Kasparov scores victory in round 3 at Linares

[Jack Rabbit]

EDITED for typing

Former world champion Garry Kasparov scored a victory over Spanish grandmaster Francisco Vallejo today at the third round of the 22nd Ciudad de Linares chess tournament in south central Spain.

It was Kasparov's first victory of the tournament. He has drawn the other two games that he has played.

The two other games played today ended in draws. Those were between Viswanathan Anand of India and Hungarian Peter Leko, and Uzbekistan's Rustam Kasimdzhanov and Michael Adams of Britain. A seventh competitor, Bulgarian grandmaster Veselin Topalov, had a bye.

Kasparov won today while playing the Black side of the Queen's Gambit Accepted. Kasparov entered complications when, on his 19th move, he began a series of exchanges in which Black gave up a Rook for a Bishop and two Pawns.

BLACK: Kasparov

WHITE: Vallejo

Position after Black's 26th move

In this position, White blundered with 27. Ra5. Black countered with a combination based on a discovered attack against an unprotected piece: 27. -- Bxf2+ 28. Qxf2 Qxa5. Black is now two pawns ahead. White tried 29. Ne6, perhaps in the desperate hope of 28. -- fxe6?? 29. Qxf8 mate. However, Kasparov played the correct 29. -- Bxg2 and White resigned in view of the following lines, any of which leaves Black two pawns up:

• 30. Kxg2 Qa8+ 31. Kg1 fxe6
• 30. Qxg2 fxe6
• 30. Nxf8 Bxf1 31. Kxf1 Kxf8.
• 30.Qe1 Qb5 31.Nxf8 Bxf1 32.Ne6 fxe6 33. Qxf1 Qxf1+ 34. Kxf1 etc.

More analysis can be found at ChessBase.com.

The victory gives Kasparov the lead in the tournament with two points. Anand, Kasimdzhanov and Leko each have a point and a half. A full point is awarded for each victory and half a point for each draw.

Kasparov has the bye in round 4, which will be played tomorrow starting at 15:30 in Linares (14:30 GMT/6:30 am PST). The games will pit Adams (White) against Vallejo; Anand (White) against Kasimdzhanov; and Topalov (White) against Leko. The games may be viewed in progress at this Spanish site.


Diagram from ChessBase.

[nickgutierrez]

1. A GM made that blunder???

Ra5 is an amateur mistake -- the discovered attack is obvious.

He must have been short on time.

[Jack Rabbit]

2. He could have been short on time

I noticed this morning that Vallejo was playing very slowly through the first dozen moves. Then I had to go to work.

[unblock]

3. everybody blunders

gms just do it less often.

[Jack Rabbit]

4. True

A blunder is defined as that move which loses the game. I subscribe to the theory that holds that a blunder precedes the winning move in any decisive chess game.

A game of chess cannot be won before it has first been lost. In that respect, chess reflects the comic and absurd side of life.

[Telly Savalas]

5. I'm sure he saw the discovered attack.

Playing 25.Ra5, he probably didn't see 29...Bxg2. If Black plays any other (nonsuicidal) move, then White wins the rook for his knight and has the edge, which is probably what Vallejo was expecting.