Beating Your Dad at Chess

Game of the Week

My exercise set for the Knight Award has this position.

White to move

It is the exercise that my students find most difficult among the dozen in that set. The position arose in a game Paul Morphy played against his father when he was twelve years old.

An earlier position from this game appears as the third position in Thomas Engqvist, 300 Most Important Chess Positions (2018).

White to move

In the game, Paul Morphy's father, Alonzo, made several errors. Maybe he was not a very strong chess player. Maybe he sought to help build his son's confidence. Young Paul's moves are not in every case the first choice of today's engines, but his overall play demonstrates that already at the age of twelve, he understood the importance of rapid mobilization of his pieces and was not afraid to sacrifice material to exploit a vulnerable king.

Morphy,Paul C -- Morphy,Alonzo [C51]
New Orleans, 1849

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 6.d4 exd4 7.cxd4

7.0–0 became a common reply in the 1860s. Both moves score well for White.

7...Bb6

7...Bb4+ is possible

8.0–0

Black to move

8...Na5

The elder Morphy neglects development, but as his son is usually credited with discovering the importance of development, our judgement should not be too harsh.

8...d6 would have been better.

9.Bd3 d5

Opening the e-file cannot be good for Black. The king's vulnerability will create the conditions for young Paul to show the skills that would become his signature.

9...Ne7;
9...d6

10.exd5 Qxd5

Father seems determined to help his son.

10...Ne7 11.Ba3 0–0 12.Qc2

11.Ba3 Be6 12.Nc3 Qd7

See Engqvist's position above.

13.d5!

Morphy understood that material does not matter when Black's king is vulnerable.

13... Bxd5

13...0–0–0 14.Qc2 (14.dxe6 Qxd3 15.exf7 Nf6 16.Be7)

14.Nxd5

My main line while looking at the position in Engqvist's book was 14.Bb5 c6 15.Re1+ Be6. I had not yet recognized the game as the source for my exercise.

14...Qxd5

White to move

15.Bb5+

Engines like 15.Re1+ Kd8 16.Be4 Qd7 (16...Nf6 avoids checkmate) 17.Qxd7+ Kxd7 18.Rad1+ Kc8 19.Bf5+ Kb8 20.Re8#

15...Qxb5 16.Re1+ Ne7 17.Rb1

Much better is 17.Rxe7+ Kf8 18.Ne5.

17...Qa6

This move offers White a forced checkmate.

17...Qd7 18.Rxe7+ Qxe7 19.Bxe7 Kxe7 White still has a decisive edge, but has much work remaining after his relatively weak move 17.

White to move

18.Rxe7+ Kf8 19.Qd5

There is a faster checkmate, but it is hard to fault Morphy for pursuing a checkmate in two that can be delayed through spite checks.

19.Rxf7+ Kxf7 20.Qd7+ Kf6 21.Be7+ Kg6 22.Qe6+ Kh5 23.g4#

19...Qc4

See my position for the Knight Award at the top of this post.

19...Bxf2+ delays the end with spite checks.

20.Rxf7+ Kg8 21.Rf8# 1–0

I beat my dad when I played him at age fifteen, but my play lacked the sort of combinations that Morphy displayed. No record was made of the game (see "My First Chess Book").

Evans -- Larsen 1957

Game of the Week

After several people recommended J.H. Donner, The King: Chess Pieces (2006), I finally bought a copy. It arrived two days ago. This game is presented in one of the early essays in the book, "Fun and Seriousness" (26-28).

Evans,Larry Melvyn -- Larsen,Bent [D32]
Dallas, 1957

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5

J.H. Donner notes, "Officially, the line is known to be unfavorable for Black" (27). Readers of Seigbert Tarrasch, on the other hand, know that in his opinion this move must be played sooner or later, and playing it without loss of tempo has its merits.

4.e3

4.cxd5

4...Nf6 5.Nf3 Nc6

Symmetry, it seems to me, should favor the first player.

6.cxd5

6.a3 has become the main line.

6...exd5

White to move

I have had this position at least 27 times in online play. Black scored over 60% in my games. I had White in 13 of these 27 and my record from both sides is +1.

