[Event "New York Man-Machine"] [Site "New York"] [Date "1997.05.07"] [Round "4"] [White "Comp Deep Blue"] [Black "Kasparov, Garry"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B07"] [BlackElo "2785"] [Annotator "Nunn,J"] [PlyCount "111"] [EventDate "1997.05.??"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "6"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceTitle "EXT 1998"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1997.11.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1997.11.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,111,80,20,70,63,81,75,64,81,81,87,102,76,97,74,120,110,91,80,80,75,59, 49,46,39,36,32,27,21,19,22,19,20,38,17,27,23,32,25,14,14,59,52,37,17,82,45,63, 63,63,64,29,32,29,23,19,0,0,-11,-2,-27,0,0,9,0,0,-5,-5,-30,-15,-25,-22,-36,-36, -32,-32,-32,-29,-49,0,-42,-28,-16,-23,-58,-60,-62,-30,-9,-28,-6,-3,-28,-1,0,0, 0,0,0,2,0,0,0,0,-62,-7,-2,-1,-2,-1,-1,-1,-1]} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d6 {Kasparov sticks to his anti-computer opening strategy.} 3. Nf3 {After this the game transposes to a type of Pirc. More aggressive responses are 3 c4, which might lead to a sort of King's Indian, or 3 f4.} Nf6 4. Nc3 Bg4 5. h3 Bh5 6. Bd3 { A slightly passive set-up; it isn't obvious exactly what the bishop is doing on d3. A more dynamic build-up would involve g4, Qe2 and Bg2.} e6 7. Qe2 d5 { Black's opening strategy is now clesr. His light-squared bishop has ben developed outside the pawn chain and will sooner or later be exchnaged off. Black then erects a light-squared barricade in the centre, so that if the centre becomes blocked then he will be left with his 'good' bishop. The cost is the tempo wasted in playing ...d6 and then ...d5. However, in the relatively closed positions which result, this tempo is not of great significance.} 8. Bg5 {This appears to be a new move. Hitherto, White has tried } (8. exd5 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 cxd5 10. O-O Nc6 11. Ne2 Be7 12. c3 O-O 13. Bf4 a6 14. Ng3 b5 $11 {1-0 Chernyshov,K-Maiwald,J/Dresden op 1995 (39) with equality, Chernyshov-Maiwald, Dresden Open 1995. The position resulting from the exchange on d5 closely resemble the line 3 exd5 cxd5 4 Bd3 in the Caro-Kann.}) 8... Be7 9. e5 ({Not} 9. O-O $2 {which runs into} Nxe4 10. Bxe7 Nxc3 11. Qe5 Qxe7 12. Qxg7 Qf8 13. Qxf8+ Rxf8 14. bxc3 Bxf3 15. gxf3 {is strategically winning for Black.}) 9... Nfd7 ({If Black wanted to make sure that his h5-bishop was exchnaged for a knight rather than a bishop, he could have played } 9... Bxf3 10. Qxf3 Nfd7 11. Bxe7 Qxe7 {but the problem is that the b8-knight is much harder to develop. Overall, the move played in the game appears most accurate.}) 10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11. g4 Bg6 12. Bxg6 {This looks slightly odd to human eyes, because the h8-rook is activated against the backward pawn on h3. It appears more natural to play 0-0-0, then aim to move the knight from f3 and play f4-f5.} hxg6 13. h4 {However, Deep Blue shows that the exchnage on g6 did have a point. If Black plays a later ...f6, then White can reply exf6, gxf6; g5, undermining Black's control of e5. WE shall see this idea again later.} Na6 14. O-O-O O-O-O 15. Rdg1 {Preparing for kingisde activity by h5.} Nc7 {A fundamental decision, over which garry thought for a long tiem. Black has two alternative plans: the first is to support the e6-square and then play ...f6. White's likely response is to swap on f6, and then Black can try to play ...e5. If he succeeds in this plan, Black will have a majority of pawns in the centre. The second plan is to attempt a queenside attack. If he were to go for this plan, Black would play 15...Nb6, with the idea of ...Nc4 and ...Qb4 to come. In this case the knight shouild stay on a6 as it might be able to partciipate directly in the attack from this square. The choice in the game shows that Garry has definitely decided for the first plan.} 16. Kb1 ({The point of this move is not entirely clear - it even looks like a lazy human move, just tucking the king out of harm's way so as to avoid overlooking a possible check later!