
Chess Champions and Their Queens (2)
By GM Lubomir Kavalek

Timman was under the influence of Mikhail Botvinnik’s advice to publish his analysis and to create an analytical debate. He found space in the Dutch magazine Schaakbuletin, founded by Wim Andriessen in 1968.
It was a year of great hopes and disappointments in Czechoslovakia. The Prague Spring, when the Czechs found the freedom to think, speak and write, impacted my chess and I started to have good, consistent results. I finished narrowly behind the winners in Sarajevo, won the all-time strongest Czechoslovakian championship and was able to stay in step with two legends: I won in Amsterdam ahead of Bronstein, but the former world champion Vassily Smyslov edged me in Polanica Zdroj. During the second tournament, the Soviet-led Warsaw pact armies invaded Czechoslovakia and in September I left the country for good.
In November 1968, I won in the Hague, playing Timman for the first time. He was 17, an emerging chess master with plenty of love for the game. I watched his progress as chessplayer and writer with interest. In 1975, when he advertised his queen sacrifice in his writing, he was already a solid grandmaster getting stronger by the day.

12.Bh4?! 12.f5 e5 13.Nb3 Bd7 14.Be3! 12...e5 13.Nf5 g6!?N 13...Bxf5 14.Nxe7?! 14.Rhe1 gxf5 15.exf5 Kf8 14...Bxh3 15.Bxf6 Be6! 15...Bg4? 16.Ned5± 16.f5 Rf8!? 16...gxf5 17.exf5 Bd7 18.Be4 Rf8 19.Ned5 Nxd5 20.Nxd5 Qa5 21.Nc3= 17.Bb5+?! 17.fxe6! fxe6 18.Bb5+! axb5!? 19.Nxb5 Qc5 20.Nxd6+ Qxd6 21.Rxd6 Nc4! 17...Bd7! 17...axb5?! 18.Nxb5 Qxe7 19.Bxe7 Kxe7 20.fxe6 Nc4= 18.Ned5 Nxd5 19.Nxd5 Qa5! 19...Qc5? 20.b4! Qc8 21.Nb6+- 19...Qb8 20.Bxd7+ Kxd7 21.Rd3 20.Bxd7+ Kxd7 21.a4 Qc5! 22.b4 Qc6 23.a5 23.Rhf1 Rac8 24.Rd2 Rg8-+ 23...gxf5! 24.exf5 Rg8 25.Nb6+ Ke8! 25...Kc7 26.Nd5+ Kb8? 27.Ne7 Qc3 27...Qxg2 28.Nxg8 Qxg8 29.Rxd6 Ka7= 28.Nxg8 Qa3+ 29.Kd2 Qxb4+ 30.Kc1= 26.g3 26.g4!? Qc3! 27.Nxa8 27.h3 Rb8-+ 27...Qa3+ 28.Kd2 Rxg4-+ 26.Nxa8? Rxg2 27.Rd2 Rxd2 28.Kxd2 Qxh1-+ 26.Rhg1 Rg4 27.Nxa8 Rc4 28.Rd2 Qa4 26...Rg4!-+ 27.Rhe1 27.Nxa8 Rc4 28.Rhe1 Rxc2+ 29.Kb1 Qc4! 29...Qc3? 30.Rxe5+! Kf8 31.Re8+ Kxe8 32.Bxc3+- 30.Rxe5+ Kf8 27...Rb8 28.Bxe5 28.Rxd6 Qxd6 29.Bxe5 Qxb4 30.Bc3+ Qe4-+ 28.Rd3 Rxb4 29.Bxe5 dxe5 30.Rxe5+ Kf8 31.Nd7+ Kg7 32.Nxb8 Qg2 33.Nd7 Rc4-+ 28...dxe5 29.Rxe5+ Kf8 30.Nd7+ Kg7 31.f6+ Kh7 32.Nxb8 Qc3! 33.Rdd5 33.Re7 Qa1+ 34.Kd2 Rd4+-+ 33...Rd4! 33...Rd4! 34.Rxd4 Qa1+ 35.Kd2 Qxd4+ 36.Kc1 Qxe5-+ 0–1 - Start an analysis engine:
- Try maximizing the board:
- Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
- Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
- Drag the split bars between window panes.
- Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
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Timman,J | - | Kavalek,L | - | 0–1 | 1975 | B99 | Amsterdam | |
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In 1984, with the injection of money from the publisher Elsevier, Andriessen turned his magazine into an English publication New In Chess and Timman became editor-in-chief.
Timman’s sacrifice didn’t turn out as he hoped. Today, it could have been checked by analytical engines beforehand. I don’t think Timman considered computers friendly creatures. He was proud to invent ideas on his own.
But computers are here to stay as part of hybrid man-machine preparation. The entertaining queen sacrifice in the game Caruana-Nakamura, from London last month, is a good example. Nakamura tweaked computer analysis, but it backfired. Caruana’s two minor pieces became stronger than the queen.

