Garry Kasparov vs Lajos Portisch (1983) Very Garry

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Garry Kasparov vs Lajos Portisch
"Very Garry" (game of the day Aug-17-2017)
Niksic (1983), Niksic YUG, rd 4, Aug-28
Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation. Petrosian Attack (E12) · 1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

Given 73 times; par: 48 [what's this?]

explore this opening	find similar games	11 more Kasparov/Portisch games
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< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 4 OF 7 · Later Kibitzing>
Jun-13-06		blingice: <Petro> Chessmaster seems pretty confident that 24..f6 is best. Here's the line Chessmaster gives: <24...f6 25.Nd7+ Rxd7 26.Rxd7 Qe5 27.Qh7 Rc7 28.Rxc7 Qxc7 29.Rd1 Nc4 30.a4 Ne5 31.h3>, and the engine evaluates it at .62, and results in this position: click for larger view As to your suggestion of 24..Bd6, Chessmaster's follow up to such a move is <25.Qf6 Bxe5 26.Rxe5 Qxe5 27.Qxe5 Kg8 28.Qg5+ Kf8 29.Qh5 Kg7 30.Re1 Rc5 31.Qg4+ Kf8 32.Qh4> and results in this position: click for larger view And black is done like dinner.

Jul-04-06		Zorts: Could white have won any quicker if 21.Rf1 d1 or something more conservative/less flashy than the bishop takes pawn move?

Oct-27-06		micartouse: It's possible that Kasparov had the classic game Nimzowitsch vs Tarrasch, 1914 in mind when playing 17. d5! since that game features a similar breakthrough in a hanging pawns position followed by a double bishop sac.

Oct-29-06		Fisheremon: <micartouse: It's possible that Kasparov had the classic game Nimzowitsch vs Tarrasch, 1914 in mind when playing 17. d5!> It was noted in Game Collection: King hunt By the way it was not a double bishop sac. The only sac was 21. Bxg7 which belongs to the sort of intuitive sacs (as Kasparov confessed after). <ryanpd: Rybka 1.1 thinks that Portisch's 30. ... Ne5?? was a huge blunder, and that black may have been able to escape with 30. ... Bd6!?> Indeed Portisch missed 30... Nd6! leading to a draw. In Nimzowitsch vs Tarrasch, 1914 White after 19. exd4 ?? has a totally lost position (here a single sac 19...Bxg2 might be nicer at least it could give a fierce attack leading to a quicker win in all variations). Instead of 19. exd4 Keene suggested 19. Rfe1 = position.

Mar-26-07		sanyas: <iamverywellatchess> lol

Mar-26-07		ray keene: in 1991 i had a discussion with kasparov in the jules verne restaurant of the eiffel tower-we were putting forward our respective choices for the best games ever played-i chose karpov v kasparov game 24 moscow 1985 as my representative kasparov game-he chose this one for his list!

Apr-07-07		aazqua: Of course it's absurd for anyone to comment on it, but I'd say you made a much better choice Ray.

Jun-26-07		Wolfgang01: aazqua: It's a matter of taste – Ray's choose is as good as Gary's. micartouse: There's no double bishop sac. The white-lined bishops are exchanged. It's a single bishop sac.

Jun-26-07		CorkChess: Is 18. ...Bxd5 not a weak move?

Jun-26-07		Skylark: I think, rather, <aazqua> that you are merely underestimating the brilliance of this game. Starting with the classic sacrifice 17. d5!, and culminating with the beautiful 21. Bxg7!!, this attack is very aesthetic and also quite accurate. It is noteable that Portisch played extremely well for the most part in this games - attacks are meaningless without good resistance. 30. ... Ne5 was a mistake, but one could say that black is already in deep trouble already, and finding any kind of defense at the board would have been a joyless task. This is one of my favourite Kasparov games.

Jun-26-07		GREEKPINCH: Dear oh dear,the black Queen is just a stranded bystander while the life and position is getting sucked out of the black King.Fantastic ending with a beautiful Bishop sacrifice.

Jun-26-07		outplayer: <ray keene> This is possibly the best game Kasparov ever played.

Jun-26-07		Peligroso Patzer: <ray keene: in 1991 i had a discussion with kasparov in the jules verne restaurant of the eiffel tower-we were putting forward our respective choices for the best games ever played-i chose karpov v kasparov game 24 moscow 1985 as my representative kasparov game-he chose this one for his list!> Here is a link to the game mentioned by GM Keene: Karpov vs Kasparov, 1985

Jun-26-07		kevin86: It is so hard to judge great games because there are so many criteria to go by. However,when a man at this level chooses this as his own best game,it becomes quite necessary to take notice. It looks good enough to me!

