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The Test of Time

Garry Kasparov

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The Test of Time

Garry Kasparov

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The Test of Time

by

GARRY KASPAROV

Translated by K. P. NEAT

Preface

Within the Space of a Few Years

My First Encounter with a Grandmaster

Kasparov-Lutikov

Daugavpils, 1978

Elimination Tournament to the USSR Championship

Kasparov-I. Ivanov

Sicilian Defence

Informator Prize-winner

Kasparov-Palatnik

Alekhine's Defence

Moscow, 1979

7th USSR Peoples' Spartakiad

In Search of the Truth....

Veingold-Kasparov

King's Indian Defence

Kasparov-Butnoryus

Bogo-Indian Defence

Minsk, 1979

47th USSR Championship, Premier League

The New "Discovery of America"

Kasparov- Yusupov

Ruy Lopez

Kasparov-Georgadze

Philidor's Defence

Skara, 1980

European Team Championship

Kasparov-Pribyl

Grunfeld Defence

Kasparov-Vukic

Caro-Kann Defence

Baku, 1980

USSR Central Chess Club International Tournament

Kasparov-Zaitsev

Queen's Gambit

Through the Pawn Barricade

Kasparov-Torre

How Should One Play in the Last Round?

Kasparov-Martinovic

Queen's Pawn Opening

Dortmund, 1980

World Junior Championship

The Price of Attack

Kasparov-Akesson

Queen's Indian Defence

Tempone-Kasparov

English Opening

Malta, 1980

24th Olympiad

Kasparov-Marjanovic

Queen's Indian Defence

Kasparov-Ligterink

Queen's Indian Defence

Hết Phần 1 (2-50 page của TTOT nguồn PDF)

Kasparov-Speelman

Queen's Indian Defence

Giardelli-Kasparov

English Opening

Memorable Moments in February

Round one

A battle above the abyss

Kasparov-Romanishin

Grunfeld Defence

Round two

The effect of surprise

Smyslov-Kasparov

(English Opening)

Round three

A long-awaited meeting

Kasparov-Karpov

Petroffs Defence

Round four

Experiences leave their mark

Romanishin-Kasparov

English Opening

Round five

In the style of my opponent

Kasparov-Smyslov

Ruy Lopez

Round six

Each player was aiming for victory

Karpov-Kasparov

English Opening

Lucky or Unlucky?

Belyavsky-Kasparov

Kings Indian Defence

Kasparov-Gheorghiu

Portisch-Kasparov

Kasparov-Andersson

Kasparov-Petrosian

Queen's Indian Defence

Through the Prism of Analysis

Kasparov-Yurtayev

Nimzo-Indian Defence

Vaiser-Kasparov

King’s Indian Defence

Vaganian-Kasparov

Grigorian-Kasparov

Graz, 1981

Sunye-Kasparov

Brazil-USSR Queen's Gambit

Klaric-Kasparov

Yugoslavia-USSR Queen's Pawn Opening

Speelman-Kasparov

England-USSR English Opening

Kasparov-Fedorowicz

USSR-USA

Queen's Indian Defence

Two Weeks in Tilburg

Kasparov-Petrosian

Kasparov-Andersson

Queen's Indian Defence

When a Photo-finish is not Demanded

Tukmakov-Kasparov

Kings Indian Defence

Skirmishes on a minefield

Kasparov-Timoshchenko

Kasparov-Dorfman

When one's fate lies in an envelope

Kasparov-Belyavsky

Kuzmin-Kasparov

Kasparov-Kupreichik

Super-Tournament in Bugojno

Kasparov-Gligoric

Queen s Indian Defence

Ivanovic-Kasparov

Sicilian Defence

Kasparov-Najdorf

Queen's Indian Defence

Kasparov-Petrosian

Bogo-Indian Defence

Spassky-Kasparov

Sicilian Defence

Kasparov-Larsen

Kavalek-Kasparov

King's Indian Defence

Timman-Kasparov

King's Indian Defence

Postscript to a Prologue

Moscow, 1982

Kasparov-Sax

Grilnfeld Defence

Kasparov-Murey

Queen’ s Indian Defence

Kasparov-Gheorghiu

Queen’ s Indian Defence

Christiansen-Kasparov

Kings Indian Defence

Van der Wiel-Kasparov

Queen's Pawn Opening

Velimirovic- Kasparov

Caro-Kann Defence

L. Bronstein (Argentina)-Yusupov

Kasparov-Nunn (England)

Modern Benoni Defence

Alburt (USA)-Kasparov

King's Indian Defence

Kasparov-Suba (Rumania)

When it is Chess that Wins

Korchnoi-Kasparov

Moden Benoni Defence

Expectations and Surprises

Candidates Quarter-final Match, Moscow, 1983

Game No. 2

Belyavsky-Kasparov

Queen's Gambit

Game No. 3

Kasparov-Belyavsky

Queen's Gambit

Game No. 4

Belyavsky-Kasparov

Nimzo-Indian Defence

Game No. 5

Kasparov-Belyavsky

Queen's Gambit

Game No. 6

Belyavsky-Kasparov

Queen's Gambit

Game No. 7

Kasparov-Belyavsky

Queen's Gambit

Game No. 8

Belyavsky-Kasparov

King's Indian Defence

Game No. 9

Kasparov-Belyavsky

Benoni Defence

The Duel Continues!

Kasparov-Tal

Queen's Gambit USSR Spartakiad, Moscow, 1983

Postscript

From the Ridiculous to the Sublime

Seirawan-Kasparov

Kasparov-Petrosian

Larsen-Kasparov

Seirawan-Kasparov

Kasparov-Petrosian

Larsen-Kasparov

Kasparov-Portisch

Queen's Indian Defence

News, Facts and Comments

Candidates Semi-final Match, London, 1983

Prologue

Kasparov-Korchnoi

Queen's Indian Defence

Korchnoi-Kasparov

Queen's Gambit

Kasparov-Korchnoi

Queen's Indian Defence

Korchnoi-Kasparov

Catalan Opening

Kasparov-Korchnoi

Catalan Opening

Korchnoi-Kasparov

Queen's Gambit

Korchnoi-Kasparov

Catalan Opening

Kasparov-Korchnoi

Catalan Opening

Korchnoi-Kasparov

Queen's Gambit

Kasparov-Korchnoi

Modern Benoni Defence

The Test of Time

Candidates Final Match, Vilnius, 1984

And now another two games from the match.

In the eleventh game the Ex-World Champion employed Chigorin's Defence.

Biographical Details

Tournament and Match

Results

Annotations

Index of Kasparov's

Opponents

THE TEST OF TIME

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***

PERGAMON RUSSIAN CHESS SERIES

General Editor: Kenneth P. Neat Executive Editor: Catherine Shephard

AVERBAKH, Y.

Chess Endings: Essential Knowledge

Comprehensive Chess Endings

Volume 1: Bishop Endings & Knight Endings

Volume 2: Bishop v Knight Endings, Rook v Minor Piece Endings

BOTVINNIK, M. M.

Achieving the Aim

Anatoly Karpov: His Road to the World Championship

Half a Century of Chess

Selected Games 1967-70

BRONSTEIN, D. & SMOLYAN, Y. Chess in the Eighties

ESTRIN, Y. & PANOV, V. N. Comprehensive Chess Openings

GELLER, E. P.

The Application of Chess Theory

KARPOV, A.

Chess at the Top 1979-1984

KARPOV, A. & GIK, Y. Chess Kaleidoscope

KARPOV, A. & ROSHAL, A. Anatoly Karpov: Chess is my Life

LIVSHITZ, A.

Test Your Chess IQ, Books 1 & 2

NEISHTADT, Y. Catastrophe in the Opening Paul Keres Chess Master Class

POLUGAYEVSKY, L. Grandmaster Preparation Grandmaster Performance

SHERESHEVSKY, M. I. Endgame Strategy

SMYSLOV, V.

125 Selected Games

SUETIN, A. S.

Modern Chess Opening Theory

Three Steps to Chess Mastery

TAL, M., CHEPIZHNY, V. & ROSHAL, A. Montreal 1979: Tournament of Stars

VAINSTEIN, B. S.

David Bronstein: Chess Improviser

The Test of Time

by

GARRY KASPAROV

Translated by K. P. NEAT

PERGAMON PRESS

OXFORD • NEW YORK • BEIJING • FRANKFURT SAO PAULO•SYDNEY•TOKYO•TORONTO

English translation copyright © 1986 K. P. Neat

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means: electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission in writing from the publishers.

First edition 1986 Reprinted 1986

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Kasparov, G. K. (Garri Kimovich)

The test of time.

(Pergamon Russian chess series)

includes indexes.

1. Chess—Collections of games. 2. Chess—Tournaments—

Soviet Union. 3. Chess—Tournaments—Europe.

I. Title    II. Series.

GV1452.K366    1986    794.V5    85-23804

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

Kasparov, G. K.

The test of time.

1. Kasparov, G. K. 2. Chess—Collections of games

I. Title

794.T59        GV1439.K3/

ISBN 0-08-034043-1   Hardcover ISBN 0-08-034155-1   Flexicover

Typeset by W. Turner & Sons Ltd., Halifax

Printed in Great Britain by A. Wheaton & Co. Ltd., Exeter

Typeset by W. Turner & Sons Ltd., Halifax

Printed in Great Britain by A. Wheaton & Co. Ltd., Exeter

Preface

A collection of annotated games usually expresses a player's creative beliefs. Clearly seen in the commentaries are his playing conceptions and his approach to a wide range of problems associated with chess. This book too is no exception, but a certain novelty in the laying out of the material necessitates a preliminary explanation, regarding the structure of the games collection and the way in which it was compiled.

My chess philosophy has largely developed under the influence of Ex-World Champion Mikhail Moiseevich Botvinnik. I am sure that the five years I spent at Botvinnik's school (1973-1978) played a decisive role in my formation as a chess player and determined the path of my subsequent improvement. Especially important, in my opinion, was the assimilation of Mikhail Moiseevich's main "axiom" regarding the necessity for constant analytical work, in particular the thorough analysis of one's own games. By strictly observing this rule, with the years I have come to realize distinctly that this provides the foundation for the continuous development of chess mastery. However, by no means everyone shares this opinion. Thus in recent times, due to the continuing growth in chess information and the number of chess events, more and more has been said about the "superfluousness" of purposeful research work. But can the further development of chess really involve a rejection of its scientific study?!

The first year of my adult chess career (1978) can well be regarded as the start of my experience as an annotator, although it was restricted to my own games. But after the

commencement in Baku of the periodical Shakhmaty, my journalistic work became more regular (during the period 1981-1984 all the tournaments in which I participated were covered).

It is obvious that a great deal of work on the annotating of games is bound to result in some analytical mistakes. In addition, the rapid development of opening theory introduces its corrections. Therefore, within some interval of time, practically any commentary needs, if not to be rewritten, then at least to be supplemented and corrected. It is on this principle that the book is constructed. The basic commentary, i.e. that written immediately after the event, has in general been left unchanged (not counting stylistic "cosmetics" and small corrections to variations). But in places where the old commentary has needed overhauling or explaining, new comments have been added in a different typeface (italic). In these, the result of the present-day analysis of these games is essentially included.

Thus this unusual double commentary gives a clear impression of the mistakes committed, of the re-evaluations which have occurred, and of changes in the views of the author himself during the intervening period. I think that, thanks to this construction, the book may be effectively used for instructional purposes (for players of high standard).

In conclusion, I should like to thank all those who helped in the compilation and rapid publication of this book.

Garry Kasparov

Contents

Within the Space of a Few Years M. M. Botvinnik        ix

My First Encounter with a Grandmaster            1

Daugavpils, 1978 (Elimination Tournament to the USSR Championship)            4

Moscow, 1979 (7th USSR Peoples' Spartakiad)          8

Minsk, 1979 (47th USSR Championship, Premier League)       13

Skara, 1980 (European Team Championship)   18

Baku, 1980 (USSR Central Chess Club International Tournament)        23

Dortmund, 1980 (World Junior Championship) 33

Malta, 1980 (24th Olympiad)   38

Memorable Moments in February (Match-Tournament of USSR Teams)           43

Lucky or Unlucky? (Moscow International Grandmaster Tournament)   52

Through the Prism of Analysis (USSR Team Championship)      62

Graz, 1981 (World Junior Team Championship)            69

Two Weeks in Tilburg (Tilburg Grandmaster Tournament)         77

When a Photo-finish is not Demanded (49th USSR Championship, Premier League)   81

Super-Tournament in Bugojno  98

Vll

Postscript to a Prologue (Moscow Interzonal Tournament)        108

And Once Again the Strongest! (25th Olympiad)           119

Expectations and Surprises (Candidates Quarter-final Match v. Belyavsky)        138

The Duel Continues! (USSR Spartakiad)          148

From the Ridiculous ... to the Sublime (Niksic Grandmaster Tournament)           153

News, Facts and Comments (Candidates Semi-final Match v. Korchnoi)           161

The Test of Time (Candidates Final Match v. Smyslov) 192

Appendixes

Biographical Details      209

Tournament and Match Results 210

Annotations      211

Index of Kasparov's Opponents            213

Index of Openings        214

Within the Space of a Few Years

In the Winter of 1978 there were arguments over whether to invite 14-year-old candidate master Garry Kasparov to the Sokolsky Memorial Tournament. After all, it was only masters who were supposed to be playing there! An exception was made, he was invited, and the young player in fact won the tournament, surpassing the master of sport norm by 3^1/2 points.

This book is a collection of games from the period 1978-1984, annotated by Kasparov after the events. Of course, at the time he chose the games and endings which were the most interesting, but chess advances, and now he has had to write annotations to his annotations.

Garry Kasparov is on the right path: analyses of games should be published by a player not only to afford pleasure to the readers, but also, by putting forward the results of his work to their strict judgement, to be able to use the readers' criticisms to check the objectivity of his searchings. This is an essential step for anyone who wishes to become a researcher in chess. In this way creative and competitive successes can be raised,  and the  very maximum possible "squeezed" out of his talent— provided there is talent! With regard to the present author, about this there is no doubt. . . .

This book gives 86 games and 14 endings. Over the six-year period Kasparov played many more — the selection was strict. Years will pass, creative successes will be multiplied, and then in new collections possibly not all the games given here will survive. . . .

From time to time the research tendency of the Soviet Chess School has been subjected to criticism. Thus in 1950 Levenfish held that a player's preparation would reduce the significance of improvization and of the general creative element in chess. It is sometimes asserted nowadays that this tendency has grown obsolete, and that it was suitable only for the "horse and cart era". But practice is the criterion of truth, and it remains a fact that a player's preparation, his research work, leads to a raising of his practical competitive results.

That is how Garry Kasparov operates. We wish him success, and hope that other young masters will follow him!

M. M. BOTVINNIK

IX

My First Encounter with a Grandmaster

In the biography of any chess player there will no doubt be found tournaments and games which he regards as memorable. The number of events in which I have competed can for the moment be counted almost on the fingers of one hand. But I will remember the Sokolsky Memorial Tournament all my life. Here I achieved the master norm, and the game from the last round also sticks in my memory— for the first time I played "one-to-one" against a grandmaster.

Kasparov-Lutikov

Queen s Pawn Opening Sokolsky Memorial Tournament, Minsk, 1978

1d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 d6

It seems to me that the more specific 2 ... g6 is also a more flexible continuation, since the d7 pawn retains its freedom of choice (3 Nc3 d5!). But now White acquires an additional possibility, forcing the opponent as though to plan anew the opening development of his forces.

3 Nc3 Bg4

Cunning against cunning! Avoiding both the Pirc Defence (3 ... g6) and Philidor's Defence (3 ... Nbd7 4 e4 e5), Black chooses a rare continuation.

4 e4 Nbd7?

Positionally a highly risky continuation. But perhaps this was a test of the "seriousness" of my intentions in the last round? In order to attempt to refute Black's idea, I was obliged to decide on the sharp advance of my e-pawn, in a situation where I would have been quite happy with a draw. But in my first encounter with a grandmaster I very much wanted to play "good" chess, and I made up my mind.... Instead of 4 ... Nbd7, 4 . . . e6 or even 4 ... c6 is sounder.

5 e5 Ng8

The knight has to retreat, since 5 ... dXe5

6 dXe5 BXB 7 QXf3 NXe5 8 QXb7 is too unfavourable for Black.

6 h3 BXf3

On 6 ... Bh5 I was going to continue 7 g4 Bg6 8 h4, intending e5-e6 at the most favourable moment.

7 QXf3 c6 8 Bf4

White wishes to provoke . . . d5, and only then carry out the obstructive pawn sacrifice. But the attempt to open up the position by 8 eXd6 eXd6 9 c5 came seriously into consideration, after which 9 ... c5 10 Bf4 could have given Black serious difficulties over the defence of his d6 pawn.

8          ... d5

Now White's plan is fully justified. 8... e6 9 eXd6 Ndf6! would have set him more difficult problems, although even then after10 0-0-0 BXd6 11 Be5! he has an obvious positional advantage.

9 e6 fXe6 10 Bd3 Ngf6 11 Qe2

For the moment Black's extra pawn is merely hindering his development, and is obviously doomed. The attempt to exchange it-11...Qb6 12 0-0-0 0-0-013QXe6QXd4 — is refuted by the pretty but routine stroke 14QXc6+!

11 ... g6 12 QXe6 Bg7 13 0-0

A debatable decision, which White came to after reasoning that the opponent's defences would not be cracked by crude pressure down the e-file, and that operations would also be required on one of the flanks. I already had in mind the general idea of a pawn offensive on the Q-side, and so I decided to hide my king away on the opposite wing. But now I think that Q-side castling would have been both a more logical, and a stronger continuation.

13 ... Nh5 14 Bg5?!

When playing 13 0-0 I had intended this active bishop move (instead of 14 Be3), assuming, mainly on general grounds, that Black would find it difficult to decide on the pawn capture 14 ... BXd4. After reassuring myself with the variation 15 NXd5 cXd5 16 Bb5 Nf6 17 Radl Qb6 18 BXd7+ etc., I decided that the white rooks would find suitable employment for themselves on the central files. But in later analysis it was discovered that by 16 ... a6 (instead of 16 ... Nf6) Black could have threatened to free himself from the pin, which in combination with the threat of ... Nc5 would have enabled him to parry the attack (17 Rael aXb5 18 BXe7 Qb6 19 QXd5 Be5!).

Obviously, instead of 15 NXd5? White should simply play 15 Rfel, e.g. 75 ... Bf6 16 BXf6 NhXf6 (16. . .NdXf6?17g4) 17 Na4, with good play for the pawn.

14 ... Nf8 15 Qg4 Nf6 16 Qe2 Qd6 17 Rael

By returning the pawn Black has only slightly improved his position. His forces are still scattered, his development is not complete, and the threat of trouble along the e-file has by no means disappeared. The problem of deploying his rooks was solved very simply by White: after the advance f2-f4-f5 the opening of the f-file is very much a reality, and therefore the rooks stand best at fl and el.

17        ... e6

Black prevents the advance of the white f-pawn, but at the same time condemns himself to passive defence. However, 17 ... Kf7 18 Bh4! Ne6 19 Bg3 looks dangerous for him, after both 19 ... NXd4 20 Qe3 Qb4 21 a3 and 19... Qd7 20 Be5 followed by Q-f4-f5.

18 Na4

In this way White opens a second front on the Q-side, trying there too to create targets to attack.

18        ... Kf7 19 b4 b6

Of course, not 19 ... QXb4 because of 20 Nc5, with a mass of dangerous threats.

20 Qd2 Re8 21 Bf4 Qe7

Black cannot prevent White's planned offensive. 21... Qd7 is strongly met by 22 c4 dXc4 23 BXc4, when 23 ... b5 24 Nc5 is not possible, and the position after 23 ... Nd5 24 Be5 is also pretty cheerless.

22 b5 Qa3

At e7 the queen merely hinders the remaining pieces from regrouping. On 22 ... c51 was intending to continue 23 dXc5 bXc5 24 c4, opening up the game.

23 Nc3 c5 24 Nbl!

The return home of the knight is perhaps the strongest move of its career. It transpires that the queen's sortie to a3 has not prevented the opening up of the centre.

24        ... Qa4

There is no choice. 24 ... Qb4 can be simply met by 25 QXb4 cXb4 26 Bd6, while after 24 ... QXa2 25 Nc3 the queen is trapped.

25 dXc5 bXc5 26 c4! N8d7

Of course, 26 ... dXc4 is not possible due to 27 Nc3, while after 26 . . . d4 the black queen is again imprisoned.

27 Nc3 Qa5 28 Qc2 Qd8

Now there is nothing for the queen to do on its own wing. 28 ... e5 is strongly met by

29        Bd2! d4 30 Ne4 Qb6 31 Ng5+.

29        Bg5 Nb6 30 a4

The threat of the a-pawn's further advance does not allow Black time to regroup, e.g.

30        ... Qc7 31 cXd5 eXd5 32 a5 Nbd7 33 NXd5 NXd5 34 Bc4.

30        ... dXc4 31 Be4 Re7 32 a5

The alternative way of continuing the attack was by 32 Bc6 and then Rdl.

32 ... Nbd7 33 Bc6 Nb8 34 Rdl QXa5 35 Ne4 Rf8!

At last this rook comes into play, clearing the way for the king to go to g8. There appears to be a real prospect of Black consolidating his position, while White is restoring the material balance. But here I noticed a drawback to the placing of the black rooks.

XABCDEFGHY
8-sn-+-tr-+(
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36 Bf4!

Like a pendulum, this bishop has been oscillating all the game between f4 and g5, each time disrupting more and more the opponent's defences. This last oscillation leaves Black in a critical position. Since 36 ... e5 is not possible, he is forced to allow the invasion of the white pieces.

36 ... NXc6 37 bXc6 Ne8

37... NXe4 38 QXe4 Bd4 was rather more tenacious.

38 Rd7! RXd7 39 cXd7 Nf6 40 Nd6+ Ke7 41 NXc4

The other highly promising continuation was 41 Nb7.

41 ... Qa6 42 Bd6+ KXd7 43 BXf8 BXf8

In spite of the approximate material equality, Black's position remains difficult. It is impossible for him to defend his king and to keep all his weak pawns intact.

44 Qd3+ Ke7

After 44... Kc7 45 Re 1 the e6 pawn is soon lost.

45 Rdl Nd5 46 Qe4 Kf7

46        ... Nc3 is bad because of 47 Qh4+ etc.

47 Ne5+ Kg8 48 Nd7 c4 49 Rbl Qd6

Black parries the threat of Rb8, and in

passing sets a "trap" 50NXf8 Nc3, into which White could perfectly well have fallen — 51 Qa8 NXbl 52 NXe6+ Kf7 53 Ng5+ Ke7 54 Qb7+ followed by QXbl, winning. But since, in the heat of the battle, we had rushed past the time control, and neither was taking the initiative to adjourn the game, I followed another path, one planned beforehand, where it was the activity of the rook that nevertheless decided matters.

50 Rb7 c3 51 NXf8 KXf8 52 RXh7 Qf4

By the threat of perpetual check Black exchanges the queens and saves himself from a mating attack. But the resulting ending is hopeless for him: his passed pawns are doomed.

53 QXf4 NXf4 54 Kfl a5 55 Ra7 Nd5 56 RXa5 Kf7

With a last trap - 57 Ke2 Nf4+ 58 Kf3? c2 59 Rc5 Nd3 60 RXc2 Nel+ and it is Black who wins. But. . . .

57 g3

Black resigns.

Daugavpils, 1978

Elimination Tournament to the USSR Championship

Kasparov-I. Ivanov

Sicilian Defence

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cXd4 4 NXd4 g6 5 c4 Bg7 6 Be3 d6 7 Nc3 Nh6 8 Be2 0-0 9 Qd2

In my opinion, another promising development plan is 9 0-0 f5 10 Qd2 Ng4 11 BXg4 fXg4.

9 ... Ng4 10 BXg4 BXg4 11 0-0 Qa5 12 Racl Rfc8 13 b3 a6 14 NXc6 RXc6

14        ... bXc6 is unfavourable because of 15 c5!

15        Bh6 Rac8

But not 15... Bh8? 16Nd5 Qd8 17 Qg5!, or 15 ... b5? 16 BXg7 KXg7 17 Qg5!

16 BXg7 KXg7 17 f4?!

In spite of the exchanges, the position has not lost its sharpness. After 17 Qb2! f618 Nd5 White evidently stands a little better, but I was in too much of a hurry, and the evaluation immediately changed.

17        ... f6!

Now the gains resulting from the advance of the f-pawn are unclear, whereas the threat of ... b5 is unpleasant. White decides to complicate the play at the cost of his c-pawn.

18 Khl b5 19 f5 g5

The incautious capture 19 ... bXc4 would

(altogether — 64 competitors)

* Places arranged in order of Buchholz scores.

have lost a piece - 20 b4! QXb4 21 h3.

20 Qf2

If 20 Qb2 bXc4 21 b4, then 21 . . .Qe5!

20 ... bXc4 21 Nd5 cXb3 22 RXc6 RXc6 23 Qa7!

White planned this raid before making his 18th move. Now the knight in the centre and the queen rampaging in the enemy rear compensate by their activity for the lost material.

23 ... Qd8 24 aXb3 Be2! 25 Rel Bb5 26 h4

Of course, 26 QXe7 would have favoured Black, but now I considered that 26 . . . h6 with the possible sequel 27 Rdl Kf8 28 Kh2 Rc2 29 e5! Qd7! (29 ... dXe5? 30 Nf4!) 30 QXd7 BXd7 31 eXf6 was the most solid, and would give equal chances. Not wishing to tempt fate against an opponent who before this had won six games in a row, I offered a draw, but it was not accepted.

26        ... gXh4?!

This reply weakens the king's position and gives the white rook a clear objective.

27 Qf2 Kh8 28 QXh4 Rc2

Black has got rid of the threats to his e7 pawn and has activated his rook, but he

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stands worse in view of the impending danger to his king.

29 Re3?

A natural manoeuvre, but at the same time a mistake, which loses White his advantage. After 29 Nf4! Black would have been unable to transfer his queen to f8 and bishop to f7, and would evidently have lost, e.g. 29... Be8 30Ne6Qa5 31 Qg3, or 29 ... Qe8 30Re3 Qf7 31 Rg3.

29 ... Qf8! 30 Rh3 Qg7 31 Rg3 Qf8 32 Nf4 Be8!

Now Black's defences hold. After 33 Ng6+ BXg6 34 fXg6 Qg7 he has everything in order.

33 Ne6 Qf7 34 Kgl

Had he caught the queen by 34 Rg7, White would have risked losing. Realizing that my advantage had gone, I set a last trap.

34        ... Qh5!

After 34 ... Bd7 35 Nd8 Qf8 the game would have been immediately decided by 36 Qh6!, but by now Black is firmly on the correct path.

35 QXh5 BXh5 36 Rg7 Re2!

The draw now becomes obvious, whereas after 36 ... Rc7? 37 g4! White would unexpectedly have trapped the bishop.

37 RXe7

White too is on the alert: 37 g4? RXe4! 38 gXh5 RXe6 39 h6 Re5 40 Rf7 Kg8 41 Rg7+ Kffi 42 RXh7 RXf5 43 Rh8+ Kf7 44 h7 Rh5, and Black wins.

37 ... RXe4 38 Ra7 h6 39 Ra8+ Kh7 40 Ra7+

Drawn.

Informator Prize-winner

The following game was judged to be one of the best in the 26th volume of Sahovski Informator.

Kasparov-Palatnik

Alekhine's Defence

1 e4 Mf6 2 e5N d5 3 d4 d6 4 Nf3 g6 5 Bc4 Nb6 6 Bb3 a5

This system of play is often employed by players from Odessa. Although after 7 e6 BXe6 8 BXe6 fXe6 9 Ng5 Nc6 10 NXe6 Qd7 11 Qe2 theory promises White a solid advantage, my opponent had succeeded previously in demonstrating the viability of Black's position. Therefore I decided to choose another continuation, one which in my opinion is not at all bad.

7 a4 Bg7 8 Ng5

Now 8 . .. d5 leads to a well known position with the moves a2-a4 and . . . a5 included. In the main variation, where White plays 9 f4 and subsequently exploits his advantage in space, the weakening of the b4 square (after the possible exchange of c-pawns) may give Black counterplay. But I was intending to continue differently: 9 0-0 0-0 10 Rel Nc6 11 c3 f6 12 eXf6 eXf6 13 Ne6, retaining a slight advantage.

8... e6!?

This move, which had never previously been played, was made by Palatnik without much thought, which somewhat perturbed me. After convincing myself that a direct refutation of Black's plan was not possible (9 Qf3 Qe7 10 Ne4 dXe5 11 Bg5 Qb4+! - the inclusion of the moves a2-a4 and ... a5 has deprived White of the possibility of 12 c3*), I began to seek a sensible plan of action. There essentially turned out to be no choice, and so there followed:

9 f4 dXe5 10 fXe5 c5 11 0-0?! 0-0?!

What could be more natural than castling, but in fact White committed an inaccuracy and Black failed to exploit it. After 11 ... QXd4+! 12 QXd4 cXd4 13 RXf7 (13 NXf7 0-0 14 Nd6 RXfl-h 15 KXfl Bd7 16 NXb7 Na6!) 13 ... BXe5 14 Rfl Nc6 Black would have escaped from all his difficulties. For his part, White could have avoided all this by the simple 11 c3 cXd4 12 0-0! etc.

12 c3 Nc6?

A blunder, after which White's initiative becomes threatening. It was essential to play 12 ... cXd4 13 cXd4 and only now 13 ... Nc6. White could have continued 14 Nf3 f6 15 Nc3!? fXe5 15 Bg5, with good compensation for the pawn after the possible sequel 16... Qe8 17 dXe5 NXe5 18 NXe5 RXfl-h 19

* It would seem that 12 Nbd2 eXd4 13 c3orl2... QXd4 13 0-0-0 would nevertheless have given White a dangerous intitiative.

QXfl BXe5 20 Rel Bd4+ 21 Khl.

13 Ne4! Nd7

Alas! The capture on d4 loses quickly: 13... cXd4 14 Bg5 Qd7 (14. . . Qc7 15 cXd4)

15 Nf6+ BXf6 16 BXf6 dXc3 17 Qcl.

14 Be3!

The attempt to take the black position by storm could have ended in failure: 14 Bg5 Qb6 15 Nf6+ Kh8 16 Rf4 cXd4 17 Rh4 BXf6 18 eXf6 dXc3+ 19 Khl cXb2 20 Ra3 Qc5. White therefore reinforces his centre and prepares to develop his remaining pieces. 14... Qb6 can be well met by either 15 Bf2, or 15 Na3 cXd4 16 Nc4.

14        ... Ne7

Black hopes to overcome his difficulties by covering his weakened K-side with his knight and fianchettoing his white-squared bishop.

15 Bg5!

This unexpected reply upsets Black's plans. To drive away the bishop he will have to go in for a further weakening of his K-side.

15        ... cXd4

It never rains but it pours! It turns out that the bishop cannot be driven away without first freeing the c3 square for the white knight. The point is that after 15 ... h6 16 Bh4 g5 White has the decisive 17 BXg5 hXg5 18 Qh5, whereas the exchange in the centre eliminates this danger: 15 ... cXd4 16 cXd4 h6 17 Bh4 g5 18 BXg5? hXg5 19 Qh5 NXe5!

16 cXd4 h6 17 Bh4 g5 18 Bf2 Ng6 19 Nbc3 Qe7

Trying to free himself by. . . f5. Naturally, White prevents this.

20 Bc2 b6 21 Be3

Thanks to the efforts of this bishop Black's position has an unattractive appearance, and one senses that the decisive blow is not far off.

21        ... Ba6 22 Rf2 Nh8

Black makes a last attempt to free himself — he again prepares . .. f5, and therefore he removes his knight from the oppressive glare of the bishop at c2. But White is all prepared .... (see diagram)

23 BXg5! hXg5 24 Qh5 f5

It is not possible to withstand the onslaught after 24... f6 25 NXg5 Rfc8 26 Bh7+

Position after 22 . . . Nh8:

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-+-trksn(
7+-+nwqpvl-'
6lzp-+p+-zp&
5zp-+-zP-zp-%
4P+-zPN+-+$
3+-sN-vL-+-#
2-zPL+R+PzP"
1tR-+Q+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

Kf8 27 Nce4.

25 NXg5 Rf7!

The most tenacious defence. Black loses immediately after both 25 ... Rfd8 26 RXf5!, and 25 ... Rfc8 26 Qh7+ Kf8 27 NXe6+ QXe6 28 BXf5. But I was astonished by the offer of a draw which followed 25. . . Rf7. It is patently obvious just how strong the white attack is.

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-+-trksn(
7+-+nwqpvl-'
6lzp-+p+-zp&
5zp-+-zP-zp-%
4P+-zPN+-+$
3+-sN-vL-+-#
2-zPL+R+PzP"
1tR-+Q+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

26 BXf5!!

The crux of the combination. The sacrifice of the second bishop conclusively destroys the black king's defences.

26 ... RXf5

After 26 ... eXf5 the game would have been decided by the advance of the e-pawn, supported by all the white pieces: 27 Nd5 Qe8 28 e6 Rf6 29 Qh7+ Kf8 30 e7+.

27 RXf5 eXf5 28 Nd5

Things have unexpectedly become tight for the black queen. There remains only one square where, not for long, it finds salvation.

28        ... Qe8 29 Qh7+ Kf8 30 QXf5+ Kg8

Or 30 ... Nf7 31 Ne6+ Kg8 32 Qg6.

31 Qh7+ Kf8 32 Ra3!

32        Nc7 would also have won, but I wanted to conclude the game by a direct attack.

32        ... Rc8

Or 32 ... Qg6 33 Rf3+ Ke8 34 Qg8+ Bf8 (34 ... Nf8 35 RXf8+! BXf8 36 Nf6+) 35 Nc7+ Kd8 (35 ... Ke7 36 Rf7+) 36 Nce6+ Ke7 (36... Kc8 37 RXf8+) 37 QXg6 NXg6 38 Rf7+ Ke8 39 Nc7+ Kd8 40 Nge6+ Kc8 41 NXa8 etc.

33 Rf3+ Nf6

A gesture of despair, but 33 ... Nf7 34 RXf7+ QXf7 35 NXf7 Rcl+ 36 Kf2 Rfl+ 37 Kg3 RXf7 also loses material after 38 Qh4!

34 h3!

The most clear-cut, although 34 RXf6+ BXf6 35 NXf6 Rcl+ 36 Kf2 Qg6 37 QXh8+ Ke7 38 Nd5+ Kd7 39 e6+ would also have won.

34 ... Qg6 35 RXf6+ BXf6 36 Ne6+ Ke8 37 NXf6+

Here Palatnik stopped for an instant (he had made the last few moves hastily in time trouble), made a despairing gesture as if to show that there was nowhere further to go, and stopped the clocks.

An impressive and crushing win! Under the impression of it, I for a long time considered 23 BXg5! to be the shortest path to White's goal. Indeed, the subsequent events develop by force, and in all variations the sacrifices are correct. But the thought would not leave me that I could have managed without playing "brilliantly". And then one day I discovered another solution to the position after 22 ... Nh8, which does not involve any sacrifices: 23 h4 gXh4 24 Qg4! f5 (24 ... Ng6 25 Qh5) 25 eXf6 NXf6 26 NXf6+ RXf6 27 RXf6 QXf6 28 Qe4! Rd8 29 Qh7+ Kf8 30 Nb5! with a decisive attack. This path is undoubtedly simpler, but then there would not have been the fireworks with the sacrifice of the two bishops, and an attack in which all (!) the white pieces took part. Now, two years later, the experience acquired in tournament battles would have suggested to me this path (23 h4). But, at any rate, by its tempestuous, "emotional" course, this game afforded me much pleasure. And not only me.. . .

Moscow, 1979

7th USSR Peoples' Spartakiad

In Search of the Truth....

Veingold-Kasparov

King's Indian Defence

1d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 g6 6 Be2 e5 7 d5 a5

Nowadays this is the most popular plan for Black, hindering White's offensive on the Q-side.

8 Bg5 h6 9 Bh4 Na6 10 0-0 Qe8 11 Nd2

11 Nel is weaker, after which Black can obtain good play in two ways: 11 ... g5 12 Bg3 NXe4 13 NXe4 f5 (Polugayevsky-Bukic, 1971) or 11 ... Bd7 12 Nd3 Nh7 13 f3 b6 14 Qd2 f5 (Hamann-Uhlmann, 1974).

11 ... Nh7 12 a3 f5?

For a long time the best was considered to be 12 ... Bd7 13 b3 h5 14 f3 Bh6 15 Bf2 Qe7 16 Qc2 h4 17 Rfdl f5 18 Rabl Qg5 (Petrosian-Stein, 1967). The exchange of black-squared bishops, as in the game Udovcic-Hort (1969), was also deemed to be safe for Black: 15 Rbl Be3+ 16 Bf2 Bc5 17 BXc5 NXc5 18 b4 aXb4 19 aXb4 Na4 =. True, a game Antoshin-Vasyukov (1978) cast doubts on this evaluation: 17 Nb5 Qb8 18 Qcl c6 19 BXc5 NXc5 20 Nc3 Nf6 21 f4 Qa7 22 Khl, and the weakened position of the black king begins to tell.

A new idea was revealed by Westerinen (Black) in a game with Timman in 1977: 12 ... Bd7 13 b3 f5!? 14 eXf5 BXf5 15 Rel g5 16 Bg3 Nf6 17 Nfl Nc5, and Black seized the initiative. It was this plan that I wanted to try, but.... I forgot to include the moves 12 ... Bd7 13 b3 before advancing my f-pawn.

13 eXf5 BXf5 14 g4!

This is the whole point! The knight at c3 is defended, and Black cannot land the counter-blow ... e4!. He is forced to withdraw his bishop from its active position and give up his control over e4. Such a ridiculous losing of the opening battle upset me and, as the course of the game shows, partly prevented me from making a sober assessment of what was happening.

14 ... Bd7 15 Nde4 a4

Black's only achievement in this unattractive position. Had White managed to play b2-b3, his Q-side offensive would have developed unhindered. But how should the resulting position be assessed? During the game, depressed by my mistake on move 12, I considered Black's position to be poor. Veingold, as it later transpired, assessed the situation quite differently, reckoning that everything was relatively all right for Black. The most accurate assessment was given by Botvinnik: "White for a long time holds a strategic initiative, and if he does not go wrong he will be able to dictate his conditions. Black's position, although passive, is solid, and with accurate defence it is unlikely that he should lose".

16 f3 b6 17 Bd3 Bf6

With his last move White probed a weak point in Black's position — his g6 pawn, and prevented 17 ... Nc5 (18 NXc5 bXc5 19 Qc2). Therefore it is natural that Black should want to defend the weak pawn with his king, and at the same time to activate his king's bishop (see diagram).

18 NXf6+!

When this move was reproduced on the demonstration board, grandmaster Gufeld — a passionate supporter of the bishop at g7 —

Position after 17 . . . Bf6:

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-+qtrk+(
7+-zpl+-+n'
6nzp-zp-vlpzp&
5+-+Pzp-+-%
4p+P+N+PvL$
3zP-sNL+P+-#
2-zP-+-+-zP"
1tR-+Q+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

came up to me and exclaimed: "Criminal!". Who?", I asked. "Both of you!". At the time this episode merely made me laugh. . ..

The exchange by White of his finely-placed knight at e4 for the bishop is the result of a correct evaluation of the position: the King's Indian bishop was playing an important role in the defence of its king, and after its transference to g5 it could have become a powerful force. But at the board I thought that the exchange was in favour of Black, and I saw the main danger in the variation 18 BO Nc5 19 NXc5 bXc5 20 Ne4, although I considered the position after 20... Bg5 to be acceptable.

18 ... NXf6 19 Qd2 Nc5 20 Bc2 Kg7?

By this time I had convinced myself that Black's prospects were not after all so cheerless, and I quickly went to the other extreme — I began to overrate my chances. I rejected the correct 20... g5, not wishing to allow the perpetual check after 21 BXg5 hXg5 22 QXg5+ Kh8 23 Qh6+ Kg8 24 Qg5+ (but not 24 g5 Qh5 or 24 f4 Qe7). Black would have had the most difficult problems to solve after 21 Bf2! Kf7! (21... Qe7 22 h4 Qg7 23 Be3 ±) 22         h4 Rg8 23 hXg5 hXg5 24 Be3 Ke7 25 BXg5 Qf7. White probably retains the advantage, but playing for a win would involve some risk in view of the insecure position of his king, e.g. 26 Ne4 NXe4 27 BXe4 Qg7 28 BXf6+ QXf6 29 RO Rh8, or 27 fXe4? RXg5 28 QXg5 Rg8.

21 Rael

Simple and strong. Unexpectedly (to me) it transpired that the threat of f3-f4 was very dangerous. 21 ... Qf7 does not help: 22 f4 eXf4 23 QXf4 g5 24 BXg5 hXg5 25 QXg5+ Kh8 26 RXf6, and wins. After lengthy reflection I managed to find an interesting possibility.

21 ... Nb3!

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-+-+ksn(
7+-+n+rvl-'
6lzp-+p+-+&
5zp-+-zPpsNQ%
4P+-zP-+-+$
3+-sN-+-+-#
2-zPL+-tRPzP"
1tR-+-+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

At the cost of a pawn Black tries to eliminate the dangerous white-squared bishop and to parry the attack. It is dangerous to accept the sacrifice: 22 BXb3 aXb3 23 Qdl? g5 24 Bg3 h5 25 h3 Qg6 26 QXb3 hXg4 27 hXg4 BXg4! 28 fXg4 Qd3 29 Bh2 NXg4 30 Qdl Qh3 31 Qe2 Rh8, or 29 Kg2 Ne4! 30 Bh2 RXfl 31 RXfl QXfl+!

22 Qd3?

On the threshold of time trouble White does not want to take risks, and he offers to repeat the position (22 ... Nc5), perhaps merely with the aim of trying to clarify the opponent's intentions. The only way to cast doubts on Black's idea was by the energetic 22 BXb3 aXb3 23 f4!, when to maintain his hold on e5 Black has to resort to extreme measures — 23 ... g5. Now nothing is achieved by 24 fXg5 NXg4 25 RXf8 QXf8 26 Rfl Qe8 27 h3 Qh5. Correct is 24 fXe5! NXg4 25 RXf8 QXf8 26 e6 Ne5 (26 ... gXh4 27         Qg2! Qf4 28 h3) 27 RXe5 dXe5 28 Bg3 Be8 29 BXe5+ Kh7 30 BXc7 Qf5, and although the open position of the white king gives Black certain counter-chances, the formi-dable central pawns give White a big, and possibly decisive advantage.

The indecisive 22 Qd3 allows Black to set up defensive lines.

22        ... g5 23 Bg3

23        Bf2 is evidently more accurate.

23 ... Nc5 24 Qd2 Qf7 25 h4 Nh7 26 BXh7 gXh4!?

Black could have given up a pawn: 26 ... KXh7 27 hXg5 hXg5 28 QXg5 Qg6 with an acceptable position.

27 BXe5+ dXe5 28 Bbl Qf4!

The only move (28 ... Qf6? 29 f4! eXf4 30 Qc2 Rf7 31 RXf4!), after which the exchange of queens is inevitable, since 29 ... Qg3+ is threatened, and 29 Qg2 is unpleasantly met by 29 ... h5.

29 QXf4 RXf4! 30 RXe5 Raf8

Only by activating his forces to the maximum can Black gain sufficient counter-chances. There was no time to restore the material balance: 30 ... RXc4? 31 Re7+ Kf6 32 Rh7.

31 Re7+

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-tr-+(
7+-zpltR-mk-'
6-zp-+-+-zp&
5+-snP+-+-%
4p+P+-trPzp$
3zP-sN-+P+-#
2-zP-+-+-+"
1+L+-+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

31        ... R8f7?

A mistake, which reduces to naught all Black's efforts. By retaining both rooks, he could have avoided defeat, e.g. 31 ... Kg8! 32 Ne4 BXg4 33 NXc5 bXc5 34 RXc7 BXO 35 RXc5 Rg4+ 36 Kh2 Rg2+ 37 Kh3 Rg7, or 34 Be4 Bh3 35 Rf2 R8f7 36 RXf7 KXf7, and Black has nothing to fear.

32        RXf7+ KXf7 33 Ne4?

In the time scramble Veingold also goes wrong. 33 Be4! would have consolidated his advantage, whereas after 33 Ne4? Black has a clear draw by 33 ... NXe4 34 BXe4 (34 fXe4? RXfl+ 35 KXfl Kf6, and it is only White who is in danger of losing) 34... Kf6! and. . . Ke5.

33 ... Nb3?

Not long before, by moving from c5 to b3, this knight saved the black position when it was on the point of collapse. The repetition of the move proves fatal. To this day I cannot understand what caused me to make such a ridiculous move. I was obviously unable to withstand the tension in a game which had been difficult for me from the very start.

34Kf2

A precise move, which essentially concludes the game. Black is without both a pawn, and any activity — he has only weaknesses. The finish was:

34... BXg4 35 Ke3 Rf5 36 Rf2 Bh5 37 Nd6+ cXd6 38 BXf5 Kf6 39 Bc2 Nc5 40 Rh2 Kg5 41Bdl

Here the time scramble ended, and I sadly had to admit that there was only one possible outcome — 1-0. A just result! Each received his desserts. White tenaciously clung on to the bird in the hand (the initiative), while Black vainly chased after the two in the bush ....

But perhaps grandmaster Gufeld was right, when he maintained that all Black's misfortunes began with the exchange of his king's bishop?!

Kasparov-Butnoryus

Bogo-Indian Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 Bb4+ 4 Nbd2

White has two roughly equivalent continuations: 4 Bd2 and 4 Nbd2, but I like the latter.

I now prefer 4 Bd2, but I still agree with the first half of the sentence.

4 ... 0-0 5 e3 b6

The alternative is 5 . . . c5 6 a3 BXd2+ 7 QXd2 b6 8 Be2 d5 9 0-0 Ba6 10 dXc5 bXc5 11 b3 with a slight advantage. White can also consider the unpretentious 6 dXc5 BXc5 7 Bd3 Nc6 8 a3 a5 9 b3.

6 Bd3 Bb7 7 0-0 d5 8 a3 BXd2

8 ... Bd6 is unpleasantly met by 9 b4 c5 10bXc5bXc5 11 Rbl!

9 BXd2

9 NXd2 is tempting, so as after 9 ... Nbd7 10 cXd5 eXd5 11 b4 to develop the bishop at b2, e.g. 11 ... c5 12 dXc5 bXc5 13 Bb2 with the advantage, but 10 ... NXd5 11 Nf3 c5 gives Black a satisfactory game.

9 ... Nbd7 10 cXd5 BXd5

After 10 ... eXd5 11 b4 Black has an unpromising position.

11 b4 c5 12 Rcl!

12 dXc5 bXc5 13 Bc3 Ne4 14 Bb2 is also possible, since after the interposition 12 ... BXf3! 13 gXf3 bXc5 White's two bishops compensate for the weakening of his king's

pawn screen. 12 Bc3? is unconvincing: 12 ...Ne4 13 Bb2 c4 etc.

12        ... cXd4

Black reckons that his active minor pieces and the weakness of the c4 square will give him good chances, but he fails to take into account the strength of the two bishops as the position opens up, as well as the weakness of the c6 square. However, he did not have anything better. 12 ... BXB 13 QXB cXd4 14 eXd4 leads to a position where a draw for Black is the limit of his dreams, and 12 ... Rc8 is unpleasantly met by 13 Ba6!

13 NXd4 Ne5 14 Ba6!

Conclusively seizing control of the c-file. Weaker is 14 Be2 Ne4 15 Bel Nd6!

14        ... Ne4 15 Bel

The two bishops must be retained; after 15 B NXd2 16 QXd2 Qe7! 17 e4 Bb7 18 BXb7 QXb7 the chances are equal, e.g. 19 f4 Ng6 20 f5 Ne5!

15        ... Qg5?!

Black tries to solve his difficulties by tactical means, but he goes out of the frying-pan into the fire. However, the natural 15... Nd6 would also have left White with the advantage after 16 Qe2! Nf5 17 Bc3.

16 f4 Qg6 17 fXe5 Nc5 18 Bg3 NXa6

18        ... Qe4 does not work, since after 19 Qe2 NXa6 20 Rf4! QXe5 21 Rg4 White

remains a piece up. But now it appears that Black has everything in order (see diagram).

19 Nf5!

Exploiting the immunity of his knight

Position after 18 . . . NXa6:

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-+-trk+(
7zp-+-+pzpp'
6nzp-+p+q+&
5+-+lzP-+-%
4-zP-sN-+-+$
3zP-+-zP-vL-#
2-+-+-+PzP"
1+-wQR+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

(after 19 ... eXf5 20 QXd5 the difference in strength between the remaining bishop and knight is too great), White transfers it to d6, where it will severely restrict the mobility of the black pieces and assist the advance e3-e4.

19 ... Rae8

19        ... Qg5 is completely bad because of

20 h4! Qd8 21 Nd6.

20 Nd6 Re7 21 Rf4!

Transferring the rook to the fourth rank, where it will be able to attack the enemy king, and also preparing to triple (!) heavy pieces and put pressure on the f7 pawn. At the same time Black has to defend against the threat of 22 Rg4 Qh6 23 Bf4 Qh5 24 RXg7+.

21... h5 22 e4 Ba8 23 Bh4 Rd7

Not 23 ... f6 24 eXf6 gXf6 25 Rc3, when White develops a very strong attack.

24 Rc3 Qh6

On 24 ... Nc7 White had the following attacking plan: 25 Rg3 Qh7 (25 ... Qh6 26 Bg5 Qh7 27 Rh4 g6 28 Bf6) 26 Rg5!? g6 27 Qa4 b5 28 QXa7, with a decisive advantage after both 28 ... Nd5 29 QXd7 NXf4 30 QXb5 and 28... f5 29 eXf6 RXd6 (29... Nd5 30 f7+) 30 f7+ RXf7 31 Qb8+.

25 Qfl Nc7 26 Rcf3!

26 Rg3 Ne8 27 Bg5 Qh7 28 NXe8 RXe8 29 Bf6 g6 is also strong, but in this case Black still retains some hope.

26 ... f5

Black could hardly afford to give White two further tempi- 26... Qg6 27 Rg3 Qh7 28 Bf6 g6, although White is not obliged to follow this path, and can prefer the immediate 27 Bf6.

XABCDEFGHY
8l+-+-trk+(
7zp-snr+-zp-'
6-zp-sNp+-wq&
5+-+-zPp+p%
4-zP-+PtR-vL$
3zP-+-+R+-#
2-+-+-+PzP"
1+-+-+QmK-!
xabcdefghy

27 eXf6!

The calculation of this continuation took me more than 30 minutes, although it was clear that the resulting complications would favour the better mobilized forces. All this time I was seeking the clearest way to win.

27... RXd6

The alternative 27 ... e5 meets with a pretty reply: 28 Qc4+ Kh7 (bad is 28 ... Bd5 29 eXd5 eXf4 30 Nf5) 29 fXg7 eXf4 30 Nf5! (30 gXf8=Q QXf8 is not so clear) 30... Rdl+ 31 Rfl RXfl+ 32 KXfl Qe6 33 gXf8=N+! etc.

28 f7+ Kh7 29 Be7 e5 30 BXf8

After 30 Rf5 RXf7 31 RXf7 Rg6 and then .. .Ne6 Black has some chances of saving the game.

30 ... eXf4 31 BXd6

Weaker is 31 Be7 (31 RXf4? Rf6!) 31 ... Rf6! 32 f8=Q RXf8 33 BXf8 Ne6, while after 32 BXf6 QXf6 33 RXf4 Qd4+ 34 Khl Ne6 35 f8=Q NXf8 36 RXf8 BXe4 White has some technical difficulties, which I wanted to avoid by retaining the e4 pawn for the endgame.

31 ... QXd6 32 Qd3 Qe7 33 Qc4

33 Qd7 QXd7 34 f8=N+ was also pretty strong, but I decided not to exchange queens.

33 ... Kh6

33... b5 is also completely hopeless: 34 f8=Q QXf8 35 QXc7 BXe4 36 RXf4 Qe8 37

Rf7 Qg8 38 QXa7, while if 33 ... Ne6 34 QXe6.

34 RXf4

34 f8=Q QXf8 35 QXc7 g5 36 Rd3 would have been the simplest way to win.

34 ... Ne6 35 Qc8

Now it is not so clear: 35 QXe6 QXe6 36 f8=Q BXe4.

35... Qd6 36 Qh8+ Kg6 37 f8=N+ NXf8 38 QXf8 Qdl+

Or 38 ... Qd4+ 39 Kfl Qdl+ 40 Kf2, and then as in the game.

39Kf2

Also good is 39 Rfl Qd4+ 40 Qf2 QXe4 41 Qf7+ Kh6 42 Qf4+ with a won ending, but for a long time I had been determined not to give up my e4 pawn.

39 ... Qd2+ 40 Kg3 Qel+ 41 Kh3

The e4 pawn is immune: 41 ... BXe4 42 Qe8+ (this is why the check at h8 was needed). Here Black adjourned the game, but then resigned without resuming.

Minsk, 1979

47th USSR Championship, Premier League

The New "Discovery of America"

Kasparov- Yusupov

Ruy Lopez

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6

Until recently Yusupov's repertoire included the sharp Chelyabinsk Variation of the Sicilian Defence and the quiet Petroff s Defence. But in the USSR Championship (1st League) Artur had employed the currently popular Open Variation of the Ruy Lopez.

3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 NXe4 6 d4 b5 7 Bb3 d5 8 dXe5 Be6 9 Be3

The main lines arising after 9 c3 or 9 Nbd2 Nc5 10 c3 d411 Ng5!? were undoubtedly well known to Yusupov, and so I chose a little-studied continuation.

9 ... Be7

The Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (ECO) recommends 9... Na5, promising Black easy equality, but a game Kupreichik-Slutsky (1979) did not confirm this assessment: 10 Nd4 Qd7 11 Qel NXb3 12 aXb3 Be7 13 b4 c5 14 NXe6 fXe6 15 f3 ±.

Of course, this comment and the previous one are out of date. Today 9 Nbd2 Nc5 10 c3 d4 11 Ng5 can in no way be regarded as a "main" line  (the   World  Championship Match  in Merano brought to the forefront 11 BXe6NXe6 12 cXd4 NcXd4 13 Ne4 and 13 a4, while instead of 10 . .. d4 Black often plays 10 . . .Bg4). The continuation 9 Be3 has become popular, ECO (its second edition!) no longer recommends 9... Na5, and after 9... Bel the most accurate is reckoned to be 10 c3 Nc5 (10... 0-011Nbd2) HBc2, avoiding 10 Nbd2 Nc5 (11 c3 Nd3!).

10 Nbd2 0-0 11 c3

11 NXe4 is harmless: 11... dXe4 12 BXe6 fXe6 13 Nd2 Qd5 14 Qg4 NXe5 15 QXe4

Rad8. Apart from this, Black has the interesting possibility of 12 ... eXD, e.g. 13 Bd5

NXe5! or 13Qd5Nb4 14QXd8RaXd8 15Bb3 c5.

11... Bg4

11... NXd2 12 QXd2 Qd7 is sounder. As it transpired after the game, the bishop move and the variations associated with it are examined in considerable detail in ECO. Butat the board, from this point both players were "discovering America". . . .

12 NXe4 dXe4 13 Qd5 eXf3

After the game, evidently under the impression of what had happened, Artur maintained that the ending arising after 13 ... QXd5 14 BXd5 eXD 15 BXc6 fXg2 16 KXg2 Rad8 is not dangerous for Black. This, of course, is not so, and the undermining 17 a4 gives White a clear advantage.

14 QXc6 fXg2 15 QXg2 Qd7 16 Bh6! gXh6 17 f3 h5?

This in fact is an "innovation"! Now Black's difficulties mount. The best path is that indicated in ECO: 17 ... Bc5+ 18 Khl Rae8. At the same time the following line is certainly no good: 17 ... Kh8 18 fXg4 Rg8 19 h3 h5 20 RXf7 hXg4 21 Qe4!

18 Radl Qf5 19 fXg4 QXe5

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4-+-+-+P+$
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1+-+R+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

It is hard to attach a question mark to this move - the defence after 19... QXg4 20 Rd7 must have seemed decidedly thankless to Yusupov. The capture on e5 leaves Black with the hope of equalizing, should White make the slightest inaccuracy. Thus nothing is achieved by 20 RXf7 Kh8!, or 20 Rf5 Qe3+ 21 Khl Rad8 22 Rdfl Kh8.

20 Rdel!

Essentially, the deciding move. The pre-carious position of Black's king and the lack of co-ordination between his pieces allow White to conclude the game within a few moves.

20 ... Qc5+ 21 Khl Rad8?

This loses a piece, but 21 ... Rae8 22 Rf5 Qd6 also fails to save Black. Now the tempt¬ing 23 RXf7 RXf7 24 gXh5+ Kf8 25 Rgl leads after 25 ... Bh4! 26 Qg8+ Ke7 27 QXf7+ Kd8 28 Rdl Rel+ to an ending with drawing chances for Black. "Stronger" is 23 gXh5+ Kh8 24 RXf7 RXf7 25 BXf7 Rf8 26 Rgl with inevitable mate. White also has a decisive attack after 21 ... Bh4 22 Rf5 Qd6 23 Refl.

22 Rf5 Qd6 23 Rd5 Qg6 24 RXe7 RXd5 25 BXd5 hXg4 26 Qe4 QXe4+ 27 BXe4 Rd8 28 RXc7 h5 29 Bc2 Rd5 30 Bb3 Rf5 31 Kg2 a5 32RXf7

After 15 minutes' thought I decided that this was the quickest way to force Black's capitulation.

32 ... RXf7 33 Kg3 a4 34 BXf7+ KXf7 35 Kh4 Kg6 36 b3 a3 37 c4 bXc4 38 bXc4 Kf5 39 KXh5 Ke4 40 KXg4 Kd4 41 h4

White promotes his pawn two moves earlier.

Black resigns.

Kasparov-Georgadze

Philidor's Defence

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6

The opening moves of the Tbilisi grandmaster came as a surprise to me. As far as I am aware, in recent years Georgadze has been faithful to 1 ... c5.

3 Bc4 Be7 4 d3

I decided to answer cunning with cunning, by choosing an unusual plan of development, after which for a long time Black has to manoeuvre without any specific aim, in a situation which would be unfamiliar to a supporter of the Sicilian Defence.

4... Nf6 5 c3 0-0 6 0-0 c6 7 Bb3 Be6 8 Bc2

This retreat is the logical consequence of

White's opening strategy. He is playing the Ruy Lopez. But what is Black playing?

8 ... h6

It is natural that Black should want to preserve his bishop from exchange. It is reckoned that in such a situation he is not obliged to lose time, since 8... Nbd7 9 Ng5 is not dangerous in view of 9 ... Bg4. But after 9 Rel Qc7 10 d4 Re8 11 h3 there does not appear to be a more suitable continuation than 11 . . . h6.

9 Rel Nbd7 10 Nbd2 Qc7 11 d4

Of course, the advance . .. d5 should not be allowed. Now Black could have played ll...Bg4(e.g. 12h3Bh513NflNh7),but he chooses a restrained system of development, which for the moment does not oblige him to determine his plans.

11 ... Rfe8 12 h3! Nf8 13 c4

After first restricting Black's possibilities on the K-side, White unexpectedly changes the pattern of the strategic battle. Instead of play on the K-side, he begins operations aimed at seizing space in the centre. Since the exchange 13 ... eXd4 gives White excellent chances - 14 NXd4 Qb6 15 N2f3! BXc4 16 Nf5! - Black allows the further advance of the d-pawn.

13 ... Ng6 14 d5 Bd7

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-+r+k+(
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6-+pzp-snnzp&
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15 Nbl!

Less was promised by the transfer of the knight via fl, since this would have weakened White's fighting potential on the Q-side. He now plans an offensive withNc3, Bd2, b2-b4 etc. Incidentally, among my memorable games this is the third where in many respects the outcome was decided by the transfer of a knight via bl. But while, for example, in my very sharp encounter with L. Zaid (Leningrad, 1977) I carried out the manoeuvre Nc3-bl-d2, here White's advantage is consolidated by the reverse manoeuvre.

In my game with Lutikov (cf p.l) the knight retreated from c3 so that, after allowing the c-pawn to advance (c2-c4), it could then return to intensify the pressure on the centre. There is no reason to be proud about the knight ma-nouvre in the meeting with Zaid, but in itself this game is interesting: 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cXd4 4 NXd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6Bg5 e6 7f4 Qb6 8 Qd2 QXb2 9Nb3 Qa3 10BXf6gXf611 Be2 Nd7 12 0-0 h5 13 Qd4I? (with the transparent threat of 14 Nbl; 13 Khl Be7 14 Radl or 14 Rabl is better) 13.. . b514Nbl?!Qa415c4b4 16/5 Be7 17 fXe6 fXe6 18 Nld2 Qc6 (the position, of course, is in Black's favour, and it is only the precarious future of the black king that inspires White) 19 a3 bXa3 20 Khl Rb8 21 RXa3 Qb6 22 Qal Ne5 23 c5 dXc5 24 Nc4 Qc7 25 Nbd2 NXc4 26 NXc4 Rb4 27 e5! (in this stage of the game Zaid is manifestly unsuccessful — his position is on the verge of collapse! And although subsequently both players make errors, the attack on the king brings White victory) 27. . .fXe5 28Qdl Bd729RXa6h4 30 h3 Rg8 31 RXe6 Kd8 32 RXe5 RXc4 33 Qd5 RXg2 34 BXc4 Rg3 35 Qa8+ Qc8 36 Qa5+ Ke8 37Bf7+Kf8 38 Be6+Kg7 39 QalKh6 40 Qcl+ Bg5 41 RXg5 Qc6+ 42Bd5RXh3+ 43Kg2, and Black resigns.

15... Bf8

Black does not sense the danger. In search of counter-chances he should have opened the c-file - 15 ... cXd5 16 cXd5, and after 16 ... b5! begun counter-play on the Q-side, with the following piece set-up in mind: ... Rec8,  ... Qb7 and  ... Bd8-b6(a5).

16 Nc3 c5?

And this is a strategic blunder. Even after the loss of time he should have reverted to the plan with  ... cXd5.

17 Ba4!

With the given pawn formation in the centre, this exchange favours White, since the prospects for the two remaining bishops are by no means equivalent.

17        ... a6 18 BXd7 NXd7

18        ... QXd7 was a little better, to which White could have replied 19 a4, depriving Black of counter-play. But 19 a3 b5 20 Be3 appealed to me more, allowing Black to open up the Q-side. In the imminent battle there White would have had more pieces.

19 g3 Be7 20 h4 Nf6 21 Nh2 Qd7 22 a4 Qh3 23 Qf3 Qd7

The queen's futile sortie to h3 is explained by a demonstration of activity before the offer of a draw on move 22, and a sober assessment of the situation after White's refusal. A more tenacious resistance could have been offered by 22... Bd8, although 23 a5 b5 24 aXb6 BXb6 leads to an obvious advantage for White. But in time trouble it is not easy to take such a committing decision, and Georgadze, abandoning any ideas of counter-play, decides to defend passively, relying on the strength of his pawn chain.

24 a5 Nf8 25 Bd2 Rec8 26 Nfl

Black's tragedy is that, under conditions of extremely restricted manoeuvring space, he has to parry the threats of the much more mobile white army. Now 27 Ne3 is threatened.

26        ... Ng4

The black queen is now tied to the d7 square, and it becomes impossible to move the knight from f8 across to the Q-side. This is exploited by White, who immediately opens up the position on this part of the board.

27 Na4 Bd8 28 Reel Rab8

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6p+-zp-+-zp&
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29 b4

The start of the decisive offensive.

29 ... cXb4 30 BXb4 h5

Perhaps Black should have tried his chance in an open battle: 30 ... b5 31 aXb6 BXb6 32 c5 dXc5 (32 ... Ba7 33 c6!) 33 BXc5 BXc5 34 NXc5 RXc5. True, after 35 RXc5 Rb2 36 Ne3! NXf2 37 Rc2! the battle concludes, but after 30 ... h5 it essentially does not even begin.

31Nb6

The soundest continuation with the opponent in time trouble. 31 Qd3 was also good enough, e.g. 31 ... b5 32 aXb6 BXb6 33 NXb6 (33 c5 Ba7!) 33 ... RXb6 34 Ba3 Qb7 35 c5 Rb3 36 c6, but I did not want to allow Black even a glimmer of counter-play.

31        ... BXb6 32 aXb6

Now the main events develop on the c-file, and if it should be opened the b6 pawn will provide White with an outpost at c7.

32        ... Qe7 33 Qa3 Rd8

When your flag is hanging it is difficult to decide on a move like 35 ... Rc5!, but this was the last hope of a defence — 34 BXc5 dXc5 35 Ne3 NXe3 36 QXe3 Nd7.1 think that after 37 d6! White is bound to win.

34 f3 Nh6

34        ... Nf6 is strongly met by 35 Ne3.

35 c5 dXc5 36 BXc5 Qf6 37 Kg2 Re8 38 Be3 Nd7 39 Rabl Qe7

This loses material, but it was also very difficult to hold on after 39 ... Rbc8 40 Rc7 RXc7 41 bXc7 b5 42 d6.

40 QXe7 RXe7

Here the flag on Black's clock fell, and the controllers cut short the game. However, the obvious 41 Rc7 would have led to the immediate collapse of Black's position.

Tseshkovsky-Kasparov

Sicilian Defence

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cXd4 4 NXd4 Nc6 5 Nb5 d6 6 c4 Nf6 7 Nlc3 a6 8 Na3 Be7 9 Be2 0-0 10 0-0 b6 11 Be3

A well known position, favourable for White. Thus in the game Georgadze-Polu-gayevsky from the previous year's Championship (Tbilisi, 1978) Black encountered great difficulties after 11. .. Bb7 12 Qb3 Nd7 13RaclRe814RfdlNc515Qc2Bf616Nabl! One can also recall the earlier game Karpov-Olafsson (Amsterdam, 1976). It seemed to me that Black's difficulties stemmed from the poor position of his queen's knight, the place for which is at d7. Therefore.. . .

11        ... Ne5!?

To those who are concerned by the loss of time involved with this manoeuvre, one can point to the knight at a3! The idea of. . .Nc6-e5-d7 had already been tried (after the preparatory 11 ... Bb7 12 Rcl) in the game Tseshkovsky-Ribli (Riga, 1979). It all worked out well for Ribli, and so in our game Tseshkovsky acts more aggressively.

12 f4 Ned7 13Bf3 Bb7 14 Qe2

XABCDEFGHY
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7+l+nvlpzpp'
6pzp-zppsn-+&
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2PzP-+Q+PzP"
1tR-+-+RmK-!
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14        ... Qc7?! 15 Racl

White's plan includes g2-g4, to which Black would like to reply .. . d5. But 14 ... Qc7 hinders this counter-blow, since the opposition of the black queen and the white rook on the c-file may tell. 14 ... Re8 was more precise, and if 15 Radl, only then 15... Qc7. Nevertheless, after 40 minutes' thought I came to the conclusion that, in spite of this inaccuracy, Black has quite good counter-play.

15        ... Rac8 16 g4 Nc5 17 Qg2 d5!

Perhaps 17 ... g5!? 18 fXg5 Nfd7 19 Be2 Ne5 is also acceptable.

This pawn sacrifice now seems dubious to me,

18 e5!

Of the three paths this is the only correct one. Both on the left path (18 eXd5), and on the right (18 cXd5) White would have won material, but:

(1)        18 eXd5 Nd3 19 g5! (19 Rcdl NXf4 20 BXf4 Bc5+! 21 Khl QXf4) 19 ... Bc5! 20 BXc5 QXc5+ 21 Khl NXd5! 22 cXd5 NXcl 23 RXcl b5 with the initiative.

(2)        18 cXd5 Nd3 19 d6! BXd6 20 Nd5 NXd5! 21 RXc7 NXe3 22 Qe2NXf4 23 QXe3 RXc7 with sufficient compensation for the queen.

18 ... Nfe4 19 cXd5 eXd5 20 b4

Things would hardly have been changed by 20 Rfdl Rfd8 21 b4 NXc3 22 RXc3 d4!

20 ... NXc3 21 RXc3 d4

A pawn sacrifice prepared long ago, leading to a position in which White will have certain difficulties: unco-ordinated pieces, and advanced pawns which may prove vulnerable. In general, Black has every reason to count on maintaining the balance.

22 BXd4 Qd7 23 Nc2!

Undoubtedly stronger than 23 Be3 BXf3 24      QXf3 Na4 25 RXc8 RXc8.

23        ... BXf3 24 RcXf3 Ne6 25 Be3 f5

At the board it seemed to me that this move, breaking up the phalanx of white pawns, was the strongest. But now I think that 25 ... Rc4 would have been at least as good, e.g. 26 f5 Ng5 27 Rf4 Rfc8 28 Nd4 Rc3.

26 eXf6 BXf6 27 Khl

This prophylaxis is necessary. Nothing is achieved either by 27 f5 Ng5, or by 27 g5 Be7 (27 ... BXg5? 28 fXg5 RXB 29 QXB RXc2 30 BXb6), when the white pawns are halted (28 f5? NXg5).

27        ... Qd5

Centralization. ... 27 ... Qc7 was also satisfactory.

28 a3 Qc4

There is not time for 28. . .b5:29Bgl!,and the knight at c2 acquires wonderful prospects.

29 f5

After 29 Nel Nd4 Black has a pretty good position, and so White offers to go into an equal ending.

29 ... QXc2 30 QXc2 RXc2 31 fXe6 Rc6 32 a4

Drawn.

Skara, 1980

European Team Championship

Kasparov-Pribyl

Grunfeld Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 d5 4 cXd5 NXd5 5 e4 NXc3 6 bXc3 Bg7 7 Nf3 b6

Usually 7 ... c5 is played. The pawn advance to b6 has occurred after 7 ... 0-0 8 Be2, but in this situation, as far as I am aware, this is the first time it has been played.

8 Bb5+ c6 9 Bc4 0-0 10 0-0

10 Qe2 should possibly have been considered, preventing the exchange of white-squared bishops, but I thought that even without these pieces White would have good prospects.

10 ... Ba6 11 BXa6 NXa6 12 Qa4

An inaccuracy. The simple 12 Bg5 Qd7 13 Qd2 was stronger — White's solid centre and the poor position of the knight at a6 ensure him a stable advantage.

12 ... Qc8 13 Bg5 Qb7 14 Rfel e6

At the board it was not easy to decide which was better: 14 ... e6 or 14 ... Rfe8. The two moves are probably equivalent.

15 Rabl c5

Practically forced — 16 c4 was threatened. The preliminary 15 .. . h6 would have met with the unpleasant reply 16 Be3, preventing

16 d5!

If White makes the further preparatory move 16 Redl, he can easily lose the initiative after ... f5.

16 ... BXc3 17 Redl eXd5 18 eXd5

White's positional plusses fully compensate for his material deficit. He has a strong passed pawn, and the opponent's pieces are badly placed, especially the knight at a6.

18        ... Bg7

If Black first attends to his knight, then 18... Nc7 can be met by 19 Be7 Rfe8 20 Qd7, while after 18 ... Nb8 White has a choice: he can either regain his pawn (19 Qc4 Bg7 20 QXc5), or continue the attack — 19 Qh4.

19 d6 f6

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20 d7!

After 20 Bf4 White undoubtedly has sufficient compensation for the pawn. The piece sacrifice which he offers might be considered debatable, but even now, after a serious and calm analysis, it appears correct to me. And how much more difficult it must have been for Black to work things out at the board.

20 ... fXg5

The critical continuation. In addition, I considered the following possibilities:

(1)        20 ... Nb4 21 Qb3+ Kh8 22 Ne5 fXe5

23 d8=Q RaXd8 24 RXd8 RXd8 25 BXd8, and White's advantage is obvious.

(2)        20... Rad8 21 Qc4+ Kh8 22 Ne5! fXe5 23 BXd8 RXd8 24 Qe6! Qb8 (no better is 24 ... Nc7 25 Qe7 Qb8 26 Rb3 e4 27 Rd6 Bf8 28 Qf6+ Bg7 29 Qf7) 25 Rb3 c4 26 Rh3 Nc5 27 QXg6 h6 28 Rg3.

(3) 20 ... Kh8, when White has the quiet 21 Bf4, but he can also reply 21 Qc4, and Black has nothing better than 21 ... fXg5, transposing into the events in the game.

21 Qc4+ Kh8 22 NXg5 Bf6

The only move. 20... Bd4 would have lost immediately to 21 RXd4 cXd4 22 QXd4+ Kg8 23 Ne6.

23 Ne6 Nc7

Again forced. 21. . .Nb4isbad:22Qf4Nc6 (22 ... Nd5 23 Qd6) 23 NXf8 RXf8 24 d8=Q NXd8 25 RXd8.

24 NXf8 RXf8 25 Rd6

There was also the possibility of going into an ending: 25 QXc5 QXg2+ 26 KXg2 bXc5 27 Rb7 Ne6 28 Rd6 Nf4+ 29 Kf 1 Bd8 30 RXa7 with an obvious advantage. But I wanted to achieve more.

25... Be7

This allows a spectacular development of the attack. However, Black's game was very difficult, e.g. 25 ... Bd8 (or 25 ... Qb8 26 Rbdl Qd8 27 Rc6 Bg7 28 h4, and he is in zug-zwang) 26 h4 Qa6 27 Qc3+ Kg8 28 Qc2 (not allowing the queen out). The calamitous nature of Black's position is illustrated by the variation 28 ... BXh4 29 RXg6+.

XABCDEFGHY
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26 d8=Q!

Paradoxically, White gives up the pride of his position — his passed pawn. In the subsequent forcing play the black pieces prove to be unco-ordinated.

26 ... BXd8

26        ... RXd8 loses to 27 RXd8+ BXd8 28 Qf7 Qd5 (the only defence against the mate) 29 QXd5 NXd5 30 Rdl.

27        Qc3+ Kg8 28 Rd7 Bf6 29 Qc4+ Kh8 30 Qf4

The tempo play has come to an end, and White regains his piece. The best for Black now was 30 . . . Bg7 31 QXc7 QXc7 32 RXc7 Bd4 33 Rfl, although this ending is almost certainly lost.

30 ... Qa6? 31 Qh6

Black resigns. There is no defence against the mate.

Kasparov-Vukic

Caro-Kann Defence

1e4 c6

As it turns out, the opening repertoires of the two players have much in common. Against 1 d4 the Yugoslav grandmaster regularly fianchettos his black-squared bishop (at Banja Luka in 1979 I was obliged to play against the King's Indian Defence), and against 1 e4, along with Alekhine's Defence, Vukic also employs the Caro-Kann with 4... Bf5.

2 d4 d5 3 Nd2 dXe4 4 NXe4 Bf5 5 Ng3 Bg6 6 h4 h6 7 Nf3 Nd7 8 h5 Bh7 9 Bd3 BXd3 10 QXd3 e6 11 Bd2 Qc7 12 0-0-0 Ngf6 13 Ne4 0-0-0 14 g3

These last two moves were introduced by Yefim Geller. This plan is the most unpleasant one for Black, as I found out for myself in our game from the 46th USSR Championship.

14 ... NXe4 15 QXe4 Be7

Recommended by the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings. I consider that the search for equalizing paths should be made in variations such as 15 ... c5 16 Bf4 Bd6, or 15 ... Nf6 16 Qe2 Bd6 17 c4 c5.

It would seem that the path to equality is narrower than I thought at the time — 75 ... c5?l is strongly met by 16 dXc5! NXc517 Qc4!, with the threat of Bf4!

16 Kbl Rhe8 17 Qe2!

Nothing is achieved by 17 c4 c5 18 Bf4 Bd6 19 Ne5 Re7!

17... Bd6 18 Rhel Re7

Against Geller I played 18 ... Nf6 19 Ne5 c5 20 dXc5 BXe5 21 QXe5 QXe5 22 RXe5 Rd4, and this ending, which is undoubtedly inferior for Black, I managed to draw. I think that 20 Bel promises White even more. By the move in the game Vukic prepares .. . e5 (the immediate 18 ... e5 can be met by 19 c4 e4 20 Nh4 Nf6 21 Nf5 Bf8 22 Bc3 with an obvious advantage).

19 c4 c5 20 Bc3 Nf6

On 20 ... cXd4 White has the unpleasant 21 BXd4! Bb4 22 Rhl e5 23 Be3.

21 Ne5 cXd4 22 RXd4

An inaccuracy, which went unnoticed. White has a clear advantage after 22 BXd4 BXe5 23 BXe5 RXdl+ 24 RXdl Qc6 25 g4 Rd7 26Rel!

22... BXe5 23 RXd8+ QXd8 24 BXe5  Rd7?

A routine move. Black seizes the d-file, which he does not need. 24 ... Qa5! was correct, tying down the opponent's pieces. But now White prevents this possibility and sets up the pawn chain f3-g4-h5.

25 Bc3 Qb6 26 g4 Qd6

Black plays without any definite plan, and in addition allows the tactical blow 27 g5 hXg5 28 h6. But this variation did not appear altogether convincing to me (28 . . . Qf4 29 hXg7 Rd8), and I decided not to deviate from my intended plan.

27 f3 a6 28 a4! Qd3+?

Of course, only by retaining the queens did Black have any chance of counter-play, bearing in mind the open position of the white king.

29 Kcl Kc7

29. . . Ne8 30 QXd3 RXd3 31 Rf 1 f6 32 Kc2 Rd7 33 Rel Nc7 34 f4 would hardly have changed anything, but it was still possible to return the queen to d6.

30 QXd3 RXd3 31 Rfl Kc6 32 Kc2 Rd7 (see diagram) 33 a5!

33 b4 looked tempting, and if 33 ... b5? 34 BXf6 gXf6 35 Rdl! with a winning position: 35 ... Re7 36 aXb5+ aXb5 37 c5, or 35 ... RXdl 36 aXb5+ aXb5 37 KXdl, or 35 ... bXa4 36 b5+ aXb5 37 cXb5+ Kc7 38 b6+ Kc6 39 RXd7 KXd7 40 f4. But 33 .. . a5! would have given Black counter-chances. After 33

Position after 32 . . . Rd7l:

XABCDEFGHY
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4P+P+-+P+$
3+-vL-+P+-#
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a5! the ending, in my opinion, is lost for Black — he is markedly cramped, and the balance of forces remaining on the board is the ideal one for White.

33 ... Ne8 34 Rel Rd6 35 f4 Nf6?

One can understand Vukic aiming to prevent g4-g5, after which the sacrifice at g7 becomes a possibility in various lines, e.g. 35 ... Kd7 36 g5 Rc6 37 Rdl+ Kc8 38 BXg7! But, engaged in a difficult defence, the Yugoslav grandmaster forgot for an instant about the defects of his pawn structure and the unfortunate position of his rook at d6. The retribution followed immediately.

36 BXf6 gXf6 37Rdl!

Black resigns, since in the pawn ending White creates passed pawns on both flanks.

Spiridonov-Kasparov

Queen's Pawn Opening

1 Nf3

Yet again! For the third time in this tournament I was obliged to solve one and the same problem: how after 1Nf3 to obtain an interesting position with a complicated (without simplification) struggle.

1 ... g6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Bg5 Bg7 4 Nbd2

Solid and sound! To drag White out of his entrenchments, it is clear that a lure is needed — the illusion of an "advantage".

4 ... c5 5 BXf6

And White begins to fight for an advantage, although, in my opinion, 5 e3 is more in the spirit of the position. To this I was intending to reply 5 . .. b6.

5... BXf6 6 Ne4 BXd4

6          ... Qb6 is objectively stronger, but after 7 NXf6+ QXf6 8 e3 there is little prospect of complicating the play. 6 ... Qa5+ 7 c3 BXd4 does not work because of 8 b4.

7 NXd4 cXd4 8 QXd4 0-0 9 c4

9 e3 is passive: 9 ... Nc6 10 Qd2 d5 11 Nc3 e6 with an excellent game, while 9 0-0-0 woud have been too sharp.. . .

Although in practice it is 9 0-0-0 that would have caused Black the most trouble.

9 ... Nc6 10 Qd2 d6 11 Nc3

White plans e2-e4. To avoid ending up in a positional bind, Black is obliged to hurry.

11 ... Be6 12 e4 Qb6!

12... f5 is much weaker in view of 13 eXf5 RXf5 14 Be2 Ne5 15 b3. The queen move creates the threat of ... Qd4, transposing into a favourable ending, and yet this path (13 Be2 Qd4 14 Rdl QXd2+ 15 RXd2) was the best for White. 13 Nd5 BXd5 14 eXd5 Nd415 Rdl looks good for him, but Black has an interesting tactical possibility: 15 . . . e5! 16 dXe6 Rfe8 17 QXd4 RXe6+ 18 Be2 Rae8 19 0-0 QXd4 20 RXd4 RXe2 with advantage.

This comment needs to be corrected: 13 Be2 is hardly the best, for the reason that 13 Nd5 BXd5 14 eXd5 Nd4 15 0-0-0! (but not 15 Rdl?) 15 ...e5 16 dXe6NXe6 17 Bd3 would have given White a fairly attractive position.

13 Rdl?

Now, exploiting his lead in development, Black seizes the initiative.

13 ... Ne5 14 b3 f5!

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Here Spiridonov thought for a long time. Indeed, variations such as 15 eXf5 RXf5 16 f4 Raf8, or 15 Nd5 BXd5 16 QXd5+ Kg7, or 15 f4 Ng4 16 h3 Qe3+ 17 QXe3 NXe3 18 Rd3 Nc2+ 19 Kd2 fXe4 20 NXe4 Bf5! are not very com¬forting for White. His best was 15 eXf5 RXf5 16 Qd4, although after 16... QXd4 17 RXd4 Raf8 18 Rd2 Rf4 White still has difficulties over the development of his pieces. Hoping later to undermine Black's position in the centre, Spiridonov decided to allow ... f4.

15 Be2 f4 16 Nd5 BXd5 17 QXd5+ Kg7 18 0-0

White has completed his development, but at what a price! The powerful knight at e5 against the bishop at e2! White's only hope is the c4-c5 break, e.g. 18 ... a5 19 c5 QXc5 20 QXc5 dXc5 21 Rd5 Kf6 22 RXc5. Black should have played 18 ... Kf6!, and after the forced 19 b4 QXb4 20 Rbl Qa3 21 RXb7 Rab8! his advantage is obvious.

18 ... Rac8? 19 b4! QXb4 20 Rbl Qa3 21 RXb7 Kf6

Now this is no longer so strong, as White controls the b-file.

22        h4 h6

The threat was 23 Bg4! Now after 23 Qd2 g5 24 Rb3 Qc5 25 Rb5 White could have driven the black queen from its strong pos¬ition and gained reasonable counter-chances. The following day Spiridonov suggested that White could have seized the initiative by 23 Qd2 g5 24 g3, when 24 ... f3 is not possible due to 25 Rb3.1 could only regret that he did not find this possibility during the game: 24 g3? f3! 25 Rb3 Qa4 26 BXf3 QXb3!

23 Rdl?

A pretty trap (23 ... QXa2? 24 QXd6+!), but now White's game goes downhill.

23        ... Rb8!

Mistakes must be corrected!

24 Rc7 Rfc8 25 RXc8 RXc8 26 Qb7 Qc5 27 Qb2?

White could still have put up a resistance after 27 Rbl.

27 ... Qb6! 18 Qcl g5 29 Rd5 e6 30 hXg5+

It would have been better not to open the h-file, but, short of time, Spiridonov tries to reduce the number of moves remaining before the time control.

30... hXg5 31 Rdl Ke7! 32 Qc2 Rb8 33 Qa4 g4 34 Qa3 Qc5 35 Qc3 (the ending is obviously quite hopeless for White) 35 ... g3 36 Rfl

Here, just in case, I spent ten minutes    working out the straightforward winning variation, since I had already had some dismal experience in the playing of decided positions in my opponent's time trouble.

36 ... gXf2+ 37 RXf2 Rbl+ 38 Bfl Qe3 39 QXe3 fXe3 40 Rc2 NXc4

White resigns.

Baku, 1980

USSR Central Chess Club International Tournament

Kasparov-Zaitsev

Queen's Gambit

l d4d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4Bg5 Be7 6 Nf3 h6 7 Bh4 b6

On the board we have one of the currently most popular opening systems, devised by Tartakower, and later developed by Bon-darevsky and Makogonov. Searches for an opening advantage for White are now mainly associated with 8 Qb3*. In this game I decided to try a sharp plan with castling on opposite sides.

8 Qc2 Bb7 9 BXf6 BXf6 10 cXd5 eXd5 11 0-0-0 c5 12 dXc5 Nd7!

Until recently theory regarded the pos¬ition arising after 12... bXc5 13 NXd5 BXd5 14 Bc4 Nd7 15 RXd5 Rb8 16 b3 as promising for Black, but the  two games Lapenis-

* To judge from tournament games of recent years, the choice between 8 Qb3, 8 Qc2, 8 Rcl, 8 Be2 and 8 Bd3 has become exclusively a matter of taste.

A. Petrosian (1979) and Gavrikov-Lputyan (1980) refuted this assessment. In the first, after 16 ... Qe7 17 h4! Nb6 18 Re5! Qc7 19 Re4 White retained his extra pawn and main¬tained the blockade at c4. In the second, Black continued 16... Qc7 17 Kdl Rfc8, and after 18 Ke2? Nb6 19 Rd2 NXc4 20 QXc4 Rb4 21 Qa6 c4 22 bXc4 Bc3 23 Rc2 Rb6 24 Qa4 Rb4, the game ended in a draw, whereas the obvious 18 Nd2! (the blockade at c4!) would have given White a clear advantage.

Black naturally began basing his hopes on 12 ... Nd7. As was shown by the game Lapenis-Klovan (1979), his initiative after 13 cXb6 QXb6 at least compensates for White's minimal material advantage. Little is also promised by the play against an isolated pawn (13 c6). True, in the game Nikitin-Kirpichnikov (1980) White gained an advan¬tage: 13 c6 BXc6 14 Nd4 Bb7 15 Be2 Rc8 16 Kbl Nc5 17 Bg4 Ra8 18 BO, but Black's play can be improved (for example, 15 ... a6 followed by ... b5 is interesting)!. When analysing  beforehand  the  position  after

12 ... Nd7, I came to the conclusion that White could fight for an advantage by 13 NXd5.

13 NXd5 NXc5

White also had to reckon with 13 ... Rc8, when the following moves are practically forced: 14 NXf6+ QXf6 15 RXd7 BXf3 16 gXfi RXc5 17 Bc4. If now Black is tempted by the pawn, White's threats become imposing: 17 ... QXf3 18 Rgl Qc6 19 Rd4 b5 20 Qc3!g6(20. . .bXc4 21RXg7+!;20. . .g5 21 h4) 21 RXg6+!! QXg6 22 BXf7+ RXf7 23 Rd8+ etc. Stronger is 17 ... Rfc8, offering White the choice between a queen ending with an extra pawn, but practically without any winning chances (18 Rhdl RXc4 19 Rd8+ RXd8 20 RXd8+ QXd8 21 QXc4 Qg5!), and a very sharp position which is difficult to assess (18 b3 b5 19 Rhdl bXc4 20 b4). I was intending to take the second path, which of course involves some risk, but also promises White chances of success.

14 Bc4

The tempting 14 Qf5 meets with a strong reply: 14 ... Qc8! 15 NXf6+ gXf6 16 QXc8 RaXc8 17 Kbl Ne4 with the better game.

14... b5 15 NXf6+

15        BXb5 BXd5 16 Bc4 meets with a pretty refutation involving a queen sacrifice —16... Be4! 17 RXd8 RfXd8 18 Qe2 Rac8, and Black's attack is irresistible. And after 15 Bb3 Rc8 (15 ... a5 is also good) 16 Kbl NXb3 17 QXb3 Rc5, by driving the knight at d5 from its dominating position, Black again obtains an excellent game (18 e4 Re8 19 Rhel RXe4).

