CHESS
Hatchet dug up
Raymond Keene
Many reports of the closing ceremony of the last world championship indicated that Kasparov had buried the hatchet with Fide and the USSR Federation. As the Spectator revealed, only the latter is true. Kasparov returned to the charge against Fide after his Timman match at Hilversum (15-22 December) which resulted: Kasparov 1 1 0 1/2 V2 1 4 Timman 0 0 1
1/2 1/2
0 2 First, the most exciting game of the match:
Kasparov — Timman: Game 4; Queen's Indian Defence.
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 Nc3 Bb4 5 Bg5 Bb7 6 e3 h6 7 Bh4 g5 8 Bg3 Ne4 9 Qc2 Varying from the sacrifice 9 Nd2 which Kasparov tried in game 2. Kasparov's choice in this game as yet gives up no material, but leads to a chaotic, mutually frac- tured situation, very attractive to Kasparov's stormy style. 9 . . . Bxc3 + 10 bxc3 d6 11 Bd3 f5 12 d5 Nc5 13 h4! Improving on the game Vaganian-Ribli, USSR — World, London Docklands 1984, where the debut of 12 . . . Nc5 was met by 13 Nd4. 13 . . . g4 14 Nd4 Now Black can no longer operate with the threat of . . . f4. 14 • . . Qf6 15 0-0 Nba6 In game 6 Timman switched to 15 . . . Nxd3 16 Qxd3 e5 but after 17 Nxf5 Bc8 18 Nd4!! exd4 19 cxd4 White had an imposing armada of centre pawns for his piece. 16 Nxe6 Nxe6 17 Bxf5! A brilliant piece sacrifice. White obtains two pawns at once and displaces Black's King. Nevertheless, Timman told me that he had already considered the idea in pre-game analysis and did not think it danger- ous. He appears to have been mistaken. 17 . . . No 18 Bg6+ Kd7 19 f3 Raf8 20 fxg4 Qe7 21 e4 Kc8 22 Q82 Kb8 23 Rxf8+? Introducing an incorrect, though enticing, plan. Kasparov de- monstrated to me that 23 Qd4! is much more
promising with the idea of exchanging all the Rooks and then proceeding with g5 and h5. 23 . . . Rxf8 24 Qxh6 White's position looks impos- ing, but he has forfeited the initiative by winning the h6 pawn. 24 . . . Bc8 25 Rel Bxg4 26 c5!? An amazing move. He wants to prevent Black bringing his Q to c5 and also weaken Black's grip on c7 after 26 . . . NxcS 27 e5, but Timman does not oblige. 26 . . . Qf6! 27 cxd6 Bh5 Winning a second piece, but White's pawns become rampant. 28 e5 Qxg6 29 Qxg6 Bxg6 30 e6 Nc5 31 d7 The complications reach a crescendo. White has four pawns for two piece, and the time has come to give something back. 31 . . . Nxd7 32 exd7 Rd8 33 Re6! Another brilliant stroke. 33 . . . Nxe6 34 dxe6 would re-establish White's armada of pawns. 33 . . . Bh5 34 Be5 Rxd7 35 Rh6 Bf7 Returning the other piece in order to create a dangerous passed 'a' pawn. 35 . . Be2 36 Rh7 Re7 37 Bf6 Rf7 38 2: e5! (38 Bxg7 Kb7 threatening . . . Bd3) 38 . . . Rfl + 39 Kh2 Ne8 40 Re7 or 40 Rh8 are highly risky for Black. 36 Bxg7 Bxd5 37 Be5 Bxa2 38 h5 Kb7 39 g4 Bc4 The immediate 39 . . . a5 is preferable. The text gives White breathing space and leads to a thrilling race of passed pawns on opposite wings. 40 g5 a5 41 g6 Rd5 42 Bf4 Rf5 43 Bg3 a4 White still has problems since his pieces obstruct his own passed pawns and Black's Bishop covers one of the promotion squares. 44 Rh7 Rc5 45 h6 a3 46 Re7 a2 47 Rel Bd3 48 h7 Rh5 If 48 . . . Bbl 49 h8=Q al=Q 50 Qhl + . 49 Ral Bxg6 50 Rxa2 Rxh7 At last, after amazing, perhaps unique, complications, a drawn position has resulted. Timman plays on to the end of the session which lasted seven hours. 51 Kf2 Rd7 52 Ke2 Rd5 53 Ra4 c5 54 Rf4 Be8 55 Ke3 Rdl 56 Re4 Bb5 57 c4 Bd7 58 Ke2 Rgl 59 Re7 Rxg3 60 Rxd7+ Ka6 61 Kd2 Kay 62 Rd6 Draw agreed.
Since 15 February last year when Cam- pomanes controversially terminated the first K-K match, regular readers of this column may have noticed a distinct waning of confidence in the Fide President. Now Lincoln Lunena, a Brazilian chess master and official, is challenging Campomanes for the Presidency and I will be supporting him as candidate for General Secretary the two most powerful positions in the World Chess Federation. Kasparov has come out in support of us, and I give his statement made at the launching press conference on 23 December in Am- sterdam: . . . In the past few years there were a lot of problems in our chess world. During my stay here in Hilversum, I have met with a number of people who are prepared to work for more democracy in the chess world. They want the chess players to know what is going on. They want correct rules and they want the wishes of the players to be respected. These are also my feelings and as world champion, I think it is my duty to do everything I can to support the people and organisation that are working for these things. I wish Mr Lincoln Lucena and Grand- master Ray Keene success in their campaign to reform the World Chess Federation and to get us out of this unfortunate situation.
. . . New Year is normally a time of peace, but sometimes you must fight for peace and I hope that in the next year we will return to genuine peace in the chess world and that chess players can then concentrate on creating beauti- ful games under normal conditions.
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