g6
17. c3 h4+ The Queen sacrifice 17...Qxc3+
R K
50. xg6 xe7 51. gc6 xc7 52. xc7+ g6
18. Nxc3 Nxd4 would have left the White king
K R
53. c6+ f7 53. c4 Ra3 54. Ra6 is the best
Q B R B
dangerously exposed. Now Lasker swarms back.
winning chance. 54. f3 e4 Pitching a sec-
Q N K N R
18.g3 e4 19.O–O f6 20. xf6 gxf6 21. f3
ond pawn to prevent c4 followed by Kf4. Inade-
K R K Q K N
e5 22. xa7+ c7 23. axc6 bxc6 24. xc6+
R
quate is 54...Ra1 55. Ra6 a4 56. Kf4 Rf1 57. Kg5
R K B
b8 25. b6+ c8 26. c1+ d7 27. xe6
K R R R K R K
Rf3 48. Rxa4 Rxg3 49. Kxf5 and wins. 55. c5
fxe6 28. b7+ e8 29. c6+ Black Resigns.
R K R K R
f6 56. xa5 c4 57. a6+ e5 58. a5+ f6
1-0
59. a6+ e5 60. a5+ f6 61. a2 Finally

K R R K
the rook is forced to a passive post to defend the
◦ Carl Schlechter
K K R
pawn on c2. 61... e5 62. b2 c3+ 63. g2
• Emanuel Lasker f6 64. h3 c6 Avoiding the trap 64...f4? 65.

21
 R Kf6 18.e4 Ng6 19.exf5 exf5 20.Rad1 Nd3 21.
R R Qh3 Ndf4 22.Qg3 Qc7 23.Rfe1 Ne2+ A blun-
Rb3 Rxc2 66. Rf3 and wins. 65. b8 Giving back

K R K
one pawn to make inroads. 65... xc2 66. b6+

R R
g7 67.h5 c4 Cutting off the king. 68.h6+ h7 der, but other moves are little better – 23.Be6
69. f6 a4 A draw, where grace under pressure 24.Rxe6+ Nxe6 25.Nd5++, or 23...Bd7 24.Nd5+

R
rescued Lasker from the brink of defeat. The abil- Nxd5 25.Nh7+ Kf7 26.Qxc7 Nxc7 27.Rxd7+ Kg8

Q N K R N
ity to save bad games is equally as impoarant as the 28.Nxf8, with a winning endgame. 24. xe2

K
skill to win won games. xg3 25. h7+ f7 26.hxg3 h8 27. g5+
1/2-1/2 f6 28.f4 Black Resigns.
1-0
◦ Reti, R.
• Tartakower, S. ◦ Rubinstein, A.
Vienna • Capablanca, J.
Austria ?
1910 1-0 B15 San Sebastian
Most likely the most famous miniature of all time. 1911 1-0 D33

N N N Q
The finale is striking and elegant. Rubinstein earned his reputation as an endgame
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 dxe4 4. xe4 f6 5. d3 specialist with games like this. (See also Classic
Nowadays 5. Nxf6+ is virtually automatic. 5...e5 Game number 36.) To outplay Capablanca, even a

Q N N N
It’s risky to open the position before completing pawn up, required the highest artistry.

B Q N B B B R B
development. Safer is 5...Nbd7. 6.dxe5 a5+ 1.d4 d5 2. f3 c5 3.c4 e6 4.cxd5 exd5 5. c3 c6

N N N B
7. d2 xe5 8.O–O–O xe4 If 8...Qxe4 9. Re1 6.g3 e6 7. g2 e7 8.O–O c8 9.dxc5 xc5

Q K B
pins the queen. The best way to survive is 8...Be7. 10. g5 f6 11. xe6 fxe6 12. h3 The begin-

Q B
9. d8+ xd8 10. g5+ Black Resigns. Mate en- ning of an unusual attack on Black’s weak cen-

B Q N Q
sues after 10...Ke8 (or 10...Kc7 11. Bd8) 11. Rd8. ter. 12... e7 13. g5 O–O 13...Rcd8 was nec-

K
1-0 essary. 14. xf6 xf6 15. xd5 h6 Black’s

R Q
reposte - but White has seen further. 16. g2

Q Q Q
cd8 17. c1 exd5 If the queens are exchanged,
◦ Capablanca, J.
N Q Q
Bxe6+ holds the knight. 18. xc5 d2 19. b5
• Molina
d4 20. d3 xd3 White not only holds the
?
R B R R R R
pawns but forces the queen exchange. 21.exd3
Buenos Aires
R R
fe8 22. g4 d6 23. fe1 xe1 24. xe1
1911 1-0 D53
R R N B K
b6 25. e5 An active solution to Black’s pres-
A famous example of the Bishop sacrifice at h7.
R K B K B
sure. 25... xb2 26. xd5 c6 27. e6+ f8
The usual feature of this game is that the sacrifice
28. f5+ e8 29. f7+ d7 30. c4 a6 Other-
does not lead directly to mate, but rather to a sus-
R K R B
wise 31. Rb5 exchanges rooks with an overpower-
tained initiative from which Black is unable to re-
R
ing endgame. 31. f7+ d6 32. xg7 b5 33. g8
N N B N
cover.
a5 34. xh7 a4 35.h4 b4 Out of nowhere Capa-
N B N B N B
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. c3 f6 4. g5 bd7 5.e3 c6
blanca has conjured up a drawing line: if White
6. f3 e7 7.cxd5 xd5 8. xe7 xe7 9. d3
R K R K
loses a spot in the b-file for his Rook, Rxa2 fol-
c5 In principle this is the correct reaction, chal-
B
lowed by b3 wins! 36. h6+ c5 37. h5+ b6
lenging White’s central pawn, but Black cannot af-
38. d5 For the above reason, 38. Bc4 was essen-
ford to open lines when behind in development.
tial. 38...b3 Capablanca misses 38...Rxa2! When
Capablanca had no equal in demonstrating the
While must find 39. Bc4! Rc2 40. Rb5+ Kc7
N B K N
advantage in such "simple" positions. 10.O–O
B R
41. Bg8 to keep chances for a win. 39.axb3 a3
K
O–O 11.dxc5 xc5 12. xh7+ xh7 13. g5+
B R
40. xc6 xb3 40...a2 is met by 41. Rb5+ Ka6
g6 The only move – 13...Kh6 14.Nxf7+ wins
42. Rb8! 41. d5 a2 42. h6+ Black Resigns.
the Queen (the Rf8 is overloaded), and 13...Kg8
1-0
Q
14.Qh5 is a winning attack, e.g. 14.Re8 15.
Qxf7+ Kh8 16.Rad1 and Rd1-d4-h4. 14. g4
f5 Again best. Capablanca points out that 14... ◦ Lasker, Ed.
e5 would lose to 15.Ne6+ Kf6 16.f4 e4 17.Qg5+ • Thomas, G.
Kd7 19.Rfd1+ Nd3 20.Nxe4 Kc6 21.Rxd3 Qxd3 ?

Q K Q K Q
22. Rc1+ Kb6 23.Qc7+, followed by mate in five London
moves. 15. g3 h6 16. h4+ g6 17. h7+ 1911 1-0 A80

22
The noted chess author Edward Lasker should not
be confused with his distant cousin Emanuel. The
young German player visited a London chess club
in 1912 and was invited to play a game with the
club champion Sir George Thomas. The result was
a brilliancy which has graced the anthologies ever
since.
N N N B
1.d4 f5 2. f3 e6 3. c3 f6 4. g5 White meets
Black’s Dutch Defense with an attempt to open the
game with e2-e4. The most logical response to
the placement of the White Knight on c3 is d7-
B B B
d5, adopting a "Stonewall" formation, but this is
N B B N
not to everyone’s taste. 4... e7 5. xf6 xf6 6.e4
fxe4 7. xe4 b6 8. d3 b7 9. e5 O–O So that
if 11.Nxf6+ gxf6, the Queen defends the h7 pawn.
With four pieces attacking the Black King and only
Q Q
the Nf6 defending, it seems that there should be a
Q K N K
combination, and indeed there is. 10. h5 e7
11. xh7+ xh7 12. xf6+ h6 Or 12...Kh8
N K K K
13.Ng6++. From now on, all Black’s moves are
B K R K K
forced. 13. eg4+ g5 14.h4+ f4 15.g3+ f3
16. e2+ g2 17. h2+ g1 18. d2# 1-0
◦ Capablanca, J.
• Bernstein, O.
? 1-0
San Sebastian
1911 1-0 C66
The young Capablanca was admitted to this event,
intended to be limited to those who had taken at
least two third prizes in international tournaments,
only at the insistence of Frank Marshall, who Capa
had beaten in a match two years before. The Cuban
won the event convincingly, losing only one game
to Rubinstein. Ossip Bernstein had been one of the
most vocal opponents of Capablanca’s admission
to the tournament, and by chance they met in the
first round.
N N B N B B
N B N B B N Q
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 f6 4.O–O e7
B
5. c3 d6 6. xc6+ bxc6 7.d4 exd4 8. xd4
d7 Black has adopted the Steinitz Defense to
the Ruy Lopez, in which he obtains a cramped
but solid position. The doubled Black c-pawn de-
prives White of the use of the d5 square, and Black
B
may hope for counterplay on the b-file. On the
R B N B Q
whole, White stands slightly better. 9. g5 O–O
10. e1 h6 11. h4 h7 12. xe7 xe7 In a
cramped position, it is generally a good idea to
Q R N R
exchange a few pieces to obtain greater freedom
of movement. 13. d3 ab8 14.b3 g5 In
the days when this defense was popular, it was
R Q
more common for Black to regroup with ...Rfe8,
Nh7-f8-g6, eyeing the e5 square. 15. ad1 e5
23
Q N N Q
16. e3 e6 17. ce2 a5 18. f5 c5 The N N
threat against the a2-pawn proves not to be a real
one, for after 18...Qxa2 19.Qc3 (threatening to trap
the Queen with 20.Ra1) Qa6, White would ob-
tain a strong attack with something like 20.Nf4
N
f6 21.Qg3 g5 22.Ng6 Rf7 23.Nxh6+ Kg7 24.Nxf7
K
Kxg6 25.Nxd6 cxd6 26.Rxd6 Rb7 27.e5. 19. ed4
h7 To meet the threat of 20.Nxc6 Bxc6 21.Ne7+
and 22.Nxc6. The a2 pawn still cannot be cap-
R N N Q
tured in view of 19...Qxa2 20.Ra1 Qb7 21.Reb1.
20.g4 be8 21.f3 e6 22. e2 xa2 Seeing no
direct threat, Black thinks that it is time to cap-
N Q
ture the a-pawn, but 22...Qb6 would have mini-
mized White’s advantage. 23. eg3 xc2 The
R Q N R
only chance of defense was 23...f6, to defend the
g7 pawn with ...Rf7. 24. c1 b2 25. h5 h8
Other moves are no better. Two variations given
by Capablanca are 25...g5 26.e5 f6 27.Qd3, and
25...g6 26.Qxh6+ Kg8 27.e5 gxh5 28.gxh5, and
R Q Q N N
there is no answer to the threat of Re1-e2-g2+.
26. e2 e5 27.f4 b5 28. fxg7 c5 Losing
quickly. Capablanca expected 28...Nxg7, though
N B
White is still winning after 29.Nf6+ Kg6 30.Nxd7
Q N K N R
f6 31.e5 Kf7 32.Nxf6 Re7 33.Ne4. 29. xe8 xe8
K Q K Q
30. c3 f6 31. xf6+ g6 32. h5 g8 33.f5+
g5 34. e3+ h4 35. g3+ Black Resigns.
◦ Rubinstein, A.
• Spielmann, R.
San Sebastian
Spain
1912 0-1 A85
Spielmann was noted for his tactical ability. In his
book THE ART OF SACRIFICE, he wrote: "The
beauty of a game of chess is usually assessed, and
not without good reason, according to the sacrifices
N B B N
it contains." He classified this as a King hunt.
1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 3. c3 b4 4. d2 f6 5.g3 O–O
6. g2 d6 7.a3 Too slow. Better is 7. Nf3 im-
mediately. 7... xc3 8. xc3 bd7 9. c2 c5
N N N B
10.dxc5 Only helps Black free his game. Better is
R
10. Nf3. 10... xc5 11. f3 ce4 12.O–O d7
R B
13. fd1 The wrong rook. Better is 13. Rad1.
13... c8 14. xf6 Unpleasantly forced. Not 14.
Nd2? Nxf2! 15. Kxf2 Ng4+ 16. Kf3 Bc6+ wins.
Q Q R N N
This sacrifice would be impossible with the rook
Q N N R
still on f1. 14... xf6 15. b3 c7 16. e1 c5
Q K B
17. b4 f4 18. d3 fxg3 19.fxg3 xd3 20. xd3
R Q
f2+ 21. h1 c6 22.e4 Forced. If 22. Bxc6
Q B
Qxe2 is decisive. 22... cf7 23. e1 a5 24. c3
c5 25.b4 xe4 "The hostile King is forced into
the open. I could not calculate the combination
more exactly, and I had to rely entirely on my
 R
conviction that favorable variations would occur
as a matter of course" – Spielmann. 26. xe4 If
26. Bxe4 Rf1+ 27. Rxf1 Rxf1+ 28. Kg2 Rg1+ ◦ Ossip Bernstein
29. Kf3 Qh5+ 30. Ke3 Qxh2 and Spielmann • Akiba Rubinstein
noted, "He who would not boldly undertake to win Vilna
Russia
R B
such a position with Black will never go far in
1912 1/2-1/2 C48
R K Q K R
the domain of the sacrifice." 26... f1+ 27. xf1
xf1+ 28. g2 f2+ 29. h3 h1 Black is a For many years before the first world war Rubin-
Rook down, but drives the King to the fourth stein was considered the leading contender, but he
never got a title match. Here he champions what
R Q K Q K Q
rank. Such an attack must get home!" – Spielmann
has since become known as the Rubinstein Vari-
K R
30. f3 xh2+ 31. g4 h5+ 32. f4 h6+
ation of the Four Knights Game. A remarkable
Q R
33. g4 g5 Threatening ...Qh5 mate. 34. xe6
feature of this game is that he gives up two pawns
Q K K R
xe6+ 35. f5 Also hopeless is 35. Kxg5 h6+ 36.
without any immediate return and yet comes within
Q Q K Q K
Kf4 Re1. 35...h6 36. d3 g7 37. f3 f1+
an ace of victory.
K K
38. xf1 xf5+ 39. g2 xf1+ 40. xf1 axb4
41. axb4 f6 42. f2 h5 White Resigns N N N N B N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. c3 f6 4. b5 d4 This
0-1 move, which seems to violate principle by mov-
ing the same piece twice, took a lot of steam out
◦ Spielmann, R. of White’s system. The text had been tried at
• Tarrasch, S. least twice before (in Elson-Delmar, Philadelphia
San Sebastian 1875 and Maroczy-Marshall, Monte Carlo 1902)
Spain
B B
and Rubinstein fashioned it into a sound defensive
1912 0-1 C80 weapon. 5. c4 c5 True to the spirit of the vari-
Tarrasch was noted for his exemplary handling of
N Q N
ation, Black offers a pawn for rapid development.

N N B B N
the two bishops. Here is a striking example.
B B
6. xe5 e7 7. f3 Deficient would be 7. Nxf7

N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O
xe4 "This I hold to be the best – and com-
pletely satisfactory – defense to the Ruy Lopez"
d5; or 7. Bxf7 Kf8 8. f4 d6. 7...d5 8. xd5 g4
B
A troublesome pin, much better than 8...Nxd5 9.
N B Q
Nxd5 Qxe4 10. Ne3 Bg4 11. d3. 9.d3 c6 10. b3

B
– Tarrasch. Half a century later Korchnoi re-
vived it with some success. 6.d4 b5 7. b3 d5
8.a4 "This move that once seemed to strong al-
most deserves a "?" for after it White has diffi-
N Q B
d7 11. g5 d6 Also feasible is 11...Nxf3 12.
B Q K
gxf3 Qxg5 13. fxg4 Ne5. 12. b1 g6 13. e3
xf3 14.gxf3 g2 15. d2 It seems as if only
a miracle can save White now, but he manages

N N N N
culty equalizing" – Tarrasch. Nowadays 8. dxe5
N K R B
to get his king to safety and hang onto his extra

B Q
is routine. 8... xd4 9. xd4 exd4 10. c3 xc3
N
pawn. 15... xf3+ 16. c1 d8 17.h3 xe3+
11.bxc3 c5 12.axb5 e7 13. f3 Tarrasch sug- 18.fxe3 de5 Bringing more force into the fray.
gests 13. cxd4 c4 14. Ba4 O-O 15. bxa6 Rxa6
Q Q Q N
Black finds a way to molest the enemy king even

B R B
16. c3 to make an escape square for the bishop on
Q
in his new stronghold. 19. f1 g5 20. e2 d4

R
c2. 13... e6 14. xa6 O–O 15.cxd4 c4 16. a2
N
21. d2 White must allow a draw by repetition.

Q B
Not 16. Ba4? Qd7! snaring a piece. 16... xa6
Q N
Not 21. Qf2 Nxb3 22. axb3 Rxd3. 21... df3

Q R B R
17.bxa6 a5 18. b1 c3 Hemming in the bishop 22. e2 d4 A curious draw where Black never

B K
once and for all. 19. g3 c8 20.f4 f5 21. e1 had time to castle. Rubinstein won this double

R B Q
f6 22. h1 h6 Not 22...Qxa6 23. Qxc3! due to round robin ahead of his worthy rival by a half

R Q Q B K B Q
the back rank mate. 23.h3 b8 24. e3 xa6 point and beat a budding Alekhine, who was then

R B
25. d1 a1 26. e1 e4 27. h2 e7 28. f1 20, in both of their encounters.
f5 29. e1 h4 White’s bishops are locked behind 1/2-1/2

B B B R
a wall of pawns and he is now forced to weaken

K R R R B R Q
his kingside. 30.g3 e7 31. f2 d6 32. c1
◦ David Janowsky
Q R R R
h7 33. e1 b6 34. c1 a3 35. e1 b2
36. e2 b4 37. g1 b6 White is reduced to • Frank Marshall

R Q Q Q R
marking time while Black devises a way to pen- Match

R B
etrate. 38. e1 b5 39. h5 xb1 40. xb1 Biarritz
xb1 41.g4 c1 White Resigns in view of 42. 1912 0-1 C42
Kg3 g6 43. Qh4 Bxf4+! 44. Kxf4 g5+. A surprising queen sacrifice punishes White for
0-1 his sins in the opening. "One ideal was always

24
with me: to play the most interesting and beauti- Be6 10.Nd4 Bxc5 11.Nxe6 A dubious idea;
ful chess of which I was capable. From 1900 to Black obtains strong central pawns and open f-

B
1925 Janowsky and I must have played something file, and White will never have time to exploit

Q B R Q
like 100 serious games. This is the most sparkling the potentially weak e6 pawn. 11...fxe6 12. g4

N N N N N
of the lot" – Marshall. d6 13. h3 ae8 14. d2 Now Black obtains

B B B B R R
1.e4 e5 2. f3 f6 3. xe5 d6 4. f3 xe4 5.d4 a clear advantage. The defensive 14.a3 was cer-
d5 6. d3 d6 More aggressive than the custom- tainly better. 14... b4 15. xf6 xf6 16. ad1
ary 6...Be7. 7.c4 Premature. Better is 7. O-O Bg4 White had to meet the threats of both ...Nf6-e5 and

B K Q Q
8. c4 O-O?! 9. cxd5 f5 10. Nc3 as in Spielmann- ...d5-d4, but now Black’s Rooks become very ac-
Marshall, Hamburg 1910. 7... b4+ 8. f1 This tive. 16... c5 17. e2 Embarking on what he be-
has little to recommend it, but if 8. Nbd2 O-O 9. lieves to be an exchanging combination, but Mar-

Q Q R N
O-O Bxd2! 10. Bxd2 Bg4 gives Black fine play. shall has seen further. Better was 17.a3 Bxc3

B
8...O–O 9.cxd5 xd5 10. c2 e8 11. c3 This 18.Qxc3 Qxc3 19.bxc3, though Black now stands

N Q Q R N Q
harmless-looking move proves fatal. Better is 11. clearly better in the endgame. 17... xc3 18.bxc3
Be3. 11... xc3 12.bxc3 xf3 Some of Marshall’s xc3 19. xd5 d4 20. h5 White had seen this
most sensational moves look like typographical er- far – on 20.Qe5? Nf3+! 21.gxf3 Rg6+ wins,

N R R
rors. 13.cxb4 He dare not capture the queen since but now if 20...g6 21.Qe5 is playable. How-

B
13. gxf3? Bh3 14. Kg1 Re1 mates. 13... c6 ever ... 20... ef8 21. e5 Perhaps White had

R
14. b2 As so often happens, White is a victim of planned 21.Rc5, overlooking 21... Rxf2! (22.Rxf2

N B K Q
sacrificial shock. Better is 14. h3. Now comes Qe1+, or 22.g3 Ne2+ 23.Kh1 Rxf1+). 21... h6

R
a second shock. 14... xb4 15. xh7+ h8 22. g5 On 22.Qg4, 22...Nf3+, discovering on the

B K N B R
16.gxf3 Accepting the challenge. If 16. Qc4 Bh3! undefended Re5 would win routinely. 22... xh3

R R R
is unpleasant. 16... h3+ 17. g1 xc2 18. xc2 23. c5 Not 23.gxh3? Nf3+. Now White hopes

Q
e2 19. c1 ae8 No rest for the weary. White for something like 23...Qb4 24.Rc7 g6 25.Qe5, but

B R
is a piece down and the queens are gone, but his at- Black finishes the game elegantly. 23... g3
tack is still in full swing. 20. c3 8e3 Ingeious White Resigns.

B
– but 20...Rxc3! 21. Rxc3 Re6! is a quicker finish. 0-1
21. b4 No better is 21. fxe3 Rg2 22. Kf1 Rxc2

R
23. Kg1 Rg2 24. Kf1 Rxb2 with a winning tac-
tic known as a windmill.. 21... xf3 Now White ◦ Nimzowitsch, A.
• Tarrasch, S.
B R
is helpless. If 22. Re1 Rfxf2 23. Rxe2 Rf1 mate.
22. d1 f6 Elegant to the end. If 23. Bxf3 Rg6 ?
forces mate. White Resigns. St. Petersburg
0-1 1914 0-1 D30
Tarrasch was the great explicator of Steinitz’s theo-
◦ Levitzky, S. ries, though he provoked the "Hypermodern" reac-
• Marshall, F. tion through his dogmatism and rejection of those
? aspects of the game not congenial to his own style.
Breslau In the use of a space advantage and active pieces he
1912 0-1 C10 had few peers, and here he gives another example
of the double-bishop sacrifice, as in Lasker-Bauer.
N N B
Though he was not quite the equal of Lasker or Ca-

N B B
pablanca, Frank Marshall was for many years one 1.d4 d5 2. f3 c5 3.c4 e6 4.e3 f6 5. d3

N B R Q N
of the top half-dozen players in the world, and a c6 6.O–O d6 7.b3 O–O 8. b2 b6 9.

N R B
formidable tournament competitor. His aggressive bd2 b7 10. c1 e7 11.cxd5 exd5 12. h4

N B B Q N N
attitude, combinational flair and imagination pro- g6 13. hf3 ad8 14.dxc5 bxc5 15. b5

B K Q K
duced an amazing number of brilliant games like e4 16. xc6 xc6 17. c2 xd2 18. xd2

B
this one. It is said that after the startling conclu- d4 19.exd4 xh2+ 20. xh2 h4+ 21. g1

R N Q K
sion, the spectators showered the board with gold xg2 22.f3 If 22.Kxg2 Qg4+ 23.Kh2 Rd5 and

N B
coins. 24...Rh5++. 22... fe8 23. e4 h1+ 24. f2
1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3. c3 c5 A double-edged system xf1 25.d5 The White Queen is lost on 25.Rxf1
which Marshall long played with success, for he Qh2+, and 25.Nf6+ Kf8 26.Nxe8 Qg2+ 27.Ke3

N N Q
had no aversion to accepting a positional weak- Rxe8+ 28.Kf4 g5+ 29.Kf5 Qxc2+ 30.Rxc2 Bd3+

B N B B Q K R K
ness for tactical chances. 4. f3 c6 5.exd5 leaves Black with an extra Rook. 25...f5 26. c3
exd5 6. e2 f6 7.O–O e7 8. g5 O–O 9.dxc5 g2+ 27. e3 xe4+ 28.fxe4 f4+ 29. xf4

25
Rf8+ 30.Ke5 Qh2+ 31. Ke6 Re8+ 32.Kd7
Bb5# 0-1
32.Rd1 Ne5+ 33.Ke2 gxh4, and Black stands well

R R K K R B
with his centrally posted Knight. 31.hxg5 hxg5
32. h3 d7 33. g3 e8 34. dh1 b7 35.e5
A fine move, capping White’s strategic play with
◦ Lasker, Em. a tactical blow. Now the e5 square will be occu-
• Capablanca, J.
N
pied by a Black pawn, and White will use e4 as
?
N N B
a pivot point for his Knight. 35...dxe5 36. e4
St. Petersburg
N
d5 37. 6c5 c8 An not 37...Re7 38.Nxb7
1914 1-0 C68
B R R R K R B
Rxb7 39.Nd6+, picking off a Rook. 38. xd7
At the end of the first half of this double-round
N
xd7 39. h7 f8 40. a1 d8 41. a8+ c8
tournament, Capablanca stood a point and a half 42. c5 Black Resigns.
ahead of his nearest rivals Lasker and Tarrasch. 1-0
When he met Lasker again in the seventh of the ten
final rounds, even a draw would virtually assure the
◦ Spielmann, R.
Cuban of first place. But Lasker, the great chess
• Flamberg, A.
psychologist, adopted an opening in which Black
?
might indeed try for the advantage, but could not
Mannheim
readily obtain a draw. The result was a great vic-
1914 1-0 C29
tory over a great opponent.
N N B B Rudolph Spielmann was in many ways a man out
Q Q N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. xc6 dxc6 5.d4
of his proper time. Dubbed "the last knight of the
exd4 6. xd4 xd4 7. xd4 A surprising choice
King’s Gambit," he sought a return to the swash-
in a "must-win" situation, for the Exchange Varia-
N N N N
buckling style of Morphy and Anderssen.
tion is generally considered to allow Black equal-
B Q N B Q Q
1.e4 e5 2. c3 f6 3.f4 d5 4.fxe5 xe4 5. f3
ity. But the equality is of a dynamic nature, as
Q B Q N
g4 6. e2 c5 7.d4 xf3 8. xf3 h4+ 9.g3
Black must use his two Bishops to counterbalance
R Q
xd4 10. e3 xe5 11.O–O–O c6 12. xd5
White’s Kingside pawn majority, and the sort play
B Q
cxd5 13. xd5 e6 No better is 13...Qe4 14.Bb5+
in which Capablanca excelled – gradual simplifi-
B
Nc6 15.Bxc5 Qxf3 16.Re1+. 14. c4 e4
cation to a technical endgame – will not do, for
15. xc5 Black Resigns.
B N
each exchange of pieces brings White closer to
1-0
N R N
a won King-and-pawn ending. 7... d6 8. c3
e7 9.O–O O–O 10.f4 e8 11. b3 f6 12.f5
A move that could be made only by an inexperi- ◦ Rubinstein, A.
enced player – or a very strong one. White ac- • Vidmar, M.
cepts a permanently backward e-pawn and weak- ?
ens the e5 square, but he cramps the Black po- Berlin
sition and will obtain the e6 square for a Knight 1918 0-1 A52

B B B
and the h2-b8 diagonal for his Bishop. 12...b6
13. f4 b7 14. xd6 Again a surprise decision,
undoubling Black’s pawns. White has calculated
that the Knight he will post at e6 will prevent
Black from coordinating his pieces, and the White
During 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 masters
scored against opponents who had not assimilated
the "new" principles of positional play but gener-

N R N R
Rooks will threaten to penetrate on both sides of ally drew with one another. One of the attempts

R N R R R
the board. 14...cxd6 15. d4 ad8 16. e6 d7 to enliven Black’s play was the Budapest Gambit,

K B
17. ad1 c8 18. f2 b5 19. fd2 de7 20.b4 a sharp pawn sacrifice upset of the mighty Rubin-

N N B
f7 21.a3 a8 In hindsight, Black should play stein.
here 21...Rxe6 22.fxe6+ Kxe6, with a pawn for 1.d4 f6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 g4 4. f4 In this way
the Exchange and a solid position. But it is not White can keep the pawn, but he must play very ac-

K R R
easy to make such a decision in a seemingly ten- curately. Alternatives are the aggressive 4.e4 Nxe5
able position. 22. f2 a7 23.g4 h6 24. d3 5.f4, and 4.Nf3 Bc5 5.e3 Nc6 6.Be2, returning the

R K N N B
a5 25.h4 Preparing to open a line for his Rooks pawn for a slight positional advantage, which most

R K R K N N
with g4-g5. 25...axb4 26.axb4 ae7 27. f3 players nowadays prefer. 4... c6 5. f3 b4+
g8 28. f4 g6 29. g3 g5+ 30. f3 b6 On 6. c3 Also good is 6.Nbd2, but White must avoid

Q Q B
30...gxh4 31.Rh3 White recovers the pawn with the trap 6...Qe7 7.a3 Ngxe5 8.axb4? [8.e3 is
advantage, but now he must avoid 31.Rxd6 Nc4 correct] Nd3++. 6... e7 7. d5 xc3+ 8.bxc3

26
Qa3 9.Rc1 f6 10.exf6 If 10.e6 dxe6 11.Qh5+ g6 of a subtle opening novelty (now known as the

10...Nxf6 11.Qd2 d6 12.Nd4 O–O 13.e3 Sur-

12.Qxg4, Black recovers the piece with 12...e5. Marshall Gambit), but Capa’s chess instinct en-

N N B B N
ables him to thread his way through the pitfalls.

B R B
prisingly, this turns out to be a fatal error. White 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O
must prevent the entry of the Knight into e4 with e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 O–O 8.c3 d5 Marshall’s

N N Q Q N N N R
13.f3, when Black’s compensation for the pawn is innovation, sacrificing a pawn for a strong at-

K N R B N Q Q
unclear. 13... xd4 14.cxd4 e4 15. c2 a5+ tack. 9.exd5 xd5 10. xe5 xe5 11. xe5

R N R B B K B
16. e2 Not much better was 16.Kd1, in view f6 12. e1 d6 13.h3 g4 14. f3 h4 15.d4

B Q R K N K N R Q K B B B
of 16...Bf5 17.Bd3 Nxf2+. 16... xf4 17.exf4 xf2 16. e2 g4 17.hxg4 h2+ 18. f1 g3

K Q R K Q K B
f5 18. b2 e8 19. f3 d2+ 20. g3 e4+ 19. xf2 h1+ 20. e2 xf2 21. d2 h4

Q Q B B
21. h4 Had White repeated moves with 21.Kf3, 22. h3 ae8+ 23. d3 f1+ 24. c2 f2

R B
Black would have resorted to the winning line 25. f3 g1 26. d5 c5 27.dxc5 xc5 28.b4

B R B R K B
21...h5 22.h3 h4, closing the mating net. 21... e6 d6 Or 28...Be3 29.Bxe3 Rxe3 30.Nd2 Qxa1

R
22. e2 h6+ 23. h5 xh5+ 24. xh5 g6+ 31.Qxe3, and White should win with his mate-

N B B B
White Resigns. rial advantage. 29.a4 a5 30.axb5 axb4 31. a6

R Q R Q K
0-1 bxc3 32. xc3 b4 33.b6 xc3 34. xc3 h6

R K Q K Q
35.b7 e3 36. xf7+ xf7 37.b8= + h7
38. xh6+ xh6 39. h8+ g6 40. h5# 1-0
◦ Capablanca, J.
• Janowski, D.
? ◦ Alekhine, A.
New York • Sterk, K.
1918 1-0 D30 ?
During the First World War, only a handful of tour- Budapest
naments were held, and those in the United States 1921 1-0 D37
without most of Europe’s great players. Capa- Alekhine considered this game very characteristic
blanca performed almost flawlessly during this pe- of his style – maneuvers on the Queenside divert
riod, earning the nickname "The Chess Machine." the Black pieces, setting the stage for a surpris-
Here is a splendid example of a brilliancy prize ing mating attack with threats on both sides of the

N N B N
game that is largely positional.
N N N N
board.

N B
1.d4 d5 2. f3 f6 3.c4 e6 4. g5 bd7 5.e3
B N B Q N B
1.d4 d5 2. f3 f6 3.c4 e6 4. c3 bd7 5.e3

B
c6 6. bd2 Usual here is 6. Nc3. 6... e7
B B
d6 6. b5 e7 7. c2 c6 8. c3 O–O 9. d3
7. d3 dxc4 Allowing the knight to develop
B B Q Q B B B
dxc4 10. xc4 c5 11.dxc5 xc5 12.O–O b6 13.e4

N R
strongly, there was no reason to reduce the cen-
R N
b7 14. g5 c8 15. e2 b4 16. d3 xc3

Q B R N N B
tral tension. 8. xc4 O–O 9.O–O c5 10. c1 17. fc1 xe4 The main variation Alekhine ana-

N
b6 11. e2 b7 12. fd1 d5 13. d6 c6 lyzed was 17... Nc5 18.Rxc3 Bxe4 19.Bxf6 Bxd3

B
14. e4 f5 Shutting the b1-h7 diagonal, but at the
B
20. qe3 gxf6 21. b4 Bg6 22.bxc5 bxc5 23.Rxc5,

Q N N N Q
cost of long lasting positional weakness. 15. xe7
B Q N Q B R Q
with good chances for the Pawn. 18. xe4

N Q N
xe7 16. ed2 e5 17.dxe5 xe5 18. xe5 xe5
R N B
xe4 19. xe4 c5 20. e2 a5 21. ab1 a6
19. f3 e7 20. d4 As Black cannot stand the 22. c4 a4 23. f6 Now if 23...h5 24.Rg4 Qxe2

R N B K
pin Bc4 after Bd7, the following exchange is
R Q
25.Rxg7+ Kh8 26. Ng5, and there is no defense

R R Q R B
forced. 20...cxd4 21. xc6 b4 22. c4+ h8 to 26.Rh7+ and 27.Rh8++. 23... fc8 24. e5

N B N Q
23. e6 d3 24. xd3 c5 25. d4 b5 26. xb5 The main idea is 24...Qxc4 25.Qg5 Kf8 26.Qxg7+

R R
xa2 27. c4 b4 28. h5 All of a sudden, the
R Q R Q
Ke8 27.Qg8+ Kd7 28.Ne5+ Kc7 29.Qf7+ and

R
Black king is in trouble. 28...g6 29. xg6 ad8
R R R Q Q Q Q
30.Nxc4. 24... c5 25. g3 g6 26. xa4 d3
30. g7 Black Resigns. 27. f1 ac8 28. d4 f5 29. f4 c2 30. h6
1-0 Black Resigns.
1-0
◦ Capablanca, J.
• Marshall, F. ◦ Emanuel Lasker
? • Jose Capablanca
New York World Championship Match (10)
1918 1-0 C89 Havana
Marshall launches a fierce counterattack by means 1921 0-1 D61

27
 Q Q R
This is generally considered the finest game of pawn structure and saddles White with another

R R R
the match and the one most characteristic of the isolated pawn. 33. d2 xd2 34. xd2 axb3

R N R N N N R
Cuban’s style. After Capa won the world title ef- 35.axb3 b6 36. d3 a6 37.g4 hxg3 38.fxg3

K N
fortlessly by the score of 9-5, he wrote:"The one a2 39. c3 c2 40. d1 e7 41. c3 c1+

N R K
outstanding feature of the match – the one most 42. f2 c6 Material is even, but White’s isolated

R
critics overlook – is that not once did Lasker have pawns are too weak to hold. 43. d1 b1 44. e2
a won game." Capablanca’s claim was challenged xb3 Picking up the pawn and the point. The trick

K
by Gyula Breyer, a Hungarian master who claimed is 45. Rxb3 Nxd4+ followed by Nxb3. Lasker

R N N N N K
Lasker probably missed a win in this game on now puts up a good fight but to no avail. 45. e3

N N N K R K
move 17. Capa’s book on the match doesn’t men- b4 46. c3 e7 47. e2 f5+ 48. f2 g5

R K R K R K K
tion it, and the debate over whether White could 49.g4 d6 50. g1 e4+ 51. f1 b1+ 52. g2

N N B B
have won still rages to this day. b2+ 53. f1 f2+ 54. e1 a2 55. f1 g7

N N Q
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. c3 f6 4. g5 e7 5.e3 O–O 55...f6 was quicker, but White is reduced to to-

R R K R R
6. f3 bd7 7. c2 c5 Ultra sharp. Safer is the tal passivity and must sit back to await his in-

K R K R K R R
stodgy 7...c6. 8. d1 Once popular but risky is evitable doom. 56. e3 g6 57. d3 f6 58. e3

Q B K R K R R R
8. O-O-O which could expose the king to dan- f7 59. d3 e7 60. e3 d6 61. d3 f2+

R K R R K
ger. 8... a5 9. d3 Threatening Bxh7. Better is 62. e1 g2 63. f1 a2 64. e3 e5 65. d3
9. cxd5. Game 7 was eventually drawn after 9. exd4 66. xd4 c5 67. d1 d4 68. c1+ d5

B
cxd5 Nxd5 10. Bxe7 Nxe7 11. Bd3 Nf6. 9...h6 If 69. Rd1 Ng3+ 70. Ke1 Rg2 snares a piece.
10. h4 cxd4 Releasing tension in the center and This is generally considered the finest game of the
isolating Whites d-pawn. A satisfactory alternative match and the one most characteristic of Capa’s

B N B B
is 10...dxc4 11. Bxc4 Nb6 12. Be2 Bd7 18. O-O style. Lasker described the logic of the Cuban’s

R
Rac8. 11.exd4 dxc4 12. xc4 b6 13. b3 d7 play from move 24 as "enchanting." White Re-
14.O–O ac8 At Moscow 1935, Capa varied here signs.
against Stahlberg with 14...Bc6 but stood worse af- 0-1
ter 15. Ne5 Bd5 16. Nxd5 Nbxd5 17. Qe2 Rad8

N B
18. f4! Ne8 19. Bxe7 Nxe7 20. f5! Nxf5 21. ◦ Grunfeld, E.
Nxf7! 15. e5 b5 This much-admired move is • Bogoljubow, E.
actually inexact since it loses a tempo by driving Vienna

R N
the rook to a better square. Better is 15...Bc6 at Austria
once. 16. fe1 bd5 White got a winning attack 1922 1-0 E10
in Euwe-Landau, Noordwijk 1938, after 16...Bc4 Austria’s Ernst Grunfeld was a great theoretician
17. Bxc4 Nxc4 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Nd7 Rfd8 who possessed an encylopedic knowledge of the

B
20. Nxf6 gxf6 21. Rd3. But this move could
lead to trouble. Safer is 16...Rc7. 17. xd5 This
famous position appeared all over the world be-
cause of Gyula Breyer’s sensational analysis giv-
ing White the nod after 17. Bxf6! Bxf6 (not
17...Nxf6? 18. Ng6! Rfe8 19. Rxe6!) 18. Bxd5
exd5 19. f4! Bxf4 20. Qf5 Bg5 21. Qxd5 a6
openings. A prominent star in the 1920s, he later
became too content with colorless draws. Here is
N N
one his finest early efforts.
1.d4 f6 2. f3 e6 3.c4 c5 4.d5 b5 The Blu-
B
menfeld Counter Gambit achieved popularity in
this tournament. 5. g5 h6 Saemisch-Spielmann,
Teplitz-Schonau 1922, equalized after 5...bxc4 6.

N B N
22. a4 Rcd8 23. Qxb7 Bxa4 24. b4 Qf5 25.
B Q N
e4 Qa5+ 7. Nc3 Nxe4 8. Bxc4 Nxc3 9. Qd2 Qb4!

Q B N
Nxa4 Qxf5 26. Nc5. 17... xd5 18. xe7 xe7
N
6. xf6 xf6 7. c3 b4 Also in White’s favor is

R Q Q R N
19. b3 c6 Also okay is 19...Ba6. 20. xc6
N Q B
7...bxc4 8. e4 d6 9. Bxc4 e5 10. Qa4+. 8. b5

R
bxc6 21. e5 b6 22. c2 fd8 23. e2 Too
Q Q
a6 9.e4 xb2 Too risky. Safer is 9...e5. 10. d3

R Q N
passive. 23. Na4 leads to equal chances. 23... d5
24. xd5 cxd5 25. d2 f5 26.b3 h5 27.h3
Lasker’s last chance to draw was 27. Ng3! Nxg3
28. hxg3. Now Capa dominates the c-file and
f6 11.e5 d8 12.dxe6 The star move, much
stronger than 12. d6 Bb7. Now Black gets mated
B Q R R B K
on 12...fxe6 13. Bg6+ Ke7 14. Qd6. 12...dxe6
N B B N
13. e4 xd1+ 14. xd1 b8 15. c6+ e7

Q R K Q
grinds him down with his renowned endgame tech-
K R
16. xa7 g5 A last gasp. 17. b5 g7 18. c6+
nique. 27...h4 28. d3 c6 29. f1 g6 30. b1 f8 19. d8# A powerful positional masterpiece

Q K
Losing even more ground. 30. Qd2 was bet- by Grunfeld, who successfully combined theory

Q
ter. 30... b4 31. g1 31. Qb2 offers more re- and practice.
sistance. 31...a5 32. b2 a4 Instructive. This ad- 1-0
vance eliminates the remaining weakness in Blacks

28
◦ Alekhine, A. moves, prancing in interlocking checks, driving the
• Yates, F. king into the pit. In the heat of something now lost,
? Moritz had missed it, played defensively and lost."

N N N
London 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 The rarely seen Albin Counter

Q B B
1922 1-0 D64 Gambit. 3.dxe5 d4 4. f3 c6 5. bd2 f6
An extreme example of the "weak square com- 6.exf6 xf6 7.g3 g4 8. g2 O–O–O Black

N Q
plex." Alekhine so thoroughly dominates the dark gave up a pawn for rapid development. 9.O–O

B N
squares that in the end even his King can march ge7 10. b3 A good alternative is 10. a3

N N N B B
across the board to complete the mating net. to enforce b4. 10... g6 11.a4 b4 12.a5

N R Q R B B Q R N R
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 d5 4. c3 e7 5. g5 Pitching a pawn to open lines. Better is 12.

B N N N B B R Q
O–O 6.e3 bd7 7. c1 c6 8. c2 e8 9. d3 h3. 12... xa5 13. a4 he8 14. b3 xe2

N B
dxc4 10. xc4 d5 11. e4 f5 Black’s 9th and 15. xa5 xf3 16. h3+ d7 17. b5 Stronger

N R R Q
10th moves constitute the so-called "Capablanca is 17. Nxb7! 17... ce5 18. xd7+ Also playable

N B Q B N Q Q
freeing maneuver," with which Black hopes to ex- is 18. Bg5! 18... xd7 19. a3 e5 20. b3

Q N Q
change a few pieces and gain time to develop h4 21. f4 g6 22. xe5 xe5 23. b5 h5

N R
his "problem Bishop" at c8. Black’s last move 24. c5 hg6 25. b5 If 23. Qxd4 Qh3 wins

B
leads to trouble, for he thus weakens the squares outright. 25... f4 26. e1 The last hope was

B Q N
d6/e5/f6 in which the dark-squared Bishops will 26. Rfa1. 26... d5 Missing a forced mate by
soon be exchanged. 12. xe7 xe7 13. ed2 b5 26...Qxh2+ 27. Kxh2 Ng4+ 28. Kg1 Nh3 29.

N K
Trying to secure a square for the Bc8, but the Kf1 Nh2 mate – the killer knight moves. 27.cxd5
open file which results will fall to White’s con- h3+ 28. f1 Black Resigns – his attack ran out

B N N
trol, and and c5 joins the list of weak dark squares. of steam.

N Q Q R
14. xd5 cxd5 15.O–O a5 16. b3 a4 17. c5 1-0
xc5 18. xc5 xc5 19. xc5 b4 With the ex-
change of Queens, Black’s chance for counterplay ◦ Bogolyubov, E.
• Alekhine, A.
R
has vanished, and his weak queenside pawns will

B N R
force him to become even more passive. 20. fc1 ?
a6 21. e5 eb8 Now on 21...Rec8 22.Rxc8+ Hastings

K K
Rxc8 23.Rxc8+ Bxc8 24.Nc6 threatens both Ne7+ 1922 0-1 A90

R K R R
and Nxb4. 22.f3 b3 23.a3 h6 24. f2 h7 25.h4 A remarkable game, in which Black gradually
f8 26. g3 fb8 27. c7 White prepares to takes control of the whole board. A recurring

B
double Rooks on the 7th rank, with the inci- combinative theme is the strength of an advanced

R B R R K K
dental threat of 28.Nd7 and 29.Nc5. 27... b5 passed pawn, which may create mating threats or

B B R K R R N B B B
28. 1c5 a6 29. 5c6 e8 30. f4 g8 31.h5 sneak through to its Queening square.

N K N R R B N
f1 32.g3 a6 33. f7 h7 34. cc7 g8 1.d4 f5 2.c4 f6 3.g3 e6 4. g2 b4+ 5. d2

N
35. d7 h8 36. f6 gf8 37. xg7 A piece xd2+ 6. xd2 A better piece formation for

R K N Q K Q
sacrifice which prepares the final mating combina- White is 6. Qxd2 followed by 7.Nc3 6... c6
tion. 37... xf6 38. e5 Black Resigns. 7. gf3 O–O 8.O–O d6 9. b3 h8 10. c3 e5
1-0 Black obtains parity in the center by means of

Q Q
a tactical trick – 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.Nxe5? Nxe5
◦ Emmerich, ?. 13.Qxe5 Qxd2. 11.e3 a5 12.b3 e8 13.a3 h5
• Moritz, ? 14.h4 The e5 pawn still cannot be taken – 14.dxe5
Hauptturnier B, 22nd German Chess Congress dxe5 15.Nxe5 Nxe5 16.Qxe5 Ng4 wins the Queen.
Bad Oeynhausen 14.b4 is also bad, as 14...e4 forces 15.Ne1, break-

N
1922 1-0 D08 ing the connection of the two Rooks and allowing

N B N R
"Black had a win but he didn’t see it, played some- 15...axb4 16.axb4 Rxa1 17.Qxal Nxb4. 14... g4
thing else and lost. He probably regretted it the 15. g5 d7 16.f3 f6 17.f4 e4 18. fd1 Better

N
rest of his life," says Gene Hackman, starring as was 16.d5. Now Black consolidates his advantage

a weary private eye who tinkers with a pocket
set during stakeouts in NIGHT MOVES, a 1975
movie. Chapter One of the novel by Alan Sharp
identifies the game: "Back to the wall, in danger
N N
in the center and on the Kingside. 18...h6 19. h3
d5 20. f1 e7 Black would like to exchange his
d5 pawn for the White one on c4, obtaining the fine
square d5 for his Knight, and he prepares...a5-a4

N R N
of defeat, Moritz had a Queen sacrifice leading to 22.b4 dxc4. White prevents this, but at the cost of
an exquisite mate by means of three little knight a different concession. 21.a4 c6 22. d2 b4

29
 B Q
23. h1 e8 The main threat of this move can Qg5 34.dxe5 Bf3+ 35.Kf1 Ng3+ White Re-
be seen in the game. The other defenses, about signs.

R
equally bad, are 24.cxd5 (giving Black the Queen- 0-1

B N B N
side). White prefers to sacrifice a pawn. 24. g2
◦ Siegbert Tarrasch
N N R R
dxc4 25.bxc4 xa4 26. f2 d7 27. d2 b5
28. d1 d3 29. xa5 b4 30. xa8 On 30.Qa1 • Richard Reti
Rxa5 31.Qxa5 Qa8 32.Qxa8 Rxa8 the Black Rook, Vienna (10)
Bishop and Knight will escort the b-pawn in, while Austria
the White Bh1 is quite out of play. Instead, White 1922 1-0 B10

R
plays an exchanging combination, but his opponent A problem-like finish caps this magnificent con-
has seen further. 30...bxc3 31. xe8 c2 Surpris- test. The most impressive feature is the relentless

R K N Q
ingly, Black gets a new Queen, for the pawn can- march of White’s king from g1 to f7 to mate his

N N R N N N
not be stopped. 32. xf8+ h7 33. f2 c1= + luckless adversary.

Q R B R Q N
34. f1 e1 Threatening 35...Nf3++. 35. h2 1.e4 c6 2. c3 d5 3. f3 f6 Also playable is

B Q B B
xc4 36. b8 b5 37. xb5 xb5 38.g4 f3+ 3...dxe4. Weaker is 3...d4 4. Ne2 c5 5. d3.
39. xf3 exf3 40.gxf5 e2 Now White is re- 4.exd5 cxd5 5.d4 g4 6.h3 xf3 White wrests

Q B N B B
duced to pawn moves, for if 41.Rh3 Ng4 42.Nxg4 the initiative on 6...Bh5 7. g4 Bg6 8. Ne5.

K K
Qg2++, or 41.Nh3 Ng4! 42. Rxe2 fxe2, and 7. xf3 e6 8. d3 c6 9. e3 e7 Black’s solid

N N Q
the pawn will promote. 41.d5 g8 42.h5 h7 setup is hard to crack. But not 9...Qb6 10. O-

R Q
43.e4 xe4 44. xe4 xe4 45.d6 cxd6 46.f6 O Qxb2? (or 10...Nxd4 11. Qf4 Bc5 12. Na4)

R K Q N B
gxf6 47. d2 e2 Forcing an easily won King and 11. Nb5 with the double threat of Rfb1 and/or

K K K K K K K Q N R N B Q
pawn ending. 48. xe2 fxe2 49. f2 exf1= + Nc7. 10.O–O O–O 11.a3 a6 12. e2 b5 13. f4

N
50. xf1 g7 51. f2 f7 52. e3 e6 53. e4 b6 14.c3 a5 15. ad1 c4 16. c1 c6

R
d5+ White Resigns. More logical is 16...a5 right away. 17. g3 a5

N
0-1 18. fe1 b4 No need to stop for 18...Rfe8 to pre-
vent 20. Nf5. 19.axb4 axb4 20. f5 exf5
◦ Maroczy, G. Leads to a severe weakening of the dark squares
• Tartakower, S.
R B N
on the kingside. Simply 20...Bd8 is indicated.
? 21. xe7 bxc3 22.bxc3 g6 23. h6 b2 Trad-

R N Q R
Teplitz-Schonau ing a good knight for an ineffectual bishop. Bet-
1922 0-1 A85 ter is 23...Rfe8. 24. b1 xd3 25. xd3 fb8

R R Q R
A marvelous intuitive sacrifice. When offering the A tougher defense is 25...Rfe8. Now White

Q R
Rook at move 17, Tartakower’s judgment told him gets a bind. 26. xb8+ xb8 27. g3 d8

R Q Q
that White would have no way to secure his King 28. e5 a8 Black is all tied up and running

R K R K
or obtain a counterattack, so that Black would be out of good moves. 29. c7 e6 30. xe6 fxe6

N N B
able to bring up the reserves at leisure. 31. g7+ h8 32. e7 g8 33.f3 There’s no

B N N N K N R K R
1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 3. c3 f6 4.a3 e7 5.e3 O–O rush. 33. Rxe6 Kf7 gives Black counterplay.

N K N K
6. d3 d5 7. f3 c6 8.O–O e4 The "Stonewall" 33... e8 34. h2 d6 35. g7+ h8 36. d7
system of the Dutch Defense. Black hopes to use b5 37. g3 xc3 38. f4 Black’s extra pawn

Q B N N
his strongly posted Knight at e4 to support an at- is trivial. He is helpless against the incursion of

B R R R Q B K R K
tack on the White King. 9. c2 d6 10.b3 d7 White’s king on the dark squares. 38... b5

R N
11. b2 f6 12. fe1 h6 13.g3 f6 14. f1 39. e5 e8 40. f6 Black can’t breathe. If
g5 15. ad1 g4 16. xe4 Opens the file for Black, 40...Kg8 41. Rg7 Kh8 42. Rb7 Nd6 43. Rd7 Nb5

N R K
but 16.Nd2 Nxf2 17. Kxf2 Rxh2+ 18.Bg2 Bxg3+ 44. Kf7 Rg8 45. Rd8! Rxd8 46. Bg7 mate. Black

Q K N R Q N
is crushing. 16...fxe4 17. d2 xh2 18. xh2 resigns.

N Q B R Q K B
xf2+ 19. h1 f6 20. e2 xg3 21. b1 1-0

B
h5 22. d2 d7 23. f2 h4+ 24. g1 g3
25. c3 White must return some of the material, ◦ Alekhine, A.
for if 25.Rg2 Rf8 26.Qe2 Rf3 27.Bc3 Bd6 28.Be1 • Yates, F.

B Q
g3 29.Nd2 Qg4, followed by Nh5-g7-f5, Black Carlsbad

Q R B R K K
has a winning attack. 25... xf2+ 26. xf2 g3 Czechoslovakia

B B
27. g2 f8 28. e1 xf1+ 29. xf1 e5 30. g1 1923 0-1 E62

N R N Q
g4 31. xg3 White cannot survive 31.Rd2 exd4 Frederick Yates was England’s outstanding repre-
32.exd4 Bf3. 31... xg3 32. e1 f5 33. f2 sentative after Blackburne was no longer on the

30
scene. Here is his most celebrated victory which R
25. ce1 To prevent ...Re2. 25...h6 White Resigns.

N B B N
earned him a brilliancy prize. 25...h6 is one of the most remarkable winning

N N N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 g7 4. g2 O–O 5. c3 moves on record. There is no direct threat, but al-
d6 6. f3 c6 7.d5 b8 A hypermodern idea. most anything White does will eventually lose ma-
Black lures the pawns forward in the hope of un- terial – though he is not technically in "zugzwang."

N B
dermining them later. Also playable is 7...Na5 Here are a few possibilities: (A) 26. g4 R5f3! 27.

N B N N
8. Nd2 c5. 8.e4 bd7 9.O–O a5 10. e3 Bet- Bxf3 Rh2 mate. (B) 26. a3 a5 27. axb4 axb4

N
ter is 10. h3. 10... g4 11. d4 ge5 12. xe5 28. b3 Kh7 and White faces the same predicament.

B B B
xe5 Better is 12. Nd2. Exchanges ease Black’s (C) 26. b3 a5 and White has still run out of good

R Q B
cramp. 13.c5 dxc5 14. xc5 b6 15. d4 a6 moves.

B R
16. e1 d6 17. f1 Not 17. f4? Nd3! 18. 0-1

B
Bxg7 Qc5+ wins. 17... xf1 18. xf1 c5 Hoping

Q Q R Q
for 19. dxc6? Qxd4! 20. Qxd4 Nf3+ 19. xe5
◦ Grunfeld, E.
R
xe5 20. b3 ab8 21. b5 A strategical er-
• Alekhine, A.
Q R Q Q
ror. Correct is 21. Rad1. 21...f5 22. ae1 f4
?
23. d7 bd8 24.gxf4 xf4 25. e6+ The pawn
Carlsbad, CZ
K
is immune: 25. Qxe7? Qg4+ 26. Kh1 Qf3+
1923 0-1 D64
Q K R Q B R
27. Kg1 Rde8 28. Qd7 Re5 and wins. 25... h8
Another superb Alekhine combination, as he out-
R N R N R Q Q
26.f3 g5+ 27. h1 d6 28. h3 e5 29. e2
N N N B B
plays opening expert Grunfeld in the middlegame.
N R
df6 30. d1 f4 31. e3 h4 32. e6 h5
N R Q
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 d5 4. c3 e7 5. g5
R K Q K Q
33. g4 xg4 Launching a long combination.
B R B B B
bd7 6.e3 O–O 7. c1 c6 8. c2 a6 9.a3 h6
K B K Q K Q
34.fxg4 xf1+ 35. g2 xh2+ 36. xf1 h1+
R N Q B B
10. h4 e8 11. d3 dxc4 12. xc4 b5 13. a2
R Q K Q K
37. f2 d4+ 38. g3 g1+ 39. h3 f1+
R Q N B B
c5 14. d1 cxd4 15. xd4 b6 16. b1 b7
R
40. g2 h1+ 41. g3 e1+ 42. h3 g5 The
Q Q N B B B
17.O–O ac8 18. d2 e5 19. xf6 xf6
Q K Q K Q K
threat of Qh4 mate wins material. 43. c2
Q R N N R
20. c2 g6 21. e2 c4 22. e4 g7 23. xb7
Q R Q K Q K
f1+ 44. h2 g1+ 45. h3 h1+ 46. g3
R N N N R Q
xb7 24. c1 e5 25. b3 e4 26. d4 ed8
B K B
d1 47. c3 g1+ 48. h3 f1+ 49. g3
R
27. fd1 e5 28. a2 d3 29. xc8 xc8
f2+ 50. f3 g1+ White Resigns without wait-
30.f3 xd4 31.fxe4 Black wins on 31.exd4 Bxd4+
ing for 51. Kg3 Qf2+ 52. Kh3 Qh2 mate.
32.Kf1 Nf4 33.Qxe4 Qc4+ 34.Ke1 Nxg2+ 35.Kd2
0-1
N
Be3+. White hopes to escape with the text move, as

Q Q R Q B
Black has two pieces "en prise." 31... f4 32.exf4
◦ Saemisch, F.
c4 33. xc4 xd1+ 34. f1 d4+ White Re-
• Nimzovich, A.
signs.
Copenhagen
0-1
Denmark
1923 0-1 E18
Aron Nimzovich was the greatest player of the hy- ◦ Rubinstein, A.
permodern school. His wizardry was most evi- • Hromadka
dent in closed positions when he found moves that ?
were often termed "mysterious." This classic be- Mahrisch-Ostrau
1923 1-0 C30
N N B B
came known as the "Immortal Zugzwang Game."

B N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 b6 4.g3 b7 5. g2 Rubinstein’s lucid play demonstrates the positional
e7 6. c3 O–O 7.O–O d5 This standard Q’s In- basis of the King’s Gambit, as his diversionary

N
dian Defense was radically new in 1923. Today threats on the open f-file prove a prelude to the de-
7...Ne4 is considered best. 8. e5 c6 9.cxd5 Only cisive combinative blow against the Black King on

B R Q B
helps Black solidify his center. Better is 9. e4 or the other flank.
b3. 9...cxd5 10. f4 a6 11. c1 b5 12. b3 An- 1.e4 e5 2.f4 c5 Black may decline the King’s

N N B N
other positional misjudgment. 12. Nd3 leads to Gambit in this manner, for 3.fxe5? loses horri-

Q K N B Q N N B N B
an even game. 12... c6 13. xc6 xc6 14.h3 bly to 3...Qh4+ 4.g3 Qxe4+ and 5...Qxh1. 3. f3

N
d7 15. h2 h5 16. d2 f5 17. d1 A tacit d6 4. c3 f6 5. c4 c6 6.d3 g4 This old

B R B
admission that Qb3 was wrong. 17...b4 18. b1 variation has the effect of preventing White from

Q
b5 19. g1 d6 20.e4 The losing move. 20. castling, but more in accordance with the po-

R Q R K R Q B B Q N Q
e3 still makes a fight of it. 20...fxe4 21. xh5 sition was challenging White’s powerful Bishop
xf2 22. g5 af8 23. h1 8f5 24. e3 d3 with 6...Be6. 7.h3 xf3 8. xf3 d4 9. g3

31
Q e7 Capturing the Rook with 9...Nxc2+ 10.Kd1
Nxa1 yields White an overwhelming attack, e.g.
K R R
11.fxe5 dxe5 12.Qxg7 Rf8 13.Bg5 Be7 14.Rf1 etc.
N
10.fxe5 dxe5 11. d1 c6 12.a4 g8 13. f1 h6
14. e2 O–O–O Black hopes to secure his King
on the Queenside, but White will combine action
N B B B
on the f-file and the g1-a7 diagonal via the "pivot
B B K K
point" f2. 15. xd4 xd4 16.c3 b6 17.a5
c7 18. e3 b8 19. c2 With his last move,
Black threatened to exploit the pin on the d-file
K R
with ...Nxe4; this was not on before because of
N B
Qg4+. 19... a8 20. f3 Preparing 21.Qf2, when
he would threaten both Bxa7 and Bxh6. 20... d5
A 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, and
B N Q B
with the threat of ...Qe2+ Black has a strong at-
tack. 21. g1 f4 22. f2 b8 23.g3 Clear-
ing the f-file. Black had not feared this move,
for he thought that his reply would lead to the
N
exchange of the important Bg1, breaking the at-
R Q Q
tack, but Rubinstein has seen farther. 23... xh3
24. xf7 d6 25. b6 A startling move. White
threatens 26.Qxb7++, and the Queen cannot be
taken in view of 25...axb6 26.axb6+ Ba7 27.Rxa7+
R B
Kb8 28.Rfxb7+ Kc8 29.Ba6, with unavoidable
mate. 25... d7 26. c5 The point of the com-
bination; the Black Queen has few flight squares,
and after 26...Qc7 27.Qxc7 Rcx7 28.Rxc7 Bxc7
R B R Q N
29.Bxg8 White picks off the undefended Rook on
B
g8. 26... xf7 27. xd6 f2+ 28. xf2 xf2
29. c5 Black Resigns.
1-0
◦ Richard Reti
• Karel Treybal
Carlsbad
Czechoslovakia
1923 1/2-1/2 E19
When Reti popularized the hypermodern opening
named after him (1. Nf3), he had some profound
positional concepts in mind such as controlling the
center from the wings instead of occupying it with
pawns. But when confronted with such admirable
tacticians as Dr. Treybal, the game became as wild
N N B N
as anything arising out of the King’s Gambit.
B N
1. f3 f6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 c5 4. g2 c6 5.O–O
e7 6. c3 d5 Black occupies the center with
pawns in a classical style. Meanwhile, Reti tries
N N
to undermine it from the wings, a typical hyper-
modern strategy. 7.cxd5 xd5 8. xd5 exd5 Also
feasible is 8...Qxd5 to avoid the isolated pawn. If
then 9. d3 O-O 10. Be3 Qh5 is roughly equal.
9.d4 c4 Black boldly aims for a queenside pawn
32
majority at the expense of giving White control
N N Q B
of the center. 10.b3 O–O 11.bxc4 dxc4 12.d5
b4 13. e5 c7 14.f4 f5 15.e4 f6 16.a3 The
game now takes a critical turn. Black reckoned
on 16. exf5 fxe5 17. fxe5 Qxe5 18. Bf4 Qxf5
19. d6 Qc5 20. Kh1 Rfd8 21. d7 Nd3 22.
K B
Bxb7 Rxd7! threatening not only Rxb7 but Nf2
as well. 16... c5+ 17. h1 fxe5 18.axb4 d4
B Q R R Q
The only way to save one of the bishops. 19.exf5
B B B
xa1 20.d6 d7 21.fxe5 xf5 22. xf5 xf5
23. f4 xe5 24. xb7 On 24. Qd5 Kh8 the
B
bishop on e5 is immune owing to the mate threat
B
on the back rank by Qb1. 24... xf4 25. xa8
Q Q B K
xd6 The bishop is again untouchable owing to
B B K K
Qf1 mate. 26. d5+ xd5+ 27. xd5+ f8
28. xc4 xb4 29. g2 e7 Another great fight-
ing draw. Black can’t make progress despite his
extra pawn, owing to opposite colored bishops.
1/2-1/2
◦ Richard Reti
• Akiba Rubinstein
Carlsbad
Czechoslovakia
1923 1-0 A07
Chess would not have advanced to the healthy
eclecticism which characterizes it today were it not
for the hypermoderns. In the 1920s Reti consis-
tently won high prizes, though he never reached the
pinnacle before his untimely death at age 40. Here
is a game of immense historical importance, which
demonstrated 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 it
N N B
with his own pawns!
1. f3 d5 2.g3 f6 3. g2 g6 4.c4 d4 This pawn
B
becomes weak. Better is 4...c6 to bolster the center.
N
5.d3 g7 6.b4 Undermining support for Black’s
advanced d-pawn. 6...O–O 7. bd2 Since Black
has occupied the center with a pawn, White pro-
ceeds to undermine and destroy it. 7...c5 Giving
up a pawn in order to reinforce the center after 8.
N B N N
bxc5 Nc6 9. Nb3 e5. But 7...Re8 intending e5
N B
is better. 8. b3 cxb4 9. b2 c6 10. bxd4
xd4 11. xd4 The outcome of the opening is cu-
rious. White stands better because he can occupy
the center with pawns, leading to a hypermodern
paradox: If you occupy the center immediately,
the pawns may become weak. This suggests that
B B
occupation itself is not the culprit – just prema-
R Q Q
ture occupation. 11...b6 12.a3 b7 13. b2 bxa3
14. xa3 c7 15. a1 Kmoch wrote: "One may
N B N
confidently assert that Reti did not discover this
move, he invented it!" 15... e8 16. xg7 xg7
 Q R
17.O–O "At last! The older masters were often sacrifice netting 3 pawns for the piece. 26...exf5

K
horrified by the lack of precautions that hypermod- 27. xf5 h5 28.g4 c6 29.g5 An error. Alekhine
erns took to defend their king" – Reuben Fine. Of showed that 29. Nxd5 would have won. 29... g8

N R B B N B
course not 17. Rxa7? Rxa7 18. Qxa7 Ra8 trapping Returning the favor. Lasker gives 29...Rd6! 30.

R N Q
the queen. 17... e6 18. b1 c6 19.d4 e4 g4 Kg8 as the proper defense. 30. xd5 f7
20. d1 White stands better because, curiously, he 31. xe7+ xe7 32.g4 hxg4 Overlooking an easy

Q K
is now able to occupy the center with pawns! Now draw by 32...Rc2+ 33. Kg3 Re2 34. g6 h4+!

N N R B Q K
20...Qxc4 loses to 21. Nd2. 20...a5 20...Qxc4? but Black is still playing to win. 33. h7+ f8

B K R N R R R R K Q
21. Nd2 costs Black a piece. 21.d5 c5 22. d4 34. h6 g8 Simpler is 34...Rxh6. 35. f5+ g7

Q Q
xg2 23. xg2 fd8 24. c6 d6 25. e3 e8 36. xc6 bxc6 37. g3 e6 The losing move.

K Q K B
26. e5 f6 27. b2 e5 Reti provoked this advance Alekhine pointed out 37...Bf7! still draws; if 38.

K B B K B K
by Black. Now White’s knight cannot be dislodged Qxg4 c5. 38. xg4 xf5+ 39. xf5 d5 40.b4

Q K R N R K K
and his next step is to focus on the weak b-pawn. a6 41. g4 c4 42.f5 b3 43. f4 c2 44. e5

R B
28. b5 f7 29. b1 d7 30.f3 c8 Hoping to f7 45.a4 g7 Three passed pawns are decisive

B K
free his game with Nb8. 31. d3 e4 A desper- after 45...Bxa4 46. Kxe4. 46.d5 xa4 47.d6 c5

NQ
ate gasp for air. If 31...Nb8 then 32. c5 wins. 48.bxc5 c6 49. e6 a5 50.f6+ Black Resigns in

N R R
32.fxe4 e5 33. xb6 Vindicating White’s entire view of 50...Kf8 51. g6 a4 52. g7+ Kg8 53. f7+

Q R R R K
strategy. 33... xc6 34.c5 d7 35.dxc6 xd3 Kxg7 54. Ke7 and f8=Q coming next.

R R
36. xc7+ xc7 37.exd3 xc6 38. b7+ e8 1-0
39.d4 a6 40. b6 The quickest path to victory.

R
After 40...Rxb6 41. cxb6 Kd7 42. e5 a4 43.
◦ Emanuel Lasker
R R R K
e6 Kxe6 44. b7 White queens first. 40... a8
• Edward Lasker
K R K
41. xf6 a4 42. f2 a3 43. a2 d7 44.d5 g5
New York (6)
K K K K
45. f3 a4 46. e3 h5 47. h4 gxh4 48.gxh4
e7 49. f4 d7 50. f5 One of the earliest tri- USA
umphs of hypermodernism. Black Resigns. 1924 1/2-1/2 C99
1-0 Emanuel Lasker’s greatest triumph after he was
dethroned came at age 55, in this famous double
◦ Capablanca, J. round-robin with 11 stars. Undefeated, he won by
• Lasker, Em. a margin of 1.5 points ahead of runner-up Capa-
New York (14) blanca (who took the title from him in 1921) and
USA four points ahead of Alekhine (who took the title
1924 1-0 D13 from Capa in 1927). The advantage changed hands
This magnificent fighting game took place three when he persisted in trying to win a drawn position
years after Lasker lost the title to Capablanca. against his namesake Edward Lasker (no relation).
Lasker won first prize by scoring 80% in this dou- White’s narrow escape with a knight against rook
and pawn added a new chapter to endgame theory.
N N B B N
ble round robin, but Capa had the satisfaction of

B R B N
posting 1 1/2 out of two in their individual encoun- 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O

N N N B Q
ters here. e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 O–O 8.c3 d6 9.h3 a5

N B B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 c6 3. c3 d5 4.cxd5 cxd5 5. f3 10. c2 c5 11.d4 c7 Black tries to hold e5

B N B N
c6 6. f4 e6 7.e3 e7 7...Bd6 is less cramp- at all costs in this closed defense to the Ruy

R R N
ing. 8. d3 O–O 9.O–O White should stop for Lopez. 12. bd2 cxd4 13.cxd4 d7 14. f1

N B N B N
9. h3 to provide an escape square for his bishop on fc8 15. e2 h5 A dubious pawn sacrifice.

R N B
h2. 9... h5 10. e5 f5 More consistent is 10...f6. 16.dxe5 dxe5 17. xe5 xh3 18. xf7 Known
11. c1 f6 12. xf6 gxf6 Doubled pawns are a to the trade as a desperado sacrifice. The knight

N B N
weakness, but this prevents White from controlling sells itself for as much material as possible. Now

K R
R B R B B R R
e5 and opens the g-file for counterplay. 13. h4 18...Bxg2 is refuted by 19. Qd5. 18... e6 19. g5

B R R R R N B
h8 14.f4 g8 15. f3 d7 16. h3 Pointless. c4 20. d3 d8 21. c2 Pin and counter-pin!

K N Q Q N Q
16... e8 17.a3 g7 18. g3 xg3 19.hxg3 c8 21... f4 22. xf4 Much stronger is 22. Bxc4

N Q N R N B N Q R R
20. f2 a5 21. f3 Better is 21. Qe2 right away. followed by Qg4. 22... xf4 23. h3 e5
21... c4 22. e2 d6 23. h1 e4+ Correct is 24. xc4+ xc4 25. e2 d4 26.f3 ad8 White
23...Bf7! and if 24. g4 Ne4+ 25. Bxe4 fxe4 so is a pawn up but Black’s control of the d-file gives

B Q N R B K B N N
that White’s Queen can’t penetrate the kingside. him some compensation in the form of a bind.
24. xe4 fxe4 25. g4 f5 26. xf5 A promising 27. ac1 c5 28. h1 b4 29.b3 d2 30. e3

33
Gives Black an opportunity to turn the tables. Sim- But rook vs. knight without pawns on the board

B K K
ply 30. Nh2 leaves the enemy knight stranded is a well-known book draw with best defense.
on d2. 30... a3 "I had no more time left to fig- 103. xb3 d4+ Draw agreed.
ure through 30...Nxe4! 31. fxe4 Rxe4 32. Rc8 1/2-1/2

R B
Re8! which would have won a solid pawn and the
◦ Richard Reti
B B
game," noted Edward Lasker. 31. d1 b4 32.a3
• Jose Capablanca
N
a5 33.b4 c7 Hoping for 34. Ng4? Nxe4!

K R N
But White has an effective rejoinder. 34.f4 xe4 New York (5)

Q R
35. h2 xd1 36. xd1 But not 36. fxe5? Bxe5 USA
37. g3 R1d2. 36... e7 37. xc7 Spoiling the 1924 1-0 A15

Q
fruits of his labor. Instead 37. N1f2! Rd4 38. In this elite event, Capa started slowly with four

Q Q
Qe3 Bb6 39. Re2 snares a piece. 37... xc7 draws before losing to Reti – the first tournament
38. xe4 c4 Certainly not 38...Rxd1?? 39. game he had lost in eight years. It created a sen-

Q Q
Qe8 mate. White now tries desperately to win sation. Although Capa’s debacle was due solely to

N Q Q Q Q Q
by keeping queens on the board. 39. e7 c8 a miscalculation, this game brought the unortho-
40. df2 h6 41. a7 e6 42. b7 d5 43. b6 dox theories of the hypermoderns to the attention

R Q
Exchanging queens leads to a draw and if 43. of the public. Far from being discouraged by such

R Q Q Q Q Q R
Qxa6 Ra8 regains the pawn. 43... d6 44. e3 a bad start, Capa showed his mettle by winning 10

Q Q Q R
e6 45. c3 c4 46. f3 c6 47. d3 d6 and drawing 5 in the remaining 15 rounds to finish

N
48. b3+ d5 49. b1 e6 White’s rejection second behind Lasker.

N R N
of a draw by repetition allowed Black to steadily 1. f3 The Reti Opening is named in honor of the
improve his position. 50. g4 e2 51. xh6+ founder of the Hypermodern school which held,
51. Ngf2 would hold the balance. In persistently in opposition to classical theory, that the center

Q K Q N
avoiding the draw, White comes dangerously close could be controlled from the wings rather than by

K Q K Q R Q R B B
to losing. 51...gxh6 52. g6+ f8 53. xh6+ directly occupying it with pawns. 1... f6 2.c4

Q
e8 54. g6+ d8 55. g3 e8 56. f2 g8 g6 3.b4 g7 4. b2 O–O 5.g3 b6 Capablanca

Q
57. c2 Here 57. Qb6 would force a draw, treats the opening simply as well as soundly and,

Q K Q K Q R Q B B
but White is still striving for more. 57... d6 after a few moves, attaints a perfectly even posi-

R N
58. c3 d7 59. f3 c7 60. e4 g7 61. f5 tion. – Alekhine. 6. g2 b7 7.O–O d6 8.d3
e7 62. g5 Trying to activate the knight proves It’s somewhat odd to see both sides fianchetto all
fruitless. 62. Qc2 Kd8 63. Qc3 would still their bishops. Here Reti sticks too closely to his

R
N Q N K N N
maintain parity.. Now White drops his a-pawn. hypermodern principles by not occupying the cen-

Q R R N
62... e3 63. e4 e7 64. f6 b8 The point is ter directly with 8. d4. 8... bd7 9. bd2 e5

R K R N R N Q
65. Nd5? Qh4 wins. Now Black is playing for 10. c2 e8 11. fd1 a5 12.a3 h6 13. f1 c5

K Q Q R K K
a win. 65.g3 xa3 66. h3 a1 67. d5 h1+ 14.b5 f8 15. e3 c7 Preparing to break with d5

K K R
68. g2 h7 69. xh7 xh7 70. f3 b7 71.g4 but White beats him to it. 16.d4 Finally advanc-

B Q
c6 72. e4 h8 Threatening 73...Re8 74. Kd4 ing the pawn with greater impact than would have

N R K R
Rd8 pinning the knight. Alekhine recommends been the case on move 8. 16... e4 17. c3 More

K N
72...Rd7 instead. 73. e3 e8+ 74. d4 d8+ accurate is 17. Qc1 right away. 17...exd4 18.exd4

K Q
75. e4 a5 Creating a passed pawn before White’s 6d7 A miscalculation. After 18...Ne6! 19. dxc5

N R R R
pawns advance too far. 76.bxa5 b4 77.a6 c5 dxc5 19. Qc1 it’s an even game. 19. d2 cxd4

N R K B Q B K Q
78.a7 b3 79. d1 a8 80.g5 xa7 81.g6 d7 A miscalculation. Simply 19...Rad8 avoids the

K R Q
82. b2 d2 83. f3 The point of White’s bril- worst. 20. xd4 xc4 21. xg7 xg7 22. b2+

R K R K R K R R N Q
liant defense. If 83...Rxb2? 84. g7 queens. g8 23. xd6 c5 Also inadequate is 23...Nc5

K K R K QR
83... d8 84. e4 d2 85. f3 d8 86. e4 24. Ne3. 24. ad1 a7 25. e3 h5 The cen-

K R N K K K
d6 87. d4 c8 88.g7 e7 89.g8= xg8 ter is liquidated but White controls more space and

N B K Q
90. c4 g3 91. a4 f6 92. b4 f5 Oddly dominates the d-file. It’s all over in a few moves.

N
enough, Black cannot win despite his material ad- 26. d4 xg2 27. xg2 e5 Nothing works. If

Q N R N N R
vantage. This position was previously unknown 27...Rxe3 28. fxe3 Qxd1 29. Nf5! wins. 28. c4

N K N K N R
to theory and later became famous as the Lasker c5 29. c6 c7 30. e3 e5 31. 1d5 Trap-

N R N K N K K
Draw. 93. b2 e4 94. a4 d4 95. b2 f3 ping the queen. A great personal triumph for Reti

K K K N R N
96. a4 e3 97. b2 e4 98. a4 f3 99. a3 as well as a vindication for his theories in general.

K
e4 100. b4 d4 101. b2 h3 102. a4 Black Resigns.
d3 Giving up the pawn to break the blockade. 1-0

34
 years because of illness. This celebrated game is

N N B
his birthday gift to posterity.
◦ Richard Reti
B N N B N
1.d4 f6 2. f3 e6 3. g5 c5 4.e3 cxd4 5.exd4
• Efim Bogoljubov
B Q Q R R
e7 6. bd2 d6 7.c3 bd7 8. d3 b6 9. c4
New York
R N B N N N
b7 10. e2 c7 11.O–O O–O 12. fe1 fe8
USA
N
13. ad1 f8 14. c1 d5 15. g5 b5 16. a3
1924 1-0 A13
Q B
b4 17.cxb4 xb4 White’s opening is less than ele-
While his victory over Capablanca was a personal
B N R Q Q
gant, but he works up some threats. 18. h5 xg5
triumph for Reti, this win against Bogoljubov in 19. xg5 xd3 20. xd3 a5 21.b4 f5 Better
the same event is one of the finest games on record.
R N Q
was 21... Qd5 22. Rg3 h6 when the Queen controls
White’s delayed occuption of the center, com- c4. 22. g3 h6 23. c4 d5 Still hoping to profit
bined with subtle positional maneuvers, leads to
N Q
from the pin, but 23... hxg5 24. Nxd6 leads to an
a problem-like twist. His effort was awarded the
B Q R K R K
equal game. 24. e3 b5 Now the pin backfires.
very first brilliancy prize given in a tournament.
R K R K R K
25. f6 xh5 26. xg7+ h8 27. xf7+ g8
N N
R K R K R K
1. f3 f6 A flexible reply that doesn’t commit 28. g7+ h8 29. xb7+ g8 30. g7+ h8
Black to any course of action. 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 Oc- 31. g5+ h7 32. xh5 g6 33. h3 xf6 Af-

R K R R R K
ter the carnage, White emerges three pawns up:
B B
cupying the center in a classical style. Another

R K R N
good reply is 3...b6. 4. g2 d6 5.O–O O–O 34. xh6+ g5 35. h3 eb8 36. g3+ f6

R R N R K
37. f3+ g6 38.a3 a5 39.bxa5 xa5 40. c4
R B
On 5...dxc4 6. Qa4+ regains the pawn. 6.b3
e8 7. b2 This double fianchetto was a hall- d5 41. f4 d7 42. xe6+ g5 43.g3 Black
Resigns.
N
mark of the Hypermoderns, who were also known
1-0
N N
as "chess cubists." 7... bd7 8.d4 Less forceful
is 8. d3. 8...c6 9. bd2 e4 Leads to trou-
ble by opening lines before Black has completed ◦ Reti, R.
• Alekhine, A.
N N
his development. More steadfast is 9...b6 fol-
lowed by Bb7. 10. xe4 dxe4 11. e5 f5 The ?
only way to save the e-pawn, but it weakens the Baden-Baden
1925 0-1 A00
B Q
kingside. Also inadequate is 11...Nf6 12. Qc2.
Reti was one of the leaders of the "Hypermodern"
N
12.f3 exf3 13. xf3 c7 A lesser evil would be
movement, a group of masters who rebelled against
B
13...Nxe5 14. dxe5 Bc5 15. Kg2 Bd7. 14. xd7
the dogmatism of Tarrasch (who claimed that the
B Q R
xd7 15.e4 e5 Struggling to free himself. 16.c5
f8 17. c2 exd4 18.exf5 ad8 Hoping for 19. center must be occupied by pawns) and demon-
strated the power of counterattack against an im-
B R B R
Bxd4 Bxf5. Instead White launches a decisive as-
sault. 19. h5 e5 20. xd4 xf5 Allows a bril- mobile center. Here, Reti obtains a fine strate-
gic position from his opening experiment, but is
R B Q R R R
liant finish but 20...Rd5 21. Rad1 is equally bad.
21. xf5 xf5 22. xf5 xd4 23. f1 d8 Of ensnared by Alekhine in a whirlwind of combi-
nations. This is an incredibly complicated game
B K B
no avail is 23...Qe7 24. Bf7 Kh8 25. Bd5! g6
26. Qxf8 winning a piece. 24. f7+ h8 25. e8 where everything is suspended in mid-air. Master-
Black will get mated and resigns. A beautiful final magician Alekhine pulls the strings, finding one
touch. stroke after another, each more powerful than the
1-0 last, so that his harassed opponent is given no

N N Q
breathing space.

N B B B B N
1.g3 e5 2. f3 e4 3. d4 d5 4.d3 exd3 5. xd3
◦ Torre, C. f6 6. g2 b4+ 7. d2 xd2+ 8. xd2 O–O
• Lasker, Em. Black occupies the center with a pawn, White

N N Q N
? strikes at it from the wings. Chances are roughly

N
Moscow even. 9.c4 a6 10.cxd5 b4 11. c4 bxd5
1925 1-0 A46 12. 2b3 c6 Now White has pressure on the h1-a8
Carlos Torre burst on the chess scene when he diagonal and the c-file; the Knight on d4 aims at c6,
moved from his native Mexico to New Orleans where they intersect, and the Nb3 can move to c5,

R R B
and then New York in the 1920s. In this game, attacking b7. Black must play very energetically to

R Q N B B
played on his 21st birthday, he sweeps the seventh maintain the balance. 13.O–O e8 14. fd1 g4
rank with an unusual discovered-check combina- 15. d2 c8 16. c5 h3 17. f3 White cor-
tion. Tragically, his career was cut short in a few rectly declines the pawn sacrifice, for Black wins in

35
 Bd7 21.Bc1 Rac8 22.d5 Kh8 23.Nd2 Rg8
24.Bg2 g5 25.Nf1 Rg7 26.Ra2 Nf5 27.Bh1
17.Bxh3 Qxh3 18.Nxb7 Ng4 19.Nf3 Nde3 20.fxe3

Rcg8 28.Qd1 gxf4 29.exf4 Bc8 30.Qb3 Ba6

Nxe3 21.Qxf7+ Kh8 [not 21...Kxf7 22.Ng5+ and

B B B B B B 31.Re2 Or 31.Bd2 Rg6 32.Be1 Ng4+ 33.hxg4

23.Nxh3] 22.Nh4 Rf8, and if 23.Qb3 Rf1+ mates.
17... g4 18. g2 h3 19. f3 g4 20. h1
Naturally White does not want to agree to a draw, hxg4+ 34.Kg2 Bxc4 35.Qxc4 e3, and the threat

N R B Q
or change his powerful Bishop. But the position of of 36...Qh3++ forces 36.Nxe3 Nxe3+, winning

R B B B B N R
the B on h1 allows Black a hidden combinational the Queen. 31... h4 32. e3 c8 33. c2

Q R K Q N N
idea at move 26. 20...h5 21.b4 a6 22. c1 h4 xh3 34. xe4 f5 35. xf5 xf5 36. e2

K R
23.a4 hxg3 24.hxg3 c7 25.b5 Instead Alekhine h4 37. gg2 hxg3+ 38. g1 h3 39. e3 h4
recommends 25.e4 Nb6 26.Qb3, but White did 40. f1 e8 White Resigns.
not wish to block the diagonal of his Bishop, 0-1

R
and Black’s threat is far from obvious. 25...axb5

N
26.axb5 e3 One of Alekhine’s most surprising
◦ Colle, E.
combinations. 27. f3 The Rook cannot be
• Gruenfeld, E.
taken because of 27.fxe3 Qxg3+ 28.Bg2 Nxe3, and
Berlin
Black threatened 27...Rxg3+ with the same idea.
Germany
But a better defense, according to Alekhine, was
1926 1-0 A47
27.Bf3 Bxf3 28.gxf3 cxb5 29.Nxb5 Qa5, though
The Belgian master Edgar Colle is remembered
Black is still somewhat better; 30.Rxd5? fails to
mostly for the opening named after him – the Colle
Q N Q Q N N
30...Re1+ 31.Rxe1 Qxe1+ and 32...Ra1. 27...cxb5
System. Here is one of his most famous brillian-
K
28. xb5 c3 29. xb7 xb7 30. xb7 xe2+
N N
cies.
31. h2 An amazing position – with so many
B
1.d4 f6 2. f3 e6 3.e3 b6 The Colle System
pieces of both color "en prise" it seems difficult
B N B
proper arises after 3...d5 4. Bd3 c5 5. c3. 4. d3
to say even who has the advantage. But with his
B N R R
b7 5. bd2 c5 6.O–O e7 7.b3 cxd4 8.exd4
next move, Alekhine embarks on a 12-move com-
R Q
d6 9. b2 bd7 10.c4 O–O 11. c1 e8
N
bination that ends in the capture of the stranded
12. e1 c7 The start of a hypermodern maneu-
Knight on b7. 31... e4 A crazy setting where
Q R N Q N
ver to shift the queen to a8! More relevant is
everything seems to be hanging. Yet Black will
Q N N K Q K
12...Rc8. 13. e2 ac8 14. f1 b8 15. g3
R
trap the knight at b7 after 12 more forced moves.
N N K Q Q
a8 16. g5 g6 17. xf7 xf7 18. xe6+ g7
N B B R N K
32. c4 Not 32.fx3? Nxd2 winning the Exchange.
K B B R R Q
19. d5 c5 20. f5+ f8 21. e3 gxf5 22. h6+
N K R R N K
32... xf2 33. g2 e6 34. cc2 g4+ 35. h3
K Q K B
f7 23. xf5 xd5 24. xe7+ xe7 25. xf6+
N K N B N
e5+ 36. h2 xf3 37. xe2 g4+ 38. h3
e8 26. h8+ f7 27. xc8 Black Resigns.
R
e3+ 39. h2 xc2 40. xf3 d4 If 41.Re3
1-0
N R B
Nxf3+ 42.Rxf3 Bd5, winning a piece. 41. f2
xf3+ 42. xf3 d5 White Resigns
0-1 ◦ Nimzovich, A.
• Rubinstein, A.
◦ Johner, P. Dresden
• Nimzowitsch, A. Germany
? 1926 1-0 A34
Dresden Before 1920 Akiba Rubinstein was considered
1926 0-1 E50 Lasker’s most likely challenger, yet he never got
Nimzowitsch’s maneuvers puzzled his contempo- a shot at the title. The Old Guard seemed baffled
raries, and this game is a case in point (Qd7-f5-h7). by Nimzovich’s mysterious moves; here is another

N N N N
The justification lies in the importance of the Black triumph of his new ideas.

N
pawn on e4, which cramps the White position. It 1.c4 c5 2. f3 f6 3. c3 d5 4.cxd5 xd5 5.e4
must be "overprotected," and any pieces engaged in b4 Simpler is 5...Nxc3 but Rubinstein proba-
such activity find themselves well-posted for later bly figured 6. d3 was necessary because clas-

N N B B
attack. sical dogma taught that the king shouldn’t move

N N B N B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4.e3 O–O 5. d3 in the opening. White’s next comes as a shock.

N B Q N
c5 6. f3 c6 7.O–O xc3 8.bxc3 d6 9. d2 6. c4 e6 Now he sees that 6...Nd3+ 7. Ke2

N Q B Q K Q N N N N B
b6 10. b3 e5 11.f4 e4 12. e2 d7 13.h3 Nf4+ 8. Kf1 only aids White. 7.O–O 8c6

N R N B Q K B R
e7 14. e1 h5 15. d2 f5 16. h2 h7 8.d3 d4 9. xd4 cxd4 10. e2 a6 11. g3 d6
17.a4 f5 18.g3 a5 19. g1 h6 20. f1 12.f4 O–O 13. f3 h8 14. d2 f5 15. ae1

36
Nc6 16.Re2 Qc7 17.exf5 exf5 Since White con- World Championship (34)
trols the e-file, most players would continue au- Buenos Aires
tomatically with 18. Rfe1. Instead Nimzo has 1927 1-0 D51

N B N R
an inspiration and embarks on a long journey From the point of view of sheer technique, many

R R R N
with his knight. 18. h1 d7 19. f2 ae8 critics consider this the finest game of Alekhine’s

N
20. fe1 xe2 21. xe2 d8 A necessary con- career. It clinched the title for him – and Capa

B Q Q K Q B N N B N
tortion since 21...Re8 is met by 22. Qd5. 22. h3 never got a rematch.

B Q
c6 23. h5 g6 24. h4 g7 25. f2 c5 26.b4 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. c3 f6 4. g5 bd7 5.e3

B N B
b6 27. h4 Back to the old stand now that c6 The Q’s Gambit Declined was a workhorse in

R R N B N B Q N
Black’s bishops have been diverted to the queen- this match. 6.a3 e7 7. f3 O–O 8. d3 dxc4

B Q N Q
side. 27... e8 28. e5 f7 If 28...h6 29. g4! re- 9. xc4 d5 10. xe7 xe7 11. e4 An attempt

R B Q N N
freshes the attack. 29. xf7 xf7 30. g5 g8 to improve on 11. Rc1 Nxc3 12. Rxc3 e5 as in their

N
31. xe8 xe8 32. e1 "Black is lost. In spite of 5th match game. 11... 5f6 12. g3 c5 13.O–O

B Q K Q B N R B
the scanty material a mating attack is in the air" – b6 A tad more accurate is 13...cxd4 14. Nxd4

Q R N K
Nimzovich. 32... c6 33. e7+ h8 34.b5 g7 Ne5. 14. a2 cxd4 15. xd4 g6 16. c1 d7
On 34...axb5 35. Bb4 infiltrates with Bd6 next. 17. e2 ac8 18.e4 e5 19. f3 g7 20.h3 h6

Q K Q
If 34...Bd8 35. Nf7+ caps the triumphant journey Losing time. Preferable is 20...Rxc1 21. Rxc1 Rc8

B
from h1 to g5. 35. xg7+ xg7 36.bxc6 Black with a likely draw in sight. 21. d2 The threat of
Resigns Qa5 poses many problems. 21... e6 This mistake
1-0 costs the point, match and set. Em. Lasker pointed

B Q Q
out a saving resource with 21...Na4! and if 22. Qa5
◦ Capablanca, J.
N Q N
Nxb2 23. Qxa7 Ra8. 22. xe6 xe6 23. a5
• Spielmann, R.
R R Q N Q
c4 24. xa7 xb2 The best try. If 24...b5

R
New York International 25. b3. 25. xc8 xc8 26. xb7 c4 27. b4

R
USA a8 White is a pawn up but faces enormous

Q N N Q Q Q
1927 1-0 D38 problems in converting it into victory. 28. a1

R N Q Q N N
Few people predicted that Capa would lose his c6 29.a4 xe4 30. xe5 d6 31. xc4 xe5

R R
title to Alekhine in 1927. Shortly before their 32. e1 d6 33. c1 f6 34. e4 xe4
match in Buenos Aires, Capa won this event 2 1.2 35. xe4 b8 The endgame is almost a facsim-

R R R
points ahead of Alekhine – the pinnacle of the great ile of those reached in the 1st and 21st games

R Q
Cuban’s career. This game which demonstrates of this match. 36. e2 a8 37. a2 Rooks be-

Q Q K R
his proverbial simplicity was awarded the first bril- long BEHIND passed pawns. 37... a5 38. c7

N N N N B
liancy prize. a6 39. c3+ h7 40. d2 Black now must ei-

B Q
1.d4 d5 2. f3 e6 3.c4 d7 4. c3 gf6 5. g5 ther allow the pawn to advance or face mating

Q R Q K Q
b4 6.cxd5 exd5 7. a4 Inexact. The best course threats. If 40...Rxa4? 41. Rd8 wins outright.

B R Q Q R
is simply 7. e3 c5 8. Bd3 Qa5 9. Qc2 c4 10. Bf5. 40... b6 41. d7 b1+ 42. h2 b8+ 43.g3
7... xc3+ Correct is 7...c5! and if 8. dxc5 Bxc3+ f5 44. d4 e8 45. d5 Avoiding the trap of

B R
9. bxc3 Qc7! 8.bxc3 O–O 9.e3 c5 Intensifies 45. Rd8? Rxf2+! 45...Rxd5 46. Qxd5 wins, so

B Q R Q Q Q
Black’s problems. More prudent is 9...c6. 10. d3 Black opts to keep rooks on the board. 45... f3

N Q K R Q
c4 11. c2 e7 12.O–O a6 13. fe1 e6 Black 46.h4 h8 47. b6 Not 47. Qxh8+ Kxh8 48. a5

Q N
strives to prevent e4 at all cost. 14. d2 b5 Ra3 draws. 47... c3 48. g2 f6 49. d4 Forc-
15. a5 e4 Stops e4 yet meets with other prob- ing a swap in a way that prevents Black’s rook from

N Q R K
lems. On 15...Bb7 16. f3! followed by e4 cre- getting behind the passed pawn. The rest is a mat-

Q Q B R R R R R R R K
ates a central steamroller. 16. xe4 dxe4 17.a4 ter of technique. 49... xd4 50. xd4 g7 51.a5

K K K K K K
d5 18.axb5 xg5 19. xe4 b8 The trouble a6 52. d5 c6 53. d4 a6 54. a4 f6

R Q K R K R K R K
with 19...Ra7 is 20. b6! Qxa5 21. bxa7! But now 55. f3 e5 56. e3 h5 57. d3 d5 58. c3

N B R R R K R K R K K
the a-pawn proves deadly. 20.bxa6 b5 21. c7 c5 59. a2 b5 60. b2+ c5 61. a2 b5

B
b6 22.a7 h3 23. eb1 xb1+ 24. xb1 f5 62. d4 d6+ 63. e5 e6+ 64. f4 a6
25. f3 f4 26. exf4 Black Resigns. A flawless per- Black’s king and rook have switches places. Now

K R K R R R
formance by Capablanca. all the decisive action takes place on the kingside.

R K R K
1-0 65. g5 e5+ 66. h6 f5 67.f4 c5 68. a3

R K R R K R K
c7 69. g7 d7 70.f5 gxf5 71. h6 f4 72.gxf4
◦ Alekhine, A.
K
d5 73. g7 f5 74. a4 b5 75. e4 a6
• Capablanca, J. Also hopeless is 75...Kxa5 76. Re5+. 76. h6

37
R R R K R R R
R K R K R
xa5 77. e5 a1 78. xh5 g1 79. g5 h1 Berlin
80. f5 b6 81. xf7 c6 82. e7 Black Re- Germany
signs 1928 0-1 C74
1-0 The Siesta Variation as an antidote to the Ruy
Lopez was born this year, and Capa used it to take
revenge for the defeat inflicted on him by Reti at
◦ Flohr, S.
New York 1924. Here Reti rejects a drawing line
• Lustig
early on, only to watch his king subjected to with-
?
N N B B
ering crossfire.
Prague
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 d6 5.c3 f5
1928 1-0 C77
The Siesta Variation creates a crisis in the center.
In the 1930’s, Salo Flohr was the most successful
If 6. exf5 Bxf5 6. d4 e5 8. Bg5 Be7 9. Nh4 Be6
tournament player after Alekhine. Here he sys-
N
Black is okay, as in an earlier Steiner-Capablanca
tematically demolishes the Black King’s position,
game at Budapest 1928. 6.d4 fxe4 7. g5 A draw
sacrificing a piece for each pawn, and slaughters
is virtually forced after 7. Nxe5 dxe5 8. Qh5 Ke7!
the denuded monarch. This game was included by
9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. Bg5 Nf6 11. dxe5 Qd5! 12.
Hans Kmoch in his classic "Pawn Power in Chess"
N N B B Q
Bh4 Ke6 13. Bxf6 gxf6 14. Qe8 Kf5 15. Qh5,
to illustrate the "sweeper-sealer" – White’s 23rd
etc. 7...exd4 8. xe4 f6 9. g5 e7 10. xd4
move simultaneously frees a square for his pieces
A heedless capture. Chances are roughly equal af-
and denies one to Black by forcing him to occupy
N
ter 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. Qh5 g6 12. Qd5. 10...b5
N N B B N Q
it with a pawn.
Q B Q
11. xf6+ gxf6 Now White has three pieces en
B B N B
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5. e2
prise! 12. d5 bxa4 13. h6 d7 Creating an es-
Q B B
e7 6.c3 b5 7. b3 d6 8.h3 a5 9. c2 c5
B
cape square for the king on d8. A terrible mistake
N N N R
10.d4 c7 11.O–O O–O 12.d5 c4 13. e3 d7
B B N Q
would be 13...Bd7?? 14. Qh5 mate. 14.O–O b7
14. e1 b7 15. d2 fe8 16.g4 g6 17.f4 An
15. g7 O–O–O 16. xh8 e5 17. d1 Equally
important decision – White gives up the e5-square,
B
hopeless is 17. Qd4 Nf3! 18. gxf3 Rg8 19. Kh1
but opens lines for his pieces at a time when Black
Q
Bxf3 mate. 17... f3 18.gxf3 What else? If 18.
R R R N N
is cramped and cannot readily post a Knight there.
Qd4 Rg8 19. g3 Qh3 is fatal. 18... h3 Another
N R B N
17...exf4 18. xf4 f8 19. f2 e8 20. ef3
hammer blow. The double threat of 19...Rg8 or
d8 21. af1 f6 22. h6 g7 23.e5 At the cost
Nxf3 cannot be parried. White resigns.
of a pawn, White opens the b1-h7 diagonal for
0-1
his Bishop, obtains the e4 square for his Knight,
deprives Black of the e4 square and open e-file,
◦ Spielmann, R.
and makes a passed pawn. If Black now plays
• Honlinger, B.
23...fxe5, then after 24.Ng5 Nb7 25.Nde4 Rxf2
Match
26.Qxf2 White has a winning attack on the f-
Vienna
N N
file – 26...Rf8? 27.Qxf8+! Bxf8 28.Nf6+ Kh8
1929 1-0 B15
29.Nf7++. 23...dxe5 24. e4 f7 Also poor is
This game is chock full of surprises. In his book
B K N N
24...f5, e.g. 25.d6 Bxd6 26.Nxd6 Qxd6 27.Rd1
"The Art of Sacrifice" Spielmann refers to it as an
Qe7 28.Nxe5. 25. xg7 xg7 26. h4 d6
N N N N
example of the mating sacrifice.
No better is 26...f5 27.Nxg6! hxg6 28.gxf5
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 dxe4 4. xe4 f6 5. g3
N B
Bxf5 29.Rxf5 gxf5 30.Qg2+ Kh7 31.Rxf5, and if
N B N
Nowdays 5. Nxf6+ is an automatic response.
N
31...Rg8 32.Rh5+ Nh6 33. Nf6+. 27. xf6 xf6
5...e6 6. f3 c5 7. d3 c6 If 7...cxd4 8. Nxd4
N B K Q K
Not 27...Rxf6 28.Qxe5 Qd8 29.g5. 28.g5 e8
B B B
Qxd4?? 9. Bb5+ wins the queen. 8.dxc5
Q K
29. xg6 hxg6 30. xg6 xg6 31. e4+ g7
Q
xc5 9.a3 O–O 10.O–O b6 11.b4 e7 12. b2
32. h4 g8 There is no defense, despite Black’s
N N B N Q
c7 Loss of time. Correct is 12...Bb7 right
N Q K
huge material advantage – 32...Rh8 33.gxf6+ Kg8
away. 13.b5 a5 14. e5 b7 15. g4 d8
R Q K
34.f7+. 33.gxf6 xf6 34. g5+ h8 Or 34...Kf7
N N
Spielmann suggested 15...Qf4 as a better defense.
35.Rxf6+ Ke7 36.Re6++. 35. xf6 c5+ 36. h2
Q N
16. e3 d5 Removing a defender from the king-
Black Resigns.
B
side. 16...Rc8 was essential. 17. h5 g6 18. g4
1-0
N N Q R R Q
f6 Of course not 18...gxh5? 19. Nh6 mate.

R N N Q
19. xf6+ xf6 20. h6 c8 21. ad1 e7
◦ Richard Reti
R B
22. fe1 e8 23. f5 c5 Also inadequate is
• Jose Capablanca 23...gxf5 24. Bxf5 f6 25. Bxe6+. 24. e5 d5

38
 N
K R
25. e7+ Black Resigns, thus avoiding the pretty win easily. White’s next move fails to defend
finish 25...Qxe7 26. Qxh7+! Kxh7 27. Rh5+ Kg8 against the threat. 31. h1 xf3 White Resigns.
28. Rh8 mate. 0-1
1-0
◦ Stahlberg, G.
• Kashdan, I.
◦ Stahlberg, G.
Olympics
• Alekhine, A.
Hamburg
?
1930 0-1 E23
Hamburg
Kashdan was America’s leading player in the early
1930 0-1 E23
1930s until the advent of Fine and Reshevsky. He
A brilliancy prize game, in which White’s seem-
was nicknamed "The Little Capablanca" because
ingly well-founded maneuvers on the Queenside
of his technical mastery. Here is his best game on
are refuted by the opening of a file near the White
top board against Sweden in the world team cham-
King. For the serious student, it is notable that
N N B Q
pionship.
Black’s combination centers on the apparently im-
N N N B N Q
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4. b3 c5 5.dxc5
pregnable f3 pawn, at the intersection of the forces
Q
c6 6. f3 e4 7. d2 xc5 8. c2 O–O 9.e4
on the f-file and a8-h1 diagonal.
N N B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 The Nimzo-Indian
An instructive error. Correct is 9. a3. 9... f6
10.O–O–O b6 But not 10...Bxc3 11. Bxc3 Qf4+
Defense, popularized by Aron Nimzowitsch, seeks
12. Nd2 Qxf2? 13. b4! winning a piece. The
to exert indirect pressure on the light squares
B K Q R B B
text creates an escape square for the knight on b7.
d5 and e4, and preserves the option of doubling
N Q B
11. d3 a5 12. b1 g6 13. hg1 a6 14. e3
White’s c-pawn. The formation adopted by White
Q R B R B B
xd3 15. xd3 xc3 16.bxc3 d5 17. exd5
Q N
avoids the latter danger, but permits Black an ad-
R R B
xd3+ 18. xd3 xc4 19. d2 xd5 20. xb6
N N B N Q
vantage in development. 4. b3 c5 5.dxc5 c6
R B
fb8 21. b2 a4 22. c7 No better is 22. Bc5 a3!
6. f3 e4 7. d2 xc5 8. c2 f5 Controlling
N R B K N
23. Rxb8+ Rxb8+ 24. Ka1 Rb2. 22... c8 23. f4
B B N
e4, and preparing [after ...O-O] to open the f-
a5 24. c1 e4+ 25. a1 b3+ White Re-
B
file. 9.a3 xc3 10. xc3 O–O 11.b4 e4 12.e3
signs
b6 13. d3 Preserving the dark squared Bishop
0-1
with 13.Bb2 would lose additional time; one vari-
ation given by Alekhine is 13...Bb7 14.Bd3 Qe7
◦ Sultan Khan Mir
N Q B
15.Bxe4 fxe4 16.Qxe4 Nxb4! 17.Qxb7 Nd3+, with
• Capablanca, J.
N B Q R R
advantage to Black. 13... xc3 14. xc3 b7
15.O–O e7 16. e2 e8 17. fd1 d8 18.a4 ?
Losing too much time, as it turns out that White Hastings
will be unable to do much with the open a-file. 1930 1-0 E12
Better was 18.Qe5 f4 19.Qc7 Bxf3 20.Bxf3 fxe3 It is rare when an unknown beats a former World
21.fxe3 Nf5, with an unclear position. The at- Champion; rarer still when the unknown has only

Q N Q
tack Black now launches is very instructive. 18...f4 recently learned European moves! Khan flashed
19.a5 fxe3 20. xe3 f5 21. c3 d6 A defen- across the chess scene in the early ’30s when his
sive measure against the coming entry of the White "master" brought him to England from India - and

N
Rook at a7 – now he defends with ...Rd8-d7. then he returned to oblivion. But not before out-

N N B N
22.axb6 axb6 23. e1 e5 Securing the d4 square playing some of the world’s greatest.

B B B
for the Black Knight; Black correctly concludes 1. f3 f6 2.d4 b6 3.c4 b7 4. c3 e6 5.a3

R N Q R N B N Q N
that White will never have time to exploit the weak- d5 6.cxd5 exd5 7. g5 e7 8.e3 O–O 9. d3

R R R B Q B
ened light squares. 24. a7 d4 25. e3 d7 e4 10. f4 d7 11. c2 f5 12. b5 The In-

Q R
26. a2 df7 27.f3 f4 28. d3 h5 29. f1 dian prodigy eschews castling for an immediate

B
g5 30. f2 h6 Simple, but very strong. Black foray - setting the tone for the rest of the game.
now threatens 31...Rxf3 32.Qxg5 Rxf2, winning a 12... d6 Better was 12...a6! When 13 Qxc7 axb5

N R Q Q
Rook because of the mate threat, and if 31.Qd2 14 Qxb7 Ndc5 15 bxc5 Nxc5 16 Qc7 Nxd3+

N N N B R
Black reaches a won King and pawn ending with wins. 13. xd6 cxd6 14.h4 c8 15. b3 e7

R
31...Bxf3 32.Nxf3 Nxf3+ 33.Rxf3 Rxf3 34.Qxg5 16. d2 df6 17. xe4 fxe4 18. e2 c6 19. g4

N B
Rxf1+ 36. Kxf1 hxg5 37.Ke2 Kf7 38.Kf3 Ke6 The Kingside now belongs to White. 19... fc8
39.Ke4 b5!, and the connected passed pawns will 20.g5 e8 21. g4 The d-pawn can wait. White

39
 R K R N
Q R K Q K Q
forces the action. 21... c1+ 22. d2 8c2+ game. 15.a5 c8 The alternative 15...bxa5 16.b5

B Q R K N Q Q
23. xc2 xc2+ 24. xc2 c7+ 25. d2 c4 and 17.Rxa5 is obviously very good for White.

B
26. e2 b3 27. ab1 f7 Black’s initiative has 16. xb7 xb7 17.a6 f7 Not 17...Qe7 18.Bb5

R K R Q N R R R Q
run out of gas, and White’s rooks slowly take over Nxb4? 19.Rb1, trapping the Knight. 18. b5

Q
the board. 28. hc1 e7 29. c3 a4 30.b4 8e7 19.O–O h6 20. fc1 fc8 21. c2 e8

R R Q R Q
d7 Otherwise, 31. b5 imprisons the Queen. Black cannot simplify with 21...Nd8 22.Rac1 Rxc2

K R Q K Q K Q
31. bc1 a6 32. g1 a4 33. gc1 d7 34.h5 23.Rxc2 Rc8 24.Rxc8 Nxc8 25.Qc3!, followed by

R Q R Q Q K R R Q R R
d8 35. 1c2 h3 36. c1 h4 37. b2 h3 26.Qc7, and the Queenside pawns cannot be de-

Q B Q
38. c1 h4 39. 3c2 h3 40.a4 h4 41. a3 fended. 22. ac1 ab8 23. e3 c7 24. c3

Q B
h3 42. g3 Now everything is in order for the d7 A desperate attempt to hold his position to-

Q R
final assault. 42... f5 43. h4 g6 44. ... Qh3? gether on the c-file – Black will bring his King to

B Q B Q K Q K K Q R B
44. g6+ Qxh4 45. gxh4 44.h6 d7 45.b5 a5 d8 to give traditional support to the Rc7. 25. 1c2

Q
46. g3 f5 47. f4 h3 48. b2 g2 49. b1 f8 26. c1 bc8 27. a4 Threatening to win
h3 The pawn is still immune because the Queen a piece with 28.b5. Black must surrender the b6

K Q K Q
would be lost after 49... Qxf2 50. Bh5 Qh4 51. pawn to gain time to bring his King to the defense,

B K B K
Rh2. 50. a1 g2 51. b2 h3 White has "tri- but he will soon find himself with no good move.

R B
angulated" his King to achieve this position with 27...b5 28. xb5 e8 29. a4 d8 30.h4 Black

R
his move. 52. g1 c8 The Queen is trapped af- resigns. For after a few irrelevant pawn moves,

Q R
ter the threatened 53. Bg4 and 54. f3. 53. c6 Black will have to make a move, say ...Qe8, which

B B Q
At last, the breakthrough. 53... h4 54. gc1 removes a defender of c7, and b4-b5 will win at

R
g4 55. f1 h5 The Queen is trapped after once.

Q R
55...Qxf2+ 56. R6c2. 56. e1 Infinite patience, 1-0

Q K
to keep the Queen penned up. 56... h1 57. ec1
◦ Flohr, S.
Q B Q K Q
h5 58. c3 To make progress the King has to
• Rellstab, L.
R K R K N B
guard e2. 58... h4 59. g3 xg5 60. d2 f5

Q R
61. xb6 e7 62. b7+ e6 63.b6 f6 64. b5 Hastings
f3 65. b8 Black Resigns. England
1-0 1930 1-0 A34
Although Flohr was not admitted to the Masters
◦ Alekhine, A. Section of this traditional chess festival (won by
• Nimzowitsch. A. Euwe), he ran away with the Premier Reserve Sec-
? tion by posting an extraordinary 7 wins and 2
San Remo draws. Here is the prettiest game of the entire

N N N B
1930 1-0 C17 congress.

N B B
In the years following his match with Capablanca, 1.c4 c5 2. c3 f6 3.g3 d5 4.cxd5 xd5 5. g2

R
Alexander Alekhine dominated the international c7 Simpler is 5...Nxc3. 6.b3 e5 7. b2 e7

N
chess scene. He was not satisfied with winning a 8. c1 O–O A Sicilian Defense with colors re-

N N Q N
tournament by a small margin, but played every versed. A better idea is 8...f6 9. Na4 Ne6. 9. a4
game with a fierce will to win. San Remo 1930, d7 10. f3 f6 11. c2 e6 No longer effective

N N
was one of his greatest triumphs, as he won by with the other knight on d7. But if 11...Rb8 12.

N N
a margin of 3 1/2 points, and would not agree to d4! is quite strong. 12. h4 b6 More consis-

R R
draws even in the final rounds. Here his artful use tent is 12...Re8 or Rb8. 13. f5 xa4 14.bxa4
of pins reduces Nimzowitsch, who finished second, b8 15.f4 exf4 16.gxf4 e8 If 16...Nxf4 17.

N B B N
to virtual Zugzwang in only 30 seconds. Qc4+ Ne6 18. Bd5 Kf7 White can regain the

N B Q R B
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 b4 4.e5 c5 5. d2 e7 pawn by 19. Nxg7 or continue the attack with

B N
6. b5 xd2+ 7. xd2 O–O 8.c3 b6 Black tries Rg1. 17. g1 f8 The losing move. 17...Kh8

N
to solve the problems of his "bad" Bishop at once, was necessary. 18. c6 d4 Relatively best

B N K N K N
but better was 8...Nf5, preventing Nd6+ and exert- now is 18...Kh8 19. Bxe8 Qxe8. 19. h6+

Q N B K N
ing pressure on the d4 pawn. 9.f4 a6 10. f3 h8 20. f7+ g8 21. h6+ Gaining time on the

N K Q R Q N N
d7 11.a4 bc6 12.b4 cxb4 13.cxb4 b7 clock by repeating moves. 21... h8 22. f7+

N
14. d6 f5 After this strategic error, Black’s game g8 23. c4 xe2+ 24. xe2 xe2 25. xd8

B K N
becomes critical. The immediate danger lay on the xg1 Also inadequate is 25...bxc6 26. Kxe2 Rxb2

K K N K
Queenside, and after 14...a5 15.Bb5 axb4 16.O- 27. Rb1 Rxa2 28. Rb8. 26. d5+ h8 27. f7+
O White’s initiative would be far less than in the g8 28. f2 h3+ 29. g3 b5 Desperation. The

40
 B B B
N K R K
knight is trapped. 30.axb5 b7 31. c4 a6 32.a4 b5 12. Ba2. 10...dxc4 11. xc4 c5 "It is rather

B
axb5 33.axb5 xf4 34. xf4 h5 35. g1 h7 36. risky to delay the development of the queenside.

Q
xf6 Black Resigns. On 36...gxf6 37. Bd3+ leads Instead 11...b5 followed by Bb7 and c5 was still

Q N B
to mate. a fairly good alternative." – Alekhine. 12.a4 a5
1-0 13. e2 cxd4 14.exd4 b6 15. d3 "Practically
leaving the a-pawn to its fate. For the moment, it
is true, it cannot well be taken because of 16. Ne4!
◦ Kashdan, I.
B
with a very strong attack; but it remains weak al-
• Bogoljubov, E.
N R
most until the dramatic end" – Alekhine. 15... d7
Bled
16. e5 fd8 17.f4 A sharp attempt to attack at
Yugoslavia
any cost. Alekhine later suggested the simple 17.
1931 0-1 D75
B N R B B
Qf3 as a better way to exploit White’s spatial ad-
"When I am White, I win because I am White.
N N R
vantage. 17... e8 18. g4 xd4 19. xf6 xf6
When I am Black, I win because I am Bogoljubov,"
20. xf6+ gxf6 21. e4 ad8 The correct de-
said the man Alekhine used as a punching bag in
fense is 21...f5 22. Nf6 Kg7 with an uncertain re-
two title matches (1929 and 1934). The follow-
N K
sult. Now White cleverly protects his bishop in-
ing game was described by Fine as "the finest po-
N K R
directly without losing any time. 22. xf6+ f8
N N B N
sitional victory of Bogoljubov’s career."
23. h7+ e7 24.f5 8d6 Seems to hold ev-
N B N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4. f3 O–O 5.g3
Q
erything. But not 24...Rxd3? 25. f6 Kd7 26.
N
d5 6.cxd5 xd5 7. g2 xc3 8.bxc3 c5 9.O–O
Q
Qxd3. 25.b4 xb4 Also inadequate is 25...Rxb4
Q Q R N
c6 10.e3 It’s a bad sign when such a tame move
N Q R
26. Qh5! e5! 27. f6 Kd8 28. Qxh6. 26. e5
is necessary. 10... a5 11. b3 b8 12. d2
d7 27. h8 xd3 No better is 27...Qb6 28. a5!
Q B B R
Drifting. Better was 12. Ba3 immediately.
Qxa5 29. Rc8. 28.f6+ The quietus. If 28...Kd8
Q
12... c7 13. a3 b6 14.dxc5 a6 15. fd1 bxc5
29. Qxe8! Kxe8 30. Rc8 mate. Or 28...Nxf6 20.
N
16. d5 The losing move. 16. Qc2 was necessary.
Qxf6. Black resigns.
Q N Q Q N
16... b4 If 17. cxb4 Bxa1 18. Rxa1 Rfd8 wins.
1-0
B R
17. b3 d3 18. c2 a5 19. b1 c4 Inviting

N
20. Bxe7? Rb2 trapping the queen. 20. c1 b6
◦ Spielmann, R.
B R R N
21. a3 Asphyxiated, White gives up a pawn for
• Stoltz, G.
B B K Q
counterplay. 21... xc3 22. b1 xb1 23. xb1
Stockholm
N B N
e1 24.f4 f2+ 25. h1 h5 Switching to the
Sweden
B N Q Q N
other wing is crushing. 26. d2 xg3 27. f3
1931 0-1 C06
xh2 28. xh2 xd1+ 29. xd1 f2+ White
Stoltz, one of Sweden’s leading players, was bril-
Resigns
liant but erratic. His famous game features a spec-
0-1
N N N B
ulative queen sacrifice against an avid attacker.

N N Q N B
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 5. d3 c5
◦ Alexander Alekhine
K N
6.c3 c6 7. e2 b6 8. f3 cxd4 9.cxd4 b4+
• Geza Maroczy 10. f1 f6 11. f4 Spielmann, as usual, plunges
Bled ahead. Safer is 11. exf6 followed by g3 and Kg2,
Yugoslavia
N B
a maneuver called "castling by hand." 11...fxe5
1931 1-0 D66
B N N K B B
12. xe6 e4 13. f4 exf3 A surprising queen sacri-

B K K B
The scene of Alekhine’s greatest triumph. His fice. 14. c7 f6 15. xg7+ f7 16. xb6 g4
heroic figure loomed large as he took undisputed 17.g3 h3+ 18. g1 xg7 19. c7 It’s not clear

R B
first with 15 wins and 11 draws in a strong field that Black has enough compensation for the queen
that included most top players of the day. This on 19. Bc5! Bg2 20. Bf1. 19... he8 20. e5 Also

N R
sprightly victory is typical of his enterprising style. inadequate is 20. Qxf3 Nxd4 21. Qf4 Re4! 22.
He sacrifices a pawn to drive the enemy king from Qg5+ Kf7. 20... xe5 21.dxe5 xe5 Black has

Q
its lair, and the Hungarian champion goes astray in only two minor pieces for the queen but the threat

N N B N B B
the complications. of Rae8 is deadly. If 22. a3 Re1+ wins. 22. b3

B B N
1.d4 d5 2. f3 f6 3.c4 e6 4. g5 bd7 5.e3 h6 c5 23. f5 No better is 23. Qxb7+ Re7 24. Qxa8

R B B
6. h4 e7 7. c3 O–O A standard position in Ng4! 25. Rf1 Nxf2! 26. Rxf2 Re1. Or 23. Bf1

Q K Q R
the Queen’s Gambit Declined. 8. c1 c6 9. d3 a6 Bxf2+! 24. Kxf2 Ne4+ is also decisive. 23... xf5
10.O–O Another idea is 10. a3 in order to create a 24. xb7+ g6 25. xa8 e2 26.h4 Despite his
retreat for the bishop in case of 10...dxc4 11. Bxc4 extra material, there is no defense. If 26. Rf1 Bh3!

41
 B B B R B N
K B K B N
27. Qc6 Bxf2+ 28. Rxf2 Re1 mates. 26... xf2+ gxf3. 10... h3 11. xf4 g8+ 12. g3 a5
27. f1 d3 28.h5+ g5 White Resigns. If 29. 13. b5+ c6 14. e4 Hoping for 14...cxb5? 15.

B K
Rd1 Rd2 mate. Nf6 mate. But simply 14. dxc6 is the best chance.
0-1 14... g7 15. h1 Now White’s "attack" comes to
a standstill after 15. dxc6 Qxd4 forcing an ex-

Q
change of queens. Also bad is 15. Nd6? Qxd6!
◦ Spielmann, R.
Q
16. Bxd6 Bxd4 17. Kh1 Bg2 mate. 15... xd5
• Eliskases, E.
16.c4 d7 Black defends with extreme care by
?
K
not opening more lines after 16...Qxd4 17. Qe2.
Match, Linz
N N N Q B
17.d5 f8 Better than 17...cxb5 18. d6. 18.d6
1932 0-1 D31
f5 19. c5 xg3+ 20.hxg3 f5 21.d7 d4
One of history’s greatest attacking players,
N
This ingenious reply stymies the double threat of
Rudolph Spielmann, throws everything at the ris-
d8/Q or Qd6 mate. 22. xb7 Desperately trying to
ing star Erich Eliskases of Austria. A Queen sacri-
Q
mix it up. If 22...Nxb7 23. Bxc6 threatens both
N N
fice caps a brilliant defense.
Re8 and Qxd4. 22... h5 Ignoring diversions on
B B N N N N
1.d4 d5 2. f3 e6 3.c4 c6 4. c3 dxc4 5.e4 b5
R R Q K
the other flank, Black threatens Bf1 mate. It’s all
N B
6.e5 b7 7. e2 e7 8. e4 d5 9.O–O d7
Q K N B
over now. 23. e8+ xe8 24.dxe8= + xe8
10. fg5 e7 11.f4 g6 12.f5 The Spielmann style,
25. e2+ f8 26. xa5 g4+ White resigns, just
and it almost works. 12...exf5 There’s a spec-
in time to avoid getting mated after 26. Kg2 Qh3.
tacular mate after 12...gxf5 18. Nxe6 fxe6 19.
0-1
N Q
Bh5+ Kf8 20. Bh6+ Kg8 21. Qg4+! fxg4 22.
Bf7++ 13.e6 fxe6 14. xe6 b6 15.a4 15. Rxf5

Q Q N R
c5! 16 g7+ Kd8 leaves too many pieces hanging.
◦ Flohr, S.
B
15...fxe4 16.a5 a6 17. c2 7f6 18. xf6 A
• Botvinnik, M.
piece down, White offers the exchange. 18... xf6
Match (6)
Q K N
The Knight must guard the fork at c7. But the
Moscow
R Q R N
Black Queen is still lost: 19. xe4 f7 20. c5
1933 1-0 E38
R K R
ae8 21. f3 xe2 22. xa6 Not 22. Qxe2
In the early 1930s Salo Flohr was considered the
N B K B R Q
Bxd4+ and 23...Bxc5. 22... e1+ 23. f2 he8
most likely challenger for Alekhine, and his drawn
B Q
24. c5 c8 25.b4 g8 26. b2 1e3 27. d1
match against Botvinnik was considered a triumph
R Q B B R Q
c3 Now a pawn decides. 28. c1 c2 29. xc2
for Soviet chess. Flohr became averse to risk, too
R
e2+ 30. xe2 xd4+ 31. e3 xe3 32. f1
often content to settle for draws. His mastery of
a3+ White Resigns.
the endgame was legendary, as in this classic two-
0-1
bishop finale.
N N B Q
N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4. c2 c5 5.dxc5
◦ Philip Milner-Barry
B Q
a6 6.a3 Flohr’s improvement on 6. g3 in
• C.H.O.D. Alexander
N B Q N B
their second match game. 6... xc3+ 7. xc3
Cambridge
Q N R B R
xc5 8.f3 d6 9.e4 e5 10. e3 c7 11. e2 e6
England
N Q Q
12. c2 O–O 13. c3 fc8 14. e2 a6 15. c1
1932 0-1 C34
N B
cd7 16. d2 b8 Not 16...Bxc4? 17. Nd5.

R Q
After their halcyon days at Cambridge, both of 17. d5 xd5 Now White gets a bind. Bet-

Q R Q Q R Q
England’s leading players worked to crack Nazi ter is 17...Kf8. 18.cxd5 xc1+ 19. xc1

Q R B K
codes during WW2. This donnybrook features d8 20.O–O c8 21. d2 c7 22. c1 xc1+
threats, counter threats, sacrifices and counter sac- 23. xc1 xc1+ 24. xc1 f8 Despite the ad-
rifices. This Pierce Gambit, a throwback to the vantage of two bishops vs. two knights, it re-

N N N K
19th century, is fraught with danger for both sides. quires tremendous technique to convert this into a

K B K K K K N
1.e4 e5 2. c3 c6 3.f4 exf4 4. f3 g5 There is win due to the balanced pawn structure. 25. f2

N N K N
nothing better than this classic defense that holds e7 26. e3 d8 27. e1 c7 28. d2 c5
the pawn. 5.d4 g4 Accepting the challenge. 5...d6 29.b4 cd7 30.g3 b6 31. c2 bd7 A better

B B R
(or Bg7) 6. d5 is in considered in White’s favor. defense was 31...Na4! 32. Kb3 b5 when the ac-

N N B K
6. c4 gxf3 7.O–O d5 8.exd5 g4 9. e1+ Bet- tive knight blocks the advance of the queenside

B N K N
ter is 9. Qe1. Bold but insufficient is 9. dxc6 pawns. 32.a4 b6 33.a5 bd7 34. c1 d8

N K K B
f2 10. Rxf2 Bxd1 11. cxb7 Bg4 12. Bb5 Bd7. 35. b2 e8 36. d2 c7 More active is 36...g6
9... ge7 10.gxf3 Sharper is 10. Ne4 Bg7 11. followed by Ng7 and f5. 37. e3 e7 38. f1

42
N N B N
B
e8 39.h4 c7 40. h3 e8 The first adjourn- 26...Kf8 27. Be7+ Kg8 28. Bf6. This game was

B B N
ment. 41.f4 f6 42. f5 g6 If 42...h6 43. Kf3 fol- published around the world.
lowed by Kg4-h5-g6. 43. h3 h6 44. c1 g7 1-0
45.fxe5 dxe5 Ugly but forced. If 45...Nxe5 46 Bc8;

K B K B
or 45...fxe5 46. Kf3 h5 47. Bg5+ Ke8 48. Bh6
◦ Reshevsky, S.
N
snares a piece. 46. f3 h5 47. e3 d6 48. h6
• Capablanca, J.
B N
e8 49.g4 Opening lines so the two bishops can
?
B N
penetrate. 49...hxg4+ 50. xg4 c7 The last
Margate
K N K B
chance to resist lay in 50...Ke7! 51. e3 b5
1935 1-0 D35
N B N K K B
52. e2 c7 53. d3 f5 54.exf5 gxf5 55. xf5
The American prodigy rose to the championship-
K N B
xd5 56. d2 7f6 57. c4 c6 58. g6 b5+
contender rank with games like this in the 1930s.
59. d3 e7 60. e4+ The sealed move before
Here he strangles the former World Champion with
N B N
the second adjournment. Now White’s passed h-
adroit positional play, then makes a long King
B N B K B N B
pawn is a decisive factor. 60... ed5 61. g5 h5
N B N N
march to prepare the final combination.
K B
62. f3 g3 63. d2 d6 64. g4 f6 65. c8
B Q B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 d5 4. g5 bd7 5.cxd5
K N B K B
c6 66. e1 More accurate than 68. Bxa6 Nf5.
exd5 6.e3 e7 7. d3 O–O 8. c2 c5 Moti-
66...e4+ 67. d4 gh5 68. f5 d6 69. d2
N B
vated by White’s threat to castle queenside, this
Black Resigns. After Bxe4 Black is helpless.
R B N B R
advance is riskier than 8...c6. 9. f3 c4 10. f5
1-0
B B Q
e8 11.O–O g6 12. h3 f8 13. xc8 xc8
14. xf6 xf6 15.b3 a5 The Queen’s pawn

Q
is lost if 15...cxb3, so Black goes swimming in
◦ Lilienthal, A.
troubled waters. 16.b4 d8 16...Qxb4 17. Rb1
• Capablanca, J.
Q R R R R
followed by 18. Rxb7 is decisive positionally.
Hastings
B R Q N R R
17. a4 a6 18.b5 e6 19. ab1 b8 20. b2
England
N N Q
e7 21.bxa6 xa6 22. c2 e6 23. fb1 a7
1934 1-0 E24
24.a4 c7 25. e5 e8 White has no immedi-
Hungary’s Andre Lilienthal, a regular on the tour-
N Q K N B
ate breakthrough, but he keeps up the pressure:
nament circuit in the 1930s, went to Russia in
R B N N R N
26.f4 f6 27. g4 d7 28.h3 g7 29. f2 a3
1935 and became a Soviet citizen. His most cele-
B N
30. a2 d6 31. fd1 f5 32. b5 a5 33. xc7
brated victory over the mighty Capablanca featured
Q Q
xc7 34. c3 Now the Knight again attacks
a startling queen sacrifice.
N N B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4.a3 The Saemisch
Q R R Q
Black’s weak White squares. 34... e6 35. f2
b6 36. f3 d8 37. ab2 e7 Defending the
Variation was in vogue but has since fallen into dis-
R R K B
d-pawn indirectly: if 38. Rb5 Rxb5 39. Rxb5
favor. White forces an exchange saddling him with
Qa3 40. Nxd5 c3! 38. b4 d7 39. h1 d8
B
doubled pawns but in return gets the two bishops.
Q K B K R
40.g4 The break comes in the Kingside. 40...fxg4
B B B
Is it worth it? 4... xc3+ 5.bxc3 b6 Nowadays
41.hxg4 d6 42. g1 c7 43. f2 f7 White
B
5...c5 is preferred. 6.f3 d5 7. g5 h6 8. h4 a6
intends to hide his King on the Queenside, but
9.e4 xc4 Avoiding complications that arise from
B K B
this move forces White to first lock up that wing.
B Q Q Q
9...g5 10. Bg3 dxe4 11. Be5 Nbd7 12. Qa4! Bb7
44.g5 d8 45. e2 xg5 Patient defense with
Q Q N N R
13. c5! 10. xc4 dxc4 11. a4+ d7 12. xc4
R Q K B R
45...Qe6 was better. Now Reshevsky forces a tac-
c6 13. d3 bd7 14. e2 d8 Aimed at stop-
R Q
tical win. 46. xb6 a3 47. d2 e7 48. b7
Q Q
ping 15. c4? Ne5 but walking into a pin is trouble-
xa4 49. xd5 The Rook is immune because of
some. 15.O–O a5 16. c2 c4 17.f4 Renews the
R Q R K Q Q
49. Nxa4 Qd3+, but Black is now defenseless.
R
initiative. Black would welcome 17. e5 Nd5 18.
Q R Q R Q K
49... a5 50. xc4 h5 51. d3 a8 52. e6
Bxd8 Kxd8. 17... c8 More loss of time. Black
a3 53. 1b3 a1 54. xe7 f1+ 55. d2
should castle to get his king out of the center before
Black Resigns.
Q
it’s too late. 18.f5 e5 Courting more danger. Rel-
1-0
atively best is 18...O-O. 19.dxe5 xe4 The last
chance to fight back is 19...Ng4! 20.exf6 This
surprising riposte is crushing. White gets only a ◦ Euwe, M.
• Alekhine, A.
Q R N Q R
minor piece for the queen, but his attack is brutal.

N R
20... xc2 21.fxg7 g8 22. d4 e4 23. ae1 ?

N R R R
c5 No better is 23...Qe5 24. f6! 24. xe4+ 26th Match Game, Zandvoort
xe4 25. e1 xg7 26. xe4+ Black Resigns. If 1935 1-0 A90

43
The "Pearl of Zandvoort" was undoubtedly the The decisive breakthrough – now the c8-Bishop
most striking game of the 1935 world champi- joins the attack. Without this move, it would not

N N K N
onship match, in which Max Euwe unexpectedly be so clear that Black has enough for the piece.

K B K N
took the title from Alekhine. When White sacri- 16.dxe5 dxe5+ 17.fxe5 xe5+ 18. f4 g6+
fices a piece for three central pawns, Black must 19. f3 f4 20.exf4 g4+ 21. xg4 e5+ 22.fxe5
play for counterattack, but his own King proves to h5# 0-1

B B B B
be too exposed.

N N N N Q
1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 3.g3 b4+ 4. d2 e7 5. g2
◦ Keres, P.
B N N B
f6 6. c3 O–O 7. f3 e4 8.O–O b6 9. c2
• Winter, W.
b7 10. e5 xc3 11. xc3 White correctly re-
Olympics
fuses the Exchange sacrifice, for after 11.Bxb7
Warsaw
B
Nxe2+ 12. Kg2 Nxd4 13.Qd3 Nbc6 Black has
1935 1-0 B29
K Q N K
more than enough compensation. 11... xg2
Paul Keres was a young unknown when he
Q K N N
12. xg2 c8 13.d5 d6 14. d3 e5 15. h1 c6
represented Estonia at the world team champi-
N N B N B N Q
16. b3 h8 17.f4 e4 18. b4 c5 19. c2
onship. This swashbuckling gambit against Eng-
N B N
d7 20. e3 f6 21. xf5 xc3 22. xd6 b8
N N N N
land’s William Winter made him famous.
B Q R N Q R
23. xe4 f6 24. d2 g5 25.e4 gxf4 26.gxf4
N
1.e4 c5 2. f3 f6 3.e5 d5 4. c3 e6 Better
B R Q N R
d4 27.e5 e8 28.e6 g8 29. f3 g6 30. g1
B Q
is 4...Nxc3 followed by d5. 5. xd5 exd5 6.d4
xg1 31. xg1 f6 32. g5 g7 There is
B
d6 7. g5 a5+ 8.c3 cxd4 Hoping for 9. Qxd4
nothing better, since 32...h6 loses to 33.Nf7+ Kh7
Nc6 10. Qf4 dxe5 11. Nxe5 Qc7! 9. d3
R
34.Qd3+ Rg6 35.Ne5 Nxe5 36.fxe5 Qg7 37.d6,
R
dxc3 10.O–O cxb2 Too greedy. Black should de-
Q R N R Q Q
and the pawns cannot be stopped. 33.exd7 xd7
N B N
fend with 10...Nc6 11. Re1 Be6. 11. b1 dxe5
R R N R R
34. e3 e7 35. e6 f8 36. e5 xe5 37.fxe5
K Q
12. xe5 d6 13. xf7 This sacrifice rips Black
N R N K N K
f5 38. e1 h6 39. d8 f2 40.e6 d2
wide open. 13... xf7 14. h5+ g6 What else? If
R K N R N
41. c6 e8 42.e7 b5 43. d8 g7 44. b7 f6
B Q B R B
14...Kf8 15. Rfe1 Bd7 16. Re3 threatens Rf3+
45. e6+ g5 46. d6 xe7 47. e4+ Black Re-
R Q
15. xg6+ hxg6 16. xh8 f5 17. fe1 e4
signs.
18. xe4 dxe4 19. f6+ Black Resigns. Mate is
1-0
coming after 19...Kg8 20. Qxg6+ Kf8 21. Qxd6+
Kf6 22. Qf6+
◦ Glucksberg
1-0
• Najdorf, M.
?
Warsaw ◦ Botvinnik, M.
1935 0-1 A85 • Tartakower, S.
Polish-Argentinean Grandmaster Miguel Najdorf ?
has had a long and remarkable career. Never lack- Nottingham
ing in self-confidence, he declared in 1947 that 1936 1-0 A55
he would soon become world champion. Though Future World Champion Botvinnik wins a bril-
his natural ability was perhaps the equal of that of liancy prize game against the imaginative but er-
any player in the world, he lacked the discipline ratic Tartakower. The attack beginning at move 20
and persistence required in the age of Botvinnik to is notable for the manner in which White closes the
reach the highest level. In this game, sometimes mating net with a series of "quiet" (non-checking)

N N N B
called the "Polish Immortal," Black strips bare the moves.

B N Q R
enemy King, finally sacrificing four pieces to drive 1. f3 f6 2.c4 d6 3.d4 bd7 4.g3 e5 5. g2

N N N B N R B N
it into mating net. e7 6.O–O O–O 7. c3 c6 8.e4 c7 9.h3 e8

B B N N N K
1.d4 f5 2.c4 f6 3. c3 e6 4. f3 d5 5.e3 c6 10. e3 f8 11. c1 h6 12.d5 d7 13. d2

N Q N N N B
6. d3 d6 7.O–O O–O 8. e2 bd7 9. g5 g5 14.f4 gxf4 15.gxf4 g7 16.fxe5 dxe5 17.c5

N N R K Q N
Hoping to gain time by the attack on the e6 pawn cxd5 18. xd5 c6 19. c4 g6 20. d6 e6

B K N
to play 10.f4, blocking the dangerous Bd6. Black 21. xe7 xe7 22. xf6 xf6 23. h5 g6
reacts energetically. 9... xh2+ 10. h1 Or 24. f5 Taking away the flight square e7 from
10.Kxh2 Ng4+, recovering the piece with advan- the Black King, with the threat of 25.Qxh6

N Q
tage. Now rather than retreat, the Bishop Black and 26.Bg5++. The Knight is immune, as

Q K B N Q K R Q
continues his attack. 10... g4 11.f4 e8 12.g3 24...Bxf5 25.exf5 both attacks the Ng6 and dis-
h5 13. g2 g1 14. xg1 h2+ 15. f3 e5 covers an attack on the Qc6. 24... g8 25. xh6

44
B R R Q K R
R N Q
xa2 26. d1 ad8 27. g5+ e6 28. xd8 f6
29. xg8 f4 30. g7 Black Resigns.
1-0 ◦ Alexander Alekhine
• Mikhail Botvinnik
◦ Fine, R. Nottingham (5)
• Grunfeld, E. England
? 1936 1/2-1/2 B72
Amsterdam This first encounter beteween a past and future
1936 1-0 D39 world champion is brief but exciting. It illustrates
Reuben Fine was one of the strongest players in how a flank thrust is best parried by a counter-
the world in the 1930’s. His best result was un- thrust in the center. The normal balance of position

doubtedly his first place tie with Paul Keres in the
great AVRO tournament of 1938, in a field of the
eight best players in the world. Unfortunately, he
gave up serious play after World War II to pursue a
career in psychoanalysis. Here he defeats opening
theoretician Ernst Grunfeld at his own game, refut-
N N N
ing a system then considered favorable for Black.
1.d4 d5 2. f3 f6 3.c4 e6 4. c3 dxc4 The
Vienna variation, thought at the time to be a
N
is maintained through all the various complicaons.
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 "On another occasion I
would probably have played 3. b4, a sacrifice for
which White has to my mind sufficient strategical
reasons. But playing for the first time with the So-
viet Champion, for whose play I have the greatest
appreciation, I did not like the idea of being ac-
cused of overweening confidence, undue boldness
(and this independent of the result of the game) or

N N N B
of such things as under-estimating, bluster, etc." –
B B Q
strong answer to White’s "inaccurate" move or-
B B N N B
Alekhine. 3...cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3 g6 6. e2
N B N B
der. 5.e4 b4 6. g5 c5 7.e5 cxd4 8. a4+
g7 7. e3 c6 8. b3 e6 Fischer recom-
B N
c6 9.O–O–O d7 10. e4 e7 11.exf6 gxf6
12. h4 b4 Previous analysis ended at this mends 8...O-O first, and if 9. f4 a5! 10. a4 Be6
point, claiming, a win for Black as White must 11.g4 N b4! and the knight cannot be dislodged
lose his Queen (13.Qa3 Nd3+), but Fine’s next by a3. 9.f4 O–O 10.g4 The usual continuation is
move proves this to be incorrect. Better was 10. O-O Na5. This thrust permits White to force
a quick draw – but no more. 10...d5 11.f5 Sharper
Q
12...Rc8, when Black has three pawns for the piece
than 11. e5 d4! 12. Nxd4 Nxd4 13. Bxd4 Nxg4
B N K R
and the position is far from clear. 13. xb4
B
xb4 14. xf6+ f8 15. xd4 Now White wins 14. Qd3 a6 15. O-O-O with about even chances, as

N
in Levenfish-Botvinnik, Moscow 1936. 11... c8
Q N K
a third piece for the Queen and maintains a
strong attack. 15... a5 16. xd7+ e8 The 12.exd5 b4 13.d6 "Doubtless the best move. If
instead 13. fxg6 hxg6 14. Bf3 Nxg4 15. Bxg4
N
Black King is stuck in the center, for 16...Kg7
Bxg4 16. Qxg4 Nxc2 17. Ke2 Nxa1 18. Rxa1
K B R K R B
17.Bf6+ Kg6 18.Nfe5+ wins at once. 17. f6+
Q
Bxc3 19. bxc3 Qxd5 with rook and three awns
N K B R R
f8 18. xc4 c8 19. b1 h5 20. hd1 e7
for two minor pieces" – Alekhine. 13... xd6 Of
B B B R
21. d7+ e8 22. g3 g8 23.h3 g7 24.a3
B
course not 13...exd6? 14. g5 Ne8 16. f6 entomb-
R
b5 25. b3 b4 26.axb4 xb4 27. e5 xg2
Q
28. xb4 The initial move of the new combina- ing the bishop. 14. c5 Black is in no danger after
14. Qxd6 exd6 15. O-O-O gxf5. 14... f4 Again
Q
tion that will leave White with a decisive ma-
the only move. If 14...Qxd1 15. Rxd1! Nc6 (not
N K R K B Q
terial advantage in the endgame. 28... xb4
R Q B N
15...Nxc2? 16. Kd2) 16. g5 gives White a distinct
R R R K N R
29. f6+ e7 30. d7+ f8 31. d6+ xd6
advantage. 15. f1 xh2 16. xb4 xg4 Black,
B
32. xd6 xf2 33. d3 e7 34. xh5 f1+
B
already a piece down, must give up another one in
R N N
35. d1 Avoiding the trap 35.Ka2? Rc5!, win-
order to force perpetual check. 17. xg4 Compul-
K K R R R
ning a piece. 35... g8 36. d4 e5 37. c6+
e6 38. a2 xd1 39. xd1 g5 Now White sory acceptance since 17. Bc5 Qg3 18. Bf2 Bxc3
must be a bit careful, as the Black King is ac- 19. bxc3 Qxc3 20. Qd2 Qxd2 21. Kxd2 Nxf2

Q R
tively posted and the connected passed pawns 22. Rxf2 Bxf5 gives Black 4 pawns for the piece.

Q R Q R
17... g3+ 18. f2 Otherwise 18. Kd2? Bh6 19.
N N K
could become dangerous. But White is still win-
Q
Ke2 Qe3 mate. 18... g1+ 19. f1 g3+ 20. f2
R R K R N
ning. 40. f4+ exf4 41. d4+ f6 Not 41...Ke5?
g1+ Draw agreed. "A short but sharp and well-
R R R R K
42.Nf3+ 42. f1 a5+ 43. b1 a4 44. f3
played game" – Alekhine.
K K N K K K K
e4 45. e1 e6 46. xe6+ fxe6 47. c2 e5 48.
1/2-1/2
K K
d3 f5 49. d2 g5 50. e4 h4 51. xe5
xh3 52. xf4 Black Resigns.
1-0 ◦ Keres, P.

45
• Euwe, M. Capa shared first at the great Nottingham tourna-
? ment in England, ahead of the era’s other leading

N N B B
Zandvoort players.

N
1936 0-1 C02 1. f3 f6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 b6 4. g2 b7 5.O–O

B B N
Max Euwe held the World Championship for only c5 6.b3 c6 More flexible is 6...Be7 7. Bb2 d5.

N
a year – his good sportsmanship in granting his ri- 7. b2 e7 8. c3 O–O On 8...d5 9. cxd5 exd5

N B K Q Q
val so early a rematch was widely admired at the 10. d4 White controls the center. 9.d4 xd4
time – and he has always been overshadowed by 10. xd4 xg2 11. xg2 cxd4 12. xd4 c7

R
the towering figures of Alekhine and Botvinnik. After 12...Bc5 13. Qd3 d5 the resulting isolated

R Q
But at his peak he was a very strong player indeed, pawn is very weak. 13.e4 ad8 The wrong rook!

N
and his best games are models of logic and pre- More tenacious is 13...Rfd8. 14. ad1 b7

R R B R B
cision. Here he thoroughly outplays Paul Keres, 15.f3 e8 The failure to play d6 leads to trou-

B Q R
whose nervous attempt to break open the position ble. 16. d2 f5 17. fd1 g5 18. d3 f6

N Q N
is calmly refuted. 19.e5 e7 20. f2 f7 Black’s backward pawn

Q B B N
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4. f3 cxd4 5. xd4 c6 on d7 deprives him of counterplay. Capa later sug-

N N
White’s loss of a tempo is not so important in such gested 20...g5!? 21. d2 b4 22.a3 f8 23. e2
a closed position, but the defense of the e5 pawn c7 24. f4 g6 25.h4 b5 Opening lines helps

Q B N N Q Q R Q R
will cause him some headaches. More usual is White invade. But if 25...Qc8 26. a4 tightens the

B R N
4.c3. 6. f4 f5 7. d3 ge7 8.O–O g6 9. g3 screws. 26.cxb5 xb5 27. c1 b7 28. xc7

Q N
e7 10. e1 O–O 11.a3 b8 Hoping to bring the Good enough but 28. Qa5 d5 29. exd6 Bxd6 30.

N R Q K Q Q
Knight to e4 via d7 and c5. White tries to pre- Be5 is even stronger. 28... xc7 29. xe6 dxe6

N N N N B B K B R
vent this by posting a Knight on b3. 12. bd2 a5 30. xd8 f4 31.g4 e7 32. h3 b7 33. d3

N
13. b3 a6 14.a4 b4 15. fd4 d7 16. b5 g7 34.b4 a5 35.b5 a4 36.g5 c5 37. d6 Black
c6 17.c4 Hoping to center, but this doesn’t work is busted. But in severe time pressure, with only

N N B Q
out. Correct was the quiet 17.c3, with about a few moves to go before reaching adjournment on

B N B K B
even chances. 17... xd4 18. xd4 c5 19. d3 move 40 more sensible is, simply 37. Kg2 avoiding
xb5 20. xb5 The combination 20.Nxe6? loses complications. 37... xd6 38.exd6+ f8 39. f6

Q Q K
two pieces for a Rook after 20...Bxc4 21.Qg3 Tosses away the win. After 39. Qc3! Ke8 40.

B
Qb6. 20... h4 21. f1 The problem with 17.c4 is Qc6 Rd7 41. Be5 Black is all tied up. 39... e8

R B B R Q
now apparent – 21.Qg3 is answered by 21...Qxc4 40. e7 Ruins everything. White can still hold

K Q Q
22.Nc7 Bxf2+. 21... ad8 22. e3 d4 23. d2 d3 after 40. Kg2 Kd7 41. Qc4. 40... f5 41. c3

Q K
24.b3 On 24.Bxa5 Black could sacrifice the Ex- d7 42.b6 c6 43. g7 Also inadequate is 43.

Q K Q K Q K
change – 24...d2 25.Red1 Nxe5 26. Bxd8 Rxd8 Qxc6 Kxc6 44. b7 Rb5. 43... xf3+ 44. h2

R R K Q R Q K
27.h3 f4, and Black’s attack can hardly be re- g3+ 45. h1 xh4+ 46. g1 e1+ 47. h2
sisted. 24...f4 25. e4 f5 Now Black combines c6 48. b2 d5 49. c2+ b5 White resigns,

R R
threats against the White King with a flanking ac- as he runs out of checks after 50. Qb2 Ka6.

R N Q B N R
tion against the e5-pawn. 26. ae1 h5 27.h3 0-1

Q R R
g5 28. d6 xh3 29. xf4 xf4 30. xf4
g3 31. fe4 h5 White Resigns. ◦ Botvinnik, M.
0-1 • Fine, R.
Nottingham
◦ Mikhail Botvinnik England
• Jose Capablanca 1936 1/2-1/2 A09
Moscow An exciting draw. In his memoirs Fine writes:
USSR "Many players look with boredom on a drawn
1936 0-1 A30 game. They want blood, and not enough flows
Sponsored by the state, the Soviet Union dom- if neither side wins. Yet frequently the skill re-
inated chess after WWII – but it didn’t happen quired in holding off an attacking opponent is
overnight. A remarkable series of international much greater than that needed to beat a weak de-
tournaments in the 1930s proved to be a harbinger fense. This is one of the most difficult games I ever
of things to come. Here Botvinnik took first, de- played. Out of a seemingly innocuous opening the
spite losing to runner-up Capablanca in time pres- Russian grandmaster suddenly built up a most omi-
sure. The first 37 moves show Botvinnik at his best nous attack, and it required very exact calculation
– the next two at his worst. Later that year he and to hold him off."

46
 N N N N
1. f3 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3. a3 c5 4. xc4 c6 5.b3
"I have always felt that White gets the worst of
it here. Probably best is 5. Nce5 (Keres-Fine,
R R R
beginning to add to my other worries here" – Fine.
29.a4 ac8 30. f1 3c7 "The defense has be-
come too difficult. If 30...Nc5 31. Bb1 Nxa4 32.

B N B R
Semmering-Baden 1937) which forced an early Ba2 R3c7 33. Rb1 Qa7 34. Bxf7+! Rxf7 35. Qxa7

N B Q N
draw" – Fine. 5...f6 6. b2 e5 7.g3 ge7 8. g2 and wins, for if 35...Rxa7 36. Rf8 mate. 31. b1

N Q R N
d5 An inaccuracy. Better is 8...Nf5. 9.O–O e7 c6 32.a5 c5 "Perhaps the best chance was to

B N B Q Q
10. h4 O–O 11. b1 f7 12. f5 If 12. Be4 g6 give up the exchange with 32...Qc5 33. Be3 Qxa5

N
is tenable. 12... e6 13.f4 exf4 14.gxf4 b6 "The 34. Bb6 Qe5" – Fine. 33. c4 d7 34. a2

R Q
most difficult move I was called on to make. White xe4 Desperation. But if 34...Ne6 35. Bxe6 Qxe6

B R Q
has emerged with a strong attack. Given enough 36. Qxe6 fxe6 37. Rf8 mate. 35. xf7 xf7
time he can double on the g-file with all kinds of 36. xf7+ xf7 37. e6 Black Resigns

B B N B
threats; Black must simplify as quickly as possi- 1-0

N N B K B
ble" – Fine. 15. e4 xc4 16.bxc4 xc4 17. c3
d4 18. xd4 cxd4 19. xh7+ f8 20. b4 d3 ◦ Keres, P.
"Sacrificing a meaningless pawn for the sake of • Hromadka, K.
clarification. If instead 20...Qb6? 21. Bxe7+ ?

B R Q
Rxe7 22. Qd3! Nd6 23. Qh3! with a pow- Prague

Q N B R R N
erful attack" – Fine. 21. xe7+ xe7 22. xd3 1937 1-0 E61

R
xd3 23.exd3 b6 24. e4 d8 25. ac1 d5 Hromadka pioneered the system of defense now
26.a3 ed7 "The smoke has cleared. White’s ex- known as the Modern Benoni, though it did not

K K N
tra pawn has no meaning. The rest requires lit- achieve real respectability until Tal took it up

K N R N R R
tle comment" – Fine. 27. g2 b6 28. f3 c7 twenty years later. Here Keres demonstrates the

R R R R R R R
29. e3 a6 30. c3 c5 31. f2 d4 32.f5 danger of exchanging the Bg7: even if Black wins

R R
a4 33. g2 ad4 34. f2 a4 35. g2 ad4 material in the process, his King position is not

N N B
36. c4 4d6 Draw by Agreement. easy to defend.

B R N
1/2-1/2 1.d4 f6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 g6 4. c3 d6 5.g3 g7

N
6. g2 O–O 7.e4 a6 8.a4 e8 9. ge2 e6
◦ Alekhine, A. 10.O–O exd5 11.cxd5 bd7 By transposition, we
• Fine, R. have arrived at a position from the Modern Benoni
Hastings Defense. White will strive for f2-f4 and e4-e5 in
England conjunction with a Kingside attack; Black seeks

R N
1936 1-0 C90 tactical counter chances against b2 and e4. 12.h3

Fine describes it as "the best game I ever lost"
in his memoirs. "I held out well until move 28
when 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-
N
b8 13.a5 e5 Proves a loss time; he should play
13...b5 14. axb6ep Rxb6 at once. 14.f4 ed7 He
apparently intended 14...Nc4 15.Qa4 b5, but after
16.axb6ep Nxb6 17.Qc2, White would have two
extra moves in comparison with the position that

Q N B B
take I have always admired the originality and in- could have arisen from the last note. 15.g4 b5
genuity which Alekhine displayed in his conduct 16.axb6 xb6 17.g5 h5 18. f3 d4+ Black

N N B B N
of the attack." had counted on this, as 19.Nxd4 cxd4 20. Na4 Qb4

B R B N B
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O 21.Bxh5 gxh5, despite Black’s pawn weaknesses,

Q N N K
e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 d6 8.c3 a5 9. c2 gives him strong counterplay against the e4-pawn.

N R
c5 10.d4 c7 11. bd2 O–O 12. f1 Theory But White’s subtle reply refutes the idea. 19. g2

B N B Q N
recommends 12. h3 to prevent Black’s reply. g7 20. a4 Black has been forced to block the

Q R B N
12... g4 13. e3 xf3 14. xf3 cxd4 15. f5 Bishop’s only retreat, and now White forces its

Q B B N R Q Q
dxc3 16. xc3 fc8 Forced but good. Black now exchange for a Knight. 20... xc3 21. xc3 f5

B N R Q N
holds the pawn. 17. g3 f8 18. d3 c6 22. e1 d8 23.b3 b6 White prepares to take

B B N R R
19. g5 e8 20. ac1 b7 21.a3 g6 22. h6+ control of the a1-h8 diagonal, but Black can make

Q R Q N Q R N
xh6 23. xh6 d4 24. cd1 b4 25.f4 exf4 a few threats against the b3 pawn. 24.exf5 xe1
26. xf4 bxa3 27.bxa3 c3 28. f2 e6 "A 25. xe1 gxf5 26. a2 f8 Both players conclude
seemingly innocuous move which tosses victory that Black cannot spare the time to capture the b3

R Q R B
away. Correct is 28...Nc6! when Black’s defense is pawn, for White’s threat of h3-h4-h5-h6 is very

N B N B R
impregnable, e.g. 29. Bb1 Ne5 30. Ba2 Rac8 and dangerous. 27. e2 d8 28.h4 xb3 29.h5 d7
White has no real continuation. Time pressure was 30.h6 e8 31. h5 g6 32. xg6 hxg6 33. e7

47
 N N Q N N B B N
B R B N
a5 34. d1 c7 35. e2 A simpler way to win 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O
was 35.Rg7+ Kh8 36.Qe7 Qxe7 37.Rxe7, win- e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 d6 8.c3 a5 A more ac-

N
ning a piece. But in Black’s time trouble, White curate sequence is 8...O-O 9. h3 Na5. After the

B Q
plays for mate. 35... xd5 A tougher defense was text White can save time by dispensing with h3.
36...Nb5, but White is still winning after 36.Rg7+ 9. c2 c5 10.d4 c7 11.a4 b4 Weakens the queen-
Kh8 37.Bb2 Nd4 38.Bxd4 cxd4 39.Rxg6, and the side but if 11...Bd7? 12. axb5 axb5 13. b4 snares

N
d6 pawn will fall as well (39...Bc8 40.Rxd6 Qxd6 a piece. 12.cxb4 cxb4 13.h3 Unnecessary. Bet-

B
41.Qe8+ mates). 36.h7+ Black Resigns. ter is 13. Nbd2 at once. 13...O–O 14. bd2

N
1-0 e6 More to the point than 14...Bd7 15. Nf1 Rfc8

R N
16. Ne3 as in Keres-Tylor, Margate 1937. 15. f1
fc8 16. e3 g6 More active than 16...Ne8 17. b3
◦ Euwe, M.
N B B R
f6 18. Bb2 Bf8 19. Bd3 as in Keres-Berg, Ke-
• Alekhine, A.
N Q R R N B
meri 1937. 17.b3 h5 18. b2 f6 19. c1 exd4
? 20. xd4 d7 21. b1 c5 22. df5 xf5 "Af-
5th Match Game, Amsterdam ter the exchange of bishops, Black remains in a
1937 1-0 D28 most dubious position, since both his knights are
Although Alekhine regained the World Champi- badly placed on the edge of the board and also
onship handily in 1937, the mathematician Dr. have no point of support in the center. Much bet-
Max Euwe was a worthy rival, producing master- ter chances are offered here by the quiet protec-
pieces like this in a losing cause. A slight open- tion of d6 by 22...Be5! after which White would
ing advantage leads to a crisp middlegame with a not find it easy to increase his initiative. Black
Bishop trapped in an open board. could, however, hardly have attained full equality.
N N B White could then play, for instance, 23. Bd4! For
Q N N B B
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3. f3 a6 4.e3 f6 5. xc4
e6 6.O–O c5 7. e2 c6 8. c3 b5 9. b3 e7 the rest, Black cannot well accept the piece sac-
rifice, since after 22...gxf5 23. exf5! Bxf5 24.
B
White’s 8th move prepared a spot for the bishop, if

B R R B
9...c4 10. Bc2 Nb4 11. Bb1. 10.dxc5 xc5 11.e4 Bxf5 Rxf5 25. Qg4 Ng7 26. Bxf6 would win."
– Keres 23.exf5 xb2 24. xb2 e8 25. d3
Q
b4 12.e5 Opening up the position favors the one
"The first inaccuracy, which allows Black the op-
Q Q N
with open lines. 12...bxc3 13.exf6 gxf6 14. c4
b6 15. xc3 d4 Black’s position hangs by a portunity of activating his pieces. Much stronger
here was 25. Qg4 Qe7 26. Qd4! and Black
N B B
thread - moves like this can only mask the in-

Q Q Q
would experience difficulties in protecting his d-
K B B
B B R K
herent weaknesses. 16. xd4 xd4 17. a4+
e7 18. e3 xc3 19. xb6 e5 20. ad1 f8 pawn." – Keres 25... c6 26. g4 b6 After beat-
ing back the first wave of attack, Reshevsky should
B R B
21.f4 The Bishop has no haven from the maraud-

R R B
try 26...Rc3 27. Bf1 Re4. Passive defense proves
R
ing Rooks. 21... xb2 22. f3 b7 If 22...f5

Q K
futile. 27. be2 ce5 28.fxg6 hxg6 29. xg6
B R R R R B
23. Rb3 Bf6 24. Bc6 wins the Rook. 23. b3
fxg6 30. xg6+ h8 Immediately fatal. So is
B B K R B
a3 24. xa3 g8 25. g3 xg3 26.hxg3 d5
30...Ng7 13. Nf5! Qc7 14. Nxg7 Qxg7 15.
R R R K K K
27. b3 xb3 28.axb3 e8 29. b4 b8 30. c5
Qxe8! Necessary is 30...Kf8! 31. Nd5! Qd8
K K K R K R R
c8 31. a1 c6 32. f2 f5 33. e3 f6 34. d4

N
but White should still win with 32. Rxe5 Rxe5
B K B K B K
f7 35. c4 g6 36. d1 h5 37. d6 xd6

R Q K Q K Q
33. Rxe5 dxe5 34. Qf5 Kg8 35.Qxe5! 31. f5
K
38. xd6 g4 39. e7 xg3 40. xf6 xf4

K N
41. c5 Black Resigns. 8e6 32. xh5+ g8 33. g5+ f8 34. g7+
1-0 e8 35. xd6+ Black resigns, as he loses a whole
rook after 35...Qxd6 36.Rxe5 Rxe5 37. Rxe5 Kd8
38 Rxa5.
◦ Paul Keres 1-0
• Samuel Reshevsky
7th Olympiad
Stockholm ◦ Paul Keres
1937 1-0 C90 • Alexander Alekhine
After an opening inaccuracy, Reshevsky struggles Margate
to obtain equality. He manages to beat back the England
first wave of attack but his positional weaknesses 1937 1-0 C71
still remain. The second wave of attack, when it Alekhine suffers one of the shortest defeats in his
comes, proves irresistible. career after leaving his king in the center too long.

48
Even world champions cannot violate basic prin- ◦ Botvinnik, M.
ciples, and this incisive victory, coupled with a tie • Capablanca, J.
for first, firmly established young Keres (then 21) AVRO (11)
as a leading contender for the title. Holland
N N B B
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 d6 5.c4 1938 1-0 E49
"Alekhine was fond of using this variation and em- Ranks among the great masterpieces. Botvinnik
ployed it in some important games, achieving a finished third behind Fine and Keres but ahead of
nunber of fine successes with it. So, since my op- Alekhine, Capablanca, Euwe and Flohr at this dou-
ponent was very well acquainted with the opening I ble round event sponsored by a Dutch radio station

decided to try this move, which was seldom played,
B N
and from the positional aspect scarcely compares
N N B
that ushered in the new generation.
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4.e3 d5 5.a3 An

B B
original idea at a time when 5. Nf3 was routine.
B
with the usual 5. c3." – Keres 5... d7 6. c3 g6

N B B N B
7.d4 g7 More exact is 7...exd4 8. Nxd4 Bg7 5... xc3+ 6.bxc3 c5 7.cxd5 exd5 8. d3 O–O
9. e2 b6 10.O–O a6 11. xa6 xa6 12. b2
B N
9. Nxc6 bxc6 10. O-O Nf6 as in Unzicker-Keres,

Q
Hastings 1954. 8. e3 f6 This inaccuracy allows Botvinnik pointed out that 12. Qd3 is more accu-
White to grasp the initiative. Better is 8...Nge7 rate. 12... d7 13.a4 A neccessary preparation for

R Q
or exd4. 9.dxe5 dxe5 Better to relieve the cramp 13. Qd3 which, if played immediately, would be

Q N
by 9...Nxe5 10. Nxe5 dxe5. After the next move met by Qa4! 13... fe8 14. d3 c4 Botvinnik rec-

R N
ommended 14...Qb7 to keep it fluid. 15. c2 b8
B N N N N
Black’s inability to castle becomes a real draw-

N N
back. 10. c5 h5 11. d5 f4 12. xf4 exf4 16. ae1 c6 Stronger is 16...Nh5! 17. h3 f5 to

N Q
13.e5 Later it was discovered that simply 13. O- restrain e4 once and for all. 17. g3 a5 18.f3
O! Qf6 14. Bd4! maintains the advantage without b3 19.e4 xa4 Winning a pawn but divert-

N Q N
any risk. 13...g5 "Alekhine thought a long time be- ing the queen from the action on the other wing.

R R R R R
fore making this move and eventually came to the 20.e5 d7 21. f2 g6 22.f4 f5 23.exf6 xf6 24.f5
conclusion that accepting the pawn sacrifice would xe1 25. xe1 e8 26. e6 xe6 Inadequate
imperil his game too much. Later a joint analysis is 26...Kf7 27. Rxf6+ Kxf6 28. fxg6+ Kxg6 29.

K Q Q Q
Qf5+ Kg7 30. Nh5+ Kh6 31. h4 Rg8 32. g4 Qc6
Q B
led us to conclude that 13...Nxe5 14. Qe2 f6 15.

Q
O-O-O c6 is tenable." – Keres 14. d5 f8 Black 33. Ba3! 27.fxe6 g7 28. f4 e8 29. e5

B
observes the danger and desists from the intended e7 29...h6 was the last chance to resist. Now

Q N Q K Q
Botvinnik unleashes a sacrificial flurry. 30. a3
B R
14...g4 15. e6! Bxe6 16. Bxc6 bxc6 17. Qxc6 Bd7

K Q K Q K Q
xa3 31. h5+ gxh5 32. g5+ f8 33. xf6+
Q
18. Qe4 Be6 19. Rd1 and wins. 15. xf8 xf8

K Q K Q K Q
16.O–O–O e7 Again, if 17...g4 18. e6 fxe6 19. g8 34.e7 c1+ 35. f2 c2+ 36. g3 d3+

Q K
Qh5 wins. "With the text move Alekhine sets a 37. h4 e4+ 38. xh5 e2+ 39. h4 e4+
40.g4 e1+ 41. h5 Black Resigns – he has run
B
cunning trap and hopes thus to escape from the
noose himself." – Keres 17. xc6 Prevents Black out of checks and has no defense against Qf8 mate.
1-0
B Q B
from castling. He was hoping for 17. Nxg5 O-O-
O. 17... xc6 18. d3 d7 Offering a pawn to get
◦ Alexander Alekhine
N
the king to safety. No better is 18...h6 19. e6! fxe6
• Eero Book
N
20. Ne5 Rg8 21. Qh3 Qf6 22. Rfe1. 19. xg5
O–O–O 20. f3 A prudent retreat. If 20. Nxh7 Margate
England
R
Bg4 21. Qe4 Bxd1 22. Nxf8 Ba4! 23. Nh7 Qd7
with counterplay. 20...f6 21.exf6 xf6 The last 1938 1-0 D28
hope was 21...Qxf6! "It is interesting to observe Another splendid combination by Alekhine, the
that Alekhine was afraid of a possible 22. Qxh7 master-magician who pulls all the strings and sac-
as he said after the game. I, on the other hand, rifices a rook without any obvious follow-up or im-
would have contented myself with 22. Qd4 Qxd4 mediate return. In the Queen’s Gambit Accepted,
23. Nxd4 having regard to the fact that my time Black must be careful not to advance his queenside
pawns too fast or he may face a punishing break-
R Q
on the clock was by now rather restricted." – Keres

N N B
22. he1 b4 A final error in a lost position. But through in the center – which happened here!

Q
on 22...Qg7 23. Qd4 (threatening Qa7 or Ne5) the
win would not be in doubt. 23. xd7+ Black re-
N
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3. f3 f6 4.e3 e6 5. xc4 c5
6.O–O c6 Usually 6...a6 is played right away

Q N B
signs. If 23...Rxd7 24. Re8 mates. before deciding whether this knight belongs on
1-0 c6 or d7. 7. e2 a6 8. c3 b5 9. b3 b4 Either
8...Bxe7 or cxd4 first is more prudent. 10.d5

49
N Q R R R N
B B Q N Q K Q Q
a5 If 10...exd5 11. Nxd5 Nxd5 12. Rd1 regains 25.exf6 xf6 26. xa3 e8 27.h3 aa8 28. f3

R
the piece advantageously. 11. a4+ d7 12.dxe6 b2 29. e5 b1+ 30. h2 f5 31. g3 Black
fxe6 13. d1 A remarkable combination based on Resigns. "There are too many threats on all sides.

R N N R
intuition that could not be analyzed to the very end. The most immediate one is 31. Rd7 Re7 32. Rxa4!
13...bxc3 14. xd7 xd7 15. e5 a7 16.bxc3 Rxa4 33. Rd8+" – Fine.
A full rook down, White calmly stops to recapture 1-0

K
the pawn. The forcing 15. Qh5 g6 16. Nxg6 hxg6
17. Qxh8 Kf7 is good for Black. 16... e7 The best
◦ Fine, R.
defense is 16...Be7! 17. Qh5 g6 18. Nxg6 hxg6 19.
• Flohr, S.
Qxh8 Bf8. White has only two pawns for the piece
?
N B Q B
while Black is still tied up, and the outcome would
Amsterdam
Q
remain in doubt. 17.e4 f6 18. g5 c7 19. f4
1938 1-0 C17
b6 No better is 19...Qb7 20. Qe3! Kd8 21. Qd3
The American Grandmaster, prolific author, and
Kc8 22. Rb1 Qxe4 23. Nf7! Qxd3 24. Rb8 mate.
psychiatrist Reuben Fine has produced many
R
The amazing thing is that Black has no good de-
sparkling games like this: sharp tactical play
B B N R
fense even though he is a full rook ahead. 20. d1
N B B N
springing right out of the opening.
R K B B
g6 21. g5 g7 22. d7 xd7 If 22...Qb7 23. e5
N N B B N
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 b4 4.e5 c5 5. d2 e7
also wins. 23. xd7+ f8 24. xf6 xf6 25.e5
6. f3 f5 7.dxc5 xc5 8. d3 h4 Black has
On 25...Qb1 26. Rd1 Qf5 27. exf6 Qxf6 28. Qxa6
N R N B
lost time with this Knight’s wandering. 9.O–O
is lethal. Black Resigns.
R B N
c6 10. e1 h6 11. a4 f8 If 11...Be7 12.
1-0
Q R Q Q
Nxh4 Bxh4 13. Qg4. 12. c1 d7 13. xh4
xh4 14.c4 dxc4 15. xc4 d8 16. h5 White
◦ Fine, R.
N R
now controls the action across the board, answer-
• Botvinnik, M.
Q Q N N N Q
ing 16...b5 with 27. Rf4. 16... e7 17. d4
AVRO
R
g6 18. f3 c7 19. c3 f5 20. b5 b6
Holland
21. xd7 A familiar theme: not only is the Black
1938 1-0 C17
K N Q B B
King in trouble - the White Bishops are in control.
The pinnacle of Reuben Fine’s career was sharing
R B R Q R
21... xd7 22.g4 h4 23. xf7+ e7 24. b4
first with Keres ahead of Alekhine, Capablanca,
B
ae8 25. xe7 xe7 26. f6 a6 27. d1 axb5
Euwe and Flohr to determine a challenger for
28. e4+ Black Resigns.
Alekhine’s title. But WWII intervened and Fine,
1-0
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 prepared ◦ Pleci
• Endzelins
N B
variation.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 b4 4.e5 c5 5.dxc5 "This ?
is the prepared move. Unlike Euwe, I make it a rule Buenos Aires
not to analyze such lines too profoundly before the 1939 1-0 C10
game because it is most essential to be able to meet A lesser-known masterpiece from the last pre-

N
whatever surprises come up over the board and not war Olympiad. With a flurry of sacrifices, White

N N B B N
everything can be foreseen" – Fine. 5... e7 demonstrates that an advantage in development re-

B B N
6. f3 bc6 7. d3 d4 8.a3 a5 9.b4 xb4 mains of decisive importance even after the ex-

N N N N
10.axb4 xb4 11. b5+ c6 "The fatal error. change of Queens.

N Q K B
Necessary was 11...Bd7 12. Qxd4 Bxc3+ 13. Qxc3 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 dxe4 4. xe4 d7 5. f3

B R B B K B K R B
Bxb5 14. Nd4 with about equal chances" – Fine. c5 6.dxc5 xc5 7. xd8+ xd8 8. g5+ f6
12. xc6+ bxc6 13. a4 xc3+ 14. d2 "Sud- 9.O–O–O+ e8 10. b5+ f7 11. d8 e7
denly Black discovers that he is lost. The Bishop is Instead, 11...fxg5 loses at once to 12.Ne5+ Ke7
hopelessly shut out, and it is only a question of time 13.Re8++, while 11...Nxe4 12.Ne5+ Ke7 13. Re8+

B
before White’s superior development makes itself Kd6 14.Nf7+ Kc5 15.Nxh8 Kxb5 16.Rxf8 leaves

Q Q B R B N
felt" – Fine. 14...f6 15.O–O O–O 16. xc3 dxc3 White with a material advantage, and he retains

N K
17. e1 a5 18. xc3 a6 19. fa1 b5 "Hop- his dominating Rook on the 8th rank. 12. e5+

R Q
ing for 20. Rxa5 which would bring some free- fxe5 13. d6+ g6 The Knight still cannot be

R Q R N B B N R B
dom to the Black pieces" – Fine. 20. d4 e7 captured, for if 13...Bxd6 14.Be8+ Kf8 15.Bg6++.
21. d6 a4 22. e3 a7 23. d2 a3 24.c4 a4 14. xe7 xe7 15. xh8 a6 16. e2 e4 17.f4 b5

50
 R K
18. e8 f6 19. f8+R Kg6 20.h4 Bb7 21.h5+ or ever to win the U.S. Championship. Here Re-
Black Resigns. shevsky again nosed him out for the title by snatch-
1-0 ing a draw from the jaws of defeat. "Unemployed
from 1939 to 1941, Fine saw that a future dedi-
◦ Ernst Rojahn cated to chess was bleak at best, and he obeyed the
• Moshe Czerniak dictates of common sense, returning to school in
8th Olympiad the mid 1940s and earning a psychology doctorate
Buenos Aires in 1948 from U.C.L.A. I believe that in American
1939 1/2-1/2 B00 events, Fine often found himself wondering why
A great fighting draw – wild, woolly, madcap. Cz- he was playing chess for pennies and let his mind
erniak was born in Poland but remained in Ar- wander." – Denker and Parr in "The Bobby Fischer

N N B N N
gentina along with several other European masters I Knew And Other Stories."

N B B N
when this world team championship ended at the 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. c4 f6 4. g5 d5 5.exd5

N B
outbreak of World War II. In 1950 he settled in Is- a5 6. b5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8. e2 h6 9. f3
rael, won the national championship and then rep- e4 10. e5 d6 11.f4 An old question is whether
resented his adopted country in nine consecutive Black has enough compensation for the pawn. If

N B
Olympiads. 11. Ng4 Nxg4 12. Bxg4 Qh4! 13. Bxc8 Rxc8 14.

Q N
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.g4 This stab used Qe2 O-O 15. Nc3 Rce8 gives Black good counter-
to be considered unthinkable because it weak- play. 11... c7 12.O–O O–O 13. c3 Making no

B B Q
ens the pawn structure. Now it is a standard attempt to hold the pawn with 13. d4 exd3ep 14.

N Q N B
weapon in White’s arsenal. 4... g6 An alterna- Nxd3 c5. 13... xe5 14.fxe5 xe5 15.d4 exd3

N B R N B B N B
tive is 4...Bd7 to prevent 5. e6. 5. h3 e6 16. xd3 g4 17. f4 A brave decision to sac-

N B Q B Q K N R
6. f4 e4 7. g1 h6 8. e3 e7 9. d2 h4 rifice the Exchange. 17.Rf4 or Bxg4 are feasible

Q R Q Q B B B
10. xe4 dxe4 11. g2 e7 12. xe4 Why the alternatives. 17... c5+ 18. h1 f2+ 19. xf2

N
rush to capture this pawn? Simply 12. c3 is bet- xf2 20. f1 h4 21. d6 g4 22. a6 c8

N
ter. 12... xe5 13.g5 Not 13. dxe5 Qb4+ followed Reshevsky led by a half point and only needed

N
by Qxe4. 13... c4 Better than 13...Bxg5? 14. a draw to regain the title of U.S. champion. He

B B
Rxg5 Qxg5 15. dxe5. 14.gxh6 xe3 15.hxg7 would be delighted to repeat moves after 23. Be2

B K R
Leads to fireworks. Instead 15. Qd3! gives Bg4. 23. d3 e6? ? - The main drawback of

Q B
White a clear advantage. 15... xf2+ 16. e2 g8 BlackŠs game is the knight stranded on a5. Black

Q B K B
17. d3 xg1 Expecting 18. Rxg1 Nd5! and all has nothing to fear from 23...Qd8 24.Qxd8 Rxd8

N Q Q N Q Q Q B N B Q
is well. 18. b5+ c6 19. xc6+ d8 20. xb7 25. Bc7 Nb7 26. Bxd8 Nxd8 with an even end-

Q B
xc2 21. a5+ c7 22. xe6+ fxe6 23. g5+ ing. 24. b4 h5 25. c7 c4 26. xc4 h4

Q B Q
e7 All roads lead to Rome. If 23...Ke8 24. Qh5. 27. f4 The simplest winning line is 27. b3! keep-

Q
Or 23...Kd7 24. Qb5. 24. a5+ Any attempt by ing two pieces for a rook. 27... xc4 28. xc4
Black to escape perpetual check is disastrous. For g5 29.g3 g4 Hoping to snare a piece with the

R Q
example, 24...Ke8 25. Bc6 Kf7 26. Rf1 Kxg7 27. pin. If now 30.Ne4 Qe6 31. Qxe6 fxe6 sets up an-
Rxg1 Kh8 28. Qe5 Rg7 29. Bxa8. Or 24...Kd7 25. other pin along the f-file. 30. xc6 gxf4 31. xf4

Q Q Q R
Qb5 Kc7 26. Rc1 Bxd4 27. Rxc2 Kb8 28. Rc8! Equally good is 31. Qxh6 fxg3 32. Rf4 g2+ 33.

K Q N R R R
Rxc8 29. Bxc8 Kxf8 30. g8/Q! Kg1 Qg6. 31... e6 32. f3 f5 33. d5 ae8

K K R R
1/2-1/2 34. g2 xd5+ 35. xd5 e2+ 36. f2 xf2+
37. xf2 f7 38.c4 a5 39.b3 e8 40.a3 c8
◦ Reuben Fine
N
WhiteŠs victory has become problematic because
• Samuel Reshevsky
K K
the rook is so active. 41. c3 If 41. Ke3 a4! busts

K K R N R K
USA Championship (17) up WhiteŠs connected pawns. 41... e6 42. e3

K
New York e5 43. d3 b8 44. b5 d8+ 45. c2 h5
1940 1/2-1/2 46.b4 axb4 47.axb4 h4 48.c5 hxg3 49.hxg3 d5

K
Reuben Fine (1914-1993) was AmericaŠs greatest Not 49...Rb8? 50. c6! Rxb5 51. c7 and queens.
international star in the 1930s, sharing first with 50. d3? Tosses away winning chances. Correct
Keres at AVRO 1938 ahead of Alekhine, Botvin- is 50. Nd6! A possible variation is 50...Ke6 51.b5

R N K N R
nik, Capablanca, Euwe, Flohr and Reshevsky (his Rg8 52.b6 Rxg3 53.b7 Rg8 54. Nc8 and the pawn

K K N K K
chief rival on the domestic scene). Fans spoke of queens. 50... g8 51. c3+ c6 52. e2 g4

R
a "jinx" when referring to FineŠs inability to con- 53. c3 d5 54. f4+ c6 55. c4 The last try
vert winning positions into a win against "Sammy" but itŠs not enough to win. 55... xg3 56.b5+

51
K K R N R K R
N R N R N K R K B K
d7 57. d5 g1 58. d3 d1 59. c4 b1 Qe5 Nh4 was probably still tenable for Black" –

B
60. f4 b2 61. d5 b1 62. b6+ c7 Draw Fine. 46. c8+ g7 47. f8+ g8 On 47...Rxf8
by Agreement. Another hard-fought duel between 48. R8c7 pins the queen. 48. d6+ Missing

N B
the two greatest rivals in American chess. Once 48. Qxd5! which is decisive. The queen can’t

N R N N Q
again Fine let his nemesis escape. be captured because Bh6 mates. 48... e8 49. e5

R R K R Q
1/2-1/2 e7 50. a8 c6 51.h3 xe5 52.dxe5 xa4

R R Q
53. cc8 f8 54.e6 g7 55.e7 xf4 56. d3
◦ Reshevsky, S. f5 57. c2 h4 Missing a chance to win by
• Fine, R.
R
57...Qa1+ 58. Kh2 Qe5+ 59. Qg3 Qxe7. Now
New York State Championship the comedy of errors continues. 58. e2 White in

R R R
USA turn can win by 58. Rxe8! Rg5+ 59. Kh2 Qf4+ 60.

K Q Q
1941 1/2-1/2 E49 Kh1 Rg3 61. Rg8+ 58... g5+ 59. g2 xg2+
This event began in 1878 and is probably the 60. xg2 xe7 61. xd5 Draw. On 61...Qe2+ 62.
longest running ANNUAL event in the world. The Kg1 Qe1+ 63. Kg2 compels Black to take perpet-
rivalry between America’s two leading players was ual check. "This may have been the most important
legendary; here’s how Fine himself described this game of chess played in the Western hemisphere in
seesaw battle: "Although we played on a par with 1941" – Chess Life, June 1999
the best of that time our own games displayed a 1/2-1/2
fantastic series of blunders. Either he rescued a lost
position against me, or I did against him. Nor were
◦ Keres, P.
these subtle mistakes; many of them were so obvi-
• Botvinnik, M.
ous that the rankest amateur could have seen them.
USSR Absolute Championship
Each wanted to beat the other, yet unconsciously
Moscow
N N B
each was reluctant to do so."
1941 0-1 E35
B B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4.e3 d5 5.a3
A charming miniature. Botvinnik with Black
N B B N Q
xc3+ 6.bxc3 c5 7.cxd5 exd5 8. d3 O–O
crushes the Estonian in 22 moves after Keres cas-
9. e2 b6 10.O–O a6 11. xa6 xa6 12. d3
N N B Q
tles too soon on the wrong wing.
Q B
An improvement on 12. Bb2 (see Botvinnik-
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4. c2 d5 5.cxd5
Capablanca, AVRO 1938. 12... c8 13. b2 cxd4
B B
exd5 Also good is 5...Qxd5 but Botvinnik has
"I had counted on the opening of the c-file to give
something new in mind. 6. g5 h6 7. h4 c5
me adequate counterplay, but this hope proved il-
B
8.O–O–O Meets with a drastic refutation. Bet-
lusory. Consequently the coldblooded 13...c4 14.
ter is 8. e3 or simply dxc5. 8... xc3 Improv-
N R Q R N
Qc2 Re8 15. Ng3 Ne4! was preferable" – Fine.
ing on 8...O-O? 9. dxc5 Bxc3 10. Qxc3 with
N R
14.cxd4 c7 15. fc1 d7 16.f3 fe8 17. g3
Q B Q
advantage – Mikenas-Botvinnik, USSR Champi-
R R Q
e6 18. e1 Not 18. e4? dxe4 19. fxe4 Nc5!
N Q
onship 1940. 9. xc3 g5 10. g3 cxd4 11. xd4
R Q Q Q
snaring the e-pawn. 18... ac8 19. ad1 a4
c6 12. a4 Awkward but perhaps necessary to
20. d2 c4 21. b1 b3 "I was still under the
B
R B Q
safeguard White’s king is 12. Qe3+!? Be6 13.
impression that the counter- action along the c-
Kb1. 12... f5 13.e3 c8 14. d3 d7 Break-
file was adequate. Since it is not, I should have
K B R Q
ing the pin leaves the enemyking with pitiful few
N
tried 21...Red8 when it is still quite difficult for
N K R Q N
defenders. 15. b1 xd3+ 16. xd3 f5 17.e4
R R QR
White to advance his e-pawn" – Fine. 22. f5
Q N K N
xe4 18. a1 O–O 19. d1 b5 20. xb5 d4
c7 23.e4 ec8 24. d3 a4 But not 24...Qc2?
21. d3 c2+ 22. b1 b4 White Resigns
N N Q R Q R Q
25. Qxc2 Rxc2 26. Ne7+ and Nxc8. 25.e5
0-1
R Q
e8 26. e3 b5 27. d2 b3 28. d3 b5

Q Q Q
29. d2 a5 Black should repeat moves with
◦ Alexander Alekhine
R N N N R
29...Qb3. 30. d1 b5 31.g3 g6 32.f4 f5 33. f3
• Klaus Junge
N K R R
d8 34.g4 8g7 35.gxf5 xf5 36. g4 f7

R R
37. f6+ h8 38. c1 xf6 Otherwise Black Prague (11)

R
has no constructive plan. 39.exf6 f8 40. e1 Czechoslovakia
xf6 41.a4 The sealed move – to clear a3 for the 1942 1-0 E03

Q R N R R
bishop. Now 41...Qxa4 42. Qxd5 is obviously bad Going into the last round, Junge led by a half point

R N B N
for Black. 41... d7 42. f2 c7 43. c2 f7 and needed only a draw to take first prize. Alekhine
44. ec1 e8 45. a3 f6 "Missing the point to launched a far-sighted but risky pawn sacrifice that
White’s last move. After 45...Kg7 46. Qe2 Nf6 47. paved 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 about
Alekhine’s last days, when he was shunned by the
chess world as a Nazi collaborator after the war.
Speaking of this game, the fictional Alekhine says:
"There is a moment in chess when your opponent
knows he is lost. He knows he can do nothing to
save himself. All moves lose. It is not checkmate.
It is before checkmate. Everything he can do is
wrong. There are no good moves. All moves lose.
It is a very terrible spot to be in, but it is fun to
watch him squirm. He stares at the board, but it
does not change. Nothing can be changed and there
is no hope. He is a mouse and I am the cat. I watch
him very closely as he suffers. When the game is
over, I will feel sympathy for him, but not now.
Now I watch him twist and turn and tear himself to
N N Q N N B
ribbons. His agonies are mine."
N N
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. f3 f6 4.g3 dxc4 5. a4+
bd7 In an earlier game at another Nazi-
sponsored tournament in Munich 1942 between
the same players (with colors reversed), Alekhine
B Q
chose the more usual plan 5...Bd7 6. Qxc4 Bc6.
Q R
6. g2 a6 7. xc4 b5 White’s best reply is 8.
Qc2 immediately. 8. c6 b8 Slightly better
B Q
is 8...Ra7 in order later to cross over to d7 after
...c5. 9.O–O b7 10. c2 c5 11.a4 White has
B
nothing after 11. dxc5 Bxc5 so Alekhine sacrifice
B R
a pawn to seek the initiative. 11... xf3 Spurning
R Q
b4 and acepting the offer. 12. xf3 cxd4 13.axb5
axb5 14. d1 b6 If 14...Bc5 15. Bf4 e5 (or
N
15...Rc8 16. Bb7) 16. Bxe5 Nxe5 17. Qxc5 Nxf3
18. exf3 White is winning. 15. d2 e5 Black
N N
should strive to castle as quickly as possible by
15...Be7. 16. b3 c5 Neglecting the safety of
his king. White still would be hard-put to justify
N B
his pawn sacrifice after 16...Be7! 17. e3 dxe3
18. Bxe3 Qe6. 17. xc5 xc5 If 17...Qxc5 18.
Bc6 Nd7 (or 18...Kd8 19. Qxc5 Bxc5 20. Bxb5!)
R
19. Qxc5 Bxc5 20. Ra5 regains the pawn ad-
Q Q Q
vantageously. 18. a6 A bolt from the blue.
B N B
18... xa6 19. xc5 e6 If 19...Nd7 20. Bc6 f6
K
21. Qd6 is crushing. 20. c6+ d7 21. xd7+
Q K
xd7 Forced. If 21...Qxd7 22. Qxe5 Qe7 23.
Qxb8 picks up the rook. 22. a7+ c6 Loses
by force After 22...Kd6. It is unclear whether
B R Q R
White has anything better than a draw by perpet-
ual check. 23. d2 hc8 24.e4 b3 25. a1
R K R K
b4 Trying in vain to create an escape square for
Q K R
the king on b5. 26. a6+ b5 27. a5+ c6
28. c5+ d7 29. a7+ Black resigns, as he gets
mated on 29...Ke6 30. Qe7. A German soldier,
Junge was killed in action at age 21, just before the
war ended in 1945.
53
1-0
◦ Vassily Smyslov
• Mikhail Botvinnik
Moscow Championship
USSR
1943 1-0 C82
Chess flourished in the Soviet Union despite the
bloodiest war in its history. The intense rivalry
between two of its leading players extended to
more than 100 games and three title matches in the
course of their long careers. In this early encounter,
Botvinnik varies on move 11 from a variation made
famous two years later in the 1945 USSR-USA
Radio Match (see Smyslov-Reshevsky). Smyslov
obtained a material advantage of two pieces for a
rook and then patiently suffered while untangling
B N
his pieces from the back rank.
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O
B B B
xe4 The Open Defense has withstood the test of
time. 6.d4 b5 7. b3 d5 8.dxe5 e6 9.c3 c5
More usual is 9...Be7 leaving c5 free for the knight.
N
Botvinnik has a surprise in mind which had not ap-
B N
peared in any Soviet tournaments. 10. bd2 O–O
11. c2 xf2 Black can be criticized for trying
to seize the initiative so early, but it is not easy
for White to solve all the problems that will face
him. Reinforcing the knight by 11...f5 is proba-
Q
bly the best plan (see the aforementioned Smyslov-
Q B K
Reshevsky game. 12. xf2 f6 13.exf6 xf6
14. f1 g4 15. h1 Leads to a prolonged defen-
sive task. Preferable is 15. Qd3! Qf5 16. Qxf5
B Q R
Bxf5 17. Bb3 Rad8 18. Nf1 Bxf2 19. Kxf2 with
Q N B
a favorable ending. 15... xf2 16. xf2 ae8
17. g3 e5 18. d1 "Overprotecting f3. White
now has to withstand a powerful onslaught by the
excellently placed black pieces before he is able to
N
untangle his group of pieces on the bank rank." –
Smyslov. 18... d3 Smyslov recommends 18...h5
as more active, and if 19. h4 Nd3 20. Kh2 c5
B B N N
21. Nf1 with a tense struggle ahead. 19.h3
h5 20. c2 f4 21. g1 "White prevents the
intrusion of the rook at e2 and at the same time
N N N R
carries out a regrouping of his minor pieces." –
B R
Smyslov. 21...c5 22. df3 e2 23. xe2 xe2
24. d1 e6 If 24...Bxf3 25. gxf3 Re6 26. Bd2
B K R
followed by f4 and Bf3 frees White’s position.
25. d2 h6 26. h2 e4 It’s still a hard game af-
N B R B Q
ter 26...Bg6. White now gains a decisive advan-
K
tage. 27. g5 hxg5 28. xh5 e5 29. f3 e7
30.a4 h7 Allowing White’s rook comes into play
R Q B
but 30...b4 fails to 31. cxb4 cxb4 32. Bxb4! Qxb4
33. Qxe5 31.axb5 axb5 32. a7 d6 33. g4
Too hasty is 34. Bxg5? Rxf3! 35. gxf3 Re2.
 R K B
R R R
33... d8 34. h1 In time trouble, White over- 26. c1 This retreat is necessary. Not 26. Bc3?

B R B R K R B
looks 34. Bf4! right away. 34...d4 35.cxd4 cxd4 b4 27. Bd4 c3. 26...f6 27. a3 d3 28. xd3

Q Q R R R B
36. f4 e1+ Not 35...gxf4 37. Bf5! Rxf5 38. cxd3 29. e3 e4 30. f3 b4 31. c1 g5 32.g3

B B
Qxg7 mate. 37. xe1 xf4 38. d7 xd7 c4 33. e3 h5 Banking on his long experience,

Q
39. xd7 d3 40. g4 White’s extra piece is deci- Botvinnik embarks on a faulty plan and spurns a

Q K K K B K R N
sive. Also sufficient is 40. Bxb5. 40...d2 41. e2 draw by repetition with 33...Rb4 34. Bc1 Rc4 35.

Q K Q Q Q B Q R B R K
b4 42. d3+ g6 43. g1 h6 44.b3 g7 45. f3 Be3 Rb4, etc. 34.gxh5 g4+ 35. f2 c2+ 36. d2

K K
f7 46. f2 e6 47. e3 d6 48. d1 d5 xb2 37. f4 a2 38. e3 Once Black succeeds

R K K
49.g4 h7 50. e2 Black could have resigned in winning the d-pawn and blocking the b-pawn the

K K R R K
long ago. After a spite check by 50...Qg2 51. Kd3 two pieces will win easily. 38... a3 39. d4 f7

R K
it’s all over. Black Resigns. 40. e4 b4 41. d4 a5 42.h6 b5 43. c4

R N
1-0 b6 44. c5 Avoiding 44. Nb3 Rc6! 45. Kxb4

K
Rc2 drawing. 44... b7 45. b3 The point. Black
◦ David Bronstein
K R N K K B
no longer has a check on the c-file. 45... g6
• Mikhail Botvinnik
R B R N
46. c4 b6 47. c5 h7 48. b3 d2 49. xd2
13th USSR Championship (5) d6 50. f4 d1 51. e4 Skirting the last trap.

K N R K R K
Moscow Not 51. Kxb4 Rd4 52. Kc3 Rxf4! and wins.

R N R N R N R
1944 1-0 C92 51... g6 52. f2 b1+ 53. c2 a1 54. b2

N
David conquers Goliath! 20-year-old Bronstein a3 55. xg4 c3 56. e3 d3 57. c2 d1

K N R K
was 15th in his first try for the Russian champi- 58. xb4 Completing the winning process out-

onship, then the strongest series of tournaments
in the world. Soviet tournaments thrived despite
WWII. 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.
K K K N K
lined at move 38. 58... f5 59. c6 d7 60. c3
e4 61. c4 f5 62. d4+ e4 "There was no
need for the king to be so active. After 62...Kg6 it
is still not clear how White can win. After Botvin-
nik’s mistake in this simple endgame, White wins

This tense encounter features a sharp opening and
a difficult ending that should have been drawn but
Botvinnik tried too hard to win. In 1951 they drew
a title match 12-12.
N K N
in two moves with a short but nice combination" –
Bronstein. 63. e6 f5 64. f8 Finally reeling in
a big fish. If 64...Rf7 65. Bd6 followed by h7 nets
the rook. Black Resigns.

N N B
1.e4 e5 A departure from Botvinnik’s habitual 1-0

B N B R B
French Defense with 1...e6. 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6
◦ Reshevsky, S.
B
4. a4 f6 5.O–O e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 d6 8.c3
O–O 9.h3 e6 The usual continuation is 9...Na5. • Vasconcellos
10. Bc2 c5. The text is a result of Botvinnik’s ?
search to rehabilate forgotten moves. 10.d4 Bet- Boston
ter than 10. Bc2 d5! 11. exd5 Qxd5 12. d4 1944 1-0 C02
exd4 13. cxd4 Qh5 14. Nc3 Rad8 with a satis- By no means a typical game by Reshevsky, a player

B Q N
factory position, as in Yates-Duras, Bradford 1911.
10... xb3 11. xb3 exd4 12. xd4 Improving on
Spielmann-Schlechter, Prague 1906, where Black
got a good game after 12. cxd4 d5 13. e5 Ne4
noted for dour maneuvering and resourceful de-
fense. The explanation: Reshevsky had clinched
first place in the U.S. Open with a round to spare,
and was determined to have fun in his last game.

N
14. Nc3 Nxc3 15. bxc3 Na5 16. Qc2 Nc4 17. When Black wastes time capturing the worthless

N
Nd2 Qd7 18. Nxc4 bxc4 19. f4 f5! 12... xd4 b2 pawn, White sacrifices a Knight to rip open the

N N B
13.cxd4 c5 14.dxc5 dxc5 15.e5 d7 In a later center and checkmates the defenseless Black King.

Q R R B B N N B Q
round Lilienthal tried 15...Ne8 16. Qg3 Qb6. 16.a4 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.dxc5 d7 5. f3 xc5

Q
c4 17. g3 e8 18. d1 h4 More prudent is 6. d3 e7 7.O–O c6 8. f4 c7 Hoping to
18...Qc7 19. Bf4 Qc6. 19. g4 Misjudging win the e5 pawn. Safer was 8...Be7 followed by

N
Blacks reply. The critical line is 19. Qf4! Qe7 9...O-O, but not 8...O-O? 9.Bxh7+! Kxh7 10.Ng5+

B
20. g3 Nxe5 21. gxh4 Nd3 with unclear prospects. with a winning attack. 9. c3 a6 Black cannot

K N R N R R
Now Black gets a better endgame. 19... xf2+ win a pawn with 9...Ndxe5? 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 be-

Q
20. xf2 xe5 21. xd8 xg4+ 22.hxg4 axd8 cause of 11.Qh5! [11...Bd6 12.Nb5]. 10. e1

B Q
White’s development is backward. Black stands b6 Pointless; he should play 10...Nb6 followed

B R R R N R Q
better with a rook and two pawns for bishop and by ...Bd7 and ...O-O-O. 11. g3 xb2 Consis-
knight. 23.axb5 axb5 24. d2 d3 25. a5 b3 tent, but fatal. 12. xd5 exd5 13. b1 a3

54
14.e6 N f6 White also has a strong attack af- Throughout the 1930s the United States was a

K B N
ter 14...fxe6 15.Ng5 Nf8 16.Qf3 Nd8 17.Qxd5. dominant force in world chess. American teams
15.exf7+ xf7 16. h4 b4 It is logical to elim- led by Reshevsky and Fine won gold medals at four
inate the Bd3, but surrendering control of the e5 straight Olympiads. The first important sporting

N K
square quickly proves fatal. A better try was
16...Be7. 17. e5+ f8 Black avoids 17...Kg8
because of the variation 18.Bxf6 Nxd3 19.Qxd3
Qxd3 20.Nxd3 Bxf2+ 21.Kxf2 gxf6 22.Re7 with
event after WWII and one that marked the begin-
ning of Soviet chess supremacy was a ten board
match in September 1945 where moves were trans-
mitted by short wave radio. Each player faced his

B N
a winning ending, but the text leads to a far worse opponent twice and the result was totally unex-
debacle. 18. xf6 xd3 Forced – if 18...gxf6 pected. Reshevsky lost both his games to a fu-

B K R B
19.Qh5! fxe5 20.Rxe5 Bd7 21.Qf3+ Kg7 22.Rg5+, ture world champion as the USSR crushed the USA

N N B B N
etc. 19. xg7+ xg7 20. xb7+ e7 The third 15.5 - 4.5.

N
sacrifice cannot be accepted – 20...Bxb7 21.Qg4+ 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O
Kf6 22.Qf3+ Ke7 23.Qf7+ Kd6 24.Qd7++. Also xe4 Nowadays the Open Defense to the Ruy

B B B N
insufficient is 20...Kh6 21.Nf7+ Kg7 22.Nxh8+ Lopez is less popular than 5...Be7. 6.d4 b5

Q R B
Kxh8 23.Re8+ Bf8 24.Qa1+ Nb2 25.Qxb2+! 7. b3 d5 8.dxe5 e6 9.c3 c5 10. bd2 O–O
Qxb2 26.Rxf8++. 21. h5 f8 Or 21...Bxb7 11. c2 f5 Safer is 11...Nxd2. The Dilworth At-

Q K N N B N N
22.Qf7+ Kh6 23.Ng4+ Kg5 24.Qg7+ Kf5 25.Nh6+ tack 11...Nxf2!? 12. Rxf2 f6 13. exf6 is considered

Q K Q K R N B N
Kf4 26.Qg3++. 22. g5+ h8 23. g6+ hxg6 better for White. 12. b3 b6 13. fd4 xd4

Q B Q R B Q
24. h6+ g8 25. xg6+ h8 26. bxe7 Black 14. xd4 xd4 15.cxd4 f4 16.f3 g3 17.hxg3

B Q K Q B Q
Resigns. fxg3 18. d3 f5 19. xf5 xf5 20. xf5 h4
1-0 21. h3 xd4+ 22. h1 xe5 23. d2 xb2
Fine wrote: "We radioed for the time consumed by
the other team. Reshevsky, who had taken about an
◦ Denker, A.
hour and a half for the first 23 moves, found to his
• Botvinnik, M.
dismay that Smyslov had used exactly one minute!
?
The whole variation we later discovered had been
USA-USSR Radio Match, New York/Moscow
published in the June issue of their official chess
1945 0-1 D44
magazine. Foreign material always took a long
The U.S. had dominated international team com-
time to reach our shores and during the war the de-
petition in the 1930’s and this postwar match was
B
lay of course was much worse than ever before."
expected to be one-sided. So it proved, but in the
B K B R R
24. f4 c5 Two intriguing alternatives are 24...d4
other direction, as the Soviet team won 15-1/2 to
B B B R
or c6. 25. e6+ h8 26. xd5 d8 27. ad1
4-1/2. This was the first-board encounter between
R R R Q R Q
c4 28. xg3 c3 29. e5 b4 30. b3 d2 31.f4
N N N B
the U.S. and Soviet champions.
R K B K R K
h5 32. b1 f2 33. fe1 d2 34. bd1 b2
B N B
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. c3 c6 4. f3 f6 5. g5 dxc4
B K B K B K
35. d8+ h7 36. g8+ g6 37. d6+ f5
N
6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8. h4 g5 9. xg5 hxg5 10. xg5
B
38. e6+ g6 39. d5+ h7 40. e4+ g8
bd7 A novelty in 1945, this is now known as
41. g6 If 41...Rd2 42. Red1 threatening Rd8+ is
B B Q
the Botvinnik System, or the Anti-Meran Gam-
curtains. Black Resigns.
N Q Q N
bit. 11.exf6 b7 12. e2 b6 13.O–O O–O–O
1-0
B Q Q B K
14.a4 b4 15. e4 c5 16. b1 c7 17. g3 cxd4

Q Q
18. xc4 c6 19.f3 d3 20. c1 c5+ 21. h1
◦ Kottnauer, C.
d6 22. f4 Also insufficient is 22.Bf4, e.g. 22...
• Bronstein, D.
Rxh2+ 23.Kxh2 Rh8+ 24.Nh5 Rxh5+ 25.Kg3 e5
Moscow vs. Prague Match
R K R Q R
26.Be3 e4+ 27.f4 Qxf6 28.Kf2 Qxf4+, and wins.
Czechoslovakia
B Q
22... xh2+ 23. xh2 h8+ 24. h4 xh4+
1946 0-1 E67
25. xh4 f4 White Resigns.
Abounds in delightful tactics! Fighting an uphill
0-1
battle, White finds moves that are just short of win-
ning by force. The endgame has all the pungency
◦ Smyslov, V.
N N B B
of a composed problem.
• Reshevsky, S.
N N
1. f3 f6 2.c4 d6 3.g3 g6 4. g2 g7 5.O–O
USA-USSR Radio Match bd7 6.d4 e5 7. c3 O–O 8.d5 Closing the cen-
New York & Moscow ter is inferior to 8. e4 or b3. Bronstein did much to
1945 1-0 C82 popularize the King’s Indian Defense; in this team

55
 N N N B Q
match his individual score with it was 4-0. 8...a5 0-1

N B N N Q
9.e4 c5 10. e1 fd7 11. e3 f5 12. d2 b6

R N N B R
13. c2 a6 14. a3 f6 15. f3 e7 16.exf5
◦ Bronstein, D.
Q B N
gxf5 17. ae1 h5 18. ab5 h7 19. h3 ae8
• Kamishov, M.
20. c2 c8 21. a7 Better is 21. a3 Qf7 22. b4
Moscow Championship
B N Q B N
Nb7. The text prepares an unclear pawn sacrifice.
USSR
N N N
21... d7 22. c6 f7 23.b3 xc6 24.dxc6 e6
1946 1/2-1/2 B56
N
25. d5 d8 26.a3 xc6 27.b4 axb4 28.axb4
One of the scrappiest draws on record. The action
R R N B
d8 Careful! Not 28...Nd4? 29. Bxd4 exd4
begins on move 15 and never lets up; later both
N
30. Bxf5! 29. a1 f4 30. a7 g5 31. c8
sides have pawns poised on the 7th rank before four
de6 A possible draw could result after 31...fxe3
N N N N
queens make a dramatic entrance.
B N B
32. Rxc7 Nxf3+ 33. Kh1 Nd4 34. R1xf7 Rxf7
N N
1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6
R R R B
35. Qg6 e2 36. Nf6+. 32. xe6 xe6 33. xb6
B
5. c3 d6 6. de2 An experiment that does not
B N Q N
a8 34. xa8 xa8 35. f2 fxg3 Even stronger
Q B B
justify losing a tempo. 6...e6 7.g3 a6 8. g2
R R Q K R
is 35...Ra3! 36. xg3 d4 37. g2 c6 38. b6
R Q
c7 9.O–O e7 10.b3 O–O 11. b2 b5 12.a3
N N Q N
a6 39.c5 a2 40. h3 d5 41. h1 a3 42.f4
B R R
12. Qd2 immediately is better. 12... d8 13. d2
e4 43. c8 e3 44. d6 g6 45.b5 xb5 Leads
b7 14. ad1 ac8 15.h3 d5 After 50 min-
Q
to a difficult but favorable ending. Inferior is
Q
utes of thought. Instead simply 15...b4 is suffi-
Q N B
45...cxb5 46. f5 Qg4 47. Qg2. 46.f5 g4
cient for an advantage. 16.exd5 b4 17. e3 bxc3
47. xg4 hxg4 48. xb5 cxb5 49.f6 f8 Simpler
Leads to immense complications. "I would prefer
K R R R R
is 49...e2 50. Re1 Bxf6 51. Rxe2 Rc3. 50.f7+
R
17...exd5 with subsequent play against White’s nu-
R
h7 51.c6 b4 52. c1 a8 53.c7 c8 54. d1
R R R Q
merous weaknesses" – Bronstein. 18.dxc6 xd1
b3 55. xd5 Loses quickly. More resistance is of-
N B N Q
19. xd1 cxb2 20.cxb7 d8 21. xd8+ xd8
fered by 55. Kg2 b2 56. Kf1 Kg6 57. Ke2 Kxf7
K B N
22. c3 xa3 23. b1 d1+ If 23...Bd6 24. Qd4
R R R
58. Kxe3 though Black’s extra pawn should prevail
Q Q
picks up the b-pawn. 24. h2 d6 25. c3
R K B
in the long run. 55...e2 56. b5 xc7 57. xb3
N B
xc2 26. d4 Throws away a win by 26. Qb6!
c1+ 58. g2 c5 White Resigns. A problem-
Bf8 27. Qd8! 26... d5 27. xd5 If 27. Nxd5
like finish caps a hard game. On 59. h3 Rg1+ 60.
Q B K
exd5 28. Qxd5 Qc7 29. Be4 leads to a prob-
Kh2 Rxg3! wins; or 59. Bf2 Bxf2 60. f8=Q Rg1+
Q K
able draw. 27...exd5 28. b6 xg3+ 29. xg3
61. Kxf2 e8=Q mate.
Q K Q
xc3+ 30. g2 h6 Finally Black finds the right
0-1
Q Q K Q Q Q
moment to make luft. 31.b8= + h7 32. 6d8

K Q K
b1= 33. g8+ g6 34. d6+ f6 35. xf6+
◦ Zita, F.
xf6 36. d8+ e6 Black could retain winning
• Bronstein, D.
Q K Q K Q
chances with 36...Kg6 37. Qxd5 Qf5 38. Qd6+
?
K Q K Q
Qe6. 37. e8+ d6 38. d8+ e6 39. e8+
Prague
d6 40. d8+ c6 41. e8+ Draw. If Black tries
1946 0-1 E68
too hard to escape the perpetual by 41...Kb6 42.
The long-term impact of the post-war Soviet mas-
Qd8+ Kc5 43. Qe7+ Kd4?? 44. Qe3 mates.
ters lies in their exploration of unbalanced posi-
1/2-1/2
tions – how much piece activity is worth a struc-
tural weakness? This period saw a renaissance of
the King’s Indian Defense, in which Black accepts ◦ Geller, E.
• Kogan
N N N N
a space disadvantage for tactical counter-chances.
?
B B R B
1.c4 e5 2. c3 f6 3. f3 d6 4.d4 bd7 5.g3
Odessa
N Q Q N
g6 6. g2 g7 7.O–O O–O 8.b3 e8 9. b2
1946 1-0 B53
R R B
c6 10.e4 exd4 11. xd4 b6 12. d2 c5

N R R N
13. fe1 a5 14. ab1 a4 15. a1 axb3 16.axb3 Even at the beginning of his career, it was evident
g4 17.h3 xa1 18. xa1 xf2 Now Black that Efim Geller was a player of great potential. He

R
wins back the pinned Knight on d4 after 19.Kxf2 correctly assesses the myriad tactical possibilities

N K N R N Q
Nxb3, and 19.Qxf2 Nd3 is even worse. 19. e3 as Black and White attack on opposite wings, and

N K N R Q
xh3+ 20. h2 f2 21. f3 cxe4 22. f4 drives the Black King across the board with a re-

R Q R R B Q Q N Q N B
g4+ 23. h1 f5 24. xe4 xe4 25. xd6 lentless attack.

Q Q B Q B B B
xd4 26. b8 d8 27. a8 e5 28. a7 b4 1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 c6 5. b5
29. a2 f8 30. h3 h6 White Resigns. d7 6. xc6 xc6 White surrenders the two

56
Bishops to obtain a slight advantage in devel- Marshall Club Championship

N N B B R
opment. Nowadays 6...bxc6 is more popular. New York City

R Q N R R
7. c3 f6 8. g5 e6 9.O–O e7 10. ad1 O–O 1946 1-0 C13

R R N B
11. fe1 c7 12.h3 b5 13. h2 fd8 14. d3
a5 15. f3 b4 16. xf6 bxc3 17. g4 h5 18. h6
Three White pieces are en prise, but none can
be taken – 18...gxf6 19.Nxf6+ Bxf6 20.Qxf6,
A number of America’s most promising young
players 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 to

N N B B B
18...gxh6 19.Nxh6+ Kh7 20.Rxf7+, or 18...hxg4 the attention of the chess fraternity.

Q B
19.Rg6 e5 20.Rxg7+ Kh8 21.Qd1 and Black will 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 f6 4. g5 e7 5. xf6

K Q K R B R
not last long. 18...e5 19. e3 hxg4 20. xg7 Better is 5. e5. It’s not customary to relinquish the

R Q Q K R K
xg7 21. h6+ g8 22. f5 e8 23. h5 f6 two bishops without provocation, but White chose

Q K
24. h4 c8 25. h8+ f7 26. h7+ e6 this little- known variation because his standing

R Q K B B Q
27. g7 d7 There is nothing better – 27...Qc7 in the tournament forced him to try to win at all

R K R Q K R
28.Qxg4+ mates. 28. e3 cxb2 29. xe7+ c6 cost. 5... xf6 6.e5 e7 7. g4 O–O Black has

Q R Q
30. c3+ b6 31. xc8 b1= + 32. h2 d7 nothing to fear from castling into it. He has made
33. xe8 xh7 34. c6+ Black Resigns. no weaknesses, lost no tempi and therefore goes
1-0 about completing his development in the calm as-

N
surance that premature attacks should be repulsed.

N Q K
And he is right. 8.O–O–O c5 9.h4 cxd4 10. ce2
◦ Alexander, C.
c6 11.f4 a5 12. b1 d3 The pawn was inde-
• Botvinnik, M.
fensible in any event, so White is forced to ac-
Radio Match: England vs. USSR
B
cept regain it by blocking d3 for his bishop. Not
London and Moscow
R R
13. Rxd3? Qe1+ 14. Nc1 Qxf1. 13.cxd3 d7
1946 1-0 C18
14. h3 ac8 Leads to trouble. 14...f5! would
In a series of radio matches with other nations, the
bring the attack to an abrupt standstill. However,
USSR proved it was the strongest chess power af-
R N
Pilnick becomes too intent on his own counterat-
ter WWII. Alexander was a mathematician who
tack. 15. g3 g6 16.d4 b5 17.h5 b4 Inducing a
worked with Alan Turing on breaking German
N N
weakness. Now the race is to get there "fustest with
codes during the war. On top board he produced
the mostest." 18.a3 c6 19.hxg6 fxg6 20. c3 To
N B B
a stirring upset against the future world champion.
untangle the pieces. White already had to envis-
N Q
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 b4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 xc3+
B
age the sacrifice of his queen on move 24. 20...b4
Q R Q Q
6.bxc3 e7 7. g4 cxd4 Provocative. More usual
21. d3 Whenever possible make a threat with
R Q B Q
is 7...Nf5 8. Bd3 h5. 8. xg7 g8 9. xh7 a5
B N
gain of time. Now 21...bxc3? is refuted by 24.
N N B N
10. b1 xc3+ 11. d2 c7 More consistent
Bxg6. 21... e8 22. f3 bxa3 The defense with
R
is 11...Qxa3. 12.f4 bc6 13. f3 d7 14. g5
22...Rf5 fails owing to 23. Bxf5 exf5 24. Qxf5.
Q Q K N
xg5 The best try. If 14...Rf8 15. h4 is too strong.
Q B B
And 22...bxc3 23. Qxe6+ Bf7 24. Bxg6! is sim-
N K Q B Q R
15.fxg5 O–O–O 16. xf7 xe5+ 17. d1 f5
ilar to the game. 23. xe6+ f7 24. xg6 axb2
N
18.g6 e3+ 19. c1 e4 20. d3 xg2 21. e1
Admirable nonchalance. Accepting the queen also
e5 Botvinnik maintained that 21...Nc4 would
loses to 24...Bxe6 25. Bxh7+ Kh8 (if 25...Kf7 26.
hold, but subsequent analysis showed that 22.
B
Bg6+ Kg7 27. Be8+! Kh8 28. Rh1 mates) 26.
Bxc4 dxc4 23. Qf6! Qxh2 24. Bg5 Qg3 25.
K Q Q
Rh1! Rxf4 27. Bc2+ Bh4 28. Nxh4. 25. xh7+
Q N R Q B
Kb2! Qc3+ 26. Ka2 Qxc2+ 27. Rb2 still
K Q R N
h8 26. h6 a1+ Black is left with only a few
Q Q Q K
wins. 22. f4 f3 23. e2 h3 24. xe3 e5
K
spite checks. 27. c2 b1= + 28. xb1 b4+
Q B N QR Q
25. f7 dxe3 26.g7 g4 27.h3 g1+ 28. b2
29. d1 Black Resigns.
K Q K
g3 29. g6 d4 30.g8= xg8 31. xg8+
1-0
c7 32. h7 d6 The complications are over and

B Q K R Q
the rest is easy. On 32...Nxe2 33. Bf5 does the
◦ Bronstein, D.
K N Q B B R
trick. 33. d3 e4 34. h6+ c7 35. xe3 e5
• Levenfish, G.
Q B
36. a2 f5 37. g5 e6 38. e2 d4+ 39. eb3
USSR Championship
b5 40. d2 d3 41. g4 Black Resigns
Moscow
1-0
1947 1-0 D48
After Black misses a chance to equalize, his king
◦ Evans, L. becomes a target in the center. Thereafter Bron-
• Pilnick, C. stein prosecutes the attack with vigor and elegance.

57
 N N
1.d4 d5 2. f3 B
f6 3.c4 c6 4.e3 e6 5. d3 0-1

B N N B
dxc4 The Meran Variation. A good alternative is
5...Bd6. 6. xc4 bd7 7. c3 b5 8. d3 Weaker
◦ Bronstein, D.
N
is 8. Bb3 b4 9. Ne2 Ba6. 8...a6 9.e4 c5 10.e5
• Szily, J.
N B
cxd4 11. e4 A novelty at the time. The main
Moscow vs. Budapest Match (1)
line is 11. Nxb5. 11... d5 12.O–O b7
Hungary
B Q
Black never recovers from this error of judgment.
1949 1-0 D31
N
12...Be7 leads to equality. 13. g5 b8 Now
White sacrifices a central pawn to obtain rapid de-
N Q Q Q
13...Be7 is refuted by 14. Nd6+. 14.a4 xe5
velopment. Later Black’s queen is a helpless ob-
15. xe5 xe5 16.axb5 a5 17.f4 b8 18.f5 e5
server of the spectacle taking place on the opposite
B N Q
White’s attack still rages after 18...exf5 19. Rxf5
N N
wing.
Bb4 20. Qf3. 19.b6 d6 20. xd6+ xd6
B B Q
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. c3 c6 4.e4 dxe4 5. xe4
Q K B
21.fxe6 f6 If 21...Qxe6 22. Re1 Ne3 23. Bb5+
b4+ 6. d2 xd4 Accepting the challenge.
Q R N Q Q Q K
Kf8 24. Qxd4 wins. 22. h5+ d8 23. h4
Bronstein-Kotov, 1948 USSR Championship led to
Q R
xe6 24. ae1 e3 25. c5 d5 26. c7+ e8
B Q B N
equality after 6...Bxd2+ 7. Qxd2 Nf6 8. Nxf6+
B B B Q B R
27. xg7 f8 If 27...Rg8 28. Bb5+! wins.
B
Qxf6 9. Nf3 O-O. 7. xb4 xe4+ 8. e2 a6
Q R Q K R
28. b5+ c6 29. xc6+ xc6 30. xf6 f7
Q
Safer than 8...Qxg2 9. Bf3 Qg6 10. Ne2. 9. c3
31. g8+ f8 32. g5 d7 33. f2 More ac-
B
f6 10. d6 Stronger than 10. Nf3 Ne7 11. O-
Q Q K B R
curate is 33. Qg7+ but it makes no differ-
Q Q
O O-O allowing Black’s king haven. 10... d7
B Q R K Q K
ence. 33... xb6 34. g7+ c6 35. xd4 xf2
11.O–O–O O–O–O 12. g3 g6 Stronger is
R K B
36. xe3 xb2 37. c1+ b5 38. b7+ a4
Q
12...e5! 13. Qxg7 (or 13. Bd3 Qf4+) Bf5! with
39. c4+ a3 40. c1 Black Resigns
NN Q
equal chances. 13. e3 b6 Relatively better is
1-0
B
13...c5. 14. h3 h6 15.f4 e7 16.g4 e5 The

N Q N
best hope was 16...c5. 17. d2 Decisive. Now 18.
◦ Warner, ?.
K Q B N N
Qa3 is threatened. 17... c5 18. a3 e4 19. f2
• Evans, L.
R N R
b7 20.f5 h4 21. e3 d3+ 22. xd3 exd3
2nd USA Junior Championship
23. xd3 xf5 24. hd1 Black Resigns – he runs
Cleveland
out of checks after 24...Nxe3 25. Rxd7+ Rxd7 26.
1947 0-1 C84
Rxd7+ Kc8 27. Qxa7 Qe1+ 28. Bd1.
"Evans uncorks a move, his 18th, which has all the
1-0
earmarks of precocious youth. It is brash, impu-
dent – and inspired! It is typical of the talent of
the 15-year-old prodigy who played it" – Irving ◦ Boris Spassky
•?
N N B B N
Chernev.
Leningrad Junior Championship
B
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O
e7 6.c3 Weak – because in order to regain the USSR
1949 1-0 D28
N R N
pawn White must part with the two bishops. Bet-

N
ter is the usual 6. Re1. 6... xe4 7. e1 c5 Fame came to a future world champion at age

N R N Q
8. xe5 Relatively better is 8. Bxc6 dxc6 9. Nxe5. 12 when this sprightly miniature was published in

Q
8... xe5 9. xe5 xa4 10. xa4 O–O 11.d4 d5 chess magazines around the world. Unlike many

B R
12. b3 Losing time instead of developing the juniors, young Boris preferred 1. d4 before he dis-

Q
queenside with 12. Nd2. 12... d6 13. e1 A fa- covered 1. e4 but this early game already showed

N N B
tal pin arises after 13. Rxd5? Be6. 13... h4 his talent for attack.

Q
14.g3 Weakens the light squares. But Black’s at- 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3. f3 f6 4.e3 c5 5. xc4

Q
tack gathers even more momentum after 14. h3 e6 6.O–O a6 7. e2 White got no advantage in

Q B Q
Bxh3. 14... h5 15.c4 The best chance is 15. Be3. Spassky-Nikolaevsky, USSR 1963 after 7. a4 cxd4

B N N
15...dxc4 16. xc4 h3 17. b3 17. Nc3 is the 8. cxd4 Nc6 9. Nc3 Be7 10. Be3 O-O. 7...b5

R R
best try. If 17...c6 (or 17...Qf3 18. Qd5) 18. 8. b3 c6 9. c3 cxd4 Dangerous but playable.
Qd3 holds everything. 17... fe8 18. d1 Every- 9...c4 leads to double-edged play where Black’s

R R B
thing is bad. If 18. Bd2 Rxe1+ 19. Bxe1 Qe2 queenside majority offsets White’s control of the

N
wins. 18... e3 18...Qe2 also wins but this is more center. 10. d1 b7 Tempting fate. 10...d3

Q
stunning. 19.fxe3 The point is 19. Bxe3 Qf3 (or Be7) blunts White’s initiative. 11.exd4 b4

Q Q K Q
forces mate; if 19. Qc2 Re2 also wins. 19... e2 Seems to prevent d5 but White crashes through
20. xb7 xd1+ 21. f2 f1# It’s mate! anyway with a classic clearance sacrifice. Safer is

58
 N B B B N K
N B
11...Be7. 12.d5 bxd5 13. g5 e7 14. xf6
B N K
gxf6 15. xd5 xd5 15...exd5 holds out longer.
N N K
16. xd5 exd5 17. d4 f8 More tenacious is
17...Qd7 18. Re1 Kf8. 18. f5 h5 Black’s pawn
structure is a shambles. He hopes to resist in the
R Q Q K Q
ending after 19. Nxe7 but Spassky finishes off in
style. 19. xd5 xd5 20. xe7+ g8 21. xf6
Black cannot parry two mortal threats. If 21...Rh7
(to stop Qg7 mate) 22. Ne7 Kf8 23. Nxd5 snares
the queen. Black Resigns.
1-0
◦ Evans, L.
• Opsahl, H.
Dubrovnik Olympic (8)
Yugoslavia
1950 1-0 D36
18-year-old Evans was the overall high scorer with
90% in a field of 14 nations when the world
team championship resumed after WWII. Every
one of the 81 moves is a lesson in this game from
USA vs. Norway, which Chernev described as "a
symphony of heavenly length." CHESS REVIEW
added: "The classic minority attack is the main
theme; interwoven in the magic pattern is a glo-
rious knight’s tour and a very instructive rook and
N N B N
pawn ending."
B Q N B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 d5 4. g5 bd7 5.e3
R N R N B Q
e7 6. c2 O–O 7.cxd5 exd5 8. f3 c6 9. d3
e8 10.O–O f8 11. ab1 e4 12. xe7 xe7
13.b4 The minority attack has been played thou-
sands of times. Basically White’s plan is to weaken
the opposing queenside pawn majority by using his
N R
two pawns as a battering ram to create a weak-
ness on c6. 13...a6 14.a4 xc3 An unmotivated
Q B
swap. More active is 14...Ng6 followed by f5 to
N R R
create counterplay on the kingside. 15. xc3 g4
Q R R
16. d2 Pointless is 16. Ne5 Bh5 followed by f6
B R
driving the knight back. 16... g5 17. fc1 e6
B K
18.b5 axb5 19.axb5 h3 20.g3 ae8 21.bxc6
bxc6 22. f1 Easy does it! White has achieved his
objective of weakening the base of the pawn chain
but the hasty 22. Rb6? Rxe3! 23. fxe3 Qxe3+
B N N R
24. Kh1 Qf2 25. Rg1 (or 25. Bf1 Re2) 25...Re1
N
forces mate. 22... xf1 23. xf1 g6 24. b6
Q R R
e7 Black’s attack has backfired and he is saddled
Q K Q Q
with a target on c6. 25. b4 h5 26. b8 xb8
27. xb8+ h7 28. f4 xf4 Weak. Black
should never exchange queens unless his back is
N R K K R R N
to the wall. Correct is 28...Qg6. 29.gxf4 g6
R N R R K R R
30. d2 d6 31. f1 g7 32. a1 d7 33. b3
K R R R R R
b7 34. c5 b2 35. a7 f6 36. a6 b1+
37. g2 b2 38. a7 b1 39. c7 a1 Better
is 39...Rb2 to prevent White from playing f3 in
59
the future (see note to move 45.) 40. d3 e6
The best defense is 40...Ra6. White now discovers
N K
an amazing forced win based on a magical mys-
N K
tery knight’s tour. 41. c5+ f6 42. d7+ e6
N K N K
43. f8+ f6 Never 43...Kd6? 44. Rd7 mate!
44. h7+ e6 45. g5+ d6 The point of the
circular maneuver becomes clear after 45...Kf6 46.
f3! with the deadly threat of e4-e5. This would
R
not be possible with Black’s rook on b2 (note to
move 39.) 46. b7 f6 Or 46...f5 47. Nh7!+ Ke6
N K
48. Nf8+! Kf6 49. Nxg6! Kf6 50. Nxg6! returning
N K N K R
counter-clockwise to gain a pawn. 47. h7 e6
48. f8+ f7 49. xg6 xg6 50. xe7 White
K
is a pawn ahead, true, but the ending is still dif-
R R R K K R
ficult because of his doubled pawns. 50... f5
K R K K R K
51. c7 c1 52. c8 g6 53. g3 c2 54.h4
R
f5 55. h8 g6 56.f5+ xf5 57. xh5+ g6
58. h8 The first phase of the ending is over.
K R R K
White dissolved his doubled pawn and created a
R R R R R
passed h-pawn. 58... f5 59. g8 c1 60. g2
K K
a1 61.h5 a7 62. g3 h7 63. h3 Rooks be-
R
long BEHIND passed pawns! 63... g5 64. f3
h6 Although White can’t retain the extra pawn,
he continually threatens to enter a winning king
and pawn ending by using a "sword of Damocles"
motif whereby the h-pawn is held over Black’s
head to make further inroads. If 64...Rxh5 65.
R K K K
Rxh5+ Kxh5 66. Kf4 transposes into the game.
R K R
65. h1 f5 66. g3 g5 On 66...Rh8 67. h6!
K R K
transposes into the game. 67. h4 f5 68. f4+
g5 69. g4+ f5 Again 69...Kxh5 70. Rh4+
K R
Kxh5 71. Rh4+ forces a rook swap and leads
R R R
to a won king and pawn finale. 70. h4 h8
71. g7 a8 72.h6 a1 Trying to get behind the
R R R R
passed pawn instead of remaining passive. 73. g3
K
h1+ 74. h3 g1 75. f3+ The hasty 75. h7?
K K K K
Rg4+ 76. Kh5 Rg4+ only draws. 75... g6
K K
76. g3+ xg3 77. xg3 xh6 78. g4 g6
K
79. f4 g7 Zugzwang. If 79...f5 80. Ke5 also
wins. Black would like to pass but can’t! 80. f5
f7 81.f3 White has the opposition and invade ei-
ther at g6 or e6. E.g. 81...Ke7 82. Kg6 Ke6 83. f4
f5 (or 83...Ke7 84. f5) 84. Kg5. Black Resigns.
1-0
◦ Efim Geller
• Josef Vatnikov
USSR Championship Semi-Finals
Kiev
1950 1-0 B88
It’s impossible to lose without making a mistake,
but sometimes it’s not easy to figure out exactly
where this mistake occurred. Even after White
found a refutation to this line over the board,
Black’s ninth move, placing his knight on the rim, N
9. xf1 exd5 10. g3N Q d7 White has gained

N N N N Q N
continued to be adopted in other games! nothing out of the opening, and his bishop is

N B B N
1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 hemmed in to boot. 11. f3 c6 12.O–O g6

B R
5. c3 d6 6. c4 The Sozin Attack became a fa- 13. d2 O–O 14. ce2 More logical is 14. b4

B B N N N R B
vorite of Fischer in the 1960s. 6...e6 7.O–O e7 to pressure the queenside. 14...h5 15. fc1 h4

B N
8. e3 O–O 9. b3 A precautionary retreat before 16. f1 e4 17. f4 a5 18. c2 d8 Neutraliz-

Q
taking action in the center. Other tries are 9. a3 ing the pressure on c7 for good. 19. e1 e7

N N
Qc7 10. Ba2 a6 or 9. f4? d5 10. exd5 exd5 11. Be2 20. e2 After this White is reduced to passivity.

