Chess: An old line comes back in fashion
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Your support makes all the difference.IN THE 1960s, Bobby Fischer brought back into fashion an old line against the Sicilian Defence. The idea was based on an early Bc4, and when the bishop's diagonal was impeded by a pawn on e6, he set about destroying the blockage by advancing a pawn to f5, or sacrificing a knight or bishop on e6 or d5.
After a decade of Fischer brilliancies, the line fell into disuse again as the correct defences were worked out, but has now come back into fashion thanks mainly to the Polgar sisters. Now the world champion has given it his seal of approval in a dazzling win in Linares against Boris Gelfand.
Kasparov followed the Polgar plan with Qf3, Qg3 and Bh6, then introduced his own piece of horse-play with 13. Nf3 and 15. Nf4. With the c1-h6 diagonal cut off, and no action taken against Black's threat of a4, both his bishops seemed in mortal danger, but he had everything worked out. Going for one bishop with 16 . . . f6 would run into 17. Bxe6 fxg5 18. Ng6+ hxg6 19. Qh3 mate, while chasing the other with 16 . . . Bxg5 17. Nxg5 a4 would only encourage 18. Bxe6]
Gelfand's 17 . . . Bb5? is the losing move, falling victim to the brilliant 18. Nd4] when 18 . . . Bxf1 would have been met by 19. Ndxe6] fxe6 20. Bxe6. The threat is then Ng6 mate, and 20 . . . g6 loses to 21. Nxg6+ Kg7 22. Qh6 mate, while 20 . . . h6 is demolished by 21. Bxh6 with a mating attack. Because of this, the black bishop had to retreat from b5 to e8, losing a move. With the white attack now under full steam, the free move was all Kasparov needed.
21. e5] ripped the heart out of Black's defences by forcing open the d-file for White's rook to join the attack. Gelfand resigned on seeing that either 25 . . . Bg6 or Bg7 (to prevent Qg8 mate) allows 26. Qe6 forcing mate on g8 anyway.
The whole game is a beautiful demonstration of the attacking potential of this variation. It is rare, these days, to see a solid formation such as Gelfand's in this game, blown away by piece play alone. Usually one needs some preliminary softening up with a pawn advance, either f4 and f5, or f4 and e5, or f3, g4 and g5. Kasparov's play has a wonderfully 19th century feel, updated with a touch of modern sophistication.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- White: Kasparov Black: Gelfand ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 e4 c5 14 Ne2 a5 2 Nf3 d6 15 Nf4 Kh8 3 d4 cxd4 16 Bg5 Nf6 4 Nxd4 Nf6 17 Qh4 Bb5 5 Nc3 a6 18 Nd4 Be8 6 Bc4 e6 19 Ndxe6 fxe6 7 Bb3 b5 20 Nxe6 Qa7 8 0-0 Be7 21 e5 dxe5 9 Qf3 Qc7 22 Nxf8 Bxf8 10 Qg3 0-0 23 Bxf6 gxf6 11 Bh6 Ne8 24 Rd8 Nd7 12 Rad1 Bd7 25 Qg4 1-0 13 Nf3 b4 ----------------------------------------------------------------------
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