Mercurial Genius

Vassily Ivanchuk is surely one of the most talented chess players of all time. Storming onto the international scene in 1988 at 19, he achieved the grandmaster title in the same year his rating broke into the top 10! His rise from there was truly meteoric, culminating in victory at the Super Tournament, Linares 1991 where he beat both the world champion and the eternal challenger!



Alas, this was all before his weak nerves were exposed under the withering fire of competitive pressure...

I'm going to examine a series of Ivanchuk's games in the next few entries, exploring his style, which can be difficult to fathom, and reflecting on his enormous talent and heartbreaking weaknesses.

Let's start with Linares 1991, round 1, when the debutant Ukrainian faced the great Garry K.

Vassily Ivanchuk
Garry Kasparov
Linares 1991
Round 1
Sicilian, Moscow variation

1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 d6
3. Bb5+ Nd7



The Bb5 complex was comparatively untested back in those days (now Bb5 features in world championship matches!) and as such, it was a useful way for the young player to sidestep his opponent's deep wealth of theoretical knowledge and take play into more positional waters. Kasparov's response (3.... Nd7) is generally seen as a risky attempt to retain winning chances, as the more standard 3... Bd7 allows white to flatten the game if he so desires.

4. d4 Ngf6
5. 0-0 cxd4

5... Nxe4 is relatively dubious; after 6. Re1, white gets a considerable initiative for the pawn, and black faces a long, difficult defense.

6. Qxd4 a6
7. Bxd7+ Bxd7
8. Bg5



Straightforward play; Ivanchuk threatens to wreck black's kingside pawn structure whilst retaining mobile pieces and greater space.

8. ... h6

Ever since this game, 8. ... e6 has been more popular, though it is clearly a slower, more patient approach.

9. Bxf6 gxf6
10. c4 e6
11. Nc3



An interesting structure has arisen. Black has the pawn formation of a Richter-Rauzer whilst white holds the Maroczy Bind. On one level, black gets some perks here--the open g-file may prove useful for counterplay against the white king, and the c-pawn may prove a target. On the other hand, black's central mass is considerably more hemmed in than in a typical Rauzer, and Ivanchuk's strong central pawn presence may prove useful in mounting squeezing maneuvers.

11. ... Rc8
12. Kh1 h5
13. a4 h4
14. h3 Be7
15. b4 a5
16. b5 Qc7
17. Nd2



White has seized considerable space, but black now ties down white's pieces to defense. The c-pawn may prove a liability on the open file. The position is probably somewhere close to equal, but a lot depends on black's ability to continue to harass white, lest the space advantage begins to tell.

17. ... Qc5
18. Qd3 Rg8
19. Rae1 Qg5
20. Rg1 Qf4
21. Ref1 b6

Black has set the pace for a half dozen moves, but now his initiative runs dry.



22. Ne2 Qh6
23. c5!

Ivanchuk clears the c4 square for his knight, suddenly casting some down on the solidity of black's queenside.

23. ... Rxc5

dxc5 was probably better. It appears painfully passive after a sequence such as 23. ... dxc5 24. Nc4 Rb8 25. Rd1, but it does not allow white the dynamic possibilities of the game continuation.

24. Nc4 Kf8
25. Nxb6 Be8
26. f4 f5
27. exf5 Rxf5
28. Rc1



Amusingly, black retains the two bishops and has a healthy central majority, and yet in just a few moves, white's initiative has squashed black into a fetal position. The boxed in position of the black king more resembles a king from Xiangqi than chess!

28... Kg7
29. g4!

Now Ivanchuk plays on both sides of the board. The black position is already fairly hopeless.

29. ... Rc5
30. Rxc5 dxc5
31. Nc8 Bf8?



Here the paradoxical 31... Bd8 (protected by 32. Qxd8 Bc6+) was relatively best, although black faces a miserable endgame after 32. Rc1 Qg6 33. Qxg6+ fxg6 34. Rxc5 etc.

32. Qd8 Qg6
33. f5 Qh6
34. g5 Qh5
35. Rg4

Black is going down in flames!



35. ... exf5
36. Nf4! Qh8
37. Qf6+ Kh7
38. Rxh4+



The final position is picturesque. Black's entire army huddles on the back rank. Material remains equal! There are relatively few instances in Kasparov's entire career where he has been so throttled as this!

So what do we learn from the game? Kasparov played a structurally compromised position anticipating that he could use the dynamism of his pieces to foment a lasting initiative that would compensate for his weaknesses. When his initiative ran out, his position quickly collapsed. The rather prosaic but very strong 23. c5! signaled the turning point, and Garry refused to transition from active to passive play, bringing about his demise. As for Ivanchuk? He showed poise in defending his position and preparing to resume the offensive. His attack was executed with precision, but this game doesn't show us much in the way of "style". It was fairly straightforward. We'll see more of the man's personality in the games to come.