CHESS

Following the leader

Raymond Keene

As David Spanier reported last week, Garry Kasparov has retained his world title and is still the youngest world champion in the history of chess. The tale of two cities fought out in London and Leningrad pro- vided some of the best and deepest chess that has been seen since Steinitz defeated Zukertort in 1886, while Karpov's fight back when three points in arrears helped to make it one of the most exciting cham- pionship clashes ever seen. Spassky- Fischer, Reykjavik 1972, is usually re- garded as the greatest match of all time, but in my view both of the past two K-K matches have exceeded that saga in both quality of play and tension.

This match fell into two distinct but equal geographical phases, but in terms of the conflict there were no fewer than six waves. From games 1 to 4 Kasparov was completely dominant. He shot into an early lead, which could have been doubled had the champion spotted an easy win in game 2. With White, Kasparov looked murderous, with Black he was equalising easily. Then from games 5 to 7 Karpov struck back, winning crushingly in the first of these and putting on tremendous press- ure in the next two. This was the first three-game crisis which Kasparov suffered, and it may have been connected with his relatively simple victory in game 4.

Kasparov overcame this trough to win game 8. His two further Whites in games 10 and 12 also left-Karpov struggling, while Karpov's White games, 9 and 11, brought him no tangible gains, though game 11 was judged the most brilliant of the London half. With the transfer to Leningrad a curious savagery descended on both play- ers. During games 13 to 16 it seemed that Karpov was to be slaughtered. The former champion appeared to be impotent with White and helpless with Black. The match, to all intents and purposes, was over. Karpov was in danger of being destroyed not just in this personal battle with Kaspar- ov, but as a credible future challenger.

But then came Kasparov's second three- game crisis. It was virtually inexplicable that a man who had seemed a towering genius one minute should be reduced the next moment to the level of a candidate master. From games 17 to 19 I personally became convinced that Karpov would win. In particular, his opening play in games 17 to 19 made Kasparov look like an amateur.

Then came the sixth and ultimate phase — the final shoot-out. After 91 world title games against each other the scores were dead level — 12 wins each with the rest drawn. Their gladiatorial combat had ex- tended over two years and three matches, and now the championship was to be decided by a mere five games.

At this moment Karpov committed a critical error. Instead of harrying the reel-

ing foe, he took his last time-out. Since Kasparov had just lost three consecutive games, the worst disaster of his career, this ill-timed rest on Karpov's part also gave his young opponent the chance to recover his balance. There has been no satisfactory explanation for this psychological blunder. When play resumed Kasparov had cured his euphoria and abandoned his attempts to annihilate Karpov. Instead, he had sensibly convinced himself to steer for a realistic 12 points, sufficient for the cham- pion to retain his title. Possessed of this new realisation, Kasparov surprisingly and almost effortlessly coasted home. Four of the games were drawn, while Kasparov won beautifully in game 22.

The fluctuations over the course of the match had been remarkable and especially so had been Kasparov's collapse of three consecutive losses. After the match I inter- viewed the champion, who claimed that one of his assistants, Vladimirov, had been caught copying down secret variations. Kasparov had ruled before the start of the match that no analyses were to be written down. This resulted in his immediate dis- missal. Kasparov added that it could not be proved that Vladimirov had actually pas- sed defence secrets over to the enemy, but he evidently had his own powerful suspi- cions. I know from my own experience that seconds are often unjustly accused when a great player cannot comprehend his own losses, but in this match, once Vladimirov had been removed, Kasparov immediately picked up and won with relative ease. Fascinating.

London

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Kasparov 1/2 1/2 1/2 1 0 1/2 1/2 1 1/2 V2 1/2 1/2 Karpov 1/2 1/2 1/2 0 1 1/2 1/2 0 1/2 1/2 1/2

Leningrad

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Total Kasparov I/2 1 1/2 1 0 0 0 1/2 1/2 1 1/2 1/2 121/2 Karpov ½0 ½0 1 1 1 1/2 1/2 0 1/2 1/2 111/2 At the closing ceremony in Leningrad Kasparov was awarded a special prize for the outstanding 16th game. This should have appeared here with my comments in last week's article, but a communications mix-up with Leningrad delayed its submis- sion beyond the print deadline. Karpov was not satisfied with the decision of the Leningrad jury which decided the prize. He clearly felt that Kasparov's victory was due more to Black's errors than White's ingenuity. But this was not a view shared by the majority of commentators who regarded this game as one of the best and most exciting ever played in the 100 years of world championship matches. Kasparov is often compared with Bobby Fischer but the American genius loved crushing effects derived from strategic clarity. There are few examples in his games of such wild, heathen mystery as Kasparov created here.

