This Week's ChessBase Show: Avant-Garde Chess, Part 2: Karpov-Miles, Skara 1980
In last week's part 1, we saw Tony Miles play the funny 1.c4 b6 2.d4 e6 3.d5 Qh4 against then-world champion Anatoly Karpov, and he got away with it, too - at least as far as the opening was concerned. It took some doing and some creative play of his own, but Karpov eventually bent the position to his liking. Once the position reached an ending where technical skill was at a premium, Karpov was able to gradually grind out the win.
In the game we'll look at this week, in part 2, Miles upped the ante in two respects. First, if anything, is opening was even more provocative: 1.e4 a6! Second, he played better throughout the game, and when the ending finally came around this time, Miles converted his winning advantage with confident ease.
The game produced a sensation, as you might imagine, especially considering how rarely Karpov lost any games - let alone with White vs. 1...a6. Those of you who weren't chess fans (or even born, for that matter) at the time are invited to experience this notable moment in chess history, and those of you who were fans at the time are invited to relive it. It was an exciting game, too, and it is also interesting to see how Miles' brainchild has fared as a theoretical weapon since its modern inception.
So: for those of you who want to join me, log on to the Playchess server at 9 p.m. ET Wednesday night (I believe that's Thursday morning at 2 a.m. CET these days) - that's today or tomorrow, depending on where you are - and go to the Broadcast room. Once there, find "Karpov-Miles" under the Games tab, and away you go. Hope to see you there!