N Q N B B
Re8 and Black stands well. 9... a5 "This maneu- The best chance is 20. Nd2. 20... d6 21.f3 g5

R R Q R R B
ver is not without its advantages since: 1. Black 22. d3 e6 23.a4 g6 24.h3 f5 25. c3 f6
exchanges the bishop at b3; 2. The bishop reaches 26. e1 ae8 27. d1 f7 28.b3 fe7 29. b2

N B N N
b7 a move earlier in comparison with ...a6 and b5. f4 Inviting 30. exf4 Qxe1! 31. Nxe1 Rxe1 with a

N N N
Even so, the diversion of the knight to the edge of bind. 30. e5 xe5 31.dxe5 f7 32.exf4 xf4

Q
the board causes serious doubts," noted Botvinnik. 33. h2 c5 34. g4 d4 35. f6+ Fatal. The only
Fischer-Spassky, 4th match game 1972, continued hope was 35. Bc1. 35... xf6 White Resigns
9...a6! 10. f4 Nxd4 11. Bxd4 d5 12. a3 Bb7 13. 0-1
Qd3 a5! 14. e5 dxe5 15. fxe5 Nd7 16. Nxb5
Nc5 15. Bxc5 Bxc5 18. Kh1g5 and Black has suf-
◦ Euwe, M.
ficient compensation for the pawn. 10.f4 b6 The
• Evans, L.
capture is now essential by 10...Nxb3 11. axb3 a6.
Wertheim Memorial (5)
11.e5 Improving on 11. Qf3 Bb7 12. g4 Rc8 13.
New York
g5 (Padevsky-Botvinnik, Leipzig Olympiad 1960).
1951 0-1 E19
N
Now 13...Rxc3! would be good for Black (14. gxf6
19-year-old Evans outplays the former world
Rxe3!). 11... e8 The lesser evil is 11...dxe5 12.
champion by creating a pawn storm on the queen-
fxe5 Nd5 (if 12...Nd7! 13. Rxf7! Rxf7 14. Nxe6
side as White’s knight on h5 plays no role in the
wins) 13. Nxd5 exd5 14. Qf3. 12.f5 dxe5 No
action, iIllustrating the maxim that "knight on the
time for 12...Nxb3 13. Nc6! Qc7 14. Nxe7 Qxe7
N N B B B
rim equals trim."
15. f6! Or 12...exf5 13. e6 Nxb3 14. Nc6 Qc7
N N Q N Q
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 b6 4.g3 b7 5. g2 e7
15. Nd5. 13.fxe6 f6 In Bilek-Petrosian, 1961 Eu-
N
6.O–O O–O 7. c3 e4 8. c2 xc3 9. xc3
ropean Team Championship, Black won a sensa-
B N B B Q
f5 10. e1 More active tries are 10. b3 or Be3.
tional game after 13...Nxb3 14. Nc6 Qd6 15. Nd5?
Q N Q
10... xg2 11. xg2 f6 12. e3 d6 13. c2
(correct is 15. Qxd6! Bxd6 13. axb3 Bxe6 17.
N
c8 14. f4 c6 15. b3 Too many queens moves.
N N
Nxa7) Bh4! 16. exf7 Rxf7 17. Rxf7 Nxa1! 18.
Better is 15. Rad1. 15...g5 16. h5 This mis-
N N N K N
Qf1 Bf6 19. Nxf6 Nxf6 and wins. 14. f5 xb3
B
placed knight is the source of future grief. Better is
15. d5 d4 16. dxe7+ h8 17. g6+ Ouch!
16. Ng2 c5 17. Rad1. 16... e7 17.c5 d5 18.cxb6
On 17...hxg6 18. e7! ends further resistance. Black
N Q Q
axb6 19.f3 No better is 19. Qxb6 Nd7 20. Qb3
resigns.
Q Q
Qe8 21. g4 fxg4. 19... d7 20.g4 a6 21. c2
1-0
c4 22. xc4 An error of judgment since White
now faces an uphill battle in the ending. Rela-
◦ Botvinnik, M.
R K K
tively better is 22. Rfc1. 22...dxc4 23.f4 fxg4
• Bronstein, D.
N K
24.fxg5 xf1+ 25. xf1 b5 26. g2 Going the
World Championship (17)
K
wrong way. Better is 26. Ke1. 26... b6 27. g3
Moscow
N B
b4 28. xg4 b3 29.d5 Desperation. But if 29. a3
1951 0-1 E45
N B N K K
c3 30. bxc3 Nc4 is strong. 29... xd5 30. d4
For many years FIDE rules gave Soviet champi-
B N R
bxa2 31. f6+ xf6 32.gxf6 b4 33. f4 f7
ons two big advantages: draw odds in a limited 24
Q R K R K R
There’s no rush to play Nc2. 34. e5 c2 35. d1
game match and a rematch clause if they lost. In
Q K Q
a1= 36. d7+ e8 37. e7+ f8 38. xh7
his first defense since gaining the crown in 1948,
f1+ 39. g3 f5 White Resigns
Botvinnik held it on a 12-12 tie. Though he re-
0-1
mained a strong competitor, Bronstein never could

N N B N B
earn another challenge.
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4.e3 b6 5. e2 a6 ◦ Mikhail Botvinnik
• Efim Geller
B N B
The immediate attack on c4 takes the sting out of
White’s setup. 6.a3 e7 7. g3 d5 8.cxd5 xf1 19th USSR Championship

60
Moscow Kc6 53.Rf6+ Kd5 54.Rxa6 The last hope was
Bd3. 58. h5 gxh5 59. Rh6. 54...Rxe3 55.Ra1
1951 0-1 D00 54. Bf4 Re4 55. Bc1 Rxe2 56. Kf3 Re1 57. Bd2

Rc3 56.Rc1 Kc4 57.Ke1 Kb3 58.Kd2 Kb2

"Every player has games which are especially
memorable. I include this one: my first ever meet-

59.Rxc2+ Rxc2+ 60.Kd3 Kb3 61.Ke4 Rc4+

ing at the board with the leader of the Soviet Chess White has no more good moves. If 59. e4 Rd3.

62.Ke5 Kb4 White resigns. 0-1

School. Whether or not to give perpetual check
was what Botvinnik had to decide on his 26th
move. The position was level, but this was not the 0-1
dynamic equilibrium of a middlegame where one
can hope to tip the scales in one’s own favor, but ◦ David Bronstein
equilibrium which demanded an accurate evalua- • Mikhail Botvinnik

N N N
tion of the coming endgame." – Geller World Championship Match (6)
1.d4 f6 2.g3 d5 3.c4 dxc4 4. f3 c6 4...c5 Moscow
is also possible and then 5. Qa4 followed by 1951 0-1 B63

N
Qxc4 transposes into the Catalan Opening. White A heartreaking loss for Bronstein, who never got

N
should now continue with 5. Qa4 anyway. 5. c3 another crack at the title. He started with four

N
e5 6. xe5 Best. If 6. d5 Nb4 7. e4 (not 7. draws and a win, but this debacle in the next game

Q N N B B K N
Nxe5 Bf5) Bg4! 8. Qa4 Qd7! 6... xe5 7.dxe5 almost broke his spirit. Bronstein attributed his

B B N
xd1+ 8. xd1 e4 9. g2 b4+ 10. f1 c5 final blunder on move 57 to a slip of the hand:
11. e3 e6 12. c3 Rash would be 12. Bxc5 "Time trouble was over and I started thinking about
Bxc5 13. Bxb7 Rb8 14. Bc6 Ke7 when for the the opening, immersing myself in all the details

B N
pawn Black has the two bishops and strong pres- of Black’s 8th move for a full 45 minutes. Then
sure. 12...O–O–O 13.f4 xc3 14.bxc3 a4 In- I accidentally touched my king and had to move
stead of clinging to the two bishops, Black seeks it." Botvinnik retained his title on a 5-5 tie with 14

R B B K R N N N N
to control d5 and rapidly advance his queenside draws in this 24-game title match.

R K B N B Q
pawns. 15. c1 d5 16. h3+ b8 17. g1 1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6
he8 18. f2 e4 An inaccuracy which lets 5. c3 d6 6. g5 e6 7. d2 h6 After this Black

R R R N R N B
White equalize. Correct is 18...b5! right away. must accept doubled pawns. Safer is 7...Be7.

R N B K B K
19. gd1 xd1 20. xd1 xc3 21. c1 xa2 8. xf6 gxf6 Forced. Not 8...Qxf6? 9. Ndb5.
22. a1 b4 23. xa7+ a8 24. b6+ b8 The question is whether Black’s two bishops com-

B K B B K B B
Trying to avoid the perpetual check by 24...Na6 25. pensate for his doubled pawns. 9.O–O–O a6
Bxc7 is too risky. 25. a7+ a8 26. e3+ Mis- 10.f4 d7 11. b1 e7 12. e2 In many lines
taken judgment. White should take the repetition this bishop is headed for h5. Another plan is 12.

N R B B
with 26. Bb6. Now he regains the pawn but loses g3 followed by Bh3 and f5 in order to break up

R B B B
the initiative. 26... a6 27. a4 d5 28. d7 Black’s compact pawn mass in the center and ex-

R N Q Q R
d8 29. b5 e6 30. xa6 Even worse is 30. ert more pressure on e6, which guards the key d5

K R R R R K
Bxc4 Bxc4 31. Rxc4 b5. 30...bxa6 31. xa6+ square. 12... xd4 13. xd4 a5 14. hf1 h5

R Q
b7 32. a5 d1 33. c5 h1 34. g2 "The Creates a new weakness but stops Bh5 once and

R
king is lured onto a white square since 34. h4 h5 for all. 15. f3 c5 A mistake would be 15...O-

R K R K Q B R Q
firmly blockades the kingside" – Geller 34... a1 O-O? 16. b4 Qc7 17. Nd5! exd5 18. Rf3

B Q
35. b5+ c6 36. c5+ d7 37.f5 White goes pinning the queen. 16. d2 c6 17. e3 a5

B
totally on the defensive because he does not like 18. f3 O–O–O 19. d3 Now Nd5 is a serious

R R B R K K R K
the looks of 37. Bd4 Ra2 38. Kf3 h5. 37... xf5 threat. But if 19. Nd5 Qxd2 20. Nxe7 Kd7 21.

R B K Q
38. xc4 a2 39.g4 e6 40. d4+ c8 41. f3 Rxd2 Kxe7 equalizes. 19... d7 20.h4 b8 21.a3

R
a5 The sealed move. The game was adjourned d8 22. a2 c5 Botvinnik defends tenaciously.

B Q Q R R
here. 42.g5 Not 42. Kf4 c5 43. Rd2 Ra4 Of course not 22...Bb6? 23. b4. 23. e2 a5 24.a4
picking up the pawn on g4. 42...c5 If 42...Rxe5 b6 25.b3 c8 26. c4 xc4 27.bxc4 h8

R R R K K R R
43. Rh4 Bf5 44. Bd4 gives White good coun- The next phase revolves around White’s attempt

R B B R K N B R B
terplay. 43. h4 c4 44. xh7 g6 45. h8+ c7 to win the pawn on h5. 28. b3 dd8 29. d3

N R N
46. d8 d5+ A great stroke. Both 46...Kxd8 g1 30. ed2 c7 31. e2 f2 32. d1 c5

K R
47. Bb6 or 46...Rxe5 47. Bf4 lead to an obvi- 33. g3 dg8 34. e2 Playing to win. If 34.

R
ous draw. 47. f2 c3 48. d6 c2 49.h4 Essen- Nxh5 Bxe4 35. Nxf6 Bxd3 36. Nxg8 Bg6 37.

B R B R R R N B R R
tial was 49. Bc1 but White was short of time. Ne7 Rxh4 38. Nxg6 fxg6 equalizes. 34... h7
49... c4 50. d4 a6 51. f4 xe5 52. xf7+ 35.f5 e5 36. c3 d4 37. xd4 exd4 38. xd4

61
R N R ◦ Efim Geller
B R N
hg7 39. e2 xg2 Returning the Exchange be-
• Efim Kogan
R K R N R N
fore White gets in Nf4. 40. xg2 xg2 41. f4

K
g3+ 42. b2 g4 43. xh5 xh4 44. xf6 Odessa Team Championship
b6 Giving up another pawn in order to domi- USSR

R K R
nate the weak dark squares. But not 44...Bxa4 45. 1951 1-0 B53
c5! 45. xd6 c5 46.e5 d4 46...Rf4 47. Nd7 "The romance of chess held an irresistible attrac-

R K N B
Bxd7 48. Rxd7 Rxf5 49. Rxb7 Rxe5 also draws. tion for me. I did not yet understand the strict log-
47. xd4 xd4 48. g4 xa4 49.e6 fxe6 50.f6 icality of the laws of chess strategy, which I fre-
Another drawing line is 50. fxe6 Kxc4 51. e7 Bc6 quently broke for the sake of cavalier attacks on

B K K N
52. Nf6 a4 53. e8=Q Bxe8 54. Nxe8 a3 55. Kxa3 the enemy king. I was often punished but I did

K B N N K
Kc3. 50... e8 51. b3 e5 52.c3+ e4 53. h6 not complain since the emotional satisfaction from
f4 54.f7 xf7 55. xf7 e4 56. d8 e3 57. c2 a successful brilliant attack accompanied by a cas-
Bronstein’s famous slip of the hand. Instead 57. cade of sacrifices more than compensated for any

K N Q
Ne6 Kf3 58. c5 e2 59. Nd4 Kf2 60. Nxe2 Kxe2 61. isolated misfortunes." – Geller.
Ka4 Kd3 leads to an easy draw. 57... g3 A dra- 1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 Good for sur-

N B B B B
matic turnaround. This sublety forces a new queen. prise, but now almost completely supplanted by 4.

N N B
Critics noted that Bronstein’s weak endgame play Nxd4. 4... c6 5. b5 d7 6. xc6 xc6 Also

B R R Q
in this match cost him the crown. White Resigns. satisfactory is 6...bxc6. 7. c3 f6 8. g5 e6
0-1 9.O–O e7 10. ad1 O–O 11. fe1 c7 12.h3
The gain of a pawn by 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. Qxd6

R N
◦ Mengarini, A. Qxd6 14. Rxd6 Bxc3 15. bxc3 Rfc8 is completely
• Reshevsky, S. without danger for Black. 12... fd8 13. h2
USA Championship "Black has completed his final preparations, and
New York City his offensive in the center and on the queenside
1951 1-0 B71 promises to be highly formidable. But I was lured
Veteran Samuel Reshevsky won every national by the mirage of my intended attack. Today I

R
championship in which he had competed until he would probably play 13. a3 so as to answer b5 with
was runner-up to 19-year-old Larry Evans, the 14. e5 dxe5 15. Qxe5" – Geller. 13...b5 14. d3
youngest player to win title up to Bobby Fischer. "Typical romanticism! Black has no weaknesses,

R R
Ariel Mengarini (a psychiatrist by profession) fin- and it is clear that White’s attack should simply not
ished midway in a field of 12 yet posted this stun- succeed" – Geller. 14...a5 15. f3 b4 16. xf6
The only consistent continuation.White is in a bad
N N N N
ning upset over Reshevsky.
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3. c3 f6 4.d4 cxd4 5. xd4 way after 16. Nd1 e5 17. Qd3 d5. 16...bxc3 The
correct defense is 16...gxf6! 17. Ng4 e5 18. Qc4
N B Q B
g6 After all the jousting, a standard Dragon Si-
bxc3! 19. Nh6 Kh8 20. Nxf7 Kg7 21. Bh6 Kg6
B
cilian. 6.f4 c6 7. e2 b6 8. e3 Riskier

N B
than 8. Nb3. 8... g7 More prudent is 8...Bd7. 22. Re2 d5 and the attack comes to a standstill.
17. g4 h5 18. h6 e5 Not 18...hxg4 19. Rg6!
N
8...Qxb2 is also playable but fraught with dan-
Now an extraordinary position is reached where
N Q N
ger. 9.e5 d7 Avoiding the trap of 9...dxe5? 10.
White’s queen, rook, bishop and knight are men-
K B N Q Q K
Nxc6 Qxc6 11. Bb5. 10. f5 xb2 11. xg7+

Q
f8 12. d2 d4 13.O–O xc2 14. e1 xg7 aced; in addition the pawn on c3 is not far from

B K
15.f5 Throwing caution to the winds to exploit queening! 19. e3 hxg4 But not 19...gxf6? 20.
Black’s misplaced queen. Now Reshevsky gob- Qf3! 20. xg7 xg7 Black is still trying to win.
bles a third pawn. 15...dxe5 There’s nothing wrong He should allow a draw by 20...Bxf6! 21. Bxf6

Q
Kf8! 22. Qg5 cxb2 23. Qg7 Ke8 24. Qg8
B Q
with 15...Nxe5. If 16. fxg6 hxg6 17. Rc1

K R B R R
Nxe2+ 18. Qxe2 Qd3 holds. 16. c4 b2 The Kd7 15. Qxg4 with perpetual check. 21. h6+
queen becomes a target here, but on 16...Nxf5 g8 22. f5 e8 23. h5 f6 24. h4 Threaten-

Q Q K R K
ing 25. Qh7 Kf8 26. Rxg4 when mate is in-
N B B N R Q
17. Rf2 (threatening Bh6+) is strong. 17.fxg6

Q K R
evitable. 24... c8 25. h8+ f7 26. h7+ e6
R R K R Q R
f6 18.gxf7 e6 19. xe6 xe6 20. b1 a3
27. g7 d7 28. e3 This decisive intermediate
Q R N Q
21. xb7 hf8 22. h1 xf7 23. xe5 d8

Q K R
move brings more force to bear against Black’s
R R Q
24. xe6 xd2 25. e4 e3 If 25...Re2 26. Qf5!

K R Q
is crushing. 26. xe7 d7 27. xf7+ Black Re- hapless king. 28...cxb2 29. xe7+ c6 30. c3+
signs b6 31. xc8 b1= + Black is not saved even

K R Q R Q
1-0 by the appearance of a new queen with check.
32. h2 d7 33. xe8 xh7 34. c6+ It’s mate

62
after 34...Ka7 35. Rxa8. Black Resigns. 1952 1-0
1-0 George (Kolty) Koltanowski, the greatest show-
man and promoter that chess ever knew, died at age
96 in 2000. A diamond cutter by trade, he left Bel-
◦ Keres, P.
gium before the second World War and created a
• Taimanov, M.
daily chess column that ran without interruption for
?
52 years in The San Francisco Chronicle. Though
USSR Championship, Moscow
his tournament results were modest, he wrote more
1951 1-0 A17
than a dozen chess books and made headlines in
In a critical last-round game, Keres selects an old-
1937 by taking on 34 opponents at once without
fashioned opening setup in which judgment and
sight of the board to set a blindfold record with 24
experience are more important than preparation,
wins and 10 draws. He even took on the Chessmas-
and he converts his space advantage into a slash-
ter development team at the age of 94 in five simul-
N N N B
ing attack on the poorly defended Black King.
taneous games, easily winning all of them. He was
B
1.c4 f6 2. f3 e6 3. c3 d5 4.e3 e7 5.b3 O–O
a tireless exhibitor and raconteur who entertained
6. b2 b6 7.d4 White’s move order was chosen
fans with his speciality, the KnightŠs Tour. Spec-
in order to avoid the Nimzo-Indian and Queen’s
tators posted random words and phone numbers in
B B
Indian Defenses, in which Taimanov was a great
the 64 squares of a giant chessboard. Kolty memo-
N
expert. 7... b7 8. d3 dxc4 9.bxc4 c5 10.O–O
rized the hodgepodge in seconds and, while blind-
cxd4 11.exd4 c6 Black chooses to give his op-
folded, called out the path required for a knight to
ponent the so-called "hanging pawns" on c4 and
touch every square on the board as he recalled these
d4, which may become weak in the endgame – but
scraps of information in order. "I donŠt know how
Q R
which may also advance powerfully in the mid-
he does it," said his wife. "He canŠt even remem-
dlegame. 12. e2 e8 Avoiding a little trap –
ber to bring home a loaf of bread from the super-
12...Nxd4? 13.Nxd4 Qxd4 14.Nd5! Qc5 15.Bxf6
market." "Pawns are like buttons," Kolty often said.
R
gxf6 16.Qg4+ Kh8 17.Qh4, and to avoid mate
"Lose too many and the pants fall down by them-
R R Q B Q
Black must play 17...f5, losing a piece. 13. fd1
selves." In his newspaper office he played without
N R Q R B
c8 14. ac1 d6 15. b1 f4 16.d5 exd5
sight of the board against movie star and chess ex-
N
17.cxd5 b8 18. d4 d6 19. cd1 f8
B N N
pert Humphrey Bogart, who lost by a mere pawn.
20. e4 White exchanges several defenders of the
B
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4. d3 f6 5. e2
Black King. White’s space advantage and con-
g4 ItŠs too soon to know whether the bishop be-
trol of the center allow his other forces to join
B B B N N
longs here. Better is 5...Bd6 to prepare castling.
N R R Q Q
the battle quickly, while Black cannot say the
6.O–O d6 7.f3 e6 8. f4 O–O 9. d2 c6
same. 20... xe4 21. xe4 xe4 22. xe4 h6
N B Q
More flexible is 9...Re8 before deciding where to
A slightly better defense was 22...g6, but White
post the knight. 10.c3 e7 11. xd6 xd6 12.f4
N B
would still have a strong attack after 23.Qd4 f6
N
c5?! ?! - Overly aggressive. More prudent is
24.h4 Nd7 25.h5. 23. g5 d6 Not 23....g6?
N
12...Bf5 13. Nf3 Rae8. 13. f3 Less accurate than
24.Nxf7 Kxf7 Qe6++. Now White disdains the
13. dxc5 Qxc5+ 14. Nd4. 13... f5 Stronger
N Q N B N Q
win of the h7 pawn, seeking bigger game. 24.h4
is 13...b6 in order to recapture on c5 with a pawn
d7 25. f5 f6 26. xf6 gxf6 27. xf7 c1
Q N
and keep control of d4. Even 13...c4 14. Bc2
After 27...Kxf7, White would obtain a winning
Q R
Bf5 minimzes WhiteŠs initiative. 14. d2 e4
ending with 28.Qd7+ Kg8 29.Qxd6 Rc1 30.Qb8+
Q N
15. c1 ac8?! ?! - A waste of time. Again
Q
Bc8 31.Rxc1 Qxc1+ 32.Kh2 Qxb1 33.Qxc8+ Kf7
N N R B B
15...b6 is indicated. 16.dxc5 xc5+ 17. ed4
K N Q K Q N
34.d6, and the pawn cannot be stopped. 28. xh7+
Q R R R
xd4 18. xd4 c7 19.f5 d7 20. xe4 dxe4
Q R Q K R
f8 29. xd6 xd1+ 30. h2 xd5 31. xb7
21. f4 e8 22. ae1 e5? Gives up a pawn
Q K Q Q K
e5+ 32.g3 c7 33. h8+ f7 34.h5 xb7
without a fight and leads to a hopeless ending. The
35. h7+ e6 36. xb7 xh5+ 37. g2 Black
R R Q B Q
last chance to avoid material loss is 22...Bb5! 23.
Resigns.
Rf2 Bd3. 23. xe4 xe4 24. xe4 c6 25. e3
1-0
Black has managed to stave off the immediate mat-
ing threats but cannot overcome the lethal disad-
◦ George Koltanowski vantage of being a pawn down. Since Kolty is
• Humphrey Bogart blindfolded, however, there is always a chance he
Offhand Game (0) will overlook something. Indeed, he is starting to
San Francisco drift. Sharper is 25. Qf4 Re7 26. f6 Re2 27. Qb8+

63
 R Q R
Q
Re8 28.Qg3. 25... e7 26. g3 e8 27.f6 g6 White resigns. Hopeless is 41. Rf1 Bxb2 42. Rf7
28. h4? The queen is already on a strong outpost Ke8 43. Kxb2 Qxc4.
and should stay there. Simply 28.Re1 is indicated 0-1
to challenge the e-file. 28...h5? Bogart in turn
◦ Keres, P.
R R Q Q
misses his main chance. 28...Re2! 29.Rf2 Re1+
• Smyslov, V.
N Q Q Q Q
30.Rf1 Re2 draws. 29. e1 xe1+ 30. xe1 d6

Q Q K Q K Q
31. xc6 xc6 32. e7 c8 33.h3 c6 34.b4 ?

Q
xc3 35. e8+ h7 36. xf7+ h6 37. e7 Zurich

K Q K Q K K
c1+ Comes close to drawing – but not quite.
38. f2 f4+ 39. e2 c4+ 40. f3 g5? Mak-
ing it easy. The best try is 40...h4! forcing White
to find a move like 41. Qe4! in order to win. If
40...Qf1+ 41. Kg3 h4+ 42. Kh2 Qf4+ 43. Kg1
Qc1+ 44. Kf2 Black eventually will run out of
checks. 41.f7+ Black resigns. Bogart once worked
in a chess stall at Coney Island and was arguably
the strongest player in the Hollywood community.
1953 0-1 A34
This was a game of great sporting importance:
Keres desperately needed a win to retain any hope
of overhauling the tournament leader Smyslov.
White finds an aggressive and original means of
bringing both Rooks into the attack, but Black’s
careful defense and central counterattack carry the
day. Smyslov went on to win the tournament,
and the right to challenge Botvinnik for the world

N N N B
1-0 championship in 1954.

B B N
1.c4 f6 2. c3 e6 3. f3 c5 4.e3 e7 5.b3
◦ Erno Gereben
B R R
O–O 6. b2 b6 7.d4 cxd4 8.exd4 d5 9. d3 c6
• Efim Geller 10.O–O b7 11. c1 c8 The strategic point of
Budapest the next few moves will be whether or not Black
Hungary plays ...d5xc4. This would open a diagonal for his
1952 0-1 B90 Bb7 and give him pressure against the d4 pawn, but

R N
Geller was awarded a brilliancy prize for this, as he would allow White a mobile pawn center c4/d4.

B N N R
first sacrificed a bishop, and then both of his rooks Black postpones the decision. 12. e1 b4
on the altar of attack. Such generous offerings are 13. f1 e4 14.a3 xc3 15. xc3 Preparing the

N N N
not excessive when in pursuit of the enemy king – transfer of the Rook to the Kingside. Obviously

N N N N R
all is repaid in the event of success. bad was 15.Bxc3? Na2. 15... c6 16. e5 xe5

N B R
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3 17. xe5 Now both White Rooks are active, and

N Q Q B R
a6 6.h3 c6 7.g4 A serious loss of time. 7. Be3 Black must play with great care. 17... f6 18. h5

B B
is indicated. 7... xd4 8. xd4 e5 9. d3 e7 g6 19. ch3 dxc4 Smyslov thought a long time
10. g2 e6 11.b3 Further neglect of the law of on this move, the more so as there is no forced

B
rapid developmen. More consistent is 11. f4.. mate to be seen, but in the end chose the position-
11...O–O 12. b2 b5 13.O–O–O Castling into it. ally based counterattack in the center. His judg-
Better is 13. O-O even though the kingside has ment was correct, for though a forced win is not

N
already been weakened by premature pawn ad- evident, White would have a strong attack after
vances. 13...b4 14. e2 Black’s attack also pro- 19...gxh5 20.Qxh5 Re8 21.a4!, threatening to cut

N N Q
gresses on 14. Nd5 Bxd5 15. exd5 Nd7. 14...a5 off the Black King’s escape with Ba3, e.g. 21...Qd6

R
15.f4 d7 16.f5 c5 17. f3 a4 17...Bd7 is fine 22.c5 bxc5 23.Qh6 Bg7 24.Qxh7+ Kf8 25.dxc5.
but this is much more vigorous. Now if 18. fxe6 20. xh7 Keres persists in playing for a win. He

R
fxe6 19. Qg3 Bh4 20. Qh2 Rf2 21. Rhe1 Bg5 could still make a draw with 20.Qg4 c3 21.Bxc3

Q
wins quickly for Black. 18.h4 axb3 19.axb3 a2 Rxc3 22.Rxc3 Qxd4 23.Qxd4 Bxd4 24.Rc7 gxh5

Q
Decisive penetration on the open file. Black’s at- 25.Rxb7. 20...c3 21. c1 Obviously bad for White

Q R K Q K R
tack almost plays itself. 20.fxe6 fxe6 21. g3 are 21.Bxc3? Rxc3 22.Rxc3 Kxh7 and 21.Bc1

N Q K R Q
a5 22.c4 xb2 23. xb2 a3+ 24. b1 a8 Qxd4. Keres finds a way to keep the attack going

N Q Q R
25. c1 a1+ 26. c2 a2+ The final sacrifice a bit longer. 21... xd4 But not 21...cxb2? 22.Qh6

K N Q Q B B Q Q Q B
gets everything back in spades. 27. xa2 xa2+ Qxd4 23.Rh8+ Bxh8 24.Qh7++. 22. h6 fd8

R R B Q
28. c1 xb3+ 29. xb3 xb3 White’s king is 23. c1 g7 24. g5 f6 25. g4 c2 26. e2

R
stripped bare and it’s just a matter of time before d4 27.f4 d1+ 28. xd1 d4+ White Resigns.

Q R Q K Q K
black gets his bishop into the game. 30. d2 0-1

R Q B R B B
c3+ 31. c2 e3+ 32. b2 a3+ 33. b1 b3
◦ Taimanov, M.
K B K
34. b2 b4 35.g5 d8 36. c1 b6 37. h3
f7 38.h5 d4 39.g6+ hxg6 40.hxg6+ e7 • Evans, L.

64
 N Q Q
B N
USA-USSR Match (4) Nxd4 Ne5. 14...bxa4 15. xc6 xc6 16.e5 xc4
New York 17. xa8 xe5 "Black has excellent play for the
1954 0-1 E99 Exchange, since the white pieces are disunited and
A Soviet team came to New York at the height of can easily come under attack. If 18. Qxd6 Qxg4
the Cold War. America lost badly, but one of its with dangerous threats on the kingside, while af-
few bright spots was Evans’ plus score in his four ter 18. Be7 Bxg4 19. Qd5 Re8 20. Bxd6

R Q Q
game set with Taimanov, whose prepared variation Rd8 21. Qxc4 Nxc4 one of the attacked bish-

N N N B Q B R
met with a shocking rejoinder. ops is lost." –Smyslov 18. c1 b4 19.a3 xb2
1.c4 f6 2. f3 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 O–O Invit- 20. xa4 b7 21. b1 "For a number of moves

B
ing 5. e5 Ne8 6. d4 d6 putting White’s ad- White has been defending carefully, but here he

N N N N N
vanced center under pressure. 5.d4 d6 6. e2 e5 fails to find the best reply. After 21. Bxb7 Qxb7

B R R
7.O–O c6 8.d5 e7 9. e1 d7 10. d3 f5 22. Rc3! h6 23. Bf4 Nf3 24. Rxf3 Qxf3 25.
11.f3 f4 12. d2 g5 13. c1 f6 14.c5 Better is Bxd6 Rd8 26. Bc5 the game is almost level. The

N N N K B R
14. b4 h5 when both sides race to attack each move played meets with a convincing refutation"

N B B R N K N K B
other on opposite wings. 14... xc5 15. xc5 dxc5 – Smyslov. 21... f3+ 22. h1 xa8 23. xb2

N
16. a4 b6 17.b4 cxb4 18. xb4 f8 19. xc7 xg5+ 24. h2 f3+ 25. h3 xb2 It’s all over

Q B
More consistent is 19. Qb3. 19... f5 A bolt but the shouting. Black has three minor pieces for

K R B Q R
from the blue! White hoped for 19...Qxc7? 20. the queen and a continuing attack. 26. xa7 e4

B Q B N
d6 Qd8 21. dxe7 Bxe7 22. Bxe7 Qxe7 23. 27.a4 g7 28. d1 e5 29. e7 c8 Black’s

Q Q R B N B R K N K B R
Qd5+ and Qxa8. 20. xf8 xc7 21. a3 e3 rook comes into play and quickly decides the issue.

Q B R N
22. c1 g7 23. f2 d7 24. c3 g4 25. b2 g3 30.a5 c2 31. g2 d4+ 32. f1 f3 33. b1

Q N Q N
26.hxg3 xg3 27. f1 c8 27...Rh6 also wins. c6 On 34. Qc7 Bd4 is lethal. White Resigns.

N
28. e1 b5 29. e2 h4 30.g3 fxg3 31. xg3 0-1

N
xf1 Another winning path is 31...Qxg3 32. Rg2

R K Q K R K
Qxg2+ 33. Bxg2 Nxg2 34. Kxg2 Rc2+. 32. f5
◦ Botvinnik, M.
Q K R
g6+ 33. xf1 h1+ 34. e2 c2+ 35. d1
xe1+ 36. xe1 g1+ White Resigns. When • Smyslov, V.
Taimanov went to have a drink at the bar, he was ?
heard to mutter, "What did that little boy do to 12th Match Game, Moscow
me?" 1954 1-0 D18
0-1 This see-saw match reached a turning point in this
game midway through. With both kings under fire,
◦ Mikhail Botvinnik Botvinnik drops the poison with 31. f7+, a combi-
• Vassily Smyslov nation worthy of a composed problem. The match
World Championship Match (14) was drawn, but it was clear that the title was vul-
nerable.
N N N
Moscow

B B B N N
1954 0-1 E68 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3. f3 f6 4. c3 dxc4 5.a4
World champion Botvinnik defended his title on a f5 6.e3 e6 7. xc4 b4 8.O–O bd7 9. h4

B N
12-12 tie against Bronstein in 1951 and Smyslov O–O 10.f3 Botvinnik plays to create a strong

B Q Q B B
in 1954. In this fighting game, Smyslov springs a pawn center. 10... g6 11.e4 e5 12. xg6

B Q K
surprise as early as move 11 in a main variation of hxg6 13. e3 e7 14. e2 exd4 15. xd4 c5
the King’s Indian Defense. In the ensuing compli- 16. xc5 xc5+ 17. h1 g5 18.g3 If White is

R B
cations Botvinnik defends with extreme care, but able to start a Kingside pawn-roller he would

R R N R R N
one slip proves to be his undoing. Smyslov caps have fine attacking chances. 18... ad8 19. a2

N B B N N Q N
his attack with a neat queen sacrifice. fe8 20. ad1 f8 21. xd8 xd8 22.e5 d5

N N B Q
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 g7 4. g2 O–O 5. c3 23. xd5 cxd5 24. d2 e6 25.f4 gxf4 26.gxf4
d6 6. f3 bd7 7.O–O e5 8.e4 c6 9. e3 A move c6 Smyslov places the queen on the long white

N B Q
rendered dubious by this seminal game. Sim- diagonal, hoping to attack himself. He is never

N
Q R
ply 9. h3 is indicated. 9... g4 10. g5 b6 able to do this however, so 26...Qd4 playing for

R N
11.h3 exd4 "A highly unpleasant surprise, lead- the endgame is better. 27.f5 c5 28. g5 d7

N Q N R Q
ing to great tactical complications." – Smyslov. 29. g1 f6 30.exf6 e4 This looks strong, but

K B N K Q
12. a4 a6 13.hxg4 b5 14. xd4 Black stands Botvinnik has a shot. 31.f7+ xf7 32. d8+
well on 14. cxb5 cxb5 15. Nxd4 bxa4 16. h7 33. xd5 f2+ 34. g2 f6 Black has no
e5 Bb7; or 14. Be7 Re8 15. Bxd6 bxa4 16. choice, but the endgame with an extra bishop is an

65
 Q R K N N N B B
R B R R
easy win for Botvinnik. 35. xf6 xf6 36. xf2 1. f3 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.d4 O–O 5. f4
xf5+ 37. f3 f4 38. g4 Black Resigns. d5 Transposing into the Grunfeld Defense, in
1-0 which Black permits White to form a large pawn

Q Q N R N
center in hopes of counterattacking against it.
◦ Bronstein
Q B B
6. b3 dxc4 7. xc4 c6 8.e4 bd7 9. d1 b6
• Keres 10. c5 g4 11. g5 Neglecting his Kingside de-

N
? velopment will soon bring White into difficulties;
Goteburg better was 11.Be2. 11... a4 The first surprise.
1955 1-0 E41 Now 12.Nxa4 Nxe4 13.Qb4 (or 13.Qxe7 Qxe7

Q
In this Brilliancy Prize game David Bronstein 14.Bxe7 Rfe8) Nxg5 14.Nxg5 Bxd1 15.Kxd1

N N B Q B
shows that his drawn match for the World Champi- Bxd4 would be winning for Black. 12. a3
onship in 1951 was no fluke. Bronstein is famous xc3 13.bxc3 xe4 14. xe7 b6 15. c4 In-

N N B B
for his innovative attacking combinations. stead, 15.Bxf8 Bxf8 gives Black too much for

N B N B R K B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4.e3 c5 5. d3 b6 the Exchange, e.g. 16.Qc1 Nxc3 17.Qxc3? Bb4.
6. e2 b7 7.O–O cxd4 8.exd4 O–O 9.d5 This 15... xc3 16. c5 fe8+ 17. f1 e6 What is
makes a claim to Black’s territory. If Black plays striking about this combination is that it is com-

B
9...exd5 10 cxd5 Nxd5 11. Nxd5 Bxd5 then 12. prised of several seemingly unrelated variations,

N N
Bxh7+ Kxh7 13 Qxd5 is strong. 9...h6 10. c2
a6 The Knight is misplaced here. 11. b5 The
start of Bronstein’s sacrifices. He threatens 12 a3
Be7 13 d6 winning the bishop, so Black is forced
all of which work perfectly. In addition to the
text, there is 18.Bxe6 Qb5+ 19.Kg1 Ne2+ 20.Kf1
Ng3+ 21.Kg1 Qf1+ 22.Rxf1 Ne2++, and 18.Qxc3
Qxc5 19.dxc5 Bxc3 20.Bxe6 Rxe6 with an ex-

B N B B B K N K
to capture pawns while White attacks the king. tra pawn in the endgame (21.Rd7 Rae8 22.g3

Q N K
11...exd5 12.a3 e7 13. g3 dxc4 14. xh6 gxh6 R6e7). 18. xb6 xc4+ 19. g1 e2+ 20. f1

N
15. d2 Black must now deal with the terrible xd4+ 21. g1 Black wins at once on 21.Rd3

K N K Q R
threat of 15. Qxh6, 16. Nf5 and 17. Qg7. axb6 22.Qc3 Nxf3 (Qxc4 Re1++). 21... e2+

N Q N R
Keres finds a defense by giving back his extra 22. f1 c3+ 23. g1 axb6 24. b4 a4 Ob-

B N R
material. 15... h7 16. xh6 f5 17. xf5 xf5 taining a decisive material advantage, since af-

Q N
18. xf5 f8 19. ad1 Material is roughly equal, ter 25.Qd6 Nxd1 26.Qxd1 Rxa2 there is no de-

B R K N R R Q
but White’s control of the center and attacking fense to 27...Ra1. 25. xb6 xd1 26.h3

Q Q N B Q K B B N B N N Q
chances make for a decisive advantage. 19... g5 xa2 27. h2 xf2 28. e1 xe1 29. d8+

B B Q N N N K K B K
20. h5 f6 21. d6 c6 22. g4 h8 23. e4 f8 30. xe1 d5 31. f3 e4 32. b8 b5

Q N K B K B K
h6 24. xc6 dxc6 25. xc4 c5 26.b4 ce6 33.h4 h5 34. e5 g7 35. g1 c5+ 36. f1

N K N K R
27. xc6 Bronstein has gained a decisive mate- g3+ 37. e1 b4+ 38. d1 b3+ 39. c1

R N Q R B
rial advantage as well. The rest is just tech- e2+ 40. b1 c3+ 41. c1 c2# 0-1

Q Q N Q K
nique. 27... b8 28. e4 g6 29. d6 g7

N Q R N N N Q
30.f4 g4 31.h3 e2 32. g3 e3+ 33. h2
◦ Bent Larsen
K N
d4 34. d5 c8 35. h5 e2 36. xg7 g3+
• Svetozar Gligoric
Q N R
37. h1 xf4 or 37...Qxg7 38. Qh5+ Kg8 39.
Qxe2 38. f3 e2 39. h6+ Black Resigns. 12th Olympiad
1-0 Moscow
1956 1-0 B92
◦ Byrne, D. Larsen was virtually unknown when he represented
• Fischer, R. Denmark on first board in this world team cham-
? pionship, but he earned his grandmaster title by
New York virtue of a sensational 77.8%, the best score of any
1956 0-1 D97 other top board. Here is an instructive illustration
Known as "the game of the century" until that title of how to convert an advantage from one phase of
was usurped by a later Fischer brilliancy, this game the game to the next. When the fireworks are over,
saw the 13-year-old Bobby Fischer defeat one of White wins an even king and pawn ending because
he can create an outside passed pawn.
N
the strongest American players with a startling
Queen sacrifice that many players would not even 1. f3 c5 2.e4 d6 A quick transposition from the

N N N B
have considered. It was already clear that Fischer Reti Opening to a Sicilian Defense. 3.d4 cxd4
was far ahead of his contemporaries, and he would 4. xd4 f6 5. c3 a6 6. e2 e5 Creates a back-
soon overtake even the resilient Reshevsky. ward pawn on d6 but gains a tempo by attacking

66
 N Q
N B N N B R
the knight. This system was considered too ugly kingside, Black on the queenside. 14. ec2 a6

B R B Q
to be playable before 1940. 7. b3 e7 8.O–O 15.d4 c4 16. xc4 xc4 17. f2 cxd4 18.cxd4

N Q
O–O 9. g5 A quiet line aimed at increasing the fe8 19. h6 a5 Hopine for a swap to break

B N N Q R Q
pressure on d5. 9... bd7 10.a4 b6 A bit more the attack. A good alternative is 19...Bh8. 20. f4

B B Q Q R Q B Q B R R N
accurate is 10...h6 inviting 11. Bxf6 Nxf6 12. xd4 21. xd4 xd4 22. xd6 ad8 23. f6

R N R N R N B
Bc4 Be6! 11. c4 b7 12. e2 c7 13. fd1 e5 24. g5 xf6 25. xf6 d6 26. d1 f5

B N B B N
fc8 14. d2 h6 If now 15. Bh4 g5! is okay for 27. xd6 xd6 28. d2 c8 29.b3 e6 Cen-

N
Black. 15. xf6 xf6 16. b3 c6 17. c4 tralizing looks natural but a better chance to hold

N Q R B R K K
xe4 A freeing combination that should equal- is 29...Ba6. Now White’s two bishops sweep the

K B
ize. 18. xe4 d5 19.a5 dxc4 20. xc4 f8 If board. 30.e5 b6 31. c6 f8 32. g2 h6 33. f3

Q N B N
20...Bxe4 21. Qxe4 b5 22. Qf5! increases the pres- h7 34. d7 Black Resigns. Disgusted, Najdorf

Q R R B
sure on f7. 21.axb6 xb6 22. d6 b5 23. xb5 throws in the towel without waiting for disaster. If
axb5 24. d5 xa1 25. xa1 c5 After defend- 34...Bxd7 35. Rxd7 g5 (or 35...Kg8 36. e6 fxe6

R B
ing well, Black begins to go astray. Correct is 37. Rg7+ Kh8 38. Rxg6+) 36. e6 Kg6 37. e7 Re8
25...Qc5! 26. a8 xf2+ The losing move. The 38. Rd8 Nxe7 39. Rxe8 Kxf6 40. Ke4 wins in the
best chance is 26...Rxa8 27. Qxa8 Bf8 28. Qd5 long run.
Qa7. Another possibility is 26...Qc7 27. Rxf8 1-0
Kxf8. Now a series of forced exchanges converts
◦ Bobotsov, M.
K Q Q Q B
White’s initiative from the midgame into a won
• Tal, M.
K R K K
ending. 27. f1 f6 28. xf7+ xf7 29. xf7+
xf7 30. xf8+ xf8 31. xf2 A neat simplifica- Varna
tion. Now White can create an outside pawn on the Bulgaria

K K K K
queenside and penetrate with his king on the other 1958 0-1 E81
wing. 31... e7 32. e3 d6 33. e4 b4 Passive A blow to tradition! Black’s queen sacrifice rev-
defense also fails. If 33...Ke6 34. c3 Kd6 35. b3 olutionized the whole evaluation of this opening,
Ke6 36. h4 h5 37. c4 gxc4 38. bxc4 Kd6 39. g3 and it’s amazing how his attack gains momentum

N N B
g6 40. c5! Kxc5 41. Kxe5 with Kf6 coming next. with each move.

K N B N Q
34.c3 b3 35.c4 g6 36.g4 h5 37.gxh5 gxh5 38.h4 1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 O–O

Q K
c6 Black has run out of good moves. If 38...Kc5 6. ge2 c5 7. e3 bd7 8. d2 a6 9.O–O–O

K K
39. Kxe5 Kxc4 40. Ke4! gains the opposition and a5 10. b1 b5 Setting the stage for a queen sac-

K K K K K K K
eventually captures the pawn on b3. 39. xe5 c5 rifice by ignoring the threat of Nd5. Cramped but

K K K K K K K
40. f5 d4 41. f4 c5 42. e5 xc4 43. e4 solid is 10...Re8 11. Nc1 (Evans- Mednis, USA

K N
c5 44. d3 d5 45. c3 e4 46. xb3 f5 Championship 1964) and now 11...Rb8 is correct.

N
47. c3 Black resigns. "White queens first. I still 11. d5 Nowadays most players interpolate 11.

Q N
consider this one of my most beautiful games" – dxc5 dxc5 first. 11... xd5 A shocker! Inferior
Larsen. The finale could have been 47...Kg4 48. is 11...Qd8 12. dxc5. 12. xa5 xe3 Black
b4 Kxh4 49. b5 Kg4 50. b6 h4 51. b7 h3 52. b8=Q has two knights for the queen and hopes to use
h2 53. Qb7. the latent power of his g7 bishop for an attack
1-0 against b2. White should be able to exploit his
material advantage, but how? Theorists still dis-
◦ Evans, L.
R N R
agree about who stands better. Probably the better
• Najdorf, M. player! 13. c1 xc4 14. xc4 White is too will-
Dallas (14) ing to return material and open the b-file in the bar-

N R B N B
USA gain. Sturdier is 14. Qe1 exd4 15. Nf4. 14...bxc4
1957 1-0 A04 15. c1 b8 16. xc4 b6 17. b3 A trifle bet-
A prime example of asphyxiation. At the end ma- ter is 17. Be2 but Black already has enough com-

B Q B N B
terial is even but Black resigns because all good pensation for the queen, which is a helpless specta-

N N B B
moves have been snuffed out. tor. 17... xd4 18. d2 g7 19. e2 c4 20. c2

Q N B R
1. f3 c5 2.g3 c6 3. g2 g6 4.O–O g7 5.e4 c3 Opening more lines. If 21. Nxc3 Nc4 wins

N R B N B B N R
d6 A Sicilian Defense by transposition. 6.c3 e5 outright. 21. d3 cxb2 22. d4 d7 23. d1

N B N Q B R Q R
7.d3 h6 More natural is 7...Nge7 towards the fc8 24. b3 a4 25. xa4 xa4 26. b3 c3

N N K Q Q B R R
center. 8. e1 O–O 9.f4 exf4 10. xf4 g4 27. xa6 xb3 28.axb3 bc8 29. a3 c1+
11. a3 ge5 12. h1 b6 13. d2 e6 Both 30. xc1 xc1+ It’s mate next move, so White
sides have staked out their prospects: White on the Resigns.

67
0-1 he seized the initiative. He conducted the mid-
dle game superbly and at adjournment my posi-
tion gave serious call for alarm. When the game
◦ David Bronstein
resumed, I considered that it should finish as a
• Boris Spassky
draw. For a long time I maintained the equilib-
25th USSR Championship (10)
rium, though it is true I had to find a number of
Riga
difficult moves. The strength of one of these was
1958 0-1 E54
evidently underestimated by Spassky who by iner-
On his road to the world championship, Spassky,
tia continued playing for a win in a now level po-
like his Russian rivals, honed his talent in strong
sition. Suddenly the advantage changed hands and
Soviet championships. Meanwhile, Bronstein, af-
N N B
my counter-attack became irresistible." – Tal
ter tying a title match in 1951, never again reached
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4.a3 The Saemisch
the heights because he sought beauty at the ex-
B N B
Variation is a surprising departure from Spassky’s
pense of practical results. His predilection for out-
pet 4. Bg5. 4... xc3+ 5.bxc3 c5 6.e3 c6 7. d3
landish ideas and eccentric maneuvers produced
N B
e5 Varying from the theoretically recommended
many memorable games, but he frequently paid a
N B
7...O-O 8. Ne2 b6 9. e4 Ne8. 8. e2 e4 9. b1
price for his overflowing imagination. Here, for
b6 10. g3 a6 11.f3 Unclear is 11. Nxe4 Nxe4
example, he goes out on a limb by misplacing his
12. Bxe4 Bxc4 13. f3. And if 11. Qa4 Na5
rook on the rim – an idea that meets with a drastic
B
12. Nxe4 Nxe4 13. Bxe4 Rc8! regains the pawn.
N N B B
refutation.
11... xc4 White gets a dangerous initiative af-
N B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4.e3 c5 5. d3
N N B B
ter 11...exf3 12. Qxf3 Bxc4 13. Nf5 O-O 14.
O–O 6. f3 d5 7.O–O dxc4 8. xc4 b6 This vari-
Q N
e4. 12. f5 O–O 13. d6 d3 14. xd3 exd3
ation of the Nimzo-Indian became fashionable at
N
15. xd3 cxd4 16.cxd4 e8 Putting the question
Q
Zurich 1953. Bronstein’s tournament book is con-
N N
to the knight: either swap or retreat! 17. f5
B R R
sidered one of the gems of chess literature. 9. e2
Q B
d5 18.a4 d6 19. xd6 Too risky is 19. Ba3
Q
b7 10. d1 cxd4 11. xd4 A dubious idea.
N Q R R Q
Nxf5 20. Bxf8? Qg5. 19... xd6 20. a3
B N B R
Simply 11. Nxd4 or exd4 is called for. 11... e7
B K
b4 21. b3 a5 22.O–O fc8 23. ac1 e6
12. d2 bd7 13. e1 e5 14. h4 One bad move
Q
White refused a draw here. 24. xb4 axb4 25. f2
N
leads to another. White should concede the er-
d6 26.h3 Better is 26. Kg1 Qe6 with equal-
N N
ror of his ways and retreat to d1. 14...e4 15. d4
K R R Q R
ity. Now Black can grab the initiative with 26...h5!
Q N
e5 16. f5 Trying to justify his eccentric ma-
Q Q Q R R
26... f8 27. c2 xc2+ 28. xc2 g6 29. c1
Q N K B B Q
neuvers. Better is 16. Bb3. 16... c5 17. a4
d7 30. c6 xc6 31. xc6 a6 "More accu-
N
a5 18. e7+ h8 19. b3 xe1 20. xe1
rate was 31...Rxa4 32. Rxb6 Ke7 bringing the
Q K Q
f3+ The finishing touch. White must lose his
king over towards the rook. Most probably the
Q Q
misplaced rook. 21.gxf3 g5+ 22. h1 xh4
game would then have been drawn, whereas now
R
23. g1 h5 Black’s material superiority is de-
Q R K
the struggle flairs up with renewed vigor." – Tal
Q Q R Q R
cisive and the knight on e7 is stranded. 24. c1
QR
32.a5 b3 33.axb6 b2 34.b7 b1= 35. c8+ g7
R R R
xf3+ 25. g2 ad8 26. xf3 exf3 27. c7
36.b8= a2+ "It is amusing that the two pawns
d2 28. xb7 xf2 Elegant to the end. White’s
have queened on the same file. Black now gives
N N R
back rank is vulnerable. If 29. Kg1 Rg2 30. Kf1
K Q K Q R K
the first check, but this is not very important." –
Ng4 is the quietus. 29.h3 e4 30. f5 g2 White
Tal 37. g3 e1+ 38. h2 xe3 39. g8+ f6
resigns. It’s mate next with Nf2.
Black’s task would be easier after 39...Kh6 40.
0-1
Q Q Q Q
Qf8 Kh5 41. Qxf7 Rxg2! 42. Kxg2 Qd2 with

Q Q
Q Q R
perpetual check. 40. d6+ e6 41. f4+ f5
◦ Boris Spassky 42. d6+ e6 43. g3 e3 44.h4 e2 "Weaker
• Mikhail Tal
Q Q Q
is the tempting 44...Ra1 45. Qd6 Qe6 46. Qf4!
25th USSR Championship (19) Qf5 47. Qh6." – Tal 45. d6+ e6 46. f4+

Q Q K Q K Q
Riga The sealed move, and the game was adjourned.

K R Q
1958 0-1 E26 46... f5 47. h6 e7 48. f8+ f6 49. g7+

Q K R R Q
This crucial last round encounter decided first e7 50. a8 d7 Forced to stop the threat of

K R R K
place. "On move 23 I offered a draw. Spassky Ra7. 51. f8+ f6 52. a6+ e6 53. h8+

K R R
decided that he could without risk continue the e7 54. a8 e1 55. g3 h5 Preparing a refuge

R Q K R R Q K
struggle, and perhaps he was right. In any case, it for the king on f4. 56. f2 e6 57. c8
was I who committed the first mistake after which d6 58. f8+ f6 59. e8 e6 60. h8+ f5

68
 Q K
Q K R Q R K
61. h6 f6 Not 61...Rxe8? 62. Qg5 Ke6 63. by exchaning a rook but storm clouds are gather-

Q Q Q R B B
Qe5 mate.. 62. h8+ f5 63. d8 c6 64. c8 ing on the kingside. 27. h1 27. h3 looks better.

Q
White should settle for a draw by 64. Kg3 since 27... f4 28.g3 f6 29. d1 d8 30. g4 xf2

Q K Q K
his attack has petered out, but he tries too hard to 31. e2 Seems to win the pinned bishop. Also fu-

R R R R
win and loses. 64... a6 65. g3 d6+ 66. h3 tile is 31. Qf3 Qxf3 32. Bxf3 hxg3 33. hxg3 Rd2.

Q
e1 67.g3 g1 68.f4 e1 "Threatening to trans- 31... d2 This neat trick saves the bishop and de-

K Q B Q B
fer the queen to e6 and then penetrate into the en- cides the game. If 32. Qxd2 Qc6 mates. 32. e8+
emy camp. The only defense was 69. Re8 Rxe8 g7 33.gxh4 d4 34. h3 d3 35. g2 Or 35.

R Q R R K
70. Qxe8 Qe6 but this gives Black a clear advan- Qe5 Kh7 36. Qf4 Qd5! 37. Bg2 Qxg2 38. Kxg2

Q R K Q
tage." – Tal 69. c2 e6 70. f2 h1+ 71. g2
e4+ 72. f3 g4 73. c8+ f5 On 74. Qc3 Rf1
75. Kxf1 Qxf3 76. Qxf3 Kxf3 wins the king and
pawn ending. White Resigns.
0-1
R
Be3 39. Kh1 Bxf4 40. Rxf4 Kg7 leaves White a
pawn behind in a hopeless ending. 35... d1 If 36.
Qb5 Rxf1 37. Bxf1 Qe4 38. Bg2 Qxh4 wins a
second pawn. White Resigns.
0-1

◦ Yuri Averbakh
• Mikhail Tal ◦ Polugaevsky, L.
25th USSR Championship • Nezhmetdinov, R.
Riga ?
1958 0-1 A76 Sochi
Vintage Tal. A sharp Benoni Defense, a piece sac- 1958 0-1 A53
rifice, a stupendous finishing touch. Later it was Black drives the White King into a mating net in
discovered that Tal’s combination was dubious, but the center of the board with an amazing intuitive
Queen sacrifice. The game is far more impressive
N N
it worked over-the-board!
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 c5 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5 The- than similar examples from the 19th century, for
White’s defense is by no means weak.
N N Q
ory condemns 5. Nxd5 Nxd5 6. Qxd5 Nc6 because
1.d4 f6 2.c4 d6 3. c3 e5 4.e4 exd4 5. xd4
B B
the Queen will be driven away from d5 with loss
of time. 5...d6 6.e4 g6 7. e2 g7 "The charac- White trades time for space, and Black must play

N Q B B
teristic position of this popular variation has been energetically to prevent his opponent from consol-

B N N Q N N
reached. Black creates a weakness on d6 and al- idating. 5... c6 6. d2 g6 7.b3 g7 8. b2

B Q N
lows White to seize the center. In return he obtains O–O 9. d3 g4 10. ge2 h4 11. g3 ge5

N
counterplay associated with his pawn majority on 12. O–O f5 13.f3 h6 14. d1 f4 15. ge2 g5
the queenside. An important role is played by the 16. d5 g4 Now White must take drastic mea-

Q
sures to meet the threat of 17...g3 18,h3 Bxh3,
N
bishop on g7 which exerts strong pressure along
with a winning attack. 17.g3 fxg3 18.hxg3 h3
R
the a1-h8 diagonal." – Tal 8. f3 O–O 9.O–O
19.f4 Now White has calculated that he can sur-
Q
e8 An alternative is 9...Bg4 10. h3 Bxf3 11.

B B
vive 19...Nf3+ 20.Kf2 Qh2+ 21.Ke3, with the pow-
N
Bxf3 Nbd7. 10. c2 More usual is 10. Nd2 aim-

R K
erful counter-threat 22.Rh1. 19... e6 20. c2
B N Q N
ing to post this knight eventually on c4. 10... a6

Q K B N R
Of course not 20.fxe5? Be3+. 20... f7 21. f2
N B
11. f4 b4 12. b1 xe4 A typical Tal gamble.
h2+ 22. e3 xd5 23.cxd5 b4 24. h1 It
N N B
More prudent is 12...Nh5 or Qe7. 13. xe4 f5

R R
14. fd2 xd5 15. xd6 Already a decisive error. seems that Black has overextended himself, but
Later analysis showed that White gets an advantage ... 24... xf4 25. xh2 The alternatives are clearly
in all variations aftrer 11. Bg3! Qe7 12. Bf3 Rad8 bad – 25.Nxf4 Nxc2+, 25.gxf4 Bxf4+ 26.Nxf4

R
Nxc2+, and 25.Bxe5 Rf3+ 26.Kd4 Qf2+. But has
N B N N
17. Re1! Now Black regains his piece and remains

K B
Black really enough for his Queen? 25... f3+
B B Q Q R
a pawn ahead. 15... f6 16. f3 xe4 17. xe4
xe4 18. xe4 xd6 19. c2 e7 "The techni- 26. d4 g7 27.a4 He must meet the threat of

B
jcal stage begins. With opposite-colored bishops 27...b5 followed by 28...Nec6++. 27...c5+ 28.dxc6

N K K
it is very difficult to realize the extra pawn on the bxc6 29. d3 Now the threat was 29...c5++.

R
queenside, and therefore Black decides to build up 29... exd3+ 30. c4 d5+ 31.exd5 cxd5+ 32. b5

K N
an attack on White’s king using the open e-file and b8+ The entry of the last piece into the attack is
immediately decisive. 33. a5 c6+ White Re-
B R R B
the possibility of his bishop occupying an active
signs.
R R R R
post at d4" – Tal. 20. f3 ae8 21. ad1 d4

B
22.a4 b6 23.b3 e5 24. d2 h5 25. e2 xe2 0-1
26. xe2 h4 White has eased his defensive task

69
◦ Tolush, A. 37.Qxh5? since after 37...Rxa3+ 38.Kxa3 Qd6+
• Taimanov, M.
Q
the White King will be unable to escape the checks.
? 37... xd8 And now 37...Rb8 fails to 38.f6! gxf6
Riga 39.Nc6 Qxb3+ 40.Qxb3 Rxb3 41.Ne7+ [of course
1958 1-0 B65 not 41.Kxb3? d1Q+] Kh8 42.g7+ Kxg7 43.Nf5+

Q
Alexander Tolush was one of those players who, and 44.Nxe3, with a winning ending. Now White

R R Q Q R Q
though not quite of top rank, produced an amazing goes over to the attack again. 38.f6 gxf6 39. xh5

Q R Q Q
number of brilliant and original games in his ca- a7 40. h1 d3 41. c5 xa3+ 42. xa3
reer. In this game, the players attack on opposite d1= 43. xd1 xd1 44. e7 Black Resigns.
wings, and it seems that Black’s attack is quite as 1-0
strong as White’s. But Tolush nonchalantly sacri-
fices the exchange to eliminate Black’s best attack-
◦ Fischer, R.
ing piece, and threads his way through a maze of
• Larsen, B.
N N N N
complications to take that point.
Interzonal
N B
1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6
Portoroz
5. c3 d6 6. g5 e6 White’s system is known as
1958 1-0 B77
the Richter-Rauzer Attack. He prepares to elimi-
After an ill-advised attempt by Larsen to compli-
nate Black’s important defensive Nf6, and his plan
cate the game, Fischer slays the Dragon. It’s an
Q B N
usually entails castling Queenside and advancing
object lesson in how to mount an assault against
Q B Q Q
his Kingside pawns. 7. d2 e7 8.O–O–O xd4
a fianchettoed king position by prying open the h-
9. xd4 O–O 10.f4 h6 11. h4 a5 12. g1
N N N N
file.
Preparing g2-g4-g5 to open lines against the King;
B B Q N B
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
B
he is also ready to answer 12...e5 with 13.f5.
N
g6 6. e3 g7 7.f3 O–O 8. d2 c6 9. c4
12... d7 13.g4 White does not win a piece with
xd4 Since then Black has sought many ways
13.e5 dxe5 14.fxe5, as Black plays not 14...Qxe5
B B B Q
to neutralize the Yugoslav Attack. More popular
B B
15.Bxf6 but 14...Bc5 15.Bf2 Bxf2 16.Qxf2 Qxe5.
K
now is 9...Bd7. 10. xd4 e6 11. b3 a5
Q B N B
But now this is a real threat. 13... c6 14. e1
N B
12.O–O–O b5 13. b1 b4 The counterattack is
B N B
c7 15. d3 d5 16.e5 e4 17. xe4 dxe4 18.h4
B
stymied on 12...Bxb3 13. cxb3! 14. d5 xd5
b5 19. g3 b4 20. e2 d5 White’s attack seems
15. xd5 It’s better to seek pressure along the e-
to have bogged down [he cannot yet open a file
file and abandon the attack by 15. exd5 Qb5 16.
R
with 21.g5 because of 21...h5], but his next move
R
Rhel a5 17. Qe2! (Tal- Larsen, Zurich 1959).
Q R
gives the game a new aspect. 21. xd5 exd5
15... ac8 In a higher sense the, losing move. Cor-
22. d1 fd8 Too passive – he should try to re-
B
rect is 15...Nxd5! 16. Bxg7 (or 16. exd5 Qxd5 17.
gain the initiative with 22...Bc5 23.Qxd5 Be3+
Qxb4) 16... Nc3+! 16. b3 Now the bishop ex-
24.Kb1 Rad8 25.Qxe4 Rd2 26.Nc1 Rc8, and the
R Q
erts a watchful eye on the kingside and can’t be dis-
N Q K B B
position remains unclear; 27.c3? is answered by
lodged. 16... c7 17.h4 b5 Fischer gives 17...h5
27...Rxb2+!. 23. d4 c4 24. b1 c5 25. f2
R
18. g4! hxg4 19. h5! gxh5 20. fxg4 Nxe4 21. Qe3
a5 26.g5 h5 27.e6 A strong move – White lures
Nf6 22. gxh5 e5 23. h6 and wins. 18.h5 fc8
away the f7 pawn to permit g5-g6, closing the net
N
Again if 18...gxh5 19. g4! is strong. 19.hxg6
around the Black King. 27...fxe6 28.g6 a4 The
hxg6 20.g4 a5 21.g5 h5 21...Ne8 doesn’t work
last chance was 28...Bxd4 29.Bxd4 e3, and af-
either after 22. Bxg7 Nxg7 23. Rh6! e6 24. Qh2
ter 30.Re1 [30.Bxe3 Qe4 eliminates the dangerous
R
Nh5 25. Bxe6 fxe6 26. Rxg6+ Ng7 27. Rh1.
N
pawn at g6] 30...a4 31.Rxe3 the outcome remains
22. xh5 "I’ve made this sacrifice so often, I feel
B
in doubt. 29. xe6 d4 On 29...Bxf2 30.Qxh5
K B
like applying for a patent" – Fischer. 22...gxh5
the King has no escape. 30.f5 d3 31. xc5
23.g6 e5 24.gxf7+ f8 25. e3 d5 The best try.
b3 Desperately trying to complicate matters. On
R
If 25...a4 26. Qxd6+ Re7 27. Qd8+! Rxd8 28.
31...Qxc2+ 32.Qxc2 dxc2+ 33.Kxc2 Rd5 34.Bd4
R B Q B B
Rxd8+ Re8 29. Bc5+ spells finis. 26.exd5 xf7
White should win routinely. 32.cxb3 Simpler was
R Q
27.d6 f6 28. g5 b7 29. xf6 xf6 30.d7
32.cxd3 Qxd3+ 33.Qxd3 Rxd3 34.Re1. Tolush
d8 31. d6+ Black Resigns.
continues to play for the attack, and sets off another
1-0
Q B N
round of fierce complications. 32...axb3 33.axb3
a6 34. a3 d2 35. xd8 But not 35.Qxh5?,
◦ Mikhail Tal
Q K R
when 35...Qd3+ 36.Ka2 Rxa3+! even wins for
Black! 35... d3+ 36. a2 e3 37. h2 Still not • Efim Geller

70
25th USSR Championship This is one of the games with which Tal burst upon
Riga the world chess scene. Spectacularly sacrificing a
1958 1-0 C96 bishop for only two pawns, he succeeds in pinning
On his path to the world championship, Tal estab- Black’s king to the center while mounting an at-

N N N N
lished his credentials by taking first in the power- tack.

N N
ful Soviet national championship with 9 wins, 3 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 dxe4 4. xe4 d7 5. f3
losses, 7 draws in a field of 20. "In the present gf6 6. xf6+ 6. Ng3 has been tried to avoid sim-

N B
game I wanted to try a dubious idea involving plifications, but the retreat costs a tempo and places

B
an immediate flank blow, but I did not obtain an the knight on a dubious post. 6... xf6 7. c4

Q B B
advantage." –Tal Blow follows counter-blow un- f5 A mistake is 7...Bg4? 8. Bxf7+! Kxf7 9.
til Geller, after a brilliant defense, finally stumbles Ne5+. 8. e2 e6 9. g5 e7 10.O–O–O h6 The

N N B B N
and loses his way in a welter of complications. refinement 10...Bg4! 11. h3 Bxf3 12. Qxf3 Nd5!

B R B N B N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O 13. Bxe7 Qxe7 snuffs out White’s budding initia-

B B
e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 O–O 8.c3 d6 9.h3 a5 tive (Fischer- Petrosian, Bled 1961.) 11. h4 e4
10. c2 c5 11.d4 b7 12.b4 "12. Nbd2 is not 12.g4 Surprisingly effective. Of course White had
dangerous for Black. White must evidently block to reckon with 12...Bxh4 15. gxf5 Nxf2 16. fxe6

N N B B N
the center with 12. d5."– Tal 12...cxb4 13.cxb4 O-O 15. exf7+ with ample compensation for losing

N Q Q N B
c4 14. bd2 d5 15.exd5 exd4 "Stronger perhaps the exchange. 12... h7 13. g3 xg3 14.fxg3

B R
was 15...Nxd5" – Tal. 16. xc4 bxc4 17. xd4 c7 15. e5 d6 16.h4 f6 Black should seek
xb4 18. b1 "Thanks to this move White is able some relief with 16...Bxe5 17. dxe5 Rd8 since

B
to keep his initiative alive, whereas moves by the the reduction of material offers drawing chances.

B B
other rook would let it die away." – Tal 18... xe1 Now he is hoping for 17. Nf3 O-O. No such

R R R
18...Nxd5 fails to 19. Bxh7! Kxh7 20. Ng5 Kg8 luck. 17. xe6 fxe5 18.dxe5 e7 Not 18...Bxe5

R R B Q Q Q R
21. Qh4 Nf6 22. Rxb4 threatening Rxb7 and/or 19. Rhe1 Bd6 20. Bd7+! 19. hf1 f8 20. xf8+
Bb2. 19. xb7 e8 "Although objectively this xf8 21. f3 e7 22. b3 b8 To fend off the
may be the strongest move, 19...Qxd5 20. Qxd5 threat of Rd7. 22...Rd8 is refuted by 23. Bf7+!

Q B B Q R K
Nxd5 would have dampened White’s aggressive Qxf7 24. Rxd8+ Ke7 25. Rd7+. It’s all over

Q B K Q
intentions." – Tal 20.d6 c8 21. g5 "Also pos- now anyway. 23. d7+ xd7 24. xd7 xd7
sible was 21. Rc7 Qe6 22. Bg5 Nd5 23. Rc5 25. f7+ e7 26.e6+ d8 27. xg7 The bishop

R
Nc3 with a completely unclear position." – Tal has no refuge. If 27...Be4 28. Qh8+ Kc7 29. Qe5+

R Q
21... e2 Splendid! Not 21...Qxb7 22. Bxf6 gxf6 followed by Qxe4 does the trick. Black Resigns.

N R K R
23. Qh4 with a terrific attack. 22. c7 e6 1-0
23. xe1 xe1+ 24. h2 d8 "The only move
◦ Bobby Fischer
B
in view of the threat of Re7. 24...Nd7 fails to 25.
Ba4." – Tal 25. xf6 gxf6 "An unexpected blunder • Samuel Reshevsky
which distorts the logical course of the game. Nec- USA Championship (6)
essary was 25...Qxf6 26. Qxf6 gxf6 27. d7 with New York
an interesting ending. Black would probably have 1958 1-0 B35
had to give back the Exchange by 27...Kg7 28. Bf5 Its no longer possible for a master just to sit down
Re5 29. Rc8 Rxf5 30. Rxd8 Rd5 when White can- and play a tournament game. To achieve good re-

R Q
not realize his minimal advantage. Now, however, sults, preparation is half the battle. Fischer used to

Q R R
it is all over." – Tal 26. e7 xd6+ If 26...Qxe7 ransack obscure chess periodicals for opening nov-

R R R B R R
27. Qg4 does the trick. 27. xd6 xd6 28. xe1 elties whose true worth was overlooked; here he

R K R
d2 29. c1 xf2 30. e4 xa2 31. xc4 a5 bags Reshevsky’s queen in a dozen moves with a
32. c8+ g7 33. c7 If 33...Rd2 (to stop the trap he found between two unknowns in a Russian

N N N N
threat of Bd5) 34. Ra7 Rd4 35. Bc2 effectively chess magazine.

B B N B B N
ends all resistance. Black Resigns. 1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 g6 5. c3
1-0 g7 6. e3 f6 7. c4 O–O 8. b3 a5 Care-
lessly abandoning the center. Safer is 8...d6. Black
◦ Tal, M.
N
probably was expecting 9. O-O Nxb3 10. axb3
• Fuster, G. d5! 9.e5 e8 The lesser evil is 9...Nxb3 10. exf6

B K
Interzonal Nxa1 11. fxg7 Nxc2 12. Nxc2 Kxg7. Now the roof

N
Portoroz caves in. 10. xf7+ xf7 Or 10...Rxf7 meets with
1958 1-0 B17 the same stunning reply. 11. e6 dxe6 Forced. If

71
 Q N
11...Kxe6 12. Qd5 Kf5 13. g4 Kxg4 14. Rg1 Kh4 26th USSR Championship
15. Bg5 Kh5 16. Qd1 mates. 12. xd8 c6 For Tbilisi
all intents and purposes the game is over, because 1959 1-0 B94
Black only has two minor pieces for the queen. Polugaevsky survives a ferocious attack and seems

Q
Reshevsky’s stubborn resistance just delays the in- well on his way to recovery. However, after swap-

B N
B N Q B
evitable and the rest requires no comment. 13. d2 ping queens, he is beguiled by the calm setting and

Q K N B N R N N N N
xe5 14.O–O d6 15. f4 c4 16. e2 xf4 underestimates the force of Tal’s initiative .

R N N R Q B N B Q Q
17. xc4 g7 18. e4 c7 19. c5 f6 1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3

R N R N R Q R B R N
20.c3 e5 21. ad1 d8 22. d7 c6 23. h4 a6 6. g5 bd7 7. c4 a5 8. d2 e6 9.O–O

Q N N B R B
e6 24. c5 f6 25. e4 f4 26. xe7+ f7 e7 10. ad1 c5 Safer is 10...h6 11. Bh4 Ne5

R N R N R R B
27. a3 c6 28. d6 xd6 29. xd6 f5 30.b4 12. Be2 g5 13. Bg3 b5 14. a3 Bb7 (Olafsson-

B R B R Q N N B B
ff8 31.b5 d8 32. d5 f7 33. c5 a6 Evans, Buenos Aires 1960). 11. fe1 d7 12.a3

R Q N R R R
34.b6 e4 35. e1 c6 36. xc6 bxc6 37.b7 c7 13.b4 a4 14. xa4 xa4 15. xe6 A

R R Q N Q
ab8 38. xa6 d8 39. b1 f7 40.h3 fxb7 stock sacrifice in an unusual setting. 15...fxe6
41. xb7+ xb7 42. a8 If 42...Rd7 43. a4 costs 16. xe6 xc2 Now how can White sustain his
Black more material. White’s winning technique attack? 17. Qxc2 Bxc2 18. Rc1 Ba4 19. Nc7+ Kf7

Q
was efficient and instructive. Black Resigns. 20. Nxa8 Rxa8 21. Rc7 Bc6 22. e5 dxe5 23. Rxe5

K R Q Q Q
1-0 Re8 (threatening Nd5) is in Black’s favor. 17. d4
f7 18. c1 a2 19.e5 dxe5 20. xe5 xf2+

K N K N R B
White must capture in view of 21. Kh1 Bc6.
◦ Tal, M.
N K N R
21. xf2 g4+ 22. g1 xe5 23. xe5 xg5
• Petrosian, T.
24. xg5+ g6 25. e6 he8 Plausible but dis-
Candidates’ Tournament
R R R
astrous. The best chance to draw is 25...Rac8. The
Yugoslavia
B R K N R R R
text loses a vital tempo. 26. e3 ac8 27. f1
1959 1/2-1/2 B94
R R R K
b5 28. g3+ h6 29. xg7 f8 30. e1 f6
A genius of attack versus a genius of defense. The
31.h3 c2 32. e5 c1+ 33. h2 Black Resigns.
outcome is a stupendous draw marked by mutual
1-0
N N N N
give-and-take.

B N B Q Q
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
◦ Tal, M.
a6 6. g5 bd7 7. c4 a5 8. d2 e6 9.O–O
• Nievergelt, E.
Sharper is 9. O-O-O b5 10. Bb3 Bb7 11. Rhe1 Nc5
Zurich
B
12. Bxf6 gxf6 13. Qf4 Be7 14. Qg4! (Stein-Tal,
Switzerland
B N B
USSR Championship 1962). 9...h6 10. h4 g5
1959 1-0 B63
Safer is 10...Be7. 11. g3 h5 12. xe6 Where
The magician from Riga embarks on a typically
there’s a will there’s a way to sacrifice. Gufeld-
speculative sacrifice to maintain the initiative. One
Petrosian, USSR 1959, went 12. Rad1 Ne5 13.
surprise follows another until Black finally cracks
N N N R
Bb3 Nxg3 14. hxg3 g4 with good counterplay.
N N N N
under the strain.
12...fxe6 13. xe6 xg3 14.fxg3 e5 15. xf8+
N B Q
1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6
R Q R
The only way to refresh the attack. Not 15. Nxf8
5. c3 d6 6. g5 e6 7. d2 h6 Tal-R.Byrne, Ha-
N
Qc5+ 16. Kh1 Rxf8. 15... xf8 16. xd6 f6
vana Olympics 1966, continued 7...a6 8. O-O-O
17. c7+ Faltering at the critical moment. Correct
Bd7 9. f4 Be7 10. Nf3 b5 11. Bxf6 gxf6 12.
K R R K
is 17. Qc7! b6 18. Ng7+ Kf8 19. Nh5! regain-
f5! and now 12...b4! 13. Ne2 e5 is better than
N
ing material. 17... f7 18. f1 xf1+ 19. xf1
B
Byrne’s 12...Qa5 13. Kb1 O-O-O 14. g3 Kb8 15.
c4 Energetic defense. If Black stops to protect
B B
Bh3 with lasting pressure. 8. xf6 gxf6 9.O–O–O
Q Q N
his rook by 19...Ra7 20. Nc3d5 creates hideous
a6 10.f4 d7 11. e2 More forceful is 11. g3
N
threats to his king. 20. xh6 c5 21. xa8 On
K Q N
followed by Bh3 and f5 as in the above-quoted
K B K Q K Q
21. Ned5 Ne3+ forces simplifications. 21... d2+
R B R
game. 11...h5 12. b1 b6 13. b3 O–O–O
22. e2 g4+ 23. d3 c4+ 24. e3 c5+ If
14. hf1 e7 15. f3 The rook hopes to find em-
25. Kxd2 Qd4+ 26. Ke1 leads to the same result.
R B K R
ployment on the third rank where it can shuttle
Draw.
B Q R N
to either wing. 15... dg8 16. f1 b8 17. d3
1/2-1/2
c8 18.a3 h4 19. e1 g4 20. d5 The first of
several surprises. Black is forced to capture, but
◦ Tal, M.
N
the result is by no means unfavorable for him.
• Polugaevsky, L. 20...exd5 21.exd5 e5 22.fxe5 fxe5 The net result

72
is that Black straightened out his doubled pawns Q
fxe4 21.Qxa5. 18. h6 exf4 Or 18...f5 19.c3!,

N B N R Q N
and opened diagonals for his bishops. White must and after the Queen leaves the a1-h8 diagonal Nh5

N K B N Q Q
attack now or perish in the long run. 23. a5 d8 will mate. 19. h5 f5 20. ad1 e5 21. ef6+

R Q R N Q K Q B
Safer is 23...Ka8. 24. c6+ a8 Not 24...bxc6 25. xf6 22. xf6+ xf6 23. xf6 Now White wins

Q B R
Rb3 pinning the queen. 25. b3 c7 26. c3 Tal routinely. 23... c5 24. g5+ h8 25. e7 a6
notes: "After 26. Nxd8 Qxd8 White has no attack, 26. xc5 xf1 27. xf1 Black Resigns.
and Black would be better. Therefore I decided to 1-0
sacrifice a piece. Because of this I was criticized
considerably, and heard: ’It was incorrect...Tal was
◦ Kholmov, R.
lucky...It was a bluff...Tal was dead lost’ – but I did
• Keres, P.
not see at what point I was dead lost, and concern-
?
ing other accusations of the wise critics, I console
Tbilisi
myself with pleasure that chess fans, spectators
1959 1-0 B30
R
and readers are happy only when grandmasters risk
When Black adopts a provocative defense that
Q R
rather than just push wood." 26...bxc6 27. xc6
leaves his pieces scattered, White essays a long-
b7 28. xd6 Black gets too much for the queen
term piece sacrifice to confine the Black King to
on 28. Bxa6 Qxa6 29. Rxa6+ Bxa6 and so decides
the central files. The game is particularly impres-
R
to capture a second pawn to step up the pressure.
sive because of several variations in which White
R B R B
28... a4 Stronger is 28...Qe7 29. Rc6 Bb7 30.
had to judge that his initiative would persist even
R
d6 Qd7 31. Rc3 e4. 29. d3 c7 30. f6 d8
N N B N N B
after the exchange of Queens.
R B Q Q
31. c6 e4 After 31...Re8! White has no immedi-
R B N N
1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 f6 4.e5 g4 5. xc6
Q
ately decisive blow. 32. b3 a5 33. e3 a7
N
dxc6 6.O–O g6 7. e1 g7 8.h3 h6 9. c3
34. h6 The final jolt. Had Tal not taken risks,
b6 10.d4 cxd4 11. xd4 c5 If Black can consol-
such a complex setting would not have occurred.
idate and complete his development, he will stand
R B B Q Q B
Of course the queen is immune because of Rxc8+.
N Q
well with his two Bishops, so White must act at
34... d8 35. xa6 d2 36. f6 d7 37. xc8
once. 12. c6 d7 Black discovers that he can-
On 37...Rxc8 38. Ra6+ is fatal. A startling climax.
not exchange Queens – 12...Qxd1 13.Rxd1 Bb7
Black Resigns.
14.Nb5! Bxc6 15.Nc7+ Kf8 16.Nxa8, and he can-
1-0
N K
not recapture because of the mate threat at d8.
13. xe7 xe7 There were many defenses to con-
◦ Fischer
sider. The obvious 13...Qxd1 14.Rxd1 Kxe7 works
• Benko
poorly after 15.Bg5+! Ke6 16.Rd6+ Kf5 17.f4;
?
the threat is 18.Bxh6 and 19.Rf6++, and 17...Ng8
Bled
allows 18.g4++, while 17...Be6 runs into 18.Ne2
1959 1-0 B57
Ke4 19.Ng3+ Ke3 20.Re1++. There remains
A vintage Fischer brilliancy, as he makes the de-
only 17...Bxe5, surrendering material after 18.Rd5
molition of a top Grandmaster look easy with a
f6 19.Bxh6. Slightly better than the game was
N N N N
precisely calculated Kingside attack.
13...Qxe7, but Black is still in trouble after 14. Nd5
N B
1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6
B B Q B N K
Qd8 15.Nf6+ Bxf6 [or 15....Ke7 16.Bg5] 16.exf6+.
Q N B
5. c3 d6 6. c4 The Sozin Attack, long a favorite
14. xh6 xh6 15. f3 g7 16. d5+ d8
B K N B Q
of Fischer’s. 6... b6 7. de2 e6 8.O–O e7
Other moves also have their drawbacks – 16...Ke8
N
9. b3 O–O 10. h1 a5 11. g5 c5 12.f4
17.Nf6+ Bxf6 18.exf6+ and 19.Qxa8, or 16...Kf8
b5 13. g3 b4 Better was 13...Nxb3 14.axb3
R B Q B
17.e6 Qb7 18.e7+ Ke8 19.Qf6! Qxd5 20.Qxg7
b4. After the text Black is in trouble. 14.e5
Qd4 21.Re5. 17. ad1 b7 18. b3 c6 There
dxe5 More or less forced – 14...bxc3 15.exf6 Bxf6
N Q
is no escape – 18...Kc8 is answered by 19.Nxb6+
16.Bxf6 gxf6 17.Ne4! Qf5 18.Nxd6 Qg6 19.Rf3
B R B R K R
and 18...Ke8 by 19.Nf6+. 19. xb6 axb6 20. xf7
B
Kh8 20.Rg3 Qh6 21.Qg4, threatening 22.Qg8+
R Q R R
xe5 21. xd7+ xd7 22. xe5 c7 23. e7
and 23.Nxf7++. 15. xf6 gxf6 Slightly better
K R
ad8 24.a4 g5 25. d5 he8 26. xh7 g4 27.a5
was 15...bxc3, but White still has a strong at-
gxh3 28.axb6+ xb6 29. xd7 Black Resigns.
N Q Q N
tack after 16.Ne4 Qb4 17.Qg4 Bxf6 18.Nxf6+ Kh8
1-0
19.Qh4 h6 20.Ng4. 16. ce4 d4 17. h5 xb3
Also insufficient are: I) 17...Kh8 18.Qh6 Rg8
19.Nxf6 Rg7 20.Nh5 and II) 17...exf4 18.Nf5! exf5 ◦ Evans, L.
19.Rxf4 Qxe4 (else 20.Rh4 will mate) 20.Rxe4 • Bisguer, A.

73
USA Championship
New York City
1959 1-0 C42
Bisguier plays with the recklessness of an angry
bull charging a locomotive in this rare sideline of
the Petrov Defense. The final move alone is worth
N N N
the price of admission.
1.e4 e5 2. f3 f6 3. xe5 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.
N N
Qe2 d5 5. d3 Qe7 6. dxe4 Qxe5 7. exd5 gain-
ing a pawn. 4. f3 xe4 5.c4 Playable but rather
harmless, 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.
N N K
Bg5 Qxe2+ 8. Bxe2 Be7 is rather drawish (Spassky
B N
- Petrosian, 15th match game 1969.) 5...d5 6. c3
c5 Black provokes White’s next gain of tempo in
order to win a pawn, but he has no hold on the cen-
B Q B N K
ter, his king is not yet castled, and his development
Q R K
lags. Safer is 5...Nf6. 7.d4 b4 8. b3 c5 9. d3
a5 10.O–O "White uses his advantage energet-
N B
ically and with classic simplicity" – Hans Kmoch.
10... xc3 11.bxc3 xc3 Not only attacking a
B B
rook but also preventing a check on the king file.
R
But it is the setting for a debacle. 12. b2 xb2
13. ae1+ A vital in-between-move. The point is
K Q
that Black must nove his king, thus forfeiting the
N
right to castle. 13... f8 14. xb2 cxd4 15.cxd5
d7 Trying desperately to catch up in develop-
Q N Q Q N B
ment. Not 15...Qxd5? 16. Qb4+ Kg8 17. Re8
N N
mate. 16. xd4 f6 17. e5 c5 18. g5 d7
R R Q Q R
19. e4 xe4 19...Qxd5? loses a piece to 20.
R N
Nxf6. 20. xe4 e8 21. f4 xd5 22. fe1
B Q Q B Q
xe4 Unwise is 22...Qxd3? 23. Rxe8+ Bxe8 24.
Qb4+ 23. xe4 e6 24. b8+ e8 25. xa7 b6
Black defended sensibly but can’t recover from his
faulty opening. Only 25...g6 offers some fighting
Q Q
chances but White is still on top after 26. Qxb7
Qxa2 27. Qb4+ Kg7 28. Qd4+ 26. a3+ e7
B
Also futile is 26...Kg8 27. Bxh7+ and Rxe6 next.
27. c6 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.
? lines for a quick kill. 15.fxe6 exf3 16.gxf3 f5 17.f4
Bled
1959 1-0 B10
Throughout the 1950’s it seemed that the duel be-
tween Botvinnik and Smyslov would continue until
74
the years took their toll on the older player. It was
then that Tal arrived on the scene, and his imagi-
nation, daring and calculating ability brought him
to the World Championship in 1960. In this game
from the 1959 Candidates’ Tournament, he downs
Smyslov with a sustained initiative and a flurry of
N N N
combinations.
1.e4 c6 2.d3 d5 3. d2 e5 4. gf3 d7 5.d4
Despite the seeming loss of time, White in this
variation of the Caro-Kann forces open the cen-
N Q N B B
ter before Black has completed his development.
N Q B B
5...dxe4 6. xe4 exd4 7. xd4 gf6 8. g5 e7
Q N B Q Q N
9.O–O–O O–O 10. d6 a5 11. c4 b5 12. d2
a6 13. f5 d8 14. h4 bxc4 15. g5 h5
Black is in serious trouble – after 15...g6 16.Bc3
White has many threats, starting with 17.Qh6
Q Q B
gxf5 18.Rxd7 Bxd7 19.Ng5, with unavoidable
Q Q
mate. 16. h6+ h8 17. xh5 xa2 18. c3
K R
f6 19. xf7 a1+ Not 19...Rxf7 20.Rxd8+ Ng8
21.Rxg8++. 20. d2 xf7 Even worse is
20...Qxd1+ 21.Rxd1 Rxf7 22.Nxf7+ Kg8 23.Nxd8,
N K N N
and White is a piece ahead. 21. xf7+ g8
K B B
22. xa1 xf7 23. e5+ e6 24. xc6 e4+
25. e3 b6+ 26. d4 Black Resigns.
1-0
◦ Letelier, R.
• Fischer, R.
Leipzig Olympics
East Germany
1960 0-1 E70
In a hunt for material, Letelier overextends his cen-
ter but neglects to safeguard his rear. His hapless
monarch, unable to castle, is soon forced to abdi-
N B
cate.
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 O–O 5.e5 Now
White has his center to defend. He should resist
N B
this temptation and pursue orderly development
with 5. Nf3 or f3. 5... e8 6.f4 d6 7. e3 7. Nf3
N
dxe5 8. dxe5 leads to a better foothold in the cen-
N
ter. 7...c5 8.dxc5 c6 9.cxd6 Overly aggressive.
Safer is 9. Nf3 Bg4 10. Be2. 9...exd6 10. e4 A
B
further violation of principle by moving the same
N
piece twice. More realistic is 10. Nf3. 10... f5
11. g3 "The only chance lay in the consistent 11.
Nxd6 Nxd6 12. Qxd6 Qxd6 13. exd6 Bxb2 14.
B N Q Q
Rd1 Nb4! 15. Kf2 Nxa2 16. Ne2 a5" – Fis-
cher. 11... e6 12. f3 c7 13. b1 One contor-
tion leads to another. 13...dxe5 14.f5 e4 Opening
N B R K R
f6 18. e2 fe8 19. f2 xe6 Regaining the
R R B R R
pawn with an overwhelming position. The finish is
R K Q
elegant. 20. e1 ae8 21. f3 xe3 22. xe3
xe3 23. xe3 xf4+ Inviting 23. Kxf4 Bh6
mate. If 23. Kf2 Ng4+ 24. Kg2 Ne3+ 26. Kf2 full-blooded struggles that are absolutely without
Nd4 27. Qh1 Ng4+ 28. Kf1 Nxf3 is lethal. White any mistakes are only to be found in distant inter-

N N B B
Resigns. planetary chess tournaments."

N N
0-1 1.c4 f6 2. f3 g6 3.g3 g7 4. g2 O–O 5.d4
d6 6. c3 bd7 7.O–O e5 8.e4 c6 9.h3 This
move is generally considered necessary to prevent
◦ Botvinnik, M.
the bishop from getting harassed by ...Ng4 after
• Tal, M.
Q
it gets to e3. For 9. Be3 Ng4 10. Bg5 Qb6
World Championship (6)
N N B N N
see Botvinnik-Smyslov, 1954. 9... b6 10.d5
Moscow
Q R
cxd5 11.cxd5 c5 12. e1 d7 13. d3 xd3
1960 0-1 E69
14. xd3 fc8 "A critical position. I took a
By mixing it up with his famous opponent and
long time to choose which plan to use. A de-
launching wild sacrifices, Tal won the title 12.5 -
tailed analysis proved that 14...Ne8 14. Be3 Qd8
8.5. This game is typical. At a critical moment
is worth consideration. White cannot create any
Botvinnik goes astray when posed with problems
R
real threat on the queenside and Black carries out
N N B B
that are hard to solve over the board.
...f5 without any trouble."– Tal 15. b1 Subse-
N N
1.c4 f6 2. f3 g6 3.g3 g7 4. g2 O–O
quently, the position of the rook gives Black a very
Q
5.d4 d6 6. c3 bd7 7.O–O e5 8.e4 c6 9.h3
N B Q Q R R
important tempo. Instead Tal suggests 15. Qe2.
N N
b6 10.d5 Locking the center to avoid surprises.
R K B R N
15... h5 16. e3 b4 17. e2 c4 18. fc1
B N N
10...cxd5 11.cxd5 c5 12. e1 12. Re1 is a better
ac8 19. h2 f5 20.exf5 xf5 21. a1 f4 "In
Q R
try for an advantage. 12... d7 13. d3 xd3
my opinion the arguments which this move raised
R N B Q Q
14. xd3 fc8 Already Black has achieved easy
were completely pointless. All the other continu-
R R R K B
equality. 15. b1 h5 16. e3 b4 17. e2
ations are bad, and if the knight sacrifice is incor-
R N
c4 18. fc1 ac8 19. h2 f5 20.exf5 xf5 21.
B
rect, then a question mark should be placed after
a1 f4 Typical Tal. He prefers to sacrifice a
Black’s 17th move." – Tal 22.gxf4 exf4 23. d2
B Q R R
piece rather than retreat by 21...Nf6. 22.gxf4 exf4
Another critical line is 23. a3 Qb3 24. Bxa7 Be5.
23. d2 xb2 24. ab1 f3 25. xb2 The losing
"It is possible that subsequently there will be found
move. Subsequent analysis showed that White can
a way to strengthen White’s defense, but I am sure
win with 25. Bxf3! Bxb1 26. Rxb1 Qc2 27. Be4!
Q R
the double-edged knight sacrifice on f4 appeared to
R R B
Rxe4 28. Nxe4 Qxb1 29. Nxd6 Rf8 30. Qe6+
R
be a correct decision." – Tal 23... xb2 24. ab1
B K
25...fxe2 26. b3 d4 27. e1 No better is 27.
f3 25. xb2 Botvinnik finally buckles under the
B
Be3 Rxc3 28. Rbxc3 Rd1. 27... e5+ 28. g1
strain. After 25. Bxf3 Bxb1 26. Rxb1 Qc2 27.
N R N
f4 A quicker win is 28...Rxc3! 29. Rbxc3
Rc1 (later it was found that 27. Be4!! Rxe4 28.
R B B
Rd1 30. Rc4 Bb2. 29. xe2 xc1 30. xd4
Nxe4!! Qxb1 29. Nxd6 Rf8 30. Qe6 gives White
N B
B R B
xe1+ 31. f1 e4 Black’s extra pawn is now
a better ending) Qb2 (if 27...Qf5 28. Bg4 Qe5
decisive. 32. e2 e5 33.f4 f6 34. xb7 xd5
R
29. Qxe5 Bxe5 30. f4 Rxc3 31. Bxc8 wins)
R B R B
Now if 35. Rxa7? Rxe2 36. Bxe2 Bd4+ and
R B B K B
28. Rc1 draws by repetition. 25...fxe2 26. b3
R K R K R K
Bxa7 wins. 35. c7 xa2 36. xa7 c4
N
d4 27. e1 e5+ 28. g1 f4 Missing a quick
B K K N B B
37. a8+ f7 38. a7+ e6 39. a3 d5 40. f2
R N R B B N
win by 28...Rxc3! 29. Rbxc3 Rd1. 29. xe2
K K R R K
h4+ 41. g2 d6 42. g3 xg3 43. xc4
xc1 30. xd4 xe1+ 31. f1 e4 32. e2 Not
R
dxc4 44. xg3 d5 45. a7 c3 46. c7 d4
32. Rxb7 Bd3. With two active bishops and an
47. d7+ and White Resigns...
B B R
extra pawn, Black’s win should be a matter of
0-1
B
proper technique. 32... e5 33.f4 f6 34. xb7

R B R B
xd5 Inviting 35. Rxa7? Rxe2! 36. Bxe2 Bd4
◦ Mikhail Botvinnik 37. Kf1 Bxa7. 35. c7 xa2 36. xa7 c4
• Mikhail Tal
R K R K R
Now not 36...Rxe2? 37. Ra8! Kg7 38. Bxe2.
World Championship Match (6) 37. a8+ f7 38. a7+ e6 39. a3 d5 There’s

K
Moscow no rush. White has some drawing chances af-

B K K N B B
1960 0-1 E69 ter 39...Bxe2 40. Re3 Kf5 41. Rxe2. 40. f2

K K R R K
Tal was famous for making intuitive sacrifices that h4+ 41. g2 d6 42. g3 xg3 43. xc4
were hard to refute but not completely sound. This dxc4 44. xg3 d5 45. a7 c3 46. c7 d4
strategy helped him wrest the title from Botvin- The game was adjourned and Botvinnik saw no
nik in their first title match. When critics up- way to save it, so he resigned.
braided Tal, he replied: "Extraordinarily tense, 0-1

75
 Q N N N R Q
R R R K K
23. b5 c4 24. fd2 xd2 25. xd2 a8

K
26. dc2 d8 27. c6 g6 28.g3 g7 29. f1
◦ Polugayevsky, L. g8 30.h4 h5 Now White sets out on a remark-
• Petrosian, T. able plan – he will transfer his King to b1, ad-
USSR Championship vance his Kingside pawns to open another file, and
Moscow launch a direct attack on the Black King. Black
1960 1-0 E54 cannot answer in kind, for the White Rooks on
Petrosian gets caught in the opening and is slaugh-
R K K K K
the c-file make that part of the board quite unsafe
tered by a 22- year-unknown, who captured the
K K K K K Q Q
for him. 31. 1c2 g7 32. e1 g8 33. d1
coveted Soviet crown seven years later. Polu-
R K Q Q K Q
h7 34. c1 g8 35. b1 h7 36. e2 b7
N N B B
gayevsky prosecutes his attack with great elan.
Q Q Q Q
37. c1 g7 38. b5 a8 39.f4 h7 40. e2
N B Q
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4.e3 O–O 5. d3
K K Q Q B Q
b7 41.g4 hxg4 42. xg4 e7 43.h5 f6 44.
d5 6. f3 c5 7.O–O dxc4 8. xc4 b6 9. e2 It’s
K N R N R Q B
a2 g7 45.hxg6 xg6 46. h4 e7 47. f2
hard to squeeze anything tangible out of this solid
R R N
f8 48. d2 b7 49. b3 a7 50. h2 f6
defense. Just for the record White has a half dozen 51. c8 d7 52. c5 b3+ Or 52...Ra7 53.f5
B R N
plausible moves: 9. Qd3 and a3 are most fre-
K R R K
Qxf5 54.Rxd8+ Bxd8 55.Qb8, winning a piece.
quently seen. 9... b7 10. d1 bd7 More usual 53. xb3 d6 54.f5 b6+ 55. a2 Black Re-
B B
is 10...cxd4 11. cxd4 Nbd7 to provide a retreat signs.
Q
for the bishop at e7. 11.d5 xc3 12.dxe6 a5 1-0
13.exd7 c7 An innocent-looking offender. Cor-
rect is 13...Qe7 14. e4 Rad8 15. Bg5 Qxe4 16.
Qxe4 Bxe4 17. Bxf6 gxf6 and Black drew the ◦ Gligoric, S.
• Bobotsov, M.
N
ending in Najdorf-Smyslov, Havana 1962. 14.e4
Hastings
N R
xd7 14...Bxe4 15. Bg5 leaves Black in a hope-
less tangle. 15. g5 ad8 Meets with a charm- England
ing refutation. But 15...Ne5 16. Bf4 Rae8 17. 1960 1-0 B99
Qh5 h6 18. Nxf7 Rxf7 19. Bxe5 Rxe5 20. An important theoretical game. Today it looks like
old hat, but Gligoric’s queen sacrifice was a trail
B R N Q N
Qxf7+! Qxf7 21. Rd8+ Kh7 22. Bxf7 also
N N N N
blazer.
B
wins. 16. xf7+ xf7 17. e6 c8 18. xd8
B B B Q Q
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
Q R Q Q N
a6 The only hope; on 18...Qxd8 19. e5 decides.
N B
a6 6. g5 e6 7.f4 h6 8. h4 e7 9. f3 c7
B R
19. e3 e7 20. b3+ c4 21. a3 c5 Also in-
B N
10.O–O–O bd7 11. d3 b5 More active is
B Q Q
adequate is 21...Qxd8 22. Bg5. 22. e3 xe4
B K
23. xc5 xc5 24. f3 Black never saw daylight. 11...g5! 12. fxg5 Ne5. 12.e5 b7 13. xe6
If 24...Re7 25. Ne6 Rxe8 26. Rd8 mates. Black fxe6 14. g6+ f8 On 14...Kd8 15. Qh3!

B K N B
Resigns. dxe5 16. Qxe6 steps up the pressure. 15.exf6

Q R B
1-0 xf3 16.fxe7+ g8 17.gxf3 f6 18. xf6 gxf6
19.e8= + xe8 20. xe8 d5 Later analysis re-
vealed Black might be able to hold a draw with
◦ Petrosian, T.
R K B Q R R
20...Kf8! 21. Bh5 Rg8 22. f5 b4! 23. Ne4
• Unzicker, W.
R N K K K
Rg2. 21. d4 h7 22. h5 c5 23. hd1 c8
?
N Q Q
24. 1d2 f5 25. e2 g7 26. b1 f6 27.a3
Hamburg a5 28. g3 b4 29.a4 c6 30.b3 c3 It’s only
1960 1-0 D30
R Q R
a matter of time before White breaks through on
With his quiet, positional style, Petrosian failed to
Q K R R
the either the g or e-file. 31. 4d3 c5 32. e2
excite the chess public as did the charismatic Tal, g1+ 33. b2 c3 34. dd2 d4 A little better is
but at his best few could match his depth of concep-
R Q B Q R
34...Rc8 to prevent the bishop from escaping to e8.
tion. Here he paralyzes the Black position by con-
R B R
35. g2 e3 36. e8 d3 37.cxd3 e1 38. c2
trolling the only open file, then sets off on a long xd3 39. b5 c3 White forces mate after

N N B Q
King march to prepare the decisive breakthrough.
B R R Q
39...Rd1 40. Nh5+ Kf7 41. Rg7+ Kf8 42. Rc8+.

B N B N
1.d4 f6 2. f3 e6 3. g5 d5 4.c4 c6 5. c2
K N K R K N
40. c4 xc2+ 41. xc2 e5 42.fxe5+ xe5+

B N
e7 6.e3 O–O 7. c3 h6 8. f4 bd7 9.cxd5
Q B K R K B
43. a2 f4 44. e4+ g6 45. g2+ h5 46. f2

N N N B B R
cxd5 10. d3 a6 11.O–O b5 12.a4 b4 13. a2 e8 47. d3 h4 48. g4+ h5 49. g6+

Q R R N B B
e8 14. c1 a5 15. b3 a6 16. xa6 xa6 Black Resigns.

R N R N R N
17. d3 a7 18. fc1 d6 19. xd6 xd6 1-0
20. c6 b8 21. c2 d7 22. ac1 b6

76
◦ Vassily Smyslov • Bronstein, D.
• Boris Spassky USSR Championship
Match Moscow vs. Leningrad Moscow
Leningrad 1960 1-0 C36
1960 1-0 B41 Spassky confronts Bronstein with his own favorite
Smyslov’s best games are characterized by an ab- weapon – the King’s Gambit. The finale is featured
sence of error combined with apparently simple (without credit) in the James Bond movie "To Rus-

N B N
but powerful positional maneuvers. Here, he ef- sia With Love."

N B
fortlessly demolishes a future world champion in a 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3. f3 d5 4.exd5 d6 5. c3

N
seemingly equal position by retreating his queen to e7 More usual is 5...Nf6. 6.d4 O–O 7. d3

N N N B
the first rank, in order to exploit weak dark squares. d7 8.O–O h6 Losing time. Better is 8...Nf6.

B B R Q N
A nice illustration of how to use the sweep of two 9. e4 xd5 10.c4 e3 11. xe3 fxe3 12.c5
bishops to switch an attack from one flank to the e7 13. c2 e8 14. d3 e2 15. d6 White can

N N
other. keep the upper hand without risk by 15. Rf2

1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 a6 "An
old opening system which first occurred in 19th
century games of the brothers Louis and Wilfred
Paulsen. It is characterized by the development of
N
Nf8 16. Ne5 but Spassky already feels the lure
of immortality. 15... f8 Black might draw by
15...exf1=Q+ 16. Rxf1 Bxd6 17. Qh7+ Kf8 18.
exd6 cxd6 19. Qh8+ Ke7 20. Re1+ Ne5 21. Qxg7

N N Q R B
the queen at c7 followed by b5 and has become Rg8 22. Rxh6 Qb6 23. Kh1 Be6 24. dxe5 d5.
very popular in our time." – Smyslov 5.c4 c6 16. xf7 exf1= + 17. xf1 f5 If 17...Kxf7? 18

N B
Spassky deviates from the usual 5...Nf6 6. Nc3 Ne5+ Kg8 19. Bb3+ leads to mate. The best

N B B N Q Q Q B N
Bb4 which is satisfactory for Black. 6. c3 c5 practical chance is 17...Qd5 18. Bb3 Qxb3 19.

Q
7. b3 b4 8. d3 ge7 9.O–O O–O Black’s Qxb3 Be6. 18. xf5 d7 19. f4 f6 20. 3e5

Q B
last chance to double the pawns by 9...Bxc3 be-
fore castling. 10. c2 xc3 It’s unwise to swap
a bishop for a knight without provocation. Better
is 10...Ne5 11. Be2 Qc7 12. a3 Bxc3 13. Qxc3
B B N K Q
e7 20...Bxe5 21. Nxe5 Rxe5 holds out longer.
21. b3 xe5 22. xe5+ h7 23. e4+ Black
Resigns. The queen falls on 23...g6 24. Rf7+
and 23...Kh8 24. Rxf8+ followed by Ng6+ mates

Q
with chances to equalize. Now White’s advantage shortly.

B B Q R R
of the two bishops becomes very real. 11. xc3 d5 1-0
12. e3 dxc4 13. xc4 c7 14. ac1 d8 This
◦ Fischer, R.
B
turns out badly. Better is 14...Bd7 right away. 15.f4
d7 At first glance, Black seems to have suc- • Tal, M.

Q
cessfully completed his development with a solid Leipzig Olympiad
but cramped position. 16. e1 A subtle retreat, Germany
aimed at increasing the pressure against b6 com- 1960 1/2-1/2 C17
bined with kingside threats. 16...b6 No relief is Any contest between these two giants arouses in-

Q
offered by 16...b5 17. Be2 Be8 18. Qf2 Rab8 19. terest, and this could have gone either way. After

R
Nc5 invading on the weak dark squares. 17. f2 a seesaw struggle it settles in a draw by perpetual

Q N B B
db8 Moving the rook again shows why his 14th check – a valid if frustrating result.
move was wrong. 18.f5 c8 Black cannot defend 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 b4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 a5

N
threats on both sides of the board. If 18...exf5 19. Unpopular retreat – but never refuted. 6.b4 cxd4

Q N
Bf4 wins the Exchange. 19. d4 Stronger than Also playable is 6...cxb4 7. Nb5 Nc6 8. Nf3 a6 9.

Q R Q N
19. f6 Ng6 20. fxg7 Qe8 when Black can re- Nd6+ Kf8 10. Bd3 b3+ 11. Kf1 Bc7. 7. g4 e7

N
sist by controlling the strong square e5 with his 8.bxa5 dxc3 9. xg7 g8 10. xh7 bc6 The-
knight. 19... xd4 "It is difficult to suggest any- ory says White stands better on 10...Nd7 11. Nf3

N Q
thing better. After 19...e5 20. Nxc6 Nxc6 21. Nf8 12. Qd3 Qxa5 13. h4! (Smyslov-Botvinnik,
Bd5 Qe8 22. f6 White’s attack is very dangerous, 9th match game 1954.) 11. f3 c7 There’s

B N B B
while if 19...exf5 20. exf5 with the threat of f6" – nothing wrong with 11...Qxa5 12. Rb1 Qc7 13.

B B
Smyslov. 20. xd4 c6 21.fxe6 xe6 22. xe6 Bf4 Bd7 14. Bg3 O-O-O (Damjanovich-Udovcich,
Now 22...Qxe6 is met by 23. Rxc6! Qxc6 24. Qxf7 Yugoslavia 1963). 12. b5 d7 White’s h-
and mate next. An impresive crush. Black Resigns. pawn heads for a touchdown after 12...Rxg2 13.

B
1-0 Kf1! Rg8 14. Rg1! Rxg1+ 15. Kxg1. 13.O–O
O–O–O 14. g5 Underestimating Black’s reply.
◦ Spassky, B. Fischer claims he missed a win with 14. Bxc6!

77
Bxc6 15. Qxf7 d4 16. Qxe6+ Bd7 17. Qxe7 Nimzovich Memorial
Rxg2+ 18. Kxg2 Bh3+ 19. Kxh3 Qxe7 20. Copenhagen

N N
Bg5 with a decisive material advantage as soon 1960 1-0 A09

B N
as White can consolidate. 14... xe5 15. xe5 "I consider this one of my best games ever. I like
xb5 16. xf7 Leads to an exciting draw. White its logical progress, the queenside action prepared

B N R N
could maintain some tension with 16. Bxe7 Qxe7 for the destruction of the enemy pawn center, and

R K
17. Rfe1. 16... xf1 17. xd8 xg5 18. xe6 after this the direct attack against the king became

B N N
xg2+ 19. h1 But not the hasty 19. Kxf1? Rxh2 possible" – Larsen.

Q R Q K Q
20. Qf7 Rh1+ 21. Kg2 Qh2+ 22. Kf3 Qh3+ and 1.g3 d5 2. g2 e5 3. f3 c6 3...e4 4. Nd4 leads

wins. 19... e5 20. xf1 xe6 21. xg2 g4+
In view of his material deficit Black must take the
perpetual check after 22. Kh1 Qf3+ etc.
1/2-1/2
N
to an Alekhine’s Defense reversed where White has
a move in hand. 4.O–O f6 After 4...e4 5. Ne1
followed by d3 Black has his center to defend. 5.c4
d4 If 5...dxc4 6. Qa4. Clearly unfavorable now is

B N
5...e4? 6. Ng5 h6 7. cxd5 Qxd5 8. Nxe4 Nxe4
◦ Botvinnik, M. 9. d3. 6.d3 d6 7. a3 O–O Few masters like
• Tal, M.
R R N
to swap a bishop for a knight but Larsen consid-

B Q
? ers even 7...Bxa3 playable. 8. b1 e8 9. c2

N
17th Match Game, Moscow a5 10.b3 h6 11.a3 f5 12.b4 axb4 13.axb4 d7
1960 1-0 B18 14.b5 d8 The game is roughly even and White

N B
The Latvian whirlwind Mikhail Tal became the now tries to undermine Black’s center. 15.e3

B
youngest champion in chess history (age 23) in dxe3 16. xe3 h7 Better is 16...Bh3 although

R
1960. To this day he remains one of the most in- White retains an edge with 17. d4. 17. b2 c6

R
ventive minds over the chess board. In this key 18. a1 Contesting the only open file. If Black

Q
game, just when Tal’s attack seems to have hit a replies 18...Rc8 then 19. d4 is coming. 18... xa1

N Q N B
wall, Botvinnik stumbles in time trouble and is 19. xa1 cxb5 Riskier is 19...Bxd3 20. Rd1 Be2

N N B N
overwhelmed with mating threats. 21. Nxe5. 20. xe5 c7 21. f3 e7 Too dan-

B B N N N B N R
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 dxe4 4. xe4 f5 5. g3 gerous is 21...Bxd3 22. Bxf6 Bxf1 23. Nd5! Qxc4

B N Q
g6 6. c4 e6 7. 1e2 f6 8. f4 d6 9. xg6 24. Nd2! 22. c1 "For me this was the most dif-

Q N
hxg6 10. g5 bd7 11.O–O a5 12.f4 This ficult move of the game. 22...Bxd3 is met by 23.

N B B Q N
strange move locks White’s bishop on the g5 Nd5" – Larsen. 22...bxc4 23.dxc4 b6 24. d5
square, but helps control the center. It was typ- xd5 25.cxd5 f8 26. d4 b3 27. e5 b5 In

N B
ical of Tal, the magician of the chessboard, to serious time trouble, Black rejects 27...Bf5 28. g4

QN B B Q
play bizarre and confusing moves. 12...O–O–O Necessary is 27...Qb5 to stop Nd7. 28. d7 a3

N B Q N R Q B
13.a3 c7 14.b4 b6 15. e2 e7 16. d3 Black lacks a good defense. If 28...Qa3 29. Bxg7

R K Q Q B N K N K Q
fd5 17. xe7 xe7 18.c4 f6 19. ab1 d7 snares a pawn. Or 28...f6 29. Bxf6! 29. xg7

R K
20. bd1 b8 21. b3 c7 22.a4 The beginning xc1 30. f6+ xg7 31. xe8+ f8 32. h8+

N Q N Q R K
of an attack against the king. 22... h4 23.a5 e7 Suddenly the dazed king must wander into the

Q N K B K Q Q
c8 24. e3 e7 25. e5 hh8 Not 25...Qxe5 open. No better is 32...Bg8 33. Nf6. 33.d6+ d7

Q R K B N B K B B K Q
26. fxe5 Nd7 27. Rxf7 26.b5 cxb5 27. xb5 a6 34. f6+ c8 35. h3+ b7 36. xd8 d1+

Q R
28. b2 d7 29.c5 a8 30. f3 c6 31. xc6 37. g2 d3 38. c8+ a8 39. a5+ Black
xc6 32. f3 Tal’s steady pressure has been met resigns, as mate is unavoidable after 39...Kb8 40.
by Botvinnik’s accurate defense. Now Tal begins Qc7 Ka8 41. Qb7.
a direct attack, threatening 33. Rb3, 34. Rb6 1-0

Q R R R Q R
and 35. c6. Botvinnik must defend actively.
◦ Gligoric, S.
Q Q K R Q N Q
32... a4 33. fd3 c8 34. b1 xa5 35. b3
• Fischer, R.
Q Q
c7 36. a3 a7 37. b6 xf4 38. e2 e4

R K
39. b3 d5 Black must play 39...Ka8 with Bled
chances to defend. 40. xa6+ b8 Black is Yugoslavia

Q
mated after 40...bxa6 41. Qb6+ Ka8 42. Qxa6+ 1961 1/2-1/2 E98
Ra7 43. Qxc8. 41. a4 Black Resigns. This draw has the charm of perfection. The tim-
1-0 ing and ingenuity produces a harmonious flow of

N N B N
movement, like a graceful ballet.
◦ Bent Larsen
B N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5. f3
• Efim Geller O–O 6. e2 e5 7.O–O c6 8.d5 If 8. Be3 Re8!

78
9. dxe5 dxe5 10. Qxd8 (Larsen-Fischer, Monaco K N B
23. xg2 d4+ 24. e4 "I can still hear the au-

N N N N
1968) 10...Rxd8! 11. Bg5 Rf8! is roughly equal. dience gasping with each blow, thinking each of
8... e7 9. e1 d7 10. d3 The older 10. f3 f5 us had overlooked it in turn. ’Fischer is winning!’

N
11. Be3 f4 12. Bf2 g5 gives Black good attack- or ’Reshevsky is winning!’ The true state of af-

B N N N K
ing prospects. 10...f5 11.exf5 xf5 Also playable fairs will crystallize in a matter of moves" – Fis-

N N R N R K
is 11...gxf5 12. f4 Ng6. After the text Black’s cher. 24... xe4+ 25. xe4 xb5 26. f6+ f7

N N N N B Q
grip on d4 offsets White’s grip on e4. 12.f3 f6 27. xe8 xe8 28.a4 d6 29. c7+ f6 Black

B R
13. f2 d4 14. fe4 h5 15. g5 d7 16.g3 can ill-afford to part with his rook after 29...Re7

R N
h6 17. e3 c5 An intricate pawn sacrifice. On 30. Rec1. 30. ec1 To maintain control of the c-

B R R R
17...Nxe2+ 18. Qxe2 g5 19. c5 White would file. On 30. Rxa7 Rc8! 30...h6 31. xa7 e4

N N
have a comfortable space advantage. 18. xd4 32. a6 d8 33. c2 The best way to preserve
exd4 19. b5 a6 20. bxd6 d3 Giving up a second winning chances. Fischer gives 33. Rxb6 Rd2+

R R R
pawn to open the diagonal for his bishop on g7. A 34. Kg1 g5 35. Rcc6 g4 36. Rxe6+ Kg5 38. Rh6

R
fine concept. Black gets adequate counterplay after f4 with even chances. 33... d3 34. xb6 xe3

Q B K
21. Bxd3 Bd4+ 22. Kh1 Nxg3+ 23. Nxg3 Qxd6. 35.a5 f4 36. f2 Short of time, Reshevsky returns
21. xd3 d4+ 22. g2 Another try is 22. Rf2!? material and banks on his queenside pawns. But

N K R R
On 22. Kh1 Nxg3+ 23. Nxg3 Qxd6 White retains he should allow a draw with 36. a6! f3+ 37. Kf1

N R
his extra pawn but his weak squares provide Black Rd3, etc. 36... xf2 37. xf2 e5 38.b4 e3

R
with even chances. 22... xg3 Anyway! Black had 39.a6 a3 Now White is stymied and Black is
to visualize this resource and determine its sound- ready to mobilize his kingside pawns. 40. c6

N
ness when he began this adventure at move 17. The only hope is 40. b5 but this was the last
23. xc8 Unclear is 23. Nxg3 Qxd6 24. Rab1. move of the time control and White relied on in-

N N Q R K K R
White is a pawn ahead but has a weak kingside. stinct, not calculation. 40...g5 41.hxg5+ hxg5

R Q Q K R K R K
23... xf1 24. b6 c7 Blow for blow. Black 42.b5 g4 43. c8 f5 44.b6 g3+ 45. e1 a1+

Q
threatens mate-in-2. 25. xf1 xb6 26.b4 xb4 46. e2 g2 47. f8+ e4 48. xf4+ xf4 49.b7

R Q
Too precarious is 26...cxb4 27. c5! Bxc5 28. Nxc5 g1= Sharper is 49...Ke4! 50. b8=Q Ra2+ 51.

N Q Q Q K Q K Q K
Qxc5 29. Qxg6+. 27. b1 a5 Black can hold Ke1 g1=Q mate! The text also wins – by a hair.

B R Q B R Q K Q K Q K Q K
after 28. Rxb7 Rf7. 28. xc5 xc5 29. xg6+ 50.b8= + f5 51. f8+ e4 52. a8+ d4

Q Q K Q K
g7 30. xb7 d4 31. d3 f4 32. e6+ h8 53. d8+ c4 54. d3+ c5 55. c3+ d6
33. g6 33...Kg8 34. Qe6+ draws by repetition. 56. d2+ e5 57. b2+ f5 After 58. Qb5+ Kf6
Neither side dares disturb the surface tension. 59. Qb2+ e5 stops the torrent of checks and Black’s
1/2-1/2 material superiority can finally prevail. White Re-
signs.
◦ Reshevsky, S. 0-1
• Fischer, R.
Match (5) ◦ Gaspariantz,
Los Angeles • Eidlin,
1961 0-1 D42 Moscow
For pure excitement it is hard to match the "des- USSR
perado" tactics which predominate in the middle 1961 1/2-1/2 B98
game. Reshevsky emerges with the better of it but Two unknowns enrich the theory of the notorious

N N N N
the clock proves to be his undoing. Goteborg Variation which came into being one day

N B B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 d5 4.cxd5 xd5 5. f3 at the 1955 Swedish Interzonal when three Argen-

N
c5 6.e3 c6 7. d3 e7 Another plan is 7...cxd4 tinians (Najdorf, Panno, Pilnik) suffered terrible
8. exd4 g6. 8.O–O O–O 9.a3 cxd4 10.exd4 f6 defeats with this secret weapon at the hands of
R. Byrne-Bisguier, USA Championship 1964, led three Soviet stars (Keres, Geller and Spassky, re-

B N N N N
to equality by 10...Bd7 11. Qc2 g6 12. Bh6 spectively).

Q B B R R B B Q B
Re8 13. Qe2 f5 14. Nc3 Bf6. 11. c2 b6 1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3

R R N N
12. d3 b7 13. g5 g6 14. fe1 e8 15.h4 a6 6. g5 e6 7.f4 e7 8. f3 h6 9. h4 g5 A re-

N B N N
c8 16. ac1 d5 17. e4 f5 Triggering incred- markable idea. Black voluntarily smashes open his

Q Q N Q
ible complications. 18. c3 xg5 19. xg5 f4 kingside to obtain domination over e5. It’s even
20. e3 xd4 21. b5 xe3 Best. Fischer gives more remarkable that as a result of many games

N
21...Qd5 22. Qxf4 Qxb5 23. Nxe6 Qxb2 24. with this sharp variation theory now regards it as
Qh6! with an irresistible attack. 22.fxe3 xg2 drawish! Nowadays 9...Qc7 is the prescription

79
 N N
Q N B
for maintaining tension. 10.fxg5 fd7 11. xe6 20. Qf2 because of the dual threats of d6 or Qxf6.
The same move those three Soviets chose on that 19. f2 f4 20. xf4 exf4 21.e5 Opening lines.

Q K B
fateful day when confronted with Black’s surprise. If now 21...Bh4 22. Nf6+ Qxf6 23. exf6 Bxf2+

B R
11...fxe6 12. h5+ f8 13. b5 The purpose of 24. Kxf2 Bxg2 25. Re1+ Kf8 26. Kxg2 Re8

N Q Q
this thrust is to clear the way for castling. The 27. Rd1 gives White a bind. 21... xe5 22. e1

R K
bishop is also able to eliminate on d7 or c6 a knight f6 23. xf6+ xf6 24. d4 Each blow is more

R
which can play a vital role in many lines. 13... h7 powerful than the last. 24... f8 The point is

Q R Q K Q
Panno lost after 13...Ne5 14. Bg3! Bxg5 15. O- 24...Bxg2 25. Rxe5+ Kf8 26. Rf5! wins. 25. xe5

K
O+ Ke7 16. Bxe5 Qb6+ 17. Kh1 dxe5 18. Qf7+. d8 26. f5+ gxf5 27. xh8+ e7 28. g7+
Najdorf and Pilnik promptly switched to 13...Kg7 e6 29.gxf5+ The queen falls after 29...Kd6 30.
but fared no better after 14. O-O Ne5 15. Bg3 Nf7+. Black Resigns.
Ng6 16. gxh6+ Rxh6 17. Rf7+ Kxf7 18. Qxh6 1-0
axb5 19. Rf1+. 14.O–O+ A good illustration of
the creative evolution in opening theory. At the
time this game was played Gligoric- Fischer, Por- ◦ Tal, M.
toroz 1958, was known to favor Black after 14. • Olafsson, F.
Qg6 Rf7 15. Qxh6+ Kg8 16. Qg6+ Rg7 17. Bled
Yugoslavia
K R Q B
Qxe6+ Kh8 18. Bxd7 Nxd7 19. 0- O-O Ne5 20.
1961 1-0 B48
R Q
Qd5 Bg4. 14... g8 15.g6 g7 16. xh6 xh4
17. f7 f6 This simplifies matters; the ramifica- Tal’s intuition leads him into an unsound combi-
nation but he has the clock on his side and luck –
R B B
tions of 17...Rxf7 18. gxf7+ Kxf7 19. Qh7+ Kf8
the luck of the strong. Indeed, how many players
N B B R B
appear to be drawish. 18. xf6 xf6 19. e2
e5 20. h5 d7 21. f1 e7 With a rook and in the world would have found the refutation over-
the-board?
R N R B N N N N
two minor pieces for the queen, Black is in good

K Q Q B N
shape. 22. f7 xf7 23.gxf7+ xf7 24. xf7+ 1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 e6 5. c3
xf7 25. h5+ On 25...Kg7 26. Qg4+ Kf8 27. c7 6. e3 a6 7.a3 f6 8.f4 d6 Transposing
Qh5! forces a perpetual. into the cramped but solid Scheveningen Variation.
1/2-1/2 This is a critical moment; Black’s move determines
the character of the game. Against Yanofsky at
◦ Nezhmetdinov, R. Stockholm 1962 Olafsson decided to simplify with
• Tal, M.
Q B
8...Nxd4 9. Qxd4 Ng4 10. Bd2 Qc5 11. Qxc5

B B R Q
28th USSR Championship Bxc5 12. Nd1 d6 with equal chances. 9. f3 e7

K N B N
Moscow 10. d3 O–O 11.O–O d7 12. ae1 b5 13. g3
1961 1-0 B85 h8 14. xc6 xc6 15.e5 g8 With the dubi-
The mighty Tal prey falls prey to the kind of daz- ous idea of bringing this knight to f5 via h6. Natu-
zling tricks he usually inflicted on others. It’s a ral and better is 15...Ne8. White would still have
unique experience to see him on the receiving end attacking prospects, to be sure, but it would be

N N N N Q N
of a sacrifice for a change. hard to crash through since Black’s kingside con-

B Q N
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3 tains no organic weaknesses. 16. h3 h6 17.f5
e6 6. e2 a6 7.O–O c7 8.f4 bd7 9.g4 White’s Tal spent 40 minutes and later said he should have

N R
intentions are clearly anything but benign. Objec- played 15. Kh1 instead of this premature sacri-
tively better is 9. Bf3 but it’s a sound psycholog- fice. 17... xf5 18. xf5 There’s no turning back.

B B B B K
ical ploy to play aggressively against opponents Bad is 18. Bxf5 exf5 19. exd6 Bxd6 20. Rxf5

N
who like to attack. 9...b5 10.a3 b7 11. f3 Bd7. 18...exf5 19. xf5 g6 20. d4 g8 A few

Q N N
c5 Misplacing the knight. Correct is 11...h6! months afterwards some Moscow amateurs found
12. e2 e5 13. f5 g6 14.fxe5 dxe5 15. h6 The 20...Qd8! 21. exd6+ Bf6 22. Qh4 Bg7! which

B R B R
knight is curiously well posted here, mainly be- forces simplifications and collapses Tal’s combina-

N Q K
cause of the pressure exerted on f7. Not the least tion. 21.e6 g5 22.exf7+ xf7 23. xg6 g7

B B B B Q N R Q
of its merits is the prevention of castling. 15... e6 23...Rf6 offers more resistance. 24. e6+ h8
16. g2 g7 Maybe Black should try 16...Bxh6 25. e8 h6 26. xc6 xc6 27. e4 e8 28. g6

R
17. Bxh6 Nd4 18. Qd1 Qb6. Now he falls prey Good enough but even simpler is 28. Qf7 Reg8

R B Q B R Q Q N
to a sacrifice that is far from obvious. It requires 29. Nxg5 hxg5 30 Qh5 mate. 28... e7 29.h4

N Q B R R N K R
some intricate tactics to justify it. 17. xf6 xf6 d5 30. xg7+ xg7 31. xd6 xd6 32. xd6
18. d5 d8 Rejecting 18...Bxd5 19. exd5 Nd4 xh4 33. e8+ g8 34. f7+ g7 35. xg8+

80
K N
xg8 36. xh6+ Kh7 37.Nf5 Bg5 38.b3 Black more reliable. The question is whether this excur-

Q N
lost on time. sion with the queen is or is not premature. 7...f5
1-0 8. g3 e7 White gets a pull after 8...dxc4 9.
cxd4 Ne7 10. Bd2 O-O 11. Bd3 b6 12. Ne2 Ba6

Q
13.Nf4 Qd7 14. Bxa6 Nxa6 15. Qd3 Nb8 16. h4
◦ Bagirov V.
R Q K
(Reshevsky - Botvinnik, Moscow 1948.) 9. xg7
• Kholmov R.
g8 10. xh7 cxd4 11. d1 Tal’s idea in order to
USSR Championship
B
develop the knight at f3 where it is more aggressive
Baku
than at e2. 11... d7 Black scorches his kingside in
1961 0-1 C63
Q
return for powerful pressure on the other wing and
Someone once said that chess is 99% tactics. This
K N B
in the center. 11...Nbc6 also is feasible. 12. h5+
game illustrates a typical tactical trick in the rarely
d8 13. e2 a4 Lands in brackish waters since
seen Schliemann Defense to the Ruy Lopez. Note
N Q
the bishop is needed where it is to defend e6. Cor-
especially the power of doubled rooks on an open
rect is 13...dxc3. 14. f4 xe5 On 14...Qxc3 15.
N N B
file near the end.
Q B B Q R
Ra2 Bd7 16. Qf7 Qc6 17. h4 is hard to meet.
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 f5 It’s a good idea to
15. f7 d7 16. d3 d6 17. e1 Genuinely
N N Q
catch opponents by surprise with offbeat but unre-
risky. Safer is 17. cxd4. 17...e5 Underestimat-
B
futed opening ploys. 4. c3 f6 5. e2 Better is
B
ing White’s attack. The best chance is 17...Nbc6
Q N
5. exf5; it’s too early to post the queen. 5... c5
18. Nxe6+ Bxe6 19. Rxe6 Qxh2. 18.a4 e8 Rel-
6.exf5 e7 7. e4 Kholmov claims that 7. Bxc6
Q Q N K
atively best. If 18...Nbc6 19. Ba3 Qh6 20. Nxd5!
dxc6 8. Qxe5 Bxf2+! 9. Kf1 Qxe5 10. Nxe5
Nxd5 21. Qxg8+. 19. e6 xe6 20. xe6+ d7
Bd4 11. Nf3 Bxc3 followed by Bxf5 only leads
N K R N
Had he foreseen the sequel, he might have gone
N Q
to equality. And Black is okay on 7. d3 Nd4 8.
R R B K
to c8 directly. 21. c5+ c8 22. xe5 bc6
B
Nxd4 Bxd4. 7... xe4 8. xe4 O–O 9.O–O d6
23. e2 xg2 24. xf5+ d8 There is no good
10. xc6 bxc6 11.d4 Black gets compensation for
shelter. If 24...Kc7 (or 24...Nxf5 25. Rxe8+) 25.
B Q B
the pawn after 11. Qxc6 Bxf5 12. d3 Rab8 14. b3
N K B
Bf4+ Kb6 26. Rb1+ Kxc5 27. Rb5+ Kc4 28. Bd3+
B N R N
Bg4! (if 14. Nd2 Be2!). 11... xf5 12. e2 b6
N
Kxc3 29. Bd2 mate. 25. xb7+ c7 26. f4+
R Q R B R B
13.dxe5 d5 14.h3 e4 15. g5 f5 16. xe4
e5 Disagreeably forced in view of 26...Kxb7 27.
xe5 17. a6 xe4 18. e3 e8 19. xb6 cxb6
R N R K R
Rb1+ Ka6 28. Bd3+ Ka5 29. Bc7+ Kxa4 30. Ra1
Black has straightened out his pawns and now has
K R K R
mate. 27. xe5 xf5 28. e7+ c6 29. c7+
Q Q R R
undisputed control of the open e-file, but material
b6 30. b1+ a6 31. c6+ Inviting 31...Bxc6
Q
is even. 20. d3 f6 21.b3 h5 22. ad1 8e5
32. Nc5+ Ka5 33. Bc7 mate. Black Resigns.
23. c3 Preparing the faulty plan of contesting the
1-0
R
e-file. More active is 23. c4 to strive for coun-
terplay along the d-file. 23...c5 24. fe1 Black

R
already has the initiative and trying to challenge
◦ Tal, M.
R R
the open file is both futile and fatal. 24... xe1+
• Hecht, H.
25. xe1 e2 White resigns. Hobson’s choice be-
Varna Olympics
tween getting mated or dropping a rook: 26. Qa1
Bulgaria
Qxf2+. Or 26. Qxf6 Rxe1+ 27. Kh2 gxf6.
1962 1-0 E13
0-1
Sheer fantasy! Tal keeps finding an array of bewil-
dering and unpredictable moves until his opponent
◦ Ivkov, B. drops from exhaustion.
• Portisch, L. N N N B B
B B B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 b6 4. c3 b4 5. g5
Bled b7 6.e3 h6 7. h4 xc3+ Also seen frequently
Yugoslavia
N Q N
is 7...g5 8. Bg3 Ne4 9. Qc2 Bxc3+ 10. bxc3
1961 1-0 C18
B N
d6. 8.bxc3 d6 9. d2 e5 10.f3 e7 11.e4 bd7
Both queens disappear from the board after a sharp 12. d3 f8 13.c5 Ultrasharp. Steadier is 13.
theoretical dispute. But White’s attack still rages, Nf1 or O-O. 13...dxc5 13...g5 14. Bb5+! c6 15.
and a storm soon descends upon the hapless Black cxd6 Qxd6 16. Nc4 transforms the positon dras-

N B
monarch. tically. On 13...bxc5 Tal said he was exploring

B
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 b4 4.e5 c5 Striking at 14. d5 to control c4 and b5 with hopes of ex-

Q Q Q Q
d4, the base of the pawn chain on e5. 5.a3 xc3+ ploiting the open b-file. This is murky. 14.dxe5
6.bxc3 c7 7. g4 In the long run 7. Nf3 may be xe5 15. a4+ Surprises follow with increasing

81
regularity. Tal is determined to fight for the ini- 16 Fischer varied with 7...Be6 8. O-O Nbd7 9. a4

B Q
tiative come hell or high water. 15...c6 Tal said Be7 10. f4 Qc7 11. f5 and again landed in an in-
that on 15...N8d7 16. Qc2 his two bishops plus ferior position. 8.O–O O–O 9. e3 c7 Univer-
the mobile center would compensate for the pawn, sally adopted then, but nowadays considered inac-

N B
but this assessment is rather optimistic. 16.O–O curate. More precise is 9...Be6 followed by Nbd7.
g6 If 16...Qxc3 17. Nc4 Qxd3 18. Rad1 b5 10.a4 e6 At Stockholm, Fischer had difficulties
19. Rxd3 bxa4 20. Nd6+ Ke7 21. Nf5+ Ke8 after 10...b6 11. Qd2 Bb7 12. f3 Bc6 13. Rfd1

N Q
22. Nxg7+ Ke7 23. Nf5+ Kd8 24. Nd6+ Ke7 Nbd7 14. Qe1 h6 15. Qf1 Qb7 16. Bc4 Rfc8

N
25. Nxb7 wins. 17. c4 e6 18.e5 b5 19.exf6 17. Rd2 Nf8 18. Nc3! Ng6 19. N1a2 aim-

N N
This unexpected queen sacrifice is just the begin- ing at d5 as the final destination. 11.a5 bd7

R B
ning of an inspired combination. 19...bxa4 20.fxg7 12. d5 xd5 White also retains the upper hand
g8 21. f5 With only a bishop as material com- on 12...Bxd5 13. exd5 b5 14. axb6 Nxb6 15. c4!

N B B R
pensation for the queen, White gives that away But in general Fischer was reluctant to part with

N
as well! 21... xh4 Taking everything in sight. the two bishops. 13.exd5 f5 14.c4 g6 15. c1
If 21...Qxc4 22. Rfe1+ Qe6 23. Rxe6+! fxe6 c5 "Fischer was obviously afraid of sharpening

B B N
24. Bxg6+ Kd7 25. Rd1+ Kc7 26. Bg3+ leads the position by 15...f5 16. c5 f4 17. cxd6 Qxd6

K B R K B N
to a decisive attack. 22. xe6 a6 23. d6+ 18. Bc5 Nxc5 19. Nxc5 but that is what he should
e7 24. c4 xg7 25.g3 xd6 26. xa6 f5 have played, although White’s position would have
It’s a pity that after defending so well Black fal- remained attractive. On the other hand, the at-

R
ters in the absence of a threat. After 26...Rb8 he tempt to blockade the critical c5 square proves il-

R K
R K K N R
could hardly lose with an extra pawn. 27. ab1 f6 lusory, and Black’s game can no longer be saved"
28. fd1+ e7 29. e1+ d6 30. f2 c4 Pitch- – Geller. 16. xc5 dxc5 17.b4 ac8 17...cxb4 al-

N
R R B N Q B R Q B
ing a pawn to squirm out of a potential mating lows 18. Bb6 and c5 with a complete positional

B R R R R B R R
net. 31.g4 e7 32. b7 ag8 33. xc4 d5 bind. 18. b3 d6 19. fd1 e7 20.bxc5 xc5

R K
34. xd5 cxd5 35. b4 c8 36. xa4 xc3 37. 21. xc5 xc5 22. a1 "Without the transfer of

R
a6+ c5 If 37...Rc6 38. Rxc6+ Kxc6 39. Re6+ this rook to b6 it is difficult for White to combine

R R R R R R B
and Rxf6 wins. 38. xf6 h5 39.h3 hxg4 40.hxg4 the threat of winning the b-pawn with the advance

R B R R
h7 41.g5 h5 42. f5 c2+ The sealed move of his d-pawn" – Geller. 22... d8 23. a4 f5

K K R Q Q
and the game was adjourned but White’s con- 24. b4 c8 25. b6 d6 If 25...Rxa5 26. d6

R R K R K R Q R Q
nected pawns are decisive. 43. g3 c4 44. ee5 Qd7 27. Bf3 wins the pawn on b7. 26. b4 c7

K R R Q B
d4 45.g6 h1 46. c5+ d3 47. xc2 xc2 27. xd6 xd6 28. b1 c7 More tenacious is

Q R R Q Q
48. f4 g1 49. g5 Inviting 49...Rxg5 50. Kxg5 28...g6 so that if 29. Qa3 Rxd5! 29. a4 d7
d3 51. g7 d2 52. g8=Q d1=Q 53. Qb3+ Kd7 54. 30. a3 xa5 31. xb7 xb7 32. xa5 g6 "The
Qxd1+ Kxd1 55. f4, etc. Black Resigns. idea conceived in the opening has been carried out,
1-0 so to speak, in its purest form: the two connected
passed pawns in the center are irresistible. All that
◦ Efim Geller
Q K B Q Q B
is required of White now is accuracy" – Geller.
• Bobby Fischer
Q Q B
33.h3 b1+ 34. h2 f5 35. c3 e4 36. f3

K
Candidates Tournament (2) d4 37. xd4 exd4 38.g4 c8 39.c5 a5 40.c6
Curacao f8 41.d6 After this sealed move, Black resigned.
1962 1-0 B92 If 41...Ke8 42. Bd1 Ba6 43. g5 Bb5 44. c7 Bd7 45.
This positional gem shows why Geller was one Ba4 forces the win. Or 41...a4 42. c7 a3 43. Bc6
of the few players in the world with a plus score a2 44. d7 Bxd7 45. Bxd7 a1=Q 46. c8=Q does the
against Fischer (5 wins, 4 losses, 2 draws). "A lit- trick.
tle earlier at the Stockholm Interzonal Fischer had 1-0
tried the flank development of his queen’s bishop
against me but had failed to equalize. It was clear ◦ Fischer, R.
to me that the American grandmaster would not • Bolbochan, J.
simply abandon his favorite variation but would try Interzonal
to find an improvement for Black. And, of course, Stockholm
counter-measures were taken on my part so that his 1962 1-0 B90

N N N N
10th move did not catch me unawares" – Geller. Bolbochan, burdened with a bad bishop against a

B N B
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3 good knight, defends with extreme care but is grad-
a6 6. e2 e5 7. b3 e7 A month later in round ually forced to retreat behind his own lines. Fis-

82
 N
cher’s invasion on the weak squares, culminating hard to meet) 10. bxc5 exd5 11. Qxd5 Ra7 with

N N N N
in a keen combination, is a model of accuracy. even chances. 8. xf6+ gxf6 9.c4 bxc4 By ac-

N B
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3 cepting the pawn Black subjects himself to tremen-

B R
a6 6.h3 c6 Too loosening is 6...e5 7. Nde2 dous pressure. More prudent is 9...Bxe4. 10. xc4

N Q Q B
Be6 8. g4 d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Bg2. 7.g4 xe4 11.O–O d5 12. e1 A hard move to find,
xd4 8. xd4 e5 9. d3 e7 More accurate is but the only one to sustain the initiative. Fischer

N B Q N
9...Be6! so as to retreat the knight to d7 with- gives 12...dxc4 13. Rxe4 Qd5 14. Qf3 e6 as the rel-

N
out hemming in the bishop. 10.g5 d7 11. e3 atively best defense. 12...e5 13. a4+ d7 White

Q R
c5 Better is 11...Bxg5 12. Bxg5 Qxg5 13. Qxd6 gets a bind on 13...Qd7 14. Bb5! axb5 15. Qxa8

B R K N N B N K N K
Qe7 holding White to a minimal edge. 12. d2 Bd6 16. Rxe4! dxe4 17. Qxe4. 14. xe4 dxe4
e6 13.O–O–O O–O 14.f3 c8 15. b1 d7 15. f5 c5 16. g7+ e7 17. f5+ e8 Now

B B
Regrouping. The knight has no future on c5 so Black has lost the option of castling and his de-

B B R N B Q R R R Q
Black tries to post it on b6 where it can leap to c4. fensive task is hopeless. 18. e3 xe3 19.fxe3

Q
16.h4 b5 17. h3 xh3 18. xh3 b6 19. xb6 b6 20. d1 a7 21. d6 d8 Also futile is

N Q Q
xb6 White won the fight for control of d5 and 21...Qxb2 22. Bxf7+! Kd8 23. Qa5+ Kc8 24.

Q B K B
dominates the light colored squares. 20. d5 d8 Ne7+ Kb8 25. Nc6+ Ka8 26. Nxa7, etc. 22. b3
21.f4 It’s instructive to watch how Fischer works c7 23. xf7+ d8 24. e6 The grand old mas-

Q
with threats on both sides of the board to aug- ter has no appetite to continue. If 24...Rb7 25. Qa4

Q Q R R Q R
ment his positional superiority. 21...exf4 22. xf4 Qc8 26. Qa5+ Ke8 27. Qxa6 Kd8 28. Bxd7 Rxd7
d7 23. f5 cd8 24. a3 a7 25. c3 "Ob- 29. Rxd7+ Qxd7 30. Qxf6+ Kc7 31. Qxe5+ Kb8
jectively best is 25. Nxe7+ Qxe7 26. Rxa6 Rfe8 32. Qxh8 is decisive. Black Resigns.
27. a4! But I was hoping to win in the middle 1-0
game. Ironically I wouldn’t have been awarded
the brilliancy prize had I chosen the best line here. ◦ Tal, M.
• Mohrlok, D.
Q Q Q Q
They don’t give medals for endgame technique"

R R N Q R Q
– Fischer. 25...g6 26. g4 d7 27. f3 e6 Varna Olympics
28. c7 de8 29. f4 e5 30. d5 h8 The Bulgaria
queen must cower in the corner. 31.a3 h6 Black de- 1962 1-0 B63
fended a difficult position rather well, but his back "This is the only game I played in 1962 which I felt
is still to the wall. Fischer gives 31...f6 32. Qb3! satisfied about," wrote Tal. Yet like many of his
Rf7 33. Rxd6 fxg5 34. hxg5 Qe5 35. Rf6! Rf8 vintage brilliances it has a murky quality, and one

Q B Q
36. Rxf7 Rxf7 37. Rc8+ Bf8 38. Ne6 and wins. can’t help but wonder how he would have fared had

R
32.gxh6 xh6 33.h5 g5 34.hxg6 fxg6 35. b3 his nemesis, Korchnoi – or a machine – conducted

R K N N N N
xf4 What else? If 35...Kh8 36. Nxg6+ Qxg6 the defense.

R N B
37. Rxg5 Qxg5 38. Qh3+ mates. 36. e5+ f8 1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6
37. xe8+ Now 37...Kxe8 38. Qe6+ Kf8 39. Qc8 5. c3 d6 6. g5 The Rauzer Variation is aimed

Q B
mates. Black Resigns. against the Dragon Variation (6...g6? 7. Bxg6). It

N
1-0 comes and goes out of fashion. 6...e6 7. d2 e7
8.O–O–O O–O 9. b3 Tal-Larsen, 6th match
◦ Fischer, R. game 1969, continued 9. f4 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Qa5
• Najdorf, M.
Q
11. Bc4 Bd7 12. Kb1 Bc6 13. Rhf1 h6 14.
Varna Olympics Bh4 Qh5! with even chances. 9... b6 10.f3 a6
Bulgaria 11.g4 "If 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Qxd6 Bg5+ with

R B Q N
1962 1-0 B90 a good attack. I don’t like to win such pawns"
Here the originator of the Najdorf Variation en- – Tal. 11... d8 12. e3 c7 13.g5 d7 14.h4
counters some surprising and effective tactics. Af- b5 15.g6 fxg6 "I played this pawn sacrifice in
ter only 24 moves he is bound hand and foot, a previous games and Mohrlok was obviously pre-

N N N N
victim of Fischer’s supreme artistry. pared and replied very quickly," wrote Tal. "In a
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3 practice game a few years ago my chess trainer
a6 6.h3 A recommendation of Weaver Adams, au- Koblenz played 15...hxg6 but then White quickly

N B
thor of a controversial pamphlet in the 1940s enti- broke through along the h-file with 16. h5 gxh5
tled "White to play and win." 6...b5 7. d5 b7 17. Rxh5 Nf6 18. Rh1 d5 19. e5! Nxe5 20.

R N R
Black’s troubles begin here. Better is 7...Nxe4 Qh2 Kf8 21. Qh8+! Ng8 22. Bf4 Bd6 23. Rh7."
8. Qf3 Nc5 9. b4 e6 (if 9...Nb7 10. Qc3! is 16.h5 gxh5 17. xh5 f6 18. g5 "White wants

83
to switch the attack between the h and g files ac-
cording to Black’s defense, so he posts one rook
on each file, with the queen supporting from be-
N
hind" – Tal. Now 18...b4! 19. Na4 Rb8 would
Q B B
deny White’s knight access later to d5. 18... e5
19. g2 f8 20. e2 "Mohrlok had played very
rapidly 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 but
N B
then comes 20...h6! 21. Rg3 Nh5 22. Rh3 Nf4
N R R R R
winning the Exchange" – Tal. 20... c4 21. xc4
bxc4 22. d4 b8 23. h1 b7 24. h6 "The
strongest move in the game. White’s main idea is
to play f4-f5 to create a knight outpost at d5, or al-
K Q
ternatively f4 and e5 to drive Black’s knight away
R Q N
from the protection of the h-pawn" – Tal. 24... f7
25. h4 b6 26. d1 "The knight goes on the
Q R
defense, but only temporarily. Black’s queen has
R
to move again" – Tal. 26... c7 27.f4 h6 28. g6
e8 The only chance is 28...Ke8 though 29. f5 e5
N Q
30. Ne6 Bxe6 31. fxe6 (menacing Rxf6) still at-
tacks with full force. 29.f5 e5 30. c3 d8 What
N
else? If 30...exd4 31. Rxf6+! gxf6 32. Nd5 threat-
ens both the queen and Qg6 mate. 31. c6 Black
Resigns.
1-0
◦ Littlewood, N.
• Botvinnik, M.
Hastings
England
1962 0-1 B75
White launches a blitz attack against his renowned
opponent which narrowly fails to a very fine sav-
ing clause. As Botvinnik remarked at the time, it
seemed that White had a 50-50 chance of success.
N N N N
B B B B B
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
Q N
g6 6. e3 g7 7.f3 a6 8. c4 b5 9. b3 b7
10. d2 bd7 Black keeps his king in the center
as long as possible until White declares himself.
His queenside maneuvers are designed to discour-
age White from castling on that wing. Black got
the worst of it after 10...h5 11. a4 b4 12. Na2
N K N
a5 13. c3 (Bisguier-Reshevsky, 2nd match game
1957). 11.O–O–O c5 12. b1 xb3 13.cxb3
Capturing away from the center is frowned on be-
cause the resulting pawn configuration gives Black
a won king and pawn ending – if he ever get there.
A big if. On 13. axb3 Qc7 followed by O-O-
B B Q N
O solves Black’s opening problems. 13...O–O
14. h6 xh6 15. xh6 b4 16.e5 This gamble
meets with a stinging refutation. Better is 16.
Na4 e5 17. Nc2 a5 18. Ne3 to gain control of
84
N
d5. 16... d7 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 a
new Saint George arising to slay the Dragon. Even
many of the other masters were taken in and gath-
ered around White’s position, which was viewed
with a mixture of amazement and envy. As Botvin-
nik sat calmly at the board – and even adjusted his
N
tie – while Littlewood’s head remained buried in
his hands, doubts began to arise." 19.hxg6 f6
20.bxc3 Now White remains a piece down and is
desperate. He intended 20. Nf5 but saw the catch
K R Q Q
after 20...c2+! 21. Kxc2 Qc8+ followed by Qxf5.
N Q N K R R
20...exd4 21.gxh7+ h8 22. xd4 a5 23. e3
Q N R R
d5 24. d2 xc3+ 25. a1 ad8 26. c1
xa2+ 27. xa2 xa2 28. xd8 xd8 An anti-
brilliancy! White Resigns.
0-1
◦ O’Kelly, A.
• Penrose, J.
Varna Olympics
Bulgaria
1962 1/2-1/2 B49
Some draws are more fascinating than many a de-
cisive game; this is one of the most unusual draws
on record. Black’s superlative defensive play is re-
warded when he marches his king into enemy ter-
N N N
rain and lives to tell the tale.
1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 e6 This
used to be considered inferior on account of 5. Nb5
d6 6. Bf4 when e5 saddles Black with a hole on
N Q B
d5. However, this weakness is offset by White’s
loss of time with the knight. 5. c3 c7 6. e2
More flexible is 6. Be3 reserving the option of go-
N B B N
ing directly to d3 with this bishop. 6...a6 7.O–O
f6 8. e3 b4 9. xc6 Pressure against his e-
pawn compels White to simplify – or to specu-
B
late with 9. Na4!? (see Koehler-Evans, 1968).
9...bxc6 10. d3 Now the drawback of 6. Be2 can
be 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-
B B R
Taimanov, Buenos Aires 1960). 10...d5 11.exd5
Q B
cxd5 12. d4 e7 13. e1 O–O Castling into it
R R R R Q
"sans peur ni reproche" – O’Kelly. 14. f3 b7
15. e3 fe8 16. ae1 ad8 17. h3 Preparing
N Q B
a massive attack. Only timely countermeasures
will save Black. 17... e4 18. h5 f6 Again the
only 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. xe4 White
B Q
has nothing more than a draw after 20. Rxe4 dxe4
21. Bxf6 gxf6 22. Bxe4 f5. 19... xd4 20. xh7+
 B N
"White must go for the sacrifice since 20. Ng5 h6 6. c4 which many players using the Taimanov

K N K R K Q N N N B
21. Rh3 Qf4 gives Black the initiative" – Pen- Variation would rather not face. 5. d3 f6

N K B K B K
rose. 20... xh7 21. f6+ h6 22. h3+ g5 6.O–O c7 7. d2 c6 8. xc6 bxc6 9.f4 c5+

N N
23. h7+ g4 24. e2+ f4 25. d3 White has 10. h1 d6 More consistent is 10...d5 but that’s an-

N B Q B K B
nothing better. If 25. Rh4+ Ke5 escapes the mating other story. 11. f3 e5 12.fxe5 dxe5 13. h4 O–O

K B K B K N
net. Or 25. Bh5! Bxf2+ 26. Kxf2 Qxc2+ 27. Kg1 14. f5 e6 15. e2 a5 16. c4 h8 17. g5

R N
Qxh7! 25... g4 26. e2+ f4 27. d3 g4 d7 Virtually forced. Not 17...Ne8 18. Bxe6 fxe6
It’s hard to believe White has nothing better than a 19. Qc4! exf5 20. Qxc5, etc. 18. ad1 b6
repetition. If 28. Kf1 Bxf2! 29. Kxf2 Qf4+ is the White gets a break. After 18...Bxf5 19. exf5 f6

N B
saving clause. he would retain an edge but it’s hardly enough to

B B
1/2-1/2 win. 19. xg7 xc4 Forced. On 19...Kxg7 20.
Bf6+ Kg8 21. Qh5 wins. 20. f6 e7 Also futile

Q
is 20...Nd7 21. Rxd7! Or 20...Bxe2 21. Nf5+ Kg8
◦ Lutikov, A.
22. Nh6 mate. 21. f3 If 21...Bxf6 22. Qxf6 Nd7
• Klavins, J.
23. Rxd7! clinches matters. Black Resigns.
Team Championship
1-0
USSR
1962 1-0 B48
◦ Spassky, B.
Black is stalked relentlessly after a rather minor
• Ciric, D.
slip in the opening. The result is a textbook model
Student Team Championship
N N N N
that illustrates the power of the initiative.
Czechoslovakia
Q B N Q
1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 e6 5. c3
1962 1-0 B29
c7 6. e3 a6 7.a3 b5 8. xc6 xc6 Gligoric-
Good defense can be just as exciting and exhaust-
Darga, Sarajevo 1962, continued 8...dxc6 9. Be2
ing as attack. Not convinced? Follow Spassky’s
B B
Bb7 10. O-O c5 11. f4 Be7 12. Bf3 Nf6 13. e5
thoughts in the days before he became World
B Q B Q R
Rd8 14. Qe1 Nd5 with equal chances. 9. e2 b7
N N N N
Champion.
10. f3 c7 11.e5 c8 12.O–O xf3 13. xf3
1.e4 c5 2. f3 f6 3.e5 d5 4. c3 e6 For
B B B
d6 If 13...Qxe5 14. Qb7 regains the pawn favor-
4...Nxc3 see Gurgenidze-Lein 1967. White gets
ably. 14.exd6 xd6 15. d4 xh2+ Snap-
N N B
the edge after 4...Nc7 5. d4 cxd4 6. Qxd4! Nc6
K B N Q
ping the bait. 15...Nf6 16. h3 Be7 maintains par-
Q Q
7. Qe4. 5. xd5 exd5 6.d4 c6 7.dxc5 xc5
ity. 16. h1 e5 17. d5 b8 Not 17...exd5?
B B K R
8. xd5 b6 The most aggressive choice in this
B Q N
18. Bxe5 Qxe5 19. Rfe1 pinning the queen. The
B N N
risky line. 9. c4 xf2+ 10. e2 O–O 11. f1
R R R R N Q
next sequence is forced. 18. xe5 xe5 19. b6
c5 12. g5 xe5 Black remains a pawn down
Q Q Q K N K
d8 20. ad1 xd1 21. xd1 f5 22. d7 e4
on 12...Nd4+ 13. Kd1 Ne6 14. c3. The idea be-
23. g3 e2 24. b8+ f7 25. e5+ f6 The
hind the text is to swiftly mobilize his forces with
king seems to have reached safety and Black has
White’s king stranded in the middle of the board. It
Q K
some nasty threats of his own. However, he still
nearly works. "This was a surprise indeed! Need-
Q N Q K
has no time to draw a free breath. 26. f8+ xe5
less to say, I was far from a state of tranquillity.
27. xg7+ f6 28. g3+ e4 No avail is 28...f4
It isn’t much pleasure coping with special analy-
K R R K Q
29. Qg5+ Ke4 30. f3+ Ke3 31. Qc5 mate. 29.f3+
sis, carefully thought out in a calm atmosphere at
e3 30. e1 f4 31. xe2+ xe2 32. xf4 Black
home. Even if this analysis has a slight inaccu-
Resigns.
racy, finding it during a vital game where time for
1-0
thinking is limited isn’t easy at all. No wonder I

Q
pondered over my reply for exactly an hour before
◦ Stein, L. making up my mind" – Spassky. 13. xe5 "Un-
• Portisch, L. questionably the most crucial moment of the game.
Interzonal By accepting the sacrifice I had to live up to his
Stockholm bold challenge. 13. Nxf7 Nxf7 14. Rxf7 Qe6+
1962 1-0 B42 15. Qxe6 gave me a somewhat better ending and
One careless move costs Black the game when he a guarantee against all unpleasantness, but a deci-

N N Q
overlooks a sparkling twist. Remarkable. sion of this kind would have been equal to back-
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 a6 Black’s ing out of the fight" – Spassky. 13...d5 14. xd5

R
move order is quite deliberate. 4...Nc6 allows "Analyzing 14. Bxd5 Bg4+ took up most of my
White to set up a Maroczy Bind after 5. Nb5 d6 time but I finally rejected it" – Spassky. 14... e8+

85
 K Q K B R
15. f3 f6+ 16. g3 d6+ 17. f4 "Evidently
this reply was overlooked by my rival in the anal-
ysis he made at home. He probably reckoned only
B
on 17. Bf4 after which 17...Re3+ would bring
him victory" – Spassky. 17... e6 "It is impos-
sible to see how Black can keep up the dying flame
N R Q Q R R
of attack because of the danger to f7" – Spassky.
18. xe6 xe6 19. xd6 g6+ 20. g4 e3+
After 20...Rxd6 21. Rxg6 Rxg6+ 22. Kf2 it be-
B R
comes only a matter of time before the power of the
Q K R R R B Q
two bishops against a rook will be felt. 21. xe3
R R K R K
xd6+ 22. f2 e8 23. f4 e7 24. b3 e5
B
25. e1 g5 26. f3 g7 27. d1 f6 28. g1 g4
29. d4 "We found out after the match that the
piece sacrifice had been prepared by the Yugoslavs
especially for this contest with the Soviets. But the
surprise, as you can see, had both its merits and
demerits" – Spassky. Black Resigns.
1-0
◦ Keres, P.
• Fischer, R.
Candidates Tournament (14)
Curacao
1962 1/2-1/2 B20
Keres is strategically outplayed but manages to
neutralize White’s advantage when the game is ad-
journed. Fischer then refuses a draw and makes
progress in the ending until Keres finds an inge-
N B B
nious saving resource.
N Q
1.e4 c5 2. e2 d6 3.g3 g6 4. g2 g7 5.O–O Bet-
N Q K
ter is the immediate 5. c3 Nc6 6. d4. 5... c6 6.c3
e5 7.d3 ge7 8.a3 Fischer calls this a "lemon."
Better is 8. Be3 to strive for d4. 8...O–O
9.b4 b6 10.f4 exf4 11.gxf4 d5 12.e5 "Poker-faced,
as always, Keres made this move as though it
were the most natural one on the board. But
it was the last thing he wanted to do, since it
B B Q K
exposes the poverty of White’s strategy" – Fis-
N N
cher. 12... g4 13.h3 xe2 14. xe2 f6 15.b5
R N N R
a5 16. d2 Fischer suggests 16. Ra2 instead.
N R Q R R
16...fxe5 17.fxe5 xf1+ 18. xf1 b3 19. b1
xc1 20. xc1 c7 21. e1 d8 "Despite the
drawing tendencies of the opposite- colored bish-
ops, White has a difficult game; he’s weak on all
N N
the squares and his king is somewhat exposed"
– Fischer. 22. h2 d4 23.cxd4 cxd4 24. f3
B Q K Q N
24. Ng4! Rf8 25. Rf1 would lead to equal-
ity. 24... h6 25. a2+ h8 26. e6 d5 Hop-
N N B R N B
ing for 27. Nxd4? Qc5 but 26...Nf5! is bet-
N B N B R B
ter. 27. h2 e3 28. c6 f8 29. f3 f4
Q Q K Q K Q
30. xd4 xe5 31. f3 d4 32. xe3 xe3+
K K
33. xe3 g3+ 34. f1 xh3+ 35. e1 f5
36.d4 g7 37. f2 "The right plan – the king
86
K Q K
must stay on the kingside to blockade Black’s
R Q K
pawns" – Fischer. 37...h5 38. g3 g4+ 39. h2
f4 40. e7+ h6 "The game was adjourned and
Keres sealed his move. Upon resuming the next
day, he offered me a draw, which I rejected...I felt
no harm could come from continuing since there
was little danger of losing. Besides, winning this
game would still have put me in contention for
Q Q Q K
first place even as late as round 14, the halfway
K R K Q
mark" – Fischer. 41. e2 f5 42. e3 g5 43. g2
g4+ 44. f2 f4 45. g2 c2+ "Beginning a
series of exploratory checks to see if White goes to
the wrong square. For instance 46. Kg3? Rg4+
K Q K Q K Q
47. Kh3 Qg2 mate. Hope springs eternal!" – Fis-
K Q K K K K
cher. 46. h1 b1+ 47. h2 a2+ 48. h3 f7
R K R Q N Q
49. h2 f6 50. g2 g7 51. g3 h4+ 52. g2
N
g4+ 53. h1 g3 54. e4 g4 55. h2 g5
56. f1 "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 still
hold a draw with 56. Qe5+! Qxe5 57. dxe5
R
(threatening Bd7) Rxa3 58. Nxg4, etc." – Fis-
K R B
cher. 56... h3+ The winning line is 56...Rxa3!
R B Q
immediately. 57. g1 xa3 58.d5 g3 59. d7
a1 60. f5 f6 "I must confess that I still ex-
Q R R
pected to win. But now Keres really starts to find
Q K
moves!" – Fischer. 61. f4 e1 62.d6 e5 An-
R K R B
other winning try is 62...Kf7. 63. g4+ f8 64.d7
d5 65. g2 xd7 66. xd7 "I thought this was
a mistake at the time, but that he was lost anyway.
K Q K
Keres, however, has seen just one move further"
Q K Q K
– Fischer. 66... f2+ 67. h3 xf1+ 68. xh4
Q
g2 69. b4+ f7 70. b3+ g7 71. g3+ h7
"Now I was sure I had him" – Fischer. 72. e5
"What’s this? He makes no attempt to stop me
from queening!? Gradually my excitement sub-
Q
sided. The more I studied the position, the more I
B Q
realized Black had no win" – Fischer. 72... h1+
Q Q
73. h3 xh3+ On 73...g1=Q 74. Qh5+ Kg7 75.
K Q K Q
Qg6+! Kxg6 stalemate. 74. xh3 g1= 75. e7+
h8 76. f8+ h7 77. f7+ Draw.
1/2-1/2
◦ Tal, M.
• Keres, P.
Candidates Tournament
Curacao
1962 0-1 C96
Clashes between these two titans are always mem-
orable. A few rounds later, plauged by illness, Tal
was forced to withdraw, paving the way for Pet-
N N B B N
rosian to become Botvinnik’s challenger.
B R B N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O
e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 O–O 8.c3 d6 9.h3 a5
 B
N N N
Later 9...Nd7 achieved some popularity. 10. c2 how he conducts the defense. Tal altered the nor-
c5 11.d4 d7 12. bd2 cxd4 13.cxd4 c6 14.a3 mal flow of events with a surprising piece sacrifice

N N N N
In an earlier round Tal tried 14. Nb3 a5 15. Be3 on move 15, probably a prepared variation.

B B Q Q
a4 and Keres reached equality. A better approach 1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3

N N N B B N B
is 14. d5 Nb4 15. Bb1 a5 16. a3 Na6 17. b4! a6 6. g5 e6 7.f4 e7 8. f3 c7 9.O–O–O
14...exd4 15. b3 de5 16. fxd4 f6 17. d2 bd7 10.g4 b5 11. xf6 Fischer wrote: "Glig-

N N N N
Prelude to disaster. Simpler is 17. Nxc6 Nxd6 oric and I have a standing feud with this posi-
18. f4. 17... xd4 18. xd4 d3 19. c6 Try- tion, which we reached no less than three times. I
ing to avoid 19. Bxd3 Bxd4 20. Rb1 Qf6 with lost twice and drew once with Black." Bernstein-

N Q
pressure. But now Black springs a surpising com- Fischer, USA Championship 1958 continued 11.
bination. 19... xf2 20. f3 No better is 20. Qh5 Bg2 Bb7 12. Rhe1 b4 13. Nd5!? exd5 14. exd5

N N
Nxh3+ 21. Kh2 g6; or 20. Nxd8 Nxd1 21. Nxf7 Kf8 15. Nf5 Re8 and Black (for a change) won.

N K B N
Bd4+ 22. Kh2 Nxb2; if 20. Kxf2 Qb6+ 21. Be3 11... xf6 12.g5 d7 13.a3 Careless is 15. Bh3?

R N N B Q
Qxc6 wins. 20... xh3+ 21. h2 e5+ 22. xe5 b4! 16. Nce2 Bb7 and Black already assumes

R Q K N B B B
dxe5 23. ed1 f4 24.g3 e6 25. c3 g5 26. the initiative (Smyslov-Fischer, Candidates’ 1959).

R N K
d6 h6+ 27. g1 d4 Winning material. Now 13... b7 14. h3 O–O–O 15. xe6 Highly spec-

K R R K B B
White is clearly lost. 28. xh6 xf3+ 29. f2 ulative. Gligoric-Fischer, Candidates’ 1959 went

B R R R B
gxh6 30. xf3 e8 31. h1 g7 32. b3 b7 15. f5!? Bxg5+ 16. Kb1 e5 17. Ndxb5 axb5

K B K B R
33. d2 f5 34. xh6 ad8 35. b6 xe4+ 18. Nxb5 and now Fischer gives 18...Qb6! (in-

R R K R N Q
36. e2 f3+ 37. e1 f4 38. c3 fxg3 39. xa6 stead of his Qc5) 19. Nxd6+ Kc7 20. Nxf7 Bf6
d4 40. a7+ h6 41. f7 and White Resigns with even chances. 15...fxe6 16. xe6 c4 Flus-

N
without waiting for 41...Rf4. tered, Gligoric finds a square where the queen turns

B K
0-1 out to be maladjusted. Better is 16...Qb6! 17. d5
xd5 18.exd5 b7 Slightly better is 18...Kb8

Q R N R Q R Q
19. b3 Qc8 and if 20. Nd4 Ka8 holds. 19.b3
◦ Gufeld, E.
N K Q K Q N
c8 20. d3 b6 21. c3 d7 22. c7+ xc7
• Kavalek, L.
R R
23. xc7 xc7 24. c3+ b8 25. xg7 c8
?
26. e1 dg8 Black can offer only token resis-
Marianske Lazne
tance in view of his pawn deficit. On 25...Rhg8
1962 0-1 C64
Q B R R
27. Qxh7 Rh8 28. Rxe7 is good enough to
A sharp opening leads to a remarkable setting, with
R R Q R R R
win. 27. d4 d8 28. e6 f8 29.h4 h6 30.g6
a Bishop and swarm of pawns overcoming two
Q B R K
hg8 31.h5 f5 32. e4 xh5 33. e8 xe8
N N B B
Rooks.
B K B R
34. xe8 f6 35.c4 bxc4 36.bxc4 h3 37. d2
N B N Q Q
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 c5 4.c3 f5 5.d4
R K R K
c3+ 38. c2 d4 39.f5 xa3 40.c5 dxc5 41.d6
N N K
fxe4 6. g5 b6 7.d5 e3 8. e4 h4 9. f3
a2+ 42. d3 a3+ 43. c4 Black Resigns.
B B Q Q B K
f6 10. xf6+ gxf6 11.dxc6 exf2+ 12. d1 dxc6
1-0
B B K B B
13. e2 e6 14. h5+ xh5 15. xh5+ e7

R N B B R R
16.b3 d5 17. a3+ e6 18. g4+ f5 19. h3
◦ Miguel Najdorf
hg8 20. d2 xg2 21. xg2 xg2 22. f1
• Paul Keres
Black is winning – 22.Nc4 (22.Ke2 f1Q+ wins
Piatigorsky Cup (12)
R K R
back the piece) Rg1+ 23.Ke2 Rag8 24.Nxb6
Santa Monica
K B R B R
Rxh1 25.Rxh1 Rg1. 22... d8 23. e2 xd2+
1963 1-0
B R K R R
24. xd2 e4 25. f8 f4 26.b4 g5 27. c5 xc5
The strongest international tournament in America
B K
28.bxc5 xc5 29. ab1 f5 30. b4 f3 31. d4
since New York 1924 and 1927, or Dallas 1957.
xd4 32.cxd4 f4 White Resigns.
Keres and Petrosian shared first in a double round
0-1
robin ahead of Najdorf, Olafsson, Reshevsky,
Gligoric, Benko and Panno. Bobby Fischer didnŠt
◦ Tal, M. go because the organizers rejected his demand for a
• Gligoric, S. 2, 000appearancef ee, butheopinedthatN ajdorf spositionalwizard

B N
Moscow 1.d4 e6 2.c4 Rejecting an invitation to transpose
USSR into a French Defense with 2. e4. 2... b4+ 3. c3

N B N
1963 1-0 B99 f5 Transposing into a Dutch Defense but the bishop
Since Gligoric himself was an arch exponent of the on b4 is misplaced. 4.e3 f6 5. d3 O–O 6. e2
White side of this opening, it is interesting to watch d6 7.O–O "White could play 7. a3 obligating the

87

exchange of BlackŠs bishop. However, why lose a
tempo 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-
N B
oped minor piece is headed for the long diagonal.
8... c6 9. b2 e5 A strategic error which opens
the game too early before Black is fully ready for
N B N
combat. Better is 9...Ba5 or Qe7. 10.dxe5 dxe5
11. d5! e6 12. g3 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 you
N B
must opening the position even if you have to sacri-
B N
fice." – Najdorf 13... xd5 14.cxd5 xd5 15.fxe5
e6 16. e2 "The knight has accomplished its
purpose at g3 and is now looking for a better
strategic square. WhiteŠs play is very clear. He
must remove the bishop on e6 and weaken the de-
N N Q Q
fense of blackŠs king. The bishop on b4 is use-
less." – Najdorf 16... e7 17. f4 d8 18. f3
R R B B
"Now is the time for the heavy artillery." – Najdorf
N N Q R
18... c8 19. ad1 a6 20. c4! xc4 21.bxc4
f7 22.e6 g5 23. d5 c6 "The difference in
action of the two bishops must now be compared.
If 23...Qc7 24. e7+ Rf7 25. Qd8+ winning. If
Q N Q K Q
23...Ne4 24. Qe5 Nf6 25. Nd5 or Rd7 wins." –
K Q
Najdorf 24. e5 xe6 25. h8+ f7 26. xh7+
K N K
e8 27. xe7+ Simplicity itself. 27. Qxg6+ Qf7
N N R
wins more slowly. 27... xe7 28. xg6+ e8
R B B R R
29. xf8 xf8 30. xf5 b5 31.cxb5 axb5 32.h4
a6 33. a3 xa3 34. xa3 xa3 35. xc5
Black Resigned. White has an overwhelming ma-
terial preponderance.
1-0
◦ Saidy, A.
• Bednarsky, B.
Tel Aviv
Israel
1964 1-0 E81
White launched an intricate combination only be-
cause, at the time, he believed his position to be
inferior. Saidy criticizes his own sacrifice – but it
turns out to be sounder than his faith in it. Paul
Keres noted: "Although not a model performance,
I nevertheless like this game and the original con-
clusion very much. I think most chess fans will
N B N N
too."
B Q
1.c4 g6 2. c3 g7 3.d4 f6 4.e4 d6 5.f3 c6
6. e3 a6 7. d2 b5 This anti-Saemisch system
was worked out by Robert Byrne. Instead of pas-
sively waiting for White to mount a kingside at-
88
B N N
tack, Black mounts a rapid diversion on the queen-
B N B
side. 8. d3 bd7 9. ge2 O–O 10.O–O bxc4 A
N B R N R
good alternative is 10...e5. 11. xc4 b6 12. b3
a5 13. a4 a6 14. fc1 fd7 15. c2 "The
Black pawn on c6 is backward, but capturing it by
15. Rxc6 would give him strong play via 15...Bb5
16. Nxb6 Nxb6 17. R6c1 a4. But now my seren-
N
ity is destroyed by the next move" – Saidy. 15...c5
16. xc5 Without this sacrifice Black stands well
after 16. dxc5 Nxa4 17. Bxa4 Nxc5. "I pon-
dered for 40 valuable minutes, appalled by my
own disjointed pieces and the fact Black has so
swiftly 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 long
gestation period)" – Saidy. 16...dxc5 17.dxc5 a4
B
Tougher to meet is 17...Nc8 18. Rd1 Bxe2 19.
R B
Qxe2 Qc7 with a hard fight in the offing. 18. xf7+
xf7 19.cxb6 xe2 The best practical chance.
Saidy was pessimistic about 19...a3 but White has
Q
no reason to complain after 20. Rd1 axb2 21. Nc3.
N R Q
20. xe2 Even stronger is 20. b7! Rb8 21. Rac1
Ba6 22. Rc8. 20... xb6 21. d1 b8 The deci-
sive error in a flawed contest. Correct is 21...Nd7!
Q N R R Q
22. Rcd2 e6 and if 23. Qb5 Qb8 saves the piece.
22. b5 c8 23. d8+ f8 24. d5+ If 24...Kh8
25. Rxf8+ Bxf8 26. Bd4+ is a killer. Black Re-
signs.
1-0
◦ Bronstein, D.
• Larsen, B.
?
Amsterdam
1964 0-1 E73
In the 1960’s, the Soviet chess hegemony was
threatened first by Bobby Fischer and then by
Danish Grandmaster Bent Larsen. Fischer’s dis-
putes with organizers over playing conditions kept
him out of world championship competition for a
decade, but Larsen produced a series of tournament
victories unmatched since Alekhine, including a tie
for first with Spassky, Smyslov and Tal in the 1964
Interzonal. In this game, Bronstein adopts a very
aggressive continuation against the King’s Indian
Defense, but Larsen combines defense and coun-
N N B B
terattack to take the point.
B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5. e2
O–O 6. g5 c5 7.d5 White has a space advan-
B
tage, but Black has opened the long diagonal for
his Bishop at g7. 7...e6 8. f3 h6 9. f4 Most ex-
R N
perts prefer 9.Bd2, for reasons that will be seen
in the next note. 9...exd5 10.exd5 e8 11. d2
Naturally White would prefer to castle, but then
 N B Q N
11...Ne4 12.Nxe4 Rxe4 would gain a tempo by at- 10. Bxf6 gxf6 11. O-O Qxd4 12. Qxb4 Nc6
tacking the Bf4. 11... h5 12. g3 Not 12.Be3 13. Qb3 White stands better. 10. xc3 xe4

N Q Q R B
Rxe3! 13.fxe3 Qh4+ 14.g3 Nxg3 15.Nf3 Qh3, Underestimating the reply. The best chance is

B N B N Q
and Black has more than enough for the Exchange. 10...Qe5. 11. b5 c5 12. xg7 f8 13. h6

B R B R N K N R N B Q
12... g4 13.O–O xg3 14.hxg3 xe2 15. xe2 xf2+ A better defensive try is 13...Nd7 14. Rc1

R
xb2 16. b1 g7 17. xb7 d7 Now Black a6. 14. d1 d7 15. e1 ef6 16. xe6 xb2
threatens to trap the Rook with ... Nb6 and ...Qc8. If 16...fxe6 17. Rxe6+ Kd8 18. Qe7 mate. 17. c1

N
Rather than retreat it, White tries to use its ac- Piquant. 17...fxe6 still allows mate-in-two. And

N R B N B
tive position on the 7th rank for attack. 18. f4 if 17...Qxb5 18. Bc4+ snares the queen. Finally
b6 19. e1 c3 20. e4 xe1 Now Black has 17...Kd8 18. Bxd7! Kxd7 19. Qxf8 is crushing.
a large material advantage, but his King is poorly Black Resigns.

N B
defended, and White threatens to break through 1-0
with a Knight sacrifice at e6 or g6. 21. e6 xf2+
Luring the King to f2 so that Black will have a sav-
◦ Foguelman, A.
ing check on the f-file in some variations. Hopeless
• Bronstein, D.
K
is 21...fxe6 22.Qg4 Re7 23.Qxg6+ Kf8 24.Nf6, and
Interzonal
Q R K R Q
if 24...Rxb7 25.Qg8+ Ke7 26.Qg7++. 22. xf2
Amsterdam
fxe6 23. g4 f8+ 24. g1 f6 25. h3 This is
1964 0-1 D25
quickly refuted by a counterattack. The position
Bronstein’s speculative pawn sacrifice in the open-
remains unclear after 25.dxe6; one amusing vari-
ing pays dividends when Foguelman allows his
ation (not forced) is 25...Qf8 26.e7 Rf1+ 27.Kh2
queen to be cut off from the scene of action. Such
Qf5 28.Qxf5 Rxf5 29.Rxa7!, and Black must ac-
gambles, however, don’t succeed that often against
cede to a draw by 29...Rb8 30.Rb7 Ra8 31.Rxb6
N N B
precise defense.
Re5 32.Nf6+ Kf7 33.e8Q+ Raxe8 34.Nxe8 Rxe8
B Q
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3. f3 f6 4.e3 g4 More
Q N
35.Rxd6 Re4, since the Black Rook has no safe
popular is 4...e6 5. Bxc4 c5. 5. xc4 e6 6. b3
square on the 8th rank. 25... f8 26. g5 The ap-
B
The acid test, exploiting the absence of the bishop
parently dangerous 26.Nxf6+ Qxf6 27.Qxh6 fails
from the queenside. 6... xf3 7.gxf3 c5 Black
R K R N R Q
to 27...Qd4+ 29.Kh2 Qh8, pinning the Queen.
doesn’t want to weaken his queenside with 7...b6
N R
26... f1+ 27. h2 f5 28. xe6 h5 29. xh5
Q N
or lose time defending the pawn with 7...Qc8.
gxh5 30. xf8 xf8 White Resigns.
8. xb7 bd7 Should Black get away with this
0-1
gambit? White’s kingside is a shambles and his

B
queen has been plunged out of play; but he has the
◦ Averbach, Y.
two bishops, and a pawn is a pawn. 9.dxc5 xc5
• Estrin, Y.
10.f4 O–O 11.O–O An inaccuracy. Much safer is
Moscow Championship
N
11. Nc3 to prevent the next move which bars the
USSR
R
queen from returning to the queenside. 11... d5
1964 1-0 D39
12. d1 Loss of time. Necessary is 12. Bxd5 Rb8
Prepared variations play an increasing role in mod-
R Q
13. Qa6 exd5 14. Qe2 returning the queen to the
ern competition now that huge databases are read-
Q N R Q N N
home front where it is needed. 12... b8 13. c6
ily available to all players. In this game White’s
h4 14. c3 b6 15. xd7 xf4 16. e2 Alas,
novelty on move nine, prepared at home, poses ma-
there is nothing better. If 16. Bf1 (16. exf4 Qxf2+
N N B B N
jor problems.
N
17. Kh1 Qf3 mate) 16...Qg4+ 17. Kh1 Qf3+ 18.
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. f3 f6 4. g5 b4+ 5. c3
K N R N R
Kg1 e5! swinging the rook to g6. 16... h3+
dxc4 The Vienna Variation gives rise to tricky
Q
17. g2 xf2 18. d4 g4 19. f4 If 19. Rxg4
complications where Black tries to profit from the
K B B B
Qxg4+ 20. Ng3 Qxc4 wins material. 19... xh2+
B
absence of the c1-bishop on the queenside. 6.e4
20. f1 xe3 21. d5 xf4 Inviting 22. Bxf4
c5 7. xc4 The main line is 7. e5 cxd4 8. Qa4+
Qf2 mate. White Resigns.
N Q
Nc6 9. O-O-O (Fine- Euwe, AVRO 1938. 7...cxd4
0-1
8. xd4 c7 Meets with a stunning rebuttal. Al-
ternatives are 8...Bxc3+ or Nbd7 or 8...Qa5 9. Bxf6
Bxc3+ 10. bxc3 Qxc3+ 11. Kf1 Qxc4+ 12. Kg1 ◦ Velimirovic, M.
• Sofrevsky, J.
Q B
O-O 13. Qg4 g6 (Trifunovic-Gligoric, Mar Del
Plata 1953). 9. b3 xc3+ On 9...Nxe4 10. Qxb4 Yugoslav Championship
Nxg5 11. O-O threatens h4. And on 9...Qc5 Belgrade

89

1964 1-0 B89
Sacrificing 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 to
N N N N
the drawing board.
B N B B Q
1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 e6 5. c3
d6 6. e3 f6 7. c4 e7 8. e2 This system is
Q B N
Velimirovic’s lasting contribution to opening the-
N Q
ory. 8...a6 9.O–O–O c7 10. b3 a5 11.g4
b5 12.g5 xb3+ Careless is 12...Nd7? 13. Bxe6!
fxe6 14. Nxe6 Qc6 15. Nxg7+. The second player
N N
must guard against this stock attack. 13.axb3
d7 14. f5 The only try for an advantage, oth-
erwise Black’s solid position coupled with the two
bishops must be assessed as favorable. The Trojan
Horse must be accepted. If 14...Bf8 (for 14...b4 see
Medina-Pomar, 1969) 15. Bd4! exf5 16. exf5+
N Q
Kd8 17. Rhe1 Qa5 18. Nd5 wins. 14...exf5
15. d5 d8 16.exf5 O–O The best defense is
16...Bb7! The last word has yet to be uttered
on this remarkable line. 17.f6 gxf6 There’s no
way to return the piece gracefully. If 17...Nxf6
B N
18. gxf6 Bxf6 19. Bb6 Qd7 20. Nxf6+ gxf6
B R B N
21. Rhg1+ yields a winning attack. 18. d4 e5
B Q
19.gxf6 xf6 20. hg1+ g7 Equally unappetiz-
N K
ing is 20...Kh8 21. Bb6. 21. xe5 dxe5 22. xe5
f6 23. e7+ f7 A prettier finish is 23...Kh8
Q N Q
24. Rxd8 fxe5 25. Rxf8+ Bxf8 26. Rg8 mate.
24. h5+ Mate is not far away after 24...Kxe7 25.
Rxg7+. Black Resigns.
1-0
◦ Velimirovic, M.
• Nikolic, P.
Belgrade
Yugoslavia
1964 1-0 B89
A seminal game which brought young Velimovic
and his novel attacking system to the attention of
the chess world. In an exhibition of daring and in-
genuity, he sacrifices a rook and knight to rip open
N N N N
the position.
N B B B Q
1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6
Q B N R
5. c3 d6 6. c4 e6 7. e3 e7 8. e2 O–O
9.O–O–O c7 10. b3 a6 11.g4 xd4 Elimi-
R
nating the bishop by 11...Na5 is more stubborn.
12. xd4 Velimirovic-Galjovic, Belgrade 1966,
featured a curious finish after 12. Bxd4 b5? 13.
N Q Q
g5 Nd7 14. Qh5 Nc5 15. Rhg1 Bb7 16. Bf6!
Q N
b4 17. Qh6! Black Resigns. 12...b5 13.g5 d7
14. h5 e5 Time-consuming. It’s better to try
N R N R R
and erase the bishop on b3 by 14...Nc5. 15.f4
c6 16. d3 b4 17. d2 d8 18.f5 g6 19.fxg6
90
Q
N Q N B
hxg6 20. h4 More precise is 20. Qd1 preparing
N
h4-h5. 20... c6 21. g3 e5 22.h4 b7 23.h5
R
b4 24.hxg6 xg6 Not 24...bxc3 25. Rh8+! Kxh8
B R N
26. Qh4+ Kg7 27. Qh7 mates. 25. dh2 bxc3
26. d4 e5 27. h8+ xh8 28.g6 White’s force-
ful maneuvers have all been based on the power
of the b3 bishop which Black should have taken
B K R N
pains to eliminate long ago. There is no longer any
Q B K R Q K
defense. 28... f6 29.gxf7+ f8 30. h7 xf7
31. g6 g5+ 32. b1 d7 33. g7+ e8 34.
g8+ It’s mate next, so Black Resigns.
1-0
◦ Larry Evans
• Mikhail Tal
Interzonal
Amsterdam
1964 0-1 B40
Evans tries to emulate Tal by pushing his kingside
pawns in a sharp middlegame. However, just when
a draw seems likely, Tal finds a clever way to ex-
ploit the unfortunate position of White’s king by
forcing it into enemy terrain. At the end, when
a draw by repetition of moves looks inevitable,
N B
Black wins by a single tempo.
N B Q
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3. c3 a6 4. e2 b5 5.d4 cxd4
6. xd4 b7 7.a3 c7 8.O–O 8. f4 has more
sting. On 8...b4 9. axb4 Bxb4 10. Ra4! led to
a promising pawn sacrifice in Hort-Tal, Moscow
1963. 8... f6 9. d3 Shows the drawback to
B N Q
White’s setup. Had he played 8. f4 he could not
B R R
proceed with Bf3. 9...d6 10. g5 bd7 11. e3
e7 12. ad1 O–O 13.f4 ac8 "Rather routine
play. I had no doubt that 13...Rfe8 would have
been more prudent. In this case on 14. g4 e5
15. Nf5 Bf8 could have followed." – Tal 14.g4
N B B
In the spirit of Tal, this is the only way to en-
B
liven the proceedings. 14... b6 15. xf6 xf6
16.g5 xd4 "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 piece
by 18...d5 19. exd5 Nc4 20. Bxc4 bxc4 21. f6
is too dangerous) 19. Bxc4 bxc4 20. f6 cxb3
R R R
21. fxe7 Qxe7 22. bxc3 with a positional advan-
Q Q
tage." – Tal 17. xd4 e5 18. d2 exf4 19. xf4
fe8 20. f2 e7 "Black could also have played
20...d5 but this would achieve nothing real af-
N
ter 21. exd5 Nxd5 22. Nxd5 Bxd5 23. Rxd5
B R R R R R
Rxe2 24. Qxe2 Qxf4 25. c3." – Tal 21.h4 c4
K
22. xc4 xc4 23. d4 ec8 24. xc4 xc4
25. a7 d7 26. f2 "With the idea of moving
the 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
 N R
K R R
pieces becoming active. 26...d5 27. xd5 xc2+ king won’t escape the central crossfire. His defen-

N
28. g3 c8 29. f6 "Once again cleverly played. sive task is also difficult on 15...O-O-O 16. Nb5

R Q R R Q K R
White avoids the traps." – Tal Inadequate is 29. Qb8 17. Ne4! Nxe4 18. Qxe4. 16. xe6 fxe6

K
Nb6 Qd3. 29... a8 30. c5 d8 31. b6 31. 17. g6+ d8 18. he1 Gibralter crumbles after

B
Rf5 is feasible. Riskier is 31. Ne7 Kh8 32. Rxf7 this quiet developing move. 18... c8 Giving up

Q Q
Qd3 33. Rf3 Qxe4 34. Nc6 Rg8. 31... xd5 a second pawn to find sanctuary. On 18...e5 (or

R Q
32.exd5 f5 33. d6 Right idea, wrong execu- 18...Qxc4 19. Bc3) 19. Bc3 Kc8 20. f4! exf4 21.

K
tion. White has defended a difficult position very Bxf6 Nxf6 22. Re8+ mates. 19. xe6 b6 20. f5

B Q
well, but after 37. Qc7! Black has nothing better Another quiet move, intending Bf4. 20... b7
than to give a few checks and then capture on d5 21. f4 c5 Also inadequate is 21...Qc8 22. Ne4

Q K Q K Q K R
with the queen – then Rb8 forces a drawn ending. Ka7 (if 22...Nxe4 23. Qxe4+ Ka7 24. Rc6!) 23.
33... d3+ 34. g2 c2+ 35. g3 b3+ 36. f4 Nxf6 Nxf6 24. Rxf6! gxf6 25. Rd7+ etc. 22. xf6

R R
A bad square – but forced. If 36. Kg2 Qxb2; or If 22...Nxf6 23. Rd7+ Kc6 24. Rc7 mate. Black
36. Kg4 h5 37. gxh6 Rxd6. 36... e8 37. b8 The Resigns.
decisive mistake, the the rest is forced. White has 1-0

Q K
chances to hold after 37. Qe5 Qc4 38. Kg3 Qc8
◦ Bakulin, N.
K Q K Q Q
39. Qd4 g6. 37... e3+ 38. g4 f5+ 39.gxf6 h5+
• Bronstein, D.
K R
40. xh5 f3+ 41. g5 xf6+ 42. xf6 gxf6+
43. xf6 xb8 44.d6 White comes within an ace USSR Championship
of drawing, but no such luck. On 44. Ke7 Rb7! Moscow
is the only move that wins: e.g., 45. Ke8 Rh7 46. 1964 0-1 B16

K R K
d6 Rxh4 47. d7 Re4 48. Kd8 Kf8 49. Kc7 Rc4. Black’s patient strategic buildup is rewarded when
44... f8 45.h5 b7 46. e6 Of no avail is 46. h6 he gets an opportunity to splurge a rook and bishop.

N N N
Ke8 47. Kg6 Kd7 48. h7 Rb8 49. Kg7 Kxd6 50. The finish is artistic and original.

R K K K K N
h8/Q Rxh8 51. Kxh8 Kd5 picking up the queen- 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 dxe4 4. xe4 f6
side pawns. 46... h7 47. d5 e8 48. c6 d8 5. xf6+ gxf6 Less vibrant is 5...exf6. The text

B
White resigns. 0-1 is double- edged, anticipating use of the open g-

B Q N N N B B
0-1 file in return for the ugly doubled pawns. 6. e3
f5 7. d2 e6 8. e2 d7 9. g3 g6 10. e2
◦ Evans, L. White’s knight is not particularly well-placed.
• Berger, B.
Q
More consistent is 10. h4 h5 11. Bd3 followed
Interzonal by castling queenside. 10... c7 11.O–O A coura-
Amsterdam geous but risky decision. White anticipates Black’s
1964 1-0 B19 castling long and hopes to use his queenside pawns
Sometimes you have to rely on intuition when you as battering rams. His own king, however, be-

R N
can’t calculate clearly to the end of a combina- comes vulnerable. Safer is 11. O-O-O. 11...h5
tion. White’s speculative knight sacrifice doesn’t 12. fd1 h4 13. f1 h3 14.g3 O–O–O 15.c4 Al-
yield immediate dividends, though it soon becomes lowing Black to establish a blockade. More per-

R B
apparent that Black’s uncastled king will find no tinent is 15. b4 e5 16. c4. 15...c5 16.d5 e5

N N B N
haven. 17. ac1 f5 18.b4 d6 Stronger than 18...cxb4

B N N
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 dxe4 4. xe4 f5 5. g3 19. c5. White seems to have reached a maximum
g6 6. f3 d7 7.h4 The weakening of the pawn but Black still has the dynamic break f4. 19.f3
structure is compensated by the subsequent control Leads to trouble. More active is 19. f4 though al-

B R K R R
of space. White gets only a slight pull by 7. Bd3 ready White has lost his precious initiative. 19...f4
e6 8. O-O Ngf6 9. Re1 Be7 10. c4 O-O 11. b3 20. f2 de8 21. h1 hg8 22. e1 e4 Black

B B B N Q B
Qa5 12. Bxg6 hxg6 13. Qe2 (Evans-Benko, USA clearly holds all the trumps. The threat of ...e3 is

B Q Q B N B Q
Championship 1962.) 7...h6 8.h5 h7 9. d3 horrific. 23. xc5 xc5 24.bxc5 xc5 25. d1

K
xd3 10. xd3 c7 11. d2 gf6 12.O–O–O c7 26.gxf4 e3 27. e2 The pawn is poisoned:
e6 13. b1 c5 Black should castle long either now 27. Rxe3 Rxe3 28. Qxe3 Qxe3 29. Nxe3 Bxf4

B Q R K N
or on the next move before undertaking action in 30. Rc3 Re8 wins. Now begins a sacrificial orgy.

R Q
the center. If 13...Bd6 14. Ne4 Bf4 15. Be1! 27... d3 28. xd3 g1+ 29. xg1 e2+ 30. e3

N R K Q
followed by g3 avoids the swap maintains tension. No better is 30. Kh1 Qf2. 30... xe3 31. f5+
14.c4 cxd4 15. xd4 a6 Black originally intended e6+ 32. h1 f2 If 33. Qxh3 Qxe1+ 34. Kg2
15...Ne5 but after 16. Qe2 Nxc4 17. Nxe6 Black’s Qf1+ 35. Kg3 e1=Q+. White Resigns.

91
0-1 (Spassky-Fischer, Piatigorsky Cup 1966). 12...e6
Another critical defense is 12...Bg4 13. f5 gxf5 14.
Bxf7+! Kh8! 15. exf5 cxd4 16. cxd4 Bxe2 17.
◦ Fischer, R.
K
Qxe2 Bxd4 (Shiskin-Bondarevsky, USSR 1960)
• Benko, P.
which was shortly drawn. 13. h1 b6 Black’s
USA Championship (10)
problems can be traced to this lackluster response.
New York
Safer is 13...Na5 14. Bd3 f5. White now seizes
1964 1-0 B09
N
the opportunity to prevent this defense. 14.f5
This was the year 20-year-old Fischer made chess
B B Q R N
a5 The best chance is 14...Ne5! 15. Bf4 Qe7.
history with an 11-0 clean sweep against Amer-
Q R R
15. d3 exf5 16.exf5 b7 17. d2 e8 18. g3
ica’s top players, a feat unlikely ever to be repeated.
c6 19. f2 ad8 Black lost time regrouping his
Benko exhibited some suicidal tendencies in the
B B Q
rooks while White achieved steady development
management of his defense; he scarcely expected
R N B R R R
without wasting any moves. 20. h6 h8 21. f4
B N N N
the bombshell that exploded on move 19.
d7 22. e4 c4 23. c2 de7 24. cf1 xe4
B B
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3. c3 d6 4.f4 f6 5. f3 O–O
Q Q
25.fxg6 f6 Of course not 25...Rxf4? 26. gxh7 mate.
6. d3 g4 Black’s path is thorny. In Fischer-
26. g5 d7 Again if 26...fxg5 27. Rf8 mates.
Perez, Havana 1965 White got a pull after 6...Nc6
K B R R
Now White can also win by 27. gxh7+ Kxh7
B Q N B
7. e5 dxe5 8. fxe5 Nd5 9. Nxd5 Qxd5 10. c3
K B Q Q
28. Qh5. 27. g1 g7 28. xf6 g4 29.gxh7+
Bg4 11. Qe2. 7.h3 xf3 8. xf3 c6 9. e3
h8 30. xg7+ xg7 31. xg4 On 31...Qxg4 32.
e5 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.f5 gxf5 11...Nd4 12. Qf2
Rf8+ forces mate – ideal exploitation of a weak
Q N Q
gxf5 13. exf5 b5 14. O-O is also in White’s fa-
back rank. Black Resigns.
vor. 12. xf5 d4 13. f2 On 13. Qxe5 Ng4
1-0
N
yields tons of counterplay. Now White consistently

N Q K
strives to dominate the f-file. 13... e8 14.O–O
d6 15. g3 h8 Black gets an inferior ending ◦ Evans, L.
on 15...f5 16. Bh6 Qf6 17. Qxg7+ Qxg7 18. Bxg7 • Bisguier, A.

Q
Kxg7 19. exf5 N6xf5 20. Rae1 Rae8 21. Ne4. USA Championship (4)

Q Q
16. g4 c6 More active is 16...c5! followed by b5. New York City

B
17. h5 e8 Now either 17...Ne6 or c5 is essen- 1965 1-0 D42

R K N
tial. 18. xd4 exd4 Hoping for 19. e5 f5! but he’s Holes in the pawn structure often are exploited
in for a rude shock. 19. f6 g8 20.e5 h6 21. e2 in the endgame. Here the weak dark squares on
But not 21. Rxd6 Qxe5! with chances to survive. Black’s kingside prove fatal after the queens are

N N N
Black Resigns. gone.

N
1-0 1.c4 f6 2. c3 e6 3.d4 d5 4. f3 c5 5.cxd5
xd5 6.e3 A quiet line to postpone the battle

N
instead of the sharper 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3
◦ Geller, Y.
B B
cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ swapping pieces. 6... c6
• Smyslov, V.
B B Q Q
7. d3 e7 8.O–O O–O 9.a3 cxd4 10.exd4
Match (1)
B
d7 11. c2 c7 12. d3 g6 Weakening h6
Moscow
R R R N R
and f6 but it stops the mate threat. 13. h6
1965 1-0 D87
B Q B R Q Q B
fe8 14. fe1 ac8 15. xd5 exd5 16. ac1
This was one of a series of candidates’ matches
Q B B R
f5 17. d2 xc2 18. xc2 d7 19. f4 d6
to determine a challenger for world champion Pet-
R R R R R Q
20. f6 f8 21. xf8 xf8 22.h4 h5 23.b4 a6
rosian. The way Smyslov is dispatched at the out-
Q N R Q
24. c5 fe8 25. ec1 cd8 26.a4 e6 27. g5
set was demoralizing, and he was eliminated by a
N R R R R R
e7 28.b5 axb5 29.axb5 a5 30. c7 xg5
final score of 5.2 - 2.5. Geller makes it all look so
N R R R R R
31. xg5 f6 32. e1 b6 33. ee7 f8 34. cd7
N N N
easy, winding up with a neat queen sacrifice.
N R R K N
c4 35. xd5 d6 36. d7 xd5 37. xd5 f6
N B B N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4.cxd5 xd5 5.e4
38. h3 f7 39. d8+ h7 40.d5 a3 41.d6
xc3 6.bxc3 g7 7. c4 c5 8. e2 Refraining
Black Resigns.
N
from 8. Nf3?? O-O 9. O-O Bg4! 8...O–O
1-0
9.O–O c6 9...cxd4 10. cxd4 Nc6 11. Be3 Bg4
12. f3 Na5 15. Bxf7+ was frowned on by theory
◦ Keres, P.
B Q R R
but later revived by Karpov in his title matches vs.
Kasparov. 10. e3 c7 11. c1 d8 12.f4 More • Geller, Y.
forceful than 12. Qe1 e6 13. f4 Na5 14. Bd3 f5 Match (8)

92
Moscow thought it was a misprint! It soon becomes clear

N B
1965 1-0 D41 that White is fighting to clear e4 for his knight at
The hallmark of the artist is simplicity. Keres’ de- any cost. 18... xc6 19.e5 g5+ If 19...Nxe5 20.

R Q R
ceptively effortless attack comes like a storm out Ne4 is decisive; likewise 19...Bxe5 20. f6 Bxf6

N N N B K N R
of a still blue sky. 21. Bd3. 20. xg5 f6 21.exd6 f7 22. g3 bxc3

N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 d5 4. c3 c5 5.cxd5 23. c4 cxb2+ 24. b1 d8 25. dg1 More ef-

R R N
xd5 Avoids the isolated d-pawn after 5...exd5 ficient is 25. d7! Bxd7 26. Rxd7 snuffing out all

N B N B R R B K R
that is characteristic of the pure Tarrasch Defense. resistance. 25... a7 26.d7 xd7 27.fxe6 xe6

K B
6.e3 c6 7. c4 xc3 This exchange tends to 28. xe6 d1+ 29. xd1 xe6 30. xb2 b8+

B
give White’s center a momentary stability. An al- 31. a1 xa2 31...Bf5 offers more fight but in the

B B Q N R Q K Q R
ternative is 7...cxd4 8. exd4 Be7. 8.bxc3 e7 long run White’s material preponderance would

B R R
9.O–O O–O 10.e4 b6 11. b2 b7 12. e2 a5 prevail. 32. gd3 e7 33. xa2 e6+ 34. b3
13. d3 c8 14. ad1 cxd4 Opening lines re- Black Resigns.

B
bounds to White’s favor. Better is 14...Qc7 await- 1-0

Q
ing further developments. 15.cxd4 b4 16.d5
exd5 17.exd5 e7 A better defense is 17...Bc3 ◦ Evans, L.
• Blackstone, J.
N
18. Bxc3 Rxc3 19. Rfe1. White’s control of the

Q N B Q
central files is clear yet far from decisive. 18. e5 1st American Open
f6 19. h5 g6 20. xg6 hxg6 21. xg6 g7 If Santa Monica

R B Q Q B K
21...Nc4 22. Rd3 Nxb2 23. Rg3 Qg7 24. Bh7+. 1965 1-0 B84

R B K Q K R
22. d3 d6 23.f4 h8 24. g4 c5+ 25. h1 In this donnybrook neither side is afforded the lux-
c7 26. h7+ f7 27. e6+ g7 28. g3+ Fi- ury of castling as both kings are perched precar-
nally forcing 28...Kxh7 29. Rh3 mate. Black Re- iously in the center with shells exploding around
signs. them. White’s knight tour to the edge of the move
1-0 is one of the weirdest winning moves in chess his-

N N N N
tory!
◦ Kholmov, R.
B
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
• Bronstein, D. a6 6. e2 e6 Also playable is 6...e5 which, how-

Q B
32nd USSR Championship ever, has the drawback of creating a backward

B
Kiev pawn at d6 on an open file. 7.f4 c7 8. f3
1965 1-0 B99 d7 9.g4 h6 A sensible reaction since Black

N B
Kholmov’s sacrifices are so startling that one is left gets some space on the h-file after the inevitable
with the impression he stumbled into them by acci- g5. 10.g5 hxg5 11.fxg5 g8 12. e3 Perhaps
dent. Actually, his concept is incredibly beautiful White ought to speculate on 12. g6!? fxg6 13.

N N N N N N
and profound. Bg4 although he has no clearcut continuation after

N N N
1.e4 c5 2. f3 f6 3. c3 For 3. e5 Nd5 see 13...Qc8. 12... e7 13.h4 bc6 14. b3 Bet-

B B Q Q B Q N B N
Spassky-Ciric, 1962. 3...d6 4.d4 cxd4 5. xd4 ter is 14. Qe2 and O-O-O. 14... g6 15.h5 ge5

N N Q R
a6 6. g5 e6 7.f4 e7 8. f3 c7 This accu- 16. e2 b5 17. d2 c4 18. xc4 bxc4 19. d4

B
rate reply prevents Bc4. 9.O–O–O bd7 10.g4
b5 11. xf6 gxf6 12.f5 Ceding control of e5 in
order to exert pressure on e6. An exciting draw
in Padevsky-Evans, Havana Olympics 1966, re-
sulted from 12. Bd3 Bb7 13. Kb1 Nc5 14. f5
b4 15. Nce2 d5 16. fxe6 dxe4 17. exf7+ Kf8
e5 20. g2 b8 The best practical chance. On
20...O-O-O 21. O-O-O the board belongs to White.
Now Black has two bishops, a strong knight on e5
and pressure along the b-file. On the other hand
White will mobilize his forces on the f-file and
strive for g6. It’s interesting to watch how tac-

N Q
18. Bxe4 Bxe4 19. Qxe4 Nxe4 20. Ne6+ Kxf7 tics are wedded to these strategic concepts in this
21. Nxc7 Ra7. 12... e5 13. h3 O–O Fis- double-edged position. White’s immediate prob-
cher tried this against Gligoric at the Candidates’ lem is how to defend the pawn on b2. If 21. O-O-O

R Q K K
tourney in 1959. Weaker is 13...Bd7 14. g5! Qb7 22. b3 a5 Black’s attack is likely to come first.

N B N
fxg5 15. fxe6 fxe6 16. Nxe6. 14.g5 b4 This er- 21. b1 a5 22. e2 d8 A maneuver known

Q Q R B Q R R
ror meets with a stunning refutation. Correct is as "castling by hand." 23. f3 c6 24. xe5

R B
14...fxg5 15. fxe6 fxe6 16. Nxe6 Qd7 17. Nd5 xe5 25. f3 b7 26. f4 c5 27. hd1 d7

B R K
Qxe6 18. Qxe6+ Bxe6 19. Nxe7+ Kf7 with at 28. d2 e7 The game is rapidly approaching a

Q Q N
least equal chances. 15.gxf6 xf6 16. g1+ h8 climax. The apparently strong 28...d5 is refuted
17. h6 e7 18. c6 A shocker. Some readers by 29. Be3! d4? 30. Bxd4 Rxd4 31. Rxd4+

93
 R B
Qxd4 32. Rd1 pinning the queen. 29. bd1 xg5

B Q
Losing patience. Safer is 29...Kc8 30. Be3 Qe5.
30. xd6 b6 The best chance is 20...Qa5 31. ◦ Johan Barendregt
• Rudolf Teschner
B B Q K
Rd4 Bf6 32. Rxc4 Bb5 33. Nxb5 Qxb5 34.
b3 with an edge. 31. f4 xf4 32. xf4 e8 European Team Championship
Hamburg
Q R
Not 32...Rxh5? 33. Rxd7+ Bxd7 34. Rxd7+
1965 0-1 C68
R B N Q
Kxd7 35. Qxf7+ and Qxh5 next. 33. e5 h7
"Opening theory is a strange, speckled animal,"
Q
34. xd7 xd7 35. d5 c6 Better is 35...Qb7
observed Bent Larsen. Indeed, certain variations
Q N K
but 36. Ne3 keeps an advantage. 36. b8+
c8 37. c7+ d8 Again forced. If 37...Kf8 (or seem to go in and out of fashion for no apparent
reason. For example, the exchange variation of the
N R Q
37...Ke7 38. Qb4+ Kf6 39. Rf1+) 38. Qxc8+ Bxc8
Ruy Lopez lost favor for about 40 years until 1965,
K Q K N K N
39. Rd8+ mops up. 38. xa6 xh5 39. b6+
e7 40. d6+ e8 41. c7+ d8 42. a8 If when an obscure 41-year-old Dutch professor took
42...Ke8 (to stop Qf8 mate) 43. Nb6 is the quietus. up the cause. The widespread publiclation of this
Black Resigns. miniature, which he lost, might have doomed it
1-0 once again, except it caught Bobby Fischer’s eye.
A year later the future world champion rehabili-
◦ Tal, M. tated 5. O-O to win several spectacular games at

N N B B
• Larsen, B. the 1966 Olympiad in Havana.
Match 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. xc6 dxc6
Yugoslavia 5.O–O Until now the usual continuation was 5. d4
1965 1-0 B82 exd4 6. Qxd4 Qxd4 7. Nxd4 Bd7! with an ending
Tal in the saddle! His reckless and profound knight where Black’s two bishops outwiegh White’s su-
sacrifice triggers a ferocious struggle; the soundess perior pawn structure and kingside pawn majority.
When Fischer started playing this move, the vari-
N N N N
of this ploy baffles analysts even today.
B
ation took off. and suddenly became fashionable.
B
1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 e6 5. c3
d6 6. e3 In their 8th match game Tal adopted 5... g4 6.h3 h5 Some opening manuals awarded

Q N N
the positional 6. g3. He got some slight pressure it an exclamation mark and dismissed the variation

N B Q
but Larsen managed to draw without too much ef-
fort. 6... f6 7.f4 e7 8. f3 O–O Some players
Q
prefer to delay castling with 8...Bd7 and wait to
N Q N N B
see where White’s king will live. 9.O–O–O c7
N B N
10. db5 b8 11.g4 a6 12. d4 xd4 13. xd4
b5 14.g5 d7 15. d3 b4 16. d5 "The light-
ning bolt that shatters open a veritable Pandora’s
box of combinative havoc" – R. Byrne. The way
to refute a sacrifice is to accept it; an old maxim,
R N B N
without further analysis. 7.d3 f6 8. bd2 e7
R
9. e1 g6 10.d4 d6 11.hxg4 hxg4 12. h2
xh2 The critical position. Instead of capturing
the rook, which loses quickly, White can retain
an edge by 13. Qxg4! This discovery probably
K Q R
prompted Fischer to re-examine the entire varia-
tion. 13. xh2 xf2 14. e2 Already White is
lost. It’s too late for 14. Qxg4 Ke7 threatening
Rh8. 14...exd4+ 15.e5 Also futile is 15. Kh1

B R N K
but still true. Black can’t decline by 16...Bd8 be- Qh4 16. Kg1 Qh2 17. Kf2 Bg3 18. Kf1 Qh1
cause of 17. Nf6+. 16...exd5 17.exd5 f5 One of mate. 15... xe5+ 16. xe5+ xe5 17. h1 No
better is 17. Ne4 Nf3! 18. Qxf3 Qh4 19. Kg1
R R B B
Black’s problems is that he has so many plausible
replies! 18. de1 f7 19.h4 b7 20. xf5 Pick- gxf3. 17...O–O–O The threat of Rh8 is loom-
ing. "I lost not only the game but the variation,"
R R N
ing up a second pawn for the piece. Perhaps 20.
h5 is stronger. 20... xf5 21. xe7 e5 Returning lamented Barendregt, unaware that his misfortune
had awakened the interest of Bobby Fischer. White
Q Q
the piece. Tougher resistance is offered by 21...Rf7
22. Rxf7 Kxf7. 22. e4 f8 Too late for 22...Rf7 Resigns.
0-1
R Q R
23. Rxf7 Nxf7 24. g6! hxg6 25. Qxg6 Qf8 26.
Rg1. 23.fxe5 f4 24. e3 f3 The last chance
◦ Mikhail Tal
Q Q Q R R
to fight back is 24...Bxd5 25. exd6 Rxd4 26. Qxd4
• Lajos Portisch
R Q Q R Q
Bxh1. 25. e2 xe7 26. xf3 dxe5 27. e1 d8

R K Q Q B Q
28. xe5 d6 29. f4 f8 30. e4 b3 31. axb3 Candidate Match (2)

R R Q K Q
f1+ 32. d2 b4+ 33.c3 d6 34. c5 xc5 Bled
35. e8+ f8 36. e6+ h8 37. f7 A pretty 1965 1-0 B10
finish. Black Resigns. An engrossing psychological study. Tal’s murky
1-0 rook sacrifice is probably unsound and good for a

94
draw at best. Yet when Portisch tries to refute it, he markable is that his position appeared perfectly

N N B
succumbs to a bit of wizardry. safe just one move earlier.
N N N B
B
1.e4 c6 2. c3 d5 3. f3 dxe4 4. xe4 g4 1.d4 f6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 d6 4. c3 g6 5.e4 g7

N N
White’s avoidance of d4 is designed to meet the 6.f4 O–O 7. d3 e6 8.dxe6 Better than 8. Nf3

N N N
normal 4...Bf5 by 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Ne5 Bh7 exd5 9. cxd5 Qb6. 8...fxe6 9. ge2 c6 10.O–O

B Q
d4 11. g3 e8 More consistent is 11...a6 striv-
B Q N N B N
8. Qh5 g6 9. Bc4! e6 10. Qe2 (threatening Nxf7.
ing for rapid expansion with b5. 12. e3 h4
Q B N Q N
5.h3 xf3 6. xf3 d7 7.d4 gf6 8. d3 xe4

Q
Risky. 12...Nc7 followed by a6 is more thematic.
Q B
9. xe4 e6 10.O–O e7 11.c3 f6 12. h4 d5
13.f5 exf5 14. d2 f4 Unclear is 14...fxe4 15. Bg5
R Q
13. g4 f6 Dodging the obvious trap 13...O-O?
14. Bh6 Bf6 15. Qe4 g6 16. Bxf8. 14. e1 b6 Qg4 16. Bxe4. White’s initiative compensates for

B N B R R
15.c4 "Correct was the reserved 15. a3 with the his pawn, but Black has numerous defensive re-

B N
hope in a protracted struggle of exploiting the fa- sources. 15. xf4 e6 16. e3 xf1+ 17. xf1

N
mous pair of bishops. But the fact that the black d7 Correct is 17...Nf6 threatening Ng4. 18. d5

R B N
king has stood with impunity in the center of the f6 It’s already difficult. If 18...Bc6 19. Qf2

B
is hard to meet. 19. xf6 xf6 20. f5 gxf5
N R
board for 14 moves provoked this reaction." – Tal

Q
15... b4 16. xe6+ The only way to justify the 21.g3 c3 Forced. If 21...Qh3? 22. Nxf6+

N
Kf7 23. Bf1! impales the queen. 22.bxc3 d8
Q K
previous move since if 16. Bxb1 Qxd4 picks up

B
a pawn for nothing. 16...fxe6 17. xe6+ f8 A 23.exf5 g7 Now the roof caves in, but no bet-

Q N K N Q N N
difficult decision. Portisch plays for a win instead ter is 23...Nf8 24. Bg5 Qa5 25. Bf6. 24. g5

N Q B K B
of acquiescing to a draw by 17...Kd8 18. Qd6 Ke8 f8 25. f6+ h8 26. xd7 f7 27. f6 h5

Q R B
19. Qe6, etc. Tal’s genius consists of posing his 28. xh5 xh5 29. f6+ g8 30. e4 h6
31. xd6 e8 32. d5+ Black Resigns.
B
opponents with tempting ways to go wrong. He
1-0
R N
gives 17...Be7 18. Bg6! Kd8! as unclear. 18. f4
d8 19.c5 xd3 20.cxb6 "Still out for blood. My
first intention here had been to force a draw at last ◦ Pachman, L.
by 20. Bh6! to which Black has one good reply • Uhlmann, W.
20...Qxb2 (less good is 20...Qc7 21. Qxf6 Kg8 Havana Olympics
22. Bxg7!). But not every c-pawn can reach a7. Cuba
1966 1-0 D86
N Q
I therefore decided on the risky, though not losing,
In 1966 Fidel Castro hosted the Chess Olympiad.
N
capture of the queen" – Tal. 20... xf4 21. g4
d5 Fischer suggests 21...g5. But not 21...Rxd4? Here Wolfgang Uhlmann of East Germany, a spe-
cialist in the Gruenfeld Defense, faces Ludek Pach-
K
22. Qc8 Rd8 23. Qxd8! Bxd8 24. bxa7 and the
pawn queens. 22.bxa7 e7 Headed for refuge man of Czechoslovakia, one of the world’s leading
via d6 and c7. "Stronger was the straightfoward opening theoreticians. Their clash gives off un-
22...g6! How the game would have finished in this common sparks, especially after White sacrifices

N N
case, I do not know. But at the board it seemed the Exchange.
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4.cxd5 The exchange
R
to me that the pawn on a7 insures White to a sig-

N N B
nificant degree against defeat." – Tal 23.b4 a8 variation is the sharpest way to proceed against this

B N N
sturdy defense. 4... xd5 5.e4 xc3 6.bxc3 g7
R K R
Instead Tal recommends 23...Kd6 24. b5 Kc7.
24. e1+ d6 25.b5 xa7 Loses instantly. As 7. c4 O–O 8. e2 c6 More usual is 8...c5 nib-
bling at the center right away. The idea behind the
R
so often happens, the defender is exhausted by all
text is to defer this blow until Black has completed
K R
the tactics. Fischer suggests 24..Rfd8. 26. e6+
c7 27. xf6 On 27...gxf7 28. Qg7 followed by his development with ...b6, Bb7, and Na5 so that he
Qxh8 is decisive. Black Resigns. can then maintain his pawn on c5 instead of being

B B R B Q Q
1-0 compelled to swap it for the d-pawn. 9.O–O b6

N
10. e3 b7 11. c1 e6 12. d3 d7 13. d2
a5 14.c4 f5 The disadvantage of this setup now
◦ Kavalek, L. becomes apparent. Since c5 is not playable, Black
• Matulovic, M.
N B N R Q
assails the center from another direction. 15.f3

N Q
Bucharest c6 16. b1 a5 17. fd1 a4 A reasonable
Romania alternative is 17...Ba6. 18. c3 d7 Kmoch rec-
1966 1-0 E76 ommends giving up the queen with 18...Qxc4 19.

N Q N N
Black’s aggressive formation boomerangs when he Nd5 exd5 20. Rxc4 Nxc4 21. Qe2 Nxe3 22. Qxe3
runs into a surprising rook sacrifice. What is re- dxe4. 19. e2 a4 20. f4 xc4 Better is 20...

95
Rfe8. It’s always interesting to observe a player’s N B
1.c4 f6 2.g3 e6 3. g2 d5 This setup is designed

R Q R Q N
reaction when his offer of a draw by repetition is to deaden the scope of the fianchettoed bishop so

R N B N
spurned. 21. xc4 xc4 22. c1 a4 23. xe6 that, in the words of Nimzovich, it will "bite on

N K N
f7 Returning material with 23...fxe4 was to be granite." 4. f3 e7 5.O–O O–O 6.d4 bd7
considered. 24. xg7 xg7 24...Rxg7 loses more 7. bd2 c6 Solid yet 7...b6 at once is preferable

B B B R
slowly after 25. exf5 gxf5 26. Bxf5 Bxf3 27. Be6+ to profit from White’s last move which exerts no

B K Q B R
Kh8 28. Bg5 Rf8 29. Rf1! 25.exf5 gxf5 26. f4 pressure on d5. 8.b3 b6 9. b2 b7 10. c1

B Q
h6 27. e5+ g6 28. f4 c8 29.g4 h5 30.gxf5+ c8 11.e3 dxc4 Black opted for 11...Rc7 with

N Q
xf5 31. g3+ If 31...Kh7 32. Bxf5+ Rxf7 33. the idea of Qa8, Rfc8 and c5 in Keres-Ragozin,

N B K N R
Qg7 mate. Black Resigns. USSR Championship 1947. 12. xc4 c5 13. e2
1-0 cxd4 14. xd4 xg2 15. xg2 c5 16. fe1
More natural seems 16. Rfd1. White has an edge
◦ Pomar, A. in space, but the game has an essentially draw-
• Johansson, G. ish character due to the symmetrical pawn forma-

Q R Q
Havana Olympics tion: 2 vs. 2 on the queenside and 4 vs. 4 on

N B R R
Cuba the kingside. 16... d5+ 17.f3 fd8 18.e4 b7
1966 1-0 E53 19. e5 f8 20. c2 e8 Black may be lulled
White lays a diabolical trap of uncommon beauty. into a false sense of security by the absence of

R N N N
It succeeds because he sees one move further than any direct threat. Better is 20...a5 to stop b4 and

N N B N R Q R Q
his opponent. ease the pressure. 21. ec1 fd7 22. g4 a6

Q
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4.e3 This has re- 23.a3 ab8 24. c4 a6 25. c2 xc4 26. xc4

B N
placed both 4. Qc2 or Qb3 which used to be b5 27. c3 White won the battle for control of the
more fashionable. 4...O–O 5. d3 d5 6. f3 c5 c-file but it lacks any great significance. If 27. Qc7

B Q Q B
7.a3 More usual is 7. O-O. Now White has to de- Qxc7 28. Rxc7 Bd6 they could agree to a draw.

B Q B
lay castling. 7... xc3+ 8.bxc3 c7 9. c2 dxc4 27...b4 28.axb4 xb4 More prudent is 28...Qxb4.

R R
10. xc4 cxd4 Sharper is 10...b6 so that if 11. O- Black is slowly drifting into trouble. 29. e3 e7
O cxd4 12. cxd4 Ba6! 11.cxd4 b6 11...b5 12. 30. c4 c8 Weary of prolonged defense, Black

Q B
Bd3 Qxc2 13. Bxc2 slightly favors White in the misses the right move 30...Nf6. The text overlooks

B R R B Q Q N R
ending because of his two bishops. 12. d3 b7 one of the most difficult two- move combinations
13. d2 c8 14. c1 e4 15. e2 b7 16.O–O ever seen in a practical game. 31. xe6 xc4 If

N B B B N
Finally! Now Black should play 16...h6! 16...a6 31...fxe6 32. Qc3 wins owing to the double threat
17. g5 xg2 18. xe6 xf1 Missing the point. of Qxg7 mate and/or Rxc8. 32. h6+ Mate is un-
White has only a minimal edge after 18...fxe6! (not avoidable on 32...gxh6 (or 32...Kh8 33. Bxg7) 33.

Q
18...Rxc1? 19. Bxf7+ Qxf7 20. Rxc1!) 19. Rxc8+ Qxh6. Black Resigns.

B
Qxc8 20. Kxg2 h6. 19. f3 The demonic ultra 1-0

Q
point. If 19...Qxf3 20. Rxc8+ mates. 19... g2 In-
◦ Byrne, R.
B B B
adequate, but so is 19...Nc6 20. Nxf7! 20. xb7
• Evans, L.
N
xb7 21. xc8 d5 No better is 21...Bc6 22. e4

N B R
h6 23. d5 Be8 24. e5 Nxd5 25. Bb7. 22.e4 xe4 ?

B K
23. xe4 xe4 24. e1 f5 Forced. On 24...Bc6 U.S. Championship, New York
25. Bb7! is crushing. 25. e6+ h8 All choices 1966 1-0 B97

B B
are bad. If 25...Kf8 26. Bb4+ Ke8 27. Bxf5. During the 1960’s, Larry Evans was one of the
26. xf5 c6 27.d5 If 27...Bb5 28. Re7 Na6 29. strongest U.S. players after Fischer, known as a
Bc3 is decisive. Black Resigns. "pawn-grabber" for his – well justified – faith in
1-0 his defensive abilities. Robert Byrne lures him into
a prepared line of the "Poisoned Pawn Variation," a
◦ Larsen, B. risky but resilient defense in which Black snatches
• Matanovic, A. a pawn at the cost of his development. The result

N N N N
Zagreb is one of the most brilliant games of the decade.

B Q Q Q R Q
Yugoslavia 1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
1966 1-0 E07 a6 6. g5 e6 7.f4 b6 8. d2 xb2 9. b1 a3
This serene game is typical of modern chess. Black Despite thirty years of tournament practice, it is
is holding his own until an oversight leads to a shat- not yet clear which side stands better in this po-
tering denoument. sition, or even what White’s next move should

96
 Q
N
be. Alternatives to the game are 10.f5, 10.Be2 25. xg6 "Basically uncomplicated, but nonethe-

N B B
and 10.e5 dxe5 11.fxe5 Nfd7 12.Ne4. 10.e5 dxe5 less beautiful and rare" - Petrosian. 25... f4 The

R
11.fxe5 fd7 12. c4 b4 The text seems logi- same fate is in store on 25...fxg6 26. Bxe6+; or

Q B R B R R K
cal, but 12...Qa5 is now considered better. 13. b3 25...Nc7 26. Qxg7+! Kxg7 27. Rg5+ Kh8 28. Rh3

R R
a5 14.O–O O–O 15. f6 gxf6 Losing. The only mate. 26. xf4 fxg6 27. e6+ f7 28. xf7 h8
try is 15...Nxf6 16.exf6 Rd8, preparing to retreat 29. g5 b5 30. g3 Black Resigns. "My sense of

Q Q N
the Queen or Bishop to f8 for defensive purposes. self-criticism is probably not strong enough. I re-
16. h6 xe5 17. f5 It is essential to prevent f6- ally do not blame myself for that mistake on move

N
f5, which would allow the Black Queen to retreat to 17" - Larsen.
g7. 17...exf5 18. e4 The third sacrifice clears the 1-0
third rank for the Rook. Now if 18...fxe4 19.Rh3,
or 18...Qxe4 19.Rg3+ Qg4 20.Rxg4+ fxg4 21.Bd3
◦ Bent Larsen
B N
wins [21...Rd8 22.Bxh7+ Kf8 23.Bg6+ Kg8
• Tigran Petrosian
Q K N R N
24.Qh7+ Kf8 25.Qxf7++]. 18... d2 19. xd2
d4+ 20. h1 e5 21. g3+ g4 Also unsatis- Piatigorsky Cup (7)
Santa Monica
Q R
factory are 21...Ng6 22.Rh3 and 21...Qg4 22. Qxf6
1966 1-0 B39
Q N Q R
Ng6 23.Rxg4 fxg4 24.Bxf7+. 22.h3 e5 23. f4
Larsen was Denmark’s best player for most of the
Q N N K
e1+ 24. f1 xg3 25. xg4+ Not 25.Nxg3?
last half of the 20th century. There is always some-
B R B R B
Nxh6. 25... xg4 26.hxg4 d7 27. g3 h8
thing heady about a queen sacrifice, especially
N B N N Q B
28. d3 g8 29. xf5 g6 30. xg6 fxg6 31.
against a world champion who didn’t lose many
Q N N
e4 b5 32.g5 b7 33. xf6 f8 34. h2 c8
games during his reign.
N N B N
35. e5 e6 36. d7+ Black Resigns.

B
1-0 1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 g6 5. e3

N N N Q
g7 6.c4 The Maroczy bind subjects Black to

N Q N Q B B
a lasting cramp. 6... f6 7. c3 g4 8. xg4
◦ Larsen, B.
R
xd4 9. d1 e6 10. d2 d6 11. e2 d7
• Petrosian, T. 12.O–O O–O 13. ad1 A more aggressive setup
2nd Piatigorsky Cup (7) than 13. Rfd1 followed by Rac1, f3 and b3 as
Santa Monica chosen by Keres against Petrosian at the Candi-
1966 1-0 B39
B N R
dates tournament in 1959. The immediate threat
Larsen’s concluding queen sacrifice is frosting on is c5. 13... c6 14. d5 e8 "After the hesitat-
the cake. Remarkably, he ties up the world cham- ing text move I felt justified in starting an attack,"
pion in knots - and makes it look so simple.
N N N B
wrote Larsen, who recommends 14...Nc5 15. f3

B N
1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 g6 5. e3 a5 because winning the queen by 16. Bxc5 and

N B
g7 He could avoid the Maroczy Bind by 5...Nf6 Nf6 is not favorable for White. 15.f4 c7 16.f5

N N N Q N
but Petrosian has a predilection for cramped po- a6 17. g4 "A difficult decision – and proba-

Q N N
sitions. 6.c4 f6 7. c3 g4 8. xg4 xd4 bly wrong!" wrote Larsen, who points out that 17.

Q R
9. d1 e6 "9...Nc6 seems preferable, although b4 Nb8 18. b5 is better. 17... c5 18.fxg6 hxg6

Q
it does not change my estimation that this line is 19. f2 f8 20.e5 Larsen considers this the finest

B B R B
rather difficult for Black" - Petrosian. 10. d2 move in the game. Winning the queen by 20. Bxc5

N R B Q B R N
d6 11. e2 d7 12.O–O O–O 13. ad1 c6 dxc5 21. Nf6 Bxf6 22. Rxd8 Raxd8 is good for
14. d5 e8 "This move I do not understand. Black. 20... xe5 21. h4 xd5 22. xd5 e6

R B
Why not 14...Nc5 15. f3 a5 - I intended 16. Rfe1 The best defense is 22...e6! Now White’s attack

Q B Q
followed by Bf1 but it would not be easy to at- gathers momentum. 23. f3 f6 The only hope is

N N B
tack the solid Black position" - Larsen. 15.f4 23...f5 24. Rh3 Ng7 24. h6 g7 25. xg6 "Of
c7 16.f5 a6 17. g4 "A difficult decision - course it was wonderful to make this move, but it

N Q
and probably wrong. Very strong would have been was not a difficult decision. Spectators were said

R N
17. b4!" - Larsen. 17... c5 18.fxg6 hxg6 19. f2 to be have been surprised. What move did they
f8 20.e5 "Winning the queen would give Black a expect? 25. Qh4?" – Larsen 25... f4 Desper-

R B R
strong position: 20. Bxc5 dxc5 21. Nf6+ Bxf6 ation. But if 25...Nc7 26. Qxg7Kxg7 27. Rg5

B Q
22. Rxd8 Raxd8. This White can never win, Kh7 28. Rh3 mate. 26. xf4 fxg6 27. e6+ f7

B R N R K R R
and he might lose" - Larsen. 20... xe5 21. h4 Also futile is 27...Kh7 28. Rh4 Bh6 29. Bxh6.

R B Q B
xd5 22. xd5 e6 The losing move. The best 28. xf7 h8 29. g5 b5 30. g3 White wins.
chance is 22...e6. 23. f3 f6 24. h6 g7 "My sense of self-criticism is probably not strong

97
 Attack with 8...d5. 9.h3 h6 10.d4 Re8 11.Nbd2
Bf8 12.Nf1 Bd7 13.Ng3 Na5 14.Bc2 c5 15.b3
enough. I really do not blame myself for that mis-
take on move 17." – Larsen
1-0 cxd4 Opening the c-file to get some breathing
space. Spassky-Portisch, Luagno 1968, contin-

N B
ued 15...Nc6 16. d5 Ne7 17. c4 closing the cen-
◦ Garcia, G.
ter. 16.cxd4 c6 17. b2 g6 An alternative is
• Evans, L.
Q B R
17...Rc8 18. a3 Qb6 19. b4 a5 as in Janovsevic-
Havana Olympics (13)
Q N
Geller, Belgrade 1969. 18. d2 g7 19. ad1
Cuba
b6 20. f1 Aiming to redeploy this knight on
1966 0-1 B49
R N Q B Q
d5, a typical Ruy Lopez theme to exploit Black’s
White loses the initiative early on. Watch for the
cramp. 20... ad8 21. e3 b8 22. b1 b7
zigzag gyrations of Black’s bishop which starts out
Marking time and regrouping, since there is no
N N N N
at b4 and winds up on h2 just three moves later!
way to improve his position. If 22... exd4 23.
B Q B N B N
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 c6 5. c3
R K B
Nd5 regains the pawn, so Black tries to maintain
a6 6. e3 c7 7. e2 f6 8.O–O b4 9. a4
his strong point on e5. 23. c1 h7 24.a3 c8
O–O Somewhat risky. So is 9...Nxe4 10. Nxc6
In effect, Spassky is saying "come and get me!"
Qxc6 11. Nb6 Rb8 12. Bf3 f5 13. Bxe4 fxe4 14.
White gains too much space whenever Black re-
N
Qh5+ with attacking prospects. For 9...Bd6 see
linquishes the center. Too dangerous is 24...exd4
Koehler-Evans, 1968. 10. xc6 dxc6 11.c4 Hop-
B B
25. Nxd4 Nxe4 26. Bxe4 Bxb2 27. Qxb2 Rxe4
ing for 11...Nxe4? 12. c5 stranding the bishop at
Q Q K R N B
28. Nxc6 Bxc6 29. Ng4 (or Qf6). 25. c3 d7
B B
b4. Better is 11. Bb6! Qf4 12. Bd3 (12...Nxe4?
N
26. b2 b8 27.b4 g8 28. cd1 h7 29. a2
B K Q Q
13. g3 Qe5 14. Qe2. 11... d6 12. b6 Too
N N N
g5 In cramped positions, exchanges ease pres-
K
late. 12... xh2+ 13. h1 f4 14.g3 h6 Even
N R Q
sure. 30. xg5 hxg5 31.dxe5 dxe5 32. d5 e7
better than 14...Bxg3 15. fxg3 Qxg3. 15. g2
B Q K Q
33. xe7+ xe7 34. d2 White clearly maintains
e5 White suddenly saw the fatal weakness of his
the initiative. 34... f6 35. d6 g7 36. xa6
R Q K B K Q
h3 and is now helpless against a flurry of checks.
R R R R B
Allows counterplay. Much stronger is 36. Re3!
K R B R K R
16. h1 h3+ 17. f3 g4+ 18. e3 h6+
36... c8 37. d6 xc3 38. xf6 e6 Turning
R Q R B N
19. d3 fd8+ 20. xd8 xd8+ 21. c2 xd1
the tables. If 39. Bxe6 Kxf6! Now White
B N N R N R
22. axd1 g6 23.f3 e3 24. xh2 xf3 25. c3
R R Q
must sacrifice the Exchange and fight for a draw.
Q
xe4+ 26. xe4 xe4 27. g2 f2 28. xf2
39. xe6 fxe6 40. d1 b7 An error on the last
xf2 White Resigns.
move of the time control. Spassky fails to find
0-1
Q R B R
40...Qe8! White sealed his reply and the game

K R R R R
was adjourned. 41. xb7 xb7 42. xe6 xa3
◦ Bobby Fischer
B R R R
43. h2 a4 44. b1 c7 45.f3 a6 If 45...Rc6
• Boris Spassky
K K K R B R
46. Bd7 holds. 46. b3 a3 47. b2 a1
17th Olympiad
K R R R K R
48. g3 f6 49. g4 c3 50. d5 aa3 51.h4
Havana
R R R R R
gxh4 52. xh4 a1 53. d2 aa3 54. g4 d3
1966 1/2-1/2 C93 55. c2 ac3 56. a2 a3 57. b2 A draw, as
This eagerly awaited clash between the USA and neither side can make progress. Three years later
USSR, who were in a tight race for the world team Spassky wrested the crown from Petrosian in 1969
championship, was delayed over a week when the and then faced Fischer for the last time before
Soviets refused to postpone the start of the round their famous title bout at Reykjavik in 1972 (see
from 4pm to 6pm on Friday to accommodate Fis- Spassky-Fischer, Siegen 1970).
cher’s religious convictions – despite assurances 1/2-1/2
before going to Cuba that his request for a change
in schedule would be honored. America protested ◦ Padevsky, N.
by forfeiting on all four boards. Finally Moscow • Matanovic, A.
relented and cabled instructions to play the round Havana OIympics
on a free day. World champion Petrosian was re- Cuba
placed on first board by Spassky, who fought back 1966 0-1 B09

N N B B N
heroically after being pinned to the ropes all game. White gets an extremely dangerous mating attack

B R B
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O at the cost of a pawn. The defender finds an orig-
e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 O–O 8.c3 d6 Ending spec- inal way to return the pawn, then assumes the ini-
ulation that Spassky would risk his pet Marshall tiative and concludes with beautifully sharp tactics.

