White: Gata Kamsky        1



Black: Anatoly Karpov     0











Played 6 July 96 in Elista, Kalmykia

1. d4

Trailing four points in a world championship match is definitely not a nice feeling, but knowing Kamsky as a fighter with very good nerves I expect him to give his best until the very end. While I don't think that this will be enough to save him, at least we, the spectators, will get to enjoy a fascinating finish to this extremely interesting match.

1. ...   Nf6



2. c4    e6



3. Nf3!

Another great opening selection by the young challenger! Kamsky has already played twice the Queen's Indian as black, and not achieved the desired success. Now, by playing 3.Nf3 he invites Karpov to show the best way... Further, he makes the world champion play against his own preparation, which is always a very unpleasant feeling.

3. ...   b6



4. g3

Since black has indicated his desire to gain control of the h1-a8 diagonale, white tries to cross swords by installing his own bishop on g2. Each opening has important squares, and in the Queen's Indian, e4 is pretty important. Right now black is in control of that square, but white will work hard to change that...

4. ...   Ba6?!

Karpov's first mistake of the game, if only from a psychological point of view. This would have been a great place for black to play 4...Bb7 and enter a completely different system. By following Kamsky's moves from games three and thirteen of this match, Karpov is placing himself in unnecessary danger. First of all he goes into positions deeply analyzed by his opponent for both sides, and secondly, he will have a hard time making the best moves with black because that would show Kamsky how to play in the following game! I think that Karpov's decision was related to his overwhelming score and a high confidence, including such thoughts like "there is not going to be a next game" and "let me show you how this opening should be played"...

5. b3    Bb4



6. Bd2   Be7



7. Bg2   c6



8. Bc3   d5



9. Ne5   Nfd7



10.Nd7   Nd7



11.Nd2   0-0



12.0-0   Rc8!?

Except for 12...Rc8, the exact same moves have been played in games three and thirteen with Kamsky (!) as black. Please refer to my annotations on game 3 and GM Browne's commentaries on game 13 for more details.

Karpov's reluctance to repeat the 12...Rb8 played by his opponent is very understandable. After all, 12...Rc8 is the main move in this position, and Kamsky didn't have any luck trying to prove the advantages of his move. I have a feeling that 12...Rb8 would have been followed by the exact same moves Karpov made as white in game 13, and the fact that the world champion avoids the line as black shows that there is not much room for improvement for black in the resulting positions.

Nonetheless, Karpov spent a considerable amount of time on this move which shows that he was not too comfortable with either choice. This sudden lack of confidence will continue to show throughout the opening as Karpov thinks more and more in a fully theoretical position, that he played many times as both white and black. As Kamsky continued to play very fast, I think Karpov was afraid of some kind of trap in one of the ensuing forced lines, so he kept checking every variation more than three times....

Changing the position of the black rook by only one square has an enormous effect on black's further plans. The rook on c8 signals black's intention of playing c6-c5 and breaking up the center hoping for an equal position after the many trades that will take place. While white is practically unable to stop c6-c5, he will try to get the most out of the open position that is likely to result.

13. e4   c5

The last two moves have transformed a rather quiet center in a total war. The pawns are having an interesting conversation there and the only open question is who is going to take what and when... If you are pondering about playing this system as either white or black, please don't do it without first studying all the available games played in this line. It is a highly dangeorous position to play "just because it was played in the world championship"...

14. ed5   ed5



15. dc5

White doesn't have much choice here. As attractive as the d5 pawn might be, taking it would prove a bad idea: the pawn on c4 can't budge because of the bishop on a6 and his declared intention of capturing the white rook on f1, and 15.Bd5 isn't much better because of 15...Nf6 followed by 16...cd4 after white moves his bishop from d5.

The good news about 15.dc5 is that if black takes the pawn back with either piece, 16.Bd5 becomes a great move. The bad news is that the black pawn on d5 is not just going to stay there and wait to be captured...

15. ...   dc4



16. c6

Please don't take this move as a desperate attempt to hold on to the c pawn. No, white is just hoping that black will have to waste some time on getting this pawn once it moves to c6, and of course, every tempo is important in such a position.

If you saw the thinking times for this game and were wondering how come Kamsky played all these moves so fast, please remember that this a completely theoretical position, played many times before. How come Karpov took so much time, then? I have no idea...