15... QXf616 Bd5 Rac817 Kbl Na418 Qe2 BXd5 19 RXd5

The menacing position of the knight at a4, together with the not altogether secure position of the white king, promise Black counter-play, with which, however, he has to hurry, since in a move or two White will

† Very recently the discussion around the 16 c3 variation again flared up in connection with 15 g41? (instead of 15 Be2). But not for long—successes for White gave way to failures (cf, for example, Ubilava-Kharitonov, USSR Championship 1st League, 1983). Not satisfied with the evidence as to the soundness of his position after 15 g4, Black has also tried 14 . . . Rc8!?, which has worked out quite well! (cf Sturua-Markov, 1983).

manage to consolidate his position. In my analyses I had assessed the resulting situation to be in my favour, on the basis of the variations 19 ... Qg6+ 20 e4 QXg2 21 Rgl Qh3 22 Rg3 Qe6 23 Nd4 Qf6 24 Nf5, or 20... Rfe8 21 Rel QXg2 22 RXb5.

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Rc4!

A brilliant move, which immediately changes the picture. While strengthening the threat of. . . Qg6+, Black has also created two more — ... Rfc8 and, in particular, . . . Rb4. Capturing the b-pawn with 20 RXb5 gives him a terrible attack after 20 ... Rfc8, e.g. 21 Ne5 Qa6! 22 NXc4 QXb5 23 Rcl RXc4! 24 RXc4 Nc3+, winning the queen. 20 Nd4 is also weak because of 20 ... Qg6+ and 21 ... QXg2. White's reply is forced.

20 Rd4 Rfc8

It is now completely clear that Black has full compensation for the sacrificed pawn. But in spite of the failure of my opening, I was far from despondent — the battle was only just beginning, and Zaitsev had little more than 20 minutes left on his clock.

21 Rhdl

21 Qd3 (21 ... Rc2 22 Rd8+) appears to parry the attack and leave White with a material advantage, but the unexpected 21 . . . Nc5! creates irresistible threats: 22 RXc4 NXd3 23 RXc8+ Kh7 24 Rc2 Qg6, or 22 Qe2 Qg6+ 23 Kal Rcl+! 24 RXcl Nb3+ 25 aXb3 RXcl+ 26 Ka2 Qbl+ 27 Ka3 b5 28 Rd8+ Kh7 29 Ng5+ (29 Qd3+ QXd3 30 RXd3 Ral mate) 29 ... Kg6 30 Rd6+ f6. It is also difficult to defend after 21 RXc4 bXc4.

By 21 Rhdl White agrees to give up his queen for two rooks. At first sight the position after 21. . . Rc2 22 QXc2 RXc2 23 KXc2 favours Black: he is threatening to destroy the opponent's K-side - 23 ... Qg6+* 24 e4 QXg2 25 Ne5 QXf2+ 26 Rld2 Qe3. But White's plan is not quite so bad as this, and by 24 Kd2! NXb2 25 Rcl QXg2 26 Ke2 he maintains the balance.

Not seeing any real gains after 21 ... Rc2, my opponent, who up till now had played splendidly, makes a bad mistake — he overrates his chances. With his next two moves Black restores the material balance, but....

21 ... Qg6+? 22 Qd3 QXg2 23 Qf5!

Unexpectedly White has managed to line up his forces, and things have become uncomfortable for the black king, even behind its pawn defences. To weaken the force of the counter-attack, Black should have exchanged queens (23 ... Qg6), agreeing to a disagreeable ending, in which his chances of a draw and of a loss would have been roughly equal. Zaitsev declines to defend this ending, and decides to try his luck with the queens on, in the process setting some clever traps.

23        ... Rf8? 24 Rd8!

24        Rgl looked very tempting, in the hope of 24 ... QXf2 25 Rd2 QXe3 26 RXg7+!, mating. But it was in this case that Black's first "bomb" would have exploded: 24 ...Rc5! 25 Qe4 Rfc8! 26 a3 Qh3, and he is out of all danger.

24 ... Rc7 25 RXf8+ KXf8 26 Nd4!

Nothing decisive is achieved by either 26 Ne5 Qg5, or 26 QXb5 Rc8 27 Ne5 Nb6, when Black brings up his reserves.

26        ... Re7 27 NXb5

This move would also have been decisive after 26 ... Kg8. In taking the pawn with the knight, White avoids a last trap, set by the opponent who was by now in serious time trouble: 27 QXb5? Nc3+!

27        ... RXe3

27 ... g6 is most simply met by 28 Qf4,

* 23 . . . Qe6l? is more cunning, and possibly stronger.

when the knight and the h6 pawn are both attacked.

28 Nd6 Rf3

After 28 ... Kg8 29 Qc8+ Kh7 30 Qc2+ Black loses his venturesome rook.

29 Qc8+ Ke7 30 Qe8+ Kf6

Black resigns, without waiting for the obvious 31 QXf7+ with a quick mate. The once threatening knight at a4 remains for him as a mere memory of the fine song, which he cut short in mid verse by being tempted by the g2 pawn.

Kasparov-Csom

Nimzo-Indian Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 e3 c5 5 Ne2 cXd4 6 eXd4 0-0

Two surprises at the very start! The Hungarian grandmaster very rarely employs the Nimzo-Indian Defence, and now instead of the usual 6 ... d5 he plays a move with a dubious reputation.

7 a3 Be7 8 d5

Less is promised by 8 g3 d5 9 c5, while in addition, during the game I did not like the look of 8 ... Qc7!?

8... eXd5 9 cXd5 Re8 10 g3 Bc5 11 Bg2

Here my opponent, who up till now had played quickly, sank into thought. Strangely enough, this natural bishop move is an innovation! The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings quotes the game Polugayevsky-Kholmov (1961), in which after 11 Na4 Bf8 12 Bg2 d6 13        0-0 Nbd7 14 Be3 Ne5 15 Bd4 White obtained the better position. This is all correct, but after 11. . . b6! how is White to play? He can hardly be satisfied with 12 NXc5 bXc5 13 Bg2 Ba6 14 Be3 Ng4.1 fancy it was this idea that the Hungarian grandmaster had in mind.

11... d6

After convincing himself that the direct attack on f2 does not achieve anything, Csom continues his development. In fact, the variation 11 . . . Ng4 12 0-0 Qf6 13 Nf4 NXf2 14RXf2 BXf2+ 15 KXf2 g5 16 Ne4 Qb6+ 17 Be3 QXb2+ 18 Kgl is pretty depressing for Black, while after 12 ... Qb6 White can choose between a tempting pawn sacrifice —13 Ne4 RXe4 14 BXe4 NXf2 15 RXf2 BXf2+

16 Kg2 with a fine game (16... d617 BXh7+), and simple defence — 13 Qel.

12 h3!

The exchange of the c8 bishop for the knight at e2 (12 0-0 Bg4) must not be allowed. The knight has a more promising future than might appear at first sight.

12 ... Bf5 13 0-0 Nbd7

It is hard to attach a "?" or even "?!" to this natural move, but it is in fact the initial cause of Black's subsequent difficulties. It can be confidently stated that 13 ... Ne4 was stronger. Black did not want to part with his bishop at c5, but in fact 13 ... Ne4 14 Na4 Nd7 would have given him satisfactory piece play.

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14 g4!

The advance of the K-side pawns is perfectly well-founded — it severely cramps the black knights (which as it is have restricted manoeuvring possibilities). In addition, the bishop at c5 will be unable to take any part in the coming battle. From this point Csom began spending longer and longer over his moves. White's plan of attack came as such a surprise to him, that he could find no way of countering it.

14        ... Be4

It is unlikely that 14 ... Bg6 15 Ng3 Ne5 16 g5 Nfd7 17 Nce4 is any better — the efficiency of the black pieces is close to zero, and White threatens to advance his h-pawn.

15Ng3 BXg2 16 KXg2 Nf8 17 g5 N6d7 18 h4 Ne5

It would seem that the last chance of obtaining counter-play was the plan involving 18 ... Rc8, 19 ... Bb6 and 20 ... Nc5, not conceding the e4 square without a fight.

19 h5!

Black's pieces are restricted to the maximum extent, and now White's threats begin to take shape. Along with the direct Nce4 and h5-h6, the idea of Nce4, b2-b3 and f2-f4 also looks strong. After half an hour's thought, Csom realized that further passivity would lead to a rapid defeat, and so he decided to undermine White's pawn tandem. The situation becomes sharper, but.. .. not for long.

19... f6 20 Nce4! fXg5 21 BXg5 Qb6 22 h6

White has an overwhelming superiority in force on the decisive part of the battlefield. The part of the game after 19 ... f6 does not require any particular commentary. Black was all the time choosing the least evil. Note that 20 ... Nfd7 is very strongly met by 21 f4 Nf7 (or 21 ... Nc4 22 Qd3 b5 23 b3) 22 g6, while after 20 ... Qd7 there comes h5-h6 with even greater effect.

22 ... Nf7 23 hXg7 Nd7

Black defends only against the immediate threats, but against the transference of the white army to the K-side he is powerless.

24 Nf6+ NXf6 25 BXf6

Threatening, among other things, 26 b4,

winning the ill-fated bishop.

25... Qb5 26 Rhl Bb6 27 Qf3!

White simply prepares to double rooks on the h-file.

27... Ne5

This allows a spectacular finish, but 27 ... Bd8 was by no means better: 28 Bc3 Ne5 29 Qf5 QXd5+ 30 Ne4 with inevitable mate.

28 Nf5!

The knight from e2 also has its say, creating the threat of a rather unusual (for a practical game) mate. Of course, 28 Qf5 would also have won.

28 ... Nf7 29 RXh7!

Black resigns. As the reader will notice, not a single mark (question or exclamation) has been attached to any of Black's moves, and a purely subjective opinion has been given about some of them. It seems to me that the outwardly harmless inaccuracy 13 ... Nbd7 was already the start of Black's catastrophe. Or perhaps one should "dig" even deeper, and agree with ECO that 6 ... 0-0 is not good enough to equalize? However, the way one relates to Black's moves is a matter of taste, and it is well known that "one man's meat is another man's poison".

This conclusion now strikes me as being provocative, but at the time it fitted in well with the logical plan that had been constructed! Since then much has changed (even the "meat" and the "poison". . . .).

Firstly, in the game Chandler-Andersson (1980) Black found a successful arrangement of his pieces: 12 . . . a6l 13 0-0 Nbd7 14 Nd4 Ne5 and . . . Bd7 with good play. So that Black's inaccuracy (mistake?) must be considered to be 12 . . . Bf5, which gave White tempi to develop his offensive on the K-side.

White's attempts to demonstrate the dubious nature of 6. . . 0-0 have been associated with 10 Be3 and 10 d6. In the first case the play develops in his favour after 10. . . d6, or 10. . . Ng4 11 Bd4 d6 (or 11... Bf6), but Adorjan's idea of 11. . . Nh6!!(with the threat of. . . Nf5) practically forces White to go in for extreme measures: 12 g4 d6 13 h3 f5 µ (Groszpeter-Adorjan, 1983), or 12 Ng3 BXa3+ 13 Be2 BXb2 14 Nb5 «> (Ree-Ligterink, 1984).

In certain games, on the other hand, the gambit line 10 d6 Bf811 g3 Re612 Bg2 RXd6 13 Qc2 has given White a position with a wealth of chances. Another problem situation can arise on the initiative of Black, who has taken up 9. . . Bc5l? (instead of 9. . . Re8).

Today, four years later, there is in general no question of talking about 6 ... 0-0 having a "dubious reputation". An interesting thought is what will have happened to this move within another four years?

Through the Pawn Barricade

A curious position arose in the following game (see diagram).

Almost without thinking, Torre played 41 ... Bh6, and after 42 Ng4 the game was adjourned. The analysis of this position

Kasparov-Torre

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(with my trainers A. Nikitin and A. Shakarov) proved very interesting. It is obvious that Black cannot prevent the white pawn from reaching h6, after which the knight at e8 will be crippled. At first the winning plan appeared simple, e.g. 42 ... Kg7 43 NXh6 KXh6 44 Bd2+ Kg7 (of course, not 44 ... KXh5 45 Kh3, mating) 45 h6+ Kf7 46 Bel (or 46 Bc3), then the knight is transferred to e4, and after KB and Rg2. the advance of the g-pawn is decisive. There are also no difficulties in the variation 42 ... Bg5 43 h6 e4 44 Nf4 BXf4 45 gXf4 Nd7 46 Rfe2, when White picks up the e4 pawn, transfers his king to d3, knight to h5, and rook from a2 to e2, and then wins either by Nh5-g7, or by doubling rooks on the e-file.

But later it was found that after 42 ... Kg7 43 NXh6 KXh6 44 Bd2+ Kg7 45 h6+ Kf7 46 Bel Black can obtain counter-play by 46 ... Nd7 47 Rfe2 e4 and then . . . Ne5. More precise is 46 Bc3 — although the exchange of the bishop for the knight at e5 is undesirable (the knight at e8 comes back to life), never¬theless the dangerous knight must be kept under fire.

It became obvious that Black cannot delay the advance of his e-pawn: 46 Bc3 Nd7 47 Rfe2 e4 48 Nf2 Ne5 49 BXe5 fXe5 50 NXe4 Ke7 51 Ra6! RXa6 52 bXa6 Ra7 53 Ra2 Nc7 54 g4 RXa6 55 RXa6 NXa6 56 g5 with a straightforward win. The path for White is much more tortuous after 46 ... e4! 47 Nf4 Nd7 48 Ne6 Ke7. Now nothing is achieved by 49 Rfe2 Ne5 50 RXa7 RXa7 51 RXe4 Ra3 52 BXe5 dXe5 53 Rg4 Ra2+ 54 Kh3 Ral. White consolidates his advantage by the surprising 49 Rae2!, conceding the a-file, but retaining both rooks, when these are some characteristic variations:

49 ... Ra3 50 RXe4! RXc3 51 NXc5+ Ne5 52 NXb7 Ra3 53 c5! dXc5 (53 ... bXc5 54 b6) 54 d6+ NXd6 55 RXe5+ fXe5 56 f6+, or 50. . .Ne5 51BXe5dXe552Rg4Rba7 53Rg8 Rc3 54 Rh8 (54 Kh2 Raa3 55 Rg2 ±) 54 ... Raa3 55 RXh7+ Kd6 56 Nf8! RXg3+ 57 Kh2 Rh3+ 58 Kgl Rhg3+ 59 Rg2. If 52 ... Kd6 (instead of 52 ... Rba7), then 53 Rg8 Re7 54 Ng7! Kd7 55 NXe8 RXe8 56 Rg7+ Re7 57 d6! RXg7 58 hXg7 Ra8 59 Kf3 Rg8 60 Ra2 KXd6 61 Ra7 h5 62 Rf7! (but not 62 Ke4 h4 63 gXh4 because of 63 ... RXg7!).

After 49 ... Ra4 50 RXe4 Ne5 the advance of the g-pawn is decisive — 51 g4! RXc4 52 RXc4 NXc4 53 g5 Ne3+ 54 Kgl NXd5 55 g6 Rb8 56 gXh7 Nec7 57 Rg2 NXe6 58 Rg8. The following little ruse also does not help Black: 49 ... Ra4 50 RXe4 Ne5 51 g4 Ra3.

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Now after 52 BXe5 dXe5 the white rook's path to g8 is blocked. But 52 g5! breaks through Black's defences: 52 ... RXc3 53 g6 Rb8 (53 ... Nc7 54 Nd8!) 52 Ra2, when, in spite of his extra piece, he is helpless. 52 ... fXg5 is also bad because of 53 RXe5! RXc3 (53 ... dXe5 54 BXe5 Raa7 55 f6+ Kf7 56 NXg5+ Kg6 57 f7) 54 f6+! NXf6 55 RXg5 Ne8 56 Rg7.

All that seemed required now was to polish up some secondary variations, and I could go along to the resumption for a sure point. However, the resumption of this game was postponed: Torre, who had arrived late for the tournament, had some postponed games to play. Mentally "resuming" the game, I suddenly thought: "But what if Black should disrupt the co-ordination of the white pieces after 46... e4 47 Nf4, by advancing his doomed pawn — 47 ... e3 ?"

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After 48 Rfe2 Nd7 49 Ne6 Ke7 White is denied his favourable regrouping, whereas Black carries out his plan. We promptly got down to work, but. ... in every variation a defence was found for Black. We were on the point of returning to 46 Bel, when after 46... Nd7 47 Rfc2 (defending the c4 pawn) it appeared that 47 ... e4 48 Nf2 e3 49 Ng4 (49 ... Ne5 50 NXe3) promised success, but here too the desperate throw 49 ... e2! causes confusion in the white ranks: 50 RXe2 Ne5 51 Ne3 Nd3. After once again weighing up the variation 46 Bc3 e4 47 Nf4 e3! 48 Rfe2 Nd7 49 Ne6 Ke7 50 Ra6 RXa6 51 bXa6 Ra7 52 RXe3 Ne5 53 BXe5 dXe5 54 Ra3 Nd6 I concluded that the adjourned position was probably drawn. There only remained the hope that either Torre had not sealed 42 ... Bg5, or that he would not find 47 . . . e3!

But it is all very well hoping, and I still had the idea that White's play could somewhere be improved (seeing as there was still sufficient time for analysis). It turned out that in this last variation after 54 ... Nd6 55 Ra4 NXf5 White has an excellent move — 56 Nc7!

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We again sat down at the board, not yet imagining where this path would lead us. Black has three reasonable replies — 56 ... Nd6, 56 ... Nd4 and 56 . . . Kd7 - and each requires a thorough examination. Several hours of analysis, during which we had to make our way through a maze of intricate variations, gave the following results:

(1)        56... Nd6 57 Nb5 Ra8 (57 ... NXb5 58 cXb5 f5 59 g4!) 58 NXd6 KXd6 59 KB (59 g4 e4!) 59 ... f5 60 g4 e4+ 61 Kf4 fXg4 62 KXg4 (62 KXe4? Kc7 63 Kf4 b5!) 62 ... Kc7 (62 ...Ke5 63 a7! Kd4 64 d6 e3 65 d7? e2 66 Ral KXc4 67 Kf3 Kd3 68 Ra3+ Kd2 69 Ra2+ Kd3=; 65 KB! Kd3 66 Ra3+ Kd2 67 RXe3 Rf8+ 68 Ke4 Re8+ 69 Kd5 KXe3 70 d7)63 a7! b5 64 cXb5 Kb6 65 d6 KXb5 (65 ... e3 66 d7 e2 67 Re4) 66 RXe4 RXa7 67 Re7 Ra6 (67 ... Ral 68 RXh7 Kc6 69 Rh8) 68 d7 Rd6 69 RXh7 c4 70 Re7 c3 71 h7 c2 72 h8=Q cl=Q 73 Qb8+. This is the longest variation. It should be added that Black is not saved either by 66... Kc6 67 Re7 c4 (67 ... KXd6 68 RXh7 c4 69 Kf3 c3 70 Ke2!) 68 RXh7 c3 69 Rc7+ KXd670 RXc3 RXa7 71 Rh3, or earlier by 59 ...Kc7 60 Ke4 b5 61 cXb5 Kb6 62 Kf5 KXb5 63 Ral c4 64 d6.

(2)        56... Kd7 57 Nb5 Ra8 58 a7 Nd4 (58...Nd6 59 NXd6 KXd6 60 KB Kc7 61 Ke4 Kb7 62 Kf5 RXa7 63 RXa7+ KXa7 64 d6 Kb7 65 KXf6) 59 Ra6! NXb5 60 cXb5 f5 61 KB c4 62 Ke3 Kc7 63 d6+ Kb7 64 Ra4!

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Zugzwang!

(3) 56 ... Nd4 57 Nb5 Ra8 58 d6+ Kd7 59 Nc7 Ra7 60 Nd5 KXd6 61 NXb6 Kc6 62 Nc8 Ra8 63 Ne7+ Kd6 64 Nd5 Ra7 (65 Nb6 was threatened) 65 NXf6 Nf5 66 NXh7 NXh6 67 Nf6 Nf5 68 Ne4+ Kc6 69 Ra5. The white knight's acrobatic pirouettes make a strong impression. No better for Black is 60 ... b5 61 cXb5 NXb5 62 Nb6 Kd8 63 d7 Nd4 (63 ... Kc7 64 Ra5) 64 Nc8! Ra8 65 a7 Nc6 66 Rg4 Kc7 67 Rg7 c4 68 RXh7 c3 69 d8=Q+! KXd8 70 Rg7.

I went along to the resumption confident now of victory, and eager that Black should have sealed 42 ... Kg7, so that I could demonstrate the beauty of our deep analysis. But alas. . . .

42 ... Bg5 43 h6 Re7 44 Rfe2 Kf7 45 Ndf2 Bel 46 Ne4 Red7

Now the exchange of all the rooks leads to a win: 47 RXa7 RXa7 48 Rel Ra2 49 KB Bg5 (49. . .Rc250Re2)50RalRXal51BXalBcl 52 Ke2 Nd7 53 Kdl Ba3 (53 ... Bg5 54 Bb2 followed by Ke2-B and at a convenient moment NXg5) 54 Bc3 Bb4 55 Bb2 - the black bishop is shut out of the game, and White can prepare the g3-g4-g5 break¬through undisturbed (the knight from g4 goes to h5, the king to B, and the bishop to cl etc.). But I decided to remove my king from a possible check at a2, and at the same time set a pretty trap, which I had noticed during the resumption.

47 Kf3 Ke7

47 ... Ba3 is more tenacious, after which White wins as follows: 48 Ral Bb4 49 Rea2 Ra5 50 RXa5 bXa5 51 BXb4 aXb4 52 b6! Ke7 53 Ra7 b3 (53 ... Kd8 54 Ke2 and the king goes across to the Q-side) 54 Ngf2 b2 55 Nc3 Kd8 56 Nfe4 Kc8 57 Ra2 Rb7 58 RXb2 Nd7 59 Nb5 RXb6 60 Ra2 Kd8 61 Ra7 followed by Kg4-h5, g4-g5, and Black is helpless. 48 RXa7 RXa7 49 Rel Bg5 50 NXg5 fXg5

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51 NXe5! dXe5

Or 51 ... Ra3 52 Ng6++ Kd8 53 Re3.

52 BXe5 Nd6

Against the threat of a discovered check there is no good defence (52... Ra3+ 53 Kg4 Nd7 54 Bb2+), but now it is the turn of the white pawns.

53 f6+ Kd7 54 BXd6 KXd6 55 Re6+ Kc7 56 f7 Ral 57 Ke2

Black resigns.

But couldn't Black have set up a fortress by 41 . . . h6 ? The pawn barrier looks impenetrable, but White carries out the following plan (I will omit Black's moves: they do not alter the position): Ng4, Rfb2, Bd2 (here the black king goes to h7), Kf3-e4, Nd3-el-f3-h4-g6, the king goes to b3 and all the rooks are exchanged, then the king returns to the centre and after Ng6-e7-c6 (the black knight goes to d7), Ng4-h2, g3-g4, Nh2-f3-h4-g6 White places his knights at c8 and e6 and his king at d3, after which the sacrifice at b6 is decisive (NXb6 NXb6, Ba5 Nd7, b5-b6-b7, Ne6-d8-c6 and Kd3-a7). There would appear to be no way for Black to oppose this lengthy plan.

How Should One Play in the Last Round?

Kasparov-Martinovic

Queen's Pawn Opening

Before the last round, in which this game was played, I was leading Belyavsky by half a point. I had no great doubts about the result in the Belyavsky-Garcia game (and indeed, within two hours after the start of the round, this game was essentially decided). My preparation was easy: against 1 e4 Martinovic plays the Sicilian Defence, and against 1 d4 — the King's Indian Defence. There was a great temptation to go in for a cut-throat battle in the Najdorf Variation (the only one which Martinovic will entertain), but then I settled for a system leading to a complicated positional struggle. In this I took account of the fact that Martinovic regularly gets into time trouble, and in the Najdorf Variation he would be able to make the first 15-20 moves within a few minutes.

1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 g6 3 Bg5

This variation has a harmless reputation, but a convincing win for White in the game Balashov-Sax (1979), and also Georgadze-Van der Wiel (1979) which repeated it almost move for move, showed that everything is not so simple.

3 ... Bg7 4 Nbd2 d6

Of course, the choice of move here is a matter of taste. Martinovic makes the most "King's Indian" move, but to me 4 ... c5 seems more logical (cf. p.20).

5 e4 0-0 6 c3 Nbd7 7 Be2 e5 8 dXe5

White gives up his pawn centre for the sake of depriving the bishop at g7 of all prospects. 8 0-0 Re8 9 Qc2 is also perfectly possible (Balashov-Vukic, Bugojno, 1978).

8... dXe5

After 8 ... NXe5 9 NXe5 dXe5 the character of the position is not essentially changed.

Nevertheless, after the exchange of a pair of pieces it would have been easier for Black to manoeuvre.

9 0-0 b6

Inwardly I became all of a tremble: was this game destined to add to the contents of the curiosity box, as Martinovic, lulled by the outwardly unpretentious manoeuvres of the white pieces, became the third victim after Sax and Van der Wiel? But Black's choice is easily explainable — the plan with the double fianchetto is the most natural.

10 Rel Bb7 11 Qc2 h6 12 Bh4 Qe7 13 Bfl Rfe8

Alas! I wasn't able to win the point "by familiar means". The modest rook move sig¬nificantly improves Black's game. In the aforementioned games the routine 13 ... Rfd8 led to great difficulties after 14 Nc4 Qe6 15 Nfd2 Qg4 16 BXf6! BXf6 17 Ne3 Qe6 18 Bc4 Qd6 19 Radl c6 20 Nf3 Qe7 21 Ng4 Bg7 22 Qd2 Kh7 23 Qd6! (the divergence in the later stages of these games did not reflect on the results). 13 ... Rfe8 deprives .White of such a possiblity — the e5 pawn is defended, and Black simply plays 16 ... NXf6. White also achieves nothing by 16 Bg3 (instead of 16   BXf6) 16 ... Nh5 17 f3 Qg5 18 Bf2 Nf4 19 Khl h5.

14 b4

Black is restricted in his actions, whereas White has prospects in the centre and on the Q-side, which for the moment, however, are rather obscure. Here real targets for attack still have to be created, and the advance of the b-pawn pursues this aim.

14... a6

I thought that 14... a5 15 a3 Ra7 was more probable, when I was intending 16 Bd3 Rea8 17 Qb2 — the black rooks are stuck over on the Q-side. The move played leaves ... a5 as a possibility (e.g. in the event of a2-a4), and prepares the other undermining move... c5.

15 Nc4 Rac8?

Martinovic, who had spent an hour and a half on his first 14 moves (the choice of opening strategy was correct!), played this last move almost without thinking, and... . made his first (and, probably, his only) serious mistake. Correct was 15 ... Qe6 16 Nfd2 c5 (but not immediately 15 ... c5 in view of 16 Radl cXb4 17 Nd6) - now White cannot exploit the weakening of the d6 square. After 17 Ne3 cXb4 18 cXb4 Rac8 19 Qbl or 17 a3 Rac8 18 f3 the positions reached are quite acceptable for Black, but in my opinion they nevertheless leave White with better chances of seizing the initiative. Black's mistake allows White to set up a bind on the Q-side.

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16 a4! Qe6 17 Nfd2 Nh5

Black tries to initiate counter-play on the K-side, but in doing so he moves' his pieces away from the defence of some important squares.

18 f3!

18 Ne3 Bf6 19 Bc4 Qe7 20 Bd5! c6 21 BXf6 NhXf6 22 Bb3 was tempting, when the weakness of Black's d6 and his Q-side are appreciable. But 19 ... Qd6! allows him to defend successfully.

18... Bf6?!

Consistent, but even so the bishop should have taken up a more modest post at f8, where it keeps the Q-side under fire.

19 Bf2 Bg5 20 Ne3 Ndf6 21 c4!

With this move White reveals all the drawbacks to the black position. A number of positional threats have unexpectedly appeared: Nd5, a4-a5 and c4-c5.

21 ... c6 22 Nb3 Nd7

Short of time, Martinovic makes natural moves, and seemingly covers all the threatened points. But, as often happens in such situations, tactics come to the aid of strategy.

23 c5 b5 24 Redl Be7 25 Nc4!

The knight breaks through to d6 with decisive effect. 25 Nf5! was even more energetic. I imagined that there was something unclear in the variation 25 ... gXf5 26 eXf5 Qf6 27 RXd7 Rb8 28 Rddl Bc8, but the illusions of the last round were quickly dispelled at home: the assessment of the position after 29 Bd3 Nf4 30 Be4 Qg5 31 Bel is not in doubt.

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25 ... Rc7 26 Nd6 Rb8 27 aXb5 cXb5

After 27 ... aXb5 28 Ra7 there is no defence against Na5, but now Black's downfall is the weakness of his a6 pawn.

28        NXb7 RbXb7 29 Qa2!

Preparing the advantageous exchange of queens. Need it be said that Black was already in time trouble. . . .

29        ... Nb8 30 Na5 QXa2 31 RXa2 Ra7

Or 31 ... Rd7 32 Rd5 etc.

32 c6 Ra8 33 Rc2! BXb4 34 Rd8+ Kg7 35 Bb6 BXa5 36 BXa5 RXc6 37 RXb8

Of course, 37 RXc6 NXc6 38 RXa8 NXa5 39 RXa6 would also have won.

37 ... RXb8 38 RXc6 b4 39 Bc7

Black resigns.

Dortmund, 1980

World Junior Championship

The Price of Attack

Kasparov-Akesson

Queen's Indian Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 a3

A continuation which leaves Black with a wide choice of possibilities: 4 ... Ba6, 4 ... c5, 4 . . . d5 or 4 . . . Bb7.

4 ... Bb7 5 Nc3 d5 6 cXd5 NXd5

One of the most popular replies to the 4 a3 system. I think that White's strong pawn centre gives him the better chances, and that the usual 6 ... eXd5 is more solid.

Of course, 6. . . eXd5 is more solid, and after 6.. . NXd5 White has a mobile centre, but for an objective assessment of the chances other factors must also be taken into account. I refer the reader to the first game of my match with Korchnoi (p. 162).

1 e3 Be7 8 Bb5+ c6 9 Bd3 NXc3 10 bXc3 Nd7 11 e4 c5 12 0-0 cXd4?!

12... 0-0 is more accurate, maintaining the tension in the centre until White deter

mines the  position  of his black-squared bishop.

13 cXd4 0-0 14 Qe2 Rc8 15 Bb2

All the white pieces are ideally placed, whereas Black still has to find a convenient post for his queen.

(altogether — 58 competitors)

* Places arranged in order of Buchholz scores.

15... Qc716 Qe3 Nf6 17 Ne5 b5!† 18 f4 Qb6

Black has managed to find a post for his queen, but at the cost of considerable concessions in the centre. Realizing that within a few moves White's attack on the K-side may become threatening, Black tries to reduce the attacking potential by exchanging a pair of bishops. It is against this that White's next few moves are aimed.

19 Khl b4 20 aXb4 BXb4 21 Rabl!

Preventing 21 ... Bc3 and creating the threat of Ba3.

21... a5 22 Qe2!

A no less important role in the attack will be played by the white-squared bishop (22 f5 Ba6!).

22... Qa7‡ 23 f5 Qa8

Black has set up pressure on the centre, but his pieces (in particular his queen) are too far away from the K-side, a factor which I thought White could advantageously exploit.

24 d5?!

24 fXe6 fXe6 25 d5 eXd5 26 Ng4 was stronger. White's position also looks pretty menacing after 24 fXe6 fXe6 25 Rf4. The hasty move in the game allows Black to repulse the first wave of the attack.

I would now definitely prefer 24 fXe6 fXe6 25 Rf4!, since the consequences of 25 d5 eXd5 26 Ng4 NXg4 27 QXg4 Rc7! are unclear (although after 28 e5 White does have compensation for the pawn).

† Black shouldn't so readily have put up with the knight at e5. Possible was 17 . . . Nd7!? (or a move earlier 16 . . . Qb8orl6... Bd6) 18/4 (18 Racl Qd6) 18... NXe5 19 fXe5 Qd7, and there is no clear way for White to develop his initiative.

‡ It was more consistent to continue playing for the exchange of bishops - 22 . . . Ra8f? 23 f5 Ba6 24fXe6 fXe6, or 23 Rbcl Rac8!

24 ... eXd5 25 Ng4 NXg4 26 QXg4 f6

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Now the thematic 27 e5 meets with the simple 27 ... Bc3. To maintain his attack White has to go in for extreme measures, and so after 45 minutes' thought there followed:

27 BXf6!

Annotating this game in the 30th volume of Informator, I attached a "!?" sign to 27BXf6, and suggested 27 e5 Bc3 28 e6 "with compensation. . . .". This latter evaluation is correct, but as regards the "!?" sign, this is only an approximation to the truth. "?!" would be closer to it. . . .

By sacrificing the bishop, White clears the way for his pawns, which acquire formidable strength. In addition 27 BXf6 sharply changes the character of the play, which, in view of the restricted time available, often proves unpleasant for the opponent. I myself was able to calculate only as far as a draw — this was the price of the over-hasty 24 d5.

27 ... RXf6 28 e5 Rh6?

Black promptly makes a mistake, moving his rook to the wrong square. The best defence was 28 ... Rf7 29 f6 Rcf8! (see diagram)

White is unsuccessful, for example, with the direct attack 30 BXh7+? KXh7 31 Rf5 Bd2!, when Black defends successfully. 30 Rf3! is stronger, when Black has a choice:

(1) 30. . .Kh8 31Rh3 gXf6 32 BXh7! RXh7 33 RXh7+ KXh7 34 Rb3!

(2) 30 ... Qc8 31 Bf5 Qc4 32 Rf4 Qa2 33

Rbfl, and there is no defence.

(3) 30 . . . Bd2 31 Rh3.

Position after 29 . . . Rcf8! (variation)

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(4)        30 ... d4 31 Rg3!, and the threats ofe5-e6 and Qh5 are irresistible.

(5)        30 ... Bc8! (the strongest continuation) 31 Qg5! Kh8 (31 ... Be6 32 Rg3 g6

33 Qh6 Kh8 34 BXg6) 32 RXb4! gXf6! 33 Qh6 aXb4 34 BXh7 Bg4!! 35 Bbl+ Kg8 36 eXf6 BXf3 37 Qg5+ with a draw.

Of course, this last variation is not easy to calculate, and the move 28 ... Rh6? is easily explainable.

In this last variation things are even more complicated — it is not obligatory. Instead of 31. . . Kh8 Black can play 31. . . Qa7 32 Rbfl g6 (averting the drawing combination which works in the event of 32. . . Be6 or 32. . . Qd4: 33fXg7RXg7 34RXf8+ BXf8 35RX/8+ etc.) 33 Qh6 Be6 (or 33 . . . Kh8 34 BXg6 Rg8 35 BXf7 QXf7 36 Rcl d4 37 Rg3 with unclear chances) 34 Rg3 Kh8 35 BXg6 Rc7 (not 35. . . Rg8? 36BXf7 QXf7 37 Rg7!) 36Bd3! (threatening 37 Rg7) 36... Bc8 (36... Rg8? 37 f7!) 37 h3 Rg8 (37 ... a4 38 Rf4) 38 e6!? BXe6 (38 ... RXg3? 39 J7) 39 f7 RX/7 40 RXg8+ KXg8 41 QXe6 with a probable draw. But this variation too is not forced, and therefore a precise evaluation of the bishop sacrifice is difficult.

29 f6 Rc7 30 e6

The other tempting continuation, 30Rbcl Qd8 31 Qe6+ Rf7 32 Bb5!, is less clear in view of 32. . .gXf6!33Be8Qe7 34BXf7+QXf7 QXf7+ KXf7 36 Rc7+ Ke6.

30... Qd8!

Black decides to give up his rook for the two dangerous pawns, and thus successfully avoids the spectacular debacle which was possible after 30. . . Qf8 31 f7+ Kh8 32 RXb4! aXb4 33 QXb4! Rc8 34 QXf8+ RXf8 35 e7, or 30... Qb8 31 h3 Bc8 32 RXb4! QXb4 (32 ... aXb4 33 f7+ Kf8 34 QXg7+!) 33 e7! BXg4 34 f7+. Black also fails to save the game after 30 ... Kh8 31 Qg3! Qc8 32 Rbcl! Bd6 33 RXc7 QXc7 34 f7.

31 e7 RXe7 32 fXe7 QXe7 33 Rbcl Qd8?

In time trouble Black does not find the best reply 33 ... Qe6!, which forcibly takes play into an ending favouring White: 34 QXe6+! (34 Bf5? Qe5!) 34 ... RXe6 35 Rc7 Re7 36 RXe7 BXe7 37 BXh7+! KXh7 38 Rf7 Bb4 39 RXb7 d4 40 Rd7 Bc3 41 Kgl! Now things do not get as far as an ending.

34 Qf5 Qb8

It was disappointing that Akesson did not allow the spectacular conclusion to the game after 34 ... Bd6 35 Qf7+ Kh8 36 h3 Bc8 37 Rc7!

35 Qf7+ Kh8 36 Rc7

Black resigns.

Tempone-Kasparov

English Opening

1 Nf3 Nf6 2 g3 g6 3 b3 Bg7 4 Bb2

In junior events I quite often encountered this dangerous system. Although theory promises Black equality after 4 . . . d6, and then at a convenient moment. . . e5, practice shows that all is not so simple. Therefore I began employing another system of development, which proved to be quite a good reply to the "double fianchetto".

4 ... c5 5 c4 d6 6 Bg2 e5

This part of the game requires some explanation. 4. . . c5 was played with the intention of creating a strong centre after 5 . . . d5. White prevented this by 5 c4. But the attempt also to prevent 6 . . . e5, which restricts the bishop at b2, is dubious. On 6 d4 Black has the unpleasant 6 . . . Ne4!

7 0-0 Nc6 8 Nc3 0-0

This position was also reached in two other games of mine: Kharitonov-Kasparov (Moscow, 1977) and Webb-Kasparov (Skara, 1980). The English player decided to advance d2-d4 immediately, but after 9 e3 Bf5 10 d4 (10 d3 is better) 10...e4! ll Ng5 Re8 12 dXc5 dXc5 13 Nb5 Re7! Black obtained a promising position. Kharitonov played more successfully: 9 d3 Ne8!? 10 Qd2 Nc7 11 Nel Be6 12 Nd5 Qd7 13 e3, but I think that even in this case Black has everything in order.

Tempone chooses a similar plan, but White is unable to occupy d5 just as he pleases.

9d3 Ne8

An important part of Black's plan. At c7 the knight is better placed than at f6: it frees the path of the f-pawn, while not losing control over d5.

10 Nd2 Nc7 11 e3?! Be6 12 Rcl

As a result of his inaccuracy on the 11th move, White has had to resort to an artificial way of preventing. . . d5.12 Nd5? is not possible because of 12 ... BXd5 13 cXd5 Nb4, winning a pawn. Therefore 11 a3 Be6 12 Nd5 would have been preferable.

12... Qd7 13 Rel?!

White values his g2 bishop too highly. He should have been thinking about 13 Nde4 h6 14 f4 or even the immediate 13 f4.

13... Rad8 14 Nde4

White is already in some difficulties. The position after 14 a3 d5 15 cXd5 NXd5 16 NXd5 BXd5 17 Ne4 b6 obviously could not satisfy him.

14... h6 15 f4 f5 16 Nf2 eXf4 17 gXf4

One of the critical positions of the game.

Now 17 . . . d5 does not work because of 18 cXd5 NXd5 19 NXd5 BXb2 20 RXc5 Ba3 21 b4! NXb4 22 Ra5! BXd5 23 BXd5+ NXd5 24 RXa3. But the simple 17 . . . b6 would have given Black a splendid game, e.g. 18 Qd2 d5 19 cXd5 (or 19 Ne2 BXb2 20 QXb2 d4! 21 e4 Ne8) 19 ... NXd5 20 NXd5 BXd5 21 BXg7 QXg7 22 BXd5+ RXd5 23 Qc3 QXc3 24 RXc3 g5! Underestimating my opponent's possibilities, I made a succession of routine or, more precisely, weak moves, after which the situation changed sharply.

17 ... Qf7?!

Beginning the preparation of. . , g5, but in any case this move would have been better made immediately. 17... g5 18 fXg5 hXg5 19 Nh3 Bf6 or 19 Qh5 g4 is hardly dangerous for Black.

18 Qd2 g5?! 19 Ne2!

Holding the f4 point and exchanging the black-squared bishops. Now the opening up of the game on the K-side threatens to rebound on Black: his king is less securely covered.

19... d5?

Not sensing the danger, Black follows a suicidal course.

20 BXg7 QXg7 21 Khl

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Logically avoiding the complications arising after 21 cXd5 BXd5 22 RXc5 BXg2 23 KXg2 Nd5! But instead of 21 Khl, more energetic was 21 Ng3!, e.g. 21 ... gXf4 22 Nh5 fXe3 23 RXe3 with a formidable attack.

Here at last I examined the situation critically, and drew some unfavourable conclusions. Black's badly placed pieces and the vulnerability of his centre force his position to be assessed as difficult. After prolonged thought I decided that the course of events could be changed only by a radical improvement in the placing of the minor pieces, in particular the black cavalry. To carry out this plan I had to weaken my Q-side and concede the centre, but I considered that the creation of chances on the K-side was the most important task.

21 ... dXc4! 22 bXc4 Ne8!

From f6 the knight will control the centre squares and prevent the unpleasant manoeuvre Ng3-h5.

23 Qc3! Nf6 24 d4

White too does not stand still, and energetic measures are required of Black to create counter-play.

24... Bc8?!

The correct idea, but incorrectly executed. 24 ... Ne7! should have been played, after which 25 BXb7? Ned5! 26 BXd5 NXd5 27 cXd5 BXd5+ 28 e4 fXe4 is unfavourable for White, while in the variation 25 d5 Bc8 26 Qa3 Ng6 27 QXc5 Nh4 28 Rgl b6 29 Qd4 b5! or 29 Qb4 Rde8 Black obtains fair counter-chances. Now, however, 25 dXc5! would have given White an obvious advantage, e.g. 25... Ne7 26 Rcdl Ng6 27 Rd6! Nh7 28 Bd5+ etc. But, not wishing to part with his fine centre, Tempone played

25 Rcdl?!

and unexpectedly offered a draw. The move played loses White the greater part of his advantage, but does not spoil his position to the extent that Black has any real grounds for playing for a win. But nevertheless I decided to risk playing on.

25... cXd4 26 eXd4?

It was on this natural move that Black was counting when he declined the draw. 26 NXd4 would have left White with the better chances. Tempone assumed that his pawn would advance to d5, cramping Black, his knight would go to d4, and Black's counter-play would not even make an appearance .... But here my opponent's pleasant thoughts were interrupted by

26... Ne7!

which sharply changed the evaluation of the position. It is obvious that the knight ma¬noeuvre . .. Ng6-h4 may cause White serious trouble. From h4 the knight will be attacking the bishop at g2 — one of White's most important pieces. It was now time to think about defensive measures, but Tempone does not display the slightest sign of concern.

27 d5 Ng6 28 Nd3

White limits himself to natural moves, still under the impression of the former power of his position. But his choice of continuation was alreasy causing some difficulty. Thus he could not have been happy with 28 fXg5 hXg5 29 Nh3?! Qh6! 30 Qg3 Ng4 with a strong attack, or 28 fXg5 hXg5 29 Nd4 Nf4! with advantage to Black (e.g. 30 Rgl Rde8 31 Nd3 Ng4!). Of course, had White foreseen the coming events he would undoubtedly have played 28 a4.

28 ... Nh4 29 Rgl

During the last six moves the position has changed sharply, and the black knights have taken up posts not far from the white king's residence, but to land the decisive blow Black still has to bring into play his last reserve — the bishop at c8.

XABCDEFGHY
8-+ltr-trk+(
7zpp+-+-wq-'
6-+-+-sn-zp&
5+-+P+pzp-%
4-+P+-zP-sn$
3+-wQN+-+-#
2P+-+N+LzP"
1+-+R+-tRK!
xabcdefghy

29... b5!

The triumph of Black's plan! The white centre collapses, and Black's minor pieces, which earlier were huddled together at e6, c6 and c7, acquire terrible strength.

30 Ne5 bXc4 31 QXc4 Bb7 32 d6+ Kh7!

32... Kh8 33 BXb7 QXb7+ 34 Qc6 Ne4

was tempting, but after 35 Rgel! the position

becomes unclear.

33 BXb7 QXb7+ 34 Qc6 QXc6+ 35 NXc6 Ne4!

By creating a mating threat of rare construction, Black picks up the dangerous pawn at d6.

36Rgfl

36 Rgel!? justifies itself after 36 ... Nf2+ 37 Kgl NXdl 38 RXdl, but Black has no need to exchange his powerful knight for the passive white rook. He retains an obvious advantage after 36 ... RXd6 37 RXd6 NXd6 38 fXg5 hXg5 39 Ned4 Ne4, or, even stronger, 36 ... Rc8! 37 d7 RXc6 38 d8=Q RXd8 39 RXd8 Rc2! with a decisive attack, e.g. 40Nd4 Rg2! (40 ... Nf2+ 41 Kgl Nh3+ 42 Khl Rg2 43 Rd7+ Kg6 44 Rd6+ Kh5 45 RXh6+! KXh6 46 NXf5+ is less clear) 41 RXe4 fXe4.

36... RXd6

Here 36 ... Rc8 does not have the same strength, in view of 37 Ned4!, when 37 ... NXd6 is not possible because of 38 Ne6!

37 RXd6 NXd6 38 fXg5 hXg5 39 Rdl Re8!

The retreat of the knight would have given

White some chances, but Black does not even think of moving it, and continues his attack.

40 Ned4 Re3! 41 Kgl Ne4

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7zp-+-+-+k'
6-+N+-+-+&
5+-+-zpp+-%
4-+-sNn+-sn$
3+-+-tr-+-#
2P+-+-+-zP"
1+-+R+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

The black pieces (especially the knights!) have taken up dominating posts, and have created an unusual sort of cage for the white king. Now the win is achieved either by transferring the rook to the second rank, or by advancing the f- and g-pawns.

41 Rbl Rd3 42 a4 Rd2

White resigns.

Malta, 1980

24th Olympiad

Kasparov-Marjanovic

Queen's Indian Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 g3 Bb7 5 Bg2 Be7 6 0-0 0-0 7 d5!?

A pawn sacrifice which became fashionable after a win by Polugayevsky in the 12th game of his 1980 Candidates Match with Korchnoi. The normal 7 Nc3 Ne4 promises White little.

7... eXd5 8 Nh4!

This is Polugayevsky's innovation.

8... c6 9 cXd5 NXd5 10 Nf5 Nc7

In the aforementioned game Black failed to guess at his opponent's intentions, and quickly ended up in a difficult position: 10... Bc5 11 e4 Ne7 12 NXg7! KXg7 13 b4.

Marjanovic chooses a more logical continuation.

11 Nc3 d5

White also gained the advantage after 11... d6 12 Bf4 Ne8 13 Qd2 Na6 14 Radl in

Sveshnikov-Platonov, Tashkent, 1980.

During its short life this gambit has been subjected to a serious practical testing, and Black has found ways to equalize. Here is a recent example: 11. . . Ne812 Bf4Na613 Qd2 d514 e4Nac715 Radl Bf616 eXd5 NXd517 NXd5cXd518Ne3Nc719BXc7QXc7, drawn (Timman-Karpov, 1983).

12 e4 Bf6

White also maintains strong pressure after 12... dXe4 13 NXe4. But now we have transposed into a position from the game Razuvayev-Makarichev (Tbilisi,  1978), in which White played 13 Qg4 and did not achieve anything.

In the game Kishnev-Kholmov (1981) Black immediately returned the pawn — 12... Nd713 eXd5 NXd5 14 NXd5 cXd5 15 BXd5 BXd5 16 QXd5, and after 16. . . Bf6 17 Bf4 Nc5 18 Bd6 Re8 19 Radl Qd7 20 Qf3 Qb7 the tension had gone from the position.

13 eXd5!

The prosaic regaining of the pawn by 13 Bf4 d4 14 NXd4 BXd4 15 BXc7 QXc7 16 QXd4 c5! gives only equal chances, while the tempting 14 e5 dXc3 15 eXf6 QXf6 16 NXg7 QXg7 17 BXc7 cXb2 18 Rbl is sufficient only to give compensation for the material lost.

13... cXd5

After 13 ... NXd5 White could have regained his pawn while maintaining a positional superiority (14 NXd5 cXd5 15 Ne3 Nc6 16 NXd5). It is understandable that Marjanovic should prefer to retain his extra material, especially since no particular danger for Black is apparent.

14 Bf4 Nba6 15 Rel Qd7

It is strange that such a natural move should prove to be a blunder. The best defence was 15 ... Nc5, when White would still have had to demonstrate the correctness of his sacrifice.

Subsequent games have shown both 15 . . . Nc5 and 75 ... Bc8 to be acceptable. But also 15          . . . Qd7 is by no means a "blunder"! This was made by Marjanovic only on the next move. If instead of the plausible 16. . . Kh8?, he had had the sense to move his queen back — 16. . .Qd8I, the outcome of the game would have remained unclear.

16 Bh3

Not 16 Qg4 Bc8 17 Ne7+ QXe7.

16 ... Kh8

Black has insuperable difficulties after 16... Qc6 17 Rcl Nc5 18 Be5! The following

is a piquant variation: 18 ... Rfe8 (18 ... d4 19 Ne4) 19 Nd4, and the queen is lost.

ABCDEFGHY
8-+ltr-trk+(
7zpp+-+-wq-'
6-+-+-sn-zp&
5+-+P+pzpn%
4-+P+-zP-+$
3+-wQN+-+-#
2P+-+N+LzP"
1+-tR-tR-mK-!
xabcdefghy

17 Ne4! BXb2

Now the attack becomes irresistible, but was there a better defence?

18 Ng5!

The concentration of white pieces on the K-side far exceeds the defensive resources of the black king.

18... Qc6

On 18 ... Ne6 White wins most simply by 19 Nd6, with the additional threat of 20 Qc2.

19 Ne7 Qf6 20 NXh7! Qd4 21 Qh5 g6 22 Qh4

Here Marjanovic could have resigned, but he unexpectedly removed from the board the one white piece which was spoiling the overall picture, by not participating in the play.

22 ... BXal 23 Nf6+

Black resigns in view of 23 ... Kg7 24 Qh6+ KXf6 25 Bg5 mate.

Kasparov-Ligterink

Queen's Indian Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 ND b6 4 g3 Bb7

Ligterink usually plays 4 ... Ba6. In this game he evidently wanted to repeat some position from my game with Marjanovic, which had taken place in the previous round. But White chooses a different path.

5 Bg2 Be7 6 Nc3 Ne4 7 Bd2 Bf6 8 0-0

This and the following move cannot be transposed: 8 Rcl? BXd4!

8... 0-0 9 Rcl c5

9... d6 is more often played, and after 10 d5 NXd2 11 NXd2 either 11 ... e5, or first 11 ... BXc3. In both cases White retains a minimal positional advantage.

10 d5 eXd5 11 cXd5 NXd2 12 NXd2 d6

Black seems to have coped successfully with his opening problems. He has the two bishops and quite good prospects on the Q-side. But with his next move White reveals his trumps — a powerful knight in the centre and the possibility of an attack on the other side of the board.

13 Nde4!

After the routine 13 Nc4 Ba6 Black does indeed have everything in order.

13... Re8

Agreeing to the exchange of his important bishop. On 13 ... Be7 (which would have been more critical) Ligterink was possibly afraid of the attack 14 f4 Nd7 15 g4 Nf6 16 Nf2. Even so 13 ... Na6 was preferable (instead of 13 ... Re8), trying to develop the Q-side pieces as quickly as possible.

14 Qd2 a6

Played not with the aim of preparing .. . b5, but to defend the d6 pawn (Nb5 is not possible). But now the b6 point is weakened, and the knight at b8 is deprived of a convenient square. These drawbacks are emphasized by the following move.

15 b4!

Unexpectedly White begins play on his opponent's traditional part of the board. This idea was prompted by the poor co-ordination of the black pieces and the possibility of an attack on the d6 pawn. Now 15 ... cXb4 is unfavourable because of 16 NXf6+ QXf6 17 Ne4 and 18 QXb4.

15... Be7

This defence is already too late, since during the last two moves the position has changed a great deal in favour of White.

16 bXc5 bXc5 17 Qf4

The main aim is not to allow the knight at b8 to come out.

17... Qc7

Black does not lose hope of letting out the knight. If he should succeed in this, his game will immediately be improved.

18 Na4 Qa5

Hết Phần 1 (2-50 page của TTOT nguồn PDF)

A poor defence against 19 NaXc5, but 18 ... Qd8 19 Rfdl does not bring any particular relief.

19 Rbl BXd5 20 Nb6 BXe4 21 BXe4 Ra7

It appears that Black does not stand so badly, but the following combinational blow puts everything in its place.

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+r+k+(
7tr-+-vlpzpp'
6psN-zp-+-+&
5wq-zp-+-+-%
4-+-+LwQ-+$
3+-+-+-zP-#
2P+-+PzP-zP"
1+R+-+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

22 Nc8!

Almost all the opponent's pieces are under attack. 22... RXc8 fails, of course, to 23 Qf5. The most tenacious defence was 22 ... Rc7 23 RXb8 Bf8, when White has a pleasant choice between 24 Rfbl and 24 NXd6 RXb8 25 Nc4.

22 ... Nc6 23 NXa7 NXa7 24 Bd5

Black resigns. On 24 ... Bf6 White has the decisive 25 Rb7.

Kasparov-Speelman

Queen's Indian Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 ND b6 4 g3 Ba6 5 Nbd2 Bb4 6 Qb3 Nc6?! 7 d5 BXd2+ 8 BXd2 Ne7 9 Bc3! Nf510 Nd2! Nd6?! 11D! 0-012 e4 eXd5 13 cXd5 (cf. SahovskiInformator No. 30/623) (see diagram).

It is hard to believe that this position has arisen from a Queen's Indian Defence. The outcome of the opening is favourable for White: he has a powerful pawn centre, and the black knights are insecurely placed.

13 ... BXfl 14 RXfl

On 14 NXfl Black could have obtained

good counter-play by the sacrifice 14 ...

NfXe4 15 fXe4 NXe4, while 14 KXfl would

have interfered with a subsequent K-side pawn

Position after 13 cXd5:

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-wq-trk+(
7+-zpp+pzpp'
6lzp-sn-sn-+&
5+-+P+-+-%
4-+-+P+-+$
3+QvL-+PzP-#
2P+PsN-+-zP"
1tR-+-mKL+R!
xabcdefghy

storm. But now, for example on 14 ... Nb7, there comes 15 e5 Nc5 16 Qc4 Ne8 17 0-0-0 with a great advantage.

14        ... a5 15 e5

The challenge has to be accepted, since after 15 a4Nb7 Q-side castling is no longer so safe.

15        ... a4 16 Qc2 Qe8?

It must be assumed that 16... Re8 did not appeal to Black because of 17 Kf2 NXd5 18 eXd5 Ne3 19 Qd3 NXfl 20 RXfl with advantage to White. But this would have been the best decision, since now an oppor¬tunity appears for an interesting combi¬nation.

17        Kf2 NXd5 18 Qd3!

It transpires that Black loses a piece: 18. .. NXc3 19 eXd6. After 16 ... Re8 this idea would not have worked, in view of 18 ... NXc3 19 eXd6 Re2+ 20 Kgl Qg5!

18        ... Qe6 19 eXd6

and White's extra bishop assured him of a win.

Giardelli-Kasparov

English Opening

1 c4 c6

It rarely happens that the very first move requires some commentary, but here it is impossible to keep silent about 1... c6. The point is that my opponent regularly chooses one and the same plan with White: c2-c4, g2-g3, Bg2, Nc3, e2-e3 and Nge2.

2.Mf3

A minor success for Black — now this knight will not go to e2.

2... g6 3 g3 Bg7 4 Bg2 Nf6 5 0-0 0-0 6 Nc3 d5

Now 7 cXd5 cXd5 8 d4 Ne4 leads to a satisfactory version for Black of the Griinfeld Defence. Therefore Giardelli directs the game along untrodden paths.

7 cXd5 cXd5 8 d3 Nc6 9 Qb3

White tries to create pressure on d5 and b7, but this rebounds in favour of Black, who exploits the queen's early development.

9          ... d4! 10 Nb5

10        Na4 is met by 10 ... b6, after which the knight has no future, and Black can eliminate the pressure on the long diagonal by the manoeuvre . . . Be6-d5.

10        ... a6 11 Na3

11        Qa4 is strongly met by 11 ... Nd7!, forcing the knight at b5 to retreat.

11        ... b5

The white knight nevertheless finds itself out of play, and the weakness of the long diagonal cannot be exploited (12 Qc2 Bb7! 13 Ne5 Nb4), so that the opening has definitely gone in Black's favour.

12        Bf4 Be6 13 Qc2 Rc8 14 Qd2 Bd5 15 Rfcl Nd7

The preparations for battle are complete. Now White has to hurry: if Black should succeed in playing ... e5, ... Qe7 and .. . Nb6, his position will be strategically won.

16        Nc2 e5

The direct attempt to prevent the white knight from going to b4 by 16 . . . a5 is unsuccessful: 17 Na3 Qb6 18 Ne5!

17Bh6

17        Bg5 is weaker: 17... f6 18 Bh6 BXh6 19QXh6 Nb6! and Black's advantage is obvious, e.g. 20 e3 dXe3 21 NXe3 BXf3 22 BXf3

Nd4.

17 ... Qe7 18 BXg7 KXg7 19 e3

Since Nb4 is not possible, White brings his knight into play by another way.

19 ... dXe3

19 ... Qf6 would have been met by 20 e4! Be6 21 Nb4, when Black's Q-side weaknesses may prove perceptible.

20 NXe3 BXf3 21BXf3 Nd4 22 Bg2

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-+-trk+(
7zp-zpp+pzpp'
6lzp-sn-sn-+&
5+-+P+-+-%
4-+-+P+-+$
3+-vL-+PzP-#
2PzP-sN-+-zP"
1tR-+-mKL+R!
xabcdefghy

At first sight the backward d3 pawn and the powerful position of the knight at d4 appear to give Black a clear advantage, but White also has his trumps: a strong bishop, the weakness of Black's Q-side, and the possibility of exchanging knights (23 Nc2) or beginning a battle for the c-file (23 Rc3).

22        ... Nc5!

Now 23 Nc2 is parried by 23 ... Nce6, and 23 Rc3 by 23 ... Na4. But Black has weak¬ened the defence of his e-pawn, which his opponent promptly exploits.

23        Rel h5!

The threat of Ng4 has to be excluded.

24        Racl?!

This natural move, which also contains a trap (24... Ncb3? 25 aXb3 NXb3 26Nd5!), is nevertheless not the best. 24 Nd5 Qd6 25 Racl was preferable.

24        ... Rfd8!

With the threat of 25 ... NXd3 26 RXc8 NXel. 25 Khl does not help, since 25 ... Ncb3! now works: 26 aXb3 NXb3 27 Nd5 RXd5 28 RXc8 NXd2 29 BXd5 Qd7 30 Rc5 e4! 31 BXe4 (31 dXe4? Nf3 32 Re3 Qh3) 31 ... NXe4 32 dXe4 Qd2 etc. If one adds that 25 Nd5 is not so good now in view of 25 ... Qe6, it becomes clear that White has little choice.

25Rc3 Qf6

Not giving in to the provocation: 25 ... b4? 26 Rc4 NXd3? 27 QXd3 Nf3+ 28 BXfi RXd3 29 RXc8, when the three pieces are undoubtedly stronger than the queen.

26Nc2

A lengthy calculation was demanded of me by an alternative continuation — 26 Reel NXd3!! In all the following variations the two black knights demonstrate miracles of mutual assistance: 27 RXc8 NXcl 28 RXd8 QXd8! (28 ... Nce2+? 29 Kfl QXd8 30 BO!) 29 Kfl NXa2 30 Bd5 (30 b3 Qc7!) 30 ... Nf5! 31 NXf5+ gXf5 32 Ke2 Nb4, or 27 Nd5 NXcl! 28 RXc8 RXd5! (28 ... RXc8 is weaker: 29 NXf6 Nce2+ 30 Kfl Rcl+ 31 QXcl NXcl 32 Ne8+ Kf8 33 Nc7, with drawing chances) 29 BXd5 Qd6!, winning material — this position deserves a diagram.

XABCDEFGHY
8-+R+-+-+(
7+-+-+pmk-'
6p+-wq-+p+&
5+p+Lzp-+p%
4-+-sn-+-+$
3+-+-+-zP-#
2PzP-wQ-zP-zP"
1+-sn-+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

26b4justifies itself only after26. . .Na427 RXc8 RXc8 28 Nd5, but the simple 26 ... Nce6 retains Black his advantage, e.g. 27 Nd5 NB+ 28 BXO QXO 29 RXe5 Nd4 with a dangerous attack (30 Ne7 Qf6!). Though comparatively best, 26 Nc2 does not get White out of his difficulties.

26 ... b4! 27 NXb4?

The decisive mistake. White should have played 27 Rc4, when after 27 ... NXc2 28 RXc2 (28 QXc2 NXd3 29 RXc8 NXel) 28 ... b3! (28 . .. RXd3 29 Qe2) 29 aXb3 NXb3 30

Qdl Nd4 Black has a serious advantage, but a long struggle still lies ahead.

XABCDEFGHY
8-+rtr-+-+(
7zp-+-+pmk-'
6-+-+-wqp+&
5+-sn-zp-+p%
4-sN-sn-+-+$
3+-tR-+-zP-#
2PzP-wQ-zPLzP"
1+-+-tR-mK-!
xabcdefghy

27        .. e4!

The triumph of domination! The black pieces control all the key squares. Against the combined attack of queen, rooks and knights, White is helpless.

28Qe3

White fails to save the game by either 28 Qf4 QXf4 29 gXf4 eXd3, or 28 Reel eXd3! 29 RXc5 (29 NXd3 NXd3 30 QXd3 Nb5) 29 ... Ne2+30 Kfl NXcl 31 RXcl RXcl+ 32 QXcl d2 33 Qdl QXb2 34 Nd5 RXd5! 35 BXd5 Qb5+, with a won ending.

28        ... a5! 29 Nc2

No better is 29 Reel Qb6! (30 Rc4 Nf5, or 30 Nc2 Nf5).

29        ... NXd3 30 RXc8 RXc8

The simplest. In all variations Black cap¬tures the more "senior" piece.

31 QXd4

Or 31 NXd4 NXel 32 BXe4 Rc4 33 QXel QXd4 34 Bg2 Rc2.

31 ... QXd4 32 NXd4 NXel

White resigns. Here too the e4 pawn is immune: 33 BXe4 Rc4.

Memorable Moments in February

A match-tournament of USSR teams, dedi¬cated to the 26th Session of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, was held in Moscow from 21-28 February 1981 in two rounds. The results, in my opinion, did not show any particular surprises. The USSR 1st Team were comfortable winners (28 V2 points). The second place of the Youth Team (23Vi), just ahead of the Senior Team (23) and the 2nd USSR Team (21), must be regarded as a success, and an indication of the improving standard of the younger generation.

Despite the friendly nature of the tourna¬ment, there was a sharp and uncompromis¬ing struggle. Especially interesting was the mini-tournament on the top board, between current World Champion Anatoly Karpov, Ex-World Champion Vasily Smyslov, and grandmasters Oleg Romanishin and Garry Kasparov. To some surprise, I managed to win this contest with four points out of six, ahead of Karpov (3V2), Smyslov (2V2) and Romanishin (2).

In these comments I should like to describe the most interesting features of the six games played by me.

Round one

A battle above the abyss

Kasparov-Romanishin

Grunfeld Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 d5 4 cXd5 NXd5 5 e4 NXc3 6 bXc3 Bg7 7 Nf3 c5 8 Be3

Today the system with the development of the knight at f3 has almost completely supplanted other continuations. The plan in-volving the reinforcement of d4 and the clearing of the al-h8 diagonal, reducing to the minimum the unpleasant pressure of the bishop at g7, looks highly attractive, and for a long time Black was unable to find an ef¬fective antidote. But now, thanks to the efforts of Smejkal and other supporters of the Grunfeld Defence, a method of obtain¬ing active play has at last been found. The most recent games had seemingly confirmed the effectiveness of this plan, the one which Romanishin now follows.

8          ... Qa5 9 Qd2 Nc6

9          ... 0-0 10 Rcl cXd4 11 cXd4 QXd2+ is

well met by 12 NXd2. A splendid illustration of White's possibilities in this position is

provided   by   the   game   Karpov-Hiibner

(Tilburg, 1980).

10        Rcl cXd4 11 cXd4 QXd2+ 12 KXd2 0-0

For the sake of maintaining his fine pawn pair, White's king has been caught in the centre. Obviously the next few moves should show what are greater in this decision — the advantages or the drawbacks. Here White has usually ocontinued 13 Bb5, but after 13 ... f5! Black has excellent play, as for example in the game Chekhov-Romanishin (Premier League, 48th USSR Champion¬ship). I attempted to improve White's play.

13        d5 Rd8 (see diagram overleaf) 14 Kel

The crux of White's plan, which, incidentally, had been kept in my opening "storeroom" for about a year! The black knight is driven from c6, and the slight disharmony in the placing of the white pieces, as it seemed to me, was only a temporary phenomenon.

14        ... Na5!

Position after 13 ... Rd8:

XABCDEFGHY
8r+ltr-+k+(
7zpp+-zppvlp'
6-+n+-+p+&
5+-+P+-+-%
4-+-+P+-+$
3+-+-vLN+-#
2P+-mK-zPPzP"
1+-tR-+L+R!
xabcdefghy

After lengthy reflection Romanishin finds an interesting possibility, and perhaps the best*. At a5 the knight undoubtedly stands badly, but on the other hand it controls c4, to where the f 1 bishop is so eager to go. Besides, after other moves White's play would have been much easier, e.g. 14 ... Ne5 15 NXe5 BXe5 16 f4 Bg7 17 Kf2, and there is no doubt about White's advantage, or 14 ... Nb4 15 Bd2, and the knight is forced to take up an unattractive post at a6 (15 . . . Na6 16 Bc4 ±). In my preparatory analysis I had rejected 14 ... Na5 "on general grounds", but at the board it transpired that everything was not so simple. The undermining moves . . . e6 and ... f5 are in the air, e.g. 15 Bb5 f5! or 15 Rc7 e6 16 Bg5 Rd7.

15 Bg5! Bf6! 16 Bd2 b6

White has gained a brief respite. By luring the bishop to f6 he has forestalled the ad¬vance of the f-pawn and hindered.. . e6, but after the development of the bishop at b7 or g4 this undermining move will become a reality. Thus, for consolidation White has one tempo available. This is quite sufficient if he acts energetically!

17 Rc7!

* From the present-day viewpoint, the proviso "perhaps" in this sentence is superfluous.

f It was later found that by 15 . . . Bdll 16 Bd3 Rdc8 17 Ke2 e6 18 Bd2 eXd5! 19 eXd5 Re8+ Black obtains splendid play (Agzamov-Veingold, 1981, and Anikayev-Agzamov, 1982). The search for an advantage began to be made in other directions: 10 Rbl!?, 8 Rbll?

At first sight White shows a frivolous lack of concern for his development problems. But in the struggle for the initiative he has already embarked on a slippery path, where it is not rules that have to be reckoned with, but exceptions to them. Here Black should probably have displayed caution and played 17 ... Rd7, but the temptation to punish the opponent was too great.

17 ... Bg4 18 Ba6 e6!

The retribution seems imminent, but from this point the white pieces, although in a minority (without the rook at hi), display amazing resourcefulness.

XABCDEFGHY
8r+ltr-+k+(
7zpp+-zppvlp'
6-+n+-+p+&
5+-+P+-+-%
4-+-+P+-+$
3+-+-vLN+-#
2P+-mK-zPPzP"
1+-tR-+L+R!
xabcdefghy

19        Ng5! Be5!

After 19 ... eXd5 20 NXf7 Rd7 21 Nh6+ Kg7 22 Rc8! Black loses material.

20        RXf7!

White's "castle in the air" unexpectedly proves to be made of highly durable material. . . .

20 ... eXd5

20        ... h6 21 Nf3 Bf3 22 Rf3 eXd5 23 eXd5 RXd5 24 BXh6 leads to a position where White's extra pawn and the two bishops  are   more  weighty  factors  than Black's lead in development.

21        f4!

This pawn is destined to play a leading role in the destruction of the black king's fortress.

21 ... Bg7!

21 ... Bd4 is weaker because of 22 RXh7, when the tempting 22 ... Nc4 23 e5 Re8 with the threat of. . . BXe5 is parried by the unex-pected 24 h3!, and the rook at hi joins the battle without even moving from its post. For example: 24 ... BXe5 25 fXe5 RXe5+ 26 KB Rf8+ 27 Kg3 NXd2 28 hXg4! RXg5 29 Rh8+ Kf7 30 Rlh7+ Ke8 31 Bb5+, mating.

22 f5!

White should have played 22 h3!h6!23 hXg4 hXg5 24 Rc7, e.g. 24 . . . Re8 (24 . . . dXe4? 25 BXa5 bXa5 26 Bc4+) 25 Kf2! RXe4 26 Bd3 Ra4(26. ..Rd4?27RXg7+KXg728Bc3Nc6 29 Bb5) 27 BXg6 RXa2 28 Bf7+ Kf8 29 Kelt Nc6(29. . . Ral+30Ke2 —mate at b4 is threat¬ened!) 30 Rh7 with the initiative, or 24. . . gXf4 25 eXd5 Be5 (25... RXd5? 26 BXa5) 26 Re7 Re8 27 RXe8+ RXe8 28 Kf2 Rd8 29 BXa5 bXa5 30 Rel with a slight advantage in the endgame.

White continues to intensify the pressure, and Romanishin, short of time, makes a fatal mistake.

22        ... dXe4?

After the better 22 ... gXf5! I was intend¬ing to continue 23 h3! Bh5 24 RXg7+ KXg7 25 Ne6+ Kf6 26 eXf5! (26 NXd8 is weaker: 26...RXd827eXf5Nc4!28g4Re8+!29Kdl Bf7), after which the activity of the white pieces more than compensates for Black's material advantage, e.g. 26 ... Re8 27 g4 Bf7 28 Bc3+ Ke7 29 Nc7.

As was correctly pointed out by a reader of the magazine Shakhmaty v SSSR, 27 ... RXe6+!28fXe6 Bg6 would have got Black out of his difficulties.

23        BXa5 bXa5

The desperate 23 ... e3 meets with a straightforward refutation: 24 RXg7+! KXg7 25 Bc3+ Kh6 26 Nf7+ Kh5 27 NXd8 RXd8 28 Be2 etc.

24Bc4

Now both 24 ... Rac8 25 Rc7+ and 24 ... Rd4 25 RXa7+ RXc4 26 RXa8+ Bf8 27 Ne6 are bad for Black, but in time trouble Romanishin finds an amazing resource.

24        ... Bc3+! 25 Kf2 e3+! 26 Kg3

Not 26 KXe3 because of 26 ... Bd2+.

26 ... Be5+ 27 KXg4

The c4 bishop cannot be preserved: 27 Kh4? leads only to a draw after 27 ... Rd4 28 RXa7+ RXc4 29 RXa8+ Kg7 30 Ra7+ Kg8!

27 ... Rd4+ 28 Kh3 RXc4

Black appears to have beaten off the at¬tack, but the f-pawn has not yet had its say.

29 f6

Now White's mating threats can be elim¬inated only at the cost of the bishop, since 29 ... Rc7 30 RXc7 BXc7 31 f7+ Kh8 32 Ne6 Bd6 33 Rel is quite hopeless for Black.

29 ... BXf6 30 RXf6 Re8 31 Rel

At this the line could have been drawn, but .... the miracles have not yet finished!

31        ... e2 32 Kg3

32        Re6 is simpler.

32 ... Ra4 33 Kf2 RXa2 34 Ne6 a4 35 Rbl?

White has not yet cooled down after the battle, and he continues to be obsessed by mating finishes. There was a straightforward win by 35 Nd4, immediately picking up the e2 pawn, e.g. 35 ... a3 36 RXe2 RaXe2 37 NXe2 a2 38 Ra6, or 35 ... Kg7 36 Rf3 etc.

35        ... a3 36 Rb7 el=Q++

36        ... Rb2 is more accurate. White's illusions of mating finishes melt into thin air, whereas the a- and e-pawns constitute a realforce. For the moment White has a draw — 37 Rg7+ Kh8 38 Re7 Rbb8 39 RXa7 Ra8 40RXa8 RXa8 41 Nd4 a2 42 Nb3 Rb8 43 Ra6.

37        KXel RXg2 38 Rg7+ Kh8 39 Rgf7 h5?

With his flag hanging, Black clears the way for his king, not having time to notice that misfortune will strike it from the g5 and h6 squares. 39 ... h6 was simpler.

40        Kfl RXh2?

All of a sudden the mating threats are transformed into reality. And only one move separated Black from safety — 40. . . a2! After 41 RXa7 he could calmly have decided that 41... Rb2? would lose: 42 Ng5! Re7 43 Rf8+ Kg7 44 Ne6+ Kh6 45 Rh8+, or 42 ... Rbl 43 KB al=Q 44 Rh7+ Kg8 45 RXg6+ Kf8 46 Rf7 mate, whereas 41 ... RXh2 42 RXg6 al=Q+ 43 RXal Rhl+ 44 Rgl leads to a draw. Although here the word "calmly" is perhaps inappropriate....

41        RXg6!

It remains for Black to convince himself of the tragic consequences of the last few time trouble moves. 41 ... a2 fails to save the game after 42 Rh6+. Romanishin gives up his rook, but this merely delays for a couple of moves the inevitable finish.

41 ... RXe6 42 RXe6 Kg8 43 RXa7

Black resigns.

A win procured in a struggle such as this undoubtedly inspired me.

Round two

The effect of surprise

Smyslov-Kasparov

(English Opening)

1Nf3 c5 2c4 Nf6 3g3 b6 4Bg2 Bb7 5 0-6 Nc3 Be7 7 b3 0-0 8 Bb2 d6 9 e3 Nbd710 d4 a6 11 Qe2 Ne4 12 Rfdl

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The diagram position promises a protracted struggle. This makes all the more surprising the metamorphoses which occur on the board within a short space of time.

12        ... Qb8!?

The simple 12 ... Qc7 followed by ... Ndf6, maintaining control over e4 and d5, would have given Black a good game. Instead of this he allows White to carry out a combi¬nation leading to the win of the exchange.

13NXe4 BXe414 Ne5! BXg215 NXd7 Qb7 16 NXf8 Bf3 17 Qd3 RXf8 18 Rd2

White should probably have considered 18 d5, but why return the exchange when there is no immediate danger apparent? However, a move later White reverts to this idea, but it can no longer be realized.

18 ... f5!

A critical position, and an important one for evaluating the exchange sacrifice. Objectively the situation favours White, but to demonstrate this, very energetic play is required of him. On reaching this position in my preliminary calculations, I thought that it would not be easy for Smyslov to switch from unhurried manoeuvring to specific, "calculating" play.

Here White should have opened a "second front"-19 a3l'followed by dXc5 and b3-b4. In this case Black would have been unable to transfer all his pieces so quickly for the attack on the king.

19 Rel?!

18        ... f5 opened for the black queen the brilliant prospect of transferring via e8 to h5.

At first sight 19 Rel seriously hinders this manoeuvre. For example, 19 ... Qa8 is unpleasantly met by 20 dXc5 bXc5 21 b4! cXb4 22 c5!, when White advantageously opens up the position. On 19 . . . Qc8 White was intending 20 e4 fXe4 21 RXe4 BXe4 22 QXe4, returning the exchange and in doing so obtaining a solid advantage. But nevertheless. ...

19        ... Qc8!

It transpires that after 20 e4 fXe4 21 RXe4 the black queen has a shorter path towards the white king's residence, namely 21 ... Bg5!* 22 Rde2 e5! with the threat of. .. Qh3. Dismayed at such a turn of events, Smyslov makes two weak moves in succession, after which Black's attack becomes irresistible.

After 20 e4 fXe4 21 RXe4 Bg5 there was a probable draw by 22 Re3! BXe3 23 fXe3 and 24Rf2.

20        Qc3? Rf6 21 a3?!Qe8†

Now that Black's threats are clearly seen, it becomes apparent that for parrying them the white pieces are badly placed. The awkward placing of the white rooks deprives the king of its last hope of escaping from the burning house. Whereas the efficiency of the white

* Or 21 ... e5l 22 Re3 e4 23 RXe4! Qh3 24 QX/3 RX/3 25 RXe7 and White does not risk losing, but that is all — 25 ...Rf7 26 Re8+ RfS 27 Re7.

†Here there is no time for this. There were still chances of a defence after 21 dXc5 bXc5 22 Qd3 e5 23 b4l, or even 21 Qd3, admitting his mistake but forcing Black to reckon with e3-e4.

queen and bishop battery (and indeed the white army as a whole) is close to zero, within a few moves, by concerted action, the black pieces will smash through the white king's shelter.

22        dXc5 Qh5

With the blatant threat of... QXh2+.

23        h4 Qg4 24 Kh2 bXc5

Black does not hurry.

25 Rhl Rg6 26 Kgl BXh4 27 Qa5

After 27 RXd6 BXg3 White has nothing more than a few harmless checks.

27 ... h6

The simplest. White resigns.

Round three

A long-awaited meeting

And so, a meeting with the No. 1 player in the world. For any chess player, in my opinion, a game with a World Champion is an opportunity really to test himself and his powers. Therefore I arrived for the game in a state of extreme concentration, ready for a difficult struggle.

Kasparov-Karpov

Petroffs Defence

1.e4

In recent times I have rarely played this move, and in my preparations I thought that a little surprise in my first meeting with the World Champion would not do any harm. But there was also a surprise awaiting me....

1 ... e5 2 Nf3 Nf6

Nowadays Petroffs Defence has unexpec¬tedly become very popular. In this opening Black sets himself a limited task: by simplify¬ing the position, to prepare to counter his opponent's activity.

3 NXe5 d6 4 Nf3 NXe4 5 d4 Be7 6 Bd3 d5 7 0-0 Nc6 8 Rel Bf5

Not long ago 8 ... Bg4 was considered obligatory, when after 9 c4 Nf6 10 cXd5 NXd5 11 Nc3 a position arises with the better chances for White. The idea of the move in the game, which was successfully employed by Hiibner in his match against Adorjan (1980), is to provoke the maximum degree of simplification, exploiting the fact that the direct 9 c4 Nb4 10 cXd5? does not work due to 10 ... NXf2!

9Nbd2

After prolonged thought I decided to follow the path taken by Adorjan. 9 Nc3 or 9 a3 promises White little.

A good dozen games played in 1982-1983 (including three between Karpov and Portisch) showed that after 9 c4Nb4 lOBfl! White seizes the initiative.

9 ... NXd2 10 QXd2 BXd3 11 QXd3 0-0 12 c3 Qd7 13 Bf4

White has gained a minimal advantage thanks to the more active placing of his pieces. Can he extract anything significant from the position, or will Black fully equal¬ize? — this is the question to be decided in the next few moves. At any rate, after 13 ... Rfe8 14 h3 a6 15 Re3 Bd6 16 Ng5 g6 17 BXd6 RXe3 18 QXe3 QXd6 19 Rel Hiibner failed to gain clear equality, although in the end the game concluded in a draw. The World Champion improves Black's play.

13 ... a6 14 Re3 Rae8 15 Rael Bd8!

Defending the c-pawn, Black intends to begin exchanging operations on the e-file.

16        h3 RXe3 17 RXe3

17        QXe3 does not achieve anything due to

17 ... Qf5!

17        ... f6

The direct 17 ... Re8 does not solve all Black's problems in view of 18 Qf5! Re6 19 h4, and then, for example, 19 ... g6 20 Qh3 Qe8 21 RXe6 QXe6 22 QXe6 fXe6 23 Ng5! with advantage to White.

18        Re2 Rf7

18        ... Ne7 is possibly more precise. I was

intending to continue 19 b3 c6 (19 ... Qf5

20        QXf5 NXf5 21 g4!) 20 c4 Qf5 21 Qe3!, maintaining the tension.

19        Nd2!

Preventing the exchange of rooks, since the ending after 19 ... Re7 20 Nb3 RXe2 21QXe2 Be7 22 Qg4! QXg4 23 hXg4 Bd6 24 BXd6 cXd6 can hardly satisfy Black, although his drawing chances are considerable.

19 ... Be7 20 Nfl

Black has covered c5, and so the knight changes course. From e3 it will be attacking the d5 pawn.

20 ... Bf8 21 Qf3 Re7?

Now White's advantage assumes real pro¬portions. The correct 21 ... Nd8 22 Ne3 c6 would have maintained the status quo of this position: the game is almost level, but White has more active possibilities. For example:

23        Bg3 Ne6 24 h4 Re7 25 Rd2, or 23 ... Re7 24  Rd2 Re4?! 25 c4! Nf7 (25 ... Ne6 26 cXd5 cXd5 27 Qf5) 26 cXd5 cXd5 27 Qh5!

22 Ne3 Nd8

Forced. There is no other defence against the threat of 23 Kfl, winning a pawn.

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23 BXc7! QXc7 24 NXd5 Qd6

Black is doomed to a gruelling defence after 24 ... RXe2 25 NXc7 Rel+ 26 Kh2 Bd6+ 27 g3 BXc7 28 Qf5!

25        NXe7+ BXe7

By a simple combination White has gained an appreciable advantage, thanks mainly to the poor placing of the black pieces. It should have been consolidated by energetic play, not allowing Black time to regroup. Instead I chose a tempting but incorrect path, after which the game gradually became level.

26        Qe4 Bf8 27 Qe8?!

27        c4! was correct, immediately setting inmotion White's main strength — his c- and

d-pawns. In this case Black's defence would have entailed considerable difficulties, e.g.27 ... b6 (27... Nc6 28 Qe6+ QXe6 29 RXe6 NXd4 30 Rb6) 28 g3 Nf7 29 Kg2 g6 30 Rc2! f5 31 Qf4 Qc6+ 32 Qf3 etc.

27... g6 28 a4?! Kg7 29 b4?! Qc7 30 Re3 Nf7 31 Qe6 Qd8

Depriving the white queen of an excellent post at d5.

32        a5 h5!

After halting the white pawns, Karpov begins methodically improving the placing of his pieces. As I was in slight time trouble, I repeated moves to try and save time, but the favourable moment had already been missed.

33        Qe4 Qd7 34 Qe6 Qd8 35 Kfl

The last try for an advantage was 35 Rel, when 35 ... Nh6 is bad because of 36 Qb6! Qd5 37 c4! QXc4 38 QXb7+ Nf7 39 b5! But after 35 ... Bd6 there appears to be no way of strengthening the position, e.g. 36 c4 BXb4 37RblQXa5 38c5Qb5!39Rb3a5 40Rf3Qc6 41 RXf6 QXe6 42 RXe6 with a probable draw. 35 ... Qc7! is even simpler.

35        ... Nh6 36 g4

If one is forced to make such moves. . . . But I very much did not want to allow the black knight to go to f5. Now, in view of the open position of the white king, Black is prac¬tically safeguarded against defeat. However, White too has not yet overstepped the mark.

36        ... hXg4 37 hXg4 Nf7 38 Ke2

It will be quieter for the king in the centre, behind his pawn barrier, than on the exposed K-side.

38 ... Ng5 39 Qb6 Qd7 40 Kd3 Bd6 41 Kc2

Here a draw was agreed on my proposal. It is plainly obvious just how much Black has improved the placing of his pieces over the last ten moves. But White's position is solid enough, and at b2 or b3 his king will feel safe. It would be too risky for Black to play 41 ... Bf4 42 Re2 Qd5?! 43 Re7+ KM 44 QXb7, when the white king succeeds in hiding from the checks, and the armada of white pawns looks imposing.

Round four

Experiences leave their mark

In my second game with Romanishin, my play was very much affected by my experiences in the meeting with the World Champion.

Romanishin-Kasparov

English Opening

1Nf3 g6 2d4 Bg7 3g3 Nf6  4Bg2 0-0 5c4 c5 6 0-0 cXd4 7 NXd4 Nc6 8 Nc3 NXd4 9 QXd4 d610 Qd3 a6 11 Be3 Bd7 12 Bd4 Bc613 e4 Re8 14 Rfel Rc8 15 Radl Qa5 16 a3

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Black's position is inferior, and his situ¬ation is aggravated by the spectre of ap¬proaching time trouble. I nevertheless de¬cided to go in for a lengthy forcing variation, which, in my opinion, should have led to favourable simplification.

16 ... b5* 17 cXb5 aXb5 18 e5 dXe5 19 BXc6 eXd4

Black has no compensation for the pawn after 19 ... RXc6 20 RXe5 Rd8 21 QXb5! (21 RXb5? Qa6!) 21 ... QXb5 22 NXb5.

20        BXe8 dXc3f 21 Bd7†

An improvement by Romanishin, which forced me to look at the position from a dif¬ferent viewpoint. Alas, for a reappraisal of the values there was almost no time left....

21        ... Rd8?

This leads by force to a difficult ending, whereas the superior 21... Rc4! would have allowed Black to hope for "success" (i.e. a

* Evidently the correct decision. Had White managed to play 17 b4 (17. . .QXa3? 18Ral), Black would have been doomed to passivity.

† In the hope of 21 QXb5 QXb5 22 BXb5 cXb2 23 a4 e6 and ... Nd5, or 21 BXb5 cXb2 22 Qb3 Qa7! (stronger than 22... e623QXb2 Nd524Qb3Rc3 25 Qbl RXa326 Bc4)23Bc4(23QXb2Ne424Qe2Nc325Qc2Qb726Bd7 Rd8) 23 ... Ng4 24 BX/7+ Kf8 25 Qf3 QX/2+ 26 QX/2 NX/2 27 KX/2 KX/7, and Black has nothing to fear.

draw), e.g. 22 bXc3 RXc3 23 QXb5 QXa3 24 Qb8+ Bf8 25 Bh3 Kg7.

Black can also hold on after 22 b3 c2! 23 bXc4 cXdl=Q 24 QXdl (24 RXdl bXc4 25 QXc4 QXa3) 24 ... NXd7 25 RXe7 Nf6! 26 Qb3 Bf8! 27 Re5 Bd6 28 RXb5 Qel+ 29 Kg2 Qe4+ 30 Qf3 BXa3.

22 QXb5 Qc7 23 bXc3‡ RXd7 24 RXd7 QXd7 25 QXd7 NXd7 26 RXe7 Nb6! 27 Rb7 Na4 28 Rb8+ Bf8 29 c4 Kg7 30 Kg2 Bd6?

Now, exploiting the hanging position of the black minor pieces, White succeeds in advancing his pawns.

After the correct 30 . . . Bell Black would have retained drawing chances: 31 Ra8Nb6, or 31 Kf3 Kf6 32 Ra8 Nb6 33 Ra6 Bc5.

31 Ra8 Nb2§ 32 a4! NXc4 33 a5 Ne5?

This time trouble mistake merely acceler¬ates Black's defeat. By giving up his knight for the a-pawn he could have prolonged the resistance, but theoretically this ending is hopeless.

34 Rc8!

Now there is no defence against the advance of the a-pawn. Black resigns.

‡23 Bh3 is stronger, when White's material advantage should decide the game (23. . . RXdl 24 RXdl c2 25Rcl Bh6 26 f4 Qa7+ 27 Khl Qe3 28 Qfl, or 23 . . . Rb8 24 RXe7! c2 25Rcl Qd8 26 Qe2 RXb2 27Ra7Nd5 28Rd7! Qa8 29 RXc2 Nc3 30 Qc4).

§ If 31. . . Nb6, then 32 Ra6 NXc4 33 Rc6 or 32 . . . Bc5 33 a4.

Round five

In the style of my opponent

Kasparov-Smyslov

Ruy Lopez

Evidently taking account of the fact that I would be aiming for a win after my defeat in the previous round, Smyslov chose a risky plan in the positional sense, trying to provoke me into premature activity. But I succeeded in fixing Black's weaknesses, and by the 20th move I had gained a solid advantage.

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 g6 5 d4 eXd4 6c3!?Bg7?!7cXd4b5 8Bc2d69d5Ne5 10 NXe5 dXe5 11 a4 Bd7 12 Be3 Nf6 13 0-0 0-0 14 Qd2 Ne8 15 Bc5 Nd616 aXb5 BXb517 Rel Qd7 18 Nc3 Rfb8 19 b4 Bf8

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20Qg5

White does not hurry, but with each move he slightly improves the placing of his pieces.

20 ... Qe7 21 Qe3 Qf6?!

This seemingly active move proves to be a serious inaccuracy. At d7 the queen was excellently placed, and there was no point in moving it from there.

