CHESS
Shared honours
Raymond Keene
LAST WEEK I published the crosstable of the top tournament at Wijk aan Zee in Holland, where first prize was shared by the Indian grandmaster Viswanathan Anand and the young Russian Vladimir Kramnik.
Once again I must stress that although the results of Wijk aan Zee tended to devalue Karpov's claim to the world title, Kasparov can no longer sit on his laurels. Later this month, the world's elite meet once again at the tournament in Linares in Spain. This time, Kasparov will be present, while Karpov's attendance is unlikely. This situation, where only one of the two rival claimants to the chess throne appears at any given time, is evidently unsatisfactory. It is to be hoped that during the Linares tournament Kasparov will make a defini- tive announcement as to how he will organ- ise a title defence. He must either accept a direct challenge from Kramnik or Anand (a challenge from Karpov is unlikely) or organise a candidates competition between Anand and Kramnik to which Karpov is also invited. Kasparov cannot go much longer without a credible title defence, oth- erwise he will, as the British Chess Maga- zine puts it, 'forfeit any moral claim to be called a world champion'.
At Wijk aan Zee Anand not only shared first prize but also won one of the most spectacular games.
Anand–Topalov: Wijk aan Zee, 1998; Ruy Lopez.
e4 e5 2 NI3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 b5 Anand–ICarpov, Fide Championship, Lausanne 1998 varied from this with 5 ... Bc5 6 c3 b5 7 Bb3 d6 8 a4. 6 Bb3 Bc5 Formerly, this rather crude defence was unusual but it has now become a popular alternative to the somewhat arid high- ways of the closed variation based on 6 ...Be7.
As we saw from the previous note, even the stol- id Karpov is resorting to defences against the Ruy Lopez based on this move. 7 a4 Rb8 8 c3 d6 9 d4 Bb6 10 axb5 axb5 11 h3 0-0 12 Rel Re8 An alternative is 12 ...Bb7 13 Na3 exd4 14 cxd4 Na5 15 Bc2 b4 16 Nbl c5, Topalov–Shirov, Madrid 1997. 13 Na3 b4 Black starts a counterattack against White's pawn centre but this advance simultaneously invites a tactical storm. 14 Nc4 bxc3 15 bxc3 exd4 16 Nxb6 Rxb6 17 cxd4 Nxe4 (Diagram) Apparently Black has won a pawn
and an important central pawn at that. However, White's Lopez bishop now immolates itself, regaining the material and exposing Black's king. 18 Bxf7+ Kxf7 19 Rxe4 Rxe4 20 Ng5+ Kg8 21 Nxe4 Bf5 Black pays insufficient attention to protecting the e6 square. 21 ... Qe8 is stronger. 22 Ng5 Ne7? This is the decisive error. Much stronger is 22 ...Rb8. Now White presses for- ward on all fronts. 23 g4 Bg6 24 Ne6 Qc8 25 d5 Bf7 (Diagram) Interestingly, White is not partic- ularly well developed and there is a threat to capture on e6, removing all danger for Black. But now Anand strikes with a beautiful combi- nation which lays waste the territory around the black king. 26 Nxg7 Kxg7 Black must accept since 26 ... Nxd5 or 26 ...Bxd5, both met by 27 Nf5, give White a murderous attack. 27 Qd4+ Kf8 If 27 ...Kg6 28 Qe4+ Nf5 29 Ra3 and White wins. 28 Bh6+ Ke8 29 Rel (Diagram)
Black resigns The situation is hopeless since if 29 ...Kd7 White can invest further material by means of 30 Rxe7+ to hound Black's king to its doom. For example 30 ... Kxe7 when the main line is 31 Qe4+ Be6 32 Qxh7+ Bf7 33 Bg5 + Kf8 34 Qh8+ Bg8 35 Qh6+ Ke8 36 Qg6+ Bf7 37 Qe4+ Kf8 38 Bh6+ Kg8 39 Qd4 and Black's king is caught in the crossfire of White's queen and bishop. Although one cannot castigate Topalov's resignation as premature, many play- ers would have elected to let White prove this, rather than capitulate at once.
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