7/4/2021 – Star columnist Jon Speelman reactivates his “mirror”, a potent if imaginary artefact intended to reflect the best chess players ever. This week, a couple of games by Garry Kasparov, “an (un)caged tiger who revels in violent conflict”. | Pictured: Kasparov with ChessBase’s Matthias Wüllenweber
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Volcanic energy
[Note that Jon Speelman also looks at the content of the article in video format, here embedded at the end of the article.]
A fortnight ago, I activated my “mirror”, a potent if imaginary artefact intended to reflect the best chess players ever. It has more work to do today, and first I must thank readers for a very lively and interesting discussion in the comments afterwards.
As I mentioned in those comments, I didn’t have a very strong opinion myself as to who was/is the best of the best, which is partly why I asked. People seem to divide into roughly four different camps: Fischer adherents; those who advance the claims of other recent top players; a few shouts for Lasker, Capablanca and Alekhine; and some mentions of the great players of the past who can’t be directly compared to the modern crop but were way ahead of their time — Morphy, Philidor and even El Greco.
Of course, I know most of you only through your handles, but I was very pleased that my old friend Yasser Seirawan gave his opinion: Kasparov, Karpov, Fischer, Carlsen and Anand — and am very happy to exchange virtual fist bumps.
On this DVD a team of experts looks closely at the secrets of Karpov's games. In more than 7 hours of video, the authors examine four essential aspects of Karpov's superb play.
As an aside, I hope I’m not being impolite by reviving the memory of St John New Brunswick (where the Candidates matches were held in 1988 and I beat Yasser), and in particular the chess-player-themed cocktails which were served in a bar there. These came up recently when I had lunch with my son Lawrence and discovered to my surprise that I’d never mentioned them to him before. I can’t for the life of me remember the names (possibly Speelman’s Surprise, the Benko Bomber?) let alone the ingredients. And I was hoping that Yasser or maybe some other reader might have better memories than me (or indeed my second in St John, Will Watson).
Back to business, and this week a couple of games by Garry Kasparov. I should add that the fact that I had just one game each by Fischer and Karpov wasn’t a value judgement just kicking things off — I may well come back to them, and I’d be more than happy if readers made suggestions.
Following the meteor that was Fischer and Karpov’s decade-long reign, Kasparov was the next magnificent player to dominate the chess firmament.
It wasn’t an easy transition, as the two played an epic series of matches, with Kasparov first learning a vast amount from Karpov in the heat of battle before he finally overcame and arguably surpassed him.
Karpov liked/likes order (or rather his version of order) on the chessboard, and my first stab at an epithet last week was “deft control”. In complete contrast, Kasparov was/is an (un)caged tiger who revels in violent conflict. I tried “volcanic energy” last time, and in the comments readers suggested “brute force” and “power in action”.
I’d already said that I’d look at his Nxg7 game against Predrag Nikolic, and I’m very grateful to reader MeisterZinger for reminding me of the wonderful king hunt against Veselin Topalov, which follows it.
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Elo
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1.e4
1,186,706
54%
2421
---
1.d4
960,560
55%
2434
---
1.Nf3
286,913
56%
2440
---
1.c4
185,115
56%
2442
---
1.g3
19,902
56%
2427
---
1.b3
14,609
54%
2428
---
1.f4
5,959
48%
2376
---
1.Nc3
3,919
50%
2383
---
1.b4
1,791
48%
2379
---
1.a3
1,252
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.d4When I picked this game up from MegaBase,
it had very pertinent annotations by Murray Chandler which I've added to (as
JS). Of course Murray didn't have access to the then-science-fiction power of
modern computer engines, and using Houdini I've changed some of the variations
to reflect this. MC This game deservedly won Kasparov the Olympiad brilliancy
prize of 50.000 pesos (around DM 2.800). It is a pity he was named as one of
the judges.d52.c4c63.Nc33.cxd5cxd5Here White should play Bf4
first and probably not Nc3 when e5 is annoying.3...e54.dxe5d45.Ne4Qa5+6.Bd2!?NMC It is hardly to believe, that this is a theoretical
novelty, but there is no mention in ECO or my laptop computer.6.Nd26...Qxe57.Ng3Qd68.Nf3Nf69.Qc2Be710.0-0-00-011.e3dxe3
MC: Here
Kasparov sank into thought, which appeared to some onlookers to be a waste of
precious minutes. Why not immediately play the obvious 12.Bxe3 and see where
Black's queen goes before thinking?12.fxe3MC The question was answered.