98
"Some like it hot" was the title one critic gave to
this minor masterpiece. It represents the triumph
of the counterattack.
N N B N
N
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3. c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5. f3 O–O
6.e5 fd7 Black lands in an inferior ending if he
tries to avoid the following wild attack by 6...dxe5
7. dxe5 Qxd1+ 8. Kxd1 Rd8+ 9. Ke1 Nd5 10.
Nxd5 Rxd5 11. Be4 Rd8 12. Ng5 (Bronstein-
Vasiukov, USSR Championship 1966). 7.h4 The
Q
consistent follow-up but 7. Be3 is sturdier. 7...c5
Q
8.h5 cxd4 9. xd4 For 9. hxg6 see Sorokin-
Duborik, 1968. 9...dxe5 10. f2 All part of the
master plan. White pitches pawn to get his queen
to the h-file. Tamer is 10. fxe5 Nxe5 11. Qh4
Bf5! 10...e4 A vast improvement over 10...exf4
N N
11. hxg6 hxg6 12. Bxf4 Nf6 13. Qh4 when the at-
Q Q
tack gathers too much momentum. 11. g5 f6
12.hxg6 hxg6 13. h4 d4 A vital link in the de-
N Q B
fensive scheme. Now if 14. Nh7 Rd8 repulses the
attack. 14. b5 b6 15. c4 If 15. Nxe4 Re8
B
staves off mate (16. Nxf6+ exf6+) and White’s
forces remain disjointed. 15... g4 16.f5 Throw-
ing caution to the winds in order to activate the
N
bishop on c1. But Black gets the initiative after
N N N N
16. Nxe4 Nbd7 17. Nf2 Be6. 16...gxf5 17. h7
bd7 18. xf8 xf8 19. c3 White can only re-
R B
treat – sad but true. On 19. Bh6 Nh5 20. Bxg7
Q
Qe3+ 21. Kf1 Ng3+ wins. 19... c8 20. b3 e6
21. f2 White’s on the run. Now that the offen-
sive is over, his endgame is lost. He evidently
Q
forgot Pillbury’s maxim: "Conduct the attack so
K N B
that when the fire is out...it isn’t! 21... xf2+
22. xf2 g6 23. e3 An amusing line is 23.
B B
g3 Bf3 24. Re1 Ng4+ 25. Kf1 Bd4 threatening
Nh2 mate! 23...f4 24. xa7 e3+ 25. xe3 Even
R N K B
less appealing is 25. Kg1 Nh5 26. Kh2 Be5.
B R N R N R
25... xc3 26.bxc3 e4+ 27. g1 fxe3 28. c4
K B
xc3 29. b1 d2 30. xb7 xc4 31. c7 e2
32. f2 d4+ Winning a whole rook. 32...e1=Q+
K N R
33. Rxe1 Bxe1+ 34. Kxe1 would present more
K R B K N K B
technical difficulties. 33. g3 e3 34. c8+
R B
g7 35. e1 e5+ 36. f2 d1+ 37. g1 g3
38. xe2 xe2 White Resigns.
0-1
◦ Kozomara, V.
• Byrne, R.
Sarajevo
Yugoslavia
1967 0-1 E60
"My opponent was so impressed by the piece sacri-
fice that the first thing he asked me after the game
was whether it was prepared analysis. Not only
99
was it not prepared analysis, it was not even pre-
pared on my previous move. It was a clear case of
shooting from the hip" – Robert Byrne, longtime
N N B B
chess columnist for The New York Times.
N B
1.d4 f6 2. f3 g6 3.c4 g7 4.b4 O–O 5. b2
d6 6.e3 bd7 7. e2 e5 8.O–O Black recovers
N R N N
the pawn with a comfortable position after 8. dxe5
N
Ng4. 8...e4 9. fd2 e8 10. c3 f8 11.a4 h5
12.a5 8h7 "It is often difficult to decide, in case
of 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 face
of White’s sweeping pawn avalanche, defensive
moves usually turn out to create more weaknesses
B B
than they shield" – Byrne. 13.a6 b6 14.f4 exf3
15. xf3 g4 "I considered this so essential as to
be obvious, but my opponent told me later than in a
B
previous game 15...Rb8 was chosen and he scored
quickly against it" – Byrne. 16.h3 h6 A thunder-
B R
bolt! White expected 16...Bxf3 17. Qxf3 Ng5 18.
Qf4 Ne6 19. Qf2. 17.hxg4 xe3+ 18. f2 White
does better to seek counterplay with 18. Kh2 Ne4!
N B Q Q
19. g3 Nxd2 20. Bxa8 Nxf1+ 21. Qxf1 Qxa8 22.
gxh5. 18... xg4 19. xg4 h4 20. f3 The most
N Q R
demanding defense is 20. Nde4 hxg4 21. Qd3
N
with lots of fight left. 20... g5 21. xe3 xe3
22. d5 White looks okay with three minor pieces
N Q R N
for the queen. But the next move punctures this
K
illusion. 22...hxg4 23. xe3 g3 24. e2 h3+
25. f1 Byrne gives 25.Kh1 Nf4 26. Rae1 Nxe2
N N Q N
27. Rxe2 Re8 28. Ndf1 Qf4 29. Kg1 Qe4 win-
K R K Q N N
ning. 25... f4 26. e4 h4 27.d5 f5 28. f6+
K
f7 29. d2 g3 30. e1 h1+ 31. f1 xg2+
32. d1 The rest needs no comment. On 32. Rxg2
Q K N K Q
Qxg2 33. Bd4 Rh8 followed by Rh1 does the
K N R Q R Q
trick. 32... xf1+ 33. c2 e3+ 34. b3 xc4+
K K
35. a3 c2+ 36. xc2 xc2 37. h1 xb2+
38. xb2 xf6 White Resigns.
0-1
◦ Byrne, R.
• Bisguier, A.
USA Championship
New York
1967 0-1 E07
"When you don’t know what to do, wait for your
opponent to get an idea – it’s sure to be bad," ad-
vised wily Dr. Tarrasch. Here Black encourages
White to pursue his fixation with winning a pinned
N N B B
piece, which proves to be his undoing.
N
1.c4 f6 2.g3 e6 3. f3 d5 4. g2 e7 5.d4 O–O
6.O–O bd7 7.cxd5 This exchange frees Black’s
N Q R
"problem child," his c8- bishop. A good alternative
is 7. b3. 7...exd5 8. c3 c6 9. c2 e8 10.a3 a5
 B N R N N
N N B N
11. g5 b6 12. ad1 c4 13. e5 Better is 13.
Rfe1 to strive for e4. 13... d6 14.f3 d7 15. f4
More consistent is 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. Nxd7 Qe3+
N Q K B R N
17. Rf2 Bxd7 18. Rd3 Qe7 19. e4 with chances
N N Q R R
for initiative. 15... xe5 16.dxe5 b6+ 17. h1
c4 18. a4 b5 19.e4 dxe4 20. fe1 The die
B B
is cast. White prepares the seemingly devastating
threat of Bf1 pinning the knight. 20... e6 21. f1
The consequences of 21. Rxe4 Nxa3 22. bxa3
R R
Bb3 are ramified but seem to favor Black. 21...exf3
R R
22. e4 ad8 Exploiting the weakness of White’s
back rank. 23. b1 g5 24. xc4 The point is
Q N
24. Bc1 Nxa3! wins. 24...gxf4 25.gxf4 There is
Q Q Q R Q B R
no hope after 25.Rxf4 Qxe5. 25... d5 26. b6
Q B K R R
d2 27. e4 f2 28. c2 xb6 29. d3 xd3
30. xd3 d5 31.h3 h8 32. f1 g8 Black’s
R R K R
two bishops are just too powerful. White could re-
R R Q
sign on the spot. 33. cf2 g3 34. h2 g2+
35. xg2 fxg2 36. g1 xg1+ Of course 37.
Kxg1 Bc5+ leads to mate. White Resigns.
0-1
◦ Pomar, A.
• Szabo, L.
Beverwijk
Holland
1967 0-1 A69
As a child prodigy Spain’s Arturo Pomar at age
13 drew a game with world champion Alexander
Alekhine in 1944! Here Pomar adopts a line which
was considered to be in White’s favor, but Szabo
uncorks a resource that casts doubt on this evalua-
N N B B
tion.
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5. e2
O–O 6.f4 Once considered the scourge of the
King’s Indian Defense, the so-called Four Pawns
N
Attack has been shorn of its terror. 6...c5 7.d5
R N N N
e6 8. f3 exd5 9.cxd5 Sharper than the insipid
B Q Q Q
9. exd5 Bf5. 9... e8 10. d2 a6 11.a4 g4
12. xg4 h4+ 13.g3 xg4 14. xg4 White’s
pawn 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.
B K B
exf5 Rxf5 21. Rfe1 Nf6 (Kerr-Evans, Washing-
ton 1969). 14... xg4 15. f2 d4+ An im-
K N
provement on 15...f5 16. h3 fxe4 17. Nc4! Bf3
B B R B R B
18. Re1 Bf8 19. Nb6 Ra7 20. a5. 16. g2 d7
B
17.h3 xc3 18.bxc3 e2 19. e1 d3 20. e3
c4 21. a3 A critical position for the judgment of
the whole variation, and the subject of an article
by 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
100
B N R
fixes the queenside with a5 and c5, then goes after
the d-pawn. 21... b6 22. xd6 xd5 23. ee1
The interesting course if 23. Rxd3 cxd3 24. c4
R
Nc3 25. Kf3 b5! 26. cxb5 axb5 27. a5 with a
stiff fight. 23... xc3 24. e5 xe5 25.fxe5 c8
N N K
26. a3 No time for 26. Kf3 b5 27. Ra3 b4, etc.
N
26... e2 27. f2 c3 28. b3 Willy-nilly White
N R B K R
should try his luck with 28. Rxe2. 28...c2 29. c1
K R
xc1 30. xc1 xe4 31. e3 c4 32.a5 h5
R
33. d2 c5 Picks up a third pawn for the Ex-
R K R R R
change and effectively ends all resistance. 34. e1
R R R K K
xe5 35. c1 f5 36. b3 xa5 37. xe4 fxe4
R R
38. xb7 a3 39.g4 h4 40. b6 f7 41. xc2
xh3 42.g5 g3 White Resigns. A good illustra-
tion of the "creative evolution" that goes into judg-
ing an opening. The middle game and endgame
flowed directly out of the opening. Theory now
decrees White should abstain from this line unless
he can produce some improvement.
0-1
◦ Vladimirov, Y.
• Doda, Z.
Leningrad
USSR
1967 1-0 A69
Players often spend many hours preparing for tour-
nament games; here White’s ultrasharp opening
has all the tang of home cooking. Black quite prop-
erly nibbles at the dish, as befits a polite guest, but
N N B
makes the mistake of accepting a second helping.
N B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 g6 4. c3 d6 5.e4 g7
6.f4 O–O 7. f3 e6 8. e2 exd5 9. cxd5 A risky
gambit is 9. e5?! dxe5 10. fxe5 Ng4 11. Bg5
R
Qa5 12. cxd5 Nxe5 13. O-O (Nei-Westerninen,
Helsinki 1966). 9... e8 10.e5 It’s questionable
whether White should undertake such action be-
B Q N
fore castling. Safer is 10. Qc2. 10...dxe5 11.fxe5
g4 12. g5 b6 13.O–O xe5 A pitfall is
13...c4+? 14. Kh1 Nf2+ 15. Rxf2 Qxf2 16. Ne4
N B
Qb6 17. Nd6 Rf8 18. Be7 Nd7 19. Nxc4 regaining
B Q
material with a clear advantage. 14. xe5 xe5
15. c4 xb2 A bold choice. Sturdier is 15...Bf5.
16.d6 A logical extension of White’s idea to utilize
the open f-file. Black’s problems are now more
easily solved in analysis than over-the-board. If
B
16...Be6 17. Bxe6 fxe6 18. Qf3 Nc6 19. Qf7+
looks good. 16... f5 17. xf7+ More accurate is
17. Rxf5+! gxf5 18. Bxf7+! transposing into the
K R
game without allowing Black the option pointed
out in the next note. 17... xf7 18. xf5+ gxf5
Now White’s attack becomes irresistible. The quiet
18...Kg7! poses more problems because the rook is
left hanging in the air and White’s entire queenside
is about to be scorched. 19.Qh5+ Kf8 20.Rf1
Bd4+ 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...Kh8
25. Bg7+! Kg8 (25...Bxg7 26. Qd8+) 26. Bxf6+
R R Q K
Kf8 27. Bg7+ Ke8 28. Rf8+ Kd7 29. Qd8+
Q
leads to mate. 25. xf6+ xf6 26. g7+ e6
27. e7+ Black does not care to take his king for
a stroll in view of 27...Kf5 28. Qe4 mate. Black
Resigns.
1-0
◦ Bobby Fischer
• Efim Geller
Monte Carlo (6)
Monaco
1967 0-1 B97
"It was clear to me that the vulnerable point of the
American grandmaster was in double-edged, hang-
ing, irrational positions, where he often failed to
find a win even in a won position. This led to my
decision to challenge Fischer in a very sharp game
and, what’s more, in his favorite variation. Players
who are devoted to certain opening systems know
how unpleasant it can be to play against oneself in
the purely psychological sense. To be objective,
it must be pointed out that there is always another
side of the coin, as was indeed the case here. The
opening subleties of the variation were well known
to Fischer, whereas I had to search very hard for
good continuations in an unfamiliar situation" –
N N N N
Geller.
B Q Q
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
a6 6. g5 e6 7.f4 b6 8. d2 Leads to the so-
called poison pawn variation. "The less commit-
Q R
ting 8. Nb3 would have looked like moral capitu-
Q
lation on White’s part." – Geller. 8... xb2 9. b1
N N N
a3 10.f5 As Black, Fischer had several times
N B N B
refuted the overly aggressive 10. e5. 10... c6
11.fxe6 fxe6 12. xc6 bxc6 13.e5 Opening all
lines in the center to facilitate the attack. Inade-
quate is 13. Bxf6 gxf6 14. Be2 Rg8 14. O-O
N Q B
14. Bh5 Ke7 leads nowhere) Qc5 15. Kh1 Qg5
forcing an exchange of queens. 13... d5 Fis-
cher once defended with 13...dxe5 14. Bxf6 gxf6
15. Ne4 Be7 16. Be2 h5! "But I was playing this
variation 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’s
N B
pawn center should enable his king to sit it out"
B R
– Geller. 14. xd5 cxd5 15. e2 dxe5 16.O–O
c5+ A better defense is 16...Ra7! 17. c4 Qc5 18.
K R
Kh1 d4 19. Qc2 Be7 20. Qa4 Rd7 as in Bednarsky-
Sakharov, Varna 1968. 17. h1 f8 18.c4 "Up to
101
this point Fischer had played very quickly, obvi-
ously following his prepared analysis. Here for the
R
first time he sank into thought and made the usual
R B B
move in this sort of position" – Geller. 18... xf1+
19. xf1 b7 20. g4 "Fischer’s only mistake,
made after 20 minutes thought. It was here that
my correctly evaluated aspect of his character came
into effect: in unfamiliar sharp positions he was apt
to 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 pointed
out that 20. Qc2! makes it difficult to parry the
threat against h7" – Geller. Three months later in
Tal-Bogdanovic, USSR vs. Yugoslavia, White won
after 20. Qc2! e4 . Bg4 Be7 22. Qf2! O-O-O 23.
B Q Q B
Bf4 Bd6 24. Bxe6 Kb8 25. Qb6 Bxf4 26. Qxd8.
20...dxc4 21. xe6 d3 22. e1 e4 "The idea
is to paralyize White’s heavy pieces. The bishop
in the center is simultaneously both a shield and a
B R B K R
sword. Fischer at this point looked very dismayed"
K
– Geller. 23. g4 b8 24. d1 d7 25. f7+
e6 White resigns. "Contrary to the normal state
of affairs, Black’s king in the center is now safe,
whereas its colleague, which is in its customary
place, is in a trap. On 26. Rxg7 Bxg2 27. Kxg2
Rb2 28. Kh1 Qd5 mates." – Geller.
0-1
◦ Hennings, A.
• Moehring, G.
National Championship
East Germany
1967 1-0 B89
It’s amazing how much hot water a master can
wade into in the first dozen moves despite a century
of opening theory. Here Black’s defensive setup
is mangled even though every one of his moves
N N
seems plausible.
1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 d6 5. c3
B Q
e6 6. e3 f6 7. c4 Considered inferior un-
til Fischer rehabilitated it. 7... e7 8. e2 O–O
While not an error, castling generally should be
delayed in favor of rapid queenside action with
N
a6 and b5. 9.O–O–O c7 10. b3 a6 Rather
B N R N
slow. 10...Na5 is indicated. 11.g4 b5 12.g5 xd4
13. xd4 d7 14. hg1 c5 If such a natural
Q
move leads to trouble, then Black already is walk-
ing a tightrope. Better is 14...Bb7. 15. h5 b4
Black can hardly be blamed for overlooking the
B
reply. But he still loses after 15...Nd7 16. g6!
R
hxg6 17. Rxg6. 16. f6 This elegant coup threat-
R K B K
ens the still more elegant Qh6! 16... e8 17. g3
N
bxc3 18. h3 cxb2+ 19. b1 xf6 20.gxf6 f8
21.e5 e4 On 21...dxe5 22. fxg7+ Ke7 23. Qg5+
 K Q Q R
QR R
also wins. 22.fxg7+ e7 23. h4+ f6 24. xe4 14. hf1 b5 15.f5 The die is cast. 15. a3 is safer

K
d5 25.g8= xg8 26. xh7+ Enough is enough! but costs a tempo, which definitely is not to Fis-

R Q Q
Black Resigns. cher’s taste. 15...b4 16.fxe6 bxc3 17.exf7+ h8
1-0 18. f5 b4 19. f1 Fischer says this was the

N
hardest move in the game to find (45 minutes).
Black must meet the threat of Rxf6. 19... xe4
◦ Fischer, R.
Objectively better is 19...Ng4 20. Bxc3 Qb7 21.
• Dely, P.
Qf4 with three pawns for the piece, but who can
Skopje
quarrel with success? 20.a3 White loses his way
Yugoslavia
in the labyrinth. Fischer gives 16. Qf4! as the
1967 1-0 B88
winning move. One line he offers is 16...cxb2 17.
A crisp miniature. Black tries to solve his opening
Q
Rh5! Nc3+ 18. Kxb2 Nxd1+ 23. Kc1 Rxf7 24.
problems superficially and is on the receiving end
Q B
Bxf7! Bd7 25. Bxg7+ snaring the queen. 20... b7
N
of two fatal jolts.
Q B R B
21. f4 a4 White overlooked this shot which
N N N N B B
1.e4 "Best by test" – Fischer. 1...c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4
turns the tables. 22. g4 f6 23. xf6 xb3
Q
cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3 c6 6. c4 e6 7. b3
The point is 24. Rf4 (or 24. cxb3 Nxf6) 24...Ba2+!
a6 8.f4 a5 White got good attacking prospects
25. Kxa2 Qxb2 mate. White Resigns.
after 8...Na5 9. f5! Nxb3 10. axb3 Be7 11. Qf3
0-1
N
O-O 12. Be3 Bd7 13. g4 e5 14. Nde2 (Fischer-
Bielicki, Mar Del Plata 1960). 9.O–O xd4 A
◦ Evans, L.
Q
better solution is 9...d5 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. f5 with
• Zuckerman, B.
a slight initiative, but nothing serious. 10. xd4
USA Championship
d5 Naively attempting to free his game with Bc5.
New York City
The lesser evil is 10...Qc5 11. Qxc5 dxc5 al-
1967 1-0 B76
B N
though White has an endgame advantage with 12.
5-time national champion Larry Evans received the
N
a4. 11. e3 xe4 Better but far from good is
brilliancy prize against Bernard Zuckerman, who
Q
11...dxe4 12. Nxe4 Be7 13. Nd6+. 12. xe4 dxe4
often was called "Zuckerbook" in chess circles be-
13.f5 b4 Fischer gives 13...exf5 14. g4! Be6 15.
cause of his encyclopedic book knowledge. Here
gxf5 Bxb3 16. axb3 Qb4 17. Ra4 Qxd4 18. Rxd4
he displays a rare piece of bad judgment by gob-
B
Be7 19. Rxe4 Kf8 20. f6! Bxf6 21. Rxf6 gxf6
bling a tainted pawn in the opening. The dose is
22. Bh6+ and mates. 14.fxe6 xe6 Overlook-
N N N N
lethal.
B R Q
ing the concluding combination. 14...fxe6 is now
B N B Q
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
Q
the only hope. 15. xe6 fxe6 16. xf8+ xf8
g6 6. e3 c6 7.f3 g7 8. d2 O–O Postpon-
17. a4+ Mate or heavy material loss is unavoid-
ing castling with 8...Bd7 or Rc8 has been found
able, so Black Resigns. If 17...b5 18. Qxe4 Rd8
wanting, since Black’s king is not secure in the
19. Qc6+ Rd7 20. Rd1 Qe7 21. Bb6! and the
center and he is minus the serves of his rook on
threat of Qc8+ is devastating.
N
h8." 9.O–O–O The main alternative is 9. Bc4.
1-0
9... xd4 Black has to show that he has enough
compensation for the pawn after 9...d5 10. Nxc6
◦ Fischer, R. bxc6 11. exd5 Nxd5 12. Nxd5 cxd5 13. Qxd5
• Geller, Y.
B B K Q
Qc7 14. Qc5 (Evans-Padevsky, Havana 1964.)
Skopje
R N
10. xd4 e6 11. b1 c7 Not 11...Qa5? 12.
Yugoslavia Nd5! 12.h4 fc8 13.h5 xh5 Opening the file
1967 0-1 B88 is too dangerous. Correct is 13...Qa5 14. hxg6

B K
A flawed masterpiece. Fischer has a momentary hxg6 15. a3 15...Rab8 16. g4 b5 (Evans- Zucker-

N Q K N
lapse; his ultra sharp attack meets with a stunning man, USA Championship 1970.) 14. xg7 xg7

N N N N B
refutation. 15.g4 f6 16. h6+ g8 17.e5 dxe5 18.g5 h5

N B B B
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3 19. d3 19. Rxh5 gxh5 20. Bd3 transposes into
c6 6. c4 e6 7. e3 e7 Black should start the same line. 19...e4 Black has no valid defense

B R
rapid action on the queenside with 7...a6 8. Bb3 to the threat of Rxh5. If 19...f5 20. Rxh5 gxh5

Q Q N Q
Qc7 9. Qe2 b5 10. O-O Na5 (or Bb7). 8. b3 21. Qxe6+ Kh8 22. Qxf5 wins. 20. xh5 gxh5

N B K B K
O–O 9. e2 a5 Trying to improve on the cus- 21. xe4 Better than 21. Bxe4 Qe5. 21... f4

N B B K B R Q K Q
tomary 9...a6 10. O-O-O Qc7 11. g4. 10.O–O–O 22. f6+ exf6 23. xh7+ h8 24. f5+ g8
xd4 11. xd4 d7 12. b1 c6 13.f4 ad8 25. h7+ f8 26. h8+ Etiquette dictates that a

102
master not play on until mate – 26...Ke7 27. gxf6! Rg8 57.Kf5 Rf8+ 58.Ke6 Rg8 59.Rg1 Of
Black Resigns. course 59...Kxc5 60. g5 is fatal. White’s smooth
1-0 transition from a superior midgame to a won end-
ing illustrates once again that a chess game is an
◦ Spassky, B. organic whole. Black Resigns.
• Suetin, A. 1-0
Moscow
USSR ◦ Bogdanovic, R.
1967 1-0 B48 • Suetin, A.
An object lesson in how to sustain the initiative. Match: Yugoslavia vs. USSR
Each time Black is on the verge of equalizing, Belgrade

N N N
Spassky finds an ingenious way to prevent it. 1967 1-0 B49
1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3. c3 e6 3...e5 is also Blow and counterblow – a violent clash of wills

N Q B N
playable but creates a hole on d5. 4.d4 cxd4 from start to finish. Exhausted by all the complica-

N
5. xd4 c7 6. e3 a6 7. b3 A dubious attempt tions, Black falls into a deadly snare while trying

B B N N N N
to improve on either 7 a3 or Bd3. 7... f6 8.f4 to avoid a draw.

B Q B
b4 9. d3 O–O Lacks vitality. More forceful 1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 c6 5. c3
is 9...d5 10. e5 d4! 11. Nxd4 Nd5. 10.O–O xc3 c7 6.f4 a6 7. e3 b5 The popularity of this
Again better is 10...d5. Black should not swap his Taimanov System is due largely to the great lat-
good bishop just to double the c-pawns. 11.bxc3 itude it offers the second player. Here Black ig-

N Q B B
d6 In accordance with classical theory, Black tries nores the kingside to start a diversion on the other
to keep the center closed to minimize the scope wing. 8. xc6 xc6 9. e2 a3 An ingenious
of White’s two bishops. More forcing, however, novelty designed to improve on 9...b4 10. Bf3!

R R K B B N B B
is 11...d5 12. e5 Nd7 followed by an eventual f5. bxc3 11. e5 cxb2 12. Rb1 Qc3+ 13. Bd2 Qa3 14.

N
12. f3 e5 13.f5 d5 14. g3 h8 14...dxe4 would Bxa8. 10. d4 xb2 11. xb5 xa1 12. xa1

B Q R B Q
be met by 15. Bh6. 15.exd5 e7 15...Nxd5 al- axb5 If 12...Kf8 13. Nd6 yields a strong bind.

K B B N
lows the powerful stroke 16. Qh5 Nxe3 17. f6 13. xg7 xe4 14.O–O xa2 15. d3 e3+

B N Q R B
g6 18. Qh6 Rg8 19. Rxe3 Qd8 20. Ne4 Qf8 21. 16. h1 b7 17. xh8 h6 17...Ne7 looks better

R N Q N R B B R Q
Qh4 with a bind. 16. c5 fxd5 17. g4 g8 but the text gives the knight access to g4. 18. xb5

B
18. h3 f6 19. g5 ed5 20. f1 b6 21. e4 d5 19. f3 c5 Black seems justified in playing
b7 Black could ease the pressure somewhat with for the win. He spurns 19...Ng4 20. Rxe3 Nf2+

B B B Q B
21...bxc5 22. Bxd5 Rb8 (but not 22...Nxd5? 23. 21. Kg1 Nxd1 22. Rd3 Rxc2 23. Rxd1 Rxg2+

R B Q Q R
Rxh7+). 22. xd5 xd5 23. e7 c6 No rest for 24. Kf1 Rxh2 with a draw in view. 20.c4 c6

N R N R
the weary. If 23...Qxe7 24. Rxh7+ wins. 24. h6 21. xc6 xc6 22. b1 e2 Still with an eye on

Q K
e4 25. xc6 xg5 26. d6 Again Black is al- the main chance but forgetting about his own back

B
lowed no breathing space. After 26. Rxb6 Ne4 rank. Better is 22...Ra8 23. h3 f5. 23. b8+ e7

K Q
regains the pawn. The text eliminates drawing 24. f6+ Satan never sleeps. It’s mate in three.

B N R N
chances stemming from opposite colored bish- 24... xf6 25. d8+ If 25...Kf5 26. Qg5+ Ke4 27.
ops. 26... xb3 27.axb3 e4 28. xb6 xc3 Qe5 mate. Black Resigns.
29.f6 Material is even but White has managed to 1-0

R K R
preserve his initiative despite the disappearance
◦ Gurgenidze, B.
N K N N
of queens. 29... ge8 30.fxg7+ xg7 31. b7
e2+ 32. h1 f4 33.g3 g6 If 33...Ne6 34. • Lein, A.

B N K R
Bd6 Nd8 35. Rd7 e4 36. Bc7 nabs at least a 35th USSR Championship

K K B K R
pawn. 34. d6 h8 35.c4 g6 36.g4 e6 37.c5 Tbilisi
g5 38.h3 e4 39. g2 e3 40. f4+ g6 41. b6 1967 1-0 B29
This insures the gain of a pawn and with it the Everything proceeds serenely until White’s unex-

R R
game. Note the power of the bishop contrasted pected knight sacrifice on move 11. Black must

R R B
with the immobile knight. 41...e2 42. e1 c8 decline the "gift" but he never recovers from the

R K R K N N N N N
43.b4 a5 44. xe2 axb4 45. exe6+ fxe6 46. e5 disruption it caused.

B R R K R K
h5 47. xe6+ f7 48. b6 hxg4 49.hxg4 e7 1.e4 c5 2. f3 f6 3.e5 d5 4. c3 xc3 5.dxc3
50. xh8 xh8 51. xb4 e6 52. c4 d5 5. bxc3 d5 is easier for Black to handle. Captur-

R R K K K R K
Black is hoping for a miracle. He should resign. ing away from the center violates principle but al-
53. c1 g8 54. g3 c6 55. f4 f8+ 56. e5 lows for rapid development. "Before the ending the

103
 Rxf6 Not 23...gxf6 24. Rg3+ Kf8 25. Qg4
Q Nf5 26. Qg8+! Rxg8 27. Nf7 mate. 24.Bxf6
gods have placed the middle game," observed Dr.

gxf6 25.Rg3+ Kf8 26.Qg4 Bxe5 27.fxe5 f5

Tarrasch. 5... c7 Hoping to mobilize the queen-

28.Rxf5+ Ke8 Forced. On 28...exf5 29. Qg7+

side and perhaps castle there, but he never gets the
chance. Nimzovich opined that 5...d5 is best. He
once played 5...b6? overlooking 6. e6! f6 7. Ne5! Ke8 30. e6 Qd5 31. Wh8+ Ng8 32. Rxg8+

B N B R R K R R
fxe5 8. Qf3 (Votolchek-Pachman, Prague 1944). Ke7 33. Qg7+ Kd6 34. Rxc8 Nxc8 35. Qd7
6. f4 c6 7. c4 e6 8.O–O b6 9. e1 Overpro- mate. 29. f1 d7 30. b3 c6 A pity that
tecting e5 in order to free the knight. Now Black after having survived the worst Black fails to of-

N N R K R
should reply 9...h6 followed by Bb7 and O-O-O. fer the best resistance with 30...Rc4 31. Rf6

Q Q K K
9...f5 10. h4 g6 The final error. Necessary is Nf5. 31.d5 bxd5 32. xb7+ c8 33. b3
10...Ne7 after which White would not find it easy a5 34.h3 d2 35. h2 c7 A valiant defense

N N R Q R R
to exploit his initiative. If 11. Qd6 Nd5! equalizes. that fails. All things considered 35...Ng6 is the
11. xf5 a5 The only defense. If 11...exf5 12. best practical chance. 36. f7 c2 37. c3 xc3

K
e6 d6 13. e7! Bxe7 14. Bxd6 Qd7 15. Qd5 Rf8 16. It’s all over after 37...Nxc3 38. Rxe7+ Kd8 39.

Q Q Q N R
Bxe7 Nxe7 17. Qxa8 wins. Or 11...gxf5 12. Qh5+ Qg7. 38.bxc3 d7 39.c4 h5 If 39...Ne3 40. Qd4+

B K Q Q Q
Kd8 13. Rad1 followed by Bxe6 and Black’s king wins. 40. h4 g6 41. f2 e3 42. xe7+

B
will be caught in a crippling crossfire. 12. d5 xe7 43. xe3 f5 44. d4 a5 45.c5 Black Re-

N B
b7 12...exd5 loses to 13. Nd6+ Kd8 14. Qxd5 signs.

Q B
with myriad threats. 13. d6+ xd6 14.exd6 1-0

R
c8 15. h6 Now Black’s king is hemmed in the
◦ Fischer, R.
Q B Q N R
center and victory is only a step away. 15... g8
• Stein, L.
N
16. f3 xd5 17. xd5 c6 18. ad1 With the

Q N Q R
new and ugly threat of 19. Rxe6+. 18... d8 Sousse Interzonal
19. g5 c6 20. f6 g5 21. e5 Black is hog-tied Tunisia
and resigns. If 21...Qd8 22.Rxe6+ dxe6 23. Qxe6+ 1967 1-0 C92
Ne7 24. d7+ butchers him. In this violent clash of wills between the Ameri-
1-0 can and Soviet champions, Fischer’s prosecution
of the attack is crowned by a brilliant bishop sac-
◦ Suetin, A. rifice. Stein declines, carrying the struggle into the
• Taimanov, M. endgame. Voted best game of 1967 by the jury of

N N B B N
Leningrad the prestigious CHESS INFORMANT.

B R B
USSR 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O
1967 1-0 B28 e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.h3 The
A colossal struggle. Black manages to stagger out attempt to dispense with this prophylactic move
of a beautiful combination bloody but unbowed – (which prepares d4 and prevents the pin on g4) has

N
only to falter in the quiet aftermath. not fared too well. Black achieved easy equality in
1.e4 c5 2. f3 a6 3.c3 A legitimate attempt to Fischer-Korchnoi, Stockholm 1962 after 9. d4 Bg4

B
profit from Black’s passive last move. White hopes 10. Be3 exd4 11. cxd4 Na5 12. Bc2 Nc4 13. Bc1

Q N B B N B N N N
to establish a pawn mass in the center. 3...d5 c5 14. b3 Na5 15. d5 Nd7 16. Nbd2 Bf6. 9... b7

B N N
4.exd5 xd5 5.d4 f6 6. e2 e6 7.O–O e7 10.d4 a5 11. c2 c4 12.b3 b6 13. bd2
8. e3 cxd4 9.cxd4 O–O 10. c3 Finally gaining bd7 More active is 13...exd4 14. cxd4 c5. 14.b4
the tempo which Taimanov has been trying to deny Thwarts c5 and prepares a dominating buildup by

Q R
him. But Black already is safely castled and can 15. Bb2 followed by c4. 14...exd4 15.cxd4 a5

N Q N
afford the slight loss of time. 10... d6 11. c1 16.bxa5 c5 Inferior is 16...Rxa5 17. d5! c5 18.

B Q N N
bd7 12. d2 b6 12...b5 is more active but dxc6 Bxc6 19. Nd4 with a target against the iso-

N N B B B N
Taimanov has another idea in mind. 13. f4 d8 lated b-pawn. 17.e5 dxe5 18.dxe5 d5 19. e4

R B B R Q
14. e5 fd5 15. g3 d7 16.f4 b5 When b4 "Not 19...Rxa5 20. Neg5 h6 21. Qd3 g6 22.

Q R R B N
cramped, try to exchange pieces! 17. f3 xe2 Ne6! wins" – Fischer. 20. b1 xa5 21. e2
18. xe2 c8 19. cf1 b4 Too slow. 19...Nxc3 b6 Stein commits the strategic error of press-
20. bxc3 Na4 21. Be1 b5 produces the necessary ing too hard on the queenside and allowing White

N N B
counterplay. 19...f5 weakens the e-pawn but also to become entrenched on the other wing. Bet-

B N B Q Q Q
deserves consideration. 20. e4 e7 21.a3 d6 ter to safeguard the king by 21...Re8 and Nf8.

N N N K Q R
22. h4 f6 22...Nbd5 would prevent the following 22. fg5 xe4 23. xe4 g6 24. h4 h5 25. g3
combination but 23. f5 is still strong. 23. xf6+ c4 26. f3 g7 27. f4 h8 28.e6 f5 Fischer

104
 B
Q
recommends 28...Bf6 with a hard fight. 29. xf5 The passive 16. Nxc6 Qxc6 17. Qd3 Qg6! ties

Q R B
f8 The best way to decline the offer. Fischer White up, but he still has a chance to live after

Q R R R N N
gives 29...gxf5 30. Qg3+ Kh7 31. Ng5+! Bxg5 18. Re1 f4 19. Nd2. 16... xf5 17. xd5 g6

B
32. Bxg5 Qd3 33. Qc7+ Kg6 34. Qf7+! Kxg5 35. 18. e3 ad8 19. xd8 xd8 20. d4 xd4
Qg7+ Kf4 36. Rad1! 30. e4 In the heat of bat- 21.cxd4 c5 22. d5 It’s also all over after 22. f3

Q B Q
tle White misses the clincher 30. Nh4! Bxh4 31. cxd4! 23. Qe1 d3 24. fxe4 Qxe4 25. Qxe4 Bxe4

Q B R B B
Qxh4 Qxf5 32. Qe7+ Kg8 33. Qd8+ Kg7 34. Qc7+ 26. Bb1 d2. 22... xe5 23.f3 g5 24.f4 xd5
Ke8 35. e7. 30... xf4 31. xf4 e8 Time trou- 25. xe4 xe4 26.fxg5 White finally established

R Q K Q Q
ble. Better is 31...Rxa2. Now White wins mate- material equality – at the cost of his king. The

R R R N R R K Q Q
rial and the rest is a matter of technique. 32. ad1 rest is forced. 26... d1+ 27. f2 c2+ 28. e2
a6 33. d7 xe6 34. g5 f6 Equally inad- f8+ 29. e1 a4 30.b3 d4 White Resigns.

B R N K N
equate is 34...Ra6 35. Bb1 Kf6 36. Ne4+ Kf7 On 31. Bb2 Qg1+ 32. Kd2 Rd8+ 33. Kc3 Qd4

N R B K N R N
37. Nxc5. 35. f3 xf4 36. e6+ f6 37. xf4 mate.

R R N K N K B
e5 38. b7 d6 39. f1 c2 40. e4 d4 41. 0-1

K B N R K B
b6 d8 42. d5+ f5 43. e3+ e6 44. e2

K R R R
d7 45. xb5+ xb5 46. xb5 c6 47.a4 c7
◦?
N R N
48. e2 g5 49.g3 a8 50. b2 f8 51.f4 gxf4
• N. Radchenko
R R R
52.gxf4 f7 53. e6+ d6 If 53...Bd6 54. Rf6!
Unknown
ends resistance. 54.f5 a8 55. d2 xa4 56.f6
USSR
Black Resigns.
1967 0-1 C59
1-0
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen. Some
masterpieces were created by players nobody ever
◦ Tal, M.
heard of, and just one great effort can make you
• Keres, P.
famous. Inside Chess unearthed this obscure game
Moscow
and noted: "Radchenko is not a household name
USSR
even in his native Russia, but he is the creator of a
1967 0-1 C83
brilliant game that deserves to be considered as one
The Open Defense to the Ruy Lopez never enjoyed
of the best of the century." Noteworthy are the gy-
a wide following despite the advocacy of Euwe,
rations of Black’s queen from one side of the board
Korchnoi and Tarrasch. Here Keres springs an im-
to the other. The final queen sacrifice on move 25
provement that gives him a won game before Tal
N N B N N
is truly inspired.
N N B B N
can even get all his pieces out of the box.
N B B N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. c4 f6 4. g5 d5 5.exd5
N B B Q B
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O
N Q B
a5 6. b5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8. e2 h6 9. f3 e4
B
xe4 6.d4 b5 7. b3 d5 8.dxe5 e6 9. e2 e7
10. e5 d4 11.f4 c5 A main line in the Two
10.c3 O–O 11. c2 Bronstein enjoyed some suc-
Knights Defense. White can’t castle, but a ques-
cess with this rare attempt to dislodge the knight.
R Q
tion debated for ages is whether Black has enough
Q
It avoids the simplifications arising after 11. Nbd2,
compensation for the pawn. 12. f1 d8 This re-
which is the normal move here. 11... d7 This
N Q
treat averts the threat of c3 and b4 forking a piece.
pawn sacrifice was originally recommended by Dr.
13.c3 d5 14. a4 O–O 15.b4 An old analysis
Euwe. After 12. Bxe4 dxe4 13. Qxe4 Bd5 there
Q K R K
by Paul Keres gives 15. Qxe4 Re8 16. d4 as
R N
seems to be no good way for White to keep his
B K
the right path. 15... h4+ 16. d1 d8 17. c2
pawn. 12. d1 f5 13. bd2 On 13. exf6 Nxf6
f5 18.bxc5 e3+ 19. b2 Greater resistance is of-
K
14. Ng5 Bg4 15. f3 Bc5+ 16. Kh1 Rae8 Black
R K Q B R
fered by 19. d3 Qxh2 20. Qxa5 Qxg2 21. Kd1.
gets great activity. 13... h8 Anchoring the knight
B Q N
19... db8+ 20. a3 d8 21. b2 exd2 22. d1
on e4. The game reaches its climax right here.
N N
c2 23. xc2 b3 The knight is immune. If
White’s last two moves were intended to dislodge
Q Q
24. Qxb3 Qa5 25. Qa4 Qxc5. 24. c4 xa1
black’s knight but the text sets his game tumbling
25. xd2 b6 Decisive. If 26. Ka4 (or 26. cxb6
downhill. If 14. Nxe4 fxe4 15. Bxe4 dxe4!
K Q K Q N Q
axb6) Qb5 27. Ka3 Qa6 28. Na5 Qxa5 mate.
16. Rxd7 exf3 17. Qd1 Bxd7 18. Qxd7 Rad8.
26. a4 b5+ 27. a3 a6+ 28. a5 xa5# 0-
N B
With Black’s king still on g8, this line could be re-
1
futed by 19. Qe6+ and Be3. 14. b3 f7 This

N B
quiet retreat proves deadly since White must now
◦ Rossolimo, N.
N
cope with a vicious pin after Bh5. 15. bd4 h5
16. xf5 Desperately fishing in troubled waters. • Reissman, P.

105
Puerto Rico Open
Rio Piedras
1967 1-0 C54
Rossolimo was awarded a special brilliancy prize
for this fantastic queen sacrifice. The elegant finale
is reminiscent of Marshall’s famous win over Lev-
itsky in 1912 where spectators were so delighted
that they showered the board with gold pieces.
N N B B N
B B
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. c4 c5 4.c3 f6 5.d4
exd4 6.cxd4 b4+ 7. d2 Black emerges un-
B N
scarred on 7. Nc3 Nxe4 8. O-O Bxc3 9. d5 Ne5
N Q N
10. bxc3 Nxc4 11. Qd4 O-O! 7... xd2+ 8. bxd2
d5 9.exd5 xd5 10. b3 ce7 Not quite sound
R
is 10...O-O?! 11. Bxd5 Na5 12. Bxf7+ Rxf7 13.
Qc3 Re7+ 14. Ne5. 11.O–O c6 12. fe1 O–O
N B R
13.a4 b6 An ill-advised attempt to improve on the
N Q
main line with 13...Qb6. 14. e5 b7 15.a5 c8
B Q N
16. e4 c7 He must try 16...Rc7 to create a re-
Q N R
treat for the bishop at c8. 17.a6 a8 18. h3 f4
19. g4 ed5 20. a3 A fine idea. The inactive
N
rook swings over to the kingside to reinforce the
attack. 20... e6 His predicament is critical. If
20...f6 21. Bxd5+ Nxd5 22. Qe6+ Kh8 23. Ng6+
B N K Q
hxg6 24. Rh3 mate. The best chance to fight back
Q
is 20...c5. 21. xd5 cxd5 22. f6+ h8 23. g6
c2 If 23...fxg6 24. Nxg6+ hxg6 25. Rh3 mate.
Black can last a few moves by giving up his queen
for two knights by 23...gxf6 24. Qxf6+ Ng7 25.
R
Rg3 Rg8 26. Nxf7+ Qxf7 27. Qxf7. The text
evokes a beautiful point. 24. h3 Black Resigns.
If 24...Qxg6 25. Nxg6+ fxg6 26. Rxh7 mate.
1-0
◦ Fischer, R.
• Miagmarsuren, L.
Interzonal
Sousse
1967 1-0 A08
Fischer dropped out of this world championship
qualifier over a scheduling dispute when he was
leading and delayed his prospects for several years,
but he created a number of beautiful games. Here
the Mongolian champion is so intent on breaking
through on the queenside that he forgets about his
king. Fischer’s concluding queen sacrifice is capti-
vating and perfectly timed.
N
1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3. d2 The purpose of this move
N B N
order is to avert an exchange of queens after
N B
3...dxe4 4. dxe4. 3... f6 4.g3 c5 5. g2 c6
6. gf3 e7 7.O–O O–O White’s quiet buildup
postpones sharp hand-to-hand battle until the mid-
N R Q
dle game where operations will take place behind
closed lines. 8.e5 d7 9. e1 b5 10. e2 b4
106
N
11.h4 a5 12. f1 a4 13.a3 "Believe it or not, I ac-
tually spent more time on this innocuous push (15
minutes) than on any other move in the game! I
didn’t want to allow Black to get in ...a3 thereby
creating holes (weak squares) on c3 and a3. On
the other hand, by stopping to meet his positional
threat I am forced to postpone my own schemes
for at least two moves. Chess is a matter of del-
N
icate judgment, knowing when to punch and how
to duck" – Fischer. 13...bxa3 14.bxa3 a5 This
N B B
decentralization is inadvisable. Black should try
14...Nd4 or Ba6 right away. 15. e3 a6 16. h3
N
Permanently discouraging the f6 freeing maneu-
ver. 16...d4 17. f1 Fischer is a law unto himself.
He abstains from the natural 17. Ng4 because this
N N
knight is headed instead for e4. Meanwhile Black
N
has secured d5 for his knight. 17... b6 18. g5
d5 It’s remarkable that such an obvious move
B B
is inferior. 18...h6! 19. Ne4 c4 offers reasonable
counterplay. 19. d2 xg5 19...c4 was still a bet-
ter try. But not 19...h6? 20. Nxe6 fxe6 21. Bxe6+
B Q Q
Kh8 22. Bxa5 Qxa5 23. Bxd5 gaining two buttons.
20. xg5 d7 21. h5 "Make way for the heavy
R N N
artillery" – Fischer. Black should now take the pre-
caution of 21...Kh8. 21... fc8 22. d2 c3 Ru-
inous. Again 22...c4 is the best chance. With all
B Q
Black’s pieces clustered on the other wing, his king
is ripe. 23. f6 e8 Forced. Not 23...gxf6 24.
N Q N
exf6 Kh8 25. Nf3 Nd5 26. Ng5 Nxf6 27. Qh6
R R R
Qe7 28. Bf5! and wins. 24. e4 g6 25. g5 xe4
B
26. xe4 c4 27.h5 cxd3 28. h4 a7 To defend
the second rank after 29. hxg6 fxg6. 29. g2 A
subtle 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+
Q Q Q
Kf7 34. Rh7+! Ke8 35. Rxa7 Bd3 36. Rxa5.
30. h6 f8 31. xh7+ Black Resigns. It’s mate
after 31...Kxh7 32. hxg6+ Kxg6 33. Be4.
1-0
◦ Gheorghiu, F.
• Uhlmann, W.
Sofia
Bulgaria
1967 1-0 A08
A quiet opening gives rise to splendid tactics.
White positional sacrifice of the Exchange is fully
justified, and the final twist is simply delicious.
N N N B
B N R
1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3. d2 f6 4. gf3 e7 5.g3
c5 6. g2 c6 7.O–O O–O 8. e1 A King’s In-
dian Reversed. This is a well-known position
where each side is about to attack on the oppo-
site wing. Who will get there first? 8...b5 9.e5
N N B
d7 10. f1 a5 11.h4 b4 12. f4 a4 13.a3 An at- Bc7 36.Bc6 Nb8 37.Be4 Nd5 38.Bxd5 exd5
tempt to improve on the customary 13. N1h2 a3 39.b4 The clincher. "It is imperative to advance the

B K
14. b3 Na7! where Black gets counterplay against a-pawn, and in order to effect this advance White

N N N N B N B B
the weak dark squares. 13...bxa3 14.bxa3 a6 b-pawn has to be at b4" – Reshevsky. 39... f7

N B Q
15. e3 d4 16.c4 b3 Stronger is 16...dxc4 17. 40.a5 d7 41.b6 d8 42.b7 b8 43. a7 c7
Nxd4 (or 17. Nxc4 Nb3) 17...cxd4 18. Bxa8 dxe3 44.b5 d7 45.a6 xh2 46. b8= Black Resigns.

N Q N B
19. Bf3 exf2+ with very active play. 17.cxd5 If 46...Nxb8 47. Bxb8 Bxb8 48. b6 and a7 wins.

N
xa1 18. xa1 exd5 19. xd5 xd3 Much safer 1-0

N Q N B N
is 19...Nb6. Now Black’s in trouble. 20.e6 f6

Q B B
21. xe7+ xe7 22. e5 g6 23. c6 Spurning
◦ Addison, W.
23. Bxa8 Rxa8. 23... b7 24. d6 e4 Allows
• Sigurjonsson, B.
R Q
a pretty finish. On 24...Kh8 25. Bxf8 Rxf8 26.
Reykjavik
B R
Qe5 Black won’t survive for long. 25. xe4 xc6
Iceland
26. xf8 xf8 If 26...Nxe4 27. Qxg7 mate. Black
1968 1-0 E54
resigned without waiting for 27. Qxf6! Qxe4 (or
Black springs an opening novelty, but White goes
27...gxf6 28. Rg4+Kh8 29. Bxc6) 28. Qxf7+!
one better. Addison’s sprightly bishop sacrifice on
Rxf7 29. exf7+ Kxf7 30. Bxe4 emerging a piece
N N B B
move 15 is followed by equally energetic tactics.
ahead.
N B Q B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4.e3 O–O 5. d3
1-0
B
c5 6. f3 d5 7.O–O dxc4 8. xc4 e7 9.a3 a5
10. d3 Strictly speaking, this retreat is unneces-
◦ Reshevsky, S.
sary. Another approach is 10. Bd2 followed by
• Seidman, H.
Rc1. 10...a6 Rather pointless. More natural is
USA Championship
10...Nc6. 11.e4 cxd4 12.e5 dxc3 The best de-
New York
fense is 12...Nd5 and if 13. Bxh7+!? Kxh7 14.
1968 1-0 D92
Ng5+ Kg8 15. Qh5 Qxg5 16. Bxg5 dxc3 17. Bf6
Despite stout resistance, Reshevsky transports a
Q N B K
Bd8. 13.exf6 gxf6 Of course not 13...Qxf6 14.
small advantage into the endgame. His startling
Bg5. 14. a4 c6 15. xh7+ h8 White wins
sacrifices of a knight for two pawns unleashes the
with a curious queen triangulation after 15...Kxh7
N N N B B
full fury of two bishops vs. two knights.
16. Qh4+ Kg7 17. Qg4+ Kh7 18. Qh3+ Kg7
R
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4. f3 g7 5. f4
B
19. Bh6+ Kg6 20. Nh4+ Kh7 (if 20...Kxh6 21.
O–O 6. c1 This quiet, positional system was fa-
Nf5+ compels mate) 21. Bxf8. 16. e4 b5 Even
vored by Hungarian grandmaster Lajos Portisch
Q R
worse is 16...Bc7 17. Bxc6 bxc6 18. Qh4+ Kg8 19.
B
and world champion Tigran Petrosian. It yields
N
Qg4+ Kg8 10. Bh6 Rg8 21. Qh5. 17. d1 d8
Q N N N Q Q
a shaded advantage. 6...c5 7.dxc5 e6 8.e3
Q B R Q
18. d4 A clearance sacrifice to give the queen
Q Q N
a5 9. d4 c6 10. xe6 fxe6 11. a4 xc5
R Q K B B R
access to h5. 18... c5 19. xc6 xd4 20. f3
12. b5 xb5 13.cxb5 b8 More forceful is
B R B
a7 21. xf6+ h7 22. e3 b6 23. ad1 e5
B N K
13...Na5 14. Be2 Rac8 15. O-O Nc4 (Portisch-
24. h6 g4 25. e4+ Black Resigns. A last
B B R N N R
Evans, Havana 1964. 14. d3 bd7 15. e2 e5
gasp might have been 25...Rg6 26. Qg7 mate. Or
R R N
16. g3 e4 17. b1 ac8 18. a4 g4 19. hd1
25...Kg8 26. Rd8+.
B R
e6 20. xc8 xc8 21.f3 exf3+ 22.gxf3 ge5
1-0
23.e4 dxe4 24. xe4 b6 25. d6 The tempting

N
25. f4 Nf6 26. Bb7 Rc2+ 27. Rd2 Rxd2+ 28.
Kxd2 Ned7 leads only to even chances. 25... f8 ◦ Donner, J.
26.b3 g5 Harder to beat is 26...Nf7 27. Rc6 • Portisch, L.
Rd8. Judging from a casual inspection, Black’s Beverwijk
worries are over. White’s reply is so startling Holland
1968 1-0 E50
N R R B
that Seidman can be forgiven for overlooking it.

N R
27. xb6 axb6 28. xb6 h5 29. a6 h4 30. f2 Grandmasters are doomed to heavy material loss

R
eg6 31. a8 Stronger is 31. Rc6 cutting off already by move 13. Here is the spectacle: a sud-
Black’s rook. 31... xa8 A much better try is den refutation of a recognized line, then a sudden

N N B B
31...Nf4+ 32. Kd2 Rxa8 33. Bxa8 Nh3 34. Ba7 matting attack.

N
Be5 35. Ke2 Bxh2 36. Kf1. "White’s pawns would 1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4.e3 c5 5. d3

B B B N K N
prevail, but not without a struggle" – Reshevsky. O–O 6. f3 b6 It’s customary to contest the cen-
32. xa8 e5 33. g1 f4+ 34. f1 d7 35.a4 ter by 6...d5. 7.d5 The logical reply, bottling

107
 B B B R
B N
up the center to cramp Black’s game. An alter- 17. g3 xc4 18. xc4 a6 19. e1 b5 20.axb5

N K R Q N Q Q
native is 7. O-O Bb7 8. Na4 cxd4 9. exd4 Qc7! axb5 21. f1 b4 22. e2 h5 23.h3 hxg4 24.hxg4

B
10. a3 Be7 11. Nc3 d5 (Gligoric-Smyslov, Mal- b5 25. g2 a8 26. d3 h7 27. d2 e7
lorca 1967). 7... b7 This doesn’t help break the White has "won" the two bishops but his prospects

Q N R R N
grip. 7...b5!? offers more practical chances. But are lifeless and his weakness on the dark squares is

B R
not 7...exd5 8. cxd5 Nxd5? 9. Bxh7+ Kxh7 10. evident 28. d3 d4 29. xa8 xa8 30. xd4
Qxd5 Nc6 11. Qh5+ Kg8 12. Ng5 weaving a mat- xd4 31. e2 g5 For all practical purposes the

B N Q
ing net. 8.e4 b5 Safer is 8...exd5 9. cxd5 Re8. winning move. The bishop on f1 is no match

B Q R Q N B Q
9.e5 bxc4 10. b1 xd5 Falling for a stock com- for the knight aiming at Nf8-g6-f4. 32. b5

Q N Q N R
bination as old as chess itself. The best chance is e5 33. c6 a1 34. c8+ f8 35. xe5 xe5
10...Bxd5 11. Bg5 h6 12. Bh4 Qa5 13. exf6 Bxc3+ 36. f5 g6 37. xe5 xe5 38. f2 c4 The
14. bxc3 Qxc3+ 15. Qd2 Qxd2+ (not 15...Qxa1? complete triumph of Black’s strategy – he will cre-

B K K R R
16. O-O!) 16. Kxd2 and Black can fight on with ate a passed pawn while White watches helplessly.
three pawns for his piece. 11. xh7+ xh7 Of 39. g3 a2 40. e2 b3 White Resigns. The

N
no avail is 11...Kh8 12. Ng5 g6 13. Qg4 Kg7 threat of c3 is devastating.

K
14.Qh4 Rh8 15. Nxe6+ fxe6 16. Qh6+. 12. g5+ 0-1
g8 Taken by surprise, Black prepares to concede
his queen without a fight. He’s lost anyway after ◦ Szabo, L.
12...Kg6 13. h4! Nxc3 14. Qg4! Ne4+ 15. Kf1 • Sigurjonsson, G.

Q Q B
Nxg5 16. hxg5 Rh8 17. Rh6+! gxh6 18. gxh6+ Reykjavik

N N
Kh7 19. Qg7 mate. 13. h5 xg5 14. xg5 Iceland
xc3 15.a3 e4+ Even worse is 15...Ba5 16. 1968 0-1 D47
Bd2. Further resistance proves futile since two Tiny Iceland produces the largest number of grand-

N B N N R N
minor pieces can’t match a queen. 16.axb4 masters per capita than any nation in the world.

B R R R
c6 17. e3 xb4 18.O–O c2 19. ac1 xe3 In this sleeping beauty GM Sigurjonsson’s pieces

R R N Q N R
20.fxe3 d5 21. f4 f5 22. exf6 xf6 23. cf1 spring to life after the prick of his 21st move that

K Q K Q B K
af8 24. xf6 xf6 25. e5 e4 26. xf8+ spectacularly opens diagonals for his hemmed in

K Q K Q N N N N N
xf8 27. b8+ f7 28. xa7 c6 29.h4 g6 bishops.
30.g4 h6 31. b8 h7 32. f8 f6 33.g5 e4 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3. f3 f6 4. c3 e6 Divert-

N
The minor pieces can’t do much. If 33...Nh5 34. ing from a Slav Defense to the Queen’s Gambit

Q B B B
Qf7 Ng3 35. g6+ Kh6 36. Qf4+ picks up more Declined. Also feasible is 4...dxc4. 5.e3 bd7

B
material. 34. f7 Black Resigns. 6. d3 dxc4 7. xc4 b5 8. e2 Sharper is 8. Bd3
1-0 but White has a twist in mind. 8... b7 9.a3
This is it – to prepare b4. 9...a6 More natural
◦ Horowitz, A. is 9...Bd6 with the idea of meeting 10. b4 with
• Evans, L. a5 (thus saving a tempo). However, Black’s strat-

B
USA Championship (2) egy is to let White expand on the queenside while
New York counter-punching in the center. 10.b4 d6 Szabo-
1968 0-1 A79 Wade, Haifa 1958, produced equality after 10...a5

B
Passive play is punished drastically. White drifts 11. Rb1 axb4 12. axb4 Nd5 13. Nxd5 exd5 14.

Q
and gets outplayed in this model example of a good O-O Bd6 15. Qc2 h6. 11.O–O O–O 12. d2 Pas-

N N Q R R N N
knight vs. a bad bishop. sive. Stronger is 12. e4 e5 13. Bg5. 12... e7

N B N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4. c3 exd5 5.cxd5 13. c2 e5 14. ae1 ac8 15. g5 h6 16. ge4

R N Q
d6 6.e4 g6 7. f3 There are many ways to meet b8 17. g3 More active is 17. f4 exd4 18. exd4

B
the Benoni Defense ranging from this quiet po- Qd8 19. Nc5. 17... fe8 18. f5 e6 19.dxe5

B R N N
sitional approach to the sharp 7. f4. 7... g7 Ill-conceived because it releases the pressure on

N N Q N
8. e2 O–O 9.O–O e8 Black also can aim to c5. Necessary is 19. f4. 19... xe5 20. d4

N R N
simplify with 9...Bg4. 10. d2 a6 11.f3 d7 21. b3 c5 A surprising stroke that refutes

N N B B N
More flexible is 11. Re1 reserving the option of White’s strategy. 22. xc5 xc5 23.bxc5 f3+

B B N N
f4. 11... c7 12.a4 b6 13. c4 A better idea is 24. xf3 xf3 25. e2 Forced. If 25. gxf3? Qh3

B Q
13. Rb1 aiming for b4. 13... a6 14. g5 26. f4 Ng4 mates. 25... e4 26. g3 Best. If
h6 15. h4 d7 16.g4 Drastically weakening the 26. Bc1 Ng5! 27. Nf4 Qg4 is decisive. Or 26.

R N N K
f4 square – the source of White’s future prob- Nd4 Bxh2+! 27. Kxh2 Bxg2! 28. Kxg2 Qg4+
lems. More sensible is 16. Qd2. 16... ab8 29. Kh2 Re5. 26... xd2 27.gxf3 xf3+ 28. g2

108
Qc6 29.e4 Nxe1+ 30.Rxe1 Bxg3 31.hxg3 Re5
Q R
28. Rb5! a6 29. Rc5 when the invulnerable d-pawn

is no longer in doubt. 32.Rd1 Rxc5 33.Rd8+ R R

This timely simplication nets a pawn; the outcome divides Black’s position in two. 26. g3 c7 To

Kh7 34.Qe2 f5 35.Rd4 Rc4 36.Rxc4 Qxc4

prevent the threat of Qb8. 27. b5 c1+ Makes

37.Qxc4 bxc4 38. Kf3 g5 39.exf5 h5 40.Ke4 B Q Q K B

the win easier but if 27...Qe4 28. d5! is hard to

Q
meet. 28. xc1 xb5 29. b8+ f7 30. a3 e5
c3 White Resigns. When White stops the passed 31. d6 g5 White threatened mate in two by Qe7.

Q K
pawn with 41. Kd3 Black simply creates another If 31...Qe8 32. Qc7 Kg8 33. Qxb7 picks up the
one by 41...h4 which can’t be stopped. bishop. 32.dxe5 c6 33.e6+ g6 A pretty under-

K
0-1 promotion arises after 33...Kf6 34. e7! Qxd6 35.
e8=N! Ke6 36. Nxd6. 34.e7+ h5 Again forced.
◦ Bent Larsen If 34...Qxd6 35. e8=Q is the winning touch. 35.f3
• Wolfgang Unzicker g4 Black has no good defense. If 35...Qxd6 36.
13th Olympiad e8/Q Qg6 37. g4 Kh4 38. Qe1 Kh3 39. Qf1 Kg3

Q
Lugano 40. Bd6! Qxd6 41. Qg2 Kh4 42. Qh1 Kg3 43.
1968 1-0 D41 Qh2 Kxf3 44. Qxd6 snags the queen. 36. e5+
"I do not deliberately play openings that are obvi- Black resigns. 1-0
ously bad, but I emphasize the surprise element," 1-0
wrote Larsen, who is famous for flank attacks by
advancing his rook’s pawn during a lull. After ◦ Parma, B.
his trademark offer of his h-pawn on move 14, he • Szabo, L.
noted: "I suddenly got this idea and couldn’t resist Solingen
it! It is doubtful whether White gets enough for the Germany
pawn by correct play, but in practice such a sacri- 1968 1-0 B96
fice offers good chances, as surprise is an important Szabo provokes a familiar sacrifice for the sake of

N N N
psychological weapon." refuting it and suffers a stinging loss. The game

N
1.c4 f6 2. c3 e6 3. f3 d5 4.d4 c5 5.cxd5 confirms conventional wisdom that Black is ill-
xd5 By recapturing with the knight, Black advised to tamper with the standard move order in

N B N N N N
avoids the isolated pawn resulting from exd5 in this variation of the Sicilian Defense.

B R N B N B
this Tarrasch Defense. 6.e3 c6 7. c4 cxd4 1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3

Q B B
8.exd4 e7 9.O–O O–O 10. e1 xc3 11.bxc3 a6 6. g5 e6 7.f4 bd7 8. c4 b5 This works
b6 12. c2 b7 13. d3 g6 14.h4 "The book no better here than it ever has, but there is no

R B
move 14. Bh6 must still be considered best." – easy way to discourage the pending sacrifice on
Larsen 14... c8 "Unzicker only thought for a few e6. A good alternative is 8...Qa5. 9. xe6 The
minutes, then declined the kind offer. White hopes exclaim is not for originality but merely to indi-

N Q
to exploit the weakness of the dark squares after cate its great strength. On 9. Bb3 Bb7 Black can
14...Bxh4 15. Bh6 Re8 16. Nxh4 Qxh4 17. Qd2 hold his own. 9...fxe6 10. xe6 b6 A better

Q B
but it is doubtful whether he gets enough for the defense is 10...Qa5. But not 10...Qe7? 11. Nd5!
pawn by correct play." – Larsen 15. d2 f6 Now Qxe6 12. Nc7+ Kf7 13. Nxe6 Kxe6 14. Qd4

N N Q
it’s too late to grab a pawn in view of 15...Bxh4? Bb7 15. O-O-O with a dangerous attack before

Q
16. Qh6 Bf6 17. Ng5 Bxg5 18. Bxg5 f6 19. Rxe6 Black can consolidate. 11. d5 xd5 12. xd5

N K N N K Q
fxg5? 20. Rxg6 hxg6 21. Qxg6 Kh8 22. Qh7 e3+ Of course not 12...Bb7? 13. Nc7+ Qxc7

K N
mate.. 16.h5 a5 Decentralizing this knight is 14. Qe6+. 13. f1 b6 14. c7+ d7 15. f7+

N B R N
dangerous. Much better is 16...Ne7 coming to the c6 16. xa8 Matanovic-Gufeld, Yugoslavia vs.

B R Q
aid of the kingside. 17. e5 xe5 18. xe5 c4 USSR 1969, continued 16. Nd5! Qxe4 17. Qc7+

R
19. xc4 xc4 20. d3 Stronger than 20. Qh6 Kxd5 18. Rd1+ Ke6 19. Re1 Qxe1+ 20. Kxe1
Rxc3! 21. Bg5 f6 22. hxg6 Rc7! 20... c5 More h6 21. f5+! Kd5 22. Qxb6 hxg5 23.Kf2 Rh4

N Q K R
stable is 20...Bd5. Now Black will have to weaken 24. Rd1+ Ke5 25. Qc6 Rb8 26. Qe8+ Black re-

R
his kingside even more to avoid losing a pawn. signs. 16... xa8 17. d5+ c7 18. e1 Parma’s

B
21. xc5 bxc5 22.hxg6 fxg6 Otherwise 22...hxg6 new move. Theory awarded White a plus after
23. Ba3 Qd5 24. Qg3 costs Black a pawn. 23. h6 18. Qxa8 but Black can hold with 18...Be6 19.

R R Q
Stronger than 23. Ba3 Rf5! 24. Bxc5?? Rxc5. b3 d5 20. Qd8+ Kb7 21. Re1 Qd2 22. f5 Qxc2

Q Q K B
23... f7 24. b1 cxd4 25.cxd4 d5 Material is 23. fxe6 Qd3+ 24. Re2 Qd1+ 25. Re1 Qd3+ etc.

N Q B R Q Q
even but Black’s problem is his weak back rank. 18... a7 19.e5 dxe5 20. xe5+ b7 21. e7
Larsen gives 25...Qh4 26. Qe3 Qg4 27. d5! Qf5 c7 22. d6 xe7 23. xe7 b6 24. xb6+

109
K R N K N Kxf4 g3
R R
xb6 25. xg7 d5 Black could still put up a 36.e4 g4+ 37. e3 f4+ 38. xf4 exf4+ 39.

N K N
whopping fight with 25...Ne6! 26. Rf7 Rd8. 26.g3 40. h8 h2 White Resigns.
e3+ 27. f2 g4+ On 26...Nxc2 28. Rd1 keeps 0-1

K B R N K R
the knight locked up while the kingside pawns ad-
vance. 28. e2 b7 29. e1 xh2 30. f2 d8
◦ Bilek, I.
R B R
Of no avail is 29...h5 31. Re6+ Bc6 32. Rgg6 Ng4+
• Gheorghiu, F.
R R R K N K
33. Ke2 Rc8 34. f5. 31. e6+ c6 32.g4 d2+
Bucharest
N N K R
33. e2 d6 34.f5 d4 35. g3 f1+ 36. h4
Romania
N Q
d2 37.f6 f3+ 38. g3 h5 39.gxh5 d1 40.f7
1968 1-0 B25
d4 41.f8= Black Resigns.
Seldom is premature castling punished so drasti-
1-0
cally. White’s energetic combination reveals the
potential of his hitherto unfashionable opening sys-

N N B B
tem.
◦ Koehler, W.
N N
1.e4 c5 2. c3 d6 3.g3 c6 4. g2 g6 5.d3 g7
• Evans, L.
6.f4 e5 7. h3 ge7 8.O–O O–O Careless. The
USA National Open (2)
right plan is 8...exf4! 9. Nxf4 O-O 10. Nfd5 Nxd5
Las Vegas
11. Nxd5 Be6 12. Nf4 Bd7 13. c3 b5 with equal
1968 0-1 B49
chances (Bilek-Evans, Lugano Olympics 1968).
After a brief theoretical skirmish a remarkable
B R N B
9.f5 gxf5 Necessary is 9...f6 either here or on the
endgame blooms in only 15 moves. Black gam-
N
next move. 10.exf5 xf5 11. xf5 xf5 12. e4
bles on an Exchange sacrifice, proving once again
fd4 12...Nfe7 is refuted by 13. Bxh7+ Kxh7 14.
that ingenuity will out even in well-trodden paths.
N N N N Qh5+ Kg8 15. Ng5. However, tough resistance
B Q B N
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 c6 5. c3
Q R
could still be offered by 12...Nxg3! 13. hxg3 f5.
a6 6. e3 c7 7. e2 f6 8.O–O It’s debatable
13. h5 e8 Also inadequate is 13...f5 14. Bd5+
B N B
whether White should stop for 8. a3 to prevent
Q K B Q
Kh8 15. Ng5 h6 16. Qg6! hxg5 17. Qh5+ Bh8
Black’s next move. 8... b4 9. a4 d6 Black
N R R N B
18. Qxh6 mate. 14. xh7+ f8 15. g5 d7
has a welter of interesting choices. For 9...O-O!?
16. d5 e6 17. f1 xc2 18. g6 The finish-
see Garcia-Evans, 1966. Another offbeat idea is
N B
ing touch. Black’s king can’t escape from its tight
9...Ne7!? 10. c4 Nxe4 11. Bf3 Nc5 12. a3
wedge. If 18...Rxg6 19. Qxg6. 18... 2d4 19. h6
Nxa4 13. axb4 Nxb2 14. Nxe6 dxe6 15. Qd4
Black Resigns.
O-O 16. Qxb2 (Lepeshkin-Furman, USSR Cham-
1-0
N
pionship 1966) and now 16...Nf5 is just fine for
Black. 10.g3 b5 11. xc6 This slight transposi-
tion proves harmful. Correct is 11. Nb6! Rb8 ◦ Bilek, I.
• Evans, L.
Q
(Fischer pointed out that 11...Qxb6 12. Nxe6!
18th Olympiad (7)
N B
yields a terrific attack) 12. Nxc8 Rxc8. 11... xc6
12. b6 b7 The real point is to save this bishop. Lugano, Switzerland
White keeps the upper hand after 12...Rb8 13. 1968 0-1 B25

N Q B Q Q
Nxc8 Rxc8 14. Bd3. The next few moves are A classic illustration of how Black should handle

B N
forced. 13. xa8 xe4 14. f3 xf3 15. xf3 the closed Sicilian. 5-time USA champion Evans
xf3 16. b6 h5 Black has a pawn for the Ex- first makes sure his king is impregnable and then

N N B B
change and his minor pieces are stationed mag- sacrifices a piece to penetrate on the queenside.

N N
nificently. The immediate threat is h4. 17.h4 1.e4 c5 2. c3 c6 3.g3 g6 4. g2 g7 5.d3

N N
Maybe 17. a4 right away is better. But not 17. d6 6.f4 e5 7. h3 ge7 8.O–O exf4 The point

K N N N N B N
h3? h4 18. g4 Nxg4! 19. hxg4 h3. 17... g4 is 8. gxf4 f5 stops the attack cold. 9. xf4

B B B R R B
18.a4 e7 19.axb5 axb5 20.b4 xe3 21.fxe3 O–O 10. fd5 xd5 11. xd5 e6 12. f4

N K N B
c6 22.c4 xg3 23.cxb5 xb5 24. fc1 b8 d7 13.c3 b5 14.a3 Creates a new weakness

R B N B
25. c8+ f6 26. a7 xh4 Black just keeps without stopping Black’s strategy to break with
eating pawns. 27. c7 g3 28. xb5 xc7 More b4 and thus activate his bishop along the a1-h8

N R N B N Q B R R
efficient than 28...Rxb5 29. Rxd7 h4 30. Raa7 diagonal. Better is 14. Bd2 or Be3. 14...a5

K R K R Q Q Q
with drawing chances. 29. xc7 xb4 30. e8+ 15. e3 e5 16.h3 a4 17. d2 c6 18. f2 b8
e7 31. a8 h4 32. f2 g5 The rest is a visit 19. af1 d7 20. d1 b7 White’s prospects

N R K N B
to the butcher shop. The knight is no match for on the kingside have come to a standstill while
four pawns. 33. g7 b2+ 34. f3 f5 35. h5 e5 Black masses for the inevitable b4. 21. c1 b4

110
 Q K
K Q R R Q
22.axb4 Better is 22. cxb4 axb4 23. d4. 22...cxb4 28. xg7+ e8 29.g5 f5 A last gasp. Mate is

K Q K
23.c4 b3 24. h2 a6 25. e1 b7 White is re- unavoidable on 29...fxg5 30. Bxg5. 30. xg6+

B
duced to marking time while Black quietly pre- d7 31. f7+ c6 32.exf5+ Black Resigns. Af-

Q N
pares to double rooks followed by a3. 26. e3 a3 ter 32...Kb6 33. Qxb7+ Qxb7 34. Bxb7 Kxb6 35.

B Q B B N
27. e2 xc4 The most efficient winning method. f6 the pawns can’t be stopped.

B Q Q R N R
28.dxc4 xb2 29. d3 e5 30. d4 b2 31. e6 1-0

B Q
a2 32. xe5 b1= 33. xd6 e8 34. c7 xc7
◦ Tal, M.
B Q Q Q
35. c3 Also hopeless is 35. Qf6 Rxe5. 35... xe1
36. xe1 a1= 37. xc7 b7 White Resigns • Gligoric, S.
0-1 Match (1)
Moscow
◦ Spassky, B. 1968 0-1 C93
• Geller, Y. Tal, one of the greatest attackers in history, lost a
Match (6) lot of his fire due to poor health. Yet he remained
Moscow a dangerous opponent even after losing the crown
1968 1-0 B25 back to Botvinnik in 1961. Here he is stymied
Spassky’s lopsided score in this match of 3 1/2 - by ruthlessly precise defense after failing to land

N N B B N
1/2 with the "closed" system against the Sicilian a roundhouse blow.

B R B
did much to revive its popularity. Geller is defeated 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O
with apparent ease when his queenside counterplay e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.h3 h6

N
proves ineffectual. The idea is to hold the center by Re8 and Bf8

R N B N B N N
1.e4 c5 2. c3 Chigorin employed this move with while preventing the Ng5 which aims at f7. 10.d4

B N
success at the turn of the century. White plans on e8 11. bd2 f8 12. f1 b7 13. g3 a5
dominating d5 which means that it will be diffi- 14. c2 c4 15.a4 d5 16.b3 After 16. exd5 exd4

N N
cult for either player to open the center. Thus the Black drew without difficultly in Stein-Spassky,

B
system is known as "closed" because the struggle Amsterdam 1964. 16...dxe4 17. xe4 xe4

N B B
mostly will be confined to the wings. 2...d6 3.g3 18. xe4 Stein-Reshevsky, Los Angeles 1968, was
c6 4. g2 g6 5.d3 g7 6.f4 An elastic con- eventually drawn after 18. Rxe4!? Bxe4 19. Bxe4

N B R Q
tinuation reserving f3 or h3 for his knight. The Nb6 20. Bxa8 Nxa8 21. axb5 axb5 22. Be3

R
older moves were 6. Nge2 or Be3. 6... f6 For exd4 23. Nxd4 Qd5. 18... xe4 19. xe4 d5
6...e5 see Bilek-Gheorghiu, 1968. A more viable 20. g4 A wild try for advantage. Steadier is 20.

N B N R
plan is 6...e6 followed by Nge7 and f5. Only af- Re1 Na5 21. axb5 Nxb3 22. Rxa6 exd4! with

N
ter this crushing defeat did Geller switch to that equality. 20... a5 21. xh6 xb3 22. a3 Mix-

R
idea in their last match game. 7. f3 O–O 8.O–O ing it up. The rook is untouchable in view of
b8 9.h3 In their second match game Spassky 22...Bxa3? 23. Rxg7+ Kh8 24. Ng5 Re7 25.
tried 9. Nh4 Nd4 10. f5 b5 11. Bg5 b4 12. Qh5. Later their fifth match game was drawn af-

B N B
Nb1!? when Black chances were better. 9...b5
10.a3 a5 11. e3 b4 12.axb4 axb4 13. e2 b7
The bishop is inactive here and does not help in
defending the kingside. Better is 13...Ne8 14.
Rb1 Nc7 15. f5 Nb5 (Reshevsky-Korchnoi, match
1968). 14.b3 Until now it replicated their fourth
R R R
ter 22. Rb1 bxa4 23. Nxe5 Qe6! 24. Qf3
c5. 22...bxa4 23. xa4 ab8 24. xa6 Not
best. Gligoric suggested 24. Qf1 and Tal thought
24. Be3 is right. 24...exd4 25.cxd4 The cor-
rect path is 25. Nxd4. 25...c5 Much stronger is
25...Ra8! 26. Rxa8 Rxa8 when White must ad-

B R R Q R N
game where Spassky played 14. Qd2 instead. The dress the threats of Ra1 in addition to c5 and f5.
point of the text is that this pawn will not be un- 26. e3 b4 27. g5 b7 28. h6 xd4 Sim-

R R R Q Q Q N R B
der fire if and when Black’s rook arrives at a2. pler is 28...g6 when White must sacrifice a rook

Q N Q Q
14... a8 15. c1 a2 16.g4 a8 17. e1 a6 on g6 to obtain a draw. 29. xd4 b1 30. c1

N
18. f2 a7 Too slow. Better is 18...Nd7! 19.f5 b2 31. h5 This faulty combination nearly suc-

N N Q R R Q K B
b5 20.fxg6 hxg6 Necessary is 20...fxg6 21. Nf4 ceeds. Correct is 31. Nb3 Qe2 32. Qd5 with a keen

Q K R Q R Q N R
Bc8. 21. g5 a3 22. h4 c8 23. xf6 exf6 struggle in the offing. 31... xc1+ 32. h2 d6+
24. h7+ f8 The fever seems to have subsided 33. xd6 f4+ 34. g3 xd6 35. f5 ee1

N R
and there appears to be a lull. But the next blow This is what Tal overlooked. The mate threat com-

Q K N K R
shatters Black’s illusions. 25. xf7 xc2 If pels White to plunge into unfavorable simplifica-

B R N K K N R N R
25...Kxf7 26. Bh6 Rg8 27. Nf4 d5 28. exd5 f5 tions. 36. xf7+ xf7 37. xd6+ e6 38. g6+
29. Ne6 wins. 26. h6 xc1+ 27. xc1 xf7 d5 39. f5 b7 40. e3+ xe3 A witty way

111
to eliminate technical problems. 41.fxe3 c7 R the trap 10...cxd4 11. Qb5+! Kd8 12. Qxa6 Qxc3+
Adhering to the principle that rooks belong BE- 13. Ke2 Qxa1 14. Bg5+ winning the queen. 11.a5

K K K R B N
HIND passed pawns. The rest is window dress- bxa5 11...cxd4 12. O-O is unclear but White’s

R K N
ing. 42. g3 c4 43. f4 c3 44.e4+ c4 45. a6 attacking prospects remain bright. 12. a3 d7
c2 46. a1 d3 White Resigns. 13.dxc5 e7 14.c6 This thematic pawn sacrifice

Q Q
0-1 opens the a3-f8 diagonal and hems the Black king
in the center. 14... xc6 15.O–O xc3 The pur-

R N
pose is not so much to gain another pawn as to pre-
◦ Ivkov, B.
vent Nd4. 16. fd1 c6 Tal feels that 16...Qc4
• Donner, J.
17. Qd2 Nc6 may be somewhat better; in that case
Capablanca Memorial
B Q Q Q
White can continue his attack with 18. Bd6 fol-
Cuba
lowed by 19. Ra3. 17. d6 c4 18. e3 e4
1968 1-0 C81
Q N
Desperately trying to swap queens and diminish
"This is the kind of game I always admire: a new
the force of the attack. 19. b3 b6 Prevent-
idea in the opening, an excellent conception of the
ing Qb7. With two extra pawns Black’s position
middle game and, finally, a spectacular kingside at-
looks cozy and his king is ready to go to d7 with
N N B B N
tack involving sacrifices" – Rossolimo.
Q Q Q R
a measure of safety. But the next move shatters
N B B Q N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O
R
his illusions. 20.c4 xc4 21. a3 a6 22. ac1
R N
xe4 6.d4 b5 7. b3 d5 8.dxe5 e6 9. e2 c5
N
c8 Black could organize a better defense with
10. d1 xb3 11.cxb3 Violating principle by
22...Nc4 immediately. 23. d2 f6 It’s hard to con-
B
capturing away from the center is an original idea.
ceded that Black’s solid position already is lost.
White hopes to exploit the open c-file. 11... e7
Q K
Another possible defense is 23...Nd4. 24.exf6
N
Perhaps Black should regroup with 11...Nb8 12.
Q R
gxf6 25. f3 d7 Relatively better is 25...Nd7.
B N R N N B
Bg5 Be7 13. Bxe7 Qxe7 14. Nc3 c6. 12. c3
N N
26. xf6 he8 Even worse is 26...Kxd6 27. Ne4+
O–O 13. e3 a5 14. ac1 b7 15. e4 g4
N R B N B
Kc7 28. Nc5 Qe2 29. Qg7+. 27. e4 e7
Black’s has lost control over c5. If 15...Rc8 16.
28. c5+ xc5 29. xc5 c4 30. xe7 Black
B Q
Nc5 Nxc5 17. Bxc5 f6 18. Nd4 is strong. 16.h3
Resigns. The point is 30...Rxe7 31.Rxd5!+. One is
xf3 17. xf3 c6 He should hasten to simplify
left with the impression that Black could have con-
N R N
with 17...dxe4 18. Rxd8 exf3 19. Rxa8 Rxa8 20.
siderably improved his defense somewhere along
Rxc7 Bd6! 21. exd6 Nxd6. 18. g3 c8 19. f5
the way, but that doesn’t detract from Tal’s coura-
g6 Allows a brilliant conclusion. After 18...Kh8
geous performance.
R Q
20. Qg3 Rg8 White maintains a firm grip but there
1-0
would be no immediate way to win. 20. xd5 e8

B
It’s also over after 20...exd5 21. Rxc8 Qxc8 22.
◦ Sorokin, E.
Nxe7+ with a family fork. 21. h6 Black Resigns.
• Duborik, N.
1-0
Postal Game
USSR
◦ Tal, M. 1968 1-0 B09
• Donner, J. Correspondence chess takes place far from the
Beverwijk hurly burly of the tournament arena, but it doesn’t
Holland lack tension. Many theoretical novelties are rigor-
1968 1-0 C18 ously tested by mail, and this one contains its share

N N B N
Ordinarily it is difficult to launch an attack in this of fireworks.
variation of the French Defense because of the bar- 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3. c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5. f3

N
ricaded pawn structure. However, Tal succeeds in O–O 6.e5 Less sharp but also playable is 6. Bd3.
confining Black’s king to the center and then pro- 6... fd7 7.h4 c5 8.h5 cxd4 9.hxg6 A wild piece

N B B R B
ceeds to open lines with wild abandon. sacrifice. For 9. Qxd4 see Padevsky- Matanovich,

Q
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 b4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 xc3+ 1966. 9...dxc3 10.gxf7+ xf7 11. c4 e6 Hop-
6.bxc3 c7 White reinforced his center at the cost ing for 12. Bxe6? Nxe5! Another possible de-

N B B
of doubled pawns and Black hastens to exert pres- fense is 11...Nf8 12. Ng5 e6 13. Nxf7 Kxf7 14.

N N
sure along the c-file. 7. f3 b6 8.a4 a6 9. xa6 Qh5+ Kg8 15. Bd3 h6 and now 16. g4 leads to
Black can mount a sturdy defense against 9. Bb5+ murky complications. 12. g5 xe5 Returning

N Q N
Bxb5 10. axb5 a5 11. O-O Ne7 (Stein-Byrne, the piece to destroy the center. 13.fxe5 The real
Sousse 1967.) 9... xa6 10. e2 b8 Avoiding test of whether this line is sound would come after

112
 Q
13. Qh5 h6. 13... a5 Sets everything right again.
Q
Black misses a clear win by 13...cxb2! 14. Qh5
Qxg5! 14. h5 The queen will return twice more
Q B R
to this square, and each time with new threats.
14... xe5+ 15. e2 f5 16.g4 cxb2 16...Qg3+
17. Kd1 Rd5+ 18. Bd3 Rxd3+ is exquisitely re-
futed by 19. Ke2! and the king slips out while
Q K Q B Q Q
Black is faced with deadly mating threats. 17.gxf5
Q
a5+ 18. d1 d5+ 19. d3 xh1+ 20. xh1
bxa1= An ingenious defense. Now White is at
the crossroads: play to win a rook down or take a
probable draw with 21. Qxh7+ Kf8 22. Qg6 Ke7
23. Qf7+ Kd8 24. Nxe6+ Bxe6 25. fxe6 Qf6 26.
Q Q N
Qxb7 Qxe6 27. Bg5+ Bf6 28. Bxf6+ Qxf6 29.
Qxa8. 21. h5 f6 22.fxe6 c6 Sorokin ana-
B
lyzes wins against either 22...Qe7 or Bxe6 but per-
Q
haps Black can find an escape clause. 23.e7 g4+
Q
24. xg4 d5 On 24...Ne5 25. Bxh7+ Kh8 26. Qh3
still demolishes the defense. 25. h5 Black Re-
signs. If 25...Qxe7 26. Bxh7+ Kf8 27. Ba3! Qxa3
28. Qf7 mate.
1-0
◦ Botvinnik, M.
• Portisch, L.
Monaco
France
1968 1-0 A29
Botvinnik was noted for his strategic depth. His
games seldom feature brilliancies but when given
the opportunity he shows that he is always alert to
N N N B
all the dormant tactical implications.
B Q
1.c4 e5 2. c3 f6 3.g3 d5 4.cxd5 xd5 5. g2
N N N B
e6 Another try is 5...Ne7 6. Nf3 Nbc6 7. d3
Nf5. 6. f3 c6 7.O–O b6 8.d3 e7 9.a3
a5 The main drawback is that Black is essaying
a well- known variation of the Sicilian Defense
a move down. This restraining maneuver merely
B N N Q B
creates a weakness. More active is 9...f5 10. b4
R R
Bf6. 10. e3 O–O 11. a4 xa4 12. xa4 d5
13. fc1 e8 Portisch himself queries this lack-
luster developing move but fails to offer a satis-
R B R B
factory alternative. He could try 13...f5 14. Qb5
N
Bf6 (15. Qxb7? Nd4). 14. c2 f8 15. ac1
b8 Hoping to neutralize White’s control of the
file with c6 on the next move, but it doesn’t work.
Necessary is 15...e4 16. dxe4 Bxe4 17. Rd2 Qf6
R B R R
though White keeps the initiative with 18. Rc4!
16. xc7 c6 17. 1xc6 bxc6 18. xf7 h6 The
rook 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. Had
R Q Q K
Black seen what was in store he might have tried
18...Be7. 19. b7 c8 20. c4+ h8 Black can
113
avoid the holocaust with 20...Qe6 21. Nxe5 Qxc4
22. Nxc4 a4 but with strong diagonals for his bish-
N Q N K
ops and two pawns for the Exchange White should
B B N
win the ending. 21. h4 xb7 22. g6+ h7
B K
23. e4 d6 24. xe5+ g6 Forced. If 24...Kh8
B
25. Nf7+ wins the house. 25. xg6+ g7
26. xh6+ Black Resigns. Neat to the end. If
26...Kxh6 27. Qh4+ Kg7 28. Qh7+ Kf6 29. Ng4+
Ke6 30. Qxb7 wins. No better is 26...Kf6 (or
26...Kh8 27. Nf7+ Kg8 28. Nxd6+) 27. Qf4+ Ke6
28. Bf7+ Ke7 29. Qg5 mate. Voted the best game
of 1968 by the CHESS INFORMANT jury of eight
grandmasters.
1-0
◦ Smyslov, V.
• Liberzon, V.
Riga
USSR
1968 1-0 A25
"My best game in ten years," said former world
champion Smyslov. His queen sacrifice is very
deep and proves to be an unexpected bonus for his
N N B B R
positional superiority.
1.c4 e5 2. c3 c6 3.g3 g6 4. g2 g7 5. b1
d6 6.b4 a6 Also playable is 6...f5 right away so as
not to create a queenside target. Evans-Spassky,
Lugano Olympiad 1968, continued 7. d3 Nf6 8.
N N B
b5 Ne7 9. e4 O-O 10. Nge2 a6 with equal-
R N B
ity. 7.e3 f5 8. ge2 f6 9.d3 O–O 10.O–O d7
11.a4 b8 12.b5 axb5 13.axb5 e7 14. a3
B Q B N
To prevent Black from freeing his game with c5.
B
14... e6 15. b3 b6 16.d4 e4 17.d5 f7 18. d4
d7 19. b2 "According to the great teachers of
the past – Anderssen, Lasker, Alekhine – before
one attacks, every piece must be on its best square.
Since the bishop has served its purpose on a3 it
is moved to its best attacking post" – Smyslov. If
now 19...Ra8 20. Ra1 followed by Ra6 so Black
N K R N R
decides to launch a kingside offensive. 19...g5
N N R N N
20. ce2 h8 21. a1 g6 22.f4 exf3 23. xf3
e7 24. c6 be8 25. ed4 fxd5 Probably
N R
the best practical chance to end slow strangulation.
26.cxd5 xd5 27. xf5 xf5 The queen can’t be
taken: 27...Bxb3 28. Bxg7+ Kg8 29. Ncxe7+ Rxe7
30. Bxf8 Kxf8 31. Ra8+ Kf7 32. Nd4+ followed
B K
by Nxb3 wins. Also bad is 27...Nxf5 28. Qxd5
Bxb2 29. Raf1. 28. xg7+ g8 Disagreeable
but necessary since 28...Kxg7 29. Qc3+ Kg8 30.
R B R N
Rxf5 Qxf5 31. Rf1 Qe6 32. Rf6! gains material.
29. xf5 xb3 30. xg5 g6 Best. Not 30...h6
31. Nxe7+ Rxe7 32. Ra8+ Re8 33. Bxh7+ Kh7 34.
Rg7+ wins. Time to take stock. White has only
a rook and bishop for the queen, but she will be
 B Q
Q K Q R B R N N B Q
subjected to unrelenting harassment. 31. h6 e6 Qd3 Nxd6 7. Nc3 indicates that White holds

Q R B B Q B B Q B
32.h4 xe3+ 33. h2 c3 34. f1 c4 35. f2 the edge. 4...cxd4 5. xd4 c6 6. c4 c7

N N N
e1 36. gf5 xb5 37. d2 b1 The queen 7. b3 a6 8. e3 e6 9. e2 e7 10.O–O–O

N
is almost more trouble than it’s worth. She has to a5 11. g4 xb3+ 12.axb3 b5 13.g5 d7

B K B N
be constantly protected and is inefficient both for 14. f5 b4 Apparently Pomar has no taste for

N R
defense and attack. 38. d5+ h8 39. c3+ e5 14...exf5l 15. Nd5 as in Velimirovic-Sofrev- sky,

N
40. xe5 dxe5 41. xe5 Black Resigns. 1966, but his medicine may be even more bit-
1-0 ter. 15. xg7+ An imaginative gamble. The pru-
dent 15. Nxe7 bxc3 16. Nxc8 Rxc8 gives Black

K Q K
some counterplay despite his abysmally weak d-
◦ Benko, P.
pawn. 15... f8 16. h5 xg7 The complica-
• Horowitz, A.
B N
tions are also monstrous after 16...bxc3 17. Qh6!
USA Championship
Qa5. 17. d4+ e5 18.f4 Saving the knight with
New York
B B
18.Na4 would lose the momentum of the attack af-
1968 1-0 A14
ter 18...Bb7. 18...bxc3 19. xc3 b7 Black can
Black single-mindededly pursues a consistent
hope to weather the storm by returning the piece
strategic theme: exploiting White’s weak square on
by 19...h6 20. fxe5 Bxg5+ 21. Kb1 dxe5 but
b3. This obsession proves to be his downfall when
22 h4! is very strong. Desperate measures are
N N
he is caught off guard on the opposite flank.
needed and the answer is 19...Qxc3! 20. bxc3
B B
1.c4 c6 2. f3 d5 3.b3 f6 4.g3 e6 Passive.
R Q Q K B
Ng6 netting three pieces for the queen. 20.fxe5
B
4...Bf5 (or g6) is more enterprising. 5. g2 e7
B
dxe5 21. d7 xd7 22. h6+ g8 23. xe5 f6
6. b2 O–O 7.O–O a5 8.a3 c5 An obvious loss
Q Q
24.gxf6 c5 Or 24...Bf8 25. Rg1+ Kf7 26. Qh5
of time, since the pawn took two moves to reach
K QR
mate. 25. g7+ xg7 26.fxg7 Rarely does one
a square it could have reached in one. Better is
B B R B
pawn win two rooks! 26... f7 27.gxh8= xh8
N
8...Nbd7 but not 8...a4 9. b4 dxc4 10. Ne5 favor-
28. xh8 xe4 29. f1+ f5 An Exchange and
ably regaining the pawn. 9.cxd5 exd5 10.d4 a6
B B
pawn down, Black could safely resign instead of
A strange place for the knight, but consistent with
K K B B R K K
dragging it out to the bitter end. 30. e5 e3+
N B N Q N
his attempt to exploit b3. More flexible is 10...b6.
K B B R B K B
31. b1 g6 32. f4 d4 33. e1 h5 34. c1
11. c3 f5 12. e5 cxd4 13. xd4 c5 Appar-
R K R K R K
g4 35. e5 f2 36. f1 e3+ 37. d1 c5
ently White fell into a trap and left b3 vulnerable.
K R
38. f4+ h3 39. f3+ g2 40. g3+ f2
If he is obliged to retreat with 14. Qd1 Qb6 15.
R B
41. d2 h5 42. g8 a5 43.c4 Finally gets the
N N Q N
Nxd5 Nxd5 16. Bxd5 Rad8 would be tough to
K K B K B
passed pawn moving! 43...h4 44. c8 e3+
meet. 14. xd5 xb3 15. f4 xd5 Necessary
B K K B K K
45. c3 e2 46.b4 d2+ 47. b3 xb4 48.c5
Q N N
is 15...Bc2 16. Nxe7+ Qxe7 17. Rae1 Rfd8 with
B R K R
e4 49.c6 e3 50. a4 d5 51. b5 e4
fair chances of survival. 16. xf5 xa1 17. xf7
52. f6 h3 53. d8 e3 54. xd5 Black Resigns.
Q
The killer. Black was hoping for 17. Rd1 Ne3!
At last the pawn triumphs after 54...exd5 55. c7.
17... c8 If 17...Nc2 18. Be4! Ra6 19. Qh5! Rh6
1-0
N K Q N Q
20. Qxh6! Equally hopeless is 17...Rxf7 18. Bxd5.
18. h6+ h8 19. xd5 c2 20. g8+ Black
◦ Tal, M.
Resigns. A banal smothered mate after 20...Rxg8
• Bolbochan, J.
21. Nf7.
Havana Olympics
1-0
Cuba
1969 1-0 B89
◦ Medina, G. One expects Tal to prevail in positions replete with
• Pomar, A. attacking themes. But the unique twist he gives the
Malaga task each time is truly marvelous. Here his "quiet"
Spain maneuver on move 25 is the straw that broke the
1969 1-0 B89 camel’s back.
Another testament to the infinite richness of chess. 1.e4 c5 "It is more desirable to try 1...e5 against

N N
Black’s refinement on move 14, aimed at thwart- Tal but Bolbochan is a hard-headed opponent who

N N B N
ing the Velimirovic attack, spawns a host of new steps aside for no one" – R. Byrne. 2. f3 c6

N N N B B Q B
complications. 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 e6 5. c3 d6 6. e3 f6
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 f6 4. c3 The scant 7. c4 e7 8. e2 O–O 9. b3 a6 The imme-
experience with 4. dxc5 Nxe4 5. cxd6 e6 6. diate 9...Na5 snuffing out the bishop on b3 is the

114
right way to get into the fight. 10.O–O–O a5 Q advantage. 11...dxc4 This must be Lutikov’s nov-
K R
It’s preferable to reserve this square for the knight.
Better is 10...Qc7. 11. b1 e8 More active is
11...Bd7 and b5. Black mistakenly supposes that
R B
the breakthrough will come with f4-e5 and braces
N B B N R
himself against that pawn advance. 12. hg1 d7
N N
13.g4 xd4 14. xd4 c6 15.g5 d7 16. d3
g6 17.h4 c5 18.h5 xb3 Capturing the rook
would allow White’s bishops to rake the kingside,
so the kind offer is declined. On 18...Nxd3 19.
B Q
Qxd3 Bxg5 20. hxg6 fxg6 21. e5 gives a po-
B R
tent attack. 19.axb3 e5 20. e3 c7 This retreat
R B Q Q N N
exposes the folly of 10...Qa5. 21. d2 ad8
22. h1 f8 23. g4 b5 24. h4 b4 25. d1 d5
Bolbochan is a very stubborn, indefatigable de-
N N
fender, and he has managed to prime a promis-
ing counterattack. 26. e3 dxe4 27. g4 The
knight’s mission is revealed. Now if 27...exd3 28.
N K K B
Nf6+ Kh8 29. hxg6 dxc2+ 30. Kc1 fxg6 31.
N N
Qxh7 mates. 27...f5 28. f6+ f7 29.hxg6+ e6
R B R B
30. xe8 Quite a road traveled all the way from
Q K Q
d1! 30... xe8 31.gxh7 g7 32. dh3 d5
33. h5 d7 34. xe8+ Black Resigns. Brilliant
to 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 Championship
Moscow
1969 1-0 C41
Black attempts a refutation of a book refutation,
but one more refutation restores the original judg-
ment. The more things change, the more they re-
N N N
main the same.
1.e4 e5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 f6 4. c3 Weaker is the
once popular 4. dxe5 Nxe4 5. Nbd2 Nxd2 6.
Bxd2 Be7! 7. exd6 Qxd6 8. Bc3 O-O 9. Qxd6
N B B
Bxd6 with a drawish ending (Boleslavsky-Keres,
Q
Moscow 1962). 4... bd7 5. c4 e7 6.O–O
O–O 7.a4 c6 8. e2 exd4 Better is 8...Qc7 to
maintain the central tension. Obviously Lutikov
is steering for a prepared variation since he al-
ready used this same defense against Smyslov at
the Chigorin Memorial in 1960. That game con-
N N
tinued 8...a5 9. h3 exd4 10. Nxd4 Nc5 11. Rd1
Qc7 12. Bf4 with a freer game. 9. xd4 xe4
N
Without this follow-up the previous move aban-
N Q B
doning the center loses much of its point. 10. xe4
d5 11. f5 Black undoubtedly had some improve-
ment in mind over Suetin-Gusev, Tula 1950 which
went 11. Ba2 dxe4 12. Rd1 Bf6 13. Nf5 Qc7
14. Qxe4 Nc5 15.Qf3 Be5 16. Bg5! with clear
115
elty. In case of 11...dxe4 White need not retreat
his bishop as in the previous note and would thus
gain an extra tempo for the attack. An old Keres
analysis runs 11...dxe4 12. Qxe4 Bf6 13. Nh6+!
gxh6 14. Bd3 Re8 15. Qxh7+ Kf8 16. Bxh6+
B
Ke7 17. Rfe1+ Kd6 18. Bf4+ Be5 19. Qxf7 but
N
Black by no means can be counted out. 12. h6
f6 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. eg3 The refutation of the refutation.
This simple yet elegant retreat is precisely the kind
of move one is prone to overlook in home analy-
sis. With one stroke White protects the knight on
f5 and renews the attack on both e7 and g7. Un-
N
clear is 15. Rad1 Bxf5! 14. Rxd8 Raxd8 with
K N K N
compensation for the queen. 13... xf5 14. xf5
K
gxh6 15. xe7+ g7 16. f5+ g6 17. e7+
Q
g7 White repeated moves to gain time on the
Q
clock, a common tournament practice. 18. e5
b8 Understandably Black is anxious to dislodge
the queen from its dominating post. However, he
could offer tougher resistance with 18...Re8 19.
N K N K R
Rfe1 Qb8 frustrating the maneuver which ensues in
R R R
the game. 19. f5+ g6 20. d6 g7 21. fe1
d8 22. ad1 d7 Shaken by the turn of events,
R Q R
Black can only sit back and wait for White to apply
the finishing touch. 23. d4 c7 24. g4+ Black
Resigns. If 24...Kf8 25. Qxf6 Qxd6 26. Qh8 mate.
1-0
◦ Smejkal, J.
• Smyslov, V.
Hastings
England
1969 1-0 B06
Tournament winner’s Smyslov only loss was
against this young Czech player. After one inad-
B
vertent move the roof caved in.
N
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 An unpretentious system
N N
aimed at bolstering the center. 3...d6 4.f4 f6
5.e5 d5 6. f3 O–O The game has earmarks
of Alekhine’s Defense where White has refrained
B N
from driving the knight away with c4. Black has
N Q
nothing to fear – yet. 7. c4 c6 8.a4 a6 9.O–O
ac7 10. e1 f6 A handy defensive move which
N Q
assails the central pawn wedge and mutes the ma-
B B N R
neuver Qh4 and Ng5. 11. h4 e6 12. a3 d7
13. d2 b5 14. d3 b6 15.axb5 cxb5 16. ae1
a6 Underestimating the attack. Better is 16...dxe5
17. fxe5 a6 with a hard game for both sides. Now
 R Q
the roof caves in. 17.exd6 exd6 18. xe6 xe6
19.f5 g5 More resistance is offered by 19...gxf5 20.
N
g4 Qf7 21. Bxf5 h6. Smyslov, however, is still
B Q B
shaken by Smejkal’s 18th move. 20. xg5 fxg5
21. xg5 d7 22.f6 h8 For the nonce Black has
B N Q
staved off mate and held onto the extra rook. But
K Q K Q K B K
all hope is soon squelched. 23. f5 e6 24. g4
f7 25. h5+ g8 26. g4 f7 27. xh7 e8
Forced. If 27...Nxg5 28. Qh5+ Ke6 29. Bf5+ wins.
R B N Q
White lost nothing by repeating moves to gain time
on the clock. 28.f7+ xf7 29. g6 d8 30. h5
Piling more pressure on the pinned rook and hitting
Q Q K B
the bishop as well. Now if 30...Bg7 31. Bxd8. The
end is near. 30... e6 31. xh8+ d7 32. xf7
Black Resigns. On 32...Nxf7 33. Qg7 Black must
lose a piece.
1-0
◦ Milko Bobotsov
• Bent Larsen
Busum
West Germany
1969 0-1 A17
"Light desert after dinner" is how Larsen describes
this game, his shortest win over a grandmaster.
After all the warnings against leaving the king in
the center too long, this illustrates the danger of
castling too soon. Bobotsov carelessly drops a
pawn on move six and goes from bad to worse as
he desperately tries to regain it. As usual, one bad
N N N B
move leads to another.
1.c4 f6 2. c3 e6 3. f3 b4 4.g3 More cus-
tomary is 4. Qc2 in order to recapture with the
B N
queen, after O-O 5. a3 Bxc3 6. Qxc3 b6 7. Bg2
Bb7. 4...O–O 5. g2 d5 6.O–O An instructive
error. White fails to realize he can’t get the pawn
back. Correct is 6. cxd5 or 6. a3 Be7 (if 6...Bxc3
7. bxc3 dxc4 8. Ne5 regains the button 7. d4 and
Q
if dxc4 8. Qa4 followed by Qxc4. "This is going
to cost him the game!" – Larsen 6...dxc4 7. a4
"Contrary to many Catalan variations, this is nei-
ther with check nor with a threat against the black
N B
pawn on c4." – Larsen The problem, of course, is
N
that 7. Ne5 is refuted by Qd4! 7... a6 8.a3 d7
Q
9. b5 "Looks crazy – and it is. But on 9. Qc2 Bd6
N R
White can’t regain the pawn." – Larsen 9... e8
10. fd4 "After 10. Nxcd7 Bxa4 11. Nxe8 Be7!
12. Nxf6 Bxf6 White has won back the pawn, but
how can he develop his queenside? Also hopeless
B B
is 10. axb4 Bxb5 11. Qa5 Nd5." – Larsen 10...e5
11. xb7 exd4 12. xa6 "Another possibility was
12. axb4 Bxb5 13. Qa5. Black cannot keep the
piece, but several variations are very advantageous,
the most interesting being 13...Nb8 14. Bxa8 c6
116
B
15. Qxa7 Qxe2 which wins quickly." – Larsen
12... h3 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 way
Q B
to keep the game alive is by giving up the Exchange
Q B
with 13. Nc3. 13... e4 14. b7 If 14. f3 Qxe2
forces mate. 14... xb7 15.f3 d7 White resigns.
Black prefers to win the pinned knight, rather than
15...Bxf1 16. Kxf1 d3 which also wins. Note that
the bishop on c1 played no role in the action.
0-1
◦ Petrosian, T.
• Gligoric, S.
?
Rovinj-Zagreb
1970 0-1 E97
It 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, which
ought only to have maintained the balance. Pet-
rosian’s attempt to hold on to everything results in
N B N N
his Queen being exiled to h1.
B N N
1.c4 g6 2. f3 g7 3.d4 f6 4. c3 O–O 5.e4
d6 6. e2 e5 7.O–O c6 8.d5 e7 9.b4 White
tries to accelerate his Queenside play [he plans
to play c5 and c5xd6, followed by play against
d6 and c7]. The drawback of this move is that
the weakening of the long diagonal permits the
N N N B
Black Nf6 to take a more active role than usual.
N N
9... h5 10. d2 f4 11.a4 f5 12. f3 g5 13.exf5
xf5 14.g3 d4 The only consistent follow-
up. On 14...Ng6 15.Nde4, White’s pieces domi-
Q
nate the Kingside and his pawns are ready to ad-
vance on the other wing. 15.gxf4 xf3+ 16. xf3
Safer was 16.Nxf3 exf4 17.Bb2 g4 18.Kh1, return-
Q
ing the piece with approximate equality. 16...g4
17. h1 Petrosian believes the sacrifice to be un-
sound and is unwilling to permit Black to recover
his material with 17.Qd3 Bf5 18.Nde4 exf4 19.f3
[but not 19.Bd2? f3, followed by 20.Rxf3 Bxc3
B B R
21.Qxc3 Bxe4 22.Rxf4 Qg5+ 23.Qg3 Qxg3+, with
N Q B
a likely draw. 17...exf4 18. b2 f5 19. fe1
f3 20. de4 h4 21.h3 e5 The Queen at h1
has no scope and serves only to obstruct the White
Q
King. Now 22.hxg4 Qxg4+ 23.Kf1 Bxc3 is crush-
B Q K Q N B
ing – 24.Nxc3? Bd3+. 22. e3 gxh3 23. xf3
g4 24. h1 h2+ 25. g2 h5 26. d2 d4
All the Black pieces are attacking. Now a
move of the Rook allows 27...Rxf2+, and 27.Rae1
Q R N
fails to 27...Bh3+ 28.Rxh3 Qg4+ 29.Rg3 Rxf2++.
27. e1 ae8 28. ce4 Black has a winning at-
B R
tack – 28.Kh1 Rxe3 29.fxe3 Bf3+ 30.Nxf3 Qxf3+
31.Kxh2 Be5+ 32.Kg1 Qg4+. 28... xb2 29. g3
Be5 30.Raa3 Kh8 31.Kh1 Rg8 32.Qf1 Bxg3 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4
33.Rxg3 Rxe4 White Resigns. Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Bc4 c5 8.Ne2 Nc6 9.Be3
0-1 O–O 10.O–O Qc7 The main line is 10...cxd4
11. cxd4 Bg4 12. f3 Na5. Karpov later re-
vived the discredited 13. Bxf7!? Rxf7 14. fxg4
◦ Petrosian, T.
R R
with some success against Kasparov in their ti-
• Gligoric, S.
tle bouts. 11. c1 d8 12.h3 Deviating from
Rovinj - Zagreb (5)
12. Qe1 e6 13. f4 Na5 14. Bd3 with which
Yugoslavia
Q N B
Spassky defeated Fischer at Santa Monica 1966.
1970 0-1 E97
12...b6 13.f4 e6 14. e1 a5 15. d3 f5 16.g4
Petrosian was a hard man to beat because he took
Aggressive and logical to pry open the kingside
few risks and seemed content to draw with his
B B N N B
for an attack. Chances are now roughly equal.
peers. Here Gligoric upends him with a thematic
Q B Q Q
16...fxe4 17. xe4 b7 18. g3 c4 19. xb7
piece sacrifice in a sharp line of the King’s Indian
N B
xb7 20. f2 c6 21. e2 cxd4 22. cxd4 b5
N B N N
Defense. The effort was awarded a brilliancy prize.
23. e4 xd4 Risky and widely condemned be-
B N N N
1.c4 g6 2. f3 g7 3.d4 f6 4. c3 O–O 5.e4
N B R R
cause it loosens the squares around Black’s king.
d6 6. e2 e5 7.O–O c6 8.d5 e7 9.b4 h5
R Q
Safer is 23...Rf8. 24. g5 xf2+ 25. xf2 d6
N
Also playable is 9...Nd7 but Black seeks his for-
N R N K
Spassky recommended 25...Re8. 26. e1 b6
N
tune on the kingside. 10. d2 Veering from the
27. e4 d4 28. f6+ h8 Better is 28...Kg7 ac-
B N N
usual 10. g3 f5 11. Ng5 Nf6 12. f3. 10... f4
cepting an eventual trade of queens and a likely
11.a4 f5 12. f3 g5 13.exf5 xf5 14.g3 d4 This
Q R
draw after 29. Qxe6. Fischer seriously misjudges
N Q
sacrifice is nearly forced since 14...Ng6 15. Nde4
Q R
the position in playing for the win. 29. xe6 d6
Q
gives White a bind. 15.gxf4 xf3+ 16. xf3 g4
30. e4 f8 A waste of time. More pertinent is
17. h1 A curious retreat. Better is 17. Qd3 Bf5
R R Q
30...Rad8 31. g5 Rd2 32. Rf1 Rxf2 33. Rxf2 Qe3
18. Nde4 exf4 19. Bxf4 Bxe4 20. Qxe4 Bxc3
with equal chances. 31.g5 d2 32. f1 c7 A
B B R
21. Ra3! with a drawish ending. 17...exf4
fatal error. Necessary is 32...Rxf2 33. Rxf2 Qe3
N Q B R
18. b2 f5 19. fe1 f3 Nailing White’s queen
R N Q
even though White still retains a better ending with
Q B Q K
to the cross. 20. de4 h4 21.h3 e5 22. e3
R N K
34. Qxe3 Nxe3 35. Rd2. 33. xd2 xd2 34. d4
Q N
gxh3 23. xf3 g4 24. h1 h2+ 25. g2 No help
R N R R
d8 35. d5+ g8 Hoping for 36. Qxd2 Qc5 re-
B Q
is afforded by 25. Kf1 Rf3! 25... h5 26. d2
R K R
gaining the piece. 36. f2 c4 37. e2 d6
R N
d4 27. e1 Forced. If 27. Rae1 Bh3+! 28. Rxh3
38. e8+ f7 39. f8+ Snaring the queen after
B R B R K K R
Qg4+! 29. Rg3 Rxf2 mate. 27... ae8 28. ce4
39...Kxf8 40. Qh8 Kf7 41. Nxc7. Black Resigns.
Q B R
xb2 29. g3 e5 30. aa3 h8 31. h1 f7
1-0
R
32. f1 xg3 33. xg3 33. Nxg3 lasts longer
but is just as bad. 33... xe4 White Resigns. If
34. Nxe4 Bf3+ kills.
◦ Polugaevsky, L.
0-1 • Tal, M.
?
◦ Boris Spassky USSR Championship
• Bobby Fischer 1970 1-0 D41
14th Chess Olympiad The Bishop sacrifice on h7/h2 is a rare bird these
Siegen, Germany days, and rarer still in top-level competition, but
1970 1-0 D87 here we see former world champion Mikhail Tal
The most eagerly awaited game in the entire falling victim to a refined version. The game
Olympiad took place in the USSR-USA match be- demonstrates the "transformation of advantages,"
tween the world champion and his inevitable chal- as White trades space and material for time, ad-
lenger. This victory was of the utmost importance vancing his central pawns with a sacrifice to obtain
for Spassky, who prevailed after a tense struggle, a winning attack. It also shows the level of prepara-
raising his record to three wins and two draws out tion required of Grandmasters – Polugaevsky had
of five games against Fischer before their 1972 examined the position arising at move 25(!) in his
pre-tournament analysis.
N N N
showdown for the crown. Fischer stood well in

N N B
the opening but lost his way in the midgame, as 1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 d5 4. c3 c5 5.cxd5

B B Q
Spassky succeeded in imposing his own will on the xd5 6.e4 xc3 7.bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 b4+
course of events. 9. d2 xd2+ 10. xd2 It had been assumed for

117
many years that Black could equalize in this vari-
ation, since he could exchange several pieces. But
Polugaevsky and Spassky analyzed it in prepara-
tion for Spassky’s 1969 match with Petrosian, and
discovered that things were not so simple if White
B N R B R
found the right squares for his Rooks. 10...O–O
11. c4 c6 12.O–O b6 13. ad1 b7 14. fe1
Neither Rook is placed on an open file, but both
support the advance of the central pawns at the
right moment. White’s plan may involve cre-
ation of a passed d-pawn, or a cramping advance
N B R
of the e4-pawn in anticipation of a Kingside at-
tack. 14... a5 15. d3 c8 16.d5 exd5 17.e5
At the cost of a pawn, White has activated his
N N
Bishop and deadened Black’s. The Black minor
Q N B K N K
pieces are a long way from Kingside ... 17... c4
18. f4 b2 19. xh7+ xh7 20. g5+ g6
Forced; 20...Kh6? 21.Ne6+ is obviously out,
and 20...Kg8 runs into something like 21.e6 fxe6
22.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 Rxg5
28.Qc3+ and mate soon. 21.h4 The point of the
combination; White threatens 22.h5+ Kxh5 23.g4+
R K N
Kg6 24.Qf5+ Kh6 25.Qh7+ Kxg5 26.Qh5+ Kf4
K Q K Q
27.Qf5++. 21... c4 22.h5+ h6 23. xf7+
h7 24. f5+ g8 25.e6 f6 Now on 25...Qe7
26.h6! is crushing: 26...Nxd1 27.h7++, 26...gxh6
Q R R
27.Qg6++, or 26...Rxf7 27.exf7+ Qxf7 28.h7+.
26. xf6 gxf6 27. d2 c6 The Knight cannot
R R N K N
be saved, for on 27...Nz4 comes 28.Nd6 Rc7
R R R R R R
29.e7. 28. xb2 e8 29. h6+ h7 30. f5
B R K N N K
cxe6 31. xe6 xe6 32. c2 c6 33. e2
R
c8 34. e7+ h8 35. h4 f5 36. g6+ g8
37. xa7 Black Resigns.
1-0
◦ Westerinen, H.
• Evans, L.
Olympiad (7)
Siegen, Germany
1970 0-1 B99
"’A typical Evans game!’ sneered my team-mates,
implying that the win was routine once I had the
pawn in my pocket. But to be on the defense
through an entire game is a little hard on the nerves
– even mine. One would prefer not to play such
hard chess every round, but trying to win with
Black always requires a certain degree of risk" –
N N N N
Larry Evans.
B B Q B Q
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
a6 6. g5 e6 7.f4 e7 8. f3 h6 9. h4 c7 "In
many variations it is important to prevent Bc4 and
subsequent sacrifices on e6" – Evans. 10.O–O–O
118
Nbd7 11.Bd3 g5 12.e5 This prepared variation is
hard to refute but basically unsound because Black
is 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! If
there is a hole in this attack, it certainly would
N
be unpleasant to have to find it over the board
R B Q
with the clock ticking" – Evans. 13.exf6 xf6
14. he1 d7 15. f2 O–O–O Black is healthy
N B Q
as long as he can castle but 15...d5 is even more
accurate. 16. f5 c6 17. a7 The only way to
R N
increase the pressure. If 17. Nxe7+ Qxe7 18.
Qxh4 Bxg2 holds the pawn. 17... he8 18. d4
White can’t regain the pawn. If 18. Nxh6 Bf8;
or 18. Nxh4 Nh5 19. Qf2 Nxf4! (20. Qxf4?
Bg5 pins the queen). 18... d7 Curiously, the
N
fact that Black has a number of plausible moves
B K B
complicates his defensive task! 19.f5 e5 20.fxe6
g5+ 21. b1 fxe6 22.a3 d7 Snatching a sec-
ond pawn by 22...Bxg2 23. Nxe6 Rxe6 24. Bf5
Qf7 is okay but too complicated in time pressure.
B Q Q B
Black’s aim is to consolidate as fast as possible.
23. e4 b8 24. b6 d5 25. d3 Now White gets
B R
pushed off the board. He must mix it up by 25.
Bxd5! exd5 26. Nxd5. 25... f4 26. e2 Neces-
sary was 26. h3 to save the pawn but the rest of
B R Q Q
the game was played "blitz" by both sides in acute
N N Q R B
time pressure. 26... xh2 27. f1 c7 28. a7
Q B
c6 29. xc6 xc6 30. f7 b8 Now Black’s
Q R R R Q B
king is safe and the rest is technique. 31. d4 g3
K R B N B N B
32. g7 e5 33. f6 e6 34. xe6 xe6 35. h7
N B R R
b8 36. d2 c6 37. e2 f2 38. c3 d4
39. e2 e3 40. d3 d4 41. b3 e4 White Re-
signs
0-1
◦ Fischer, R.
• Larsen, B.
Interzonal (9)
Palma, Mallorca
1970 0-1 B89
This game is memorable because it was Fischer’s
only loss in this qualifying event before an in-
credible winning streak that brought him the world
championship in 1972. A year later Fischer wiped
N N N N
out the Great Dane 6-0 in their candidates’ match.
N B
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
c6 6. c4 The Sozin Variation, a Fischer favorite
B B B
that Short revivied with some success in his 1993
Q Q N
title match vs. Kasparov 6...e6 7. b3 e7 8. e3
O–O 9. e2 a6 10.O–O–O c7 11.g4 d7 12.h4
The correct continuation is 12. g5! accord-
N B
ing to Velimirovic, the originator of this attacking
scheme. 12... c5 13.g5 b5 14.f3 d7 14...b4 is
 Q N N
Q R Q
well met by 15. Na4. 15. g2 b4 16. ce2 xb3+ 26. Rfxf6!+ gxf6 27. Qxf6+ Kg8 28. Qxg5+
17.axb3 Black also stands well on 17. Nxb3 a5 18. Qg7 29. Rg6. 26.g5 d8 27. fe1 b6+ Des-

N N B B Q K R K R R
Kb1 a4 19. Nbc1 Ne5. 17...a5 18.g6 fxg6 19.h5 peration. If 27...Rf7 28. Rxe7! does the trick.

Q R R Q
xd4 20. xd4 g5 21. xg5 xg5+ 22. xg5 28. g2 ae8 29.gxf6+ h7 30. xe7+ xe7

R
h6 23. g4 f7 Larsen’s cool defense now pre- 31.fxe7 e8 32. f6 Black Resigns

N
cludes 24. Nxe6? Qc8 25. Rxd6 Re7. 24. hg1 1-0

Q
a4 25.bxa4 e5 26. e6 Useless is 26. Nf5 Bxf5

Q Q B
R R
27. exf5 Rxa4 28. Kd2 d5. 26... c4 27.b3
◦ Geller, E.
xe6 28. xe6 xe6 29. xd6 e8 White has
• Gligoric, S.
R R R R
only two pawns for the piece, but Black still faces
USSR Vs. World
K R R B
technical problems. 30. b6 xf3 31. xb4 c8
Belgrade
32. b2 f2 33. c1 f7 Winning an important
1970 1-0 C93
R R
pawn, after which the path will be cleared for the
"When you play the Ruy Lopez, it’s like milk-
B R B R B
advance of his own h-pawn. 34.a5 a8 35. b5
ing a cow," said Bronstein, referring to the grad-
K K R R R K
xh5 36. xe5 e2 37. c5 h5 38.e5 f3
ual squeeze on Black. Gligoric reaches a tenable
B K R K B
39. c3 h4 40. d3 e2 41. f1 d8+ 42. c3
position but carelessly lets the Russian execute a
e4 43. b4 b8+ 44. a3 h3 45.e6 xc2
N N B B N
surprising combination.
R K B R B R
45...h2 is also sufficient. Here it was adjourned.
B R B
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O
R K B R R K
46.b4 e3+ 47. b2 d3 48. a1 a6 49. c6
e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.h3 h6
R
xb4+ 50. c2 b7 51. c3 e2+ 52. d1
Black wants to hold his strongpoint on e5 and pre-
g2 White Resigns
R N B N B N N
vents Ng5, an idea popularized by Smyslov. 10.d4
0-1
B N N B N
e8 11. bd2 f8 12. f1 b7 13. g3 a5
14. c2 c4 15.b3 b6 16. b2 bd7 In their
◦ Evans, L.
third game Gligoric varied with 16...c5 17. dxe5
• Browne, W.
dxe5 18. c4 Nbd7 19. Qe2 b4 20. Rad1 Qa5 21.
USA National Open (7)
Bb1 Re8 22. Nf5 Rae8 23. Ne3 Nb8 24. Nd5 Nc6
Sparks, Nevada
Q R Q
25. Rd2 and they agreed to a draw, though White is
1970 1-0 B52
slightly better. 17. d2 c5 18. ad1 a5 19.dxc5
This game features a check on the third move, re-
Q
dxc5 20.c4 b4 20...Qxa2? 21. Ra1 Qxb2 22. Reb1
sulting in early exchanges which contain a drop of
N N
costs the queen. 21.a4 c7 Starting to go wrong.
poison. Enroute to the title, Evans disposed of his
21...Rad8 first is better. 22. f5 b8 Bad tim-
N B
main rival with pellucid simplicity.
ing. The best defense is 22...Rad8 23. Nd6 Bxd6
B
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3. b5+ Not popular because
N R B Q
24. Qxd6 Qa5. Black underestimates White’s
it poses too few problems. 3... d7 The sim-
Q
N N N Q
next move. 23. xe5 xe5 24. xe5 xe5
B Q N N
plest. Complex alternatives are 3...Nc6 or Nd7.
N Q Q
25.f4 e6 26.e5 e8 27. h4 c6 28. d3 g6
4. xd7+ xd7 5.O–O c6 6.d4 cxd4 7. xd4
Q
29.f5 gxf5 30. xf5 g6 31. e2 Good enough
g6 The cause of Black’s future problems because
but even more crushing is 31. Qd7. 31... g5
it gives White an iron grip on d5. More forc-
Q Q Q Q N
Losing the queen but if 31...Qe6 32. Qe4 still wins.
ing is 7...Nf6 to prevent White from setting up a
N Q B Q R R N
32.h4 f4 33.g3 xe5 34. g4+ g7 35. xg7
favorable form of the Maroczy Bind on the next
R B K
f6 36. f4 xg7 37. c7 b8 38. d6 g4
N N N Q
move. If 8. Re1 e6 9. c4 Be7 offers chances
39. xc6 d4+ 40. f1 Black Resigns
B B Q
for equality. 8.c4 f6 9. c3 xd4 10. xd4
1-0
g7 11.b3 O–O 12. b2 e6 Misplacing the

N R N
queen. Better is 12...Rfc8 before exposing this
◦ Anatoly Karpov
Q B Q N Q N
major piece to danger. 13. d5 fc8 14.f4 e8
15. f2 xb2 16. xb2 c7 17.f5 d7 18. e3 • Alexander Zaitsev
Avoiding exchanges which would merely relieve USSR Championship Semi-Finals

R Q N N
Black’s cramp. Now the threat is 19. Ng4 f6 Kuibyshev

Q R
20. Qxf6! 18...f6 19. ad1 c6 20. d5 xd5 1970 1-0 B17
21.exd5 d7 22.fxg6 hxg6 23. de1 Piling up One of the wildest games you would ever expect to

K R
on the backward pawn on an open file. Black is see from the normally conservative Karpov, who
now strategically lost. 23... f7 24. e6 Occupy- marches his king into the center and finally wan-

R K
ing the "hole" and exerting more pressure on f6. ders to the queenside for safety. "It can’t be classi-
24... f8 25.g4 g7 Also inadequate is 25...g5 fied as correct, but what is a correct game? One

119
 R R K R
R K K R
that is ideally played by both sides; considering h5 63. b4 a6 64.c5 a3+ 65. c4 xe3

K R R
that neither is a machine, perhaps there will be a 66. xe3 h4 67.b5 d8 68.b6 d7 69. d3+

N N N N R
slight inaccuracy." – Karpov. c8 70. d6 h3 Too little, too late. 71. xe6 g4

N N N N B
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 dxe4 4. xe4 d7 5. f3 72. h6 Black Resigns
gf6 6. xf6+ xf6 7. e5 f5 The bishop will 1-0

B
be harassed on this square. Another plan is 7...Be6
followed by g6 and Bg7. 8.c3 e6 9.g4 g6 10.h4 ◦ Fischer, R.
"Inspired by the games of Tal, the pawns want to • Petrosian, T.
underscore the insecure position of the bishop on USSR Vs. World (1)
g6. The point is that h6 is not playable because Belgrade
of Nxg6, and it is simply not possible to switch 1970 1-0 B13

B Q
to another diagonal by 10...Be4 11. f3 Bd5 12. An important historical contest. After an absence
c4" – Karpov. 10... d6 11. e2 Inadequate is of almost two years from tournament chess, Fis-
11. h5 Be4 12. f3 Bxe5! 11...c5 12.h5 An cher agreed to take second board behind Larsen in

B Q N
oversight. 12. Bg2 gives White a small advan- this ten board match and roared back with 3-1 over
tage. 12... e4 13.f3 cxd4 14. b5+ d7 "I for- Petrosian in their set. This sweet taste of victory
got about 15. Nxd7 Bc6! And on 15. Qxd7 Qxd7 restored Fischer’s confidence to renew his assault

B N
16. Nxd7 Bxf3 would be very unpleasant. When on the citadel.

N N B B Q N
I saw all this, I decided to plunge into the jungle 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4. d3 c6 5.c3

B K Q B Q
of tactical complications" – Karpov. 15. xf7 f6 6. f4 g4 7. b3 a5 7...Qc8! is more
g3+ 16. e2 Steinitz once quipped, "My king accurate. If 8. h3 Bh5. 8. a4+ d7 9. c2

K Q
likes to go for a stroll in the opening." 16...d3+ e6 Hems in the Bishop. Petrosian suggested 9...a6.

K Q R Q N Q
17. e3 f6 Also good is 17...Kxf7 18. Kxe4 Nf6. Capablanca once played 9...Qb6 in this position.
18. xe4 xf7 19. h3 a6 20. g5 h6 Stronger is 10. f3 b6 11.a4 To saddle Black with a bad

Q R N
20...e5! 21. Rxg3 Nc5 22. Ke3 O-O 23. Rh3 Rad8 bishop by stopping ...Bb5. There is nothing to

N Q N B N N
threatening ...Ne4. 21. e3 e5 "It may be hard to fear from 11...Nb3 12. Ra2. 11... c8 12. bd2

B K B B Q
believe, but White already has the advantage. Zait- c6 13. b1 h5 14. e3 h6 15. e5 f6

B N N B
sev should take the forced draw: 21...Nf6 22. Kxd3 16.h3 d6 17.O–O f8 18.f4 e8 19. f2 c7

B B N B N N
Nxg4 23. fxg4 Qxf1 24. Kc2 Qxh3 25. Qxe6 Kd8 20. h4 g8 21.f5 xe5 22.dxe5 xe5 23.fxe6

N B B K Q K
26. Qd5 Kc8 27. Qf5 Kb8 28. Bf4 and Black can- f6 24. exf7 xf7 25. f3 xh4 26. xh4 f6

R Q K R Q R
not avoid perpetual check. But how can one resist 27. g6+ xg6 28. xg6 e7 29. f5 d8 30.

K B Q K B Q B R R R
playing for mate in such a position?!" – Karpov. ae1 c5+ 31. h1 f8 32. e5 c7 33.b4

R B R Q K R
22. xd3 f4 23. g1 O–O–O 24. c2 xc1 c6 34.c4 dxc4 35. f5 ff7 36. d1+ fd7

Q R
25. xc1 Returning the pawn, but completing mo- 37. xd7 xd7 38. b8+ e7 39. de1+ Black

R R Q K
bilization of all the pieces. 25... xa2 26. h2 Resigns.
hf8 27. d2 a4+ 28. b1 Voila! Safe at last. 1-0

Q B K
Now, a mistake would be 28...Rxf3 29. Rcd1 con-
trolling the d-file. 28... c6 29. d3 c7 Any ◦ Vassily Smyslov
• Bobby Fischer
B Q Q R R
capture on f3 is futile in view of the pin by 30. Bf5.
30. e4 b6 31. h2 de8 32. cd1 Complete Mallorca Interzonal (2)

N B R
domination! A classic example of the superiority Spain

R Q R N B R
of a bishop over a knight. 32... f6 33. g6 e7 1970 0-1 A36
34. e1 b5 35. de2 d7 36. f5 xf5 Black The better player will win with either color, but it

Q K Q Q N
gives up the Exchange rather than the weak pawn takes longer with Black. Fischer said the turning

Q K Q N Q K
on e5. 37.gxf5 d3+ 38. a1 xf5 39. h4 f6 point in his career came with the realization that

R
40. c4+ d8 41. c5 d7 42. d5 c8 43. Black should play to win instead of just steering for

Q K Q
e4 b5 The only defense against Rc4. The rest equality, and this solid triumph with Black over a

K Q Q Q Q K
is a matter of technique. 44. a8+ c7 45. a7+ former world champion proves his point. His vic-

Q K Q R
d8 46. xa6 xh5 47.f4 f5 48. a8+ c7 tory ahead of the powerful Soviet contingent in a

K Q K Q R Q
49. a5+ c6 50. c4 b4 51. xb4 e6 52.fxe5 field of 24 launched his remarkable run to the ti-

K K Q
c7 53. a5+ b7 54. b5+ b6 55. d5+ tle in 1972. In order to pave the way for Fischer

R Q Q Q
c7 56. b1 f2 Black’s last futile threat is to compete in Mallorca, however, every American

R N R N K K
Qxb2 mate! 57. 4e2 f5+ 58. e4 xe4+ who played in the previous zonal qualifying round
59. xe4 c5 60. 4e3 e6 61. c2 g5 62. c3 had to sign a waiver and step down!

120
 N B B N
B N N
1.c4 g6 2. c3 g7 3.g3 c5 4. g2 c6 5.b3 e6
6. b2 ge7 7. a4 Smyslov tries to improve on
his draw with Fischer earlier in the year at Buenos
Aires which continued 7. Nf3 O-O 8. Na4? e5!
(inviting 9. Nxc5? e4! 10. Bxg7 exf3). Fischer
wrested the initiative and at first refused Smyslov’s
N
Nc3. 10... g4 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. No
better is the pawn snatch 11. Bxg7 Rhg8 12. Bb2
Qh4+! 13. g3 Nxe3! 14. dxe3 Rxg3! 11...h5 12.h3
h4 13.hxg4 Of no avail either is 13. Bxg4 Bxg4 14.

B N R R
offer of a draw by saying, "I don’t take draws in hxg4 hxg3 15. Rg1 Rh1! 16. Kf1 Qh4. 13...hxg3

N N
under 40 moves!" 7... xb2 8. xb2 O–O 9.e3 14. g1 h1 Another gift that can’t be refused be-

R R
d5 10.cxd5 xd5 11. e2 b6 12.d4 White pays cause White gets mated after 15. Kf1 Rxg1+ 16.

Q K
dearly for failing to castle here. The king looks Kxg1 Qh4. 15. xh1 g2 16. f1 Equally bad is

B Q Q
safe enough for now, but Fischer finds ways to put 16. Rg1 Qh4+ 17. Kd1 Qh1 16... h4+ 17. d1

N N N Q K R
it under acute pressure. 12... a6 13.dxc5 f6 gxf1= + White Resigns. If 18. Bxf1 Bxg4+ 19.

Q B Q K R
14. c4 c3 15. xc3 xc3+ 16. f1 fd8 Kc1 Qe1 mates.

Q N
17. c1 xc4+ 18. bxc4 d3+ 19. g1 ac8 0-1
20.cxb6 axb6 21. b2 a5 22.h4 The result of
Black’s pawn sacrifice is activity for all of his ma-
jor pieces. Necessary is 20. Bf1! Nxc4 23. Qf6 ◦ Evgeny Vasiukov
Qd5 24. Bxc4 Rxc4 and only now 25. h4 with • Alexander Matanovich
Skopje
N Q Q
good drawing chances for White. Soon the pres-
Yugoslavia
Q R R R R
sure becomes unbearable. 22... xc4 23. f6 f5
1970 1-0
N R R
24. xf5 gxf5 25.h5 d2 26. c1 c5 27. h4
e5 28. xc5 bxc5 29. a4 c4 Black’s advan- Players frequently complain that you can only
tage has been translated into an active passed get away with brilliant games against relatively
weak opposition. Maybe. But the victim here
K
R K R R B
pawn and a good knight against a bad bishop.
was no slouch. GM Matanovich was the former
R K N K R B
30.h6 f8 31. a8+ e7 32. c8 xa2 33. f1
editor-in-chief of the prestigious Chess Informant
R K R R N R
c2 34. g2 g4 35. g1 xf2 36. xc4
and he boasts a solid record of achievements in
N B R B R K N
f3 37. g2 xe3 38. h8 xh6 39. xh7
chess. This unknown masterpiece has never been
B R
g4 40. b5 b3 41. c6 b2+ 42. g1 e5
43. a8 b8 Black’s two extra pawns are deci- included in the standard works about spectacular
sive. In his heyday Smyslov was nearly invincible attacking games. One critic noted that "it ush-
with White. This dynamic victory with Black over ered in 70s-style attacking chess without attracting
a former world champion showed that Fischer was much attention at the time." WhiteŠs spectactular
30th move alone is worth the price of admission!
N N B B N
on his way to the top. White Resigns.

B R B
0-1 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O
e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.d4 Con-
◦ Larsen, B.
B
sidered inferior to 9. h3 because of BlackŠs re-
• Spassky, B. ply exerting pressure on d4. 9... g4 10.d5 Clos-
USSR Vs. World ing the center is relatively tame but alternatives are
Belgrade no better. If 10. Bd5 Qd7; or 10.Be3 exd4 11.

N
1970 0-1 A01 cxd4 Na5 12. Bc2 Nc4 13. Bc1 c5 equalizes.

B
The USSR won this match by a narrow margin. On 10... a5 11.h3 A novelty at the time. An effec-

B Q
the top board world champion Spassky demolished tive response is 11...Nxb3 12. axb3 Bd7. 11... h5
Bent Larsen in a delightful miniature. White’s king 12. c2 c6 13.dxc6 c7 ThereŠs no rush to re-

N Q N
is a sitting duck with four of his pieces out of action capture. White keeps the edge after 13...Nxc6

B N N N R N B N B
on the queenside. 14. g4 Bg6 15. Nh4. 14. bd2 xc6 15. f1

N B N
1.b3 e5 2. b2 c6 3.c4 f6 4. f3 Provocative. fe8 16. g3 g6 17. h4 f8 This retreat is
More solid is 4. Nc3. 4...e4 5. d4 c5 6. xc6 unnecessary. Black should regroup by bringing
Aids Black by opening lines for his quick develop- his knight into play with 17...Nc4. 18.a4! Open-

N N N
ment. Instead 6. e3 is indicated. 6...dxc6 7.e3 Too ing a second front on the queenside is highly ef-

B
passive – and creates a hole on d3. White should fective. 18... d7 19. hf5 b6 20.axb5 axb5

B B Q K N N B
settle for 7. d4 exd3 8. Qxd3. 7... f5 Wisely re- 21.h4 f6 Weakens the kingside. Better is 21...Nb7.

Q Q B N K
serving the option of queenside castling. 8. e2 22.h5 f7 23. g4 h8 24. h4 b3 25. xb3
e7 9. c2 O–O–O 10.f4 Creates a fresh weak- xb3 26. g6+ g8 Resisting the temptation of
ness which is immediately exploited. Better is 10. 26...hxg6? 27. hxg6 with mayhem looming on

121
 N Q
R N K N R N
the open h-file. 27. f5 c7 Guarding the sec- reach parity is to retain the opposite colored bish-

B R N R N N R
ond rank. Of course not 27...Rxa1? 28. Nh6+! ops. 33. c3 f2+ 34. g1 e4 35. c4 g5

R R N B R R R R R K R
gxh6 29. Nxe5+ followed by Nxc6. 28. e3 36. xc5 xe6 37. b5 b6 38. b4 c7 39. f5

R N N R R R
xa1 29. xa1 a4 30.c4!! xc4 Matanovich d1+ 40. f1 d2 41. f2 d1+ 42. h2 e1

N
remarked drily that on 30...bxc4 31 g3 Black is 43. f7 b5 44. d5 e2 45.b3 d2 46. d7

R N
powerless against the threat of Kg2, Rh1 and h6! xa3 Black can put up a better fight with 46...Rb2

R K N
Even so, that remains to be seen. 31. c1 xb2 47. a4 Na3 48. b4 a5 49. bxa5 bxa5 but 50. Rc7

B Q R N R
Tempting but wrong. The best defense against the and Rc5 wins anyway. 47. d8+ h7 48. f6+
threat of b3 is 31...Nc5. 32. b6! b7 The main gxf6 49. xd2 b5 50. d5 Black Resigns
point is that 32...Qxb6 is refuted by 33. Nxf8 Qc7 1-0

R
34. Nd7! Qxd7 35. Nh6+ snaring the queen.
33. xc4! The reason for this sacrifice soon will ◦ Mark Taimanov
• Bobby Fischer
N N
be apparent. White appears to be after the king but

N K Q K Q
his real goal is the queen! 33... xc4 34. h6+! Candidates Match (3)

K
gxh6 35. e7+ f7 36. g8+ xe7 37. xh7+ Vancouver

Q N Q
e6 The absence of the bishop on c4 rules out 1971 0-1

Q R Q K K
an interposition on f7. 38. xb7 xb6 39. xb6 FischerŠs 6-0 victory in this historic match cata-

Q K Q
f5 40. xb5 d8 41. d5+ f6 42.exf5 xf5 pulted him on the road to the World Championship.
43. f7+ e4 44. c7 Black resigns. The house In the next match, he also eviscerated Bent Larsen
of cards collapses. Any rook move loses the rook, by 6-0 in the semifinals, and then trounced Pet-
and if 44...Be7 45. Qxe7. rosian in Buenos Aires to qualify for his title match
1-0 with Spassky at Reykjavik in 1972. "Our third
game holds a special place in my chess biography.
It caused me acute suffering at the time and tor-
◦ Evans, L. mented me for many years," noted Taimanov in his
• Browne, W.
N N B N
book entitled "I Was Fischer’s Victim!"
USA Open Championship (7)
B N N B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5. f3 O–O
Ventura, California 6. e2 e5 7.O–O c6 8.d5 e7 9. d2 Varying
1971 1-0 E56 from 9.Ne1 (Taimanov-Evans, USA-USSR match
A positional gem by Evans enroute to his fourth 1954). The idea behind the text is to get in c5
Open title. This key victory enabled him to tie for as fast as possible. By keeping his knight on f3
first with Browne, who made a few subtle errors White hopes to exploit the hole created at e6 with
and slowly got outplayed.
N N B B N
Ng5 after Black launches the essential counter ...f5.

N B N B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4.e3 O–O 5. d3 9... e8 Differing circumstances decide whether

R
c5 6. f3 d5 7.O–O dxc4 8. xc4 c6 9.a3 a5 the knight should go to e8 or d7. The text allows

Q
If now 10. dxc5 Bxc3 11. bxc3 Qa5 regains the the bishop on c8 to observe the e6 square. 10. c1
pawn. 10. d3 If now 10. dxc5 Bxc3 11. bxc3 In Korchnoi-Geller, 3rd match game in Moscow –

B R
(of 11. Qxd8 Rxd8 12. bxc3 Ne4) Qa5 regains taking place at the same time as this game – White

Q N N
the pawn. 10...cxd4 11.exd4 b6 12. d1 h6 tried 10. b4 to enforce c5 more quickly. 10...f5

Q B R Q
13.h3 A handy waiting move before deciding on 11. b3 b6 12.exf5 gxf5 13. g5 f6 14.f4 h6

N R N
a plan. 13... e7 14. e3 d8 15. e2 Rejecting 15.fxe5 dxe5 16.c5 Double-edged, but the sequel

B
15. Rac1 e5! 15... d5 16. ac1 xe3 17.fxe3 shows it was played intuitively with no idea of a

K B N N N
d7 Black has "won" the two bishops but mean- concrete follow-up. The simple retreat 16. Nf3

B R N R R K
while White fortified his center. 18. h1 e8 is a good alternative. 16... fxd5 17. xd5 xd5

R Q B
19. a2 ac8 20.d5 b8 21.dxe6 fxe6 22. xd8 18.cxb6 axb6 19. c6 Threatening Bc4. 19... h8

N B
xd8 23. c4 d7 A bit better is 23...Rd6. Now "All my understanding of chess, all my experience
Black gets tied up. 24. e5 c8 Even more irk- and feeling for the game convinced me that the
some is 24...Bxe3 25. Rd1! Bc8 26. Ng6! Qe8 27. position should be won, and yet no concrete way

Q
Rxd8 Qxd8 28. Qxc8! Qxc8 29. Ne7+ and Nxc8. to victory could be found. Having become disil-

N N Q N Q
25. e4 Suddenly Black faces threats to his king lusioned with 20. Qh3 I began examining other
after Bb1. 25... c6 26. g6 f6 27. f4 e5 ideas – such as 20. Rd1 – but also in vain. And

N B B K Q N
Giving up a pawn. Unpalatable is 27...Kf7 28. Rf1. here, I have to admit, I was seized by the feeling

N N R B
28. xe6 xe6 29. xe6+ h8 30. xe5 xe5 of helplessnes, of despair: ’Is this Fischer invul-
31. d5 d3 32. c2 c5 Black’s last hope to nerable, is he somehow bewitched?’ I again re-

122
turned to 20. Qh3, again worked through dozens of
variations, 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 never
spent so much time on one move! And I simply
collapsed psychologically. My energy dried up,
apathy set in, everything lost point, and I made
N
the first move that popped into my head. It lost,
of course." – Taimanov 20. f3 This retreat effec-
tively concedes the game. But computer analysis
reveals no forced win after 20. Qh3 Nf6, despite
B R N B N
both players’ claim that Taimanov missed a win
by 20. Qh3. 20... b7 21. g6 f4 22. xf4
exf4 "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 method
R Q R Q
of transforming one type of advantage into an-
K R
other." – Taimanov 23. d1 e7 24. e6 c5+
25. f1 fd8 "Fischer is in his element. After
seizing the initiative, with impressible energy he
R
develops his offensive over the entire board. Now
R Q Q K B B R N Q
26...Bd5 is threatened." – Taimanov 26. xd8+
xd8 27. a4 c1+ 28. f2 f8 29.b4 e4
R R R
One good move after another by Fischer leaves
B Q
White in an awful position. 30. e8 After this
Q R Q R Q K K
mistake, White could resign. 30... c6 31. xc6
xc6 32. xd8 f6 33. c8 e7 34. f1 h7
Breaking the pin and freeing the bishop. WhiteŠs
N B N B Q R
rook and knight are no match for the mighty queen.
B K Q K Q
35. d4 g7 36. b5 e5 37.a3 d7 38. a8
f3 39.gxf3 xh2 40. g2 g7+ 41. xh2 e5+
White Resigned. 42...Qxe2 is coming next. "Here
the game was adjourned and, of course, I resigned
without resuming. I was able to play a match with
an outstanding Grandmaster who was to occupy an
honored place in history, and to experience enor-
mous creative pleasure, since it was generally con-
sidered that, despite the sensationally catastrophic
result, the games themselves were exceptionally
interesting and hard-fought." – Taimanov
0-1
◦ Bobby Fischer
• Tigran Petrosian
Candidates Match (1)
Buenos Aires
1971 1-0 B44
Riding the crest of a 19-game winning streak, Fis-
cher faced the imperturbable ex-world champion.
Petrosian was well prepared and refuted one of
123
his opponents pet weapons against the Sicilian De-
fense. Departing from his usual cautious style, he
seized he initiative with a sensational 11th move.
But he went astray, swapped pieces and drifted into
an inferior ending where his great defensive genius
was foiled by the clock. Short of time, Petrosian
N N N
missed good drawing chances.
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 c6 Pet-
N B
rosian varied with 4...a6 in their seventh match
game. 5. b5 d6 6. f4 A dubious, time-
B N B B
consuming maneuver. More solid is 6. c4 with a
Maroczy Bind. 6...e5 7. e3 f6 8. g5 e6 Im-
proving on 8...Qa5 9. Qd2! Nxe4 10. Qxa5 Nxa5
11. Be3 Kd7 12. N1c3! Nxc3 13. Nxc3 as in
B N
Fischer-Taimanov, 2nd match game 1971. 9. 1c3
a6 10. xf6 gxf6 11. a3 d5 Prepared analysis,
improving on 11...Nd4 12. Nc4 f5 13. exf5 Nxf5
B Q Q
14. Bd3 as in Fischer-Taimanov, 6th match game
B R R B
1971. 12.exd5 xa3 13.bxa3 a5 14. d2
B B
O–O–O 15. c4 hg8 16. d1 f5 Also strong
is 16...Rxg2 17. Ne4 Qb6! 17. d3 xd3 Miss-
Q N
ing the thematic 17...e4! 18. Be2 Rxg2 19. Qe3
K
K Q
Ne5 with active winning chances. 18. xd3 d4
19.O–O b8 20. h1 xa3 Leads to trouble.
More viable is 20...f5 21. f4 f6 with even chances.
R
21.f4 c8 22. e4 xd3 White also keeps the
N R
advantage on 22...Qxa2 23. Rf2! 23.cxd3 c2
24. d2 xd2 25. xd2 f5 26.fxe5 e8 The
R N R N R N
pawn can’t be defended by 27. Nc4 because of
R
...b5. 27. e1 c2 28. e2 d4 29. e3 c2
R N R
Black is content to draw by repetition. 30. h3
R R
White, however, is not. 30... xe5 31. f3 xd5
N
32. xh7 xd3 33.h4 Petrosian must find a way
R R
to stop this dangerous passed pawn. 33... e3 The
K R
most precise defense is 33...Nd4. 34. xf7 d1+
R R R
35. h2 a1 36.h5 f4 A better try is 35...Rxa2 but
N K R N
36. Kh3 would still win. 37. xf4 xa2 38. e4
xg2 39. g3 a5 40. e5 Cutting the rook off
from stopping the pawn while the stranded knight
on g2 will fall. A dramatic and exciting game in
a 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 Aires
1971 1-0 B48
During his remarkable run for the title Fischer
wiped out both Taimanov and Larsen 6-0. In the
last match former world champion Petrosian man-
aged to halt the winning streak before succumbing
 N B Q
Q
by 6 1/2 - 2 1/2. Fischer won their last four games, as is 10...Qxd5 11. Nc3. 11. c3 e7 12. a4+

R
starting with this positional masterpiece reminis- d7 Rejecting 12...Bd7 13. Qc2! O-O 14. Bg5.

N N B
cent of Capablanca. 13. e1 Veering for an endgame instead of going

N N Q N
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 a6 5. d3 for material by 13. Bb5!? axb5 14. Qxa8 O-O

B B B R
c6 6. xc6 bxc6 Nowadays 6...dxc6 is consid- with unclear complications. 13... xa4 14. xa4

B R
ered safer. 7.O–O d5 8.c4 More forceful than e6 15. e3 O–O 16. c5 fe8 White’s control
8. Nd2 Nf6 9. Qe2 Be7 leading to equal chances, of c5 gives him a permanent bind. 17. xe7 xe7

N
as in Spassky-Petrosian, 9th match game 1969. 18.b4 Fixes the weakness on a6. Now 18...a5

K N B R R
8... f6 9.cxd5 cxd5 10.exd5 exd5 White wrested can be met by 19. b5 with a dangerous passed

B N
the advantage after 10...Nxd5 11. Be4! Be7 12. pawn. 18... f8 19. c5 c8 20.f3 ea7 21. e5
Nc3 Bb7 13. Qa4+ Qd7 14. Qxd7+ Kxd7 15. d7 22. xd7+ Sweet simplicity – one of Fis-

N B Q Q
Rd1 in Averbach-Taimanov, 27th USSR Champi- cher’s trademarks. If instead 22. a4 Bc6 Black

R R R R N R
onship 1960. 11. c3 e7 12. a4+ d7 Prob- can organize a line of defense with Nd7 in reserve.
ably expecting 13. Bb5 axb5 14. Qxa8 O-O with 22... xd7 23. c1 d6 24. c7 d7 25. e2 g6

R Q N B K
an unclear position. The best defense is 12...Bd7 Black is hogtied. 25...Nf6 would allow the inva-

B B
13. Qd4 Be6. 13. e1 xa4 14. xa4 e6 sion 26. R2e7. 26. f2 h5 27.f4 h4 Creating a

R B K K
15. e3 O–O 16. c5 Creates a bind by exploit- new weakness. 27...Nb6 28. R2e7 Rf6 is harder to

R K N B R K N R N
ing the weak dark squares. 16... fe8 17. xe7 beat. 28. f3 f5 29. e3 d4+ Black cannot allow

R K R N B
xe7 18.b4 f8 19. c5 c8 20.f3 ea7 Better the king to get to d4. 30. d2 b6 31. ee7 d5

R
is 20...Rxe1+ 21. Rxe1 Nd7 to dislodge White’s 32. f7+ e8 33. b7 xb4 34. c4 And Black

B N
knight from its dominating post on c5. 21. e5 resigns. Petrosian has no defense to the threat of
d7 22. xd7+ Giving up a good knight for a Rh7. I f 34...Rc8 35. Rh7 Rf6 36. Rh8 Rf8 37.

R R R R N R
bad bishop. If 22. a4 Bc6 offers tough resistance. Bf7 Kd8 38. Rxf8 mate.

K
22... xd7 23. c1 d6 24. c7 d7 25. e1 1-0
g6 26. f2 h5 27.f4 h4 Creating a new weak-
◦ Keres, P.
K K K N R
ness. Less is conceded by 27...Nb6 28. Ree7 Rf6.
• Byrne, D.
N R K R N B
28. f3 f5 29. e3 d4+ 30. d2 b6 31. ee7
d5 32. f7+ e8 33. b7 xb4 34. c4 Black Church’s Fried Chicken (8)
Resigns. 34. Rh7 was also crushing right away. San Antonio
1-0 1972 1-0 D94
This game was awarded the brilliancy prize in one
◦ Bobby Fischer of the greatest international tournaments ever held
• Tigran Petrosian in the United States. Despite making a second

N N N B
Candidates Match (7) queen, Black was unable to stave off mate.
Buenos Aires 1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4. f3 g7 5.e3

N B N
1971 1-0 B48 This modest continuation leads to a quieter game
Petrosian was a hard man to beat and held Fischer than 5. Bf4. 5...O–O 6.cxd5 xd5 7. c4 b6

B
even in the first five games before losing four in Also feasible is 7...Nxc3 8. bxc3 c5 9. O-O Qc7.
a row. This match proved to be the last obstacle 8. b3 c5 9.O–O After 9. dxc5 N6d7 Black re-
in Fischer’s path to the summit. This clean vic- gains the pawn with easy equality. "It is not in

N N
tory, where he simplifies to an ending with only a character with White’s opening strategy to capture

B
good bishop against a passive knight, reminiscent on c5" – Keres. 9...cxd4 10.exd4 c6 11.d5 a5
of Capablanca at his best, is generally considered 12. g5 Indirectly protecting the pawn on d5 by

N N
Fischer’s finest effort in this match. exerting pressure on e7. Now on 12...Nxb3 13.

B
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 a6 A system Qxb3 Bxc3 14. bxc3 Nxd5? (or 14...Qxd5 15.

B B Q N B N
introduced last century by German master Louis Bxe7) 15. Rad1 snares a piece. 12...h6 13. e3

B N N R R B
Paulsen. The idea is to fianchetto the bishop after g4 14.h3 xf3 15. xf3 bc4 16. c1 xb3

N
b5 with latent pressure on the center. 5. d3 c6 17.axb3 d6 18. e1 e8 19. e3 b6 "Not the
6. xc6 bxc6 Many opening manuals recommend best way to protect the a-pawn. Firstly, it will re-
6...dxc6 as safer. 7.O–O d5 8.c4 Improving on 8. main attacked by White’s rook and secondly the c6

N B Q R
Nd2 Nf6 9. Qe2 Be7 10. b3 O-O 11. Bb2 a5 as in square is weakened. A better move was 19...a5" –

R
Spassky-Petrosian, 1st match game 1969. 8... f6 Keres. 20. f4 d7 21. a4 Keres recommends

B R R B
9.cxd5 cxd5 10.exd5 exd5 Accepting an isolated 21. g4 or Be5 at once. 21... ac8 22.g4 a5
pawn. 11...Nxd5 11. Bd4! is also in White’s favor, 23. e5 c5 24. f4 xe5 "White dominates the

124

kingside and the center, therefore Black must seek
counterplay on the queenside. The exchange on
e5 makes White’s task easier. Better seems to be
24...b5 at once for 25. Bxg7 Kxg7 26. Ne4 Nxe4
R Q Q
27. Rxf7+ Kg8 28. Rxe4 Qxd5 is not immedi-
R N
ately decisive" – Keres. 25. xe5 b5 26. e3 c7
27. f3 b4 28. e2 a4 Hoping for 29. bxa4? Nc4
Q
but now White launches a decisive offensive. If
R
28...Kh7 29. Qf4 keeps Black at bay. 29. xh6
a3 30.bxa3 bxa3 31. g5 a2 There’s no good de-
fense against the threat of Rxf7. If 31...Rc1+ (or
R Q K
31...e6 32. Rf6! Re7 33. Rgxg6+) 32. Kg2 Qc2
33. Nxc1 is decisive. 32. xf7 a1= + 33. g2
Black Resigns. Capturing the rook leads to mate.
So does 33...Qf6 34. Rxg6+ Kxf7 35. Qh7+ Kf8
36.Rg8.
1-0
◦ Evans, L.
• Keres, P.
Church’s Fried Chicken (13)
San Antonio
1972 1-0 E42
An example of slow positional strangulation. Paul
Keres, who was widely regarded as the best player
who never became world champion, tries a dubious
idea in the opening and never recovers from the
N N B N
cramp.
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4.e3 c5 5. e2 d6 A
dubious idea that preserves the two bishops at the
B R N B
cost of a permanent cramp. More stable is 5...cxd4
6. exd4 d5. 6.a3 a5 7. b1 c6 8.b4 c7
White keeps the edge after 8...Bb6 9. Na4. Or
8...cxb4 9. axb4 Bxb4 10. Rxb4 Nxb4 11. Qa4+
Nc6 12. d5 winning two pieces advantageously
for rook. Now White spurns 9. dxc5 dxc5 10.
Qxd8+ Bxd8 11. bxc5 Be7 12. Nb5 O-O 13. Nd6
Bxd6 14. cxd6 Rd8 regaining the pawn. 9.g3 a5
A grave strategic error creating a hole on b5. Bet-
ter is 8...O-O 10. Bg2 cxd4 11. exd4 e5 holding
B Q Q N B B B
White to a minimal space advantage. 10.bxc5 dxc5
R R
11. g2 cxd4 12.exd4 O–O 13.O–O e7 14. a4
a6 15. e1 Discouraging the freeing maneuver
15...e5 16. d5 Nd4 17. Nxd4 with a fatal pin alone
R N B B R B
the e-file. Now Black can’t find a happy square
N N
for his queen. 15... d8 16. b5 b8 17. b2
a7 18. bc3 "Cramped positions bear the germs
Q B Q N
of defeat" – Dr. Tarrasch. Ergo White avoids ex-
changes. 18... c7 19. c1 e7 20.h3 c6 He
B N
could try to ease the pressure with 20...b6 but this
N Q
pawn remains weak no matter what. 21. e3 e8
22.d5 e5 23.c5 d7 Keres pondered 32 min-
utes and decided his position was lost. Neces-
sary but unpleasant is 23...exd5 24. Nxd5 Qf6.
125
Q B
R N B R
24. xd7 xd7 More resistant is 24...Rxd7 25. c6
R R K B B N
Re7. 25. xb7 exd5 26. xd5 e6 27. eb1
K R R B N
xd5 28. xb8 f8 29. xd5 xd5 30. d4
N B
e7 31. 1b6 a7 32. f4 f3+ If 32...Nd7 33.
N
Nf5+ Kf8 34. Bd6+ leads to mate. 33. xf3 xf3
34.c6 d6 35.c7 Black Resigns.
1-0
◦ Boris Spassky
• Bobby Fischer
World Championship (1)
Reykjavik
1972 1-0
This loss at the outset of their famous title match
brought FischerŠs lifetime record against Spassky
to 4 losses and 2 draws. After 29...Bxh2?!?! in a
dead drawn position, a roar ran through the play-
ing hall. "One move and we hit every front page
in the world!" exclaimed a joyous Icelandic orga-
nizer. Years later a fan noted: "It was undoubtedly
the most famous single move played in my life-
time. The popular press described it as a terrible
gaffe, and I even remember a report that Spassky
looked up from the board in disbelief. He trapped
the bishop and eventually Fischer resigned, yet my
computer finds nothing wrong with the pawn grab.
N N N B
Was it truly the losing move?"
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 d5 4. c3 b4 5.e3
B
White canŠt win a piece by 5. Qa4+ Nc6 and
chooses a solid line. 5...O–O 6. d3 c5 This
thrust makes it hard for White to seize the initia-
tive. Fischer got into trouble against Reshevsky
in their 7th match game 1961 with 6...Nc6 7. a3
N B
Bxc3+ 8. bxc3 Na5 9. Nd2 c5 10. O-O. 7.O–O
N
c6 8.a3 a5 More natural is 8...Bxc3 9.bxc3
b6 10. dxc5 bxc5. 9. e2 Too tame. A bet-
B B
ter try for advantage is 9. cxd5 exd5 10. dxc5
Q R B B B B
Bxc3 11. bxc3. 9...dxc4 10. xc4 b6 11.dxc5
R R
xd1 12. xd1 xc5 13.b4 e7 14. b2 d7
N N
15. ac1 fd8 White has a slight space ad-
N R
vantage but no points of entry. 16. ed4 xd4
R R
17. xd4 a4 18. b3 xb3 19. xb3 xd1+
K K K N
20. xd1 c8 Seizing the open file is better than
R
20...Rd8 21. Rc1. 21. f1 f8 22. e2 e4
N
23. c1 More simplification. They could agree to
N K B N B N B
a draw right now. 23... xc1 24. xc1 f6 25. a5
B
d6 26. d3 d8 27. c4 c7 28. xd6 xd6
29.b5 xh2?! ?!?! - Not fatal in itself, though
critics attributed BlackŠs loss to this pawn snatch.
Having demonstrated that the champion could not
achieve anything with White, Fischer now seems
to be saying, "You canŠt draw with me that eas-
ily." Reuben Fine noted: "Every beginner knows
that this move is a blunder, so why did Bobby do
it? Afterwards he told me he miscalculated, think-
ing that after 30. g3 h5 31. Ke2 h4 32. Kf3 h3
he could escape, but overlooking 33. Kg4 traps
the bishop. I think a psychological explanation is
more in order. Bobby is out to show that he can
make what everybody would consider an impossi-
K K
ble move; caught up in this fantasy, he does not
K N
calculate properly." 30.g3 h5 31. e2 h4 32. f3
e7 Too late Fischer saw that his intended 32...h3
33. Kg4 Bg1 34. Kxh3 Bxf2 35. Bd2! seals off his
K B K N
bishopŠs escape route. But Black still has drawing
K K
resources. 33. g2 hxg3 34.fxg3 xg3 35. xg3
B K B Q
d6 36.a4 d5 Black has 2 pawns and an active
king for the piece. 37. a3 e4 38. c5 a6 Ev-
ery pawn that goes off the board increases BlackŠs
drawing chances. But not 38...b6? 39. Bxb6! axb6
K N
40. a5 bxa5 41. b6 and the pawn queens. 39.b6
f5 40. h4 f4? ? - The last move of the time con-
trol costs a precious half-point. The right plan is
40...Kd5! A key theme is to force White to play a5,
then liquidate all kingside pawns and rush the king
headlong towards a8 for stalemate. One possible
variation: 41. Bd4 e5 42. Bc3 f4 43. exf4 exf4 44.
Kg4 Kc5 45. a5 g5 46. Kxg5 Kd6 47. Kxf4 Kd7
48. Kf5 Kc8 49. Be5 Kd8 50. Ke6 Kc8 51. Bd6
Kd8 52. Bc7+ Kc8 53. Ke7 stalemate (but with
the pawn still on a4 White wins because 53...a5
K K K
is forced.) Now it was adjourned and Spassky
B K B K B B
sealed his move. 41.exf4 xf4 42. h5 f5
43. e3 e4 44. f2 f5 45. h4 e5 "Excuse
me, Boris," said Bobby, springing out of his chair
to rush backstage and order the cameras turned
B Q RQ
off. This cost Fischer 33 minutes on his clock,
B K K K
but his position can no longer be saved. 46. g5
e4 47. e3 f6 48. g4 e5 If WhiteŠs pawn
K K K B K
were on a5, then Black could draw by steering for
K K K K K K K
a8. 49. g5 d5 50. f5 a5 51. f2 g5 52. xg5
K Q
c4 53. f5 b4 54. xe4 xa4 55. d5 b5
56. d6 Black gets in zugzwang again after 56...a4
57. 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)
Reykjavik
1972 0-1 A77
Fischer now trailed by two points after losing the
first game and forfeiting the second when he re-
fused to show up unless the cameras were turned
off. Spassky, reportedly defying orders to return
to Russia, saved the match by agreeing to play in
126
a private room away from cameras instead of on
stage in front of a full house. "Just this once,"
he said. "Never again." Good sportsmanship cost
Spassky the title, and he was punished for it when
he got back home. For the first time ever he lost a
game to Fischer and then went on to drop the match
N N
12.5 - 8.5
N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 c5 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5 d6
6. c3 g6 7. d2 The idea is to swing this knight
to c4 and then bear down on the backward pawn
on d6 with Bf4. A drawback is moving the same
B B R
piece twice. More usual is 7. e4. 7... bd7 8.e4
g7 9. e2 O–O 10.O–O e8 Pressuring e4 lim-
its White’s freedom of action. 11. c2 A good
alternative is 11. a4 to help restrain Black’s strate-
gic threat of a6 and b5. Another approach is Pet-
B
rosian’s 11. f3 which gives solid protection to the
N
central pawn chain. 11... h5 12. xh5 gxh5
13. c4 A month later at the Skopje Olympiad,
White sought an edge in Gligoric-Kavalek with 13.
N N
a4 Ne5 14. Nd1! Qh4 15. Ne3 Ng4 16. Nxg4
Q B
hxg4 17. Nc4 Qf6 18. Bd2. 13... e5 14. e3
h4 15. d2 The bishop is passive here. Bet-
N N
ter is 16. f3! to reinforce the e-pawn and pre-
vent Black’s next move. 15... g4 16. xg4 hxg4
B Q
Undoubling the pawns eliminates Black’s major
weakness. 17. f4 f6 18.g3 Creating a seri-
ous weakness on the light squares and weaken-
ing e4 since now f3 can be met by gxf3. Better
R R R
is 18. Qd2 or 18. Bg3 h5 19. f3. 18... d7
19.a4 b6 20. fe1 a6 21. e2 b5 22. ae1 This
is White’s last chance to break in the center with
R
22. axb5 axb5 23. Rxa8 Rxa8 24. e5 dxe5
25. Rxe5. 22... g6 23.b3 e7 24. d3 b8
Q R
25.axb5 axb5 26.b4 To stop the threat of b4 and
R R K R K R
Bb5. If 27. cxb4 Na2. 26...c4 27. d2 be8
B Q R R R R
28. e3 h5 29. 3e2 h7 30. e3 g8 31. 3e2
B Q B Q K B
xc3 32. xc3 xe4 33. xe4 xe4 34. xe4
K Q Q Q
xe4 35. h6 g6 36. c1 b1 37. f1 f5
38. e2 e4+ 39. e3 c2+ White is pinning
his hopes for a draw on opposite colored bishops.
Q Q
Not 39...Qxd5? 40. Qg5+. Black must remem-
Q
ber that his own king is insecure. 40. d2 b3
B
41. d4 The only chance to fight on is 41. Ke1.
41... d3+ "I sealed a crusher!" exulted Fischer
when the game was adjourned. Upon resumption
Spassky pondered his predicament for five minutes
before tipping his king. If 42. Ke1 Qxb4+ picks up
a 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.
 N N N B B
B N B
Church’s Fried Chicken (15) 1.c4 e6 2. f3 d5 3.d4 f6 4. c3 e7 5. g5

Q N R B Q
San Antonio O–O 6.e3 h6 7. h4 b6 8.cxd5 xd5 9. xe7

Q R B
1972 1-0 A70 xe7 10. xd5 exd5 11. c1 e6 12. a4 c5

This 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 Karpov
and past world champion Tigran Petrosian in their
R B N N Q N
13. a3 c8 14. b5 a6 15.dxc5 bxc5 16.O–O
a7 17. e2 d7 18. d4 f8 19. xe6 fxe6
20.e4 With his play against the "hanging pawns"
(c5 and d5) White has pushed the Black pieces

Q
American debut. Larsen confesses that he didn’t into passive positions, and now he opens the cen-

R B K Q N
know what Portisch was planning when he gave up ter for direct attack. 20...d4 21.f4 e7 22.e5

R N R Q Q R
the Exchange. b8 23. c4 h8 24. h3 f8 25.b3 a5 26.f5

R R Q Q
exf5 27. xf5 h7 28. cf1 d8 29. g3 e7
N
1.d4 e6 2.c4 Declining 2. e4 entering the French

Q R Q R Q B Q
30.h4 bb7 31.e6 bc7 32. e5 e8 33.a4
N B B N Q B Q
Defense. 2...c5 3.d5 exd5 4.cxd5 d6 5. c3

Q N R R K
d8 34. 1f2 e8 35. 2f3 d8 36. d3 e8
Q B N B N
g6 6. f3 g7 7. f4 f6 8. a4+ d7 9. b3

B K Q
37. e4 f6 38. xf6 gxf6 39. xf6 g8 40.
N
c7 10.e4 O–O 11. e2 h5 12. e3 a6
13. d2 f5 More thematic is 13...Rab8 fighting for c4 h8 41. f4 Black Resigns.
1-0
B
b5. 14.exf5 gxf5 Any other recapture is met

N N
by 15. g4. 15. xh5 f4 16.O–O fxe3 17.fxe3
b4 18. ce4 "It was here I realized that White ◦ Browne, W.
may very soon get strong threats against my king, • Zuckerman, B.
and that he is also planning to send this knight to ?
e6. White’s pawn plus is not very important, but New York
1973 1-0 D60
N Q N
his pieces can produce threats before Black can"
Perhaps the most successful American player of
B B K Q Q
– Larsen. 18...a5 19. g5 a4 20. c4 h6 21. e6
xe6 22.dxe6 d5 23. f7+ h8 24. h4 e5 "A the post-Fischer era, Walter Browne from 1974 to
1983 won or tied for first in the U.S. Championship
N
desperate attempt. After 24...Nc6 25. Nf3 Qe7 26.
no less than six times. Here he shows the advan-
Q K N R N R
Qh5 threatening Nh4 is a killer" – Larsen. 25. f3
tages of the "isolated Queen’s pawn" (open e-file,
Q
xe3+ 26. h1 d3 27. ae1 xe1 28. xe1
d3 "Portisch paused to think a long time. I was open diagonals for the Bishops, outpost square on
hoping for 29. Ne5? Bxe5 30. Qxh6+ Qh7 31. e5), in a game described at the time as an "orgy of

N B N N B
Qxh7+ Kxh7 32. Rxe5 c4 33. Rxd5? Red8! But sacrifices."

N B B
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. c3 e7 4. f3 f6 5. g5
Q
when his move finally came, it was one to which

N B B
O–O 6.e3 bd7 7. d3 dxc4 8. xc4 c5 9.O–O
B
there was no answer" – Larsen. 29. h5 a3 30.b3

N B B N B N
c3 "Sheer desperation. There is nothing to be a6 10.a4 cxd4 11.exd4 b6 12. b3 d7

R B R R Q N
done against e7. Now I planned to resign on 31. 13. e5 c6 14. c2 bd5 15. b1 b4

R R Q N Q N N
16. e1 g6 17. h6 e8 18. a3 d6 19. e2
K Q R
Bg6. But nothing is wrong with Portisch’s solu-
ad8 20. h3 d5 21. f3 a5 22. c3 bd5
B B Q R Q
tion" – Larsen. 31.e7 g7 32.exf8= + xf8
33. xd5 xe1 34. e5+ f6 35. e7+ Black Black has been outplayed – the result of all this
Resigns. On 35...Kg6 36. Be4+ spells finis. maneuvering has been to transfer the White Rook

N N B Q B
1-0 from a1 to h3, where it participates in the at-

B N N B
tack. 23. e5 xc3 24.bxc3 xa4 25. e2 d7
26. g5 d5 27. xf7 xg5 The only move,
◦ Fischer, R.
R N
as 27...Kxf7 loses to 28. Rxh7+ Kg8 29.Qe4.
• Spassky, B. 28. xh7 f6 The Rook cannot be taken either
? – 28...Kxh7 29.Qh5+ (the g6 pawn is pinned),
6th Match Game, Reykjavik and other moves are no better; one variation is
1972 1-0 D59 28... Ne7 29.Bxg6 Nxg6 30.Qh5 Nf4 31.Rh8+

B N
Once the "sideshow" events had been put aside Kg7 32. Qh7+ Kf6 33. Ne5 Re7 34.Ng4++.

Q Q
and he settled down to play chess, Fischer clearly 29. xg6 xh7 Or 29...Bb5 30.Qe5 Rd5 31.Qxf6

Q K R Q N Q
demonstrated his superiority in his World Champi- Bxf6 32.Nh6+ Kf8 33.Rf7++. 30. h5 xc3

N R Q K Q K
onship match with Boris Spassky. Many observers 31. xh7+ f8 32. f1 xd4 33. e5 f4

Q K Q B Q K
suggested that Fischer’s limited opening repertoire 34. xd7+ xd7 35. h8+ e7 36. xe8+ f6

Q R R Q Q
would prove his undoing (he had rarely begun with 37. xd7 xg6 38. xe6+ f6 39. e8+ h6

K K Q K Q
any move but 1.e4), but in the 6th game he showed 40.g3 b4 41. e1 a5 42. e6 b2 43. f7
an equal mastery of Queenside play. g5 44.h4+ g4 45. g6+ h3 46. f5# 1-0

127
 Qb5+ 25.Ke3 h5 The White King is not as ex-
gxh5 28.Bf6+ Kg8 29.Qg5+ and wins. 26.Nxh5
posed as it seems – 25...Qd3+ 26.Kf2 h5 27.Nxh5
◦ Grefe, J.
• Browne, W. Qxb3+ 27.axb3 Nd5+ 28.Kd4 Ne6+ 29.Kxd5
USA Championship Nxg5 30.Nf6+ Kg7 31.Qxg5 Rfc8 32.e6 fxe6+
El Paso, Texas 33.Kxe6 Rf8 34.d7 a5 35.Ng4 Ra6+ 36.Ke5
1973 1-0 B99 Rf5+ 37.Qxf5 gxf5 38.d8=Q fxg4 39.Qd7+
A big upset occurred in American chess when John
Grefe, a young Californian master, tied for first
Kh6 40.Qxb7 Rg6 41.f4 Black Resigns.
1-0
with Kavalek in America’s most prestigious event.
Grefe faded and never seemed able to repeat this ◦ David Bronstein
success, but here is his outstanding victory against • Oscar Panno
the pet Sicilian Defense of 6-time USA champion Interzonal (13)
N N
Walter Browne. Petropolis
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 a6 This move 1973 1-0
N N B
order allows White the opportunity to set up a "Bronstein won the longest game of the tourna-
Maroczy Bind with 5. c4. 5. c3 f6 6. g5 e6 ment, and it was wonderfully rich in strategic and
B
7.f4 h6 A useful interpolation, though it weakens tactical surprises. He eventually queened a pawn
B Q N Q B R
g6. The sharp 7...Qb6!? is also feasible. 8. h4 (in front of his castled king!) but still had to work
e7 9. f3 bd7 10.O–O–O c7 11. e2 b8 hard to win as all BlackŠs remaining forces mu-
White gets 3 pieces for the queen and a strong ini- tually defended each other," stated the tournament
Q
tiative on 11...b5 12. e5! Bb7 13. exf6! Bxf3 book. Bronstein didnŠt qualify for the next stage
R
14. Bxf3 Bxf6 15. Bxf6 Rc8 16. Bxg7. 12. g3 of the world championship, but he had the satisfac-
g8 Though Black’s pieces are poorly coordi- tion of creating the craziest game of 1973. An ed-
R
nated and he has lost the right to castle, it’s hard itor asked him to annotate the game. "ItŠs impos-
N N N
for White to make progress. 13. hf1 g5 14.fxg5 sible!" exclaimed Bronstein. "Neither of us knew
e5 15. f3 b5 Necessary is 15...hxg5. 16. xe5 what the next move was going to be. I can’t even
b4 Black relied on this thrust, rejecting 16...dxe5 tell you if I was winning. Such a game is played in
N R
17. gxf6! Rxg3 18. fxe7 Rg5 19. Bxg5 hxg5
N N B N Q
the air."
R B N
20. Bh5! 17. xf7 bxc3 18.gxf6 xg3 19.fxe7 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 f6 4. e2 At his ti-
g5 20. xg5 hxg5 21. xd6+ Black Resigns. If tle match vs. Kramnik in 2000, Kasparov failed to
21...cxb2+ 22. Kb1 Kxe7 23. Rf7+ wins the house. win a single game against the Berlin Defense af-
1-0
B
ter 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5
8.Qxd8+ Kxd8. 4... e7 5.c3 Departing from 5.0-
◦ Bronstein 0 d6 6.d4 exd4 7.Nxd4 Bd7 8.Nxc6 bxc6 9.Bd3
• Ljubojevic 0-0 10.Nc3 Re8 (Janowski-Winawer, 1897). Also

B N B
? innocuous is 5.Bxc6 dxc6 6.Nxe5 Qd4 regaining
Petropolis the pawn. 5...d6 6.d4 d7 7.d5 b8 8. d3 Nat-

N N
1973 1-0 B03 urally! When your opponent is cramped, avoid

N B Q
One of the most exciting games of the "interreg- exchanges. 8...c6 9.c4 a6 10. c3 O–O 11.h3
num" between Fischer’s retirement and the rise of c5 12. c2 cxd5 13.cxd5 c7 Setting a lit-

B
Karpov. The meeting of two courageous tacticians tle trap (14. b4? Ncxe4!) but 13...Rc8 seiz-

N N R B
produces a fierce battle in which both Kings are ing the open file, looks more flexible. 14. d2

NN N K
under attack. g6 15.b4 a6 16.a3 h5 17.g3 ac8 18. b3

N N
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f4 dxe5 h8 19.O–O–O Believe it or not, the king is safe

B Q B B B K Q B R Q
6.fxe5 c5 7.d5 e6 8. c3 exd5 9.cxd5 c4 10. f3 here, despite BlackŠs temporary control of the c-

R B Q B B Q N N B B
g4 11. d4 xf3 12.gxf3 b4 13. xc4 O–O file. 19...b5 20. b2 b7 21. h6 fd8 22. d2

B Q K Q
14. g1 g6 15. g5 c7 16. b3 c5 17. f4 b8 23.g4 f6 24. g5 e8 Much more ac-

N
xg1 18.d6 c8 19. e2 A little too imagina- tive is 24...a5 and if 25.bxa5 Qa7. 25. e2

B N N Q Q R
tive; 19.O-O-O would have given White the advan- bd7 Unnecessarily giving up a pawn for counter-

R Q R N Q Q R K B R
tage with less risk, e.g. 19... c5 20. e4 8d7 play. Correct is 25...Rc7. 26. xb5 c7 27. c1

N
21. c1 c6 22. xc5 By means of an Exchange b6 28. a6 d7 29. he1 g7 30. e3 b8

N N K Q N B R
sacrifice, White succeeds in posting a Knight at the 31. d2 h5 32.g5 A good alternative is simply
"hole" on f6. 22... xc5 23. f6+ h8 24. h4 32.f3. 32... h7 33.h4 f6 34.gxf6+ xf6 35. h1

128
Q N R N
R
e7 36. f3 d7 37. b5 An awkward post and Henrique Mecking was a boy wonder who won the

N B K B N B N
a loss of time. More logical is 37. Ne2. 37... db7 Brazilian national championship at 13. His great-

B N
38. c3 d7 39. a2 g4 40. h2 d7 41. f3 est success was winning this qualifier for the world

B B
g4 42. d2 Playing to win by rejecting a repe- title by a wide margin. Unfortunately his career

B N B R B B N N N N B B
tition of moves with 42.Nh2. 42... xh4 43. c2 was cut short by a debilitating nerve disorder.

Q N
g5 44. b3 xe3 45.fxe3 c7 46. d3 c8 1.c4 e5 2. c3 f6 3. f3 c6 4.g3 b4 5. g2

B R N N B R
47. a5 a6 Provocative. Safer is 47...Nf6 and O–O 6. d5 Less ambitious but more prudent is 6.

Q N K Q N Q N
if 48.Nb5 Rcb7. 48. xa6 a7 49.b5 c4 O-O. 6...e4 7. h4 c5 8.O–O e8 9.d3 exd3

N N
50. b4 xa3 51. xa3 Also okay is 51. Qxa3 10. xd3 e5 11. c2 c6 12. c3 Leads to trou-

B R N
Bxa6 52. bxa6 Rb6 53. Kb1 Raxa6 54. Qb2 ble. Almost anything is better. 12... xc4 13. a4

N N R R K R R
Qb7 55. Kc2. 51... xa6 52.b6! aa8 53. a4 Mecking probably anticipated 13. Ne4 Nxe4 14.

R B Q
f6 54. a5 c8 55. c6 h6 56. xd6 c2 Bxe4 Rxe4! 15. Qxe4 d5 16. Qc2 Bh3 17. Rd1

Q B R Q B
57. c6 Stronger is 57. b7 Bxb7 58. Nxb7 Qf6 with a good attack. 13... f8 14. xc4 b5

R B Q
but Bronstein is hoping to get even more in re- 15. d4 bxa4 16.e4 a6 17. e1 b6 18. e3

K Q K N R B R R
turn for his menacing passed pawn. 57... a2+ If 18. Qxa4 Bc5. 18... b4 19. xb6 axb6

N B
58. b3 xb4+ 59. xb4 xe4 Restoring mate- 20. ed1 e2 21. d4 c5 22. xb4 No better is

R N R R R N R B B N
rial equality but WhiteŠs b-pawn is very danger- 22. Rd6 Rab8! 22...cxb4 23.e5 g4 24. xa8

B R R N N N B R R
ous. 60. g1 g5 61. c7 d8 62. d1 Stronger xe3 25. e1 c4 26. e4 d5 27.a3 bxa3

R K N QR
is 62. Ra7. 62... e2 63. b1 xd5 64. c5 e6 28.bxa3 c3 29. f3 f6 30. c1 xe5 Outlaw-

K N K R R B K
65.b7 xa5 66. xa5 xc7 67.b8= xc5+ ing 31. Rxc3 Re1+ 32. Kg2 Bf1+ 33. Kg1

R B K K R
68. b6 e6 A difficult ending. Black has Bh3 mate. 31. g2 c5 32. xc3 f1+ 33. xf1

Q B R R
two minor pieces and two pawns for the queen. xc3 34. d5+ f8 35. e2 xa3 From here

K
69. e8 g4 70. g1 d5 71.e4 Prolonging the Black’s game plays itself. The two minor pieces

N N K R K
agony. The most efficient win is 71.Rxg4! Rd6+ are no match for the rampaging rook. 36. d2

R K R R K B R K R
72.Kb7 Nc5+ 73.Kc7 Rd7+ 74.Kc6 hxg4 75.Kxc5. b5 37. f5 b4 38. e3 b3 39. c3 a2 40. b4

K N R N R
71... d6+ 72. a5 a6+ Hoping for 73.Kxa6? xf2 41. xa4 b2 42. a2 xh2 43. b3 h3

R K K Q K Q
Nc7+ followed by Nxe8. ItŚs still tricky. 73. b4 44. f1 h1 45. d2 g1 White Resigns

K R K R
b6+ 74. c3 g5 75. e7+ f4 76. f6+ 0-1
xe4 77. e1+ d5 78. xe5+ A little better
◦ Gudmundur Sigurjonsson
K R R K B
is 78. Qxe5+ but the ending is hard to win in
• Pal Benko
Q K R K R R
any event. 78... d6 79. a5 c6+ 80. d2 f5

K
81. e5+ d7 82. d5+ e7 83. a5 d6+ Costa Brava (2)

R K B K B R R
White has trouble making progress. 84. e1 Spain

Q K R R K K
d8 85. e2 d3+ 86. e3 f5 87. a3 d7 1974 1-0 B85
88. h8 f7 89. a8 c7 90. f2 e7 This is The only thing more painful than a loss is a short

Q
questioned in the tournament book, but itŠs hard loss. Alas, this appalling fate befell the normally

K R R K N Q
to suggest a foolproof defense for Black. 91. e5 cautious Benko, who gobbled a dangerous pawn
f7 92. h8 c2+ 93. e3 f8 94. d5+ If and never recovered from this fatal error of judg-

N Q N K R
94.Rxh5 Re2+! 95.Kxe2 Bg4+ 96.Ke3 gxh5 is ment. He extricated his queen by returning the

K R
hard to beat. 94... e6 95. e5 f8 96. f4 c8 pawn, but his king remained hostage in the cen-

Q R Q B Q R
If 96...Ne6+ 97.Kg3 Nf8 98.Rxh5. 97. g3 d8 ter – proving once again that failure to castle is a a

K
98. c7+ d7 99. c4+ e6 100. b4 e7 major cause of disaster in the opening, even among

R K B K N N N N
101. h4 The king enters the fray decisively on the grandmasters.

R Q R Q B Q B B
dark squares. 101... e8 102. g5 f5 103. h6 1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
e7 104. b3+ e6 105. b2 Black Resigns. d6 6. e2 a6 7.f4 c7 8.O–O e7 9. e3 b5 It’s
The threat of Qg7+ is lethal. 105...g5+ 106.Kxg5 usually premature for Black to seek counterplay
merely delays the inevitable. A great fight! before safeguarding his king. The precautionary

Q
1-0 9...Nbd7 (or O-O) is more prudent. 10.e5 dxe5
11.fxe5 xe5 Risky. Necessary is 11...Nfd7 12.
◦ Smyslov, V.
B Q
Bf3 Bb7 13. Bxb7 Qxb7 even though White re-
• Mecking, H.
B N
tains the initiative after 14. Qg4. 12. f4 c5

N Q
Interzonal 13. f3 d5 Of no avail is 13...Ra7 14. Bxb8
Petropolis, Brazil Rd7 15. Bc6! 14. xd5 exd5 15.b4 c4 No
1973 0-1 A29 better is 15...Qb6 16. Bxd5 Bb7 17. Bxf7! Kxf7

129
 R K B Q
18. Bc7 snaring the queen by discovered check. Louis Statham, a wealthy inventor, sold his house
16. e1 f8 17.c3 d7 18. d2 Even 18. Qe2 in the Holmby Hills of Los Angeles to Playboy’s

Q
is strong but White wants to keep queens on the Hugh Hefner and retired to Lone Pine. This tiny
board. 18... c8 Black has no defense. If 18...Nc6 town is about ten blocks long and three blocks wide
19. Be2 traps his queen. Or 18...Bf6 19. Bd6 Kg8 nestled at the foot of Mount Whitney with High-

B
20. Bc5 Nc6 21. Be2 leads to the same debacle. way 395 running through it. In the 1970s Stathan
19. xd5 Black resigns, beacuse on 19...Nc6 20. paid all expenses to lure masters from far and wide
Qe3! Bf6 21. Nxc6 Bxc6 22. Qc5 mops up. 1-0 to the strongest series of Swiss events ever held in
1-0 America until then. He also donated a Town Hall
to Inyo County with the proviso that it be available
for these chess tournaments, which unfortunately
◦ Browne, W.
ended with his demise. In this game, White gets
• Bisguier, A.
a withering attack when Black leaves his king in
USA Championship
the center too long. The final combination adds a
Chicago
N B
piquant flavor.
1974 1-0 C42
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. c3 e7 Black’s move order
Enroute to the first of his six victories in Amer-
B
is careful and deliberate. The usual 3...Nf6 allows
ica’s highest title, Walter Browne (born in Aus-
B
4. Bg5 pinning the knight. 4.cxd5 exd5 5. f4
tralia) smashed veteran Arthur Bisguier (who won
c6 6.e3 f5 7.g4 This bayonet thrust is an idea of
the title in 1954) with a prepared variation on move
Botvinnik, who used it several times in defense of
N N N N N
14 that has an interesting history.
his title against Petrosian in 1963. White weak-
B B N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 f6 3. xe5 d6 4. f3 xe4 5.d4
B B B
ens his pawn structure to create double-edged play
d5 6. d3 e7 7.O–O c6 This aggressive line
and seek an early initiative. 7... e6 8. d3 d6
N
in Petrov’s Defense was always considered ad-
Q B B
Better is 8...Nd7 instead of moving the same piece
N Q Q R B N
equate – before this game. 8.c4 b4 9.cxd5
twice. 9. f3 xf4 10.exf4 h5 11.f5 d7 Not
N Q B
xd3 10. xd3 xd5 11. e1 f5 12. c3
Q N R N
11...hxg4 12. Qe3! snaring a piece. 12.gxh5
xc3 13. xc3 c6 14. h6 Bobby Fischer once
f6 13.O–O–O e7 14. e1 a6 Unnecessary
showed this crushing novelty to some friends, al-
contortion. Now Black’s king never reaches safety.
though he never got a chance to use it. Until now
Either 14...Kf8 or O-O was preferable. But risky
R
theory considered the position equal. If 14. Bg5 f6
B N B
is 14...Qxd4 15. Nge2 Qf6 16. Ng3 with a strong
holds; or 14. Re5 Qd7 leads to nought. 14... g8
N Q Q Q
grip. 15. xa6 bxa6 16. ge2 xf5 Loses. Nec-
On 14...gxh6 15. Re5 Qd7 16. Rae1 Be6 17. d5!
R B N
essary is 16...Kf8. 17. g3 h6+ 18. e3 xe3+
cxd5 18. Rxe6 wins. Also if 14...Be4 15. Bxg7
K R K N R
19. xe3 e6 20. a4 Preparing to occupy the
R Q R
Rg8 16. Rxe4 Qxe4 17. Re1 Qg6 18. Qb4 O-O-O
R
hole on c5. 20... d7 21. he1 d6 22. c5 h6
B N
19. Rxe7 does the trick. 15. e5 d7 16. ae1
23.f4 Throwing fresh fuel into the fire. 23... f6
e6 17. g5 No rest for the weary. The best try
N R
Seems sufficient, but now White has a unique win-
N B R Q
now is 17...Bxg5 18. Bxg5 h6 19. Bh4 g5 20. Bg3
R R N K N K
ning combination. 24.f5 xf5 25. xe6+ fxe6
R Q
Kf8. 17...O–O–O 18. xf7 xf7 19. xe7 xd4
N R
26. xe6+ xe6 27. xf5+ c7 28. xe6+ d7
20. xf7 xc3 21.bxc3 gxh6 Black’s endgame
29. exg7 c8 Black could resign here. This
R
is lost because White’s kingside pawns will ad-
move merely prolongs the agony. 30.h6 a5 If in-
R R R R R
vance too fast. Speed is of the essence. 22. b1
K
stead 30...Rh8 White simply marches his king to g6
K R R R R
g5 23.h4 b5 24. xb5 cxb5 25. xh7 d1+
K R K R R K
and advances the pawn to h7. 31. d2 a4 32.h4 a5
R K K K
26. h2 d2 27. xh6 xa2 28. h5 xf2
33. e3 b8 34. f4 xb2 35.h7 b8 36. g5
R R K R
29. h8+ c7 30.h6 b6 31. h3 a5 32.g4 b4
After 36...Rh8 37. Kg6 the rest is easy. "I should
R R K R QR
33.cxb4 axb4 34. e8 f1 35. g2 f7 36.g5
have played the Benko gambit!" moaned Benko as
R
f5 37.h7 xg5+ 38. f3 h5 39.h8= xh8
he tipped his king. Black Resigns.
40. xh8 Black Resigns
1-0
1-0
◦ Lubomir Luboyevic
◦ Larry Evans • Sergei Makarichev
• Pal Benko Amsterdam
5th Lone Pine (5) Holland
California 1975 0-1 C42
1975 1-0 D31 What’s new under the sun? Many players are so

130

busy studying new wrinkles that they neglect old
openings.We have a tendency to forget that "The
Book" is merely the accumulated wisdom from
master games of the last two centuries. Here Yu-
goslavia’s Luboyevic, the victor in this annual IBM
series of tournaments (since cancelled), was the
victim of some musty analysis against his runner-
up, a hot prospect from Russia who faded from the
N N N N N
scene.
B B
1.e4 e5 2. f3 f6 3. xe5 d6 4. f3 xe4 5.d4
N
d5 6. d3 e7 For the more aggressive 6...Bd6
R B Q N
see Janowsky-Marshall, match 1912. 7.O–O c6
8. e1 g4 9.c3 f5 10. b3 O–O 11. fd2 11.
Qxb7 Rf6 12. Qb3 Rg6 gives Black a dangerous
attack. Also inferior is 11. Bf4? Bxf3 12. gxf3
Ng5 13. Kg2 Qd7 14. Qc2 Ne6 as in Lasker-
Pillsbury, St. Petersburg 1895. The best reply is
N N
11. Nbd2 Kh8 12. h3! as in Karpov-Korchnoi, 6th
K B K B
match game 1974. 11... xf2 So old, it’s new!
12. xf2 h4+ 13.g3 f4 14. g2 fxg3 15. e4 In
1902 Schlechter’s analysis showed that Black also
wins against 15. hxg3 Qd6! 16. gxh4 Rf2! 17.
B K
Kxf2 Qh2 18. Ke3 Qg3 19. Nf3 Re8 20. Kd2
Rxe1! 21. Qxd5 Be6. 15... h3+ 16. g1 Run-
ning for cover. Also hopeless is 16. Kxh3 Qd7
17. Kg2 Rf2 18. Kg1 Qh3 19. Qxd5 Kh8 20.
K Q K B Q Q
Nf1 Rxf1! 21. Rxf1 Qxh2 mate. 16...gxh2+
B K N B
17. xh2 d6+ 18. h1 xe1 19. xd5+ xd5
20. xd5+ h8 21. f3 g3 Although White
N B
seems to have survived the worst, his undevel-
N R N
oped queenside is his Achilles’ heel. 22. g1 f1
R B
23. d2 ae8 24. e4 No better is 24. Nxf1
R N B K B B R
Rxf1 25. Kg2 Ree1. 24... xe4 25. xe4
f2 26. f3 g2+ 27. g1 xf3 28. xf3 xf3
Black emerges from the complications a piece up.
If 29. Kg2 Rd3 ends further resistance. White Re-
signs.
0-1
◦ Efim Geller
• Mikhail Tal
Alekhine Memorial
Moscow
1975 1-0 B08
Strategic struggle, tactics, a trap, an attack – this
game has it all – plus an original finish. Under
fire from a sharp offensive, White’s king elbows
its way through the ranks of its own and enemy
forces deep into opposing territory until it is within
a handshake of its Black colleague. "Throughout
my wide tournament experience, I do not recall a
N N N B B
similar king march," noted Geller.
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3. c3 g6 4. f3 g7 5. e2
"Harmoniously developing pieces in the cen-
131
B B N Q
ter, White avoids disclosing his plans." – Geller
N R
5...O–O 6.O–O g4 7. e3 c6 8. d2 e5 9.d5
e7 10. ad1 "White has an advantage in space
and must seek some way to attack. It is difficult to
do this on the queenside, since the knight at c3 hin-
ders the advance c4. Therefore he plans f4. Black
too must aim for ...f5 since he has no other plan.
White’s last move prevents ...c6, although also pos-
B N N B B
sible was 10. a4 which I played in a later game."
B
– Geller 10... d7 11. e1 g4 12. xg4 xg4
13.f3 d7 14.f4 exf4 Also feasible is 14...Bg4
B N N B R
15. Rb1 as in Karpov-Timman, Tilburg 1977.
Q N
15. xf4 f5 16. f3 fxe4 17. xe4 g4 18. de1
d7 19. eg5 "The result of the strategic battle
is obvious. White has set his sights on e6 and
R
Black is faced with a difficult defense." – Geller
19... ae8 20.c4 Bolstering d5 and preparing Nd4.
N R R R
White wants to occupy e6 with a knight, not a
R Q B N B
rook. 20... c8 21. d4 xe1 22. xe1 e8
N Q Q
23. xe8+ xe8 24.h3 d7 25. de6 xe6 26.
xe6 f7 27.b3 f6 Swapping rooks eased the
pressure but Black is still cramped. The immediate
N Q K
threat was Nd8 and Nxb7. So, Black sacrifices a
B Q
pawn to get counterplay. 28. xc7 a1+ 29. h2
d4 30. e2 White could win immediately by 30.
Qc1! Qxa2 31. Qe1 with a mating attack. But
without this inaccuracy the marathon march of his
N N
king from h2 to f8 would never have occurred.
30... e7 31. b5 Avoiding the cunning trap 31.
B
Qxe7? Qg1 32. Kg3 Qf2 33. Kg4 Qxg2 34. Bg3
h5 35. Kh4 Qe4! 36. Qxe4 Bf6 mate! 31... g1+
K
Both players are short of time. More complicated
N K N K N Q K
is 31...Qg1 32. Kg3 Nf5 33. Kf3 Bf6. 32. g3
Q K N Q K Q
f5+ 33. f3 h4+ 34. g4 f5 35. e8+ g7
K B K N K
36. d7+ h8 37. xd6 d1+ 38. g5 h5+
39. f6 d4+ 40. e6 g7+ 41. f7 g5+ Black
resigns. The time scramble is over and after 42.
Kf8 Black runs out of checks. 1-0
1-0
◦ Ljubojevic, L.
• Andersson, U.
?
Wijk aan Zee
1976 1-0 B85
When two players of contrasting styles meet, the
result is a battle of ideas which can only enrich
the game. Ljubojevic is one of the most danger-
ous attacking players of the modern era, while Ulf
Andersson is one of the most difficult players to
defeat. With a sharp pawn sacrifice, White places
many practical problems before his opponent, and
with the clock ticking, Andersson is unable to find
the hidden path to the draw.
 N N N N
Q B N B B
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 c6 5. c3 22. Qxh6!! leads to mate) and here, to my hor-

Q Q B
c7 6. e2 a6 7.O–O f6 8. e3 e7 9.f4 d6 ror, I noticed 22. Qg5!! White would force im-

N B B R Q R
10. e1 O–O 11. g3 d7 12.e5 dxe5 13.fxe5 mediate capitulation. Of course, to be co-author
xe5 14. f4 d6 15. ad1 b8 16. d3 of such a work of art would have been honorable,
White will combine threats against the pinned but I nevertheless declined. It would have been a

N N B
Knight with the transfer of pieces for an at- terribly crushing defeat" – Tal. Yet in his notes,

R N B N B R N B
tack on the King. 16... e8 17. e4 c7 Geller pointed out that simply 19. Kh1! is stronger.

Q N Q K
18. c3 c6 19. xc7 xd4 20. d3 Of course 19... ad8 20. g4 e4 Gets to the kingside in

N B B N B K R
not 20.Bxb8 Nxe2+ and 21...Nxg3. 20... a7 the nick of time. 21. xh6 gxh6 22. xh6+ g8

R R K Q N B
21. c5 b5 22. e5 c6 23. xh7+ xh7 23. d3 It is here that White’s 19th move becomes

N N Q Q Q
24. f4 f6 25. h4+ g8 26. h3 d8 27. d4
b6 28. xe6 xe6 29. xe6+ f7 30. e4 g5
Correct 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.Kg3
Nf5+ 36.Kh3 Kf7 and 37...Rh8+. So White must
B
important! With his king on h1 23. Bd3!! would
now be decisive. 23... xd4 But not 23...Nxe5?
24. Rh3 forces mate. Or 23...Bxd3 24. Bxd3.
Draw agreed. White must take the perpetual check
by 24. Rg3 Bg6 25. Qxg6 Kh8 26. Qh6, etc. But
24. Rxd4? Bg6 25. Rh4 is parried by Qxe5.

R R R Q
play [30...Qxa2] 31.Qh7+ Kf7 32. Qh5+, with a 1/2-1/2

R R
draw by repetition. 31. h6 a7 32. ch3 g7
33. g6 af7 34.a4 Black Resigns. ◦ Geller, E.
1-0 • Karpov, An.
?
◦ Efim Geller USSR Championship, Moscow
• Mikhail Tal 1976 1-0 C16
44th USSR Championship Garry Kasparov once suggested that Grandmasters
Moscow could be divided into "maximalists" and "minimal-
1976 1/2-1/2 B85 ists" – those who try to find the best move in ev-
Some drawn games are endowed with enough fan- ery position, and those who economize their time
tasy and unheard melodies to please those who and effort to achieve the best tournament stand-
value not only results but beauty. Here, Geller’s ing. Efim Geller belongs to the first group. One
unexpected 19th move, although inferior, caused of the top Soviet GMs since the early fifties, he has
his opponent to note it was dictated "by the soul of produced many fine games, and here he outplays

N N N N
a chess artist." the World Champion, concluding with a spectacu-

B N B B Q N B Q N
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3 lar Queen sacrifice.
a6 6. e2 e6 7.O–O c6 8. e3 e7 9. e1 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 b4 4.e5 d7 5. f3
More usual is 9. f4. Black sometimes can dis- b6 A provocative defensive system – Black qui-
pense with ...Qc7. White’s move order forces it etly prepares to exchange his "bad" Bishop, and

R Q B B B
to move off the d-file after the imminent Rd1. dares White to exploit his laggard development

N N N B R
9...O–O 10. d1 c7 Voila! By transposition in this closed position. 6. d2 a6 7. xa6

N B
they reach the main line of the Scheveningen Vari- xa6 8.O–O b8 9. e2 e7 10. c1 b5

N N N
ation 11.f4 xd4 12. xd4 b5 13.e5 dxe5 14.fxe5 White threatens to open a file on the Queen-

B R
d7 15. e4 Heading for the kingside where the side, which Black temporarily prevents. 11. f4
main battle will take place. Now 15...Nxe5? is re- h5 12.b3 a3 13. b1 a5 14.c4 c6 White re-

B N K
futed by 16. Qg3; and if 15...Qxc2 16. Bd3 leads futes 14...bxc4 15.bxc4 dxc4 with 16.d5! exd5

B B
to an irresistible attack. 15... b7 16. f6+ h8 17.e6, opening lines against the Black King af-

N B Q
The only defense. Not 16...gxf6 17. Qg3! Kh8 18. ter, say, 17...fxe6 18.Re1. 15.c5 b4 16. c1

Q Q B R
exf6! Qxg3 19. fxe7 and White emerges with more a4 17. d3 a5 18.bxa4 bxa4 19. xa4 White
material. 17. h4 h6 18. h5 c5 19. f2 "I ex- has won a pawn, but the a2 pawn is weak and
pected 19. Nxd7 Qxd7 20. Bxc5 Qc6 regaining the White’s Bishop would have little scope in an

Q B
piece. But after considerable thought Geller made endgame. So White prepares an Exchange sac-

B
another move, dictated, as soon becomes clear, by rifice to keep the initiative. 19... a7 20. g5
the soul of a chess artist. I must confess that this c7 Nearly forced, as Black gets into trouble on

R Q
came as a surprise. At first I examined a contin- the Queenside after 20...Qa6 21.Rb3 Ne7 21.Rgb1

Q K
uation which seemed satisfactory: 19...Bxd4 20. Nd7 22.Ra3. 21. xb8+ xb8 Not 21...Bxb8?
Rxd4 Nxe5 21. Rh4 Rfd8 (not 21...Ng6 or Qc5 22.Qxc6+ Kf8 23.Qc8++. 22. xc6+ f8

132
 N R N Q
23. f4 a7 24. h4 e8 White threatened to ◦ Stefano Tatai
• Anatoly Karpov
Q
win back the Exchange with a two-pawn profit with
25.Nhg6+ fxg6 26.Nxg6+. 25. xe6 fxe6 Cap- Las Palmas
turing on e6 with the Queen leads to about the Spain
same thing as the game, and other moves do not 1977 0-1 A34

N Q
defend against White’s threat to win the Queen Las Palmas was the sunny setting of another re-
with 26.Nfg6+. 26. fg6+ xg6 Or 26...Kf7 sounding triumph for the world champion, who

N K N
27.Nxh8+ Kf8 28.N5g6+, and Black must play made it look easy by scoring 90% in a strong field.

R R N B K N K
28...Qxg6 anyway. 27. xg6+ e8 28. xh8 As a rule Karpov is prepared for long games, pa-

N B R
a4 29. d1 e7 30. xe7 xe7 31. g6+ f7 tiently nursing small advantages. His style engen-
32. f4 xe5 33.dxe5 xf4 Black pawn has won ders no seething or turbulence; he prefers positions
back a pawn, but the passed White c-pawn and the which seem drab, stodgy and drawish, yet he won

R K K
active White Rook leave him with no real hope numerous brilliancy prizes. This melee, capped by

K R R R R
of saving the game. 34. c1 e8 35.c6 d8 his stunning queen sacrifice, is a textbook illustra-

R R K N
36.c7+ c8 37.g3 a4 38. c6 xa2 39. xe6 tion on the perils of pawn snatching.

N
g5 40. d6 d2 41.e6 xc7 42.e7 Black Re- 1. f3 c5 2.c4 Steering into an English Opening

N N B B
signs. instead of a Sicilian Defense by 1. e4. 2... f6

Q
1-0 3. c3 d5 4.cxd5 xd5 5.g3 g6 6. g2 g7
7. a4+ A double-edged innovation. More usual

◦ Korchnoi, V.
• Polugaevsky, L.
?
7th Match Game, Evian
1977 1-0 D47
Karpov’s first challenger for the World Champi-
onship was Victor Korchnoi. Though playing un-
der many handicaps – after his defection to the
West in 1976, Soviet Grandmasters boycotted tour-
naments in which he competed, and it is difficult
for any master to stay in top form without top-flight
competition – he came to the Candidates’ Matches
armed with many new ideas and a fierce will to
win, and scored decisive victories over Tigran Pet-
rosian, Lev Polugaevsky and Boris Spassky.
N N N
N
is 7. O-O but White is willing to lose time in order
N N N
to try and gain a pawn. 7... c6 Intending to an-
swer 8. Qc4 with Ndb4. 8. g5 e6 9. ge4 b6
Q N N
Preferring to give up a pawn rather than defend
Q
by 9...Qe7. 10. b5 c4 11. a4 O–O 12. xb6
Q
axb6 13. xc4 e5 Karpov took an hour on this
N Q
move and rejected 13...Bd7 14. Nc3! 14. c2
d4 15. b1 In order to gain a pawn White lost
time and violated opening principles by moving his
N B
queen five times within the first 15 moves. 15...f5
16. c3 e4 17.d3 b5 18. e3 "Again the only de-
fense. White could not play 18. e3 Nf3 19. Bxf3
N R B
exf3 20. Nxb5 Qa5 21. Nc3 b5" – Karpov. 18...b4
19. d1 e8 20.dxe4 fxe4 21. xd4 Rightly re-
jecting 21. Bxe4? Rxe4 22. Qxe4 Bf5 23. Qxb7
Nc2. But he might try returning the pawn with 21.

N B B B B
1.c4 f6 2. c3 e6 3. f3 d5 4.d4 c6 5.e3
Q B
O-O Nxe2 22. Kh1 to get the king out of the cen-

N B N N
bd7 6. d3 dxc4 7. xc4 b5 8. d3 b7
Q
ter. 21... xd4 22.a3 g4 Threatening Bf3 and

Q B R R
9.O–O b4 10. e4 e7 11. xf6+ xf6 12.e4
Q
avoiding the trap of 22...bxa3 23. O-O! 23. c2

N B
O–O 13. c2 h6 14. e3 c8 15. fd1 c5
K
d3 24.exd3 Relatively better is 24. Qd2 Qxd2

R Q R Q R B
16.dxc5 g4 17. d4 e5 18.h3 exd4 19.hxg4
R K R K R K
25. Kxd2 Rad8 26. Ke1. 24...exd3+ 25. d2

Q Q Q Q
xc5 20. d2 a5 21. ac1 d7 22. xc5 xc5
R B K B
e2+ 26. xd3 d8+ 27. c4 xc2+ 28. xb4

Q B Q R B
23.g5 hxg5 24. xg5 e7 25. h5 g6 26. h6 cd2 29.f3 f8+ 30. a5 d7 White throws in

R
f6 27. c4 d3 28. e5 f5 29. xd3 e4 the towel in view of 30. Ne3 Bc5 threatening Ra8
30. d6 A "diverting" sacrifice – on 30...Bxd6 mate. Or 31. Kb6 Rxg2 32.Kc7 Be7 nets a piece.
31.Ng5 wins, as Black no longer has 31...Qxf2+, 0-1
and 30...Bxf3 removes one of the guards from 0-1

Q R B B N
g6, allowing 31.Rxg6+ (the f7 pawn is pinned).
◦ Mikhail Tal
Q R B Q K
30... g4 31. f6 f5 32.b3 d4 33. xd4
• Efim Geller
Q K Q R Q
xd4 34. xg6+ xg6 35. xg6+ h8 36.

Q K Q K Q Q
h6+ g8 37.e6 e4 38.exf7+ xf7 39. f6 46th USSR Championship

Q
b1+ 40. h2 h7+ 41. g3 d3+ 42.f3 xc4 Tbilisi
43. d8+ Black Resigns. 1978 1/2-1/2 D55
1-0 Another 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 of
combinational blows drives Black’s wobbly king
into the center, but White sacrificed so much ma-
terial to achieve this goal that he must be content
N N B B
with perpetual check.
N B B R
1.c4 e6 2. c3 d5 3.d4 f6 4. g5 e7 5.e3 O–O
6. f3 h6 7. xf6 xf6 8. c1 c6 The most flex-
ible plan. Persisting with the aim of playing ...c5
gave White the advantage in Geller-Ivkov, Bever-
B N
wijk 1965, after 8...b6 9. cxd5 exd5 10. Bd3 Bb7
11. O-O Qe7 12. Re1 c5 13 e4! 9. d3 d7
B
10.cxd5 If 10. O-O dxc4 11. Bxc4 e5 allows
B
Black easy equality. 10...exd5 11.b4 e7 Perhaps
R N
11...a6 to delay the minority attack. 12.b5 a3
13. c2 On 13. Rb1 Qa5 14. Qb3 c5! seizes the
initiative. Or 13. bxc6 bxc6 14. Rc2 c5! and
B
15. Nxd5? is refuted by cxd4 with the threat of
Qa5. 13... d6 Now 13...c5? 14. Nxd5 cxd4
N N N
15. Nxd4 renders the queen check at a5 harm-
less. 14.O–O f6 15.bxc6 bxc6 16. a4 e4
Too passive would be 16...Bd7 17. Nc5 Qe7 18.
Qc1! with continued pressure on c6. Struggling to
N
equalize, Geller invites 17. Rxc6 Bd7 18. Rc1 Ba3
Q
19. Rb1 Qa5 with excellent counterplay. 17. e5
e8 18.f3 Black equalizes against 18. f4 f6 19.
Bxe4 dxe4 20. Nc4 Be7! 21. d5 Qf7 22. d6 (or
22. dxc6 Ba6) Rd8. 18...c5 Black continues to
strive for the initiative and also rids himself of his
main weakness, the backward c-pawn. 19.fxe4
cxd4 "An unusually picturesque position: doubled
White and Black pawns, and both White knights
hanging. It would be a blunder to play 19...Qxa4?
N
20. cxd5 when cxd4 fails to 21. Nxf7!" – Geller
20. g4 "On 20. Nc6?! dxe4 21. Bb5 d3 the
initiative passes to Black, although he has only
two pawns for the piece." – Geller 20...dxe4 Blow
B
and counter-blow! White’s attack flourishes after
20...Bxg4 21. Qxg4 Qxa4 22. e5! 21. c4 Reject-
ing 21. Rxc8 Rxc8 22. Nf6 gxf6 23. Qg4 Kh8
24. Rxf6 Rc1 25. Bf1 Qe6! when it is White who
B Q Q R
must concern himself with how to hold the draw.
21... xg4 22. xg4 xa4 23. xf7 Maintaining
R B K Q K
the tempo of the attack. If 23. Bb3 Qa5 holds.
23... xf7 24. xf7+ xf7 25. f5+ e7 Black
Q K Q K Q
loses after 25...Kg8? 26. Qd5 Kh7 27. Qxe4 g6 28.
K
Qb7. 26. xe4+ d7 27. b7+ e6 28. e4+
d7 Also drawn is 28...Be5 29. Rc6 Kf7 30. Qd5
Q R
Kf8 31. Qc5 Kg8 32. Qd5 Kh8 33. Rxh6 gxh6 34.
Qxe5, etc. 29. b7+ A draw. It’s perpetual check
after 29...Ke6 30. Qe4.
1/2-1/2
◦ Christiansen, L.
• Seirawan, Y.
134
?
Berkeley
1978 1-0 B08
In 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. In
this game, Seirawan outplays his opponent strate-
gically, but Christiansen launches a clever counter-
attack which leads to a King-hunt and a very long
B N N B
discovered check.
N
1. f3 g6 2.e4 g7 3.d4 d6 4. c3 f6 5. e2
O–O 6.O–O c6 7.d5 Not a very strong system
for White; though he obtains a temporary space
advantage, the Black position is without weak-
nesses, and Black will will obtain counterplay
N B Q Q R N
by attacking the advanced pawn with...c6 or e6.
R B
7... b8 8. g5 c6 9. d2 c7 10. ad1 bd7
11. fe1 a5 12. f1 Incorrectly assessing the po-
sition – he ought to play 12.a4. Now Black gets
too much space on the Queenside, and combines
R
threats against b2 and c2 with a flanking action
N B B K B
against the d5 pawn. 12...a4 13.a3 e8 14.h3
R R R N Q R N
b6 15. h6 cxd5 16. xg7 xg7 17.exd5 d7
18. e3 a5 19. d3 c4 20. c1 c5 21. g5
White is being pushed back, and certainly doesn’t
want to go over to passive defense with 21.Qa1. He
N R
decides to sacrifice a pawn to gain time to transfer
N N R N R N
his pieces to the Kingside. 21... xa3 22. d4
h6 23. ge4 xe4 24. xe4 c4 25. dd4 b6
Better was 25...b5, preparing for the creation of
a passed pawn on the a-file, but mainly keeping
R R
the option of bringing the Nc4 back to the de-
fense of the King via e5. 26. h4 h8 Black
cannot play 26...g5, for White has a winning at-
Q
tack with 27.Rxh6! Kxh6 28.Rh4+ Kg6 29.Bd3+
R
Bf5 30.Qd1 gxh4 31.Qg4+ Kh6 32.Qxf5. 27. a1
B R
a8 It was essential to bring another piece to
the Kingside with 27...Bf5. 28. d3 g5 29. xh6
Black must have assumed that this combination
K R K
would not work with the White Queen so far away.
Well, he was mistaken. 29... xh6 30. h4+ g7
The second Rook cannot be taken, for if 30... gxh4
R K
31.Qc1+ Kh5 32.Qd1+ Kh6 33.Qd2+ soon mates.
K R
31. h7+ f6 And on 31...Kf8 32.Qd1, followed
K N K
by 33.Qh5 wins. 32. h6+ g7 33. h7+
f6 34. e4+ g6 Or 34...Ke5 35.b4+! Kxd5
36.bxc5 dxc5 37.Nxg5 c4 38.Be4+ Kc5 39.Rh5
Q
f5 40.Bxf5 Bxf5 41.Ne4+ Kd5 42.Rxf5+ Kxe4
43.g4 followed by mate. 35. d1 g4 White also
mates after 35...Kxh7 36.Qh5+ Kg7 37.Qxg5+ Kf8
38.Qh6+ Kg8 39.Nf6+. 36.Qd2 Rxd5 37.Qh6+
Kf5 38.Rxf7+ Short of time, White misses sev-
1980 1-0 B97
At this obscure South American tournament an

Kd4 40. Qe3++. 38...Ke5 39.Qg7+ Ke6

eral quicker wins, such as 38.Nxd6+ Ke5 39.Nxf7+ unknown named Gustavo Mahia, who was never

40.Rf6+ Ke5 41.Rxd6+ Kf4 42.g3+ Black Re-

heard from again, created a gem destined for the
anthologies. In the words of Gray’s ELEGY: "Full
signs. many a flower is born to blush unseen, and waste
1-0 its sweetness on the desert air." A thunderbolt that
shatters on the enemy on the spot is wondrous to
behold, and White’s fantastic bishop sacrifice on
◦ Belle
move 24 elevates this game to greatness. His vic-
• Chess
tim was GM Miguel Quinteros, once an aide to
?
N N N
Bobby Fischer.
Detroit
N B Q Q
1.e4 c5 2. f3 a6 3. c3 d6 4.d4 cxd4 5. xd4
1979 1/2-1/2 A79
f6 6. g5 e6 7.f4 b6 8. d2 The "poi-
At the American computer championship White
Q R Q N
son pawn" variation. 8. Nb3 is rather tame.
plays a masterful game that even Karpov pro-
B
8... xb2 9. b1 a3 10.e5 dxe5 11.fxe5 fd7
nounced "very human." The breakthrough 44. e5!
B R Q
12. e2 For 12. Bc4 Bb4 see Byrne-Evans, USA
is worthy of a Grandmaster, but thereafter tech-
B N
Championship 1966. 12... b4 13. b3 a5
N N
nique fails the machine, and the endgame is drawn.
R
14.O–O O–O 15. f6 xf6 An improvement over
N B B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4. c3 exd5 5.cxd5
R
15...gxf6 16. Qh6! 16.exf6 d8 17.fxg7
R N N N N
d6 6.e4 g6 7. f3 g7 8. e2 O–O 9.O–O
Q Q
xd4 Instead 17...Bc5! seems to refute the at-
B B B
e8 10. d2 a6 11.f3 c7 12.a4 b6 13. c4
N Q B
tack. 18. h6 e5 If 18...Bxc3 19. Rxf7! Kxf7
a6 14. g5 h6 15. h4 g5 Until this move
R R B K B R N
20. Qxh7 looks strong. 19. e4 xe4 20. h5
the computers had been following opening theory.
d7 21. d3 c5+ 22. h1 d4 23. g3 c6
B N N B Q
15...g5 weakens the Kingside, but at least gains
B Q
Loses beautifully. So does 23...f5 24. Qxh7+!
N B B R Q B N
some space. 16. f2 h5 17. e3 c8 18. c2
R N
Kxh7 25. g8=Q+. 24. g6 xg6 If 24...fxg6 25.
B N K B
f4 19. c4 d7 20. fd1 f6 21. g3 h5
R K QN Q K
Rf8 mate; or 24...hxg6 Qh8 mate. 25. xg6 e7
R R B N
22. e1 f4 23. h1 a6 24. g3 b5 25.axb5
R
26. xf7 xf7 27.g8= + xg8 28. xh7+ e8
Q
axb5 26. xa8 xa8 27. f1 b4 28. e2 b3
29. xg8# Mate
N B N
29. b1 If 29. Qxb3 Ba4 wins the ex-
1-0
change. 29... h5 30. f2 f4 On 30...Qxb2

N N B
31. Qxb2 Bxb2 32. Rb1 Ra7 33. Nc4 is
◦ Alburt
B B R Q B R Q
all right for White. 31. c4 xe2 32. xe2
• Peters
Q K B B N
b5 33. g3 a4 34. c1 f8 35. d2 d8
?
B Q R R R Q
36. f1 h5 37. g1 h4 38. f2 g7 39. e3
U.S. Championship
R N R
xe2 40. xe2 a1+ 41. d1 a2 42. d3
1981 0-1 A62
xb2 43. c4 c2 44.e5 A fine pawn sacri-
In this brilliancy prize game from the 1981 U.S.
B N Q R K
fice which produces a powerful passed d-pawn.
Championship, Black’s sharp Exchange sacrifice
Q R B
44... xe5 45. xe5 dxe5 46. xb3 e2 47. f1
produces a complex position with the struggle
c4 48. b7 a2 49. b6 h3 Black is losing a
ranging all across the board, a typical example of
Q Q Q Q B
piece, but has some chances due to the advanced
N
Modern Benoni at its best.
R R
pawns. 50. xc7 f6 51. d8+ xd8 52. xd8
N N B B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 c5 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5
xg2 53. e1 Most humans would play d6, win-
R B N
d6 6. c3 g6 7. f3 g7 8. g2 O–O 9.O–O
R R K
ning easily. Computers often have difficulty in
e8 10. f4 e4 White has adopted the "Fi-
B R R R R
the endgames. 53...c3 54. xe5 c2 55. e8+ g7
anchetto Variation" against the Benoni, develop-
R K R R R R K
56. xg5 xg5 57. c8 g2 58.d6 xh2 59.d7
ing his Bishop at g2. He hopes thus to safe-
K
d2 60. g1 xd7 61. xc2 d3 62. f2 f6
guard his King and gradually advance his center
63. h2 Draw by Agreement.
pawns (e2-e4, f2-f4, e4-e5). Black hastens to ob-
1/2-1/2
N R N R
tain counterplay with his Rook on the half-open
e-file. 11. xe4 xe4 12. d2 b4 A finesse,
◦ Mahia, G.
R B
luring the a-pawn to a dark square so that it will be
• Quinteros, M.
R B
"en prise" after...Bxb2. 13.a3 xf4 14.gxf4 xb2
San Miguel Open 15. a2 g7 It seems that Black has good com-
Argentina pensation for his small investment – a pawn for

135
the Exchange, a three-to-One pawn majority on the
Queenside, and a powerful dark-squared Bishop.
But now White advances his center pawns, and the
N R B N N
position becomes very sharp and unclear. 16.e4
R B Q Q
a6 17. e1 b5 18.e5 f5 19.e6 c7 20. b3
a5 21. ae2 c3 22.e7 d7 23.e8= + After
23.Nxc5 dxc5 24.d6, Black seizes the advantage by
R
returning some material: 24... Re8 25.dxc7 Qxc7,
R N R B N N
with two good pawns for the Exchange. 23... xe8
24. xe8+ xe8 25. e3 f6 26. xa5 g7 A
curious reversal: White has maintained the mate-
rial balance and will now get the upper hand on
the Queenside, but Black will launch a decisive
N N B
attack against the weakened White King position.
27. c6 h5 28. f1 Or, 28.Rb3 Nxf4 29.Rxb5
N
Nxg2 30.Kxg2 Be4+ 31. f3 Qg4+, with a winning
Q B B
attack. 28...c4 29.a4 xf4 30.axb5 c3 31.b6 c2
32. c1 White could set a trap with 32.Qe1 Bb2?
33. Rb3 c1Q 34.Qxc1 Bxc1 35.b7, getting a new
Queen, but Black would play instead 32...Nxd5!
N R N R N R
33.Rb3 Qxc6 34.b7 c1Q 35.b8Q+ Kg7, winning
B
easily. 32... xd5 33. b3 xb6 34. xb6
e4 35.h3 Or: I) 35.Qf4 c1Q 36.Qxc1 Qg4+; II)
Q
35. Bg2 Bxg2 36.Kxg2 Qg4+ 37.Kf1 Qd1+; III)
B Q
35.f3 Bxc6 Rb8+ Kg7 37.Qxc2 Qa7+. 35... f5
36. g2 Slightly better was 36.Rb3, but after 36...
Q B
Qg5+ 37.Qxg5 Bxg5 38.Rc3 c1Q 39.Rxc1 Bxc1
N K N Q B Q N
White emerges two pawns behind. 36... g5
R B
37. e7+ g7 38. f5+ gxf5 39. xg5+ xg5
40. c6 xc6 White Resigns.
0-1
◦ Korchnoi, V.
• Kasparov, G.
? equal, but Black’s Queen and Knight cooperate
Olympiad, Lucerne
1982 0-1 A64
A Titanic struggle. Karpov chose not to play in
the match in which he would have to face his bitter
enemy Korchnoi, and so the first-board encounter
was between the former challenger and the next
one. Kasparov chose a sharp and risky piece sac-
rifice to stir up threats against the White King, and
even Korchnoi’s great defensive skills prove insuf-
ficient.
N B B
N N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 g7 4. g2 c5 5.d5 d6
6. c3 O–O 7. f3 e6 8.O–O exd5 9.cxd5 a6 A
position of the Modern Benoni has been reached
by 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-
R N N R
play and gradually assumes the initiative in the
center. 10.a4 e8 11. d2 bd7 12.h3 b8
136
N N N N
13. c4 e5 14. a3 h5 15.e4 f8 A refine-R
ment. Earlier, the immediate 15...f5 had been
tried, but it was eventually discovered that White
could get the advantage with 16.exf5 Bxf5 17.g4
Bxg4 18.hxg4 Qh4 19.gxh5 Rf8 20.h6 Bh8 21.Ne4
Ng4 22.Qxg4 Qxg4 23.Nxd6 Be5 24.Ne4, and the
K
three pieces and passed d-pawn will prove stronger
than the Queen. 16. h2 f5 17.f4 b5 On a re-
treat of the Ne5 Black’s position would collapse
at once – after 18.exf5 he cannot recapture with-
out losing a piece, and without the cooperation
N
of the Ne5 Black would have no real attacking
chances. 18.axb5 axb5 19. axb5 fxe4 Now on
20.fxe5 Bxe5 Black has a very dangerous attack
e.g. 21.Bf4 Nxf4 22.gxf4 Bxf4+ 23.Kg1 Bd7! with
a clear advantage; if the Nb5 moves, 24...Bd4+
will be crushing. Korchnoi’s move is stronger,
but the position remains unclear. 20. xe4 d7
Now on 21.Nxd6 Rb6 22.fxe5 Bxe5 23.Nc4 Bxg3+
Q Q
24.Kg1 Rbf6 Black brings another piece into the
B
attack with the decisive effect. 21. e2 b6
22. a3 be8 23. d2 The critical point of the
game. Two better defenses, which have been ex-
tensively analyzed without a clear conclusion, are
23. Qg2 Qd8 24.Bd2, and 23.Kg2!? Nf7 24.Qd3
23... xb2 24.fxe5 Not 24.Rfb1? Nf3+, but both
N N R R
24.Ra2 and 24.Nc2 avoid the rapid debacle of the
K Q N R
game. 24... xe5 25. c4 xg3 26. xf8+ xf8
27. e1 xe4+ 28. g2 c2 29. xe5 f2+ Al-
lowing White to continue resistance by sacrificing
his Queen. Immediately decisive was 29...Nxd2!,
e.g. 30.Nxd7 Nf3+ 31.Qe2 Nh4+ 32.Kg1 Qxc3
Q N R
33.Qe6+ Kh8 34.Nxf8 Qg3+ 35.Kf1 Qg2+ 36.Ke1
Q N N
Kf3+ 37.Kd1 Qd2++. 30. xf2 xf2 31. a2
f5 32. xd7 d3 Material is approximately
better than White’s scattered army. 33.Nb6 runs
into 33...Qf2+ 34.Kh1 Qf3+ 35.Kh2 Nf4 36.Bxf4
B Q R K
Qxf4+ 37.Kg2 Qg5+, followed by a check pick-
R K K Q
ing up the Nc3. 33. h6 xd7 34. a8+ f7
35. h8 f6 36. f3 xh3+ White Resigns.
0-1
◦ Smyslov, V.
• Ribli, Z.
?
5th Match Game, London
1983 1-0 D42
The old lion proves that he can still bite, as Vassily
Smyslov, World Champion in 1957, crushingly de-
feats favored Hungarian Grandmaster Zoltan Ribli.
Smyslov won the quarterfinal Candidates’ Match
6 1/2-4 1/2, avoiding modern theoretical varia-
tions and relying on classical positions in which
 N N N
his greater experience gave him the edge. chess, many players feel a sacrifice must be calcu-

N N B B
1.d4 f6 2. f3 e6 3.c4 d5 4. c3 c5 5.cxd5 lated to the very end, yet it is clear that in this game

B Q
xd5 6.e3 c6 7. d3 e7 8.O–O O–O 9.a3 such depth of calculation wasn’t possible. What-

cxd4 10.exd4 f6 11. c2 h6 A typical "isolated
Queen pawn" position – White has more space
and greater freedom of movement, while Black
will try to maneuver against the potentially weak
N N
ever the method, the result is very good chess.
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. f3 f6 4.g3 The Catalan.
White announces his willingness to give up the c-
pawn for development, central control, and coordi-

R Q B
d4 pawn. Experience has shown that the chances nation. 4...dxc4 Before 4.g3, this capture could be

R
are dynamically equal. 12. d1 b6 13. c4 met with e2-e3 and Bxc4, but White is unlikely to
d8 The combination 13...Nxd4? 14.Nxd4 Bxd4 weaken the Kingside if he plans this development:

N B Q B N N
15.Na4 Qc7 16. Rxd4 b5 fails to 17.Bxh6! gxh6 the Bishop is firmly committed to development on

N B B B N R B
18.Rg4+ Kh8 19.Qd2. 14. e2 d7 15. e4 g2. 5. g2 a6 6.O–O b5 7. e5 d5 8.a4

N B B N K
ce7 16. d3 a4 Black assumes that the pen- b7 9.e4 f6 10.axb5 axb5 11. xa8 xa8

B Q K R
etration of the White Queen to h7 will not be 12. c3 c6 13. g5 b7 14. xf7 xf7 15.e5
dangerous, but he’s mistaken. 16...Ng6 would h6 16. xf6 gxf6 17. h5+ g7 18. a1 Heading
prevent the attack which arises in the game, and for a7. Although Black has a whole extra piece, the

Q K R B
16...Bb5 would at any rate gain a tempo over the only one he has developed is the sad specimen on

B Q N N N N N
game continuation. 17. h7+ f8 18. e1 b5 b7, blocked in by his own pawns. Furthermore,

B R N Q R K N
19. xb5 xb5 20. g3 g6 21. e5 de7 Black’s King finds little shelter. 18...f5 19. e2
22. xh6 A fine move, permitting the other White g8 20. f4 d7 21. a7 h8 22. xe6 Gain-
pieces to assist the Queen in the attack. 22...gxh6? ing control of the seventh rank, and planning
is obviously impossible (23.Qxf7++), and both the win of both e- and f-pawns. Later, White

Q R B R R R
22...Rxd4 23.Nxg6+ 24. Nh5 gxh6 25.Nxf6 and will advance his pawn mass with great effect.

