Chess
One up
Raymond Keene
The second game between Kasparov and Karpov was one of the most stormy and exciting I have ever seen at !'vorld championship level. Kasparov took Immense risks to throw forward his K-side pawns and at adjournment most experts Were predicting his imminent resignation. However, a surprise 42nd move forced a rapid draw in the second session.
1(5Sparov-Karpov: Game 2, 12-13 September; Queen's Indian Defence. 0.0 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 g3 Bb7 5 Bg2 Be7 6 0-0 7 d5 Polugaievsky's pawn sacrifice. 7 . . . exdS 8 Nh4 c6 9 cxd5 Nxd5 10 Nf5 Nc7 11 Nc3 d5 12 e4 Bf6 13 Bf4 Kasparov varies from his own game v Marjanovic, Malta Olympiad 1980, where 13 cxd5 was played. 13 . . . Be8 14 g4 A highly committal move. Kasparov appears to have been in do-or-die mode. 14 . . . Nba6 15 Rcl Bd7 16 Qd2 Nc5 17 e5!? Another bold concept. Normal is 17 Bxc7 Qxc7 18 exd5 but after 18 . . . a5 (to stop 4b) 19 d6 Qd8 20 Rfe 1 Bxf5 21 gxf5 Qd7 it is hard to see how White makes progress. 17 exd5 Nxd5 18 Nxd5 cxd5 19 QxdS Bb5! is harmless for Black. 17 . . . Be7 18 Nxe7+ Qxe7 19 Bg5 Qe6 Not 19 . . . Qxe5 20 Bf4. 20 h3 Qg6 21 f4 Kasparov goes berserk! He must play 21 Be7 Rfe8 22 Bd6 followed by f4. 21 . . . f6 22 exf6 gxf6 23 Bh4 f5 24 b4 fxg4! 25 hxg4 If 25 bxc5 gxh3 wins. 25 . . . Nd3 White's position looks on the verge of collapse. Kaspar- ov strikes back with an obscure sacrifice. 26 Rf3!? Nxcl 27 f5 Qg7 28 Qxcl Rae8 29 Qd2 d4 30 Ne2 Nd5 31 Nxd4 Kh8 If 31 . . . Re4 32 f6! 32 g5 Re4 33 Bf2 Qe5 34 Rg3 Rf4 35 f6 Be8 36 b5 c5 37 Nc6 Qal + 38 Bfl Rf5 39 g6! Bxg6 If 39 . . R8xf6? 40 g7+ Kg8 41 Oxd5+ ! Rxd5 42 Ne7+ Kf7 43 g8=Q+ (Barden). 40 Rxg6 R5xf6 Not 40 . . . hxg6?? 41 Qh6+ but 40 . . . Nxf6 threaten- ing 41 . . . Ne4 and 41 . . . hxg6 should win. 41 Rxf6 The sealed move. There are three critical continuations here: 41 . . . Rg8+ 42 Kh2 Nxf6
43 Bh3 Ne4 44 Qf4 Qb2 45 Qxe4 Qxf2+ 46 Bg2 Rg5 47 Qe8+ Kg7 48 Qe7+ Kh6 49 0e6+ Rg6 50 Qh3+ Kg5 when White must exchange queens with a, maybe, tenable ending. Better is 44 Qe2! Of6 45 Bel preserving the White QB. Alternatively, 41 . Nxf6 42 ()el Qxa2 43 Qe5 with counterplay. 41 . . . Qxf6 42 Qel! A brilliant resource which supports the White OB in its aim of reaching g3. Also possible is 42 Bg2 Nf4 43 Bg3 c4 (43 . Nxg2 44 be5!) 44 Bxf4 Qxf4 45 Qc3+ Rf6 46 Ne7! forcing Black to take a draw with 46 . . . 0f2+ and . . . Qh4+ . Still, Black may have improvements, so Kasparov's choice, which Karpov may have overlooked, is stronger. 42 . . . Rg8+ 43 Kh2 Qf4+ 44 Bg3 Rxg3 45 Qxg3 Qxfl 46 Qb8+ Kg7 47 Qg3+ Drawn by perpetual check (47 . . . Kf7 48 Nd8+).
If in Game 2 Kasparov overpressed and was lucky to draw, in Game 3 he simply blew himself away with amazingly loose play.
Karpov-Kasparov: Game 3, 17 September; Sici- lian Defence.
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nc6 5 Nb5 d6 6 c4 Nf6 7 N1c3 a6 8 Na3 Be7 9 Be2 0-0 10 0-0 b6 11 Be3 Bb7 12 Qb3 Na5!? Opening preparation. but the concept seems a poor one. Several earlier Karpov games had continued 12 . . . Nd7. 13 Qxb6 Nxe4 14 Nxe4 Bxe4 15 Qxd8 BxdS 16 Radl d5? Loses a pawn for nothing, though 16 . . . Be7 17 Nb 1 ! followed by Nc3 also favours White. Strangely, Kasparov spent 53 minutes over this blunder. 17 f3 Bf5 18 cxd5 exd5 19 Rxd5 Be6 20 Rd6 Bxa2 21 Rxa6 Rb8 22 Bc5 Re8 23 Bb5 Re6 24 b4 Nb7 25 Bf2 Be7 26 Nc2 Bd5 27 Rdl Bb3 28 Rd7 Rd8 Black has not just lost a pawn — his pieces are also in a tangle. 29 Rxe6 Rxd7 30 Rel Rc7 31 Bb6 Black resigns.
So, after three games,. Karpov seems well placed to retain his title. He leads by one point and Kasparov's play has so far been unconvincing and quite lacking in the solidity required for this level of chess.
World championships always stimulate sales of chess equipment and books. In London there is a good selection at the Chess Centre in Harcourt St (also fun to browse there) while Chess, Sutton Cold- field and the BCM, St Leonards-on-Sea, both run extensive mail-order lists.
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