White: Gata Kamsky        0.5



Black: Anatoly Karpov     0.5











Played 10 and 11 July 96 in Elista, Kalmykia

1. d4

This is another interesting game, if only from a psychological point of view. Many people might think that Kamsky can finally play at his full potential, because by now he should be used with the thought of losing the match. Actually, Kamsky has by far the toughest job. Not only is he required to win this game, but the following two as well. Karpov, meanwhile, can comfortably play for a draw, which is anyway what he does best with the black pieces.

I was a little surprised by Kamsky's choice of openings. By repeating the moves played in game 16, he can be sure that Karpov has prepared something, and it is very hard to know exactly what. This might have been a good moment to try something new, maybe a system that has not been played so far in this match. The psychological advantage of surprising your opponent in the opening is very important, especially in such a key game, and with his moves Kamsky doesn't achieve it, as Karpov certainly looked for improvements after the heavy loss in Game 16.

1. ...   Nf6



2. c4    e6



3. Nf3   b6



4. g3    Ba6



5. b3    Bb4



6. Bd2   Be7



7. Bg2   c6



8. Bc3   d5



9. Ne5   0-0



10.0-0   Bb7

And this is where Karpov completely changes ideas. Instead of the Nfd7 played by Kamsky as black in earlier games and by Karpov in game 16 (in a slightly different move order), black now retreats with the bishop to its original intended place, and leaves the white knight on e5 alone.

The fact that Karpov has not continued with the moves from game 16 might indicate that he was unable to find a satisfactory improvement for black later on, so if you plan to play that variation in your own games, please be aware!

11.Nd2

Even though the moves have changed, the basic ideas of the variation have not. White is still preparing to push e4 and 11.Nd2 is a great step in that direction. Black has to prepare his own standard counter strike, c6-c5, because otherwise he will be left with a bad bishop on b7 and a very weak pawn on c6, once the center opens.

11. ...   Na6

Not exactly the best looking knight on a6, it actually has the important role of supporting c5. Black's idea is that after c6-c5 and the trade with the pawn on d4, the knight will be able to jump to c5 and get a great position there. These moves are still theoretical but both players seem to spend a lot of time just checking the variations and making sure there are no hidden novelties. Karpov used to play this variation in the early 80's and I wouldn't be surprised if he still has some old dusty notebook with unused analysis.

12. e4    c5



13. ed5   ed5



14. Re1

Looking at the position right now, most people would be inclined to give white a clear plus. Most of his pieces are developed, he has control of the e file, the knight on e5 is very strong, and the two bishop are on very important diagonales. Black's pieces, on the other hand, are not exactly thrilled with their squares. The knight on a6 is still out of the game, the bishop on b7 is undefended, the bishop on e7 finds itself on the same file with the rook on e1, and the knight of f6 is certain to feel some heat from white's dark squared bishop.

Nevertheless, this is a position with no permanent weaknesses for black. White's only advantage lies in the increased activity of his pieces, so if black defends carefully and manages to develop his own pieces or trade a few of his opponent's, the resulting endgame is almost certain to look very drawish. No surprise that Karpov chose this variation...

14. ...   cd4



15. Bd4   Nc5

After only two moves black's position has already improved considerably. The knight on c5 is very strong and the bishop on d7 has finally found a defender. Meanwhile, white's dark squared bishop has to be very careful because it is undefended and on the d file, which might very soon open after black captures on c4. White has to find a way to quickly exploit the activity of his pieces, before black develops any more of his forces.

16. Ng4

One of the most obvious differences in this position is the one between the two dark squared bishops. While black's bishop on e7 is more a liability than a helper, white's bishop on d4 is in full control of the important a1-h8 diagonale. Unfortunately, with the knight on f6, white can not do too much. By playing Ng4 he hopes to make that knight disappear and mount pressure on the g7 pawn and the black king.

16. ...   dc4!

This is one of those moves that you can only make if you calculate absolutely all the possibilities. While looking so dangerous because of the many pins that almost all of black's pieces are subject to, 16...dc4 is actually the move that saves black from most trouble. This is also the kind of position that looks like there must be some combination for white, and that is why Kamsky spent 50 minutes on his following move. Unfortunately, as nice as everything might look, neither of white's combinations works. Here are some of the possible variations:

A) 17.Bc5 Bc5 18.Bb7 (if 18.Nf6, black gets decisive advantage after 18...Qf6 19.Bb7 Bf2 20.Kg2 Be1 21.Qe1 Rae8)18...Ng4 19.Ne4 Qd1 20.Rad1 Rab8 21.Nc5 bc5 22.Bf3 h5 with equality

