The English Chess Federation has awarded its Book of the Year prize to Timman’s Titans: My World Chess Champions by Jan Timman (New in Chess). This is a good choice for a present: Timman’s book is aimed at both the expert and the general chess enthusiast, and describes his interactions with many world champions.
A perennial favourite for the committed chess fan is the great series by Garry Kasparov on himself and his predecessors as world champions. This comprises a 12-volume set which analyses his clashes for the title with Anatoly Karpov, Nigel Short and Vladimir Kramnik. This contribution by Kasparov is probably the most significant account ever produced in world chess literature.
This week, Kasparov losing to Jan Timman.
Timman-Kasparov: Hilversum 1985; Ruy Lopez
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Be7 6 Re1 b5 7 Bb3 d6 8 c3 0-0 At the time this game was played, such lines of the Ruy Lopez, where White strives for d4 in one go, were the height of fashion. Nowadays, contemporary grandmasters almost universally prefer to store up energy with an early d3. 9 h3 Bb7 10 d4 Re8 11 Ng5 Rf8 12 Nf3 Re8 13 Nbd2 Bf8 14 a3 h6 15 Bc2 Nb8 A retreating concept attributed to that innovative Hungarian master Gyula Breyer. Black loses some time but reinforces the centre and prepares to advance his c-pawn. 16 b4 Nbd7 17 Bb2 g6 18 c4 So much of White’s strategy in these older lines of the Ruy Lopez consisted of finding a path for his bishops to enter the game. White’s 18th move clears a route for his queen’s bishop while the glorious future of the king’s bishop is yet to come. 18 … exd4 19 cxb5 axb5 20 Nxd4 c6 21 a4 bxa4 22 Bxa4 Qb6 23 Nc2 Qc7 24 Bb3 White’s king’s bishop now nestles on its preferred diagonal.
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