Korchnoi's Revenge Flops. 20-yo Ulf Gives Him Another Painful Lesson!

In my previous (W)Ulf at the Korchnoi's door blog, we saw how the young Swede proved to be the source of disaster and ruin for Korchnoi at the 1971 Wijk aan Zee.

Viktor Lvovich was one of the most interesting chess players and characters of the 20th century. "The eternal troublemaker, unpredictable, in whose personal file there were many violations," (Sososnko). He was a cantankerous personality, cranky and irritable with many controversies throughout his life and career, in particular with regard to his World Championship matches with Karpov.

Korchnoi having a yoga session during the WCh match with Karpov with Stephen Dwyer and Victoria Sheppard, the members of the Ananda Marga religious sect, who, at the time, were out on bail after the attempted murder conviction.
   

In order to fully appreciate the extraordinary achievement the young Andersson enjoyed in the game we say last time, let me remind you of what kind of player Viktor the Terrible was. I am going to quote the former World champion Boris Spassky about his old rival from an interview given to the Canadian GM Kevin Spraggett. Just check this list of Korchnoi's many superior qualities,

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- Killer Instinct (nobody can even compare with Viktor’s ‘gift’)
- Phenomenal capacity to work (both on the board and off the board)
- Iron nerves (even with seconds left on the clock)
- Ability to calculate (maybe only Fischer was better in this department)
- Tenacity and perseverance in defense (unmatched by anyone)
- The ability to counterattack (unrivaled in chess history)
- Impeccable technique (flawless, even better than Capa’s)
- Capacity to concentrate (unreal)
- Impervious to distractions during the game
- Brilliant understanding of strategy
- Superb tactician (only a few in history can compare with Viktor)
- Possessing the most profound opening preparation of any GM of his generation
- Subtle psychologist
- Super-human will to win (matched only by Fischer)
- Deep knowledge of all of his adversaries
- Enormous energy and self-discipline

Korchnoi and Petronella (Petra) Leeuwerik dancing

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And then a 19-yo Andersson shows up at the 1971 Wijk aan Zee and gives a painful and humiliating lesson to THIS guy.

Was it all just a matter of chance? one may ask. Well, almost exactly a year after the previous game, Korchnoi, with the white pieces, faced Andersson again. The results were almost exactly the same! Korchnoi again got nowhere in the opening, pressed hard, but compromised his position. Andersson's rock-like defense again triumphed!

Now let's take a look at the game,

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Viktor Korhnoi vs Ulf Andersson, Hastings 1971/72

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4+ 4.Bd2 Qe7 5.g3 O-O 6.Bg2 Bxd2+ 7.Nbxd2

If 7.Qxd2, with the idea of 8.Nc3, Black does best to play 7...Ne4 followed by 8...f5 transposing into an equalizing variation of the Dutch Defense [annotations Kopec & Pritchett].

7...d6 8.Nf1!?

Not a happy innovation. The usual lines involve O-O, e4, and after ...e5, d5. White has a space advantage and chances of a pawn storm on the kingside. Black has a solid position, the better bishop, and after moves such as ...a5, ...Na6 and ...c6, chances of counterplay on the queenside.  

8...Nbd7 9.Ne3 Ne4 10.O-O f5 11.Ne1

White's problem is how to gain ground effectively against in the center. The immediate priority is to evict Black's king's knight from the important e4 square. However, with his queen's knight awkwardly impeding his e-pawn, he finds it difficult to increase his central control. Black is able to demonstrate a comfortable equality. 

11...Ndf6 12.f3 Ng5

In this and similar positions, Black frequently brings back his knight into the central arena via g5 and f7.

13.Qd2 h6 14.Rc1 c5 15.N1c2 b6 16.Rfd1 Bb7 17.b4 Rad8

Black has completed his development and stands well. His 'hollow' center, again typical of this kind of opening, is easily defensible, and admits of no immediate weak points. Left to his own devices, Black would prepare the stabilizing move ...e5. Korchnoi's reply is an attempt to cut across this plan. 

