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Viktor Korchnoi vs Garry Kasparov
"They're getting old young these days." (game of the day Nov-29-2023)
Euwe Memorial (1991), Amsterdam NED, rd 7, May-10
King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation. Classical System Neo-Classsical Line (E99)  ·  0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Kibitzer's Corner
Nov-19-05  KingG: What a game. Great play by both players, Kasparov was just fractionally quicker on the King-side than Korchnoi was on the Queen-side.

I'm not sure about 16.h3 though, was it really necessary? In opposite side pawn storms, i'm not a big fan of moving pawns on your weaker side.

Nov-19-05  Catfriend: <KingG> Although 16.h3 does weaken white's K-side, letting black play g4 immediately was even worse. All white would've been able to do is to defend pasively, just prolonging the end. 16.h3 forces Kasparov to prepare a bit for the assault, giving Korchnoi a chance to have activity on the Q-side. Didn't help him, though:)
Nov-19-05  KingG: <Catfriend> I disagree, i don't think that h3 was vital at this stage. For example the game could have continued: 16.cxd6 cxd6 17.a5 g4 18.Nb5 g3 (18...gxf3 19.Bxf3) 19.hxg3 fxg3 20.Bxg3, and i think White is fine.

For example see W Schmidt vs Joern Galonska, 1995 and W Schmidt vs M Skrzypnik, 2001 for similar games without h3.

May-17-06  kewmschess: In The Complete King's Indian, Keene and Jacobs quote Kasparov as saying that 21. Nb4 was the critical mistake. Instead, Kasparov suggests 21. a6! Bxa6 22. Nb4 Bc8 unclear. Even in that line, Black gets a very dangerous attack. It's easy to see why no one else has tried 14. Nd3.
Jan-19-07  Octavia: Mcdonald in "...the art of logical thinking" game22, suggested 16 c6 or cxd - h3 was wasting time.
Mar-13-07  thegreatzidane: People, is 27. Bxh4 necessary? If white allow black to play Nxf3, does black follow up with Nxg4 and f3?
Mar-15-08  ToTheDeath: thegreatzidane- both your line and 27... Nxf3 28...Qh3 and 29...Rh7 are decisive.
Feb-10-09  OneArmedScissor: <16. h3>
<White places another obstacle in the way of the g5-g4 advance, but in such a double-edged position every move is open to question. Is the pawn on h3 really a barrier, or is it a convenient hook on which black can fasten his kingside attack? It was possible to make do without the pawn move, at least temporarily, and continue to press forwards on the queenside with 16. c6 or open lines with 16. cxd6.>

From <Chess: the art of logical thinking> by <Neil McDonald> page 178.

Mar-31-11  PSC: One of my favourite games, and probably my favourite KID.
Aug-03-11  DrMAL: Wonder how badly Korchnoi would speak of KID after getting slaughtered in this game? 16.h3 was inaccurate, losing time, if white wanted a K-side move (instead of 16.Rc1 or 16.a5 on the Q-side, 16.Kh1 would have been best). 17.c6 was premature, relieving pressure on the Q-side for a feeble attack. After 19.b4 black simply ignores and goes on with his plan but both sides do not anything yet.

23.fxg4 was the critical (losing) mistake, allowing the h-file to be opened. Korchnoi defended well (25.Ra3 Qh6 26.Nb5 was better) but Kasparov played perfectly for a fabulous win either way.

I disagree with Kasparov in his (probably revised) statement about 21.Nb4 being a (critical) mistake. After 21...g4 22.Nc6! Qf8 (as was played) 23.a6! was missed on this move.

If 23.a6! g3! then 24.Rb1! gxf2+ 25.Rxf2 and black's attack is defended, whereas 25...Nd7! 26.a7 26...Ne7! defending back results in a near-certain draw (e.g., 27.Bc4 Nb6).

If after 23.a6! 23...gxh3 24.gxf3 or 23...gxh3 24.gxh3 then after 24...Bxh3 (best) simply 25.a7! for some advantage to white (25...Qg7 26.Kh2! Bxf1 27.Bxf1 Bg5 28.Bh3 ).

Aug-03-11  DrMAL: In Kasparov's line after 23.Nc6! it is not so unclear.

If 23...Qf8 simply 24.Kh1 g4 25.Rg1 and white is defended with advantage (e.g., 25...Rg7 26.a5 gxf3 27.Bxf3 Bg5 28.Qe2 ).

If 23...Qe8 then 24.Na7! g4 25.Nxc8 Qxc8 26.fxg4 hxg4 27.Bxg4 Nxg4 28.hxg4 and white is still defended with advantage (e.g., 28...Rh7 29.Nb5 Bg5 30.Ra3 Qd7 31.Be1 ).

Aug-07-11  fischer2009: 17 ... a5! Stopping the white invasion on the queenside,Typically deep and brilliant KID position knowledge of GK at display.
Feb-14-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  LoveThatJoker: "Kasparov and the KID"

LTJ

Mar-31-22  Saniyat24: Viktor doesn't like this KID...!
Nov-29-23
Premium Chessgames Member
  FSR: I don't understand the pun. I tried Googling it and got . . . this game.
Nov-29-23
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: I think it's a line from <Brownsville Girl> by Bob Dylan.
Nov-29-23  sfm: <DrMAL : 23.fxg4 was the critical (losing) mistake, allowing the h-file to be opened. >

The Engine confirms that. Gaining the g4-pawn was a disaster. 23.Rb1 is the engine's suggested move, where White does not care about instead giving the h3-pawn away, as 23.-,gxh 24.gxh,Bxh3 favors White.

Now, who would have realized that?
At a glance, White looks safer ("king less naked") on the first diagram - but that is an illusion. The counter play on the queen's wing and keeping the Black h-pawn as blocker is more important.

Those saying that White should not have played 16.h3 was right. 16.Rb1 gives White a solid advantage.

The game, Black to move after 24.hxg:


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24.-, Bg5, [-2.58 (23 ply)]

If White had not grabbed on g4, we could have had

23. Rb1, gxh3
24. gxh3, Bxh3
25. a6
Black to move after 25.a6


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25.-, Qg7 [+0.77 (24 ply)]

Nov-29-23  Brenin: <offramp>: Brownsville Girl is an 11-minute epic, with some memorable lines in it, but this isn't one of them. It does include the line "He was shot down by a hungry kid trying to make a name for himself", which is perhaps relevant here, especially if you write KID for kid.
Nov-29-23  goodevans: Even if the 'pun' turned out to be a line from, say, an obscure film or song, what on earth is it's relevance to this game?
Nov-29-23
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: Korchnoi, Kramnik and the great Tigran V Petrosian had huge plus scores as White against King's Indian Defense (E60) .
In 1991 Korchnoi was on the slide (downward). when he confronted the KID and it was a bit like <Pat Garrett vs Billy the Kid.>

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