By Lubomir Kavalek
Monday, January 31, 2000; Page C12

The 14-player Corus tournament in Wijk aan Zee, the Netherlands, ended yesterday as expected, with another impressive victory for Garry Kasparov. With a strong finish, 4 points in the last 5 games, Kasparov left his nearest rivals 1.5 points behind. Final standing: Kasparov 9.5 points in 13 games; Vishy Anand, Vladimir Kramnik and Peter Leko 8 points; Alexander Morozevich 7.5; Michael Adams 7; Jereon Piket and Jan Timman 6.5; Predrag Nikolic 6; Nigel Short 5.5; Viktor Korchnoi and Judit Polgar 5; Smbat Lputian 4.5; Loek Van Wely 4 points.

Kasparov had to defend several positions where he was on the verge of losing, but he always escaped. Anand and Kramnik turned in solid performances, while the young Leko scored another triumph.

The most exciting play was produced by the young Muscovite Morozevich. Some of his marvelous, imaginative moves are shocking, surprising and difficult to predict. You often see them only after they are made on the board. In his risky efforts--reminiscent of the former world champion Mikhail Tal--Morozevich displays a keen sense for timing his brilliant attacks.

Morozevich-Van Wely

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e6 7.f3 b5 8.g4 h6 9.Qd2 Nbd7 10.0-0-0 Bb7 11.Bd3 (Morozevich prefers this bishop move over 11.h4, played by Kasparov against Van Wely.) 11...Ne5 12.Rhe1 Rc8 13.Kb1 Nfd7 14.f4! (With a better development, Morozevich charges forward.) 14...Nc4 (Accepting the pawn with 14...Nxg4 can be dangerous, e.g. 15.e5!? dxe5 16.Nxe6! fxe6 17.Bg6+ Ke7 18.fxe5! Ndxe5 19.Bg5+ Nf6 20.Qe3 with a powerful attack.) 15.Qe2 Nxe3 16.Qxe3 (One has to look at the game Morozevich-Topalov, played last year in Frankfurt, to imagine what kind of moves Morozevich is capable of playing. The Bulgarian grandmaster provoked a fury of sacrifices with the move 16...b4. The young Russian more than happily obliged and soon his knights were swarming into black's position 17.Nd5!? g5 18.Nf5!? Rg8 19.Qa7 Nc5 20.Bxa6! Bxa6 21.e5!! dxe5 22.Nde7!! and black did not find anything better than to give up his queen with 22...Qxe7 23.Nxe7 Bxe7, but after 24.Rxe5 gxf4 25.Rxc5 Bxc5 26.Qxa6 white was winning. Morozevich later played inaccurately, however, and even lost the game. It was a superhuman effort.)

16... g5?! (Like Topalov, the Dutchman hopes to gain control of the square e5 for his knight, but white strikes quickly in the center. Later in the Corus tournament Van Wely changed the tune and tried 16...Qb6 against Anand, who chose the meek 17.f5 e5 18.Nb3 Qxe3 19.Rxe3 and drew in 31 moves. But when Van Wely tried 16...Qb6 once more against Timman, the Dutch veteran came up with a knight sacrifice 17.Nd5! and after 17...exd5 18.exd5+ Kd8 19.Bxb5 axb5 20.Qe8+ Kc7 21.Qxf7 g5 22.Ne6+ Kb8 23.Qxd7 had strong pressure for the piece and won in 37 moves.) 17.e5! (Opens up the way to black's king.) 17...gxf4 18.Qxf4 dxe5 19.Nxe6! Qe7! (Black pinned his hopes on this move. On 19...fxe6 20.Bg6+ Ke7 21.Qf7 mates; and on 19...exf4 20.Nc7 mates.)

20.Qd2!! (Keeping the flame going. After 20.Nxf8 exf4 21.Nxd7 Qxe1 22.Rxe1+ Kxd7 23.Bf5+ Kd6 24.Bxc8 Rxc8 black is happy.) 20...fxe6 (After 20...Qxe6 21.Bf5 wins.) 21.Bg6+ Kd8 22.Rf1 (The rook aims triumphantly for the seventh rank.) 22...Rxc3!? (A passive defense would not cut it, for example 22...Rc7 23.Rf7 Qe8 24.Qe1! [White already has a draw after 24.Rf6 Qe7 25.Rf7, but playing to win is correct.] 24...Bd5 25.Nxd5 exd5 26.Rxd5 with decisive advantage either after 26...Qe6 27.Rdxd7+ Rxd7 28.Qa5+ Kc8 29.Rxd7 Kxd7 30.Bf5 pinning the queen; or after 26...Be7 27.Qa5 Rf8 28.Rxf8 Qxf8 29.Bf5 Bd6 30.Qxa6 black's position is hopeless.) 23.Qxc3 Qc5 (After 23...Qg5 24.Qa5+ Kc8 25.Bf7! white wins either after 25...Qe7 26.Qc3+ Kb8 27.Rxd7 Qxd7 28.Qxe5+; or after 25...Qxg4 26.Be8! Bd6 27.Qc3+ Qc4 28.Bxd7+ Kxd7 29.Qxe5 Bd5 30.Qxh8 Qxa2+ 31. Kc1 and the king escapes.)

24.Rf7 Bc8?! (Black is getting greedy. He should have tried to consolidate by giving up a couple of pawns with 24...Bd5 25.Qa5+ Qc7 26.Qxa6 Bd6 27.Qxb5 Rg8, although after 28.Qd3 Qb6 29.c4! Nc5 30.Qc2 Bxc4 31.Qxc4 Rxg6 32.Qc2 e4 33.Qf2 white has dangerous threats.) 25.Qd2 Qa7 (Keeping the control of the square f2, otherwise after 25...Qc7 26.Qf2 Bd6 27.Qh4+ wins.) 26.g5! (With black tied up white opens the second front.) 26...b4 (After 26...hxg5 27.Qxg5+ Kc7 28.Qxe5+ wins.) 27.gxh6 Bxh6 (On 27...Be7 28.h7 wins.) 28.Qxb4 Bg5 29.Qg4 (Black's position is hopeless, e.g. 29...Be7 30.Qxe6 Qc5 31.Rxe7 Qxe7 32.Qb6 mate.) Black resigned.

Virginia Open

IM Larry Kaufman won the Virginia Open on Jan. 21-23 in Fredericksburg, scoring4.5 points in 6 games. Richard Frazer won the amatuer section with 5.5 out of 6 games.

Solution to today's study by D. Petrov (White: Kc8,Re1,Ne7,Bf8; Black:Kd6,Qd2,P:b5,b6,d7): 1.Nf5+ Kc6 (1...Kd5 2.Rd1! Qxd1 3.Ne3+ wins.) 2.Rd1!! Qxd1 3.Bb4! wins, e.g. 1...Qe2 2.Nd4+; or 1...Kd5 2.Ne3+; or 1...d6 2.Ne7 mate. A remarkable work!

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