16. ...   cb3

Who said that if your knight is attacked you have to move it? Having moved twice in this game, white's dark squared bishop has still not found the right position. On c3 it is undefended and also on the hitlist of the black rook on c8. Taking the knight on d7 is thus out of the question. The disappearance of the pawn from c4 has also opened new horizons for another black piece: the bishop on a6. Obviously the rook on f1 is not feeling too good right now...

17. Re1   Bb5



18. ab3!

It is always nice to bring a piece into play without wasting a tempo. 18.ab3 does just that by opening the 'a' file. Now the rook on a1 has suddenly become one of white's most active pieces and his threat of taking on a7 is very hard to overlook.

18. ...   Bc6

After having left that pawn on c6 for so long, how come black is suddenly hurrying to take it now, instead of defending the pawn on a7 first? Well, now that white has captured on b3, defending the pawn on c6, even indirectly, becomes an option. For instance after a move like 18...a5, white can play 19.Rc1 and if 19...Bc6 then 20.Bg7 Kg7 21.Bc6 gives white a significant advantage.

19. Bc6   Rc6



20. Ra7!

Even though Kamsky didn't strain himself finding this move since it has been played many times before, I decided to give it an exclamation mark just because it is such a nice move. White doesn't care about his bishop on c3 and minds his own business, as if he hadn't seen black's immediate threat. Actually things are a little more complicated than that. If black playes now the obvious 20...Rc3 white can take advantage of the pressure on the black d7 knight with 21.Nb1! Now black finds himself with two pieces attacked at the same time, and the loss of the d7 knight is pretty certain to cause the loss of the bishop on e7 too. 21...Rc7 doesn't save much because of 22.Rc7 Qc7 23.Re7 with a beautiful position for white.

20. ...   Bf6



21. Nc4   Bc3?!

This is maybe the most important moment of the game, at least from a theoretical point of view. I have to once again remark that while Kamsky played all his moves in only 15 minutes, Karpov spent an hour and ten minutes, even though he has played this position before, with the white pieces. In order to understand why this is such an important moment of the game, let me give you a short theoretical background of the variation.

In a game played between Karpov and Beliavsky in Linares, 1993, black chose here 21...Nc5. After 22.Qd8 Rd8 23.Bf6 Rf6 24.b4! Ne6 25.Nb6, white achieved a huge advantage and eventually won the game. Searching for an improvement over Beliavsky's play, several GM's have found 23...gf6 instead of 23...Rf6. Two games played since then (Khalifman-Epishin, At. Petersburg 1995 and Illescas-Morovic, Las Palmas 1994) have featured this move, and in both games after 23...gf6 24.Ree7 Nb3 25.Ne3 Rf8 26.Nf5 h5 black obtained equality and a draw shortly.

So how come Karpov didn't play 21...Nc5 in this game? A draw is obviously to his advantage, so that is clearly not why he avoided the move. My feeling is that he was afraid of a novelty prepared by his opponent in the line after 21...Nc5. Maybe Karpov even spotted that novelty in the long time he spent thinking, or maybe it was just a mere precaution based on the speed and self-confidence Kamsky used in making his first 21 moves, which is usually an indication of a special preparation, but could be just as well a bluff.

Either way, Karpov preferred a line that is known to give white a clear positional advantage and several moves later made a novelty which was by far not his most inspired...

22. Rd7   Qf6



23. Re4!

This position has been considered clearly superior for white and it is hard to argue against that. All of white's pieces have wonderful positions and black seems to lack coordination among his pieces. In a game Chernin-Veingold played in Sevilla in 1993, black played 23...Re6 here and after 24.Rf4 Qg6 25.Rdf7! white obtained a winning attack. Did Karpov know this game? If so, he clearly didn't show it... The 'novelty' Karpov found, 23... Qf5, immediately loses a pawn and gives black a terrible position. This position reminded me very much of Karpov's loss in game No.2, also a result of a rather simple tactical mistake after the opening.

23. ...   Qf5?



