Chess

The January issue of Chess Monthly includes an account of what was perhaps the most boorish incident of 1996. It happened at a 25-board simultaneous display in Tel Aviv when Garry Kasparov met some powerful opposition including most members of the national youth team. His final score of 17 wins, five draws and three losses clearly fell below the champion's usual high standards, for he stormed out of the hall and failed to turn up for the prizegiving.

Kasparov's complaint was that the organisers had done nothing to control the growing noise in the playing room and the tendency for cameramen and bystanders to get in his way as he moved from board to board. "Concentration is the key to my game, " Kasparov was quoted as saying, "and if it's lost. I can make mistakes ... I make one mistake, I get angry, then I make another mistake and really lose control."

His most startling defeat came against the former Soviet dissident, now Israeli Industry Minister, Natan Sharansky. After 14...Nxf2! White was struggling, though 16.Kg3 Qb8+ 17.Ne5 f6 18.Ndxc4 would have given a better chance to save the game. At the end, 28...Rf1+ 29.Kg3 Ree1 wins easily.

White: Garry Kasparov

Black: Natan Sharansky

1 e4 e6 16 Re3 Bxe3+

2 d4 d5 17 Kxe3 Re8+

3 exd5 exd5 18 Kf2 Qxd5

4 Nf3 Nf6 19 Kg1 Rad8

5 Bd3 Be7 20 Kh1 b5

6 h3 Nc6 21 Qf1 Bd3

7 a3 Ne4 22 Qg1 Nc6

8 c4 Bf5 23 Nb1 Nd4

9 0-0 dxc4 24 Nxd4 Qxd4

10 Bxc4 0-0 25 Nc3 Qxg1+

11 d5 Na5 26 Kxg1 Re1+

12 Ba2 c5 27 Kf2 Rde8

13 Re1 c4 28 Nxb5

14 Nbd2 Nxf2 White resigned

15 Kxf2 Bc5+