CHESS Lubomir Kavalek

Vladimir Kramnik of Russia began the world championship match against Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria with two stunning victories in the first two games. The 12-game reunification match in Elista, Russia, scheduled to finish on Oct. 12, will establish the ultimate world champion. Topalov is already in a big hole and despite his ability to win several games in a row in tournaments, overcoming such a large deficit in a short match will be difficult.

Objectively, Topalov created enough chances with his aggressive, imaginative play to lead 1 1/2 to 1/2 . Still, Kramnik was somehow able to deflect everything Topalov threw at him, from little pawns to heavy queens. In the first game, Topalov sacrificed a pawn, tied up Kramnik's pieces and was in command in the endgame before blundering and losing in 75 moves. Yesterday, in one of the most dramatic games in the history of world championships, Topalov tackled Kramnik's Slav defense by launching a promising attack against the black king. Kramnik tried to stand tall, but was quickly outnumbered by the white forces. He was kept in the game by Topalov's slips. First, the Bulgarian missed a few wins and later did not manage to hold draws. Kramnik won in 63 moves.

The third game of the match will be played tomorrow.

World Champion Korchnoi

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The legendary Viktor Korchnoi, 75, won the 16th World Senior Championship Friday in Arvier, Italy. He scored nine points in 11 games, edging the Czech grandmaster Vlastimil Jansa by half a point. The best American players were Stuart Wagman, at 87 the oldest participant, and the local Silver Spring master Bill Hook, both finishing with 6 points. Ludmila Saunina won the World Senior Women's championship with 8 1/2 points.

Jansa secured the second place with a last-round win, a positional masterpiece in the Spanish opening, against the Latvian grandmaster Janis Klovans. After locking up the center with a dominating knight, white launched a devastating attack on the kingside.

Jansa-Klovans

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Bb7 10.d4 Re8 11.Nbd2 Bf8 12.d5!? (One of the most unpleasant variations against the Zaitsev Spanish.) 12...Nb8 13.Nf1 Nbd7 14.N3h2 Nc5 15.Bc2 c6!? (Undermining the center is the best alternative. The fight for control of the square d5 begins.) 16.b4 Ncd7 17.dxc6 Bxc6 18.Bg5!? (Kasparov once played 18.Ng4, but Jansa's move is more to the point: White has better chances to exchange more black pieces that can control the square d5.)

18...Qc7 (Breaking the unpleasant pin with18...h6 leaves black without counterplay after 19.Bxf6 Nxf6 20.Ng4 Nxg4 21.Qxg4, since the freeing attempt 21...d5?! backfires. For instance, the game McShane-Stefansson, Reykjavik 2003, continued 22.exd5 Qxd5 23.Bb3 Qd7 24.Qh5 a5 25.bxa5 Qe7 26.Ne3 Rxa5 27.Ng4 Rd8 28.Nxe5 and black resigned.

(The clever alternative 18...Qc8 from the game Almasi-Bacrot, Szeged 2000, netted black a pawn after 19.Bxf6 Nxf6 20.Ng4 Nxg4 21.hxg4 Bd7 22.Ne3 Qxc3, but after 23.Nd5 Qc6 24.Bb3 Qb7 25.g5 Be6 26.Re3 Rec8 27.Qh5, white got a powerful attack and won in 34 moves.

(In a 2002 Czech game, Jansa-Stocek, black fought for freedom with 18...Be7 19.Bxf6 Nxf6 20.Ng4 d5?! But after 21.Nxe5 Bb7, Jansa found a winning combination, 22.Nxf7! Kxf7 23.e5 Ne4 24.Rxe4! dxe4 25.Bb3+ Kg6 26.Qg4+ Kh6, and now instead of 27.Ng3, he could have played 27.Rd1 Qc7 28.Ne3! with a decisive attack: for example, 28...Bc8 29.Qxe4 Rb8 30.e6 g6 31.Ng4+ Kg7 32.Qd4+ and white mates; or 28...g6 29.Qe6! Kg7 [After 29...Bc8 30.Nf5+ white wins soon.] 30.Rd7 Qc6 31.Rxe7+ Rxe7 32.Qxe7+ Kh8 33.Be6! wins.)

19.Bxf6 Nxf6 20.Ng4 Nxg4 21.hxg4 (This position was tested in a few correspondence games with acceptable results for black. The aggressive 21...Bb7 22.Qf3 Rac8 23.Bb3 [23.Re3!?] 23...d5!? looks the best, for example 24.Bxd5 Bxd5 25.exd5 Qxc3 and black is without problems.) 21...Rac8 22.Bb3 Bd7?! (This retreat is passive, and Klovans will soon be smothered. He should have considered a flamboyant pawn sacrifice 22...d5!? 23.exd5 Bd7, increasing the range of his dark bishop.) 23.Rc1 Be7 24.Ne3 Bg5 25.Nd5 Qb8 26.Rc2 (With a dominant knight on d5, white can switch his attention to the black king.) 26...Rc6 27.g3 Qc8 28.f3 Be6 29.Qd3 Bd8 30.Kg2 Qb7 31.Rh1 Be7 32.Kf1 (Preparing to double the rooks on the h-file.) 32...Rec8 33.Rch2 h6 (Stopping the attack only temporarily.)

34.Qe3! (An excellent way to break through the black defense, threatening 35.Rxh6!) 34...Kf8 (After 34...Bg5 35.Qxg5! wins.) 35.g5! h5 (Loses outright and so does 35...Bxg5 36.Qxg5! Black can only prolong the game with 35...Kg8 36.gxh6 g6 37.h7+ Kh8, but after 38.f4! white should win.) 36.Rxh5 (White has a pawn more and the attack.) 36...Ke8 37.Rh8+ Kd7 38.Rxc8 Kxc8 39.Rh8+ Kd7 40.g6 fxg6 41.Nxe7 (After 41...Kxe7 42.Qg5+ black is mated soon; and 41...Bxb3 42.Nxc6 is hopeless for black.) Black resigned.

Today's puzzle (White: Kg1,Rf1,P:c7,h2; Black: Kh7,Ra2,Nf2,P:f3) was inspired by a side variation from the first game between Kramnik and Topalov. Black mates in four moves: 1...Nh3+ 2.Kh1 Rg2! 3.c8Q Rg1+! 4.Rxg1 Nf2 mate.