White: Anatoly Karpov     0.5



Black: Gata Kamsky        0.5











Played 8 and 9 July 96 in Elista, Kalmykia

1. Nf3

I was very curious to see how this game would turn out. From a psychological point of view, this is one of the most interesting games of the match. We have on one hand Anatoly Karpov, who is still leading by three points, but who is probably a little shook up from the heavy defeat suffered in the previous round. On the other hand we have the young challenger, who badly needs a win, but who can't afford to risk too much, because a loss ends the match immediately. I was curious to see whether both players would go out for the kill, or whether Karopv would be pleased with a peaceful result. White's first move has practically clarified this question at once. By choosing the Reti Opening, Karpov clearly indicated that he is in for a slow, closed game, the typical choice when you only want a draw. For Kamsky the good news is that he is in no immediate losing danger, the bad news is that beating Karpov with black when he only wants a draw is one of the most difficult tasks in the world.

1. ...  Nf6



2. c4   e6



3. g3   a6!?

Very interesting system choice by Kamsky. Black usually plays 3...d5 entering Reti, or 3...b6 hoping for a Queen's Indian, but both moves have been played thousands of times and Karpov is extremely familiar with them. 3...a6 on the other hand, is a fairly new move which shows black's intention to create an unclear position by getting a headstart on the queen side with b7-b5. The queen's bishop will still end up on b7 but under much more dramatic conditions. I would say that this is Kamsky's best choice in his situation and I am sure he prepared it thouroughly before the game as he probably expected 1.Nf3...

4. Bg2   b5



5. b3    

Karpov's only goal in this game is to play very solid and get a draw. A slightly humiliating position to be in, it is actually quite understandable when he is only two draws away from retaining his title, and especially after the loss he suffered in Game 16. 5.b3 is a perfect reflection of this attitude. Defending his c4 pawn, white prepares the double fianchetto, which is known as one of the most solid lines for white. But if you think that white can not win in this line, please remember the last game of the 1987 world championship match, when Kasparov desperately needing a win in the last round used the double fianchetto and...was successful.

A careful study of Karpov's career shows that he tends to have psychological problems in very important situations. The 1984-84 match against Kasparov when he was unable to win one game towards the end, or the 1987 match mentioned above are just two examples. This is why another win by Kamsky in this match could overturn the situation completely. I am pretty sure that the only thing Karpov's seconds told him before this game was "Tolya, just don't lose it" and that's pretty much white's entire strategy.

5. ...   c5



6. 0-0   Bb7



7. e3

As most chess players know, e2-e3 is generally played to allow the bishop on f1 to develop. Needless to say that here the bishop is already out, so why play e3? Well, in this case white is simply preparing the e2 square for the queen. Since the queen might have problems on c2 because of the black knight who will soon arrive on c6, Karpov finds this safer place for the queen, where she can also put pressure on black's b5 pawn.

7. ...   Be7

To get an idea of how rare this variation is, let me tell you that black's normal move Be7 is actually a novelty. In another game played a couple of years ago in France (Miralles-Boudre, Paris 1989), black played instead 7...d5 and after 8.cd5 Bd5 9.Nc3 Bb7 10.d4 Nbd7 11.Bb2 the players agreed on a draw. Kamsky tries to avoid an open position where white could trade most of the pieces, so he prefers to stay away from the center and finish the development of his pieces.

8. Nc3

Karpov is annoyed by the black pawn on b5 and its constant threat on c4, so he is trying to force a decision. If black pushes the pawn to b4, white would play Na4 and then with d2-d4 mount a serious pressure on black's important c5 pawn. Trading on c4 is also to white's advantage, since he would be able to gain control of the open 'b' file first. This is exactly why Kamsky prefers to defend the b5 pawn and postpone a definitive decision until he has more choices.

8. ...   Qa5



9. Bb2   0-0



10.Qe2   Nc6!

Just because the pawn on b5 is en prise doesn't mean black has to move or defend it. If white is too greedy and takes on b5, after 11.cb5 ab5 12.Qb5 Qb5 13.Nb5 Ba6 he finds himself with a pinned knight. 14.a4 is the only way to defend it, but once black's rook moves to b8, white has to give the pawn back in a terrible position. Not trading queens doesn't help much either: 11.cb5 ab5 12.Nb5 Ba6 13.a4 Rfb8 with almost the same consequences.

11.Rfb1!

Karpov calculated the above variations and realized that all the problems are caused by the rook on f1 and the diagonale it shares with the knight once it gets to b5. By moving the rook out of the way, white now has the real threat of taking on b5. Since black lacks a good way of defending the pawn, he will have to make a decision. 11...b4 is still not good because of Na4 and d2-d4, so Karpov already knows that black will choose 11...bc4 which is why he places his rook on b1 even before the file opens.

