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Jubilee DVD - Best of ChessBase Magazine
Published by ChessBase
Editorial Board: Frederic Friedel, Rainer Knaak And André Schulz

Reviewed by Prof. Nagesh Havanur

Eighteen years ago, in January 1987, a chess database program was born in Germany. It was called ChessBase 1.0. Simultaneously it also launched its own flagship: ChessBase Magazine (CBM). Together they have become a force to reckon with in the chess world.

The Jubilee DVD under review was recently released to celebrate the publication of the 100^th issue of the ChessBase Magazine. It includes excerpts from 21 issues of the Magazine since 1996 (CBM 55-93). This DVD is only available as part of the package including CBM-100.

For old regulars this DVD brings several moments of nostalgia. There is good coverage of classic tournaments like Las Palmas 1996, Tilburg 1997, Dortund 1998 and Linares 1999. There is also entertaining footage on rapid events like Credit Sussie 1996 and Frankfurt Classic 1999. There are revealing interviews with celebrities like Kasparov, Kramnik and Anand. Aficionados of computer chess would find detailed reports on Kasparov vs Deep Blue (The whole CD is presented!) and Kramnik vs Deep Fritz.

One disappointment for chess fans is the relatively brief coverage of World Championships. Only Groningen-Lausanne 1997 and the Kasparov-Kramnik Match 2000 find their place in this DVD. The space offered to glamour girls of chess like Alexandra Kosteniuk could easily have been devoted to far more important events like the contest for the World title.

Similarly some trivia could have been avoided. For example, the Bareev interview is a disappointment. He mumbles words and does not reveal much, especially, on his role as a second to Kramnik during the 2000 World Championship Match.

Peter Svidler’s is a different case. He goes about wearing a sweatshirt carrying a loud message that religion and philosophy are sh*t. But there is no reason to include this kind of puerile humor in the Jubilee DVD.

Otherwise this special issue offers rich and varied fare. Consider this terrifying moment from Credit Sussie Rapid 1996 (CBM 55). Nothing sums up the agony and ecstasy of chess than Kasparov’s shock at his tragic blunder against Anand and the youthful Indian’s childlike glee over his victory. Anand won the mini-match with the score of 2.5-1.5.

Anand,V (2735) - Kasparov,G (2785)
Geneve PCA-GP Credit Suisse Geneve
(4.4) 01.09.1996 [B90]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 Ng4 7.Bg5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.Bg3 Bg7 10.Be2 h5 11.Bxg4 Bxg4 12.f3 Bd7 13.Bf2 Nc6 14.Qd2 Ne5 15.0-0

Anand castles, and Kasparov gathers his courage for 15...g4. You can see Anand's nerve-ends firing as he waits for Garry's move.

15...g4! 16.f4 Nc4 17.Qe2 Rc8 18.b3 Na3 19.Nd5 e6 20.Nb4 Qa5 21.Qe1 h4!

A very nice demonstration of power play - Black could probably already try to win something on the kingside, but tries to squeeze the maximum out of the position.

22.Be3 h3 23.g3 Nb5 24.Rd1 Nc3

Kasparov plays this move, Anand retreats his knight. When Kasparov hesitates with his reply, someone in the audience shouts a warning! Garry is visibly upset.

25.Nd3 Qc7 26.Rc1 Nxe4

Black is already winning.

27.f5 e5 28.f6

“What else can I do?”-Anand

28...Nxf6 29.Nf5 Bxf5 30.Rxf5 Qc6 31.Qe2 Qe4 32.Rf2 Nd5 33.Re1!

With one last hope.

Kasparov takes the bishop and Anand can hardly believe that the queen is his.

33...Qxe3?? 34.Qxg4! ±

You should see Kasparov’s despair on the video as he realizes what he has done!

34...0-0 35.Rxe3 Nxe3 36.Qxh3 Nxc2

Now 37. Qg2! should consolidate the win –NSH. Instead Anand played...

37.Qd7? Nd4?

Kasparov returns the compliment and misses 37...e4! 38.Nf4 Bd4.

38.Qxb7 a5 39.Kg2 Rc3 40.Nb2 Nc2 41.Nc4 d5 42.Nd6 Ne3+ 43.Kh3 f5 44.Qd7 f4 45.Qe6+ Kh7 46.Nf7 Rxf7 47.Qxf7 Rc6 48.gxf4 Rf6 49.Qc7 e4 50.f5 d4 51.Qe7 Rh6+ 52.Kg3 Nd1 53.Rf4 e3

Kasparov tries to get something out of the two passed pawns. Anand, his sleeves pushed up, his hands trembling, sets up a mate.

54.Rg3! 1-0

Kasparov resigns in disgust and Anand rejoices.

The chess public expects its gladiators to shed blood and hates grandmaster draws. But draws too can be exciting when both opponents strain every nerve to win. When Peter Leko played in the Dortmund 1996 tournament, he was still in his teens and struggling for form. But in the following encounter he manages to surprise Kramnik, whom he was to challenge in a World Championship Match eight years later. (Kramnik retained the title after the level score 7-7.) The game is a joy to behold, especially, with young Leko’s running commentary on the video (CBM 56):

Kramnik-Leko, Dortmund 1996
(Notes based on comments by GM Ftacnik)
Grünfeld Defence (D85)

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.d4 c5 8.Rb1!?