7.Bb5 a6

This move has not been played by any of my opponents, nor by me.

7...Bd6 is slightly more popular. It seems sensible to prepare castling before the center opens further. I have faced this move once. I won that game after a long struggle.

8.Bxc6+

8.Be2 The handful of games with this move have favored Black.

8...bxc6 9.0–0 Bd6

9...c4 and Black won in 35 moves in Howard,G. -- Whitfield,K., Hamilton 1924.

10.dxc5 Bxc5

White to move

This position has been reached more than fifty times since this game.

11.e4

"It seems White is taking the initiative" (Donner 27). Three other moves are more popular. Trying to open the center before Black castles seems sensible.

11.b3;
11.Qc2;
11.Qa4

11...0–0 12.Bg5

12.e5 does not seem to offer White much 12...Nd7.

12...Be7 13.Nd4

Striking at an obvious target that is easily defended. Does this move provoke a concession as Black defends the pawn?

13.Qa4;
13.exd5 cxd5 Black has two isolated pawns 14.Nd4 (14.Qd3) 14...Qd6 15.Qd2 Ne4 and White went on to win after a long struggle (60 moves) in Barlocco,C (2144) -- Wohl,A (2362) Arco 2008.

13...Qd6 14.e5

14.Nf5 Bxf5 15.exf5

14...Qxe5 15.Nxc6 Qxg5 16.Nxe7+ Kh8 17.Nxc8 Raxc8

White to move

Donner, who was preparing to face Larsen over the board when he wrote this article states, "Black has easily parried all white threats, obtaining comfortable play. That is when Larsen is at his most dangerous" (28). Perhaps the point of White's move 13 was to eliminate the clergy.

18.Qd3 Rfd8

"If Evans thought even for a moment that Larsen would defend the a6 pawn, he didn't know whom he was up against" (Donner 28). It seems to me that now Black is seizing the initiative.

19.Qxa6

Donner gives this move !??. Does this annotation mean an interesting blunder?

19...d4 20.Ne2 Rc2

"Note that Black is no longer in danger of being mated on the back rank" (Donner 28).

21.Rad1 Qe5 22.Ng3

One alternative, 22.Nxd4, is the sort of move weak chess engines make when they are programmed to see three plies deep, as it appears that White is provoking a back-rank weakness. 22...Rxd4 23.Qa8+ Ng8 24.Rxd4 Qxd4. It's also the kind of move I might make in blitz.

Black to move

22...h5

Donner gives this move an explanation mark. The computer sees snatching the b-pawn as the only way for Black to maintain a slight edge.

23.Rfe1 Qd5 24.Re2

Quite possibly the decisive error.

24.Qd3 Rxb2

24...d3 25.Re3

A mistake, according to Donner.

25.Red2 Rxd2 26.Rxd2 h4 27.Nf1 Ne4 Black still has the upper hand. That's why I see the critical error as one move earlier than Donner's assessment.

Black to move

This position makes for a good tactics exercise.

25...Rxf2

Donner offers a double exclam and, "A most unexpected combination, with the point appearing soon" (28).

26.Ne4

26.Kxf2 Ng4+

26...Nxe4

The computer likes 26...Ng4. Perhaps Donner might have noted the role of luck in chess, because here Larsen lets it slip away, if only Evans, who has been under enormous pressure could have found the  correct response.

White to move

This position, also, could serve in a battery of tactics exercises. White might yet resist Black's attack.

27.Rexd3

Now, Larsen can finish.

27.Rdxd3 Qg5 28.Rxd8+ Qxd8 29.Rxe4 Rxb2 and this position should develop into a draw.

27...Rf1+

Another double exclam from Donner, and possibly a third tactics exercise.

28.Rxf1

28.Kxf1 Qf5+ 29.Rf3 (29.Kg1 Qc5+ 30.Rd4 Rxd4 31.Qa8+ Rd8+ with smother mate to follow) 29...Rxd1+ 30.Ke2 Nc3+ 31.Rxc3 Qf1+.

28...Qc5+

Evans resigned.

