Chess
Pyrrhic?
Andrew Whiteley
The world championship match clearly established that Karpov was the best player in the world in 1984. But the issue in 1985 is far less clear. Even if Karpov still manages to hobble home the general view is likely to be that Kasparov is now the better player. There is a danger that Karpov's will has cracked and that even if he wins he will suffer the long-term loss of form which has hitherto only afflicted players who have suffered the trauma of an unsuccessful world championship match. Here now are the two games in which Kasparov transformed the match from the best thing since Mogadon to a dramatic and unpredictable duel. In both games Kasparov's domination was so complete that Karpov's decisive sixth victory, awa- ited for nearly three months, can no longer be considered a foregone conclusion.
Karpov — Kasparov: Game 47, Queen's Gambit Declined.
1 Nf3 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 d4 d5 4 Nc3 c6 5 Bg5 Nbd7 6 e3 Qa5 The first Cambridge Springs Variation of the match. 7 cxd5 NxdS 8 Qd2 N7b6 9 NxdS An unimpressive alternative to the normal moves 9 Rcl and 9 Bd3. 9 . . . Qxd2+ 10 Nxd2 exd5 11 Bd3 a5 12 a4? Seriously weakening White's Q-side. Better was 12 f3 or 12 h3 restricting Black's QB. 12 . . . Bb4 13 Keg Bg4+ 14 f3 Bh5 15 h4 Here Karpov unwisely declined a draw even though he probably already stands worse. 15 . . . 0-0 16 g4 Bg6 17 b3 (?) Creating another weakness and depriving White's knight of a potentially useful square on b3. White should have recentralised his bishop on g5. 17 . . . Bxd3+ 18 Kxd3 Rfe8 19 Racl c5! 20 B14 RacS 21 dxc5 Nd7 22 c6 bxc6 (22 . . . Nc5+? 23 RxcS Bxc5 24 cxb7) 23 Rhdl Nc5+ 24 Kc2 f6 25 Nfl Ne6 26 Bg3 Red8 27 Bf2 27 Bel, seeking to disentangle White's pieces, was to be preferred. 27 . . . c5 28 Nd2 c4 29 bxc4 Nc5 30 e4? Leading to immediate catastrophe. White was under considerable pressure but after 30 Ral he still had chances of survival. 30 . . . d4 31 Nbl What else? The threat was 31 . . . d3+ 32 Kb2 Bxd2 33 Kxd2 Rb8+ followed by 34 . . . Nb3 winning the exchange. 31 Nfl allows 31 . . . d3+ 32 Kbl (32 Kb2 d2 and . . . Nd3+) Ba3 33 Rc3 Rb8+ 34 Ka2 Bbl! trapping the R and after 31 Ral Black • wins by 31 . . . d3+ 32 Kbl (32 Kb2 Bxd2 33 Bxc5 Bf4 threatening 34 . . . Be5+) Bxd2 33 Bxc5 Bc3 34 Ra3 Rb8+ 31 . . . d3+ 32 Kb2 d2 White resigns. The threat of 33 . . . Nd3+ is lethal.
Kasparov — Karpov: Game 48, Petroff's De- fence.
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Nxe5 d6 4 Nf3 Nxe4 5 d4 d5 6 Bd3 Nc6 7 0-0 Bel 8 c4 Nf6 9 Nc3 0-0 10 h3 dxc4 11 Bxc4 Na5 12 Bd3 Be6 13 Rel Nc6 After 13 . . . .c5 liquidating the central pawns White would have retained only a minimal initiative. 14 a3 a6 15 Bf4 Qd7? Possibly underestimating the insi- dious power of White's 19th move. 15 . . . Nd5 was preferable. 16 Ne5 Nxe5 17 dxe5 Nd5 18 NxdS Bxd5 19 Qc2! g6 Widely criticised, but the alternative 19 . . . h6 was probably no better in view of 20 Bf5! e.g. 20 . . 0c6 21 Qxc6 Bxc6 22 e6 or 20 . . . Qd8 21 Radl c6 22 e6 in either case with a powerful initiative for White. 20 Radl c6 21 Bh6 RfdS 22 e6! Ripping open Black's K-side.
22 . . . fxe6 After queen moves, e.g. 22 . . . Qe8, 23 Qc3 f6 (23 . . . Bf8 24 e7) is very uncomfortable for Black. 23 Bxg6 Bf8 24 BxfS
Rxf8 25 Be4 R17 26 Re3 Inaugurating a pictures- que deployment of both rooks on the third rank. 26 . . . Rg7 27 R1d3 RR 28 Rg3 Pinning the rook on g7 and so threatening 29 Bxh7+! Kxh7 30 Rxd5+ 28 . . . Kh8 29 Qc3 Rf7 30 Rde3 Black cannot prevent the infiltration of White s queen since 30 . . . Qc7 loses to 31 Bxd5. 31 Qe5! Threatening 32 Rxg7+ Rxg7 33 Qb8+ K,F, 34 Rf3+ Ke7 35 Qf8 mate. 31 . Transposing into a lost ending. Black could gm have put up some resistance by 31 . . . Qd8. 3_2 Rxg7+ Rxg7 33 Bxd5 QxeS 34 Bxe6+! Qxe6 3.1 Rxe6 White is now a clear pawn up and has two potential united passed pawns on the K-side. 35 . . . Rd7 36 b4 Kf7 37 Re3 Rdl + 38 Kh2 Rcl 39 g4 b5 40 f4 c5 The adjourned position which was generally regarded as won for White. Rarhe,r. than wait for the systematic advance of White s K-side pawns Karpov chooses to use his 'b' Paw!' as a decoy. But by accurate play Kasparov able to hold on to his K-side pawns after capturing the decoy. 41 bxc5 RxcS 42 Rd3 43 Kg3 a5 441(13 b4 45 axb4 axb4 46 Ke4 Rb5 4/ Rb3 Rb8 48 Kd5 Kf6 49 Kc5 Re8 50 Rxb4 Re3 51 h4 Rh3 52 h5 Rh4 53 f5 Rhl 54 Kd5 Rdl + 55 Rd4 Rel 56 Kd6 Re8 57 Kd7 Rg8 58 h6 K17 57a Rc4 Kf6 60 Re4 ICf7 61 Kd6 Kf6 62 Re6+ K17 v"" Re7+ Kf6 64 Rg7 Rd8+ 65 Kc5 Rd5+! KarpoY must have been feeling really dejected at this stage and so he deserves credit for entertaining the crowd by an amusing but transparent stale- mate trap. 66 Kc4 Rd4+ 67 Kc3 Black res!gir since if his rook moves on the fifth rank White .S. king can safely return to support his pawns and he continues to cut the king off by playing the, rook on the d-file White can simply take the " pawn. A final horrific thought. If Kasparclv does manage to win this match Karpov is entitled to a return match in 1985. If the loser of that match were to win the Candidates' matches the players would meet for a third time in 1986. Tim Rice's, number one hit 'I Know Him So Well could than turn h n out toappropriate t° chess Late News. Ray Keene reports from Dubai that drastic developments may be imminent. Fide President Campomanes has just left an important meeting dealing with the arrangements for the Olympiad in 1986 to fly to Moscow to deal with an unspecified crisis. There is speculation that Karpov feels unable to continue the match and has asked for it to be adjourned till the autumn. This would clearly be against the rules and so there is even the sad possibility that, in order to preserve his health, the champion may be forced to concede the match although leading 5-3.
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