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The Greatest?

Raymond Keene

KARPOV'S RESULT at Linares has fuel- led considerable speculation as to whether it was the greatest single tournament per- formance of all time. Two other competi- tions, San Remo 1930 dominated by Alekhine and the US Championship of 1963/64 won by Fischer with a 100 per cent score, also come into contention for this particular laurel.

Alekhine's result came against the greatest players of his day apart from Lasker and Capablanca. But it should be noted that many of Alekhine's opponents, although rated the world's best at that time, were ageing grandmasters not far from retirement. The new generation of Euwe, Botvinnik, Keres, Reshevsky and Fine were on the horizon but had not yet made their mark.

Fischer's performance came only in a national championship, but a particularly strong one which included no less than three players, Benko, Byrne and Reshev- sky, who have competed at Candidates level. With many other competent grand- masters in the field this result was truly staggering.

The only top men missing from Linares were Short and Adams. I would rate Karpov's performance as better than San Remo Tournament 1930

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 Alekhine • 1 1 1/2 1. 1 1/2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14 2 Nimzowitsch 0 0 1 V2 1 V2 1/2 V2 V2 1 1 1 1 1 110½ 3 Rubinstein 0 1 • 0 1 1/2 0 1 1/2 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 10 4 Bogolyubov ½0 1 • ½0 1 1/2 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 91/2 5 Yates 0 % 0 1/2 1/2 1 1 1/2 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 9 6 Ahues 001/21 1/2' 1 1/21 001/211 V21 81/2 7 S ielmann V2 V2 1 0 0 0 V21/2 1/2 1 1 V2 1 1 0 8 0 1/2 0 1/2 0 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1 1 1/2 1 1/2 1 8 0 1/2 1/2 0 1/2 0 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1 1 1 71/2 0½ 00 1 1 V21/2 1/2 • 0 0 1½ 1 1 71/2 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 1/2 1 • 0 1/2 1 0½ 61/2 0 0 1 0 0 1/2 0 0 1/2 1 1 " ½0 1 1 61/2 0 0 000 01/21/21/201/21/2 V21/21 41/2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1/2 0 1 1/2 1/2 1/2 4 0 0 0 0 0 1/2 0 1/2 0 01 0 1/2 1/2 • 1/2 31/2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0½ 0 0 V2 1/2 • 21/2 8 Vidmar 9 Maroczy 10 Tartakower 11 Colic 12 Kmoch 13 Araiza 14 Monticelli 15 Grau 16 Romih

Alekhine's but I still find Fischer's 100 per cent miraculous.

Karpov — Beliavsky; Linares, March 1994; Catalan.

1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 d5 3 c4 e6 4 g3 In recent years the Catalan Opening, introduced with this fianchetto of White's king's bishop, has been seen very much as a drawing weapon. Evidently, Karpov had other intentions in this game. 4. . . Be7 5 Bg2 0-0 6 0-0 dxc4 This clearance of the centre is regarded as Black's most reliable equalising weapon. Indeed, it is a favourite of Karpov himself. 7 Qc2 a6 8 a4 The most ambitious move, preventing Black from freeing himself with . . . b5. The only drawback is the slight weakening of the b4 square. Instead, the game Kasparov — Karpov, world,championship, Leningrad (20) 1986, had continued: 8 Qxc4 b5 9 Qc2 0b7 10 Bg5 Nbd7 11 Bxf6 Nxf6 12 Nbd2 Rc8 13 Nb3 c5 14 dxc5 Bd5 15 Rfdl Bxb3 16 Qxb3 Qc7 with a dead level position arising. 8 . . . Bd7 9 Qxc4 Bc6 10 Bg5 Bd5 On this square the bishop seems exposed. I would prefer 10. . . Nbd7. 11 Qd3 c5 And this appears to be playing with fire. Surely 11 . . . Nc6 is correct, planning to invade b4 with the knight whilst simul- taneously creating a haven for the black queen's bishop on c6 should it be attacked. 12 Nc3 cxd4 13 Nxd5 Qxd5 A risky recapture which positively invites White to unmask the full force of his bishop lurking on g2. Certainly, the pressure from his light-squared bishop against Black's queen's flank is one of the chief leitmotifs of the

US Championship 1963164

1 Fischer 2 Evans 3 Benko 4 Saidy 5 Reshevsky 6 Byrne R 7 Weinstein 8 Bisguier 9 Addison 10 Mednis 11 Steinmeyer 12 Byrne D

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 * 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 * 1 V2 V2 1/2 0 00 * 1 V2 1 1 0 V2 0 * 0 V2 1 0 V2 1/2 1 * ½0 0 1/2 0 V2 V2 * 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 * 0 0 0 0 1/2 1/2 0 0 V2 0 0 0 1 0 0 V2 1/2 0 0 0 0 0 1/2 V2 0 0 0 0 0 V2 0 V2 V2 0

31/2 31/2 3 21/2

Catalan Opening. Safer for Black would have been 13. . . Nxd5 though after 14 Bxe7 Qxe7 15 Nxd4 White already enjoys a small but clear Position after 14 h41

advantage. 14 h4! (Diagram) A cunning move which accentuates White's light square threats towards both b7 and h7. If now 14 . . . e5 15 Bxf6 Bxf6 16 Ng5 when disaster strikes on h7. Similarly 14 . . Nc6 is refuted by 15 Bxf6 Bxf6 16 Ng5 0f5 17 Be4. 14. . . Nbd7 15 Nxd4 Qd6 16 Rfdl Black's strategy has foundered and with White's king's bishop radiating strength from g2 Karpov enjoys every advantage he could poss- ibly hope for from this quiet system. In his desperate efforts to wriggle out of danger Behavsky simply succeeds in enmeshing himself more deeply in Karpov's python-like coils. 16 . . . Nc5 17 Qc4 Rfd8 18 b4 The crisis. If Black responds with 18 . . . Ncd7 then 19 Bxb7 wins out of hand. The alternative is 18 . . . Nce4 but then White has 19 Bxf6 Nxf6 20 Bxb7 Ra7 21 Bf3 and now either 21 . . . Qxb4 22 Qxb4 Bxb4 23 Nc6 Rxdl + 24 Rxd1 Rb7 25 Nxb4 Rx64 26 Rd8+ winning or 21 . . . Rc7 22 Nc6 Qxdl + 23 Rxdl Rxdl + 24 Kg2 when Black has no adequate defence against Qxa6 followed by the advance of White's queenside pawns. 18 . . . Nxa4 19 Qb3 Not 19 Rxa4 which fails to 19. . . b5, forking White's queen and rook. Now, however, White not only threatens to capture the black knight in two different ways, he has also introduced the threats, now that his rook on dl has been lent extra protection, of a discovery against the black queen by either Nc6 or Nf5. 19 . . . Qb6 20 e3 Black resigns Having failed in his counter-attack against the knight on d4 Black's own knight now has no means of escape. A sensational miniature.