Chess is drawn again

Press, 17 August 1978, Page 30

Chess is drawn again

By

VERNON SMALL

The twelfth game of the ! World Chess Championship currently being contested at ; Baguio City, the Philippines, ihas ended in a draw after a scrappy, disjointed game. Immediately the gong for the end of the five-hour session sounded, Karpov left the stage. The 47-year-old defector sealed his forty-fourth move ready for opening yesterday and asked the referee to convey his offer of a draw to the 27-year-old champion. After the game Korchnoi said he would have accepted Karpov’s draw offer if it had been made through the chief arbiter, Lothar Schmid, add- ' ing “I will really insult him iif he tries to speak to me ! again.” It was the tenth draw of | the match which has lasted ; for a month, and his produced only one win for each player in the battle to score the six wins needed for victory. Tuesday’s game was postponed from Saturday, when champion Karpov called one of his allotted three postponements, presumably to recover from his bad loss in game eleven. Rest days can be extremely important in top chess matches. During a candidates match leading up to this World Championship clash, ex world champion Boris Spassky underwent an appendix operation. On that occasion his opponent, Czechoslovak champion Vlastimil Hort, let Spassky use his rest days as well to convalesce. It is difficult to imagine any

such gentlemanly gestures creeping into this match. Oh . . . Hort lost, by the way. GAME 12 OPEN RUY LOPEZ WHITE BLACK (Karpov) (Korchnoi) (1) P—K4 P—K4 (2) N—KB3 N—QB3 (3) B—N5 P—QR 3 (4) B—R4 N—KB3 (5) o—o N X P The fifth open Ruy Lopez of the match. After Karpov’s startling innovation in game 10 it was rumoured in Baguio that Korchnoi had an equally stunning rejoinder prepared. However, Karpov took no risks by steering the game into a different varia-i tion. (6) P—Q4 P—QN4 (7) B—N3 P—Q4 (8) PXP B—K3 | (9) Q—K2 Karpov varies from their earlier games. White aims to attack the weak QP which cannot be defended by the QBP. Keres first introduced this line in 1948 in the world championship tournament played to find a successor to Dr Alekhine. (9) B—K2 (10) R—QI o—o (11) P—QB4 NPXP (12) X P B—QB4 The main line is (12) . . Q—Q2; (13) N—B3, NXN; (14) PXN, P—B3; (15) PXP, BXP; when White can try for an advantage with either N—N5 or B—KNS. (13) B—K3 B X B (14) QXB Q—Nl Unpinning the QP and attacking the QNP. Recently this line has been under a cloud with White scoring

very well. So “Skorchnoi” must have an improvement (15) B—N3 N—R4 (16) N—KI Q—N3 And here it is . . . Previously gospel on this line was i(16) . .'1 NXB; (17) PXN, IQ—N3; (18) QXQ, PXQ; (19) P—QN4 when White threatens P—KB3 and the black horse is running out of pasture (Hubner—Demarre, Dresden 1969). Korchnoi’s new move delays the exchange on QN3, allowing the knight to retreat via QB4. (17) QXQ PXQ The QP is taboo; (18) BXP, QR—QI; (19) B—N3, BXB; (20) RXR, RXR; (21) PXB, R—QB; (22) K—81, RXN (N 8 (23) RXR, N—Q7 ch (18) KB3 N.XB

(19) PXN (N 3 N—B4 (20) P—QN4 N—Q2 (21) N—Q3l? (21) P—KB4 looks more promising but Black’s resources may be sufficient, e.g. (21) . . . P—KB3; (22) N—QB3, P—QSI; (23) RXQP, PXP. (21) . , . P—KN 4 Rather radical. Korchnoi prevents P—B4 and a later N—KB4 judging that the chronic weakening of his king position will not be fatal. (22) N—QB3 KR—Bl (23) N—B2 P—Q5! Korchnoi rightly refrains from N X P (24) N X P, BXN; (25) RXB, P—B3; (26) N— K 4 winning at least a pawn. But if Karpov takes the pawn now the rook on Q 4 is exposed to attack by N—QB3 giving Black time to consolidate.

(24) N—K2 P—Q6! That precocious QP will not be ignored. (25) N X P B—Bs (26) N—N3 BXN (27) RXB NXP (28) R—Q5 Korchnoi has wriggled into an uncomfortable position but to little effect on the champion who could now transpose to the note to move 23 after (28) . . . P—B3 (29) N—K4. Instead he sacrifices a pawn to activate his rook because he must lose one anyway.

(28) N—N3 (29) R X KNP R—B7 (30) P—N3 R—N7 (31) N—Bs RXQNP (32) P—R4 K—Bl (33) P—R5 N—K2 (34) NXN KXN (35) R—KI ch K—Bl (36) R—K4 P—QR 4 White still seems to have the better of it. If he can surround the KRP and win it he will have good winning chances. (37) R(4)—N4 K—K2 (38) PXP RXRP (39) P—R6 RXR (40) RXR P—QN4 (41) R—N7 R—NBch (42) K—R2 R—QB (43) R X RP R—QI (44) R—N7 Black sealed The game can only be drawn. Karpov must lose his extra pawn e.g. 44 . . . R—QRI (45) P—R7, K—B3 when the ending is a theoretical draw . . . that is it requires a blunder to lose it. So attention turns to the next game on Thursday evening (N.Z. time) to see if Karpov can handle the Black pieces better than he did in the disastrous tenth.