CHESS

Per ardua ad Gazza

Raymond Keene

TWO YEARS AGO Garry Kasparov (popularly known as Gazza) and Nigel Short broke away from Fide, the World Chess Federation, to play their own world championship match in London. This was held under the auspices of a new body, the PCA, or Professional Chess Association. Meanwhile, in retaliation, Fide implement- ed its own world championship between Anatoly Karpov and Jan Timman. All this past history is worth recapitulating, since the split between the PCA and Fide has led to innumerable subsequent complications which might defeat the ability of those who do not possess a PhD in chess politics.

First, let us trace Anand's career through the qualifying cycle of the PCA. It was his match victories here which have brought him to the foot of Kasparov's throne in New York for his present challenge. In mid-1994 Anand annihilated the Russian grandmaster Romanishin in the first stage.

PCA Quarter-Final; New York June 1994 Anand 1/2 1 1 1/2 1/2 1/2 1 5 Romanishin 1/2 0 0 1/2 1/2 1/2 0 2 Anand went on to destroy the chances of our own Michael Adams in the next quali- fying leg in Spain.

PCA Semi-Final, Linares, November 1994 Anand 1 1 1 1/2 1 1/2 1/2 51/2 Adams 0 0 0 1/2 0 1/2 1/2 Finally, after an immense battle, Anand succeeded in overcoming the resistance of the much improved American grandmaster Gata Kamsky. Anand's elimination of Kamsky made him the challenger to Kasparov's PCA title.

PCA Final, Las Palmas, March 1995 Anand 0 1/2 1 1/2 I/2 I/2 I/2 1/2 1 1/2 1 02 Kamsky 1 1/2 0 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 0 I/2 0 02 Here is the decisive portion of Anand's best win from his PCA qualifying final.

Anand–Kamsky: Game 9.

White's pressure on the kingside now persuades Black into the weakening move ...h5 in order to prevent White concentrating his forces with Ng4. 23 ... h5 24 Qd2 Kg8 25 axb5 Simultaneously operating on both flanks. Black is further handi- capped by the fact that his bishop on b7 is biting on granite. 25 ... axb5 26 Ndl Na6 27 Nc3 b4 28 Nb5 Nc7 29 Bd3 Nxb5 30 BxbS Red8 31 Bc4 Nf6 32 Qh6 Qf8 33 Qg5 If now 33 ... Nh7 34 Qf4 Ra8 to contest White's planned invasion along the 'a' file, then 35 Rxa8 Rxa8 36 e5 dxe5 37 Nxe5 With the threat of d6. 33 ...Qg7 34 Raj Rc7 35 Ba6 Rb8 36 e5 Ne8 37 Rxb7 Rcxb7 38 Bxb7 Rxb7 39 Qd8 Qf8 40 Rai Nc7 41 Qd7 Qb8 Yet again Black cannot capture on e5, for if 41

dxe5 42 d6. 42 Qxd6 c4 43 bxc4 b3 44 Rbl b2 Black has sacrificed virtually his entire queen- side and central pawn constellation in order to create this passed pawn, but Anand swiftly proves that its benefits are quite illusory. 45 Qc5 Rb3 46 Qd4 Qb4 47 Ng5 Rc3 48 Qf4 f5 49 exf6 NxdS 50 f7+ Black resigns.

Meanwhile, what of Fide? The World Chess Federation had been conducting its own qualifying series. It has now reached the final stage, which also represents its own world championship match. In this the defending Fide champion, Anatoly Karpov, faces the self-same Kamsky who had been eliminated from the PCA cycle by Anand. However, during the Moscow Chess Olympiad of December 1994, there was an extraordinary rapprochement between those two old arch-enemies, Garry Kaspar- ov and Florencio Campomanes, the Fide President. Kasparov, surprisingly, resur- rected Campomanes's fading political career as chess panjandrum and supported him vigorously in the Fide presidential election. In return, Campo tacitly recog- nised Kasparov as world champion and seems to have lost all interest in staging the Karpov–Kamsky match. With Karpov out in the cold, having declined to enter the PCA cycle, the way was free for Anand to challenge Kasparov.

The first game in New York saw both players in an ultra-cautious mood.

Anand–Kasparov: World Championship, Game 1, September 1995; Sicilian Defence.

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 Bet e6 7 a4 Nc6 8 0-0 Bel 9 Be3 0-0 10 f4 Qc7 11 Khl Re8 12 Qd2 12 Bf3 was played in the famous 24th Karpov—Kasparov match game from Moscow 1985. This game made Kasparov, aged 22, the youngest ever world champion. 12 ...Bd7 13 Radl Rad8 14 Nb3 Bc8 15 Bf3 b6 16 Qf2 Nd7 17 Nd4 Bbl 18 Bh5 Rf8 19 Qg3 Nxd4 20 Bxd4 Bf6 21 Bet e5 22 fice5 BxeS 23 Qf2 Nc5

24 B13 After the game Kasparov said that this move restricted the scope of White's bishop and that 24 Bc4 would have been better. 24 ...Rfe8 Kasparov now claimed that the immediate 24 a5 would have given him a slight advantage.

25 h3 a5 26 b3 Bc6 27 Rfel h6 Draw agreed Kas- parov said: 'Better for Black, but he cannot win.'

The second game was also drawn quick- ly, so the initial bout has ended even.