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February 2004 Lessons Learned Today's Lesson is from GM Konstantin Sakaev of St. Petersburg, Russia.
This column is sponsored by Chess eXpress Ratings; learn more about CXR in this Review by someone who actually uses their service. Special thanks go to Phil Innes and to Boris Yeshan (Russian Chess) both for arranging the writing of this column with GM Sakaev, and also for their work translating the original text into English. Today's game is from the 2003 European Club Cup and features GM Konstantin Savaev as White against the World #1 Garry Kasparov. GM Konstantin Sakaev: A game with Kasparov is always an event for any chess player, especially when you meet with him for the first time. I felt a huge emotion before the start; the more so because the game was being played for the team and I felt an immense responsibility. Perhaps at that moment it would be better for me to have played with the Black pieces. I would have been calmer. If I lost it would not be terrible, nevertheless Kasparov had Black... But if I managed to hold out I would feel myself to be a hero. In contemporary chess at the top level having White is a big advantage, so I perfectly understood that I am not expected to lose and my team certainly expected to gain at last half a point from my board. I spent all night in preparation (time and time again I tried to go to bed but failed to fall asleep), even the most promising and firm positions seemed risky ones to me. On the one hand I wanted very much to play an interesting game, but I don’t play with Kasparov every day. On the other hand it would be better to play solidly since I felt a big responsibility on behalf of the team. Looking ahead a few steps I should say neither turned out well. The game I played unfortunately became the worst in quality from my side in many years, since I began to play adult chess. Really, an energy radiated by Kasparov during the game along with my natural emotion disturbed my play very much. For the first time in my life I spent more than one hour for the first twelve moves (from which I departed from theory with only two of my own, both very bad moves). I don't understand what I was thinking about... I remembered well the next day as I was watching a similar situation in the game Kasparov-Grischuk. Alexander sat stock-still; he couldn't make a move and only when he hadn't any time left for emotion (there was twenty minutes remaining for about 25 moves in a difficult position) and he has been forced to make quick decisions, Grischuk began to offer resistance. Immediately after the game Boris Gelfand approached me and said that it's a typical occurrence with almost everybody. He, for example, only after about ten games, managed to cultivate an immunity against Kasparov's magic, and begin to play with his usual energy. Legendary Victor Korchnoi, a member of my team, expressed himself similarly saying that formerly he also radiated such energy which depressed and prevented many tried and tested fighters playing with their full force... Sakaev,K (2657) - Kasparov,G (2830) [D18] [Click Here to follow the game on a JavaScript board] 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 c6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5
This appeared as a pleasant surprise - I play this variation with both White and Black. I have looked at many lines independently, and also analyzed it with such theorists as Elmar Magerramov, Alexander Khalifman, and Vladimir Kramnik, preparing this variation for use in the World Championships... 6.e3 Recently I have mostly played this move, but in this situation I admit this move is a psychological mistake. 6.Ne5 leads to a more forced game (thus simpler to play). I have deeper knowledge of this variation than of the variation with 6.e3. 6...e6 7.Bxc4 Bb4 8.0–0 Nbd7 9.Nh4
White is going to exchange Black's light colored Bishop. Another variety of the variation is 9.Qe2 when White proceeds with e3-e4, and captures space, but Black has a firm position without weaknesses. Earlier Vasily Smyslov played this variation with Black perfectly, as Evgeny Bareev does currently. 9...Bg6 The other well-known line in theory is 9...0–0 10.Nxf5 exf5 11.Qc2 g6 12.f3
...where White strives to prepare the advance e3-e4, and Black tries to prevent it. 10.h3 This move was introduced to practice several years ago by Kasparov. It's dangerous to exchange on g6 at once because of the opening of the h-file, so White expects Black to castle. More reliable is 10.g3 in order to avoid the 'suspension' of the h4-Knight, which Black employs on the next move. 10...Bh5! A risky continuation which turned out to be psychologically correct.