Jun-26-07		Chessmensch: <LIFE Master AJ> I know your post on Angelfire (the analysis) from 8/26/05 is a couple of years old but the link no longer exists. If you see this could you post it again?

Jun-26-07		object16: <lifemasterAJ> http://www.lifemasteraj.com/old_af-... This is the link to lifemaster AJ's analysis. The way to find it is to Google Kasparov vs Portisch Goldsby and then a page shows up. Read through the page and you find link to "Best All-Time Games", scroll through that and find the game you're looking for. The link to Best All-Time Games is http://www.geocities.com/lifemaster... Enjoy.

Jul-26-07		execve: What is purpose of 9.Bb5+ ? Preventing 0-0-0 ?

Oct-08-07		Jim Bartle: Keene: "in 1991 i had a discussion with kasparov in the jules verne restaurant of the eiffel tower-we were putting forward our respective choices for the best games ever played-i chose karpov v kasparov game 24 moscow 1985 as my representative kasparov game-he chose this one for his list!" Kasparov must have been in heaven, arguing which of his games is the greatest of all time. (Not that he's necessarily wrong...)

Feb-10-09		Sularus: <execve: What is purpose of 9.Bb5+ ? Preventing 0-0-0 ?> well, this is a late reply, but anyway... 9. Bb5+ forces black to move his c-pawn up and thereby blocking his bishop and preventing the black to take an outpost there. If 9. ... Nc6, then i think white has 10. Qa4

Aug-05-09		traction: i havent analysed this game with an engine or anything but does any one think black could have tried to put up a bit of a fight with 34...QxR 35 RxQ Nf3+ followed by NxR Whites connected passed pawns on kingside plus blacks uncoordinated pieces probably enough for a white win...but i guess it might have been worth a try

Sep-24-09		WhiteRook48: how about 18...f5 to block the kingside

Oct-14-10		VladimirOo: I tought Kasparov considered his win over Topalov his favorite game. Kasparov vs Topalov, 1999

Apr-11-11		LIFE Master AJ: http://www.lifemasteraj.com/old_af-...

Apr-11-11		picard: <Life Master AJ> that was the worst analysis i have ever seen.

Sep-04-11		DrMAL: <ray keene: he chose this one for his list!> Well, I am not sure how long his list was but he included it in his 5-DVD video "My Story" as well. Rightfully so, this game is brilliant and was personally important to his career. Moreover, as he points out in that video (volume 4, all are HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), it reflects his amazing style and underlying approach that so great helped chess. Seems Keene's statement is made out of jealousy perhaps rightfully so, his contribution to chess was incomparably less. As pointed out in the video, Portisch went 16...Na5 to attack the pawn on c4 (a good move) but then he played 17...exd5 instead of 17...Nxc4 and the knight was left doing nothing later on. This is where Garry already obtained a big advantage but he started to struggle with how to best proceed. Houdini shows 19.Bxh7+ as best (19.Nd4 also very strong), this move reflects Kasparov's style as well. After 20...Kg8! (actually, by far the best move) Kasparov was shocked and went into a long thought. He and GM Plaskett talked about 21.Rh5! objectively the best move according to engines such as Houdini. But, for Kasparov, whose chess philosophy was based on three dimensions (material, time, quality) rather than most at that time who thought material much more important, 21.Bxg7!? was a "straight swap" as he put it. After 21.Kxg7 (best) Houdini evaluates 22.Ne5 as indeed best, still giving solid advantage to white with 22.Rf5 as also very strong. According to this engine, they both played the best possible sequence until 26...Qc5?! where 26...Qe5 or 26...Qe2 were stronger. After 27.Qh7! white's attack was decisive if conducted perfectly. Kasparov did so where, according to Houdini (the position is quite complicated still so it's good to check here!) Portisch played best moves as well with the exception of 30...Ne5? instead of 30...Bd6 either way black was lost. The king walk finishes this Masterpiece with beautiful style. This was indeed one of Kasparov's (many!) amazing games and it particularly exemplifies his style being very instructive to all as such. And it is one for Keene to be totally jealous of (too bad he clearly is). Even the CG caption "Very Garry" is "Verry Apropos."

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