29.Kh1 Nf2+ 30.Rxf2 (30.Kg1 Nh3+ 31.Kh1 Qg1+ 32.Rxg1 Nf2#) 30...Qc1+ 31.Rd1 Rxd1+ 32.Rf1 Rxf1+ 33.Qxf1 Qxf1#

0–1

Exploiting an Open File

Game of the Week

I am working through Neil McDonald, Chess: The Art of Logical Thinking (2004). This book follows the method made famous by Irving Chernev, Logical Chess: Move by Move (1957), which I reviewed here six years ago. My process for reading this book is slow and deliberate.

First, I play through the game without reference to McDonald's book. I play through the game several times without any resources. While observing the flow of the game, I seek the critical moments. Where was the error that made victory possible for the other player? What alternatives might have been considered? This process usually takes several days with varying amounts of time spent on the game each day.

As questions about the opening form, I check my databases for opening innovations. By this point, I have a pretty good idea where the game became unique.

I record my observations and alternate lines in ChessBase. Sometimes, as in the present game, I will take a quick look at annotations in Chess Informant. Sometimes other historical resources are consulted, as in the first game. Finally, I look through McDonald's annotations. If I use a chess engine, it is only after studying McDonald's comments.

The first two games in Chess: The Art of Logical Thinking concern games in the Spanish Opening, or Ruy Lopez. My study of game 1 resulted in "A Snubbed Handshake" last Thursday.

Huebner,Robert (2620) -- Portisch,Lajos (2605) [C92]
OHRA-A Brussels (9), 12.1986

This game can be found in Informant 42/434

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Be7 6.Re1 b5

At this point, McDonald addresses my question in the previous game regarding the merits of the Morphy Defense. Black protects c6 from White's light-squared bishop and gains space on the queenside. On the other hand, these moves also slightly weaken Black's queenside pawn structure. In this game, Huebner steadily puts pressure on the queenside until Portisch errs.

7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0–0 9.h3 Bb7 10.d4 Re8 11.Nbd2 Bf8

All more or less main lines to this point. With move 12, the number of games drops below 1000. Four White twelfth moves have been played over 600 times, with Huebner's the most frequent.

White to move

12.a4

Also popular are 12.a3, 12.d5, and 12.Bc2.

12...Qd7

Played by both Svidler and Azarov in 2008, both winning.

12...h6 is the main line, and had been played by Gligoric, Karpov, and others with some frequency prior to this game. Karpov also has played 12...Qd7.

12...Na5 13.Bc2 b4 14.cxb4 Nc6 15.Nb3 Nxb4 is a viable alternative.

13.d5

This move was the novelty according to Huebner's annotations in Informant. It had, however, been played by Efim Geller the previous year in a game that ended as a draw a few moves later.

13...Ne7

13 games in my database reached this position.

13...Na5 14.Bc2 and McDonald highlights the threat of b4, when the knight must go to c4 and White will likely win a pawn. 12...Na5 (see above) has appeared in more than four dozen games.

14.c4

Black to move

I posted this position, which has appeared in five games beginning with the present one, on my Facebook page with questions. What are the plans for both sides? Respondents found Black's position uncomfortable.

14...Ng6

14...c5 seems like a sensible idea to me 15.dxc6 would have been Huebner's move, I suspect, drawing clues from his Informant annotations. 15...Bxc6 (15...Nxc6 16.axb5 axb5 17.Rxa8 Bxa8 18.cxb5 Ne7 19.Bc4) 16.axb5 axb5 17.Rxa8 Bxa8 18.cxb5.

15.Bc2 c6 16.b3 b4

Perhaps partially closing the queenside is not in Black's strategic interests. This pawn is undefended, but not easily attacked. Moreover, Black can quickly play a5 when needed. McDonald thinks this move is well timed.

16...Qc7 17.Nf1 bxc4 18.bxc4 a5 and Black won in 53 moves, Van der Wiel,J (2540) -- Karpov,A (2725) Tilburg 1988.

16...bxc4 seems to me a viable alternative 17.Nxc4 Qc7. Karpov achieved this improvement by changing the move order. In that game, both sides had active piece play and it would seem good chances. Karpov outmaneuvered his opponent to secure the win.

