Round 5

Anand-Kramnik [B33]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5

In Kramnik’s opening repertoire the Sveshnikov Variation of the Sicilian Defence is one of the most effective means to struggle against e4-e4.

9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 Bg7 11. c3 f5 12. exf5 Bxf5 13. Nc2 O-O 14. Nce3 Be6 15. Bd3 f5 16. Qh5 e4 17. Bc2 Ne7 18. Nf4

The same opponents have already played a game in this variation this spring. Black managed to get a good play after 18. Bb3 Kh8 19. Nf4 Bxb3 20. axb3 Qd7 21. Ned5 Nxd5 22. Nxd5 f4 (Anand – Kramnik, Monaco (active), 2000)

18... Bf7 19. Bb3 d5

At this moment V. Kramnik deviated from his game with Z. Almasi that was played two years ago. Then the opponents agreed to a draw after 19... Qd7 20. O-O Be5 21. Bxf7+ Rxf7 22. Nfd5 Nxd5 23. Nxd5 Qe6 (Z. Almasi - Kramnik, Dortmund, 1998).

20. Qg5 Ng6

21. Qxd8 Raxd8!

This is absolutely precise. Black captured with the queen’s rook namely in order to have the pawn on f5 covered in case of need. If 21... Rfxd8 22. Nexd5 Nxf4 (after 22... a5 23. Nxg6 hxg6 24. O-O-O a4 25. Ne7+ Kf8 26. Bxf7 Kxf7 27. Nc6 Rxd1+ 28. Rxd1 Ke6 29. Nd4+ Bxd4 30. Rxd4 Rc8 Black still managed to get a draw in the game Zontakh – C. Horvath (Zalakaros, 1999) but the process was a little pleasure for him) 23. Nxf4, then Black, in case of 24... b4, has to reckon with the line 25. Ne6 Bxe6 26. Bxe6+ Kh8 27. cxb4 Bxb2 28. Rd1, so that it would tell that the pawn f5 was left undefended. A preliminary exchange with 24... Bxb3 24. axb3 b4 25. Ne6 Rd3 26. Nxg7 Kxg7 27. Rd1 bxc3 28. Rxd3 exd3 29. bxc3 Rb8 30. Kd2 Rxb3 31. Kxd3 Rb2 32. Rf1 a5 33. c4 resulted for Black in a hard rook endgame in the game Tseshkovsky - Jakat (Rostock, 1984).

22. Nexd5 Nxf4 23. Nxf4 b4 24. Ne6 Bxe6 25. Bxe6+ 1/2-1/2

Draw. After 25... Kh8 26. Rc1 Rf6 27. Bb3 Rc6 the chances of the opponents would be absolutely equal.

Leko-Shirov [C11]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Be7 6. Bxf6 Bxf6 7. Nf3 O-O 8. Bc4 Nc6 9. c3 e5 10. d5 Nb8 11. Qe2 Bf5 12. Ng3

Just several days before the beginning of the Fujitsu-Siemens Giants tournament at the grand festival called Frankfurt Chess Classic 2000 Black encountered certain problems in a game that was played on another side of the globe after 12. O-O Nd7 13. Rad1 Bxe4 14.Qxe4 Nc5 15. Qe3 Qd6 16. Rfe1 (G. Hernandez - Shirov, Merida, 2000). Unlike the Mexican grandmaster G. Hernandez the Hungarian Peter Leko prefers a more efficient method, e. g. to castle on the queenside (immediately or a bit later).

12... Bg4

Possibly P. Leko would answer the usual 12... Bg6 with 13. O-O-O.

13. h3 Bxf3 14. Qxf3 Nd7 15. Ne4 Be7 16. O-O-O

The time for 16. O-O is gone. After 16... Kh8 the f-pawn would be able to advance, allowing Black to get a counterplay.

16... Bd6 17. g4 Rb8 18. g5 b5 19. Bd3 b4

20. Qf5?!

It is not good for White to aggravate the position, trying to slow down the advance of the f-pawn. After 20. c4 it would be not so simple for Black to venture on 21... f5?! (if 21... b3, then just 21. a3 ) as White would get a strong initiative after 22. gxf6 Nxf6 23. c5!.

20... bxc3 21. b3

The retreats of the white knight are no problem for Black. In case of 21. Nxd6, 21. Nxc3 or 21. Nf6+ Nxf6 22. gxf6 he has g7-g6.

21... Rb4!?

Black’s rook is going to struggle against White’s strong centralised knight.

22. h4 Rxe4

A radical method. White was going to advance the pawns on the kingside considering that there was no 22... g6?? because of 23. Qxd7!, but now he has to switch over to the defence against the counterplay.

23. Qxe4

In case of 23. Bxe4 g6 24. Qf3 f5 25. Bc2 (if 25. gxf6, then 25... Nxf6 26. Bc2 Nh5 27. Qxc3 Rxf2 is possible so that it would cost White another pawn to exchange the rooks: 28. Rdf1 Rxf1+ 29. Rxf1 Qxh4) the move 25... Bb4 and the advance e5-e4 should be considered.

23... f5 24. gxf6

Allowing the black knight to participate actively in the following events. In case of 24. Qc4 e4 25. Bc2 Black has to choose between 25... Bf4+ 26. Kb1 Ne5 (there is no 26... Bd2 because of 27. d6+ ) 27. Qxc3 Qd6 and 25... Be5 26. d6+ Rf7.

24... Nxf6 25. Qc4 e4!

Black’s plan has justified in full. The blockade of the square e4 is raised.

