Black week

Raymond Keene

g0Doluam

SPAIN'S FINEST CAVA

WEEK THREE of the Times World Chess Championship saw Nigel Short facing the disadvantage of playing twice with the black pieces. The overall result was some extremely exciting chess, but two losses on the scorecard. Short has still not quite worked out how to handle Kasparov when the champion has White.

Kasparov — Short: Times World Championship, London, Game 7; Roy Lopez.

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Be7 6 Re! b5 7 Bb3 0-0 8 a4 Kasparov is staying faithful to a strategy that had already been very successful in Games 1 and 3. In this variation, Nigel appears to he most uncomfortable, just regrouping his pieces on the back rank. Although White's opening looks quiet, there are strong attacking possibilities hidden in the white position. 8. . . Bb7 9 d3 d6 10 Nbd2 Nd7 We are already in uncharted territory. Conventionally, when White avoids the Marshall Gambit with 8 a4, he tends not to follow up with Nbc12 and c3. 11 c3 Nc5 12 ax65 axb5 13 Rxa8 Bxa8 14 Bc2 Bf6 15 b4 Ne6 16 Nfl Bb7 17 Ne3 g6 18 Bb3 Bg7 19 h4 Bc8 Worth considering is 19 . . . h5, to stop White's *h' pawn dead in its tracks. 20 h5 Kh8 21 Nd5 g5 This looks mistaken. At least after 21

• . gx115 Short would have some counterplay. After the text move that is seriously limited. 22 Ne3 Nf4 23 g3 Nxh5 24 Nf5 Bxf5 25 exf5 Qd7 26 Bxg5 h6 (Diagram) Better is 26 . . Nf6. Kasparov should now have played 27 Kg2 Qxf5 (if 27 . . hxg5 28 Rhl wins) 28 Rhl when there are two possibilities: a) 28 . . . Nf6 29 Qc1 Ng8 30 Bd5 Nce7 31 Bxe7 Nxe7 32 Rxh6+ Bxh6 33 Qxh6+ Kg8 34 Be4 with a winning attack or b) 28. . Qg6 29 Bd5 hxg5 30 Nxg5 Ne7 31 Rxh5+ Kg8 32 Be4 f5 33 Qb3+ winning. Finally, in the above variation 28. . . Qg6 29 Bd5 Nd8 30 Nxe5 dxe5 31 Qxh5 Qxh5 (if 31 . . Qxd3 32 Bxh6 Qxd5+ 33 Kgl wins) 32 Rxh5 Kh7 33 Be3 with an overwhelming endgame for White. 27 Nh4 Nf6 28 Bxf6 Bxf6 29 Qh5 Kh7 30 Ng2 Ne7 31 Ne3 Ng8 This is a brilliant defensive resource. Short avoids the trap 31 . . . Bg5 32 f4 exf4 33 gxf4 Bx14 34 Bxf7 Bg5 35 f6 Bxf6 36 Ng4 3g7 37 Nxh6 Bxh6 38 Rxe7 Qxe7 39 Qg6+ Kh8 40 Qxh6 checkmate. Alternatively 31 . . . Bg5 32 f4 exf4 33 gxf4 Rg8 34 Bxf7 Rg7 35 Bg6+ Nxg6 36 fxg5 and wins. 32 d4 exd4 33 cxd4 Nigel should now have played 33 . . . Bg5! with some defensive chances. Given that he was in desperate time trouble snatching White's 'd' pawn was definite- ly too optimistic. 33. . . Bxd4 34 Ng4 This wins. If Short tries to defend with 34 . , . Bf6 then White can finish with a superb queen sacrifice 35 Qxh6+ Nxh6 36 Nxf6+ followed by knight taking the black queen on d7. 34 . . . Kg7 35 Nxh6 Kasparov crashes through. Another beautiful variation could have arisen here. If Black responds 35 . . . Nxh6 then 36 Qg5+ Kh7 37 Bc2 Bf6 38 Qxf6 Re8 39 Re6 fxe6 40 fxe6 discovered check with a simple win. If on move 39 Black plays 39 Ng8 then 40 Oh4+ Kg7 41 f6+ Kf8 42 Rxe8+ Qxe8 43 Og5 wins. 35 . . . 1316 36 Bxf7 Black resigns If 36 . . Nxh6 37 0g6+ or if 36. . Rxf7 37 Qg6+ both leading to checkmate.