22 Bd3!

After the exchange of the b5 bishop the weakness at a6 will begin to tell.

22        ... BXd3* 23 QXd3 Nb5?

23        ... Nb7 is more tenacious.

24        NXb5 aXb5

24        ... RXb5? is obviously bad because of 25 QXb5! etc.

25        RXa8 RXa8 26 QXb5 Qa6 27 QXa6 RXa6 28 g4!

The most clear-cut way to win.

28 ... Bd6 29 b5! Ra8 30 BXd6 cXd6 31 b6 Rb8 32 Rbl

A rook behind a passed pawn often decides the outcome of a game.

32... Kf8 33 Kfl Ke7 34 Ke2 g5 35 Kd3 Kd7 36 Kc4 Rc8+ 37 Kb5 Rc2 38 Ral!

Securing the post for the white king.

38 ... Rb2+ 39 Ka6

Black resigns.

Round six

Each player was aiming for victory

Karpov-Kasparov

English Opening

1c4 Nf6 2Nc3 c5 3Nf3 e6 4g3b6 5Bg2 Bb7 6 0-0 Be7 7 d4 cXd4 8 QXd4 d6 9 Bg5 a6 10 BXf6 BXf6 11 Qf4 0-0 12 Rfdl Be7 13 Ne4 BXe4 14 QXe4 Ra7 15 Nd4 Qc8 16 b3 Re8 17 a4 Qc5 18 Ra2 Bf6 19 Rad2 Rc7 20 Qbl Be7 21 b4 Qh5 22 Rc2 Rec8

After a manoeuvring battle, a position of dynamic equilibrium has arisen. Thinking that his c4 pawn will be immune, White begins an erroneous combination.

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23 b5? aXb5 24 aXb5† RXc4!

Black boldly takes the pawn, not fearing 25Nc6. Indeed, 25 ... RXc2 26NXe7+ Kh8! (26 ... Kf8? 27 NXc8 QXe2 28 Rfl RXc8 29 QXh7) 27 Bf3! Qe5! (27 ... Qc5? 28 NXc8 QXc8 29Bc6Rc5 30RXd6NXc6 31 Qd3!) 28 NXc8 RXc8 leaves him a pawn up with winning chances.

25 RXc4 RXc4 26 Qa2 Qc5 27 Qa8! RXd4 28 QXb8+ Bf8 29 Ral

With my 28th move I declined the offer of a draw, but on the very next move I went wrong.

29 ... d5?

Now White is assured of a draw. Black could have won by 29 ... h6!, e.g. 30 Ra8 Rdl+ 31 Bfl d5 32 Qe8 d4 33 Ra7 Qf5 34Kg2 d3! 35 Ra8 (35 eXd3 Rd2) 35 ... Qe4+! 36 0 (36 Kh3 Qb4!) 36... dXe2 37 QXf8+ Kh7, or

* The queen should have been returned to the defence of the Q-side -22... Qd8 and then . . . Qd7 (or... Qe8).

† White did not play 23 b5, in order here (on "coming to his senses") to take on b5 with the knight. Then 24 ... Rd7! would have given Black simply the better position (weaknesses at a4 and c4).

30 Bfl Rb4 31 Ra8 d5 32 Qe8 Rbl 33 Rc8 (33 Ra7 Qcl!) 33 ... Qb4 34 Kg2 d4! 35 Rc7 Qel 36 QXf7+ Kh7 37 QXf8 QXfl+ 38 KO Rb3+ 39 Kg4 QXe2+ 40 Kh3 Qe5.

Of course, White can avoid forcing vari¬ations: 30 Qe8Rc4 31 Bc6 (not 31 Ra8Rcl+ 32 Bfl Qd5! 33 QX/8+ Kh7 34 f3 Qdl) 31 . . . Rcl+ 32 RXcl QXcl+ 33 Kg2 d5 34 e3 with real drawing chances.

30 Bfl Rc4 31Ra8 Rcl 32Qe8 d4 33Ra7 Qf5 34 Ra8 Qc5

Draw? No, the fervour of the struggle had now completely seized both players.

35 g4?

This looks tempting, since it deprives the black queen of the f5 square and creates the threat of Ra7. But this weakening of his king's position could have proved fatal for White.

35 ... Qd6?

In the time scramble Black makes a mistake in reply. He could have won by moving his queen to the other side — 35 ...Qb4!, e.g. 36 Ra7 d3! 37 QXf7+ Kh8 38 Qf3 d2. More tenacious is 36 h3! h6! 37 Kg2, when 37 ... Qel gives only a draw: 38 QXf8+ Kh7 39 Qh8+! (39 QXf7? QXfl+ 40 Kg3 Rc3+ 41 e3 RXe3+) 39 ... Kg6 40 Rg8 QXfl+ 41 Kg3 Qgl+ 42 KO Qhl+ (42 ... Rc3+ 43 e3) 43 Kg3. But 37 ... Rc7! leaves Black with excellent winning chances.

36 Rd8 Qb4 37 Rd7 h6

Here 37 ... d3 is no longer effective, because of 38 QXf7+ Kh8 39 RXd3 QXg4+ 40Rg3(40...Qf5=).

38        QXf7+ Kh7 39 g5

39        QXe6 would also have led to a draw:

39.. .Qel40Qe4+Kh841Qg2QXe2 42Rd8 RXfl+ or 42 RXd4 Bc5.

39        ... Qbl! 40 g6+

The more cunning 40 Kg2 would not have achieved anything in view of 40 ... Qe4+! 41 f3 Qf5 42 QXf5+ eXf5 43 gXh6 KXh6 44 RXd4 Bc5 45 Rd5 f4.

40        ... QXg6+ 41 QXg6+ KXg6

Drawn.

Lucky or Unlucky?

The Moscow International Grandmaster Tournament (1981) was my first serious test in big-time chess, and therefore on the whole I was satisfied with my score. My fortunes during the tournament were variable, and I should like to examine in detail the games which had the most important influence on my final result.

Belyavsky-Kasparov

Kings Indian Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4 d6 5 f3 0-0 6 Be3 Nc6

These moves were made in rapid tempo: Belyavsky always chooses the Samisch Vari¬ation, and for the moment I prefer the line with 6 ... Nc6. But over his next two moves Belyavsky spent more than 40 minutes.

7 Qd2 a6 8 Nge2 Re8?!

It is unlikely that this continuation has any advantages over the usual 8 ... Rb8, but I wanted to take the game away from the well-trodden paths.

9Ncl

9 h4 would have led to sharper play.

9 ... e5 10 d5 Nd4 11 Nle2

White wishes to exchange the d4 knight in the most convenient way possible, but this affords Black additional chances. I would have preferred 11 Nb3, when Black has to choose between the dubious pawn sacrifice 11 ... c5 12 dXc6 bXc6 13 NXd4 eXd4 14 BXd4 d5, and an inferior game after 11 ... NXb3 12 aXb3 c5 13 g4!

11 ... c5 12 dXc6 NXc6!

This continuation, which is pointless with the white knight at b3, is logical here, since it is hard for White quickly to exploit the defects in the black position due to his lack of development. Thus the routine 13 Rdl allows Black to develop comfortably— 13 ... Be6 14 Ncl Rc8.

13 Nd5! (see diagram)

The most energetic continuation, and one which sets Black a difficult choice: he can either defend against the threat of Bb6, thereby maintaining material equality, or he can try to exploit White's lack of develop¬ment, for which he must be prepared to sacri¬fice material. At this point I set a personal record for the time spent over one move — one hour eight minutes! I needed this length

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of time to convince myself of the hopelessness of passive defence after 13 ... NXd5 14 cXd5Ne7 15Nc3 or 13 ... Nd7 14 b4!, and to decide on the exchange sacrifice.

13        ... b5! 14 Bb6

It would probably have been better to decline the Greek gift, and, in view of Black's approaching time trouble, follow a positional course. For example: 14 Nec3 Nd4 15 Bd3 (dangerous is 15 NXf6+ BXf6 16 cXb5 aXb5 17 NXb5? Nb3*). But in this case Black has a good game. Not wishing to agree to the loss of his opening advantage, Belyavsky goes for the win of the exchange, reckoning that Black's activity will only be temporary.

14                ... Qd7 15 Nc7 Rb8 16 NXe8 QXe8

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1tR-+-mKL+R!
xabcdefghy

Here Belyavsky thought for a long time.

* Black also has good compensation for the exchange after 17 BXb5 Bh4+! (17 . . . Nb3?! 18 Qdl NXal 19 BXe8) 18 B/2 BXf2+ 19 QXJ2 NXb5 20 NXb5 Ba6.

On closer examination it all turned out to be not so simple: White has a wide choice of continuations which seem good, but only at first sight. A detailed penetration into the maze of variations discloses Black's enormous resources. Here are a few possibilities:

(1)        17 c5. In this case, apart from the second exchange sacrifice 17 ... Nd7 18 Bc7 dXc5 19 BXb8 NdXb8, Black also has the unpleasant 17 . . . Rb7! (with the threat of...Bf8). After 18 QXd6 Bf8 19 Qd2 (19 QXf6? Be7, and the queen is trapped) 19 ...Be6 20Nc3 Rd7 21 Qf2 b4 his active piece play atleast  compensates  for the  sacrificed  exchange.

(2)        17 Bc7 Rb7 18 BXd6 bXc4 19 Ba3 (19Nc3? Rd7 20 BXc4 Qd8 21 Rdl Ne8) 19...Be6 20 Nc3 Rd7 21 Qf2 Bh6 22 Rdl Nd4, with a strong attack on the white king, which is caught in the centre.

(3)        17 cXb5. I think that this is White's strongest continuation, although even here17...RXb6 18 bXc6d5! gives Black counter-play. In addition, Black has an interesting possibility associated with the placing of his queen and the white king on the same file: 17 ... aXb5 18 Be3 d5! 19 eXd5 Nd4 20 Nc3 (or 20 BXd4 eXd4 21 QXd4 Bf5, and the black-squared bishop is much stronger than the rook and two pawns) 20 ... b4 21 Ne4 NXd5, with active play.

In an attempt to avoid all the dangers, White decides in the first instance to evacu¬ate his king from the centre, but during this time Black wins a pawn and activates his pieces.

17 Be3?! bXc4 18 Nc3 Be6 19 Be2

The tempting 19 Nd5 would have left Black with a wide choice, e.g. 19 ... BXd5 20 eXd5 Nd4 21 BXc4 Nf5 22 0-0 e4, or 19 ... BXd5 20 eXd5 c3!? 21 bXc3 Nd4 22 Bc4 Qc8, or 19. . .NXd5!?20eXd5e421dXe6QXe6-for the rook Black has only two pawns, but his pawn avalanche in the centre and White's lack of development make the position unclear.

Even so White should have chosen the critical 19 Nd5, since 19 Be2 completely hands Black the initiative.

19 ... Nd4 20 0-0 d5 21 eXd5 NXd5 22 NXd5 BXd5

The battle has clearly gone in favour of Black, who for the exchange has a pawn and the much more active pieces. Especially troublesome for White is the knight at d4, which is not easily driven from its powerful position (23 f4? NXe2+ 24 QXe2 eXf4 25 RXf4 RXb2).

23        Rf2 h5

On the first 23 moves the two players used up nearly all their time, and now each had about ten minutes left on his clock. It is this that explains the subsequent uneven play and mistakes.

24        Rcl Qe6 25 Bfl h4?!

The plan involving the advance of the h-pawn looks tempting (especially in time trouble), but 25... Nf5 was preferable, when Black retains all the advantages of his pos¬ition.

26        Rel Qc6

Here too 26 ... Nf5 should have been chosen.

27Bh6?

It was here that White had a good oppor¬tunity to drive back the knight and obtain equal chances: 27 f4! NT5 28 fXe5 NXe3 (28 ... BXe5 29 RXf5 gXf5 30 Bd4 BXd4 31 QXd4 Qb6 32 Re8+ Kh7 33 Rh8+ Kg6 34 Rg8+ with perpetual check) 29 RXe3 (Black retains an obvious advantage after 29 QXe3 Bf8! 30 Khl Bc5 31 Qd2 BXf2 32 QXf2 h3!) 29... Bh6 30 e6! Qc5 (30.. . BXe6 31 RXe6!) 31 eXf7+ BXf7 32 Re8+ RXe8 (not 32 ... BXe8 33 QXh6 RXb2 because of 34 BXc4+) 33 QXh6 Re4 34 Qd2 with a draw. But to calculate these variations, with only four minutes for 14 moves, was certainly not easy.

27        ... Bh8 28 f4?

Now this active move leads to a catastrophe. 28 h3 was better, defending against the threat of . . . h3, although even then Black's advantage is obvious.

28        ... e4 29 Rdl Be6 30 f5

After 30 Bg5 Nf5 the black pawn advances unhindered to e3, making further resistance by White a hopeless matter. In order somehow to co-ordinate his pieces, White sacri fices a pawn, but he is unable to change the course of events.

30 ... NXf5 31 Qf4 Re8 32 Rfd2

Now the stray bishop is lost, but 32 Bg5 Qc5! could not have satisfied White.

32 ... Qc5+ 33 Khl Be5 34 Qg5 Kh7

Here the game could have been concluded, but the two players had left. ... one minute between them!

35        Rd8 RXd8 36 RXd8 Qf2

36        ... NXh6 was of course simpler.

37        Rdl NXh6

37        . .. e3 was much stronger, but the move played does not spoil anything.

38        QXe5 e3 39 Qc3

In any case there is no defence against the numerous threats, e.g. 39 h3 Nf5 40 Kh2Ng3.

39        ... h3 40 Qel Ng4

40... e2! would have been a more spectacular conclusion. Now the time control was

at last reached, and White resigned. The variation 41 Rcl Bd5 42 QXf2 eXf2 followed by the unavoidable ... Ne3 and . .. hXg2 mate is convincing enough.

Kasparov-Gheorghiu

In the position below, taking account of the neutralizing effect of opposite-coloured bishops, the Rumanian grandmaster offered a draw. But in fact the opposite-coloured bishops combined with Black's positional defects merely aggravate his difficulties.

XABCDEFGHY
8-+r+q+k+(
7zpltr-+-zp-'
6-zp-+p+-zp&
5+-+p+-+-%
4-+-vL-+-+$
3+-+-wQ-zP-#
2PzP-+PzP-zP"
1+-tR-+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

Therefore, in spite of my shortness of time (roughly seven minutes for 13 moves), I decided to continue playing.

28 Qe5 Rf7

28        ... Qf7 was probably more accurate, retaining control of the c-file. In this case White has a choice between 29 RXc7 RXc7 30f4 with the threat of f4-f5, and the quiet 29

Rc3 RXc3 30 bXc3, when he retains all the advantages of his position.

29        g4

This looks risky, but in fact it is perfectly justified. By advancing his K-side pawns, White prepares the ground for transposing into an ending.

29        ... Rc6 30 f4?!

But he should not have been in a hurry with this advance, and should have preferred the modest 30 f3 followed by h2-h4-h5.

30        ... Qd7 31 h4 Qc7?!

The powerful queen/bishop battery in the centre of the board so frightens Gheorghiu, that he aims at any price for the exchange of queens, not taking into account the diffi¬culties of the coming endgame. It was here that he should have played actively with 31... Qe7, reminding White that his king has become too exposed over the last few moves. In the variation 32 RXc6 BXc6 33 g5 Rf5 34 Qe3 hXg5 35 hXg5 Qf7 Black has counter-play sufficient for a draw.

32 RXc6 QXe5 33 BXe5 BXc6 34 Rcl Bb7 35 h5

The resulting ending is much more difficult for Black than might appear at first sight. White's pieces are much more active, and he has a vice-like grip on Black's K-side. Realizing that passive waiting will lead to defeat, Gheorghiu tries to play actively before the time control.

35        ... Rf8

If Black can challenge on the c-file he will be all right, but White is on the alert!

36        Rc7 Rf7 37 Rc3!

Now 37 .. . Rf8 is met by 38 Ra3, tying the black rook to the defence of the Q-side pawns. Therefore Black decides to undermine White's pawn wedge.

37        ... Kh7 38 Kf2 g6 39 hXg6+?

This natural move, made in time trouble, loses White the greater part of his advantage. After 39 Ke3! gXh5 40 gXh5 Black's king would have remained trapped, and his rook and bishop would have been forced to guard the white rook's invasion squares. The win¬ning plan is simple: White places his pawns at a4 and b5 and his king at d4, after which Rc7 transposes into a won ending with opposite-coloured bishops. After 39 hXg6+? the strategically correct plan of a K-side bind proves to be an unrealizable dream.

39 ... KXg6 40 Ra3 Bc6

In this position I made a "weak move". Instead of adjourning the game and seeking ways of strengthening my position, I offered a draw, which Gheorghiu joyfully accepted. I find it difficult to explain my decision. It was probably provoked by the nervous tension during the game and especially in time trouble. But during the course of the tournament, as I observed how grandmasters seek the slightest chances in "dead drawn" positions, I constantly regretted such a hasty offer of a draw.

After 41 Rc3 Bb7 White had two roughly equivalent plans at his disposal:

(a)        42 Ke3 h5 43 gXh5+ KXh5 44 Rcl Kg6 45Rgl+Kh746Kd4Ba647Rg2!(not allowing the bishop across to the K-side — 43 e3 Be2!) followed by e2-e3, b2-b3 and a2-a4, choosing a convenient moment to invade (Rc2-c8, orBd6 and Ke5).

(b)        42Kg3h543g5Ba644e3and, exploiting the fact that the opponent is tied down (he is forced to guard the invasion squares on the c-file, to prevent the decisive transference of the white rook to h8 or g8), White can continue to improve his position by advancing his Q-side pawns. It is hard to assert that White's advantage would have been sufficient for victory, but at any rate (with not the slightest risk involved!) he should have continued playing.

Portisch-Kasparov

(See diagram overleaf). After a lively skirmish White has managed to win a pawn while maintaining a solid position. But the somewhat insecure position of the white king gives Black chances of counter-play. Therefore it is a matter of activity first and foremost!

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+r+k+(
7+-+-+pvl-'
6-+-zp-snp+&
5+-+P+-vL-%
4-+Q+P+-+$
3+-+-+P+-#
2-wq-sN-+-zP"
1+-+-+-tRK!
xabcdefghy

26        ... Nh5! 27 Qc6

This seems strong, since it leads to new material gains, but the growing activity of the black pieces fully compensates for these losses. After the more cautious 27 Qb3, by energetic play Black can again eliminate the danger of defeat, e.g. 27 QXb3 28 NXb3 f5! 29 Nd2 Rc8!

27        ... Rb8 28 QXd6

Of the two possibilities, Portisch chooses the more risky. Now the black pieces move into threatening positions almost by force. After 28 Rbl QXbl+ 29 NXbl RXbl+ 30 Kg2 Rb2+ 31 Kfl Be5 White is of course in no danger, but the black pieces are so successful in combining defence with threats to the white king that White's winning chances are reduced to the minimum*. Portisch undoubtedly wants to achieve more.

28        ... Be5 29 Qd7

Little would have been changed by 29 Qc6 Qa3!, when the threat of... Rb2 (after the preliminary 30 ... Kg7) is pretty unpleasant.

29        ... Qd4 30 Qg4 Rb2

Now 31 Nfl is bad in view of 31 ... Qd3!, with numerous threats. White could have gone into a drawn ending, by giving up the exchange: 31 QXh5 QXgl+ 32 KXgl gXh5. But Portisch parries the first onslaught, while retaining his material advantage.

31 Rdl! Qd3 32 Qc8+ Kg7 33 Qc4 Qa3 34 Qe2

* For example, 32 Qe8+ Kgl 33 Bel Rbl+ 34 Ke2 Nf4+ 35Kd2Rb2+ 36KclNd3+ 37KdlNf2+ 38KelNd3+ 39 Kfl Rbl+! 40 Ke2 Nf4+ with perpetual check.

White has managed to defend everything (34... Nf4 is not possible because of 35 BXf4 BXf4 36 Nc4!), but after 34 ... Qa2! 35 Be3 Nf4 36 Qflf (36 Qc4? RXd2! 37 QXa2 RXdl+ 38 Bgl Bd4) 36... Rc2! his pieces would have been completely tied up.

34 ... Qa4?! 35 Rbl! Ra2 36 Be3

Realizing that the activity of his pieces is fading, in the time scramble Black finds the best chance — he switches his queen to the Reside.

36        ... Qd7! 37 Qf2

The threat of... Qh3, in itself unpleasant, appears doubly dangerous in time trouble. Therefore Portisch decides to exchange off the bishop at e5, as Black's most dangerous piece. But even after this exchange the activity of Black's pieces safeguards him against any great difficulties. 37 Qfl was hardly any more promising, e.g. 37 ... Qe7! 38 Qf2 (28 f4? Bc3 39 Qd3 BXd2 40 BXd2 RXd2!) 38... Qf6, and there appears to be no way for White to improve his position.

37        ... Qh3 38 f4?!

The immediate 38 Bd4 was more accurate. Portisch was afraid of 38 ... Ng3+ 39 Kgl Ne2+, overlooking that he had the simple reply 39 QXg3! On 38 Bd41 was intending to continue 38 ... BXd4 39 QXd4+ Kh7, when the difference in the position of the white pawn (compared with the game) does not affect the result.

38        ... Bc3 39 Bd4+ BXd4

39        ... f6 is weaker in view of 40 Qf3!

40        QXd4+ Kh7

With his last move before the time control Black withdraws his king to a safe square. After this he is obliged to force a draw, whereas 40 ... f6!? would have set White some difficult problems, e.g. 41 Qf2 Qd3 42 Rdl Qc2 43 QD NXf4! 44 d6 Ra3! 45 Qfl Rd3 and wins, or 41 Qb4 Ng3+ 42 Kgl Ne2+ 43 Khl RXd2! 44 Qe7+ Kh6 45 Qf8+ Kh5 46 Qh8+ Kg4 etc. The only move to save White is 41 Qc5! Now 41... NXf4 is not possible in view of 42 Qc7+, while 41 ... Ng3+ 42 Kgl Ne2+ 43 Khl RXd2 does not work because of

† 36 Qf2, with the threat ofBd4, is parried by the simple 36... Kg8 (37 Bd4? Qa4).

44 Rb7+ Kh6 45 Qf8+ Kh5 46 Rh7+. Therefore Black would have had to be satisfied with perpetual check.

41 Rgl!

41 Qf2 is much weaker in view of 41 ... Nf6! 42 Qf3 Qh4, when White has difficulties.

41        ... Kg8!

The most clear-cut solution. White is unable to prevent Black's drawing combination.

42d6 RXd2! 43 QXd2 QO+ 44 Qg2 Ng3+! 44 hXg3 Qh5+ 46 Qh2 Qf3+ 47 Rg2 Qdl+

A rare perpetual check mechanism for a practical game.

Kasparov-Andersson

In the opening Black sacrificed the exchange, counting on his play on the black squares. I gradually managed to neutralize Black's activity and to seize the c-file, after which the result of the game was no longer in doubt. Black's only saving chance lay in creating threats to the white king with his queen and black-squared bishop.

XABCDEFGHY
8-tr-+l+k+(
7+ptR-+p+-'
6p+-zp-+p+&
5+-+Pvl-wqp%
4-zP-+P+-+$
3zP-+-+-+P#
2-+-+LwQP+"
1+-tR-+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

These hopes could have been nipped in the bud by 39 h4!Qh6 (39. . .Qd2 40Rl c2) 40 g3. Instead of this White makes a "sound" time trouble move.

39        Rlc2 h4!

Andersson does not miss his chance, and creates a strong point at g3.

40        Bg4 Kh6

In this position the game was adjourned, and White sealed his next move. Analysis showed that to win White would have to overcome a number of technical difficulties.

41        Khl b6

Black tries to activate his rook, but White, of course, does not allow this.

42Ra7

The tempting 42 Bd7 does not give a decisive advantage. After 42 ... BXd7 43 RXd7 f6! 44 Rcc7 Rh8 45 QXb6 Qf4 46 Qgl QXe4 the activity of Black's pieces gives him good counter-chances.

42        ... Bg3 43 Qd2!

The start of a manoeuvre which, in my opinion, leads White most quickly to his goal.

43        ... Bf4 44 Qd4! Be5 45 Qgl!

Strangely enough, it is from this square that the white queen causes Black the most trouble. Since the exchange of queens is hopeless for Black, his bishop is forced to remain at e5 in anticipation of the threat of Qcl. For the same reason ... Qf4 is bad. For the moment, therefore, Black makes a useful move, removing his pawn from attack.

45 ... a5 46 Qcl! Bf4 47 Qal Be5 48 Qgl

White has given his opponent the move, and it transpires that, in spite of the abun¬dance of possibilities, it is hard to find one which does not weaken the position.

48 ... aXb4* 49 aXb4 Bf4 50 Qal Be5 51 Qa3!

White successfully exploits the vacated a3 square.

51... Kg7 52 Rf2 Bf6 53 Qd3! Qe5 54 Be6!

After restricting to the maximum the mobility of the black pieces, White begins the decisive offensive.

54... Kg8 55 Qf3 Kg7 56 Qf4 Qd4 57 Rfl b5

Black is forced to make this move, and now his bishop at e8 is completely shut in.

58 Bg4!

58 Rc7 would have given Black the active possibility 58 ... Ra8! (59 QXd6? Be5 60 Qc5 Rail).

58 ... Rd8!

58 ... QXa7 59 QXf6+ Kg8 60 QXd6 leaves Black with no chance.

59Rc7

If now 59 ... Ra8, White can confidently

* 48...Bf4 is well met by 49 b5! (49... BXb5 50RXf7) and a3-a4, shutting in the bishop at e8.

take the d-pawn, exploiting the fact that his bishop is no longer attacked. Andersson therefore waits.

59 ... Qb2 60 Rc2! Qd4 61 Rd2 Qe5!

Throughout the adjournment session White has been aiming for the exchange of queens, and Black has avoided it. Yet here an exclamation mark is attached to a move by Black, by which he himself offers the exchange! The point is that, if he keeps the queens on, Black comes under an irresistible attack, e.g. 61 ... Qc3 62 Rd3! Qb2 (62 ... QXd3 63 QXf6+ Kg8 64 Rdl!) 63 Rdf3 Be5 64 Qg5 Ra8 65 Qe7 etc. Convinced that all other resources are exhausted, Andersson goes into the endgame.

62 QXe5 BXe5 63 Rc2 Bd7!

Black had to parry the threat of Rc8 at all costs. 63 ... Bd7 looks like a blunder, but after 64 Rc7?! BXg4 65 RfXf7+ Kh6 66 hXg4 Kg5 it is difficult for White to win.

64 Be2?!

After his error on move 39, White has had to slog away for 25 moves, overcoming a tenacious resistance. And now, when his goal is near, he again allows his resourceful opponent to complicate matters. The simple 64 BXd7 would have given a straightforward win, e.g. 64... RXd7 65 Rc8 Rb7 66 Rfcl Kf6 67 Rlc7 Rb6 68 Ra8, or 65... Ra7 66 Rb8 Ra2 67 Rbl Kf6 68 RXb5, and the b-pawn cannot be stopped.

64 ... f5! 65 Rc7 Kh6 66 Bd3 fXe4!

Much stronger than 66... f4?, after which by 67 Be2! White obtains an easily won position.

67 BXe4 Kg5 68 Bd3 Bd4 69 Rb7?

And this natural move is a mistake, after which Black gains a draw in amazing fashion. White wins a pawn, but allows Black to activate his pieces. It was essential to remove the king from the danger zone. This aim could have been achieved by a complicated ma¬noeuvre: 69 Rf3! Bb6 (since 69 ... Bf5 70 BXf5 gXf5 71 Rb7 Ra8 72 Rfl leads to a lost ending, Black is obliged to wait) 70 Rb7 Bd4 71 Kh2!! Be5+ (otherwise g2-g4) 72 Kgl! Bd4+ 73 Kfl. Then White simply picks up the b5 pawn. Convinced that I was going to win, I played routinely.

69 ... Bc3! 70 BXb5 Bf5 71 Be2 Ra8 72 b5 Ra2 73 Bf3 Rb2 74 Rb8 Bd4!

A fantastic position! White has a great material advantage, but all his winning attempts are precisely parried by Andersson.

75 Rdl Bc5 76 Kh2 Be3 77 Rel Bf2 78 Rfl Bc5 79 Re8 Bd4!

Not 79 ... RXb5 80 Be4!

80 Rdl Bf2! 81 Be2

If 81 Re2 Black interposes the check 81. . . Bg3+, and then plays . . . RXb5.

81        ... Bd7 82 Re4 Bf5 83 Re8 Bd7

Drawn. Andersson brilliantly conducted a difficult defence.

The adjournment session of this game took place the day after my dramatic encounter with Petrosian. This explains a lot. . . . I now read with a smile the commentary to the position after Black's 74th move. "A fantastic position"? "A II his winning attempts"? Did I actually make many during the remaining nine moves? Obviously I had insufficient nervous energy for a genuine battle for victory. Otherwise I would not have declined to play on in the "drawn" final position!

Kasparov-Petrosian

Queen's Indian Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 a3 Bb7 5 Nc3 d5 6 cXd5 NXd5 7 e3 Be7 8 Bb5+ c6 9 Bd3 NXc3 10 bXc3 c5 11 0-0 0-0?!

A significant inaccuracy. Black should first have developed his knight with 11 ... Nc6, and castled only after 12 Bb2 Rc8 13 Qe2. Now White is able to provoke a weakening of the black king's pawn screen.

12 Qc2 g6 13 e4 Nc6

In a later game with Polugayevsky, Petrosian played 13 ... Qc7, but after 14 Qe2 Rd8 15 h4! Nc6 16 Be3 Bf6 17 e5 Bg7 18 h5 White's attack developed unhindered. Probably I too should have preferred 14 Be3.

14 Bh6 Re8 15 Rfdl Qc7

Perhaps Black should have parted with the exchange, since the ending after 15 ... cXd4 16 cXd4 NXd4 17 NXd4 QXd4 18 Bb5 QXe4 19 QXe4 BXe4 20 BXe8 RXe8 21 Rd7 a5 promises him good drawing chances. Black's unwillingness to go in for simplification allows White to carry out a favourable regrouping.

16 Qe2 Red8 17 Qe3!

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-tr-+k+(
7zplwq-vlp+p'
6-zpn+p+pvL&
5+-zp-+-+-%
4-+-zPP+-+$
3zP-zPLwQN+-#
2-+-+-zPPzP"
1tR-+R+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

White's position looks rather threatening. His plan is simple: to play e4-e5 and h2-h4-h5, beginning a direct attack on the king ("secondary solutions" are also possible: for example, 17 ... Rd7 is unpleasantly met by 18 Bf4! Qd8 19 Bb5). At the cost of positional concessions, Petrosian eliminates White's incipient attack.

17        ... e5 18 d5

It would not be worth dwelling on this move, had not White spent on it. ... 58 minutes! I very much wanted to exploit immediately the newly-opened a2-g8 diagonal by playing 18 Bc4, although I sensed that variations such as 18 ... eXd4 19 cXd4 cXd4 20 BXf7+ KXf7 21 Qb3+ Ke8 22 Racl Qd6! or22e5 Bc5 23 Ng5 Qe7 were extremely dubious. At any event a whole hour was spent invain, and I soon had cause to regret this.

18        ... Na5 19 c4!

The transfer of the knight to d4 is not dangerous for White, whereas the ... c4 advance would have given Black counter-play on the Q-side.

I think that 19 c4 does not deserve an exclamation mark. After 19 Ng5 c4 20 Be2 and then h2-h4 White's initiative on the K-side is more significant.

19... Nb3 20 Ra2 f6 21 h4 Bc8 22 Rbl! Nd423NXd4 cXd4 24 Qg3

The possibility of f2-f4 gives White the initiative, but to transform this advantage into something real, he has to play very energetically.

24 ... Bf8 25 Bd2 Bd6 26 Rfl Qg7

Black is prepared for f2-f4: 27 f4 Bd7 28 fXe5 BXe5 29 Bf4 Rf8 30 Raf2 Rae8 with a solid defence. Therefore White opens a second front, hoping to divert the black pieces.

27 a4!? a5 28 Rb2 Bc5 29 f4 Bd7

As was shown by Petrosian, the prophylactic 29 . . . h6! was stronger (30 h5 h5) (?).

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-tr-+k+(
7+-+l+-wqp'
6-zp-+-zpp+&
5zp-vlPzp-+-%
4P+PzpPzP-zP$
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xabcdefghy

Black has everything defended, and he has the right to expect from his opponent the modest 30 Ra2.

30        h5! BXa4?

Black should have taken the more dangerous pawn — 30 ... gXh5, although even in this case White retains a strong initiative after 31 Qh4 (31 ... Bg4 32 fXe5 fXe5 33 Bg5 Re8 34 Rbf2). Relying on the solidity of his position, Petrosian hopes subsequently to exploit his passed a-pawn, but White's attack develops swiftly.

31        h6 Qc7 32 f5!?

A tempting continuation, giving White a strong attack. Nevertheless 32 fXe5 was better. Although the position after 32 ... fXe5 33 Bg5 Rf8 34 Bf6 is complicated, it is unlikely that White's attack can be parried. Consider some variations (see diagram overleaf).

34... Rae8 35 Rbf2 Bd7 (35 ... Bd6 36 Rf5 Bd7 37 Rg5) 36 Kh2 Qd6 37 Qg5 a4 38 Be2!

Position after 34 Bf6 (variation):

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-+-trk+(
7+-wq-+-+p'
6-zp-+-vLpzP&
5zp-vlPzp-+-%
4l+PzpP+-+$
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2-tR-+-+P+"
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xabcdefghy

d3 39 Bh5 BXf2 40 RXf2 RXf6 41 RXf6 Qe7 42 BXg6! hXg6 43 RXg6+ Kh8 44 Rg8+! RXg8 45 QXe7 d2 46 QXe5+ Kh7 47 Qd4 and wins.

34 ... Bd6 35 Rbf2 Rf7 36 c5! bXc5 (36 ... QXc5 37 BXe5 RXf2 38 RXf2 BXe5 39 QXe5 Qcl+ 40 Bfl QXh6 41 QXd4 leaves Black with no chance of saving the game) 37 Bc4 Raf8 38 BXc5!! BXe5 39 RXf7 RXf7 40 d6 BXg3 41 dXc7.

The sacrifice of the exchange also fails to save Black: 34 ... RXf6 35 RXf6 Rf8 36 RXf8+ KXf8 37 Rf2+! Kg8 38 Rf6 Bd6 39 c5! bXc5 (39 ... QXc5 40 RXg6+! hXg6 41 QXg6+ Kf8 42 Qf6+! Ke8 43 h7) 40 Bc4.

Thus 32 fXe5 should have been preferred, but at the board it was impossible to work out all the variations. Therefore I chose a more forcing continuation.

32 ... g5 33 BXg5! fXg5?

After this mistake White should have won. Only 33 ... Kf7! gave chances of a defence. White would have had to be content with a solid posiional advantage after retreating with 34 Bd2.

34 QXg5+ Kf8

34        ... Kh8? loses immediately to 35 Qf6+ Kg8 36 Rf3.

35Qf6+??

All White's preceding play demanded 35 f6! with the threat of f6-f7. After the forced 35 ... Qf7 White picks up the e5 pawn, and his advancing pawn avalanche sweeps every-thing in its path. Some fairly simple but pretty variations confirm this conclusion: 35. . . Qf7 36 QXe5 Re8 (36... Qg6 37 RXb6! QXh6 38 Qe7+!! BXe7 39 fXe7+ KXe7 40 RXh6) 37 Qg5 Qg6 38 Rf5! QXg5 (38 ... Bd7 39 QXg6 hXg6 40 Rg5 a4* 41 e5 a3 42 h7!)39          RXg5 Kf7 40 e5 Rg8 41 Rg7+ RXg7 42fXg7! Kg8 43 Rf2 Bd7 (43 ... Be8 44 Rf8+!BXf8 45 BXh7+) 44 e6 Ba4 45 d6! BXd6 46 e7!BXe7 47 Bf5! Kf7 48 BXh7+ Bf6 49 g8=Q+RXg8 50 BXg8+ KXg8 51 RXf6. The reader should not be concerned by the length of the main variation — its forcing nature significantly facilitates its calculation. Instead of this (once again in time trouble) I was tempted by another continuation.

35        ... Ke8 36 Ral

The point of White's play. Now in the event of the retreat of the bishop, White's 35th move is fully justified, but. ... the bishop is not obliged to retreat!

36        ... Qe7!!

Petrosian made this brilliant move almost without thinking. White's attack evaporates, since his rooks are tied up on the Q-side. Realizing that the ending after 37 QXe7+ KXe7 38 RXa4 Rd6 was completely unpromising, I attempted to "muddy the water".

37Qe6!? Rd6!

Petrosian is again on the mark. After 37. . . QXe6 38 fXe6 Bd7 39 eXd7+ RXd7 40 Rf2 White would have managed to save the game.

38Qg8+ Qf8 39 Qg3 QXh6!

Not a trace of White's attack remains, but he could still have resisted by 40 Re2. Now 40... Bd7 gives White quite good counter-chances: 41 QXe5+ Kf7 42 Qg3 Rg8 43 Qf3, and his pawn trio cannot be underestimated. The much stronger 40 ... Bb3! with the threat of... BXc4 would have left Black with the advantage, but at any rate he would still have had to solve a number of problems. But

* 40 . . . KJ7 41 e5 RXe5 42 RXe5 KX/6 makes things more difficult for White, but even here the game cannot be saved:43Rbe2a4(43...B/544Re8;43. . .Rh844Re6+ BXe6 45 RXe6+ Kg5 46 RXg6+ Kh5 47 Kh2f, or 46 . . . Kf4 47Kf2! with mating threats) 44g4!BXg4 (44. ..a345 g5+ K/7 46 d6l BXd6 47 Rd5 a2 48 RXa2) 45 Re8 Ra7 46Re6+!BXe6 47 RXe6+ Kg5 48RXg6+ Kf4 49Rg7Ra8 50 h7.

the game went:

40RXa4?? Qcl+

This "long" move simply escaped my field of vision. Here I should have resigned….

41Kf2 QXb2+ 42 Kf3 Kf7

The fever of time trouble concluded for me with a cold shower! White resigns.

At the conclusion of the tournament I was interested to learn of the opinion that my result (2nd-4th place) was partly explained by good luck....

Through the Prism of Analysis

Moscow, 1981

In the USSR Team Championship the Azerbaidzhan team played in the second division, and so my opponents were mainly masters, who for perfectly understandable reasons normally aimed for simplification and a draw. However, all sorts of things happened... .

A good example of a sudden attack on the king is provided by the following game.

Kasparov-Yurtayev

Nimzo-Indian Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 e3 0-0 5 Bd3 d5 6 cXd5 eXd5 7 Ne2 Nbd7 8 0-0 c6 f3 c5 10 a3 cXd4 11 eXd4 Be7 12 Nf4 Nb8

XABCDEFGHY
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6-+-+-sn-+&
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13 g4!

This active pawn thrust has the aim of

seizing space and restricting the mobility of the black pieces. The best reaction to it would have been 13 ... Nc6, immediately attacking the d4 pawn. In this case I was intending to continue 14 Bc2 and Qd3, provoking a weakening of Black's K-side, after which White simply develops his Q-side (Be3, Rael) and retains an advantage in view of Black's constrained pieces. Yurtayev probably reasoned in roughly the same way, and so he did not attach any great significance to his next two moves.

13 ... Bd6?! 14 Khl Re8?!

Here too 14 ... Nc6 should have been preferred. Black probably did not care for the variation 15 g5 BXf4 16 gXf6! BXcl 17 fXg7 Re8 18 QXcl with the better game for White. For example, the following pretty variation is a possibility: 18 ... Qh4 19 NXd5 NXd4 20 Rgl(20Nc7Bh3!)20. . .NXf321 Qf4!!QXf4 22 Ne7+! RXe7 23 BXh7+, and mates. Of course, Black is not bound to allow this spectacular mate — the variation merely illustrates White's great possibilities. By moving his rook away from a possible attack (17 fXg7) Black thought that he had safely defended against g4-g5, since 15 g5 BXf4 16 BXf4 Nh5 hardly seems to present any serious danger to him. Nevertheless. . . .

15 g5! BXf4 16 BXf4 Nh5 17 BXb8!

This move excaped Black's attention. Indeed, the exchange of a good bishop for a knight standing on its initial square seems absurd. But White's f-pawn becomes mobile, and is destined to play an important part in his plans.

17 ... RXb8 18 f4 g6 19 Qf3!

While threatening f4-f5, White at the same time attacks the d5 pawn. On encountering unexpected difficulties, Yurtayev loses his head and fails to find the best defence.

19 ... b6?

This weak move solves only a partial problem — that of maintaining the d-pawn — but

not of the defence as a whole. Black should have prevented f4-f5 by 19 ... Ng7! Now the immediate 20 NXd5? runs into 20 ... Bg4!, but after 20 Bb5! (20 ... Rf8 21 NXd5 Bg4 22 Qe4!) White's advantage is undisputed.

20        f5 Rb7 21 f6!

Cutting off the stray knight for ever.

21        ... Be6 22 Rael Qd6 23 Re5 Rd8

White has managed to concentrate an enormous amount of force in the immediate vicinity of the black king. Next on the agenda is a mating attack.

24        Qe3 b5

A vain attempt to divert White's attention from the K-side.

25        Be2 b4 26 aXb4 RXb4 27 BXh5 gXh5

Black appears to   have   avoided   the immediate danger (27 g6 hXg6 28 RXh5Qf8!), but

28 g6! hXg6 29 RXe6! fXe6

Obviously not 29 ... QXe6 30 Qh6.

30 Qh6 Rb7

Here Black resigned without waiting for White's reply. The variation 31 QXg6+ Kh8 (31... Kf8 32 Rgl) 32 f7 Qf8 33 QXh5+ Kg7 34 Rgl+ Kf6 35 Qh4+ is convincing enough.

I had difficulties to contend with in the following game.

Vaiser-Kasparov

King’s Indian Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4 d6 5 f4 0-0 6 Nf3 c5 7 d5 e6 8 Be2 eXd5

These well known moves, made by the two players in rapid tempo, require a little commentary. The point is that, three years ago at the USSR Championship Elimination Tournament in Daugavpils, Vaiser and I played a "blitz" match. In all the games where I was Black the position after 9 cXd5 was reached. The only thing that remains in my memory is the dismal result of the opening. The three years had not been wasted, and I was now fully prepared to meet White's onslaught. But an unpleasant surprise awaited me....

9e5!

The exclamation mark here should be attributed to the field of psychology. Vaiser correctly reckoned that, of the three possible continuations — 9 eXd5, 9 cXd5 and 9 e5 —the last would be unexpected for me. Indeed, from this point Black has to work things out for himself.

9          ... Ng4?!

This move is approved of by theory, which regards it as the best reply to White's audacious 9th move. One of the reasons for this is the variation 10 h3? d4 11 Ne4 NXe5! 12 fXe5 dXe5, when Black's central pawn mass gives him the better chances. But White has available a highly promising continuation, which will probably force the evaluation of 9 ... Ng4 to be reconsidered.

10        cXd5 dXe5 11 h3 e4 12 hXg4

This capture is not even considered by the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings, which gives only 12 NXe4 Nf6 with a good game for Black.

12 ... eXf3 13 gXf3

XABCDEFGHY
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6-+-+-+p+&
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3+-sN-+P+-#
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1tR-vLQmK-+R!
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Here I thought for a long time. At first it seemed to me that White's threats down the h-file could easily be parried, and that the insecure position of the white king would give Black good counter-chances. But on closer examination it all turned out to be not so simple: the difficulties began to pile up one on top of another, creating a veritable mountain of problems which was impossible to scale during the allotted time limit. Black's main trouble is the lack of good squares on which to develop his Q-side pieces. My pessimistic assessment is perhaps influenced by my sufferings at the board, but I would prefer to have the white pieces here.

13 ... Re8

The attempt to prevent f4-f5 (13 ... f5) would have led to a weakening of the a2-g8 diagonal, which could have cost Black dearly in the not too distant future.

14 f5!

Now the bishop will be developed at h6, confronting Black's only active piece and, what is more important, the only defender of his king—the bishop at g7. Variations such as 14... gXf5 15 Bh6 BXh6 16 RXh6 Qg5 17 Qd2! QXd2+ 18 KXd2 fXg4 19 Ne4 Nd7 20 Rahl or 14 ... Nd7 15 Bh6 Bd4 16 Qd2 and 0-0-0 give few grounds for optimism, and so I decided to attack the b2 pawn, so as somehow to deflect the mounting wave of the attack.

14        ... Qb6?

Black should have tried to exploit the pin on the e-file by 14 ... b6!? Since the immediate 15 Bh6? runs up against 15 ... BXc3+ 16 bXc3 Ba6, and after 15 Ne4 gXf5 16 gXf5 BXf5 17 Bg5 Qd7! 18 Nf6+ BXf6 19 BXf6 Qd6, in spite of the loss of his King's Indian bishop (it is successfully replaced by the white-squared bishop), Black seizes the initiative, it means that White would have had to engage in prophylaxis. For example,15Kfl, although here too 15 ... Ba6 gives Black counter-chances.

15        Bh6!

White pays no attention to his opponent's "pin-pricks" and continues to carry out his basic plan.

15 ... QXb2

I recognized the danger threatening Black, but I decided to be consistent and take the pawn, thinking: perhaps I'll be able to defend myself. ...

16BXg7KXg7

The abundance of attacking possibilities available to White is immediately apparent, but I reassured myself with the thought that by no means any move would win, and that to sense the critical moment and find that only move, the opponent would have to.... not lose his head.

17 f6+?

And here he is in too much of a hurry.... White cannot resist the temptation to advance a further assault column up to the walls of the black king's fortress. The pawn cannot be taken: 17 ... KXf6? 18 Ne4+ Kg7 19 Rbl Qe5 20 Qd2 h5 21 gXh5, and the retribution for the queen's wanderings is imminent. To leave the pawn at f6 seems even more terrible, but Black has no choice!

In such a position there was no urge for White to consider the modest 17 Rcl!, but this move would probably have given him an irresistible attack. The main threat is 18 Rc2 and Qd2 (or, in some cases, Qal).

17        ... Kg8!

The white army only needs to make a last, decisive thrust, but at this point I intuitively felt that the worst was behind, and I began to set my sights on the white king caught in the centre.

18        Qcl!

The game cannot be decided by a frontal attack, e.g. 18Ne4Nd7! (18... BXg4? 19Rbl Qe5 20 Qd2 Nd7 21 Qh6 NXf6 22 NXf6+ QXf6 23 QXh7+ Kf8 24 Qh8+, winning a piece) 19RblQe520Qd2NXf621Qh6b6!22 g5 (or 22 NXf6+ QXf6 23 QXh7+ Kf8 24 Qh8+ QXh8 25 RXh8+ Ke7 26 d6+ Kd8) 22 ... NXe4 23 QXh7+ Kf8 24 fXe4 Bd7, and White's offensive comes to a halt. Vaiser offers to go into an ending, where the opponent's lack of development and the strong pawn at f6 give White the advantage. But a surprise awaits him!

XABCDEFGHY
8rsnl+r+k+(
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6-+-+-zPp+&
5+-zpP+-+-%
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18 ... Qb4!

This seems suicidal, since the advance of the queen to h6 will create two deadly threats. But Black can parry them: 19 Qh6? QXc3+ 20 Kf2 Qd4+ 21 Kg3 Qe5+ 22 f4 QXf6. The exchange sacrifice 18 ... RXe2+? 19 NXe2 QXf6 would have been faint-hearted, leaving White with much the better chances after 20 Qc3! "I did not even consider the retreat of the queen. The pawn at h6, the h-file, the queen ready to advance to h6, the opponent's pieces undeveloped, White to move — and to think that with all this there shouldn't be a mate!" — Vaiser.

19Kfl?

White should have reconsidered and, rejecting his ambitious plans, agreed to an equal position. This aim could have been achieved by 19 Qd2! Nd7 20 Rbl Qd4 21 QXd4 cXd4 22 Ne4 d3! 23 BXd3 NXf6 24 Kf2 with a probable draw (24.. .NXd5?25Rb5!). By continuing to pursue the unattainable, White imperceptibly oversteps the fatal line.

19        ... Nd7 20 Bb5

This looks convincing: it appears that nothing now can prevent the white queen from occupying the cherished square. But in fact Black has no intention of defending his king, and with his next move, which threatens ... Re3, he begins a counter-offensive.

20        ... Qd4! 21 Kg2

The direct 21 Qh6 runs into 21... NXf6 22 BXe8 QXc3 23 Kg2 BXg4! 24 BXf7+ KXf7 25 fXg4 Re8, when White is defenceless.

21        ... Re3!

Much stronger than 21 ... QXf6, which gives White good counter-play after 22 Qh6 Qg7 23 Ne4!, despite being two pawns down.

22Ne2 Qe5 23 Kf2 RXe2+ 24 BXe2 NXf6

We can assess the results of White's "blitzkrieg". His attack has come to a halt, and the fact that he has won the exchange is little consolation. Black already has two pawns for it, and in addition the exposed position of the white king creates the conditions for various tactical operations. For example, after 25 Rbl the sacrifice of Black's bishop gives him an irresistible attack: 25 ... BXg4! 26 fXg4 Ne4+ 27 Kel Qg3+ 28 Kdl Re8! (29 Bb5 Qf3+ 30 Kc2 Qc3+, or 29 Rb3 Nf2+ 30 Kel Qg2!). To avoid the worst, White goes into an ending, but Black is able to win a further pawn. It should be mentioned that at this point both players were already in time trouble.

25 QXc5 BXg4 26 Qe3 QXe3+ 27 KXe3 NXd5+ 28 Kf2 Be6 29 Rabl

Now Black succeeds in exchanging knight for bishop, and White's chances of saving the game become minimal. Better chances were offered by 29 Bc4! Rc8 30 Bb3 (30 Racl? Nf4!), when Black would have had to be content with the variation 30 ... Kg7 31 Racl (31 Rhdl Rc5! is no different) 31 ... RXcl 32 RXcl Kf6, centralizing his king with good winning prospects.

29... b6 30 Rbcl Nf4 31 a3 NXe2 32 KXe2 b5 33 Rc7 a5 34 Rbl Bc4+ 35 Kf2 a4!

This "antipositional" arrangement of the pawns is justified, since after obtaining a strong point the bishop is not inferior in strength to a rook.

36 Rel Rd8 37 Re3 Rd2+ 38 Kg3 Kg7 39 f4 Rb2 40 Rc5 h5

The immediate 40 ... Rb3 is more accurate. Here the game was adjourned, but (after sealing 41 Kh4) White resigned without resuming. Although resistance was still possible, Black had two clear ways to win. The first consisted of the ... b4 breakthrough (after withdrawing the bishop to e6) followed by the exchange of the h-pawn for the white f-pawn. The three passed pawns would then have been bound to decide matters. The second, more technical, way involves exploiting the weakness of the white pawns: 41... Rb3 42Rg3 Rbl! 43 Re3Rgl 44 Rg5 (44 Rg3 Rhl-h 45 Rh3 Rfl) 44 ... Rhl-h 45 Kg3 f5!, cutting off the rook from the Q-side. The choice between these two plans is a matter of taste.

In all the games from the Team Championship where I had Black, I had to battle against closed openings. Regularly choosing the King's Indian Defence, I successfully managed to solve my opening problems. There were some interesting developments in my games with Vaganian and Grigorian, in which White fianchettoed his white-squared bishop.

Vaganian-Kasparov

1d4Nf62Nf3g6 3 6 0-0 c5 7 dXc5 dXc5 8 QXd8 RXd8 9 Ne5!?

In spite of its apparent harmlessness, the continuation chosen by Vaganian contains a fair degree of venom. The transfer of the knight to d3 will tie Black to the defence of his c-pawn and will seriously hinder the development of his Q-side, and the routine 9 ... Nfd7 is unpleasantly met by 10 NXd7! NXd7 11 Rdl. After prolonged thought I managed to find an interesting plan involving a pawn sacrifice.

9 ... Ne8!? 10 Nd3 Nd6 11 NXc5 Nc6!

For the sacrificed pawn Black has the better development, and in addition the c4 pawn is attacked. But White's next move appears to parry all the threats.

12Na3

Now nothing is achieved by 12 ... Nd4 13 Rel Bg4 14 Kfl!, when Black's initiative comes to an end, but why hurry?

12        ... Rb8!

Exploiting the fact that the white pieces are tied up, Black calmly removes his rook from the "X-ray" beam of the g2 bishop, and threatens by 13 ... Nd4 14 Rel Bg4 15 Kfl Rdc8 to win back his pawn. In defending against this threat, Vaganian at the same time tries to solve the problem of his Q-side development.

13Na4

This looks convincing enough, since at first sight White is able to develop his pieces without difficulty and to keep his extra pawn. But Black finds some latent resources. It would be interesting to try 13 Rel!? Na5 14 Bg5 Kf8, with an unclear position.

13        ... Be6 14 Bf4 Rbc8 15 Racl

After 15 BXd6 RXd6 the activity of the black pieces at least compensates for the sacrificed pawn.

15 ... Nd4 16 Rfel

Now White has managed to defend everything, and Black's activity has reached an impasse. The prosaic regaining of the pawn by 16 ... BXc4 17 NXc4 (17 BXd6? NXe2+ 18 RXe2 BXe2 19 RXc8 RXc8 20 Bf4 b5) 17 ... RXc4 leaves White with the better chances after 18 Nc3. But at this critical point, tactics come to Black's aid.

16 ... b5! 17 BXd6!

Vaganian rises to the occasion! It appears that White has nothing to fear in taking the second pawn: 17 cXb5 (not 17 NXb5? N6Xb518cXb5 NXe2+! 19 RXe2 RXcl+ 20 BXcl Rdl+21BflBh3)17...RXcll8BXcl,but it is here that the compressed spring uncoils with terrible force: 18 ... Nc4! 19Nc3 (bad is 19NXc4 NXe2+ 20 RXe2 Rdl+ 21 Bfl BXc4)19...NXa3 20bXa3Rc8!(20. . .Nc2? 21 Rdl) 21 Bd2 Nc2 22 Rel BXc3 23 RXc2 (23 BXc3 RXc3 24 Be4 Nd4) 23 ... BXd2 24 RXd2 Rcl+ 25 Bfl Bh3, and mates. This forcing variation demonstrates the enormous potential strength of Black's position. Vaganian sees through my idea, and finds away of putting out the fire.

17... RXd618 NXb5 NXb519 cXb5 RXcl 20 RXcl Rd2

The weakness of White's back rank and his pawns allows Black to restore the material balance.

21 Bf3 BXb2

Draw agreed in view of the variation 22 NXb2 RXb2 23 a4 Ra2 24 Bc6 Bb3!

Grigorian-Kasparov

1 Nf3 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 g3 Bg7 4 Bg2 0-0 5 0-0 c5 6 d4 d6 7 Nc3 Nc6 8 dXc5

Grigorian too is unable to resist the temptation of playing a symmetric position with an extra tempo, and hence with a minimum of risk. Much more complicated play results from 8 d5 Na5 9 Nd2. But now, if he wishes to play for a win, Black has to take great risks in order to complicate the game.

8          ... dXc5 9 Be3 Be6

9          ... Qa5 looks more natural, but practice has shown that after 10 Bd2 Black has nothing better than to return the queen to d8. Such a swift curtailment of the struggle was

certainly not part of my plans.

10Qa4

10BXc5 is strongly met by 10 ... Qa5!, advantageously breaking the symmetry. But now White's extra tempo begins to tell. Thus 10 ... Qb6 is unpleasantly met by 11 Qb5! Nd7 13 Ng5. The same reply follows on 10 ... Qa5, and so Black is forced to deviate.

10        ... Nd4 11 Radl

11        BXd4 cXd4 12 Nb5 could have led to a mass extermination of the pieces after 12...Nd7, e.g. 13 NfXd4 (13 NbXd4?! Nb6! 14 NXe6 NXa4 15 NXd8 RfXd8 with the better game) 13 ... a6! 14 NXe6 aXb5 15 NXd8 RXa4 (15 ... bXa4? 16 NXb7 a3 17 Radl!) 16NXb7 bXc4 17 Radl (17 Bc6 Ra7) 17 ...Nb6 with a probable draw. True, Black can also choose another continuation, leading to more complicated play: 12 ... Bd7 13 Qb3Ne4! 14 Radl (14 NbXd4? BXd4 15 NXd4Nd2) 14 ... BXb5 15 QXb5 Nd6 16 Qb3 Qb6. Now, however, the game enters a phase of unfathomable complications.

11 ... Bd7 12 Qa3 Nc2 13 QXc5 b6

Black begins pursuing the white queen. It would be naive to think that with such limited forces he can trap the queen, but in the course of things I was hoping to gain some other advantages, compensating for White's extra pawn and better development.

14 Qg5!?

White provokes the enemy fire, hoping in the near future to exploit the weakening of Black's K-side. On the immediate 14 Qe5 Black would have done best to continue 14 ... Ng4 15 Qe4 NcXe3 15 fXe3 Rc8!, retaining compensation for the sacrificed pawn.

14 ... h6 15 Qf4!

The white queen finds the only safe passage through the minefield! The tempting 15 Qh4 (in the hope of 15 ... g5? 16 BXg5 hXg5 17NXg5 with a crushing attack) leads after 15 ... NXe3 16 fXe3 Ng4! 17 Nd5! g5 18 NXg5! (18 Qh5? e6! 19 QXg4 eXd5 20 Qh5Qc8! with the threat of. .. Bg4) 18 ... e6!! To a completely irrational position. I think that it deserves a diagram. The abundance of possibilities makes it not at all easy for White to find the correct path:

(1)19 QXg4? eXd5 20 NXf7 BXg4 21NXd8 RaXd8 22 BXd5+ Kh8, and Black's bishop is much stronger than the scattered pawns.

(2)19 NXb6 NXe3!! (now practically all the pieces are en prise) 20 NXd7! (20 NXa8 is

Position after 18 . . . e6!! (variation)

XABCDEFGHY
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weaker in view of 20 ... hXg5 21 Qe4NXg2! 22 QXg2 Qc8!, when after... Bc6 Black wins the knight and remains with an obvious advantage) 20. . .hXg5 21Qe4NXdl!(21... NXfl 22 QXa8!) 22 RXdl (not 22 NXf8? Qb6+ 23 Khl Nf2+ 24 RXf2 QXf2 or 24 e3 Rd8!, and Black wins) 22... Rc8. The resulting position is difficult to assess, but in my opinion Black's chances are better in view of the insecure position of the white king.

(3) 19 NXf7! (only this unexpected stroke enables White to maintain the balance) 19... QXh4 20 gXh4 eXd5! (the incautious 20... RXf7? loses material after 21 RXf7 KXf7 22 Rfl+) 21 BXd5 (21 NXh6+ Kh7!) 21... NXe3! 22 BXa8! NXdl (22... Bh3? 23 NXh6+) 23 RXdl Be6! (23 ... RXf7 24 Bd5 with the better chances) 24 Nd8 BXc4 25Bd5+ BXd5 26 RXd5 BXb2 with a draw.

To work out all these variations at the board was obviously impossible, but I intui¬tively sensed that I was risking less than my opponent. After 15 Qf4! Black has to play very accurately to maintain the balance.

15 ... g5 16 Qe5 Rc8!?

Black tries to maintain the tension, but White finds a way of forcing simplification and avoiding danger. Therefore I should probably have preferred 16 ... Ng4 17 Qe4 NcXe3 18 fXe3 Rc8, not allowing the exchanges which occurred in the game.

17 Nd5!

17 Bel? would have completely justified Black's last move—17... Rc5!, and the white queen is trapped!

17 ... NXd5 18 QXd5 Be6 19 Qb7!

Stronger than the plausible 19 QXd8 RfXd8 20 b3, since after 20 ... g4! 21 Nh4 NXe3 22 fXe3 Bf6! (22... b5? 23 cXb5 RXdl 24 RXdl Rc2 25 Rd8+) with the threat of...b5, Black has at least equal chances.

19 ... Qc7 20 QXc7 RXc7 21 b3

Here, on White's proposal, a draw was agreed. He should probably have played on, although after 21 ... NXe3 22 fXe3 Rfc8 23 Nd4 Bd7 Black should not lose. Also of interest is the semi-correct 22 ... b5?! 23 cXb5 Rc2 24 Rd2 Rfc8 25 Rfdl RXd2 26 RXd2 Rcl+ 27 Kf2 Bc3 28 Rd8+ Kg7 with the threat of... g4. The game could then have continued 29 h3! (29 Nd4 Bg4!) 29 ... Ba5! (29 :.. Ral? 30 Ra8! RXa2 31 b6) 30 Ra8 Bb6 31 Nd4 Ral 32 a4 Ra3, when a win for White is not apparent.

In spite of the fact that these two games ended in draws, and that very few moves were made in them, I was happy with them from the creative aspect.

Graz, 1981

The World Junior Team Championship (for players up to the age of 25) in the Austrian town of Graz was the third event of this kind. The first (in 1978) ended in a sensational victory for the English players, but in the second the Soviet team managed to gain revenge. And this time no one had any doubts about the success of the Soviet team, which was made up of top-class players (Kasparov, Psakhis, Yusupov, Dolmatov, Kochiev and Vladimirov), and would probably have been capable of contending for the medal positions even in the men's Olympiad. Before the start we thought that the main "problem" would be to decide each day on the composition of the team. But the very first round dispelled our optimistic hopes of an easy victory. While in a tenacious struggle we were defeating the Austrian team (2^1/2-1^1/2), the English defeated the Swiss 4-0. In the second round it was only with enormous difficulty that we managed to extract a 2^1/2-1^1/2 win over the Yugoslavs, whereas the English maintained the tempo and defeated the Brazilian team by a clean score. After two rounds we were in the middle of the tournament table, already three points behind the leaders. But there was no reason for depression, since there were still nine rounds to come. In the next two the Soviet team improved its play and confidently defeated the Canadians and the French by 3^1/2-1/2. But the gap was reduced by only half a point, as the English defeated the very strong Swedish and USA teams by 3^1/2-1/2 and 3-1 respectively. We had to put our faith in the individual meeting, which in fact occurred in round 5. With a lead of 2^1/2 points, the English could face the future with confidence. Even a 1^1/2-2^1/2 defeat would leave them with chances of winning the Championship. So we needed a big win. And we achieved it!

Psakhis played a powerful game against Mestel (who up till then had won all his games). Yusupov displayed fine endgame technique, outplaying Plaskett in a "dead-drawn" position. In a tenacious and complicated struggle I managed to confuse Speelman and bring our team a third point. Only Dolmatov failed to exploit all the advantages of his position, and he was obliged in the adjournment session to agree to a draw. So, 3^1/2-1/2 and we went into the lead! True, in the next round we had to face another serious test, but our match with the USA team, which did not go too well for us, ended in a draw. But the English even lost to the Hungarians by l^1/2-2^1/2. By the last round we had extended our lead to 2!/2 points, and we won our final match against the West Germans (2l/2-1^1/2). On this same day England defeated Yugoslavia (3-1) and finished second, ahead of the Hungarians.

A big part in our victory was played by the friendly atmosphere which prevailed in our team throughout the tournament. The constant feeling of unity and friendly support enabled us to overcome all difficulties.

The English team made a strong impression. It is sufficient to say that they won three of the board prizes (Mestel, Plaskett and Davies), whereas our team gained a similar success on only two (Kasparov and Vladimirov). Of the other results, mention should be made of the success of the Hungarians, who managed to come ahead of a strong American team, and also the successful performance of the French team, who for the first time finished fifth in such an event. At one time the Americans too were challenging the leaders, but a poor finish left them outside the medal places. 16-year-old Joel Benjamin played well for the USA team, and had the best result among the first reserves (including a win over Yusupov).

I was happy with my play in Graz, and was able to create a number of interesting games. The role of leader is undoubtedly an honoured one, but at critical moments a double responsibility lies on his shoulders. Therefore I had to play for ten successive rounds without being substituted, and I was rested only in the final round, when the outcome of the tournament was already practically decided.

Sunye-Kasparov

Brazil-USSR Queen's Gambit

1 Nf3 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 Nc3 e6 4 e3 Nc6 5 d4 d5 6 cXd5 eXd5 7 Bb5 Bd6 8 dXc5 BXc5 9 0-0 0-0 10 b3 Bg4 11 Bb2 Rc8 12 Rcl Bd6 13 Be2 Bb8!

The weak d-pawn is not too high a price to pay for being able to deploy the forces so conveniently. On 14 Nd4 I was intending 14 ... Qd6 15 g3 Bh3.

14 Nb5 Ne4 15 Nbd4 Re8 16 h3 BXf3! 17 NXf3 Qd6 18 Qd3 Ng5 (18 ... a6!) 19 Rfdl Rcd8 20 Kfl Ne4 21 a3 a6 22 Qc2 Ba7 23 Bd3 Qe7 24 Rel Rd6 25 b4 Re6 26 b5 aXb5 27 BXb5 h6 28 Rcdl Rd8 29 Qb3 Qd6 30 a4 Bc5 31 Re2 b6 32 Kgl

If 32 BXc6 QXc6 33 Nd4, then 33 ... Qc7! 34 NXe6? Qh2 35 Reel fXe6 , or 34 Kgl Rg6.

Here the Brazilian player offered a draw (see diagram). However, I managed to find an interesting way of attacking the K-side, and so (also taking account of the fact that my opponent was somewhat short of time) I decided to play on.

32        ... Ne7!

Black's plans include transferring this knight via f5 (or g6) to h4, and his rook to g6, with pressure on the enemy king position.

33        Nd4 Rg6 34 Bd3 Qd7

Thus the first threat has appeared. The

Position after 32 Kgl:

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-tr-+k+(
7+-+-+pzp-'
6-zpnwqr+-zp&
5+Lvlp+-+-%
4P+-+n+-+$
3+Q+-zPN+P#
2-vL-+RzPP+"
1+-+R+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

most clear-cut way of parrying the attack was by 35 f3!, which after 35 ... Ng3 36 BXg6 NXe2+ 37 NXe2 NXg6 leads to a roughly equal game. But Sunye avoids the slightest weakening of his position.

35Khl?! Nf5! 36 NXe4?

And this is a serious mistake, after which Black's advantage becomes appreciable. It was essential to eliminate the black cavalry by NXf5 QXf5 37 BXe4 QXe4 38 f3, when Black has only a minimal advantage.

36        ... dXe4 37 Red2 Nh4!

Only here did Sunye notice that, in the event of the prepared 38 Nf3, an unpleasant surprise awaited him: 38 ... eXf3! 39 RXd7 fXg2+ 40 Kgl Nf3 mate! Another knight move 38 Nf5 leads to the win of the exchange, but after 38 ... QXf5 39 RXd8+ Kh7 how is White to defend his king? That only leaves. . . .

38 Ne6 QXd2 39 RXd2 RXd2 40 Nf4 Rg5 41 Kgl

Here I had to seal my move, and the unexpectedness of it served as an overture to the most beautiful combination that I have ever created on the chess board.

41        ...M3+!42Kfl

The other king move will be considered below.

42        ... BXe3!! (see diagram) 43 fXe3

The acceptance of the sacrifice is forced,

since after 43 Ne2 White is mated: 43 ... Nh2+ 44 Kel RXg2 45 QXe3 ND+ 46 Kfl

Position after 42 . . . BXe3!!

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+k+(
7+-+-+pzp-'
6-zp-+-+-zp&
5+-+-+-tr-%
4P+-+psN-+$
3+Q+-vln+P#
2-vL-tr-zPP+"
1+-+-+K+-!
xabcdefghy

Rg1!! 47 NXgl Rdl+.

43        ... RdXg2! 44 Qc3!

The only defence. The natural 44 QXb6 loses immediately: 44 ... Rh2 45 Ne2 Rgg2. But now in this case White has perpetual check at c8 and f5.

44        ... Rh2 45 Ne2 Kh7!

Renewing the threat of ... Rgg2. Sunye prevents it in a primitive way, and overlooks an unusual mating construction.

46 Qc8?! Rhl+ 47 Kf2 Nd2!

White resigns. After 48 Ng3 Rh2+ 49 Kel Nf3+ 50 Kfl RXb2 it is pointless to play on.

A more stubborn resistance could have been offered by 46 Qb4J, maintaining control over d2. But in this case too Black has a win, although not such an obvious one: 46 ... f5! 47 Qb5 (47 Qf8 Rhl+ 48 Kf2 Nd2! etc.) 47... f4! 48 Qb4 Nd2+! 49 QXd2 (49 Kel f3! 50 KXd2 RXe2+ 51 Kc3 RXe3+ 52 Kd4 f2, and the f-pawn queens) 49 ... Rhl+ 50 Kf2 f3!, and it is easy to see that mate or enormous loss of material for White is inevitable. Let us now return to the position after 41        ... Nf3+. What would have happened if White had moved his king the other way —42      Khl ? In this case I had prepared another combination: 42 ... BXe3!! 43 fXe3 RdXg2!! 44NXg2Rg3!

A fantastic position! (see diagram). In spite of White's enormous material advantage, he cannot defend against the mate. I have yet to meet anything similar in a practical game.

It also does not help White to decline the

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+k+(
7+p+-+pzp-'
6-+-+-+-zp&
5+-+-+-+-%
4P+-+p+-+$
3+Q+-zPntrP#
2-vL-+-+N+"
1+-+-+-+K!
xabcdefghy

sacrifice — 43 Ne6. I was intending to continue 43 ... RXf2, and if 44 gXf3 Rfl+ 45 Kh2 eXf3! 46 NXg5 (46 QXe3 Rg2 mate) 46 ... Bf4 mate!

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+k+(
7+-+-+pzp-'
6-zp-+-+-zp&
5+-+-+-sN-%
4P+-+-vl-+$
3+Q+-+p+P#
2-vL-+-+-mK"
1+-+-+r+-!
xabcdefghy

Again a mating finish! With its unusual beauty, this game appealed to me more than any of the others that I played in Graz.

Klaric-Kasparov

Yugoslavia-USSR Queen's Pawn Opening

1 d4 Nf62 c3 g6 3 Bg5 Bg7 4 Nd2 0-05 e4 d6 6f4!?

After 6 Ngf3 a familiar theoretical position would have been reached. But now, if White should succeed in playing Ngf3 and Bc4, he will stand well, so Black must immediately attack the centre.

6 ... c5 7 dXc5 dXc5 8 Bc4

An inaccuracy. 8 Ngf3 followed by 9 Be2 is stronger.

8 ... Nc6 9 Ngf3 Na5 10 Be2 Ng4! 11 Nfl Qb6 12 Qcl c4 13 Bh4 e5!?

A positional sacrifice of a pawn.

14 h3 Nf6 15 BXf6 QXf6 16 fXe5

An important moment. On 16 NXe51 was intending to continue 16 ... g5! 17 NXc4 gXf4 18 NXa5 Qh4+ 19 Kdl Qd8+ 20 Kc2 QXa5 21 QXf4 Be6! In spite of being two pawns down, Black has excellent chances.

16        ... Qe7

There would have been a complicated struggle after 16. . .Qb6!? 17Ne3Bh6 18Bd5 BXcl 19 NXb6 BXb2 20 NXa8 BXal 21 Kd2.

17Qf4

The tempting 17 Ne3 would have led to difficulties for White after 17 ... Be6 18 Nd5 BXd5 19 eXd5 BXe5.

17        ... Nc6 18 Ne3 NXe5 19 NXc4?

19 Nd5 Qd6 20 0-0-0 was better, completing his development.

19 ... NXf3+ 20 BXf3 Be6 21 Ne3 Qc5! 22Nc2

22 0-0 is unexpectedly met by 22 ... g5!, when White loses a piece.

22 ... Rad8* 23 Qe3 Qb5 24 Nb4 Bc4

Now the king cannot escape from the centre - 25 Be2 BXe2 26 QXe2 Qc5, and 27 Qf2? fails to 27 ... BXc3+!

25        a4 Qe5 26 Kf2

26        Be2 is bad-26.. .Bh6!27QXh6Qg3+.

But how is Black to continue his attack?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-tr-trk+(
7zpp+-+pvlp'
6-+-+-+p+&
5+-+-wq-+-%
4P+l+P+-+$
3+-zP-wQL+P#
2-zP-+-mKP+"
1tR-+-+-+R!
xabcdefghy

* More energetic is 22 . . . Be5! 23 Qe3 Bg3+ 24 Kdl (24 Kfl Qb5+) 24 ... Rfd8+ 25 Nd4 (25 Kcl QXe3+ 26NXe3Bf4)25. . . Be5, when White's position cannot be defended.

26 ... Bf6!f 27 Rhdl Be7

Now  there  is  no  satisfactory  defence against . . . Bc5.

28Nc2

28 Nd5 is decisively met by 28 ... Bh4+! 29     Kgl BXd5, when White loses a piece!

This is not so: White can regain his piece by 30Qc5!, and after missing good chances on

moves 22 and 26, Black still has to demonstrate his advantage. After 30 . . . Be7 31 Qa5 b6 32RXd5 Qf41 he is able to do this: 33 QXa7 RXd5 34 eXd5 (34 QXel is more tenacious, although 34 . . . Rd2 leaves Black with real winning chances) 34... Bc5+ 35KM Bd636Kgl Qe3+ 37 Khl (37 Kfl Bc5) 37 .. . Re8!, or 33 Qb5 Bc5+!34 Khl RXd535eXd5Bd636 Kgl Qe3+ 37Khl Qe5 38Kgl Re8! But the correct 31 Qb5! would probably have led to a draw. It follows that the exclamation mark to 26. . . Bf6 should be replaced by a question mark!

28 ... RXdl 29 RXdl Bb3 30 Qd3

Or 30 Qe2 Bc5+ and 31 ... Qh2.

30 ... Qc5+! 31 Kel Bh4+ 32 Kd2 Rd8 33 Nd4 BXdl and Black won.

Speelman-Kasparov

England-USSR English Opening

1Nf3Nf6 2C4c5 3Nc3e64g3b6 5Bg2Bb7 6 0-0 Be7 7 b3 0-0 8 Bb2 d6 9 e3 Nbd710 d4 a6 11 Rcl

Smyslov, in the Match-Tournament of USSR Teams (1981), and Smejkal, in the Moscow International Tournament (1981), continued against me 11 Qe2, with approximate equality after 11 ... Ne4. The move made by the English player is less good, since it allows Black to carry out an interesting counter-blow.

11 ... b5!

At first sight it appears (see diagram) that White can win a pawn by 12 dXc5 NXc5 13 cXb5 aXb5 14 NXb5, intending to meet 14            ... RXa2 with 15 BXf6, seemingly forcing 15     ... gXf6. But 15 ... BXf6! changes the situation in Black's favour: 16 QXd6 NXb3

† 26 ... f5l is very strong, e.g. 27 eXf5 QXe3+ 28 KXe3 a5! 29 Na2 (29 Nc2 Bh6+) 29 . . . Rd3+, or 27 Rhel f4 28 QXa7 (28 Qcl Qc5+) 28... Ra8 29 Qb6 Rf6 30 Qd4 QXd4 31 cXd4 Rb6, with a crushing attack.

Position after 11 . . . b5!

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-wq-trk+(
7+l+nvlpzpp'
6p+-zppsn-+&
5+pzp-+-+-%
4-+PzP-+-+$
3+PsN-zPNzP-#
2PvL-+-zPLzP"
1+-tRQ+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

17 Rcdl QXd6 18 NXd6 BXf3 Nd2, or 16 NXd6Ba6 17RXc5Be2! 18 Qbl Rb2 winning the exchange. If White does not do anything, after .. . bXc4 and . . . cXd4 the slight weakness of the central white pawns will promise Black a good game.

12 d5 eXd5 13 NXd5 NXd5 14 cXd5 Bf6!

The exchange of bishops favours Black, since the e4-e5 breakthrough is hindered, and in addition his counter-play on the Q-side is made easier.

15BXf6 NXf6

The advantages of this capture are obvious - the knight exerts pressure on the centre, but its drawbacks are less so — White will prepare e4-e5, and in this case the knight is better placed at d7 (from where, incidentally, it can also be transferred to the Q-side). 15 ... QXf6! was preferable, when on the long diagonal the queen could have supported the pawn offensive .. . a5,.. . b4 and ... a4.

16Nh4 a5 17 e4 Re8 18 Rel g6

The direct 18 . . . a4 runs into 19 e5! RXe5 20 RXe5 dXe5 21 RXc5 with advantage to White. For example, on 21... e4 he has the important resource 22 Nf5!, when the capture on d5 is impossible.

Black prevents the opponent from bringing his knight into play via f5.

19Qd2 b4

Here 19 ... a4 is bad because of 20 b4.

20a3

The natural development of events would have been 20 f4 Nd7 21 Rcdl a4 22 Nf3 aXb3 23 aXb3 Qb6 or 23 ... Ra3 with double-edged play. The English player takes a debatable decision: wishing to suppress Black's activity, he advances a pawn on the side where the opponent is stronger.

20 ... bXa3 21 Ral Qe7!

Now 22 RXa3? is met by 22 ... NXd5. Although weak, the a3 pawn remains alive in certain variations, and can become dangerous. For example, 22 e5 is refuted by 22 ... a4! 23 eXf6 QXel+ followed by... aXb3 and

. . . a2.

This variation is incorrect. After 22 e5? a4? 23 eXf6 QXel+ 24 RXel RXel+ 25 QXel aXb3 26 Nf5!! it is White who wins: 26. . . a2 27Nh6+ Kh8 28 7VX/7+ Kg8 29 Nh6+ Kh8 30Qe7al=Q+31Bfl,or26. . .gXf527Qe3a2 28 Qh6 al=Q+ 29 Bfl QXf6 30 QXf6. The

simple 22 . . . dXe5 23 d6 Qd7 was quite adequate, whereas in the event of 22f4 a4 23 e5 the queen could indeed have been sacrificed —23 ... aXb3 24 eXf6 QXel+ etc.

22 h3

Preparing 23 Re3 (with the idea of 24 RXa3), White safeguards himself against... Ng4 and vacates h2 for his king.

22        ... Qe5

Creating the threat of 23 ... Qb2, but the main idea lies in the next move. White is forced to take the a3 pawn, and is able to do this, since, with the queen at e5,23 ... NXd5 is bad because of 24 Nf3.

23RXa3 Qd4! 24 QXd4 cXd4

Another passed pawn — this time on the d-file! True, it too is weak, but it causes a certain confusion in the opponent's ranks. Also important is that White finds it difficult to bring his bishop and knight into play — they are tied down by Black's central pressure.

25Ra4

With a simple calculation: 25 ... BXd5 26 RXd4 Rab8 28 Ral, but 25 Rdl NXe4 26 RXd4 Nc5 27 b4 aXb4 28 RXa8 RXa8 29 RXb4 was sounder - after 29 ... Kf8 Black has the advantage (the weakness of the d5 pawn), but White's drawing chances are very considerable.

25        ... d3 26 Rdl?!

26        Rd4 BXd5 27 RXd3 appears to lead to a position from the previous note, but the fact that the rook is not at d4 is important. After 27 ... Rab8 28 Ral BXb3 29 RXa5 NXe4 the regaining of the pawn — 30 BXe4 RXe4 — involves a risk: 31 RXd6 Be6! 32 Kg2 Re2 33 Ra3 Rbb2 34 Rf3 h5, when in spite of the material equality it is not easy to draw. It is possible that if he avoids playing 30 BXe4 White retains quite good defensive chances.

26        ... Nd7!

The d-pawn proves to be very hardy: 27 RXd3? Nc5!

27b4 aXb4 28 RXb4 Nc5 29 Nf3 Ra2

It is doubtful whether 29 ... RXe4 30 RXe4 NXe4 31 Nel Nc3 32 RXd3 Ral 33 RXc3 RXel+ 34 Kh2 Rdl is any stronger- in this ending Black has merely slight winning chances.

30 e5! dXe5 31 Rcl Rc2

Black is obliged to go into an ending with "four against three" on one side of the board.

32 RXc2 dXc2 33 Rc4 Nb3 34 RXc2 BXd5 35 Rc7 e4 36 Nel Nd4 37 Rd7 Re5 38 Nd3?

Clever, but insufficient. With his rook at c7 White should have played 37 Nc2, not fearing 37 ... Nf3+: after 38 BXf3 eXf339 Ne3, 40 g4 and Kh2-g3 White draws easily*. Even here it was not too late to return — 38 Rc7.

38 ... eXd3 39 BXd5

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+k+(
7+-+R+p+p'
6-+-+-+p+&
5+-+Ltr-+-%
4-+-sn-+-+$
3+-+p+-zPP#
2-+-+-zP-+"
1+-+-+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

Thus Black has yet another passed pawn —

* 37Nc2 is best met by37...Ne6 38Rd7 Rd8 39RXd8+ NXd8, still with some hopes of success.

his third! The question is what to do with it.

39        ... Kf8!

White was counting on 39... d2 40 BXf7+ and 41 RXd4. But now 40 BXf7 is met by 40... Re4!, when the d-pawn can be stopped only at the cost of a piece.

40        Bc4 d2 41 RXd4 Rel+ 42 Kg2 dl=Q 43 RXdl RXdl

Winning with the extra exchange does not present any serious difficulty.

44 h4 Rcl 45 Bd5 Rc5 46 Bb3 Ke7 47 Ba2 h6 48 Bb3 Rc7 49 Ba2 Kd6 50 Kh3 Ke5 51 Kg4 Ra7 52 Bb3 Rb7 53 Bdl Rb2 54 KB Kd4 55 Be2 Rb3+ 56 Kg2 Kc3 57 Bf3 Rb5 58 Bc6 Rc5 59 Be8 Rc7 60 Kfl Kd2 61 Ba4 Rcl+ 62 Kg2 Kel 63 Bb3 Rc7 64 14 Ke2 65 Bd5 Ke3 66 Ba8 16 67 Kgl Rg7! 68 Kg2 g5 69 hXg5 hXg5 70 fXg5 RXg5

White resigns.

Kasparov-Fedorowicz

USSR-USA

Queen's Indian Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 a3 c5 5 d5 Ba6 6 Qc2 eXd5 7 cXd5 g6

More accurate than 7. . . d6 8 Nc3 Nbd7, as in the game Kasparov-Browne (1979), in which after 9 Bf4! Be7 10 g3 0-0 11 Bg2 Re8 12 0-0 White gained the better chances.

8 Nc3 Bg7 9 g3 0-0 10 Bg2 d6 11 0-0 Re8 12 Rel Qc7

An important finesse: usually the queen is deployed at e7, where it merely gets in Black's way after White adopts the set-up e2-e4, h2-h3 and Bf4.

13Bf4

Perhaps here too I should have carried out the standard plan with e2-e4, but I thought that I could try to exploit immediately the position of the black queen: now normal development is made more difficult, since

13        ... Nbd7 is met by the highly unpleasant 14Qa4.

13 ... Nh5

This move to the side of the board does not look very pretty, but now the e4-e5 break through is hindered to the maximum extent, whereas Black's counter-play on the Q-side is very much a reality:. . . c4 and. . . Nd7-c5, or ... Bb7, ... a6 and ... b5.

14 Bd2 Nd7

XABCDEFGHY
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6lzp-zp-+p+&
5+-zpP+-+n%
4-+-+-+-+$
3zP-sN-+NzP-#
2-zPQvLPzPLzP"
1tR-+-+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

Now White has to decide on a specific plan of action. Of course, by the typical manoeuvre 15 a4 he can restrain his opponent's offensive, but after 15 . .. c4 there is no clear way to develop his initiative. After considerable thought White decides to carry out an original plan, which in general does not follow logically from his preceding play.

15Qa4 Bb7 16 Qh4

Such a transference of the queen is usually associated with an attack on the king. Here, for the moment, there is not even any expectation of an attack, and with the board full of pieces it seems unjustified for the queen to take up a forward position. Nevertheless, there is some justification for the queen manoeuvre: to strengthen his Q-side offensive, Black will have to transfer there a number of pieces, after which the preconditions may arise for an attack on the black king.

16        ... a6 17 Racl b5 18 b4

In this way White halts his opponent's offensive.

18 ... Qd8

18 ... Nb6 19 g4 Nf6 20 e4 Nc4 21 Bg5 or 21 Bh6 would have led to precisely that which I had in mind: Black has a great advantage on the Q-side, but White has play against the king. The situation would have been sharp and completely unclear. Fedoro-wicz evidently did not like the white queen being at h4, and he straightforwardly tries to drive it away. The following forcing play demands great accuracy.

19Bg5

On 19 Ne4 Black had prepared not 19 ... QXh4? 20 NXh4, but 19 ... RXe4! 20 QXe4 Nhf6 and . . . BXd5 with excellent compensation for the exchange.

19 ... f6

19        ... Bf6 is unfavourable because of 20 BXf6, when 20 ... QXf6 21 Ne4! is now very strong, while if 20 ... NhXf6 White's plan is completely justified: after 21 e4 it is difficult for Black to defend his king.

20Bd2 f5

In this way Black takes control of the e4 square and intends to transfer his knight from h5 to the centre. For the moment White is not able to exploit the weakening of the e6 square.

21        Bg5 Qb6?

21        ... Bf6! was correct, maintaining approximate  equality,  e.g.  22 e4 (22 BXf6

QXf6) 22 ... cXb4 23 aXb4 Rc8.

22        e4 cXb4

Also after 22 ... h6 23 Bd2 (23 eXf5!?) 23 ... Bf6 24 Qh3 Black's position is on the point of collapse.

23aXb4 Rac8

XABCDEFGHY
8-+r+r+k+(
7+l+n+-vlp'
6pwq-zp-+p+&
5+p+P+pvLn%
4-zP-+P+-wQ$
3+-sN-+NzP-#
2-+-+-zPLzP"
1+-tR-tR-mK-!
xabcdefghy

The critical position. Both sides have achieved what they have been aiming for, obtaining maximum activity on "their own" parts of the board. At this point the shaky position of the knight at c3 and the weakness of White's centre alarmed me, and so I decided to repeat moves.

24 Be3? Qd8 25 Bg5 Qb6?

This move was made quickly, and it became clear that my opponent did not object to a draw. As before 25 ... Bf6 was essential, but it was extremely difficult to anticipate the further course of events. After some thought I discovered that the position con¬tained the opportunity for a combinational attack.

26 eXf5!

In giving up a piece White does not appear to achieve any immediate gains in return. But it is here that the slight defects in Black's set-up begin to tell: his queen, bishop at b7 and knight at h5 are badly placed, and his king's protection is weakened. It proves impossible to resist the attack by the opponent's superior forces.

26 ... RXel+ 27 RXel BXc3

Of course, not 27... RXc3, if only because of 28 Bd8 Bf6 29 Re8+ Kf7 30 Re7+ Kg8 31 RXd7 with a decisive advantage.

28 Re7 Rc4

It is very difficult to find a defence. For example, the natural withdrawal of the d7 knight to f8 or f6 runs into 29 Be3!, when the

black queen is trapped - 29... Qd8 30 RXb7 does not count. The counter-attacking attempt 28 ... Bf6 29 RXd7 Rc2 is parried by 30 g4! (defending f2), while 29 ... Rcl+ is most simply met by 30 BXcl BXh4 31 Be3, regaining the queen.

29 Qh3!

A simple and strong reply: the queen waits in ambush. Its transference to the K-side has been crowned with complete success!

29        ... Bc8

Again, if the knight moves from d7, Be3 is decisive.

30 fXg6 Ndf6

30        ... hXg6 31 Qe6+ leads to an immediate debacle.

31 BXf6 NXf6 32 gXh7+ Kf8

32        ... Kh8 can be met by 33 Qh6, and if 33 ... QXf2+ 34 Khl. In fact, I was intending

to reply 33 Nh4, again with inevitable mate, but a more spectacular one: 33 ... RXh4 34 QXc8+, or 33 ... BXh3 34 Ng6 mate.

33        h8=Q+ KXe7 34 Qg7+

Black resigns. Of course, the two queens easily deal with his king.

Two Weeks in Tilburg

Apart from the World Champion and the Challenger to his title, nearly all the world's leading players gathered in the small Dutch town of Tilburg for the fifth traditional tournament there. One of the favourites was the Dutchman Jan Timman, who always plays well on his "home ground". There was an impressive-looking quartet of Soviet players: USSR Champion Aleksander Belyavsky, Ex-World Champions Boris Spassky and Tigran Petrosian, and the author of these lines. In general, any of the twelve grandmasters was capable of battling for first place.

