World Chess Championship - game 14 - annotated

[Don Burden]

(C) 1990. USA TODAY Sports Center.
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WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP
GAME 14 - Adjourned
November 26, 1990

KASPAROV KARPOV

1. e4 ...

Kasparov waited two minutes for Karpov before opening the game.

1. ... e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. d4 ...

'What!' everybody cried out in the pressroom. 'A Scoths!' The Scotch Opening
is a rare bird in Worldchampionship matches. Generally it's regarded as to
drawish. But Kasparov surely must be armed with improvements in this 18th
century opening. We'll see!

3. ... exd4
4. Nxd4 Nf6
5. Nxc6 bxc6
6. e5 Qe7
7. Qe2 Nd5
8. c4 Ba6
9. b3 ...

The last five move were blitzed out. All known theory. Now Karpov started to
give things a goood thought. Time: White: 0:01 Black: 0:23 The books say:
9...0-0-0 but... GM-elect Gallagher just came up.. with 9...Qh4!! Might be a
strong improvement on theory. Idea: 9...Qh4 10.Qc2 Nb4 where 11.Qe2 might be
Whites best. Certainly not GK's big idea. A game Ljubojevic - Seirawan ...
went 9...000 10.Qb2 Nb6 11.Be2 ..Black won in 39.moves. But in Hort -
Unzicker 1983 ... White won in only 23 moves after.. 9...000 10.Bb2.

9. ... O-O-O
Time: White: 0:03 Black: 0:37. Karpov took 26 min. on last move.

10. g3 ...

Maybe a novelty. Qb2 and Bb2 has been tried before. Looking at Karpovs clock,
now .. on 0:47 and counting, 10.g3 could very well be a new move.

10. ... Re8
11. Bb2 f6
12. Bg2 ...

Karpov took 13 min. on Rd8-e8 played the f7-f6 immediately just to see
Kasparov keep up his speed. Time now: White: 0:08 Black:0:55. And Karpov is
still thinking. Obviously 12...fxe5 wins a pawn for Black but what about his
Ba6 and Bf8?

12. ... fxe5
13. O-O ...

Time tells it all now. Kasparov on mere 0:08 to Karpovs 1:05 ... and running.
Karpovs is a pawn up, BUT he'll find it difficult to get Ba6 and Bf8 and Rh8
into play.

13. ... h5

Probably planning for g5+Bg7. This could end up in fireworks.

14. Qd2 Nf6

Now Karpov left the board for the first time. Kasparov is working hard.
He's moving a lot in his chair. Doesn't seem quiet satisfied with
what he see's on the board. IM Mike Valvo just told that the Mephisto
Chesscomputer gave Karpov a half pawn up IF he had played 9...Qh4.
Now Mephisto 'thinks' Black is a third of a pawn up. IM Tisdall, former New
Yorkee now living in Oslo, Norway, just said that the pressroom lacks atmos..
phere. And he's right. In New York strong Grandmasters were everywhere.
And now they're playing the OL in Novi Sad!

15. Qa5 Bb7
16. Ba3 ...

Already a critical moment in the game. 16...Qf7 and 16...c5 are the move
everyone discus. As for 16...Qf7 17.Qxa7 Black will be obliged to squeeze
something from his kingside attack not to end up with an unpleasant
endgame. And for: 16...c5 17.Qxa7 Karpov has to play 17...e4. Well, so much
for pressroom analisis, becaurse ...

16. ... Qe6
17. Bxf8 Rxf8
18. Qxa7 ...

Time: White: 0:28 Black: 1:23. Take a look at 18...e4 19.a4!? Doesn't look
very logical for White, but 18...e4 19.a4 e3 20.a5 exf2 21.Kh1 and what can
Karpov do about 22.a6!? Nothing! Lines like that makes Karpov head for
time-trouble. Time: White: 0:28 Black 1:37. Karpov has used 1:09 more than
Kasparov! Valvo say: I just saw Karpov glanse at his clock and he looked
very disturbed. This game is not going as he sceduled. Valvo seems to think
Karpov might be loosing. Karpov sits alone at the board, as during most of
the game.

