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By Larry Parr
Chess Life Editor 1984 - 1988
Author
HEART
OF CHESS DARKNESS
(IV)
III. Withdrawing
protection from a piece under attack and allowing mate on the move:
In addition to voting on the Chess Oscar, chess journalists ought to hand
out annual awards for best and worst move of the year.
In 1994 GM Evgeny Bareev would have been a strong contendah for the Benko
Blunder Bust, which ought to be the name of any such prize.
The position below is very drawish, the second player has plenty of time,
and the situation on the board emits of further simplification.
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Anatoly Karpov -
Evgeny Bareev, Linares, 1994
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GM Bareev (to move)
GM Karpov
35
...
Ba7???
One of those rare times when a grandmaster makes what is literally the
worst move on the board. Only the pellucid purity of withdrawing protection from an
attacked piece leads to mate in one. Simply
35. ... Rxd5 36. Nxd5 Ba7 is a
likely draw.
36.
Rxd8,
mate
As Dwight Eisenhower once said, “Nothing
is easy in war. Mistakes are always
paid for in casualties and troops are quick to sense any blunder made by their
commanders.”
Karpov - Bareev
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