At the start the lead was rather surprisingly seized by Ulf Andersson — Xk out of three. Playing in his unhurried, outwardly unpretentious manner, the Swedish grandmaster managed to lull the vigilance of Miles and Portisch. But then Andersson contented himself with draws, and two defeats at the finish threw him back into the middle of the tournament table. Timman gradually played himself in, and an important game was Timman-Kasparov from the fourth round, which the Dutch grandmaster conducted strongly and precisely. Almost imperceptibly, Belyavsky crept up on the leaders.

His tremendous concentration and self-determination at the board enabled him to catch Timman by the ninth round. But in this round disappointment awaited the leaders: both had to resign for the first time in the tournament. Timman lost to Sosonko, and Belyavsky to Portisch, after which the leaders were joined by Petrosian, the only participant who had not suffered the bitterness of defeat. In my game with him I was close to victory, but again, as in the Moscow tournament, defence triumphed.

Kasparov-Petrosian

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After sacrificing a pawn in the opening, I have been able to restrict the black pieces severely. In addition, it is obvious that the black king is badly placed. Now, for example, a4-a5 is threatened, and it is not clear how the threat of Rcb2 and Qbl can be parried. Realizing the hopelessness of passive defence, Petrosian decides on a desperate step.

30        ... b5

At first sight this looks all right, but White has a strong rejoinder.

31        aXb5 cXb5 32 Ra2!

Now the knight is immune (32 ... bXc4? 33 RXa6+!), and it appears that the collapse of the black position is inevitable.

32        ... Kb7!!?

The two exclamation marks are for the boldness with which the black king goes to meet the danger, and the question mark is there because it is probably not the strongest move. The majority of players would probably have preferred 32... Bd6, but then after 33 RXb5 RXb5 34 NXd6 QXd6 35 QXb5 White regains his pawn with an obvious advantage. But 32 ... Kb7 had an unexpected psychological effect on me. Sensing that there was an imminent win, I became nervous.

33        Bb4?

Strangely enough, this natural move, increasing the tension, proves to be a serious mistake. The mainstay of Black's position is his knight at d5, and it was essential to begin a battle against it. 33 Na3! was correct. Now 33 ... N7b6 loses to 34 NXb5! aXb5 35 QXb5, e.g. 35 ... Rd8 (35 ... Ra8 36 BXd5+ eXd5 37 QXd5+) 36 Bb4! Qe8 37 Qa6+ Kc6 38 Bc5 Kd7 (38 ... Ra8 39 RXb6+) 39 Bfl! Therefore on 33 Na3! Black is forced to reply 33 ... Bb6, but in this case the white knight unexpectedly changes course, exploiting the fact that the co-ordination of the black pieces has been disrupted — 34 Nc2! And although after 34 ... Ra8 35 Nb4 Qd6 Black is able to defend all his weaknesses, a central break¬through opens up the position to White's decisive advantage: 36 e4! fXe4 37 QXe4, and Black has no defence (37 ... Ra7 38 QXg6 BXd4+ 39 Khl N7b6 40 f5!).

As is apparent from these variations, the win was by no means so simple as might appear at first sight, and finding it demanded a deep penetration into the position. After the insipid move played, Black is able to hold his defensive lines.

33        ... Qe8!

From here the queen indirectly defends the b5 pawn. 33 ... Qd8? would have been much weaker in view of 34 e4! fXe4 35 QXe4 with irresistible threats: 35 ... Qe8 36 QXd5+! eXd5 37 BXd5+ Ka7 38 RXa6+! KXa6 39 Ra3+ Ba5 40 RXa5 mate.

34        Bd6

The white bishop heads towards its doom, but in general this move does not spoil anything, since 34 Ba5 Qe7! also does not produce any result.

34        ... Ra8 35 Qbl

Realizing that the win has been missed, White simply places his pieces in attacking positions, hoping to land an unexpected combinational blow. I have to admit that, while I had considered in passing Black's 32nd move, his next reply threw me into utter confusion.

35        ... Kc6!!

The king itself takes a step towards the white army! But after this paradoxical move White's position immediately loses its attractiveness, and he now has to concern himself over how to withdraw his entangled pieces without losing material. Alas, staggered by my opponent's fantastic defence, I failed to find the best continuation and lost within a few moves, whereas there was still a way to save the game: 36 BXc7 bXc4 (36 ... KXc7 37Nb2Kd8 38 Qel with compensation for the pawn) 37 Rb7 RXc7 38 RXa6+ RXa6 39 Qb5+ Kd6 40 QXa6+ Ke7 (40 ... Rc6? 41 Qa3+) 41 BXd5 RXb7 42 BXb7 (42 QXe6+? Kd8 43 QXe8+ KXe8 44 BXb7 c3, and the pawn queens) 42... Qb8 43 Kf2 with a drawn ending.

36Rba3? bXc4 37 RXa6+ RXa6 38 RXa6+Bb6 39 Bc5 Qd8 40 Qal

Nothing is changed by 40 Qb4 Ra8! 41 Qa4+ Kb7 etc.

40 ... NXc5 41 dXc5 KXc5 42 Ra4,

and White resigns. This game did much to determine the tournament positions of the two players.

The last round proved decisive as regards the top placings. After Petrosian had agreed a quick draw with Ljubojevic, the fate of the first place was decided in the Belyavsky-Timman game. After employing an improvement in a very sharp variation of the Sicilian Defence, Belyavsky won the game and with it the tournament.

Regarding my comparative failure, I can definitely say: I was greatly let down by my inability to realize an advantage. This deficiency was typical of my games with Petrosian, Spassky, Portisch and Larsen, where in four winning positions I managed to gain only two draws! In spite of my poor result, I also had some creative achievements, among which all three of my wins could be included. Here is one of them.

Kasparov-Andersson

Queen's Indian Defence

1d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 a3 Bb7 5 Nc3 Ne4

The Swedish grandmaster's favourite continuation in the Queen's Indian Defence with 4 a3. In my opinion, 5 ... d5 is more promising.

6 NXe4 BXe4 7 Nd2!

The most energetic continuation.

7          ... Bg6?!

A new move, but hardly good. On 7 ... Bb7 Black was probably afraid of 8 e4. After the withdrawal of the bishop from the long diagonal, White changes his plan.

8 g3! Nc6?!

A continuation of the same fanciful course. The normal 8 .. . c6 9 Bg2 d5 10 0-0 Be7 11 e4 would merely have given White slightly the better chances.

9 e3 a6

Black still tries to engage in a battle for the centre, although he should have been thinking about developing his K-side pieces.

10 b4!

10 b3 was also good, but I decided to provoke Black into playing actively.

10 ... b5 11 cXb5 aXb5 12 Bb2 Na7

At this point Ulf assessed his position quite optimistically. Indeed, after . . . d5 Black will have nothing to fear. But from now on to the end of the game, Black does not receive a respite.

13 h4!

A weakening of Black's K-side must be provoked.

13        ... h6

Better defensive chances were offered by 13 ... h5.

14        d5! eXd5 15 Bg2 c6 16 0-0

This is the position for which White was aiming. The development of the black pieces is made difficult, and the threat of opening up the game by e3-e4 essentially cannot be parried (although 16 . . . f5 prevents this, it creates irreparable weaknesses in Black's position). Andersson tries to castle artificially, but in doing so he catastrophically weakens his white squares.

16 ... f6 17 Rel!

The immediate 17 e4 is weaker because of 17 ... dXe4 18 BXe4 Bf7!

17... Be7 18 Qg4 Kf719 h5 Bh7 20 e4 dXe4 21 BXe4 BXe4 22 NXe4

White has fully mobilized his forces, whereas the black pieces continue to huddle together on the back two ranks. It is obvious that the outcome of the game is decided.

22        ... Nc8

The black king is not destined to find shelter. 22 ... Rf8 is decisively met by 23 Radl d5 24 NXf6!, and 22... Re8 by 23 Qg6+ Kf8 24 g4, when there is no defence against Ng3-f5.

23        Radl Ra7

Black has somehow defended his weaknesses, but with a simple combination White destroys the defensive fortifications (see diagram overleaf).

24        NXf6! gXf6

24        ... BXf6 loses immediately to 25 Qg6+ Kf8 26 BXf6 gXf6 27 Re6!

25        Qg6+ Kf8 26 Bel! d5 27 Rd4!

The most clear-cut way to win. Black would have gained a few chances after 27 BXh6+ RXh6 28 QXh6+ Kg8! 29 Rd4 Bf8.

27 ... Nd6 28 Rg4 Nf7 29 BXh6+! Ke8

Or 29 ... NXh6 30 Qg7+ Ke8 31 QXh8+

Position after 23 . . . Ra7:

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Kd7 32 QXh6.

30Bg7

Black  resigns:   the  h-pawn  cannot  be stopped.

When a Photo-finish is not Demanded

Writing about such a tense, uncompromising tournament as the 49th USSR Championship (Premier League) is no easy matter. Especially for a player who was successfully able to endure all the changes of fortune in a sustained tournament struggle. It has to be said that USSR Championships have always provided a large and diverse amount of material for study. It is here that new paths have been laid, fashionable opening set-ups refuted, and genuine masterpieces created, even today arousing the admiration of chess enthusiasts.

And yet, in my opinion, the 49th Championship will leave a more striking impression in chess history than the majority of its predecessors. It was not just a matter of the high number of games with a decisive result, more than fifty per cent, which in itself is unusual for a tournament of such standard, but the extreme fierceness of the  struggle, which lasted right to the last day of the tournament. In my opinion, each participant played at least one game which could be numbered among his creative achievements. To describe the entire course of the tournament is simply not possible, so I will dwell only on the gripping pursuit race for first place, in which my rival was the most "Eastern" Soviet grandmaster, my fellow student team member Lyev Psakhis (Krasnoyarsk).

It would seem to me that before the Championship our chances were not rated very highly. Only six weeks before this I performed weakly at the international tournament in Tilburg, while Psakhis arrived in Frunze as 1980 USSR Champion. Very few had succeeded in winning the gold medal two years in succession (only Keres, Tal and Polugayevsky), and hence such an achievement could be regarded as an indication of

very high class, which the majority of the competitors before the tournament (and during it!) for some reason thought Psakhis was lacking. But before this tournament Lyev had done an enormous amount of work (in particular, he had included 1 d4 in his repertoire), and with a display of even, confident play, he managed to go the whole distance without any stumbles. His brilliant result - Wi out of 17 (+9 =7 -1) will undoubtedly force many to reconsider their attitude to the young player from Krasnoyarsk and to acknowledge the emergence of another outstanding grandmaster in the ranks of Soviet chess.

For me the tournament took a more tense course. After gaining a spectacular win in the first round over Gavrikov, in the second I unjustifiably played for complications in my game with Psakhis and suffered a deserved defeat. This failure sobered me up: I played the next few games in a more restrained manner, resorting to tactics only when the position demanded it. To my surprise, I discovered that I had managed to repeat an unusual record held by Viktor Kupreichik — five wins in a row! This, and also my final success in the tournament, was greatly helped by an avoidance of time trouble — a terrible enemy, which had pursued me for a whole year. Six out of seven was a splendid start, but alongside was Psakhis, ready at any moment to "go past on the bend".

I played the next four rounds beneath all criticism: 1^1/2 points (three draws and one defeat) against opponents who were not doing very well in the Championship — and I found myself half a point ahead of. ... Romanishin. But Psakhis was now leading by a full point, and was confidently heading for his second gold medal. Pulling myself together just in time and in doing so gaining three wins, I entered the finishing straight in the lead. But the distance separating me from my pursuer was very slight (half a point), and in addition our opponents were not the ones I would have liked. Psakhis had to play Kupreichik, Gulko and Agzamov, while I faced Romanishin, Sveshnikov and Tukmakov. The next two rounds fully confirmed my fears — Psakhis crushed his opponents in excellent style, whereas my games ended in draws, despite all my efforts to achieve success.

And so, the last round. .. . There were now few who doubted that Psakhis would win. And indeed, there was every reason for this: a lead of half a point, the white pieces against Agzamov, and also... .my opponent. I myself found it hard to believe that with Black I could defeat such an experienced tournament fighter as Tukmakov, who, on top of everything else, would be satisfied with a draw, which would give him the bronze medal and a place in the 1982 Premier League. In this situation Psakhis took a highly committing decision — to play for a win against Agzamov. Even apart from the tournament situation before the last round, it had to be admitted that Psakhis's chances of success against Agzamov were higher than mine against Tukmakov. But the last round has its own laws.. . .

For a long time fortunes fluctuated in the Psakhis-Agzamov game. At one point it even seemed that Lyev was close to victory, but the opponent managed to beat off his attack, retaining an extra pawn. Here Psakhis began peace negotiations, having decided not to let go of the bird in the hand, but he unexpectedly received a refusal. Now the pressure was on Psakhis, as he endeavoured to escape from the threatening danger. In the end a draw was agreed on Agzamov's proposal in a fairly complicated position, where Black's extra pawn was compensated by White's extra minutes. But by this point the game of the other contender for victory had already concluded.

Tukmakov-Kasparov

Kings Indian Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6

In my present-day repertoire the King's Indian Defence does not occupy the most prominent place, but at this critical moment I decided to revert to an old, well-tried weapon.

3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4 d6 5 Be2 0-0 6 Bg5

The system chosen by Tukmakov does not promise White a great deal, but it has the advantage that it sharply restricts Black's active possiblities. Realizing that simplification, resulting in equal chances, cannot satisfy me, Tukmakov expects Black to deviate from the well-trodden paths.

6 ... c5 7 d5 b5?!

Objectively this pawn sacrifice only deserves a question mark, but the probability of complications is increased, and that is worth an exclamation mark!

8cXb5 a6 9 a4!

Undoubtedly the strongest continuation, casting doubts on Black's gambit play. In Tilburg (1981) against Spassky I had this position with the opposite colour. The Ex-World Champion played badly — 9 ... Qa5?, and after 10 Bd2! Nbd7 11 Ra3! White's advantage became undisputed. The continuation chosen by Black in the present game enables him to obtain lively piece play.

9          ... h6 10 Bd2

After 10 Bf4 g5! 11 Bd2 e6 12 dXe6 BXe6 White has difficulties over the development of his king's knight.

10        ... e6 11 dXe6 BXe6 12 Nf3 aXb5 13BXb5

White cannot maintain a strong pawn at b5, since after 13 aXb5? Bb3! 14 Qcl RXal 15 QXal Qe7! the e4 pawn is doomed.

13        ... Na6 14 0-0 Nc7

14        ... Nb4 is tempting, but after 15 Be3! White prevents .. . d5 and gains an obvious advantage.

15Rel

15        Be2 would have retained both bishops, but would have allowed Black very comfortably to advance . . . d5. But even after 15 Be2 d5 16 eXd5 NfXd5 17 NXd5 NXd5 Black hasonly slight compensation for the pawn — not more. By 15 Rel White tries for more, but in doing so he allows his opponent the advantage of the two bishops. Here, for the first time, it occurred to me that the draw, which suited White  in the  purely  competitive sense, had already ceased to be the guiding line for him.

15 ... NXb5 16 NXb5

And after this optimistic move my suppositions grew into certainty. Yes, Tukmakov had indeed been seized by the fervour of the struggle, and, wishing to punish the opponent for his reckless play in the opening, he forgot about the competitive aim facing him in this last round. Meanwhile, 16 aXb5 would have paved the way for numerous exchanges and.... that cherished third place. Strictly speaking, it was from this point that the game began....

16 ... d5 17 eXd5 NXd5 18 Ne5!

For the moment White is on the mark. The plausible 18 Qc2 would have allowed the black bishops to exert terrible pressure on the Q-side after 18 ... Nb4! 19 BXb4 cXb4.

18        ... Re8 19 Rcl

It is hard to condemn this natural move, bringing another piece into play and creating a threat to the c5 pawn, but it is in fact the cause of White's subsequent difficulties. Dynamic positions of this type demand correct and bold decisions on every move, and an alternation of strong and "solid" moves does not produce good results. The dynamics of the situation demanded the energetic 19 Nc4!, threatening an invasion at d6 and consolidating White's advantage. Now, however, Black is able to activate his pieces to the maximum extent.

19        ... Bf5!

Beginning from this point Black employs the tactics of "intense pressurizing". By attacking one of White's pieces on each move, I forced him to proceed along a narrow, tortuous path, on which the slightest inaccuracy could prove fatal.

20Nc6

This expedition is practically forced, since 20 Nc4 would have allowed Black to create unpleasant threats, e.g. 20 ... RXel+ 21 BXel Nf4! 22 QXd8+ RXd8, while after 20 f4 g5! 21 Qh5 Re7 a position is reached where White's extra pawn does not play any part. 20 Ba5 sharply changes the character of the play, but the complications lead to a better ending for Black: 20... RXa5 21 Nc6 RXel+ 22 QXel Qg5! 23 NXa5 (23 h4? Qg4 24 B Qf4 25 NXa5 Be5 26 g3 QXD 27 QXe5 Ne3) 23...Nf4 24 g3 Ne2+ (24 ... Qg4 does not work because of 25 f3 QXf3 26 gXf4 Be4 27 Qd2) 25 QXe2 QXcl+ 26 Kg2 Be6! (26 ... BXb2? 27 Nb3) 27 b3 Qbl!, and the activity of Black's pieces outweighs his minimal material deficit.

The move chosen by White seems good enough, since after 20 ... Qb6 21 Na5! RXel+ 22 QXel he manages to retain his extra pawn while parrying all the threats. But is it really befitting for the black queen to assume the role of defender of the c5 pawn?!

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20        ... Qd7!

By sacrificing a second pawn, Black diverts the white rook, after which a highly significant defect in White's position is unexpectedly revealed — the weakness of his back rank.

21RXc5 RXel+ 22 QXel

Forced: after 22 BXel Re8! the threat of . . . Nf4 can hardly be parried (e.g. 23 g3 Nf4!, while after 23 Ba5 the black knight changes course — 23 ... Nb4!, and White stands badly).

22        ... Re8 23 Qcl

After 23 Qfl Black's next move would have gained greatly in strength.

23        ... Nb6!

Not a moment's respite! All that White lacks is an escape square for his king, but he will not be allowed this tempo right to the end of the game.

24        b3

White has to waste time on the defence of

his a4 pawn, since if the black knight were to reach this square it would cause confusion in the ranks of the white pieces.

24 ... Re2

Black's idea begins to take shape — White's pieces are bunched together on the Q-side, and his king is already viewing with alarm the black pieces operating alongside its residence. True, for this inconvenience White has imposing compensation in the form of two connected passed pawns.

Now White is at the crossroads: to where should he move his bishop? 25 Be3 obviously does not work because of 25 ... Bb2! 26 Qfl Bd3 27 Qdl BXb5!, but which of the other squares should he choose: c3 or a5? "As far away from trouble as possible" — Tukmakov decided, "besides, the knight will be attacked". But in irrational positions of this type, outwardly logical decisions are not always correct.

It is difficult to say how the game would have developed after 25 Bc3. For example, there could have followed 25 ... Rc2 26 Qel Be4!, with complications which do not allow a precise evaluation.

Let us nevertheless try and analyse the result¬ing complications, in order to assess the correctness of 20. . . Qdl. After 25. . . Rc2 26 Qel Be4 27Ncd4!Qg4 28g3Qh3 (28. . .Nd5 29f3! Nf4 30 QXe4!M3+ 31 Kfl) 29 QXe4Rcl+ 30 Qel! RXel+ 31 BXel Black is faced with a depressing struggle for a draw. Thus the attack on g2 proves incorrect. The alternative is 25. .. Rc2 26 Qel BXc3 27 NXc3 (27 RXc3? RXc3 loses a piece) 27. . . Qe6!Now the weakness of White's back rank obliges him to be cautious.28        Ne5? loses to 28. . . Nd7! 29 Rc8+ Kh7 30 Nf3 Ne5 31 NXe5 QXe5l as does 28 Qal? to 28... Qd6!29 b4 Qd2. After 28 Qe3 Black can force a draw: 28 . . . Nd7 29 Rc4 (29 Ne7+? QXe7; 29 Nd4? QXe3 30 Rc8+ Nf8) 29... Nb6 (29 ... Bd3?l 30 Nd4! QXe3 31 Rc8+) 30 Rc5 Nd7.

The critical position arises after 28 Qfl Bd3 29Qdl (or28 Qdl Bg4!29 Qfl Be2 30 Qel Bd3

31 Qdl). Finding the correct path here is not easy: 29... Qf6! (29... Nd7? 30 Nd4; 29...Qd6? 30 Ne4) 30 Qel Qd6! (the pressurizing continues; weaker alternatives are 30. . Nd7? 31Nd5!, or 30...QXf2+? 31 QXf2 Rcl+ 32Qel RXel+3 3Kf2, or 30... Qe6 31Qe3!Nd7 32Nd4!) 31 b4 NXa4! (31... Nd7? leads to adifficult position after 32 Nb5! BXb5 33 RXc2BXc6 34 b5) 32 NXa4 Re2 (White is now apiece up, but one threat follows another!) 33Qcl (33 Qc3? loses to 33 . .. Qf4, while if 33Qfl then 33... Rd2 34 Qel Re2) 33...Qf6 34 Qfl (34/3? Qh4) 34... Rd2 35 Qel Re2f with arepetition of moves.

It can be considered (if of course, there are no mistakes in this analysis) that after 25 Bc3 the activity of Black's pieces balances the opponent's material advantage.

25Ba5

After this move I sensed that Tukmakov was not fully aware of the danger threatening him. At first sight White does indeed have everything in order: the black knight is hanging, and 25 ... Bb2 26 Qfl Bd3 runs into 27 Nb4! But the enormous energy stored up in the black pieces is only just beginning to break out.

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25 ... Be4!

The knight is immune: after 26 BXb6? Qg4 27 Qfl Rel! White is mated! Now, when Black's threats have become so clear, White should have considered 26 Qfl, bringing the queen over to the defence. On this I would have continued 26 ... Rb2 27 BXb6 BXc6 (27 ... BXg2 leads only to a draw), retaining good compensation for the sacrificed pawns. But Tukmakov is attracted by the idea of

bringing into play his pieces which are grouped together on the Q-side.

26        Ne5 Qe7!

Attacking fresh targets.

27        Nd4?

This natural move substantially eased my task, both at the board, and in my commentary. It may seem strange, but White's position is now probably indefensible, and so for the first time I can definitely attach a question mark to a move by my opponent. In spite of all the criticisms of White's play, the position was still unclear, but only in the event of 27 Qfl! If he wishes, Black can force a spectacular draw: 27... Ra2 (27... Rb2? 28 BXb6 BXe5 29 RXe5! QXe5 30 Bd4, win¬ning) 28 BXb6 BXe5 29 Nc3 BXh2+ 30 KXh2 Qh4+ 31 Kgl BXg2 32 KXg2 Qg4+, with perpetual check. In any other game such a draw would have brought enormous creative satisfaction, but that day I took such risks only in order to avoid a draw! Fortunately, Tukmakov relieved me of the necessity to seek some illusory chances in variations such as 29 ... BXc3 30 RXc3 Qf6 31 Ba5! (31 Re3? Ral 31 Rel Bd3!) 31 ... Qg5 32 f3 (32 Bb4? Ral!; 32 Re3!?), and if 32 ... QXa5, then 33 Rc8+ Kg7 34 fXe4. Moving the knight to the centre not only fails to solve White's problems, but even aggravates his position, since at d4 the knight comes under various attacks.

27        ... Ra2 28 BXb6

There is nothing better. 28 Ndc6 is met by 28 ... QXc5!, and 28 Ndf3 by 28 ... BXf3.

28        ... BXe5 29 Qe3?

And now, when the danger is clearly apparent, and when the black pieces have seized all the key positions, Tukmakov loses his head. The mass of threats and shortage of time provoke an "inexplicable" blunder, which loses the game in one move. To be fair, it should be pointed out that the best defence, 29 Qel! (29 QXh6 QXc5), would merely have enabled White to prolong the resistance. Black's simplest continuation would have been 29 ... Qd6! 30 Ne2 (bad is 30 Rc8+ Kh7 31 Bc5 BXh2+ 32 Khl Qf4) 30 ... BXh2+ (30 ... Ral? 31 Rel) 31 Khl Be5, maintaining a very strong attack.

Here a correction is necessary: after 32 Nc3! Qf633RXe5! (33 QXe4?Ral+ 34Nbl Qh4+!) 33 ... QXe5 34 Kgl! (34 f3? Qh5+ 35 Kgl RXg2+!) 34... Rc2 35NXe4 Qf4 (or 35... f5 36 Qe3! QXe4 37 QXh6 with a probable draw)

36        g3 (36 Nc3? Rcl 37 Ndl Qd6) 36... Rcl 37 Nf6+! Kg7 38 Ne8+ Kg8 (38 . . . Kf8 39 Bc5+; 38 ... Kh8 39 Bd4+) 39 Nf6+ White forces a draw. 29. . . BXh2+ (instead of 29. . .Qd6) leads to the same result: 30KXh2 Qh4+31 Kgl Qg4 32 g3 (it would seem that 32 Nf3 is also sufficient: 32 . . . BXf3 33 Qe8+ Kg7 34 Qe5+Kh 7 35 Qg3 QXg3 36fXg3 RXg2+ 37Kfl RXg3 38 Kf2 Rh3 39 a5) 32... Qh3 33 Rc8+! Kh734Nf3BXf3 35Rh8+KXh836Qe8+Kg7 37 Bd4+f6 38 Qe7+.

Black does indeed have a strong attack after 29 ... Qf6! 30 Ne2! Ral 31 Rcl Qg5 32 g3 (32 Qfl RXcl 33 NXcl Qf4) 32 . . . Qg4! 33 Nd4! Qh3! 34 f3 Ra2 35 Nc2 BXf3 36 Qf2 Be4.

29 ... QXc5!

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This diagram will always shine for me with the brilliance of the USSR Champion's gold medal! Some 15 minutes after the finish of this game, the Psakhis-Agzamov game also con¬cluded. The result was that the two leaders, who had been exchanging places throughout the tournament, crossed the finishing line together. Usually in such situations a tie-breaking system comes into force (number of wins, or Sonneborn-Berger score), but this was a happy instance where both were victorious!

Skirmishes on a minefield

In the 13th and 14th rounds of the Frunze Championship, I joined the theoretical discussion currently being held in the Botvinnik Variation of the Slav Defence. For both games my opponents, grandmasters Timosh-chenko and Dorfman, had prepared an improvement in a lengthy forcing variation, and Dorfman, moreover, was able to take account of his predecessor's dismal experience. However, both the course taken by the games, and their results, were identical. But before describing these "twin" games, I should like to make a slight digression.

The classical approach to chess, which assigned Black the role of the defending side in the opening, set him the immediate task of equalizing. But progressive chess thinking was unable to reconcile itself to such an approach to the problems of the opening. There are now a number of systems in which Black encroaches upon White's privilege in the opening— the right to the obtaining of an advantage. The first research in this direction was undertaken by Botvinnik. Mikhail Moiseevich often went in for rejected continuations, relying on his profound analysis and subtle understanding of the resulting situations. A number of brilliant victories were achieved by him in such "unfavourable" systems, and one of these rightly bears the name of its creator. Even among the modern, highly complex counter-attacking variations, the Botvinnik Variation is noted for its sharpness, and the intricacy of the resulting positions. For a long time the abundance of possible dangers frightened White away from it, but in recent years the theory of the variation has taken great strides. After convincing himself that he achieves no real gains by declining the challenge thrown down by Black, White has renewed his attempts to refute it.

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 e6 5 Bg5 dXc4 6 e4 b5 7 e5 h6 8 Bh4 g5 9 NXg5 hXg5 10 BXg5 Nbd7

The initial position of the variation. The disturbance of the equilibrium on all (!) parts

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of the board promises a gripping struggle. White's searches for an advantage are associated with 11 eXf6 and 11 g3. For a long time the latter was considered stronger, but the game Polugayevsky-Torre from the 1981 Moscow International Tournament shook this evaluation. After it the two moves are regarded as equivalent, since in both cases Black can if he wishes take play into one and the same position.

11 eXf6 Bb7 12 g3 c5 13 d5 Qb6

13        ... Nb6 used to be regarded as the main move, but it disappeared from practice after the aforementioned game, which went 14 dXe6! QXdl+ 15 RXdl BXhl 16 e7 a617 h4!!Bh6 18 f4, and the armada of white pawns proved stronger than the rook.

14Bg2 0-0-0 15 0-0 b4 15 Na4

Where should the queen move to? In a game Razuvayev-Vaiser (played in May, 1981) Black gave a poor answer to this ques¬tion- 16... Qa6?, and after 17 a3! b3 18Nc3 Nb6 19 Qg4 NXd5 20 NXd5 BXd5 21 BXd5 RXd5 22 Rfdl! he was faced with insoluble problems. But just a few days later in the same tournament (the USSR Team Championship) Timoshchenko found the correct path — 16 ... Qb5! His dismayed opponent, Zaichik, was unable to find his way in the unfamiliar situation, and quickly ended up in a bad position. The debate flared up with new strength in the USSR Championship 1st League (October, 1981). Dorfman against Kharitonov confidently made his first 16 moves with Black, but White's strong reply forced him to think for a long time.

16        ... Qb5! 17 a3!

By opening up the game on the Q-side, White emphasizes the insecure position of the black king. Dorfman did not react in the best way — 17 ... eXd5 — and after 18 aXb4 cXb4 19 Be3! he avoided difficulties only thanks to the inaccurate play of his opponent. The ball was again in Black's court! It was taken up by the Sveshnikov-Timoshchenko "tandem", and their joint efforts produced the move

17        ... Nb8

which was employed a few rounds later in the game Anikayev-Sveshnikov. But the latter was unlucky — the innovation did not have the desired effect. At the board Anikayev found the moves which were later to be considered the best.

18aXb4 cXb4 19 Be3 BXd5  20 BXd5 RXd5 21 Qe2 Nc6 22 Rfcl

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The critical position for the assessment of 17.. .Nb8. Sveshnikov played badly —22... Kb7, and Anikayev accurately exploited his opponent's mistake: 23 RXc4 Na5 24 b3! with an obvious advantage (24 . . . NXb3 is bad because of 25 Nc3! bXc3 26 RXa7+ Kb8 27 RXf7 with an irresistible attack). But even this failure did not perturb those seeking the truth. The most interesting was just beginning. Black's reply was not long in coming. At the finish of the same 1st League Timoshchenko employed yet another innovation! After 22 .. . c3!? his opponent, Rashkovsky,

sank into thought and. ... by a bold piece sacrifice placed Black in a difficult position! - 23 QXb5 RXbS 24 NXc3! bXc3 25 RXc3 Kd7 (25 ... Kb7 26 Racl) 26 Ra6 Nd8 27 RXa7+ Ke8 28 Rc8. Although Black managed to save a half-point in this game (Rashkovsky was hindered by severe time trouble), it became clear that 22 . . . c3 could not rehabilitate the variation. But all these events merely served as a prologue... .

And so, 15th December, Frunze, the stage of the Sports Palace.

Kasparov-Timoshchenko

After a thorough study of the position reached after move 28 in the Rashkovsky-Timoshchenko game, I came to the con¬clusion that White has good winning chances. Therefore Timoshchenko's rapid play in the opening surprised me. Happy that the analysis I had done would not be wasted, I made my moves with equal rapidity. And within 20 minutes after the start of the round, when on the remaining boards the pieces were only just beginning to come into contact, in our game the position in the previous diagram had already been reached. But Black's very next move dispelled my dreams of a win by my prepared analysis.

22 ... Na5

The strength of such an innovation is that it forces the opponent to spend time on psychological regrouping, and any player knows how hard it is to switch from well-prepared analysis to specific spontaneous play. However, often the proximity of danger will help him to mobilize all his inner resources.

My first impressions about the resulting position were unfavourable. The variation 23 BXa7 Kb7 24 Nb6 c3! demonstrates best of all the advantages of Black's position. Could it be that White's overall strategic course was unsound? Certainly not! But to refute Black's risky play, energetic measures are needed. All Black's positional gains have been obtained at the expense of a serious weakening of his king's defences, whereas the white pieces are already in the vicinity of its residence. So forward, into the attack!

These reasonings, which are so logical, took me 53 minutes at the board.

In fact, it is unlikely that more than half a minute was spent on "these logical reasonings", but some variations had to be calculated. . . .

23        b3! c3

White has a virtually irresistible attack after 23 ... NXb3 24 RXc4+ Kd7 25 Nc3! bXc3 26 RXa7+ Kd8 27 RXc3!, when the queen is immune because of mate in three moves. But now White is obliged to sacrifice a piece, without having any forced solution to the position.

24NXc3 bXc3 25 RXc3+ Kd7

25        ... Kb7? is bad in view of 26 Qc2 Bd6 27 b4! with decisive threats (27 ... Nc6 28

RXc6!). Therefore the black king makes for the centre under the cover of its army.

26Qc2 Bd6 27 Rcl Qb7

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White's attack appears to have reached an impasse, since the tripling of heavy pieces on the c-flle has not brought any tangible gain. In addition, by the defensive move 27 ... Qb7 Black has created the terrible threat of . . . RXh2! But again, as on move 23, White's initiative is supported by the b-pawn.

28 b4!

This indirectly parries the threat of 28 ... RXh2, which is decisively met by 29 Qa4+! (29 ... Kd8 30 Rc8+; 29 ... Rb5 30 KXh2). This latent resource was evidently overlooked by Timoshchenko in his analysis, since after 28 b4! he thought for some 25 4 minutes. Now the cunning 28 ... Rb5 does not help because of 29 bXa5 RXh2 30 Rc6!, foicing a won ending: 30 ... Rbh5 31 a6! Rhl+ 32 Kg2 RXcl 33 aXb7 RXc2 34 RXd6+! Kc7 35 Rd7+ Kb8 36 Bf4+ e5 37 g4! etc.

28        ... QXb4!

Played without prejudice. Black lets it be known that in itself the check at c7 will not cause him any trouble. Indeed, after 29 Rc7+? BXc7 30 QXc7+ Ke8 31 Bc5 Qb7 32 QXa5 White's initiative does not compensate for the missing exchange.

In comparison with the possible earlier variation 27 ... Qb4 28 Rc7+! BXc7 29 QXc7+ Ke830Bc5Qb731 QXa5±, here the absence of the b3 pawn tells.

29        Rbl Qg4

The forcing play has come to an end. White's next move will decide whether he is able to create new threats, or whether Black will emerge unscathed. Here I thought for a long time, thereby "acknowledging" that the attack was being conducted intuitively.

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It is not possible to extract any immediate gains from the position, e.g. 30 Bf4 BXf4 31 Qa4+ Kd6 32 Rel (32 Qb4+ Ke5!) 32 ... e5! 33 Qb4+ Ke6 34 Qe7+ Kf5, or 30 ft Qf5! (the careless 30 ... Qh3? allows White to conclude the game by a pretty combination: 31 Rb7+H NXb7 32 Qa4+ Kd8 33 Bb6+!, mating) 31 Qa4+ Kd8 32 Rbcl QXf6, and the black king escapes from the pursuit. As is apparent from this last variation, Black need not fear the queen check at a4, as long as his king can calmly retreat to d8. This means.. . . that on the elimination of the a7 pawn, which deprives his bishop of the b6 square, White can (and must!) use that precious tempo, which is so often lacking for complete happiness!

30 BXa7!!

This paradoxical decision proved to be the optimum one. Now the threat of 31 f3 has become deadly. But Black has acquired a tempo, which Timoshchenko decided to use to prepare a shelter for his king.

By this time I had a little more than twenty minutes left on my clock, whereas Timoshchenko had used less than forty.

30        ... e5 31 Qa2!

It unexpectedly transpires that Black is unable to solve a very simple problem—what to do with his d5 rook? Here Timoshchenko thought for more than an hour, but lengthy consideration does not always raise the quality of a move. ...

31        ... Rdl+

Not the best decision, since now the knight at a5 is hanging. True, 31. . . Qh3 does not save Black, in view of 32 f3! Ke6 33 Rb5! (33 Rdl? QXh2+!), nor does 31 . . . Ke6 because of 32 ft Qf5 33 Rdl e4 34 fXe4 QXe4 35Re3. White would have been caused the

greatest problems by 31... Qf5! Now 32 Rel (32 QXd5? QXbl+ 33 Kg2 Qb7) is ineffective in view of 32 ... Ke6, while the "brilliant" 32 Rb7+ allows Black to parry the attack after 32 ... NXb7 33 QXd5 Qbl+ (33 ... Nd8? 34 Rd3 QXf6 35 Bb8 Rh6 36 BXd6 QXd6 37 Qb5+) 34 Kg2 Nd8 35 Rb3 Qf5! (but not 35. .. Qc2? 36 Rb6! Qc7 37 Qb5+ Ke6 38 Bb8) 36 Rb6 Qh3+ 37 Kft e4+! 38 Ke3 Qh6+ etc.

Correct is 32 ft!!, eliminating Black's main defensive resource, . . . e4, after which it is unlikely that he can save the game, e.g. 32... Ra8 (32 ... e4? 33 Qa4+ Ke6 34 fXe4) 33 Rbcl! RXa7 34 QXd5 QXf6 35 Ra3! At any rate, 31 ... Qf5 would have been the best practical chance. The exchange of rooks leads by force to a hopeless position.

In Timoshchenko's opinion, White also wins after 32 Rel Ke6 33 Rdl e4 34 J3!, e.g. 34... BXg3 35 hXg3 Rhl+ 36 KXhl Qh3+ 37 Kgl

QXg3+ 38Kfl Qh3+ 39 Ke2 Qg2+ 40Bf2, or 35... Qh5 36 QXd5+ QXd5 37RXd5 KXd5 38 Rc5+.

32 RXdl QXdl+ 33 Kg2 Qh5

All the same the knight cannot be saved, so Black tries to confuse matters.

34 Qa4+!

34 h4? is much weaker in view of 34 ... Nc6!

34        ... Ke6 35 h4!

Now it is all over. After 35 ... e4 36 QXe4+ Qe5 37 Qg4+ Qf5 38 Re3+ Be5 39 Qe2! White's threats are irresistible, and Black is forced to part with his knight, remaining two pawns down with a bad position.

It is interesting to note that, whereas at move 30 White was short of time, now the roles were reversed: Black was in time trouble, while White still had 15 whole minutes on his clock!

35        ... Qe2 36 QXa5 Ra8

First 36 ... Qe4+ is more tenacious.

37 Qa4!

The pursuit of the black king is resumed with renewed strength.

37 ... KXf6 38 Qd7 Kg7 39 Rf3 Qc4 40 QXd6 RXa7 41 QXe5+ Kh7 42 Rf5

In search of a shelter, the black king has crossed the entire board under fire by the white pieces. There is nowhere further to run, and so Black gives one last "spite" check.

42 ... Qc6+ 43 Kh2

Black resigns.

The game had concluded, but the passions aroused by it did not die down. Was the piece sacrifice correct? Where could Black have played more strongly? These questions concerned nearly all the participants in the Championship. In the arguments which flared up immediately after the conclusion of the round, the voice of Sveshnikov was heard louder than others. The variations demonstrated by him appeared convincing enough, and in the end the grandmaster consultation decided that 30 . . . e5 should be regarded as the decisive mistake, whereas 30 ... Be5 would have enabled Black to parry the attack. All my attempts to refute this were unsuccessful, and Sveshnikov publicly declared that in his meeting with me in round 16 he was ready to try and vindicate the position after 30 ... Be5. Knowing how the Chelyabinsk grandmaster sticks to his principles in opening debates, there could be no doubt that he would keep his promise.

On returning to my hotel, for a long time I was unable to go to sleep. Thoughts about the game just played would not leave me in peace. Surely White's entire plan wasn't just a bluff? Finally I couldn't contain myself, and I sat down to analyse. Only by two o'clock in the morning did I find peace. My analysis showed irrefutably that 30 ... Be5 did not save Black. It only remained to wait for the 16th round, but life decreed otherwise. . . .

Specators who arrived late for the start of the 14th round looked with astonishment at one of the demonstration boards.

Kasparov-Dorfman

Only about forty minutes had been required by the players in this game to make thirty moves and take play into a highly complex middlegame. It is not hard to guess that the position on the board was the following.

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Both players had aimed for it, and each was convinced that he would win the point without any particular difficulty. But Dorfman had taken Sveshnikov's word for it, and had not found the time to delve deeply into the position, whereas my confidence in success was based on a detailed analysis. Dorfman quickly played

30        ... Be5

but White's rejoinder came as a surprise to him.

31        Rc5!

Sveshnikov had considered 31 B to be obligatory, which allows Black to parry the attack by 31 ... Bd4+!, e.g. 32 Khl QXg3 33 Qa4+ Kd8 34 Rb8+ QXb8 35 BXb8 BXc3, or 32 BXd4 QXd4+ 33 Khl Kd6! etc. The move played is directed in the first instance at exchanging the d5 rook — the chief defender of the black king.

31        ... RXc5

Things end dismally for Black after, for example, 31 ... Ra8: 32 RXa5! RXa5 33 Rb7+ Ke8 34 Re7+ Kf8 35 Qh7 with inevitable mate.

32        BXc5!

This quiet move is the crux of White's idea. The pseudo-active 32 QXc5? was a false trail: 32 ... Nc6! 33 Rb7+ Bc7 34 Bb6 Rc8, and there is no way to strengthen the attack. After 32 BXc5 Black has no defence. Here are the variations of my night-time analysis: 32...Rc8? 33 Qd2+; 32...Qc4 33 Qd2+ Kc6 34 Rb6+! KXc5 35 QXa5+ Kd4 36 Rb4; 32. . . Rb8 33 Rdl+ Ke8 34 f4!, regaining the piece in view of the threat of Qa4+; 32 ... Bc7 33 Qd3+ Kc8  34 Rb4! Qf5 35 Qa6+ and 36 Rd4+.

Dorfman spent one hour five minutes (!) in search of a saving loophole, but it was already too late!

32 ... Nc6 33 Qd3+ Kc8

The attempt to block the d-file is hopeless:

33        ... Nd4 (33 ... Bd4 34 Rb7+ Ke8 35 Qb5) 34  Rdl Rh4 35 Qb5+ Kc8 36 Qa6+ Kc7 37 Bb6+! After 33 ... Kc8 White could have obtained by force a won queen ending: 34 Qa6+ Kd7 35 Rb7+ Bc7 36 RXc7+! KXc7 37 Qb6+ Kc8! 38 QXc6+ Kb8 39 Qb6+ Kc8 40 Qa6+ Kc7 41 Bb6+ Kc6 42 Bd4+! Kd7 (42 ... Kd5 43 Qb5+ Ke4 44 B+!) 43 Qa4+! Kc8 44 Qa8+ and 45 QXh8. But he has the possiblity of concluding the game by a direct attack.

34Rdl Nb8

If 34 ... Rd8, White wins by 35 Qa6+.

35 Rcl!

Emphasizing the helplessness of the black

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pieces, which are unable to help their king. The expiatory sacrifice made by Black merely delays the end slightly.

35 ... Qa4 36 Bd6+ Nc6 37 BXe5 Rd8 38 Qbl!

Renewing the mating threats.

38 ... Rd5 39 Qb8+ Kd7 40 Qc7+ Ke8 41 QXc6+ QXc6 41 RXc6 RXe5 43 Rc8+

Black resigns. After 43 ... Kd7 44 Rf8 he loses a third pawn.

After this game everyone awaited with interest the 16th round, and the Kasparov-Sveshnikov game. But the Chelyabinsk grandmaster deviated as early as the fifth move (5 ... h6), thus tacitly acknowledging the rightfulness of White's victories in the preceding games. But knowing Sveshnikov, one can confidently assume that in the near future he will endeavour to join the discussion.

Such catastrophes will undoubtedly reduce the number of the variation's supporters, but the question of whether White has finally managed to neutralize the "minefields" in the Botvinnik Variation, or whether new explosions will be heard, signifying its rebirth, remains open, in my opinion.

A "new explosion" resounded a year and a half later in my game with Ex- World Champion Mikhail Tal (p. 148).

When one's fate lies in an envelope

After the ninth round the situation among the leaders had become extremely confused. Although formally the race was being led by Romanishin and Kupreichik, the potential leaders remained Psakhis and me. We both had four points out of five, with four (!) unfinished games.

The playing on of several games on the same evening is difficult for a number of understandable reasons. Firstly, the quality of the player's adjournment analysis is reduced, since his thoughts are "scattered", and it is only with enormous difficulty that he is able to concentrate on any one position. Secondly, during the 15 minutes allowed as a break between games, it is very difficult for him to switch off from his recent experiences, and again tune himself up for a struggle. My task was slightly simplified by Dolmatov, who resigned without resuming, but three adjournments remained — with Belyavsky, Kuzmin and Kupreichik. Each of these, in its own way, was difficult to analyse. In all three it was my opponent who had sealed. Naturally, a mistake is possible when sealing a move, but my trainer A. Nikitin and I had of course to take all possibilities into account. By the start of the adjournment session, in spite of a sleepless night, we still had a number of unanswered questions. There was only one factor about which there were no doubts: each of my opponents had a very strong continuation, which would cause me maximum difficulty in achieving my task (to win against the Lvov grandmaster and to draw the other two games).

The first game to be resumed was the most pleasant one for me — against Belyavsky.

Kasparov-Belyavsky

(See diagram) White's two bishops give him quite real winning chances. Black has to concern himself over parrying the threat of b2-b4 with a decisive opening of lines on the Q-side. Belyavsky spent 40 minutes (!) on his sealed move. What might he have chosen? We first analysed 43 ... Bb4. Now the direct 44 BXb4+ aXb4 45 Kd2 Nd6 46 Rcl leaves Black with some hopes of saving the game after 46 ... Rc5! 47 RXc5 bXc5 48 Kd3 Ke7 49 a5 Kd7 50 a6 c4+! 51 Kc2! (51 BXc4 Kc6) 51... Nc8 52 BXc4Kc6 53 Kb3 Kc5. A more

Adjourned position:

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clear-cut way to win is by 45 Rgl! Nd6 46 Rg2!, aiming for the exchange on c2 and tyingthe black king to the g7 pawn. Now after 46 ... Rc5 47 h5! Black is in zugzwang and is forced to disrupt his ideal set-up: 47... Nf7 48 Rc2 RXc2 49 KXc2 Ng5 50 Kb3 NXB 51 KXb4, or 47 ... Ra5 48 Rc2! RXa4 49 Rc6 Ne8 50 RXb6. In both cases the result of the game is not in doubt.

Black is also not helped by the pawn sacrifice 45 ... g5!? 46 BXf7 KXf7 47 hXg5, since in the rook ending too his downfall is caused by his pawn weaknesses: 47 ... b3 48 gXf6 KXf6 (48 ... Rc2 49 f4! KXf6 50 f5 RXb2 51 Rg6+ Kf7 52 RXb6 Ra2 53 Rb4! b2 54 Kc2) 49 Rg2! Rcl 50 Rg8 Rc2 51 Rb8 RXb2 52 RXb6+ Kg5 53 Kc4 Rc2+ 54 KXb3 Rf2 55 a5 RXB+ 56 Ka4 Re3 57 Rb4 and wins.

Black achieves nothing by passive waiting, and the attempt to set up a "fortress" fails after 44 b4 RXc3+ 45 KXc3 BXb4+ 46 Kd3 Nd6, since White breaks through on the g-file, using his h-pawn as a battering-ram.

"Everything is clear in this position" we decided, when suddenly a seditious thought occurred to me: cannot Black play actively with 43 ... g5? At first sight this move merely presents White with new targets to attack, but its main advantage is that the black knight acquires mobility. It is tempting to create a passed pawn immediately with 44 h5, but then how can White break through after 44 ... Bb4 ? For a long time it appeared that 44 T&A ^ould win, but after 44 ... gXh4 (44... Rc7 is weaker due to 45 BXf7 RXf7 46 Kc4 Rh7 47 h5) 45 RXh4 Kg7! 46 f4 (Black's defences are impregnable after 46 Rg4+ Ng5! 47 f4 RXc3+ 48 bXc3 eXf4) 46 ... eXf4 (in this situation the exchange sacrifice would be over-hasty: 46... RXc3+ 47 bXc3 eXf4 48 BXf7! KXf7 49 Rh5! Ke6 50 Rf5 followed by Kc4-b5, and White destroys Black's defences) 47 Rg4+ Kf8 48 BXf6 Rc7! Black can defend. And although 49 BXf7 KXf7 (49 ... RXf7? 50 e5) 50 Bd4 still leaves some hopes, it became clear that other measures were required. The super-energetic 44 b4!? was even considered, but here too Black is able to create counter-play: 44 ... aXb4 45 BXb4 gXh4 46 BXd6+ NXd6 47 RXb6 Ke7. As a result I had to reconcile myself to the fact that after the strongest sealed move there was no definite win, and switch to a search for "simply" promising continuations. We deemed 44 BXf7! to be best - White parts with the pride of his position, but gives Black incurable pawn weaknesses: 44 ... KXf7 45 hXg5 fXg5. In spite of the limited amount of material, there is hope of success: 46 Rgl Kg6 47 Bd2 Be7 48 Be3 Rc6 49 Rcl! Now the bishop ending is lost for Black: 49 ... RXcl? 50 BXcl Bc5 51 Kc4 Kh5 52            Bd2! (with the threat of BXa5) 52 ... Bd4 53    b3 Kh4 54 Kd5. But in the rook ending it is not so clear: 49 ... Bc5! 50 BXc5 bXc5 51 Rc3! (stronger than 51 Kc4 Rb6 52 Rc2 Rb4+ 53 KXc5 RXa4 54 Kb5 Ra2) 51.. . Rb6 52 b3, and White should probably win, but only "probably"! There are too few men left on the board.

It will be readily appreciated why I watched the arbiter with such anxiety as he opened the envelope. Had Belyavsky managed to find his one chance? At this moment the arbiter reproduced Black's sealed move on the board.

43 ... Nh8

I inwardly rejoiced, but soon my thoughts began working in the new direction. In devoting our main attention to 43 ... Bb4 and 43 ... g5!, we had merely ascertained in our analysis that after 43 ... Nh8 44 h5 the

b2-b4 breakthrough could not be averted. This analysis now had to be continued over the board.

44 h5 Nf7

Now the knight has obtained the chance of coming into play via g5, but the loss of two tempi is bound to have its effect.

45 b4 aXb4 46 BXb4 Rd8 47 BXd6+?!

White makes his task more difficult. The

immediate 47 Kc4 was simpler, e.g. 47 ... Ng5 48 Kb5 NXf3 49 KXb6 Rb8+ 50 Bb7, or 47 ... BXb4 48 RXb4 Nd6+ 49 Kb3 Nc8 50 Be6. But now on the way to victory White has to avoid several pitfalls.

47 ... RXd6 48 Kc4 Ng5 49 Rb3!

I almost gave in to the temptation of immediately eliminating the b6 pawn, without paying attention to Black's counter-play. Indeed, the variation 49 Kb5? NXf3 50 Ka6 Ke7 51 RXb6 f5! 52 RXd6 KXd6 63 Kb6 fXe4 54 a5 (54 BXe4 Nd2) looks attractive, but it was here that White could have fallen into a trap. After 54 ... KXd5!! 55 a6 e3 56 a7 e2 a8=Q+ Kd4 it is White who has to seek perpetual check!

49 ... Ke7

49        ... Nh3 proves harmless in view of 50 Kb5 Nf4 51 Bc4!, when there is no defence

against Ka6.

50        Kb5 f5! 51 Ka6 f4

Black's counter-play is very real, and it appears that White cannot break through, since at first sight the loss of the f3 pawn has unpleasant consequences for him — the f4 pawn is too close to the queening square. But White nevertheless allows this pawn to complete its career, since he has precisely calculated that, with the new balance of forces, everything will be decided by the turn to move, and it will be his!

52 Kb7! Rh6 53 RXb6 RXb6+ 54 KXb6 NXf3 55 a5 Nd2

The knight is forced to occupy this unfortunate position, otherwise the bishop is able to stop Black's passed pawn: 55 ... Nd4 56 a6 f3 57 a7 f2 58 Bc4.

56 a6 f3 57 a7 f2 58 a8=Q fl=Q

The situation on the board has changed out of all recognition. It may seem that the

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1+-+-+q+-!
xabcdefghy

presence of the queens should allow Black to count on a draw, but right to the end of the game he does not receive a respite. Exploiting the differences in the placing of the minor pieces and the fact that it is his turn to move, White creates irresistible mating threats.

59 Kc7!

The hasty 59 Qa3+? Kf6 60 Qd6+ Kg5 61 QXe5+ Kh4 would have allowed the black king to escape.

59        ... Qcl+

The only defence against the mate. If 59 ... Qf8, then 60 Qa3+ Ke8 61 Qa4+ Ke7 62 Qd7+ Kf6 63 Qf5+ Ke7 64 Qe6 mate.

60        Bc6 NXe4

60        ... Qc3 fails to save the game due to 61 Qe8+ Kf6 62 Qg6+ Ke7 63 QXg7+ Ke6 64 Kd8!, renewing the threat of mate. After the forced 64 ... Qa5+ 65 Ke8 Kd6 66 Qf6+ Kc5 67 QXe5+ Kb6 68 QXa5+ the h-pawn queens.

61Qe8+ Kf6 62 Qg6+ Ke7 63 QXg7+

The knight will not run away, and so White also picks up an important pawn with check.

63 ... Ke6 64 Qg4+ Kf7 65 Qg6+!

Black would still have had some illusory chances after 65 QXe4 Qg5. But since now 65 ... Ke7 66 QXe4 Qg5 67 Qg6! is completely hopeless, Black retreats his king closer to the h8 square, but there it meets with its immediate downfall.

65 ... Kf8 66 h6!

The only way to avoid the mating threats is by 66 ... Ke7, but then after 67 h7 the appearance of a new white queen cannot be prevented. Black resigns.

The unusually concerted actions of the small number of white pieces, as though welded into a single, well regulated mechanism, arouse admiration! It was undoubtedly very pleasant to gain a win in such style over a top-class grandmaster, but my emotions were granted only 15 minutes, after which I was faced with resuming a rather cheerless position against Kuzmin.

Kuzmin-Kasparov

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-+-+-mk(
7+-tr-+-zp-'
6-+qsN-zp-+&
5+-zPRsn-zp-%
4-+-+Q+-+$
3+-+-+-+P#
2-+-+-+P+"
1+-+R+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

Material is again equal, and on a brief glance at the position it might seem that here too there is equilibrium. But this is not so. The outside passed pawn and the powerful knight at d6, cutting off the black queen from the K-side, give White the advantage. And the presence of the queens, together with White's great manoeuvring freedom, allow him to mount an attack on the king, whereas the black pieces, tied to the blockade of the c-pawn, cannot easily come to the aid of their monarch. In addition, the weakness of the eighth rank forces Black to watch very carefully for various possible leaps by the white knight. Thus on 42 Nb5 Black is saved only by 42 ... Rd7!, but not 42 ... Rcc8? because of 43 Na7! Another difficulty in the analysis of such a position is that White is not obliged to hurry, but can manoeuvre about, awaiting a convenient moment to switch to a determined offensive.

On the basis of this, the most unpleasant move for Black was 42 Khl!, eliminating the possibility in certain variations of the c5 pawn being taken with check. In this case Black would probably have had to continue 42... Rf8, renouncing any counter-play. But with his sealed move Kuzmin decided to force events.

42Nc4

Forcing the knight at e5 — the mainstay of Black's position — to abandon its post. But now, after the knight has moved from d6, Black is able to restore the disrupted co¬ordination of his pieces. In the event of another knight move — 42 Nf5 — Black was intending to carry out an interesting regrouping: 42. . .Ra4!?43Qe2g6!44Nd6Rf4! followed by ... Re7 and ... Kg7, when it is not clear what White can undertake.

42        ... NH 43 h4

Kuzmin hurries to break up the black king's defences, but at the same time the white king too is deprived of its secure pawn screen.

Exploiting the fact that Black cannot allow the exchange of knights, White should have returned - 43 Nd6 (43 . . . Ne5 44 Khl).

43        ... Re8 44 Qf3

The incautious 44 Qg6 Qe6 45 hXg5?! would have allowed Black to switch to a counter-attack: 45 ... Qg4 46 Nd6?! NXd6 47 RXd6 (47 cXd6 Re2!) 47 ... Rce7 etc.

44        ... Qe6 45 Nd6

Sensing that his activity on the K-side has reached an impasse, White forces the exchange of knights, pinning all his hopes on the c-pawn.

45        ... g4!

An important interposition. Now after 46 Qf4 Qe3+! 47 QXe3 RXe3 Black is able to avoid the main danger, and so White is forced to lose a tempo and retreat his queen to a less active position.

46        Qf2 Ra8

Black naturally avoids exchanging on d6, which would allow the white pawn to reach the finishing straight.

47NXf7+ RXf7 48 Rd6 Qe5 49 R6d5

White dare not allow ... g3 — his king would feel too uncomfortable.

49        ... Qe6 50 Qf4

In the heavy piece ending the c-pawn is a powerful force, since after the exchange of knights it has become more difficult to blockade it. But Black has gained the possibility of activating his pieces, which proves more important and makes a draw the most probable result.

50        ... Re7!

By threatening to exchange queens, Black provokes the white king into moving to h2.

51Kh2 Ra3!

Reminding White that for a heavy piece battle his king is not altogether securely covered, whereas the black king can hide at n (52 Rh5+? Kg8 53 Rd8+ Kf7).

52R5d3

To defend against. . . g3+, White removes his control from the 5th rank, and, what is most important, from e5. It is unlikely that 52 Rld3 Ral! was any better, when he has to reckon with threats on the back rank.

52        ... Ra2!

With every exchange the strength of the c-pawn would be increased, e.g. 52 ... RXd3? 53 RXd3 Qe5? 54 QXe5 RXe5 55 Rc3! with a decisive advantage. After 52 ... Ra2! Black's activity prevents the opponent from using his main trump. Thus neither 53 Rcl nor 53 Rc3 is possible because of 53 ... RXg2+! 54 KXg2 Qe2+. Kuzmin decides to cover his g2 pawn securely, but in doing so he shuts his rook out of play.

53Rg3 f5

Now Black's achievements are clearly seen — White's passed pawn has not yet moved, whereas Black's counter-play looks highly promising.

54Rd6 Qe5

Black offers the exchange, reckoning that after 55 QXe5 RXe5 56 c6 (56 Rc3 f4!) 56 ... Rc2 White will find it difficult to co-ordinate his pieces.

55Qc4

The plausible 55 Qg5 runs into the pretty 55 ... RXg2+! 56 KXg2 Qe2+ 57 Kgl (57 Khl?Qfl+)57. . .Qel+58Kh2Re2+59Rg2 RXg2+ 60 KXg2 Qe2+ with perpetual check.

55        ... Re2

The passive 55... Ra8 would have allowed White to seize the initiative: 56 Rd5! Qf6 57 Qf4! (57 ... QXh4+? 58 Rh3).

56Rd8+ Re8 57 RXe8+ QXe8 58 c6

The c-pawn has advanced, but Black is already prepared for this.

58 ... Re4

Draw agreed. 59 Qd5! Qe7 60 c7! QXc7 61 QXf5 Rf4 is practically forced. An attempt by White to play for a win involves considerable risk, e.g. 59 Qc3?! Qe6! 60 c7 Rc4 61 Qd2 Kh7! etc.

Thus two of the adjourned games had concluded successfully, but there was still another unpleasant test to be faced.

Kasparov-Kupreichik

XABCDEFGHY
8-+R+-+-+(
7+-+-+pmkp'
6-+-+p+p+&
5zp-+-+-+-%
4P+-+-+-+$
3+n+-+-+-#
2-+-+-zPPzP"
1+r+LmK-+-!
xabcdefghy

There are very few pieces left on the board, and it appears that White's pawn deficit puts him under a serious threat of defeat. But by exploiting the awkward placing of the black pieces, White is able to regain the pawn (a5). Unfortunately, we were unable to devote sufficient time to this adjourned game, and in the main we studied only 42 ... Rcl, which leads by force after 43 RXcl NXcl 44 Kd2 Na2 45 Bb3 Nb4 46 Kc3 Kf6 47 Kc4 Ke5 48 Kb5 Kd6 49 KXa5 Kc5 to a position in which at first sight the dismal placing of the white king gives Black real winning chances. Nevertheless we managed to find a more or less acceptable defence.

But in our haste we were unable to decide just how dangerous for White the move 42 ... Kf6 was. In this case White's direct attempts to regain the pawn are opposed by Black with tactical tricks. For example, 43 Rc3 Ncl! (43 ... Nd4 44 Rc5) 44 Kd2 Na2 45 Rc5 Rb2+ 46 Ke3 (46 Kel? Nb4) 46 ... Nb4, and now 47 RXa5? is not possible due to 47 ... Nd5+ 48 KG Nc3, when the white bishop unexpectedly finds itself trapped. In our analysis the black knight's agility began to fill me with almost superstitious horror, but on a close examination all Black's threats disappeared. All that is needed is to cut off the knight from the centre — 47 Bf3!, and on 47 ... Nc2+ to boldly step into a discovered check - 48 Kd2! (48 Kd3? Ne 1+ 49 Ke3 Rb3+ 50 Ke2 NXD 51 gXO Rb4! 52 RXa5 Rh4 with an easy win), and it is easy to see that none of the possible knight moves gives Black any joy: 48 ... Na3+ (48 ... Nd4+? 49 Kc3) 49 Kel! Rbl+ 50 Bdl, or 48 ... Nal+ 49 Kel Nb3? 50 Rb5.1 can now calmly describe the virtues and drawbacks of this or that move, but during the adjournment I was rather afraid of 42 ... Kf6, not without reason fearing unpleasant surprises from such a clever tactician as Kupreichik.

But it all turned out to be much more simple. After thinking for about half an hour over his sealed move, Kupreichik did not risk going in for the intricacies of 42 ... Kf6, and preferred 42 ... Rcl. After making seven forced moves (they are given above) at blitz speed, the players reached the following position:

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+p+p'
6-+-+p+p+&
5mK-mk-+-+-%
4Psn-+-+-+$
3+L+-+-+-#
2-+-+-zPPzP"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Black's plan is simple: exploiting the unenviable position of the white king, he will try to realize his numerical majority on the K-side, by transforming it into a passed pawn.

50 f4!

This paralyzes Black's K-side, and forces him to open slightly the cage enclosing the white king.

50        ... Nd5

Or 50 ... h6 51 g3 g5 52 f5! etc.

51Ka6!

The main thing is activity! 51 g3 Nc7! would have allowed Black to create a passed pawn by . . . f6 and . . . e5, while keeping the white king locked up. Now in the event of 51... NXf4 52 a5! Kc6 (52 ... Kb4? 53 Kb6!, and White even wins) 53 Ba4+ Kc7 54 Be8 f5 55 g3! (not Kb5? in view of 55 ... NXg2! 56 Bc6 Ne3 57 a6 Kb8 58 Kb6 Nc4+) 55 . .. Nd5 56 Kb5 the a-pawn guarantees White against defeat. Therefore Black intends first to elimi

nate White's dangerous passed pawn, but in doing this his pieces move away from the K-side.

51        ... Kb4 52 Bdl

52        BXd5? leads to a lost queen ending after 52... eXd5 53 Kb6 d4 54 a5 d3 55 a6 d2 56 a7 dl=Q 57 a8=Q Qd4+.

52 ... Ne3

Here too the capture of the f4 pawn does not bring Black any advantage, e.g. 52 ... NXf4 53 a5! Nd5 54 BB f5 55 Kb7! KXa5 56 Kc6, and the significant difference in the placing of the kings reduces to naught Black's material advantage. Things are not essentially changed by the more cunning 52 ... Nc3 53 Bf3 NXa4 54 Kb7, when the white king again succeeds in breaking through to Black's K-side pawns. True, if he were to lose his vigilance, White could fall into a well-concealed trap: 52 ... Nc3 53 Bc2?!NXa4 54BXa4?KXa455Kb6g5!!(only a draw results from 55 ... Kb4 56 Kc6 Kc4 57Kd6 Kd4 58 Ke7 f5 59 KXe6 Ke4 60 Kf6 KXf4 61 Kg7) 56 g3 (56 fXg5 Kb4 57 Kc6 Kc4 58Kd6 Kd4 is equally bad) 56 ... gXf4 57 gXf4 Kb4 58 Kc6 Kc4 59 Kd6 Kd4 60 Ke7 f5! 61 KXe6 Ke4, and Black wins.

53 Bf3 KXa4 54 Kb6 Kb4 55 Kc6 Kc4 56 Kd6

56 Kd7 was probably more precise, but the move played also does not spoil anything.

56        ... Nd5

Now White gains a draw without any particular difficulty, whereas 56 ... Nf5+ would have forced him to be careful.

57        Ke5 Kd3

After 57 ... Kc5 58 g4! and f4-f5 mass pawn exchanges are inevitable.

58        BXd5!

This looks dangerous, since now the black king is the first to break through to the K-side pawns, but the white king too succeeds in doing its "dirty" work in time.

58 ... eXd5 59 KXd5 Ke3 60 Ke5

Draw agreed. The variations 60 ... f5 61 Kf6 KXf4 62 Kg7 or 60 .. . Kf2 61 Kf6 KXg2

62        KXf7 KXh2 63 Kf7 confirm the timeliness of this decision.

The results of the adjournment session were a pleasant surprise for me and my trainer — the maximum task had after all been achieved! The successful completion of these adjourned games allowed me for the first time to become sole leader of the tournament.

Super-Tournament in Bugojno

Until recently the name Bugojno meant little, even to an inhabitant of Yugoslavia, but, since 1978, this little town has attracted the attention of the entire chess world. The present tournament was the third in number. In the first, victory was shared by Karpov and Spassky, while in the second (1980) the World Champion managed to overtake Larsen right at the finish. Both tournaments produced a hard struggle, and therefore uncompromising play was also expected of the participants in the 1982 event. And it has to be said that these expectations were not betrayed— in each round there were interesting games, and it was only at the finish, when competitive considerations began to take the upper hand, that some short draws occurred. In this respect the Bugojno tournament was a pleasant exception to the series of super-tournaments which have become popular in recent times.

The even strength of the participants suggested that there would be a hard battle for first place. Of the foreign players, the main contenders for victory were reckoned to be Jan Timman and Bent Larsen, who in the past have to their credit a number of memorable tournament victories. But a particular battle for the top prize did not in fact occur. The rapid tempo set by me from the start proved too much for my opponents.

In the first round I met Svetozar Gligoric, played the opening experimentally, and failed to gain an advantage. But then my opponent went wrong, after which I was able as though to stalemate his pieces.

Kasparov-Gligoric

Queen s Indian Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 NB b6 4 a3 c5 5 d5 Ba6 6 Qc2 eXd5 7 cXd5 g6 8 Bf4 d6 9 Nc3 Bg7 10 Qa4+ Qd7 11 BXd6 QXa4 12 NXa4 NXd5 13 0-0-0 Ne7 14 e4 BXfl 15 RhXfl Nbc6 16 Nc3 Rd8? (16 ... BXc3!) 17 Nb5 Rd7 18 Bf4 RXdl+ 19 RXdl 0-0 20 Rd7 Ra8 21 Bd6 Nc8 22 Nc7 Rb8 23 Na6 Ra8 24 Bf4 N8e7 25 Bd6 Nc8 26 Bg3 N8e7 27 Bh4 Bf8 28 Bf6 Rd8 29 Rc7 Re8

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+rvlk+(
7zp-tR-snp+p'
6Nzpn+-vLp+&
5+-zp-+-+-%
4-+-+P+-+$
3zP-+-+N+-#
2-zP-+-zPPzP"
1+-mK-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

30 g4 Bg7 31 g5 Bf8 32 Kc2 Rc8 33 Rb7 Nd4+ 34 NXd4 cXd4+ 35 Kd3 Nc6 36 f4Bd637 e5 Bf8 38 b4 Nd8 39 BXd8 RXd8 40 RXa7 h6 41 h4 h5 42 Nc7

Black resigns.

It has to be said that in the initial stage of the tournament — the first four rounds — I was successful in not only the competitive sense (3^1/2 points), but also the creative. Here, for example, is my interesting draw from the second round, where much remained behind the scenes.

Ivanovic-Kasparov

Sicilian Defence

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cXd4 4 NXd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 Bc4 e6 7 Qe2 Be7 8 a4 Nc6 9 Be3 0-0 10 0-0

XABCDEFGHY
8r+lwq-trk+(
7+p+-vlpzpp'
6p+nzppsn-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4P+LsNP+-+$
3+-sN-vL-+-#
2-zPP+QzPPzP"
1tR-+-+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

10 ... d5

By this sort of freeing advance Black usually seizes the initiative. The Yugoslav player finds an interesting solution.

11 Rfdl!

After 11 eXd5 eXd5 12 Bb3 Bb4 Black has much the better game.

11        ... Bd6 12 eXd5

Now it all rather quickly ends in a draw. 12 Bg5 would have led to more complicated play, although here too Black's chances are not worse, e.g. 12 ... NXd4 13 RXd4 Qb6 14 BXf6 gXf6 15 Qg4+ Kh8 16 eXd5. In this position he can choose between 16 ... e5 17 Qh4 with a draw and 16 ... QXb2, winning a piece, but in the latter case White has chances of an attack.

12        ... eXd5 13 NXd5 NXd5 14 BXd5 BXh2+ 15 KXh2 QXd5 16 c4 Qe4 17 NXc6

bXc6 18 Rd4 Qe5+ 19 Kgl

Drawn.

And in my game with the Argentinian grandmaster Najdorf I was able to carry out an interesting idea.

Kasparov-Najdorf

Queen's Indian Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 a3 Bb7 5 Nc3 d5 6 cXd5 NXd5 7 e3 Be7 8 Bb5+ c6 9 Bd3 NXc3 10 bXc3 c5 11 0-0 Nc6 12 e4 0-0 13 Be3 cXd4 14 cXd4 Rc8 15 Qe2 Na5 16 Rfel Qd6

XABCDEFGHY
8-+r+-trk+(
7zpl+-vlpzpp'
6-zp-wqp+-+&
5sn-+-+-+-%
4-+-zPP+-+$
3zP-+LvLN+-#
2-+-+QzPPzP"
1tR-+-tR-mK-!
xabcdefghy

I managed to exploit the advanced position of the black queen for an attack on the K-side. To do this, the two central pawns had to be sacrificed.

17 d5 eXd5 18 e5 Qe6 19 Nd4 QXe5 20 Nf5

The bishops' diagonals are open and the knight has been brought up, and yet Black's position is fairly solid.

20 ... Bf6

20        ... Bc5 is bad because of 21 Qh5, when against the threat of Ne7+ there is no satis

factory defence. At first sight 20 ... Nc4 seems to work, but then the quiet 21 Qfl! decides the game.

Fairy-tales! After 20 . . . Nc4 21 Qfl the simple 21 . . . Bd6! leaves White in a bad way (22 ft Qf6 23 Bd4 Bc5, or 22 g3 NXe3). Little better is 21 Bd4 QXe2 22 RXe2 Bc523BXg7Rfe8. Perhaps the only saving possibility is 21 Qh5 g6 22 Bd4 QXd4 (22...gXh5 23NXe7+) 23NXd4 gXh5 24 RXe7 Nd6 25 Nf5 NXf5 26RXb7Nd4 27 RXa7 - the weakness of Black's pawns will probably prevent him from winning. One is led to the conclusion that, instead of the frivolous sacrifice of two pawns, White should have chosen the "routine" 17 h4.

21Qg4

The threat is Bd4. The most natural reply is 21 ... Rfe8, and then 22 Bd2 QXal 23 RXal BXal, when 24 NXg7 does not work because of 24 ... BXg7 25 Bh6 Rcl+ 26 Bfl RXfl+! 27 KXfl Ba6+, and Black gives mate. Therefore (instead of 24 NXg7) 24 h4! is stronger (renewing the threat of NXg7). Incidentally, 24 Nh6+ is not very good in view of 24 . . . Kf8 25 Bb4+ Rc5 - Black gives up the exchange, but White's attack peters out. But after 24 h4 he retains strong threats.

Black could also have defended by 21 ... Qc3, when White would have continued 22 Ne7+! BXe7 (bad is 22 ... Kh8 23 BXh7 Rc4 24Be4!, mating) 23 Bd4 QXd4 24 QXd4 Bf6 25    Qg4 BXal 26 RXal. Black has rook, knightand two pawns for the queen. I think that White's chances are preferable, but the most likely outcome is a draw.

But Najdorf played a weak move:

21        ... Rce8? 22 Bd2 QXal

Or 22... Qc7 23 Nh6+ Kh8 24 RXe8 RXe8 25 Qf5 Re4 26 BXe4 dXe4 27 Rcl Nc4 28 Bg5 with a decisive advantage.

23e RXal BXal

Here the combination mentioned above now works.

24 NXg7! BXg7

Or 24... Bc8 25 Ne6+ Kh8 26 Qf5, mating.

25Bh6

Black resigns.

In my opinion, the decisive games in the battle for first place were those from the sixth and seventh rounds against Ex-World Champions Petrosian and Spassky. As the reader will be aware, up till then the games with Petrosian had gone badly for me, but on this occasion I managed to break the unpleasant tradition. Right from the opening I was able to gain a great advantage.

Kasparov-Petrosian

Bogo-Indian Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 Bb4+ 4 Bd2 Qe7 5 g3 BXd2+ 6 QXd2 0-0 7 Bg2 d5 8 0-0 dXc4 9 Na3 c5 10 dXc5 QXc5 11 Racl Nc6 12 NXc4 Qe7? 13 Nfe5 NXe5 14 NXe5

XABCDEFGHY
8r+l+-trk+(
7zpp+-wqpzpp'
6-+-+psn-+&
5+-+-sN-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-zP-#
2PzP-wQPzPLzP"
1+-tR-+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

Evaluating this position is not at all difficult — the difference in the placing of the pieces is too great. But the realization of the advantage is made difficult by the absence of weaknesses in Black's position. If he can manage to develop his pieces without any particular damage, White's initiative will be neutralized. To do this he must drive the knight at e5 from its dominating position.

14 ... Nd5 15 Rfdl Nb6 16 Qa5!

Restraining Black's Q-side, and preventing 16 ... f6 in view of 17 Nc4 NXc4 18 RXc4 with a decisive invasion.

16 ... g6 17 Rd3!

With his last move Black tried to prepare the exchange of a pair of rooks, but White forestalls this attempt: 17 ... Rd8 18 Qc5! QXc5 19 RXd8+ Qf8 20 RXf8+ KXf8 21 Rc7, with a crushing position.

17        ... Nd5 18 e4!

It is a pity for White to block the diagonal of his own bishop, but now it is more important to drive the black knight from its excellent post.

18        ... Nb6

Forced, in order to cover c7. The attempt to gain some freedom by tactical means did not work - 18 ... Qb4? 19 RXd5.

19Bfl!

An unobtrusive, but very important move. In such a situation the main thing is not to allow the opponent to free himself. Black was intending to play 19. . .f6,andafter20Nc4to exploit the undefended state of the rook at d3: 20... NXc4 21 RXc4 b6 22 Qc3 Ba6. The prophylactic 19 Bfl! prevents this possibility.

19        ... Re8

It is hard to call this move a mistake, but at any rate Black's best chance was to sacrifice a pawn by 19 ... f6 20Nc4 Bd7, although even then White should gradually win after 21 NXb6 aXb6 22 QXb6 Bc6 23 a3.

20        Rddl!

White has fully co-ordinated all his pieces, and Black can only passively observe his op¬ponent's preparations.

20        ... Rf8

There is nothing else, since it is no longer possible to buy off the opponent with a pawn sacrifice: 20... f6 21 Nc4 Bd7 22 NXb6 aXb6 23 QXb6 Bc6 24 Bb5! BXb5 25 QXb5 with a straightforward win. Now Black can only hope for a miracle, or. ... the inexperience and haste of his opponent. On the experience of our previous meetings, the latter seemed more probable, but the lessons received from Petrosian in Moscow and Tilburg had taught me a great deal.

21        a3!

Insignificant moves such as this demonstrate to the opponent just how helpless he is.

21 ... Kg7 22 b3

White, with unhurried haste, approaches his goal. It is obvious that the advance of the pawn to a5 will spell the end of Black's resistance, but what can he do?

22 ... Kg8 23 a4 Rd8

Even without this oversight the game would not have lasted long.

24 Qc5!

The variation 24 ... QXc5 (24 ... Qe8 25 Ng4!) 25 RXd8+ Qf8 26 RXf8+ KXf8 27 Rc7 does not require any commentary. Black resigns.

My game with Spassky took a very tense course.

Spassky-Kasparov

Sicilian Defence

1 e4 c5 2 Nc3 e6 3 g3 d5 4 eXd5 eXd5 5 Bg2 Nf6

5... d4 is premature in view of the inter position 6 Qe2+, after which the knight will occupy one of the central squares e4 or d5.

6          Nge2 d4 7 Ne4 NXe4 8 BXe4 Nd7

8... Nc6 followed by... Bd6 and. . . 0-0 is also acceptable.

9 0-0 Nf6 10 Bg2 Bd6

Black has deployed his pieces well. If 11 d3 then 11... 0-0, and he has simply the better chances — he has more space for manoeuvring. Therefore Spassky immediately starts to undermine Black's pawn centre.

11c3!

XABCDEFGHY
8r+lwqk+-tr(
7zpp+-+pzpp'
6-+-vl-sn-+&
5+-zp-+-+-%
4-+-zp-+-+$
3+-zP-+-zP-#
2PzP-zPNzPLzP"
1tR-vLQ+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

11        ... d3!?

Quieter play would have resulted from

11 ... 0-0 12 cXd4 cXd4 13 d3 (less good is 13 NXd4 BXg3) 13 ... Re8.

12        Nf4 0-0

Of course, not 12 ... BXf4? because of 13 Qa4+ Bd7 14 Rel+! Kf8 15 QXf4.

13        NXd3 BXg3 14 fXg3!

This is stronger than 14 hXg3 — the white rook comes into play on the f-file. 14 NXc5? is bad - 14 ... BXh2+ 15 KXh2 Ng4+, and Black's attack can hardly be parried.

14        ... QXd3 15 Qf3

An interesting position — Black has blockaded his opponent's Q-side, but if White should manage to free himself his two bishops may have an important say. Black must play energetically, and so 15 ... Rd8 does not work in view of 16 QXd3 RXd3 17 Rel followed by Bfl, when White stands better.

15        ... QXG 16 BXf3

On 16 RXO Black plays 16. .. Be6 with the better chances.

16        ... Bh3 17 BXb7!

Spassky too is fighting for an advantage.

17        ... Rae8 18 Bg2

Not 18 Rdl because of 18 ... Bg4 19 Rfl Be2 20 Rel Bd3.

18                ... BXg2 19 KXg2 Re2+ 20 Rf2 Rfe8

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+r+k+(
7zp-+-+pzpp'
6-+-+-sn-+&
5+-zp-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-zP-+-zP-#
2PzP-zPrtRKzP"
1tR-vL-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

White is a pawn up, but for the moment his two Q-side pieces are out of play. True, there is little material left on the board, and it is extremely difficult for Black to exploit his lead in development. Especially since Spassky now makes a very strong move.

21 b3!

An excellent solution, and the only correct one in this position. 21 d4 is bad — 21 ... cXd4 22 cXd4 Rel, and the "paralysis" of White's Q-side is bound to tell. The idea of the move in the game is to abandon the K-side to its fate, but to develop the Q-side. For example: 21 ... h5 22 Ba3 Ng4 23 RXe2 RXe2+ 24 KB etc. (White's plans include BXc5Xa7), or 21 ... h5 22 Ba3 RXG+ 23 KXf2 Ne4+ 24 Kg2 NXd2 25 BXc5 Re2+ 26 Bf2 Ne4 27 KB RXf2+ 28 KXe4 RXh2 - and in my opinion White still stands better.

21 ... RXf2+ 22 KXf2 Ng4+ 23 Kg2 f5!

23        ... Rel is tempting, and if 24 Bb2 Re2+ 25 KB RXd2. But then 26 Ba3 NXh2+ 27 Ke4 is very strong — White's active pieces constitute a formidable force.

24        h3 Ne5 25 d4

With his pawn at d2, White of course cannot allow the knight in at d3.

25        ... cXd4 26 cXd4

26        Bd2 is interesting, returning the pawn but developing the bishop after 26 ... dXc3

27        BXc3 with the better chances. But Black would have had a draw — 26 ... Nd3 27 Kf3 Ne5+ 28 Kf4 Nd3+, since 29 KXf5 is not possible in view of 29 ... Re2. A double-edged position would have resulted after 27 Kf 1 - 27 . . . dXc3 28 BXc3 Re3 29 Bd4 RXg3 30 BXa7 RXh3.

26        ... Nd3

The activity of Black's knight saves him, since 27 Ba3 is not possible due to 27 ... Nel+ and 28 ... Nc2.

27Bg5

27        Bf4 can be adequately met by 27 ... NXf4+ 28 gXf4 Re4.

27 ... h6 28 Rdl hXg5 29 RXd3 Re2+ 30 KB RXa2 31 d5 Kf7 32 d6 Ke8

Drawn.

The sequel could have been 33 Re3+ Kd7 34 Re7+ KXd6 35 RXg7 Rb2 36 RXg5 Ke6.

After gaining one and a half points in these two games, I felt that I had good chances of first place. In rounds 8 and 9 I managed to win against Larsen and Kavalek, and my lead over my nearest rival — Polugayevsky -reached one and a half points.

Kasparov-Larsen

In the diagram position it is hard to imagine the coming combinational complications, and one would expect that after a manoeuvring struggle the game will end in a draw. However, I managed to find an interesting possibility.

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25 Rc6!

An audacious move, the virtue of which is that it does not spoil anything! Incidentally, it has a positional basis: 25 ... Bf7 26 Bg4! NXg4 27 RXc8+ QXc8 28 hXg4 with an appreciable advantage for White (28 ... Qcl+ 29 Kh2 Qd2? 30 Qc4!). But if Black had simply ignored the impudent rook and improved the placing of his pieces (25 ... Nc7), the game would again have taken an even course. However, Larsen is not one of those who takes the opponent at his word, and so, after thinking for 20 minutes out of his remaining 25, he resolutely removed the white rook from the board.

25        ... bXc6?

Now White's idea is justified.

26 dXc6+ Qf7 27 Bc4 d5 28 NXd5 Kh8

28        ... Kf8, with the idea of giving up the queen in a favourable version, runs into an

elegant refutation: 29 Nb6! RXc6 30 BXf7 BXf7 31 Qa3!, when the discovered check is

decisive, or  29 ... aXb6 30 BXf7 BXf7 31Qd3!

29 Nb6! Qc7 30 NXc8 QXc8 31 b5!

This move was underestimated by Larsen.

He for some reason reckoned only with 31BXa6 QXa6, which would have allowed him to stop the passed pawns. But White has no reason to exchange his strong bishop.

31 ... Nc5 32 Qa3 Nce4

The knight cannot be maintained at c5 — 32 ... Qf8 33 c7! Nfd7 34 Be6!

33 Qe7 NXg3

Now 34 fXg3 would have won without any particular difficulty. Unfortunately, at this moment my attention was diverted by Black's flag, which was still holding up only by some kind of miracle, and, thinking that all roads would lead to Rome, I decided to play brilliantly.

34 c7 Bf5

Now White could have chosen between 35 Qd8+ Ne8 36 Bf7 and the more elegant 36 b6! aXb6 37 Ba6!, with an instant win in both cases. I do not recall what I was thinking about, but suddenly I mechanically picked up the black knight.

35 fXg3? h5!

Larsen promptly makes use of the chance offered — now the variations given in the previous note do not work, since the black king has acquired the h7 square. After convincing myself that it was impossible to win the game immediately, I decided simply to advance my pawns.

36 a5 e4 37 b6 aXb6 38 aXb6 Kh7

It isn't possible to blockade the pawns: 38 ... Qb7 39 Qc5 Bc8 40 Bb5! e3 (otherwise Bc6) 41 QXe3, and White must win.

39 Qc5 Bd7

Here Black's flag finally fell, but all the same after 40 Qa5 the white pawns cannot be stopped.

Kavalek-Kasparov

King's Indian Defence

1d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3Nc3 Bg7 4 e4 d6 5Nf3 0-0 6 h3 e5 7 d5

One of the most insidious systems of play against the King's Indian Defence, devised by Vladimir Makogonov. The main idea of it is that the immediate preparation of. . . f5 runs into an energetic counter: 7 ... Nh5 8 Nh2! (this looks fanciful, but it has a sound basis — why should the Nh2 stand any worse than the Nh5?) 8 .. . Qe8 9 Be2 Nf4 10 Bf3 f5 11 g3! Only this pawn sacrifice casts doubts on Black's play, whereas 11 h4? allowed him to develop furious activity in the 1973 game Kavalek-Quinteros: 11 ... Na6 12 g3 Nc5!! 13 gXf4 eXf4, and White had to resort to extreme measures (14 e5!) to avoid an immediate debacle.

After 11 g3! NXh3 12 Bg2 neither 12 ... fXe4 13 Be3 Bf5 14 Ng4 (Bagirov-Vukic, 1976) nor 12 ... f4 13 NO g5 14 BXh3 BXh3 15 RXh3 g4 16 Rhl gXfi 17 QXfi (Vizhmanavin-Chiburdanidze, 1981) helps Black to solve his problems.

However, Black is not obliged to hurry with . . . f5.

7          ... Na6 8 Be3

White is prepared to meet 8... Nc5 by the standard 9 Nd2, but a surprise awaits him.

8          ... Nh5!

Noticing the not altogether happy position of the bishop at e3 in the variations with . . . Nh5 and ... f5, Black reverts to this plan.

9Nh2 Qe8 10 Be2 Nf4 11 Bf3 f5

Now it is obvious that the inclusion of... Na6 and Be3 has favoured Black, if only for the reason that 12 g3 does not work (12 ... NXh3 13 Bg2 f4). The development of the knight at a6 has other positive aspects, too, but about that a little later.

12h4 Qe7 13 g3

In expectation of 13 ... Nh3 14 Rfl f4 15 Bel, when there appears to be no way for Black to develop his initiative, and his knight remains in an offside position. The idea of leaving the knight en prise may seem audacious, but a more intent study of the position reveals its similarity with the aforementioned Kavalek-Quinteros game. White was probably reassured by the fact that here the c5 square is under the observation of the bishop at e3, but there is another way to reach d3... .

13        ... Nb4! (see diagram)

The knight at f4 is immune: 14 gXf4 fXe4! (14 ... eXf4? 15 BXf4 fXe4 16 Bg5!) 15 fXe5 (15 NXe4 eXf4 16 Bd2 Nd3+ 17 Ke2 Nc5, regaining the piece) 15 ... Nd3+ 16 Ke2 RXB! 17 NXO Bg4 18 NXe4 NXe5, and the game cannot be saved. Kavalek was evi-

Position after 13 . . . Nb4!

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dently dismayed by such an unexpected turn of events, and he made a serious mistake.

14 Qb3?

This is boldness, bordering on suicide. Whether it was good or bad, he should have castled. Black would have replied 14 ... g5!, continuing to increase the tension in the vicinity of the white king. The position after 14 0-0 g5! is not easy to evaluate objectively, but in my opinion Black has good prospects in the coming battle.

14        ... Nfd3+

Such a situation by the 14th move is not often seen: the black cavalry, after by-pass¬ing the opponent's advanced centre on the flanks, has begun to pursue the white king.

15 Ke2 f4 16 Bd2

When playing Black in such a position, the main thing is not to lose one's head in the face of the mass of tempting continuations. The simple 16 ... a5, for example, was possible, but intuition suggested to me that more energetic measures were demanded.

16...fXg3?!

Black confuses the road signs, and sets out on a bumpy road which should have led by force to a draw. In the spirit of the preceding play was the resolute 16 ... NXf2! 17 KXf2 Nd3+18Kg2(18Ke2Nc519Qc2fXg3 20Nfl Qf6) 18 ... fXg3 19 KXg3 Rf4!, when the entire black army takes part in the decisive offensive, e.g. 20 Ng4 h5! 21 Ne3 (21 Nfi RXB+! 22 KXfi Qf6+ 23 Ke2 NXf2 with inevitable mate) 21 . . . Bf6! 22 Ng2 BXh4+ 23 RXh4 Qg5+, or 20 BXf4 eXf4+ 21 Kg2 QXh4 22 Rhfl Bh3+ 23 Khl BXfl 24 RXfl Nf2+ 25 RXf2 QXf2 26 QXb7 Rf8, and the win is not far off. That is how this game, which was begun so well, should have been concluded!