 18.d5!? g6

Also possible was 18...exd5 19.cxd5 g6. The latter move was, in any case, essential. Black's f-pawn absolutely required protection. The slight weakening of Black's kingside is not exploitable.

Ulf at 18

19.dxe6 Nxe6 20.Rb1 Kh7 21.Nd5

An interesting alternative was 21.Rb3, with the idea of 22.Rd3. Black could continue 21...Ng5 22.Rd3 Nf7, with an equal game.  

21...Bxd5 22.cxd5 Nc7

23.e4?

Here, however, Korchnoi should have preferred 23.bxc5 bxc5 24.Rb7. Play might continue 24...a6 25.Ne3 Rd7, and both sides have chances. After the text-move, White never manages to build up sufficient kingside pressure to compensate for Black's control of the e5 square, and, in particular, for the permanently diminished possibilities for his hampered bishop. From this point on, White drifts into definite trouble.
23...fxe4 24.fxe4 Na6 25.a3 Rde8 26.Rf1

So that if 26...Nxe4? 27.Qd3 and wins. Korchnoi has managed to open the position and achieve a certain initiative, but in the nest few moves Andersson is able to neutralize all White's serious threats.   

26...Nd7 27.Bh3 Ne5 28.Qe2 Nc7 29.Ne3 Rxf1+ 30.Rxf1 Rf8 31.Rf4 Ne8 32.Ng2 Ng7 33.Qf1 Rf7!

Black has control of the e5 square and counterbalances White's occupation of the f-file. White still controls a little more space, but Black's pawns are sounder and, if he could effect a general exchange, his passed c-pawn would be a mortal danger in any endgame. Rooks will inevitably disappear, after Black plays a future ...Nh5. 

34.bxc5 bxc5 35.Ne3 Nh5 36.Rxf7+ Nxf7 37.Nc4 Ng7 38.Qf4 Nh5 39.Qh4

If White plays 39.Qf2, Black does not repaet moves, but plays 39...Nf6 40.Qf4 Ng5 and 41...Ngxe4. If 39.Qg4 Qf6 activates Black's queen with effect.

Korchnoi vs Andersson, Wijk aan Zee 1983

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39...Nf6

Of course, not 39...Qxh4? 40.gxh4, because of the threat of 41.Be6.

40.Be6, in reply to the text-move, would again be met by 40...Ng5, and White's e-pawn falls. 

 

40.Bg2 Ne5 41.Ne3

41.Nxe5 Qxe5 42.Qf4 is no better. Agter 42...Qxd4+ 43.Kf1 (or 43.Qf2 Qxf2 44.Kxf2 Nd7 with a won endgame) 43...c4!, White cannot reply 44.Qxd6, because of 44...Qxd1+ 45.Kf2 Ng4 mate.

41...Kg7

42.g4?

After this move, the game is demonstrably lost, but even after the better 42.Qf4 Qb7, Black has an enormous advantage. [23.e4! and now 42.g4? are two manifest examples that manipulating us Pawns isn't quite an easy business, even for the greatest –RP]

42...Nxd5! 43.g5 Nxe3 44.gxh6+ Kf8 45.Qf4+ Kg8 46.Qxe3 Kh7 47.Qf4 c4

This pawn is unstoppable. White's bishop is lamentable piece. 

48.Qd2 Qc7 49.Qc3 Qb6+ 50.Kf1 Qb3 and White resigns 0-1.

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WHAT IS IN THE HEAD OF ULF?

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Under the same heading, in the two previous posts on Ulf, we already saw how a number of Grandmasters looked at and praised Ulf's style of play. Not only them, his fans range from the fanatical to the devout.

But somehow we still haven't got to real understanding of his style beside the usual he is a subtle positional player.   

