This article is a summary for the full article on Soviet Chess – Anatoli Karpov vs Victor Korchnoi that includes some more info as well as an interactive chessboard for the video, please visit Wiliam’s site.
This was game 2 of the 1974 World Championship Candidates Match in Moscow, Russia. The winer of the tournament would get the chance to play for the world title in 1975. Karpov opens with e4 and Korchnoi responds with the Sicilian Dragon. Karpov plays the extremely aggressive Yugoslav Attack, a line involving opposite-side castling and violent attacks. Korchnoi plays a topical line with 12. …Nc4 to exchange white’s strong bishop on b3, however this maneuver costs him valuable time to start his own attack against white’s king. Karpov sacrifices a pawn with 14. h5 to open the h-file, and proceeds with a fantastic prophylactic plan involving 16. Nde2! and 19. Rd3! – entirely preventing black’s attacking ideas revolving around an exchange sacrifice on c3 so that white can direct his full attention to the kingside. Karpov finishes the game with a sharp tactical sequence, sacrificing another pawn to open lines against black’s king. Korchnoi was unable to defend and resigned after 27. Qh8+, in light of 27. …Ke7 28. Nxd5+ Qxd5 29. Re1+.
This article is a summary for the full article on Soviet Chess – Anatoli Karpov vs Victor Korchnoi that includes some more info as well as an interactive chessboard for the video, please visit Wiliam’s site.
Follow William for fresh daily updates: Follow @OnlineChessLessWilliam Stewart is a National Master. He specializes in Online Chess Coaching and maintains a daily updated Chess Blog
Karpov is a legend.
Relating to this, as is later here evident, this morning I “played” one game, “played” because it ended abruptly. I played a game that went, me white, from memory, move orders I hope I did not miss reconstructing it here(the end position is as it was, I don’t play the sicialian as black):
1. e4 c5 2.Nc3 e6 3.g3 a6 4.Bg2 b5 5.f4 Bb7 6.d3 c6 7.Nf3 Qc7 8.0-0
and the opponent disappeared, 100 points higher ranked than me but I have been more than 100 points higher than him, on yahoo. It was a 10+5 game, but what struck me, as I was left staring at the final position, perhaps I am dense today, I did not know how to continue: the plan? I know white has an advantage, and I’ve played a similar, if not this exact position many times (perhaps black went away to analyse if this threatens his sicilian, can happen on Yahoo, a free server), but I didn’t actually know what to do if black does nothing.
Nevermind I had the chance to play e5 when he would have had to play Ra7, but that would sort of develop his rook while the pawn advance would be premature. My c3 knight would go to, at a b4 by him, b1 or e2(as is typical). But I could not decide on the appropriate future queen placement, and a kingside expansion is relevant but did not know if it was useful.
But I have Karpov’s book, “Find the Right Plan,” I realise this I need to study in full now, only begun it earlier, for I’m not sure what to do!
Oh I was left staring at the position for ten minutes, which is the time the opponent can return.
Ah, and that was 6. …Nc6, not c6, well the pawn…
I suppose, a g4 is on the agenda next, and the queen belongs on e1 for starters. (if 8. …b 9. Ne2)