'The win is not far off" is too strong an expression: 27Ne2!g5 28 QXc7 (28 Qb3 Qh4!, and the pawns advance) 28. . .g4!29BXg4f3 30 NXf3 (30 BXf3 Be5!) 30... QXe2 (30... RXJ3? 31 BXf3 QXJ3+ 32 Kgl QXe2 33 Qc8+ with perpetual check) 31 QXd6 Qfl+! 32 Ngl QXc4, and Black still has good winning chances.

17 fXg3 RXB! 18 NXB Bg4 19 Rafl Rf8

The critical position for evaluating the course taken by Black. At first sight things appear to be going splendidly for him: apart from the direct. . . Qf7, he is also threatening the double exchange on f3 followed by the invasion of the black queen. But a more careful study of the position reveals that the threat of. . . Qf7 is not deadly if the d2 square is vacated for the white king, and meanwhile the black cavalry has become bogged down in enemy territory. The main thing now for White is to cover the f2 square, thus defending against the second threat. This aim is served by 20 Ndl and 20 Be3. In the game White chose the more tempting continuation, but it proved to be incorrect.

20 Ndl?

As already mentioned, it is important to vacate the d2 square. This demand is met by 20 Be3!, when Black would have had to find the only continuation to maintain the balance — 20... Bh6! (much weaker is 20... Qf7? 21 a3! BXf3+ 22 Kd2 Qd7 23 Rhgl, or 20 .. . Qd7 21 a3 BXB+ 22 RXB Qg4 23 Rfl RXB 24 RXB Nel 25 KXel QXB 26 Kd2!). Now 21 a3? is bad because of 21... RXB 22 RXB BXB+ 23 KXB Qf6+ 24 Ke2 BXe3 25 Rfl Ncl+, or 24 Kg2 BXe3 25 Rfl Nel+! After 21 BXh6 RXB 22 RXB BXB+ 23 KXB Qf6+ 24 Kg2 Qf2+ 25 Kh3 QB 26 Rh2 (26 Kh2 Qf2+) it appears that Black's attack peters out, but 26 ... g5! 27 BXg5 Qfl+ 28 Kg4 (28 Rg2? Nf2+ 29 Kh2 Qhl mate) 28 ...h5+! 29 KXh5 QB+ 30 Kh6 (not 30 g4? in view of mate in two moves) 30 ... Qf8+ 31 Kh5 QB+ leads to perpetual check.

It may seem strange that after 20 Be3! Black has nothing better, but that is the way things are: the efficiency of his pieces is very much reduced (for the sake of comparison, the position after 16 ... NXf2! should be recalled).

20 ... Qf7!

A strong reply: the black knight is immune, whereas White's is doomed.

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21 Be3 BXB+ 22 Kd2 Qd7 23 Rhgl

23 a3 is more tenacious, but it would not have essentially changed anything: after 23 .. . BXhl 24 RXhl a5 25 aXb4 NXb4 Black's extra pawn plus the exposed position of the white king assure him of a win.

23 ... Qh3 24 a3 BXe4! 25 RXf8+ BXf8 26 aXb4 Qh2+ 27 Kc3 Ncl!

An elegant finish. White resigns.

After winning this game, I rather prematurely thought that I was assured of an easy time of it in the tournament. But after a quick draw with Polugayevsky, I was faced with a game as Black against Timman, which could have been that very fly in the ointment which spoils the impression of any success. After playing the opening frivolously, by move 15 I was already in an unenviable position.

Timman-Kasparov

King's Indian Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4 d6 5 f3 0-0 6 Be3 Nc6 7 Nge2 a6 8 Qd2 Rb8 9 h4 b5?! 10 h5 e5 11 d5 Na5 12 Ng3 bXc4? 13 0-0-0 Nd7 14 hXg6 fXg6 15 Nbl

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Here 15... Nb7 16 BXc4 Nbc5 was normal and, although it would have left Black under positional pressure, he could still have hoped for a successful defence. But I was still in an optimistic frame of mind, and I confidently played

15        ... Rb5?,

hoping successfully to confuse matters after 16 Na3 Nc5! 17 BXc4 (17 Kbl? c3! 18 QXc3 Na4) 17 ... Rb3!? 18 BXc5 RXa3 19 BXa3 NXc4 20 Qel (20 Qc3? NXa3 21 QXa3 Qg5+) 20 ... NXa3 21 bXa3. In this variation the exposed position of the white king does indeed give Black counter-chances.

16 b4!

An elegant reply, which dispels Black's illusions. 16 ... Nb7 17 BXc4 is obviously hopeless, so Black decides on a desperate step — the sacrifice of a rook.

16 ... cXb3 17 BXb5 c5

It is absurd to say that Black is on the verge of defeat — he has already crossed this verge! The simple 18 Be2 would have left White a rook up in a relatively quiet situation — what more can one ask of a position!? But from this moment an important part is played by the psychological undercurrent — at every move White expects his opponent to capitulate, whereas Black displays resourcefulness in balancing over the abyss.

18 dXc6?! aXb5

Here Timman  sank into thought.  On closer inspection the obvious 19 cXd7 turned out to be not so clear: 19 ... Nc4 20 dXc8=Q QXc8 21 Qd5+ Rf7, and Black's small army unexpectedly creates some very real threats. However, the simple elimination of the dangerous b-pawn — 21 aXb3! would have left White with an advantage sufficient to win after 21 ... NXd2+ 22 KXd2. But when you are a rook up, it is not so easy to part with your queen!

19 Qd5+? Rf7

Not 19 ... Kh8? 20 RXh7+!, mating.

20aXb3

Now Black is only the exchange down, and that is a success!

20        ... Nf8!

Preparing ... Be6 and covering the king. Now 21 QXb5 is unpleasantly met by 21... NXc6!, so the queen takes a different pawn.

21QXd6 Qe8

The situation has sharpened: Black has managed to co-ordinate his pieces, and the insecure position of the white king is beginning to tell. White should probably have reconciled himself to the fact that a quick win was not possible, and continued 22 Kb2, retaining an obvious advantage after 22 ... NXc6 23 Ne2. But, on encountering unexpected resistance, Timman began to grow nervous.. ..

22 Qd8 QXc6+ 23 Kb2

It again appears that crude force will triumph (bad is 23 ... NXb3 24 Qd5!, or 23 ... Qa6 24 Rd6 Nc6 25 RXc6! QXc6 26 Rcl), but Black manages to find new re¬sources.

23        ... Qa8! 24 Rcl

Hoping for 24 ... Nc6 25 RXc6.

24        ...Nc4+!25bXc4Rd7!

An important interposition — it has to be determined which way the white queen will

go.

26 Qe8

Logical, since on 26 Qb6 Black has the dangerous 26 ... Rb7, while after 26 Qh4 the queen is out of play. Besides, White has something else in mind.. . . This becomes clear within a couple of moves.

26 ... bXc4 27 Nc3 Qc6!!

But this clearly was not part of White's plans. His calculation was based on 27 ... Qb7+ 28 Kal Qa6+ 29 Na2 Rd3 30 RXh7!, when Black has no defence, e.g. 30 ... RXe3 (30 ... KXh7 31 Qf7) 31 RXg7+ KXg7 32 Qe7+ Kg8 33 Nh5! gXh5 34 Qg5+ and QXe3. But after the move played, White must inevitably lose his queen (Black threatens .. . Rd2+ or ... Rb7+).

When Black's last move was made on the board, Timman went pale — he only needed a single glance to understand the irreparable nature of what had happened. However, he made the following move almost immediately — White has only one acceptable reply.

28 Kc2 Rd2+

Here, to the surprise of the spectators, a draw was agreed on my proposal. It should be said that after 29 KXd2 QXe8 30 Nd5 Black's position does not give any great grounds for optimism. As for Timman, the shock caused by such a sudden turn of events was too much for him. In the final position (29 KXd2 QXe8 30 Nd5) the following variation is possible: 30 . .. Be6 31 RXc4 BXd5 32 eXd5 Qb5 33 Rc5 Qb2+ 34 Rc2 Qb4+ 35 Ke2 Qb5+ 36 Kf2 QXd5 with a probable draw.

This miraculous escape essentially decided the battle for first place, and a draw in the next round with Hubner put me out of reach of my rivals.

Postscript to a Prologue

Moscow, 1982

.... The conference hall of the "Sport" Hotel is deserted. No longer on the walls are the demonstration boards — silent witnesses to an interesting, uncompromising, and at times tragic struggle in the Moscow Interzonal Tournament. Now this tournament is history, and, after resting a little following the race, we can calmly try to evaluate the events which occurred.

The Moscow Interzonal was the last of three such events, organized to determine six participants in the Candidates Matches. Not surprisingly, there was no lack of forecasts. Moreover, the formula for compiling the forecasts was extremely simple: compare the tables of the interzonals already completed, add two or three superficial factors, and — deduce a "regularity" applicable to the coming tournament.

The height of this "forecasting" was the determination of the two candidates in any interzonal tournament held under the present system (14 players fighting for two places): one favourite plus one of those not listed at the start as a likely candidate. On paper these computations looked convincing, but Caissa had probably not managed to read Soviet Sport, and so decided otherwise. . . .

It seems to me that the Moscow Interzonal was the most fighting tournament of the three. I anticipate an objection: can objectivity be expected of one of the tournament winners in comparing all the interzonals as a whole?

But, firstly, the number of games with decisive results in the Moscow Tournament was the highest (54-9% against 50-6% and 46-2% in Las Palmas and Toluca respectively). Secondly, before the last round in Moscow there were no less than five (!) real contenders for the second Candidate's place. And finally, for counting the number of "grandmaster" draws in the Moscow Tournament the fingers on one hand would suffice. . . . These arguments look quite convincing, but I would advise those who genuinely love and understand chess to make a careful study of the games. There were creative successes for almost all the participants

in the tournament. I think that the spectators who managed to obtain tickets were not once disappointed — there were gripping encounters in every round.

But the main thing, nevertheless, was the fierceness of the struggle, which was maintained literally right up to the concluding moments of the last round. To convey with absolute authenticity the electric atmosphere on the stage and round about it is impossible, but I will endeavour to reveal the drama of the situation in sketches of individual episodes.

.... The Cuban grandmaster Guilermo Garcia just cannot cope with his nervous cough. After all, his goal is so dazzlingly close, and he need only hold his ground, only avoid losing! The Cuban feverishly stubs out one cigarette after another, realizing that fate may never again grant him such a chance.

.... Aleksander Belyavsky slowly stands up from his board. From his face one can guess that he is still trying to understand where his extra rook got to in his game with Van der Wiel, and why the white king came under a mating attack?! Yes, had Belyavsky won that game he would have been in a po-ition to battle for first place, but the vexing defeat has thrust him back amongst his rivals. For the moment no one imagines that Belyavsky's most severe tests are to come — first an exhausting 8-hour adjournment with Andersson, then one in the morning with Rodriguez, during which the Lvov grandmaster blunders away a piece in a won po-ition, and draws only by a miracle. And after all this, composed and imperturbable as always, he comes onto the stage for the last round to engage Gheorghiu in battle with Black. Belyavsky wins. He wins contrary to all forecasts and to "common sense", and this victory is the deserved reward for the Lvov grandmaster's courage!

.... Yefim Geller glances anxiously at his clock. The merciless advance of the minute hand threatens to cancel out the four full-weight victories gained at the finish by the celebrated Soviet grandmaster. Unfortunately, that is in fact what happens: skilfully exploiting the veteran's time trouble mistakes, Sax forces him to lay down his arms.

.... Mikhail Tal looks in astonishment at his opponent — when will the latter begin, at last, to make some mistakes? But Quinteros is imperturbable, on this day he plays with inspiration, and it is the Ex-World Champion who is forced to abandon his dreams of victory and find the only moves to save the game. Tal very much needed that victory!

.... Ulf Andersson conducts splendidly his game from the 9th round. Victory appears to be close, but I manage to balance on the edge of the abyss. Suddenly something imperceptible changes on the face of the Swedish grandmaster. The spectators continue to see White's two extra pawns, but I have noticed Ulf s dismay. Black has acquired certain threats, for the parrying of which the ultra-cautious Swede requires time, and he has so little left! Ulf s indecision is aggravated by my offer of a draw. In the end the sight of the threateningly rising flag resolves all hesitation, and Andersson signs the scoresheet. In effect, this signature symbolized his abandonment of any further battle in the tournament. Although the draw maintained the status quo of the two players, they approached the concluding four games in different psychological frames of mind. At the finish I avoided losing any points (four wins!) whereas Ulf drew all his games.

Yes, points in an interzonal are not granted easily. Often ability to play well proves insufficient on its own, and therefore in my preparations, apart from purely chess problems, I devoted considerable attention to the development of a tournament strategy. But on my part it would not be very sincere to maintain that everything had been planned beforehand: wins at the finish, and draws in the middle of the tournament. It is certainly not possible to make provision for everything. But, taking account of the short distance, particular attention was given to the problem of not losing, and hence of avoiding risk as far as possible. This by no means signified the avoidance of a struggle in any of the games. On the contrary, in each round I endeavoured to engage the opponent in battle, but if the game did not turn out well (as, for example, against Garcia), I did not try to swim against the tide, but offered a draw. It was very important to retain sufficient strength for the finish. After all, every defeat acts too exhaustingly on the nervous system. This makes Belyavsky's result even more worthy of respect, since he managed to finish in the first two in spite of three defeats.

The tournament strategy I employed was criticized by the sports journalists. On the pages of the newspapers I was reproached for excessive caution, for smothering the creative side of my game in favour of the competitive result, and so on. This was contrasted with my play in other tournaments, where, being prepared to take risks, I sacrificed pawns and pieces. Indeed, it is pleasant for spectators to watch gripping encounters with sacrifices. But, firstly, there were sacrifices (it is sufficient to recall the games with Tal and Belyavsky), and, secondly, it is naive to demand of the participants in such a cruel elimination event that they create masterpieces. Therefore, in my opinion, the question of creative success or failure in a tournament can be considered only in the competitive interpretation. In Moscow I managed to play a number of interesting games.

Kasparov-Sax

Grilnfeld Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 d5 4 cXd5 NXd5 5 e4 NXc3 6 bXc3 Bg7 7 Bc4

Earlier I regularly employed the system with 7 Nf3, but Sax— a fervent supporter of the Grlinfeld Defence — is well familiar with the subtleties of this opening, and, of course, with the latest developments. Therefore it was decided to choose not the most fashionable continuation.

7 ... 0-0 8 Be3 b6

This is dubious, since it does not assist Black's main strategic problem in the opening— the undermining of the white centre by ... c5.

9 h4 Bb7

Perhaps the most precise move order. In a game with Knaak (1979) Sax played 9 ...Nc6, and after 10 h5 Na5 11 hXg6! it transpired that 11 ... NXc4 was bad because of 12 Qh5! fXg6 13 QXh7+ Kf7 14 Nf3 with a virtually irresistible attack. Black had to reply 11 ... hXg6, but after 12 Bd3 he was in difficulties.

10 Qf3 Qd7 11 Ne2 h5

Forced — otherwise h4-h5, and it is not apparent how Black can defend. But now a different question arises: how is White going to attack?

12 Bg5!

White begins a regrouping of his forces, the aim of which is to link up his black-squared bishop, knight and queen to the attack.

12 ... Nc6 13 Nf4 e6

On 13 ... Na5 White has the decisive 14 NXg6.

14 Rdl Na5 15 Bd3 e5!

Immediately breaking up the threatening pair of white pawns in the centre. The natural 15 . . . c5 would have lost almost by force: 16 NXh5! gXh5 17 Bf6 BXf6 18 QXf6 Qd8 19 Qh6, and against the threats of e4-e5 and Rh3 there is no satisfactory defence.

15        ... Qc6 is also insufficient: White can simply play 16 Bbl, and 16 ... Ba6 is not dangerous — his king remains in the centre, and his king's rook can come into play via h3, e.g. 17 Rh3 Qc4 18 Rg3, and Black has only a harmless check at fl. Incidentally, at this point Black could have won a piece by 15...f6, but after 16 NXg6 fXg5 17 QXh5 Qf718 f3! White maintains a very strong attack almost "for free".

16 dXe5 BXe5 17 0-0

At first sight (see diagram) White stands worse (his once threatening centre has been broken up). But this would be a superficial evaluation. White's main advantage is that his pieces, situated close to the black king, can at any moment begin a direct attack. Black has a specific difficulty— it is not easy for him to decide where to place his queen. If, for example, 17 ... Qa4, then 18 g4— lines are opened, and there is nothing to defend the black king. It is natural, therefore, that Sax should aim to keep his queen as close as possible to the K-side.

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17 ... Qg4 18 Qe3 Rfe8 19 Be2

Now Sax is forced to give up his black-squared bishop, since 19 ... Qc8 20 Nd5 BXd5 21 RXd5 is totally bad for him- White has the two bishops and excellent prospects.

19 ... BXf4 20 BXf4 Nc4?

The critical point. Black could have taken a pawn here with 20. . . QXh4, but after 21 e5 he would have condemned himself to a difficult defence: White controls the black squares, he has a firm hold on the initiative, and the position is much easier for him to play. Sax, of course, realized this and conceived an interesting combination, which, to his misfortune, met with a far from obvious refutation.

21 BXc4 RXe4 22 f3! QXf4

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6-zp-+-+p+&
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4-+L+rwq-zP$
3+-zP-wQP+-#
2P+-+-+P+"
1+-+R+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

23BXf7+!Kg7 24Qd3!

Now the weakness of the g6 pawn forces Black to go into an ending. But there too the active placing of White's pieces, together with the precarious state of the enemy king, gives him excellent winning chances.

24 ... Qe3+ 25 QXe3 RXe3 26 Rd7 Kh6 27 RXc7 Ba6 28 Rdl Bd3 29 Rd2

The white king is ready to take part in the play. The rest is simple.

29.. .Bf530Kf2Re531Rd5RXd532BXd5 Rd8 33 c4 b5 34 Ke3 a5 35 Kf4 Bbl

This loses immediately, but 35... bXc4 36 BXc4 Rd4+ 37 Ke5! also fails to save the game. Then 37 ... RXh4 is bad because of 38 f4, when against Bg8 with the threat of Rh7 there is no defence (38. ..Bbl39Bg8g5 40 f5 g4 41 Kf6).

36 g4 hXg4 37 fXg4

Black resigns.

Of note are the following two games, which are similar not only in content, but also in length. First of all, from round 3.

Kasparov-Murey

Queen’ s Indian Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 Nc3 Bb7 5 a3 d5 6 cXd5 NXd5 7 Qc2!?

This move opens a new page in this variation. In contrast to the usual 7 e3 (and within a few moves e3-e4), White intends to play e2-e4 in one go, and at c2 the queen hardly stands any worse than at dl.

7          ... c5

Of course, the white centre is rather weak, but nevertheless Black should not delay the development of his K-side. Christiansen against Portisch (1982) adopted a different move order- 7.. . Be7 8 e4NXc3 9 bXc3 0-0 10Bd3 c5, but even then White was able to deploy his forces more harmoniously after 11 0-0 cXd4 12 cXd4Nc6 13 Bb2Rc8 14Qe2.

8 e4 NXc3 9 bXc3 Nc6* 10 Bb2!

The d4 pawn is securely defended, and the

* The interest in 7 Qc2 quickly declined when, a month and a half after the Interzonal Tournament, at the Olympiad in Lucerne, Black succeeded in revealing the disadvantage of the white queen's new position: 9 ... Nd7! 10 Bd3 Qc7! with the intention ofll... cXd4 12 cXd4 QXc2. White is forced to lose time, and both 11 Qd2 g612 0-0Bg7 (Kasparov-Sosonko) and 11 Qbl g612 0-0 Bg7 (Hort-Miles) give Black a comfortable position.

rook is ready to take up an attacking position at dl.

10        ... Rc8?

Black is not able to exploit the opposition of queen and rook, and the loss of a tempo costs him dearly. He should have transposed into the Portisch-Christiansen game by 10 ... Be7.

11Rdl

Emphasizing the illusory nature of Black's threats. A move ago Black was dreaming of attacking, but now he has to solve an unpleasant problem — how to defend against d4-d5 together with Bb5+.

11        ... cXd4 12 cXd4 a6

Optimistic knight moves lead to a swift catastrophe, e.g. 12 ... NXd4? 13 Qa4+, or

12        ... Ne5 13 Bb5+ Bc6 14 dXe5!, or 12 ...Nb4 13 Qa4+ Bc6 14 Qb3.

After 12 . . . a6 White has the possibility of immediately beginning forcing play by 13 d5!? The interesting complications in the following variation favour White: 13 ... Nb4 14 Qa4+ b5 15 BXb5+ aXb5 16 QXb5+ Qd7 17 QXd7KXd7 18 dXe6++ KXe6 19Nd4+! Ke5 20 0-0!, and the black king is in trouble (20. . .Na621Nc6++!Kf422Bcl+!KXe423 Rfel+ Kf5 24 Rd5+ Kg6 25 Rg5+Kf6 26 f4! Bc5+ 27 Kfl, or 24 ... Kf6 25 Bb2+Kg6 26 Ne5+ Kf6 27 Rd7 etc.). This is all very pretty, but the black knight only needs to change course — 13 ... Ne5 — and the position becomes less clear: 14 Qb3 (14 Qa4+ b5 15 BXb5+? aXb5 16 QXb5+ Qd7) 14 ... NXf3+ 15 gXB eXd5. Therefore White consistently continues to carry out his plan.

13 Qd2!

(See diagram) Now Black is deprived of the counter-play associated with the position of the white queen on the c-flle, and the d4 pawn threatens to advance by force to d7. The breakthrough can be averted only by 13... Ne7, but how pitiful Black's position then looks!

13 ... Na5

Realizing that the strategic battle has been lost, Black tries to find some tactical resources, but it is too late — the chess truth is on White's side!

Position after 13 Qd2!:

XABCDEFGHY
8-+rwqkvl-tr(
7+l+-+pzpp'
6pzpn+p+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-zPP+-+$
3zP-+-+N+-#
2-vL-wQ-zPPzP"
1+-+RmKL+R!
xabcdefghy

14 d5! eXd5

14        ... Nc4 is hardly any better. After 15 BXc4 RXc4 White has a pleasant choice between 16 0-0 and 16 Qe2.

15 eXd5 Bd6

Black continues his development, but now his K-side is taken apart. The plausible 15... Qe7+ 16 Be2 Nc4 is refuted by 17 d6!, and after the forced 17 ... NXd6 (other captures leave Black a piece down) 18 0-0 the only question which remains unclear is the number of moves that the game will last. The most tenacious was probably 15 ... f6, in order to blockade the passed pawn after 16 d6 with 16 ... Qd7.

16 BXg7 Qe7+ 17 Be2 Rg8 18 Qh6!

The bishop is by no means obliged to retreat, and the invasion of the rook at c2 merely plays into White's hands (18 ... Rc2 19 Nd4).

18 ... f5 19 Bf6 Qf8

The exchange sacrifice 19 ... Rg6 would not have greatly prolonged Black's resist¬ance. The simplest then is 20 QXg6+hXg6 21 BXe7 KXe7 22 h4! BXa3 23 h5.

20 QXh7 Qf7

After 20 ... RXg2 White has the quickly decisive 21 Ne5!

21 QXf5 Rg6 22 Qe4 Kf8 23 Ng5 RXg5 24 Bg5Re8 25 Bh6+ Kg8 26 Qg4+

Black resigns.

White's victory looked so convincing that the repetition of this opening variation by

any of the participants seemed improbable. Nevertheless. . . .

Kasparov-Gheorghiu

Queen’ s Indian Defence

1d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 Nc3 Bb7 5 a3 d5 6 cXd5 NXd5 7 Qc2 c5 8 e4 NXc3 9 bXc3

Victory in this game would ensure my success in the tournament, so I anxiously watched my opponent as he confidently repeated the first eight moves of the previous game. What did he have in mind?

9 ... Be7

Gheorghiu had prepared a cocktail of the plans employed by Christiansen and Murey, but the following strong rejoinder revealed the drawbacks to it.

10Bb5+!Bc6 11 Bd3

The position of the bishop at c6 will provide the motif for various combinations.

11        ... Nd7 12 0-0 h6?!

On 12 ... 0-0 Gheorghiu was afraid of 13 d5, but the loss of a tempo in such a situation is an impermissible luxury.

13 Rdl!

White could have continued quietly with 13 a4 0-0 14 Qe2 with the advantage, but I thought that the slight disharmony in the placing of the black pieces could be exploited by more energetic means. The immediate 13 d5 eXd5 14 eXd5 BXd5 15 Rdl was tempting, but to me the consequences of the following exchange sacrifice were not so clear: 15 ... Be616Be4(16Bf5BXf5 17QXf5Qc8!) 16... Rc8 17 Bf4 0-0 18 Bb7 Bf6.

13        ... Qc7?!

Black does not sense the imminent danger. Certainly, the position after 13 ... 0-014 d5 eXd5 15 eXd5 Bb7 16 c4 gives Black few grounds for optimism, but he should have gone in for it. 13 ... cXd4, on the other hand, is met by the unexpected 14 NXd4, when after 14... Qc7 15NXc6QXc6 16Qe2! the pin on the a4-e8 diagonal may prove fatal.

14 d5 eXd5 15 eXd5 BXd5 16 Bb5

Now 16... Bc6 looks the most natural, but after 17 Bf4! Qb7 18 BXc6 QXc6 19 Rel! Black faces a difficult defence. Although formally he is a pawn up, in essence he is playing a whole rook down. In this case the game could have developed as follows: 19. .. Kf8 20 Radl Re8 21 Qf5 Nf6 22 Ne5 Qc8 23 Nd7+! NXd7 24 QXd7 QXd7 25 RXd7 g5 26 RdXe7! RXe7 27 Bd6 and wins. This variation is not essential, but it gives a good illustration of White's possibilities.

16 ... a6

Black was very much relying on this move - 17 BXd7+ QXd7 18 c4 Be4!

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-+k+-tr(
7+-wqnvlpzp-'
6pzp-+-+-zp&
5+Lzpl+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3zP-zP-+N+-#
2-+Q+-zPPzP"
1tR-vLR+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

17 Bf4!

Forcing Black to throw caution to the winds and bring his king out into the centre of the board, since 17 ... Qb7 18 BXd7+ QXd7 19 c4 Qg4 20 RXd5 QXf4 21 Rel is even less acceptable (e.g. 21 ... Ra7 22 Ne5 Rc7 23 Ng6! fXg6 24 QXg6+ Qf7 25 Rd8+!). 17 ... QXf4 18 BXd7+ KXd7 19 RXd5+ Kc7?

It is perhaps only to this move that a question mark can be attached with complete certainty. White would have had the most difficulty in realizing his advantage after 19 ... Kc8, planning .. . Ra7-c7.

20 Rel! Bd6

After 20 ... Rhe8 21 Rde5 Qf6 22 Qe4 Black loses a piece, while 20 ... Bf6 21 Re4 leads to a piquant situation — the queen is trapped in mid-board!

21        Rf5 Qc4 22 Re4!

Even in such a position it is not too late to make a mistake - 22 Nd2? Rhe8!

22        ... Qb5 23 RXf7+ Kb8 24 Re6 Rd8 25 c4 Qc6

If 25 ... Qa5 White wins by 26 Qe4 Ra7 27 RXd6!

26 Ne5 Qc8 27 Qbl!

Not the only way, but the most elegant one (27 ... b5 28 cXb5). Black resigns. This win is particularly precious to me, because it secured my place in the Candidates! My encounter in the seventh round with the USA Champion took a tense course.

Christiansen-Kasparov

Kings Indian Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4 d6 5 f4 0-0 6Nf3

The choice of variation is evidence of the American player's aggressive intentions.

6 ... c5 7 d5 e6 8 dXe6

In exchanging his strong d5 pawn, White hopes to exploit his superior control over the central squares and the activity of the e4+f4 pawn pair.

8          ... fXe6

The natural 8 ... BXf6 leaves White with an easier game: 9 Bd3 Nc6 10 f5 Bd7 11 0-0. Therefore I chose a dynamic and little-studied continuation.

9 Bd3 Nc6 10 0-0 Nd4!

Black immediately exploits the main advantage of his position — his control of d4. The variation 11 NXd4 cXd4 12 Ne2 e5 cannot satisfy White, but he should have tackled the centralized knight by 11 Ne2. The fanciful manoeuvre undertaken by Christiansen allows Black to seize the initiative.

11 Ng5?! e5!

After 11 ... h6 12 NB! the weakness of Black's K-side may prove perceptible.

12 f5

Consistent, but 12 fXf5 would have been more cautious.

12 ... h6 13 Nh3

Christiansen made this move without any particular thought, but meanwhile the consequences of the piece sacrifice 13 fXg6 hXg5 were not at all clear. Thus, for example, the plausible 14 ... Ne6 allows White to obtain a highly promising attack: 15 BXf6 RXf6 16 Qh5 Nf8 (16 ... Nf4 17 Qh7+ Kf8 18g3NXd3 19Nd5!) 17Nd5RXfl+ 18RXfl Be6 19 Be2! Qd7 20 Qg5!, and it is hard for Black to find a defence against the advance of the h-pawn. Therefore I was intending to continue 14 ... Be6, and after 15 Nd5 (15 h4 Qd7!) 15 ... BXd5 16 eXd5 to deploy my forces with the help of a pawn sacrifice:16     ... e4! 17 BXe4 Qe7 18 Bd3 Rae8.

Returning the knight to its former post by 13 Nf3 proves unsuccessful. After 13 ... gXf5 14 eXf5 NXf5 15 NXe5 dXe5 16 BXf5 Qd4+! Black's advantage is undisputed (17 Khl BXf5 18 RXf5 Ng4!).

13 ... gXf5 14 eXf5 b5!

A flank blow, with the aim of gaining pre-dominace in the centre. Now White has to make a choice. He cannot reinforce his c4 pawn — 15 b3 b4!, and the knight has no normal square to move to. He also doesn't want to accept the pawn sacrifice — 15 cXb5 d5. Even so, he should have taken the pawn, only with the knight. 15 NXb5 would have enabled him to maintain approximate equality: after 15 ... NXb5 16 cXb5 d5 the absence of the knight from d4 makes the advance of the black pawns less dangerous, while after 15 . . . e4 16 Be2 NXf5 the knight in seclusion at h3 has the chance to come into play. But Christiansen, disillusioned with the strategic course of the game, tries to solve his problems by tactical means.

15 Be3? bXc4 16 BXc4+ Kh8!

Black avoids a transparent trap— 16. . .d5?

17        NXd5 NXd5 18 BXd4 cXd4 19 Qb3, but how can White now counter the advance . .. d5, which threatens to break up his position? The f5 pawn is also attacked.

17        BXd4 cXd4 18 Nd5

(See diagram) Black's positional advantage is undisputed, although the play remains fairly complicated. Positions of this type demand clear-cut, specific action, with the aim of disclosing as quickly as possible the drawbacks of the opponent's set-up. Now

18        ... NXd5 19 BXd5 Rb8 or the immediate 18 ... Rb8 looks quite good, but Black has a more energetic continuation.

18        ... Ba6!

Black gives up the advantage of the two bishops for the sake of enabling his knight to occupy a dominating post at e3. But how

Position after 18 Nd5:

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-wq-tr-mk(
7zp-+-+-vl-'
6-+-zp-sn-zp&
5+-+NzpP+-%
4-+Lzp-+-+$
3+-+-+-+N#
2PzP-+-+PzP"
1tR-+Q+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

then will White be able to oppose the black pawns? The American grandmaster prefers to sacrifice the exchange, and to seek chances in a tactical skirmish.

19 NXf6 BXc4 20 Nh5 BXfl 21 Qg4! Qd7! 22RXfl

It may seem that White has achieved a great deal — his threats on the K-side look dangerous. But the swift advance of the d4 pawn puts everything in its place.

22        ... d3! 23 Qf3 23 Qe4 runs into the resolute 23 ... d5! 24 QXd3 e4, but White should have preferred 23 Nf2 d2 24 Ne4 RXf5 25 RXf5 dl=Q+ 26 QXdl QXf5 27 NXd6 Qg6 28 NXg7 KXg7 29 h3, when he has chances of saving the game.

23        ... d2!

The audacious pawn deprives White of the chance to play actively, e.g. 24 f6 BXf6! 25 NXf6 Qg7, regaining the pinned knight.

24        g4 Rac8!

25        f6 is again impossible — 25 ... BXf6 26 NXf6 Qg7 27 g5! Rcl 28 Kf2 Qg6!, and loss of material is inevitable.

25 Qd3 Qa4 26 Nf2 Qd4!

Not the only way to win, but from the practical viewpoint the most clear-cut. The exchange of queens removes all White's hopes associated with the insecure position of the black king.

27 QXd4 eXd4

Outwardly the tripled pawns have a pitiful appearance, but this is one of those cases where the strength of the pawns is determined by their degree of advancement. As before, the main role continues to be played by the pawn at d2.

28 Nf4 Rfe8 29 Ne6 Rcl 30 Ndl Bf6!

More tempting continuations would merely have complicated things, e.g. 30 ... d3? 31 Kf2 Rb8 32 b3 Rb4 33 Ke3!

31Kf2 Bg5

After31. . .Bh4+?32Ke2Bel33Rf3Rec8 34 Rd3! the d2 pawn is halted, and the black

bishop is out of play.

32 Ke2 Rc5! 33 Kd3 Re5 34 NXg5 hXg5

Playing for brilliancy would not have turned out well: in the variation 34 ... Rel?

35 Nf7+ Kg8 36 Rf2 RXdl 37 NXd6 White could have avoided all dangers.

35Rf2

35 KXd2 would not have essentially changed things. Then the black rook performs a "staircase" - 35 ... Re4! 36 h3 Rf4 37 Rgl Rf3! - and White is virtually stalemated.

35        ... Re4 36 h3?

36        Rg2 would have prolonged the resistance.

36        ... Re3+!

A little combination which wins a pawn. The rook is of course immune (37 NXe3 dXe3 38 Rfl e2).

37        KXd4

And now comes the finest hour of the d2 pawn, which 15 moves ago appeared to be doomed.

37 ... R8e4+! 38 Kd5 Re2 39 Rf3 Rel 40 f6

40 Rd3 is decisively met by 40. . .RXdl! 41 KXe4 Rel+.

40 ... Rf4

Here Christiansen took the envelope to adjourn the game, but after a little thought he extended his hand and congratulated me on winning.

Van der Wiel-Kasparov

Queen's Pawn Opening

1 d4 Nf6 2 Bg5 Ne4 3 Bf4 c5 4 d5 Qb6

An unusual opening. The knight in the centre is very insecure, and Black is obliged to seek active continuations. Now, of course, 5 b3 is bad because of 5 ... Qf6. The move that suggests itself is 5 Qcl; I must admit that the one made by Van der Wiel surprised me.

5 Bcl

Black has played energetically, but after the normal continuation 5. . . d6 6 D Nf6 7 e4 the centre is seized by his opponent. There¬fore the undermining . . . e6 is necessary.

5 ... e6 6 f3 Qa5+

It is useful to have the pawn move from c2 to c3 — here it takes away the square for the knight, and the d3 square is weakened. And, most important, after 6... Nf6 7 c4 things go too smoothly for White.

7 c3 Nf6 8 e4 d6

8          ... eXd5 is well met by 9 e5.

9 Na3* eXd5 10 eXd5 Be7 11 Nc4 Qd8

Thus, after each making three moves, the black queen and the white bishop have returned to their initial squares. The position is roughly level, but here Van der Wiel begins playing strangely.

12 Ne3 0-0 13 Ne2 Re8 14 g4?

White intends to cramp his opponent after Bg2, 0-0 and g4-g5. Black is indeed short of space, and also the "interests" of his knights intersect at d7.

For some 40 minutes I was unable to find the correct move, although I consoled myself with the fact that as yet I had not done anything bad. But about White the same cannot be said. . . .

14 ... Nfd7!

XABCDEFGHY
8rsnlwqr+k+(
7zpp+nvlpzpp'
6-+-zp-+-+&
5+-zpP+-+-%
4-+-+-+P+$
3+-zP-sNP+-#
2PzP-+N+-zP"
1tR-vLQmKL+R!
xabcdefghy

15Ng3

Continuing  his  aggressive  course,  but Black too does not intend to stand still.

15 ... Bg5 16 Kf2 Ne5

Black has splendid play, about which not long ago he could not even dream. On 17 h4 he has 17 ... BXe3+ 18 BXe3 Qf6, when although 19. . .NXg4+ is a beginner's threat, even a grandmaster finds it difficult to parry.

17 Bb5 Bd7 18 BXd7 NbXd7 19 Nef5 c4!

The white knights look well placed, but Black's are much more effective: he threatens 20. . .Nd3+.On20BXg5QXg5 21NXd6 there can follow 21... Nd3+ 22 Kg2 Nf4+ 23 Kf2 Nc5! 24 NXe8 RXe8, when I am confident that things are hopeless for White.

20 Nh5? Nd3+ 21 Kg3 BXcl 22 RXcl g6

It can be assumed that Van der Wiel was reckoning on 23 Qd2 gXf5 24 Qh6, but here it is not obligatory to capture towards the centre: 23 ... gXh5! 24 Qh6 Qf6, and it's all over. White resigns.

Velimirovic- Kasparov

Caro-Kann Defence

The fighting mood before this game was created by Velimirovic, who declared that in this, the last round, he would try to inflict a defeat on the tournament winner. The problem of choice of opening was easily decided: the eager musketeer was invited to try and breach the bastions of the Caro-Kann Defence.

1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 Bf5 4 Nc3

A popular plan: on 4. . . e6 White launches an attack on the K-side with 5 g4 Bg6 6 Nge2, followed by Nf4 and h2-h4. But a surprise awaits him.

4          ... Qb6!?

Since White is intending to throw forward his g2 pawn, let this take place in a more favourable situation for Black.

5 g4 Bd7

Now the advance of the h-pawn loses its point, and White must prepare the way for

* I have seen this position only once more — in the game Vizhmanavin-Elvest (USSR Championship Premier League, 1984). Vizhmanavin came up with 9 Bd2!?, and after the crucial but risky 9 ... Qb6 10 c4 QXb2 11 Nc3 Qb6 12 f4 he seized the initiative. Black would have been satisfied with 9... eXd5 10 c4 Qcl 11 cXd5g6, transposing into a reasonable version of the Modern Benoni, but 10 eXd5 and 11 c4 is stronger, when White has a spatial advantage with normal development.

his f-pawn. New researches will possibly show that 5 ... Bc8 is more precise (in view of the action now taken by Velimirovic).

New "researches" — a game Sveshnikov-Donchenko (1983) — confirmed an ancient truth: in the opening it is important to develop the pieces quickly. After 5 ... Bc8 6 Bg2 e6 7 Nge2 c5 8 dXc5 BXc5 9 0-0 Bdl (9 . . . Ne7 10Na4) 10 Nft Qc711 Rel Ne712 Nh5 White had an obvious advantage. On the other hand, the cause of Black's failure was perhaps his excessively "ancient"play — 6. . . e6 and 7... c5 (6 . . . Na6l?9 6 ... g6!?).

6 Na4 Qc7 7 Nc5 e6 8 NXd7 NXd7 9 f4 c5 10 c3 Ne7 11 Nf3

It is not without reason that White has wasted time on the exchange of the d7 bishop — this has facilitated the f4-f5 breakthrough.

11        ... h5

A committing, but necessary decision. Black assists the opening of the position, in order that all his pieces should be able to take part in the battle.

12        f5* hXg4 13 fXe6 gXf3 14 eXd7+ QXd7 15 QXf3 cXd4 16 cXd4

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-+kvl-tr(
7zpp+qsnpzp-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+pzP-+-%
4-+-zP-+-+$
3+-+-+Q+-#
2PzP-+-+-zP"
1tR-vL-mKL+R!
xabcdefghy

Black is happy with the outcome of the opening, but the potential strength of the white bishops must not be under-estimated.

16 ... Nc6

Black was looking to the future with great

* 12 gXh5 should probably have been played, to answer 12 ... RXh5? with 13 dXc5 and Nd4-b5. Black would have replied 12 . . . Nf5, with an unclear position.

optimism, and so he did not go into a promising ending - 16 ... Nf5!? 17 Bh3 RXh3 18 QXh3 NXd4 19 QXd7+ KXd7 20 0-0 Ke6.

17 Be3 Bb4+ 18 Kf2 Rh4?

Black's hopes of success are associated with the fact that the opponent's king does not have a safe shelter. After 18... 0-0-0 and the inevitable opening of lines (. . . f6) White would have been faced with difficult problems. Instead of this Black tries to strengthen his position by creating pressure on the d4 pawn, and commits an oversight.

19 Rdl Rc8

Black saw that his planned 19 ... 0-0-0 20 Bg5 NXd4 did not work because of 21 RXd4 RXd4 22 Bh3, and did not bother to analyse in detail the exchange sacrifice 20... Rdh8 21 BXh4 RXh4 with the possible continuation 22 Bg2 g5! 23 QXd5 Qf5+ 24 Kgl Qc2f. The decision to leave his king in the centre, thereby depriving himself of his main advantage (i.e. more secure king position), is of course risky, but it seemed to me that White's game would not be easy.

20 Rgl!

A brilliant reply. White avoids a trap — 20 Bg2? NXe5! 21 dXe5 Rc2+ 22 Kfl (22 Kg3 Rg4+!) 22 ... Qb5+ 23 Kgl Re4! with a very strong attack — and, by giving up a pawn, achieves full co-ordination of all his pieces.

20        ... RXh2+ 21 Rg2 RXg2+

21        ... Rh3 is strongly met by 22 Qf4.

22 KXg2 Nd8 23 Bd3 Ne6 24 Rfl!

Beginning to create concrete threats — 25 Bb5.

24        ... a6 25 Qh5

Now 26 RXf7 is threatened.

25        ... g6 26 Qh8+ Nf8 27 Kg3!

After depriving Black of his last chance of active play, White retains the possibility of strengthening his position by Bh6 and Be2-g4 (see diagram overleaf).

27 ... Be7?

The drawback to Black's position is its

† 22 Rgl! (instead of 22 Bg2) would have cast doubts on this idea. Now 22... NXd4? 23 RXd4 Bc5 does not work because of 24Kg3!BXd425KXh4 Qe7+ 26Rg5, and the loss of time on 22 ... g6 may cost Black dearly after 23 Rg3 with the idea of Bh3 and Rg4.

Position after 27 Kg3!:

XABCDEFGHY
8-+r+ksn-wQ(
7+p+q+p+-'
6p+-+-+p+&
5+-+pzP-+-%
4-vl-zP-+-+$
3+-+LvL-mK-#
2PzP-+-+-+"
1+-+-+R+-!
xabcdefghy

passivity, but it would have been perfectly well defensible after the best move, 27 ... Rc6, parrying once and for all the threat of BXg6, e.g. 28 Bh6 (28 a3 Be7 29 Rf2 followed by Be2-g4 is probably stronger) 28 ... Be7 29 Qg8Qe630Rf6?BXf631QXf8+Kd732eXf6 Qel+ 33 Kg2 RXf6, with a winning counter attack.

28 Qg8?

Short of time, Velimirovic passes over the favourable opportunity 28 BXg6! fXg6 29 Bh6. The threat of 30 RXf8+ (even on 29 ... Qb5-30RXf8+!Kd7 31e6+KXe6 32Qe5+ Kd7 33 RXc8 Bd6 34 Rd8+) would have forced Black to return the piece by 29. . .Kd8 30 BXf8 Kc7 31 Qh6! (but not 31 Rcl+ Kb6 32 RXc8 QXc8 33 Bg7 Qc2, or 31 Qg7? RXf8 32 RXf8 Bh4+) 31 ... Re8!, and to seek a draw in positions such as 32 Bg7 (32 BXe7 RXe7) 32 ... Qe6 etc.

White wants to win without sacrificing — 28... Qe6 29 Bh6 with the possible variation 29... Rc7? (29... Rc6) 30 BXf8 BXf8 31 Rf6 Qe7 32 BXg6 fXg6 33 Re6. However, 28 Qg8? not only throws away White's advantage, but even ruins his game.

28        ... Qe6

Here Velimirovic was about to reach out for his bishop at e3, when he suddenly saw that 29 Bh6 would be met by the murderous advance of the black f-pawn. He used up almost all his time, and, leaving himself with one minute, continued the game, essentially hoping only for a chance mistake by his opponent.

29 Qh8 f5!

The loss of two tempi is bound to have its consequences, and Black's natural reply immediately consolidates his advantage. There is no point in explaining the remaining time-trouble part of the game.

30 Qh3?! Qf7 31 Qhl Ne6! 32 QXd5Rd833 Qhl NXd4 34 Qh8+ Bf8 35 Bg5 Rc8 36 e6? NXe6 37 Rel Kd7 38 Qh4 Bd6+ 39 Kf2 NXg5 40 QXg5 Qh7

Here the time scramble ended, and White resigned.

The roar of chess battles has ceased in the Swiss resort town of Lucerne. The Olympiad has once again confirmed the undisputed superiority of the Soviet Chess School — its lead over the second prize winner was very considerable. But the nature of the struggle and its tension are determined not only by bare figures. A particular role is played by seemingly imperceptible factors (in the first instance, the underlying psychology), and, moreover, in team events their role is significantly increased. In order to explain my thinking, I am obliged to make a slight digression.

In their competitive significance, the World Chess Olympiads are inferior only to Matches for the World Championship, but until recently they did not arouse any great interest. The point was that the winners could be named before the start of the event, with one hundred per cent certainty. The only question was how far the USSR would finish ahead of the second team. But then in 1978 in Buenos Aires the Hungarians managed to break this tradition and become Olympic Champions. At the time this failure by the Soviet side (the first since 1952!) was judged to be an unpleasant surprise, but nothing more. The grounds for this not very realistic assessment were the absence from the team of World Champion Anatoly Karpov, who at that time had only just completed the gruelling match in Baguio, and also the switch to the Swiss System, which increased the role of chance during the tournament. But time showed that this failure of the team was no accident. The many years of victories by Soviet players in the international arena had so convinced everyone of the invincibility of our position, that even the minimal success in the four-round match with the Rest of the World team in 1970 (20^1/2-19^1/2) was considered by many to be a comparative failure. The significant rejuvenation of chess in recent years had thrown forward a number of strong foreign grandmasters, and so it was quite natural that there should emerge a number of teams, the players in which decided seriously to contend for victory with the Soviet team. The most imposing was the Hungarian team, whose youth was led by the highly experienced Lajos Portisch. Even so, in my opinion, even in Buenos Aires our team was stronger than the Hungarians, but excessive self-confidence is never a good thing. . . .

In spite of this wounding defeat, the general mood before the next Olympiad in Malta differed little from the previous one. No one had any doubts about the victory of the team, which on this occasion was supposedly represented by its strongest players, and also the lessons of the previous Olympiad had ostensibly been learned. But the overall result, in spite of the fact that victory was extracted, did not appear very reassuring. To be trying to catch up throughout the tournament (only at the finish, at the cost of enormous efforts, was the Hungarian team caught) and to obtain the gold medals thanks to a minute difference in Buchholz scores — was this really what was expected of the USSR team in Malta?

I was a participant in the Malta events. I can verify that the Hungarians played at least as well as we did, but fortune was not on their side. I will never forget how the best players in the world crowded round the Greece-Scotland match, in which the fate of the Olympiad was in fact decided! It was then that I learned that Olympic gold can have a bitter after-taste. . . .

It will now be understandable why such great importance was attached to the Olympiad in Lucerne. Would the Soviet players be able to demonstrate their supremacy, or had the times of the hegemony of one chess power irreversibly passed — this is the question that everyone was asking before the start of the tournament. It must be said that the USSR team was faced with a far from simple problem — that of regaining the lost psychological advantage. And this had to be done in the face of sharply growing competition, when many felt that they could well contend with the Soviet team. Who in fact were the main contenders before the start?

The strongest was undoubtedly the USSR team, which included the leading players in the world, headed by the World Champion. The average rating of its four main players — Karpov, Kasparov, Polugayevsky and Belyavsky — was the enormous number 2651; tournaments of this category simply do not exist! And its reserves (however, in the Olympiad such a division is arbitrary) Tal and Yusupov could have comprised the striking force of any team. The next teams on the rating list, USA, Hungary, England, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia, looked roughly equivalent, although the general opinion was that only the Hungarians and the Americans constituted a real challenge to us. Moreover, whereas the Hungarians were relying mainly on their leaders, Portisch and Ribli, the Americans were pinning their hopes on the even composition of their team, which consisted of six strong grandmasters (Brown, Seirawan, Alburt, Kavalek, Christiansen and Tarjan).

I do not see any point in dwelling in the reversals of fortune in each round, but I will endeavour to describe the key factors which affected the course of the entire tournament, and also to pick out some of the nuances typical of this competition.

The central event was the unreserved victory of the Soviet team, who finished 6V2 (!) points ahead of the second prize-winners — the Czech team. Such a brilliant success can be explained by many factors, but in my opinion the source of our success (and also our previous failures) should be sought in the frame of mind of the team. In spite of the highly individual nature of the game, in Olympiads it is often the team-spirit factor which acquires decisive significance. And in Lucerne we were able to achieve a desirable fusion — a quiet confidence in our powers with mutual help for the team. And if to this one adds the successful play of all the team members, such a result in the Olympiad turns out to be quite logical. Even so, one should not go to the other extreme and assume that the Olympiad was an easy stroll — certain of our matches took a very difficult course. But I would emphasize the main thing: not once did the fate of this important tournament depend on any one single game.

Of particular importance were the third and fourth round games with USA and Yugoslavia. The victories which we gained in a hard struggle (3-1 and 2^1/2-1/2) enabled us confidently to take first place in the table, after which we were always in the lead. Incidentally, the fate of these matches was decided on the resumption, thanks to the superior quality of our adjournment analysis. In this case we were helped by the severity of the tournament schedule — adjourned games were resumed two hours after the finish of the round. Not a lot can be found during such a short interval of time, but we managed to discover resources which our opponents had not even considered. In this way a number of "extra" half-points were gained.

In the middle of the tournament, when the leading teams began meeting, the speed of our progress was reduced. But everyone dropped points, so that our lead was maintained. Decisive in the battle for first place was our match with the Hungarians, who had started badly. Then, it is true, they improved their position, and by the time of our meeting they were only a point behind. The Hungarians only needed to play successfully in this match, and who knows. . . . But the miracle did not occur. Against wins by Karpov and Belyavsky our opponents were able to reply only with a victory by Csom (over Yusupov), and I with Black was able to parry Ribli's onslaught.

But in the next few matches there was no holding our team – 3^1/2-1/2 4-0, 4-0, 3^1/2-1/2 - these were the results of our meetings with some pretty strong teams: England, Switzerland, Argentina and Rumania. The Soviet grandmasters succeeded with everything — positional squeezes, swift attacks, and subtle endgames. In a word, in these rounds literally everything happened, and, of course, we had some good fortune. Here, as proof, are two revealing examples.

L. Bronstein (Argentina)-Yusupov

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+k+-+-+-'
6p+-+-+-zp&
5zP-+p+-zpl%
4-zp-sN-+-+$
3+P+p+P+-#
2-zP-+-zP-zP"
1+-+-mK-+-!
xabcdefghy

There is only one possible evaluation of this position — White has an obvious advantage. But when Igor Zaitsev asked me my opinion, my reply seemed strange to him. Indeed, in the sentence "Artur obviously stands worse, but I think he is intending to win" there is little logic, but no one could even imagine how close it was to the truth. This is how the game continued:

35Kd2

This does not spoil anything, but 35 f4! gXf4 36 Ne6 was stronger, when Black faces a difficult struggle for a draw.

35 ... Bg6 36 f4 gXf4 37 Ne6

37 f3 also looks good, but White was in time trouble, and had no time to choose.

37        ... f3 38 Nd4?

But this mistake radically changes the nature of the game. In spite of all the inaccuracies committed, 38 Nc5+ would still have retained White his advantage.

38        ... Be4 39 Ke3 Kc7 40 NXf3??

The advantage, of course, is now on the side of Black, but why lose so quickly?

40 ... BXf3 41 KXf3

and without waiting for the obvious 41 ... d4, White resigned. After the round Artur admitted: "I realized that I stood worse, but I couldn't help thinking that I would win the game". I looked triumphantly at Zaitsev. . . .

In the next round Caissa smiled equally kindly on Mikhail Tal.

Schneider (Sweden)-Tal

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-trk+(
7+-+R+Nvl-'
6p+r+-+pzp&
5+-+-+-+-%
4P+-+p+-+$
3+-+-+-+Q#
2-zPq+-+PzP"
1+-+-+R+K!
xabcdefghy

With his last move, 29... Kh8-g8, Tal imprudently avoided repeating the position (29 ... Kh7 30 Ng5+), assuming that White's threats were not dangerous because of the weakness of his back rank. For example, 30 NXh6+ BXh6 31 RXf8+ KXf8 32 QXh6+ Ke8, and Black wins. But White had the possibility of a combination, the main role in which would have been assigned to his queen — it should have been sacrificed: 30 QXh6!! The queen is immune due to mate in two moves, and there is also a mating finish after 30 ... RXf7 31 Rd8+, or 30 ... Rf6 (or 30 ... Qe2) 31 Qh8+!! BXh8 32 Nh6 mate! The only defence is 30 ... g5, but then too after 31 QXg5 White's threats are irresistible.

At this point my attention was attracted by Ulf Andersson (our game had already ended in a draw), who, discarding his customary restraint, was excitedly explaining something to his team colleagues. One could understand him — victory for Schneider could be a double sensation: the Swede himself would be the hero of the Olympiad, and his team would gain a victory over the USSR! Scores of eyes tensely followed this game, but the Swede, not noticing anything going on around him, continued to think about his move. Suddenly he cast an anxious glance at his rising flag and quickly played

30 g3??,

missing the chance to inscribe his name in the golden treasury of chess. And the fact that the victim could have been the great magician of chess combinations would have significantly raised the prestige of the game.

30        ... h5!

Hinting to White about the missed possibility. Schneider had probably already realized his mistake, and, dismayed, he lost without a fight. However, the advantage is now with Black.

31Ng5 QXb2 32 Ne6 RXfl+ 33 QXfl Bf6 34 Rd8+ Kf7 35 Ng5+ Ke7 36 NXe4 KXd8

White resigns.

"Fortune favours the strong, and the very strong are very fortunate" — this is how Aleksander Roshal, the press attache of our delegation, reacted to these wins. But nevertheless they were exceptions. As a rule, the victories by the Soviet grandmasters were creative successes.

Here are a few examples of my own play.

Kasparov-Nunn (England)

Modern Benoni Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3!

The exclamation mark is for the underlying psychology of this move. Nunn is well known for his attachment to the Modern Benoni, an opening on which he has even written an extensive monograph. Therefore, reckoning that on his next move Nunn would play . . . c5,1 made a move which, in the event of this, leaves White with a wider choice of continuations.

3...c5 4d5 eXd5 5cXd5 d6 6 e4 g6 7 f4 Bg7 8 Bb5+

It was White's desire to choose this attacking system that explains his third move.

8          ... Nfd7 9 a4!

In my opinion this is stronger than the more usual 9 Bd3, since the bishop retains the option of retreating to any square along the a6-fl diagonal, and a2-a4 is in any case part of White's plan.

9          ... Na6

9          ...   0-0   is   more   natural,   but   my opponent, who has made a deep study of the

ideas of this opening, decided to save a tempo by not castling.

10        Nf3 Nb4 11 0-0 a6?

It was not yet too late to castle, but then after 11... 0-0 12 Re 1! a6 13 Bf 1 it is not easy for Black to create counter-play. Outwardly, Nunn's idea looks attractive: after both 12 Bc4 0-0 13 Khl Nb6! 14 Be2 Bg4 and 12 Be2 0-0 13 Be3 Nf6 Black manages to overcome his difficulties. But White's next move dis¬closes the drawbacks to Black's set-up.

12BXd7+!BXd7 13 f5!

Black's pieces are out of it (especially the knight at b4, which occupies an impregnable, but useless position), whereas White's can come into play without the slightest hindrance. Let us turn from general reasoning to specific variations: 13 ... gXf5 14 Bg5 f6 15 Bf4 Qc7 16 Nd2! 0-0-0 (16 . . . Nd3 17 BXd6! QXd6 18 Nc4) 17 Nc4, or 14 ... Bf6 15 Bf4 0-0! (15 ... Qe7 16 e5!) 16 e5! (16 BXd6? BXa4) 16 ... dXe5 17 NXe5, and things are difficult for Black. The attempt to bring the b4 knight into play also suffers a fiasco: 13... c4 14 Bg5 (Nunn also considered the simple 14           Be3 to be pretty unpleasant) 14 ... Qb6+ 15 Khl Nd3 16 f6 Bf8 17 a5! Nf2+ 18 RXf2 QXf2 19 Na4!, and White's numerical superiority on the significant part of the battlefield is bound to decide the outcome.

13 ... 0-0

To avoid the worst, Black decides to remove his king from the centre, but White's pressure does not weaken.

14        Bg5 f6

After 14 ... Bf6 15 Qd2 Black has no way of opposing White's crude build-up on the K-side. True, there was also an attempt to change the course of events by tactical means - 14 ... Bd4+? 15 Khl (but not 15 QXd4 cXd4 16 BXd8 dXc3 17 bXc3 NXd5) 15 ... f6, but then too the simple 16 Bh6 Re8 17 Rcl! retains for White an enormous positional advantage.

15 Bf4 gXf5?

This attempt somehow to complicate the game leads to catastrophe. Defending the position after 15 ... Qe7 was certainly not a pleasant occupation, but that is how Black should have continued. White would have had a choice between the quiet 16 Rel, retaining all the advantages of his position, and the more pretentious 16 fXg6 hXg6 17 Nh4 Kh7 18 Bg3, when it is not easy for Black to defend the numerous weaknesses in his position.

16 BXd6 BXa4

Black was pinning his hopes on this counter-blow, but no sort of trickery can repair his positional defects. Things were not essentially changed by 16 ... Re8 17 BXc5 fXe4 18 Nd4 Nd3 19 NXe4!, when the outcome of the game is not in doubt.

17 RXa4 QXd6

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-+-trk+(
7+p+-+-vlp'
6p+-wq-zp-+&
5+-zpP+p+-%
4Rsn-+P+-+$
3+-sN-+N+-#
2-zP-+-+PzP"
1+-+Q+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

18 Nh4!

The knight triumphantly establishes itself at f5, where its value is immediately increased several times over.

18 ... fXe4 19 Nf5 Qd7

Or 19 ... Qe5 20 Qg4 Rf7 21 Nh6+.

20        NXe4 Kh8

Defending against the threat of Qg4, which is decisive after 20 ... Rae8, e.g. 21 Qg4 Kh8 (21 . . . RXe4 22 Nh6+!) 22 NXc5. But now misfortune strikes from the other side.

21        NXc5

Black resigns.

The variation 21. . . QXd5 22 QXd5 NXd5 23 Ne6 does not require any commentary.

Alburt (USA)-Kasparov

King's Indian Defence

1 c4 g6 2 d4 Bg7  3Nc3M6 4e4 d6 5 Be2 0-0 6 Bg5 Nbd7

Earlier, against the same opponent, I had managed to win the opening duel (and with it the game) in the problematic variation 6 ... c5 7 d5 h6 8 Bf4 e6. However, it transpired that White's play could be improved, and so on this occasion I took the play along different lines. But here too an innovation awaited me!

7 Qcl!?

This seemingly artificial move has a logical justification. The point is that after the "normal" 7 Qd2 e5 8 d5 Nc5 White's difficulties over the defence of his e4 pawn force him into playing the unaesthetic 9 B or 9 Bf3. But now all his problems can be solved by the simple 9 b4. And if Black should spend time on preparing a secure post for his knight — 7       . . . e5 8 d5 a5, then too the position of the queen at cl has its advantages: after 9 Nf3 Nc5 the white knight can occupy the vacant d2 square. For more than an hour I pondered over the virtues and drawbacks of 7 Qcl, and finally decided to act in the spirit of the Benko Gambit.

7          ... c5

It would be good to prepare the Q-side play by 7 ... a6, but then White has time to carry out the favourable exchange of the black-squared bishops: 8 Nf3 c5 9 Bh6.

8 d5 b5!?

I made a similar pawn sacrifice in the last round of the 49th USSR Championship, when the tournament situation obliged me to play only for a win. In principle, the correctness of such a sacrifice is always dubious, but the inclusion of the moves Qcl and . . . Nbd7 undoubtedly favours Black.

9 cXb5 a6 10 a4

Today this method of play is regarded as the strongest against all varieties of the Benko Gambit. By reinforcing his b5 pawn, White restricts Black's counter-play on the Q-side.

10        ... Qa5 11 Bd2 aXb5!

After 11 ... Qb4?! 12 f3 the queen risks being lost.

12 NXb5!

Much stronger than 12 BXb5 Ba6!, when Black's initiative begins to assume real pro¬portions. Here is a possible variation: 13 Nge2 Qb4! 14 f3 Ne5 15 0-0 Nc4, and it is not easy for Wrhite to counter the pressure which has unexpectedly arisen.

12        ... Qb6 13 Qc2?!

But this move, in spite of its obvious nature, has to be criticized. As the further course of the game will show, the rook at al should not have been left undefended, and White should have restricted himself to the modest 13 Qbl or even played 13 f3. But he is hoping to develop his pieces harmoniously, without making any positional concessions.

13        ... Ba6 14 Nf3?

Had White evaluated correctly the consequences of Black's planned combination, he would have delayed his K-side development and made the prophylactic rook move 14 Ra3. In this case Black could either have tried to exploit his lead in development by 14 ... c4!?, or carried out the undermining ... e6, immediately or after preparation (14 ... Rfe8).

(See diagram) 14 ... BXb5!

Successfully avoiding the temptation to exploit the same motif in a different way. Although 14 ... NXe4? 15 QXe4 BXb5 16 BXb5 QXb5 17 aXb5 RXal+ 18 Ke2 RXhl leads to a material situation favouring Black, after 19 QXe7 the strong b5 pawn gives

Position after 14 Nf3?:

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-+-trk+(
7+-+nzppvlp'
6lwq-zp-snp+&
5+NzpP+-+-%
4P+-+P+-+$
3+-+-+N+-#
2-zPQvLLzPPzP"
1tR-+-mK-+R!
xabcdefghy

White an obvious advantage. True, at first I thought that Black could force a draw by 19 ... Nf6 20 b6! Rbl (20 ... Re8 21 QXe8+ NXe8 22 b7) 21 b4! NXd5 22 QXf8+? BXf8 23 b7 Nf4+ 24 Ke3 Nd5+, when 25 Ke4 is not possible because of 25 ... NXb4! 26 b8=Q d5+, winning the newly-born queen. But the simple 22 Qe4! dispelled all my illusions.

15 BXb5 QXb5 16 aXb5 RXalH- 17 Bel NXe4!

After the fall of this pawn the fate of the d5 pawn is also decided. Over-estimating the strength of the b5 pawn would have led to the loss of the initiative: 17 ... Rb8 18 0-0 RXb5 19 Bd2!, and White consolidates his position while retaining a material advantage.

18 0-0 Nef6

Formally the material advantage is on White's side, but the weakness of the pawns at b2, b5 and d5, as well as the great mobility of the black pieces, especially the knights which have comfortable posts available to them, enables preference to be given to Black's position.

19 b4!

The best resource: at the cost of the d5 pawn (which is in any case doomed) White breaks up Black's pawn group in the centre, and raises the value of the b5 pawn in the coming struggle.

19 ... NXd5 20 Bd2

Perhaps White should first have exchanged on c5.

20        ... Rfa8

Here too I had to overcome the temptation of a brilliant variation: 20... RXfl+ 21 KXfl cXb4 22 Qc6 b3!! 23 QXd5 b2 24 Qa2 Nb6! 25 Ba5 (otherwise . . . Ra8 is decisive) 25 ... Ra8 26 Nd2 Bc3, and wins. Alas, all this brilliancy is shattered by the simple 22 Qb3!

21        bXc5?!

White should have prepared a secure shelter for his king by 21 g3. It is true that Black would have retained the initiative after 21. . . Rla2! 22 Qe4 e6, but to convert it into something tangible would not have been easy.

21 ... RXfl+ 22 KXfl Ral+! 23 Ke2

23 Bel would have disrupted the co-ordination of the white pieces, but the position of the king in the centre also gives Black additional possibilities.

23 ... NXc5 24 Qc4 e6

The difference in the activity of the white and black pieces is obvious. White cannot wait passively: after .. . Bf6 and . . . Kg7 the fate of the b5 pawn will be decided, and with it the game. In addition, Black is threatening by 25 ... Ra4 to restrict the queen's actions still further. Activating it by "therapeutic" means does not succeed (25 Qh4 Bf6 26 Bg5 Ra4!), and so White decides on extreme measures.

25 b6!?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+k+(
7+-+-+pvlp'
6-zP-zpp+p+&
5+-snn+-+-%
4-+Q+-+-+$
3+-+-+N+-#
2-+-vLKzPPzP"
1tr-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

A move which has many virtues (it activates the queen and disrupts the coordination of the black pieces), but also a highly significant drawback — the material advantage now switches to Black. The plans for the two sides are definitely decided: Black will try to advance his central pawns, while White will combine the battle against them with attempts to create threats to the black king.

Probably White should not have parted with his pawn. He could have tried 25g3 Bf6 26Nel! Ra4 27Qc2 Ra3 28 Ng2 followed by Ne3 or Nf4.

25        ... NXb6

It was tempting to maintain the harmony in the placing of the cavalry, and to entrust the elimination of the b6 pawn to the rook. But it was 25 ... Rbl? that would have allowed White to achieve his aim — that of activating his pieces to the maximum. After 26 Qa2! RXb6 27 Qa8+ Bf8 28 Bh6 Nd7 29 BXf8 (29 Qd8? Rb8! 30 QXd7 BXh6, and the d6 pawn is immune: 31 QXd6? Rb2+ 32 Kfl Rbl+ 33 Ke2 Nc3+, winning the queen) 29 . . . NXf8 30 Ng5! it is unlikely that Black can disentangle himself without losing something, e.g. 30 . . . h6 31 Nh7! KXh7 32 QXf8, or 30 ... Nf6 31 Qd8 Rb2+ 32 Kel N6d7 33 Qe7. The following counter-attacking attempt also fails: 30 ... Rb2+ (30 ... Nf4+ 31 Ke3!) 31 Kel (31 KB? Nf6 32 Qd8 Rb5! 33 h4 h6!) 31 . . . Bf4 32 NXh7 Nd3+ 33 Kdl NXf2+ 34 Kel Nd3+ 35 Kdl KXh7 36 QXf8, and to all appearances Black is unable to exploit his minimal advantage.

26 Qb5 Nbd7 27 Be3 Bf8! 28 Nd4?!

With pieces alone Black's position cannot be broken up - 28 h4!?

28 ... Ra2+ 29 Kfl Ral+ 30 Ke2 e5!

The question, as to which pawn should be advanced first, is answered at first sight in a strange way. But this "strange" decision has a logical explanation: it will later be easier to play ... d5, since this square can be controlled by only two of White's pieces.

31 Nc6 Ra2+ 32 Kfl Ral+ 33 Ke2 Ra2+ 34 Kfl Ra6

34        ... Ne6 also looks good, but Black consistently puts his idea into practice.

35        BXc5

In the event of 35 Nd8? d5! 36 BXc5 NXc5 37 Qe8 Rf6 the e5 pawn is immune: 38 QXe5? RXO+! 39 Kgl Ne4! 40 QXd5 Rf5, and wins.

35        ... NXc5?

A mistake, which is even more unforgivable for the reason that in a similar situation on move 22 Black followed the correct path. The interposition 35 ... Ral+! would have made White's defence more difficult, in view of the unfortunate position of his king.

36 g3!

Now the king acquires a shelter. During the next few moves (until the adjournment) the position hardly changes: White is forced to wait, and Black is short of time.

36... Ral+ 37 Kg2 Ne6 38 Qb8 Rdl 39 Qb2 Rd5 40 Qb8 Rc5 40 ... Rd2 or 40 ... Kg7 is preferable, but Black cannot resist the temptation to set a trap (a fairly transparent one).

XABCDEFGHY
8-wQ-+-vlk+(
7+-+-+p+p'
6-+Nzpn+p+&
5+-tr-zp-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-zP-#
2-+-+-zPKzP"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

41 Ne7+

The sealed move. 41 Nb4 would have allowed Black to restrict White's possibilities - 41 ... Nc7!, e.g. 42 Nd3 Rc3 43 Nb4 Rb3!, and the exchange of knights is unavoidable. In general an exchange of minor pieces favours Black, since after it White is forced to passively await the end. It is another matter that such an exchange is not easy to provoke. The position is a "practical" one, and in demonstrating their case the players are helped not so much by analysis, as by their resourcefulness during play. However, in a brief joint analysis with Yusupov and Makarichev, I was able to find a few promising ideas.

41 ... Kg7 42 Nc8

The only move. The d6 pawn is immune (after 42 QXd6? h5! there is no defence against 43 ... Kh7! and 44 ... Rc7, winning the knight), and, as already stated, White should avoid an exchange of minor pieces.

42        ... Rd5 43 Qa8!

The struggle revolves around the ... d5 advance. At first sight 43 Qb7 would also not have essentially changed things, but then Black would have been able to carry out his plan with the help of a tactical ruse: 43 ... Rd2 44 Nb6 d5!, and the weakness of White's f2 pawn is his downfall (45 NXd5 Bc5, or 45 Nd7Nc5 46Qb4RXf2+!).

43        ... Rd2 44 Nb6 Nc5

The impatient 44 ... d5? would have allowed White to force a draw: 45 Qa5! Rb2 46 NXd5 Bc5 47 Ne3!

45 Nc4 Rd4 46 Ne3 Be7 47 h4?!

White over-estimates the danger of 47 ... Bg5, and allows the fixing of the K-side pawns, which gives the black knight (in the future) an excellent post at g4.

47 ... h5 48 Nd5 Bd8!

Again tactical nuances help the overall strategic idea! Black is ready to carry out a plan worked out in analysis — the transfer of his knight to f6(e.g.49 Qc6 Ne4 50 Qa8 Nf6!).

49 Kf3?!

White's thoughts are aimed at parrying the . . . Ne4-f6 manoeuvre, but, in spite of the limited amount of material remaining, he must be extremely cautious about bringing his king out into the centre! 49 Ne3 was better.

49 ... Ne6!

Creating a new positional threat of ... Nc7! The continuing of the earlier plan would have encountered a refutation: 49 ... Ne4 50 QXd8 Nd2+ 51 Ke2 RXd5 52 g4! (for the sake of this breakthrough White agreed to the unfavourable exchange) 52 ... hXg4 53 h5! Nf3 54 hXg6, and the open position of the black king gives White good drawing chances.

50  Qc6

After 50 Kg2 Black picks up the h4 pawn (50 ... BXh4! 51 Kh4 RXd5).

(See diagram after.. Rd2

One of those…..s (bản gốc ở đoạn này mất một chữ không đoán được) where Black wishes his

Position after 50 Qc6:

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-vl-+-+(
7+-+-+pmk-'
6-+Qzpn+p+&
5+-+Nzp-+p%
4-+-tr-+-zP$
3+-+-+KzP-#
2-+-+-zP-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

rook wasn't there! Attempts at self-sacrifice would be ignored by White: 50 ... RXh4 51 QXd6, or 50 ... Rf4+ 51 Ke3. The jaunty 50 ... e4+ would merely have worsened Black's position: after 51 Kg2 BXh4 52 QXd6 Bf6 53 Qc6 Be5 54 Ne3 the weakness of the e4 pawn restricts him. A similar position could have arisen in the game if White had continued 51 Kg2, but then after 51... BXh4 52 QXd6 Bf6 53 Qc6 Bd8 the threat of . . . h4 and the weakness of White's f2 give Black real winning chances.

The following variation was problematic: 51 QXd6 Bc7! 52 Qd7 Bb6! 53 NXb6 RXd7 54 NXd7 f6 55 Ke4 Kf7. It is hard to say whether this knight ending is won, but it is also not easy to demonstrate that the opposite is true. In addition, it is not clear whether Black would have been able to breach the defences after 51 Qb7 or 51 Qc4.

The game did not provide the answers to these questions. White decided to avoid all complications and to remove the d6 pawn, after first eliminating the opponent's threats ….

51        Ke3? Re2+!

The instantaneous sobering up comes as a bitter shock - the road back is cut off!

52        Kd3 e4+ 53 Kc4 Rc2+ 54 Nc3 Bf6 55 QXe4 RXc3+ 56 Kd5 Rc5+ 57 KXd6 Be5+

After 58 Kd7 Rc7+ 59 Ke8 Bd6, mate is inevitable. White resigns.

Kasparov-Suba (Rumania)

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-tr-trk+(
7+p+-+p+p'
6p+-zp-snp+&
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In this game I once again had to appear in the unfamiliar role of refuter of the Modern Benoni — an opening which for many years has been in my repertoire. Black often has to overcome considerable strategic difficulties, but the opening still flourishes. Significant in this respect are two of my games against Portisch from the international tournaments in Moscow and Tilburg in 1981.

The diagram position favours White — he has managed to deprive the opponent of his standard counter-play on the Q-side, and to establish his knight at the dominating post c4. True, the knight at b4 is also well placed, but this does not compensate for the strategic defects in Black's position.

22 Rd2!

Depriving the black knight at b4 of any mobility.

22        ... Ne8!

A good positional manoeuvre — Black in¬tends to transfer his knight to b5 and to prepare the undermining ... f5.

23 Ral Nc7

Perhaps he should have decided on 23 ... f5, although after 24 f3 the structure of the position is not essentially changed.

24 Rel?!

An inaccuracy, which allows Black to eliminate almost completely White's gains on the Q-side by 24 ... Nb5! True, even in this case White retains a certain advantage after 25 NXb5 aXb5 23 Na3 Ra8 27 NXb5 Rfd8 28 Ral b6 29 b3. Either 24 b3 or 24 B would have been stronger.

24 ... Kg7?! 25 b3 Rfe8 26 g4!

Exploiting the fact that the black pieces have become stuck over on the Q-side, White begins action on the K-side.

26... Rd7

After 26 ... g5? 27 f3 the transfer of the knight from c3 to f5 would have decided the game.

27 f3 Nb5 28 Ne2!

This consolidates White's advantage. The black knights have taken up fine posts, but they turn out to be a long way from the flank where the decisive battle develops.

28        ... f5?!

Passive defence by 28 ... Kh8 29 Ne3 (or 29 g5) is not to the taste of the Rumanian grandmaster, but now White's numerical superiority on the K-side tells, and with limited forces he is able to build up an attack on the king. 28 ... Nd4 would also not have worked, since after 29 NXd4 cXd4 30 Ral! the knight at b4 is lost.

29        gXf5 gXf5 30 Ng3 fXe4

On 30 ... Nd4 the exchange sacrifice is decisive: 31 RXd4 cXd4 32 NXd6!

31 fXe4 Kh8 32 Rfl Nd4 33 Rg2!

White calmly continues the concentration of his forces. The threats of Nh5 and Rf6 are irresistible.

33 ... NXb3 34 Nf5 Rf8

All the same the d6 pawn cannot be defended.

35 NfXd6 RXfl+ 36 KXfl NXa5

Black has managed to eliminate the pawn restricting his Q-side, but it is too late!

37 Ne5! Rg7 38 Nef7+ Kg8 39 Nh6+ Kf8 40 Rf2+ Ke7 41 Nhf5+ Kd7 42 NXb7!

The tempting 42 e5 would have allowed Black to complicate matters by a rook sacrifice - 42 . . . Rg6 43 e6+ RXe6 44 dXe6+ KXe6.

42        ... Nd3

Trying to confuse White by the number of pieces en prise.

43        NXa5!

Not the only solution, but the most elegant—the cavalry controls the entire board!

43 ... NXf2 44 KXf2 Rg4 45 Kf3 Rgl 46 e5 Rfl+ 47 Ke4 Rel+ 48 Kf4

Black resigns.

The absence of any rivals to our team dulled the finish to the tournament, but the hard battle for second place between USA, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia partly compensated for this. The Czechs' more confident play in the last few matches enabled them to repeat their success of half a century (!) earlier, by winning the silver awards. This was perhaps the main surprise of the Olympiad. In recent Olympiads the Czech team has always made a good impression, but has never been listed among the favourites or taken part in the battle for the medal positions. Third place was gained by the Americans, who finished half a point ahead of the Yugoslavs. The good start made by the Yugoslavs appeared to have given them high hopes, but after their match with our team they grew nervy. And the fact that they nevertheless stayed near the top was helped by the play of their leader, Ljubojevic, who achieved a brilliant result on top board— 11 points out of 14. A surprise was the poor showing of the Hungarian team, which spent the entire Olympiad playing second fiddle. Their successful performances in the two previous Olympiads had convinced the Hungarians that they were capable of fighting for first place, and their team began the Lucerne tournament with just one thought— to battle for victory. But they unexpectedly dropped points as early as the second round, and when it became clear that it was impossible to compete with the Soviet players, the Hungarians became completely despondent, and were unable to readjust to battling for second or third place. In short, it was an obvious case of overestimating their own strength. Even before the Olympiad the eu¬logies expressed about the Hungarian team seemed unfounded to me, and in particular it was hard to understand why a team with Pinter on board four should definitely be able to compete with a team for which the player on the same board was Belyavsky?!

In conclusion I should like to dwell on two questions, which in my opinion need to be solved if the system of holding the Olympiad is to be improved. The essence of the first — how the board winners are determined — may seem amusing. The point is that the only thing taken into account is the percentage ofpoints scored, and no attention at all is paid to factors such as the average rating of the opponents. Therefore players from the team which became established in the lower reaches of the tournament table had an undoubted advantage. A more or less decent player from a weak team would score a high percentage of points, since the poor play of the team would regularly see it being paired with weak opponents! And here are the results that this by no means chess paradox produced: board 1 —Franco (Paraguay)— 11 points from 13 (84-6%); board 2 — Mascarinas (Philippines) 7^1/2/9 (83-3%); board 3 - Mata-moros (Ecuador) 7/9 (77-8%); board 4 -Agdestein (Norway) — 9/12 (75%); board 5 — Roos (France) - 9/11 (81-8%); board 6 -Fancy (Papua New Guinea) - 8/9 (88-9%). A piquant looking list, wouldn't you agree? At the closing ceremony Tal could not help making a joke about this: "Any member of the Soviet team could well give a simultaneous display against such a Rest of the World team!"

But seriously speaking, results achieved in meetings with grandmasters should be given considerably more weight. Take, for example, that result of Ljubojevic, or else Tal’s (on board 5) — 6^1/2 out of 8. It is clear that this unnatural situation needs to be resolved. It seems to me that the most logical thing would be to establish a minimum average rating of opponents for the result on a particular board to be counted.

The second question concerns the system of staging the Olympiad. This is undoubtedly a grand chess festival, but, on the other hand, the best teams in the world wage here an uncompromising struggle for victory. And while in the lower reaches of the tournament table the play is of an amateur, festive nature, at the top each half point is worth its weight in gold and is achieved at the cost of in-credible effort. Of course, such a mixed conglomeration of teams of different strength may be justified by the idea of popularizing chess, but I think that there should be a definite boundary between festivals and the world team championship. But for the moment the number of countries which send their teams to the world Olympiads continues to grow.. ..

When it is Chess that Wins

How does one evaluate a chess game? The customary words "win", "loss" and "draw", even together with resounding descriptions, are unable to reflect the profundity of the events occurring during the encounter. However, for a competitive evaluation the three words given do in fact suffice. But how does one evaluate the creative energy invested by the two players, and compounded by the terrible tension of the struggle? One can recall numerous games, about which the arithmetic of the result says virtually nothing. It is then that literature comes to the aid — arrayed in verbal form and strewn with beautiful metaphors, the chess commentary allows us to draw slightly aside the veil of mystery enshrouding a highly complicated encounter on the black and white board.

.... It can happen that the pieces as though receive an invisible impulse from the players, come alive, and begin to live their own lives. And when the energy invested by both sides reaches a critical point, the game begins to develop according to laws unknown to anyone, and it is no longer possible to control its course. The flood of concentrated chess thought washes away the usual contours of the board, and after twisting the pieces into violent pandemonium, it crashes down into the depths of chess art. And however the game concludes, chess never loses out! It is not easy to understand all the intricacies of such a game even in subsequent analysis, and it is difficult to talk about it without disrupting the picture of a grandiose encounter!

These thoughts (expressed in language which may seem high-flown), I would venture to suggest, apply to the following game. It took place in the tenth round, in the match between USSR and Switzerland. The honour of leading our team for the second successive time was an extremely severe test for me. I had the black pieces against Korchnoi, and so it is easy to imagine the difficulties I faced. However, as often happens, my fears were accompanied by optimistic expectations. . . .

My opponent moved his queen's pawn resolutely two squares forward, demonstrating by his entire appearance that in our first meeting he had set himself only one aim— to win. True, I should make a special proviso — the first game between the two players took place in a simultaneous display at a tourna¬ment of Pioneers Palaces and grandmasters in 1975 in Leningrad. But all that was in a quite different time and spatial dimension

Korchnoi-Kasparov

Moden Benoni Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6

Realizing that Korchnoi's experience in the playing of every possible opening system was immeasurably greater than mine, I placed my choice on the King's Indian Defence, the opening which I had studied the most.

3 g3 Bg7 4 Bg2 c5

The system with the fianchetto of the white-squared bishop, which is highly unpleasant for Black in the classical King's Indian, is by no means so effective in Modern Benoni set-ups. It is this that explains Black's fourth move.

5d5

5 Nf3 is quieter, but in this game Korchnoi has no intention of avoiding any crucial debates!

5 ... d6 6 Nc3 0-0 7 NO e6 8 0-0

Some 15-20 years ago Korchnoi happily went in for the complications arising after 8 dXe6 BXe6 9 Ng5 BXc4 10 BXb7 Nbd7, but at the time the theory of this variation was virgin territory. . . .

8 ... eXd5 9 cXd5

A position which has occurred in practice a countless number of times. By many trials and searchings the optimum move order for both sides has been determined, and it is this that the players now follow.

In very recent times the variation has begun to develop in breadth, and acceptable ways have been found for both sides to deviate from the most heavily-studied lines: White often chooses plans involving Bf4, while Black refrains from playing . . . Re8.

9...a6 10 a4 Re8 11Nd2 Nbd7 12 h3 Rb8 13 Nc4

The critical position of the opening. The character of the subsequent play depends upon where the d7 knight now moves to. After 13 ... Nb6 the main weight of the struggle will lie on the Q-side, e.g. 14 Na3 Bd7 15 a5 Nc8 16 Nc4 Bb5, or 15 e4 Nc8 16 Qd3 Qc7. The knight move to the centre has more ambitious aims — in this case Black does not intend to restrict himself to the Q-side, but is ready to take action over the entire board, the target of his attacks often becoming the white king! The choice between these two continuations is a matter of taste, although, in my opinion, 13 ... Nb6 is positionally more sound. But the spirit of this game demanded a storm, and so the black knight moved to the left!

13 ... Ne5 14 Na3 Nh5

This seems pointless, since the advanced cavalry must inevitably come under attack by the white pawns. But those wishing to accept the piece sacrifice in the variations 15 f4 NXg3! 16 fXe5 BXe5 or 15 g4 Qh4! 16 gXh5 BXh3 have for some reason been hard to find in recent times.... In turn, Black threatens by ... f5 to neutralize the opponent's pawn majority in the centre, after which his hands will be freed for play on both wings. Therefore White has no right to delay.

15 e4!

Now the planned . . . f5 will inevitably involve sacrifices by Black. Some 7-10 years ago (i.e. in the early 1970s) the complications after 15 ... f5 16 eXf5 BXf5 17 g4 BXg4 18 hXg4 Qh4 19 gXh5 Rf8! 20 h6! Bh8 were at the centre of attention. Games usually continued 21 Ne4 Ng4 22 QXg4 QXg4 23 Nc4, and proceeded with alternating success. But a problem-like idea on the theme of diversion — 21 Nc4!!, found by the Yugoslav grandmaster Kovacevic, resolved the long-running debate in favour of White. After 21 ... Ng4 22 QXg4 QXg4 23 NXd6 Be5 24 Nde4 White's well co-ordinated minor pieces proved stronger than the queen. The answering word for Black belongs to Timman. It is with his move 15 ... Rf8 that Black's main hopes of rehabilitating the entire plan are associated.

15        ... Rf8!?

This looks audacious — Black calmly prepares .. . f5, paying no attention to his opponent's plans. But the attempt at an immediate refutation by 16 g4 ended dismally for White in the source game Scheeren-Timman (1980), After 16 ... Qh4! 17 gXf5 BXh3 18 h6 Bh8 19 Ne2? f5! Timman conducted the attack on the king with great power.

16        Kh2!

White is all ready for f2-f4, but what can Black do? There is only one course open to him — to advance. There is already no way back.. . .

16        ... f5

Consistent, but the more fundamental preparation of ... b5 by 16 ... Bd7 should have been considered. Again ignoring his opponent's preparations, Black intends in the event of the natural 17 f4 to carry out an interesting combination with sacrifices — 17 ... b5 18 fXe5 NXg3! (the white king is forced to throw caution to the winds) 19 KXg3 BXe5+ 20 KB (White also has difficult problems to solve after 20 Kf2 Qh4+ 21 Kgl BXh3 22 Qel Bg3 23 Rf4! Bg4!) 20 ... b4, regaining one of the sacrificed pieces, while for the other sufficient compensation is provided by the "over-centralized" position of the white king.

17 f4

Reasoning logically, one would have to admit to the reckless nature of Black's plan, since the retreat of his knight would be an admission of failure. But from this point common sense is forced to leave the stage, opening unlimited scope for flights of fantasy. The strength of a piece is determined not by its comparative value according to the usual scale, but by its degree of usefulness at the given moment. Moreover, in chess, where strict mathematical restrictions do not always apply, the efficiency of an individual piece may exceed one hundred percent!

17 ... b5!

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Hand-to-hand fighting has flared up on all parts of the board. White has to take something, but what?

18 aXb5

The temptation to remove from the board the attacked piece has not yet seized White, and he decides to tackle the problems on the Q-side. The acceptance of the sacrifice would not have led to any irreversible consequences for White, but equally it would not have refuted Black's plan. Simply it would have opened a new chapter of this gripping story. The most natural reply to 18 fXe5 is 18 ... BXe5. Now the defence of g3 by 19 Bf4 allows Black to restore the material balance - 19 ... b4 20 BXe5 dXe5 21 Nc4 bXc3 22 bXc3 f4! - with the white king in an insecure position.

However, 19 Ne2 simultaneously parries both Black's threats. To maintain the initiative he is obliged to sacrifice his second knight - 19 ... NXg3! 20 NXg3 f4 (after 20 . . . Qh4? 21 Qf3 Bd7 22 eXf5! RXf5 23 Qe3 the attack peters out). In this case White can go in two fundamentally different ways: (a) he can try to parry the attack, without resorting to any counter-sacrifices, or (b) not clinging on to his material advantage, he can play to seize the initiative. The game could have developed as follows:

(1). 21 Kgl Qh4 22 Rf3! (White loses after 22 Qf3? Bd4+ 25 Khl BXh3!, while the retreat of the knight gives Black a virtually irresistible attack, e.g. 22 Nhl f3! 23 RXf3 Bg4! 24 RXf8+ RXf8, or 22 Nge2 f3! 23 RXf3 RXf3 24 BXf3 BXh3!) 22 ... Bd4+! 23 Kfl (the queen sacrifice 23 QXd4!? cXd4 24 Nfl leads to an unclear position) 23 ... BXh3 24 Nhl (if 24 Nge2, then after 24 ... BXg2+ 25 KXg2 Qg4+ 26 Ng3 h5! Black's attack has every chance of triumphing) 24 ... BXg2+ 25 KXg2 Qg4+ 26 Kh2 (after 26 Kfl? Black obtains an irresistible attack by quiet moves - 26 ... Rbe8! 27 Nf2 BXf2 28 KXf2 Qh4+! 29 Kg2 Re5!) 26 ... Qh5+ with perpetual check. In addition, Black can attempt to play for the maximum - 26 ... Bgl+!? 27 QXgl QXf3.