11. ...   bc4



12.bc4    Rab8



13. d3

White's queen has accomplished her mission on e2, so now Karpov is opening the second rank to let her help on the queen's side. The pawn on d3 is also instrumental in defending the c4 pawn which so far has been black's only objective.

Kamsky has not been too successful with his opening choice. Karpov has obtained the kind of position he is very good at, and the open file is certain to cause lots of trades. White has no obvious weakness, so black's only hope is a long endgame and maybe a blunder in time trouble...

13. ...   Ba8



14. a3

White's goal is to make the rook on b1 more active, and in order to do that he has to move the bishop from b2. But black's queen on a5 is currently stopping this by attacking the knight on c3, so white will have to defend the knight first, preferably with the queen on c2. And that's where a2-a3 comes in handy: it stops the black knight from going to b4 and harrassing the queen once she is on c2.

14. ...   Rfc8



15. Qc2   Nd8!?

Kamsky realized that his chances on the queen's side are almost zero. White is getting ready to play Bb2-c1 and then trade all the heavy pieces on the b file, and there is no good way to stop it. So black is changing his focus towards the king side. By playing Nd8, he is opening the diagonale of the bishop on a8 and preparing a long term plan involving d7-d6, e6-e5, Nd8-e6 and a possible offensive in the center and on the king side.

16. Bc1   d6



17. Bd2   Qc7



18. Rb8

A great player once said that "without pieces you can not win". Karpov knows that, so he tries to secure a draw by trading as many pieces as he possibily can. First the rooks and then the queen are certain to disappear on the b file, because neither side will be willing to give up control of the file. The bishops on the h1-a8 diagonale seem to be ripe for a trade too, so we can expect a rather boring bishop and knights endgame.

18. ...   Rb8



19. Rb1   Bc6



20. Rb8   Qb8



21. Ne1   Bg2



22. Kg2   Qb7



23. f3    Nd7



24. Qb1   Qb1



25. Nb1

This is definitely not the most exciting game of the match... After only 25 moves, the queen and rooks are gone, but seven pawns remain on each side, which insures an unpleasant endgame. The position hardly offers an advantage to either side, but the fact that white only wants a draw might actually give black an advantage, because of white's expected passive play.

25. ...   Nc6



26. Bc3   f5!

Kamksy's plan is pretty straight forward. First of all he has to avoid any further trades. Then he needs to gain as much space as possible and centralize his king. Finally, he has to create some sort of weakness in the white's fortress and concentrate all forces on capturing that weakness.

Karpov, on the other hand, seems to be in a waiting position. He bases his defense on the idea that with no weaknesses he can not lose, so he prefers to rearrange his pieces in optimal defensive squares and then simply waits to see what Kasmky's threats will be.

27. Nd2   Kf7



28. Kf2   g5



29. h3    h5



30. Ke2   Kg6



31. Nb3   d5!

Kamsky has developed a special relationship with the c4 pawn and keeps finding new ways to attack it. In this situation he has an important advantage: white's bishop can't help defend the pawn, and the knight on e1 is also too far to help. Kamsky is hoping that white would trade on d5, because that would open the way towards the vulnerable pawn on a3, and it would also open the perspective of a passed pawn on the c file.

32. e4!

Another helpful endgame principle when you only want a draw is to trade as many pawns as possbile. In this way, once you get down to one pawn you can sacrifice the knight or bishop for it and get a draw. 32.e4 is again trying to force black to make a decision. Pushing the pawn to d4 would block the position, and it is doubtful that black could find another way to break through white's defense lines. Taking on c4 would finally clarify the situation there and create a good spot on d3 for the knight from e1. Trading on e4 would leave black with a weak pawn on e6 and also few ways to progress.

32. ...  Bd6!?

But Kamsky again finds an interesting way of keeping the center under pressure. The idea behind Bd6 is to of course attack white's weak pawn on g3, but also to leave the e7 square for the knight, so that after 33.ed5 ed5 34.cd5 black can play 34...Ne7 and recapture the pawn in a favorable position. The only problem is that Karpov now has the chance to force several pawn trades, which should theoretically bring him closer to the desired draw.

33. cd5   ed5



34. ef5   Kf5



35. g4    Kg6

Trying to be too aggressive and playing 35...hg4 36.fg4 Kf4 is not such a great idea. After 37.Kf2! black would be faced with the threat of 36.Ng2 mate, and even though 36...d4 solves this problem, 37.Bd2 followed by Bg5 gives white very good winning chances.

36. Ng2   hg4



37. fg4

Black had to trade on g4 if he wanted to move his king at all, and h5-h4 would have been risky because of the f3-f4 push. Now white chose to capture back with the f pawn because he hopes to push h3-h4 and create a powerful passed pawn on the g file. Nonetheless, this decision is not without risks, since the h3 pawn remains very weak and too far from the white king to receive a proper defense.

37. ...   Be7!

Kamsky is thrilled to have finally created an important weakness in white's defense, and he wants to keep it there, so he'll do everything he can to stop h3-h4. Blockading a weakness is a very important strategical principle, and in endgames often vital.

