Chess
Fighting chess
Raymond Keene
Despite the absence of Karpov, Linares reached category 14 and may well turn out to be the strongest tournament of the year.
Linares, March 1985 I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Total 1 Hubner x 1 1/2 4/ 1/2 0 1/2 1 1 1 1/2 7 2 Ljubojevic 1/2 x I 1/2 1/2 1 1 0 1/2 1 1/2 1/2. 7 3 Korchnoi 0 0 x 0 I/2 1 1 1 1 1/2 1/z 1 61/2 4 Portisch 1/2 i/2 1 x 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/1 1 61/2 5 Spassky 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 x 1/2 V2 1/2 1/2 14 1 1/2 6 6 Miles 1/2 0 0 1/2 1/2 x ½ (1 1 1/2 1 1 51/2 7 Polugaievsky 1 0 0 1/2 14 1/2 x 1/2 1/2 1 1/2 1/2 51/2 8 Timman 1/2 1 0 I/2 VI 1 x 0 0 1 1/2 51/2 9 Rivas 0 1/2 0 1/2 1/2 0 1/2 1 x 1/2 let 1 5 10 Christiansen 0 0 1/2 1/2 i/2 th 0 1 1/2 x 0 1/2 4 II Vaganian 0 1/2 1/2 1/2 0 0 1/2 0 1/2 1 X M2 4 12 Adorjan ih 1/2 0 0 1/2 0 1/2 1/2 0 I/2 1/2 x 31/2
There were few draws for an event of this level and Korchnoi, in particular, distinguished himself by the ferocity of his play, which allowed of only three drawn games. Here, for example, is his demoli- tion of Timman. I have rarely seen the Dutch Grandmaster beaten in such drastic fashion.
Korchnol — Timman: Rea Opening.
1 Nf3 d5 2 c4 d4 3 b4 g6 This and Black's fifth move take on too many responsibilities. Better is 3 . . . f6 as in Korchnoi-Seirawan, London 1984. 4 g3 Bg7 5 d3 b6 6 Bg2 Bb7 70-0 e5 8 Nbd2 Ne7 9 Nb3 0-0 10 a4 Nd7 11 a5 White already enjoys a tremendous 0-side initiative due to Black's faulty handling of the opening. 11 . . . Rb8 12 axb6 axb6 13 Ra7 Ba8 14 Bg5 16 15 Bd2 h6 16 Qc2 f5 17 Rfal c6 18 b5 Qc8 19 Qcl Kh7 20
Position after 20. . . Qa3 Qa3 (Diagram) 20 . . . Re8 He cannot prevent the decisive invasion of White's Q with 20 . . c5 since White wins with 21 Nxe5 Bxg2 22 Nxd7 or 21 . . . Nxe5 22 Bxa8. 21 Qd6 Bbl 22 Nh4 c5 23 Bc6 N16 24 Bxe8 Qxe8 25 Qxb6 Nc8 26 Qc7 Nxa7 27 Rxa7 Black resigns.
In contrast, Spassky's performance, though only half a point behind Korchnoi, was quite pusillanimous, drawing ten of his eleven games. I cannot help feeling that if his opponents put more determination into defeating him, they would find that the former colossus now has feet of clay. To reinforce this impression, I give a recent game won against him by the ambitious young Murray Chandler, who exploited Spassky's relative lack of knowledge of up-to-the-minute theoretical develop- ments:
Chandler — Spassky: German League 1985; Ruy Lopez. 1 e4 e5 2 N13 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Be7 6 Rel b5 7 Bb3 d6 8 c3 0-09 h3 Nb8 10 d4 Nbd7 11 Nbd2 Bb7 12 Bc2 Re8 13 Nn d5 14 Nxe5! NxeS 15 dxeS Nxe4 16 13 Ng5 17 Ng3 An improvement on 17 Be3 c5 18 a4 g6 19 Qe2 d4 20 cul4 cxd4 21 Bd2 Ne6 22 axb5 Qb6 23 Bd3 axb5 (Timman- Spassky, Olympiad, Salonika 1984). 17. . . 1618
Bxg5 fxg5 19 Qb1I A fine Q manoeuvre which weakens Black's K-side. If now 19 . . . g6 20 Bxg6 hxg6 21 Qxg6+ and Nh5. 19 . . . Bc5+ 20
Position after 22 Nf5 Kh2 h6 21 Qdl Re6 22 Nf5 (Diagram) 22 . . . Qf8 A couple of weeks earlier at Wijk aan Zee Lobron-Portisch had gone: 22 . . . h5 23 Qd2 Bf8 24 f4 gxf4 25 Oxf4 c5 26 Re3 0c7 27 Rfl Rae8 28 Nd6 0e7 29 0f5 g6 30 Rg3 B87 31 Rxg6 Rxe5 32 0f7+ Black resigns. Spassky seemed unaware of this and, in general, underestimated Black's difficulties in the line. 23 Qd3 g6 24 Nd4 Bxd4 25 cxd4 c5 26 dxc5 Qxc5 27 Bb3 Kg7 28 Racl Qb6 29 Qd2 Rae8 3014 gxf4 31 Qxf4 Rf8 32 Qg3 Rf7 33 Rcd 1 Qd8 34 Re2 h5 35 Qe3 Rf5 36 Rdel d4 37 Qd2 Rexe5 A tactical trick which doesn't work. 38 Rxe5 Qd6 39 Bc2 Rxe5 40 Q14 d3 41 Qxe5 + Qxe5 42 Rxe5 dxc2 43 Rc5 Be4 44 Kg3 Kf6 45 K14 Bf5 46 Ke3 Ke6 47 g4 Kd6 48 b4 hxg4 49 hx84 Bxg4 50 Rxc2 Be6 51 Kd4 Black resigns. This looks premature, but White wins by putting his pawn on a3, and then penetrating with his R via h8. By threats to a6, Black's K will ultimately be driven into the corner.
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