Karpov – Spassky Karpov Spassky Result: 1-0 Metadata » Click to open. Date: 1973.??.?? Location: ? Tournament: USSR Teams Round: Opening: Submitted by: Published on: February 9, 2020 [Event "USSR Teams"] [Site "?"] [Date "1973.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Karpov"] [Black "Spassky"] [Result "1-0"] [PlyCount "67"] 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Nb8 {The Breyer Variation of the Spanish Game, one of Boris Spassky's favorites.} 10.d3 {For a long time Karpov preferred this quiet move to the standard 10.d4.} Bb7 11.Nbd2 Nbd7 12.Nf1 Re8 13.Ng3 Nc5 14.Bc2 Bf8 {This is th e main starting position for the 10.d3 variation. White will now spend some time attending to the queenside before attacking the enemy king.} 15.b4 Ncd7 16.d4 h6 17.Bd2 Nb6 18.Bd3 g6 {Too passive. Black should stake a claim on the queenside before it is too late and the best way of doing so would be to aim for c7-c7 with a preparatory Rc8. That plan is not without risk, but it is better than treading water.} 19.Qc2 Nfd7 20.Rad1 {Karpov care fully completes his mobilization before launching his attack. More importantly, he recognized the potential usefulness of this rook on the d-file, despite the fact that the file is almost filled with pieces!} Bg7 {Now Karpov must create his plan. The center is still filled with tension. The Rd1 has distant "man-on-man" coverage against the Black queen.} 21.dxe5 {A well-timed exchange. Black should now recapture with the knight, even though after 22. Nxe5 Bxe5 23.f4 White will have a strong central positon.} dxe5 22.c4 {This forces the weakening of Black's queenside pawn structure.} bxc4 23.Bxc4 Qe7 {Spassky wants to play c7-c5 as soon as possible, eliminating his weak pawn. But he should have taken the opportunity to exchange his knight for White's powerful light-squared bishop.} 24.Bb3 c5 25.a4 {Karpov already has the idea of a plan in which he will sacrifice the exchange by allowing Black to play Bb7-c6-a4 after the Bb3 is chased back to a2. This plan is based on an evaluation of the Re1 as relatively useless.} c4 {25...cxb4 26.a5 Rac8 27.Qa2 Na8 28.Bxb4! is a decisive blow.} 26.Ba2 Bc6 27.a5 Ba4 28.Qc1 Nc8 29.Bxh6 {The superior activity of White's forces which results from the sacrifice of the exchange will enable him to attack on the kingside.} Bxd1 30.Rxd1 Nd6 {Understandably, Black wants to get this knight into a position to help with the defense of the king. Best was 30.. .Ra7, though that would have parted with the c-pawn after 31.Bxg7 Kxg7 32.Qxc4.} 31.Bxg7 Kxg7 {White now observes that the horses are guarded only by the queen, which can be deflected.} 32.Qg5 {with the amusing point that 32... Qxg5 33.Nxg5 leaves Black with no way to stop the loss of one of the knights, while 32...Nf6?? drops the queen to 33.Nf5+.} f6 33.Qg4 {Maintaining the threat of Nf5+.} Kh7 34.Nh4 {and Black resigned rather than invite 34...Rg8 35.Bxc4! or 34...Nf8 35.Nxg6! Nxg6 36.Qh5+ Kg7 37.Rxd6! and the thematic Nf5+ follows. The entire plan was based on play along the d-file which Karpov anticipated with 20.Rad1!} 1-0 [Event "USSR Teams"] [Site "?"] [Date "1973.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Karpov"] [Black "Spassky"] [Result "1-0"] [PlyCount "67"] 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Nb8 {The Breyer Variation of the Spanish Game, one of Boris Spassky's favorites.} 10.d3 {For a long time Karpov preferred this quiet move to the standard 10.d4.} Bb7 11.Nbd2 Nbd7 12.Nf1 Re8 13.Ng3 Nc5 14.Bc2 Bf8 {This is th e main starting position for the 10.d3 variation. White will now spend some time attending to the queenside before attacking the enemy king.} 15.b4 Ncd7 16.d4 h6 17.Bd2 Nb6 18.Bd3 g6 {Too passive. Black should stake a claim on the queenside before it is too late and the best way of doing so would be to aim for c7-c7 with a preparatory Rc8. That plan is not without risk, but it is better than treading water.} 19.Qc2 Nfd7 20.Rad1 {Karpov care fully completes his mobilization before launching his attack. More importantly, he recognized the potential usefulness of this rook on the d-file, despite the fact that the file is almost filled with pieces!} Bg7 {Now Karpov must create his plan. The center is still filled with tension. The Rd1 has distant "man-on-man" coverage against the Black queen.} 21.dxe5 {A well-timed exchange. Black should now recapture with the knight, even though after 22. Nxe5 Bxe5 23.f4 White will have a strong central positon.} dxe5 22.c4 {This forces the weakening of Black's queenside pawn structure.} bxc4 23.Bxc4 Qe7 {Spassky wants to play c7-c5 as soon as possible, eliminating his weak pawn. But he should have taken the opportunity to exchange his knight for White's powerful light-squared bishop.} 24.Bb3 c5 25.a4 {Karpov already has the idea of a plan in which he will sacrifice the exchange by allowing Black to play Bb7-c6-a4 after the Bb3 is chased back to a2. This plan is based on an evaluation of the Re1 as relatively useless.} c4 {25...cxb4 26.a5 Rac8 27.Qa2 Na8 28.Bxb4! is a decisive blow.} 26.Ba2 Bc6 27.a5 Ba4 28.Qc1 Nc8 29.Bxh6 {The superior activity of White's forces which results from the sacrifice of the exchange will enable him to attack on the kingside.} Bxd1 30.Rxd1 Nd6 {Understandably, Black wants to get this knight into a position to help with the defense of the king. Best was 30.. .Ra7, though that would have parted with the c-pawn after 31.Bxg7 Kxg7 32.Qxc4.} 31.Bxg7 Kxg7 {White now observes that the horses are guarded only by the queen, which can be deflected.} 32.Qg5 {with the amusing point that 32... Qxg5 33.Nxg5 leaves Black with no way to stop the loss of one of the knights, while 32...Nf6?? drops the queen to 33.Nf5+.} f6 33.Qg4 {Maintaining the threat of Nf5+.} Kh7 34.Nh4 {and Black resigned rather than invite 34...Rg8 35.Bxc4! or 34...Nf8 35.Nxg6! Nxg6 36.Qh5+ Kg7 37.Rxd6! and the thematic Nf5+ follows. The entire plan was based on play along the d-file which Karpov anticipated with 20.Rad1!} 1-0 White to move: find the best move... click the ? for the solution Black to move: find the best move... click the ? for the solution Warning: This game can only be seen if JavaScript is enabled in your browser. No related posts.
