[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.01"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Black "Kasparov, Garri"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]
[BlackElo "2838"]
[ECO "B80"]
[WhiteElo "2727"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3 { White has a big choice, but the system chosen by Ponomariov has been popular for a few years now. It was invented by the American GM Robert Byrne and popularized (as the English Attack) during the 1980s by English GMs Nigel Short and John Nunn. Nowadays all the top players (who play 1. e4) use it. } ( 6. Bc4 ) ( 6. Bg5 ) ( 6. Be3 ) ( 6. Be2 ) ( 6. f4 ) ( 6. g3 ) ( 6. a4 ) 6... e6 ( 6... e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Bg5 ( 8. g4 Nxg4 9. fxg4 Qh4+ 10. Kd2 { might be something White could survive, but not without feeling a little nervous } 10... g6 11. Nd5 Bxd5 12. exd5 ) 8... Nbd7 ) 7. Be3 Nc6 8. Qd2 Be7 9. g4 { White keeps Pe4 safe and begins a king-side attack, not entirely unlike the Yugoslav Attack of the Dragon Variation. } 9... O-O 10. O-O-O Nxd4 11. Bxd4 ( 11. Qxd4 $5 b5 12. g5 Nd7 13. h4 Ne5 14. Be2 ) 11... b5 12. a3 $1 Nd7 13. h4 { White would be happy to give Ph4 to open the h-file for Rh1 (and possibly Qh2) to attack Ph7 and Kg8. } 13... Rb8 14. f4 ( 14. Qe3 $4 e5 15. Ba7 Ra8 16. Qf2 Bxh4 ) ( 14. Bd3 Ne5 ) ( { Perhaps best is to continue the king-side play begun earlier. } 14. g5 Ne5 15. Be2 b4 16. axb4 Rxb4 17. Nd5 Ra4 18. Nxe7+ Qxe7 19. Kb1 ) 14... Bb7 { He sees the weakened Pe4 and attacks it, but has, more or less, wasted 13...Rb8. } ( { The consistent follow-through is } 14... b4 15. axb4 Rxb4 16. Nd5 Ra4 17. Nxe7+ Qxe7 18. Kb1 Bb7 19. Bg2 e5 ) 15. g5 Nc5 ( { It's not absolutely necessary to fight White's pawns in the center. The attack on Kc1 should be a higher priority. } 15... e5 $2 { to get rid of one of White's attacking pawns } 16. Be3 exf4 17. Bxf4 Ne5 18. Nd5 Bxd5 19. Qxd5 Qc7 ) 16. Bg2 a5 17. Bxc5 { White takes this opportunity to trade pieces because the ending slightly favors him. Black's Be7, Pa5 and Pc5 are awkward. } 17... dxc5 18. Qxd8 Rfxd8 19. Nxb5 Bxe4 20. Bxe4 Rxb5 21. Rxd8+ Bxd8 22. f5 exf5 23. Bxf5 { This forced simplification lead to approximate equality. White's rook is better than Rb5 and Kg8 is a little cramped, but not terribly so. A few accurate moves and Black will be fine. } 23... g6 ( 23... c4 $4 24. Re1 Kf8 25. Bd7 $18 ) 24. Re1 Kg7 25. Bd3 Rb7 26. Re5 Be7 { Black may be threatening 27...f7-f6 because 28. gxf6+ (not forced) Bxf6 counter-attacks Re5 AND Pb2. } 27. c3 ( 27. b3 c4 28. Bxc4 Bxa3+ 29. Kd2 { is almost dead equal } ) ( 27. a4 $4 { makes Pb2 even more backward } 27... f6 28. Rd5 fxg5 29. hxg5 h6 30. gxh6+ Kxh6 $17 ) 27... h6 28. Kc2 hxg5 29. hxg5 Kf8 ( 29... f6 { forces further simplification and creates a passed pawn } ) 30. Rd5 Rb8 31. Rd7 { a courageous thing to do against Kasparov, but maybe he felt pushed into it because Black could yet create a passed pawn by using ...f7-f6xg5. White needs an offensive threat to balance that. } 31... Bxg5 32. Bc4 Be7 { The scary thing is Black has two (!) connected passed pawns, not just one. Can White defend or counter with his own queen-side pawns in time? It's a race. } 33. Ra7 g5 34. Rxa5 g4 35. Bd5 f5 ( 35... Kg7 36. Ra7 ) 36. Be6 g3 37. Bd5 Rd8 38. Bf3 Kf7 { How does White intend to stop the speedy Pg3? } 39. b4 Rh8 ( 39... Rc8 { helps to keep Ra5 blocked from the king-side } ) ( { I wonder if the most direct move is tactically sound. It's certainly complicated. } 39... Rg8 40. Bd5+ Kf6 41. Ra6+ Ke5 42. Bxg8 { The gimmick is to distract the bishop and block out Ra6 to make a queen of Pg3. If Bd5 doesn't dare to capture Rg8 then the original check at d5 was just wasted time. } 42... Bd6 ( 42... f4 43. Re6+ Kf5 44. Rxe7 f3 45. Bd5 g2 46. Rg7 Kf4 47. Bxf3 Kxf3 48. bxc5 $18 ) 43. bxc5 g2 ) 40. Kb3 ( 40. bxc5 Rh2+ 41. Kb3 g2 42. Bxg2 Rxg2 43. c6 Ke6 ) 40... Rh2 41. Bd5+ Kf6 ( 41... Kg7 42. Ra7 Kf6 43. Ra8 Ke5 44. Bb7 Bg5 45. bxc5 Rh7 { and the bishop has no completely safe square on the diagonal. } 46. c6 g2 47. c7 g1=Q 48. c8=Q Qb1+ 49. Kc4 Qxb7 ) 42. Ra8 Rd2 43. Bf3 Kf7 { This is probably the wrong way for the king to go. } ( 43... Rd3 { doesn't give the bishop time to rest } ) 44. bxc5 Bxc5 { White might continue, but Black's pawns are further advance, so there's the risk Kasparov would find some way to advance them further. } 1/2-1/2