24. Rf4   Qe6



25. Rdf7!

A neat combination based on the back rank mate theme. 25...Rf7 is followed by 26.Qd8 with a close mate, and 25...Qf7 runs into 26.Rf7 Rf7 27.Qd8 Rf8 28.Qd5 followed by the capture of the c6 rook. Black is thus obliged to move his rook away, and not only leave white with a pawn up but also with a beautiful position.

25. ...   Re8



26. Qf3   Bf6



27. Rb7   h6

Black's position is even worse than it seems. He is a pawn down, his pawn on b6 is under pressure, the king is being attacked by the battery of queen and rooks, the bishop is no match for the beautiful white knight and Karpov is also nearing time pressure. Black's last move tries to get rid of the constant 8th rank mate problem but in the process creates an important weakness on g6 which will become very visible in the future.

28. Kg2   Kh8



29. h4!

Kamsky is once again beating Karpov in his own style. Black can't do anything, so white is taking his time, first bringing the king into safety and now slowly pushing the extra pawn on the king side. Karpov's only defense is to move his king back and forth and watch any hidden threats that white might create. Passing move 40 should also be a very important goal at this point.

29. ...   Kg8



30. Kh2   Kh8



31. Qh5!

And that is exactly why I meant by hidden threat! At first glance with no immediate threat, 31.Qh5 is actually very tricky. If black continues now his patrol of the g8-h8 squares with 31...Kg8, white has the beautiful 32.Rf6! Now 32...Qf6 isn't great because of 32.Qe8 and 32...gf6 is even worse because of 33.Qg6 followed by 34.Qg7 mate. Having in view some of the things Karpov has overlooked in this match, Kamsky might have been hoping for such an end to the game, but of course, the FIDE world champion isn't that bad...

31. ...   Rd8



32. Rf7

White doesn't give up so easily... Kamsky really doesn't like that bishop on f6, and it's easy to understand why, since it is providing the black king with a very good defense. After 32.Rf7, though, leaving the bishop there would be very dangerous, as 33.R4f6 becomes a very powerful threat. Kamsky also feels that there too many defenders around the black king, so trading a pair of rooks is one of his logical goals, especially since he is up material, too.

32. ...   Bd4



33. Rf8   Rf8



34. Rf8   Kh7



35. Qf3   Bc5



36. Rf5   Rc8



37. h5!

Another typical Karpov move, made this time by Kamsky. 37.h5 prepares a great place for the white knight on g6. It is hard to imagine how black could survive after the simple Nc4-e5-g6 maneuver, so Karpov's only chance lies in stopping it or at least postponing it for as much as possible.

37. ...   Rd8!

And 37...Rd8 does just that, even though indirectly. Now if white tries 38.Ne5, after 38...Rd2 the white knight will have to interrupt his trip and come help in the defense of the f2 pawn, because otherwise there could be a lot of trouble... 37...Rd8 is a typical example of 'active defense' and that is actually black's only hope in this position entirely dominated by the white pieces.

38. Re5   Qd7



39. Qe4   Kh8



40. Kg2   Rf8!

Both sides made the time control, but that's about the only good news Karpov has right now. Even though he stopped white from the intended knight maneuver, white's position still remains much better. Black has absolutely no compensation for the pawn, on the contrary, white's pieces are still much better placed. Black's only chance continues to be harrasing the pawn on f2, and 40...Rf8 has that exact purpose. It doesn't take a genius to see that white could finally move that pawn and get rid of all these problems, but that's exactly what Karpov is waiting for, since the weakened king could become subject to some counter-attack.

41. f4?

Grave error which can be blamed on the enthusiasm associated with the youth of the American challenger, enthusiasm which has given me so many problems in my games too. I am pretty certain that this is one move Karpov would never make. Why? Because it weakens the king far more than neccessary.

It is clear that white's plan doesn't lie in pushing the f pawn, but in bringing the knight to g6, which can be achieved just as well without the presence of the pawn on f4. It is also clear that the f pawn has to move if it doesn't want to be captured, but in these circumstances isn't 41.f3 so much better? The 'f' pawn is responsible for defending the king and moving it to f4 is equivalent to a desertion, which as you will see shortly, caused white lots of trouble.

41. ...   Rd8!

The rook's mission was accomplished so it is now returning to the important 'd' file.

