Vassily Smyslov couldn't beat Dr. Tarrasch in Kasparov match

When Gary Kasparov won the 12th game of the final Candidates' match, he established a four-point lead which virtually ensured victory over his Soviet countryman Vassily Smyslov. A chief reason for Smyslov's failure to win a single game in the match was his inability to refute Kasparov's Tarrasch Defense to the Queen's Gambit, which Kasparov used in five of the games in which he had the Black pieces.

Although Dr. Siegbert Tarrasch (1862-1934), a great German master, was one of the most successful tournament players of all time, today he is best remembered for his writing and teaching rather than for his sporting achievements. He accepted and developed Steinitz's theory of the accumulation of small advantages , but he attached exaggerated importance to mobility on the chessboard. Consequently he advocated ''freeing'' moves, and his defense to the Queen's Gambit is typical.

Black accepts the isolated QP, but has compensation in the form of free development and open lines and diagonals for his pieces. The Tarrasch Defense was quite popular in early days but fell into a long period of desuetude when astute theoreticians, notably Nimzovich and Rubinstein, found new methods of exploiting the weaknesses of the isolani, principally involving the fianchetto of the White KB. The opening was revived with fair success by former world titlist Boris Spassky, and now that Kasparov has used it successfully against Smyslov, it is likely that it will soon enjoy its greatest popularity, and that Dr. Tarrasch, the Praeceptor germaniae, will have the last laugh.

Tarrasch Defense Smyslov Kasparov Smyslov Kasparov Smyslov Kasparov Smyslov Kasparov Smyslov Kasparov Smyslov Kasparov 1. P-Q4 P-Q4 2. N-KB3 P-QB4 3. P-B4 P-K3 4. PxQP KPxP 5. P-KN3 N-KB3 6. B-N2 B-K2 7. O-O O-O 8. N-B3 N-B3 9. B-N5 PxP 10. KNxP P-KR3 11. B-K3 R-K1 12. P-QR3 B-K3 13. NxB (a) PxN 14. Q-R4 K-R1

Smyslov Kasparov 15. QR-Q1 QR-B1 16. K-R1 P-R3 17. P-B4 (b) N-QR4 18. P-B5 P-QN4 19. Q-R4 (c) N-N1 (d) 20. Q-R3 N-B5 (e) 21. B-B1 B-N4 22. PxP BxB 23. RxB (f) N-K6 (g) 24. NxQP (h) NxR (i) 25. RxN R-B1 26. N-B4 N-K2 27. Q-N4 P-N4 28. Q-R3 R-KB3

Smyslov Kasparov 29. N-Q3 RxR ch 30. BxR K-N2 31. Q-N4 Q-Q4 ch 32. P-K4 Q-Q5 33. P-KR4 R-KB1 34. B-K2 Q-K6 35. K-N2 N-N3 36. P-R5 N-K2 37. P-N4 K-R2 38. K-R2 R-Q1 39. P-K5 RxN 40. BxR ch QxB 41. Resigns

International Grandmaster Arthur Bisguier is a former US champion, has won or shared the US Open title five times, and has captured virtually every other major tournament in this country at least once during more than three decades of competition.