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Kasparov against Karpov
Five matches for the world title: a Karpov ending from 1984 and a Kasparov attack from 1986.
The idea
Five title matches, and a 1986 attack on the long diagonal.
- Black’s rook on d4 has just taken a knight.
- The queen takes Black’s knight on e5.
- Queen and rook share the diagonal to h8: any rook move gives check.
In a game: When your rook stands between your queen and the enemy king, look for checks.
How the lesson begins
Anatoly Karpov became world champion in 1975, when Bobby Fischer did not defend his title. From 1984 to 1990 he and Garry Kasparov played five matches for the title, 144 games in all.
The first match was to go on until one player had won six games. Karpov led 5–0 after 27 games, but Kasparov won three of the next 21. After 48 games, in February 1985, FIDE’s president stopped the match without a result. Here is one of Karpov’s wins from it. Karpov has White.
Kasparov plays the Sicilian. White takes a pawn on b6, Black takes one back on e4, and the queens come off.
- 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nb5 d6 6. c4 Nf6 7. N1c3 a6 8. Na3 Be7 9. Be2 O-O 10. O-O b6 11. Be3 Bb7 12. Qb3 Na5 13. Qxb6 The queen takes the pawn on b6.
- 13... Nxe4 The knight takes the pawn on e4.
- 14. Nxe4 Bxe4 15. Qxd8 Bxd8 The queens are gone.
Karpov wins a pawn on the queenside, and his rooks and bishops press on Black’s pieces.
- 16. Rad1 d5 17. f3 Bf5 18. cxd5 exd5 19. Rxd5 Be6 20. Rd6 Bxa2 21. Rxa6 The rook takes on a6: White is a pawn up.
- 21... Rb8 22. Bc5 Re8 23. Bb5 Re6 24. b4 Nb7 25. Bf2 Be7 26. Nc2 Bd5 27. Rd1 Bb3 28. Rd7 Rd8 29. Rxe6 Rxd7 30. Re1 Rc7 The black rook comes to c7.
Find the move
Black’s rook on c7 guards the bishop on e7 along the seventh rank, against your rook on e1. Attack the rook.
A hint
The bishop on f2 can attack c7.
Show the answer
31. Bb6
31.Bb6! attacks the rook. If it leaves the seventh rank, Rxe7 wins the bishop, and d7 is covered by the bishop on b5. Taking the loose knight with 31...Rxc2 fails too: after 32.Rxe7 White threatens mate on e8, and 32...Nd6 33.Bc5 wins the knight. Kasparov resigned.