42. Qf3

Was this Kamsky's plan? Certainly not! Actually, Kamsky's plan was to play Re5-e6 and then bring the knight over to g6 based on the fact that the black queen can't capture the white rook after Ne5 because of the discover check on g6. Unfortunately, white's 41st move has made this plan impossible since after 42.Re6 Qd1! 43.Ne5?? black can checkmate with 43...Rd2 44.Kh3 Qh5... Not hard to realize that if the white pawn had been less enthusiastic and only moved to f3, in this last position there would have been no Qh5, and 44...Qh1 45.Kg4 would have been winning for white, as 45...Rd4 runs into 46.Re8 and mate.

I am sure Kamsky realized this and wasn't too happy about his previous move either. Nonetheless, he had the necessary strength to reevaluate the position and find an alternative plan which saves some of the damage. 42.Qf3 is not an easy move to make after attacking the entire game and trailing four points in the match, but Kamsky correctly understood that in this particular position he has to stop for a moment and rebuild the fortress around his king, before proceeding to any aggressive actions.

42. ...   Bd4



43. Re2   b5

Karpov is trying to take advantage of Kamsky's earlier mistake by chasing the white knight as far away from the e5 and g6 squares as possible. Of course, 44.Ne5 immediately would be a mistake because trading that knight is all Karpov is waiting for. The resulting rook and queen endgame, even though a pawn up for white, would be extremely difficult to win.

44. Nd2   Bb6?

I don't understand why Karpov didn't keep his bishop on the important a1-h8 diagonale. I suspect he was hoping to bring his queen to d4 and g1, causing some trouble around the white king, which is psychologically understandable, having in view the pressure he was exposed to the entire game. Nonetheless, this is a position where keeping an eye on the defense was more important, and the bishop is the only piece able to contain the white knight at least enough not to let it get to g6.

 



45. Ne4   Qd1



46. Nf2!

This must have been the subtle move overlooked by Karpov. Once again, psychologically this is very understandable: Karpov knew so well that trading the knight is to his advantage, that he considered 46.Nf2 a very bad move for white because it allows the trade. What he probably forgot to check was that after 46...Bf2 white is not forced to take back but has instead the tactical finesse 47.Re8, based on the fact that the black queen is only defended by the rook on d8. Now 47...Re8 enters a losing endgame after 48.Qd1, and 47...Kh7 runs into checkmate shortly after 48.Qe4.

Not being able to take the knight on f2 is very bad news for Karpov, since the knight is heading for g4, where not only will it again threaten Ne5-g6, but it will also threaten different combinations involving the sacrifice on h6, and also provide another guard to the white king.

46. ...   Qb1



47. Be3   Qf5?

Short on time, Karpov continues to worsen his position. Once again, stopping the knight from getting to e5 should have been his primary worry, and 47...Bd4 might have still achieved that.

48. Ne5   Kg8?

A simple tactical blunder, 48...Kg8 shows that Karpov lost all hope in the position. Even without this last mistake, black's position has become very hard to hold.

49. Nc6 

And Karpov resigned because of the huge threats of the white knight: taking on d8 and winning the queen with Ne7 check.

A fairly interesting game, practically won by Kamsky in the opening. I was very surprised by Karpov's insecure play, highly uncharacteristical for someone ahead in the match by so much. Maybe he is just exhausted after so many intense games, but Kamsky has proven that he will not die without a fight, so he should brace himself for a tough couple of games.

Right now I still wouldn't bet on Kamsky, but if he wins game No. 17 I might change my opinion. I definitely hope you enjoy this unexpected comeback and will come join us Monday morning for the next game, and of course, come back later for my special analysis.

GM Schwartzman has been playing chess since he was two years old, and started playing tournaments at the age of four. He received his first international invitation by the time he was eight. Since then Gabriel has been invited to events in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Denmark, Italy, Israel, Canada, as well as the USA.

In 1988 he became vice-world champion of the Under 12 years section, and in 1990 he won the bronze medal at the Youth World championship in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Currently 19 years old, Gabriel is the top ranked junior (under the age of 21) player in the United States.

GM Schwartzman is multi-talented, speaking Romanian, English, German and French very well. He also gets by in Russian and Spanish. Gabriel is also an accomplished Internet publisher - his Internet Chess Academy can be found at http://www.yourmove.com

You can send email to Gabriel at [email protected].