Tit for tat
Raymond Keene
In Belgrade Spassky revived his chances to win game 20, probably his best game of the match. Nevertheless, Fischer struck back immediately, taking game 21, and thus moved into a virtually unassailable lead. As we go to press, Fischer requires just two more wins to clinch the largest ever chess prize in the history of the game.
Spassky — Fischer: 'World Chess Cham- pionship', Belgrade, Game 20; Sicilian Defence.
1 e4 At last Spassky decides to sidestep the Queen's Gambit Accepted, which has recently become such an efficient equalising weapon in Fischer's hands. 1 . . . c5 2 Ne2 Nf6 3 Nbc3 e6 4 g3 Nc6 5 Bg2 Be7 6 0-0 d6 7 d3 a6 8 a3 A most subtle concept. Spassky anticipates in the future that Black will advance on the queenside by means of. . . b5 and. . . b4. In that eventuality Spassky plans to open the 'a' file for his own use. Just how important that is will become clear in a few moves. 8. . . Qc7 9 f4 b5 10 Khl 0-0 11 Be3 Bb7 12 Bgl Rab8 13 h3 Ba8 14 g4 64 Fischer is clearly concerned that Spassky is going to roll him up on the king's flank by means of Ng3 and g5. Therefore he inaugurates a counter-action on the opposite side of the board. The problem, though, is that White is given a free hand in the 'a' file, though the significance of this is not, as yet, fully clear. 15 axb4 cxb4 16 Na4 Nd7 17 Qd2 Rfc8 18 63 A useful defensive precaution. White's backward pawn on c2 looks like a terrible weakness but it can be defended lateral- ly by means of Ra2. 18. . . a5 19 g5 B18 20 Ra2 Ne7 21 Nd4 g6 22 Nb2 At last Spassky's plan becomes clear. Black's 'a' pawn is virtually defenceless against the plan of Nc4 followed if necessary by Rfal . If now 22. . . e5 in order to attack White's knight and thus crash through on c2 White has 23 fxe5 dxe5 24 Qf2! exd4 25 Qxf7+ Kh8 26 Bxd4+ Ne5 27 Nc4 Bg7 28 Qxg7+ Kxg7 29 Bxe5+ winning easily. A beautiful variation. 22 . . . Bg7 23 Nc4 d5 The time-honoured reaction to a wing attack. Fischer counters massively in the centre. 24 Nxa5 dxe4 25 dxe4 e5 26 Ne2 exf4 27 Nxf4 Ne5 28 Nd3 Rb5? This awkward move simply gets Fischer's rooks into trouble. Unfortunately, Black has no really satisfactory continuation in view of such threats as Bh2. The conclusion must be that Fischer's whole strategy, based on the sacrifice of his 'a' pawn, was faulty. 29 Nxe5 Qxe5 Whichever
method Black chooses to recapture has dis- advantages, for example 29 . . . Rxe5 30 Nc4 Rxe4 31 Rxa8 and White wins. 30 Nc4 Qxg5 31
Position after 31. . . Qh4 Be3 Qh4 (Diagram) 32 Nd6 Almost by sleight of hand Spassky has forked Fischer's rooks. If now 32 . . . Rd8 33 Rxa8 Rxa8 34 Nxb5 winning easily. Fischer must therefore acquiesce in a completely hopeless endgame. 32 . . . Bc3 33 Qf2 Qxf2 34 Rx12 Rbb8 35 Nxc8 R.xc8 36 Ra7 After this Black could safely resign. 36. . Kf8 37 Bh6+ Ke8 38 Bg5 f6 39 Bxf6 Bxf6 40 Rx.f6 Bc6 41 Kg! Bd7 42 Rd6 Bc6 43 BI! Black resigns.
Fischer — Spassky: Game 21; Sicilian Defence.