(2). The game develops in a totally different spirit after 21 BXf4 BXf4 (it is a pity to give up the bishop, but playing "a la Gufeld" does not succeed - 21... RXf4? 22 RXf4 BXf4 23 Qf3 Qh4 24 Rfl g5 25 aXb5 aXb5 26 Nc2, and the extra piece is bound to tell) 22 aXb5 aXb5 23 RXf4!? (if the bishop becomes established at e5, it will be no easy matter to save the pinned knight) 23 ... RXf4. A position has been reached with chances for both sides (and scope for creativity!).

As is apparent from the variations given, the defences around the white king can be forced open only by sacrificing the knight at g3. So would it not be simpler to do this im¬mediately? Let us see: 18 fXe4 NXg3!? 19 KXg3 BXe5+ 20 Kf2 Qh4+ 21 Kgl Qg3. Now White has a limited choice - 22 Rf2 or 22 RO. Of these 22 Rf2 looks the more cunning, provoking Black into 22. . . Bd4?, after which the unexpected queen sacrifice 23 QXd4! (23 QO? QXO 24 BXO fXe4 25 NXe4 RXO 26 Kg2 RXf2+ 27 NXf2 Bb7! gives Black excellent winning chances) 23 ... cXd4 24 Bf4! Qh4 25 BXd6 sharply changes the picture in White's favour. The only thing that can help Black is to extend the sphere of operations: 22 ... b4! 23 Nc4 Qh2+ 24 Kfl Bg3! with incredibly intricate play. Here is a piquant variation illustrating Black's wealth of possibilities: 25 Rf3 bXc3 26 Bh6? f4! 27 BXf8 BXh3 28 BXh3 QXh3+ 29 Ke2 Qg2+ 30 Kd3 c2! and wins. Stronger is 22 Rf3 Qh2+ 23 Kf2! (the seemingly more solid 23 Kfl? allows Black to bring up his last reserves unhindered —23 . . . Bd7!, after which it is unlikely that White's position can be defended) 23. . . Bd4+ 24 QXd4! cXd4 25 Bf4 fXe4 26 BXh2 eXf3 27 BXd6! dXc3, with the following possibilities for White:

(1). 28 BXb8? cXb2 29 Rel fXg2+ 30KXg2 b4 31 Nbl Bb7, and Black has nothing to complain of.

(2). 28 BXf3 cXb2 29 Rbl Bf5 30 RXb2 Be4! 31 BXf8 RXf8 32 Rb3 BXd5, with an imminent draw.

(4). 28 Bfl!? cXb2 29 Rbl Bb7! 30 BXb8 RXb8 31 aXb5 aXb5 32 d6! Rd8 33 NXb5 Bc6 34 RXb2 BXb5 35 RXb5 RXd6, and it is not clear whether White can manage to realize his material advantage.

(4). 28 Bhl!! — an important improvement to the previous variation, since White is able to retain his d5 pawn, and with it every chance of winning.

In reserve Black has only the reckless attempt to continue his attack by 23 ... Bd7!? (instead of 23 ... Bd4+). Black's threats cannot be under-estimated, but White's two pieces are a more weighty factor.

All these variations are very interesting, but it is time to return to the game itself!

18 ... aXb5 19 NaXb5 fXe4

(See diagram) White is again at the crossroads. Capturing the piece with 20 fXe5 is justified only in the event of 20 ... NXg3? Then after 21 RXf8+ QXf8 22 e6! Be5 23 Kgl the attack peters out. But the simple 20 ... BXe5 sets White difficult problems, e.g. 21 Bf4 NXf4 22 gXf4 BXf4+ 23 Kgl Bd7! with an obvious advantage. 20 Na7!? looks tempting, aiming for c6, but Black has an unexpected resource, charging the atmosphere to the

Position after 19 . . . fXe4:

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maximum extent — 20. . . e3! ?, as occurred in the game Alburt-Olafsson (1982). Inspite of the win gained by White in the unfathomable complications after 21 Qe2 NXg3! 22 KXg3 g5! 23 f5!, it is hardly possible to give a precise evaluation of the position*. I anticipate a perplexed question from the reader — had all this already occurred? I must immediately reject any possible accusations of "plagiarism": the aforementioned game took place not long before the Olympiad, and so the players in the present game had no suspicion of its existence. And the most weighty evidence for these words is the amount of time spent by the players on the preceding moves!

During the game I was rather afraid that White might be able to overcome his difficulties at a stroke by the temporary sacrifice of his knight - 20 NXd6!? Black would have had to be satisfied with the variation 20 ... QXd6 21 NXe4! Qb6 22 fXe5 RXfl 23 QXfl BXe5, in which he retains counter-play thanks to the insecure position of the white king. Unfortunately, the counter-sacrifice 20

* 21 Nc6! (instead of 21 Qe2) 21...NXc622 dXc6 would have given White an obvious advantage — a strong pawn atc6, and an excellent post at d5 for his knight. On 20 Na7 Black should probably play 20. . .Nf3+21 BXf3 eXf3. In the complications after 22 Nc6 Qd7 23 f5 Rb7 24 g4 Nf6 25 RXf3 gXf5 White's extra pawn does not make itself felt (26 RXf5? 'NXg4+!27 hXg4 RXf5 28gX/5 QXf5 with an irresistible attack, or 26 gXf5 Ne8 with an unclear position).

.. . NXg3? does not succeed. After 21 KXg3 QXd6 22 NXe4 Qb6 23 Be3! (23 fXe5?! is too risky: 23 ... BXe5+ 24 Kh4 Bf5!) White seizes the initiative while retaining a material advantage.

But White has another possibility. The move chosen by Korchnoi, in spite of its apparent simplicity, proves to be pretty strong.

20 BXe4! Bd7!

Black not only leaves his knight at e5 en prise, but also exposes the mainstay of his position — the pawn at d6! The incautious capture of this pawn would allow him to line up his forces swiftly - 21 NXd6? Rb6!! 22 fXe5 BXe5 23 Nc4 BXg3+ 24 Kgl (24 Kg2 BXh3+) 24 ... Rbf6 25 Bg2 Rf2! The white king clearly cannot hold out against the ferocious fire of Black's entire army.

Therefore 23'Ne2! RXd6with a double-edged position.

21 Na7? does not have its former strength (after 21 ... Ra8! it is not easy for White to

escape from the pin), but the simple 21 Na3 came into consideration. In this case Black would probably have had to be content with the modest 21... Nf7, aiming to meet 22 Nc4 with the interesting 22 . . . b4!? But Korchnoi finds another continuation, one which is unexpected and strong.

21 Qe2!

Temporarily maintaining the white knight at b5. Black's next two moves are practically forced.

21 ... Qb6 22 Na3 Rbe8

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Perhaps the most critical position. The fierceness of the struggle is coming to its height, and the quality of the next two or three moves will decide the fate of the game. The difficulty for White lies mainly in choosing from the mass of available possibilities. Firstly, he must again resolve the problem: "to take or not to take". It may seem that this is the right moment. After 23 fXe5 Black's reply is forced — 23 ... BXe5, after which White can choose between directly and indirectly defending his g3 pawn. 24 Bf4? NXf4 25 gXf4 BXf4+ 26 Kg2 Qd8! leads to a position where Black's numerical superiority on the K-side most probably outweighs White's extra piece. 24 Nc4! looks stronger, but even then after 24... BXg3+ 25 Kgl Qd8 White's material advantage is not felt, whereas the concentration of black pieces on the K-side is a source of concern to the white king, e.g. 26 Bh6?! RXfl+ 27 QXfl Qh4 28 Ra7 Nf6!, with threats which are hard to parry.

White can also create another threat, by attacking the other knight with 23 g4. Loss of material for Black is inevitable, but if he finds a successful way of sacrificing his cavalry — 23 ... NXg4+! 24 hXg4 Qd8!, White will be unable to parry the threats to his king while keeping his extra piece, e.g. 25 g5? BXc3! 26 bXc3 Bf5, or 25 Qf3 Qh4+ 26 Qh3 QXh3+ 27 KXh3 BXc3.

The most sensible decision for White was to reject any material gain for the sake of fully consolidating his position. This aim is best met by 23 Qg2!, removing the queen from its position opposite the rook and vacat¬ing e2 for the knight. Sooner or later Black would have had to move his knight from e5, thereby admitting to the failure of his strat¬egy. The immediate 23 ... Nf7 is completely bad; after 24 Nc4 Qb8 25 g4 Nf6 26 Bd3! the black pieces suffocate inside their own territory.

Black would have had to embark on tactical tricks such as 23 . . . Qd8!? His initiative has reached an impasse, but its smouldering embers are liable to flare up with a new strength at any moment: 24 fXe5? RXfl+ 25 QXfl BXe5 26 Ne2 NXg3! 27 NXg3 Qh4 28 Qg2 BXh3! 29 QXh3 BXg3+ 30 Kg2 QXe4+ 31 KXg3 Qd3+ and wins. Alas, the simple 24 Bd2! leaves Black with the same problems*. Thus it can be asserted that by a series of precise moves White could have set Black difficult, most probably insoluble problems. But on the basis of this should all Black's pre¬ceding play be regarded as unsatisfactory? I think that such a conclusion would be superficial — absolutely precise play exists only in theory, and the more complicated the position, the greater the probability of a mistake. Of course, such an approach to a game of chess involves an enormous risk, but who doesn't take risks!. . . However, such play has chances of success only when the resulting situations are new, and therefore it would not be worth copying completely Black's moves in this game. Probably the position after 16 ... Bd7 should be studied more carefully, or else a fundamentally different plan in the opening should be chosen (cf. the note to White's 13th move).

But let us return to the game. It would seem that in general terms Korchnoi came to the same conclusion regarding the subsequent plan, but he solved the problem rather differently.

23 Bd2?

This looks logical: White intends to complete his development without delay, whereas after 23 Be3? Nf7! 24 Nc4 Qd8 the insecure position of the bishops on the e-file would have told. But even a correct strategic idea can prove bad if it has the wrong tactical execution.

23 ... QXb2!

The long-awaited turning point! Without fear the queen rushes into the thick of the opponent's pieces, knowing that in the event of 24 Rfbl? the doomed knight will land a decisive blow — 24 ... Nf3+!

This little variation evidently exhausted Korchnoi's patience, and the black knight

* There are more chances of complicating the play after 23 ... Qb4!?, e.g. 24 Nc2 Qb8 25 Ne3 Nf7 26 Nc4 BXcS! 27 bXc3 Nf6 28 Bf3 Bf5 29 Ne3 Bd3 30 Rdl c4, when the position is still not completely clear.

disappeared from the board for ever.

24 fXe5?

At the most inappropriate moment! Now the energy stored in the black pieces breaks out, sowing death and destruction in White's position. He should have immediately driven the queen away by 24 Ra2. The plausible 24 ... Qb4 leads to mass exchanges and a draw: 25 Rbl Qd4 26 Nab5 BXb5 27 NXb5 Qc4 28 QXc4 NXc4 29 Bd3! NXd2 30 RXd2. Much stronger is 24 ... Qb8! Here too the capture on e5 has serious consequences — 25 fXe5? RXfl! 26 QXfl BXe5 27 Bel (27 Ne2 NXg3! 28 NXg3 Qb3) 27 ... BXc3 28 BXc3 RXe4. Black's advantage is undisputed, since White is not able to exploit the weakening of the al-h8 diagonal, and Black can soon begin seriously threatening the white king. The following amusing variation begs to be given: 29 Nc4? (29 Rf2 Re3!) 29 ... Bb5 30 Qal (30 Rb2 Qe8!) 30... BXc4! 31 Ra8 Re2+ 32 Kgl Rg2+! 33 Khl NXg3+ 34 KXg2 BXd5+, and Black wins. Therefore after 24 ... Qb8! White would have had to be satis¬fied with the prophylactic 25 Qg2, but then the quiet retreat of the knight to f7 maintains Black's advantage — the white pieces do not have any strong points.

24 Nc2 would seem to be stronger, although after 24 . . . Qb8 the capture on e5 is still unfavourable.

24        ... BXe5

At no moment in the game could this move have been so effective as now!

25 Nc4 NXg3!

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6-+-zp-+p+&
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The knight at e5 did not give up its life in vain — in all variations Black remains with a decisive material advantage. Many players in such a situation would have lost heart, but Korchnoi manages to find the one chance which demands a certain accuracy of Black.

26 RXf8+ RXf8 27 Qel! NXe4+ 28 Kg2 Qc2

The obvious continuation, but Black also had another, more spectacular path to his goal - 28 ... Rf2+!, e.g. 29 QXf2 BXh3+! 30 Kf3 NXd2+ 31 QXd2 QXal 32 NXe5 dXe5, or 29 Khl RXd2!! 30 Ra8+ Kg7 31 QXd2 (31 NXb2 Ng3+ 32 Kgl Bd4+) 31 ... QXd2 32 NXd2 NXd2 33 Ra7 BXc3 34 RXd7+ Kf6 35 RXd6+ Ke5 and wins.

29 NXe5

For an instant White is even a piece up, but the open position of his king makes his efforts unavailing. Now 29 ... NXd2! would have won immediately. The forcing variation 30 NXd7 Nf3+ 31 Qe2 Nh4+! 32 Kgl QXc3 33 Qe6+ Kh8 34 NXf8 Qg3+! 35 Kfl Qg2+ 36 Kel Nf3+ 37 Kdl Qd2 mate would have been a fitting conclusion to this dramatic encounter. But, dazzled by the closeness of victory, I followed a false trail....

29... Rf2+?

That which was good a move ago now turns out to be inappropriate. The following variation, the only one I had worked out on account of a pitiful lack of time, looks convincing: 30 Kgl RXd2! 31 Qe4 (mate follows after 31 NXe4 Rg2+ 32 Khl Rh2+, or 32 Kfl Bb5+) 31. . . QXc3 32 Ra8+ Kg7 etc. I did not take the queen sacrifice seriously— I thought that Black's strongest piece would deal without any particular trouble with the opponent's scattered army. But I completely overlooked that in this game it is not only the black pieces that are capable of performing miracles!

30 QXf2!

Now the battle flares up with renewed strength. The encounter enters its conclud¬ing phase, which proves to be the most grip¬ping. Unfortunately, the most interesting variations remained behind the scenes, which significantly reduced the aesthetic value of the finish. But it can all be explained very simply — the two players each had only about five minutes left on their clocks.

30 ... NXf2!

Hurrah for intuition! Some sort of sixth sense forced me to reject the plausible 30... BXh3+, although there was no longer time to work out the very complicated variations. Later analysis confirmed my fears. This is what could have happened after 30 ... BXh3+? - 31 Kgl! NXf2 32 Ra2L If Black is playing for a win, he has no choice: 32... Qf5 (32 ... QXa2? 33 NXa2 Ne4 34 Nc4!) im¬mediately leads to perpetual check — 33 Ra8+ Kg7 34 Ra7+. That only leaves 32 ... Qb3. Then after 33 Ra8+ Kg7 34 Ra7+ Black can content himself with a draw — 34... Kg8 (34 ... Kf8?? 35 Bh6+ Ke8 36 Ra8+ Ke7 37 Bg5 mate) 35 Ra8+ etc. But what does he have to fear in the event of 35... Kf6? Surely the seemingly helpless white pieces can't create any real threats?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
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6-+-zp-mkp+&
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xabcdefghy

But after 35 Nf3!! a fairytale position is reached: a threat of mate in four moves has unexpectedly arisen (36 Bg5+ KT5 37 Rf7+ Kg4 38 Rf4+ Kh5 39 Rh4 mate, or 38 ... Kg3 39 Ne2 mate). In addition, the knight at f2 is attacked. Both these threats can be parried only by 33 ... Nd3, but then misfortune strikes from the other side — 36 Ne4+! Kf5 37 NXd6+ Kg4 (37 ... Kf6 38 Rf7 mate) 38 Nh2+ Kh4 39 RXh7+ Kg3 40 Ne4 mate! In theory, had Black been tempted by 30 ... BXh3+?, in the time scramble the game could have ended in this way. But then it is unlikely that this commentary would have been written. . . . 31 Ra2! Qf5

31... BXh3+? 32 Kgl would not have changed anything.

32 NXd7 Nd3

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+k+(
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6-+-zp-+p+&
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Material is roughly equal, but it is Black who has the initiative. The powerful combination of queen + knight looks much stronger than the more numerous, but uncoordinated white army. Thus the fainthearted 33 Nb6? would have allowed Black quickly to decide the game in his favour — 33 . . . Qf2+ 34 Khl Qf3+ 35 Kh2 (35 Kgl Qg3+) 35 ... Nf4! 36 BXf4 (36 Ra8+ Kg7 37 Ra7+ Kh6 is pointless) 36... QXf4+ 37 Kg2 Qg5+, winning the knight. Realizing that loss of material is inevitable, White launches a desperate attack, and the black king, which up till here has calmly been observing the course of events, now finds itself in the role of the pursued.

33 Bh6?!

The exclamation mark is for boldness, and the question mark for the fact that the wrong piece is sacrificed! It was much more important to retain the knight at d7, when the combination of rook + two knights could have caused Black considerable trouble. True, the straightforward 33 Ra7? would have allowed Black to disrupt his opponent's plans without difficulty - 33 ... Qf2+ 34 Khl QXd2 35 Nf6+ Kf8 36 Nce4 Nf2+! and wins. Therefore White must play more cunningly — 33 Ra8+ Kg7 34 Ra7!, setting up an ambush. Black is obliged to take the bishop — 34 ... Qf2+ 35 Khl QXd2 (35 ... c4? 36 Nc5+!), and after 36 Ne5+! the black king is forced to seek a safe path through the minefield: 36 ... Kf8 (36 ... Kh6?? 37 Ng4+ Kg5 38 Ne4+) 37 Ra8+ Ke7 38 Ra7+ Kd8 39 Nf7+. Now which way? Let us try going back — 39 ... Ke8 40 NXd6+ Kf8 41 Rf7+ Kg8 42 Nce4! Qel+ 43 Kh2, forcing Black to seek success by sacrificing his queen: 43 . . . QXe4 44 NXe4 KXf7 45 Kg3, but this knight ending gives few grounds for optimism. It only remains for the king to seek a shelter in the other corner of the board - 39 . . . Kc8 40 NXd6+ Kb8 41 Rb7+ Ka8 42 Ncb5! The situation is roughly the same as after 39 ... Ke8, but now Black has a favourable way of breaking up the mating construction — 42 ... Nf2+ 43 Kgl NXh3+ 44 Khl QXd5+ 45 Kh2 QXb7 46 NXb7 KXb7 47 KXh3 Kc6. To all appearances, Black should win this ending, e.g. 48 Nc3 c4 49 Kg3 Kc5 50 Kf3 Kd4 51 Ne2+ Kd3.

Everything is much simpler — 39 Ra8+! (instead of 39 Nf7+?) forces the black king to return home, since 39. . . Kc7? loses to 40Nb5+ Kb7 (40 ... Kb6 41 Nc4+) 41 Ra7+, mating. Thus 29. . . Rf2+ ? should have led in amazing fashion (and by force!) to perpetual check!

33 ... QXd7 34 Ra8+ Kf7 35 Rh8?

It was essential to restrict the black king's mobility by 35 Ne4! At the board I imagined all sorts of horrors, and so I was intending to continue 35 ... g5!?, creating more space for my king. The position after 35 . . . g5 proved to be so interesting, that while still at the Olympiad Igor Zaitsev and I made a thorough analysis of it. The main variation runs as follows: 36 Rf8+! (36 BXg5 h6! 37 BXh6 Kg6) 36 ... Ke7 37 Rh8 Nf4+! (37 ... Qf5? 38 BXg5+Kd7 39 RXh7+!, winning the queen) 38 Kf2 NXh3+ 39 Kg3 Qf5 40 Bf8+! Kd8! (40 ... Kd7? 41 RXh7+! Kd8 42 Be7+ Kc7 43 BXd6+ with a draw) 41 BXd6+ Kd7 42 RXh7+! QXh7! 43 Nf6+ KXd6 44 NXh7 c4! 45 Nf6 Nf4 46 Kg4 (46 Ne4+ KXd5 47 NXg5 c3!, and the pawn queens) 46 ... NXd5 47 Ne4+ KXd5 with a won knight ending. The analysis contained a number of other branches, but the simple move found by my trainer Aleksander Nikitin would have made all these subtleties unnecessary. Indeed, 35 . . . Qe7! leaves White in a bad way — the ending after 36 Rf8+ (36 Ng5+ Kf6 37 Rf8+ Ke5 38 Rf7 Qe8 is harmless) 36 ... QXf8 37 Ng5+ Ke8 38 BXf8 KXf8 39 NXh7+ Kg7 40 Ng5 Kf6 is completely hopeless.

35... Kf6

The only move, but good enough. For the first time in the game I could breathe easily— all the fears and dangers were now behind!

36 Kf3?

Usually such a blunder is accompanied by two question marks, but a move, made in severe time trouble only for the sake of making a move, does not deserve such a severe appraisal.

36 ... QXh3+

White resigns.

Expectations and Surprises

Candidates Quarter-final Match, Moscow, 1983

First interzonal, first Candidates match .... The great amount at stake in these events, compounded by the novelty of each step, will often restrict a player and not allow him to reveal his full creative potential. For this reason, during the course of my Candi¬dates Quarter-final Match with Aleksander Belyavsky I had to adapt in a very short time to the unfamiliar logic of match play. Of course my pre-match preparations also had to be particularly thorough, since for the first time I was having to think about my opening repertoire as applied to a single opponent. True, my opponent probably experienced similar difficulties.

I think that the most important part in my ultimate success was in fact played by preparation. And this was not my superiority in a purely chess capacity, which many experts referred to, but a more flexible approach to the match strategy, in particular to the solving of opening problems. In addition, I and my group of trainers (which during my preparations included Nikitin, Shakarov, Timoshchenko and Vladimirov) studied Belyavsky's games, and noted his strong and weak points. The strong included his enormous capacity for work at the board, his brilliant handling of familiar positions, and his exceptional tenacity. However, a person's deficiencies are a continuation of his virtues: Belyavsky's adherence to his

principles in the upholding of his own views often transforms into inflexibility, and his excellent knowledge of certain schemes gave rise to the desire to get by with the minimum means in the opening. On the basis of this an attempt was made to plan, even if only roughly, the course of the match struggle.

Game No. 1

Kasparov-Belyavsky

Queen's Gambit

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 d5 4 cXd5 eXd5 5 Bg5 Be7 6 e3 h6 7 Bh4 0-0 8 Bd3 b6 9 Nf3 Bb7 10 0-0 c5 11 Ne5 Nc6?! 12 Ba6! Qc8 13 BXb7 QXb7 14 BXf6 BXf6 15 Ng4 Bd8 16 NXd5 NXd4! 17 Ndf6+! BXf6 18 NXf6+ gXf6 19 eXd4 cXd4 20 QXd4 Kg7 21 Racl?! Rac8 22 Qg4+ Kh7 23 Qf4 Rg8! 24 Qf5+ Kg7 25 h4? Rge8 26 Qg4+ Kh7 27 Qf4 Kg7 28 RXc8 QXc8 29 Rdl Qe6 30 Rd3 Qel+ 31 Kh2 Qe5 32 Rg3+ Kh7 33 Qc4 Qe6 34 Qd4 Qf5! 35 Qc4 Qe6 36 Qc7 Qe7 37 Qc6 Qe6 38 Qb7 Qe7 39 Qd5 Qe6 40 Qh5 Rd8! 41 Re3 Rd5! 42 Qf3 Qf5 43 QXf5+ RXf5 44 Kg3 Kg6 45 Re7 Ra5 46 a3 Rb5 47 b4 a5 48 Re4 Rd5 49 D h5 50 Kf4 Rd3 51 a4 f5 52 Rc4 aXb4 53 RXb4 f6 54 Kg3 Rd6 55 Kf2 Re6 56 g3 Kg7 57 Rc4 Kg6 58 Rc8 Re5 59 Ra8 Kg7 60 Ra6 b5 61 f4 Rc5 62 Ra7+ Kg6 63 a5 b4 64 a6 b3

Drawn.

The first game is always of particular im¬portance, and for novices at such a level, as both of the players were, its importance was increased two-fold. The white pieces, which fell to me at the drawing of lots, obliged me to play actively. The opening of the first game was of considerable significance, the result of it providing a kind of check on the two players' preparations. Strangely enough, the opening came as a surprise to both of us — the exchange on the fourth move had not occurred in any of my previous games, and Belyavsky in turn sprang a surprise by choosing the system with the fianchetto of his white-squared bishop, which is not popular in the Exchange Variation. But the main surprise is perhaps the fact that the position after 11 Ne5 is not considered even in such a fundamental reference book as the Yugoslav Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings. Belyavsky's attempt to solve his problems by the energetic 11 ... Nc6 allowed me to obtain by force a position, where the open position of Black's king and his hopelessly broken pawn structure gave White every expectation of a win. The critical position arose after Black's 20th move.

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Here after the lacklustre 21 Racl?! White lost the greater part of his advantage. Meanwhile the simple 21 Radl, gaining control over the d-file, would have set Black difficult problems. Thus 21 ... Rad8 leads to a lost ending after 22 QXd8! Best is 21 ... Rg8!, forestalling the transfer of the white rook onto the third rank, but even here after 22 Rd3 Kh7 23 g3 Qc6 24 Rfdl Rae8 25 Qf4! Black would hardly have been able to defend his broken K-side.

But in the game Black was able to reduce the tension by exchanging a pair of rooks. In addition, the impulsive 25 h4? (25 h3 was correct) deprived White of an important tempo on his 29th move. 29 Rcl would have been strongly met by 29 ... Re4!, whereas

with the pawn at h3 this defensive resource would not have been available due to 30 Qg3+. By the adjournment Belyavsky had succeeded in completely neutralizing White's initiative, and although White retained a symbolic advantage to the end, it was no longer possible to realize it.

Game No. 2

Belyavsky-Kasparov

Queen's Gambit

1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 c5 4 cXd5 eXd5 5 Nf3 Nc6 6 g3 Nf6 7 Bg2 Be7 8 0-0 0-0 9 Bg5 cXd4 10 NXd4 h6 11 Be3 Re8 12 Qa4 Bd7 13 Radl Nb4 14 Qb3 a5 15 Rd2?! a4 16 Qdl a3 17 Qbl Bf818 bXa3 RXa3 19 Qb2 Qa8! 20 Nb3?! Bc6! 21 Bd4 Ne4 22 NXe4 dXe4 23 Ral? Bd5! 24 Qbl b6! 25 e3 Nd3 26 Rdl b5 27 Bfl b4 28 BXd3 eXd3 29 QXd3 RXa2 30 RXa2 QXa2 31 Nc5 Bf3 32 Ral Qd5 33 Qb3! Qh5 34 Nd3 Bd6 35 Nel Bb7 36 Rcl Qf5 37 Rdl Bf8 38 Qbl

White overstepped the time limit.

The Lvov grandmaster always plays particularly successfully with the white pieces, but in this game with White he did not manage even to seize the customary opening initiative. It will be no exaggeration to say that my choice of the Tarrasch Defence came as a stunning surprise to Belyavsky. On the first 14 moves, which are well known, he spent one and a half (!) hours. Convinced of the necessity to use the white pieces effectively, Belyavsky tried to deviate from the theoretical paths, in order to get me away from my pre-game preparations. Only this can explain his rejection of 15 a4 in favour of the dubious 15 Rd2. Indeed, the position after 16 .. . a3 had not previously occurred, but this innovation did not bring White any gains. Black was able to deploy his pieces well, and his enormous lead on the clock gave him a psychological advantage. White was late in sensing the impending danger. Thus instead of the routine 20 Nb3?!, he should have preferred the pawn sacrifice 20 Ndb5!? BXb5 21 NXb5 RXa2 22 Qb3, which would have enabled him to maintain the balance.

At move 23 White missed his last opportu¬nity to suppress Black's growing initiative.

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23 Nc5!, after which both 23... e3 24 BXc6 eXf2+ 25 BXf2 NXc6, and 23 ... NXa2!? 24 Ral Qa5 25 NXe4! (25 RXa2? BXc5!) 25 ... BXe4 26 RXa2 BXg2 27 KXg2 Qd5+ 28 Kgl Rb3 leave Black with only a minimal advantage. The passive 23 Ral? allowed Black to intensify the pressure unhindered. In view of the threat of. . . e3 White was forced to give the black knight an excellent post at d3, and it proved not at all easy to drive it away from there - 26 Ncl (26 BXb6? Bb4!) 26 ... Nel, or 27 Ncl NXcl 28 RXcl b4! 29 Rc2 Qa4 followed by 30 ... Ra8, and the fate of the a2 pawn is decided. In severe time trouble Belyavsky radically solved the problem of the knight at d3, by giving up his bishop for it, but the catastrophic weakness of his white squares and the passed b-pawn gave Black a decisive strategic advantage. Although the clever transfer of his knight to el saved White from immediate defeat, Black main¬tained all the advantages of his position, and I think that White's loss on time did not basi¬cally change anything — it is unlikely that he could survive after 38 ... Be4 39 Qb3 h5.

These two games as though make up the starting phase of the match. The initiative was firmly on my side, and to judge by the development of events it could have been thought that success would come of its own accord. But the main tests lay ahead.

Game No. 3

Kasparov-Belyavsky

Queen's Gambit

1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 cXd5 eXd5 5 Bg5 Be7 6 e3 h6 7 Bh4 0-0 8 Bd3 b6 9 Nf3 Bb7 10 0-0 c5 11 Ne5 Nbd7 12 Qf3?! cXd4! 13 eXd4 NXe5 14 dXe5 Nd7 15 BXe7 QXe7 16 NXd5 QXe5 17 Ne7+ Kh8! 18 QXb7 Nc5 19 Qf3 NXd3 20 Nc6 Qe6 21 b3 Ne5 22 NXe5 QXe5 23 Rael Qc7 24 Rcl Qe7

Drawn.

Belyavsky follows the path of the first game, but deviates on the 11th move. The "micro-improvement" 11 ... Nbd7 led surprisingly quickly to simplification and a draw. Without a doubt, the move 12 Qf3 was wholly to blame, but about that later.... Having successfully solved the problem of the black pieces, Belyavsky gained a respite and arrived for the next game with an enormous desire to win.

Game No. 4

Belyavsky-Kasparov

Nimzo-Indian Defence

l d4 Nf6 2c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 e3 0-0 5 Bd3 c5 6 Nf3 d5 7 0-0 cXd4 8 eXd4 dXc4 9 BXc4 b6 10 Qe2 Bb711 Rdl BXc312 bXc3 Qc713 Bd3! QXc3 14 Bb2 Qc7 15 d5! BXd5 16 BXf6 gXf6 17 Qe3! Kg7 18 Racl Nc6! 19 Be4 Qd6! 20 BXd5 eXd5 21 Rc4 Qd7? 22 Rh4 Qf5 23 RXd5?! Ne5? 24 h3! Rfe8! 25 Nd4 Qg6 26 Qf4 Rad8 27 Nf5+ Kh8 28 RXd8 RXd8 29 Qe4! Rc8! 30 Kh2 Rc4 31 Qa8+ Qg8 32 QXa7 RXh4 33 NXh4 Qg5 34 Qa8+! Kg7 35 Qe4 h5?? 36 Nf5+ Kg6 37 Ne7+ Kh6 38 f4

Black resigns.

On this occasion the change of opening did not have the desired effect. Moreover, everything points to the fact that the resulting position was more familiar to Belyavsky than to me. The bold sacrifice of two pawns was the most vigorous solution to the position. Black was faced with a difficult choice — either to agree to an inferior position after c3-c4, or to accept the challenge. I chose the second path, but within a few moves White's initiative clearly outweighed his material deficit. The first critical moment was reached on the 19th move (see diagram).

White could have maintained all the advantages of his position here by 19 Nd4!, after which it is not easy for Black to find a defence against the numerous threats. The

Position after 18 . . . Nc6!:

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direct 19 Be4? allowed Black to parry the immediate threats, while keeping his two extra pawns. But within two moves Black took his revenge, missing the chance to consolidate his position by the simple 21 ... Ne7! In the possible variation 22 Rh4 Nf5 23 Rg4+ Kh8 24 Qd3 Ne7 the two pawns would have been a more weighty factor than White's initiative. But White in turn did not exploit in the best way the unfortunate manoeuvre by the black queen. Of course, it is pleasant to capture a central pawn with gain of tempo, but in my opinion 23 Qh6+Kh8 24 Rf4 Qg6 25 Qh4 f5 26 Qh3! (26 RXd5? Rad8) was stronger, when it is unlikely that Black would have been able to defend all his weaknesses.

But after 23 ... Ne5? 24 h3! White's idea was justified, whereas the obvious 23 ... Qbl+ could have significantly changed the character of the game. After the forced 24 Ne 1 Black can sound the retreat — 24... Kh8 25 Rdh5 Rfe8 26 RXh7+ QXh7 27 RXh7+ KXh7 28 Qh3+ Kg7, when the insecure position of the black king is not easy to exploit. In addition, Black has a possibility of greatly complicating the game by the paradoxical 24... Rg8!?, e.g. 25 Rdh5 Kf8! 26 RXh7 Re8 27Qh6+ Ke7, or 25 Rd3 Kf8! (25 ... Kh8? 26RXh7+ KXh7 27 Qe4+, winning the queen) 26RXh7 Ne5 27 Qh6+ Ke7 28 Re3 Rac8 – in both cases with intricate play.

In the subsequent play, strangely enough, in spite of the fact that both players were severely short of time, there was no repetition of such exchanges of mistakes. Bel-yavsky, disregarding his missing pawn, built up his positional advantage, while Black devoted all his attention to defending his king against the constant threats. Here are some of the variations which remained behind the scenes: 26 Qd2? (instead of 26 Qf4) 26 ... Rad8! 27 RXd8 RXd8 28 Nf5+ QXf5 29 QXd8 Qg5!, and the advantage is now with Black (30 Re4? NB+ 31 Kfl Qcl+ 32 Ke2 Ngl+ etc.). If 26... Rac8? (instead of 26... Rad8), then 27 Nf5+ Kh8 28 Nd6 Red8 29 Rh6, and Black is crushed. Black could hardly have managed to retain his extra pawn - 29 ... b5 30 Kh2! (30 f4? NB+!, or 30 g4? Qg8! 31 Rh6 Ng6 32 Qc6 Rdl+ 33 Kg2 Qd8, and Black holds on) 30 .. . a5 (it is hard to suggest anything more useful) 31 g4!, and the threat of Rh6 together with f2-f4 is bound to decide the game in White's favour.

The concluding part of the game took place in severe time trouble, where Black's blunder 35 ... h5?? led to an immediate decision. The normal 35 ... Ng6 would have led after 36 Nf5+ Kg8 37 Qa8+ Nf8 to a pos¬ition in which, thanks to his better pawn structure and powerful knight at f5, White retains an enormous positional advantage, but the limited material remaining gives Black some hopes of saving the game.

Thus Belyavsky's energetic onslaught in this game achieved its aim. A new phase of the struggle was beginning, and so, in view of the necessity to work on the opening systems occurring during the course of the match, and also the fact that I was slightly indisposed, it was decided to take a postponement. In the previous Candidates' cycle such a step would have appeared perfectly natural, but now, when each player had only a single postponement available, such a decision was not taken lightly.

Game No. 5

Kasparov-Belyavsky

Queen's Gambit

1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 cXd5 eXd5 5 Bg5 Be7 6 e3 h6 7 Bh4 0-0 8 Bd3 b6 9 Nf3 Bb7 10 0-0 c5 11 Ne5 Nbd7 12 Bf5! NXe5 13 dXe5 Ne8?! 14 Bg3 Nc7?! 15 Qg4 Qe8 16 Bd7! Qd8 17 Radl h5 18 Qh3 h4 19 Bf4 Bg5 20 Bf5 g6 21 Ne4! BXf4 22 eXf4 gXf5 23 QXf5! dXe4 24 Qg4+! Kh7 25 RXd8 RfXd8 26 QXh4+ Kg8 27 Qe7! e3! 28 Rel! eXf2+?! 29 KXf2 Rd2+ 30 Re2 RXe2+ 31 KXe2 Ba6+ 32 Kf2 Ne6 33 f5 Nd4 34 e6 Rf8 35 Qg5+ Kh7 36 e7 Re8 37 f6 Ne6 38 Qh5+ Kg8

Black resigns.

On this occasion it was White's turn to say something in the theoretical duel. The fruits of my three days' work at home were the 12th move Bf5!, which prevents Black from carrying out the standard exchanging operation 12 .. . NXe5 13 dXe5 Ne4, on which the pretty 14 NXd5! is now decisive. Releasing the tension in the centre also brings no relief— after 12... cXd4 13 NXd7! NXd7 14 BXe7 QXe7 15 QXd4 Black is condemned to a gruelling defence, which is especially unpleasant in a nervy match situation. On encountering this surprise, Belyavsky took a crucial, but also highly committing decision — to allow White the initiative on the K-side, while relying on

a pawn breakthrough in the centre. But Black's next two moves were inaccurate — in

stead of 13 ... Ne8 he should have preferred 13... Nh7, since all the same the knight cannot reach e6, and being forced to "vegetate" at c7, it was to be a source of constant

trouble for Black. And on the 14th move he should have forced the white bishop to make up its mind — 14 ... g6, although even here 15 Bc2 retains White his advantage.

15 ... Qe8 was undoubtedly a poor move. The least evil was probably 15 ... Bc8 16 Radl BXf5 (16 ... Be6? 17 NXd5! BXd5 18 e4) 17 QXf5 d4, in the hope of saving some kind of ending a pawn down. It should be said that the position after 16 Bd7! was reached on our board during our preparations for the game. Our analysis concluded with the variation 16 ... Bc8 17 e6!, and White wins, but in fact it all turned out to be not so simple.

The immediate 20 ... BXf4 21 eXf4 d4 would have prevented the white knight from transferring to the K-side, but after 22 Ne4 BXe4 23 BXe4 Rb8 24 f5 Re8 25 f4 White's powerful pawn phalanx does not bode well for Black (25 ... f6 26 QXh4 fXe5 27 f6!). The combination begun with 21 Ne4!

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1+-+R+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

led by force to a position where, in spite of the approximate material equality, the open position of Black's king and the poor placing of his pieces gave White a decisive advantage (although the over-hasty 27 f5?! would have allowed Black to co-ordinate his pieces by 27 . . . Rd7!)*.

The clever resource 27 . .. e3! found by Black forced White to display a certain accu¬racy, although the "complications" lasted only one move. In time trouble Belyavsky did not find the best chance, 28 ... e2 (28... Rd2 29 B!), which would have enabled him to fish a little in troubled waters, e.g. 29 f3 Rdl 30 Kf2 Ba6 31 QXc7 Rad8 32 RXe2?! BXe2 33 KXe2 Rld2+ 34 Ke3 R8d3+ 35 Ke4 Rd4+ 36 Kf5 RXg2 with drawing chances. But it only requires White to display a little ingenuity, and everything is immediately put in its place - 32 QXa7! RXel 33 QXa6 Rddl 34 QXb6, and Black is absolutely helpless, since his one hope — his e2 pawn — has been transformed into a liability.

After the exchange of a pair of rooks, the queen and the eagerly advancing infantry quickly decided the outcome. At the moment when Black capitulated, White had a

* 21. . . Be7! would have enabled Black to avoid immediate difficulties, although after 22 Nd6 BXd6 23 eXd6 gXf5 24 dXc7 or even 22 Bg4 his position is unenviable.

pleasant choice - 39 Qg4+ Kh7 40 QXe6 fXe6 41 f7, or 40 Qa4 Nc7 41 Qd7.

Thus White's lost advantage was restored in the shortest possible time. Of course, such a swift and crushing win (on the entire game White spent only some 50 minutes!) raised my spirits, but nevertheless I realized that the decisive battles still lay ahead. Before the sixth game I was still rather anxious, since it was clear that Belyavsky would make every effort to restore the balance.

Game No. 6

Belyavsky-Kasparov

Queen's Gambit

1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 c5 4 cXd5 eXd5 5 NO Nc6 6 g3 Nf6 7 Bg2 Be7 8 0-0 0-0 9 Bg5 cXd4 10 NXd4 h6 11 Be3 Re8 12 Qc2 Bg4 13 Rfdl Bf814 Racl Rc815 NXc6 bXc616 Bd4! Bb417 Rd2 Qe7 18 a3 Ba5 19 b4?! Bb6 20 e3 Qe6! 21 Qb2 BXd4 22 RXd4 c5! 23 bXc5 RXc5 24 Ne2 Rec8 25 RXc5 RXc5 26 Nf4 Qc8 27 h3 Rcl+ 28 Kh2 Rc2 29 Qb3 Bf5 30 Kgl! Rcl+ 31 Rdl Be4

Drawn.

Perhaps the key game of the match. Again, as in the second game, I chose the Tarrasch Defence, but on this occasion Belyavsky was fully prepared for it. Against the piece set-up begun with 12 Qc2 Black was unable to find an antidote, and the initiative was seized by White (Black would probably have had even more difficult problems to solve after 15 Qa4!). The backward pawn at c6 caused Black considerable trouble, and if White had managed to establish a blockade at c5, things would have been very difficult for Black. The hurried 19 b4?! proved to be a significant inaccuracy, allowing Black to obtain counter-play in connection with the weakening of the white squares on the K-side, whereas 19 h3!, forcing the black bishop to make up its mind, would have consolidated White's advantage. The prophylactic 21 Qb2 (see diagram) was directed against a possible.. . Ne4, e.g. in the variation 21 Na4 Ne4! 22 BXe4 dXe4 23 BXb6 aXb6 24 NXb6 Rcd8 Black would have gained fair compensation for the pawn.

Black was just in time — the ... c5 break, which White was unable to prevent (after 22 eXd4 Bh3 Black has counter-play on the

Position after 21 Qb2:

XABCDEFGHY
8-+r+r+k+(
7zp-+-+pzp-'
6-vlp+qsn-zp&
5+-+p+-+-%
4-zP-vL-+l+$
3zP-sN-zP-zP-#
2-wQ-tR-zPLzP"
1+-tR-+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

K-side), led to a position of dynamic equilibrium (the weakness of Black's d-pawn was compensated by the better co-ordination of his pieces), which was maintained to the end of the game. The most probable continuation - 32 NXd5 BXd5 33 BXd5 RXdl+ 34 QXdl NXd5 35 QXd5 Qcl+ 36 Kg2 QXa3 -is the best confirmation of this.

This draw inspired me more than the win in the previous game, and at the press conference after the match I called the sixth game the decisive one.

Of course, there is a degree of exaggeration here, but chess decisions and state¬ments relating to chess often have a clearly emotional slant.

The match entered the finishing straight, and although my lead of one point was not especially solid, I could face the future with optimism. After all, in view of the "safe" strategy adopted by Belyavsky with the black pieces, his only chances of success were in the eighth and tenth games. Of course, he could also have tried to level the scores in the seventh game, but in this case there would have been a significant probability that the match would not go the whole distance....

Game No. 7

Kasparov-Belyavsky

Queen's Gambit

1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 cXd5 eXd5 5 Bg5 Be7 6 e3 h6 7 Bh4 0-0 8 Bd3 b6 9 Nf3 Bb7 10 0-0 Ne4 11 BXe7 QXe7 12 Ne5 Nd7 13 f4 NXe514 fXe5 c515 Qel! Rad8 16 Rdl! Qg5?! 17 Rf3?! f6 18 eXf6 cXd4! 19 eXd4 Rde8! 20 Bb5! Rd8!! 21 Bd3 Rde8

Drawn.

A game which demands explanations on every move, since practically all the variations remained behind the scenes. 10 ... Ne4 was essentially an admission of the strength of White's innovation in the fifth game. The natural 12 Ne5 is not considered by opening guides, which recommend only 12 Qb3. Black chose a timely moment to

eliminate the knight at e5 (it would have been too dangerous to tolerate it there, e.g.

13... Ndf6?! 14 NXe4 dXe4 15 Bc4 Nd5 16 BXd5! BXd5 17 f5 with a strong attack) and to undermine the centre. It might have seemed that he had successfully solved his opening problems, but White's two strong consolidating moves 15 Qel! and 16 Rdl! demonstrated that this was by no means so. Black's only logical plan was 16 .. . f6, but after 17 BXe4! dXe4 18 eXf6 RXf6 19 RXf6 QXf6 20 dXc5 bXc5 21 RXd8+ QXd8 22 Na4 this would have led to an ending in which Black is faced with a cheerless struggle for a draw. This prospect did not appeal to Belyavsky, and he decided to maintain the tension with a risky queen sortie. The harmlessness of the queen move would most simply have been demonstrated by 17 Qe2, after which Black will sooner or later be forced to agree to the ending which he has tried to avoid. In addition, 17 h4!? Qh5 18 Ne2! looks good, immediately emphasizing the insecure position of the black queen. During the game I thought that 17 Rf3 would also retain all the advantages of my position, but the series of brilliant moves found by Belyavsky enabled him to avoid danger.

The next few moves of both sides seem hard to explain, but specific variations show that they were the best. For example: 18 ... NXf6 (instead of 18 ... cXd4!) 19 Rf5 Qg6 20 RXd5! Qg4! 21 h3! QXdl 22 QXdl NXd5 23 NXd5 BXd5 24 e4!, and after d4-d5 the connected passed pawns give White the advantage. 18 ... NXc3? is even worse because of 19 h4!!, when the variation 19 ... Qg4 20 bXc3 RXf6 21 RXf6 gXf6 22 Be2 does not bode well for Black.

Black could hardly have been satisfied with 19 ... NXf6 20 Qe7! Rd7 21 Qe6+ Rdf7 22 Rg3 Bc8! 23 RXg5 BXe6 24 Re5, when he again has a cheerless ending.

The key position arose after 19 ... Rde8!

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+rtrk+(
7zpl+-+-zp-'
6-zp-+-zP-zp&
5+-+p+-wq-%
4-+-zPn+-+$
3+-sNL+R+-#
2PzP-+-+PzP"
1+-+RwQ-mK-!
xabcdefghy

In spite of the mass of tactical possibilities, none of them promises White anything real, e.g. 20 NXe4 dXe4 21 f7+ RXf7 22 Bc4 Bd523 RXf7 BXf7, or 20 h4 Qg6!, and now the plausible 21 NXe4 dXe4 22 f7+ RXf7 23 Bc4 has irreparable consequences — 23 ... eXf3 24 QXe8+ Kh7 25 Bd3 QXd3! 26 RXd3 f2+ 27 Kfl BXg2+. But at this point I was still hoping that the clever 20 Bb5! would tip the scales in White's favour. Indeed, after 20...Re6 (what could be more natural?) 21 NXe4 RXe4 (after 21 ... dXe4 22 Rg3! QXb5 23 RXg7+ Kh8 24 RXb7 ReXf6 25 h3 it is unlikely that Black can save the game) 22 Qf2! (22 Qc3 RXf6 23 RXf6 QXf6 24 Qc7 is

ineffective because of the brilliant reply 24. . . Qf4!) 22 ... RXf6 23 RXf6 QXf6 24 QXf6 gXf6 25 Rcl! Re7 (25 ... RXd4? loses a piece after 26 Rc7 Rdl+ 27 Kf2 Rd2+ 28 Kg3 RXb2 29 a4! a6 30 Bd7) 26 Kf2 playing the ending is a sheer joy for White. But all the illusions were dispelled by the cold-blooded 20 ... Rd8!! After nearly an hour's thought I convinced myself that it was not possible to exploit such an advantage as "pawn and move", and I brought back my bishop to &i.

The immediate return of the rook to e8 served as the start of peace negotiations.

It is worth investigating another attempt by White to gain an advantage — 22 BXe4 dXe4 23 Re3 QXf6 24 d5. It may seem that the e4 pawn is doomed, but Black has avail¬able a regrouping which enables him to maintain the balance: 24 ... Kh8 25 h3 Re7! (the pseudo-active 25 ... Ba6? creates serious difficulties for Black after 26 RXe4 RXe4 27 QXe4 Qf2+ 28 Khl! QXb2 29 d6! Bc8 30 Qd4!, when the advanced d-pawn gives White grounds for expecting to win) 26 RXe4 RXe4 27 NXe4 (now 27 QXe4 is ineffective, since after 27 ... Qf2+ 28 Khl QXb2 the d-pawn is immobile) 27 ... QXb2 28 Nd6 Ba6 29 Nf7+!? Kg8 30 d6 Qe2!, and Black is over the worst. The positional 26 Rd2 does not promise anything — after 26... Rfe8 the weakness of the e4 pawn is balanced by the weakness of the d5 pawn.

Belyavsky's resourceful defence brought him half a point, but it is unlikely that he was completely satisfied. The initiative was still on my side, and the number of games had been reduced by one.

Game No. 8

Belyavsky-Kasparov

King's Indian Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4 d6 5 f3 0-0 6 Be3 a6 7 Bd3 c5 8 dXc5 dXc5 9 BXc5 Nc6 10 Nge2? Nd7! 11 Bf2 Nde5 12 Ncl Bh6! 13 Nd5? e6 14 Bb6 Qg5! 15 0-0! eXd5 16 f4 Qh4! 17 fXe5 d4! 18 Ne2 Be3+ 19 Khl NXe5 20 Bc7 Qe7 21 BXe5 QXe5 22 Qel Bd7 23 Qg3 Rae8 24 Nf4 Bc6 25 Nd5 QXg3 26 hXg3?! Re5 27 g4 h5 28 Nf6+ Kg7 29 gXh5 Rh8 30 g3 ReXh5+!? 31 NXh5+ RXh5+ 32 Kg2 f5 33 Rael fXe4 34 Bbl Rc5! 35 b3 b5 36 RXe3 dXe3 37 Rel bXc4 38 bXc4 RXc4 39 RXe3 Rb4! 40 Rb3 e3+ 41 Ml Bb5+ 42 Kel a5! 43 Be4 RXb3 44 aXb3 Kf6 45 Kdl g5 46 Kc2 Ke5

White resigns.

There can be no doubt that Belyavsky went along to this game with only one desire — to win, and, in view of the match situation, he can hardly have reckoned seriously with the possibility of Black playing the King's Indian Defence — an opening leading to complicated,  double-edged play. But the main surprise for my opponent was my adoption of a little-studied line with a pawn sacrifice, which had not previously occurred in my games. It does not often happen that the surprise factor works so effectively — by the 15th move White had already used one hour 45 minutes! However, as often happens, lengthy reflection did not improve the quality of the moves made. Thus, instead of the natural 10 Nge2?, the bishop should have immediately been withdrawn to e3, depriving Black of an important tempo. After 10... Nd7!, on the other hand, all the retreats of the bishop had their drawbacks, e.g. 11 Ba3 Nde5 12 Nd5 e6! 13 BXf8 BXf8 14 0-0 eXd5 15 eXd5 Nb4, and, in spite of the approximate material equality, the advantage is with Black in view of his more active pieces. Or 11 Be3 Nde5 12 Ncl Nb4 13 Nd5 NbXd3+ 14 NXd3 NXc4 15 Bc5 e6! 16 BXf8 QXf8 with a very strong initiative for the exchange. At f2 the bishop does not have to worry about attacks by the black cavalry, but it does not control the h6-cl diagonal, which Black immediately exploits.

The excessively active 13 Nd5? had irreparable consequences, so White should have modestly retreated his bishop to e2, reconciling himself to an inferior position after 13 ... QXdl+ 14 NXdl Be6. The strength of Black's initiative is graphically demonstrated by the following variation: 15 b3? Nb4 16 0-0 Nc2 17 Rbl Na3! 18 Ral Bg7 19 Bc5 Nc6!, winning the exchange. However, after 15 Ne3 Nd4 16 Bdl White's defensive resources are by no means exhausted.

The "bold" 15 0-0 was the best practical chance: the attempt to defend everything with one move — 15 Ne3, is refuted by the surprising 15... Nd7!, after which White can only resign. In turn, excessive greed — 15 ... NXd3? — could have deprived Black of the fruits of his successful opening: after 16 f4! NXf4 17 NXf4 Qe5 18 QB QXb2 19 Nb3 White has a fair initiative for the pawn.

White should perhaps have tried his luck playing on a piece down (16 cXd5 instead of

16 f4), but at such an important moment Belyavsky did not go in for such extreme measures, and 16 ... Qh4! had the aim of provoking a weakening of White's K-side, so that after 17 g3 Qe7 18 cXd5 Black would advantageously return the piece — 18 ... NXd3 19 NXd3 QXe4! 20 dXc6 QXc6, and the yawning weakness of the long diagonal is bound to tell.

17 . . . d4! (see diagram), cutting the board in two and preparing a powerful post for the black bishop at e3, was the most clear-cut decision.

XABCDEFGHY
8r+l+-trk+(
7+p+-+p+p'
6pvLn+-+pvl&
5+-+-zP-+-%
4-+PzpP+-wq$
3+-+L+-+-#
2PzP-+-+PzP"
1tR-sNQ+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

The outcome of the game was decided, although Black still had to overcome some technical difficulties. On move 26 the check at f6 would probably have enabled White to put up a more stubborn resistance. To all appearances, Belyavsky did not make use of this possibility, since he was hoping in the near future to eliminate the dangerous bishop at e3, but it transpired that even this would not bring relief. For example: 27 NXe3 (instead of 27 g4) 27 ... dXe3 28 Rael BXe4, or 28 NXe3 (instead of 28 Nf6+) 28... dXe3 29 Rael (29 gXh5 RXh5+ 30 Kgl Rd8 31 Radl Rd4! 32 Be2 RXdl 33 RXdl Re5, winning a pawn and the game) 29 ... hXg4 30 RXe3 f5! 31 g3 (White cannot allow. .. f4) 31... Rfe8 32 Rfel g5!, and the ... f4 break through is unavoidable (33 Rfl Kg7). However, for the bishop at e3 White very soon had to give up a rook. . . .

On the 30th move, instead of the exchange sacrifice, 30 ... Bg5! 31 Nd5 f5! would have won more quickly, since White is unable to prevent the appearance of two connected passed pawns, e.g. 32 eXf5 RXd5! 33 cXd5 BXd5+ 34 Kgl Be3+ 35 Rf2 RXh5, or 32 Rael Rhe8! etc. The exchange sacrifice complicated Black's task somewhat, but the powerful pawn pair in the centre, supported by the two bishops, was bound to decide the game in his favour. In severe time trouble Belyavsky went in for a counter exchange sacrifice, realizing that passive defence was bound to lose. Indeed, Black had a clear plan for strengthening his position, e.g. 36 Re2 (after 36 a4 b4! the weakness of the b3 pawn is White's downfall) 36 ... b4! 37 Reel Bb7 38 Kh2 Rc7 39 Kg2 Re7! 40 RXe3 dXe3 41 Rel Kf6, and the centralization of the king decides. For an instant it might have seemed that the limited material remaining would give White drawing chances, but the precise 39. . . Rb4! forced him to go into a lost bishop ending. The concluding stroke was 42... a5!, preventing the transference of the white king to c3 (43 Kdl Ba4), which, however, would also not have saved the game. White resigned when all his resources were exhausted (47 Bd3 e2, or 47 Bg6 Kd4).

The fate of the match was decided, but, knowing Belyavsky's fighting spirit, there could be no doubt that he would not give in without a struggle, and would battle on to the end.

Game No. 9

Kasparov-Belyavsky

Benoni Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 c5 3 d5 d6 4 Nc3 g6 5 e4 Bg7 6 Bb5+ Bd7 7 a4 0-0 8 0-0 Na6 9 Rel Nb4?! 10 h3! e6 11 Bf4! e5 12 Bg5 Bc8?! 13 Nd2 h6 14 Bh4 g5 15 Bg3 g4?! 16 hXg4 NXg4?! 17 f3 Nf618 Bh4! Kh819 Ne2! Rg8 20 c3 Na6 21 Ng3 Qf8 22 Ndfl Nh7 23 Ne3 Bf6 24 BXf6+ NXf6 25 Ngf5 Nh5 26 KG Nf4 27 g3 Nh3+ 28 Ke2 BXf5 29 NXf5 RXg3 30 NXg3 Qg7 31 Rgl Rg8 32Qd2

Black resigns.

White's little piece of cunning on the second move forced Black to agree to a variation which does not enjoy a good reputation, since it allows White too much freedom in his choice of plan. In addition, in an unfamiliar situation Belyavsky did not deploy his pieces very well. For example, on the sixth move it would have been better to block the check with either ofthe knights. The transfer ofthe knight (whose place in this variation is at c7) to b4 should also be criticized, since there it was out of play.

On the eleventh move White had a tempting possibility of provoking mass exchanges

-11 dXe6 BXe6 12 Bf4 d5 13 eXd5 NfXd5 14 NXd5 NXd5 15 Be5, with a very probable draw. But I decided to continue the struggle, guided by the demands ofthe position rather than by the situation in the match. After the stabilization ofthe centre White's advantage becomes obvious, but the move recommended by the commentators — 11... BXb5—would have led to complications favouring White: 12 NXb5! (12 aXb5 eXd5 13 eXd5 Qd7 with normal play) 12 ... eXd5 13 BXd6 dXe4 14 BXf8 QXf8 (14... QXdl 15 RaXdl! RXf8 16 Ng5 NXc2 17 Re2) 15 Ng5! (15 Nd2?

Rd8) 15 ... Re8 16 Nc3, and it is not clear what Black has for the sacrificed exchange.

Or 12 ... a6 13 NXd6 Nh5 14 NXb7 Qb6 15 Bd6! QXb7 (15 ... Rfc8 16 c3) 16 BXf8 RXf8 17 c3, with a decisive material advantage.

It was hardly worth Black wasting a tempo on preserving his white-squared bishop. In my opinion, in the position after 12 . . . h6 13 BXf6 BXf6 14 BXd7 QXd7 15 Nd2 Be7 he has more chances of counter-play than in the game. Black was forced to risk everything with 14 . . . g5 not only by the match situation, but also by the position on the board — it was not possible to carry out the standard ... f5 (after 14 ... Qc7 15 Be2! Ne8 16 Nc4 f5?! 17 Nb5 Qd7 18 eXf5 gXf5 19 Bh5 Black's position collapses).

In spite of the difficulties experienced by Black after the opening, the reason for such a rapid defeat must be regarded as his 15th, and especially his 16th moves. Instead ofthe sharp 15 ... g4?, weakening Black's already exposed position, 15 ... h5 was better, demanding of White great accuracy in eliminating his opponent's threats (the strongest, probably, was 16 Be2 g4 17 Bh4! gXh3 18 g3, with advantage). And, finally, the last possibility of maintaining some tension in the play was to capture the g4 pawn with the bishop, although even here after 16 ... BXg4 17 Be2 (17 O? Nh5!) 17 ... BXe2 18 RXe2 Nh5 19 Re3 Nf4 (19 . . . Qg5 20 Nc4 Rad8 21 Nb5) 20 Ne2 Black's position is unenviable, e.g. 20. . . NXe2+ 21 RXe2 f5 22 eXf5 NXd5 23 Nc4 etc. In the game it was all much simpler. With his strong 18th and 19th moves White nipped in the bud Black's activity on the K-side, and prepared to occupy f5. Essentially the win for White became a question of time. 21... Bf8 22 Ndfl Be7 was slightly more tenacious, although, of course, it would not basically have changed things. The position after 25 Ngf5 shows the triumph of White's strategy:

XABCDEFGHY
8r+l+-wqrmk(
7zpp+-+p+-'
6n+-zp-sn-zp&
5+LzpPzpN+-%
4P+-+P+-+$
3+-zP-sNP+-#
2-zP-+-+P+"
1tR-+QtR-mK-!
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The black pieces have been completely pushed back, whereas White's control all the key squares. The final attempt undertaken by Black on the K-side was a typical gesture of despair (something had to be done in view of the threatened doubling of the white rooks on the h-file). However, accuracy was needed right to the end — of course, 31 Rgl and 32 Qd2 were not the only moves, but they were the most clear-cut. To White's enormous positional advantage was added an equivalent material advantage.

Hardly betraying his feelings, Belyavsky stood up and congratulated me on my win.

This was how my first Candidates Match concluded, one which, in the words of the chief arbiter V. I. Mikenas, was held in an exceptionally correct and friendly atmosphere.

The Duel Continues!

Kasparov-Tal

Queen's Gambit USSR Spartakiad, Moscow, 1983

Once again the ultra-sharp Botvinnik Variation! The reader will no doubt recall that in an unusual double encounter with Timoshchenko and Dorfman I managed to cast doubts on the correctness of Black's opening strategy (pp. 86-91).

The commentary to those games concluded with the thought that, in spite of the dismal result for Black, it was too early to discard the variation — we would still see a number of fascinating encounters. But as I set off for my game with Mikhail Tal, I least of all expected that on that day the opening duel would flare up with new strength.

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 d5 4 Nc3 c6 5 Bg5

For an instant the thought occurred to me that the Ex-World Champion might have prepared an improvement on our game in the Moscow Interzonal Tournament, where a little-studied variation with the sacrifice of a pawn occurred — 5 ... h6 6 Bh4!? dXc4 7 e4 g5 8 Bg3 b5. But on this occasion Tal pre¬ferred to take the c-pawn immediately.

5...dXc4 6e4 b5 7e5 h6 8 Bh4 g5 9 NXg5 hXg5 10 BXg5 Nbd7 11 eXf6 Bb7 12 g3 c5 13 d5 Qb6

Black follows the main line of the variation, avoiding the currently fashionable 13 ... Bh6. Where does the surprise await me?

14 Bg2 0-0-0 15 0-0 b4 16 Na4 Qb5 17 a3 Nb8

It was this continuation that led Timoshchenko and Dorfman to disaster! In recent times Black's unsuccessful attempts to rehabilitate the variation have been associated with 17 ... eXd5.

18        aXb4 cXb4

Here I spent some 20 minutes on completely restoring in my memory the course of events in the previous games. Everything seemed fine, and so the next four moves were made quickly and confidently.

19 Be3 BXd5 20 BXd5 RXd5 21 Qe2 Nc6  22 Rfcl Ne5!

XABCDEFGHY
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6-+-+pzP-+&
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This is Tal's innovation! Both Timoshchenko and Dorfman played 22 ... Na5, keeping the knight for the defence of the Q-side and creating the possible threat of... Nb3. But at a5 the knight proved subsequently to be out of play and became a convenient target for the white pieces, whereas at e5 it is actively placed, fulfilling both defensive and attacking functions.

My next move did not come easily. The direct 23 f4 was rejected because of 23 ... Nd3 24 RXc4+ QXc4 25 Rcl QXcl+ 26 BXcl NXcl 27 Qc4+ Kb7 28 QXcl Bd6, when, thanks to the poor position of the knight at a4, Black's chances are certainly no worse. It was more difficult to reject 23 BXa7, allowing the knight at a4 to become active. But after 23 ... Kb7! the bishop would have had to go back (24 Nb6 c3!), and to lose a tempo in such a position seemed rather terrible.. . . Therefore I followed the familiar path, although I also sensed the danger associated with the active position of the knight at e5.

23 b3!? c3 24 NXc3 bXc3 25 RXc3+ Kb8

25... Kb7 would not have threatened Black with serious difficulties, but the ending arising after 26 RXa7+ KM 27 QXb5+ RXb5 28 Kg2 favours White, in my opinion. White has excellent chances after 25 ... Kd8 26 QXb5 RXb5 27 RXa7, while in addition 26 RXa7! is "not bad".

26 Qc2

This looks risky, but for the moment the weakening of the f3 square is not fatal: 26... Nf3+ 27 Kg2 RXh2+ 28 KXf3 Rf5+ 29 Kg4, and the position of Black's king at b8 deprives him of the spectacular 29 ... Rf4+. 26 BXa7+ Kb7 27 Qe4 would have been

much weaker because of 27 ... Qb4! After the forced 28 Qc2 (28 Rc4 QXb3 29 Rbl

Nf3+!) 28 ... Bd6 White is deprived of his main tactical resource (b3-b4), and the at

tempt to drive the queen away by 29 Ra4 is refuted by 29 ... Nf3+!! 30 RXf3 Qel+ 31

Kg2 RXh2+ 32 KXh2 Rh5+, mating.

26 ... Bd6 27 BXa7+ Kb7 28 b4!

As in my games with Timoshchenko and Dorfman, this pawn is assigned an important role in the attack. The threat of 29 Ra5 which has suddenly arisen forces Black to be careful.

28 ... Nc6

Black had two other possibilities. True, after 28 ... Ra8 29 Ra5 Qd7 39 Bb6! White's threats are fairly serious, e.g. 30 ... Bb8 31 RXa8 Rdl+ 32 Kd2 Qd5+ 33 Kh3 KXa8 34 Qa4+ Kb7 35 b5! with a decisive attack, or 31 .. . KXa8 32 Qe4!, and the passed h-pawn plus the insecure position of the black king compensate for the missing piece. Black's defensive problems would have been most simply solved by 28 ... Rd3!, after which the threat of... Nf3+ forces White to agree to simplification - 29 RXd3 QXd3 30 QXd3 NXd3! With best play by both sides - 31 Rdl! KXa7 32 RXd3 Rd8! 33 h4 Bc7 - a draw is inevitable. But at this point Black was playing for a win!

29 Be3

Here Tal thought for a long time. At first he was inclined towards 29 ... Rc8 (he even wrote this move down on his score-sheet), but in the end he chose a less ambitious continuation, after which White is guaranteed a draw.

29 ... Be5

What possibilities does White have in the event of 29 ... Rc8 ?

XABCDEFGHY
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6-+nvlpzP-+&
5+q+r+-+-%
4-zP-+-+-+$
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2-+Q+-zP-zP"
1tR-+-+-mK-!
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According to Tal, he was mainly afraid of the paradoxical 30 f4!?, depriving the black pieces of the e5 square. He thought that Black would have to play 30... BXb4 31 Rbl BXc3 32 RXb5+ RXb5 33 QXc3, with a difficult struggle for a draw. It seems to me that Black could decide on 30 ... e5!? without any particular risk.

Apart from 30 f4, White has several other possibilities: 30 Rcl? NXb4; 30 Rca3?! Be5!; 30 Qa2?! BXb4 31 Rbl BXc3; 30 Qh7 Be5 31 QXf7+ (31 RXc6? is bad because of 31 ... QXc6! 32 QXf7+ Rc7 33 Ra7+ Kb8, and the threat of mate on the back rank forces White to capitulate) 31 . . . Rc7 32 Qe8 Rd8 33 f7 BXc3 34 QXd8 NXd8 (34... BXal 35 QXc7+ or 35 Qg8!?) 35 Ra7+Kc8 36 RXc7+KXc7 37 f8=Q with a probable draw; 30 Rbl!? Rc7 (30 . . . NXb4? 31 RXb4) 31 Rc5! Qd3 32 b5! - a fierce attack! Now, if Black is greedy — 32... BXc5?, the retribution follows immediately: 33 bXc6++ KXc6 (or 33 ... Kc8 34 QXd3 RXd3 35 BXc5, with a won ending) 34 Qa4+ Kd6 35 BXc5+ RdXc5 (35 ... RcXc5 36 Rb&h; 35 ... KXc5 36 Qb4+ Kc6 31 Rcl+ Kd7 38Qe7+, mating) 36Rdl QXdl+ (36... Rcl 37 Qd&h!) 31 QXdH- Ke5 38 QB etc. Therefore Black must choose between the various moves of his knight: 32 . . . Nb8 33 RXc7+ BXc7 34 QXd3 (34 Qa2?! RXb5 35 Qa7+ Kc8 36 Rcl Rb7) 34 ... RXd3 35 g4! Nd7 36 g5 Ne5 37 Rb4! with a guaranteed draw; 32...Nb4!? 33 QXd3! NXd3! 34RXd5 eXd5 35 Rdl Nb4 35 g4, and in spite of the limited material, as before it is difficult to give preference to either side; 32 ... Ne5!? (in this case both players have to balance on the edge of the abyss) 33 RXc7+ BXc7 34 Qa2! Kc8! 35 b6! ND+ 36 Kg2 Qe4! 37 Rcl! Nh4++ (or 37 ... NXh2+ 38 Kgl ND+ 39 Kfl with a draw) 38 Kh3! (38 Kfl? Qhl+ 39 Ke2 QD+ 40 Kel Ng2+) 38 ... Qg2+ (or 38 . . . Qf5+ 39 g4 QO+ 40 KXh4 QXf6+ 41 g5! Rd4+! 42 BXd4 Qf4+ with a draw) 39 Kg4 (the knight is taboo in view of mate in two moves) 39 ... QD+ 40Kh3, with a repetition of moves.

All this remained behind the scenes, but that which occurred in the game was no less interesting.

30 RXc6 BXal 31 Rc7+ Kb8! 32 Ba7+

32 RXf7? would have allowed Black to provoke the favourable exchange of rooks by 32 ... Rd7!

32 ... Ka8 33 Be3

White demonstrates the strength of his position (all the same Black is forced to return his king to b8), and also gains time on the clock, of which he did not have much left.

33.. .Kb8 34 Ba7+ Ka8 35 Bc5 Kb8 36 RXf7!

The battle for victory continues! Black's extra rook is opposed by the enormous activity of the white pieces and the far-advanced f-pawn.

36 ... Be5!

Black loses immediately after 36 ... Qd3? 37Ba7+,or36. . .Rhd8?37Bd6+!Andinthe event of 36 ... Rd7 37 Bd6+! Kb7 38 Qe4+ Ka6 39 QXe6 RXf7 40 QXf7 White should most probably win.

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37 Ba7+

At the board I was unable to evaluate the consequences of 37 Re7 Rhd8 (White's attack can hardly be parried after 37 ... BXf6 38 RXe6) 38 f7 Rdl+ 39 Kg2. Later analysis showed that 39 ... Qfl+? 40 Kf3 Qhl+ 41 Kg4 leads to a loss for Black (41 ... Rld3 42 QXd3), but that 39 ... Qc6+! 40 Kh3 Qf3 enables him to create dangerous mating threats. On 41 Qh7 (the only satisfactory defence) comes the dagger blow 41. . .BXg3! (Black too cannot delay, since after 42 Re8 the f-pawn cannot be stopped) 42 fXg3 Rld5. Is that all? No: 43 Rb7+! Kc8 44Rc7+!, and it is now White who gives the perpetual check. Fantastic!

A position with an unusual material balance, hard to assess, could have arisen after 37 Kg2!? Rd7! 38 RXd7 QXd7 39 Qe4Qd5 40 QXd5 eXd5 41 f7 Bg7. The white pawn armada looks impressive, but the d-pawn cannot be disregarded: 42 g4 (otherwise ... Bf8) 42 ... Kc7 (42 ... Bf8? 43 g5) 43 f4 d4. In my opinion the most probable result here is a draw, but to demonstrate this a special analysis is required.

37 ... Ka8 38 Be3 Rd7!

After 38 ... Kb8 39 Re7 Rhd8 40 f7 Rdl+ 1Kg2 the fact that the bishop has moved from c5 to e3 changes the evaluation of the position in favour of White: 41 ... Qd5+ 42 f3 Rd3 (not 42 ... Qb5? 43 QXdl, while after 42... Ral 43 Re8 Bg7 44 b5! Black is helpless) 43 Re8 Bg7 44 RXd8+! (44 Bf4? Kb7 45 Qc7+ Ka6) 44 ... QXd8 45 Bf4+ Kb7 (45...e5 46 BXe5+! BXe5 47 QXd3 or 46 ... Kb7! 47 BXg7! Rd2+ 48 Kh3 RXc2 49 f8=Q Qd7+ 50 g4 Qc7 51 f4, and White should win) 46 b5! Qd7 47 Qa4, and by combining the threat of queening the f-pawn with threats to the king, White will most probably win.

39 Qa2+

There is nothing better. In the ending after 39 Qe4+? Qd5 40 QXd5+ RXd5 the pawns cannot be united into a powerful chain: 41 g4 RXh2 42 Kfl Bd4!

39... Kb8 40 Ba7+

This last (the fifth!) check from a7 is merely a prelude to peace negotiations. It might seem that after 40 QXe6 Rdl+ 41 Kg2 Qfl+ 42 KB Qhl+ 43 Kg4 (43 Ke2 Rel+ 44 Kd2 Rd8+) 43 ... Qe4+ 44 Kg5 the white king can escape from the pursuit. But 44 ... Rg8+ 45Rg7 BXf6+! 46 KXf6 (46 QXf6 Rd5+ 47 Kh6 Rh8+) 46 ... QXe6+ 47 KXe6 RXg7 dispels the mirage — it is unlikely that White can save the game.

40... Kc8

After the careless 40 ... Kb7? 41 QXe6 RXf7 42 QXf7+ Bc7 43 Bc5 it is only White who has any chances.

41QXe6 Qd5 42 Qa6+ Qb7 43 Qc4+ Qc7

Also in the event of 43 ... Kd8 44 RXd7+ QXd7 (44 ... KXd7? 45 Bc5!) 45 Bb6+ Bc7 (45 ... Ke8? 46 Qe2!) Black should probably not lose, but 43 .. . Qc7 is more accurate, since it forces 44 Qa6+ with a repetition of moves. Drawn.

Postscript

Black had obviously won the opening debate, and so in analysis I had to find an improvement for White. The critical position undoubtedly arises after 22 ... Ne5! As the reader will recall, the variation 23 BXa7 Kb7 24 Be3 was rejected purely intuitively — to present Black with a tempo (even for a pawn) seemed rather terrible. But it is one thing to play a tournament game, when fears are sometimes exaggerated, and quite another to analyse at home, where in a calm atmosphere one can weigh up everything "for" and"against".  Let  us  examine  carefully the resulting position.

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The threat of Nb6 may prove deadly, and Black is therefore obliged to do something immediately. The tempo received can be used most effectively in action against the white king. In other cases the play very much favours White, e.g. 24 ... Bh6 25 f4! Nd3 26 Rdl Ra8 27 Nb6 RXal 28 RXal Rd6 29 Qf3+ Qc6 30 Qh5, or 24 ... Nd3 25 RXc4! QXc4 26 Nb6 Qe4 27 NXd5 eXd5 28 Rdl d4 29 RXd3 dXe3 30 RXe3, and the open position of Black's king most probably makes his position indefensible.

24...    Qc6    looks    very    attractive, threatening a decisive move with the rook (25 .. . Ra5, if there is nothing better). White has no satisfactory way of defending his f3 square (25 f4? Rd2! 26 BXd2 Nf3+ 27 Kfl RXh2), and so he himself launches an attack— 25 Nb6!NowBlack has ten (!) possible rook moves, of which we will consider the most logical: 25... Rd3 26 NXc4! Nf3+ 27 QXf3 QXf3 28 Na5+Ka6 29 Nc6+Kb7(29. . .Kb5 30 Ra5 mate) 30 Ra7+ etc.

25. . .Rd226NXc4!NXc4!(26. . .NO+27 QXf3 has already been analysed. . . .) 27 QXc4 Rdl+ 28 RXdl QXc4 29 Ra7+, winning back the queen and remaining with a decisive material advantage.

25. . .Rd4 26BXd4Nf3+27QXf3QXf3 28 NXc4 with a very strong attack and level material.

Let us try to ensure that after the rook moves it is also fulfilling defensive functions -25. . .Rb5. Now 26 NXc4 does not have its former strength, since the a5 square is controlled, but White has another way of conducting the attack - 26 Ra7+! Kb8 (26 ... KXa7? 27NXc4+ Kb7 28NXe5) 27Ra8+Kb7 28 Real! Nf3+ 29 QXf3 QXf3 30 Rla7+Kc6 31 Rc8+ Kd6 32 NXc4+ Kd5 33 Rd7+Ke4 34 Nd2+, and the queen is lost.

And finally- 25 . . . Rd6! White has to display the utmost inventiveness, since the old methods no longer work. In the first case after 26 NXc4? Nf3+ 27 QXf3 QXf3 28 Na5+ Kb8 there is no check at c6, and in the second the black king finds a shelter at b5. The way to win is by combining the two methods! — 26 Ra7+! Kb8 27 Ra8+ Kb7 28 NXc4!! Nf3+ (what else?) 29 QXf3 QXf3 30 Na5+! KXa8 31 Rc8 mate!!

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A unique pure mate— a very rare phenomenon in a practical game! It is easy to imagine my disappointment at finding all these variations. I could only regret the missed opportunity, and hope that one of my future op¬ponents would follow the same path. But .... I could not shake off the feeling that Black's resources were not yet exhausted, although a thorough check merely confirmed the correctness of the above analysis. So had my intuition let me down, and would 23 BXa7 have led to a win?

Nevertheless the answer is no. Black has available a terribly strong reply, 24 ... Rd3!, setting White very difficult problems. The threat of . .. Qc6 must somehow be countered, but 25 Nb6 is refuted by 25 ... RXe3! 26   QXe3 Bc5. There only remains 25 f4, but then the rook at h8 bursts like a hurricane into the enemy position — 25 ... RXh2!! 26 KXh2 RXe3! 27 Qdl (27 Qfl Ng4+, mating)

27. . . Rd3! 28 fXe5 (or 28 Qe2 Nf3+ 29 Kg2 Qd5, with an irresistible attack) 28 ... RXdl 29 RXdl QXe5, with a totally crushing position.

This last variation left me with mixed feelings. Of course it was a pity that all the spectacular finishes proved to be a mirage, but on the other hand it was a good thing that this sombre discovery was made by me in analysis. To receive a surprise such as 24 ... Rd3! during the game would have been much more unpleasant. . ..

Thus the temporarily buried variation is again alive! The ball is now back in White's court.

From the Ridiculous to the Sublime

The unusual heading characterizes the situation in which I found myself in the summer of 1983. The complete uncertainty which had arisen concerning the Candidates Semi-Final Matches forced me to reconsider my plans. It was evident that there was only one way out of this state of "chess weightlessness" — to participate in an international tournament. Therefore the invitation from Yugoslavia, which arrived precisely at that time, was accepted without hesitation. The tournament in Niksic, dedicated to the 60th birthday of Svetozar Gligoric— an outstanding player and the permanent leader of Yugoslav chess over a period of many years, assembled an unusually strong field. And although from the viewpoint of chess arithmetic the tournament was not exceptional (14th category, average rating 2591), in terms of the distinguished names it could compete with any event of recent years. It was clear to me that things would not be easy. My position (i.e. the fact that I had the highest rating) obliged me to play for first place, but it was perfectly evident almost half of the participants were thinking of the same result: Spassky, Tal, Timman, Portisch, Ljubojevic and Andersson. In addition, I was concerned about my four-month break from play, while the events surrounding the semi-final matches were hardly conducive to improving my frame of mind. On the other hand, it is true, I very much wanted to gain revenge for my "defeat" in Pasadena.

At a short improvized training session, which I held in Moscow with my trainer A. Nikitin, my general course of play in the tournament was planned. I had to reorganize myself on the way— a tournament does after all have its specific nature, which differs sharply from match play. It was decided to put everything into my games, and not have any short draws. Therefore in each game I tried to "squeeze" out of the position all that was possible (true, without overstepping the mark!), seeking the slightest chances even in

objectively drawn positions. This persistence, which was earlier not characteristic of me, quickly bore fruit.

Seirawan-Kasparov

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Kasparov-Petrosian

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Larsen-Kasparov

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In all these games the initiative was on my side, but to judge from the diagram positions the most probable outcome was three draws. Of course, with luck I could have hoped to score one win, but three out of three (!) — even the greatest optimist would not have risked predicting such a result.

Seirawan-Kasparov

27Nb3

Simplification always seems the most reliable way of reaching the drawing sanctuary, but perhaps the knight should not have been moved away from its excellent post at d4. Petrosian's suggestion of 27 Kel followed by e2-e3 looks all right, although this is most probably just a matter of taste.

27 ... RXd2 28 RXd2 Rc7 29 Rd8+

Of course, it is useful to drive the opponent's king as far away from the centre as possible, but, in my opinion, the immediate transfer of the king to dl followed by Nd4 and e2-e3 would have most simply solved White's defensive problems.

29 ... Kh7 30 Kel Bc4!

Now it becomes impossible to play the knight to d4 (at any rate, within the next few moves). White begins to experience certain difficulties, although as yet there are no real dangers.

31 Kd2 g6!

The routine 31 ... Kg6?! would have allowed White to create counter-play on the K-side by 32 e4! Kf6 33 f4 Ke7 34 Rg8 g6 35 g4! But now, from e6, the black bishop can prevent the formation of a mobile pawn chain, e.g. 32 e4 Kg7 33 f4 h5 34 h3 Be6! etc.

32 Ncl

Black's first achievement — the knight is temporarily driven back to an unsatisfactory position.

32... Kg7 33 a3 Kf6 34 e3?!

The d3 square should not have been weakened without special need, since the white knight cannot now move away from cl unassisted. It is true that even now White is not losing, but he is required to play accurately to attain a draw, and, moreover, when he is short of time. In such a situation he should undoubtedly have preferred 34 Nd3 Ke7 35 Rd4, maintaining the status quo — White stands worse, but there is nothing specific that Black can undertake.

34... Ke7 35 Rd4

Of course, White does not want to concede the d-file, but now Black gains the opportunity to force the exchange of rooks, after which a pawn ending becomes unavoidable. Although at the board it was not possible to work out the resulting ending to the finish, nevertheless without any great hesitation I played

35... Rd7

sensing that such a chance might not turn up again.

36 Kc3 RXd4 37 KXd4 b5 38 Nd3

The pseudo-active 38 a4? would merely have played into Black's hands, since after 38 . . . a6! he obtains without difficulty an outside passed pawn. 38 Kc5 is also pointless — after 38 ... a6! 39 Kb6 Kd6 the a6 pawn is immune because of 40 ... b4+. In general, this position graphically illustrates the superiority of a bishop over a knight.

38 ... BXd3 39 KXd3 Kd6

Here Seirawan threw a glance at his clock (his flag was threatening to fall) and seized his e-pawn.

40 e4??

The decisive mistake! 40 Kd4! was essen¬tial, after which the pawn ending turns out to be drawn, in spite of the fact that Black can create an outside passed pawn on the Q-side. Here are some illustrative variations (of course, these are not the only ones): 40. . . f5 (it was this move that the American grand¬master was afraid of) 41 f4! a5 42 e4 fXe4 43 KXe4 Ke6 44 g4, or 40 ... g5 41 f4 f6 (41 ... gXf4 42 gXf4! f5 43 e4) 42 e4 a5 43 h4! gXh4 (43 ... g4 44 h5!) 44 gXh4 h5 45 e5+ fXe5+ 46 fXe5+ Ke6 47 Kc5 with a draw.

40... g5!

The most clear-cut. Due to the threat of . . . g4 White's reply is practically forced.

41 f4 gXf4 42 gXf4 Kc5

The winning plan looks altogether simple — divert the white king with the passed pawn, after which the white pawns in the centre will be undefendable. But by clever defence Seirawan manages to make things as difficult as possible for Black.

43 Kc3 a5 44 Kd3 h5

It is useful to advance the h-pawn as far as possible.

45 h4!

Standing still would quickly have lost: 45 Kc3h446Kd3b4!47aXb4+(47a4h3!)47... aXb4 48 f5 f6 49 Ke3 b3 50 Kd3 b2 51 Kc2 Kd4 etc.

45... b4 46 a4

White is forced to agree to the formation of a protected passed pawn, since 46 aXb4+ aXb4 is totally bad.

46... f6 47 f5!

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White has completed the erection of an unusual type of fortress. The only possibility of a breakthrough appears to be the immediate 47 ... b3, but then after 48 Kc3 b2 49 KXb2 Kd4 50 Kb3 KXe4 51 Kc4 KXf5 52 Kb5 Kg4 53 KXa5 f5 54 Kb4 f4 55 a5 O 56 a6 f2 57 a7 fl=Q 58 a8=Q a queen ending with an h-pawn, which theory assesses as drawn, is reached. Is the position really a draw? No, Black has available a plan involving the creation of a zugzwang position. For this, from the diagram position, he must give his opponent the move. This is achieved by means of the "distant opposition".

47... Kc6! 48 Kc4

The white king cannot go to d4 because of .. . Kd6.

48... Kc7! 49 Kd3 Kd7!

The black king has described a triangle, and is now ready for the victorious march back to c5.

50 Ke3

50 Kc4 Kc6 does not change anything.

50 ... Kc6 51 Kd3 Kc5

That's it. Now the white king is forced to give way.

52 Ke3 b3!

Of course, not 52... Kc4 because of 53 e5.

53 Kd3 Kb4 54 e5 Ka3!

White resigns.

Kasparov-Petrosian

In my game from the second round with the Ex-World Champion, the main events again developed in a time scramble. The game had an uneven rhythm: unhurried, logical manoeuvring, then a lively tactical skirmish, and finally an ending in which White had a slight advantage thanks to the more active placing of his pieces. However, an advantage is one thing, but the limited amount of material remaining makes a win improbable. Nevertheless. ...

37 Ba3! h6 38 Rbl

Continuing to restrict the mobility of the black pieces, and preparing to activate the rook.

38... Re6

In order to release the knight at c8 from imprisonment. Wouldn't you agree that this situation resembles in some way the ending from the game with Seirawan?

39 Nd4 Ra6 40 Bc5 Nd6

The last move before the time control and .... the first inaccuracy. It was essential to try to dislodge the bishop from its active position at c5 by 40 ... Ra5!

41 Rb8+

Here the game was adjourned. To be honest, at first I was rather sceptical about my winning chances, but a brief analysis over supper (games were resumed two hours after the finish of the round) showed that all was not so simple. It may seem strange, but in the main White's advantage results from the opposite-coloured bishops. Thus the white bishop successfully restricts the mobility of the black knight and is ready to take part in an attack on g7, whereas the black bishop is unable to find a way of using its powers. In addition, an important factor is White's absolute control over d4, which serves as a transit base for his minor pieces.

41... Kh7 42 g4!

White takes control of f5, and at the same time prepares a shelter for his king.

42... Ra4!

After subtly assessing the situation, the Ex-World Champion begins threatening White's formation in the centre, preventing him from carrying out a favourable regrouping. The routine 42 ... Nc4? would have been much weaker due to 43 Rb7 Kg8 44 Nf5, when it is not clear how to defend against the threat of Bd4.

43 Ke3! Nc4+ 44 Kf4

The critical point. It was here that Black should have tried to exploit the insecure placing of the white minor pieces and to continue the battle for the d4 square. This aim would have been assisted by ... Nd6 or . . .Na3. After 44.. .Nd6 White cannot avoid exchanges, but even in the variation 45 Rb6! Rc4! 46 RXd6 RXc5 47 Rd7 Kg8 48 h4 Black is faced with a difficult defence. 44 ... Na3 (with the additional threat of. . . Nc2) looks more promising, but here too White is able to maintain a dangerous initiative: 45 Kg3 (45 Rb7? Nc2!) 45. . .Rc4 46 Rb7! Kg8 (46... RXc5 is bad because of 47 RXf7 Kg6 48 RXg7+) 47 Ba7 Nc2 48 Nf5, and then, for example, 48 ... Rb4 49 Rc7 Rc4 50 Re7 Rb4 (51 Nd6 was threatened, and 50... Kf8 is unpleasantly met by 51 Rb7) 51 h4, and again Black faces difficult problems in defending his K-side.

Even so, Black should have chosen one of these two paths (most probably the first), perhaps only after provoking an exchange of pawns by the preliminary 44 . . . h5 (45 h3 hXg4 46 hXg4). But, not wishing to conduct a prolonged and passive defence, Petrosian decided to force matters.

44...g5+?

A serious strategic mistake. It is not possible to create real threats against the white king, and the irreparable weakening of squares on the K-side proves fatal.

45Kg3

The incautious 45 Kf5? would have justified Black's idea. After 45 ... Ra6! the threat of mate would have obliged White to force a draw: 46 Rb7 Kg8 47 Rb8+ etc.

45... Ra2

It may seem that Black has everything in order — the threats of... Ne3 and ... Nd2 look unpleasant. But White, exploiting his numerical superiority (he does, after all, have all three pieces in play), himself goes onto the attack.

46 Rb7 Kg6?

Black misses his last chance to complicate White's task by the clever 46 ... Ne3!, exploiting the fact that the bishop is temporarily immune (47 RXf7+? Kg6). True, even then after 47 Bd6! (defending h2) 47 ... Kg6 48 h4! gXh4+ 49 KXh4 it is not easy for Black to defend.

47 Nf5 Ra6

Necessary, since the attempt at a counterattack-47. . .Nd2-is refuted after 48 Rb6+ Kh7 Kh7 49 RXh6+ Kg8 by the aforementioned manoeuvre 50 Bd6! But now White's main problem is not to lose his head in view of the mass of tempting continuations.

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48 h4!

The most clear-cut.

