Round 7

Leko - Kramnik [C42]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6

V. Kramnik wants to play reliably and chooses one of the most solid openings, the Petroff.

3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. c4 Nb4 9. Be2 O-O 10. Nc3 Be6 11. Ne5 f6 12. Nf3 Kh8

The line 12... c5 13. Be3 Rc8 lost its popularity after the game Khalifman - Karpov (Bali, 2000) where White took the initiative, having continued 14.dxc5 Bxc5 15. Bxc5 Rxc5 16. Qb3 a5 17. Rad1.

13. a3

White is first to leave the theoretical path. At the beginning of this year 13. Qb3 occurred in the game Adams - Timman (Wijk aan Zee, 2000). After a series of exchanges with 13... Nxc3 14. bxc3 dxc4 15. Bxc4 Bxc4 16. Qxc4 Qd5 17. Qb3 Qxb3 18. axb3 Nd5 19. Re1 the English grandmaster got a more pleasant position.

13... Nxc3 14. bxc3 Nc6 15. Nd2 f5

Black hurries up to place his dark-squared bishop on the diagonal a1-h8.

16. Re1 Bf6 17. Bf3 Bg8 18. cxd5 Bxd5 19. Nb3

In case of 19. Rb1 the simplest answer was 19... Rb8 (if 19... b6, then 20. Nc4!?), and now if White sent his knight to e3 with 20. Nf1, then Black was OK after 21... Ne7 21. Ne3 b5.

19... b6 20. Bf4 Ne7

The knight should be transferred to g6 to guard the vulnerable square e5, and c6 can be occupied with Black's pawn as well.

21. Be5 c6 22. Bxf6 Rxf6 23. Nc1 Ng6 24. Nd3 h6 25. Ne5 Nh4 26. Bxd5 Qxd5 27. f3 c5 28. dxc5 1/2-1/2 Draw.

Akopian - Piket [D39]

1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 e6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. e4 Bb4 6. Bg5 c5 7. Bxc4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Qa5

The Holland grandmaster chooses the Vienna Variation of the Queen's Gambit again like in the fifth round. But now Black goes another way, refusing from 8... Bxc3+ which was played by R. Huebner in that game.

9. Bd2 O-O

After the recent game Kasparov – Morozevich (Sarajevo, 2000) Black's last move seems to come into fashion. Formerly 9... Qc5 was the usual continuation.

10. Qe2

V. Akopian spares his pawns. Let's remind you that in the mentioned game Kasparov - Morozevich after 10. Nc2 Bxc3 11. Bxc3 Qg5 12. Qe2 Qxg2 13. O-O-O Qxe4 14. Rhg1 g6 15. Ne3 e5 16. f4 Be6 17. Bd3 Qxf4 White parted with three pawns without getting a sufficient compensation.

10... Rd8 11. Nb3 Qc7 12. O-O Nc6 13. Rad1 Ne5 14. Bb5

14... Bd7

In case of 14... a6 White had an intermediate 15. f4! which let him get an advantage after 15... axb5 (if 15... Ng6, then 16. Bd3 was possible already) 16. fxe5 Bxc3 (there was no 16... Qxe5? because of 17. Bf4!) 17. Bxc3 Rxd1 18. Rxd1 Nd7 19. a3.

15. Bxd7 Bxc3

There was no 15... Nexd7? because of 16. Nb5 Qc2 17. N5d4, Black losing a piece. The same trick was applicable after 15... Nfxd7 or 15... Rxd7. In case of 15... Qxd7 Black probably did not want to go to troubles of 16. Bg5 with a binding on the diagonal d8-h4.

16. Bxc3 Rxd7

In case of 16... Nfxd7 Black had to reckon with the line 17. f4 Nc4 18. Rd3.

17. Rc1 Nc6 18. Nc5 Re7 19. Bxf6 gxf6 20. Rc3 Kh8

Black has to be careful. There was no 20... Qf4? because of 21. Nxb7! Rxb7 22. Rxc6, leaving him without a pawn.

21. f4 Rg8 22. Kh1

22. Qf2 deserved attention now with the idea to transfer the queen to h4.

22... Qd6

23. e5

Appears to be good, but is this advantage enough to achieve? In the game this question stayed unanswered. 23. Qf2 still looked to be rational. In case of 23... Qd4 White had a transfer 24. Qh4, whereas 23... b6 could be followed with a decisive 24. e5!, as now 24... fxe5 25. Ne4 Qd4 26. Qh4 Qxe4 involved 27. Qf6+ Rg7 28. Rg3.

23... fxe5 24. Ne4 Nd4??

Still another black-out by J. Piket in this tournament. After 24... Qb8 25. Nf6 Rg6 26. fxe5 Qxe5 (of course no 26... Nxe5? because of 27. Qh5 h6 28. Qxe5!, White just mating) 27. Qxe5 Nxe5 28. Rc8+ Kg7 29. Ne8+ Kh6 30. Nf6 Kg7 White hardly had anything but repeating moves.

