Author: Mike Byrne
Date: 15:12:56 04/13/03
Old news, but just hitting mainstream.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/13/crosswords/chess/13CHES.html
The full text is below:
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Kasparov's Losing Remarks Win No Award for Class
By ROBERT BYRNE
RADJABOV/BLACK
FRENCH DEFENSE
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White Black
Kasp'ov Radjabov
1 e4 e6
2 d4 d5
3 Nc3 Nf6
4 e5 Nfd7
5 f4 c5
6 Nf3 Nc6
7 Be3 a6
8 Qd2 b5
9 a3 Qb6
10 Ne2 c4
11 g4 h5
12 gh Rh5
13 Ng3 Rh8
14 f5 ef
15 Nf5 Nf6
16 Ng3 Ng4
17 Bf4 Be6
18 c3 Be7
19 Ng5 0-0-0
20 Ne6 fe
21 Be2 Nge5
22 Qe3 Nd7
23 Qe6 Bh4
24 Qg4 g5
25 Bd2 Rde8
26 0-0-0 Na5
27 Rdf1 Nb3
28 Kd1 Bg3
29 Rf7 Rd8
30 Bg5 Qg6
31 Qf5 Qf5
32 Rf5 Rdf8
33 Rf8 Nf8
34 Bf3 Bh4
35 Be3 Nd7
36 Bd5 Re8
37 Bh6 Ndc5
38 Bf7 Re7
39 Bh5 Nd3
40 Resigns
Cranky Garry Kasparov is losing friends and supporters even when they believe he
might be in the right.
At the final ceremony of the 20th Linares Super GM Tournament in Spain, when the
prize for the best-played game was given to the 15-year-old Azerbaijan
grandmaster Teimour Radjabov for his victory over Kasparov, the Russian star
went to the microphone and angrily said: "I believe that this one is not the
best game of the tournament. It has been chosen solely because it was the only
game that I lost, and I consider that this is a public insult and a
humiliation."
Radjabov had been outplayed from the beginning but put on a brave effort to
stave off defeat. Kasparov was pressed by his opponent's spirited play and went
badly astray. His tie for third was the end of a four-year winning streak in 10
elite tournaments.
So Radjabov may not have had the best-played game, but there was no award for
keeping a cool head under fire.
In this game, Radjabov answered 7 Be3 with the extravagant advance 7 . . . a6
and 8 . . . b5. Not satisfied with the result, he tried a restrained
alternative, 7 . . . cd 8 Nd4 Bc5 against Kramnik in Round 6, but was outplayed
and lost.
Radjabov's 10 . . . c4?! relieved whatever pressure he had on the white center
and thus freed Kasparov's minor pieces to find attacking positions on the
kingside.
After 17 Bf4, Radjabov could have tried 17 . . . Ne7 aiming to get the
bishop-pair with 18 . . . Ng6. He should not have let Kasparov get the
bishop-pair with 17 . . . Be6 18 c3 Be7 Ng5 19 O-O-O 20 Ne6 fe.
Rather than get a clearly inferior position with 21 . . . Nh6 22 O-O or risk the
loss of his knight after 21 . . . Rh2 22 Rh2 Nh2 23 Nh5 g6 24 Nf6, Radjabov
boldly ventured 21 . . . Nge5!? and it intimidated Kasparov. It was only at the
final ceremony that Kasparov presented 22 Be5 Ne5 23 de Bc5 24 Bf3 Be3 25 Qe2 d4
26 cd Qd4 27 Rd1 followed by 28 Ne4 as the correct way to nullify Radjabov's
attack. For now, he played it safe with 22 Qe3.
And Radjabov faltered. He should have played 22 . . . Bd6!?, when 23 de Qe3 (23
. . . Bc5 24 Qf3 Rhf8 25 Qg4 d4!? is probably an unsound gamble) 24 Be3 Ne5 25
Kd2 Rdf8 26 Raf1 Rf1 27 Nf1 yields Radjabov only two pawns for a piece, though
the black position is quite compact.
After 22 . . . Nd7?! 23 Qe6, Kasparov said afterward, "Now White has a won
game." But after 23 . . . Bh4 24 Qg4?!, Kasparov had overlooked that 24 . . . g5
keeps Radjabov in the fight because 25 Bg5? loses material to 25 . . . Rdg8. He
should have played 24 Qd5 Rhe8 25 Qg2.
After 26 . . . Na5, Kasparov thought that he still had great advantage, but that
would not be clear after 27 Kb1 Kc7 28 Qf3 Nf6 29 Rhf1 Nb3 30 Be1 Rhf8 31 Qg2
Qe6. In any case, he started to play very badly at this juncture. His atrocious
27 Rdf1? Nb3 28 Kd1 Bg3 29 Rf7 (trying desperately to fend off 29 . . . Qg6) Rd8
30 Bg5 Qg6 31 Qf5 Qf5 32 Rf5 Rdf8 33 Rf8 Nf8 left him a piece down and totally
lost.
After 39 . . . Nd3, Kasparov, hopelessly behind in material, gave up.
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