SIMPSON'S

IN-THE-STRAND

CHESS

';!'‘ Erg

SIMPSON'S

IN-THE-STRAND

AS THE knowledge and science of chess advances, it might be thought that top play- ers would be less prone to quick losses. This seems not to be the case. The prolifer- ation of sharp modern opening systems has meant that danger-ridden situations can arise quite early on in any game, and one false step can mean hurtling off the precipice. This week's games are startling examples of leading practitioners of the chess art crashing to their doom at an early stage. Ivanchuk, rated in the world's top six, loses in just 19 moves with White, while Nikolic, although he lasts till move 27, could have resigned with a clear conscience on move 21.

Ivanchuk–Polgar: Linares, February 1997; Grunfeld Defence.

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 NE3 Bg7 4 g3 0-0 5 Bg2 This is considered one of White's more solid systems, and hardly conducive to a rapid loss. 5 ...d5 6 0-0 Nc6 A provocative response. If immediately 6 ... dxc4 7 Na3 gives White a good game while 6

c6 7 cxd5 cxd5 leads to a position favoured by Karpov as White, in which Black has to struggle slightly for equality. 7 Nc3 A serious inaccuracy, carelessly assuming that Black will still decline to capture the pawn on c4. Instead 7 cxd5 NxdS 8 Nc3 leads to known paths. 7 ...dxc4 Amazingly, this pawn proves truly hard to recapture. 8 d5 Nb4 Ivanchuk may have overlooked this move, considering only 8 ... Na5, defending the booty on c4. White's problem now is that his pawn on d5 has fallen under attack and whenever he defends it with e4, Black's aggressive queen's knight can hop onto the dream outpost at d3.

9 e4 The crucial test must be 9 Ne5, though Ivanchuk probably shied away from it because he could not see clear compensation for the lost pawn after 9 ...Nttc15 10 NxdS Nxd5 11 Nxf7 Kxf7 12 BxdS+ Bxe6 13 Bxe6+ Kxe6 14 Qc2 Qd5 15 Rdl Qc6. 9 ... e6 10 Bg5 Threatening e5.

10 ...h6 11 Be3 Another pinprick: White threat- ens Bc5. 11 Nd3 12 dxe6 Bxe6 The upshot is that White is a pawn down with a terrible posi-

Sudden death

Raymond Keene

tion. 13 h3 Qd7 14 Qd2 Bxh3 15 Bxh6 Rae8 16 Bxg7 Kxg7 17 Ng5 Bxg2 18 Kxg2 Nh5 19 Qe3 Ndf4+ (Diagram) White resigns. Ivanchuk had been demolished. If 20 gxf4 0g4+ 21 Kh2 Nxf4 with the threat of ...Qg2 mate, ...Qxg5 and ... Rh8+. Alternatively, 20 Kgl 0g4 21 Nf3 Nxg3 finishes the matter.

Kasparov–Nikolic: Linares, February 1997; Scotch Opening.

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 The opening has been one of Kasparov's favourites, the Scotch, first introduced in a correspondence match between Edinburgh and London in 1824. Interestingly, it was the London club that first tried the varia- tion, but the honour of acquiring the name strangely went to Edinburgh! 3 ...ex.d4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nxc6 bxc6 6 e5 Qe7 7 Qe2 NO 8 c4 Ba6 9 b3 g5 An amazing idea, played by Anand with reasonable success against Kasparov in their 1995 World Championship match, The move looks insane, since it wrecks Black's kingside pawns. However, after 10 Ba3 d6 11 exd6 Qxe2+ 12 Bxe2 Bg7, as played by Kasparov in the stem

game, White could prove nothing. Here, Kaspar- ov comes better prepared. 10 g3 Curiously, although this move seems to prepare Bg2, White never develops his bishop on that square. 10 .•• Bg7 11 Bb2 0-0 12 Nd2 f6 13 Qh5 Kasparov immediately gets to the heart of the matter. Black's ...g5 has weakened squares and pawns in the vicinity of his king. That is where Kasparov concentrates his army. 13 ... Nb4 14 h4 (Diagram) A fascinating situation. If now 14 . • • Nc2+ 15 Kdl Nxal 16 hxg5 with multiple threats against Black's king. 14 ...g4 Thwarting Whites intention to open the 'h' file, but now Kasparov comes up with a serious threat in another quar- ter. 15 Kdl! Black is now threatened with a3, trapping his knight. Once it retreats White will follow up with Bd3 and Rel, effectively mobilis- ing the rest of his forces. 15 c5 16 a3 Nc6 17 Bd3 f5 18 BxfS BxeS 19 Rel All has gone accord- ing to plan and White now wins material by force. 19 ... d6 20 Be4 Bbl 21 Qxg4+ Qg7 Tantamount to resignation but if 21 ...1Ch8 22 Bxc6 Bxc6 23 f4 and White wins a piece. 22 Bd5+ Kh8 23 BxeS dxe5 24 Qxg7+ Kxg7 25 Ne4 Rad8 26 NxcS Bc8 27 Rat Black resigns Apart from being two pawns down, Black is also unable, in the long run, to salvage his pawn on e5. One of Kasparov's most original and best games.

After the first five rounds at Linares, Judith Polgar had achieved the magnificent score of 4/5 and was in the sole lead.