26. Bc2

The pawn cannot be taken with 26. Bxe4?. White’s position would become hopeless after 26... Nxe4 27. Qxe4 Rxf2.

26... Bf4+ 27. Kb1 Bd2 28. Bxe4

Now the break-through 28. d6+ is not dangerous for Black any more owing to 28... Rf7 29. dxc7 Qxc7.

28... Qd6 29. f3 Kh8 30. Qd3 Re8 31. Rhg1 c6

32. Rg2?

White made this mistake at the very crucial moment. He should have let the opponent "trap" him having played 32. dxc6 to meet then 32... Nxe4 with 33. Qc2!. The position would stay approximately equal after 33... Qxc6 (there is neither 33... Nf2? because of 34. Qxc3 Bxc3 35. Rxd6 nor 33... Nf6?! with 34. Qxc3 Bxc3 35. Rxd6 as the weakness of the last horizontal makes the position practically hopeless in both cases) 34. fxe4 Qxe4. At the same time, the “greedy” 32. Qa6 Nxd5 33. Qxa7 Qf6 would have let Black keep a strong initiative.

32... cxd5 33. Bf5

A counter-sacrifice of the exchange is not ready yet. After 33. Rgxd2 cxd2 34. Qxd2 (if 34. Rxd2 Qf4 35. Bxd5, then the binding on the d-file decides in Black’s favour after 35... Rd8 36. Rc2 Qd6) 34... Qe5 35. Bd3 Qg3 one of the pawns on White’s kingside would be lost.

33... g6 34. Bh3?

White allows Black to increase his advantage. The correct move was 34. Bg4 , and after 34... Re3 35. Qd4 White would be able to defence persistently with the counter-sacrifice of the exchange on d2.

34... Re3 35. Qd4 Rxf3 36. Rf2

Now the sacrifice of the exchange with 36. Rgxd2 was White’s best chance though he would have to play without a pawn after 36... cxd2 37. Bg2 Qf4 38. Rxd2 (38. Qxa7 is dangerous because of 38... Rc3 as well as 38. Qxf4 is bad because of 38... Rxf4 39. Rxd2 d4) 38... Qxd4 39. Rxd4 Rf5.

36... c2+!

A. Shirov never misses such opportunities.

37. Kxc2 Be3 38. Rxf3 Bxd4 39. Rxd4 Qc5+ 40. Kd3 Ne4 41. Ke3 Kg7

Having got a won position, Black suspends. It is hard for White to find a move that would not spoil his position still more.

42. Be6 Qc3+ 43. Rd3 Qe5 44. Bxd5 Nf6+ 0-1

White resigned.

Kasparov - Morozevich [A40]

1. d4 e6 2. c4 b6 3. a3 Bb7 4. Nc3 f5 5. d5

The disposition of A. Morozevich to original opening formations, combined with Kasparov’s unwillingness to struggle in the French Defence, resulted in the hybrid of the Queen’s Indian and Dutch Defences that is sometimes called the Owen Defence. A great contribution in the modern development of this variation was made by English chess players.

5... Nf6 6. g3 Na6 7. Bg2 Nc5 8. Nh3 Bd6 9. O-O Be5 10. Qc2 O-O 11. Rd1 Qe7 12. Be3

It is tempting to put the knight or the bishop on f4, but the pieces would not stay long on this square in either case. For instance: 12. Nf4 Bxc3 13. Qxc3 e5 or 12. Bf4 Bxf4 13. Nxf4 e5 14. Nd3 Nxd3 15. exd3 c6.

12... Rab8

In the game Gelfand - Hamdouchi (Cap d'Agde, 1994) White gained an advantage after 12... Nce4 13. Nxe4 Nxe4 14. Rac1 exd5 15. cxd5 Bd6 16. Bxe4 fxe4 (if 16... Qxe, then 17. Qxe4 fxe4 18. Bf4 is possible) 17. Ng5 Rf5 18. Qxe4.

13. Rac1 Nce4 14. Nxe4 Nxe4

15. Nf4

Playing similarly to the above cited game after 15. Bxe4 fxe4 16. Ng5 would let Black get a good compensation for the pawn with 16... Rf5 17. Nxe4 Rbf8, as now White would have to capture on e4 with the “wrong” piece.

15... c5 16. dxc6 Bxc6

Of course it cannot be advised to take with the pawn 16... dxc6? because after 17. c5! the black bishop on b7 would be turned with his face to the back of the pawn c6 for a long time.

17. Nd3

Leading to simplifications. The situation would keep its tension after 17. b4 Rbc8 (or 17... Nc3 18. Rd3) 18. Qb3.

17... Bf6 18. f3

As a matter of fact, White forces the simplification of the position.

18... Nc5 19. b4 Nxd3

The move 19... Ba4?? would cost Black a piece after 20. Bxc5.

20. Rxd3 d5 21. f4 dxc4 22. Qxc4 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 Rf7

It was possible to play 23... Rbd8 with the idea that if 24. Qc7, then 24... Qxc7 25. Rxc7 Rxd3 26. exd3 Rf7.

24. b5 Re8 25. Rcd1 e5 26. Rd7 Qe6 27. Qxe6 Rxe6 28. Kf3 exf4 29. gxf4 Rxd7 30. Rxd7 Re7 31. Rxe7 Bxe7

An equal bishop endgame appeared on the board after the mass exchanges.

32. a4 Kf7 33. Bd4 Bd6 34. e4 g6 35. h3 Ke6 36. Bc3 Bc7 37. Bb4 Bd8 38. e5

Draw.