CHESS
Bad timing
Raymond Keene
As I write, the Kasparov-Karpov match at the Park Lane Hotel, London, looks like this: A pattern emerged in games 7 and 8, namely, that both players steered for com- plex, unfathomable positions. In both cases, Karpov had good chances, but cracked in time-trouble during the last 15 minutes of play.
Take this position from game 7:
Kasparov
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Kasparov 1/2 1/2 1/2 1 0 1/2 1/2 1 Karpov 1/2 1/2 1/2 0 1 1/2 1/2 0
Karpov
Play continued:
36 fxg5 Rxd5 37 Bxd5 Qxd5+ 38 Kh2 QxeS 39 Rfl QxbS 40 Qf2 Nxg5 41 Qxd4+ Kg8 and a draw was agreed. White has a perpetual check which Black avoids at his peril. However, White could have won easily with 36 Kgl!! Rxd5 37 Bxd5 Qxd5 38 Qh2! Kf8 39 Qh8+ Ke7 40 fxg5 and Black is helpless against a Queen check on f6.
Kasparov-Karpov: Game 8, Queen's Gambit Declined.
1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Be7 4 cxd5 exd5 5 Bf4 Nf6 6 e3 0-0 7 Bd3 c5 In game 22 of the previous match, Karpov, as White, played 7 Nf3 and Black answered 7 . . Bf5!? with approximate equality after 8 h3 c6 9 g4 Bg6 10 Ne5 Nfd7 11 Nxg6 fxg6. 8 Nf3 Nc6 9 0-0 Bg4 If 9 . . . cxd4 10 Nxd4 Nxd4 11 exd4 and now White has an edge after 11 . . . Qb6 12 Rel Be6 13 Na4 Qa5 14 a3 with the idea b4 and Nc5. Also after 11 . . Be6 12 Nb5!? Bg4 13 Qb3 a6 14 Nc3 Od7 15 Be5 Be6 16 Na4 White has a slight advantage. 10 dxc5 Bxc5 11 h3 Bxf3 If 11 . . . Bh5 12 g4 Bg6 13 Bxg6 hxg6 14 Bg5! is uncomfortable for Black. 12 Qxf3 d4 13 Ne4 Be7?! Black should try 13 . . . Nxe4 14 Bxe4 dxe3 15 Qh5 f5 16 Bxf5 exf2+ 17 Khl g6 18 Bxg6 hxg6 19 Oxg6+ Kh8 and White may not have more than a draw. Perhaps 14 Qxe4 gives White some advantage. 14 Rad 1 Qa5?! Played after almost half an hour's thought. The alternatives were 14 . . . Nd5 15 Bh2 and Black's pieces are unstable, and 14 . . . Qb6 15 Bd6. 15 Ng3! Also critical was 15 Bg5! where Black must play 15 . . . Nd5 16 Qh5 Bxg5! 17 Nxg5 h6 and perhaps he can defend. 15 . . . dxe3 16 fxe3 Kasparov sacrifices a queen- side pawn and accepts an isolated pawn on e3. The compensation based on freedom for all his pieces and two potent bishops is hard to evaluate at first sight, since Black has no weak points. 16 . . . Qxa2 Not 16 . g6? 17 Bh6 and 18 Ne4 with a winning attack. 17 Nf5 Qe6 17 . . . Qxb2? 18 Bh6 Ne8 19 Qe4 wins. 18 . . . gxh6 19 0g3+ Ng4 20 Qxg4+ Kh8 is perhaps better for Black than the game, although White has a strong attack. 18 Bh6! Initiating a decisive attack. 18 . . . Ne8 19 Qh5!! A stroke overlooked by Karpov. White threatens 20 Bxg7 and there is no good defence: if 19 . . . Nf6 20 Nxe7+ Nxe7 21 Rxf6! wins. 19 . . . gxh6 loses to 20 Nxh6+ Kg7 21 Nf5+ Kh8 22 Nxe7. 19 . . . g6 20 Qg4 Ne5 21 Qg3 Objectively better would have been 21 Nxe7+ Qe7 22 Bxf8 Kxf8 23 Qg3 Nd6 24 Bbl planning Bat followed by the doubling of White's rooks on the 'd' file. Kasparov avoids this line, counting instead on a more devastating exploitation of Karpov's time-trouble. 21 . . . Bf6 22 Bb5 An amazing move. Everyone ex- pected 22 Bxf8. 22 . . . Ng7 23 Bxg7 Bxg7 24 Rd6 Qb3 25 Ng7 Qb5 26 Nf5 Kasparov has now a continuous attack, but is it enough? 26 . . . RadS Here 26 . . . f6! poses White major problems. 27 Rf6 Rd2 Karpov has only three minutes left. 28 Qg5 Qxb2 29 Khl Kh8 30 Nd4 Rxd4 31 QxeS and Karpov lost on time.
To lose by time forfeit with nine moves still to go may be unique in the annals of world championship history. The position is still complicated, and Grandmasters argued for days whether White was, in fact, winning. Sample variations are: 31 . . . Rd2 32 Qe7! Rdd8 33 Rxf7 Rxf7 34 Rxf7 Kg8! 35 Rxh7 Rf8 36 Rh6 Qg7 37 Qe6+ Qf7 38 Rxg6+ Kh7 39 Rh6+ Kg7 40 Qd6 Rd8! and Black should survive. Better is 35 e4! which leaves Black totally tied up.
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