The story behind the game
The third game of the 1984 Candidates final becomes an instructive fight between active bishops and awkwardly placed knights. Kasparov opens the centre with a pawn advance, installs a bishop on d6 and brings his rook to the eighth rank. The later material exchanges show why an active rook and a supported passed pawn must be assessed together.
Take these ideas to your next game
- Open the centre when your pieces can use the new lines.
- A supported advanced bishop can restrict enemy rooks.
- Use checking rook moves to gain an entry square.
- Recount material after a pawn recapture changes the ending.
Read the complete annotated game
Full game transcript, including the result and the answers. Original explanations by chessgames.info; game score from the sources below.
d5 challenges the knight and opens central contact. The recorded sequence exchanges knights and changes the queenside pawn structure. White later advances the c-pawn to c5. Follow those structural changes: a central break can be valuable because of the squares it creates for the bishops, even after several pieces leave the board.
Bd6 gives the bishop an advanced, pawn-supported post. The bishop’s diagonal reaches toward b8 while White prepares to use the b-file. Black’s rook on d7 remains active, so the outpost has to work together with the other pieces. The next rook manoeuvre shows the practical value of that support.
Rb8+ brings the rook deep into Black’s position. After the king moves, the rook gives another check from f8. The bishop’s support for the entry square makes the invasion coordinated rather than a rook acting alone. Compare Black’s king routes and the exposed pawns in the saved continuations.
Ba6 activates the second bishop while the rook remains on f8. Black’s rook captures the bishop on d6, White’s c-pawn recaptures and the king then takes that pawn. The rook on f8 captures f6 with check. Count this complete sequence before deciding whether the d6-bishop was simply lost: both the material balance and the rook’s targets have changed.
Result: 1-0. The recorded score ends here; it does not imply checkmate.
Think through the turning points
Move 23: Open the central files
Which d-pawn advance attacks the knight on e6? In the game: d5. d5 challenges the knight and opens central contact. The recorded sequence exchanges knights and changes the queenside pawn structure. White later advances the c-pawn to c5. Follow those structural changes: a central break can be valuable because of the squares it creates for the bishops, even after several pieces leave the board.
Engine-supported alternatives
d5 · +0.94 · depth 20
Rb1 Nxd4 Rxb7 Rxb7 Nxb7 Nf5 Bf4 g5 Bd3 Nd4 Be3 c5 · +0.27 · depth 19
f3 Nxd4 c5 Rad8 Re4 Bg6 Ree1 Nb2 Bf2 Nb5 Bxb5 cxb5 · -0.12 · depth 19
Move 28: Install a supported bishop
Which bishop move reaches d6, supported by the c5-pawn? In the game: Bd6. Bd6 gives the bishop an advanced, pawn-supported post. The bishop’s diagonal reaches toward b8 while White prepares to use the b-file. Black’s rook on d7 remains active, so the outpost has to work together with the other pieces. The next rook manoeuvre shows the practical value of that support.
Engine-supported alternatives
Bd6 Bf7 Rb1 Rd8 Rb7 Nc3 f3 Bd5 h4 a5 Bd3 a4 · +1.41 · depth 18
f3 Nb2 Rc2 Nd1 Ba6 Rd4 Re2 Bf7 Re7 Ra4 Rxa7 Bc4 · +0.72 · depth 18
Re1 Bf7 · +0.62 · depth 18
Move 30: Enter with check
Which rook move reaches the eighth rank with check? In the game: Rb8+. Rb8+ brings the rook deep into Black’s position. After the king moves, the rook gives another check from f8. The bishop’s support for the entry square makes the invasion coordinated rather than a rook acting alone. Compare Black’s king routes and the exposed pawns in the saved continuations.
Engine-supported alternatives
Rb8+ Kf7 Rf8+ Kg6 Bd3+ Kg5 Bxh7 g6 h4+ Kh6 Bg8 Bxg8 · +2.35 · depth 20
f3 Rd8 h4 Nc3 Rb7 h5 Kf2 a5 Ke3 Re8+ Kd4 Ne2+ · +1.46 · depth 20
Ba6 Rd8 f3 Nc3 Rb7 Nb5 Be7 Re8 a4 Nc3 a5 Nb5 · +1.16 · depth 20
Move 33: Activate the second bishop
Which bishop move brings the f1-bishop onto the a6–f1 diagonal? In the game: Ba6. Ba6 activates the second bishop while the rook remains on f8. Black’s rook captures the bishop on d6, White’s c-pawn recaptures and the king then takes that pawn. The rook on f8 captures f6 with check. Count this complete sequence before deciding whether the d6-bishop was simply lost: both the material balance and the rook’s targets have changed.
Engine-supported alternatives
Ba6 Rxd6 cxd6 Kxd6 Rxf6+ Ke5 Rf4 Nb6 Rh4 c5 Kf1 c4 · +3.34 · depth 21
f3 · +1.27 · depth 21
Rb8 Ba2 Rc8 Rb7 Rxc6 Rb1 Bf4+ Kd5 Rd6+ Kxc5 Rxf6 · +1.08 · depth 20
Every piece has a part to play.
The third game of the 1984 Candidates final becomes an instructive fight between active bishops and awkwardly placed knights. Kasparov opens the centre with a pawn advance, installs a bishop on d6 and brings his rook to the eighth rank. The later material exchanges show why an active rook and a supported passed pawn must be assessed together.
Look a little deeper
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Accessible evaluation values & provenance
Stockfish 17.1 · 75,000 nodes per position; 1,000,000 at key moments. Actual depth 12–21. Positive centipawns favour White; mate scores remain separate. Selective search is evidence, not proof.
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