7/12/2015 – Two chess legends met in a rapid chess match in Riga, Latvia from July 7 to July 9. Twelfth World Champion Anatoly Karpov faced the renowned chess theoretician Evgeny Sveshnikov in a six-game match that played over three days. The match enjoyed top-notch conditions with a beautiful locale, live video transmission, and GM commentary. Karpov won the match, though not before a minor upset.
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It was a welcome return to see Anatoly Karpov, one of the greatest players of all time, whose epic rivalry with Garry Kasparov is unparalleled in chess history, and whose feeling for positional chess can only be compared to Capablanca or present-day Carlsen. In fact the contrast in styles was even directly compared to Capablanca and Alekhine of yesteryear.
Twelfth World Champion Anatoly Karpov
Grandmaster Evgeny Sveshnikov, two-time Latvian champion has permanently left his mark on the Sicilian variation with his name. It was his theoretical investigations, and success against top players that helped forge it into one of the most popular and successful opening lines against 1.e4. He also authored books on the subject, and if that was not enough, he was also a significant contributor to the theory of the Sicilian Alapin 1.e4 c5 2.c3, helping bring it too out of obscurity, and transforming it into one of White’s main weapons to avoid the theory-heavy lines of the Sicilians.
Two legends face off
The match conditions were comfortable and elegant
The event was held in the Tal Residence apartment complex, so-named not just as a tribute to Latvia’s most famous player, but also because, as explained on the project's website: "Architect Ingurds Lazdins has used chess motifs in the facade of the building: geometry of the bay windows represents chess figures of different heights, and the combination of light and dark toned glass – an imaginative chessboard."
The drawing of colors was done the old-fashioned way: "pick a hand"
Live transmission of the games was available throughout, with live video commentary by GM Alexey Shirov, GM Arturs Neiksans, WGM Dana Reizniece-Ozola and IM Nikita Meskovs.
The website provided high-resolution video with GM commentary by Alexei Shirov no less
A look through the lens
In spite of the time off, everyone expected a comfortable win by Karpov, however, he helped keep it suspenseful when he completely botched the opening in the second game of day one and was so badly outplayed that he resigned in almost complete zuzwang. Was this going to be a report on a shock loss by the champion?
It was not the first result chess fans expected
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1.e4
1,185,008
54%
2421
---
1.d4
959,510
55%
2434
---
1.Nf3
286,503
56%
2441
---
1.c4
184,834
56%
2442
---
1.g3
19,892
56%
2427
---
1.b3
14,600
54%
2428
---
1.f4
5,954
48%
2377
---
1.Nc3
3,911
50%
2384
---
1.b4
1,791
48%
2379
---
1.a3
1,250
54%
2406
---
1.e3
1,081
49%
2409
---
1.d3
969
50%
2378
---
1.g4
670
46%
2361
---
1.h4
466
54%
2382
---
1.c3
439
51%
2425
---
1.h3
289
56%
2420
---
1.a4
118
60%
2461
---
1.f3
100
47%
2427
---
1.Nh3
93
66%
2506
---
1.Na3
47
62%
2476
---
Please, wait...
1.e4c52.Nf3Nc63.Bb5e64.0-0Nge75.d4cxd46.Nxd4Nxd4Currently, top players have preferred6...Ng6or Qb6. Ex:7.Be2Bc58.Nb3Bb69.c4d610.Nc3a611.Kh1e512.Nd5Ba713.Bg40-014.Bxc8Rxc815.Be3Bxe316.Nxe3Nge717.Rc1a518.c5dxc519.Nxc5Nd420.Qd3Qd621.Nb3a422.Nxd4Qxd423.Qb1Qd224.Rcd1Qb425.Rd7Nc626.a3Qb327.Rd3Qb628.Nd5Qb529.Rc1Rcd830.b4Nd431.Rc5Qe832.Qd1f533.exf5Rxf534.f3Rf835.Nc3b636.Rc7b537.Rc5Rc838.Ne4Rxc539.Nxc5Qf740.h3Qf541.Re3h642.Qd2Rd843.Re4Kh744.Qf2Rd545.Kh2Nb346.Nxb3axb347.Qe3b248.Qe1Rd40-1 (48) Caruana,F (2839)-Nakamura,H (2767) London 20147.Qxd4Nc6 This is definitely not the obvious grandmaster choice. This is not said out of hubris, but fact. Mega 2015 has zero games with GMs choosing this as black. The usual follow-up after ...Nxd4 is7...a68.Be2Nc69.Qc38.Qc3 Naturally White is not going to give up the bishop for so little. Furthermore, on c3, the queen prevents the Bf8 from developing just yet.Qf6Black is searching for a way to solve his development issues, and does so rather radically. Surely