Kasparov, Garry – Deep Blue

Kasparov continues his testy strategy, avoiding main lines and waiting to see what Deep Blue offers before committing his pawns.

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Date: May 10, 1997
Location: New York, NY USA
Tournament: IBM Kasparov vs. Deep Blue Rematch
Round:
Opening: A07 Réti (1.Nf3 d5 2.g3), King's Indian Attack (Barcza System)
Submitted by: Daniel King
Published on: February 20, 2020

[Event "IBM Kasparov vs. Deep Blue Rematch"] [Site "New York, NY USA"] [Date "1997.05.10"] [Round "5"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Deep Blue"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Opening "Reti: King's Indian attack, Keres variation"] [ECO "A07"] [Annotator "Daniel King"] 1. Nf3 {Kasparov continues his testy strategy, avoiding main lines and waiting to see what Deep Blue offers before committing his pawns.} 1...d5 2. g3 Bg4 3. Bg2 {In game one Kasparov played 3. b3} 3...Nd7 4. h3 Bxf3 5. Bxf3!? c6 6. d3 e6 7. e4 Ne5 {Gaining the bishop pair counts in Kasparov's favor, but in doing so he has lost time. } 8. Bg2 dxe4 9. Bxe4 Nf6 10. Bg2 Bb4+! {The check accomplishes nothing in itself, what it does do is slightly disrupt the smooth flow of White's development. 11 c3 is impossible because of 11...Nxd3+. If 11 Nc3, then Black exploits the pin with 11...Nd5 12 Bd2 Qa5, forcing an exchange of pieces that leaves Black comfortably placed.} 11. Nd2 h5 {This move is based on the fact that Black's knights work best on squares where they are protected and therefore are more stable. Black's threat is to play ...h4, and if g4 then Black can hope to occupy the f4 square by dropping the knight back to g6.} 12. Qe2 Qc7 13. c3 Be7 14. d4 Ng6 15. h4 e5!? {At first sight I thought that this was a very curious decision, opening up the position when White has the two bishops, but Deep Blue has seen a long way ahead yet again and judged the consequences correctly. If Black doesn't break free with the pawn, then White will set up a clamp with Nc4.} 16. Nf3 exd4 17. Nxd4 O-O-O 18. Bg5 Ng4! {The knight is so powerful here, tying White to the defense of the pawn on f2.} 19. O-O-O Rhe8 20. Qc2 Kb8 21. Kb1 Bxg5 22. hxg5 N6e5 23. Rhe1 {23.Rxh5 would have been asking for trouble, there are too many loose points in White's position, the rook on h5, the pawn on f2, the rook on d1: 23...c5 24.Nb5 Qb6 brings White's position to breaking point } 23...c5! {The knights are causing the world champion problems. The one on g4 keeps a constant watch over f2, and the other has ambitions to fly into d3 or c4. With knight forks dancing in front of his eyes, and knowing that Deep Blue was calculating them all perfectly, I'm not surprised Kasparov was concerned. } 24. Nf3 Rxd1+ 25. Rxd1 Nc4 26. Qa4 Rd8 {The only move, but a good one. If 27 Rxd8+ Qxd8 28 Qxc4 Qd1 - splat.} 27. Re1 Nb6 28. Qc2 Qd6 29. c4! {a crucial move as it cuts the knight on b6 out of the game for several moves} 29...Qg6?! {29...Nc8 would have been preferable} 30. Qxg6 fxg6 31. b3 Nxf2 32. Re6! {The pawn on g6 is going and suddenly Black's forces appear split and uncoordinated. } 32...Kc7 33. Rxg6 Rd7 34. Nh4 {The threat is Nf5 and Rxg7} 34...Nc8! {If 35. Nf5 then, remarkably, it is Black who is almost winning: 35...Ne7! 36 Nxe7 Rxe7 and White's rook is trapped on g6. Black threatens ...Ng4 and ...Ne5. White can try 37 Bd5 Ng4 38 Re6 Rxe6 39 Bxe6, but 39...Ne3 leaves him struggling.} 35. Bd5 Nd6 36. Re6 Nb5! {An extraordinary move. Black threatens ...Nc3+ and apart from the game continuation, there is not a great deal to be done about it. For instance 37 Kb2 can be met by 37...Nd3+ with some really juicy forks on the cards.} 37. cxb5 Rxd5 38. Rg6 Rd7 39. Nf5! {His bishop is gone, but Kasparov has survived that little skirmish and seems to have the position under control again.} 39...Ne4 40. Nxg7 Rd1+ 41. Kc2 Rd2+ 42. Kc1 Rxa2 43. Nxh5 Nd2 44. Nf4 Nxb3+ 45. Kb1 Rd2 46. Re6 {Though I couldn't quite see how Deep Blue was going to hold the game, from the way in which Kasparov had seemingly lost interest, I had a feeling that something was up. He was curiously pensive, leaning back in his chair and staring away from the board somewhere into the middle distance. He didn't look like a man about to make a new queen.} 46...c4 47. Re3 Kb6! {The king joins the attack just in the nick of time to force a draw by perpetual check.} 48. g6 Kxb5 49. g7 Kb4 {If 50 g8(Q), then Black forces a draw with 50...Rd1+ 51 Kc2 Rd2+ 52 Kb1 Rd1+, and so on.} 1/2-1/2