Replay and check the LiveBook here |
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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 h6 8.Bh4 Qb6 9.a3 Be7 10.Bf2 Qc7 11.Qf3 Nbd7 12.0-0-0 b5 13.g4 g5 14.h4 gxf4 15.Be2 b4? 15...Ne5 16.Qxf4 Nexg4 17.Bxg4 e5 18.Nd5!? 18.Qxf6 Bxf6 19.Nd5 Qd8 20.Nf5 18...Nxd5 19.Qf3! 19...Bxg4 20.Qxg4 Nf6 21.Qf3 exd4 22.Bxd4± 16.axb4 Ne5 17.Qxf4 Nexg4 18.Bxg4 e5 19.Qxf6‼ 19.Nd5? Nxd5 20.Qf3 Nxb4 19...Bxf6 20.Nd5 Qd8 21.Nf5! Rb8 21...Bxf5 22.Bxf5 Rb8 23.c4 0-0 24.c5!+- 22.Nxf6+ Qxf6 23.Rxd6 23.Nxd6+ Ke7 23...Kf8 24.Bf5+- 24.Bc5! Qf4+ 24...Bxg4 25.Nb5+ Ke6 26.Nc7# 25.Kb1 Qxg4 26.Nxc8+ Ke8 27.Nd6+ Ke7 28.Nf5+ Ke8 29.Rhg1 23...Be6 24.Rhd1 0-0 24...Rxb4 25.Rxe6+ fxe6 26.Bh5+ Kf8 27.Bc5+ 25.h5! Qg5+ 25...Rxb4 26.Bh4 Bxf5 27.Bxf6 Bxg4 28.Re1± 26.Be3 Qf6 27.Nxh6+ Kh8 28.Bf5 Qe7?! 28...Qh4 29.Rg1 Qxh5 30.Rdd1 Qf3 31.Rde1+- 28...Rfe8 29.Rg1+- 29.b5?! 29.Nxf7+! Qxf7 30.Rxe6 29...Qe8 30.Nxf7+ Rxf7 31.Rxe6 Qxb5 32.Rh6+ 32.Rh6+ Kg7 33.Rg1+ Kf8 34.Rh8+ Ke7 35.Rxb8 Qxb8 36.Bc5++- 1–0 - Start an analysis engine:
- Try maximizing the board:
- Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
- Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
- Drag the split bars between window panes.
- Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
- Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
- Create an account to access the games cloud.
Caruana,F | 2823 | Nakamura,H | 2779 | 1–0 | 2016 | B96 | 8th London Classic | |
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 You probably know that you can move pieces on the replay board to analyse, and even start an engine to help you. You can maximize the replayer, auto-play, flip the board and even change the piece style in the bar below the board. At the bottom of the notation window on the right there are buttons for editing (delete, promote, cut lines, unannotate, undo, redo) save, play out the position against Fritz and even embed our JavaScript replayer on your web site or blog. Hovering the mouse over any button will show you its function. |
Images from London Chess Classic and SachInfo
Original column here – Copyright Huffington Post

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