Many grandmaster games contain chess lessons in miniature. If you want
to improve as a player, you have to do more than just play the game; you
have to find ways to study the history of the game and try to understand
the way it is played today. Spending time analyzing classic and grand master
games is a richly rewarding way to increase your chess ability. Remember,
players,
including many with immense chess talent, can't learn everything at
once; as we acquire chess knowledge, we understand more. Additionally,
as with any sport, there is a day to day satisfaction of keeping abreast
of current events and relating them to the history of the game. |
| Following the chess career of Gary Kasparov is an interesting way to
study chess. Though no longer the World Champion, he remains a newsmaker.
In breaking through the 2800 level, he has achieved a higher rating than
any other player in chess history. Any of us can learn valuable chess ideas
from his games. |
| Recently, Kasparov concluded a 4 game charity match with Terence Chapman,
an English businessman and soft wear developer. The match took place April
21st-22nd 2001 at Simpson's-in-the-Strand, an historical chess site and
restaurant in London, England. On Sunday 22, 2001 Chapman defeated Kasparov
in the third game of the four game match. Chapman also drew one game (in
itself quite a feat) while Kasparov won two games to take the match. |
| To make the match more interesting, Kasparov played the match at two
pawn odds with a time advantage of 90 minutes for Chapman to 60 for himself.
Such giving of odds harkens back to earlier times when there weren't as
many strong players or organized events as there are today. Stronger players
such as Paul Morphy had to give odds to drum up competition. |
| Chapman is certainly an able player, but hewas out of practice
and nowhere close to Kasparov's playing strength when the match was arranged.
Nevertheless, since two pawns are usually enough to win a game between
equals, Kasparov was making a considerable concession to Chapman who had
held the British under 14 Championship and the London under 18 championship. |
| With two pawns removed, Chapman had winning material on the board.
A single pawn is minimal mating material in chess since it can be promoted
to queen and easily accomplish mate. With a second pawn as insurance, all
Chapman had to do was exchange material evenly and march or fight his pawn
up to the queening row. On his part, Kasparov had to rely on tactical ability,
talent, and experience to over come the material difference.
Exchanging down makes any pawn imbalance felt; indeed, this is the usual
winning method in most games, but in an odds game the winning advantage
exists from the very first. |
| The difference in thinking time, 60 to 90, was not as an important
concession as the two pawn odds. Once a player of Kasparov's strength has
a winning advantage, no amount of additional time will make much of a difference
in the out come. In the game he lost, Kasparov didn't use his time wisely,
spent too much time on a few moves and got into time pressure while Chapman
held his advantage and played carefully Chapman used the time before the
match to prepare by playing in several tournaments in the United Kingdom
He also practiced playing games at odds with other leading English players
to get up to speed and get a feel for odds games. |
| To play through the following game, remove Kasparov's a and b
pawns. Notice that removing these pawns solves some of Black's queenside
development problems, so it was not all grim for Black. Playing the
game through as you read will help you get the most out of the rest
of the column. Set up the game on a computer or your board and play it
through. Notice, I do not discuss each move because of space considerations,
but consult the diagrams as you work it out, paying special attention to
the annotations. |
| Terence Chapman |
|
| Garry Kasparov |
|
| Game Three |
|
| Odds Game: Remove Black's a-pawn & b-pawn |
|
|
Notes by Mervin Draper
1.e4 Bb7
| Black can begin his counter attack right off the bat because of the
absence of his a and b pawns. |
| Defending pieces and pawns with other pawns is the most economical
of defenses. |
| White strives to reach a King's Indian Attack position, sound in development
but a little passive. Both players are engaged in rapid development as
they should be. |
| Chapman is implementing his plan to exchange pieces evenly to make
the weight of the pawns felt. He wants to back up his bishop with 9.Qd2
followed by 10.Bh6 Bxh6 11Qxh6. Two bishops come off the board and White's
Queen occupies a major hole in Black's kingside. Kasparov acts to avoid
the bishop exchange that he can't afford. |
| This protection of the h pawn is very instructive It's not too pleasant
to have your opponent's queen as an unwelcome guest. |
| Chapman has developed his pieces and now mobilizes his pawns. |
| Chapman begins an attack on e6 Kasparov moves to protect e6 and transfer
pieces to the kingside for an assault on White's king. He has to open lines
to the White king and get in tactical shots. White has forced a bishop
exchange. |
| Chapman found an inbetween move to further reduce material and breech
Black's kingside. |
| Chapman has gained another pawn, but Kasparov has begun a counter attack.
Both e5 and c5 attack the d5 knight. Kasparov's choice of moves opens the
long diagonal to domination by Black's queen. White's king is also on the
long diagonal, an inviting target indeed. Black threatens to fork White's
knight and bishop with pawn to d4. Black also has the threat of moving
a knight... Nf3 and if Kxf3, the other knight moves to Ne4 with discovered
check, winning the queen. |
| A white plan at this point might be, Qd3, and Nf4, Ng6 with a strong
attack. In the game white doesn't follow this plan and exposes his queen
as more of a target. His queen advance puts more pressure on Kasparov to
make further exchanges. |
| Kasparov sacrifices the exchange to use the f8 square as a launching
pad to target White's Queen. This was a desperate idea. White is already
ahead in material and positional considerations. It was a gamble, but a
recapture would double White's pawns on the f file and aid in blockading
White's pawn structure. Subsequent play reveals that this was a clearing
sacrifice. White also took a risk when he advanced his queen rather than
maneuvering and trying to exchange his knights. |
| In the remainder of the game we see further liquidation of material
and Chapman's queening of the a pawn. In the end, the odds, the difference
in thinking time, Chapaman's preparation, and White's first move advantage
all worked against Kasparov; he could not hold his game and resigned. Commentators
have pointed out that on 28...Ra7 Kasparov would lose his queen. |
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| Grandmaster games can be found in chess books, magazines,
newspaper columns, and on line. If you have chess questions, or comments
about this column, you may contact me at PJDBAD@aol.com.
See ya' at chess club! |
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The Ionia Chess Club meets every Thursday evening from 6 to 10 pm at:
Ionia Armory Community Center
439 West Main Street,
Ionia, Michigan
48846 |
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