Remarkable. White deliberately gives himself an isolated e-pawn. JS Kasparov
has a tremendous grasp of the initiative, and here he was more concerned about
getting his bishop to the long black diagonal quickly than the structural
damage.Qc713.Bc3Bg4MC Alternative ways to develop are not easy to find.13...Na614.a3Nc515.b4!Ne616.Nf5±JS The cold blooded13...g6is suggested by Houdini, but I don't think that a human would ever play
such a weakening move, especially not when facing Garry.14.Bd3Nbd715.Bf5Bxf5?JS Too casual. Nikolic thought he had time to defend his kingside,
but needed to start with Rfd8. He will of course have noticed the Nxg7
sacrifice in passing, but wrongly didn't believe it.15...Rfd816.Bxg4Nxg417.Nf517.Bxg7Nxe3!18.Qc3Nxd119.Rxd1Qf4+20.Kb1Bf617...Bf816.Nxf5Rfe8
17.Nxg7‼MC A tremendous sacrifice, reminiscent of the
play of Mikhail Tal. JS When there's a knight like this on f5 you always want
to play Nxg7, and here it does work.Kxg718.Qf5!Nf8
MC The most
logical way to meet 19.Rxd7. Black can meet 19.Qg5 with 19...Ng6.18...Rad819.Qg5+Kf8Precomputer Murray gave Ne5, but in fact this doesn't really
work and Nd4 or Nh4 are correct:20.Nh420.Ne5?Nc521.Qh6+Kg822.Ng4Rxd1+23.Rxd1Nce424.Bxf6Bxf625.Nxf6+Nxf626.Qg5+Kf827.Qxf6Qxh2
JS This still loks scary for Black, but Houdini gives it as equal.20...Nc521.Qh6+Kg822.Nf5Ne623.Bxf6JS White regains the piece, and with the
huge knight on f5 Black has no chance.18...Kf819.Qg5!/\ Ne5, Qh6,
Ne5-g4 JS This is strong, but engines like Ng5 most19.Ne5?!Nc5!?19.h4/\ 20. Qg5 Ng6 21.h5 JS Praised at the time, this is actually weaker or
rather less strong than Ne5, though this only becomes clear at the end of a
very long forcing cimputer line in which White allows the exchange of queens
but then regains his piece to emerge in a winning rook ending:19.Ne5Kg820.Rhf1Red821.Ng4Rxd1+22.Kxd1Qd7+23.Ke2Qxf524.Nh6+Kh825.Nxf5Bd826.Ng3!This retreat was very unobvious to me as I followed the engine.
N8d727.Nh5Kg828.Nxf6+Nxf629.Bxf6Bxf630.Rxf6±19...h620.g4Qc8!MC Seeking salvation in a queen exchange. White will be left with a
positional advantage due to the awkward black knight on h7, but the game is
far from over.21.Qxc8Raxc822.g5N8h723.e4Rcd8JS Black can also play
23...Kf824.gxf6Nxf6but however he does it. White will be better -
somewhere between += and ±.24.Rdf1Kf825.gxf6Bxf626.e5Bg727.Rhg1
27...c528.Kc2!?MC An all-purpose move, stopping ...Rd3 and removing the
king from the h6-c1 diagonal.28.Rg4h5!?29.Rf4?Bh628...Re629.Rg4Bh830.b4b631.bxc5bxc532.Rb1Ra633.Rb2!?/\ 34. Rf4 /\ 35.Rb733.Rb7TemptingRxa2+34.Kb334.Bb2!JS is winning as engines point out:Re835.Kb1Ra635...Rxb2+36.Kxb2Bxe5+37.Nxe5Rxe538.Rf4is very bad
for BlackRe739.Rxe7Kxe740.Rf5+-36.e6!Rexe637.Rb8+Ke738.Rxh8+-34...Ra6!35.e6?Rxe6!36.Bxh8Rd3+/\ 37... Rd3xf337.Ka433...Bg7?MC After this the combinations work.33...Rb6MC could be
tried34.Rb5!Rxb535.cxb5MC sets White up with a potentially decisive
outside passed pawn. JS With that potential outside passed pawn and Black both
smashed on the queenside and congested on the kingside, White should be
winning. To the human eye it's a large, probably decisive, advantage while
Houdini gives it as about +2.34.Rb7!Rxa2+35.Kb3Ra636.e6!Rxe636...Bxc337.e7+Ke838.Rg8+37.Rxg7
JS A very fine game by Kasparov
in which he made a difficult decision (fxe3) in the opening, prioritising
initiaitive over structure; played the nice thematic sacrifice Nxg7; had to
exchange queens but still retained a fierce intiaitive; and eventually smashed
his way through.1–0
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.
Jonathan SpeelmanJonathan 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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