CHESS
Tanks on the lawn
Raymond Keene Chess Federation, launched last Friday by Gary Kasparov and Nigel Short reminds me very much of those accounts one regularly reads of revolutions in Latin America or Africa. The presidential palace is surrounded, the radio stations are taken over and some third world dictator, having strutted his hour upon the stage, is hustled off to an alternative and less congenial career by the new regime.
Elsewhere in this issue of The Spectator Anthony Holden interviews Nigel Short on the dramatic events that led to the
Kasparov-Short match being ripped from Fide's control. According to their own regulations Fide must now organise the Men's Individual World Championship, to which it has the title, with the reserve players, namely Karpov and Timman. Manchester, by unconditionally accepting all Fide's stipulations in their bid, are now in fact obliged to host this match instead.
Karpov, who is playing in Linares, has already announced that he is ready and willing to play against Timman (these two being the official Fide reserves) starting in Manchester on 15 August as per Fide regulations for the official prize fund of 2.5 million Swiss francs which Manchester offered. If either Karpov or Timman does really go ahead with this he risks ridicule from the public. Karpov has already taken the world title by default once before and to do it again would be too much of a coincidence. In any case, both Karpov and Timman utterly lack credibility since they were respectively Nigel's victims in the semi-final and final.
Short-Timman: Candidates Final, El Escorial, Game 12, 1993; Ruy Lopez.
1 e4 e5 NO Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Nxe4 6 d4 b5 7 Bb3 d5 8 dxe5 Be6 9 c3 Bc5 10 Nbd2 0-0 11 Bc2 f5 12 Nb3 Bb6 13 Nfd4 Nxd4 14 Nxd4 Bxd4 15 Qxd4 c5 16 Qdl h6 A new move. 16. . . f4 17 f3 Ng5 18 a4 led to White's advantage in Rantanen-Ornstein, Reykjavik 1981. 17 13 Ng5 18 Be3 Rc8 19 Qd2 a5 20 Radl Qe7 21 Bbl Kh8 22 Rfel Rc7 23 Bf2 b4 24 h4 Nh7 25 Qd3 g5 26 Qa6 A totally double-edged position. This sortie with White's queen only makes sense if White is going after the black pawn on a5. Since Short changes his mind about this, the effect of White's manoeuvre is to permit Black to im- prove his position. 26 . . . Rfc8 27 Re2 Rc6 28 Qd3 gxh4 29 f4 Rg8 30 Qf3 bxc3 31 bxc3 Rb6 32 Bc2 Rg4 33 Kh2 Rb8 34 Rxd5 A necessary exchange sacrifice before Black consolidates with some such idea as . . Rbg8 followed by . Nf8-g6 — or even a sacrifice (after doubling rooks in the 'g' file) based on . . . Rg3. 34 . . .
Bxd5 35 Qxd5 R7.14 36 Bxc5 Qg7 37 Bd4 Re8 38 Qd6 Qg3+ In desperate time trouble Timman misses his chance. 38. . . Rfl is better for Black. 39 Kg! h3 40 Rf2 h2+ With this move, which looks plausible but is in fact a mistake, Timman made the time control. However, he had to play 40. . . Rxd4 41 Qxd4 Ng5 in order to stay,in the Position after 41 Khl
game. 41 Kb! (Diagram) Black is in a quandary. Nigel had strolled away nonchalantly from the board, while Timman, under terrible stress, had just dropped his cup of coffee onto his lap. The full extent of the horrors facing Black are revealed when one observes that the natural 41 . . . Rx12 loses Black's queen to the devilish
backwards thrust 42 e6+. 41. . . Rxd4 42 Qxd4 Nf6 The final frustrating straw. If 42 . . . Qxe5 43 Re2 Qxd4 44 Rxe8+ wins. 43 Re2 Nh5 44 e6+ Qg7 45 Kx112 14 Black's position was already beyond good and evil but this loses a piece. 46 Bg6 Black resigns.
Short-Karpov: Candidates Semi-Final, Linares, Game 8, 1992; Ruy Lopez.
1 e4 e5 2 NO Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Be7 6 Qe2 b5 7 Bb3 0-0 8 c3 d6 In game 6 Karpov had tried 8 . . d5 9 (13 d4 10 Nbd2 Bc5 11 Bc2 Bb6 12 Nb3 Bg4 but this had proved insufficient. 9 d4 Bg4 10 Rdl exd4 This central exchange increases White's control of terrain but on the other hand Black hopes thereby to activate his minor pieces. 11 cxd4 d5 12 e5 Ne4 13 a4 bxa4?! A further exchange in the same vein as his tenth move, but it seems to me that Black's queenside now becomes too exposed. 14 Bxa4 NM 15 h3 Bh5 16 Nc3 Bg6 17 8e3 Rb8 18 Na2! A star move, challenging one of Black's most active pieces. 18. . . c5 19 dxc5 Nxc5 20 Nxb4 Rxb4 21 Bc6 Qb6 The only way to maintain material parity. 22 Bxd5 Rxb2 23 Qc4 Rc2 24 Qg4 Qc7 25 Nd4 Rc3 26 Nc6 Re8 27 Bd4 Rc2 28 Nb4 Black's wandering rook is now trapped. 28. . . Rd8 29
Position after 29. . Bxc2
Nxc2 Bxc2 (Diagram) 30 e6 At last, Black's king has been his target all along. White threatens Qxg7 checkmate and if 30 . . . f6 then 31 Bxf6 Bxf6 32 e7+ Kh8 33 exd8Q+ Qxd8 34 Racl Bxdl 35 Qxdl with a decisive material advan- tage. 30 . . . BIS 31 exf7+ Kh8 32 Re! Bg6 Perhaps Black had been relying on playing 32 . . . Rxd5 in this position but in that case Short would have available the brilliant denouement
33 Qxg7+ Bxg7 34 Re8 checkmate. 33 Re8 Rxe8 34 fxe8Q Bxe8 35 Bxc5 Bxc5 36 Qe6 Black resigns Black has no defence to 0g8+.
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