The sixth 'Sreba na Solidarnesta' international tournament, in Skopje, Yugosla via, was the frrst time Karpov and I played together in a tournament since the Nei meijer youth tournament of 1967/68.
Karpov, it seems, having received the world title in 1 975 without a struggle, immediately began carefully choosing tournaments to play in so as to achieve the status of an active world champion. And, unlike many of his predecessors, he suc ceeded. The tournament at Skopje was the frrst such tournament he won in a con vincing fashion. There was great variety in his play: now an interesting attacking game, then a dry, technical, endgame win. Our game took place near the end of the tournament. It was a hard fight: a sharp opening developed into a middlegame where both sides seemed to have attacking chances. White's chances were more immediate, but when Karpov missed the sharpest continuation at a certain point, Black was able to save himself in a four-rook ending a pawn down.
1 e4 cS 2 l0t'3 lDc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 �xd4 �f6 w 5 lDc3 d6 6 i.gS e6 7 .. d2 a6 8 0-0-0 i.d7 9 f4 i.e7 10 �f3 bS 1 1 .ixf6 gxf6 12 <i>b1 .. b6 13 i.d3 b4
14 �2 aS Fischer-Spassky match. I spent a long 15 fS a4 time thinking about whether there 16 �f4 .. cS (D) was an alternative to 1 6 .. . 11t'c5, but I After a slight transposition of moves could see nothing else against the we have entered the 1 8th game of the threatened 1 7 fxe6 fxe6 1 8 i.c4. For
instance, if 1 6 .. . l0e5 then 1 7 .te2, the move White plays even after the text 1 6 ... 11'c5.
17 .te2
A novelty in this position. Fischer, after long thought, had played 17 Acl to close the queenside after 17 . . . l:ab8 18 c3 b3 1 9 a3 . Karpov's idea is to employ the bishop in the siege of the weak e6-point in Black's position. I was very much impressed by the idea - until ten days after the tournament, when Sosonko, Tarjan, and I found that Black can force a draw. It sounds in credible but, as we shall see, it is true.
17 l:b8
18 fxe6 fxe6 19 lflel !
A consequence o f White's 17th move. The bishop now threatens to at tack the pawn from f7 or g4, and it is fortunate for Black that he can just cover both squares with his knight.
19 • • • lfle5
20 lfled3 'ii'd4
20 .. . 1i'b6 is bad because of 2 1 i.h5+ �d8 2 2 1i'e2 and the bishop can no longer be kept out of g4 (if 22 ... l:g8 23 lflxe5 and 24 .tf7).
21 lflxe5 'ifxe5? (D) Now Black gets into trouble. Cor rect is 2 l . . .fxe5 . During the game I was afraid of 22 lflxe6, threatening mate in one, and after 22 .. . .txe6 23
1i'h6 .txa2+ 24 �xa2 b3+ 25 �al 1i'c5 (or 25 ... 1i'b6) 26 l:d5, White gets in first.
During my calculation of 2 l .. . fxe5 22 lflxe6 .txe6 23 1i'h6 I rejected
w
23 . . . 1i'xe4 because of 24 1i'xe6 1kxe2 25 l:xd6, but that was an illusion; after 25 . . . l:d8 White has no follow-up. White must therefore play 24 l:he l (instead of 24 11'xe6). Black has only one answer to the triple threats (to take the bishop or to check on b5 or h5) and that is 24 ... 1i'f5. Now it is a forced draw after 25 :n i.f8 ! 26 1kh4 .te7 because White would be better off not to go into the endgame after 27 'ii'h6 .tf8 28 l:xf5 .txh6 29 l:tf6 <i/e7 30 l:xh6 l:bf8.
If 22 1i'xd4 (instead of 22 lflxe6) 22 .. . exd4 23 .tg4 e5 24 lLle6 i.f6 ! 25 l:dfl rtle7 26 lflc7 .tc6; or, in this line, 23 i.h5+ �d8 24 .tg4 e5 25 lfle6+ �c8, with the threat 26 .. . l:g8 27 .tf5 l:.g6 ! ; or, finally, if 24 .txd7+ (instead of 24 lfle6) 24 .. .'�xd7 25 lfld5 .td8 and the knight only looks strong. White's great problem is always that his king is kept in its corner by Black's far-advanced queenside pawns.
22 11Ve3! (D)
Very strong, and another illustra tion of why the player whose queen
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controls the most dark squares in this type of Sicilian position often stands better. Control of the gl-a? diagonal is especially important.
22 ... b3
I decided to sound the emergency. Black's situation is far from appetis ing and I did not feel like suffering martyrdom after, say, 22 .. . 0-0.
23 cxb3 axb3
24 a3 rs
On the one hand, Black's 22nd move has opened the c-file to White's advantage; on the other, Black threat ens to take the e-pawn with check.
25 ..thS+ ltd8 26 l:hel?
For the first time in the game, Kar pov thought for a long time. And the longer he thought the more worried I became about 26 'it' a?. I originally thought that the threat of capturing on e4 with check had eliminated that pos sibility, and in fact this was the only reason Karpov didn't play it, as he ad mitted after the game. However, after the continuation 26 'ila? 'ilxe4+ 27
ltal 'ii'b? White's queen returns with tremendous force: 28 'ii'e3 ! (D), and Black can neither defend his e-pawn nor prevent his position from crum bling.
