Australian rules

by Jonathan Speelman
1/17/2021 – Noting that Australia is the continent with the greatest variety of venomous animals, star columnist Jon Speelman explores creepy-crawlies in chess — i.e. tiny moves that often have a huge effect, far beyond their visual impression. He then looks at games in which Boris Spassky, Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov make use of such creeping manoeuvres.

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Creepy-crawlies

[Note that Jon Speelman also looks at the content of the article in video format, here embedded at the end of the article.]

When I checked just now, I was unsurprised to confirm that Australia is the continent with the greatest variety of venomous animals.

Many of these are creepy-crawlies, and it was in connection with creepy-crawliness that I was looking, since today we examine the most toxic of concepts: the creepy-crawly (or as people actually say) creeping move.

This is typically a tiny move with the queen shifting just one square to change the tactics; hard to find, they often have a huge effect, far beyond their visual impression. I’ve also included a second type of move which I personally sometimes miss: collinear moves, in which typically a rook goes some way along a rank or file but not where you are expecting. And a third, in connection with one of my games with Garry Kasparov — I don’t quite know what to call it, in which a piece lands on a hook which was unexpected, at least by me.

I have a feeling that there’s a game by Smyslov (at least I think it was Smyslov) in which, as White, he played something like Qd5-c5 — certainly a one-square queen move round about that part of the board — and it proved decisive. Irritatingly, I can’t find it, and if readers would like to help me out in the comments it would be much appreciated.

Boris SpasskyWhen I searched for creeping moves, I instead found a nice win by Boris Spassky [pictured] against Viktor Korchnoi in their Candidates final match in Kiev 1968. (Incidentally, Spassky won this one 6½-3½; I confused it for a moment with the CT final in Belgrade 1977, the humdinger both on and off the board which Korchnoi won 10½-7½, but not before losing four games in a row at one stage).

Next I’ve got a famous Karpov v Spassky game with a glorious retreat. Apart from this, it has several small but deadly moves, most notably Karpov’s 27th.

Then there are a couple of games with collinear rook moves: not so difficult to see in theory, but both of which I was at least a little surprised by when I first saw them.

And finally one of the games I drew with Garry (I had a pretty large minus score but nothing like as bad as against Ivanchuk) in which both 27.Rd4 and — despite being forewarned — 37.Rf4! surprised me at the time.

Creepy-crawlies are fun — at least if they are half a world away. They can be difficult to find during a game, but may have a huge effect. I’d be delighted to receive more examples of these from readers to use in future columns.  

Garry Kasparov

Garry Kasparov | Photo: Dutch National Archive

 
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MoveNResultEloPlayers
1.e41,174,61854%2421---
1.d4952,91955%2434---
1.Nf3283,84956%2440---
1.c4183,33456%2442---
1.g319,80456%2427---
1.b314,46454%2427---
1.f45,92648%2377---
1.Nc33,85550%2384---
1.b41,77548%2379---
1.a31,23954%2405---
1.e31,07549%2409---
1.d396150%2378---
1.g466946%2361---
1.h446554%2381---
1.c343651%2426---
1.h328456%2419---
1.a411759%2462---
1.f310047%2427---
1.Nh39267%2511---
1.Na34360%2477---
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 0-0 6.Be3 Nc6 7.Nge2 a6 8.Nc1 8.Qd2 is much more common nowadays. 8...e5 9.d5 Nd4 10.Nb3 Nxb3 Of course Black would like to sacrifice a pawn with 10...c5 11.dxc6 bxc6 12.Nxd4 exd4 Houdini now gives 13.Bxd4 Rb8 14.Qd2 d5 15.cxd5 cxd5 16.e5 Ne8 17.Be2 Nc7 18.f4 Ne6 19.0-0 Rb4 as just += so perhaps this is why this line isn't played that much as White? 20.Ba7 Qd7 21.Bf2 Rxf4 22.Nxd5 11.Qxb3 11.axb3 is slightly more common nowadays. 11...c5 12.dxc6 bxc6 13.0-0-0 Be6 13...Qe7 is recommended by Houdini, and if 14.Qb6 Bb7 14.Qa3 14.Qb7 Qa5 15.Qb6 Qxb6 16.Bxb6 Ne8 17.c5 Bh6+ 18.Kb1 Be3 19.Na4 d5 20.exd5 Bxd5 21.Nc3 Be6 22.Bd3 Nf6 23.Rhe1 Bd4 24.Bc7 Nd7 25.Bd6 Rfc8 26.Na4 f6 27.b3 Bd5 28.h4 Kg7 29.Bc2 Re8 30.Bd3 a5 31.h5 f5 32.Bc2 Bf2 33.Re2 Bd4 34.f4 Ra7 35.Rxd4 exd4 36.Rxe8 Nf6 37.Be5 Bxg2 38.Re6 Rf7 39.h6+ Kxh6 40.Bxf6 Bd5 41.Bg5+ Kg7 42.Re7 1-0 (42) Primbetov,K (2214)-Mamatkulova,M (2091) Tashkent UZB 2011. 14...Ne8 14...d5 15.cxd5 cxd5 16.exd5 Bxd5 15.h4
15...f6 A grim move to play. Viktor must really have disliked his poistion already. 16.c5 Rf7 16...d5 17.exd5 cxd5 18.Bc4 Nc7 19.Nxd5! Nxd5 20.Qb3 Rb8 21.Bxd5 Rxb3 22.Bxe6+ Kh8 23.Rxd8 Rxe3 24.Rxf8+ Bxf8 25.c6 17.Qa4 Qc7 18.Bc4 Bxc4 19.Qxc4 Bf8 20.h5 dxc5 21.hxg6 hxg6 22.Qe6 Rd8 23.Rxd8 Qxd8 24.Rd1 Qe7 25.Qxc6 Nc7
26.Qb6! The creeping move. Nd5 Qe6 is certainly good for White, but this is better. 26.Nd5 Qe6 26...Kg7 27.Nd5 Qe6 28.Bxc5 Bxc5 29.Qxc5 Nb5 30.Qe3 Qc6+ 31.Kb1 Nd4 32.Rc1 Qb5 33.Nc7 Qe2 34.Ne6+ Kh7?
34...Kg8 35.Qxe2 Nxe2 36.Rc8+ Kh7 37.Ra8+- 35.Qh6+! A pretty "sacrifice", but far less impressive than the earlier ferocious non-violence of Qb6. 35.Qh6+ Kxh6 36.Rh1#
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Spassky,B-Kortschnoj,V-1–01968E83Candidates final7
Karpov,A2700Spassky,B26501–01974B83Candidates sf19
Howell,D2658Adams,M27161–02021A08Caplin Hastings Online7.3
Maghsoodloo,P2676Carlsen,M28620–12020C67chess.com Speed 20201.16
Kasparov,G2750Speelman,J2625½–½1988A54Belfort


Garry Kasparov's rise to the top was meteoric and at his very first attempt he managed to become World Champion, the youngest of all time. In over six hours of video, he gives a first hand account of crucial events from recent chess history, you can improve your chess understanding and enjoy explanations and comments from a unique and outstanding personality on and off the chess board.


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Jonathan Speelman, born in 1956, studied mathematics but became a professional chess player in 1977. He was a member of the English Olympic team from 1980–2006 and three times British Champion. He played twice in Candidates Tournaments, reaching the semi-final in 1989. He twice seconded a World Championship challenger: Nigel Short and then Viswanathan Anand against Garry Kasparov in London 1993 and New York 1995.

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