Independent pursuits: Chess

AS PREVIEWED on Friday, Messrs Kasparov and Kramnik were in combat this weekend (my apologies for stating that it was Saturday/Sunday rather than Friday/Saturday) with a 24-game match in the casino of the Kosmos Hotel in Moscow, at a cool $1,000 per point.

The games, at the normal blitz time limit of five minutes each but with the unusual modification that once down to less than 20 seconds they received an extra two seconds per move, were played on a sensory board so that they could be automatically transmitted live to the Internet Chess Club (ICC - http:// www.chessclub.com).

Battle raged back and forth with Kasparov taking the early lead, being overtaken by Kramnik at the end of the first day, falling to two down with five to play but then fighting back to equality with wins as White in games 20 and 22. Two further draws then left the score a most honourable 12 all.

Even more interesting than the final result was the intense opening battle. Whereas Kramnik is fairly inexperienced in match play, Kasparov, tempered by five matches with Karpov, is ferocious. Though it was "merely" a blitz match, Kasparov, particularly as White, used the tactics he employed successfully against Anand in their Professional Chessplayers Association match in New York in 1995.

His idea is to explore all avenues of attack, so he started with two outings of 1 e4 - both drawn - tried without great success several symmetrical Englishes (1 c4 c5) with a single Trompowsky, no less - 1 d4 Nf6 2 Bg5 - in the middle; and finally moved to more orthodox d4 openings. His great success was with his favourite 4 Qc2 Nimzo-Indian (1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 Qc2) - 3/3 in games 16, 18 and 20, the last albeit only after Kramnik, gulled by a big-time advantage, overpressed in a drawn ending. He also defeated Kramnik as Black in this line in games 2 and 4. Kramnik moved on in games 22 and 24 to Slavs, where he looked much more comfortable.

Nevertheless, Karpov did win game 22. After 21... Nd5 White won the h7 pawn but at the cost of the exchange. Kasparov's attack was deadly at this speed, though perhaps Black can improve. 30... Bf2? looks wrong. Instead, after 30... Bd4! 31 Bxd4 Qxd4 the rook can enter on a1 both attacking and defending.

White: Gary Kasparov

Black: Vladimir Kramnik

Queen's Gambit Meran

1 d4 d5

2 c4 c6

3 Nc3 Nf6

4 Nf3 e6

5 e3 Nbd7

6 Qc2 Bd6

7 Bd3 0-0

8 0-0 dxc4

9 Bxc4 b5

10 Bd3 Bb7

11 a3 a6

12 b4 a5

13 Rb1 axb4

14 axb4 Qe7

15 e4 e5

16 dxe5 Nxe5

17 Nxe5 Bxe5

18 Ne2 Qe6

19 f4 Bc7

20 e5 Ra2

21 Bb2 Nd5

22 Bxh7+ Kh8

23 Bf5 Bb6+

24 Kh1 Qh6

25 Be4 Ne3

26 Qb3 Nxf1

27 Rxf1 Ra7

28 Rf3 Bc8

29 f5 Qd2

30 Ng3 Bf2

31 Nf1 Qe1

32 Bd3 Rd7

33 e6 fxe6

34 fxe6 Rxf3

35 exd7 Bxd7

36 gxf3 Be6

37 Qc3 1-0