} 16. h5 gxh5 17. gxh5 {is more ambitious as the tactical idea} f6 18. Nh4 fxe5 19. Ng6 Qb4 20. Nxh8 exd4 21. a3 Qa5 {appears good for White after} 22. Nf7) 16... f6 {Challenging White's central control.} 17. exf6 Qxf6 $1 { An excellent and combative move. The obvious continuation was 17...gxf6, but then White could reply 18 g5 eliminating the f6-pawn and thereby preventing Black from playing ...e5. The result would be a general opening up of the kingisde, when White's rooks appear well-placed on h1 and g1. The move played leaves Black with doubled and isolated pawns, supposedly the chess-player's worst nightmare. However, White also has serious structural weaknesses; the pawns on g4 and h4 aren't doing much and, even more seriously, his f3-knight and f2-pawn are vulnerable to pressure down the f-file.} 18. Rg3 {Deep Blue takes steps to defend the exposed knight, but the rook is clumsily placed here. } Rde8 {Threatening to break through in the centre by ...e5. This would give Black a clear advantage so Deep Blue immediately prevents it.} 19. Re1 Rhf8 { Very natural play. The f3-knight is immobilised by the pressure along the f-file, since the f2-pawn is insufficiently defended. Garry has excellent compensation for his slight kingisde pawn weaknesses in the form of active piece-play - just the type of situation in which he normally plays very well.} 20. Nd1 $1 {Deep Blue finds an excellent counter to Black's plan. Although this looks passive, the knight wasn;t doing much on c3 and it is much more usefully employed defending the f2-pawn. This frees the f3-knight for action; in some lines White might be able to play Ne5.} e5 $5 {An amazing pawn sacrifice. The logic behind this is that there are only two things wrong with Black's posiiton: the backward e6-pawn and the poorly plaved kngith on c7, which has few active prospcets (the g-pawns are not a significant factor provided Black's pieceds remain active, as White will not have the freedom of action to exploit them). By giving up a pawn, Black solves both these problems at a stroke. The c7-knight can move to e6, and then either to f4 or to c5 and then e4. It is certainly a bold stroke to offer a pawn against a computer, as machines (like Kortschnoj) have the annoying habit of hanging on to material. Very good judgement by Kasparov!} ({Another factor is that an alternative plan is hard to find.} 20... Qf4 {is met, not by} 21. Ne5 $2 Nxe5 22. Qxe5 Qxe5 23. Rxe5 Rf4 24. c3 Rh8 {with strong pressure against White's pawns, but by 21 Qd3 and g6 is hard to defend.}) ({Attempting to activate the c7-knight by} 20... Nb5 21. c3 Nd6 {fails to} 22. Ng5 {with Rf3 to come.}) 21. dxe5 ({After} 21. Nxe5 Qxh4 {Black has no problems.}) 21... Qf4 22. a3 $2 {An extremely odd move which has no visible purpose, other than the general one of avoiidng potential back-rank problems.} ({Neither} 22. Qd3 Nxe5 {nor}) (22. h5 gxh5 23. gxh5 Rh8 24. Rxg7 Rxh5 {is promising for White}) ({so the best move is probably} 22. Qe3 $1 Qxe3 23. Rxe3 Ne6) 22... Ne6 {Kasparov gratefull seizes on the free tempo to progress with his plan.} 23. Nc3 {Deep Blue appears is floundering. This move undoes all the good work that the earlier Nd1 had achieved. 23.Qe3 was still the best move. If White were a human being, one would say that he had 'lost the thead'. It seems odd that computers can have the same problem.} Ndc5 24. b4 $2 {A very ugly move. This was clearly the point of White'sprevious move: to be able to expel the knight from c5 without it landing on e4. However, the time White gains is as nothing compared to the serious weakening of his king position. Kasparov must have been mentally rubbing his hands with glee at the sight of this reckless advance.} Nd7 25. Qd3 Qf7 26. b5 {Having played b4 to keep the knights out of c5, it is of course inconsistent to let them back in again. Now White has nothing positive to show for the advance of his b-pawn, while his king position becomes weaker and weaker. White should have just remained passive, although Black has various ways of improving his position, for example by ...Kb8 and ...Rc8, aiming for ...c5.