Kasparov — Karpov: Game 16, Ruy Lopez.

1 e4 e5 2 NO Nc6 3Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 N16 5 0-0 Be7 6 Rel b5 7 Bb3 d6 8 c3 0-09 h3 Bb7 10 d4 Re8 11 Nbd2 B18 12 a4 h6 13 Bc2 exd4 14 cxd4 NM 15 Bbl c5 16 d5 Nd7 17 Ra3 c4 18 Nd4 So Kasparov is the first to diverge from the 14th game. But Karpov's camp have done their homework and he comes up with an interesting novelty. 18. . . Qf6 19 N213 Nc5 20 axb5 axb5 21 Nxb5 Rxa3 22 Nxa3 Ba6 23 Re3 Rb8 24 e5 dxe5 25 Nxe5 Nbd3 As Kasparov rested backstage Karpov pondered for 62 minutes. In spite of the dangerous-looking knights and his control of d3, Black doesn't seem to have enough for the pawn. Karpov must have spent a long time checking that the ending after 26 Bxd3 Nxd3 27 Rxd3 cxd3 28 Nd7 0d8 29 Nxb8 Qxb8 30 Qa4 was just about holding. Better is 26. . . cxd3 when 27 Nc6 Rb3 28 Na5 is equal. 26 Ng4 Rejecting the easy draw Kasparov once again pulls out all the stops on the king's side. But after the game Kasparov's camp were agreed that 26 Qc2 here would be crushing. The idea is simple — to defend 12, attack c4 and pile up on the b 1 -h7 diagonal. 26. . . Nb3 allows 27 Nd7, while 26. . . g6 is answered by 27 Naxc4 Bxc4 28 Nxc4. The most testing line is 26. . . Rb4 27 Nc6 Rb7 but then 28 Re8 with the idea of Be3xc5 leaves Black in knots. 26. . . Qb6 27 Rg3 g6 Perhaps it was time for the wild complications following from 27. . . Ne41? 28 Nxh6+ Kh7. After Karpov's choice Black seems to be about to crash through on the queen's side. 28 Bxh6 Qxb2 28. . . Ne4 fails to 29 Nxc4. Another try is 28. . . Nx12!? 29 Qd4 Nxg4 30 Bxf8 Nd7. 29 Qf3 Nd7 Black must defend f6 and there is no time for 29. . . Qxa3 30 Bxd3 Nxd3 31 Nf6+ Kh8 32 Qh5! with a massive attack. 30 Bxf8 1018 31 Kh2! Brilliantly hiding the king away in prepara- tion for the final attack. 31. . . Rb3 Given an exclamation mark by some Soviet commenta- tors, but maybe 31. . . 0d4 is the only try. 31. . . Qxa3 again fails to 32 Nh6 0e7 33 Rxg6 Ke8 34 d6. After the text Karpov walked confidently off the stage, seemingly oblivious, along with everyone else, of the vicious attack about to hit him. 32 Bxd3 cxd3? By now Karpov's supporters had become nervous. Why had their man taken so long? Surely White's three-piece attack could be stopped. In fact the text is a serious mistake. Confused by a plethora of captures Karpov misses 32. . . Rxa3! 33 Qf4 Rxd3 34 Qd6+ Kg7 35 Qxd7 Rxg3 36 Kiig3 c3 37 Ne5 Qb7 which holds the draw. But the ending after 32. . . Rxd3 33 Qf4 Qxa3 34 Nh6 Qe7 35 Rxg6 Qe5 36 Qxe5 Nxe5 37 Rxa6 Rxd5 is probably winning for White. 33 Qf4 Qxa3 34 Nh6 Qe7 35 Rxg6 Qe5 36 Rg8+ Ke7 37 d6+! Until this point the hall and the Grandmaster room had been waiting for a Karpov victory as the moves were flashed out in the time scramble. But this devastating shot blows the Black defence away. 37. . . Ke6 38 Re8+ Kd5 39 Rxe5+ Nxe5 40 d7 Rb8 41 Nan Black resigns. As the crowd applauded the match seemed finished. Indeed, many Soviet Grandmasters began to talk of Kasparov wiping Karpov out and inching towards Fischer's magic 2780 rating.

The Centenary Match: Kasparov-Karpov III by Raymond Keene and David Good- man has just been published by Batsford at £5.95.