Beating the Dragon

     In this part of the country the weekend brought sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s. But Sunday the wind would have blown the fur off a dog and by evening the temperature dropped and rain changing to snow moved in thanks to a Panhandle Hook.

     Today is a good day to look at a chess game. The post of Tuesday, March 1st featured a Dragon Sicilian between Jeremy Silman and John Fedorowicz and here is another Dragon Sililian. This one was played between Karpov and Korchnoi in the Final Candidates match in Moscow in 1974. 

 

Monday's weather

     In that match Anatoly Karpov defeated Viktor Korchnoi by a score of +3 -2 =19 and thereby became Bobby Fischer's challenger for the World Championship. However, as we all know, Fischer chickened out of playing the match against Karpov and on April 3, 1975, FIDE President Max Euwe declared that Fischer had forfeited his title and Karpov was the new World Champion. Karpov later attempted to set up match with Fischer, but the negotiations fell through. 

     I don't think Fischer would have beaten Karpov and both Karpov and Garry Kaspatov agree with me. Boris Spassky thought Fischer would have won, but that Karpov would have qualified again and beaten Fischer in 1978. 

     By the time the Karpov-Kaspaov match rolled around in 1984, Fischer was so out of touch that he believed the games were fabricated using computers. Actually, at that time chess computers were good, they were starting to beat masters, but they were nowhere near world championship level and they had weaknesses that experienced correspondence players were able to take advantage of. 

     And, when Fischer's farcical "World Championship" rematch with Spassky rolled around in 1994, neither Fischer nor Spassky were among the FIDE's top one hundred rated players. On the July 1994 list the bottom six players were Larry Christiansen, Alexander Huzman, Alexander Ivanov Zdenko Kozul, Henrique Mecking, Gilberto Milos and Alexander Morozevich, all rated at 2575. By comparison Kasparov (#1) was rated 2815 and Karpov (#2) 2780. 

     In 1974, Karpov qualified by defeating Spassky and Korchnoi by defeating Petrosian in the Candidates Semifinal. This match was, in effect, for the World Championship. Karpov jumped to what seemed to be an insurmountable three-point lead after 17 games, but then faded and barely managed to win by a single point.

