Final game will decide chess

Press, 9 November 1985, Page 80

Final game will decide chess

NZPA-Reuter Moscow

Anatoly Karpov, the defending champion produced another grim defensive performance to draw the twenty-third game of his world chess title match with Garry Kasparov, setting the stage for a final showdown this week-end.

Kasparov leads the 24game series by 12 points to 11. Karpov will retain his title if he wins the last game, making the match a 12-12 draw. Kasparov needs only a draw to become the new champion. Chess experts say Karpov, who will have the advantage of playing with the white pieces at the week-end, has psychological momentum after the latest draw and his victory in game No. 22.

However, Kasparov has captivated the chess world with brilliant play in previous games, and the masters and chess specialists at Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Hall are not prepared to pick the winner.

The challenger, aged 22, this week put on a remarkable show of infiltration and strategic pressure. Impressing viewers with his cool

manner, he made his first 19 moves in 19 minutes.

Kasparov did not sacrifice accuracy, however, and half way through the 40move session had built up a commanding position and a 90-minute lead on the time clock.

Most experts predicted Kasparov would reach the end of the session with enough superiority of position to convert into a clear winning plan during the overnight adjournment However, the haggard Karpov remained rooted to the board and staved him off with a display of cagey resourcefulness. In spite of a time shortage and a passive position that seemed impossible to improve, he maintained his lines of defence.

"He lay in wait like a tiger,” one Soviet grandmaster said.

Then when Kasparov’s queen and rook wandered afield on moves 37 and 38, Karpov struck, advancing kingside pawns to gain space and guarantee himself a, counterplay.; After move. 41 Kasparov abandoned his attempt to clinch the title before the last game and offered a draw. <