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Garry Kasparov vs Viktor Korchnoi
Kasparov - Korchnoi Candidates Semifinal (1983), London ENG, rd 1, Nov-21
Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation. Petrosian Attack (E12)  ·  0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Dec-20-06  argishti: Karpova: <Shadout Mapes: Another case of a great attacking player being destroyed by Korchnoi. He certainly has some sort of gift against aggressive players.> Kasparov: 19 wins
Korchnoi: 1 win
no further comment

haha, i like that!

no further comment

Nov-08-07  outsider: karpova> korchnoi was born in 1931. kasparov was NOT. if kasparov comes back to play some more chess, let us see if he gets 1/5 of korchnoy's achievements at the same age. but no, he's going to attack and mate other kings...
Nov-08-07  pacelli: A younger Korchnoi (say the 1974 Korchnoi) would've beaten Kasparov in 1983.
Nov-13-07  arnaud1959: I remembered this game, especially Korchnoi's 0-0 instead of recapturing the pawn and I tried to find it. Nothing easier with Internet/Chessgames! At that time people had started doubting about Kasparov's ability to become a challenger but later, with some convicting wins he showed that he had deserved that title.
Jul-16-08  Helios727: Are all the 1983 games between these two part of their candidates match (excluding the blitz games of course)?
Jul-16-08  Amulet: <argishti: Karpova: <Shadout Mapes: Another case of a great attacking player being destroyed by Korchnoi. He certainly has some sort of gift against aggressive players.> Kasparov: 19 wins Korchnoi: 1 win
no further comment

haha, i like that!

no further comment >

Huh!
No further comment.

Oct-28-08  Xeroxx: No further comment.
Oct-16-09  birthtimes: Kasparov would likely win the game aftel 21. Ne5! Rd8 22. Qh4 Rd5 23. Ng4 Rxb5 24. Rad1 Bd5 25. c4 Qxc4 26. Rxd5 exd5 27. Qd8+ Kg7 28. Qf6+ Kf8 29. Re1 Qe4 30. Qh8+ Ke7 31. Rxe4+ dxe4 32. h4 ...
Oct-23-10  jerseybob: birthtimes: I'm not totally convinced by your 21.Ne5 analysis. Is that a line that one of the GMs recommended? In your analysis, the BN and BQR never get developed. 21..Nc6 seems better to me. If 22.Qd7, Rac8, and though white seems to have pressure, I don't see any win.
Jan-08-11  chukcha96: <birthtimes> 25.c4? ♖f5! 26.♘h6+ ♔g7 27.♘xf5 exf5
Aug-04-11  DrMAL: <pacelli: A younger Korchnoi (say the 1974 Korchnoi) would've beaten Kasparov in 1983.> Of course, LMAO. Fact is, this was the one game Korchnoi ever beat Kasparov (out of 45, including a simul when Kasparov drew as a boy).

Even here, the endgame was probably a draw if Kasparov had played 47.Kd3 or 47.Kd4 or 47.gxf4 he simply made a mistake.

Aug-09-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  Eggman: <<Kasparov: 19 wins Korchnoi: 1 win
no further comment>
>

Age at which Korchnoi first played Kasparov: 51. That's 3 years older than Kasparov is now, and Kasparov is already 6 years into retirement. So I think we can cut Korchnoi some slack.

Dec-07-11  Robeson: "Even here, the endgame was probably a draw if Kasparov had played 47.Kd3 or 47.Kd4 or 47.gxf4 he simply made a mistake."

Why would an eventual two pawn down rook and pawn ending be a draw?

Dec-17-12  leka: Kasparov played 21. knight g5????? The Botvinnik school student Kasparov should know put your knight in the center.Every player in the would have played 21.Knight e5!!! a winning move.i believeFischer played his knight g5 twice against Kholmov in 1965 and against Korchnoi in blitz in 1970.
Feb-08-13  vinidivici: Well, well, we see the young Kasparov which at that time still with a bit clumsy, awkward and cautious style. There are 3 options for move 21 for white...The gist is black bishop threatening to take the f-knight, so the problem, is it better to move the knight or protect with the queen...

The choice are 21.Ng5/Ne5/Qe3.....???

Noted that Kasparov had spent the 16 first moves over than 2 hours, so for him to chose 21.Ng5 is a remarkable and brave move.....BUT the WEAKEST. Just we have seen he lost the match.

For my POV, i myself had i been in the match, i would have chosen the most passive move...21.Qe3. And this move is better than Ng5. When my partner gave me the position years ago i chose Qe3 because the specified time control. In that training session, i lost to my opponent...after 21.Qe3 Bxf3 22.Qxf3 Na6 23.Bxa6? (at that time i preferred to simplify the position) Rxa6 24.Rfd1 Ra4...and many moves later i lost the match due to very active blacks pieces and the fact that i just had little time for the match.

