(7) Nigel Short - Anatoly Karpov [B63]
Candidates
[Rohde, M.: Classical]
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 Resisting the temptation to play the "safe" 3 Bb5 which , for example, I used to secure a draw as White against Benjamin to make a GM norm in the 1987 New York Open. 3...cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 The signal move of the Richter-Rauzer, essentially committing White to an opposite sides castling situation. 6 Be2 would have led, after 6 ... g6 to the Classical Dragon, after 6 ... e6 to the Scheveningen, or 6 ... e5 to the Boleslavsky. 6...e6 7.Qd2 Be7 The leading American exponent of this system is D. Gurevich. The other main lines are 7 ... a6 8 O-O-O h6 (popularized by Dlugy), and 7 ... a6 8 O-O-O Bd7 (as played the Zaltzman variation). 8.0-0-0 0-0 9.Nb3 The main line is 9 f4 h6 10 Bh4 (Not 10 Bxf6 Bxf6 11 Nxc6 bxc6 12 Qxd6 Qb6 with good play) e5 with tremendous complications. The text 9 Nb3 is recommended by Nunn in his classic Beating the Sicilian, and was once played by Karpov against Kasparov! That game, from the ____ World Championship, continued with Kasparov innovating 9 ... a5 10 a4 d5, and after 11 exd5 Nxd5 Black soon equalized. Later, however, Vitolinsh and Tal discovered 11 Bb5! which has scored well for White. Note that after 9 ... a5, in contrast to the game, 10 Bxf6 would not be good because of 10 ... Bxf6! 11 Qxd6 Qxd6 12 Rxd6 a4. 9...a6 10.Bxf6 gxf6 Karpov has obtained a very double-edged position, where White can not play to keep the draw in hand for fear of simply losing the initiative. With his next move, Short commences a general and fearless kingside advance. A good alternative plan was demonstrated in Adams - Frias, London 1990: 11 Qh6 Kh8 12 Qh5! (to inhibit ... Rg8) Qe8 13 f4 Rg8 14 Bd3 Rg7 15 g4 b5 16 h4 b4 17 Ne2 e5 18 f5 and White has slightly better chances. And in Vitolinsh - Smirin, USSR championship 1989, wild complications ensued after 11 f4 b5 12 Bd3 Kh8 13 Rhe1 Rg8 14 Nd5!? exd5 15 exd5 Ne5!? 16 fxe5 fxe5 17 Kb1 Bg4 18 Be2, and though Black's position has some nice features, again White is more comfortable. 11.h4 Kh8 Black can also try dispensing with this standard precautionary move. In Jansa - Sax, Biel Interzonal 1985 play continued 11 ... b5 12 g4 b4 13 Ne2 a5 14 Nbd4 Ne5 15 g5 (a pawn sacrifice which Black ignores) a4 16 Ng3 b3. Black seems to have gotten there first but White took twice on b3 (17 axb3 axb3 18 Nxb3) and later prevailed. Sax was so impressed that he then tried the White side of this line, against Van der Wiel, in Brussels 1985. Van der Wiel diverged with 14 ... Nxd4 15 Nxd4 Bb7 16 g5 f5. After 17 Rg1 White was planning a vicious attack: for example 17 ... Bxe4 18 h5, etc. But Black found 17 ... f4! shutting off White's queen's access, and after 18 h5 e5 the players agreed to a draw, in view of 19 Nf5 Bxe4 20 Nxe7+ Qxe7 21 Qxd6, etc. 12.g4 b5 In several games Black has tried first 12 ... Rg8 here. Campora - Zueger, Dubai Olympiad 1986 continuted 13 g5 (White is always willing to sac a pawn to open the h-file) fxg5 14 hxg5 e5 15 f4 Rg7 (Not 15 ... exf4? 16 Rxh7+!) 