B B N B Q Q N
22...Bxe5 23.Rxe5 Nxe5 24.Qxg7+ Ke8 25.dxe5 22... xe6 23. xb7 g7 24. f7 f8 25. xf8+

N N N
are as bad as the game (25...Ng6 26.Qg8+ Ke7
27. Bg5+). 22... xe5 23. h5 f3+ In view
of variations like 23...Rxd4 24.Nxf6 gxh6 25.
Qxh6++ and 23...N5g6 24.Bxg7+ Bxg7 25.Qxg7+
B Q K N
xf8 26. h3 a6 27. xf5 e7 28. g6 b4
29. e4 d7 30. f1 d5 31.f4 b4 Black is al-
most in Zugzwang, as to move any piece severely
worsens his position. The only plan left is to push

K B Q
Ke8 26.Nf6++, the Knight sells its life as dearly Queenside pawns, and they soon run out of moves.

N N N K N Q Q
as possible, doubling the White pawns. 24.gxf3 32. e2 c3 33.b3 c5 34.dxc5 xc5 35. xh6+
f5 25. xf6 xh6 26.d5 The thematic line- g8 36.e6 xf4+ 37. xf4 xe6 And now the fi-
opening advance of the isolated pawn. Now on nal stage where two connected passed pawns prove

K Q Q
26...gxf6, White wins with the variation 27.dxe6 sufficient to overcome the drawing power of the

K B B K K B
Qg5+ 28.Kh1 fxe6 29.Rg1 Qf4 30.Rg7 Qxf3+ "opposite color" Bishops. 38. f3 f7 39. xf7+

Q K K K K K
31.Kg1 Rd1+ 32.Rxd1 Qxd1+ 33.Kg2 Qd5+ 34.f3 xf7 40.h4 e7 41. b1 e6 42. g4 d6

Q
K R B K B K
Qd2+ 35.Kh3, escaping the checks. 26... xb2 43.h5 e5 44.h6 d4 45. h4 e3 46.g4 d2
27. h8+ e7 28. xe6+ A sacrificial combi- 47.g5 f4 48. h5 c2 49. xc2 xc2 50.g6

Q
N
nation that wins the Black Queen. 28...fxe6 Black Resigns.

R N R Q Q
29. xg7+ f7 Or 29...Kd6 30.Ne4+. 30.d6+ 1-0

K R R R R N
xd6 31. d5+ xd5 32. xb2 b6 33. b4+
◦ Beliavsky, A.
Q R R N
f6 34. e1 h8 35.h4 hd8 36. e4 d6
• Nunn, J.
K Q
37. c3+ e5 38. xe5 xe5 39.f4 f7 40.fxe5+
e6 41. c4+ Black Resigns. ?
1-0 Wijk aan Zee
1985 0-1 E81
◦ Nesis, G. Despite the vast amount of theory that has accu-
• Blocker mulated on the King’s Indian Defense over the last
? 40 years, it is still possible for a creative player to
Correspondence produce an original game. John Nunn is one of
1984 1-0 E04 the new generation of GMs who have made Eng-
An unusual game demonstrating that the effects of land one of the world’s leading chess powers (sil-
a positional piece sacrifice can be felt far into the ver medal in the 1986 Olympiad, behind the Soviet
endgame stage; this game is even more unusual be- Union), while Beliavsky is one of the top Soviet
cause it was played by correspondence. In "postal" players after Kasparov and Karpov.

137
 N N B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 The K Bxd3 White Resigns.
27. d1
popular Saemisch Variation – White securely de- 0-1
fends his e4 pawn, and is ready in some lines to
advance his Kingside pawns (g2-g4, h2-h4-h5xh6),
◦ Yusupov, A.
B N Q
in conjunction with Queenside castling. 5...O–O
• Nogueiras, J.
6. e3 bd7 7. d2 c5 A logical plan, increasing
?
the activity of the Bg7. The alternative is some-
Montpellier
thing like 7...e5 8.d5 Nh5 followed by ...f7-f5, but
1985 1-0 D35
N
this is the sort of thing the Saemisch is designed
Even in a quiet Queen’s Gambit, opening inaccu-
to meet. 8.d5 e5 It is usually incorrect to move
racies may meet with a drastic refutation. It is true
the same piece twice in the opening, but Black’s
that in closed positions maneuvering may be more
move discourages Nge2 (...Nxc4), Nh3 (...Bxh3
important than rapid development – but you must
and ...Nxf3+), and f4 (...Neg4, exchanging the im-
N N N B
be certain that the position will remain closed.
portant Be3). The right reply is paradoxical 9.Bg5,
N
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. c3 c6 4. f3 f6 5. g5
threatening 10.f4, as played in Timman-Nunn in
bd7 Black avoids the sharp Anti-Meran Gam-
N B
a later round of the same tournament. 9.h3
B B
bit (5...dxc4 6.e4) and transposes into the Queen’s
h5 10. f2 The most reasonable alternative is
N N Q
Gambit declined. 6.cxd5 exd5 7.e3 d6 8. d3
10.Qf2, but White would have tactical problems
f8 9. e5 b6 Or 9...Ng6 10.f4 O-O 11.O-
based on the juxtaposition of his King and Queen
O, with a good attacking formation for White,
R
on the same diagonal, e.g. 10...e6 11.f4 Bf6 12.g3
B
as Pillsbury demonstrated at the turn of the cen-
Nxg3. 10...f5 11.exf5 xf5 Offering a piece sac-
tury. 10.O–O xe5 Black does not care for
R
rifice to get at the uncastled White King. 12.g4
10...Qxb2 11.Rc1 Bxe5 12.dxe5 N6d7 13.f4, but
xf3 13.gxh5 Of course not 13.Nxf3? Nxf3+,
N Q
if he doesn’t plan to take the b2 pawn, his 9th
forking King and Queen. No better is 13.O-O-O
move makes little sense. 11.dxe5 g4 12. a4
Rf7 14.gxh5 Qf8, skewering the two bishops, e.g.
White is only slightly better after 12.Bf4 Ng6
15.Ne4 Bh6 16.Be3 Bxe3 17.Qxe3 Rxf1. Possible
13.Bxg6 hxg6 14.h3 Nh6. Now White threat-
Q
is 13.Be2 Rxf2 14.Kxf2, but after 14...Qf8+ Black
ens 13.Nxd5, and 12...Bd7 runs into 13.e6 Bxe6
N
has more than enough for the Exchange. 13... f8
Q R
14.Nxd5 Bxd5 15.Qxg4, with two Bishops and
B Q
14. e4 A good defensive move, which should en-
B Q
a development advantage. 12... xb2 13. ac1
able White to hold the balance. 14... h6 15. c2
d7 14. d4 With a plethora of threats – 15.Nxd5
The critical point of the game. White tries to hold
Qxd4 16.Nc7++ and 15.Ne4 Qb6 16.Nd6++ chief
all his material, but fails to set up a solid defense.
B R
among them, while 14...Qb6 fails to 15.e6 Bxe6
Correct was 15.Qe2, attacking the Rook in earnest,
16.Qxg7. 14...f6 15.exf6 gxf6 16. xf6 g8
and after 15...Nd3+ 16.Qxd3 Rxd3 17.Bxd3 Qf4
N Q
No better was 16...Nxf6 17.Qxf6 Rg8 18.Nxd5.
18.Rd1, it seems the White can hold the posi-
B N Q B
17. b5 xb5 Since 17...Qxd4 18.Nd6 is still
Q N
tion, though the Black pieces remain very active.
mate. 18. xb5 e6 19. b2 cxb5 20. h4
15... f4 16. e2 Taking the Rook now leads to
Black Resigns.
an inferior endgame – 16. Nxf3 Nxf3+ 17.Kd1
1-0
Bf5 18.Bg3 Qe3 19.Bf2 Qxe4 Bxe4 21.Bg2 Rf8,
and though White has apparent material advan-
◦ Karpov, An.
R
tage, the active Black Bishops cooperate far bet-
• Kasparov, G.
N N K Q N
ter than the clumsy White Rooks. 16... xf2
17. xf2 f3+ 18. d1 h4 19. d3 The only ?

B
way to save the Knight, in view of the threat of 24th Match Game, Moscow
...Qe1++. 19... f5 Threatening 20...Ne1, and if 1985 0-1 B85
21.Nxe1 Bxc2+ 22.Nxc2 Qg5 and wins. Rela- Once more a game in which the sporting factors
tively best now is 20.Nc3, but Black is still on top outweighed the chessic ones. After 23 games, Kas-

N
after 20...Nd2!, e.g. 21.B3 Nxf1 22.Rxf1 Qh5+ parov led by a score of 12-11, but a 12-12 tie would

N
23.Ke1 Qxh3 24.Rd1 Qg3+ 25.Rf2 Be3. 20. ec1 allow Karpov to retain the World Championship,
d2 Threatening now the "staircase" maneuver and he had White in the last game. Kasparov re-

B N Q N K Q
21...Qe4 22.Rg1 Qe3 23.Rh1 Qf3+. 21.hxg6 mained true to himself, eschewing passive defense

B R R N
hxg6 22. g2 xc4 23. f2 e3+ 24. e2 c4 and once more adopting the double-edge Sicilian
25. f3 f8 26. g1 c2 Threatening to con- Defense. Karpov obtains an attack sufficient for a
fiscate the Bf3 as well with...Nd4 and ...Bxd3. draw, but his attempts to obtain more lead only to

138
a slashing counterattack and a decisive victory for
N N N N
the challenger from Baku.
B B K Q
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
a6 6. e2 e6 7.O–O e7 8.f4 O–O 9. h1 c7
Black adopts the solid and flexible Scheveningen
System. His pawns on e6 and d6 deny White
the use of the central squares d5/e5/f5, and he
N B R B N B
can prepare counterplay with ...b5, ...d5 or ...e5 as
R Q B N
events dictate. 10.a4 c6 11. e3 e8 12. f3
b8 13. d2 d7 14. b3 b6 15.g4 White must
choose between two fundamentally different plans:
the piece attack, with something like Qd2-f2-g3
and f4-f5, and the pawn storm, as adopted in the
game. The drawback of the latter plan is that the
B N
White King may become exposed if the first player
Q B B B R B
later loses the initiative. 15... c8 16.g5 d7
17. f2 f8 18. g2 b7 19. ad1 g6 20. c1
R N
Freeing the third rank so that the Rd1 may be
transferred to the Kingside. 20... bc8 Kasparov
later recommended instead 20...Nc5 21.Nxc5 bxc5
R N R B
22.Rd3 Nd4 23.Rh3 Qe7, with a satisfactory po-
B
sition for Black. 21. d3 b4 22. h3 g7
23. e3 A preparatory move typical of Karpov,
R
but according to Kasparov the immediate 23.f5
K R
would be more dangerous for Black. 23... e7
24. g1 ce8 A strange-looking idea, but Black
thus defends his second rank (especially f7) and
R N R B B B
discourages f4-f5, for the opening of the e-file
may be to his advantage. 25. d1 f5 Suddenly
taking the initiative at the cost of a pawn sacri-
fice. If 26.Qd2 e5! 27.exf5 gxf5, the doubled
N R R B Q B N
Rooks on the e-file no longer look so silly. 26.gxf6
R N R
xf6 27. g3 f7 28. xb6 b8 29. e3 h5
30. g4 f6 31. h4 Objectively best was to re-
peat moves with 31.Rg3 Nh5, but this would be
N Q N Q
equivalent to resigning the World Championship.
N Q B
31...g5 32.fxg5 g4 33. d2 xe3 34. xe3
xc2 35. b6 a8 Now it is clear that the Rh4
R
is quite out of play, and the White position is very
loose. 36. xd6 A losing blunder in a difficult po-
sition. The game remains unclear after 36.Qxb8
Rxb8 37.Bh3, when best play seems to be 37...Re7
38.Rxd6 Rxb3 39.Rd8+ Kf7 40.Rxa8 Rxb2, when
R Q R
Black has sufficient compensation for the pawn.
36... b7 37. xa6 xb3 Even better, accord-
R
ing to Kasparov, was 37...Nb4 38.Qa5 Qxd6, for
R Q K Q K B
if 39.e5 Qd3 40.Bxb7 Qe3+ mates. 38. xe6
K N
xb2 39. c4 h8 40.e5 a7+ 41. h1 xg2+
42. xg2 d4+ White Resigns.
0-1
◦ Korchnoi, V.
• Hulak, K.
? ity. 13...h6 14.h3 b4 15. f4 d7 16. d2
139
Zagreb
1987 1-0 E99
The King’s Indian Defense can still reach indepen-
dent positions with unique positional and strategic
N N N B B
elements.
N N N
1. f3 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 O–O 5. e2
d6 6.d4 e5 7.O–O c6 8.d5 e7 9. e1 Prepar-
ing f2-f3 and routing the Knight to d3, where it
supports Queenside action. 9... d7 10. e3 An-
B N
other interesting plan for White is the fast prophy-
N
lactic g2-g4. 10...f5 11.f3 f4 12. f2 g5 13. b5
a6 14. a7 Korchnoi seems to prefer to delay the
thematic play c4-c5 in favor of first gaining some
other advantage. After this move, Black cannot af-
ford to allow Na7xc8, since that Bishop is essen-
R B
tial to both offense and defense, so a material im-
B R N B
balance is forced. 14... xa7 15. xa7 b6 16.b4
B N B
b7 17.c5 dxc5 18. c1 c8 19.bxc5 a8 20.c6
f6 21. xb6 xb6 22. xa6 White has a Rook
and 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 like
to focus on the White King, but finds this diffi-
N N N Q N
cult with his Bishop out of play on a8. 22...g4
N
K Q Q N R
23. d3 g3 24.h3 e8 25. c5 b8 26.a4 d6
Q
27.a5 bc8 28. h1 a7 29. c2 e7 30. b1
R Q N
g6 31. fc1 f6 32. f1 xc6 33.dxc6 xa5
34. a1 b4 35. e6 Black Resigns. The main
threat is to trap the Queen with Rc1-b1.
1-0
◦ Karpov, An.
• Kasparov, G.
?
15th Match Game, Seville
1987 1/2-1/2 D97
Karpov makes a strong-looking Exchange sacrifice
in the 1987 World Championship match, but Kas-
N N N B Q
parov wriggles well and avoids the ax.
Q N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4. f3 g7 5. b3
dxc4 6. xc4 O–O 7.e4 a6 The Grunfeld was
a staple between these two during these earlier
matches. Later, Kasparov switched to the King’s
Indian as Black, which seems a good choice as
B
the Grunfeld structures seem to suit Karpov’s
B R R
style. 8. e2 c5 9.d5 e6 10.O–O exd5 11.exd5
f5 12. d1 e8 13.d6 This is actually one
of the quieter lines in the Grunfeld, but already
White is advancing his passed d-pawn to the
sixth. Black must prove this pawn weak, or start
N B N R
some fast counterplay with the Queenside major-
 Q Q N
a6 17. b3 b5 18. d1 c4 19.a4 c5 Black is King! But White’s defensive resources aren’t so

N B N R B Q
willing to give up a pawn to plant his Knight on small, either. In fact, White will prove in just a few

Q R Q
d3. 20.axb5 bd3 21. xd3 xd3 22. xd3 moves that Black has over-extended. 36. e1 d7
And White is willing to give up a Rook to re- 37. xa6 a1 38. xg6+ Black Resigns.
move it. White gets plenty of compensation for 1-0

N N K R
the Exchange, but in the end it isn’t enough to win.

Q N Q Q Q
22...cxd3 23. d5 axb5 24. e7+ h7 25. xa8
◦ Korchnoi, V.
R B R Q Q B B
xa8 26. xf5 gxf5 27. xd3 e4 28. xb5
• Ljubojevic, L.
N B Q Q N
a8 29. d2 d8 30. c5 e6 31. f4 xb2
?
K K B N K
32. h4 f6 33. xf5+ xf5 34. xf5 h5 35.g4
Tilburg
N R N R K K
hxg4 36.hxg4 g6 37. g2 b2 38. e7+ f6
1987 1-0 E56
B B
39. c6 d7 40. b8 d8 41.d7 e6 42. f3
When Korchnoi goes after the King, sometimes it
a3 43. c7 Draw by Agreement.
is necessary to have some heavy duty shears to get
1/2-1/2
N N B B
out of the net. Ljubo left his shears home this day.

N N B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4.e3 O–O 5. d3
◦ Karpov, An.
B B B Q N N
d5 6. f3 c5 7.O–O c6 8.a3 a5 9.h3 dxc4
• Kasparov, G.
B B
10. xc4 d7 11. d3 e7 12. e4 xe4
?
N R B Q B Q
13. xe4 cxd4 14.exd4 h6 15.b4 b6 16.b5
5th Match Game, Seville
B Q B Q Q
a5 17.a4 fd8 18. a3 f6 19. b4 f4
1987 1-0 D87
20. b1 a6 21. d3 g6 22. d2 f5 23. e3 Vik-
These two giants have played well over 150 seri-
tor doesn’t want to try his luck in the endgame
ous tournament games over the years, and the dif-
Q N
with his vulnerable d-pawn: his target wears
ference between them is only two or three points
B B Q B N K
the crown with the cross. 23... h5 24. e5
overall (in Kasparov’s favor). They don’t get along
N Q Q N B Q
axb5 25. xa5 xa5 26. f4 e8 27. g4 f8
well away from the board, but their feuds seem to
K Q K R B R
28. f6 g5 29. e5 h4 30. g4 b6 31. h8+
end eventually in friendly post-mortem analysis of
Q N B B Q
e7 32. f6+ f8 33. d1 c7 34. a3 h5
their games. This is, Kasparov explains, because
R
35.g3 xh3 36. h6 h4 37. f5 e5 38. xe5
they are the only people who truly understand what
exf5 39. e3 Black Resigns.
N N N
the other is doing on the chessboard.
1-0
N B B N N B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4.cxd5 xd5 5.e4

B N B
xc3 6.bxc3 g7 7. c4 c5 8. e2 c6 9. e3
O–O 10.O–O g4 11.f3 a5 12. xf7+ Even ◦ Ftacnik, L.
though this line was played several times by • Farago, I.
Karpov and Kasparov in World Championship ?
matches, it never caught on with anyone else. This Altensteig
was either because no one else understood what 1987 1-0 E12
was going on, or they did and the two contenders Grandmaster Lubomir Ftacnik, now of Slovakia,
for the throne were too stubborn to give it up. In has been among the top players in the world for

R R
either case, this unusual line of the Grunfeld led to several years. In this game he wins Farago’s Queen

K Q Q B R K
some very hard games. 12... xf7 13.fxg4 xf1+ for two Rooks, normally a poor trade, but also

B Q B B K Q
14. xf1 d6 15.e5 d5 16. f2 f8 17. g1 picks up some pawns. The odd feature is the length

R R Q Q N
h6 18.h4 f7 19. g3 e3+ 20. h2 c4 of time that the Queen actually stays on the playing
21. b1 b6 22. b2 d5 23. d3 c4 What field. Both players know it is gone, so why bother

N N N B
does Black get for his pawn? A firm blockade to remove it?

N Q N Q B
of the central pawns, and all of his pieces active. 1.d4 f6 2. f3 e6 3.c4 b6 4. c3 b7 5.a3

B B N B B
However, White’s King remains fairly safe, and d5 6.cxd5 xd5 7. c2 xc3 8. xc3 h6 9. f4

R Q B B
with a pair of Rooks and two minor pieces ex- d6 10. g3 O–O 11.e3 d7 12. b5 xg3

Q Q R R
changed, any storm Black can manufacture will be 13.hxg3 c5 14. d1 e7 15. xd7 xf3 16.gxf3

R K N
small, or at least smaller than if all of the pieces xd7 17.dxc5 c6 18.e4 bxc5 19. h5 fc8

N R Q Q K
were still on. 24. b1 b5 25. h3 a6 26. g1 cxd4 Black would avoid the following problem if he

R N R N K R
27. f3 d8 28.a4 dxc3 29. xc3 e6 30. h2 used the other Rook. 20.b4 f5 In this apparently

Q R Q
bxa4 31. b4 d2 32. xa4 f1+ 33. h3 d1 simple position, Black cannot afford to exchange
34. c2 c1 35. e2 h5 Well, this storm doesn’t his weak c-pawn with 20...cxb4 because of the
look so small now that it has centered on the White blazing back-rank tactic, 21.Rd8+! Kh7 22.Qxc6

140
 N N
N B B N
Rxc6 23.Rxa8. Ftacnik specializes in the transi- 1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 c5 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5 d6
tional stages of the game, and it is when things ap- 6. c3 g6 7.e4 g7 8. e2 O–O 9.O–O a6 One
pear to be getting simpler that you must really be of the modern ideas in the Modern Benoni is to

Q R Q
careful. 21.bxc5 fxe4 Again not 21...Qxc5 be- play ...Nb8-a6-c7 to support the ...b7-b5 advance,

R Q R R N
cause of 22.Rd8+! 22. e5 exf3 23. d6 e8 or failing that, to at least get the Knight out of
24. xe6 f7 25. exh6 gxh6 26. xh6 White the way. 10. d2 White likes the c4-square for
has calculated that the two major pieces working this Knight, from which it may pressure the d6-

R R QQ R
together will lead either to mate or the win of the pawn. White may later choose Bc1-f4 or f2-f4
Queen. 26... e8 27. e6 ab8 28. g5+ White and e4-e5 to continue the attack. 10... e8 11.f3

K
Q Q R R
shows he is in no hurry to actually capture the This announces that White has opted for piece

K R K R N
Queen. 28... f8 29. f4+ f7 30. f6 e8+ play against d6, rather than fast pawn action in

R Q N B B Q R
31. d1 bd8+ 32. c2 d7 33.c6 Again, no the center. Black reacts appropriately. 11... c7

R K R K K R
hurry. Where can she go? 33... c8 34. xf3 12.a4 b6 13. c4 a6 14. g5 d7 15. b1

B B
cc7 35. c3 e7 36. d4 e8 37. xf7 Now, Since Black is prepared to remove the Knight,

R Q R B B
it is finally necessary. Notice how White’s position White tries to get in b2-b4. 15... xc4 16. xc4

Q R K R
has improved, though. 37... xf7 38. e4+ ce7 a6 17.b4 b5 18. d3 c4 19. c2 bxa4 Making
39. g6 c7 40. d5 e7 After 41.Kd6, White a square for that Knight-c7. The passed c-pawn
can win by a variety of methods, so Black Resigns. is now an important feature, and the straightfor-

B N K
1-0 ward, logical moves he finds to simplify the po-

Q B B N B N
sition are very pretty. 20. xa4 b5 21. h1
◦ Gulko, B.
B B B B Q Q
b7 22. xb5 axb5 23. e3 g4 24. d4 e3
• Campora
Q
25. xe3 xc3 26. d4 xd4 27. xd4 a7

Q R
? 28. c3 Now White’s major pieces are tied to

R Q R R Q Q R
Biel the blockade of the c-pawn. 28... e7 29. a1

Q Q Q Q Q R
1987 1-0 E06 xa1 30. xa1 c8 31. c1 c7 32. c3 a8

R Q R Q
Gulko’s Queenside ambitions are stymied, so he 33.f4 a7 34. d2 a2 35. e1 b2 36. b1

R Q Q K Q
switches his attention to the King. A sustained at- c3 37.h3 a2 38. f1 c2 39. c1 xb4 40.e5

N B N B
tack follows. b2 41. f2 e4 42. h2 xd5 White Resigns.

Q N
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. f3 e7 4.g3 f6 5. g2 Black will end up with two extra pawns and a well

N N N Q R
O–O 6. c2 c6 7.O–O b5 8.c5 a5 9. bd2 centralized Queen: an easy win.

R R N Q N
bd7 10.e4 xe4 11. xe4 dxe4 12. xe4 a6 0-1

N Q B
13. e1 e8 14.h4 f6 15. c2 d5 16.a4
b4 17. e5 c7 18. e4 A familiar battery is ◦ Hjartarson, J.
formed to provoke Kingside weaknesses. White’s • Ljubojevic, L.

B B
pieces coordinate well for the coming Kingside at- ?

Q K R K B R
tack. 18...g6 19.h5 f6 20.hxg6 hxg6 21. xg6 Belgrade

R Q
fxg6 22. xg6+ f8 23. e4 e7 24. g5 f8 1987 0-1 D46

R N R
25. f4 d8 Not 25...Nxf4 26.Qg7+ winning the Candidate Johann Hjartarson of Iceland here falls

N N N N
house. 26. xf6 xf6 27. e1 Down by a Rook, victim to a Kingside attack.

Q B B N
White takes time to bring his remaining pieces into 1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 d5 4. c3 c6 5.e3 bd7

Q K B B Q N
play. 27... d5 Black is effectively in Zugzwang; 6. d3 e7 7.O–O O–O 8.e4 dxe4 9. xe4 b6

B R Q R N R N N B N Q N
any move he makes damages him. 28. g7+ e8 10.b3 c5 11. b2 b7 12. e2 cxd4 13. xd4

R Q Q R R R N N Q
29. xf6 a7 30. g6+ af7 31. xf7 xf7 c5 14. xc5 xc5 15. f3 c7 16. e5

B Q R B R
32. e5 f3 33. g8+ Black Resigns. 33...Rf8 ad8 17. ad1 d6 18. g4 xg4 19. xg4
34.Rxe6+ is the end. f6 20. c2 e7 21. xd6 xd6 22. e1 e5
1-0 23.h4 This seems to be where White starts to

R B R
go wrong. He should settle for rough equal-
◦ Beliavsky, A.
Q B Q K B B K
ity after 23.Be4. 23... d8 24.h5 b4 25. e2
• Portisch, L.
B B Q B K
d7 26. f5 d1+ 27. h2 d2 28. e6+ h8

R Q
? 29. d5 f4+ 30.g3 f5 31. h4 xg3+ 32. xg3
Szirak xd5 33.cxd5 xd5 White had apparently hoped
1987 0-1 A79 this series of desperado sacrifices would fail in

Q Q K
A model Modern Benoni game by the veteran Hun- view of 33...Qxe2 34.Qd8#, but now Black’s bat-
garian Lajos Portisch. tery will keep White busy. 34. b4 f3+ 35. h4

141
 R Q R Q R Q
R K K Q K Q Q
h6 36. e3 xf2+ 37. g3 h2+ 38. h3 f2+ the Meran Variation that arises after 5.e3 Nbd7

R Q R Q B N B
39. g3 h7 40. h3 f1+ 41. h4 h1+ 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5. 5...dxc4 6. xc4 b5

Q R Q Q Q
42. h3 g1 43. g3 The threat was ...Qg1-g5#. 7. b3 a6 8. g5 bd7 9.e4 h6 10. xf6 White
43... h2+ 44. h3 xb2 45. c3 f2+ White surrenders the Bishop pair for the Classical cen-

N N
Resigns. Now 46.Qg3 Qd4+ mates and 46.Rg3 ter (pawns on e4 and d4) but Black’s position
Qh2+ 47.Rh3 Qf4#. is quite resilient. 10... xf6 11.e5 d7 The

B B B
0-1 right square from which the liberating advance

N R R Q
...c6-c5 is supported. 12. e2 b7 13.O–O e7
◦ Tukmakov, V,
N
14. e4 c8 Preparing ...c6-c5. 15. fc1 b6
• Sveshnikov, E. 16.a4 c5 17. d6+ The main alternative, 17.Nxc5,

B
? leaves slightly better after 17...Nxc5 18.dxc5 Bxc5

Q B B
Sochi 19.axb5 Bxf2+ 20.Kh1 O-O-Ribli. 17... xd6
1987 0-1 D43 18.exd6 c4 19. b4 xf3 20. xf3 O–O Now
Evgeny Sveshnikov is well known for his eccentric that things have settled down it’s possible to eval-
taste in opening variations; he even has one major uate the position. White’s pawn on d6 can’t be

N N N B
variation of the Sicilian named after him. protected, and the only hope to save the game

B Q N B B R R R R
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. f3 f6 4. c3 c6 5. g5 is by generating play against the enemy b-pawn.

N Q N N N R Q
h6 6. xf6 xf6 7.g3 d7 8. g2 e7 9.O–O 21.axb5 axb5 22. a5 b8 23. e1 fd8 24.h3
dxc4 10. e4 f5 11. fd2 b6 Black desires to f6 25. e5 xd6 Capturing the d-pawn in

Q R R R R
hold on to the c4-pawn for a while. Rather than such a way that other pawns are likely to fall as

R B N R K R R
because he holds an extra pawn, Sveshnikov in- well. 26. xd6 xd6 27. axb5 xb5 28. xb5

B N
tends to open the d-file and use the c-pawn’s in- xd4 29. e2 e4 30. b8+ h7 31. b4 d2

Q Q R R
fluence over the d3 outpost square to his advan- 32. xc4 xf2 With a four versus two majority

B
tage. 12.a4 a5 13. c2 O–O 14. fd1 d8 on the Kingside the rest of the game is a sim-

R R B K R N B
15.e3 e5 16.dxe5 g4 17.f3 Although White may ple matter of technique in Ribli’s capable hands.

R R R K N K
stand somewhat worse anyway, this weakens the 33. b3 c2 34. b5 g8 35. f3 e4 36. d3

B R K K K K K B N
e3-pawn giving a Rook on d3 a target. Better seems c1+ 37. f1 xf1+ 38. xf1 f6 39. e2

B R B N B K N
17.Bf3. 17... e6 18.f4 d3 The clear and natu- f8 40. e3 e7 41. d4 d6 42. c4 d7

B R B K N B N K N
ral exploitation of the open d-file. 19. f1 xe3 43.b4 f5 44. e2 b6 45. h5 e5+ 46. d3 d5
20. xc4 xe4 21. xe6 White evidentially over- 47. c4 f4 48. e8 xg2 49. b3 e3 White

R B Q B B
looked the check, ...Qa5-c5, which would follow Resigns.

Q Q K N
21.Qxe4. 21... e2 22. g4 d5 23. xe2 c5+ 0-1

N
24. xc5 xc5+ 25. f1 d5 Black has a win-
◦ Chernin, A.
R N N Q B Q
ning material advantage. 26. c4 g5 27.fxg5 hxg5
28. ac1 e3+ 29. xe3 xe3 30. c4 xe5 • Vyzhmanavin
White Resigns. ?
0-1 Lvov
1987 1-0 D39
◦ Korchnoi, V. White sacrifices a piece for pressure, and finds a
• Ribli, Z.
N N N
way to win the ending.

B B B N B
? 1. f3 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 d5 4.d4 dxc4 5.e4

Q B
Reggio Emilia b4 6. g5 c5 7. xc4 cxd4 8. xd4 xc3+
1987 0-1 D43 9.bxc3 a5 10. b5+ With weak points at c3 and

B
The Semi-Slav variation of the Queen’s Gambit e4, and a hanging Bishop on g5, White must use

Declined has a reputation for leading to compli-
cated play. The following game is no exception.
Viktor Korchnoi, probably the strongest player
never to wear the World Championship crown, tries
B
his development advantage quickly. 10... d7
11. xf6 gxf6 Capturing 11...Qxc3+ first is dan-
gerous: 12.Kf1 gxf6 13.Rc1 with nasty threats.
When behind in development, think twice about

Q B N
to blow away fellow Grandmaster Zoltan Ribli. grabbing material and opening lines against your

N Q K R Q
Accurate play from the Hungarian leaves White own King. 12. b3 a6 13. xd7+ xd7

K Q K Q K Q
with a terribly weak pawn on d6 which proves to 14. xe6 fxe6 15. xe6+ d8 16. d1 xc3+

N N N Q K Q K
be Black’s margin of victory. 17. e2 b2+ 18. f3 c3+ 19. e2 b2+
1.c4 c6 2. c3 d5 3.d4 f6 4. f3 e6 5. b3 20. f3 c3+ 21. g4 Going for it. The com-
A popular way of avoiding the complexities of ing complications are hard to assess. 21...f5+

142
 K Q R Q Q K N N N B B
R K Q K Q R R B B
22. h5 g7 23. xd7+ xd7 24. f6+ c7 1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 d5 4. c3 e7 5. f4

R Q Q Q R R N N N
25. c1+ b8 26. xh8+ a7 27. e5 g8 O–O 6.e3 b6 7. c1 c5 8.dxc5 bxc5 9. e2 b7

R K R K R B R N R N
28. c7 d8 29. e7 xe7 30. xe7 xg2 10.O–O bd7 11.cxd5 exd5 12. e5 b6 13.a4
31.exf5 xf2 32. g5 g2+ 33. h6 xa2 a5 14. f3 e8 15. b5 a6 16. d3 c4 The
Black may be lost anyway, but it is hard to imagine hanging pawns, side-by-side on open files in the

K R R
it is worse to capture the h-pawn with check on one center, are notorious. They are strong only if they

RR K R
of these moves. 34.h4 f2 35. e5 b5 36. g7 are impervious to attack or can advance with dis-

K R
b4 37.f6 b3 38. e7+ b6 39. e3 b2 40. b3+ organizing effect; they are weak when forced to

K B
a5 41.f7 g2+ This series of checks is neces- advance into a blockade. Here the White forces

R K R K R K R Q N Q N N
sary because White threatens Rb3xb2. 42. xh7 are coordinated, and the pawns are weak. 17. c7

K K R R R B N B N R
f2 43. g6 g2+ 44. h6 f2 45. g7 g2+ d7 18. e5 c8 19.b3 a8 20.bxc4 xc7

R R R K K R Q N Q R B
46. f8 a4 47. b6 a5 48.h5 h2 49.h6 xh6 21.cxd5 d6 22. c4 c5 23. xa5 xa5

Q Q B N R R
50. xb2 h1 51. b6 a3 52. e7 Black Re- 24. xc5 d8 25. d6 xd6 26. xa5 xd5

R R Q Q
signs. After 52...Rf1 53.Rf6 White promotes, and 27. d4 e6 28. xd5 cxd5 29. d1 c8

Q Q Q Q Q R
52...Rh7 53.Ke8 leads to a Rook vs Pawn ending 30. c5 xc5 31. xc5 h5 32.a5 e4 33.h3 g6
where Black is much too slow. 34. c6 b4 35.a6 a5 36. b7 a4 37. b1
1-0 Black Resigns.
1-0
◦ Lukacs, P.
◦ Timman, J.
• Sosonko, G.
• Short, N.
?
?
Rotterdam
Belgrade
1987 1-0 D38
1987 1-0 D36
If you’re behind in development, space, and cen-
This game was played in Yugoslavia in 1987 be-
tral control, why not grab a pawn for your trou-
tween the two players who are now each challeng-
bles? Gennadi Sosonko of the Netherlands is given
ing for the World Championship against the two
N N N B B
a fairly clear explanation in this game.
players (Kasparov and Karpov) who have owned
B Q R B R
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 d5 4. c3 b4 5. g5 h6
the title for nearly twenty years. There are two
R N R Q
6. xf6 xf6 7. c1 O–O 8.a3 xc3+ 9. xc3
ways of playing the Exchange variation of the
B Q R Q Q N
dxc4 10. xc4 c6 11.e4 d8 12.e5 g6
Queen’s Gambit Declined: the normal way, plan-
13. d3 xg2 14. g1 h3 15. e2 e7 16.d5
ning a minority attack on the Queenside, and Jan
R Q N Q
exd5 Capture with a piece allows Rc4-h4, trap-
Timman’s way, with e2-e4 accepting an isolated
ping the Queen. 17. h4 e6 18. d4 b6 19.e6
N N N B
pawn and attacking the King.
At the minimal cost of another pawn, White gains
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 d5 4. c3 e7 5.cxd5
B Q
a square for his Queen and cuts off communica-
The Exchange variation has a quiet reputation,
K B N N B Q
tions along the sixth rank. 19... xe6 20. e5
since it allows the Black Bishop on c8 to freely de-
K R R
f8 21. b5 f5 22. xf5 xf5 23. xg7+
velop. White’s normal plan is to develop pieces
Q
e7 24. xh6 g8 Not 24...Qxb5 25.Qe5+ Be6
and begin play with the Queenside minority of
B Q K Q K Q
26.Rxe6+ fxe6 27.Rg7+ and mates. 25. e5+
pawns: b2-b4, a2-a4, b4-b5 intending to weaken
K R R Q R B
e6 26. f6+ d6 27. f4+ e7 28. f6+
B Q
the Black pawn that normally will be found on c6.
Q R K Q K
d6 29. xg8 xg8 30. xf7 g1+ 31. f1
5...exd5 6. g5 c6 7. c2 g6 Black wants to de-
Q Q
a5+ 32.b4 xf1+ 33. xf1 b5+ 34. e1
velop the Bishop aggressively to f5, but this move
d7 35. f4+ Black Resigns.
B
weakens the Kingside and provokes the Dutch
1-0
B Q K
Grandmaster to switch plans. 8.e4 dxe4 9. xf6
xf6 10. xe4+ f8 Even after 10.Qe7 White
◦ Yusupov A.
B K R Q B
will maintain an initiative, but perhaps that move
• Ljubojevic L.
B R R R R N
is safer. 11. c4 g7 12.O–O e8 13. f4 e6

N B Q N N N
? 14. xe6 xe6 15. fe1 xe1+ 16. xe1 d7

Q Q N
Tilburg 17. e4 e7 18.h4 b8 19. e5 f6 20. g5 f8

Q Q
1987 1-0 D37 21.h5 gxh5 22. f5 c8 23. d7 Discovering an

N R K N
Yusupov’s sharp, tactical play against Ljubo’s attack against the Bishop. 23... xd7 24. xd7
hanging center pawns leads to a Queen ending xd7 25. xe7+ g6 26. f3 26.Nxh7 looks
where the passed pawn decides. good, since it regains a pawn and sets up the trap

143
 R K N B N K
B R R K R N
26...Rd8 27.Rxd7! Rxd7 28.Nf8+, but Black can 16. c8+ e7 17. ac1 xb3 18. xb3 d7

K B R R R N
jettison a second pawn instead: 26...Nb6! 27.Rxb7, 19. xa6 xa6 20. xb8 c7 21. e8 g6

R B K K K
when the White Knight is looking claustropho- 22. e2 d6 23. c1+ c6 24. xh8 xh8

B N B
bic. White may well pick up two or even three 25.f4 xc1 26. xc1 e5 27.f5 c6 28. d3 b5

R N B N B B
pawns for this piece, but the more conservative 29.g4 f6 30.g5 fxg5 31. xg5 f7 32. h4 g5

K N B K K B B K
method chosen by Timman is better. 26... d8 33.fxg6 hxg6 34. d2 f8 35. c4 h6 36. f6

B N N B K K
27. h2 f8 Short finds it impossible to save all f4 37.h3 c5 38.b3 b5 39. e7 c1 40. e2

R N K K B K B K B
of his pawns on the seventh rank, so he offers some f4 41. d6+ xd6 42. xd6 a5 43. f3

R N N K K B B B K B
of them to gain piece activity. 28. xb7 e6 b5 44. f2 h2 45. g2 f4 46. f3 h2

K R K R K R B K K K K B
29. xa7 xd4 30. h4+ g5 31.g3 f5 32.f4+ 47. g4 f4 48.h4 d2 49. xe5 c5 50. f4

K R K R R K K K B B B K
f6 33. xh7 e6 34. h6+ d5 35. xh5 e1 51. g5 d4 52.e5 d5 53. xg6 xh4

K R N R R K
e4 36. h7 d3 37. f7 d5 38.b4 c4 54. f7 e4 55. h2 f2 56.e6 c5 57. e8

N R R N
39.a3 b3 40. a7 c2 41. a5 d2+ 42. h3 Black Resigns.

N N N
xa3 43. a6 c2 44. xf5 The two connected 1-0

R R K K R N
passed pawns decide. 44... b5 45. e7 d4
◦ Donchev, D.
N R K R R
46. b6 c3 47. g4 a4 48. b7 c2 49.f5
• Nikolov, Sa.
N K N K N
xb4 50. xb4+ xb4 51.f6 a3 52.f7 a8
53. xc6+ c5 54. e5 d6 55. g6 Black Re- ?
signs. Bulgaria
1-0 1987 1-0 B97
Grandmaster Dimitar Donchev, one of Bul-
garia’s strongest players, is noted for his attack-
◦ Boensch U
ing prowess. His opponent, countryman Sasho
• Chekhov V.
Nikolov, is an International Master. This game
?
serves as a reminder that in the Sicilian Black must
Halle
always be especially vigilant about his opponent’s
1987 1-0 D20
N N N N
tactical opportunities.
The Queen’s Gambit doesn’t have the mad-dog at-
B Q
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
tacking reputation that its Kingside counterpart has
a6 6. g5 e6 7.f4 b6 8.a3 The text avoids the
N B
earned, but somebody forgot to tell Uwe Boensch!
complex lines of the Poison Pawn variation of the
B N N Q Q
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 e5 4. f3 exd4 5. xc4
N
Najdorf Sicilian (8.Qd2 Qxb2), while indirectly
N Q N B Q B
b4+ 6. bd2 c6 7.O–O f6 8.e5 g6
protecting the b-pawn. 8... c6 Capturing on b2
Q N Q N Q B
9. h4 g4 10. df3 e6 11.h3 e4 12. d3
N B Q Q
would be a grave error as 9.Na4 traps the Queen.
Q B N N
d5 13. g5 xe5 14. hf3 d5 15. e4
B
9. b3 e7 10. f3 O–O 11.O–O–O c7 12.g4
Q Q B Q R
d7 16. xc6 bxc6 17. xe6 fxe6 18. xd4
b5 13. g2 A classic Sicilian position with oppo-
Q Q N Q R R
O–O–O 19. a4 xd4 20. e3 xb2 21. ab1
site side castling has arisen. The plan for both
Q Q R Q K
a3 22. xc6 e7 23. xe6+ d7 24. b3
players is well known: attack the enemy King as
R K Q N
xa2 25. e4 c5 26. xb4 cxb4 27. a8+ c7
quickly as possible. Here White is ahead in devel-
B
28. c1+ d6 29. e4 Closing the net. 29... d5
opment but Black has compensation in the pawn on
30. f4+ Black Resigns.
R
a3 which invites ....b7-b5-b4 quickly opening lines.
1-0
13... b8 Sharp Sicilian middlegames often allow
little room for error. Here Black makes one small
◦ Miles, A imperceptible error and is never given a chance to
• Seirawan, Y recover. The text, preparing ...b5-b4, looks com-
? pletely natural, but leaves the Knight on c6 loose.
Zagreb
N R
Correct was 13...Bb7 giving the Knight extra pro-
1987 1-0 D20 tection. 14.e5 d5 15. xd5 The start of a bril-

N N
An instructive endgame. liant combination that seeks to exploit the lack of

N B B N N Q
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3. c3 a6 4.e4 b5 5.a4 b4 harmony in Black’s position. 15...exd5 16. xd5

B N N N Q N
6. a2 b7 7.f3 e6 8. xc4 c5 9. e2 e7 d7 Note that 16...Qd8 fails to 17.Na5! Qxa5

R N N K B
10. e3 cxd4 11. xd4 ec6 12. b3 xd1+ 18.Bxe7 Nxe7 19.Nxe7+ Kh8 20.Nc6. 17. a5
13. xd1 White has a slight advantage in the xa5 18. xe7+ h8 19.f5 b7 Now the threat

N B B R B
endgame due to Black’s weaknesses on the queen- of f5-f6, prying open the Black Kingside, is in the
side. 13... e5 14. e2 c6 15. c1 xa4 air. Note that 19...f6? offers no relief as 20.Ng6+!

144
hxg6 21.Qh3+ Kg8 22.Bd5+ Rf7 23.fxg6 wins. analysts that have placed this position on their
20.f6 A fantastic conception that required great boards, the line continues to elude definition. The

R Q N N
imagination. Donchev sacrifices his Queen for overall soundness of the gambit is still in doubt.

B K B B B Q B
only one piece but draws the enemy King out into 9. b1 a3 10.f5 c6 11.fxe6 fxe6 12. xc6

K B R B K
the open. 20... xf3 21.fxg7+ xg7 22. f6+ bxc6 13. e2 e7 14.O–O a5 15. f3 e5

R
h6 23. xf3 g8 The terrible threat of 24.g5 16. h5+ d8 The 16...Nxh5 is out of the ques-

B
mate leaves Black with only one choice. 24. g1 tion, since 17.Bxe7 Kxe7 18.Nd5+ wins the Queen.

Q
Hoping for 24.h4 Rxg4! breaking the attack. 17. e3 Threatening the Queen again, with Be3-
24... xe7 Now 24...Rg5 would be met by 25.h4!. b6+. Since these direct threats appear to lead to

B K B R
With 25.g5+ looming Black is forced to give up a White advantage by force, one could conclude

K R B R
his Queen. 25. xe7 dxe5 26.g5+ g7 27. f6+ that the move 14...Qa5 was faulty. 17...c5 18. xf6

Q
f8 28. d1 The smoke has cleared and White is gxf6 19. h6 g8 The Rook was in jeopardy

R K Q K Q
way ahead despite being the Exchange down. All from Bishops coming to f7 and g7. 20. d5

N R N R R R Q Q Q R Q
of his pieces are active while Black’s Rook on g8 is Fork! 20... xg2+ 21. xg2 xc3 22. h1 xc2

B R R R B R K R Q
bottled up. 28... c4 29. d7 b6 30. a7 e8 23. c1 f2 24. xa8 h4 25. g1 xh5 26.

N B R B K B
31. e4 h6 32.h4 hxg5 33.hxg5 c8 34. b7 g8+ f8 27. xf8+ e7 28. xc8 d1+ With

N B
c4 35. d5 g7 36. xg7+ xg7 37. xf7 a huge material deficit, Black’s only hope is per-

N B
d6 38. e6+ Simplifying down to an easily won petual check. The method White uses to evade the

N B K K
Bishop versus Knight ending. 38... xb7 39. xc8 checks is worthy of study - and of course White

B K N K K K Q K Q K
d6 40. xa6 g6 41.b3 xg5 42.c4 bxc4 needed to work all of this out before he grabbed

K K K K Q K Q K Q K
43. xc4 f4 44.a4 xc4 45.bxc4 g3 46. d2 the Rook. 29. g2 e2+ 30. g3 e1+ 31. f3

Q Q K Q Q K Q K Q K
f2 47. d3 f3 48.a5 e4+ 49. d4 e3 50.a6 f1+ 32. e3 e1+ 33. d3 f1+ 34. c2

Q K Q K
e2 51.a7 e1= 52.a8= + f4 53. f8+ Now c4+ 35. d2 xa2+ 36. e3 b3+ 37. f2

Q K Q Q
Donchev demonstrates how to win with Queen and c2+ 38. g3 c3+ If 38.Qd3+ Kh4. 39. g4
pawn versus Queen. Note how he centralizes his f5+ 40.exf5 d4+ 41. g3 g1+ 42. g2 Black
Queen before trying to advance his pawn. This al- Resigns.
lows for more chances for cross-checks (answering 1-0
a check with an interposition that also gives check).
The cross-check, which threatens to trade down to ◦ Estevez, G.

K Q K Q K
a won pawn ending, is a major weapon in Queen • Canda, D.

Q K K Q K Q
endings. 53... g5 54. g7+ f5 55. f7+ g5 ?

K Q Q Q Q K
56. d5+ f6 57. c5 a5+ 58. c6 a6+ Managua

K Q K Q K
59. c7 a7+ 60. b7 a3 61. c6+ g5 1987 1-0 B62

Q Q K Q K Q
62.c5 h5 63. d5+ h4 64.c6 g3+ 65. d8 According to Averbach, in his "Chess Tactics for

Q Q K Q K Q
a3 66.c7 f8+ 67. d7 g7+ 68. c6 c3+ Advanced Players," all chess tactical motives can
69. c5 f3+ 70. b5 b7+ 71. c4 c8 Black be distilled into one common theme, the double at-

Q K K K Q
runs out of checks after 71...Qa6+ 72.Kb4 Qb7+ tack. Still, the series of double attacks ending this

K Q K Q K Q
73.Ka5! 72. d6 h5 73. c5 g4 74. d4+
N N N N
game make a pleasing impression.

K K K Q K Q K
h3 75. e3+ g4 76. e4+ g3 77. e5+
N B B B B Q
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3

K
h4 78. b6 h3 79. c3+ g4 80. c6 h3
B N B Q
c6 6. g5 e6 7. b5 d7 8. xc6 bxc6 9. f3
81. a7 Black Resigns.
B N
h6 10. h4 c5 11. b3 c6 12.O–O–O c7
1-0 13. xf6 gxf6 14. d5 Actually, this is a com-

B Q
mon sacrifice in the Sicilian. The setting here is
◦ Ernst Th.
R R B N K R
a bit unusual. 14...exd5 15.exd5 b7 16. xf6
• Novikov, I.
Q N K Q R Q
g8 17. he1+ e7 18. xc5 d8 19. xe7
?
R R N Q Q K
xe7 20. xb7+ d7 21. c3 ac8 22. b4
Poznan
N K
c7 23.g3 g5 24. a5 e2 25. a4+ e7 26.

N N N N
1987 1-0 B97
Q
c6+ Driving the King into the tactic. 26... f8

B Q Q Q
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
a6 6. g5 e6 7.f4 b6 8. d2 xb2 The Sicilian
Poison Pawn is one of the most analyzed variations
in chess. Some of its lines include multiple piece
sacrifices by White; all feature attacks against the
Black monarch. Yet for all of the high-powered
R N
27. f4 A double attack, in a way: d6 is hit and f7
Q N
is pinned. 27... g6 28. d4 Hitting the Queen...
28... e5 29. e6+ And the e6 square. Now the
fork wins too much material. Black Resigns.
1-0

145
◦ Muelner, I. would prefer to drive the c3-Knight away before
• Janosi, E.
B Q Q B
reacting ...e6-e5, since a Knight hopping into d5

R
? would be very strong. 18. e3 a5 19. c4 b7
Correspondence 20.fxe6 bxc3 21. xg7 d5 Hoping to reduce the
1987 0-1 B81 effect of the White Queen on the a2-g8 diagonal.
Sometimes the tactics in correspondence games are Black’s King is caught in the center, and the passed

Q K Q
so deep that a quick overview of the game makes pawn that will soon appear on f7 will make some
you wonder if both players set up the pieces wrong. serious threats. 22. b3 cxb2+ 23. b1 b5 It
Even after careful study, the tactics and positional isn’t easy to suggest an improvement for Black.

K
evaluations Black arrived at in this game are im- With this move he hopes to reduce the attack-

N N N R Q B N R N
pressive. ing force by exchanging Queens. 24.exf7+ f8

N R K R
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 25. dg1 xb3 26. h6 g4 27. h7+ xh6

R B B B N Q
5. c3 d6 6.g4 The dreaded Keres attack. 6...h6 28. xh8+ xf7 29. h7+ Black Resigns. The

B
7. g1 e7 8. e3 a6 9. e2 c6 10. d2 g5 Black Knight is a goner, since even after 29...Ke8
11.O–O–O d7 12.h4 gxh4 It’s hard to imagine 30.axb3 Nf7 31.Rgg7 wins pieces.

Q N
that the weak, doubled extra pawn just created will 1-0
eventually promote. 13.f4 c7 14. f3 b5 15.e5
White regains the pawn with this move, but yields
◦ Nunn, J.
N N B R K R
Black an enduring initiative. 15...dxe5 16.fxe5
• Marin, M.
B B R N B
d5 17. xd5 exd5 18. xh6 c8 19. b1 g8
?
K N K Q N
20. f4 e6 21. c1 d4 22. g5 xa2+
Szirak
K Q
23. xa2 b4+ 24. b3 c6 25.c3 a5 26. h7
1987 1-0 B80
d3 27. a3 e6 28.b3 a4 It is conceivable that
British Grandmaster John Nunn knows his stuff in
N B
Black foresaw the final position of the game
several openings. At the Interzonal tournament in
R B N B K
when playing this move. 29. f6+ xf6 30.bxa4
1987, he got to demonstrate a thing or two about
R R B R Q
a8 31. d1 c2+ 32. xc2 dxc2 33. b2
N N N N
the Sicilian.
Q Q R K R R R
xa4 34. a1 e7 35. xa4 bxa4 36. xc2
B Q N
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
R K Q K B
c4 37. d2 g6 38. a1 b6 39. b1 b3
B B N R N
a6 6. e3 e6 7. d2 b5 8.f3 bd7 9.g4 h6
Q B B Q Q
40. xb3 axb3 41. b2 a4 42. b1 a3
10.O–O–O b7 11. d3 e5 12. he1 fd7
43. g2 c1 44. xc1 h3 45. e2 a2+ And the
13.f4 b4 Black has made several moves with
h-pawn Queens – White Resigns.
Knights while White has been compactly central-
0-1
izing his forces. Now Black hopes to force the
Knight c3 to retreat before his own steed flees
◦ Vladimirov, E.
N N Q
the scene, but Nunn seizes the chance to ad-
• Epishin, V.
B N B N B
vance! 14. d5 xd3+ 15. xd3 exd5 16.exd5
?
e7 17. c6 xc6 18.dxc6 f6 19. b6 Many
USSR
lines were opened by White’s excellent thematic
1987 1-0 B81
sacrifice of a Knight on d5, and naturally his ma-
There are three basic ways to attack the Sicilian
Q R K
jor pieces are well prepared to take advantage.
structure seen in this game: e4-e5, f4-f5, and g4-
Q K
19... xb6 20. xe7+ f8 If 20...Kxe7 21.Qxd6+
g5. Usually the g4-g5 idea is to drive away the de-
R Q R N R K
and 22.Re1+. 21. xd6 g8 22.g5 hxg5 23.fxg5
fending Knight-f6, but here White uses it to open
R
c8 24.c7 xd6 25. xd6 g4 26. d8+ h7
the g-file, then follows up with f4-f5, which is nor-
27. ed7 Black Resigns.
N N N N
mally used to soften the d5-square.
1-0
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
e6 6.g4 An attacking idea attributed to the great
Estonian Grandmaster Paul Keres. It certainly sets ◦ Ljubojevic, L.
unpleasant problems for Black, who must have sec- • Beliavsky, A.

B B N Q
ond thoughts about castling after a move like this. ?

B N
6...h6 7.h4 e7 8.g5 hxg5 9. xg5 c6 10. d2 Belgrade
a6 11.O–O–O d7 12.f4 xd4 Black tries to 1987 1/2-1/2 C95

Q B R Q B
clear some space for his cramped pieces by ex- The Breyer variation of the Ruy Lopez features

Q Q
changing. 13. xd4 c6 14. g1 a5 15. h3 complex strategic play that can degenerate into a
c5 16. d3 b5 17.f5 b4 Understandably, Black devastating Kingside attack for White, or a swamp

146
 Ne2+ 15.Bxe2 Collecting three minor pieces for
the Queen. 15...Bxb3 16.Ndf3 Qf6 17.axb3
full of pawns rolling up the Queenside for Black.

Rae8 Three minors are usually more than a match

As played by these two strong Grandmasters, it is

N N B B N
all of the above.

B R B N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O for a Queen, but the presence of other pieces can

N N B B R N B B N
e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.h3 b8 muddy things up a bit. Also, the placing of the

B N B Q N K N Q N
10.d4 bd7 11. bd2 b7 12. c2 e8 13. f1 pieces is critical. 18. f4 h6 19. c4 g5 20. g4

B N Q B B B B R Q R Q B
f8 14. g3 g6 15.a4 c5 16.d5 c4 17. g5 h6 xc3 21. xh6+ g7 22. xg5 xb4 23. hxf7

N Q R R B B R B K Q
18. e3 c5 19. d2 h5 20. g5 e7 21. h6 d4 24. ad1 c3 25. d3 b2 26. c1

N B
fd7 22. e3 b8 23. f1 f8 24. xf8 xf8 xf2+ 27. g2 a1 Black Resigns.
25. d2 c8 26.f4 White begins the Kingside 1-0

Q N N Q
assault, giving up the e5-square to open the f-

Q
file. 26...exf4 27. xf4 e5 28. f3 e7 29.axb5
◦ Gligoric, S.
axb5 30. h6 b4 And here come the Black pawns.
• Short, N.
One recent World Championship game in the re-
?
lated Zaitzev system had the ultimate Black pawn
Zagreb
mass - four extra connected passed pawns on the
1987 0-1 C19
N B N R
Queenside. However, Black fell into a drawing
Nigel Short is one of the world’s leading experts on
Q N Q Q R R R
trick later. 31. e2 b3 32. b1 xf3+ 33. xf3
N B B
the French Defense.
Q Q Q N Q K R
e5 34. f4 g7 35. g5 e8 36. g3 e5 37.
N N N Q Q B
1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3. c3 b4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 xc3+
N R R R B R Q
d8+ f8 38. f6 d7 39. h4 h7 40. a4
B B
6.bxc3 e7 7.a4 bc6 8. f3 a5 9. d2 d7
Q Q N
b6 41. a7 b7 42. xb7 xb7 43. f3 e8
10. d3 c4 11. e2 O–O 12.O–O f6 A thematic
44. f6 e7 45. xh5 Tactics based on the loose
break against the head of the pawn chain. Nim-
Bishop-b7 and possible connected passers for
zowitsch extols the virtues of attacking the base
Q R
White. If 45...gxh5 46.Qxf7+ starts taking pawns
B R B R
(BASE) of a chain, but the modern game is perhaps
R R N R K
to compensate for the Knight. 45... xf6 46. xf6
N B Q R
a little more flexible. 13. a3 ae8 14. d6 f7
N R R
e7 47. xd6 c8 48. d8 gxh5 49.e5+ g7
N R
15.g3 f5 16. b4 c7 17. fe1 fxe5 18.dxe5
K R
50.d6 xd6 51. xd6 xe5 And after the fire-
xb4 19. cxb4 ef8 Black now gets play on the
R R B B K B K
works, equality. 52. f2 g5 53.g3 h4 54.g4
N R B B
half-open f-file and in the center, where his pawn
K B B B B
d5 55. xd5 xd5 56. f5 f6 57. c8 e5
Q Q B
mass is fairly mobile. 20. g5 e7 21. g4 e8
58. e3 f6 59. a6 e6 60. b5 d5 Draw by
N
22.c3 a5 23.bxa5 xa5 24. b2 c6 25.f4 h6
Agreement.
26. f3 d4 27.cxd4 Not 27.Nxd4 Nxd4 28.cxd4
1/2-1/2
Qd5 when Black owns the long diagonal to the

B N
White King. 27...g5 Opening the file for fireworks
◦ Short, N.
B Q Q R
against the f3-point. 28.fxg5 h5 29. xh5 xg3
• Korchnoi, V.
30.hxg3 xf3 31. a3 d5 32. ad1 Gligoric
?
R B R R
now recognizes the dangers in 32.Qxe7 Qxd4+, but
Zagreb
it is too late. 32... h7 33.g4 xd1 34. xd1 f3
1987 1-0 C54
White Resigns.
In 1987, the decidedly youthful British phe-
0-1
nomenon Nigel Short did well in a strong interna-
tional event in Zagreb, Yugoslavia. The sport of
chess will be much worse off due to the conflict in ◦ Perenyi, B.
Yugoslavia; clearly funding chess tournaments is • Portisch, L.
?
N N B B
no longer a priority there.
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. c4 c5 4.c3 The Giuoco Hungary
Piano, an ancient opening. The original idea was 1987 1-0 C16
to get in d2-d4 as fast as possible, often at the cost In closed positions, maneuvering becomes the rule,
of a pawn or two. Nigel chooses a more mod- and frequently unusual developments are possible.

N B N
ern treatment here, expanding on the Queenside. However, this game played in Hungary in 1987

N Q N B
4... f6 5.b4 b6 6.d3 a6 7.O–O O–O 8. bd2 had both players try something quite rare: the fi-

N B
d5 9.exd5 xd5 10. b3 f4 11.d4 e6 The anchetto of the Queen!
experienced Korchnoi prefers to finish develop- 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 b4 4.e5 b6 Most active

N N Q Q B
ment rather than speculate on the position after is 4...c5, attacking the base of White’s pawn chain.
11...exd4. 12.dxe5 xe5 13. xe5 g5 14.g3 s often leads to wild complications. 5. g4 f8

147
 N N B N B B
B B Q N Q
6. h3 e7 7. g5 bc6 8. b5 d7 9.O–O–O
h6 10. e3 a6 11. e2 c8 12. f4 b7 Black
◦ Hebden, M.
Q
first finds b7 for his Queen. His game is cramped,
• Jadoul, M.
N B K Q
but playable; he intends to castle long. 13. f3
O–O–O 14. h5 e8 15.g4 b8 16. g2 Now ?
the fianchettoed Queens are in opposition on the Tarnby
long diagonal. The Black pieces have adequately 1987 0-1 B00
defended the Kingside, and now White will switch British International Master Mark Hebden tries to
to the other wing, attacking with a battery of sneak off with some material belonging to his un-
known opponent, only to be swamped with a sus-
R Q K B R
Queen and Bishop, and supporting with a Rook
N N N N
tained onslaught of Black pieces.
N R
lift. 16... c8 17. f1 a7 18.f4 d7 19. g1
Q Q Q Q Q
a5 20. g3 c5 Unfortunately, Black’s main hope 1.e4 c6 2.d4 e5 3.dxe5 xe5 4. f3 xf3+
for active play is also on the Queenside. Open- 5. xf3 f6 6. g3 g6 7. xc7 Hunting for ma-

B Q N N B B
ing the game here is dangerous, since the Black terial at the cost of development is often dangerous.
King will become more exposed. However, it 7... d6 8. c4 f6 9. c3 e5 10. d2 O–O

N B
11.O–O–O d5 12.exd5 b5 Black throws away
B N N
is hard to be too critical, since passive defense
B R Q N R
is doomed. 21.dxc5 bxc5 22. g1 g6 23. e4 Queenside pawns to get open lines. 13. xb5 f5

R N N Q Q K
Capture of this Knight leads to immolation on 14. c3 fc8 15. a4 a6 16. d4 xc3 17.bxc3

N R Q B N K Q
the a-file: 23...dxe4 24.Ra3. Note the pin of c5 b8 18. b3 e4 19. xa6 g5+ 20. b2
xc3 21. e1 d2 22. d3 e2+ 23. b1 c3
R N Q K
and the loose Bishop d7, which both play a tac-
White Resigns.
R B
tical role. 23... b8 24. xc5 xb2+ 25. d2
d4 26. b1 xc5 White gets more than sufficient 0-1
compensation for the Exchange after 26...Qxb1
◦ Volovik, D.
R R Q R
27.Qxb1 Rxb1 28.Nxd7. The ending would be
all but hopeless. 27. xb2 xb2 28. a1 hb8 • Kozlov, V.
Black has almost enough for the Queen, but the ?

K R R B R
pin of c5 and weakness on the a-file come back to USSR

N B N B N
haunt him. 29. c1 2b4 30. c3 b6 31. b3 1987 1-0 A11

B R
xb3+ 32.axb3 a5 33. c4 e7 34. xd4 c6 A right smart execution. White’s mating attack is

R B
35. xb6+ 8xb6 Better is 35...R4xb6, but swift and final.

R K
White should still win. 36.c3 xb3 37. xb3 1.e4 a6 2.d4 b5 In the early ’80s, the St. George at-
xb3 38. c2 Black Resigns. tack (...b7-b5) gained some popularity when Tony
1-0 Miles used it to defeat World Champion Karpov.
What few noticed was the huge number of off-
◦ Ivanchuk, V. beat openings Miles had tried against Karpov with
• Angelov, K. zero success first. That he eventually scored with
? one of them shouldn’t be too surprising, and a
Varna careful study of that game proved it was hardly
1987 1-0 B01 the fault of the opening. However, public taste
After a weirdly violent opening exchange, Black is seldom based on good logic, and it took sev-

Q N Q
finds his Knight difficult to extract. eral serious setbacks, including this game, before

N
N B B B N N B B N Q
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3. c3 a5 4.d4 e5 the St. George found the obscurity it truly de-
5.dxe5 c6 6. f3 b4 7. d2 g4 8.a3 d4 serves. 3. f3 b7 4. d3 f6 5. e2 e6 6.a4

B B
Black must rely on tactical devices to remain in c5 Miles’ success came by playing this move at the

B B B N B
the game. 9. b5+ c6 10.O–O xf3 11.axb4 right moment and transposing into a tame line of

N R R
xd1 12.bxa5 xc2 13. a4 e7 14. xc2 the Sicilian where the advanced Queenside pawns

N N N N K B
xc2 15. a4 Incarcerating the Knight. 15... d8 may be useful. The position was equal, but Kar-

N R R R R
16. e4 f5 17.g4 fd4 18. d6+ e7 19. c3 pov played too hard to refute the odd opening,

N K N R R
c5 20. xb7 d5 21. c4 h5 22. xc5 xc5 and eventually overpressed. Here, White plays ac-

K K N R K N
23. xc5 hxg4 24. g2 f3 25. d1 xh2+ curately, proving the Black Queenside to be ad-

R B N N
26. g3 e8 27. e4 h6 28. xg4 h4 vanced too fast, and finding great squares for his

N B B N B
29. c1 Finally the trapped Knight decides mat- Knights. 7.dxc5 xc5 8. bd2 b4 9.e5 d5
ters. Black Resigns. 10. e4 e7 11. g5 O–O 12. d6 c6 13.h4
1-0 f6 With the White pawn cramping the Kingside

148
 B B K
from e5 and the Knight firmly entrenched on d6, Black has just been repeating to reach the time

B K B Q B R
Black has few chances to survive. This attempt to control at move forty. 40... f6 41. h3 xf7

N Q R B B N K K B K
drive off the attackers meets with a swift refutation. 42. xe6+ e7 43. f5 d2 44. d3 b5 45. f3

Q K N
14.exf6 gxf6 15. e5 fxg5 16. h5 f5 17. xf5 e5 46. g6+ d6 47. g1 d4+ 48. f1 a5
exf5 18. f7+ h8 19. g6+ And mate next, so Meeting 49.Bxb5 with 49...Qd1+ 50.Kg2 Qg1+
Black Resigns. and ...Qg1xg6. White Resigns.
1-0 0-1

◦ Georgiev, Kir.
• Rajkovic, D.
? • Karpov, An.
Vrsac
1987 0-1 A31
By transposition this game reaches the Hedgehog
Sicilian, in which White attempts to keep a bind
on the center using the Maroczy-style construction
c4, e4, f3. This is a very effective strategy against
the Dragon formations (Black fianchettos the King
Bishop), but active play is harder to develop versus
the flexible and reactive Hedgehog. In this game,
the White player decides to advance the Kingside
pawns in a storm, willy-nilly, and is suitably pun-
ished as the Black pieces infiltrate the weaknesses
N N B N
left behind.
N N B B B
1. f3 c5 2.c4 b6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 b7 5. c3
Q R R R
f6 6.f3 d6 7.e4 bd7 8. e3 e6 9. e2 e7
Q B R K Q Q B
10. d2 a6 11.O–O O–O 12. fd1 e8 13. ac1
N B
c7 14. f1 ac8 15. h1 b8 16. f2 d8
17. c2 c7 18.g4 There is nothing wrong with
White’s game until this move. White is simply
not placed to attack the Kingside; more reason-
◦ Kasparov, G.
?
8th Match Game, Seville
1987 0-1 A29
This World Championship game was played in
Spain between the two players who have domi-
nated the Championship since Fischer’s refusal to
defend it in 1975. Karpov defeated Korchnoi in
1975 (Candidates Finals), 1978, and 1981. Karpov
and Kasparov have played in every match for the
title 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 of
Alekhine. FIDE countered by replacing them with
Karpov and Timman, who had each lost a match
to Short during the qualification process. This may
lead to the odd situation of having both Kasparov
and Karpov claiming the title, although at this point
Fischer himself may have as legitimate a claim as
anyone else.
N N N N B B

able is continued maneuvering. Once the e-pawn
is 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 potential
N
1.c4 f6 2. c3 e5 3. f3 c6 4.g3 b4 5. g2
O–O 6.O–O e4 7. g5 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-

counterstrikes ...b6-b5 and ...d6-d5 on every single
play. If Black achieves one of these, White may go
down like a rock. 18...h6 19.h4 d5 Reaction in the
center against the (premature/unprepared) wing at-
B Q
tack. White’s Kingside actions amount to hara-kiri.
N N N B R R
20.g5 g3 21. g2 dxe4 22.fxe4 hxg5 23.hxg5
B R
neuver the Knight e1-c2-e3-d5. Moves like Bc1-g5
fit in well with this plan. 7... xc3 8.bxc3 e8
9.f3 e3 In the next game of the match with these
colors, Black captured on f3 here and lost badly.
Apparently, between the games analysts for both
camps had decided the gambit offered here wasn’t

Q N Q
sound. 10.d3 The move 10.d4 is a possible im-
B R R
xe4 24. xe4 c5 25. xc5 xc5 26. d7

N R Q B
a8 27. cd1 xg5 The result of White’s King- provement. 10...d5 11. b3 a5 12. a3 c6

B B N K
side attack: he lost all of his King’s cover for the 13.cxd5 cxd5 14.f4 c6 15. b1 c7 16. b2

R R N R Q
g4 17.c4 dxc4 18. xf6 gxf6 19. e4 g7
N B
temporary gain of a piece. White must now make

K
20.dxc4 ad8 21. b3 d4 22. xe3 xc4
B Q N Q N Q
another material adjustment. 28. xg5 xg2+

N
23. h1 White’s pieces are badly placed to defend
R B N B N Q
29. xg2 f4 30. h3 xc4 31. d4 xa2

R B R R R R
32. f1 e5 33. f3 f6 34. fg5 xb2 An un- against Karpov’s well-coordinated army. 23... f5

Q N Q N B B
usual material imbalance: Queen, Rook, Bishop, 24. d3 xe2 25. xd8 xd8 26. e1 e8

Q K R Q N
27. a5 b5 28. d2 d3 29. b3 f3 30. xf3
N R R B
and four Pawns vs. two Rooks, two Knights,
xf3+ 31. g1 xe1+ 32. xe1 e3 White Re-
R Q R Q R Q N
Bishop, and zero. 35. xf7 e7 36. xe7 xe7
37. f2 d4 38. f4 d1+ 39. f1 d4 40. f4 signs.
It would seem to be in White’s favor to continue 0-1
the repetition and hope for a draw, but of course

149
◦ Kasparov, G, 1987 1-0 A06
• Karpov, An. White essays a most original and effective King-
? side expansion.
2nd Match Game, Seville N B B N
N N B B
1. f3 d5 2.g3 g4 3. g2 d7 4.c4 c6 5.cxd5
1987 1-0 A21
B N
cxd5 6. c3 e6 7.d3 gf6 8.O–O e7 9.h3 h5
The two best players in the world essay the English 10.g4 g6 11. h4 Played both to allow the win
Opening. Kasparov gives away the Bishop pair,
B N B
of the Bishop pair and to free the f-pawn for ad-
in an open position suicide against Karpov, but re- vance. 11... c5 12. a4 d6 13.e4 d4 14.f4 e5
ceives ample compensation in the form of unassail- 15.f5 b5 But White isn’t winning a piece with his
able central squares for his Knights. After lengthy
N R Q N R
advance, because his Knight, too, is vulnerable.

N B N
maneuvers he finds a weakness to attack.
N B B N N
16. c3 dxc3 17.bxc3 c8 18. e1 c5 19. f3

B R N
1.c4 e5 2. c3 d6 3.g3 c5 4. g2 c6 5.a3 g6 6.b4
N Q
a4 20. d2 a6 21. f1 d7 22.d4 db6
g7 7. b1 ge7 Black’s structure is known 23. g2 c7 24.h4 f6 25.fxg6 Finally it is nec-
as the Botvinnik formation, and it is most com- essary to regain the piece. 25...hxg6 26.g5 Nor-
monly played from the White side in the English mally the open h-file and advanced Kingside pawns
or as a Black defense to the Closed Sicilian. As would be a source of concern for White, but here
a defense in symmetric English variations it is
Q
the Black King has no safe home, and the White
slightly suspect. Black shuts in his own King’s
R B N Q N B
center is surprisingly secure. 26...fxg5 27. g3
Bishop, and weakens d5 voluntarily. We will see
B
h5 28. xg5 d7 29. g4 f8 30.dxe5 xe5

R N B
shortly just how important the d5 and e4 squares 31. xb5+ Clearing f1 with tempo. When the

N B N
can become. 8.e3 O–O 9.d3 b8 10. ge2 e6 Knight-f8 is undermined, the light squares it is
11.b5 a5 12. d2 b6 13.O–O b7 14.e4 Sim-
R B B
guarding will be open to occupation by the White
ilarly shutting in White’s Bishop, but note how
R Q K R R Q
Queen. 31...axb5 32. af1 f6 33. xf6 gxf6

K Q B Q B
much harder it is for a Black Knight to reach
R K N R Q
34. xf6 c5+ 35. h1 c6 36. xf8+ xf8

Q B N Q Q N
d4. 14... h8 15. c1 f5 16. g5 e8 17. xe7 37. xf8+ xf8 38. f4 h6 39. g5 Winning

N R N
xe7 18.exf5 xf5 19. d5 d7 20. d2 a5 a Rook. Black Resigns.
21. ec3 be8 22. e4 And now White’s dom- 1-0

N N N K R
ination of the central light squares is complete.

R N R R Q R R
22... b7 23.a4 a5 24.h4 b7 25. h2 b8
◦ Kasparov, G.
B N R
26. a1 a5 27. a3 f7 28. c3 d8 29. a2
h6 30. g5 ff8 Of course, Black cannot af- • Smirin, I.
?
R B Q R
ford to open the h-file (...Bh6xg5), so the Bishop
Moscow
N B B B Q
remains inactive. 31. e2 g7 32. c2 de8
33. e3 h6 34. d5 g7 35. d1 h6 This will 1988 1-0 E97
An instructive Kasparov combination.
N N N B
eventually allow White to target the g6-pawn.

B N N N
However, it is very difficult to just sit and play 1. f3 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5.d4

N R N
pieces back and forth against the dynamic World O–O 6. e2 e5 7.O–O c6 8.d5 e7 9. d2 a5

N Q R B N N
Champion; he’ll certainly come and get you even- 10.a3 d7 11. b1 f5 12.b4 b6 13.f3 f4 14. a4

B R N B N B N N B N
tually. 36. e4 d8 37. a2 c8 38. c3 h5 axb4 15.axb4 g5 16. c5 f6 17.cxd6 cxd6 18.b5

K N R
39. e4 e6 40. cd5 h6 41. g2 Supporting d7 19. c4 c8 20. a3 e8 21.g4 Stop-

N R Q R K B B N B
the f4-break. 41... g7 42.f4 exf4 43. gxf4 e5 ping Black’s attack on the kingside. 21...fxg3

R R R R R R R
44. xg6 xf1 45. xf1 xe4 46.dxe4 xg6 22.hxg3 g4 23. c1 gxf3 24. xf3 f6 25. g5

R R R K
Although the material count now appears to favor a7 26. f2 b7 27. b3 a7 28. b1 b7

Q
Black, closer inspection reveals the Black pieces 29. b3 a7 30. b4 h8 Better is 30...Qe8.

R Q R K B R R B B
are completely unable to organize a simple de- 31. f1 This is where the combination starts.

R Q B R R Q R
fense. 47. f2 e8 48.e5 dxe5 49. f6+ g7 31... xb5 32. xb5 xa4 33. g2 h6 34. h4
50. d6 Black Resigns. Qf6 will win a piece or e8 35. xf6 xf6 36. xf6 xb5 37. e6
more. This is the move that Kasparov had to see when
1-0 starting his combination. The Knight is indi-

K B R
rectly protected: 37...Qxc4 38.Re8+ Kh7 39.Qf5#
◦ Georgiev, Kir. and 37...Rxc4 38.Qf7. 37... g8 38. h3 xc4
• Tischbierek, R. Overlooking White’s reply, but who would have
? seen what was coming? Best is 38...Ra7, after
Bulgaria-DDR Match, Bulgaria which White transposes into a superior endgame

150
 R N N N B Q
Q N B
with 39.Ne3 Qxf1+ 40.Kxf1. 39. xh6 An un- 1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4. f3 g7 5. b3

B B N B
expected way to clear the e6-square for the dxc4 6. xc4 O–O 7.e4 a6 8. e2 c5 9.d5

B K Q B R Q B Q Q
Bishop! 39... xh6 If 39...Qc5+, then 40.Kh1 Rc1 e6 10. g5 exd5 11. xd5 e6 12.O–O–O

B Q R Q N B
41.Be6#. 40. e6+ h8 41. f6+ Black Re- xd5 13. xd5 b6 14. xf6 xf6 15.e5 f5

R Q R B
signs. If 41...Kh7, then 42.Qf7+ Bg7 43.Bf5+ Kh8 16. d3 c8 17. d1 b5 18. h4 b4 19. xg6
44.Qh5+ Kg8 45.Be6+ Kf8 46.Qf7#. fxg6 20. d7 e8 21. e7 h6+ Things look bad
1-0 for Black but a few quick thunder bolts, based on

K R R
White’s weak back rank, make the true nature of
◦ Suetin, A.
Q R Q
the position crystal clear. 22. b1 d8 23. d6
• Sale, S.
Q
c6 24.a3 xd6 25.exd6 xd6 26.axb4 cxb4
? 27. e4 b3 White Resigns.
Sibenik 0-1
1988 0-1 E80

B N N N
Always look for unexpected moves.
◦ Yusupov, A.
B Q R N N
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c4 d6 4. c3 f6 5.f3 c6
• Kasparov G
Q
6. e3 a6 7. d2 b8 8.d5 e5 9. h3 h5
?
10. f2 f5 11.f4 O–O A brilliant piece sacrifice.
Moscow
12.fxe5 Black also has compensation for the sac-
1988 1/2-1/2 D89
Q B
rificed piece after 12.exf5 Bxf5 13.fxe5 Bxe5.
One of the reasons for the popularity of openings
N
12...fxe4 13. h4 xe5 Threatening 14...Bg3+.
like the Kings Indian Attack (1.Nf3 followed by
14. ge2 b5 With active pieces and open lines and
2.g3, 3.Bg2, 4.O-O, 5.d3, 6.Nbd2, and 7.e4) is due
N
White’s King stuck in the center, Black has com-
to the closed nature of the position the critical stage
pensation for the sacrificed piece. 15.g4 g3
of the game tends to be delayed. More forceful
Black must go forward with courage. 15...Nf6?!
openings, like the Grunfeld for example, tend to
16.cxb5 followed by 17.Bg2 gives White a large
supernova much earlier on. The following game is
N R N R B Q
advantage. Black cannot allow White to consoli-
N N N
a good case in point.
N Q
date. 16. xg3 f3 17. ge2 xe3 18. g2 f8
N B B N N B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4.cxd5 xd5 5.e4
R Q R Q R Q
19. xe4 Correct is 19.Nd1. 19...bxc4 20. f2
B N B
xc3 6.bxc3 g7 7. c4 c5 8. e2 c6 9. e3
xe2+ 21. xe2 xb2 22. f3 xg2 23. xf8+
B R
O–O 10.O–O g4 11.f3 a5 12. d3 cxd4
K R B R K N
If 23.Qxg2, then 23...Bxa1 24.Rf1 Qg7 wins.
13.cxd4 e6 14. c1 A critical juncture where
B N B K R
23... xf8 24. c1 b7 25. f1+ e8 26. d2
B Q B
White must choose between the text and the
xd5 27. xc4 g3+ 28. d1 xa2 Black’s
B Q R
main line - 14.d5. 14... xa2 15. a4 e6
R B R R
two Bishops and numerous pawns give him a de-
R B N N N B
16.d5 d7 17. b4 e6 18. fd1 exd5 19.exd5
R R K B K B
cisive advantage. 29. c3 g2 30. g1 a1+
N B
e8 20. f2 b5 21. d4 c4 22. c6 xc6
N K K B K N
31. c1 xc1+ 32. xc1 f4+ 33. d1 d5
N Q
23.dxc6 b2 24. xb5 Forced as 24.c7 would
B K K R R
34. d2 d7 35. c2 e5 36. d3 c5 37. c4
B N QR R N
be met by 24...Qxd3!. 24... xd1 25.c7 d5
R
xc4+ 38. xc4 c6 39. d1 g5 40. d3 a5
26. xe8 xf2 27.c8= xc8 28. xc8 h3+
41. d2 a4 White Resigns.
29.gxh3 Yusupov has no choice but to accept
0-1
the draw as 29.Kf1?? gets mated by 29...Qd3+

Q K Q K
30.Ke1 Qe3+ 31.Kd1 Nf2+ 32.Kc2 Qd3+ 33.Kc1
◦ Beliavsky, A.
Qd1+. 29... d1+ 30. g2 e2+ 31. g1 Draw
• Kasparov, G.
by Agreement.
?
1/2-1/2
Belfort
1988 0-1 D97
A sparkling win by the World Champion. Grand- ◦ Karpov, A.
master Alexander Beliavsky has a reputation for • Kasparov, G.
being a fearless fighter but occasionally he seems ?
to lose his sense of danger. Here Kasparov in- Belfort
troduces a strong novelty (15...Qf5!) which pays 1988 1-0 D87
quick dividends when Alexander goes wrong al- Anatoly Karpov has done well against Garry Kas-
most immediately (17. . Rd1? - correct was parov when the latter defended against 1.d4 with
17.Rd6!). The conclusion is vintage Kasparov with the Grunfeld and this game is no exception. Here
all sorts of tactical complications. Kasparov employs a fashionable line against the

151
Exchange variation which involves a pawn sacri- R B R
12. b1 e6 13. a3 fd8 14.h4 The lack of pres-

N B
fice. White’s ragged pawn structure and slightly sure on White’s center means a Kingside attack
insecure King provide some compensation but the has good chances to succeed. 14... a5 15. f1

Q Q
real key to this line is whether the Bishop on g7 is c5 16.dxc5 Necessary as Black would have too

N Q
active. in this game Karpov is so effective at bot- much counterplay after ...cxd4. 16... c7 17. c1
tling it up that in desperation Kasparov is forced to bxc5 18.h5 c6 19.hxg6 hxg6 20. g5 A multi-

R B Q R Q
unsoundly sacrifice the Exchange. purpose move which eyes both the Kingside and
N N N
R B Q
c-pawn. 20... ab8 21. xc5 a5 22. b5 xc3
N B B N N B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4.cxd5 xd5 5.e4

R Q
23. eb1 f6 24. h6 a6 Not 24...Ba6 because
B N B
xc3 6.bxc3 g7 7. c4 c5 8. e2 c6 9. e3

N Q
O–O 10.O–O g4 11.f3 a5 12. xf7+ Till the of 25.Rxb8 Rxb8 26.Ng5 winning. 25. 1b3 c2

Q R R R R R
26. e1 Winning a piece and the game. 26... d2
R
mid 1980’s the routine continuation was 12.Bd3

R N R N B R
27. xd2 xd2 28. xb7 xb7 29. xb7 xa2
R K Q Q B R
but now the text is all the rage. 12... xf7 13.fxg4

N R R K B K
30. b6 d4 31. xa6 e2+ 32. xe2 xe2
Q Q R K Q Q
xf1+ 14. xf1 d6 15.e5 d5 16. f2 d8

R R K R N
33. f3 xe4 34. a8+ g7 35. f8+ h7
Q N Q Q Q B
17. a4 b6 18. c2 f8 19. g1 c4 20. d2

R N
36. a7 g5 37. xf7+ g6 38. d7 g4 39. d2
Q Q B N R R
e6 21.h3 c4 22. g5 h6 23. c1 f7 24. g3
e1+ 40. f1 Black Resigns.
Q K N R K
g5 25. c2 d5 26. f2 b5 27. g3 f7 28. e1
1-0
Q K Q K Q Q
b4 29. g6 f8 30. e4 xf2 31. xf2 bxc3

K N B N K R
32. f5+ g8 33. c8+ h7 34. xc5 f7+
35. g1 c2 36. g3 f8 37. f5 g8 38. c1 ◦ Efimov, I.
Black Resigns. • Mikhalchishin, A.
1-0 ?
Uzhgorod
1988 0-1 D81
◦ Korchnoi, V.
N N Q Q
A game of attacks and counterattacks.
• Timman, J.
N B B R Q
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4. b3 dxc4 5. xc4
?
R
a6 6. f4 g7 7.e4 O–O 8. d1 c5 9.d5 b6
Brussels
B N Q
10. d2 e6 11.d6 e5 This move starts a tacti-
1988 1-0 D86 cal storm. 12. xe5 xe4 13. xe4 If 13.Nxe4,
The Grunfeld is one of Black’s most respected an- then 13.Bxe5 14.d7 Bxd7 15.Rxd7 Rad8 is good
swers to 1.d4 because it combines both soundness
B Q B N R
Black because White’s King is stuck in the cen-
and the opportunity for dynamic counterplay. If
N
ter. 13... f5 14. h4 xe5 15. d5 ae8
there is one drawback to this defense it’s that it re- 16. e7+ If 16.Nxb6, then 16...Bf6+ or if 16.d7,
quires careful handling or White’s center can serve
K B Q N
then 16...Qxb2 17.dxe8=Q Qc1+ with a strong
as a springboard for a Kingside attack . That’s the
Q
attack. 16... g7 17. xf5+ gxf5 18. e2 b4
case in the following game between Dutch GM Jan
K
19. g5+ If 19.Qxb4, then 19...Nxb4 20.a3 Nc6
Timman and the great Viktor Korchnoi of Switzer-
NQ B Q
followed by ...Nd4 is good for Black. 19... h8
land. When Black makes an insignificant error on
R N
20. h3 f6 21. xf5 xb2 22.a3 a5 Stronger is
move 11 things quickly start to go downhill.
N N N
22...Qc3 threatening ...Qc1+. 23.d7 d8 24. f4

N B B B Q B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4.cxd5 xd5 5.e4 24.Kd1 would have held out longer. Now White

R N R B Q B R
xc3 6.bxc3 g7 7. c4 b6 This is an usual con- loses a Rook. 24... c1 25.O–O xd2 26. d3

N N R N R N R N
tinuation. Normally Black plays either 7...c5 or f7 27. e6 dxd7 28. c4 c3 29. b5 de7

R N B Q Q Q Q
7... O-O. 8. f3 Experience with 7...b6 is limited 30. d8 f8 31. e6 ff7 32. d8 f8 33. e6

Q Q Q R R R
but the traditional answer has been 8.Qf3 threat- g8 34. f4 xf4 35. xf4 e5 36. h4 g5

R N B R K
ening e5 in some positions. The text is logi- 37. h3 g4 38. xg4 xg4 39. d1 d4

B Q
cal and contains the hidden trap 8...Bb7 9.Bxf7+!. 40. c1 c7 41. f1 b6 42. c4 g7 White Re-
8...O–O 9.O–O b7 10. c2 Since White plays signs.
Re1 shortly one might wonder why not now? The 0-1
answer is that that Qc2 not only guards e4 but
◦ Knaak, R.
N R
also protects c3. This enables the first player
• Christiansen, L.
Q
to meet 10...c5 with 11.d5. 10... c6 11. e1
d7 A small but significant error. According ?
to Timman the path to equality was reached by Saloniki
11...Qd6 12.e5 (otherwise the Bishop is unable to 1988 1-0 E41
be posted on a3) 12...Qd8 13.e6 f5 14.Ng5 Na5. The Art of defense.

152
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 c5 5.Bd3
Nc6 6.Ne2 cxd4 7.exd4 d5 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.a3 game is unclear. 20...exf4 21.Qd6 Qg7 22.Bd3
Suddenly Black has lost his advantage and the

Be7 10.Bc2 O–O 11.Qd3 g6 12.h4 Forsaking Ne5 23.Kd2 f3 24.Bxb5 g4 25.Qe7 Ng6 If
to perpetual check. 26.Qg5 Better is 26.Qd6 with
castling to start a kingside attack. 12...e5 The 25...Qh6+, then 26.Kc2 Qe3 27.Qxe5 Qc3+ leads

attack in the center. 13.dxe5 Nxc3 If 13...Bf5, an equal position. 26...h6 27.Qh5 d3 28.Bxd3
best way to meet a flank attack is with a counter-

14.Qxc3 Bg4 Black has sacrificed a pawn, but with an unclear position. 28...Re8 The Queen is
then 14.Qxd5 Bxc2 15.Bg5! is good for White. A blunder in time pressure. 28.e5 is necessary

trapped! 29.h3 Re5 30.hxg4 Rxh5 31.gxh5 Ne5

stuck in the center. 15.f3 Rc8 Black needs 32.Rae1 Qg5+ 33.Kc2 f2 34.Rd1 Qe3 White
hopes to take advantage of White’s King being

to press forward with his attack. White has a Resigns.

N Q
large advantage after 15...Be6 16.Bh6 followed by 0-1
17.Rd1. 16.fxg4 xe5 17. b3 Forced. Not

B
17.Qxe5 Rxc2 18.O-O Bc5+ with a strong attack.
17... xh4+ Better is 17...Ng4, although White ◦ Karpov, An.
• Portisch, L.
R Q N K Q N
is better after 18.Bd2 followed by O-O-O. 18.g3
xc2 19. xc2 d3+ 20. f1 d5 21. g1 A ?
Tilburg
R
brilliant defensive move. 21.Rxh4? and 21.Rh2
1988 1-0 E18
B B
lose to 21...Qf3+. 21... e8 Threatening 22...Re1#.
A positional masterpiece by Karpov.
R Q Q Q N N B B B
If 21...Qxh1, then 22.Qxd3. 22. h6 xg3

N N B B R
23. d1 xh1 24. xd3 h2 24.Qxh6 would 1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 b6 4.g3 b7 5. g2 e7

N N N
6. c3 e4 7. d2 f6 8.O–O O–O 9. c1 c5
Q
have held out longer, although White has a big

advantage after 24...Qxg3. 25. e2 Forcing the
Q N B
exchange of Queens, after which White is eas-
B Q B Q
10.d5 exd5 11.cxd5 xd2 12. xd2 d6 13. c4
a6 14. b3 xc4 15. xc4 a6 This leaves weak

N N Q B
pawns at a6 and b6. Better is 15...Nd7. 16.a4
R R N N B
ily winning. 25... xe2+ 26. xe2 e5 27.b4

R B R N
d7 17.e3 e5 18. e2 c4 19. e4 Guarding
B N K N
b5 28. d7 a8 29. d4 a6 30. c6 f6 31.g5

B B Q R
b2 32. e7+ h8 33. d5 a5 34.bxa5 Black the d3-square. 19... e8 20. c2 c8 21. e4

Q
Resigns. e7 22.b3 cxb3 23. xb3 d7 24. xc8 Not

R
1-0 24.Qxa6 due to 24...Nf3+ 25.Kg2 Qg4. 24... xc8

Q N R B
25. b1 White targets the weaknesses in Black’s
◦ Malaniuk, V. position. 25... f5 26. d2 b8 27. d1 White
• Ivanchuk, V.
Q N B N Q
would like to play Nb3-d4 hitting the weakness

Q B
? at c6. 27... c8 28. b3 f6 29. d4 b7

K
Moscow 30. c2 g6 If 30...Qxd5?!, then 31.Rxb6. 31. e2

Q N
1988 0-1 E20 g7 If 31...Qxd5, then 32.Bxa6 Nf3+ 33.Nxf3

N R Q Q K
In 1988 the 19 year old untitled Ukrainian Qxf3 34.Qc7 is good for White. 32. b3 d7

K B R
Ivanchuk was suddenly one of the top five players 33. c6 a8 34. b4 c7 35. g2 h5 Prevent-

B K
ing Bg4. 36.h3 g8 37. d1 e8 Better is
N N B B
in the world.
37...Kg7. 38.g4 hxg4 39. xg4 g7 If 39...Nc5,
N N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4.f3 d5 5.a3 e7

B Q
then 40.Qxb6 Qxb6 41.Rxb6 Nxa4 42.Rxa6 with
B
6.e4 dxe4 7.fxe4 e5 8.d5 g4 9. f3 Better is 9.b4

Q
a large advantage for White. 40. xd7 xd7
B K
to prevent Black’s next move. 9... c5 10.b4

R Q Q
f2+ 11. e2 White has had to forego castling, 41. f4 Not 41.Qxb6?! Qf5 with an unclear po-

R R Q R
but 12.h3 is threatened. What is Black going to do sition. 41... h8 42. g4 e8 If 42...Qc7,

R Q
then 43.f4. 43. xb6 h4 44. f3 xa4
N
with his Bishop? 11...c5 Black intends to retreat

R B B Q Q
45. b8 d7 Much better is 45...Qe4 exchanging
Q
his Bishop to d4. 12. b5 If 12.h3, 12.dxc6, or

R Q Q R R R
12.bxc5, Black replies 12...Bd4. 12...a6 13. a4 Queens. 46. a8 h4 47.e4 f6 48. d3 b7
49. b8 d7 50. c2 a3 51. b3 a1 Better
Q B N
axb5 13...O-O 14.h3 would be to White’s advan-

tage. 14. xa8 d4 15. xd4 Better would have
Q
been 15.Ra2, although Black still has a big ad-
R
is 51...Rxb3, although White has a large advantage
after 52.Qxb3 followed by 53.Qa3. 52. f3 There

Q R Q Q
is no defense against 53.Rxf6 and 54.Qc3+ pick-
K Q
vantage after 15...Nd7. 15...cxd4 16. xb8 O–O

Q K Q K
ing up the Rook. 52... b7 53. xf6 b5 54. c3
Q B
17. e1 If 17.h3, then 17...Qh4 wins. 17... h4+
18.g3 f6 19. f4 The best chance. If in- f1+ 55. g3 g1+ 56. h4 Black Resigns.
stead 19.Ra2, then 19...Qf3 20.Bg2 Qc3+ 21.Bd2 1-0
Qb3 wins. 19...g5 Stronger is 19...d3?. 20.c5

153
◦ Korchnoi, V. 19.bxa5 Both Viktor and I love pawns, but what
• Seirawan, Y. a grub! This completely destroys the Queenside
? structure, and gives up c5 to boot. White’s position

R
Brussels demands 19.Nf5 with a big edge. Viktor plunges

1988 0-1
Annotations by Yasser Seirawan. A word of warn-
ing to the uninitiated. When you sit down across
from Viktor Korchnoi, be prepared to play, because
he will. I’ve had some real slugfests with Viktor,
N R R N
E16 head over heels into quicksand. 19...g6 20. b6
e6 21. ab1 d8 22. b3 c5 The first indica-
tion that things have run afoul. Viktor continues
to swim ahead, believing that the drum beats his
tempo. Not so. I’m preparing my counterblow

N B B Q B
and just a few draws. ...Bd7-a4, in order to gain d4 for one Knight and

N N B N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 b4+ 4. d2 e7 5. g2 vacate d7 for the other. In the post-mortem, Vik-

N
c6 6. f3 xd2+ 7. bxd2 d6 8. O–O O–O tor found ways to make the desperate sortie Nh4-f5
9.e4 e5 10.d5 b8 11.b4 With his central wedge, work now and on subsequent moves. Such tactics
White has the choice of playing for the Queenside shouldn’t work. Still, Viktor is right. After 19.bxa5

B Q
with b2-b4-c4-c5 or the Kingside by Ne1-d3 and White’s position has become desperate. 23.a6
f2-f4. It’s rather a matter of taste, but I feel that the c8 24. a5 Viktor plunges deeper into self-made

N
Queenside is the right choice. White’s problem is quagmire. The kicking is soon over. Absolutely
his Bishop. My problem is that I need to exchange forced is 24.Nf5. 24... d7 Immediately decisive.
a few pieces to breathe. 11...a5 A critical moment. Loss of the Exchange is unavoidable. If 25.Rc6,

N N R N
The alternative was 11...Bg4 and Bxf3, exchang- then Bb7 or Nb8; while if 25.Rb5, then Bxa6.
ing a pair of minors. The decision was tough be- 25. d2 xb6 26. xb6 c7 The little guy on

N R R Q N K B
cause White’s Bishop would take over the vacated a6 shouldn’t be allowed to wonder far. 27.a7

R Q N Q
h3-c8 diagonal and keep my Rooks off c8. As a e6 28. b8 xa7 29. c3 d4 30. h2 e6
trade of c-pawns is always a prominent concern in 31. xd8+ xd8 32. hf3 a8 Imprecise. Bet-

N Q N Q R B
such positions, I delayed the Bishop sally. 12.a3 ter first is 32...Nxf3+. Time pressure has become

K Q R
a6 13. b3 White could also consider the imme- a factor. 33. xd4 cxd4 34. b4 a6 35. f1

B R
diate 13.Nf3-e1, and b4xa5 might follow. 13...c6 g7 35...Qa7 kills. 36.c5 dxc5 37. xc5 a5

Q
14.dxc6 A shock. It’s rare to see Viktor voluntar- 38. b5 f6 39.a4 a7 40.f4 exf4 With time con-

K R Q Q
ily cede the center. His treatment is not so easy to trol reached, the game is over. 41.gxf4 b8
meet. With an eventual Nb3, he hopes to force me 42. g2 f7 43.f5 f4 44. xd4 gxf5 Excellent!

Q Q
to exchange on b4. He’ll then attack d6 and c6 by The Rook will threaten a deadly check on the open

K N B R
either c4-c5, or b4-b5. For my part, if I can relo- g-file. Viktor must swap Queens. 45. f2 xf2+

Q B B N R N B B R
cate my Knight from a6 to d4, I’ll gain a sizable 46. xf2 fxe4 47. xe4 xh3 48.a5 a7 49.a6

N R K
advantage. 14...bxc6 15. c3 g4 A logic glitch. c8 50. c5 c7 51. a4 d7 52. xd7 xd7
If I wanted to exchange pieces, I’m late. Instead 53. c5 a7 54. e3 h5 White Resigns. An in-
of wasting time, I should have played 15...Nc7 vigorating victory!
(not fearing c4-c5) or 15...Re8 (fearing c4-c5), 0-1

N
while preparing Nc7-e6. In either case the game
would be dynamically equal. 16. h4 A wonder- ◦ Yusupov, A.
ful, multi-purpose move. It immediately threatens • Sokolov, A.
Nf5 when, after the exchange, White’s Bishop will ?
return to life with a vengeance. It also protects Moscow
the pawn on e4, thereby freeing the Knight for d2- 1988 1-0 E04

R
b3-a5. I now disappeared into deep thought, well Those that play the Catalan have to accept the real-
aware of my growing troubles. 16... fb8 Lasker ity that in many lines White must sacrifice a pawn
said "long think, wrong think." This move helps in the opening. Regaining the material isn’t usually

R
nothing. Both 16...g6 and 16...Nc7 were better very difficult - the challenge lies in finding a way
choices. 17. fb1 Viktor trusts me. He made this to recover the material and still keep some sort of

N B N
move is response to my rhythm. The threat against positional advantage.

N N N B N B
b4 is pure imagination. Being an optimist, I’d rate 1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4. g2 dxc4 5. f3

N N B B N N
my game as lousy after 17.Nf5. 17... c7 18.h3 c5 6.O–O c6 7. e5 d7 8. xc4 cxd4 9. f4

Q B N R R N
A hard move to judge, as it facilitates my plan of d5 10. d6+ xd6 11. xd6 de7 12. d2

B B N N R N
...Nc7-e6. My choice is 18.Nb3, when White’s O–O 13. b3 c8 14. c4 e8 15. fd1 f5
play on the Queenside comes too fast. 18... d7 16. c5 e5 17.e4 fe7 18. d6 f8 19. xb7

154
White doesn’t actually win back his pawn with this ?

B
move, as b2 will soon fall, but he does gain the New York

Q R Q R Q Q
two Bishops which is very important. 19... xb7 1988 1-0 A77

B B R N R
20. xb7 b8 21. a6 xb2 22. a4 b8 Grandmaster Maxim Dlugy, a former World Junior

N
23. f1 f5 24. a3 b6 25.exf5 b4 26. ab1 Champion and Interzonalist, is one of the strongest
ec6 The losing move in a tense position. Cor- players in the United States. His opponent, IM
rect was 26...Ned5 when 27.Bc4+ Kh8 28.Bxb4 Tom Wedburg, has represented Sweden in several

B R
Rxb4 29.Rxb4 Qxb4 30.Qxb4 leaves White much Chess Olympiads. The game between these two

B N R Q Q K
better but with no immediate win. 27. g2 d8 players is a model demonstration of how to play

Q R Q B N N N
28. xc6 xc6 29. xb6 xb6 30. c4+ h8 against the aggressive but risky Modern Benoni.

Q R N N
31. f7 g8 32.f6 d8 33. e7 xe7 34.fxe7 1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 c5 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5
d7 35. d3 A strong move which threatens Rf3 d6 6. c3 g6 7. d2 The Knight prepares to go

R
and Qxg8+. 35...h6 The tempting 35...e4 al- to its ideal post at c4 where it would hit the key

R Q K R R K Q N
lows 36.Rxd4 Qxd4 37.Qxg8+ winning. 36. f3 squares e5 and d6. The text also has the virtue of

K Q K B B
c8 37. f8+ h7 38. f7 c1+ 39. g2 c6+ sidestepping ...Bg4 after White plays e4. 7... bd7

R N Q N
40. h3 e6+ 41. h4 Black Resigns. Meeting Nc4 with ....Nb6. 8.e4 g7 9. e2 O–O
1-0 10.O–O e8 11.a4 e5 12. c2 h5 This ag-
gressive move first caught the public eye when
◦ Beliavsky, A. Fischer used it to defeat Spassky in their World
• Portisch, L. Championship match in Reykjavik. The advan-
? tages of 12...Nh5 are clear - after 13.Bxh5 gxh5
Linares Black has the two Bishops, an open g-file, and the
1988 1-0 E04 use of the g4 square. However the dark side of
Grandmasters Alexander Beliavsky of Ukraine and 12...Nh5 shouldn’t be ignored. Black’s Kingside

B N
Lajos Portisch of Hungary are two of the greatest pawn structure gets ripped apart and he has a per-
fighters in the history of chess. Both players are manent hole on f5. 13. xh5 gxh5 14. d1 The
noted for their scholarly approach to the game and Knight immediately heads to e3 where it can eye

N Q R B
have done much to enrich opening theory. the f5 square. An added bonus is that Ra3 - g3

B R N N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 The Catalan, an open- is now possible. 14... h4 15. a3 d7 16.h3

Q N
ing that is seldom seen at the amateur level but b5 17.axb5 xb5 18. e1 f5 19. e3 f4 20. f5
which is a favorite is a favorite in Grandmaster f6 21. xg7 Chess is often like alchemy. Here

B
praxis. White can easily obtain terrific Queen- White trades his beautiful Knight on f5. Why? Be-

N B N B N N Q N
side pressure if Black isn’t careful. 3...d5 4. g2 cause once the Bishop on g7 is gone Black’s King

N R N Q R R B R
dxc4 5. f3 d7 6. e5 c6 7. xc6 xc6 8.e3 will be especially vulnerable. 21... xg7 22. f3

Q R B Q
d5 This attempt to hold onto the pawn seems to f8 23. xe5 xe5 24. f3 f7 25. d2 e8

B Q N
risky. Concentrating on development with 8...Qd7 26. c1 ef8 27. c3 e7 28.g3 The killing

R N N N Q B
seems more solid. 9.O–O e7 10. e2 b6 blow and the logical conclusion to White’s play.

N B N N N B Q K R Q R
11. d1 O–O 12. d2 a5 13. f3 c8 14. d2 The rest is a well well orchestrated King hunt.

R K Q K R B
c6 15. c3 b4 16. e5 4d5 17. e1 White 28... g5 29. h1 e8 30.gxf4 h4 31.f5 xe4

R K R Q K B
wants to win back the pawn but on his own terms 32. g3+ f8 33. h6+ e7 34. ge3 d3

N Q R R Q
- maintaining the two Bishops. 17...c5 18. ac1 35. g1 xf5 36. xh7+ d8 37. a5+ Black

Q B R B Q B
cxd4 19. xc4 e8 20. xd4 c8 21.b3 b5 Resigns.

N R
22. d1 c5 23. d3 b4 24.a4 a6 25. xb4 1-0
xb4 26. d6 A dream position for the Cata-
◦ Agdestein, S.
N N Q N R
lan. White’s pieces rake the Black Queenside.
• Ljubojevic, L.
R B
26... c6 27. e5 a5 28. xc6 bxc6 29. cxc6
xc6 30. xc6 A pawn up and with the better po- ?

Q B Q Q Q R
sition to boot the rest is a formality for Beliavsky. Wijk aan Zee

R B
30... c5 31. f3 g5 32. d2 e7 33. d4 e5 1988 1-0 A61
34. d6 e4 35. e2 h6 36.a5 Black Resigns. Norwegian Grandmaster Simen Agdestein has
1-0 achieved a unique distinction - he is both a world
class chess and soccer player. Here he boots Yu-
◦ Dlugy, M. goslav Grandmaster Ljubomir Ljubojevic all over
• Wedberg, T. the board in a good old fashioned king hunt.

155
 N N Q
N B B N N N Q
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 c5 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5 curing d5 for the Knight was better. 16.b3 b7

B N N N N
d6 6. c3 g6 7. g5 h6 8. h4 bd7 9. d2
g5 10. g3 h5 11. c4 b6 12.e3 xg3 By
...h6, ...g5, and ...Nh5 Black has managed to
hunt down the White Bishop but at a definite
17. h4 b5 18. d3 What does one make of this
position? It’s easy to get the impression that White
has been outplayed and that Black has taken over
the initiative. Black feels justified here in pun-

B
cost. Black’s Kingside has been loosened and the ishing White for his play. That explains Boris’s

Q N B B Q
f5 square looks weak. 13.hxg3 a6 14.a4 g7 overly optimistic thrust ...g7-g5, which he plays
15. d2 xc4 16. xc4 d7 17.a5 f6 The this move. The problem as I see it is that Black’s

R
start to a bad plan. Black would be perfectly
okay after 17...b5 18. axb6 Qxb6. 18. a3 A
multi-purpose move which prepares Rb3 as well
as strengthening White’s position along the third
pieces are ill-prepared to support this thrust. Par-
ticularly unfavorable is the placement of the Knight
on d7. But outside of ...g7-g5, does Black have an-
other plan? If Black sits, perhaps White will try

N B B N
rank. 18...O–O–O Typical Ljubojevic who loves f2-f4 and build up a "real" Kingside attack. 18...g5

R R R Q K
to live on the edge. The Black King now makes 19. f3 xf3 20.gxf3 g7 21.h4 gxh4 22. e4

Q Q B B
a very inviting target. 19. b3 de8 20. b6 c6 23. h1 Suddenly Black is in big trouble.
e5 21. d3 f6 22. xa6 Ljubo put his head White has two screaming Bishops and the open g-

Q K R N
in the Lion’s mouth and now he must pay the file. Boris tries to force White’s hand with provoca-

R K
price. 22...bxa6 23. xa6+ d8 24. b7 This tive defense. 23... h5 The purpose of this move is

R N
quiet move contains a very nasty threat - Rxd7+. to play ...f7-f5 as quickly as possible. 24. g1 f8

R K
24... eg8 25. a4 Black’s last move freed e8 Black is convinced that 24...f5 25.Bxh6 quickly

K N B
for his King so White brings in reinforcements torches his King. 25. xg7 xg7 Mandatory, as

N Q R Q B B
to continue the attack. 25... e8 26. b6 g4 25...Nxg7 26.Bxh6 f5 27.Rg1 Re7 28.Qe3 fxe4
27. c4 xd5 28. a8+ d8 29. e7+ The final 29.Rxg7 Rxg7 30.Qg5 is curtains. 26. xh6+ A

K Q
shot. Having won the Queen for only Rook and magnificent follow-up to the exchange sacrifice.

B Q K N B B
Bishop the rest is quite easy. 29... xe7 30. xd5 White can’t allow the Black King to waltz to safety

Q K K R R K R
c7 31. b7 d8 32. b6 xb6 33.axb6 d7 on e7. Thus 26.Rg1+ Kf8 27.Bxh6+ Ke7 would

B Q
34. c7+ e7 35.b7 e6 36.O–O d8 37. d1 lead to a dead end. 26... xh6 27. g1 White’s at-

Q
a4 38.b8= Black Resigns. tack is frightening. In all likelihood Black is lost
1-0 here. 27...f5 28. e3+ f4 The retreat 28...Kh7 is
met by the brutal 29.Qg5 and if 29...Ng3+ 30.fxg3
◦ Hoi, C.
N Q Q N Q
h3, trying to keep the g-file closed, 31.g4 is strong.
• Gulko, B. 29. xd6 xd6 30. d3 f8 31. h7+ Black
? Resigns. What horrible irony to be mated by a
Saloniki Rook supported by the Bishop which made such
1988 1-0 A47 a strange retreat on move fifteen.

N N B
A modern day brilliancy. 1-0

B N B R
1.d4 e6 2. f3 c5 3.e3 f6 4. d3 b6 5.O–O
◦ Magerramov, E.
Q R N N N B
b7 6. bd2 cxd4 7.exd4 e7 8. e1 O–O 9.c3
d6 10. e2 e8 11. f1 bd7 12. g3 f8 • Oll, L.
Black has an excellent defensive setup. He is now ?
preparing to break with ...e6-e5. Afterwards, his Klaipeda

B
only concern would be the potential weakness of 1988 1-0 D44
the f5 square. 13. g5 h6 This move doesn’t fit Azerbaijani GM Elmar Magerramov took second
in with the plan of ...e6-e5, so Black decides on place in the final USSR championship. His oppo-

B Q B
another course. I prefer ...Qc7 followed by ...g7- nent, Estonian GM Lembit Oll, has been rated over

N N N B
g6, ...Bg7, and ...e6-e5. 14. d2 c7 15. c2 2600.
White is floundering without a plan. A normal 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3. f3 f6 4. c3 e6 5. g5
course would be to press matters on the Queen- dxc4 Initiating the razor sharp Anti-Meran Gam-

B
side with 15.Ba6 and a2-a4-a5. Like the text, this bit. First popularized by Botvinnik over 50 years

B N
plan would step out of the ...e6-e5-e4 hit. 15... d5 ago the Anti-Meran even today defies a complete

B N Q
Black tries immediately to take advantage of the analysis. 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8. h4 g5 9. xg5

N B Q B N B
weakening of c4. The deployment of the Bishop hxg5 10. xg5 bd7 11.g3 a5 12.exf6 b4 13.

B N B N
is very provocative and gives White a plan. Per- e4 a6 14. f3 O–O–O 15. e2 b6 16. e3
haps the modest 15...Bc6 preparing ...b6-b5, se- b7 17.O–O c5 18.dxc5 a4 19. xc4 xb2

156
 B R K B R R K N B R
N R Q N
20.c6 xc6 21. ac1 b7 22. xe6 A stunning 12. ae1 c8 13. h1 6d7 14. xe7 xe7

R B R B
shot that puts White in the driver’s seat. Now 15. f4 c7 16. f2 f6 17.e4 dxe4 18.fxe4

R K R K B R Q
22...Nd3 fails because of 23.Rxc6 Ne5 24.Nd6+. cd7 19.d5 cxd5 20. b5 c7 21.exd5 d7

N N K N K B
22...fxe6 23. xc6 xc6 24. c1+ d7 25.f7 22. e2 c8 23. xa7 White’s efforts have borne

Q R
d3 26. f6+ d6 27. e8+ e7 28. g5+ fruit. The captured pawn on a7 will not win the
xg5 29. c7+ Black Resigns. game itself but instead Kasparov will trade it for

Q N
1-0 other advantages that will do the trick. 23...b6
24. a6 e4 25.d6 Clearing the d5 squares for

N N
his Knights and preparing to trade the weak d-
◦ Gavrikov, V.
R Q N Q R B
pawn for the enemy b-pawn. 25... xd6 26. fd5
• Kharitonov, A.
e5 27. xb6 f5 28. xd8 xd8 29. d3 The
?
rest is simple technique but it is instructive to see
Moscow
R R N K
how Kasparov systematically converts his advan-
1988 1/2-1/2 D37
N B R N N B
tage. 29... xe1 30. xe1 g6 31.a4 f8 32.a5
A rare example in which it is better to promote a
R N N
d4 33. xg6 hxg6 34. d1 e6 35. b6 c6
N N N B B
pawn to a Knight rather than a Queen.
36. xd8+ xd8 37.b4 e6 38.b5 Black Re-
B N N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 d5 4. c3 e7 5. f4
signs.
N B B B
O–O 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5 xc5 8.cxd5 xd5 9. xd5
1-0
B R R
exd5 10.a3 c6 11. d3 b6 12.O–O g4
13.h3 h5 14.b4 e8 15. a2 Planning Rd2
◦ Karpov, An.
B
to threaten the weak d5-pawn. 15...d4 Black
• Yusupov, A.
Q
tries to liquidate the weak pawn. 16.b5 xf3
?
Q K
17. xf3 dxe3 Correct is 17...Na5 or 17...Ne5.
Moscow
18.bxc6 xd3 19.cxb7 exf2+ 20. h2 20.Rfxf2
1988 1-0 D36
Q
Qxf3 21.gxf3 Rab8! would result in an equal
This was voted best game in the last half of 1988
position. 20... xf1 If 20...Qxf3, then 21.gxf3
N B N N
by Chess Informant.
QQ K N K
Rab8 22.Bxb8 Rxb8 23.Rb2 Rxb7 24.Rfxf2 wins.
B
1.c4 e6 2. c3 d5 3.d4 e7 4. f3 f6 5.cxd5
21.bxa8= g1+ 22. g3 f1= + 23. h4 Draw
exd5 6. g5 c6 Black takes advantage of the pre-
by Agreement.
Q
mature exchange of pawns on d5 in order to de-
1/2-1/2
velop his light-squared Bishop. 7. c2 g6 8.e4 A
double-edged decision. White accepts an isolani
◦ Kasparov, G. in order to prevent Black from developing his
• Andersson, U.
N
Bishop. The tame 8.e3 Bf5 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3
? Nbd7 is equal. 8... xe4 Better is 8...dxe4 9.Bxf6
Belfort Bxf6 10.Qxe4 Kf8 with approximate equality. The
1988 1-0 D36
B K
text lands Black into some unexpected difficulties.

N Q
Swedish GM Ulf Andersson has a reputation for 9. xe7 xe7 Forced. If 9...Qxe7, then 10.Nxd5

being one of the hardest players in the world to beat
but Garry Kasparov is equal to the task. The Ex-
change Variation of the Queen’s Gambit Declined
enjoys its popularity in part to its great flexibility.
It can be interpreted as a Queenside middle game
when White castles short and goes for the minority
attack (Rab1 and b2-b4-b5). Or it can be seen as
an aggressive attacking scheme when White goes
long and throws his Kingside pawns up. Here Kas-
parov elects to follow a third plan - short castling
B B Q K Q Q
is awkward to meet. 10. xe4 dxe4 11. xe4+
e6 12. c4 a5+ 13. f1 f5 14. e3 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 less
of a factor. At any rate, White’s development is
straightforward. He intends Re1, h2-h4, Rh3, and
Ng5. It’s hard to believe that Black should have
difficulties equalizing, but where to put the King?

N N B
and playing for e3-e4. Going Kingside walks into White’s intended h2-

Q B N B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 d5 4.cxd5 exd5 5. g5
c6 6. c2 e7 7.e3 bd7 8. d3 O–O 9. ge2
The Knight can also go to f3 but on e2 it sup-
ports the plan of e4 much more efficiently. The
N N R R
h4. Going Queenside is more inviting, but will re-
quire a number of tempi. 14... d7 15. e1 ae8
16.d5 Is this really the Karpov we all know and
(grudgingly) admire? If so, what is he doing sac-

R N B
f-pawn is left free to advance and the Knight can rificing pawns? Has Kasparov forced him to add
come to g3. 9... e8 10.O–O f8 11.f3 e6 another element to his style? Certainly we could

157

have expected 16.Bxe6 fxe6 17.Qa3+ Kf7 18.h4
with advantage to White. But the pawn sacrifice
is even stronger. It completely gums up Black’s
Re7 If 28...Ng6, then 29.Bxg6 hxg6 30.Qf2 Re7
31.Ng4 is winning. 29.Ng4 Rg7 30.Nh6 Qb6
If 30...Qe7, then 31.Rg4 followed by Rgf4 win-

N K Q R
pieces. Also, it really leaves Black in a quandary ning. 31.g6 Opening a line for the entry of the

R
concerning his King. Suddenly the Queenside isn’t Queen. 31...hxg6 32. f7+ g8 33. h6 h7 If

N Q R Q
so inviting. Since Black’s last moves have been 33...Rxf7, then 34.Bxf7 is decisive. 34. xg6+

B Q
solid developing ones, we must trace his problems xg6 35. xg6+ g7 36. h6 Black Resigns.
to 8...Nxe4. 16...cxd5 17. b5 a6 18. a3+ By If 37.Qh8# is threatened and if 36...Rxf7, then
using a series of ladder checks with his Queen, 37.Rg1+.

K Q
White is able to retreat his Bishop with tempo and 1-0

K Q K Q K B Q
recover his sacrificed pawn. 18... d8 19. a5+
e7 20. b4+ f6 21. d4+ e7 22. d3 h5
◦ Huzman, A.
23.h4 Preparing the introduction of the Knight
• Lin, Ta.
and King’s Rook into the attack. Black can’t
?
K N R B
stop Ng5 with 23...h6 because 24.g4 wins the
Belgrade
Queen. 23... d8 24. g5 hf8 25. e2 Shov-
1988 0-1 D28
ing the Black Queen into an even worse hiding
N B
An example in which the wrong Rook is moved.
place. White’s domination of the position is near-
N Q B B
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3. f3 a6 4.e3 e6 5. xc4 c5
ing completeness. Yaacov Murey once told me that
B N
6.O–O f6 7. e2 b5 8. d3 cxd4 9.exd4 b7
the Queen placement is the dominant theme in all
10.a4 b4 11. g5 c6 Allowing his pawns to get
Q B R
middlegame positions. He would therefore state
B R N
doubled, but Black feels that he will be all right.
Q
that Black is lost. I agree. 25... h6 26. f3 e7
12. xf6 gxf6 Not 12...Qxf6 13.d5. 13. d1 e7
N Q R
27. b4 The start of a forced sequence of moves
N
Black hopes to obtain counterplay along the g-file
Q N B K
that nets a material plus. 27... f6 28. d6+ d7
N Q B
and a8-h1 diagonal. His plan is Nd5-f4. 14. bd2
B
29. f4 g8 30. g4 c8 A merciful end would
N Q B
d5 15. e4 e7 15...f5 16.Qe5 Rg8 17.Bxf5
R K N K Q Q
be 30...Bxg4 31.Qb8 checkmate. 31. xe6 fxe6
Q N N B
is good for White. 16. b3 f5 17. e5 f6
N K R N K
32. c1+ d8 33. xe6+ e7 34. xf8+ xf8
B
18. g3 e7 Threatening 19...Rg8. 19. c5 d5
K R K R K R K
35. xf8 xf8 36. h3 e7 37.h5 g7 38.h6+
20. xa6 If 20.Nxa6, then 20...Rxa6! 21.Bxa6
N R
f6 39. f3+ e6 40. e1+ d6 41. f6+ c7
R
Rg8 22.Qh3 Ng6 followed by 23...Nf4 wins.
42.g4 c6 43. e8 Black Resigns. An absolutely
N R Q N Q
20... xa6 Not 20...Ra7? 21.Bb5+ Kf8 22.Ne5 and
superb game by Anatoly Karpov. Has chess really
White wins. 21. xa6 g8 22. f4 g6 23. c7
evolved to a point where a single opening inaccu-
Q
Not 23.Qg3 Kf8 threatening 24....Nh4 winning.
racy can be so ruthlessly exploited?
Q B R
Also bad is 23.Qb8 Qxb8 24.Nxb8 Nf4. 23... a8
1-0
24. d6 Threatening 25.Nc7#. 24... d8 25. dc1
An error in time pressure. Correct is 25.Rac1. The
◦ Kasparov, G.
N
Rook is needed on d1 to cover the d2-square as we
• Campora, D.
N
will see in some variations that follow. 25... h4
?
B R N
26. c7+ Also losing is 26.Rc7 Nxf3+ 27.Kh1 Ne5
Saloniki
K
as is 26.Nxh4 Bxg2. 26... xc7 27. xc7 xf3+
N N
1988 1-0 D35
28. f1 Loses immediately. 28.Kh1 would have
B B B N N
1.c4 f6 2.d4 e6 3. c3 d5 4.cxd5 exd5
B
held out longer, although Black is much better after
R Q N B K N
5. g5 e7 6.e3 O–O 7. d3 bd7 8. ge2
28...Qd8. 28... c4+ White Resigns. If 29.Rxc4,
B Q N N
e8 9. c2 f8 10.O–O–O e6 11. b1 g4
then 29...Nd2+ wins. Now it’s clear why the wrong
12. xe7 xe7 13. f4 f6 14.f3 Preparing a
Rook was moved to c1.
Q Q N
kingside attack with g2-g4. 14...c5 15.g4
0-1
cxd4 16.exd4 d6 17. d2 a6 18. ce2 Mov-

R N N N N R
ing the Knight to g3 where it can hop into g5.
◦ Psakhis, L.
R R N
18... e7 19. g3 g6 20. g2 d7 21. hg1
• Speelman, J.
N K
ee8 22. df1 Threatening f4-f5. 22... gf8

N
23. e3 h8 If 23...Qf4, then 24.Nh5 Qh6 25.f4 ?
is strong. 24. h5 g6 If 24...f6, then 25.Nf5 Hastings
Bxf5 26.gxf5 followed by 27.Qg2 with a strong at- 1988 0-1 D21
tack. 25.f4 gxh5 26.f5 h4 The only move. Black Grandmasters Lev Psakhis and Jonathan Speelman
needs to keep the g-file closed. 27.fxe6 fxe6 28.g5 of England are two of the most creative players

158
in the world. Despite their fancy for invention is slightly better for White (Karpov and Za-
they both have achieved some significant results itzev). Note that while Black has the d5 square

B B N N Q
- Speelman is a two time Candidate and Psakhis it doesn’t quite compensate for White’s space ad-

B B N R N Q
twice won the USSR championship. vantage. 11. c2 g6 12. bc3 ac4 13. c1
N N
Q B B
e7 14. xg6 hxg6 15. e4 h4 16. 2g3 d5
Q Q N B N N
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3. f3 c5 4.d5 e6 5. c3
17. c2 O–O–O 18. g5 xg5 A strong po-
N N N K N R
exd5 6. xd5 xd5 7. xd5 d6 8. d2 e7
9. xc4 xd5 10. xd6+ e7 11. xc8+ xc8 sitional move. After the exchange of Bishops

This line of the Queen’s Gambit Accepted, pio-
neered by GM Yasser Seirawan, is quite controver-
sial. is quite controversial as Black willingly gives
White the two Bishops. Compensation comes in
N R N R R Q
White will have a strong grip on c5, d6, and g5.
19. xg5 d7 20. f3 f4 21. ad1 g5 22. c1
Classic Karpov. The modest looking text con-
ceals a nasty threat - 23.b3. Now Speelman is

R Q R
forced to sacrifice the Exchange for insufficient
N B R B
the form of a lead in development and a harmo-

R N R N Q Q
compensation. 22... xf3 23.gxf3 xf3 24. fe1
B R R R
nious position. 12.g3 c6 13. g2 d8 14. g5+

R N K R Q
g4 25. e4 xb2 26. d2 2a4 27. c2 a3
K B R N
f6 15. d2 d6 16.O–O ad8 17. fc1 b6

Q K Q K Q R
28. xg4 g6 29. e4 b8 30. g3 e7 31.h3
N
18. f1 a5 19. e1 g6 20. ab1 db4 21.a3

R R R R N R
a2 Expecting the Knight to go back to d5 but h4 32. h2 f4 33. g2 h6 34. dd3 a6

R N N R Q
35. g4 d5 36.h4 b5 37. b3 d5 38. f3
R
the ever inventive Speelman has something else in
b4 39. g5 e7 40.a3 b2 41. xa4 Black
N
store even if it isn’t quite exactly sound. 22. c4
d4 23.b3 The natural question is why not 23.Ra1 Resigns.
attacking the trapped Knight? Speelman planned 1-0
the variation 23...Nb3 24.Rxa2 Rd1 25.Re4+ Kf7
26.f4 Rb1 27.Kf2 Nc1! but as New York GM
◦ Seirawan, Y.
N
Joel Benjamin points out White can improve with
• Beliavsky, A.
R N N R N R
27.Re3! meeting 27...Nc1 with 28.Be4. 23... b5
?
N R B
24. b2 ac3 25.a4 d1 26. b1 a3 27. cc1
Brussels
xb1 28. xb1 f5 29. b7 White is the Exchange
1988 0-1 D14
down but the two Bishops are good compensation.
White never recovers from a mistake in the open-
Tarrasch was the first to note that two Bishops
N N B
ing.
and a Rook, while inferior on a purely material-
N B N B N
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3. c3 f6 4.cxd5 cxd5 5. f4
B B
istic level, often are of equal practical value to two
B B R R N
c6 6.e3 f5 7. f3 e6 8. b5 d7 9.O–O
Rooks and a Knight. 29...g5 30. a6 f4 31. d3
e7 10. xc6 bxc6 11. c1 c8 12. a4 Cor-
R
A blunder caused by time pressure. Correct was
rect is 12.Ne5. 12...g5 Starting a sudden king-
31.Bb5 with equal chances. 31... xd3 The stan-
B N
side offensive to which there is little defense.
dard way of winning an Exchange up is to give it
13. g3 h5 14.h3 g4 15.hxg4 hxg4 16. e5 If
R K R
back for a pawn. This game is a good practical
N B
16.Nh2, then 16...Bh4! 17.Nxg4 Qg5 is strong.
R N B N R N
example. 32.exd3 xd3 33. e2 d5 34.gxf4
B K
16... xe5 17. xe5 If 17.dxe5, then 17...c5 with
R K B R
gxf4 35. c1 b2 36. c3 d3 37. g1 b4 38.
R
a large advantage to Black. 17...f6 18. g3 f7
g7+ f8 39. b2 d3 White Resigns.
19. e1 19.f3 would have held out longer, although
0-1
R Q
Black is much better after 19...gxf3 20.Qxf3

B K
Qg8. 19... h5 20. d2 If 20.Kf1, then 20...Qa5.

B
20... e4 21. f1 If 21.Nc3, then 21...Qh8 22.Kf1
◦ Karpov, An.
Rh1+ 23.Ke2 Bxg2 wins. 21... f3 There is no de-
• Speelman, J.
fense to ...Rh1#, so White Resigns.
?
0-1
Brussels
1988 1-0 D20
Anatoly Karpov, World Champion from 1974- ◦ Tal, M.
1985, is one of the greatest players of all time. His • Speelman, J.
opponent, Jonathan Speelman of England, is a two- ?
time Candidate who is noted for his original play. Reykjavik
N N B 1988 1-0 A43
N B N B B N
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 f6 4.e5 d5 5. xc4

N B N B B Nf6 5.Nc3
b6 6. b3 c6 7. e3 f5 8. e2 e6 9.O–O A combination by Tal.

N R Nc7 9.Bf4
a5 10. a4+ c6 Here 10...Nxa4 11.Qxa4+ Nc6 1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3. f3 g7 4. e2
(10...c6 11.Bd2) 12.Nbc3 a6 13.Ng3 Bd3 14.Rfe1 O–O 6.O–O c5 7.d5 a6 8. e1

159
 N N N N N N
N Q B N R R B Q
b5 10. xb5 Not 10.Bxb5? Nh5. 10... xe4 1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3

Q Q R B B Q
11. xc7 xc7 12. c4 f6 13. b1 e8 14.h3 a6 6. g5 e6 7.f4 b6 The famous Poison Pawn

R K
a5 15. d2 b6 16. e3 a6 17. xa6 xa6 variation of the Najdorf Sicilian, a long time fa-

N Q
18. be1 f8 Better is 18...Qc4 with an equal po- vorite of Bobby Fischer, is still one of the most

Q Q
sition. 19. g5 b7 Better is 19...h6. 20.c4 controversial variations in chess. Black breaks the
b4 21. e2 h6 21...Nxd5 22.cxd5 Qxf4 23.Ne6+ rules by going pawn grubbing with his Queen in

N K R Q Q K Q Q R Q N
fxe6 24.Rf3 e5 25.g3 is also good for White. the opening but a clear refutation has yet to be dis-

R Q N B
22. xf7 xf7 23. b3 a4 24. e6+ f8 covered. 8. d2 xb2 9. b1 a3 10.f5 c6

N B B
25. b7 Threatening Bxd6. 25... xc4 Also los- 11.fxe6 fxe6 12. xc6 bxc6 13.e5 dxe5 14. xf6

B B K
ing are 25...Rad8 26.Rxe7 or 25...Ra6 26.b3 Qxa2 gxf6 15. e4 e7 16. e2 h5 Necessary to stop

N
27.Rxe7 Rxe7 28.Qxe7+ Kg8 29.Qb7. 26. xd6 the threat of 17.Bh5+. 17.O–O f5 18. f3 f7

R
g8 If 26...Nxd5, then 27.Bxe7+ Rxe7 28.Rxe7 Accepting the piece would be risky - 18...fxe4

B R K B R R
Nxe7 29.Qxc4 wins. 27. e3 Threatening Rf3+. 19.Bxe4 and the twin threats of 20.Bxc6+ and

N
27... f6 28. f3 g7 29. xe7 xe7 30. xe7+ 20.Bg6 mate are difficult to meet. At best Black’s

Q K Q K Q K R R
xe7 If 30...Bxe7, then 31.Rf7+ Kh8 32.Qxg6 King will be stuck in the middle of the board and

Q R R Q B K B
wins. 31. xf6+ g8 32. f7+ h8 33. xe7 subject to a fierce attack. 19. h1 a7 20. b8
xd5 34. f7 Black Resigns. d7 21. e2 h4 22. g4 g7 23. xf5 This sac-
1-0 rifice looks likes it’s winning but Georgiev has a

Q R
hidden resource that turns the tables. 23...exf5
24. f2 d1 A move that illustrates how chess has
◦ Caturian, V.
changed from the previous century. Then Black
• Bangiev, A.
would have all most certainly have clung on to
?
all his booty till he was mated. Modern defen-
URS
sive technique is considerably more sophisticated
1988 1-0 B99
R
and the weapon of simplification - which Black
N N N N
An attack against the uncastled King.
uses here - is well known. 25. xd1 fxe4 Two
B B Q Q
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
Bishops for a Rook is a winning material advan-
N B N N
a6 6. g5 e6 7.f4 e7 8. f3 c7 9.O–O–O
tage but Black will have to to show considerable
N B Q R
bd7 10.g4 b5 11. xf6 xf6 12.g5 d7 13.f5
Q K
technique in view of his exposed King. The first
c5 14.f6 gxf6 15.gxf6 f8 16. h5 g8 Bet-
Q Q R Q
step is to coordinate his pieces. 26. e2 h6
B
ter is 16...Bd7. 17.e5 Opening the position
27. xe4 c5 28. f1 d5 A standard sort of
N Q
up. 17...dxe5 Better is 17...Bd7. 18. xb5+
move to make when ahead in material. Since sim-
Q N
axb5 19. cxb5 b6 19...Qa5? loses imme-
Q
plifying is in Black’s favor he offers a trade while
diately to 20.Nc6. 20. xe5 a6 20...Ra7?
improving the position of his Queen. 29. e2 h3
loses to 21.Nxa7 Qxa7 22.Nc6 and 20...Bh6+
Effectively ending the game. To stave off immedi-
N B
loses to 21.Kb1 Rg5 22.Nc7+ Kf8 23.Nxa8.
R R Q B R B
ate defeat White is forced to give up more material.
R B
21. f5 b7 21...Qc5 22.Ng7+ and 21...Bd7
Q K R Q Q Q
30. f3 g8 31. e3+ g5 32. xh3+ xh3
22.Nbd6+ both win for White. 22. hf1 c6
Q Q Q B Q Q
33. xh3+ g6 34. xg8+ xg8 35. g4 f7
If 22...Rd8, then 23.Nbd6+ Bxd6 24.Rxd6 Qc5
Q K
36. e4+ f5 37. xc6+ f6 38. xa6 xc2
N B Q
25.Ng7+ Rxg7 26.Rxd8+ Kxd8 27.Qxc5 Nxc5
39.h4 e4 40.h5+ g5 White Resigns.
28.fxg7 wins. 23. bd6+ xd6 24. xd6 Black
0-1
Resigns. If 24...Qc5, then 25.Ng7+ Rxg7 26.fxg7
Qxd6 27.Rxd6 wins.
◦ Short, N.
1-0
• Ljubojevic, L.
?
◦ Tolnai, T. Amsterdam
• Georgiev, Kir. 1988 1-0 B66
? Though his results have been uneven, young
Saint John British GM Nigel Short is considered by many the
1988 0-1 B97 West’s best hope to regain the world championship.
Bulgarian Grandmaster Kiril Georgiev is ranked After a tiny inaccuracy, he is able to sacrifice two
among the top 15 players in the world. His op- pieces to smoke out the Black King and drive it
ponent in this game, fellow GM Tibor Tolnai of all the way to h2 before administering the coup de
Hungary, is noted for his aggressive play. grace.

160
 N N N B N N B
N N B Q
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 10. g5 c6 11. xc6 bxc6 12.O–O–O xg5+

B B B B K Q
5. c3 c6 6. g5 e6 7. d2 a6 8.O–O–O h6 Better is 12...Rb8. Black clearly overlooked

N Q Q N K K
9. e3 d7 10.f4 b5 11. d3 e7 12. b1 b4 White’s 16th and 17th moves. 13.hxg5 xg5+

N B B R R
13. ce2 O–O 14.h3 c7 15.g4 b7 16. g3 14. b1 e7 Even are is 14...Qc5 15.e5! and

B R K Q
xd4 17. xd4 c6 18. he1 fe8 Better was 14...d5? 15.exd5 cxd5 16.Nxd5! exd5 17.Rxd5
18...Rfd8 – it turns out that the e8 square will winning. 15. e2 g6 16. xd6 xd6 17. xf7

N B K N
be needed for the Knight. 19.g5 hxg5 20.fxg5 The key move. The King cannot retreat. 17...a5
d7 21. xg7 xg7 22. h5+ Now if the King Other moves also offer no hope. For example,

R K
retreats to the back rank, 23.g6 will rip open 17...c5 18.Rd1+ Kc6 19.Bb5+ or 17...e5 18.Rd1+

B R
the position with decisive threats, e.g. 22...Kf8 Kc5 19.Na4+. 18. d1+ e5 If 18...Kc5, then

Q Q
23.g6 Bd8 24.gxf7 Kxf7 25.Rf1+ Nf6 26.Qh6, or 19.Na4+ Kb4 20.Rd4#. 19. xh5 xh5 20.f4+
22...Kg8 23.g6 24.gxf7+ Kxf7 25.Rf1+ Kg6 26.h4 xf4 21. g7+ Black Resigns. If 21...Qf6, then

K K
Bh6 27.Qg2+ Kxh5 28.Be2+. So Black decides to 22.Qc7#.

Q B Q K Q K
take his King for a walk. 22... g6 23.e5+ xh5 1-0

Q K
24. f4 xg5 25. xf7+ h4 26. h7+ g3

Q R R B
27. h5 h2 On 27...Rg8 28.Qg4+ Kh2 29.Re2+
◦ Tal, M.
Q R B Q Q
Bg2 30.Be4 wins. 28. xg5 g8 29. d2+ g2
30. f4+ g3 31. e4 xe4 32. xe4 Black Re- • Zaitshik, G.
signs. ?
1-0 Tbilisi
1988 1-0 B82
Many consider the late Tal to be one of the five
◦ Georgiev, Kir. greatest players of all time. Watch his magic at
• Sax, G. work.
?
N N N N
Q Q N
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
Reggio Emilia
N Q B
e6 6.f4 a6 7. f3 b6 8.a3 c6 Not 8...Qxd4??
1988 1-0 B81
B B R
9.Be3 trapping the Queen. 9. b3 c7 10. d3
N N N N
White sacrifices to get at the King.
N B
e7 11. d2 O–O 12.O–O b5 13. ae1 b4 Bet-
N R N
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
ter is 13...Bb7. 14. d5 exd5 15.exd5 g4 If
B N R N Q
e6 6.g4 h6 7.h4 c6 8. g1 h5 9.gxh5 xh5
Q N Q N Q
15...Nb8, then 16.axb4 followed by 17.c4 is good
B B
10. g5 f6 11. g3 a6 12. xc6 bxc6 13. f3
R K
for White. 16. g3 xd5 17. xg4 f6 18. h3
N R B
d7 14.O–O–O e7 15. e5 Opening up
Q B B
d5 Better is 18...bxa3. 19.a4 fe8 20. h1 a5
Q
the d-file. 15...dxe5 16. e4 b8 17. xf6
R
21. f3 d6 22.c4 bxc3 23. xc3 The Bish-
R B Q
gxf6 18. g2 Threatening 19.Rg8+ as well as
R B B
ops are directed right at the King. 23... xe1
19.Rgd3. 18... f8 19. c4 b6 If 19...Qa5,
B Q
24. xe1 b4 25. xf6 The King hunt starts!
R
then 20.Ra3! Bxa3 21.Nxf6+ Ke7 22.Rd7+ Kf6
Q K Q
25... xe1 26. h5 gxf6 If 26...h6, then 27.Qg4
Q R R Q N B
23.Qg5# or if 19...f5, then 20.Bxe6!. 20. b3
K Q
g6 28.Bxg6 wins. 27. xh7+ f8 28. h8+
R
a7 21. bd3 b7 22. g7 f5 23. d6+ xd6
e7 29. xa8 White has won a pawn and Black’s
Q B
24. xd6 White’s threat is just to advance his h-
B B
King remains open. White’s passed h-pawn could
R Q K
pawn. 24... xf2 25. xe6 The final break-
N Q KQ K
later have a decisive effect. 29... f2 30. b5
R K
through. 25...fxe6 26. xd7 f4+ 27. b1
d4 31. e8+ d6 32. f8+ e6 White is win-
xb2+ 28. xb2 Black Resigns. Black will run
N K B N
ning in the endgame after 32...Qe7 33.Qxe7+
out of checks after 28...Qb4+ 29.Kc1 Qa3+ 30.Kd2
Kxe7 34.Nxa5. 33. c5+ f5 34. d7+ e6
and White marches his King over to the kingside.
Q Q Q K
If 34...Kf4, then 35.Qh6+ Ke5 36.Nd3+ Kd6
1-0
Q K Q K B K
37.Qxf6+ wins. 35. xf7 xc5 36. xe6+ xf4

Q B Q K Q K
37. xf6+ e3 38. g5+ d3 39. e6 c4
◦ Sobura, H. 40. f4+ d4 41. c1+ b4 42. xc5+ xc5
• Pieniazek, A.
K B K K K B
43.b3 White is easily winning in the endgame.

B B B K B
? 43... d6 44. c8 e5 45.g3 e4 46. g2 c5

K B B K K
Poland 47. b7 b4 48.h4 c3 49. h3 e1 50.g4

B K
1988 1-0 B81 e5 51.g5 d4 52. a6 b4 53. g4 e4 54.g6
f8 55. g5 Black Resigns.
N N N N
A brilliant Rook sacrifice.

B Q N
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3 1-0
e6 6.g4 h6 7.h4 e7 8. f3 h5 9.gxh5 xh5

161
◦ Enders, P.
B R N Q
21.cxd5 exd4 22.Rc2 Qf4+ 23.Kb1 Kb8 24.dxe6
• Orgovan, S.
R N R N Q N
winning. 20... xc4 21. c2 fxe5 22. xe6 c6

Q B R R
? 23. xe5 c7 24. xc4 xe6 25. h3 c7 26.
Gyongyos b3 f6 27. d4 d8 28. xc7+ Black Resigns.
1988 1-0 B80 1-0
White sacrifices a Knight and then a Rook right in

N N N
the opening.
◦ Short, N.
B N N
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 a6 5. c3 e6
• Sax, G.
Q N
6. e3 f6 7.g4 e5 8. f5 g6 9.g5 gxf5 10.exf5 d5
?
R
11. f3 d4 12.O–O–O bd7 Better is 12...Nc6.
Saint John
13. xd4 A new move. Previously 13.Bd2 had
1988 1-0 B33
B
been tried. Black’s King will be under a vicious at-
The Svesnikov variation of the Sicilian is typical
B B N B Q R K
tack for the rest of the game. 13...exd4 14. xd4
of the sort of openings that have developed after
Q
c5 15. xc5 xc5 16. c4 d4 17. e1+ f8
the Second World War. Rather than just play to
Q
18.gxf6 xf6 Not 18...Qxc4? 19.Qg3 winning im-
equalize Black immediately aims for the initiative
B
mediately. 19. e3 White is threatening 20.Qe8+
N N N N
by creating imbalances from the word go.
Q K N R
Kg7 21.Rg1+ and mate in a few moves. 19... xf5
N N B N B
1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6
20. xc5+ g7 21. d5 ac8 If 21...Qh6+, then
5. c3 e5 6. db5 d6 7. g5 a6 8. a3 b5 9. xf6
22.f4 wins. Perhaps Black’s best chance was
gxf6 A key position in the Sveshnikov. Black
Q R
21...Rhc8 although White would have a large ad-
has compensation for his inferior pawn structure
vantage after 22.Qe3 Qd6 23.Nb6. 22. e3 xc4
in the two Bishops, the g-file, opportunities for
R B
If 22...Qh6, then 23.f4 Rhe8 24.Qd4+ f6 25.Re7+
N B B Q B
...f5, and the awkward position of White’s Knight
N K
wins. 23. g1+ g6 If 23...Qg6, then 24.Qe5+
B R
on a3. 10. d5 f5 11. d3 e6 12. h5 g7
R R K
wins. 24. xf6 xf6 If 24...Rxc2+, then 25.Kb1
N R R N Q R
13.O–O f4 14.c4 bxc4 15. xc4 O–O 16. ac1
K R Q
wins. 25.c3 hc8 26.h4 h5 27. g5 g7 28.f4
e7 17. fd1 c8 18. xe7+ xe7 19. c3 A
f8 29.f5 e8 30. g3 Black Resigns.
very effective consolidating move that plans b3
1-0
and Rcd3 pressuring the d6 move. It also con-

K R
tains a trap - 19...Rc6?? would lose a piece to 20.
◦ Ljubojevic, L.
B Q R
Bxe6 Rxc3 21.Bf5. 19... h8 20.b3 f5 21. h3
• Timman, J.
h6 22. xe6 xe6 23. hd3 White has a clear
?
positional advantage. His next step is to activate
Amsterdam
R
his one poorly placed piece - the Knight on a3 -
1988 1-0 B80
Q Q N
while Black’s Bishop on g7 languishes. 23... cd8
Grandmasters Jan Timman and Ljubomir Ljuboje-
24. e2 fxe4 25. xe4 f3 26. c4 Consistently in-
vic have been among the World’s best players for
creasing the pressure. The natural 26.Rxf3 allows
close to two decades. Each is noted for his original
R Q
Black to mobilize his center pawns after 26...d5
N N Q
play and fighting spirit.
Q R R Q Q
27.Qh4 Rfe8 threatening ...e4. 26... f4 27. d5
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3. c3 d6 4.d4 cxd4 5. xd4
K B N
g4 28. xf3 xf3 29. xf3 xf3 30.gxf3 d5
Much less common than 5.Nxd4 but well moti-
31. f1 f6 32. b6 Forcing the pawn to d4 af-
vated. White is prepared to surrender the Bishop
K
ter which White’s King enters the Black position
N B B Q N B
pair (Bb5 and Bxc6) in return for rapid develop-
B N B R R
through the c4 and e4 squares. 32...d4 33. e2
B B B
ment. 5... c6 6. b5 d7 7. d3 f6 8. f4
K K K
g5 34. c4 f4 35.h3 g8 36.b4 g2 37.a4
a6 9. xc6 xc6 10.O–O–O e7 A serious mis-
R R R R K N K
g7 38.b5 axb5 39. axb5 f6 40.b6 e6 41.b7
take after which Black is in real trouble. Correct
K K K R B K
g8 42. b1 b8 43. b5 d7 44. a5 c7
was 10... Qb6 when 11.Bxd6 O-O-O 12.e5 Bxd6
B R K K B R B
45. d3 d6 46.h4 c7 47. b2 h2 48. e4
R Q
13.exd6 Ng4 14.Qd4 Qxd4 15.Rxd4 f5! leads with
R K K
f4 49. c2+ d7 50. d3 h2 51. c1 f4
B N N
unclear to unclear play -Rajkovic. 11. he1 b6
52. g1 d6 53. c4 Black Resigns.
12. xd6 O–O–O 13.e5 e8 14. d5 A very nice
1-0
tactical shot that Ljubojevic had to find several
moves ago. Now Black has to go pawn grabbing
◦ Judith Polgar
B B R
with his Queen. White uses this time to whip up an
• Pavlina Angelova
Q Q R Q N B
overpowering attack. 14... xd5 15. xe7 d7

Q
16. a3 xf2 17. d2 b6 18. d4 f6 19. c5 Women’s Olympiad
c7 20.c4 The killing blow as 20...fxe5 is met by Greece

162
1988 1-0 B31 which appeared in Chess Informant, mentions that
There’s an old saying that "Chess is a sea in which only with this move have the players left the

B R B
a gnat may drink and an elephant may bathe." One theoretical highway in the highly analyzed Ruy

N B N Q N R N
of the allures of this ancient pastime is that no two Lopez. 23... f6 24.axb5 axb5 25. ea1 c8

R R Q R B B
games are ever alike; but we do know that among 26. e2 d7 27. c1 c7 28. a2 a8 29. b4

N B R
the vast number of recorded games there are some xa3 30. xa3 c8 31. a7 d8 32. xc5
curious coincidences – identical twins born years dxc5 33. c6 b6 34. xd7 The logical follow

Q N Q N
apart. At age 12 Judith Polgar played for Hun- up to White’s previous play but not necessarily
gary in this world team championship and earned correct. 34... xd7 35. fxe5 d6 36.f4 f6
a brilliancy prize for her effort that unwittingly du- Van der Wiel suggests that with the interpolation

Q B Q
plicated a brevity played ten years earlier by two of 36...Bc7! 37.g3 and only now 37...Nf6, Black

N N Q
obscure Russians (Levchenkov vs. Egarian). Pol- would be slightly better. 37. f2 c7 38. g3
gar went on to become the highest rated woman in h7 39. xf7 xf4 Blow for blow. The text is

N N B B Q K R
chess history. forced as 39...Kxf7? loses to 40.e5 Qd5 41.Qxg6+

N N N R B
1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 g6 4.O–O g7 5.c3 e5 Kf8 42.Qh6+. 40. xg6+ f8 41.d6 a8 Coun-

Q K R Q K
6.d4 exd4 7.cxd4 xd4 8. xd4 cxd4 9.e5 e7 terattack is the only defense. 42.e5 a1+ 43. b1

Q K
White sacrificed one pawn for the initiative but it c1+ 44. h2 xb1 45.dxc7 g1+ 46. g3
would be fatal to snatch a second one by 9...Bxe5? e1+ 47. h2 Draw by Agreement.

B Q N
in view of 10. Re1 f6 11. f4 winning the bishop. 1/2-1/2

Q Q N B R B
10. g5 O–O 11. xd4 c6 Stronger is 11...Nf5!
12. h4 b6 13. c3 xe5 14. ae1 xc3 Tak-
◦ Nunn, J.
Q
ing the bait. White would still have to find compen-
• Beliavsky, A.
Q Q
sation for the pawn after 14...Bg7! 15.bxc3 xb5
16. h6 f5 Alas, Black no longer has any de- ?
Brussels
Q K B K
fense. If 16...f6 17. Bxf6! Rxf6 18. Re8 Kf7
1988 1-0 C95
R
19. Qf8 mate. 17. xf8+ xf8 18. h6+ g8
19. e8# A fine illustration of how to exploit a Mastery of the Ruy Lopez is the hallmark of many
weak back rank. top GMs. So rich and complex is this opening that
1-0 certain players, like Anatoly Karpov, are quite con-
tent to play either color of the "Spanish Torture".
◦ Van der Wiel, J. The players in the following game, Grandmasters
• Timman, J. John Nunn of England and Alexander Beliavsky of
? Ukraine, are noted for their virtuosity in 1.e4 e5
Amsterdam openings and their attacking skills. This sharp en-
counter does both players credit.
N N B B N
1988 1/2-1/2 C95

B R B N
This wild game, between two of Holland’s best 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O

N N B B R
players, is a good example of counterattack be- e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.h3 b8

B N N B R
ing the best defense. Van der Wiel sacrifices the 10.d4 bd7 11. bd2 b7 12. c2 e8 13.b4

N
Exchange for a central pawn roller and Kingside f8 14.a4 b6 15.a5 bd7 16. b2 g6 17. b1
attacking chances which look to be unstoppable. h5 18.c4 Having made all the necessary prepara-

N
Timman saves the day by launching a sharp coun- tory moves White tries to blow open the center but

N N B B N N N Q B
terattack which ends in perpetual check. Black should be okay. 18...bxc4 19.dxe5 xe5

B R B N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O 20. xe5 dxe5 21. xc4 f6 22. a4 Nunn, in
e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.h3 b8 his notes to the game, criticizes this move for los-
10.d4 The Breyer variation of the Ruy Lopez ing control of the d3 square. He suggests that

R Q R
whereby Black loses some time relocating his 23.Re3 would have given him a slight advantage.

B
Knight to a better square. In return the c- 22... e6 23. b3 b8 More logical was 23...Rd8
pawn becomes free to advance, the Bishop has with ...Nf4 soon to follow. 24. d7 A clever

N N R B N
a clear diagonal, and the Knight on d7 helps idea bringing the Bishop to the Kingside for de-

B B R N B N N N Q N K
strong point the e5 pawn. 10... bd7 11. bd2 fense. 24... e7 25. g4 f4 26.g3 h5 27.gxf4

B B N Q R B N K R Q
b7 12. c2 e8 13. f1 f8 14. g3 g6 15.a4 hxg4 28. xe5 gxh3 29. g4 h4 30. f6+ h8

B B B N R R Q Q B N B
c5 16.d5 c4 17. g5 h6 18. e3 c5 19. d2 31. e3 c8 32. d7+ g8 33. xh3 g4+

B B K N
h5 20. g5 e7 21. h6 h7 22. a3 b8 34. g3 xg3+ 35.fxg3 g7 36. xb8 xh3
23. e3 Van der Wiel, in his notes to this game, 37. xg7 xg7 38. xa6 The rest of the game is

163
very easy for Nunn. R N Re2
38... xe4 39. xc7 N B
24... e5 25. e3 A necessary move to take along

N Q N
40.b5 Black Resigns. as the immediate 25.f4 would be strongly answered

Q B Q K B B
1-0 by 25...Nbd3!. 25... g6 26.f4 d8 27.f5 e5

Q R N B R
28. d2 a5 29. xh6 h4 30. h2 d7 31. g5

R Q R
h5 32. f1 g6 33. c6 xc6 34.dxc6 ab8
◦ Lau, R.
R Q
35.fxg6 fxg6 36.c7 bc8 37.b6 h7 38. xf8+
• Lukacs, P.
xf8 39. xd6 Everyone knows the normal value
?
of the pieces but here everything is topsy turvy.
Budapest
White is a Rook down but two big passed pawns,
1988 0-1 C93
N B
passive Black pieces, and very active White ones
A trite but true chess maxim is that the best an-
R Q Q
spell victory for the first player. 39... bc6 40. f6
swer to a wing attack is a counterattack in the cen-
xf6 41. xf6 d7 42.b7 Black Resigns.
ter. Hungarian Grandmaster Petar Lukacs gives an
1-0
excellent demonstration of how effective a pawn
break can be in the following game against Ger-

N N B B N
man GM Ralf Lau. ◦ Psakhis, L.
B R B R
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O • Smagin, S.
B N R N R N
e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.h3 e8 ?
B B N N B
10.d4 b7 11. g5 f8 12. f3 e8 13. bd2 Protvino
Q B N R N
f8 14.a3 h6 15. c2 b8 16.b4 bd7 17. b2 1988 1-0 C92
N N N N N
g6 18. b1 g7 19. b3 c8 20.a4 d5 21. xe5 A game featuring an attractive central pawn mass.
xe5 22.dxe5 xe4 23.f3 g5 24. c5 xf3+
N N B B N
B R B
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O
Q
Black decides to strike while all the White pieces
e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 O–O 8.c3 d6 Sometimes
K Q R Q K R
are sleeping on the Queenside. 25.gxf3 g5+
when Black chooses this move order in the Ruy
Q
26. h1 g3 27. e2 xh3+ 28. g1 xe5
B
Lopez it is to play 8...d5, the Marshall Gambit.
R K Q K R K
29. f1 As 29.Rxe5 would be met by 29...Qg3+.
9.h3 e6 The following are all "book" in this po-
Q K Q K Q K
29... g5+ 30. f2 h4+ 31. e3 e8+ 32. d3
B
sition: 9...Re8, 9...Bb7, 9...Nd7, 9...Nb8, 9...Na5.
R Q Q K
c4+ 33. d2 f4+ 34. d3 c4+ 35. d2
All are better than the text. 10.d4 xb3 11.axb3
xe2+ 36. xe2 f4+ 37. e1 On 37.Kd3 Black
In order to avoid a serious loss of time, Black was
R K Q K R Q
wins with 37...Bc8! 38.Qe8+ Kh7 39.Qxc8 Rg2!.
forced into the a-file opening exchange. Now the
Q K B
37... g1+ 38. f2 g3+ 39. e3 g2 40. d1
c4 square is off-limits to the Black Knight, and
e5+ 41. d3 c8 White Resigns.
R N Q B
the a-pawn will be a constant source of worry.
0-1
B N N N N
11... e8 12.d5 b8 13.c4 c6 14. d3 b4 15. d2

N B N Q
c5 16. e3 bd7 17. bd2 h6 18. f1 h7
◦ Sokolov, A. 19. g3 g5 20. f5 f6 The d6-pawn is a big
• Portisch, L. target, and after this the Queen can be driven off.

N B N
? Slightly better is 20...Nf8, although White’s attack

N Q N R
Brussels is still dangerous. 21. h2 h5 22. xg5 xg5

N Q N
1988 1-0 C92 23.h4 h7 24.g4 g6 25.g5 d8 26. xd6 f8
Opening preparation continues to advance at a 27. b7 b6 28. a5 f6 Hoping to open lines

Q N R
frightening rate. Hungarian Grandmaster Lajos against the White King, and take advantage of

Q Q R
Portisch is well known for his opening erudition the off-side Knight-a5. 29. h3 b8 30.f4 a7

K R Q N Q N
but here he falls victim to a powerhouse novelty 31.fxe5 fxg5 32.e6 d8 33.e5 gxh4 34. e3 e7
prepared by Andrei Sokolov and his second master 35. h1 f5 36. xc5 g5 37. e3 xe6 If
Black could eliminate all of the center pawns and
N N B B N
Yurkov. Everything had been seen before 24.b3!!.

R
activate his Rooks on the center files, the piece sac-
B R B
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6

Q R Q Q R R
rifice would be well worthwhile. 38.dxe6 xe6
B R N R N R
5.O–O e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 d6 8.c3 O–O
39. c5 h3 40. ad1 e8 41. c7 f8 42. d6
N B B
9.h3 b7 10.d4 e8 11. g5 f8 12. f3 e8

R Q R R R
It seems White’s Rooks are more active, though.
N B N R N
13. bd2 f8 14.a4 h6 15. c2 exd4 16.cxd4

K Q K Q N R
42... e7 43. b6 g5 44. g6+ g7 45. xg7+
N Q N N R B
b4 17. b1 c5 18.d5 d7 19. a3 c4 20. d4
e5 21.axb5 b6 22. xc4 xc4 23. g3 c8 xg7 46. f6+ h7 47. xg5 c6 48. g1
24.b3 This replaces the earlier 24.Bxh6. White Black Resigns.
still intends to take on h6 but first wants to en- 1-0
sure that the f - pawn will advance with tempo.

164
◦ Hjartarson, J. a strong point on e5 in favor of easy development
• Korchnoi, V. for his pieces. The strategical plans are determined
? by the pawn structure. White, with four pawns ver-
Saint John sus three on the Kingside aims for the Kingside

B B N N
1988 1-0 C82 while Black is King on the other side of the board.

B
B B R N
One of the biggest surprises of the 1988 World 6.d4 b5 7. b3 d5 8.dxe5 e6 9. bd2 c5

B B B N R
Chess Festival in Saint John, New Brunswick, was 10.c3 e7 11. c2 g4 12. e1 O–O 13. f1
Icelandic Grandmaster Johann Hjartarson’s elimi- h5 14. e3 g6 15. g3 e8 16.h4 A strong

B Q N B N
nation of Viktor Korchnoi in the first round of the move which forces Black to yield control of his

N N B B N N B N R N B
Candidates. f5 square. 16... xc2 17. xc2 d7 18. f4 f8

N B B
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O 19.h5 e6 20. e3 a5 21. ad1 c4 22. c1

B N N B B R Q
xe4 6.d4 b5 7. b3 d5 8.dxe5 e6 9.c3 c5 Black has succeeded in mobilizing his Queen-

N R N B N N Q R N
e7 10. bd2 c5 11. c2 g4 12. e1 d7 side pawn majority but Ivanchuk’s Kingside ac-

B B K N N B B Q B
13. f1 d8 14. e3 h5 15.b4 e6 16. f5 d4 tion counts for more. 23. f5 a7 24. e4

N R Q N N R
17. e4 g6 18.g4 h5 19.h3 f8 20.a4 Black’s b6 25. eg5 xg5 26. xg5 c8 27. e3 h6
opening has turned out to be a failure. His King is 28. h4 c7 29. g4 g5 30. f5 xe5 Black

B Q
stuck in the center and there is little hope that his has no satisfactory answer to the threats of Bxg5

Q R B N N
Rooks will ever be connected. The text increases and f2-f4 followed by Nxh6+. 31. f4 xf5

Q N K R N R
White’s advantage by preparing to open the a-file 32. xf5 xf5 33. xc7 d7 34.f4 e6 35.g4

R
for his Rook. 20...hxg4 21.hxg4 e8 22.axb5 xc7 36.gxf5 f8 37. e2 b8 38. e5 Black
axb5 23. a6 A natural but very strong move Resigns.

N R N B
that commences the start of cleanup operations. 1-0
23... b8 24. xe6 fxe6 25. xe7 xe4 Forced
◦ Vasyukov, E.
R
as 25...Kxe7 is met by 26.Bg5+ while 25...Qxe7
leaves the Bishop hanging on g6. 26. xe4 dxc3 • Rantanen, Y.

N K
Now 26...Qxe7 allows 27.Bg5 followed by Bxd8 ?
and recapturing on d4. 27. g6+ g8 The Knight Belgrade

R R Q R
is immune - 27...Qxg6 28.Qxd8+ Kf7 29.Qxh8 1988 1-0 C78
Qxe4 30.Ng5+. 28. d4 xd4 29. xd4 h3 Yrjo Rantanen is one of three Grandmasters that
The Knight still cannot be taken as 29...Qxg6 Finland has produced. Evgeny Vasyukov is one

N R N N Q Q
would be met by 30.Qd8+ Kh7 31.Ng5+ win- of several hundred that the USSR produced. Both

N N B Q K N
ning. 30. g5 h6 31. f4 c6 32. xc3 d8 players are noted for their skill in attacking the en-

N N B B N
33. f3 xb4 34. d2 a8 35. g2 c6 36.g5 emy King.

B B
Two pieces for a Rook is a winning material advan- 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O

Q R
tage but it is still instructive to see how Hjartarson b5 6. b3 b7 7.d3 A quiet way to avoid the

N Q K N Q B R N R
actually collects the point. 36...b4 37. c5 h7 sharp theory arising from the Archangel variation

N N B R N N B N B Q
38. xe6 g6 39. d5 h8 40. ed4 c8 41.e6 (5...Bb7). 7... e7 8. e1 O–O 9. bd2 e8

N
xd4 42. xd4 c5 43. f4 a7 44. c6 Black 10. f1 f8 11.c3 a5 12. c2 d5 13. e2 c5
Resigns. 14. g3 d4 15.cxd4 cxd4 Here a safer recap-

B R R Q
1-0 ture was 15...exd4. Now Black starts to get into

Q
difficulties. 16. d2 c8 17. ec1 b4 18. e1
◦ Ivanchuk, V.
N B Q N
A good move which ties Black down. 18... b6
• Tukmakov, V.
N N N
19.a3 c6 20. a4 a5 21. d1 d7 22.axb4
? axb4 23. f5 c5 24. g5 Student body right.

R Q N
New York GM Vasyukov starts to bring his pieces over to
1988 1-0 C82 the Kingside. 24... c7 25. h5 h6 26. xf7
Ukrainian Grandmaster Vassily Ivanchuk is among The start of a magnificent combination. Note
the world’s best. The 1988 New York Open was his that it can’t be refused as 26...Nxa4 would be

R R
breakthrough event and the following game against met by 27.Qg6! Rf7 28.Nxh6+ Kh8 29.Nf7+
compatriot Vladimir Tukmakov was a key victory Kg8 30.Ng5 winning. 26... xf7 27. xc5 Gain-

N N B B N
from this famous event. ing control of the a2-g8 diagonal for the Bishop.

N B Q
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O Note that 27...Qxc5 fails to 28.Bb3 Nd8 29.Qg6
xe4 The Open Ruy Lopez differs from the threatening Nxh6+. 27... xc5 28. g6 A quiet
Closed (5...Be7) in that Black eschews maintaining move with a deadly threat. Now 28...Rxf5 fails

165
 Nxc3 10.bxc3 dxc4 11.Bxc4 Bg4 12.Qd3 Nd7
K B R 13.Ng5 Nf6 14.h3 Bh5 14...Bd7 15.Re1 is
to 29.exf5 Rf8 30. Bxh6 Qc7 31.Bb3 Kh8
32.Bg5. 28... f8 29. xh6 ee7 White wins af-

Q K Q K
ter 29...gxh6 30.Qxh6+ Kg8 31.Bb3 Bf8 32.Qg6+ slightly better for White. 15.f4 Threatening to win

N K N Q
Kh8 33.Bxf7. 30. h7 e8 31. g8+ d7 the Bishop with g4 and f5. 15...h6 16.g4 hxg5

B
32. xe7 xe7 On 32...Rxe7 33.Bxg7 followed 17.fxg5 xg4 18.hxg4 d7 If 18...Bxg4, then
by pushing the h-pawn does the trick. 33. g5+ 19.Qe4 Qd7 20.g6 is strong. Instead Black sacri-

Q K R
Black Resigns. fices a piece for an attack on the open King, but its
1-0 insufficient. 19.gxh5 g4+ 20. f2 ae8 Black

R Q K B
is threatening 21...b5 22.Bb3 Bg3+ 23.Qxg3 Re2+.
◦ Beliavsky, A.
R
21. g1 h4+ 22. g2 b5 23. b3 c5 If 23...Re4,
• Petursson, M. then 24.Qf3 is forced and strong. 24. h1
? Black Resigns. White wins after 24...Qg4+ 25.Kf1
Reykjavik c4 26.Bd1 Re1+ 27.Kxe1 Qg2 28.Qe2 Qxh1+
1988 1-0 C42 29.Kd2.

N N
One mistake and it’s all over. 1-0
1.e4 e5 2. f3 f6 Despite its symmetrical na-
ture, the Petroff can be a very sharp opening and ◦ Hjartarson, J.
• Nogueiras, J.
N N N
is employed by some of the top Grandmasters

B B
in the world. 3. xe5 d6 4. f3 xe4 5.d4 d5 ?

N N B B R
6. d3 d6 7.O–O O–O 8.c4 c6 9.cxd5 cxd5 Belfort

N R N B Q
10. c3 xc3 11.bxc3 g4 12.h3 h5 13. b1 1988 0-1 C18

B
d7 14. b5 b6 15.c4 xf3 16. xf3 dxc4 Grandmasters Johann Hjartarson of Iceland and Je-

B
17. c2 White is planning a4-a5. 17...a6 Better is sus Nogueiras of Cuba have reached the Candi-
17...Qc7. 18. g5 axb5 Black decides to give up dates stage of the World championship cycle. Both
his Queen. If 18...Qc7, then 19.Bf6 results in a de- players are known for doing their homework but

B R
cisive kingside attack. For example, if 19...axb5 Nogueiras is especially noted for his diligence in

Q Q B R Q
or 19...gxf6, then 20.Bxh7+. 19. xd8 fxd8 finding novelties in the opening. Here he applies a

R R N B N
20. h5 g6 21. xb5 c7 22.a4 xd4 23. c5 known idea (16...Na5) in a new setting.

R Q N Q B Q
d7 24.g3 e8 If 24...Nxa4, then 25.Bxa4 Rxa4 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 b4 4.e5 e7 5.a3

R B Q K Q R
26.Qb5 wins. 25.a5 e5 26. b4 d5 27. xb7 xc3+ 6.bxc3 c5 7. g4 This move, which can

Q R B N Q B B
de7 28.a6 b6 29. c8+ g7 30. xc4 c7 initiate wild play, is not for the faint- hearted.

R B R
31. a4 e2 32. b3 c3 33. b4 a7 34. c4 White wins a pawn, a passed h-pawn at that,
c2 35. d3 d2 35...Ra2 would have held but matters are hardly clear. Black has a lot

Q Q Q R Q N
out longer, although White is still winning after of counterplay that shouldn’t be underestimated.

N B Q Q N
36.Qd6. 36. f4 Black Resigns. 7... c7 8. xg7 g8 9. xh7 cxd4 10. e2

R R Q N
1-0 bc6 11.f4 d7 12. d3 dxc3 13. xc3 f5
14. b1 O–O–O 15. g1 d4 16. d3 a5 A new
◦ Short, N. move that turns out well. The text may look a bit
• Huebner, R. odd - it temporarily decentralizes the Knight - but
? it is well motivated. With 16... . Na5 Black makes
Tilburg the c6 square available for his Bishop, opens the

B B Q
1988 1-0 C42 c-line for counterplay, and prepares to bring the

Q Q
R N
A super Grandmaster suffers a "Short" defeat. Knight to c4. 17.g4 a4 18.c3 c2 19. xc2
Robert Huebner is known as the strongest "ama- d3 20. a2 c5 21. g2 e3 Four outstanding

B Q R K
teur" chess player in the world, although what that moves in a row have caught the White King in

Q K Q R R K
means in chess is that he has another career. It cer- the middle. 22. xe3 xe3 23. g3 d2+ 24. d1

Q K K N K Q
tainly doesn’t mean he refuses any prize money! f2 25. c2 d1= + 26. xd1 xd1 27. xd1

Q R Q R N N
Being a non-professional has serious disadvan- xf1+ 28. d2 b5 29. e3 c4+ 30. e4 f2
tages in these times of advancing opening theory 31. c2 xg4 32. d3 xf4+ 33. xf4 d2+
and computer-aided study, and Huebner has found White Resigns.
it more and more difficult to compete successfully 0-1

N N N N N
against players like Short.
◦ Karpov, An.
B B N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 f6 3. xe5 d6 4. f3 xe4
5.d4 d5 6. d3 d6 7.O–O O–O 8.c4 c6 9. c3 • Farago, I.

166
 N B
? position for his Bishops and undouble his c-pawns
Wijk aan Zee with Nf3-d2-b3. 14...bxc5 15. d2 xa4 Cutting

B Q R Q
1988 1-0 C18 across White’s plan and starting some incredibly

R K
Former World Champion Anatoly Karpov has a complicated play. 16. xc5 xc5 17. xa4 xc3
tremendous feel for the game. His positional un- 18. e3 h8 19.g4 Nunn has excellent Kingside
derstanding is so fine that it is rare to find a game attacking chances for his pawn and the text, threat-

N N R B Q B
of his where things get out of control. The Poi- ening g4-g5, demands drastic action from Black.

N R R
son Pawn variation of the French Winawer would 19... ac6 20. f3 ab8 21. c4 b2 22. b3
hardly seem his cup of tea but the following game g6 23. a2 xb3 Trapping the Queen would

N B N
flows. not be the right way to describe what is hap-

B Q Q Q R R R Q R
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 b4 4.e5 e7 5.a3 pening here as Yusupov will have fantastic com-

Q N N B Q R K K R N
xc3+ 6.bxc3 c5 7. g4 c7 8. xg7 g8 pensation. 24. xb2 xb2 25. c1 b4 26.h3

Q N R R N
9. xh7 cxd4 10. e2 bc6 11.f4 d7 12. d3 fb8 27. h2 a5 28. g3 c4 29.c3 a4 30. d2
dxc3 13. xc3 f5 14. b1 c8 Hjartarson- cxe5 This game is a good illustration that some-
Nogueiras, Belfort 1988, saw 14...O-O-O, but times the standard numeric values for the pieces

B
the text, if followed up correctly, is also quite don’t apply. Yusupov has sacrificed more material
playable. 15. d2 b6 This gives the b-pawn ex- and after 31.Nxc4 Nxc4 he would have only two
tra support and allows the possibility of ...Nc6- Knight’s and two pawns - and a winning position.

Q Q N Q R
a5-c4 c4, but stronger was 15...a6 with ...Nce7 Instead of winning the Exchange Nunn elects to

R R N R Q R Q R Q N N R
and ...Bb5 to follow. 16.g3 b7 17. d3 ce7 eliminate the dangerous a-pawn. 31. a1 c7

N R N R R Q N
18. g1 c4 19.g4 h4 20. g3 c8 21. b2 32. xa4 bc8 33. a5 c4 34. xc4 xc4

Q Q R Q K R R
hg6 22. f3 c6 23. f2 h8 24.h3 d8 35.h4 f4 Black’s plan is clear - attack the c-

Q R R R K R
25. g3 e7 26. f3 c5 27. d1 a4 Decen- pawn three times and win it. 36.g5 h5 37. f3 e5

R Q N K R Q K Q K
tralizing. Better was 27...d4 with the Exchange 38. a7 xc3 39. xc3 xc3+ 40. h2 h3+

R N R N R B Q N Q R K R
sac 28...Rc3 soon to follow. 28. c3 e7 29. c1 41. g1 xh4 42. b8+ h7 43. xe5 g6

R Q N Q
d4 30. cb3 a5 31. b4 b7 32. xa4 xa4 44. d6+ e6 45. xd5 g4+ 46. h2 xg5

Q Q B
33. b4 d7 34. b3 As 34...Bxb3 isn’t possi- 47. e4+ The position is an easy win for Yusupov

B R N R K B R
ble (35.Bb5). 34...d3 35. xd3 xd3 36. xd3 as the White Queen is helpless without an out-

R
xb3 37. xb3 c5 38. c3 e7 39. f1 d8 side support. It’s instructive to see how Yusupov

R Q N
40. c4 Black Resigns. patiently improves his position and prepares to

K N Q N Q N
1-0 win Nunn’s f-pawn. 47... f5 48. d3 g5

N N Q N Q K
49. g3 f3 50. e4 e5 51. c2 g4 52.f3
◦ Nunn, J.
Q Q N Q K Q
e5 53.f4 g4 54. d3 h6 55. d6+ h7
• Yusupov, A.
N Q K Q N Q N
56. d3 g6 57. d7 g4 58. a7 g7 59. d4+

Q N Q R Q K
? f6 60. b2 h7 61. b7 d5 62. a7 xf4

Q N Q K Q N
Linares 63. d7 e6 64. b7 f4 65. b5 h4+ 66. h3

Q K K Q Q
1988 0-1 C19 g5 67. b7 f8 68. d5 h6 69. d6+ g6

K Q K Q N
John Nunn is not only one of England’s top play- 70. d2 g4+ 71. g2 h5 72. d5+ f5 73. d7
ers but he is also an outstanding writer on all as- h3+ 74. g1 g3 75. h7+ g5 76. xh3 h4
pects of the game. His opponent, Artur Yusupov , White Resigns.
formerly of Russia but now representing Germany, 0-1
has reached the Candidates level of the World
◦ Nunn, J.
N B N
Championship cycle several times.
• Nikolic, Pr.
B N Q B
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 b4 4.e5 e7 5.a3
xc3+ 6.bxc3 c5 7. f3 c7 8.a4 b6 9. b5+ ?
This move, which looks like it loses a tempo, is ac- Amsterdam
tually well motivated. After 8...b6 Black is threat- 1988 1/2-1/2 C18
ening 9...Ba6 ridding himself of his bad Bishop. GM Predrag Nikolic of Bosnia has the distinction

B B N
. The maneuver 9.Bb5+ Bd7 10.Bd3 stops this. of having qualified for both the World Cup and
9... d7 10. d3 bc6 11.O–O h6 A necessary Candidates cycle in 1990. Only a handful of play-

N B B
move to throw in as the immediate 11...O-O loses ers managed to pull off this difficult double.

R B N Q N N B B
to 12.Bxh7+ Kxh7 13.Ng5+ with a winning at- 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 b4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 xc3+

B N R B
tack. 12. e1 O–O 13. a3 a5 14.dxc5 A typ- 6.bxc3 c7 7. f3 e7 8.a4 b6 9. b5+ d7
ical plan in this position. White wants to open the 10. d3 bc6 11.O–O h6 12. e1 O–O 13. f4

167
 Kd8 19.Bf4 Ne7 The losing move.
N B N
In Nunn-Yusupov, we saw 13.Ba3, here the En- According
glish GM varies. 13... g6 14. g3 cxd4 15. xd4 to Kerpf and Wolf the only chance for Black was

R N R N
White captures this way because 15.cxd4 would 19...Qb6 20.Qe2 Qd4 21.Bg5 with unclear play.
be met by 15...Nb4. If Black can exchange off 20. c1 fd5 21. xe7 xf4 Here 21...Kxe7

Q
the Bishop on d3 the first player’s chances for lost to 22.Qxd5 Qe6 23.Qc5+ Kxd7 24.Qb5+ Kd8

N R N B Q Q R Q Q Q Q
a successful Kingside attack are greatly reduced. 25.Qa5+ b6 26. Qd2+ intending Re1. 22. e1

B N B N R R R R Q
15... a5 16. e3 c4 17. xc4 xc4 18.h4 d6 23. xf7 e6 24. a5+ b6 25. xa7 e1+

R K R
xa4 19.h5 e7 20. f4 f5 A neat tactical de- 26. xe1 xa7 27. e8+ xe8 28.dxe8= +

B R
fense of the Kingside - 21.Nxf5 Qxf4. 21. d3 xe8 29. xa7 Black Resigns.
d7 22. b1 a5 23.g4 Nunn understands exactly 1-0
what is happening. White is losing on the Queen-
◦ Kasparov, G.
N R Q
side so he needs to get something going on the
• Karpov, A.
Q
Kingside. 23... xd4 24. xd4 c7 Black needs

R B
to stay on the e-pawn to delay g4-g5. 25. f3 ?
ac8 26.c4 dxc4 27.g5 hxg5 28.h6 c6 Captur- Amsterdam
ing the Bishop leads to a unstoppable White attack 1988 1-0 B17

Q
- 28...gxf4 29. hxg7 Kxg7 30.Qg4+ Kh7 31.Qh5+ The following game, between two of the greatest

B Q
Kg7 32.Qg5+ followed by 33.Rf4 wins. 29. g4 players of all time, is a classic demonstration of

N N N N
gxh6 30. xg5 f5 31.exf6 hxg5 32. xg5+ The the realization of a small advantage.
start of 22 consecutive checks! Nunn’s training as a 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3. d2 dxe4 4. xe4 d7 5. g5

K Q K Q K R
mathematician (he has a doctorate) is in evidence. Moving the Knight three times in the first five

K R K Q K Q
32... f7 33. h5+ xf6 34. h4+ f7 35. f4+ moves may look like it violates basic opening prin-

K Q K Q K Q N
e8 36. xf8+ xf8 37. h8+ f7 38. h7+ ciples but 5.Ng5 is a based on an idea - to force

K Q K Q K Q B N B N N
f6 39. h6+ f7 40. h7+ f6 41. h6+ ...e6 to shut in Black’s c8-Bishop. 5... gf6

Q K Q K Q K B B R R
e5 42. g5+ d6 43. g3+ d5 44. g5+ 6. d3 e6 7. 1f3 d6 8.O–O h6 9. e4 xe4

Q K Q K Q R Q Q
e5 45. d2+ e4 46. e3+ f5 47. h3+ g6 10. xe4 O–O 11.c3 e5 12. c2 e8 13. e1
48. g4+ f7 49. f5+ g8 50. e6+ Try exd4 14. xe8+ xe8 15. xd4 Despite all of the
as he might Black is unable to escape from the simplification White’s small lead in development

K Q K Q K Q Q B B Q N
checks and he must finally agree to split the point. and greater board room give him an annoying lit-

K R B N R Q R
50... g7 51. g4+ h8 52. h3+ g8 53. e6+ tle edge. 15... e7 16. f4 xf4 17. xf4 f8

Q N
g7 Draw by Agreement. 18. e1 e6 19. d4 d8 20.h4 c5 21. e3
1/2-1/2 d6 22. xe6 fxe6 A serious error that shows
that even the great players occasionally err. Kar-
◦ Wolf, J. pov, whose positional understanding is second to
• Gerbich none, knows that 22... fxe6 creates a terrible weak-
? ness on e6 and that 22...Nxe6 is right. So why
Correspondence did he play 22...fxe6? Perhaps because he didn’t
1988 1-0 C02 want to lose a tempo after 22...Nxe6 23.Qe4 Nf8
Correspondence chess allows enough time for re- and that he wanted more room to maneuver on
flection that ordinary masters can sometimes play his second rank. However, as the game shows in

Q Q
at over the board GMs. Here J. Wolf plays a bril- no uncertain terms, the weakness on e6 is more

B K R Q K
liant sacrificial attack that any player would be than Black’s position can stand. 23. g4 d2

Q N B R R R R R Q Q
proud to have played. 24. b3 h8 25. e2 d6 26.g3 a6 27. g2

Q R Q Q R
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5. f3 d7 The e8 28. e3 e7 29. f3 d7 30. h5 e7

B B Q Q R R R
Wade variation. Black intends ....Bd7-b5 trading 31. e5 d8 32.a4 b5 33. e4 c7 34. f4 c5

B Q R N
off his bad Bishop. 6. e2 b5 7.c4 A sharp at- 35. f3 d6 36.axb5 axb5 37. f7 b8 38. a7

Q K R N Q B
tempt to combat Black’s plan. White sacrifices a b4 39. c2 bxc3 40.bxc3 e5 41. f7 h7

B B Q K B N Q N R
pawn to open the game and exploit his superior de- 42. g4 g8 43. e7 f8 44. f3 c4 45. e4

N Q
velopment. 7... xc4 8. xc4 b4+ On 8...dxc4 h8 46. c6 h7 47. f7 f8 48. e8 Nor-

N N Q N B
White has 9.d5. 9. bd2 dxc4 10.a3 a5 11.O–O mally Queen and Knight work better together than

K N N N
c6 12. xc4 a6 13. d6+ xd6 14.exd6 Queen and Bishop but this position is an excep-
cxd4 15. d7+ e7 16. xd4 f6 17. f5+ exf5 tion. The passive placement of the Black Knight,

R
A bolt from the blue which while not leading to the vulnerable King, and the weak pawns on e6 and
a forced win is still extremely strong. 18. e1+ c4 spell defeat. All of this explains why White

168
 N
B R N
exchanges Rooks. Soon after Black starts losing over the initiative completely. 27. d4 Better is

N B N B B Q
pawns and later the game. 48... xe8 49. xe8 27.Nxh5. 27... f4 A high-class move, combin-

K K Q Q Q N
h7 50. d7 f6 51. xe6 h5 52. xc4 e4+ ing defense and attack. White’s pieces are poised

K Q B Q K B
53. h2 h7 54. e6 f3 55. e1 g4+ for sacrifices against e6 and f5. The text move ad-

Q Q K Q K Q
56. g1 c6 57. d3+ g6 58. e7+ h6 59. e4 dresses such threats while opening up the d-file for
b6 60. f8+ h7 61. f7+ h6 62.c4 a6 annoying exchanges and pins. That’s the defensive
63.c5 Black Resigns. part - the really good news is that White has no
1-0 convenient way to guard e1. If 28.Qf3 or 28.Qc2,

Q
then 28...Rxd4 and 29...Qe1+ decides immediately.
◦ Short, N.
Q R
28. f1 Both players were in time trouble here.
• Speelman, J. 28... xa2 "Give me your pawns, baby." 29. f3
? h4 A marvelous move. Who could guess that the

N R R
Hastings Rook on h8 would be putting decisive pressure

R Q N
1988 0-1 B17 along the d-file? 30. gxf5 exf5 31. xf4 h6
Hastings has the longest tradition of any tourna- 32. a1 Better is 32.Rxf5. 32... d2 33. e2 The

R R Q
ment in the world, going back to 1895. England’s only move was 33.Qc4, although Black would still

N N N B Q R
top two players take each other on. have a large advantage. 33... e6 34. xf5 xe2

N N Q
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 dxe4 4. xe4 d7 5. c4 35. c1 ed6 White Resigns. There is no good

N B N B N
gf6 6. g5 e6 7. e2 Threatening 7.Nxf7. defense to 36...Rd1+.

B Q N
7... b6 8. b3 h6 9. 5f3 c5 10. f4 bd5 0-1
11. e5 a5+ 12. d2 b5 Forced. White can’t
be allowed to complete his development with ◦ Short, N.
• Speelman, J.
B N
Ng1-f3 and O-O, as Nd2-c4 would come too
strongly. 13.c4 bxc4 14. xc4 b6 Again, Black ?
isn’t comfortable with development as usual. If London
14...cxd4 15.Nf3 Be7 16.O-O and after the even- 1988 0-1 B09
tual Nd2-b3, Black’s Queen is missing a home. The 1988 Candidates Match between GMs Nigel
With the text, Jonathan tries to make d5 avail- Short and Jonathan Speelman of England was ex-
able for his First Lady. 15.b4 Nigel must have tremely hard fought. The following game, the
seen some variations in which the Black Queen fourth of the match, is a good demonstration of the

N B N N
gets trapped. Perhaps he overlooked that after danger of playing for a win without just cause.

B Q Q K
15...Qxb4 16.Rb1 Qa5 17.Rb5, the reply ...Qc3 is 1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.f4 f6 5. f3 O–O

N B B Q B R N
possible since the back rank is weak. If Black’s 6. e2 c5 7.dxc5 a5 8.O–O xc5+ 9. h1

Q
Queen isn’t trapped, then Nigel has pitched a c6 10. d3 g4 11. e1 xf3 12. xf3 b4

B N
pawn for nebulous compensation. 15... xb4 Not Black trades pieces to try to blunt White’s im-

Q R R B
15...cxb4 as 16.Nb3 Qa3 17.Bb5+ Bd7 18.Bxf6 pending Kingside attack. 13. e3 xd3 14.cxd3

R Q B B B Q B Q N
gxf6 19.Bxd7+ Nxd7 20.d5 qualifies as good com- b4 15. b1 a5 16.f5 ac8 17. g1 a4 18.a3

N
pensation. 16. b1 a5 17. b5+ d7 18. xf6 b3 19. d4 e6 20. g1 b5 21.g4 xg4 An ex-
gxf6 19. f3 Against 19.d5, Black has 19...Qxa2 cellent practical decision from Speelman who un-

N B B R
defending e6. 19...cxd4 20.O–O A natural mis- derstands that the routine 21...h6 just leaves him

Q Q R N
take. The Knight on b6 is an excellent defender. worse. 22.f6 xf6 23. xf6 xf6 24. xf6 b4

Q R R Q N
It blocks the b-file, controls c8 (check out the c- 25.axb4 a3 26. d1 xb4 27. f2 axb2 28. a2
file), and lends a hand to the support of Black’s d4 29. fxb2 d5 30. b4 a7 31. c1 Start-
King. Thus, it should be pushed back by 20.Bxd7+ ing to drift. Necessary was 31.Ra4. 31...dxe4

R N B N K
Nxd7 21.O-O, when White has play on the b-file. 32.dxe4 A serious mistake. Having made much
20... d8 21. e4 e7 22. xd4 f8 Cool de- of the play early on White finds it hard to reori-

Q Q
fense by Jonathan. His King is well protected by ent himself to the new demands of the position.
the wall of pawns on f7, f6, and e6. Gradually, his 32... e3 King safety is everything here. 33. g1
pieces can gain activity with moves like ...f6-f5, or The last chance to fight, albeit with the inferior

R Q Q Q Q R
...Rh8-g8-g6. Also, Black’s Queen may land up on position, was by 33.Nb3 Rfd8 Rfd8 34.Qf1 Rc2

N B N N Q Q R R Q
the monster square e5. Black is better. 23. fd1 f5 35.Re1. 33... f3+ 34. g2 d1+ 35. g1 fd8

N Q Q R
24. g3 Better is 24.Bxd7. 24... xb5 25. xb5 36. b3 f3+ 37. g2 d1+ 38. xd1 xd1+

R
d5 Centralizing the Knight and setting up mul- 39. g1 e2 40.h3 c2 White Resigns.
tiple forks on c3. 26. b3 h5 Black has taken 0-1

169
 O–O 14.O–O R B B
e8 15. f4 f8 The game is

R B B
about equal as the weak pawns on e4 and d6 can-
◦ Sax, G. cel out. 16. fe1 a6 17. c4 d5 18. a2 Safer
• Seirawan, Y. was 18.exd5. Now Black destroys White’s once
?
B B N R
proud center in truly hypermodern fashion. 18...b3
Brussels
Q Q K Q N N
19. xb3 c4 20. a2 dxe4 21. g5 c8 22.h3
1988 1/2-1/2 B09
Q B N B B
b6 23.a5 a7 24. h2 c5 25. 5xe4 xe4
Annotations by Yasser Seirawan. Chess Informant 26. xd7 c6 27. xe4 xe4 28. d6 The los-
voted this the theoretically most important game
B R K R B
ing move. Necessary was 28.Re2 or 28.Bg3.
N N B N
for the first half of 1988. 28... xd6+ 29. xd6 g7 30. e2 f5 White
B B N
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3. c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5. f3 c5 Resigns.
6. b5+ d7 7.e5 g4 8.e6 I confess; I’ve faced 0-1
this situation as Black many times. And like the
blind leading the blind I’ve followed my peers
and played 8...Bxb5 9.exf7+ Kd7 10.Nxb5 Qa5+ ◦ de Firmian, N.
11.Nc3... One day when preparing for the Za- • Miles, A
greb Interzonal, NM James Blackwood, IM John ?
Donaldson, and I asked ourselves what happens if Cambridge Springs
1988 1-0 B07
N B N B
we just take the e-pawn? This then is our joint
One rarely sees a strong Grandmaster lose in 20
N
analysis: 8...fxe6 9. g5 xb5 10. xe6 xd4

N N Q
11. xd8 Our analysis runs 11.Nxb5 Qa5+ 12.c3 moves as in this game from the U.S. championship.
Bf2+ 13.Kd2 Be3+ 14.Kc2 Qa4+ 15.Kb1! Qe4+ 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3. c3 c6 4.f4 a5 The En-

B N B
16.Qc2 Qxc2+ 17.Kxc2 with an unclear position. glish GM is known for playing unorthodox open-

N B B
Naturally, Gyula didn’t like having to call it peace ings. 5. d3 e5 6. f3 g4 7.dxe5 dxe5 8.fxe5
so quickly with White. Thus, he did the proper fd7 9. f4 b4 White gets too big of an ad-

N
vantage after 9...Ba3? 10.Bd2 Bxb2 11.Nb5 Qd8
B K B
thing. He thought for 72 minutes, and then took my
Queen. 11... f2+ 12. d2 e3+ Draw by Agree- 12.Nd6+ Kf8 13.Rb1. 10.O–O O–O 11. d5
ment. An unexpected Knight sacrifice. For the piece

B
1/2-1/2 White will have two central pawns and the d3-
h7 diagonal will be opened. 11... c5+ It is bet-
ter to accept the sacrifice, although White will
◦ Balashov, Y.
have a strong attack: 11...cxd5 12.exd5 and be-
• Torre, E.
K B
cause of the threat of 13.Bxh7+, Black should play
?
B Q N
12...Be7. 12. h1 d4 It was still better to play
Lugano
K N
12...cxd5. 13.e6 fxe6 14. c7 a4 15. e7+
1988 0-1 B07
R N Q N Q
h8 16. g5 h5 If 16...Bxd1, then 17.Rxf8+ Nxf8
Grandmaster Eugenio Torre of the Philippines was
N
18.Nf7#. 17. xf8+ xf8 18. f1 bd7 19. f7
the first Asian player to participate in the Candi-
f6 20.e5 Black Resigns.
dates. He is also well known for having served
1-0
as Bobby Fischer’s second during his 1992 match
with Boris Spassky. His opponent, Yury Balashov
of Russia, has been rated over 2600 and has a win ◦ Andersson, U.
• Greenfield, A.
N N
over Anatoly Karpov to his credit.
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3. c3 g6 The Pirc Defense, ?
named after the Yugoslav Grandmaster who was Saloniki
1988 1-0 A30
B
among the first to appreciate the counterattack-

Q
ing possibilities of this elastic defense. 4. e3 c6 Sweden’s top player Ulf Andersson is known for
5. d2 b5 Black shows his deep understanding of his quiet style, but he is also capable of quite the

N N B B
the position by avoiding two tempting but inaccu- opposite.

N B Q N
rate moves. Here ...Bg7 would only lose a tempo 1. f3 f6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 b6 4. g2 b7 5.O–O

N N R N
to a future Be3-h6 and moving his Queen early c5 6. c3 e7 7.d4 cxd4 8. xd4 d6 9.b3 bd7

B Q B
would be misguided as what Black really needs his 10. b5 c5 11. d1 fe4 12.b4 A strong ex-

B N N N N B
quick counterplay on the Queenside and in the cen- change sacrifice. 12... f6 13. e3 xa1 14.bxc5

N N B R B N N
ter. 6. d3 bd7 7. f3 e5 8.a4 b4 9. e2 exd4 bxc5 15. g5 d4 If 15...Qxg5, then 16.Qxg5
10. exd4 c5 11. e2 g7 12. d1 b7 13. g3 Nxg5 17.Bxb7 Rb8 18.Bxg5 wins. 16. xd4 cxd4

170
 R N B N N K N N N N B Q
Q K R B
17. xd4 c5 18. xb7 xb7 19. xf7 xf7 1.c4 f6 2. c3 e5 3. f3 c6 4.e3 b4 5. c2

Q B B N B B
20. f3+ g8 If 20...Qf6, then 21.Qxb7+ Kg6 O–O 6.d3 Better is 6.Nd5. 6... e8 7. d2

R Q K B Q R
22.Rg4+ wins. 21. xb7 The threat is 22.Rg4 xc3 8. xc3 d5 9.cxd5 xd5 10. e2 f5

B R K Q
g6 23.Bh6. 21... b8 22. e4 f7 23. a3 f6 11. d1 If 11.e4, then 11...Nf4 12.exf5 Nd4 is

R B Q Q
If 23...Rb6, then 24.c5. 24. xd6 b1+ 25. g2 strong. 11...a5 12.O–O e7 13.a3 If 13.e4, then

B B Q
e8 26. e5 f5 27. e3 g5 If 27...Kg6, then 13...Ndb4 14.Qb1 Bg4 is good for Black. 13...a4

R N
28.Rf4 or if 27...Kg8, then 28.Rd7 wins for White. 14. e1 Better is 14.Rfe1. 14... g6 15. c4 Bet-
28.h4 h6 29.g4 Black Resigns. If 29...Qg6+, then ter is 15.Rc1. 15... ed8 16. d2 The decisive

N N
30.h5 Qc2 31.Qf3+ Kg8 32.Rd7 wins. error. 16.d4! was necessary. Now comes a

B R Q
1-0 Kasparov combination. 16... d4 17.exd4 f4
18. f3 xd4 19. b5 19.Qc3 is better, although

B
Black has a big advantage after 19...Rad8. 19...c6
◦ Andersson, U.
Q Q N R Q
20. xc6 20.Qb6 Ra6 traps the Queen. 20...bxc6
• Speelman, J.
R Q
21. xc6 d8 22. f3 d6 23. b5 If 23.Qb7,
?
B
then 23...Rb6 traps the Queen. 23... d5 24. b4
Reykjavik
e4 25. c3 An error in time pressure. 25.Nd2
1988 1/2-1/2 A30
N
would have held out longer, although Black is win-
N N B B
Black needs to play originally to hold the balance.
ning after 25...Qh4. 25... e2+ White Resigns.
B B N N R
1. f3 c5 2.c4 f6 3.g3 b6 4. g2 b7 5.O–O
0-1
N N R Q
g6 6.b3 g7 7. b2 O–O 8. c3 a6 9. c1 e6

N
10.d4 d5 11.cxd5 xd5 12. a4 c8 13. d2
db4 White would end up with a slightly bet- ◦ Vaganian, R.
ter position after 13...Qe7 14.dxc5 Nxc5 15.Bxg7 • Chernin, A.
Kxg7 16.Nxc5 Rxc5 17.Qb2+ Kg8 18.Rxc5 Qxc5 ?
19.Ne5. Andersson is famous for grinding his Naberezhnye Chelni
1988 1-0 A28
N
opponents down in very simple positions. 14.a3

N N N N
a2 Black must play this move to hold the bal- Two top Soviet Grandmasters battle it out.

R N Q N B Q
ance. 14...Nc6? 15.dxc5 is good for White. 1.c4 e5 2. c3 f6 3. f3 c6 4.a3 d5 5.cxd5

B B B N N
15. c2 If 15.Ra1, then 15...b5 is good for Black. xd5 6. c2 xc3 7.bxc3 d6 8.g3 e7 9.d3

N
15... d5 15...Be4? 16.dxc5 Bxc2 17.Qxc2 Bxb2 O–O 10. g2 d7 11.O–O a5 12. d2 c5

B B K R N Q
18.Qxb2 b5 19.Qxa2 bxa4 20.b4! is good for 13. e4 f5 If 13...f5, then 14.c4 followed by Nc3-

Q
White. 16.dxc5 xb3 17. xg7 xg7 18. xa2 d5 is good for White. 14. xd6 xd6 15.f4 White

R B R R Q R B B
xd2 18...Bxa2 19.Qxa2 Nc5 is slightly better for needs to open the position up for his two Bishops.

N Q R N Q
White. 19. xd2 xa4 20.cxb6 axb6 21. d6 15... ae8 16.fxe5 xe5 17. f2 c6 18. xc6

N
White has a slight advantage in the endgame due xc6 19. b3+ f7 20.g4 a5 21. a4

R R B R R B R
to his more active pieces and Black’s weak b- c6 Not 21...b6 due to 22.gxf5 winning a pawn.

N B K N R R R R
pawn. 21... c6 22. xc6 xc6 23. b1 b8 22. d2 e6 If 22...fxg4, then 23.Rxf7 Kxf7

R
24. e5 xg2 25. xg2 c5 26. b4 b7 Not 24.Qc4+ is good for White. 23. af1 g6 24.g5

Q N
26...Ra8? 27.Rxb6 Ra3 28.Rc6 followed by Rc7 e6 Not 24...h6?! as 25.Qc4+ Kf8 26.Qxf7+

Q
with a large advantage to White. 27.f4 b5 Threat- and 27.Rxf5+ is strong. 25.e4 g6 26. b3 a5

N N R N R N R
ening simplification with ...Na6 followed by ...b4. 27. c2 c4 An error in time pressure. Better is

R N N Q Q R R R
28. c6 a6 29. b3 c5 30. b4 a6 31. b2 27...Nc6. Now Black will lose a pawn. 28.exf5

K R R N
b6 32. e5 c7 Not 32...b4? due to 33.Nd3 gxf5 29.d4 e4 30. xe4 xe4 31. xf5 g4+

N N N R R R R K R
b3 34.Kf2 with a large advantage to White. 33.a4 32. h1 xf5 33. xf5 c6 If 33...Nb3, then

K K R B N K R
b4 34. d3 d5 35.e4 c3 36. xb4 Draw by 34.Bf4. 34. c5 e4 35. xc4 f7 36. c5

K N N K N B
Agreement. g6 37. g1 e2 38. f4 e7 39. f1 b2

K
1/2-1/2 40. e1 f5 41.d5 h4 42. d1 g2 43. d2
f5 44.d6+ Black Resigns. Black’s position is
hopeless after 44...Ke6 45.Kd5 Kd7 46.Rd4 trap-
◦ Ehlvest, J.
ping the Knight.
• Kasparov, G.
1-0
?
Reykjavik
1988 0-1 A28 ◦ Kasparov, G.
A Kasparov combination. • Sokolov, A.

171
?
Belfort
1988 1-0 A19 ◦ Speelman, J.
Russian GM Andrei Sokolov stunned the chess • Karpov, An.
world when he reached the Candidates final in ?
1987. He hasn’t been able to repeat that success Saloniki
but he does hold the distinction of being one of 1988 0-1 A15

N N B B
the few players in the world to have beaten both Karpov shows how to win in a simple position.

B N N B
Kasparov and Karpov. This game however is not 1. f3 f6 2.c4 b6 3.g3 e6 4. g2 b7 5.O–O

R N N B R
one of his more golden moments. Kasparov plays e7 6. c3 O–O 7.b3 d5 8.cxd5 xd5 9. b2

Q R
a very sharp pawn sacrifice and Sokolov, who is c5 10. c1 d7 11. xd5 xd5 12.d4 c8
better noted for his attacking play rather than de- 13. d2 cxd4 14. xc8 Better is 14.Qxd4 with an

Q Q
equal position. The text allows Black’s Queen
N N
fensive prowess, quickly goes down.
N R Q
1.c4 f6 2. c3 e6 3.e4 The text, which keeps the to take up an active role. 14... xc8 15. xd4

Q N B Q B Q B
game going along pure English lines and sidesteps f6 16. c1 a6 Winning a pawn. 17.e3

B Q R B K
the Nimzo-Indian (3.d4 Bb4), is perfect for Kas- xa2 18. d2 c5 19. e5 d6 20. d4 a3

N Q R Q
parov’s aggressive style. 3...c5 A more circum- 21. xa3 xa3 22. c7 xg2 23. xg2 h6

N
spect choice was 3...d5 aiming for 4.e5 d4 5.exf6 24. c4 xb3 25. xa7 c2 Threatening ...Ne4.

N N N N
26. e5 If 26.Nxb6, then 26...Ne4 27.Kf3 Qxf2+
N
dxc3 6.bxc3 Qxf6 7.d4 e5. The text offers White a
N N Q Q
28.Ke4 Qf5#. 26... e4 27. d3 d2 28. e5
N N N N N
chance to play a very promising gambit. 4.e5 g8
b5 29.h4 e4 30. d3 c4 31. d7 An error in
N B Q B
5. f3 c6 6.d4 cxd4 7. xd4 xe5 8. db5 a6
9. d6+ xd6 10. xd6 f6 11. e3 So far so the- time pressure. Better is 31.Qxc4 bxc4 or 31.Ne5

N
ory. For the sacrificed pawn White has the two Qc2 32.Nd3 Nf6 33.Ne5 h5 with a large advan-

R
tage to Black in either case. 31... d2 Threatening
N B N Q
Bishops, a lead in development, and lots of play on
Q K N K
32...Qe4+ to which there is no defense. 32. c7
Q Q N
the dark squares. 11... e7 12. b6 f5 13. c5
e4+ 33. h2 f3+ 34. h3 g5 35.hxg5 hxg5
Q
d6 14. a5 e7 15.O–O–O O–O 16.f4 c6
17. a3 e5 18.g4 A strong novelty that overturns White Resigns. There is no defense to 36...g4+
existing theory. Previous to this game 18.c5 had 37.Kg2 Ne5+.
been tried and found wanting. With the text White 0-1

N N Q
prepares to lock in Black’s Bishop and in so doing
◦ Piket, J.
R
his Rook on a8 as well. 18... fd4 19. d5 f7
20.f5 g6 21. g1 Grandmaster Sergey Makarichev, • Kasparov, G.
one of Kasparov’s coaches, gave this move two ?
exclamation marks in Chess Informant 45. Why? Tilburg
Partly because 21.Qxd6 is messy but also because 1989 0-1 E99
the text will open lots of lines which should fa- The 20 year old Hollander Piket has a great future.

K B Q B
vor the better developed player - White. 21...gxf5 But currently the World Champion Kasparov re-

Q N N B N
22.g5 h8 23.gxf6 e6 24. xd6 xd5 25.cxd5 mains out of his league.

B N N N N
xf6 This move seems like it loses a piece but 1.d4 f6 2. f3 g6 3.c4 g7 4. c3 O–O 5.e4

B B N
Sokolov has seen a trick a few moves down the d6 6. e2 e5 7.O–O c6 8.d5 e7 9. e1 d7

N
road. Unfortunately for him Kasparov’s evaluation 10. e3 f5 11.f3 f4 12. f2 g5 13.b4 f6 14.c5
of the position has gone much deeper. He foresees g6 The King’s Indian Defense often results in
that despite being temporarily a pawn down in the positions in which there is a race between White’s

Q R R R
ending he has all the winning chances thanks to his attack on the queenside and Black’s on the king-
two Bishops. 26. xf6+ xf6 With the point that side. 15.cxd6 cxd6 16. c1 f7 This is both

K N B R B R
27.dxc6 is met by 27...Rxc6 check picking up the a defensive and offensive move. The rook de-

B N R B R B
Bishop. 27. b1 d8 28. c5 c8 29. e7 f7 fends the 7th rank and the Bishop is moved to

R
30. d6 f3 31. g3 e4 32. e2 f6 33. f4 f8 for defensive purposes, but later this Rook can

B R B B B N
g6 White’s two Bishops have done their job be moved to the g-file for attacking purposes.

K R N R R
and the rest is easy. 34. xf3 xg3 35. xe4 17.a4 f8 18.a5 d7 19. b5 Better is 19.Kh1

R R R R N N
fxe4 36.hxg3 g7 37. d4 f7 38. xe4 d8 perhaps followed by Bg1. Now Black’s attack
39. e7 xd5 40. xb7 h5 41. a7 a5 42.a4 comes fast. 19...g4 20. c7 g3 21. xa8 Better is

N
Black Resigns. 21.hxg3 fxg3 22.Bxg3 although Black is better in
1-0 this complicated position after 22...Bh6. 21... h5

172
 K
22. h1 The only move. White loses quickly 1989 0-1 E92

R
after 22.Bxa7 Qh4 23.h3 Bxh3 24.gxh3 Qxh3 The Hungarian Grandmaster Portisch is one of the

N K
25.Rf2 gxf2+ 26.Kxf2 Nh4. 22...gxf2 23. xf2 strongest players in the world, especially with the
g3+ 24. g1 The attack is too strong. 24.hxg3 White pieces. But the English Grandmaster Nunn

Q B Q
fxg3 followed by ...Qh4+ immediately ends the is extremely dangerous in sharp positions in which

N N B N
game. 24... xa8 25. c4 a6 26. d3 26.hxg3 he is attacking.

Q B N B B N B N
fxg3 27.Rb2 Qd8 28.Kf1 Bh6 29.Ke2 Qg5 is also 1.d4 f6 2. f3 g6 3.c4 g7 4. c3 O–O 5.e4

N N B N
hopeless. 26... a7 27.b5 axb5 28. xb5 h1 d6 6. e2 e5 7. e3 h6 8.O–O g4 9. c1 c6

N R B B N R
White Resigns. 29.Kxh1 Qxf2 leaves White a 10.d5 e7 11. e1 f5 12. xg4 fxg4 13. c2 g5
piece down. 14. e3 f4 15. d2 d7 16.b4 g6 17. c1
0-1 Black plans to continue his attack on the king-

N K
side with ...Nh4 followed by ...Qe8 and ...Qh5.

Q
17... h4 18. h1 White needed to play 18.f3 gxf3
◦ Polugaevsky, L.
19.g3 right away. Now he is in trouble. 18... e8
• Georgiev, Kir.
19.f3 Black was planning to play 19...Qh5 fol-
?
lowed by 20...Nf3 21.gxf3 gxf3 and 22...Rh4.
Haifa
Black would have a big advantage after 19.Nf5
1989 1/2-1/2 E97
Nxf5 20. Bxf4 gxf4 21.exf5 Bxf5 followed by
N N B B
An instructive tactical game.
22...Qg6. Even worse is 19.g3 Nf3 followed by
N N N N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5. e2
Q
20...Qh5. 19...gxf3 20.g3 Even worse is 20.gxf3
R N N
O–O 6. f3 e5 7.O–O c6 8.d5 e7 9. d2 c5
Qh5 followed by 21...Nxf3. 20... h5 21.gxh4
B K R Q
10. b1 e8 11.b4 b6 12.bxc5 bxc5 13. b3 f5
R R
Also bad is 21.gxf4 exf4 followed by 22...Bh3.
Q B B
14. g5 h8 15.exf5 gxf5 16.f4 g8 17. e1
N R K
White’s best hope is 21.Rf2. 21... xh4 22. f2
Q
Threatening 18.Qh4. 17... d7 18. h5 a6
Q
g4 23. f1 h3 Threatening 24...g3. 24. g1
19. h4 e4 The only move. If 19...Nc8, then
N
g6 Again threatening a decisive breakthrough
N B B
20.Bg6 Bf8 21.Bxe8 Qxe8 22.fxe5 dxe5 23.Bf6+
with 25...g3. 25. g3 White is threatening to
wins. 20. xe4 fxe4 21. xe7 xc4 22.f5
R N
stop Black’s attack with 26.Nf5 Bxf5 27.gxf5
B R N Q N
Threatening f5-f6. White has a large advantage.
Qxf5 28.Qc2 followed by Ne4. 25... f8 26. f5
B
22... xf1 23. xf1 c4 24. c1 b7 25. e2
R B
Otherwise Black will breakthrough with 26...h5
N N Q R B
e5 If 25...Qxd5, then 26.Bg6 is strong. 26.f6
N
followed by 27...h4. 26... xf5 27.exf5 xf5
Q R N R N
c7 27.f7 xd5 28.fxg8= + xg8 29. g5
28. e2 Now White has no defense against ...g3.
Q N
g7 30. f5 e3 31. xe5 xg2 Not 31...dxe5
Q B Q B
He can only postpone the inevitable. 28...fxe2
N Q
32.Bf6. 32. f2 f4 If 32...Nh4, then 33.Rd5
29. xe2 d3 30. d1 g3 31.hxg3 e4 White
Qa1+ 34.Qf1 wins. 33. xf4 xe5 If 33...dxe5,
Resigns.
Q B
then 34.Ng6+ wins. 34.h4 Threatening 35.Ng6+.
0-1
34...e3 35. f3 h6 36. f7 White was in time

N R B
trouble. 36.Ng6+ would have won more quickly.
◦ Christiansen, L.
36...e2 37. xe2 g7 38. d5 Completely blow-
• Gurevich, I.
ing the win. 38.Qh5 would have won easily. Now
?
Q K N
White has to fight for a draw. 38...hxg5 39.h5 g4
Philadelphia
K
40. f8+ h7 41. f4 g3 If 41...c3, then 42.Ne6.
1989 1-0 E90
Q K Q K
The text move threatens 42...g2 winning. 42. g2
Black has a ferocious kingside attack, but White
Q K
The only move. 42... b2+ 43. f3 f2+ 44. e4
N B N
defends by counterattacking.
B Q K
c2+ 45. f3 g2 Black sacrifices his Queen to
N N B
1.c4 g6 2. c3 g7 3.d4 c5 4.d5 d6 5.e4 f6
Q Q K Q K Q
promote a new one. 46. e4+ xe4+ 47. xe4
N B B N
6. f3 e6 7.h3 a6 8. d3 O–O 9. O–O
K Q K Q
g1= 48. f5+ h6 49. f6+ h7 50. f5+
c7 10.a4 e5 11. g5 h6 12. d2 h5 Prepar-
h8 51. f8+ h7 52. f5+ Draw by Agree-
Q N N N K
ing to start his kingside attack with ...f7-f5.
ment.
B B R
13. c1 g5 14. e2 f4 15. xf4 gxf4 16. h2
1/2-1/2
Q Q
f5 Planning g2-g3. 17.exf5 xf5 18. xf5 xf5

R
19. c2 White must prevent ...e5-e4. 19... d7
◦ Portisch, L.
R
20. ab1 Preparing a queenside attack with 21.b4.
• Nunn, J. 20... af8 Worth considering was blockading the
? queenside with 20...a5. Then White planned to
Skelleftea play 21.Rfe1 followed by infiltrating with his

173
 N R
R R
Queen with 22.Qb3. 21.b4 e8 22. fe1 b6 If 30...Kxg6, then 31.Qh7+ Kf6 32.Qxf5+ wins.
23.a5 h5 Better is 25...Qc8 to prevent White’s 31. xh6 Black Resigns.

Q
25th move. 24.bxc5 bxc5 25.a6 Now the 1-0

R R Q
Rook has an infiltration square at b7. 25... g4

N
26. b7 ff5 27. d3 Not 27.Rxa7? Rxh3+
◦ Gheorghiu, F.
R Q K
28.gxh3 Rh5 29.Ng1 f3 winning. 27... f6
• Piket, M.
28. xa7 g6 29. g1 Better is 29.Rxb7 Ng4+
?
30.Kg1 Rxh3 31.a7 winning. Now Black’s at-
Lugano
R
tack becomes very dangerous. 29...e4 Not im-
1989 1-0 E81
R R
mediately 29...Rxh3 due to 30.Nxe5. 30. xe4
Romanian Grandmaster Gheorghiu, who won the
K
xh3 31. xg7+ Other moves lose: 31.Ree7 Bf8
world junior championship in 1963, takes on a new
B R
and 31.Rb7 Rfh5 32.Re8+ Nxe8. 31... xg7 Not
N B N
promising talent, 20-year-old Piket of Holland.
31...Qxg7 32.Re7 winning. 32. c3 e5 A very
B N N Q Q
1.d4 d6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 f6 5.f3 O–O
B
strong move that breaks the pin on the diagonal.
K B
6. e3 c5 7. ge2 c6 8. d2 a6 9.O–O–O a5
N Q
33. xe5 33.Nxe5 Rxd3 34.Nxg6 Rxc3 leads to an
10. b1 e6 11. h6 b5 The players attack the
equal position. 33...dxe5 34.a7 xe4 35. e2 Not
B K
opposing Kings on opposite sides of the board.
R
35.a8=Q? Rh1+ 36.Kxh1 Nxf2+ and 37...Nxd3
N
12. xg7 xg7 13.dxc5 b4 It appears that the
Q
with a large advantage to Black. 35... xf3
Knight has no safe squares. 14. d5 Worse is
R Q K
36.a8= Also good is 36.Qxf3 Nd2 37.Qe2 Qb1+
14.cxd6 bxc3 15.Qxc3 Qc5 with a large advantage
Q K Q K Q R
38.Kh2 Nf1+ 39.Kh3. 36... xf2 37. b7+ g8
to Black. 14...exd5 15.cxd5 dxc5 White’s central
38. c8+ h7 39. d7+ h8 40. dg4 xe2
B
pawns are too powerful after 15...Ne5 16.cxd6. So
Q N Q
Not 40.Qeg4? Rf1+ 41.Kxg1 Ng3+ 42.Qxg3 fxg3
R Q R
Black gives back the piece. 16.dxc6 e6 17.b3
K Q K K N K
with an equal position. 41. xg6 g3 42. xh6+
Q R Q
Not 17.Nc1? c4. 17... fd8 18. c2 xd1+
Q
g8 43. e6+ g7 44. h2 f1+ 45. h3 f3
R
19. xd1 d8 20. c1 Not 20.Qc2? Nd5!
46. g4+ White needs to be careful. 46.gxf3
Q N
21.exd5 Bf5. 20... d3 Threatening 20...Bxb3.
K Q R
Rh2+ 47.Kg4 Ne3+ allows a draw by perpetual
N
21. c2 c4 22. f4 22.bxc4 b3 23.axb3 Qe1+
check. 46... h6 47. xf3 e3 48.d6 Black Re-
gives Black too much play. 22...cxb3 23. xe6+
signs. There is no way to stop the d-pawn.
R Q R B
fxe6 24.axb3 Not 24.Qxd3? Qxa2+ 25.Kc1 b2+
1-0
Q R
winning. 24... c3 25. b2 xc6 26. c4

Q Q Q
c7 27. d1 e5 Not 27...Qxh2 28.Rd7+ winning.
◦ Levitt, J.
28. d2 a5 29. d8 a7 Better is 29...a4 with
• Martin, And.
counter chances. 30.g4 Suddenly the Black King
?
Q
is finding itself in a mating net. 31.g5 is threat-
Glasgow
R
ened. 30... e3 If 30...g5, then 31.h4 h6 32.hxg5
1989 1-0 E87
Q K Q
hxg5 33.Rh1 wins. 31.h4 xc4 If 31...Nxe4, then
This game features a well-known sacrifice of the
32.Qd7+ wins. 32. e7+ h6 33. f8# 1-0
N N B
Queen for a two pieces and a pawn.

B N Q Q N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 O–O 5.f3 d6
◦ Seirawan, Y.
Q N Q N K N
6. e3 e5 7.d5 h5 8. d2 h4+ 9.g3 xg3
• Kasparov, G.
R N N N N B
10. f2 xf1 11. xh4 xe3 12. e2 xc4

N N N N Q B
13. c1 a6 14. d1 b6 15. e3 d7 ?

B B
16. h3 f6 17. f2 c8 18. d3 c5 19. g3 h6 Skelleftea
20.h4 b5 Better is 20...Bxe3. 21.a4 xd3+ 1989 1/2-1/2 E73

K N K
Not 21...Bxa4 22.h5 g5 23.Nf5 Bg7 24.h6 with a Every now and then a GM plays a game so compli-

B N N B
winning advantage. 22. xd3 b4+ 23. e2 f5 cated that he doesn’t know what’s going on.
24.h5 xe3 White’s kingside attack is very dan- 1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 d6 The last

R B B B
gerous. 25.hxg6 h6 If 25...Bxc1, then 26.gxh7+ time I played this position, Garry was White and I

B Q R
Kh8 27.Rg1 wins. 26. xh6 The decisive break- was Black. 5. e2 O–O 6. g5 c5 7.d5 h6 8. e3
through. 26... xh6 If 26...Bxc1, then 27.Qh3 Kg7 e6 9. d2 exd5 10.cxd5 e8 11.f3 h5 An impor-

Q K R B
28.Rh7+ Kxg6 29.Qh5+ Kf6 30.Qf5 checkmate. tant move. Black uses his h-pawn to gain space
27. h3 g7 28. h1 g5 If 28...Rh8, then on the Kingside. White has won some fine games

Q K Q
29.Qxf5 Rf8 30.Qh3 Rh8 31.Qd7 Kxg6 32.Qe6+ by playing g2-g4 and h2-h4. 12.a4 a6 13.a5 Both

B
Kg7 33.Rg1 wins. 29. h7+ f6 30. d7 Threat- players are waiting. White wants to play Ng1-h3-
ening 31.Qe6+ Kg7 32.Rh7 checkmate. 30... h6 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 next
N
move answers that question. Black will. White
should have played 13.h4. 13... h7 An impor-
tant new idea in the position. Black intends f7-f5,
attacking White’s trump, his powerful center. If
Black succeeds in destroying the center, he wins.
B
White’s position will be ruined. I now had to un-
N
dertake a major rethink of the position. 14. d1
Not pretty, but necessary. 14... d7 The waiting
game is over. Black has won the first battle. White
N N Q
has been forced into an ugly scheme of develop-
B Q Q R
ment. 15. ge2 e5 16.b3 h4+ More natural
is 16...f5. 17. f2 f6 18. e3 Continuing to mis-
use all my pieces, while only a couple of Black’s
are 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-
B
side becomes a rigid target. Black will also keep
the mighty outpost on e5. 19.h3 g5 20.O–O d7 I
ain’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! In
short, if I were the World Champion, with White’s
K
position, I’d offer a draw and excuse myself. Be-
N B N B K
fore all else, my King needs protection. 21. h1
f8 22. g1 fg6 23. h2 c4 When making this
move, Garry literally screwed the pawn into the
c4-square, then he rubbed the pawn on the square
hard enough to rock the table. I was so delighted
by this move and its accompanying motions that I
couldn’t repress a smile. In an instant, my Rooks
now know where to play. The Knight on e2 is of-
R R Q
fered the d4-square, while my Queen is unleashed
N
on the g1-a7 diagonal. 24. b1 ac8 25. a7
f4 As good as anything else. Black is impal-
ing himself on White’s defenses. 26.bxc4 After
N R
the simple 26.Bxf4 gxf4 27.Qxb7, Black is in real
trouble. 26... xc4 27. xb7 A capture made with
high hopes. I’m amazed that I could play such
a bad move. Once again, I was too sure of my
N N
King’s defenses. 27.Bxf4 was forced. Now Black
R N
has a ferocious attack against my King. 27... d2
28. g1 Here, my confidence in victory was ab-
solute! After all, isn’t Black’s Bishop simply
N
trapped? In fact, the position is harrowingly com-
plicated. 28... xh3 29.e5 My intended resource.
The structure g2-f3-e4-d5 was supposed to cor-
ral Black’s Knights. They’ve jumped the fence.
R B
My best chance to save the game is 29.Rxd7.
29... xe5 29...Qf5! causes White real problems.
175
R N Q
30. xd7 xg1 31. xg1 In making this move, I
was once again fully confident of victory. Most
of the little horrors hovering around my King have
disappeared. I’m ahead in material. Things never
appeared so rosy; the only drawback was the time
control. At least that was mutual. I had 5 min-
utes left until move 40 while Garry had 6 minutes
left. Unfortunately, my confidence was not fully
warranted. White’s Knights on c3 and e2 step on
each other’s hooves. My Queen is passive. And the
f3-pawn can easily be undermined by h4-h3. Both
players were beginning to tense up. I felt my mind
had slipped into high gear and was speeding at
R Q B
100 miles per hour! 31... ee8 Correct is 31...h3!
32. xd6 f5 33. a4 Garry had overlooked this
grab from the crypt when playing 33...Ree8. I
Q
had been dreaming of such a moment ever since
14.Bd1. 33... d3 A tremendous reaction to the
shock of 33.Ba4. Black’s Queen is omnipresent on
d3. My Knights are in concrete shoes. The bum’s
B R R
rush d5-d6-d7 is nigh impossible, as the Queen is
behind the d-pawn. 34. xe8 xe8 35. c6 I’ve
no doubts the position is fully won for White. Am I
B
not a full piece up? Proving the matter, however, is
Q N R
not easy. 35...h3 His only chance. 36. g3 Correct
is 36.Qf2! 36...hxg2+ 37. xg2 xf3 38.d6 e6
Q R
An unpleasant surprise. I hadn’t reckoned on be-
ing mated on the h-file. 39. f2 g4 40. c8+ The
normal last-move-of-time-control mistake. If a win
still exists, it must be 40.Kg2!. 40... h7 Now that
the time control had been reached, I sank into deep
thought and couldn’t believe my eyes. My mind
had stopped working. I couldn’t find a win. Af-
N R K N K
ter a thirty-seven minute think, I decided to force a
N
repetition. 41. f4 h6+ 42. g2 e1+ 43. g1
f3+ Draw by 3-fold Repetition.
1/2-1/2
◦ Gelfand, B.
• Ftacnik, L.
?
Budapest
1989 1-0 D85
N N N
Another example of attacking the King.
N B R B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4.cxd5 xd5 5.e4
N N B Q
xc3 6.bxc3 c5 7. f3 g7 8. b1 O–O 9. e2
B B Q
c6 10.d5 e5 11. xe5 xe5 12. d2 b6
Q R B R
13.f4 g7 14.c4 e5 15.O–O f5 16. b2 d6
17. c3 e8 18. d3 e7 Correct is 18...fxe4
19.Bxe4 Re7. Now Black’s kingside is weak-
ened. 19.exf5 gxf5 20.fxe5 White sacrifices
B Q
a pawn to get his pieces at the Black King.
K B Q Q
20... xe5 21. d2 Not 21.Qd2? Bxh2+ 22.Kh1
Qh6. 21... xh2+ 22. h1 e5 23. g5+ g6
 N N N
Q Q K N B B N N B
Not 23...Rg7 24.Bxe5 Qxe5 25.Qd8+ Kf7 26.Rbe1 1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4.cxd5 xd5 5.e4

Q K Q K Q R B N B
with a strong attack. 24. xe7 h6+ 25. g1 xc3 6.bxc3 g7 7. c4 c5 8. e2 c6 9. e3

B Q Q N
e3+ 26. h1 h6+ 27. g1 e3+ 28. f2 O–O 10.O–O g4 11.f3 a5 12. d3 cxd4

Q B R N B
White sacrifices his Queen to avoid the perpet- 13.cxd4 e6 14. a4 a6 15.d5 b5 16. b4 c6

B
ual check. In exchange he will have a Bishop 17. c5 xa1 18. xa1 e5 19. h6 White will

K Q R Q R K B Q B K
and Rook and a very powerful attack. 28... h2+ win back the exchange because Black’s kingside

R B R Q N R B R
29. xh2 xe7 30. f3 d6+ 31. g3+ f7 is weak. 19... d7 20. d4 f6 21. xf8 xf8

B K Q
32. f1 h5 If 32...f4, then 33.Bc1 wins. 33. xf5 22. d1 c7 23.f4 xd3 24. xd3 g4 25. c3
h4 34. g6+ g8 If 34...Ke7, then 35.Bf6+! Kd7 b8 Not 25...Qa7 26.Qxa7 Rxa7 27.Nd4 with a

B K R K B
36.Bh4 Kc7 37.Rf7+ Kb8 38.Bg5 followed by Bf4 large advantage to White. 26.e5 fxe5 Better is
wins. 35. h7+ xh7 36. f7+ h6 37. c1+ 26...Bxe2 27.exf6 exf6 28.Qxf6+ Kg8 29.Qe6+

Q R K
Black Resigns. If 37...Kh5, then 38.Rh7 followed Kg7 30.Qxe2 Qxf4 with an equal position. 27.fxe5
by mate. a7 If 27...Bxe2, then 28.Qf2+. 28. c5 g8

N R B
1-0 If 28...Bxe2, then 29.e6! Kg8 30.Rc8+ wins.

Q R B N N K
29. c3 d8 30.d6 e6 31.a3 exd6 32.exd6
◦ Vaisser, A. g7 33. e5 f7 34. e4 h6 35. f6+ h8
• Pein, M. Black Resigns. If 35...Qxf6, then 36.Re8+ wins.
? Black resigned here because 36.Re7 wins.
Budapest 1-0
1989 1-0 D85
Black, the well-known British chess merchant ◦ Georgiev, Kir.
• Ivanchuk, V.
N N N
Malcolm Pein, does not find the right defense.

N B N R B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4.cxd5 xd5 5.e4 ?

Q B
xc3 6.bxc3 g7 7. f3 c5 8. b1 O–O 9. e2 Reggio Emilia
cxd4 10.cxd4 a5+ 11. d2 This is a well- 1989 0-1 D88

N N N
known sacrifice that has been played many times An interesting endgame.

Q Q N B B N B
before. Black will lose a lot of time return- 1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4.cxd5 xd5 5.e4

Q B Q R Q B B N B N B R
ing his Queen. 11... xa2 12.O–O b6 13. c1 xc3 6.bxc3 g7 7. c4 c5 8. e2 O–O 9. e3

R R K
e6 14. c4 xe4 15. e1 b7 16. b4 e6 c6 10.O–O g4 11.f3 a5 12. xf7+ xf7

N N N B Q K R Q B
17. xe6 Sacrificing the exchange to get open lines 13.fxg4 xf1+ 14. xf1 cxd4 15.cxd4 e5 16.d5

N N Q K
for his pieces. 17...fxe6 18. g5 c6 A new c4 17. f2 f6 18. g1 f8 19. e1 h6

K B Q Q
move in this theoretical variation. 19. xe6 20. g3 a6 Threatening 21...Rxf2. 21. h1

B Q R B N
h8 20. c3 Threatening 21.Nxg7 Kxg7 22.d5+. Not 21.Nf1 Nb2!. 21... a4 22. e2 b6 23.h4

N R R R
20... f6 21. h6 g8 Correct is 21...Rf7. After f4 24. f1 Better is 24.g5 with an unclear po-

R R Q Q K B B N
22.Nc5 Qc8 23.Bxf7 bxc5 24.Bxg6 Qg8 25.Be4 sition. 24... d6 25. e1 c8 26.g3 c2

R N R Q
the position is unclear. 22. e1 g7 Now Black 27. f3 xa2 28. g1 h6 29.g5 g7 30. e3

Q
is loss. He could have put up the most resis- c7 31. g4 f7 32. e3 If 32.Nf6+, then
tance with 22...Qc8, although after 23.Re3 threat- 32...Bxf6 33.gxf6 Ne8. 32... c2 Threatening

N
ening 24.Qxh7+ White has a big advantage. 23.g4 33...Nc4. 33.h5 Better is 33.Rc1, although af-

B Q B R N Q
Threatening g4-g5. 23... a5 If 23...g5, then ter 33...Qxe4 34.Rc8+ Rf8 Black has a large ad-

Q R
24.Bd3. 24. d3 c6 25. a1 f7 If 25...Qf3, vantage. 33... c4 Better is 33...gxh5!. 34. c1

B Q B K R R
then 26.g5 Qh5 27.Qxh5 gxh5 28.f4 is winning for xc1 35. xc1 gxh5 If 35...b5, then 36.h6 Bf8

B B B
White. 26.g5 g7 27.d5 xd5 28. xg7+ g8 37.Nf6+ is unclear. 36. xc4 hxg4 37. c8+
29. xg6 Black Resigns. Of course if 29...hxg6, f8 38. e1 Better is 38.Kf1! with an unclear

K B B R B
then 30.Qh8#. position followed by marching the King to the

K R K B B
1-0 queenside. 38... g7 39. c3 d6 40. c6 c5+
41. g2 f2+ 42. h1 d4 43. b4 If 43.Rc7+
◦ Browne, W.
R
Kg6 44.Bxd4 exd4 45.d6 Rf8 with a large advan-
• Nickoloff, B.
R R R
tage to Black. The text threatens Be7. 43... f7
? 44. e6 b7 45. c6 If 45.Be7, then 45...b5 is
New York strong. 45...a5 46.d6 46.Ba3 would have held

R K
1989 1-0 D89 out longer, although Black is much better after

R
Grandmaster Walter Browne has won the most US 46...b5. 46...axb4 47. c7+ f8 Not 47...Rxc7??
championships since Bobby Fischer. 48.dxc7 and the pawn promotes. 48. xb7 b3

176
 R K R
K N
49. b8+ f7 50.d7 b2 51. f8+ If 51.d8=Q, then each player mails a move at a time to his opponent.
51...b1=Q+ 52.Kg2 Qg1#. 51... e6 52.d8= + Sometimes the games last several years! The ben-
White Resigns. efit of such games is that both players can literally

N N N
0-1 analyze the games to death...

