DID DIIA

SPAIN'S MST CAVA .CDIDt: I CHESS

SPAIN'S FINEST CAVA

Dr Van Helsing

Raymond Keene

NIGEL SHORT appears to be out for the count. After 15 games Kasparov had notched up a sixth win and needed just two more points to clinch the title and the lion's share of the £1.7 million prize fund pro- vided by the Times.

Game 13, although witnessing an entire- ly new defence by Nigel Short which led to a razor-sharp middlegame without queens, was, on the whole, the most anaemic of the series so far.

Kasparov — Short: Times World Championship, London, Game 13; Queen's Gambit, Slav De- fence.

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 Virgin territory for Nigel. 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Nf3 dxc4 5 a4 Bf5 6 e3 e6 7 Bxc4 Bb4 8 0-0 Nbd7 9 Qe2 Bg6 10 e4 0-0 11 Bd3 Qa5 12 e5 Nd5 13 Bxg6 fxg6 14 Ne4 c5 15 Nd6 Qa6 16 Qxa6 bxa6 Now Kasparov had to play 17 Be3, stoking up the tension in the centre. 17 Ng5 cxd4 18 Nxe6 Rfb8 19 Rdl Nxe5 20 Rxd4 Rb6 21 Rxd5 Rxd6 22 Rxd6 Bxd6 23 Bf4 Re8 24 Nd4 Bc5 25 Nb3 Bb4 26 Be3 Nd3 27 Rbl Rc8 28 Bxa7 now gives Black sufficient compensation for the pawn. After 28 Ncl Ne5 29 Bxa7 Rc2 Black again has enough to make a draw. 28 Nd4 might have kept some small prospects alive for White. 28 Bxa7 Rc2 29 Bd4 K17 30 h3 Be7 31 Rdl Nxb2 32 Nal Nxdl 33 Nxc2 Bf6 34 Bxf6 Draw agreed.

For game 14, Nigel was pressing hard but, in the bat of an eye, missing his most vigorous 34th move, the tables were turned and Short was lucky that Kasparov did not nail down his coffin.

Short — Kasparov: Times World Championship, London, Game 14; Sicilian Defence.

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 Bc4 Once again Nigel Short resorts to Bobby Fischer's favourite weapon against the Najdorf Sicilian. 6 . . . e6 7 Bb3 Nc6 8 Be3 Be7 9 f4 0-0 10 0-0 This is the first divergence from Game 12 where Short played 10 Qf3. 10 . . Nxd4 11 Bxd4 b5 12 e5 in the fourth game between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky from their match at Reykjavik 1972, White played the more passive 12 a3 Bb7 13 Qd3, and after 13 . . . a5 Black stood well. 12 . . . dxe5 13 fxe5 Nd7 14 Ne4 Bb7 15 Nd6 Short uses his temporary advantage in development to acquire a giant passed pawn on d6, backed up by the bishop pair in an open position. 15 . . . Bxd6 16 exd6 Qg5 17 Qe2 e5 18 Bc3 Qg6 19 Radl Kh8 20 Bd5 Bxd5 21 Rxd5 Qe6 22 Rfdl Chess games at the highest level are rather like the law, they rely heavily on precedent. In this case, until Kasparov's 22nd move, Short and Kasparov were following a game between the two Grandmasters Larry Christiansen and Luben Spassov played in In- donesia 1982. In that game Black tried 22 . . . f5 but after 23 a4 bxa4 24 Bxe5 Rae8 25 c4 Nxe5 26 d7 Nxd7 27 Qxe6 Rxe6 28 Rxe7 the position has burnt out to a draw. 22 . . . RfcS 23 Ba5 Rc6 24 b3 Rac8 25 Bc7 Re8 This wastes time. Much better is 25 . . f5, planning . . . e4. The position is then equal. It is difficult for either side to make progress. Short's bishop on c7 is very strong since it controls the coronation square of his passed 'd' pawn, but, on the other hand, it is somewhat stuck out of action and unable to return to the kingside. Also the black knight on d7 is a good blockader, but it cannot move, for fear of White's 'd' pawn advancing. 26 c4 Short sets his queenside pawn majority in motion. 26 . . . bxc4 27 bxe4 f5 28 h3 A useful precaution. If instead 28 0c2 e4 29 Qa4 e3 30 Qxc6 e2 31 Rel Qe3+ 32 Khl Qf2, exploiting the weakness of White's back rank. 28 . . . h6 29 Qc2 Having secured his back rank against snap mating threats, Short now implements the queen manoeuvre which brings the black position under greatest pressure. 29 . . . e4 30 Qa4 Rc5

