Malcolm Pein on…When Kasparov Was King

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Malcolm Pein reflects on a time when Kasparov was king in today’s Daily Telegraph chess column, as he celebrates the recent birthday of the 13th World Chess Champion in style.

Malcolm Pein on…When Kasparov Was King

Garry Kasparov turned 58 on 13 April and his birthday coincided with the staging by FIDE of a press conference in Moscow in advance of the resumption of the Candidates tournament the following Monday. Anatoly Karpov was present, together with sponsors, organisers and FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich.

Both Karpov and Dvorkovich wished Garry Kimovich a happy birthday.

It’s a little over 28 years since Kasparov played this masterpiece, one of my all-time favourites, reducing Karpov to complete helplessness in little more than 20 moves.

The King’s Indian Defense in Action

A. Karpov – G. Kasparov
11th Linares (10) 1993
King’s Indian Saemisch

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 0–0 6.Be3 e5 7.Nge2 c6 8.Qd2 Nbd7 9.Rd1 a6! 10.dxe5?! (9.Rd1 would look pointless after 10.d5, but was probably the lesser evil) 10…Nxe5!! (Karpov envisaged 10…dxe5 11.c5 Qe7 12.Na4) 11.b3 b5! 12.cxb5 axb5 13.Qxd6 Nfd7! 14.f4? (14.Qd2 b4 15.Na4 Nc4! or 15.Nb1 f5! 16.exf5 Qe7! 17.fxg6?! hxg6 when White cannot move the knight on e2 and Bc8–a6 or Rxf3 are options for Black) 14…b4!! (When playing dxe5? it was rumoured that Karpov missed this move. Kasparov was more to the point: “Did he expect me to resign?”) 15.Nb1? (15.Qxb4? c5 16.Bxc5 Nxc5!! 17.Rxd8 Ned3+ 18.Kd1 Nxb4 wins a piece. 15.fxe5 bxc3 16.Nxc3 Bxe5 17.Qd2 Qc7 is good for Black) 15…Ng4 16.Bd4 (According to Anand, 16.Bg1 was tried in the post mortem, but Black’s advantage in development is decisive after 16…Rxa2 17.h3 Qh4+ 18.g3 Rxe2+ 19.Kxe2 Qxg3 20.hxg4 Nf6)

16…Bxd4 17.Qxd4 Rxa2 18.h3 c5 19.Qg1 Ngf6 20.e5 Ne4 21.h4 (21.Qe3 Bb7 22.Nd2 Nxd2 23.Rxd2 Rxd2 24.Qxd2 Nb6! 25.Qxd8 Rxd8 26.Nc1 Nd5 27.Nd3 Ne3 wins – (Kasparov) or 24…c4 25.bxc4 Nc5) 21…c4! 22.Nc1 (Incredible. Karpov has every piece on the back rank)

When Kasparov Was King

22…c3! (Or 22…Rb2) 23.Nxa2 c2 24.Qd4 cxd1Q+ (In the absence of a second queen, Kasparov said “queen” which is against the rules. Karpov then cheekily tried to play 25.Qxe4 on the basis that Kasparov’s pawn on d1 was a knight. There was a bit of a kerfuffle before the arbiter brought a black queen. Karpov was given two minutes extra time; two hours would not have sufficed) 25.Kxd1 Ndc5! 26.Qxd8 Rxd8+ 27.Kc2 Nf2 0-1

Test Your Strength

After 28.Rg1, how would you continue?

Karpov - Kasparov, Linares 1993

Highlight the space below this line to reveal the answer.

28.Rg1 Bf5+ 29.Kc1 Rd1+ 30.Kb2 Rxb1#.

Play Through the Game

 

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