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CHESS

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PcovoraDiau

SPAIN'S FINEST CAVA SPAIN'S FINEST CAVA

Black thoughts

Raymond Keene

AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL, playing with the black pieces is becoming increasingly arduous. Playing with White in chess is standardly compared to the advantage of the serve in tennis. In tennis, though, draws are impossible, while in chess the black handicap is cushioned by the fact that draws are not only possible, but quite common amongst the leading practition- ers.

In the recently concluded Amsterdam tournament, however, there was by no means an abundance of draws, while Black suffered mightily. Of the twelve games played by a group of four elite grandmas- ters facing each other in a double round competition, no fewer than seven were won by White, there was just one Black win and a mere four draws. This repre- sented a staggeringly high percentage of decisive games, as well as a total disaster for the players of the black pieces. Indeed, Nigel Short, although scoring 2/3 with White, lost all of his games with Black.

Over the past year, with events including two Amsterdam tournaments and his world championship match against Kaspar- ov, Short, with White, has won one game each against Anand, Kramnik, Timman and Kasparov. His only White loss has been to Kasparov. With Black, on the other hand, Short has lost one game to Kramnik, Ivanchuk and Timman, and six to Kasparov, but he has registered no wins at all. This is a weakness in his armoury, which Nigel will have to address, if he plans to emerge victorious from the new PCA World Championship cycle, which gets underway in New York next month.

Kasparov himself suffered with Black in Amsterdam, in particular in the following punishing loss against Ivanchuk.

lvanchuk — Kasparov: Amsterdam, May 1994; Sicilian Defence.

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 f4 Popular in the 1950s, this variation against the Najdorf Sicilian has become quite a rarity. In their world championship match last year Short used only 6 Bg5 and 6 Bc4 in this position 6 . . . Qc7 7 Q13 This is more aggressive than 7 a4 g6 8 Cof3 Bg7 9 Bd3 as in Anand — Kasparov, Immopar, Paris 1992. 7 . . . g6 8 Be3 Bg7 9 h3 This appears to be a theoretical novelty. White's plan is to advance with g4 and then castle queenside. Surprised by the unexpected turn of

Position after 11 Bh611

events Kasparov's next move is insufficiently cautious. 9 . e5 10 fxe5 dxe5 11 Bh6!! (Diagram) A stunning tactical coup which is easy to overlook. The point of Ivanchuk's idea is that if now 11 . . . 0-0 12 Bxg7 Kxg7 13 Qxf6+ Kxf6 14 Nd5+ Kg7 15 Nxc7 winning on mate- rial. Black's hand is therefore forced. 11 . • Bxh6 12 Qxf6 With White's queen so aggressive- ly placed, and the looming threat of Nd5, Black nsks suffering an opening debacle. 12 . . . 0-0 13 Nd5 Qa5+ 14 b4 Kasparov's next move relin- quishes his queen for two minor pieces and generally inadequate compensation. The big question must be, why did he not play instead 14 . . . Bg7? The best I can find for White in that case is 15 Qxg7+ Kxg7 16 bxa5 exd4 17 Nb6 Raj. In this position Black is inconvenienced by the displacement of his rook but in compensa- tion White's a5 pawn is also weak. Black may stand worse but he is far from lost Incidentally after 14 . . Bg7 if 15 bxa5 at once 15 . . Bxf6 16 Nxf6+ Kg7 when White has nothing better than transposition to a position similar to the previous note with 17 Nd5 exd4 18 Nb6. 14 . . . Qd8 15 Ne7+ Qxe7 16 Qxe7 exd4 17 Bc4 Nc6 18 Qc5 Be3 19 Rfl Nd8 20 R13 13e6 21 Rxe3 Ivanchuk gives back some material to eliminate the last vestiges of Black counterplay. 21 . . dxe3 22 Bxe6 Nxe6 23 Qxe3 a5 24 b5 Rac8 25 0-0-0 Rc5 26 Rd5 b6 27 Qg3 Rc7 28 Qd6 Rfc8 29 Rd2 Rb7 30 g4 Nc5 31 Qf6 h6 32 e5 Re8 33 h4 Kh7 34 h5 g5 35 Rd6 Re6 36 Qd8 Kg7 37 a3 a4 38 Position after 39 Rxb6 Kb2 Rbe7 39 Rxb6 (Diagram) Black resigns If 39 . . RxeS 40 Rxh6 Kxh6 41 Qh8 checkmate.

Amsterdam, May 1994 1

1 2 2 3 3 4 '4

1 Kasparov * * 1/2 0 1 1 1 1/2 4 2 Ivanchuk 1/2 1 * * 1/2 0 1/2 1 31/2 3 Timman 0 0 1/2 1 * * 0 1 2% 4 Short 0 1/2 1/2

0 1 0 *

*2