N B B N N B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4.cxd5 xd5 5.e4

B N B
xc3 6.bxc3 g7 7. c4 c5 8. e2 c6 9. e3
◦ Zakharov, A.
O–O 10.O–O g4 11.f3 a5 12. d5 The play-
• Khenkin, I.
ers are in the main variation of the Grunfeld De-
?
fense. 12.Bd5 and 12.Bd3 cxd4 13.cxd4 Be6
URS
B
14.d5 Bxa1 15.Qxa1 f6 are among the most top-
1989 1/2-1/2 D87
R Q B Q B B
ical ways to meet the Grunfeld. 12... d7
An endgame results with Queen versus Rook,
B Q B R B Q
13. b1 c7 14. f4 c8 15.e5 e6 16. e4
N N N
Bishop, and Knight.
c4 17. a4 xe2 18. f2 a6 19. xa5 This
N B B N N B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4.cxd5 xd5 5.e4
little tactical skirmish has allowed White to ex-
B N B
xc3 6.bxc3 c5 7. c4 g7 8. e2 c6 9. e3
change his passive Knight. The position favors
O–O 10.O–O g4 11.f3 a5 12. xf7+ A vari-
Q
White because his Bishops control more space
R R K
ation played by Karpov during the world champi-
B R R R
than their counterparts. 19...cxd4 20.cxd4 d7
Q Q Q
onship match. 12... xf7 13.fxg4 xf1+ 14. xf1
B R R Q Q R
21. e3 ac8 22. fb2 c7 23.f4 e6 24.d5 exd5
d6 15. a4 A new move. 15... xh2 Black
25. xd5 fc8 26. d1 f5 27. a4 g5 28. f2
Q R K
sacrifices a Knight to start attacking the King.
Black is ambitious. He was anxious to clear a
16. xa5 f8+ 17. e1 The only move. Not
diagonal for his g7- Bishop but simultaneously
Q N
17.Bf2? Qh4 18.g3 Qh1+ 19.Ng1 Qh2 win-
weakened his King. It would’ve been better
ning. 17... h1+ 18. g1 White must play pre-
B B B
to play 27...h5 preparing ...Rc7-c2 with reason-
Q
cisely. 18.Bg1 Bh6 19.Qxc5 Qxg2 followed by
Q R R B B
able chances. 28...gxf4 29. xf4 xe5 30. g3
Q B Q Q
...Qf1 wins. 18... xg2 If 18...Bh6, then 19.Kd2
g5 31. xf7 xf7 32. xe5 c4 33.h4 The
is unclear. 19. b5 h6 20. e2 g3+ Wins
game gets more complicated. The immediate
K R B R N
the Queen, but White gets lots of material for
Q
33.Bxc4 Rxc4 34.Qxc4 Qe3+ 35.Kh1 Qxe5 leaves
Q
it. 21. d2 f2 22. xh6 xe2+ 23. xe2
Black with a playable position. 33... e3+ Again
B Q
h3 Not 23...Qxg4 24.Rf1 followed by 25.Rf8#.
33...Qxe5 fails because, 34.Bxf7+ allows the un-
24. e3 Good for Black is 24.g5?! c4. 24... xg4
pleasant choice of how to lose a rook: 34...Kxf7
Material is roughly equal. A Rook, Bishop, and
K Q B B Q R
35.Qd7+ or 34...Bxf7 35.Qg4+; a familiar friend.
R
Knight is about equivalent to a Queen and two
B Q R Q R Q
34. h1 e2 35. xf7+ xf7 36. d7 e8
B
pawns. 25. f1 Threatening 26.Bh6. 25...h6
R Q K R B
37. c3 c4 38. d3 xh4+ 39. h3 f4 40.
Q R K B Q
25...Kg7 26.Nf4 is good for White. 26. xh6
f3 h6+ 41. g1 f8 42. e5 Black gives up.
Q K Q R K
xe4 27. f8+ h7 28. g5 e6 29.a4 cxd4
He has no way of meeting White’s threat of Rf3-
R Q K
30.cxd4 a2+ 31. e1 xa4 32. f7+ g8
g3+. Thus 42...Bg6 43.Qe6+ or 42...Qc1+ 43.Kh2
B Q
33. xe7 b4+ 34. f2 a5 Its a race between
Qh6+ 44.Rh3 Qc6 45.Rg3+ wins.
White’s attack and Black’s a-pawn. 35. f6 b6
1-0
B N
Not 35...Qd6? 36.Rg7+ Kf8 37.Be5 followed by

Q
Nf4 with a strong attack. 36. e5 a4 37. f4
◦ Cvitan, O.
b2+ Both players are playing accurately in time
• Terzic, S.
K Q K Q K
pressure. Not 38...Kf8? 39.Bg7+! nor 38...a3?
?
Q K Q
38.Ne6. 38. g1 c1+ 39. h2 b2+ 40. g1
Zenica
b1+ 41. h2 b2+ Draw by Agreement.
1989 1-0 E60
1/2-1/2
How to take advantage of dark-squared weak-

N N B B
nesses.
◦ Simoncini, R.
N B R N B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. f3 g7 4.g3 O–O 5. g2
• Denaro
R Q
c5 6.O–O d6 7.b3 c6 8. b2 b8 9. c3 d7
? 10. c1 c8 Better is 10...cxd4 11.Nxd4 Nxd4

Q B B K N
Correspondence 12.Qxd4 a6 with a slight advantage to White.
1989 1-0 D87 11. d2 h3 12.d5 xg2 13. xg2 a5 The
The following game was a correspondence game Knight is completely out of play on the edge of
played between two of the finest correspondence the board and this is one of the reasons why White
players in the world. In this type of chess game has such a large advantage. 14.e4 White’s plan is

177
 R Q N
N N R Q K Q
e4-e5. 14...a6 15. fe1 c7 16.e5 dxe5 17. xe5 Qxc5 29.Rxd1 Qc2+ 30.Ka2 Qxd1 31.Qxc8 wins.

Q R R
b5 18.cxb5 axb5 19. e4 xe4 20. xe4 Threat- 27.cxb6 xb6 28. a1 a4 29. b4 Not 29.Qa4

R R Q
ening 21.b4. 20... d6 21. d1 21.Qxa5?! Qxd5 Nc3 30.Qxa6? Qb3 winning. 29... b8 30.f4
22.f3 Ra8 is unclear. 21... a8 22.h4 fd8 Better White gets his pieces into action. 30... c7 Not

R R
is 22...h5. 23.h5 e6 24.h6 If 24.Nxf7, Black should 30...exf4 31.Nxf4 Rxe4 32.Bd3 winning. 31.fxe5

Q Q Q R
play 24...Qxd5!, but not 24...Kxf7? 25.dxe6+. xe5 32. c1 Of course not 32.Bxe5?? Qxe5+

Q N N N
24... xd5 If 24...Bf8, then 25.Ng4 or if 24...Bh8, followed by ...Nc3. 32... e7 33. xe7 xe7
then 25.Nxf7. 25. f4 Because of the threats of 34.e5 d7 35.e6 f8 36. f4 g5 If 36...Nxe6,

N R N K B
26.hxg7 and 26.Qxf7+, Black must give up his then 37.Bd3+ Kg8 38.Nxe6 Rxe6 39.Bc4 wins.
important Bishop and he becomes very weak on 37. d5 xe6 38. f6+ g6 39. h5+ Black Re-
the dark squares. Control of the a1-h8 diago- signs. If 39...Kg7 40.Nd7+ or 39...Kf5 40.Rf1#.

B B Q Q
nal is so powerful that White even gives up a 1-0

K R Q Q
Rook for it. 25... xe5 26. xe5 xd1 27. f6

Q K Q K R K
f8 28. f4 d5+ The only move. 29.f3 b7
◦ Malaniuk, V.
Q R
30. g7+ e8 31. g8+ d7 32. xf7+ c6
• Kveinys, A.
Q R
33. xh7 d7 If 33...Qb6, then 34.Qxg6 wins.
?
R
34. xg6 e8 If 34...Rxf7, then 35.Qxe6# or if
URS
R
34...Rd2+ 35.Kh3 Qc8, then 36.h7 wins. 35. f8
1989 0-1 E20
R K Q Q K
ee7 The only move. If 35...Rxf8, then 36.Qxe6+
White’s Queen hunts down a Rook but his King is
R N QR K Q
wins. 36.h7 d2+ 37. f1 d7 38. e4+ b6
N N B B
left standing in the center.
39. b8+ b7 40.h8= d1+ 41. f2 d2+
B B B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4.f3 d5 5.a3 e7
Q Q B R R B
If 41...Rd2+, then 42.Ke3 Rxa2 43.Rxb7+ wins.
B N B R
6.e4 dxe4 7.fxe4 e5 8.d5 c5 9. g5 h6 10. h4
R Q R Q K B K
42. e2 d5 43. c3 b4 44. a8 d3 45. f6
d4 11. b5 Safer is 11.Qc2. 11... xb2 12. b1
Q
d7 46. b8 h7 47. a7+ c7 48. e5+ d7
B Q
a6 The only move. Very bad is 12...Bd4 13.Nxd4
49. xb7+ Black Resigns. 49...Qxb7 50.Qxd3+
Q
exd4 14.e5. 13. xf6 gxf6 14. a4 A dubious
Kc6 51.Qe4+ wins.
idea. Better is 14.Rxb2. 14...axb5 15. xa8 If
1-0
15.Qxb5+, then 15...c6 16.Qxb2 Qa5+ followed

B K N K
by 17...Qxa3 leads to a great advantage for Black.
◦ Beliavsky, A.
K Q
15... c3+ 16. d1 a6 17. c2 O–O Enticing
• Timman, J.
R
the White King to expose itself. 18. xc3 d6
?
19. xb5 If 19.Rb3, then 19...Qb6 wins. 19...c6
Lucerne
R
19...Qxa3+? 20.Kd2 does not give Black any-
1989 1-0 E32
R Q Q
thing. 20. a5 Better is 20.Rb3. 20...cxd5
N N B Q
A battle between two super Grandmasters.
Q R Q
21. xa6 bxa6 Better is 21...d4+. 22. xd5 b6
B Q B B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4. c2 O–O
K B Q K B N B
Threatening 23...Rd8. 23. d3 d8 24. g3+
N N B R
5.a3 xc3+ 6. xc3 b6 7. g5 b7 8.f3 d6
K B R
h7 25. d3 a5+ 26. c2 d7 27. e2 a4+
9.e4 c5 10.d5 bd7 11. h3 h6 12. f4 e8
28. c1 b3 29. f1 A fatal error in time pres-
Black sacrifices the d-pawn, believing that the
Q K B N Q
sure. Correct is 29.Qf3! with an unclear posi-
B
Bishop will get trapped. This does not turn out
K
tion. 29... xa3+ 30. d2 xc4 31. c1 b2+
R B Q
to be the case. 13.dxe6 fxe6 14. xd6 e5
B
32. d1 If 32.Ke3, then 32...Bxd3 33.Nxd3 Rxd3+
R N
15.O–O–O e6 16. e2 c8 If 16...Ne8, then
34.Kxd3 Qb5+ wins. 32... xd3 White Resigns.
R Q
17.Bxe5 Rxe5 18.Rxd7 wins. 17. d3 e8
33.Nxd3 Qb1+ 34.Ke2 Qc2+ wins.
18. hd1 c6 19.b4 Not 19.Bc7 Nef6. 19...cxb4
0-1
B
If 19...Nxd6, then 20.b5 Qc7 21.Qd2 wins back
the piece with a large advantage. 20. xb4
Hence White has won a pawn, but Black has ◦ Shirov, A.
• Eingorn, V.
N
some compensation because White’s King posi-
?
Q B B R R K
tion is open and the c-pawn is weak. 20... df6
Stockholm
K
21. b3 a5 22. c3 a6 23. 3d2 c8 24. b1
h7 Correct is 24...Bxc4 25.Bxc4 Qxc4 26.Qxc4 1989 1-0 E20
Rxc4 27.Bb2 followed by Nf2-d3 with a slight White wins a pawn in the opening, but his King is

B N B N N
advantage to White due to the weak e5-pawn. left stuck in the center. Will he be able to defend?

N B B
25. b2 d6 Again 25...Bxc4 was correct. 26.c5 1.d4 e6 2.c4 b4+ 3. c3 f6 4.f3 d5 5.a3
b5 If 26...Bxe2, then 27.Qxe6 Bxd1 28.Rxd6 e7 6.e4 c5 7.cxd5 exd5 8.dxc5 xc5 9.e5

178
Nfd7 10.Qxd5 O–O 11.f4 Qb6 12.Nf3 Bf2+ ◦ Portisch, L.
13.Ke2 Nc5 14.b4 Not 14.Kxf2? Rd8 15.Qc4 • de Firmian, N.
Ne4+ mating. 14...Rd8 15.bxc5 Bxc5 16.Qe4
Qb3 17.Bd2 The only way to save the Knight. Reggio Emilia
?

17...Rxd2+ 18.Kxd2 Qb2+ 19.Kd3 Not 19.Qc2

Be3+. 19...Qxa1 20.e6 With Black’s pieces mis-
1989 1-0 E14

placed, the counterattack starts. 20...fxe6 21.Ng5 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.e3 Bb7 5.Bd3 c5
Black’s King is forced to go on a death march.

g6 22.Qe5 Be7 23.Nxe6 Kf7 The decisive mis- 6.O–O Be7 7.Nc3 cxd4 8.exd4 d5 9.b3 O–O
24.Qg7+ Ke8 If 10.Bb2 Nc6 11.Re1 Rc8 12.Rc1 Re8 13.cxd5
Nxd5 14.Nxd5 Qxd5 15.Be4 Qd7 The deci-
take. Correct is 23...Bf8.

pieces enter the action decisively. 25.Nc7+ Kd8

24...Kxe6, then 25.Kc2 and the rest of White’s

26.Qh8+ Black is able to start his own counterat-

sive error. Almost any other Queen move that

tack after 26.Nxa8? Bf5+. 26...Kd7 If 26...Kxc7, 15...Qa5 or 15...Qd8. 16.Rxc6 The Knight comes
does not leave it en prise was better. For example,

then 27.Nd5+ wins the Queen. 27.Nxa8 Qxa3

28.Kc2 Black Resigns. the Queen. 16...Bxc6 17.Ne5 Qb7 18.Bxh7+
into e5. This is why d7 is such a bad square for

18...Kf8 If 18...Kxh7, then 19.Qh5+

1-0 This is the real point of White’s exchange sac-
rifice.

Q B Bd3 g6 Not 20...Bxe1 21.Ba3+

◦ Karpov, An. Kg8 20.Qxf7+ Kh7 21.Qg6+ Kg8 22.d5 winning.
• Adorjan, A. 19. h5 b4 20.

Q K
? Re7 22.Qh8 checkmate. Also bad is 20...Bxg2

Bxe1 If 22...Bxd5,
Lucerne 21.Ba6. 21. h6+ e7 If 21...Kg8, then 22.Ng4

23.Ba3+ Kd8
1989 1-0 E15 Qe7 23.d5 winning. 22.d5

Q K Q Q f6 b5 27.Bc5
This was voted best game in the last half of 1989 then 23.Qh4+ wins the Bishop.

R Q K B a6 30.Qd7+
24. h4+ c7 25.dxc6 a8 26.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.b3 Bb4+
by Chess Informant.
cd8 28. xf7+ c8 29. xb5
6.Bd2 Be7 7.Bg2 c6 8.O–O d5 9.Bc3 O–O Black Resigns. 30...Rxd7 31.cxd7+ or 30...Kb8
10.Ne5 Nfd7 11.Nxd7 Nxd7 12.Nd2 Rc8 31.c7+ win easily.
13.e4 b5 14.Re1 dxe4 15.Bxe4 bxc4 16.bxc4 1-0
Nb6 17.c5 Usually such a move cannot be rec- ◦ Krasenkov, M.
ommended, as gives up the d5 square and leaves
the d-pawn backward. However, here it is • Arbakov, V.
quite strong because it prevents the break ...c6- ?
Moscow
N Q N B
c5 and allows White to concentrate on a king-
1989 1-0 E05
N
side attack. 17... d5 18. c2 g6 19. f3 f6

N N B B
20. e5 The Knight is very strong on e5, but A King hunt.

N B
1. f3 d5 2.d4 f6 3.c4 e6 4.g3 e7 5. g2 O–O
Q
20...Bxe5 would leave the dark squares around

B
Black’s King very weak. 20... c7 21.h4 With 6.O–O dxc4 7. a3 xa3 8.bxa3 b5 Black tries

R N N N N
to hang onto the gambit pawn. 9.a4 a6 10. a3
R B B
the idea of h4-h5 weakening Black’s kingside.

K
e8 11. e5 d5 12.e4 f6 13. xf7 A well-
R N Q
21... fd8 22. d2 g7 Threatening 23...Nb4

N Q K B B
known sacrifice in this opening. 13... xf7 14.e5
B
24.Bxb4 Rxd4. 23. ad1 e7 24. c3 Threat-
ening Qa3. 24... b5 Perhaps the exchange sacri- d5 15. h5+ g8 16. e4 g6 17. xg6 hxg6 A

Q K R
new move. Previously 17...Re7 had been played.
B
fice 24...Rxd4 25.Qxd4 Bxe5 offers more chances.

N
18. xg6+ h8 19. fe1 White is threatening
N B Q B B Q
Now White gets a large advantage. 25. c2

f5 26. f4 b7 27.a4 a6 28. e4 a8 29.h5
B N
g5 If 29...Ne7, then 30.hxg6 hxg6 31.Qf3 pres-
R B
19.Re4 followed by Qh6+ and Rg4+. 19... c3
The only move. 20. e3 b7 If 20...Re7, then

R N
21.Qf6+ wins or if 20...Nd7, then 21.Rxc3 Nf8
B
suring f7 and c6. 30. xg5 f6 31.h6 xh6 If

Q K Q K Q K
22.Qh5+ followed by Rf3 wins. 21. xc3 d7
B Q R N K
31...Bh8, then 32.g4 Ne7 33.Qc2 wins. 32. xh6

R
22. h6+ g8 23. g6+ h8 24. h6+ g8
K
xh6 33. b3 e8 34. g4 g7 If 34...Bg7,

R
25.g4 Threatening Rh3. 25... e7 If 25...Be4, then
N K B Q
then 35.Bf5 wins. 35. g2 Threatening 36.Rh1.

N
35...f5 36. xh6 xh6 37. xf5 exf5 38. f7 26.Re1 Bh7 27.g5 followed by g6 wins. 26. h3
Black Resigns. There is no defense to 39.Rh1+ fol- f8 Better is 26...Be4, although White would have

Q K R K R
lowed by mate. a large advantage after 27.g5 Rh7 28.Qxe6+ Kh8

R Q K Q R K
1-0 29.Be7. 27. h8+ f7 28. h6 e8 29. xe6
xe6 30. xf8+ d7 31. f7+ e7 32.e6+ c6

179
 Q B N B
Q B B Q K
33. f6 A surprisingly strong move. If instead if 9...Nf6 10.Nxd6+. 9. xg5 xe4 10. f4

Q
White takes the Rook, then Black is all right af- a5 11. c4 g7 12. e2 b3+ 13. f1 f5 14.f3
ter 33...Qxd4. 33... d5 If 33...Qg8, then 34.Qf3+ 14.Qh5+? Kd8 is good for Black. 14...O–O The

B K R B
Kb6 35.Bc5+ wins, or if 33...Qf8, then 34.Qe5 Knight of course cannot retreat due to Nxd6+.

K Q Q R
is strong. 34. xe7 b6 35.f3 g8 36. c5+ 15.fxe4 fxe4 16.g3 If 16.Qxe4, then 16...Qd2 is

R
a5 37. f4 c3 37...Kxa4 would have held out strong. 16... xa2 Beautiful! 17. xa2 White

K R K Q B
longer. 38.axb5 axb5 39.a4 c8 40.axb5+ must accept the offer. 17.Re1 Ra4 followed

R
xb5 41. b1+ c4 42. e3 Black Resigns. by ...Ba6 is too strong. 17...bxa2 18. xa2

N BN R N
1-0 xa2 Black is threatening 19...Rxb2 and 19...Ba6.

R N K K
19. c7 f5 20. e6 xb2 21. xf8 Correct

N
is 21.Qe3. 21... xe2 22. xe2 xf8 23. f2
◦ Cranbourne, C.
B N N
a6 Black has too many pawns for White to
• Crespo, R.
B B B B B K
put up any resistance. 24. d2 c7 25. f4
?
B K B R K K
e5 26. a5 xf4 27. xc7 g5 28.h3 e8
Correspondence
B B K B R K
29.g4 c8 30. g3 d2 31. b1 e3 32. f3 d7
1989 1-0 A69
B K
33. b8 a6 34.h4 e2 35. f2 d3 36. a1 c8
Correspondence games are interesting because
37. a7 b7 White Resigns.
N
they involve a lot of deep calculation.
0-1
N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 c5 The Benoni defense leads to

B N B
very sharp positions. 3.d5 e6 4. c3 exd5
◦ Yusupov, A.
R N B
5.cxd5 d6 6.e4 g6 7.f4 g7 8. f3 O–O 9. e2
• Karpov, An.
B Q B B Q
e8 10.e5 dxe5 11.fxe5 g4 12. g5 f6 13.exf6
?
Q N
xf6 14. d2 f5 15.O–O xg5 16. xg5
London
xg5 17. xg5 Despite the exchange of Queens,
1989 1-0 A46
the position is still very sharp. White has a
One needs to play a very spectacular game to de-
N B R R
large advantage in the endgame due to his ac-
N N B
feat Anatoly Karpov.
tive pieces. 17... e3 18. b5 d8 19. fe1
1.d4 f6 2. f3 e6 3. g5 c5 4.e3 b6 This is a
N R
A spectacular sacrifice. Black’s King will be
common opening mistake. It is surprising that Kar-
in a lot of danger. 19... c2 20. e7 a6 If in-
N B
pov fell into it. 5.d5 White gains a dominating
B R
stead 20...Nxa1, then White would continue his
N B B B B
position with this move. 5...exd5 6. c3 e7
attack with 21.g4!. 21. c4 b5 22. f1 bxc4
B
7. xd5 b7 8. xf6 xf6 9.c3 O–O 10. c4
N
If 22...Ne3, then 23.Nce4! will win. 23.g4
a6 11.O–O b5 12. b3 Better is 12.Nxf6+ Qxf6
N
e3 If 23...Bxg4, then 24.Rff7 results in a mat-
Q N
13.Bd5 Nc6 14.Qd2 d6 15.Rfd1 Rfd8 16.a4 with a
ing attack. 24.gxf5 xf5 If 24...Nxf1, then
R B B R Q N
large advantage to White. 12...d6 13. d2 d7
R N N
24...Nxf1 25.f6 Rf8 26.Rg7+ Kh8 27.Rxh7+ Kg8
R R Q Q
14. fd1 xd5 15. xd5 b8 16. c2 b6
N N
28.f7+ wins. 25. c7 d7 26. ce4 Threaten-
17. d2 g6 18. ad1 c7 19. e4 Worth consid-
K R N R R
ing 26.Rxd7 Rxd7 27.Nf6+. 26... f8 27. f6+
ering is 19.h4, because 19...h5 would not be pos-
h8 28. xf5 gxf5 29. e6 d6 30. g7 Black
K
sible. After 19...Kg7 20.h5 Qe7 21.g3 followed
Resigns. The threat is 31.Rg8 checkmate and
Q Q B N Q R
by Kg2, White has an initiative. 19... g7 20.h4
30...Nxe6 allows 31.Rxh7 checkmate.
R
e7 21. f4 e5 22. xe5 dxe5 23. g3 bd8
1-0
R
24.h5 d7 Not 24...Rd6 because of 25.hxg6 and

Q R
if 25...hxg6, then 26.Bxf7!. 25.b3 fd8 26.e4 g5
◦ Silman, J.
R N
27. e3 h6 28.c4 c7 Black wants to play Nb6-
• Christiansen, L.
B
d7-f6 to hit the weakness at h5. 29. d3 d7
? 30. xf7 With both players short on time, White
Los Angeles
K
complicates the position with a spectacular Bishop
1989 0-1 A57
Q
sacrifice. 30... xf7 Not 30...Qxf7? because of
The American GM Christiansen is one of the best 31.Qh3 winning the Knight. 31. d2 White’s com-

N
tactical players in the world. pensation for the piece is that Black’s pieces are

K Q
1.d4 f6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 The Benko Gambit. pinned to the Knight, he has weak pawns, and
Black sacrifices a pawn in exchange for open files the King has little protection. 31... e8 32. a5

N R
against White’s queenside pawns. But White de- bxc4 If 32...Rc6, then 33.cxb5 axb5 34.Qxb5 Qe6

N B
clines the offer. 4.cxb5 a6 5. c3 axb5 6.e4 35.Rd5 with a strong attack. 33.bxc4 cc8 The
b4 7. b5 d6 8. f4 g5 Not 8...Nxe4 9.Qe2 and decisive error. Black wanted to play 33...Nf8.

180
 Q R Q
R Q K B Q N N B
34. a4 Threatening 35.Rd6. 34... c7 35. xa6 then 27...Bd7 28.Qe4 Rc7 followed by ...Bc6

Q B K
b8 36. g6+ f8 36...Kd8 would have held wins. 27... b7 28. h7 e6 29. e4 xe4

B
out longer, although 37.Rd6 Kc8 (or 37...Qe8 38. 30. xe4 f2+ 31. f1 If 31.Ke2, then 31...Bc5!

R K B R K R R Q
Qxh6) 38.Re6 Nf8 39.Rxe7 Nxg6 40.Re8 Kb7 32.b4 Nd4 followed by ...Bb4 wins. 31... xg3+

R Q K R Q
41.Rb1+ is winning. 37. f3+ Black Resigns. 32. g2 f4 33. d1 e7 34. d6 d8 35. d5

R K B
1-0 xd6 36. xd6+ f7 37.b4 c7 38. xa6

K K R K R Q
c2+ 39. f3 Better is 39.Kf1. 39... xe5

B K R K R Q
40.h3 f6 41. e4 c4+ 42. e3 xb4 43. c6
◦ Sokolov, I.
B Q R K K Q
f4+ 44. f2 b2+ 45. f1 xa2 46. xb5
• Beliavsky, A.
N Q K Q K Q
e3 47. c6 f2+ 48. e1 e5 49. b5+
?
K Q R K N Q N
c5 50. e8+ f4 51. b8+ f3 52. a8+
Palma
K N Q K N Q
g3 53. a3 f3 54. e2 e6 55. e7 f4+
1989 1-0 A46
R K R
56. d1 xh3 57. xg7 g4 58. c2 f4 59. g8
N N B Q N
A risky pawn grab backfires in this game.
f1 60. c3 e1 White Resigns.
Q
1.d4 f6 2. f3 e6 3. g5 c5 4.e3 b6 5. bd2
0-1
xb2 This well known variation leads to very
sharp positions. Black has a pawn more, but he
loses a lot of time moving his Queen. He may later ◦ Meszaros
• Zagorskis
B N B N
find it difficult finding a safe place for his King.
?
B Q
6. d3 c6 7.O–O d5 8. xf6 gxf6 9.c4 b4
Budapest
N B
10. e2 a3 11.e4 White must not waste any time
1989 1-0 D46
Q B Q N
opening up the position. 11...dxe4 12. xe4 e7

N B N Q
13. d2 d7 14. f4 O–O–O 15. xf6 cxd4 An unexpected sacrifice leaves Black without a de-

N N N
16. xd4 c6 17. b5 a5 Better is 17...Bxb5, fense.

N B B
although White still has a good position after 1. f3 d5 2.d4 f6 3.c4 c6 4.e3 e6 5. bd2

N B Q N N B N B
18.cxb5 Bd6 19.Qe4 Nd5 20.Bf3 Kb8 21.Rad1. bd7 6. d3 d6 7.O–O O–O 8.e4 dxe4
18. e4 xe4 19. xf7 A spectacular piece sacri- 9. xe4 xe4 10. xe4 f6 11. c2 h6 12.b3

R Q B B B Q Q R
fice. Black is unable to defend all his weak points. c5 Black should complete his development with

R Q B R Q R
19... d7 20. xe6 c6 21. g4 Threatening 12...b6. 13. b2 cxd4 14. xd4 e7 15. ad1

B Q N
22.Qxe7. 21...h5 Both 21...Kb8 22.Qe5+ and d8 16. h4 c7 17. xd8+ xd8 18. d1

B R R N
21...Re8 22.Rad1 Qd8 23.Nxa7+ lose. 22. h3 e7 19. e5 White has a very big advantage

K N N
d8 23. ad1 h7 24.a3 c2 The Knight has due to his active pieces. 20.Ng4 is threat-

Q B N N
no good squares. 24...Na6 25.Nxa7+ also loses. ened. 19... f8 20. g4 e8 If 20...Nxg4, then

R Q N
25. g6 Forking the Knight and Rook wins a piece. 21.Bxg7+. 21. xg7+ xg7 22. f6 White is

Q
25... e7 26. xc2 a6 27. a7+ Black Resigns. threatening 23.Qxh6 and 24.Qh8 checkmate. Not
1-0 immediately 22.Qxh6 due to 22...f5. 22... c5
There is no defense. If 22...Bd8 23.Qxh6 Qxf6

N
24.Qh8 checkmate. White has a large advantage
◦ Seirawan, Y.
K
after 22...Nf5 23.Bxf5 Kg7 24.Qg4. 23. h7+
• Korchnoi, V.
e8 Black could have held out longer with
?
23...Kg8. White intended to then play 24.b4.
Barcelona
24...Qxb4 would lose to 25.Rd8+ Bxd8 26.Qxd8+
N N N N
1989 0-1 D48
Q Q Q
Ne8 27.Nf6. White would have a big advantage af-
B B B
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. c3 c6 4.e3 f6 5. f3 bd7
ter 24...Qb6 25.c5. 24. f6 h5 25.h3 e5 This
K Q
6. d3 dxc4 7. xc4 b5 8. d3 a6 9.e4 c5 10.d5
R
saves the Knight but loses the Queen. If 25...Nf5,
N K
c4 11.dxe6 cxd3 12.exf7+ xf7 13.e5 e7 The
B Q B K N
then 26.Qh8+ Ke7 27.Qf8 checkmate. 26. d8+
N R
only move. 14. g5+ e8 15.O–O Not 15.f4?
xd8 27. xe5 f6 28. g6+ d7 29. f8+ Black
Nxe5 16.O-O Qa7+ winning. 15... xe5 16. e1
Resigns, as he has the unpleasant choice between
R Q
h6 17.f4 Overlooking Black’s 18th move. Correct
29...Ke7 30.Qc5# or 29...Kc6 30.Be8+.
B B
is 17.Nge4. 17...hxg5 18. xe5 xe5 19.fxe5
1-0
c5+ 20. e3 If 20.Kh1, then 20...Ng4 wins, or if

B K N
20.Kf1, then 20...Rh2 21.Qxd3 Rh1+ 22.Ke2 Bg4+
◦ Kasparov, G.
Q R K B K B
wins. 20... xe3+ 21. f1 h5 Better is 21...Rf8.
• Hjartarson, J.
K N Q R
22. xd3 f8+ 23. e1 f2+ 24. f1 e3+
25. e1 f4 26. e4 a7 27.g3 If 27.Qc6+, ?

181
 N
Q N
Tilburg but... 20... xd4 If 20...Qe7, then 21.Bxc6 bxc6

K Q K
1989 1-0 D39 22.Qxc6 Qxa3 23.Qxh6 wins. 21. b2 c2+

R R
The Icelandic Grandmaster Hjartarson tries to 22. f1 c4+ 23. g1 g5 If 23...g6, then 24.Bd5

R R
challenge Kasparov in a very theoretical opening, wins. 24. d6 e6 If 24...Rad8, then 25.Bd5

N N N
but the world champion is always well prepared. threatening 26.Rg6+ wins. 25. xe6 d8 Threat-

B B Q
1.d4 f6 2. f3 d5 3.c4 e6 4. c3 dxc4 5.e4 ening 26...Rd1+ winning. If 25...fxe6, then 26.Qf6

B B N Q
b4 The old Vienna variation has become very wins. 26. f1 xe6 If 26...Rd1, then 27.Re8+

B Q B B B R Q
popular lately. 6. g5 c5 7. xc4 cxd4 8. xd4 leads to mate. 27. xc2 After the smoke has

Q B N Q Q Q Q Q R R R
xc3+ 9.bxc3 a5 10. b5+ d7 11. xf6 cleared, White is a piece up. 27... c8 28. b2

R N Q R R Q R R R R K
gxf6 12. b3 a6 13. e2 c6 14.O–O c7 e4 29. f6 c6 30. xc6 xc6 31. g4 c1

K K B R
15. ab1 a5 16. a3 c8 17. fd1 xc3 32. a4 a6 33. b4 a1 34.a4 a5 35. d4 f8

Q Q N
This pawn grab is too risky. Better is 17...Qc5. 36. g2 e7 37. b5 b6 38. d7+ Black Re-
18. d6 Threatening 19.Nf5. 18... c7 19. f5 signs.

Q
exf5 Also bad are 19...Nc6 20.Ng7+ Kd8 21.Qa3 1-0
and 19...Qxd6 20.Nxd6+ Ke7 21.Nxc8+. 20. xf6
O–O 20...Rg8 would have held out longer, al- ◦ Nikolic, Pr.
• Vaganian, R.
R
though White would have an extremely strong at-

R
tack after 21.exf5. 21. d3 f4 The only move to ?
stop 22.Rg3+. 22. d5 h6 The only way to stop Lucerne
24.Rg5+. If instead 22...Rfe8, then 23.Rg5+ Kf8 1989 0-1 D55

Q R N N N B B
24.Rg7 Bf5 25.exf5 Rxe2 26.h3 Qe7 27.Qh6 Re1+ Converting a small advantage into a win.

B B Q R
28.Kh2 Rxb1 29.f6 wins. 23. xh6 f5 24. b6 1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 d5 4. c3 e7 5. g5

B N B R Q B
With the Rook on d5 blocked off from the attack, O–O 6.e3 h6 7. xf6 xf6 8. b3 c6 9. d1

B Q
the other Rook comes into the picture. 24... c6 d7 10. d3 b8 11. c2 dxc4 12. xc4 b5

R Q
The only way to stop 25.Rg6+. If instead 24...Nc6, 13. e2 a5 14.O–O c5 15.a3 Better is 15.dxc5

Q N
then 25.Bc4 wins immediately. 25. xa5 h7 If Nxc5 16.b4 Qxb4 17.Nxb5. Now Black gets a

Q B
25...Qxb6, then 26.Qg6+ Kh8 27.Ra3 wins imme- slight advantage. 15...b4 16.axb4 xb4 17. a4
diately. 26. xf4 Black Resigns. It’s all over after b7 18.dxc5 Better is 18.Nxc5 Nxc5 19.Qxc5
26...Bxe4 27.Qg5+ Qg7 28.Rg6. Qxc5 20.dxc5 Bd5 21.Rd2 Rfc8 with only a

Q B N B
1-0 slight advantage to Black. Now Black’s advan-

Q
tage grows. 18... e4 19. c4 c6 20. b6 Not
◦ Lautier, J.
N N R B
20.Ra1? Qxc4 21.Bxc4 Rb4 winning. 20... xc4
• Kupreichik, V. 21. xc4 xc5 22. a1 a4 Black’s advantage

N R R R B
? is due to his active pieces, especially his two Bish-

B
Palma de Mallorca ops. 23. d4 b4 24. a3 d8 25.b3 xd4

N R B N R
1989 1-0 D38 26.bxa4 26.exd4 Nxb3 wins for Black. 26... b2
The Frenchman Lautier shocked the chess world in 27. xb2 xb2 28. f3 b3 29. e1 Good for
1988 when at 15 years old he won the world junior Black is 29.a5 Nd2 30.Re1 Nxf3+ 31.gxf3 Rdd2
championship. Since then he has become one of 32.Rf1 g5 and White is all tied up. 29...a5 Fix-

K R K R K B
the strongest Grandmasters in the world. Here he ing the a-pawn on the same color as the Bishop.

N R N R R
outmaneuvers the Soviet Grandmaster Kupreichik, 30.h3 f8 31. d1 e7 32. xd8 xd8 33. d1

N N N B B R
who is a former KGB agent. c5 34. c3 e4 35. c4 b4 A blunder would

B Q Q
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 d5 4. c3 b4 5. g5 be 35...Nxf2 36.Bc2 trapping the Knight. 36. c1

B Q N R N R K K
h6 6. xf6 xf6 7. b3 c5 8.cxd5 exd5 9.a3 Not 36.Rxb4? axb4 37.Kf1 b3 winning the Bishop.

N K N R N
xc3+ 10. xc3 c4 11.b3 O–O Not 11...Be6? 36... d2 37. c3 e4 38. c1 f5 39. f1 e7

Q B B K
12.bxc4 dxc4 13.e4. Black sacrifices a pawn in 40.f3 d2+ 41. f2 c4 42. c3 b2 Black tar-

Q B K
order to gain time. 12.bxc4 dxc4 13. xc4 e6 gets the weak a-pawn. 43. c2 d6 Not 43...Nxa4

R
14. b5 g4 15.e3 White is a pawn ahead but 44.Ra3. 44. e2 h5 A strong move. Black fixes
he is behind in development and his King is still the pawns on the kingside. 45.f4 h4 46. c8

B Q R N
in the center. With the text he sacrifices back White decides to give up his a-pawn in exchange

R R R
the pawn. 15... xf3 16.gxf3 xf3 17. g1 c6 for one of Black’s kingside pawns. 46.Ra3 g6

Q B N B R R
18. d1 Not 18.Rg3? Nxd4!. 18... fe8 19. g3 47.Bb3 e5 48.fxe5+ Kxe5 49.Kd2 Nc4 is winning

R K R R R R R
e4 Better is 19...Qf6. 20. g2 Black did not for Black. 46... xa4 47. xa4 xa4 48. g8
believe this was possible due to his next move, a2+ 49. f3 c2 50. xg7 c7 51. g8 a7

182
A very important concept. Black wins because he Exhibition, New York

K R K R R
is able to get his Rook behind the passed pawn. 1989 1-0 D20

K
52. e2 a4 53. d8+ e7 54. d2 a3 55. a2 The World Champion was invited to New York
d6 With White’s pieces tied down to the passed to face off with the world’s leading main-frame

K K K R K K
pawn, the Black King’s entry into the game is de- computer program in a two-game exhibition at the

K R
cisive. 56. d2 d5 57. d3 a8 58. c3 e4 Marshall Chess Club. The first game was a typi-
59. d2 d8+ White Resigns. If 60.Ke2, then cal grandmaster crush, as Deep Thought was tied
60...Rd3. down to defense of the King pawn. In this, the sec-
0-1 ond game, Kasparov opens the game up tactically
and shows how a hesitant computer can be hung
out to dry.
◦ Malinin, V.
N N B
N N B N B
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 c6 4. f3 g4 5.d5
• Zagorskis
N
e5 6. c3 c6 7. f4 g6 8. e3 cxd5 9.exd5
?
e5 Deep thought loses time moving the same
Correspondence
piece twice in the opening. Kasparov jumps at
1989 1-0 D61
Q N B B
the chance to exploit his advantage in develop-
In correspondence chess, the players do not need to
Q
ment. 10. d4 xf3+ 11.gxf3 xf3 12. xc4
calculate quickly and there are no exciting scram-
d6 Black could not play 12. ...Bxh1 13. Bb5+,
bles in time pressure. However, the strategic ideas
N Q Q Q Q N
but 12. ...a6 would have been a better defense.
tend to be deeper and the players must calculate
Q B Q
13. b5 f6 14. c5 b6 15. a3 e6 16. c7+
N N B B N
much farther.
B B B Q B
xc7 17. b5+ c6 Black has nothing better.
Q N Q
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 d5 4. g5 e7 5. f3
K
18. xc6+ bxc6 19. c5 xc5 20. xf3 b4+
K B R
O–O 6. c2 bd7 7.e3 c5 8.O–O–O a5
21. e2 cxd5 A human would probably resign
9. b1 dxc4 10. xc4 cxd4 11. xd4 h6 12.h4
Q B R
in this position, but Deep Thought doesn’t mind
R
a6 White’s attack on the h-file is unstoppable af-
K R B R N Q
playing out a lost game. 22. g4 e7 23. hc1
ter 12...hxg5? 13.hxg5. 13. h3 This game is sim-
R R N B
f8 24. c7 d6 25. b7 f6 26. a4 a5
ply a race between whose attack will come first.
K Q B
27. c1 h6 28. c6 e8 29.b4 xh2 30.bxa5
White on the kingside or Black on the queenside.
R N R
g8 31. b4 d6 This is hopeless, but otherwise
B
Therefore Black should have considered sacrific-
R Q K Q R R
White plays 32. Qe7. 32. xd6 xd6 33. b8+
ing a pawn with 12...b5. 13...b5 14. xe6 A sac-
Q
xb8 34. xb8+ h7 35. xd6 c8 36.a4 c4
B
rificial attack begins. Black’s kingside is ripped
37. d7 Black Resigns.
open. 14...fxe6 15. xh6 b4 White’s attack is
1-0
R R
too strong after 15...gxh6 16.Qg6+ Kh8 17.Rg3

N N K
Rg8 18.Qxh6+ Nh7 19.Rdg4. 16. g3 f7

N Q
17. g5 gxh6 18. xf7+ f8 19...Kxf7 20.Qg6+
◦ Polugaevsky, L.
Kf8 21.Rf4 loses quickly. 19. xh6 h5
• Torre, E.
R N
Worse is 19...bxc3 20.Qg6 threatening 21.Qg8+.
?
R B N B
20. g6 e5 If 20...bxc3, then 21.g4 Qxh4 22.g5
Biel
is strong. 21. xf6+ xf6 22. e4 e7 If
1989 1-0 D18
Q B N B
22...Qxh6, then 23.Nxf6 and Black’s King has
The Soviet GM Polugaevsky and Filipino GM
no defenses. 23. c7 d7 24. c5 xc5 If
Torre have both been world championship candi-
24...Qxh6, then 25.Qxe5 Bxc5 26.Qxc5+ Ke8
dates in the past.
Q K R Q R
27.Rg4 Qh7+ 28.e4 Rb8 29.Qg5 Rc8 30.h5 is win-
N N N
B B B N
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3. f3 f6 4. c3 dxc4 5.a4
K R Q K Q
ning. 25. xc5+ e8 26. g4 xh6 27. g8+
B B B N
f5 6.e3 e6 7. xc4 b4 8.O–O O–O 9. h4
f7 28. xa8 h7+ 29. a1 xh4 If 29...Qd3,
N N B N B B
g4 10.f3 h5 11.g4 g6 12.e4 bd7 13.g5
Q
then 30.Qf8+ Kg6 31.h5+ Kxh5 32.Qh8+ leaves
K Q R R B
e8 14. xg6 hxg6 15. e3 d6 16. e2 a5
the Black King in a mating net. 30. f8+ Black
17. h1 e7 18. b1 fd8 19.b4 xb4 Black
Resigns. After 30...Kg6 31.Qg8+ Kf5 32.Rf8+
R N
takes the bait. White would have a large space
Ke4 33.Rf4+ wins the Queen.
Q Q
advantage after 19...Bc7 20.f4. 20. xb4 f5
1-0
R
21.exf5 xb4 22. d2 exf5 If 22...gxf5, then
23.g6 is strong. 23. b1 White has a large ad-
◦ Kasparov, G.
Q R R R
vantage because the two Bishops are much better
• Deep Thought
R
than a Rook. 23... a5 24. xb7 ab8 25. xb8
? xb8 26.d5 Opening up the position makes his

183
 B N N N B
B
pieces more active. 26...cxd5 27. b5 b6 Bet- 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.cxd5 cxd5 4. c3 c6 5. f4

B N N
ter is 27...Ne5 although White has a large ad- e5 This is Timman’s new move. 6. xe5 Worse

Q N
vantage after 28.Bf4 Nxf3 29.Qd3. 28. d4 A is 6.dxe5 d4. 6... xe5 7.dxe5 d4 8. e4 Not

N Q R Q
very powerful diagonal for the Bishop. White is 8.Qa4+? b5! 9.Nxb5 Bd7. 8... b6 9. f3 White

Q R B N
planning Qf4-e5. 28... c4 29. f4 d8 30.h4 needs to get his pieces developed. 9... xb2

B N Q B
b4 Better is 30...a6, although White is still win- 10. b1 b4+ Not 10...Qxa2 11.Nxd4. 11. ed2

Q R B R R Q
ning after 31.Bc6 Rd6 32.Bb7 Qd8 33.h5 Qd7 xd2+ 12. xd2 xa2 13.e3 dxe3 14.fxe3 e6
34.h6!. 31. c7 f8 32. xc4 dxc4 White is 15. xb7 d8 16. c1 Not 16.Bb5+?! Kf8 17.O-

Q Q K
winning in the endgame after 32...Qxc4 33.Qxc4 O g6 followed by ...Kg7 with a large advantage

Q N Q
dxc4 34.Bxa7. 33. e5 f6 34. e6+ h7 35.gxf6 to Black. 16...g6 Black is intending to castle by

K K N R K
b7 36. d5 gxf6 If 36...Qf7 37.fxg7 Qxe6 hand via Kf8-g7. 17. c3 Not 17.Bc4? Bxc4

N K B R Q K
38.gxf8=N+ wins. 37. g2 h6 38. xf6 d8 18.Nxc4 Qxg2 winning. 17... f8 Not 17...Nh6?

N N R N
39. g8+ h5 Black Resigns. 40.Qg5 wins. 18.Qb4. 18. d3 c8 19. b4+ g7 20.O–O

B B B Q R Q R
1-0 h6 21. e4 Intending Ng5. 21... hd8 22. d6
d5 23. e4 xb7 24. xb7 b8 25. e7 f8

Q K Q K Q
Not 25...Qe6? 26.Rxf7+ winning the Queen.
◦ Epishin, V.
26. f6+ g8 27. g5 g7 28. f6+ White de-
• Kupreichik, V.
K Q K
cides to draw by repetition of moves. If instead
?
Q
28.h3, then 28...Ng8!. 28... g8 29. g5 g7
Daugavpils
30. f6+ Draw by 3-fold repetition.
1989 0-1 D11
1/2-1/2
N N Q B
How to attack an exposed King.

N B Q N
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3. f3 f6 4. c2 g6 5. f4
a6 6.e3 f5 7. b3 b4 Black will imme- ◦ Pinter, J.
• Karolyi Jr., Tibor
Q
diately get his piece back, but the text move in-
volves a couple of pawn sacrifices. 8. xb4 e5 9.c5 ?
Budapest
N Q B N
9.Qxb7 Rb8 10.Qxc6+ Bd7 is unclear. 9...exf4
10.exf4 b6 11. e5 bxc5 12. b7 d7 13. xd7 1989 1-0 A87

N
If 13.Nxc6, then 13...Qc8 14.Qxc8 Rxc8 15.Nxa7 Black makes a mistake in the opening and suffers

Q R Q B N B B N
Rb8 16.a4 c4 is good for Black. 13... xd7 a quick knockout.

N Q
14. xc6 c8 15. xd5 cxd4 16. b5 Better is 1.d4 f5 2.g3 f6 3. g2 g6 4.c4 g7 5. c3 O–O

N N Q B R
16.Nd2 Bb4 17.Qe4+ Qe7 with an unclear posi- 6. f3 d6 7.O–O e8 8.b3 e5 9. dxe5 dxe5

B K
tion. Now White’s King is stuck uncomfortably in 10.e4 c6 11. d5 d7 12. a3 e8 Correct

N
the center. 16... b4+ 17. e2 If 17.Kd1, then is 12...Rd8. 13.exf5 e4 If 13...gxf5, then 14.Nh4

R N B Q
17...O-O 18.Qxd7 Qh4 19.g3 Qh5+ 20.Be2 Qc5 is strong. 14. g5 gxf5 If 14...Qxf5, then 15.f4.
wins. 17...O–O 18. d1 If 18.Qxd7 Qh4 19.g3 15. xf6+ xf6 16. h5 White has no objection

Q K B R
Qh5+ 20.g4 Rfe8 21.Qxe8 Rxe8 22.Bxe8 Qxg4+ is to sacrificing the exchange here, as his Bishop will

R B Q R N
good for Black. 18... h4 19. f1 If 19.Qxd7, then control the a1-h8 diagonal. 16... xa1 17. xa1

Q N B
19...Qh5+ 20.g4 Rfe8+ 21.Kf1 Qh3+ 22.Kg1 Rcd8 d8 18. b2 e7 19. e1 d4 If 19...Bd7, then

N Q
23.Bf1 Qh4 24.Qa4 Be1 wins. 19... xh2 20. d2 20.Rxe4 fxe4 21.Nxe4 wins. 20. xe4 White

R N
If 20.Bxd7, then 20...Rc2 wins. 20... f6 21. g5 brings his last pieces into the attack. Black has

B Q R K B K K
If 21.Qxd4, then 21...Qh1+ 22.Ke2 Qh5+ wins. no defense. 20...fxe4 21. xe4 f3+ If 21...Ne6,

R B Q B R B K
21... xd2 22. xf6 c2 23. e2 xf4+ 24. d3 then 22.Rg4 wins. 22. g2 Not 22.Qxf3 Qxg5
xf2 25. c6 g3+ 26. f3 xf3+ White Re- or 22.Nxf3 Qxe4. 22... h3+ 23. xf3 Black Re-
signs. 27.gxf3 Qxf3+ 28.Kc4 Rc8+ wins. signs. White wins after either 23...Qd7 24.Qxh3!
0-1 or 23...Qf8 24.Rf4 Rd3+ 25.Ke2 Bf5 26.Ne4 Bxe4
27.Rg4!.
1-0
◦ Yusupov, A.
• Timman, J.
? ◦ Karpov, An.
Linares • Yusupov, A.
1989 1/2-1/2 D10 ?
Timman tries a new move out from his home labo- Linares
ratory. 1989 1-0 A88

184
 R
B R Q R
This was voted the second best game during the Not 31...Qxc4?? 32.Qxf8+ winning. 32.c5 b5

N B B N
first half of 1989 by Chess Informant. 33. xe4 xc5 34. xa7 c8 Black has a win-

N Q B Q
1.c4 f5 2.d4 f6 3.g3 g6 4. g2 g7 5. c3 d6 ning position. Both players were in time pres-

B R N
6. f3 O–O 7.O–O c6 8.b3 c7 Planning ...e7- sure here. 35. xd5 b5 Black has an even

Q B R N R
e5. 9. a3 a5 Planning ...Na6-b4. 10. c1 a6 quicker win with 35...Rxd5 36.Rc1 Rd1! 37.Rhxd1

B R Q R R
11. d2 d7 12. fe1 Planning e2-e4. 12... b4 Qe4+. 36. d2 36...Rc1+ 37.Rxc1 Qd3+ was

N Q
13. b2 e5 Better is 13...Rae8. Black misses threatened. 36... xd5 37. f7 d6 38. c2

N N R Q
White’s 16th move. 14.a3 a6 15.dxe5 dxe5 If 38.Rxd6, then 38...Qxf5+ wins. 38... xf5

B Q B B Q
16. b5 cxb5 The only move. 17.cxb5 c5 39. c1 xc2+ White Resigns. If 40.Rxc2, then

N Q R
18. xe5 b6 19. xf6 xf6 20. d5+ Win- 40...Rd1+ mates.

R
ning back the piece. 20... e6 21. xd7 ad8 0-1

R
22. c6 White had to see this move when play-

R N
ing his 16th move. 22... xd7 Worse is 22...bxc6
◦ Purgin, N.
N K
23.Qxe6+. 23. xb6 c5 24.b4 axb4 25.axb4
• Kantsler, B.
e4 26.e3 f7 27.h4 White is two pawns up
?
R R K N K
and Black has little chance against Karpov’s great
Belgorod
technique. 27... b8 28. c1 e7 29. d4 f7
1989 1-0 A43
B
If 29...Bxd4 30.exd4 Rxd4, then 31.Rc7+ Rd7
White sacrifices a Knight to open up the King po-
N B N B R
32.Rxd7+ Kxd7 33.Bxe4 fxe4 34.h5. 30. xe4
B N N N
sition.
R K K R R
fxe4 31. e6 d8 32. g5+ xg5 33.hxg5 e8
N B N
1.d4 g6 2.e4 g7 3. c3 d6 4.f4 f6 5. f3
K R R R R R
34. c4 g7 35. g2 f7 36. d6 h6 37.gxh6+
N N
c5 6.d5 O–O 7.e5 e8 8. e2 d7 9. e6
R R R
xh6 38.b6 e5 39. c7 f8 40. xb7 ef5
N
fxe6 10.dxe6 df6 11.O–O c7 If 11...Bxe6,
41. d2 b5 42. d4 Black Resigns.
R
then 12.Ng5. 12. g5 d5 Not 12...Nxe6 13.Bc4.
1-0
N B N R B
13.f5 Opening up the kingside. 13...gxf5 14. xf5
xe6 15. f3 d4 16. xf6 xf6 Better is
◦ Hodgson, J.
B
16...Bxf6. White would have a strong attack af-
• Gurevich, M.
K
ter 17.Bxd5+ e6 18.Be4 h6 19.Qh5!. 17. xd5+
?
N
h8 If 17...e6, then 18.Qh5 Bxg5 19.Bxg5 with
Haifa
N
a large advantage to White. 18. xh7 Cracking
1989 0-1 A80
K
open the King’s defenses. 18... f3+ If 18...Kxh7,
The English GM Hodgson has been very success-
K Q Q
then 19.Qh5+ Kg7 20.Qh6#. 19. h1 Not
ful with an unorthodox style, but will it work
K
19.Qxf3?? Bd4+. 19... xh7 20. xf3 e8 21.g4
N N
against a super Grandmaster like Gurevich?
Threatening 22.Qh3+. 21... g7 If 21...e6, then
1.d4 f5 2. f3 f6 3.h3 An unusual move in this
B B R
22.Be4+ Kg8 23.Qh3 Qf7 24.Be3 followed by Rf1
position. The idea is to play Bf4 and to have a
B Q
and g5 wins. 22. f4 d4 23. f1 Threatening
B B N N
retreat square at h2 in case of ...Nh5. 3...g6
B
24.Bh6+. 23... d7 24. g3 e5 If 24...Qg6, then
Q K
4. f4 g7 5.e3 d6 6. bd2 c6 7.c3 O–O
K Q K Q Q
25.Be5+. 25. h6+ Bringing the King out into the
Q
8. b3+ h8 9.O–O–O If 9.Ng5?!, then 9...e5
Q K Q K Q K
open. 25... xh6 26. h4+ g7 27. g5+ g6
N Q N
is good for Black. 9... e8 Threatening ...e7-
R R
28. e7+ h6 29. h4+ g7 30. e7+ h6
N B
e5. 10.d5 a5 11. a3 b6 12. b3 Not 12.b4?
Q K Q
31. xf8 e8 If 31...Rxf8, then 32.Qxf8+ Kg5
Nxd5! 13.bxa5 Nxc3. 12... e4 13. g3 The only
33.Qe7+ wins. 32. h4+ g7 33. h8# 1-0
N
way to defend f2, but now White’s pawn struc-
ture is weakened. 13... xg3 14.fxg3 e6 Sacri-
◦ Kasparov, G.
N Q Q
ficing a pawn in exchange in exchange for open
• Speelman, J.
Q B
lines. 15. xa5 bxa5 16. xa5 c6 17.dxc6 xc6

N
18. b4 d5 19.h4 Threatening h4-h5. 19... d7 ?

Q B R Q
Not 19...h6 20.Ne5 Qe8 21.Bb5 winning. 20. d4 Barcelona

Q
c8 21.h5 g5 22.h6 f6 23.g4 b8 24. a3 1989 1-0 A42

B B
e8 Not 24...fxg4?! 25.Bd3 followed by Rdf1 This was voted the third best game in the first half

N N B
with good attacking chances. 25. d3 a4 26.b3 of 1989 by Chess Informant.

B K N N N B N
Weakening the queenside. Correct is 26.Bc2. 1.d4 d6 2.e4 g6 3.c4 e5 4. f3 exd4 5. xd4 g7

B B B
26... d7 27. b1 e5 28. xf5 Sacrificing a pawn 6. c3 c6 7. e3 ge7 8.h4 h6 Better is 8...f5.

Q R N
to open the h8-a1 diagonal. 28...e4 29. c2 xf5 9. e2 f5 If 9...O-O, then White gets a strong
30.gxf5 c6 31.c4 The only move. 31... fd8 attack after 10.Qd2 Kh7 11.g4. 10.exf5 xf5

185
 N B Q Q
11. xf5 xf5 12. d2 d7 Better is 12...Qf6.
13.O–O O–O–O It was better to try 13...h5 fol-
◦ Short, N.
N N
lowed by ...O-O. White’s attack on the queen-
• Ljubojevic, L.
N
side will be unstoppable. 14.b4 xb4 15. b5
?
B
c2 If 15...Bxa1, then 16.Qxb4 Be5 17.Nxa7+
Kb8 18.Bf3 is strong. 16. f3 d5 Trying to block Belgrade
the h1-a8 diagonal. Either 16...Bxa1 17.Nxa7+ 1989 1-0 B81
How to blow away a super Grandmaster.
B N N N N
Kb8 18.Rb1 or 16...Nxa1 17.Nxa7+ Kb8 18.Qa5

N N K Q Q
c6 19.Nb5! is winning for White. 17. xd5
N R N
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
xa1 18. xa7+ b8 19. b4 xd5 If 19...c5,
B N N Q Q
e6 6.g4 h6 7.h4 c6 8. g1 h5 9.gxh5 xh5

N Q N R N R
20.cxd5
N Q
then 20.Bf4+! Ka8 21.Qa5 wins. 10. e3 f6 11. f3 a6 12. e2 c7 13.O–O–O

Q K Q
c2 21. a5 xe3 22.fxe3 he8 23. b5 xd5 b5 14. g5 a5 If 14...Rxh4, then White gets a
24. xc7+ a8 25. a5+ Black Resigns.
N Q
strong attack after 15.f4 and Qf2. 15.f4 White
1-0
N B B N
wastes no time. 15...b4 16. b1 xa2 17.e5
dxe5 18.fxe5 d5 19. g2 e7 20. xf7 With
◦ Wahls, M.
K
Black’s Queen off to the side of the board, the
• Huebner, R.
B K R B Q K
position is ripe for such a sacrifice. 20... xf7
? 21. e4 e8 22. xg7 d7 23. g4 d8 If
Germany
B
23...Nxe5, then 24.Rxe7+ wins or if 23...Nxe3,
1989 1/2-1/2 B89
B B K Q R B
then 24.Rg8+ Bf8 25.Qg7! wins. 24. xd5 exd5

R Q Q R
The players castle on opposite sides of the board 25.e6 e8 26. b6+ c8 27. f4 a7 28. xa7

N N N N
and wildly attack each other’s King. xh4 29. g3 c4 30. xe7 Black Resigns. If

N B B Q Q B
1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 30...Nxe7, then 31.Qb8#.

B N R
5. c3 d6 6. c4 e6 7. e3 a6 8. e2 c7 9. b3 1-0

N N B R
e7 10.O–O–O O–O 11.g4 xd4 12. xd4 b5
13.g5 d7 14.f4 c5 15.f5 exf5 16. d5 b8
17.exf5 b4 17...Bxf5 18.Rf1 also leads to an un- ◦ Nunn, J.
clear position. 18.g6 18.Ne4 Bxf5 19.Ng3 Bg6 • Thorsteins, K.
would be better for Black. 18...hxg6 The Knight is ?
Lugano
B B N
poisoned. Not 18...bxc3 19.Qh5 h6 20.Bxh6 win-
1989 1-0 B81
N
ning immediately. 19.fxg6 e6 20. xe6 xe6
The English Grandmaster John Nunn was awarded
N B B
21. d5 White must give up the exchange, but his
his doctorate in mathematics from Oxford when he
K Q Q
attack is very strong. 21... xd4 22. xd4 g5+
23. b1 b7 24. h5 Not 24.Qg2 Bh6 25.Re1 was 21, but since then has chosen a career as a
chess player. He is known as an aggressive attack-
B N
Rfe8 26.Rxe8+ Rxe8+ 27.Nf6+ Kh8 winning for
ing player.
N N N N
Black. 24... h6 25. f6+ The only way to con-

R Q B N B N
tinue the attack. 25...gxf6 Not 25...Kh8 26.Rg1 1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3

R B N Q
threatening 27.Qxh6+. 26. g1 fxg6 27. xh6 d6 6.g4 e7 7.g5 fd7 8.h4 O–O 9. e3 c6

B N Q
f7 Not 27...b5 28.Bxf6. 28.b3 Protecting his 10. c4 xd4 11. xd4 a6 Better is 11...Ne5.
King against back rank mates. 28.Rxg6+ Rg7 or 12.O–O–O b5 13. b3 c5 14.f4 a5 15.h5

R N
28.Qxg6+ Rg7 29.Qxf6 Rxg1+ 30.Bxg1 Qe4 are b4 16.h6 e5 It appears that White is losing a

N
good for Black. 28... c8 29.h4 Again 29.Rxg6+ piece. 17. d5 But Nunn has seen further

R
Rg7 30.Bxf6 Qh1+ 31.Kb2 Rxc2+ 32.Kxc2 Qe4+ ahead. 17... xb3+ If 17...exd4, then 18.Nxe7+
followed by 33...Rxg6 is good for Black. 29... h7 Kh8 19.hxg7+ Kxg7 20.Bxd4+ f6 21.gxf6+ fol-

B
White has a strong attack after 29...Qc7 30.h5 lowed by 22.Rdg1+ results in mate in a few moves.

R R Q
Qxc2+ 31.Ka1 and if now 31...g5?, then 32.Rxg5+ 18.axb3 xg5 Now 18...exd4 loses to 19.Nxe7+
wins immediately. 30. xg6+ g7 31.h5 h1+ Kh8 20.Bxd4 f6 21.g6. 19.fxe5 Black could finally

K R B
31...Rxg6 32.Qxg6+ Qg7 33.Qf5 allows White take the Queen after 19.fxg5? because of 19...exd4
a strong attack. 32. b2 xc2+ Black decides 20.Nxe7+ Kh8 21.Bxd4 Qxg5. 19... xe3+ If

K Q
to force a draw by perpetual check. Otherwise 19...dxe5, then 20.Qxe5+ Bxe3+ 21.Kb1 wins.

Q K Q K Q K Q
White’s attack would be too strong. 33. xc2 20. xe3 Black’s King is without defense. 20...g6

Q N K
e4+ 34. c1 e1+ 35. b2 e2+ 36. c1 21. g5 f6 The only defense to 22.Ne7+ Kh8
e1+ Draw by Agreement. 23.Qf6#. 22. e7+ f7 This loses the Queen.
1/2-1/2 But if 22...Kh8, then 23.Nxg6+ hxg6 24.Qxg6 Ra7

186
 N
25.exf6 threatening 26.Qg7+ wins. 23.e6+ Black Black. 27...h6 The e7-Bishop is in danger of get-
Resigns. ting trapped. 28. e3 The final error. White’s best

R
1-0 chance is 28.Bxd6 Qxd6 29.Rxd4 Bxd4 30.Qxd4

N Q N R
Rb1 with a large advantage to Black. 28... e8

N N Q Q
White loses a piece. 29. c4 b4 30. xd6 xe7
◦ Sax, G.
31. e4 f5 32. f3 e1+ White Resigns.
• Ehlvest, J.
0-1
?
Skelleftea
1989 1-0 B81 ◦ Speelman, J.
A super Grandmaster makes an error in the opening • Beliavsky, A.
N N N N
and suffers a quick knockout. ?
B N N B
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3 Amsterdam
Q
d6 6.g4 e7 7.g5 fd7 8.h4 c6 9. e3 O–O 1989 1/2-1/2 C92
N Q N B
10. h5 d5 Better is 10...a6. 11.O–O–O dxe4 Two former world champion candidates square off
12. xe4 a5 13. xc6 bxc6 14. d4 e5 Not in the Ruy Lopez opening.
B Q
14...Qxa2? 15.Nf6+ Bxf6 16.gxf6 e5 17.fxg7 win-
N N B B N
B R B N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O
R B
ning. 15. c3 xa2 If 15...Qc7, then 16.Rxd7!
e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.h3 d7
N B
Bxd7 17.Bd3 g6 18.Qh6 wins. 16. xd7 xd7
10.d3 This quiet move was favored by the world
Q
17. f6+ xf6 If 17...gxf6, then 18.gxf6 Bxf6
N B N B N
champion of the last century, Wilhelm Steinitz.
19.Rg1 Bg7 20.Qh6 wins. 18.gxf6 a1+ Correct
N
10... b6 11. e3 a5 12. c2 c5 13. bd2
K Q
is 18...Qe6, although after 19.Bh3 Qxf6 20.Bxd7
Q
c6 14.d4 exd4 15.cxd4 f5 Black wants to de-
White has a large advantage. 19. d2 a4 20.b4
K
stroy White’s center. 16.dxc5 dxc5 17. c1
R
Preventing ...Qg4. The threat is now 21.Qg5 g6
B B
Threatening 18.Bxc5 Bxc5 19.Bb3+. 17... h8
B R
22.Qh6 mating. 20... fd8 If now 21.Qg5, then
18.exf5 xf5 19. e4 White keeps the pressure
Q Q K Q
21...Bf5+ and 22...Bg6. 21. d3 gxf6 22. a1
on. 20.Bxc6 and 20.Bxc5 are threatened. White
K
b5 23. xh7+ f8 24. h6+ Of course not im-
R B B Q
wins a pawn, but then Black is able to start a
B Q
mediately 24.Bxb5?? due to 24...Bf5+. 24... e7
N Q N N Q B
counterattack. 19... c8 20. xc5 xc5 21. xc5
25. xb5 cxb5 26. e3 Black Resigns.
R N N Q R
a4 22. a3 d4 23. xd4 xd4 24. xf5
1-0
xf5 25. e4 xb2 26. xa6 cf8 Better is

Q Q
26...Rd8. Now with his next move White is able
◦ Damljanovic, B.
N R
to go into an endgame a pawn up. 27. d6 xd6
• Kasparov, G. 28. xd6 d5 Worse is 28...Rxf2 29.Rf1! Rxf1+
? 30.Rxf1 Ra8 (30...Rxf1+ 31.Kxf1 b4 32.Ke2 is

N R N R
Belgrade winning for White.) 31.Nxb5 with a big ad-

R N R N R N R
1989 0-1 B70 vantage. 29. e4 h6 30. ab1 c4 31. e2

R R N N N
The world champion can beat even the strongest e5 32. c3 xe2 33. xe2 a8 34. c3 a3

K K K K N K
Grandmasters swiftly and powerfully with the 35. b3 xb3 36.axb3 a5 37.b4 c6 38. d5

K N K K N N
g8 39.f4 f7 40. f2 e6 41. c7+ f5 42.
N B B N
Black pieces.

N N N N K N N
e3 xb4 43.g4+ f6 44. e4 c6 45. xb5
N N N N
1. f3 c5 2.g3 g6 3. g2 g7 4.d4 cxd4 5. xd4

N N K
e7 46. c7 g6 47. d5+ f7 48. e3 e7
B B K
c6 6. b3 d6 7. c3 f6 8.O–O O–O 9.e4
g4 10.f3 e6 11. h1 The King was exposed 49.h4 g6 50.h5 f8 51. e5 Black has hung on
tough and finally White makes a mistake. White
R N N R
to checks along the a7-g1 diagonal. 11...b5
would have had a big advantage after 51.Kf5! Ne6
N
12.a4 bxa4 13. xa4 d7 14.f4 b6 15. a1

N K N K
52.Nc2!. Now Black is able to make a draw.
N B R
a5 16. d5 Better is 16.e5 Nb4 with an un-
51... d7+ 52. d5 f6+ 53. d6 g6 To force
N N
clear position. 16...a4 17. d2 d7 18. a3

Q
Better is 18.c3. 18... a5 19.f5 xd5 20.exd5
b6 21.fxg6 fxg6 Black has a big advantage be-
K K
the draw Black needs to liquidate all of White’s
pawns. 54.hxg6+ xg6 55. e5 h5 56.f5+ If

K N N K
56.g5, then 56...Nh7 followed by 57...Nxg5 draw-
R N R B
cause White’s pieces are awkwardly placed. 22.b3

N K K N K N
ing. 56... g5 57.gxh5 xh5 58. c4 h6
N B N
xf1+ 23. xf1 axb3 24.cxb3 b8 25. g5
59. b6 g7 60. e6 f4+ 61. e7 g6+ Draw
R
xb3 26. xe7 d4 Better is 26...Qb4 with a
large advantage to Black. 27. d3 A fatal error by Agreement.
in time pressure. Better is 27.Bg5! Qxb2 28.Ra7 1/2-1/2
Bf5 29.Be3 Be5 with just a slight advantage to

187
◦ Van der Wiel, J. N
B N B N
20.gxh4 xh4 White will find it impossible to
• Sokolov, I.
Q
defend his King. 21. d5 e7 22. c4 ef5

R B N B
? 23. c3 If 23.Qd3, then 23...Nxd4 wins imme-

N K B R N R
Haninge diately. 23... xe4 24. f1 xd4 25. e3

Q
1989 1-0 C91 df3+ 26. h1 xf1 27. xf1 g6 28. ad1
White cracks open Black’s King position with sac- e7 White Resigns. There is no defense to

N N B B N
rifices. 29...Qh4.

B R B B
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O 0-1

N B Q B N
e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 O–O 8.d4 d6 9.c3 g4
◦ Makarichev, S.
N B
10.d5 a5 11. c2 c8 12.h3 d7 13. bd2
• Tukmakov, V.
N R
c6 14.b4 b7 15.dxc6 xc6 This weakens the

N
f5 square. Better is 15...Qxc6. 16. f1 e8 ?

N
17. g3 h6 This unnecessarily weakens the king- Palma de Mallorca

N R
side. Better is 17...g6. 18. h4 White intends to 1989 1-0 C46

B B B
play 19.Qf3. 18... xe4 19. xe4 19.Nxe4 Bxh4 How to take advantage of a weak square in your

N N N N N
is all right for Black. 19... xe4 20. xe4 xh4 opponent’s position.

Q B B B B N Q
21. f5 d5 If 21...Bf6, then 22.Bxh6! is strong. 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. c3 g6 4.d4 exd4 5. xd4

Q N K N B B B
22. g4 Not 22.Qxd5? Qxc3. 22... g5 23. xg5 g7 6. e3 f6 7. d2 O–O 8. O–O–O

B Q Q B
hxg5 24. xg5 g6 25. h6+ f8 If 25...Kg7, then xd4 9. xd4 d6 10.f3 e6 11.g4 c5 12. e3

Q Q
26.Ng4 wins. 26. xg6 d8 The only move. Not a5 13. h6 Trading off an important defen-

B Q B
26...fxg6 27.Qf6#. 27. g4 f6 If 27...fxg6, then sive piece and weakening the squares around the

Q
28.Qxg6 Nd6 29.Rd1! wins. 28. xf7 xh6 King. 13... xh6 Not 13...Bxa2?? 14.Bxg7 Kxg7

K B R Q Q
29. g8+ Better is 29.Bxd5. White was short on 15.Nxa2 Qxa2 16.Qc3! winning, as there is no

B R
time here. 29... e7 30. xe8 xe8 31. xd5 defense to g5. 14. xh6 b5 White has a strong

R N
White has a large advantage because Black’s King attack after 14...Bxa2 15.h4. 15. xb5 ab8

N Q K Q
is exposed and his numerous pawns outweigh 16.a4 a6 17. xd6 axb5 18.e5 xg4 Black must

R Q Q Q R R
the Knight. 31... d6 32. xe5+ f8 33. d4 give back the piece. 18...Ne8? 19.Ne4 threat-

Q K N
e4 34. b6 e6 35. xa6 e1+ 36. xe1 ening 20.Nf6+ wins immediately. f6 is a weak

Q Q
xe1+ 37. h2 e4 Black’s best chance was square which White takes advantage of. 19.fxg4

Q N Q Q R Q
37...Qe5+ 38.g3 Ne4. 38. e6 Threatening b4 20.a5 White must keep the queenside closed.

K Q Q
39.Qe5 and 40.f3. 38... b1 39.f3 f2 40. c8+ 20... xg4 21. e1 Threatening Ne4-f6. 21... f5

N
f7 41. b7+ Black Resigns. Black loses his In order to meet 22.Ne4 with 22...Qxe5. 22. h4

R K
Knight after either 41...Kg6 42.Qb6+ or 41...Kg8 b4 Better is 22...Kg7 or 22...h5. 23. e4 h5

Q K N R N
42.Qa8+ and 43.Qa7+. 24. d2 Threatening Rf2. 24... g7 The only

Q R
1-0 move. 25. f6+ h6 26. xc5 b5 27. xe6

R
fxe6 28. xf5 xf5 28...exf5 would have offered
◦ Sax, G.
R R R
better chances. 29.a6 fxe5 If 29...Ra5, then
• Portisch, L.
K
30.Rd6 wins. 30. xe5 xe5 31. d6 White is

K K K K K K R
? winning due to his passed a-pawn. 31... g5 32.c4

R R
Skelleftea h4 33. c2 h3 34. b3 xh2 35. xb4 e1
1989 0-1 C75 36.a7 a1 37. d2+ Black Resigns. If 37...Kg3,

N N B B
One error allows Black a fierce kingside attack. then 38.Rd3+ followed by 39.Ra3 or if 37...Kg1,

B N B N N N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 d6 5.c3 then 38.Rd1+ wins.

B N B N
d7 6.d4 ge7 7. b3 h6 8. bd2 g6 9. c4 1-0
e7 10. e3 g5 11. xg5 White gains the
Bishop pair but gives Black an open h-file. ◦ Makarichev, S.
• Razuvaev, Y.
K
11...hxg5 12.g3 Preventing the Knight from com-

B Q
ing into f4. 12...exd4 13.cxd4 f8 This is the ?

Q R R N
safest spot for the King. 14.O–O h3 15. f3 Moscow
d7 16. d1 e8 17. f5 This move is an er- 1989 0-1 C28

Q
ror because the Knights outpost cannot be held. A contest between two strong Soviet Grandmas-

R B N N N N
Correct is 17.Bc2. 17...g4 18. e3 If 18.Qd3, ters.

N R N N B
then 18...Nce5 wins immediately. 18... h5 1.e4 e5 2. c4 c6 3. c3 f6 4.d3 a5
19. h4 The only defense to 19...Rxf5. 19... xh4 5. ge2 xc4 6.dxc4 c5 7.h3 Of course White

188
 N B Q
B Q B
does not fall for 7.Bg5? Bxf2+. 7...h6 8. g3 30. f4 Threatening 31.Be5+. 30... a2+ Not

K N
d6 9.O–O e6 10. d3 O–O 11. d2 a6 Cre- 30...Qxe2# 31.Be5+ Kxh7 32.Qh8+ Kf7 33.Ng5#.

K
ating a retreat square for the Bishop in case of 31. c1 d3+ The only move. White was threat-
Na4 and also planning ...b5 to open lines for his ening 32.Be5+. 32. d1 White must play pre-

R
pieces. 12.a4 c6 With the idea of ...d5. The cisely. 32.Kd2 Rc8 33.Kxd3 Qc4+ wins for Black.

R Q K
side with the two Bishops wants the position to be 32... c8 The losing move. 32...Nb2+, 32...Qa1+,

R Q Q
opened up. 13. ad1 e7 14. h1 The start of a or 32...Qb1+ all would have given Black an equal

B B R
dubious plan. Better is 14.b3. 14... ad8 15.f4 position. 33. g5 Threatening Qf6+. 33... b1+
exf4 16. xf4 17.Nf5 is threatened. White would 34. c1 c6 34...Qxc1+ 35.Qxc1 Nxc1 36.Rxe7

N N Q R
have a strong position except for Black’s next is winning for White as is 34...Nb2+ 35.Ke1 Nd3+

B Q R N N N
move. 16... g4 17. f5 Of course not 17.hxg4 36.Kf1. 35. h6 Threatening Qf8+. 35... c8

N R B N K Q K
Qh4#. Also bad is 17.Qe2 Qh4. 17... xf5 18.exf5 36. g5 c6 37. e5 xc1 38. f7+ Black’s

Q K Q K Q K
f2+ 19. xf2 xf2 20. e4 Black has won the King is in a mating net. 38... xh7 39. h6+ g8

Q Q Q K R K Q K
exchange, but can he withstand White’s coming 40. h8+ xf7 41. h7+ f8 42. xe7+ g8

B Q K
attack. 20... h4 Not 20...Bc5 21.f6. 21. f3 43. d8+ h7 44. e7+ h6 45. h8+ g5

Q Q
e1 The saving move. Not 21...Bc5? 22.Bg3 46. e5+ h6 If 46...Kg4, then 47.h3+ leads to
Qe7 23.f6 with a very good position for White. mate. 47. e3+ g5 48. h3+ Black Resigns. If

B
22.f6 If 22.Nxd6, then 22...Bb4 or if 22.Bxd6, 48...Kg6, then 49.Qh7#.

R
then 22...Rfe8. 22...g5 23. h2 If 23.Bxd6, then 1-0

N
23...Rf8 24.g4 h5!. 23... fe8 Not 23...d5? due
to 24.Nxd6 followed by 25.Nf5. 24. xd6 g4 ◦ Ernst, T.
25.hxg4 Better is 25.Qxg4 Qxg4 26.hxg4 although • Rogers, I.

R R B
Black has a large advantage after 26...Bb4 followed ?

Q
by 27...Re6. 25... xd6 26. xd6 d2 Threaten- Lugano

Q B B Q B
ing 27...Re3+. 27. h3 If 27.g3, then 27...Qh3 1989 0-1 C07

N Q N
wins. 27... e1+ 28. g1 e3 29. h2 xg1 Tactics in the endgame.

B Q N N N
White Resigns. If 30.Qxg1, then 30...Qh4+ 31.Qh2 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5 5. gf3

N N N B B
Re1#. cxd4 6. c4 d6 7.O–O f6 8. b3 c6

Q Q B
0-1 9. bxd4 xd4 10. xd4 d7 11.b3 a6 12. b2
f4 13. e2 d6 14.g3 14.Nf3?! Bc6 15.Ne5
◦ Blatny, P.
Q Q N R
Nd7 is good for Black. If now 16.g3, then
• Vladimirov, E.
B B
16...Nxe5!. 14... g4 15. xg4 xg4 16. ad1

N N
? c5 17. e2 Better is 17.Nf3 to avoid Black’s

N R
Alma-Ata next move. 17...e5 18. f3 e4 19. g5 Not
1989 1-0 C18 19.Nd2 e3. 19... e3 20. xd7 Correct is 20.fxe3

N B B K
A game full of tactics. Bxe3+ 21.Kg2 Bxg5 22.Bxg7 Rg8 23.Bf6 with

N Q B N Q R N R
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 b4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 xc3+ a slightly better position for White. 20... xd7

N N B B K R
6.bxc3 e7 7. g4 O–O 8. d3 bc6 9. h5 21. e1 f5 Not 21...Nxc2? 22.Rc1. 22. f7 hc8

N R N
f5 10. f3 f6 11.g4 c4 The only move. 12. e2 23.fxe3 xe3+ 24. f1 xc2 Black is better be-

N N K N B B
fe7 13.exf6 xf6 14. g5 h6 Not 14...Rh6 be- cause of his extra pawns and his pieces are more

Q Q
cause of 15.Qf7+ Kh8 16.Qf3 winning. 15. f3 active. 25. e5+ e7 26. c4 c5 27. xg7 Bet-

Q R B
f8 16.g5 g6 17. h3 Not 17.Qxh6 Rxf3 win- ter is 27.Rc1 exchanging off Black’s active Rook.

R B R
ning. 17...e5 18. g2 e6 19.gxh6 exd4 20.cxd4 27...f4 28. h6 The only move. Not 28.gxf4? Rg8

K R K R K R
xe2+ Sacrificing the exchange to open up the or 28.Be5? f3 winning. 28...f3 29. d1 f2+

K
King’s position. The position is unclear after 30. g1 e2+ 31. f1 f2+ 32. g1 xa2+

K Q K K R R R R B
20...Qf5 21.Be3 Qxc2 22.h7+! Kh8 23.Rd1. 33. h1 Not 33.Be3? f2+ winning immediately.

R K N R B B
21. xe2 f5 22. d2 The only move. 22...b5 33... f6 34. xe4 a1 35. e1 d8 36. d2
23. e1 c3+ 24. xc3 b4+ 25.axb4 xb4 26. e2 The only move. 36... b4 37. xf3 Again the only

B R Q R B B B
Not 26.Kxb4? Qxc2 followed by ...Rb8+ win- move. If 37.Bxb4, then 37...Rdxd1 38.Bc3+ Kg5!
ning. 26... a6 27. xa6 c8+ 27...Nxa6? wins. 37... xe1+ 38. xe1 xe1 39. xb7 a5

K B R B R K K K
28.h7+ Kh8 29.Kd2 followed by Qg5 is good for White’s chances to hold this ending are very slim.

Q R K B B R B
White. 28. b2 The King is too exposed after 40. c6 d3 41. a4 f3 42. g1 e6 43. g2

K B K
28.Kxb4 Rb8+. 28... xa6 29.h7+ Now White f2+ 44. h3 c3 45. c6 a2 46. e4 h6
is able to start his own counterattack. 29... h8 47. c6 f5 Threatening ...Kg5 followed by

189
 N K N
R K K
...Bd4-g1. 48. e3+ g5 49. g2 White plans White’s kingside pawns would become quite dan-

K K K B
to play Nh4-f3. 49... b2 Black’s plan is to sac- gerous after 40...Rxa2 41.Bxf6. 41. xg2 d6+

B K N B K B K
rifice the exchange for the b-pawn and then win 42. f1 xe7 43. e2 d7 44.f5 h5 45.gxh5

K B K B K B K
with his advanced a-pawn. 50. d5 f6 51. h4 xf5 46. xe3 g4 47. h6 f7 Draw by Agree-

N
e5 52. g8 e4 53. h7+ d5 54. g8+ c5 ment.

K
55. g6 If instead 55.Nf5, then 55...Kb4 56.Nxh6 1/2-1/2

N K
Rxb3 and the a-pawn cannot be stopped. 55... b4
56. e7 a3 Not 56...Rxb3? 57.Nc6+ Ka3
◦ Dreev, A.
N R B R N K B
58.Bxb3 Kxb3 59.Nxa5 with an equal position.
• Azmaiparashvili, Z.
R B R B B N R
57. c6 d2 58. c4 d6 59. a7 b4 60. g8
?
B
g6 61. d5 d6 62. g8 d4 63. c8 d8
Moscow
B
64. e6 If 64.Ne7, then 64...Rxg8 followed by
1989 1-0 B07
65...Kxb3 wins. 64... c5 The Knight cannot es-
A contest between two Soviet super Grandmasters
K R K R B
cape. Now Black wins just by capturing the b-
B N B N
ends quickly.
K K B
pawn. 65. g4 d3 66. h5 xb3 67. xb3
N Q B B
1.d4 g6 2.e4 g7 3. c3 d6 4. g5 f6 5.f4
xb3 68. xh6 a4 69.g4 a3 70.g5 a2 71.g6 d4
N B N B
O–O 6. f3 c6 7. d2 b5 8. d3 g4 9.e5
White Resigns.
b4 10. e2 xf3 11.gxf3 d5 12. c4 a5
0-1
Q
13.O–O–O White is intending to weaken Black’s
kingside with f4-f5. 13... d7 14.f5 This pawn

Q N Q
sacrifice opens lines and gains time for White’s
◦ Rubin, D.
Q R
attack. 14... xf5 15. g3 e6 16.f4 dxe5
• Glek, I.
N Q
17.f5 d6 18.fxg6 hxg6 19. dg1 exd4 Bet-
?
N N
ter is 19...f5. 20. f5 e5 If 20...exf5, then
Correspondence
21.Bh6. 21. xg7 e3 If 21...Qxg7, then 22.Bh6
1989 1/2-1/2 C07
B Q
Qe5 23.Rg5 Qe4 24.Bxd5 cxd5 25.Re1 wins
This correspondence game features lots of sacri-
K B Q R
for White. 22. xe3 dxe3 23. d3 Threatening
fices and some very sharp tactics.
N Q N 24.Qxg6. 23... xg7 24. xf7 h5 25. xg6+
B Q N N N
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5 5. gf3
Black Resigns. If 25...Kxf7, then 26.Rf1+ Ke8
N N N Q Q
cxd4 6. c4 d6 7.O–O f6 8. b3 c6
27.Rxf8+ Kxf8 28.Qd8+ Kf7 29.Qg8#.
B N B
9. bxd4 xd4 10. xd4 a6 11.b3 c7 12. e2
1-0
K N Q
d6 13. f5 The fireworks begin. 13... xh2+
14. h1 O–O 15. xg7 e5 Not 15...Kxg7
16.Bb2 Qf4 17.Qh5 winning. 16.g3 16.Bh6 ◦ Kudrin, S.
• Miles, A.
Q
Qxe2 17.Bxe2 Be5 leads to an equal position.
?
B R
16... xa1 17.c3 b5 17...Qxc3 18.Bb2 wins for
USA
B N Q Q
White. 18. d3 d8 Unclear is 18...Qxc3 19.Bb2
Qc6+ 20.f3. 19. e4 xe4 20. xe4 xc3 If 1989 0-1 B00

N
20...Rb8, then 21.Qe5 threatening both 22.Qxb8 This game from the U.S. championship features a

Q Q Q
and 22.Nh5. 21. h5 Black has a big advantage Russian born Grandmaster against an English born

Q B K B
after 21.Qxa8 Qxg7. 21... d3 22. g4+ g6 Grandmaster, the latter well known for his creative

N N N B
23. h4 b7+ 24. xh2 e5 25. b2 White is but sometimes unorthodox style.

R B N N N N B
down in material but Black’s kingside is very weak. 1.e4 c6 2.d4 e5 3.dxe5 xe5 4. f3 b4+

N B B B N B
25... e8 Black must give back the exchange to 5.c3 d6 6. bd2 xf3+ 7. xf3 e7 8.e5 c5

K N R R Q Q
keep the White’s bishop out of play. 26. f6+ 9.b4 b6 10. f4 O–O 11. c4 g6 12. g3

R B
g7 27. xe8+ xe8 28. c1 f5 29. f4 Bad d6 Black is willing to sacrifice a pawn to open

K Q Q B
is 29.f4 h6 30.Rc7 Qe4 31.Qg4+ Kf8 and White lines for his pieces. 13.exd6 e8+ 14. e2

K R Q B N
cannot defend his King. 29... g6 30. xf5+ f6 15.O–O cxd6 16. b5 Not 16.Bxd6 due

R B R K R R N R
xf5 Black is better in the endgame, but will it to 16...Rxe2. 16... d8 17. d2 g4 18. d4

R R
be enough to win? 31. c7 d5 32. d7 e6 ac8 19. ac1 e5 20. fe1 Black has a weak

R B R Q
33. a7 c8 Black could have kept his extra pawn d-pawn, but his active pieces gives him the ad-

R K R R B
with 33...Ra8, but decides to activate his Rook in- vantage. 20... c7 21. f1 a6 22. e4 g6

R R B K
stead. 34.g4 Worse is 34.Rxa6+ Kf5 with a strong 23. ce1 f6 24. h1 dc8 25. 4e3 d7 26.a4

K B R R R N R
attack. 34... c2 35. xa6+ c6 36. g3 f6 h5 27.f4 This weakens the kingside. Better is
37.f4 d5 38. a1 e4 39. a7 e3 40. e7 g2+ 27.a5. 27... g4 28. e7 h4 Black calculated

190
 K R K Q K Q
B Q B K N
many moves ahead before playing this strong sac- 51. g2 b2+ 52. f3 d3+ 53. g4 f5+
rifice. 29. xh4 h5 30. g3 This obvious move 54. f3 e2 White Resigns. 55...Nd4+ is threat-
loses for White. Better was 30.Nf3, although after ened, and if 55.Rxe2, then 55...Qxh3+.
30...Qxh4! 31.Nxh4 Nf2+ 32.Kg1 Ne4+ 33.Qe3 0-1

R R R Q
Bxe3+ 34.Rxe3 d5 Black has the better position.
30... xc3 31. xd7 xg3 32.h3 d5 This po-
◦ Kasparov, G.
N Q
sition is full of tactics. Black threatens both
• Salov, V.
33...Qxd4 and 33...Rxh3+. 33. f3 xf3 Beau-
?
B R R K R
tiful! 34.gxf3 is met with 34...Rg1 checkmate!
Barcelona
34. c4+ xc4 35.gxf3 xh3+ 36. g2 h2+
1989 1-0 A34
K R R
Black wins back the Queen and is left at least
This was voted the best game of the first half of
a piece ahead. 37. g3 xd2 38. ee7 White’s
N N N
1989 by Chess Informant.
N R K
only hope is a counterattack on the Black King,
N B Q N R
1. f3 f6 2.c4 b6 3. c3 c5 4.e4 d6 5.d4 cxd4
R R R N K R
but this proves futile. 38... h6 39. xg7+ f8
6. xd4 b7 7. e2 bd7 8.g3 c8 Better is
K R R R
40. h7 cc2 41. h8+ g8 42. g4 g2+
B Q
8...e6. Black needs to be developing his king-
43. f5 g7 44. xd6 c6 White Resigns.
N
side. 9. g2 a6 10.O–O c7 Again, better is
0-1
Q
10...e6. 11.b3 e6 12. d5 This move was dis-
covered in Kasparov’s home laboratory. 12... b8
◦ Rodriguez, Am.
R
If 12...exd5, then 13.exd5+ Kd8 14.Bb2 gives
• Miles, A.
B
White the advantage. 13. d1 g6 Again 13...exd5
?
B
14.exd5+ Kd8 15.Nc6+ is good for White. 14. g5
Palma de Mallorca
B N N R
g7 If 14...exd5, then 15.exd5 Be7 16.Nc6 is win-
1989 0-1 B00
ning for White. 15. xf6 xf6 16. xb6 d8
English GM Miles plays a game in the style of the
B
Better is 16...Rc7, although White has a large ad-
N N N N B B
great chess thinker Aron Nimzowitsch.
B N
vantage. 17.e5 xg2 If 17...dxe5, then 18.Nc6
B B R
1.e4 c6 2. f3 d6 3.d4 f6 4. c3 g4 5. e3
is strong. 18.exf6 xf6 19. xe6 Cracking open
e6 6. e2 e7 7.O–O O–O 8. e1 d5 Pure
Q B
the defenses around Black’s King. 19...fxe6
Nimzowitsch. Black intends to exchange off his
B R Q B R
20. xe6+ e7 21.c5 Protecting the Knight on
B N Q N
Queen Bishop after fixing the pawns on light
R N Q
b6. 21... b7 22. e1 c7 23.c6 xc6 24. ac1
BB Q N
squares. 9.h3 h5 10.e5 d7 11. d2 b6
Q B
Threatening 25.Rxc6. 24... d7 25. xd7 xd7
N B
12.b3 g6 13. d3 d7 14. e2 With the idea
Q R Q K R
26. c4 b7 If 26...Bb5, then 27.Qc8+ wins.
of Nf4. 14... b4 15. xg6 fxg6 16.c3 Better
27. c7 f8 28. b8+ f7 29. c7 Black Re-
N B B Q R
is exchanging off his bad Bishop with 16.Bg5.
signs.
16... a6 17. g5 a3 18. c2 ac8 Not 18...c5
1-0
R
19.Bc1. 19.b4 Threatening 19.Nd2 and 20.Qb3,
trapping the Bishop. 19... xf3 The only move,
◦ Kasparov, G.
R K Q Q
but a strong one as well. White’s kingside is
• Vaganian, R.
N B B R N
full of holes. 20.gxf3 f8 21. g2 f7 22. d3
?
N N R N
c4 23. c1 xc1 24. axc1 b8 With the idea
Skelleftea
R Q R
Nc6-e7-f5. 25.h4 c6 26.f4 e7 27. h1 f5
1989 1-0 A33
R N R Q Q
28. h3 e7 29. ch1 a5 Creating a second front.

Q R K
30.bxa5 a8 31. g3 xa5 32.h5 f7 33. b1 Vaganian would win the Soviet Championship in

R N K
b6 34.hxg6 xg6 35. xh7 f7 35...Nce3+ 1989, but playing Black against the world cham-

Q R N N N N
36.Kg1 is unclear. 36. 7h5 ce3+ 37. g1 pion is not an easy task for anyone.

N Q N B
g4 Black has a large advantage. 38. 1h2 If 1.c4 c5 2. f3 f6 3. c3 c6 4.d4 cxd4

N Q N Q B B N
38.Rg5, then 38...Qxf4 wins, or if 38.R1h3, then 5. xd4 e6 6.g3 b6 7. db5 d5 8. g2 d4
38...Nxg3 wins. 38... xg3 39.fxg3 xg3+ White 9. a4 a5+ 10. d2 b4 11. c5 The knight

K Q K N B Q Q
cannot hold this position because of his open moves to the strategically important outpost at

Q K N K N K K R
King and weak pawns. 40. h1 f3+ 41. g1 d3. 11...O–O 12. d3 xd2+ 13. xd2 xd2+

N K Q K Q K
g4+ 42. f2 d1+ 43. f1 e3+ 44. f2 14. xd2 d8 White has some advantage in the

N Q Q K R
d1+ 45. f1 f3+ 46. g1 e3+ 47. f1 endgame because of his pawn majority on the

R N N
xc3 48. e1 d3+ 49. g1 b5 The Rook queenside. The game will be determined by how

Q B N R N B
comes into action. ...Rb1 is threatened. 50. 5h3 effectively he will utilize it. 15.c5 e8 16. a3 f6
If 50.Rd2, then 50...Qg6 51.Rg5 Rb1. 50... xd4+ 17.f4 d7 18. c4 ab8 19.b4 e7 20.a4 c6

191
 B R N N N
N B R R K
21. f3 a6 22. hb1 c7 23. d6 f5 24.b5 40.hxg4 and White’s central pawns are too power-

R K R K
axb5 25.axb5 xd6 Black had been doing fine up ful. 40.exf6 gxh3 41. xh3 xf6 42. c8+ h7
to here. But this move is a mistake and Kasparov 43. c7+ g6 44. g7+ h5 45.f3 Black Re-
does not give him a second opportunity. Correct is signs. There is no good defense to 46.Bg4#.
25...Bxf3 26.Nxf5 Bxe2 27.Ne7+ Kf7 28.b6 Ne8 1-0

N K
29.c6 Kxe7 30.c7 Bf3 31.Ra7 Rbc8 32.cxd8(Q)+
◦ Kasparov, G.
R
Rxd8 33.Nc5 Nd6. 26.bxc6 c4+ 27. c1 bxc6
• Short, N.
R R
28. xb8 Black’s problem now is that both his

N B
c- and d- pawns are weak. 28... xb8 29. a4 ?
e3 30. xc6 e5 If 30...Rd8, then 31.Ra7 Ned5 Barcelona
32.Kb2 Rb8+ 33.Rb7 Rxb7 34.Bxb7 Nc3 35.e4 1989 1-0 A20

N N R R
followed by Kb3 and Kc4 with a large advantage to When the number-one and number-three-rated

K K
White. 31.fxe5 fxe5 32. xe5 e6 33. a5 c8 players get together to rumble it’s always an ea-
34. d2 f8 Not only is White a pawn ahead, but gerly awaited match-up. The audience didn’t dis-

K K R K N K
his pieces are also better placed. Black has no appoint the players, nor did the players disappoint

B N K R K B B Q
hope. 35. d3 e7 36. a7+ f6 37. d7+ g5 the audience.

R N K N N N B
38. f3 f5 39.h4+ g6 40. a6 f7 41. d5 1.c4 e5 2.g3 d6 3. g2 g6 4.d4 exd4 5. xd4
e8 42. e5+ f6 43. f3 Black Resigns. In f6 6. c3 g7 This gives White an advantage

Q
order to stop 44.Ng5, Black must play 44...h6. in the ending. The middlegame after 6...Nc6 7.Qd2

Q Q K
But after 45.g4 Ne3 46.Bxe6 Rxe6 47.Rxe6+ Kxe6 Bg7 8.b3 is also better for White. 7. e3+
47.Nd4+ White wins. e7 8. xe7+ xe7 9.b3 A powerful move that
1-0 Nigel had missed when allowing the exchange of
Queens. The move has several points. It protects
◦ Karpov, An. c4, making counterplay based on ...Bc8-e6 impos-
• Hjartarson, J. sible. Also, when Black plays ...c7-c6, protecting
? d5 and neutralizing the Bishop on g2, White then
Seattle can play Bc1-a3 pressing against d6. Black has a
1989 1-0 A29 bleak future. He’ll have to sit passively, waiting to
The rising Icelandic GM takes on the former world counterpunch. The question is, what is the best de-
champion in the quarterfinals of the world champi- fensive arrangement for Black’s pieces? Should he
onship. This was voted the fourth best game during forgo playing ...c7-c6 and play ...a7-a5 with ...Nb8-

N B N N
the first half of 1989 by Chess Informant. a6 in mind? Or should he bite the bullet, play

N N N B B
1.c4 e5 2.g3 f6 3. g2 d5 4.cxd5 xd5 5. c3 9...Rd8 intending ...c7-c6, ...Bc8-e6, ...Nb8-d7-b6,

R
b6 6. f3 c6 7.O–O e7 8.a3 e6 9.b4 and ...d6-d5? The choice is not an easy one even
O–O 10. b1 Anticipating that the b-file will with hindsight. 9...a5 Nigel didn’t like this move
get opened after Ne4-c5 and ...Bxc5. The Rook and blamed it for his problems in this game. He felt

Q N N Q B N
also guards the b3-square should Black play 9...Rd8 aiming for an eventual ...d6-d5 was better.
...Nd4. 10...f6 11.d3 d7 12. e4 d5 13. c2 10. b2 c6 11. a4 A very strong move. Black is
b6 Preventing Ne4-c5, however this contradicts sentenced to keep watch over the b6 square while

B R
one of Steinitz’ rules - "don’t make weaknesses his Kingside his kingside is paralyzed on the a1-

R NB Q Q
where your opponent is attacking." 14. b2 ac8 h8 diagonal. White already has a significant ad-

R BN
15. bc1 d4 16. xd4 exd4 17. c6 xc6 vantage. It’s moves like this -moving the same

B B
18. xc6 d7 19. xd4 White has more than piece twice, decentralizing the Knight, etc. - that

N R R
enough compensation for the exchange. 19... xc6 gives chess teachers nightmares. 11... e6 It’s hard
20. xc6 ce8 21. c1 Karpov plays like a to question a move like this, but Black’s position

N N N B
python the way he deprives his opponents of all craves exchanges. Better is 11...Nh5 or 11...Ne8
counterplay. 21...f5 22. d2 f6 23. xa7 d6 intending to exchange Bishops and use e6 for the

N B N
If 23...c5, then 24.b6 followed by an attack on Knight. This would have relieved some of the pres-

N N
the b6-pawn. 24.e3 c5 25. c4 b8 26. c6 b5 sure on Black’s position. With the benefit of hind-

N N
27. 4a5 cxb4 28.axb4 d7 Preventing 29.Rc5. sight, it’s plain that Black had to be willing to make

R R N N R N K N
29.d4 Threatening Bg2-f1. 29...g5 30. xb8 a major concession to trade these Bishops. 12. f3

N R R R R
xb8 31. c7 f6 32. c6 b6 33. e7+ h8 bd7 Nigel is drifting. In combination with ...a7-

R N
34. xf5 a6 35. c1 a2 36.h3 b2 37.e4 a5, this method of development is not logical.
xb4 38.g4 h5 39.e5 hxg4 If 39...Nh5, then 13. d4 Now all of White’s pieces are working. As

192
 R R R
soon as the first player doubles on the d-file Black 45.Rxc5 Rxg3+, winning for Black. Unfortunately
can resign. 13... hc8 14.O–O ab8 15. ac1 for Nigel, the strongest part of Garry’s game is

N
Garry is wrong to discourage ...b7-b5. After the his fine tactical ability, which he now demonstrates
indicated 15.Rfd1, followed by Rd2, Black is his- once more. 44. e4 A superb move. White uti-

R R
tory. If 15...b5?!, then 16.cxb5 cxb5 17.Nc3 b4 and lizes all his pieces to weave a mating net. White

N R
18.Ncb5, intending Na7, and the game would end
before it had properly begun. 15... e8 16. fd1
The handwriting is on the wall. Black has to hold
his breath and play some ugly moves before things
R
intends Rd5-e5 and Rd1-d8. 44... xe3 45. e5
h5 Nigel is still kicking. When I first saw this
position I thought that Nigel had squirmed out. In-
deed, after 46.Nxc5 Rexe5 47.Nd7+ Kf7 48.fxe5

R
get any worse. 16...c5 The best move, but I Nc7, Black has good blockading chances. Garry’s

N R
can’t bring myself to give such a move an excla- next move removes all hope. 46. e6 Renew-

B N N N N
mation mark! Review my earlier notes. 17. b5 ing the threat of Rd1-d8. 46... e2+ Nigel can
xb2 18. xb2 b6 19. c3 a8 The Knight choose his own execution: 46...Nc7 47.Rd8+ Kf7
on b6 is a dead piece. The White pawn structure 48.Re7 mate or 46...Nxf6 47.Rd8+ Kf7 48.Rxf6+

N N R B N K R
of b3-c4 stifles its movements. White has a won Ke7 49.Rff8 and the Knight on e4 is taboo be-

N R N R
game. 20. ba4 ec7 21. d2 d7 22. e4 cause of Re8+ and Rxe4. 47. f3 hh2 48.f7

Q K R
Garry tightens the noose. 22... e8 Forced. If The final brilliancy. 48... hf2+ 49. xf2 xe6
22...Bxa4 23.bxa4 Ne8 (If 23...Nb6, 24.Rxd6 Nxa4 50.fxe8= + xe8 51. c1 Black Resigns. A
25.Rd3 intending Ra3 wins material.) 24.Rb1 at clinical masterpiece by Garry Kasparov.

N
once, Black is forced to play ...b7-b6, after which 1-0

B R R
material losses will become unavoidable. 23. ac3
c6 24. cd1 d8 White has achieved all he ◦ Speelman, J.
can on the queenside and in the center, and it’s • Short, N.
not enough to win the game. How to step up the ?
pressure? It’s clear that the Kingside has to get Barcelona
involved. The winning idea will be to play e2- 1989 1-0 A17

N N N B B
e3, f2-f4, g3-g4-g5 and then to push the h-pawn. Black’s King is left stuck in the center.
Garry now sets this plan in motion. 25.g4 Black 1. f3 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b6 4.e4 b7 5. d3

N N N B N B
isn’t given the chance to exchange pieces by ...f7- White intends to play Bc2 and d4. 5...c5 6.e5

B B Q N R
f5 and Bc6xg2. 25... ac7 26.a4 Once again pre- g4 7.O–O c6 8. e4 f5 9.exf6 xf6 10. xc6

N B N R R
venting any freeing of the Black position by ...b7- xc6 11.d4 xf3 12. xf3 cxd4 13. b5 c8

R R N
b5. White can work in peace. 26... e6 27.e3 14. f4 a6 15. xd4 xc4 16. fd1 Threatening
h6 28.f4 d7 29.h4 bd8 30. g3 Preparing a 17.Nxe6. White has compensation for the sacri-

Q R K
full-court press. White wants to play g4-g5 and ficed pawn because Black’s King is stuck in the
force the exchange of h-pawns. If Black avoids center. 16... c8 17. ac1 f7 If 17...Be7,

N N Q R
this with ...h6-h5, then f4-f5-f6+ comes in decisive then 18.Rxc4 Qxc4 19.Qa8+ is slightly better for

R Q
fashion. 30... 6g7 31. d5+ Precise play. It’s too White. 18. e2 xc1 Not 18...b5? 19.Nf3 threat-

N B
early to play 31.g5 hxg5 32.hxg5 f6, when lines ening 20.Ne5+. 19. xc1 a8 Not 19...Qb7?,

N K B R R
will be opened on the kingside because White isn’t as 20.Nxe6! wins at once. 20. f3 c5

Q
completely mobilized to take advantage of them. 21. e5+ e7 22. g5 f8 23. d1 d6 24.b4

K K
Parting with the Bishop by 31...Bxd5 32.Bxd5 Nf6 dxe5 25.bxc5 bxc5 26. c2 Threatening 27.Qxh7.

N K B K R
33.Bf3 doesn’t help matters. 31... f8 32. f2 If 26.Qxe5, then Black holds with 26...Qc6.

N B Q K
Readying the blow g4-g5 and Bg2-h3. 32... e6 26... f7 27. xf6 xf6 28. d3 e4 A blunder in

R N N B N
33.g5 hxg5 34.hxg5 6c7 35. h3 f5 36.gxf6 time pressure. Correct is 28...Kf7. 29. c3+ f5
h7 37. xc7 xc7 38. g2 e8 Nothing is Also losing are 29...e5 30.Rd6+ Kf7 31.Qc4+!

B K
accomplished by 38...Rh2, as 39.Kg1 forces ex- and 29...Kf7 30.Rd7+ and 29...Kg6 30.Rg3. In-

R
changes on g2. 39. xc6 bxc6 40. g2 Harness- stead Black brings his King into the center, but

R R Q K Q Q Q K
ing Black’s Rook. White now wants to protect his it has little chance for survival there. 30. d7

Q K Q K R Q
pawn with e3-e4-e5. 40... b8 41. d3 d5 Desper- e3 31. xc5+ g6 32. xe3 c6 33. g3+ f5

R Q K Q R
ation. If 41...Rhb7, then 42.e4 Rxb3 43.e5 R3b4 34. h3+ e5 35. g3+ f5 36. c7 e4

Q K R K R R
44.Rc3 Rxa4 45.Ne4, with the intention of Nxd6 37.h4 h6 38. xg7 e1+ 39. h2 e5 40. a7

R R R R K
or Rh1-h8+ and Ne4-g5 mate, quickly decides mat- xg3+ 41. xg3 g8+ 42. h3 c8 43. xa6

K K R
ters. 42.cxd5 cxd5 43. xd5 xb3 It now seems c3+ 44.g3 h5 45. a5+ e5 46.f4 e4 47.fxe5
logical for White to fall into the trap 44.e4 Nxf6 f3 48.e6 f2 49. f5+ Black Resigns.

193
 Q
1-0 Black’s advantage is 20.Kg3 Bxh4+ 21.Rxh4 Rxf2
and even worse is 20.h5 Bh4. 20...hxg5 21.h5 e8
◦ Velikov, P. Good for White is 21...Ne7 22.Bg4. 22.b4 White
• Dorfman, I.
N B B B
suddenly switches the focus to the queenside.
? 22...cxb4 23. a4 d8 24. xb4 d7 25.hxg6
Palma de Mallorca Better is 25.Nb2. Then Kasparov intended to play

Q
1989 0-1 A04 25...Rxf2+ 26.Kxf2 Ngf6 with attacking chances.

N B
This game has a wild King hunt. 25... xg6 26.c5 Threatening 27.c6. 26...g4 Bet-

Q N R B
1. f3 g6 2.g3 g7 3.d4 c5 4.c3 b6 5.dxc5 ter is 26...Nf6 to meet 27.c6 with 27...Nxe4.

N
bxc5 6. d5 White hunts down a pawn but 27.c6 g3 28. d3 bxc6 29.dxc6 c8 30. f3 Not

Q N B B N N Q R Q B Q
loses in a lot of time in the process. 6... c6 30.cxd7? Rxc1 31.Nxc1 Rf2+ 32.Kg1 Qxe4 win-

B Q K
7. xc5 f6 8. g2 a6 9. d4 xd4 10. xd4 ning. 30... xf3 31. xf3 g4 32. xg3 Not

N B Q
O–O 11. xa8 Grabbing the Rook is risky as 32.Qe3? Bg5 winning. 32... xe4+ 33. g1 Cor-

Q
it leaves the kingside weak. Safer is 11.Qd1. rect is 33.Kh2. 33... f6 34. xd6 d4+ Correct

Q N Q N
11... xa8 12.f3 e5 Black must lose no time in is 34...Rxc6 35.Rxc6 Qxc6 36.Nxe5 Qxa4 with a

K Q N Q Q R R
opening up the position. 13. d1 Of course large advantage to Black. 35. f2 xd6 36. xg4

R R B Q Q Q
13.Qxe5 Re8 loses immediately. 13...e4 14. f2 d4+ 37. f2 xa4 38. xe5 c7 39. h2

Q Q K R K N
Black would have compensation for the sacri- g7+ 40. g2 c7 41. f5 xa2 42. c8+

R R Q N Q N
ficed material after 14.O-O exf3 15.Rxf3 Re8. g8 43. xg8+ xg8 44. xg7+ xg7 45. d3

Q K
14... e8 15. e1 c6 16. a3 e6 17. c2 Draw by Agreement.

R
h3 18. g1 Not 18.Rh1? exf3 19.exf3 Re2+ 1/2-1/2

B
winning immediately. 18... e5 Threaten-
ing 19...Rh5. 19. f4 19.Ne3 Rh5 20.Nf1 exf3 ◦ Korchnoi, V.
• Ye, J.
R
loses immediately as does 19.g4 Nxg4 20.fxg4
Qxg4+ 21.Kh1 e3 22.Rf1 Rg5. 19... d5 An im- ?

N R
portant in-between move. On 19...Rh5, White Novi Sad

N Q N Q B Q
can defend with 20.g4. 20. d4 h5 21.g4 1990 0-1 E99

B K R
d5 22. b3 xf4 23. b8+ c8 24. xc8+ If An incredible back-and-forth tactical marvel,

K K
24.Qxf4, then 24...Be5. 24... f8 25. f2 e5 played at the Olympiad between the former So-
26. e3 exf3+ 27. xf4 If 27.Kd2, then 27...f2 viet Korchnoi, now playing for the Swiss, and the
28.Rf1 Rxe2+ 29.Nxe2 Qd3+ wins. 27...d6 28.e4 top board for the Chinese team, relative newcom-

N
If 28.Nxf3, then 28...g5+ 29.Nxg5 Qe3 checkmate. ers to the world of top-level chess. In this game,

Q R N K
28...f2 Threatening 29...g5 checkmate. 29. f3 Ye, Jiangchuan proves that age and experience are

N N B B
fxe1= 30. xe1 h5 31. xe5 dxe5+ 32. g5 If not always victorious over inventive youth.

K Q Q N
32.Kxe5, then 32...Qh2+ 33.Qd5 Qd2+ 34.Kc4 1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5. e2
Qxe1 wins. 32... g7 33. d7 xg4+ White Re- O–O 6. f3 e5 7.O–O This is a standard line in
signs. 34.Qxg4 f6 is a very pretty checkmate. the King’s Indian Defense. Note that White can-
0-1 not now win a pawn by 7.dxe5 dxe5 8.Qxd8 Rxd8
9.Nxe5 due to 9...Nxe4 with complications. 7.dxe5
◦ Gelfand, B. is playable, however, with positions more favor-
• Kasparov, G.
N N N
able to the style of Korchnoi’s nemesis, Anatoly
? Karpov. 7... c6 8.d5 e7 9. e1 Preparing to
Linares meet ...f7-f5 with f2-f3, and also repositioning the
1990 1/2-1/2 E99 Knight to support c4-c5. An alternative is to re-

N N B B
A titanic struggle between two giants. treat to d2, heading for the c4 square after c4-

N N N N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5. e2 c5. White’s play is on the Queenside, while Black

N N B N K R
O–O 6. f3 e5 7.O–O c6 8.d5 e7 9. e1
d7 10. d3 f5 11. d2 f6 12.f3 h8 13. c1
c5 This makes it more difficult for White to at-
tack on the queenside. 14.g4 And this makes it
N B B N
will mount a direct assault on the White monarch.
9... d7 10. e3 f5 11.f3 f4 12. f2 g5 13. b5
This move is normally played a little later, after
Ne1-d3, Ra1-c1, c4-c5, and c5xd6. With the ex-

N N
more difficult for White to attack on the king- change of c-pawns, White is better prepared to

K N R B
side. 14...a6 15. f2 h6 16.h4 fxg4 17.fxg4 eg8 attack down the open c-file, and Nb5 threatens
18. g2 h7 19. h1 f6 20.g5 White sacri- both the a-pawn, the d-pawn, and the c7 square.
fices a pawn to keep Black’s pieces inactive. To Now Black takes a moment to defend the a-pawn

194
 N K N Q B
and slow the c-pawn’s advance. 13...b6 14.b4 27.gxf3 Bh3 would have fatal consequences. The

R B
a6 15. c3 h5 16. h1 f6 17.c5 g4 18.cxb6 text tries to prevent ...Ng6-f4. 24... h3 25. b2
cxb6 19. c1 g3 Black is more than willing to h6 A very sly move. Black activates his Bishop

B B N R B R N
sacrifice a pawn or two to open Kingside lines. while secretly clearing the g-file for his Rook to at-

B N K N R N
20. g1 gxh2 21. f2 h4 22. a4 b8 23.b5 tack. 26.f3 e6 27. bd1 f4 Everything is in

N K N R
axb5 24. xb5 h5 25. xh2 g3 26. g1 g6 readiness and the fireworks now begin. Note that if
27. d3 h7 28. b4 h3 29. xc8 Basically the attack does fail, White will win. This is where
forced, due to Black’s increasing initiative. Now the importance of calculation comes in. In this

R R B Q R
Korchnoi hopes to get some pawns for the ex- case, Black has either calculated or intuited that his

N R B K N N Q K B Q B
change. 29... xc8 30.gxh3 h8 31. xb6 e7 attack is worth the offered material. 28.gxf4 g8+

K R R
32. d3 b8 33. c6 g8 34. f2 h4 35. d3 29. h1 xc4 30. f2 xf4 An excellent move.
f7 36. c1 xb6 And Black returns the mate- Had Black rushed to recapture his piece, a surprise

N Q Q R
rial to set up an unusual diagonal pin against the would await: 30...Bxb3 31.fxe5! Bxd1 32.dxe6+

R B Q N K N R R R B
loose Knight f2. 37. xb6 a7 38. b3 b8 Bg7 33.Rxd1 and White has sacrificed material for

K B Q R Q K R Q N B N R
39. b1 f6 40. b4 xf3+ 41. g2 h4+ the initiative. 31. g1 xg1+ 32. xg1 xb3

R Q Q K Q N
42. g1 d8 43. xd6 xb6 44. e6+ g7 33. g4 h6 34. d3 d5 35. xf4 xf4 White

K K Q B
45. xb6 xb6 46. d7+ h6 47. e6+ g6 Resigns.

N
48. g2 g7 49. d7+ e7 50.d6 Walking into 0-1

K Q K N
mate, but there is no real defense. 50... h4+
51. g1 b1+ 52. h2 f1+ White Resigns.
◦ Kamsky, G.
0-1
• Petursson, M.
?
◦ Stohl, I.
Reykjavik
• Uhlmann, W.
1990 1-0 E91
?
Black gets a strategically lost position when his
Euwe Memorial, Amsterdam
N N B N
own Bishop becomes trapped behind his pawns.
1990 0-1 E97
B B B N B
1. f3 f6 2.c4 g6 3.d4 g7 4. c3 O–O 5.e4
The text is a model King’s Indian Defense game,
N N
d6 6. e2 g4 7. g5 c6 8.d5 xf3 9.gxf3
where Black first stymies White on the Queenside,
N Q Q
e5 10.h4 c6 11.f4 ed7 12.h5 cxd5 13.exd5
N N B B
then goes for a full bodied attack on the King.
B
c5 Better is 13...Qa5. 14. c2 a5 15.O–O–O
N N N N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5. e2
b5 16. xf6 exf6 Worse is 16...exf6. White gets
B R
O–O 6. f3 e5 7.O–O c6 8.d5 e7 9. d2 a5
B
a very strong attack after 17.hxg6 fxg6 18.Rxh7
10.a3 d7 11. b1 Thus far both players are fol-
Kxh7 19.Rh1+ Kg7 20.Bh5. 17.h6 h8 18.f5
lowing the recommended line of play. White’s idea
N
Completely shutting in the Bishop. Now it will
will be to advance on the Queenside. Black will
N Q R Q Q B
as if Black is a piece down. 18...b4 19. e4
N B Q
try to instigate play on the Kingside. 11...a4
K R Q K Q R
xe4 20. xe4 fe8 21. c2 xa2 22. d3
N
12.b3 axb3 13. xb3 c5 14.dxc6 xc6 15. d3
R R R
f8 23. de1 a1+ 24. d2 a5 25. xe8+
h5 A move that is reminiscent of Game three in
xe8 26. e1 e5 If 26...b3+, then 27.Qc3
the 1972 match between Bobby Fischer and Boris
Qxc3+ 28.bxc3 Rxe1 29.Kxe1 and Black’s King
Spassky. Black is willing to accept doubled pawns
R R K Q K
will be no match for White’s King and Bishop.
in return for open lines to attack White’s King.
Q B
27. e3 gxf5 28.f4 xe3 29. xe3 c5+ 30. f3
He feels comfortable doing this as White’s Queen-
g1 31. xf5 a5 If 31...Qh1+ 32.Kg3 Qxh6,
B Q Q
side pieces haven’t reached their attacking poten-
Q K Q Q Q
then White creates a strong passed pawn with
Q N N K Q R
tial. 16. xh5 gxh5 17. h3 f5 18. xh5 fxe4
Q Q K K Q K
33.c5. 32.b3 h1+ 33. g3 g1+ 34. g2 e3+
19. e2 g6 20. d5 h8 21. xe4 a4 White
Q Q
35. f3 g1+ 36. h3 e7 37. e2+ d8 38.
has won a pawn and appears to have a nice block-
K K K K K
g2 Forcing an exchange of Queens. 38... xg2+
ade in the center. All of which appears to be a good
39. xg2 c7 40. f3 b6 41. e3 Black Re-
deal. But, Black has prepared a much deeper point.
signs. White wins after 41...Kc5 42.Kd3 Kb6
Using the light-squared Bishop, he will undermine
43.Kd4 Kc7 44.c5 or 42...a4 43.bxa4 b3 44.Kc3.
White’s pieces in the center. Once they have been
1-0
Q Q N B
swept away, he will attack White’s King upon the
light squares. 22. e2 h4 23. b4 d7 24.g3
White is obliged to make this weakening Kingside ◦ Karpov, An.
move. If 24.Rd1 Nf4 25. Bxf4 exf4 26.Rxd6 f3! • Kasparov, G.

195
 K K B K R
K
? 31. f2 h5 32. e2 e6 33. d2 d6+ Both
23rd Match Game, Lyons players were very short on time. 34. xc2

N K N N
1990 1-0 E87 This is a mistake. Correct is 34.Ke2 with an

R
This was the next to the last game of the equal position. 34... e3+ 35. b2 xg2 36. c4
24 game match. Kasparov had a two game d3 Black misses 36...Rd5 37.Nb6 Rd2 38.Rc2

N R R K R N
lead, and was therefore assured of at least a Rxc2 39.Kxc2 Ne1+ 40.Kd1 Nxf3 with big advan-

N B N
drawn match, enough to retain his title. But tage. 37. e5 e3 38. e4 f6 39. xe3 xe3
there was still something to play for! As well 40. d3 d5 41. e1 Draw by Agreement.
as the honor Karpov could gain by winning 1/2-1/2
the last two games to tie the score, there was a

N N B
1, 000, 000bonustrophytotheclearwinner.T herewasalsotheboastKasparovmadeabout”crushing”Anatolythistime.Ina
◦ Marin, M.
B N Q Q Q
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 O–O
• Mascarinas, R.
6. e3 e5 7.d5 h5 8. d2 h4+ 9.g3 e7
?
10.O–O–O Playing the Samish against the King’s
Manila
Indian and castling on opposite wings announces
1990 1-0 E80
N N R N N K B
Anatoly’s intention to fight. 10...f5 11.exf5 gxf5
N N B
White throws everything he can at Black’s King.
B B N
12. h3 a6 13. g1 f6 14. f2 h8 15. e2
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 c5 6.d5
B N
d7 16. g5 c5 17.g4 Battling for positional
O–O 7.g4 White does not hide his aggressive in-
N N N
control of e4. 17...e4 18.fxe4 fxe4 19. e3 a4
N
tentions. 7...e6 The best way to meet a flank attack
B
20.g5 xc3 21.bxc3 g8 22. g4 c5 23.dxc6
N N N
is with a counterattack in the center. 8. ge2 exd5
xc6 24.h4 d5 Played hastily, this is apparently
9.cxd5 a6 10.a4 fd7 11.h4 e5 12. g3 White
based on faith in the phantom of Black Queen,
N B
is planning 13.Be2 and 14.f4. 12...f5 13.gxf5
B
Bishop, and Rook coordinating an attack against
gxf5 14.f4 g4 Better is 14...Nf7. 15. e2
Q R
the White King on the dark square. 25.cxd5 xd5
N
Threatening 15.Bxg4 fxg4 after which White will
26. xd5 ac8 No better is 26...Qa3+ 27.Kb1
N N K
have a commanding center. 15... h6 16.e5 dxe5
Qxc3 28.Bd4. The move 28.Bd4+ also refutes
Q R
17. h5 e4 18. xg7 xg7 19.b4 Opening up
Q
27...Bxc3 in this line, in fact winning another
the a1-h8 diagonal. 19...cxb4 20. d4+ f6
R
piece. 27. d6 Blocking the Queen’s route to
R N
If 20...Qxf6, then 21.Qxb4 followed by 22.Bb2.
K Q B
a3, and effectively ending the game. 27... xc3+
B K
21. g1+ g4 Otherwise 22.Qxb4 followed by
28. b1 f7 29. d4 Black Resigns.
Bb2 is very strong. 22. xg4 h6 Other moves
1-0
also lose: 22...fxg4 23.Ne4, 22...bxc3 23.Bxf5+,

N R N
or 22...Nc6 23.Be2+ Kh6 24.Qc4 bxc3 25.Qxc3.
◦ Beliavsky, A.
B N R
23. xe4 g6 If 23...fxe4, then 24.Bxc8. 24. g5
• Kasparov, G.
B R
e6 25. xe6 xe6+ If 25...Qxh4+, then 26.Qf2
?
R
Rxg4 27.Rxg4 Qxg4 28.Nc7. 26. e2 f6 If
Linares
26...Qxh4+, then 27.Qf2. 27. g8 Black Resigns.
1990 1/2-1/2 E84
1-0
A tactical skirmish leaves White the exchange
ahead, but Black seems to have enough resources
◦ Seirawan, Y.
N N B
to hold the position.
• Gelfand, B.
B N Q N R N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 O–O
?
N N N R B
6. e3 c6 7. d2 a6 8. ge2 b8 9. c1 e5
Tilburg
N N
10. b3 exd4 11. xd4 e5 12. d1 c6 13. e2
1990 0-1 E73
B
b5 14.cxb5 axb5 15.b4 c5 16. c2 cxb4 17. xb4
e6 18.O–O Black has the better position after Every year a super Grandmaster tournament is held

Q Q N N N B B
18.Qxd6 Qxd6 19.Rxd6 Nc4 20.Bxc4 Ne8 21.Rd4 in Tilburg, Holland.

B N B N
Bxc4. 18... a5 19. xd6 c4 Not 19...Rfd8 1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5. e2

Q B N B
20.Bb6. 20. xc4 bxc4 21. c6 Not 21.Rb1 Qa3. O–O 6. g5 a6 A fairly new idea by which
21... xc3 22. d4 xe4 23. xc3 Not 23.fxe4 Black sidesteps the main lines of the Averbakh

N B K N N
Bxd4+ 24.Rxd4 Rb7 with a slight advantage to System and quietly "develops." But, can it be good

N R N R
Black. 23... xd6 24. xg7 xg7 25. xb8 f5 to develop your Knight to the rim? 7.f4 This aims
26. d7 c8 27. b6 c6 Black has enough for to refute Black’s sixth move. The normal 7.Qd2

R R B R
the exchange due to his active pieces and passed e5 8.d5 Nc5 9.f3 would be a straight transposition.
c-pawn. 28. b1 c3 29. b4 xa2 30. c1 c2 I wanted to punish Black’s opening. 7...c6 The

196
text is a restrained response to White’s pawn-mass, Biel

N N N
preparing subtle undermining moves like ...Qd8-b6 1990 1-0 E69
and ...Na6-c7-e6. 8. f3 c7 9.d5 h5 Another Anatoly Karpov was the World Champion from
nibbling move. Black avoids direct confrontations 1975-1985. Here he faces the young French Cham-
but continues to feint and jab. 10.f5 gxf5 This pion Joel Lautier. Does the young man have what

N N N B B
move deserves a commendation for bravery, but it takes to push the former World Champion aside?

N N
it is plainly bad. 11.exf5 f6 12.dxc6 White 1. f3 f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 g7 4. g2 O–O

Q R N N N N
chooses to give up the center in order to focus on 5.O–O d6 6.d4 bd7 7. c3 e5 8.h3 c6 9.e4

N
the Black King. 12...bxc6 13.g4 White’s primi- b6 10. e1 exd4 11. xd4 e8 12. f3 e5

R Q N N Q
tive plan (Qd1-d2, Bg5-h6) may decide the issue. 13. xe5 A simplifying move which is the hall-
13... b8 14. d2 a6 15. d4 b6 My plan in mark of Karpov’s game. Karpov tries to channel
this position was simple: Stop black on the queen- the game into quiet lines of play where his superior

N Q N B Q
side and kill him on the kingside. This led me to positional skills can be demonstrated. 13...dxe5

N
mistakenly shore up my queenside with... 16. b3 14. a4 a5 15.a3 c7 16. e3 xb2 Ambitious
Correct is 16.b3. 16... b4 The only move, but youth at work! The text puts Black’s Queen in
a good one. While stopping Bg5-e3, Black in- imminent danger in return for a pawn. On the

R Q
troduces the possibility of ...Nxa2. I now went other hand, 16...Qa6 17.Bf1 would secure White
into a "long think, wrong think" routine. White a clear plus. 17. ec1 b5 18. d1 bxc4 Not

B
wants to move the Bishop on g5 and play g4- much choice here. If 18...b4?? 19.Na4 snares a
g5. 17. h4 Understandable but wrong. The po- Queen. 18...Be6 19.Qd6 threatens 20.Rab1 simi-

N R Q B N
sition demanded the Karpovian retreat 17.Bd1!. larly winning Black’s Queen. The text makes her
17... xa2 18. xa2 xb3 19.O–O My last move retreat possible. 19. c5 e6 Black is forced to

N Q
was played with great confidence. I couldn’t be- cough up material. White has the double threat

B B B
lieve that Black could survive. White’s threats in- of 20. Rab1 and 20.Bxf8 winning. 20. a4 b3
clude g4-g5, f5-f6, as well as Ra2xa7xe7. Now 21. xf8 xf8 22. f1 Although White has won

R
Boris went into a deep think and uncorked a mas- an exchange, Black has two pawns as compensa-
terful defensive stroke. 19... e8 This move goes tion. White’s advantage lies in the fact that Black’s

N R Q
to the very heart of the position. Black will al- c-pawns are doubled. This clue should show us

low White to sacrifice an Exchange only on his
own 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 felt
R B
how to win the game. 22... d4 23. xc4 xd1
24. xd1 e6 According to Karpov’s notes, this
is a mistake. More resistance could have been
offered by 24...Bxa3 25.Nb6 Rb8 26.Ra4 Bb4

R R K R N
as if I had stepped into a cold shower. Black still 27.Nc4 when White will play Nc4xa5 but it’s still

B N Q N B R B B N R R R
has his Queenside pressure while White’s attack is a fight. 25. c3 d8 26. g2 b8 27. c5

B Q N K N B N B N N
chimerical. 20. d1 e4 21. e3 xc3 22. xb3 b2 28. d3 a2 29. a4 b3 30. a1 xc3

B R B R N
d4 23. xd4 e2+ 24. f2 xd4 25. a4 31. xc3 b3 32. e2 a4 33.f4 b5 34.fxe5

R R K R
Black is slightly better, but time pressure was about g7 35. c1 xe5 36. xc6 xa3 Black has

N B R R R K
to affect my play. 25... b6 26. e1 f8 27. e4 managed to win White’s a3-pawn. But his pieces

R N K N B N B R
b3 28. xb3 xb3 29. e3 xe3 30. xe3 are dominated by the d3-Bishop and White Rook.

B R B R K R K
a6 31.c5 d5 32. a4 e6 33.f6 e5 34.h3 Natural, 37. g1 f8 38. f3 b2 39. d2 d1 40. c7

N B R B K B
but bad. White puts another pawn on a light e5 41. c5 d4 42. c8+ e7 43. c7+ e6

K B N K N R
square. Best was 34.Bg3 with a rather simple draw. 44. f3 b2 45. b7 c1 46. f2 h5 47. e2

B R B K B B K B
34...d4+ Black’s only chance to win. 35. e4 b3 48. d4+ e5 49. xb3 axb3 50. xb3
e6 36. xa6 d5+ 37. d3 g2 38. g5 Yes xe4 51. d3+ Black Resigns. Continuing to

B
Virginia, Grandmasters really do blunder Rooks! keep Black’s a3-Knight locked up. After 51...Kd4
38.Rb6 should draw. 38... f1+ White Resigns. 52.Ke2 Black’s kingside pawns are targeted for ter-
Why does the realization that you’ve made a blun- mination.
der wash over you the moment you release the 1-0
piece?
0-1 ◦ Gelfand, B.
• Smejkal, J.
◦ Karpov, An. ?
• Lautier, J. Novi Sad
? 1990 1/2-1/2 D85

197
This game is a relatively short draw, but there are Black is forced to respond to the threat of Bf3-
some sharp tactics on the way. No "GM" draw d5 which would trap his Queen. Thus 20...exd6

here; both sides are clearly at risk.
N N N
N B N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4.cxd5 xd5 5.e4
xc3 6.bxc3 g7 7. f3 The move Nf3 was once
thought to be undesirable in the exchange Grunfeld
Defense, due to Black’s ability to pin the Knight
and put more pressure on the d-pawn. However,
Q Q
21.Bd5 Nc4 22.Rxb7 dxc5 23.Bxf7+ Kh8 24.Bxe8
R Q
Rxe8 25.Qd7 wins. 21.d7 xc5 22.dxe8= +
xe8 23. a4 The scorpion’s sting at the tail of
the combination. Black will soon find himself in an
exchange-down ending. The result is a python-like
squeezing to death. The technical phase is worthy

N R R B R
of our highest compliments and deserves careful
R
tactical resources were uncovered, and the move

R Q Q B Q B
study. 23... c6 24. xb7 c8 25. xc6 xc6
B N N
is now played routinely. 7...c5 8. b1 O–O

K K R Q Q
9. e2 c6 10.d5 e5 Capture on c3, even with 26. xe7 xe7 27. xc6 d4 28. d5 b6

Q Q K R Q Q
check, would lead only to the forcible exchange 29. g3 h5 30. g2 g7 31. b1 e2 32. f3

Q R Q R K Q Q
of the critical fianchettoed Bishop and the time- e6 33. c3+ h7 34. e1 d5+ 35. f3

R Q Q K Q Q
d7 36. d1 e7 37. d3 g7 38. c6 e2
N B Q
losing retreat of the Knight - far too large a price

R K K K R K K
39. f3 a2 40. c3+ g8 41. b3 xb3 42.
B Q
to pay for a mere pawn. 11. xe5 xe5 12. d2

K R K K K R B
xb3 f8 43. f3 e7 44. b2 e6 45. e4
B B Q
b6 13.f4 g7 14.O–O e6 15.dxe6 fxe6 16. e3

K B R K K R
b7 17. c4 d7 18.f5 The beginning of an at- d6 46. d2+ e6 47. f4 f6 48. c2 d4

K R K K B R
49. e4 b6 50. c6+ e7 51.f4 d7 52. f6
B Q
tractive plan to tactically profit from the pin of
e7 53. c6 d7 54. d5 c7 55. c4 a5 A
Q B
the weak e-pawn. 18...gxf5 19.exf5 d5 20. d3
c6 21. g5 Finally connecting the Rooks, but considerable mistake. Although the position is los-
ing, this accelerates defeat. Now White can get
B Q R R B
now Black obtains equality through tactical means.
his Rook behind Black’s passed a-pawn, a cru-
B K R
21... e4 22. h3 xf5 23. xf5 xb1 Naturally

R B R K K
cial point. In that case, the Rook will attack the
B Q B
not 23...Bxf5 24.Qxf5. 24. xe6+ h8 25. f1

B K B R K R B
g6 26.c4 d6 27. d5 Draw by Agreement. Kingside too. 56. c6 d8 57. a6 e7 58. e4

R
1/2-1/2 c7 59. d5 d8 60. a7+ f6 61. a8 e7
62. xa5 Black Resigns.
1-0
◦ Gelfand, B.
• Ivanchuk, V. ◦ Yusupov, A.
? • Gulko, B
Tilburg ?
1990 1-0 D85 Hastings
The text features a match-up between two of to- 1990 0-1 D86
day’s youngest chess stars. This game was played White hunts down a pawn with his Queen, but
in Tilburg, Holland in an atmosphere where the
N N
leaves his kingside undefended.
winner was expected to clinch first place in the 1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 The Gruenfeld de-
tournament.
N N N N B BN
fense is a very sharp and theoretical opening.

N B N R N N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4.cxd5 xd5 4.cxd5 xd5 5.e4 xc3 6.bxc3 g7 7. c4

B Q B B B Q
5.e4 xc3 6.bxc3 g7 7. f3 c5 8. b1 O–O O–O 8. e2 c6 This is a less common move

Q R N B
9. e2 cxd4 10.cxd4 a5+ 11. d2 An impor- than 8...c5. 9.O–O b6 10. g5 b7 11. d2

B Q Q
tant theoretical pawn sacrifice. The position after d6 12. ad1 a5 13. d3 c5 14.d5 e6 15.c4

Q B B B N R B
11.Qd2 Qxd2+ 12.Bxd2 Rd8 is considered equal. a6 16. c2 exd5 17.exd5 d7 Black prevents

N N N N Q Q
11... xa2 12.O–O g4 13. g5 h6 14. e3 A 18.Qa4 followed by Bd2. 18. g3 ae8 19. d2
surprising retreat. Both players evaluated the posi- b7 20. e4 d6 21. xd6 xd6 22. a4 The

N N B B B Q B
tion after 14.Bxe7 Re8 15.Rxb7 Nc6 16.Bc5 Rxe4 start of a very risky plan. Better is 22.Rfe1 with

B
as balanced. 14... c6 15.d5 a5 16. c5 f6 an equal position. 22... c8 23. xa7 e5 White
17.e5 xe5 18.h3 It appears that White has made has won a pawn, but with his Queen out of play,
an oversight as 18.Nxe5?? Bxe2 works well for Black quickly mobilizes his forces for a kingside

B
Black. Also 18.Bxe7 Rfe8 19.d6 Nc6 doesn’t of- attack. 24.h3 This weakens the kingside. Bet-

B K
fer White much. Still, he has calculated well. His ter is 24.f4. 24... d4 Threatening 25...Bxh3

B R
next move clarifies who is in charge. 18... xf3 26.gxh3 Qg3+. 25. h1 If White tries to bring his
19. xf3 fe8 Black cannot give up control of Queen back in play with 25.Qa3, then 25...Bxh3

Q Q B
the a1 square. Example: 19...Bd6 20.Bxd6 exd6 26.Bxg6 Bxg2 27.Bxh7+ Kxh7 28.Kxg2 Rg8+ is
21.Ra1 winning the Knight a5. 20.d6 c4 winning for Black. 25... f6 26. e3 If White tries

198
to bring his Queen back into play with 26.Qc7, ◦ Dolmatov, S.
• Speelman, J.
B
then 26...Be5 27.Qc6 Qh4 threatening 28...Bxh3

B
wins for Black. 26... xh3 White’s King is under ?
a bloody siege. 27. xd4 cxd4 28.d6 If 28.gxh3, Hastings

R
then Black has a winning attack after 28...Qh3+ 1990 1-0 E54

R Q
29.Kh2 Re5. 28... e5 Threatening 29...Bxg2+ White’s sacrificial attack on Black’s king eventu-

Q
30.Kxg2 Rg5+. 29.f4 e3 30. b7 White loses ally wins Black’s Queen.

K B
very quickly after 30.gxh3 Qh4. 30... h4 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 The Panov-

Q R B
31. g1 xg2 Now White must give up his Queen Botvinnik attack is popular method of combat-

R B Q Q Q
to avoid getting mated. 32. xg2 g3 33. e4 ing the Caro-Kann defense. White usually con-

B Q R Q R
xg2+ 34. xg2 f6 35.d7 d6 36.f5 xd7 cedes weaknesses in his pawn structure in ex-

R K R Q R R N N N B B
37. d5 e7 38. f3 e5 39. df1 g5 40.f6 change for active pieces and strong attacking

R B K R K B N B B
e8 41. h1 g4 42. f5 e3 43. h5 e5 chances. 4... f6 5. c3 e6 6. f3 b4 7. d3

K QQ Q B Q
44. h2 d3 45. xf7+ xf7 46. xh7+ g6 dxc4 8. xc4 O–O 9.O–O bd7 10. g5 xc3
47.f7 xh7 48.f8= h3+ White Resigns. It’s 11.bxc3 c7 12. d3 xc3 Black has won a

R Q N N R Q
checkmate after 49.Kg1 Qg3+ 50.Kh1 Rh5. pawn, but can he defend against the coming at-

Q
0-1 tack? 13. c1 a5 14. e5 xe5 15. c5 a3

B R
16.dxe5 xc5 16...Nd7 17.Rb5 leaves White with
the much better position. 17. xf6 e8 This
◦ Karpov, An. creates a defensive square for the Queen on f8,
• Kasparov, G. but better was 17...gxf6. White could then either
?
B
force a perpetual check with 18.Bxh7+ or play
17th Match Game, Lyons
K
for a win with 18.Qg4+ Kh8 19.Qh4. 18. xh7+
1990 1-0 D85 Black’s defenders are knocked out. 18... xh7
After a mass of King’s Indian Defenses with Black,
Q K Q Q
Worse is 18...Kf8 19.Qg4 gxf6 20.exf6 winning.
Kasparov returns to the Grunfeld in this game in
R
19. h5+ g8 20. g5 f8 Not 20...g6 21.Qh6
the second half of the 1990 New York-Lyons World winning immediately. 21. d1 Bringing the Rook
Championship match. Karpov seemed happy
R B R
into the attack will win Black’s Queen. 21...b6
enough with this decision, and his straightforward
B B
22. d4 a6 23. g4 Threatening to win imme-
thematic play brought him a needed victory.
N N N B
diately with 24.Qh6. 23... e2 24. xg7 Too

N B B Q N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4.cxd5 xd5 5.e4
B K Q
slow is 24.Rg3?! Red8 25.h3 Rd3. 24... xg4

B N N B
xc3 6.bxc3 g7 7. e3 c5 8. d2 O–O 9. f3
R
25. xf8+ xf8 26. xg4 White has a big ad-

R R N B B
g4 10. g5 cxd4 11.cxd4 c6 12.h3 d7
K Q K Q
vantage because of his passed h-pawn. 26... ac8
13. b1 c8 14. f3 e6 15. d3 Restrained 27.h4 e7 28. g5+ d7 29. f4 a5 Black de-
play, as 15.d5? Na5 16.dxe6?? Bc3 would be un- cides not to tie his pieces down to the f-pawn and
fortunate. Black is attempting to direct play into
Q K Q
instead concentrates on creating his own passed
dynamic lines that would favor his style, but the
K Q K Q K Q K
pawn on the queenside. 30. xf7+ c6 31. f3+

N B R
big pawn center eventually forces Black into pas-
Q K
c5 32. e3+ c6 33. f3+ c5 34. a3+ c4

BR B R Q
sive defense. 15... a5 16.O–O c4 17. fd1 35. b3+ c5 36.a4 An important move to slow

Q R R Q N N
b5 18. g5 a6 19. bc1 xd3 20. xc8 xc8
R Q K K
down Black from creating a passed pawn on the

N B R R
21. xd3 d8 22. c1 b7 23.d5 c4 24. d2
Q K Q K Q K
queenside. 36... b8 37. c3+ d5 38.f4 e4
xd2 25. xd2 c8 26. c6 Occupying the c6-
R Q K Q K K
39. f3+ d4 40. c6 e3 41. c1+ e2 42.h5
outpost with a big advantage. Every exchange has
K K
ec8 43. f1+ d2 44. b5 e3 45.g3 d4
favored White, since the d-pawn is far more im- 46. g2 c3 47.h6 It would have been better

B
portant than the Queenside majority, and Karpov
is very dangerous in simple positions. 26... e5
R Q
to march all the kingside pawns in unison with
27.g4. 47... h8 48. d7 b5 Not 48...Rxh6??

B B Q
Of course, 26...Rxc6 27.dxc6 Qxc6 28.Qd8+ Bf8
Q K
49.Qc7+. Black’s only hope is to create a passed

B B Q R K B
29.Bh6 won’t do. 27. c3 b8 28. d4 f6
Q K
pawn. 49.axb5 a4 50.b6 a3 51. a4 b2 Worse

Q B B B Q R
29. a5 d6 30. c3 e8 31.a3 g7 32.g3 e5
R
is 51...Ra8 52.Qc6+ Kb2 53.b7. 52. b4+ a2

Q R B B R
33. c5 h5 34. c7 a1 35. f4 d7 36. c7
R K R Q
53.h7 bc8 53...Rxh7 loses to 54.Qd2+ Kb1
d8 37.d6 g5 38.d7 f8 39. d2 e5 40. b7
R K K Q R Q
55.Qd3+. 54.b7 c2+ 55. f3 b2 56. c4+
Black Resigns.
R K R Q R K
b3+ 57. g4 b2 58. c8 xh7 59.b8=

R K R K R K
1-0 g7+ 60. h5 xg3 61. d6 h3+ 62. g6
bg3+ 63. f7 h7+ 64. xe6 h6+ 65. f5

199
R Q Q N Q B
R
xd6 66. exd6 a2 67.d7 a1= 68. b7+ Black Nb5. 15... e4+ 16.axb4 f5 17. xh8 gxf3

Q Q
Resigns. 68...Kc3 69.d8=Q is hopeless. 18. g1 Good for Black is 18.gxf3 Qxf3 19.Rg1

N Q N Q B Q Q
1-0 Bg4. 18... g4 Better is 18...fxg2. 19. d1

Q Q K N K Q
g5 20. d4 e4 21. e5+ e6 22. f4 g6
23. xf3 f6 24. f4 f7 25.f3 g5 26. d2 f5
◦ Sokolov, I.
Q N
26...Rxh8 27.Rxa7+ loses immediately. 27.h4
• Korchnoi, V.
xf4 28.exf4 h7 29.g4 Black Resigns. 30.g5
?
is coming and 29...Rxh8 30.Rxa7+ is hopeless.
Novi Sad
1-0
1990 1-0 E44
The Nimzo-Indian Defense, played often by and
named after Aron Nimzowitsch, whose plan in this ◦ Seirawan, Y.
position was to capture the Knight on c3 and dou- • Korchnoi, V.
ble White’s c-pawns. There are many plans avail- ?
able to White, some of which avoid the doubled Novi Sad
pawns, and some of which allow the doubling. In 1990 1/2-1/2 E38
this case, White chooses to avoiding the doubling, The following game was played at the 1990 chess
and the games transposes into a non-standard line Olympiad. The featured game was played between

N N B N N
of the Queen’s Indian. the USA’s top board Yasser Seirawan and Switzer-

Q B B N N Q
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4.e3 b6 5. e2 e4 land’s Victor Korchnoi. In a team event no one

Q
6. c2 b7 7.a3 xc3+ 8. xc3 xc3 9. xc3 wants to risk the wrath of one’s teammates by los-

B N N B Q
h4 Played against the natural central expansion ing, but winning is nice too.

R N Q B N R
f2-f3, e2-e4. 10.b3 O–O 11. b2 f6 To avoid be- 1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4. c2 c5

B B Q Q R N
ing mated after d4-d5. 12.d5 exd5 13. d1 d4 5.dxc5 a6 6.a3 a5 7. d2 xc5 8. c1

R Q B B
13...dxc4 14.Bxc4+ would open too many lines xc3 9. xc3 a4 10.b4 xc2 11. xc2 a4

Q R Q B N
against the Black King. 14. xd4 h5 15. e2 12. xf6 gxf6 13.e4 After a sharp opening, the
g6 16. g4 b1+ 17. d1 c6 18.O–O Now players have found themselves in a "simple" end-

B R N
19.Bc2 is a nasty threat. White has gained time ing. I had hoped to exploit Black’s fractured pawn

Q
with a unique Rook-lift and now the Bishop-pair structure. 13...a5 14. d3 g8 15. e2 Laying a

R Q Q Q B N
are preparing to drive home the point. 18... f5 trap that Black immediately falls for. But the ques-

Q N B R
19. g3 e5 20. d2 e8 21. c2 e5 22.h4 tion soon becomes, "Who is trapping whom?" If

Q R B Q
d6 23. e2 f5 24.f4 g4 25. xf5 xf5 White wanted, he could have secured an advan-

R N N
26. xg4 f7 27. xg7 d7 Two pawns down, tage with 15.f4! in order to develop by Ng1-f3.
Black decides to try his luck in the endgame. Alas, 15... xg2 16. g3 axb4 17.axb4 c5 Now that

Q R B K
no help is forthcoming, even with opposite-color the g2-Rook’s retreat has been cutoff, I had ex-

R B R B K K
Bishops. 28. xd7 xd7 29. c3+ f8 30.f5 pected Black to try 17...Nc5 18.Bf1 Rxg3 19.hxg3

B N
e8 31.f6 e4 32. f4 g6 33. f2 f7 34.h5 Ra1+ 20.Ke2 Nxe4 21.Rxh7 with a likely win.
Black Resigns. 18. f1 d3+ A spectacular move. It is very rare
1-0 in chess to see such a tactic. Black’s Knight at-
tacks White’s Bishop. The Bishop moves. Then
Black moves the Knight to the same square the
◦ Kasparov, G.
Bishop just came from! Now 19. Ke2 Rxf2+
• Spassky, B.
B R R K R
20.Kxd3 Ra3+ 21.Rc3 Rf3+ costs White the game.
?
R R K B R
19. xd3 xg3 20.hxg3 a1+ 21. d2 xh1
Linares
22. a2 d6 23. a8 d7 24. c2 f1 Draw by
1990 1-0 E35
Agreement.
A current world champion against a former world
1/2-1/2
N N B Q
champion.

B B N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4. c2 d5 5.cxd5
◦ Miles, A.
B N N Q B N
exd5 6. g5 h6 7. h4 c5 8.dxc5 c6 9.e3
• de Firmian, N.
B
g5 10. g3 e4 11. f3 f6 12. b5 xc3
13. xc6+ bxc6 Correct is 13...Qxc6 14.bxc3 ?
Bxc5 15.O-O with only a slight advantage to Manila

B
White. 14.a3 g4 14...Bf5 15.Qd2 is much better 1990 0-1 E38
for White. 15. e5 Black is all right after 15.Nd4 Under the new program to qualify a challenger for

200
the world championship, this single tournament in Q N
13. a4 h6 14. c5 a5 15.a3 A dubious decision.

the Philippines produced seven contenders to join
Karpov in a series of play-off matches. Former
U.S. champion Nick de Firmian just missed quali-
fying, but had the satisfaction of winning the Bril-
liancy Prize with this game. From the beginning
Black looks for a slugfest against White’s safe po-
Q N R B B
Best was 15.e3 fighting for central control. 15...e4
16.b4 e7 17. b3 d8 18. b2 e3 19.f4 h3
A fantastic positional idea. The piece sacrifice is
based upon the idea that White’s remaining pieces
will have a bleak existence. Declining the sac-
rifice with 20.b5 Bxg2 21.Kxg2 d3! 22.exd3 e2

B Q
sitional play. Black escalates the sacrifices until his 23.Rfe1 Rxd3 gives Black a vicious attack. Anal-

B N
opponent’s "safe" play at a critical juncture is any- ysis by G. Flear. 20. xh3 axb4 21. b5 bxa3

N N B Q
thing but safe. 22. c1 e4 This is Black’s point. His pieces take

N B Q N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4. c2 c5 5.dxc5 up dominating positions while White’s pieces are

B
a6 6.a3 xc3+ 7. xc3 xc5 8.f3 d5 9.cxd5 blocked in by the fence of Black’s central pawns.
b6 Black is playing for quick development. If 10. A brilliant concept. 23. g4 d3 24.exd3 No choice

N Q R
dxe6 Bxe6 Black would have more than enough here. If 24.Bxe3 dxe2 25.Rfe1 Rd3! 26.Bb6 Nd6

N B B N R
play for the pawn. 10.b4 a4 11. b3 b5 wins back the piece with interest. 24... xd3 25.c5

R
12.e4 a6 13. e2 O–O 14. g5 h6 15. h4 exd5 f2 26. xf2 The unpleasant point is that Black
16.e5 e8 Again de Firmian is willing to sacri- threatens 26...Qe4 with ...Qe4-h1 mate the princi-

K
fice to open the game. Now 17 exf6 d4 allows ple threat. The other way to meet this is by 26.Bf3

B N B B Q R Q R Q R R B
Black many threats, so Miles plays safely. 17.f4 e2! 27.Kxf2 Rxf3+ promotes. 26...exf2+ 27. xf2

B N B Q K Q Q
g5 18. f2 e4 19. d4 e6 20. f3 c8 21.f5 e4 28. a2 d5 29. d2 xd2+ 30. xd2 a2
d7 22. g3 Miles wants to play 23. Bd3 and 31. f3 xf3+ 32. xf3 a1= 33. xb7 The
24. O-O with a safe positional advantage, but final spectacular point is revealed. Capturing by

R
this position is too sharp for that. Necessary was 33.Nxa1 allows the knight fork 33...Nd4+ winning

B Q K R
23. e6, beginning great complications. 22... xe5 because Black is an exchange up in the ending. A

Q N R Q R
23. e2 No better is 23. Bxe5 Qe7 24. Nxe4 Qxe5. marvelous game. 33... h1+ 34. e3 b8 White
23... e8 24. h5 xf5 25. e3 c3 The ex- Resigns.

B N B Q
change sacrifice reduces White’s counterattacking 0-1

N K N K N B
chances. 26. xc3 axc3 27. g4 d4 28. xd4

Q B B R N K
c5+ 29. d2 b3+ 30. xc3 xd4 31. xf5
◦ Seirawan, Y.
Q
e3+ 32. d3 f5 33. ad1 e2+ 34. c2
• Timman, J.
K Q K
e5 Moves have been forced since 27...d4. Now
?
B R
the threat is 35...Qc3+. 35. d2 b2+ 36. e3
g4 37. d2 White is lost after 37. Ng3 Nxg3 38. Brussels
1990 1-0 E21
Q
hxg3 Bxd1, but in time pressure Miles overlooked.
37... d4# 0-1 Even Grandmasters occasionally "oops". Here’s
one featuring Dutch hero Jan Timman against an
◦ Ward, C. American Grandmaster.
• Suba, M. N N N B Q
B B N B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 b6 4. c3 b4 5. b3
? c5 6.a3 a5 7. g5 c6 8.O–O–O xc3 9.d5
Eastbourne The only move to keep an advantage. After 9.Qxc3
1990 0-1 E20 Ne4 Black is quite comfortable. 9...exd5 A terrible
The following game played in England features a mistake. In fact a losing mistake! The whole point
riveting struggle between a classical player play- is that Black voluntarily removes his e6-pawn for
ing for the center versus a hypermodern player who White’s c4-pawn. Why is this so crucial? Con-

N N N N
prefers to develop on the flanks. sider White’s Bishop on f1: with the c4-pawn miss-

B B Q B Q
1.c4 f6 2. c3 c5 3. f3 e6 4.d4 cxd4 5. xd4 ing, suddenly the Bishop is released with devastat-

N Q Q B Q
b4 6.g3 O–O 7. g2 d5 8. b3 xc3+ 9. xc3 ing effect. Amazingly, Jan had prepared 9...Be5

B R R
e5 10. b3 d4 11. a5 e8 The first in an ex- 10.dxc6 Bc7 =. 10.cxd5 e5 11.dxc6 e7
cellent series of moves. Black has earned con- 12.cxd7+ xd7 13.e3 d8 14. xd7 Morphy
trol of the center at the cost of two Bishops. In would be proud. White doesn’t waste a tempo

R B B R
the ending 11...Nc6 12.Qxd8 Rxd8 13.Bg5 fol- in attacking. After 14.Bb5? Bd6 Black is still

B Q B Q N N
lowed by Nb3-c5, White’s chances are preferable. kicking. 14... xd7 15. b5 d6 16. d1 O–O

N Q K B N Q R
Black needs to keep Queens on the board and pur- 17. xd7 xd7 18. f4 c4 19. c2 e8 20. g5
sue dreams of Kingside attacks. 12.O–O c6 f5 21. xc4+ h8 22. xd6 xd6 23. d5 d8

201
 N Qc8+ 25.Kb1 Rd7 26.Qxd6 Black Re-
24. e6 Q
19. xc4 b5 Black has played well up to here, but

Q
signs. this move is a mistake. Correct is 19...Ne5 20.Qb3

B N
1-0 Bxg2 21.Kxg2 Qb7+ with equality. 20. b3

Q
xg2 21. dxe6 Instead of the obvious 21.Kxg2,
White finds a brilliant tactical shot. 21... b7
◦ Polugaevsky, L.
If 21...Bd5, then White wins with 22.Rxd5
• Wojtkiewicz, A.
N N B B
Nxd5 23.Qxd5 Nf6 24.Bxf6 gxf6 25.Nxf7 Kxf7
?
N B
26.Nc7+. 22. f4 c5 23.bxc5 c6 24. xf6
Haninge
N B
gxf6 25. f3 xc5 If 25...Re8, then 26.Nh5 Rxe2
1990 1-0 E17
27.Nxf6+ Kg7 28.Qc3 wins. 26. h5 xf3 If
A good example of how to play against hanging
Q K
26...Qe7, then 27.Qc3 wins, or if 26...Be7, then
N N B B
pawns.
B Q B
27.Qe3 Kh8 28.Qh6 wins. 27.exf3 c6 28. g2
B B
1.d4 f6 2. f3 e6 3.c4 b6 4.g3 b7 5. g2
N K N K N K
xf2 28...Be7 29.Qe3 also loses. 29. b2 c5
R N N N R B
e7 6.O–O O–O 7.b3 d5 8.cxd5 exd5 9. b2
R R N
30. xf6+ f8 31. xh7+ g8 32. f6+ f8
N N N N N
e8 10. c3 a6 11. e5 c5 12. c1 f8 13.e3
33. c1 d8 34. e4 Black Resigns. Its all over
c7 14. a4 e6 15.dxc5 bxc5 16. g4 e4
after 34...Rd5 35.Rxc5 Rxc5 36.Qb4.
N
Better is 16...Nxg4 17.Qxg4 Qe7 18.Rfd1 Red8.
1-0
N N N
17.f3 d6 18.f4 Not 18.Nxc5 Nxc5 19.Rxc5 Nc4.
Now 18.f5 is threatened. 18... e4 19. f2 f6
◦ Cramling, P.
Now Black will lose a pawn. But White is
• Psakhis, L.
much better after either 19...Nxf2 20.Rxf2 threat-
?
N N B R
ening both 21.f5 and 21.Rd2 or 19...f5 20.Nxe4
Tel-Aviv
N N N
dxe4 21.g4. 20.f5 g5 21. xc5 xc5 22. xc5
1990 0-1 A70
Q R Q R R Q
ge4 Not 22...Rxe3 23.Bc1. 23. xe4 xe4
The official world of international chess has long
Q B R
24. d4 f6 25. c2 d6 26. fc1 e7 27. a4
been divided into the men’s half (95%+) and the
Threatening 28.Ba3. 27... d8 28. a3 f7
women’s half (5%-), with tournaments exclusively
R Q Q Q B
If 28...Rd7, then 29.Rd1 threatening 30.Bxe4 is
for women and events that attracted only men, al-
Q B R R
strong. 29. d1 b6 30. d4 a5 31. b4
though they were in theory open to all. This was
b5 32. xe4 dxe4 33. c7 xc7 If 33...Qe8,
not entirely bad for the women players, because in
Q Q
then 34.Rxf7 Qxf7 35.Qd8+ Qe8 36.Qxe8+ Rxe8
truth none was good enough to compete with the
Q B
37.Rd7 wins. 34. d8+ e8 Not 34...Rxd8
best male players. All this began to change in the
R B
35.Rxd8+ Kf7 36.Rf8 checkmate. 35. xc7 c6
1980s, however, and now there are a few women
R Q B Q K R
Worse is 35...Ba6 36.Rd7. 36. d6 b5 37.a4
players who choose to play almost exclusively with
Q Q B R K
c8 38. a5 d3 39. d5+ h8 40. d7 h6
the men. Most of these are the Polgar sisters, but
R R B K R K
41.g4 e5 42. xe5 fxe5 43. d6 c1+ 44. g2
in this game we see one of the brave non-Polgars,
R R
d1 45. xa7 f1+ 46. f2 xd6 47. xf1
Sweden’s Pia Cramling, in a losing effort against
b6 48.a5 xb3 49.a6 Black Resigns. Black
N N N
Israeli GM Lev Psakhis.
loses after either 49...Rxe3 50.Rb7 Ra3 51.b7 and
1.d4 e6 2.c4 f6 3. f3 c5 4.d5 d6 5. c3 exd5
52.f6 or 49...Ra3 50.Ra8+ followed by a7, h4, and
6.cxd5 g6 7.e4 a6 8.h3 The modern Benoni is a
g5.
dangerous opening for both sides. Black may be
1-0
positionally busted: the d-pawn is a target, he has
fewer center pawns, and the White e-pawn threat-
◦ Yusupov, A. ens to advance with cramping effect. But in com-
• Ljubojevic, L. pensation, he gets a powerful Bishop on the long
? diagonal and Queenside play in the form of b7-
Linares b5... if White allows it. Normal in these posi-
1990 1-0 E15 tions is a2-a4 to delay the Queenside expansion
A brilliant tactical shock can strike when least ex- and to secure the c4 square for the White Knight

N N B N
pected. (Nf3-d2-c4). Presumably White was worried about

B B N B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 b6 4.g3 a6 5. bd2 ...Bg4 pinning this Knight, but the side-effects of

N B R B B
b7 6. g2 c5 7.O–O cxd4 8. b3 e7 the pin are less serious than those of the b7-b5

N Q R Q B B
9. bxd4 O–O 10.b3 d6 11. b2 a6 12. c1 push. 8...b5 9. d3 g7 10.O–O c4 Opening the

R N R R B B Q Q B Q
bd7 13.b4 b8 14.a3 c8 15. b3 f8 c5 square for a Black Knight. 11. c2 O–O
16. fd1 d5 17. g5 dxc4 18. xc4 xc4 12. f4 b7 13. d2 b6 14. e3 c7 15.a3

202
Nbd7 16.Rfe1 Rfe8 17. Rad1 Re7 18.Bg5
Ree8 19.Nd4 Pia was apparently uninterested in N R
33.Ne5 Bxf3 34.Bc4+ Kh8 35.Ng5+ is strong.
33. e5 xh3 If 33...Rxe3, then 34.Bc4 Bd5

B
discovering if her illustrious opponent would al- 35.Bxd5 Qxd5 36.Rxg7+ Kxg7 37.Qg6+ followed

R K
low a repetition draw after 19.Be3 (Re7 20.Bg5 by 38.Qh6+ and 39.Qxe3. 34. c4 Stronger is

R
etc.). This is a healthy decision; White should play 34.Rxg7+ Kxg7 35.Qc7+. 34... h1+ 35. f2

N B B K R
for more, and to limit your ambition ultimately h2+ Better is 35...Bd5, although White would

B N B Q N K R K R
limits your results. 19... c5 20. h6 h8 retain his advantage with 36.Qg6. 36. g1 h1+
21. f4 h5 22. h2 b6 23. c6 This is a re- 37. f2 h2+ 38. g3 h3+ Better is 38...Rxc2

K R
curring tactical theme in Benoni positions, but here 39.Bxe6+ Kf8 40.Ng6+ Ke8 41.Nf4 with only a

B B N Q
it turns out badly. White is induced to sacrifice two slight advantage for White. 39. f4 h4+ If

B N N
pawns. 23... xc6 24.dxc6 e5 25. d5 xc6 39...Bd5, then 40.Bxd5 Qxd5 41.Qc8+ picks up the
26.f4 xb2 27.e5 dxe5 28.fxe5 d3 And this Rook. 40. g4 Here Black lost on time, but his po-

B
removes the Knight from d5, which was White’s sition was hopeless in any case.

Q Q R R Q
main compensation for the material. 29. xd3 1-0

R Q Q Q Q R
xd5 30. xb2 cxd3 31. e3 ad8 32. c3
◦ Akopian, V.
N R N R R R
c8 33. xd3 a2 34. d5 xd5 35. xd5
• de Firmian, N.
R R
g7 36. e1 e6 37. d6 a5 38. b6 b8
39. a6 b4 40. xa5 Material equality has been ?

R
restored, but at the cost of a passed b-pawn. 40...b3 Moscow
41. b1 b2 White Resigns. 1990 1/2-1/2 A63

N N
0-1 A sharp game full of tactics.

N B B N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 c5 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5 d6
◦ Chernin, A.
N N N N N B
6. c3 g6 7.g3 g7 8. g2 O–O 9.O–O bd7
• Wahls, M.
B R Q R R
10. d2 h5 11. c4 e5 12. xe5 xe5
? 13. h6 e8 14. d2 b8 15.a4 a6 16. ab1
Dortmund b5 Not 16...Bf5? 17.e4 Bxc3? 18.Qxc3 Bxe4

R Q
1990 1-0 A61 19.g4 Nf6 20.Rbe1 winning. 17.axb5 axb5 18.b4

B QR N B Q
White makes a positional exchange sacrifice after c4 19.e4 f5 20. bc1 f6 Threatening 21...f4.

N N B B B Q
which Black’s position falls apart. 21. g5 g7 22. fe1 f6 23. h6 f7 24.exf5

N
1.d4 f6 2. f3 e6 3.c4 c5 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5 xf5 25.h3 d3 26. f4 d7 If 26...Bxc3,

B Q Q
d6 6. c3 g6 7.h3 A new move. The idea is then 27.Qxc3 Nxd5 28.Bxd5 Qxd5 29.Ra1 with

R R
to prevent Black from having access to the g4 a large advantage. 27. xe5 dxe5 28. g5 d6

Q R
square. 7...a6 8.a4 Preventing Black from ex- 29. a1 e7 Not 29...Qxb4? 30.Qxf6 Qxc3 31.d6

B B N N B
panding on the queenside with ...b7-b5. 8... e7 with the threat of Bd5+. 30. a5 h6 Deflecting

B R N B
9. g5 g7 10. d2 bd7 11.e3 O–O 12. d3 the Queen, as 30...Qxb4 31.Qxf6 Qxc3 32.Qxe7

B N Q Q
h6 13. h4 b8 14.O–O e5 15. c2 g5 Qxe1+ 33.Kh2 Qxa5 34.Qe6+ Kf8 35.Qd6+ Kf7

R Q R Q
16. g3 b5 17.axb5 axb5 18.f4 c4 If 18...Nd3, 36.Qxb8 is good for White. 31. xh6 xb4

N
then 19.Bxd3 Qxe3+ 20.Kh2 Qxd3 21.fxg5 hxg5 32. ea1 xc3 33. a8 xa1+ The only move.

R R
22.Bxd6 with a large advantage. 19. xc4 bxc4 33...Rb7 34.Rxb8+ Rxb8 35.Ra7 loses imme-

Q R R
20.fxg5 hxg5 21. xf6 Eliminating this Knight diately. 34. xa1 b4 The passed queenside

Q R
shatters Black’s position. 21... xf6 If 21...Bxf6, pawns are very dangerous. 35. a6 f7

N Q
then White starts a mating attack with 22.Qh5. 36. g5 Better is 36.Bf1. 36...b3 37. xf6 Not

N N R Q Q K Q
22. e4 g6 Not 22...Qxb2 23.Rb1 winning. 37.Qxe5 Nd7 38.Qb2 c3 39.Qc3 b2 winning.

K Q
23. xd6 Not 23.Bxd6 Bf5. 23...f5 24. xc4 For 37... xf6 38. xf6 b2 39. e6+ h7 40. e7+
the exchange, White has two pawns and open h6 41. h4+ Draw by Agreement.

R B B
lines. Black’s position is also full of weaknesses. 1/2-1/2

B B
24... b4 25. d3 b7 If 25...Ba6, then 26.Ne5.
◦ Shirov, A.
B R
26. e1 xd5 Black has no choice but to re-
• Hauchard, A.
Q
turn the exchange. 27. xb4 cxb4 28. a5

B
e6 29.b3 White has a big advantage because ?

Q R
Black’s pawns on f5 and g5 are weak. 29... b7 Paris
30. c2 f4 31. xg5 f3 If 31...fxe3, then 32.Ne5 1990 1-0 A57

R
is strong. 32.gxf3 Both players were getting short The 18 year old Shirov is a possible challenger to
on time here. 32... xf3 If 32...Qxh3, then the world championship someday.

203
1.d4 N f6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 The Benko Gam-
N N Q
bit is one of the most popular defenses to 1.d4.
Q N
4.cxb5 a6 5.b6 d6 6. c3 bd7 7.a4 xb6 Bet-
ter is 7...a5. 8.a5 c7 9.e4 g6 10.f4 White has
B B N R
a very commanding center and will later try to
N N
play e4-e5. 10... g7 11. c4 O–O 12. f3 e8
13.O–O e5 14.dxe6 fxe6 15. g5 f8 16.f5 h6
Not 16...gxf5 17.Bf4 Rd8 18.exf5 winning. 17.e5
dxe5 If 17...hxg5, then 18.exf6 Bxf6 19.Nd5 wins.
B
18.fxg6 hxg5 If 18...Nxg6, then White wins with
N
19.Rxf6 Bxf6 20.Qh5 Qg7 21.Nge4. 19. xg5
Q R R
8d7 If 19...Nxg6, then 20.Bxf6 Nf4 21.Qg4 Rf8
Q Q Q N
22.Ne4 wins. 20. f3 a7 21. ad1 Threaten-
R K
ing 22.Rxd7. 21... b7 22. h3 c6 23. d5
exd5 24. xd5 f8 Worse are 24...Nb6 25.Rd7+
Q N Q
Nxc4 26.Rxf6 Qxf6 27.Qh7+ Kf8 28.Rxa7 or
R B
24...Qe6 25.Rd7 Qxc4 26.Bxf6. 25. h7 Threat-
K Q N Q K R
ening both 26.Bh6 and 26.Rd7. 25... e6 26. h6
e8 27. xg7 xd5 28. h8+ e7 29.g7 xh6
R K
If 29...Rg6, then 30.Qf8+ Nxf8 31.gxf8=Q+ Ke6
Q K Q
32.Bg5 wins. 30. f7+ xf7 Or 30...Kd6
31.Qxh6+ winning. 31.g8= + e7 32. d8+
Black Resigns.
1-0
◦ Ivanchuk, V.
• Seirawan, Y.
? 15.O–O–O g5 By trading dark-squared Bish-
Reykjavik
1990 1-0 A56
Annotations by Yasser Seirawan. This was my first
game 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 who
has several distracting habits at the board. For in-
stance, he rarely looks at the board. Usually, he
looks directly up in the air, or at the space behind
your head. I began to wonder what was going to
N
fall down on me - or sneak up on me!
1.d4 f6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e5 I sometimes enjoy play-
ing this closed Benoni variation because it leads to
rich strategical positions. I wanted to steer my op-
ponent as far away as possible from a sharp theo-
N B
retical struggle. This didn’t prevent Ivanchuk from
N N
playing the most topical line. 4. c3 d6 5.e4 e7
6.h3 O–O 7. f3 bd7 8.g4 The Kingside expan-
sion is crucial for White in this variation. Black’s
plan is ...Nf6-e8, ...g7-g6, ...Ne8-g7, and ...f7-f5.
By employing a King’s Indian Defense attacking
motif, Black’s position takes on a lot of the ad-
vantages of that opening with fewer drawbacks
than usual. Black has stopped White’s play on the
Queenside with c7-c5. Also, Black’s "bad" Bishop
204
on e7 is actually on the right square. Black of-
ten plays ...Bg7-f8 or ...bg7-h6 in K.I.D. positions.
B B
From e7 the Bishop, if allowed, will play to g5 -
or to d8 and a5. 8... e8 9. d3 g6 10. e3 It’s
common 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 is
N R N Q
no longer on the g-file. Therefore, 10.Be3 is more
exact. 10... g7 11. g1 f6 12. e2 h5 An in-
teresting attempt to force a resolution of the king-
side situation. I had become disenchanted with the
idea of forcing ...f7-f5 through. This loss of re-
solve, however, constituted a severe psychological
problem. Because of my attempt to avoid the basic
confrontation in the position, White gains a clear
advantage. Best was 13...Nfe8!. 13. d2 d7
The only way to justify the eccentric ...h7-h5. Still
the move took a long time: my mind went swim-
ming in a stream of tactical complications. 14.f3
Played without hesitation. This left me cursing all
the time I had wasted on 13...Qd7. The drawbacks
of f2-f3 are clear. White weakens a whole com-
plex of dark squares on the Kingside. Also, the
Knight can’t return to f3, and White’s Queen no
N
longer hits h5. This allows Black good play on
B
the dark squares. Better is 14.Bc2!. 14... h7
B
N Q Q N Q
ops, Black solves his strategic problems. 16. xg5
xg5 17. g2 e7 18.h4 h7 19. g3 The crit-
ical moment in the game. My approach to this po-
sition was quite lazy. I was satisfied with myself
for "outplaying" my opponent through exchanging
Bishops. Clearly, White’s only chance in the po-
sition is g4-g5 and f3-f4. In this case, I reasoned
that the Kingside would become closed, and that I
would get two key squares: g4 and e5. So, without
further ado, I played the "obvious"... 19...a6 ...es-
sentially losing the game. Obviously Black wants
to play b7-b5 - but who does this favor? Look
at 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, completely
killing White’s only play in the position (g4-g5 and
f3-f4) with 19...Nf6! 20.g5 Nd7 when it’s clear
that 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 cut
out of the action. White intends Rdf1, f3-f4, and
Nd2-f3. If White gains control of the e4-sqaure,
the game is over. 20...f6 A panicky reaction to
what I felt was my impending doom. Black can
still fight with 20...Re8. Now, though, I open up
R R B R R
the position in the worst possible way. 21.gxf6 ter 58...Ng6 59.Rg7 Qe1+ 60.Ka2 Qxf2 61.Rxg6+

Q R Q B
xf6 22. df1 d7 23.f4 exf4 24. xf4 xf4 Kf4 62.Rf6.
25. xf4 f8 26. h6 e8 27.e5 As simple as 1-0

Q B B
a baby’s smile. Black’s position is completely dev-
◦ Gurevich, M.
Q K N
astated. 27... xe5 28. xg6 xg6 If 28...Nf6,
• Beliavsky, A.
N Q N Q R
29.Nf3 is embarrassing. 29. xg6 h8 30. ce4

R R R R K R
f5 31. xh5 d4 32. xe5+ dxe5 33. g6 ?

R N K N N
f4 34. b6 xh4 35.b3 h1+ 36. b2 h2 Moscow
37. xb7 g5 38. a3 xe4 39. xe4 Black Re- 1990 1-0 D37

N N N B B
signs. Once Ivanchuk got his chance, he exploited A positional masterpiece by Gurevich.

B B B
his opportunity with ruthless precision. 1.c4 f6 2. c3 e6 3. f3 d5 4.d4 e7 5. f4

Q B B N
1-0 O–O 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5 xc5 8. e2 dxc4 9. xc4

R Q B
a6 10. e2 b5 11. d3 b7 12.O–O bd7

R N N B
13. fd1 e7 Threatening ...e6-e5-e4. 14. g5
◦ Gelfand, B.
B B N B Q B
ac8 15.a4 b4 16. b1 a5 17. bd2 h6 18. h4
• Beliavsky, A.
N
b6 19. e4 c5 20. xb7 xb7 21. xf6 gxf6
?
R N
22. d4 White is slightly better because of Black’s
Linares
N R R R N Q
weaknesses at a5 and h6. 22... fd8 23. c4 f5
1990 1-0 D37
N
24. b5 xd1+ 25. xd1 d8 26. bd6 c7
Castling on opposite sides of the board leads to
N R Q
27.g4 e4 Not 27...fxg4 28.Qxg4+ Kh7 29.Qh5
sharp play.
N N B B N Q
Rd7 30.Rd4 winning. 28. xe4 xd1+ 29. xd1

Q N B N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 d5 4. c3 e7 5. f4 xc4 29...fxe4 30.b3 is good for White. The

Q B R K Q N K
O–O 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5 xc5 8. c2 c6 9.a3 Knight is much better than the Bishop. 30. f6+

K N
a5 10.O–O–O d7 11.g4 fc8 11...Nxg4 just g7 31.b3 c6 32. h5+ f8 33.gxf5 exf5

B N B N N B
opens lines for White on the kingside. 12. b1 34. g3 Now Black has weaknesses at a5, f5,

B N B
f8 13.g5 h5 14. g3 e7 15. e5 e8 f7, and h6. 34...f4 Black sacrifices a pawn

N N B Q Q
16. e2 f6 17.gxf6 gxf6 18. f3 g6 19.e4 dxe4 to give White some pawn weaknesses and create

N N Q B K K Q K Q
20. h4 xg3 21.hxg3 f5 22.g4 g7 23.gxf5 more scope for his Bishop. 35.exf4 e6 36. f3
exf5 24. xg6 hxg6 25. b5 b6 Not 25...Rd8 c7 37. g2 e7 38. e3 d7 39. d3+ White

Q K
as then White plays 26.c5 followed by Qc4+. cannot yet go into an endgame as Black’s King

R R K K Q K
26. b3 f8 27.c5+ was threatened. If 26...Qc5, would be too active: 39.Qxe6+ Kxe6 followed by

R Q Q Q Q Q K Q
then 27.Rd7 a6 28.Nd6. 27. h7 d8 If 27...a6, Kd5-d4-c3. 39... c8 40. f3 c6+ 41. g4

N
then 28.Qb4 axb5 29.Rxg7. 28. dh1 f6 If e6+ 42.f5 f6 43. d5 g5+ 44. f3 f6

R R K Q N Q K Q
28...a6, then 29.Rxg7 Kxg7 30.Qc3+ with a de- 45. e4 White transfers his Knight to a more ac-
cisive attack. 29.c5 d2 30. xg7 xg7 Not tive post. 45... h4 46. c5 f4+ 47. e2 e5+

N Q Q B K K
30...Qxg7 31.Nc7 threatening both 32.Nxa8 and Not 47...Qxh2 48.Qa8+ Bb8 49.Qb7+ Kd8 50.Qd7

K K B N K
32.Ne6+. 31. c7 e5 Black must give up the checkmate. 48. xe5 xe5 49.h3 c7 50. e3
Rook. If 31...Rh8, then 32.Rxh8 Kxh8 33.Qh3+ c6 51. e4 f6 52. d3 d6 53.f4 54.Ne5 is
Kg8 34.Bc4+ Kf8 35.Qh6+ wins. If 31...Rxe2, coming. Black Resigns.

N R N Q
then 32.Ne6+ Kg8 33.Ng5+ Kg7 34.Rh7+ wins. 1-0
32. xa8 xe2 33. c7 xc7 Black will lose
◦ Bellon Lopez, J.
Q K
his Rook after this. But 33...Rxf2 34.Qxb7 loses
even faster. 34. c3+ f7 If 34...Kf8, then • Georgiev, Kir.

Q K Q Q R Q
35.Qf6+ Ke8 36.Qe6 followed by Rh8+ wins. ?

R Q R Q Q K
35. c4+ f6 36. xe2 xc5 37. c1 d5 Tarrasa

R N Q Q N
38. d1 c5 39. d7 c6 40. d1 e6 41. 1990 1-0 D58

Q Q R Q Q
d8 d5 42. b3 a5 43. g3 e7 Not 43...Kf7 Sometimes when you need to win, a satisfying way

Q R
44.Rd6. 44. b8 b6 45. d2 c6 46. d8 b6 is to start an all-out attack on the King. Here the

Q Q K Q K Q
47.a4 g5 48. d4 g4 49. d1 Threatening 50.Rh1. Spanish Grandmaster throws caution to the wind,

K
49... c5 50. d7+ e5 51. e8 f4 52. b8+ storms the Black King, and even gives away his

Q K
g5 If 52...Kf3, then Black soon gets mated after most powerful piece to continue the attack. His

R Q R N Q N Q N N N B B
53.Qg3+ Ke2 54.Rc1 Qd4 55.Rc2+. 53. d8 f4 optimism is well rewarded.

K R B Q B B
54. c1 b4 55. c3 g6 56. f6 e7 57. e6 1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 d5 4. c3 e7 5. g5 h6
g5 58. c7 Black Resigns. It’s all over af- 6. h4 O–O 7.e3 b6 8. c2 b7 9. xf6 White

205
 Q
B
surrenders the Bishop pair in order to launch a positional overkill. 16. c2 Winning. The dou-

N
Kingside attack. 9... xf6 10.cxd5 exd5 11.g4 ble threat of Nc3xd5 and g2-g4 is impossible to

B K B B N
c5 12.O–O–O cxd4 13.exd4 c6 14.h4 g6 15.g5 meet. 16...c5 17.dxc5 With my opponent short on

B
hxg5 16.hxg5 xg5+ 17. b1 f6 18. d3 b4 time, I decided to play for a direct attack rather

B N
19. xg6 And now the Queen is offered. For the than pick up the Knight on h5. My threat is

N R B R K N
Queen, White gets two minor pieces and forces Qc2-c4+. Play is forced. 17... d7 18. d4 e5

B K R B N K B N B Q B Q
the Black King to take a long walk. 19... xc2 19.c6 exd4 20. b7 xc6 21. xf7 xf7 22. e2

R K B Q R K Q
20. h7+ g7 21. dg1+ g5 22. xg5 f6 b5 23. xd4 xf1 24. c6 c4 25. xa8 g5

R K B Q B B N B R
23. h6+ e7 24. xc2 d7 25. e1+ d8 26. c8 Moving in on the Black King and keep-

R K R K N N N
26. e5 c7 27. f5 d8 28. e6 f6 29. xd5 ing his pieces paralyzed. 26... g7 27. c3 g8

N N R R K
fxe5 30. h7+ b8 31. xb7+ c8 32. e6 28.g4 h5 29. f5 xf5 30.gxf5 Dreev now hap-

R K R K
exd4 33. xd8 dxc3 34. e6 f5 35. c7+ b8 pily watched his flag fall.
36. d7 c2+ 37. xc2 xf2+ 38. c3 Black Re- 1-0
signs.
1-0 ◦ Seirawan, Y.
• Tisdall, J.
?
◦ Seirawan, Y. Reykjavik
• Dreev, A. 1990 1-0 A86
? Annotations by Yasser Seirawan: This game fea-
Reykjavik
N N B B
tures a positional piece sacrifice.
1990 1-0 D10
N
1.d4 f5 2.c4 f6 3. c3 g6 4.g3 g7 5. g2
The poisoned pawn.
N N B
O–O 6. h3 I prefer this deployment over the stan-

Q
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3. c3 f6 4.cxd5 cxd5 5. f4 dard 6.Nf3. White intends to control the e6-square
b6 A very bold pawn grab. An early teacher by Nh3-f4 and d4-d5. White also eyes e4 with

N
of mine had a memorable way of warning against the Bishop on g2. This makes e2-e4 a source of

Q
capturing the b-pawn with the Queen in the open- worry for Black. 6...d6 7.d5 c6 8. f4 e5 9.dxe6

Q
ing: "In the ending with gusto! But never in the
opening!" 6.e3 xb2 Consistent. Vlastimil Hort
got a bad game against me in the 1986 Wijk aan
Zee tournament after 6...Nc6?! 7.Bd3! Bg4 8.f3
e7 10.O–O A key position for this variation. It
seemed to me that Black had two choices. He
can capture on e6 with the Bishop, or delay the
capture by ...Na6, intending ...Na6-c5xe6. Instead

B N N Q
when the Black Queen on b6 was dreadfully mis- Jon plays a provocative move. 10...g5 Normally,

B
placed. 7. b5+ c6 8. ge2 a3 Dreev feared I prefer a "controlled game" and disdain specula-

a2-a3 and Ra1-a2 trapping the Queen. 9. a4
My best move of the whole game. The move
has three purposes: it threatens Nc3-b5, cuts off
the Black Queen’s retreat to a5 making Ra1-b1-
N
tive attacks. But when my opponent forces my
hand... Charge! 11. fd5 An easy decision.
White gets two pawns for a piece and an excel-
lent bind. My thoughts were that for Black to un-

R
b3 a threat, and opens the b-file. Black’s reply is ravel his Queenside, he needs at least four moves:
forced. 9...a6 10. b1 e6 11.O–O The crucial po- ...Nb8-a6-c5, b7-b6, and ...Bc8-a6. With Black’s
sition. Black must find a defense. He is reduced Kingside pawn shield so advanced, White’s four

N
to two choices: chasing White’s black-squared moves should drum up fatal threats. 11...cxd5
Bishop away by ...Nf6-h5, ...f7-f6, and ...Qa3-e7 12.cxd5 e8 Well played. Bad is 12...h6, fur-

N
etc., or biting the bullet with 11...b5. As it turns ther weakening his Kingside, in particular the

B B B
out, Dreev makes the wrong choice. 11... h5 complex of squares f5, g5, and g6. 13.f4

B N
12. e5 f6 13. xc6+ bxc6 14. c7 Black’s game gxf4 Forced. Trying to keep the Kingside closed

N
is in shambles. He can’t develop his Kingside be- fails after 13...g4? 14.e4. 14. xf4 a6 The

R
cause the Queen is lost after Rb1-b3. The Knight first of four moves to freedom. 15.e4 c5 Two
on h5 is still on the laundry list. My main line moves to go (...b7-b6, ...Bc8-a6). 16.exf5 xf5
lasted only two moves. After 14...f5 15.Qc2 Bd7 For a fleeting moment, Black considered 16...b6?

Q
16.Na4, White is left with an overwhelming po- 17.g4 Ba6 18.Rf3. Fleeting indeed. White’s tidal

Q B Q B
sition. Dreev decides to chase away the meddle- wave of pawns will wash Black clean. 17. g4

Q R R
some Bishop. 14... e7 15. a5 Keeping the b- f6 18. e3 Forcing Black to bring the White

Q Q N B
file open for operations. 15... f7 As good as Queen’s Rook into battle. 18... xf1+ 19. xf1
anything else. If 15...f5, 16.Qc2 Bd7 17.Na4 is e5 20. f3 f6 21. f4 Underestimating my

206
 K Q K Q
own position. This move forced Black to return The defenses around Black’s King are ripped
the piece, but he would have to do it anyway. Cor- open. 23... xh7 24. h3+ g8 25. xc3 Ma-
rect is 21.Kh1! and Black is helpless to prevent terial is back to even, but Black has weaknesses

Q K N B Q B R B N Q
the loss of d6, after which White’s center rolls for- all over the board and his King is not very safe.

Q R N Q N Q N Q K Q K Q
ward. 21... d4+ 22. h1 xe6 23.dxe6 xe6 25... b6 26. d3 d7 27. g6 c6 28. h3

B K Q K R Q Q K
24. xb7 e8 25. b5 xb2 26. c7 xb7 27. d4 29. h7+ f8 30. h8+ e7 31. xg7+

Q K R K Q
xb7 This is the position that I saw when play- d6 32. f8+ d5 33. e1 d6 34. a8+ c4
ing 21.Bf4. I now expected the simple execution 35. e4 b5 36. b1+ a5 37. d3 Black Re-
27...Rb8 28.Nxe6 Rxb7 29.Nxg7 kxg7 30.Bxd6 signs. There is no good defense to 38.Qa3#.

B
with a win. Black jolted me back to reality with a 1-0

B R B N B
brilliant counterstroke. 27... c8 The game is now
◦ Korchnoi, V.
B
in doubt. 28. xc8 xc8 29. xd6 e4 30. f4
d4 Black feels the remorseless ticking of his • Gurevich, M.
clock. Black wants to activate his Rook by driving ?
the Knight from c7. He’s unsuccessful. Best was Rotterdam
the immediate activation 30...Rb8! 31.Ne6 Rb2! 1990 1-0 A81
32.Nxg7 Nf2+ 33.Kg2 Nd3+ 34.Kh3 Kxg7 with Many consider Viktor Korchnoi to be the strongest

K
good drawing chances. The text loses a tempo.
31. g2 a5 Too late! Black realizes that 31...Bb6
32.Rc1 is fine for White. There is no pin on the c-
file. Black now plays for ...a5-a4-a3, Bd4-b2, and
player of all time never to become world champion.
He is now past his prime, but even at age 59 he is
still one of the best.
1.d4 f5 The Dutch defense is considered to be anti-

R B N B N N B N
Ne4-c3. White stops the party before it gets out positional, but it creates dynamic chances. 2.g3

R
of hand. 32. d1 b2 White intends to activate f6 3. g2 g6 4. h3 d6 5. c3 g7 6. f4 c6

B K N
his King and drive Black’s pieces back. 33. b1 7.d5 e5 Black temporarily sacrifices a pawn to

R
a3 34. f3 f6 Black’s resistance is unraveling. get his pieces developed. 8.dxe6 d5 Not imme-
35. b7 Now the game is back under control. All diately 8...Qe7 because of 9.e4 fxe4 10.Nxe4 Nxe4

B
of White’s pieces are more active than their coun- 11.Bxe4 Bxe6 12.O-O O-O 13.Re1 with a large ad-
terparts. The extra pawn helps too. 35... b4 A vantage to White. 9.h4 While Black must take the

Q
time pressure-pass. 36.a4 Securing Black’s a-pawn time to get his pawn back, White provokes weak-

N N N R B N R N Q B
on a dark square, which means it is more of a target nesses on the kingside. 9... e7 10.h5 g5 11.h6

K B N B B
than White’s. 36... d7 37. e6 c5 38. g7+ f8 12. h5 g8 13. xf6+ xf6 14. xd5 A
h8 39. e5 d3 40. d4 Black Resigns. daring piece sacrifice. 14... xe6 Black should
1-0 have taken the Bishop. After 14...cxd5 15.Nxd5

B Q
Qd8 16.Qd4 Bxe6 17.Nf6+ Kf7 18.Qxd8 Bb4+
◦ Sokolov, I.
B
the position is unclear. 15. xe6 xe6 16.e4
• Karlsson, Lars
Q Q R B
xh6 If 16...fxe4, then 17.Qh5+ Qg6 18.Bxg5

N Q
? winning. 17. f3 fxe4 18. xe4 g6 19. e3
Stockholm d7 20.O–O–O O–O–O 21. a4 Also possible
1990 1-0 A85 is 21.Qxe6 Rxe6 22.Rxh6 Rxh6 23.Bxg5. In-

R R B R B
White goes on a king hunt from one side of the stead White directs his attention at the Black King.

N N B B Q K
board to the other. 21...a6 22. xh6 xh6 23. xg5 e8 24. xh6

B N N
1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 3. c3 f6 4.e3 b4 5. d3 xh6+ 25. b1 White has a big advantage. He

N Q Q N
xc3+ 6.bxc3 c5 7. e2 b6 8.O–O O–O 9. g3 is a pawn ahead and Black’s King’s position is

N Q Q K
c6 10.e4 cxd4 Better is 10...fxe4 11.Nxe4 Nxe4 full of holes. 25... e6 26. d4 f6 27.a3 h5

N K Q
12.Bxe4 d5. 11.exf5 dxc3 If 11...e5, then White 28. a4 e5 29. d3 c7 Both players were get-

B Q R R R Q K
gets a strong attack after 12.Bg5 Qe8 13.Bxf6 ting short on time here. 30. c3 c8 31.f4 e7

R B N R B R R K N N N Q K
Rxf6 14.Qg4 followed by 15.Nh5. 12. a3 32. d4 g8 33. d3 e8 34.b4 e6 35. b2

N Q Q
e8 13. d6 a5 14. c1 a6 15. xc3 c8 c7 36. a4 d5 37.c4 f6 38. b6+ c8

N Q N Q
16.fxe6 dxe6 If 16...Rxe6, then 17.Bf5 Re8 18.Nh5 39. c5 e7 If 39...Qe2+, then 40.Kb3. 40. a7

Q Q
followed by 19.Rg3 is strong. 17.c5 d5 c7 41. a4 Also strong is 41.Nxa6. 41... h7

Q R K N N
18. g4 White is massing his pieces on the king- 42. d4 h4 42...Qe7 would have held out longer.

N N R B
side and is not going to let a Rook slow down 43. d6 e2+ 44. b3 d5 45. b6+ Black Re-

R N K B N
the attack. 18... xc3 19. h5 e7 20. xa6 signs. 45...Nxb6 46.Qd8 checkmate.
xc5 21. f6+ h8 22. xc5 bxc5 23. xh7 1-0

207
 Q R Q
have been played. Both players were getting

K Q
very short on time here. 38. f5 xe6 39. xe6
◦ Rodriguez, Am.
R
xh7 40. e4+ g6 Not 40...Kg8? 41.Rf5 win-
• Herrera, I. ning. 41. h3 The decisive error. Correct is
? 41.Rf7+ Kh6 42.Qd4 Rg8 43.g3 Qd8 44.Rd7 Qb8
Las Palmas
K Q K Q Q
45.Qd2 Bg5 46.Qg2 Bh4 with an equal position.
1990 1-0 B99 41... g7 42. d4+ g8 43. e4 f6 White Re-
N N N N
White goes on a sacrificial mating attack. signs. Black is a piece ahead and will start his own
B B Q B Q
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3 attack after 44.Rf3 Qd6 45.Kh3 Kg7 46.c5 Rh8.
N B R Q R
a6 6. g5 e6 7.f4 e7 8. f3 h6 9. h4 c7 0-1
R N
10.O–O–O bd7 11. e2 b8 12. g3 g8

N N N Q
13. hf1 c5 Better is 13...g5 14.fxg5 Ne5.
14.e5 dxe5 15.fxe5 fe4 16. xe4 xe4 17. f4 ◦ Ljubojevic, L.
• Gelfand, B.
B Q N
Black’s King is stuck in the center and is in a lot of
danger. 17... xh4 18. xh4 c5 Not 18...Qxe5? ?
19.Nc6 followed by mate on d8. Also good for Novi Sad
1990 1-0 B96
N
White is 18...Ng5 19.Bb5+! axb5 20.Nxb5 Qe7
Yugoslavia has long prided itself on its chess tradi-
R
21.Nd6+ Kf8 22.Nxf7 followed by Rd8+. 19. b5
tions. So has the Soviet Union! In this Olympiad
K
axb5 20. xf7 The defenses around Black’s king
match-up of chessic giants, the game from board
B
are ripped open. 20... xf7 If 20...g5, then

N N N N
one was a classic duel.
Q K B R Q K
21.Rxc7 gxh4 22.Bh5+ wins. 21. h5+ g6

B N Q
22. f6+ e8 23. xg6+ xg6 24. h8+ f7 1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
a6 6. g5 e6 7.f4 bd7 8. f3 The Najdorf Si-
R K Q
If 24...Ke7, then 25.Qh7+ Ke8 26.Qxc7 Nd7
27.Rxd7 wins. 25. f1+ e7 26. f8+ Black Re- cilian is considered one of the sharpest openings
signs. Black gets mated after 26...Kd7 27.Rf7+ in the modern players repertoires. Theory consid-
Kc6 28.Rxc7+ Kxc7 29.Qd6#. ers that Black’s 7...Nbd7 allows White a strong
1-0 attack after 8.Bc4 b5 9.Bxe6 fxe6 10.Nxe6 Qa5
with sharp play. Ljubojevic playing White, wasn’t
anxious to find out what Gelfand had in store for
◦ Ivanchuk, V.
Q B
him and so sidestepped the theoretical recommen-
• Kasparov, G.
dation. 8... c7 9. e2 b5 10.f5 b4 Black cleverly
?
dodges 10...e5? 11.Ne6 fxe6 12.fxe6 Nb6 13.Bxf6
Linares
gxf6? 14.Qxf6 winning. Analysis by Gelfand. The
1990 0-1 B97
N Q
text seeks to first drive away White’s c3 Knight.
The world champion Kasparov gives a special ef-
11.fxe6 e5 12. xf6 A brilliant yet forced move.
fort in games against Ivanchuk, who may one day
N Q
A line like 12.exf7+? Qxf7 will cost White his c3-
N N N N
challenge him for his championship.
Knight. 12...gxf6 13. d5 a7 The only defense.
B Q Q Q
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
N
In this case, Black must ensure that White has as
a6 6. g5 e6 7.f4 b6 8. d2 xb2 The poi-
K N K N
many pieces in capture as possible. 14. xf6+
R Q N
soned pawn variation of the Najdorf Sicilian has
d8 15. d5+ e8 16. f6+ At this point, un-
N B B
been thoroughly analyzed. 9. b1 a3 10.f5 c6
able to perceive all the complications, Ljubojevic
R Q B Q B Q
11.fxe6 fxe6 12. xc6 bxc6 13. e2 e7 14.O–O
chose to force the repetition. In their analysis af-
K N N Q B
O–O 15. b3 c5+ 16. e3 e5 17. f4 c5+
ter the game, both players felt that Viswathanand
K N
18. h1 g4 19.h3 e5 20. a4 a7 21. c4+
Anand’s recommendation of 16.Bh5 was the most
h8 22. hxg4 exf4 23. b6 d5 The first new
dangerous, citing 16.Bh5 Bg7 17.Rf1 as leading
move in the game, which Kasparov had no doubt
to a winning attack. Later Gelfand found 16.Bh5
B R N R R Q
prepared in his home analysis. 24.exd5 cxd5
K N
Bh6!! as leading to a win for Black. Thus the repe-
R B R Q
25. xd5 b8 26. xc8 bxc8 27. h3 b6
tition was the correct decision. 16... d8 17. d5+
R Q
28. e1 g5 29. e6 d8 Not 29...Qb1+ 30.Kh2
Black Resigns.
B B Q B R
Qxc2 31.Qxc2 Rxc2 32.Be4. 30.c4 b8 31. d3
1-0
Q
h4 32. e4 g5 33. xh7 fd8 According to

R R
Kasparov, 33...f3 would have won. 34. c2
◦ Ermenkov, E.
Q R K R
f3 35. xf3 Not 35.gxf3 Rd2 winning. 35... d2
36. e4 d1+ 37. h2 e1 This move is a mis- • West, G.
take. According to Kasparov, 37...Qc1 should ?

208
 N R Q Nb8 32.Qxa5+ Kb7
R
Miskolc-Tapolca 30. c7+ xc7 31. xc7
1990 0-1 B70 33. c7# 1-0
Who is fooling whom? White tricks Black with
the chameleon Sicilian, leading to the Dragon vari- ◦ Hodgson, J.
ation. But Black seems to understand the Dragon a • Suba, M.
lot better than White does.
N N N
?

N B B B
1.e4 c5 2. c3 d6 3. ge2 g6 4.d4 cxd4 5. xd4 Blackpool
f6 6. g5 g7 7. b5+ A positionally doubt- 1990 1-0 B50

B
ful concept. The Bishop is strongly placed on c4, A sharp tactical match-up. English GM Julian

Q B N
where is puts pressure on the Kingside. 7... d7 Hodgson at twenty-five represents the young lions
8. e2 a6 9. xd7+ bxd7 10.O–O–O Announc- of today, while his opponent, Mikhail Suba, is one

N N B N
ing his intention to attack, but exchanging the of the venerable old guard of Romanian chess.
light-squared Bishop and placing the Queen on 1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.c3 f6 4. e2 c6 Avoid-

R
e2 slow the White Kingside play. Black already ing the transparent trap: 4...Nxe4 5.Qa4+. 5.d4

Q N R
has the edge. 10...O–O 11.f4 c8 12.e5 dxe5
N
cxd4 Now 5...Nxe4? 6.d5! and 7.Qa4+. 6.cxd4
13.fxe5 a5 14. f3 xc3 A standard sacrifice xe4 It is considered to be very dangerous to grab

R
in Dragon lines, this weakens the White King the e4-pawn in this line. Suba takes the approach,

Q R Q R B K
position. 15.exf6 exf6 16. xd7 fxg5 17.bxc3
Q N N
"If it’s not nailed down, why not take it?" 7.d5

R N
xc3 18. xb7 a1+ 19. b1 b2+ 20. d2
N
a5+ A necessary check. 8. c3 xc3 9.bxc3

R K Q K R
d8+ 21. d4 White is must return some mate- d8 Also seen is 9...Ne5 10.Nxe5 Qxc3+ when

K Q Q B K
rial. 21... xd4+ 22. e3 xa2 23. f2 f4+ Black wins many pawns but suffers from lack of

K
24. g3 a3+ 25. d3 d4 26. h3 The threat development. 10.O–O e5 11.dxe6 White has gam-

Q K B
was ...Bf2+ and ...Rh4#. 26...g4+ 27. h4 If bited a pawn for open lines for his pieces. It is

K Q K
27.Kg3 Qd6 looks tasty. 27... e7+ 28. g3 f2+ only natural for him to open the game as much
29. xf4 f6+ 30. xg4 Variation 30.Ke4 Qf5#
N N B
as possible. Black’s problem is that his King is
30...h5+ White Resigns.
B K R B Q B
stuck in the center. 11... xe6 12. d4 e7
0-1 13. b5+ f8 14. b1 a6 15. c4 c7 16. xe6
A powerful move. Black’s c8-Bishop is forced

R
to cover the b7-pawn while avenues to Black’s
◦ Kalegin, E.
Q B B
King are being opened. 16...fxe6 17. e1 e5
• Yuferov, S. 18. f3+ f6 19. a3 The best amongst a tempt-
? ing array. The tries 19.Bh6 and 19.Bg5 look good,
Moscow
Q
but this one sets up the shots 20.Qd5 and 20.Rxe5
1990 1-0 B52
B R K R K
which bring down the curtains. 19...exd4 20. d5
Another amazing attacking gem played in Russia e7 21. xe7 xe7 22. e1+ f6 Black has
by relative unknowns. White is willing to sacrifice to walk the plank. If 22...Kd8 23.Bxd6 wins,
anything from pawns to Rooks to get at the enemy
B Q
while 23...Kd7 24. Re6 is equally decisive.
King, with ultimate success.
N B
23. xd6 d7 Again no choice. The materialistic
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3. b5+ This way of avoiding
R R Q K Q K
23...Qxc3? 24.Be7+ Kg6 24.Re6+ would be deci-

B B Q N
the main lines of the Sicilian is generally thought to
Q K Q K R Q
sive. 24. e5 e8 25. f3+ g6 26. h5+ f6

N
be quiet... 3... d7 4. xd7+ xd7 5.O–O c6 27. f3+ g6 28. h5+ f6 29. xe8 xd6

N N
6.c3 f6 7.d4 But White has one or two ways of 30.cxd4 Very nice. Black has no moves. The grab

R N B Q
livening up the proceedings. 7... xe4 8.d5 b8 30...Qxd4 31.Rf8+ Ke7 32.Qf7+ Kd6 33.Rd8+
9. e1 f6 10. g5 f5 Black now experiences
Q K K
wins, while developing with 30...Bg4 31.Qe5+

B
some difficulty in developing; White seems to have wins. 30...h6 31.h4 a5 32. f3+ g6 33.h5+ g5

N Q
adequate compensation for the pawn. 11. xf6 Admitting defeat. However 33...Kh7 34.Qe4+ g6

Q N K
gxf6 12. bd2 xd5 Make that two pawns. 13.c4
R Q B Q
35.hxg6+ Qxg6 36.Re7+ wins. The rest is a mas-
c6 14. e4 d8 Due to the pin along the e-
R Q K K K
sacre. 34. e5+ xe5 35.dxe5 e6 36. xb7

N Q
file, both d- and f-pawns are under attack. 15.b4
Q R Q
g8 37. e7+ f5 38.g4+ xe5 39.f4+ xf4

N Q R
cxb4 Three. 16.c5 d5 17. d4 d7 18.c6 bxc6 40. xe6 d8 41. f7+ Black Resigns.

N K Q N
Four. 19. c5 e8 20. e6 fxe6 And a Rook. 1-0

Q N N R R
21. dxe6+ c8 22. g4 a5 23. xf8+ f5 Black’s
◦ Kasparov, G.
N R K Q K
turn. 24. xf5+ e6 25. fxe6 d7 26. c1 a7
27. e4 dxe4 28. xc6+ b8 29. f4+ a8 • Karpov, An.

209
? match, but most of the time the chess world was
18th Match Game, Lyons treated to, or forced to endure, depending on your
1990 1-0 C92 orientation, a seemingly endless series of similar
Annotations: Schussler. This was a disappointing lines. This is one of the games that Kasparov won
game for Karpov, as with the victory Kasparov es- brilliantly - and when this occurred, even the critics

N N B B N
sentially clinched the Championship in the New found time to wonder.

B R B B
York-Lyons match. And the bad part was that Kar- 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O

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 gambit
and destroyed Karpov’s chances. One lesson to be
learned is that if you are going to play chess, trust
other people’s analysis only as far as you can verify
R
e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.h3 b7
10.d4 e8 The Zaitzev Ruy Lopez; Karpov is
an acknowledged expert in the line. In fact, in
the 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’s

N N B B N
it yourself. match with Hjartarson in Seattle certainly left that

B R B N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O impression. Kasparov quickly dispelled the no-

B
e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.h3 d7 tion, making a theoretical improvement the first
10.d4 f6 During the latter half of the match Kar- time the line was played in this match, and win-
pov had started playing this e5-strongpoint line in- ning nicely. Karpov improved in turn, but although

B N N N B
stead of the main Zaitzev Ruy Lopez that he started he got big advantages in several games, he failed

B B N B
with. 11.a4 b7 12. a3 exd4 13.cxd4 b6 to make the most of his chances. 11. bd2 f8

N R R
14. f4 bxa4 This plan of gaining the Bishop pair 12.a4 h6 13. c2 exd4 14.cxd4 b4 15. b1 c5

B
in exchange for pawn weaknesses is dynamic play 16.d5 d7 17. a3 f5 18. ae3 Once, Gary ex-

N Q B R N
that may fit better into Kasparov’s style. 15. xa4 perimented with e4xf5, nearly losing in gruesome

B Q R N N K
xa4 16. xa4 a5 17. d2 e8 18.d5 b4 fashion. Later he did it again, to the surprise of

B N N R R
19. xb4 axb4 20. xb4 b8 And it was this po- all. 18... f6 19. h2 h8 20.b3 bxa4 21.bxa4

N Q N N Q
sition that Karpov was playing for. Black appears c4 22. b2 fxe4 23. xe4 fxd5 24. g3 e6

B Q R N K
to be threatening to gain great activity by moving 25. g4 e8 26. xh6 c3 27. f5 cxb2 28. g4

Q Q N Q N Q R B Q Q
the light-bound Bishop, but White finds the right c8 29. h4+ h6 30. xh6 gxh6 31. h2

B Q B Q Q N K B Q B
idea, preventing ...Ba6. 21. c4 c8 22. d4 e5 32. g5 f6 33. e8 f5 34. xh6+ xh6

R R R R B
a6 23. c3 c5 24.dxc6 xd4 25. xd4 xc6 35. f7+ h7 36. xf5+ g6 37. xg6+ At this

R Q N Q Q R N K R B
26.b4 h6 27. e3 e6 28.f3 c8 29. b3 b5 unimportant point, White errs. Leading to imme-

Q R B R Q R R B K B
30. b2 b7 31. c2 e7 32. f2 g6 33. e3 diate mate is 37.Rxg6! 37... g7 38. xa8 e7

Q N K K R R
g5 34. bb1 d7 35. a5 e7 36. a7 39. b8 a5 40. e4+ xf7 41. xd5+ Black Re-

Q Q R B Q Q R
d8 37. d5 h7 38. h2 b8 39.f4 e6 signs.

B R Q K R
40. d4 e8 41. e1 c6 42. d3 f8 43. c1 1-0

R Q R Q Q R
xd5 44.exd5+ g6 45. f5 g8 46. ac7
◦ Kasparov, G.
Q R R R K R
f6 47. d7 d8 48. xd8 xd8 49. c8
• Karpov, An.
K K R
f8 50. 1c4 f5 51. xf8+ xf8 52. d4 h5

R
53.b5 e7 54.b6 d7 55.g4 hxg4 56.hxg4 f6 ?
57. c4 Black Resigns. 2nd Match Game, New York
1-0 1990 1-0 C92
This was the second game of the New York-Lyons
◦ Kasparov, G. World Championship Match. In the first, Karpov
• Karpov, An. missed a fairly easy win of a pawn, and the game
? was drawn. Now Kasparov came through with
20th Match Game, Lyons a major theoretical improvement against Karpov’s
1990 1-0 C92 Zaitzev Ruy Lopez, and after a controversial com-
In the split match for the World Championship in bination, Garry crashed through. At this point, it
1990, the scene changed from New York to Lyon, looked like Kasparov’s prediction - that he would
France. But the scene on the chessboard stayed crush GM Karpov and prove he was unquestion-
much the same, with the contestants essaying the ably the greatest player in the world - might just
King’s Indian Defense when Karpov was White, come true. Karpov managed to come back, though,
and the Ruy Lopez when Kasparov played the and once again the two titans played a remarkably
White pieces. Some variety occurred late in the close match.

210
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O–O 18...Nf6. 19.R3e2 Ne5 20.Nf1 Nxf3+ 21.gxf3
Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.h3 Bb7 Qh4 22.Nh2 Re5 23.Qd2 Qxh3 24.Qxf4
10.d4 Re8 11.Nbd2 Bf8 12.a4 h6 13.Bc2 exd4 bxa4 25.Qg4 Qxg4+ 26.Nxg4 Ree8 27.f4 The
14.cxd4 Nb4 15.Bb1 bxa4 This capture was also
central pawn mass. 27...a5 28.f3 Ba6 29.Rg2
endgame is slightly better for White because of his

Kf7 30.Rd1 Bc4 31.Ne3 White would like

played by Karpov in his match against the Ice-
lander Hjartarson in Seattle. There Johann failed to

31...Bb3 32.Re1 c4 33.e5 dxe5 34.Bg6+ Kg8

make much from the White pieces, and openings to play e4-e5, but his d-pawn needs protection.

35.Ng4 The position is unclear after 35.Bxe8

theoreticians were suggesting White might have

Ruy was at best equal for White! 16.Rxa4 a5 Rxe8 36.Ng4 Nd3. 35...Nd3 36.Nxh6+ gxh6
to vary from this pattern early - that perhaps the

17.Ra3 Ra6 18.Nh2 This is where GM Hjartar- 37.Bxd3+ Kh8 38.Bg6 Red8 39.Bd2 An er-

or 39.fxe5. 39...Bb4 40.Bc3 Bxc3 41.bxc3 a3

son tried 18.Rae3, with little success. The World ror in time pressure. Better are either 39.Bf7
Champion was watching, of course, and found

ful. 18...g6 19.f3 Qd7 20.Nc4 Qb5 21.Rc3 vantage. 42.fxe5 Rxd5 43.e6 Rd1 If 43...a2,
an improvement that may make 15...bxa4 doubt- Black’s outside passed pawns give him the ad-

Bc8 22.Be3 Kh7 23.Qc1 c6 24.Ng4 Here is then 44.f4 is unclear. 44.Rxd1 Bxd1 45.e7 Not
45...Ba4 The position is equal after 45...Bb3?
the point. White’s pieces coordinate against the 45.Rd2? Ba4 46.e7 Kg7 47.Rd8 a2 winning.

open the h-file with nasty consequences. 24...Ng8 46.Bf7 The decisive error. White
Black King, and capture of the Knight on g4 would

25.Bxh6 An interesting sacrifice, leading to fa-

46.Re2.

46...Rb8 47.Re2 Rb1+ 48.Kf2 Rb2 49.Bxc4

needed to start advancing his f-pawn with 46.f4.

Kg7 50.Ke1 Rxe2+ 51.Kxe2 h5 52.Bb3 Bd7

vorable complications. In this match-up, dynamic

53.Ke3 Kf6 54.Kf4 Bc6 55.c4 Kxe7 56.c5 Be8

tactical complications generally favor Kasparov,

pov. 25...Bxh6 26.Nxh6 Nxh6 27.Nxd6 Qb6

while quiet positional games seem better for Kar-

28.Nxe8 Qxd4+ Although hardly commented on

White Resigns.
0-1
(after all, why not win a center pawn with check?),
◦ Martin, B.
K Q R Q
this gives White extra play on the open d-file. Sim-
• Garcia Palermo, C.
Q R R Q B Q
ply 28...Qd8 is safer. 29. h1 d8 30. d1 xe8

Q Q Q
31. g5 a7 32. d8 e6 33.f4 a6 34.f5 e7 ?
35. d2 e5 36. f2 With this maneuver White Benasque

Q Q N
gains the critical diagonal for his Queen, with 1990 1-0 C92

N R Q Q
threat of mate on h8. 36... e7 37. d4 g8 38.e5 White shows us the value of a Kingside space ad-

N R Q Q Q Q N N B B N
d5 39.fxg6+ fxg6 40. xc6 xd8 41. xa7+ vantage and the power of the Rook lift.

B R B
de7 42. xa6 d1+ 43. g1 d2 44. f1 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O
Black Resigns. e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.h3 a5
1-0 Normal and better are 9...Na5 (Chigorin), 9...Nb8
(Breyer), 9...Bb7 (Zaitzev), or even 9...Nd7. The
◦ Timman, J.
B N
Knight moves generally prepare ...c7-c5. 10.d4 a4
• Karpov, An. 11. c2 exd4 12. xd4 White doesn’t wish to lose

N N
? his valuable light-squared Bishop to a Knight after

N
Kuala Lumpur 12.cxd4 Nb4. 12... xd4 13.cxd4 d5 14.e5 e4
1990 0-1 C92 15. d2 The same logic applies here, although this

N
The winner of this match would play Kasparov time White spurns the gain of a Pawn. Black’s

N N B B N
later in the year for the world championship. Bishops would get too much activity. 15... xd2

B R B B
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O Perhaps better is 15...f5, trying to block lines to

R
e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.h3 b7 the King. Of course this yields a protected passed

B
10.d4 e8 Karpov is an expert on the Zait- pawn, and in the long run the backward c-pawn on

B B
sev variation of the Ruy Lopez. This varia- the half-open file will be hard to defend. 16. xd2
tion would be played many times in his world e6 17. h6 gxh6 Declining the sacrifice with

N B B Q R Q K B
championship match later that year against Kas- 17...Re8 18.Qd3 g6 loses at least the b-pawn.

N B N R R
parov. 11. bd2 f8 12.a4 h6 13. c2 exd4 18. d3 f5 19.exf6 xf6 20. xh7+ f8 21. g6

R
14.cxd4 b4 15. b1 c5 16.d5 d7 17. a3 f5 xg6 The threat was Qh8+, ...Bg8, Qxh6#. Now

Q
18. ae3 f4 In the 20th game of the world cham- the material balance is close to equal, but King
pionship match against Kasparov, Karpov played safety plays the most important role. 22. xg6

211
B Q K R B R
R R R R R
f7 23. xh6+ g8 24. e3 h4 25. c1 b4 Queen cannot be saved except by even greater ex-

R N Q
26. d1 b8 27. dd3 b6 28. g3+ The point pense, so White takes the practical decision to jet-

Q R N R Q
of White’s play. On any of the last few moves, tison her. 19... xe3 20. xe3 b6 21.hxg4

B R R
...Qf6 or ...Qg5 is met by Rg3(+), an overload- xb2 22. d1 xc3 23. d2 b5 There is no

R B Q K N N R Q K R
ing combination. 28... xg3 29. xg3+ g6 respite. White will not be allowed to castle.

Q R Q K R N
30. xg6+ xg6 31. xg6+ h8 32.h4 Black 24. d1 e4 25. e2 b4+ 26. f1 h6 27. h3

N Q N
Resigns. d4 28. e1 xd5 29. g1 b5 30. he3 f6
1-0 31. c3 c4 32. e4 Leading to an ending with

N R Q
Queen and six Pawns against two Rooks and
◦ Garcia, G.
K Q R Q R
three. 32... xe4 33. xe4 xa2 34.f4 a5 35.f5
• Beliavsky, A.
R K R Q
b4 36. h2 d2 37. 1e2 g5 38. b2 d5
? 39. e8+ h7 40. a8 h4+ White Resigns.
Novi Sad 0-1

N N B B N
1990 0-1 C78

B B
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O
◦ Kasparov, G.
b5 6. b3 b7 One of Beliavsky’s pet lines. Note
• Karpov, An.
that ...Nxe4 is met variously with Bb3-d5, Rf1-
?
e1, or d2-d4, in all cases regaining the pawn. Big
14th Match Game, Lyons
R B B
Al prefers this compact development with ...Bc8-
1990 1/2-1/2 C45
B B B
b7 and ...Bf8-c5. 7. e1 c5 8.c3 d6 9.d4 b6
Kasparov re-introduces the Scotch into World
N N N Q Q
10. g5 h6 11. h4 g5 12. g3 O–O 13.dxe5
Championship play after more than a century. The
R R N B
xe5 14. xe5 dxe5 15. d2 e7 16. e2
real surprise was that he played it again and won!
B R R B
ad8 17.a4 d6 18.axb5 axb5 19. f1 c6
Even with these fine results, the Scotch is unlikely
Q N R Q R
20. c2 fd8 21. ac1 h5 22.h3 h4 23. h2
to gain general popularity, as most of its sting was
e6 24. e3 d2 25. f3 xc2 A nice the-
N N N N
removed by analysts in the 1800’s.
N R K
matic exchange sacrifice that quickly leads to the
N Q Q N B
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 exd4 4. xd4 f6
R Q N N R
baring of White’s King. 26. xc2 d2 27. h1
R B B
5. xc6 bxc6 6.e5 e7 7. e2 d5 8.c4 a6
Q Q N K Q
g4 28.hxg4 xf2 29. h3 xe4 30. e3 xg2
Q N Q B B
9.b3 O–O–O 10.g3 e8 11. b2 f6 12. g2 fxe5
31. xg2 h3 32. c2 d2+ 33. g1 xg4+
Q B R Q Q N
13.O–O h5 14. d2 f6 15. a5 b7 16. a3
White Resigns.
N B N N R
e6 17. xf8 hxf8 18. xa7 g4 19. a3 h4
0-1
N R Q N
20. c2 h3 21. h1 e4 22.a4 c3 23. ae1

B B N Q Q
e2+ 24. xe2 xe2 25. b4 d5 26.cxd5
◦ Hector, J.
K N Q R R Q R
cxd5 27. xd5 xd5 28. xd5 c2 29. a6+
• Fernandez Garcia, J.
Q K Q K Q R
d7 30. e3 e4 31. c1 b8 32. f1 xb3
?
Q K Q K Q
33. xh3+ d8 34. h5 c8 35. d1 xe3
Spain
K Q K R Q
36.fxe3 xe3+ 37. h1 e4+ 38. g1 e3+
1990 0-1 C47
39. h1 e4+ 40. g1 d8 41. c2 Draw by
Johnny Hector is known for his exciting play and
Agreement.
specialty openings, but here he essays the ancient
1/2-1/2
Four Knights Game, and his opponent was well

N N
prepared.
◦ Polgar, J.
N N
1.e4 f6 Is it the Alekhine Defense? 2. c3 e5
• Knaak, R.
N B
The Vienna Game? 3. f3 c6 4.d4 No, it’s

B N N
the Scotch Four Knights! 4...exd4 5. d5 e7 ?
6. f4 d6 7. xd4 O–O 8. b5 White will soon Cologne
be made to pay for moving his Knights around too 1990 1-0 C18

N
much. But without this attack, it is hard to see The youngest of the three Hungarian Polgar sisters,

B B Q Q Q B
how he can gain any advantage. 8... xd5 9.exd5 Judit, would go on to become the youngest Grand-

N N N B
g5 10. xg5 xg5 11. d2 e5+ 12. e2 a6 master ever: in 1992 at the age of 15, she eclipsed
13. xc7 d4 14. xa8 g4 15.c3 15.f3 is met Bobby Fischer’s record by several months. In this

N Q Q
by 15...Bxf3! Although White is up a Rook, he game the strong German GM Rainer Knaak is out-
is in trouble. 15... xe2 16. e3 f6 The end- combined by a 13-year-old girl. Her marvelous

N Q N R
ing is OK for White, because the Knight e2 can- sharp tactical style has in fact accumulated many
not escape. 17. b6 d8 18. c4 e8 19.h3 The GM scalps.

212
 N B B
N Q Q B
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 b4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 xc3+
6.bxc3 e7 7. g4 c7 8. d3 An unusual line
of the French Winawer. White normally cap-
tures on g7 here with wild complications - which
are theoretically well known several moves deep.
B N
28...Rb8 followed by 29...Rb7 would have held out
longer. 29. xe4 fxe4 30. f6 Black Resigns. The
only defense to 31.Rh7# is 30...Rg7 31.Re8+ Rg8
32.Rxg8#.
1-0

N Q B Q
8.Bd3 suggests a willingness to explore lesser-

B Q
known lines. 8...cxd4 9. e2 xe5 10. f4 f6
◦ Geller, E.
Q Q B Q B
11. g5 e5 12.cxd4 Refusing the draw by repeti-
• Dreev, A.
Q B R Q
tion. 12...h5 13. h4 c7 14. f4 a5+ 15. d2
?
B N N N N R
d8 16.g4 e5 17.dxe5 xg4 18. g1 d7 19.f3
New York
Q N
e6 20. d4 bc6 21. xc6 xc6 22. xg7
1990 1-0 C08
c7 23.f4 xe5 Black wins the exchange, but
A contest between two different generations.
the Knight and Queen were the only defenders
White is more than 44 years older than his oppo-
Q K Q
of the dark squares. Black’s position was in any
nent, and his rating is 90 points lower. However, in
R Q B R
case desperate. 24.fxe5 xe5+ 25. f2 xg7
his prime Geller was one of the best players in the
26. g1 b2 27. b4 f6 28. e1 O–O–O Return-
N N
world and should never be underestimated.
R K Q Q
ing a piece to try to find a haven for the King.
B B B
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. d2 a6 4. gf3 c5 5.exd5 exd5
29. xe6 b8 30. xf6 a2 The ending after
B
6. e2 c4 7.O–O d6 8.b3 b5 9.a4 b7 10.bxc4
30...Qxf6 would be very difficult for Black. Two
bxc4 11. xc4 White sacrifices a piece to open
Q R B
Bishops in an open position should easily over-
up the position. In his prime, Geller was one
K B R
power a Rook and Pawn. 31. d4 c8 32. d2
N B
of the finest combinational players. 11...dxc4
a8 33. e3 xc2+ But keeping the Queen’s
12. xc4 e7 12...Ne7 13.Nxd6+ Qxd6 14.Ba3
on hasn’t proven to be without risk either. Now
R Q R
leaves White with a strong attacking position.
B Q K Q K
Knaak tries a few checks, but Judit defends prop-
13. e1 c7 14. b1 Threatening 15.Rxb7 Qxb7
Q K Q K Q B
erly. 34. xc2 xc2+ 35. e1 b1+ 36. d2
Q R N N
16.Nd6+. Black is having trouble finding safety
R Q
a2+ 37. d1 b1+ 38. e2 c2+ 39. d2
Q B
for his King. 14... xc4 15. xb7 c6 16. d2
f8 40. xd5 Black Resigns.
Q R Q B R
xd4 If 16...Qxa4, then 17.d5 is strong. 17. b2
1-0
B
xa4 18. e4 a2 19. xg7 O–O–O 20. b3

Q K
f6 If 20...Nf6, then 21.Rc4 Rxd2 22.Rxc6+ Kd7
◦ Van Riemsdijk, H.
Q K
23.Qxd2 Kxc6 24.Qc3+ wins. 21. g4+ c7
• Hmadi, S.
B N Q Q Q
22. f4+ c8 If 22...Rd6, then 23.Rd3 wins.
?
23. xf6 xf6 24. xf6 xc2 25. f5+ Black
Manila
Resigns, as he will lose his Queen by discovered
1990 1-0 C13
check. This was voted to be the best game in the
N N B B
This game features a double Rook sacrifice.
first half of 1990 by Chess Informant.
N Q B
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 f6 4. g5 e7 5.e5
1-0
Q
fd7 6.h4 a6 7. g4 xg5 8.hxg5 c5 9.g6

N N B N N Q
f5 Not 9...fxg6 10.Rxh7. 10. f4 h6 11.dxc5
◦ Ermenkov, E.
K N Q N Q
O–O 12. f3 xc5 13. d3 c6 14. e2 a5+
• Kovacevic, Vlado
R N K N
15. f1 e4 16.c3 b6 17. fd4 xb2 17...Qc7
?
R Q
was more cautious. 18. b1 d2+ 19. g1 xb1
20. xh6 d2 The second Rook could be taken: Kavala
1990 0-1 C04
R Q
20...gxh6 21.Qxh6 Rf7 22.gxf7+ Kxf7 23.Nf4 and

N
White’s attack is too strong. 21. h7 xf4 The pawn grab is King in this game. Some pawns

N
22. xf4 Despite the exchange of Queens, White’s seem to be worth more than Queens, even.

N N N
attack is still dangerous. 23.Nh5 is threatened. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. d2 Initiating the Tarrasch
22... xe5 23. h5 xg6 Black must give back variation. White maintains some of the tension

R
some pieces. Not 23...Nxd3 24.Rxg7+ Kh8 25.Nf3 in the center, but doesn’t put the Knight on c3,

K R N
followed by Ng5, Rh7+, and g7. 24. xg7+ where it can be pinned. These lines are consid-

N
h8 25. xg6 xc3 Short on time, Black makes ered to yield White a very small but fairly persis-

N
an error. Correct is 25...Nd2 to prevent White’s tent advantage. 3... c6 Black’s main choices are
next move. 26. f3 b5 Black hopes to defend 3...c5, 3...Nf6, and 3...Nc6, although many other

R R R N
with 27...Ra7. If 26...Ne4, then 27.Ne5 followed moves have some validity. After the move cho-
by Rg7 and Ng6#. 27. g7 g8 28. e7 e4 sen, Black will have to move the Knight again

213
to allow ...c7-c5, and then will probably return it R
Rook over. 14... c8 15.c4 cxd4 Again well mo-
to the natural c6 square. But since the position tivated, preventing d4-d5 which would render the

N N N
will remain closed (after e4-e5) this loss of time c-file battery useless and pressure e6. But the

B N B
may not be too serious. 4. gf3 f6 5.e5 d7 newly centralized Knight also hits at e6, and devel-
6. b5 Since White doesn’t really intend to cap- ops some Queenside action, too. 16. xd4 c5

N Q
ture at c6, which would leave Black the possibility Of course, 16...Qxc4 17.Rc1 is unacceptable, but

N
of playing the strong freeing move ...c5 twice(!), 16...a6 may run into 17.Nxe6. 17. b5 c6 18.b4

B N R
this seems to just lose time. 6...a5 7.c3 a7 Suddenly Nb5xa7 is a problem. The Knight attacks
8. d3 c5 9.O–O c6 10. e1 cxd4 11.cxd4 a4 many dark squares in the heart of the Black po-

Q R Q
By a simple tempo count, White is ahead in devel- sition, so it must be eliminated. 18...a6 19.bxc5

R B Q R Q
opment. However, things are rarely so simple in axb5 20.cxb5 xg2 21. hg1 h3 22.c6 bxc6

N R Q R Q
chess, and a quick quality check shows that the un- 23.bxc6 xc6 24. b4 h4 25.a3 b6 26. b2

R N Q N K N
moved Rook on a8 is at least as well placed as the d5 27. d4 d8 28. xd5 exd5 29. e2+

R R Q R R K
"developed" White Rook, and pieces for both sides e6 30. f5 b6 31. xg7+ d8 32. xe6+

Q R Q K Q
will need to be shifted several times to find the fxe6 33. g7 f8 34. b2 f4 35. h7 c8
right homes. Considering Black’s Queenside space 36. h8+ f8 37. c3+ d8 38. g7 Black Re-

N B N N N N
advantage, it is possible he already stands better. signs.

B B N N Q K
12. f1 e7 13. g3 h5 14. e2 b6 15.g3 b4 1-0

K N B N N
16. b1 d7 17.h4 c4 18. f4 b6 19. g2

R K R N Q Q
d8 20. g5 xg5 21.hxg5 g6 22. e2 c6
◦ Short, N.
R Q R Q N R Q
23. h1 c7 24. h4 xb2 25. d2 a3 26. f4
• Seirawan, Y.
B Q B R Q
hc8 27. xf7 f8 28. xg6 d1 29. f4 b2
?
Q N Q Q
30. c2 xa1 31. xd1 xf4 32.gxf4 xa2
Manila
Q Q K B Q
33.f5 b1 34. c3 xc1 35.fxe6 xc3 36.exd7
1990 1-0 B12
xd4 37. d6+ b6 38.e6 a2 39. f3 c5
This was a crucial game on Nigel Short’s path to
White Resigns.
challenge Kasparov for the world championship in
0-1
B
1993.

N N B
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.c3 A Short spe-
◦ Galdunts, S.
B N N N R
cialty. 4...e6 5. e2 c5 6. f3 c6 7.O–O h6
• Tavadian, R.
N N N
8. e3 cxd4 9.cxd4 ge7 10. c3 c8 11. c1
?
B R Q N R
a6 Better is 11...Nb6. 12. a4 b6 13. c5
URS
Q R Q R R N
xc5 14. xc5 O–O 15. b3 d7 16. c3
1990 1-0 B19
K
b6 17. fc1 xb3 18. xb3 fb8 19. d2
The former USSR was a chess powerhouse, with
f8 20.h4 With Black tied down on the queen-
seemingly inexhaustible supplies of world-class
K B N
side, White switches his attention to the king-
players. The restrictive travel policies imposed
side. 20... e8 21.g4 h7 22.h5 d8 Bet-
by the state prevented most Soviet players from
R N N N
ter is 22...Kd8, although after 23.f4 White has a
ever playing in international tournaments, so by the
space advantage. 23. bc3 b6 24. b3 a4 If
time the rest of the world found out about a player
R N N
24...Rc8, then 25.Nc5 is strong. 25...Nd7 would
he was already very strong. In this game two un-
be met with 26.Nxb7. 25. c7 xb2 26. c5
N N B N
knowns play a fine battle.
N
White has a winning advantage. 26...b5 27.g5
B N N B B
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3. d2 dxe4 4. xe4 f5 5. g3
The decisive breakthrough. 27... c4 If 27...hxg5,
B Q N B Q
g6 6.h4 h6 7. f3 d7 8.h5 h7 9. d3
N N B K
then 28.Bxg5 followed by 29.Re7+ is decisive.
Q
xd3 10. xd3 gf6 11. d2 c7 12.O–O–O
R N K R
28.gxh6 gxh6 29. d7 xe3 30.fxe3 f5 31. f2
e6 13. e2 This is a main line in the Caro Kann;
b7 32. f6+ f8 33. g1 Black Resigns. If
the retreat puts pressure on e6 and defends the
33...Rxc7, then 34.Rg8+ Ke7 35.Re8#.
e5 square, as well as removing the Queen from
1-0
possible attack along the d-file should Black cas-
tle long. 13...c5 Normally, this is a desirable
move; it breaks in the center and gives the Black ◦ Kotronias, V.
pieces more room. In this position, it may be • King, D.