But actually the strongest move is 21.Ne5!, Yes it would be lose a piece (bishop), but the the attacking knight and queen would surely lead to a draw.

main
21.Ne5! Rd8
22.Qh4! Rd5
23.Ng4! Rxb5 (no worries!!)
24.Rad1! (threatening Rd8) Rd5 (if 24...Bd5 25.c4)
25.Nf6 Kf8 (25...Kg7 26.Ne8+)
26.Qxh7 Rxd1
27.Rxd1...this position is DRAW 27...Rxa3
28.Qh8+ Ke7
29.Ng8+ ... perpetual check...draw

If 26...Nd7 27.Nxd5 exd5 28.Qh8+ Ke7 29.Rfe1+ Kd6 30.Qh4 b5 31.Qe7+ Kc6 32.Qxf7...1-0 white up 2 pawns and a rook for 2 minors but with overwhelming attack.

from the main
if 24...Nc6 25.Nc6+ Kg7 26.Rd7!! Qxd7 (queen must take if not it would be mate after some moves) 27.Nxd7...1-0

the conclusion is
21.Ne5! is the best defense...this would likely draw if nobody make a mistake.

21.Qe3!? is the second best defense...its passive but solid but white has to be careful with each moves because it permits black mobility throughout the match.

21.Ng5?! is Kasparov choice, its the weakest and harder to defense. Its also has some chances to draw. But white position wosened from the beginning.

Feb-09-13  vinidivici: And these are the comments from both players about 21.Ng5

Korchnoi: "Kasparov strays from the correct path."

Kasparov gave his own move 1 question mark (?):
"Having missed this possibility, White completely hands over the initiative to his opponent. The choice of this incorrect route for the knight fully justifies Black's avoidance of complications three move earlier (18...Bg7)"

Kasparov is right 18...Bg7 is weaker than 18...Rd8!.

Feb-09-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: < vinidivici: Well, well, we see the young Kasparov which at that time still with a bit clumsy, awkward and cautious style....>

Here are two games from Kasparov played three years before this match-I've no doubt his opponents thought his play anything but 'clumsy, awkward and cautious' after getting blasted off the board.

Of course, you know better.

Kasparov vs Marjanovic, 1980

Kasparov vs G Ligterink, 1980

Feb-09-13  vinidivici: <perf>

I have to peek my English again a bit i think.
<cautious> is not a right word for the young Kaspy...i admit that. But maybe a bit reckless and hope for the complication almost every time.

Feb-10-15  jphamlore: According to this report of the game, Korchnoi only spend 4 minutes on the first 17 moves versus Kasparov's 2 hours.

http://www.csmonitor.com/1983/1205/...

<Arthur Bisguier: The strategy was completely successful, as Kasparov, deprived of his favorite motif, had difficulty coming up with a workable plan. The time consumed by the players after White's 17th move tells the story. Kasparov has taken almost two hours to Korchnoi's four minutes. (The players were each allowed 21/2 hours to complete 40 moves.)>

Mar-23-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  Fusilli: <vinidivici> Oh man, you were really off with that comment on Kasparov... Thanks for sharing your analysis, though.

From Garry Kasparov bio: <At this stage, he was already the #2-rated player in the world, trailing only world champion Karpov on the January 1983 list.>

The "stage" in question refers to his qualifying to the candidates matches by winning the 1982 Moscow interzonal.

Apr-05-17  Granny O Doul: "It is evident that Korchnoi is not impressed by his young opponent's flashy victories" (or something like that)--Robert Byrne.
Aug-17-17  RookFile: 7...g6 is genius. It seems like a time waste but it shows understanding of the Gruenfeld defense, where e3 is one of the tamest systems white can throw at black. Tempo loss or not, white's pawn structure isn't going to do much against Gruenfeld defense where the way white gets an advantage is by instead grabbing space. In fact Kasparov feels obligated to return the tempo by playing e4 himself, but the end result is a favorable Gruenfeld defense setup for black.
Nov-14-20  fisayo123: It's not everyday a player can surprise Kasparov with an idea he wasn't familiar with in the opening and not only that but maintain a long lasting initiative as a result of that idea that decides the game.
Jan-31-21  Albion 1959: Korchnoi takes the lead and must have fancied his chances of winning this match. However, it was not to be. The young Kasparov was on the march and powered his way past the older Korchnoi and onto Karpov. The only time that Korchnoi beat Kasparov in more than 30 games!
Oct-16-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: The two semi-finals were in London at the same time (November 1983).

Game 1, this one, was Kasparov v Korchnoi and KORCHNOI won.

The other Game 1 was Smyslov vs Ribli, 1983 and SMYSLOV won.

So after one game it was quite possible that Korchnoi (52) would meet Smyslov (62) in the Candidates' Final, and one of those two would meet Karpov.

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