17.Nh2 Qc7 18.Ng4 Be7 19.Nf1

Black to move

19...cxd5

This move may have been the critical error as it opens the c-file, which White was able to control and use. Huebner identified this move as a mistake, suggesting 19...c5 as the alternative. McDonald calls this move a blunder.

McDonald states, "White's knight manoeuvres have unnerved Portisch" (23). Was the error a failure of logic? Did Portisch have concrete reasons for this move? Perhaps he understood the strategic idea of penetration on the c-file and judged his defensive resources to be adequate. If he closes the queenside, as recommended in Huebner's annotations and McDonald's, White still might mount a kingside attack and Black's position remains cramped. I do not dispute that this move was the critical error, but I think the reader would be better served if McDonald had worked harder at finding an explanation for the error grounded in logic, rather than psychological speculation.

20.cxd5 Nxg4

Perhaps Black can contest the c-file 20...Rac8 21.Nfe3.

21.hxg4 Bc8

21...Rac8 22.Ne3 Bg5 23.Nc4 Bxc1 24.Rxc1 White has several potential outposts on the queenside, while the doubled g-pawns offer flexibility and strength, as well as the long-term possibility of building an attack on the h-file after g2–g3.

22.Ne3 Bg5 23.Nf5

McDonald states that White has a "strategically winning position" (23).

23...Bxc1 24.Rxc1 Qd8

24...Qb6 25.Bd3 Bb7 26.Rc2 (26.Re3) 26...Rac8

White to move

Black's lack of mobility is becoming apparent

25.Bd3 Ne7 26.Qd2 Rb8

26...Bxf5 opens up attacking possibilities on the kingside for White, according to McDonald. 27.gxf5 a5 28.Bb5 (28.Qg5 f6 29.Qg4) 28...Rf8 29.f6 gxf6 30.Qh6 Kh8 Perhaps Black can defend.

27.Rc2 Nxf5 28.gxf5 f6

Reducing the queen's mobility, although the queen cannot do much on the kingside alone and now other piece can get there. Now all play will focus on the c-file, which White controls.

28...a5 29.Bb5 seems unpleasant.

McDonald points out some checkmate threats that 28...f6 prevents. 28...Re7 29.f6 gxf6 (29...Rc7 30.Rxc7 Qxc7 31.Qg5) 30.Qh6 Rc7 31.Re3 Rxc2 32.Rg3+

29.Rec1 Re7 30.Rc6

Black to move

30...Ra7

30...a5 31.Bb5 Bd7 32.Rxd6

30...Bb7 31.Bxa6 Bxc6 32.dxc6 was prepared by Huebner, according to McDonald. Indeed, Huebner gives this line in his Informant annotations.

31.Qe2 a5 32.Bb5 Bb7

32...Bd7 33.Rxd6

33.Rc7 Rc8 34.Qc4 Raa8

34...Rxc7 35.Qxc7 Qxc7 36.Rxc7 is also given by McDonald as worse, and it was in my annotations before reading his.

35.f3

McDonald gives this move a double exclam, and the move is also praised in comments on chessgames.com. As Black can do nothing, there is no rush. White has time to improve the position of his king.

35...Kf8

35...Rxc7 36.Qxc7 Qxc7 37.Rxc7 Rb8 38.Bc6 Ba8 39.Kf2

36.Kf2 Rab8 37.Ke3

Black to move

37...g6

37...Rxc7 38.Qxc7 Qxc7 39.Rxc7

38.Bd7 Rxc7 39.Qxc7 Qxc7 40.Rxc7 Ba6 41.Be6 Rb7 42.Rc6 Bf1 43.Rxd6 Bc4

One last trick before resignation.

43...Bxg2 44.Rd8+ Kg7 45.d6

White to move

44.Rd8+

44.bxc4?? b3 and Black will get a queen.

1–0

This game is a good example of White gaining the initiative out of the opening and keeping up the pressure. The most significant error led to a clear strategic plan that White executed well.