[Event "Candidates Final, Moscow"] [Site "Moscow URS"] [Date "1974.09.18"] [Round "2"] [White "Anatoly Karpov"] [Black "Viktor Korchnoi"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B77"] [Annotator "Stockfish 14.1"] [PlyCount "53"] [EventDate "1974.09.16"] {Sicilian Dragon: Yugoslav Attack} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 {Korchnoi was probably the strongest player of the day who still played the Dragon. He used it against the best players in the world.} 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 Nc6 8. Qd2 O-O 9. Bc4 {In Karpov's younger days he employed a more attacking style than the safety first style he became famous for. So, that he played this instead of 9.O-O-O came as something of a surprise.} Bd7 10. h4 {For some reason in How To Reassess Your Chess author Jeremy Silman gives white's move as 10.O-O-O, but the moves transpose into the game after 12.Nc4. The move order given here is at it appeared in the November 1974 issue of Chess Life and Review.} Rc8 {Beginning immediate counterplay on the c-file.} 11. Bb3 (11. g4 {attacking at once is a losing move!} Nxd4 {and the B on c4 is lost, so...} 12. Bxf7+ Rxf7 13. Bxd4 {and white has lost a whole piece.}) 11... Ne5 12. O-O-O Nc4 13. Bxc4 Rxc4 14. h5 {The Rs need open files so Karpov sacrifices a P to open the h-file.} Nxh5 15. g4 (15. Rxh5 {is unsound.} gxh5 16. Qd3 Rc8 17. Rh1 Qa5 18. Kb1 Rxc3 19. bxc3 Rc8 20. Bd2 {and while white is only a P down, he has what should be a lost position.}) 15... Nf6 {This position was reached in the fourth game of the 1971 Candidates Quarterfinal Geller-Korchnoi match.} 16. Nde2 {The retreat of the N from the center is explained thus: The square c3 is very important for white's pieces, but is is becoming the focus of black's attention and typical exchange sacrifices on c3 often take place. Therefore, the point is to strengthen the N on c3. Also, the N on e2 can easily be transferred to the attack on the K-side.} (16. Bh6 {This is too hasty, but Black still needs to play vigorously and sac the exchange to gain a good position.} Nxe4 17. Qe3 Rxc3 18. bxc3 Nf6 19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. Rh2 Qa5 21. Nb3 Qxa2 22. Qxe7 Qa3+ 23. Kb1 Re8 24. Qxd6 Qxd6 25. Rxd6 h6 26. Nd4 Re5 27. Kb2 Bb5 28. Rd2 Bc4 29. Rd1 Nd5 30. Ra1 Nb6 31. Rd8 Ba6 32. Kb3 Re3 33. Ra5 Re1 34. Rc5 Re7 35. Rd6 Re1 36. Rc7 Bc4+ 37. Kb2 Na4+ 38. Ka3 b5 39. Rxc4 Ra1+ 40. Kb4 bxc4 41. Ra6 h5 42. gxh5 Rb1+ 43. Kxa4 {Black resigned. Efim Geller-Viktor Korchnoi/Moscow 1971}) 16... Qa5 {This seems to be black's best move, but white still has the more promising attack.} 17. Bh6 {This is a typical maneuver. The B on g7 must be exchanged in order for white to develop his attack. Black's B is the only defender of the dark squares surrounding the K and its long reach on the diagonal makes it effective in black's Q-side attack. } Bxh6 (17... Bh8 {Sacrificing the exchange was a thematic move of Soviet master Vladimir Simagin. It is interesting.} 18. Bxf8 Kxf8 19. Qe3 Bc6 20. Kb1 Qc5 21. Qxc5 Rxc5 22. Nf4 {bur here also white has the better game.}) 18. Qxh6 Rfc8 {Clearly white is attacking on the h-file and black on the c-file.} 19. Rd3 {Up until this point both players had been blitzing out their moves. Now, after this move which was home preparation, Korchnoi sank into deep thought. The move defends against the possibility of black trying a double exchange sacrifice on c3. At the same time it fewws the N on e2 for the attack in some lines.} (19. Rd5 {This is also good.} Qc7 20. Rd3 Qa5 21. Kb1 Be6 22. a3 Qc5 23. Ng3 Qf2 24. Nge2 b5 25. g5 Nh5 26. Nf4 Rxc3 27. bxc3 Qc5 28. Rxh5 gxh5 29. Nxh5 Qe5 30. f4 Qh8 31. Nf6+ exf6 32. gxf6 {1-0 Paehtz,E (2489) -Gaponenko, I (2415)/Mamaia 2016}) (19. g5 {This immediate attempt to break through runs into } Nh5 {and white's attack has come to a standstill. For example...} 20. Rd5 Qb6 21. Ng3 Rxc3 22. bxc3 Qe3+ 23. Kb1 Qxc3 24. Nxh5 gxh5 25. Qxh5 Qxc2+ 26. Ka1 Qc3+ 27. Kb1 Qg7 {with the advantage.}) 19... R4c5 {After 36 minutes of thought, Korchnoi concludes, as did Karpov in his home preparation, that it was necessary to defend against the gradually threatening P-storm e4-e5 followed by g4-g5. Black's position is difficult, but the necessity of playing this seems to be the wrong conclusion.} (19... Bb5 20. g5 Nh5 21. Ng3 Rxc3 22. Rxc3 Rxc3 23. Nxh5 gxh5 24. Qxh5 Rxc2+ 25. Kxc2 Qa4+ {and black lost quickly in Lengyel,B (2302)-Nazarenus,O (2115)/ Budapest 2005}) (19... Be6 {This is probably best, but it, too, is not quite sufficient.} 20. g5 Nh5 21. Nf4 Qe5 22. Nxh5 gxh5 23. Qxh5 Qg7 24. f4 d5 {Black is better off than in other lines, but his position is still precarious and in Brikov,I (2401) -Kurilin,A (2294)/ Tula 2014 white managed to secure the win.}) 20. g5 $18 {Played after 18 minutes thought. Karpov begins an all out attack on f6. Additionally, the move disrupts any attempts by black to defend himself along the 5th rank. It is amazing that black only has six more moves before he is forced to resign!} Rxg5 {The removal of one of the Rs off the c-file means white is able to move the N on c3.} (20... Nh5 21. Nf4 $1 Rxc3 22. bxc3 $18) 21. Rd5 {"Of course, not 21. Nd5 Rxd5!, and Black's main defender, the knight, still lives." Without 20. g5!!, this move would have no threats, but now the queen and rook are under attack, and the rook must be captured.} (21. Nd5 {would lose after} Rxd5 22. exd5 Qxa2 23. Ra3 Qxd5 {Black wins because his main defender, the N on f6, is still on the board. A sample line...} 24. Ng3 Bf5 {Rendering Ne4 unplayable.} 25. Nxf5 Qxf5 26. Rh2 b5 27. Re3 e5 28. Rb3 a5 29. Qd2 a4 30. Rxb5 Qxf3 { An black' horde of Ps will prove victorious.}) 21... Rxd5 22. Nxd5 {White intends, when the time is right, to eliminate black's N which is the main defender of his K.} Re8 23. Nef4 {Even with a won game (Stockfish puts white's advantage at 5.5 Ps) it is necessary to remain vigilant!} (23. Nxf6+ {is too hasty because black's K would be quite safe in the center. In fact, black would actually be better after} exf6 24. Qxh7+ Kf8 25. Qh6+ Ke7 26. Nc3 Qg5+ 27. Qxg5 fxg5 28. Nd5+ Kd8 29. Nf6 Rf8 30. Rg1 Bc6 31. Rxg5 Rh8 {However, it's doubtful that black's advantage is enough to win. Five Shootouts were drawn.}) 23... Bc6 24. e5 {This prevents black's Q from coming to the defense of the K.} (24. Nxf6+ {is premature. After} exf6 25. Nh5 Qg5+ {and black has equalized.}) 24... Bxd5 (24... dxe5 25. Nxf6+ exf6 26. Nh5 Qd2+ 27. Kxd2 Rd8+ 28. Ke3 Rd3+ 29. cxd3 gxh5 30. Rg1+ Kh8 31. Qxf6# {[%eval 32756,10]}) 25. exf6 exf6 26. Qxh7+ {Black's K has nowhere to hide.} Kf8 27. Qh8+ (27. Qh8+ Ke7 28. Nxd5+ Qxd5 29. Re1+ {wraps it up.}) 1-0