Garry Kasparov's Forgotten Weapon Against The Queen's Gambit (part 10)

KASPAROV faced former world champion Vasily Smyslov in the final of the Candidates in Vilnius, then part of the USSR but now the capital of Lithuania.

Smyslov (2600) - Kasparov (2710)

Candidates Final Game 2 (Vilnius) 1984

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 c5!? 3.c4 e6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.g3 Nf6 6.Bg2 Be7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Nc3 Nc6

Once again we reach the starting tabiya of the Tarrasch Defence, albeit from a slightly unusual move-order.

9.Bg5 cxd4 10.Nxd4 h6 11.Be3 Re8 12.a3!?

As played by Korchnoi against Kasparov in the semi-finals.

12...Be6 13.Kh1!?

Smyslov's new idea (Korchnoi played 13.Qb3). The plan is probably to expand on the kingside with f4 and, after moving the dark-square bishop, e4. Also possible, again after moving the dark-square bishop, is f3 to support the push e4.

13...Qd7!?

Kasparov switched to 13...Bg4 in later games. The text is a general developing move while also envisaging a possible exchange of light-square bishops with ...Bh3, but Smyslov immediately puts a stop to the latter idea.

14.Nxe6 fxe6 15.f4 Red8!?

A surprising redeployment that is quite liked by Komodo11.01. More natural-looking is 15...Rad8, but Kasparov is saving this rook for the open c file.

16.Bg1 Rac8 17.Qa4 Kh8 18.Rad1 Qe8 19.e4 d4! 20.Ne2

Not 20.Bxd4? b5! 21.Nxb5 Nxd4 22.Rxd4 Rxd4 23.Qxd4 Qxb5, when Black has won a knight for two pawns.

20...Bc5 21.Qb5 Bb6 22.h3 e5 23.fxe5 Nxe5 24.Qxe8+ Rxe8 25.Nxd4

Who stands better and by how much?

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White is a pawn up and has the bishop-pair, but the e pawn is weak and the b2 pawn even weaker. Komodo11.01 and Stockfish12 reckon White has a slight edge.

25...Nc4 26.e5!?

White has no good way to defend b2 (26.Rd1?? Nd2) and instead offers his isolani in order to activate his light-square bishop and possibly create a queenside pawn-majority.

26...Rxe5 27.Bxb7 Rc7

The problem for White is he still has no good way to protect b2.

28.Rc1 Nxb2 29.Rxc7 Bxc7 30.Nc6 Re2 31.Nd4

If 31.Nxa7 then 31...Bxg3.

31...Re5 32.Nf5 Bb6 33.Nxh6! Ra5 34.Bxb6 axb6 35.Nf5

35.Rf3 defends the a pawn temporarily, but Black can reply 35...Nc4.

35...Rxa3

The tactical flurry is over, and it is Black who has emerged with the only queenside pawn. But White has the only bishop in a position with rival pawn-majorities, and the engines reckon the ending is equal.

36.Kh2 Nc4 37.g4 Ra7 38.Bh1 Ne5 39.g5 Nh5 40.Re1 Ra5 41.Nd6 ½–½