BUSY DOING NOTHING
By John Henderson

John in his new home

WITH nothing much to do as I’m still banned sin die from the Riverside Studios, you may wonder how I’m filling my time in London, apart from lazing around doing nothing as per usual? Well, the truth of the matter is, that except for watching the chess on show via the internet (anything apart from the official site!), much of my day is preoccupied by reading newspapers, eating, drinking...reading more newspapers, even more eating, and more drinking – and so the cycle continues as I overtake Ray Keene and Eric Schiller in the weight stakes. Believe me, boys, I really miss our daily exercise routine on those four flights of stairs.

Leontxo Garcia and Hans Ree

However, I do have some onerous tasks to perform now that I’ve become a cult figure (I can’t help feeling that there’s some at the Riverside Studios who would question my spelling of “cult”) – I get to read all your many emails of support that’s come flooding in! Believe me, apart from being encouraging, they are a great support for the basic rights for all journalist’s. I would also like to thank at this stage the public support shown by Hans Ree and Leontxo Garcia in their letters on the Twic front-page, and Lubosh Kavalek for his support in his Washington Post column, which can be found at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/style/columns/chess/A59450-2000Oct23.html .

Lubosh Kavalek

So, with nothing much else to write about today, I thought I’d give you a sample of some of the email support that has entertained me. A Mr BCM Welchman from Kensington, writes: “Come on, John, call yourself a Glaswegian? You could have taken that big Jessie of a security guard, surely?” Well, in a word, Mr Welchman: NO! Of course, I was flattered (if not flattened) by the fact that the organisers felt I deserved the presence of “Knuckles” to be removed from the press room. But, in reality, I’m such a coward that the six-stone weakling in those Charles Atlas adverts even used to kick sand in my face! If they had shown up with Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, I would have been quaking in my Hush Puppies.

Much more brutal and to the point, a tax exile named Ivor Lott from Bermuda, writes: “I don't know what the Scottish twit is complaining about. If this were a FIDE event he would have been found dead in a ditch.” Well, Mr Lott (by the way, Nick, any chance of a freebie to the next Bermuda tournament?), I suppose indeed I should be grateful that the great Raymundo only metaphorically stabbed me in the back. However, it’s funny that you mention this, as, on the day I was shown the glossy exterior of the doors at the Riverside Studios, I had a discussion via email with Hans Ree on this delicate little matter. Laughing it off, I commented to Hans that, “It could have been worse – I could have been writing in Elista!” (For more information on the tragic case of Larissa Yudina, you should head for Tim Krabbe’s excellent website at http://www.xs4all.nl/~timkr/chess2/diary.htm, where on number 68 of his Open Chess Diary, there’s information on a new Dutch book on her assassination).

But meanwhile, back at the Gulag Riverside press room, my Chess Informants (all 78 of them – available at a good price from Chess & Bridge) tell me that a whole load of Russian journalist’s have now arrived there and are wondering, indeed, what exactly all the fuss is about? In between translating the offending Braindead@Braingames and Free The Henderson One articles into Russian for publication in liberal Moscow, they’ve been muttering (in Russian, obviously), that “this used to happen to us all the time!”

Somehow though I don’t think the Russians have arrived just to translate my columns for publication in Pravda. Nope, I think it’s more to do with the chess on offer from those two well-known Russians, Garry Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik. So, without more ado, let’s actually have some chess in this column for a change as we look at the weekend double-header!

Kramnik and Kasparov

Kramnik,V (2770) - Kasparov,G (2849) [E32] Game 8

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4! A recent article by Jeff Sonas, the chief number cruncher at Kasparov's own website (www.kasparovchess.com), highlighted that the one defence the champion had a good percentage record with against 1 d4, was the solid Nimzo-Indian Defence, which he has now adopted. In comparison, Kramnik's best record as white, with a strike rate approaching 90 per cent, was with the Queen's Gambit Accepted - a line that Kasparov dabbled with to near disaster in games four and six. 4 Qc2 0–0 5 a3 Bxc3+ 6 Qxc3 b6 7 Bg5 Bb7 8 f3 h6 9 Bh4 d5 10 e3 Nbd7 11 cxd5 Nxd5!

