Kasparov Puts the World in Check After Just Three Moves
Kasparov put the World team in check on move three of the MSN Gaming Zone match; the coaches are split on a reply, and voting runs until Saturday morning.
Three moves in, and the whole planet is already in trouble. Garry Kasparov put the World team in check today in the Kasparov vs. the World match on the MSN Gaming Zone, backing his opponents into a corner by moving his king’s bishop from F1 to B5 on only his third move of the game.
The World team has ways out. Two of its coaches, Irina Krush and Elisabeth Pähtz, are recommending the same reply, 3… Knight to D7, a move that could cost the team its queen’s knight but rescues the threatened king and might leave black stronger in the end. Etienne Bacrot and Florin Felecan are backing the steadier 3… Bishop to D7 instead. Voting on the World’s response stays open until 6 a.m. PDT Saturday, which gives the planet a little time to argue with itself first.