K
slightly premature - the weakness of the Black ?
Queenside isn’t at all obvious, though. 14. b1 New York
Getting off the c-file and preparing to bring a 1990 1-0 B12

214
To win at chess, it is necessary to take risks. Here
the young Greek player Kotronias gives up the cen-
ter to develop a flaming attack against his English
B N Q B
colleague.
B Q N N N
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4. c3 b6 5. d3
Q
xd3 6. xd3 e6 7. ge2 d7 8.O–O e7 9.a4
c5 10.a5 c6 11.dxc5 An inspired move. But
if White plays 11.f4 Nf5! gives Black a fine
game. Perhaps throwing in 11.a6 in order to jus-
tify the a-pawn advance was best. The text gives
N Q N N Q
up a pawn in the hopes of crashing through in the
B
center. 11... xe5 12. g3 5g6 13. d4 xc5
14. e3 e5 Such a weakening move deserves a
strong rebuke. However, Black is already on the
slippery slope of defeat. The solid move 14...Qc8
N Q
15.Ncb5 Nc6 16. Nc7+ costs Black an Exchange
and the opportunity to castle. 15. db5 c6 Black
sidesteps the wipeout: 15...d4 16.Bxd4 (16.Ne4 is
also strong.) exd4 17.Nc7+ Kd8 18.Nxa8 dxc3
19.Rfd1+ Kc8 20.Nb6+ axb6 21.axb6 wins. Anal-
ysis by Andrianov. This nice comment illustrates
R Q
Black’s problem: his vulnerable King. 16.a6 b6
17. ad1 d4 18. h3 A killing move. If Black
captures on either c3 or e3 White plays 19.Nd6+
which will be devastating. The text sidesteps
N
Black’s tempo ...Ne7-f5 and also fixes to keep
B
Black’s King trapped in a crossfire. 18... c8
19. xd4 The piece sacrifice is immediately de-
cisive. If 19...exd4 20.Nxd4 Qc7 21.Qf3 Rb8
N R N B B
22.Nc6 wins. Black has no answer for Rf1-e1+ and
N
Nc3-b5. 19... d6 20. fe1 xb5 21. xe5 e7
22. xb5 O–O Black dare not accept the second
N Q Q N B
piece offering. If 22...Qb5 23.Bxg7 Rg8 24.Qxh7
Q
wins. 23. d4 c5 24.b4 c4 25. f5 xb4
26. h6 Black Resigns. A painful finale. Black
is reminded about his endangered King. The point
26...gxh6 27.Nxh6+ is indeed a beauty.
1-0
◦ Van der Wiel, J.
• Seirawan, Y.
? Queens on the board. Better is 20.Qf3!. 20... d7
Haninge
1990 0-1 B09
Annotations by Yasser Seirawan. It’s always a
good idea to make sure none of one’s favorite lines
have been busted and before this game I quickly
scanned the games in New In Chess Yearbook 15.
Sure enough, right on cue, GM Khalifman had just
clobbered someone who played my favorite vari-
ation of the Rat Defense. Rats! He had annotated
the game, and had gone so far as to give my 8...fxe6
a ?! mark. The cheek! His notes were short and
succinct. Was it the end of my idea? I refused to
215
believe it, and spent a whole night and early morn-
ing mulling the variation over. I hoped things were
patched up successfully because my next opponent
N B
was the dangerous GM John van der Wiel.
1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3. c3 g7 I prefer this move or-
der to that of the classical Pirc (2...Nf6) because
I consider it more flexible. In the variation where
White plays Bc1-e3 and Qd1-d2, angling for Be3-
N N B B N
h6, it’s sometimes useful to have a Knight on g8.
N B N Q Q
4.f4 f6 5. f3 c5 6. b5+ d7 7.e5 g4 8.e6
Q N
fxe6 9. g5 xb5 10. xb5 a5+ 11.c3 xb5
12. xg4 cxd4 13. xe6 This position was eval-
uated as winning for White by Khalifman. As
Q
we had both played quickly up to now, I imme-
diately played my novelty. 13... c4 After making
this move, I got up to get a glass of mineral wa-
ter. While at the refreshment stand, I heard the
other players joking, "How can this guy be lead-
ing the tournament? he leaves his pieces hang-
N K
ing with check!" After a pause, John found his
N
only chance for an advantage. 14. xg7+ f7
15. f5 Avoiding Black’s trap. On 15.Nh5? dxc3!
(threatening...Qc4-e4+ and ...g6x h5) 16.Ng3 cxb2
Q N
17.Bxb2 Qb4+, Black safely recovers his piece
with the better game. 15... e6+ 16. e3 dxe3
17.f5 In my preparations I had decided that this
was the only way for White to attain an advan-
N
tage. Of course, 17.Qxe6+ Kxe6 18.Bxe3 Nc6
is completely equal. 17...gxf5 18.O–O c6 The
try 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 safe
on d7 with a Knight protecting e7. The open files
R K R
on the Kingside guarantee Black adequate counter-
play. 19. xf5+ e8 20. f8+ White is thinking
along classical lines only and mistakenly plays into
an ending where he believes he stands better be-
cause he has a Bishop versus a Knight and Black
has three pawn islands to White’s two. But for
K
White to retain any real threats he had to keep the
Q K R R B R
R
21. xe6+ xe6 22. xa8 xa8 23. xe3 f8
24. e1 Losing a tempo. The game is quickly
drawn after 24.Rf1!. I was happy to see John try-
K B
ing to win this ending as my next move proves that
it is Black who has the pull. 24... d5 25. g5
R K R
Another wasted tempo. Again 25.Rf1 is correct.
25...e5 26. d1+ e6 27. d3 When I saw this
move, 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 ahead
R
in the race already. Time to drive the point home.
27...d5 28. h3 White consistently carries out his
mistaken plan. White’s Rook on h3 is apparently 0-1

R B
active, but the Black Rook on f7 does more - it
cuts off White’s King. 28... f7 29. d2 d4 Now
◦ Smagin, S.
White began to sense the danger. Black is ready to
• Sahovic, D.
R R
transfer his King to e4, dominating White’s Rook
?
along the third rank. 30. f3 d7 After White fi-
Biel
nally discovers that his Rook belongs on the f-file,
1990 1-0 B00
Black refuses the exchange. My center pawns are
This game was played at the annual chess festival
lusting to advance further. 31.cxd4 exd4 A diffi-
in Biel, Switzerland. Russian Grandmaster Smagin
cult move to sort out. Both ...Rxd4 and ...Nxd4
used a startling Queen sacrifice, catapulting him to
appear to be better, but this isn’t the case. After
N B N
victory over his Yugoslav colleague.
31...exd4, Black’s Rook is nicely placed behind the
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.c3 e6 5. d2
passed pawn. The e5-square becomes available for
f6 Black attacks the head of the pawn chain,
the Knight - which may transfer to c4 - while the d-
rather than preparing the positionally superior ...c5,
N R N R
pawn itself is one square further advanced. 32.b3
which has the drawback of costing too much time.
e5 33. f4 g6 34. g4 White is worried about
Another plan for Black is to blockade the light
the possible transfer of the Black Rook to the c-file.
squares with h5, g6, and Nh6. This would be
But the White Rook is poorly placed here. I had ex-
risky unless the Bishop f5 can be exchanged, so
pected 34.Rf1 when, despite the best efforts of both
it is normally played only if White has provided
K K
White and Black, the position is only slightly better
a Knight on f3 that can be pinned. It is also
for Black. 34... d5 Freeing the Rook. 35. f1
stronger if White has committed his f-pawn to f4,
Just in time. White activates the King in prepa-
since from f3 it can support the blockade-busting
R K N R
ration for 35...Rc7 36.Ke2 Rc2 37.Kd3 and the
move g2-g4. 6.f4 Now that Black has chosen to
R K B
game is equal. 35... f7+ 36. e1 e5 37. h4
N N N N B N B
play ...f6, this move is desirable. 6...fxe5 7.fxe5
g7 38. f2 b6 39. f4 An interesting practical
h6 8. df3 f7 9. e2 e7 10. g3 g4 This
decision. Black is offered a Rook and pawn end-
B N N
work’s out badly. Better was 10...Bh4 pinning the
N
ing with an extra unit, but the extra h-pawn isn’t
g3-Knight. 11. d3 g5 12. xg5 A spectacu-
K N R R K R
fantastic. Still, White has problems. 39... d3+
lar move. White sacrifices his Queen for two mi-
R K
40. e2 xf4+ 41. xf4 xg2+ 42. d3 xh2
B N
nor pieces and a dangerous attack. Black is forced
43. xd4+ e6 The only winning chance Black
Q N K
to accept the Trojan offer. 12... xd1 13. xe6
has in this ending is to place his Rook behind his
b8 14. xg7+ d8 The first critical moment.
h-pawn, h7 being the ideal square. Then Black has
Black must chose between this defense and the
but a single weakness on the Queenside (a7) which
more testing: 14.Kf7 Bh6 15.Bf8 16.O-O Kg8
he protects with the Rook. Black has to use his
17.N7f5 Bg4 18.Rf4! Bf5 19.Bxf5 Nd8 20.Be4
King to keep White’s Rook from penetrating to the
Bxh6 21.Bxd5+ Kg7 22.Nh5+ Kg6 23.Rf6+ Kxh5
eighth and harassing Black’s Queenside. Karpov
24.Bf3+ Kg5 25.g3 - a ;remarkable variation given
R
said the ending was a draw - but both sides have
K
by Smagin which demonstrates the dangers Black
their problems. 44.a4 h5 With the transparent
faces. 15. xd1 White has two minor pieces and
threat of ...Rh5-d5. On a deeper level, Black plans
two pawns for his sacrificed Queen. More im-
R K
...Rh5-d5+ - d7 and switching behind the h-pawn.
portant, though, is that Black’s "extra" Queen is
45. g4 f7 Black brings his King to the Kingside
neatly buried on the Queenside. The rest of the
in order to assist the h-pawn’s touchdown. 46.b4
N K
game is a struggle between keeping the Queen en-
A probable error. White had to use this moment
N B
tombed or reviving her. 15...b5 16. e6+ c8
R K R K R R
to penetrate with his Rook: 46.Rf4+ Kg6 47.Rf8.
17. f5 f8 A poor choice. Black should have
46... e5 47. d4 e6 48. d5 h5 49. h4 h6
tried 17...Qb6 18.Nf4 Rd8 19.Ne3 when White is
K K K
This is the cruncher. The passive White Rook
R
for choice, but it is still a fight. Black didn’t want to
K
makes the rest look easy. 50. e5 g6 51. f4
K B B N K N
put his Queen into a possible Knight fork. 18. f1
f6 Zugzwang! White must retreat. Now White
N B N N
b7 19. h6 xh6 20. c5+ c8 21. xh6
K K
intends to blockade with his King. This leaves the
e7 22. e2 g6 23. f7 Black Resigns.
K R K R R R
White Queenside easy pickings. 52. g3 e5
1-0
R R
53. h3 a6 54. c4 d5 55. c8 c6 56. a8
b5 57.axb5 axb5 58. a1 c4 White Resigns.
If 59.Rb1, then ...Rd4 with the unstoppable threat ◦ Olafsson, H.
...Kc4-c3 and ...Rd5xd4. • Levitt, J.

216
 Q Q Q
R Q N Q K
? matter of King safety. 21... e4 22. xd3 xd3

N Q K R N K
Reykjavik 23. d1 h3 24. g3 xg4 25.O–O h5 26. h1

R R K R
1990 1-0 A30 h4 27. f5 e4+ 28. g1 h5 29. e7+ b7

N N N B B
A startling Rook sacrifice. 30. d2 g5+ 31. f2 g2# 0-1

B N N B B
1.c4 f6 2. c3 e6 3. f3 c5 4.g3 b6 5. g2 b7

Q Q R R
6.O–O e7 7.d4 e4 8. xe4 xe4 9. f4 O–O
◦ Seirawan, Y.
Q Q B
10.dxc5 bxc5 11. d2 b6 12. fd1 d8 Bet-
• Karpov, An.
B
ter is 12...Nc6. 13. e3 b7 14. d6 Sacrificing
?
R Q R Q R
a pawn to keep Black tied down. 14... xd6
Haninge
N
15. xd6 xb2 16. ad1 b7 17. xe6 fxe6
18. g5 h6 The best move. 18...Bxg2 19.Qxe6+ 1990 1-0 A20
Scaling K2.
N N N Q
and 18...Nc6 19.Qxe4 g6 20.Qh4 h5 21.Ne4 both
lose quickly. 19. xe4 c6 20. xc5 c7 1.c4 e5 2.g3 g6 3.d4 Attempting to lure Ana-

N Q K N
20...Qb6 21.Nxd7 Qxe3 22.fxe3 Rac8 23.Bxc6 toly into unfamiliar terrain. 3...d6 4.dxe5 dxe5

R
Rxc6 24.Nf6+ also wins for White. 21. xd7
ac8 21...Rxd7 22.Qxe6+ Rf7 23.Bxc6 followed
by 24.Rd7 wins immediately. 21...Re8 would
have held out the longest, although White’s at-
5. xd8+ xd8 6. c3 c6 How nice! A mis-
take. This move took Karpov about a quarter of
an hour. Obviously Black is concerned about the
position of his King, so he prepares a home for

Q K B N
tack is very strong after 22.Qe4 Rac8 23.Bh3 him on c7. The problem is that by playing this
Nd8 24.Qg6. 22. xe6+ h8 23. e4 e7 If move now., Black throws his timing off and al-

R Q Q
23...Ne5, then 24.Nxe5 Rxd1+ 25.Kg1 threatening lows White a strong attack. After 6...Be6! 7.b3

Q K
26.Ng6+ wins. 24. d6 xc4 25. xe7 Threaten- Nd7, White has a slight advantage. 7.f4 Only this

R Q R R
ing 25.Rxh6+ gxh6 26.Qh7#. 25... c1+ 26. g2 move exposes the vulnerability of Black’s position.
e8 27. f7 xe4 28. g6 Black Resigns. Black White wants to open the center and deny Black’s

B N B
gets mated after 28...Qc3 29.Nf6 Qc7 30.Rxg7 King the c7-square. It is also a prelude to a long

B
Qxf7 31.Rxf7 and Rh7. and complex pawn sacrifice. 7... e6 8. f3 xc4
1-0 9. h3 f5 10.b3 This goes to the very heart of the
position. The key question facing White is: "What
◦ Franco, Z. are you going to do with the Bishop on c1?" Is it
• Romero Holmes, A. going to g5 with check? That is attractive to be
? sure, but it implies f4xe5 which involves a large
Leon tempo loss. Beside, doesn’t the Knight want to

B
1990 0-1 A21 go to e5? So that leaves Bc1-e3. Hardly inspir-

N Q N Q
A game of unusual pins and material imbalance. ing. 10... b4 Karpov finds the only defense! But

N B B N
1.c4 e5 2. c3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4. xd4 c6 5. d2 when in his career has it happened that after 10

B B
f6 6.g3 e6 7.e4 e7 8.b3 xe4 White has moves he has only 27 minutes left for the last 30
lost a little time with his double fianchetto, and moves of time control? 11. b2 d5 12.e4 Fan-

N B
Black finds a fine tactical method of exploiting
his developmental advantage. 9. xe4 d5 10. g2
The piece cannot be saved, since retreat to c3 al-
lows d5-d4 and Be7-b4 pinning the Queen, and
tastic! I’m fighting for the initiative at all costs.
Somehow White has managed to develop all his
minors and play c4,d4,e4, and f4 while Black has
only managed to move his Bishops, pawns and put

B B
10.cxd5 Bxd5 pins the Knight to a Rook and re- his King on a bad square! 12...fxe4 The only move.
news the threat of Bb4. 10... b4 But Black 13.O–O–O xc3 Excellent. Black finds the only

N
isn’t in a big hurry to simplify the position. The chance: sacrifice an Exchange! A cursory glance

B Q N Q
piece isn’t going anywhere, is it? 11. c3 d4 shows he had no choice. If 13...Nf6? then 14.Ng5!

B Q B B N B
12. b2 f6 13. ge2 O–O–O 14. c1 dxc3 (again not Nf3xe5), and Black is about to be slam-

N
15. xc3 e5 With threats on the center files, dunked. 14. xc3 exf3 15. xe5 d7 16. xh8

B
Black prevents White’s escape by O-O... but isn’t e7 Up to this point, the moves of the game have

B B Q Q B
there a piece hanging again? 16. xc6 bxc6 been incredibly complex and have taken a consid-

R
17. xb4 h3 18. c3 f5 19.g4 xg4 20.f3
d3 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 pieces
is more than enough, but here there is the small
erable toll on both player’s clocks. I had foreseen
this position when playing 12.e4 and had thought,
"Okay, Black has a pawn for the Exchange." But
I reasoned that Black’s little fella on f3 was too
far from the supply lines, and that after a few deft

217
 R N Q
K R N R N R N
moves the game would be over. So I nonchalantly White an advantage. 26.hxg3 ae8 27. f5 b4

R R R R N R N
made a lazy piece of analysis and played a mistake. 28. g2 f7 29. h6 ff8 30. f5 f7 31. h6

N R Q K Q K N R
17. hf1 Rooks belong on open files! Correct is ff8 32. h1 e7 33. f5 d7 34. h4

B N R N R R
17.Rhe1!. 17... f5 Five minutes for the next g7 35. f5 g8 36. e6+ h8 37. f5 gf7

B N B
23 moves! 18. d4 h5 Forced. White threatened 38. d6 g7 39. f5 gf7 40. e1 This sets

N
Bh3-g4xh3. 19.g4 hxg4 20. xg4 h4 21. f2 up the trap 40...Qxb3? 41.Qxf7 Rxf7 42.Re8+
g2 At this point, I realized that Karpov would Rf8 43.Rxf8 check mate. Instead of playing for
lose on time. It would be physically impossible for this trick, White had a stronger continuation by

B N K
him to make the time control. But this didn’t stop 40.Rh6! Qc5 41.Nd6 Qc6+ 42.Kg1 Kg8 (42...Kg7

B N K N
Karpov from trying! 22. g1 h4 23.h3 c7 43.Qh3 wins!) 43.Rxf6 Qxd6 44.Qg4+ wins.

R R N K
24. h2 f6 25.f5+ b6 26.fxg6 xg4 27.hxg4 Analysis by G. Flear. While White has achieved

Q Q Q R
g8 28. d4 a5 29.g5 xg6 30. d2 About this positional dominance, he must still win the game.

Q N Q K
time, my flag was beginning to rise, preparatory to 40... c5 41.d4 c6+ 42.d5 c5 43. e4 b6

R B R N R Q R R
precipitous descent. It was time to put the crimi- 44.d6 c6 45. e7 a8 46. g1 a4 47. bxa4

K Q
nal on f3 under lock and key! 30... f8 31. g1 g7 48. f5 a7 49.d7 d8 50. d4 xa4
Black is still worse after 31.Bg3. 31... a6 In the 51. e7 Black Resigns.
postmortem, we agreed that 31...Kc7! was equal. 1-0

B R R N R
As my flag continued to rise, we played at light-

N R R R
ning speed. 32. f2 f5 33. g4 e5 34. g3
◦ Azmaiparashvili, Z.
g6 35. h1 e5 36. e1 And in this position,
• Wahls, M.
my opponent’s flag fell! After 36...Rf5 37.Re8 b6
?
38.Rd8 (intending Rd8-d6) 38...Kb7 39.Rh3 Rxg5
Dortmund
40.Rh7+ Ka6 41.a4, Black gets mated.
1990 1-0 A05
1-0
A brilliant pawn sacrifice allows White a sudden

B B N N
mating attack.
◦ Mestel, J.
N B N Q N
1.g3 g6 2. g2 g7 3. f3 f6 4.c4 O–O 5.O–O
• Flear, G.
N B Q N
c6 6.b3 e4 7.d4 d5 8. b2 d7 9. c2 df6
?
N N B
10. e5 f5 11. c1 d7 Better is 11...a5. 12.f3
Eastbourne
d6 13. d2 e6 14.e4 a5 White has good at-
1990 1-0 A14
N R
tacking chances after 14...Nxe5 15.dxe5 Nc8 16.f4.
A crucial match-up to determining the British
N N
15. d3 Threatening 16.Nf4. 15... e8 To meet
Championship in 1990 was this tactical land mine
B Q N Q
16.Nf4 with 16...Nf8. 16. c5 xc5 17.dxc5
N N B B
laid by Jonathan Mestel.
R N N
xb2 18. xb2 c8 19.cxd5 cxd5 20.f4 c7
B N
1.c4 e6 2. f3 d5 3.b3 f6 4.g3 e7 5. g2 O–O
N B
21. ac1 dxe4 22. xe4 a7 If 22...f6, then
R N N N N
6.O–O c5 7. b2 c6 8.e3 d4 9. exd4 cxd4
23.c6 bxc6 24.Rxc6 is strong. 23. g5 f5
R B N
10. e1 e8 11.d3 f6 12. a3 e5 13. c2 c7
B
24.g4 A very good move. Black’s king’s posi-
14.a3 a5 15. b1 e6 16. fxd4 White has suc-
tion is soon ripped open. 24... xg4 If 24...Bd3,
ceeded in playing a modern Benoni with several
B R
then White wins with 25.Bd5 e6 26.Nxh7! Kxh7
extra tempi. But, if Black is able to secure his game
27.Rf3. 25. d5 f8 If 25...e6, then 26.Ne4
N
with ...Qd8-d7, he should have a fine game. White
exd5 27.Nf6+ Kf8 28.Nxd5 wins. 26.f5 gxf5
B R N B K
goes for a long winded combination. 16... xd4
If 26...Bxf5, then 27.Rxf5 gxf5 28.Ne6! fxe6
17. xd4 exd4 18. xe6 xe6 19. d5 h8
R R
29.Bxe6+ Rf7 30.Rc2 followed by Rg2 wins.
Black relinquishes his Knight. A line like 19...Ra6
R
N R
27. c4 Threatening 28.Rxg4. 27...h5 28. xg4
B B
20.Qe2! Qd7 21.Re1 Kf7 22.Nxd4 would be catas-
R
hxg4 29. xf5 e6 30. e4 fd8 If 30...exf5, then
trophic. 20. xe6 xa3 A fine response. Black
R N R K Q K
31.Nf6+ and 32.Ne8+ wins the Queen. 31. h5
takes advantage of the fact that the Bishop on e6
Q K Q K Q
e5 32. xe5 c6 33. g5+ f8 34. h8+ e7
is hanging. Thus 21.Nxa3 Qe7 is fine for Black.
35. f6+ d7 36. f5+ e7 37. xf7# 1-0
N Q B
White had to calculate his next move, which sets

N N Q
up the threat of Qd1-h5. 21. xa3 e7 22. f5
g6 23. c2 gxf5 24. xd4 f4 25. f3 fxg3 Thus ◦ Karlsson, L.
far Black has given as well as he’s taken. Had • Seirawan, Y.
he tried 25...Rad8! 26.Ne2 (26.Qxf4 Qd6) fxg3 ?
first the game would have been unclear. By fail- Haninge
ing to drive White’s Knight backwards, he cedes 1990 0-1 A03

218
Annotations by Yasser Seirawan. This game fea-
tures the rare Bird’s opening. When Black plays
the move order I play in this game, White has a
N B B R
problem with his Queen’s Bishop.
N N N
1.f4 d5 2. f3 g6 3.g3 g7 4. g2 c5 5.O–O
h6 6. c3 c6 Objectively speaking a "good
move," but at this precise moment it would have
been better to play 6...O-O. Black needs the Knight
on b8 for the flexibility this offers in being able
to 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 on
B
c6, the Knight becomes a tactical target to Nf3-
N K
e5 or Nf3-g5 in case of ...b6. 7.d3 O–O 8. d2
Better is the straightforward 8.e4!. 8... f5 9. h1
White seems blissfully unaware of what is about to
happen to him. Black is aiming for the following
pawn structure: c5,b6,a7 vs. a2,b2,c2,d3. In this
position, White’s Queenside pawn majority is be-
ing clamped down. Since White is unable to take
action on the Queenside without creating a weak-
ness, Black will use his majority on the Kingside
for an easy strategical win. White must avoid the
N
above structure, and the simplest way is with 9.e4.
9...d4 At last! 10. a4 b6 11.g4 Black is ideally
placed for ...Qd8-c7, ...bc8-b7 and ...e7-e5 when
the handwriting is on the wall. White has an offside
Knight on a4 and no clear line of play. With the
N R R
text, White regains some control of his e3-square
B N R
and tries to challenge in the center. 11... d6
12.h3 b7 13.e4 White is forced to allow Black
his strategical aims. Why? Because Black has
more space. By mobilizing his pieces behind his
pawn wedge, Black can build a menacing position.
B Q N
White needs some space before his is pushed off
the board. 13...dxe3 14. xe3 d7 15. c3 f5
16.g5 Black is in his strategic glory. His remaining
goal is to win complete mastery of the d4-square
for a minor piece. Once this is done, White will be
forced to play c2-c3 when Black will swarm over
the resulting weaknesses. This means getting rid
of 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 utilizing
N Q R R
my Kingside majority. The next series of moves is
N N R
easy to see. 16... f7 17. d2 ae8 18. ae1 e5
19.fxe5 fxe5 20. xe5 xe5 All the links in the
plan are coming together. Still, it was important to
be vigilant to White’s counterplay. Lackadaisical
B R
is 20...Bxe5? 21.Bd5+ and Qd2-g2 when Black’s
R N
domination of d4 is hindered. 21. f4 xe1
22. xe1 d4 Mission accomplished. Black has
a protected passed pawn on the Kingside, which
becomes more important as the minor pieces get
219
exchanged. At the moment, White’s immediate
B
problem is how to cope with the beast on d4. He
Q Q Q K N R
decides to sacrifice a pawn for activity. 23. xb7
R R R R
xb7+ 24. g2 xg2+ 25. xg2 xc2 26. e7
f7 27. e6 f8 28. e7 d8 This move is a
hallmark of Karpov’s. He is fantastic at limiting
his opponent’s pieces while maximizing his own
after he has achieved his strategic aims. In this
situation White’s Rook has been allowed to pene-
trate, but Black keeps White’s Knight on c3 nicely
bottled up. It mustn’t be allowed the trip Nc3-d5-
R N K N
f6+. In the meantime, the pawn on d3 is about to
be slurped. 29. xa7 e1+ 30. f1 xd3 Once
again, emulating Karpov. White is certainly having
B R N
trouble maximizing his Knight, while Black’s f5-
pawn is waiting for his role. 31. c7 d7 32. a4
In 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.Bxb6
N
Rxa7 33.Bxa7 Nxb2 34.Ne2 c4 when Black is win-
ning, but White is still kicking. 32...b5 33. b6
R
Black is getting pounded on a lot of meaning-
R K R
less squares. 33... d4 Still preventing the Knight
K R N R R K R
from reaching d5. 34. a8+ f7 35. a7
R R K B
e6 36. a6 b4 37. a5 d1+ 38. e2 b1
39. xb5 xb2+ 40. f3 d4 Black’s pieces are
working together flawlessly. 41.a4 a2 42. a5
d3 43. a8 At this point I had a really long
think. Of course the position is a win, as Black’s
pieces are all ideally placed. I’m also a pawn up
and have a mating attack. Great. Now, stop for a
moment and see if you can find the win. At first
the idea of ...Nd3-e1+ and ...Bd4-f2+ seems very
appealing. Or perhaps the simple ...Rd4-f2+ and
...f5-f4-f3. Hmmm, not so simple. After staring at
the board for a long time, I finally found the right
R K N R K
idea, a really strange Knight move - away from the
R N K R B B
action! 43... f2+ 44. g3 c1 45. e8+ f7
B B
46. d8 e2+ 47. h4 f4+ 48. xf4 f2+ 49.
g3 xg3# mate is a nice finish.
0-1
◦ Korchnoi, V.
• Kasparov, G.
?
Amsterdam
1991 0-1 E99
Even when played by two of the greatest players
alive, the King’s Indian Defense is a game of op-
posite wing attacks, decided in favor of the player
whose attack is the more efficiently planned - or
 N N B N
B N N N
more likely against the player who wastes time. 1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5. f3

N N B
Kasparov is the world’s foremost expert on the dy- O–O 6. e2 e5 7.O–O c6 8.d5 e7 9. e1

N N N B K
namic Black side of this defense. c5 10. d3 e8 11. d2 f5 12.f3 f4 13.g4 h5

B
1. f3 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5.d4 14.h3 Not 14.g5? Bh3 15.Rf2 Nc8. 14... f7

K R R B
O–O 6. e2 e5 7.O–O The Classical King’s In- The h-file will become a place of confrontation.
dian, reached by a move order that denies the Grun- 15. g2 h8 16. h1 f6 17.b4 White begins

N N R B N Q N B
feld to Black (also a Kasparov specialty), but also operations on the queenside. 17...b6 18.bxc5 bxc5

N Q Q
denies the Samish for White. 7... c6 8.d5 e7 19. b1 h4 20. b5 g5 21. a4 g6 22. a5
9. e1 Another possibility is 9.Nd2, planning to d7 23. a3 White is preparing a dubious sac-

B N Q
put the Knight on c4 to pressure d6 after a general rifice. Better is 23.Nc3 Qxa4 24.Nxa4 Bg3 with

N N K N B B
advance on that wing. The move played intends an equal position. 23... g3 24. xd6+ xd6
Nd3 and c5, when the Knight retains options of 25. xc5 h4+ 26. f1 f6 27. b4 a5 28. c3

N N R B
swinging on the Queenside with Nb4 or heading Not 28.Ne6? Qb8 or 26.Bxa5? Nd7 29.Rb5 Ba6

B B R N R
back to defend the King, usually from f2. 9... d7 winning. 28...hxg4 29.hxg4 d7 30. b5 a6
10. e3 f5 11.f3 f4 12. f2 g5 Black continues 31. xa5 xf3 32. h5 Not 32.Bxf3? Rxh1+
the Kingside action. Frequently Black will maneu- 33.Bxf1 Bxc4+ 34.Kg1 Rxa5 35.Qxa5 Qxc5 or

R N Q
ver pieces about to clear lines, defend Queenside 32.Rxh8? Rxh8 33.Rxa6 Rh1+ 34.Kg2 Rh2+

Q R R
squares (d6 and c7 are key), and attack the King. winning. 32... xh5 33.gxh5 xc5 34. xc5

K
Knight routes like Ng8-f6-d7-f6-e8 are common, xc5 35. xc5 g4 36. c7+ If 36.Bxf3, then

K R
while the other steed can be seen on the Nb8-c6-e7- 36...gxf3 followed by Bc8-h3+. 36... f6 37.h6
g6-h4 highway. Black’s attacking chances should g5 38.h7 h8 39.d6 Worse is 39.c5 Nh2+ or

N K
not be underestimated. 13.a4 There are lines in 39.Bxf3 gxf3 40.Bxe5 Rxh7! 41.Rxh7 Bxc4+ win-

K R
which this move can play an important part, but ning. 39... h2+ 40. g2 Not 40.Kg1? f3 41.Bd3

K
there doesn’t seem to be any hurry about playing Bf4 followed by ...g3. 40... h4 41. g7 f3+

N K B B
it. Better is 13.Nd3 followed by c4-c5, c5xd6, 42. g1 If 42.Kh1, then 42...fxe2 43.d7 Bb7 wins.
Ra1-c1, and Nc3-b5, when Black is usually forced 42...fxe2 43.d7 f3+ 44. h1 e1 45. xe1+

N N N R
to offer a pawn to maintain the Kingside tempo. Also losing are 45.Rg8 Rxh7! 46.d8=Q+ Kg3

N Q
13... g6 14. d3 f6 15.c5 h5 16.h3 f7 An and 45.d8=Q Rxd8 46.Rg8 Rxg8 47.hxg8=Q Kg3!.

R R
important move, giving Black options to use the 45... xe1 46.d8= + If 46.Rg8, then 46...Rxh7!

R QK
Rook on the g- or h- files while defending c7 along 47.d8=Q+ Kg3 48.Kg1 Nf3#. 46... xd8 47. g8
the rank and allowing the Bishop to defend d6 from xg8 48.hxg8= g3 White Resigns. White
f8 if necessary. 17.c6 White still does better to cannot stop 49...Nf3 and 50...e1=Q+.
capture on d6, transferring the base of the pawn 0-1
chain. The move chosen costs too much time, and
Black’s attack breaks through. 17...a5 Slowing
down the occupation of c6 by the Knight (d3-b4- ◦ Hansen, Cu.
c6) and winning a tempo. Perhaps this excellent • Nunn, J.
defense is what Korchnoi overlooked; it is often ?
a bad idea to make defensive pawn moves on the Wijk aan Zee
1991 0-1 E97
B B B
side of the board that is being attacked by the op-
The tactics start in the opening and never stop.
N N Q N B N N
ponent. 18.cxb7 xb7 19.b4 c8 20.bxa5 h6

B B N N
21. b4 g4 22. c6 f8 23.fxg4 hxg4 24. hxg4 1.c4 g6 2. c3 g7 3.d4 f6 4.e4 d6 5. f3 O–O

B Q R
g5 Black has found a good route to activate the 6. e2 e5 7.O–O c6 8.d5 e7 9.b4 Called the

N B B Q R N
"bad" dark-squared Bishop. 25. f3 h6 26. e1 "Bayonet" in this variation of the Classical King’s

R B Q Q N N N
h4 27. xh4 xh4 28.g5 xg5 29. e2 g4 Indian Defense, White plays an early b4 to rush

B K
30. b1 g3 31. d3 h4 White Resigns. the Queenside. 9... h5 10.g3 f5 11. g5 f6

N
0-1 12.f3 f4 13.c5 dxc5 14. c4 cxb4 15.d6+ h8
16. b5 Trying to win a piece with 16.dxe7
◦ Lazarev, V. leaves White’s minors seriously uncoordinated.
• Uhlmann, W. After 16...Qxe7, Black threatens both ...Qe7-c5+

N R B N
? and ...h7-h6 regaining the material with interest.

B B K R N B Q
Hartberg 16...h6 17. f7+ xf7 18. xf7 cxd6 19. xd6

R N N B N
1991 0-1 E98 h3 20. b3 h7 21. f2 c6 22. b2 e7
A game full of tactics and sacrifices. 23. c1 d4 24.gxf4 h5 25.fxe5 xe5 26. f7

220
N N N Q
N B
xb3 27. xe5 xc1 28. xc1 After the com- then 26.Nxc7 Rxc7 27.dxc7 Qxc7 28.Qb6 wins.

N Q N K Q
plications, Black is ahead a pawn. But more im- 26. a7 e6 27.a6 bxa6 If 27...b5, then 28.Nxc6

R R R Q R
portantly, his pieces are active and the White King wins. 28. xc6 a8 29. e7+ h7 30. c2 h4

Q K Q Q N Q Q
is threatened. 28... c8 29. c2 xc2 30. xc2 31. fd1 Better is 31.Nb6 Qe8 32.Rad1 threat-

Q B N Q N Q N
g5+ 31. h1 e3 32. c7+ g7 33. c1 e2 ening d6-d7 and White has a winning posi-

N
34. g1 g5 35. d4 e6 36. g3 f4 White Re- tion. 31... e8 32. b6 g3 It is clear now that

B R B B B
signs. the wrong Rook was moved to f1. 33. f5

N B N R B
0-1 gxf2+ 34. xf2 hf6 35. e3 f8 36. xf4 exf4

K
37. d5 xf5 38. xf6+ xf6 39.exf5 xd6
40. h1 40.Rxa6?? is not immediately possible
◦ Legky, N.
due to 40...Bc5+. But better is 40.Re1 Qb5 41.Re6
• Martinovic, S.
R Q R
winning. 40...h3 Black’s only hope is an attack on
?
White’ exposed King. 41. xa6 e3 42. f1 If
Fourmies
42.Raxd6 Rxd6 43.Qc7+ Kg8 44.Qxd6, then Black
1991 1-0 E94
R
draws with 44...hxg2+ 45.Kxg2 Qe2+. 42...g4
N N B N
White sacrifices two pieces to get to the King.
43. a4 43.Rxd6 Rxd6 44.Qc7+ Kg8 45.Qxd6
B N R N
1.d4 f6 2. f3 g6 3.c4 g7 4. c3 O–O 5.e4
Q Q R B R
still only draws due to 45...hxg2+ 46.Kxg2 Qe4+.
N B
d6 6. e2 e5 7.O–O exd4 8. xd4 e8 9.f3 h5
43...hxg2+ 44. xg2 d3 45. g1 c5 46. xf4
N
10.g4 f6 11. e3 h5 This weakens the kingside.
White must give back the exchange, because if
Better is 11...Nc6. 12.g5 h7 13.f4 a6 With the
46.Re1, then 46...Qxf5 followed by 47...f3 is good
B B R
idea of playing 14...c5, which is not possible im-
B
for Black. The position is equal after 46.Qxg4
B
mediately due to 14.Ndb5. 14. f3 h3 15. f2
R Q
Bxg1 47.Qh4+ Kg7 48.Rxf4 Bd4. 46... xg1
Q B N
f6 16. xh5 Cracking open the kingside. 16...gxh5
R
47. xg4 xf5 Not 47...Be3? 48.Rg7+ Kh6
17. xh5 d7 18.h4 f5 19. xf5 Sacrificing a
49.Rg6+! mating. 48. h4+ 48.Qh3+ Rh6
B R
second piece. The pawns will be overwhelming.
R Q K Q K
49.Rg7+ Kxg7 50.Qxf5 Bxh2 leads to a drawn po-
B
19... xf5 20.exf5 xe3 If 20...Bxc3, then 21.f6
Q K Q K Q K
sition. 48... h6 49. b7+ g8 50. b8+ g7
R
is strong. 21.f6 xf6 If 21...Nxf6?, then 22.gxf6
Q
51. c7+ g8 52. d8+ f7 53. c7+ g8
K N Q R R
Qxf6 23.Nd5 wins immediately. 22.gxf6 g3+
K Q K
54. b8+ White is repeating moves to save
N
23. h2 xf6 24. f5 g7 25. g1 Exchanging
R B
time on the clock. 54... g7 55. b7+ g8
N N
off a key defender. 25... bd7 If 25...Rxg1, then
Q K
56. xh6 e3 Threatening both ...Bxh6 and ...Qf1
Q
26.Kxg1 Nbd7 27.Nd5. 26. d5 h7 26...Qf8
Q K Q
checkmate forces the draw. 57. b8+ f7 Not
K R Q
would have been more tenacious. 27. e6+
K Q K
57...Kg7? 58.Qh8+. 58. c7+ g8 59. d8+
K K R
h8 28. xg7 xh4+ If 28...Kg7, then 29.Rg2+
f7 60. c7+ g8 Draw by Agreement.
N
Kh8 30.Ne7 wins. 29. g1 xg7 30. h2
1/2-1/2
Q Q Q K
c5 If 30...Ndf8, then 31.Rg2+ Ng5 32.Qe7+ Kh8

Q K R
33.Rxg5 winning. 31. e3 d8 32. g3+ h8
◦ Raicevic, V.
33. c3+ g8 34. g2+ Black Resigns.
• Vasiljevic, D.
1-0
?
Belgrade
◦ Gelfand, B. 1991 1-0 E90
• Nunn, J. White sacrifices a piece to activate his pieces and
?
N N B
start a mating attack.
Belgrade
N B N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 g6 4. c3 g7 5.e4 O–O
1991 1/2-1/2 E92
N B
6. f3 d6 7.h3 e6 8. d3 a6 9. O–O e5
The Kings Indian Defense usually involves a race 10. e2 d7 11.a4 Weakening the b4-square but

N B N R
between White’s attack on the queenside and preventing Black from starting counterplay on the

N N B N
Black’s attack on the kingside. queenside. 11... b4 12. b1 h5 13. a3 This

BB N B N N N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5. f3 Rook will later be transferred over to the King-

N N N B N B N Q Q
O–O 6. e2 e5 7. e3 h6 8.O–O g4 9. c1 side. 13...f5 14.exf5 gxf5 15. g5 f6 16. g3

R N R N
c6 10.d5 e7 11. d2 f5 12. xg4 fxg4 e4 17. e6 xe6 18.dxe6 e8 19. h5 f6

B N N B N B R
13.b4 a5 14.bxa5 xa5 15. b3 a6 16.c5 g5 20. xe4 Sacrificing a piece to open up the b1-h7

B R Q B N N Q R Q Q
17. e3 g6 18.a4 f4 19.a5 d7 20. d2 dxc5 diagonal. 20...fxe4 21. xe4 h6 22. g3 Threat-

R Q K Q
21. xc5 f7 22. b3 c8 23. c4 h5 24. b5 ening 23.Bxh6. 22... xe6 23. e1 f7 24. h4
h6 Better is 24...h4. 25.d6 c6 If 25...Be6, xf2+ 25. h2 f6 If 25...Qxe1, then 26.Rxg7+.

221
 B Q
B R B
26. g5 xb2 If 26...hxg5, then 27.Qh7+ Kf7 White could win a piece with 28.e7 instead, but
28.Rf3 wins. 27. xh6 f2 28. h7+ Black Re- this would allow Black to eliminate all of the dan-
signs. Black has the unpleasant choice between gerous center pawns, and in fact the White King
28...Kf7 29.Qe7# or 28...Kxh7 29.Bxg7+. would remain exposed. Play might continue (after
1-0 28.e7) 28...Qxd6 29.exf8/Q+ Rxf8 when Black has
defended and has threats of ...Rf8-d8, ...Ne5xc4,
◦ Beliavsky, A. or ...Qd6-c5. Notice also that White’s Queen is
• Timman, J.
N
trapped on h6, and that White must be careful not

Q Q
? to allow ...Ne5-f7 removing it. 28... xc4 29.e7

Q Q R
Linares e8 30. xf8+ This takes care of the trapped

R
1991 1-0 E86 Queen problem. 30... xf8 31.exf8= + xf8
The Saemisch is one of White’s sharpest varia- 32. d4 Now a numerically equal ending has been
tions against the King’s Indian, frequently dis- reached. However, White still has the passed d-

N N
playing opposite-wing castling and pawn storms. pawn, and Black’s Queenside is seriously overex-

K N K N R R R
Here Russian "Big Al" Beliavsky allows Dutch tended. This is enough to win. 32... e5 33. d2

R K K K K N
GM Jan Timman to capture Queenside material to g7 34. e4 f7 35. c5 a8 36. xb4 a7

K N K R R
his heart’s content, while relentlessly storming the 37. d4 e8 38. c2 a5 39. c3 d8 40. e6+

R R
King. The resulting endgame yields a textbook ex- d7 41. c5+ d8 42. e4 h6 43.b3 a8
ample of winning with a Knight and passed pawns 44.g3 b8 45. xe5 Black would meet 45.f4 with

N N B
against a Rook. 45...Rb5, but this exchange sacrifice creates two

K K
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 The passers for White, and Black’s Rook remains curi-

K R
defining moment for the Samish variation. White ously bottled up. 45...fxe5 46.f6 e8 47.d7+ d8
plans Bc1-e3, Qd1-d2, O-O-O, Be3-h6, and h2- 48. d3 a8 Black Resigns.
h4-h5 with a Kingside attack. A similar attacking 1-0

B N
strategy against the Sicilian Dragon is called the
◦ Christiansen, L.
Q N
Yugoslav Attack. 5...O–O 6. e3 e5 7. ge2 c6
8. d2 bd7 9.O–O–O a6 10.h4 b5 Black can • Nunn, J.
consider h7-h5 trying to delay the White attack, ?
or he can begin his own assault. There is also a Munich
theoretical debate about the best way to develop 1991 1-0 E81
the Knight from b8, either to c6 or to d7 as in A growing trend is the participation of foreign
this game. Black sometimes operates with Nb8-c6, Grandmasters in the traditional team matches in

Q
Ra8-b8, a7-a6, and b7-b5, occasionally even omit-
ting the move e7-e5. 11.h5 a5 The last thing
Black 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 and
opens the b-file, but it allows White a respite and is
Germany. Former U.S. champion Christiansen
now lives in Germany for this and for the oppor-
tunity to compete more frequently in European
events. The most impressive result of an Amer-
ican player in years was Christiansen’s clear first
at Munich over an exceptionally strong field. In

B B Q
slower than the text. Everything depends on being this game typical of his style, Christiansen un-

N Q N N
first with the attack. 12. h6 xh6 13. xh6 b4 leashes a fierce attack that swings from the center
14. b1 xa2 15. g3 b6 16.c5 White doesn’t to the King’s wing, finally resulting in a subtly won

N N B
immediately have enough force to break through endgame.

N N
on the other side, so first he plays in the center. 1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5.f3

N R N N Q N B N R B
This move requires the following exchange sac- O–O 6. ge2 c5 7.d5 e6 8. g3 exd5 9.cxd5

N B Q Q R K B Q R
rifice. 16... c4 17. d2 xd2 18. xd2 a1+ a6 10. e2 c7 11.O–O b8 12. f4 b5

N N B N N N
19. b1 e6 20.cxd6 a5 Black runs back for 13. d2 e8 14. h1 h5 15. g5 d7 16. ae1

R Q
the defense. If White manages to dislodge the b4 17. d1 b5 18. c4 d4 19. e2 xe2
Black Knight from f6, then mate will follow on h7. 20. xe2 c7 Nunn intends 21...Nd7 and 22...Ne5
This was the point of 16.c5, to remove the Black with a fine position, but Christiansen’s forceful

Q Q R R Q
pawns from d6 and e5, and place at least one White play keeps Black off-balance for the rest of the

N Q N B N B N N B Q
unit on e5, attacking the Knight. 21. g5 d8 game. 21.e5 xe5 22. xe5 dxe5 23.d6 c6

B K R R R B
22.dxe5 d7 23. h6 g5 24. f5 xf5 25.exf5 24. e3 a6 25. d5 xd5 26. xd5 d7 27.

N R
f6 26. c4+ h8 27.e6 White obviously has more e1 e8 28. c1 e4 29.fxe4 d4 Black seems
than enough for the exchange. 27... e5 28. d1 to be safe for the moment, but Christiansen finds

222
 B Q Q R
an original breakthrough that unleashes the power dubious deviation from the well-trodden path of

R B R R
of the passed d-pawn. 30. c6 xc6 31. xd4 8.e4, which gives White a pull. 8... e8 Better is
cxd4 32. xc6 b5 33. c7 xe4 34.h3 Black 8...exd4 9.Nxd4 Nb6!. The text allows White an

R Q
must lose material for the d-pawn. Nunn struggles even more favorable transposition into the normal

B R R K Q B
to confuse matters, but there is no escape. 34...f6 8.e4 lines. 9. d1 c6 10.b3 e7 Not a happy

R R K K K
35. h6 d3 36.d7 d4 37. c8+ h7 38.d8= placement of the Queen. 11. a3 This is asking for

K K K K
xd8 39. xd8 xh6 40. g1 f5 41.h4 g7 trouble. After 11.e4! exd4 12.Nxd4 Nc5 13.f3 a5
42. f2 f6 43. e3 e5 44.g3 Black Resigns. 14.a3 White keeps a persistent advantage. The text
White’s rook will win one of the Black queen- anticipates ...e5-e4, because it prevents the follow-

N
side pawns, after which the White queenside pawns up ...d6-d5. 11...e4 Forced. Also, at this time
would advance. control it’s nice to have the initiative. 12. g5
1-0 e3 13.f4 This natural-looking move is actually a
careless blunder. It makes White’s kingside struc-
◦ Timman, J. ture quite brittle. Black can now concentrate on
• Kasparov, G.
N
such conceptions as ...h7-h5-h4xg3 and ...Nf6-h5.
? Therefore, correct was 13.f3! 13... f8 Black’s at-
Tilburg tack is suddenly very ominous. Ivanchuk slowed
1991 0-1 E67 down around this point to try and comfort his King

B Q N N
On move 19 Kasparov bangs his Knight onto f2 and then pressed ahead on the queenside. 14.b4

N N B B N
and the board is in flames. f5 15. b3 h6 16. f3 g4 17.b5 g5 18.bxc6

N N Q R Q
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. f3 g7 4.g3 O–O 5. g2 bxc6 19. e5 It takes nerves of steel to play a move

N R B N
d6 6.O–O bd7 7. c3 e5 8. c2 c6 9. d1 e7 like this one. Black’s pieces are flooding the king-

N B R
10.b3 exd4 11. xd4 e8 12. b2 c5 13.e3 side and White moves away a key defender. Vass-
a5 14.a3 h5 15.b4 ce4 16.b5 d7 17. ac1 ily is playing with fire. But what else is he to
Each player is playing on opposite sides of the do? After 19.fxg5 hxg5 White’s game lacks vital-

N Q B
board. Worth considering was 17.a4 h4 18.Re1 ity, while Black’s attack is still picking up steam.
with equality. 17...h4 18.a4 Even Timman, with 19...gxf4 20. xc6 g5 21. xd6 In the hopes

N N
all his experience, did not expect the strike from that the Bishop can serve a defensive role on the

N Q
out of the blue that follows. Better is 18.Re1 or d6-h2 diagonal. 21... g6 22. d5 White is trying

Q
18.Nxe4 Nxe4 19.Re1. 18...hxg3 19.hxg3 xf2 to rush his pieces back to the kingside. 22... h5

N Q N
20. xf2 Worse is 20.Kxf2 Ng4+ 21.Kg1 Qxe3+ The natural looking move to induce a weakness,

R N
22.Kh1 Qh6+ winning. 20... g4 21. f3 xe3 but 22...fxg3 23.Bxg3 h5 appears to be winning.

B N N B Q R
22...Nxd1 and 22...Bg4 are threatened. 22. e1 23.h4 xh4 The fun begins. Black is also for

R B Q R B
xd4 23. d5 g4+ 24. xd4 xe1+ 25. xe1 choice after 23...fxg3 24.Bxg3 Nxh4 25.Nf4 Qg5

B Q R Q
xe1+ 26. f1 cxd5 27. xd5 ae8 28. f2 Not 26.Nh3 Qf6 with advantage. Artur was determined

R Q R Q K R Q
28.Bc3 Rxf1+. 28... e6 29. xb7 c1 30. c6 not to allow White’s pieces to get back. 24.gxh4

Q
c8 31. e4 8xc4 32. a8+ h7 33.b6 b4 xh4 The crucial moment. I thought that Black’s

R K R
34. xa5 If 34.b7, then 34...Rbb1 35.Qa6 Bc4 attack could now be repulsed by 25.Nce7+!, grab-
wins. 34... bb1 35. g2 c2 White Resigns. bing the Bishop on f5. Ivanchuk thought for sev-
0-1 eral minutes, hesitated, reached out his hand, and
grabbed the wrong Knight! Now, holding the
◦ Ivanchuk, V. wrong Knight, Ivanchuk looked grieved, then con-
• Yusupov, A. tinued as if nothing was wrong. How can the

N
? world’s number two player grab the wrong piece?
Brussels My guess is nerves. 25. de7+ A gross error. The
1991 0-1 E67 Knight on d5 was fulfilling a brilliant function, it
This game was the first of a two-game tie breaker hit the kids on f4 and e3 and it was just a hop from

K N Q K R
that was to decide the Candidates semifinalist, the the kingside, whereas the Knight on c6 is obviously

Q R
chess world’s version of the Final Four. The game useless. 25... h8 26. xf5 h2+ 27. f1 e6
was played at the odd time limit of 60 moves in 28. b7 g6 White will soon have to return his

Q
45 minutes, so it’s impossible to imagine what the hoard of pieces to save his King. Now ...Qh2-h1+

B N N
players were seeing. is the King-Kong threat. 29. xa8+ I like this very

B N N Q K Q
1.c4 e5 2.g3 d6 3. g2 g6 4.d4 d7 5. c3 much! If you’re going to go down in flames, take
g7 6. f3 gf6 7.O–O O–O 8. c2 This is a as much with you as you can! 29... h7 30. g8+

223
Kxg8 31.Nce7+ Kh7 32.Nxg6 fxg6 33.Nxg7
Q R N R R
a method of simplifying while retaining a tactical

R N
From a material standpoint, White’s doing great, edge. 30... xh6 31. xh6 d4 32. ah1 h8
two Bishops and two Rooks for the Queen! But as 33. xd6 d3 Moves like Ng4-e5 and Rd6-d7 are

R K N R
my first teacher, Jeffrey Parsons once said, "Con- threatened, but this loses a piece without compen-

N R K N R K K
centrate on what stays on the board, not on what sation. 34. xd4 cxd4 35. xf3 xb2 36. b1

B Q N N
comes off!" 33... f2 Instant death. Black threat- f8+ 37. e2 xc4 38. xb7+ g6 39. d3

N Q
ens ...Nf2-h3 and ...Qh2-g1 mate. 34. xf4 xf4 e3 40. xe3 dxe3 Black Resigns.

R N
35. e6 h2 The threat worked once before, per- 1-0
haps it will work again? 36. db1 h3 It still
wasn’t too late to blow the game by 36...h5?? al-
◦ Shirov, A.
R K R Q
lowing 37.Ng5+ Kh6 38.Nf3 which defends the
• Ernst, T.
B Q
homestead. 37. b7+ g8 38. b8+ xb8
?
39. xh3 g3 And Ivanchuk gave up. The moral
Gausdal
of the story is that the next time you invite your
1991 1-0 D91
opponent to push his pawn to e3, be sure that you
An example of a quick knockout of a Grandmas-
take it! Chess Informant voted this the best game
N N N B B
ter.
in the second half of 1991.
N N N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4. f3 g7 5. g5
0-1
Q
e4 6.cxd5 xg5 7. xg5 c6 8.e3 cxd5 Bet-
ter is 8...e6 9.Nf3 cxd5. 9. f3 Forcing weak-
◦ Yusupov, A.
N B
nesses. 9...f6 The only way to avoid losing a
• Speelman, J.
Q
pawn. 10. h3 xh3 10...e6 11.Nf4 O-O 12.Bd3
?
Nc6 13.h4 is good for White. 11. xh3 f5 12.g4
Linares
Opening up the position. The Black King will not
1991 1-0 E62
R
be able to find a safe home. 12...O–O 13.gxf5
This game from the strong Linares tournament
gxf5 If 13...Rxf5, then 14.Bd3. 14. g1 Threat-
in 1991 pits the very popular Russian Grandmas-
N N
ening a double attack with 15.Qg2. 14...e6
ter Artur Yusupov against the resourceful Brit,
N R
The only move. 15. e2 c6 Transferring the
Jonathan Speelman. The advantage of the initia-
B Q K R
Knight to a very strong outpost at f4. 16. f4 f6
tive is well illustrated here, as Yusupov continually
R R R Q R N
17. d3 e7 Better is 17...Qc7. 18. e2 af8
pressures Speelman’s King until finally material is
19. g5 8f7 20. ag1 c7 21. h5 xd4+ A
B B N N
won.
Q R
desperate attempt to prolong the game. 22.exd4
N B N Q B
1.d4 d6 2.g3 g6 3. g2 g7 4. f3 f6 5.O–O
xf4 23. xh7 Black Resigns. If 23...Kf8, then
O–O 6.c4 c6 7. c3 f5 8. e1 d7 9.e4 h3
24.Rhxg7 Rxg7 25.Qh8+ wins.
10.f3 White makes a strong central barrier, then
1-0
prepares his Kingside play at leisure. When play-
ing these hypermodern openings, it seems impera-
tive that some central line-opening options are re- ◦ Beliavsky, A.
• Kamsky, G.
B K N
tained, since the disadvantage in space can be fa-
?
B R N N Q
tal in the long term. 10... xg2 11. xg2 a6
Belgrade
N N R
12. e3 fc8 13. d3 e8 14. e2 c5 15.d5
ec7 16. f2 cb8 17.a4 White gladly gives up 1991 0-1 D91

N N R B
the b4 square to a Knight in order to delay or White sacrifices a pawn in the opening and has suf-

B N K Q Q
prevent ...b7-b5. 17... b4 18. g4 f8 19. h6 ficient compensation. But Black plays a very good

N N N N B B
xh6 20. xh6+ g7 21. d2 e6 22.dxe6 xe6 defense.

N B N
23. g4 f6 24.h4 White still retains enough cen- 1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4. f3 g7 5. g5
tral control to casually advance the h-pawn to e4 6. h4 xc3 7.bxc3 dxc4 8.e3 b5 Black

N B R B
open lines. White’s attack doesn’t look like much, tries to hang onto his extra pawn. 9.a4 c6

R Q Q
but the Kingside initiative combined with Black’s 10. d2 a6 11. e2 a7 12.O–O O–O 13. f3

R N
slightly uncoordinated Knights will lead to bigger d7 14. b1 Threatening 15.Nxc4. 14... c7

Q Q N N R R R Q N
and better things. 24... ad8 25.h5 f5 26.exf5 15. e4 Transferring his Knight to the strong

R R
xf5 27.hxg6 xg6 28. e4 e6 29. h1 xf3 outpost at c5. 15... dd8 16. b4 f5 17. c5

B
A very good try. If White accepts the Exchange de8 Black would like to play 18...e5. 18. fd1

Q B
sacrifice, Black will take over the initiative against Now 18...e5 would be met with 19.d5. 18... f6
White’s exposed King. 30. h6+ But White has 19. xf6 Not 19.Bg3 e5 20.d5 Be7 pinning the

224
 R R N R
Q N Q Q K
Knight. 19... xf6 20. a2 d7 21. ad2 1-0
b6 22.g3 xc5 23. xc5 xc5 24.dxc5 f7
◦ Karpov, An.
R
White does not have enough compensation for the
pawn. 25.axb5 axb5 26. a2 Threatening Ra7 • Kamsky, G.
followed by Rc7 winning the c6-pawn. 26...e5 ?

R R R B
Threatening to block in the Bishop with 27...e4. Tilburg

R B
27. a7+ e7 28. a8 d7 Better was 28...e4. 1991 0-1 D85

R N N N
29. d8 e8 30.e4 f4 31.g4 Both players were An instructive ending.

R K R K R R K N B B Q Q R
in time pressure. 31...g5 32.h4 h6 33.hxg5 1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4.cxd5 xd5 5.e4

R R B R R R R Q K
g6 34. f1 xg5 35. e2 g6 36. h1 g7 xc3 6.bxc3 g7 7. e3 c5 8. d2 a5 9. b1

R R K K N B N R B K
37. a1 h6 38. aa8 f7 39. a6 c7 40. d6 a6 10. c1 cxd4 11.cxd4 xd2+ 12. xd2 O–O

K K N B R B N B N
f6 41. d8 g6 42. d2 White would like to 13. f3 e6 14. c4 c6 15. hd1 d7 16. e1

B R R R K R R B N B
infiltrate with his King via a5. 42... g5 43. c2 a5 17. e2 fc8 18. d2 c6 19. c3 a7

K N R B K
e6 44. e8 g6 45. a1 f6 46. h1 a7 20. d2 b5 Better is 20...Nc6. 21.e5 c6 22.a4

R N
47. b2 b4 48.g5+ Worse is 48.cxb4?! c3+. a7 23. a1 d5 24. f1 White intends to ma-

R
48...hxg5 49. xe6+ White gives up the exchange neuver his Knight to d3 via e1. 24... c6 25.a5

K B K K B B N B R
to stop ...g5-g4. His position has become quite Fixing Black’s pawns on the queenside. 25... c7

R R R B
bad. 49... xe6 50. g4+ f6 51.cxb4 g7 26. e3 f8 27. e1 b4 28. dc1 This position

R R K K K K
Threatening 52...Rh6. 52. h5 h6 53. xg5+ is much better for White. 28... xe1 Otherwise

K R B K B K R N R
g6 54. xg6+ xg6 55.f3 f6 56. c3 e7 Black would get into a very cramped position after

B K B R N B
57. xc4 a3 58. h5 d7 59. g4+ c7 the Knight comes to d3. 29. xe1 b4 30. ac1

R R N R
60. h5 b7 61. g4 a1 White Resigns. Black Not 30.Rec1 Nc2 31.Rab1 Ba2. 30... c2 31. g5

R R N
wins after 62.Bd7 Rc1+ 63.Kb3 Rd1 64.Bg4 Ka6 ac8 32. ed1 b4 33. xc7 Not 33.Rb1?!

B R B
65.Be6 Rd3+ 66.Kc4 Rxf3. Na2 threatening ...Nc3. 33... xc7 34. b1 c2

B
0-1 35. d8 c8 36. b6 Threatening Bc5 trapping

R R B K K
the Knight. 36... e4 Threatening 37...Ne3+ and
◦ Shirov, A.
R B K N R B
37...Nd4. 37. d1 c3 38. c5 g7 39. g1
• Kozul, Z.
N B
b3 40.f3 c6 41. f2 b4 42. d2 d5 43.h4
? c6 44. b6 h5 Trying to win the a-pawn with
Biel 44...Ra3 is risky after 45.Rc2 Nxa5 46.Rc8 and

R R R
1991 1-0 D87 Black’s King could get into a mating net with
20 year old Latvian GM Shirov proved himself to Bc5-f8+ or Bd8-f6+. 45. c2 a3 46.g4 a1

R R
be one of the best players in the world by winning If 46...hxg4 47.fxg4 Rh3, then White creates an

N N N K
this strong tournament in Biel, Switzerland. outside passed pawn with 48.g5. 47. c3 h1

N B B N B K
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4.cxd5 xd5 5.e4 48. g3 g5 A strong move which creates an out-

N R Q K
xc3 6.bxc3 g7 7. c4 c5 8. e2 O–O 9. e3 side passed pawn. 49.hxg5 h4+ 50. g2 If 50.Kf2,

R R
c6 10. c1 cxd4 11.cxd4 a5+ 12. f1 White then 50...Rh2+ 51.Ke3 h3 and the passed pawn

B K K R
forgoes castling because he intends to open up will become dangerous. 50... e1 51. c2 Not

R N B R R R
the h-file by advancing his h-pawn. 12... d7 51.Kf2 h3! winning. 51... g6 52. f2 a1

B Q R
13.h4 fc8 14.h5 d8 15.f3 b5 16. b3 xc1 53.f4 a3 54. d2 The losing move. Correct is

Q B
17. xc1 b6 Better is 17...Rc8. 18.hxg6 hxg6 54.Kg1 Rg3+ 55.Kh2. 54... g3 Cutting the King

R B
19. e1 Transferring the Queen to the h-file. off from the passed pawn. 55. c5 If 55.Rd3,

N B K R
19... c8 20. g5 Not 20.Qh4?! Rxc1+! 21.Nxc1 then 55...Rg2+ 56.Ke3 Rxe2 57.Kxe2 Bc4 wins.

R K R K
Qxd4 with counterplay. 20... e6 21. xe7 g5 55... g7 56. d3 If 56.f5, then 56...Rg2+ 57.Ke3

N B B Q B B B
This is Black’s only defense against Qh4. 22.d5 h3 wins. 56... g2+ 57. f1 xe2 58. xe2

Q B B B
d4 23. xg5 b4 24. e3 a6 25. xd4 xd4 c4 59.d5 White must sacrifice a pawn to get his

K K B K
26. d2 g7 27.d6 b5 28. xf7+ The finishing Bishop back in time to stop the h-pawn. 59...exd5
touch. 28... f8 If 28...Kxf7, then 29.Qd5+ Kf8 60. d2 xd3 61. xd3 d4 White will not be able

B R K
30.Qf5+ Kg8 31.Qe6+ Kf8 32.Rh5 results in a de- to stop both passed pawns without losing a piece.

Q K B N K
cisive mating attack. 29. e6 c1+ If 29...Bxe2+, 62. e2 If 62.Bxd4, then 62...Nxd4 63.Kxd4 h3

B K B K Q Q K N K B N
then not 30.Qxe2 Rc1+, rather 30.Kf2. 30. xc1 wins. 62...h3 63. f3 d3 64. e3 d4+ 65. g3

K R N K N K N K
xe2+ 31. f2 d4+ 32. g3 xd6+ 33. f4+ h2 66. xh2 f3+ 67. g3 d2 68. xd2 xd2
e7 34. h7+ Black Resigns. Black loses his 69.f5 c4 70. f4 xa5 71. e4 c6 72. d5
Queen after 34...Kxe6 35.Rh6+. a5 White Resigns.

225
 R N R R
0-1 improving your opponent’s pawn structure is not to
everyone’s taste. 11. c1 c6 12. e1 c8 Black

R N
cannot generate proper pressure against the d4-
◦ Speelman, J.
pawn: 12...Nf6 13.Bg5. 13. e4 ce7 Yusupov
• Short, N.
badly needed a win, so extraordinary measures can
?
N
be easily justified. You don’t see Rooks being
London
N
transferred to h4 this early very often. 14. xd5
1991 0-1 D76
xd5 Forced, as 14...exd5? 15.Rh4 loses and
A tactically complex middlegame between
R
14...Bxd2 15.Nxe7+ Qxe7 16.Qd2 Bxe4 17.Bxe4
Britain’s top two players leads to a simple,
also fails to simple tactics. 15. h4 g6 I can
N N B B
theoretically known Rook ending.
think of players who would not hesitate to go for
N N N N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. f3 g7 4.g3 O–O 5. g2
15...f5 16.Rh3. The strangely placed Rook seems
R R N B
d5 6.cxd5 xd5 7.O–O b6 8. c3 c6 9.e3
R Q N
like a good reason for a permanent weakening of
B N N
e8 10.h3 a5 11. b1 a4 12. e1 f5 13.e4
B Q
pawn structure. 16. xc8 xc8 17. g5 There is
d7 14. c2 e5 15.dxe5 xe5 16.f4 It is clear
B
only one direction - forward. 17... e7 18. g4
that Black has already more than equalized. This
Q R
a6 Already playing with fire. Much safer was
N Q Q
move will cause trouble later along the diago-
B K Q N
18...Nf6 19.Qh3 h5. 19. h3 h5 20. xh5 gxh5
Q K N
nals to the White King. 16... ec4 17. f3 e7
21. h7+ g7 22. xh5 f6 A terrible move
N N B R B Q Q
18.b3 axb3 19.axb3 c5+ 20. h2 d6 21.e5
N
that tries to cope with the threat 23.Bf5! Nf6
N B K N
b5 22. xb5 xb5 23. f2 c6 24. e3 xe3
Q K B K Q K
24.Nxe6+. Better was 22...Bxg5!. 23. xe6+ fxe6
25. xe3 xg2 26. xg2 f6 27. g4 Leads to
Q K Q K Q K
24. h6+ h8 25. f5+ g8 26. g5+ h8
a pawn-down Rook endgame. Better chances
Q K Q K Q K
27. h4+ g8 28. g5+ h8 29. h4+ g8
N
to hold are given by 27.exf6, although Black’s
Q K B Q
30. g3+ h8 31. h3+ g7 32. g3+ h8
N B B R R
pieces gain activity. 27...fxe5 28.fxe5 d5
33. h3+ g7 34. xe6 xe6 The Black Queen
R N B R R
29. h6+ xh6 30. xh6 xe5 31.g4 ae8
goes because of the mate threat. The other way
R R R R K R
32. bb2 e3+ 33. xe3 xe3 34.b4 c3
Q B
round with 34...Rh8 35.Qg3+ Kf8 36.Bxc8 Bxc8
R K K K R
35. f3 ee3 36. xe3 xe3 37.b5 f7 38. c2
37.Qb8 could not save the day. 35. xe6 d8
K R K
e7 39. f3 e6 40. f4 h6 41. d2 g5+
R Q B
The tempting 35...Re8 would not be good after
K R K R K
42. g3 c5 43.bxc6 bxc6 44. d8 e5 45.h4
36.Bg5!. 36.g4 e8 37. f5 c4 38.g5 Black Re-
R K R K R R
gxh4+ 46. xh4 c5 47. c8 d5 48. d8+ c6
signs. Black is cornered after the simple 38.g5 Nd5
K K R
49. c8+ b6 50. b8+ c7 51. b1 e6
39.Qd7+ Kf8 40.g6.
52.g5 hxg5+ 53. xg5 c6 54. c1 Slightly more
1-0
testing is 54.Kf5, bringing the King one file closer
with tempo on the Rook. However, the theory of
these endings is well known, and Short seems com- ◦ Gual, A.
• Garbarino, R.
K R K R K R
pletely competent to win against the best defense.
?
K R R K
54... b5 55. b1+ a4 56. c1 b4 57. b1+
a3 58. c1 c6 59. f4 c4 White Resigns. Spain
0-1 1991 0-1 E42
Black starts a quick counterattack, sacrifices a

N N B N
piece, and then his Queen!
◦ Yusupov, A.
B R N B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4.e3 b6 5. e2
• Ivanchuk, V.
B N N Q
c5 6.a3 a5 7. b1 a6 8. d2 O–O 9.d5
?
B R N
b7 10.e4 exd5 11.exd5 g4 12. g3 h4
Brussels 13. e2 ae8 14. ce4 White is having trou-
1991 1-0 E43 ble finding safety for his King. If 14.h3,
Yusupov sacrifices a Rook and follows up with
N N
then 14...Nxf2! 15.Kxf2 f5 followed by 16...f4.
some masterful strokes, winning a sparkling tac-
N
14... xh2 15. d6 f5 Black must keep on at-

N N B B
tical brilliancy.
N
tacking. 16. xb7 The decisive error. Correct is

B N B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4.e3 b6 5. d3
R Q N
16.Nxe8 or 16.Bxa5. 16...f4 17. f1 f3 This pawn

N
b7 6. f3 O–O 7.O–O c5 8. d2 cxd4 9.exd4
d5 10.cxd5 xd5 Black tried 10...Bxc3 11.bxc3
Qxd5 12.Re1 Nbd7 13.Qe2 Qh5 14.a4 a6 15.Reb1
Rfd8 with equality in Reshevsky-Smyslov, Zurich
1953, but giving up a Bishop for a Knight while
B Q
has a great future. 18. xh2 xh2 19. xh2 fxg2
20. xa5 g1= + White Resigns. White’s position
is hopeless after 21.Kd2 Qxh2 22.Bc3 Rxf2.
0-1

226
◦ Kozul, Z. N N
K N
27... xh6 28. d4 Better is 28.Rd1 with an equal
• Ionescu, Co.
N
position. 28... g4+ 29. e2 Not 29.Kf3 Rf8

K
? 30.Ke2 Nxh2!. 29... f6 Black has a slight ad-

N N R K R N N
Berga vantage due to his better placed pieces. 30. f3

R R
1991 1-0 E38 c6 31. e6 f5+ 32. g2 e8 33. d4 xd4

N N B Q R R R R
Another instructive kingside attack. 34.exd4 e3 Threatening 35...Rff3. 35. e1

B N Q Q B N N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4. c2 c5 5.dxc5 d3 36. e5 ff3 37. e7 a5 38.b4 Correct is

B R B B N N Q
xc5 6. f3 b6 7.e3 c7 8.b3 b6 9. b2 38.Be5!. 38... h5 39.bxa5 xg3 40.hxg3 The

Q N N Q B
b7 10. d1 e7 11. d3 a6 12. b5 c6 losing move. White could have held the posi-

R K R
13. d2 c5 14.O–O a6 15. bd4 c7 16. b1 tion with 40.axb6 Nh5 41.Re1 Nf4+ 42.Kg1 Rb3

N R R R
O–O Better was 16...Be4. This diagonal is later 43.Reb1. 40... xg3+ 41. h2 bxa5 42. d7

R K R K R K
used for a dangerous attack. 17. e2 fd8 If More tenacious is 42.Re5. 42... g5 43. g2

N R R K K K R
now 17...Be4, then 18.Bxf6 Bxf6 19.Bxe4 Nxe4 xg2+ 44. xg2 xd4 45. f3 d3+ 46. e2

K K R K
20.Qxd7 wins a pawn. 18. g3 White maneu- xa3 47. xd5 h7 48. f2 h6 49. c5 g5
vers his pieces in preparation for a kingside at- 50. g2 h5 51. d5 h4 White Resigns.

N R
tack. 18...d6 Better was 18...Nfe4. Now the at- 0-1
tack comes in full force. 19. g5 h6 20.f4 ac8
If 20...hxg5, then Whites attack is very strong af-
◦ Bareev, E.
ter 21.fxg5. 21...Ne8 22.Qc2 g6 23.Rxf7 loses
• Sax, G.
immediately while White wins back his piece af-
?
Q N N
ter 21...Nfe4 22.Nxe4 Nxe4 23.Bxe4 Bxe4 24.Qd4
Hastings
with a double attack. 21. c2 cd7 22. h5
1991 1-0 E31
Now there is no way to stop White from making
This wild attacking game was played in the tradi-
B N N B B
a direct hit deep into Black’s kingside. 22...hxg5
tional Christmas tournament at Hastings, England.
Q K B B
23. xf6 xf6 24. xf6+ xf6 25.fxg5 xg5
GM Bareev is now acknowledged as one of the
26. h7+ f8 27. g6 xe3+ If 27...Bf6, then
strongest players in the world, with good chances
K
28.Qh8+ Ke7 29.Qxg7! Bxg7 30.Rxf7+ Ke8
to eventually challenge for the World Champi-
R
31.Rxc7+ Kf8 32.Rxb7 wins. 28. h1 d5 Worse
onship title, and GM Sax of Hungary is also among
Q B K R K Q
is 28...Rd7 29.Qh8+ Ke7 30.Qxg7. 29. xf7+
the elite. Any game between these players should
K Q
xf7 30. xf7 xf7 31. f1+ e7 32. xg7+
N N B B B
be watched with interest.
d6 33. g3+ Black Resigns.
B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4. g5 h6 5. h4
1-0
c5 6.d5 d6 7.e3 xc3+ 8.bxc3 e5 In Nimzo-
Indian lines, Black often captures on c3, then
◦ Karpov, An.
tries to blockade the center and build up a slow
• Ljubojevic, L.
attack against the White weaknesses. By play-
?
ing Bg5, White sharpens the struggle; the Bishop
Reykjavik
is placed offside for defensive duty, but the pin
1991 0-1 E32
B
can be decidedly unpleasant for Black. 9.f3
N N B Q
An instructive endgame.
g5 10. g3 e4 11.h4 g4 12.h5 Regaining the
B Q B B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4. c2 O–O 5.a3
Q B Q Q Q N
h4 square for the Bishop. 12...exf3 13.gxf3
Q N Q N B N
xc3+ 6. xc3 b6 7. g5 b7 8.f3 c5 9.e3 cxd4
N
e7 14. h4 xe3+ 15. e2 xe2+ 16. xe2
B B N B N R
10. xd4 c6 11. d6 e4 12. xd8 xd6
xh5 17.O–O–O White offers many pawns, but
13. h4 a6 14.b3 f5 15. f2 a5 16. b1
N N N K N
each capture opens a line against the Black King.
d5 As Black is ahead in development, he needs
N N B R N B K
17... d7 18.fxg4 g7 19. g3 f8 20. e4
B K
to open up the position quickly before White con-
R B N B R
e5 21. xd6 xg4 22. e1 f3 23. e7+ g8
N N R R
solidates. 17.cxd5 xf1 18. xf1 exd5 19.g4
24. e3 f5 25. e2 g5 26. xg4 fxg4 27. g1
e7 20. e2 ac8 21. b2 21.Kg2 Rc2 22.Nd4
K R K R
Now it is clear the White has woven a net around
would have given White a slight advantage. 21...f5
N R
the monarch. 27... h7 28. xg4 g6 29. eg3
K
Black needs open lines, otherwise Karpov is go-
h5 30. xg5+ Black Resigns.
ing to squeeze him. 22. g2 If 22.g5, then
1-0
R
22...f4! is strong. 22...fxg4 23.fxg4 h5 24.gxh5

R B N K
f5 25.h6 Better is 25.Rc1 with a slight advan-
tage for White. 25... g5+ 26. g3 f5 27. f2 ◦ Epishin, V.
Not 27.Kf3? Rf8 28.Bf4 Nh4+ 29.Kf2 Rg2+. • Ehlvest, J.

227
 R
? to deploy his Rooks and moves his King over to

R Q R
Tarrassa the queenside where it will be safer. 27... g8

R R Q K N
1991 1-0 E18 28. cc2 f8 If 28...Ra1, then 29.Ra2. 29. a2

N N B B R B K Q
An instructive example of a kingside attack. xa2 30. xa2 gxh4 31.gxh4 g7 32. e1 h6

B N N B B R
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 b6 4.g3 b7 5. g2 33. a7 e8 34. d2 g2+ Black sacrifices a

N Q K N
e7 6.O–O O–O 7. c3 e4 8. d2 f6 9. c1 pawn for counterplay. Good for White is 34...Ng4

N B R
d6 10.d5 xd2 11. xd2 e5 12.h4 White does 35.Bxg4 Qxg4 36.Qh6. 35. c1 f7 If 35...Rg3,

R Q Q K K R
not hide his intentions. 12... d7 13. h3 g6 then 36.Qd2 but not 36.Rxh6 Rxc3+. 36. xc7

B
This allows White to open up the h-file. Worth g3 37. d2 h3 38. b2 g7 39. c8 The

B N K R B B Q
considering is 13...Be7 followed by 14...Nf6. players were in time trouble here. 39... d7

K
14.e4 g7 15.h5 f6 16.hxg6 hxg6 17. g2 40. c7 e8 41. e2 xh4 42.c5 Creating a

Q R R R Q R Q R Q R Q Q
Preparing to transfer his Rooks to the h-file. passed pawn in the center. 42...bxc5 43.bxc5 f8

B Q N R R R Q Q
17... e7 18. h1 fe8 19. h2 f8 20. ch1 44.c6 h2 45. c8 f2 46. b8 c5 47. c2

Q B Q R Q Q K R K R K
h6 21. e2 If 21.Ng5, then Black is fine after g5 48. b3 g2 49. b5 a7 50. d3 h5

K Q R K R Q Q R Q
21...Nh7. 21... e7 22. d7 xd7 23. xh6 51. c4 d4 52. b3 g3 53. c2 g2 54. b3

R Q Q N R Q R Q K Q
g7 24. d2 Threatening 25.Nh4 followed by g3 55. c2 g2 56. d3 a7 57. b7 c5

Q B N
26.Nf5+. 24... g8 25. g5 e7 26. b5 With 58. b5 a7 59. b7 c5 60. b3 h4 61. c4

Q B N
Black tied up on the kingside, White makes threats xc4+ 62. xc4 f3 If 62...h3, then 63.c7 h2

K N
on the other side of the board. 26... d8 If 26...a6, 64.c8=Q h1=Q 65.Qd8 winning. 63. b5 d4+

N
then 27.Rh7+ Kf8 28.Nxc7 Nxh7 29.Qxe7+ Kxe7 64. c4 h3 If 64...Rc2, then 65.Ba4. 65.c7 xb5

N Q Q
30.Nxa8 with a large advantage to White. 27. h4 If 65...Bxb5+, then 66.Nxb5 Rc2+ 67.Nc3 wins.

R K N K
xe4 If 27...Kf8, then 28.Nxg6+ wins immedi- 66.c8= h2 67. e6 Black Resigns.
ately. 28. h7+ f8 29. xg6+ e8 White 1-0

Q
wins immediately after either 29...Rxg6 30.Rh8+
◦ Agdestein, S.
Q Q R N
or 29...fxg6 30.Qh6+ Ke8 31.Nc7+. 30. f5
• Karpov, An.
Q Q Q R Q
d7 31. xe4 xg6 32. xc7+ The icing on the

R K R R Q K
cake. 32... xc7 33. xg6 e7 34. xf7 xf7 ?

R
35. h8+ e7 36. h7 f8 37. e6+ d8 38. Gjovik
xf7 Black Resigns. 1991 0-1 E15
1-0 Not only is the Norwegian Simen Agdestein one
of the top Grandmasters in the world, he is also a
◦ Karpov, An. professional soccer player. This is former world
• Salov, V. champion Karpov’s lone win in a four game match

N N B
? they played which ended in a tie.

B B B N
Reykjavik 1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 b6 4.g3 a6 5.b3

B K N K Q
1991 1-0 E18 b4+ 6. d2 e7 7. c3 O–O 8.e4 d5 9.cxd5

Q N B R Q
Karpov conducts a magnificent space game, simple xf1 10. xf1 exd5 11.e5 e4 12. g2 d7

N N B B B N
in concept but agonizingly tricky in execution. 13. e2 xc3 14. xc3 c5 15. he1 e6

N N B B R N B B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 b6 4.g3 b7 5. g2 e7 16. g1 White intends to maneuver his Knight to

N Q Q N N Q R R N N
6. c3 e4 7. d2 f6 8.O–O O–O 9. c1 d6 f4 via h3. 16... c6 17.dxc5 d4 18. d2 xc5

B Q R N B Q R
10.d5 xd2 11. xd2 e7 12.e4 d7 13. d4 19. e4 fe8 20.f4 ad8 21. f3 d3 22. g5

Q Q N N R
xd4 Black trades off his Bishop before locking d5 23. ac1 d4 24.b4 e7 25. xd5 xd5

N B B
the pawns on that color. 14. xd4 e5 15. d2 26. f3 c2 27. e4 b5 Preventing Rc4 and fix-

B R
a5 White is also better if Black tries to chal- ing the b4-pawn. 28. e1 xb4 29. xb4

N K
lenge White on the kingside after 15...g6 16.f4 f5 d2 30. xd2 xd2+ Having a Rook on the sec-
17.Rce1. 16.f4 c5 17.f5 f6 White has a large ond rank gives Black the advantage. 31. h3

B
space advantage. The only drawback is his bad 31.Kf3? f5 32.exf6 Nd4+ wins. The best move
Bishop. 18. f3 g5 Blocking the kingside allows is 31.Kg1! Nxe1 32.Rexe1 Rxa2 with only a slight

N R
White to switch his attention to the kingside. 19.b3 advantage for Black, according to Karpov. 31...f5

B B B R R N N N R
Not immediately 19.a3? due to 19...a4 fixing the This wins the exchange by force. 32. f3 f2

N R N Q
queenside. 19... c8 20. d1 d7 21.a3 a7 33. d4 xd4 34. xd4 g6 35. xb5 b8 36.a4

N K
22.b4 b7 23. f2 d8 24. e3 axb4 25.axb4 If 36.Nxa7, then 36...h6 threatening 37...Rbb2

K
f7 26.h4 h8 Black starts counterplay along winning. 36...h6 This move prevents the White
the g-file. 27. f1 White uses the second rank King from escaping a mating net via Kh4-g5.

228
 R N N Q
R R K R K R R B Q
37. c6 If 37.e6, then 37...a6 38.Nc7 Rbb2 wins. 17.dxc5 bxa3 18.e5 e4 19. d4 xc5 20.f3

K R K R
37... b6 38. c8+ g7 39. c7+ f8 40. c8+ d8 21. e3 axb2 22. xb2 White has com-

Q Q N
e7 41. c7+ d8 42. xa7 If 42.Rg7, then pensation for the pawn because Black is a little

R R
42...g5 43.fxg5 hxg5 wins. 44...Rh6+ is threatened bit behind in development. 22... c3 23. e2 c5

K
and if 44.Nd6, then 44...Rbb2. 42...g5 43. a8+ If 24. ac1 The wrong Rook. Correct is 24.Rdc1.

R K R K R K Q
43.fxg5 hxg5 44.g4, then 44...f4! wins. 43... e7 White’s Rook is not well placed on d1 because the
44. a7+ f8 45. a8+ g7 46. a7+ g6 The Knight could become pinned. 24... a5 25.f4 g6

K R K R
King escapes the checks on h5. 47.g4 fxg4+ 26.f5 Trying to keep Black off balance, but the sac-
48. xg4 xf4+ 49. g3 e4 White Resigns. rifice is unsound. Better is 26.Bb1, although Black

N R R R
0-1 is much better after 26...Rd5 (preventing f4-f5).
26...gxf5 27. xf5 xd1+ 28. xd1 g8 White
would have too strong of an attack if the Knight
◦ Karpov, An.
is taken: 28...exf5 29.Bxf7+ Kxf7 30.Qh5+. In-
• Andersson, U.
N B Q K
stead Black starts a counterattack along the g-
?
B
file. 29. g3 h5 30. xc5 xc5+ 31. h1 h4
Reggio Emilia
32. xe6 The Knight cannot move due to the at-
1991 1-0 E15
tack on g2. 32...hxg3 Not 32...fxe6? 33.Qh5+
Sweden’s Ulf Andersson has a reputation as a hard
B K Q K
winning. White sacrifices a piece and starts a des-
N N B N
man to beat.
perate attack. 33. xf7+ xf7 34. h5+ g7
B Q B B B Q B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 b4+ 4. bd2 b6 5.g3
The players were in time trouble here. Better
B R Q Q
a6 6. c2 b7 7. g2 e4 8. b3 xd2+
is 34...Ke6 35.Qh6+ Kxe5 36.Re1+ Be4 winning.
N B R R R
9. xd2 O–O 10.O–O d6 11. fd1 e7 12. e3
Q K Q
The text move is an error and now White will be
B B R N B N
bd7 13. c3 fe8 14. ac1 h6 15.b3 ac8
K Q
able to hold the position. 35. g4+ h6 36. h3+
16. h3 c6 17. b2 c7 18. d2 g6 19. b1
g6 37. xg3+ White also makes an error in time
a6 Black puts his defensive faith in the third-row
pressure. Correct is 37.Qg4+ Bg5 38.Rd6+ with
pawn wall. It seems in the long run White’s spa-
B Q
an equal position. Now Black is again winning.
tial advantage and Bishop pair are going to win
K Q Q Q B
37... g5 38. d3+ If 38.Rd6+ Kf7 39.Qb3+ Kf8
B R B N
through, so the opening must be judged unsuc-
R R
wins. 38... g7 39. d7+ e7 40. xe7+ xe7
N Q Q R N
cessful for Black. 20. g2 ec8 21. a3 e8
41. d7 d8 White Resigns. 42.Rxe7+ Kf8 wins.
R N B R
22. c3 d8 23. d2 b7 24.e4 b5 25. e2
0-1
R B
bb8 26. f4 h7 27.c5 d5 28.e5 a5 29. e1
a8 30. b2 b4 If the Queenside gets entirely
◦ Polgar, Sz.
locked up, White will have free reign on the other
• Christiansen, L.
R
wing. The problem is that White is well-placed to
?
Q R Q B N
contest any open lines on the left as well. 31. a1
San Francisco
B N R
c7 32.a4 bxa3 33. xa3 b7 34. c3 c7
1991 1-0 E14
35. xa5 b5 36. a4 This is one of those posi-
The Polgar sisters, Szusza, Sofia and Judith, from
tions that a Grandmaster resigns in, but most play-
Budapest, have defied the conventional wisdom
ers look at and wonder "why?" Black is an uncom-
that women cannot compete on equal terms with
pensated pawn down, will lose control of the a-file,
men. Their answer is results: at the age of 15 in
has awkwardly placed Knights, and is playing Ana-
1991 Judith is an eyelash from becoming a Grand-
toly Karpov. Better to end the suffering now.
master. At the 1990 Olympiad, the Hungarian
1-0
women’s team did the previously impossible: took
first place above the Soviets. Szusza, the oldest of
◦ Khalifman, A. the trio, won the Brilliancy Prize for this relent-
• Ivanchuk, V. less Kingside attack at the Pan-Pacific tournament
?
N N B
in 1991.
Reykjavik
B N B
1.d4 f6 2. f3 e6 3.e3 c5 4. d3 b6 5.c4
1991 0-1 E12
N N Q N Q N
b7 6. c3 cxd4 7.exd4 e7 8.O–O d5 9.cxd5

N N N B R N Q N
Both sides make errors in a time scramble. xd5 10. e5 O–O 11. g4 f6 12. h4 bd7

Q Q Q B Q N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 b6 4. c3 b7 5.a3 d5 13. d1 e4 14. h3 df6 15.d5 The pawn

Q N R B B B Q
6. a4+ d7 7. c2 dxc4 8.e3 c5 9. xc4 c8 moves to a square guarded four times! 15... xc3

B N Q N N
10. e2 bd7 11.O–O a6 12. d1 b5 13. a2 16.bxc3 xd5 17. g5 g6 18. h4 h6 Chris-
e7 14.e4 b4 15. a4 c6 16. xc5 xc5 tiansen tries to wriggle out from the pressure White

229
 B Q
gained from the pawn sacrifice, but Polgar instead Munich

N Q K B Q Q
adds fuel to the fire. 19. xg6 fxg6 20. xh6 1991 1-0 D43
h7 21. xg6+ h8 22. xe7 xe7 23.c4 h4 White’s kingside attack is strong, but Black had a

Q K R Q N N N N
Black could not move the bishop away as 24. Rd7 way to defend.

Q R R R Q B B Q Q
would win. 24.cxd5 xf2+ 25. h1 f6 26. e4 1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 d5 4. c3 c6 5.g3 bd7

R R K R Q B R N B B N
exd5 27. xd5 g8 28.h3 f5 29. f1 xf1+ 6. g2 dxc4 7.a4 b4 8.O–O O–O 9. c2 e7

N
30. xf1 xf1+ 31. h2 g7 32. d4 The queen 10. f4 a5 11. ad1 d5 12. c1 d6 13. e4

N Q N Q
and knight work very well together. Christiansen b5 14. fg5 f5 If 14...h6, then 15.Nxd6 hxg5

R K N Q
has material equality, but cannot defend his king 16.Ne4. 15. xd6 xd6 16.e4 b4 17. e2

NR N R N
against Polgar’s slow attack. 32... f6 33.h4 g8 h6 18. h3 fxe4 19. xe4 Black’s weakened king-

N
N K Q K N R
34.g4 f8 35.g5 e6 36. g4 ge7 37.h5 d7 side gives White compensation for the sacrificed

N R Q K N N
38.g6 e5 39. h6+ f8 40. f4+ e8 41. f5 pawn. 19... a7 If 19...Nf6, then 20.Qg6 is

K Q K K K R N Q
xg6 42.hxg6 xg6 43. b8+ f7 44. xe7 strong. 20. f4 White could have forced a draw

K R K R K R N Q N Q B
xe7 45. xa7+ d8 46.a4 c8 47. h3 c6 with 20.Bxh6 gxh6 21.Qg6+. 20... f6 21. e2
48. g3 c3+ 49. f4 b3 50. e5 Black Re- e8 22. h5 f8 23. xf6+ xf6 24. f4 The

N B Q B
signs. Bishop repositions itself on the powerful e5-

R
1-0 square. 24... d5 25. e5 f8 26. e4 The Bish-
ops menace the Black King. 26... d8 27.h4

B
White continues his kingside attack with a pawn
◦ Kamsky, G.
B R N
storm. 27... d7 Better is 27...Ba6. 28.g4
• Wolff, P.
e8 29.f4 f7 30.g5 xf4 Black could have
?
stopped White’s attack cold with the exchange sac-
Philadelphia
Q
rifice 30...Rf5. After 31.Bxf5 Qxf5 32.gxh6 Bh5
1991 1-0 A48
N N Q
Black has sufficient compensation. 31. h2 Not
A contest between the 1991 and 1992 US champi-
31.Qg4? h5. 31... d3 32.gxh6 xe5 33. xe5
N N B B
ons.
R
gxh6 If 33...Qd6, then 34.Rxf7! Qxe5 35.h7+
1.d4 f6 2. f3 g6 3. f4 g7 4.e3 O–O 5.h3
B K Q Q K R R
Kxf7 36.dxe5 Rxd1+ 37.Kf2 wins. 34. xf7
B Q Q
Preserving the Bishop in anticipation of ...Nh5.
Q K B Q K K
xf7 35. h1 d6 36. f6 f8 37. f1 d7
Q
5...c5 6.c3 cxd4 7.exd4 d6 8. e2 b6 9. b3
38. h8+ e7 39. g6 d5+ 40. h2 d6
N
xb3 10.axb3 White is slightly better in the
Black Resigns. White wins after 41.Qb8 Rc7
N B R
endgame, partly due to his open a-file. 10... c6
42.Rxf7.
N N B
11.O–O e5 12.dxe5 d5 13. h2 dxe5 14. d1
1-0
N
b6 15. bd2 e6 16.b4 Threatening 17.b5 win-

B
ning the e-pawn. 16...f6 17. e4 The Knight eyes
◦ Gelfand, B.
N N R
an outpost at c5 or d6. 17... d5 Better is 17...Rf7
• Kamsky, G.
R K
or 17...Bc4. 18. d6 e7 19.c4 fd8 20.c5 a6
?
21. a5 f8 22.g4 Threatening g4-g5, isolating
Linares
the e-pawn. 22...g5 An ugly move to have to
1991 1-0 D47
R N R
play because of the hole at f5, but g4-g5 had to be
A battle between two future contenders for the
prevented. 23.b5 axb5 24. xb5 a4 25. xd5
N N N N
world championship.
N N R
Sacrificing the exchange to get two connected
B B B B
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3. f3 f6 4. c3 e6 5.e3 bd7
N N
passed pawns. 25... xd5 26. xb7 db8 27.c6
B Q B
6. d3 dxc4 7. xc4 b5 8. d3 b7 9.O–O
e7 28. d4 A nice way to activate his pieces.
B N B
a6 10.e4 c5 11.d5 c4 12. c2 e5 13. e2 d6
B R R N
28...exd4 Also bad is 28...Ke8 29.c7 Rc8 30.Nd6+
N
14. g5 O–O 15. h4 e7 If 15...g6, then White
R R N N
winning. 29. xb8 xb8 30.c7 c8 31. d6
N
would play 16.Nd1 followed by 17.Ne3. 16. f5
xc7 32. b8+ c8 33. xc8 f5 Yes 33...Kf7
B N R
xd5 17.exd5 If 17.Bh6, then 17...Nxc3 18.Qg4
N
would have held out longer, although White is win-
N R
Ne2+ is unclear. 17... xg5 18. d6 b8 Bet-
ning after 34.Nd6+ Ke6 35.Nf5. 34. b6+ Black
ter is 18...Nc5. 19. xb7 xb7 20.d6 White
Resigns.
has compensation for the sacrificed pawn because
1-0
R R
of his advanced passed d-pawn and more active

R
pieces. 20... b6 21. fd1 g6 22.a4 b4 Bet-
◦ Gelfand, B.
N
ter is 22...Bf6. 23.a5 b8 23...bxc3 24.axb6
• Lobron, E. cxb2 25.Rxa6 is good for White. 24. d5 Bet-
? ter is 24.Ne4. 24...c3 Black sacrifices back the

230
 Kh6 36.Nxf6 Black has fallen apart in time pres-
B N N sure. 36...gxf6 37.Rxf7 Qxa2 38.Rxf6+ Kg7
pawn to get his own passed pawn. 25.bxc3 b3

39.Rb6 Qxb3 40.Bd6 Black’s flag fell here but

26. b1 c5 27. c7 Dubious is 27.Qxe5?! Re8

B
28.Ne7+ Bxe7 29.Qxc5 Bxd6. 27...e4 Opening

B B B Q B R B
up the h8-a1 diagonal for the Bishop. 28. xe4 he was lost in any case.

N
f6 29. c6 xc3 30. ab1 xa5 31. e5 b6 1-0

Q K
32. d5 Threatening 33.Ne7+. Both players were
◦ Karpov, An.
N
getting short on time here. 32...f6 33. f4 h8
• Anand, V.
K N
34. e7 Stronger is 34.Qh6 Qd6 35.Nf4 threat-

K N
ening Nxg6+ winning. 34... g7 35.h4 d7 ?

R B R R N
36. h1 e5 Correct is 36...Bc5 with an unclear Brussels

K
position. 37. xb3 c5 38. g3 b4 39. f5+ 1991 1-0 D45

Q R B N N N N
h8 If 39...Kf7, then 40.Qh6 gxf5 41.Rg7+ A masterful performance by Karpov.

B R Q B B B
Ke6 42.Re7+ wins. 40. h6 f7 41. d5 gxf5 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3. f3 f6 4. c3 e6 5.e3 bd7

Q R Q
42. xf7 g4 Also losing is 42...Ng4 43.Rxg4 6. c2 d6 7. e2 O–O 8.O–O dxc4 9. xc4

N Q N K B R K
Rxg4 44.f3 Rg7 45.Be6. 43. h5 xg3 44.fxg3 e7 10.h3 a6 11.e4 Of course, this is the only

R Q R Q B
g4 45. xf5 f2+ 46. h2 a7 47. e1 g7 way to test Black’s opening setup. After d5xc4,

R
48. e7 xd6 49. xa7 d4 50. g8+ Black if White doesn’t use his central majority, then
Resigns. 50...Qxa7 51.Qxh7+ wins the Queen. Black gets fine queenside play. 11...e5 12. d1
1-0 Awaiting developments while reinforcing the cen-
ter. Clearly the d-file will be opened and the
◦ Wells, P. Rook is well-positioned on d1. Black’s ...a7-a6 has
• Conquest, S. committed him to queenside play, thus the roles
? are clear. White will play in the center, Black

B
London on the queenside. The following moves are con-
1991 1-0 D47 sequential for both players. 12...b5 13. f1 c5

N N N N R
White displays a shocker. 14.d5 c4 Forced. White mustn’t be allowed to

B B B N R
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3. f3 f6 4. c3 e6 5.e3 bd7 play b2-b3 and a2-a4. 15.a4 b8 16.axb5 axb5

B Q B R
6. d3 dxc4 7. xc4 b5 8. d3 b4 9. a4 c5 17. a5 Both forced and good. Black can’t be al-
10.e4 cxd4 11. b5 a5 12. c6 b8 13.O–O lowed to play ...Nd7-c5 and Bc8-d7 with an excel-

N
Not 13.Bf4 due to 13...b3+. Now it appears lent game. Now Black’s pawns are forced into a

B
that Black will be able to hold on to his ex- kind of death march. 17...b4 18. a4 Very good.
tra pawn. 13...e5 14. f4 Intentionally plac- Although the Rook’s retreat on a5 is cut off, it

B
ing a Bishop en prise to break Black’s block- will happily roost on a7. A Knight on c5 would

Q R
ade. 15.Nxe5 is threatened. 14... d6 White be formidably placed, so White ensures its ex-

B
gets a strong attack if Black takes the Bishop: change. 18... d8 19. a7 b3 A major compro-

B Q
14...exf4 15.e5 Nd5 16.Nxd4. 15. g3 Threat- mise. Black’s risky strategy has better chances

R
ening 16.Nxd4. 15... c7 Not 15...Nh5? due to after 19...c3. 20. e2 After 20.Qxc4?, ...Rb4

R N N B R
16.Nxe5!. 16. c1 White has sufficient pressure followed by ...Nf6xe4 solves Black’s problems.
for the sacrificed pawn. 16...O–O 17.b3 d8 Bet- 20... c5 21. xc5 xc5 22. a1 Both players

B N
ter is 17...Bb7. Now White wins back his pawn. have been on a collision course to this position.

N N
18. xd7 xd7 Not 18...Bxd7 due to 19.Rxc7. Anand has put his faith in his far-flung queenside

N
19. xd4 f6 Better is 19...Bb7. Both players pawns, Karpov in his center. The outcome is more
were getting short on time here. 20. c6 Sacri- than just a matter of victory or defeat in one game.

R R Q N
ficing the Queen for two Rooks is not bad, but The result will test the mettle of Black’s entire

N B
even better is 20.Rc5. 20... xd1 21. fxd1 b5 opening strategy! 22...c3 23. xe5 c2 It’s not ev-

R B R N N
22. xb8 g4 22...Qxb8 23.Bxe5! loses imme- ery day that you get a protected passed pawn on c2!
diately. 23. xc7 xd1 24. c8+ e8 25. c6 Frightening to be sure. However, the rascal is com-
h5 If 25...Kf8, then 26.Nxe5 threatening Nc4 and pletely blocked and White’s center is extremely

K R
Nd6. 26.h4 Correct is 26.Rxe8+ Kh7 27.Rd8. menacing. So despite Black’s queenside gains,

R Q R
Now Black gets a big advantage. 26... h7 White is for choice. 24. d3 Well played. From
27. xe8 xc6 28. xe5 Material is even, but this perch, the Rook supports the d-pawn, eyes

R B B R K
White’s pieces are disorganized. 28...f6 Correct is the b3-pawn, and has the potential for a kingside

K B R Q N Q N
28...Qc2. 29. e7 g4 30.f3 e6 31. xa7 g6 shift. White’s problem is his vulnerable e4-pawn,
32. h2 f7 33. c7 b5 34. c5 e2 35. d7 Black has to be quick with his tactical shots, else

231
 Q
defeat is assured. White’s principal threat is Ne5-

N R B N
c6. 24... e8 This simply fails. Better is 24...Bd7.
25. c6 b6 26. e3 xe4 Black is forced to en- ◦ Nenashev, A.
ter a long, but narrow, tactical path. The result is a • Vaganian, R.
?
B N R
loss after 26...Bxe3 27.Qxe3, hitting the b3-pawn,
Black has no chances. 27. xc5 xc5 28. e3 Moscow
Well played. After 28.Ne7+ Kh8 29.Rc3 Ba6! 1991 1-0 D58
A nice strategical game from the last USSR cham-
Q Q
30.Qe3 Na4! Black is making it messy. With the
N N B B
text, Karpov controls the flow. 28... d7 29. c4 pionship.

B N B B
1.d4 e6 2.c4 f6 3. c3 d5 4. g5 e7 5.e3
R Q R
Every move is a blow. If the Knight moves, the
N Q N B
h6 6. h4 O–O 7. f3 b6 8. d3 b7 9.O–O
Q Q
b3-pawn falls. 29... xc6 30.dxc6 d1 31. e1
d6 32. c3 Consolidating the extra wood. If bd7 10. e2 e4 11. g3 White avoids ex-

N R
32.Ra5 Qd2, now Ra1-a5 is the threat. The Knight changes which would make it easier for Black to

R N R
has no squares after 32...Be6 33.Ra5, winning. equalize. 11... df6 12.cxd5 exd5 13. ac1 c5

B
The game is lost for Black. Here Karpov had a 14. fd1 xc3 15. xc3 c4 After this move is

R N N Q N B
few minutes left to make the time control, giv- played, White tries for the e3-e4 break. 16. b1 b5

B
17. cc1 e4 18. e5 e8 19.f3 d6 20. f4
Q
ing Anand his final chance. Unfortunately, White
K Q Q B B
Sidestepping 20.e4 dxe4 21.fxe4 Bg5. 20... g5
B R N R N R
remains in complete control. 32... d5 33.c7
B B B K
21. h1 e6 22. c2 g6 23.h4 xh4 24. xh6
N R B B
b7 34. a5 e4 35. xd5 xc3 36. d3 Not
36.bxc3?? b2. 36... a2 37. xb3 c8 38. c4 g3 25. f4 xf4 26.exf4 g7 Better is 26...Qf6

K R Q
making it more difficult for White to advance
R Q R N
The last difficult move. Black has no remain-
R Q Q N
his pawns. 27.g4 b4 28. g2 h8 29. d2 a5
R R R R B
ing tricks. 38...g6 39. a3 c1= 40. xc1 xc1
N
41. c3 e8 42. xc1 e7 43. f1 Black Re- 30. e1 f6 31.g5 e6 32. g4 The Knight

B
signs. heads to the outpost at f6. 32... e4 If 32...Qd7,

K R
1-0 then 33.Re5 is strong. 33. xe4 Not 33.fxe4??
Qxg4+. 33...dxe4 34. g3 h5 In a losing po-

Q
◦ Ljubojevic, L. sition Black allows White to play a nice com-
• Timman, J. bination. 35.d5 xd5 This loses a piece, but

Q B
? alternatives are also bad: 35...Qb6 36.Nf6 or

N
Reykjavik 35...Bxd5 36.Qd4+ Kf8 37.fxe4. 36. xd5 xd5

N R K R R
1991 1-0 D39 37. f6 exf3 Also bad is 37...Be6 38.Nxh5+ gxh5

R N R R R R
Black makes an error early and is under pressure 39.fxe4. 38. xd5 ah8 39. xf3 h2 40. e4

R R R K
xb2 41. f6 d8 42. exc4 xa2 43. c8
N N N
the rest of the way.
ad2 44. h1 2d3+ 45. g4 Black Resigns.
B B B N B
1.d4 f6 2. f3 e6 3.c4 d5 4. c3 dxc4 5.e4
If 45...Rxc8, then 46.Rh7+ Kf8 47.Rh8+ and
Q B N B Q
b4 6. g5 c5 7. xc4 cxd4 8. xd4 xc3+
48.Rxc8 easily wins.
K
9.bxc3 a5 10. b5+ bd7 11. xf6 xc3+
12. e2 gxf6 Better is 12...Qb2+ 13.Kf1 gxf6. 1-0

R
The King is better placed on e2 than f1 as he is
◦ Korchnoi, V.
Q
able to develop his King Rook quicker. 13. c1
• Short, N.
R Q
b4 Not 13...Qa5? 14.Rxc8+ Rxc8 15.Bxd7+

Q R B Q R
Kxd7 16.Nb3+ winning the Queen. 14. c4 e7 ?

N
15. c1 O–O 16. c7 a6 17. a4 d6 18. d1 Tilburg

N Q R Q N
e5 If 18...Nb6, then 19.Rc3 Nxa4 20.Rg3+ 1991 1/2-1/2 D54

K Q N N
wins. 19. f5 b4 20. d4 b6 21. e7+ The average rating of the eight participants at the
g7 22. c3 g6 23. xg6 Not 23.Nxc8? Raxc8 Tilburg tournament was 2666, at that time the high-

N N B B
24.Rxc8 Rxc8 25.Qxc8 Qxd4 losing. 23...hxg6 est in history.

R K Q Q R R B N B
24.e5 Opening up the King’s position. 24...fxe5 1.c4 e6 2. c3 d5 3.d4 f6 4. g5 e7 5.e3 O–O

B
25. d3 g8 26. xe5 b4 27. h3 f6 Black has 6. c1 h6 7. h4 bd7 8.cxd5 exd5 9. d3 c6

Q Q K N N B
no defense against the three major pieces attacking 10. g3 To avoid the exchanges that would re-

B B
his King. 28. e3 b2+ 29. f3 g5 Black had to sult after ...Ne4. 10... b6 11. f3 g4 12.h3

R B Q B
defend against Qh6. For example, if 29...Qe5, then h5 13. h2 White is intends to start advanc-

R R K Q B R
30.Rg7+ Kxg7 31.Qh6+ Kf7 32.Qh7#. 30. hh7 ing his kingside pawns. 13... xf3 14. xf3 d6
d8 31. cg7+ f8 32. c5+ Black Resigns. 15.g4 xh2 16. xh2 White has decided to leave
1-0 his King in the center and start a kingside attack.

232
 Q R K K
R K N K R B R B
16...g6 17.h4 d6 18. g2 g7 19. d1 The pieces. The two Bishops control the whole board.

N Q Q Q N B
start of a dubious King march. 19... ae8 20. c2 33... c7 34. h3 e8 35. g6 c8 36. d4
e4 21.h5 e7 22. f4 g5 23. f5 White tries e8 37.e5 e1 38.e6 Black Resigns.
to prevent the ...f7-f5 break by Black. But this 1-0

N B
will be impossible to enforce, as Black will bring

Q K R Q Q
his Knight on b6 to d6. 23... c8 24. xe4 dxe4
◦ Karpov, An.
Q R N Q
25. a5 f5 26.gxf5 d7 27. b1 xf5 28. a4
• Timman, J.
N
f7 29. g4 b6 Better is 29...Rxf2. 30. xa7
?
Q K N
c4 31.d5 Not 31.Nxe4? Rxe4 32.Rxe4 Nd2+.
Tilburg
Q
31...cxd5 32. d4+ g8 33. xe4 dxe4 This al-
1991 1-0 D24
Q R R R R R
lows White to enter an equal ending. 34. xc4
N N N Q
Karpov’s games are always extremely instructive.
R R
xc4 35. xc4 xf2 36. gxe4 xe4 37. xe4
Q Q N B Q
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 d5 4. c3 dxc4 5. a4+
h2 38.a4 xh5 Now it’s a race between White’s
B B
c6 6. xc4 b5 7. b3 bd7 8. g5 a5 9.e3
R R K R R
pawns on the queenside and Black’s pawns on the
B N R R
a6 10. xf6 gxf6 Not 10...Nxf6 11.Ne5 hitting
R K R K
kingside. 39.a5 h4 40. e8+ f7 41. b8 a4
the c-pawn. 11. d3 b4 12. e4 d8 13. c1
42. xb7+ g6 43. b6+ h7 Black decides to
B
Sacrificing a pawn for the initiative. Black is
take a perpetual check. It is risky to block the
Q
fine after 13.Bxa6 Qxa6 14.Rc1 Be7. 13... xd3
R K R
pawns with 43...Kh5. White is better after 44.Rb5
N
14. xd3 b3+ Dubious is 14...Qxa2 15.O-O Qa5
K R
Kh4 45.b3 Re4 46.a6. 44. b7+ g6 45. b6+
N
16.Ra1 with a strong position for White. 15. fd2
h7 46. b7+ Draw by Agreement.
B R R
bxa2 16.O–O f5 17. c3 White will win back the
1/2-1/2
weak a-pawn. 17... g7 18. a1 O–O 19. xa2
White is better because of Black’s weak pawns.
◦ Kozul, Z.
Q N
Black should try to make liquidations with ...c6-
• Dorfman, I.
c5 or ...f5-f4. 19... c7 20. b3 Trying to re-
?
Q
strain the ...c6-c5 break. 20...c5 Black must play
Cetinje
R N Q N R N R
this move now while he has the chance. 21. c4
1991 1-0 D27
R R
c8 22. b5 b6 23. xa7 c7 24. b5 b7
Both players sacrifice pieces to get at each other’s
25. a5 cxd4 26.exd4 bb8 Black has compen-
Kings. The two Bishops are the deciding factor in
Q R R N
sation for the pawn because White’s pieces are
N N B
the endgame.
N N Q Q
awkwardly placed. 27. a4 fd8 28. c1 f6
B
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.e3 f6 4. f3 e6 5. d3 dxc4
N Q
29. c5 e4 30. a3 c6 A bad mistake. Bet-
6. xc4 c5 The opening transposes from a Slav
ter is 30...Bxd4 or 30...Nd6. 31. a7 c7 The
B B N N Q
defense into a Queens gambit accepted. 7.O–O
only move. 32.b4 Reinforcing the c5-Knight and
B R Q N B
a6 8.a3 b5 9. a2 b7 10. c3 bd7 11. e2
Q
protecting the c1-Rook. Black’s game is so bad
R
e7 12. d1 b8 13.e4 cxd4 14. xd4 d6 Not
N N B Q Q
now that he must give up the exchange. 32... f4
B
14...O-O 15.Nxe6 winning. 15.g3 O–O 16.f3 d8
K N R R
33. xe4 fxe4 34. c6 xd4 35. g3+ xg3
17. e3 White plans on playing 17.b4 and Nd4-
36.hxg3 e3 37. f1 exf2 38. xd8 xd8 39. d1
b3-a5, however Black’s next move changes the di-
Pinning the Bishop. Black has a pawn for the ex-
N
rection of the game. 17...h5 18.b4 h4 19.g4
K R K R
change, but White’s passed b-pawn gives him good
Q N
f8 Maneuvering the Knight toward the newly
K R R R B R
winning chances. 39... g7 40. e5 f6 41. e2
N
created hole at f4. 20. f2 g6 Underestimating
R R K
e7 42.b5 f5 43. c2 d5 44. b1 b6 45. c6
B K
White’s next move. Better is 20...h3. 21. xe6
d6 46. xd6 xd6 Black must try to elimi-
B N
fxe6 22. xe6+ f8 If 22...Kh8, then 23.Bf5 and
K K R K
nate the passed b-pawn, after which White cleans
the pawn on h4 falls. 23. f5 e5 If 23...Kf7,
R K R B R K
up on the kingside. 47. e2 d5 48. h1 c4
B N
then 24.Qa2+ wins immediately. If 23...Ne7, then
R K R B R
49. xh7 xb5 50. e7 d4 51. xe6 c5
24.g5 is good for White. 24. b6 xf3+ Black de-
B R
52.g4 fxg4 53. g6 d5 54. xg4 a7 55. g7
Q B
cides to sacrifice his piece back. 24...Bc7 25.Bd6+
b6 56. e7 Black Resigns, as his King is cut off
K R
Kg8 26.g5 is good for White. 25. xf3 xh2+
from the kingside and hence the situation is hope-
R Q Q B
26. g2 xd1 26...Bc7 27.Bc5+ Kg8 28.g5 wins
less.
N
for White. 27. xd1 g3+ 28. xg3 xg3
1-0
N B
29.g5 e8 29...Nh5 would have held out longer.

R R B K
30. d5 xd5 Also losing is 30...Be5 31.Bc5+
◦ Sokolov, I.
R
Kg8 32.Nb6. 31. xd5 b8 32. c5+ g8
33. d7 White is winning because of his active • Piket, J.

233
? truly bad Bishop on c8, which usually must repo-
Korfu sition itself via d7-e8-h5 in order to get any activ-
1991 1-0 C42 ity. However, Black will make a virtue of this ne-

Q B
An instructive example of how to play with an iso- cessity and try to begin a Kingside attack involv-

B
lated d-pawn. ing this theme. 6.O–O O–O 7. c2 d7 8.b3

N N B N
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e3 e5 4. xc4 exd4 5.exd4 Not to fianchetto, but to play out all the way to a3

N N B B Q N B N
f6 6. c3 e7 7. f3 O–O 8.h3 Preventing and exchange for Black’s good minor piece. 8...a5

B N N
...Bg4. 8... bd7 9.O–O b6 When playing 9. a3 c6 10. xe7 xe7 11. e5 e8 12. d3
against an isolated pawn, it is a good idea to h5 13. f4 g5 14. xh5 The White Knight has

B N N N B
control the square in front of the pawn with a made a rather extensive tour just to exchange for

Q R R Q Q B N N N N
Knight. 10. b3 c6 11. e5 fd5 12. e4 e6 the bad Bishop. This does reduce Black’s Kingside

Q N R R
13.a3 c7 14. e1 ad8 15. f3 c8 16. c2 chances. 14... xh5 15. d2 d7 16.a3 hf6

N B R
f6 This leads to a favorable endgame for White. 17. c3 b6 18. ab1 f7 19.b4 axb4 20.axb4

Q N N N N
16...Bf5 17.Nf6+ would give White a slight advan- e4 21. xe4 fxe4 22.b5 a3 Black wants to

N RK B R
tage. 17. h5 fxe5 18. d6 f6 19. xc8 xh5 keep the b-file closed, and he was going to lose
20. xe7+ f7 21. xe5 g6 22. g5 xd4 If control of the a-file anyway with his plan involv-

R R
22...Nf6?, then 23.Rae1 Rd6 24.f4 followed by ing ...Rf8-f7. The option was to try 22...c5 in-

N R
25.f5 wins for White. 23. ae1 d6 24.f4 f4-f5 stead of first exchanging Rooks. White still has

R R
will be decisive. 24... c4 25. c5 Not 25.Bb3? an edge with, among other things, the thought of

N K R B Q Q N N Q
Nxe5 26.fxe5 Rd4 and Black will maintain equal- f2-f3 blowing open the center. 23. b3 xb3

K R B R R R R R
ity. 25... f6 26.f5 xe7 27. xc4 gxf5 28. xf5 24. xb3 c5 25. e3 d7 26.dxc5 xc5 27. d4

N R K R R N
d7 29. f4 xf5 30. xf5 e8 31. xe8 f5 28. a1 Now watch how smoothly the game

B K R
xe8 32. f7+ c8 33. xh7 d5 34.h4 d6 is decided by Speelman’s control of the a-file, and

N R N Q K Q Q
35. f4 Black Resigns. after that, the seventh rank. 28... f7 29. a8

Q K Q
1-0 d7 30. a7 f6 31. b6 g6 32. xb7 c5
33. f7+ h6 34.e3 b4 35.g4 Forcing mate
◦ Speelman, J. (Qf7-g7, or if ...Nf6xg4, Qf7xh7). Black Resigns.
• Short, N. 1-0
?
5th Match Game, London
1991 1-0 A92 ◦ Dreev, A.
For many years the British struggled to create even • Malaniuk, V.
one Grandmaster, and now they can boast at least ?
a half-dozen. Whether this is due to the success Moscow
of some great plan, is the result of an increase in 1991 1-0 A81
the game’s popularity, or is just blind luck is un- A game from the last-ever USSR championship.
certain. Nigel Short is the first English player to White shows how to take advantage of holes in
your opponent’s position.
N B N B
challenge for the World Championship since the

B Q Q N
days of Howard Staunton in the mid 1800’s. In 1.d4 f5 2.g3 f6 3. g2 d6 4. f3 g6 5.b3 g7

N R
this game, though, he falls victim to another strong 6. b2 O–O 7.O–O h6 8.c4 e8 9. c2 a6
Brit, the inventive Jonathan Speelman. 10. bd2 c6 11. ae1 One of the disadvantages
1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 The Dutch Defense has often been of the Dutch defense is that it leaves a weak-

Q
considered to be unsound at the highest levels. ness at e6. White tries to take advantage of

B
The reason Black chooses to play ...e7-e6 before this by playing for the e2-e4 break. 11... f7
...f7-f5 is to avoid some nasty gambit lines - one 12. c3 Not immediately 12.e4 due to 12...fxe4

N B
of which even dates back to and is named after 13.Nxe4 Nxe4 14.Qxe4 Bf5 15.Qxe7 Bd3 or

N
Staunton. 1.d4 f5 2.e4 is the Staunton Gambit, 15.Qe3 Nb4. 12...g5 13.e4 fxe4 14. xe4 d7
and it is a weapon that is still feared by players 15. xf6+ exf6 16.d5 Taking advantage of the hole

R
of the Dutch. Short also wouldn’t mind a trans- at e6. 16...c5 Not 16...cxd5 due to 17.Nxg5 fol-

N N
position to the French (1.d4 e6 2.e4), as he is an lowed by Bxd5. 17. e6 The hole at e6 al-

B B N
acknowledged expert in the opening. 3.g3 f6 lows White to break through. 17... c7 Worse

R
4. g2 e7 5. f3 d5 Setting up the Stonewall, is 17...Bxe6 18.dxe6 Qe7 (18...Qxe6 19.Nxg5)

Q R Q
descriptively named for the wall of Black pawns 19.Qf5 followed by 20.Nd2 and 21.Be4. 18. xd6
on the light squares. Its biggest disadvantage is the e7 19. xd7 xd7 Now there are no holes in

234
 R
R
Black’s position at f5 and g6. 20. d1 Threat- Dojran
ening 20.d6. 20... ad8 21.b4 b6 Not 21...cxb4 1991 1-0 B67

N Q
which gives up the d4-square. 22.bxc5 bxc5 In this game there are lots of sacrifices and in the

K N N N N
23.d6 e8 24. g6 Taking advantage of the hole end an amazing King hunt.

N B Q B
at g6. 24... h8 The best move is 24...Qf7, al- 1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6

N B R N Q K
though White is much better after 25.Ne5! Qxg6 5. c3 d6 6. g5 e6 7. d2 a6 8.O–O–O d7

B Q
26.Nxg6 Rf7 27.Bd5. 25. xg5 fxg5 If 25...hxg5, 9.f4 h6 10. h4 c8 11. f3 a5 12. b1 b5

Q K B R Q K R B Q
then 26.Qh5+ Kg8 27.Bd5+ Rf7 28.Ba5 winning. 13.e5 b4 14.exf6 bxc3 15.fxg7 xg7 16. xd6

B K B N Q B R B
26. xh6+ g8 27. d5+ f7 28. xg5 f8 c7 17. c4 b6 If 17...cxb2, then 18.Ne5 wins.

N Q R B
29. xf7 xf7 30. xg7 xg7 31. xc5 Black’s 18. b3 a5 19.a4 g8 20.f5 f8 21.fxe6 fxe6

Q K Q K Q Q
Knight is no match for White’s pawns. 31... e8 Not 21...Bxd6 22.exf7#. 22. d3 xg2 23. g3

K
32. h5+ f8 33. h8+ f7 34. h5+ Short 13.Rhg1 Ne5 is unclear. 23... xb3 In a difficult

Q R R Q K Q K R K N Q
on time, White repeats moves. 34... f8 35.c5 position Black tries to mix it up with a Queen sac-

R K Q K Q K B
e6 36. d4 d7 37. h8+ f7 38. h7+ f8 rifice. 24.cxb3 xb2+ 25. a1 b4 26. g6+

K R K R K Q
39. f4+ Black Resigns. A pawn is promoted after d8 27. f6+ e8 28. g6+ d8 29. xc7+

K Q B Q K N
39...Rf7 40.Rxf7+ Qxf7 41.Qxf7+ Kxf7 42.d7. xc7 30. xd7+ xd7 31. d1+ e7 32. h7+

K R
1-0 f6 33. h8+ g7 34. d8+ f5 35. h4+

K R K Q
g4 36. d4+ Not 36.Rg1 Kh3! with an unclear

N K R K Q K
position. 36... h3 37. d3+ xh2 38. c7+ e5
◦ Isaev, A.
R K R K Q K
39. f3+ h1 40. d1+ g2 41. xg7+ xf3
• Timoshenko, A.
R
42. f1+ e4 43. e1+ d3 44. g3+ c2
?
45. e2+ Black Resigns.
Correspondence
1-0
1991 0-1 B99
In the ending opposite colored Bishops can be
◦ Gipslis, A.
drawish, but in the middlegame they can be deadly
• Hracek, Z.
N N N N
because it is hard to confront an attack.
?
B N Q Q
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
Brno
B B B
a6 6. g5 e6 7.f4 bd7 8. f3 c7 9.O–O–O
1991 1-0 B56
e7 10. d3 h6 11. h4 g5 12.e5 If 12.fxg5,
White sacrifices both his Rooks. The classical dou-
N N
then 12...Ne5 13.Qe2 Nfg4 winning back the
ble Rook sacrifice is the subject of a fascinating
B B B N B B R
pawn. 12...gxh4 13.exf6 xf6 14.f5 e5 15. de2
book by GM Seirawan and IM Minev, titled "Take
N B Q Q R N
d7 16. e4 c6 17. d5 xd5 18. xd5 c8
N N N N
My Rooks."
N B B Q R R
19. c3 b5 20. b3 c6 21. e2 g8 22. d5
N B
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
a5 23. xf6+ xf6 24. d5 b6 25. d3 g5
c6 6. e3 In this variation White compromises
K K
Believe it or not, this is the first new move in
N B N
his pawn structure in exchange for quick devel-
the game! 26. b1 f8 27.c3 b4 28.c4 White
B B Q
opment and open lines. 6... g4 7. b5 xe3
is hoping to establish a blockade with 29.Qe4.
N B
8.fxe3 d7 9.O–O g6 10. xc6 bxc6 11. f3
B R R
28...e4 Sacrificing a pawn to open the diagonal for
f6 12.e5 dxe5 13. xc6 xc6 If 13...Qc8, then
the Bishop. 29. xe4 e8 30. d5 h3 31.g3 b3
Q K R Q R
14.Nxe5 fxe5 15.Qf7+ Kd7 16.Rad1 is strong.
32.axb3 Trying to keep lines closed with 32.a3
R
14. xc6+ f7 15. ad1 c8 16. xf6+ Crack-
R
loses to 32...Rxe4 33.Qxe4 Qf2. 32...a4 33.b4
B R K N K
ing open the King’s position. 16...exf6 17. d7+
Q
a3 34.bxa3 g4 Deflecting White’s Queen so
Q Q
e7 18. xe7+ xe7 19. d5+ d8 If 19...Kf7,
Q B R R
that he can penetrate with his own. 35. xg4
Q K Q K Q
then 20.Qxf6+ Kg8 21.Ne7#. 20. d6+ d7
Q
f2 36. c2 e3 37. a5 The best defense was
21. xf6+ c8 22. xh8+ b7 23. xe5 The
R
37.Qf4. 37... g2 37...Rb3+ does not immedi-
smoke has cleared. White has a large advan-
R K B K B
ately work due to 38.Kc1 Bb2+ 39.Kd1. 38. d1
R
tage because he has three pawns for the exchange
b3+ 39. c1 b2+ 40. b1 d4+ White Re-
Q Q Q K Q K
and Black’s King remains open. 23... c8 24.c3
signs. 41.Kc1 Be3+ wins.
Q K N R
a4 25.h3 xa2 26. e7+ a8 27. e4 b8
0-1
Q K Q K
28. f4+ b7 29. e7 c7 If 29...Rc4, then
30.Qf7 is strong. 30. e4+ b8 31. e5 b7 If
◦ Kiroski, T.
Q K N K Q
31...Qb1+, then 32.Kf2 Qxb2 33.Nd5 Qb7 34.Kg1!
• Bielczyk, J.
K N K
is strong. 32. e4+ b8 33. c6+ c8 34. e8+
? b7 35. d8+ b6 If 35...Kb8, then 36.Nf7+

235
 N Q
Rc8 37.Qb5+. 36. e6 xb2 Black has to give

N Q
back the exchange. If 36...Rc4, then 37.Qb8+
◦ Sisniega, M.
K K
wins. 37. xc7 a1+ If 37...Kxc7, then 38.Qe7+
• Vera, R.
Q K Q K Q
Kb6 39.Qd6+ Kb7 40.Qb4+ wins. 38. h2 xc7
?
K Q
39. e5+ c6 40.e4 a5 41. d5+ b6 42. d6+
Mexico
K Q K
b7 43. d5+ Not 43.e5? Qxc3 44.e6 Qc7
and Black wins. 43... b6 44. d4+ b7 1991 1-0 B80

N N N N
45.e5 White is winning because his pawn is far- White sacrifices his Queen to get to the King.

B N B Q
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
Q
ther advanced, his Queen is centrally positioned,
a6 6. e3 e6 7.f3 c6 8.g4 e7 9. d2 O–O
Q K Q K Q
and his King is safer from checks. 45... e1
46. d7+ b6 47. d6+ b7 48.e6 g5 49. d7+ 10.O–O–O Its a wild race between White’s at-

N N Q Q
tack on the kingside and Black on the queenside.
K Q K Q
Not 49.e7? g4! and the threat of ...g3+ stops
NB N B B K
the e-pawn. 49... b6 50. d8+ a6 51. f6 10... d7 11.h4 de5 12. g2 c7 13.g5 b5

R Q
An important position for the Queen as after 14.f4 xd4 15. xd4 c6 16. e3 b7 17. b1

R B Q N N
ac8 Much better is 17...d5 18.exd5 Nb4. 18. f2
K Q K
51...g4 52.hxg4, Black does not have 52...Qh4+.
N N B
fe8 19. b6 b8 20.h5 b4 21. e2 e5
Q K
51...a4 52.e7+ b7 53. xg5 c7 If 53...a3, then
Q B R B
22. g3 Not 22.fxe5? Bxe4. 22... c4 23. a7
Q
54.Qb5+ Kc7 55.e8=Q wins. 54. a5+ d6
55. d8+ Black Resigns. a8 24. d3 c7 25. d4 e5 Better is 25...Bf8.
1-0 26.fxe5 dxe5 Better is 26...Nxe5. 27.g6 fxg6 If
27...Bf6, then 28.Bc5 or if 27...Rf8, then 28.Nf5

B R
◦ Kamsky, G. winning in each case. 28.hxg6 hxg6 28...h6
• Kasparov, G. would have held out longer. 29. c5 xc5 Bet-

Q
? ter is 29...Nd6 although White is much better after

N
Tilburg 30.Bxb4. 30. xc5 This Queen sacrifice immedi-
1991 1/2-1/2 B85 ately ends the game. 30... a3+ If 30...Bxc5, then
31.Bxc4+ Kf8 32.Rhf1+ Ke7 33.Rf7#. 31.bxa3
N N N N
Kamsky and Kasparov are sworn enemies.
Black Resigns.
B N B B
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
1-0
Q K R B R Q
d6 6. e2 a6 7.a4 c6 8. e3 e7 9.O–O O–O

B R N
10.f4 c7 11. h1 e8 12. f3 b8 13. d2
d7 14. ad1 a5 c4 is a common outpost for ◦ Short, N.
• Khalifman, A.
R N
the Knight in the Sicilian defense. 15.b3 Prevent-

B B R B N
ing the Knight from invading. 15... ec8 16. de2 ?
e8 17. a7 a8 18. d4 c6 Black sacrifices Germany
a pawn to try to gain the initiative. Worse is 1991 1-0 B78

B B Q Q
18...Nd7 19.f5 with a large advantage to White. The Yugoslav variation of the Sicilian Dragon
19. xf6 xf6 20. xd6 b6 Black could have leads to wild attacks on the opposite sides of the

B Q N N N N
maintained equality with 20...Qxd6 21.Rxd6 g5 board.

B Q R Q Q N B B B Q N B
22.g3 gxf4 23.gxf4 Nb4. 21.e5 e7 22. d2 1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3

N B B R B N N
b4 23. d3 d8 24. e4 c5 25. a2 d2 g6 6. e3 g7 7.f3 O–O 8. d2 c6 9. c4

R R N B R
26.c3 a5 Preventing b3-b4. 27. ac1 xc1 d7 10.h4 c8 11. b3 e5 12.O–O–O c4

N N N
28. xc1 ac8 29. g3 This allows a shot by 13. xc4 xc4 14.h5 Sacrificing a pawn to open

N R Q Q Q R B B B Q R R
Black. Better is 29.Qb1 with a large advantage to up the h-file. 14... xh5 15.g4 f6 16. b3

R R Q R N Q
White. 29... b4 30. cd1 xc3 31. xb7 xb3 e8 17. h6 h8 18. g5 c8 19. h4 xc3

R R B
32. xd8 xd8 33. c7 d4 34. e4 d3 35. Better is 19...Nxg4 20.fxg4 Bxg4 21.Re1 h5 with

R
g1 xe4 This becomes an exchange sacrifice. an unclear position. 20.bxc3 e6 20...Nxg4

Q K Q K Q B
Black hopes to later attack the King with his Queen was still better. 21. dh1 Threatening 22.Rxh7
and Knight. 36. c8 f8 37. c5+ g8 38. e7 Nxh7 23.Qh6 winning. 21... g7 22.e5 This

Q K
g6 Not 38...Bc6? 39.Bxe4 and Black cannot re- keeps Black’s King Bishop tame. 22...dxe5 If

B Q R N Q Q B B R Q
capture without getting mated. 39. xe8+ g7 22...Nd5, then 23.Rxh7 Bxe5 24.f4 followed by
40. xe4 xe4 41. f1 d3 42. b5 e3 There Qh2 wins. 23. xf6 xf6 24. xh7 c4 Threat-

N K Q K K Q
is nothing that White can do about ...Nf2+ forc- ening to stop White’s attack by exchanging Queens

N
ing a draw. 43.h3 f2+ 44. h2 xf4+ 45. g1 with 25...Qf4. 25. b1 f4 If 25...Bg7, then

Q B Q N B
xh3+ Draw by Agreement. 26.Rxg7+ Kg7 27.Qh6+ Kf6 28.g5+ Kf5 29.Rg1
1/2-1/2 wins. 26. g2 g7 27. h3 f5 28. c5 c8

236
 B N
B B R Q
If 28...Bd5, then 29.Nd7 threatening 30.Rxg7+ Nxe7 with an equal position. 16... d8 17. xd5

R Q
wins. 29.gxf5 xf5 29...Qxf5 would have held xd5 18. c3 a5 Black sacrifices a Rook to

N B R B Q
out longer although White is winning after 30.Qh4 get at the King. 19. xc8 hxg5 20. f2 Not

Q K N K Q K B Q
followed by Ne4. 30. e6 f6 31. g7+ xg7 20.fxg5? Bxg5+ 21.Qxg5 Qxe1#. 20... xa2 21.c4

Q K Q K R N N B Q
32. h7+ f7 33. xg7 f8 34. h8+ f7 xg2 22. c2 If 22.Qxg2, then 22...Qa1+ wins.

B K Q K
35. xe8+ xg7 36. xe7+ g8 37. d1 Black 22...gxf4 23. d7 f3 24. xf8 g5+ 25. d2
Resigns. There is no defense to 38.Rd8#. xd2+ 26. xd2 xb2+ 27. d3 f2 White Re-
1-0 signs.
0-1
◦ Zezulkin, J.
◦ Ivanchuk, V.
• Kulagin, A.
• Kasparov, G.
?
?
Czestochowa
Linares
1991 1/2-1/2 B78
1991 1-0 B51
N N N N
A game of King hunts and tactics.
The annual tournament in Linares, Spain, is one
B B B N Q
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
of the strongest in the world. The winner of this
B R B N N
g6 6. e3 g7 7. c4 c6 8.f3 O–O 9. d2
event, in the words of Kasparov, can consider him-
B R N N N
d7 10.O–O–O c8 11. b3 e5 12.h4 c4
self the "tournament World Champion." In 1991,
R B B B Q N
13. xc4 xc4 14.h5 xh5 15.g4 f6 16. b3
the youthful Ivanchuk scored a stunning victory
e8 17. h6 h8 18. g5 c8 19.e5 xg4
over Kasparov in Linares, and laid claim to being
B N B N
The only move. 19...dxe5 20.Bxf6 loses a
N B N N
a legitimate challenger for the title.
piece. 20.fxg4 xe5 21. d5 e6 22. e3 Not
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3. b5+ d7 4.d4 f6 5.O–O
R K Q
22.Nxe7+? Rxe7 23.Bxe7 Bf4 winning as is 22.c3?
cxd4 Capture of the e-pawn can lead to trouble.
Q Q N
Bxd5 23.Qxd5 Rxc3+. 22... a4 23. b1 c6
Q B B B
White gets quick development and play on the
R B
24. f2 a6 25. d5 Not 25.a3 Rxa3 26.bxa3
B
e-file. 6. xd4 a6 7. xd7+ xd7 8. g5 h6
R R
Qxa3 with a strong attack. 25... xa2 26. c1
9. xf6 gxf6 10.c4 For the Bishop pair, White gets
K Q K
a4 27. xh7 Not 27.Qh4? h5 or 27.Nc7? Ra1+
development and a space advantage. This move is
R R
28.Nxa1 Qa2+. 27... xh7 28. h4+ g8
an attempt to keep control of d5, since in the long
29. h1 c8 The only move. Not 29...Rb8?
N R K
run, ...d6-d5 might open the position to Black’s
N K B
30.Qh7+ Kf8 31.Bh6+ Ke8 32.Nc7+ winning the
gain. 10...e6 11. c3 c8 12. h1 h5 13.a4
K N B
Queen. 30. xe7+ f8 31. h6+ Not 31.Nxc8?
And this is to control the ...b7-b5 break. A closed,
Ra1+ winning. 31... e8 32. xc8 xc8 Bet-
maneuvering game where White’s Knights can re-
B K
ter is 32...Ra1+! 33.Nxa1 Qa2+ 34.Kc1 Qxb2
B Q N
main in the center would suit Ivanchuk just fine.
N
with a strong attack. 33. f8 d7 Not 33...Kxf8?
Q Q
13...h4 14.h3 e7 15.b4 a5 16.b5 c7 17. d2
Q K Q K
34.Qd8+ Kg7 35.Qh8#. 34. c5+ Opening up the
c5 18. d3 The two Bishops have better chances
R B Q K Q K
King. 34...dxc5 35. e7+ c6 36. xc5+ d7
R R Q
to shine in the endgame, so White avoids the
Q K Q K Q K
37. d1+ d4 38. e7+ c6 39. d6+ b5
R Q R
exchange of Queens. 18... g8 19. ae1 g5
Q K Q
40. d5+ b6 41. d6+ b5 42. d5+ b6
20. g1 f4 21. ef1 Although White seems to
43. d8+ b5 44. d5+ Draw by Agreement.
be defending passively, it will turn out that the
1/2-1/2
Black Queen and Rook are insufficient attacking

N Q
force, and White will drive them away with gain
◦ Rodriguez, J.
R N K
of time. 21...b6 22. e2 h6 23.c5 Making a
• Gil, J.
N B R R
square for a Knight. 23... xc5 24. c4 f8
?
K
25. xb6 e8 26.f4 f5 27.exf5 xf5 28. c1
Spain g7 As can be seen from many great attacking
1991 0-1 B53 games, the factor most important to the evaluation

N Q N
A good example of how to counterattack. of a position is King safety. Here the Black King

B B B B N N B R R
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 c6 fails to find a comfortable home, and the White

B R N B Q Q Q
5. b5 d7 6. xc6 xc6 7. c3 f6 8. g5 pieces move to box him in. 29.g4 c5 30. xc5

Q Q N R R Q R N Q Q K
e6 9.O–O–O e7 10. he1 O–O 11.e5 dxe5 dxc5 31. c8 f8 32. d8 g6 33.f5 h6 34.g5

N R
12. h4 c7 13. xe5 ac8 14. d3 Transfer- h5 35. g4 exf5 36. f4 h8 37. f6+ h7

R
ring the Rook over to the kingside. 14... d5 38. xh4+ Black Resigns.
15.f4 h6 16. h3 Better is 16.Nxc6 bxc6 17.Bxe7 1-0

237
 Q
23...Re7 and 24...Be8. Now White starts a quick at-
tack on the Kingside. 23. g3 b5 Black is short on
◦ Kasparov, G. time. 24.f5 The decisive breakthrough. Open lines
• Anand, V.
N B
are created for the Bishop and Rook with this pawn
? sacrifice. 24...exf5 25. e5 e8 Not 25...Bxe5
Tilburg 26.Qxe5 Rae8 27.Bxb4 winning. Most tenacious
1991 1-0 B48
Q
was 25...Ra7 although White remains much bet-
Anand has always been a difficult opponent for the
R K R
ter after 26.Nxd7 Rxd7 27.Rxf5. 26.axb5 xb5
N N N Q
world champion.
R N R
27. xf5 h8 28. xf6 Now Black’s kingside will
N B B N N
1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 c7
N R Q
be indefensible. 28... xf6 29. g4 f5 Other
B K N
5. c3 e6 6. e3 a6 7. d3 f6 8.O–O e5 Rook moves allow Qe5+. 30. h6 h5 31. f4
N
9.h3 c5 10. h1 d6 11.f4 c6 Better is ei- Black Resigns. 32.Qf8+ and 32.Qf6+ are both
ther 11...Ng6 or 11...Ned7. 12.e5 xe5 Other threatened.
moves were bad for Black too. For example, 1-0
12...dxe5 13.Ndb5! axb5 14.Bxc5 Nd4 15.Bxd4

B N
exd4 16.Bxb5+ Bd7 17.Qxd4 and White is a pawn ◦ Benjamin, J.
Q B Q N K
ahead. 13.fxe5 dxe5 14. b5+ axb5 15. dxb5 • Kamsky, G.
R N
c6 16. xc5 xc5 17. d6+ e7 Also losing is ?
17...Kf8 18.Nce4. 18. xf6 gxf6 19. ce4 Black’s Los Angeles
Q Q R R
King is stuck in the center and he will be un- 1991 0-1 C89
Q Q Q Q
able to defend it. 19... d4 20. h5 f8 21. d1 The US championship in this year was played as a
R
e3 22. h4 f4 23. e1 Threatening 24.Qb4. knockout tournament and the two survivors square
23... a4 If 23...f5, then 24.Qb4 fxe4 25.Nxe4+
N N B B N
off for the final match.
Q R
Ke8 26.Qb5+ Ke7 27.Qc5+ Ke8 28.Qc7 mating.
B R B
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O
24. c3 d4 Black cannot prevent White’s Queen e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 O–O 8.c3 d5 The Mar-
R
from infiltrating. 24...Rd8 25.Qc7+ Bd7 26.Nc8+
N N N
shall attack. Black sacrifices a pawn but gets
Q K Q K
Rxc8 27.Rxd7+ also wins for White. 25. xd4
R R B
very active play. 9.exd5 xd5 10. xe5 xe5
f1+ 26. h2 exd4 27. c5 d7 if 27...Qf4+, 11. xe5 c6 12. e1 d6 13.g3 A common move
N Q
then 28.g3 Qe5 29.Nxc8+ Kd7 30.Nb6+ with mate
Q Q
here. This temporarily blunts Black’s attack, but it
to follow. 28. b5 f4+ 29.g3 Black Resigns.
R Q N R K Q
weakens the light squares. 13... d7 14.d3 h3
If 29...Qe5, then 30.Nf6+ Qxf6 31.Qd6+ Ke8
N Q
15. e4 d7 16. d2 f5 17. e1 h8 18. h5
32.Nc7#.
N B N
f6 19. h4 c5 Black is planning to put pressure
1-0
B Q
down the a8-h1 diagonal. 20. f3 b7 21. g5

B
h6 22. d2 c6 23.f3 c4 This wins back the
◦ Short, N.
N
pawn. 24. d1 Otherwise f3 falls. For example,
• Gelfand, B.
R K B N R N N
24.dxc4? Nh7 wins for Black. 24...cxd3 25. e6
? f7 26. g2 c5 27. g5 ff8 28. e6 g4

N R B Q Q
Brussels Sacrificing the exchange to keep the attack go-

R N B Q B
1991 1-0 B23 ing. 29. xf8 xf8 30.b4 d6 31. h5 b6

Q R
British GM Nigel Short defeats Gelfand in a match 32. f1 e3+ 33. xe3 xe3 34. b3 Both play-

Q R B
along the road to becoming the first non-Russian ers were in time pressure here. 34... d2+ 35. f2

Q R
challenger to the world championship since Bobby xc3 36. d1 xb4 Black has a large advan-

N N N B
Fischer. tage. 37. g6 d2 38. dxd2 White correctly sacri-

B N Q B R Q R Q
1.e4 c5 2. c3 d6 3.f4 c6 4. f3 g6 5. c4 fices back the exchange to get rid of the passed d-

B Q K Q K Q
g7 6.O–O e6 7.d3 ge7 8. e1 White trans- pawn. 38... xf3+ 39. xf3 xd2+ 40. f2 e3

N N N B B R B
fers his Queen to h4 for attacking purposes. 41. f7 e4+ 42. h3 g4+ 43. g2 xg6

N B
8... d4 9. xd4 cxd4 10. e2 O–O 11. b3 44. xg6 f6 45. xf5 Opposite colored Bishop

B K
c6 12. d2 Preventing ...Na5. 12...d5 13.e5 f6 endings can be hard to win, but along with Black’s

Q
14.exf6 xf6 15. h1 Planning Ng1-f3 control- extra pawn, the presence of pawns on both sides

N B N N B R B R
ling the weakness at e5. 15...a5 16.a4 d6 of the board and Rooks gives Black excellent win-
17. g1 d7 18. f3 b4 Better is 18...Rae8. ning chances. 45... c5 46. f1 g5 47. d3 d6

Q Q B N R R K B B B
Now Black starts having trouble with his weak Exchanging Rooks would lead to a dead draw.

B N
d-pawn. 19. f2 c5 20. c3 c6 21. ae1 48. d1 g7 49. e2 d4 50. f3 Correct was
b6 22. d2 b4 Better is 22...Rae8 followed by forcing a pawn exchange with 50.h4. 50...b4

238
51.Rc1 Again better is 51.h4. 51...Bc3 52.Rd1
Rb6 53.Rd7+ Kf6 54.Bd5 Ke5 55.Bb3 Rf6
56.h4 Better is 56.h3 followed by g4. Now his
N K
28. h2 h8 29.b3 Now, rather than await execu-
tion on the Kingside, Kamsky tries for activity on
the Queenside. But this just creates another weak-

R R R B K N R
pawns are fixed on the same square as the op- ness, and Black happily switches over to attack the

R R N R N
ponent’s Bishop. 56...g4 57. g7 h5 58. e7+ new target. 29... c8 30. b2 h7 31. f1 ff8
Winning a pawn allow Black’s King to infil- 32. fe2 c7 33. h2 fc8 34. f1 b4 35.axb4

K R K R R B R K R B
trate: 58.Rg5+ Kd4 59.Rxh5 Ke3 threatening 35.cxb4 loses control of the c2 square (35...Bc2).

R B R B K K R Q R R R Q B
...Rf2+. 58... d4 59. d7+ e4 60. f7 d6 35...a3 36. xa3 xc3 37. h2 a8 38. b2

R B R B Q B R R
61. f2 a5 62. f7 h6 63. b3 e3 64. f1 d3 39. c1 c8 40. c2 xc2 41. xc2 g6

R K B R R R
a6 Threatening ...a5-a4. 65. a4 d6 66. e8 42. f2 xb4 43. e5 d1 Black’s Rooks and

Q R R Q R Q
d1+ 67. g2 e1 68. c2 d5 69. b2 If minor pieces have thoroughly infiltrated White’s

R B K K B R
69.Bc6, then 69...Bd2 followed by 70...Rf2+. game. 44. e2 b1 45. g5 c6 46. e5 c2

B R K R R K K
69... e5 70. d7 d3 71. f1 d2 72. b3+ The exchange of Queens would leave unguarded

B R B
c3 73. b1 c2 74. b3 e1+ 75. f2 d2 two minor pieces simultaneously, so Black man-
76. b5 a1 77. c4 a4 White Resigns. ages to get the Queen in, too. White now wins

R K Q B R K
0-1 a pawn with check, but soon must capitulate.

Q Q
47. xh5+ g8 48. e6+ f7 49. h8+ xh8
◦ Kamsky, G.
B
50. xf7 c6 Protecting against the unending
• Ivanchuk, V.
B Q K Q Q
checks; White cannot save both pieces. 51. c3
? xc3 52. f8+ h7 53. f5+ g6 White Re-
Linares signs.
1991 0-1 C89 0-1
In 1991, Ivanchuk was the heir-apparent to the
chess throne, and Kamsky was an even younger up- ◦ Polgar, J.
start who had defected from Russia to the USA The • Anand, V.
Marshall Gambit is well regarded theoretically, but ?
at the highest levels it is usually only expected to Munich

N N B B N
draw. 1991 1-0 C83

B R B
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O There has never been a chess phenomenon like Ju-
e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 O–O 8.c3 d5 The defining dith Polgar. She would later become the youngest

N N B B N
move of the Marshall Gambit to the Ruy Lopez. Grandmaster in history.

N B B B
It was introduced by Frank Marshall in a famous 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O

N Q B N Q B
game against the World Champion J. R. Capa- xe4 6.d4 b5 7. b3 d5 8.dxe5 e6 9.c3 e7

Q B B Q Q
blanca, and in a rare event for a first-time appear- 10. bd2 d7 11. c2 xd2 12. xd2 g4

N Q
ance of a new gambit, Capablanca refuted an un- 13. f4 xf3 14. f5 d8 15. xf3 Sacrific-

Q R N B
sound variation at the board. Marshall refined his ing a pawn for open lines. 15... xe5 16. e2

N N N K
concept, and the gambit returned with greater suc- d6 17. e1 c6 18. g5 Preventing Black from

R
cess in later games. 9.exd5 xd5 10. xe5 xe5 castling. 18... f8 Other moves are worse. For ex-

B B K
11. xe5 c6 Marshall originally played 11...Nf6, ample, 18...f6 19.Qh5+ Kf8 20.Re6 Qc5 21.Rxf6+!

Q Q B
intending ...Be7-d6 and ...Nf6-g4 with attack. It gxf6 22.Be6 wins. 19. e3 g6 20. h6+ g8

B B Q B
was this line that the great Cuban Champion Ca- 21. g4 f6 22. c2 If 22.Re5, then Black should

B R Q R
pablanca refuted with incisive defense. 11...c6 play 22...Ne5!. 22... f8 23. g5 d6 24. f4

N
is the improvement. 12.d4 d6 13. e2 Some- d8 25. ad1 Black’s misplaced King’s Rook

B B N
what more common is 13.Re1, with difficult and gives White a large advantage. 25... a5 26.h4

B N Q B N N
well-analyzed variations. 13... g4 14.f3 h5 c6 27.h5 c4 28.hxg6 Creating weaknesses in

B Q R
15. xd5 cxd5 16. d2 f5 17. b3 f7 18. f1 the Black King position. 28...hxg6 29.b3 d6

B
f4 19. d2 d7 20. ae1 Although White now If 29...Nb2, then 30.Bxg6 fxg6 31.Qxg6+ Bg7

R
appears to control the e-file, in fact there are no en- 32.Qe6+ Kf8 33.Bd6+ winning. 30. xg6 fxg6

R B
try points. White is soon reduced to passively mov- 31. e6 If 31.Qxg6+, then 31...Bg7 and 32.Bxd6

Q B B R B
ing the same pieces back and forth. 20...a5 21.a3 is met with 32...Rh6. 31... h7 32. xd6 Not
a4 22. d1 g6 23. c1 f7 24.h3 An attempt 32.Rxg6+ Rg7 33.Bxd6 Qxd6 winning. 32... g7

R
to get some maneuvering room for Nf1-h2-g4, but If 32...Bxd6, then 33.Rxg6+ Kh8 34.Qd4+ win-

B N R R N R R Q B
it also makes another weakness on the Kingside. ning. 33. de1 Better is 33.Rxg6 with a win-
24... f5 25. h2 h5 26. f2 af8 27. f1 f6 ning position. 33... h6 34.g3 d7 35. f4 g5

239
 B R Q R
Q
36. xg5 g6 37. f5 Better is 37.f4. 37... xe6 and former world champion. Kasparov comes up
38. xe6+ Better is 38.Rxe6 Re8 39.Rxe8+ Qxe8 with a novelty in the opening. Karpov fights back

Q R R B K N N N N
40.Bf6 winning. Now White has only a slight ad- but cannot save the game.

R K R N Q Q N B
vantage. 38... xe6 39. xe6 c8 40. d2 f7 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 exd4 4. xd4 f6
41. e1 c5 42. f1 c4 43.bxc4 xc4 Correct is 5. xc6 bxc6 6.e5 e7 7. e2 d5 8.c4 a6

R K K B
43...bxc4 44.Rb1 d4 with only a slight advantage 9.b3 g6 10.f4 This is the novelty. White plans

B B R K B Q Q N B
to White. 44. c1 e6 45. e2 d4 46.cxd4 xd4 Qf2 and the Knight on d5 will be en prise. 10...f6

B
47. e3 b2 48. xc4 bxc4 49. d2 White wins 11. a3 f7 12. d2 b6 13.c5 xf1 14.cxb6

K K B B B B
with her two connected passed pawns. 49... g7 axb6 Also bad is 14...Bxa3 15.b7. Correct is

B B B B K B
50. c2 d5 51.f3 f6 52. h6 e5 53.g4 d4 14...Ba6. 15.e6 Not 15.Bxf8? Bxg2 16.Qxg2

K B B B B B B
54. d2 b6 55. c1 a5 56.a4 e5 57. g5 Rxf8 17.O-O fxe5. 15...dxe6 If 15...Qxe6+,

B B B B B B R Q B
d5 58. d2 c7 59. c3 f4 60. f6 g3 then 16.Kxf1 Bxa3 17.Nxa3 Rxa3 18.Re1 wins.

K B Q K Q R
61.g5 h4 62. d8 f2 63.g6 d4 64. a5 16. xf8 d8 17. b2 xg2 17...Bd3 offered

Q
e6 65. c3 Black Resigns. more chances. 18. xg2 xf8 19. xc6 d6

K N R
1-0 20. c3 Black does not have enough compen-

Q Q R Q Q
sation for the piece. 20... g7 21. d2 hd8

N R Q Q Q Q
22.O–O–O e8 23. xc7+ 8d7 24. c2 b8
◦ Gipslis, A.
Q Q R Q R R
25. c4 d5 26. f2 c7 27. xb6 xf4+
• Dobrovolsky, L.
Q R R R Q K
28. e3 g4 29. dg1 h4 30. g3 e5 31. h3
?
R Q Q Q Q
g4 32. g1 d1+ 33. xd1 xd1+ 34. b2
Bardejovske Kup
R K
h5 35. g3 h1 36. f2 h4 37. g2 xg2+
1991 0-1 C54
R R R
38. xg2 g5 39.a4 g6 40.a5 e4 41.b4 h3
N N B B N
A brilliant kingside attack.
42. g3 h7 43.a6 f5 44. a3 Black Resigns.
B N R N N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. c4 c5 4.c3 f6 5.d3
1-0
N B B N
d6 6.O–O b6 7. bd2 O–O 8. e1 e7 9. f1

N B
g6 10.h3 c6 11. b3 e6 12. g3 h6 13.d4
◦ Short, N.
Q Q R R B B
h7 14. e3 Better is 14.Bc2 followed by 15.Nf5.
• Gelfand, B.
N N
14... f6 15. e2 ad8 16. ad1 c8 17. c2
?
g5 18. xg5 hxg5 Black’s commanding con-
7th Match Game, Brussels
B Q N
trol over the f4-square give him the advantage.
1991 1/2-1/2 C42
B R R
19.dxe5 dxe5 20. xb6 axb6 21. e3 b5 22. f1
White sacrifices the exchange for a strong attack.
g4 23.hxg4 xg4 24. xd8 xd8 25.g3 A fu-
N N
But later Black sacrifices a piece.
N
tile attempt to keep the Knight out of f4. Bet-
N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 f6 The Petroff defense has be-
N
ter is 25.f3. 25... f4 The Knight comes in
N N B B
come a popular opening in the big leagues. 3. xe5
Q K
anyway. 26. h2 If 26.gxf4, then 26...exf4
N N
d6 4. f3 xe4 5.d4 d5 6. d3 d6 7.O–O O–O
27.Qc5 Qg6 wins. 26... g5 27. h1 If 27.f3,
B R R B
8.c4 c6 9.cxd5 cxd5 10. c3 xc3 11.bxc3
then 27...Rd2! wins. For example, 28.Qxd2
g4 12. b1 b6 13. b5 c7 14.h3 a6 15.hxg4
R
Nh3+ or 28.fxg4 Qh6 29.Nf3 Rg2+ 30.Kf1 Qh1+.
Q
This is a new move. White will get a strong
B
27... d6 The Rook goes to the front before White
B R
attack for the exchange. 15...axb5 16. c2 g6
R N Q
can organize a successful defense. 28.f3 h3
B R Q
16...h6?! 17.g5! is good for White. 17. h6 e8
Q B R
29. g1 d3 30. a7 If 30.Qxg5, then 30...Nf2#.
N Q
18. xb5 e4 19.g5 Correct is 19.c4. 19... d6
B R B
30... d2 31. xd3 h6 Threatening 32...Qxh2+
20. e5 e6 Black should have sacrificed the ex-
B Q Q
and 33...Bf1#. 32.g4 xg4 33. g2 xf3
change back with 20...Rxe5 when he still had the
B B R B Q Q
34. f1 f4 Threatening 35...Qxh2#. 35. g1
N
chance. 21.f4 Securing the strong Knight out-
xe4 36. e2 g6 37. f1 d2 38.b4 xa2
post. 21... c6 Black sacrifices a piece for coun-
White is in zugzwang. White Resigns.
N
terplay. 21...Bxe5 22.fxe5 Nc6 23.Qf2 followed by
0-1
Bd3 would have been good for White. 22. xc6

R R
22.Bxc6 Bxe5 23.Bxa8 Bxf4 is good for Black.
◦ Kasparov, G.
B
22... xf4 23. xf4 White still could have retained
• Karpov, An.
N
his advantage with 23.Qd2. 23... xf4 Threat-

B Q
? ening 24...Qe1#. 24. e5 Not 24.Qe2? Rxa2.
Tilburg 24... xe5 25.dxe5 xe5 Usually two Bishops

Q
1991 1-0 C45 are better than a Rook, but here White’s King is
This is the 159th game played between the current open. Therefore chances are equal. 26.a4 e1+

240
 K R Q Q
27. h2 c8 28. d3 e5+ If 28...Rxc3, then
Q Q Q
29.Qd4 forces Black to take a perpetual check with
Q K Q K Q K Q
29...Qg3+ 30.Kg1 Qe3+. 29. g3 xc3 30. f4
c7 31. g3 c3+ 32. h2 c7 33. g3 c3+
Draw by Agreement.
1/2-1/2
◦ Nunn, J.
• Nikolic, Pr.
? 20.g7+ or 19...fxg6 20.Qxe5 is a clobber. Mean-
Belgrade
1991 1-0 C19
British GM Nunn is like a loose cannon capable
of blowing away the defenses of the world’s most
sturdy GMs.
N B B
N Q
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 b4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 xc3+
6.bxc3 e7 A slightly unusual move for Predrag.
He often times side steps the Winawer pawn sacri-
fice (7.Qg4) by playing 6...Qc7 anticipating 7.Qg4
f6 with a different middlegame plan. Of course
White can play 7.Nf3 reverting back to main lines
N B
where Black has committed himself to ...Qd8-c7,
thereby losing several options. 7. f3 John is
rightly regarded as one of the world’s foremost
theoreticians and practitioners of 1.e4. he can be
counted upon to challenge the sharpest lines. Inter-
estingly, he eschews the debate over 7.Qg4. 7...b6
The text is a favorite of Nikolic. Black plays for
B B B
the exchange of his problem Bishop (...Bc8-a6).
8. b5+ d7 9. d3 Strategically, a very sharp
decision. White permits ...Bd7-a4 which hampers
the development of White’s queenside (a3-a4, Bc1-
B
a3). More common is 9.a4 with a strategically
complex game. 9... a4 Accepting the perch to
roost. 10.dxc5 An ugly move. White wants to
insure that the game is opened for his two Bish-
B N
ops. The move implies the sacrifice of the e5-
pawn. 10...bxc5 11.O–O c4 12. e2 g6 Ac-
cording to Nikolic, this reasonable looking move
is his only mistake of the game! It took 23 flawless
moves by White to demonstrate why the move was
bad! I suppose Nikolic missed something in his
calculations! Essentially, White has already sac-
rificed his game positionally. He is banking on
an attack based on Nf3-d4/g5, f2-f4-f5. From this
perspective Black should be developing pieces to-
wards a defense. Thus 12...Nd7 or 12...Qa5, play-
N
ing for ...Qa5xc3, ...Ba4xc2 defending the king-
side are preferable. 13. g5 A forced and pow-
N N B
erful pawn sacrifice. Black must accept the gift, as
otherwise f2-f4-f5 is a free attack. 13... xe5 Not
N
13...h6? 14.Nxe6 fxe6 15.Bh5 winning a pawn.
14.f4 d3 In general, when defending it is a good
241
idea to exchange pieces. This move has the unfor-
B Q
tunate drawback of allowing White to play Qd1-
h5 in one move. 15. xd3 cxd3 16.f5 e5 17. h5
And this is the rub. Black’s King is now trapped
in the center. Surprisingly both players now em-
Q
bark on a forced line in which White must sacri-
fice a piece. 17... e7 The best. After 17...Qb6+
N
18.Kh1 g6 19.Qh6 is a smash. Black is close to
K
consolidating, but it is White’s move. 18. e6
d7 A sad reality. After 18...g6 19.fxg6 fxe6
while, White threatens Bc1-g5 developing with
B B
tempo. Black prepares to meet this with ...f7-
f6. 19. g5 f6 20. e3 Around this time, White
N
has to be satisfied with the idea of 10.dxc5 open-
ing up the b-file. 20... a6 21.cxd3 g6 The most
testing. If Black doesn’t try to undermine the
B N
Knight on e6 he may as well resign. 22. g4
c6 23. d4 A wonderfully intuitive piece sacri-
fice. Neither player was able to calculate all the
lines. Black is forced to go for the ride, while
White felt that Black’s exposed King and disor-
ganized pieces were sufficient. Certainly, in prac-
Q R Q R R Q
tice, White’s role is easier. 23...exd4 24. xd4 h5
25. h3 g5 26. fe1 f8 27. e6 h6 28. e3
A powerful move. White prevents ...Na6-c7 be-
cause Bd4-c5 wins the d6-square. Besides control-
R R N B Q B
ling the e-file, the a7-pawn is also given attention.
28... e8 29. e1 c7 30. c5 f7 31. e7 Only
this move justifies White’s attack. Black threat-
ened to simply waltz away with his King. Now
R Q B Q
31...Kc8? leaves the Bishop en prise. White threat-
ens Re6-d6xc6. 31... h7 32. c5 b7 33. xa7
Killing. Now 33...Bc6 34.Rd6+ Kc8 35.Rb1 Bb5
K R R R
36.Rxb5 Nxb5 37.Qa8+ Kc7 38.Qc6+ soon mates.
33... c8 34. b1 xe7 35. xb7 Black Resigns.
1-0
◦ Timman, J.
• Ljubojevic, L.
?
Amsterdam
1991 1-0 C19
Ljubomir Ljubojevic has long been one of the top
players in the world, although he has never chal-
lenged for the World Championship. He is known
for his inventive tactical style, which explains the
Dutch Grandmaster’s avoidance of complications
in the opening. Timman’s restraint pays off when
his Yugoslav colleague allows a strong blockade on
B
the central dark squares.
N N Q
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 b4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 xc3+
6.bxc3 e7 7. f3 c7 8.a4 Rather than one of
the tactical maelstroms available in the Winawer
French (7.Qg4 is often followed by Qxg7 and Short is a huge underdog vs Garry Kasparov, while

B
mass complications), White has chosen a posi- Timman has better but not quite equal chances

tional treatment. 8...b6 9. b5+ This looks
like a loss of time, but actually it is an important
move directed against ...Bc8-a6, exchanging the
light-squared Bishops. After the Bishop interposes
N B B
against Anatoly Karpov.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 b4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 a5
An old line. Now the standard "refutation" be-
gins 6.b4, but Short doesn’t want to discover his

Q N B Q B
against the check, White retreats to a useful square opponent’s improvement on theory the hard way.

B B N N Q N
and if Black were to try ...Bd7-c8, it would be he 6. g4 e7 7.dxc5 xc3+ 8.bxc3 a5 9. d2

R B
who loses time. 9... d7 10. d3 bc6 11.O–O g6 10.h4 h5 11. g5 d7 12.c4 Complicated
h6 12. e1 O–O 13. f4 f5 One of many stan- opening play. White hopes to use the Bishop pair

Q N
dard ideas in the French. Black hopes to block by opening up the center; Black will try to exploit

B Q
the Kingside attacking lines, assuming that White White’s weak pawns. 12... a4 13.cxd5 dxe5
will not wish to both open the f-file for Black’s 14. e2 e4 15.O–O–O Although White’s King

B Q Q
Rook and lose the Bishop pair. But White under- position looks precarious, he threatens play on
stands the important idea of blockade, and sets out the d-file. 15...O–O 16. c3 f6 17. d2 xg2

Q N B Q Q B
on a thoroughly "Nimzowitschian" course. 14.exf6 Now Black feels the need to try to keep the ma-
xf4 15.fxe7 xe7 16. b5 c7 17. e2 c8 terial balance under control. The problem is,

Q N B N Q
With the weak e-pawn, Black no longer desires this leads to a loss of time and more open King-

N N Q Q Q N
to exchange this Bishop. 18. e5 White now side lines. 18. h3 exd5 19. xh5 c4 20. d4

Q K R B N B R B
firmly controls e5 with pieces. Black’s game is ge5 21. f4 e4 22. xd5+ xd5 23. xd5

B K R R
cramped. 18... d8 Normally, cramped positions h7 24. hg1 f5 25. e7 e4 26. d4 f3
desire exchanges, but in this one the exchange of 27. g6+ h8 28.h5 ad8 29. h4 Black Re-
Queens doesn’t help. The Bishop on c8 is espe- signs. In the end Black’s King proves the more

R R Q Q N N
cially passively placed for an endgame. 19.dxc5 dangerously placed.

Q B Q N B R
bxc5 20. ad1 f6 21. e3 d6 22. e5 f5 1-0

N
23. h3 b7 24. h5 e7 25. d3 af8
◦ Shirov, A.
R R R R
26. g4 White has once again turned his attention
• Nikolenko, O.
B B N Q K N R
to the Kingside. 26... f4 27. e3 8f7 28. de1

Q R
c8 29. g6 xg6 30. xg6 f8 31. e5 7f5 ?

R R R
32. h7 xe5 The threats of Ne5-g6+ and Qh7- Moscow

B R R R R Q K
h8+ were too much. 33. xe5 xa4 34. 5e3 1991 1-0 C11

R Q R K Q K N N N N
d7 35. f3+ f4 36. g3 f7 37. h8+ e7 An attack on an open King.

R K Q Q K Q N
38. xg7 f4 39. xf7+ xf7 40. h7+ e8 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 5. ce2

B N
41. b1 d8 42.g3 d6 43. xh6 c7 44. h8 c5 6.c3 c6 7.f4 b5 8.a3 Slowing down Black’s
c8 45. f4 Black Resigns. The final effect of the attack on the kingside. 8...a5 9. f3 b4
e5-blockade; White will play Qh8-e5 next, win- 10.axb4 cxb4 11.f5 White sacrifices a pawn to

N
ning easily. create an outpost for his Knight at f4 and to

N B B
1-0 weaken Black’s pawn structure. 11...exf5 12. f4

B
b6 13. b5 b7 Worse are 13...Qc7 14.c4 or
◦ Short, N. 13...Bd7 14.e6 fxe6 15.Nxe6. 14.e6 d6 Bad
• Timman, J.
K R
is 14...f6 15.Ne5! fxe5 16.Qh5+. 15.exf7+

N B
? xf7 16.O–O e8 Black tries to castle artifi-
Amsterdam cially. 17. xd5 xh2+ White will get a fe-

K Q
1991 1-0 C17 rocious attack after 17...Nxd5? 18.Ng5+ Kg6
Nigel Short and Jan Timman are both participat- 19.Rxf5!. 18. xh2 xd5 19.c4 This forces

N
ing in World Championship matches in 1993, but Black’s Knight into an awkward position on c4

N K
they aren’t playing each other! Short begins play where it will be hard to defend. 19... xc4

B Q Q R
with Kasparov, while Timman squares off against 20. g5+ g6 If 20...Kg8, then 21.Rxf5 is strong.

Q
Karpov, due to a political power-play on the part 21. xc4 xc4 22. f3 f8 Correct is 22...Ne7.
of Kasparov and Short. It remains to be seen if White should then play 23.Qg3. 23. g3 Sacri-

Q N K
the whole mess will turn out to be good for chess ficing a Rook but threatening a deadly discovered

R
(through media exposure and increased prizes), or check. 23... xf1 24. e6+ f7 25.d5 Threaten-

Q
if it will put the lot of the average Grandmaster ing 26.Qxg7+. 25... g8 If 25...Ke8, then 26.Qxg7
back several years. Whatever the ultimate result, Rf7 27.Qg8+ Ke7 28.Bg5 is winning. 26. c7+

242
Kg6 27.dxc6 Bc8 28.Nf4+ Kf6 If 28...Kg5, then N
29.Qe7+ Kg4 30.Nd5 is strong. 29.Qd6+ Kf7 Q
19... f6 20.f5 If 20.exf6, then 20...Bxf6 attacking

30.Qd5+ Kf8 31.Be3 32.Bc5+ is coming. Black Q N N N R

both the Queen and Knight. 20...dxe5 21. b4 a5
22. a3 ce4 23. xe4 xe4 24. ff1 g5 25.f6

N Q
Resigns. Creating a square for the Knight at f5. 25...exf6
1-0 26. f5 c7 Black must sacrifice the exchange to

N K N
relieve some of the pressure, but his pawn majority

R Q
gives him the advantage. 27. e7+ h8 28. xc8
◦ Kengis, E.
B Q R R K
xc8 29. e7 The players were short on time.
• Djurhuus, R.
29... e6 30. xc7 xc7 31. d8+ h7 32.g4
?
White must try to hold pawn back Black’s pawn
Gausdal
B
mass. 32...f5 33.gxf5 33.Bd3 should have been
1991 0-1 C05
considered. 33... xa2 34.f6 Correct is 34.Ra1.
It is very rare when a strong Grandmaster with the
N B B B R R
Now Black’s kingside pawns become unstoppable.
N N N
White pieces is knocked out so quickly.
B B K B B R
34... xf6 35. b5 e6 36. b6 c8 37. xc8
N N Q N
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 5.f4
R B B R B R
xc8 38. xa5 g6 39. c4 h3 40. e1 e4
B
c5 6.c3 c6 7. df3 b6 8. e2 cxd4 9.cxd4
B B R N B
41. e3 d7 42.b4 f8 43. e1 d6 44. d1
N
e7 10.a3 Preventing Black’s pieces from hav-
B
f4 45. b6 h5 46. a1 g4 47. d5 If 47.h3,
B
ing access to the b4 square. 10...O–O 11. g3
K B R N B B
then 47...Be3+ 48.Bxe3 Nxe3. 47... xh2+
N
f6 Opening up the f-file. 12. d3 fxe5 13.fxe5
K B
48. g2 e5 49. a8 f6 50. xb7 h4 51. e3
dxe5 14.dxe5 A new move. Black sacrifices
h3+ 52. g1 g4 White Resigns. There is no
N B
a Knight for two pawns and gains lots of activ-
good defense to 53...h2+ and 54...Bf3.
B N
ity for his pieces. 14... xe5 15. e2 Of course
0-1
not 15.Nxe5?? Qf2+. 15... d7 16. xe5 White

Q K R
mistakenly thinks that he can get away with this.
◦ Beliavsky, A.
Correct is 16.Rf1. 16... f2+ 17. d2 ac8 Pre-
• Anand, V.
Q
venting the White King from fleeing to safety
?
with Kc2 and Kb1. 18. b3 Other moves lose as
Munich
well. For example, if 18.Nxd7, then 18...Rf4 fol-
1991 0-1 B09
B K
lowed by 19...Rd4+ or 18.Nf3 Rxf3 19.gxf3 Bg5+
Viswanathan Anand from India is known for the
R
20.Kd3 Bb5#. 18... g5+ 19. d3 If 19.Kd1, then
incredible speed of his play. This is both a strength
N
19...Qd4+ 20.Nd3 Ba4 wins the Queen. 19... f4
and a weakness: he never suffers from time pres-
Threatening mate on d4. 20. f3 If 20.Bxf4, then
sure and his opponents can be unnerved by his
B
20...Qxf4 and there is no way to prevent mate.
quick responses, but most of his losses come from
Likewise 20.Be3 Rf3! wins quickly. 20... e8
failing to double-check tactics. Here we see him at
White Resigns. 21...Bg6+ will be decisive.
his best, trading blows with the powerful Al Beli-
0-1
N N
avsky.
1.d4 d6 2.e4 f6 3. c3 g6 4.f4 Although it
◦ Bareev, E.
B
started with 1.d4, the game has transposed to the
• Christiansen, L.
N B
Austrian Attack against the Pirc Defense. 4... g7
? 5. f3 O–O 6. e3 b6 Not so much to fianchetto,
Biel
N B N B Q
but to support the central challenge ...c7-c5. 7.e5
1991 0-1 B09
N B
g4 8. g1 c5 9.h3 h6 10.d5 b7 11. d2
The Russian Bareev is one of the top ten players f5 12. h2 dxe5 13.fxe5 e6 Black’s mission in
in the world, but the American Grandmaster is a these modern defenses is to allow White to build a

N N B N
tough fighter who excels in sharp tactics. big pawn center, then challenge it from the wings

N B N B
1.d4 d6 2.e4 f6 3. c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5. f3 and smash it with pawn levers. The classical mas-

Q B R N R R
a6 6. c4 O–O 7.e5 h5 8. e3 c5 9.O–O ters of the last century would be scandalized to al-

N
cxd4 10. xd4 f5 11. f2 c5 12. d1 c8 low White pawns to reach the fifth rank; Anand

Q B Q N N
13. g5 The threat of 14.Bxc4+ Rxf7 15.Qc4 is pleased because he will prove they are overex-

B N N B B
forces Black’s reply. 13... e8 14. b5 d8 tended. 14.O–O–O exd5 15. xd5 c6 16.c3

N B R B
15. e2 Better is 15.Qb4 and if 15...h6, then cd4 17. f6+ xf6 18.cxd4 g7 19.d5 Here

N B R
16.Nxf7!. 15...h6 16. f3 xc2 17. d2 f5 we go again. Now the important strategic feature

B
18. h4 d7 19. d1 If 19.g4, then 19...Nf6 is that the Kings are castled on opposite wings.
20.exf6 Bxf6 attacking both the Queen and Knight. Each side will mount an attack. 19...c4 20. e2

243
Rc8 21.Kb1 Bh6 22.Bf4 Bxf4 23.Qxf4 Bxd5
24.h4 c3 25.bxc3 Rxc3 26.h5 Ne3 27.Ng5 Qc7
24.Ne4 Bxe5 25.Bxh6, when White has an excel-

28.Nxh7 No defense for either side, just go, go, B B

lent game, Timman drifts towards a lifeless posi-
tion. 23. h6 h8 This is excessive. The po-
go. White appears to have come in first, with seri- sition after 23...Bb7 24.Bxg7 Kxg7 25.Qf6+ Kg8

R B R B
ous consequences after 28...Kxh7 29.hxg6++ Kg8 26.Rd4 is a positional crunch, but what happens

R
30.Rh8+ and mates. Otherwise, surely 29.Nf6+ is even worse! 24. d8 b7 25. ad1 g7 Re-

R R
will be too strong? 28... b3+ Obviously, Black versing an earlier decision. White was threatening

B
had to see this when playing 21...Bh6. Now it is Qh4-e7 and Rd1-d7. 26. 8d7 f8 If 26...Bxe5

K R
White who is mated, and all with check. Work it 27.Rxf7 followed by Rd1-d7 is over. 27. xg7

R Q K
out. White Resigns. xg7 28. 1d4 Preventing a possible Qc6-e4.
0-1 28... ae8 29. f6+ g8 30.h4 h5 Up to now, we
applaud the wonderful way that Short has tied up
◦ Short, N.
K R K
his opponent, and the following exploitation of his
• Timman, J.
R K B K
advantage is breathtaking. 31. h2 c8 32. g3
? ce8 33. f4 c8 34. g5 Black Resigns. There
Tilburg is no defense to 35.Kh6 and 36.Qg7#.
1991 1-0 B04 1-0
A strategical masterpiece with a beautiful King

N
march at the end.
◦ Wojtkiewicz, A.
N N B
1.e4 f6 The Alekhine is a rare guest in today’s
• Bellon Lopez, J.
N B B Q
big leagues. 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4. f3 g6 5. c4
?
b6 6. b3 g7 7. e2 Currently, this is the
Klooster
most topical way of meeting Alekhine’s defense.
1991 0-1 A37
Usual is 7.a4 or 7.Ng5. Here White sidesteps
When White gets tied up hunting down the pawns
an early Queen exchange and strengthens his e5-
on the queenside, Black goes hunting on the king-
pawn. If this pawn can be maintained, Black’s
N N N B
side.
N
game will be cramped and the Bishop on g7 will
B N B N
1. f3 c5 2.c4 c6 3. c3 e5 4.g3 g6 5. g2
have to re-deploy. 7... c6 8.O–O O–O Obviously
N N N N N
g7 6.a3 a5 7.O–O d6 8. e1 e6 9. d3 ge7
N
8...Bg4? 9.Bxf7+ is a sucker’s trap. 9.h3 a5
Q
10. c2 d5 11.cxd5 xd5 12. e3 de7 13. e4
N Q
10.a4 dxe5 11.dxe5 d4 In a cramped position,
b6 14. a4 O–O Black feels that he has enough
R
Black correctly seeks exchanges. 12. xd4 xd4
N
B N
compensation for the pawn sacrifice. Also pos-
13. e1 A critical moment. Black has to decide on
Q
sible is 14...O-O. 15. xc5 bxc5 16. xc6 xc6
his scheme of development. What will he do with
R
17. xc6 White has won a pawn, but giving up his
his light-square Bishop? If he blocks it in with
Q N Q Q
King Bishop leaves his kingside weak. 17... c8
...e7-e6, then the only chance for activation is by
Q
18. a4 f5 19. c4 f4 20. xa5 g5 21.f3 e4
a fianchetto. That will cost a lot of tempi. Play-
Opening up lines for his pieces. 22. a6 If
ing 13...Bf5 develops the Bishop, but it’s a use-
B B
22.g4, then 22...Bd4+ 23.Kh1 exd3 24.exd3 Qxg4!
less development, since there is no harmony with
25.fxg4 Bd5+ wins. 22... h3 23. xf4 If 23.dxe4,
N N
the rest of Black’s pieces. 13...e6 Best. But this
R
then 23...Bd4+ is very strong. For example, 24.Rf2
N Q Q
development takes a lot of time. 14. d2 d5
B K
fxg3! 25.Bxg5 Bxf2+ 26.Kh1 g2#. 23... xf4
Q
15. f3 c5 16. e4 A nasty move. White pre-
R R R Q
24.dxe4 d4+ 25. h1 If 25.e3, then 25...Rf6
B
vents 16...b6, as 17.c4 picks up a piece. 16... b4
N
wins. 25... cf8 26. fd1 xe4 27.fxe4 h5
17. c4 A beautiful move. Grabbing a pawn by
B Q K Q B
28. e3 If 28.Rxd4, then 28...Qxe2 29.Rd2 Rf1+
17.Bxd5?! exd5 18.Qxd5 Bd6 gives Black ex-
R Q R Q
wins. 28... xe3 29. c4+ g7 30. c3+ d4
cellent compensation. The text invites Black to
31. xd4 cxd4 32. xd4+ f6 33. a7+ If 33.e5,
weaken White’s pawn structure in exchange for
K Q K
then 33...Re6 34.Rc1 g5 35.Rc7+ Kh6 36.Qd8 Qg6
tempi. If Black doesn’t go along with the menu,
Q
wins. 33... h6 34. e3+ g5 35. g1 35.e5 would
N N R R Q
then White develops by hitting the Black Queen.
have held out longer. 35... f7 White Resigns.
17... b6 18.b3 xc4 19.bxc4 e8 20. d1 c5
There is no defense to 36...Rf1+.
This strikes me as being overly cooperative. A
0-1
line like 20...Ra6 21.Qh4 Rc6 22.Rd8 Qf8 23.Ba3

Q B Q
Rxd8 24.Bxf8 Rxf8 loses material, but offers kick-
ing chances. 21. h4 b6 22. e3 c6 Reluc- ◦ Hansen, Cu.
tant to defend passively with 22...Qf8 23.Ng5 h6 • Ftacnik, L.

244
? and e5. White usually builds up for a King-

R N Q R
Groningen side attack, keeping control of the center with his

R B R B R
1991 1-0 A34 c4, e4 bind. 12. c1 xd4 13. xd4 b8

B R Q
White rips opens Black’s King position and Black 14. fd1 O–O 15. a3 fd8 16.h3 a8 17. d2

N R N Q
is hard pressed to find a defense. h6 18. b4 d7 19. e3 b5 20.cxb5 axb5 21.e5
N N N N
B Q Q K Q B
d5 22. xd5 exd5 23. xd5 d8 24.e6 fxe6
N B B Q Q B
1.c4 f6 2. c3 c5 3. f3 b6 4.e4 c6 5.d4 cxd4

B Q Q Q R B R
25. a5 xa5 26. xe6+ h8 27. xd7 xd5
R N
6. xd4 b7 7.f3 e6 8. e3 b8 9. d2 e7

Q R Q K Q
10.g4 O–O 11.O–O–O c8 12.g5 e8 Risky is 28. xd5 d8 29. e6 f8 30. c7 f6 31. f7

R Q K Q K Q
e8 32. xf6 gxf6 33. xf6+ h7 34. xd6
N B K
12...Nh5 13.Nxc6 Bxc6 14.Kb1 a6 15.f4 threat-

K Q K K Q Q
ening 16.Be2. 13. xc6 xc6 14. b1 Wisely d8 35. c7+ h8 36. c3+ h7 37. d3+

K Q Q B
moving his King off the c-file. Risky is 14.h4 b5 h8 38. d4+ h7 39. g2 e7 40. d3+
15.cxb5 Bxb5 16.Bxb5 Qxb5 17.Qd7 Qa5. 14...a6 h8 41. xb5 e5 42. c6 Black Resigns.
15.h4 b5 16.h5 bxc4 Black hopes to make use 1-0

R B R K R
of the open b-file. 17.g6 fxg6 18.hxg6 hxg6
19. g1 f6 20. xg6 f7 21. g2 d5 Necessary ◦ Speelman, J.
was 21...Qb4 22.Bd4 Bxd4 23.Qxd4 Rab8 24.Rd2 • Sax, G.
?
N Q
Qb6 and Black should equalize. 22.exd5 exd5
Hastings
B
23. xd5 c3 24. d3 Better than 24.Nxc3 Bxf3
25.Qd7+ Kf8 with an unclear position. 24... a4 1991 1-0 A31
This lively game was played at the annual Christ-
Q K N
If 24...c2+, then 25.Qxc2 Bxd5 26.Qxg6+ wins.
mas tournament in Hastings, England, between
R R
25. g6+ f8 26. xf6 c2+ Worse is 26...gxf6
27.Bh6+ Ke7 28.Re2+. 27. xc2 xc2 If the popular British Grandmaster Jonathan Speel-
man and Gyula Sax from Hungary. Appropriately,
N B
27...Bxc2+, then 28.Qxc2 Nxf6 29.Bc5+ Kg8
they played the English Opening, and the English
Q B Q K
30.Bc4+ Kh8 31.Rh1+ mates. 28. d7+ xd7
player won with some nifty tactics in the transi-
R B
29. xc2 e6 30. c5+ f7 If 30...Kg8, then

N N N N
tional stages of the game.
B B
31.Bc4 Bxc4 32.Qxc4+ wins. 31. d7+ xd7 If

N Q N B Q
1. f3 f6 2.c4 c5 3. c3 c6 4.d4 cxd4
Q K
31...Kg8, the 32.Bc4. 32. c4+ e6 Also bad is

N N B B
5. xd4 b6 6. b3 e6 7.a3 d5 8. e3 d8
Q K B N B R
32...Kg6 33.Qg5+ Kh7 34.Qh5#. 33. f5+ e7

B Q
9.cxd5 xd5 10. xd5 exd5 11.g3 e7 12. g2
B
34. xe6+ d8 35. b6+ c7 36. d5 a7
37. c6 Black Resigns. f6 13. d2 d4 Traditional Nimzowitschian strat-
1-0 egy against the isolated pawn is to first block-
ade it, then surround and destroy it. Black acts
quickly to prevent the physical blockade of the
◦ Vaganian, R. pawn, advancing it as a gambit to win the Bishop
• Portisch, L.
B B Q
pair and hopefully inconvenience the White King.
? 14. xc6+ bxc6 15. xd4 d5 16.O–O–O Sax
Reggio Emilia may have thought he was winning a piece here,
1991 1-0 A30 but this move allows 16...Qxb3 to be met by
The opening stages of chess games carry names, 17.Bxf6 with threat of mate. The opening stage is
and frequently beginners put too much faith in
B Q B B B
over, and the transitional tactics here favor White.
these names. A not-uncommon tendency at the 16... g5 17.f4 xb3 18. xg7 e7 19. xh8 f6
lower levels is to ignore the opponent’s play. One 20.e4 White is temporarily ahead the Exchange
quote: "I played the King’s Gambit against the Si- and two Pawns, which would normally be more
cilian." For more experienced players this is hu- than a match for the Bishop pair. But Black
morous, but every player has experienced dramatic will soon win the Bishop on h8, and then will
transpositions in the opening. This game begins have two Bishops for the Rook and Pawns. As
as an English, but transposes into the Sicilian on can be seen in many of these games, King safety
move nine.
N N Q
plays a major role in the evaluation of the posi-

B N B K
1. f3 c5 2.c4 e6 3. c3 a6 4.e4 c7 5.g3 d6 tion, and soon Speelman heads into an endgame

N B B N R R B Q Q K
6. g2 f6 7.O–O e7 8.b3 b6 9. d4 cxd4 where tactics again predominate. 20... f7 21.f5

R R R
10. xd4 b7 11. b2 c6 The formation Black b8 22. he1 a6 23. c2 xc2+ 24. xc2
has adopted is now called the Hedgehog. A xh8 25. d7 d8 Black’s light-squared Bishop
more common development of the Knight-b8 in is in trouble. The passive 25...Ra8 barely mer-
these systems is to d7, from whence it eyes c5 its consideration, if only because of 26.e5. Other

245
 N N N N B
B
moves allow 26.Rxa7, when the Bishop may be 1.c4 e5 2. c3 f6 3. f3 c6 4.g3 c5 5.d3

B Q B B
trapped by a3-a4 and b2-b3. The move played O–O 6. g2 d6 7.O–O h6 8.a3 a5 9. e3 Prepar-

R B K K B N B Q
envisions control of the d3 square. Watch what ing d3-d4. 9... f5 10.b3 d7 11. b2 b6
happens. 26. xa7 d3+ 27. c3 f8 White 12.d4 exd4 13.exd4 g4 14. a4 a7 15. d2

R R R R
threatened 28.Rd1 Bxe4(?) 29.Rxd8 winning by If 15.d5, then 15...Bxf3 16.Bxf3 Ne5 is unclear.

B R
means of the pinned Bishop. 28. d1 Anyway! 15... fe8 16. ae1 d5 17. xe8+ This is a mis-
28... xe4 29. xe7 Black Resigns. The point be- take from which White is never able to recover.

R N N
ing 29...Kxe7 30.Re1 or 29...Rxd1 30.Rxe4, in ei- Correct is 17.cxd5 Qxd5 18.Ne5 Qb3 with an un-

Q
ther case reaching an easily won Rook ending. clear position. 17... xe8 18. e5 e4 White ap-
1-0 pears to have overlooked this move. 19. e1

N
19.Bxe4 Nxe5 wins for Black as does 19.Qc2

N Q
Nxe5 20.dxe5 Nxf2 21.Rxf2 dxc4!. 19... xe5
◦ Vaganian, R.
20.dxe5 g5 21. xa5 White has big problems
• Hjartarson, J.
because of the weakness at f3. If 21.Bxd5, then
?
B
21...Nf3+ 22.Bxf3 Bxf3 followed by ...Qh3 wins.
European Cup
Q
21... f3 Threatening 22...Qh3! winning immedi-
1991 1-0 A30
ately. 22. c3 If 22.Bxf3, then 22...Nxf3+ 23.Kg2
Many strong Grandmasters are hired by chess
B K
Nh4+! 24.gxh4 Qg4+ results in a mating attack.
clubs to play for them in team competitions. The
N Q
22... xg2 23. xg2 dxc4 24.e6 24.bxc4 Qxa4 and
Armenian and Icelandic Grandmaster play for Ger-
N Q Q
24.Qxc4 Qh3+ both lose. 24... xe6 25. f3 If
N N B B
man clubs.
N Q Q R
25.Qxc4, then 25...b5. 25... g5 26. d1 c6+
N R N N N
1. f3 f6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 b6 4. g2 b7 5.O–O
R Q B N Q Q
27.f3 cxb3 28. c3 e6 29.g4 c4 30. e1
B Q B B
c5 6. c3 d6 7. e1 bd7 8.e4 e5 9.d4 xf3+
Q Q Q Q
xe1 31. xe1 d4 32.h4 e6 33. e4 c5
Q
10. xf3 cxd4 11. xd4 e7 12.b3 O–O 13. a3
Q B
34. e1 c4 35. e4 c5 Black repeats moves
b8 Black’s pawn formation is known as the
B Q Q Q Q N
because he was in time pressure. 36. e1 xc3
hedgehog. He keeps his pieces behind the third
37. xc3 xa3 38. d2 d6 39. b2 f4+
R R R N
rank for a while and sometimes White will overex-
White Resigns.
R Q B Q B
tend himself. 14. ad1 d8 15. e3 e8
0-1
16. ed3 h6 17. e3 g5 18. e2 a6 19. g2

Q
Better is 19.e5! Bxf3 20.Qxf3 dxe5 21.Rxd8
◦ Akopian, V.
B B Q B
Bxd8 22.Rd7 with a large advantage. 19... c7
• Stambulian, A.
20. b4 e7 21. d2 c6 22.f4 Better is 22.a4
?
R Q Q N
to prevent Black’s next move. 22...b5 23.cxb5
URS
K N
axb5 24.h3 dc8 25. e3 b7 26.a3 f6
1991 1-0 A16
B B R R N
27. h2 d7 Better is 27...Bf8 threatening ...d5.
White sacrifices two pieces to hunt down the op-
B
28. xd6 xd6 29. xd6 xa3 30. d5 Likely
N N B B
posing King.
Black overlooked this move. 30... xd5 Worse
N N N R
1.c4 f6 2. f3 g6 3.g3 g7 4. g2 O–O 5.O–O
R R R
is 30...exd5 31.exd5 which is winning for White.
N Q N Q
d5 6.cxd5 xd5 7. c3 xc3 8. bxc3 c5 9. b1
31.exd5 c2 32. d2 xb3 Now White has a
N N
c6 10. a4 a5 11. h4 e6 Better is 11...Bf5.
very beautiful combination. 33.dxe6 White will
12. g5 h6 13. e4 g5 This weakens the king-
R R Q K
get his Queen back because this pawn will be pro-
side, but White has a big advantage after either
R
moted. 33... xe3 34.exd7 e2 35.d8= + h7
Q Q R
13...Qxh4 14.gxh4 or 13...Qc7 14.Nf6+ Kh8 15.d4.
36. xh6+ The finishing touch. If 36...gxh6, then
14. h5 c7 15. b5 White keeps the pressure
37.Qd3+ wins. Or if 36...Kxh6, then 37.Qg5+ Kh7
R
on. 15...f5 If 15...b6, then either 16.Nf6+ or
38.Qh5+ Kg8 39.Rd8+ wins. Black Resigns.
N Q B
16.Nxg5 are good. 16. xc5 Not 16.Nxc5? a6.
1-0
16... c6 17. g6 d7 If 17...fxe4, then 18.Bxe4

B B R
Rf6 19.Qh7+ Kf7 20.Ba3 with a strong attack.
◦ Vaganian, R. 18. a3 fxe4 19. xe4 f6 19...Rf5 would have
• Sokolov, I.
Q K
held out longer, although White has a big advan-

R
? tage after 20.Bxf5 exf5 21.d4. 20. h7+ f7
Rogatska Slatin 21. xg5 Black Resigns, as he gets mated after
1991 0-1 A29 21...hxg5 22.Qh5+ Kg8 23.Bh7+ Kh8 24.Bg6+
White makes one mistake after which Black grabs Kg8 25.Qh7#.
the initiative and never relinquishes it. 1-0

246
 R
offers much the same, while developing a piece.
21. de1 Played after a long think. Korchnoi com-
◦ Korchnoi, V. pletely underestimates Timman’s threats. His idea
• Timman, J. of Rd1-e1-e3-g3 is far too slow. It also leaves the d-
?
B R
pawn vulnerable. Better is 21.Bxf8 Bg5 22.Bxb4.
2nd Match Game, Brussels 21... e6 22. e3 c5 Classical chess. An attack
1991 0-1 A18
B B Q K
on the flank is best met by a counter in the cen-
Black gets a very bad position and his only hope is ter. 23. xf8 g5 24. g3 xf8 White’s game is
a desperate counterattack.
N N B N R
a wreck. With time-trouble to boot, the end is clear.
1.c4 f6 2. c3 e6 3.e4 d5 These days 3...c5 4.e5 25.h4 h6 26.h5 g5 27. a2 b8 Played without
Ng8 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.d4 cxd4 7.nxd4 Nxe5 8.Ndb5 is hesitation. Timman wants to keep his pressure on

N N B
considered a fearsome pawn sacrifice, especially the b2- pawn. Still, 27...Rxd4 is much better for

Q K N R
in the hands of Kasparov. 4.e5 e4 5. f3 e7 Black. I see no defense against ideas like ...Na5-c4

N N K N B Q
6. c2 Forcing Black to resolve the tension to and ...g5-g4. 28.dxc5 g4 29. b1 c4 30. b3
White’s advantage. 6... g5 Over the board inspi- d2+ 31. a1 xb3+ 32. xb3 a5 Black has
ration? Black’s game lacks dynamic chances af- great pressure for his two pawns, but I felt White

N B
ter 6...Nxc3 7.bxc3 c5, but the text cedes a large could draw with 33.Bc2 d4 34.Qa3 Qxa3 35.bxa3

B B
center for free. 7. xg5 xg5 8.cxd5 exd5 9.d4 Bg7 36.Re1 Rb5 37.Nb4 Rxc5 38.Kb1 etc. With

R Q R
e7 10. e3 O–O 11.O–O–O A sharp decision. his flag flying high, Korchnoi uncorks a howler.

B R Q Q R R
White wins with a kingside pawn storm. Thus 33. d1 b5 The game is over now. 34. d3

N N R N K N K
he must only prevent a hit to his center. The f5 35. xd5 xb3 36. xb3 xb3 37.c6 d3

B N B
text annuls ...c7-c5. 11... c6 Seems artificial, but 38. b4 xd5 39. xd5 e8 40. f6+ d8
there is no "correct" way to attack White’s King. 41.f3 gxf3 42.gxf3 e6 43. g8 f4 44.h6 Be-

N B Q
Black must be bold or get crunched on the king- cause Viktor didn’t know the move number, he
side. 12.a3 a5 13. d3 h6 14. e2 Intending blitzed to this point though he had made the time

B K B
Bd3-c2, Qe2-d3 to induce ...g7-g6 and the win of control at move 40. He stopped blitzing here when

N K B K K N
a pawn. While a question of attacking styles, I his flag fell. 44... xe5 45.h7 c7 46.f4 g7

B N K K K
see no reason to reject the effective pawn roller 47. h6 xc6 48.f5 b3 49. b1 d6 50. g4
15.f4! 14...b5 A courageous offer by Timman. d5 51. h6 e5 52. c2 f4 White Resigns.
Most GMs are loath to offer a pawn to Korch- 0-1

B
noi. But here a pawn sacrifice is necessary. With-
out it, White plays alone. 15. c2 Winning the ◦ Korchnoi, V.
h6-pawn! If 16.Bxb5 or 16.Nxb5 Rb8!, it is ev- • Vladimirov, E.
ident that Black has reasonable counterattacking ?

R
chances. White shouldn’t be distracted from his Salamanca
own designs. 15... b8 Again well played. White 1991 0-1 A19
had added Qe2xb5 to his menu of possibilities. White makes some dubious moves in the opening,

Q B N N N N
The text envisages opening the b-file to White’s but he is able to recover.

B N B N
King. 16. d3 g6 17. xh6 b4 Masterful. Tim- 1.c4 f6 2. c3 e6 3.e4 c5 4.e5 g8 5. f3 d6

Q
man recognizes that timing is crucial. 17...Re8? 6.exd6 xd6 7.d4 cxd4 8. xd4 a6 9. e3 f6

N
18.h4 b4 19.axb4 gives White several tempi over 10. f3 O–O 11.O–O–O The King is very ex-

K
the game. The position is not about material, it’s posed on the queenside. 11... bd7 Prevent-

R Q Q
about King safety. That means cutthroat chess. ing 12.g4 due to 12...Ne5. 12. b1 If 12.Nxe6,

N
18.axb4 xb4 19. g3 A crucial moment. The then 12...fxe6 13.Rxd6 Ne8. 12... c7 13.h3

Q B N N
ensuing positions do not work out well for White. Not 13.Ndb5? axb5 14.Nxb5 Qa5. 13... e5

B B Q B B Q
His Queen is misplaced and his kingside attack 14. e2 d7 15. b3 Better is 15.Bf4. 15... g6
grinds to a halt. Better is 19.Bxf8. 19... h4 But 16.f3 e5 17. f2 xc3 18. b6 c8 19.bxc3

R R
this is the rub. Black hits the Queen and forces her e5 Black is a bit better because his King is

N B Q K
to a bad square. Additionally, the Bh4 does a nice safer than White’s. 20.h4 h5 21. d6 e8

Q B Q Q
job of delaying White’s h-pawn attack. In pass- 22. c5 c6 23. g3 e4 24. b2 exf3 Better is

Q B R R
ing, White’s threat of Bc2xg6 is stopped. A move 24...Qb8. 25.gxf3 f5 26. d3 xf3 27. xf3

B
with multiple bonuses! 20. f4 c6 An easy move xf3 28. g1 ac8 Better is 28...Ng4. Now

R R R B B
to second-guess. Black defends his d5-pawn and White is able to restore the equilibrium. 29. xg6
opens the way for ...Qd8-b6. However, 20...Be6 fxg6 30. xg6 c6 31. xc6 xc6 32. c7

247
R K B B N N B
R B B B N N N
e2+ 33. b3 e8 Both players were in time 1.c4 e6 2.g3 d5 3. g2 f6 4. f3 e7 5.O–O

N N R N R N B Q Q R Q
pressure here. 34. g5 f7 35. e5 Correct is O–O 6.b3 c5 7. b2 c6 8.cxd5 xd5 9. c3

K
35.Re5. 35... e8 36. xb7 e4 37. a5 xh4 xc3 10. xc3 c7 11. c2 d8 12. b2 White

R B R Q
38. b4 This pins the c-pawn, which he needs will try to make something of the battery on the

K K R R B N N B R R
to start advancing. Better is 38.Ka3. 38... e4 long diagonal. 12... f8 13. ac1 b6 14.d3
39. c5 h4 40. b6 h3 41.c5 e2 42.c6 b2+ d7 15. e5 xe5 16. xe5 ac8 17. c4 An-

K R B
White has good chances after 42...h2 43.Bxh2 other unit joins the attacking force. 17...f6

Q B
Rxh2 44.c7. 43. a7 b5 Not 43...h2 44.c7 h1=Q 18. xf6 Retreating the Bishop allows ...e6-e5,

R B
45.c1=Q with an unclear position. Now White is in when Black is fine. 18...gxf6 19. xf6 e8

N R K R N
trouble because his Bishop is pinned to his Rook. 20. g4+ g6 21.h4 White threatens to regain the
44.c7 xc7 45. xg7+ f8 46. g5 e8 White piece with h4-h5. However, Black smoothly re-

B
Resigns. There is no defense to 47...h2. pulses the attack, and White is forced to part with

Q Q B R K
0-1 even more material to keep some play. 21... g7

R Q K R
22. g5 h5 23. xg6 hxg4 24. e4 c7 25. g2
◦ Korchnoi, V. f7 26.h5 f6 27. xg4 f7 28.f4 It is very hard
• Timman, J.
B B K R Q
to believe White has sufficient compensation for

Q K Q K
? a Rook. 28... h6 29. g6+ f8 30. f3 b4

R Q Q Q K
4th Match Game, Brussels 31. h4 g7 32.e4 e5 33.fxe5 d2+ 34. h3
1991 1/2-1/2 A19 xf3 35. xd8 g5 36. d7+ g8 White has
White sacrifices a pawn in the opening which no more than a draw after 36...Kf8 37.Qe8+
has been known to give him dangerous attacking Kg7 38.Qd7+, but eliminating all of Black’s
chances. Black gives the pawn back to transpose pawns with 37.Qc8+ Kg7 38.Qxb7+ Kf8 39.Qa8+

N N N N N
into the endgame. Kg7 40.Qxa7+ Kf8 41.Qb8+ Kg7 42.Qc7+ Kf8

N N N N
1.c4 f6 2. c3 e6 3.e4 c5 4.e5 g8 5. f3 c6 43.Qxc5+ leaves a position where it is not clear that

B Q B N B N Q
6.d4 cxd4 7. xd4 xe5 8. db5 a6 9. d6+ even seven pawns for the Rook is enough to win.

Q N Q Q
xd6 10. xd6 f6 11. e3 e7 12. b6 f5 37. h7+ Oops. 37...Kf8 38.Qh8+ Ke7 39.Qe8#.

Q B
13. b4 c6 Better is 13...Qe7. 14. c5 e7 Black Resigns.
15.O–O–O xc5 16. xc5 d6 Sacrificing the 1-0

B
pawn back to break the bind that White has on
the position. 17. xd6 It is better to retain this ◦ Damljanovic, B.
• Gelfand, B.
N R
Bishop with 17.Ba3. The d-pawn is weak and

K B R B
cannot be held in any case. 17... xd6 18. xd6 ?
e7 19.c5 d7 20.g3 ac8 21. h3 Underes- Belgrade

N
timating Black’s next move. Better is 21.Bg2. 1991 0-1 A07

R R B
21... e5 Now White has trouble with his ad- Grandmaster Boris Gelfand of Minsk is one of the

R B
B N N B B N
vanced c-pawn. 22. hd1 hd8 23. g2 top five Grandmasters in the world.

R B N N N N
xc5 24. xb7 a5 25. e4 g4 Better is 25...f5. 1. f3 d5 2.g3 g6 3. g2 g7 4.O–O f6

R R R R Q Q N
26. 6d2 f5 27. g2 f6 28.f4 Fixing Black’s 5.d3 O–O 6. bd2 c6 7.c4 e5 8.cxd5 xd5

R R R N
pawns. 28... b8 29. e1 h6 30. d4 b4 9.a3 h6 10. c2 a5 11.e3 e7 12. e4 This al-

N B B B N R B N
31. ed1 g5 32.a3 xd4 33. xd4 g4 34.h4 lows Black to play ...f7-f5 with tempo. Bet-

K N B R R Q R N N N
e3 35. f3 gxh4 36.gxh4 c6 37. e2 d5 ter is 12.Nb3. 12... d8 13. d2 f5 14. c5

K K R R B B N
38. d2 xc3 39.bxc3 e4 40. c4 d5+ 41. f7 15. ab1 b6 16. a4 de7 17. e1 Bad

R N N
e3 d6 42. c8 c5 43. a6 Draw by Agree- is 17.b4? axb4 18.axb4 e4!. 17... b7 18. c3
ment. d7 19.b4 axb4 20.axb4 d8 21. f3 Bet-

R R R N
1/2-1/2 ter is 21.Bxb7 with just a slight advantage for

B K N K
Black. 21...g5 22. a1 b8 23. fd1 g4 24. e1
◦ Salov, V.
N
xg2 25. xg2 e6 26. g1 In time pressure
• Beliavsky, A.
Q N K Q K
White is playing without a plan. 26... g5

N
? 27. a2 f3+ 28. g2 e4 29. xf7+ xf7 30.d4

K R
Linares c5 Opening up lines for his pieces. 31. xf3

B R
1991 1-0 A14 exf3+ 32. f1 cxd4 33.exd4 xd4 Black has

R R R R
Salov makes a gutsy but dubious sacrifice, then won a pawn and is winning. 34. e1 bd8

N R N R N
gets lucky. This game is a testimony to never giv- 35. xd4 xd4 36. a7 d3 Not 36...Rxb4??
ing up. 37.Rxe7+. 37. b5 d5 38. c7 d7 39. b5

248
R N K B B N Nd6 30.Bc1 Qh3 31.Rh2 Qxh2+ 32.Kxh2
N N B N B Bf5 33. Qb3 Rae8 34.Bf4 Nd7 35.Bh5 Nxe5
xa7 40. xa7 e6 41. d2 h5 42. e3 d5

K K N K N K 36.Bxe8 Ng4+ 37.Kg1 Bd4+ 38.Kf1 Rxe8

43. c8 xe3+ 44.fxe3 f8 45. xb6 xb4

N B B K 39. Qd1 Ne3+ 40.Bxe3 Bxe3 41.Kg2 Be4+

46. f2 d6 47. c4+ d5 48. b6+ e4

B N K N B N 42.Kh3 Nf7 43.Rb3 Ng5+ 44.Kh4 Nf3+ 45.

49. a4 h4 50.gxh4 e7 51.h5 h4+ 52. f1

N N K Kh3 Ng5+ 46.Kh4 Nf3+ Draw by 3-fold repeti-

g5 53. c5+ xe3 54. e6 h6 55. d8 f4 56.
f7 g3 57.hxg3 fxg3 58. xh6 g2+ 59. g1 f2+
White Resigns. 60.Kxg2 Ke2 forces the promotion tion.
of a pawn. 1/2-1/2
0-1
◦ Kamsky, G.
• Kasparov, G.
◦ Shirov, A.
?
• Nunn, J.
Dortmund
?
1992 1-0 E97
Germany
N N B
N
The US champion knocks off the world champion.
1992 1-0 E99
B N
N N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5. f3
A Latvian GM and English GM square off in the
N R K N
O–O 6. e2 e5 7.O–O c6 8.d5 e7 9. d2
N N B N
German chess club league.
Q N N N
a5 10.a3 d7 11. b1 f5 12.b4 h8 13.f3 g8
B N N N N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5. f3 O–O
N B R B R B
14. c2 gf6 15. b5 axb4 16.axb4 h5 17.g3
N B N
6. e2 e5 7.O–O c6 8.d5 e7 9. e1 d7
df6 18.c5 d7 19. b3 h6 20. c3 f4
N N N
10. d3 f5 11. d2 f6 12.f3 h5 13.exf5 gxf5
A Kasparov novelty that he worked out in his
N
14.f4 e4 15. f2 g4 16. xg4 fxg4 This gives up
home laboratory. 21.cxd6 Taking the Bishop
B R B K N B
control of the center. Better is 16...hxg4. 17. xe4
is dubious: 21.gxf4?! Nxf4. Black threat-
R B N R B
xb2 18. b1 d4+ 19. h1 f5 20. d3 b6
N
ens 22...Nxe2+ as well as 22...Nxd5 followed by
21. e1 d7 22. g5 f6 23. b4 Threatening
23...Qg5+. 21... xg3 22.hxg3 One can imagine
B B R
24.Bxf5 with a discovered attack on the Bishop.
how difficult it is for White as the world champion
23...a5 24. a3 c3 25. e2 White is threaten-
N N
has probably worked out most of these complex
R
ing to control the important a1-h8 diagonal with
variations at home. 22... h5 23.gxf4 xf4 But
25.Rc1 Bb4 26.Bb2. 25...h4 26. e6 Not 26.Rc1?
B N
not everything has been worked out perfectly. Cor-
N
due to 26...Ng3+ 27.hxg3 hxg3 28.Rxc3 Rxf4 win-
K
rect is 23...Qh4. 24. c4 h3+ Black has nothing
ning the Knight on g5. 26... h6 If 26...Bxe6,
after 24...Qg5+ 25.Kf2 Qh4+ 26.Ke3. 25. h1 Not
B K Q B Q
then 27.Nxe6 Rxe6 28.Qxg4+ Ng7 29.dxe6 wins.
Q
25.Kg2 Qg5+ 26.Kxh3 f4 27.Kh2 Qg3+ 28.Kh1
27. h7+ g7 28. d3 xe6 29. xc3 Gaining
N
Qh3+ with a draw by perpetual check. 25... h4
B B
control of the a1-h8 diagonal is decisive. White
Q R
26. b3 Clearing the second rank for his Queen
now threatens Bb2 and Ne4. 29... g8 30. b2
R
for defensive purposes. 26...fxe4 27. h2 f5
Black Resigns. If 30...Bxh7, then 31.Ne6+ wins
Q Q
28.f4 h5 Threatening 29...Nf2+ 30.Rxf2 Qxf2.
the Queen.
The players were short on time. 29. g3 xg3
1-0
If 29...Nf2+, then 30.Qxh4+ Rxh4+ 31.Kg1 Rg4+

R B K
32.Kf2 Ra2+ 33.Nd2 Rg2+ 34.Ke1 is winning for
◦ Gurevich, M.
B
White. 30. xg3 exf4 31. b2+ g8 32.dxc7
• Gelfand, B.
B K N
xb5 If 32...fxg3, then White wins immediately
? with 34.d6+. 33. xb5 fxg3 34. g2 g5 35.d6

R K R B K
Munich There is no stopping the connected passed pawns.

N N N B
1992 1/2-1/2 E97 35... h2+ 36. xg3 xb2 37. c4+ g7 38.d7
1. f3 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5.d4 O–O Black Resigns.
White’s move order is used to reach the King’s In- 1-0

B
dian Defense positions without allowing the Grun-
◦ Shirov, A.
NN N N
feld Defense, in which Black plays ...d7-d5. 6. e2
• Kovalev, A.
R K Q N N
e5 7.O–O c6 8.d5 e7 9. d2 a5 10.a3 d7

B N B B N
11. b1 f5 12.b4 h8 13. c2 g8 14.f3 gf6 ?

Q Q
15. d3 f4 16. b5 b6 17. b2 g5 18. e2 e8 Germany

N N Q N Q N
19.g4 fxg3 20.hxg3 g4 21.fxg4 g5 22. d3 1992 1-0 E94

R N Q N
df6 23. f3 xg4 24. xe5 h3 25. c6 axb4 Black sacrifices a piece for a kingside attack, but
26. f2 bxa3 27. xa3 h6 28.e5 dxe5 29. xe5 will it work?

249
 N N B B
N N B N B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 O–O 5. e2 ful dark-square play. White has to deal with the

Q B N B R N N
d6 6. f3 e5 7.O–O a6 8. e3 g4 9. g5 twin threats of ...Bh6xc1 and ...Bh6-e3. Black

N
e8 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.h3 h6 12. c1 f6 13. e3 has seized the initiative. 20. c3 b4 21. c2

N B Q R
h5 Moving the Knight to the outpost on f4. Perhaps the decisive error. White plays into an

N Q K N R
14.c5 f4 15. b5 e6 16. e1 16.Qa4? Nxg2 ending but underestimates the dangers. Better

K B K
17.Kxg2 Qxh3+ wins for Black. 16... xg2 Sac- is 21.a3. 21... xf2+ 22. xf2 xc2 23. xc2

Q K B B
rificing a piece to open up the kingside. 17. xg2 e3+ 24. e1 Not 24.Kg3 because of 24...g5. If

Q B R
xh3+ 18. g1 g4 19. f1 Black has a strong 25.h3, then 25...Bg1 leads to mate and 25.h4 is also

N B K B K B K
attack after 19.Be2 f5. 19... h5 20. e2 ad8 bad after 25...Nh5+ 26.Kh2 Bf4+ 27.Kg1 gxh4.

B
If now 20...f5, then 21.Nxe5!. 21. d2 f5 22.exf5 24... f4+ 25. f2 e3+ 26. e1 g1+ 27. d2

B Q R R
22.Bxg4? fxg4 followed by ...Rf3 gives Black a xh2 With two pawns for the exchange Black has

N
strong attack. 22...gxf5 23. xg4 g6 If 23...fxg4, a large advantage in the ending. 28. e1 d8 An

B
then 24.Nce4 is good for White. 24. ce4 h5 important principle in such positions is to avoid

B R Q K N Q
24...fxe4 25.Kh1 is good for White. 25. g5 fxe4 exchanging the major pieces when an exchange

Q Q Q Q N
26. xd8 xd8 27. b3+ h8 28. xe4 xg4+ down. The extra major piece acts as an important
29. g3 f5 30. g5 xg5+ 31. xg5 White has defender. Also, the difference in strength between

R K B
a big advantage in the endgame due to his mate- Rooks and minors are emphasized when the mi-

N N B
rial advantage. 31... d4 Better is 31...Rg8, al- nors have to face the Rook alone. 29. d1 f4

R K B R K R K
though White is much better after 32.Kf1. 32. e6 30. d4 a6 31. d3 h5 For Black to win he has to

R R
g4+ 33. f1 f6 34. ad1 h7 35. e3 g6 create targets in White’s camp. This means pound-

N K R K R K B B R K R R
36. f3 Threatening 37.Rd7 and 38.Nf8+. 36...e4 ing out some outposts on the kingside. 32. c3

R N R N R
37. f8+ f7 38. d7+ xf8 39. xf6+ e8 h4 33. c2 g3 34. e2 g7 35. b3 b8 Not

R
40. h7 xc5 41. xc7 d7 42. h6 Black Re- 35...Bc8? 36.Re7 Kf8 37.Rexb7 and White has
signs. good chances to draw. 36. d2 b5 Black wants to

R R
1-0 give his Rook a bit more operating space. The a6-

B R N
weakness is easily covered. 37. a3 b6 38.b4
◦ Gelfand, B. d6 39. b3 h5 Since the ending began, Kas-
• Kasparov, G. parov has played masterfully. White’s pieces are
? still clumsy, the Rooks are ineffective and the
Linares Bishop hasn’t arrived on b3 in time to harass the
1992 0-1 E92 d5-pawn. Meanwhile Black has taken a grip on

N B N K
Gelfand tries to improve on a game that Kasparov the Kingside and is ready to increase the pres-

N N B B N
had in the previous world championship. sure there. 40. e2 e6 41.a3 g5 42. d4 f6

N B Q B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5. e2 43. xe6 White would lose quickly after 43.Rc3

N R
O–O 6. f3 e5 7. e3 c6 8. d2 exd4 Black Bf4 44.Re2 Be5 45.Rd2 Nf4. 43...fxe6 44. d3
plays for a counterattack against the e4-pawn. If f4 45. c3 d4 As Bobby Fischer once said, "To

N R
that fails White will be able to obtain a bind. get squares, you gotta give squares." Black stakes

N
9. xd4 e8 10.f3 d5 11.exd5 cxd5 12.O–O a claim for the e3- and c3-squares, while White

R N K
c6 13.c5 White will try to convert his control gets e4 and others. Black makes the better deal.

R B R N
of the d6- and d4-squares into outposts for his 46. c8 d5 47. e2 47.Re2 Nc3+ 48.Ke1 would

K
pieces. 13... xe3 Black’s main compensation for have held out longer. 47... f4 48. dc2 e3

Q Q N
the exchange will be his powerful King Bishop. 49. f2 White gives back the exchange, hoping

B K
14. xe3 f8 15. cb5 This is the novelty that that he will have chances in the ending with op-

N R
Gelfand had prepared. Karpov played 15.Nxc6 posite colored Bishops. 49... g3+ 50. g1

Q R
against Kasparov in the 1990 world championship. xc2 51. xc2 g4 Played in order to get con-

Q
15... xc5 16. ac1 Not 16.Nf5? d4 17.Nfxd4 a6 nected passed pawns. If White tries 52.Be4 gxf3

Q B K K
18.Rac1 Qb6 and White loses material. 16... b6 53.gxf3 h3 54.Rc6 Rxc6 55.Bxc6 d3 wins because

K K R R B
17. f2 d7 Black needs to start immediate activ- of the outside passed pawn. 52.fxg4 g5 53. f1

R R B R K B R K
ity while White’s pieces are unstable in the center e5 54. e2 xg4 55. c8 f6 56. e4 Better was

B B K R
of the board. 18. fd1 e8 19. f1 White pre- 56.Rg8+. 56... f2+ 57. d3 f4 58. g8+ h5
pares the shot 20.Nxc6 bxc6 21.Nxa7 winning a 59. d5 g5 60. e4 xg2 Adjourned but White
pawn. Currently this fails to ...d5-d4 at the end resigned without resuming. After 60.Kxe5 Bf6+

B
of the line, when the e2-Bishop ends up hang- 61.Kxf6 Rxg8 62.Bxg8 d3 is a case of the over-
ing. 19... h6 This is the rub. Black has beauti- worked Bishop. Another very impressive game by

250
 N R N
Kasparov. pieces out of position and ultimately weaken his

R R
0-1 Kingside. 18... e8 19.e6 fxe6 20. xe6 ef6

N
21. de1 f7 22.b4 And this blockading move

R B N B Q R B
prevents ...c6-c5. 22...a5 23. a4 axb4 24.axb4
◦ Timman, J.
B R N
a8 25. b3 f8 26. e5 c8 27. xf6 xf6
• Kasparov, G.
R
28. xf6 xf6 29. c5 Spurning the chance to re-
Linares
N Q Q R
gain the sacrificed material with 29.Nb6. 29... f7
Spain
N K N N
30. g4 c7 31. b2 g7 Necessary to prevent
1992 0-1 E87
K N K N R R Q
32.Nh6 mate! 32. f6+ f7 33. a4 h6 34. g4
Even against his most serious rivals Kasparov car-
Q N Q R K
g8 35. f6+ h8 36. e8 xe8 37. xe8 f7
ries risk strategy to the maximum. In one of the
N
38. e5 h5 39. b6 d7 40. xf8+ h7
strongest series of the decade, he was undefeated
41. xd7 Black Resigns.
N N B
and led the field by a clear 2 points.
1-0
B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5.f3

N Q
O–O 6. e3 e5 7.d5 Establishing a giant pawn
◦ Bareev, E.
N B N
wall to constrict Black. 7... h5 8. d2 f5
• Shirov, A.
9.O–O–O d7 10. d3 c5 A provocative in-
?
novation. 10...Ndf6 is usual. Now, with both sides
Dortmund
B N N
on opposite wings, savage attacks can be expected.
1992 1-0 E73
N R N R K N
11. c2 a6 12. ge2 b5 13.b4 d7 14.cxb5 axb5
N N B B
A positional masterpiece.
N N Q
15. xb5 xa2 16. ec3 a8 17. b2 df6
B B N Q
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5. e2
N
18. a7 fxe4 19. c6 d7 20.g4 Overreaching.
O–O 6. g5 h6 7. e3 bd7 8. c2 e5 9.d5 c6
N
Better is the humble 20. fxe4. 20... f4 21.g5
N N
10.h4 h5 Allowing h4-h5 would weaken Black’s
N N
6xd5 A surprise. Inferior is 21...N6h5 22.
kingside. 11. h3 cxd5 12.cxd5 a6 13. g5 b5
B
Bxe4 dominating the board. 22. xd5 d3+ Of
14.a4 b4 If 14...Rb8, then 15.a5 is strong. White
N K N
course not 22...Qxc6?? 23. Ne7+ 23. xd3 exd3
N R B Q Q
would later like to maneuver his Knight to c6 via
24. ce7+ h8 25. xc8 e4+ White Resigns. If
B R Q R
a2 and b4. 15. d1 a5 16. c1 b7 17. c7 b8
26. Kb3 Qa4+ 27. Kc4 Qc6+ 28. Kb3 Qxd5 mate;
18. b5 c8 19. xb8 axb8 White is better in
or 26. Nc3 Qa4 27. Kc1 Qa1+ 28. Nb1 Ra2; finally
K R K R K
the ending because of Black’s weaknesses at a5
26. Nf6 Rxf6 27. Bd4 Rxf3 carries the day.
K K N R
and d6. 20. d2 xc1 21. xc1 c8+ 22. b1
0-1
R
f8 23.b3 e7 24. b2 c3 Better is 24...Ng4.

R
25. c1 Black is unable to defend his position af-
◦ Lautier, J. ter the exchange of Rooks. 25... xc1+ A bet-
• Bologan, V.
K N B B
ter fighting chance was 25...Nxd5 26.exd5 Bxd5.
?
B N
26. xc1 g4 27. a7 h6 28.f3 f6 29.fxg4 fxg5
Manila
B
30. e3 c5 Also losing is 30...hxg4 31.hxg5 Bg7
1992 1-0 E81
B N B K
32.Nc4 and the pawn on a5 falls. 31.hxg5 g7

B B K N K N
The young French Champion, Joel Lautier, uses 32. xc5 dxc5 33. c4 c8 34.d6+ d8 35.d7
a swarm of Knights to win this game, played in xd7 36. xd7 xd7 37. xa5 c7 38. c4
the Olympiad, or international team tournament, in Black Resigns. Black’s King is tied down to the
Manila. The Philippines have a long chess history passed a-pawn and his Bishop is completely shut-
and many strong players; it is also the home of the in, hence White’s King and Knight will be free to
president of FIDE (the international chess federa- roam the board picking up Black’s pawns.

N N B
tion), Florencio Campomanes. 1-0

B N N Q B
1.c4 f6 2. c3 g6 3.e4 d6 4.d4 g7 5.f3
◦ Hubner, R.
N B R Q
O–O 6. e3 bd7 7. h3 c6 8. d2 e5 9. e2
a6 10. f2 exd4 11. xd4 b5 12. d1 a5 In • Kasparov, G.
this type of position arising from the King’s In- Dortmund (6)
dian Defense, Black seeks compensation for his Germany
weak d-pawn in Queenside expansion and active 1992 1-0 E69
play. Lautier shows in this game that White Kasparov managed to hold back a field of hungry

B B B Q
is not without a certain activity, too. 13.a3 lions by tying for first with Ivanchuk at 6-3. The

R R
bxc4 14. xc4 d5 15. a2 b7 16.O–O c7 sensation of the tournament was the first-ever vic-
17. fe1 ad8 18.e5 A good plan to push Black’s tory of veteran Robert Hubner over the reigning

251
 Q K B Q Q K
B Q Q B R
world champion. A wild and wooly midgame is 34. h5+ d8 35. xe5 c6 36. d1+ e8

N N B B
typical tactical chess at its best. 37. d5 g6 38. d4 b6 39. xh8 d7 40.g3

N N Q
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 g7 4. g2 O–O 5. c3 Black Resigns. White will play 41.Qe5 threaten-
d6 6. f3 bd7 7.O–O e5 8.e4 c6 9.h3 b6 ing 42.Nf6+ and 42.Qb8+.

N N Q
10.c5 Leads to great complications. More usual is 1-0

B N N B R B
10. d5 Nc5. 10...dxc5 11.dxe5 e8 12. a4 a6

N N Q N B
13. g5 b5 14. c3 c7 15. e7 e8 16. d6
◦ Seirawan, Y.
K R Q N R
e6 17.a4 b4 18. e2 a5 19. d2 a6
• Mecking, H.
B N N N N
20.f4 c4 21. h2 ad8 22. c2 b6 23. fd1
?
Q N Q Q Q B
f8 24. f3 c3 25. ed4 xd4 26. xd4 cxb2
Sao Paulo
K Q Q N
27. xb2 c4 28. b3 b6 29.a5 b7 30. xf8
1992 1-0 D85
R R N B B Q
xf8 31.e6 c5 32.e5 c7 33.exf7 xf7 34. c6
Mecking is widely considered to be the greatest
N
xd1 35. xd1 xe5 36. d5 c4 37. c2
Latin American chess talent since Capablanca. A
g4+ Leads to a lost endgame. 37...b3! of-
debilitating disease forced him to retire but he is
R Q B B B B
fers much better chances to survive. 38.hxg4
N N N
now making a comeback.
N B B K B K
e2+ 39. xe2 xe2 40. xf7 xd1 41. c4 b3
N B B N N R
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4.cxd5 xd5 5.e4
K K Q B B N
42. xa7 b2 43. a2 e2 44. g2 d3 45. f3
Q B
xc3 6.bxc3 g7 7. e3 c5 8. f3 c6 9. c1
K K
e7 46. e3 b1= 47. xb1 xb1 48. b5
cxd4 10.cxd4 a5+ 11. d2 An over-the-board
d7 49.a6 c6 50.f5 Black Resigns. If 50...gxf5
sacrifice. The resulting position is analogous to
51. gxf5 Bxf5 52. Nd6! and the threat of a7 is
similar a2-pawn sacrifices in the Gruenfeld with
decisive.
Q
an added plus for White- Black hasn’t castled.
1-0
N
11... xa2 Black hardly has a choice, as other

N B
moves just give him a bad game. 12.d5 e5 Black
◦ Cebalo, M.
B B Q
is forced to walk a narrow path. 13. xe5 xe5
• Gutman, L.
B K
14. b5+ d7 15. e2 Threatening 16.Bxd7+
?
Q K
and 17.Qb5+. 15...a6 Forced. 16. xd7+ xd7
Bad Woerishofen
17. g4+ d8 Black correctly avoids ...e7-e6 and
1992 1-0 D85
Q
...f7-f5 which would allow White to open the game
White rips open Black’s King’s position, sacrific-
when he needs to. 18. g5 The best way to un-
N N N
ing both his Rooks in the process.
tangle the White pieces. 18...f6 Too risky is
N B N R B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4.cxd5 xd5 5.e4
Q
18...Bb2 19.d6, White has opportunities for Bd2-
Q
xc3 6.bxc3 g7 7. f3 c5 8. b1 a6 9. e2
a5+ and Rc1-c7. 19. e3 This was the posi-
Q B
a5 10.O–O Sacrificing a pawn to gain time
tion that I was aiming for when I provoked ...a7-
Q
in development. 10... xa2 11. g5 Mak-
Q K B
a6. White’s compensation for the a-pawn is clear.
Q N Q
ing it difficult for Black to castle. 11... a5
19... a4 20.O–O e8 21. c3 Simple chess.
R
12. c1 d7 13.e5 d8 Worth considering is
Black’s Bishop on e5 occupies too powerful an out-
R
13...Qc7 followed by ...b6 and ...Bb7. 14. d1
post. White controls the c-file, but the business
cxd4 15. xd4 h6 If 15...O-O, then White gets
B R K
square c7 is covered, thus an exchange of Bish-
a strong attack with 16.Bh4 followed by Rh4.
ops is in order. 21... xc3 22. xc3 f7 23.e5
B Q
Best is 15...Qc7 16.Bh6 Bxh6 17.Qxh6 Ne5.
A powerful and thematic move. Black’s King
16. h4 c7 Better is 16...O-O. 17.e6 Destroy-
has found a temporary haven and White has to
ing Black’s pawn structure. 17...fxe6 If 17...Nc5,
R R R Q R
blow open its burrow. exf6 and Rc3-c7 are threat-
R Q
then 18.exf7+ Kxf7 19.Bg3 followed by Ne5+ is
Q K Q R K
ened. 23... ac8 24. xc8 xc8 25. h3 f8
good for White. 18. c4 d6 If 18...Qd8, then
Q Q R K Q
26. xh7+ e8 27.e6 e4 28. c1 d8 29.d6
Q R Q R Q
19.Qc2 Nf8 20.Bd3 Kf7 21.Rf4+ Bf6 22.Ne5+
R Q R K K
xe6 30.dxe7+ xe7 31. c8+ xc8 32. xe7
B K
wins. 19. c2 e5 20. d1 e6 21. c7 b6
Q K Q
d8 33.h4 b5 34. xf6 d1+ 35. h2 b7
R B Q Q
22. c4 d8 If 22...Qxc7, then 23.Qxg6+ Kd8
36. f3+ b6 37. xd1 Black Resigns.
B Q Q R B
24.Qxg7 wins. 23. cxd7+ xd7 24. d3 c6
1-0
25. d5 d6 26. b1 a7 27.c4 g5 28. g3

N B
g4 If 28...b6, then 29.Qe4 followed by 30.Nxe5
is strong. 29. d2 a4 Better would have ◦ Ftacnik, L.
• Krasenkov, M.
N Q B B Q K
been 29...Rf8 30.Ne4 Qg6 followed by 31...Rf4.

Q B
30. e4 c7 31. e6+ xd1 32. xd1+ e8 ?
33. xg4 Black has no good defense left. 33... f8 Dortmund

252
 B N N R B
R B K R R
1992 1-0 D88 35. xa6 c3 36. e1 c2 37. xc2 xc2 38. b7

N N N QR B
A piece sacrifice turns the tables. b2 39. xd5 g7 40.a6 xb6 41.a7 a6

N B B N N B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4.cxd5 xd5 5.e4 42.a8= xa8 43. xa8 Draw by Agreement.

R N B
xc3 6.bxc3 g7 7. c4 c5 8. e2 c6 9. e3 1/2-1/2

B B
O–O 10. c1 a5 11. d3 e5 12.d5 b6 13.O–O
Better is 13.c4. 13...f5 14.f3 f4 15. d2 c4 16. c2 ◦ Shirov, A.
• Georgiev, Kir.
K K Q Q Q
h5 This weakens the g6 square. Better is 16...g5.

B R R
17.g3 g5 18. h1 h8 19. e1 f6 20. f2 ?

N
h3 21. g1 f7 Better is either 21...fxg3 or Biel
21...Bh6. 22.gxf4 gxf4 23. xf4 This piece 1992 0-1 E25

Q
sacrifice will deflect Black’s Queen away from Sometimes there is no justice. In this game,
the important f4 square. 23...exf4 24.e5 xe5 poor Alexi Shirov must have been asking himself,

Q B
If 24...Qd8, then 25.e6 Rf8 26.Rce1 Bf6 27.Rg6 "What did I do wrong?" as his pawn-grabbing is

Q K B Q N N B B
wins. 25. h4 f5 If 25...Bd7, then 26.Rg5 punished by an old-fashioned King hunt.

R K N Q
wins. 26. xh5+ g8 27. xf5 xf5 27...Rxf5 1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4.f3 d5 5.a3 xc3+

R K
28.Rxg7+ Kxg7 29.Rg1+ wins. 28. xg7+ xg7 6.bxc3 c5 7.cxd5 xd5 8. d3 White’s Queen
29. g1+ f8 The move 29...Kf6 would have held is vulnerable to attack on this square, but he had

Q K Q B Q B K
out longer, although White is much better after to defend the c3-pawn in order to advance e2-

K N N N
30.Qh4+ Ke5 31.Rg5. 30. h8+ e7 31. xa8 e4. 8...b6 9.e4 a6 10. d2 xf1 11. xf1

B
d6 If 31...Qd3, then 32.Qxa7+ Kf6 33.Qxb6+ e7 12. e2 bc6 And Black has taken advan-

R
wins. 32. c1 Bringing the Bishop into play via tage of the situation to prevent White from castling.

