

Kasparov - Kramnik (m/7) [A32]
1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4
Kasparov refused to play 3. g3 again like in the fifth game.
3... cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6

A surprise. Kramnik rejected the universally recognised 4...
e6 as well as 4... Nc6. He applied the former of these
continuation more than once, so we’ll restrict ourselves with
just a few curious examples: 4... e6 5. g3 (the move 5. Nb5? is
considered to be bad after the game Korchnoi - A. Greenfeld
(Biel, 1986) where 5... d5 6. cxd5 a6 7. N5c3 exd5 8. Be3 Nc6 9.
Bd4 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Qc7 11. e3 Bc5 12. Qa4+ b5 13. Bxb5+ axb5 14.
Qxa8 O-O gave an overwhelming development advantage to Black for
the sacrificed material) 5... Bb4+ 6. Nc3 (there was also 6. Bd2
Be7 7. Bg2 Nc6 8. Bf4 O-O 9. Nc3 a6 10. O-O Nxd4 11. Qxd4 d6 12.
Qd3 Qc7 13. Rfd1 Rd8 with mutual chances (Topalov - Kramnik, Las
Vegas (m/4, active) 1999)) 6... d5 (the present adversaries once
tested 6... O-O 7. Bg2 d5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Qb3 Qb6 10. Bxd5 exd5
11. Be3 Bxc3+ 12. Qxc3 Qg6 13. O-O Nc6 14. Rfc1 Bh3 15. Qc2 Nxd4
16. Bxd4 Qe6 (Kasparov - Kramnik, Moscow (m/14, blitz), 1998)) 7.
cxd5 Nxd5 8. Bd2 O-O 9. Bg2 Bxc3 10. bxc3 e5 11. Nb5 a6 12. Bc1
Be6 13. c4 Ne7 14. Nd6 Nbc6 15. O-O b6 with mutual chances
(Kasparov - Kramnik, Wijk aan Zee (blitz), 1999). The move 4...
Nc6 was also seen in a game between the present opponents. After
5. g3 g6 6. Bg2 Bg7 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Nc2 d6 9. O-O Be6 10. b3 Qd7
11. Bb2 Bh3 12. Ne3 Bxg2 13. Kxg2 Rfd8 there was an approximate
equality in the game Kasparov - Kramnik (Frankfurt (active),
1998).
5. Nc3
The subtlety of the order of moves, chosen by Black, could
have been revealed in case of 5. g3. After 5... d5 6. Bg2 e5
Black’s e-pawn got to e5 in one move instead of two, so that
Black was able to make one more very useful move: a7-a6.
5... e6 6. g3
After 6. e4 there was a position, intermediate between the
English Opening and the Paulsen Variation of the Sicilian Defence
where Black got a good counterplay with 6... Bb4. The thirteenth
World Champion played once 6... Qc7, and after 7. Bd3 Be7 8. f4
d6 9. Qe2 Nc6 10. Nf3 Nd7 11. a3 Bf6 12. Be3 Bxc3+ 13. bxc3 e5
14. f5 Ncb8 Black got an excellent position in the game Ehlvest -
Kasparov (Linares, 1991).
6... Qc7 7. Qd3
The pawn sacrifice 7. Bg5 was insufficient, as after 7... Qxc4
8. Rc1 Nc6 9. Nb3 (no better was 9. Ncb5 Qb4+ 10. Bd2 axb5 11.
Bxb4 Bxb4+ 12. Rc3 Rxa2 which after 13. Qb3 Ra1+ 14. Kd2 Ne4+ 15.
Ke3 Nxc3 16. Nxc6 Nd5+ 17. Kf3 bxc6 18. e4 c5 brought White to a
defeat in the game Gauglitz - Teske (Stralsund, 1988)) 9... Ne4
10. Bg2 (Black had a huge advantage also after 10. Nxe4 Qxe4 11.
f3 Qg6 ) 10... Nxg5 11. h4 Qg4 12. hxg5 Qxg5 Black was much
better in the game Komarov - Aseev (St.Petersburg, 1997).
7... Nc6 8. Nxc6
White acknowledged Black’s opening gains, thus having raised
the tension. In case of other continuations the insufficient
support of the c4-pawn was dangerous for White, besides, Black
could have taken the initiative on dark squares. So, after 8. b3
Black got a good play with 8... Nxd4 9. Qxd4 Bc5 or even with an
immediate 8... Bc5.
8... dxc6
The simplest. After 8... Qxc6 9. e4 the tension was
maintained.
9. Bg2 e5 10. O-O Be6 11. Na4 1/2-1/2

A draw, proposed by Kasparov. The quasi-record of shortness
(only ten moves) which was established by two last games of the
match M. Botvinnik - T. Petrosian for the title of the World
Champion, stayed unbeaten. Instead of White’s last move they
played previously 11. b3 Rd8 12. Qc2 Be7 13. Bb2 O-O 14. Rad1
with a draw (Ribli - Ljubojevic, Linares, 1981) and 11. Ne4 Nxe4
12. Bxe4 g6 13. Be3 f5 14. Bg2 Bg7 15. Bc5 e4 16. Qe3 Kf7 with a
slight initiative by Black (Sapis - Ivanchuk, Lvov, 1988).
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