A replay of game in which US's Seirawan defeated Kasparov

The Soviet Union won the gold medal at this year's Olympiad in Dubai with 40 points. England had 39 to earn the silver, with the United States a hairsbreadth behind in third place, at 38. Normally an American team could be happy with such a showing, and with defeating the Soviets 2-1 in their individual match. This time, however, it was a heartbreaker, since the US team began the final round in first place by half a point. Needing only to equal the Soviet and English last-round results, the US was tied, 2-2, by Bulgaria, while both rivals vaulted ahead via 4-0 decisions over Poland and Brazil, respectively. Yasser Seirawan scored 8-4 for the US on Board 1. Other individual results were Larry Christiansen (Board 2), 6-3; Lubomir Kavalek (Board 3), 4-4; John Fedorowicz (Board 4), 8-2; Nick de Firmian (1st reserve), 6-2; and Maxim Dlugy (2nd reserve), 5-1.

Today's game shows Seirawan defeating world champion Gary Kasparov, and is a fair example of the US titleholder's solid and accurate style. An interesting opening dissolved into a colorless endgame when Kasparov, obviously unsatisfied with a draw, made an unwise attempt to win. Then Yasser, calculating with precision, showed that the White pawns move faster than the Black ones, and pushed one through to victory. Gr"unfeld Defense Seirawan Kasparov 1. P-Q4 N-KB3 2. P-QB4 P-KN3 3. N-QB3 P-Q4 4. N-B3 B-N2 5. B-N5 N-K5 6. PxP NxB 7. NxN P-K3 8. N-B3 (a) PxP 9. P-QN4 Q-Q3 10. P-QR3 O-O 11. P-K3 P-QB3 12. B-K2 B-B4 13. O-O N-Q2 14. N-QR4 P-QR4 15. Q-N3 P-QN4 (b) 16. N-B5 P-R5 17. Q-B3 N-N3 18. N-Q2 QR-K1 19. KR-K1 R-K2 20. B-B3 R/B-K1 21. P-N3 B-R6 22. B-N2 BxB 23. KxB P-B4 24. P-KR4 N-B5 25. N-B3 B-B3 26. R-K2 R-KN2 27. R-KR1 Q-K2 28. R/K-K1 P-R3 29. Q-Q3 R-KB1 30. N-Q2 Q-K1 31. NxN QPxN 32. Q-Q1 R-K2 33. R/K-B1 Q-B2 34. Q-B3 Q-Q4 35. QXQ PxQ 36. K-B3 B-N2 37. R-Q1 R/B-B2 38. R-Q2 R-K1 39. R/Q-Q1 B-B1 40. R/Q-KN B-N2 41. R-Q1 K-B1 42. R-Q2 K-K2 43. R/Q-Q1 K-Q3 44. R-R2 K-B3 45. R/R-R1 B-B1 46. R-Q2 B-Q3 47. R/Q-Q1 BxN 48. QPxB R-K5 49. R/R-K1 R-Q2 50. R-Q4 P-N4 51. PxP PxP 52. R/K-Q1 RxR 53. RxR R-KR2 54. K-K2 R-R6 (c) 55. P-N4 P-B5 (d) 56. PxP RxP 57. PxP R-R7 ch 58. K-B3 P-B6 59. R-Q1 P-Q5 60. P-N6 P-Q6 61. K-K3 (e) RxP 62. P-N7 Resigns (f)

A.Another idea is 8.Q-Q2, when 8.... P-KR3; 9.N-B3 resembles the text, except White has made a useful queen move, while Black's KRP is at R3. More critical is 8.Q-Q2, PxP; 9.Q-K3 ch, K-B1, when Black has forfeited the castling privilege but the White queen is uncomfortably positioned. The idea of the super-solid text is for White to maintain a solid center and to play for the minority attack, with an eventual P-QN4-5.

B.With this move, which presages the transfer of his knight to QB5, Black nips the minority attack in the bud. The ensuing block of the queenside tends to make a draw inevitable. The rest of the game, until the diagram, features correct if ponderous maneuvering. Those readers who are pressed for time and want to see how and why a decisive result occurred can proceed directly to the diagram.

C.The world champion, perhaps influenced by the match score, eschews the ``normal'' 54.... R-R8 (threatening 54.... R-R8). White would have to play 55.R-Q1, and the exchange of rooks leads to a drawn K&P ending.

D.55.... PxP offers better drawing chances, but Black is not interested in a draw.

E.Whereby White contains Black's pawns while his own KNP proves unstoppable. Now 61.... P-B7; 62.R-KR1, P-Q7; 63.KxP, P-B8 (Q) ch; 64.KxQ, R-R8 ch; 65.K-N2, RxR; 66.P-N7, or here if 62.... R-N7; 63.P-N7, R-N8; 64.P-N8 (Q), RxR; 65.Q-R8 ch and 66.QxR.

F.Since Black will soon find himself mated after 62.... P-B7; 63.R-KR1, P-Q7; 64.P-N8 (Q). This is how the Americans won the match, since the remaining games were all drawn.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
QR Code to A replay of game in which US's Seirawan defeated Kasparov
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/1986/1217/lchs17-f.html
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe