[Event "Lugano  "]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1970.??.??"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Larsen, Bent"]
[Black "Kavalek, Lubomir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A30"]
[Annotator "GM Lubomir Kavalek/Huffington Post"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "1970.??.??"]

1. b3 {The Larsen opening. Bent played it successfully, but all his efforts
were overshadowed by his famous defeat against Spassky in 17 moves at the
match USSR vs. Rest of the World in Belgrade. It began 10 days after Lugano
finished.} c5 2. Bb2 Nc6 3. c4 e5 4. g3 d6 5. Bg2 Nge7 6. e3 g6 (6... d5 {is a
good move. Kavalek tries to transfer the game into a known position from the
English opening.- Larsen}) 7. Ne2 (7. Nc3 {was best with the idea} Bg7 8. d3 {
to meet} Be6 9. Nd5 {with -BL}) 7... Bg7 8. Nbc3 O-O ({Better was} 8... Be6 {
,e.g.} 9. Nd5 $6 Bxd5 10. cxd5 Nb4 {-Larsen}) 9. d3 Be6 10. Nd5 Qd7 11. h4 $1 {
Larsen's trademark - a rook pawn move. Here it prevents 11...Bh3.} f5 {
Stopping white's advance with 11...h5 was better.} 12. Qd2 Rae8 {Larsen
thought that 12...Rab8!? gave black more chances for a counterplay on the
queenside.} 13. h5 b5 14. hxg6 hxg6 15. Nec3 bxc4 16. dxc4 e4 17. O-O-O Ne5 18.
Nf4 Rd8 ({After} 18... g5 $2 19. Nxe6 Nd3+ {Larsen planned the exciting} 20.
Qxd3 $1 exd3 21. Nxg7 Kxg7 22. Nd5+ Kg6 23. Bf3 $3 {white is winning.}) 19. Kb1
{I thought here for 16 minutes about the sacrifice 19...Bxc4! and left myself
with only 12 minutes for 21 moves. It is remarkable, since the time control in
those days was 40 moves in 2 1/2 hours. What was I doing for the first 19
moves?} Bf7 $6 ({Chickening out, although my instinct told me that the bishop
sacrifice is the right thing to do. Larsen did not think much of it, saying
that after} 19... Bxc4 20. bxc4 Nxc4 21. Qe2 {black does not have anything.
However, Gavril Veresov, a Belorussian master, later provided splendid
analysis, confirming that black's attack was indeed very powerful after} Nxb2
22. Kxb2 Qa4 $1 {and suddenly a disaster is looming on the long diagonal a1-h8
after} 23. Qd2 (23. Qc2 $2 Rb8+ 24. Kc1 Qa3+ 25. Kd2 Rb2) 23... Rb8+ 24. Ka1
Qa3 $1 25. Rc1 d5 $3 {and white has a hard time coping with black's threat to
push his d-pawn.} 26. Bf1 (26. Nfxd5 $6 Nxd5 27. Qxd5+ Rf7 28. Qd2 Rd7 $1 29.
Qc2 Rd3 $19) ({Black has to be more creative after} 26. Ne6 {with} Bf6 $3 27.
Nxf8 Kxf8 28. Rc2 (28. Qc2 c4 29. Qd2 Rb3 $19) 28... Rb3 29. Rhc1 Nc6 {
threatening 30...Nb4, and after} 30. Qxd5 Bxc3+ 31. Rxc3 Qb2#) 26... Rb4 $1 ({
Less spectacular, but very effective is} 26... Rf6 27. Nfxd5 Nxd5 28. Qxd5+ Kf8
29. Bb5 Rfb6 30. Qd2 Be5 $1 {threatening 31...Rxb5.}) 27. Nfxd5 (27. Ne6 Rfb8
28. Nxg7 Rb2 29. Rc2 Qxa2+ 30. Nxa2 Rb1#) 27... Rd8 $3 ({Veresov suggested only
} 27... Qxc1+ 28. Qxc1 Nxd5 {which is not as clear after} 29. a3) 28. Nxe7+ Kf7
29. Ned5 (29. Qc2 Bxc3+ 30. Qxc3 Qxc3+ 31. Rxc3 Rd1+ 32. Rc1 Rxc1#) 29... Kf8
$3 {and amazingly, white does not have a good defense to 30...Rxd5!, for
example} 30. Be2 Rxd5 31. Qc2 Rd3 $1 32. Bxd3 exd3 33. Qd2 Rb3 {and there is
no defense to 34...Rxc3 winning.}) 20. g4 $1 {In his book Studies for
Practical Players, published by Russell Enterprises, the outstanding Russian
chess composer Oleg Pervakov writes:" White has opened the h-file, and taken
aim at the black king. It would be nice to push the queen over to h2 - but
how? The d2-e1-g1-h2 route is pretty long and would grant Black time to whip
up counterplay on the queenside. Larsen finds a cardinal solution to the
problem." And indeed, Larsen's line-clearing on the second rank is remarkable.}
Nxg4 ({Now after} 20... Bxc4 {white plays} 21. gxf5 {and his attack is faster.}
) 21. f3 $1 exf3 22. Bxf3 Ne5 ({Larsen claims correctly that after} 22... Nf6
23. Qh2 Rfe8 24. Nb5 Nc8 25. Bxf6 Bxf6 26. Qh7+ Kf8 27. Bd5 {white wins
quickly, e.g.} g5 28. Ng6+ Bxg6 29. Qg8+ Ke7 30. Rh7+ Bxh7 31. Qf7#) 23. Qh2
Bxc4 $5 (23... Rfe8 24. Nb5 Nc8 25. Qh7+ Kf8 26. Bd5 {threatening 27.Nxg6+,
white wins.}) 24. bxc4 Nxf3 25. Qh7+ Kf7 26. Ncd5 Rg8 27. Nxe7 Rb8 28. Ka1 (28.
Kc1 {won less brilliantly, e.g.} Qxe7 29. Qxg6+ Kf8 30. Bxg7+ Qxg7 31. Ne6+)
28... Qxe7 29. Qxg6+ Kf8 30. Ne6+ Qxe6 31. Bxg7+ $1 ({Sidestepping the last
trick} 31. Qxe6 Bxb2+ 32. Kb1 Ba3+ 33. Ka1 (33. Kc2 Rg2+ 34. Kd3 Ne5+ $19)
33... Bb2+ {and black draws.}) 31... Ke7 {Almost escaping, but Larsen nails
down a magnificent finish.} 32. Bf8+ $1 Rbxf8 33. Rh7+ (33. Rh7+ Rf7 34. Rxf7+
Qxf7 35. Qxd6+ Ke8 36. Qd8#) 1-0

