SPAIN'S FINEST CAVA
CHESS
ISPAIN'S FINEST CAVA • e6 •
Kasparov crushed
Raymond Keene
Moscow LAST WEEK I WROTE of the 18-year- old Russian Grandmaster Vladimir Kram- nik, one of the rising stars on the chess horizon. At the Moscow Intel Speed Chess competition I met him for the first time.
Physically he is a giant with long hair and a somewhat shambling gait, who chain- smokes and often expresses himself monosyllabically. Over the board his pre- sence is immense, as Kasparov found to his cost, when Kramnik eliminated him in the following game from their quarter-final clash. Kramnik's play is characterised by enormous energy and a resolve never to shrink from drastic measures when his instinct calls for them.
The setting for this game, Kramnik's second win against Kasparov within a month, imposingly reflected the import- ance of a result which may herald the beginning of the end of Kasparov's domi- nance. An audience of around 3,000 know- ledgeable spectators followed play on the giant stage of the Palace of Congress theatre within the walls of the Kremlin in the heart of Moscow. The stage had been set out as a huge chessboard with 20-foot- high replicas of the Kremlin's towers and battlements transformed into scarlet and ultramarine chess pieces. Above the play- ers, virtually dwarfed by the arena, was a huge screen with an electronic diagram relaying the moves as they were played.
From start to finish in this game the crowd was enthralled.
Kramnik — Kasparov: PCA Speed Chess, Mos- cow 1994; King's Indian Defence.
1 Nf3 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4 d6 5 d4 0-06 Be2 e5 7 d5 The Petrosian variation once again, which is now swiftly coming back into fashion. 7 . . . Nbd7 8 Be3 Varying from his win against Kasparov in Linares where Kramnik tried 8 Bg5. The text is most unusual, even bearing in mind the possibility of transposition to similar varia- tions. A check of 150,000 games over the last six years reveals only two games with this variation. 8 . . . Ng4 Instead 8 . . . Nc5 9 Nd2 a5, Kuzmin — F. Portisch, Berlin 1988, gives White an easy plus. Black must molest the bishop. 9 Bg5 16 10 8h4 10 Bd2 f5 11 NO, Miles — Valesi, Kusadasi 1990, also resulted in a win for White. 10 . . h5 After the game Nigel Short criticised Kasparov (to his face) for playing this weakening move, recommending instead 10 . . . Nh6. Kasparov responded that he wanted to threaten . . g5, trapping White's bishop. He was scared that, otherwise, White would simply castle kingside with a solid advantage. However, old theory indicates that Kasparov may be mistaken in this. 10. . . Nh6 11 Nd2 g5 12 Bg3 f5 13 exf5 Nf6 was played in Mecking — Gligoric, Palma de Mallor- ca 1970, and is considered equal. 11 Nd2 Nh6 12 f3 Nf7 13 Qc2 Bh6 14 0-0-0 A bold decision indicating that in the future he will try to smash Black's kingside with a storm on the opposite flank. 14. . . c5 Trying to block the position. 15 dxc6 Understandably the young grandmaster tries to open things up for an attack. Although this gives tactical chances the strategically super- ior method is 15 Kbl, giving the option of a slow advance on either flank, while Black remains cramped. 15. . . bxc6 16 Kb! a5 After the game Kasparov criticised himself harshly for this move, which is really just a waste of time. Much stronger is the consolidating manoeuvre 16 . . . Kg7. 17 Na4 With the threat of c5 which Black hastens to prevent, even though this leaves a hole on d5 17. . . c5 18 Nc3 11e3' This is quite misguided. It is normally suicidal to permit the exchange of the king's bishop in the King's Indian for a knight. In this case, Kasparov even encourages the exchange. 19 Nd5 Bd4 20 Nb3 Bb7 21 Nxd4 cxd4 22 14 Rb8 23 Rhil Nh6 24 c5 Bold, imaginative but probably premature. Clearly, Black cannot capture this pawn with either 24. . . dxc5 or 24. . Nxc5 on account of 25 fxe5. Nevertheless Kasparov was more con- cerned by the variation 24 g4 hxg4 25 Rgl heading directly for his king. 24 . . . Bxd5 25 exd5 Nf5 Here Kasparov looked quite happy with his position. He threatens . . Nxc5 and . . . Nxh4, so White must sacrifice. 26 fxe5 Nxh4 27 exd6 Ne5 28 Rxd4 Nf5 White has a mass of dangerous pawns for his piece but the black knights are sturdy defenders. In order to stoke up the attack White must sacrifice further material, which Kramnik did without hesitation. 29 Rxf5 gxf5 40 Qxf5 Kg7? Totally overlooking a further sacrifice. As Nigel Short pointed out
immediately after the game Black has to play 30 . . Rb4! to eliminate one of White's most dangerous attacking units. After 31 Rxb4 axb4 32 Qe6+ Kh8 it is possible that the game could end in perpetual check, or Black might even land a counter-punch against the white king. For example 33 Qe7 Qc8 34 c6 Qf5+ 35 Kal Rf7 36 Qe8+ Kg7 37 c7 Qc2 when White is in trouble. More sensible for White is 33 Bxh5 though after
33 . . . Qa5 Black's threat of . b3 should guarantee him against loss. 31 Bxh5 Rh8 32 a bc de f gh Position after 32 Rg4+!!
Rg4+!! (Diagram) As Kramnik hammered out this move, the audience erupted in cheers, thinking that 32 . . . Nxg4 33 Qg6+ Kf8 34 017 checkmate was forced. Kasparov gesticulated wildly at the auditorium, indicating that the game was not yet over, but from now on it proved impossible to quell the spectators' noisy enthusiasm. 32 . . . Kf8 33 Qe6 A lethal quiet move which leaves Black paralysed. 33 . . Rh7 34 c6 Rxb2+ Black's last chance. A desperate throw for perpetual check. 35 Kx132 Qb6+ 36 Ka3 QcS+ White's king now has to run the guantlet and it was Kramnik's turn to wave his hands at the audience to prevent their prema- ture jubilation at his anticipated victory. 37 Ka4 Qc2+ 38 Kb5 Qb2+ 39 Ka6 Qe2+ 40 Kb7 Rh7+ 41 d7 Kasparov resigns and the audience went wild. Not only the official bulletin but also several other sources now gave the further moves '41 . . . Nxc6 42 dxc6 Black resigns'. This is, of course, nonsense since Black would win with 42 . . . Qxe6 when White's d7 pawn remains pinned to his own king. Furthermore after 41 . . . Nxc6 42 Rg8 is checkmate. I watched this game and I can guarante that those extra moves did not occur.
White's material advantage, combined with his grip on Black's game, has become overwhelm- ing.
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