The final record: Kasparov 21 wins, Karpov 19 wins, and 104 games drawn.
Moscow 1984-5 Karpov-Kasparov (+5 -3 =40) (the infamous aborted match)
Moscow 1985 Kasparov-Karpov (+5 -3 =16)
London-Leningrad 1986 Kasparov-Karpov (+5 -4 =15)
Seville 1987 Kasparov-Karpov (+4 -4 =16)
New York-Lyon 1990 Kasparov-Karpov (+4 -3 =17)
Kasparov, 46, retired in 2005 and now devotes his time to opposing Russia’s authoritarian regime, but he has always been open to playing exhibition events. Karpov, 58, is already way past his prime, but the last time the two played a rapid match in 2002, Tolya bested his eternal rival, 2.5-1.5.
American chess author and journalist Mig Greengard, who works for Gary, noted that Kasparov “was very much touched by Karpov’s attempt to visit him in jail in 2007.” This was when Garry was arrested for leading a pro-democracy march in Moscow.
Says Gary in his excellent book “Kasparov vs Karpov”: “From behind bars, everything, as in chess, is seen in black and white — many expressed their solidarity, but there were also those who did not pass the elementary test of decency. Anatoly Karpov made an attempt to visit me in prison — the solidarity of champions proved stronger than political and personal disagreements!”
“I’d expect more nostalgia and mutual respect than trash-talk this time around,” says Mig. “Of course the competitive juices will still get flowing, no doubt. As for the quality, who knows? Garry hasn’t played more than some online blitz and a few simuls in years while Karpov is 12 years older, so it might be tight. But we’d watch these two play checkers or have a pillow fight. Anyone old enough to remember their epic five world championship matches knows how relatively pale the chess world seems today without a white-hot rivalry like theirs. More top players now, and more big events, but still not the same.”
Indeed.
Game of the week. Here is former U.S. champ Yasser Seirawan, annotating one of the many memorable games played by two of the very greatest chess players in history.
White: Anatoly Karpov
Black: Garry Kasparov
Grünfeld/English
World Championship, Seville 1987
This was the 23rd game of their third match. The score was tied, and Kasparov needed only to draw the two final games to retain his crown. “But Caissa intervened,” Seirwan says, “and what transpired was one of the most astonishing finishes in world championship history… Incredible. Unbelievable. That was all I could think as reports of the final two games hit the newsstands. What a wonderful finish!”
1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.d4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 g6 7.e3! The point. Karpov repeats a weapon used in the Merano 1981 match. The idea is to keep a well fortified d-pawn that limits the effectiveness of the fianchetto. White’s dark-squared bishop plays effectively to the a3-f8 diagonal. Additionally, if Black can be forced into exchanging c-pawns, White will have full central control. In such Grünfeld/English endings the queenside majority can often be a liability, becoming vulnerable to direct attack. Kasparov must play accurately to keep the balance. 7…Bg7 8.Bd3!? Korchnoi had greater problems after 8.Bb5+, which provokes the passive Nd7, limiting Black’s strategic options. I’m surprised Karpov doesn’t repeat that idea. 8…0-0 9.0-0 Qc7! An important link in Black’s strategy. It’s vital that the tension between c5 and d4 be kept. White’s options (e3-e4 or c3-c4) are greatly reduced or even prevented. Black’s queen can stay comfortably posted on c7, not having to worry about harassment from White’s rooks. Ideally, Black would like nothing to happen. Given time to develop with such moves as b6, Bb7, Nc6 or Nd7 followed by the rooks to c8 and d8, an eventual e7- e5 would lead to an advantage for Black. Karpov, therefore, must carry the battle. 10.Rb1 b6 11.Qe2 Rd8?! Typical of Kasparov, he unnecessarily invites complications. Since he’s been given the opportunity to post his knight aggressively, he should do so. Therefore, most accurate was 11…Nc6!. Possibly Kasparov feared 12.Be4!?, but that fear is irrational. If nothing else, he could play 12…Rb8!?, trying to provoke White into 13.dxc5? Na5! 