} (26. Nd1 Kb8) 26... Ndc5 27. Qe3 Qf4 {White's collection of pawn weaknesses is now so serious that Black feels no hesitation is swapping off queens into an ending a pawn down! His aim is to reach a spotion with doubled rooks on f4 and f8, when White's whole position will be ceaking at the seams.} 28. bxc6 bxc6 29. Rd1 {Deep Blue struggles to maintain control. This move prepares Nd4 in some lines.} Kc7 { Allowing the rooks to switch to the b-file.} 30. Ka1 Qxe3 {A surprising decision, but after considerable analysis I think it is correct. Here Black had the opportunity to play for a direct attack against the white king, which Kasparov might not have tunred down against a human opponent.} ({However, with accurate defence the upshot is far from clear} 30... Rb8 31. Rb1 Rxb1+ 32. Kxb1 Rb8+ 33. Kc1 Qc4 34. Nd2 Qa6 35. Ne2 {also achieves little}) (30... Qc4 31. Nd2 (31. Nd4 $1 Nxd4 (31... Rb8 32. Nxe6+ Nxe6 33. Qxa7+ Rb7 34. Qa5+ {looks good for White}) 32. Rxd4 Qf1+ 33. Nd1 {and there is obvious continuation for Black. }) 31... Qa6 {really is dangerous for White}) 31. fxe3 Rf7 {Doubling rooks will force the f3-knight to move, an then Black's rooks cen penetrate to f2.} 32. Rh3 {Another odd move from Deep Blue. Up to now we could say that Black had a slight advantage, but now White is in deep trouble.} (32. Nd4 Ref8 33. Nxe6+ Nxe6 {looks better, although Black also has some advantage in this case.} ) 32... Ref8 33. Nd4 Rf2 34. Rb1 Rg2 35. Nce2 {Deep Blue decides to hettison the extra pawn, but there were by now no good alternatives.} (35. g5 Rff2) 35... Rxg4 ({It is also tempting to play for the attack by} 35... Rff2 36. Nxe6+ Nxe6 37. Nd4 Nxd4 38. exd4 Rxc2 39. Rf1 c5 40. dxc5 Kc6 41. Re1 Kxc5 { , which also strongly favours Black, but there is no reason to criticise the game continuation.}) 36. Nxe6+ Nxe6 {All White's remaining pawns are isolated, and Black's pieces are all more active than their White counterparts. With all these advantages, it is incredible that Kasparov failed to win this position.} 37. Nd4 {Another pawn bites the dust, but this is a reasonable decsiion, because the knight on e6 was exrteremely well-placed and White could hardly avoid shedding one of the weak e-pawns in any case.} Nxd4 38. exd4 Rxd4 39. Rg1 Rc4 40. Rxg6 Rxc2 41. Rxg7+ Kb6 42. Rb3+ Kc5 43. Rxa7 {White is once again a pawn up, but his three scattered pawns are far less dangerous than Black's two connected passed pawns. Moreover, Black'sking is activ e wherea White's is trapped on the back rank and subjected to mating threats from the enemy rooks. The position should be winning for Black.} Rf1+ $2 {This move effectively loses a vital tempo. The somplest win was by} (43... Kc4 44. Rab7 c5 45. Rb2 ( 45. e6 Re2) 45... Rxb2 46. Rxb2 d4 47. e6 (47. Rc2+ Kb3 48. Kb1 d3) 47... d3 48. Rg2 Kc3 {and Black's pawns are too strong.}) 44. Rb1 Rff2 45. Rb4 {Had Kasparov overlooked that this move threatens mate in one? If Black wants to play for a win then he is more or less forced to swap one pair of rooks, but this relieves much of the pressure against White's king.} Rc1+ 46. Rb1 Rcc2 47. Rb4 Rc1+ 48. Rb1 Rxb1+ {Black is eventually forced to exchnage rooks, but in comparison with the note to Black's 43rd move, his king and pawns are further back. The position should probably still be a win, but it is now more trickly.} 49. Kxb1 Re2 50. Re7 Rh2 51. Rh7 Kc4 $2 ({Now the game appears to be a draw. The correct move was} 51... d4 $1 {After} 52. Rc7 (52. e6 Re2 53. e7 Kc4 54. a4 d3 55. a5 Re1+ 56. Kb2 d2 {wins}) 52... Rxh4 53. e6 Re4 54. e7 Kd6 {the point is revealed: White loses his e-pawn.}) 52. Rc7 $1 {Deep Blue seizes the drawing chance. First of all, the rook is transferred behind the black pawns with gain of tempo. This is necessary, because it is of no value to push e6-e7 while the rook is stuck on h7 - the rook must be available to restrain Black's pawns from behind,} c5 53. e6 Rxh4 54. e7 Re4 55. a4 {This is the second point. Black no longer has the move ...Kd6 available, so White keeps his e-pawn.} Kb3 {The position is just drawn. With the rook actively placed on c7, Black can only advance his pawns very slowly, too slowly to beat White's a-pawn to the queening square.} (55... Kb4 56. a5) (55... d4 56. a5 d3 57. a6) 56. Kc1 1/2-1/2