48 ... gXh4+ 49 NXh4+ Kg7

Or 49 ... Kf6 50 Bd4+ Ke6 51 Nf5, and the black king ends up in a mating net.

50 Nf5+ Kg6 51 Bd4!

At last all the white pieces have taken up their ideal positions! Black resigns. Against the threat of Nh4+ he has only one defence, 51... Nd6, but then, apart from the prosaic

52 Rd7, White has the more elegant 52NXd6 RXd6 53 f4!, creating a unique position

where mate or the loss of the bishop is inevitable.

Larsen-Kasparov

Before this position arose, a number of interesting events occurred in this game. A new opening plan gave me good play, and soon, after an unfortunate manoeuvre by a white knight, Black's advantage assumed real proportions. But at the decisive moment I followed an incorrect path, and by clever defence Larsen managed to equalize. True, he later committed a couple of inaccuracies, and I acquired some chances, although the adjourned position did not appear to give any great grounds for optimism.

The drawbacks to White's position are obvious: the open position of his king and the pawn weaknesses at e5 and g3. But Black is manifestly short of fighting units to exploit these factors effectively. In addition, by his strong sealed move Larsen provoked a further exchange.

41 h5!

Other continuations were much worse: 41 Rb6? Ne3!, or 41 e6?! fXe6 42 Nd4 Rcl+ 43 Kg2 e5 44 Ne6+ Kf6! 45 Ng5+ Kf5, and the activity of the black pieces is dangerous.

41... Kh6!

Without the help of his king Black cannot hope to achieve anything, e.g. 41... Ne3

42hXg6hXg643e6!fXe644Nd4Rg2+45 Khl e546Ne6+!(weaker is 46 Nf3 e4 47 Ng5 Re2!, when the e4 pawn is taboo because of ... Re 1+and . . .Ng4+)46... Kh6 47 Ra4! g5 48 Re4 Re2 49 Kgl with a draw. After 41 ... gXh5? 42 Nd4 Rf2 43 e6 a draw is again obvious.

42 hXg6 hXg6 43 Ra4!

By luring the king to g5 (43 ... Ne3? 44 Nd8!), White prepares further simplification.

43... Kg5 44 Nd4

Now in the event of 44 ... Rcl+ 45 Kg2 NXe5 46 Nf3+ a drawn rook ending is reached. Black therefore tries to win the e5 pawn by more cunning means.

44... Rc3! 45 e6!

After 42 Kg2 NXe5 the objective outcome is a draw, but without the slightest risk Black can attempt to "starve out" his opponent. Defending such a position is highly un¬pleasant, and, realizing this, Larsen decides to complicate matters, justifiably hoping to gain a draw more quickly.

45... RXg3+ 56 Khl?

A mistake, equivalent to 34 e3 in the Seirawan-Kasparov game. A familiar situ¬ation again arises — White is not yet losing, but now only one path, which is far from obvious, leads to a draw. And this at the time when the natural 46 Kfl would have solved all White's problems: 46 ... f5 47 e7 Re3 48 Nc6 Nf6 49 Ra8 Re6 50 Rf8! f4 (50... RXc6? 51 RXf6) 51 Kf2, and Black is unable to strengthen his position. With the king at hi Black has the chance to mount a strong attack with limited forces.

46... f5 47 e7 Re3 48 Nc6 f4!

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2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+K!
xabcdefghy

The attack begins! White already has to reckon with direct threats to his king, e.g. 49 Ra8? Rel+ 50 Kg2 Re2+! 51 Kfl (51 KB Re3+ 52 Kg2 B+ etc.) 51 ... B! 52 e8=Q Nh2+ 53 Kgl f2+. The study-like attempt to exploit the strength of the far-advanced e-pawn also fails to bring any significant relief: 49 Ne5!? RXe5 50 Ra5 RXa5 51 e8=Q Rf5, and it is doubtful whether the queen can resist the black pieces, or 49 Ra5+? Kh4 50 Ne5NXe5! 51 e8=Q Rel+ 52 Kg2 B+ 53 Kf2 Nd3+ These problems, which had arisen literally out of nothing, caused even such an experienced fighter as Bent Larsen to grow nervous. And time trouble, which was imperceptibly stealing up, did nothing to assist the concentrated working of his thoughts One can only speculate as to what the Danish grandmaster was thinking about at that moment, but at the board he failed to find the correct path.

49 Ra5+?

White associates this move, not with the losing idea of blocking the e-file shown above, but with another, more interesting plan of defence. But it too proves insuf¬ficient. And meanwhile the paradoxical 49 Nd4!! (suggested after the game by Timman) would have enabled White to draw. It may seem strange, but the white pieces, which are scattered over the whole board, co-ordinate amazingly harmoniously, e.g. 49... RXe7 50 NB+ Kf5 51 Nh4+, or 49 ... Kh4 50 Kg2!, or 49 ... Nf6! 50 Ra6! RXe7 51 Ne6+ Kg4 52 NXf4. Although these variations appear simple, in my opinion a move such as 49 Nd4!! is not easy to find.

49... Kh4 50 Ra8

White's plan becomes clear. In view of the fact that his f-pawn is now undefended, Black cannot implement his idea of 50 ... Rel+, which would have won in the event of the immediate 49 Ra8. But now the black king can take part in the attack, and so the black knight is temporarily withdrawn.

50... Nf6!

The knight cannot be driven from this insecure position — after 51 Rf8 Kg3! the white king is in a mating net!

51Kg2 f3+ 52 Kfl Kg3 53 Nd4

A desperate attempt to save the king at the cost of the e-pawn (53 ... RXe7? 54 Ra3). Alas, it is too late....

53... Ng4! 54 NXf3

Otherwise the pawn cannot be stopped (54 e8=Q Nh2+ 55 Kgl f2+).

54... RXf3+ 55 Kgl Nh2! 56 Rf8 Rc3

White resigns.

The continuation 57 Rfl Re3 does not require any commentary.

Kasparov-Portisch

Queen's Indian Defence

1d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 Nc3 Bb7 5 a3 d5 6 cXd5 NXd5

This continuation is currently the most popular, but it is hardly better than the usual 6 ... eXd5. White retains both a superiority in the centre, and greater possibilities in his choice of plan.

7 e3 NXc3

In recent times Portisch has constantly employed this variation. His game with Miles from the recent European Team Championship continued 7 ... Be7 8 Bb5+ c6 9 NXd5 QXd5 10 Bd3 0-0 11 Qc2 h6 12 Bh7+ Kh8 13 Be4 Qd8. On this occasion he chooses a different, more intensively-studied, path.

8 bXc3 Be7 9 Bb5+ c610 Bd3 c5110-0 Nc6 12Bb2

This is the plan that is nowadays the most popular. It is logical — White wishes first to deploy his pieces in suitable positions, and only then begin active play in the centre, involving first and foremost the advance e3-e4.

12... Rc8

An opening subtlety — Black wants the white queen to be developed not at c2, but at e2. Moreover, on the c-file the rook stands not at all badly.

13 Qe2 0-0 14 Radl

A standard position, which in recent times has been subjected to a thorough analysis.

14... Qc7

The thematic move. This position was reached in the game Polugayevsky-Portisch

XABCDEFGHY
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6-zpn+p+-+&
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4-+-zP-+-+$
3zP-zPLzPN+-#
2-vL-+QzPPzP"
1+-+R+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

(Plovdiv, 1983), and within a few moves the players agreed a draw (White played 15 e4). But there remained one interesting possibility which had not been taken into account.

15 c4!

This natural move is an innovation! In the event of 15 e4 Na5 Black's plan is justified. But now the position takes on a new aspect. White has two powerful bishops, directed at the opponent's undefended K-side, and a mobile pawn centre. Here Portisch thought for a long time. 15 ... Bf6 does not work— 16 d5 Ne5 (16 . .. BXb2 17 dXc6, winning a piece) 17 NXe5 BXe5 18 BXh7+ etc. Now, as a result of analysis, 15 ... Na5 can be recommended as better, although after 16 d5 White has promising play. But the Hungarian grandmaster decided to begin a battle against White's "hanging" pawn centre.

15 ... cXd4 16 eXd4 Na5

XABCDEFGHY
8-+r+-trk+(
7zplwq-vlpzpp'
6-zp-+p+-+&
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17 d5!

The white pieces are all ready to attack, and Black's plan suffers a fiasco. 17... NXc4 does not work: 18 Qe4 g6 19 BXc4 QXc4 20 Qe5 f6 21 QXe6+ Rf7 22 Rcl Qa6 23 d5, when there are two possibilities: (a) 23 ... Bd8 24 RXc8 BXc8 25 Qe8+ Rf8 26 d7 Bb7 27 Ng5! (threatening 28 Ne6) 27 ... fXg5 28 Qe5 Rf6 29 QXf6; (b) 23 ... RXcl 24 RXcl Bd8 25 Ng5! fXg5 26 Rc7 BXc7 27 Qe8+ Rf8 28 Qe5, and mate is inevitable.

Portisch possibly did not see all this. It is more likely that he sensed that White would have more than sufficient compensation for the pawn. And he chose another path.

17 ... eXd5 18 cXd5 BXd5 19 BXh7+ KXh7 20 RXd5 Kg8

A logical move. Measures have to be taken against, for example, 21 Qe4+ Kg8 22 Rh5. If instead 20 ... Qc2, then 21 Rd2 Qc5 22 Ne5, and again loss of material is inevitable.

At this point I sank into thought. White's pieces are ideally placed, but there appears to be nothing concrete. One senses that he should play actively, but how? Ng5 or Ne5 suggests itself, but at g5 there is nothing for the knight to do. 21 Ne5 looks quite good, but then the bishop at b2 seems to be out of it. But what if it is given up? Yes, that's it, sacrifice the bishop!

XABCDEFGHY
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21 BXg7!!

A positional sacrifice of a piece, and a rather curious one: in the operation which has denuded the black king, both white bishops have taken part!

21 ... KXg7 22 Ne5

Amazing — White has no direct threats, he is a piece down, and yet he is excellently placed! However, there is an explanation for this: the black knight has long been grazing on distant pastures. . . . Portisch finds the only possibility that does not lose immediately.

22 ... Rfd8

22.. . f5 does not work - 23 Rd3 Qc5 24 Nd7, and White regains his piece. On 22 ... Rh8 he has 23 Qg4+ Kf8 24 Qf5 f6 25 Rel, and if 25 ... Nc6, then 26 Nd7+ Kf7 27 RXe7+, mating. 25 ... Qcl also fails to save the game after 26 Rddl. If instead 22 ... Qc2, then 23 Qg4+ Kh7 24 Rd3, and after 24 ... Rc3 25 Qf5+ Kg8 26 Rg3+ White wins the queen.

23 Qg4+ Kf8 24 Qf5 f6 25 Nd7+

White could have been tempted by a pretty mate: 25 Ng6+ Ke8? 26 Qh5 RXd5 27 Ne5+, but after 25 ... Kg7 there is nothing special (26 Nf4 RXd5, forcing 27 NXd5 Qc5 28 NXe7, since 27 Qg6+ Kh8 28 Ne6 does not work — 28 ... Rg5).

25 ... RXd7 26 RXd7 Qc5 27 Qh7

Here there was a choice: 27 Qh7 or 27 Qh3. I decided to play my queen closer to the black king, although I am convinced that 27 Qh3 was more precise.

27...Rc7 28Qh8+!

Avoiding a trap: 28 Rd3? QXf2+!! 29 KXf2 (29 RXf2 Rcl+) 29 ... Bc5+ 30 Kg3 RXh7 with a draw.

28 ... Kf7 29 Rd3 Nc4 30 Rfdl!

An important move, connecting the rooks for joint actions. Portisch is worn out by his difficult defence, and makes a decisive mistake.

30 ... Ne5?

30        ... Bd6, but then 31 Rd5, and 31 ...

QXa3 does not work because of 32 RXd6 —

Black is practically paralysed.

31 Qh7+ Ke6

The black king is forced to set off on its last journey.

32 Qg8+ Kf5 33 g4+ Kf4 34 Rd4+ Kf3 35 Qb3+

Black resigns.

News, Facts and Comments

Candidates Semi-final Match, London, 1983

Displayed in this account will be a broad panorama of the battle, taking account of all the details which influenced the play. I hope that the viewpoint offered by me will enable the reader to understand better the changes of fortune during the match in question.

I should straight away warn that my exposition will frequently differ significantly from reports which the match received in the periodic press. Without wishing to offend, or especially to condemn the work of experienced commentators, I will permit myself to remark that the viewpoint of one of the participants in an event is nevertheless of greater value.

Prologue

If one is aspiring to give an all-embracing account of the events connected with the match, there should be at least a brief mention of the scandalous preceding events, which dragged out for nearly six months. But now, when both these pre-match non-chess battles, and the match itself have already become history, it would be an idle waste of time to try and demonstrate the innocence or guilt of either of the sides. I am sure that the future itself will give answers to questions which in time will most probably lose their sharpness. However, the main thing is already clear today — chess has not lost out,

after surviving one of the sharp periods of its history! And another thing: there is something symbolic about the fact that both Soviet grandmasters, who were disqualified in August, in the end became winners of the semi-final matches.

Before turning to an analysis of the games, I should like to dwell in detail on the pre-match atmosphere. We are talking here about the purely chess evaluation of the relative strengths by the players themselves, by the experts, and of course by the press. The overwhelming majority predicted a win for me, but while chess players did this with a number of provisos, the Western press regarded the probability of my success as being close to ninety per cent! Of course, such an exaggeration did not reflect the true relative strengths. And Korchnoi himself by no means considered that he was doomed. Moreover, in interviews he did not conceal his ambitious plans. True, it is not clear what there was more of in this — a belief in success, or a desire to cause the opponent some anxiety.

Also of interest is the description given by Korchnoi of his opponent: "Kasparov is a player with a single knock-out blow. But if you can successfully parry his fierce attacks and be first to land a blow, Kasparov may lose confidence and become unsteady". These words will help us to understand a number of points in the match, which are difficult to explain by chess means alone.

It has to be said that I have often been reproached for my weak handling of simple and endgame positions. Of course, I have normally been able to mount an attack or increase the tension in an intricate position with apparent ease, but I have hardly given grounds for criticizing my play in positions of a different character. I would refer to my practical results, in particular to my games from the recent Niksic tournament. Nevertheless, in working out his match strategy Korchnoi evidently proceeded from the same erroneous opinion, and endeavoured first and foremost to avoid complications. Perhaps his impressions of our game at the Lucerne Olympiad also told? At any rate, Korchnoi decided to rely mainly on the concluding phase of the game, where he hoped to exploit to the full his vast experience and my impulsiveness. In addition, by paying particular attention to the opening, Korchnoi managed to prepare excellently for the schemes which formed the basis of my usual repertoire.

For my part I hoped, not without justification as it seemed to me, to obtain from the opening the desired type of positions. But, realizing the necessity of being able to do battle on enemy territory, at a summer training session (before the "match" in Pasadena) I did a great deal of work with my trainers on the endgame. Korchnoi's endgame play was subjected to a thorough analysis, and it turned out that often it deviated greatly from the classical laws — it was not a question of the quality of the play, but of the methods of achieving a goal. For example, in realizing a positional advantage, Korchnoi would boldly go in for complications, he liked to make use of unusual procedures, and so on. However, with certain reservations, the strength of Korchnoi's play in positions of an endgame type was not in doubt. His results were especially impressive. Nevertheless, I decided to seriously contend for the right of "possession" of this field of chess.

Hopes and forecasts are one thing, but from 21st November the two players were faced with demonstrating the correctness of their conceptions in open battle. I completed my last pre-match training session in the middle of November. Unfortunately, our delegation was able to arrive in London only on the 18th. It stands to reason that two days, which in addition were full of organizational problems, were insufficient to acclimatize normally. This opinion may seem like an attempt to justify my defeat in the first game. Not at all. The result of the first game was partly decided by my psychological unpre-paredness for an uncompromising struggle. No small part was played by the stormy pre-match conflicts, which had kept me under stress for six months. Perhaps, therefore, at the start of the match I found it difficult to appreciate the reality of what was happening ….

But it is now time to turn directly to the match itself. On the evening of November 20th, at the drawing of lots, which took place in the residence of the British Chancellor of the Exchequer, fortune smiled on the Soviet grandmasters — we both "preferred" to play White. "Who knows, the match just might be over by the eleventh game", I thought. "In that case it would be nice to have an 'extra' game with the white pieces". That is in fact what happened, but for many days I tried not to think about the possibility of the match not going the full distance. . . .

Thus on 21 November 1983 at 16.00 hours, the white queen's pawn was advanced two squares. It will be recalled that in Pasadena the one move 1 d4 brought Korchnoi victory in the match. Here it all proved to be much more complicated. . . .

Kasparov-Korchnoi

Queen's Indian Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6

In recent years Korchnoi has much more often played 3 ... Bb4+.

4 Nc3 Bb7 5 a3

But this position has occurred in only a few of his games.

5... d5 6 cXd5 NXd5 7 e3 g6!?

In the opinion of many — an innovation, and some well-wishers even tried by this to justify my unpreparedness. Indeed, I had never seriously studied 7 . . . g6, but why — it is hard to say. Most probably, I had sufficient problems in other lines. . .. Nevertheless, I did manage to remember something: the games Timman-Short (1982) and Ftacnik-Adorjan (1983). The popularity of 7 ... g6 was probably affected by the fact that Black lost both these games, although in the latter the result did not depend on the opening. I also managed to recall a game which had taken place before my very eyes: Blitz-Tournament in Herceg Novi, 1983 — Tal-Korchnoi!! Incidentally, there Black won . . . .It will be realized that such recollections during the game did not improve my frame of mind.

After some thought I decided to follow the path which is usual in the event of 7 ... Be7, although I realized that the transference of the bishop to g7 was to Black's advantage.

8 Bb5+

Timman continued 8 NXd5 and after 8 ... QXd5 9 Qc2 Qd8? 10 e4 Bg7 11 Bg5 Qd7 12 Bc4 he gained an advantage. 9 ... Nd7!? is stronger (10 QXc7 Rc8 11 Qg3 Bd6 12 Qg5 e5 with the initiative for the pawn), or else 8 ... eXd5.

8 ... c6 9 Bd3 Bg7 10 e4

The game Tarjan-Adorjan, played in Autumn 1983, went 10 NXd5 cXd5 with an equal position.

10 ... NXc3 11 bXc3 c5!

More energetic than 11 ... 0-0 (Ftacnik-Adorjan).

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6-zp-+p+p+&
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2-+-+-zPPzP"
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Black's fianchettoed bishops are putting the enemy centre under heavy fire. The position reached is essentially a favourable version for Black of the Griinfeld Defence.

12 Bg5

It is pleasant to develop a piece with gain of tempo, but 12 Be3 0-0 13 0-0 was sounder.

12 ... Qd6

12        ... Qc7 is also acceptable. Black does

not wish to reduce the pressure on d4, and he rightly assumes that the gain of another

tempo will not bring White any advantages.

13 e5

Usually this move gives White optimistic prospects of an attack on the king, but here it is used for solving purely defensive problems. Of course, White could also have castled, but he could not have got by without e4-e5 sooner or later.

13... Qd7 14 dXc5?!

A number of comments were made about my weak play in this first game. All of them are justified, apart from one, which was touched on by the most serious commentators. The sense of it is as follows: the young, inexperienced player, on encountering a surprise in the opening, spent all his time trying to refute the opponent's plan, instead of finding a way to simplify and draw. This logical set-up has just one defect — it is a long way from the truth. It is clear that, by giving himself pawn weaknesses with 14 dXc5, White cannot hope for an advantage (and it is hardly appropriate to suspect a participant in a Candidates match of being pos-itionally incompetent). But 14 dXc5 does have a highly significant plus factor — it wins a pawn, on the regaining of which Black will have to spend time and effort. And this, I thought, will allow White to deploy his pieces normally and to equalize. In general, the course of my thinking in fact precisely coincided with the subsequent rationalistic suggestions by the commentators! Unfortunately. . . .

On another occasion I would most probably have continued 14 0-0 0-0 15 Qe2 cXd4 16 cXd4 Nc6 17 Qe3 or 17 Bc4 - the position is complicated, but there are no dangers threatening White.

14... 0-0!

Of course, not 14 ... bXc5 15 Bb5 Bc6 16 a4, when it is only Black who can have any problems.

15 cXb6 aXb6 16 0-0 Qc7

Immediately attacking the c3 and e5 pawns, and preparing the development of his knight. The hasty 16 ... Nc6? would have handed the initiative to White: 17 Be4 Qc7 18 Bf6! — and it is not easy for Black to restore the material balance (18 ... BXf6 19 eXf6 Qf4 20 Qbl!). Here I again had to think for a long time. Beforehand I had planned 17 Rel, reckoning on 17... Nc618 Be4 Ra5 19 Bf6, or 17... QXc3 18 Be7 Re8 19 Bb4. But on closer examination I discovered that Black had the possibility of an interesting exchange sacrifice in two variations — 17 ... Nd7! 18 Be7 NXe5 19 BXf8 NXf3+ 20 gXf3 RXf8, or, probably even stronger, 18 ... BXf3! 19 gXf3 (19 QXf3? NXe5 20 RXe5 BXe5 21 BXf8 RXf8, winning a pawn) 19 ... BXe5 20 BXf8 RXf8. In spite of being the exchange ahead, White is faced with extremely difficult defensive problems, whereas Black can strengthen his position virtually without the slightest risk. Therefore I decided to change sharply the character of the play. White immediately gives up his important e5 pawn, and tries to exploit the activity of his pieces and the fact that Black is slightly behind in development.

17 Bb5!

One detail of no small importance — by this point White had already used more than two hours on his clock, whereas Korchnoi's first 15 moves took him only four (!) minutes. True, on his next move Black spent about 50 minutes.

17 ... BXe5

By exploiting the fact that the white bishops are undefended, Black can permit himself this move (18 NXe5? QXe5 19 Bh6 QXb5 20 Qd4 e5). The preparatory 17... Nc6 would have allowed White to transpose into an ending - 18 Qd6 (weaker is 18 BXc6 BXc6 19 Bf6 Bb5!) 18 ... BXe5 19 QXc7 BXc7 20 Rfdl, in which Black's advantage is only symbolic.

18 Bh6

In effect, offering to sacrifice the queen after 18... Rd8 19NXe5 RXdl 20 RaXdl. In this case the great activity of White's pieces gives him grounds for hoping to be able to avoid difficulties, e.g. 20 ... f6 21 Nd7! (the reckless 21 Bc4? is refuted by 21... fXe5 22 BXe6+ Kh8 23 Bg5 Kg7 24 Rd8 h6! 25 Rg8+ Kh7 26 Bf6 Nc6) 21 ... NXd7 22 RXd7 Qc5 23 Rg7+! Kh8 24 RXb7 QXb5 25 Bg7+ Kg8 26 BXf6. Nevertheless I think that the resulting position favours Black. After 20 ... Nc6 21 Ng4 Rd8! (21 ... Qe7?? 22 Rd7!) 22 Nf6+ Kh8, or even 20 . . . Bc6 21 a4 f6 Black could have gradually neutralized the opponent's threats and would have had fair chances of realizing his material advantage. Although it is not clear whether, in a nervy match atmosphere, he would have managed to carry out this plan in full. But as to how events would have developed in the event of 18. . . Rd8 we can only guess, since in the game there followed

18 ... Bg7?!

A highly crucial moment. Korchnoi tries to avoid all obscurities, and to decide the outcome by purely technical means. I think it is here that the cornerstone of Korchnoi's match strategy is revealed — to avoid complications in any way, even if they be objectively favourable. He was to follow this rule rigorously for the first eight games, until at last the match situation forced him to change abruptly the character of the play.

19 BXg7 KXg7

The black-squared bishops have disappeared from the board, and White has gained the opportunity to create counter-play on the weakened black squares.

20 Qd4+ Kg8

The alternative was 20 ... f6, but this would have slightly weakened Black's position, a prospect which did not appeal to Korchnoi.

(See diagram) 21 Ng5?

The incorrect choice of route for the white knight completely justifies Black's avoidance of complications three moves earlier. In spite of everything, White should have played for centralization — 21 Ne5!, although this energetic continuation involves the sacrifice of

Position after 20 . . . Kg8:

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a piece. The unpleasant threats of Ng4 and Nc4 force Black to accept the challenge: 21 . . . Rd8 22 Qh4! Rd5 23 Ng4 RXb5. At first sight it appears that Black can avoid danger and remain with a material advantage — 24 Nf6+ Kf8 25 Qh6+ (25 NXh7+ Kg7) 25 ... Ke7 26 Ng8+ Kd7 27 Radl+ Bd5 28 Qf8 Kc6! 29 Qe8+ Qd7 etc. That, unfortunately, is how it also appeared to me... . But I overlooked a strong reply which immediately changes the evaluation of the position — 24 Radl! White includes another piece in the attack, and blocks the black king's path to the Q-side. Since 24 ... Nc6 (or 24 ... Na6) is bad because of 25 Rd7!, Black is obliged to block the d-file. Let us first check 24 ... Bd5 25 c4 QXc4 26 RXd5! (if this seems too hair-raising, White can always force a draw by perpetual check - 26 Qd8+ Kg7 27 Qf6+) 26 ... eXd5 27 Qd8+ Kg7 28 Qf6+ Kf8 29 Rel Qe4 30 Qh8+ Ke7 31 RXe4+ dXe4 32 h4, and the initiative is completely on White's side. Therefore 24... Rd5! is correct, but here too the c3 pawn succeeds in disrupting the coordination of the black pieces: 25 c4! Rd6! 26 Nf6+ Kf8 27 Qf4! Rc6 29 Qh6+ Ke7 29 Ng8+ Ke8 30 Nf6+ with perpetual check.

Attempts by Black to disentangle himself by tactics are elegantly refuted: 25... RXdl? 26 RXdl Nc6 27 Rd7! RXa3 28 Nf6+ Kg7 29 QXh7+ KXf6 30 Qh8+ and 31 RXc7, or 27 .. . Rd8 28 Nf6+ Kg7 29 QXh7+ (weaker is 29 Ne8+? Kf8 30 NXc7 RXd7) 29. ..KXf6 30 QXf7+ Kg5 31 h4+ etc. Thus the bold 21 Ne5! would have given White at least equal chances. After missing this possibility he completely hands the initiative to his opponent.

21 ... h6! 22 Ne4 BXe4

With the elimination of this knight, all White's hopes of an attack disappear.

23 QXe4 Na6

Simple and good. After 23 ... Nd7 White would have been saved by the double attack 24 BXd7 QXd7 25 Qe3, whereas now he has an unpleasant choice of the lesser of two evils.

24 Qe3?!

The black knight clearly has more prospects than the white bishop, and therefore the minor pieces should have been exchanged. At the board I did not care for 24 BXa6 RXa6 25 Qe3 Rfa8! Indeed, the variation 26 QXh6 RXa3 27 RXa3 RXa3 28 h4 QXc3 29 h5 Ral 30 hXg6 RXfl+ 31 KXfl Qd3+ 32 Kgl Qbl+ 33 Kh2 QXg6 gives Black excellent winning chances in the queen ending. But the passive 25 Qb4 Rc8 26 Rfcl would have left White with good chances of saving the game. In playing 24 Qe3, I was counting on 24... h5 25 BXa6 RXa6 26 Rfbl Rfa8 27 Rb3, but Black's strong reply dispelled this hope.

24... Qc5!

An unpleasant surprise. It turns out that not only the knight can occupy c5. White is forced to exchange queens (24 Qe2? Nc7) and go into an unpromising ending, where the exchange of his two weak pawns for the b6 pawn will by no means solve his defensive problems.

25 QXc5 NXc5 26 Rfbl Rfd8 27 Rb4 Rd6 28 Bfl Kf8 29 a4?!

I should probably have gone in for simplification - 29 Rabl RXa3 30 RXb6 RXb6 31 RXb6 RXc3, but being short of time it was not easy to decide on such a committing step. However, defending the position with all the pieces on is even more difficult.

29 ... Ra5!

Eliminating the threat of a4-a5 and fixing the weakness at a4.

30 g3 Ke7 31 Kg2 f5

Securing e4 for the knight.

32 Bb5 Rd2?!

Over-hasty. Black should have begun playing actively after first transferring his king to c7. He also has a good plan involving the advance of his K-side pawns.

33 Rd4?

In serious time trouble White misses a saving chance — 33 Bc6! (passive moves such as 33 Rfl? allow Black to revert to the correct plan — 33 ... Kd6! and . .. Kc7) 33 ... Nd3 (33 ... Kd6? 34 RXb6 Kc7 35 Rb5) 34 RXb6 (but not 34 Rd4? because of 34 ... RXf2+ 35 Kgl Rd2 36 Bb5 Ne5!) 34 ... NXf2 35 Rb5!, and the a-pawn guarantees White suf¬ficient counter-play.

33 ... RXd4 34 cXd4 NXa4!

A simple tactical blow, which takes play into an easily won rook ending.

35 RXa4 RXb5 36 Ra7+ Kd6

The simplest. The excessively cautious 36 . . . Kf6?! would have left White with some chances: 37 h4! Rd5 38 Rb7.

37 Rh7 h5 38 Rg7 Rd5 39 RXg6 b5

Here the curtain could have been rung down, but through inertia White continues his resistance.

40 Kf3 b4 41 Ke3 b3 42 Kd2 RXd4+ 43 Kc3 b2! 44 KXb2 Rd2+ 45 Kc3 RXf2 46 h4 f4 47 Rg5 Rf3+ 48 Kd4 RXg3 49 RXh5 Re3 50 Rh6 Ke7 51 h5 e5+ 52 Kd5 f3

White resigns.

The result of this game and, most important, the course of it, made me depressed. True, there were still eleven games to come, but now the value of each move was immeasurably raised, since any mistake could prove fatal. And chess players know that an excessive fear of making a mistake leads to an inevitable lowering of the quality of one's play. A discouraging statistic was also recalled — in all the twelve Candidates matches Korchnoi had won (and altogether, incidentally, he had played 15, not including two matches for the World Championship), after opening the scoring he had not once lost the lead. But, as Yevgeny Vladimirov, one of my seconds, rightly remarked: "There is a first time for everything". What can you do, sometimes you have to console yourself with such philosophical thoughts. . . .

Be that as it may, but after the first game much in my match strategy had to reviewed. But regrouping under the fire of the opponent may prove ruinous, and therefore in the first instance it was necessary to gain time, i.e. to hold out against the opponent's onslaught in the next few games. And that Korchnoi, inspired by his win, would try to build on his success, no one had any doubt. And indeed, in the second game too I initially had a difficult time of it.

Korchnoi-Kasparov

Queen's Gambit

After eleven well known moves, played at rapid speed by both sides:

1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 c5 4 cXd5 eXd5 5 Nf3 Nc6 6 g3 Nf6 7 Bg2 Be7 8 0-0 0-0 9 Bg5 cXd4 10 NXd4 h6 11 Be3 Re8

White unexpectedly played

12 a3!?

At first sight this is an unjustified loss of time, but a careful study of the main line's subtleties helps the point of the modest move by the rook's pawn to be understood. Thus after 12 Qa4 Bd7 13 Radl Nb4 14 Qb3 a5! the unfortunate position of the queen allows Black to obtain sufficient counter-play, e.g. 15 Rd2 a4 16 Qdl a3 17 Qbl Bf8 18 bXa3 RXa3 19 Qb2 Qa8 (Belyavsky-Kasparov, 2nd match game, 1983), or 15 a4 Rc8 16 Nc2 b5!? 17 NXb4 bXa4 18 NXa4 BXb4 19 Nb6? RXe3! 20 QXe3 Bc5 (Korchnoi-Kasparov, Blitz Tournament in Herceg Novi, 1983). Therefore, for his queen White prepares in advance a not altogether usual, but secure post at a2, from where it will exert pressure on the d5 pawn.

12... Be6

After prolonged thought I decided not to test the quality of the innovation in critical variations such as 12 ... Bg4 13 Qb3 Na5 14 Qa2 Nc4 15 NXd5 NXe3 16 fXe3, but simply to lend secure support to my central pawn. I could later think in terms of active counter-play.

13 Qb3 Qd7 14 NXe6

It is not clear whether White should hurry over this exchange, but at any rate he need not now worry about the black bishop going to h3 at some point.

14... fXe6 15 Radl

It may seem that the opening has gone clearly in favour of White — he has the two bishops, Black's centre is insecure, and in addition he has to keep an eye on his weakened K-side. But in fact, if Black can prepare to meet e2-e4, he will be able to feel comparatively safe.

15... Bd6!

Removing the unpleasant opposition of queen and rook, and preparing a successful regrouping.

16 Bel

Now the e-pawn is ready to advance.

16... Kh8

Parrying the threat of 17 e4, which is met by 17 ... d4 18 Nb5 e5. Therefore White has to wait for a more convenient moment to begin playing actively.

17 Qa4

From here the queen can be switched across to the K-side. In addition, the possi¬bility of fianchettoing the second bishop (b2-b4 and Bb2) cannot be ruled out.

17... Qe7

So that after 18 Qh4 Be5 White should not be able to break up his opponent's centre by 19 e4 (19 ... BXc3 20 bXc3 NXe4).

18 e3

Now in the event of ... Be5 the white knight has a good retreat to e2.

18... a6 19 Qh4

The tempting transfer of the knight to f4 would hardly have given White anything — 19Ne2Rac820Nf4Ne5!followedby.. .Rc4, when Black controls the centre to a sufficient degree and can confidently face the future.

19... Rac8

The critical point of the game. It is time for White to undertake something, and it is natural that for the arena of activity he should choose the K-side. It is also obvious that Black's position can be broken up only by means of a pawn offensive. But with which pawn should White begin?

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20 e4?!

In my opinion, 20 f4! was much more resolute, preparing the advance of the g-pawn and leaving open the possibility of playing e3-e4 at a more appropriate moment. But in this case, in spite of White's definite advantage, the play would have become double-edged, and complications clearly did not come into Korchnoi's plans. Therefore he chooses a continuation which stabilizes the position and prevents the black minor pieces from becoming active, although the protected passed pawn which Black obtains at d4 more than compensates for any temporary inconvenience.

20 ... d4 21 Ne2 e5 22 Bh3

Obviously planning the following exchanges. More complicated play would have resulted from 22 Bd2!?, intending to transfer the knight to d3. True, in this case too Black obtains sufficient counter-play on the Q-side: 22 ... b5! 23 Ncl b4 24 a4 Na5 25 Nd3 Nb3 etc.

22 ... Rc7 23 Bg5 Kg8 24 BXf6 QXf6 25 QXf6

I think that the exchange of queens should have been avoided (25 Qh5), but White is consistent....

25 ... gXf6 26 Ncl Na5!

Essentially winning the battle for the c-file.

27 Nd3 Nb3 28 Bf5

White's minor pieces have taken up impregnable positions, but so what? The desired effect could be achieved if they were to change places, but such a regrouping could

be carried out only with the complete connivance of Black.

28... a5 29 Kg2

White does not realize that the best times for him have already passed. Black's predominance on the Q-side is obvious, and so White should have created tension on the other side of the board — 29 f4.

29... Kg7 30 Kh3

Where is it going?

30... Ree7!

Of course, not immediately 30 ... Rc2?? because of 31 Bd7 and 32 Ba4. But now Black is ready to invade his opponent's position. Sensing the danger, Korchnoi takes the correct decision to drive away the knight from b3, which blockades White's entire Q-side.

31 Ncl!

On making this strong move, Korchnoi offered a draw, which after some thought I accepted. True, after the game my seconds suggested that the simple retreat of the knight to c5 would have given Black good possibilities. There would have been few winning chances, of course, but also there would have been no risk at all involved! . .. However, content to have successfully neutralized my opponent's innovation, I regarded my task in this game as having been fulfilled. To some extent I even over-estimated its result, thinking that now things would go well for me. But to the desired turning point in the match it was still a long way. . . .

Kasparov-Korchnoi

Queen's Indian Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 Nc3 Bb7 5 a3 d5 6 cXd5 NXd5 7 Qa4+ Nd7 8 NXd5 eXd5 9 Bf4 c610 g3 Be711 Bh3 0-012 Rcl Bf613 0-0 Re8 14 RXc6 BXc615 QXc6 Nf816 e3 Ne617 Bd6 Be7 18 BXe7

Drawn.

In the third game I at last managed to spring a surprise on my opponent—7 Qa4+!?, a move which had hardly been played before. But White's original handling of the opening did not bring any special dividends, and the strong reply 12 ... Bf6! (12 ... Nf6?! 13 Ne5 c5 14 Nc6) emphasized the artificial nature of White's set-up.

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This good positional move (taking control of the important e5 square) also has a tactical point — the plausible 13 RXc6 is parried by the pretty 13 ... Nc5!! 14 dXc5 Qe8. White can also hardly be satisfied with 14 RXc5 bXc5 15 dXc5 Bc8! (15 ... BXb2? 16 Qb4) 16 BXc8 QXc8 17 b4 Qh3 etc.

To give employment to his bishops, which were hitting into thin air, White decided a move later to sacrifice the exchange, but he was unable to exploit the weakness of the d5 pawn and the slight congestion among the black pieces. Perhaps he should have pre¬ferred 16 Be5!? BXe5 (after 16 ... Ng6?! 17 BXf6 QXf6 18 QXf6 gXf6 19 e3 it is only Black who is risking anything) 17 NXe5 Ng6! 18 f4! NXe5 19 fXe5, although even here he can count only on full compensation for the missing exchange.

Avoiding the exchange of bishops by 18 Be5 would have favoured Black — 18 ... Bf8 followed by... Rc8, when White's activity is only temporary. And 18 BXe6?! fXe6 19 Bc7 would have allowed Black to solve all his difficulties without trouble: 19 ... Qc8 20 Ne5 Bf6 21 Rcl BXe5 22 dXe5 Re7 etc.

The concluding position is one of dynamic equilibrium, e.g. 18 ... RXe7 19 Ne5 Rc7 20 Qb5 Qd6 21 Bg2 Rd8 22 h4! (preventing ... Ng5-e4), and the weakness of the d5 pawn severely restricts the black pieces. However, had he greatly wished, Black could have attempted to realize his minimal material advantage, or at least caused White a little anxiety. But here the situation from the second game is repeated: now Korchnoi, after successfully solving the new opening problems, considered that he had fulfilled his task, and he accepted my offer of a draw. I had some difficulties in the fourth game. After playing for the first time the main line of the Catalan Opening, I was unable to find an effective plan of counter-play, and ended up in a cramped position.

Korchnoi-Kasparov

Catalan Opening

1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 g3 Be7 6 0-0 dXc4 7 Qc2 a6 8 QXc4 b5 9 Qc2 Bb7 10 Bd2 Be4 11 Qcl Nc6 12 Be3 Nb4 13 Nbd2 Bb7 14 Bg5 Rc8 15 a3 Nbd5 16 Nb3 h6

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17 Na5!?

The simple 17 Bd2, maintaining the tension, is also good. White's advantage is undisputed — Black's weak c5 and a5 squares are very sensitive.

17 ... Ba8 18 Nc6 BXc6 19 BXf6 Bb7

In the event of 19 ... BXf6 20 QXc6 Qd6 21 Racl Ne7 22 Qc5! Black's weakened Q-side is again a source of constant concern.

20 BXe7 QXe7

After the exchanges it has become a little less cramped in Black's position, but he can hope to equalize only by getting rid of his backward c-pawn. Now the elementary 21 b4 would have nipped in the bud any possibility of the freeing advance ... c5. Black could have tried to obtain counter-chances by the pawn sacrifice 21 .. . a5!? (the evaluation of the position after 21... Nb6 22 Ne5 is not in doubt), but after both 22 bXa5 Ra8 23 Qd2 Ra7 24 Rfbl, and 22 ... c5 23 Qb2! Ba6 24 Rfcl he has no grounds for optimism. Nevertheless there followed:

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21 Qc5?
A move which is difficult to explain. But if it is assumed that Korchnoi was aiming to avoid even a hint of complications, everything falls into place. Besides, now play goes into an endgame — the phase of the game on which Korchnoi was pinning his main hopes. Such an explanation may seem contrived, but I do not know how else to justify the rejection by a top-class grandmaster of the obvious 21 b4.

21 ... QXc5 22 dXc5 Ne7!

It becomes clear that, after ridding himself (with the opponent's help!) of the defect in his pawn structure, Black can face the future with confidence.

23 a4

Attempting to create targets for attack.

23... b4

Black begins playing to seize the initiative. The simplest way to draw was by 23 ... bXa4 24 RXa4 Rb8, when the weaknesses at a6 and b2 balance each other.

24 Nd4 BXg2 25 KXg2 Rfd8 26 Rfdl

After 26 Nb3?! Rd5 27 Rfdl Rcd8 Black would have seized the d-file.

26 ... Rd5

It appears that this will merely transpose, but with his brilliant reply White changes the course of the struggle.

27 Nc2! Rb8?!

Somewhat confused, Black was unable to find the proper reply, and decided to go onto the defensive. 27 ... RXc5? 28 NXb4 a5 29 Nd3 was obviously to White's advantage, but the paradoxical 27 ... Re5! would have enabled Black to avoid all difficulties, e.g. 28 NXb4 RXe2 29 NXa6 (29 Rd7 RXb2) 29 ... RXb2 30 Rdbl (in the event of 30 Rd7?! Nd5 it is only Black who can hope for an advantage) 30 ... RXbl 31 RXbl Nc6! (after 31.. .Nd5? 32 Rb8! the a-pawn is too danger¬ous) 32 Rb7 Ra8 with an imminent draw.

28 RXd5 NXd5 29 Nd4! Ne7 30 Rdl Kf8

Conclusively ceding the initiative to the opponent, but in the fifth hour of play I did not want to tempt fate in the variation 30 ... Rd8 31 Rd3 e5. In the pawn ending after 32 Nf5 RXd3 33 NXe7+ Kf8 34 Ng6+ fXg6 35 eXd3 Black would have gained a draw without trouble - 35 . . . Ke7 36 KB Ke6 37 Ke4 g5! 38 a5 c6. But I was afraid that, by retaining the knights, White would be able to exploit Black's pawn weaknesses: 32 Nc2 RXd3 33 eXd3 Nc6 34 Ne3 with the threat of Nd5. But in fact, if this variation is continued, it transpires that Black has nothing to fear — 34 ... Ne7 35 KB f5 36 g4 g6, or 35 Nc4 Nc6 etc.

31 Nb3! Nc6 32 f4 Ke7 33 Kf3

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The position favours White. His main advantage is the possibility of transferring his king across to the Q-side, where it will have an ideal post at c4. This transfer is most effective in a knight ending, in which the b4 pawn will become practically indefensible. Therefore Black is forced to avoid the exchange of rooks, and thus concede the only open file. His only chance is to try and divert the opponent's attention by operations on the K-side.

33... g6!

The abrupt 33 ... g5? would have given White the opportunity to exchange knights in a favourable version — 34 Nd4! NXd4 35 RXd4 gXf4 36 gXf4, and the new weakness at h6 makes Black's position difficult (36 . . . a5

37 c6! Rd8 38 RXd8 KXd8 39 Kg4).

34 Rd2

White does not hurry, and just in case he improves the position of his rook.

34... f6!

The main link in Black's plan is the advance . . . e5, which will enable him to activate his king and will deprive White of the constant threat of Nd4.

35 Ke4

Straightforward restricting play — 35 g4 e5 36 f5? would have allowed the black rook to come into the game after 36... gXf5 37 gXf5 Rg8. The most flexible continuation was 35 g4 e5 36 e3, maintaining the tension in the centre. But now, exploiting the advanced position of the white king, Black succeeds in greatly activating his forces.

35...f5+!36Kd3e5!

Now after 37 Kc4 Ke6 or 37 fXe5 NXe5+ 38 Kc2 g5 White does not achieve anything. Therefore Korchnoi decides to initiate a skirmish in the centre, but Black can be pleased with such a turn of events — the weakness of his b4 pawn will no longer be felt.

37 e4 Ke6 38 Ke3 eXf4+ 39 gXf4 g5!

Black's achievements are evident — his pieces have gained considerable scope. Realizing that not a trace of his advantage remains, Korchnoi exchanges knights.

40 Nd4+

Both 40 fXg5 hXg5 41 Rd5 Rh8 42 RXf5 RXh2 and 40 eXf5+ KXf5 41 fXg5 hXg5 42 Rd5+ Kg4 could have been dangerous only for White. 40 ... NXd4 41 RXd4 Here the game was adjourned, and I sealed 41 ... gXf4+. Stronger is 41 ... fXe4!, after which it is White who has to exercise a certain caution: 42 KXe4 Rf8! 43 fXg5 hXg5 44 Ke3 Rh8 etc. After 41... gXf4+ White has a symbolic advantage, but the draw is achieved without difficulty: 42 KXf4 fXe4 43 KXe4 Rg8! Before the resumption Korchnoi offered a draw, which was accepted.

A third of the match was over. Korchnoi was leading 21/2-l1/2 and still held the initiative. Radical measures were required to change the character of the struggle, which had been unfavourable for me. Firstly, I had to completely come to my senses, grow fully accustomed to the working regime, and also try and carefully consider my subsequent steps in the match. In view of the seriousness of the situation, it was decided to make use of the one postponement allowed by the regulations. The subsequent course of events confirmed how timely this step was. . . .

However, in the fifth game a particular struggle did not develop.

Kasparov-Korchnoi

Catalan Opening

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 g3

The Catalan Opening. . . . For many years this opening has served Korchnoi faithfully, although in recent times he has employed it much more rarely. But I had employed this opening only once, in my game with Anders-son in Niksic (and I played it there, knowing almost for certain what system of defence Ulf would choose), and Korchnoi most probably did not reckon seriously with the possibility of it appearing in my match repertoire.

3 ... d5 4 Bg2 dXc4 5 Nf3 c5

I should mention that with the black pieces too Korchnoi has gained good results in the Catalan Opening. His plans have usually involved playing to hold the c4 pawn (5... a6 or even 5... b5), but due to the state of the match Korchnoi decided not to tempt fate in the resulting complications.

6 0-0 Nbd7?!

Korchnoi is true to himself, and does not wish to follow the main theoretical line after the normal 6 ... Nc6. Now White without difficulty obtains a clear advantage.

7 Na3 Nb6 8 NXc4 NXc4 9 Qa4+ Bd7 10 QXc4 b5

Black is obliged to resort to this weakening move, since otherwise it is difficult to defend against the threat of Ne5.

11 Qc2

11 Qd3 would have given Black a tempo to stabilize the position — 11... c4 12 Qc2 Bc6.

11... Rc8 12 dXc5

The simplest, but maintaining the tension by 12 Rdl or 12 Bg5 also looks good.

12... BXc5 13 Qb3 0-0

It is not possible to bring forward an opponent to the fianchettoed white bishop — 13 . . . Bc6? 14 Ne5 BXg2 15 QXb5+.

14 Ne5 Qb6 15 Bg5

White's position looks good after 15 Nd3 Be7?! 16 Be3 Qb8 17 Racl, but if Black does not begrudge his bishop he can successfully resolve all his problems: 15 ... Bc6! 16 BXc6 QXc6 17 NXc5 QXc5 18 Be3 Qh5.

15... Rfd8

White cannot extract any direct gains from the weakening of Black's K-side (16 BXf6?!). He can obtain an advantage only by exploiting the strength of the two bishops and the weakness of Black's Q-side.

16 Qf3 Be7 17 NXd7 RXd7

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18 Racl?!

A striking example on the theme of "the wrong rook"! Whereas the rook at al was fulfilling the function of defending the Q-side, the rook at fl remains unemployed. 18 Rfcl! was correct, and if 18.. .Rcd8 19 e4!, restricting the mobility of the black knight. The temporary activity of the black pieces would have soon evaporated (e.g. 19 ... Rd3 20 Qe2 h6 21 Be3 Qb8 22 Rdl RXdl+ 23 RXdl), and strategic factors would come into force (cf. the previous comment), condemning Black to a difficult and unpromising defence.

18... Rcd8! 19 Qc6?!

This loses White the remainder of his advantage. After 19 Qb3 Nd5 20 Bd2!? he could have attempted to exploit the advantage of the two bishops.

19... Qa5! 20 a3

Otherwise White would have risked losing a pawn (20 e4?! b4!).

20... b4 21 Bf4 Nd5

The simplest. Simplification has become inevitable, and so the players agreed to a draw.

After the short draw in the fifth game one could have gained the impression that things were going very badly for me in the match. "The postponement did not help Kasparov" was the spiteful comment in one of the English newspapers. Of course, another feeble waste of the white pieces could not fail to influence the opinions of chess observers regarding the outcome of the match. For the first time confident opinions began appearing on the pages of the Western press, predicting a victory for Korchnoi. For example, in the New York Times the English grandmaster Stean* gave a detailed verbal description of the first five games of the match, from which it followed that the advantage gained by Korchnoi, who had succeeded in imposing his style of play, would be of an irreversible nature. But practice has shown that, in matches at this level, it is better not to be in a hurry to make forecasts. It should also not be overlooked that Korchnoi had not in fact managed to increase his lead, and that a lead of one point does not in itself give any

* One oj Korchnoi's seconds (translator's note).

guarantee where there are still seven games to come. And besides, the opening of the fifth game would have forced my opponent to realize that in the seventh, ninth and eleventh games things would not be easy for him (of course, assuming that the quality of my play improved), but an experienced match fighter such as Korchnoi could not help feeling that this was soon bound to happen. Therefore it is not surprising that he was in a hurry to land a second blow, which, according to his reckoning, would be bound to smash my resistance.

The morning of 4th December, the day of the sixth game, began for me with an unexpected telephone call: "Moscow on the line . . . ." The conversation which then took place with Ex-World Champion Botvinnik can well be regarded (of course, with a slight proviso) as the starting-point of the change that was to occur in the match. Mikhail Moiseevich literally bombarded me with questions. "Do you remember what happened fifty years ago?" Being only half awake, it wasn't easy to find my bearings, but I managed to extricate myself. "In 1933 you played a match with Flohr". "And how did the scores go?" — a new question promptly followed. I had to search my memory. "I think that you lost the first and sixth games, but then gained revenge in the ninth and tenth" was my reply. "Well now, see what a favourable position you are in. You haven't yet lost the sixth game!" — Botvinnik unexpectedly concluded. After a short pause he added: "But in general, everything is all right. A little self-discipline, and you should win the match". Say what you like, but such a conversation can arouse only positive emotions. At a difficult moment it was gratifying to know that my chess mentor had no doubts about the successful outcome of the match. But it is even more gratifying to be able to write these lines, knowing that I did not betray anyone's expectations.

But I do not think even my most committed fan, nor Korchnoi's most pessimistic supporter, could have forecast the course of subsequent events. The degree of misfortune which struck my opponent during the second half of the match was just too great. However, at the start the sixth game developed favourably for Korchnoi.

Korchnoi-Kasparov

Queen's Gambit

1d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 c5 4 cXd5 eXd5 5 g3 Nc6 6 Bg2 Nf6 7 0-0 Be7 8 Be3!?

This continuation has rarely been played before, and the game soon proceeds along a little-studied course.

8 ... c4 9 Ne5 0-0 10 b3

By 10 Nc3 White could have transposed into a well known position, but Korchnoi has other ideas.

10 ... cXb3 11 QXb3

White tries to extract the maximum gains from the delay in the development of his queen's knight. One of these plusses is demonstrated by the variation 11... Na5 12 Qa4 a6 13 Bd2! Nc4! 14 NXc4 b5 15 Qa5 bXc4. The resulting position can be found in opening books, where it is assessed as equal. But is this so after 16 QXd8 RXd8 17 Ba5! Rd7 18 Nc3 Bb7 19 Rabl ?

11... Qb6!?

This looks strange — Black goes in for an exchange of queens, with a catastrophic worsening of his pawn structure. But after 12 QXb6 aXb6 he gains active counter-play which fully compensates for the defects of his pawn formation, e.g. 13 Rcl Nb4 14 Nc3 Be6 15 a3 Nc6 16 Nb5 Rfc8 etc.

12 Rcl!

White successfully exploits the absence of his knight from c3. Black is forced to exchange queens at b3, thus activating the rook on al.

12 ... QXb3 13 aXb3 Nb4! 14 Na3

In this way White temporarily prevents the development of the c8 bishop (because of Rc7), but the awkward position of the knight at a3 prevents him from using the tempo gained. Black would have been set difficult problems by the natural 14 Nc3. Thus 14 ... Be6? is completely bad because of 15 Nb5 a6 16    Nc7 Rac8 17 NXe6 fXe6 18 Bh3, while after 14 . . . Bf5 15 g4! BXg4 16 NXg4 NXg4 17 NXd5 NXd5 18 BXd5 NXe3 19 fXe3 Bg5 20 Kf2 Rfe8 21 Rc3 Re7 22 e4 Black faces a depressing struggle for a draw. In the event of 14 ... a6 15 Na4! Bf5 16 Rc7 Bd6 17 RXb7 Nc2 the resulting complications also favour White (18 Rcl Rac8 19 Nb6 NXe3 20 NXc8 BXc8 21 Rb6! Nf5 22 e3, with the unpleasant threat of Bh3). Even so, by 14 ... Rd8! Black could probably have overcome his difficulties, e.g. 15 Nb5 (15 Na4Bf5!) 15 ... a6 16 Rc7 Kf8! 17 Bd2! Nc6! 18 NXc6 bXc6 19 Nc3 (19 RXc6? Bd7) 19 ... Bd7 20 Bf4! Ne8 21 Rb7 Nd6 22 Rb6 (22 BXd6 BXd6 23 Rb6 Ke7 24 RbXa6 RXa6 25 RXa6 Rb8) 22 .. . Nb5! 23 NXb5 aXb5 — and White has not achieved anything.

14 ... a6! 15 Bd2 Rb8

One more move (16 ... Bf5) and the initiative will pass to Black, so White has to undertake something.

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16 BXb4!

The start of an original strategic plan, which I was unable to understand immediately. White exchanges his bishop, correctly reasoning that he cannot expect any particular benefit from it, whereas the black knight at b4 is fulfilling important defensive and attacking functions.

16... BXb4 17 Nd3

At c5 this knight will restrict Black's Q-side.

17... Bd6?!

By discarding prejudices and capturing on a3, Black could have equalized easily: 17 ... BXa3 18 RXa3 Bf5 19 b4 (19 Nc5 a5! and ... b6) 19 ... Rbc8 20 Rac3 RXc3 21 RXc3 Rc8!

(21 ... BXd3?! 22 eXd3 Rb8 23 Rc7 with a slight advantage to White) 22 RXc8+ (22 Nc5 b6 23 Na4 RXc3 24 NXc3 Be6 25 Na4 Nd7) 22 ... BXc8 23 Nf4 Be6 with an imminent draw. But at this point it was not clear to me for what reason I should part with my active bishop.

18 Nc2 Bg4?!

A futile waste of time. The place for this bishop is at e6; after 18 ... Be6 19 Ne3 Rfc8 20 b4! Black would have had two extra tempi in comparison with the game.

19 Kfl Bf5?!

By 19 ... Rfc8 20 Ne3 Be6 Black could have saved a tempo. After playing 19 ... Bf5 I offered a draw, but received a very reasonable refusal — Black's last three moves do not speak in his favour. In addition, objectively the initiative is now firmly held by White.

20 Nc5 Rfc8

The double exchange 20... BXc5 21 dXc5 BXc2 22 RXc2 would have condemned Black to a cheerless defence.

21 Ne3 Be6 22 b4 Kf8 23 Rc2 Ke7

Not 23... b6? because of24NXe6+ fXe6 25 RXc8-f RXc8 26 Bh3! Kf7 27 RXa6.

24 Kel h5

A useful move. In the future Black can hope by ... h4 to create some play on the K-side, while in the event of Kdl White has constantly to reckon with the possibility of . . . Ng4. As before, 24 ... b6? favours White - 25 NXa6 RXc2 26 NXc2 Ra8 27 b5 Bd7 28 Rbl.

25 Rb2 Rc7!

From c7 the rook defends the b-pawn and keeps the knight at c5 under attack (in the event of b4-b5), while the other rook can be switched along the eighth rank to the most heated part of the battlefield.

26 Nd3!

White has completed all his preparations, and now it is sufficient for him to play b4-b5 and Black's position will collapse (see diagram).

26 ... Ra8!

Now b4-b5 loses its strength, since the a-pawn simply advances. 27 Rba2 looks tempting, but then too Black can defend

Position after 26 Nd3!:

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successfully: 27 .. . Rd8! 28 Ra5?! Rc3!, and the d5 pawn is taboo (29 NXd5+? BXd5

30 BXd5 RXd3), while on the agenda is the exchange sacrifice on d3. Most probably

White should have reconciled himself to the fact that the achievement of any immediate gains was impossible, and embarked on a new phase of manoeuvring. But Korchnoi is in a hurry. . . .

27 b5?!

Of course, my opponent appreciated the riskiness of this step, but he could not deny himself the pleasure of winning a pawn. 27 ... a5 28 b6 Rc6 29 Rb5 An amusing position would have arisen after 29 Ra4!? Ra6 30 Rb5 RcXb6 31 RaXa5. Black's difficulties over the defence of his d5 and b7 pawns are overcome by the unexpected 31 ... Ne4!

29... a4 30 NXd5+?!

It was not yet too late for White to think better of it — the simplification after 30 Nb4 BXb4 31 RXb4 a3 32 Rb3 a2 33 Rb2 Kd6 34 RbXa2 RXa2 35 RXa2 RXb6 or 30 Nc5 BXc5 31 dXc5 Nd7 32 NXd5+ BXd5 33 BXd5 RXc5 34 BXb7 RXb5 35 BXa8 NXb6 would have led to a draw.

30... NXd5 31 BXd5 BXd5 32 RXd5 RXb6 33 RXh5 Rb3!

The fallaciousness of the operation carried out by White is obvious. The rook at h5 is out of play, the activity of the black pieces has sharply increased, and the connected passed a- and b-pawns are dangerous.

34 Kd2 b5 35 h4

35 e4? does not work: 35 ... Rc8 36 e5 Bb4+ 37 NXb4 RXb4 38 Kd3 Rcc4, and wins.

35... Rc8 36 g4?

In the event of 36 Rg5! g6 37 h5 the play would have been double-edged. The quality of the moves begins to be affected by the mutual lack of time.

36... a3

36... Rc4 is also good.

37 f4 Rcc3?!

37... Rc4 was preferable. After 38 Rd5? Ke6 39 e4 Rcc3 40 Nc5+ BXc5 41 RXc5 Rh3! Black has a decisive attack. The black pawns can hardly be stopped in the event of 38 Ke3 Rc2 39 Rh8 b4 40 Ra8 Rbc3, while 38 Rh8 also does not help because of 38 ... b4!

38 Rd5 Ke6 39 Rh5 b4?

A serious mistake, allowing the rook at h5 back into play. By sacrificing the exchange here, Black could have set his opponent insoluble problems: 39 ... RXd3+! 40 eXd3 BXf4+ 41 Ke2 Rb2+ 42 KB Bd6 43 Rh8 (43 Ke4 a2!) 43 . . . Kd5 44 Ke3 Rg2!

40 Ra5 RXd3+

The same sacrifice, but with far from the same effect. Nothing was achieved by the other exchange sacrifice — 40 ... Rb2+ 41 NXb2 aXb2 42 Rbl BXf4+ 43 e3 BXe3+ 44 Ke2 Bel (44... BXd4 45 RXb2 Re3+ 46 Kd2 Rg3 47 Rbl Bc3+ 48 Kc2 RXg4 49 h5) 45 Rb5 b3 46 h5 with a probable draw.

41 eXd3

Here the game was adjourned. At first it

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seemed that Black still had winning chances, but after a detailed analysis it became clear that the position was one of dynamic equilibrium. As a counter to Black's passed pawns, White can create play against the enemy king.

41 ... BXf4+ 42 Ke2 Rc3

42... Rb2+ followed by the transfer of the bishop to c3 is too slow, while the "subtle" 42 . .. Bc7? allows White to launch a counter¬attack - 43 Ra6+ Kd5 44 Rcl!

43 g5?!

In our analysis we had not seriously considered this move. There was a straightforward draw by 43 KB Bel (43 ... Rcl 44 RlXa3! Or 43.. .Bd6 44 Ke4 b3 45 R5Xa3 b2? 46 d5+!) 44 Ke4 Kd6 45 Ra6+Kd7(45.. .Kc7 46 d5 Kb7 47 d6!) 46 d5 b3 47 Ra7+ Kd6 (47 .. . Kc8 48 R7Xa3) 48 Ra6+ etc. But when resuming a game Korchnoi has always liked to try and startle his opponent with an unexpected move....

43 ... Bel 44 h5 b3 45 R5Xa3 BXa3 46 RXa3 b2 47 Ra6+ Kf5 48 Rb6

The pawn cannot be saved — 48 Ra5+? Kf4! 49 Rb5 Rc2+.

48 ... Rc2+ 49 Ke3 KXg5

In this sharp ending, which demands precise calculation from both sides, White is running considerably greater risks.

50 d5

The most energetic. White is saved by a miracle in the event of 50 Rb5+ f5 51 d5 KXh5 52 d6 Rc5 53 RXb2 Rd5 54 Rb6 g5 55 d4 Kg4 56 Rc6 (56 Kd3?Kf3), when 56... Kg3 is parried by 57 Rc5!

50... KXh5 51 Kd4

Not 51 d6? Rc6!

51... g5 52 Rb8! g4 53 d6

Here I sank into thought. 53 ... Rc8 immediately suggests itself, but after 54 RXb2 (54 RXc8? bl=Q 55 d7 Qb6+ 56 Kc3 Qa5+ 57Kc4 Qa4+) 54 ... g3 55 Ke3! White succeeds in eliminating the danger — 55 ... Kg4 56 Rb4+ Kh3 57 Rb5! Kh2 (57... Rd8 58 Kf3) 58 Rh5+.

53 ... Rc6!? 54 Ke5

Black's idea was 54 Kd5 Rc8! 55 RXb2? g3 56 d7 (56 Ke4 Kg4) 56 ... Rd8 57 Kd6 f5 58 Ke7 RXd7+ 59 KXd7 f4, when the pawns

cannot be stopped. But 55 RXc8!! would nevertheless have saved White: 55 ... bl=Q 56 d7 QXd3+ 57 Kc6 Qc4+ 48 Kd6 etc.*

54... Rc5+ 55 Kf6?!

55 Kd4 is simpler, forcing 55 ... Rc8 with

the drawing variation given above.

55 ... g3 56 RXb2 Rd5 57 KXf7 RXd6 58 Rd2 Kg4 59 d4

59 Ke7? is bad because of 59 ... Rd4 60 Ke6 Kf4.

59... Kf5!

This cunning route for the king sets White fresh problems. 59 ... Kf4 would have given White a simple draw: 60 Ke7 Rg6 61 Rg2! Ke4 62 Kf7 Rg4 63 Kf6.

60 Ke7 Rd5 61 Rd3!

The only move! 61 Rg2? would have lost to 61... Kf4 62 Rd2 Ke4 63 Rg2 KO 64 Rd2 g2.

61... Kf4 62 Ke6 Rg5

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63 d5?

* This last variation needs to be corrected somewhat, since Black's play can be improved—56. . .Qb5+! 57Kd6 Qb6+ 58 Ke7 Qe6+ 59 Kd8 g3. It may seem that Black is close to success, but here too White is able to save the game - 60 Kc7 Qe7 (60 . . . g2? 61 Rh8+ and 62 d8=Q) 61 Re8 Qc5+ 62 Kb7 Qd5+ 63 Kc7f5 64 d8=Q QXd8+ 65 RXd8f4 66 Rg8! (66 Rf8? g2) 66... Kh4 67 Rf8! Kg4 68 d4f3 69 d5f2 70 d6 etc. The game ends in perpetual check with an unusual balance of material in the event of 60... Qe5+ 61 Kc6 g2 62 d8=Q Qe6+ (62... gl=Q?? 63 Qh8+) 63 Kb7 gl=Q 64 Qh8+ Qh6 65 Qe5+ Qgg5 66 Qe2+! (White loses after 66 Qh2+?Kg6 67Rg8+ Kh7 or 67Rc6+f6)66.. .Kh4(66... Qg467Rc5+)67Qh2+Kg4 68 Qg2+ (68 Rc4+? Kf3) 68 . . . Kh5 69 Qe2+ etc. The attempt to keep the white king atd8 — 59. . . Qe5 (instead of 59 . . . g3) is refuted by the unexpected 60 d4l, when Black cannot achieve anything (60 . . . QXd4 61 Ke7).

The decisive mistake, at a point where the draw was not far away — 63 Rdl! (63 .. . g2 64 Rgl Ke4 65 d5 Rg6+ 66 Kf7, or 63. .. Rg6+ 64 Kf7 Rd6 65 Ke7†). In playing 63 d5? White was hoping to interpose a check — 63 ... g2 64 Rd4+! Ke3 65 Rdl with a draw, but Black forestalls him.

63 ... Rg6+! 64 Ke7 g2 65 Rdl Ke5!

Now the outcome of the game is clear.

66 d6 Re6+ 67 Kd7 RXd6+ 68 RXd6 gl=Q 69 Re6+ Kf5 70 Rd6 Qa7+ 71 Kd8 Ke5 72 Rg6 Qa5+ 73 Kd7 Qa4+ 74 Ke7 Qh4+ 75 Kf8 Qd8+ 76 Kf7 Kf5 77 Rh6 Qd7+ 78 Kf8 Kg5

White resigns.

Thus the score in the match was level, and I would not be mistaken if I were to say that this came as a surprise to both players. But while on the evening of 5th December I received a pleasant surprise, for Korchnoi such a turn of events must have given him serious cause for concern. Firstly, his lead, so easily acquired at the start, had now disappeared. Together with it the psychological initiative, which Korchnoi had held during the first half of the match, had also melted away. But the main thing was that such an experienced fighter as Korchnoi could not help sensing that his opponent was gradually gaining in confidence, and that the time was not far off when I would be operating at full strength.

But nevertheless, I by no means regard the sixth game as the decisive one of the match. I had after all managed only to level the scores, which, strictly speaking, cannot even be called seizing the initiative. It would not be out of place to recall that, in the semi-final match of the previous Candidates cycle, my present opponent was crushed in the twelfth and concluding game, but nevertheless managed to win the match in the additional games. Indeed, when a player is behind, he aims in the first instance to level the scores, and on achieving his aim he often relaxes

† White has to display a certain caution after 63. . . Ke4f? 64d5Rg6+(64.. .Re5+65Kd6g2 66Rel+Kd467Rdl+) 65 Ke7! (65 Kf7? Rd6 66 Rgl Kf367Rdl g2 68 Ke7 RXd5) 65 ... Ke5 66 d6 Rg7+ 67 Kf8 Rd7 68 Rd3! Kf4 69 Rd4+ with an inevitable draw (69. . . Ke3 70 Rg4 Kf3 71 Rg6g2 72 Rf6+ Ke2 73 Rg6, or69...Kf3 70 Rd3+Kg4 71 Ke8 g2 72 Rdl).

involuntarily, although the entire struggle still lies ahead. Therefore it was only the seventh game which could answer the question as to how real were the insignificant changes which had taken shape in the course of this bitter struggle between two characters. It was destined to be. ... However, let us not jump ahead.

I think that Korchnoi made a mistake by not using his postponement after the defeat in the sixth game. The seventh game was scheduled to be played the following day, less than twenty-four hours later, and his memories of the catastrophe during the adjournment session must still have been fresh….

Kasparov-Korchnoi

Catalan Opening

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 g3 d5 4 Bg2 dXc4 5 Nf3

It would have been naive to hope that Korchnoi would repeat his dubious experi¬ment from the fifth game, and in fact he did not arrive for this encounter empty-handed.

5... Bd7!?

As I was later told, Miguel Najdorf, the effusive Argentinian grandmaster, tried to convince everyone in the press room that he had played this fifty years earlier. This is most probably so, but at any rate this move had not found its way into ECO.. . .

6 Qc2

On encountering this surprise, White chooses the quietest continuation, immediately regaining the gambit pawn. Somewhere in my sub-conscious, the thought probably occurred to me: "The scores are level. So why take an unnecessary risk?!" Much more complicated play would have resulted from the critical continuations — 6 Ne5 or 6 0-0.

6... c5! 7 0-0

The only hope of obtaining an advantage was by 7 QXc4, which transposes into a position from the following game in the match, the eighth.

7... Bc6 8 QXc4 Nbd7

Black can obviously be happy with the outcome of the opening. His minor pieces control the centre, and the advanced position of the white queen will give him extra tempi for development.

9 Bg5 Rc8

9... cXd4 was simpler, since now, by exploiting the pawn tension, White creates a

certain disharmony in the opponent's position.

10 BXf6!

Here this exchange of bishop for knight is fully justified. It unexpectedly transpires that each of the three possible recaptures has its drawbacks. Thus after 10 ... QXf6 11 Nc3 Black cannot justify the poor position of his queen, e.g. 11 ... cXd4 12 NXd4 Nb6 13 BXc6+ bXc6 14 Qd3 Rd8 15 e3 e5 (15 ... c5 16 Qb5+) 16 Qe4, or 11... Nb6 12 Qd3 Rd8 13 Ne4 (13 Rfdl!?). The most flexible, strangely enough, was the capture with the pawn, which leads to a complicated position in which Black's two bishops fully compensate for the defects of his pawn structure. Korchnoi hesitated for some thirty minutes, but in the end safety considerations gained the upper hand, and he embarked on the path of simplification.

10 ... NXf6?! 11 dXc5 BXf3

It is a pity to part with this strong bishop, of course, but otherwise Black cannot regain the pawn without detriment to his position, e.g. 11 ... Qd5 12 QXd5 NXd5 13 Nd4 (13 RclBd7!)13. . .BXc514NXc6RXc6(14. . . bXc6 15 Nd2, with an obvious positional advantage) 13 Nc3, and Black cannot avoid loss of material.

12 BXf3 BXc5

Black only needs to castle, and he can feel completely safe. It is possible that at this point Korchnoi was expecting peace negotiations to begin soon, but it turns out that even such a seemingly lifeless position conceals a number of subtleties.

13 Qb5+ Qd7 14 Nc3!

By bringing his knight into play with gain of tempo, White essentially completes his development, whereas Black is still faced with the problem of defending his Q-side.

14... QXb5

Black himself is forced to assist the activation of the white knight, since he is unable to castle. After 14 ... 0-0?! 15 QXb7! QXb7 16 BXb7 Rb8 17 Ba6! the b2 pawn is immune because of 17 ... RXb2 18 Na4 Rc2 19 Bd3.

15 NXb5 Ke7

After the exchange of queens the black king has taken up a comfortable position in the centre of the board, and at first sight there does not appear to be any danger, e.g. 16 BXb7 Rb8 17 Racl BXf2+, or 16 Racl Nd5! 17 BXd5 eXd5 18 Rfdl Ke6 etc. But the tempo which White has at his disposal can be used much more effectively.

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16 b4!!

Strictly speaking, one exclamation mark would be quite sufficient, but for the originality of this decision a second may be attached.

16... BXb4

Otherwise a pawn is lost without any com¬pensation.

17 NXa7 Rc7?

Unsettled by the unexpected turn of events, Black makes a second-rate move which in fact proves to be the decisive mistake! 17 ... Ra8 was essential, although even in this case Black faces a gruelling defence after both 18 Nb5 Rhb8 19 Rfbl Ba5 20 Rb3! and 18 Rfbl!? RXa7 19 RXb4 Rb8 20 a4.

18Rfcl!

One does not often meet an instance where scattered pieces co-ordinate so successfully with one another.

18 ... Rd7

It is doubtful whether Black should have avoided the exchange of one pair of rooks. Especially since all the same the b7 pawn cannot be saved.

19 Rabl Bd2 20 Rc2

Five incomplete moves have passed, and the position has changed beyond recognition — Black's Q-side has been devastated, and his pieces are quite unable to co-ordinate their actions. Theoretically the game is decided, but on his way to winning White still had to overcome the fierce resistance of an opponent who had absolutely no desire to lose a second game in a row.

20... Rhd8 21 BXb7

The black rooks are tripping over their own feet, and so there is no point in White going in for simplification.

21... Kf8 22 Nc6

That seems to be it - 22 ... Re8 23 Ne5 Rdd8 24 Rc7 with an easy win? No, Black manages partially to hold on.

22... Rc7! 23 Rbb2! Rd6!

Again the only move. After the natural 23 ... Rdd7 Black would have lost further material - 24 Ne5! Re7 25 Bc6! Ba5 26 Rb5! Ra7 27 Rb8+ Ne8 28 BXe8 RXe8 29 RXe8+ KXe8 30 Rc8+ Bd8 31 RXd8+ etc. Now the main thing for White is not to be in a hurry to disentangle the amusing cluster of pieces. Thus, for example, 24 RXd2 RXb7! gives Black some drawing chances. Therefore White uses his bridgehead in enemy territory (Bb7, Nc6) as a springboard for the swift advance of his passed pawn.

24 a4! Bel

A desperate attempt to divert White's attention from the Q-side, if only for an instant. Strictly speaking, the threat of. . . Ng4 could have been ignored, since after 25 a5 Ng4 26 a6! BXf2+ 27 Kg2, to all appearances, White wins, but I firmly decided not to give Black the slightest counter-chance.

25 Rbl Nd5!

Black tries to complicate the play, hoping to go fishing in troubled waters. But White's following manoeuvre essentially puts an end to all Black's hopes.

26 Ba8

White is not in a hurry, and just in case he gains time on the clock by repeating moves. 26 ... Rc8 27 Bb7 Rc7

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28 Rc4!

The most clear-cut! The white pieces again acquire the co-ordination which had been lost for an instant, and now nothing can prevent the a-pawn from having the decisive word.

28 ... Ne7 29 Ne5! Ba5

Now a simple combination — 30 RXc7 BXc7 31 a5! BXa5 32 Nc4 Bc7 33 NXd6 BXd6 — would have led to a technically won ending. But White, not concerning himself with winning material, paves the way for his a-pawn with merciless consistency.

30 Rb5 Ng6

The last chance — suppose White's eyes were to become dazzled?

31 Nc6!

Everything reverts to its former state! Now Black has not even a hint of counter-play.

31 ... Rdl+ 32 Kg2 Bel 33 a5 Ne7 34 a6 NXc6

Black at last manages to exchange the knight which has caused him so much trouble, but the a-pawn is already too far advanced

35 RXc6 RXc6 36 BXc6 Ral

The presence of opposite-coloured bishops often favours the defending side, but here White is as though playing with an extra piece — the bishop at el, which is taking no part at all in the game, presents a pitiful spectacle!

37 Rb8+ Ke7 38 Rb7+ Kd6

Otherwise after 38 ... Kf6 39 a7 and 40 Rd7 he has to part with a whole rook.

39 Bb5 Bc3 40 RXf7

Here a halt could have been called, but Black wishes to drink the bitter cup of defeat right to the bottom.

40... Bf6 41 Rd7+ Kc5 42 Bd3 h6 43 Rb7 Ra3 44 a7 Kd5 45 f3 Kd6 46 Rb6+

Black resigns: if 46 ... Kc5, then 47 Ra6 — and after all the bold a-pawn achieves its cherished goal!

Thus within literally twenty-four hours the roles in the match had been reversed — the player chasing had become the leader, and the recent leader was now faced with the problem of restoring the balance. It was clear that the turning point had taken place... .

Two successive defeats are enough to unsettle anyone, even the most experienced match fighter. Therefore it is not surprising that in this situation Korchnoi made use of his one postponement. The changed situation obliged him to go onto the offensive, but, on the other hand, the time for taking reckless risks had not yet arrived. As the course of the eighth game shows, Korchnoi remained true to the strategy he had originally chosen.

Korchnoi-Kasparov

Catalan Opening

1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 g3

Exchanging colours, the two opponents again play the Catalan Opening, and for a certain time the struggle has similar motifs to the previous game.

4 ... dXc4 5 Bg2 c5 6 Qa4+ Bd7 7 QXd4 Bc6 8 dXc5!

White cannot hold on to his extra pawn, of course, but to regain it Black has to make certain positional concessions (remember the note to 11... BXf3 in the seventh game).

8 ... Nbd7 9 Be3 Bd5!

Theory recommends 9 ... Nd5 10 Bd4 Qa5+, but after 11 Nbd2 NXc5 12 0-0 there appears to be no normal way for Black to complete his development.

10 Qa4 Bc6 11 Qc4

It is not easy for the queen to find a good square, e.g. 11 Qc2 (11 Qa3 Ng4! 12 Bd4 e5) 11 ... Be4! 12 Qcl Qa5+ 13 Nc3 Bc6 14 0-0 BXc515 BXc5 QXc5, with complete equality.

11... Bd5 12 Qb4!

Perhaps the only possibility of complicating things.

12... Qc8

A similar situation arose in the seventh game (cf. the note to 10... BXf6). Of the two alternatives — 12 ... a5!? and 12 ... Qc8 — Black chooses the safer, but less promising one, thereby agreeing to passive defence. True, in doing so he forces simplification, whereas after 12 ... a5!? the position would have remained unclear. To be fair, it should be pointed out that the complications — 13 Qa4 Bc6 14 Qc2 Ng4! (14 ... Be4?! 15 Qcl, and there is no check at a5!) 15 Bd4 e5 16 h3 eXd4 17 hXg4 NXc5 — do not appear particularly dangerous for Black (18 RXh7? d3).

13 Nc3 BXc5 14 BXc5 QXc5 15 NXd5!

An important interposition. In the ending

after 15 QXc5 NXc5 16 NXd5 NXd5 17 Rcl Rc8! 18 0-0 Ke7 White has nothing.

15... NXd5 16 Qd2

The pin 16 Qa4 proves to be illusory. Black simply castles, since the knight is taboo: 16 . .. 0-0! 17 QXd7? Qb4+ 18 Nd2 Rfd8.

16... Rc8

Proceeding further along the path of simplification is fraught with great difficulties for Black - 16 ... Qb4? 17 QXb4 NXb4 18 Nd4! 0-0-0 (18 ... e5 19 a3) 19 a3 Nd5 20 BXd5 eXd5 21 Nf5, winning a pawn.

17 0-0 0-0

The position has clarified. Thanks to his long-range bishop White maintains a slight advantage, although the symmetry of the pawn chain allows Black to count on equalizing, given accurate defence, of course. However, White also has on his side a slight psychological advantage — in a match it is especially unpleasant playing a position where a draw is the limit of a player's dreams.

18 Racl Qb6 19 Qd4

The transfer of the knight to d3 would have led to more complicated play — 19 Rfdl Rfd8 20 Nel!? N7f6 21 Nd3. The position would have been of a less specific nature, and all the time Black would have had to be on the alert, watching for possible activation of the opponent's pieces. By exchanging queens, White hopes to exert unpleasant pressure on the Q-side. For the last time in the match Korchnoi pins his hopes on the endgame.

19... Rfd8

There is no point in Black avoiding the exchange - after 19 ... Qa6?! 20 e4 N5f6 21 a3 the powerful centralized position of White's queen gives him an obvious advan¬tage.

20 Rfdl QXd4

The prophylactic 20 .. . a6 looked tempting, depriving the white knight of the square b5 in the future, but then after 21 QXb6 NXb6 22 Ne5! (with the idea of Nd3-c5) the weakness of the a6 and b7 pawns proves appreciable, e.g. 22 ... RXcl 23 RXcl Rc8 24 RXc8+ NXc8 25 Nd7!, with the threats of Nc5 and e2-e4-e5.

21 NXd4 N7b6

This knight must control the c8 square. After the routine 21... N7f6? White exploits the weakness of the eighth rank to invade his opponent's position — 22 Nb5 RXcl (22 ... a6? 23 RXc8 RXc8 24 Nd6 Rc7 25 e4 and 26 NXb7, winning a pawn) 23 RXcl a6 24 Nd6! b5 25 a3!, with the unpleasant threat of Rc6.

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22 Nb3?!

By creating the threat of Nc5, Korchnoi aims to emphasize the drawbacks to Black's

21st move. He also sets a little trap — 22 ... Nc4? 23 RXc4 RXc4 24 e4. But now Black is able to provoke the exchange of all four rooks in a reasonable version. Black would have been set the greatest problems by the energetic 22 RXc8! (22Nb5?! RXcl! 23 RXcl a6) 22 ... RXc8 23 Nb5, when defending the Q-side pawns is not at all easy. Thus 23 ... a6? loses in an already familiar way: 24 Nd6 Rc7 25 e4 and 26 NXb7.

Therefore Black cannot get by without making an escape square for his king — 23 ... g6 (23 ... Kf8 hardly makes any essential difference; perhaps only the fact that after 24 e4 Black's choice is narrowed —24. . .Ne7?is not possible due to 25 NXa7 Ra8 26 Nb5, when the a2 pawn is immune). Now after 24 e4, where should the knight retreat to?

24 ... Nb4 suggests itself, but after 25 NXa7 Ra8 26 Rd6! (26 a3 RXa7 27 aXb4 Ra2) 26 ... Nc4 27 Rd4 RXa7 28 RXc4 NXa2 29 Bfl the dismal position of Black's knight leaves him on the verge of defeat.

24 ... Ne7 is more cautious, but here too by the subtle 25 b3!, restricting the mobility of the knight at b6, White gains an appreciable advantage, e.g. 25 ... a6 26 Nd6 Rc7 (26 . . . Rd8? 27 e5!) 27 a4, and it is not easy for Black to find a successful regrouping.

24 ... Nc7! is correct, pursuing the knight at b5 — White's most dangerous piece. Now 25 NXa7 leads to drawing simplification: 25 . . . Ra8 26 Rd6 Nc4 27 Rd7 RXa7 28 RXc7 NXb2. Therefore White attacks another pawn — 25 Nd6, when an ending with a new balance of forces arises almost by force: 25 ... Rd8 26 e5 Ne8! (26 ... Nc4 is weaker in view of 27 Rcl NXe5 28 NXf7! NXf7 29 RXc7 Rdl+ 30 Bfl with good winning chances) 27 BXb7 Nc4 28 Rcl! NeXd6 29 eXd6 NXd6 30 Bf3. Here to gain a draw Black would have had to overcome certain difficulties.

This analysis shows that the control of the c-file does not bring any gains. On the basis of this, the correct solution to the position on move 21 can be found — 21 ... RXcl! 22 RXcl N7b6. Now 23 Nb5, as already mentioned, does not achieve anything due to 23 . . . a6, while 23 Nb3 leads to a position from the game. However, after 23 a3!? White maintains some pressure (e.g. 23 ... Rc8 24 RXc8 NXc8 25 e4 Nde7 26 e5). Thus the playing of this apparently simple position presents considerable difficulties.

22 ... RXcl! 23 RXcl Rc8 24 RXc8+

The attempt to avoid the immediate exchange — 24 Rc5!? — would not have achieved anything against correct play by Black; 24 . .. Kf8 25 a4! RXc5! (25 ... Ke7 is weaker due to 26 BXd5! eXd5 27 Rb5! NXa4 28 RXb7+ Kf6 29 Nd4, when Black's difficulties have increased) 26 NXc5 Nc4 27 b3 Nd2! 28 BXd5 eXd5 29 b4 b6 30Nd7+ Ke7 31 Ne5 a6! with a draw.

24... NXc8 25 BXd5

In the resulting minor piece ending the long-range power of the bishop cannot be exploited, and so Korchnoi goes in for this new exchange, giving Black an isolated pawn. In the variation 25 Nc5 Nd6 26 e4 Nb4 27 e5 Nc4 the activity of Black's cavalry guarantees him against all difficulties.

25... eXd5 26 Nc5 Nd6

Black's main problem is to avoid as far as possible the creation of new weaknesses in his position.

27 Kg2 Kf8 28 KB Ke7 29 Kf4 f6 30 h4

White in turn tries to create targets for attack on the K-side.

30 ... g6 31 g4 b6 32 Na6 Ne4!

White's threatening activity forces Black to take counter-measures.

33 f3

After 33 Ke3 Kd6 the knight at a6 would have been out of play.

33 ... Nc5 34 Nc7 d4?!

The transition into a pawn ending would have given a straightforward draw: 34 ... Ne6+ 35 NXe6 KXe6 36 Ke3 Ke5! 37 f4+ Kd6 38 Kd4 f5! 39 g5 Ke6.

35Nd5+?!

Short of time, to be on the safe side Korchnoi hastens to blockade the d4 pawn. In fact the ... d3 advance was not dangerous for White. Moreover, after 35 b4! d3! 36 Ke3 dXe2 37 KXe2 Nd7 (37 .. . Ne6 38 Nd5+) 38 Ke3 he would again have acquired some winning chances.

35 ... Ke6 36 Nb4 a5

Securing an excellent post for the king at d5.

37 Nd3 Kd5 38 g5!

It is now White who has to exercise some caution — 38 Kg3? Kc4 would have placed him in a critical position.

38... f5 39 Kg3

Now 39 ... Kc4 runs into 40 Ne5+.

39... NXd3

Draw agreed. The pawn chains have formed an impenetrable barrier to both kings.

I think that this outwardly undistinguished game played a significant role in the final result of the match. While Korchnoi could have regarded his failure in the seventh game as accidental, this draw in a better ending in the eighth must have clearly shown him how unpromising it was to continue his planned match strategy of simplification. And in the ninth game Korchnoi went in for complicated middlegame play. But by this time the psychological advantage was on my side, and besides, I probably had more strength left.

Kasparov-Korchnoi

Catalan Opening

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 g3 d5 4 Bg2 dXc4 5 Nf3 Nbd7 6 0-0 Rb8?!

Korchnoi remains true to his opening tactics. Wishing to divert his opponent from the well-trodden paths, on this occasion he chooses a little-studied continuation which enjoys a dubious reputation. But Korchnoi was unlucky — this plan was well known to me.

7 a4 b6

Reputations are one thing, but up till now Black has managed to gain satisfactory practical results in this variation. But at one of our training sessions, in a training game with Vladimirov, I was able to cast doubts on Black's opening set-up.

(See diagram) 8 Nfd2!

A paradoxical move, which allows White to deploy his forces in the best way possible. The knights at c4 and c3 will occupy ideal positions — while controlling the centre, they

Position after 7 ... b6:

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6-zp-+psn-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
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2-zP-+PzPLzP"
1tRNvLQ+RmK-!
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do not interfere with the other pieces. After the inevitable exchange of the white-squared bishops the weakness of Black's Q-side will become appreciable.

8….e5

The "normal" 8 ... Bb7 9 BXb7 RXb7 10 NXc4 c5 11 Nc3 Be7 12 d5 eXd5 13 NXd5 most probably frightened Black by its total lack of promise. Therefore Korchnoi sets a veiled positional trap.

9 NXc4!

9 d5 looked tempting, hoping for 9 ... Ba6 10 Nc3 Bd6 11 Nb5 0-0 12 NXc4 BXb5 13 aXb5. But after the unexpected 9 . .. a5! Korchnoi's idea would have been completely justified, e.g. 10 Nc3 (10 NXc4 Ba6) 10 ... Ba6 11 Nb5 BXb5 12 aXb5 Bd6 13 NXc4 0-0, and after ridding himself of his weakness at a7, Black can face the future with confidence.

9... eXd4 10 QXd4 Bc511 Qd3 0-012 Nc3 Bb7

Black cannot get by without this move. After all, he has somehow to develop his Q-side, and 12 ... Ba6 is totally bad because of 13 Nb5.

13        BXb7 RXb7 14 Qf3!

An important interposition, interfering with the co-ordination of the black pieces. The routine 14 Bf4 would have allowed Black to escape the worst by 14. . .Bb4! 15Qf3Nc5.

14... Qa8 15 Bf4

The result of the opening is unfavourable for Black, and in the immediate future it is not clear how he can overcome the total disharmony in his ranks. But I think that this assessment does not allow one to declare: "Black played the opening terribly badly" (this was the categorical assessment of Korchnoi's play in the ninth game given by certain commentators). In reality, in the opening Black took a big strategic risk, which as a result of a series of strong moves by his opponent (one of which was an innovation!) proved unjustified. Well, these things happen. .. . and, incidentally, it may be recalled that Korchnoi has often obtained bad positions when encountering innovations, even in the most favourable opening systems. But then his play was not judged so severely. . . .

