Dutch Treat 
by Hans Ree

Centaur

In the twelfth round of the Linares tournament, Kasparov played a
19-move draw with Topalev. It was not his only quick draw in the
tournament, but for this one he was fined $3,000 by organiser Luis
Rentero. All the players had signed a contract that forbid them to
offer a draw during the first forty moves. All except Shirov, the
reckless adventurer who maybe considered it an insult.

Kasparov grumbled, rightly, that the final position against Topalov
was a dead draw and he had his second Dohoian write a protest
letter, but he accepted his fate.

Or so it seems, but maybe it was a piece of theatricality. Rentero
and Kasparov are partners in the new-founded World Chess
Council which will organise the matches for Kasparov's world
championship. First (probably) Kramnik-Shirov and then the
winner against Kasparov. Maybe one day Kasparov's opponent
will complain that the organisers are not impartial. Then Rentero
will beat his breast, fiercely denying that he would ever give
favours to friends: "Remember I fined Gary $3,000 for a quick
draw?" We have grown suspicious, but not without reason. 

Some twenty years ago an English journalist complained that in
sports only chess and marbles were above suspicion. One wonders
what has happened in the world of marbles. The day after the
tournament Kasparov went to Madrid to advertise an event that had
been announced a few months ago. In June, in the Spanish town of
Leon, he will play a match of six games against Topalov, in which
both players will have free access to a computer. It is an idea that
has been cherished for years by Kasparov. Advance Chess, he calls
it.

In Madrid his audience was treated to fine pieces of unbridled
Kasparov rhetoric. A new age for chess had arrived. Leon was
privileged to see the first appearance of 21st century chess.
Speculation and risk would cede to accuracy and the search for
perfection. The symbiosis of man and machine would be an
example not only for the chess world, but for all human
endeavours.

Last year he was the last stand of the human race against the
computer Deeper Blue. If you can't beat'em, join'em, he must have
thought. Not everyone will like the idea. A hundred years ago it
was also possible to raise the standard of chess by permitting
players to consult books on openings and endgames. It was not
done. Nowadays chessplayers are sometimes caught at a bookstall
during their game, consulting reference books. They are punished
and their plea that they are trying to bring chess to a higher level is
not accepted. For many people, speculation and risk are just the
things that give chess its attraction.

But it has to be admitted that Kasparov has found a promising
source of new sponsorships. He and Topalov will get the same
computer. But what they put into it will be their choice. Their
personally screened databases with millions of games. Their own
opening analysis from years ago that they may have forgotten by
now. A chessplaying program of their choice.

This will provide nice publicity for the program that is used by the
winner. Who did win the match, the human player or the program
that helped him calculate the variations and checked on his tactical
mistakes? Difficult to say. If Kasparov's idea gains acceptance, the
chess world will resemble the world of motorcar racing. A
tournament will be a testing ground and a generator of publicity for
the manufacturers of the machines.

The following two games from Linares were created in the
old-fashioned non-technological way. Just humans thinking on
their own. These games might give the impression that sometimes
computer help would not be a superfluous luxury, even for the best
players in the world.

Give this " blindfold" test to a knowledgeable chessplayer: show
him the moves, but not the names of the players. About the losers
he might say: "From the competent way they play the first ten
moves or so, it appears they are club players. But the way they
handle the rest of the game makes it clear that they are not playing
in a high league."'

