He was 12 when he beat veteran Soviet GM Mark Taimanov in a tournament game. Many believed he would be a future world champ. In 1989, when he was 15, he and his father moved to the U.S. Two years later, Kamsky became the chess champion of his new nation. In the 1993-94 FIDE candidates matches, Kamsky beat van der Sterren, future world champ Anand and Salov to reach the finals against Karpov, who defeated the young upstart by a score of +6 -3 = 9. Kamsky also participated in Kasparov’s rival organization PCA, besting another future world champ, Kramnik, and then the former challenger, Short, before losing to Anand in the finals, +1 -3 = 7.
After his match with Karpov, Kamsky took a long sabbatical from chess, studying medicine, dropping out after a year and then attending law school from which he graduated. He returned to chess in 1999, but after losing the rapid playoff against eventual winner Khalifman in the FIDE knockout championship matches, he dropped off the chess radar again. Five years later, he was back for good, achieving notable match and tournament victories, including winning the U.S. championship not just once, but twice in a row: 2010 and 2011. He’s the first back-to-back champ since Alburt achieved the same feat in 1984-85.
Kamsky is now up against former FIDE champ Topalov in the first round of the candidates matches. Toppy won their 2009 match 4.5-2.5, but Kamsky has been playing way better than the Bulgarian lately so stay tuned.
Game of the week. GM Lubomir Kavalek, who annotates our featured partie, describes Kamsky as a great defender. Kamsky, Kavalek adds, “likes to build his games slowly, relying on his great positional judgment. Once he gets a small advantage, he is willing to torture his opponent for hours.
He has excellent endgame technique. It was surprising to see him play sharply and with flair against Varuzhan Akobian in the French defense, sacrificing pawns and pieces. It seems that both players enjoyed the gambling part of the game. Pawn sacrifices are compared to rolling dice, but grabbing material is also one form of gambling and sometimes you don’t know what is more risky.”
White: G. Kamsky (2733)
Black: V. Akobian (2611)
French Defense
U.S. ch, Saint Louis 2011
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Steinitz liked this move, fixing the pawn structure in the center and getting more space. It avoids the Burn variation, 4.Bg5 dxe4, Akobian likes to play. 4…Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3 Qb6 8.Qd2 [Kamsky goes for a pawn sacrifice. The most analyzed and played variation 8.Na4 Qa5+ 9.c3 cxd4 10.b4 Nxb4 11.cxb4 Bxb4+ 12.Bd2 Bxd2+ 13.Nxd2 gives black good compensation for a piece.] 8…Qxb2 9.Rb1 Qa3 10.Bb5 Qa5 Trying to escape with the queen. [Hikaru Nakamura tried twice to survive with 10…cxd4 11.Nxd4 Nxd4 12.Bxd4 a6 but it was an uphill battle against Topalov and Karjakin this year in Monte-Carlo.; Enclosing the light bishop with 10…c4 , threatening 11…Bb4, forces white to come up with a good plan.] 11.0-0 c4 12.f5 Nb6 Blocking the exit for the black queen. [12…Bb4 13.fxe6 fxe6 14.Ng5 Bxc3 15.Qd1 white has numerous threat and powerful attack for the piece.] 13.Qe1 Preparing Be3-d2 to harass the queen. 13…exf5 14.a4 [The black queen jumps out after 14.Bd2 Qa3 ] 14…Be6 [14…Bb4 15.Qg3! (15.Bd2 0-0 ) 15…Bxc3 (15…Be6 16.Na2! ) 16.Qxg7 Rf8 17.Ng5 seem to favor white.] 15.Bd2 Bb4 16.Rxb4 Qxb4 17.Ne4! “Beautiful,” Kamsky summed up this move. He realized that his knight on d6 can do more harm than the obvious [17.Nxd5 Qb2 18.Nc7+ Kd7 19.Nxa8 Rxa8 giving black more chances.] 17…Qb2 [The black queen has to stay in white’s camp where it can be attacked. Retreating with 17…Qe7 does not solve black’s problems after 18.Nd6+ Kf8 (18…Kd7 19.a5 Nc8 20.Nxb7+- ; 18…Kd8 19.Bg5 f6 20.Nxb7+! Qxb7 21.exf6 gxf6 (21…Kc7 22.Qxe6 ) 22.Bxf6+ Kc7 23.Be5+ Kc8 24.Bxh8+- ) 19.Bxc6 bxc6 20.Nxf5! Bxf5 (20…Qd7 21.Bb4+ Ke8 22.Nxg7+ Kd8 23.Ng5+- ) 21.Bb4+- ] 18.Nd6+ Kf8 [18…Kd8 19.Bc3 Qxc2 20.Rf2 Qb3 (20…Qd3 21.Nxb7+ Kc7 22.Nc5+- ) 21.Nxb7+ Kc7 22.Nc5+- ; 18…Kd7 19.Bc3 Qa3 20.Qd2 Nxa4 21.Bxa4 Qxa4 22.Ra1+- ] 19.Bc3 Qxc2 20.Nxb7 [Kamsky makes a practical decision, forcing Akobian to find the best defense. The objectively better queen chase 20.Rf2 is easy to calculate for black: 20…Qb3 21.Rb2 Qa3 22.Bxc6 bxc6 23.Bb4 Qxb2!? (23…Qxa4?! 24.Ne4+ Ke8 (24…Kg8 25.Nf6+ gxf6 26.Qg3# ) 25.Nc5 Qb5 26.Bc3 the queen is caught again.) 24.Nxc4+ Qxb4 25.Qxb4+ Kg8 26.Nxb6 axb6 and black may have some hopes to survive.] 20…Nxa4?! [Black should have tried 20…Nd8!? 21.Nc5 threatening 22. Rf2, 21…f4 22.a5 h6!? (22…Nc8 23.Qh4+- ) 23.Rf2 Qg6 24.axb6 axb6 25.Na4 with roughly equal chances.] 21.Bb4+ Kg8? [Objectively, black should have tried 21…Nxb4 22.Qxb4+ Kg8 23.Bxa4 a5 24.Qa3 Qd3 25.Qc1 although the black queen still can’t find peace, for example 25…c3 26.Nd6 Rb8 27.Bc2 Qe2 28.Bxf5 and black’s position collapses.] 22.Bxc6 White has a winning advantage. 22…Rc8 23.Rf2 Qb3 24.Na5 Rxc6 25.Nxc6 [Although this move should also win, the computer analytical engines are screaming for 25.Nxb3 cxb3 26.Qb1 b2 27.Rc2 Rc4 28.Ba3 and the b-pawn is doomed.] 25…h6 26.Ne7+ Kh7 27.Ng5+! Kamsky now wins the black queen and keeps attacking chances. 27…hxg5 28.Rf3 Threatening 29.Rh3 mate. 28…g6 29.Rxb3 cxb3 30.Ba3 Rb8 31.Qg3 g4? [Loses nicely. Black had to try 31…b2 32.Bxb2 Rxb2 33.h3 g4 ] 32.Qh4+ Kg7 33.Qf6+ Kh7 34.Bc1! Black is hopeless against a mating attack on the dark squares. [34.Bc1! Rh8 (34…b2 35.Qh4+ Kg7 36.Qh6# ) 35.Bh6 Kxh6 36.Qxh8+ Kg5 37.g3 b2 38.Qh4# ] 1-0.
Puzzler.
White: Ka5, Nb5, Qc1, Bd3, pawn on d4
Black: Kd5, Ne5, pawns on a6 and f3
White to play and mate in three moves.
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