Tuesday, October 14, 2008

World Championship Game 1

Kramnik,V (2772) - Anand,V (2783) [D14]

[Comments by IM Malcolm Pein]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 cxd5 5.Bf4 Nc6 6.e3 Bf5 7.Nf3 e6 8.Qb3 Bb4 9.Bb5 0-0 10.Bxc6 (10.0-0 Bxc3 11.Bxc6 Bxb2 12.Bxb7 Bxa1 13.Rxa1 Rc8 14.Bxc8 Qxc8 15.Qa3 Qb7 16.Rc1 Rc8 17.Rxc8+ Qxc8 18.Ne5 Nd7 19.Nxd7 Qxd7 20.Qa6 and in Malakhov-Ivanchuk White calmly exploited his better placed queen by playing Bf4-b8xa7 and he won. This shows the pleasant edge White can achieve sometimes in this line and Black has to struggle to equalize completely.) 10...Bxc3+ 11.Qxc3 Rc8 (Here and on the next move Anand avoids bxc6 when the pawn would be very weak. White can easily exert control over c5 and then lay siege to the pawn. 11...bxc6 12.Qxc6 Qa5+ 13.Qc3 Qxc3+ 14.bxc3 Ne4; 11...bxc6 12.0-0 Qb6 13.Rfc1 and c5 is weak.) 12.Ne5 Ng4 (12...bxc6 Leaves Black with a permanently weak pawn on an open file.) 13.Nxg4 Bxg4 14.Qb4 (14.Qa3 Rxc6 15.Qxa7 Rc2 16.0-0 Be2 17.Rfc1 Rxb2) Rxc6! (Avoiding the structural weakness referred to above even at the cost of a pawn. If there is one man who can make your life miserable if you have a bad pawn structure it is Kramnik.) 15.Qxb7 Qc8 16.Qxc8 (16.Qb3 Qa6 and Rfc8-c2 is coming.) Rfxc8 (Black has compensation for the pawn. He controls the c file completely and has active rooks.) 17.0-0 a5 18.f3 Bf5 19.Rfe1 Bg6 20.b3 (20.Kf2 Rc2+ 21.Re2 Rxe2+ 22.Kxe2 Rc2+) f6 21.e4 dxe4 22.fxe4 Rd8 23.Rad1 Rc2 (White cannot stay a pawn ahead and d5 is well met by e5. The next few moves just force simplification and a draw, a minor victory for Anand who made light of the attempted squeeze.) 24.e5 (24.a4 e5 25.dxe5 Rxd1 26.Rxd1 fxe5 27.Bxe5 Bxe4; 24.d5 e5; 24.Rc3 e5) fxe5 (24...Rxa2 25.exf6 gxf6 26.Rxe6 Bc2=) 25.Bxe5 Rxa2 26.Ra1 Rxa1 27.Rxa1 Rd5 28.Rc1 Rd7 (28...Rb5 29.Rc7 Rxb3 30.Rxg7+ Kf8 is also harmless.) 29.Rc5 Ra7 30.Rc7 Rxc7 31.Bxc7 Bc2 32.Bxa5 Bxb3 1/2-1/2

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