Chess

Chess is magical and beautiful. Just read "Secrets of Spectacular Chess" by Jonathan Levitt and David Friedgood (recently issued by Everyman Chess), and you realize that almost everything is possible on the chessboard. This excellent study on the aesthetics of chess is full of fascinating examples created by players and composers. The current edition is vastly enlarged from the 1995 original. Among the new material is the amazing 1999 game between Kasparov and Topalov in Wijk aan Zee, the Netherlands. Kasparov considered it his best game, involving "the best combination ever." Was he being objective, or was it just another example of his great salesmanship? Let's see.

Kasparov-Topalov

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Be3 Bg7 5.Qd2 c6 6.f3 b5 7.Nge2 Nbd7 8.Bh6 Bxh6 9.Qxh6 Bb7 10.a3 e5 11.0-0-0 Qe7 12.Kb1 a6 13.Nc1 0-0-0 14.Nb3 exd4 15.Rxd4 c5 16.Rd1 Nb6 17.g3 Kb8 18.Na5 Ba8 19.Bh3 d5 20.Qf4+ Ka7 21.Rhe1 d4 22.Nd5 Nbxd5 23.exd5 Qd6 (Now the fun begins with a double-rook sacrifice.)

24.Rxd4! cxd4? (Topalov either did not see what was coming or did not believe it. Otherwise, he would have played either 24...Kb6 or 24...g5 with a slight edge for black.) 25.Re7+! Kb6 (Accepting the second rook leads to a forced mate: 25...Qxe7 26.Qxd4+ Kb8 27.Qb6+ Bb7 28.Nc6+ Ka8 29.Qa7 mate.) 26.Qxd4+ Kxa5 27.b4+ Ka4 (The king is entombed.)

28.Qc3?! (A few hours after this encounter, I found out that the most elegant and efficient way to finish the game begins with the subtle 28.Ra7!, combining mating threats on the a-file and on the square b3. Now taking the pawn on d5 loses quickly. The best defense is 28...Bb7, but after 29.Rxb7 black can't survive. The main point is that on 29...Qxd5 white does not have to transpose into the game with 30.Qc3. Instead, he can use the extra move for a direct assault with 30.Rb6!, e.g. 30...a5 [On 30...Ra8 31.Qxf6 a5 32.Bf1! Rhb8 33. Qc3!! Rxb6 34.Kb2, threatening 35.Qb3+, wins] 31.Ra6! Ra8 32.Qe3!! and after this quiet move, black has no defense, being two rooks up. For example, 32...Rhe8 33.Rxa8 Rxa8 34.Kb2 axb4 35.axb4 Kxb4 36.Qc3+ Ka4 37.Qa3 mate; or 32...Rxa6 33.Kb2 axb4 34.axb4 Qa2+ 35.Kxa2 Kxb4+ 36.Kb2 Rc6 37.Bf1 and white wins, since avoiding mate would cost black dearly in material. "Here by luck, Kasparov's inferior choice is responsible for the gorgeous finish coming into existence," Levitt writes. But it was only possible because Topalov did not play better defense.)

28...Qxd5 29.Ra7 Bb7 30.Rxb7 Qc4?! (First, Topalov should have tried 30...Rhe8!? 31.Rb6 Ra8, since Gert Lighterink's winning move 32.Bf1! is not easy to find during the game.) 31.Qxf6 Kxa3? (Secondly, Topalov should have played 31...Rd1+ 32.Kb2 Ra8! 33.Qb6 Qd4+ 34.Qxd4 Rxd4 and now Kasparov intended 35.Bd7, but after 35...Rd6! black holds. That would be the end of the brilliancy, and the game would be mostly remembered for Kasparov's missed opportunity on move 28. Instead of 35.Bd7 white could play 35.Rxf7!, keeping winning chances after 35...a5 36.Be6 axb4 37.Bb3+ Ka5 38.axb4+ Kb6! [38...Rxb4 allows 39.c3!] 39.Rxh7 Rf8 40.f4 Rf6, but this road to victory is rather boring.) 32.Qxa6+ Kxb4 33.c3+! (A subtle beauty, winning by force.) 33...Kxc3 34.Qa1+ Kd2 35.Qb2+ Kd1 36.Bf1! Rd2 37.Rd7! Rxd7 38.Bxc4 bxc4 39.Qxh8 Rd3 40.Qa8 c3 41.Qa4+ Ke1 42.f4 f5 43.Kc1 Rd2 44.Qa7 Black resigned.

Solution to today's study by G. Nadareishvili (White: Kb8,P:b7,e5; Black: Ka5,Nf8,P:d2): 1.Ka8! Nd7 2.e6 d1Q 3.exd7 Qxd7 4.b8Q Ka6 5.Qd6+! Qxd6 stalemate.