Another win for Karpov in world chess final

Press, 28 August 1978, Page 28

Another win for Karpov in world chess final

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The world chess champion, Anatoly Karpov, won the seventeenth game of the world championship final at Baguio, the Philippines, at the week-end, taking a commanding 4-1 lead over the c’ llenger, Viktor Korchnoi. Korchnoi refused to start play in the game when he noticed Karpov’s personal parapsychologi , Dr Zukhar. sitting in the fifth row of spectator seats. Korchnoi loudly made it known ~iat he would not start until Zukhar was shifted to the seventh row. Korchnoi said: “I will give you 10 minutes to do this.

Otherwise 1 can do it with imy own fist.” The 47-year-old challenger 1 lost 13min on his clock be-1 fore the org-tnisers decided: to move all the spectators! back to the seventh row. Those 13..iin may have cost Korchnoi the" game/ Play developed into the fourth Nimzo-L dian of the' match, with Karpov again sacrificing a pawn as he did in the seventh game. The advantage seemed to oscillate until the players; reached an unbalanced but level end game. Then, in] desperate time trouble, i Korchnoi fell into a cunning' Karpov trap, and the cham- ! pion had taken a 4-1 lead in; the match. Victory goes to; the first player to win six!

11 games, draws not counting. GAME 17 ■; Nimzo-Indian Defence ’ WHITE BLACK Ij (Korchnoi) (Karpov) I (1) P—QB4 N—KB3 (2) N—QB3 P—K3 ! (3) P—Q4 B—N5 I (4) P—K3 O—O : (5) B—Q3 P—B4 ' (6) P—Q5 Korchnoi repeats his sharp II experiment of the seventh game. Karp / again sacri(fices a pawn to get a huge centre pawn majority. ' (6) . . . P—QN4 I (7) QPXP BPXP > (8) PXP P—QR 3 : In the seventh game Karpov advanced in the centre with P—Q4. The text is an /improvement immediately activating the Q-side pieces, i especially the QN on 83. ! (9) N—K2 P—Q4 : (10) O—O P—K4 (11) P—QR 3 PXP ‘(12) BXNP BXN , (13) PXB White would like to play| NXB keeping his pawns; linked, but (13) . . . P—Qsl and the Black centre be-! comes very menacing? (13) ... B—R3 (14) R—Nl Q—Q3 (15) P—QB4 P—Q5 • (16) N—N3 N—B3 1(17) P—QR 4 N—QR 4 I (18) Q—Q3 Q—K3 ! Black’s pressure on the; IQBP forces the exchange of I pawns. i (19) PXP BPXP I (20) P—Bs KR—Bl 1(21) P—KB4 ; This allows Karpov to re-j gain his pawn but Korchnoi; retains strong pressure on; j the wea!. Black pawns. 1(21) . . . RXP (22) BXB ; PXP looks more consistent 'keeping the Queens on to I take full advantage of ! White’s more active pieces. ■ (22) . . . QXB (23) QXQ RXQ I (24) B—R3 R—Q4 (25) N—Bs K—B2 (26) PXP RXP I (27) R—N5 N—Bs '(28) R—N7ch K—K3 Korchnoi is already very! short of time, and checks! are easy to play. However, I Karpov’s king storms into, the centre and the game) seems to swing his way. (29) NXQPch K—Q4 , (30) N—B3 N—B2 would preserve the! material balance, but with RXP Black would have a'

strong initiative. Instead, Korchnoi plays to pick up the K-side pawns. (30) . . . NXB (31) NXR KXN (32) R—K7ch K—Q5 (33) RXP N—Bs (34) R—B4ch N—K5 Korchnoi could force a safe draw with RXNch and: (RXP when White could lose (all of his pawns and still; draw. But when you have! no time . . . (35) R—K7ch K—K6 (36) R—B3ch K—K7 The king is an attacking! piece! White’s checks have) put his own king in danger. (37) RXP N(BS)—Q7 (38) R—QR 3 R—QBS Laying a vicious trap which Korchnoi falls straight into, Korchnoi’s king cries out for air. P —KN 4 is essential. (39) R—Rl?? N—B6ch! Resigns. With the thoice of (40) K—Rl N—B7 mate, or (40) PXN R—KN3ch; (41) K—Rl IN—B 7 mate in the corner pocket. A sad way to lose. Korchinoi seemed to try to win despite his. time trouble and the dictates of the position. Dr Zukhar was probably lucky to be seven rows away as Korchnoi left the board.