Short — Kasparov: Times World Championship, London, Game 8; Sicilian Defence. 1 e4 c5 2 N113 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 Bc4 e6 7 Bb3 Nbd7 8 14 Nc5 9 e5 Short tries to improve on Game 6 where he played 9 f5. 9. . . dxe5 10 fxe5 Nfd7 11 Bf4 b5 12 Qg4 h5 13 Qg3 h4 14 Qg4 g5 A risky move. Kasparov shreds his kingside pawns with the intention of wiping out White's centre. For example 15 Bxg5 Nxe5 16 Of4 Ncd3+ 17 cxd3 Nxd3+ 18 Kfl NxI4 19 Bxd8 Kxd8 favours Black. 15 0-0-0 If now 15 . . . gxf4 then 16 Nxe6 Nxe6 17 Bxe6 0e7 18 Bxd7+ Bxd7 19 0f3 Rc8 20 Nd5 Bac 21 Nf6+ Clxf6 22 exf6 Bxf3 23 Rhel+ and White wins. 15 . . Qe7 A possible defensive alternative to bolster up e6, which is the focus of White's attack, is 15 . . Rh6. 16 Nc6!! This is the best continuation of the attack. It was tempting to play 16 Bd5, but the reply . . . exd5 is not clear at all. 16 . . Nxb3+ 17 axb3 Qc5 18 Ne4 Qxc6 19 Bxg5 Bb7 20 Rd6 If now 20. . . Qxe4 21 Rxe6+ fxe6 22 Qxe6+ Be7 23 Qxe7 checkmate. 20. . *. Bxd6 21 Nxd6+ Kf8 22 Rfl Nxe5 23 Qxe6 Qd5 24 Rxt7+ Nxt7 25 Be7+ Kg7 26 Q16+ Kh7 27 Nxt7 Qh5 28 Ng5+ Kg8 29 Qe6+ Kg7 30 Qf6+ Kg8 31 Qe6+ Kg7 32

Position after 33. . . Kh7

Bf6+ Kh6 33 Nt7+ Kh7 (Diagram) 34 Ng5+ If 34 Nxh8 Rxh8 35 Qe7+ Kg6 36 Bxh8 0g5+ 37 Qxg5+ Kxg5 38 g3 hxg3 39 fixg3 Kg4 40 Be5 Bd5!! 41 Kd2 Kf3 42 Kc3 Be4. In spite of initial appearances to the contrary, White cannot win this endgame. 34 . Kh6 35 Bxh8+ Qg6 36 Nf7+ Kh7 37 Qe7 Qxg2 This may be okay but safer is 37. . . Kg8!! meeting 38 Ne5 with 38. . . Qh7 or 38 Qxb7 Rf8 39 Ne5 Rfl+ 40 Kd2 Qd6+ . 38 Be5 The last chance to win was 38 Bd4 Qhl+ 39 Kd2 Qg2+ 40 Kc3 though after 40. . . 0c6+ 41 Kb4 Re8 things are not totally clear. 38 . . Qfl+ 39 Kd2 Qf2+ 40 Kd3 Qf3+ The. smoke has cleared. As in Game 6 the game now ends in a draw by perpetual check. White's king cannot escape over to the queenside and nestle behind Black's forest of pawns. 41 Kd2 Qf2+ Draw agreed.

Kasparov — Short: Times World Championship, London, Game 9; Nimzo-Indian Defence.

