ETCETERA : CHESS
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Your support makes all the difference.I HAVE frequently maintained that the way to defeat Garry Kasparov is to exploit his physical deficiencies. His close -set eyes are suited primarily for play in the centre, while his muscular physique and aggressive, hunched over the board, posture render him vulnerable to overbalancing. The correct technique when meeting such a player is clearly to block the centre and retreat. Exactly as Vassily Ivanchuk did in the following game:
White: Garry Kasparov
Black: Vassily Ivanchuk
Horgen, Switzerland, 1995
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 b6! 5.a3 Bf8!
Avoiding the temptation to meddle in the centre with 4...c5 or 5...Bxc3+, Black is already in a full-scale retreat.
6.Nf3 Ne7 7.h4 h6 8.h5 a5 9.Bb5+
An over-elaborate plan to preserve his supposedly good bishop, this is no way for a man with close-set eyes to play. 9.Bd3 Ba6 10.Ne2 is the physiognomically correct plan.
9...c6 10.Ba4 Nd7 11.Ne2 b5 12.Bb3 c5 13.c3 Nc6 14.0-0 Qc7 15.Re1 c4 16.Bc2 Nb6 17.Bf4 Be7 18.Bg3 Rb8 19.Nh2 (see diagram) Qd8!!
This is a retreat of sublime brilliance. White's main hope of active play lies in advancing f4 and f5, but 20.f4 is now caused some embarrassment by 20...Bh4. In addition, the queen on d8 supports a later fight for the a-file with Ra8.
20.Ng4?
Beginning to topple. 20.Nf4 followed by 21.Qg4 would have been better.
20...b4 21.axb4 axb4 22.cxb4? Nxb4 23.Bb1 Bd7 24.b3?
White shows increasing desperation to open up the centre, but the whole plan only leaves him with fatal weaknesses.
24...Ra8! 25.Rxa8 Qxa8 26.bxc4 Nxc4 27.Nc1 Ba4! 28.Qe2 Qa7!
Remarkably, White has no satisfactory way to defend d4.
29.Ne3 Qxd4 30.Nxc4 dxc4 31.Qf1 0-0! White resigns.
32.Re4 is met by Qb2, so White has no answer to the advance of the c- pawn. A comprehensive defeat for the champion.
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