15... a6

Black could have tried giving up a pawn to rid himself of the unpleasant pressure of the white pieces: 15 ... Rbb8 16 BXc7 (White cannot win the pawn as he pleases— 16QXa8 RXa8 17 BXc7? Rfc8 18 Bd6 BXf2+) 16 ... Qxa8 17 eXa8 Rbc8 18 Bd6 Rfd8! In this ending he would have faced a lengthy struggle for a draw. However, if White is unwilling to exchange the advantages of his position for an extra doubled pawn, he can calmly continue 16 QXa8 RXa8 17 Radl with a considerable superiority, e.g. 17... c618 e4Rfd8 19 Bc7! Rdc8 20 Bd6. Korchnoi plans a different regrouping of his pieces, but the black rook still remains out of play.

16 e4!

White can exploit the great mobility of his pieces only by energetic play.

16... Ra7 17 Nd5

White consistently carries out his plan, aimed at obtaining absolute predominance in the centre. 17 Kg2 was no less promising, renewing the threat of e4-e5, e.g. 17 ... Re8 (17 ... Rd8 18 Radl) 18 e5 QXf3+ 19 KXf3 Nh5 20 Radl NXf4 21 gXf4 with an obvious advantage.

17... b5?!

This impulsive decision seriously worsens Black's position. It would have been very dangerous to go in for the win of a pawn by 17 . . . NXd5 18 eXd5 Nf6 19 Radl Rd8 20 Bg5! RXd5 21 BXf6RXdl 22 QXdl gXf6 23 Rel!, when Black is in enormous difficulties, e.g. 23 ... c6 24 b4! BXb4 25 NXb6 Qf8 26 Qg4+ Kh8 27 Re4! with an attack which can hardly be parried. 17 ... Qc6 was probably the comparatively best way out, agreeing to the variation 18 b3 NXd5 19 eXd5 Qf6 20 Racl, where Black faces a difficult and passive defence.

18 Na5!

Of course, this is rather a long way from the centre, but here the knight occupies a strong and impregnable position (18 . . . Bb6 19 Nc6!), whereas after 18 Ne5? Black would have gained the chance to ease his position by exchanges: 18 ... NXe5 19 BXe5 NXd5 20 eXd5 Bd6! (20... Re8? 21 BXg7! KXg7 22 Qc3+) 21 Bd4 Rb7 etc.

18 ... bXa4?!

Black is heading for a rapid defeat. It was essential to attack the white forces in the centre by 18 ... Re8! It is true that 19 NXc7 QXe4 20 QXe4 RXe4 21 aXb5 RXf4? 22 gXf4 RXc7 23 bXa6 leads to a lost position for Black (White's passed pawns decide the game), but in the ending a pawn down after 21... aXb5 22 NXb5 Ra8 he could still have offered a stubborn resistance.

XABCDEFGHY
8q+-+-trk+(
7tr-zpn+pzpp'
6p+-+-sn-+&
5sN-vlN+-+-%
4p+-+PvL-+$
3+-+-+QzP-#
2-zP-+-zP-zP"
1tR-+-+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

19 Rfcl!

Disclosing all the drawbacks of Black's position. His pieces, in particular his bishop, are quite unable to find normal posts. Thus 19 ... Bd6 is bad because of 20 Nc6 BXf4 21 NXf4! Rb7 22 e5 Ne8 23 RXa4, with absolute domination for White over the entire board.

19 ... Bd4 20 RXa4 BXb2?

Only the prior elimination of the knight at d5 (20 ... NXd5 21 eXd5 BXb2) allowed any resistance. However, then too the combined onslaught of all White's pieces would have been bound to bring him victory. After 22 Rc2 the following variations are possible: 22 . . . Nb6 (22 . . . Be5 23 Nc6! BXf4 24 NXa7) 23 Rb4 Bf6 24 Nc6 Rb7 25 d6! cXd6 26 Qb3! Bd8 27 NXd8 QXd8 28 Rb2, or 22 ... Bf6 23 Be3! (23 BXc7? Be5!) 23 ... Nb6 24 Rg4! h5! (24... Kh8 25 Rc6 Qd8 26 d6) 25 Re4 (25 Rf4? NXd5!) 25... QXd5 26 Rc5 Qd7 27 Nc6 Raa8 28 Bd4!, and the tied up black pieces are unable to help their king (28 ... BXd4 29 RXd4 Qe6 30 Re5, or 28 ... Rfe8 29 RXe8+ RXe8 30 BXf6 gXf6 31 QXf6 etc.). The position after 28 Bd4! is an impressive example of ultra-centralization.

21 Ne7+!

Still alive, this knight causes Black considerable trouble.

21... Kh8 22 Rc2

Now loss of material, without the slightest compensation, is inevitable for Black.

22... Qe8

Things are not essentially changed by 22 . . . Ne5 23 BXe5 BXe5 24 Nac6 Qe8 25 Ra5! Bd6 26 e5 BXe7 27 NXa7 (27 eXf6? BXf6 28 NXa7 Qel+) 27 ... Nd7 28 Nc6 etc.

23 RXb2 QXe7 24 Nc6 Qc5 25 NXa7

The wretched career of the black rook, forced to move about in the mini-square a8-b8-b7-a7, has come to an end. The rest is a matter of elementary technique.

25... QXa7 26 e5 Ng8 27 Be3 Qa8 28 QXa8 RXa8 29 f4 Ne7 30 Rd2!

Black resigns.

This game confirms the correctness of Korchnoi's pre-match description of me (cf. "Prologue")- This crushing defeat has associations with the direct knock-out blow of a boxer, but at this the parallel with a boxer ends, since in chess the outcome of an entire match cannot be decided by one knock-out blow. In spite of the desperate situation, Korchnoi still found the strength to continue the struggle, and the tenth game was to be the most bitterly fought in the match.

Korchnoi-Kasparov

Queen's Gambit

1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Bg5

On this occasion Korchnoi avoids any further discussion in the Catalan Opening.

4 ... Be7 5 Nc3 h6 6 Bh4 0-0 7 e3 b6

The Tartakower-Makogonov-Bondarevsky Variation. The resulting positions are well known to Korchnoi, who has tried various methods of play here.

8 Qb3

But it would seem that Korchnoi has never played this before.

8 ... Bb7 9 BXf6 BXf6 10 cXd5 eXd5 11 Rdl Re8

Now after the usual 12 Bd3 Black can choose between 12 ... c6 followed by ... Nd7-f8-e6, and more active plans: 12 ... Nc6!? 13 0-0 (13 QXd5 BXd4 leads to drawing simplification) 13 ... Na5 14 Qc2 c5, or 12 ... c5!? 13 dXc5 Nd7 — as Belyavsky played against me in the 1978 USSR Championship. But Korchnoi has prepared a little surprise.

12 a3!?

In making this useful move, White has left the d-file clear, thus hindering Black's counter-play with . . . c5.

12 ... c6 13 Bd3 Nd7 14 0-0 g6

Black does not hurry with the . .. Nf8-e6 manoeuvre, since he intends to meet 15 e4 with 15 ... c5!, e.g. 16 eXd5 cXd4 17 Ne4 Nc5! 18 NXc5 BXd5 etc.

15 Rfel Nf8

And now after 16 e4 Ne6 17 e5 the black bishop can be deployed at g7.

16 Bbl Ne6 17 Ba2!

The appearance of the white bishop on the a2-g8 diagonal forces Black to reckon constantly with the threat of e3-e4.

17... Qc7!

In order to reinforce d5 with . . . Rad8. 18Qa4

Renewing the threat ofe3-e4 (19 e4 Rad8 20 eXd5 cXd5 21 BXd5).

18... Rad8

Now on 19 e4 Black will reply 19 ... Qb8. Convinced that the central breakthrough does not promise anything real, Korchnoi initiates play on the Q-side.

XABCDEFGHY
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7zplwq-+p+-'
6-zpp+nvlpzp&
5+-+p+-+-%
4Q+-zP-+-+$
3zP-sN-zPN+-#
2LzP-+-zPPzP"
1+-+RtR-mK-!
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19 b4 Qb8 20 Qc2 Qc7!

Preventing b4-b5.

21 Bb3 Bg7?!

Black misses a favourable moment for the freeing advance of his c-pawn: 21 ... c5! 22 dXc5 bXc5 23 NXd5 BXd5 24 BXd5 cXb4. In the immediate future, active play will no longer be possible.

22 Qa2!

The queen + bishop battery makes the undermining moves e3-e4 and b4-b5 particularly dangerous.

22... a6

Here the advance of the c-pawn could have cost Black dearly: 22 ... c5? 23 NXd5 BXd5 24 BXd5 cXd4 25 eXd4 NXd4! 26 RXe8+! RXe8 27 NXd4 BXd4 28 Qbl!, and White wins a pawn with excellent winning chances (28 ... Qf4 29 QXg6+ Kf8 30 Qc2).

23 Rcl Qb8 24 Na4

Exploiting the weakening of the b6 square, White aims to transfer his knight to d3, where it will be ideally placed, controlling e5 and c5.

24... Qa7! 25 Nc3

If 25 Nb2, then 25 . . . c5!

25... Qb8 26 Rbl

Most probably preparing a3-a4 and b4-b5.

26... Qd6

Again aiming for ... c5, e.g. 27 Na4 c5! 28 dXc5 bXc5 29 bXc5 NXc5 30 NXc5 QXc5 31 Ba4 Re7

27 Rbdl?!

Unable to find a clear plan, Korchnoi begins playing to "hold" the position. In view of his lack of time on the clock, he aims to reach the adjournment without changing the position. And it is possible that the accurate 27 Redl! would have enabled White to achieve this.

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-trr+k+(
7+l+-+pvl-'
6pzppwqn+pzp&
5+-+p+-+-%
4-zP-zP-+-+$
3zPLsN-zPN+-#
2Q+-+-zPPzP"
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27... a5!

To my surprise, the commentators assessed this move with a "?!" sign, regarding it as an attempt to provoke complications in the fifth hour of play. In my opinion, the move is positionally well founded. The isolated pawn at a5 causes Black no more trouble that the a3 pawn causes White, and after the opening of the b-file the white bishop finds itself on the wrong square.

28 bXa5

On 28 b51 was intending to continue 28... c5! 29 dXc5 QXc5 30 NXd5 a4 31 Bc4 Rc8 32 Bfl Nc7! 33 NXc7 RXc7, with sufficient compensation for the sacrificed pawn.

28... bXa5

On the Q-side Black has acquired quite good prospects: . . . Ba6, . . . Rb8 with the doubling of rooks on the b-file, as well as... Bf8, forcing White either to weaken his b4 square, or to withdraw another piece to the defence of his a3 pawn. Urged on by circumstances, Korchnoi at last decides on the breakthrough in the centre.

29 e4 a4?!?

Strictly speaking, this move deserves only a question mark, but the relevant non-chess

factors force this assessment to be supplemented with a "!?" sign. The point is that for the pawn Black gained compensation in the form of. ... eight minutes (that is how long Korchnoi thought over his reply) — more than half the time he had left on his clock! 29 ... dXe4 was of course correct, when Black's chances are certainly not worse. Let us consider both possible captures.

After 30 RXe4?! c5! Black's long-range bishops rake with fire the opponent's position. 31 BXe6. Now 31 ... BXe4 leads to unclear play: 32 BXf7+ Kh7 33 BXe8 BXB 34 gXB RXe8 35 Ne4 Qf8! (35 ... Qf4? 36 Qe2) 36 Kg2! cXd4 37 Rbl. The consequences of 31 ... fXe6 are also not clear: 32 dXc5 QXdl+ 33 NXdl RXdl+ 34 Rel BXB 35 RXdl BXdl 36 Qd2! Ba4! 37 QXa5 Rb8 etc. Stronger is 31... RXe6 32 RXe6 fXe6, when White's position is unstable (33 Rel Kh7 34 RXe6 Qf4). 31 d5 (instead of 31 BXe6) is interesting: 31... BXc3 32 dXe6 QXdl+ 33 Rel! (after 33 BXdl RXdl+ 34 Rel RXel+! 35 NXel RXe6 Black has a slight advantage) 33 ... BXB! 34 eXf7+Kg7 35 fXe8=Q RXe8 36 RXdl BXdl 37 B! (37 h3? loses to 37 ...Rel+ 38 Kh2 Be5+ 39 g3 BB) 37... Rel+ 38 Kf2 Re2+ with a draw. But the simple 31...Nd4 gives Black the better chances. 30 NXe4 Qf4. Now excessive optimism leads White into difficulties: 31 Re3?! c5! (31 . . . NXd4? 32 NXd4 BXd4 33 g3! Qf5 34 RXd4 RXd4 35 BXf7+! QXf7 36 Nf6+ Kf8 37RXe8+Kg738Qe2!)32g3Qf5,or31Nc5?! NXc5 32 dXc5 RXel+ 33 RXel Bc8, and thanks to his two bishops Black has the advantage. Therefore White must relieve the situation- 31 d5! cXd5 32 BXd5 BXd5 33 RXd5 Nd4!? 34 NXd4 BXd4! 35 RXd4 RXd4 36 Nf6+, with simplification leading to a draw.

30 BXa4!

30 NXa4? is weaker: 30 ... dXe4 31 RXe4 c5! 32 d5 (32 BXe6 fXe6) 32 ... Nd4.

30... dXe4 31 NXe4

Not 31 RXe4? NXd4 32 NXd4 BXd4.

31... Qf4 32 d5!

In spite of being in time trouble, White rises to the occasion. After 32 Qd2? Black would have avoided all dangers: 32... QXd2 33 RXd2 Kf8! (33 . . . NXd4? 34 NXd4 BXd4 35 RXd4 RXd4 36 Nf6+ Kf8 37 RXe8+ Kg7 38 Re4) 34 Nc5 (34 d5?! RXd5! 35 RXd5 cXd5 36 BXe8? dXe4) 34 ... NXc5 35 RXe8+ RXe8 36 dXc5 Ra8.

32... Nd4!?

It may seem that 32 ... RXd5 33 RXd5 cXd5 is favourable for Black: 34 BXe8 dXe4 35 Nd2 Bc3! 36 Re3 Bd4. But the interposition 34 Nf6+! puts everything in its place, e.g. 34 ... BXf6 35 BXe8 Bc3 36 Re3 d4 37 BXf7+! Kg7 (37 ... QXf7 38 RXe6 Be4 39 Ne5) 38 QXe6 dXe3 39 QXg6+ Kf8 40 Qg8+ Ke7 41 Qe8+ Kf6 42 fXe3 and wins. Therefore Black tries to "twist" the position.

33 NXd4 RXe4 34 BXc6?

34 dXc6? RXel+ 35 RXel QXd4 36 cXb7 QXa4 is bad for White, but 34 NXc6! Would have refuted Black's reckless 29th move. It is unlikely that he has anything better than 34. . . BXc6 35 BXc6 Rb8, with faint hopes of saving the game.

34... BXd4 35 BXb7

White is two pawns up, but the superior placing of Black's pieces and the fact that it is his turn to move allow him to create counter-play.

35... Rb8

35... RXel+ 36 RXel Rb8 is parried by 37g3!QB38Qd2!Bc539Bc6BXa3 40QXh6.

36 RXe4

In such a position a single mistake may even lead to defeat - 36 g3? QB!

36... QXe4 37 Qbl

Even less was promised by 37 Qb3 Qe2 38 Rfl Qe7! 39 Qd3 (39 Rbl Qe2 40 QB? RXb7!) 39...Bc5 40Bc6Rb2 41QB(41a4RXf2!)41 .. . BXa3, and the activity of the black pieces fully compensates for the pawn.

37... Qf4

(See diagram) Here White had the interesting possibility of 38 Qc2!?, found in the press room by one of the grandmasters. The effect of the elementary trap (38 . . . RXb7? 39 Qc8+) was evidently so strong, that the commentators restricted themselves to the variation 38 ... Kg7? 39 Rbl, and declared 38 Qc2 to be a virtually winning continuation.

But the position deserves a more thorough analysis.

XABCDEFGHY
8-tr-+-+k+(
7+L+-+p+-'
6-+-+-+pzp&
5+-+P+-+-%
4-+-vl-wq-+$
3zP-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-zPPzP"
1+Q+R+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

And so: 38 Qc2 Be5! 39 g3 QB 40 Rd3 (40 Bc6 Rb2 41 d6 QXa3! 42 Qe4 Qc5! leads to a draw, while in the event of 40 Rel QXa3! 41 Bc6 Qd6 White has only a symbolic advan¬tage — the situation is almost identical to the 15th game of the match in Merano) 40 ... Qe4 41 Ba6 (after 41 Bc6 Qel+ 42 Kg2 Rbl Black's attack is dangerous) 41... Rb2 (here 41 ... Qel+ 42 Kg2 Rbl is ineffective because of 43 Re3!) 42 Qdl (42 Qc8+?Kg7 43 Re3 Qbl+ 44 Kg2 Bd4 45 Re2 RXe2 46 BXe2 Qel,or44BflBd4 45Rf3Qel)42...Re2!43 B! Bd4+! (43 ... Rel+?44Kg2 Re2+ 45 Kfl) 44 Khl Rel + 45 Kg2 Re2+ 46 Kh3 Qf5+ 47g4 Qe5 48 f4 Re3+ (48 ... Qe4?! 49 Rg3 Rf2 50 d6!) 49 RXe3 QXe3+ 50 Kg2 Qf2+ 51 Khl QXf4 with a probable draw.

43 Kfl (instead of 43 D!) 43 ... Ra2 44 QD Ral+ 45 Kg2 Qel 46 Re3 favours White, but it runs into the fantastic reply 43 ... Bd4!! (see diagram).

The following variation appeals to me: 44 RXd4 QB 45 QXe2? Qhl mate. Black has the better ending after 45 Rf4 RXf2+ 46 Kel Qhl+ 47 KXf2 QXdl, while in the event of 44 Re3 RXf2+ 45 KXf2 BXe3+ 46 Kfl Bc5! the open position of White's king causes him considerable trouble.

Thus, given correct play by Black, 38 Qc2 would also not have given White a win. True, it can be assumed that at the board Black might not have been able to find all this.. ..

Position after 43 . . . Bd4!! (variation):

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+k+(
7+-+-+p+-'
6L+-+-+pzp&
5+-+P+-+-%
4-+-vlq+-+$
3zP-+R+-zP-#
2-+-+rzP-zP"
1+-+Q+-mK-!
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38 d6 QXd6!

Of course, Black prefers this pawn to the f2 pawn.

39 g3

He cannot get by without making an escape square for his king.

39 ... RXb7!

39... Qc5 was tempting (39 ... Qd7? 40 Kg2 RXb7 41 RXd4), but after 40 Qe4 (40

Rd2? RXb7!, or 40 Rfl? Qa7!) 40 ... BXf2+ 41 Kg2 Black could again have had difficulties. Therefore he forces a draw.

40 QXb7 BXO+ 41 KXC QXdl 42 Qa8+

Here Korchnoi offered a draw. The score became 6-4, and the struggle in the match was essentially concluded. To gain a draw with White in the eleventh game was unlikely to be particularly difficult, but I wanted to conclude the match not with a "winning full-stop" but with an exclamation mark! The situation obliged Korchnoi to complicate matters, and when Black takes a considerable risk, success for White demands mainly that he should play boldly (discarding prejudices such as "the tradition of the last game" and "gentleman's magnanimity").

The Plan which Brought Victory

Kasparov-Korchnoi

Modern Benoni Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 g3 c5

Korchnoi, obliged to play to win, deviates from the quiet Catalan set-ups, and takes the play along "Indian" lines.

4 d5 eXd5 5 cXd5 b5

Korchnoi had already played this once (against Portisch at the Lucerne Olympiad), and therefore in principle the move was not unexpected for me. By 5 ... d6 Black could have transposed into a normal Modern Benoni, which would have been playing too much "against himself, since Korchnoi has won many games with White against this setup, by fianchettoing his white-squared bishop. True, at the same Olympiad he lost one game — to me, but this was by no means as a result of the opening. ... Here he wishes in the first instance to obtain a little-studied position.

6 Bg2 d6 7 b4!

XABCDEFGHY
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xabcdefghy

A move which was perhaps psychologically surprising. The score in the match allowed me to play quietly (say, 4 Nf3), but I was playing for a win and intended to make the moves which I considered best. Especially as this seventh move has a quite logical positional basis: to disclose as quickly as possible the weakness in Black's position — his c6 square. After the c5 pawn has left its post, the white knight will be able to head forward along a highly promising route: Ngl-f3-d4-c6.

Of course, there is also a drawback to the move — it sacrifices a pawn. After 7 ... cXb4 8 a3 bXa3 9 NXa3 an unusual variation of the Benko Gambit arises, but in an obviously favourable version for White: Black's position has many weaknesses. Although in the "official" stem game (Sosonko-Timman, Tilburg, 1982) White was unable to exploit all the advantages of his position, I think that the white pieces could have been deployed more skilfully. Incidentally, as far as I am aware, this position first occurred in a game Zaichik-Vladimirov in 1981, a year earlier than the aforementioned game. Vladimirov continued 9 ... Bd7 and managed successfully to solve his opening problems. But, I repeat, somewhere White's play can certainly be improved. In general, complicated positions of this type appeal to me. A minimal material deficit is fully compensated by great positional plusses. In addition, White has the initiative.

Korchnoi avoids these variations, and makes a highly interesting new move.

7... Na6!?

Black does not win a pawn, but on the other hand he develops his pieces with a gain of tempo. His knight occupies a satisfactory and, to some extent, permanent post at c5. It must be said that Black is now very slightly ahead in development, and that White has several weak squares on the Q-side, e.g. c3 and c4.

8 bXc5 NXc5

XABCDEFGHY
8r+lwqkvl-tr(
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This position can be characterized as follows: Black, as they say, is more dynamically placed, but if White can develop his pieces well, long-term strategic factors will then come into force.

9 Nf3g6

The correct move. The best chance for this bishop to make a career is by operating along the long diagonal.

10 0-0

This is natural, but perhaps the immediate 10 Nd4 would have been preferable.

10 ... Bg7 11 Nd4 0-0?!

While the merits of castling by White are open to discussion, the analagous move by Black is a serious inaccuracy. Now White carries out his plan without hindrance. 11... Bb7 was essential, creating concrete threats against the white centre and preventing the opponent from occupying c6. Black should have used the good placing of his pieces to attack the d5 pawn — the "crux" of the pos¬ition, and to prevent White from relieving the situation along the al-h8 diagonal. But now, with the help of some little tactical nuances, White completely solves his tem¬porary difficulties.

XABCDEFGHY
8r+lwq-trk+(
7zp-+-+pvlp'
6-+-zp-snp+&
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4-+-sN-+-+$
3+-+-+-zP-#
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12Nc3!

Here Korchnoi thought for a long time. Rather unexpectedly, he had some very serious problems to solve. 12. .. b4 looks the most natural. Then 13 Nc6 (incidentally, this is why 11... Bb7 was better instead of 11... 0-0).

Now 13 ... Qb6 is very strongly met by 14 Rbl, not only removing the rook from the "X-ray" of the bishop, but also winning the b-pawn. Therefore Black must play 13 ...

Qd7, when 14 NXb4 is not possible because of 14... Nfe4, winning the exchange. I think that even in this case White has good play, but 14 Nb5! is even stronger. Now there is no way for Black to exploit the undefended state of the rook at al. After, say, 14 ... NXd5 15 QXd5 BXal one of the white knights unex¬pectedly "loops the loop": 16 NXd6! Ne6 NXc8! QXd5 18 N8e7+ Kg7 19 NXd5 - and Black can resign. A pretty simple variation: after all, the white knights essentially control almost the entire board! An alternative is 14 ... Nfe4 15 Nbd4, which leads to an interest¬ing position with two sets of coupled knights. But the white knights are operating more effectively, especially the one at c6 — it ties down the black rook and queen. In the event of 15. . .Nc316Qc2Ba617RelBlackisfaced with difficult problems over his b4 pawn, and White's advantage is of a permanent nature.

This explains why Korchnoi did not play 12 . .. b4, but made a more restrained move, hoping to retain the threat for the moment and to develop his pieces.

12 ... a6

Here it was I who thought for a long time, for some twenty-five minutes. It is clear that White's position is highly promising, but, unfortunately, the immediate 13 a4 does not work because of 13 ... b4 14 Nc6 Qd7, when the very important b5 square is not available for the knight. 13 Rbl looks the most logical, preparing the advance of the a-pawn, which is part of White's plan. But Black has the strong reply 13 ... Re8!, after which the threat of ... Nfe4 is unpleasant (the weakness of the c3 square and the insecure placing of the white knights become telling factors). Black obtains some counter-play, and although this is nothing terrible, it would seem that White no longer has an opening advantage.

Therefore after lengthy consideration I came to the conclusion that I had to neutralize Black's play along the long diagonal, and somehow to eliminate the "hanging" state of the knights. It was this that gave birth to the plan which was to bring me overall victory in the match.

XABCDEFGHY
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13 Nc6! Qc7 14 Be3

There is a degree of irony in the fact that it was by this plan that I won the match. After the transfer of the bishop to d4 Black's counter-play is radically eliminated, and he is then faced with a different question: will he be able to hold out? I was no longer in any danger of losing, provided I didn't leave anything en prise. Of course, in such a position it is absurd to think about the danger of losing, but nevertheless the match situation obliged me to play solidly. Fortunately, this was one of those rare instances where the desirable and the necessary coincided, i.e. the move played was the strongest in the given pos¬ition. Soon, as I have already said, White's permanent strategic plusses will begin to tell, especially the knight at c6. In prospect is a pawn at this square, since Black will not be able to tolerate such a knight for long. And a pawn at c6, supported by a bishop from g2, is a formidable force.

14... Bb7 15 Bd4

Now White is fully prepared for a2-a4, whereas Black is restricted in his choice. The exchange of black-squared bishops (15 ... Nfd7 16 BXg7 KXg7) does not achieve anything (17 Qd4+ and 18 a4).

15... Rfe8

Korchnoi hopes to create some counter-play in the centre. Here I could have chosen the ultra-simple 16 e3, but the move played is nevertheless the most correct.

16 a4! BXa4

Forced. 16 ... BXc6 17 dXc6 b4 runs into the simple 18 BXf6 BXf6 19 Nd5. If instead 18 ... bXc3, then 19 BXg7 KXg7 20 Qd4+, and then White does not even take the pawn immediately, but plays 21 Ra2. The c3 pawn will fall all the same, while the pawn at c6 will decide the game. Therefore Black is obliged to break up his Q-side pawns. 16... NXa4 17 NXa4 bXa4 18 RXa4 is not even worth con¬sidering. Black cannot take the d-pawn — 18 . . . NXd5 19 BXd5 BXc6 20 Rc4.

Now, in a highly favourable situation, White gives up his black-squared bishop. Black's Q-side pawn structure is completely broken, and the d5 pawn becomes passed. As for the black bishop at g7, soon all the pieces move off the dangerous diagonal, and there will simply be nothing for it to do.

17 BXc5 dXc5 18 QXa4

White could also have taken with the rook, but the move played is more correct. It creates the serious threat of Na5, and keeps open more manoeuvring possibilities.

18... Nd7 19 Qb3

A move which can, perhaps, be criticized. This was probably the only point in the entire game when I "remembered" that a draw was equivalent to a win. But this "solid" move forces Black to take on c6 (otherwise 20 d6), and the play becomes altogether simple in nature. In general, White's 19th move increased his chances of victory in the match, but reduced his chances of victory in the game.

19 Qa3 was more correct, when White has carried out his plan fully one hundred per cent. Black cannot take on c6 because of the loss of his c5 pawn, and at the least White gains a tempo. Black would have been forced to play 19 ... Bf8, but when moves such as this have to be made, the position is clear. White then places his rooks at bl and dl with a strategically won position.

19 ... BXc6 20 dXc6 Nb6 21 Rabl

White has made "his" moves, and again Korchnoi thought for a long time. He realized that 21 ... c4 was best here, but then White can immediately force a draw by 22 QXb6. However, I was intending to continue 22 Qa3.

21 ... Rab8 22 Qa3 c4

Black could have played 22 ... Bd4, trying to leave c4 available for his knight. Then on 23 e3 he can continue 23 ... Nc4, to answer 24 QXa6 with 24 ... NXe3. But White has apossibility of concluding the game by force:

24 Nd5 NXa3 25 NXc7 NXbl 26 NXe8 Nd2 27 Nd6! NXfl 28 c7, or 26 ... RXe8 27 eXd4 Nc3 28 d5.

23 Rfcl BXc3

Desperation! Black has hopes of activating his rook after 24 RXc3 RXe2 25 QXa6 Qe5, although I am sure that even here White wins. I continued playing "towards the centre", with play on the K-side in prospect, in view of the awkward position of the black knight.

24 QXc3 RXe2

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25 Qd4!

The queen is centralized, and now specific threats appear, say, 26 Rdl and 27 Qd6 or 27 RXb6. Therefore Black was bound to play 25 ... Re5, so as then somehow to cover the knight. But then White would have begun exploiting his "numerical superiority" in the centre and on the K-side: 25 Rel! Rb5 26 Rbdl, and, for instance, 27 g4 and 28 Qf6 with the threat of Re7 or the advance of the h-pawn.

Black's Q-side pawns only theoretically give him a material advantage. On the contrary, his forces are completely disunited by the white pawn at c6. In approaching time trouble Korchnoi makes an impulsive move.

25... a5

Black is still hoping for something.

26 Rb5

White prepares to win the knight.

26... a4 27 Bf3

The simplest, although 27 Rcbl was also possible.

27... Ree8 28 Qc5!

There is simply nothing for Black to move!

28... Qe7 29 c7 QXc5 30 RXc5 Rbc8 31Bb7 Nd7 32 R5Xc4

Further loss of material is unavoidable, and so Korchnoi resigned.

It is surprising, but this win gave grounds for well-wishing critics to accuse me of youthful maximalism, excessive zeal, and so on....

Thus on 16th December 1983, with this victory in the Candidates Semi-final match, an important stage in my career was concluded, in the course of which I had gained much chess and non-chess experience.

The Test of Time

Candidates Final Match, Vilnius, 1984

Vilnius, the White Hall in the Art Museum.... It was here on 10th March that the Candidates Final Match began, between two Candidates who bore absolutely no resemblance to each other. Without going into detail, we should merely remind the reader that during the match one of them celebrated his 63rd birthday, while immediately after it the other celebrated his 21st. However, they did have one feature in common. Before the start of the Candidates cycle, when our prospects were being discussed, one often heard: "What chance has he got at his age?!" True, to this question each attached his own meaning. . .. Thus Smyslov had to show that he still had sufficient strength for a fierce and uncompromising struggle, while I had to find some other qualities to compensate for my complete lack of necessary experience.

Interzonal, Quarter-final, Semi-final — the succcessful overcoming of these stages was for us a kind of victory over time. The established qualifying age for Candidates was extended simultaneously in both directions, but in the end the stretched time thread was bound to snap!

During our preparations for the match with Vasily Smyslov, I and my group of trainers had to solve some difficult problems. In the first instance the experience of the matches with Belyavsky and Korchnoi had to be studied thoroughly, in order to exclude

previous mistakes. Then the games of the Ex-World Champion had to be carefully analysed, and the vulnerable points of my future opponent determined. I could also not get by without comprehensive and high-quality opening preparation: in an encounter at such a level, especially with so harmonious a player as Smyslov, much could be solved by the successful handling of the opening. Often a match between two top-class players becomes a testing ground for certain opening systems. In a succession of games the two players try to demonstrate, first and foremost, the correctness of their creative conceptions. It is clear that victory in such a theoretical duel can essentially result in success in the match as a whole. In such situations particular significance is acquired by the harmonious work of the team of seconds during the course of the match, since constant checking and improving of the systems being employed is required. In the preceding matches I and my seconds had had to solve this problem with the white pieces (against Belyavsky an unusual line of the Queen's Gambit occurred in four games, while with Korchnoi the discussion proceeded in four Catalan Openings). But in the match with Smyslov crucial battles were simultaneously fought on both fronts: with White in the Cambridge-Springs Defence, and with Black in the Tarrasch Defence. And it was out of my victories in these two micro-matches (each of four games) that my overall victory was formed. Therefore I will begin my account of the Final Match with one of the critical opening positions.

In the second, eighth, tenth and twelfth games (with Smyslov playing White) the two

opponents made the first twelve moves at blitz speed:

1 d4 d5 2 NB c5 3 c4 e6 4 cXd5 eXd5 5 g3 Nf6 6 Bg2 Be7 7 0-0 0-0 8 Nc3 Nc6 9 Bg5 cXd4 10 NXd4 h6 11 Be3 Re8 12 a3 Be6

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As the reader will probably remember, 12 a3!? was first employed by Korchnoi in the second game of our match in London. Then I managed to demonstrate the viability of Black's position after 12 ... Be6 13 Qb3 Qd7 14 NXe6 fXe6 15 Radl Bd6! 16 Bel Kh8. But in the second game of the Vilnius match an unusual surprise awaited me!

13 Khl!?

This seemingly pointless waste of time has a solid positional basis. After the probable exchange on e6 it will not be easy for White to find employment for his black-squared bishop. Therefore he prepares a post for it in good time at gl. Thus White's strategic plan is NXe6, f2-f4, Bgl, then at a convenient moment e2-e4 or f4-f5, opening up the position to exploit the advantage of the two bishops.

13... Qd7?!

This allows White to carry out his idea. The critical reply will be shown in the eighth game.

14 NXe6 fXe6 15 f4!

An important tactical subtlety is 15... d4? 16Ne4!

15... Red8!

Black finds the most successful way of deploying his rooks. After the plausible 15 ...Rad8? the rook at e8 would have remained out of it.

16 Bgl Rac8 17 Qa4 Kh8

Useful prophylaxis.

18 Radl

White has completed his mobilization, and is ready to storm the opponent's defences by e2-e4. The utmost ingenuity and resourcefulness are demanded of Black, since he is constantly obliged to balance on the edge of the abyss.

18 ... Qe8 19 e4 d4!

This nuance — 20 BXd4? is impossible due to 20 ... b5!, winning a piece — saves Black for the moment.

20 Ne2

After 20 e5 dXc3 21 eXf6 BXf6 22 bXc3 Qe7! White's pawn weaknesses give Black satisfactory counter-play.

20... Bc5 21 Qb5

Tying down the black pieces and prevent¬ing the further advance of the d-pawn, which could have been troublesome for White, e.g. 21 b4? d3! 22 Ncl BXgl 23 KXgl d2 24 Nb3 Ng4! 25 RXd2 (25 b5 Qh5 26 h3 Ne3) 25 ... RXd2 26 NXd2 Qd8!

21... Bb6 22 h3!

A very strong move, depriving Black of his main chance — the transfer of his knight to e3. 22 e5 Ng4 23 BO Ne3 24 BXe3 dXe3 25 Rd6, as suggested by certain commentators, is unconvincing. In my opinion, after 25 ... RXd6 26 eXd6 Rd8 27 Rdl e5! 28 BXc6 bXc6 29 QXe5 Qg6 Black gains excellent counter-play.

22... e5!

Now e4-e5 cannot be allowed.

(See diagram overleaf) 23 fXe5?!

In his haste to extract some concrete gain from the position, White relieves the situ¬ation in the centre, and wrongly so. It would have been much more promising to intensify the pressure by 23 Bh2! and g3-g4, when Black would have had much more difficult problems to solve.

23... NXe5 24 QXe8+

After 24 NXd4 QXb5 25 NXb5 RXdl! 26 RXdl Rc2 the activity of Black's pieces is quite sufficient compensation for the pawn

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(e.g. 21 BXb6 aXb6 28 b4 Nh5!).

24 ... RXe8 25 NXd4 Nc4 26 e5!

All the same White cannot retain his material advantage, and in the lively piece play which now commences, the initiative will be on his side, thanks to his two bishops.

26... RXe5 27 BXb7

Interposing 27 Rcl does not work because of 27 ... Ne4! 28 Kh2 Ned2 29 Rfdl Rd8.

27... Rc7 28 Rcl! NXb2!

After 28 ... RXb7? 29 RXc4 Re4 30 Rfcl White would have had every chance of realizing his extra pawn.

29 RXc7 BXc7 30 Nc6 Re2!

Black is saved by activating his pieces to the maximum. 30... Rb5? is strongly met by 31 Bc8!, and if 31... Ne4, then 32 Rf8+ Kh7 33 Kg2!, with a difficult position for Black (33 . . . NXg3? fails to 34 Bh2 Rg5 35 h4).

31Nd4

In view of 31 NXa7 Nh5! Or 31Rf2 Ne4! the knight has to return.

31 ... Re5 32 Nf5!

A fresh resource: exploiting the somewhat scattered nature of the black pieces, Smyslov tries to create an attack on the king with minimal forces.

(See diagram) 32 ... Bb6!

Exchanging White's potentially most dangerous piece.

33 NXh6 Ra5! 34 BXb6

White cannot advantageously avoid this exchange: 34 Bh2 Nd3! (34 ... RXa3? 35

Position after 32 Nf5!:

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Nf7+ Kg8 36 Ne5!) 35 Nf5 RXa3, and Black has nothing to fear.

34 ... aXb6 35 Nf5 RXa3 36 Kh2 Nc4 37 g4

In spite of the limited material, the insecure position of Black's king obliges him to be cautious.

37... Ra7!

An important defensive resource. It transpires that it is not easy for the white bishop to find a good retreat square, e.g. Bg2 Ra2! with the threat of... g6 (39 g5? Nd5). Black would have been condemned to passivity after 37... Ne3 38 NXe3 RXe3 39 g5 Nh7 40 h4.

38 Bhl Ne5 39 g5?!

The black knight should not have been presented with its excellent post at h5. White would have had slightly the more pleasant position after 39 Rel Ra5 40 Re2.

39... Nh5 40 Rel Ra5

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Here the game was adjourned. On analysis it unexpectedly transpired that it was now White who had to exercise caution, e.g. 41 Ne7?! Nd3! 42 Rdl Ra2+ 43 Kgl Ndf4 (43 ... Nhf4 44 Ng6+), when he is saved only by the sacrifice of a piece - 44 Rd8+Kh7 45 Be4+ g6 46 BXg6+! NXg6 47 NXg6 KXg6 48 Rd6+ KXg5 49 RXb6 etc. But the commentators, evidently hypnotized by the preceding course of events, judged the position to favour White. Smyslov assessed the situation more soberly — after 25 minutes' thought he sealed the strongest move, 41 Nd6!, and the following morning he offered a draw. It was accepted in view of 41... Kh7 42 Nb7! Rb5 43 Nd6.

For me this was perhaps the most difficult game in the match. On the other hand, the successfully conducted defence increased my confidence in my own powers.

After this game it became clear that Smyslov's original idea would set Black new problems in the Tarrasch Defence. The true worth of 13 Khl!? could, of course, be determined only by further testing. Nevertheless, commentators promptly furnished the king move with two exclamation marks, went into raptures over it, and informed chess enthusiasts about the birth of "the innovation of the year". As the subsequent theoretical discussion in the match showed, such conclusions should not have been drawn so hastily. And besides, the idea that the moves 12 a3 and 13 Khl could refute the Tarrasch Defence hardly accords with common sense in chess. .. .

In the eighth game in reply to 13 Khl there followed

13... Bg4!

(See diagram) The black bishop is by no means obliged passively to await its fate, and the loss of time (the second move with the bishop) is compensated by the not altogether happy position of the king at hi. Smyslov thought for about half an hour, but even so could not bring himself to make one of the crucial continuarions 14 Qb3 or 14 h3.

14 f3

White is consistent — his black-squared

Position after 13 . . . Bg4!:

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bishop will again go to gl, but here this regrouping is not so effective as before.

14... Bh5 15 Bgl

15... BXa3 was threatened.

15... Qd7!

The development of the white bishop at the active position h3 must be prevented.

16 Qa4

16 NXc6 bXc6 17 e4 is most simply parried by 17 ... Qb7.

16... Bc5!

At b6 the bishop will cover Black's Q-side, and will simultaneously exert pressure on the key point d4.

17 Radl Bb6 18 Rfel

In the event of any possible operations in the centre, White defends his e2 pawn in advance, but 18 Rd2 would perhaps have been preferable.

18... Bg6!

XABCDEFGHY
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Now, when this bishop too has come into play, it has become obvious that Black's opening difficulties are behind him. Moreover, thanks to his active minor pieces, he has prospects of an initiative.

19 Qb5

The correct decision: White intends by Na4 to force the opponent to lift the pressure on the centre. The variation 19 NXc6?! bXc6 20 e4 BXgl 21 KXgl Qb7! could hardly have satisfied him (22 eXd5 RXel+ 23 RXel Qb6+! 24 Khl NXd5 25 NXd5 cXd5 etc.).

19... Rad8 20 e3?!

In my opinion, White should have consistently carried out his plan with 20 Na4.1 was intending to continue with 20 ... BXd4 21 BXd4 Bc2 22 BXf6 (forced: 22 Nc5? NXd4!, or 22 Rd2? a6! 23 Nc5 aXb5 24 NXd7 NXd7) 22 ... BXdl 23 BXd8 (the interposition 23 Nc5? runs into the crushing retort 23 ... BXe2!!, when Black emerges from the result¬ing skirmish with a decisive material advan¬tage, e.g. 24 RXe2 Qf5 25 RXe8+ RXe8 26 Bc3 d4 27 Bd2 b6!) 23 ... BXa4 24 QXa4 QXd8 with a slight initiative (25 f4 d4! 26 BXc6? bXc6 27 QXc6 d3 28 e4 d2 29 Rdl Re6 30 Qc3 Rd6). In this case the game would most probably have ended in a draw.

A move such as 20 e3 might have appealed to Nimzowitsch, but even in the name of "over-protection" of d4 the black-squared bishop should not have been condemned to inactivity. Besides, the excessive reinforcement of one point inevitably leads to a weakening of control over others. The cheerless fate of the white bishops in this position makes a striking contrast with the second game.

20... Qd6

Black has no reason at all to go in for simplification.

21 Nce2 Ne5!

By-passing the opponent's powerful central outpost. If this knight can be established at c4, Black's advantage will become appreciable.

22 Qb3 Ba5! 23 Nc3

This return is forced, since on 23 Rf 1 Black has the highly unpleasant 23 ... Nc4.

XABCDEFGHY
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23... Nd3?!

Here Black deviates from the correct path. His pieces are ideally placed, and therefore he should have set about seizing space on the Q-side using his pawns — 23 ... a6! followed by ... b5. Then the black knight could have been comfortably established at c4. At the same time it is not apparent how White can exploit the opposition of queen and rook on the d-file. I think that after this development of events Black's advantage could have become appreciable.

24 Re2 Nc5 25 Qa2 BXc3 26 bXc3

The spoiling of White's pawn chain is inevitable: 26 Nb5 Qa6 27 NXc3 Na4! Less clear is 27 ... Bd3 28 Rf2! Bc4 29 Qbl, when 29 ... RXe3? is not possible due to 30 Rfd2.

26... Qa6

This move deserves to be criticized, but I do not think that the alternative suggestion of 26... Bd3 27 Red2 Bc4 is any better. Apart from its obvious virtues, the transfer of the bishop to c4 also has some significant drawbacks: it weakens Black's control of f5, and, most important — at c4 the bishop prevents him from using the c-file for active play.

27 Red2 Na4?!

But here I think that Black's play can be improved by the preliminary 27 ... Rc8, e.g. 28 Bh3 Rc7 29 Bfl Qa5 30 c4Na4! 31 Nb5 Rc5 32 e4 RXb5 33 cXb5 Nc3 etc.

Now after 27 ... Na4?! 28 Qb3 Rc8 29 Nb5! (29 Bfl?! Qa5 30 Qb4 QXb4 31 cXb4 a6! with much the better ending) the position would have become completely unclear.

Having a lead of two points in the match at this point, I did not feel disposed to take risks, and so I offered a draw. Smyslov did not like his position — he accepted the offer without hesitation.

For the tenth game it was Smyslov who had to find a new idea for White. Again the Ex-World Champion did not wish to engage in a critical discussion, and he contended himself with a micro-improvement.

15 NXc6 (the first 14 moves as in the eighth game) 15 ... bXc6 16 Na4

XABCDEFGHY
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White's plan is simple: to seize control of d4 and c5, and then, exploiting the remoteness of Black's white-squared bishop from the Q-side, to begin pressure on c6. Black's counter-play must obviously be based on exploiting the half-open b- and e-files.

16... Qc8!

At e6 the queen will be excellently placed: it will simultaneously attack the e2 pawn, defend the weakness at c6, and prevent the activation of the g2 bishop.

17 Bd4 Qe6 18 Rcl Nd7 19 Rc3 Bf6?!

Here   the   exchange   of  black-squared bishops favours White. 19 ... Bg6 was preferable.

20 e3! Bg6 21 Kgl?!

The motto of such a move is "just in case". Of course, somewhere in the endgame there might be a risk of an unpleasant check on the back rank, but for the moment the position is a middlegame one, and it is difficult to say definitely where the king stands better — at h1 or gl. In addition, Black is presented with a tempo which he is able to use fairly productively. Stronger was 21 BXf6 QXf6 22 Qd4! (22 Qd2?! Nb6!) 22 ... QXd4 23 eXd4, when the weakness at c6 becomes appreciable.

21... Be7!

Black takes the opportunity to repair his mistake. Incidentally, ... c5 is now threatened (here is another drawback to Kgl).

22 Qd2 Rab8

Black aims in the first instance for active counter-play: along with the possibility of provoking favourable simplification by ... c5, he also has the unpleasant threat of... Nb6. The a7 pawn is of course untouchable: 23 BXa7? Ra8 24 Nc5 Qd6! 25 NXd7 RXa7 26 Nc5 Bf6 27 Reel Qe5, with advantage to Black.

23 Rel

Defending the e-pawn and intending to bring the bishop at g2 into play. It was also worth considering 23 b4!? Nb6 24 Nb2.

23... a5!

It is important to prevent the restraining b2-b4, and the weakness at a5 is illusory (after 24 Reel White all the same cannot take with the queen on a5 due to ... Ra8).

24 Bfl

The exchange of minor pieces at c5 favours Black - 24 Nc5?! BXc5 25 BXc5 NXc5 26 RXc5 a4!, and the weaknesses at b2 and e3 are at least as sensitive as those at c6 and a4.

24... h5

Black demonstrates the soundness of his position, and hints that at a convenient moment he may organise counter-play against the white king.

25 Recl (see diagram overleaf) 25... Ne5?!

A poor move, which runs counter to all Black's preceding play. It is true that in the event of 25 ... c5 White could have sacrificed the exchange: 26 NXc5 NXc5 27 RXc5!? BXc5 28 RXc5, with good play in view of the weaknesses at a5 and d5. But the simple 25 ... Rec8 would have maintained the position in dynamic balance. All White's pieces occupy excellent positions, but he is

Position after 25 Rec1:

XABCDEFGHY
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6-+p+q+l+&
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unable to transform this factor into anything real (25 Nc5?! NXc5 26 BXc5 BXc5 27 RXc5 Qf6!). In addition, White has to reckon with ... h4, weakening the position of his king. In turn, Black's pieces are also tied to the defence of his c6 pawn and of the c5 square.

26 BXe5?!

Short of time, Smyslov decides to simplify the game, but after the exchange of his black-squared bishop the weaknesses at b2 and e3 are immediately felt. 26 Kf2 Bf6 27 Nc5 Qf5! was unclear, but 26 Be2 would have left White with the better chances, although in the possible variation 26. . .Bd6! 27 f4 Nc4 28 BXc4 dXc4 29 RXc4 Be4 30 Nc5 BXc5 31 RXc5 Bd5 Black's white-square counter-play cannot be under-estimated.

26 ... QXe5 27 RXc6 Bf6 28 R6c5?

This time trouble attempt to provoke mass simplification as quickly as possible places White in a dangerous position. By 28 Kf2 Rb3 (28 ... d4? 29 e4 with the threat of Rlc5) 29 R6c3 (29 Rc8?! Kh7! 30 RXe8 QXe8 31 Nc3 Qb8! with a dangerous initiative) 29 ... RXc3 30 NXc3 d4 31 eXd4 QXd4+ 32 QXd4 BXd4+ 33 Kg2 Rb8 34 b4 (the simplest) White could have gained a draw.

28 ... QXe3+ 29 QXe3 RXe3 30 RXd5 RXG 31 Be2

White does not have time to take the a-pawn: 31 RXa5? Bd4+ 32 Kg2 (32 Khl RXfl+!, mating) 32 ... Rf2+ etc.

31 ... Re3

31. . . Rf5 32 RXf5 BXf5 33 BXh5 Bd7 34 Nc5? Bd4+! seemed tempting, but after 34

Rc4! is not apparent how the hanging position of the white pieces can be exploited.

32 BXh5 BXh5 33 RXh5 g5!

Now it is not easy for White to co-ordinate his pieces, and the only question is how effectively Black can exploit his temporary superiority in force.

34 Nc3! Rd8!

34... RXb2 is unfavourable because of 35 Nd5 Bd4 36 RXg5+ Kf8 37 Khl!

35 Rc2 Kg7 36 Kg2 Kg6 37 g4 Rd4! 38 h3

White has to agree to the immuring of his rook, since the position after 38 Rh3 RXg4+ 39 Rg3 RgXg3+ 40 hXg3 Be5 41 Ne2 Kf5 42 Kf2 Rb3 cannot possibly satisfy him.

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Here Black could have not only restored material equality, but even gone into a rook ending with an extra pawn — 38 ... Rc4. For example: 39 Rf2 BXc3 40 bXc3 RcXc3 41 h4 Rg3+ 42 Kfl gXh4 43 RXh4 (43 RXa5 Rcl+ 44 Ke2 RXg4 or 44... h3 is hardly any better) 43 ... Rcl+! 44 Ke2 RXa3 with excellent winning chances. Nevertheless 39 a4! would have saved White: 39 BXc3 40 bXc3 RcXc3 41 RXc3 RXc3 42 h4 f6 43 hXg5 fXg5 44 Rh8 Rc4 45 Kg3 RXa4 46 Ra8 Kf6 47 Rf8+ etc. But to find such an unusual move as 39 a4! when in time trouble is not an easy matter.

Black could also have tried to strengthen his position - 38 ... Rdd3 39 Ne2 a4! (40 h4? Re4!). It is obvious that in both cases White would have faced a depressing struggle for a draw. But instead of this there followed. . . . an offer of a draw, which White immediately accepted. Strange? Of course. But even today I am unable to give any sensible reason for my failure to play on.

The twelfth game was the last fighting one in the match. Smyslov was full of resolve to open his account. After the traditional first twelve moves there followed

13 NXe6

The Ex-World Champion deviates from his patent innovation 13 Khl — an important point, to which the commentators hardly paid attention.

13... fXe614 Qa4 Rc815 Radl Kh816 Khl

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It remains for White to play f2-f4 and Bgl, and the placing of his pieces will be identical to that in the second game after 18 moves. A success for his opening strategy? But in contrast to the second game, Black's pieces are better placed for creating counter-play.

16 ... a6 17 f4 Na5!

From c4 the knight will not only be attacking the a3 and b2 pawns, but under favourable circumstances (i.e. after the exchange of black-squared bishops) it will also be ready to invade at e3, e.g. 18 Bgl? Nc4 19 Qb3 Bc5! Therefore White has to hurry.

18 f5

Another move, and Black's defences in the centre will collapse, and so time is precious for him.

18 ... b5!

Not 18.. .Nc4? 19 Bel, when Black cannot avoid the break-up of his centre. The attempt to prevent the opening of the position also fails - 18 ... Rc4? 19 Qc2 e5 20 Qd2! d4 21 BXh6 gXh6 (21 ... dXc3 22 Qg5) 22 QXh6+ Kg8 23 g4!, and it is unlikely that White's attack can be parried.

19 Qh4

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It appears that retribution for the frivolous conduct of the black pieces, which have abandoned their king to its fate, is inevitable. For example: 19 ... Nc4? 20 BXh6! Nh7 21 Qh5 gXh6 22 fXe6 Ne3 23 Rf7 with mate in a few moves. But in reality everything is more complicated: using Capablanca's principle "the minimum force in defence", Black succeeds very quickly in creating effective threats.

19 ... Ng8! 20 Qh3

Probably played on general grounds: the sacrifice on h6 may work at some point, and besides, at h3 the queen is more comfortably placed. But Black would have been set the greatest problems by 20 Qg4, when, accord¬ing to an analysis by Kupreichik, the game should have ended in a draw: 20 ... Nc4 21 Bel Bg5! 22 fXe6 BXcl 23 RXd5 Qb6 24 Rd7 Bg5 25 RXg7! KXg7 (25 ... QXe6 leads to a lost ending after 26 Rff7! Nf6 27 QXe6 RXe6 28 Bh3 Rce8 29 BXe6 RXe6 30 h4 Bel 31 Rg6 BXb2 32 RfXf6 RXf6 33 RXf6 BXc3 34 RXh6+ Kg7 35 RXa6, or 30 ... Ne5 31 hXg5 NXf7 32 RXf7 hXg5 33 Kg2) 26 Rf7+ Kh8 27 Qf5 Nf6 28 Be4 Rc7! 29 RXf6 BXf6 30 QXf6+ Rg7 31 QXh6+ Kg8 32 Bh7+! RXh7 33 Qg6+ Kf8 34 Qf6+ with perpetual check. A fine variation, in which attack and defence balance each other. I think that such an outcome would have been a just conclusion to a clash between two deeply conceived strategic plans.

Unfortunately, the above variation, which fits in so well with the commentary, has a highly significant defect — White's spirited attack can be refuted by the interposition of 25... Ne5!, e.g. 26 Qf5 KXg7 27 QXe5+ Bf6 28 QXe5 RXf1+ 29 BXfl Qf2 30 Bh3 Be3. Therefore there is no particular reason to criticize the move made by Smyslov in the game. . . .

20 ... Nc4 21 Bel Bg5! 22 fXe6 BXcl 23 RXcl

After the interposition 23 RXd5? White could have run into great difficulties: 23 ... Qb6 24 RXcl NXb2 etc.

23... Ne3 24 NXd5!

The one way of maintaining his fading initiative. For the exchange White will have two pawns and prospects of creating an attack on the white squares. Of course, the position after 24 Rgl Nf6 did not appeal to him.

24... NXfl

24... RXcl? 25 RXcl NXd5 loses to 26 Rdl Ngf6 (26. . .Ne3 27 RXd8 RXd8 28 Kgl) 27 BXd5 NXd5 28 e4.

25 RXfl Rf8! 26 Nf4?!

Smyslov's desire to avoid exchanges is explainable (the situation in the match), but the rook at fl has no future. Therefore he should have played 26 Be4, when White has sufficient compensation for the exchange.

26... Ne7 27 Qg4?

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A serious mistake. White could have hoped for counter-play only by maintaining the strong knight at f4. To this end it was essential to play 27 Qh5 and h2-h4. Smyslov hopes to play h2-h4-h5 without loss of time, but Black's unexpected reply finally tips the scales in his favour.

27 ... g5! 28 Qh3 Rf6! 29 Nd3 RXfl+ 30 BXfl Kg7

The incautious 30 ... Qf8 would have given White an excellent opportunity — 31 Ne5 and Nf7.

31Qg4 Qd5+ 32 e4

The knight at d3 loses its support, but 32 Bg2 fails to 32 ... Rcl+!, mating.

32... Qd4 33 h4 Rf8 34 Be2 Qe3 35 Kg2

35 hXg5 would have lost immediately to

35 ... h5!

35... Ng6 36 h5?!

36        hXg5 was more tenacious.

36 ... Ne7 37 b4 Kh7!

An amazing zugzwang position! There is nothing that White can move: 38 e5 Kh8 etc.

38 Kh2 Rd8 39 e5 RXd3 40 BXd3+ QXd3

White resigns.

While before the match a theoretical duel in the Tarrasch Defence could have been predicted, Smyslov's frequent adoption of the Cambridge-Springs Defence was a surprise. After all, in the Ex-World Champion's career spanning more than forty years, this variation of the Queen's Gambit had occurred only a handful of times, and the only recent example I can recall is his game with Ribli from the Las Palmas Interzonal, 1982.1 had twice encountered the Cambridge-Springs: in my games with Averbakh (USSR Team Championship, 1982) and Rodriguez (Interzonal Tournament, 1982). Both these ended in my favour, but in the second Black had no cause to complain about the result of the opening.

1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 c4 c6 4 Nc3 e6 5 Bg5 Nbd7 6 e3 Qa5

The initial position of the variation, devised by the American Pillsbury. The peak of the defence's popularity came in the late 1920s and the 1930s, when the Cambridge-Springs was tested in the World Champion-

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ship Matches Alekhine-Capablanca, Alekhine -Bogoljubow and Alekhine-Euwe. In spite of its extensive use and numerous analyses, there is no clear evaluation of the variation. Incidentally, in the post-war years the Cambridge-Springs has been a rare guest in tournaments.

7 cXd5!

The exclamation mark registers not so much the strength of this move, but rather the crucial nature of it. 7 Nd2 is more usual, "with a slight but persistent advantage". However, this traditional assessment is not confirmed by practice and, in particular, both games from the match where I played 7 Nd2 quickly ended peaceably: 7... Bb4 8 Qc2 0-0 9 a3 dXc4! 10 BXf6 NXf6 11 NXc4 BXc3+ 12 QXc3 QXc3+ 13 bXc3 c5 14 Be2 - drawn (seventh game), and 9 Be2 e5 10 BXf6 NXf6 11 dXe5 Ne4 12 cXd5 NXc3 13 bXc3 BXc3 14 Rcl BXe5 15 dXc6 bXc6 - drawn (13th game; however, the result of this last game of the match was not connected with the opening).

1 ... NXd5 8 Qd2 Bb4

Here, as is well known, Black can force the win of a pawn - 8 ... N7b6 9 Bd3 NXc3 10 bXc3 Nd5 11 0-0 (11 Rcl NXc3 12 0-0 Bb4) 11... QXc3 12 Qe2, granting White in return a prolonged initiative. Such a decision does not appeal to Smyslov, who himself aims for the rapid development of his forces.

9 Rcl 0-0

This is how the third game developed.

10Bd3

This natural move is not even considered in opening guides. ECO cites a long variation beginning with 10 e4, giving White a minimal advantage in an endgame.

10... e5!

A typical undermining move, which frees Black's game.

11 0-0

White goes in for a position with an isolated central pawn, hoping subsequently to exploit the greater activity of his pieces.

11 ... eXd4 12 eXd4 f6

The plausible set-up 12 ... N7f6 13 Rfel Be6 meets with the strong reply 14 a3!, forcing the exchange on c3 (14 ... Bd6? 15 NXd5) in a situation more favourable for White than in the game.

13 Bh4 Rd8

If Black can manage to carry out his planned deployment (... Nf8,... Be6-f7) he will have everything in order, as is also the case in the variation 14 Qc2 Nf8 15 NXd5 cXd5 16 Bg3 Bd6.

14 a3! BXc3

Black cannot be satisfied with 14 ... Bd6 15NXd5QXd2 16NXf6+NXf6 17NXd2Bf4 18 Rcdl RXd4 19 Nf3.

15 bXc3 Nf8

15... QXa3 16 c4 is too dangerous.

16 Bg3 Be6

On 16... Bg4 I was intending to continue 17 c4! QXd2 18 NXd2 Ne7 19 Nb3. After 19... Ne6 White has the possibility of a promising pawn sacrifice: 20 d5! (20 f3? NXd4 21 NXd4 RXd4 22 Rcdl Rad8) 20 ... cXd5 21 Rfel, and it is not apparent how Black can painlessly move his hanging pieces out of attack, e.g. 21 ... Kf7 22 f3 Bf5 23 cXd5! BXd3 (23 ... RXd5 24 Bc4) 24 dXe6+ Kf8 25 Nc5 with a great advantage, or 22 ... Bh5 23 cXd5 NXd5 24 Bc4 with great problems….

17 Rfel Bf7 18 c4

It was tempting to keep the queens on —18 Qb2, but then Black could have maintained his strong point at d5 with 18 ... b5! Even so, 19 c4 bXc4 20 RXc4 would have left White with the initiative. The move in the game leads to a complicated position, where White has the better chances thanks to his two bishops and pawn centre.

18 ... QXd2 19 NXd2 Nb6 20 Nb3 Na4!

The commentators unjustly condemned this move, but for the moment the knight is well placed at the side of the board: it controls c5, and given the opportunity it is ready to invade at b2. At the same time, the recommended pressure on the d4 pawn (20 ... Ne6) would have allowed White to gain a marked advantage by 21 c5! Nd5 (21... Na4 22 Bd6) 22 Na5! The tactical blow 21 ... NXd4? meets with a pretty refutation: 22 NXd4 RXd4 23 Rcdl Rad8 24 Bc7! R8d7 25 cXb6 aXb6 (25 ... RXd3 26 bXa7) 26 Bc2! RXdl 27 RXdl RXc7 28 Rd8+ and wins (it is better, of course, to part with the exchange — 24 ... RXd3 25 BXd8 RXdl etc.).

21 Bfl Rd7?

But this is a serious mistake. Only by playing 21 ... b6! could Black have justified his previous move. White would have had to engage in the gradual strengthening of his position (f2-f3, Bf2, h2-h4, g2-g3 etc.), whereas now he can advantageously open up the game.

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22 Na5!

From the side of the board the white knight exerts unpleasant pressure on the opponent's position. The exchange of the d4 and b7 pawns (22... RXd4 23 NXb7) favours White — his knight obtains an excellent post at d6. Now 23 Rbl is threatened, and 22 ... Rc8 looks to be well met by 23 c5, e.g. 23 ...

Ne6 24 Rbl b6 (24... NXd4 25 NXb7 Nc3 26 Rb2 Nf5 27 Nd6!) 25 NXc6! Nc3 (25... RXc6 26 Bb5) 26 NXa7! RXa7 27 cXb6 Rb7 28 Ba6 Nd8 29 BXb7 NXb7 30 Rb2 with winning chances. However, 23 ... Bd5 would have left Black with a quite defensible position. The attempt by Smyslov to complicate mat¬ters aggravates Black's difficulties.

22 ... Ne6?! 23 d5 Nd4 24 dXc6!

Eliminating Black's hopes of counter-play in the event of 24 Rcdl c5 25 Rbl b5!

24 ... NXc6

24... bXc6 25 c5 was probably the lesser evil.

25 NXc6 bXc6 26 c5

White's advantage has become threatening: he has two very active bishops, and, most important, Black's knight is hopelessly cut off from his other forces.

26... Re8 27 RXe8+ BXe8 28 Bd6

The over-hasty 28 Rc4?, in the hope of 28. . . Nb2 29 Rb4 Rd2 (29 ... Nd3 30 Rb8 Kf7 31    Bd6) 30 Rb8 Kf7 31 Rb7+ would have lost White the greater part of his advantage: 28. . . Rdl! 29 RXa4 Bg6 30 RXa7 Bd3 31 h3 RXfl+ 32 Kh2 h5, and his winning chances are slim.

28... Bf7

In the opinion of the commentators, the decisive mistake. But the transfer of Black's bishop to d5 is his only chance to strengthen his defences, whereas the occupation of the b-file (28 ... Rb7 was recommended) was bad because of 29 g3!, with an attack on the c6 pawn combined with a rapid invasion on the e-file, e.g. 29 ... Bf7 (29 ... Rb2 30 Rc4, trapping the knight) 30 Bg2 Be8 31 Rel KT7 32 Bfl! Bd7 33 Ba6, or 29 ... Nb2 30 Rel Bg6 31 Bg2. The assessment of the commentators was of course influenced by the fact that White used the b-file for an immediate invasion. But had Black lost after 29 ... Rb7 30 g3!, I have no doubt that the transfer of the bishop to d5 would have been recommended as the best defence! The whole point is that the organic defects in Black's position can no longer be eliminated by individual moves.

29 Rbl Bd5?

Although the position on the board is an endgame, the advance of Black's king into the centre turns out to be highly unpleasant for him, as the harmonious actions of the white pieces create mating threats. He could have put up a tenacious resistance by the prophylactic 29 . . . h5! (30 Bd3 Rd8).

30 Rb8+ Kf7 31 Rf8+ Ke6

White wins by force after 31 ... Kg6 32 Bd3+ Kh6 33 Bf4+ Kh5 (33 ... g5 34 RXf6+ Kg7 35 Be5) 34 Bf5 Rf7 (34... Be6 35 g4+) 35 g4+ Kh4 36 Bg3+ Kg5 37 h4+ Kh6 38 Rg8! g5 39 Bd6 Rg7 40 Rf8 Bf7 41 Be7.

32 g3

The game would have been concluded more quickly by 32 Ba6 (32... RXd6 33 cXd6 KXd6 34 Ra8 Kc7 35 RXa7+ Kb6 36 Ra8 c5 37 Rd8).

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32... g6

This eases White's task. However, even after the comparatively best 32 ... f5 (32 ... Be4 33 f3!Bc2 34 Bc4+ Kf5 35 Ba6!Kg6 36 h4! h5 37 g4 hXg4 38 fXg4 f5 39 Bc8 Rf7 40 h5+ Kf6 41 g5+) 33 Ba6 Rf7 34 Re8+ Kf6 (34 ... Kd7 35 Rh8) 35 Be5+ Kg6 36 Bd4 Black is completely helpless.

33 Ba6 RXd6 34 cXd6 KXd6 35 RXf6+ Ke5 36 Rf8 c5 37 Re8+ Kd4 38 Rd8 Ke5 39 f4+ Ke4 40 Bfl Bb3 41 Kf2

Here Smyslov, without taking his hand off his knight, placed it at c3, but on noticing the mate in one move he slowly moved the piece back. Then the Ex-World Champion played

41 ... Nb2,

smiled, and.. . . stopped the clocks (42 Rb8 c4 43 BXc4).

An attempt to improve Black's play was made in the ninth game on move nine:

9…e5?!

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After not much thought I was able to find a continuation which essentially refuted Black's early activity.

10 a3!

It transpires that against the planned advance of the e-pawn—10... BXc3 11 bXc3 e4 — White has the strong reply 12 c4! Of course, Black can win a pawn with 11 ... QXa3, but after 12 e4 N5b6 13 Bd3 White's initiative far outweighs his minimal material deficit.

10... Bd6

At first sight Black's position seems sound: 11 NXd5 QXd2+ 12 KXd2 cXd5 13 dXe5 (13 Bb5 f6) 13 ... NXe5 14 NXe5 BXe5 15 Bb5+ Bd7 16 Rc5 BXb5 17 RXb5 f6! 18 Bh4 (18 RXd5 BXb2) 18 ... 0-0-0 etc. But White has an unusual possibility of relieving the tension in the centre to his advantage.

11 dXe5 NXe512 NXe5 BXe513 b4! BXc3

13        ... QXa3? would have been equivalent to suicide: 14NXd5 cXd5 15 Bb5+ Kf8 16 0-0 Be6 17 f4 Bd6 18 f5 BXb4 19 Qf2.

14 QXc3!

Transposing into a significantly superior ending. Interesting complications could have arisen after 14 RXc3 NXb4 15 e4 (not 15 Rc5? Nd3+!). After 15 ... Na6 (15 ... Na2?

16 Rc2 QXd2+ 17 KXd2 Be6 18 Bc4, and the knight cannot escape) 16 BXa6 bXa6 17 RXc6 QXd2+ 18 KXd2 Black is faced with a depressing struggle for a draw. At the same time 17 0-0 (in the hope of 17 ... 0-0? 18 Bf6!) does not achieve anything due to the interposition 17 ... h6! (18 Qd6? hXg5 19 QXc6+ Ke7 20 Rc5 Qb6, or 20 e5 Rh6). White would have gained a strong initiative after 15 ... f6 16 BXf6 gXf6 17 aXb4 QXb4 18 Bc4 (when 18 ... Qbl+ 19 Rcl QXe4+ is not possible due to 20 Kdl! with an irresistible attack). However, it is not clear how real White's advantage is, if Black simply retreats his queen - 14 . .. Qb6 (15 Rcl h6 16 Bh4 Bf5).

14 ... NXc3 15 bXa5 Ne4 16 Bf4

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The advantages of White's position are obvious: he has the two bishops and a pawn majority in the centre, and besides, his doubled pawns on the a-file are more of a plus factor than a drawback. Thanks to his pawn formation, White can begin a frontal attack on the b7 pawn, the defence of which is awkward for Black, since the b8 square is controlled by the black-squared bishop.

16 ... 0-0 17 O Nf6 18 e4 Re8

The attempt to play the freeing... b6 ends in failure: 18 ... Bd7 19 Kf2 b6 20 Ba6! Bc8 (20 ... c5 21 Bb7 Rad8 22 Bc7 Rde8 23 Bd6) 21 Be2 Bd7 (21 ... c5 22 Bc7! Nd7 23 Rhdl, and there is simply nothing that Black can move) 22 Rhdl b5 23 Bg5!, with a great advantage.

19 Kf2 a6

Black once and for all removes the threat of a5-a6, which has been demanding his constant attention, but now he is doomed to passive waiting.

20 Be2

It was tempting to try and hamper the development of Black's Q-side by 20 Rbl Re7 21 Bd6, but then Black would have gained drawing chances by the exchange sacrifice 21 ... RXe4!

20... Be6 21 Rbl Re7 22 Rhdl Rae8 23 Rb2!

The start of a long-term strategic plan. White needs to double rooks, so that after the exchange of one pair he will continue to control the d-file. Black will be forced to aim also for the exchange of the second pair of rooks, but during this time White will advance his K-side pawns as far as possible, so that in the coming ending of two bishops against bishop and knight he will be able to exploit effectively his numerical superiority on that part of the board. White managed to carry out this plan and to achieve a win, but I would not venture to assert that the initial position is won even against best defence by Black. At any rate, during the game there were points where Black could have made his opponent's task more difficult. But in prac¬tice the successful defence of such a position is hardly possible.

23 ... Bc8 24 Rbd2 Rd7 25 RXd7 NXd7 26 g4! Nc5?!

Black should have included.. . h6, so as to reduce the strength of White's pawn phalanx by exchanging a pair of pawns (after h2-h4 and g4-g5).

27 Be3 Nd7

In the event of 27 ... Ne6 28 f4 Rd8 White would have gained absolute domination: 29 f5 RXdl 30 BXdl Nc7 31 a4! Ne8 32 Bb3 Nf6 33 KB Nd7 34 Kf4 Kf8 35 e5. It is easier to suggest the following variation than to de¬cide on it: 27 ... Nb3 28 Bb6 c5 (29 Bc4? Be6 30BXe6fXe6 31 Rd7 Rc8!).

28 g5! Ne5

28... Re5 would not have been dangerous in view of 29 f4! (29 ... RXe4? 30 Bg4 Re7 31 Bc5).

29 Bd4!

Care is essential — the hasty 29 Kg3? Would have allowed Black to activate his pieces by 29 ... Be6 and then . . . Nc4 or ... Bc4.

29 ... Ng6 30 Kg3 Nf8 31 h4 Rd8 32 f4 Be6 33Bc3!

More accurate than 33 fS Bb3 34 Rd2 c5! 35 Bc3 RXd2 36 BXd2 Nd7 37 Kf4 f6!

33 ... RXdl 34 BXdl Nd7

The f4-f5 advance cannot be prevented (34 ... g6 35 Bc2).

35 f5 Bc4 36 h5!

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36... h6

If 36 ... f6 White has the decisive 37 h6, creating a pair of connected passed pawns, but after the move in the game (and it cannot be avoided) Black acquires another weakness — the pawn at h6.

37 gXh6 gXh6 38 e5 Nc5 39 Kf4 Bd5 40 Bc2 f6

Appreciating that in any event White will find a way of realizing his enormous positional advantage, Smyslov immediately fixes the pawn position, hoping to set up a "fortress". But when tested, the fortress turns out to be a house of cards....

41e6 Kg7 42 Bb4

42 Bd4 Nb3 43 e7 Kf7 44 BXf6 is also good.

42 ... Nb3 43 Ke3 c5

Or 43 ... Bc4 44 Bc3 Bd5 45 Be4! Bc4 (45 ... Nc5 46 BXd5 cXd5 47 Kd4 Ne4 48 Bb4 Ng3 49 KXd5 NXf5 50 Kc5 Ng3 51 Kb6 NXh5 52 KXb7 Nf4 53 KXa6 NXe6 54 Kb6) 46 Bf3, and Black is in zugzwang: 46 ... Ncl 47 e7 Bf7 48 Bdl, or 46 ... Bb5 47 Be2!

44 Bc3

Here Smyslov thought for 53 minutes over his sealed move.

44 ... Kf8

Also hopeless is 44 ... Ncl 45 Ba4, or 44 ... c4 45 Be4 Bc6 46 BXc6 bXc6 47 Ke4 (again zugzwang).

Black resigned without resuming the game. White wins by either 45 BXb3 BXb3 46 BXf6, or 45 Be4 BXe4 46 KXe4 Ke7 47 Kd5.

Both the third and the ninth games illus¬trate well the advantage of the two bishops in an open position.

And now another two games from the match.

1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 c4 e6 4 Nc3 Be7

This is how the fourth game began. Tarrasch's way is not the only one....

5 Bf4

In the sixth game after 5 Bg5 h6 6 Bh4 0-0 7 Rcl I employed Emanuel Lasker's suggestion of 7 ... Ne4. A genuine battle did not ensue: 8 BXe7 QXe7 9 e3 c6 10 Bd3 NXc3 11 RXc3 dXc4 12 BXc4 Nd7 13 0-0 b6 14 Bd3 c5, and Black gained a draw without difficulty.

5 ... 0-0 6 e3 c5 7 dXc5 BXc5 8 Be2

Such play should not give an advantage, but strange things happen! In a game Karlsson-Balashov (1983) after 8 . . . Nc6 9 0-0 dXc4 10 BXc4 QXdl 11 RfXdl b6 12 Nb5 Bb7 13 Bd6 Black nevertheless got into difficulties.

8... dXc4 9 BXc4 a6! 10 Qe2 b511 Bd3 Bb7 12 0-0 Nbd7 13 e4?! Nh5! 14 Bd2 Qc7 15 g3 Rad8 16 Be3?!

As all the commentators remarked, Smyslov's attempt to seize the initiative by 13 e4 led to the opposite result. But perhaps blame should also be attached to his premature "repentance", i.e. 16 Be3 (16 b4!?).

16... BXe3 17 QXe3 Qc5! 18 Rfel Nhf619 a3 Ng4! 20 QXc5 NXc5 21 Bc2 (see diagram overleaf) 21 ... f5!

Black's pieces are so well placed that, instead of the routine 21... Nd3, this unexpected attempt to create an attack is also possible. Incidentally, 21... Nd3 would have allowed White to defend himself: 22 BXd3 RXd3 23 h3! Nf6 24 Ne5 Rd2 25 Rabl Rfd8 26

Position after 21 Bc2:

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-tr-trk+(
7+l+-+pzpp'
6p+-+p+-+&
5+psn-+-+-%
4-+-+P+n+$
3zP-sN-+NzP-#
2-zPL+-zP-zP"
1tR-+-tR-mK-!
xabcdefghy

f3! Kf8 27Rbdl etc.

22 Ng5!

If 22... h6?, then 23 NXe6 NXe6 24 Bb3 -Smyslov seeks salvation in tactics!

22... f4?

"What sign should be attached after Black's last move. .. ?" — asks grandmaster Makarichev. Without a doubt, a question mark! In securing the e5 square for himself, Black simultaneously "kills" his bishop at b7 and knight at c5. Correct was 22 ... Rd2! 23 Re2! (23 NXe6? NXe6! 24 Bb3 NXf2 25 BXe6+ KM, but not 23 ... RXc2? 24 NXc5 fXe4 25 NXb7 RfXf2 26 NXe4, and Black has only a perpetual check) 23 ... RXe2 24 NXe2 fXe4 25 Nf4 Bd5! (defending against NXe6 followed by Bb3) 26 B! (26 b4 h6! 27 NgXe6 NXe6 28 NXd5 Nd4) 26... Ne5 27 BXe4 (27 fXe4 Bc4 T) 27 . . . h6! 28 NXd5 hXg5 29 Ne7+ (29 Nc7 Rc8 30 NXe6 NXe6 31 Bd5 Kf7 32 Rel Kf6 33 BXe6 Re8!) 29 . . . Kf7 30 Nc6 NXc6 31 BXc6 Rc8 32 Be4 (32 Rel RXc6 33 b4 Kf6 34 bXc5 Ke5) 32 ... NXe4 33 fXe4 Kf6! 34 Rfl+ Ke5 35 Rf7 g6 - Black has good chances of winning this ending.

23 Radl RXdl 24 BXdl?

In the complications after 24 RXdl fXg3 25 hXg3! NXf2 (25 ... h6 26 Nh3 g5 is dangerous because of 27 b4 RB 28 Ne2 BXe4 29 bXc5 BXc2 30 Rd8+) 26 Rd6 White could have maintained the balance: 26 ... h6 27 NXe6 (27 b4? hXg5 28 bXc5 Nh3+ 29 Kg2 g4 30 Bdl Rc8! 31 BXg4 Ng5 favours Black) 27. . . NXe6 28 Bb3! (28 RXe6? Nh3+ 29 Kh2 Rf2+! 30 KXh3 Bc8 31 Bb3 Kf7) 28 ... Nh3+ 29 Kg2 Ng5 30 BXe6+ NXe6 31 RXe6 etc.

24 ... Ne5 25 gXf4 Ned3 26 b4?!

26 Re3 NXf4 27 b4 h6 28 NB was more tenacious. White's hope of counter-play after 26 ... NXel 27 bXc5 proves to be in vain.

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-trk+(
7+l+-+-zpp'
6p+-+p+-+&
5+psn-+-sN-%
4-zP-+PzP-+$
3zP-sNn+-+-#
2-+-+-zP-zP"
1+-+LtR-mK-!
xabcdefghy

26 ... h6! 27 bXc5 hXg5 28 Re3 NXf4

In view of the threat of 29... Rc8, White's position is very difficult.

29 a4 b4 30 Ne2

Or 30 Na2 Rd8! 31 Bg4 Rd2 32 NXb4 (32 Ncl Bc6 33 Nb3 Rc2) 32 ... a5 33 c6 Bc8 -and it is all over!

30... Rc8 31 Bb3 RXc5 32 NXf4 gXf4 33 BXe6+ Kf8 34 Rel Re5 25 Bb3 (35 Bf5 g6) 35 ... RXe4 36 Rdl Ke7 37 Kfl a5 38 Rel Kf6 39 h3 g5 40 Rc7 Re7 41 Rc5 Re5

Black's task after 42 Rc7 BB is too easy, and so here Smyslov terminated his resistance.

In the eleventh game the Ex-World Champion employed Chigorin's Defence.

1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 c4 Bg4

Annotating a game with Gligoric in his 125 Selected Games*, Smyslov wrote that this defence "merits greater consideration, especially if Black is aiming for active piece play". Therefore I reckoned with the possibility of Chigorin's Defence occurring in the

* Pergamon Press, 1983 (editor's note).

match, but I did not analyse it in detail. Why? Tigran Petrosian once joked: "If your opponent wants to play the Dutch Defence, you shouldn't prevent him!" There is a mass of openings for which this joke is justified, and Chigorin's Defence is one of them. . . . I fancy that Vasily Vasilievich is of roughly the same opinion, and that his choice was explained exclusively by the match situation. It was simply that in this game Black's active piece play was more precious to him than White's two bishops and predominance in the centre!

4 cXd4 BXO 5 gXf3 QXd5 6 e3 e5 7 Nc3 Bb4 8 Bd2 BXc3 9 bXc3 Qd610 Rbl b611 f4!? eXf4 12 e4 Nge7 13 Qf3 0-0 14 BXf4 Qa3 15 Be2! f5!

After 15... QXa2 16 0-0 Black would have had to reckon not only with the opponent's "advantage of the two bishops and mobile pawn centre", but also with concrete threats: BXc7, Ral, d4-d5.

16 0-0

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-+-trk+(
7zp-zp-sn-zpp'
6-zpn+-+-+&
5+-+-+p+-%
4-+-zPPvL-+$
3wq-zP-+Q+-#
2P+-+LzP-zP"
1+R+-+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

16... fXe4?

A serious mistake, at a point when 16 ... Ng6! 17 BXc7 Qe7 18 eXf5 QXc7 19 Qd5+ KM 20 fXg6 Ne7! would have led to an unclear situation with quite good counter-chances for Black!

17 QXe4 QXc3

Now White is without both his centre and a pawn, but the difference in the strengths of the bishops and knights is so great that the position is won within a few moves.

18 Be3!

Rcl is threatened (in some cases, d4-d5), and the retreat of the bishop from its undefended square has merely intensified the threats. I do not altogether understand why a certain venerable grandmaster recommended here 18 Rfdl?!, and why much later another one quoted the first word for word  ….

18 ... Qa3 19 Bd3!! Qd6

All other moves also lose: 19 ... g6 20 Bc4+Kg7 21d5,19. ..Nf520Qe6+,or 19... Rf5 20 Rb5! (the simplest) 20 ... RXb5 21 BXb5 Qd6 22 Rcl.

20 QXh7+ Kf7

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-+-tr-+(
7zp-zp-snkzpQ'
6-zpnwq-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-zP-+-+$
3+-+LvL-+-#
2P+-+-zP-zP"
1+R+-+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

Of course, if this position is considered to be "viable", then one might even argue about White's 18th move. But there are certainly several ways to win, e.g. 21 Bc4+ Ke8 22 Rfel — "it is terrifying to look at Black's position" (M. Tal).

21 Rb5!

The most energetic.

21... NXd4! 22 Qe4?

But this is a mistake. Unfortunately, neither 22 ... NXb5 (23 Bc4+ Kf6 24 Qh4+ etc.) nor 22 . . . c5 (23 BXd4 and 24 Bc4+) is forced. 22 BXd4 QXd4 23 Rg5! would have won, e.g. 23 ... Ke6 (23 ... Rh8 24 Bc4+!) 24 Qh3+ Kd6 (24 ... Kf6 25 Rf5+!) 25 Be2! Nd5 26 RXd5+.

22... Rad8!

I had overlooked this reply. Well, then, after the loss of a tempo (23 Rg5 Rh8) it was time to force a draw.

23 BXd4 QXd4 24 Rf5+ NXf5 25 QXf5+ Kg8 26 Qh7+ Kf7

Drawn.

Yes, I did not always manage to win the won positions, but in general I think that this match was my highest creative achievement. I did not once have a really bad position, and even in the second game, where I was in difficulties, Smyslov did not have a win. I think that the Ex-World Champion did not play worse than in his matches with Hiibner and Ribli (especially at the start of the match), and if the score of 41/2-81/2 was too unfavourable to him, this was mainly the fault of his opponent.

I was very happy that I managed to avoid losing a single game. After all, the next match, the most important one, was to be played not only to six wins, but also to six defeats!

Biographical Details

Garry Kimovich Kasparov born 13 April 1963 in Baku.

Completed Baku school No. 151 with a gold medal.

Student at the Azerbaidzhan State Teachers' Training College for foreign languages.

Member of the Azerbaidzhan Comsomol Central Committee.

Awarded the Certificate of Honour of the Praesidium of the Azerbaidzhan Supreme Soviet.

Member of the "Spartak" voluntary sports society.

USSR master of sport since 1978.

International master since 1979.

International grandmaster since 1980.

USSR grandmaster since 1981.

USSR Junior Champion 1976 and 1977.

World Junior Champion 1980.

USSR Champion 1981.

Winning member of the Junior World Team Championship 1981.

Winning member of the European Team Championship 1980.

Winning member of the World Olympiad 1980 and 1982.

Winner of the 1982-1984 Candidates Cycle.

World Champion since 1985.

Winner of the chess "Oscar", awarded by the International Association of Chess Journalists, 1982 and 1983.

Tournament and Match

Results

Annotations

The book contains articles and commentaries which were first published in the following periodicals:

My first encounter with a grandmaster (p.l) —

Shakhmaty (Riga), 1978, No.8.

Daugavpils, 1978

Kasparov-I. Ivanov (p.4) — Shakhmaty v SSSR, 1979 No.3

Informator prize-winner (p.5) — Shakhmaty (Riga), 1980, No.20.

Moscow, 1979

In search of the truth (p.8) — Shakhmaty (Riga), 1979, No.23. Kasparov-Butnoryus (p. 10) — Shakhmaty v SSSR, 1979, No.

10. Minsk, 1979

The new "discovery of America" (p. 13) — Shakhmaty (Riga), 1980, No.7.

Kasparov-Georgadze (p. 14) — Shakhmaty v SSSR, 1980, No.2.

Tseshkovsky-Kasparov (p. 16) — Shakhmaty v SSSR, 1980, No.3.

Skara, 1980

Kasparov-Pribyl (p. 18) - 64 - Shakh-matnoe Obozrenye, 1980, No.4.

Kasparov-Vukic (P. 19) — Shakhmaty v SSSR, 1980, No.4.

Spiridonov-Kasparov (p.20) — Shakhmaty v SSSR, 1980, No.6.

Baku, 1980

Kasparov-Zaitsev (p.23), Kasparov-Csom (p.25) - Shakhmaty v SSSR, 1980, No.8. Through the pawn barricade  (p.27) — Shakhmatny Byulleten, 1980, No.8. How should one play in the last round? (p.30) - Shakhmaty (Riga), 1980, No. 15. Dortmund, 1980

The price of attack (p.33) — 64 — Shakh-matnoe Obozrenye, 1980, No.20.

Tempone-Kasparov (p.35) — Shakmaty v SSSR, 1981, No.l.

Malta, 1980

Kasparov-Marjanovic   (p.38)   —   64   —

Shakhmatnoe Obozrenye, 1981, No.l. Kasparov-Ligterink (p.39), Kasparov-Speelman (p.40) — 64 — Shakhmatnoe Obozrenye, 1981, No.3. Giardelli-Kasparov (p.40) — Shakhmaty v SSSR, 1981, No.3.

Memorable moments in February (p.43)

— Shakhmaty (Baku), 1981, Nos.1-3 (also used: Shakhmaty v SSSR, 1981, No.6; 64 -Shakhmatnoe Obozrenye, 1981, No.7).

Lucky or unlucky? (p.52) — Shakhmaty (Baku), 1981, Nos.4,5,7; Shakhmaty v SSSR, 1981, No.7; Shakhmaty (Riga), 1981, No. 16.

Through the prism of analysis (p.62) — Shakhmaty (Baku), 1981, Nos.8,9; Shakhmaty v SSSR, 1981, No.10.

Graz, 1981 (p.69) - Shakhmaty (Baku), 1981, No.13 (also usQ±Shakhmaty v SSSR, 1981, No. 12; 64 — Shakhmatnoe Obozrenye, 1981, No. 19.

Two weeks in Tilburg (p.77) — Shakhmaty (Baku), 1981, Nos.16,18.

When a photo-finish is not demanded (p.81) — Shakhmaty (Baku), 1982, Nos. 1,2,4-6.

Super-tournament in Bugojno (p.98) — Shakhmaty (Baku), 1982, Nos. 13-15 (also used: 64 —Shakhmatnoe Obozrenye, 1982, No. 14; Shakhmaty v SSSR, 1982, No. 10.

Postscript to a prologue (p. 108) — Shakhmaty (Baku), 1982, Nos. 19,20 (also used: 64 -Shakhmatnoe Obozrenye, 1982, No.20; Shakhmaty v SSSR, 1982, No. 12).

And once again the strongest! (p. 119) — Shakhmaty (Baku), 1982, Nos.23,24; 1983,

No.l (also used: Shakhmaty v SSSR, 1983, No.4; 64 — Shakhmatnoe Obozrenye, 1982, No.24).

Expectations and surprises (p. 138) — Shakhmaty (Baku), 1983, Nos.9,11,12.

The duel continues! (p. 148) — Shakhmaty (Baku), 1983, No. 17.

From the ridiculous ... to the sublime (p. 153) Shakhmaty (Baku), 1983, No.21; 64 -Shakhmatnoe Obozrenye, 1983, No.20.

News, facts and comments (p. 161) — Shakhmaty (Baku), 1984, Nos.2-5; 64 - Shakhmatnoe Obozrenye, 1984, No.3.

The test of time (p. 192) - Shakhmaty (Baku), 1984, Nos.11-13.

Index of Kasparov's

Opponents

(Figures indicate page numbers)

THE TEST OF TIME

GARRY KASPAROV is not only one of the most exciting chess prospects of all time, he is also a profound and penetrating author. This collection of his writings covers all his major chess events from 1978 to 1984, culminating in his victories in The World Championship Candidates Matches. The annotations are of particular value, since Kasparov has updated them to lake account of earlier analytical mistakes and of developments in opening theory He has hecome the youngest World Champion in history, and Kasparovs chess public ran now, for the first time, follow his self-critical! and analytic approach through his most critical chess years and games.

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