John Henderson Linares Reports

Round 9 5th March 2001

SOMETHING FOR FIDE TO CHEW OVER…

ONCE again the restaurant Himilce proved to be the centre of attention last night. They changed the menu for some new, choice offerings that might even have made Dr. Hannibal Lecter think about turning vegetarian. You could have had a three-course meal with a starter of “Smoked Semon”, then moving on to a main course of “Small Kid Chop in Segura Garlic” and nicely rounded off with a dessert of “Grandmother Fried Bread.” Mmmm, pass the fava beans and Chianti!

However, on a serious note for once (at long last, I here you cry), FIDE was definitely on the menu in the restaurant! The organisers of the Linares, Corus, Wijk aan Zee and Dortmund tournaments decided to act together against Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and his Time Bandits at FIDE as they try to make a quick buck out of the game.

It’s never failed to amaze me that our governing body is pronounced “fee day”, in view of its manic desire to extract money from all and sundry as they go about chopping and changing the game and its rules in an effort to make someone a lot of money. I’m totally against this - unless of course there’s a little something in a brown envelope at the end of the day for me. Their latest wheeze has been to send round their “boys” with the cotton wool in their mouths to the big tournaments in order that they “persuade” them to sign up to their “protection scheme”, the Grand Prix - Capisce?

I’ve got a sneaky feeling that, instead of putting the cotton wool in their mouths a la Brando, they’ve instead been putting it in their ears! How else can you explain the misunderstandings after a visit? Each time they come back from one of these tournaments they seem to think the organisers have said one thing, when actually they’ve been saying something else. Something that to you and me sounds a bit like, “Thanks, but no thanks!”.

After the scandal of their visit to Wijk aan Zee, when they decided to hold a press conference in Moscow a few days later to announce to the world that Corus had signed up for their Grand Prix (when they had done no such thing), they’ve done exactly the same thing here in Linares. On the Fide website, they’ve got a curious press release there: February 22, at the Opening Ceremony of the Linares Tournament a meeting was held between the President of FIDE Commerce International and the Organizers of the tournament. The meeting resulted in an agreement making the Linares tournament a possible part of a Grand Prix Cup series…

Pedro Almansa Carrasco

This was all news to the Organizers at Linares, and in particular the Secretary, Pedro Almansa Carrasco, who had been dealing with them. It was time for action. And now the elite tournaments have responded to FIDE – they’ve organised themselves into a group, which I think for now we’ll simply call “The Untouchables”.

Carsten Hensel

Last night the three tournaments of Linares, Corus and Dortmund met over a nice meal (certainly better than the food we were getting) to discuss the FIDE problem. With the Linares technical advisor Ljubo Ljubojevic playing the part of Elliot Ness, people like Jeroen Van den Berg (Corus), Carsten Hensel (Dortmund) and Pedro Almansa Carrasco (Linares) retaliated with an announcement against all the FIDE plans. Worse than that for Kirsan and the boys. The new grouping decided to form themselves into a Union against all the FIDE hair-brained ideas. That’ll give them something to chew over at the next FIDE Dictators – sorry, Presidential – meeting later this month in Cannes.

Jeroen Van den Berg

Both Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov have also had their problems over the years with FIDE. In round nine, the two Ks sat down to what possibly could be their last meeting at classical chess.

No two players in the long history of the game have had to face each other so many times over the board. After their ninth round meeting (K-K 173), the scores are now: Kasparov 30 wins, Karpov 20, with 123 drawn.

Karpov,A (2679) - Kasparov,G (2849) [D73]

1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 g6 3 g3 Bg7 4 Bg2 d5 5 c4 dxc4 6 Na3 c3 7 bxc3 0–0 8 0–0 c5 9 e3 A modest little move. White intends to build a long-term advantage. 9 ..Nc6 10 Qe2 Bf5 11 Rd1 Qb6!?N [An interesting TN from Kasparov, who signals his intent on complicating matters against his old foe. 11 ..Qa5 is more usual. However, in that line, White would continue as in the game with Nc4, and Black will play ..Qa6 - therefore we sort of transpose back into the mainline.] 12 Bb2 Rfd8 13 Nc4 Qa6 14 a4 Karpov obviously doesn't like the idea of Kasparov fixing the a-pawn with a ..Qa4. 14 ..Na5 15 Bf1 Ne4 16 Nfd2

