Exeter Chess Club

White's chances in the Dragon

Karpov - Korchnoi, Moscow 1974

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 Nc6 8. Qd2 O-O

White intends to hold the centre and attack the King. There is a recipe fr these attacks: play Bh6xg7, h2-h5xg6, Qh6 and Qxh7 mate! Black has got about ten moves to arrange an upset in...

9. Bc4 Bd7 10. h4 Rc8 11. Bb3 Ne5 12. O-O-O Nc4 13. Bxc4 Rxc4 14. h5 Nxh5 15. g4 Nf6 16. Nde2 Qa5 17. Bh6 Bxh6 18. Qxh6 Rfc8 19. Rd3

-+t+-+j+
Xx+lXx+x
-+-X-SxQ
D-+-+-+-
-+t+p+p+
+-Nr+p+-
pPp+n+-+
+-K-+-+r
The first new move of the game! All this was known to theory.

19... R4c5 20. g5 Rxg5 21. Rd5 Rxd5 22. Nxd5 Re8 23. Nef4 Bc6 24. e5 Bxd5 25. exf6 exf6 26. Qxh7+ Kf8 27. Qh8+ 1-0

Karpov's team later claimed they had worked out the whole game beforehand in analysis!


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This document (sic4.txt.html) was last modified on 25 Jan 1996 by

Dr. Dave