B K Q
a3. 32... b7 If 32...Kc5, then 33.a4 followed by Now White’s strong center could provide him
34.Ba3+ wins. 33. a3+ xd5 34. e8 Black some King safety, but rather than settle for quiet

Q
Resigns. There is no defense to 35.Rg5 Qxg5 position-building, he sets off on a material quest

Q R K R
36.Qe4#. that leaves his King in grave danger. 13.dxc5 c8

N
1-0 14. e3 O–O 15.cxb6 d8 16. f2 axb6 17. b1
e5 With the capture of the d3 square, Black rules
◦ Nikolic, Pr.
Q Q B N
the board. The loss of material is an unimpor-
• Epishin, V.
K B R N
tant consequence. 18. xb6 c4 19. e3 d3+

K N
? 20. g3 f5 21. g5 d7 22. d4 f4+ And the

K N Q Q R
Wijk aan Zee band played "Waltzing Matilda"... 23. h4 g6+
1992 1/2-1/2 E60 24. h5 f8 25. c6 a2 26. hg1 White can’t
A great fighting game between two of the world’s even afford to capture a whole Rook, as Black’s

N N B Q Q K
top Grandmasters. Queen would gain decisive proximity to the White

B B N B K N K Q
1.d4 f6 2. f3 g6 3.c4 g7 4.g3 c5 5.d5 d6 King. 26...e5 27. xa8 f7+ 28. h4 h6 29.g4

Q
6. g2 a6 7.a4 e5 8.dxe6 xe6 9. g5 xc4 hxg5+ 30. h3 exd4 31.cxd4 f2+ 32. g2 a2

N B B R B N K Q R R Q
9...Nc6 10.Nxe6 fxe6 11.Nc3 is slightly better for Threatening a big discovered check. 33. b8

N N R K Q R
White. 10. d2 e6 11. xb7 a7 12. g2 d3+ 34. h1 e2 35. gf1 xd4 36. b3+

N N N Q N Q N Q R Q
O–O 13. xe6 fxe6 14.O–O bd7 15. b1 d5 h7 37. b5 d6 Idea: ...Rh6 and mate. 38.h4

K
16.e4 e5 17. b3 c4 18. d4 b6 19.a5 Not g6 39. xg5 xh4 40. xh4+ h6 41. xh6+
19.exd5 exd5 20.Be3 Neg4 21.Bf4 Ne4 with ad- xh6 White Resigns.
vantage to Black. Now Black appears to be in 0-1
trouble. He needs to keep his e-pawn guarded,
◦ Shirov, A.
Q N
but 19...Qd6 20.f4 followed by e5 loses a piece.
19... d6 20.f4 xe4 Black gets good compen- • Karpov, An.
sation for the sacrificed piece. 21.fxe5 Not ?
21.Bxe4? dxe4 22.fxe5 Rxf1+ 23.Kxf1 Bxe5 Biel

R Q Q N Q B
24.Be3 Rd7 with a large advantage to Black. 1992 0-1 E25

R Q Q B
21... xf1+ 22. xf1 xe5 23. f3 d6 24. e3 Shirov uses the same line against Karpov that

N B K Q Q
b7 25. c1 b4 Threatening 26...Nc3. 26. h3 he used without success in his game with Kiril

R K R K R B
c3 27. xe6+ h8 28.bxc3 xb1 29. xb1 Georgiev. Karpov varies first, but he wins anyway.

B B R B N N B
xb1+ 30. g2 b2+ 31. f1 b5 32. b6 Will these youngsters never learn?

B B N Q
xc3 33. d7 b2 34. c8 White has just 1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4.f3 d5 5.a3
enough resources to hold the position. 34... f6 xc3+ 6.bxc3 c5 7.cxd5 xd5 8. d3 b6 9.e4

253
Ba6 10.Qd2 Bxf1 11.Kxf1 Ne7 12.Ne2 Nbc6 Alekhine. If White responds with Nb1-c3, the
13.dxc5 Qc7 Georgiev was happy with 13...Qc8.
14.Qf4 e5 15.Qg4 O–O 16.Kf2 Na5 17.cxb6 4.Bd2 Qe7 5.g3 Nc6
game transposes to the "Nimzo-Indian," named for

Qxb6+ 18.Be3 Qc6 19.Rhd1 Nc4 20. Bg5 6.Nc3 O–O 7.Bg2 Bxc3 8.Bxc3 Ne4 9.Rc1
Aron Nimzowitsch.

f6 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.
d6 10.d5 Nd8 If he had known what effect those
Bishops were going to have on the rest of the
game, Black might have taken this opportunity to

tant than the material in this opening. 28.Rxd1 would still have an edge. 11.dxe6 Nxe6 12.Bb4
It is clear that King safety is much more impor- remove one with 10...Nxc3. Of course, White

Rad8 29.Re1 Qf5 30.Qxf5 Rxf5 31.Kf2 Rd2 Bd7 13.Ne5 N6c5 14.Nxd7 Nxd7 15.O–O a5
32.Rb1 Ra2 33.Rb5 Rxa3 34. c4 Rf6 16.Ba3 Rfe8 17. b3 b6 18.Bb2 Rad8 19.Qd4
35.Rxe5 Rc6 36.c5 Ra5 37.Re7 Rcxc5 38.Nf4 Qf6 20.Qxf6 Ndxf6 21.Rfd1 h6 22.e3 Nd7
Re5 39.Rc7 Ra4 White Resigns. 23.Kf1 Re7 24.Ke2 Rde8 25.g4 White makes

his Knights. 25...Re6 26.h4 R6e7 27.Bf3 Ndc5

0-1 it harder for Black to solidify the e4 outpost for

28.Rd5 Na6 29.a3 Nac5 30.b4 axb4 31.axb4

◦ Kamsky, G.
• Portisch, L.
Na6 32.b5 Nac5 33.Ra1 White’s space advan-
lines. 33...Nf6 34.Rdd1 Nfe4 35.Ra7 Kf8
tage makes it more likely that he can utilize open
?
36.g5 hxg5 37.hxg5 Nxg5 38.Bc6 Rc8 39.Rh1
Manila
1992 1-0 E12
Kg8 40.Raa1 Nce6 41.Rh4 f6 42.Rg1 Kf7
43.Bd5 Ke8 44.Rh8+ Nf8 45.f4 Ne6 46. Kf3
The top boards of the US and Hungary square off

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 b6 4.Nc3 Bb7 5.Bg5

in the Olympiad.
46.Bxe6 Rxe6 47.Rxg7 is also strong, but White’s
h6 6.Bh4 Be7 7.e3 Ne4 8.Bg3 Bb4 9.Qc2
46...f5 47.Rg6 Nc5 48.Bxg7 Rf7
bind on the position is strong enough that he is in
Bxc3+ 10.bxc3 d6 11.Bd3 Nxg3 12.hxg3 Qe7 no 49.Bxf8 Black Resigns.
hurry.
13.Be4 Nc6 14.d5 Na5 15. dxe6 Bxe4 Bet-
1-0
16.Bxb7 Nxb7 17.Nd4. 16.Qxe4 O–O 17.exf7+
ter is 15...fxe6 16.Bg6+ Kd7 but not 15...Qxe6?

Qxf7 18.Rh4 White has a large advantage. ◦ Fischer, R.

• Spassky, B.
19.Rd1 Rae8 20.Qd3 Re6 21.Rf4
18...c6 If 18...Rae8, then 19.Qd5 is good for

Qh5 22.g4 Qg6 If 22...Qh1+, then 23.Ke2 Qxg2 15th Match Game, Sveti-Stefan & Belgrade
White. ?

White. 23.Qxg6 Rxg6 24.Rfd4 c5 25.Re4 1.c4 e6 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 Be7 5.O–O
24.Rg1 Qh3 25.Rxf8+ Kxf8 26.Qf5+ is good for 1992 1/2-1/2 E07

Rgf6 26.g5 Stopping 26...g5. 26...hxg5 27.Rd5 O–O 6.d4 Nbd7 7.Nbd2 b6 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Ne5
Rh6 28.Ke2 Rh1 29.Rxd6 Ra1 If 29...Rc1, Bb7 10.Ndf3 Ne4 11.Bf4 Ndf6 12.Rc1 c5
13.dxc5 bxc5 14.Ng5 Nxg5 15.Bxg5 Ne4
and Rdd7. 30.Rd2 Rc1 31.Nxg5 Rxc3 32.Re7 16.Bxe7 Qxe7 17.Bxe4 dxe4 18.Nc4 e3 19.f3
then White doubles on the seventh with 30.Re7

Threatening 33.Rdd7. 32...Nc6 33.Rc7 Ne5 Rad8 20.Qb3 Rfe8 21. Rc3 Bd5 22.Rfc1
34.Ne6 Black Resigns. g6 23.Qa3 Bxf3 Along with some incredibly
1-0 brilliant play, Fischer exhibited some surprisingly
rusty-looking stuff, too. It is clear that he was

R R K R K Q
not expecting this excellent sacrifice. 24.exf3 e2
◦ Kramnik, V.
25. e1 d1 26. f2 xe1 27. xe1 d7 Head-
• Ulibin, M.
Q Q N Q R
ing for d1 or h3. It seems Black must surely
?
Q R Q K N
win... 28. b3 h3 29. e3 xh2 30.g4 b8
Chalkidiki
31. d5 xb2 32. d8+ g7 33. f5+ But with
1992 1-0 E16
this move, White happily escapes with a draw.
The famous "Bishop Pair" are not to be under-
33...gxf5 Draw by Agreement.
rated. Strong in the middle game, they are even
1/2-1/2
more effective when facing two Knights on an open

N N B
board in the end game stage. Such is the case here.
1.d4 e6 2.c4 f6 3. f3 b4+ Called the "Bogo- ◦ Karpov, An.
Indian," after Bogolyubov, a contemporary of • Short, N.

254
 B Q B R
Q
? 34. d6 f7 35. xc5 g4 36.fxg4 fxg4 37. f2
1st Match Game, Linares h5 When declining the Queen swap, Short un-
1992 1-0 A52 doubtedly had visualized the diagrammed position
The first game of the quarterfinal world champi- and thought it was yummy. The c5-Bishop hangs
onship match. Short shocks everyone by playing a as does the h3-pawn - the drawbridge to White’s

N Q
dubious opening. monarch. Sadly for Short, White has a power-
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e5 The Budapest Gambit is un- ful answer in ... 38. e2 Indirectly protect-
sound. Nigel must’ve found something in Kar- ing the c5-Bishop, e.g., 38...Qxc5 39.Qxg4+ Kh8

N B N N B
pov’s historical record against this opening that 40.Qxh4+! (if 40.Rf7, then 40...Bxg2+ gives some

N
he liked. 3.dxe5 g4 4. f4 c6 5. f3 b4+ kicking chances) 40...Kg7 (now 40...Kg8 41.Qg4+
6. bd2 A conservative choice championed by Kh8 42.Rf7 is fatal, since White has picked up

Q N
Akiba Rubinstein. White gains the two Bish- the h4-pawn gratis) 41.Rf7+ Kxf7 42.Qh7+ Kf6

N N B R
ops and a better game. 6... e7 7.e3 gxe5 43.Rf1+ Ke5 44.Qf5+ Kd6 46.Rd1+ wins the
8. xe5 xe5 9. e2 O–O 10.O–O d6 This leads Queen. 38... g6 A time-trouble mistake which

R
to a highly unpleasant position. Black had to be lightens White’s task, Black still has some attack

N B N
content with 10...Bxd2 11.Qxd2 d6 and a solid after 38...Re4, avoiding exchanges. 39. d6

R
inferiority. 11. b3 b6 12.a3 c5 13. xc5 The clincher. White offers a piece exchange.
bxc5 14.b4 So White has won the two Bishops 39... e4 The last lemon of a bad day. Certainly

N B R K
after all. Additionally, he now has queenside tar- Black can try 39...Rxd6 40.Bxd6 Qg6 41.Qxg4

R R R K Q
gets upon which to gnaw. 14... d7 15. g4 Qxg4 42.hxg4 h3 with chances. 40. d8+ h7
a5 Hoping to clarify the queenside. The pawn- 41. f7+ g7 42. xg7+ xg7 43. b2+ Black

B
minus ending 15...Bb7 16.Bxd7 Qxd7 17.bxc5 Qc6 Resigns.

B Q R Q R
18.Qd5! is very unpleasant for Black. 16. xd7 1-0

Q
xd7 17.bxc5 dxc5 18. d5 a6 19. e5 e6
20. xc7 We can already speak about the position
as being won for White. An extra pawn, active ◦ Adams, M.
Queen, solid King...It’s to Nigel’s credit and fight- • Kasparov, G.
?
R Q
ing spirit that he nearly saves the game! Play on.
20... c8 21. b7 Right idea, wrong execution. Dortmund
It’s clear that Black’s only source of counterplay is 1992 0-1 D45
connected with the moves ...Bd7-c6, ...Re6-g6, and 20 year old Michael Adams is fast becoming one
...Qe7-e4. The text pins the Bishop preventing this of the top players in the world, but he is still no
match for the world champion.
N N N N
attack. But the b7-square is a light square, mean-

ing when the Bishop pops out to the c6-square, it
is with tempo. Simplest was 21.Qa7! Qe8 22.Rab1
Q R
Bc6 23.Rb8, exchanging pieces while eyeing the
Q B
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. c3 c6 4.e3 f6 5. f3 bd7
6. c2 d6 7.g4 White does not hide his aggres-
sive intentions. 7...dxc4 7...Nxg4? 8.Rg1 just

N
a5- and c5-kids. 21... e8 22. ab1 h5 Naturally favorably opens lines for White. 8.e4 Better is

N
Black makes White’s life as difficult as possible. 8.Bxc4. 8...e5 9.g5 exd4 10. xd4 If 10.exf6,
Now, should Black achieve ...Re6-g6 and ...Bd6- then 10...Qxf6 attacks both Knights. 10... g4

N B
c6, the defense Bf4-g3 runs into ...h5-h4. Black 11.h3 11.Nf5? Nde5 12.Nxg7+ Kf8 13.Nh5 Nf3+

N
also avoids 22...Bc6? 23.Qxc8 Qxc8 24.Rb8 ex- wins. 11... ge5 12. e3 Not 12.f4? Bc5

N K Q
changing pieces. 23.f3 While in the long run this 13.Nf5 Nf3+ 14.Ke2 Nd4 winning. 12... c5

R
13.O–O–O ed3+ 14. b1 e7 Black’s Knights
B Q
is a likely precaution, perhaps 23.h4!? first would

B
have White in a stranglehold. 15. g1 g6 Pre-
Q Q Q R R
better neutralize matters. 23... c6 24. b2 h4

K
venting the Knight from coming into f5. 16. g2
R Q Q Q K Q
25.h3 f5 26. c2 g6 27. c3 a4 28. f2 ce8

B B N R Q
29. d1 h5 30. c2 g6 31. h1 f6 Over- O–O 17. a1 17.Nde2 would have held out longer.

N Q B
coming the horrible opening hasn’t been easy, but 17... f4 18. xf4 xf4 19.h4 d8 20. d2

R
Karpov’s do-nothing approach has allowed Short Threatening 20.Nxc6. 20... cd3 21. e3 g4

Q
22. d2 22.f3 Qe5 or 22.Bf3 Bxf3 23.Nxf3 b5
Q
to do well. He now threatens ...g7-g5 and the ques-
24.e5 Nd5 win for Black. 22... e5 White resigns,
Q
tion of who’s better comes to mind. 32. b2
e7 I suspect that Karpov was in time pressure as he loses quickly after 23.Nc2 Nxb2 24.Kxb2
and that Short was entertaining the possibility of Rd3.

R
winning. After 32...Kf7, in order to ensure ...g7- 0-1
g5, Black should draw comfortably. 33. fd2 g5

255
◦ Karpov, An. B N K
R
c5 21.Rxd4 wins. 19. xf5 exf5 20. h6+ h8
• Shirov, A. 21. xg7 A brilliant destruction of the King’s re-
? maining guard. The true justification of White’s
Biel original pawn sacrifice can be seen in the fact

K
1992 1-0 D45 that even as the final hammer blow falls, Black’s

R K Q
In an outstanding positional game, the former Bishop remains on its original square. 21... xg7
World Champion takes full advantage of the weak 22. g1+ h8 23. e2 Black Resigns.
light squares the young Latvian creates around his 1-0

N N N N
King.

Q B B B
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3. c3 f6 4.e3 e6 5. f3 bd7
◦ Salov, V.
B R R Q
6. c2 d6 7. e2 O–O 8.O–O dxc4 9. xc4
• Ivanchuk, V.
b5 10. e2 e8 11. d1 c7 12.b3 e5 With this
?
central break Black hopes to equalize, but the pres-
Dortmund
B
sure White is able to exert with his active pieces
1992 0-1 D45
B N R N
against the Kingside proves too much. 13.h3 b7
N N N
Black grabs the initiative and never relinquishes it.
Q N N N B N
14. b2 a6 15.dxe5 xe5 16.a4 ad8 17. g5
N Q B B Q
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 d5 4. c3 c6 5.e3
e7 18. ce4 xe4 19. xe4 b4 20. g3
R B N
bd7 6. c2 d6 7. e2 O–O 8.O–O e7
Eyeing f5 and h5. With his next move, Shirov
N B R B B
9. d1 dxc4 10. xc4 e5 11.e4 exd4 12. xd4
hopes to avoid the weakening of his dark squares
b6 13. e2 e8 14. e3 d7 Not 14...Nxe4?
B
that would result from ...g6, but instead the light
R
15.Nxe4 Qxe4 16.Qxe4 Rxe4 17.Nxc6 bxc6
Q B
squares suffer. 20...f6 21. xe5 Removing the only
B N B N B
18.Rxd6 with a large advantage. 15.f3 ad8
B R N R
real light-square defender. 21... xe5 22. d3 h6
R Q
16. f1 bd5 17. f2 xc3 18.bxc3 c8
Q N R Q R Q
23. g6 f8 24. f5 c5 25.axb5 axb5 26. a7
N
19. ab1 c7 20.g3 h5 Creating weaknesses on
Q
c7 27. h4 xd1+ 28. xd1 a8 29. g4
N
White’s kingside. 21. e2 Threatening 22.Bxa7
R Q Q K
c6 Of course, 29...Rxa7 would lose to 30.Qe6+
B
and 23.Bb6. 21... d7 22.f4 Not 22.Bxa7? is met
B
and 31.Qe8 mate. 30. xb7 xb7 31. e6+ h8
with 22...b6. The best move is 22.Bg2. 22... c5
32. e4 Black Resigns. Not so much for the effect
B K
23.e5 Worth considering is 23.Nd4. Now White’s
of the skewer, but to allow the Knight to check on
Q N N N Q R
King becomes exposed. 23... xf2+ 24. xf2
g6.
R B R R
a5 25. d4 b6 26. b3 a3 27. d4 Better
1-0
R N B B R Q
is 27.Be2. 27...c5 28. d2 e6 29. bd1 xd2+

K K
30. xd2 c4 31. xc4 xc4 32. d6 a4 33.
◦ Krasenkov, M.
e3 A dubious King march. 33...b6 34. d2
• Sveshnikov, E.
K B
f6 This wins a pawn as now 35.exf6 is met with
?
35...Re2+. 35. c1 fxe5 36.f5 f7 37.f6 37.Nd2
Moscow
N Q
followed by 38.Ne4 would have held out longer.
1992 1-0 D45
Now Black wins a piece. 37...c4 38. d2 a3+
A vicious and direct assault, launched with the
White Resigns.
gambit of a pawn... this is the Romantic chess that
0-1
N N N N
was supposed to have died 100 years ago!

Q B
1. f3 d5 2.d4 f6 3.c4 e6 4. c3 c6 5.e3 bd7
6. c2 d6 7.g4 Up to this point, the opening ◦ Van Wely, L.
has been one of the most boring and conserva- • Kramnik, V.
tive possible. By any rational understanding of ?
Manila
N
the opening, Black has done nothing wrong; cer-
1992 0-1 D44
R N
tainly nothing that would justify this! 7... xg4

N
8. g1 h6 Hoping for 9.Rxg7? Qf6 with a 20 years old Van Wely and 17 year old Kramnik

B N N N B
double attack on g7 and f3. 9.e4 dxe4 10. xe4 are two very promising players.

B B B
b4+ Otherwise the Kingside will be ruined by 1.d4 d5 2. f3 c6 3.c4 f6 4. c3 e6 5. g5 dxc4

B Q N N B N N Q
the combined assault of the White pieces. 11. d2 6.e4 b5 7.a4 b7 8.e5 h6 9. h4 g5 10.exf6

R N B Q N R Q N
xd2+ 12. xd2 f5 13.O–O–O f6 14. d3 gxh4 11. e5 d7 12. h5 Unsound is 12.Nxf7?

N Q K Q B Q
O–O 15. g2 xe4 16. xe4 f6 17. e5 d8 Kxf7 13.Qh5+ Kxf6. 12... xf6 13. xd7

B R
18. g4 e7 Not 18...Qxd4? 19.Nh6+! after xd7 14.axb5 cxb5 15. xb5+ c6 16. xc4
which Black loses too much material: 19...Nxh6 d6 17. a6 White plays for a direct attack as
20.Qxd4; 19...Kh8 20.Nxf7+; 19...Kf8 20.Qb4+ Black is slightly better after 17.Nb5 Qf4 18.Nxd6

256
 R R R Q Q
B R
Qxd6. 17... hc8 18. xc6 xc6 19. a4 g5 the Kingside. Violent opposite-wing attacking is

Q K B N B B
20. b5 20.Bd3 Qc1+ 21.Nd1 Rb8 is good for the rule with opposite-wing castling. 11... fc8

N B
Black. 20... xg2 20...Qc1+ 21.Nd1 leads to 12. b1 f8 13. g5 g6 14.h4 g7 15.h5 e8

Q K B N N R N K
nothing. 21.d5 21.Rf1 a6 22.d5 axb5 23.Qxa8 16.hxg6 hxg6 17.f3 b5 18.cxb5 e7 19. e5 d4

K B R N
exd5 is good for Black. 21... xh1+ 22. e2 20. xd4 ed5 21. xd5 xc2 22. xf6+ f8

Q K N K B
d8 23. xc6 b8 24. b5 Bad is 24.Qxa7 Capturing the Knight leaves Black’s King in a cof-

Q K Q K B Q
Rxb2+ 25.Kd3 Qf1+. 24...exd5 25. a5+ e7 fin. 23. gh7+ e7 24. c5+ Black Resigns.

Q Q K R B
26. xa7+ f8 27. e3 g8 28.h3 f8 29. f4 1-0

R B K R K B
e4+ 30. xe4 dxe4 31. e3 b6 32. d7
◦ Karpov, An.
N K K R K K B
f6 33.b3 c5+ 34. xe4 xf2 35. d5 b4
• Short, N.
R B B N K N K
36. d4 g7 37. c4 f4 38. d5 f6 39. c8

N K N R B K
f1 40. g4 c3 41. f3 g6 42. xh4+ g5 ?
43. f3+ f4 44. h4 f2 45. c8 g5 White 7th Match Game, Linares
Resigns. 1992 1-0 D58

N N B B
0-1 Another Karpov masterpiece.

N B B B B
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. c3 f6 4. g5 e7 5.e3

B
O–O 6. f3 h6 7. h4 b6 8. e2 b7 9. xf6
◦ Gelfand, B.
xf6 10.cxd5 exd5 11.b4 Inhibiting ...c7-c5.
• Yusupov, A.
Black plays it anyway, but does not get a strong
?
R Q Q
pawn center. 11...c5 Otherwise White plays
Linares
N B B N Q
12.b5. 12.bxc5 bxc5 13. b1 a5 14. d2
1992 1/2-1/2 D37
N R Q B R
cxd4 15. xd4 xd4 16.exd4 a6 17. b5 d8
N N N B B
Some sharp tactics in a theoretical opening.
R R B N Q
18.O–O c6 19. fd1 f6 20. f1 ab8 21.a4
B Q N Q
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 d5 4. c3 e7 5. f4
fc8 22. b3 xb5 23.axb5 d8 24. a2
N N N N
O–O 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5 xc5 8. c2 c6 9.a3 a5
R R Q R
White starts building up on the weak a-pawn.
10.O–O–O e4 11. b5 a6 12. c7 e5 13. xd5
24... c7 25. a3 f5 26. e3 Not 26.Rxa7?
N
Bad is 13.Bxe5 Nxe5 14.Nxa8 Ng4 or 13.cxd5
N
Rc2. Now 27.Re8+ Kh7 28.Bd3 is threatened.
N
Qc7 14.Qxe4 exf4 15.dxc6 fxe3. 13... xf2 Not
R Q B
26... e6 Not 26...Rc2 27.Re8+ Kh7 28.Qxc2
B
13...Bf5 14.Nh4 or 13...exf4 14.Qe4. 14. g5
Q R B
Qxc2 29.Bd3+ winning. 27. e5 g4 28. e2
14.Qxf2 exf4 15.Nxf4 Re8 is unclear. 14... f5
g6 29.g3 bc8 30. h5 Not 30.Rxd5? Rc2
Q
14...f5 15.Qf2 exf4 16.Qxf4 is good for White.
winning. Black also has a good position after
15. xf2 Black is able to start a counterattack after
30.Qxd5 Rd8 31.Qe4 Qxe4 32.Rxe4 Rcd7 win-
Q N
15.Qxf5 g6 16.Nf6+ Kh8 17.Qd7 Bxa3. 15...exf4
Q Q
ning the d-pawn. After the text White wins a
N B R Q
16. xf4 e7 Bad is 16...Bg6 17.h4 with at-
B R R Q R
pawn. 30... f6 31. xd5 Threatening 32.Bxf7+.
R Q
tack. 17. xe7+ xe7 18. d5 e1+ Weak is
K K N Q R R
31...g6 32. e2 c3 33.h4 a3 34. e4 cc3
R Q R
18.Bd3? Bxa3 19.Qxf5 Qc3+. 19. d1 a5
R
35. g2 g7 36.d5 c5 37. d4 c2 38. e8
20. d5 e1+ 21. d1 Draw by 3-fold repetition.
aa2 38...Qxd4 would have held out longer, al-
1/2-1/2
though White is much better after 39.Rxd4 Raa2

R K Q R R N
40.Kf3 Ra3 41.Re3. Now White wins the Queen.
◦ Vera, R.
R R Q R K R
39. g8+ xg8 40. xf6 xe2 41. a1 e4
• Garcia, Gil. 42. xa2 xa2 43. d4 xf2+ 44. g1 e2
? 45.d6 Black Resigns.
Havana 1-0
1992 1-0 D37
White’s plan of castling long against the Tarrasch ◦ Magerramov, E.
Defense is slightly unusual. Normally in this line, • Sherbakov, R.
one side or the other ends up with an isolated d- ?
pawn, which is blockaded and attacked. In com- Cheliabinsk
pensation, the player with the isolated pawn hopes 1992 1-0 D52

N N N B B
to develop piece activity. White sacrifices a pawn in the opening for open

B Q N
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. c3 f6 4. f3 e7 5. f4 lines. Later he sacrifices even more for higher re-

Q B N N N B
O–O 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5 xc5 8. c2 c6 9.a3 turns.

N Q
a5 10.O–O–O d7 11.g4 However, it is clear 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3. f3 f6 4. c3 e6 5. g5
that White wants to develop a mad-dog attack on bd7 6.e3 a5 The Cambridge Springs was first

257
 B R
Q N
played by Marshall at the turn of century, but 23.Nxc6 bxc6 24.Rh7 wins. 22. xe7 xe7

N B N
it is still popular today. 7.cxd5 xd5 8. d2 If 22...Qxe5+, then 23.Kf1 Rxe7 24.Re1 Qf6

N K R R R
7b6 9. d3 This is a pawn sacrifice. 9... xc3 25.Rxe6 Rxe6 26.Nxe6 Qxe6 27.Rh8+! wins.

Q Q Q B Q K R
10.bxc3 a4 11.O–O Not 11.Rc1? Nxc3 fol- 23. f1 ae8 24. e1 g7 The only defense to

Q Q N Q B B Q N Q R
lowed by ...Bb4. 11... xc3 12. e2 b2 13. c2 25.Qh6 and 26.Qh8+. 25. h6 f8 26. h4

B Q Q B Q Q
b5 14. d1 c3 15. d2 b4 16. d3 a4 Threatening 26.Rf4+. 26... xd4 27. h8+ g8

B N R
17.a3 a5 18. b2 f6 Not 18...O-O? 19.Be7 28. f6+ f7 29. xf7+ xf7 30.gxf7 Black Re-
Re8 20.Bb4 winning. 19. h4 d5 20. fc1 signs. White has an easily winning position after
Black’s misplaced Queen gives White more than 30...Kxf7 31.cxd4.

B R Q Q B
enough compensation for the pawn. The threat 1-0
is 21.Rc4. 20... c7 21. c4 a5 22. c2 d6
◦ Spassky, B.
N R Q
23.e4 23.Bxh7 is not very strong after 23...Ne7.
• Fischer, B.
B
23... b6 Not 23...Nf4 24.Bg3. 24. c3 h5
25.a4 b4 Dubious is 25...Bxh2+ 26.Kxh2 g5 Return Match (6)

R B B N B
27.a5 Nd7 28.d5 with a big advantage to White. Sveti Stefan

R N
26. b3 a5 27. g3 O–O 28. c7 d7 29. c4 1992 1/2-1/2 D27
e8 30.e5 f8 This allows White to open up the At a press conference Bobby Fischer predicted the
Black King, but worse is 30...f5 31.Bd6! Bxd6 day was fast approaching when computers would

N
32.exd6 and the e6-pawn is very weak. 31.exf6 beat the best humans; and he suggested that per-
gxf6 32. d2 White prepares to move his attack haps the starting position might have to be changed

Q R
over to the kingside. The text move clears the before each game. "I think we’re coming to the

N B K
third rank for the Rook. 32... f7 33. g3+ end of the history of chess with the present rules,"

N R B
g6 More tenacious is 33...Kh8. 34. d3 g7 he said with regret. "We have to get away from

N
35. f3 Threatening Nh4. 35... g8 36. xg6 the game becoming simply a question of memo-

B K
hxg6 37. e5 The decisive breakthrough. 37...fxe5 rization." Going into this encounter Spassky led

R Q
38. xe5+ f8 Worse is 38...Kh6 39.Rh3+, but by a point and while it was in progress IBM’s

B Q B R K R
now Black loses his Queen. 39. f3 xf3 40.gxf3 Deep Thought pointed out where he missed sev-

R Q
d7 41. e4 e8 42. b1 e7 43. xb4 axb4 eral chances to increase his lead. From now on
44.d5 xa4 45. h4+ g5 46.d6+ Black Resigns. machines would play a dominant role in analyzing
Qh7 is coming. master games.
1-0 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 The Queen’s Gambit Accepted.

N N B
It’s not a real gambit because White can regain the
◦ Kamsky, G.
Q R B N B
pawn. 3. f3 f6 4.e3 e6 5. xc4 c5 6.O–O a6
• Shirov, A. 7.dxc5 xd1 8. xd1 xc5 9.b3 bd7 10. b2
? b5 Varying from 10...b6 in game 4. Match play
Dortmund may lack variety, but it’s interesting to see what
1992 1-0 D36 improvements the players hatch between rounds.
White defers castling and instead opens the h-file This line is drawish and Spassky denies his leg-

N N N B B N K
and starts a kingside attack. endary opponent a chance to mix it up in double-

B B Q N
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3. f3 f6 4. c3 e6 5.cxd5 edged positions. 11. e2 b7 12. bd2 e7

B R B N R R R B
exd5 6. g5 e7 7. c2 g6 8.e4 O–O 9.e5 e4 Perhaps 12...O-O leaves the king less vulnera-

N B N N R R
10. h6 e8 11. d3 xc3 Correct is 11...Nd6 ble. 13.a4 bxa4 14. xa4 hb8 15. c1 d5

B
12.O-O (if 12.exd6, then 12...Bg5+) 12...Nf5. 16. e5 d6 17. xd7 xd7 18. xa6 xa6

B B
12.bxc3 c5 13.h4 Preparing to open the king- 19. xa6 f6 After this it’s all uphill. Deep Thought

R N R
side and weaken Black’s kingside. 13...cxd4 analyzed to a draw with 19...Nc5! 20. c4 xc4
14.h5 Threatening 15.hxg6 hxg6 16.Bxg6 win- 21. xc4 c5 22. c3 f5 Drifting into a lost po-

B K B B
ning. 14...g5 If 14...Qc7, then 15.Bd2. sition. A tougher defense is 22...Na4 23. Rc2

B N R K B
15. xh7+ h8 16. g6 e6 If 16...fxg6, then Nxb2 24. Rxb2 Ba3 25. Rb1 Bb4 26. Nc4

N Q Q N R R B K
17.hxg6 Kg8 18.g7 followed by 19.Bxg5 wins. Ra8. 23. a3 e4 24. c7+ d8 25. xd6

K
17. xd4 c8 18. d2 White breaks through xd2 26. xg7 xb3 27.h4 h5 28. f4 e8 29.
on g5. 18...fxg6 If 18...Nc6, then 19.Bxg5 h2 Overly cautious. The straightforward 29.

K R N
Bxg5 20.Qxg5 Nxd4 21.Qh6+ Kg8 22.Bh7+ Kh8 Bg5 Ne4 30. Re7+ Kf8 31. Rxe6 Rb1+ 32. Kh2

B Q R K N N K N
23.Rh3 is winning. 19.hxg6 g8 20. c1 c6 Nxf2 33. Rf6+ Kg7 34. Rxf5 grabs a second pawn.
21. xg5 c7 If 21...Bxg5, then 22.Qxg5 Qc7 29... b2 30. h3 e4 31.f3 f2+ 32. g3 d3

258
33.Bg5 e5 34.Kh3 Nf2+ 35.Kh2 Nd3 36.Bh6
Ne1 37.Kg1 Nd3 38.Bg5 Rb1+ 39.Kh2 Rb2 K
Not 35.axb5? Qxb5 36.Qc1+? Qc6+ winning.

40.Re7+ Deep Thought found a simpler win by

35... d7 Not 35...Qc4 36.Qxh6 bxa4 37.Qf8+
Kd7 38.h5 which is good for White. 36.axb5 Dubi-

Q Q
40. Rh7! Ne1 41. Kh3 Rxg2 42. Re7+ Kf8 ous is 36.Qxh6?! bxa4 37.h5 a3 38.Qg7+ Qe7 with

K R K K Q K Q Q K Q
43. Rxe5 Rh2+ 44. Kxh2 Nxf3+ 45. Kg3 a large advantage to Black. 36... xd4 37. xh6

R R N B K B R K Q K Q K Q
Nxe5 46. Kf4. 40... f8 41. e6 g7 42. h3 e4+ 38. h2 d5 39. g7+ e8 40. h8+

B K Q K Q K
e2 43. d6 e1 44. f6+ g8 45. xe5 xe3 d7 41. g7+ e8 42. g6+ e7 43. f6+
46. f4 Deep Thought pointed out the last chance d7 44. f7+ d8 45. f6+ d7 Draw by

R R
to win by 46. Rd5! Re2 47. Bg3 Nxg2 48. Rxf5 Agreement.
picking up a second pawn. 46... e2 47. g6+ 1/2-1/2
He could make Black sweat by 47. Rf6 Rxg2 48.
Bg3 Rg1 49. Bxe1 Rxe1 50. Rxf5 Kg7 51. Rxh5.
◦ Shirov, A.
K
Although White is two pawns ahead, it’s still a
• Anand, V.
R K B R B N K
theoretical draw with correct defense. 47... f7
?
N K N B R B R
48. g5 e6 49. c7 a2 50. b6 d3 51. h2
Dortmund
K N R R K N
e1 52. h3 d3 53. c7 c2 54. b6 a2
1992 1/2-1/2 D20
K N R K B R
55. g3 e1 56. xh5 xg2+ 57. f4 d3+
N N B
A game full of tactics.
B K
58. e3 e5 59. h6+ d5 60. c7 g7
N B N N B N
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 f6 4.e5 d5 5. xc4
61. xe5 xe5 Draw by Agreement. "I played
Q B R N B
b6 6. b3 c6 7. e2 f5 8. bc3 e6
terribly," conceded Fischer after this narrow es-
9.O–O d7 10. e3 d8 11. g3 g6 Not
cape. Despite this reprieve, he clearly was not his
N B
11...Nxd4 12.Bxd4 Qxd4 13.Qf3 hitting both f5
old self.
and b7. 12.h4 xd4 13. xd4 Not 13.h5 Bd3!
1/2-1/2
Q Q Q
and 14.Qxd3 is impossible due to 14...Nf3+.
13... xd4 14. f3 xh4 14...c6 15.h5 Bd3
◦ Karpov, An.
Q B
16.Rfe1 followed by 17.Rad1 is good for White.
• Ivanchuk, V.
15. xb7 c5 Not 15...Be7? 16.Qc6+ Rd7
?
Q
17.Rd1 and Black cannot castle without losing a
Reggio Emilia
piece. Now the threat is 16...Qxg3. 16. c6+
1992 1/2-1/2 D20
N R
16.Nge4 Bd4 17.Qc6+ Rd7 is good for Black.
When this game was played, Ivanchuk had tem-
B
16... d7 17. ad1 17.Nge4 Bb6 18.Rad1 O-O
porarily taken over the number two position in the
19.Rxd7 Bxe4 is good for Black. 17... b6
N N B
world from Karpov.
17...O-O? 18.Rxd7 Rxd7 19.Qxc5 and 17...Qxg3?!
N B N B B
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 f6 4.e5 d5 5. xc4
R
18.Rxd7 Rxd7? 19.Qxc5 are good for White.
b6 6. d3 c6 7. e3 e6 Of course not
R R
18. xd7 18.Na4? Bd4! and 18.Nce4? Ke7 are
N Q N
7...Nxd4?? 8.Bxd4 Qxd4 9.Bb5+ winning the
to Black’s advantage. 18... xd7 19. d1 O–O
Queen. 8. c3 d7 9. f3 O–O–O 10.h3 Pre-
R Q Q Q
The only move. Not 19...Qxg3?? 20.Qxd7+
venting 10...Bg4. Karpov’s style is to play like a
Kf8 21.Qd8#. 20. xd7 xg3 21. xb6 xc3
N
python and squeeze his opponents to death. But
R R
The only move. 21...axb6 22.fxg3 wins a piece.
B
Ivanchuk is not a willing customer. 10... b4
R
22.bxc3 cxb6 23. xa7 c8 The endgame is com-
N
N N
11. e2 Not 11.Be4?! Bc4. 11...f5 12.O–O h6
R
pletely equal. 24.c4 h5 25. d7 If 25.Rb7, then
B
13.a3 4d5 14. e1 xc3 Dubious is 14...g5?!
R K
25...Bd3 wins the c-pawn. 25... c5 26.f4 b5
N Q Q
15.Nd3 followed by 16.Nc5. 15.bxc3 c4
27.cxb5 xb5 28. f2 Draw by Agreement.
16. d3 e6 17.a4 g5 18. c2 c6 Not 18...Nd5?!
1/2-1/2
R B B N B R
19.Nc5 Bxc5 20.Bxc4 with a large advantage to

N B N Q Q
White. 19. fc1 d5 20. f1 c4 21. d2 g8
◦ Karpov, An.
R K
22. b4 xb4 23.cxb4 xd2 24. xd2 d7 25.
• Bareev, E.
R R
a3 b8 Not 25...g4?! 26.hxg4 Rxg4 27.Rac3
?
Q Q Q
Rdg8 28.f3 and White is better. 26. ac3 c8
27.b5 g4 28.h4 e7 29.g3 b4 30. d1 With this Linares
1992 0-1 A21
B
move White loses his advantage. Correct is 30.Bg2

N N
preventing Black’s next move. 30...c6 31. g2 Not Karpov is upset.

B K Q N N B N
31.bxc6 Rxc6 32.Rxc6 Bxc6 33.Rc4 Qa5 with a 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3. c3 e5 4.dxe5 d4 5. e4

R R R K Q N B Q Q
large advantage to White. 31... xg2 32. xg2 a5+ 6. d2 d7 7.e6 fxe6 8.g3 e5 9. g2 gf6
cxb5 33. xc8+ xc8 34. xc8+ xc8 35. c1+ 10. f3 e7 11.O–O c7 12. c2 O–O White

259
 N
R B B N R
has a slight advantage due partially to his control of 22.g5 d7 23.e4 Not 23.Rxd7? hxg5 24.hxg5

N B N R K B
the e4-square. 13.b3 e8 14. b2 f8 15. g5 Kg6. 23... cd8 23...Kf8 offered better chances.

N N N B R K R
c5 16.h3 g6 17.g4 g7 18. de4 Better was 24. df1 f8 25.gxf6 xf6 If 25...Nxf6, then

R B
18.e3. 18... fxe4 19. xe4 e6 20.b4 Prevent- 26.Ne5. 26.e5 g7 27. hg1 c5 28. c2 e6

N N K
ing the Knight from coming into f4 with 20.e3 is 29. g4 h8 White still has strong pressure as

R R
met with 20...c5. 20... f4 21.e3 xg2 22. xg2 can be seen from the variation 29...h5 30.Rf4
a5 23.a3 f8 24. ad1 Correct is 24.f3. Now Bh6 31.Rxf7+ Kxf7 32.Ng5+ Ke7 33.Rf7+ Ke8

R R R B
Black gains a slight advantage. 24...axb4 25.axb4 34.Nxe6 winning. 30.b4 b6 31.bxc5 bxc5

Q R R K R
dxe3 26.f3 If 26.fxe3, then 26...Rxf1 27.Rxf1 32. b1 a6 33. b2 g7 If 33...h5, then

B B R B R R
Qe7 followed by ...Be6 and ...h5. 26... e7 34.Rf4. 34. b7 xa2+ 35. b3 a6 36.e6

B B R Q R Q
27. c1 h6 28. de1 e6 Not 28...Qxb4 29.g5. xe6 37. xg7 Black Resigns.

N Q Q
29. xe3 xe3 30. xe3 xb4 31. b1 e7 1-0

B Q Q
32. f2 f7 33. b2 If 33.Nd3, then 33...e4
◦ Kasparov, G.
Q
34.fxe4 Bxc4 is strong. 33... xc4 34. xb7 f4
• Nikolic, P.
Q Q
35. xc6 White is forced to give up the exchange.

K R
35.Rc3 Bd5 is too strong. 35... xe3 36. xc4+ 30th Chess Olympics (12)
h8 37. b3 White is hoping to play Qe2 fol- Manila

Q Q R R Q Q
lowed by Re3 setting up a defensive fortress. 1992 1-0 A21
37... d2 38. c5 ae8 39. d3 f4 40. c3 In In this matchup between Russia vs. Bosnia, Kas-
time pressure White misses a way to hold the po- parov created a memorable game that will take its

R Q R
sition. Better is 40.Qc2 followed by Qe2 and Re3. place among his many creative achievements. His

Q N
40... c8 41. b2 c4 Black would like to play complex piece sacrifice was awarded the first bril-

R R Q R R R N N Q
either 42...Rfc8 or 42...Rd4. 42. e2 h5 43. e4 liancy prize.

Q K Q Q Q R B Q N Q N N Q
h4 44. e3 fc8 45. f2 c2 46. e2 xe2 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3. c3 e5 4.dxe5 d4 5. e4 a5+

N Q Q K B
47. xe2 g7 48. f2 c1 49. xh4 c2+ 6. d2 xe5 7. g3 d6 8. f3 f6 9. c2

K
50. f2 g5 51. g3 e1 52.h4 g6 53.hxg5 e7 10.O–O–O O–O 11.e3 The battle lines al-

Q R K
53.f4 offered more chances. 53... xg5 54.f4+ ready are sharply drawn. Kasparov rejects 11. Bc3

Q
exf4 55. f3 d2 White is in zugzwang. 56. h3 dxc3! 12. Rxd6 cxb2+ 13. Kb1 Bxd6 with rea-

Q R Q B B
f1+ Not 56...Qxf2 58.Qxf2 Rxf2 stalemate. sonable compensation for the queen. 11...dxe3

B N B
57. g2 xf2 White Resigns. 12.fxe3 c7 13. c3 g4 13...Na6! would avoid

B N R N
0-1 many future problems. 14. d3 bd7 15. f5
xf5 16. xf5 fe8 17. xg7 A bolt from the
◦ Kasparov, G.
K Q N
blue. This long-range sacrifice could not be cal-
• Nikolic, Pr. culated to the very end. 17... xg7 18. f5 f8
? The best defense. Weaker is 18...Kf8 19. Ng5 h6
Manila 20. Rxd7! Qxd7 21. Nh7+! Or 18...Rad8 19.
1992 1-0 A21 Rdf1 Nf8 20. Qg5+ Ng6 21. Nh4 with unbearable
This game won the first brilliancy prize at the pressure. 19.h4 A profound conception. White is

N N Q
Olympiad. only slightly better after 19. Rhf1 Kg8! 20. Bxf6

B Q N Q N N Q
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3. c3 e5 4.dxe5 d4 5. e4 a5+ Bxf6 21. Qxf6 Qe7. 19...h6 20.g4 Allows Black

B
6. d2 xe5 7. g3 d6 8. f3 f6 9. c2 some hope. Stronger is 20. Qg4+ Ng6 21. h5 Qb6

Q B Q Q
e7 10.O–O–O O–O 11.e3 dxe3 12.fxe3 Weaker 22. hxg6 Qxe3+ 23. Kb1 fxg6 24. Qh4 and the

B B N
is 12.Bxe3 Qc7 with equality. 12... c7 13. c3 attack triumphs. 20... c8 21. xc8 Regains the

B B
g4 Better is 13...Na6 14.a3. 14. d3 bd7 piece. Even more crushing is 21. Qc2! Kg8 22. g5

R N R
15. f5 Threatening 16.Rxd7. 15... xf5 White Ng4 23. gxh6 f5 24. Rhg1 Qe6 25. Nd4 Qxe3+

N R N
has a strong attack after 15...Rad8 16.Bxg4 Nxg4 26. Kb1. 21... axc8 22.g5 h7 23.e4 ed8

K
17.Bxg7 Nxe3 18.Qd2. 16. xf5 fe8 17. xg7 A better defense is 23...Kf8! 24. gxf6 Nxf6 25.

Q N R K B B R
Ripping open Black’s kingside. 17... xg7 Rhg1 Red8 but White is still better with 26. Bd2.

K R R B
18. f5 f8 Weaker would be 18...Kf8 19.Ng5 24. df1 f8 25.gxf6 xf6 26.e5 g7 27. hg1

R R R B
h6 20.Rxd7 Qxd7 21.Nh7+ or 18...Rad8 19.Rdf1 c5 28. c2 c6 29. g4 h8 30.b4 b6 31.bxc5

R R K R
Nf8 20.Qg5+ Ng6 21.Nh4. 19.h4 White brings in bxc5 32. b1 a6 33. b2 g7 33...h5 34. Rf4

Q Q R R
reinforcements. 19...h6 20.g4 Better is 20.Qg4+. is no help either. 34. b7 xa2+ 35. b3 a6

R
20... c8 21. xc8 White’s attack would remain 36.e6 xe6 37. xg7 Black Resigns.
strong after 21.Qc2 Kg8 22.g5. 21... axc8 1-0

260
 N K Q R
B
11.O–O–O d7 12. b1 c7 13. g1 Prepar-

B N K
ing g4-g5 or h4-h5. 13...h5 14.g5 e7 15.d5 e5
◦ Karpov, An.
N N
16. h3 O–O–O 17. d2 b8 It’s always a good
• Short, N. idea to break pins right away. 18. c4 b6
?
N Q R
Trying to reduce White’s pressure on the queen-
IT Linares side. 19. xb6 xb6 20. d3 Prepares an assault
1992 1-0 A81 along the third rank after an imminent Nd5. Now
An interesting situation. These two are to meet
K R B
Black should consider 20...c5 to close the lines
the month after this game is played in an elimi- on the queenside. 20... a8 21.a3 df8 22. f5
nation match for the World Chess Championship.
B
Stopping Black from starting his own counterplay
How should each proceed. Are ego points to be with ...f7-f5. 22... h7 Black wants to open up di-
struck? Is this a throw-away game to avoid tip-
R
agonal for his Bishops with ...g7-g6 and ...f7-f6.
ping the hand as to opening preparations for the 23. gd1 g6 Again 22...c5 looks right. 24.dxc6
"big match"? Your guess is as good as mine! A du-
B Q
bxc6 Not 24...gxf5 25.Nd5 winning immediately.
bious opening novelty gives White an immediate 25. d7 c7 The best try is 25...Rb8! 26. b3
N B N B
advantage.
B Q N B
Qc7 although White retains an edge with 27. Bh3.
N Q N
1.d4 f5 2.g3 f6 3. g2 e6 4. h3 e7 5.O–O
R Q R
26. xc6+ xc6 27. d5 d8 If 27...Qd7, then
O–O 6.c4 d6 7. c3 e8 8. f4 g5 This weak-
Q
28.Rc3 Rc8 30.Qa6! wins. 28. c3 b7 29. b3
N Q N
ens the kingside. Better are either 8...Bd8 or 8...c6.
R B R B Q
c6 If 29...Qc8, then 30.Rdd3 Ba5 31.Rb5 wins.
9. d3 g6 10.f4 h6 11.d5 a6 12.b4 Karpov 30. dd3 a5 31. dc3 xc3 32. a6 Black re-
N
is known as a python for the way he strangu- signs. If 32...Qxa6, then 33.Nc7# or if 32...Rc8,
lates his opponent’s pieces. 12...exd5 13. xd5 then 33.Nb6+ Kb8 [33...Qxb6 34. Rxb6 Rb8 35.
N B
Worth considering is 13.cxd5 in order to attack the Rxb8+ Rxb8 36. Qc6+] 34.Nxc8 Kc7 35.Rxc3.
K N N Q
weak c-pawn on the c-file. 13... xd5 14. xd5+ 1-0
h7 15.b5 c5 16. xc5 dxc5 17. c2 a6 Black

R R
needs to try to get his queenside pieces developed. ◦ Shabalov, A.
B
18.a4 b8 19.fxg5 hxg5 20. a3 c6 If 20...Be6 • Smirin, I.
B B B B
21.Bxe6 Qxe6 22.Re3 Qf6 23.g4 wins. 21. g2 ?
R B R
g4 is threatened. 21... f6 22. e3 d4 23. xd4 Manila
Q
cxd4 24.e3 dxe3 25. xe3 e6 26.g4 be8 1992 1-0 B64
27.bxc6 bxc6 28.c5 Not 28.Bxc6 Rc8. 28... f6 This game won the third brilliancy prize at the
B R
If 28...Bd7, then 29.Rd3 followed by 30.Rd6.
N N N N
Olympiad.
B
29. xc6 b8 If 29...Qd4, then 30.Qc3 Qxg4
N B Q B
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
B R Q Q R
31.Rg3. 30.gxf5 f7 If 30...Bxf5 31.Rxf5 Qxf5 c6 6. g5 e6 7. d2 e7 8.O–O–O O–O 9.f4
R R B R R
32.Be4. 31. g2 b2 32. c3 xc3 33. xc3
N Q
h6 10.h4 More risky than the normal 10.Bh4.
Q
d8 34.c6 dd2 35. e4 e2 36.c7 xe4 37.
B
10... xd4 11. xd4 a6 11...hxg5 12.hxg5 gives
c8= Black Resigns.
Q B R B B
White too strong of an attack on the h-file. 12. e2
1-0
N
a5 13. f3 d8 14.g4 d7 15. xh6 Rip-
ping open Black’s kingside. 15...gxh6 16.g5 e8
◦ Rogers, I.
R
Not 16...Nh7 17.Rdg1 h5 18.Bxh5 and White has
• Milos, G. threats of Bxf7+ and g6. 17. dg1 h5 Trying
30th Chess Olympics (10) to keep the kingside closed. 17...Qc5 18.gxh6+

B
Manila Kh7 19.Qd2 followed by Qg2 is very strong.

B Q Q
1992 1-0 A41 18. xh5 Threatening 19.Bxf7+ Kxf7 20.Qh8 Ng7
This game won the second brilliancy prize at the 21.g6+ Kf6 22.Qh6. 18... f8 19.f5 e5 20. d2

R
Olympiad’s Australia vs. Brazil matchup. This Threatening 21.g6 f6 22.g7. 20...exf5 21.g6

K R
was one of the prettiest games in the entire event, fxg6 Even worse is 21...f6 22.g7. 22. xg6+

N N N B B R B B
and the finishing touch is very nice indeed. h7 23. hg1 fxe4 23...Nf6 would have offered

Q K B K
1.d4 f6 2. f3 d6 3. c3 g4 4.e4 e6 5.h3 h5 more resistance. 24. h6+ xh6 25. g6+

B B B B K B
6. e2 Reinforcing e4 before playing g4. More g7 26. xe8+ h7 26...Kf8 27.Qxh6+ Ke8

B B K Q
natural is 6. Be2. 6...c6 7.g4 g6 8. g5 e7 28.Qg6+ also loses. 27. g6+ g7 28. xe4+
9. xf6 xf6 10.h4 White controls more space, f7 29. xh6 Black’s position remains difficult

R B K Q K
but he could get overextended and Black’s two because of his open King and White’s active
bishops might be dangerous in the future. 10...h6 pieces. 29... h8 30. d5+ e8 31. d2 d8

261
 R Q N Q N K R
R Q
32. e1 h5 33. e4 h6 34. g5 c7 35. e7 Resigns. There is no defense to 38.Rxh7+ followed

Q
ae8 36. a5+ b6 Worse is 36...Kc8 37.Qb6. by 39.Bb3 or 39.Rag7.
37. c3+ A blunder in time pressure. Better 1-0

K R K Q
is 37.Qxa6 and if 37...Rxe7, then 38.Qb7+ Kd8
◦ Dolmatov, S.
K Q K Q K Q
39.Qxb6+. 37... d8 38. xd7+ xd7 39. c6+
• Chekhov, V.
K
e7 40. c7+ f6 41. xd6+ f5 42. d7+

B Q
e5 Returning the favor. The position would ?

Q
be roughly equal after 42...Kf4. 43. f7 f8 Germany

K Q
44. d5+ White plays several checks before de- 1992 1-0 B33

K Q K Q K Q N N N N
ciding on the best way to win. 44... f6 45. f3+ A nice kingside attack by White.

K Q K Q K Q N N B N
e7 46. b7+ f6 47. xb6+ f5 48. f2+ 1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6

K Q K Q K Q K B N B B
e5 49. g3+ f6 50. f4+ e7 51. c7+ 5. c3 e5 6. db5 d6 7. g5 a6 8. a3 b5

Q K Q K Q K B N B Q Q
f6 52. c6+ e5 53. d5+ f6 54. f3+ e7 9. xf6 gxf6 10. d5 f5 11. d3 e6 12.O–O

Q K Q K Q K R R N R N
55. b7+ d8 56. b8+ e7 57. a7+ d8 xd5 13.exd5 e7 14.c3 g7 15. h5 d7

Q K Q K Q R B
58. a8+ e7 59. a7+ d8 60. b6+ e7 16. ad1 c8 17. c2 c5 18. e3 e4 Not

Q K Q K B K
61. e6+ d8 62. b6+ e7 63. xa6 b8 18...f4? 19.Nf5. 19. b1 O–O If 19...f4, then

N R Q R
64. a7+ d6 65. d4+ c6 66. d5+ d7 20.Ng4. 20.g3 White is planning to play 21.f3.

K Q R Q Q N B K
67. f7 Threatening 68.Qa7+. 67... h6 68. g4+ 20...b4 Better is first 20...Rb8. 21.cxb4 b5 22.a3

K B R B R K R R R
c7 69. f4+ d6 70. xd6+ xd6 71. xd6 xb2 23. h1 Not immediately 23.f3?! due to

R K R K K K N N
xd6 72. f7 f8 73. g6 f1+ 74. d2 23...Qa7. 23... c8 24.f3 c3 25.fxe4 xa3

K N
f2+ 75. e3 h2 76.h5 e5 77. d3 d5 Not 25...Rxe3? 26.Qg5+. 26. xf5 xf5 27.e5

B Q K R
78. c3 Black Resigns. Opens up the b1-h7 diagonal. 27... xg3+ 28.hxg3

R B Q
1-0 xe5 29. xh7+ f8 30. c1 Threatening both

B
31.Rc8+ and 31.Rxf7+. 30... b7 31. f5 b5
◦ Adams, M. 32. e6 Black Resigns.
• Salov, V. 1-0
?
Dortmund ◦ Luther, T.
1992 1-0 B33 • Shirov, A.
A good example of how to play against the sharp ?

N N N N
Sveshnikov defense. Germany

N N B N B
1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 1992 0-1 B33

N B B N
5. c3 e5 6. db5 d6 7. g5 a6 8. a3 b5 9. xf6 This game was played in the Bundesliga. The

N
gxf6 10. d5 g7 11.c3 f5 12.exf5 xf5 13. c2 strongest chess clubs in Germany meet every few
O–O 14. ce3 White will have an advantage if weeks for team competitions. The German Interna-
he can keep control of the d5 square. Other- tional Master Luther plays for Sindelfingen and the

B B R N N N N N
wise Black’s two Bishops and center will become Latvian Grandmaster Shirov plays for Hamburg.

N B K N N
very strong. 14... e6 15.g3 e7 16. g2 b8 1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3

B B
17.O–O xd5 Better is 17...f5. 18. xd5 h8 c6 6. db5 d6 The sharp Svesnikov variation is

N B N B N
19.a4 Opening up the a-file for his Rook. 19... h6 very popular on the international circuit. 7. f4

B B Q R R Q
20.axb5 axb5 Better was 20...Bxe3. 21. c2 e5 8. g5 a6 9. a3 b5 10. xf6 gxf6 11. d5 f5

Q R B R R
Now the Knight takes up a very strong posi- 12. d3 e6 13. h5 g8 14.c3 xg2 15. f3

B Q N
tion on b4. 21... d7 22. a6 h3 23. e1 Not g4 16.exf5 A novelty. 16.h3 had been pre-

B N B Q B N K
23.Bg2?? Bxg2 24.Kxg2 Qb7+ picking up the viously played. 16... xd5 17. xd5 e7

R
Rook. 23... g5 24. b4 d8 Black hopes to 18. b7 Not 18.Qf3 Rf4. 18... h6 19. c2 f8

B B
exchange off White’s active Rook with 25...Rb6. Threatening 20...Rb8 21.Qxa6? Ra4. 20. d1

R
25. e4 b6 25...Rb6 is met by 26.Qh5 with a Better is 20.Ne3 Bxe3 21.fxe3 Ng8 22.f6 Nxf6

N Q R Q B N
strong attack. For example, 26...f6 27.Qf6 Rf7 23.Rf1. 20... b8 Not 20...Bg5 21.Be2 followed

N Q N Q R Q Q N N
28.Rxb6 Bxb6 29.Bxh7 winning. 26. d5 f5 by 22.Rxd6. 21. f3 f4 22. h3 g5 23. e3

R Q B R B Q
27. xb6 d8 28. d7 xd7 29. xd6 e7 e4 24. g3 Better is 24.Be2. 24... xf5 25. xf5
30. d7 g5 31. c2 e4 This loses quickly. xf5 26. xe4 e7 27.O–O 27.Rd4 Bh4 and

Q Q Q Q R Q
Black could have offered more resistance with 27.Qxd6 Qxd6 28.Rxd6 Re8 29.Rd4 Rf4 30.f3

Q Q R Q Q K Q B
31...Rbe8. 32. d4+ f6 33. a7 h6 34. a1 f5 31.Rd5 Bh4 both win for Black. 27... xe4
b4 35. d4+ f6 36. aa7 xd4 37.cxd4 Black 28. xd6+ g7 29. xb8 f4 White Resigns.

262
 B
0-1 avoid; the longer version doesn’t really force Nd4-
b5. 9... e6 Black usually plays 9...b5 to pre-
vent White from bringing his Knight back into the
◦ Romero Holmes, A.
game via c4. Then White might play Nd5, c3,
• Salov, V.
Nc2, and Nce3 to control the d5 square - or he
?
might sacrifice a piece on b5 to try to take imme-
Wijk aan Zee
N R
diate advantage of the weaknesses Black has cre-
1992 0-1 B33
B N B B B
ated by all of these pawn moves. 10. c4 c8
N N N N
Black plays a risky but sharp opening.
11. xf6 gxf6 12. e3 h6 13. d3 xe3 Even
N N B B N
1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3. c3 e6 4.d4 cxd4 5. xd4
though this makes a weakling on e3, it also ex-
f6 6. db5 d6 7. f4 e5 8. g5 a6 9. a3 b5
Q Q N
poses Black’s doubled f-pawns to direct assault on
B N
The Sveshnikov is a very theoretical and popular
the file. 14.fxe3 b6 15. c1 a5 It turns out
B B B B Q
opening. 10. xf6 gxf6 11. d5 f5 12.g3 fxe4
Black doesn’t have time for this maneuver, and
13. g2 e6 14. xe4 g7 15. h5 15.Nf6+
K Q
the off-side Knight allows White’s decisive tactics.
R N R R N
Qxf6 16.Bxc6+ Ke7 17.Bxa8 Qxa8 is good for
15...Nb4 makes more sense. 16.O–O e7 17. e1
Q Q K Q N
Black. 15... c8 16.c3 e7 17. d1 c5 18. b4
h5 Played both to allow ...Rh8-h6, defending the
b6 19. g5 f8 20. e3 h5 21. d3 Bad is
Q N
f6-pawn, and because 17...Qxb2 loses to 18.Na4
R B Q
21.Nxa6? Bh6, but not 21...Qxa6?? 22.Qxc5 dxc5
(Qa3 19.Qxa5). 18.b3 c5 19. d5+ Due to the
23.Rd8#. 21... c6 22. xc6 xc6 Black has suf-
B Q R
threat of b3-b4, among other things, Black must
B
ficient compensation for the exchange. White had
capture. 19... xd5 20.exd5 xd5 21. d1 White
Q N N
several weaknesses in his position. 23.f3 h6
threatens to make a decisive discovery, but Black
N
24. f2 a5 25.O–O h4 26.g4 d5 27. c2 h3
R Q R
cannot move the Queen away without hanging the
B N B
28. c1 Better was 28.Qe2 with an unclear po-
B
Knight. 21... cg8 22. f2 h6 22...Qe6 23.Bf5
K B
sition. 28... g5 29. e2 d8 The Bishop is
is even worse, if that is possible. 23. g6 Black
Q N
transferred to the a7-g1 diagonal. 30. h1 b6
Resigns.
N B
31. g3 b4 32. cd4 An unsound sacrifice in a
1-0
R K N R
difficult position. 32...exd4 33. xd4 xd4

N Q R
34. xd4 bxc3 35.bxc3 e7 36.g5 e3 37. f2
◦ Kengis, E.
f5 38. f4 h4 White Resigns.
• Akopian, V.
0-1
?
Manila
◦ Georgiev, Kir. 1992 0-1 B34
• Shirov, A. The break-up of the Soviet Union created the op-
? portunity for many more countries to participate in
Biel the Olympiad. Here Latvia and Armenia square
1992 1-0 B33
N N N Q
off.

N N N B B B Q
Played at the Festival in Biel, Switzerland, in 1992. 1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 b6

Q B
Kiril Georgiev seems to shine especially against 5. b3 f6 6. c3 e6 7. d3 e7 8. e3 c7

N K N R N N
Shirov - for Georgiev, Shirov is a "good customer." 9.f4 d6 10. e2 a6 11.g4 b5 12.O–O–O b7
It is sometimes this way in top-level chess, that for 13.g5 d7 14. b1 c5 15. hf1 a4 16. xa4

N N B
stylistic or psychological reasons, relatively equal The moves 16.Bd2 Nxc3+ 17.Bxc3 e5 results in an

N N
strength players may have very lopsided results equal position. 16...bxa4 17. d2 b4 18. d4

N N N N
against each other. O–O 19. c4 d5 20.exd5 xd3 Not 20...Bxd5?

N N B B N B R
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3 21.Bxh7+! Kxh7 22.Qh5+ Kg8 23.Bxg7 results

Q N R Q
c6 6. db5 d6 7. f4 e5 8. g5 a6 9. a3 This in a winning attack. 21.cxd3 xd5 22. c1

Q
is the defining position of the Sveshnikov Sicil- b7 23. b6 ad8 24. e5 Also bad is 24.Nxa4
ian, but oddly enough it can be reached in an- Bxa2+. Correct is 24.Qe3. 24...f6 25. e3 The

B B
other way that requires fewer moves. 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 moves 25.Qc7 fxg5 are good for Black. 25...a3
Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 26.b3 fxg5 27.fxg5 d6 28. c5 A time trou-

B Q R
7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3... looks familiar, no? The rea- ble error. 28.Nc4 would have given Black only

R B R
sons for choosing one way over the other have a slight advantage. 28... xc5 29. xc5 xf1

B
to do with minor sub-variations that are possi- 30. xf1 g2 31. f2 If 31.Rf4 Bh3 threatening

Q K Q K Q K
ble in each line: the shorter route allows White 32...Qh1+ followed by ...Bf5. 31... e4 32.dxe4
to choose 7.Nd5 instead, which some wish to xe4+ 33. c1 e1+ 34. c2 e4+ 35. c1

263
Q Q
Q
d3 36. c2 The only way to stop 36...Qd1#. 1992 0-1 B45

R
36.Qxa3 Qc3+ wins immediately. 36... d4 Win- A battle between China’s and Ukraine’s top play-

Q
ning back the sacrificed piece. 37. f1 If 37.Nc4, ers.
N N N N
Q Q
Q Q R
then 37...Qa1+ 38.Qb1 Rd1+ wins. 37... xb6
N N N Q N
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
38. f2 b7 39. e2 d5 40.h4 e5 41. e1 Then
B B B Q
c6 6. xc6 bxc6 7.e5 d5 8. e4 c7 9.f4

R K Q R Q
41.Qc4 Qxc4 42.dxc4 Rc8 gives Black a winning b4+ 10.c3 e7 11. d3 b6 12.c4 Better is

R Q Q K Q
endgame. 41... c8+ 42. b1 c5 43. d1 c3
N
12.Qe2. 12...f5 13.exf6 Worse is 13.Nf2 Ne3
44. f1 e4 45. f2 d3+ 46. a1 f3 Forcing 14.Qf3 Qb4+ 15.Bd2 Qxb2. 13... xf6 White

K Q R
the exchange of Queens which results in a winning
Q N B B B
has troubles because his King is stuck in the

R R
endgame for Black. 47. b1 xf2 48. xf2 e3
B R
center. 14. c2 xe4 15. xe4 a6 16. d2

R R K R K
49. f3 If 49.Re2, then 49...Rc3 wins. 49... e8
B
f6 17. b1 Not 17.O-O-O Bxc4. 17...d5

R R R K R
50. f1 e2 51. e1 f7 52.h5 e5 53. c2
Q
18. xh7 The decisive error. Better is 18.Bd3.
xg5 54. xe2 xh5 55. c3 f5 White Re-
B
18...O–O–O 19.b3 Not 19.Bd3 Rxh2. 19... d4
signs. 20. d3 If 20.cxd5 Rxh7 21.Qxc6+ (21.Qh7
0-1
B B B K Q
Bd3) 21...Kb8 22.Qxa6 Qe4+ wins. 20...dxc4

K
21. xc4 xc4 22.bxc4 h4+ 23. d1 xf4

R Q Q Q Q
24. c1 If 24.Rb3, then 24...Bg5 25.Rd3 Qg4+
◦ Fischer, R.
Q
wins. 24... xd2 25. xd2 xc4+ 26. c2 f4+
• Spassky, B.
Q Q
27. d2 If 27.Kb2, then 27...Bf6+ 28.Kb3 Qe3+
?
29.Ka4 Rh4+ wins. 27... e5 28. d3 If 28.Qb4,
11th Match Game, Sveti-Stefan & Belgrade
Q Q
then 28...Bg5+ 29.Kc2 Qe2+ 30.Kb3 Rd8 wins.
1992 1-0 B31
B K
28... c5+ 29. c2 If 29.Kb2, then 29...Kc7 30.a3
In the Sveti Stefan/Belgrade match, both players
B K Q Q Q
Rb8+ 31.Ka2 Qf2+ wins. 29... g5+ 30. b2
tried unusual systems against the Sicilian Defense.
f6+ 31. c1 e3+ 32. d2 a3+ White Re-
Several of the contests were in closed lines where
signs. If 33.Kc2 Rd8 wins.
White played Nc3 and d3; this game followed the
Rossilimo pattern with White playing Bb5. Now 0-1
White enters uncharted territory with a dynamic

N N B B
pawn sacrifice.
◦ Luther, T.
B R
1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 g6 4. xc6 bxc6
• Lukacs, P.
B
5.O–O g7 6. e1 e5 7.b4 cxb4 8.a3 c5 9.axb4
?
cxb4 10.d4 exd4 11. b2 d6 One can’t help but
Budapest
feel Black should be trying to develop somewhere
1992 0-1 C99
N Q N
around here. All of these pawn moves seem to help
A game full of sacrifices.
B N N N B N
White more than Black. 12. xd4 d7 13. d2
N N B B N
B R B N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O
K N N Q R
b7 14. c4 h6 15. f5 xb2 16. cxd6+
B Q N
e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.h3 a5
K N R N
f8 17. xh6 f6 18. df7 xd1 19. axd1
N N B N
10. c2 c5 11.d4 c7 12. bd2 cxd4 13.cxd4
e7 20. xh8 xh8 21. f5+ Just when Spassky
B Q
c6 14.d5 b4 15. b1 a5 16.a3 a6 17.b4
seems to have weathered the storm with only mi-
d7 18. b3 axb4 The Ruy Lopez has been
nor damage, Fischer unleashes this discombob-
thoroughly analyzed, but new moves are con-
B
ulating tail-ender. It is clear that Black can-
N
tinually been found. Previously 18...Nh5 fol-
R R B R R
not now survive. 21...gxf5 22.exf5+ e5 23.f4
lowed by ...Nf4 had been played. 19.axb4 c5
R K R K R
c8 24.fxe5 xc2 25.e6 c6 26. c1 xc1
20.bxc5 White sacrifices the exchange to get a
B R K R R B
27. xc1 d6 28. d1+ e5 29.e7 a5 30. c1
R
strong passed pawn. The position is equal af-
R K K K B K
d7 31. c5+ d4 32. xa5 b3 33. a7 e8
B B
ter 20.Qc3 Rxa1 21.Qxa1 Na4. 20... xa1
K Q R K K K
34. b7 c3 35. f2 b2 36. e3 f7 37.g4 c2
Q B
21.c6 c8 22. a3 Black’s Rook is in danger of
K
38. d4 b1= 39. xb1 xb1 40. c5 c2
getting trapped. 22... a7 23. b4 Better is
41. d6 Black Resigns.
N
23.Re3 followed by 24.Qb2 with an unclear po-
1-0
N N N
sition. 23... h5 Black starts counterplay on the

N
other side of the board. 24. f1 f4 25. e3
◦ Ye, J.
R
g6 26. c2 If 26.Nxe5, then 26...dxe5 27.d6 Bd8
• Ivanchuk, V.
N B N
28.d7 Bxd7 with a winning position. 26... a4

R
? 27. a3 xh3 28. xb5 Not 28.gxh3 Nxh3+
Manila 29.Kg2 Rxb4 followed by ...Qxf2+. 28... xb4

264
 Q Q
N
29. xb4 b6 30.g3 Again 30.gxh3 is not pos- 17.cxd4 c5. 17.a4 c5 18.d5 c4 19.b4 The novelty.
sible due to 30...Nxh3+ and 31...Qxf2. The posi- 19... h7 Dooming Black to passivity. Capturing

N B
tion is roughly equal. White has a strong passed en passant with 19...cxb3 20. Bxb3 Nc5 leaves the
pawn but his kingside is weak. 30... h5 31. d3 position fairly even and gets some breathing space

N N N
Better is 31.Nd2 and if 31...Nxg3?, then 32.Nc4. along the c-file. But Spassky knew his opponent
31... xg3 32. xe5 h5 Not 32...dxe5? 33.Qxe7 had something special prepared, and was rightly

N Q B N Q B Q R R
and White is winning with his two passed pawns. worried that Fischer would be well prepared for the

N R Q
33. c4 d8 34. f1 f4 35. b3 White brings obvious capture. 20. e3 h5 21. d2 f8 22. a3
his Queen over to the queenside for defensive pur- df6 23. ea1 d7 As Dr. Tarrasch observed,

B
poses. Not 35.Bxh3 Nxh3+ 36.Kf1 Nxf2! 37.Kxf2 "Cramped positions bear the germs of defeat." In-
Bh4+ winning. 35... h4 Black must get his stead of trying to contest the a-file Black should

R R Q
Queen into the attack. In order to do so, he sac- consider 23...Rb8 followed by Bc8-d7 to post his

B B K B Q Q N
rifices a Bishop, bringing the White King into the bishop on a better square. 24. 1a2 fc8 25. c1

Q K N Q
open in the process. 36. xh3 xf2+ 37. xf2
h4+ 38. f1 xh3 39. f3 Not 39.Re2 Qf4+
40.Kg2 Qg4+ winning. 39...f5 Black gets his fi-
nal piece into the attack. 40.c7 White seeks
f8 26. a1 e8 27. f1 White is following a re-
markably direct plan to dominate the a-file after it
is opened - and it will be opened by axb5 at White’s
discretion. Now the Knight is repositioned at b1 so

N B
counterplay by trying to promote his passed pawn. that after mass exchanges it will be able to hop up

Q K Q N K N N
40... g5 Not 40...fxe4? 41.Qxf8+ followed by to a3, probably winning the b5 pawn. 27... e7

K
42.c8=Q+ winning. 41. g2 fxe4+ 42. e2 h5+ 28. 1d2 g7 29. b1 xe4 Weary of waiting,

N R N Q
43. e3 Better is 43.Kd2, escaping quickly to the Spassky makes a desperate bid for freedom, sacri-
kingside. 43... f3 44. d1 e5 45. e2 The ficing a piece to shift the momentum from White’s

N Q
losing move. Correct is 45.Rf1! Nxc4+ 46.Kd4 a-file buildup. This sort of sacrifice can be es-

Q K R
and White will be all right. 45... xc4+ 46. xc4 pecially effective when the opponent’s pieces are
g5+ 47. xe4 f4+ White resigns, as he loses all busy doing something else, as they seem to be
quickly after 48.Kd3 Qg3+ followed by ...Rxc4. here. 29...Rab8, though unpleasant, may be ten-
0-1 able. But not 29...Bf8 30. axb5 axb5 31. Ra7
Rxa7 32. Rxa7 Ra8 33. Rxa8 Qxa8 (or 33...Bxa8
◦ Fischer, R.
B
34. Qa5) 34. Qxa8 Bxa8 35. Na3 snaring a
• Spassky, B. pawn. 30. xe4 f5 But this is a mistake, open-
Return Match (1) ing the seventh rank for the White Rook’s invasion.

B B R
Sveti Stefan Better is 30...Nf6, when Black gets some play for

K N R R R
1992 1-0 C95 the piece. 31. c2 xd5 32.axb5 axb5 33. a7
Chess fans were giddy when the reclusive f6 34. bd2 xa7 35. xa7 a8 36.g4 Fis-
American, now 49, made a comeback. He cher finds the most accurate route to victory. Most

R Q B N
showed up in war-torn Yugoslavia to play GMs would have relaxed a little here. 36...hxg4

B Q K N
his first tournament game in 20 years in a 37.hxg4 xa7 38. xa7 f4 39. xf4 exf4 40. h4

B Q K N
5millionduelbilledas”T heReturnM atchof theCenturyBetweentheN
f7 41. d4+ e6ever− 42. f5 Crashing through in

Q K B B B N
Def eatedChampionof theW orldBobbyF ischerandHisChallengerBorisSpassky.”U
every variation. 42... f8 43. xf4 ntilthef
d7 44. irstmovewasactuallypla
d4
−probablyf orever.
N N B B N N N N Q
e1+ 45. g2 d5+ 46. e4 xe4+ 47. xe4
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 This Morphy De- e7 48. xb5 f8 49. bxd6 e6 50. e5
fense to the Ruy Lopez puts the question to the Black Resigns.

B N B R B
bishop – it must either take the knight or retreat. 1-0
4. a4 f6 5.O–O e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 d6
◦ Akopian, V.
N
8.c3 O–O 9.h3 Theory deems this better than 9.
d4 Bg4! 9... b8 This retreat characterizes the • Adams, M.
Breyer variation of the Ruy Lopez. The Knight will ?
reposition to d7, and moving it allows the c-pawn Oakham

N N B B R N N N B B N
to advance. 9...Na5 is the main alternative. 10.d4 1992 1-0 C88

B R B B
bd7 11. bd2 b7 12. c2 e8 13. f1 Vary- 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O

N R B N B
ing from their tenth game in 1972: 13. b4 Bf8 14. e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 O–O 8.h3 b7 9.d3 h6

B N B N N B N
a4 Nb6 15. a5 Nbd7 which Fischer (white) won 10. bd2 e8 11.c3 f8 12.a4 a5 13. a2 c5

B B
in 56 moves. 13... f8 14. g3 g6 15. g5 h6 14. b3 c6 15. e3 d6 16. bd2 d5 The move
16. d2 g7 Later Spassky varied with 16...exd4 ...d5 in the Ruy Lopez must be weighed carefully.

265
When played successfully, it can bring immedi- Nxc5 20.Nxb4 Rxb4 21.Bc6 Black’s position is
ously wrong. 21...Qb6 22.Bxd5 Rxb2 23.Qc4
ate equality or more, sometimes much more. But coming apart. I don’t know where he went seri-

Rc2 24.Qg4 A cruncher of a move. Besides

if it doesn’t work, it can help the White pieces
spring into powerful attacking posts, and expose
the often awkwardly placed Black forces to newly threatening Nf3-d4-c6, all with tempo, there is

Q N R N R
opened lines. Such is the case here, as Black dis- now the outside chance for h3-h4-h5 with a king-

N N N B R
covers he must meet one direct threat after another. side win. 24... c7 25. d4 c3 26. c6 e8

R
17.exd5 xd5 18. e4 xe3 The c5 pawn was 27. d4 c2 Black quickly goes down in flames.
attacked. 19. xe3 Now White’s Rook has been After 27...Rd3 28.Rxd3 Nxd3 (or 28...Bxd3 29.e6

N R
helped to the third rank, where it defends the d- f6 30.Rc1 wins) 29.Rxa6 White is merely a pawn

N N B B K R
pawn and may participate in a Kingside attack. up with an overwhelming position. 28. b4 d8

N R B
19... a5 Trying to support the move ...c5-c4, but 29. xc2 xc2 30.e6 f8 31.exf7+ h8 32. e1

R N R R Q
also decentralizing. 20. fd2 c8 21.axb5 axb5 g6 A scorching finish is 32...Rxd5 33.Qxg7+

R B B B B Q
22. f3 c4 To block the a2-f7 diagonal. 23. f6+ Bxg7 34.Re8 mate. 33. e8 xe8 34.fxe8=

Q K Q K Q
gxf6 24. g3+ g7 If the King moves, 24.Qg4 xe8 35. xc5 xc5 36. e6 Black Resigns.

R R Q Q
will mate. 25. g4 f8 26. xg7+ e7 27. xh6 1-0
g8 28. xg8 xg8 29.f3 g5 Straightening
out the doubled pawns, but only to reach a lost
◦ Kasparov, G.
Q B N
endgame. The loose Knight on a5 now takes its
• Short, N.
R R
toll. 30. xg5 fxg5 31. xc4 xc4 32.dxc4
?
N K
bxc4 33. a7 b8 33...Rc7 makes no difference.
Linares
B R K
34. xc4 e6 35.b4 And the two passed pawns
1992 1-0 C45
N B R R K R
decide. 35...e4 36.fxe4 xe4 37. a6+ e7
A battle between the two contestants for the 1993
K R B R B B
38. d2 d3 39. c6 a8 40. f2 f5 41. c7+
N N
world championship.
R K R
f6 42. d7 b5 43. d5 e8 44.g4 g6
N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 This old opening has been
45. d6+ g7 46.b5 a3 47.b6 Black Resigns.
B B Q N B
re-popularized by Kasparov. 3...exd4 4. xd4
1-0
B N B
c5 5. e3 f6 6.c3 ge7 7. c4 O–O 8.O–O
b6 9. c2 d6 10. xb6 axb6 11.f4 g5 Gaining
◦ Short, N.
N B B
control of the e5-square, but weakening the king-
• Karpov, An.
side. Better is 11...Be6. 12.f5 e5 13. e2 d7
?
N Q K Q B N
14.c4 g4 This weakens the kingside even further.
8th Match Game, Linares
N B
15. c3 h5 16. d2 h8 17. f4 c6 18. e3
1992 1-0 C86
N
d7 Better is 18...Rg8. 19. xg4 Sacrificing a
This was a crucial game for Short to defeat Karpov
Q R N Q Q
piece to open up the kingside. 19...hxg4 20. xg4
in the quarter finals of the world championship.
Q
h4 21. f3 g6 22. e3 xg4 If 22...Kg7,
1.e4 e5 More often than not when Karpov’s back
K R Q
then 23.fxg6 Qxg4 24.gxf7 wins. 23. h6+
N N B B
is up against the wall, he chooses the double King
g8 24. h3 xh3 The only reasonable de-
N B Q B
pawn defenses. 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4
N N
fense to 25.Qh7#. If 24...Nf6, then 25.fxg6
B R N
f6 5.O–O e7 6. e2 b5 7. b3 O–O 8.c3 d6
Q R K N R Q
fxg6 26.Rg3 wins. 25.gxh3 ge5 26.f6 xf6
9.d4 g4 10. d1 exd4 11.cxd4 d5 12.e5 e4
R R Q R N
27. xf6 ae8 28. h1 g6 29.h4 e6 30. g5
The players now find themselves in a position akin
R K N
fe8 31. h5 e5 32. h6 xe4 33. xe4
to the Open Ruy, an opening Viktor Korchnoi has
Q K Q
xe4 34. g1 e5 34...Rg4+ would have of-
championed for years, but one which I don’t think
K R R Q K Q B
fered more resistance. 35. g5+ h7 36. f5+
Karpov has ever played before. A bizarre departure
h6 37. f1 e2 38. f6+ h7 39. g5 e4
B N
from Karpov’s normal practice of sticking to what
B R R
If 39...Rxb2 40.Rxf7 Nxf7 41.Qg6+ Kh8 42.Qf6+
B
he does best. 13.a4 bxa4 14. xa4 b4 15.h3
Q N R K
and 43.Qxb2. 40.h6 g6 41.h4 e4 42.h5 g4+
h5 A necessary retreat. If 15...Bxf3? 16.gxf3
R N R N
43. xg4 xg4 44.hxg6+ fxg6 45. f7+ xh6
N B B
Ng5 17.f4 Ne6 18.f5, Black will be rolled off the
46. xc7 e5 47. xb7 xc4 48.b3 Black Re-
board. 16. c3 g6 17. e3 White has built up a
signs.
frightening advantage with simple moves. Black’s
1-0
queenside and center pawns look like appetizers.

R N
Conversely, White’s center and queenside are to
be envied. 17... b8 18. a2 Targeting the a6- ◦ Kasparov, G.
pawn and opening up the c-file. 18...c5 19.dxc5 • Anand, V.

266
 Bd7 32.Kd2 a5 33.Ne3 axb4 34.cxb4 The de-
34...Rxc5
?

35.bxc5 Rxc5 Now there is no stopping Black’s

Linares cisive error. Correct is 34.Bxb4.

pawns. 36.Rc1 Rxc1 37.Kxc1 Be6 38.Nc2 d4

1992 1/2-1/2 C18

39.Bb5 Bb3 40.Na1 h5 41.Nxb3 axb3 42.Be8

When this game was played, Kasparov had lost two

e3 43.Bxh5 d3 White Resigns. If 44.Bd1, then

of his previous three games to Anand. The world
champion would be out for blood.
N B B 44...b2+ 45.Kxb2 e2 wins.
N N Q B
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 b4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 xc3+
0-1
Q N
6.bxc3 e7 7.h4 bc6 8.h5 a5 9. d2 cxd4

N
10.cxd4 a4 11. f3 This sacrifice is a new idea.

B N K
Previously 11.Bc3 had been played. 11... xd4
◦ Anand, V.
N Q
12. d3 ec6 13. f1 White is planning to play
• Bareev, E.
14.Rh4. 13... xf3 Better is 13...Nf5. 14. xf3
?
B
b6 Better is 14...Qd4. 15.h6 Creating holes in the
Dortmund
R B
kingside. 15... a6 Worse is 15...g6 16.Qf6 Rg8
1992 1-0 C11
Q
17.Rh4. 16.hxg7 g8 17. xa6 Black would get
N N N
An example of Knight versus bad Bishop.
K R
counter chances with 17.Rxh7? Nxe5. 17... xa6+
N N B Q
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 5.f4
Q R R Q
18. g1 xg7 Not 18...Nd4? 19.Qf6 threat-
B B N Q Q B R
c5 6. f3 c6 7. e3 a6 8. d2 b5 9. dxc5
B N
ening Bg5. 19. f6 g8 20. xh7 b7
N R
xc5 10. xc5 xc5 11. f2 b6 12. d3 b8
21. g5 d4 Black is planning to play ...Ne2-c3-
N B N
13.O–O b4 14. fd1 O–O Better was 14...Na4.
N K N R R
e4. 22.c4 Trying to open up lines for his Queen’s
15. e2 d7 16. ed4 White’s command of the
Q K Q R B R
Rook. 22... e2+ 23. h2 c3 24. h8 xh8+
N N
d4 square and Black’s bad Bishop gives White the
Q R Q
25. xh8+ d7 26. h7 f8 27. h6 e8 28.
advantage. 16... bxd3 17.cxd3 a4 18.b4 Con-
xf7+ e7 29. g6 Short on time, White starts
trolling the c5 square and fixing Black’s pawns
Q N
making errors. Better is 29.Qg8 which prevents
R R R R
on the same color as his Bishop. 18...a5 19.a3
Black’s next move. 29... b8 30.cxd5 xd5 Not
R R B Q B K K
fc8 20. dc1 axb4 21.axb4 xc1+ 22. xc1
R
30...Qxe5+ 31.f4! Qh8 32.dxe6+ Rxe6 33.Qg7+
K K Q
c8 23. xc8+ xc8 24. c2 d7 25. f2 f8
Q Q Q
winning. 31. d1 White could still have won
26.g4 e8 27. e3 f6 28.h4 b8 An important
K
with 31.f4. 31... xe5+ 32.f4 h8 33.f5 e5+
Q K K
move. 28...Kf7? 29.exf6 gxf6 30.g5 allows White
34. h1 Draw by Agreement.
K Q Q
to control the e5-square. 29. c1 f8 30. e2
1/2-1/2
Q
f7 31. e3 f8 If 31...Nc3, then 32.Kd2 Na2
33.f5 is strong. 32.f5 e8 33.g5 33.exf6 gxf6
34.fxe6+?! Bxe6 35.Nxe6 Qxe6 36.Qxe6+ Kxe6
◦ Shirov, A.
37.Nd4+ Ke5 38.Nxb5 Kf4 is only drawn. With the
• Bareev, E.
Q
text move, White forces a breakthrough in Black’s
?
Q K
position. 33...exf5 34.gxf6 gxf6 35. h6 fxe5 If
Hastings
Q K N K Q K
35...Qh8, then 36.exf6 is strong. 36. xh7+ f6
1992 0-1 C11
N K N
37. h6+ f7 38. g5+ e7 39. g7+ d6
Black sacrifices a piece to get a dangerous pawn
40. f7+ c7 41. xe5 White is winning because
mass in the center.
N N N N his pieces are so much better placed. White is
N N N
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 5. ce2
threatening to transpose into a winning endgame
Q B Q N N
c5 6.c3 b5 7.f4 c6 8.a3 cxd4 9. xd4 xd4
N N K N Q
with 42.Qxd7+, so Black must give up his b-
N
10. xd4 c5 11. d3 O–O 12. f3 f6 13. d4
N B K Q N Q
pawn. 41... b6 42. xb5+ b8 43. d4 h5+
Better is 13.Be3 or 13.exf6. 13... xe5 Also
K Q Q N Q K N
44. df3 e8 45. f2 f4 46. e7 c8 47. f6
worth considering is 13...Qe7 14.exf6 Rxf6 fol-
Q B N N Q K
b7 48. xf4 h8 49. g5 h6 50. g3 d6
lowed by 15...e5. 14.fxe5 fxe5 Black has com-
Q Q B Q
51. f3 c6 52. gf7 xf7 53. xf7+ b6
N B
pensation for the sacrificed piece in his central
54. f4 e6 55.h5 b7 56. f6 Black Resigns.
K B Q Q
pawn mass and White’s open King. 15. c2 f2+
If 56...Qxf6, then 57.Nd7+ followed by 58.Nxf6
16. d1 e4 17. e2 e5 18. e3 h4 19.g3 White
and 59.h6 easily wins.
Q BK
decides to sacrifice the exchange to untangle his
1-0
B Q R B B Q
pieces. 19... xg3 20.hxg3 xh1 21. d2 a6

B R R B
22. g2 h2 23. g1 e6 24. f1 xe2+ 25.
◦ Kasparov, G.
R
xe2 ac8 26.b4 fd8 27. b6 Weak is 27.Bc5
• Anand, V.
B R K R R
d4 28.cxd4 exd4 29.Nxd4 Rxc5. 27... d7
28.a4 bxa4 29. c5 c6 30. e3 dc7 31. a1 ?

267
Reggio Emilia ?
1992 0-1 C07 Linares
Not only is the Indian Grandmaster Anand one of 1992 1-0 B17
the best in the world, he is also one of the fastest. Contests between the current and former world

N N N N
He often uses less than half the time of his oppo- champions are always bitter.

N B Q
nent. This was his second win against world cham- 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3. d2 dxe4 4. xe4 d7 5. g5

N Q N
pion Kasparov in less than three months. gf6 6. c4 e6 7. e2 Threatening 8.Nxf7.

B N N B Q N B
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5 5.dxc5 7... b6 Not 7...h6? 8.Nxf7 winning at once.

N N
xc5 6. gf3 f6 7. d3 O–O 8. e2 bd7 8. b3 h6 The grab 8...Qxd4? 9.N1f3 Bb4+ 10.c3

N B
9. e4 b6 9...Ne4 10.Bxe4 Qh5 11.O-O Nf6 Bxc3+ 11.Kf1 is suicidal for Black. 9. 5f3 c5

Q B Q B B
leaves White with a slight advantage. 10. xc5 10. f4 An important wrinkle in this line. Black
xc5 11. e3 c7 12. d4 b7 13.O–O–O has no problems after 10.dxc5 Nbd7, intending
Looks risky, but on 13.O-O, Anand had planned the recapture ...Nd7xc5, with a comfortable game.

N B
13...Ng4 14.Bxh7+ Kh8! and now Black threat- Kasparov aims for maximum mobilization of his

N R B B Q B
ens 15...Bxf3. 13... c5 14. e5 If 14.Bxf6, pieces and there isn’t a more active square for the

Q N N
then 14...Qf4+. 14... xd3+ 15. xd3 If 15.Qxd3, Bishop. 10... d6 11. g3 e7 12.dxc5 xc5

B
then 15...Qxc6. 15... c4 16. d4 If 16.Nd2, then 13. e5 White has emerged with a model position
16...Qg4. 16... e4 The Bishop is transferred to against the Caro. White’s last move touches the

R Q
the defense of the King. Risky, but worth consider- very heart of White’s strategic aims in the open-

B
ing is 16...Qxa2 17.Bxf6 gxf6. 17. e3 xa2 ing. It is well known that White tries to con-

B B N
18. xf6 Not 18.Rxe4 Qa1+ 19.Kd2 Nxe4+. trol the e5-square and that a Knight is best placed
18... g6 Too risky is 18...Qa1+ 19.Kd2 Qxh1 here. 13... d7 14. gf3 If 14.O-O-O, then

R N
20.Rxe4 gxf6 21.Qg4+ Kh8 22.Qh4 Rg8 23.Qxf6+ Black should not play 14...O-O-O? 15.Nxf7! Qxf7

Q
Rg7 24.Rg4 Rg8 25.Nf3 winning. 19. a3 16.Qe5, rather 14...a5. 14... h5 15.O–O–O Un-
d5 20.h4 20.Qe5 Qxg2 is to Black’s advan- sound is 15.Nxf7?! Nxg3 16.fxg3 Kxf7 17.Ne5+

Q
tage. Worth considering is 20.Be5 f6 21.Bg3 Qxd4 Ke8 18.Qh5+ Kd8 19.Ng6 Qg5+ 20.Qxg5 hxg5

R R N
22.Qxe6+. 20...gxf6 21.h5 xd4 22.hxg6 hxg6 21.Nxh8 Ke7 22.Ng6+ Kf6 with a large advan-

Q
23. ah3 Threatening mate in two. 23...f5 24. h4 tage to Black. 15... xg3 Not 15...O-O-O 16.Nxd7

R
f4 25. f3 White could have maintained equal- Nxd7 17.Be5 with a much better position for

R R Q B
ity with 25.g3 Rac8 26.gxf4. Now Black has a White. 16.hxg3 O–O–O 17. h5 A brilliant

K R R K
slight advantage. 25... ac8 26. xf4 c5 27.c3 move! The Rook controls the fifth rank. 17... e8

Q B
g7 28. hh4 Correct is 28.Rfh4 Qg5 29.Kc2 If 17...g6, then 18.Rh4. 18. xd8+ xd8 Not

Q Q K
Qf5 30.Qxf5 exf5 31.Rd4 with only a slight ad- 18...Qxd8? 19.Nxf7 winning. 19. d2+ d6

R R Q R Q Q
vantage to Black. 28... e5 29.g3 e1+ 30. c2 A nice move to have provoked. Though a tar-

R R R R
cd8 31. d4 e5 32. hf4 c7 33. e3 e5 get on c5, the Bishop was gunning on the f2-
34. xd8 xd8 35. e4 d5 36.g4 Better is pawn and now that concern is over. In reality

Q Q Q Q Q
36.f4 with only a slight advantage to Black. 36...b5 Black had no choice, as 19...Kc8 20.Nd3 Bd6

Q
37.g5 d6 38.f3 a5 39. e2 e6 40. h2 f5 21.Qc3+ picks up the g7-critter. It’s for such

Q Q N
41. g3 If 41.Qh6+, then 41...Kg8 42.Kb3 Rd2 reasons that Black’s King belongs on b8 or a8.

Q
winning. 41... d7 42. e1 b4 Black starts 20. d3 Taking time to sidestep Black’s ...f7-f6

K
putting the King under pressure. 43.cxb4 If threat. 20... c7 Not 20...Kc8? 21.Qc3+ followed

B R K
43.Rxe5, then 43...Qa4+ 44.Kc1 bxc3 wins. The by 22.Qxg7. 21.g4 Threatening 22.g5. 21... c8

Q
best move is 43.b3, although Black would have a If 21...f6, then 22.Nd4. 22.g5 f8 23. h4 b8

B
large advantage. 43... a4+ 44.b3 If 44.Kc1, then 24.a4 White switches his attack over to the queen-

N K
44...axb4 45.Rxe5 Rd8 followed by 46...Rc8+ wins side. 24... e7 Better was 24...Nc8. 25.a5

Q K Q K B Q Q
or if 44.Kc3, then 44...Qc6+ 45.Rc4 axb4+ wins. d5 If 25...Nc8, then 26.a6 is strong. 26. b1

Q K Q K R N B
44... a2+ 45. c3 a4 46.bxa4 a3+ 47. c2 Threatening 27.c4. 26... d8 27.a6 a5 28. e2

N Q R Q
xa4+ 48. c3 a3+ 49. c2 d3 White Re- Threatening 29.Qe5+. 28... b6 29.axb7 xg5

R
signs. Black threatens 50...Qb3# and 50.Qb1 is 30. xg5 xg5 31. h5 f6 If 31...Qxg2, then

B N
met with 50...Qc3#. 32.Nc5 is strong. 32. a5 Black will be unable

B N K Q
0-1 to defend his King. 32... c6 33. c5 Threaten-

K B K Q N Q
ing 34.Qa6. 33... xb7 34. xb7 xb7 35. a6+
◦ Kasparov, G.
Q Q K Q K R
c6 36. a4+ d6 37. d3+ d5 38. g3+
• Karpov, An. e5 39. a3+ c7 40. c5+ d8 41. xa7

268
Black Resigns. ◦ Kasparov, G.
1-0 • Ivanchuk, V.
?
Manila
◦ Kasparov, G. 1992 1-0 A35
• Karpov, A. Previous to this Olympiad Kasparov and Ivanchuk
Linares (2)
N N N N B
played on the same team.
Spain
N B B N
1. f3 c5 2.c4 c6 3. c3 f6 4.g3 d6 5. g2
1992 1-0 B17
B
g6 6.d4 cxd4 7. xd4 d7 8.e4 g7 9. xc6
Yet another chapter in the greatest rivalry of all
B
xc6 Not 9...bxc6 due to 10.c5 dxc5 11.e5 Ng4
time. Kasparov nurses an from the opening and
R
12.f4. 10. e3 O–O 11.O–O a5 Preventing White
transforms it into a striking victory after some orig-
Q Q R R
from expanding on the queenside. 12. c1 a4
inal maneuvers. Keep your eye on White’s king’s
N
13. e2 a5 14. fd1 fc8 Better is 14...Nd7.
rook!
N N N N N N B
15.c5 e8 White is much better after 15...dxc5
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3. d2 dxe4 4. xe4 d7 5. g5
R R B Q B Q
16.e5 Ne8 17.Nd5. 16.cxd6 xd6 17. d5 xd5
Moving the knight a third time within the first five
Q N
18. xd5 xc1+ 19. xc1 c7 20. f4 c4
moves is an incredible violation of principle, yet 21. xc4 xc4 22.b3 axb3 23.axb3 White has

N B Q
this emerged as the sharpest weapon against the
N
the advantage because of his two Bishops and

N
Caro-Kann in the 90s. 5... gf6 6. c4 e6 7. e2
N
active pieces. 23... a5 24.b4 Not 24.Rb5 Bd4

B
b6 Black must exercise care. Not 7...h6? 8.
N B K N B R
and the Bishop gets active. 24... c6 25.b5

N B
Nxf7. 8. b3 h6 Suicidal is 8...Qxd4? 9. N1f3
N B R R R K
d4 26. f1 h5 27. g2 c2 28. d2 e6 29. c5
Bb4+ 10. c3 Bxc3+ 11. Kf1! 9. 5f3 c5 10. f4
R K R R
d4 30. e3 b6 31. c7 a1 32. c8+ h7
Maximum mobilization. On 10. dxc5 Nbd7!
R K
33. c7 g8 34. c4 d1 Not 34...e5 35.Rc8+

B B Q B
intending to recapture Nxc5 poses Black fewer
R B K B K
Kh7 36.Rc7 and the f-pawn falls. 35. c8+ h7

N B N
problems. 10... d6 11. g3 e7 12.dxc5 xc5
R
36. d8 e5 37.h3 g7 38. c4 f6 The los-
13. e5 d7 14. gf3 A difficult decision. 14.
B N
ing mistake. Better is 38...Bf6 39. d7 g5
h3 to provide an escape square for the bishop on
R N R N B N
Not 39...Kg7 40.Bxe6 winning. 40. e2 xe2

N
h2 is also feasible. Now Black eases the pressure
R N B
41. xd1 c3 42. d8 xe4 43. xb6 c3

N R
by the following exchange. 14... h5 15.O–O–O 44. g8 xb5 45. d8+ Black Resigns.
xg3 16.hxg3 O–O–O 17. h5 Trying to shift 1-0

B
some wood to the other wing. The immediate
threat is Nxf7. 17... e8 A typical Karpovian re- ◦ Hansen, Cu.
• Akopian, V.
R K Q B N
treat. More sensible seems 17...Rhf8 followed by

Q
Kb8. 18. xd8+ xd8 19. d2+ d6 20. d3 ?
c7 21.g4 Beautifully timed. The main idea is Groningen

K B R
to discourage Black’s king from seeking refuge on 1992 0-1 A29
the kingside. 21... c8 22.g5 f8 23. h4 23. White makes a mistake early in the game, Black
gxh6 Rxh6 24. Rxh6 gxh6 merely swaps an ac- grabs the initiative and never relinquishes it. Watch
tive rook for a passive one. In addition to swing-
N N N N
how Black makes use of pins throughout the game.

K B
ing the rook over to the queenside, a secondary
N B B R
1.c4 e5 2. c3 f6 3. f3 c6 4.g3 g6 5.d4

N K
idea is g6 weakening e6. 23... b8 24.a4 e7
N
exd4 6. xd4 g7 7. g2 O–O 8.O–O e8

B Q
25.a5 d5 26. b1 Preparing c4. Black must cre-
B R
9. c2 d6 10.b3 White wants to play Bb2 but

Q N
ate a retreat for his knight. 26... d8 27.a6 a5 this move looks risky. 10... f5 11. b1

B N Q R Q
Better is 27...Nb6! right away. 28. e2 b6 Not 11.f3 d5. The text move steps out of the

R
29.axb7 xg5 30. xg5 xg5 31. h5 f6
R
pin on the h8-a1 diagonal but steps into another
32. a5 "The crowning achievement of White’s
N N B
one. 11...a5 Threatening 11...Nb4. 12. e1 Plan-

B N B
fantastic play since 17. Rh5" is how one critic de- ning 12.e4. 12... e4 13. xe4 xe4 14.f3 This

N K Q K B K
scribed this maneuver. 32... c6 33. c5 xb7 is an error that allow Black to grab the initia-

Q N Q Q Q K
34. xb7 xb7 35. a6+ c6 36. a4+ d6
B Q B Q
tive. Correct is 14.Bxe4 Rxe4 15.f3 followed by

Q K R
37. d3+ d5 38. g3+ e5 39. a3+ c7
Q Q Q B B R
16.e4. 14... xc2 15. xc2 d4+ 16.e3 g5
40. c5+ d8 41. xa7 Black Resigns. A flaw-
B
17.f4 c5 18. f2 f5 19. d2 c5 20. bd1
less demonstration of Kasparov in top form.
N B B
a4 21. c3 Black constantly keeps the pressure

R R B
1-0 on. 21...axb3 22.axb3 b4 23. xb4 xb4
24. e2 a3 25. xb7 Not 25.e4 Bc5 26.exf5

269
Rxe2 winning. 25...Rxb3 26.Bc6 Re7 27.Qf3 Bf6 13.Nd2 Bd7 14.Bc5 Re8 15.e4 f4 16. gxf4
Qc5 28.Be4 Qb6 29.Rd3 White tries to ease exf4 17.d4 With his big pawn center and total con-
the pressure with exchanges. 29...Bc5 White’s trol of the Queenside, it is clear that White is bet-

save it. 30.Kg2 Qb4 31.Rxb3 Qxb3 32.Bd5 tic way to finish up. 17...Kh8 18.e5 Bg5 19.Rc3
e-pawn is very weak and he will be unable to ter. Count on Korchnoi to find a quick and artis-

Rxe3 33.Rxe3 Bxe3 34.f5 Qc2+ 35.Kh1 It Bh6 20.Bxb6 Rxb6 21.Nc4 Ra6 22.e6 Accord-
would have been difficult for Black to win af- ing to Nimzowitsch, the passed pawn is a crimi-

Q K
ter 35.Kh3 Qf5 36.Qxf5 gxf5 37.Kg2 followed by nal who must be locked up or he will escape by
38.Kf3. 35... c1+ 36. g2 g5 37.f6 If 37.Qh5, running forward. The pawn’s "lust to expand" can

R
then 37...Qg1+ 38.Kh3 Qf1+ 39.Kg4 Qe2+ wins be seen clearly here. The mobile pawn center ad-

R Q R
the Queen. 37...h5 Black sacrifices a pawn to vances at the cost of the enemy pieces. 22... xe6
force White’s Queen out of play and get the 23.d5 g6 24.dxc6 g5 25. g3 fxg3 26.fxg3

Q R R Q
King in a mating net. The threat is 38...Qg1+ Smooth defense of Black’s last few threats. White
39.Kh3 g4+ 40.Kh4 Qxh2#. 38. xh5 If 38.Qf5, now threatens Rf8 mate. 26... f6 27. xf6 xf6

Q K
then 38...Qg1+ 39.Kf3 Qf2+ 40.Ke4 Qc2+ wins 28.cxb7 Black Resigns.

Q B
the Queen. 38... g1+ 39. h3 If 39.Kf3, then 1-0

Q
39...Qd1+ wins the Queen. 39... f1+ 40. g2
◦ Christiansen, L.
Q B Q B
f5+ 41.g4 If 41.Qg4, then 41...Qh7+ wins im-
• Sokolov, I.
Q B B K Q K
mediately. 41... xf6 42. e4 f1+ 43. g2
d3 44. f3 f4 45. g2 d2+ 46. h1 If in- ?

Q Q B
stead 46.Kf1, then 46...Be3 47.Be2 Qc1+ 48.Kg2 Groningen
Qg1+ 49.Kh3 Bf4 wins. 46... f2 47. h3 e3 1992 0-1 A28

N N N N B
White Resigns. 47.Qg2 Qe1+ wins. Black combines defense with counterattack.

B B
0-1 1.c4 e5 2. c3 c6 3. f3 f6 4.e4 b4 5.d3

B N
d6 6.g3 a6 7. g2 b5 8.cxb5 axb5 9.O–O xc3
◦ Korchnoi, V. 10.bxc3 d7 11. h4 White’s plan is to attack
• Romanishin, O. on the kingside starting with 12.f4. 11...O–O

B
? 12.f4 h6 13.fxe5 Better is 13.Nf5 Bxf5 14.exf5

Q K
Polanica Zdroj d5 15.g4 with a strong attack. 13...dxe5 14. e3
1992 1-0 A29 e7 15. h1 Removing the King from the a7-

R Q Q R B R
Korchnoi is fond of reversed openings, especially g1 diagonal, but 15.Nf5 was still preferable.
reversed Sicilians, where White plays a position 15... fd8 16. c2 d6 17. ad1 g4 18. d2

B R R
normally associated with the opposite color, with Worse is 18.Bf3 Bxf3+ 19.Rxf3 Nxe4 20.Qb3

N Q K Q B
one extra move in hand. Surprisingly only a few Qd5. 18...b4 19.h3 e6 20.c4 a3 21. fd1

N
modern openings lend themselves to this strategy; d4 22. b2 c5 23. h2 a6 24. xd4 exd4

R N
apparently even the best defenses gain from the 25.e5 d7 White’s position is very bad because

R
fact that as White, the opponent is expected to of his weak pawns. 26. e2 b6 Planning to

N Q N R N Q N
try to DO something. In Grandmaster play, the transfer his Knight to the outpost at c3. 27. f2

Q
player of the Black pieces is often content to draw, a4 28. c1 c3 29. dd2 xa2 30. d1 c3
therefore a strong defense can afford to be reactive 31. h5 White’s only hope is a desperate attack

N B N N R
rather than active. on the kingside. 31...b3 32.g4 Worth consider-

N N B N
1.c4 e5 2.g3 f6 3. g2 d5 4.cxd5 xd5 5. f3 ing is 32.Rf6. 32... a2 33.g5 The best chance

Q R B
c6 6.O–O b6 7.d3 e7 8. c3 O–O 9.a4 was 33.Nf5 Bxf5 34.gxf5. 33...hxg5 Not

R R Q
Played from either side of the board, the Sicil- 33...Rxd2? 34.gxh6!. 34. xg5 b8 35. d5

B
ian Dragon is a strong weapon, promising play on xd2 36. xd2 a2 36...b2 37.Rg2 would be

N K
the half-open c-file and along the long diagonal very strong for White. 37. xe6 Clearly hope-

R Q
of its fianchettoed Bishop. When the formation less is 37.Rxa2 bxa2. 37...fxe6 38. g6 f7
is played by White, many of the most aggressive 39. xa2 bxa2 40. e7+ White must give up his
plans are no longer available to the opponent, such Knight and hope for a perpetual check. There is

K Q K Q K
as castling on opposite wings and pawn storming. nothing in 40.Nf4 a1=Q 41.Qg6+ Kg8 41.Qxe6+

Q K
For Black in this game, the strategy would have Kh8. 40... xg6 41. xe6+ h7 42. f5+ g8

Q K
been too slow. He therefore chooses a cautious 42...Kh8 43.e6 would only draw. 43. e6+ h8

B R R N R
plan, which unfortunately allows White to control 44. a6 h7 Black must be careful. 44...Rb1
the pace. 9...a5 10. e3 a6 11. c1 f5 12. b5 45.Qc8+ Kh7 46.Qf5+ would draw. 45.e6 b2+

270
 Kg3 Re2 47.h4 Re1 48.e7 Rxe7 49.h5 Re1 1.g3 e5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nc3 g6 4.d3 Bg7 5.Nd5
Qg6+ Kg8 51.Qa6 a1=Q 52.Qc8+ Kf7 Nd4 6.Bg2 c6 7.Nc3 Ne7 8.e3 Ne6 9.Nge2 d5
46.

Qd7+ Kf8 54.Qf5+ Ke7 55.Qxc5+ Kd7 10.cxd5 cxd5 11.Qb3 d4 12.exd4 exd4 13.Ne4
50.

Qf5+ Kc7 White Resigns. The Black King An interesting position. Black has an edge in
53.
56.
slips away to safety after 57.Qf7+ Kb6 58.Qg6+ space, but he must be careful that the advanced
Ka5. d-pawn doesn’t become weak. White has ad-
0-1 equate square for his pieces, especially the e4-

N N R B B N
point that is ideal for Knights. 13...O–O 14.O–O

B N K R Q N N
c6 15. f4 b8 16. d2 e5 17. d5 f5 18.f4
◦ Webster, A.
Q N K N R R
g7 19. g5 h8 20. fe1 d6 21. b4 ed8
• Akopian, V.
B
22. a3 h6 23. f3 h7 24. e5 f6 25. ac1
?
f8 Very complicated opening play. The position
Oakham
was roughly equal immediately out of the open-
1992 0-1 A25
ing, but Black hasn’t been doing himself any favors
A game of many pins. At first, Black’s pins are rel-
by expanding on the Kingside. His one strength,
ative, with his Bishops bearing down on the open
the space advantage, will soon be used against
diagonals to White’s Queenside, but then they turn
N
him as the lines opened up behind his advanced
their attention toward the King to produce a pi-
pawns are infiltrated by White pieces. 26. bxc6
N B N N
quant ending.
Q
Black’s over-extended position will be more ob-
B N
1.c4 e5 2.g3 f6 3. g2 c6 4. c3 g6 5.e3
N N
vious after the exchange of Queens. 26... xa3
B
g7 6. ge2 O–O 7.O–O d6 8.d4 exd4 9.exd4
27.bxa3 xc6 28.a4 xe5 The White Knight
f5 10.h3 h5 11.b3 Setting the stage for Black’s
is marvelously placed, and the pressure on c6
later play on the long diagonal, but in any case
R R
is hard to take, but after this the passed e-pawn
the d4 pawn is a target, unable to be supported
K R B R B R
proves quickly decisive. 29.fxe5 a6 30. c7+
by another pawn unless it advances - which in-
B B K B R
h8 31.a5 e6 32. d5 e8 33.e6 d6 34. f7
R N N B Q
creases the action of the Black Bishop on g7.
R K
b6 35. xh6 bxa5 36. g7+ g8 37. f6 b5
B B
11... e8 12.d5 b4 13.a3 d3 14. g5 d7
38. g7+ f8 39.e7+ And it’s all over. Rg7-g8
15. xf6 xf6 16.g4 White tries to take advan-
will be mate next. Black Resigns.
tage of the once-defended Knight, but Black has
1-0
played the opening too efficiently for this tactic
to function. Notice how nicely the Black piece
◦ Korchnoi, V.
N Q B
work together, and how clumsy the White ones
• Shirov, A.
B
appear. 16...hxg4 17.hxg4 b2 18. d2 d3
?
19. f3 Hopeless is 19.Qxb2, since 19...Rxe2 not
Biel
only regains the piece, but wins another: 20.Qc1
1992 0-1 A13
Q R
Rc2. The pin can be an immensely powerful tacti-
Viktor Korchnoi was Anatoly Karpov’s only chal-
cal element. 19... e7 20. a2 Now on 20.Qxb2
lenger for the World Championship during the late
White may be fortunate enough to survive to a
1970’s, until Garry Kasparov came along. Of
bad endgame: 20...Bxe2 21.Qxe2! Bxc3 22.Qxe7
course, the long shadow of Bobby Fischer was cast
Rxe7 and ...Rae8 with total control of the open e-
over all the pretenders to the throne during this pe-
B
file. But Black would probably continue as in the
riod. Korchnoi never did break through against his
Q R Q N B R
game, 20...Be5! with Kingside threats. 20... e5
arch rival Karpov, and in this game he succumbs to
Q B R N B
21.g5 d7 22. c1 h3 23. g3 d4 24. xb2
B Q Q
the young Latvian, Alexi Shirov.
xg3+ 25. g2 e2 26. xe2 xf2+ White Re-
Q B N N B
1.c4 e6 2.g3 d5 3. g2 c6 4. c2 dxc4 5. xc4
signs.
N N R R
b5 6. c2 b7 7.d3 f6 8. c3 a6 9.a4 e7
0-1
Q
10. f3 bd7 11.O–O O–O 12. d1 c8 13.e4
b6 14.axb5 axb5 15.d4 c5 16.d5 exd5 17.e5
◦ Romanishin, O. d4 Shirov sacrifices a piece to gain passed pawns,
• Chernin, A.
N
active pieces, and a space advantage. These are

N R Q B B
? more than enough compensation. 18.exf6 xf6

B R B R Q N B
Polanica Zdroj 19. b1 fd8 20. e2 f8 21. d2 b4 22.b3

B R N R R
1992 1-0 A25 d5 23. e1 xb3 24. a6 b7 25. xd4 d5
The mating net is a powerful weapon, even after 26. xd5 xd5 27. c2 cd8 28. xf6 White
the Queens are exchanged. tries to return some of the material for Kingside

271
play, but this proves insufficient. 28...gxf6 29.Bf4 R R R N K B
Qd7 30.Ne3 Rd4 31.Nc4 Qe6 32.Nbd2 Qxe2 B N B N B B B
h6 56. c3 xa3 57. xa3 xa3 58. f4 d5

B B B N K N
59. h7 c4 60. d3 e5 61. c2 e6 62. e4
Two pieces are often more than a match for a g4 63. c2 h5 64. e4 g6+ 65. g3 e7
Rook and a Pawn. But here they have two passed White Resigns. The fatal threat of Nf5+ compels

R R R R
pawns to deal with, and in the endgame the Knights White to swap his bishop for the knight.

R K B R R
fail to coordinate. 33. xe2 a8 34. e1 a2 0-1

R K
35. e8 g7 36. e3 d5 37.g4 c2 38.h4
h5 39.g5 fxg5 40.hxg5 b3 41. b8 b2 42. g2
◦ Christiansen, L.
42.Rxb2 is met by Rdxd2!, leaving Black with a
• Karpov, A.
B R K K
simple win after either 43.Bxd2 Rxc4 or 43.Rxc2
Wijk aan Zee (2)
R K K B R
Rxc2. 42... e7 43.f4 f6 44. b7 g6 45. f3
Holland
K B R K K R
fxg5 46. b6+ g7 47. e4 gxf4 48. xf4 d4+
1993 1-0 E12
K K K R
49. f5 f6 50. b7+ g8 51. xf6 xf4+
The shortest loss of Karpov’s illustrious career.
52. g6 f8 53. xh5 f2 White Resigns.
Wijk aan Zee’s annual Hoogoven Chess Festival
0-1
broke with tradition this year and ran the premier
section as a knockout. Although top-seed Karpov
◦ Browne, W.
won the event, he was almost eliminated early on
• Kamsky, G.
N N
by America’s Larry Christiansen.
National Open (5)
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 b6 4.a3 Popularized by
Las Vegas
Petrosian, this quiet move seems to have no bear-
1993 0-1 E97
B
ing on the center. It prevents a pin by ...Bb4, thus
Kamsky tied for first in a field of 940 players.
preparing an eventual Nc3 and d5. 4... a6 4...Bb7
INSIDE CHESS noted: "The best played game
used to be played almost automatically. The text
of the tournament was Gata’s stubborn defense
Q B
puts a finger on c4 so that if 5. e3 d5 6. cxd5 Bxf1
against Walter Browne’s virulent queenside attack.
disrupts White from castling. 5. c2 b7 An ap-
Gata digested the sacrificed material and scored the
parent loss of time but White no longer can enforce
N N B N
point."
N N N N
d5 with his queen on c2. Another idea is 5...c5 right
B N N N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5. f3 O–O
B B N B B
away. 6. c3 c5 7.e4 cxd4 8. xd4 c6 9. xc6
6. e2 e5 7.O–O c6 8.d5 e7 9. d2 a5 It’s
xc6 10. f4 h5 11. e3 d6 A misguided
debatable whether Black should take time to slow
way to put pressure on f4. On 11...Bc5 Black’s
the coming queenside offensive or start his king-
Q
position is perfectly playable, but he simply over-
N R K
side attack right away with Nd7 and f5. 10.a3
looks White’s reply, winning a piece. 12. d1
d7 11. b1 f5 12.b4 h8 13.f3 Strictly speak-
Black Resigns. The double attack on d6 and h5
N Q N
ing, this move is not yet really necessary. More
is lethal. When grandmasters drop a piece without
B N B R
consistent is 13. Nb3. 13... g8 14. c2 gf6
compensation, they usually resign on the spot.
N N N Q Q
15. d3 f4 16. b5 b6 17. b2 e8 18.c5 bxc5
1-0
N R N
19. b3 a4 20. a5 b8 21. xa4 g5 22. c2
g4 23. b3 g8 24. xc5 Browne didn’t like the
looks of 24. bxc5 gxf3 25. Rxf3 Ng4 and in- ◦ Short, N.
• Kasparov, G.
B N
stead gives up a piece for two pawns with more
PCA World Championship (8)
Q N
in the offing. 24...dxc5 25. xe5 c6 26. d6
e7 27.bxc5 bd7 Of course not 27...Qxe5?? London
1993 1/2-1/2 B86
B N B Q
28. Nf7 mate. White has plenty of compensa-

N Q N N R
tion for the piece. 28. d4 e8 29. xg7+ xg7 This might have been the most brilliant game of

B Q
30. f5 e5 31.dxc6 df6 32. h6 g7 33.fxg4 the match – and Short’s immortal effort – if he

Q K Q
xg4 34. b2 Probably a time-pressure error. had only iced Kasparov when he had the chance!

Q N Q
Stronger is 34. Rb7. 34... xc5+ 35. h1 h5 He had to wait until game 16 for his first and only

B R R R Q Q
36.e5 xh6 37.exf6 xf6 38. e5 f3 39.gxf3 victory but Kasparov, after several narrow escapes,

Q Q B K B K
h3 40. g1 ag8 41. xg7 xg7 42. g3 defended his title decisively with a final score of

B Q R Q R N N N N N
h6 43. f2 g2+ 44. g1 xf3+ 45. f1 12.5 - 7.5.

Q K R N B R B
xc6 46. d4 e8 47.h4 g7 48. b2 g4 1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3

R K K R
49. xg7+ xg7 50. b6 e5 51. e2 a8 a6 6. c4 A favorite of Fischer’s against the Na-

K N B B N N
52. b3 f6 53. f2 a4 Black gradually makes jdorf Sicilian. In two earlier match games Short
inroads with his extra piece. 54. g3 c4 55. d3 essayed 6. Bg5. 6...e6 7. b3 bd7 8.f4 c5

272
9.e5 White accepts a weak pawn on e5 in return
for greater mobility. In game 6 Short got an edge
N B
with 9. f5 Be7 10. Qf3 O-O 11. Be3 e5 12.
Q Q Q
Nde2 b5 13. Bd5. 9...dxe5 10.fxe5 fd7 11. f4
b5 12. g4 h5 13. g3 h4 14. g4 g5 Launch-
ing incredible complications. Now 15. Bxg5
Nxe5 favors Black; so does 15. Qxg5 Qxg5 16.
Q K N
Bxg5 Bg7. Instead Short decides on a startling
piece sacrifice. 15.O–O–O e7 Probably insuf-
ficient. 15...gxf4 is hard to crack. Short said he
N Q
intended 16. Nxe6 which looked too dangerous
N Q N Q B
to Kasparov, but the jury is still out. 16. c6
B R B
xb3+ 17.axb3 c5 18. e4 xc6 19. xg5
b7 20. d6 xd6 Kasparov repeatedly finds the
N K R
only defense. Not 20...Qxe4? 21. Rxe6+! Be7 22.
N Q Q R
Rxe7+ Kf8 23. Qxd7. 21. xd6+ f8 22. f1
xe5 23. xe6 d5 24. xf7+ After this Black
hangs by a thread but the fabulous 24. Qf6!! Rh7
(not 24...Kg8? 25. Nf5) 25. Bh6+ Kg8 26. Nf5
N B K Q K N
Re8 27. Rd1 Qe6 28. Rd8! Bc6 29. Ne7+ wins.
Q N
24... xf7 25. e7+ g7 26. f6+ h7 27. xf7
N K Q K Q
h5 Forced. There is no other way to thwart
K Q K B K N
Ng5+. 28. g5+ g8 29. e6+ g7 30. f6+
K N K B Q N
g8 31. e6+ g7 32. f6+ h6 33. f7+
K Q Q
h7 34. g5+ h6 35. xh8+ g6 36. f7+
B
h7 37. e7 xg2 Unclear is 37...Kg8! 38.
Q K Q K
Qxb7 Rf8 39. Ne5. 38. e5 The last winning try
Q K Q
was 38. Bd4! 38... f1+ 39. d2 f2+ 40. d3
f3+ 41. d2 f2+ Draw by Agreement. What
a game!
1/2-1/2
◦ Engbersen, J.
• Simmelink, J.
Postal Chess (7)
Via Mail
1993 0-1 B78
Postal chess affords unknown players enough time
to research openings deeply and search for impor-
tant innovations. "Where can one find more art and
less sport?" inquired one dyed-in-the-wool postal-
ite in contrasting it to over-the-board chess where
a relentlessly ticking clock forces error. The first
30 moves replicate Plater-Ropstorff, Cracow 1938,
which exists in various databases. Hard to believe
because 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 same
manner as his predecessor.
N N N N
B B B B Q
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
N N
g6 6. e3 g7 7.f3 O–O 8. c4 An anti-Dragon
system known as the Yugoslav Attack. 8... c6
273
Q B
9. d2 d7 10.h4 h5 Black has had consider-
able success with this simple counter. Now all the
rage, it was discovered in 1938 but became popular
only in the 1970s due mainly to the games of Bent
Larsen, Tony Miles and Andy Soltis, thus illustrat-
R
ing "creative evolution" in opening theory. Where
B N
can White improve from here? 11.O–O–O c8
B R
12. b3 e5 Before 1965 this move also was vir-
N
tually nonexistent. 13. b1 c4 14. xc4 xc4
15. b3 Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (B78)
B B
also cites a number of other tries such as 15. Nde2
or Nce2. 15... c7 16. d4 c6 17.g4 This pre-
mature assault diverges from Tseshkovsky-Miles,
Riga 1979, which continued 17. Qe2 b5 18. e5
Nd5 19. exd6 Qxd6 20. Nxd5 Bxd5 21. Bxg7
Kxg7 22. Qe3 e6 23. Qxa7 Ra4 24. Qe3 Rfa8
25. a3 Qg3 26. Nc5? (better is 26. Qg5) Rxh4
27. Rxh4 Qxh4 28. Nd7 Rd8 29. Qe5+ Kh6 30.
f4? (the losing move; stronger is 30. Qf6) Bxg2
B
31. Rd2 Bc6 32. Nc5 f6 33. Qe3 Rxd2 34. Qxd2
Qh1+ 0-1 17...e5 18. e3 hxg4 19.h5 gxf3 20.h6
N
xe4 Suicidal is 20...Bh8 21. h7+ Nxh7 22. Rxh7
N R QK
Kxh7 23. Qh2+ Kg8 24. Rh1. 21.hxg7 xd2+
22. xd2 g4 23.gxf8= + xf8 So far identical
to Popovich-Soltis, Marshall Club Championship,
USA 1976, which also ended in Black’s favor. If
N K R R
White had some improvement in mind, what is it?
24. b3 e7 25. d2 b5 26.a3 a5 27. hd1 b4
28.axb4 axb4 Materially, White’s rook and two
N
knights are more than enough for the queen. Yet
B R R
Black’s kingside pawns are decisive. 29. d5+
xd5 30. xd5 g2 White resigns. An amazing
win. In 1938 Plater-Ropstorff continued with one
more move (31. c3 f2) before White threw in the
towel.
0-1
◦ Kasparov, G.
• Short, N.
PCA World Championship (1)
London
1993 1-0 C88
Incredibly, both Kasparov and Short were
purged from the rating list of FIDE, the
world chess body, when they formed the Pro-
fessional Chess Association (PCA) for their
N N B B N
2.5milliontitlematchsponsoredbyT heLondonT imes.T hef irstgam
B R B
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O
e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 O–O 8.a4 Avoiding Short’s
B
pet Marshall Attack after 8. c3 d5!? leading to
N R
unclear complications. 8...b4 9.d3 d6 10.a5 e6
N R N
11. bd2 b8 Weakens the a-pawn. Better is
11...Re8. 12. c4 c8 13. f1 e8 14. e3
d4 Kasparov criticized this move and suggested
 N
N N K
14...Bf8 followed by g6 and Bg7. 15. xd4 exd4 on 17. g3 b5 18. Kxh2 Bb7 19. Qf4 Qc6 (Wolff-

B N R K R N
16. d5 xd5 But this is the real culprit. More Gulko, USA Championship 1992). 17... g6

B B R B Q R Q Q
prudent is 16...Bd8 17. Bf4 Qb7. 17.exd5 d7 18.c3 d5 19. e4 xh6 20. g4 f4 Stops
18. d2 f6 19. xe8+ xe8 20. e2 Stronger 21. Qh3 mate cold. 21.g3 d3 22. xf4+ xf4

B R B
is 20. Qe1 Qb7 21. Qe4 followed by Re1. 23.gxf4 The attack is over. White remains a pawn

B Q R Q R R
20... b5 21. e1 xc4 22.dxc4 h6 23.b3 c5 down without compensation after the straightfor-

Q B R B Q Q K R R B
24. f4 d7 25.h3 d8 26. e4 h5 27. e2 g6 ward 23. Rxf4 Bxg3 24. fxg3 f5. 23... h3
28. f3 g7 29. e4 f8 30. e2 c7 Going af- 24. g2 h5 25. h1 d7 Now White must

B R B R B K R K
ter the pawn leads to disaster. 30...Qf5 looks more fight hard for a draw. Also feasible is 25...e5 26

R R R B R
natural. 31. g5 c8 32.g4 hxg4 33. f6 Kas- Rg5. 26. xh2 c6+ 27. g1 xh2 28. xh2

K R B B R R
parov claimed he missed a win with 33. hxg4 Qxa5 d8 29.f5 exf5 30. d4 e8 31. xf7 e2

R
34. Bf6 Qa1+ 35. Kg2 d3 36. Qf3 dxc2 37. Bxa1 32. g3 xb2 33. d5 xd5 34. xd5 xa2

K R
c1/Q 38. Qf6 Qh6 39. Re1 Bg7 40. Qxd6 Bxa1 35. xf5 After excellent defense Khalifman has fi-

Q R R R K R
41. Qxa6 Rf8 42. Qxa1 Qf4 43. Qd1. 33...gxh3 nally reached a theoretical draw. 35... g6 36. c5

K K R R R
34. g4 a8 Now 34...Bg7 35. Re7 Bxf6 36. b2 37.c4 h5 38.f3 b4 39. f4 b6 40. c6+

Q B B K R K R R
Rxc7 Rxc7 is the only chance to hold the ending. f7 41. e5 h4 42. h6 xc4 43. xb6 a5

R K K K R K R
35. xh3 g7 36. xg7 Flag hanging, Kasparov 44. f5 a4 45. b7+ e8 46. h7 a3 47. a7

K K K K R K K
again misses a win by 36. Re7! Qc8 (not 36...Qd8 c3 48. g4 d8 49. xh4 xf3 50. g4 b3

K R R R K R K
37. Rxf7!) 37. Qxc8+ Rxc8 38. Bxg7 Kxg7 51. f4 c8 52. e4 b8 53. a4 b7 54. d4

R
39. Rd7. 36... xg7 37. h4 g8 The attack is h3 55. c5 h5+ 56. b4 Draw by Agreement.

K Q K
over and Short rightly refused a draw. 38. h7+ 1/2-1/2
f8 39. g4 e8 Short was thunderstruck when
the arbiter informed him that his flag fell. Both ◦ Chernin, A.
sides agreed Black is winning. Kasparov said: "I • Polgar, S.
thought at first I could play 40. Qe6+ but it loses Zonal
to 40...fxe6 41. Rxc7 exd5 42. cxd5 Rf8 43. Rc6 Budapest
Rf3! 44. Rxa6 Rc3. 1993 0-1 A28
1-0 Susan Polgar, 24, the eldest of three grandmas-
ter sisters, went on to capture the Women’s World
Championship. This game is a model example of a
◦ Khalifman, A.
N N N N
one-move disaster.
• Gulko, B. 1.c4 e5 2. c3 f6 3. f3 c6 4.e3 A slower sys-
World Team Championship (4) tem than 4. d4 exd4 allowing early central ex-
Lucerne, Switzerland
B Q B
changes. The idea is to delay d4 until White can
1993 1/2-1/2 C07 gather more force behind it. 4... b4 5. c2 xc3
In a field of ten top teams, the USA won resound- It’s unusual to swap a bishop for knight without
ingly with 22 1/2 out of a possible 36 points, a full
Q Q N Q
provocation but if 5...O-O 6. Nd5 could prove awk-
2 1/2 points ahead of once dominant Russia. Four
B
ward. 6. xc3 e7 7.d3 d5 8.cxd5 xd5 9. c2
out of six stars on the American lineup including O–O 10.a3 a5 11.b3 g4 11...f5 12. Bb2 f4 13.
Boris Gulko were emigres from the former Soviet e4 Nf6 14. h3 Kh8 15. Be2 Bd7 16. Rc1 Rae8 17.
Union. This fighting draw is from the USA-Russia
B R
O-O slightly favors White (Ermenkov-Bisguier,
matchup which was tied 2-2 on four boards.
N N B B
Lone Pine 1980). 12. e2 ad8 13.O–O f5 14.h3

Q B Q N N N
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. d2 c5 4. gf3 cxd4 5.exd5 h5 15. b2 If 15. Nxe5!? Qxe5 16. Bxh5

N N N
xd5 6. c4 d6 7.O–O f6 8. b3 c6 f4 (not 16...Qxa1? 17. Bb2 Qa2 18. Ra1 traps
9. bxd4 xd4 10. xd4 a6 Black lags in devel- the queen) 17. Bf3 fxe3 18. Bxd5+ Qxd5 19.

N
opment but takes time out to guard b5. It’s hard Bxe3 Qxd3 leads to equality. 15...e4 16.dxe4 fxe4

R Q B B N B
for White to develop an initiative against this solid 17. e5 Sharper than 17. Nd4 Nxd4 18. Bxd4
formation. 11. e1 c7 12. b3 d6 13. f5 Bxe2 19. Qxe2 b6. 17... xe2 Polgar unexpect-

B K
Giving up a pawn for an attack. On 13. h3 O- edly allows her pawn structure to be ruined for the

N R
O equalizes easily. 13... xh2+ 14. h1 O–O sake of an attack; but the pawn on e4 may be weak

Q N Q
15. xg7 d8 A vital intermezzo. If 15...Kxg7 in the long run after 17...Nxe5 18. Bxh5 Nd3 19.

R R
16. Qd4! poses many problems. 16. f3 More Be2 Nxb2 20. Qxb2. 18. xc6 bxc6 19. xe2

K B
active than 16. Qe2 Kxg7 17. g3 Bxg3 18. fxg3 d6 20. ac1 Careless. White can’t afford this
Bd7. 16... xg7 17. h6+ An attempt to improve loss of time. Necessary is 20. Bd4! Rg6 21. f4

274
 R B
Rf3 Ends the show.
with chances for both sides. 20... g6 21. d4 has completely bamboozled a world class grand-

R R Q Q
Perhaps Chernin was hop- master. All Black’s pieces are better placed than

Q R R
ing for 21...Qg5 22. f4 exf3 23. Rxf3 Qxg2+ their counterparts. 43. d1 e3 44. c1 e4

Q K R R Q Q K R N B
24. Qxg2 Rxf3 25. Qxg6 hxg6 26. Kg2 Rf7 27. 45. a1 c8 Guarding the back rank. 46. a5

Q K Q K R
Rxc6 with advantage. 22.g3 h4 23. h2 gxg3 a3 47. b1 e3+ 48. h1 xa2 49. f3 b3

K Q
24.fxg3 xg3+ 25. h1 xh3+ 26. g1 g3+ The bishop has played a major role in the defense.

Q R
27. f2 h4 One critic described this impressive First it blocked the e-file, then the c-file and finally

R R R Q Q
and deadly quiet move as "the jewel in the crown." the b- file. The end is near. 50. c1 f4 51. e1
28. h1 h3+ White Resigns, as he gets mated c2 52. a1 b6 A last humiliation. The rook is
after 29. Kg2 Qg3+ 30. Kf1 Rxh1. trapped. White Resigns.
0-1 0-1

◦ Polgar, J.
◦ Gelfand, B. • Kasparov, G.
• Karpov, A. Linares (5)
Linares (8) Spain
Spain 1994 0-1 B85
1994 0-1 E54 Hungarian whiz Judith Polgar, the youngest of
A typically magnificent effort by Karpov who de- three sisters who all became grandmasters, earned
fends with deadly precision. Note how he nurses this exalted title in 1992 at age 15, thus shattering
his back rank, provoking his opponent to charge Bobby Fischer’s record by a few months. Judith
forward like a raging bull.
N N
became the highest rated woman ever and her first

N B
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 f6 5. c3 e6 encounter with world champion Kasparov created

B B N N N N
6. f3 b4 A Nimzo Indian Defense by trans- a sensation because he took a move back!

B B R B N B B Q Q N
position. 7. d3 dxc4 8. xc4 O–O 9.O–O b6 1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3

B B K R
10. g5 b7 11. e1 xc3 12.bxc3 bd7 Sup- a6 6.f4 e6 7. e2 e7 8.O–O c7 9. e1 bd7

B Q R Q
porting f6. Now it’s clear why Black delayed plac- 10.a4 b6 11. f3 b7 12. h1 d8 Not an ideal

B R B Q N
ing this knight on c6. 13. d3 c7 14. c1 d6 post for the rook but Black probably was concerned

B
15. h4 fc8 16. g3 a3 17.c4 f8 Not an about 12...O-O 13. e5 dxe5 14. fxe5 Ne8 15. Bf4

Q N
easy defensive move to spot, but as Larsen once with the freer game. 13. e3 Sharper is 13. Qg3 O-

B N N N
said, "With a knight on f8 I never get mated!" O 14. f5 right away. 13...O–O 14. g3 c5 15.f5

N N R Q
17...Qxa2 is just asking for trouble after 18. Ne5! e5 16. h6 e8 17. b3 d7 Since White’s

R
18. e5 g6 19. e3 f8 A typical Karpovian knight is relatively ineffective on b3, Kasparov

K B N Q R R
retreat, like waving a red flag in front of a bull, dar- avoids the swap and keeps the tension. 18. ad1

B
ing White to lunge forward. 20.f4 Burning bridges h8 19. e3 ef6 20. f2 fe8 21. fe1 Drift-

Q B N B B B R
by going for an all-out attack. More prudent is ing. 21. g4 is more in the spirit of attack. 21... f8
20. a4. 20... d8 21. b1 e7 22. h4 Again 22. g5 h6 23. h4 c8 Breaking the pin and re-

N B Q B N Q N Q
22. a4 comes into consideration but White is fo- assigning the rook to a higher mission on the open
cused on the kingside. 22... g6 23. g5 Declin- c-file. 24. f1 e7 25. d2 c5 26. b3 b4
ing a likely repetition by 23. Bg3 Ne7. 23...b5 Playing to win. Polgar has already signalled her

B R B B N N B
Playing for a win. If 24. cxb5 Qd5 regains the readiness to draw by repetition after 26...Qc7 27.

R R B N Q R
pawn with advantage. 24. xg6 hxg6 25. h3 Nd2 etc. 27. e2 xe4 28. xe4 xe4 29. xe7
c7 Guarding against the threat of Rh8+. Now xe7 30. f3 ef6 31. xa6 ee8 Eschewing
White has little choice but to sacrifice a pawn since 31...Rxc2 32. Nd4! threatening Nxc2 and/or Nc6.

B
on 26. c5 Qd5 Black seizes the initiative. 26.d5 Now Black has a strategically won game if he can

R Q Q B R Q K B R Q
exd5 27.c5 c8 Brings the attack to a screech- mobilize a pawn steamroller in the center with

Q B N B N Q Q R N N
ing halt. 28. b3 e8 29. d4 f5 30. e3 e4 and d5. 32. e2 g8 33. b7 c4 34. d2
f8 31. xf6 gxf6 32. f3 e4 33. d2 f5 Sud- xa4 35. xd6 xc2 36. d2 f8 A better way

R
denly Black has an extra pawn and a safe king. to exploit his extra pawn is 36...Qf4 37. Rf1 Qd4.
White’s last trump is his passed c-pawn. 34. ec3 But Kasparov already touched the knight by play-

Q N Q Q R
a5 35.c6 The pawn is weaker here. Better is 35. ing 36...Nc5? and froze before changing his mind

N B Q B Q Q
a3. 35... b4 36. b3 d6 37. f2 b4 38. c5 in view of 37. Bc6! skewering his queen and rook.

Q R
a4 39. d4 d3 40. d2 c4 41. xb4 xf4 Polgar, clearly startled, glanced at Kasparov and
42. c3 e8 Once again Karpov’s unique style then at the arbiter, who was monitoring the game

275
 B B
K R
as it neared the time control at move 40. But she Black’s expansion by b5. 10...b6 11. f3 b7
lodged no protest, as required by the rules to es- 12. h1 d8 A mysterious rook move whose

B Q N
tablish a claim, and the arbiter later said that since aim is murky since it later goes to c8. Why not

B N N N
Kasparov’s hand was still on the knight, he had the castle right away? 13. e3 O–O 14. g3 c5
right to move it to another square. "I was play- 15.f5 e5 16. h6 e8 17. b3 d7 An unusual

R K B N Q
ing the World Champion and didn’t want to cause retreat to avoid simplifications. More logical is

R R B B B R
unpleasantness during my first invitation to such 17...Kh8 18. ad1 h8 19. e3 ef6 20. f2

Q B N
an important event," Polgar explained afterwards. fe8 21. fe1 f8 22. g5 h6 23. h4 c8 24.

Q N Q
"I was also afraid that if my complaint was over- f1 e7 25. d2 This retreat bolsters e4 but 25.
ruled I would be penalized on the clock when we Qd3 is better. 25... c5 26. b3 b4 Exploiting

B
were in time pressure." A few days later The Lon- the fact that White cannot dislodge the queen by

B N N B
don Times carried a front page story, "Kasparov a3. 27. e2 An inconsistent retreat. More natural

R B N Q R
Cheated, Opponent Claims." A video replay taken is 27. Qd3. 27... xe4 28. xe4 xe4 29. xe7

Q K
by a Spanish film crew during the game showed xe7 30. f3 ef6 31. xa6 ee8 Also feasi-

B R Q Q Q R
that his hand did quit the piece for a mere fifth of ble is 31...Rxc2 32. Nd4 Qc4. 32. e2 g8

N N
a second. Deliberate foul or an attempt to change 33. b7 c4 34. d2 xa4 35. xd6 xc2
his grip on the knight? Shaken by the controversy, 36. d2 f8 At first Kasparov played 36...Nc5 but
Kasparov stated: "I have the feeling I did not take changed his mind when he saw 37. Bc6! is too

N N N N Q N
my hand off the piece. My conscience is clear." powerful. Deliberate foul or an attempt to change

R B B Q B
37. e4 8d7 38. xf6+ xf6 39. xb6 g4 his grip on the knight and reverse direction? "Kas-

Q R R Q K Q
40. f1 e4 41. d5 e3 42. b3 e4 43. xc2 parov did not take his hand off the knight, so he

Q
xc2 44. d8 xd8 45. xd8+ h7 46. e7 had a perfect right to change his move," opined the

N N N
c4 White Resigns. If 47. Re1 Qf4 is decisive. arbiter, who was watching closely. Obviously the

N Q N R
Or 47. Kg1 e2 48. Re1 Qd4+ 49. Kh1 Nf2+ 50. naked eye can be fooled. 37. e4 8d7 38. xf6+
Kg1 Nh3+ 51. Kh1 Qg1+! 52. Rxg1 Nf2 smoth- xf6 39. xb6 g4 40. f1 e4 The march of this

B B Q B Q R
ered mate! pawn is decisive.. If 41. h3 e3! 42. hxg4 e2 wins.

R Q K Q Q
0-1 41. d5 e3 42. b3 e4 43. xc2 xc2 44. d8
xd8 45. xd8+ h7 46. e7 c4 Polgar threw
◦ Judith Polgar in the towel in view of 47. Kg1 e2 48. Re1 Qd4 49.
• Gary Kasparov Kh1 Nf2 50. Kg1 Nh3 51. Kh1 Qg1! 52. Rxg1
Linares (5) Nf2 smothered mate. 0-1
Spain 0-1
1994 0-1 B85
Here is the famous touch move controversy, where ◦ Kamsky, G.
Kasparov took a move back either by accident or • Polgar, J.
design. His 17-year-old opponent failed to lodge Linares (8)
a protest and didn’t complain until after she had Spain
resigned. "I was playing the world champion and 1994 1/2-1/2 C89
I didn’t want to cause unpleasantness during my These two "wunderkinder" first played each other
first invitation to such an important event," she ex- at the New York Open in 1989 when Judith was 12
plained. "I was also afraid that if my complaint was and Gata was 14 when he defected with his father
overruled I would be penalized on the clock when to the USA. She won but Gata soon got revenge at
we were in time pressure." It turns out, however, a tournament in India. Their first two games were
that the game was being videotaped. Examination bitterly hard fought, and this third encounter is no

N N B B N
of the frames later determined Kasparov removed exception.

B R B
his hand from his knight on move 36 for 1/4 of a 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O
second. "I have the feeling I did not take my hand e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 O–O 8.c3 d5 The Mar-
of the piece. My conscience is clear," he said. The shall Gambit has been analyzed more than 30

N N N
press had a field day with this incident. Kasparov’s moves deep in some lines and is currently con-

R
enemies accused him of cheating, and it damaged sidered drawish! 9.exd5 xd5 10. xe5 xe5

N N N N
his reputation. 11. xe5 c6 Nowadays this is the move of choice.

B B Q Q N
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3 11...Nf6 12. Re1 Bd6 13. Re1 was won by White

B
a6 6.f4 e6 7. e2 e7 8.O–O c7 9. e1 bd7 when Marshall first sprang his famous gambit
10.a4 This push weakens the queenside but stops against Capablanca at New York 1918. 12.d4 d6

276
13.Re1 Qh4 14.g3 Qh3 15.Be3 Bg4 16.Qd3
Rae8 17.Nd2 Re6 Black mobilizes his heavy ar- White Resigns. Somebody forgot to tell the lad he
18.a4 f5 19.Qf1 Qh5 20.f4 bxa4 Opening the b-
tillery in order to get compensation for the pawn.
in return. 21.Rxa4 Rb8 22.Bxd5 cxd5 23.Qg2
file for Black’s rook but giving White an open a-file
Also feasible is 23. Rxa6 Qe8 24. Bf2 Qd7 25.
Rxe6 Qxe6 26. c4 dxc4 27. Qxc4 Qxc4 28. Nxc4
Q Q K N
Be2 29. Rc6 with an edge (Chandler-Littlewood,
B
London 1987). 23... e8 24. xd5 h8 25. c4
R N B
xf4 Looks brilliant but this is has all been ana-
lyzed! 26.gxf4 g6 27. d6 f3+ Leads to a
draw. An unclear try is 27...Bh3+ 28. Kf2 Rxb2+
29. Re2 Rg2+ 30. Qxg2 Rxe2+ 31. Kxe2 Qh5+
K B N R
32. Qf3 Bg4 33. Qxg4 fxg4 (Canfell-Blatny, Al-
R
tensteig 1988). 28. f1 xd5 29. xe8 xb2
R R
30. e2 White must consent to a repetition since
R R R
30. Rea1 Bc6 leads to trouble. 30... b1+ 31. e1
b2 32. e2 b1+ Draw by 3-fold repetition.
1/2-1/2
◦ Kasparov, G.
• Lautier, J.
Linares (13)
Spain
1994 0-1 C54
In the 90s top players got younger and younger.
French prodigy Joel Lautier made his debut at the
super-tourney in Linares with a 7-6 plus score. In
the last round he scored a well-deserved victory
over the world champion that the teenager is sure
N N B B
to treasure for a long time.
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. c4 c5 4.c3 Kasparov
N
later successfully revived the Evans Gambit 4. b4!?
in some critical games. 4... f6 5.d3 This slow
system is more popular nowadays than 5. d4 exd4
6. cxd4 Bb4+ which resolves the central tension
B N B
too soon. Also see Waitzkin-Xie Jun, 1995. 5...d6
B B
6. b3 h6 7.h3 a6 8. bd2 e6 Now 9. Bxe6
Q Q
fxe6 10. Qb3 Qc8 leads to naught. 9. c2 a7
10. e2 e7 Each player refrains from castling
until the other commits himself first. 11.b4 Black’s
antidote to this flank attack is to break in the cen-
ter. More feasible is 11. Nf1 O-O 12. Ng3. 11...d5
12.a4 b5 13.O–O O–O 14.axb5 axb5 15.d4 Ultra
Q
sharp, dangerous, preventing the threat of Bxf2+.
15...exd4 16.e5 dxc3 17.exf6 xf6 Black gets
a bushel of pawns for the piece and renews the
N N B R
threat of Bxf2+. The next few moves are forced.
18. b3 xb4 19. b1 d4 20. xa7 c2 Stronger
than 20...Rxa7 21. Nbxd4 Bc4 22. Qe4. Now if 21.
R Q R K Q
Bxc2 Rxa7 22. Nbxd4 Bc4 23. Qe4 Nxc2 is crush-
Q Q K Q K B
ing. 21. xa8 cxb1= 22. xf8+ xf8 23. xb5
xb3 24. b8+ e7 25. xc7+ e8 26. d2
Qd8 27.Qe5 Kf8 28.Nxd4 Nd3 29.Qe3 Qc4
was supposed to get creamed.
0-1
◦ Karpov, A.
• Topalov, V.
Linares (4)
Spain
1994 1-0 A33
Karpov seemed to find a second wind after regain-
ing his FIDE crown against Timman in 1993. His
greatest triumph ever took place at the super tour-
ney at Linares where he outclassed a field of 14
with an amazing score of 11-2, a clear 2 1/2 points
of his great rival Kasparov. Here Karpov prepares
a clever and original plan on move 11 to utilize the
open center files.
N N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 c5 3. f3 A good alternative to the
usual 3. d5. White plans to fianchetto his bishop
N N B B N B
on g2 and exert pressure on the d-file. 3...cxd4
N B N
4. xd4 e6 5.g3 c6 6. g2 c5 7. b3 e7
8. c3 O–O 9.O–O d6 10. f4 h5 Better is
10...a6. 11.e3 A surprising, undogmatic move that
surrenders the two bishops in order to utilize the
N B
open e-file. The retreat 11. Be3 used to be auto-
Q Q
matic. 11... xf4 12.exf4 d7 A better defensive
plan is 12...a6 and Qc7. 13. d2 b8 Defend-
ing the d-pawn has already become a burden. Now
R
13...a6 14. Ne4 Qc7 15. Rad1 is hard to meet.
14. fe1 A nasty point is the idea of f5. Black was
N
braced for 14. Rad1 Rd8 15. Ne4 Be8. 14...g6
15.h4 a6 16.h5 b5 17.hxg6 hxg6 18. c5 dxc5
Q
Going downhill fast. On 18...Be8 19. Nxe6! fxe6
R R
20. Rxe6 Bf7 21. Rae1 Bxe6 22. Rxe6. 19. xd7
c8 20. xe6 Witty. Black was hoping for 20.
R R
Bxc6? Ra7. If now 20...fxe6 21. Bxc6 Ra7 22.
Qxe6+ Kg7 23. Bd7! wins. 20... a7 21. xg6+
Q K B R
fxg6 Otherwise 21...Kf8 22. Qh3 fxg6 23. Qh8+
B
N B Q R
Kf7 24. Bd5 mate. 22. e6+ g7 23. xc6 d8
Q R
24.cxb5 f6 25. e4 d4 26.bxa6 b6 27. d1
R Q K
xa6 28. xd4 The second Exchange sacrifice
Q K Q K Q K
in the same game! 28... xd4 29. f6+ g8
30. xg6+ f8 31. e8+ g7 32. e5+ g8 If
N K
32...Kf8 33. Qxc5+ snares a rook; or 32...Kh6
B K Q Q Q Q
33. Qg5+ Kh7 34. Nf6+ mates. 33. f6+ f7
B R R K
34. e8+ f8 35. xc5+ d6 36. xa7 xf6
37. h5 d2 38.b3 b2 39. g2 Black Resigns.
Black has been denuded of all his pawns. An im-
pressive victory by Karpov who makes it look so
easy.
1-0
277
◦ Cifuentes, R. win a pawn. If 15. Qxb2 Qg6 16. O-O Bh3 17.
• Zvaginstsev, V.
B R R Q B
Nh4 Qg5 18. Qb4 Rad8 Black gets active piece

N R
Wik aan Zee Open play. 15... a6 16. fe1 ab8 17. a3 c4
Holland 18. d4 fe8 Best. If now 19. Rxb2 Rxb2 20.

Q N
1995 0-1 D45 Qxb2 Bxa2! 21. Qxa2 Qxd4 22. Qxa7 Qd5 of-

R
The "Evergreen Game" (see Anderssen - Dufresne fers good drawing chances. 19.f3 g5 20. xc6

Q N Q Q R
1853) is still fresh today. But tastes change and bc8 A tougher defense is 20...Rb5 21. Nd4

R B
now we prefer brilliancies to be less one-sided. Rxc5. 21.f4 d5 22. e5 xc5 23. xc5 xc5
Here Vadim Zvaginstsev, 18, an unknown Russian 24. xb2 e6 "The presence of the a2-pawn gives
new to the international arena, creates a modern ev- White good chances. Converting this position to a

NN N N
ergreen against a Chilean grandmaster. victory is a long journey and I wasn’t terribly opti-

Q B B B R
1.d4 e6 2. f3 d5 3.c4 f6 4. c3 c6 5.e3 bd7 mistic. This move gave me hope. After 24...Bd5!

N Q
6. c2 b6 7. e2 b7 8.O–O e7 9. d1 O–O 25. e4!? Ba8 26. Rbe2 f6 27. Nf3 Rc4 Black’s

N R R B
10.e4 dxe4 11. xe4 c7 Black is solid. Now pieces are very active and White has to forego e4"

N K R R
White retreats his knight to avoid swaps which – Seirawan. 25.a4 f6 26. f3 a5 27. a1 d7
would ease Black’s cramp. 12. c3 c5 13.d5 exd5 28. f2 c8 29. b4 g5 Gains space and forces

N B R Q B N R
14.cxd5 a6 To stop the threat of 15. d6 Bxd6 16. pawn exchanges. With every trade Black comes

B N N Q N K K R K K K
Nb5. 15. h4 g6 16. h6 fe8 17. d2 d6 closer to a draw. 30.fxg5 hxg5 31. d4 c7 32.h3

N Q
18.g3 b5 19. f3 b4 20. e2 e4 21. c2 df6 f7 33.g4 e7 34. a3 d6 35. g3 c5 "I

N R B
22. g2 d7 An alternative is 22...c4 23. Ne3 think it was better to remain on the kingside with

N K R R K
Rac8. 23. e3 ad8 24. g2 Careless. White 35...Ke7. Black might have a source of counterplay

B R K R R
should try 21. Nc4. 24... xf2 25. xf2 xe3 against the g4-pawn" – Seirawan. 36. b8 d5
26. xe3 The best defense is 26. Kxe3 Ng4+ 27. 37. f8 e5 38. f7 ac5 39.a5 "At last my a-

B R B
Kd2 Nxh6 28. Kc1 but he was hoping Black might pawn is no longer a problem. White has made a lot

N K N K B K K K
take a draw by perpetual check on move 29. No of progress" – Seirawan. 39... e8 40. f8 g6

N K Q B R Q Q K R
such luck. 26... g4+ 27. f3 xh2+ 28. f2 41.a6 f7 42.h4 gxh4+ 43. xh4 e4 44. g3

B R K B K B R
g4+ 29. f3 e6 30. f4 e8 31. c4 e3+ e5 45. a4 The idea is Nf3+ followed by Kf4

K R K R R N K K
32. xe3 xe3+ 33. xg4 c8+ 34. g5 h6+ making inroads with the king. 45... c4 46. e8+

N K R K R R
35. xh6 e5 White Resigns. The threat of Bf8 d6 47. xc4 xc4 48. b5+ d5 49.e4+ c6

R K R R R
or Rh5 mate can’t be stopped. 50. xc7 xc7 51. e6 d7 52. xf6 xe4
0-1 53. f7+ e6 54. xa7 a4 55. h7 "It isn’t too
late to spoil matters. After 55. Ra8 Kf6 56. a7?
◦ Seirawan, Y. Kg7! Black draws. The not-so-secret key to win-
• Polgar, J.
K
ning rook endings is the active rook" – Seirawan.

K K R K
Donner Memorial (8) 55... f6 Of course on 55...Rxa6 56. Rh6+ spears

R R K R K K R
Amsterdam a rook. 56.a7 g5 57. f3 f4+ 58. e3

K
1995 1-0 D38 a4 59. g7+ f6 60. c7 g5 61. d3 a1
Yasser Seirawan was America’s top-ranked player 62. d4 Black Resigns. The end of a long haul.
for several years – until his interest shifted to On 62...Kxg4 63. Kc5 Kf5 64. Kb6 Ke6 65. Kb7
publishing INSIDE CHESS, where he wrote: "In Rb1+ 66. Kc8 Ra1 67. Kb8 Rb1+ 68. Rb7 wins.
preparing for my first rated tournament game 1-0
against Judith Polgar, I was astonished at the num-
ber of games that she has played. Although only ◦ Kasparov, G.
19, she is a veritable veteran of the tournament • Anand, V.
circuit. As baseball great Yogi Berra might say, PCA World Championship (10)

N B
’They’re getting old early these days.’" New York City
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 Inviting 4. Qa4+ 1995 1-0 C80

N N B B Q Q
Nc6. More usual is 3...Be7 or Nf6. 4.cxd5 exd5 Anand surged ahead with a win in game 9 after a

N B
5. f3 f6 6. g5 h6 7. xf6 xf6 8. b3 c5 string of eight draws. The turning point came in
9.e3 c6 10. b5 O–O 11.dxc5 d4 Forced. Black this amazing game that sheds light on Kasparov’s
lacks compensation for the pawn on 11...Bxc3+ deep opening preparation. Blitzing out his first 22

B Q
(or 11...Bxc5 12. Nxd5) 12. Qxc3 Qxc3+ 13. moves in under five minutes, he caught Anand by

R
bxc3 Na5 14. Nd4. 12. xc6 dxc3 13. xb4 surprise with a brilliant rook sacrifice on move 17.
cxb2 14. b1 bxc6 15.O–O There’s no rush to Demoralized by this defeat, Anand failed to win

278
another game as Kasparov proceeded to defend his of the book and movie "Searching For Bobby Fis-

N N B B N
PCA title by the lopsided score of 10.5-7.5. cher."
N N B B N 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. c4 c5 4.c3 f6 5.d3
N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O
xe4 The Open Defense to the Ruy Lopez has This is currently considered the standard way to
play this opening, replacing the older 5. d4 exd4
B B
never been as fashionable as the solid 5...b5 6.
6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 Bxd2+ 8. Nbxd2 d5 lead-
N N N
Bb3 Be7. 6.d4 b5 7. b3 d5 8.dxe5 e6 9.c3

c5 10. bd2 d4 11. g5 This startling sacri-
fice was Karpov’s innovation against Korchnoi in
game 10 of their 1978 title match. For the record
11...Qxg5 12. Qf3 O-O-O 13. Bxe6+ fxe6 14.
N Q B
Qxc6 Qxe5 15. b4 is good for White. 11...dxc3
B R B B
ing to early simplifications. 5...d6 6.O–O O–O
7. b3 a6 8. e1 a7 9.h3 e6 Offering a trade
to limit White’s attacking prospects. Black wel-
comes the doubled pawns which would strengthen
the center and open the f-file after 10. Bxe6 fxe6

N B Q R
12. xe6 fxe6 13.bxc3 d3 14. c2 Improving 11. Qb3 Qd7 12. Qxb7?? Rfb8 13. Qxa6 Bxf2+

N N
on 14. Nf3 O-O-O! (Karpov-Korchnoi was later and Rxa6 next. 10. bd2 xb3 11. xb3 b8

B Q R Q
12. f1 h5 Stops Ng3 and eyes f4 for the knight.
Q N N
drawn after 14... Qxd1 15. Bxd1 Be7) in game
six. 14... xc3 15. b3 xb3 After 45 minutes 13. g5 d7 14. ad1 e6 15.d4 White should

Q
of intense thought, Anand rejected the critical al- start thinking defensively with 15. Qxe6 fxe6 16.

B N
ternative 15...Rd8 16. Bd2 Qxe5 17. Re1 Qd5 18.
Rc1! with a promising initiative. 16. xb3 d4
Kasparov later said that he and his team were also
N
Be3 with equal chances. 15...exd4 16.cxd4 xb3
17.axb3 f5 18.d5 e5 Allows White to equal-
ize by 19. Nxe5 dxe5 20. Be3. First 18...fxe4

N R R R
19. Rxe4 Ne5 20. N1h2 transposes to the game.
Q Q
geared for 16...Qxa1 17. Qh5+ g6 18. Qf3 Nd8 19.
19. 1h2 fxe4 20. xe4 be8 21. b4 Misplaces
B R
Qf6 Rg8 20. Bg5 Qc3 21. Rd1. 17. g4 xa1

K B
the rook. Relatively best is 21. Ree1. 21...b5
B Q
18. xe6 d8 No better is 18...Qc3 19. Bd7+
Kf7 20. Be3. 19. h6 c3 The best defense. 22. f1 h6 23. c1 g5 The winning move. It takes
h4 away from the rook and threatens Bc5. Now
B Q B Q
Hopeless is 19...Qxf1+ 20. Kxf1 gxh6 21. Qh5+
24. Re1 loses to Nd3. White is now all tied up
B B B Q
Ke7 22. Qf7 mate. 20. xg7 d3 21. xh8 g6

B B N N
22. f6 e7 23. xe7 xg4 Staggering into a and gives up a pawn to survive for a few more

R R R K N
lost ending, but what else can Black do? Even moves. 24. e3 xe3 25.fxe3 xf3 26. xf3
xe3 27. e1 xe1+ 28. xe1 f4 The tri-
B K R
worse is 23...Kxe7 24. Qh4+! Ke8 25. Bg4.

R N K N
24. xg4 xe7 25. c1 Not letting Black mo- umphant culmination of Black’s strategy that be-
bilize his pawns by c5. Kasparov now demon- gan with 12...Nh5. 29. d4 xg2+ 30. e2 f4+
White Resigns.
K K
strates impeccable technique as his kingside pawns
0-1
B R R K
carry the day. 25...c6 26.f4 a5 27. f2 a4 28. e3

R R N R R
b4 29. d1 a3 30.g4 d5 31. c4 c5 32. e4
◦ Kasparov, G.
R
d8 33. xc5 e6 34. d5 c8 Equally futile is
• Anand, V.
K N R R
34...Rxd5 35. Kxd5 Nxf4+ 36. Kc4. 35.f5 c4+
36. e3 c5 37.g5 c1 38. d6 Black Resigns. Tal Memorial (4)
If 38...b3 39. f6+ Kf8 40. e6 Nxe6 41. Bxb3 Nxg5 Riga, Latvia
42. Rd8 mate. 1995 1-0 C51
1-0 Kasparov created a sensation by reviving the hoary
Evans Gambit and blew Anand away in 25 moves.
This opening all but vanished from the master
◦ Waitzkin, J. repertoire last century, but surprises like this are
• Xie Jun what make Kasparov such a dangerous competi-
Pan-Pacific Tournament (4) tor. He constantly injects new and creative ideas
San Francisco into a broad range of opening theory. This victory
1995 0-1 C54 boosted his lifetime record over Anand to 10 1/2
The 90s saw the emergence of the first grand- - 4 1/2 just prior to their PCA title match in New

N N B B B
masters from Red China, which finally embraced York.
Western chess. In 1990 Xie Jun spearheaded 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. c4 c5 4.b4 xb4
their women’s team to third place in the biennial Anand subscribes to the theory that the best way to
Olympiad. In 1991 she captured the women’s refute a gambit is to accept it. A few weeks later in

B
world championship, breaking the Russian grip on Amsterdam Kasparov also defeated Jeroen Piket,
this coveted title, which she defended in 1993. who declined the pawn with 4...Bb6. 5.c3 e7
Here she outplays young Joshua Waitzkin, subject The modern method instead of the old 5...Ba5.

279
 N B
Q
6.d4 a5 7. e2 Less forceful is 7. Nxe5 Nxc4 8.
Nxc4 d5. 7...exd4 8. xd4 Black has fewer prob-
lems on 8. cxd4 d5. Leaving the pawn on c3 looks
awkward but Black clearly will have problems get-
N N
ting his pieces out of the box; his first priority is
Q
meeting the threat of Qxg7. 8... f6 9.e5 c6
10. h4 To force the knight to d5, an improvement
N Q
on the stem game 10. Qf4 Nh5 11. Qg4 g6 (Melts-
N
Gajevsky, Russia 1981). 10... d5 11. g3 g6
12.O–O b6 Instead of this lackluster retreat, he
R N B
should seize the opportunity to castle come what
may. 13.c4 d6 14. d1 d7 15. h6 Giving
N N N N
up a second pawn to keep Black from castling.
15... cxe5 16. xe5 xe5 17. c3 In true gam-
bit style. Kasparov isn’t about to let Anand es-
N
cape for just an Exchange by 17. Bg7 Bf6 18.
Bxh8 Bxh8. 17...f6 18.c5 f7 A better defen-
sive try is 18...Bf8. 19.cxd6 cxd6 Else 19...Bxd6
20. Bb5+! c6 21. Re1+ Be7 22. Rad1! Bd7 23.
Q N
Ne4 looks terrific. White’s next move keeps the
Q B
Black king hemmed in the center. 20. e3 xh6
21. xh6 f8 What else? If 21...Kf7 22. Bc4+
Be6 23. Bxe6+ Kxe6 24. Re1+ Kf7 25. Nd5 Bf8
Q K
26. Qh3 Qc8 27. Qb3+ with Rac1 looming spells
annihilation. 22. e3+ f7 If 22...Qe7 23. Qf3
(also strong is 23. Ne4) 23...Be6 24. Re1 O-O-
N B N Q R
O 25. Bc4 Bxc4 26. Rxe7 Bxe7 27. Qg4+ wins.
23. d5 e6 24. f4 e7 25. e1 An insidious
and lethal little move. If 25...Bh6 26. Bc4; or
25...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 the
various threats, Anand threw in the towel.
1-0
◦ Berzinsh, R.
• Meijers, V.
Tournament Game
Latvia
1995 1-0 C23
A throwback to the romantic 19th century when
wild ideas often succeeded – until the advent of
ruthless defense. Many old openings are now rel-
egated to a footnote in the opening manuals, but
B
some of them are making a ferocious comeback.
1.e4 e5 2. c4 The Bishop’s Opening, rarely seen
nowadays, was cited 500 years ago in the famous
N
Gottingen Manuscript by Lucena. 2...c6 More
B B
forcing is 2...Nf6 to put pressure on e4. 3. f3
N B B
d5 4. b3 e6 5.O–O Useless is 5. Nxe5 Qg5.
5...dxe4 6. xe5 xb3 7.axb3 d6 It’s too soon
to decide where this bishop belongs. Better is
7...Nf6 awaiting further developments. 8.d4 exd3
Meets with a diabolical response. More prudent
280
N B
is 8...Nf6. 9. c4 e7 It’s not easy to castle.
If 9...Nf6 10. Qxd3 Be7 11. Qxd8+ Bxd8 (or
Q N
11...Kxd8 12. Nb6) 12. Nd6+ picks up mate-
Q R Q N N
rial. 10. g4 f6 Preferable is 10...Kf8 or g6.
R
11. xg7 g8 12. h6 dxc2 13. c3 bd7 The
losing move. Necessary is 13...Rg6. 14. e1
Black Resigns! Suddenly there is no good defense
to the threat of Nd6 mate. If 14...Nf8 15. Qxf6. Or
14...Qc7 15. Bf4.
1-0
◦ Hubner, R.
• Korchnoi, V.
Pan Pacific Tournament (5)
San Francisco
1995 0-1 C11
Korchnoi, still going strong at age 64, captured one
of the few international round robins ever held in
the USA with 8-3 in a field of 12 grandmasters.
This miniature against one of Germany’s best play-
N N N
ers is typical of his fighting style.
N N B
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 5.f4 c5
6. f3 c6 7. e3 cxd4 Resolving the central ten-
N Q
sion is less fashionable than 7...a6 or Qb6 but Ko-
N
rchnoi has a new idea in mind. 8. xd4 b6 This
is it. Black threatens Bc5 and Qxb2. 9. cb5
The most ambitious try at refutation. Zuniga-
Korchnoi, Zagreb 1987, was drawn after 9. Na4
Qa5+ 10. Nc3 Qb6 11. Na4. Another try is the
speculative pawn sacrifice 9. Qd2!? Qxb2 10.
Rb1 Qa3 11. Bb5 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 Bb4. 9...a6
The only move, much stronger than 9...Bc5 10.
N
c3! and White is going to continue b4. Also
weak is 9...Nc5 10. Nb3. 10. f5 Combin-
ing threats against the king and queen. At first
B B
glance White seems to be winning, but Korchnoi
finds a cold- blooded defense. 10... c5 11. xc5
Since so many pieces are hanging, White is wor-
ried about becoming overextended. But it’s better
to steer for a draw by 11. Nbd6+ Kf8 12. Qh5
N
Nd8 13. Nxg7! Bxe3 14. Nxe6+ fxe6 15. Qh6+
N K Q N N Q
Kg8 16. Qg5+ with perpetual check. 11... xc5
12. bd6+ f8 13. h5 d8 14. xg7 b4+
This check is a killer because it disrupts White’s
Q R Q R
normal development. 14...Kxg7? 15. Qg5+ draws.
15.c3 xb2 16. d1 xc3+ 17. d2 More stub-
N
born is 17. Kf2 which Hubner rejected on account
N
of 17...d4 threatening Qe3 mate. 17...h6 18. ge8
e4 White Resigns. Amazing. On 19.Nxe4 dxe4
threatens e3 or Kxe8. The best try is 19. Qd1 Ke7
20. Nxe4 dxe4 21. Ke2 Qc4+! 22. Ke1 Qb4 23. a3
Qa5 winning.
0-1
◦ Polgar, J.
• Shirov, A.
2nd Donner Memorial (6)
Amsterdam
1995 1-0 B06
A lulu! All six previous games between these two
fiery players were decisive. Judith Polgar, 19, lost
the first and won the next five in a row against
Alexei Shirov, 22. Three years later he emerged
B N B Q
as Kasparov’s official challenger.
N
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3. c3 c6 4. c4 d6 5. f3
B B
e6 6. ge2 b5 This early expansion leads to dif-
ficulties. Safer is 6...Nd7. 7. b3 a5 8.a3 a6
9.d5 Very good. White seeks to open lines in or-
N Q
der to exploit her superior development. 9...cxd5
10.exd5 e5 11. e4 c7 11...h6! would come in
handy instead of committing the queen so early.
B N N K
But not 11...f5? 12. Ng5 and Ne6. 12.c4 bxc4
13. a4+ d7 14. 2c3 e7 Black is clearly on
the ropes. If 14...Ne7 15. Nf6+ Bxf6 16. Qxf6
N Q N
Rg8 17. Ne4 is crushing. This was Shirov’s
Q
last chance for 14...h6! 15. xd6 xd6 16. e4
B
xd5 Forced. On 16...Qb6 17. d6+ Ke8 18.
N R Q R Q B
Bxd7+ Kxd7 19. Qxf7+ is curtains. 17. g5+
Q
df6 18. d1 b7 19. d7+ xd7 20. xd7 h6
21. d1 Black Resigns. If 21...hxg5 22. Qd6+
Kd8 23. Ba4+ Kc8 24. Qc6+ Kb8 25. Qb6+ Bb7
26. Nd6 Ra7 27. Qd8 mates.
1-0
◦ Nenashev, A.
• Landenbergue, C.
Geneva Open
Switzerland
1996 0-1 E42
Alfred Hitchcock once made a movie called The
Wrong Man. A chess sequel could be called The
Wrong Rook. When both rooks are connected on
the back row and either one is free to occupy the
same post on an open file, which rook should be
used? Some wry annotators quip "the wrong rook"
no matter which one moves there! There are few
guiding principles, no pat answers; it just requires
good judgment. INSIDE CHESS dubbed this "the
N N B N
most instructive error of 1996."
B N N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4.e3 c5 5. e2
B N B B
d5 6.a3 xc3+ 7. xc3 cxd4 8.exd4 c6 9.c5
O–O 10. f4 ECO says this move deserves atten-
tion, and that’s all because there are few practical
N N B
tests. White has the advantage of the two bishops
N B R Q B
and logically strives to obtain a bind. 10... e4
11. xe4 dxe4 12. d6 e8 13. d2 e5 Leads
by force into an ending clearly in White’s favor.
More forceful is 13...Qf6 and if 14. Rd1 e5 15.
281
N
B Q
d5 Nd4 because now 16. Bxe5? can be re-
K R
futed by Nf3+. 14.dxe5 xe5 15. xe5 xd2+
B B R
16. xd2 xe5 17.b4 e3+ To obtain counter-
K R K R R
play and stop Ke3. 18.fxe3 f5 19. e2 d8+
20. e1 xe3 21. f2 e7 22. ad1 Nikolay
Minev wrote: "Sure to become a notorious case of
the Wrong Rook Syndrome! However, the grand-
master’s blunder is inexplicable to me. Even if he
had been in serious time trouble, which is clearly
not the case here, instinct, common sense and the
basic knowledge of any more or less experienced
player should suggest the right decision. I showed
this position to four players with ratings ranging
from 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 in
the play while the other rook on a1 is already in
R
place to support the imminent passed pawn on the
queenside. 22... xe2+ White Resigns. The point
is White drops a piece after 23. Kxe2 Bg4+. But
had 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 and
pawn ending where White retains all the winning
chances.
0-1
◦ Ree, H.
• Hitech
11th Man Vs. Machine Challenge
Holland
1996 1-0 A45
Interest in the progress of chess computers intensi-
fied in the 90s. For many years Aegon, a Dutch in-
surance firm, sponsored a match between between
50 players of varying strength against 50 different
programs in 300 games at a time limit of 1.5 hours
per side. Nine grandmasters led the human team
in 1996, slaughtering the machines 41.5 - 12.5 in
54 games. However, silicon won the war by a
margin of 25 points (162.5-137.5) when flesh and
blood faltered on the lower boards. Here Hitech, a
program created at Carnegie Mellon University in
Pittsburgh, wriggled out of a fierce attack but went
haywire and stumbled into a stupid mate just when
B
it had a draw in hand.
1.d4 d5 2.g3 f6 3. g2 f5 4.c4 e4 Violat-
N
ing the principle against moving the same piece
Q N
twice in the opening. Better is 4...e6. 5. f3
dxc4 6. bd2 d5 7. c2 b5 8.O–O bd7 9.e4
b7 Most programs are taught to worship ma-
N B
terial gain and will go through contortions to
hold a pawn. 10.e5 d5 11.e6 fxe6 12. h3
 N B N Q N N
Q B R N N K B
g6 13. g5 h6 14. xe6 b8 15. e4 b4 25. g6 Kh8 26. gxf7 Qf5 27. Bxa8 Rxa8 28.

N N Q R
16. e2 xc1 17. axc1 d3 18. g7+ f8 Qd5 Rf8 29. Bh6! and wins. 20...h5 21. xa8

R
19. g5 f6 The only defense preparing to meet xa8 22. a3 Since the rook no longer serves

R Q Q R R
19. Qe6 with Bd5. 20. fe1 e5 Fighting to sur- any function on the kingside, it focuses again on

N N K N N
vive. Hopeless is 20...Nxe1 21. Rxe1. 21.dxe5 a6. 22... c8 23.c3 b7 24. d3 c6 25. d1

R R N K
d5 22. 7e6+ g8 23.b3 h6 24. e4 xe1 "A horrible move that fritters away the advantage,"

B Q R Q Q
25. xe1 cxb3 26.axb3 h7 27. 6c5 h8 said Kasparov. A better play is 25. Re1 intending
28.e6 c6 29. b2+ g7 30. e5 f8 31.f4 a5 Re4-a4. 25...d5 Too late Kasparov saw 26. Qxd5?

R
The machine is defending tenaciously by creat- Rd6! Qxb7? Rxd1 mate. He now tries in vain to

B B K B N Q R R
ing a distraction on the queenside. 32.f5 gxf5 wear Anand down, but in vain 26. a5 d4 27.cxd4

R Q R R Q Q Q B Q N B Q
33. xf5 a4 34.bxa4 bxa4 35. g6 g8 36. f7+ exd4 28.b4 h4 29.f3 xb4 30. xa6 xa6

N N R Q R Q K R Q Q Q Q Q
xf7 37.exf7+ xf7 38. f1 e8 39. d4 g6 31. xa6 g7 32. d3 f5 33. f4 b2 34.g3

Q Q K Q Q N R
40. f6+ xf6 41. xf6 b1+ 42. f1 b6 h7 35. d2 b7 36. e4 b5 37. d3 b7

N B Q R Q K Q
Nicely illustrating the difference between ma- 38. e4 b5 39. g1 a5 40. d3 e7 41. d1

K Q R Q R Q
chines and humans, who wouldn’t consider denud- d5 42. d2 a7 43. e1 d7 44. g2 a7

R N Q R Q B
ing their kingside in this manner. Instead 42...Qg6 45. g1 a2 46. e2 a1+ 47. e1 a4

Q K Q Q B R Q
43. Rf6 Qb1+ leads to a draw by repetition. 48. c1 c3 49.g4 a5 50. e1 c5 51.h3 f6

Q Q Q Q R Q
43. g4+ h7 On 43...Kh8! White seems to have 52.f4 h4 53. f3 b5 54.g5 g7 55. e7 b1+

K Q N B Q
nothing better than a draw by 44. Qd4+ Kg8 44. 56. f1 f5 57. e1 xh3 58. xf7 g4+

R K Q Q K
Qg4+ Kh8 since if 45. Qh5 Bb5 wards off the im- 59. h2 h3 60. f1 e4 61. e1 d3 62. xh3+
mediate threats. 44. f7+ h8 45. g7# Mate xh3+ 63. xh3 d2 Draw by Agreement.
1-0 1/2-1/2

◦ Kasparov, G. ◦ Lugo, B.
• Anand, V. • Van Wely, L.
Las Palmas 14th New York Open (8)
Canary Islands Manhattan
1996 1/2-1/2 B92 1996 0-1 B80
The world’s top six stars clashed in the strongest Newcomer Blas Lugo, who defected from Cuba,
round robin of 1996 at Las Palmas. PCA champion turned in a performance rating of 2740 to tie for
Kasparov, 33, added another laurel to his seem- first in a field of 520 at the strongest open tourna-
ingly endless string of triumphs (3 wins, 7 draws). ment in the world, then lapsed into obscurity. In
For over a decade he and Karpov, 45, towered this critical game, played in the penultimate round,
above their rivals, but Karpov posted his worst re- Lugo nearly won all the marbles by sacrificing a
sult ever in this event (8 draws, 2 losses). The av- knight for a ferocious attack but went astray in a

N N N N
erage age of their four foes was 24! In this fight- maze of complications.

B
ing draw Kasparov missed several good chances 1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
against runner-up Anand, his last challenger for the a6 6. e3 e6 6...e5 7. Nf3 is generally thought

N N N N Q N
PCA crown. to give White chances for a comfortable advan-

B N B K B B
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3 tage. 7.f3 b5 8.g4 h6 9. d2 bd7 10.O–O–O

B
a6 6. e2 e5 7. b3 e7 8.O–O O–O 9. h1 b5 b7 11. d3 A more active idea is 11. h4 b4
10.a4 b7 The attempt to win a pawn by 10...b4 12. Nce2 d5 13. Bh3! dxe4 14. g5 hxg5

N R
11. Nd5 Nxe4? fails to 11. Bf3 f5 12. Nxe7+ 15. hxg3 exf3 16. Nf4 Ne4 17. Qe1 f2 18.

B R N N N N N
Qxe7 13. Qd5+ and Qxa8. 11. d5 bxa4 12. xa4 Bxf2 Qxg5 19. Be3 Qh4l 20. Ndxe6! Qxe1 21.

B
c6 13. a3 xe4 14. a5 f6 15. xc6 xc6 Nxg7+ Kd8 22. Rhxe1 with a big edge (Anand-

N N N
16. c4 Instead of regaining the pawn White opts Beliavsky, Groningen 1993). 11...b4 Also feasible

B K R Q B N
for a kingside attack by swinging his rook to h3. is 11...Ne5. 12. a4 d5 13.exd5 xd5 14. xe6
Anand said he prepared this line at home for White fxe6 15. g6+ e7 16. he1 a5 17. f4 7f6

N R
but suddenly realized, to his horror, that he was Avoiding the ugly trap 17...Qxa4? 18. Rxe6+ Kxe6

Q N N B B Q R
now playing the wrong side! 16... d4 17. h3 19. Re1+ Kf6 20. Qd4+ Kxg6 21. Qe4+ Kf7
g6 18. d2 f5 19. xf6+ xf6 20. d5 Los- 22. Qe6 mate. 18. d4 c8 Again 18...Qxa4? is

Q
ing the thread. More consistent is 20. g4 with busted by 19. Rxe6+! Kxe6 20. Qe5+ Kd7 21. Qc7
the following possibility: 20...Qc8 21. Bd5 Nh4 mate. 19. e5 After this the attack is extinguished.
22. Rg1! g5 23. Rxh4! gxh4 24. g5 Bg7 The critical line is 19. Rxe6+! Kxe6 20. Qe5+ Kd7

282
 R
B K Q B
21. Bf8+ Kd8 22. g5 hxg5 23. Bxg5. 19... c6 43rd USA Championship (9)
20.g5 hxg5 21. xg5 d7 22. b8 c8 Another Parsippany, New Jersey

Q Q Q R N
fine defensive riposte. But not 22...Qc7? 23. 1996 0-1 B22

K B R R N
Rxd5+! 23. a7+ c7 24. e3 d6 25. c5+ Alex Yermolinsky, 38, captured this nation’s high-

B Q Q
d8 26. xf6+ gxf6 27. xd5 xd5 28. xe6+ est title when Russian emigres began to dominate
xe6 29. xe6 d6 White Resigns. The fire is American chess after the fall of the Soviet empire.
out. Newcomer Tal Shaked, 18, the early leader in this
0-1 event, faded in the stretch and finished near the
cellar in a field of 14. A year later, however, the
rapidly improving lad who hails from Arizona won
◦ Smyslov, V.
the World Junior Championship.
• Bacrot, E.
1.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 Since this Alapin Variation doesn’t
Six Game Training Match (3)
develop a piece, Black can afford to strike quickly
France
in the center. Also playable is 2...Nf6 3. e5 Nd5
1996 0-1 B72
Q N
which resembles Alekhine’s Defense but the pawn
Athletes often have short careers, while chessmas-
N
on c3 is not an asset. 3.exd5 xd5 4.d4 f6
ters usually improve with age – up to a point.
N B N
5. f3 g6 Seldom seen. More usual is 5...Bg4 to
Ex-world champ Vassily Smyslov, now 75, was
exert more pressure on d4. 6. a3 g7 7. b5
demolished by 13-year old French prodigy Eti-
Much more forceful is 8. Bc4 Qe4+ 9. Be3 (a
enne Bacrot, who won four and drew two games.
N Q Q B
cute mate ensues after 9. Kd2? Bh6) threaten-
Smyslov, considered nearly invincible in his hey-
N
ing Bxf7+. 7... a6 8. e2 cxd4 9. xd4 xd4
day, made few obvious blunders and yet the lad
B N R R
10. fxd4 O–O The resulting endgame looks
outplayed him in a positional style reminiscent of
N N R N N
drawish. 11.O–O d7 12. b3 fc8 13. d1
N N N N
the old master himself.
R R N N B
c5 14. xc5 xc5 15.a4 a6 16. d4 e5 17. b3
N B B B
1.e4 c5 2. c3 c6 3. f3 d6 4.d4 cxd4 5. xd4
d5 18. xd5 xd5 19. a5 b6 20. f3 "Con-
f6 6. e2 g6 7. e3 g7 8.h4 O–O 9.h5 d5 In
centrate! A single move can cost you the game,"
accordance with the principle that a flank attack is
Fischer wrote in his 1969 BOYS’ LIFE column.
N
best met by a reaction in the center. 10.hxg6 hxg6
This is the single move that costs Shaked the game
11. xc6 Varying from 11. exd5 Nxd5 12.Nxc6
B R
because of his weak back rank. Correct is 20.
bxc6 13. Nxd5 Qxd5 14. Qxd5 cxd5 15. O-
N B B
Nc4. 20...e4 21. xe4 e8 Now mate looms on
O-O with which Smyslov had defeated Botvin-
N N R R K R
22. Bxd5? Re1. 22.f3 xc3 23. c6 xc6
N N Q
nik in the fifth game of their 1958 title match.
N K N R K R
24. xc6 xa4 25. xa4 e1+ 26. f2 xc1
R B B
R R R
11...bxc6 12.e5 e4 13. xe4 dxe4 14. xd8
R B R K K R
27. e7+ f8 28. d5 c2+ 29. g3 xb2
K
xd8 15. f4 e6 16. d1 d5 17. xd5 cxd5
R B
30. xa6 d4 31.f4 b3+ 32. h4 g7 33. a7
K R R
18. d2 d4 19.f3 e3+ Liquid center pawns ad-
N B N K
b5 34. b7 g1 Decisive in view of 35. h3 Bf2+
B B
vance like molten lava. 20. c1 c8 21. d1
N K N
36. Kg4 Rg3+. 35. c7 xh2 36. e8+ g8
B K B B R
g5 Also strong is 21...Bf5. 22. xg5 xe5 23.b3
37. f6+ g7 38. e8+ It’s common for players
B B R R
f6 24. h4 g7 25.f4 f5 26.c4 xf4 27. xd4
K N
to repeat moves when short of time as they ap-
d6 28. f3 h8 29.g3 c8 Now that White’s
R K R R
proach the control at move 40. 38... f8 39. d6
R B
bishop is locked out of play on h4 the rook re-
B
f6 40. f7+ g8 41. xf6 b4 42.g4 f3 43.f5
R B K K R
turn to do damage on the queenside. 30. d5 e6
g3+ White Resigns. If 44. Kg5 Bf4+ 45. Kh4
31. d3 c5 32. d1 a5 33. e2 a4 34. d1 A
g5+ 46. Kh5 Rh3 mate.
R R R
loss of time. Better is 34. g4 right away to try and
0-1
R
activate the bishop on h4. 34... b8 35. d3 b6

R
36.g4 axb3 37.axb3 a6 38.b4 White is hogtied.
◦ Deep Blue
K B R B R
If 38. Be1 Ra2+ 39. Kf1 Kg6. 38... a2+
• Kasparov, G.
B K B
39. d1 xb4 40. xe3 xc4 41. e4 41. Be4
Six Game Match (1)
offers more resistance. 41... b3+ 42. c1 d2+
Philadelphia
White gave up without waiting for 43. Kb1 Bc3
1996 1-0 B22
followed by Ra1 mate.
February 10, 1996, is a historic date. Not only be-
0-1
cause the world’s best human was pitted against a
dull, black IBM machine 6.5 feet tall and weighing
◦ Shaked, T. 1400 pounds, but also because the computer de-
• Yermolinsky, A. feated him on that day. Deep Blue coolly repulsed

283
an attack that might have withered many humans the very moment that he had a draw in hand! A
and people began to wonder whether it marked the month after the game was over a German chess fan
end of our superiority – not just in chess but in art, discovered the hidden resource Timman missed. A

Q N N
music and literature as well. curious case of chess blindness.
N N B B N
B B B N B
1.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 3.exd5 xd5 4.d4 f6 5. f3
N B B N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O

B
g4 6. e2 e6 7.h3 h5 8.O–O c6 9. e3
N N Q
xe4 6.d4 b5 7. b3 d5 8.dxe5 e6 9. bd2
cxd4 10.cxd4 b4 The bishop is in danger of get- c5 10.c3 d4 11. g5 xg5 Kasparov-Anand,

B
N Q N Q
ting misplaced. More usual is 10...Be7 11. Nc3
Q
10th match game 1995, continued with the safer

N B Q R R
Qd6. 11.a3 a5 12. c3 d6 13. b5 e7
B Q Q
11...dxc3 12. Nxe6 fxe6 13. bxc3. 12. f3

B B
14. e5 xe2 15. xe2 O–O 16. ac1 ac8
Q Q N
O–O–O 13. xe6+ fxe6 14. xc6 xe5 15.b4
17. g5 b6 Now it’s clear the bishop would
B
d5 16. xd5 exd5 17.bxc5 dxc3 18. b3 d4

B N R
be better posted on e7 to obviate this annoying
pin. 18. xf6 gxf6 19. c4 fd8 Of course not
19. a3 g6 Black does not have enough compen-
B B K
sation for the piece. If 19...d3 20. Bb4 c2 21. a4

N R Q Q
19...Bxd4? 20. Nxd4 Nxd4 21. Qg4+ Kh8 22.
R K R K B
should win. 20. b4 g7 21.a4 d7 22.axb5

R R K
Qxd4. 20. xb6 axb6 21. fd1 f5 22. e3 f6
K B K R K R
axb5 23. ad1 e6 24. fe1+ d5 25. xc3
23.d5 xd5 24. xd5 exd5 25.b3 h8 Black
K K
c4 26. a5 xb3 27. b1+ c4 28. ec1+
launches an attack to compensate for his broken
R R B
d5 29.c6 d6 Black regained the piece but
pawn structure. More prudent is 25...Ne7. If 26.
K R K B K R R
has new problems. 30. xb5 b8 31. b4+
Rxc8+ Nxc8 27. Qe8+ Kg7 28. Qxc8 Qa1+ 29.
R K R R R B
e6 32. e1+ f6 33. e7+ f7 34. d5 hc8

Q R
Kh2 Qe5+ 30. g3 Qe2 31. Qxf5 Qxb5 equal-
R R K B B R
35. d7 g8 36. g3 b6 37. c1 b3 38. c5

QN N N Q
izes. 26. xb6 g8 Hoping for 27. Qxb7?? Qg5.
R R R R R
d3 39. d1 cb8 40. g2 f8 41. xf8 xf8

N R R N R K
27. c5 d4 28. d6 f4 29. xb7 e5 30. d5 f3
R R K R R R
42. 1xd3 xd3 43. xd3 f7 44.f4 e7 45.g4

N N K
31.g3 d3 32. c7 e8 33. d6 e1+ 34. h2
xf2 35. xf7+ g7 Also futile is 35...Qxf7 36.
Qd8+ Kg7 (or 36...Re8 37. Qxd4+) 37. Rxf7+
K
e6 46. d8+ f7 47. d7+ e7 48. xe7+
xe7 49.g5 Black Resigns. Discouraged, Timman
failed to find a draw by 49...Kd6! 50. h4 Kxc6 51.

N K R
Kxf7 38. Qd5+ Kg6 39. Qxf3 d3 40. Qxf2 Re2 41.
Kg2. 36. g5+ h6 37. xh7+ If 37...Kg6 38.
Qg8+ Kf5 39. Nxf3 wins. Kasparov was very up-
set because he hadn’t expected to be confronted by
such a strong program. But he won the next game,
drew the third and fourth, then took the last two to
emerge victorious at 4-2. "I always describe chess
as a kind of psychological warfare. It’s a fight of
two intellects, two egos, two wills," he said. "But
when playing a computer suddenly you don’t have
an opponent, you have an operator in front of you
who just moves the pieces. It’s a kind of wall, you
know. It’s a face, but the person represents virtu-
ally nothing to you." Few people were prepared for
the upset that took place a year later.
1-0
◦ Shirov, A.
• Timman, J.
58th Wijk aan Zee
Holland
1996 1-0 C80
White’s knight sacrifice on move 11 was intro-
duced in Karpov- Korchnoi, 10th match game
1978. Kasparov repeated it twice in his PCA ti-
tle defense against Anand in 1993. White declined
the knight in all three games but Timman bravely
accepted it and wound up fighting an uphill battle.
At the very end, however, he gave up the ship at
f5 Kd6! (in his mind’s eye he probably saw only
51...gxf5? 52. h5 Kd6 53. g6 hxg6 54. h6! and
the pawn queens) 52. f6 Ke6 53. Kf3 Kd6 54.
Ke4 Ke6 55. Kd4 Kd6 56. Kc4 Ke6 57. Kc5 Kd7
58. Kd5 Ke8! 59. Kc6 (or 59. Ke6 Kf8) 59...Kd8
60. f7 Ke7 61. Kxc7 Kxf7 62. Kd7 Kf8 63. Ke6
Ke8 64. Kf6 Kf8 and White can make no further
progress.
1-0
◦ Polgar, S.
• Xie Jun
Women’s World Championship (7)
Jaen, Spain
1996 1-0 C45
Women’s chess took a great leap forward in the
90s, prompting observers to wonder whether sep-
arate titles for men and women should be abol-
ished. Be that as it may, Hungary’s Susan Polgar
dethroned China’s Xie Jun by the lopsided score
of 8 1/2 - 4 1/2. Most games were exciting, but
the defending champion was hampered by inferior
opening knowledge. "Chess literature is still hard
to get in China, but the game is getting very popular
there," said Xie Jun. Trailing by a point before this
game, she desperately sought complications in or-
der to even the score but faltered after only a dozen
moves.

284
 N N N B B R B B
N Q Q N B N B B R B Q
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 exd4 4. xd4 c5 13...b6 14.c4 dxc4 15. xc4 e8 16. e3 c6

K
5. xc6 f6 6. d2 dxc6 7. c3 e6 8. a4 17.d5 d7 18. f1 h6 19.c4 e7 20. d3 f6

B Q N
More direct is 8. Bd3 O-O-O 9. O-O with a sharp 21. g2 A strange interlude. More logical is 21.

B R N Q K B Q B
battle in the offing. 8... d6 9. e3 h6 10.h3 Qc2 Ke8 22. c5 bxc5 23. Bxc5 Kf8 24. Rxe7 Qxe7
O–O 11. e2 fe8 12. c3 e5 The queen isn’t 25. Bd4. 21... e8 22. c2 c3 23. b3 Kam-

Q B B N
well placed here. Better is 12...Qg6 13. O-O sky’s zeal to win clouds his better judgment. He
f5. 13.f4 a5 14. d2 b4 15.a3 f5 A tac- should admit his earlier lapses and steer for a draw

B Q B B K R
tical trick that almost work. 19...Rad8 offers the by 23. Bd4 Qxe1 24. Qxe1 Rxe1 25. Rxe1+ Kf8.

R K
best hope. 16.exf5 c4 17. d4 xc3 18. xc3 23... f8 24. c1 After this Black assumes the ini-

Q B
xe2+ 19. f1 The fly in the ointment. Black has tiative. Better is 24. Bd4 Rxe1 25. Bxc3 Rxd1

R Q B B
no good discovered check. If 19...Re4+ 20. Qxc4 26. Rxd1 with even chances. 24... f6 25. c2
Rxc4 21. Bxa5 gains a piece. Now Black has ae8 26. d3 g4 27. d2 As so often happens,

Q R K R R R
to guard his queen as well as the threat of Qxg7 one bad move follows another. The last chance

R R K R R R R
mate. 19... xc3 20.bxc3 e4+ 21. f2 xd4 to offer resistance is 27. f4. 27... e2 28. xe2

R R R R R K
22.cxd4 d8 23. he1 f8 24. e4 g6 25.f6 xe2 29. f1 xd2 Black Resigns, because of

R R R B R
d6 26. e7 xf6 27. xc7 xf4+ 28. e3 30. Qxd2 Qf3+ 31.Kg1 Bh3 32. Be4 Qxe4.

B R B R B
f6 29. xb7 a6 30. e1 f1 31.g4 g5 32. b6 1-0

B
g2 33. g1 d5 34. g3 c4 35.d5 Simplifies
◦ Hernandez, G.
R K R R K K
the task by creating a passed a-pawn. 35... xd5
• Korchnoi, V.
R K K K K K
36. xa6 g7 37. a7 f4 38.a4 f6 39. d2

R R
f2+ 40. c1 e5 41.a5 d4 42. b2 e4 Training Match (2)
43. b7 c5 44. b6 Black Resigns. Merida, Mexico
1-0 1996 0-1 C00
Mexico’s premier player Gilberto Hernandez, 25,
◦ Kamsky, G. was trounced 5 1/2 - 2 1/2 by Korchnoi 65, a deadly
• Karpov, A. counter-puncher and master of defense. "I like to
FIDE World Championship (6) coax my opponents into attacking and to let them
Elista, Kalmykia taste the joy of the initiative so that they may get
1996 1-0 C43 carried away, become careless, and sacrifice mate-
In 1989 Gata Kamsky, 14, defected from the rial," said Korchnoi early in his career. This strug-
USSR. He rapidly rose to the pinnacle of Amer- gle illustrates his philosophy in action. Not many
ican chess and earned the right to challenge Kar- players would coax White into building up such a
pov for the FIDE title. Going into this game Kam- strong attack, but Korchnoi massed his heavy ar-
sky was trailing by a point and had his last chance tillery along a central file and coolly marched his

N N Q
to catch up, yet he lost the thread with a series of king to safety on the queenside.

B
aimless maneuvers. After returning with his share 1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3. e2 c5 4. f3 c6 5.g3 dxe4

B Q N N N B
of the purse (over half a million dollars) Gata an- 6.dxe4 e5 7.c3 a6 A curious loss of time. 8. g2

N B Q Q
nounced he was quitting chess to study medicine. e7 9.O–O c7 10. a3 f6 11. c4 e6

N B K R R
"We feel completely exhausted after many years of 12. g5 xc4 13. xc4 O–O 14.f4 b5 15. e2

B R R
fight against dark and mighty forces," said his fa- c4 16. h3 c5+ 17. h1 fe8 18.f5 ad8

K
ther. "We no longer want to deal with corruption, 19.g4 h6 20.g5 hxg5 21. xg5 d6 22. ae1

N N N B N N Q
dirty tricks and the Chess Mafia." f8 Black sees a storm brewing and starts a re-

N N B B N B R R N R Q
1.e4 e5 2. f3 f6 3.d4 xe4 4. d3 d5 5. xe5 lentless trek to the other wing. 23. f2 d7

N K N N
d7 6. xd7 xd7 7.O–O d6 8. c3 A 24. f3 d8 25. g1 e7 26. g2 a7 27.a3
relatively new move instead of the usual 8. c4. eg8 28.h3 e8 29. g4 xg4 30.hxg4 Black

B K R K R R
The idea is to pursue rapid development by trad- is better after 30. Bxd8 Nf2+ 31. Rxf2 Bxf2.

Q Q
ing knights after which the open b-file discour- 30...f6 31. c1 d7 32. h2 c8 33. h7 6d7
ages Black from castling long. 8... h4 Taken by 34. h2 An inaccuracy that permits Black to in-

B R B B Q Q
surprise Karpov spent 43 minutes on this reply. vade on the dark squares. Steadier is 34. Kg2.

Q K K R K R
On 8...Nxc3 9. bxc3 O-O 10. Qh5 f5 11. Rb1 34... f2 35. f1 e3 36. xe3 xe3 37. g1

K K N R R
b6 12. Re1 Qf6 13. Qf3 gives White an endur- xg1+ 38. xg1 c7 39. f2 b6 40. g2

N Q R K B R K R K R K
ing advantage (Kharlov-Nielson, Kemerovo 1995. a5 41.g5 a4 42.gxf6 xf6 43. hxg7 xg7

Q R R N R N
9.g3 xc3 10.bxc3 g4 11. e1+ d8 12. e2 44. xg7 b3 45. e7 xb2 46. xe5 xc3
f5 13. b1 Possibly better is 13. c4 right away. 47. e6 d7 48. xa6 e5 The knight is clearly

285
 K B B Q N
K R N
more potent than the ineffectual bishop. 49. f2 6.g3 O–O 7. g2 e6 8.O–O d7 9. g5 "If

B
d2 50. e6 d3+ White gave up without wait- I had played 9 b4 instead I would have crushed

B B N N N B
ing for 51 Kg3 c3 and c2. it," said Kasparov after the game. 9... f5 10.e4

R K
0-1 g4 11.f3 h5 12. h3 d4 13. f2 h6 14. e3
c5 15.b4 b6 16. b1 h8 The kind of myste-
◦ Lonoff, M. rious king move that also cropped up in games
• Gurevich, D. one and four. The machine probably was devis-

R B Q
9th Masters Open ing a plan to rescue its bishop via g6, h7 and g8.
Chicago 17. b2 a6 18.bxc5 bxc5 19. h3 c7 Reject-
1996 0-1 A13 ing 19...Bxf3 (not 19...Nxf3+? 20. Kh1 Qc7 21.

B B
Dmitry Gurevich, 37, is one of many Russian emi- g4) 20. Bxd7 Bxd1 21. Rxd1 Nxd7 22. Rb7

Q B Q R Q Q
gres who have enriched American chess. He set a Rfd8 23. Nd5. 20. g4 g6 21.f4 exf4 22.gxf4

B B N R N B
torrid pace in a field of 79 including 15 grandmas- a5 23. d2 xa3 24. a2 b3 25.f5 xd1

N
ters by taking calculated risks with Black. This 26. xd1 h7 27. h3 fb8 28. f4 d8

N B N B N N
strategy paid off when he swept this event with Black is cramped but a pawn is a pawn. 29. fd5

B R K B
seven straight wins, a streak reminiscent of Fis- c6 30. f4 e5 31. a4 xd5 32. xd5 a5
cher’s 11-0 in the star-studded 1964 USA Cham- 33. b5 a7 34. g2 g5 35. xe5+ dxe5 36.f6

N N B N
pionship. To prevent f6 and Bg8. White’s bind compensates

N B Q B K
1.c4 e6 2.g3 d5 3. f3 f6 4. g2 c6 5.b3 bd7 for his lost pawn but he can’t seem to make se-

B N K K K K B N
6.O–O a5 7. c3 e7 8.d4 O–O 9. c2 b6 10.e4 rious progress. 36... g6 37.h4 gxh4 38. h3
a6 11.e5 e8 Black has gone into a defensive g8 39. xh4 h7 40. g4 c7 41. xc7 Re-

N N R R B
crouch, but his position contains no weaknesses. gaining the pawn leads to a draw but it’s not clear

R B Q N N R R
12. e2 c7 13. d1 a4 14.h4 a7 15. g5 White can make more headway after 41. Ne7

B B B R R R R K K
e8 16. xe7 xe7 17. f4 f8 18. db1 c8 Rf8 42. Rh1 h5+ 43. Kg5 Bd8 44. Nf5 Rg8.

K R K R K R K
19. f1 b7 20. g2 c5 A bold stroke to open the 41... xc7 42. xa5 d8 43. f3 h8 44. h4

R
position that leads to rousing complications. More g8 45. a3 h8 46. a6 h7 47. a3 h8
prudent is 20...axb3 21. axb3 Rca8. 21.bxa4 48. a6 Draw by Agreement.

R
Better is 21. cxd5 Nxd5 22. Nxd5 Bxd5 23. 1/2-1/2

N
bxa4 with equal chances. 21...dxc4 22. xb6 cxd4
23. xd4 Perhaps White intended 23. Rxb7 Rxb7 ◦ Fracnik, L.
• Cvitan, O.
B N Q
24. Nxd4 before realizing that 24...Nd5 is bet-

N
ter for Black. 23... xg2 24. xg2 c5 Suddenly Hamburg vs. Freiburg

R R N R Q R
White’s pieces are placed awkwardly. 25. c6 Germany

R N N
aa8 26. ab1 d5 27. 1b5 a3 28. b8 1997 1-0 E97

Q Q Q
axb8 29. xb8 b4 White’s stranded knight One of the flashiest games in the modern era took

R Q N N R
causes his downfall. 30. e2 c3 31. f3 xa4 place at a league match in Germany’s famous
32. b7 e8 33. f4 c2 34. e2 xb8 White "Bundesliga" where rival cities hire foreign grand-
Resigns. masters to play on their teams. A stunning queen
0-1 sacrifice capped Black’s violent onslaught as both

N N B N
sides rushed to breakthrough on opposite wings.
◦ Kasparov, G.
B
1.d4 f6 2. f3 g6 3.c4 g7 4. c3 O–O 5.e4
• Deep Blue d6 6. e2 e5 It’s well-known in this King’s Indian
Six Game Rematch (3) Defense that the attempt to gain a pawn by 7. dxe5

N N N N
New York City dxe5 8. Qxd8 Rxd8 9. Nxe5 is foiled by 9...Nxe4.

N N N
1997 1/2-1/2 7.O–O c6 8.d5 e7 9. d2 e8 10.b4 f5 11.c5
Kasparov once again chose a modest opening to f6 12.f3 f4 13. c4 g5 14.a4 g6 Both sides
take the machine out of its book. He got a nice po- waste no time attacking on opposite flanks. Who

B R B
sitional advantage but couldn’t seem to crack Deep comes first is an important theoretical question.

K N
Blue’s ingenious defense. It was now becoming 15. a3 f7 16.b5 dxc5 17. xc5 h5 18.a5 g4

N N N N B
clear that he was in for the fight of his life. 19.b6 g3 20. h1 h7 21.d6 A necessary precau-
1.d3 e5 2. f3 c6 3.c4 f6 4.a3 d6 5. c3 e7 tion is 21. Re1! in order to vacate f1 for the bishop.
Most masters would prefer the fianchetto 5...g6 The reason soon becomes clear. A hard struggle

Q B B
and Bg7 but the machine places a higher prior- is then in the offing after 21...cxb6 22. axb6 a6.
ity on rapid rather than long-range development. 21... h4 22. g1 h3 23.bxc7 With the rook on

286
e1 this could be met by Bf1. Giving up the Ex- – all won it on their way to the crown. Shaked,
change by 23. Rf2 gxf2 24. Bxf2 is now White’s 19, who hails from Tucson, Arizona, was the sixth

B K
only chance to survive. Instead a series of thunder- American to gain the title. This key victory against

Q K N K N
bolts shatters his fortress. 23... xg2+ 24. xg2 a young Hungarian grandmaster set the stage for
h3+ 25. xh3 g5+ 26. g2 h4+ Black Re- his final surge to the top.
signs without waiting for 27. Kh1 g2 mate. N N B N
B R N Q B B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4.e3 b6 5. e2 c5
1-0 6.a3 a5 7. b1 a6 8. a4 b7 9. d2 Re-
jecting the tempting attempt to trap the bishop by 9.

B Q
b4 Bc6 10. b5 (if 10. Nb5 cxb4 11. axb4 Nxb4 12.
◦ Seirawan, Y.
N Q B
Rxb4 a6!) 10...Be4 11. Ra1 Nb8. 9... c6 10. c2
• Ivanchuk, V.
N
O–O 11. g3 c8 12.d5 b7 The refutation of
FIDE Interzonal (2)
B
12...exd5? is 13. Nf5! 13.e4 e8 More prudent is
Groningen
13...d6. 14. d3 f5 Unwisely opening lines while
1997 1-0 E70
his pieces are still asleep. Black hopes to mix it up
FIDE, in its ongoing rivalry with Kas-
with 15. exf5 Bxc3 16. Bxc3 exd5. 15.O–O f4
parov’s PCA, sponsored a 5million99 −
16.e5 g6 Rejecting the sacrifice. One possible vari-
playerknockouttodetermineachallengerf orF IDEworldchampionKarpov.SeirawanwastheonlyAmericantosurvive
N N B B ation is 16...fxg3 17. Bxh7+ Kh8 18. fxg3 Nec7
N N N B B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5. d3 e5
19. Qg6 Rxf1+ 20. Rxf1 Qe8 21. Rf8+! Qxf8 22.
6.d5 a5 7. ge2 a6 8.f3 d7 9. e3 h6 The
B Q
Qh5 Qe8 23. Bg6+ Kg8 24. Qh7 Kf8 25. Qh8+
Q
idea is to swap an inactive bishop for an active one
K Q K Q K N
Ke7 25. Bg5 mate. 17. xg6 hxg6 18. xg6+
B Q
after 10. Bxh6 Qh4+ 11. Ng3 Qxh6. 10. d2
Q
h8 19. h6+ g8 20. g6+ h8 21. ce4
xe3 11. xe3 c6 It’s too soon to open the center
d8 Black clearly hoped to get a draw by perpet-
before deciding where his king belongs, but White
ual check. No such luck. Not 21...Bxd2? 22 Ng5!
Q
still has attacking prospects after 11...Qh4+ 12. g3
Black now offers tough resistance but his position
Qe7 13. h4 Nac5 14. O-O-O. 12. h6 Prevent-
Q K B Q
has already been sufficiently disrupted to offer little
ing castling. "It would be a terrible error to play
N N
hope. 22. h6+ g8 23. xf4 e7 24.b4 cxb4
12. O-O? Qb6! when Black’s dark-square strat-
25. h5 c5 To stop Rb3. Now 26. Nxc5 bxc5
N
egy would be crowned with success" – Seirawan.
N N N R
27. Rb3 looks strong anyway, but White chooses
R Q
12... dc5 Better is 12...Nac5 13. Rd1 Nb6 14. b3
Q
another path. 26. ef6+ xf6 27. xf6+ xf6
Qe7. 13. d1 b6 The final error, diverting the
Q B Q Q K
28.exf6 h7 29.axb4 exd5 30.bxa5 dxc4 31.f7+
B K
queen from defense of the kingside. More tena-
B N B R B R
xf7 32. e5 h7 33. xh7+ xh7 34.axb6 a5
cious is 13...Qe7 14. Bc2 Bd7. 14. b1 e7 The
K R K R R K
35. d4 b3 36. c3 a4 37. fe1 c6 38. e7+
king can’t survive in the center. But if 14...Qxb2
R B K R K
g8 39. g7+ f8 40. h7 a3 41. h8+ f7
15. dxc6 bxc6 16. Rxd6 is too strong. Now White
K K R N B
42. xa8 xa8 43.f3 e6 44. e1+ f7
R R Q
proceeds to rip open lines on the kingside. 15.f4
K B K K
45. f2 d5 46. e3 a2 47. a1 xa1 48. xa1
exf4 16. f1 f8 17. xf4 The queen has done its
e6 49.h4 c6 50.h5 f5 51.g4+ g5 52.f4+
job by preventing castling. Now now it’s time to
Black Resigns. Black put up a stout defense but
Q N Q
return to the scene of action in the center. 17...f6
the day of reckoning has arrived since 52...Kh6 (or
18.dxc6 xc6 19. d4 e8 Black keeps getting
56...Kxg4 57. h6) 53. f6 queens.
N
pushed around. No better is 19...Qd7 20. Nd5+
1-0
Kd8 21.Qxd6+ Bd7 22.Nb5 Black Resigns. It’s
Kd8 21. Nb6 winning a whole rook. 20. d5+

a massacre. The immediate threat is Qb6+ fol-

◦ Bacrot, E.
lowed by Nd6+.
• Korchnoi, V.
1-0
Training Match (3)
Albert, France
◦ Shaked, T. 1997 1-0 D41
• Gyimesi, Z. In 1996 French prodigy Etienne Bacrot, 13,
World Junior Championship (8) stunned the chess world by defeating former world
Poland champion Smyslov in a training match. The lad
1997 1-0 E42 won four and drew two games in a quiet posi-
The World Junior Championship has been held tional style reminiscent of the old master himself.
for players under 20 every other year since 1951. The following year veteran grandmaster Korchnoi,
Three Russian teens – Spassky, Karpov, Kasparov 66, won three, drew two, but was caught napping

287
 Ne8 This is Black’s last chance to make a bid
for freedom with 28...a5. 29.Qf2 Nd6 30.Bb6
in this game by failing to cope with a wild pawn

N N N Qe8 31.R3a2 Be7 32.Bc5 Bf8 33.Nf5 Bxf5

marching down the center of the board.

N N N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 d5 4. c3 c5 5.cxd5

B
xd5 6.e4 xc3 7.bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 c6 34.exf5 f6 Black is reduced to passivity. Kar-

B B
9. c4 b5 Popularized by Fischer vs. Spassky in pov suggests 34...e4 sacrificing a pawn for play on

B B
their 1972 title match. Of course 10. Bxb5? Qa5+ the dark squares. 35. xd6 xd6 36.axb5 axb5

B B B
costs a piece. 10. e2 Improving on Spassky’s 37. e4 A startling un-computer like move that

Q R
tame 10. Bd3. 10... b4+ 11. d2 xd2+ caused Kasparov to suspect some sort of human in-

N N R
12. xd2 b8 Safer is 12...a6. 13.d5 exd5 tervention. He was hoping to draw with 37. Qb6
14.exd5 e7 15.d6 f5 16. d1 O–O Perhaps Rxa2 38. Rxa2 Ra8 39. Rxa8 Qxa8 40. Qxd6

R Q Q Q R Q
he intended 16...Rb6 but saw too late that 17. Qa1+ 41. Kh2 Qc1 42. Qb8+ Kh7 43. Qxb5 Qf4+.

R R K Q Q Q Q
Bxb5+! Kf8 (not 17...Rxb5? 18. Qe2+ Kf8 19. 37... xa2 38. xa2 d7 39. a7 c7 40. b6

B Q K
Qxb5) 18. d7 Rxb5 18. dxc8=Q Qxc8 20. Qd8+ b7 41. a8+ f7 42. a6 c7 43. c6 b6+

R R
wins. 17.d7 b7 18.O–O f6 The last chance to 44. f1 Simply 44. Kh1 squelches all counter-

Q
fight back is 18...Nh4. Now White obtains a bind play. 44... b8 45. a6 Black Resigns. Kasparov

B B N Q B R
with a series of forcing moves. 19. f4 a6 20.g4 blue it! Analysis later showed he could draw with

R N K
xf3 21. xf3 h4 22. xf6 gxf6 23. e4 fd8 45...Qe3! 46. Qxd6 Re8!! (the star move) 47. Bf3
24. d6 a5 25.f4 g6 26.h4 g7 He can’t break Qc1+ 48. Kf2 Qd2+ 49. Be2 Qf4+ 50. Ke1 Qc1+

N K K
the grip by 26...Nxh4 because 27. f5! will trap 51. Bd1 Qxc3+! 52. Kf1 Qc1! There are many

K B N N R
the knight. 27.h5 f8 28.h6+ xh6 29.g5+ g7 more lines, of course, but White has been unable

R R N R R R R
30.gxf6+ g8 31. c6 e6 32.f5 c7 33. d3 to demonstrate a forced win.

B
b6 34. c1 a6 35. e3 f8 36. e8 b8 1-0
37. xb5 Black Resigns. Bacrot’s only win in this
match, but a beaut. ◦ Deep Blue
1-0 • Kasparov, G.
Six Game Rematch (4)
◦ Deep Blue New York City
• Kasparov, G. 1997 1/2-1/2 B12
Six Game Rematch (2) Once again Kasparov achieved a comfortable ad-
New York City vantage with an offbeat opening and once again
1997 1-0 C93 Deep Blue found a perfect defense to rescue a dif-
This game truly stunned – or just plain terrified ficult position. "I think I was winning at one point,
– many observers. Deep Blue caught the world but I was very tired and couldn’t figure it out," said
champion in its boa constrictor grip and swallowed the drained, ashen-faced champion.
him whole. Depressed to the point of despair after 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d6 Kasparov again employs an

N N N B B B
being roundly outplayed, Kasparov actually gave offbeat opening and avoids sharp tactical lines.

Q B B N B Q
up in a position later found to be drawn. He never 3. f3 f6 4. c3 g4 5.h3 h5 6. d3 e6

B B N
recovered from this emotional scar. 7. e2 d5 8. g5 e7 9.e5 fd7 10. xe7 xe7

R
1.e4 e5 Already a surprise. Kasparov abandons his 11.g4 g6 12. xg6 hxg6 13.h4 a6 14.O–O–O

N N B B N
pet Sicilian Defense with 1...c5 to confuse the ma- O–O–O 15. dg1 The purpose of this move is un-

B R B
chine. 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O clear. More relevant is 15. Qe3 to prepare h5.

N K
e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 d6 8.c3 O–O 9.h3 h6 The Now Black is solid and prepares to break in the

Q R R R R
Smyslov System. Black holds the center and defers center while White flounders. 15... c7 16. b1

R N B N B N N
a decision on whether to put his knight on a5 or b8. f6 17.exf6 xf6 18. g3 de8 19. e1 hf8

N B N N B Q
10.d4 e8 11. bd2 f8 12. f1 d7 13. g3 20. d1 e5 A sound pawn sacrifice to activate

N Q N N N N N Q
a5 14. c2 c5 15.b3 c6 16.d5 e7 17. e3 his pieces and seize key squares. 21.dxe5 f4

Q
g6 18. d2 h7 19.a4 Opening lines on the 22.a3 e6 23. c3 dc5 24.b4 d7 25. d3

N N Q
queenside. Up to here Deep Blue consumed only f7 26.b5 Reminiscent of the first game where

Q Q Q R
one minute on its clock. 19... h4 20. xh4 xh4 the machine also wrecked its own kingside. Here,

N Q Q
21. e2 d8 22.b4 c7 23. ec1 c4 Locking the however, White is a pawn up and the enemy king

R R K K Q
position leads to a serious cramp. A reasonable will be equally exposed. 26... dc5 27. e3 f4

R R Q
alternative is 23...cxb4 24. cxb4 Qb7. 24. a3 28.bxc6 bxc6 29. d1 c7 30. a1 xe3 Leads

N Q R R R N
ec8 25. ca1 d8 26.f4 Opening a second front to a favorable ending, yet 30...Rf7 or Qc4 both look
on the kingside. 26... f6 27.fxe5 dxe5 28. f1 stronger. 31.fxe3 f7 32. h3 ef8 33. d4

288
R R R N R
N N N
f2 34. b1 g2 35. ce2 xg4 A better win- of time since the king has nowhere to go. But if

N R R R R Q B
ning try is 35...R8f2. 36. xe6+ xe6 37. d4 14...Qf6? 15. Bh4 pins the queen. 15.axb5 cxb5

R R K R K R B
xd4 38.exd4 xd4 39. g1 c4 40. xg6 16. d3 c6 If 16...a6 17. c4 Nb4 18. Qc3 bxc4

R R R R R R R B
xc2 41. xg7+ b6 42. b3+ c5 43. xa7 19. Qxc4+ Bc6 20. Rxe6 is decisive. 17. f5 exf5

R R R
f1+ 44. b1 ff2 45. b4 c1+ 46. b1 18. xe7 xe7 19.c4 Deep Blue 3.5 - Kasparov
cc2 47. b4 c1+ White was threatening Ra5 2.5. The champion didn’t even wait for 19...bxc4
mate! If 47...Ra2+ 48. Kb1 Rxa3 49. Rxa3 (or 19...Nb4 20. Qxf5 bxc4 21. Ne5 Rd8 22. Nxc6

R
Kxb4 50. Rh3 Re2 51. h5 Rxe5 52. h6 Re8 53. Nxc6 23. Qf4) 20. Qxc4 Kb7 21. Qa6 mate. "Kas-

R K R R R R
h7 Rh8 54. Kc2 also leads to a draw. 48. b1 parov’s resignation was probably premature," said

K R R R
xb1+ 49. xb1 e2 50. e7 h2 51. h7 one commentator. "But what we have seen today is

K K
c4 52. c7 c5 53.e6 xh4 54.e7 e4 55.a4
b3 56. c1 Draw by Agreement. A possible
drawing continuation is 56...c4 57. a5 c3 58. Kd1
d4 59. a6 d3 60. a7 d2 61. Rb7+ Kc4 62. Rc7+
Kb3 63. Rb7+ etc.
1/2-1/2
psychological weakness of the sort I’d never expect
from him." In a press conference Kasparov lashed
out at IBM, claiming it was difficult to prepare for
an opponent whose games were not made available
to him beforehand.
1-0

◦ Deep Blue ◦ Kasparov, G.

• Kasparov • Deep Blue
Six Game Rematch (6) Six Game Rematch (5)
New York City New York City
1997 1-0 B17 1997 1/2-1/2 A06
Today was Kasparov’s bluest day – the shortest, Kasparov emerged with a strong endgame advan-
saddest loss in his career. He played the opening tage after a complex up-and-down struggle. In an
slowly, spending two minutes on the risky 7...h6?! exciting finish, with White’s pawn poised to queen,
which is known to be dubious (instead of the usual the computer forced a draw in the nick of time by
Bd6). After this inversion of moves he shook his perpetual check – providing yet another frustration

N B B N B
head and rolled his eyes as Deep Blue instantly sac- for the world champion.
rificed a knight. The champion crumbled instead of 1. f3 d5 2.g3 g4 3. g2 d7 4.h3 xf3 The

N N N N
putting up a strong defense. alternative is 4...Bh5. The machine traded bishop

B
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 dxe4 4. xe4 d7 5. g5 for knight because to get a slight lead in develop-
This strange move became popular over the last ment. 5. xf3 c6 6.d3 e6 Setting up a wall of

N B B N B
decade. One of the ideas behind it is to win the pawns so that the bishop on f3 will "bite on gran-

N B B N
two bishops after 5...h6 6. Ne6! Qb6 (of course not ite." 7.e4 e5 8. g2 dxe4 9. xe4 f6 10. g2

N
6...fxe6? 7. Qh5 mates) 7. Nxf8. 5... gf6 6. d3 b4+ 11. d2 h5 An aggressive surprise instead
e6 7. 1f3 h6 It’s a mystery why Kasparov tried of the expected O-O. "I was very much amazed by
to revive this discredited move since he was famil- this move," said Kasparov. "I have to praise the

N Q
iar with the standard 7...Bd6 8. Qe2 h6 9. Ne4 machine for understanding very, very deep posi-

Q Q B
Nxe4 10. Qxe4 Nf6. 8. xe6 e7 It’s question- tional factors. I think it’s an outstanding scien-

N N N
able whether the queen is better on e7 or c7. Some tific achievement." 12. e2 c7 13.c3 e7 14.d4

B N R
previous games continued 8...fxe6 9. Bg6+ Ke7 g6 15.h4 e5 16. f3 exd4 17. xd4 O–O–O
10. O-O Qc7 11. Re1 with a dangerous attack for 18. g5 g4 19.O–O–O he8 Wrong would be

B Q K K B
the piece, though Black actually won and drew sev- 19...Bxg5+ 20. hxg5 Qa5? 21. Rxh5 Rxh5 22.

K B N
eral games in this variation. 9.O–O fxe6 10. g6+ Qxg4+. 20. c2 b8 21. b1 xg5 22.hxg5
d8 11. f4 b5 11...b6 looks safer. Surely Deep 6e5 Inviting the risky snatch 23. Rxh5 c5 24.

R
Blue’s database contained a key game showing this Nb5 Qb6 25. Rxd8+ Rxd8 26. Na3 Nxf2 (if

N R Q R R N
line as strong for White. Chandler-Hubner, Biel 27. Qxf2 Qg6+ snares the rook.) 23. he1 c5
1987, went 11...Nd5 12. Bg3 Qb4 13. Re1 Be7 24. f3 xd1+ 25. xd1 c4 26. a4 d8 Just

R N
14. Qe2 Bf6 15. c4 Ne7 16. a3 Qb3 17. Bd3 in time to maintain parity since now 27. Rxd8+

Q Q Q
and White won in 27 moves. However Black cam Qxd8 28. Qxc4? Qd1 mates. 27. e1 b6

B Q N R
improve with 17...Nf8 18. Rad1 Bd7 19. Ne5 28. c2 d6 29.c4 g6 Okay but even better

K R R N N B N
Be8. 12.a4 b7 Black’s problem is that his king is 29...Qd3. 30. xg6 fxg6 31.b3 xf2 32. e6

R N B K R N R R R
is never safe. 12...b4 was the last chance to keep c7 33. xg6 d7 34. h4 c8 35. d5 d6
lines closed. 13. e1 d5 14. g3 c8 A waste 36. e6 b5 37.cxb5 xd5 38. g6 d7

289
 N N N R K R
K R N N
39. f5 e4 40. xg7 d1+ 41. c2 d2+ to preserve his phalanx of pawns. But 31...hxg5?

B B Q Q Q R
42. c1 xa2 43. xh5 d2 The key move to 32. Nc4! Bxc4 33. Qxg5+ wins outright. 32.g6

K K
save a difficult position. Despite White’s dan- f3 33. c3 b5 34. f1 xf1+ 35. xf1 h5

N
gerous g-pawn Deep Blue had already calculated 36. g1 f8 The best chance is 36...Ng4 37. f6!
a beautiful draw. 44. f4 Another try is 44. Re6! (rather than 37...Nxe3 38. f7+ Kf8 39. Bxf3!

B K K
Re6 Nxb3+ 45. Kb1 Rh2! 46. Nf6 Nd2+ Nxf1 40. Bxh5 with the deadly threat of g7+)

K R B B N
47. Kc1 Nxb3+ and White must repeat moves 38. Bh3 Rxf6! 37. h3 b5 38. f2 g7 39.g4

N K R R N R R R
since 48. Kd1? Rh1+ 49. Ke2 Nd4+ forks h6 40. g1 hxg4 41. xg4 xg4 42. xg4+

R K
the rook. 44... xb3+ 45. b1 d2 46. e6 c4 xg4+ 43. xg4 d5 44.f6 d1 45.g7 Black
47. e3 b6 "The king is a fighting piece – use Resigns. "I kept my promise before the match that

K
it!" (Steinitz). The concluding moves are so well I would not play as Kasparov normally plays in hu-

K
timed that they look like a ballet. 48.g6 xb5 man events," said the exuberant victor. Who could
49.g7 b4 Draw by Agreement. If 50. g8/Q guess the extraordinary events that were to come
Rd1+ 51. Kb2 Rd2+ etc. "I’m not afraid to ad- next week?
mit that I’m afraid. and I’m not even afraid to say 1-0
why I am afraid," confessed Kasparov. "Deep Blue
goes beyond any known program in the world. It ◦ Kachiesvili, G.
makes decisions that still cannot be made by any • Polgar, J.
computer. Facing such a challenge with virtually U.S. Open Championship (8)
no preparation before the match, I have to be ex- Hawaii
tremely cautious." 1998 0-1 E94
1/2-1/2 By age 22 Judith Polgar was the highest highest
rated woman in history. She tied for first with Boris
◦ Kasparov, G. Gulko, 51, in this field of over 300 players. After
• Deep Blue a draw with Gulko she disposed of two grandmas-
Six Game Rematch (1) ters in the last two rounds. But Judith had a close

N N B B
New York City scrape in this eye-catching game.

N
1997 1-0 A07 1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5. e2

N B
This 1.1millionrematchturnedouttobeamediaextravaganzaonaplanetaryscale.F
O–O 6. f3 e5 7.O–O If 7. dxe5 orthef
dxe5 irsttimeeveramachinewonno
8. Qxd8

N R N R
1. f3 d5 2.g3 g4 3.b3 Kasparov’s employs off- Rxd8 9. Nxe5 Nxe4 10. Nxe4 Bxe5 regains

N B N N B N Q
beat openings to get the machine out of its database the pawn. 7... a6 8. e1 exd4 9. xd4 e8

B B N B N N
and make it "think" as quickly as possible. 3... d7 10. f1 g4 11.f3 e5 12. e3 c5 13. d2

N B Q Q
4. b2 e6 5. g2 gf6 6.O–O c6 7.d3 d6 e6 14. c2 Naturally avoiding swaps which only

B Q R
8. bd2 O–O 9.h3 h5 10.a3 h6 11. e1 a5 ease Black’s cramp. White has a nice grip on

K N R K B
12.e3 c7 This weird retreat led some critics to the position. 14... h4 15. ad1 f5 16.exf5 gxf5

N
conclude that Deep Blue would be at a strategic 17.b3 h8 18. d5 g8 19. h1 d7 20.f4 The

B R Q B N
disadvantage throughout the entire series. Up to cool 20. Nd4 also keeps the advantage. 20... g4
here Kasparov, playing ultra cautiously, like a tur- 21. g1 ae8 22.g3 h5 23. g2 c5 Black

N
tle, has not pushed a piece beyond his third rank. mixes it up with this risky pawn sacrifice. But if

N N N B R R
13. h4 g5 Kasparov greeted this weakening move 23...Bc6 24. Ncb4 holds counterplay to a min-

R N Q Q R B N N B
with barely concealed mirth. 14. hf3 e5 15.e4 imum. 24. xc7 e4 25. xe4 xe4 26. xe4

N B N Q B B R N Q
fe8 16. h2 b6 17. c1 a5 18. e1 d6 fxe4 27. d5 Safer is 27. Re1. 27... e5 28. d4

N R N R Q Q R Q
19. df1 dxe4 20.dxe4 c5 Finally this bishop re- f3 29. e2 c6 30. xg7+ xg7 31. f6 f7
enters the game. 21. e3 ad8 22. hf1 g4 Kas- 32. xd6 e7 33. d1 g6 34. a1 Wins the

N Q N
parov branded this "the big mistake." More sober queen and loses. But also inadequate is 34. Rd8+

K N R
is 22...Bg6. 23.hxg4 xg4 24.f3 Exposing the Kg7 35. Nh5+ Kh6 36. f5 e3! 34... xd6 35. e8+

N N B K N R N R Q
king to a pin is somewhat risky. Safer is 24. Nxg4 g8 36. xd6 xd6 Also possible is 36...Rh6 37.

