chess
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Your support makes all the difference.The third game of the Kasaprov-Anand match showed that the players are beginning to settle down to some real fighting. After game one, in which the players seemed to have reached an agreement not to venture into each other's halves of the board, it was a welcome development - but did Anand miss a win?
The diagram shows the position after Kasparov's 18...f6, defending against the threat of Qxg7 mate. For the record, the moves leading up to it were as follows: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e6 7.0- 0 Be7 8.a4 Nc6 9.Be3 0-0 10.f4 Qc7 11.Kh1 Re8 12.Bd3 Nb4 13.a5 Bd7 14.Nf3 Bc6 15.Bb6 Qc8 16.Qe1 Nd7 17.Bd4 Nc5 18.Qg3 f6.
Now, after 29 minutes' thought, Anand pushed forwards with 19.e5!
The first idea is that 19...N(either)xd3 is met by 20.exf6, but the more exciting point comes if Black had replied with the natural 19...dxe5. Anand's plan then had probably been to sacrifice a piece with 20.Bxh7+! Kxh7 21.fxe5. With 21...f5 then met by 22.Bxc5 Bxc5 23.Ng5+ Kg8 24.Qh4, Black is hard pressed to keep the white army out of his K-side.
That must have impressed Kasparov, because he took only nine minutes to play 19...Rf8, bolstering the defence of f6. Anand then spent another 23 minutes before exchanging to a roughly equal position with 20.Bxc5 dxc5 21.Bc4 Bd5 22.Nxd5 exd5 23.Bb3.
What he was thinking about, however, was much more interesting. The critical variation begins 20.exf6 Bxf6 21.Bxh7+!? Kxh7 22.Ng5+ Bxg5 23.fxg5.
White threatens a mating attack with 24.g6+, and 23...Kg6 is demolished by 24.Rf6+! gxf6 25.gxf6+ with mate in a few more moves.
Of course Black has other defences, but neither player after the game could give a definite assessment of the position.
All this, however, is rather embarrassing to the organisers of next month's Credit Suisse Masters in Zurich. Their press release, promising the participation of both Anand and Kasparov, includes the words: "After losing to Kasparov in the recent world championship final in New York, Viswanathan Anand will arrive... looking for revenge."
It just might be the other way round.
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