14.cxb6 axb6. Black is then ready to continue with Be6, when, despite his pawn minus, his game appears to be preferable. 12.Be4 Ba6 Forced. The next few moves are all a consequence of 11…Rd8. Kasparov would have a grossly inferior positional game after 12…Nc6 13.d5! f5 14. Bc2!, followed by a quick e3-e4. White gets an enduring plus after 12… Bb7 13.Bxb7 Qxb7 14.Ba3! cxd4 15.cxd4. Playing into an inferior ending against Karpov was not what Garry had in mind; thus, the ensuing complications. 13.c4 Nc6 14.d5 f5 15.Bd3 e5! Also forced. A move such as 15…Na5 allows 16.e4!, when Black is about to be sliced and diced. This is why accuracy is so important in the Grünfeld. In many variations Black is on the precipice of defeat and has to walk the fine line between attack and defense. 16.e4! At first glance, 16.Ng5 looks attractive. However, Black can utilize the pin along the a6-f1 diagonal to save his game with 16…e4 17.Bc2 Rxd5!. Karpov dodges this trap and instead relies on the weaknesses of Black’s kingside to gain an advantage. 16…Nd4 17.Nxd4 cxd4 18.Bg5 Rf8 19.Rfc1 Rac8 20.Bd2! White prepares Bb4 and c4-c5, as well as trying to weaken a7 and b6 with a2- a4-a5. As I mentioned before, White seeks to work against Black’s Achilles’ heel in Grünfeld endings, the vulnerable queenside. While the position appears about equal, it is not. Black must be constantly vigilant that his kingside isn’t split open and now the queenside can become an irritant. Many of Black’s problems would disappear if he were able to exchange both pairs of bishops. Kasparov therefore prepares to improve their positions so that White will have to acquiesce to their exchange. 20…Rf7! 21.a4! fxe4 22.Qxe4 Rcf8 23.f3 Bc8 24.a5! Bf5 25.Qe2 Re8! Wonderful strategic understanding on the part of both players; Black has improved his light-squared bishop and now prepares to do the same with the other. It’s critical not to overlook the defense of the e-pawn as the bishop on g7 seeks activity. 26.Be4 Bf8 27.Qd3 Bc5 28.Ra1 White has the choice of whether to open the a-file. Naturally, he first insures he’ll have it fully controlled. As for Black, Garry has managed to plug many of the holes in his position. But defending well doesn’t assure him a wonderful future. Able only to counterpunch on the queenside and with the center blocked, he must look for salvation on the kingside. Prospects there are grim, too. Compare the kingside positions. Whom do you prefer? So, am I saying Black is lost? No, there is still a lot of chess to be played, but Black’s position is worse with the likelihood of further deterioration. With no active possibilities, Black must bide his time. As many GMs can attest, biding your time while Karpov has a free hand is a torturous way to spend the afternoon. 28…Qd7 29.Re1 Qc8 30.Kh1 Rc7 Not to be confused with an attacking move. This only prepares to counterpunch. 31.Rab1 Kg7 32.Rec1 Bxe4 Garry exchanges bishops at a time when White is unable to capture with a piece (if 33.Qxe4 Ba3, winning the c-pawn). Recall Black’s preparatory move 25…Re8!. By exchanging now, Black stops a possible frontal attack against e5. The rook on e8 is now released from his defensive chores. 33.fxe4 Rf7 34.Qg3 bxa5?? Boy oh boy, what a horrible move. As a result of being under the gun for so long, Garry cracks. Most assuredly, he captured the pawn under the mistaken assumption that his temporary activity would make up for his poor pawn structure. Wrong! Karpov is the best in the world at neutralizing an opponent’s initiative. Kasparov may be the best at working with the initiative, but in this case he simply can’t succeed. Why? Because of the position itself; White is clearly better. The principles of chess do not allow Black to successfully make a sacrifice or concession for an attack. What is Kasparov attacking? Anatoly calmly deals with Kasparov’s temporary initiative and then begins to reassert himself. Most likely, time pressure had something to do with Garry’s decision. Kasparov should minimize his disadvantage by 34…Qc7, preparing to activate his passive rook on e8. 35.Bxa5 Best and also forced. Black cannot be allowed to play Bb4. 