smashing his own pawn structure this way cannot be the only solution.9.Qxf6gxf6Strange opening play by Karpov, especially since the great positional player has not only doubled the f-pawns but split the structure into three pawn islands, and all this after only 9 moves.10.Be3Bd611.Nd2a612.Be2b5A logical move, preventing Nc4, and preparing Bb7 or Rb8, but this also presents a clear-cut target for White to attack.13.a4!Rb814.axb5axb515.f4Bc716.c3Ke717.b4d618.Nb3Bb619.Kf2! Ready to bring the king into the fray. RIght now White's rooks may seem to be biting on dust on the a-file, with nowhere to enter, but after an exchange or two of minor pieces, those squares will soon become available.Rd820.Rfd1Bxe3+21.Kxe3Rb622.Ra8Bd723.Rxd8Nxd824.Ra1!e525.f5Bc626.Ra7+Rb727.Ra6Bd728.Na5Rb829.Ra7Ke830.Rc7Black is in complete zugzwang, and resigns. White has two perfectly viable plans to reel in the point: 1) Play Kd2-c2-b3 and finally push c4 to free the b-pawn to advance, or 2) Kf3-g4-h5-h6, and clean up on the kingside.1–0
Sveshnikov showed that he was not to be taken lightly, and took full advantage
The next day Karpov came back with a vengeance and won both his games, reasserting his authority, though only leading by a point. The match was still open. On the third day, the first game of the day, and game five of the match, saw a vintage performance by the 12th World Champion. Fighting over a small weakness on the dark squares, he proceeded to work his way towards debilitating and exploiting them in textbook fashion.
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1.d4Nf62.c4e63.Nf3d54.e3c55.cxd5exd56.Bb5+Nc67.0-0Bd68.dxc5Bxc59.Bxc6+bxc610.Qc2Qd611.b30-012.Bb2Ne413.Rc1Bd714.Nfd2This is pure Karpov. Simple, classic fighting for the squares he wants.Nxd215.Qxc5Qxc516.Rxc5Ne417.Rc1Now the dark square weaknesses will become a key part to the fight. While White's plans to improve his pieces are clear, Black's are much less so as there is no obvious way to drum up counterplay.Rfe818.Ba3a519.f3!The point of this move is two-fold: evict the knight from its strong e4-square, and free up Nc3-a4 without allowing the black knight to exchange itself off.Ng520.h4Ne621.Nc3d4Trying to fight back, but exploiting these types of positions was the former world champion's specialty. Textbooks were modeled on his treatment of them.22.exd4Nxd423.Rd1!Nc224.Rac1Bf524...Nxa3?!is just not an option.25.Rxd7Red826.Rc7Rac827.Rxc8Rxc828.Kf2and Black is al tied up. The knight cannot leave a3 sinceNb5?loses to29.Nxb5so the king will quickly arrive and Ne4 will follow.25.Bc5h526.Rd2Nb427.Bxb4?! Possibly worried about Nd3.However,27.Bb6was stronger, sinceNd328.Rcd1Reb829.Na4is good for White, with Black's pieces all disjointed, the rook having left its open file, and the knight forced to retreat once more.27...axb428.Na4Rad829.Rxd8Rxd830.Rxc6Rd1+31.Kh2Still, White is up a pawn, and though hardly won, it is a position with only two outcomes: a White win or a draw at worst.Bd732.Ra6Rd233.Nc5?Missing the tactic 33.Ra8+!Kh734.Rd8Threatening Nb6 or Nc5 which wins the piece. There is no saving it either.Rd334...Rd535.Nb635.Nc533...Bb534.Ra8+Kh735.Ne4Rb236.Ng5+Kg637.Nh3Kf638.Nf4g5After38...g639.Ra5Bf140.Kg1Be241.Nd5+Ke542.Nxb4+It is clearly just a matter of time.39.Nxh5+Ke740.hxg5Bd341.Ra4Bb142.Rxb4Bxa243.Re4+Kf844.b4Bd545.Rf4Ke746.Kg3Kd647.Nf6Be648.Ng41–0
The games are being broadcast live on the official web site and on the chess server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you can download a free Playchess client there and get immediate access. You can also use ChessBase 13 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs.
Albert SilverBorn in the US, he grew up in Paris, France, where he completed his Baccalaureat, and after college moved to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He had a peak rating of 2240 FIDE, and was a key designer of Chess Assistant 6. In 2010 he joined the ChessBase family as an editor and writer at ChessBase News. He is also a passionate photographer with work appearing in numerous publications, and the content creator of the YouTube channel, Chess & Tech.
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