CHESS
Heroic
Raymond Keene
ONE OF THE MORE depressing aspects of Nigel Short's forthcoming championship challenge to Kasparov in London has been the whingeing from some quarters of the British chess press about a man who should rightly be regarded as a hero. In the Independent on Sunday William Hartston, with reference to the players' split from Fide, bandied around the terms 'regrett- able', 'hypocritical' and `opportunistic'. He concluded: 'Nigel Short's image as the golden boy of British chess has been irrevocably damaged.' Julian Hodgson, the reigning British champion, has said: `Short's behaviour has been unbelievable. To use the Fide system for three years and then dump it at the last moment is total hypocrisy.'
This is all nonsense. Nigel Short has almost singlehandedly put chess on the map in Britain. How prominent would these people be without him? Short has had the guts to ditch the parasitical and ramshackle Fide system in a way that Kasparov himself, though he yearned for it over eight years, could not summon up the courage to do. In the negotiations with Fide, Short has been a rock. He is a man of vision who has liberated chess from bureaucratic shackles and shown courage, daring and enterprise which could well be emulated throughout this country today in many other spheres. Perhaps another quotation from the Independent (the Hun- ter Davies interview with Nigel Short on Tuesday 6 April) explains the real cause of the resentment: 'In Britain chessplayers are not popular because the British don't like clever people.'
This week's game is from the only previous match between Short and Kaspar- ov, in which Nigel won two games to Kasparov's four, a creditable performance.
Short — Kasparov: Thames TV Trophy, London 1987; Sicilian Defence.
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 The Sicilian Defence is more of a counterattack than a defence. It has a risky reputation, but also scores a high percentage of wins. To Kasparov, it is second nature to play it. 5 Nc3 a6 6 Be3 e6 7 f3 Nbd7 8 g4 h6 9 h4 In game 2 of this match, Kasparov had continued with 9 . . b5. Now, he comes up with a major improvement. 9 . . . Ne5 10 Rgl Surprised by the innovation, Nigel goes astray. The correct course is 10 Qe2, planning 0-0-0. After White's error, Gary immediately captures the initiative. 10 . . . Qb6 11 Qel d5 The correct countermeasure to White's wing manoeuvres. Black strikes back in the centre. 12 Be2 dxe4 13 Nxe4 Nxe4 14 fxe4 Be7 15 Rhl Bd7 16 c3 Qc7 17 Bf2 b5 Now Black has the initiative. 18 Qc2 Nc4 19 Bxc4 Qxc4 Black's 19th move is incorrect. It might have been profitably replaced with 19 . . . bxc4 intending to pile up against White's position by later doubling rooks in the open 'b' file. 20 b3 Qc7 21 0-0-0 0-0 22 Kbl a5 23
g5 h5 24 Rhgl a4 The wrong way of prosecuting the assault. More promising world have been the pawn sacrifice 24 . . . b4. 25 b4 Rac8 26 Rd3
Position after 29 Be5
g6 27 Bg3 Qb7 28 Qe2 Rc4 29 Be5 (Diagram)
White's bishop has seized a splendid diagonal. 29 . . . RfcS 30 Qe3 Bc6 31 Rel a3 32 Qf4 It might appear that Kasparov has a devastating sacrificial combination at his fingertips, namely, 32 . . . Bxb4 33 cxb4 Bxe4 34 Rxe4 Qxe4 35 Qxe4 Rcl checkmate. However, the interpola- tion 33 0f6! foils all of this ingenuity and leaves Black himself facing checkmate. 32 . . . Be8 33 Position after 34 . . . Rxb4+ Nb3 Qc6 34 Na5 Rxb4+ (Diagram). White appears to be crushed, since 35 cxb4 permits . • Qc2+. But Nigel has seen further than the world champion. 35 Kal!! This cool retreat into the corner leaves Black with his queen and rook under attack. Kasparov tries some highly inge- nious last-minute sacrifices. 35 . . . Qc5 36 cxb4 Qxb4 37 Qd2 Rc2 38 Qxb4 Bxb4 Black still has threats, but they can be refuted if White keeps his head. 39 Rd8 f6 40 RH fxe5 41 RxeS+ Kg7 42 Nb3 Bc3+ 43 Kbl Rb2+ 44 Kcl Rxb3 45 Kc2 Forking Black's last remaining pieces. Black resigns.
Meanwhile in Monaco . . .
Short — Anand: Monaco 1993; Sicilian Defence. 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 Be3 e5 7 Nf3 Be7 8 Bc4 Nc6 9 0-0 0-010 Rel h6 11 a3 Be6 12 Nd5 b5 13 Ba2 Rc8 14 Nd2 Bxd5 15 exd5 Nb8 16 c4 Nbd7 17 b4 Nb6 18 Rd bxc4 19 Bxb6 Qxb6 20 Nxc4 Qb5 21 Na5 Rxcl 22 Qxcl Bd8 23 Nc6 Qb7 24 a4 Nd7 25 a5 Bg5 26 Qc4 f5 27 Rbl e4 28 b5 axb5 29 RxbS Qa8 30 Qe2 Re8 31 bc4 Ne5 32 NxeS RxeS 33 a6 Re7 34 Qb2 Kh7 35 Rb7 Bf6 36 Qxf6 gxf6 37 Rxe7+ Kg6 38 a7 h5 39 h4 f4 40 Bb5 Qxd5 41 Re8 Black resigns.
Previous page
