Garry Kasparov – Sergei Begun (Minsk, 1978) by Andreas
White to move. How should White proceed?
r3r1k1/pp2b2p/1q2p1pB/1b2N2n/8/P7/1P3PP1/RB2QRK1 w – – 0 23
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Kasparov chess tactic
About Author
Either Bxg6 or Nxg6 suggest themselves immediately:
1. Ng6? Bf1
2. Ne7 Re7
3. Qf1 and clearly white doesn’t have enough for the exchange. The alternative capture at g6 by the bishop forces the issue since black doesn’t have time for Bxf1:
1. Bg6! Bf1??
2. Bh7! Kh7 (Kh8 3.Nf7 Kh7 4.Qe4)
3. Qe4 Kh8 (Kg8 4.Qg6+-)
4. Nf7 Kg8
5. Qg6 with mate on the next move.
Back at move 1, black must choose differently, but none of the alternatives look all that appetizing, but they don’t look like mate to me. They all look fairly similar in outcome in terms of material, so I will just cover the capture at g6 in a less than thorough way since I am pressed for time at the moment:
1. Bg6 hg6
2. Qe4 Bf8 (Ng7 3.Qg6)
3. Qg6 Ng7
4. Ng4 e5 (Qd4 5.Rfd1)
5. Nf6 Qf6
6. Qf6 Bf1
7. Rf1 and white should win this.
Bxg6! hxg6 Qe4 with Qxg6 next.
Being materialstic I would have sacced the N but GK sac the B!
1. Nxg6 hxg6
2. Bxg6 and either Black loses material or the white Q moves to e5 and mate.
Qe1 was the best move
After Bxg6, the game could play out like this:
23. Bxg6 hxg6
24. Qe4 Bf8
25. Qxg6+ Ng7
26. Rad1 Qc7
27. Ng4 Qf7
28. Nf6+ Qxf6
29. Qxf6
From here, white can exchange pieces and then promote a pawn for a relatively easy win.
The actual game between Kasparov and Begun didn’t last long after move 23:
23. Bxg6 Nf6
24. Bxh7+ {Black resigns.}
Begun was correct to resign. Here’s an analysis of the alternatives Begun had at that point — all of them ending in a win for white:
24… Nxh7
(24… Kh8
25. Nf7+ Kxh7
26. Qb1+ Bd3
27. Qxd3+ Ne4
28. Qxe4+ Kg8
29. Qg6#)
(24… Kxh7
25. Qb1+ Bd3
26. Qxd3+ Ne4
27. Qxe4+ Kh8
28. Nf7+ Kg8
29. Qg6#)
25. Qe4 Bd3
(25… Bf8
26. Qg6+ Kh8
27. Nf7#)
(25… Nf8
26. Qg4+ Kh8
27. Qg7#)
(25… Bf6
26. Qg6+ Kh8
27. Nf7#)
(25… Rf8
26. Qg6+ Kh8
27. Qg7#)
26. Qxd3 Qxf2+
27. Rxf2 Nf8
28. Rxf8+ Bxf8
29. Qg6+ Kh8
30. Nf7#
The above analysis was obtained with the assistance of Fritz 13 in infinite analysis mode.