A Snubbed Handshake

Game of the Week

After languishing on my shelves for a decade or longer, Chess: The Art of Logical Thinking (2005) by Neil McDonald came off for some serious study. Marginalia on many pages reveals that I have previously worked through the first several games, but have not worked through the whole. I spent half a morning last week creating a database with all thirty games and then racing through all of them for a first look. The next step was to work through the first game carefully before reading what McDonald has to say about it.

The plan is to study each game, then read McDonald's comments. I followed this process with the games in Irving Chernev, Logical Chess: Move by Move (1957). McDonald follows Chernev's classic by commenting on every move.

The first game in McDonald's book is the game that began with Victor Kortschnoj* holding out his hand before the game, only to be snubbed by Anatoly Karpov who said he he would no longer shake hands because of Kortschnoj's behavior. The behavior in question concerned his complaint about the seating in the audience of Dr. Vladimir Zukhar, a parapsychologist who was part of Karpov's team. Kortschnoi wanted Zukhar further back from the stage where the match took place. This game was the eighth in the championship and the first that was not drawn. Karpov went on to win the match, reaching his sixth win in game 32. Kortschnoj won five games.

McDonald does not discuss this historical background, despite his comment in the Introduction:

[P]sychological factors should be considered. ... When there is no obvious right or wrong, the character of the player has a major impact on the decision taken. This can be for both good and bad as the games of even the greatest players are frequently won and lost by impulsive or inspired decisions.
McDonald, Chess: The Art of Logical Thinking (5-6)

Karpov,Anatoly (2725) -- Kortschnoj,Viktor (2665) [C80]
World Championship 29th Baguio City (8), 03.08.1978

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6

What are the merits of the Morphy variation? McDonald does not ponder this question, nor offer much help towards an answer. He does dress the move 3...a6 with an exclamation mark.

4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Nxe4

Black temporarily wins a pawn. The exchange of center pawns shifts the focus towards active piece play. Playing through this game, I game to realize that my understanding of the Open Spanish is somewhat underdeveloped. It's not something I've played as Black, nor often faced as White.

5...Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3

6.d4 b5

6...exd4 seems dubious 7.Re1 f5 8.Nxd4 Be7 9.Nxf5 d5

7.Bb3 d5

7...Na5? invites tactics

a) 8.Bd5 c6 9.Bxe4

b) 8.Bxf7+!? Kxf7 9.Nxe5+ Kg8

b1) 9...Ke6 10.Qg4+ Ke7 11.Qxe4;

b2) 9...Ke8 10.Qh5+ g6 11.Nxg6 hxg6 (11...Nf6 12.Re1+ Be7) 12.Qxg6+ Ke7 13.Bg5+ Nxg5 14.Qxg5+ Kf7 15.Qxd8; 10.Qf3 Qf6 (10...Nf6 11.Qxa8; 10...Qe8 11.Qxe4) 11.Qxe4 Bb7 12.Qd3)

8.dxe5

This pawn will not be easily removed by Black and controls some key dark squares.

8...Be6

White to move

There are things that I don't like about Black's position: the backwards c-pawn, placement of the bishop in the pawn chain, and White's pawn striking at f6 and d6. But, Kortschnoj understood these consequences of his fifth move. This position has been played many thousands of times by top players with many Black wins. White's overall score is strong, but Kortschnoj's wins with Black include such opponents as Tal and Petrosian, and even Karpov later in this match.

My database contains 97 games with this position and Kortschnoj as one of the players, nearly always as Black. The overall score is 50% with 24 wins for each side and the rest draws.

My assessment of this position was skewed by lack of familiarity with the Open Spanish compounded by the tendency to annotate by result. Because Kortschnoj lost, I was looking for defects very early in the game. However, this position is an interesting tableau in the Spanish.

9.Nbd2 Nc5

9...Nxd2 Seems plausible and has been attempted by strong players, but with a score exceeding 75% for White. 10.Bxd2 Be7 (10...Bc5)

10.c3

Is White already slightly better? Black's light-squared bishop is part of a pawn chain, while White's e-pawn puts a clamp on the dark squares. Meanwhile, Black's king remains in the middle of the board. This position has appeared well over 1800 times in the annals of chess with a 58% score for White, but with over 400 Black wins.

Black to move

10...g6?!

