All pretty baffling and I am glad I am not thirty years older or younger...

Eyal: <keypusher: Were 24...d5 and 27...Rxe3 preparation? Bold play against Karpov!>

According to Jon Speelman's comments in <Best Chess Games 1970-80>, it might actually have been motivated by Andersson's time trouble...

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<All of the preceding maneuvering may have seemed rather arbitrary; and indeed I am quite sure that neither player knew precisely where he was going during the last half dozen moves. But it is in precisely such positions that one tends to spend a lot of time on moves. In a position in which one has a clear strategic plan, then one will spend one's time trying to find a method of implementing it, which is tactically sound. This may involve lots of difficult calculation, but at least there is a clear direction which one's thoughts must follow. Here that is not the case. White knows that he must stop Black from breaking successfully with either ...d5 or ...b5; and that it would be nice to get some play for himself some time. Conversely, Black would like to get one of his breaks to work: and he should have ample time to maneuver his pieces onto the right squares for this purpose. But just when the right moment is to strike - that is an enormously difficult question both in a purely analytical sense and psychologically. And it is very easy to use up lots of time pondering it.

With his last move [24.a3] Karpov gave a clear indication that he intended at last to do something. It prepares to play b4 and then Nb3 gaining more space on the queenside. Whether that would really be a serious matter it is very hard to say. Even when he has a nice straightforward plan White must still keep firmly in mind the fact that one day Black will try to get counterplay with ...d5. Be that as it may, Andersson had used up most of his time in the preceding fencing match; and he now decided that he must instigate complications immediately. This must have been partly, at least just so that he could have sufficient time to calculate the complications when they arose.>

On c3 the knight can be kicked away by ...b4, so it doesn't really help this way. And after 43.Nc3 Ng5 44.Nd2 (as in the game, defending against Nf3+) Qc8! White is in serious trouble.

yes, why didn't white attempt to repeat moves here?

Because then (i.e., in case of 74.Kc3) Black would have won immediately with 74...Qf1!; 72...Ra3+? which Andersson played instead a couple of moves earlier in the same position was just the result of time trouble toward the end of the third time control - there's no draw here.

Eyal: <I think 43. Nc1 was a poor move. Why not 43. Nc3 instead? The e4 need so badly protection.>

Would 44 Nd3 have been better?