CHESS
Lost chances
Raymond Keene
DURING THE COURSE of a BBC televi- sion preview of the world championship around a month ago, I predicted that Kasparov would defeat Anand overall by a two-point margin. When I left you last week, this was precisely the state of the match. After two disastrous outings against Kasparov's Dragon Sicilian, Anand came out fighting for game 14, even though he had Black.
Kasparov-Anand: Intel World Champion- ship, 1995, Game 14; Centre Counter Defence.
1 e4 d5 2 exd5 Qxd5 3 Nc3 Qa5 4 d4 Nf6 We have to go back to the Morphy-Anderssen match of Paris 1858 to witness this variation being employed at championship level. In this position A,nderssen sought to clear the centre at once with 4 .. e5 5 dxe5 QxeS+ 6 Be2 13b4 but after 7 Nf3 Bxc3+ 8 bxc3 Qxc3+ 9 Bd2 Qc5 10 Rbl Nc6 11 0-0 Nf6 12 Bf4 White's lead in development was the key factor and Morphy won quickly. 5 Nf3 c6 6 Ne5 Be6 7 Bd3 Nbd7 8 f4 A more modest alternative is 8 Nxd7 Bxd7 9 0-0 e6 10 Bf4 Qb6 with a level position as in the game San Segundo-Ricardi, Buenos Aires 1995. After the game, Kasparov was scathing about his own opening play. He blamed it on a mixture of unfamiliarity with the opening and not knowing whether he should be playing for a win or a draw. An advantage of two points can permit one the luxury of such speculations, especially with White. Two points in arrears, Anand had no illusions. He had to play for a win, whether with White or Black. 8 ...g6 9 0-0 Bg7 10 Khl Bf5 11 RA Sacrificing a tempo, but to acquiesce in the trade of light-squared bishops would leave White devoid of strategic chances. 11 ...e6 12 Bel h5 13 Be3 Rd8 14 Bgl 0-0 15 Ilt3 Nd5 16 Nxd5 Kasparov offered a draw with this move, but Anand turned it down after about four min- utes' thought. This shows that, with his two-point advantage, Kasparov can also display a danger- ous mastery of psychology. It was really a probe to see how confident Anand felt with his posi- tion. 16 ... exd5 17 B12 Qc7 18 Ra f6 19 Nd3 Rfe8 20 b3 Nb6 21 a4 Nc8 22 c4 Qf7 23 a5 Although he has been outplayed in a higher strategic sense Kasparov is a genius at creating potential tactical compensation. His 18th, 20th, 21st and 22nd moves all form part of a connect- ed chain, the objective being to blast open the 'c' file and push forward the white 'a' pawn to a6, where it will act as a thorn in Black's flesh. Although Black enjoys a distinct central prepon- derance, he cannot afford to ignore White's operations on the queen's flank. Kasparov has a nasty habit of linking moves on one extremity of the board into a grand scheme for a counter- attack on the other side. 23 —MS 24 exd5 exd5 25 Bh4 Nd6 26 a6 b6 27 Ne5 Anand has played well, deprived White of counter-chances and maintained his strategic edge. In order to gain counterplay Kasparov has to enter the horrific complications introduced by this piece sacrifice, and seek to pull together the various strands of his tactical compensation which, at the moment, are strewn around at the edges of the board. 27 Qe6 Capturing the piece seems to result in a draw, for example 27 ...fice5 28 he5 Ne4 29 Bxd8 Rxd8 30 g4 hxg4 31 Bxg4 Bxg4 32 Qxg4 Ni2+ 33 Rxt2 Qxf2 34 Qxg6+ Bg7 35 Rc7 Qfl+ 36 Ogl Qf3+ 37 Qg2 Qdl+ 38 Qgl Qt3+. This leads to a forced draw by perpetual check, so my conclusion is that Kasparov was never lost in this game. 28 g4 hxg4 29 Nxg4 Bg7 30 Rc7 Now White's rook also swoops into the attack. This piece can also threaten to ensconce itself on b7 if Black tries to drive it away. 30 ... Ne4 31 Ne3 (Diagram) 31 ...Bh3 He should have played 31 Position after 31 Ne3 Qd6 and if then 32 Rxg7+ Kxg7 33 Nxf5+ gxf5 34 Bxe4 (if 34 Rgl + Kf8 and Black weath- ers the storm) 34 ...Rxe4 35 Qh5 Rxf4 (to meet 36 Rgl+ with 36 ...Rg4) 36 Bxf6+! Kxf6 37 Qh6+ Kf7 38 Qxf4 Qxf4 39 Rxf4 Kg6 40 Rt3 with a likely draw in the rook and pawn endgame. 32 Rgl g5 33 Bg4 Bxg4 34 Qxg4 Qxg4 35 Rxg4 Nd6 36 Bt2 Nb5 37 Rh7 Re4 38 f5 Rxg4 39 Nxg4 Rc8 40 Rd7 Rc2 41 RxdS Black resigns.
After this calamity Anand finally appeared to have had the stuffing knocked out of him and the next two games were perfunctory formalities.
Anand-Kasparov: Game 15; Sicilian.
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Ne3 g6 6 Be3 Bg7 7 f3 0-0 8 Qd2 Nc6 9 g4 Be6 10 0-0-0 Nxd4 11 Bxd4 Qa5 12 Kbl Rid; 13 a3 Rala% 14 Nd5 Qxd2 15 Rxd2 Nxd5 16 Bxg7 Ne3 Draw.