This move was criticized by Raymond Keene and others. Keene's criticism appears in a book that I bought about forty years ago, when it was new: Raymond Keene, The World Chess Championship: Korchnoi vs. Karpov (1978), which claims to be the "inside story of the match". Keene was part of Kortschnoj's team. However, another book suggests that Keene was too much focused on journalistic dispatches to England to be an effective team player. Persona Non Grata (Thinkers' Press, 1981) lists as authors Viktor Kortchnoi with Lenny Cavallaro. However, Kortschnoj is consistently referred to in the third person in this book, suggesting that Cavallaro may have had the leading hand as author.

Persona Non Grata offers an account of the snub.

The 8th game. Viktor arrived at the table; Karpov did not get up. Kortchnoi sat down and held out his hand. Karpov replied that from that moment he had no intention of giving him his hand. ... The shot hit home. Kortchnoi played a poor tenth move (among others); Karpov conducted his attack quite well. (39-40)

What were the alternatives? Four moves have been played more often that Kortschnoj's.

a) 10...Nxb3 is fourth most popular 11.Nxb3 Be7
b) 10...Bg4 is third in popularity and Black has done well
c) 10...d4, the second was popular move was played by Kortschnoj later in this match, and three times in the 1981 match.
d) 10...Be7 strikes me as simple. It is the most popular move. There is no rush to castle as the king might find safety on the queenside or be needed for an endgame.
e) 10...Nd3 ihas been played less often than 10...g6, but still appears in more than two dozen games. 11.Qe2 is the usual continuation 11...Nf4 12.Qe3 g5 13.Rd1.

11.Qe2

Kortschnoi repeated his 10...g6 twice in later years, leading to

a) 11.Re1 Nd3 12.Re3 Nxc1 13.Rxc1 Bh6 14.Rd3 0–0 15.Qe2 Ne7 16.Rd1 c5 17.Bc2 Bf5 18.Nf1 Bxd3 19.Bxd3 Qc8 and White won in 87 moves, Fedorchuk,S (2564) -- Kortschnoj,V (2634) Warsaw 2002.
b) 11.Bc2 Bg7 12.Re1 Nd7 13.Nd4 Nxd4 14.cxd4 and drawn in 28 moves, Almasi,Z (2676) -- Kortschnoj,V (2632) Budapest 2003.

11...Bg7 12.Nd4!

Kortschnoj believed this pawn sacrifice was not in Karpov's character, or so Keene claimed.

Black to move

12...Nxe5

12...Nxd4 13.cxd4 Nb7 (After 13...Nxb3 14.Nxb3 0–0 McDonald points out a simple winning plan--moving all the heavy pieces to the c-file to hammer away at the backwards c-pawn.)
12...Qd7 is favored by McDonald and was played by Mihai Marin in 2007: 13.f4 0–0 and Black won in 45 moves, Thesing,M (2393) -- Marin,M (2551) Predeal 2007.

13.f4

I thought that Black was already in deep trouble at this point, but in 2012 Sarunas Sulskis went on from here to win with Black.

13...Nc4

13...Ned3 was Sulskis's choice. 14.f5 (14.Bc2 Nxc1 15.Raxc1 0–0) 14...gxf5 15.Nxf5 Rg8 16.Bc2 Sulskis seems to have taken the weaknesses of Kortschnoj's position and turned them into strengths. 16...Qg5 17.Nxg7+ Rxg7 18.Nf3 Nxc1 19.Raxc1 (19.Nxg5 Nxe2+ 20.Kh1 Rxg5–+) 19...Qg4 There is not much left of White's attack. 20.g3 Ne4 21.Qg2 Qh5 22.Rfe1 0–0–0 and Black went on to win in 71 moves, Azarov,S (2667) -- Sulskis,S (2595) Jurmala LAT 2012.

14.f5 gxf5 15.Nxf5

Black to move

Black has won even from this position, but there was a rating gap over over 400 Elo favoring the second player.

15...Rg8±

I think that Karpov has the upper hand at this point in the game.