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 e6 5 Nb5 d6 6 c4 Nf6 7 N5c3 Be7 8 g3 0-09 Bg2 a6 100-0 Rb8 11 No3 Qc7 12 Be3 Bd7 13 Rd l Ne5 14 h3 Rfc8 15 f4 Ng6 Black avoids 15 . . . Nxc4 16 Nxc4 Oxc4 17 Nd5 Nxd5 18 Rxc4 Nxe3 19 Rxc8+ Rxc8 20 Qd2 Nxfl 21 Bxfl when his material compensation for the queen might give a draw with difficulty. 16 Qd2 11e8 17 Rfdl b6 18 Qf2 h6 19 Kh2 Qa7 20 Qe2 Qc7 21 Bf3 Bc6 The critical moves now for White are 22 Ncb5 and 22 Nd5. In neither case can Black capture the intrusive knight with a pawn in view of the resulting pin in the 'c' file. Therefore let us examine 22 Ncb5 Od7 23 Nxd6 Bxd6 24 e5 Bxf3 25 Qxf3 and now 25 . . . Rc6 when Black can equalise. Alternatively 22 Nd5 Qd8 23 Nxe7+ Oxe7. White now has the bishop pair but Black has counterplay against the e4
pawn and also has. . . b5 coming. More testing. for Black may be 22 Nd5 Qd8 23 Nxf6+ Bxf6 (23 . . . gxf6 looks horrible) 24 e5 Bxf3 25 Oxf3 Be.7 and now it seems White has no way to exploit his pressure in the 'd' file before Black frees himself with . . . Qe7. 22 Nab! Fischer decides to regroup his forces in retrograde fashion. Reculer pour mieux sauter is the stock phrase in such situations. Still, this move is dangerously slow and a waiting move such as 22 Bf2 might have been more prudent. 22 . . . Qb7 23 Nd2 65 24 cxb5 axb5 25 b4 Qa8 26 Rc2 d5 27 e5 Ne4? This amounts to a pawn sacrifice and it is optimistic. After the simple 27. . . Nd7! Whites position is left full of holes. His pawn on b4 under attack, Black possesses pressure in the `a file and there may even be future sacrifices based on. . . Ngxe5. 28 Bxe4 dxe4 29 Bc5! important consolidating move after which White's main problems are over. Black's bishoPs are neutralised, a passed pawn comes into being on c5 and the fragile black pawn on e4 IS targeted for annexation. 29 . . . Bxc5 30 bxc5 Rd8 31 Re! Ne7 32 Ncxe4 Nf5 33 Nb3 Nd4 34 Nxd4 Rxd4 35 Nd6 Qa4 Although things haye taken an unpleasant turn for Spassky he still enjoys huge counterplay. Here, for example,, the immediate 35 . . . Qa3 deserves very serious consideration. 36 f5 Rail 37 Rb2 Qa3 And here 37 . . . Rb4 38 Rxb4 Qxb4 with the starthrig threat of . . . Rxa2 could well be a supenu; alternative. Spassky's choice sacrifices a secopo pawn so that he can flood Fischer's interior with black major pieces. Spassky should still have enough compensation to salvage a draw. 38 fxe6 he6 39 Nxb5 Bxb5 40 Qxb5 Rd3 41 Rg2 Qc3 42 Ree2 Ra3 43 Rc2 Qxe5? Spassky is in too much of a hurry to restore the material equilibrium. Much more troublesome for White is 43 . • • Qe1 with the threat of. . . Rdl. 44 Rce2 Re3 45 Rxe3 Rxe3 46 a4 Rc3 47 c6 Qd6 48 c7 Rxr7 4.9 Qb8+ Kh7 50 a5 h5 51 h4 Qc5 52 a6 Rf7 This looks like a waste of time. The immediate 52 . . . e5 would prove more useful. 53 Qbl + K0,6 54 Qa2! A fine move supporting his 'a' pawn an pressing annoyingly against Black's weakness on e6. 54 . . . Re7 55 Qd2+ Kg6 56 Re2 Kh7 Qc2+ Qxc2 58 Rxc2 Kg6 59 Ra2 Ra7 60 Ra5 Slicing at Black's position along the fifth ranh. 60 . . . e5 61 Kg2 Kf6 62 Kf2 Ke6 63 Ke3 Kf5„ Kf3 g6 65 Ra3 g5 66 hxg5 Kxg5 67 Ke4 011c's resigns The main line which justifies capitulaion is 67. . . Kf6 68 Ra5 Kg5 69 K.xe5! Kg4 70 Ra3 when Black is helpless against the transferral of White's king to b6.
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