CHESS

Walter Polhill
Saturday 10 January 1998 19:02 EST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

ONE VITAL lesson that some players never learn is that most moves hardly matter at all. As long as you keep your head above water and play with a straight bat, your game will take care of itself. Just once or twice in every game, however, it is important to find the only precise move. Any time spent thinking about other moves is a poor investment, as Anatoly Karpov found to his distress in the following game.

White: Viswanathan Anand

Black: Anatoly Karpov

World Championship, 1998; Game Two

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Bc5

From a man who has spent the whole of his life playing 5...Be7, this is a surprise. Yet the difference between the two moves is no more than the choice between chicken soup and prawn cocktail.

6.c3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.a4 Bg4 9.d3 0-0 10.h3 Bxf3 11.Qxf3 Na5 12.Bc2 b4 13.Nd2 Rb8 14.Qe2 Re8 15.Nf3

White is ready to push in the centre with d4, but Black's counterplay is prepared.

15...bxc3 16.bxc3 Nb3!

Winning back the bishop pair that he conceded at move 10.

17.Bxb3 Rxb3 18.d4 exd4 19.cxd4 Rxf3!

Quite correct. For a small material in-vestment, Black keeps his game full of life.

20.Qxf3 Bxd4 21.Ra2 Nxe4 22.Qd3 c5 23.Qxa6 d5 24.a5 c4

The pawns start to roll. But Black is no worse off.

25.Be3 Be5 26.Bb6 Qd7 27.Qa7 Qc6 28.Bd4 Bc7 29.Rb2 c3 30.Rb7 Rc8 31.Bb6 Be5! 32.Rxf7 c2 33.Rc1 Nc3! 34.Rf3 (See diagram.)

Had White played 34.Rxc2, he would have lost at once to 34...Ne2+! Now he plans to meet the knight check with 35.Kf1, when the knight is attacked and Qf7+ threatened.

34...h6?

Missing 34...Ne2+ 35.Kf1 Qe8! when Black wins, since 36.Kxe2 Bb8+ 37.Re3 Qb5+ wins the queen. Black pleaded time-shortage in his defence, yet until now he had had little of importance to think about.

35.Qf7+ Kh8 36.Re3 d4 37.Rxe5 d3 38.Bd4!

White will mate before the black pawns can reach their goal. The threat is Re8+.

38...Rg8 39.Re6 d2 40.Rxc6 dxc1(Q)+ 41.Kh2 Qd2 42.Rc8! resigns.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in