[It looks like the only move. Kasparov would have been only too happy with 16 Nce5?! Qxe2 17 Bxe2 Be6 and white has a lot of vulnerable weak points] 16 ..Nxd2 17 Nxa5 [The other option didn't hold much promise for White: 17 Nxd2 Qxe2 18 Bxe2 Rac8 and Black has an ideal Grunfeld ending.] 17 ..Qxa5 [17 ..Nxf1!? 18 Qxa6 bxa6 19 Kxf1 Bg4 20 Rd2 Bf3 is unclear - Black has the bishop-pair, White the better pawn structure.] 18 Rxd2 cxd4 19 cxd4? [On Karpov's own admission, this is a bad move. Opening the c-file turns out bad for Karpov. He had more dynamic chances with the alternative recapture: 19 exd4! e5 20 Qb5! and White's no worse.] 19 ..Rac8 20 h3 [Karpov was beginning to worry about ..Bg4, so felt he had to prevent it 20 Bg2 Bg4 21 Qe1 b6 22 d5 Bc3! (22 ..Bxb2 23 Rxb2=) 23 Bxc3 Qxc3 with a small plus for Black.] 20 ..Be4 21 Bg2 Bxg2 22 Kxg2 e5! 23 Kg1 h5 24 h4 b6 25 Rdd1 exd4 26 Bxd4 Bxd4 27 exd4 [The players came to the conclusion very quickly that the alternative recapture would have made life very difficult indeed for Karpov: 27 Rxd4?! Rxd4 28 exd4 Qc3 29 Rd1 Qc4 (29 ..Qb3 30 a5=) 30 Qxc4 Rxc4 31 d5 Kf8 32 d6 Ke8 33 Re1+ Kd8 34 a5 bxa5 35 Re7 a6 36 Rxf7 a4 is going to be difficult to defend.] 27 ..Qd5 [27 ..Qc3 28 Qe3=] 28 Qa6!

In the nick of time. Without this move, White would have an impossible job to hold the position. Left to his own devices, Kasparov would build-up on the c and a-pawns with ..Rc4 leaving White with an awkward defence. 28 ..Rc7 [Kasparov thought long and hard here over his other option, which he couldn't quite get to work. Come the post mortem, the banter between the two titans (in Russian, obviously) became very animated: 28 ..Rc2!? 29 Qxa7 Rdc8 30 Rf1! (30 Qxb6 Rxf2!? Kasparov felt this must have been mating, however, my little silicon friend Deep Fritz seems to differ: 31 Kxf2 Rc2+ 32 Ke3 Qg2 33 Qb8+ Kh7 34 Qb5 Qxg3+ (34 ..Qf2+ 35 Ke4 Qg2+ 36 Ke3=) 35 Ke4 Qg4+ (35 ..f5+? 36 Kd5+-) 36 Ke3=) 30 ..Qxd4=] 29 Rac1 Qxd4 [29 ..Rxc1 30 Rxc1 Qxd4 31 Qxa7=] 30 Rxd4 Rxc1+ 31 Kg2 Rxd4 32 Qxa7 Rcc4 33 Qxb6 Rxa4 Karpov even pointed out here he successfully defended a similar position in the 1971 Alekhine Memorial against Tal - and that went on for 103 moves! There was no such chance of that here, particularly as Kasparov had already won the tournament! 34 Qb8+ Kh7 35 Qc7 Kg8 36 Qb8+ ½–½

It was all friends at the end at the animated post mortem. Pieces and comments at quick-fire speed were being exchanged across the board. Afterwards, the two found the time to do a joint autograph session on commemaritive boards signed by all the players from the tournament. Could this be the end of an era?

As one era ends, another could be starting at Linares with a new generation of Russians led by Alexander Grischuk, who moved into joint second after beating a dispirited Alexei Shirov.

Grischuk,A (2663) - Shirov,A (2718) [B90]

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 f3 Qb6 7 Nb3 e6 8 g4 [A little divergance. Grischuk opted for 8 Qe2 against Kasparov.] 8 ..Nc6 9 Qe2 Grischuk now intends Be3 and 0–0–0. 9 ..d5N It's an early visit to Planet Shirov! Only someone like Alexei could contemplate such a move at an early stage. Still underdeveloped and with his king in the center, Shirov simply sacrifices a pawn. 10 Be3 [Accepting looked dangerous - especially faced over the board without the aid of a computer!: 10 exd5 Nb4 11 dxe6 Bxe6; 10 g5 d4! both with serious compensation.] 10 ..d4 11 Bf2 Bc5 12 a3!