Kramnik goes for the most dangerous continuation. He has a nasty surprise for Leko up his sleeve.

8...0-0 9.Be2 cxd4 10.cxd4 Qa5+ 11.Bd2 Qxa2 12.0-0

12...a5!?

"I was looking for new ideas..." - Leko. More usual alternatives for Black are 12…b6 12…Nd7 and 12…Bg4.

13.Qc1

“White’s strongest continuation is probably 13. d5 a4 14.bb4 a3 15.e5 with a very double-edged struggle. It does feel as ,though ,as if Black is putting all his eggs into one basket, a risky strategy.”- Jacob Aagaard. (Starting out: The Grünfeld, p.82, Everyman Chess 2004)

13…Bg4!

Black is trying to combine the counter play with a pawn and pressure against the white center.

14.Bc4 Qa4 15.Bb5 Qa2 16.Bc4 Qa4 17.Rxb7! Bxf3!

Not 17...Rc8 18.Bb5 Qa2 (18...Rxc1 19.Bxa4 Rxf1+ 20.Kxf1 Bxf3 21.gxf3 Bxd4 22.Rxe7±) 19.Rc7 Na6 20.Bxa6 Rxc7 21.Qxc7 Bxf3 22.Bb7 Rf8 23.Bg5+-

18.gxf3

Not 18.Bb5? Qb3 19.gxf3 Qxf3 -+

Game Position: after 18.gxf3

18...Nc6!!

Young Leko explains how he thought he was busted and discovered this move through sheer inspiration.

19.Bb5

Not 19.Bb3 Qxd4 20.Be3 Qf6 21.Rb6 Nd4!;

Or 19.Be3 Nxd4 20.Bxd4 Bxd4 Black has better chances.

19...Qxb5 20.Rxb5 Nxd4 21.Rxa5

21.Qc5 could have set more problems for Black .21… Nxf3+ (21...Rac8 22.Qxe7 Nxb5 23.Bxa5 Nd4 24.Kg2 Nc6 25.Qc5 Nxa5 26.Qxa5±) 22.Kg2 Nxd2 23.Re1. Now 23...a4 should lose to 24.Qxe7 a3 (24...Rfe8 25.Qc7 a3 26.Rb7 Rf8 27.e5 a2 28.Ra1+-) 25.e5 a2 26.Ra1 Nc4 27.Rc5 Rfe8 28.Rxa2!+- Fine analysis by Ftatcnik.

21...Ne2+ 22.Kg2 Nxc1 23.Rxc1 1/2-1/2

The Multimedia Report on the 1997 World Championship (CBM 63) describes Anand’s descent into hell after winning the marathon Groningen tournament. After his decisive victory against Adams in the last round Anand finds himself in a piquant position. He is the World Championship Challenger and he has to play the Final against Karpov at Lausanne in a matter of hours:

He and Aruna turn to Emmanuel Omuku (FIDE representative) to ask about arrangements for transport to Lausanne. There are none, no plane reservations or anything. A Dutch organizer and some Indian friends try to help with constructive suggestions. Omuku offers to help if they can get to the Amsterdam airport the next morning at 7:15 a.m. That would have meant getting up at around 4 a.m. and taking a taxi to Amsterdam. Aruna and Anand ended up making all arrangements themselves. When they arrived at Geneva there were FIDE delegates at the airport, but they were waiting for their President Ilyumzhinov, so they first took a cab to Lausanne. There the hotel just barely had rooms for them and Ubilava, and Anand’s suite was about $500 a night. All this was quite disturbing since there were going to be more people coming (Yusupov and Leko). Fortunately, the next day the hotel told them that FIDE was receiving special prices and they could take advantage of that. So they ended up paying 220 S Fr, around $150, per room from accredited journalists like myself only paid S Fr.175. After they had solved all problems and settled down, Anand discovered that he had just three hours left for his opponent in the World Championship Final.

What followed in Lausanne was a tragedy. After leveling the Match 3-3 Anand was obliged to play the tie-break in two rapid games. In the very first game with Black he outplayed Karpov and was a pawn up. Then came disaster. He blundered away the pawn and, seeking a win in a drawn position, lost the game. In the next game he sacrificed material for little compensation and lost without a fight. The month long campaign had at last taken its toll. In the interviews Karpov’s cynicism and Anand’s candour are striking. Vishy readily admits that he played the cycle under such unfair conditions principally for the money. Deservedly, he paid the price. It is a pity that only the decisive encounter against Adams from Groningen is found in this DVD. None of the Lausanne games are included.

By way of postscript it may be added that Anand never lost a single game against Karpov in serious play thereafter. He went on to win the FIDE World Championship in 2000. As for Karpov, he has not participated in the World Championship cycle since Lausanne 1997.

The Multimedia Report on the 2000 World Championship Match is from Almira Skripchenko. She is married to GM Lautier, who also happened to be a second of Kramnik during the Match. There are interviews with Jonathan Speelman and Julian Hodgson. Both offer insights into Kramnik’s success and Kasparov’s failure. There are also intimate glimpses of the Kramnik team at home during the Match.

Do not miss this visual treat and collector’s item.