Many players are of a straightforward variety. As Boriss Spassky once put it, in a 1970 interview, 'We're primitive... have an idea... a plan... and... boom boom boom.' Some players, though, are more individual, like Tigran Petrosian, for example, whose cryptic, hyper-flexible style Spassky likened in the same interview to the temperament of 'a very nice cat (that after) pom pom pom becomes a tiger.'

Ulf at the age of 19 when he first beat Korchnoi, Wijk aan Zee 1971 (with Olafsson)

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But have you ever heard of anyone playing 'backwards'?

This description of Andersson's style of play was given to the 1974-75 Hastings congress organizer Bill Dunphy by Andersson himself. Briefly, Andersson sets out his game with respect to the endgame. He constructs endgame-favorable pawn structures and then maneuvers and exchanges in and around them until the endgame-plus arises. After that comes the conversion, via an excellent technique, of advantage to a win.

Still nothing new to give us a deeper explanation of Ulf and his play. Think about it, in 1971, he beat Korchnoi, the then #3 in the world, two times within a year. What made these two resounding wins over such a formidable opponent like Korchnoi possible? Was it just a matter of chance?

Now please go above read again the list of many outstanding qualities that Spassky quoted about Korchnoi. We should ask, What qualities Ulf possessed, and at such a young age already, to counter and neutralize all Korchnoi's exraordinary skills and prevail over the fearsome adversary? Over such a special and elite player as Korchnoi?

We will take a definite look at it in the next post

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AN UNCOMFORTABLE OPPONENT

Bogatyrchuk to Botvinnik, Boleslavsky to Smyslov, Polugaevsky to Tal, Aronin to Petrosian, Kotov to Spassky, Geller to Fischer, Gulko to Kasparov, Kamsky to Kramnik, were all an uncomfortable opponent to these greats.

We saw that Andersson was an unpleasant opponent to Korchnoi. There is another great who also, early in his career, experienced difficulties with Ulf. Anand.

Anand made himself known in the late 80s when he made a splash in the chess world - Anand would quite often spend only 15-20 minutes per game beating strongest Grandmasters. At the time, only Karpov and Kasparov could compete with him. It is not surprising that when these two great champions ended their careers, the Hindu soon became #1. 

At the beginning of his chess career, Vishy got a couple of unpleasant lessons from, well, our hero. Andersson, to all appearances, was an uncomfortable opponent for Anand.

Cannes 1988: Anand and Andersson next to each other. 

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The Swede was considered one of the best players in the world back in the era of Karpov; famous for his exceptional ability to play the endgame better than most of super GMs. After beating Anand at Cannes 1989, he met him again at the 1990 Olympics at Novi Sad, Serbia.

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Black is only slightly worse. However, the first impression is misleading. In this seemingly drawish Rook endgame, Ulf decided that he could give up a pawn. 

62.Kg5! Rg1 63.Kh6 Re1 64.Kg6 Rxe4 65.Rg5! 1-0

and Anand had to surrender - the white pawn is marching to become queen, while the rook cuts off the black king along the 5th rank.

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ULF IN CORRESPONDENCE

The play by correspondence is true chess, claimed the first Russian Master Petrov. Someone added, everything else is just frantically moving pieces across the board. The correspondence used to be much more popular in the past. A few of the greatest players in the history of game played correspondence, like Chigorin, Alekhine, Keres... and they played a lot. Today it is most often just an alternative to the competition of veterans.

As I said in the previous posts on Andersson, he played a lot of corr. after he retired from competitive chess in th e90s. Here is another corr. by Ulf against the fifteenth ICCF World Champion Gert Jan Timmerman of Holland. Who knows, perhaps the lack of time to calculate all possible outcomes of moves in the tournament chess has hidden Ulf's true chess nature from us! (In the corr. chess he prefers positions that require a very deep and accurate calculation, which is simply impossible in the OTB games, “It is very difficult to find such precise moves at the board,”- Ulf in an interview).

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More posts on Ulf:

1. Happy belated birthday to Ulf Andersson!

2. (W)Ulf is at Korchnoi's Door!

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