

Kasparov - Kramnik (m/1) [C67]
1.e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6
The move 2... Nf6, leading to the Petroff Defence which
Vladimir Kramnik plays often, would have been a more expected
continuation.
3. Bb5
For the last decade Kasparov terrorised a great deal of the
grandmaster beau-monde with his convincing victories in the
Scotch Defence (to begin after 3. d4). Well, maybe the thirteenth
World Champion did not want to reveal main secrets of his
preparation in the starting game and just reserved his basic
weapon for the future.
3
Nf6
Along with the traditional 3
a6 the system, beginning
with 3
Nf6, has been popular among the players of the
highest level for the whole century.
4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6
This continuation which became widespread in chess practice
owing to the efforts of O. Romanishin at the end of the seventies
has been revived recently. Another line of this system is
connected with the move 5... Be7. Vladimir Kramnik paid attention
to this variation too, and, though the result of his game against
A. Shirov, played in Linares in 1998, was negative after 6. dxe5
O-O 7. Re1 d5 8. exd6 Bxd6 9. Nbd2 Bf5 10. Nc4 Bb4 11. c3 Qxd1
12. Rxd1 Bc5 13. Be3 Ne7 14. Re1 Bxe3 15. Nxe3, the reason of
this defeat was chiefly the careless exchange on the fourteenth
move. The move 14... Ng6! promised an absolute equality to Black.
6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8
The position reminds slightly the Exchange Variation of the
Ruy Lopez, but with one significant difference: the white pawn is
on e5 instead of e4, and this detail often allows Black to
perform a successful blockade of Whites pawn advantage on
the kingside on light squares that is on the squares of
the same colour with the bishop which has no opponent.
9. Nc3 Bd7
A relatively new continuation which has grown popular for the
last months. The moves 9
h6 or 9... Ke8 occur more
frequently. The latter also was seen by the worlds second
chess player. After 9... Ke8 10. h3 Ne7 11. Re1 Vladimir ventured
on an opening experiment of 12
Nd5 which allowed White to
develop an unpleasant pressure upon Blacks position with
12. Ne4 Nb4 13. Re2! Bf5 14. Nd4 Bxe4 15. Rxe4 c5 16. a3 cxd4 17.
axb4 Bxb4 18. Rxd4 Be7 19. Be3 a6 20. Rad1 h5 21. c3 in the game
Topalov - Kramnik (Wijk aan Zee, 1999). By the way, at the
tournament which was held at the same time with the main event
the trainer of the Bulgarian grandmaster S. Danailov chose 21.
Rd7!? in one of his games, and after 21
Bd6 22. e6 fxe6 23.
Rxg7 White managed to win.
10. b3
In different years White played also 10. Bg5+ and 10. Bf4.
This year, apart from the move in the game, the continuations 10.
h3 and 10. Ne4 were seen. In the game Shirov - Almasi in the
second round of the Rubinstein Memorial in Polanica Zdroj this
year after 10. h3 h6 11. Bf4 b6 12. a4 a5 13. Rad1 Kc8 14. b3 Bb4
15. Ne4 Be6 16. c4 c5 Black not only equalised the game but even
took the initiative. The line 10. Ne4 h6 11. Bd2 c5 12. Rad1 Kc8
13. Rfe1 b6 occurred in September 2000 in the game Dutreeuw -
Jonkman (Mondariz, 2000).
10... h6 11. Bb2 Kc8
12. h3
Not satisfied with the result of the opening duel in the
second round in Polanica Zdroj, in the fourth round A. Shirov
chose 12. Rad1 against M. Krasenkow, and after 12
. a5 13.
h3 b6 14. a4 Bb4 15. Ne2 Re8 16. Nf4 g6 17. g4 Ng7 18. Rd3 Ne6
19. Nxe6 Bxe6 20. Nd4 he won a convincing victory. Still, Garry
Kasparov rejected the track, trodden by the grandmaster from
Spain, and played in his own way.
12... b6 13. Rad1 Ne7 14. Ne2
Black was ready to encounter a doubling of the rooks on the
d-file with the help of 14. Rd2 with 14
c5 15. Rfd1 Be6.
14... Ng6
Unlike Krasenkow, Kramnik is not going to allow the white
knight to get to f4.
15. Ne1 h5
Another timely prophylactic move. White is planning an advance
of the f-pawn, and Black prepares a blocking position on f5 for
his pieces in good time. The moment was chosen very
appropriately, as none of the white pieces can get to the
temporarily weakened square g5.
16. Nd3 c5 17. c4 a5 18. a4 h4 19. Nc3 Be6 20. Nd5 Kb7 21.
Ne3 Rh5
Theres nothing bad in an excessive control over the
square f5.
22. Bc3
If 22. f4, then 22
Ne7 with a safe blocking position.
22... Re8 23. Rd2 Kc8 24. f4 Ne7 25. Nf2 Nf5. 1/2-1/2
Blacks position is very solid, so White agreed to the
offered draw, on the threshold of a possible time trouble.
|