35…Rf4 36.Re1! Restraining Black’s pieces; a mistake is 36.Qd3, because it allows further activity by Qg4. 36…Qa6 37.Bd2 Rf7 38.Qd3! With his last few carefully chosen moves, Anatoly has rebuffed Black’s pieces. The position is now about the same as before with one major difference: the white a-pawn and the black b-pawn are missing. This has major repercussions because Black’s bishop on c5 is a blockader without support. In the absence of the b-pawn White’s connected passed pawns become a serious long term threat. 38…Ref8 39.h3 Rf2 40.Ra1 Qf6 The adjourned position; I found it tremendously interesting. I wasn’t sure how White should make progress until the following logical train of thought choo-chooed through my mind. “Black is lost in a strategic sense. White has by far the better pawn structure and minor piece. Black’s bishop plays an entirely defensive role. Thus, Black’s only chance lies on the kingside. All that is necessary is for White to batten down the hatches. How to do it? Since White’s bishop is not doing anything in particular, let’s redeploy it to cover the king. The ideal square is g3 where it covers f2 and f4 and reinforces the white king and (!) attacks e5. Wow! Great. How to get there? Through e1, of course. Yes, now I see, move the rook on e1 and the game is over.” 41.Rg1!! The sealed move. It seems strange, but in earlier reports on this game, many GMs maintained that Kasparov’s mistake came later. True, he made a serious one later on, but Black is lost now. 41…h5 42.Ra5 Qe7 43.Rb1? A move that I hadn’t considered at all. This mistake is made all the more startling in that the game was adjourned only two moves ago. I had expected the simple 43.Be1 Rb2 44.Bg3, threatening to take on c5 then e5. White’s last move lacks the sense of logic that is a hallmark of Karpov’s style. I’m tempted to say that, left alone, Karpov would have won in the direct and prosaic way his sealed move indicated. The help of his trainers possibly interfered with his plan. Let’s not be too severe though — at least White plans to infiltrate with a rook — but at the cost of being unable to redeploy his bishop. 43…h4 Black is forced to make another strategic concession, but the white bishop could not be allowed an eventual path to g3. 44.Ra6 R8f7 45.Rc6 Qf8 46.Rg1! Karpov knows how to use his first two ranks better than anybody. 46…Be7 47.Re6 Kh7 48.Be1 Reports indicate that both players were now in time trouble. Karpov is offered a pawn as bait for a tremendous trap. Not 48.Rxe5?? Bd6 49.Re6 R7f3! Whoops. Now White repeats moves to gain time on the clock. 48…Rf1 49.Bd2 Bc5 50.Rc6 50…R7f3? A grievous blunder in a difficult position. Kasparov has been under pressure for the entire game and commits an elementary oversight. Suggestions don’t come easy: 50…Be7 runs afoul of 51.Rc7 Bd6 52.Rxf1 Bxc7 53.Rxf7+ Qxf7 54.c5 and no more blockade; 50…Kg7 allows 51.Bg5 and nasty things happen. Kasparov has defended well since the adjourned position, but is still lost. Thus, he was lost at adjournment. Black’s 50…R7f3 is a panicky move that hopes to take advantage of Karpov’s time trouble. 51.gxf3 Rxf3 52.Rc7+ Kh8 53.Bh6! Rxd3 54.Bxf8 Rxh3+ The recapture 54…Bxf8 doesn’t help, e.g., 55.Rf1! Bh6 56.d6 wins. 55.Kg2 Rg3+ 56.Kh2 Rxg1 57.Bxc5 d3 1-0 Karpov’s flag fell at this point. The arbiter asked the players to fill in their scoresheets and Kasparov, recognizing the hopelessness of his position, resigned without waiting for Karpov’s response. This game drained the players to the point that both were said to be in tears afterward. Karpov’s simplest win is 58.Be3 Re1 59.d6 d2 60.Bxd2 Re2+ 61.Kh3 Rxd2 62.d7.
So now, all Karpov had to do was to draw the final game. Alas…
Puzzler. I’ll be in Manila for two weeks and “64” will be back on Aug. 7. In the meantime, try to solve this:
White — Ka4, Ba6, Nb8, Nc6, Qc1, pawns on e3 and h4
Black — Kd5, Nd6, Rf7, Bh7, Rh3, pawns on b3, c4, c7, d4, e6 and f3
White to play and mate in four.
Send your answers to “64” c/o Marianas Variety, P.O. Box 500231, Saipan MP 96950. Our fax no. is 670-234-9271. You can also e-mail idlasts @lycos.com or [email protected].