This is a line both players have played twice before - albeit in a blitz match - with colours reversed! 12 Bxd8 Nxc3 13 Bh4 Nd5 14 Bf2 c5 14 ..f5 15 Bb5 c6 16 Bd3 c5 17 Ne2 Rac8 18 0–0 cxd4 19 Nxd4 Ne5 20 Be2 Nc4 21 Rfc1 Ncxe3 22 Nxe6 Rfe8 23 Rxc8 Bxc8 24 Nd4 Bd7 25 Bxe3 Nxe3 26 Rc1 Rd8 27 Kf2 f4 28 g3 Nf5 29 Nxf5 Bxf5 30 Ke1 fxg3 31 hxg3 Rd7 32 b4 Kf7 33 Rc4 g5 34 f4 Be6 35 Rc6 Re7 36 Kf2 gxf4 37 gxf4 Kg7 38 Bd3 Bd5 39 Rd6 Bb3 40 f5 Rf7 41 Rg6+ Kf8 42 Rxh6 Ke7 43 Ke3 Rf6 44 Rh7+ Rf7 45 Rh4 Kd6 46 Kd4 Rf6 47 Rg4 Bf7 48 Rg7 a5 49 b5 a4 50 Be4 Be8 51 Rb7 Rf8 52 Rxb6+ Kc7 53 Re6 Bxb5 54 Ke5 Bd7 55 Re7 Kd8 56 f6 Re8 57 Kd6 Bb5 58 Bf5 Rf8 59 f7 Rh8 60 Be6 Ba6 61 Ra7 Bc8 62 Bxc8 1–0 Kasparov,G-Kramnik,V/Moscow 1998/CBM 67 ext (62) 15 Bb5 Rfd8 16 e4 Nc7!

Kasparov improves over Kramnik's play: 16 ..Ne7 17 Ne2 Bc6 18 Ba6 b5 19 a4 bxa4 20 dxc5 Ne5 21 Nd4 Rab8 22 Bg3 f6 23 0–0–0 Kf7 24 f4 Ng4 25 f5 e5 26 Bc4+ Ke8 27 Nxc6 Nxc6 28 Rxd8+ Kxd8 29 Re1 h5 30 h3 Nh6 31 Rd1+ Kc7 32 Rd6 Na5 33 Bd5 Nb3+ 34 Kd1 Nd4 35 Ra6 Rxb2 36 Rxa7+ Kb8 37 Rxa4 Rxg2 38 Rxd4 Rxg3 39 Rb4+ Kc8 40 c6 Nxf5 41 Be6+ Kc7 42 exf5 Kxc6 43 h4 Kc5 44 Rb7 Rg4 45 Ke2 Kc6 46 Ra7 Kb6 47 Rd7 Kc5 48 Ke3 Kc6 49 Rf7 e4 50 Kd4 Kb6 51 Bd5 Rxh4 52 Rxg7 Rh2 53 Bxe4 Rd2+ 54 Ke3 Rd6 55 Rh7 Kc5 56 Rxh5 Ra6 57 Rh2 Ra3+ 58 Kf4 Ra4 59 Rc2+ Kd6 60 Rd2+ Ke7 61 Rd5 1–0 Kasparov,G-Kramnik,V/Moscow 1998/CBM 67ext. 17 Bxd7 Rxd7 18 dxc5 f5! Now we see Kasparov's plan: he wants to breakdown the White centre, to let his rooks take advantage of the open files around the White King. 19 cxb6 axb6 20 Ne2 Taking the pawn gives no advantage: 20 Bxb6?! fxe4 21 Be3 (21 fxe4 Bxe4 22 Nf3 Nd5 23 Bc5 Rb7 24 b4 Nxb4!) 21 ..Rd3 gives Black lots of play. 20 ..fxe4 21 fxe4 Bxe4 22 0–0 Rd2 23 Nc3 Bb7 24 b4 Rf8 25 Ra2!

To ease the pressure, White must remove the Black rook from the seventh. 25 ..Rxa2 [25 ..Rd6 26 Re1 is easier for White as the Black pawns on b6 and e6 are a hindrance. With the text, Kasparov consigns White's knight to a bad square. 26 Nxa2 Nd5 27 Bd4 Ra8 28 Nc3 Nxc3 29 Bxc3 Rxa3 30 Bd4 Black may be a pawn ahead, but the opposite coloured bishops secure the draw for Kramnik. 30 ..b5 31 Rf4 Rd3 32 Rg4 g5 In reflection of the guidelines given below by Ruben Fine, maybe Kasparov could have put Kramnik under more pressure with 32 ..Rd1+! 33 Kf2 Rd2+ 34 Ke3 Rxg2 35 Rxg2 Bxg2 36 Be5 Kf7 37 h4 g5 38 hxg5 h5 39 Kf2, with a very, very difficult defence 33 h4! Kf7 34 hxg5 hxg5 35 Kf2! Rd2+? This throws away any chances Kasparov may have had. It was interesting the way that Kramnik contradicted the champ over his assessment of this position in the press conference to game 9. Kasparov claimed that 35…Kg6 36.Be3 Rd5 led to a position where Black had excellent chances, an assessment shared by Nigel Short. However when Kasparov mentioned it, Kramnik, quick as a flash hit back with 35…Kg6 36.Ke2! Rb3 37.Be3 Kf6!? 38.Bd2 with a safe position. 36 Ke3 Rxg2 37 Rxg2 Bxg2 38 Be5 Reading from the opposite coloured Bishop ending section with disconnected passed Pawns in Reuben Fine's classic: Basic Chess Endings, he states: "..there is a general rule which is applicable to all cases: If the Pawns are two or more files apart, they win; if they are only one file apart they draw. The reason is simple: if the Pawns are far apart, the Bishop must blockade one, while the King stops the other, so that the White King can support the Pawn held by the Bishop and win that piece. But if the Pawns are close together the Black King can cover the advance of both." ½–½

