Chess: Delightful swindle from Short
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Your support makes all the difference.WHEN the Short-Kasparov match is long gone and decently buried, one move will be remembered as the moment when the world's best tactician overlooked a delightful swindle and was forced to struggle for a draw, writes William Hartston.
In game 17 on Thursday, Short's 24th move, jettisoning a bishop on an empty square, seemed to come as a complete shock to Kasparov. It launched a forced sequence that left Black a pawn ahead in the endgame, but Kasparov pulled himself together - indeed the physical contortions that he was seen to be going through after 24 . . . Bf2]] seemed to confirm this to be literally true - and he saved the game through good technique.
Before the bewildering Bf2, it had been a strange game. Short improved on his play in game 11 with 10 . . . a6, preparing a retreat on a7 for his bishop. After 11. c3 Ba7, White's knight on a4, with no retreat, would be vulnerable to b5, so Kasparov changed direction with Nc3 and Ne2, making the whole Na4 manoeuvre look irrelevant. Short showed fine judgement in allowing his f-pawns to be doubled, relying on piece activity to compensate for the resulting weaknesses.
The crucial moment came after 23 . . . hxg3. After 24. Bxg3 White would retain some advantage; indeed, Kasparov later suggested that Short should objectively have captured on g3 on the previous move to retain equality. Instead 24. fxg3? allowed Bf2]] and White was lucky to be able to scramble his way into a salvageable endgame. Perhaps, in the closing moves, Short could have made Kasparov suffer longer before reaching a draw, but with his extra pawn doubled, and having knight against bishop, Black's advantage was never enough to win.
White: Kasparov
Black: Short
1 e4 e5
2 Nf3 Nc6
3 d4 exd4
4 Nxd4 Bc5
5 Nxc6 Qf6
6 Qd2 dxc6
7 Nc3 Be6
8 Na4 Rd8
9 Bd3 Bd4
10 0-0 a6
11 Nc3 Ne7
12 Ne2 Bb6
13 Qf4 Ng6
14 Qxf6 gxf6
15 Ng3 h5
16 Be2 h4
17 Nf5 Bxf5
18 exf5 Ne5
19 Re1 Kf8
20 Bf4 Rd4
21 g3 Kg7
22 Rad1 Re4
23 Kg2 hxg3
24 fxg3 Bf2
25 Kxf2 Rxh2+
26 Kf1 Rexe2
27 Rxe2 Rh1+
28 Kf1 Rxd1
29 b3 Rd7
30 Rd2 Rxd2
31 Bxd2 c5
32 Ke3 c6
33 Ke4 c4
34 b4 b5
35 Bf4 Nd7
36 Kd4 Kf8
37 Bc7 Ke7
38 g4 Kf8
39 Bd6+ Kg7
40 Bc7 Kf8
41 a3 draw
(Photograph omitted)
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