Kasparov-Anancl: Game 16; Sicilian.
1 e4 c5 2 NE3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 Be2 e6 7 0-0 Bel 8 a4 Nc6 9 Be3 0-0 10 f4 Qc7 11 KM Re8 12 Bd3 Nh4 13 a5 Bd7 14 Nf3 Rac8 15 Bb6 Qb8 16 Bd4 Bc6 17 Qd2 Nxd3 18 cxd3 Nd7 19 Bgl Qc7 20 Nd4 Draw agreed.
Come game 17, Anand's back was well and truly up against the wall. He had to win this game, otherwise Kasparov would reach ten points and retain his title, Remarkably, Anand came extremely close to a win.
Anand-Kasparov: Game 17; Sicilian.
1e4c52Nt3d63d4cxd44Nxd4Nf65Nc3g6 Kasparov's espousal of the Dragon in this match has given it a curious new reputation as a solid defence. 6 Be3 Bg7 7 n 0-0 8 Qd2 Nc6 9 Ke4 Bd7 10 h4 13.5 11 Bb3 Rc8 12 0-0-0 Ne5 13 Bg5 At long last Anand tries the main line. In game 1I he played the nondescript 13 Kbl. 13 ...Rc5 14 Kbl A perfectly valid move, though rather quiet. 14 g4 is the adventurous alternative, 14 ...Re8 Oddly passive for Kasparov. 14 ...b5, accelerat- ing Black's queenside counterplay against the white king, is the standard move. After the game, Kasparov indicated that ...b5 followed by ...a5, charging forwards with his pawns, would have been the right plan. 15 Rhel Qa5 16 a3 Very much in Anand's style. There is a theoreti- cal reference here, Boudre-Koch, played in France 1987, where 16 f4 Neg4 17 e5 led to vast complications. 16 ...b5 17 Bxf6 exf6 18 Nde2 Rc6 19 Nd5 As in game 11, Anand uses this device to trade queens. Here however, his posi- tion is much superior. Black's pawn skeleton is scattered, with doubled and isolated pawns pro- liferating around the board. In addition the d5 square proves a wonderful base for White's pieces to radiate strength in the endgame. 19 ... Qxd2 20 Rxd2 Nc4 21 Bxc4 bxc4 22 Redl f5 23 exf5 BNB 24 Nd4 Bxd4 25 Rxd4 Re2 26 R4d2 Rxd2 27 Rxd2 Kf8 28 Kcl Be6 29 Rd4 BxdS After this trade Black faces an uphill struggle to draw. Without it, though, Black will find it almost impossible to centralise his king. 30 RxdS Ke7 31 Rb5 If 31 Ra5 a6 32 Kd2 Ke6 33 Kc3 d5 34 Kd4 Rb6 with Black hanging on by his finger- tips. 31 ...Ke6 32 Rb7 Re5 An error which over- looks a fine point five moves further on. The correct plan would be 32 ...a6 followed by ...Rc5 and then ...g5 to strike back on the other wing. 33 Rxa7 g5 34 Ra8 Kasparov had forgotten that White can reactivate his rook in the centre via e8. Black now gets weak pawns on the king- side while simultaneously having to cope with White's passed 'a' pawn on the extreme queen's flank. 34 ...gxh4 35 Re8+ Kd7 36 Re4 c3 (Diagram) 37 Rxh4?? Incredible! After playing Position after 36 ... c3 such a fine controlled strategic game Anand misses a move that most beginners would find. 37 b4 creates two connected passed pawns for White and there is little danger of White's king being trapped on the back rank by Black's c3 pawn. For example, 37134 Rg5 38 Rxh4 Rxg2 39 Kbl. Now White is threatening RxhS and if 39 „ , Rg5 then 40 Ka2 followed by Kb3 wins quite easily. Alternatively 37 b4 Rg5 38 Rxh4 Rxg2 39 Kb1 Rf2 40 RxhS Rxf3 41 Ka2, and again Black is struggling. White's passed pawns are already prepared to roll forwards, while Black also has the weakling on c3 to nurse. 37 ...cxb2+ 38 Kxb2 Rg5 39 a4 13 40 a5 14 41 a6 Kc7 42 Rxf4 Rxg2 43 Ri7+ Kb8 44 Kc3 h4 45 Kd3 R12 46 c4 Anand could have tried 46 Ke4. After the text, even though he wins Black's rook temporarily, his winning chances have vanished. 46 Ra2 47 Ke4 Rxa6 48 Rh7 Ra5 49 f4 KeS 50 f5 Kd8 51 Kf4 Rc5 52 Kg5 Rxc4 53 Kg6 Rg4+ 54 K17 d5 55 f6 Kd7 56 108+ Ke6 5717 Itf4 58 Kg8 d4 59 f812 Rya+ 60 KxfS Key 61 Rxh4 c13 62 Rh3 Ke4 63
Rxd3 Draw agreed.
The 18th and final game was yet another perfunctory draw in just 12 moves, The first 11 duplicated those of game 16, Kasparov then varied with 12 Ilf3 and offered a draw, which Anand accepted. Kasparov thus won the match by 101/2 points to 71/2. Next week a match overview.
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