15...Bf8 16.Nf3 Ne4 17.N3d4 c5 18.Nxe6 fxe6 19.Qh5+ Kd7 20.Bxc4 bxc4 21.Ne3 Nd6 22.Ng4 Bg7 23.Bg5 Qe8 24.Qh3 h5 25.Nf6+ Bxf6 26.Bxf6 Rf8 27.Rad1 Kc6 A secure king! 28.Rde1 Ne4 29.Be5 Qg6 30.b3 Rf5 31.Rxf5 Qxf5 32.Qxf5 exf5 33.bxc4 dxc4 34.Rf1 Rf8 35.Rf4 Kd5 36.Bg7 Rf7 37.Bh8 Ke6 The bishop is trapped 0–1 De Coverly,R (1992) -- Sarakauskas,G (2415) Bournemouth ENG 2015.

16.Nxc4 dxc4

16...Nxb3 17.axb3 bxc4 18.bxc4 Black's king will suffer.

17.Bc2 Nd3 18.Bh6 Bf8

18...Bxh6 was more stubborn 19.Nxh6 Rg7 (19...Rg6 20.Nxf7) 20.Nf5 Rg6 (20...Rg8 21.Rad1) 21.Rad1

White to move

19.Rad1+–

Black's king is stuck in the middle. All White's pieces are in the attack, while Black's pieces are mostly tied down or watching helplessly.

19...Qd5

19...Bc5+ 20.Kh1 Qd5 21.Bxd3 cxd3 22.Rxd3 Qc6 23.Ng7+ Rxg7 (23...Ke7 24.Bg5+ Kf8 25.Nxe6+ and checkmate is coming soon) 24.Bxg7 Bd6+-

20.Bxd3

White's decisive final attack brings pressure along the three central files d-f. McDonald emphasizes the absence of Black's queen's rook from the battle. This decisive blow had to happen now, or Black would castle queenside and have exceptional counterplay. In such a case, Black's wrecked kingside pawn structure becomes rather an open line against White's monarch.

20...cxd3 21.Rxd3 Qc6 22.Bxf8 Qb6+

This move gains a necessary tempo, but is not enough to save the game barring a blunder from Karpov.

22...Kxf8 23.Nd4 Qb6 24.Qxe6 Kg7 25.Qxb6 cxb6+-

23.Kh1 Kxf8

McDonald points out 23...Rxf8 24.Qf3 Rd8 25.Ng7+ Ke7 26.Qf6#

24.Qf3 Re8 25.Nh6

Wasn't f7 the target when White played 1.e4?

Black to move

25...Rg7

a) 25...Ke7 26.Nxg8+ Rxg8 27.Qf6+ Ke8 28.Rd8#
b) 25...Kg7 26.Qf6+ Kf8 27.Nxf7 Qc6 (27...Qb7 28.Nd8+ Bf7 29.Qxf7#) 28.Ne5+ Bf7 29.Qxf7#
c) 25...Rg6 26.Qxf7+ Bxf7 27.Rxf7#

26.Rd7

All four of White's pieces aim at f7. This move seems obvious in retrospect, but perhaps is not immediately obvious. McDonald gives it a double exclam, calling it "The star move" (17).

26...Rb8

26...Bxd7 27.Qxf7+ Rxf7 28.Rxf7#

27.Nxf7 Bxd7

a) 27...Ke8 28.Ne5 Rg8 (28...Rxd7 29.Qf8#) 29.Qf6 Qd6
     a1) 29...Bxd7 30.Qf7+ Kd8 31.Qxd7#
     a2) 29...Qc5 30.Qxe6+ Qe7 31.Qxe7#
30.Rxd6 cxd6 31.Qxe6+ Kd8 32.Qd7#

b) 27...Bxf7 28.Rxf7+ Kg8 29.Rf8+ Rxf8 30.Qxf8#

28.Nd8+

Black resigned.

28...Bf5 is the only defense against checkmate 29.Qxf5+ Ke7 30.Qf8+ Kd7.

1–0

McDonald's annotations are light, focusing on the essential position elements in the game with a few tactical variations.

*Spelling note: I favor the spelling of Viktor Kortschnoj that is used in Chess Base for this post, but where the name in quotes or front matter of books, I retain the spelling employed in those books.