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SPAIN'S FINEST CAVA '
All aboard
Raymond Keene
AS EXPECTED, Kamsky, Salov. Anand and Kramnik sailed through their Fide qualifying matches with great ease against, respectively, van der Sterren, Khalifman, Yusupov and Yudasin. There has been no shortage of entertaining games. Even in a mismatch, the disparity in strengths can often lead to quite startling effects.
Yudasin — Kramnik: Fide Candidates Match, January 1994; Game 5, Sicilian Defence.
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e6 6 Nxc6 A popular line. The alternative is to play 6 NdbS d6 7 Bf4 c5 8 Bg5 entering the main lines of the Pelikan or Sveshnikov variation. The danger of the text is that Black increases his army of pawns in the centre, though at the cost of a potential hole on the d6 square. 6 . . . bxc6 7 e5 Nd5 8 Ne4 Qc7 A modern invention. The old line 8 . . . f5 9 exf6 Nxf6 10 Nd6+ Bxd6 I I Qxd6 somewhat favours White. 9 f9 QaS+ A finesse designed to decoy White's defence from his b2 pawn. The immediate 9 . . . Qb6 suffered horribly in the game Kasparov — Illescas, Linares, after 10 c4 Nc3 11 Qd3 Nf5 12 g4 Nd4 13 Bg2. 10 Bd2 Qb6 11 Bd3 Bel An improve- ment on the perilous 11 . . . Qxb2 12 0-0 Ba6 13 Bxa6 Qb6+ 14 Khl Qxa6 15 f5 of Smirin — Vaiser, Munich 1992. 12 Rbl This response looks feeble. He should play the resolute 12 Qe2 and dare Black to capture his h2 pawn. 12 . . . Ba6 13 Qe2 Bxd3 14 Qxd3 15 White's problems are becoming serious. Black's pawns are crawl- ing over the central zone and meanwhile White cannot castle his king into safety due to the baleful influence of the black queen on b6. 15 exf6 gxf6 16 f5 A desperate attempt to hem Black in, but it soon backfires. 1¢ . . . 0-0-0 17 a3 Rhe8 18 Kfl A pathetic admission of the bankruptcy of White's position. 18 . . . exf5 19 Ng3 f4 20 Nf5 Bf8 21 b4 Ne3+ 22 Bxe3 fxe3 23
a bcde f gh Position after 23 Ke2
Ke2 (Diagram) What began as a crawl is now a swarm. The king is a poor blockader and Black's central pawns must soon decide matters in his favour. 23 . . . d5 24 Rhfl Re4 25 c3 Bd6 26 Rf3 Bb8 27 g3 Rde8 28 Rbfl a5 Prising open a second front. 29 Ng7 Desperate to recapture lost material, namely the pawn on f6, White accidentally opens the floodgates for Black's rooks. 29 . . . R8e7 30 Nh5 If he returns with 30 Nf5 then 30 . . . Ra7 followed by . . . axb4 will suffice. 30 . . . axb4 31 cxb4 Again, if 31 axb4 then 31 . . . Ra7 achieves a decisive penetration. 31 . . . Rd4 32 Q15+ Kb7 33 Qxf6 Qa6+ 34 Kel Ree4 35 Qg7+ Ka8 36 Rf8 Rdl + A neat concluding sacrifice which forces a decisive gain of material. 37 Kxdl e2+ White resigns.
Van der Sterren — Kamsky; Fide Candidates Match, January /994; Game .5, King's Indian Defence.
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4 d6 5 f3 0-0 6 Be3 e5 7 d5 c6 8 Bd3 cxd5 9 cxd5 Nh5 10 Nge2 f5 II exf5 gxf5 12 0-0 a6 13 Khl Kh8 14 Rcl Nd7 15
Bxf5 A novel motif, since White must wreck his kingside pawn structure in order to regain the material. 15 . . . RxfS 16 g4 Rf8 17 gxh5 Qh4 A bold response, leaving his quecnsidc to White's mercy. 18 Ne4 Nf6 19 Nxd6 Bh3 20 Rgl RadS 21 Rc7 Bg4 A most extraordinary idea. If now 22 fxg4 Nxg4 23 Rxg4 Qxg4 the advantage passes to Black, while 22 fxg4 Nxg4 23 Rg2 Nxc3 24 Rgxg7 Rfl+ 25 Qxfl Nxfl 26 Rxh7+ leads to a draw by perpetual check. 22 Nc3 BxhS 23 Rgxg7 Rxd6 24 Bc5 White's rooks doubled on the seventh rank appear to be a terrifying force but it is difficult to land the decisive blow. For example, if 24 Ne4 Qxe4 25 fxe4 Bxdl 26 Bc5 Rfd8 is an adequate defence. 24 . . . e4 (Dia- gram) 25 Rg3 Apparently a supine withdrawal but the more adventurous 25 Bxd6 Bxf3+ 26 Qxf3 exf3 27 BxfS Qe1+ 28 Rgl f2 leads to Black's advantage. 25 . . . Qf4 26 Bxd6 Qxd6 27 Rxb7 With his threat of Qd4 White at last appears to be getting somewhere but Kamsky's next elegant trick transposes by force into a level endgame. 27 . . . Qxg3 Black's salvation. In contrast 27 . . . Bxf3+ 28 Rxf3 exf3 29 Qxf3 leaves Black helpless. 28 hxg3 Bxf3+ 29 Kg1 Bxdl 30 Nxd I Nxd5 31 Rb3 Rc8 32 Nc3 Nxc3 33 Rxc3 Rd8 34 Re3 Rd2 35 Rxe4 Rxb2 36 Ra4 Rb6 37 Kg2 Draw agreed.
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