White: Ivanchuk Black: Anand, Linares, Round 12 1. e2-e4 c7-c5
2. Ng1-f3 d7-d6 3. d2-d4 c5xd4 4. Nf3xd4 Ng8-f6 5. Nb1-c3
Nb8-c6 6. Bc1-g5 e7-e6 7. Qd1-d2 Bf8-e7 8. 0-0-0 0-0 9. f2-f3
This is played occasionally. The usual move is 9. f4 or 9. Nb3
9...Nc6xd4 10. Qd2xd4 a7-a6 11. h2-h4 b7-b5 12. Kc1-b1 Qd8-c7
13. h4-h5 h7-h6 14. Bg5-h4 Bc8-b7 15. Nc3-e2 Very slow and
artificial manoevres by white. 15. Bd3 would give no advantage,
but it looks superior. After 15. Bd3 d5 16. exd5 Bc5 white would
have 17. d6 as an escape. 15...Ra8-c8 16. Qd4-d2 Rf8-d8 With
simple natural moves, black has gotten a fine position. He is ready
for a break in the center. 17. Rd1-e1 Another contortionist move.
17...e6-e5 First this pawn, for after 17...d5 18. e5 Qxe5 19. Bg3
black's queen would be in limbo. Now 18...d5 is a threat. 18.
Bh4xf6 Be7xf6 19. Ne2-c3 Bf6-g5 20. Qd2-d1 After 20. Qd3
would follow 20...d5 21. Nxd5 Bxd5 22. exd5 Rxd5 and white
cannot take on d5. With the queen on d1 he would have 23. Bd3,
so now black changes plans: 20...Qc7-a5 Intending 21...Rxc3 with
a very strong attack. 21. Nc3-d5 This allows a nice finish, but good
moves were not to be found for white. 21...Bb7xd5 22. e4xd5 (See
Diagram) 22...Rc8xc2! 23. Kb1xc2 Qa5xa2 A rook up, white is
helpless against the threat 24...Rc8+. 24. f3-f4 So that after
24...Bxf4 he can bring his rook to the defence with 25. Rh3.
24...Rd8-c8+ 25. Kc2-d2 Bg5xf4+ 26. Kd2-e2 Qa2xb2+ 27.
Ke2-f3 Rc8-c1 White resigned. To avoid losing his rook on e1 he
has to give up his queen, leaving his position disorganized; black
then wins easily.

White: Kramnik Black: Svidler, Linares, Round 12 1. Ng1-f3
Ng8-f6 2. c2-c4 e7-e6 3. g2-g3 d7-d5 4. d2-d4 Bf8-e7 5. Bf1-g2
0-0 6. 0-0 d5xc4 7. Qd1-c2 a7-a6 8. Qc2xc4 b7-b5 9. Qc4-c2
Bc8-b7 10. Bc1-f4 Nf6-d5 This move has a bad reputation. 11.
Nb1-c3 Nd5xf4 12. g3xf4 Nb8-d7 13. Rf1-d1 Bb7xf3 This cannot
be satisfactory for black. After 13...Qc8 14. Ne4 c5 15. dxc5 Nxc5
16. Nxc5 Qxc5 17. Qxc5 Bxc5 in Ribli-Karpov, Amsterdam 1980,
black had attained his goal in this variation: eliminating the
weakness on c7. But even so black was slightly worse in the
ending and he lost. 14. Bg2xf3 Ra8-b8 15. e2-e3 Nd7-f6 16.
Ra1-c1 Qd8-d6 17. Nc3-e2 Rf8-c8 18. e3-e4 Qd6-d7 19. d4-d5
e6xd5 20. e4-e5 Nf6-e8 21. Rd1xd5 Qd7-h3 22. Bf3-g2 Qh3-h4
23. Ne2-d4 White's game plays itself. His threats are 24. Nc6 and
especially 24. Nf5. White is winning. (See Diagram) 23...Qh4xf4
24. Nd4-c6 Now black's queen, rook and bishop are in danger. He
can not save everything. 24...Be7-h4 25. Rc1-d1 Rb8-b6 26.
Rd5-d4 Rb6xc6 27. Bg2xc6 Qf4xe5 28. Bc6-d7 Rc8-d8 29.
Rd4xh4 Black resigned. After 29...Rxd7 ( or 29...Qg5+ 30. Rg4)
30. Qxh7+ Kf8 31. Rxd7 black has only a few checks.

This column first appeared in the Dutch newspaper
"NRC-Handelsblad" March 14, 1998. Copyright 1998 Hans Ree,
All Rights Reserved.