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If 28 .. . 'ii'e4 29 'ii'c3 and 30 'ii'a5+, or if 28 ... e5 29 tbe6+ ..txe6 30 1Wxe5 c;i;>d? 3 1 l:he l , etc. Yet this position is not so hopeless for Black. First of all it should be noted that Bohm's sugges tion 27 . . . 'ii'a8 is better than 27 . . . 'ii'b? . The intention after 28 'ii'e3 should not be to follow up with 28 .. . ..tf6, for then comes 29 tbxe6+ ..txe6 30 l:xd6+, winning. However, Black has a bril liant combination to retain chances of saving the game: 28 .. . e5 29 tbe6+ ..txe6 30 'ii'xe5 �d? 3 1 l:he l .
I t looks like it's all over, but Black can play: 3 l . .. 'Wxa3+ ! ! 32 bxa3 b2+, and now White has two possibilities:
1 ) 3 3 �b 1 ..ta2+ 34 �xa2 bl'il+ 35 l:xb1 dxe5 and Black holds the draw without any difficulty because 36 l:xb8 l:xb8 37 l:xe5 can be an swered by 37 .. . l:b2+.
2) 3 3 'ii'xb2 l:.xb2 34 �xb2 i.f6+ 35 �c2 l:.c8+ 36 'i\?d3 :tc3+ and after capturing the a-pawn Black has excel lent chances of a draw.
This fantastic escape is probably Black's best option after 26 1i'a7. Note that 26 ... i.f6 is .inadequ·ate on account of 27 'ifxb8+ �e7 28 'i!fxd6+ 'i!fxd6 29 llxd6 �xd6 30 :td 1 +, followed by 3 1 exf5 with a winning advantage for White. The dour 26 . . . l:tc8 probably merits consideration, though after 27 l0d3 1fxe4 28 llhe 1 'i!fa4 29 1fxa4 i.xa4 30 llxe6 White can reach a more favourable ending than in the game.
26 • • • 'ii'xe4+
Despite the worry which had domi nated my mind while White was thinking about his previous move, I did not hesitate longer than ten sec onds here. Better an ending, I thought, even against such an endgame artist as Karpov, than to expose my king any longer to lightning attacks.
After the game I asked my oppo nent how he would have answered 26 .. . i.f6. To my surprise, he said he had planned to exchange queens after 27 lbd3 'fixe4 and to capture twice on e4. Naturally he would have changed his mind if I had actually played 26 ... i.f6, since after 27 lbd3 1Wxe4 28 'ifh6 ! is crushing. The sudden danger now comes from the other side, which once again underlines the powerful position of the white queen. After either 28 ... Wh4 29 li)f4 or 28 ... 'it'd4 29 li)e5 ! 'fixe5 30 llxe5 .txe5 3 1 'fig5+ followed by 32 llc 1 + it is all over.
Another method of continuing, with queens on the board, is unsatisfactory: 26 .. . fxe4 is again answered strongly by 27 'ika7 d5 28 li)xd5 exd5 29 l:txd5 1fc7 30 'ii'd4 llg8 3 1 l:td 1 l:.b7 32 i.g4 ! and White wins.
B
27 'ilfxe4 fxe4 28 .tg4 (D)
Naturally not 28 :txe4 e5, and 28 .tf7 also leads to nothing after 28 .. . llf8
29 li)xe6+ .txe6 30 .txe6 l:.f2 with dangerous counterplay.
28 . • • l:g8!
The only move. Above all, Black must not allow himself to be buried alive with 28 .. . e5 29 li)e6+. In most cases, the e-pawn would then only get in the way because Black's counter play is based on attacking White's b pawn with the bishop on f6 and a rook on White's second rank.
29 .txe6 .txe6 30 �e6+ �d7 31 ll)f4
3 1 llxe4 llxg2 is worse for White. 31 .•. .tgS
32 l:.xe4
White must enter this four-rook ending as after 32 l0d5 l%ge8 Black keeps his strong passed pawn on e4.
w
32 .i.xf4
33 l%xf4 l%xg2 (D)
34 l%f7+ �c6 35 l%xh7 ltbS
The draw can probably be held in more than one way. With the text move Black plans to hold his centre pawn and exchange his b-pawn for White's a-pawn.
w
36 l%h3 dS (D)
37 l%c3+ �d6 38 h3
Typical Karpov. He has no real win ning chances and is not at all in a hurry. 38 39 Acd3 40 a4 41 l%xb3 42 l%b8 l%e2 ci?eS :.as :Xa4 ltd4
A nice finesse which makes things a little less troublesome for Black.
43 l%e8+ �d6 (D)
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The adjourned position. I expected my opponent to seal 44 l%d8+ because the king would then have to return to e5 and thus White could reserve the choice of which rook to capture. It matters little, though, because it is still a draw.
44 l:txd4 45 �c2
AxeS lte3
The most active: Black is ready to answer 46 l%d3 with 46 ... l%e4. His king is ideally placed in the centre.
w 47 llh8 48 �b3 49 h4 lle2+ d4 llh2 (D) SO hS d3 51 h6 �b6 ·
I had calculated long before that the king would arrive just in time.
52 �c3 d2 53 �c2 �b7
54 b4 �a7
SS bS �b7
White cannot win the d-pawn un less he can put Black in zugzwang. The move h6-h7 is therefore necessary sooner or later. After that, however, Black doesn't need the pawn to draw.
56 h7 �a7
57 �dl �b7 lf2.1fz