1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6
3.Nc3 d5
The Grünfeld Defence was a
great favourite of Korchnoi in his youth.
4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3
dxc4 6.Qxc4 0–0 7.e4
The Russian System was the
main choice of world champions, Botvinnik and Smyslov in the 1950s.
Later it became a battleground in Karpov-Kasparov matches.
7...Na6
The Prins Variation.
It was rarely played in those days. At that time they mainly played
the Smyslov Variation.
7...Bg4 8.Be3 Nfd7.
At present the Hungarian variation (7....a6) is popular.
8.Be2 c5 9.d5 e6
10.0–0 exd5 11.exd5 Bf5
''To
be honest, I like White's position and it would appear that he should
have an advantage. But Polugaevsky was not able to demonstrate
an advantage.'' - Korchnoi
12.a3
''After the game I judged
this to be a weak move, and the reason for White's loss of an opening
advantage. Meanwhile it is not all so simple....... In some
variations a2-a3 turns out to be a useful move; it restricts the
movements of the knight at a6 - the main problem of Black's
position.'' -Korchnoi.
But this is a slow plan and
it is better for White to complete his development according to
Kasparov. White has more active continuations like 12.Bf4,
12.Rd1 and 12.Be3.
12...Re8 13.Rd1
In a 1997 game the subtle
chess grandmaster David Bronstein played 13.Bf4 Ne4
(Not
13...Nxd5? 14.Nxd5 Re4 15.Bg5!+-)
14.Nb5! Bxb2 15.Rab1! with
excellent play for White.
13...Ne4 14.Be3
Nd6
One of the drawbacks to
White's position is that it is hard for his queen to find an active,
and at the same time, secure post - it everywhere comes under attack
by the Black pieces.
15.Qf4!?
''In a joint analysis after
the game the two sides came to the conclusion that the queen move was
a poor one, and that White should have played 15.Qb3 Nc7 16.a4=.
Now I am inclined to think
differently. The queen move is not bad. It is more
aggressive. In some cases Bxa6 followed by Bxc5 is threatened,
and in some cases Nb5 will also be unpleasant, exchanging the piece
that is blockading the d5 pawn. '' - Korchnoi
15...Ne4!
16.Nb5
''The best move.
Polugaevesky sacrifices a pawn in order to reactivate his pieces.'' -
Korchnoi
But Kasparov does not
agree.
Not 16.Bxa6 bxa6 17.Na4 Qa5
18.Nxc5 Nxc5 19.b4 Qd8! And Black has the upper hand. - Kasparov
Or 16.Rac1? Nxc3 17.bxc3
Re4 18.Qg3 Rg4 19.Qh3 Rd4 White loses his d-pawn. - Korchnoi
So what should White play?
16.Bd3!
After 16...Bxc3 17.bxc3
Nxc3 18.Qh6 Korchnoi offers two continuations 18...Nxd1 and
18...Qf6. Both are refuted by Kasparov.
a) 18...Nxd1 19.Ng5 Qxg5
20.Bxg5! Re1+ 21.Bf1 Bd3
22.h3!
No one noticed
this quiet move. 22...Rxf1+
23.Kh2 Nc7 24.Bf6 Ne8 25.Be7 Nc7 26.Bxc5 Nxd5 27.Bd4 f6 28.Qd2!
and the mobile white
queen is stronger than the uncoordinated army of black pieces.
b) 18...Qf6 19.Bxf5 Nxd1
(19...Qxf5 20.Ng5+-)
20.Rxd1 Qxf5 21.Ng5 Rad8
22.Qxh7+ Kf8 23.Re1+-
16...Bxb2
17.Ra2
Korchnoi approves
this move. But this move cannot be right as the rooks lose
coordination. - NSH
Kasparov rightly
recommends 17.Rab1 Bg7 18.g4
(18.Bd3 Qxd5 19.g4 Nxf2!)
18...Bd7 19.Bd3 and now:
a)
19...Bxb5 20.Bxe4 Nc7
21.Ng5 Qd7 22.d6 Rxe4 practically forced.
(22...Re6
23.Bd5!) 23.Qxe4
Bc6 24.Qf4 Re8 25.h3 with a complicated game, but the passed d -pawn
allows White to face the future with confidence. '' - Kasparov
b)
19...Qf6 20.Qxf6 Bxf6 21.g5
The knight at b5 and the d-pawn cramp Black's position. For the
moment his extra pawn is not felt, and the position is one of dynamic
balance'' - Kasparov
17...Bg7 18.Bc4
Presumably White had been
planning to to continue 18.d6, but then rejected it because of
18...Be6 19.Qxe4 Bxa2 20.Qxb7 Qb6! 21.Qxb6 axb6 when he has
insufficient compensation for the lost material, e.g. 22.Nc7 Nxc7
23.dxc7 Rec8 24.Bf4 Bb3 and Black has the upper hand. But now
the bishop on c4 cuts off the white queen's retreat.
