Not Like Everyone Else

Boris Vasilievich Spassky – Viktor Lvovich Kortschnoi
Candidates Final; match game 7; Kiev, September 19, 1968
King’s Indian Defence E83

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 0-0 6. Be3 Nc6 7. Nge2 a6 8. Nc1 e5 9. d5 Nd4 10. Nb3 Nxb3 11. Qxb3 c5 12. dxc6 bxc6 13. 0-0-0! Be6? Leaving to his adversary the supremacy on both wings. More to the point was 13. ... Qe7! 14. Qb6 Bb7!, e.g. 15. g4 Rab8 16. h4 Rfc8 17. h5 Nd5! 18. exd5 cxd5 19. Rxd5 Bxd5 20. Nxd5 Qe6 21. Qa7 Ra8 22. Qb7 Rab8 23. Qa7 Ra8 24. Qb7 ½ : ½ Timman – Kasparov, Interzonal Tournament, Moscow 1981. 14. Qa3 Ne8 15. h4! f6? Jan van Reek rightly prefers 15. ... f5 16. h5 gxh5 17. Rxh5 Qc7 18. exf5 Bxf5. 16. c5 Rf7 17. Qa4 Qc7 18. Bc4 Bxc4 19. Qxc4 Bf8 20. h5! Striving for the initiative! 20. ... dxc5 21. hxg6 hxg6 22. Qe6 Rd8 23. Rxd8 Qxd8 24. Rd1 Qe7 25. Qxc6 Nc7 26. Qb6!! The most celebrated “creeping move” in the History of Chess! Kortschnoi was probably hoping for 26. Nd5 Qe6! defending all his weaknesses. After the text, instead, 25. ... Qe6 would be simply met by 26. Bxc5. 26. ... Kg7 27. Nd5 Qe6 28. Bxc5 Bxc5 29. Qxc5 Nb5 30. Qe3 Qc6+ 31. Kb1 Nd4 32. Rc1 Qb5 33. Nc7 Qe2? Bad, but also after 33. ... Qb6 34. Ne8+ Kf8 35. Rc8 Ke7 36. Nc7 Kd7 37. Nd5 White’s attack is irresistible. 34. Ne6+! Kh7? Thanks to Kortschnoi for allowing a beautiful end! In any case, after 34. ... Kg8 35. Rc8+ Kh7 36. Qxe2 Nxe2 37. Ra8 Black’s endgame is hopeless.

35. Qh6+! 1 : 0. For after 35. ... Kg8 (or 35. ... Kxh6 36. Rh1 mate) 36. Rc8+ White mates next move. It should be noted that the “mirror variation” 35. Rh1+? Kg8 36. Qh6?? loses to 36. ... Qd3+! 37. Ka1 Nc2+ 38. Kb1 Na3++ 39. Ka1 Qb1+ 40. Rxb1 Nc2 mate.

Boris Vasilievich Spassky. Leningrad, 1949.