[Castling long falls for a nice trick. Instead, Grischuk wants to play Na4 without allowing the check on b4: 12 0–0–0? d3! 13 Bxc5 dxe2 14 Bxb6 exd1Q+ 15 Kxd1 Nd7 with unclear play.] 12 ..Qc7 [Shirov may have been better opting for the pawn sacrifice with 12 ..dxc3!? 13 Bxc5 Qc7 14 bxc3 Nd7 15 Be3 0–0 and Black will have good compensation with play down the c-file against the doubled pawns.] 13 0–0–0 [13 Nxc5!? dxc3 14 b4! looked a safer bet for Grischuk.] 13 ..Bxa3! 14 bxa3 [White also had 14 Nxd4!? Nxd4 (14 ..Bb4 15 Qc4!; 14 ..Be7 15 Nxc6 Qxc6 16 Qc4 Qxc4 17 Bxc4 b5 18 Bb3 white is slightly better.) 15 Bxd4 (15 Rxd4? Qxc3!) 15 ..e5 16 bxa3 (16 Nd5 Nxd5 17 exd5 Bd6 18 Bxe5 Bxe5 19 Re1 f6 20 f4 Qa5 21 fxe5 Bxg4!=) 16 ..exd4 17 Nd5 Qd6 18 Kb2 0–0 19 Rxd4 Nxd5 20 exd5 (20 Rxd5 Qb6+ 21 Ka1 Be6!) 20 ..Qb6+ 21 Rb4 Qf6+ 22 Kb1 Bd7! with unclear play.] 14 ..dxc3 15 Bc5 e5 16 Qe3 Nd4 17 g5 Nh5 18 Qxc3 Nxb3+ 19 cxb3 Be6 20 Kb2! Rc8 21 Bb4 Qxc3+ 22 Bxc3 After the dust has cleared, white has a small plus thanks to the bishop-pair. 22 ..f6 23 gxf6 gxf6 24 Rd6 Nf4 [The immediate king move may have been better: 24 ..Kf7!? ] 25 Bd2!

White's now going to be a little better in the endgame due to the doubled f-pawns. 25 ..Kf7 26 Bxf4 exf4 27 Bc4 [27 Rxe6 Kxe6 28 Bh3+ Ke5! 29 Bxc8 Rxc8= Black's king is very active here.] 27 ..Bxc4 28 bxc4 Rxc4 29 Rd7+ Ke6 30 Rhd1 Rc6?

[I don't know what was going through Shirov's head - the obvious reply was the simplest of draws: 30 ..Rhc8! 31 R1d6+ (31 Rxh7 Rc2+ 32 Kb1 R2c7 33 Rxc7 (33 Rh3? Rc3!³) 33 ..Rxc7) 31 ..Ke5 32 Rd5+ Ke6=] 31 Rxb7 Rg8 32 Rdd7 Rg2+ 33 Kb3 Rxh2 34 Re7+ Kd6 35 Rbd7+ Kc5 36 Rd5+ Kb6 37 a4! Threatening a5 mate! 37 ..a5 38 Rb5+ Ka6 39 Re8! Forcing a set of rooks off - the single rook ending is an easy win due to the f-pawns. 39 ..Rb6 40 Ra8+ Kb7 41 Rb8+ Kxb8 42 Rxb6+ Kc7 43 Rxf6 h5 44 Rxf4 h4 45 Kc4 h3 46 Rh4 Rh1 47 Kd5 h2 48 Ke5 Rf1 49 Rxh2 Rxf3 50 Rc2+ Kb6 51 Rc4 1–0

Over at KasparovChess.com (apart from worrying about his staff being paid off by the gigabyte), Mig (Michael Greengard) has taken young Mr. Leko to book (literally) with some hilarious suggestions for Peter's first book. We've all had a good laugh in the press room with some of the many possibilities: My 60 Memorable Draws, 1001 Drawing Combinations, Drawing Fundamentals and, his favourite, a take on Alexei Shirov’s Fire On Board, Warmth on Board.

In a unique piece of bipartisan between two rival sites, I thought I’d take the opportunity to suggest some others for Mig as he struggles to find stuff to put on the site. How about Achieving The Draw, My Drawing System, The Drawing Labyrinth, The Chess Draw In Theory And Practice, and my own particular favourite with a Hungarian theme, Draw Is OK!

In Linares the organizers issue ballot papers to all the hacks in the press room to determine the best game and who was the best fighter, or “Gladiator”. I had no problems with the best game; I opted for Judit Polgar’s win over Alexei Shirov from round four. For a laugh, I decided to cast my vote for Peter as the tournament “Gladiator”.

Rather than give you the encounter between Polgar and Leko, I thought I’d instead show you these two composed problems by the Spanish composer Paco Hernanz that he specially composed using the initials of the Hungarian pair for their round nine meeting. After he handed them to me, I immediately spotted a “cook” in the Leko one: It was a mate in six rather than a draw in six! Anyway, see if you can solve them. It white to play and mate in two in Judit’s and white to play and mate in six in Peter’s.

Peter Leko

[P Hernanz, March 2001]

Mate in six

Judit Polgar

[P Hernanz, March 2001]

Mate in two

Solutions to problems given in the round 9 report

The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of TWIC, Chess & Bridge Ltd or the London Chess Center.

You can contact John Henderson at: jbhthescots@cableinet.co.uk