Korchnoi suggests 18.h3, but this is met by Kasparov's line 18...Qa5! (threatening ...Nb4)
19.Nd2
(19.Bc4 Qa4
20.Rc1 Bd7 Black has
a comfortable game.)
19...c4! 20.Bxc4
Qa4.
18...Nf6!
Intending both...Nh5
and...Re4. What an amazingly agile knight! (Kasparov)
19.Nd6
White had two reasonable
moves 19.Qd6 and 19.Qg3 with which he could have drawn according to
Korchnoi. But neither is satisfactory according to Kasparov:
a)19.Qd6 Qa5! followed
by...Rad8 is very strong.
b) 19.Qg3 Re4 20.Be2
(20.Bd3? Rg4)
20...Nh5 21.Qd6
Bd7! in both cases with initiative for Black.
So Kasparov suggests
19.Ng5!? h6
(19...Nh5?!
20.Qf3 h6 21.Nxf7 Qd7 22.d6
is dangerous for Black.)
20.Nxf7 Kxf7
21.Nd6+ Kf8 22.Nxe8 Qxe8. Black has two passed pawns for a rook,
but White's powerful passed pawn gives him equal chances.
19...Nh5 20.Nxb7
Qc8 21.Qd6
''After 21.Nd6? Qb8! White
would have lost either his knight or his queen -without sufficient
compensation.'' - Korchnoi.
Kasparov, however, suggests
22.Qxf5! gxf5 23.Nxe8 Qxe8 24.Bxa6 Qa4 25.Be2 with saving chances.
Black would nevertheless retain an advantage with 25...Nf6! according
to him.
21...Nb8!
Now both...Qxb7 and...Bf8
trapping the queen are threatened. Black is winning.
22.Bb5
If 22.h3 with the idea of
returning the queen to h2, there would have followed 22...Qxb7 23.g4
Bb1.
22...Rxe3!
''Avoiding a clever trap.
22...Bf8? 23.Bxe8 Bxd6 24.Nxd6 and the picture changes sharply.'' -
Tal
23.fxe3 Bf8
''The immediate 23...Qxb7
24.Bc6
(24.Qxc5 Nf6)
24...Qb6 is also
possible.'' - Kasparov
24.Qd8
If 24.Qe5 Qxb7 25.Rb2?!
(25.e4
Qxb5 26.exf5 Nd7–+
Kasparov.)
25...Nd7 26.Bc6
Qc8
(26...Qxc6!?
-Kasparov)
27.Qc3 Bg7
28.Qd2 Bxb2 29.Bxa8 Qxa8 30.Qxb2 Nhf6 etc.
24...Qxb7
25.Bc4
More tenacious was 25.Rb2
Nd7 26.Bc6 or 26.Bxd7.- Korchnoi. Both, however, lose in the
long run.:
26.Bc6 Qxb2 27.Qxa8 Qxa3–+
Kasparov; or
26.Bxd7Qxb2
27.Qxa8 Bxd7–+
Kasparov
25...Nc6! 26.Qh4
After 26.dxc6 Rxd8 27.cxb7
Rxd1+ 28.Kf2 Bd6–+ the b7 pawn is not supported by the White pieces
and is soon lost.(28...Rb1
29.Bd5 Be6–+)
26...Na5 27.Bf1
Qb3 28.Rad2 Qxe3+ 29.Kh1
29...Be7?
Both sides were involved in
a fierce time scramble....here Black should have prevented the advance
of the d-pawn by 29...Nb7! - Korchnoi
30.Qa4 Qc3
The only defence against
the threats of Re2 and Qxa5 according to Korchnoi. But
30...Bd8!? Is also possible and could have been better. - Kasparov.
31. d6 Bf6 32.d7
If 32.Rd3 Bxd3 33.Rxd3 Qc1
34.Rd1 Qh6! –+
Analysis Diagram: after
34.Qh6
Or 32.g4 Qxf3+ 33.Bg2 Qxg4
34.Qxg4 Bxg4 35.Bxa8 Bxd1 36.Rxd1 Nb3!–+; 32.Bd3! was more tenacious.
- Kasparov
32...Rd8 33.Re2
Kg7 34.Kg1 Qb3 35.Qxb3 Nxb3 36.h3 Ng3 37.Re3 Nxf1 38.Rxb3 Bc2 0–1
