XIIIIIIIIY 8r+-wqrvlk+0 7+l+n+pzpp0 6-snpzp-+-+0

Transcription

1 This game is annotated by Leonid Shamkovich in the Soviet tournament book, Mezhzonaln'yi Turnir - Leningrad 1973 (Fizkultura i Sport, Moscow 1974). The translation from the original Russian is by Douglas Griffin. Tal Karpov 8 th round, FIDE Interzonal Tournament, Leningrad, * *The game was postponed to 15 th June, on account of Tal s illness. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 The 'Spanish Dialogue' begins. Both grandmasters are specialists in this opening. Tal has won a mass of excellent games with White; his young colleague, also with White, has more than once gained magnificent victories over Spassky and Gligoric. But in this game Karpov is ready to undergo the 'Spanish torture' with Black. 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c h3 Nb8 10.d4 In the above-mentioned game with Spassky (National Tournament of 3 Teams, Moscow 1973) Karpov chose the more restrained 10.d3, but soon play took on a no less sharp character Nbd7 11.Nbd2 Bb7 12.Bc2 Re8 13.b4 Instead of the standard transfer Nd2 f1 g3, which does not promise White anything in particular, he leaves the knight at b2 and develops the bishop at b2, simultaneously preparing the undermining of the b5 pawn. True, White facilitates counter play by Black with...a6 a5. In the 10th match-game Fischer-Spassky (World Championship, Reykjavik 1972) there occurred 13...Bf8 14.a4 Nb6?! 15.a5 Nbd7 16.Bb2 Qb8 17.Rb1 c5?! 18.bxc5 dxc5 19.dxe5 with the initiative for White. Later, the counter-blow 14...a5 was found, significantly broadening Black's possibilities Bf8 14.Bb2 Tal avoids the main variation - 14.a4. White intends to activate the bishop with the move c3 c4, and incidentally prevents 14...c5 on account of 15.bxc5 dxc5 16.dxe5 Nxe5 17.Nxe5 Rxe5 18.c4! with advantage. In the game Parma-Unzicker (West Berlin, 1971) White succesfully carried out his idea: 14...Nb6 15.a3 h6 16.c4! Nxc4 17.Nxc4 bxc4 18.dxe5 dxe5 19.Nxe5 c5 20.Nxc4 cxb4 21.e5!. In the same round of the present tournament, Tukmakov played more strongly against Byrne: 15...Nfd7! 16.Rc1 g6 17.Bb1 Bh6. (Translator s note: that the present game took place two days later on account of the postponement.) Karpov preferred another, still more active plan a5 15.Bd3 c6 Black is forced to block in his active bishop. Now the fate of the opening duel hangs on

2 whether White manages to carry out c3 c4, and whether Black creates counter-play in the centre. 16.a3 Nb6 17.Rc1 Otherwise 17...Na exd4! A timely exchange, based on the variation 18.cxd4 axb4 19.axb4 d5! 20.e5 Ne4 21.Nxe4 dxe4 22.Bxe4 Bxb4 23.Re2 Nd5, and Black has dangerous counter-play. 18.Nxd4 Nfd7 The black knight aims at the squares e5 and c4. On 19.c4 there follows 19...Ne5 20.Bf1 Nbxc4, while on 19.Bf1 there is 19...d5! 20.exd5 Nxd5. Doubtful is 19.f4 on account of 19...Qh4. 19.N2b3! The square a5 - this is the most vulnerable spot in Black's position. Since 19...a4 20.Na5 Qc7 21.c4! is clearly favourable to White, while 19...axb4 20.cxb4 leads to the unpleasant opening of the c-file, Karpov sacrifices the a5 pawn, and after it, the exchange! 8r+-wqrvlk+0 7+l+n+pzpp0 6-snpzp zpp zP-sNP+-+0 3zPNzPL+-+P0 2-vL-+-zPP+0 1+-tRQtR-mK Ne5?! An interesting and good move, but still simpler was, in my view, 19...axb4 (all the same) 20.cxb4 Ne5 21.Na5 Rxa5! 22.bxa5 Nxd3 23.Qxd3 Nc4 24.Bc3 Nxa5 with sufficient compensation for the exchange. 25.Nf5 g6 26.Qd4 is not dangerous in view of 26...Re5! 27.f4 Nb3. 20.Nxa5 Rxa5 21.bxa5 Nbc4 22.Rc2 Qxa5 Possible too was 22...Nxd3 23.Qxd3 Qxa5, not aiming at the immediate re-gaining of the pawn, but on the other hand exchanging the powerful light-squared bishop. After 24.Bc1 d5! with the threat of 25...c5 Black obtains rich play. It is also not by chance that Tal immediately withdraws his d3 bishop from exchange, although