18. ... Qg4

After 22 minutes thinking. Karpovs idea is to play Qd4 to exchange
Kasparovs Qa7. Karpovs sekunds are not worried at all according to rumours.
Time: White: 0:33 Black: 1:42. They general feeling about the position in
the pressroom has.. just changed. Black is O.K. is the evaluation right now
in Lyon. Valvo's idea 19.Na3 seems strong to me. On 19...Qd4 20.c5 to go
Na3-c4-a5 looks strong. Now Karpov left the table. Always a sign that he is
relaxed and feel confident about things. Kasparov rest his head in his ..
hands. Kasparov is alone at the board, still. Seems like he has problems
Now Kasparov has been thinking for 21 minutes, nearly as much as
he spend on his first 18 moves! I just got some games ...the two
previous times the Scotch Opening was played in a Worldchampionship
match. I was .. hold on! It was in Steinitz-Zukertort and Chigorin-Steinitz.
In 1886 and 1892! I believe the first game was .. played in New York. (Hello
to Manhattan Chessclub - you might have a picture of it on the wall!)
Kasparov is doing his deep ... thinking posture, his reflective posture and
his relaxed one. Karpovs chair is still empty. Kasparov is working on his
34th minutes now. Karpov is still resting behind the stage. I the pressroom
the organizer.. Chessly serves Champagne and free haircuts (it true!) for the
press- room boys. But water? It 20 bucks (french ones, three dollars) a
bottle. The same kind of logic goes for .. many other parts of the Lyon-leg.
Kasparov is still eg up his lead on time. Now the clock say White: 1:08
Black: 1:42. Now someone just found a game with the interesting 9...Qh4 idea
I told about two hours ago. The.. game was played somewhere in Russian in
1900! Black won. GK has been thinking for 42 minutes now. And still does.
Kasparov has gone into chesscoma. Time: White: 1:19 Black 1:42. Some think
Karpov offered a draw after his last move. Might be a ..the reason for
Kasparov deep think.

19. Na3 ...

After 53 minutes Kasparov finally moved. Valvo doesn't think Na3 was an
53-minutes move.

19. ... h4
20. Nc2 h3
21. Bh1

With the neat tactic 22.f3?? 22...Nxg3 23.fxg4 Ne2 MATE! But what about
22.Ne3? Pls look at 22.Ne3 Nc3! Interesting. BUT 22.Ne3 Nc3 23.Qxb7+ might
.. work for White. 23...Kxb7 24. Bxc6+ Kxc6 25.Nxg4. Maybe..maybe.

22. a4 ...

Tisdall: I don't see a move on 22...Nd2!? Henley, saw: 23.Ne3 Nf3+ 24.Bxf3
Qxf3 25.c5 with a4-a5-a6 to come. Both players seems to be walking
on thightrope in this position. But Karpov is alone at the board.
Time: White: 1:34 Black: 2:03 .. and still running. At the analisys-table
GM-elect.. Gallagher is punching his way through to Kasparovs king with
23...Rf3 and a multiple sac on .. g3. But it doesn't really work. Karpov
still is alone at the .. table, where he is working his.. way to a real
time-trouble situation. Time: White: 1:34 Black: 2:10!

22. ... Nc3

Boths sits deeply concentrated at the board. 'A great game' say Tisdall.
Karpov seems quiet calm. For those who are use to watch Karpov - that
usually means that he is satisfied about his game. And Kasparov - working,
working, Time: W: 1:43 B: 2:10.

23. Re1 Ne2+
24. Rxe2 Qxe2
25. Nb4 d5
26. cxd5 cxd5

Karpov is smiling! say Valvo. Not becaurse of the time. Time: White: 1:54
Black: 2:25!! Karpov is smiling at GK! And Kasparov is starting to ...
look nervous. Now GK rests his head on two fists. Watson say: Now it is
REALLY unclear. GK is eating up his advantage on the clock with big steeps
now. GK is frowning, and Karpov still smiling according to Valvo.
Time: White: 2:05 Black: 2:25

27. Bxd5 Bxd5
28. Nxd5 Qc2
29. Qa6+ Kd7
30. Ne3 Qe4
31. Rc1 Rb8
32. Qf1 Rxb3
33. Qxh3+ Kd8

Both a few minutes left- and 6 moves. People are shouting in Lyon.

34. Qh5 Kc8
35. Qd1 Rxe3
36. fxe3 Qxe3+
37. Kh1 Qe4+
38. Kg1 Qe3+
39. Kh1 Qe4+
40. Kg1 Rd8

Kasparov has seeled his move. The game will be adjourned until tomorrow.

--
Don Burden
New Albany, Indiana USA
al...@cleveland.freenet.edu