ODT111101

=**Kasparov defeats old foe**=




 * Problem:** Black to play and mate in 3.

The last FIDE world championship cycle in the traditional format of candidates matches followed by a 24 game match between challenger and champion took place London in 1993. The Russian World Champion, Garry Kasparov and his English challenger, Nigel Short broke away from FIDE, the World Chess Federation to organise the match. This heralded two decades of disputed titles and continuous changes in format, that recently has seen the current top ranked player in the world, Norwegian Magnus Carlsen, decline to compete for the title.

Kasparov, who retired from professional play six years ago, returned to the board last month to play an eight-game blitz exhibition match against his old foe, Short, in the Belgian town of Leuven. Starting with three draws, Kasparov looked to have the match sewn up by winning the next two games. However, Short utilised rarely-played openings at grandmaster level (the King's Gambit and the St George: 1...a6?!) to even the score going into the final game. Today's game is the final game of the match, in which Kasparov showed he has not lost his tactical brilliance to win with the black pieces and take the match 4½-3½. media type="custom" key="25659842" Short employs another 19th century opening and Kasparov fearlessly responds with the Two Knights Defence, an opening against which Short has a excellent record. Controlling e4 so as to avoid 8 Be2 h6 9 Nf3 e4, though the move has the obvious drawback of blocking d2. White has spent time winning a pawn, making this apparent loss of time by Black possible. The coming exchange on d3 ruins White's pawn structure as neither 11 Ne1 nor 11 Be2 e4 are desirable alternatives. Taking another pawn 13 Nxe5?! is inviting disaster as Black mobilises with 13...Re8. Fixing the weakness on d3 and planning to rehabilitate the knight via c6. White's response effectively abandons d3 to attend to his undeveloped queenside. White's pieces are becoming unco-ordinated. Possibly best was 20 Nd4!? cxd4 21 Bxd6 Qxd6 22 Rxa5 when the lack of minor pieces reduces the cramping power of Black's central pawn phalanx. Black now maneouvres the knight to the dominating post on d3. Offering the exchange to prevent the pawn being blockaded. 22 Bxc5 Nd3! is worse. Accepting the offer by 23...Bxh2+ 24 Kxh2 Qc7+ 25 Kg1 Nxc1 26 Qxc1 would allow White to put up greater resistance with his passed c-pawn, so Black plays to infiltrate with his superior minor pieces. A sacrifice to break though on the back rank reminiscent of Kasparov's best, especially considering the blitz time control. White blockades the dangerous e-pawn, but Black picks up the rook thanks to the mate threat. The point is that the White king and knight are still trapped The white king and knight are precariously placed on the back rank, and 32 g3! giving up a pawn to gain a tempo was necessary. Most efficient was 33...Rb1! 34.Re1 Rxe1 35.Bxe1 Rd1 winning. Clearly the time control was influencing both players at this point, as White misses the best defence 34 Be1 unpinning the knight, so the game carries on to its logical conclusion.
 * 1.e4 e5**
 * 2.Nf3 Nc6**
 * 3.Bc4 Nf6!?**
 * 4.Ng5 d5**
 * 5.exd5 Na5**
 * 6.Bb5+ c6**
 * 7.dxc6 bxc6**
 * 8.Bd3!? ---**
 * 8.--- Nd5**
 * 9.Nf3 Bd6**
 * 10.0-0 Nf4!**
 * 11.Re1 Nxd3**
 * 12.cxd3 0-0**
 * 13.Nc3 ---**
 * 13.--- Re8**
 * 14.h3 c5!**
 * 15.b3 Ba6**
 * 16.Ba3 Bxd3**
 * 17.Ne4 Bxe4**
 * 18.Rxe4 f5**
 * 19.Ra4 e4**
 * 20.Nh2 ---**
 * 20.--- Nc6!**
 * 21.Rc1 Ne5**
 * 22.d4! ---**
 * 22...Nd3**
 * 23.dxc5 Bf4!**
 * 24.Rc2 e3**
 * 25.f3 Bg3**
 * 26.Nf1 Bf2+**
 * 27.Kh1 Nf4!!**
 * 28.Qxd8 Raxd8**
 * 29.Rxf4 Rd1**
 * 30.Re2! Bg3!**
 * 31.Kg1 Bxf4**
 * 32.g4?! ---**
 * 32.--- Red8**
 * 33.Bb4 R8d4?!**
 * 34.Ba5?! Rd5**
 * 35.Bb4 a5**
 * 36.Bxa5 Rxc5**
 * 37.Bb6 Rcc1**
 * 38.Bxe3 Rxf1+**
 * 39.Kg2 Bxe3**
 * 40.Rxe3 Rfe1**
 * 41.Rd3 f4**


 * 0-1**


 * Solution:** 1 ... Qb1+ 2 Kf2 (2 Qd1/c1 Qxd1/c1+ 3 Kf2 e1=Q#) Qf1+! 3 Bxf1 exf1=Q#.