Great chess players are not getting any younger. Bent Larsen, one of the most original and fascinating players of the last century, celebrated his 70th birthday last Friday. We will have more next week about the Danish grandmaster, who was once acknowledged as the "tournament world champion."
Bobby Fischer, still in jail in Japan, will turn 62 on Wednesday. His Icelandic friends brought him a new passport and airline ticket, hoping to fly him to Reykjavik on his birthday. But on Saturday they complained that the Japanese authorities did not allow them to see Fischer. Garry Kasparov is going to be 42 next month, but he still acts like a young man. He is well on his way to winning another super-tournament in Linares, Spain.
A Runaway Kid
The seven-player double-round-robin elite event in Linares is still underway, but after yesterday's round, the chances of anybody catching Kasparov are very slim. While others are slowly crawling forward with draws, the world's top-rated grandmaster is running away with first place. He chalked up a plus-four score -- four wins and five draws. With three games left, Kasparov's nearest rival, India's Vishy Anand, is a full point behind. Kasparov came to Linares well prepared, and it was obvious in his game against FIDE world champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov. He had up his sleeve another surprising opening novelty in the Semi-Slav Meran defense. It involved a positional exchange sacrifice that Kasparov turned into a vicious attack.
Kasimdzhanov-Kasparov
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Nf3 Nbd7 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5 8.Bd3 Bb7 9.0-0 a6 10.e4 c5 11.d5 (The sharp Reynolds variation of the Meran defense that suits Kasparov's style well.) 11 . . . Qc7 12.dxe6 fxe6 13.Bc2 c4 14.Nd4 Nc5 15.Be3 e5 16.Nf3 (In a few games after 16.Nf5 the blacks did well by taking the pawn16 . . . Ncxe4.) 16 . . . Be7 17.Ng5 0-0! (Kasparov's prepared novelty, playing right into white's threat. It solves his developing problems. In the game Kruppa-Collas, Cappelle la Grande 2001, black played 17 . . . h6?!, but after 18.Bxc5 hxg5 19.Be3 g4 20.Qe2 0-0-0 21.a4 b4 22.Nd5! Was in trouble.) 18.Bxc5 Bxc5 19.Ne6 Qb6 20.Nxf8 Rxf8 (Kasparov has a sufficient compensation for the exchange: His dark bishop reigns on the board uncontested and his pieces in general have more room to operate. Not to be overlooked is the queenside pawn majority. At the moment black is threatening 21 . . . Bxf2+ 22.Rxf2 Ng4!)
21.Nd5?! (Giving a pawn away eliminates black's bishop pair, but the price is too steep. More stubborn was 21.Qe2 although after 21 . . . Qe6! black is ready to meet 22.a4 with 22 . . . b4 and at the same time prepares 22 . . . Ng4 .) 21 . . . Bxd5 22.exd5 Bxf2+! 23.Kh1 (Forced, since 23.Rxf2? is met by 23 . . . Ng4!, for example 24.Qxg4? Qxf2+ 25.Kh1 Qf1+ 26.Rxf1 Rxf1 mate.) 23...e4! (This pawn is going to cement the dark bishop on f2, tying up white's forces.) 24.Qe2 e3 25.Rfd1 Qd6 26.a4 (White is finally trying to open up the game for his rooks, but a dangerous storm is gathering on the other wing where white does not have many pieces to defend his king. At this point Kasimdzhanov is left with 21 minutes, almost an hour less than Kasparov.)
26...g6! (A wonderful way to bring the rest of his pieces into attack, preparing to hop with his knight to h5.) 27.axb5 axb5 28.g3 (White does not have time to break the queenside with 28.b3, because after 28...Nh5 29.bxc4 Qf4! [Not 29...Ng3+? 30.hxg3 Qxg3 31.Rd4! defending against 31...Qh4 mate.] Black is winning either after 30.Qf3 Ng3+! 31.Qxg3 Bxg3 32.hxg3 Qxg3; or after 30.g3 Nxg3+! 31.hxg3 Qxg3 32.Qf1 Rf4 with mate.) 28...Nh5! (Threatening to win with 28...Nxg3+! For example, 29.b3 Nxg3+! 30.hxg3 Qxg3 31.Qf1 Qh4+ 32.Kg2 e2! wins.) 29.Qg4 Bxg3! (Kasparov knows how to bring a winning attack home.) 30.hxg3 (The queen exchange 30.Qe6+ does not save white because after 30...Qxe6 31.dxe6 e2 32.hxg3 exd1Q+ 33.Rxd1 Nxg3+ 34.Kg2 Nh5 black is two healthy pawns up.) 30...Nxg3+ 31.Kg2 (After 31.Kg1 e2 32.Re1 Qb6+ 33.Kg2 Qf2+ 34.Kh3 Nf1 wins.) 31...Rf2+ 32.Kh3 (On 32.Kg1 Ne2+ 33.Kh1 Qh2 mates.) 32...Nf5! (Threatening 33...Qh2 mate.) 33.Rh1 h5 (Simplifying into a winning endgame, although 33...Rxc2 34.Ra8+ Kg7 35.Ra7+ Kf6 should win, too.) 34.Qxg6+ ( A desperate move, but after 34.Qg5 Rf3+ 35.Kg2 Rg3+ it is over anyway.) 34...Qxg6 35.Rhg1 Qxg1 36.Rxg1+ Kf7 White resigns.
Millennium Chess Festival
Grandmasters Jaan Ehlvest and Yuri Shulman shared first place in the open section of Virginia's premier event, played Feb. 25-27 at Virginia Beach. They scored 4 1/2 points in five games. FIDE Master Bryan Smith finished a half-point behind the winners, but won the shortest game of the event against Potomac junior Ray Kaufman in the Spanish Opening.
Smith-Kaufman
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.d4 exd4 5.Bg5 Bb4+?! (Bulgarian GM Ivan Radulov's risky approach.) 6.c3! dxc3 7.Nxc3 Be7 (Radulov likes to suffer with 7...f6.) 8.h4 d6 9.Nd5 Nf6? (Blundering the game away in one move.) 10.Qd4! Black resigns.
Solution to today's problem by M. Havel (White: Kd3,Qd7,Ng7,P:g2; Black: Kg6,P:h6): 1.Nh5! Kxh5 2.Qf5+ Kh4 3.Ke3 h5 (3...Kg3 4.Qh3 mate) 4.Qf4 mate; or 1...Kg5 2.g3 Kg6 3.Ke4 Kxh5 4.Qf5 mate.