25. Qf2 1-0 Black resigned. No wonder. Positions of all Black's pieces were awkward after 25... Qd8 (25... Qb8 was a forced loss because of 26.Qh4 Nf5 27. Qf6+ Rg7 28. g4, as well as 25... Qb6 because of 26. Nf6 Rd8 27. Qh4) 26. fxe5 Nc6 (in case of 26... Nf5 there was an immediate solution with 27. Nf6 Rg7 28. Rfc1) 27. Qf6+ Rg7 28. Nd6 (after 28. Rg3 Qf8 29. Nd6 Kg8 30. Rff3 Rg6 Black still held) 28... Kg8 29. b4.

Huebner - Adams [E15]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. Qa4 Bb7 6. Bg2 c5 7. dxc5

The opponents play a quiet variation of the Queen's Indian Defence. With his last move White attempts to keep some pressure on the board. In case of 7. 0-0 Black had an opportunity to begin simplifying the play with 7... cxd4.

7... Bxc5 8. O-O O-O 9. Nc3 Be7 10. Rd1 Na6 11. Bf4 Nc5 12. Qc2 Qc8 13. Rac1 Nce4 14. Nd4 Nxc3 15. Qxc3 a6 16. Bf3

Another participant of the tournament, the Holland grandmaster J. Piket tried more than once to break through Black's position after 16. Qb3 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Qb7+ 18. Qf3 Ra7 19. Qxb7 Rxb7 20. f3 Rc8 21. e4.

16... Ra7

The continuation 16...Ne4 17. Qe3 f5 18. Nb3 Qc6 which was seen in the game Al-Thani - Umansky (corr., 1998) proved to be evidently unlucky for Black. After 19. Bxe4 fxe4 20. c5 bxc5 21. Nxc5 White got a very big advantage.

17. Nb3 Bxf3 18. Qxf3 Qb7 19. Qxb7 Rxb7 20. f3 Rc8 21. e4 Ne8 22. e5 f6

Black wants to get rid of the restricting pawn on e5 as soon as possible to get a more convenient play.

23. Rc2 Kf7 24. g4 fxe5 25. Bxe5 Nf6 26. Rcc1 Rc6 27. Bg3 g6 28. Kg2 Bf8 29. h3 h5 30. Nd4 Rc8 31. a4 d6 32. Ne2 Rc6 33. Nd4 Rc8 34. Ne2 Rc6 35. Nd4 Rc8 36. Ne2 Rc6 1/2-1/2 Draw.

Khalifman - Bareev [D47]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. O-O b4

In the previous sixth round A. Khalifman defended Black's position after 9... a6. His present opponent E. Bareev chooses another way.

10. Ne4 Be7 11. Nxf6+ Nxf6 12. e4 O-O 13. e5 Nd7 14. Be4 Rb8

Black is preparing c6-c5. White demonstrates a method how to prevent this advance.

15. a3 bxa3 16. b4

16... f5

A new move. Previously 16... a5 (16... Bxb4 would be followed with a standard 17. Bxh7+) 17. bxa5 Qxa5 18. Bxa3 was seen, like in the game V. Milov - C. Hansen (Essen, 2000) where Black preferred 18...Qd8, agreeing to have a slightly worse play, because in case of 18... Bxa3 he took chances of White's strongest attack after 19. Bxh7+! Kxh7 20. Ng5+ Kh6 21. Qd3 Kxg5 22. f4+ Kh6 23. Qh3+ Kg6 24. f5+.

17. Bd3

After 17. exf6 Nxf6 the white bishop was attacked again.

17... Nb6

The black knight wants to get to d5 as soon as possible. In case of 17... Bxb4 there was a strong 18. Ng5! (weaker was 18. Qb3 because of 18... c5 19. Qxe6+ Kh8 with an unclear position), because after 18... Qe7 19. Qb3 Rfe8 White struck with 20. Nxe6!.

18. Bxa3 Nd5 19. Bc4 Qb6 20. Qd3 Rfd8 21. Rfb1 h6 22. Rb3 Kh8 23. Rab1 Nc7 24. h3

The opponents undertake no active attempts to breach each other's fortifications.

24... Nd5 25. Kh2 Bc8 26. Qd1 Qc7 27. Kg1 Rb6 28. Ne1 Ba6 29. Bc1 1/2-1/2 Draw.

Anand - Junior 6 [D05]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 c5 5. c3 Nc6 6. Nbd2 Be7 7. a3 Qc7

7... O-O 8. O-O occurred previously to be followed with 8... Qc7 or 8... b6.

8. Qe2 O-O 9. O-O Rd8 10. Re1 a6

As a matter of fact we have a position from the Anti-Meran Variation here but with reversed colours and, respectively, with an extra tempo by White.

11. h3

11...b5

The computer plays reliably. In case of a more active 11... e5 the game would still be equal after 12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Qxe5 14. e4.

12. dxc5 Bxc5 13. e4 Nh5 14. Nb3 Ng3 15. Qc2 dxe4 16. Nxc5 exd3 17. Nxd3 Nf5 18. Bf4 1/2-1/2 Draw. The position is approximately equal.