Position after 33 . . . Qg6

31 RxcS Nxe5 32 Qc6 Nd7 33 Qd5 Qg6 (Dia- gram) Short's next move indicates a failure of calculation and within a couple of moves he is staring potential defeat in the face. He had to play 34 c5. The variations are hideously complex and probably end in a draw, but it had to be done. Here are the main lines. 34 c5 Re5 35 Qa8+ Kh7 36 c6 Rc5 37 cxd7 Rc2 38 g4 fxg4 39 Qe8 Qf5 40 Rfl Qc5+ 41 Khl Qe3 42 Qh5 and White wins. However it was later discovered that 36 . . . Rb5!! should make a draw, though it is very hard to find. The main line is 36 . . . Rb5 and now Short cannot play 37 cxd7, e.g. 37 . . . Rb2 38 g4 fxg4 39 Qe8 Qf5 40 Rfl Qc5+ 41 Khl Qc2 and White cannot avoid being checkmated. Therefore White must play 37 Qxa6 (instead of 37 cxd7) 37 . . . Rb2 38 Qfl f4 39 cxd7 f3 40 g4 (not 40 d8/Q Rxg2+ 41 Khl Qg3 and Black wins) 40 . . . Qf6 41 d8/Q f2+ 42 Kh2 Qf4+ 43 Kg2 Qf3+ 44 Kh2 Qxdl and now White draws with 45 Qf8 Qxfl 46 Qf5+ with a perpetual check. The final winning try for White after 36 . . . Rb5 is 37 Khl, suggested by Jon Speelman, but after 37 . . f4 38 cxd7 f3 Black should draw, e.g. 39 gxf3 Rh5 40 Kh2 Rxh3+ 41 Kxh3 Qh5+ with a draw by perpetual check; or 39 g4, when Black again has 39 . . Rh5!! Finally, 39 Rgl, but then 39 . . . fxg2+ followed by Qf5 leaves White's king too exposed. 34 Qd2 Re5 35 Qe3 Qe6 This is a poor move, which throws away the advantage that Black has suddenly acquired. He should have played 35 . . . Qf7, for example 36 Rcl f4 37 Rfl f3 (Kasparov had missed this move) 38 gxf3 Rg5+ 39 Kh2 Qxc4 with fierce play on the light squares and a massive Black attack. The move played permits Short to consolidate his position somewhat. 36 Rcl Rc5 37 Rc2 Kg8 38 a4 1(17 39 Q12 e3 Draw agreed In order to make progress, Kasparov must open up his king position by playing , . . g5, while still controlling White's two passed pawns. He judged this task to be too difficult and, there- fore, offered a draw.

Nigel seemed well protected in his Queen's Gambit Declined bunker in game 15, but an incautious capture on move 28 allowed Kasparov to drive a stake through the heart of his position.

Kasparov — Short: Times World Championship, London, Game 15; Queen's Gambit Declined.

1 d4 d5 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 cxd5 Kasparov's great hero, Alexander Alekhine, also used the ex- change variation of the Queen's Gambit in the 32nd game of his match against Capablanca in their world championship match in Buenos Aires 1927. That game went 4 Bg5 Nbd7 5 e3 c6 6 cxd5 exd5 7 Bd3 Bel 8 Nge2 0-0 9 Ng3 Ne8 10 h4 and Alekhine went on to win. 4 . . . exd5 5 Bg5 Be7 6 e3 0-0 7 Bd3 Nbd7 S Nge2 Re8 9 0-0 Nf8 10 b4 Kasparov thought for a long time over this pawn sacrifice. If Short now accepts it with 10 . , Bxb4 then 11 Bxf6 gxf6 12 Nxd5 QxdS 13 Qa4 Bh3 14 Nf4 Qa5 15 QxaS Bxa5 16 Nxh3 Ne6 17 Rfdl and White stands much better in the simplified position. 10 . . . a6 11 a3 c6 12 Qc2 g6 13 13 Ne6 14 Bh4 Nh5 15 Bxe7 Rxe7 16 Qd2 b6 This move is the main cause of Black's prob- lems. From now on, Short experiences terrible difficulties in defending the integrity of his queenside pawn constellation. 17 Radl Bb7 18 Bbl Nhg7 19 e4 Rc8 20 Ba2 Rd7 21 Nf4 Nycf4 22 Qxf4 Ne6 23 Qe5 Re7 24 Qg3 Qc7 25 Qh4 Ng7 26 Re! Qd8 27 Rfdl It is possible to play the speculative 27 Bxd5 hoping for 27 . . . cxd5 28 Nxd5 Bxd5 29 Rxc8 Qxc8 30 Qxe7 and White would win. However, all White's efforts are rendered nugatory after 27 Bxd5 by the calm response 27 . . . Rd7 28 Qxd8+ Rcxd8 29 Ba2 Rxd4 with equality. 27 . . Rcc7 28 Na4 dxe4 With Kasparov down to his last few minutes Short tries to trick the world champion, but this exchange is positionally suspect, since it grants White a dominating mass of pawns in the centre.

Position after 29 . . Qe8

More solid is 28 . . Rcd7. 29 fxe4 Qe8 (Diagram) This is the point of Short's trap. He is hoping for the plausible 30 Rel when Black can play 30 . . . c5 31 d5 Bxd5 32 exd5 Nf5 and will ultimately regain the material with . . . Qxa4. This is ingenious, but Kasparov's next move, recentralising his knight, avoids all the tricks and leaves Black with a lost position. A tougher defence would, therefore, have been afforded by 29 . Rcd7. 30 Nc3 Rcd7 31 Qf2 Ne6 32 e5 The giant threat of Ne4 now forces Black to play . c5, but then White obtains two terrible pawns in the centre. 32 . . . c5 33 bxc5 bxc5 34 d5 Nd4 35 Ne4 Qd8 36 Nf6+ Kg7 37 Nxd7 Rxd7 38 RxcS Ne6 39 Reel Black resigns Of course White does not fall for 39 dxe6 Rxdl + 40 Qfl Qd4+ 41 Khl Rxfl checkmate, but after the text

39 . . . Bxd5 40 Qf6+ forces a further win of material.

In Game 16 Short rose from the dead to win in 38 moves. I shall deal fully with the game next week.