11.Qb3?? Certainly I knew that it is necessary to play 11.g4! Bg6 12.f4! which initiates a real slaughter! Besides, such play is suited to the position requirements. Thinking for about forty minutes I never could make up my mind to courageously assault Black's position. At one moment I thought to exchange bishops by way of 11.Be2 whereupon even Kasparov would hardly manage to find resources for a serious fight. The position emasculates itself quickly and a draw becomes inevitable. However I considered that it is simply improper to play like that (I think the same now despite the dismal result of this game experience). In a moment I simply twitched, not estimating the position and not calculating the lines (strictly speaking there is nothing to calculate), and made that terrible Queen move after which White stands worse. 11...a5 Here I again became engrossed in thought for a long time. Its true, now there was much to think about. With the last move White deprived himself of the opportunity to both finish developing normally and to set his central pawns in motion. 12.g4 In this sequence this move is not an attacking but a defensive one. Nevertheless, it was probably preferable to play 12.Na2, when Black has a pleasant choice between the positional 12...Nd5 and the attacking 12...Bd6. 12...Bg6 Black has only a perpetual check after 12...Nxg4 13.hxg4 Qxh4 14.gxh5. 13.Ng2 0–0
Also good is 13...c5 , after for example 14.Nf4 cxd4 15.exd4 0–0 Black obtains an advantage at the expense of the weakened white King. 14.Nf4 e5 15.dxe5? White should not change the d4-pawn which took away important squares from the Black knights. Better is 15.Nxg6 hxg6 16.Na2 (or 16.Rd1 exd4 17.exd4 Nb6 18.Bf1 when Black has only a minimum advantage.) 15...Nxe5 16.Be2 Nfd7! Black’s knight immediately heads towards the excellent station that has appeared on c5, at the same time freeing the route to h4 for the Queen. 17.Nxg6
17...Nxg6! Not very good is 17...Nc5?! 18.Qc2 Nxg6 19.Na2!. Also not strong is 17...hxg6 in view of 18.Ne4! taking away the c5-square from the Black knight. 18.Rd1 In case of 18.Ne4 Qh4 19.Kg2 Qe7 20.Ng3 Nh4+ 21.Kh2 Rad8 when Black has a strong initiative. 18...Nc5
Kasparov decides to progress to an endgame. I think no less strong was 18...Qe7. 19.Rxd8 Bad was 19.Qc2 Qh4 20.Kg2 Rae8 , soon Black will be able to play f7-f5 or to transfer the knight from c5 to g5 with a mating attack. 19...Nxb3 20.Rxa8 Rxa8 21.Rb1 Rd8 22.Bd1 It doesn't help to play 22.Ne4 Ne5 23.Kf1 Kf8 24.f4 Nd3 25.Bxd3 Rxd3 26.Ke2 Rd8, and White's pieces are paralyzed. 22...Nxc1 23.Rxc1 Ne5
24.Bb3? My final blunder in this game. Active play doesn’t quite work viz; 24.Ne4 Nd3 25.Rb1 Nxb2 26.Bb3 Ba3 (Weaker is 26...Nd3 27.Ng5 Ne5 28.f4 Bc5 29.fxe5 Bxe3+ 30.Kg2 Bxg5 31.Bc4, and White has counter-play.) 27.Ng5 Rf8 where Black keeps an extra pawn and gradually dislodges the White pieces from their active positions. Yet there were chances of a draw if White would play 24.Bc2! and now: A) Insufficient is 24...Nc4 25.Rd1 Rb8 26.Rb1 followed by 27.Ne4 and 28.Bb3 (Also interesting is 26.Rd7!? Nxb2 27.Ne4 b5 28.Bb3); B) 24...Bxc3 25.bxc3 Rd2 (Otherwise White activates the rook 25...Nc4 (or 25...Kf8 26.Rb1) 26.Rb1 Na3 27.Rb2!) 26.Rd1
The resulting bishop-knight endgame is a difficult one for White but not very simple for Black to win. Black's plans are: to place the kingside pawns on dark squares and transfer the knight to c5, plus bringing the King closer to the center, additionally to organize a passed a-pawn by playing b7-b5. But even this is no guarantee of a win; in the offing is a long and dangerous sequence of moves. 24...Rd2 25.Rc2 Bxc3 26.bxc3 Nf3+ 27.Kf1 Kf8! I did not see this simple move in time trouble. White couldn't even exchange rooks. 28.Rc1 Ng5 and White couldn't defend his numerous weaknesses, in a simplified position. 29.Rc2
Black easily wins also after 29.Ke1 Rb2 30.Bc2 Nxh3 31.f4 g5. 29...Ne4 30.Ke1 Rxc2 31.Bxc2 Nxc3 32.Kd2 Nd5 33.Bb3 Ke7 34.Kd3 Kd6 35.Kd4 f6 36.h4 h6 37.h5 Nc7 38.f4 Ne6+ 39.Kc4 Nc5 40.Bc2 Nxa4 0–1
What can
I say in conclusion? One should play chess more actively: 'Fortune
favors the one who strives, and
drags down the fearful one...'
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