16 Kb1 exf4 17 Qxf4 Ne5 18 Bh3 Bxg5 with an unclear position. In Judasin - Aseev, USSR 1987, after 12 ... Rg8 13 g5, Black played 13 ... b5 14 f4 Bb7 15 Kb1 b4 16 Ne2 a5 17 Bg2 a4 18 Nbd4 Na5, and White started munching with 19 Qxb4 d5 20 Qxa4 and somehow survived. 13.g5 b4 14.Na4 Although the knight is a potential target here, it is also quite annoying. Moreover, it stops the advance of the a-pawn. Karpov may have been surprised by this placement. 14...Rg8 15.f4 Only Black would be helped by 15 gxf6 Bf8! and if 16 Qf4 Rg6. 15...Rb8 16.Kb1 Now 16 gxf6 would lead to an unclear situation after 16 ... Bxf6 17 Qxd6 Qe8, as White's pieces seem disorganized. 16...Bf8 17.Be2 e5 It is easy to be suspicious about this move in light of what later transpired, but Black's position was already difficult. On 17 ... Bd7 18 Nac5 Be8! 19 Nxa6 Rb6 gives compensation, but instead White plays 18 gxf6! Qxf6 19 e5, or 18 ... Na5 19 Nac5. And 17 ... f5 18 exf5 exf5 19 h5 is dangerous. 18.f5 Short is willing to sacrifice a pawn to deny Karpov the use of the e5 square, open the h-file, and cut the board in half, so as to concentrate threats on one side or the other. 18...fxg5 19.hxg5 Rxg5 Black is too passive after 19 ... Qxg5 20 Qd5 Nd8 21 Na5! and 22 Nc4. 20.Qe3 Preparing the re-entry of the knight via b6. Since Be2-c4-d5 is in the air, Karpov allows Na4-b6 and hurries to prepare counterplay. 20...Qf6 21.Nb6 Ne7 Of course, Nb6-d5 had to be stopped also. 22.Nxc8 Rxc8 23.Bxa6 Rd8 24.Qb6 Ng8 Karpov must have had this position in mind when he played 20 ... Qf6. 25 ... d6-d5 is in the air. 25.Na5 Stalking the rook on d8 ... Simpler was 25 Qxb4. 25...d5 26.Nc6 Rd6 27.exd5 Ne7 28.Qxb4 Correct was 28 Qc5 untangling and keeping an eye on g1. Then 28 ... Nxf5 29 Bd3 and Black is in bad shape. But after the text Karpov embarks on a very unusual combination in which he sacs a piece and then converts his pinned rook into a battery: 28...Nxd5 29.Rxd5 Probably better, although very unclear, was 29 Qh4 h6 30 Bb5. 29...Qg7 Threatening 30 ... Rg1+ and 30 ... Rxd5. A pretty move, but as Seirawan points out, he should have played 29 ... Rxd5! Then after 30 Qxf8+ Rg8 31 Qe7 (to answer 31 ... Qxc6 with 32 Qxf7; if 31 Qb4 Qxc6 32 Qh4 h6 33 f6 Rg6 34 Bd3 Qxf6!) Black has the stunning 31 ... Qh6!! 32 Re1 Qxc6. 30.Rxd6 Rg1+ 31.Rd1 Rxd1+ 32.Rxd1 Bxb4 33.Nxb4 Qg4 The sting at the tail end of the combination, which, however, works only to the extent of picking up the pawn on f5, as Short scrambles away from the double attack on his rook and knight, and simultaneously makes luft, preserving his 3 pieces vs. the queen material edge. 34.Rd8+ Kg7 35.a3 Qxf5 36.Rd1 h5 37.Re1 Qe6 Time trouble becomes a factor. Short's last move was designed to control the e4 square next with 38 Bb7, and Karpov reacts to that. Although White was probably winning in any event, there was no excuse not to play 37 ... h4, just to see if the h-pawn can do any damage. 38.Bb7 f5 39.Bd5 Qf6 Better was 39 ... Qd6. 40.c4 e4 41.c5 Time pressure is over, and the c-pawn will score a touchdown after 41 ... h4 42 c6 Qd8 43 Be6 or 42 ... Qe7 43 Na6. 0 1-0
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