Kasparov,G - Kramnik,V [C67] Game 9

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 Again Garry tries to breakdown the Berlin Wall. How long will it take before he presses the panic button and turns to the Scotch; despite whatever TN Kramnik has? Alternatively, he could start cramming on some Weaver Adams books and play the Vienna - or how about a King's Gambit to liven affairs up! 3 ..Nf6 4 0–0 Nxe4 5 d4 Nd6 6 Bxc6 dxc6 7 dxe5 Nf5 8 Qxd8+ Kxd8 9 Nc3 h6

Smart! Kramnik doesn't give Garry a chance to improve on game 3, where Garry came close to winning, and diverges with 9 ..h6 instead of 9 ..Bd7. 10 Rd1+ Ke8 11 h3 a5 12 Bf4 Be6 13 g4 Ne7 14 Nd4 Nd5 15 Nce2 Bc5 Up to here, the game had been following the plan of another rising Russian star, Alexander Galkin: 15 ..h5 16 Nxe6 fxe6 17 c4 Nb6 18 b3 hxg4 19 hxg4 a4 20 Kg2 Be7 21 Nc3 Bb4 22 Ne4 Ba3 23 Rd3 Rd8 24 Rad1 Rxd3 25 Rxd3 axb3 26 axb3 Nd7 27 Bg5 Rf8 28 f4 Bc1 29 Kg3 Ba3 30 Rd1 Bb4 31 Ra1 Kf7 32 Rd1 Ke8 33 Bh4 Be7 34 Bxe7 Kxe7 35 Ra1 Rb8 36 Ra7 c5 37 Kh4 c6 38 Kg5 b6 39 Kg6 Rg8 40 Kh7 Rf8 41 Kxg7 1–0 Galkin,A-Yarovik,Y/Novgorod 1999/CBM 69ext. 16 Nxe6 fxe6 17 c4 Nb6 18 b3 a4! White has an advantage - but nothing devastating. With this move, Kramnik makes his life a little easier as he prepares to take pieces off. 19 Bd2 Heading for c3, and at the same time vacating the f4-square for the knight or, possible later, for the pawn. 19 ..Kf7 20 Bc3 Rhd8 21 Rxd8 Rxd8 22 Kg2 Bad would have been b4, moving the bishop: 22 b4? Be7 23 c5 Nd5 and, with the White pawns now fixed, Black can claim an advantage. 22 ..Rd3!

Kramnik's saving grace is the fact that he has the active rook, controlling the d-file, compared to Kasparov's inactive rook. In reality, Kasparov would love to exchange the rooks as he has the better pawn structure and minor pieces. 23 Rc1 g5 Stopping Nf4. 24 Rc2 axb3! Right on time! Kramnik chooses the right moment to release the tension. 25 axb3 Nd7 26 Ra2 26 Rd2? Nxe5! 26 ..Be7! An interesting option was 26 ..b5!? 27 b4 Rxc3 28 Nxc3 Bxb4 29 Ne4 bxc4 and, with e5 also falling, White can never realistically win this position. However, Kramnik has no need for such speculative moves. 27 Ra7

[Critizised by Kasparov after the game. However, what does White play? 27 f3? b5! 28 cxb5 (28 Ra7 Re3) 28 ..cxb5 29 Rc2 (29 b4 Nb6!) 29 ..c5 30 Nc1 Rd5 and Black's much better; Also 27 b4 Nb6! 28 Ra7 (28 c5 Nd5!) 28 ..Nxc4 29 Rxb7 Rd7 is equal. 27 ..Nc5 28 f3 28 b4 Ne4 29 Ba1 Bxb4 30 Rxb7 Ba5! 28 ..Nxb3! 29 Rxb7 Nc1 30 Nxc1 Unbelievably, when calculating 27 Ra7, Kasparov missed 31 ..Nf4+ in the following position! 30 Rxc7 Nxe2 31 Bb4 Nf4+! 30 ..Rxc3 ½–½

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