The Rusted Knight

Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov – Jan Hendrik Timman
Match game 3; Murmansk, October 8, 2016
King’s Indian Defence E62

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 0-0 5. Bg2 d6 6. 0-0 c6 7. Nc3 Bf5 8. Ne1 Be6 9. d5 cxd5 10. cxd5 Bd7 11. Qb3. In the match game 1 Tolya preferred 11. h3. 11. ... Na6 12. Nd3 Qb6 13. Qxb6 axb6 14. Bg5 Nc5 15. Nb4 h6 16. Bd2 Rfc8 17. Rfc1 Bf5 18. f3 g5 19. Nd1 Nfd7 20. Bc3 Ne5 21. b3 Bg6 22. f4 gxf4 23. gxf4 Ng4 24. Bxg7 Kxg7 25. h3 Nf6 26. Ne3 Kh7 27. Kh2 Be4 28. Ng4 Nfd7. Deserving consideration is 28. ... Nxg4+ 29. hxg4 Rg8 30. Bf3 f5 since after 31. gxf5 Bxf3 32. exf3 (White’s tripled Pawns do not make a good impression) 32. ... Rgf8 Black regains his Pawn with interest. 29. Nf2 Bxg2 30. Kxg2 f5

As in the previous games, Karpov has long fought for holding his own position, and now he was close to his goal had he played 31. Nd1 with roughly equal chances. Instead, he makes an awful blunder which loses both the b-Pawn and the game: 31. Nc2?? Nxb3! 32. axb3 Rxa1 33. Rxa1 Rxc2. It was still bad news: Black’s imposing position will soon cost Karpov another Pawn. 34. Ra7 Nf6 35. Rxb7 Nxd5 36. Kf1 Rc1+ 37. Kg2 Nxf4+ 38. Kh2 Nd5 39. e4 fxe4 40. Nxe4 Kg6 0 : 1. The time control reached, Karpov finds himself two Pawns down for no compensation, so he chivalrously resigned.

Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov vs. Jan Hendrik Timman
Photo: Oleg Barantsev (‏@olegbarantsev)