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 Qc2 d5 5 cxd5 exd5 6 Bg5 h6 7 Bh4 c5 8 dxc5 g5 9 Bg3 Ne4 10 e3 Qa5 11 Nge2 Varying from Game 5 where 11 Be5 was played. 11 . . . Bf5 12 Be5 0-0 This goes into a bad endgame by force. The position conceals amazing complications. One line that requires

goDoaolu,

SPAIN'S FINEST CAVA

further investigation is 12 . . . Nxc3 13 Qxf5 Ne4+ 14 Kdl Bel 15 Nc3 Bxe3 16 bxc3 Qa4+ . Or 12 . . Nxc3 13 Qxf5 Ne4+ 14 Nc3 Nxc3 15 Qc8+ Ke7 16 Qxh8 Ne4+ 17 Ke2 Be! 18 KG Nd7 19 Qxa8 Nxe5+ 20 Ke2 0d2 mate. These variations are in the exploratory stage but clearly there is a fertile field for future hair- raising games between the two in this line. 13 Nd4 13g6 14 Nb3 Nxc3 15 Bxc3 Bxc2 16 Nxa5 Bxc3+ 17 bxc3 b6 18 Kd2 bxa5 19 Kxc2 Rc8 20 h4 Nd7 Almost imperceptibly Short has been sucked into a situation where he faces a lost endgame. 21 hxg5 Nxc5 22 gxh6 Ne4 23 c4 Nxf2 24 Rh4 f5 25 Rd4 dxc4 26 Bxc4+ Kh7 27 RI! Ng4 28 Kd2 Rab8 If 28 . . Nxh6 29 g4 fxg4 (29 . . . Nxg4 30 Be6 threatening the rook and the fork with 31 Bxf5+) 30 Bd3+ with an attack that will win, e.g. 30. . . Kg8 31 Rf6 Nf7 32 Rxg4+ Kf8 33 Rgf4 Rc7 34 Bc4. 29 Rxf5 Rb2+ 30 Kd3 Rxg2 31 Be6 Rc7 32 Rxa5 Nf2+ 33 Ke2 Rh2 34 KG Nh1 35 Rd7+ Rxd7 36 Bxd7 Kxh6 37 Rxa7 Kg5 38 Ra5+ Kf6 39 Bc6 Rc2 40 Rf5+ Ke7 41 Bd5 Kd6 42 Rh5 Rd2 43 Rxhl Correct is 43 e4 Nf2 44 Ke3 Rh2 45 Rh6+ when Kasparov would win simply. 43. . . Rxd5 44 a4 Ra5 45 Rat Kasparov could also have won with 45 Rd 1 + followed by

Rd4. 45 . . . Ke5 46 e4 (Diagram) Amazingly, having fought an uphill struggle for so long, and in fact incurred the champion's wrath by playing on rather than resigning, Short now misses a forced draw two pawns down. 46 . . . Ke6?? 46 . . . Rc5!! forces a draw. The main line is as follows: 46. . Rc5 47 a5 Rc3+ 48 Kg4 Kxe4 49 a6 Re8 50 a7 Ra8 (50 . . Rg8+ is also very good) 51 Ra5 Kd4 52 Kf5 Kc4 53 Ke6 Kb4 54 Rat Kc5 55 Kd7 Kb6 56 Rb 1 + Kc5 (not 56. . . Kxa7 57 Kc7 and Black is lost) 57 Rb7 Rh8. The position is a theoretical draw. This position can in fact be found in the recently published endgame book by Nigel Short's second Jon Speelman, Batsford Chess Endings. There are other variations, but all lead to a draw: 46 . Rc5 47 Ra3 Rc4 48 a5 Rxe4 49 a6 Rf4+ 50 Ke3 Rf8 51 a7 Ra8, or 46 . . . Rc5 47 Ke3 Rc3+ 48 Kd2 Rc4 49 a5 Kxe4 50 a6 Rc8 51 a7 Ra8 52 Kc3 Kd5 53 Kb4 Kc6 with a draw. As Dr Tarrasch would have said, a classic case of amaurosis scachistica acutissima. 47 Ke3 Kd6 48 Kd4 Kd7 49 Kc4 Kc6 50 Kb4 Re5 51 Rcl + Kb6 52 Rc4 Black resigns.

Score after nine games: Kasparov 1 1/2 1 1 1/2 1/2 1 1/2 1 7 Short 0 1/2 0 0 1/2 0 1/2 0 2 Meanwhile, there has been a Chernobyl- type meltdown of the Oman half of the Fide championship between Karpov and Timman. It is now unclear whether that match will continue at all, a possible scenario being a last-minute Dutch rescue of the second half but with reduced prize money.