Chess: A return to form
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Your support makes all the difference.GARRY KASPAROV is back on form, writes William Hartston. After a couple of below-par results - joint second place at Linares and elimination in the quarter-finals of the Moscow Speed event - he has taken the lead in Amsterdam with brilliant wins against Nigel Short and Jan Timman.
The Kasparov-Short game displayed a level of controlled violence that the champion rarely attained in their match last year. His 14. Na4 and 16. Qxb4 began a far-sighted plan to keep Black's Q-side bottled up. With 18. f5]] everything fitted together beautifully. 18 . . . exf5 loses a rook to 19. Qxd5+, while 18 . . . Qxf5 19. Rf3 Qg6 20. Rxf8+ Nxf8 21. Nb6 shows how strong the knight on a4 can be.
Kasparov's play moved into a higher gear with 20. Rf3] eliminating Black's best defender, and 23. c4] sacrificing a second pawn to increase the strain on Black's game. The final moves combined power and elegance, with threats to the Q-side pieces used to gain time for the K-side attack.
White: Kasparov
Black: Short
1 e4 e6
2 d4 d5
3 Nc3 Nf6
4 e5 Nfd7
5 f4 c5
6 Nf3 Nc6
7 Be3 cxd4
8 Nxd4 Bc5
9 Qd2 0-0
10 0-0-0 a6
11 h4 Nxd4
12 Bxd4 b5
13 Rh3 b4
14 Na4 Bxd4
15 Qxd4 f6
16 Qxb4 fxe5
17 Qd6 Qf6
18 f5 Qh6+
19 Kb1 Rxf5
20 Rf3 Rxf3
21 gxf3 Qf6
22 Bh3 Kf7
23 c4 dxc4
24 Nc3 Qe7
25 Qc6 Rb8
26 Ne4 Nb6
27 Ng5+ Kg8
28 Qe4 g6
29 Qxe5 Rb7
30 Rd6 c3
31 Bxe6+ Bxe6
32 Rxe6 1-0
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