B) 17.Bb7 Qd4! 18.Nc4 (18.Ba8 runs into 18...Ng4 and 18.Nf6 isn't much better because of 18...Bf6 19.Ba8 Qa1) 18...Qd1 19.Rad1 Rad8 and the position is once again equal

C) 17.Re7 Qd4! (very important, if black plays the natural 17...Qe7 instead, white gets a tremendous position after 18.Nf6 gf6 19.Qg4 Kh8 20.Qh4) 18.Nc4 (Taking on f6 doesn't help either: 18.Nf6 Qf6 19.Rb7 Nb7 20.Bb7 Rad8) 18...Qg4 19.Qg4 Ng4 20.Bb7 Nb7 21.Rb7 Rfb8 with equal chances

D) 17.Nf6 Bf6 18.Bc5 bc5 19.Bb7 Ba1 20.Ba8 Bc3 21.bc4 Bd2 and a draw was agreed in a game Torre-Adorjan played in Wijk aan Zee in 1984

Having calculated the above variations, Kamsky decided to play 17.Nc4 which is the same move Kasparov chose against Karpov in the 16th game of their 1984 match.

17. Nc4   Bg2



18. Kg2   Ng4



19. Qg4   Bf6



20. Rad1

So far the two players are still following the Kasparov-Karpov game mentioned above. Nonetheless, they have already spent more than an hour of thinking time each, so it is very hard to tell whether they prepared anything special. The position on the board continues to show that white has much more activity, but black has escaped most of the danger on the kingside. Several minor pieces have already been traded and the fact that there are three open files indicates further trades in the near future. Since black has still no weaknesses in his pawn structure, he can look forward to an equal endgame.

20. ...   h5!

Against Kasparov, Karpov played 20...Bd4 and after 21.Rd4 Qc7 22.Nd6 white got a better position. The idea behind 20...h5 is very simple: to force more trades. The white queen has the important job of defending the bishop on d4, so black is seizing the opportunity to tease her. If the queen tries to stay on the fourth rank with 21.Qf4, black can play 21...Ne6 and get his hands on the white bishop. Which is why white has no other choice than to accept the upcoming queen trade...

21. Bf6   hg4



22. Bd8   Rad8

Well, black got what he wanted: his pieces are out and white didn't make much of his activity. The pawn on g4 is the only price Karpov had to pay for this freedom, but if he manages to defend it well enough, the draw is his.

23. Ne3    Nd3!

The black knight makes a short trip to e5 where it will provide the best possible defense to the pawn on g4 and also keep an eye on the nice f3 square.

24. Re2    Ne5



25. Red2   Rd2



26. Rd2    g6!

Karpov is making sure that white's knight doesn't pay the f5 square a visit, and at the same time prepares f7-f5 which will finally make the g4 pawn safe for the rest of the game. Now Kamsky has to make a very unpleasant decision. If he doesn't act quickly to remove black's pawn from g4, it will continue to strangle his king side, and that's the only side where he can hope for an advantage. If he does trade that pawn, he will have to accept an absolutely drawn endgame which even a much weaker play could hold to a draw...

27. h3    gh3



28. Kh3   Re8



29. Kg2   Kf8

If this wasn't game 18 of the match, one of the players would have certainly proposed a draw by now...

30. f4    Nc6



31. Kf3   Re6



32. g4    b5

White has a lot of space on the kingside, so black tries to compensate on the queen side. The pawn on b5 is supposed to keep the white knight from going to c4 and it also opens the 6th rank for the black rook. White has only one weakness in his pawn structure, the pawn on a2, so Karpov is already thinking about putting some pressure on it by moving the rook over to the 'a' file.

33. Rd7

This move looks really great, but if the rook won't be able to stay there, it is just a waste of tempo. Of course, in this position Kamsky doesn't have better things to do, so he is just trying all the possible approaches...

33. ...   Ke8



34. Rd1

As much as the white rook might like it on the seventh rank, staying there is out of the question. 43.Rb7, for instance, is followed by 43...Re7! and white is forced to trade rooks, since 44.Rb5 fails because of the simple 44...Nd4 fork. Needless to say, this endgame without rooks is completely drawn...

34. ...   Ne7

Karpov takes every square that the white knight might go to, and controls it with one of his pieces. A very effective way of transforming the white knight into a passive spectator.

35. f5

Trading pawns helps black in his quest for a draw, but there is no other way to progress...

35. ...   gf5



36. gf5   Rc6



37. Ke4   Ng8!

Another one of Karpov's great repositioning maneuvers! The black knight will find a better place on f6, where it will control another one of the squares white's knight could go to: g4...

38. Ke5    Ra6



39. Rd2    Nf6



40. Rc2    Kd8

Both players have made the first time control, and Karpov is getting closer to retaining his title as he carefully built a very solid fortress: the white rook is tied up with the defense of the a2 pawn, the king can not get past the barrier on the sixth rank, and the knight is longing for a good square. Kamsky's plan is to move the pieces around for sixteen moves and then adjourn. Then it is up to his seconds to find any winning chances, but having in view the position, it seems very unlikely.

41. Kd4   Rb6



42. Kc5   b4!

Karpov is carefully completing the barrier around white's king, even if it means relinquishing control of the c4 square. White was trying to install the king on b4 in order to put further pressure on the b5 pawn with Rc5. Now this is impossible, and white's king can't stay on c5 either, because of the knight checks on e4 and d7.

43. Kd4   Rd6



44. Ke5   Ra6



45. Nc4   Ke7



46. Re2!

Kamsky has no other choice than to try all the tricks... By placing the rook behind his king, he now threatens 47.Kd4 discover check followed by 48.Kc5 and the capture of the b4 pawn. While black has an easy way to stop this variation, it is becoming obvious that Karpov has to continue to pay close attention if he doesn't want to step in one of the traps his opponent is preparing.

46. ...   Nd7



47. Kf4   Kf6



48. Rd2   Ke7



49. Rh2   Nb6

The last two games have shown that Karpov is really good at trading his opponent's pieces off. White has to avoid trading the knights if he wants to keep playing for a win, so 50.Nb6 is out of the question.

50. Re2  Kf8!

The tempting 50...Kf6 would have allowed white to gain an important tempo with the Ne3-g4 maneuver. This is one of those endgames that weaker players might write off as an easy draw and pay less attention, but as Kamsky is proving, there are some hidden dangers so careful play is still required of black.

51. Ne3  Ra5

Again trying to trade knights with 52...Nd5.

52. Ke4  Ke7



53. Rc2  Kd6



54. Kd4  Kd7



55. Ke4  Kd6



56. Rd2  Ke7



57. Ng4

The only thing Kamsky was paying attention to in the last couple of moves was not repeating three times the same position. Now he has finally reached adjournement, but it doesn't look like the night will be too much of a helper. Black has simply too much play...

57. ...  f6!

Karpov took a little while before sealing his move, but it was definitely worth it. Black wants to stop f5-f6 and he doesn't seem too worried about the weak pawn on f6, because the only way white can capture this pawn is if he uses both the knight and rook. But that would mean giving up the a2 pawn, which could be rather dangerous because then the b3 pawn would probably fall too.

58. Ne3  Re5



59. Kf4  Ra5



60. Kg4  Re5



61. Kf3  Ra5



62. Rh2  Ke8

White can't seem to make any progress. Kamsky is just trying to postpone the moment of the "I offer a draw" whisper, and I can understand why...

63. Ke4  Re5



64. Kd4  Ra5



65. Ke4  Re5



66. Kf4  Ra5



67. Kg4  Ke7



68. Rd2  Re5



69. Rd3  Kf7



70. Kf4  Ra5



71. Rd6  Ke7!

Of course, Karpov could have played 71...Ra2, but then white has 72.Ng4 and there is no good way of defending the f6 pawn. By chasing the rook from d6 with 71...Ke7, black is regaining control of the d5 and d7 squares, so the knight can take part in the defense of the f6 weakness. When Karpov only wants a draw, it is not easy to beat him...

72. Re6  Kf7



73. Re4  

White has run out of any other ideas, so he tries to trade the a2 pawn for black's b4 pawn. Unfortunately, this can hardly be considered progress, as fewer pawns always help the defending side.

73. ...  Ra2



74. Rb4  Ra5



75. Kf3  Re5



76. Rd4  Rb5



77. Rd3  Nc8!

The black knight goes again on a short trip, this time to e7. From there the knight will increase the pressure on the f5 pawn so that all the white pieces become tied up in the defense of the b3 and f5 weaknesses. The only way to stop this from happening is to trade knights, but by now we all know that this is what Karpov has wanted for a long time.

78. Nd5  Ne7



79. Ne7  Ke7



80. Kg4  

And without many pieces left on the board, Kamsky finally offers a draw, thus letting Anatoly Karpov retain his FIDE world champion title.

This game has not been too exciting either, and I think that the opening is to blame for that. Karpov's improvement over the game played by him 12 years ago, 20...h5, managed to equalize the position rapidly, and from there on it was only a matter of being careful and defending precisely. I would like to congratulate Kamsky for the great fighting spirit with which he ended this match, and, of course, Karpov for his solid play which after so many years still makes him one of the best players in the world.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my commentaries as much as I enjoyed writing them, and I am sure you will join me in thanking all the people who have made this exceptional coverage possible: the dedicated USCF staff, webmasters Gary and Addie Prince, and FIDE's Mr. Christophe Bouton who was kind enough to send all the moves played by the two stars.

Thank you and Good Luck!

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].