3 he could transpose to this variation (22...Qxa5 23.Bc1 Nxd3 etc.). 23.Bf1! Nxb2 24.Rxb2 Qxc3 Leaving 'alive' the weaker pawn (but, as we will soon see, this pawn has a future). In the case of 24...Qxa3 25.Qd2 Black has to reckon with the threat of c3 c4. For example, 25...Qc5 26.c4! Nxc4 27.Bxc4 Qxc4 28.Rc1, and Black loses the queen. 25.Rb3 Qa5 26.Qb1 Black has a pawn for the exchange with, seemingly, a sufficiently solid position. However, this is not quite so: the pawns at b5 and c6 are in need of defence, while the threat of a3 a4 can become dangerous. For the time being there is the threat of 27.Nxb5 cxb5 28.Rxb Qa7 Deserving attention is 26...Ba8, once and for all liquidating the threats of Nd4xb5 and a3 a4. 27.Rd rvlk+0 7wql+-+pzpp0 6-+pzp p+-sn sNP+-+0 3zPR+-+-+P zPP+0 1+Q+R+LmK Nd7? Karpov is aiming to transfer the knight to c5, but permits an exchanging combination that is favourable to the opponent. Stronger is 27...g6, after which 28.Bxb5 cxb5 29.Nxb5 Qa5 30.Nxd6 (interesting is 30.Rxd6 Nc4!) 30...Bxd6 31.Rxb7 Qxa3 is not dangerous. 28.Nf5 Tal does immediately takes the committal decision Re6 29.Nd4 Re8 Karpov, naturally, has no objection to a repetition of moves. 30.Bxb5! cxb5 31.Nxb5 Qc5 32.Nxd6 Bxd6 33.Rxb7 Nf6 34.Qb3 In comparison with the variation indicated above, Black has lost several tempi.

4 34...Bc7 35.Qb5 Black threatened the counter-attacks 35...Ne4 or 35...Qe Qc2 36.Qb1! The black queen is 'caught' - it has nowhere to retreat to on account of 37.Rc Qxb1 37.Rdxb1 The decisive phase of the game has been reached. The passed pawn seemingly opens up good prospects of victory for White Bd6 38.a4 Rxe4 39.Rd1 Stronger is the move indicated by Tal, 39.a5, and then 39...Ra4 40.Ra7 Kf8 41.g3 Ne8 42.Ra8 Ke7 43.Rb6! Ne8 40.a5 Kf nmk-+0 7+R+-+pzpp0 6-+-vl zP r P zPP R+-mK-0 In this position the game was adjourned. Analysis showed that victory for White, if it is achievable, will involve tremendous technical difficulties. The point that he cannot prevent the opponent from posting the rook behind the passed pawn: on 41.Ra1 there follows 41...Be5! 42.f3 Bxa1 43.fxe4 Nd6, and Black gives up a piece for the a-pawn, with a draw. 41.a6! (Translator s note: the following explanation by Karpov's second, grandmaster Furman, appears in The Complete Games of World Champion Anatoly Karpov (Batsford, London, 1976): "We looked a little at the position and then Anatoly went to bed. In his dreams he saw an formidable move for White after 41...Ra4 in 42.Ra7. He began to seek a defence and, in his dream, found it in 42...g5. His brain continued to work. Again he saw a terrible continuation for White in 43.Ra8 Be5 44.f4, when if Black takes at f4 with bishop or pawn, 45.Rdd8 is decisive. After he woke up we found the best defence was 44...Rxf4, but Tal did not play this dangerous move.)

5 41...Ra4 42.Ra7 After 42.a7 Bc5 43.Rdd7 f6 it is not apparent how White can strengthen the position g5! Opening a path for the king and preventing the move f2 f4. 43.Ra8 Be5 44.g3 The tempting 44.f4 gave nothing on account of 44...gxf4! (weaker is 44...Rxf4 45.Rdd8; or 44...Bxf4 45.Re1) 45.Rdd8 Kg7 46.Rxe8 f6. (Translator s note: here it is not clear why White is not winning after the simple 47.Re7+ Kg6 48.a7 (with the threat of 49.Rg8+) 48...Bd4+ (on 48...Kf5? 49.Rd8, preventing the check at d4, wins immediately) 49.Kf1 Kf5 50.Rxh7, etc. As Furman indicates, the best defence is 44...Rxf4. Then the following continuations are possible: 45.Rdd8 (as indicated by Shamkovich; less convincing is 45.a7 Ra4 46.Rdd8 Kg7 47.Rxe8 Rxa7!) 45...Bd4+ 46.Kh2 Re4 47.a7 Bxa7 48.Rxa7 when Black has definite drawing chances.) 44...Ke7 Unpinning the knight, Black creates a defensible position without difficulty. 45.Re1 f6 46.a7 Nc7 47.Rh8 Rxa7 Agreed drawn. (Translator s note: the clock times, as given in The Complete Games of World Champion Anatoly Karpov, were 2:57-2:25.)