A few reflections more (and a cocktail of Caissists)

by Jonathan Speelman
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

Winning starts with what you know
The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.

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.

Yasser Seirawan

Yasser Seirawan at the Hoogeven tournament 1980 | Photo: Fernando Pereira / Anefo / CC0

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).

Garry KasparovBack 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.

 
New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
1.e41,166,62354%2421---
1.d4947,29855%2434---
1.Nf3281,60256%2441---
1.c4182,10256%2442---
1.g319,70256%2427---
1.b314,26554%2427---
1.f45,89748%2377---
1.Nc33,80151%2384---
1.b41,75648%2380---
1.a31,20654%2404---
1.e31,06848%2408---
1.d395450%2378---
1.g466446%2360---
1.h444653%2374---
1.c343351%2426---
1.h328056%2418---
1.a411060%2466---
1.f39246%2436---
1.Nh38966%2508---
1.Na34262%2482---
1.d4 When 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. d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 3.cxd5 cxd5 Here White should play Bf4 first and probably not Nc3 when e5 is annoying. 3...e5 4.dxe5 d4 5.Ne4 Qa5+ 6.Bd2!?N MC It is hardly to believe, that this is a theoretical novelty, but there is no mention in ECO or my laptop computer. 6.Nd2 6...Qxe5 7.Ng3 Qd6 8.Nf3 Nf6 9.Qc2 Be7 10.0-0-0 0-0 11.e3 dxe3
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.fxe3 MC 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. Qc7 13.Bc3 Bg4 MC Alternative ways to develop are not easy to find. 13...Na6 14.a3 Nc5 15.b4! Ne6 16.Nf5± JS The cold blooded 13...g6 is suggested by Houdini, but I don't think that a human would ever play such a weakening move, especially not when facing Garry. 14.Bd3 Nbd7 15.Bf5 Bxf5? 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...Rfd8 16.Bxg4 Nxg4 17.Nf5 17.Bxg7 Nxe3! 18.Qc3 Nxd1 19.Rxd1 Qf4+ 20.Kb1 Bf6 17...Bf8 16.Nxf5 Rfe8
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. Kxg7 18.Qf5! Nf8
MC The most logical way to meet 19.Rxd7. Black can meet 19.Qg5 with 19...Ng6. 18...Rad8 19.Qg5+ Kf8 Precomputer Murray gave Ne5, but in fact this doesn't really work and Nd4 or Nh4 are correct: 20.Nh4 20.Ne5? Nc5 21.Qh6+ Kg8 22.Ng4 Rxd1+ 23.Rxd1 Nce4 24.Bxf6 Bxf6 25.Nxf6+ Nxf6 26.Qg5+ Kf8 27.Qxf6 Qxh2 JS This still loks scary for Black, but Houdini gives it as equal. 20...Nc5 21.Qh6+ Kg8 22.Nf5 Ne6 23.Bxf6 JS White regains the piece, and with the huge knight on f5 Black has no chance. 18...Kf8 19.Qg5! /\ Ne5, Qh6, Ne5-g4 JS This is strong, but engines like Ng5 most 19.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.Ne5 Kg8 20.Rhf1 Red8 21.Ng4 Rxd1+ 22.Kxd1 Qd7+ 23.Ke2 Qxf5 24.Nh6+ Kh8 25.Nxf5 Bd8 26.Ng3! This retreat was very unobvious to me as I followed the engine. N8d7 27.Nh5 Kg8 28.Nxf6+ Nxf6 29.Bxf6 Bxf6 30.Rxf6± 19...h6 20.g4 Qc8! 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.Qxc8 Raxc8 22.g5 N8h7 23.e4 Rcd8 JS Black can also play 23...Kf8 24.gxf6 Nxf6 but however he does it. White will be better - somewhere between += and ±. 24.Rdf1 Kf8 25.gxf6 Bxf6 26.e5 Bg7 27.Rhg1
27...c5 28.Kc2!? MC An all-purpose move, stopping ...Rd3 and removing the king from the h6-c1 diagonal. 28.Rg4 h5!? 29.Rf4? Bh6 28...Re6 29.Rg4 Bh8 30.b4 b6 31.bxc5 bxc5 32.Rb1 Ra6 33.Rb2!? /\ 34. Rf4 /\ 35.Rb7 33.Rb7 Tempting Rxa2+ 34.Kb3 34.Bb2! JS is winning as engines point out: Re8 35.Kb1 Ra6 35...Rxb2+ 36.Kxb2 Bxe5+ 37.Nxe5 Rxe5 38.Rf4 is very bad for Black Re7 39.Rxe7 Kxe7 40.Rf5+- 36.e6! Rexe6 37.Rb8+ Ke7 38.Rxh8+- 34...Ra6! 35.e6? Rxe6! 36.Bxh8 Rd3+ /\ 37... Rd3xf3 37.Ka4 33...Bg7? MC After this the combinations work. 33...Rb6 MC could be tried 34.Rb5! Rxb5 35.cxb5 MC 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.Kb3 Ra6 36.e6! Rxe6 36...Bxc3 37.e7+ Ke8 38.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
  • 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.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Kasparov,G2780Nikolic,P26351–01992D10Manila ol (Men) 30th12.1
Kasparov,G2812Topalov,V27001–01999B07Hoogovens4

Select an entry from the list to switch between games



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.


Links


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.

Discuss

Rules for reader comments

 
 

Not registered yet? Register

We use cookies and comparable technologies to provide certain functions, to improve the user experience and to offer interest-oriented content. Depending on their intended use, analysis cookies and marketing cookies may be used in addition to technically required cookies. Here you can make detailed settings or revoke your consent (if necessary partially) with effect for the future. Further information can be found in our data protection declaration.