B R K Q
Bxg4 25. Ne3. 24... xe3 25. xe3 e7 26. h1 h4 Rxd6 first. 37. e3 d2 38. f1 f2 39. d1
g5 27. e2 a4 28.b4 f5 This savage counterat- f7 40. b1 and White Resigns. He is hogtied in

B
tack actually gains material but exposes Black’s view of 40...Ne1! 41 Kg1 (if 41 Qxe1 e3+ 42 Kg1
king to a draft. 29.exf5 e4 30.f4 xe2 No bet- Rg2+ 43 Kh1 Rxg3 mates) Rg2+ 42 Kh1 Rb2! 43
ter is 30...Bxf4 31. gxf4 Bxe2 32. Qd2! threat- Qxb2 e3+ 44 Kg1 Nf3+ 45 Kh1 Ng5+ 46 Qg2 (or

N
ening both Qxe2 and/or Qc3 with mayhem on the 46 Kg1 Nh3 mate) e2! creating a new queen.
a1-h8 diagonal. 31.fxg5 e5 Allowing White 0-1

290
 N N
der prevents the swap of knights on c3. 4.cxd5
xd5 5.e4 b6 The absence of this knight from
◦ Kasparov, G.
N B
the kingside could prove troublesome. Meanwhile
• Topalov, V.
B Q
White has his center to defend. 6. c3 g7
Advanced Chess match (2) 7. e3 O–O 8. d2 e5 Varying from 8...Nc6 9. O-
Spain O-O e5 10. d5 Nd4 11. Nb5 Nxb5 12. Bxb5 Bd7
1998 1-0 D79 with satisfactory play for Black (Padevsky- Pach-
Advanced Chess describes an experimental man, Moscow 1956. 9.d5 c6 10.h4 The die is cast.
computer-assisted format where each side can Since Kramnik is already a point behind in their
access a computer. It’s like an open book test.
B
10-game match, this is his last chance to even the
After six one-hour games, thise match ended 3-3.
N
score with White. 10...h5 11. e2 cxd5 12.exd5
The best help Topalov got from the computer, 8d7 13.d6 Double-edged! Does this advance
ironically, was that Kasparov constantly got into
N B R R
strengthen or weaken the pawn? More consistent is
time-pressure consulting it! A month earlier
B N N B B B
13. O-O-O or g4. 13... f6 14. g5 e8 15. d1
in a straight four-game rapid match, however, e6 16. h3 c4 17. xc4 xc4 18.b3 a6
Kasparov wiped out the same opponent 4-0. This
N
Safer is 18...Be6 here is a good example of that
seems to indicate that computers aid the weaker Lasker touch 19. d5 Necessary is 19. d7! (Kas-
N N B B
player. parov). On 19...Rf8 20. Nd5 Bb5 21. Kf2 secures
N
1.d4 f6 2. f3 g6 3.c4 g7 4.g3 O–O 5. g2 an advantage. 19...e4 Just about the only way to
c6 6. c3 d5 7.cxd5 cxd5 When two top play-
N
counter the threat of Nc7. Shirov’s energetic reply
N
ers finally use strong computers to their heart’s
B Q
turns the tables. 20. xf6+ Going for material. If
N N B N
content, they arrive at total symmetry! 8. e5 20. f4 e3! is hard to meet. 20... xf6 21.d7 b6
N N B Q N
e6 9.O–O fd7 10.f4 c6 11. e3 f6 12. f3 A stunning riposte that took spectators by surprise.
f5 13. e5 b6 14.b3 d7 15. d3 c8 Black gives up a rook to pursue his attack. Per-
B N R B
The cause of Black’s future problems. Better is
Q R Q
haps White expected only 21...Re6 22. Bxf6 Rxf6
B R Q
15...Rc8. 16. c1 xe5 17.dxe5 f7 18. e3 23. fxe4. 22.dxe8= + xe8 23. e3 What else?
B B
c6 19. fc1 a5 20.a3 White’s space advantage White’s king is caught in a withering crossfire and
B Q Q B R Q
is virtually decisive already. 20...a6 21. d4 f8 is in trouble despite his huge lead in material. If
R N R
22.e3 e8 23. d2 d8 24. f1 c7 25. b2 23. Be3 Bxh4+ (see note to move 10) 24. Nf2
c6 26. a4 xc1 26...b5 looks more natural
B Q
exf3 wins. Or 23. f4 e3! 24. Qd6 Qa5+ 25. b4
R B N Q Q
than ceding White absolute control of the c-file.
B K
Qxa2 threatening Qe2 mate. 23... xg5 24. xb6
Q B B N B
27. xc1 c6 28. c5 e8 29.a4 a5 30. c3 xh4+ 25. d2 Staggering into a bad ending, but
Q R R K
f7 31. b5 xb5 32.axb5 h6 33. a4 a3 he has no choice. If 25. Qf2 exf3+ 26. Kd2 Bxf2
34. xc8+ xc8 35. xc8+ h7 36.b6 Black
R K
27. Nxf2 Re2+ 28. Kc3 fxg2 29. Rhg1 Rxf2
Resigns. There’s no defense against 37. Rc7 with
R R B
does the trick. 25...axb6 26.fxe4 xe4 27. c2
a deadly pin on the seventh rank. g4 28. d2 e7 Black has two pawns for the
1-0
R K N R N R
Exchange and two potent bishops that sweep the

R B
board. 29. g1 g7 30. f2 f4 31. d3 e4
◦ Kramnik, V. 32. gd1 b5 The bishop heads for greener pas-
• Shirov, A.
B
tures. Whether or not White can hold this ending is
Candidates Match (9) problematical. 33.a4 c6 The power of two bish-

R R N
Spain ops combined with a kingside pawn majority is suf-

B R B R B
1998 0-1 D70 ficient to force the win. 34. e1 xe1 35. xe1
Latvia’s Alexei Shirov is one of the game’s b4 36. e2 xe1 37. xe1 xg2 A third pawn
greatest gamblers. He seems to have the Lasker for the Exchange in conjunction with three passed
touch – an ability to find moves that may pawns on the kingside is decisive. White could re-

K
not be best but which unnerve his opponent. sign here since he can’t cope with three connected

K B R R B
Shirov upset Kramnik 5 1/2 - 3 1/2 to earn passed pawns supported by the bishop. 38. d2 h4

K B R K R K
a right to challenge Kasparov for an announced 39. e3 d5 40.b4 h3 41. e2 f5 42. d2 e4

K K
2millionpurseinthenewlycreatedW orldChessCouncilChampionship−
43. f4 g2 44. d7+ f6 45. h7 g5+ 46. g3
−whichnevertookplace.T hisgamewasKramnik 0 slastchancetoeventhescoreinabest−
f4+ 47. g4 e5 48.b5 White resigns, not waiting
of −10seriesbutShirovf oundastunningrooksacrif icethatexposedW hite0 skingtowitheringcrossf
N
for Kd4-e3-f2-g1 which can’t be stopped. On 48. ireinthecenterof th
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.f3 d5 Transposing into his Kxg5 f3 one of Black’s pawns must queen.
favorite Gruenfeld Defense, though this move or- 0-1

291
 creased to 25 minutes for each side. In this initial
encounter Anand walked into an opening novelty
◦ Anand, V. and succumbed despite a heroic struggle. "Since I
• Karpov, A. had to play a short match and Anand was already
FIDE World Championship (6) in fine form, I decided to play actively from the
Switzerland start. This is a different strategic approach to long
1998 1-0 A45 round robins where you have the luxury of playing
Karpov only needed was a draw to clinch his title. yourself into a rhythm," wrote Karpov.
His position was fine until he blundered in time
N N N N
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 The Slav Defense bolsters the cen-
pressure. This unexpected loss in the final game
B B B B
ter with pawns. 3. c3 f6 4.e3 e6 5. f3 bd7
N B
sent the match into overtime at 3-3.
Q B
6. d3 dxc4 7. xc4 b5 8. d3 b7 9.O–O a6
B Q N
1.d4 f6 2. g5 e6 Solid but more enterpris-
Q B N N N
10.e4 c5 11.d5 c7 12.dxe6 fxe6 13. c2 c4
Q
ing is 2...Ne4. 3.e4 h6 4. xf6 xf6 5. c3 14. e2 d6 15. d4 c5 16.f4 e5 17. dxb5
B N N B R
d6 6. d2 g5 To prevent White from expanding So far, so book. It’s strange that nobody thought
B N
with f4. 7. c4 c6 8. ge2 g7 9. d1 of this before since White gets 3 pawns for the
d7 10.O–O O–O–O 11. b5 The unbalanced piece and a slashing attack. Kasparov once played
nature of the position with kings castled on oppo-
N Q N Q Q
17. Nf5 without much success. 17...axb5
N
site wings promises a hard fight. A more active
R Q Q R
18. xb5 b6 19. xd6+ xd6 20.fxe5 xe5
plan was 11. a3 followed by b4. 11...a6 12. a3 g4 21. f5 e7 22. xc4 c8 The main alternative
R Q R R
More natural is 12...Qg3 13. Qe3 Kb8. 13.f4 gxf3
Q N Q R
is 22...Ncxe4 23. Bf4 Rc8 24. Qb3 Rc5 and Black
N N B Q K B B
14. xf3 e7 15.c3 h5 16. df1 df8 17.b4
B Q Q K
is still alive. 23. b5+ cd7 24. xb7 xc2
N R
a7 18. c2 h6 19. e1 b8 20. d3 c6 25. g5 d6 26. a8+ f7 Loses. "More pre-
B Q
21. f4 fg8 Intending to meet 22. Nxh5 with cise was 26...Qb8 after which Black should suf-
B
f5. 22.d5 e8 23. f2 Black need not fear 23.
Q Q K Q R
fer a little bit but eventually make a draw" (Kar-
N B
Nxh5 exd5 24. exd5 Qg5 25. Ng3 Qxd5. 23... g7
R K N Q
pov). 27. xh8 d4+ 28. h1 xe4 29. f3
24. d4 d7 25.dxe6 This exchange only helps xg2 30. xg2 e5 31. xg7+ Wins. Anand,
B B
Black get some elbow room. Stronger is 25. Nfe2 alas, expected to draw by perpetual check af-
N Q
Be8 26. a4. 25... xd4 26.cxd4 fxe6 27.e5 c6
K B K B Q
ter 31. Rf1 Nxf3 32. Rxf3 Qe2+ 33. Kg3
28. g6 d8 The losing move. The correct de-
R
Qe1+. 31... xg7 32. xf6+ g6 33. xe5 xe5
fense is 28...Rxg6! 29. Bxg6 (not 29. Rf8+ Rxf8
Q R Q K
34. g1 h5 Not 34...Qxb2+ 35. Kh1 Kh6 36. Rh3
30. Qxf8+ Nc8 31. Qxe7 Rxg2+) 29...Bxf3 30. mate. 35.b3 e2+ 36. f2 e4+ 37. f1+ Pro-
N B N Q
Qxf3 dxe5 31. dxe5 Qxb4 32. Qf6 Rc8 33. Bxh5 longing the agony. Quicker is 37. Kh3+. The text
Nc6. 29. xh8 xf3 30. f7 h4 Hoping to
K
costs a pawn in time pressure but no matter how
draw by 31. Qxh4? Rxg2+ 32. Kh1 Rf2+. Now
R
Q K Q R Q
Black twists and squirms, it’s all over. 37... h6
Q Q K
Black picks up a few pawns but it’s not to com-
K
Q K Q K Q
38. g3 b1+ 39. g2 e4+ 40. gf3 g6+
R Q R Q Q
pensate for a piece. 31. xf3 xd4+ 32. h1 d5
R
Q R K R K
41. f1 b1+ 42. g2 g6+ 43. h1 b1+
33. d1 xb4 34. b1 a4 35. xh5 White ex-
RK R K R K
44. f1 xa2 45. f6+ g7 46. f7+ h8
N Q K Q
tra piece combined with the passed kingside pawns
Q R Q K Q R
47. f8+ g7 48. 8f7+ g8 49. 7f3 g7
R K R Q N N
is decisive. 35... c6 36. e2 a7 37. f2+ b6
Q R K R K R
50.h3 c2 51. 1f2 e4 52. g2 b4 53. e2
K N
38. c1 b7 39.h3 c8 40. f6 d4 41. d8+
K R Q K Q K
d4 54. e7+ g6 55. e6+ g7 56. g3+
b8 42. xe6 Black Resigns. A great comeback
Q K Q R Q K K
f7 57. ge3 d5+ 58. g3 g5+ 59. f2
for Anand who, as one of the world’s fastest play-
R K Q K Q
h4+ 60. e2 d4 61. 6e4 a1 62. d3 f6
ers, was now favored to win the tiebreaker.
Q K Q K Q K
63. e6+ f5 64.b4 c1 65. d4 c8 66.b5
1-0
Q Q R K R K
d8+ 67. c5 c7+ 68. b4 f4+ 69. b3

R K K K Q K
c7 70.b6 d7 71. 3e5+ f4 72. e4+ g3
◦ Karpov, A.
Q K Q K K K Q
73. e3+ h2 74. c4 h4 75. c5 c8+ 76. d5
• Anand, V.
K K
d8+ 77. e4 d7 78. f5 g2 79. g5 g7+
FIDE World Championship (1) 80. xh4 f2 Since the queen is no match for
Switzerland the coordinated rooks, Anand could have saved

R Q K
1998 1-0 D48 energy and resigned here instead of dragging it

Q K Q K Q K
Here are all 8 games from the shortest world cham- out with spite checks. 81. 3e5 h8+ 82. g4

Q K Q Q K Q
pionship match in history. Scheduled for 6 games, g7+ 83. f5 h7+ 84. f6 h4+ 85. f7

K Q Q K Q K
it went into overtime when Anand came from be- h7+ 86. e8 b7 87.h4 b8+ 88. f7 b7+
hind twice to tie 3-3. The time control then in- 89. g6 b8 90.h5 g8+ 91. f5 h7+ 92. f6

292
Kf3 93. Re3+ Kf2 94.Re2+ Kf3 95.R2e3+ B R B Q N
Kf2 96.Kg5 Qg8+ 97.Kh4 Qd8+ 98.Kh3 Qd1
9. xc4 a6 10. d1 b5 11. e2 c7 12. e4 In-

99. Re2+ Kf3 100.Kh2 "I was in time trouble so N Q

nocuous. More promising is 12. e4 e5 13. h3.

Q R B B
12... xe4 13. xe4 e5 13...Bb7 followed by c5 is
missed 100. Re1! which wins immediately, since simpler. 14. h4 e8 15. d3 h6 16. c2 exd4

Q R K Q Q B
both 101. Rf1+ and Rf6+ are threatened" (Kar- It’s better to keep the tension and complete de-

R K R K R Q N
pov). 100... d8 101. 6e3+ f4 102.b7 b6 velopment with 16...Bb7. 17. xd4 f8 18.b3

K Q R K R Q
103. e4+ f3 104. 2e3+ f2 105. e7 d6+ f6 White has a nice edge and should continue

Q Q
106. h3 b8 107. 3e5 g1 108. g7+ Black 19. Bb2. 19. h4 g5 Inviting 20. Nxg5? Qe5;

B B R BR
Resigns. On 108...Kf2 109. Rf7+ Kg1 110. Re1 or 20. Qd4 Bg7 21. Bb2 Nh5. 20. g3 xg3

R
mate. 21.hxg3 c5 22. b2 g7 23. d6 e6 24. ad1

B
1-0 ec8 To mobilize his pawn majority on the queen-

B B R B B R
side. The immediate threat is Ne8. 25. xf6

K R B R B R
xf6 26. e4 a7 27. d5 xd5 28. 1xd5
◦ Karpov, A.
B R
g7 29. d2 e7 30. b6 d8 31. bd6
• Anand, V.
e7 32. 6d5 A brave decision to play for the
FIDE World Championship (3)
win to end the match on the spot instead of tak-
Switzerland
ing a draw by repeating moves. But it looks
1998 1/2-1/2 D47
dangerous in view of Black’s queenside pawns.
After fireworks in the first two games, they settled
K K R R
32...a5 Probably better is 32...c4 33. bxc4 Rxc4.
for a serene draw. In match play such a result is
R
R R N B
33. f1 a4 34. e2 axb3 35.axb3 a3 36.b4 c3
considered a moral victory for Black. With the
R R K R K
37.bxc5 3xc5 38. xc5 xc5 39. d4 f6
score tied at 1.5 apiece, Anand will enjoy the ad-
B R K R K R
40.g4 b4 41. b2 c4 42. d3 c3+ 43. d2
N N N N
vantage of White in the last three games.
K R K K R
xd4 44.exd4 c4 45. d3 c3+ 46. d2 c4
B B B B
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3. c3 f6 4.e3 e6 5. f3 bd7
K R R K R K
47. d3 c3+ 48. e4 b3 49.f3 f6 50.d5 c4+
6. d3 dxc4 7. xc4 b5 8. d3 b7 Now White
R K K R
51. d3 f4 52. xb3 e5 53. b6 xd5
N N B B
varies from 9. O-O as in the first game. 9.a3
54. xh6 e5 55. e3 a4 Draw by Agreement.
B
b4 10. e4 xe4 11. xe4 bxa3 12.bxa3 d6
White’s extra pawn is doubled and meaningless.
13.O–O O–O 14. b2 Too tame because it does
1/2-1/2
nothing to hinder ...c5 dissolving the weak pawn.
White’s best try is to seize the open b- file with
◦ Anand, V.
R Q
14. Rb1 Qc7 15. Qa4 threatening Rxb7 and Bxc6.
• Karpov, A.
14... b8 15. c2 c5 A surprise. White proba-
FIDE World Championship (4)
B
bly expected to keep an edge after 15...Nf6 16.
Switzerland
Bd3. 16. xb7 Black has too many options after
1998 0-1 D42
16. Bxh7+ Kh8 since retreating the errant bishop
Anand ambitiously tries to attack but creates weak-
costs a piece (17. Be4? Bxe4 18. Qxe4 Rxb2).
nesses by advancing his pawns. Karpov defends
R B R Q
Meanwhile ...Bxf3 threatens to smash the king-
with precision and forges ahead with a model vic-
side. 16... xb7 17.dxc5 xc5 18. fd1 e7
tory as Black.
19.a4 Draw by Agreement. The position is per-
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 The Panov-
fectly balanced and the pawn structure is nearly
Botvinnik Attack against the Caro-Kann gained
symmetrical.
N N N B
popularity in the early 1930s but is seldom seen
1/2-1/2
N B N R B
today. 4... f6 5. c3 e6 6. f3 e7 7.cxd5

B N N Q
xd5 8. d3 c6 9.O–O O–O 10. e1 f6 11.
◦ Karpov, A. e4 ce7 12.h4 f5 13. d3 It’s better to dom-
• Anand, V. inate the dark squares by 13. Bxf5 exf5 14. Nxd5
FIDE World Championship (5)
N
Qxd5 15. Bg5 Bxg5 16. hxg5 Be6 17. Re5.
Switzerland 13... xc3 14.bxc3 h6 15.h5 Only increases the
1998 1/2-1/2 D45
N N N
vulnerability of the pawn. More pertinent is 15.

Q B Q
Once again Anand resorts to the Slav Defense. Bxf5 exf5 16. Ba3. 15... d6 16. e5 xe4
This time Karpov varies with 6. Qc2 to get an edge 17. xe4 xe5 18.dxe5 f5 19. e2 White should

N N N N
which he fails to exploit. expose the weakness on e6 by 19. fxf6 Qxf6 20.

Q B B B R
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3. c3 f6 4.e3 e6 5. f3 bd7 Be3 with good pressure after 20...Qxc3 21. Rac1

B
6. c2 d6 7. d3 A novel recent approach is 7. Qf6 22. Rc7. 19... d7 20. d1 Another slip.
Bd2!? followed by O-O-O. 7...O–O 8.O–O dxc4 20. Ba3 Rf7 21. Rad1 is roughly equal. 20... b5

293
 Q Q
B R
21. f3 e8 22. f4 c8 Safer is 22...Qf7 since 16th New York Open (4)

R R R Q R
now 23. Qxb7 Bc6 24. Qxa7 Qxh5 25. f3 is Manhattan

B R R K B B
unclear. 23. d4 c4 24. ad1 f7 25. xc4 1998 1-0 D26

Q R R R
xc4 26.a3 c8 27. d4 h7 28. d2 d5 "This game simply took my breath away. I ex-

B Q B B Q
29. h3 b5 30.a4 bxa4 31. xa4 c4 32. xc4 perienced fascination, awe, amazement. Lputian

B Q Q Q B
xc4 33. h4 b5 34.c4 e8 35.c5 d7 36. obviously knows how to defy gravity, he sacri-
c3 d3 37. d4 xd4 38. xd4 a5 39.c6 fices pieces with the light touch of a genius. All
Giving away the only trump. More resistant is his offerings were given for medium or long-term

B B B
39. f3 with chances to hold the opposite colored chances. Such a clear breach of common chess

B B B B K
bishop ending. 39... xc6 40.f3 f4 41. b2 e8 wisdom fascinates, and at the same time provokes.

B B B B
42. c1 a4 43. xf4 a3 44. e3 xh5 45. f2 The final truth proves elusive." – GM Ftacnik.
e8 46. d4 c6 47. c3 a2 48.g3 h5 49.g4 h4 B N N
Q
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e3 e6 4. xc4 f6 5. f3 c5
White Resigns. The finale might be 50. f4 g5 51. 6. e2 a6 7.dxc5 This exchange only aids Black’s
f5 exf5 52. gxf5 Be4 53. f6 Bd5 followed by Kg6
B Q N
development. 7. O-O is a better way to fight for an
and the kingside pawns storm forward.
N
advantage. 7... xc5 8.e4 c7 9.e5 g4 10.O–O
0-1 xf2 11.b4 A novel approach designed to deflect
the bishop from the a3-f8 diagonal. Theory con-
◦ Lobron, E. siders 11. Rxf2 Bxf2+ 12. Kxf2 b5 13. b3 O-O
• Korchnoi, V.
N
14. Ba3 bxc4 15. Bxf8 Kxf8 equal. Other tries
3rd Bad Homburg International
K N
are 11. Be3 Ng4; or 11. Nc3 Ne4+. 11... h3+
Germany 12. h1 f2+ Tacitly offering a draw by repe-
1998 0-1 D34 tition. A good alternative is 12...Ba7; but not
Even at 67 veteran Viktor Korchnoi continued his
R
11...Nd3+ 12. bxc5 Qxc5+ 13. Be3 Qxc4 14. Rc1
winning ways. Always a tenacious defender, here
B N B N N
Qxc1+ 15. Bxc1 Nxc1 16. Qc2 and wins. 13. xf2

N
he pockets a pawn and clings to it for dear life. xf2 14. bd2 a7 15. e4 O–O 16. f6+ gxf6
1.d4 d5 2. f3 e6 3.c4 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 The draback The Trojan horse must be taken. If 16...Kh8 17.
to this classical Tarrasch Defense is the isolated Ng5 Nd7 18. Qh5 Nxf6 (or 18...h6 19. Qxf7!)

N B N B N
d-pawn. In return Black gets open lines for his
N
19. exf6 h6 20. Ne4 Bd4 21. Bxh6 is decisive.

B N B B
pieces. 5.g3 c6 6. g2 f6 7.O–O e7 8. c3 17.exf6 d7 The losing move. For better or worse

B N
O–O 9. g5 cxd4 10. xd4 h6 11. f4 g4
12.h3 e6 13. xe6 fxe6 14.e4 d4 15.e5 Sacri-
ficing a pawn for the initiative and a strong pair
17...Rd8! is necessary to create an escape route for
Q R
the king via f8-e8 and leads to rich, unclear compli-
cations. 18. d2 d8 Also inadequate is 18...Kh8

B B R Q
of bishops is often a successful tactic. 15...dxc3 19. Qh6 Rg8 20. Bd3 Nf8 21. Ng5 Qd7 22.
16.exf6 xf6 17.bxc3 xc3 18. b1 xd1 Stur-
Q K B Q
Bf4 Bb8 23. Bxh7 Rxg5 24. Bg6+ Kg8 25. Qg7
dier than 18...Na5 19. Qg4 Qf6 20. Be3 Rfd8 mate. 19. g5+ f8 20. f4 c6 Mate ensues
21. Rfd1 a6 22. Bb6 Rxd1+ 23. Rxd1 Nc6 24.
R N R
after 20...Qxc4 21. Bd6+ Ke8 22. Qg8+ Nf8 23.

R R
R N
Rd6 and White won in 41 moves (Gonzales-Vera,
N
Qxf8+ Kd7 24. Ne5. 21. d1 xf6 22. xd8+

B R B B R B
Havana 1984). 19. fxd1 ad8 20. xd8 xd8 e8 White has regained the rook and also wins

R B N R R R B
21. e3 b6 22. d1 f6 23. e4 f7 24. g6
N
against 22...Ke7 23. Be5 Kxd8 24. Bxf6+ Kd7

R K B B
b7 25. f4 f7 26. c1 d7 27. c8+ d8 25. Ne5+. 23. e5 Black Resigns. Also decisive
28. a8 f8 29. c2 g5 30. b8 An unfortunate is 23. Qh6+ Ke7 24. Bg5+ Ke7 25. Bxf6+ Kf7 26.

B R
post for the bishop. White can get compensation Ne5+ Kg8 27. Qg7 mate. Black has no appetite

B K B K R R B
for the pawn by 30. Bc1! 30...a5 31. a4 d2 for 23...Qe4 24. Qh6+ Ke7 25. Bg5+ f6 26. Bxf6+

R B R B N
32. b3 e7 33. c4 f6 34. a6 c2 35. b3 Nxf6 27. Qf8 mate.

B K
c8 36. a7 a8 This pin is fatal. 37. a4 e5 1-0

K K
38. b5 f5 Heading for b7. "I like to take my

B K N B N
king for a stroll," said Steinitz. 39. g2 e4
40. e2 d5 41.a4 c6 42. b5 b4 White Re- ◦ Anand, V.
signs. On 43. Be2 Nxa6 44. Bf3+ Kd6 45. Bxa8 • Karpov, A
Nc5 picks up a second pawn. FIDE World Championship (8)
0-1 Switzerland
1998 0-1 D00
◦ Lputian, S. Anand’s suicidal tendencies can be explained by
• Dlugy, M. the fact that a draw would do him no good. He

294
had to win to tie the match again and reach another Q R Q N
18.hxg6 hxg6 19. g4 f6 20. h3 c4 Who

B B Q K N Q
two-game tiebreaker. will come first – White on the kingside or Black

B R N R R R
1.d4 d5 2. g5 h6 3. h4 c6 "White must work to on the queenside? 21. h7+ f8 22. h3 d6

B K B Q B R
achieve the natural c4, and my queen can sail to 23. g5 f5 24.f4 d2 25. e3 xc3 26. xc3

N Q B N
the queenside to exploit the absence of the White xd4+ 27. h1 xc3 28. xg6 g7 29. c1

B B Q N N
bishop" (Karpov). 4. f3 b6 5.b3 f5 6.e3 e6 c4 Blocking the open file. But not 29...Qd7

R
7. d3 xd3 8. xd3 d7 9.c4 e7 A new idea 30. Bh6 Bxh6 31. Qxh6+ Ke8 32. Ng5 Rf6 33.

R R Q B N N Q
instead of the usual 9...Ngf6. The knight heads Qh5+ Kd8 34. Qh8+ Qe8 35. Rc8+! 30. e1

K N K R
for the outpost on f5 to harass the bishop. White f7 31. xe6 a3 32. h4 e3 33. g5 c1+

Q N R Q R
should now castle but gets too aggressive. 10.c5 34. h2 g4+ 35. h3 xf4 Threatening mate-
a5+ 11. c3 b6 It’s important to undermine the in-two with 36. Qh1+. 36. e1 c3+ 37.g3 f6

N K N N
pawn chain before White gets in a3 and b4. Now No better is 37...Nf2+ 38. Kg2 Nd3 39. Ne6+

R Q K
12. cxb6 is necessary but Anand recklessly sac- Kg8 40. gxf4! 38. h7+ g8 39. xf6+ xf6

Q N R
rifices two pawns to confine Black’s king to the 40. xe7 c8+ 41. g2 Black Resigns

R
center. 12.b4 xb4 13.O–O f5 14. fc1 1-0
bxc5 15. ab1 Do or die! His only compensa-
◦ Sergei Tiviakov
Q Q R Q R B
tion for the lost material is activity on the open file.
15...c4 16. c2 a5 17. b7 a6 18. cb1 d6 • Luke McShane
"Materialistic computer programs wanted to select Kilkenny Chess Festival (6)
18...Nb6 but I already have enough material to win Ireland
the game. What Black is lacking is development 1998 0-1 B33
and a safe king. Therefore I prefer the text which British prodigy Luke McShane is a name to reckon
in my view more accurately meets the demands of with. At age 14 he came from behind to tie for first

N N R R B
the position and match situation" (Karpov). 19.e4 by upending the pre-tournament favorite, Russian

N
xh4 20. xh4 b8 21. xb8+ xb8 22.exd5 grandmaster Tiviakov (rated 2655). The kid is out-

Q K Q
cxd5 23. g6 Desperation to prevent Black from played most of the way and finds himself with a

R Q Q Q K Q R
castling. 23...fxg6 24. xg6+ d8 25. xg7 bad bishop against a good knight. When given a

R Q N Q Q R N N N N
e8 26. xh6 a5 27. g5+ c8 28. g6 f8 chance, he lands a Sunday punch.

R N N
29. c1 b6 30. e2 e5 31. h5 f6 32. f1 1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6
h8 White Resigns. Thus Karpov remained FIDE 5. c3 e5 6. db5 d6 More complex than 6...a6
champion by a score of 5-3. 7. Nd6+ Bxd6 8. Qxd6 Qf6. Black is saddled

B
0-1 with a backward d-pawn in this complex Svesh-
nikov Variation. 7. g5 Stronger than 7. Nd5
◦ Timman, J.
N B
Nxd5 8. exd5 Nb8 when Black gets a broad cen-
• Van Wely, L. ter by f5. 7...a6 8. a3 b5 9. xf6 Trying to ex-
10-game match (4) ploit the doubled pawns, although some players fa-
Holland vor the positional approach 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6

N
1998 1-0 B50 Bxf6 11. c3. 9...gxf6 White stays on top af-

B B N B
In a dogfight to determine the best Dutch player, ter 9...Qxf6 10. Nd5 Qd8 11. Be3. 10. d5

B R Q
Loek van Wely, 25, held veteran Jan Timman, 47, f5 11.exf5 xf5 12.c3 g7 13. c2 e6 14.g3
to a 5-5 tie and then won a speed playoff. "A cen- O–O 15. g2 a5 16.O–O b8 17. d2 An im-
tury ago the spectators threw coins at the chess- provement on 17. b4!? once adopted by Anand

N N B Q R N
board after a battle such as this," noted one critic. which merely created weaknesses in White’s posi-
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.c3 f6 4. e2 g6 An old trap tion. 17... d7 18. ad1 f5 19. de3 Temporarily

B B
is 4...Nxe4? 5. Qa4+ snaring the knight. 5.O–O vacating d5 in order to exchange as many pieces as
g7 6. b5+ More consistent is 6. d3 instead possible on d5 to saddle Black with a bad bishop

B B Q R N
of moving the same piece twice in the opening. against a good knight on d5. When this plan works,

N N
6... d7 7. xd7+ xd7 8. e1 c6 9.d4 cxd4 White usually wins. When it doesn’t – watch

R B N B Q
10.cxd4 d5 11.e5 e4 12. c3 Sharper than 12. what happens! Now 19...f4? is refuted by 20.

N N Q Q K
Nbd2 Nxd2 13. Qxd2 O-O 14. b3 Rac8 and a Qxd6. 19... bd8 20. d5 e7 21. xe6+ xe6

N R R Q R B Q
draw was agreed in Timman-van Wely, Wijk-aan- 22. d5 f4 23. xe7+ xe7 24. d5+ h8 25.

N
zee 1998. 12... xc3 13.bxc3 O–O 14.h4 ac8 fe1 f6 26. e2 h6 27. xb5 White has

N R
15.h5 a5 Also playable is the Karpovian retreat achieved his goal but snatching the pawn is per-
16...Nd8 to inhibit e6. 16. g5 c6 17.e6 fxe6 ilous. The right plan is 27. b3 f3 28. Re4 Qf5

295
 R R Q
Q R Q K Q Q K K
29. Rd3 Qh3 30. Ne1. 27...f3 28. e4 b8 eventually forces the exchange of queens. 46. f1

K K B R B K B
29. xa5 Isolates the queen on the wrong wing. a2 47. e1 f6 48. f1 d2 49. g1 e7

R R Q Q Q K Q K
29. Qd5 Rxb2 30. Ne1 is necessary to stay alive. 50. g2 f8 51. g4 c2 52. f3 g8 53. e4

N R N Q R K Q Q R K K
29... xb2 Nimzovich termed such a marauding c1 54. b5 e1 55. e8+ g7 56. e5+ h7

B
rook a "pig." 30. e3 e2 31. g4 g6 32. b4 57. f3 c3+ 58. xc3 xc3+ 59. f4 g7

B Q R
f4 The silent bishop comes to life and changes 60.g4 Drops a pawn. 60. Bf3 offers more resis-
the outcome completely. 33.h3 xg3 34. d5 If tance. 60... h3 White Resigns.

B K B R R
34. fxg3 Qc2 35. Rf1 Rg2 36. Kh1 Rh2! 37. Nxh2 0-1
Qg2 mate. 34... xf2+ 35. f1 c5 36. b7 g2
The threat of ...Rg1 is horrendous for White. White
◦ Kasparov, G.
Resigns.
• Smirin, I.
0-1
Clock Exhibition (1)
Israel
◦ Shabalov, A.
1998 1/2-1/2 B43
• Smirin, I.
Kasparov introduced a new concept by taking on
16th New York Open (5)
the best players of entire nations at once under
Manhattan
tournament conditions. Here me faced the Israeli
1998 0-1 B43
Olympic team – a powerhouse of young former
Many unknowns made their name at this stel-
Russians – all grandmasters. In the first round he
lar event and earned FIDE titles here. The
won 2 and drew 2. In the second round he wiped
16th New York Open attracted 804 players,
them out 4 - 0! This was his only close call. Af-
including 60 grandmasters vying for a piece of the
terwards, while still in Tel Aviv, he won two games
N N
175, 000prizef und.Oneof themostexcitinggameseverplayedheref eaturedadaringknightsacrif icethatf ailedbyawhis
via Internet against Peter Svidler (3-time Russian
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 a6 The Kan
N N N
champ) who competed from St. Petersburg.
Variation gives White the option to increase his
B QN Q
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 a6 5. c3
grip on the center with 5. c4 which can be met
b5 6. d3 b6 7. b3 c7 A loss of time justi-
N B B N
by 5...Nf6 6. Nc3 Bb4. More appealing is 5 Bd3.
N R B
fied by driving the knight from its dominant out-
5. c3 b5 6.g3 b7 7. g2 f6 8.O–O Prepar-
N N N N N
post on d4. 8.O–O f6 9. e1 d6 10.g3 b4
N
ing a pawn sacrifice. More prudent is 8. a3 or Qe2.
11. e2 c6 12. ed4 xd4 13. xd4 h5 Good
8...b4 9. d5 Otherwise 9. Na4 Bxe4 10. Bxe4
B B
aggression, though it’s dangerous to leave the king
B R K N
Nxe4 gives White no compensation for the pawn.
B B B Q Q
in the center. 14. f1 h4 15. g2 hxg3 16.hxg3
B B N Q N
9...exd5 10.exd5 c5 11. e1+ f8 12. f5 d6
N B Q
b7 17. d2 c5 18.c3 b6 19. e2 d5 20.e5
13. f4 c8 14. d4 b6 15. c6 h6 This fine
Q N B
e4 21. e3 c7 Spurning 21...bxc3 22. bxc3
defensive move creates an escape square for the
Q Q Q R
Nxc3 23. Qg4. 22.c4 xe5 23. b3 xe3
king on h7. Too dangerous is 15...Bxf2+ 16. Kh1
Q K
24. xe3 h5 25. b6 b8 26.c5 A viable al-
Q
Bxe1 17. Bxd6+. Black already has enough mate-
B Q R N
ternative is 26. cxd5. 26... h2+ 27. f1 O–O
B R B
rial and must find a way to consolidate. 16. d2
28.c6 a8 29. xa6 f5 30.c7 be8 31. d4 A
R N B
b7 17.a3 a5 18.axb4 axb4 19. xa8 xa8
N K Q QQ
better winning try is 31. Rac1 f4 32. c8=Q gxf3 33.
20. a1 xc6 21. xd6+ White’s compensation
K Q Q R Q R
Qxe8! 31... d2+ 32. e2 xg2 33.c8= e4+
B
for the piece is nebulous, so he tries to mix it up.
Q R Q R Q
34. d1 xd4 35. axe6+ xe6 36. xe6+ f7
Q R
Inadequate is 21. Rxa8+ Nd8. 21... xd6 22.dxc6
37. e8+ f8 38. e6+ f7 39. e8+ Black
Q
b8 23. xa8 The attack also fizzles out after 23.
must allow a perpetual check in view of 38...Kh7
Q K Q B N Q
c7 Qxc7 24. Rxa8+ Ne8 25. Qe2 Qe7. 23... xa8
39. Rh1+ Kg6 40. Qe6+ Rf6 41. Qe8+ Rf7 (not
Q Q K Q B
24. xd6+ g8 25.c7 c8 26. f1 e8 27. d8
41...Kg5? 42 Qh5 mate) 42. Qe6+ etc.
R B
xc7 28. xe8+ h7 29. e4+ g6 30. c4
1/2-1/2
d8 31. b3 The storm is over and White fails

R K R Q K
to make the most of his drawing chances with 31.
◦ Anand V.
R K R Q Q K Q
b3. 31... d1+ 32. g2 d2 33. f3 g7 34.h4
d6 35. h2 f6 36. e2 c5 37. g1 d4 • Shirov, A.
Now it’s apparent that the bishop is poorly placed FIDE Knockout (5)

Q B R Q
on b3. Once the queens are off, White is lost. Holland

Q B Q K R Q Q
38.c3 bxc3 39.bxc3 xc3 40. d5 d6 41. a2 1998 1-0 C78

Q Q
e5 42. f3 e1+ 43. g2 d2 44. a7 e5 FIDE’s new Wimbledon-style knock-
45. a6 d4 Black makes constant inroads and out format with a prize fund of

296
 Q N B N R Q
R N N B R
5millionattracted98grandmastersf ortherighttochallengeKarpovf
11. xf3 a5 12.orthetitle.Eachroundconsistedof
c2 b4 13. d2 b8 14. e2 two−

R
gamemini−matchesf ollowedbyspeedgamestoresolveties.Byround5onlyeightplayerswerestillstanding;
e8 15. f3 bxc3 16.bxc3 b3 17. xb3 xb3 thef ourlose
Anand finally blasted his way to the top, thanks in 18.d4 exd4 19.cxd4 xf3 Black gets ample com-

Q
part to this lovely positional effort which a critic pensation for this enterprising sacrifice. Inferior

N N B B N
dubbed "the very best game from Groningen." is 19...Rxe4 20. Be3. 20. xf3 An interesting

B B B R
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O alternative is 20. dxc5!? Rc3 21. cxd6 Nxe4

N Q Q B
b5 6. b3 c5 Shirov is a sharp tactician who 22. dxc7 Qxc7 23. Qxa6. 20... xd4 21. a2

R B B Q Q Q B B
blazed new trails by reviving the antiquated Moller xe4 22. d3 c5 23. xa6 d5 24.a5 c4 25. e3

B N N B R R R B
Defense to the Ruy. 7.a4 b8 8.c3 d6 9.d4 e5 26. b6 d7 27. a7 c6 28. d4 c7

B Q
b6 10. a3 O–O 11.axb5 axb5 12. xb5 g4 29. b2 c3 30. b7 c8 31. b6 Anand starts to

B N B R R
13. e3 exd4 14.cxd4 e8 Eschewing 14...Nxe4? get into trouble by misplacing his pieces. 31. Rc1!

N R N Q N R
15. Bd5 Qe8 16. Qc2. 15.h3 d7 16. c3 is simple and good. 31... e5 32. xf7 c2 33. c1
xe4 17. e1 xc3 18.bxc3 c8 19.c4 Creat- c3 34. f3 h6 By playing it safe Black misses a

Q K
ing an imbalance in a position which looks equal win with 33...Ne2+ 34. Kf1 Qe8! 35. Kxe2 Bb8+

B R N B R R B R R
on the surface. Suddenly the bishop on b6 is in 37. Re3 Qb5+ followed by Bxa7. 35. f7+ h8

B B R Q K Q R
peril. 19... f5 20. e2 a5 21. a2 c5 22.d5 36. e3 d4 37. xe5 d3 38. d4 g8 39. e6 d2

Q
d8 23. d2 Exploiting the misplaced knight on 40. xc6 dxc1= + 41. h2 d2 42. c8 Black
a5 is the key to White’s strategy. 23... a6 White Resigns. A lucky reprieve for Anand.
gradually is increasing his advantage in space. An 1-0

Q R
alternative is 23...Nb7 right away in order to meet
◦ Polgar, J.
B N Q
24. Bc3 with Ba5 to ease the cramp. 24. a4 a8
• Karpov, A.
B B B N
25. c3 b7 26. d1 Trading pieces only helps

B
Black uncramp. 26... a5 27. b2 b4 28. h4 Exhibition Match (2)
g6 29.f4 Now that the situation on the other Budapest
flank has been stabilized, White launches a king- 1998 1-0 B17

Q Q R R
side offensive that remains potent even after queens One trend that emerged in the 90s was Active

R B R R
are gone. 29... a4 30. xa4 xa4 31.f5 fa8 Chess, where each side is allotted 25 or 30 minutes

R
32. e7 h5 33.g4 f6 34.gxh5 xa2 35. xa2 to complete the entire game instead of the standard
xa2 36.h6 This blow demolishes Black’s hope 40 moves in 2 or 2 1/2 hours followed by either an

R
of salvaging a draw. If 36...gxh6 37. Bxf6 Na5 38. adjournment or sudden death. The modern mania

R K R B R K
Rg7+ Kf8 39. Rxh7 is the quietus. 36... xb2 for speed was reflected in this eight game match,

R K R B K
37. xg7+ h8 38. xb7 c3 39. d7 g8 contested at the rate of two games a day, which Pol-
40. d8+ f7 41. h8 d4+ 42. f1 Black Re- gar won 5-3. Quality obviously suffers, the clock

N N N N
signs. Not bothering with a last "spite check" by forces error, but chess marches on.

N B N B Q
42...Rf2+ 43. Ke1. 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3. d2 dxe4 4. xe4 d7 5. g5
1-0 gf6 6. d3 e6 7. 1f3 d6 8. e2 h6 Invit-
ing 7. Nxe6?! fxe6 8. Bg6+ Ke7 followed by
◦ Anand, V.
N N Q Q
Nf8 when White doesn’t have enough compensa-
• Karpov, A.
Q K
tion for the piece. 9. e4 xe4 10. xe4 c7
FIDE World Championship (2) 11. g4 f8 Best. Blacks want to avoid weak-

B B
Switzerland ening a pawn by pushing it and if 11...O-O? 12.

N Q B B R R
1998 1-0 C78 Bxh6 wins. 12. e3 c5 13.dxc5 xc5 14.O–O–O

K B K N B N
A dramatic turnaround. Karpov could have in- f6 15. h4 xe3+ 16.fxe3 d7 17. hf1 c8

N Q Q Q Q
creased his lead to two points but missed a win and 18. b1 c6 19.e4 g8 20.c3 d7 21. c2 e5

Q
then lost when he chose a "safe" natural move that 22. xe5 xe5 23. f2 f6 24. xa7 xh2 25.e5

N N B B N R Q
ruined his position. xe5 White also keeps the initiative on 25...f5 26.

B
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O g4. 26. fe1 c7 Black should try to get the

R K B
c5 Karpov revives the old fashioned Moller De- queens off by 26...Qb8! 27. Qxb8 Rxb8 28. Rxe6

K Q R
fense that never caught on because White gains a Kf7 breaking the attack. 27. xe6 f7 28. b3

B Q K B
tempo in the center after attacking the bishop with g6 29. d4 hd8 Finally the rook is free but

K R R
c3 and d4. 6.c3 b5 7. b3 d6 8.a4 A good al- the king is in trouble. 30. g4+ h7 31. c2+

R K B Q Q Q
ternative is 8. d4 Bb6 9. h3. Now Karpov gives g8 32. xd8+ xd8 Hoping for 33. Rxf6?

B B Q Q Q Q K
up the two bishops to prevent White from expand- Qe5. 33. e1 f8 34. g6 d6 35. c4 d5
ing in the center. 8... g4 9.d3 O–O 10.h3 xf3 36. e2 d7 37.c4 d6 38.a3 d7 39.g4 g8

297

B Q Q R R Q B
Is the king safer here? More tenacious is 39...Qd6.
R Q Q Q B B B
40. f5 d6 41. c2 e8 42. d1 c5 43. g6
R B R
a8 44. d3 e7 45. d4 e8 46. e4 f7
Q Q
47.c5 Correct is 47. Bd5! 47... c8 48. f5 xc5
B K
49. d8+ f8 A gross blunder in extreme time
pressure. The only hope is 49...Qe8. 50. h7+
Timber! The queen falls. Black Resigns.
1-0
◦ Morozevich, A.
• Iordachescu, V.
Chebanenco Memorial-Kishinev
Moldavia
1998 1-0 B17
At 16 young Alexander Morozevich had a fantastic
breakthrough by scoring 9 1/2 out of 10 at the 1994
Lloyds Bank Tourney in London, and he was hailed
as a future contender. Then he endured a long dry
spell before winning the First Chebanenco Memo-
rial with 8 1/2 out of 9 to obtain a magic Elo rating
of 2700, suddenly catapulting him into the world’s
N N N N
top ten.
N B N B
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 dxe4 4. xe4 d7 5. g5
gf6 6. d3 e6 7. 1f3 d6 Reminiscent of
Deep Blue - Kasparov, 6th match game 1997,
Q N
where the world champion succumbed in only 19
N Q N Q B B
moves after 7. h6?! 8. Nxe6! 8. e2 h6 9. e4
K
xe4 10. xe4 f6 11. h4 An attempt to im-
prove on the customary 11. Qe2. 11... e7 One
of Karpov’s creative contributions to opening the-
ory. Instead of seeking shelter on either wing, the
King takes part directly in the battle by clearing the
connection between his queen and rook to make
g5 possible! A wonderful concept – and if White
doesn’t take the bull by the horns he may eas-
N B Q Q
ily end up in serious trouble. Therefore he gives
Q B
up a pawn. 12. e5 xe5 13.dxe5 a5+ 14.c3
xe5+ 15. e3 b6 16.O–O–O g5 Unnecessarily
Q R
weakens the kingside. Better is 16...Rd8 to for-
tify the center. 17. h3 Improving on 17. Qa4
c5 18. Rhe1 Bd7 19. Qa3 Rhd8 20. g3 Qc7 21.
Bd4 Be8 22. Kb1 Rd5 and Black’s pawn eventu-
R B B B
ally prevailed (Kamsky-Karpov, Dortmund 1993).
17...c5 18. he1 b7 19. c4 e4 Costs mate-
rial. The game has reached critical mass. 19...Kf8
is worth a try. But certainly not 19...Rad8? 20.
B B B Q
Bxc5+! Qxc5 21. Rxe6+! fxe6 22.Qxe6+ Kf7 23.
Qf7 mate. 20.f3 f5 21.g4 g6 22. d5 xd5
Black’s dilemma is that he can’t simultaneously get
the rook and queen out of the way (if 22...Rad8?
22. Bxc5+). So he jettisons the queen for what
R
seems like decent compensation, and stopping the
N Q R N Q
horrendous threat of Bxc5+ or Bxa8. 23. xd5
xd5 24. g3 ad8 25.f4 xe3 26. xe3 gxf4
298
Q
Q K Q
27. xf4 h5 No better is 27...Rd5 28. Rf1 Rhd8 29.
Qxh6. 28. g5+ e8 29. h4 The winning strat-
R B
egy is to separate Black’s remaining forces into two
Q R R R
groups that can’t cooperate. 29... h7 30.g5 d3
31. a4+ d7 32. d1 c4 33.b3 g7 34.bxc4
R R Q R
Playing it safe with 34. h4 also works. 34... d8
K Q
35.c5 xg5 36.c6 d6 37. xa7 gd5 38.c7+
d7 39. b7 Black resigns
1-0
◦ Leko, P.
• Beliavsky, A.
Madrid (6)
Spain
1998 1-0 B08
Hungarian prodigy Peter Leko became a grand-
master by age 15. Here he shows how attacking
on both wings at once can keep an opponent off
balance. There is little in the way of spectacular
moves, but he ratchets up the pressure by subtle
N N N B B
and strong "little moves" a la Karpov.
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3. c3 g6 4. f3 g7 5. e3
One of the main points of this system is to follow
up with Qd2 and Bh6 to trade off Black’s bishop
and thus weaken his king position after he cas-
Q
tles. Of course this all takes time while Black
starts counterplay on the other wing. 5...c6 6. d2
b5 7. d3 g4 8.e5 Clearer than 8. Bh6 O-O
9. Bxg7 Kxg7 10. e5 dxe5 11. dxe5 Nfd7 12.
N N B
Qe3 Qc7 13. e6 Bxe6 14. h4! with attack-
ing prospects. 8...b4 9. e4 xe4 10. xe4 d5
A major concession giving White a solid center
and a free hand to operate on either wing. The
B B N
b7-bishop is also muzzles. Better is 10...Bxf3 11.
Bxf3 dxe5. 11. d3 xf3 12.gxf3 a5 13.h4 d7
13...h5? 14. e6! undermines Black’s kingside.
14.h5 b6 15.c4 bxc3 Relatively best even though
it concedes the b-file. If 19...dxc4 20. Bxc4 gives
White new targets against e6 and c6. Or 19...e6
Q B B B R
20. Rc1 controls the c-file. 16.bxc3 e6 17. b1
K
c7 18. h6 f8 19. g5 g8 20.hxg6 hxg6
21. e2 Almost White’s first non-forcing move
since the game began. Black’s problem is that he
has virtually no counterplay and his king is stuck
B B K Q K
in the center while White controls the only open
Q Q K R
files. 21... e7 22. xe7 xe7 23. g5+ e8
24.f4 d8 25. g3 f8 26. bg1 Finally reveal-
R
ing his hand. Leko intends to infiltrate on the king-
R K B N B N
side; his immediate threat is f5. 26... b8 27.f5
B
b2+ 28. e3 exf5 29. xf5 b6 30. d3 c4+
Q Q R
There’s no time for 30...Rxa2 31. Qf4. 31. xc4
dxc4 32. f4 e7 33. b1 Switching back to the
other wing! Beliavsky could still offer token re-
sistance by 33...Rxb1 34 Rxb1 Kg7 but 35. Rh1
f6 36. Rh3! fxe5 37. Qh6+ Kf6 38. Qh4+ Ke6 won the national title in a field of 48 including 21

Q K
39. Qxe7+ Kxe7 40. dxe5 would force a won grandmasters thanks in part to a striking sacrifice
endgame. 33... a3 34. f3 Renewing the threat against Arthur Yusupov, formerly of the USSR.
of Rh7. A last gasp would be 34...Qxc3+ 35. Kg2 Black, obsessed with preserving his bishop, over-

Q N N B B
g5 36 Qf5! Qxd4 37. Rxb2 Qxb2 38. Rb1. 34...g5 looks a spectacular sacrifice.

B N N B N
35. c1 Black Resigns. Pursuing his strategy with 1.c4 c6 2. f3 d5 3.e3 f6 4.b3 g4 5. b2 e6
iron logic. Now Black must submit to 35...Rxa2 6. e2 bd7 7. c3 d6 8. d4 Attempting to
1-0 improve on 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Nd4 Bxe2 10. Ncxe2
g6! 11. O-O O-O 12. Nf3 Qe7 13. Qc2 Ba3
14. Qc1 Bxb2 15. Qxb2 and a tame draw was
◦ Van der Veide, K.
B Q
agreed in Ivkov-Campora, New York Open 1987.
• Piket, J.
8... xe2 9. xe2 O–O To be considered is 9...g6
Dutch Championship
denying the knight access to f5 in the ensuing play,
Rotterdam
but it doesn’t look necessary, does it? 10.cxd5
1998 1-0 B06
N B
exd5 On 10...cxd5 11. Ncb5 Bb8 12. Ba3 also
An instructive game, again proving that failing to
N B
gives White the initiative. 11. f5 c5 Better is
castle early is the main reason for short losses. The
11...Bc7. 12. a4 b4 Expecting 13. a3 Ba5
player who finished last in this event upsets Dutch
14. b4 Bc7 preserving the bishop. In retrospect
grandmaster Jeroen Piket, whose king got stuck in
N
12...Re8 13. Nxc5 Nxc5 holds White’s advantage
B N N
the center.
to a minimum. 13. xg7 b5 Black clearly can’t
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3. c3 c6 4. f3 d6 On 4...d5
take the knight due to 13...Kxg7 14. Qg4+ Kh8 15.
B N
Fischer recommends 5. h3! to prevent Black from
Qxb4. The former world championship candidate
B B
pinning the knight by Bg4. 5.h3 b5 6. d3 d7
N Q
thought he was now winning a piece, but he re-
7.O–O b7 8. e3 a6 9.a4 e5 Too provocative.
ceived a rude shock. 14. f5 bxa4 15. h5 Black
Correct is 9...b4. 10.axb5 cxb5 11.dxe5 dxe5 Ex-
overlooked this spectacular reply. If 15...Nxh5 16.
changes don’t help ease the cramp. If 11...Nxe5 12.
K
Q B
Nh6 mate. Now White regains the piece with in-
Nxe5 dxe5 (or 12...Bxe5 13. f4) 13. Nxb5! axb5
K
terest. 15... h8 16. g4 xd2+ The doomed
B N B
14. Bxb5+ Kf8 15. Rxa8 Qxa8 16. Qd6+ Ne7 17.
R Q R K Q
bishop sells itself as dearly as possible. 17. xd2
Rd1! is decisive. 12. xb5 axb5 13. xb5 f8
g8 18. xa4 xg2 19. e2 g8 Desperately
Other defenses are dubious. If 13...Bc6 14. Rxa8
seeking counterplay. White’s powerful bishop ties
Qxa8 15. Qd6! ties Black up. Or 13...Rxa1 14.
N Q R
up both knights while the pawn on c6 and the rook
Q R R Q
Qxa1 Bc6 15. Nd6+ Kf8 16. Ng5! Nh6 17. Ndxf7
R Q
on g2 are endangered. 20. g3 g6 21. ac1
R B N B Q B
Nxf7 18. Ne6+! 14. d3 a6 15. fd1 c8
K R B
e8 22. f4 Even stronger is 22. Kf1 but Black
16. xa6 xa6 17. d6+ xd6 18. xd6 e2
N N R Q R R
is lost anyway. 22...c5 23. f1 xg3 24. xf6+
R N
Desperately trying to reduce the attacking force.
K N R R
xf6 25.hxg3 e4 26. h6 g7 27. d1 e5
N N
No better is 18...Ngf6 19. Bg5. 19. d5 e7 A
28. g2 g5 29. c6 h6 30. xh6+ Black re-
better chance was 19...f6 or Bxf3. 20. xe5 xd5
signs. 1-0
Black also can’t survive for long after 20...Nxe5
1-0
N R
21. Rxe5 Qd7 22. Qf6! with Bc5 or Bg5 looming.
21. xd7 g8 What else? If 21...Qd7 22. Qxe5+
◦ Karpov, A.
B B Q Q
followed by Qxh8+ picks up too many pawns.
• Anand, V.
22. g5 a6 23.exd5 xd7 24. e5+ Black Re-
FIDE World Championship (7)
signs in view of 24...Kf8 25. Bh6+ Rg7 26. Bxg7+
Switzerland
Kg8 27. Bh6 f5 28. Qf6.
1998 1-0 A07
1-0
In this two-game tiebreak each player was allot-
ted 25 minutes, a shocking climax for a so-called
◦ Joerg Hickl world championship match. After obtaining a won
• Arthur Yusupov position – with a lot more time left on his clock to

N N B B
German Championship boot – Anand experienced an unmitigated disaster.
Bremen 1. f3 d5 2.g3 f6 3. g2 c6 4.O–O g4 More

N N B Q
1998 1-0 A12 sensible than hemming in the bishop by 4...e6.

B R
The unification of Germany made it, overnight, 5.d3 bd7 6. bd2 e6 7.e4 e7 8. e2 O–O

Q B R Q
the only country to really challenge Britain’s 9.h3 h5 10. e1 dxe4 11.dxe4 e5 Stops e5 once
supremacy in Western Europe. Joerg Hickl, 33, and for all. 12.b3 c7 13. b2 fe8 14. f1 A

299
typical Karpovian retreat to break the pin. More
R B B N N
natural is 14. Nf1 followed by g4 and Ng3-f5.
B B
14... ad8 15.a3 b5 16. c3 f8 17. h4 c5
18. f3 g6 Not giving White a chance to elim-
N
inate his worst piece by 18...Bxf3 19. Nhxf3.
B Q N
19. xg6 hxg6 Textbooks recommend capturing
N N
TOWARDS the center. 20. g2 a6 21. e2 e6
B
22. f3 d7 23.a4 b4 Reckoning that his control
of d4 offsets White’s control of c4. 24. b2 a5
25.c3 "It was better to prepare this with 25. Rad1
B R R B
c5 26. c3. 25. Rac1!? is also interesting" (Kar-
R B R Q Q
pov). 25...bxc3 26. xc3 b8 27. ab1 b4
N B N R
28. ec1 xc3 29. xc3 c5 30. e3 d6 31.h4
d4 32. h3 b6 33. bc1 "Here I should se-
cure the blockade of the c-pawn with 33. Nd2!
From d2 the knight also protects my rook on
b1, so Black does not have 33...Nxa4. I would
then be able to follow with 34. Rbc1 and Black
would be thrown on the defensive since his c-
N Q R
pawn would be under pressure" (Karpov). 33...c4
34.bxc4 xa4 35.c5 e7 36. a3 Equally bad
is 36. Rc4 Rb3. Karpov suggests that the cor-
rect choice is 36. Nxd4! exd4 37. Qxd4 Nxc3
N R N R
38. Qxc3 Qxe4 39. c6 with compensation for
Q
the Exchange. 36... xc5 37. ac3 cb3 38. c7
f6 Anand, with 17 minutes left vs. Karpov’s
3, misses an easier win with 38...Nxc1 39. Rxe7
Nce2+ 40. Kg2 Rxe7 when the queen is over-
R N Q
powered by the two rooks and the passed a-pawn.
39. 1c3 xf3+ 40. xf3 a4 Much stronger is
40...Nd4 41. Qxf6 gxf6 42. R3c5 Ra8 getting be-
Q B N
hind the passed pawn. Now White’s passive bishop
springs to life. 41. xf6 gxf6 42. d7 d4 Black
B N K N B
can’t lose after 42...Re7 but he is still playing to
K B N R K R R
win. 43. xe8 e2+ 44. g2 xc3 45. xf7+
B K B
f8 46. xg6 b5 47. f7+ g8 48. xf6 a8
R
49.h5 a3 50.h6 a2 51. f7+ h7 52. xa2 Stop-
ping the pawn in the nick of time! 52... xa2
53.g4 "This is the move which ultimately brought
victory in the match, since at this moment Anand
was psychologically beaten. I could feel his nerves
give way; he could not believe that after I suffered
N N R K
so many troubles I would refuse to accept a draw"
(Karpov.) 53... c3 54.g5 xe4 55. f7+ g6
Karpov says the last chance to hold is 55...Kg8!
56. g6 Ra8 57. h7+ Kh8 58. g7+ Kxh7 59.
R
Rf8 Kxg7 60. Rxa8 Kg6 – "a very important
K R K K QK
move which would most probably draw." 56. g7+
R R K N K
f5 57.h7 xf2+ 58. g1 g4 59.h8= g3
60. e7 g2+ 61. f1 d2+ 62. e1 Black Re-
signs.
1-0
◦ Alejandro Hoffman
300
• Hikaru Nakamura
100th U.S. Open (9)
Reno
1999 0-1 E61
The sensation of the tournament was 11-year-old
Nakamura, who made history at age 10 as the
youngest American ever to attain the rank of mas-
ter. In the last round he upset this Argentinian
grandmaster with a wild attack to finish a point out
of the lead. Overall, in nine games Hikaru lost to
two grandmasters, held one to a draw and won six
games outright.
N N B N B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 g7 4. f3 O–O 5. f4
This offbeat counter to the King’s Indian Defense
never gained favor because it develops the bishop
too soon. More usual is 5. e4 or g3. 5...d6
N B
6.h3 c5 7.d5 a6 8.a4 Restraining Black from free-
B B N
ing his game by ...b5. 8... h5 9. d2 f5
N B
10.e3 e5 11.dxe6 xe6 12. e2 c6 13.O–O
R B
f4 14. d5 h6 Not an active post, but it in-
N N Q
creases the pressure on e3. 15. a3 xd5 16.cxd5
e7 17.e4 f6 18. b1 g5 19.a5 More perti-
nent is 19. b4 right away. Now both sides pro-
N
ceed to attack on opposite wings, and the ques-
B Q B
tion becomes, who will penetrate first? 19... g6
20.b4 cxb4 21. xb4 e7 22. d3 Stronger is
N N
22. Nd2 Ne5 23. f3 stopping the attack cold.
N N
22...g4 23. d4 h4 23...gxh3? drops a piece af-
ter 24. Nf5. 24.hxg4 xg4 25. e6 Neglect-
N Q
ing his kingside. 25. f3 would prevent Black’s
Q K Q K Q K
stunning reply. 25... f3+ 26.gxf3 h4 27.fxg4
Q K K B
xg4+ 28. h2 h4+ 29. g1 g4+ 30. h2
h4+ 31. g1 f7 32. c3 b5 Stopping Qxb7
B
once and for all. If 32...Rg8 33. Bg7 staves off
Q K R Q
checkmate. 33. g7 The only hope is 33. Rc1.
33... g4+ 34. h2 f3 35. g1 h4# Will Naka-
mura achieve greater glory or, like so many other
child prodigies before him, fall by the wayside?
0-1
◦ Kasparov, G.
• Svidler, P.
Wijk-aan-Zee (12)
Holland
1999 1-0 D97
Kasparov is a trend-setter in the opening. This vic-
tory over Russian champion Peter Svidler features
an innovation as early as move 11 in the Gruen-
feld Defense that enabled him to nose out Anand
for first by 1/2 point. It turns out that the first 17
moves were all prepared by Kasparov a night be-
fore this key game, though he had doubts about the
outcome of his analysis.
 N N N B Q
Q R
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4. f3 g7 5. b3
Q N
dxc4 6. xc4 O–O 7.e4 a6 This system has stood
up fairly well over the years. 8.e5 b5 9. b3 fd7
10.e6 Ultra sharp. Also double-edged is 10. h4.
B N R
The older 10. Be3 c5 11. e6 cxd4! was found
to be okay for Black. 10...fxe6 11. e3 This
move was introduced in Levtchouk-Duong, Que-
bec 1991 but was ignored because White lost that
N
game. The main line used to be 11. Qxe6+ Kh8
12. Qe4 Nb6 13. Qh4 Nc6. 11... b6 On 11...Nf6
Kasparov intended 12 a4! bxa4 13. Rxa4 striking
a blow from the other flank. Since the knight has
N R
swung to the left, White now swings to the right!
12.h4 c6 13.h5 xf3 Blunts the attack and ruins
White’s pawn structure but opens the g-file. The
idea is to keep White from gaining the initiative on
N
13...Nxd4 14. Nxd4 Bxd4 15. O-O-O!? Bxe3+ 16.
R
fxe3 Qe8 17. hxg6 hxg6 18. Bd3. 14.gxf3 xd4
B
15. d1 Without this tactical nuance White would
be in bad shape. 15...c5 16. xd4 cxd4 17.hxg6
R
h6 Best. More dangerous is 17...hxg6 18. Qc2.
18. h5 It’s important to prevent Black’s knight
Q N
from embedding itself on d5. Watch for the fur-
Q R K R Q N N
ther peregrinations of this rook. 18... e8 19. e2
Q B Q R B N Q
xg6 20. h1 h8 21. g1 f7 22. xd4 d5
23. d3 d7 24. e4 c8 25. d3 f6 26. h4
R
This fine attacking maneuver mounts a staircase to
the enemy king via b3-c4-d3-e4. 26... c5 Plau-
sible but probably the decisive error. Essential
N N R Q Q Q
is 26...Nd5! to establish control over the key f4
square. 27. e2 d5 28. g6 f8 29. e4 f7
If 28...Qf5 30. Rxg7 Qxe4 31. fxe4 Kxg7 32.
K N Q
exd5; or 28...Be8 29. Rxh6+! Bxh6 30. Qh7 mate.
30. d2 f6 31. e3 Black resigns. The final step
of 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)
Spain
1999 1-0 D97
After drawing his first five games, Anand posted
his first win with a blistering attack, and his final
move is piquant. It’s very hard to find games in the
entire history of chess that end in mate by castling;
nowadays most masters resign just before it stares
N N N B Q
them in the face.
Q Q N
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4. f3 g7 5. b3
dxc4 6. xc4 O–O 7.e4 a6 8.e5 b5 9. b3 fd7
10.h4 Varying from an earlier event at Wijk-aan-
Zee where Kasparov played 10. e6 right away
against Svidler, probably prepared a better defense
301
Q N
N B
in the meantime. 10...c5 11.e6 c4 12. d1 b6
B
13.exf7+ xf7 14.h5 c6 15.hxg6 hxg6 16. e3
f5 Already going astray since it allows White
to prosecute the attack with gain of tempo (18.
g4). Either 16...Bg4 (or Nd5) would keep Black
on track. 17. g5 f6 Trying to repair the previ-
B N
ous error is futile. Black should try to survive by
B Q
17... Nxd4 18. Nxf7 Kxf7. 18.g4 e6 19. ce4
d5 20. d2 Going after material with 20. Nxf6+
R
exf6 21. Nf3 Qd7 allows Black more counter-
B N
play. 20... d6 Necessary is 20...Qd7 to free the
rook on a8. 21.f3 xe4 22.fxe4 d7 Rushing
Q N
back to defend the kingside. Equally unappetiz-
R N Q
ing is 22...Nxd4 23. Qh2. 23. h2 f8 24.e5
B N B
d7 25. e6 a5+ No better is 25...Nxe6 26.
B N Q K
Bxc4 bxc4 27. Qh7+. 26. d2 xe5 27. e2
c3 28. xc3 b4 29. xg7 bxc3 30. h8+ f7
31.O–O+ Black Resigns. A noteworthy finale that
had 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)
Spain
1999 1-0 D85
In the most important match of his career against
Shirov in 1998, 22-year-old Kramnik failed to
obtain a title match with Kasparov because he
couldn’t cope with Shirov’s pet Gruenfeld De-
fense. Here he experiments with a sharp approach
that helped him tie for second with Anand at 8-6
in this elite double round robin at Linares, 2 1/2
points behind Kasparov in the strongest tourna-
ment of 1999. The NY Times called this game a
N N N
"gem."
N B N R
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4.cxd5 xd5 5.e4
xc3 6.bxc3 g7 7. f3 c5 8. b1 The Ex-
change Variation of the Gruenfeld demonstrates
the conflict between occupying the center with
pawns as Black strives to undermine this structure.
The idea behind 8. Rb1 is to remove the rook from
B
the a1-h8 diagonal. If now 8...Nc6 9. d5 Bxc3+
Q B
10. Bd2 favors White. 8...O–O 9. e2 cxd4
10.cxd4 a5+ 11. d2 A gambit that offers a
Q
pawn for speedy development. The endgame with
B
11. Qd2 offers White fewer prospects. 11... xa2
12.O–O g4 Inviting 13. Rxb7 Bxf3 14. Bxf3
Bxd4 15. Rxe7 Nc6. The alternative 12...Qe6
13. Qc2 Qc6 14. Qd3 Qd6 15. Bb4 Qd8 16.
B N
d5 but be tenable but Black remains cramped.
13. e3 The older try is 13. Bg5. 13... c6
 N B B
B R
14.d5 a5 15. g5 xf3 Better is 15...Qa3 here
N R
or on the next move. 16. xf3 fe8 17.e5
c4 This doesn’t work, but neither does 17...Bxe5
N B Q B B
18. d6! exd6 19. Bd5 Qa3 20. Bd2 Nc6 21.
B B B B B R
Rxb7. 18.d6 xe5 19. d5 a3 20. xe7 f8
21. xb7 xe7 22. xa8 xd6 23. d5 e7
Despite dropping the Exchange, Black’s position
K K
is still a tough nut to crack. White’s fine next move
K Q B R N
threatening f4 renews his initiative. 24. h1 h5
25.h3 g7 26. d2 c7 27. bd1 d7 No bet-
B R Q
ter is 27...Qd6 28. f4 Nd7 29. Qc3+ Kh7 30. Bxf7
R R K R Q K
snaring another pawn. 28. xf7 xf7 29. xd7
Q R
xd7 30. xd7+ h6 31. xc7 d3 32. g1
d4 33. c2 Black resigns. On 33...Qa4 34. Rcc1
nothing can stop White from doubling rooks on the
a-file to capture the pawn on a7; then in the same
way White will double rooks on the sixth rank to
annihilate the pawn on g6.
1-0
◦ Sokolov I.
• Kasparov G.
Wijk-aan-Zee (9)
Holland
1999 1-0 E59
This rather prosaic loss ended Kasparov’s seven
game winning streak against topnotch grandmas-
ters. "It didn’t bother me. I’ve already validated
my status as number one," he shrugged. Although
Kasparov no longer wears the official FIDE crown,
he still bestrides the chess world like a Colossus
and many fans consider him the greatest player in
N N B B
history.
N N B
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4.e3 O–O 5. d3
Q Q B
d5 6. f3 c5 7.O–O c6 8.a3 xc3 9.bxc3
c7 10. c2 dxc4 11. xc4 e5 This variation be-
come popular at Zurich 1953 and has been tested
B R
countless times since then. White usually retains
only a minimal edge. 12. d3 e8 13.e4 To-
day 13. dxe5 is regarded as the main line but
B B
Sokolov revives a move that was once popular in
N B K K
the 1950s. 13...exd4 14.cxd4 g4 15.e5 xf3
B R
16.exf6 xd4 17. xh7+ h8 18.fxg7+ xg7
19. b2 ad8 20.gxf3 Other tries lack sting.
Steven-Vehre, postal 1978, was drawn quickly af-
ter 20. h3 Re5 21. Bxd4+ Rxd4 22. Bf5 Qc6
23. Kh2 Qd6+ 24. Kh1 Bxg2+ 25. Kxg2 Qd5+
26. Kh2 Rxf5 27. Rae1. Langeweg- Ciujpers,
Leeuwarden 1980 led to equality on 20. Rfc1 Rh8
21. Qxc5 Qxc5 22. Rxc5 Kxh7 23. Bxd4 Rhg8
R K R
24. Be5 Rxg2+ 25. Kf1 Rg6 26. Rc3 Bxg2+ 27.
Ke2 Re8+ 28. Re3. 20... h8 21. h1 xh7 Du-
bious. A few games featuring 21...Kf8! generally
ended well for Black. Kasparov said he knew about
302
R K R Q R
this move but simply forgot about it in the heat
of battle. 22. g1+ h8 23. g3 e5 24. ag1
h4 Believe it or not, this is probably the losing
move. In Porath-Stahlberg, Amsterdam 1954, a
draw arose from 24...Qh5 25. R1g2 f6 26. Qc4
(Sokolov said he intended to improve by 26. Qg6!)
Q
Qf7 27. Qxf7 Rxf7 28. f4 Rd6 29. Rh3+ Rh7
30. Rhg3 Re7 31. Rh3+ Rh7 31. Rhg3. 25. c1
h7 Loses fast. The only chance to fight back
Q K
is 25...Qh5 26. R1g2 but Black seems doomed in
the long run. 26. b1+ h8 An ignominious re-
Q
treat but no better is 26...Qf5 27. Rg7+ Kh8 28.
Q
Qxf5 Nxf5 29. Rg8+ Kh7 30. Rxd8. 27. f1
e6 "Not giving me the pleasure to execute my
threat 27...Rd6 28. Qh3!" (Sokolov). A strange
thing now took place. Kasparov wrote down his
Q
opponent’s next move on his score sheet and even
showed it to him! 28. g2 Black resigns. Tripling
on the g-file is decisive. If 28...f5 29. Rh3 Qf6 30.
Rxh4+ Qxh4 31. Qg7 mate.
1-0
◦ Peter Kiriakov
• Sergei Tiviakov
Isle of Man Open
Port Erin
1999 1-0 E38
A retired lighthouse guardian stubbornly defied
common sense by staging the first-ever interna-
tional Open on this island back in 1992. Now an
annual fixture, it attracted 54 players from 16 na-
tions including 15 grandmasters in 1999. These
two young Russian grandmasters didn’t make it to
the top, but they produced a sparkling game that
illustrates the old maxim about an ounce of pre-
vention being worth a pound of cure. Black castles
early – too early – his rook, bishop and knight are
locked up on the queenside and can’t come to the
N N B Q
aid of his beleaguered king on the other flank.
B N Q Q
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4. c2 c5 5.dxc5
xc5 6. f3 b6 7.e3 c7 Is forcing White to
B B
play e3 worth the loss of time involved in moving
B R B
the queen a second time? 8.b3 b6 9. b2 b7
10. e2 a6 11. d1 e7 12.O–O O–O Provok-
N R
ing a strong rejoinder. Simply 12...d5 or d6 or
h6 would save Black a lot of grief. 13. g5 d8
One bad move leads to another. Better is 13...Re8
N
14. Nd5 exd5 15. Bxf6 g6 16. Bxe7 Rxe7 and
B B Q K
Black, if not satisfied, at least is still alive. 14. d5
exd5 15. xf6 xf6 16. xh7+ f8 17.cxd5 d6
B
Finally. But not 17...Bxg5? 18. d6 threatening
Qh8 mate! 18. h5 Played instantly. Black is a
B Q K Q
piece ahead but his forces are bottled up on the
queenside. 18... xg5 19. h8+ e7 20. xg7
Rf8 21.Qxg5+ Ke8 22.Rc1 Qd8 23.Qf5 Qe7 France
Or 23...Qd7 24. Qe4 Kd8 25. Qh4 Ke8 (if 25...f6 1999 1-0 D43
26. Qb4!) 26. Rc4 threatening Re4. Now White Bobby Fischer once said, "When I was eleven, I

R N R B R
wins back material while continuing to harass the just got good." Chess prodigies have always daz-
enemy king. 24. c4 d7 25. c7 c8 26. fc1 zled the world with their billiance, but only a few

K B Q R
Strengthens the attack by bringing another big gun stayed the course to reach the summit. In 1996

R Q Q
into play. 26... d8 27. g4 e8 28. 1c6 Black Bacrot, at age 13, captured headlines by beat-

B B Q K R R
is tied up in knots. 28... g8 29.h3 b5 30. f4 f8 ing ex-world champ Smyslov in a serious training

R
31. xd7 xd7 32. f6+ e8 33. xd6 d8 match. He failed to duplicate this feat three years
34. dxd7 Black resigns. 1-0 later, when he lost one game and drew five against
1-0 veteran grandmaster Beliavsky, 45. The teenager
has a bright future, but this instructive miiniature
showed that Bacrot needs more seasoning before
◦ Korchnoi, V.
N N N B
he is ready for prime time.
• Spassky, B.
B
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3. f3 f6 4. c3 e6 5. g5
10-game Exhibition match (8)
B
h6 6. h4 dxc4 7.e4 g5 To avoid the complica-
Russia
B N
tions stemming from 7...b5 8. e5. 8. g3 b5
1999 1-0 A59
9. e2 bd7 Black weakened his pawn structure
Going into this 8th game Spassky trailed by a point.
to win a pawn and now 9...Bb7 awaiting further
This was his last chance to catch up. The excit-
Q
developments seems more prudent. 10.d5 b4
ing finale proved to be the turning point of a match
11.dxe6 bxc3 12.exd7+ xd7 Beliavsky beat Ata-
N
which he ultimately lost 6-4.
lik a week earlier in the Yugoslav Team Champi-
1.d4 f6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 The risky Benko Gam-
onship after 12...Bxd7 13. bxc3 Nxe4 14. Qd4
N B
bit. Black boldly sacrifices a pawn for queen-
Q
Nxg3 15. hxg3 Rg8 16. Qxc4 Bg7 17. O-O.
B K N B
side pressure. 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6 g6 6. c3 xa6
13. c2 g4 Hoping to solve his problems after 14.
K N R R Q B
7.e4 xf1 8. xf1 d6 9. f3 g7 10.g3 O–O 11.
R Q N
Ne5? Qd2! but now White crosses him up by
B Q
g2 bd7 12.h3 a6 13. e1 a8 14. g5 h6
Q Q Q
pitching a second pawn. 14. d1 b7 15. e5
15. d2 e6 16.dxe6 fxe6 17. c2 Another try is
xb2 16. a4 b5 The last chance to avert im-
17. Kg1!? to get the king away from danger on
R
mediate disaster is with the ugly 16...Qb7 17. Bxc4
N B
the long diagonal. 17...g5 18.a4 g4 More logical
Rh7. 17. d8+ Black Resigns. Black overlooked
N
is 18...d5 right away. 19.hxg4 xg4 20. f4 d5
this shot. If 17...Kxd8 18. Nxc6+ Qxc6 19. Qxc6
N
21. b5 First 21. exd5 exd5 22. Nb5 clears the
mops up.
Q N
center. 21...e5 22. c7 White can retain a safe
1-0
advantage with 22. Bd2! 22... a7 23. xa6

Q R Q
exf4 24.exd5 An alternative is 24. Qd3 c4 25.
◦ Anand V.
R Q Q R
Qxd5+ Rf7 26 e5. 24... xa6 25. e6 b7
• Kasparov G.
26. e7 fxg3 27. g6 xb2 28. a2 Who can
Linares (10)
blame him for guarding the second rank? But
Spain
N
stronger is 28. Qxg4 Qxa1 29. Rxd7 gxf2 30.
1999 0-1 B90
Kxf2. 28... e3+ Spassky wants to keep queens
Kasparov won this elite double-round tournament
K R Q
on the board, and this is more complicated than
in a field of eight top-ranked stars with 10 1/2 - 3
28...Qf6. 29. h3 gxf2 30. xb2 f1= + The
1/2 (7 wins, 7 draws) – an incredible 2 1/2 point
losing move. Black draws by perpetual check
margin over his nearest rivals Vladimir Kramnik
K N R
with 30...Rxf3+! 31. Kh2 Rh3+! 32. Kxh3
and Viswanathan Anand, often touted as his most
Q K N Q R Q
f1=Q+ 33. Kh2 Qf4+. 31. h2 f5 32. g2
probable challengers. In this complicated strug-
N Q B N R K N
xg2+ 33. xg2 xe7 34. e6+ f7 35. xd7
gle both players falter near the end; Anand’s slip
Q K N B N
f5 36. c8+ f8 37. e5 g7+ 38. h3 d6
N N N N
proves fatal.
39. e6+ h7 40. d7 e7 41. xc5 Black Re-
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
signs
a6 6.f3 A popular plan to brace the center and later
1-0
B
launch an attack depending on which flank the en-

Q N B N
emy king seeks safety. 6...e6 7. e3 b5 8.g4 h6
◦ Alexander Beliavsky
B
9. d2 bd7 10.O–O–O b7 11.h4 b4 12. b1
• Etienne Bacrot d5 13. h3 g5 A pawn sacrifice designed to pre-
Training Match (2) vent 13...dxe4 14. g5 with a dangerous attack.

303
 N B Q
14.hxg5 hxg5 15.exd5 xd5 16. xg5 b6 An
B R B R
improvement over 16...Qa5 in Leko-Topalov from
R N
the third round. 17. g2 xh1 18. xh1 c8
19. e1 To thwart the threat of ...Nc3 and start an
Q Q N
offensive. The question now becomes whose king
B K B
is safer? 19... a5 20.f4 xa2 21.f5 c5 22.fxe6
g7 23.exf7+ xf7 24. xd5+ Afterwards game
Kasparov showed how Anand could force a draw
Q B
with 24. Qf2+! Kg8 25. Qf5 Bxd4 26. Qg6+ Bg7
R K R K N
27. Re8+ leading to perpetual check. 24... xd5
25. e7+ g8 26. xg7+ xg7 27. c3 Avoid-
ing the trap of 27. Nf5+? Qxf5 28. gxf5
N Q
Nb3+. Now the resulting ending looks drawish be-
K Q B N K N
cause of reduced material. 27...bxc3 28. f5+
K N B K K K
f7 29. xd5+ xd5 30. d6+ g6 31. xc8
K N N
xg5 32. b6 e6 33.bxc3 xg4 34. b2 f4
35. a3 a5 36. a4 e4 Careless. Kasparov later
said he could wrap it up with 36...Nd7! 37. Nb2
N R R R R K K B
Nb6 38. c4 Bxc4 39. Nxc4 Nxc4+ 40. Kb3
N N K N B K N
Ne5! 41. Ka4 Nc6 42. Kb5 Ke5, etc. 37. b2
N N N B N
xc3 38. d3+ e3 39. c5 f5 40. b2 d5
K B N N N
41. b7 a4 42.c4 b6 43. d6 d3 44.c5 d5
45. a3 c2 46. b5 e7 47. a7 The losing
move. 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 77
moves. In 1990 FIDE raised the limit on draws in
K N N
endgames without pawns from 50 to 75 moves and
K B
later lowered it. 47... d4 48.c6 d5 49. b5+
c5 50.c7 f5 White Resigns. Alas, his knight
is trapped. If 51. Kxa4 Nb6+ 52. Ka5 Nc4+ 53.
Ka6 (or 53. Ka4 Bc2 mate) Bc8+ 54. Ka7 Kxb5
55. Kb8 Nd6 and it’s all over.
0-1
◦ Shirov, A.
• Kasparov, G.
Wijk-aan-Zee (7)
Holland
1999 0-1 B90
Alexei Shirov is a fiery attacker. Here, how-
ever his piece sacrifice goes awry. This was their
first encounter since Kasparov announced that Shi-
rov (who defeated Kramnik in a 1998 candidates’
match) would be his official challenger for the
world championship. When funding evaporated,
alas, Kasparov reneged on his pledge and their pro-
N N N N
posed match fell through.
B N B B B B
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
B B
a6 6. e3 g4 7. g5 h6 8. h4 g5 9. g3 g7
10. e2 h5 11. xg4 hxg4 A risky enterprise. In
the past Kasparov had preferred to recapture with
Bxg4. 12.O–O e6 A second surprise. In the
304
Q
past Kasparov chose Nc6. 13. d2 An alterna-
N B N
tive is 13. Nde2. Now Black introduces a new
idea by pitching a pawn. 13... d7 14. xd6 e5
N R
15. cb5 Virtually forced since 15. Bc5 Qc7 is
just too strong. 15...axb5 16. xb5 f6 17. fd1
Rightly rejecting 17. Nc7+ Kf7 18. Nxa8 Nc4
19. Qd3 Qxd6 20. Qxd6 Nxd6. Instead with
K Q
two pawns for the piece White prefers to take his
B N
chances in the middle game. 17... f7 18. e2
d7 19. xe5 fxe5 20. d6+ No better is 20.
K R
Qxg4 Qe7 21. Nd6+ Kg8 reaching safety with the
king. 20... g6 21. d3 Too ambitious. The best
Q Q Q
try is 21. Qxg4 Rh4 22. Qf3 Qf6 23. Qxf6+ Bxf6
B
24. Nxb7. 21... f6 22. xg4 f4 23.h3 xg4
24.hxg4 c6 25.c4 The ending is hard because
R
White now has three pawns for the piece. An-
B
other plan is 25. a3 Bf8 26. f3. 25... hd8 26.f3
f8 27.c5 b6 Double-edged. Instead 27...Ra4! de-
serves serious consideration. 28.b4 bxc5 29.bxc5
R R K R R R
a5 30. c3 b8 31. c2 f6 32. f2 a4
R
33. c3 b2+ 34. g3 c2 35. c1 xa2 This
B R R R B R R
pawn must fall but it’s not over yet. 36. b1
R R R B R
c6 37. b6 a6 38. b8 e7 39. c1 a8
40. b6 2a6 41. bb1 e8 42. h1 It’s a mis-
take to simplify by 42. Nxe8+ Rxe8 43. Rb6
B
Rxb6 44. cxb6 Rb8 45. Rb1 Rb7 46. Rb5 Bd8
picking up the pawn. 42... g6 42...Bxd6 43.
R R N
exd6 Rxd6 44. Rh8 Rad8 45. Rb7 is harder
to win. 43. b7 c6 44. f5 White’s nerves fi-
nally give way and his game collapses. A much
tougher defense is 44. Rh6! Bxd6 45. cxd6 Rxd6
B R
reaching an ending where White still has techni-
B K K R B R K
cal problems. 44... f8 45. h8 exf5 46.gxf5
f7 47. g4 g7 48. h5 xc5 49. xg5+ f6
White resigns. White is two pieces down. Enough
is enough.
0-1
◦ Alexei Shirov
• Boris Gelfand
8th Melody Amber
Monaco
1999 1-0 B80
No tournament in the world is more unique than the
Melody Amber, named after the daughter of spon-
sor J.J. van Oosterom, a Dutchman who gave up
chess to make his fortune. Each year he donated
big bucks to watch a dozen grandmasters slug it out
in two separate round robins: blindfold and quick-
play (25 minutes apiece for the entire game). The
spectacle 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
still display ingenuity and creativity even though
N N N N
the clock forces error.
B
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
a6 6. e3 e6 7.g4 This thrust was championed by
B
Paul Keres. White is willing to weaken his pawn
structure to get a quick attack. 7...h6 8. g2 Re-
turning to a conservative mode that was popular
in the 1970s. Shirov-Kasparov, Linares 1999, was
drawn quickly after 8. f4 e5 9. Nf5 h5! 10. gxh5
N R
exf4 11.Bxf4 Nxh5 12. Nxd6+ Bxd6 13. Bxd6
N Q Q
Qh4+ 14. Kd2 Qg5+ 15. Ke1 Qh4+. 8... c6
B N K Q Q
9.h3 e5 10. e2 c7 Securing control of c4 for
N R
the knight. 11.O–O–O d7 12.f4 c4 13. b1
e5 14. b3 c8 The main drawback to Black’s
R B R B R
setup is that his king is still confined to the cen-
ter. 15. d3 b5 16.g5 Fighting to dominate d5. 16.
Bc1 was expected. 16...hxg5 Unclear is 16...Nxe3
17. gxf6 exf4 18. Nd4 Be6 19. Nd5 Bxd5 20.
N N Q B B Q
exd5 when Black’s king is a target in the center.
B B B
17.fxg5 h5 18. d5 b7 19. c1 e6 20. e1
B
e7 21. f3 d8 Although Black is developing,
Q R N B
his king still hasn’t found a home. 22. g4 a5
23. d1 g6 24. f1 a4 25. d2 xg5 This tempt-
B N Q
ing pawn snatch leads to trouble. Better is 25...a3.
26. xe6 fxe6 27. xc4 bxc4 28. g4 exd5 The
rook is immune due to 28...cxd3 29. Qxe6 Be7 30.
R Q Q
Nxe7 dxc2 31. Ka1 Qd7 32. Qxg6 Kd8 33. Nd5!
Q B R B R
Rc6 34. Rf7 and wins. 29. xd5 d7 30. xg5
e6 31. d2 b8 32. c3 f8 The threat was
R Q
Bxe5. Black has managed to hang on but his king
Q N Q
is too precarious to survive for long. 33. fd1 f6
Q Q
34. d2 g3 35. e3 Missing a quicker kill by
R B Q B Q Q
35. Rxe5, but it hardly matters. 35... f4 36. a7
d8 37. xe5 xe4 38. xg3 xd5 39. e3+
Black Resigns. No credit for 39. Rxd5?? Rf1+ and
it is Black who mates!
1-0
◦ Judith Polgar
• Viswanathan Anand
Dos Hermanas
Spain
1999 1-0 B80
Judith 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 to
take risks, and her unclear double piece sacrifice
caught Anand by surprise. Whether or not it was
sound, Inside Chess called it a definite candidate
N N N B
for best game of the year.
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 At-
tacking the e-pawn right away to prevent White
N B
from establishing the so-called Maroczy Bind by
c4. 5. c3 a6 6. e3 e6 7.g4 A risky thrust. More
305
N
prudent is 7. Be2. 7...e5 8. f5 g6 9.g5 gxf5
Virtually committing White to sacrifice a piece,
since there is no compensation for the pawn on
Q
10. gxf6 f4 11. Bd2 Qxf6 12. Nd5 Qd8. 10.exf5
d5 11. f3 Crosses Anand up. He probably ex-
N B
pected 11. gxf6 d4 12. Bc4 Qc7! 13. Qd3 dxe3
B B
14. fxe3 b5! 11...d4 12.O–O–O bd7 13. d2
dxc3 14. xc3 g7 Returning some material to
blunt the attack and rejecting 14...Ng8 15. Qh5
Qc7 16. f4. But perhaps the safest path was
Q Q K Q
14...Rg8 15. gxf6 Qxf6. 15. g1 O–O 16.gxf6
R
xf6 17. e3 h8 18.f4 b6 A better defense
B B B R R
is 18...Qh6 right away. 19. g3 h6 20. d6
f6 21. d2 e4 22. c4 b5 23. e6 a7 24. c6
a5 White has a positional bind despite the material
R R B
deficit. 25. e3 b7 26. d5 b8 To meet the
R R R B R B
threat of Rxc8. 27. c7 b4 28.b3 b5 29. c6
R R K Q
xf5 30. xc8 xc8 31. xd7 cc5 32. xf5
xf5 33. d1 g8 34. g2 Black Resigns. The
threat of Qxe4 is devastating.
1-0
◦ John Nunn
• Igor-Alexander Nataf
French Team Championship
Monaco
1999 0-1 B32
Competition among cities in various nations has
become one of the most popular chess events in
Europe. Virturally any number of foreigners are el-
igible to take part as professional "hired guns," and
many grandmasters depend on these fees for their
livelihood. Nataf of Russia represented Clichy, a
suburb of Paris, on top board against British GM
Nunn, and this beautiful game clinched Clichy’s
7.5 - 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 suffer
a similar fate – but sometimes machines don’t see
everything!
N N N N
1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 e5 5. b5
d6 6.c4 White’s ability to gain total control over
d5 in this manner is why many players prefer the
B N N
Sveshnikov Defense move-order 4.. .Nf6 5. Nc3
e5 first. 6... e7 7. 1c3 a6 8. a3 f5 One ad-
vantage of this move-order us that this advance
wouldn’t be possible with the knight already on f6.
Kudrin-Shabalov, Chicago 1997, continued quietly
with 9. exf5 Bxf5 10. Bd3 Be6. 9. d3 f4 10.g3
White kept a slight edge with 10. Nc2 Nf6 11.
b3 O-O 12. Bb2 Kh8 13. Qe2 Be6 14. Nd5
in DeFirmian-Shabalov, U.S. Championship 1998.
 N R B
Q
10... f6 This pawn sacrifice is the only consis- 22. g2 xe4 The beginning of the end. The

B B N B
tent continuation, but is it sound? 11.gxf4 exf4 threat of Bxc2 is just too devastating. 23. g4 Also

Q N R
12. xf4 O–O 13. g3 g4 14. e2 Provoking inadequate 23. Bh6 g6 24. Qh3 Bxc2. 23...f5

N B Q N
the sacrifice on f2. Alternatives are 14. Nd5 or O- 24. g3 xg5 25. hg1 Or 25. Qxg5 Bxc2.

Q
O. 14... xf2 The merit of Black’s pawn sacrifice 25... xg2 26. xg2 f3 White Resigns
rests on the soundness of this sacrifice. 15. d5+ 0-1
Computer analysis later discovered that 15. Bxf2!
Rxf2 16. Kxf2 Bh4 17. Kg2! (not 17. Ke3? Qg5
◦ Gary Kasparov
18. Kd3 Nb4 19. Kd4 Bf2 mate!) Qg5 18. Bg4! is
• Michael Adams
better for White (after 18... Bxg4 19. Qd5) but the
Sarajevo (9)
players themselves found that 18...Ne5!! 19. h3 h5
Bosnia
K Q B N
gives Black a very dangerous attack, probably win-
1999 1-0 C45
ning. 15... h8 16. xf2 b4 17. h5 White’s
Kasparov, now 36, began 1999 with a bang by win-
R K
king is also mortally exposed after 17. Qd4 Rxf2
ning four elite events in a row – Wijk aan Zee,
B K
18. Kxf2 Bh4 19. Kf3 Bh3. 17... xf2 18. xf2
Linares, Sarajevo and Frankfurt. His rating soared
Q Q K
h4+ 19. g2 g6 Forces White’s reply since 20.
to 2851, surpassing Fischer’s peak of 2780 in 1972.
B
Qh6 Bg5 snares the queen. 20. f3 g5+ 21. f1
Kasparov is constantly improving; his success is
Q R B
h3+ This magical sacrifice is the beginning of
largely based on intense preparation and a willing-
the end. 22. xh3 f8+ 23. f3 No better is 23.
ness to embrace risk. Recently he revealed that al-
Q Q N
Qf3 Rxf3 24. Bxf3 Qe3 25. Kg2 Qf2 26. Kh3
most 4,000 opening novelties are stored in his com-
N Q K N K Q
Qxf3 27. Kxh4 h6. 23... e3 24. xh4 d3
puter waiting to be used. One of these innovations
K Q
25. d5 xf3+ 26. g1 f2 27. f1 xh1+
helped him spring a surprise in the final round of
28. e2 xa1 White resigns, as continuing the
N N N N
this event against British star Michael Adams.
N Q N Q
fight with 29. Ne3 Qxb2 30. Nac2 Qe5 is utterly
N Q Q N N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 exd4 4. xd4 f6
hopeless.0-1 29. e3 xb2+ 30. ac2 e5 0-1
N
5. xc6 bxc6 6.e5 e7 7. e2 d5 8.c4 b6
9. c3 Almost single-handedly, Kasparov has re-
vived unfashionable openings such as this Scotch
◦ Polgar, J.
Q Q B B B
Game. In an earlier round he beat Jan Timman
• Fritz 5.32
B B Q
with 9. Nd2. 9... e6 10. e4 b4 11. d2 a6
Budapest (5)
12.b3 xc3 13. xc3 d5 14. h4 This is an at-
Hungary
tempt to improve on Luboyevic-Spassky, Montreal
1999 0-1 B48
1979, which was drawn after 14. Qf3 dxc4 15.
In the 1990s computers continued their inexorable
Be2 O-O 16. O-O Rad8 17. Rfe1 Rfe8 18. Rac1
march toward domination. Judith Polgar, rated
B N
c5 19. Bf1 Nd5 20. bxc4 Nb4! 21. Bxb4 cxb4
2677, dropped this 8-game match 5.5 - 2.5. After
22. Qe3. 14...dxc4 15. e2 d5 15...O-O looks
three draws, she lost four out of five, finally man-
B
safer. Failure to castle early is a major cause of
aging one victory in the penultimate game when it
disaster among both tyros and masters. 16. d4 c5
was far too late to catch up. Each side only had a
B N
B Q B
Kasparov later suggested 16...Ne7 as an improve-
half hour for the whole game; speed seems to favor
N B
ment. 17. xc5 c3 18. xc4 xe5+ 19. e3
the machine.
N N N N R R
e4 20.O–O xc4 21.bxc4 O–O Finally! Now
B Q Q N N
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 c6 5. c3
N
Black’s defenses are intact. 22. fe1 fe8 23.f3
B N B
a6 6. e3 c7 7. d2 f6 8.f3 e5 9.O–O–O
B Q
d6 The last chance for a real fight was 23...Nc3!
Q
b4 10. b3 b5 11. d4 h6 To prevent Qg5.
N Q Q R Q Q
24. Kh1 Ne2 25. Bf2 Qb2. 24. f2 f5 25.c5
12. e1 Dubious. Better is 12. Kb1 Nc4 13. Qf2
R Q R R R
b5 26. b4 d3 27. ed1 a5 28. a4 e2
O-O 14. Qg3 Bd6 15. Qe1 Be5 16. Bxe5 Qxe5
29. e1 d3 30. xe8+ xe8 31. d1 Snares
N B
17. Qg3 with an edge (Anand - Portisch, Biel
material. If 31...Qe2 32. Re1 is simply decisive.
1993. 12... c6 13. e3 O–O 14.g4 Too aggres-
Black Resigns.
N
sive. White should first try 14. a3 to prevent
1-0
Q
the splintering of his queenside pawns. 14... e5

B B
15. g3 Staking all on a kingside attack; better is
◦ Bartlomie Macieja
B
15. Nxb5! 15... xc3 16.bxc3 b7 17.g5 hxg5
• Eduard Rozentalis
N Q Q Q
18. xg5 For better or worse White should try 17.

R R N
Nc5. 18... h5 19. h3 xc3 20. xh5 The 100th U.S. Open
last hope was 20. f4. 20... fc8 21. d2 xf3 Reno

306
 N B R
1999 0-1 C43 the knight on f5 without worrying about being dis-
This victory enabled Lithuanias Rozentalis to tie lodged by g4. 9.O–O h6 10.b3 e7 11. a2
for first with five other grandmasters in a field of A previous Korchnoi game reached equality after

R B
485 players. Polish star Macieja rejected a draw by 11. h4 cxd4 12. cxd4 Rc8 13. Bb2 Qd8 14. g3
repetition and then went astray. This duel shows b5. 11...cxd4 12.cxd4 c8 13. xh6 It’s unusual
how far opening theory has progressed, and the to swap a bishop for a knight without provocation

RQ R K Q K
struggle no longer seems to begin on move one. but Spassky wants to unclog his queenside fast.

N R K N N N
Their first 19 moves duplicated a game that was 13... xh6 14. d2 h8 15.h4 f8 16. f4 g8

N N B R N B R R Q
drawn a year earlier, and thereby hangs a tail. 17. bd2 g6 18. d1 g7 19. f1 a7 20. g5
1.e4 e5 2. f3 f6 3.d4 It’s tough to gain an ad- e8 21. d3 b5 22. d1 c3 23. ad2 c7

R R N N N R
vantage against the solid Petrov Defense. 3. Nxe5 Correct is 23...Rxd3! 24. Rxd3 Nxa3. 24.a4

N B N Q R Q R B N Q
d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Qe2 Qe7 6. d3 Nf6 has a xd3 25. xd3 c3 26. g3 xd1 27. xd1

N N B B Q Q N B B
drawish reputation. 3... xe4 4. d3 d5 5. xe5 b6 28. d3 c7 29. f3 d8 30. e2 e7

Q
d7 6. xd7 xd7 7.O–O d6 8.c4 c6 9.cxd5 31. c1 b4 32. f4 xg5 33.hxg5 c6 Not

Q B Q
cxd5 10. h5 Wins a pawn but Black gets good 33...Qxd4? 34. Nxe6+! fxe6 35. Qc7+ Kg8

Q N B
counterplay. 10...O–O 11. xd5 c6 12. h5 g6 36. Qb8! Kg7 37. Qxb7+ Kg8 38. Qe7 Qa1+

Q N R Q R K B N
13. h3 g5 14. xg5 If 14. Qh6 Ne6 15. Be3 39. Kh2 Qxe5+ 40. g3 Qg7 41. Qxe8+ Kh7 42.

R R B Q Q Q
Qf6 is okay for Black. 14... xg5 15. c3 ae8 Qxe6 wins. 34. e3 c8 35. h2 e8 36. d3

N R Q
16. ad1 e7 17.d5 d7 White has only one xb3 37. f4 xa4 Tougher is 37...Qb6! 38.

R Q Q K N K
way to save his queen. 18. e4 xe4 19. xd7 Nc5 when White must find compensation for the
d8 20. xb7 Both players were familiar with pawn. 38. f6+ g8 39. f4 h7 Nothing helps.

N
an earlier game that was drawn after 20. Qxd8 If 39...Qd7 40. Nxg6 fxg6 41. Qf8+ Kh7 42. Qh6+

B K
Qxd8 21. Bxe4 Qh4 22. Rfe1 Qxh2 23. Kf1. Kg8 43. Rf8 mate. 40. xe6 Black Resigns. It’s

R K Q R K R
White now strives for more. 20... xh2+ 21. xh2 mate after 40...fxe6 41. Qe7+ Kg8 42. Rf8.

K
h4+ 22. g1 h6 23.g3 h1+ 24. g2 h2+ 1-0

R Q
25. f3 White is not satisfied to force a draw by
25. Kg1 Rh1 26. Kg2, etc. 25... e8 26. d7 The ◦ Lautier, J.
critical defense is 26. Be4! f5 27. Ke2! Rxe4 • Bologan, V.

Q Q R
28. Kd3 running to the queenside with two pawns Enghien-les-Bains (8)

R Q K Q
in his pocket. 26... h5+ 27. g4 xf2+ A bolt France

K Q Q Q
from the blue. 28. xf2 xd5+ 29. f4 d4+ 1999 1-0 B10

B Q K
30. g5 xf2 31. f4 c5+ If 32. Kf6 Re6 mate; Few fans noticed a strong category 15 tournament

B Q
or 32. Kh4 Qh5 mate. 32. f5 e7+ 33. h6 f6 in France without Kasparov & Co. GM Viktor
34. xg6 g7+ White Resigns. If 34. Kh5 Qxg6 Bologan, 26, of Moldavia got off to a 6-1 start un-
35. Kh4 Re4 pins the queen. til he was stopped cold in ten moves by French GM
0-1 Joel Lautier, 24, who beat Kasparov twice. Short
losses by grandmasters contain instructive errors;
◦ Spassky, B. this is no exception.
• Korchnoi, V. 1.c4 c6 2.e4 d5 Bent Larsen once suggested 2...e5

N N N
10-game Exhibition match (1) 3. Nf3 Qa5!? to escape from reams of opening

N
Russia theory. 3.cxd5 cxd5 4.exd5 f6 5. c3 bd7

N N
1999 1-0 C02 Also playable is simply 5...Nxd5. 6. f3 a6 7.d4
Both players deserted the USSR in the 1970s. b6 8. e5 Trying to improve on 8. Qb3 g6
Their relations deteriorated dramatically after Ko- 9. Bg5 Bg7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. Bd3 O-O
rchnoi trounced Spassky in their last match to de- 12. O-O a5 13. a4 Qd6 14. h3 Qb4! with

N
termine a challenger for world champ Karpov in a pleasant position (Motwani-Hodgson, Blackpool
1978. At the end, Spassky stood on stage angrily 1988.) 8... bxd5 The wrong knight! Correct is
shaking his fist at Korchnoi. Here 21 years later 8...Nfxd5! when White’s sharpest idea is 9. Ne4

Q B
Spassky got off to an easy start in a grudge match e6 10. a3 Be7 11. Bd3 with a hard struggle in the
sponsored in conjunction with the 275- year Ju- offing. 9. a4+ d7 Useless is 9...b5 10. Bxb5+

N N Q N
bilee Celebration of St. Petersburg University. axb5 11. Qxa8 when Black has no compensation

B B B
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5. f3 b6 for the Exchange. 10. xd7 Black Resigns. He
6.a3 a5 7. d3 d7 8. c2 h5 Closed positions sees too late that 10...Qxd7 11. Bb5! axb5 12.
often can afford loss of time. The idea is to secure Qxa8+ is fatal.

307
1-0 in the playing hall, while waiting for his victim to

N N B B
make moves.
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3. c3 g6 4. e3 g7 Some
◦ FRITZ 5.32
Q
experts in this Pirc Defense suggest that 4...c6 5.
• Kasparov, G.
N
Qd2 b5 6.f3 Nbd7 is more accurate. 5. d2 c6
2-game Exhibition match (1)
N B
6.f3 b5 7. ge2 A tad premature. Stronger is
Germany
B
7. O-O-O Nbd7 8. Bh6. 7... bd7 8. h6
1999 1/2-1/2 B07
Q
xh6 The point: Black lost time by moving the
Machines seemed like the only opposition capa-
B Q K
bishop twice instead of delaying Bg7. 9. xh6
ble of standing up to Kasparov in this decade.
b7 10.a3 e5 11.O–O–O e7 12. b1 Safety
After back-to-back victories in two of the
N
first but 12. g3 O-O-O 13. Bh3 looks more
year’s strongest tournaments at Wijk-aan-Zee and
N
promising. 12...a6 13. c1 O–O–O Topalov has
Linares, he faced the latest version of FRITZ at a
R R N K N
reached a fairly level position. 14. b3 exd4
fast time limit of 15 minutes apiece during a com-
B B Q
15. xd4 c5 16. d1 b6 17.g3 b8 18. a5
puter convention in Hanover. Kasparov held the
a8 19. h3 d5 20. f4+ Kasparov said he de-
upper hand, yet games were drawn.
K R
cided here to embark on a speculative double-
1.e4 d6 2.d4 c6 Fearing the program’s huge open-
rook sacrifice. 20... a7 21. he1 d4 Black has
ing database, Kasparov continues the kind of rear-
N
the initiative and still stands well. Also playable
N B B
guard defense he criticized himself for adopting
N Q R
is 21...dxe4 and may have been safer. 22. d5
B N
against Deep Blue in 1997. 3. f3 g4 4.h3 h5
bxd5 23.exd5 d6 24. xd4 One critic ob-
N
5. e3 e6 6. bd2 d5 7.e5 Relieves pressure by so-
served that this extraordinary combination is none
B N B B N B
lidifying the center. More fluid is 7. Bd3. 7... d7
the less stunning for having been born of neces-
Q N R
8. d3 e7 9.O–O g6 10. e2 f5 11.c3 e7
sity. 24...cxd4 "I couldn’t find any advantage for
N
12. b3 b5 13.a4 xe3 14. fxe3 a6 15. a2
White after 24...Kb6! 25. Nb3 Bxd5 and I could
R R R
b6 Forces White to resolve the queenside ten-
tell Topalov saw it too," said Kasparov. "But he
R B N B R B
sion. 16.axb5 axb5 17. fa1 xa2 18. xa2
looked up. Maybe he got a sign from above that he
Q B B N K Q
O–O 19. a7 g5 20. f1 h6 21. a6 e4
R K
should play a great game. It takes two, you know,
R N Q
22. b4 xf3 23. xf3 c4 24. f2 g5
to do that." 25. e7+ b6 A second taste of the
N K Q K B
Seizing the initiative. 25. xc6 xe3 26. xb5
tainted bait would prove fatal. Not 25...Qxe7? 26.
xf1 27. xf1 c1+ 28. e2 f4 Overlooking
Qxd4+ Kb8 27. Qb6+ Bb7 28. Nc6+ Ka8 29.
28...Qc2+ 29. Kf1 Be3 30. Qe2 Qb1+ 31. Qe1
Q K
Qa7 mate. Now the king hunt begins in earnest.
R Q K Q
Qxb2 snaring a pawn due to the threat of Qb5+
26. xd4+ xa5 Forced. If 26...Qc5 27. Qxf6+
K Q K Q K Q
and/or Bd2. 29. b6 e3+ 30. f1 c1+
Qd6 28. Qd4+ Qc5 29.Qf6+ Qd6 30. Be6!! Bxd5
K
31. e2 e3+ 32. f1 c1+ 33. e2 c2+
31. b4!! is the brilliant point. "If Black is going
34. f1 Draw. If 34...Qxc3 35. Rb8! simplifies
K Q
to die, he will die with a full stomach" (Minev).
to a draw.
Q
27.b4+ a4 28. c3 Even neater is 28. Ra7! right
1/2-1/2
R B R
away. 28... xd5 Mate ensues after 28...Bxd5 29.

Q
Kb2 followed by Qb3+. 29. a7 b7 30. xb7
◦ Gary Kasparov c4 Topalov later said that he analyzed this posi-
• Veselin Topalov tion with his second (plus his computer program),
Wijk-aan-Zee (4) and he was unable to find a win after 30...Rhe8!
Holland However, subsequent analysis gave White the nod
1999 1-0 B07 after 31. Rb6 Ra8 32. Bf1!! (to stop Qc4). One
After an absence of nearly a year from tournament possible continuation is 32...Nd7 33. Rd6! Re1

Q K
chess, Kasparov roared back with a resounding (not 33...Qxd6? 34.Qb3 mate) 34. Kb2 Re3 35.
victory of 10-3 at the 61st Hoogovens Chess Fes- Qxe3 Qe5+ 36. Qxe5 Nxe5 37. f4. 31. xf6 xa3

Q K
tival, 1/2 point ahead of Anand and two full points The last chance to resist is 31...Rd1+ 32. Kb2 Ra8

K
ahead of Kramnik, his two most dangerous rivals, 33. Qb6 Qd4+ 34. Qxd4 Rxd4. 32. xa6+ xb4
and in the process produced this genuine master- 33.c3+ xc3 What else? If 33...Kb3 34. Qa2+

Q K
piece. He was rewarded with a brilliancy prize for Kxc3 35. Qb2+ Kd3 36. Bf1+ secures victory.
what is arguably the finest attacking game of his 34. a1+ d2 An incredible setting. Also inade-

Q K B
career. At the daily news conference, the visibly re- quate is 34...Kb4 35. Qb2+ Ka5 36. Qa3+ Qa4 37.
laxed and smiling champion was a totally different Ra7+. 35. b2+ d1 36. f1 Another hammer
man from the Kasparov who had paced the stage blow inviting 36...Qxf1 37. Qc2+ Ke1 38. Re7+

308
 R
Qe2 39. Qxe2 mate. Or 36...Qd5 37. Qc1 mate. this first game, Khalifman went on to win the final

R
36... d2 Forced. If 36...Qxf1 37. Qc2+ Ke1 38. six-game match in fine style by 3.5 - 2.5. But his

R B
Re7 mates. 37. d7 Outstanding! Black is a legitimacy as the real world champion was called

Q R Q Q K
veritable pin cushion. 37... xd7 38. xc4 bxc4 into question. The rest of the world accorded that

K R Q N N B B
39. xh8 d3 40. a8 c3 41. a4+ e1 42.f4 f5 honor to Kasparov, who bolted from FIDE in 1993.

B
43. c1 d2 44. a7 Black Resigns. 1. f3 f6 2.c4 g6 3.b4 g7 4. b2 O–O 5.g3

N
1-0 d6 6. g2 e5 Closing the long diagonal (a1-h8).

N N
Both bishops now bite on granite. 7.d3 h5
◦ Topalov, V.
N
8. c3 f5 9.O–O c6 More usual is 9...g5 or
• Ivanchuk, V. Nd7. 10.b5 e7 11.e4 c5 Black should leave the
Linares (13) queenside alone and continue with 11...f4. 12.bxc6

Q
Spain bxc6 13.c5 d5 13...dxc5 14. Na4 is clearly in
1999 0-1 A30 White’s favor. 14.exd5 cxd5 15. b3 e4 Virtu-
Ivanchuk tied for 5-6 in a field of eight stars (far ally forced since if 15...Kh8? 16. Nxe5! Bxe5
behind Kasparov) and was awarded the brilliancy 17. Nxd5! wins. 16.dxe4 After this Black re-
prize for this dashing victory over Bulgaria’s lead- tains his powerful center. White can keep an ad-

N
ing player. White’s failure to castle is responsible vantage with 16. Ng5! and if 16...h6? 17. dxe4

N N N
for his early demise. hxg5 18. exd5 is decisive. 16...fxe4 17. xe4

B N Q N
1. f3 c5 2.c4 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 e6 5.g3 Or 17. Ng5 Bf5. "The knight sacrifice has

B
b4+ 6. c3 a5 More usual is 6...Nf6. 7. b5
d5 8.a3 xc3+ 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 with
some point to it. White deals with Blacks dan-
gerous pawns once and for all; as compensation
he gets two pawns and a powerful light square
bishop. Additionally, the far advanced c-pawn will

N B Q Q B Q
complications (Lerner-Khuzman, Kuibyshev 1986. cause Black great difficulties in coordinating his

N B Q N B N R Q
9... f6 10. g2 O–O 11. b3 dxc4 12. xc4 e5 pieces." – Khalifman. 17... xb2 18. xb2 dxe4
13. d6 e6 14. d3 e4 Topalov probably un- 19. g5 f5 20. xe4 b8 21. c3 Better than

N N Q B B N B
derestimated the strength of this tempo-gaining 21. Qa3 Bxe4 22. Bxe4 Nf6 23. Bg2 Qc7.

N B Q R N N Q R
move. White’s already in big trouble. 15. xe4 21... d5 22. a3 xe4 23. xe4 hf6 24. f3

R Q N Q N R Q
If 15. Qc2 Nd4! is strong. 15... xe4 16. xe4 c7 25. ac1 e7 26.c6 f5 27. c3 bc8
ad8 17. c2 d4 18. b2 xe2 "A splendid 28. fe1 g7 Constant vigilance is required. Not

K
combination based on White’s uncastled king be- 28...Qf7? 29. c7 Ne8 30. Bd1! Nxc7 31. Bb3

R R R R
ing stuck in the center" – Ivanchuk. 19. xe2 Nd5 32. Qxc8! Rxc8 33. Rxc8 and White is the

Q Q K N Q N Q
fe8 A deadly "quiet move." 19...Bc4+ only one playing to win. 29. cd1 c7 30. e6 h5

Q Q N Q R
draws. 20. b4 On 20. f3 f5 retains the initia- 31. e5 h7 32.h3 g8 33. e4 f6 34. e5

R N Q Q Q
tive. 20... h5+ 21.f3 f5 22.g4 h3 Accurate to g8 35. e4 f6 Black avoids a draw by rep-

B N
the end. 22...fxg4 23. Be3 is less clear. 23.gxf5 etition. 36. xf6 xf6 37. b4 e7 38. b8
If 23. Kf2 fxe4 24. Qxe4 Bd5 wins. 23... xf5 d6 39.g4 Needlessly weakening the kingside.
"23...Qg2+ 24. Ke3 Qxh1 25. fxe6 Rd1 was After 39. Qb4 or even Bg2 White possibly can

Q K R R N K K R Q
Q N
also winning, but the text is more spectacular" – still draw by standing pat. 39...hxg4 40.hxg4

R
Ivanchuk. 24. c4+ h8 25. e1 xe4+ White f7 41. g2 g7 42. e1 d8 43. b2 g5

Q Q
Resigns. If 26. fxe4 Bg4+ 27. Kf2 Qxh2+ 28. Ke3 44. e3 White’s impending doom is not averted by

Q R
Qg3 mate. 44. Rd1 Qh8 45. Rh1 Qc8. 44... d6 45. a3

K B N R N B N
0-1 xa3 Too hasty is 45...Qf4 46. Re7. 46. xa3

K K R K
f7 47. e2 e6 48. a4 d5 49. f3 e7
◦ Vladimir Akopian
R N R
50. g3 f6 51. c4 e5 Black’s extra piece
• Alexander Khalifman
K B N
is proving decisive. 52. c1 d4 53. e1+

N B
FIDE World Championship (1) f6 54. g2 exc6 The capture of this pawn

R K N
Las Vegas ends White’s drawing chances. 55.f4 e7 56. f1
1999 0-1 A15 c3+ 57. g2 c2 White Resigns. Picks up an-
The controversial knockout format started with 100 other pawn after 58. Rb1 Ne3.
grandmasters, but the winner was not required to 0-1
face sitting FIDE champion Karpov, who boy-
cotted the event and sued FIDE for contract viola- ◦ Gary Kasparov
tion. After recovering from an inferior opening in • World Team

309
 K K Q K Q
Kasparov vs. World (1) received 38% of the votes while 51...Ka1! got

Q Q K Q K
Internet 34%. 52. f6+ b2 53. h2+ a1 54. f4 b4

Q
1999 1-0 B52 55. xb4 f3+ 56. g7 d5 57. d4+ b1 58.g6

Q K Q K K
This landmark contest was sponsored by Microsoft e4 Loses by a hair. The best drawing chance is
on its game zone, and it proved that chess is ideally 58...Qf5! 59. g1+ b2 60. f2+ c1 61. f6
suited for the Internet. A cliffhanger that lasted d4 62.g7 51.01% voted to throw in the towel.
124 days, it was hailed by many as the great- Kasparov later demonstrated a forced mate in 25
est correspondence game ever. A team of youth- moves. "I spent more time analyzing this than any
ful coaches suggested moves and supplied analy- other game," said Kasparov, who devoted over 100
sis for the rest of the world to vote on. The move hours of study after Black’s tenth move caught him
receiving the majority of votes was then chosen. by surprise.
Each day, about 45,000 people logged on, and ul- 1-0
timately some three million votes were received
from 79 countries. Controversy erupted when a ◦ Alexander Khalifman
hacker claimed to be stuffing the ballot boxes with • Gary Kasparov
bad moves. Microsoft took steps to end tamper- Linares (2)
ing by changing the rules to exclude non-Windows Spain

N B B B Q
users from voting. 2000 1/2-1/2 D97
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3. b5+ d7 4. xd7+ xd7 FIDE recently nixed a unification match between
3% voted for 4...Kxd7?! The other 97% made Khalifman, their newly crowned world champion,

N N N
a wiser choice. Also playable, of course, is and Kasparov, the strongest player in the world.

N B N Q
4...Nxd7. 5.c4 c6 6. c3 f6 7.O–O g6 8.d4
cxd4 9. xd4 g7 10. de2 e6 This daring
novelty, championed by then US Women’s Cham-
pion Irina Krush, snatches a pawn and leads to
With his usual ’modesty’ Kasparov proclaimed:
"There is no clear number two in the world. The
gulf is so wide and my superiority is so obvious
that sponsors fear a title match with any of my chal-

N
wild complications. More usual is 10...O-O as lengers won’t generate much interest." At the an-

Q N K N Q N
in Hort-Petrosian, San Antonio 1972. 11. d5 nual super tournament in Linares, six stars faced

N R N N Q
xe4 12. c7+ d7 13. xa8 xc4 14. b6+ each other twice. Kasparov shared the lead with

Q
axb6 15. c3 a8 16.a4 e4 17. xe4 xe4 Kramnik at 6 points while the other four all tied

B Q Q
18. b3 f5 Inviting 19. Qxb6? Nd4! threatening for last (or third, if you will) at 4.5 points. This

B R R Q Q
Ra6, bagging the queen. 19. g5 b4 20. f7 closely-watched contest between two rival title-

B Q Q Q B Q
e5 21.h3 xa4 22. xa4 xa4 23. xh7 holders brought Khalifman’s overall record against

N N N B Q
xb2 24. xg6 e4 25. f7 d4 26. b3 f4 Kasparov to a respectable four draws.

Q N B
Selected by a narrow margin. Russian analysts 1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4. f3 g7 5. b3

B B Q
suggested 26...Bc5 27. h4 Kc7 28. Qf7 d5 29. dxc4 6. xc4 O–O 7.e4 a6 8. e2 c5 9.d5 e6

Q R R R
h5 Nd4 30. h6 Nf3+! 31. gxf3 Qxf3 and White 10.O–O exd5 11.exd5 f5 12. e3 b6 13.b3

B Q R
cannot avoid a draw by perpetual check. 27. f7 fe8 14. ad1 ad8 A solid choice. Alterna-

Q Q Q N N N B
e5 28.h4 b5 Both sides race to make new queens tives are 14...Rxe3!? or Ng4. 15.h3 a5 16. fe1

Q K B
on opposite wings. 29.h5 c4 30. f5+ e6 d7 17. a4 b4 18. g5 Later it was deter-

B K
31. xe6+ xe6 32.g3 fxg3 33.fxg3 b4 34. f4 mined that 18. Bd2! is better. But 18. Nxc5?!

N
d4+ 35. h1 Instead of going into the cor- Nxc5 19. Bxc5 Nc2 20. b4 Qa4 21. Rf1 b6 22.

ner, 35. Kg2 looks logical but runs into 35...b3
36 g4 b2 37 g5 Nb4 38 g6 Nd3 39 h6 b1=Q (if
39...Nxf4 40. g7 Kf7 41. Rxf4+ Bf6 42. Rf1
Kg8 43. Rg1 Bg5 44. h7+! Kxh7 45. g8/Q+!
Kxg8 46.Rxg4+ wins) 40 Rxb1 Nxf4+. With the
king on h1, however, 41. Re1+! is now decisive
B Q R N
Bd4 Qxb4 gives Black a good endgame. 18... c2
19. xd8 xd8 20. f1 d4 Kasparov later said
he felt obliged to fight to win with Black because
Khalifman was the lowest rated rival in this tour-
nament. But here Kasparov misses his best chance
via 20...Na3! 21. Qc1 Rxe2 22. Qxa3 Be4 23.

N B R
(if 41...Kf6 42 g7 Kf7 43 Rxe7+; or 41...Be5 42 Rfe1 Bxf3 24. gxf3 Rxe1 . Rxe1 Qg5 26. Kf1

K N R
g7 Kf7 43 Rg1Kg8 44 h7+! forces a new queen). Qxd5 27. Re8 Bf8. 21. xd4 xd4 22. xd4

B K B K
35...b3 36.g4 d5 37.g5 e6 38.h6 e7 39. d1 Snuffing out complications that would ensue af-

K K N K K R B B
e5 40. e3 c4 41. xd4 exd4 42. g2 b2 ter 22. b4 Re4 23. bxc5 Qh4. Instead, the game

K Q R K K R N Q N
43. f3 c3 44.h7 g6 45. e4 c2 46. h1 peters out into a draw. 22...cxd4 23. g4 xg4

Q Q Q Q
d3 47. f5 b1= 48. xb1 xb1 49. xg6 d2 24.hxg4 e4 25.f3 e5 26. b4 d3 Hoping for
50.h8= d1= 51. h7 b5 This inferior move 27. Qxb7 Re2 with a dangerous attack. 27. c4

310
Ne5 28.Qb4 Nd3 Going for the repetition of seem to do anything with his extra pawn. 39.Kc2
Rh2+ 40.Kb1 c4 41.Rg5+ Kd4 42.Rg3 Ke5
29. Nc3 White stands better. 29.Qc4 Draw by
moves. If 26...Re2 27. Qxd4 Qf6 28. Qd1! Rxa2
Draw by Agreement. Khalifman could have tor-
Agreement. Out of a total of 30 games in this tured Leko longer to avoid splitting the point so
event, 23 were drawn! Capablanca once predicted soon. One possible variation is 43. a4 Kd4 44.
the "draw death" of chess, and Emanuel Lasker Ka2 Rd2 45. a5 Kc5 46. Ra3 Rd7 47. Kb1 Ra7
explained why draws were on the rise: "Games 48. Kc2 Kb5 49. Kc3 Rh7 and White can’t make
played by men of equal strength, and played ac- progress.
curately, will end in draws and are apt to be dull. 1/2-1/2
Brilliancy occurs usually from combinations that
are afforded by errors in combination." ◦ Alexander Khalifman
1/2-1/2 • Peter Leko
Linares (8)
◦ Alexander Khalifman Spain
• Peter Leko 2000 1-0 D85
Training Match (1) Revenge is sweet. A few weeks after Leko crushed
Budapest Khalifman in an exhibition match, the FIDE cham-
2000 1/2-1/2 D97 pion demonstrated his recuperative power when
Newly crowned FIDE champion Khalifman, 34, they met again. Their first 21 moves replicated
flunked his first major test against Hungary’s Pe- Kramnik-Kasparov at Linares 1998, which ended
ter Leko, who at 20 was already ranked among in a draw just one move later. But Khalifman un-
the world’s top ten. About a thousand specta- corked a new move that turned the game in White’s
tors watched each game as Leko pleased his home favor at the cost of a pawn, once again demonstrat-
crowd with a dashing 4.5 - 1.5 victory in a remark- ing the value of prepared variations at the highest

N N B N
ably one-sided match. Khalifman stood no chance level.

N N R B
against such merciless precision, losing all three 1.d4 f6 2. f3 g6 3.c4 g7 4. c3 d5 5.cxd5

Q B Q
games with Black and merely drawing all three xd5 6.e4 xc3 7.bxc3 c5 8. b1 O–O 9. e2
games with White. Even so, the outcome of the cxd4 10.cxd4 a5+ 11. d2 xa2 Of course
match might have been different had Khalifman it’s risky to plunge the queen out of play to gain

B
won the very first game. Leko, on the ropes here, a pawn, but can Black be punished? 12.O–O

N N B N Q
defends like a wizard. g4 For some time returning the gambit pawn

Q B N B
1.d4 f6 2. f3 g6 3.c4 g7 4. c3 d5 5. b3 was the method of choice, but an alternative is

B
dxc4 6. xc4 O–O 7. f4 a6 8.e4 c5 9.d5 g4 12...b6 13. Qc1 Qe6 as in Gavrikov-Agrest, Es-

B N Q Q Q B N
On occasion Kasparov has tried 9...e6 right away. tonia 1999. 13. g5 h6 Hoping to equalize on

B N R R R
10. e2 d7 11. b3 b6 12. xb6 axb6 13.a3 13...Bxe7 Re8 14. Rxb7 Nd7. 14. e3 c6

B B B Q
xf3 A reasonable alternative is an immediate 15.d5 e5 16. xb7 e6 17.d6 fd8 18. e1
13...f5. 14.gxf3 f5 15. g5 f6 Better than xf3 19.gxf3 a5 This line also was explored

N N B N
15...Bxc3 16. bxc3 Rxa3 17. Bxe7 Re8 18. in Lautier-Illescas, Wijk aan Zee 1997, which was

R B Q B
d6. 16.h4 c7 17.O–O–O e8 18. xf6 exf6 drawn after 20. Bd2 Qa2 21. Be3 Qa5 22. Bd2
19.d6 fxe4 20.fxe4 Missing a chance to gain the Qa2, etc. 20. f1 f8 21.d7 a2 22. b5 Im-

B
advantage by 20. dxe7! Rfe8 21. fxe4 Rxe7 proving on 22. Re1 Qa5 draw agreed as in the

R K R N N N B
22. Rhe1 followed by f4 and e5. 20...e5 21. b5 aforementioned Kramnik-Kasparov game. White’s

B N R R R R N K N B Q Q
ad8 22.f3 g7 23. hf1 h5 24. d5 f4 passed pawn now looms large. 22...a6 23. a4
25. xd7 xd5 26. xd5 xd7 27. xe5 f6 xf3+ 24. g2 e5 25. b6 c4 26. d4
Leko is in no hurry to extract the bone from his White wants to enter the endgame a pawn down

R K Q B
throat, in view of 27...Rxd6 28. Re7 Rf7 29. Rxf7 without queens on the board and then use his d-

N B N R B B B
Kxf7 30. Rd1! 28. d5 f7 29.f4 Black seems pawn to gain material. 26... xd4 27. xd4

R R R R B R B
to hold by the skin of his teeth on 29. e5 Rf4 31. d3 28. c6 c5 29. c7 d6 30. xc5 xc7

R
Re1 Ke6. 29... fxd6 30. xd6 xd6 31. d1 31. xa8 xa8 32. e7 Decisive. If now

R R R R R R B B
f6 Black loses if he exchanges rooks because of 32...Bd8 33. Rc1! Bxe7 34. Rc8 wins outright.

R K R R R R R K R K K B
his doubled pawns. 32. f1 d6 33. d1 f6 32... d8 33. d1 f5 34. xd8 xd8 35.exf5

R K R R K K R K R
34. d7+ e6 35. xh7 xf4 36. xb7 xe4 gxf5 36. d6 f7 37. xa6 e7 38. g3 c7+
37. xb6+ d5 38. xg6 xh4 Both rooks are 39. h4 xd7 40. a7 c6 41. xc7+ Elegantly
done with their feeding frenzy but White can’t forcing a straightforward king and pawn ending.

311
 K K K K
K K
41... xc7 42. h5 e5 43. xh6 d6 44. g5
e6 45.h4 f4 46.h5 f3 47. g4 Hopeless is 47...
e4 48. Kf4 Kf6 49. Kxe4. Black Resigns.
K
Rg5! Kh6 46. Rg6 Kh5 47. Rh6 mate. 43...hxg3+
En passant capture is absolutely forced – other-
wise Black is checkmated! This setting occurs

R Q Q Q
1-0 in composed problems but rarely over-the-board.
44. xg3 e5 45. d7 e2+ Black is out of the
◦ Jeroen Piket
R Q
woods and can even try 45...Qb2 46. Rg2 Qb7!
• Veselin Topalov 46. g2 e5+ Forcing a draw by repetition after
Melody Amber 47. Rg3 Qe2, etc. It’s hard to shake the feeling that
Monaco White missed a win somewhere along the way in
2000 1/2-1/2 A73 this exceptional blindfold game.
Philidor’s blindfold display against two opponents 1/2-1/2
at Paris in 1744 was considered little short of
miraculous. The Melody Amber, named after the ◦ Gary Kasparov
sponsor’s daughter, required 12 grandmasters to • Alexander Morozevich
face each other twice without sight of the board Sarajevo (7)
at a fast clip of 25 minutes per side, which is not Bosnia
conducive to precise chess. The main feature of 2000 1/2-1/2 D39
this double blind test is the position that arose after A thrilling draw. The world champion offered a se-
43. g4. The rules state that en passant capture is ries of pawns to Morozevich, who eagerly scooped
optional, yet here it is forced, because it’s the only them up. After castling on opposite sides, Kas-
way to prevent mate. This predicament is so rare parov won a piece but the young Russian whipped

N N
as to be almost nonexistent. up a dangerous counterattack. Kasparov responded
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. f3 c5 4.d5 d6 5.h3 Tak- by sacrificing an Exchange and then a bishop to
ing the game out of book. A good way to ex- force a draw by perpetual check. When two chess

N
ploit this loss of time is 5...exd5 6. cxd5 b5 Kamikazes collide, it’s the sort of result you’d ex-

B B N N N B
or even 5...b5!? immediately. 5...g6 6. c3 pect!

B
exd5 7.cxd5 g7 8.e4 O–O 9. d3 b5 Ultra- 1.d4 e6 2. f3 f6 3.c4 d5 4. c3 dxc4 5.e4 b4

B N Q B
sharp because Black never succeeds in regaining 6. g5 c5 Black also can try to hold the pawn by

B N N Q N
the pawn. Another idea is 9...Na6 10. O-O 6...b5 7. e5 h6. 7. xc4 cxd4 8. xd4 a5 9. d2

Q N Q N N N B B
Nc7. 10. xb5 xe4 11. xe4 a5+ 12. fd2 O–O "A novelty. I’m not sure whether it is re-

N N Q Q Q
xb5 13. xd6 a6 14. 2c4 d7 15.O–O ally good." – Kasparov 10. c2 xc3 11. xc3

N R R Q Q
b6 16. xb6 xb6 Gives Black more counter- g5 12. e2 Instead 12.Qf3 offers White a slight

R
play than 16...axb6. 17. xc8 axc8 18. b1 advantage. 12... xg2 13.O–O–O xe4 If

B Q B Q B B R
fd8 Black must regain the d-pawn or he is lost. 13...Nxe4 14. Bxg7! gives White a good attack.

R R Q
19. f4 b7 20.d6 f8 21. d3 xd6 22. xd6 14. hg1 g6 Other replies are worse. If 14...Qxe2?
c6 23. fd1 d7 Black prefers to keep queens 15. Rxg7! Kxg7 16. Rg1 Kh6 17. Bxe2 threat-

N
on the board rather than go for the unpromising ening Bd2 mate. Or 14...e5? 15. Rxg7! Kxg7 16.

Q R R Q Q R
ending after 23...Rcxd6 24. Qxd6 Rxd6 25. Rxd6. Rg1 Kh8 17. Bxe5 Qc6 18. Nb4 wins. 15. e3 e5

Q R
24. a3 xd6 25. xd6 xd6 26. xa7 e8 "15...Nbd7 16.Rd4 is bad for Black." – Kasparov
27. a3 e2 Black is still a pawn down but has ac- 16.f4 "Before, I had in mind 16. Rd6 Be6 17. Nd5

Q Q R Q
tive counterplay, thanks to his control of the central Qxe2 18. Nxf6 Kg7 19. Bxe2 Kxf6 20. f4 Kg7 21.
files. 28. c3 b6 29.a4 c4 30. f1 b3 Invit- Bxe5 Kg8 and in this position the two bishops’ ad-

B
ing 31. Qxb3 cxb3 32. Rb1 Re4 33. Ra1 Re2 vantage should equalize an extra-pawn. However,

R Q Q Q R B Q R
34. a5 Rxb2 35. a6 Ra2 which draws in the nick I was looking for more." – Kasparov 16... e6

R Q K R R K
of time. 31. c1 xa4 32. d4 a6 33. xc4 17. d3 xf4 18. gf1 "At this moment I under-

Q Q
xb2 34. d8+ g7 35. c8 b1+ 36. h2 stood that after 18.Rdf1 Qh4 19.Be1 Rc8+ 20.Kb1
e6 37. d4+ Black is walking a tightrope ow- Qa4 21.b3 Qc6! White has serious problems with

Q
ing to his back rank weakness. 37. Qh8 Kh6 38. the c-file. The compensation for three extra pawns

K R Q B
Qf8 Kg5 39. Rc5 f5 40. Qd8 looks more danger- is not sufficient." – Kasparov 18... h4 Just drop-

Q Q R N R
ous. 37... h6 38. g8 e7 Stops the threat of ping a piece. Stronger is 18... Qg5. 19. e1
Qh4 mate. 39.h4 f6 40. d2+ g5 40...Kh5 looks a4 20. xf6 c6 21. xe6 "Another ’brilliant’

K
precarious but is also playable. 41.f4 gxh4 42.f5+ idea. It is enough for a draw... but White could win
h5 43.g4+ Desperately trying to weave a mating after 21. b3! Unfortunately I didn’t have enough
net. If 43. Qf4 Rb4! avoids the trap 44...Qe5? 45. time to calculate these complex lines." – Kasparov

312
 N
21... d4 Much better than 21... fxe6 22. Bc4 Nd4
Q Q B
23. Rxd4! exd4 24. Bxe6 with a crushing attack.
22. g4 xa2 23. xg6 A fascinating finale that
seems to end too soon in a draw. After 23...hxg6
(or 23...fxg6 24. Rxg6 Kh8 25. Rxd4!) 24. Rxg6
hxg6 25. Qxg6 Kh8 White has nothing better than
to take the perpetual check by 26. Qh6. Black can
get mated if he tries to avoid a draw by 23... Nb3
24. Kc2 Rac8 25. Bc3 fxg6 26. Rxg6 Kh8 27.
Qxc8!! Rxc8 28. Rd8 Rxd8 29. Bxe5 mate.
1/2-1/2
◦ Vladimir Kramnik
• Alexei Shirov
Linares (5)
Spain
2000 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 the
Slav Defense that has baffled theory for decades.
After only a dozen moves an ending is reached
where 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," noted
Kramnik, whose flawless endgame technique helps
N N N B K R
avenge his loss of a match to Shirov in 1998.
N R
1. f3 d5 2.d4 c6 3.c4 f6 4. c3 dxc4 5.a4 f5
6. e5 Kramnik has used this Krause Attack rather
consistently since 1994 and scored good results
B B
with it. Two rounds earlier against Anand he tried
6. e3. 6...e6 7.f3 b4 8.e4 xe4 This piece sac is
N
virtually forced, since White regains the pawn ad-
B Q N Q Q B
vantageously after 8...Bg6 9. Bxc4. 9.fxe4 xe4
K Q K N N
10. d2 xd4 11. xe4 xe4+ 12. e2 xd2+
13. xd2 d5+ 14. c2 a6 15. xc4 b5 More
active than 15...Rd8 16. Qe5 Qxe5 17. Nxe5 Nb4
18. Kb3 Nd5 19. Bc4 as in Evans-Kramer, New
York 1951. Nowadays, no way has been found
N K
for White to show a real advantage after 15...O-
R B
O 16. Qe5 Rfb8. 16.axb5 b4+ 17. c3 cxb5
Q
18. d1 Better than 18. Kxb4 bxc4 19. Qxc4
Rb8. 18... c5 "This might be called a novelty,
though it was played in Topalov-Anand, Dos Her-
manas 1997. More usual is 18...bxc4 19. Rxd5
Nxd5 20. Kd2. It’s not easy to break Black’s po-
sition, but it’s no fun for him as he is suffering all
Q N R
game long and the best he can hope for is a draw."
– Kramnik 19. e5 d5+ 20. xd5 b4+ White
K Q B
stands well after 20...Qxd5 21. Nd6 Kf8 22.Qxd5
exd5 23. Nxb5. 21. b3 xd5 22. e2 "This is
a very good move, which set him thinking for a
313
long time. After the game Shirov told me he had
not looked at this possibility in his preparation. 22.
Qxg7 was possible and does not lose by force or
anything, but it is very dangerous for White after
22...Qd1 23. Ka2 Qa4 24. Na3. I think he was
mainly expecting 22. Qxd5 exd5 23. Na5 but I
did not like the idea that his king might come into
the center. I opted for the text since it forces him
to castle and remove his king from the center." –
Q N R
Kramnik 22...O–O Simply bad is 22...Qxg2? 23.
Nd6 Kf8 24. Rf1. 23. xd5 exd5 24. a5 fe8
"Black does have a material edge, but it is clear that
some of his pawns are going to fall. I still believe
that with very accurate play Black must be able to
make a draw. But it is an uphill struggle, as witness
B R R R
the fact that Alexei, who is a good player, tried and
K R
failed." – Kramnik 25. f3 ac8 26. d1 e3+
R R
27. a4 b3 28. xd5 g6 It’s useful to stop back
K K
rank mate threats once and for all. 29. d7 c2
30. a3 g7 "This position requires deep analy-
sis. There were some alternatives such as 30...a6
which during the game I actually believed to be his
best option but still 31. Bd5 Rf2 32. Nc4 Ree2
33. Kxb3 with reasonable winning chances, even
though it will not be easy. Also 30...Rxf3 31. gxf3
Rxh2 32. Nxb3 h5 33.Rxa7 h4 34. Rc7 is highly
complicated. Too difficult to calculate, and that’s
R R R
why my opponent got into serious time trouble."
R N R R
– Kramnik 31. xa7 h5 32.h3 h4 33. b7 c5
34. b4 f5 35. c7 g5 36. xb3 f4+ 37. c4
xc4+ "A serious mistake in time pressure. But
it seems Black is lost anyway, which leaves the
question of where exactly he went wrong? Diffi-
cult to say, perhaps his position was already very
unpleasant right after the opening and it never re-
covered. Obviously his best chance was 37...Rexf3
38. gxf3 Rxf3 39. Rc3 (the point of 35. Rc7!)
K N K
Rf2 40. Ka3 f5 41. Nd4 and White should be
R
winning." – Kramnik 38. xc4 f5 39. d4 f6
40.b4 e1 "He had probably overlooked that af-
K N K R
ter 40...Ke5 41. Nc2 very nicely traps his rook." –
K R N K
Kramnik 41.b5 e5 42. c6+ d6 43.b6 c1+
44. b5 g4 45.b7 b1+ 46. b4 c7 47.hxg4
fxg4 48. e4 Black Resigns. If 48...Rb2 39. Kc4
h3 50. gxh3 gxh3 51. Kc3 decides the issue
(51...Re2 52. Na6).
1-0
◦ Vladislav Tkatchiev
• Jeroen Piket
Match (4)
Cannes
2000 1-0 D10
Tkatchiev, 26, a relative newcomer, drew an excit-
ing eight game match with established Dutch star
Piket, 31, who made a profound positional queen
sacrifice and then lost the thread. Instead of contin-
uing his attack on the kingside, Piket inexplicably
bunched his pieces on the other wing and suffered
a reversal of fortune. Even fine conceptions require
N
proper follow-ups.
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3. c3 dxc4 4.e3 b5 5.a4 b4
N
Avoids the well-known trap 5...a6? 6. axb5 cxb5
7. Nxb5! 6. e4 Sticks to his intention to sacri-
Q N N N N N B
fice a pawn. 6. Na2 regains it, but with no hope
B B N B
for an advantage. 6... d5 7. g3 f6 8. f3
a6 Better than 8...h5 9. e4! Nxe4 10. Nxe4
B B B B
Qxe4 11. Be2 as in Epishin-Ortega, Bozen 1999.
9. e2 e6 10.O–O d6 11. d2 Passive. An-
N N B
other approach is 11. Qc2 (to enforce e4) Bxg3
B
12. hxg3 Nbd7 13. Nd2. 11...h5 12. e5 h4
13. f3 hxg3 A beautiful Queen sacrifice which is
B Q
entirely voluntary since 13...Qa5 14. Nxc6 Qc7!
K R Q N R
15. Nxb4 Bb7 favors Black. 14. xd5 gxh2+
15. h1 cxd5 Black has two minor pieces, two
pawns and a compact, solid position for the Queen.
B N N R N
It should at least be good enough to draw. 16.a5
B R R Q N R B
b5 Also feasible is 16...b3. 17.a6 c6 18. xc6
xc6 19. a5 b8 20. e2 e4 21. fa1 c7
The wrong concept. White is virtually paralyzed.
both his rooks and queen lack scope. Instead
of going after material, Black should ignore the
B B R Q Q Q
queenside and continue with 21...f5 followed by
N B R R N
g5, Kf7, etc. 22. e1 xa5 23. xa5 c3 24.f3
d6 25. g3 b5 26. a1 c4 Time pressure.
N
26...cxb2 27. Qxb2 Nc4 is better. Even 26...Nf5
B K
is feasible. 27.b3 b6 Better is 27...Nd2 28. Qd1
f6. 28. d6 d7 To hold the game he should play
B
28...f6 followed by Kf7. But spurred by the clock
R Q N Q R
he leaves his entire Kingside unprotected. 29. c5
b8 30. f2 c8 31. g3 8b6 Desperation.
Black’s forces are bunched on the queenside with-
Q N
out any future, leaving his kingside vulnerable. If
Q
31...g6 32. Qf4 activates the queen. 32. xg7 d6
33. f8 Black Resigns. A bitter pill to swallow for
Piket, who managed to draw the match after com-
ing from behind.
1-0
◦ Pavel Tregubov
• Artashes Minasian
5th Ubeda Open (10)
Spain
2000 1-0 A43
Hannibal made a stop in Ubeda with his army of
elephants on his way to attack Rome, but not much
else has happened here for centuries until chess
314
troops arrived recently. Lured by a significant prize
fund, free food and hotel accommodations, plus a
mild climate even in January, titled players flocked
to Spain for this event, held in conjunction with
an elite closed tournament in nearby Linares. GM
Tregubov came from behind in the last round at
Ubeda to tie for first with GM Minasian via a pawn
sacrifice in the opening that yielded mighty divi-
B N
dends.
1.d4 c5 2.d5 g6 3.e4 g7 4.c4 d6 5. c3 e6 Es-
chewing the double-edged 5...Bxc3+!? 6. bxc3
leaving White with the two bishops but an annoy-
ing doubled pawn. 6. f3 e7 7. e2 O–O
Q R N
8.O–O exd5 9.cxd5 a6 10.a4 g4 11. d2 xe2
12. xe2 e8 13. c4 A pawn sacrifice. Safer
N Q
is 13. Qf3 Nd7 14. Nc4. 13... xc3 14.bxc3
xd5 15. f3 Even stronger is 15. Qb2! Rxe4
16. Qxb7 Nxc3 17. Qxa8. 15... b6 16. g5
The only way to justify the sacrifice, since 16.
N R
Nxb6 Qxb6 17. Bh6 Re6 offers Black sufficient
defensive resources. 16... xg5 17. xb6 a7
18. ad1 d8 19. c4 e6 20.e5 b5 Missing a
N Q N R
chance to reach parity with 20...Nd7! 21. exd6
Q
b5. 21.axb5 axb5 22. xd6 g5 23. xb5 d7
Q R
24. xd7 xd7 25. d1 More elegant than 25.
N N Q R
Qa8+ Kg7 26. Nc7. 25... e7 26.f4 b6 27.c4
f8 28.h3 e6 29. d5 b8 30.f5 Activating
R Q K R
the rook. Black is a a pawn down and struggles
N N Q N R R R
in vain. 30...gxf5 31. xf5 h4 32. h2 f8
R N K
33. d6 f4 34. f3 g6 35. xf7 b8 36. f5
d4 37. d5+ xd5 38.cxd5 d8 39. e4 g7
40.e6 Black Resigns.
1-0
◦ Alexei Shirov
• Sergei Movsesian
Sarajevo (10)
Bosnia
2000 0-1 B85
This game shows there is no turning back after
creating permanent weaknesses in the pawn struc-
ture when you go all-out to attack. Here, leading
Kasparov by 1/2 point going into the penultimate
round, Shirov tried to clinch first by ripping apart
Black’s kingside. Czech grandmaster Movsesian,
who once complained that players like him were
as 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. The
final result once again proved the validity of Tar-
takower’s maxim that the victor is he who makes
N N N Q
the next-to-the-last-mistake.
N B N B B
1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 c7
5. c3 e6 6. e2 a6 7.O–O f6 8. e3 e7 9.f4
 Q
d6 10. e1 O–O After a transposition of moves the contender emerged in youthful Alexander Moroze-

Q N B
Scheveningen Variation of the Sicilian Defense ap- vich, who finished fifth in a field of 14 grandmas-

B K B R Q B
pears on the board. 11. g3 xd4 12. xd4 b5 ters. This last round effort earned Morozevich the
13.a3 b7 14. h1 c6 15. ae1 b7 16. d3 daily spectators’ prize but angered Kasparov, who

N
b4 On 16...a5 White can try to prevent b4 by 17.
b4!? or launch an attack by 17. e5. 17. d1 Al-
lowing Black to split White’s pawn structure on the
queenside is inadvisable. More sensible, in view
of the fact that even a draw would enable Shirov to
felt he was more deserving. Kasparov thus left the
windy seaside resort in a foul mood, sensing that
he was treated with a lack of respect.
1.e4 e6 2.d3 A passive system against the French
Defense that delays the battle until the midgame

R N Q N N N
keep the lead, is 17. axb4 Qxb4 18. Ne2. 17...bxa3 as White aims for a reverse King’s Indian. 2...d5

Q B
18.bxa3 ac8 19. f2 An attempt to improve on 3. e2 dxe4 4.dxe4 e5 5. f3 d7 6. bd2 c6

N
19. Ne3 Bxe4 20. Bxf6 Bxf6 21. Ng4 Bxd3 22. 7.b3 c7 8. b2 a5 9.g3 Another possibility

B B N
Nxf6 Kh8 23. Rb1 Qe7 24. Qxd3 Qxf6 25. Qxd6 is 9. O-O-O a4 10. Nc4 f6. 9... h6

N Q N N R N B B
which was eventually drawn in Lautier-Movsesian, 10. h3 f6 11.a4 b4 12.O–O O–O 13. c4
Malmo 1999. 19... h5 20. f3 g6 Weaker than f7 14. e1 e8 15. d3 f8 16. c3 b6
20...Nxf4! 21. Qxf4 e5. Now White’s offensive "Black’s play throughout has been exaggeratedly

N N K
gains momentum; his next move threatens Nh6 passive, but here it was essential to remember that

N Q Q R
mate.. 21. g4 f6 22.f5 exf5 23. h6+ h8 some active move was possible," wrote Moroze-

B N N B B N
24. xf5 gxf5 25. xh5 fxe4 26. g5 f7 Tena- vich, who suggested instead 16...Ng5 17. Bf5

B R B R N R R
cious defense. Not 26...exd3? 27. Rxe7! Qxe7 28. Nc5. 17. d2 d6 18. xd6 xd6 19. e3 f8

N B R
Rxf6 and wins. 27. c4 g8 Again avoiding the 20. xc8 axc8 21.c3 e6 22. fd1 b8 23.

Q Q K R R N
trap of 27...d5? 28. Bxa6! Qxa6 29. Rxf6 Bxf6 b4 axb4 24. xb4 xb4 25.cxb4 c5 26. ac1

Q B Q R R R R Q Q N Q
30. Bxf6 Rxf6 31. Qxf6 Kg8 32. Re3 and wins. c6 27. a2 h8 28. d5 a8 29.a5 c7

K
28. e3 d5 29. b3 d7 30. f4 g4 31. f2 30. dd1 xe4 31. f7 e6 32.axb6 xb4 The

R Q
g8 Shifting from one dangerous diagonal to an- only move. Not 32...Nd4? 33. Bxd4 cxd4 34. b7

Q
other, but if 31...Qe6 32 .Qh3! looks unpleasant; Rab8 35. Qxe8+ Rxe8 36. Rc8. 33. b1 a4
31...Ba4 deserved consideration. 32.c4 e6 Ten- This remote queen can no longer come to the aid of

R R Q B R R
sion mounts. Dangerous as it appears, 32...f5 with the kingside. 33...Qg4! is more tenacious. 34.b7
the idea of f4 is correct. 33.cxd5 Now the attack ab8 35. d7 c6 36. h6 g8 37. bd1 The

R B
fizzles out and White doesn’t have enough for the last, precise move. White unites all his forces.
pawn. Stronger is 33. Qh3 f5 34. cxd5 Bxd5 35. 37... bf8 38. xg7+ "This infantile combination

B B R
Rxf5! Qxf5 36. Bxd5 regaining the pawn with enabled me for the fourth time to win the specta-
even chances. 33... xd5 34. d1 g5 35.h4 Sui- tors prize. In view of what I found with one and a

R B B R R
cidal. White opens his own veins by weakening his half minutes left on my clock, I think it is my great-

B N Q R R
kingside. 35... gg7 36. b2 d6 37. d2 g3 est creative achievement over the past few years."

N R N QK Q
38. f3 Black wins brilliantly after 38.Qd4 Rh3! – Morozevich 38... xg7 39. xf8 xf8 40. d8

R Q K
39. Kg1 (39. gxh3 Qxh3 40. Kg1 Rg7) 39...Bh2 e6 41. xf8+ xf8 42.b8= g7 43. a7+

R B Q
40. Kf1 Bc4 41. Ree2 e3! 38... xf3 39. xf3 h6 43...Kg8 holds out longer but is still hope-
exf3 40. xe6 xe6 White Resigns. The time less. 44. f7 The final blow. If 44...Ng6 45. Rd7
control has been reached and White sees that 41. does the trick. Black Resigns.
Rxd6 f2! 42. Rd1 Bc4 snares a rook. 1-0
0-1
◦ Jeroen Piket
• Gary Kasparov
◦ Alexander Morozevich First Inaugural Grand Prix
• Predrag Nikolic Internet
Wijk-aan-Zee (13) 2000 1-0 A34
Holland This is the first top level tournament ever held en-
2000 1-0 C00 tirely over the Internet. It began with 16 grandmas-
Although Hoogovens Steel Company was acquired ters before Dutch GM Piket knocked out Seirawan,
by Corus, the new owner thankfully continued 61 Morozevich, Svidler and Kasparov to earn
20, 000.”Ican0 tthinkof anysportthatcanbebetterpromotedorpublic
N N N N
years of a rich chess tradition under a new name.

N B N
The top section of this annual chess festival was 1. f3 f6 2.c4 c5 3. c3 d5 4.cxd5 xd5 5.g3
again won by Kasparov, but a likely championship c6 6. g2 c7 The purpose of this retreat is

315
to enforce e5. But not 6...e5? 7. Nxe5! snar- Q B Q
9. c4 d5 10. c2 After testing Black’s inten-

B B Q B Q
ing a pawn. 7.d3 e5 This English Opening has tions, Kramnik tacticly declines a draw by repeti-

B N B N
transposed into a reverse Sicilian where White is tion. 10...e6 11. g2 e4 12. c4 d5 13. h4

B
a move ahead. 8.O–O e7 9. d2 d7 10. c4 Again avoiding a repetition of moves by 13. Qc2

B B N N B B
O–O A well-known pawn sacrifice. The alterna- Be4 but now Black regains the pawn. 13... xc5

B Q B N B
tive is 10...f6 11. f4. 11. xc6 xc6 12. xe5 14. c3 c6 15.O–O e7 Inaccurate. The right

R Q B N
e8 13. b3 f6 14. g4 d4 Improving on plan is 15...Nbd7 16. Bg5 Be7 17. Rfd1 Qb6 18.
14...Bc6 15. Nxf6+ Qxf6 16. Qc4 Ne6 17. Be3 as Rac1 O-O. 16. d1 a5 17. d2 bd7 18.g4

Q Q
in Ribli-Chandler, Lugano 1985. 15.e3 Shrinking Launching a wild attack that nearly succeeds in-

B Q B Q
from 15. Qxb7!? Rb8 16. Qg2 f5 17. Ne3 f4 18. stead of the staid 18. Rab1. 18...h6 19. g3 a6

Q B N Q
Nc4 f3 19. exf3 Bxc3 20. bxc3 Qxd3. 15... xc3 20.h4 c4 21. f4 b4 So many queen moves
16. xc3 b6 17.f3 b5 18. f2 d7 Black seems while his king is still unsafe! After prolonged

N B R
unable to get tangible compensation for the pawn thought Black rejected 21...g5!? 22.a3 More pru-

R
he sacrified. 19.e4 e6 20. e3 a5 21. ad1 dent is 22. Nd4 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 Rc8 24. a3 Qb6

R
ad8 If and when White advances his backward 25. Rac1 O-O 26. Ndb5 with an unclear game.

Q R Q N K R Q N N
e-pawn, then Black will pressure d3. 22. d2 Now the complications are difficult to fathom over-

Q B
c6 23. c1 b7 24.a3 d4 25. g2 c8 This the-board. 22... xb2 23. d4 g5 24. xc6 gxf4

B
move does nothing to improve the position. Simply 25. d3 bxc6 26. xc6 O–O There’s no time for

R R B R N Q R Q
25....h6 is indicated to prevent any future back rank 26...Rd8? 27. Rdb1 trapping the queen. 27. xa8
mating threats. 26. b1 fd8 27. xd4 xd4 e5 28. d4 xa8 29. xe5 Another critical

Q R
28.b4 Finally, White frees his cramped position. turning point. A likely draw results from 29. Rab1

R K R
28...axb4 29.axb4 d7 30.bxc5 bxc5 31. bb2 Qxe2! 30. Nxe2 Nf3 31.Kh1 Nxd4 32. Rxd4

R R Q R N N
h6 32. a2 h7 Unable to improve his position, Bxa3. 29... c8 Better than 29...Nd5 30. Rab1

B R R N Q R Q N K R Q
Black simply marks time. 33. a5 d8 34. xc5 Qxc3 31. Rxd5. 30. ac1 d5 31. xd5

Q Q Q R
xd3 35. xd3 xd3 36. xd3 xd3 37. a2 xe5 32. xe7+ g7 33. xc8 xe2 The activ-

R R K R
b3 38. c2 xc2+ 39. xc2 h5 40.f4 g6 Bet- ity of the queen is sufficient to draw in view of

Q K Q K Q
ter is 40...f6. 41.e5 d3 A clear mistake. Nec- the scattered White forces. 34. g8+ f6 35. d7

K R K R Q
essary is 41...Rd7. Now White’s king walks into e1+ 36. g2 e4+ 37. h2 c2 38.g5+ hxg5

K K R R R R R
Black’s crumbling bulwark. 42. h3 e3 43. h4 39. xg5 xf2+ Leads to perpetual check. Draw
g7 44. g5 e1 45. c7 e2 46. e7 a2 agreed.
Black can no longer hold the ending. No better is 1/2-1/2
46...Rxh2 47. e6. Black must move his rook, since
◦ Vladimir Kramnik
R K K
if 26...Kf8 27. Kf6 penetrates decisively. 47.f5
gxf5 48.e6 h4 49. xf7+ g8 50. f6 Black Re- • Gary Kasparov
signs. Brain Games World Championship (2)
1-0 London
2000 1-0 (GM Larry Evans – CM9K Game 1)
◦ Vladimir Kramnik Five years elapsed since Kasparov, now 37,
• Gary Kasparov faced a new challenger after defending his title
Linares (8) against Anand in 1995. Brain Games Net-
Spain work (a private British dot-com entry that later
2000 1/2-1/2 A30 was absorbed by Einstein TV in England) raised
Kramnik, one of the few players in the world 2millionf ora16gamematchwithKasparov 0 sf ormerapprentice, V
with roughly an even score against Kas- −adeadheat−−yetf ewf ansgavetheyoungerplayermuchof achanc

N N N
parov, tied with him for first in this elite 1underdog, butaf teraninitialdrawthematchsuddenlywasthrownw

N B
super tourney – pompting sponsors to put up 1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3. c3 d5 4.cxd5 xd5 5.e4
2millionf oratitlematchlaterintheyear.T hisbrilliantcreativeachievementbybothplayerswasvotedthemostspectacular
xc3 6.bxc3 g7 The Gruenfeld Defense, one of
boxing, Kramniklaunchedaf erociousattackthatwouldhavekayoedalmostanyoneelse.Seeminglyunf
Kasparov’s favorites, has performed poorly in ti- azedbytimepress

N N N B Q
mortemtoagratef ulaudience. tle matches since 1948. Black lost and drew many

Q B R
1. f3 f6 2.c4 c5 3.g3 d5 4.d4 dxc4 White gets games but only won twice. 7. f3 c5 8. e3 a5

Q
a better ending after 4...cxd4 5. Bg2 dxc4 6. Qxd4 9. d2 g4 10. b1 Departing from the theoreti-

B Q B
Qxd4 7. Nxd4 a6 8. Nd2 e5 9. Nxc4! 5. a4+ cally favored 10. Rc1 but a well-prepared Kramnik

B Q B
d7 6. xc4 c6 A risky pawn sacrifice. More shows that a line previously thought to be innocu-
usual is 6...cxd4. 7.dxc5 d5 8. a4+ c6 ous is hard to handle. 10...a6!? !? – Offering a

316
gambit which few players had the courage to ac- Berlin Wall and Kasparov failed to crack it in four

R B
cept in the past because White’s kingside will be games, which were all drawn, a result that greatly

N B
riddled with weaknesses. 11. xb7 xf3 12.gxf3 eased KramnikŠs defensive task with Black. After
c6 13. c4 Rejecting 13. e5 cxd4 14. cxd4 a sudden flurry of exchanges both players had
Qxd2+ 15. Kxd2 Nxe5! because 16. dxe5? O-O- three passed pawns on opposite sides of the board.

B
O+ snares the rook on b7. 13...O–O 14.O–O cxd4 "At some point I realized it would be drawn. It

B B
15.cxd4 xd4 Simpler is 15...Qxd2 16. Bxd2 was not a good result from the opening," conceded
Nxd4. 16. d5 c3 A critical decision. Black re- Kasparov after an inauspicious start (a loss and a
jects 16...Qxd2 17. Bxd2 Ne5 18. Bb4 and opts to draw in the first two games). Meanwhile, adding

Q N B
remain a pawn down in a drawish-looking opposite to the pressure against him, Alexei Shirov filed

B R R
colored bishop ending. 17. c1 d4 18. xd4 a lawsuit against Kasparov in a Spanish court for

R B Q Q B N N B N N
xd4 19. xe7 a7 Of course not 19...Rae8? 20. 1.3millionindamages, claimingthatheistheonlylegitimatechallen

Q Q R N B
Bxf7+! 20. xa7 xa7 21.f4 d8 22. c3 b8 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 f6 4.O–O xe4
23. f3 h4 24.e5 g5 25. e1! Kasparov con- 5.d4 d6 6. xc6 The main line of the Berlin
fessed that he overlooked this shot which returns Defense. Black is okay after 6. dxe5?! Nxb5

Q N Q K
the pawn to keep the initiative. If now 25...gxf4 26 7. a4 Nd6! 8. exd6 Bxd6. 6...dxc6 7.dxe5

Q R K R
e6! fxe6 27. Rxe6 is very dangerous. 25... xf4 f5 8. xd8+ xd8 This queenless endgame is

R
26. xf4 gxf4 27.e6 fxe6 28. xe6 g7 29. xa6 hard to defend but limits WhiteŠs options. Now

B R R R N B B K
f5 A pawn down, Black is clearly fighting for a he must choose between 9. Rd1+ or g4 or the

R
draw. 30. e4 e5 31.f3 e7 32.a4 a7? ? - text move. 9. c3 d7 10.b3 h6 11. b2 c8
Almost certainly the losing move. The best chance 12. ad1 Their first game was quickly drawn after

R B R R
to draw is 32...Ba7+ 33. Kg2 Be3. Now Black’s 12. h3 b6 13. Rad1 Ne7 14. Ne2 Ng6! 15. Ne1 h5!

K R K R K N
pieces get entangled. 33. b6 e5 34. b4 d7 16. Nd3 c5 17. c4 a5 18. a4 h4! 19. Nc3 Be6 20.

R R K B N K
35. g2 d2+ 36. h3 h5 37. b5 f6 38.a5 Nd5 Kb7 setting up a blockade. 12...b6 13. e2
a2 39. b6+ e7 A final mistake in a hope- c5 14.c4 c6 15. f4 b7 Rejecting 15...Bxf3?!

B N N R R N
less position. But 39...Kg7 40. a6 Bd4 41. Rg6+ 16. gxf3 Be7 17. Nd5 Rd8 18. Nxe7+ Nxe7 19. e6.
also wins in the long run. 40. d5 Black Resigns. 16. d5 e7 17. fe1 g8 18. f4 Not much is

N R N B R
If 40...Rxa5 (or 40...Re2 41. Re6+ Kd7 42. a6) gained by 18. e6 fxe6 19. Rxe6 Nxd5 20. cxd5

B R B N R R
41. Re6+ Kd7 42. Rxe5 Kd6 43. Rxh5 Rxd5 44. Bd7. 18...g5 19. h5 g6 20. f6 g7 21. d3

R K
Rxd5+ Kxd5 45. Kg4 is easy. "It’s nice to start xf3 22. xf3 xf6 23.exf6 c6 24. d3 f8
the match like this, but there’s no reason to relax," 25. e4 c8 26.f4 Perhaps White could do bet-

R
said a jubilant Kramnik. After two games more ter with 26. h4 Nd4 27. Bxd4 cxd4 28. Rdxd4

R B R R R
than three million viewers had followed live moves Rxf6 29. hxg5 hxg5 30. f3. 26...gxf4 27. xf4
and commentary by GM Larry Evans and other au- e8 28. c3 e2 29. f2 e4! ! - To exert

R R R B
thorities on the official match website. But other pressure on c4 and anchor his knight on d4 or e5.

R R R
websites also transmitted moves and the sponsors 30. h3 a5 31. h5 a4 32.bxa4 xc4 33. d2

R R
found themselves unable to recoup their invest- xa4 34. xh6 g8 An alternative is 34...Rxh6

R N R
ment by charging viewers. 35. Bxh6 c4. Now it gets exciting. 35. h7 xa2

R
1-0 36. xf7 e5 37. g7 But not 37. Re7? Ra1+ 38.
Rf1 Nf3+! 37... f8 38.h3 In the post mortem Kas-
◦ Gary Kasparov parov claimed that 38. h4 was "probably winning."
• Vladimir Kramnik Kramnik countered, "The ending is not seriously
Brain Games World Championship (3) better for White and may even become dangerous

R N N R K R
London for him. Kasparov had no chance to win." 38...c4!

K R K R K B
2000 1/2-1/2 (GM Larry Evans – CM9K Game 39. e7 d3 40.f7 xf2 41. e8+ d7 42. xf8

N B
2) e7 43. c8 xf7 44. xc7+ e6 45. e3

R
After Bobby Fischer gave up competitive chess the d1 46. xb6 c3 47.h4 Kasparov claimed his last

B R B N R R
crown remained in the hands of Russians whose winning chance was 47. Kh2 c2 48. h4. 47... a6!

R R
names begin with K: Karpov, Kasparov – until 48. d4 a4 49. xc3 xc3 50. xc3 xh4

K R R K
FIDE scrapped the system of long title matches Now itŠs a well-known book draw. 51. f3 h5
and introduced a Wimbledon style knockout in 52. f2 g5 53. f8 e7 Draw by Agreement
1999. Kramnik effectively revived the old Berlin 1/2-1/2
Defense to the Ruy Lopez where both queens
vanish on move 8. It was promptly dubbed the ◦ Vladimir Kramnik

317
• Gary Kasparov
Brain Games World Championship (4)
London
2000 1/2-1/2 (GM Larry Evans – CM9K Game
3)
"The endgame doesnŠt seem to happen very often
anymore," proclaimed Kasparov before this match
began. KramnikŠs match strategy, however, was
precisely to aim for queenless endgames as fast as
possible and thus rob his renowned opponent of
dynamic middle game tactics. Although drawn,
this game was the longest and most exciting in
the entire series. A draw seemed imminent after
the 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 control
at move 40. No one expected him to rescue the
game 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 hard
to salvage. But Kramnik in turn succumbed to a
blinding hallucination.
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 A surprise. Kasparov adopts
N B
the QueenŠs Gambit Accepted for only the sec-
N R K R K R
ond time in his career. 3. f3 e6 4.e3 c5 5. xc4
a6 6.O–O f6 7.dxc5 In keeping with his strat-
egy, Kramnik wisely aims to simplify. Against
Huebner at Dortmund 2000 he tried 7. Bb3 cxd4
Q
R B N N
8. exd4 Nc6 9. Nc3 Be7 10. Re1 O-O 11.
B
N
h4!? 7... xd1 8. xd1 xc5 9. bd2 bd7
10. e2 b6 11. b3 Kramnik beat Karpov in a
B N B
rapid game at Frankfurt 1997 with 11. Nc4 Bb7
R B K N N N
12. b3. 11... e7 12. fd4 b7 13.f3 O–O
R R
14.e4 fc8 15. e3 f8 16. d2 e5 17. 4b3
R R
c6 18. ac1 More ambitious than 18. Nd4
R
which virtually forces a draw. 18... ac8 19. xc6
xc6 20.g4! A startling idea in an apparently
drawn position. Even in such a simplified set-
ting White gains an advantage in space by driv-
B N N
ing back BlackŠs pieces with a pawn rush. 20...h6
N R
21.h4 c8 22.g5 hxg5 23.hxg5 fd7 24.f4 g6
25. f3 c2? More prudent is 25...Ke8 but Kas-
B B R R
parov, weary of passive defense, lashes out to
R B
find counterplay. 26. xa6 xa6 27. xd7 xb2
28. a7 b5 So the bishop can get back to e8. Of
R N R
course not 28...Rxa2 29. Ra8+. 29.f5 exf5 30.exf5
e2 31. fd4 e1+ If 31...Rxe3? 32. Nxb5 wins
K R K
material. BlackŠs awkwardly poised forces cre-
N K R
ate a dilemma for him. 32. f2 f1+ 33. g2
K B B N
h4+ 34. h3 h1+ If 34...Nxf5? 35. Nxb5
R
Nxe3 36. Ra8+ wins. 35. g4 e8 36. f2 g2
37. a8 37. Nf3 is probably stronger. In any case,
318
R
K N
BlackŚs wayward knight is hard to save. 37... f1
K
38. f3 h4+? Definitely costs a piece. 38...Nf4
R N B N K N N
is essential but still hard to defend. 39. e2
B K R N K
h1 40. b5 xg5 41. c7 e7 42. xe8 xf5
R K R R K N
43. xb6 d7 44.a4 h3 45. c5+ c6 46.a5
e3+ 47. d1 e7 48. c8+ b5 49. e4 Per-
R R K N K
haps itŠs better to coordinate White’s pieces by 49.
R B B R R
Nc7+. 49... xe4 50. c5+ a6 51. c7+ b7
52. xf5 e3! 53. xe3 xe3 54. xf7 Remark-
ably, this natural capture may actually be inferior
R
to 54. Nd5 Ra3 55. Nb4 extricating the knight
K R R K R K R
from its awkward post on c7. 54... e5 55.a6+
b6 56. xg7 a5 57. d2 a1 58. c2 h1?
Simply 57...Ra5 holds the draw but after staring
K
into the abyss for so many moves Kasparov finally
drops his guard. 59. b2? Kramnik has a mirage.
He said he saw the right path by 58. Rg8! Rh7 (if
58...Kxc7 59 a7 wins; or 58...Ra1 59. Nd5+! Kc5
R
60. Rg5! ) 59. Rb8+ Ka7 but thought 60. Rb7
was stalemate instead of mate! 59... h8 Incredi-
K R K K
bly, although a knight and a pawn down, Black now
K
wriggles out. 60. b3 c8 61.a7 xa7 62. b4
b6 Black must defend with care but this ending
N K R
is a known theoretical draw. Kramnik tests his op-
K K R R K R K
ponent by playing on. 63. d5+ a6 64. g6+
N R R R N K R
b7 65. b5 c1 66. g2 c8 67. g7 d8
K
68. f6 c7 69. g5 f7 70. d5 d7 71. g6
f1 72. c5 c1+ 73. d4 d1+ 74. e5 Draw
by Agreement. A fighting draw in every sense of
the word. Kramnik was obviously disappointed
not to increase his slender lead to two points but
said he was very pleased with his play before move
40. Kasparov admitted that he overlooked a way to
save the piece by 38...Nf4.
1/2-1/2
◦ Vladimir Kramnik
• Gary Kasparov
Brain Games World Championship (10)
London
2000 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 outprepared
and outplayed. He seemed weary and depressed af-
ter suffering this second loss which sealed his fate.
"I feel that my relationship with Kasparov now is
much the same as before – good," said Kramnik
when it was all over. "He didnŠt have a chance to
show his best chess. It can’t be nice to lose your
title after so long, but he took it with good grace
N N B
and accepted me as the new World Champion."
1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3. c3 b4 4.e3 Varying from
4. Qc2 in game 8 where Kasparov equalized eas-
 B N
B
ily. 4...O–O 5. d3 d5 6. f3 c5 7.O–O cxd4
8.exd4 dxc4 9. xc4 b6 A typical double-edged
position where WhiteŠs attacking chances usu-
B B R N R R
ally outweigh the weakness of his isolated d-
Q B
pawn. 10. g5 b7 11. e1 bd7 12. c1 c8
13. b3 e7? This optimistic and seemingly nat-
ural retreat leads to severe problems. Correct is
B N
13...Bxc3 14. bxc3 Re8 bolstering the weak point
B Q K
on e6. 14. xf6! xf6 On 14...Bxf6 15. Nb5! is
Q B Q N
hard to meet. 15. xe6! fxe6 16. xe6+ h8
17. xe7 xf3 18.gxf3 xd4 19. b5! Incredi-
bly, this has all been played before but nobody has
found a way for Black to equalize. WhiteŠs attack
Q R R N R
is powerful despite his exposed king and doubled
N K Q R
pawns. 19... xb2 20. xc8 xc8 21. d6 b8
N
22. f7+? g8 23. e6 f8? Loses instantly.
K Q
Black can hold out longer with 23...h5. 24. d8+
h8 25. e7 Black Resigns. "ItŠs not often that
IŠm lost in the opening, but I still have six games
left and if I play like IŠm capable of playing, I
might still change the result," said Kasparov. But
the last five games were drawn and the 16th was
cancelled because even a win would not have dug
him out of a two-point hole.
1-0
◦ Viswanathan Anand
• Alexei Shirov
FIDE World Championship (4)
Iran
2000 1-0 (GM Larry Evans – CM9K Game 5)
Fans wonder if the traditional title, which always
has been the main instrument for promoting chess,
will even survive. A month after Kramnik scored
a major upset by dethroning Kasparov in Lon-
don, FIDE held its rival 100-player knockout in
India where native son Viswanathan Anand, 31,
and LatviaŠs Alexei Shirov, 28, reached the fi-
nals. Their brief playoff took place in Iran where
chess was banned by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989!
Anand won easily (3 wins, 1 draw) but only
FIDE loyalists regard him as the true champion
because 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 doesnŚt excite a lot of interest except
among dedicated chess junkies. FIDE forgot what
Western man has known ever since Aristotle wrote
about drama: We come to see tragic heroes, not the
chorus," opined one critic. In this last game, trail-
ing by two points, Shirov desperately sacrifices a
piece to keep his hopes alive. Fireworks erupt but
Anand, under fire, defended with his usual aplomb.
319
N N N N
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 5. ce2
In the words of the hypdermoderns, White has
his center to defend. The purpose of this awk-
N
ward retreat is to bolster the center with c3 to
Q N
keep the pawn chain intact. 5...c5 6.f4 c6 7.c3
B R
b6 8. f3 f6 Biting at the center to relieve the
Q N
cramp. 9.a3 e7 10.h4 O–O 11. h3 a5 12.b3
c7 13. eg1!? !? – 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 drawn
by perpetual check after 13. h5 b6 14. g4 cxd4
15. cxd4 fxe5 16. fxe5 Rxf3 17. Rxf3 Bh4+
N N N Q
18. Kd2 Bg5+ 19. Ke1 Bh4+. 13...a4 14.b4 fxe5
Q
15.fxe5 dxe5! 16.dxe5 xe5 17. xe5 xe5+
18. e2 ItŠs getting messy and both sides must ex-
ercise extreme care. Black has two pawns for the
piece while WhiteŠs king is still stranded in the
B
center. A mistake would be 18. Ne2 cxb4 18. axb4
K Q
Qf5! 20. Bf4 e5. 18... xh4+ Inviting 19. Rxh4
Qg3+ followed by Qxh4. 19. d1 f6? Ob-
jectively better is 19...Qxe2+ 20. Bxe2 Bf2 but
N Q
the need to win at all costs persuades Shirov to
keep queens on the board. 20. f3 xc3?! ?! –
Snatching a fourth pawn for the piece looks tempt-
B Q K
ing but the best practical chance is 20...g5 retaining
the tension. 21. b2 b3+ 22. c1 e5 Alas, the
attack comes to a grinding halt because 22...Bf6
R B
23. Bxf6 Rxf6 24. Nd2! ensnares the queen.
Q Q N N
Now Black loses a second piece. 23. xh4 f5
R K B B K R
24. d1 e4 25. xb3 axb3 26. d2 e3 27. f3
B R R B B
ae8 28. d1 c4 29. e2 e4 30. c1 e6
31. c3 g6 32. h2 d3 33. xd3 cxd3 The
K K R K
two passed pawns look dangerous but itŠs only an
K R K B R R
illusion. 34. b2 d2 35. xb3 g3 36. b2 g5
R N
37. c2 c8 38. d3 g4 39. e5 c1 40. h1
xg2 41. h4 Black Resigns.
1-0
◦ Frank Poole
• HAL 9000
?
Discovery 1
2001 0-1 C86
In Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film, "2001: A Space
Odyssey", super-computer HAL 9000 engages as-
tronaut Frank Poole in a game of chess en route
to the planet Jupiter. Although only the last few
moves are seen, the beginning of the game has been
reconstructed here. Frank and HAL undoubtedly
N N B B N
played the Ruy Lopez-Morphy defense opening.
B Q
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O
e7 6. e2 The so-called Worrall attack, in lieu
of the usual 6. Re1. The idea is to use the King’s
 B
Rook more profitably on d1, but Black has other
plans. 6...b5 7. b3 O–O 8.c3 This is an invitation
to a variant of the "Marshall Gambit," which is usu-
ally seen only against 6. Re1. 8...d5 And here it
is, even more effective because of the White Queen
is in a vulnerable position. 9.exd5 Wiser would
N N N
have been the tame 9. d1, holding the strong point
e4. 9... xd5 10. xe5 f4 This "in-between"
Q N Q
move takes advantage of the Queen’s vulnerability
to gain time. 11. e4 xe5 12. xa8 With three
pieces to capture, none is a bargain: 12. Qxf4 al-
lows the other Knight to sink into d2, with gain of a
Q
tempo, and for the pawn Black has wonderful lines
and a constricted enemy. 12... d3 Depriving the
White Queen of the last safe retreat at e4, throttling
the White center, and opening the brutal discovery
B
by the Queen’s Bishop on the next move. White is
busted. 13. d1 What else? Perhaps 13. Qa7, but
B
then Nf3+ 14. gxf3 and mate to follow after 15.
Ne2+ Kg2 16. Bh3+. 13... h3 Of course! The
Q
White Queen could play prosaically to a7, but the
result would be the same: 14. xa6 The film picks
B
up the game at this point. Frank: "Anyway, Queen
R
takes Pawn, okay." 14... xg2 HAL: "Bishop takes
Q
Knight’s Pawn." 15. e1 Frank: "What a lovely
move. Rook to King one." 15... f3 HAL: "I’m
sorry Frank, I think you missed it: Queen to Bishop
three, 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 first
sign of the computer’s impending breakdown? Or
B N
has HAL already begun to deliberately deceive his
crew? 16. xf3 xf3# Frank: "Uh, huh. Yeah
looks like you’re right. I resign." HAL: "Thank you
for a very enjoyable game." Frank: "Yeah. Thank
you."
0-1
◦ The Web
• Chessmaster 8000
The Web vs. Chessmaster 8000
2001 1/2-1/2
The face of chess changed in 1999 when Kasparov
took on the World via the Net. It was the largest
interactive competition in history and introduced
countless people to the joys of e-mail chess. In a
similar challenge Chessmaster got Black by a ran-
dom flip of the coin and had an hour to decide its
move vs. "The Web" which had the remainder of
the day (23 hours) to vote on its reply. The ma-
chine was winning rather easily but left its king
in the corner too long, then made a few inferior
320
moves. The world’s lucky escape sheds some light
on the difference between how machines and hu-
N N N
mans think.
1.e4 e5 2. f3 f6 3. xe5 Considered the best
try 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 the
N N B B
text. 3...d6 A necessary precaution. Not 3...Nxe4?
Q
4. Qe2. 4. f3 xe4 5.d4 d5 6. d3 d6
7.O–O O–O 8.c4 c6 9. c2 9. cxd5 cxd5 lets
Black get to c6 with his knight. Another alternative
N
is 9. h3 to prevent Bg4 pinning the knight on f3.
9... a6 10.a3 Quietly trying to exploit the awk-
ward position of the knight on the rim and shun-
ning complications arising from the pawn snatch
B
10. Bxe4 dxe4 11. Qxe4 Re8 12. Qd3 Nb4 13.
Qb3 Bf5. 10... g4 Once more disdaining to
N
defend the pawn by 10...f5 11. Re1 Re8 in favor
of rapid development. 11. bd2 Rightly shunning
N
11. Bxe4 dxe4 12. Qxe4 Bxf3 13. Qxf3 Qh4 14.
h3 Qxd4 regaining the pawn favorably. 11... xd2
N Q Q Q
A good alternative is 11...f5 to maintain the knight
on e4. 12. xd2 h4 13.g3 h5 14. b3 White
can cripple the enemy pawn structure at the ex-
pense of weakening his own light squares after
R
14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Bxa6 bxa6 16. Qc6 Be7.
14... ab8 15.cxd5 cxd5 Going into an endgame
R N N N
with 15...Qxd5 is also okay. In either case White
B B N
has no advantage. 16. e1 c7 17. f1 e6
18. e3 c7 19. d2 It doesnŠt make much sense
B Q N
to bring the knight back from whence it came. 19.
Qa4 looks more feasible. 19... b6 20. b4 d8
ItŠs not clear that the knight will be better on c6
B
than e6. Better is 20...Rbc8 to occupy the open file.
N Q
21. f4 Preferable is 21. Nb3 Nc6 22. Qd2 to im-
B
prove the position of the queen. 21... c6 22. a4
xd4 23.h4? ? - Remaining a pawn down with-
out real compensation. Necessary is 23. Bxb8
R
Rxb8 (if 23...Bxf2+ 24. Kxf2 Qxh2+ 25. Ke3
Re8+ 26. Be4 seems to hold) 24. h4. 23... bc8
Q B B N
More forceful is 23...Rbe8 but now Black is win-
ning anyway. 24. b5 b6 25. e3 d4 When
ahead in material, itŠs generally a good policy to
Q
swap pieces and head for the ending. Simpler is
Q K Q B Q Q R
25...Bxe3 26. Rxe3 d4 27. Qxh5 Bxh5. 26. a4
R B B
e5 27. g2 f6 28. g5 c6 29. xc6 xc6
30. e7 f6 31. e3 c8? Needlessly passive.
Black could wrap it up with 31...Bc5! 32. Rxb7
R B B B
Bc8 33. Rb8 Bh3+ 34. Kxh3 Rxb8 snaring the
B
Exchange. 32. e1 c5 33. xd4 xd4 34.b4
N B B
b2 Good enough, but a human probably would
choose 34...Rc3. 35. b1 e5 36.f4 d4 Again
a human would prefer to drive the rook off the
seventh rank by 36...Bd6. In any event BlackŠs
 R B R B R
win with an extra pawn should now be a matter of who, along with new FIDE champion Anand, com-

B
technique. 37. d1 b6 38. de1 d8 39. 7e2 peted in this star-studded field of 14. Kasparov
g4 A human would pay more attention to the proved he was still king of the hill, emerging un-

R
vulnerable king on the back rank and take time defeated with 9 points (5 wins and 8 draws), nos-

B B B K R
out to create an escape square by 39...g6. 40. d2 ing out Kramnik by a full point and Anand by

B
b6 41. c2 d4 42. b3+ h8 43. c2 White is ¡ point.. In this eagerly awaited encounter each

N N B B N
all tied up. If 43. Re7 Rc1. 43... d7 Rooks be- player botched his winning chances.

R R B
long behind passed pawns. A human might prefer 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O

N B K R R B
43...Rd8 to bolster the passed pawn. 44. e7 d6 c5 A bit of a surprise. The Classical Defense to

N B N
45. d2 c6+ 46. f1 d7 47. xd7 xd7 the Ruy Lopez is seldom seen nowadays because
48. c4 c7 49. a5! ! - White is desperately the bishop is exposed to some risk. 6.c3 Nothing

B B K B B
fighting for a draw and comes closer by inviting is gained by 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. Nxe5 Nxe4. 6...b5

R
this swap. 49... xa5 50.bxa5 c6 51. f2 a6 To 7. b3 d6 8.a4 g4 To stop d4. A bad mistake

R K R K B B Q
stop a6 dissolving the doubled pawns. 52. e2 would be 8...Nxe4? 9.Bd5 spearing a knight. 9.h3

B B B
d8 53. e1 d3 54. e3 d2+ 55. d1 g6 56. c4 xf3 10. xf3 O–O 11.a5!? !? - A risky decision

R
a4+ 57. b3 b5 A series of dilatory moves because the pawn is weak here. More prudent is

N B K N N B
has diminished BlackŠs advantage. The endgame 11. d3 Na5 12. Bc2 b4 13. Nd2 Rb8. 11... b8

B K B
is looking drawish after 57...Bxb3+ 58. Rxb3 Rd7 12.d3 d7 13. e3 h8 14. d2 e7 15. c2

B
59. Rd2 h5 60. Rxd2. 58.a4 c6 59. e2 g2 Aiming for b4 to bolster the pawn on a5. Prema-

B R K B
60. c2 A bad mistake would be 60. Rd3? Bf1+! ture is 15. d4 exd4 16. cxd4 Bb4 putting pressure

R R R
61. Kxf1 Rxd3 60...f5 61. d3 d4 62. xd2 on a5. 15... xe3 Anand does not likes the looks
xa4 63. e5 a3 Achieves nothing. ItŠs time of 15...f5 16. Bg5. 16.fxe3 Hoping to profit from
to activate the king with 63...Kg7. "The king is open lines on the kingside. Black has nothing to

K R B B
a fighting piece – use it!" advised old Steinitz. fear from 16. Qxe3 c5 because the bishop on c2

R K R B R R
64.h5 g7 65.g4 fxg4 66.hxg6 hxg6 67. g5 f3 has limited scope. 16...c5 17. b3 c4?! ?! - Giv-

K R
68. xg6+ f7 69. g5 c6 70. xg4 xa5 ing up a pawn for queenside counterplay. Instead

N N N
71. c3 a4 BlackŠs best winning chance is to Kasparov recommends 17...Nf6. Also playable is

R Q Q R N
push his pawns as fast as possible with 71...b5! 17...f5. 18.dxc4 c5 19.cxb5 xb3 20. xb3

R B
What good is an extra pawn if you donŠt use xb5 21. d1 c7 22. a4 c6 If 22...Rfb8 23.

R
it? 72. h4 d5 More loss of time. Why not Nd2 f6 24. Nc4 exerts pressure on d6. Simply

N
72...b5 right away? 73. h6 a5 A theoretical 22...f6 is the best way to avoid trouble. White is a

R B B K N
draw ensues after 73...Rxf4 74. Bxa6! bxa6 75. pawn up but his doubled pawns are ugly. 23. d2

N Q
Rxa6. 74. d6 c6 75. c4+ e7 Ordinarily xa5 Not much choice. If 23...Rxb2 24. Nc4 fol-
Black would expect to win but the problem is that lowed by Qxd6. 24.b4 b7 25. c2? ? - Missing

R K R K R
White has now created a dangerous passed pawn of a spectacular winning chance by 25. Rxa6 Qxc3

K R K R R K R
his own. 76. e6+ d7 77. e5 d6 78. e6+ 26. Rxf7! Rg8 27. Qf1! Nd8 (not 27...Rxb4?

K
c7 79. e7+ b6 80. e1 a3+ 81. d4 f3 28. Ra8!) 28. Rxg7!! Kxg7 29. Rxd6 Qxe3+
82. e5 a4 Black finally gets his pawns moving 30. Kh1 Qf4 31. Qxb5 Nf7 32. Rd3 Rc8 33.

K B B R B Q R
but WhiteŠs passed pawn is now very menacing. Nb3. 25...h6 Protecting the back rank. No need

R R R R R
83.f5 a5 84. e6 b5 85.f6 e8 86. h1 g6 If to worry about 26. Rxa6 Rxb4. 26. d3 b6
86...b4 87. Rh8. 87. g1 e3+ Draw Agreed. A 27. fa1 c6 28. 1a3 Better is 28. Rxa6 Rxc3

K
wondrous save! Black can no longer win after 88. 29. Qd5. 28...a5! Dissolving the weak pawn once
Kd6 Bh5 89 Rh1 harassing the bishop. and for all. 29. h2? An unfortunate post. Cor-

Q
1/2-1/2 rect is 29. Kh1. Of course not 29. bxa5? Nc5.
29...d5! ! 30. b5? Over-reaching. More pru-
◦ Gary Kasparov dent is 30. Qxd5 Rd8 31. Qa2 Rxc3 32. Rxc3
• Viswanathan Anand Qxc3 33. Nf3 Qxe3 34. Qxf7 Qxe4. 30...d4! ! -

N
Corus Tournament (3) Inviting 31. cxd4 exd4 CHECK. Now we see why

N
Wijk aan Zee, Holland the king belongs on h1. 31.bxa5 dxc3 32. b3

R R Q Q N
2001 1/2-1/2 c5? Instead 32...c2! gives Black good winning

Holland hosts the first super tournament each Jan-
uary sponsored by Corus, a steel company. The
63rd edition of this classic featured KasparovŠs
first appearance after losing his title to Kramnik
Q R Q N R
chances. 33. c4 b8 34. xc6 xc6 35. xc5
b5 36. cxc3 e2 37. d7 b2 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 Kramnik
Exhibition Match (2)
Budapest
2001 1/2-1/2
The line between classical and rapid chess be-
came increasingly blurred in the new millennium
when FIDE pushed for faster time controls in rated
games. Most serious fans thought it was a terri-
ble idea guaranteed only to produce poorly played
games. Despite the decline in quality, however,
events that took weeks were now finished in days.
After Vladimir Kramnik, 25, wrested the title from
Kasparov, the first opponent he faced was Hun-
garyŠs Peter Leko, 20, in a 12 game match at a
speed of 25 minutes per side. Again utilizing the
Berlin Defense, Kramnik won this series by two
points (7-5). A year earlier Leko won a similar ex-
hibition match at a regulation speed against newly
crowned FIDE champion Alexander Khalifman. In
this fascinating endgame Leko missed an incredi-
ble shot on move 64 found later by a computer. ItŚs
not clear that any player could find such a stunning
N N B N N
resource over the board at any speed!
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 f6 4.O–O xe4
N B
5.d4 Theory considers this better than 5. Re1 Nd6
6. Nxe5 Nxe5 7. Rxe5+ Be7. 5... d6 6. xc6
White does not get enough compensation for the
N Q K
pawn after 6. dxe5 Nxb5 7. a4 Nd6 8. exd6
Bxd6. 6...dxc6 7.dxe5 f5 8. xd8+ xd8 Not
many players are comfortable defending this end-
N B
ing with Black since his reward is usually a draw
after a long and patient maneuvering. 9. c3 d7
10.b3 White decides to develop before deploying
K
his rooks to the center. In games 4 and 8 Leko var-
B B R N
ied with 10. Rd1 Kc8 11. Ng5 Be8. 10... c8
N B
11. b2 e7 12. fe1 a5 13.h3 h5 14. e4 a4
N
15. eg5 e6 To prevent e6 once and for all.
R R B R
One computer suggested 15...Nh4!? 16. xe6 fxe6
K R R R
17. e4 axb3 18.axb3 xa1+ 19. xa1 d8
20. f1 d1+ 21. e1 d5 BlackŠs defensive
task is unenviable. He avoids exchanges because if
K B
all the pieces go off the board White probably wins
R K B B R R K
by virtue of his kingside pawn majority. 22. e2
N B N N
a5 23. d3 c5 24. c3 a2 25. f1 d7
26. g5 e7 27. e4 h4 Black makes tactical
N R K K N N
threats to offset the weakness of his pawn structure.
B K R K R K R
28.g3 f3 29. d1 e8 30. e3 g5 31. xg5
R
xg5+ 32. d3 a8 33. e4 a2 34. d3 a8
B
35. f1 White signals his intention to play for a
K R R
win by avoiding a repetition of moves. 35... e7
36.f4 g6 37. e4 a2 38. f2 b5 39.g4 hxg4
322
40.hxg4 c5 Black seeks counterplay with his weak
K K
doubled pawns, inviting 41. f5? gxf5+ 42. gxf5
R K R R
exf5+ 43. Kxf5 b4 44. Be1 Bh4. 41. d3 f7
42. h2 g8 43. h1 a8 44.f5! gxf5 45.gxf5
B R B
b4 Of course not 45...exf5? 46. e6 with mate loom-
R K R B B B
ing on h8. 46. b2 a2 47. a1 c4+ 48.bxc4
K R R R R
a3+ 49. e4 a2 50.f6 c5 51. d4 xd4 52.
R K
xd4 xc2 53. b1 h2 54. xb4 White has
R K K K R R R
made remarkable progress. 54... h4+ 55. c5
K R K K
e4 56. c6 f7 57. xc7 xe5 58. b5 e1
59.c5 xf6 60.c6 c1 61. b7 e7 A more ac-
R
tive drawing chance is 61...e5 62. c7 Kf5 63.
K Q
c8/Q+ Rxc8 64. Kxc8 Kf4 65. Kd7 e4. 62. b2
e5 63.c7 d6 64.c8= ? - Computer analysis
shows that White can win by gaining a tempo with
64. Rd2+ Ke6 65. Rd1! Rc2 (the best chance is
65...Rxd1 66. c8/Q+ leading to a difficult queen vs.
rook duel.) 66. c8/Q+ Rxc8 67. Kxc8 e4 68. Kc7
R K K
Ke5 69. Ke6 e3 70. Kc5 Ke4 71. Kc4 getting back
K R K K K
in time to win the pawn. 64... xc8 65. xc8 d5
R K K K
66. d7 e4 67. b5+ d4 68. e6 e3 69. f5 e2
70. e5 d3 71. f4 d2 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 Karpov
Linares (5)
Spain
2001 1-0
Despite losing his title to Kramnik several months
earlier, Kasparov still remained number one be-
cause of his incredible tournament results. He
blazed to victory in this double round robin with
5 wins and 5 draws, 3 full points ahead of Pe-
ter Leko, Judith Polgar and his old foe Anatoly
Karpov (their rivalry was the greatest in chess his-
tory). At Linares, Kasparov posted a win and draw
against Karpov, raising his lifetime record to 30
wins, 20 losses and 123 draws in 173 games. Here
KarpovŠs fabled defensive genius is foiled by a
slashing attack.
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Considered inferior to 3.
N
Nc3 because it enables Black to free his queenŠs
bishop. 3... f5 4. c3 e6 5.g4 This aggres-
B N N
sive thrust proves that Kasparov is out for blood.
5... g6 6. ge2 e7 A typical Karpovian maneu-
N
ver. Most mortals would opt for 6...c5 immedi-
ately. 7. f4 c5 8.dxc5 Varying from 8.h4 cxd4
9.Nb5 Nec6 10.h5 Be4 11.f3 a6 12.Nd6+ Bxd6
13.exd6 g5 14.Nh3 h6 15.fxe4 dxe4 16.Bg2 f5
17.O-O O-O 18.c3 Qxd6 19.gxf5 exf5 20.Qb3+
Kh8 which Black won (Topalov-Anand, Linares
 N
1999). 8... d7 A rare move. More common
is 8...Nec6 but Karpov goes his own way. 9.h4
The first time Kasparov has tried this relatively
N
new (and very sharp) variation, which has been
B
seen mostly in blitz and rapid games. 9... xe5
10. g2 Better than 10. h5 Be4 or 10. Bb5+
N7c6 but it remains to be seen whether the bishop
has a future on this diagonal. 10...h5 A good
alternative is 10...h6. It would be interesting to
Q N
see how Kasparov would meet 10...d4!? 11.Nce2
N7c6 12.h5 Bxc2! 13.Qxc2 d3. 11. e2 7c6
N N B
Also playable is 11...Nxg4 and if 12. Nb5 Qd7
13. Nd6+ Kd8. 12. xg6 xg6 13. g5! !
B
- Harder to meet than 13.gxh5? Nxh4 14.Bxd5
Nd4. 13... e7 If 13...Qa5 then 14.gxh5 Nge5
N
15.O-O-O Bxc5 16.h6! gxh6 17.Bf6 Rg8 18.Bxd5!
with a dangerous attack. 14.gxh5 f8 Worse is
14...Nxh4? 15.Bxh4 Bxh4 16.Nxd5. But Black
looks okay after 14...Nge5 15.Bxe7 Qxe7 16.Nb5
Kf8. with a strong center. WhiteŠs pawns are
N B
weak and his prospects are dim if he canŠt find
N N
a way to prosecute the attack. 15. b5! !
15... d7 Other defenses also favor White: 15...f6
16.Bf4 Qa5+ 17.Bd2 Qd8 18.h6 g6 19.Bxd5! Or
15...Qa5+ 16.Bd2 Qd8 17.Bxd5 Nd4! 18.Qc4 exd5
N N B
(18...Nxc2+ 19.Qxc2 exd5 20.c6) 19.Qxd4 Ne6
20.Qe5 Bxc5 21.h6. 16.h6! xc5! Excellent de-
fense! Not 16...gxh6 17.Nd6+ Kf8 18.Qh5. Or
16...g6 17.Bxe7 Kxe7 (17...Nxe7 18.O-O-O Kf8
B R N
19.h5 g5 20.Qd2 Nc6 21.c4!) 18.O-O-O Kf8
19.c4! destroys BlackŠs center. 17. f4 Threaten-
K
ing Nc7+. An alternative is 17.hxg7 Rg8 18.Bf4!
Rc8 19. O-O-O. 17... f8 Hanging on for dear
life. If 17...Qa5+ 18.c3 O-O-O 19. hxg7 Rhg8
K K
20. Bc7 Qa4 21. Bxd8 Kxd8 22. h5 is decisive.
18.hxg7+ xg7 19.O–O–O f8 A better try is
K
19...Qa5 20.a3 Rag8! creating an escape square
on f8. 20. b1 More forceful is 20.c4! 20...a6
N R B R B
Too dangerous is 20...Rxh4 21. Rxh4 Bxh4 22.
R Q
Qh5. 21. c7! c8 22. xd5! Finally the bishop
springs to life! 22...exd5 23. xd5 xc7 Black
must part with the lady. If 23...Rxc7 24.Rxd8+
B R R
Bxd8 25.Bd6 does the trick. Or 23...Nd7 24. Qg4
R
(even 24.Rh5! works). 24. xc7 xc7 25. f5
R B Q
d7 26.c3 f6? ? - Black has 3 minor pieces for
N Q K R R R B
the queen; the last hope was 26...Rh6! 27. g1
Q
d8 28. g4 e8 29. h5 f8 30. xc5 xc5
31. h5+ Black Resigns. White will be too far
ahead in material after 31...Rdf7 32.Qxc5. Another
sparkling game by Kasparov, who conducted the
attack with tremendous energy.
1-0
◦ Alexander Khalifman
323
• Sergei Rublevsky
Europe vs. Tatarstan (2)
Kasan
2001 1-0
The level of worldwide activity exploded in the
new millennium, with tongue-twisting names pop-
ping up as chess continues its inexorable march
towards 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 a
Tartarstan team of Alexei Dreev, Sergei Rublevsky,
Andrei Kharlov, Alisa Galliamova, Ildar Ibragi-
mov, and Artyom Timofeev. Europe trailed by a
point on the first day but caught up on the second
day for an overall 6-6 tie. In the best game of the
event, FIDE champion Khalifman seized the initia-
tive right away and converted it into an exemplary
N N
victory.
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 a6 The
Paulsen Variation of the Sicilian Defense. 5. d3
f6 More usual is 5...Nc6 to exert immediate
pressure on d4. 6.O–O d6 7.c4 Black has al-
B N N
lowed White to gain space but meanwhile sets
up a hedgehog formation. 7... d7 8. c3 c6
9. xc6 xc6 10.b4 Preparing to develop the
bishop on b2 while creating an eventual threat
B B Q
of b5. The only drawback is the weakening of
the pawn on c4. 10...b6 11. b2 e7 12. e2
O–O 13. ad1 d7 White controls more space
and has good attacking prospects on the kingside.
One example of a quick and merciless slaughter
of the hedgehog is 13...Qc7 14.f4 Rad8 15.Kh1
Bb7 16.Rf3 g6 17.Rh3 Nd7 18.Nb5! and Black
B
resigned, because if 18...axb5 19. Qh5! forces
mate. 14.f4 b7 Not many players will venture
R
to follow in RublevskyŠs footsteps, even though
he has defended this position many times. 15. f3
g6 16. h3 f6 16...Qc7 is met by the already-
known 17.Nb5! with the idea of getting the queen
to h5. If 17...Qd8 then 18.Nxd6! (but not 18.Qh5
gxh5 19.Rg3+ Bg5!) 18...Bxd6 19.Qh5! gxh5
20 Rg3 mates. 17.e5! Exploiting a flaw in
B Q
BlackŠs setup. RublevskyŠs queen has lingered
N B
on d8! 17...dxe5 18. e4 c7 19. xb7 xb7
20. e4 g7 A mortal pin along the d-file ensues
on 20...Be7 21.fxe5 Rac8 (or 21...Rfd8 22.Qf3!
threatening Ne4-f6+ and at some point Rh3xh7!)
Q
22.Rhd3 Rfd8 23.Nd6 Bxd6 24.Rxd6. 21.fxe5
N B
c7 The pawn is taboo: 21...Nxe5? 22.Nd6!
22. f6+ xf6 22...Nxf6 does not work in view
of 23.exf6 Bh8 24.Qe3! followed by Qh6. 23.exf6
White is much better. He is threatening the

R
queenŠs trip to g7 and also an attack on the poor
Black knight with heavy pieces. 23...e5! 24. f3!
Preserving his f6-pawn and reserving the threat
of 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+ Rxd8
R B
28.Rxa6 Ne4!) 26...Qxe5 27.Bxe5 Ng4. Then one
R
of BlackŠs rooks is transferred to c8. 24... fd8
R
25. d5 A critical move for White. Inferior is
N N
25.Qe3? Qxc4 26.Qh6 Nxf6! 25...h5 26. fd3
f8 Avoiding the pitfall of 26...Nxf6 27.Qxe5!
Q QR B R
Qxe5 28.Rxd8+ Qe8 29.Bxf6. Or 26...Qxc4 27.
Qd2. 27. xe5 xe5 28. xe5 xd5 29. xd5
N R
Thus White winds up with an extra pawn and a
B K
won endgame. 29... e6 30.c5 bxc5 31.bxc5 c8
K
32. d6 g5 33. f2 Destination ...d7! The rest,
B K K R R K K
as they say, is a matter of technique. 33... h7
R K R K R K
34. e7 g6 35. e3 b8 36. d2 f5 37. d3
K K R
b4 38. c3 b1 39. c4 c1+ 40. d5 h4
B K
41.c6 g4 42. d6 g3 43.hxg3 hxg3 44. d7 c3
45. d6 xf6 46. c7 Black Resigned. The pawn
has advanced too far! 46...Nxc7 47. Bxc7 gains a
piece.
1-0
◦ Shahade, Jennifer
• Sagalchik, Gennady
USA Championship (1)
Seattle
2002 1-0
Men and women finally competed together for the
first time at this Championship. College student
Jennifer 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 and
there was a fear we would get crushed.... Win-
ning my first game against grandmaster Sagalchik
and drawing the next two against GMs Kudrin and
Seirawan gave me a great shot of confidence that
lasted the whole tournament," she wrote. Here she
introduces a spirited novelty in the opening and
gains an advantage, then goes astray. Yet she won
thanks to the clock when Black overstepped on
time in a superior position. Who says there is no
N N B B N
luck in chess?
N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O
xe4 The Open Defense to the Ruy Lopez, a
longtime favorite of Korchnoi, is more active but
B B N
less popular than 5...Be7 (the Closed Defense).
6.d4 b5 7. b3 d5 8.dxe5 e6 9. bd2 Also
N
seen frequently are 9. Qe2 or c3. She appar-
B
ently has a prepared variation in mind. 9... c5
10.c3 g4 SagalchikŠs pet line. More usual is
324
B Q
11...d4. 11. c2 d7 Attempting to improve
on Smirin-Sagalchik, Minsk 1987, which contin-
R B
ued: 11...Be7 12.Re1 O-O 13.Nf1 Bh5 14.Ng3
Bg6 15.Be3 Qd7 16.b4. 12. e1 e7 In several
N
previous games Sagalchik played 12...Rd8 instead.
13. f1 A less promising plan is 13. Nb3 Ne6 14.
h3 Bh5 15. Bf5 Ncd8 16. Be3 a5 17. Bc5 a4
18. Bxe7 Qxe7 as in Karpov-Korchnoi, Baguio
1978. 13... h5 14.b4!? !? - A sharp novelty.
A previous game continued 14.Ne3 Rd8 15 b4 be-
N
cause now Na4 is refuted by 16 Bf5! trapping
the queen. 14... a4 15. g3! ! - Launching ex-
treme complications by not bothering to defend the
N Q B
pawn on c3. Less ambitious is 15. Bxa4 bxa4 16.
Q
Bf4. 15... xc3 16. d2 g4 Not 16...Bxf3 17.
B Q B B Q B
Bf5! Ne2+ 18. Rxe2 Qd8 19. gxf3. 17. xc3
xb4 18. e3 xf3 19. f5 e7 20. d2 In-
spired play. White is two pawns down but threat-
ens to win a piece. Weaker is 20. Qxf3 Nd4! 21.
B Q Q
Qxd5 Rd8 22. Qe4 Bxe1 23. Qxe1 c5. 20...g6
N B K
21. xb4 xb4 22. xf3 Good enough but even
Q K R R Q
stronger is 22. e6! 22... d4 23. d7+! xd7
24. xf7+ c8 25. ac1 a7 26. xd5 White is
Q
winning but again 26. e6! is more forceful. 26...c6
27. e4? ? - Both sides are short of time. White
R
misses a forced win by 27. Red1! Rd8 (or 27...Rd7
R Q K R Q
28. Rxc6+ Kd8 29. Rd6) 28. Rxc6+! 27... d7
28.e6 d6 29. g4 c7 30.e7 e8 31. g5?
R R N Q N
The advantage slips away. Stronger is 31. Qf4.
31... e6 32. xe6 xe6 33. d5 d4 Shahade
won 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. Nxd4
cxd4 39. Rxd4+ Kc5 40. Rd1 Re2. As time lim-
its accelerate in modern chess, the clock plays an
increasingly dominant role.
1-0
◦ Shahade, Jennifer
• Seirawan, Yasser
USA Championship (3)
Seattle
2002 1/2-1/2
Shahade, rated 2302, proved her mettle by hold-
ing a draw against defending champion Seirawan,
rated 2644. This hard-fought game went right
down to the wire. The tricky queen ending with
both sides rushing pawns toward the queening
square is exciting and instructive.
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 The once-
dreaded Panov-Botvinnik Attack, introduced in the
1930s, is aimed at exerting pressure against d5.
It is no longer considered very dangerous. Less
 N N N B
forcing is 4. Bd3 (to prevent Black from develop-
ing his bishop to f5). 4... f6 5. c3 c6 6. g5
e6 7.c5 To cramp Black and control the queen-
side by a3 and b4, given enough time. Trying
B B B
to win a pawn by 7.cxd5 exd5 8. Bxf6 Qxf6 9.
B B
Nxd5 Qd8 leads to nought. 7... e7 8. b5 d7
N N B Q Q
9. xc6 Usually 9. Nf3 is played first. 9... xc6
10. f3 e4 11. xe7 xe7 12. c2 12. Nxe4
dxe4 13. Ne5 e3 is okay for Black. 12...e5! Strik-
N
ing quickly in the center before White achieves
a bind. 13. xe4 exd4 14.O–O dxe4 Simpler
N N R N
than 14...d3 15. Qxd3 dxe4 16. Qc3 O-O 17.
R R Q Q
Rfe1. 15. xd4 O–O 16. xc6 bxc6 17. fe1 f5
18. ad1 ad8 19.b4 e6 20.a4 a6 21. e2 Bet-
ter is 21. h3 to secure the back rank before trying
Q R
to exploit WhiteŚs superior pawn structure. Now
R Q Q R Q Q
Black gets active counterplay. 21... b3 22. xd8
R
xd8 23. xa6 xb4 24. c1 a3 25. c4+
R Q R Q
d5 26.h3 h5 Turns out to be a weakness. More
R R Q
prudent is 26...h6. 27. c3 b2 28. c2 e5
Q
29. d2 e3 30. xd5 cxd5 31. e2 f4 32.fxe3 fxe3
33.c6 c3 A better winning try is 33...Qa1+ 34.
Kh2 Qxa4 35. Qxh5 Qxc6 36. Qe5 d4 37. Qxd4
Q K Q
Qe6. 34.a5 d4 Once again better is 34...Qa1+
Q K Q Q
35. Kh2 Qxa5. 35.a6 c1+ 36. h2 xc6
Q Q K Q K Q
37. a2+ h7 38.a7 e2 39. xe2 c7+ 40.g3
K Q K Q
xa7 41. xh5+ g8 42. e8+ h7 43. h5+
g8 44. e8+ h7 45. h5+ Draw by Threefold
Repetition. Neither side can make progress.
1/2-1/2
◦ Ruslan Ponomariov
• Zhu Chen
Dubai World Cup (1)
United Arab Emirates
2002 0-1
32 stars arrived for the first event of FIDEŠs new
Grand Prix and learned to their dismay that the
prize fund was cut in half. The format called for
two games restricted to an hour apiece: 25 minutes
per side with an increment of 10 seconds a move.
Ties were broken in 10-minute games, prompting
critics 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 content
of the game," said Gary Kasparov, who fears that
FIDEŠs fast new time limit will toll the death knell
of classical chess. FIDE champ Ruslan Ponomar-
iov, 18, was eliminated at the outset by ChinaŠs
Zhu Chen, 26, the womenŠs titleholder. Observers
noted that it was the first time a womenŠs world
champion in any competition defeated her male
counterpart. In their first game she pressed for 71
moves and missed a few wins before conceding a
325
draw. Then, with Black, she scored this historic
N N N N
victory, albeit at a fast time limit.
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
a6 6.f3 e5 Russian analysts in the 1940s demon-
strated that BlackŠs counterplay offsets the weak-
N B B B Q
ness of the backward d-pawn. 6...e6 is the chief
alternative. 7. b3 e6 8. e3 e7 9. d2 h5!?
Creates a weakness but stops g4 once and for all.
B
Other setups seen frequently are 9...O-O 10. g4
b5; or 9...Nbd7 10.g4 h6. 10. e2 Reserving the
option of castling kingside. Instead Gerber-Nemet,
N N
Swiss Championship 2001, continued 10. O-O-O
B N Q
Nbd7 11. Kb1 Rc8. 10... bd7 11. d5 xd5
B R N
12.exd5 f5 13.O–O O–O 14. a5! c7 15.c4
f6 16. ac1 b6 17. c6 a5 The knight on c6
is a bone in BlackŠs throat. Black removed it by
17...Nb8 18. Nxb8 (stronger is 18. f4!) Raxb8
19. b4 Qd7 20. c5 bxc5 21. bxc5 dxc5 22. Rxc5
B B B B Q R
Be7 in David-Dinstuhl, Germany 2000. 18.f4 exf4
19. xf4 g6 20. d3 xd3 21. xd3 ae8
Rejecting 21...Bxb2 22. Qe2! Bf6 (of course
R N Q
not 22...Bxc1?? 23. Ne7+ Kh8 24. Qxh5 mate)
Q
23.Ne7+ Bxe7 24.Qxe7. 22. c2 b8 23. g3
h4 24. f3? ? - Not 24.Bxd6? Qxc6! But stronger
N R
is 24.Qa3! Be5 25. Nxe5 dxe5 26.Bg5 f6 27.Bxh4
R R
snaring a pawn. 24... xc6 25.dxc6 e6 The other
Q R R Q
rook is planning 26...Rc8. 26. d2 c8 27.b3
xc6 28. d5 ce8 29.a4 c7 30.g4 Better is
B Q B B
30. h3. White is a pawn down but has strong
R
pressure. 30... e5 31.g5 e7 32. d2 b2! !
B K R Q
- Hoping to get the bishop to a3 and c5. 33. f5
d4+ 34. h1 f8 35. d5 Black keeps the edge
B B R R Q K
after 35. Qg4 Re4 36. R5f4 Rxf4 37.Bxf4 Be3.
35... c5 36. c3 g6 37. e1 d8 38. g2?
Q Q R R K
Better is 38. Re4 going after the pawn on h4.
R B K R R
38... a8 39. xa8 xa8 40. e7 f6 41. h3 d5
K R K
42. e2 d4 43. d2 fxg5 44. g4 f8 45. xf8+
xf8 46. e5 h3? Correct is 46...d3. 47. xh3?
K B
Missing 47.Bxa5! A comedy of errors courtesy of
the ticking clock. 47...g4+ 48. g2 d3 49. f4? ?
R R B
- 49. Rd5 Rd6 50. Kg3 still offers resistance. Now
R K R K R
it ends abruptly. 49... f6 50. e4 d2 51. xd2
f2+ 52. g3 xd2 53. xg4 d3 White can
R R K K K
resign right here but is hoping the clock will save
R K R K K
him. 54.h4 xb3 55. f4+ g8 56. f5 h7
57.h5 h3 58. g4 a3 59.h6 xh6 60. f5
Hoping for Rh4 mate. Anything can happen at this
speed! 60...g6+ White resigns. A historic game.
Is it likely that FIDE will abandon its obsession
with speed over quality and restore slower time
controls?
0-1
◦ Gary Kasparov
• Ruslan Ponomariov
Linares (13)
Spain
2002 1-0
Linares, which began in 1990, is usually the
strongest tournament held each year. Kasparov has
dominated the event by winning it eight times and
finishing second twice. His performance at this
super-tournament in 2002 marked his ninth straight
tournament victory in classical (slow) chess. He
confirmed his number one ranking in grand style,
outdistancing six hungry rivals with an 8-4 perfor-
mance (4 wins, 8 draws). In the penultimate round
he had the satisfaction of bashing FIDE champion
Ruslan Ponomariov, 18, of the Ukraine, his runner-
up who trailed by a full 1¡ points. At the closing
ceremony Kasparov retracted all the harsh things
about his young rival. "That was wrong and I will
correct that. Ruslan made an excellent impression
on me. He is very strong and I am sure that we
will play many more games," generously conceded
Kasparov.
N N N
1.e4 e6 Ponomariov plays the French Defense for
N N N N
the first time. 2.d4 d5 3. c3 dxe4 4. xe4 d7
5. f3 gf6 6. xf6+ xf6 7.c3 Bolstering the
N N
center. By delaying Bd3 White retains the option
of Bb5. 7...c5 8. e5 d7 Trying to dislodge the
B B Q
knight, but retreating a developed piece is dubi-
K N N N
ous. More prudent is 8...a6. 9. b5 d6 10. g4
f8 Losing the right to castle is unpleasant. But if
10...O-O? 11.Bh6 gains material. Now Kasparov
sacrifices a pawn to get a dangerous initiative. His
N
willingness to take risks is what endears his games
B B B R Q
to chess fans. 11.O–O !? 11... xe5 12.dxe5
xe5 13. g5 f6 14. ad1 c7 Kasparov later
said he expected 14...Qe7 15. Bxf6 Qxf6 and now
Q B Q B
intended either 16. Qg3 regaining the pawn or 16.
Q Q K
Qh5 pursuing the attack. 15. h4 xg5 16. xg5
f6 17. h5 g6 18. h6+ f7 If 18...Qg7? 19.
R R
Rd8+ Kf7 20. Be8+! Rxe8 21. Qxg7+ Kxg7 22.
Q B
Rxe8 snares the Exchange. 19. d3 a6 20. h3
e7 21. d3 f5 22.g4!? !? - Magically conjur-
ing new threats and spurning 22. Qxh7+ Rxh7
Q R
23. Rxh7+ Kf6 24. Rxe7 Kxe7 which regains
the pawn with an equal ending. 22... f6 23. d1
b5 ItŠs hard to shake the bind after 23...fxg4 24.
B R R
Rg3 e5 25. Bc4+ Ke8 (if 25...Ke7 26. Rgd3) 26.
Rd5. 24. e2 e5 25. hd3 a7? ? - Now itŠs
all downhill. Black must try to diminish the at-
R Q
tack by getting the queens off by 25...fxg4 26. Rd6
Q R
Qf4 27. Rxg6 Qxh6 28.Rxh6. 26. d6 g7 Or
26...Qe7 27. Rc6. 27. e3 c7 28.a4 e4 Return-
B Q Q Q Q B
ing the pawn to get some breathing room. 29.axb5
axb5 30. xb5 e5 31. g5 e7 32. h6 e6
326
Q
B
33. f4 A mad time scramble. A quicker win is 33.
Q
gxf5 gxf5 34. Be2. 33... c8 If 33...Rhc8 34. gxf5
B B
gxf5 35. Kh1! c4 36. Qh6 is annoying. 34. h6
e6 35.gxf5 gxf5 36. e2 Bringing more force to
Q B K R
the attack is decisive. A new and lethal threat is
Bh5+. 36... f6 37. h5+ e7 38. xe6+ Black
Resigned. Hopeless is 38...Kxe6 (or 38...Qxe6 39.
Qg7+) 39. Rd6+ Kxd6 40. Qxf6+.
1-0
◦ Alexei Shirov
• Gary Kasparov
Linares (14)
Spain
2002 0-1
Kasparov only needed a draw in the last round
to clinch first place but Shirov, who is a great
fighter over the board, bravely sacrificed a piece
for 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 (not
counting draws). They began a protracted feud
when Kasparov choose Kramnik instead of Shirov
as his challenger in 2000. Shirov, who had defeated
Kramnik in a qualifying match, sued. Since then
N N
they no longer shake hands before their games.
1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 A surprise? Kasparov once
quipped that some of his opponents write down
his second move (2...d6) before it has been made
N B N B
on the board. 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3 e5
6. db5 d6 7. g5 a6 8. a3 b5 9. xf6 A po-
sitional approach is 9.Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6
11. c3. 9...gxf6 Black will soon dissolve his dou-
N
bled pawns. Also playable is 9...Qxf6 10. Nd5
Qd8 11. c4 b4. 10. d5 f5 Many players pre-
fer 10...Bg7 to blunt the piece sacrifice that occurs
in this game, but Kasparov seldom shuns a theo-
retical duel. 11. xb5!? Shirov has scored bril-
N R
liant wins with this sacrifice. Tamer is 11. Bd3
Be6. 11...axb5 12. xb5 a4 13.b4!? A sharp
try that breathes new life into this variation. Black
Q
has fewer problems after 13.Nbc7+ Kd7 14. Nb6+
R
Kxc7 15. Nxa4 Rg8. 13... h4 Aiming for coun-
terpay on the kingside. 14.O–O g8 15.f4!?
Heating things up by not allowing Kasparov to go
K
for a draw after 15. c3 f4! 16. Qxa4 Rxg2+
with perpetual check. 15... d8! 16.c3 A crit-
ical decision played quickly. Alternatives are 16.
c4 or Nb6. Weaker is 16. Nxd6? Bxd6 17. Nb6
R
Nd4 18. Nxa4 fxe4 with a decisive counterattack.
16... a6 17.a4?! After a long think, but it creates
no concrete threats. Instead 17. Ne3 attacking d6
should be considered. Now Black seizes the initia-
tive. 17...fxe4 18.f5? Played instantly but it costs

B R N Q R
White the game. The best try is 18.Ndc7 Bh3 19.
Ra2! 18... b7 19. a2 e3 20. xe3 e4 21. e1
N B
Equally futile is 21. Re2 Nd4! 22. cxd4 Bh6.
K B Q
21... xb4! 22.cxb4 h6 Relentless. The pres-
sure on g2 is unbearable. 23. h1 xe3 24. e2
R Q N R
Even worse is 24.Nxd6 Qxg2+! 25. Rxg2 Bxg2
Q Q Q Q
mate. 24... c6 25.a5 xb4 26. xd6 xd6
27. xe3 d4 28. c1 d5 White resigns. With-
out waiting for 29. Qb2 Rxg2! 30.Qxg2 Qb3.
0-1
◦ Veselin Topalov
• Alexander Morozevich
NAO (1)
France
2002 1-0
It takes more than money to produce a great chess
culture, but subsidizing players canŠt hurt. Stalin
did it when using chess to prove that the Soviet
system was superior to the decadent West. Many
Russian players died or dispersed to the four cor-
ners of the globe. Korchnoi defected to Switzer-
land, and Spassky moved to France where a new
patron is determined to make that country a leading
chess nation. Nadej Ojjeh, the daughter of SyriaŠs
longtime defense minister, poured a fortune from
her deceased husbandŠs oil and arms empire into
chess. The first NAO tournament (bearing her ini-
tials) was the strongest ever held in France. The
average age of ten players was 28, ranging from
ex-world champion Anatoly Karpov (50) to French
champion Etienne Bacrot (19). They both landed
in a massive 5-way tie, 1¡ points behind BulgariaŠs
Veselin Topalov, 26, and IsraelŠs Boris Gelfand,
33. RussiaŠs Alexander Morozevich, 24, ranked
#5 in the world, was dead last, but his games were
undeniably exciting. In this one WhiteŠs last move
is simply superb. At the end every piece on the
N N B B N
board is hanging, notably BlackŠs king.
B B
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O–O
b5 6. b3 c5 7.a4 White doesnŠt get much
R B N
from 7. Nxe5 Nxe5 8. d4 Bxd4 9. Qxd4 Nc6.
7... b8 8.c3 d6 9.d4 b6 10.axb5 axb5 11. a3
N B B
O–O Getting the king to safety instead of bother-
ing to defend a pawn. 12. xb5 g4 13. c2 h6
N Q
14.dxe5 Only helps Black to activate his pieces.
N Q B
14. d5 Ne7 15. c4 looks more logical. 14... xe5
15. bd4 d5 16.exd5 xd5 17.h3 h5 WhiteŠs
extra pawn in the ending outweighs his doubled
N N
pawns after 17...Nxf3+ 18.Nxf3 Bxf3 19. Qxf3
N
Qxf3 20. gxf3. 18.g4!? fxg4 19. xe5
Q B Q N K
xe5 Sensibly rejecting 19...Ne3 20 Bxe3 Bxd1
Q B B R B N
21 Ndc6! 20. xh5 xd4 21. f5 f3+ 22. h1
xf5 23. xf5 f6 24. a7 c5 25. e4 e5
327
R N B B
26. d1 c4 27. b7 g5? A likely draw
would result from 27...Rfd8! 28 Bd5 Nxb2 29
B N R R
Bxf7+ Kh7 30 Rxd8 Bxd8 31 Be3 Nd1 32 Bxc5
R R
Nxc3. 28. xg5 hxg5 29.b3 e5 30. d5 fe8
R
31. xc5 e7 Black is a pawn down without com-
N B
pensation but this only hastens his defeat. 32. b5
d3 33. e4! Black resigns. Every White and ev-
ery Black piece is hanging! If 33...Rxb5 34. Ra8
mates. Also futile is 33...Rxe4 34. Rxb8+ Kh7
35. 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 Morozevich
NAO Tournament (2)
France
2002 1-0
"This was a very important fight, because we both
lost in the first round," said Leko. Black repeats
a 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 prize
N N B B N
in Cannes.
B B R
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6
5.O–O b5 6. b3 c5 7.a4 b8 8.c3 White
B N
intends to enforce d4 and drive the bishop on
c5 back. 8...d6 9.d4 b6 10. a3 O–O Ignor-
ing the pawn. Black may be able to hold the
endgame after 10...b4 11.dxe5 Nxe5 12.Nxe5+
N B B
dxe5 13.Qxd8+Kxd8 14.Nc4 Be6. 11.axb5 axb5
12. xb5 g4 13. c2 h6 14.d5 Bold and some-
what risky, but White holds his extra pawn.
N B K
Topalov chose the less ambitious 14.dxe5 against
Morozevich. 14... e7 15.h3 h5 16. h1 A
subtle prophylactic move. Black took 55 min-
utes on his next move, searching for a way to
get compensation for the pawn. The point is
N
that 16...Bxf2 is not made with check and can
be met by 17. Nxd6! 16... xe4 A sharp, tem-
B B
porary sacrifice to mix it up. 16...Qd7 first also
comes into consideration. 17. xe4 f5 18. c2
Meeting fire with fire! Simplifying with 18.Bd3
e4 19.Be2 exf3 20.Bxf3 Bxf3 21.Qxf3 Ng6 gives
Black good counterplay. 18... e8 "A big sur-
prise for me. I had calculated for about 40 minutes
the following line 18...e4 19.g4 fxg4 20.Nh2 Nf5
21.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.Kxh4
B
Rxb5 29.Bxe4, I had nothing to worry about, since
White has a big advantage." – Leko 19. a4 e4
 N Q N
20. xc7 f7 21. e6 exf3 22.gxf3 "On 22.g3 B
the e-file by Rae2. 14. f4 An attempt to im-

Q
prove on 14.Bf1 Qd7 15.cxd5 Qxd5 16.Ne5 Qd6
Bg4! WhiteŠs king could get into serious trouble."
– Leko 22... f6 "A quiet move with a lot of poi-17.Bc4 Nxe5 18.Rxe5 Bg6 19.Qe2 Qd7 20.Be3
son. My first impression was that with a power- Bd6 21.Rxe8+ Rxe8 22.Bd3 Bxd3 23.Qxd3 b5

B B
ful knight on e6 and two extra pawns I should be24.a4, ending in a draw, Pfreundtner-Buerger, Ger-
easily winning. Howewer even after more then 30 many 1996. 14...dxc4 15. xc4 d6 A ques-

R Q N
tionable move by Black. Preferable is 15...Rc8 to
minutes struggling I was unable to find a clear de-

N R B B B Q
cision and Black’s threats seemed more and more guard the pawn on c7. 16. xe8+ xe8 17. g5
serious." –Leko 23. xf8 xf8 24. b5 "This is g6 18. xd6 cxd6 19.h4 e7 The net result of
all these maneuvers is that BlackŠs pawn struc-
the point! White wants to activate his rook on a4

Q K
and in an emergency the bishop can return to e2 ture has been ruptured. How Anand exploits this
to protect the f3 pawn." – Leko 24... h4 25. g2 weakness is instructive. Perhaps the best defense

Q N
g5 "This is simply a blunder. I expected the natu-
is 19...h6 20.h5 Bxh5 21.Qxh5 hxg5 22.Qxg5 Qd7.
ral 25...Ng6 26.Ra4 f4 27.Bd7 Ne5 28.Be6+ Kh8 20. g4 h6 21. h3 Threatening Qxg6. Unsound

Q R B
29.Bg4 Bxg4 30.hxg4 Nxg4 31.fxg4 f3+ 32.Qxf3 is 21.Ne6?.d5! 22.Bxd5 fxe6 23.Qxg6 exd5 and

Q K N B
Rxf3 33.Kxf3 with a clear advantage. My oppo- White has just lost a piece. 21... f6 22. e1 f5
23. f3 f8 24. f4 d7 A frustrating but nec-
nent also saw the same line, which is why he tried

R B N R N
the desperate text move – which is even worse." essary retreat for Black. Not 24...Re8? 25.Rxe8+

R Q
– Leko 26. a4 f4 27. d7 g6 28. e4 e5 Kxe8 26.Nh5 Qg6 27.Qxf5!! Qxf5 28.Nxg7+

R R B Q
29. xe5 dxe5 30. d3 "30.d6 was also possible, wins. Or 24...Qxh4 25.Bxf7! Kxf7 26. Qd5+ Kf6

K Q B B
27.Re6+!! 25.g3 e8 26. xe8+ xe8 27. e4
but in time-trouble I first wanted to stabilize my

R B
position." – Leko 30... g7 31. e4 c7 32. f5 g5 28.hxg5 Also good is 28.Nd5 Qg6 29.Qxg6

Q
f6 33.c4 f7 34.c5 h5 Black can get one pawn fxg6 30.hxg5 hxg5 31.Nf6 with an advantage for
back but itŠs still hopeless after 34...Bxd5 35.White. 28... xg5 Now BlackŠs pawns are split

B B
Qxd5 Rxf5 36. b4 Qh5 37. Bb2. 35.d6 g4
like bowling pins. But even worse is 28...hxg5

Q Q
36.fxg4 Both sides are short of time as they ap-29.Nd5 Qe6 30.Qh7. 29. d5 d7 29...Qf6
proach the time control at move 40. Instead 36. would avoid loss of material. 30. h7 f6 Costs

B R B Q K B
dxc7 Qxh3+ 37. Kg1 would win on the spot. a pawn and the game. But on 30...Qg7 31.Qb1

Q K R Q B N
36... g6 37. g1 d8 38. xe5 f3+ 39. xf3 b6 32.Qb5 Nd8 33.Qc4 is hard to meet. 31. xf7

B B K
xh3+ 40. e2 hxg4 41. xg4 h5 42. Splat! 31... e7 Immediately fatal is 31...Qxf7?
g5
The final blow. 42... xf5 43. xf6+ f7 No bet- 32.Ng6+ Ke8 33.Qh8+. A pawn down, Black tries

B B N B
ter is 43...Kh7 because of 44.f3. 44.f3 Black Re-
to hold the ending, but AnandŠs endgame tech-

N B N K N B
signs. On 44...Bxf6 45. Qd5+ is decisive. nique is flawless. 32. b3 f5 33. h5 xh7

K K K K B
1-0 34. xf6 g6 35. g4 g7 36. e3 e4 37.g4
f6 38. h2 b6 39. g3 g5 40. f7 Unneces-
◦ Viswanathan Anand sary, but it does no harm. Anand is reluctant to
• Anatoly Karpov
K B
commit himself on the last move of the time con-

K B K B B B
Eurotel Trophy Finals (5) trol with either 40.f3 or f4+. 40... f6 41. c4

B B B K B N N
Prague g5 42. b3 f6 43.f3 g6 44.f4 e4 45. c4

K
2002 1-0 c6 46. d3 b7 47. h4 f3 48. c4 d5

B N N N K B
32 stars – including Gary Kasparov, 39, and Karpov finally tries to activate his knight. 49. g3
Vladimir Kramnik, 27, the man who con- d1 50. xd6 xc3 51. f5 g6 52.d5 a4

B K N K
quered him for the title – competed for a 52...Nxd5 loses a piece to 53.Ne3 with a discov-

K K K K
500, 000purseattheEurotelT rophyinP rague.Butneitherreachedthef
ered check. 53.d6 inals,
d7 54.whereV
h4 a5iswanathanAnand,
55. e3+ f7 32, beatAnato
af tertwogamesof classicalchess(witha7hourlimit)−
56. h5 b5 57. xh6 e6 58.g5 xd6 59.g6
−unlikeallthef astcontestsinpreviousrounds, whichof
N N N N N
Blacktenendedinablur.
Resigns. WhiteŚs passed pawns are too fast.

B N B N
1.e4 e5 2. f3 f6 3. xe5 d6 4. f3 xe4 5.d4 This smooth positional effort by Anand is reminis-

B
d5 6. d3 c6 7.O–O e7 8.c4 b4 Also seen cent of Karpov in his prime.
frequently is 8...Nf6 9.Nc3 0-0 10.h3. 9. e2 1-0

N B N
O–O Maybe 9...dxc4 10.Nc3 Bf5 11.Bxc4 c6 is

N R R
a bit safer. 10. c3 f5 11.a3 xc3 12.bxc3
c6 13. e1 e8 KarpovŠs plan deviates from
Shirov-Karpov in the semi-finals, which contin-
ued 13...dxc4 14.Bxc4 Bd6 15.Ra2! doubling on

328