Chess
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Your support makes all the difference.With 36 decisive games out of 66, the Linares tournament, which finished at the weekend, was extraordinarily bloodthirsty for an event of such quality. Final scores were: Kasparov 81/2; Kramnik 71/2; Adams and Topalov 61/2; Polgar 6; Anand 51/2; Gelfand and Ivanchuk 5; Nikolic 41/2; Dreyev 4; Shirov and Piket 31/2.
Kasparov's only loss typified the combative style of the event. His 8...b5 was designed to seize the initiative on the Q-side. Ivanchuk's decision to leave his king in the centre looked highly provocative, particularly when 16...Bd4 further delayed his castling. After 21...d5 White looked in grave danger, but Ivanchuk fought his way out with some delightful tactics.
Kasparov had been relying on 25...Qxa2, when 26.Nxa2 Ne2+ leaves White a piece up, but 26.Rf2! turned the tables. If Black plays 27...Nxd5, then 28.exd5 puts both his rook and knight under attack. The final moves were played under great time pressure and Kasparov overstepped the limit when playing 36...Ne2+.
White: Vassily Ivanchuk
Black: Garry Kasparov
1 d4 Nf6 19 dxe6 Rxe6
2 c4 g6 20 Be3 Bxe3
3 Nc3 Bg7 21 Qxe3 d5
4 e4 d6 22 b4 Qa3
5 f3 0-0 23 bxc5 Nc4
6 Bg5 a6 24 Qd4 Nf4
7 Qd2 c5 25 0-0 Qxa2
8 d5 b5 26 Rf2 Qa3
9 cxb5 Nbd7 27 Nxd5 Qd3
10 a4 Qa5 28 Qxd3 Nxd3
11 Nge2 Nb6 29 Rc2 Na3
12 Nc1 axb5 30 Ra2 Nxc5
13 Bxb5 Ba6 31 Rba1 f5
14 N1a2 Bxb5 32 Nc7 Re5
15 axb5 Nh5 33 Nxa8 Nxb5
16 Rb1 Bd4 34 exf5 gxf5
17 Bh6 Rfe 8 35 Nb6 Nc3
18 b3 e6 36 Rc1 1-0
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