38. Na5

Karpov seizes the opportunity to simplify the position some more. The knight on c6 is one of black's better pieces, while white's knight on b3 wasn't doing much, so white has full justification for the trade. Avoiding the trade is not a real option for black either, since 38...Nce5 would be followed by 39.Be5 Ne5 40.Ne3 with a better endgame for white, as almost all his pawns are on white squares.

38. ...   Na5



39. Ba5   Kf7!

If black wants to win this endgame he has to move his king over to the center. A centralized king is generally good in the endgame and this position is no exception.

40. Ne3!?

I agree that f5 is a beautiful square for the knight, and this is the first active undertaking by Karpov in this game. Nonetheless, white should be a little more concerned about the weakness on h3 and start preparing the important h3-h4.

40. ...   Ke6



41. Nf5   Bf6



42. Bd2

Karpov is still not concentrating on pushing the h3 pawn, which is very surprising. Now black has enough time to reposition the knight and make a future h3-h4 attempt very difficult. As long as the pawn remains on h3, white will be unable to defend his queen side properly, so black's position could become more promising.

42. ...   Nf8!



43. Be3   d4

Not exactly a move Kamsy wanted to make. It closes the diagonale of the bishop and blocks he center, which is to white's advantage. But there was no other move. Defending the pawn on c5 is not easy, and of course Nd7 back would mean repeating the moves. It is also too early for c5-c4, as black's pieces are not in optimal positions yet. The good part about d5-d4 is that now the black king has a great place on d5, where its activity will sharply contrast with that of the white king on e2.

44. Bc1   Bd8



45. Ng3

Karpov is not pleased with the position of the knight, so he starts a long maneuver to reach the f3 square. It is true that the knight on f3 would attack the pawns on g5 and d4, and would also support h3-h4, but white is spending an awful lot of time reaching that position. Once again, pushing the h-pawn should have been higher on white's priority list.

45. ...   Kd5



46. Nf1

46.Ne4 looks very nice, but isn't. Black would simply play 46...Ne6, defending the g5 pawn, and then the white knight would find itself in an uncomfortable position because of the threat c5-c4. Taking the c pawn once it comes to c4 is vital for white's position, but if the knight is on e4 that would be impossible, because the pawn on d3 also provides the support for that knight.

46. ...   Ne6



47. Nh2   Bc7!?

Black is seizing the opportunity to place his bishop on a better diagonale, but this would have also been a good moment for c5-c4, having in view the location of the white knight. Once the knight gets to f3, white will have very good defensive resources because of the pressure on the black g and d pawns, and the soon to come h3-h4.

48. Nf3   Bf4



49. Bd2!  c4

This move has lost most of its effectiveness, but it's the only way to progress for black who now can't move his bishop or knight because of the g5 weakness.

50. dc4  Kc4



51. h4!

Better later than never! Now black's winning chances are almost inexistent. White's passed pawn on the g file will create enough threats to hold black back from promoting the d pawn, and there is not enough time to capture the pawn on a3... The reduced number of pawns also makes life much easier for white.

51. ...  gh4



52. Nh4  d3



53. Kd1  Bd2



54. Kd2  Ng5



55. Nf5  Nf3

Black's 55...Ne4 also looks much nicer but isn't much good... After 56.Ke3! d2?? white has the nice 57.Ke4 since no matter what black promotes his pawn to, he will be greeted by Ne3+. That's life with knights around, you have to be very careful because they can't wait to find some fork!

56. Ke3!  Ne5

Even though after 56...d2 white would be unable to capture the black knight because of 57...d1=Q with check (!), he has the satisfactory 57.Ke2 with the threat Ne3 followed by Kf3. Black would be unable to keep his d pawn much longer, and once that is gone, so are all winning chances.

57. Nd6  Kc3



58. Ne4  Kc2



59. g5

White's knight has finally found the perfect place. From e4 it stops the black d pawn and defends the own g pawn. All white has to do now is go with the king after the a pawn. Black of course will be able to win the knight with his d pawn, but you can not win with only one knight, so the draw is certain.

59. ...  Ng6

The game was adjourned here, but Kamsky offered a draw before the scheduled playing time, and Karpov accepted immediately. The sealed move was:

 



60. Kd4

This was not the most exciting game of the match... Karpov's only idea when he started the game was to make a draw, and it seemed like all he was doing throughout the game was hunting down black's pieces and offering trades. Nevertheless, his passive play eventually caused his position to become worse and Kamsky might have missed one or two good opportunities. It is obvious that Karpov is tiring, so maybe with a few more games Kamsky would have been able to catch up. But at the score of 10-7 I hardly see the young challenger winning the next three games in a row, so I expect Karpov to retain his FIDE title. Does that mean we will soon see another Kasparov-Karpov match? I sure hope so!

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].