Chess: Kamsky puts the squeeze on Anand

TWO DOWN with three to play is an unenviable position, but Gata Kamsky showed his fighting spirit by winning the sixth game against Viswanathan Anand in Sanghi Nagar to keep his hopes alive in the match, writes William Hartston. In a sharp line of the Sicilian, Anand's 12 . . . Qh5 invites the white pawns to advance. 13. g4? would be met by 13 . . . Bxg4] 14. hxg4 Nxg4, but by exchanging knights first, Kamsky gained time to push the pawn. The danger for White is that when the position becomes open, his own king will be the more exposed.

Anand tried to tempt such an outcome with 20 . . . e5, but Kamsky kept control of the game masterfully. Exchanges led to an endgame with opposite coloured bishops. These often have a drawish tendency, but with rooks on the board, can enhance winning prospects. Kamsky's winning plan was a beautiful squeeze. 35. a6] came just in time (35 . . . Rxc6 36. axb7 is fatal) and his 41. Ke3]] is glorious, giving up his a-pawn, apparently his greatest asset, in order to activate the king. Black can hardly move a piece, while doing nothing lets White pick up the g-pawn and win as he pleases.

White: Kamsky

Black: Anand

1 e4 c5

2 Nf3 Nc6

3 d4 cxd4

4 Nxd4 g6

5 Nc3 Bg7

6 Be3 Nf6

7 Bc4 Qa5

8 0-0 0-0

9 Bb3 d6

10 h3 Bd7

11 f4 Rac8

12 Qf3 Qh5

13 Nxc6 Bxc6

14 g4 Qa5

15 Rad1 b5

16 g5 Nd7

17 f5 Bxc3

18 bxc3 Ne5

19 Qf4 Nc4

20 Bd4 e5

21 fxe6 fxe6

22 Bf6 Qc7

23 Bxc4 bxc4

24 Rxd6 Bxe4

25 Rxe6 Qxf4

26 Rxf4 Bf5

27 Ra6 Rf7

28 h4 Bxc2

29 Rd4 Bf5

30 a4 Rb7

31 Kf2 Re8

32 Kf3 Kf7

33 Rc6 Bd3

34 a5 Re6

35 a6 Rbe7

36 Rxe6 Rxe6

37 Rd7+ Ke8

38 Rd8+ Kf7

39 Rd7+ Ke8

40 Rxa7 Be4+

41 Ke3 Bb7+

42 Kd4 Bxa6

43 Kd5 Rb6

44 Kc5 Re6

45 Rxh7 1-0