CHESS
Gog and Magog
Raymond Keene
OVER THE PAST YEAR Gata Kamsky has shredded a series of match opponents, including Kramnik, Salov and our own Nigel Short. The only grandmaster to have caused him difficulties in match play was the Indian Viswanathan Anand. That was in their Fide qualifying match on Anand's home turf of Sanghi Nagar last year. Now, once again, in the final of the PCA qualifi- er in Las Palmas, Anand is proving that he is no pushover for the young adoptive American.
Anand—Kamsky: Fide Candidates, Las Palmas, March 1995; Game 1.
(Diagram) Having said that, Anand's start was inauspicious. Widely, and correctly, regarded as the fastest player in the world, Anand lost on time in game one with eight moves still to make. Even more inexplicably, the position was an easy win for him which he could have demonstrated by 33 Bd4+ Nf6 34 Bxg6 fxg6 35 Qd7+ and White wins.
Game two saw Anand recover his poise with a deeply prepared and rapidly played draw, while in game three he struck back against one of Kamsky's favourite defences.
Anand—Kamsky: Fide Candidates, Las Palmas, March 1995; Game 3, Ruy Lopez.
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 b5 6 Bb3 Bbl 7 Rel In a crucial game from their match last year Anand preferred the quiet 7 d3
in this position against Kamsky, but ultimately went on to lose the game. 7 ...Bc5 8 c3 d6 9 d4 Bb6 10 Be3 0-0 11 Nbd2 h6 12 h3 Qb8 A weird move which positively invites White to saddle Black with a serious pawn weakness on the queenside. Although Kamsky won against Nigel Short last year with 12 ...Nd7 he must have sub- sequently discovered something suspicious about this variation, hence the attempt at an improve- ment. 13 d5 Ne7 14 Bxb6 cxb6 15 Bc2 Nd7 16 Nh4 Qd8 17 Nfl g5 18 Nf3 f5 The point of Black's play has been to achieve this advance but the price is a terrible loosening of his pawn stru- ture across the entire board. 19 exf5 NxfS If 19 Nxd5 20 Bb3 or 19 ...Bxd5 20 /$e3, when Black's pawn weaknesses become even more glaring. 20 N3h2 Qf6 21 Ng4 Qg7 22 Nge3 Nxe3 23 Nxe3 Rf4 24 a4 Now White starts to prod at Black's vulnerable points on the other wing. Black's best chance now is 24 ... bxa4 25 Bxa4 b5. The plan chosen is too reckless. 24 ... Raf8 25 axb5 a5 If 25 ... Rxf2 26 bxa6 wins while 25 axb5 26 Raj is terrible for Black. 26 Rfl Bc8 27 g3 R4f7 28 b4 e4 29 Bxe4 Ne5 30 Bg2 axb4 31 cxb4 Nt3+ 32 Bxf3 Rxf3 Black undoubtedly has some pressure on the king's flank but two pawns is too much to pay for this. 33 Ra8 Bxh3 34 Qxf3 RxaS 35 Rcl Rf8 36 Qe2 Bd7 37 Rc7 Rf7 38 Rb7 Qal+ 39 Nfl Kg7 40 Rxb6 Qd4 41 Rb8 Qxb4 42 Ne3 h5 43 b6 h4 44 g4 Bb5 45 Qdl Qb2 46 Nf5+ (Diagram) Black's position is tottering on all fronts. The only way to survive for a few moves is to sacrifice his rook for White's dangerous knight. After 46 ...Kf6, for example, 47 Qd4+ Qxd4 48 Nxd4 and White would swiftly promote his 'b' pawn in the endgame. 46 ...R.d5 47 gxf5 Bet 48 Qa4 There was an even quicker win here with 48 Qel Qe5 49 b7 h3 50 Rh8! Kxh8 51 b8/Q + Kg7 52 f6+ Kf7 53 Qh8 putting an end to any tricks. 48 ...Bf3 49 Qd7+ Kh6 50 Qe6+ Kh5 51 Qe8+ Kg4 52 Qel Bxd5 53 Re8 Bt3 54 f6 Kh5 55 f7 Qd4 56 Re4 Neatly exploiting the fact that Black's queen must now prevent the corona- tion of White's 'f pawn. 56 ...Qf6 57 b7 Bxe4 58 Qxe4 Black resigns.
Short—Ljubojevic: Linares, March 1995.
(Diagram) Readers may recall that this position (with Black to move) occurred in my notes to the game Short—Ljubojevic last week with my rec- ommendation of 32 Rb8 being the death blow to Black's chances. The point is that Black's bishop on c8 is trapped and if Black plays 32 Qxb8 then 33 Qxf7 + Kh8 34 Qf8+ Kh7 35 Bg6+ Rxg6 36 fxg6+ Kxg6 37 Qg8+ Kh6 38 Rxf6 is mate. Dominic Lawson subsequently pointed out to me that in the diagram position Black has the extraordinary defensive resource 32 ...Be6, the point being that after 33 fxe6 Qxb8 White no longer has a mating route beginning Qxf7+. Meanwhile, after 32 ...Be6, if White simply moves his queen then Black's seemingly doomed bishop has escaped. Nevertheless, there is still a clean kill against this clever idea, namely 32 ...Be6 33 fxe6 Qxb8 34 Qd7 Qc7 (to defend f7 laterally) 35 e7 and there is no sensible way to prevent White's pawn from queening.
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