Anand – Kramnik (Petroff)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.0-0 Be7 8.c4 Nb4 9.Be2 0-0 10.Nc3 Bf5 11.a3 Nxc3 12.bxc3 Nc6 13.Re1 Re8 14.cxd5 Qxd5 15.Bf4 Rac8 16.Qa4 (This is known theories and they are cranking out 16 moves in less than 9 minutes. It is obvious that both sides know this opening quite well. One day I hope that Fischer Random would be more popular so we do not have to deal with openings which contain 30-40 book moves. This has been played by the same two before but reversed colors in 2003. It was a draw.)
16…Bd7 17.Qc2 (If Black repeats with Bf5, what would Anand do? If Qa4 then Bd7 again. Anand defeated Kramnik in Mtel 2005 with Qc1.)
17…Qf5 (Kramnik does not want to repeat his experience in Mtel. So he changed to Qf5.)
18.Qxf5 Bxf5 (White is playing for 2 results with very little risk. White has more space and better piece placement.)
19.Bb5 Bd7 (20.d5 Ne5 21.Bxd7 Nxd7 22.Bxc7 Rxc7 23.d6 Rxc3 24.Rxe7 Rxe7 25.dxe7 Nf6 and White maintains a small edge.)
20.d5 Ne5 21.Bxd7 (This seems to head toward the line I gave above.)
21…Nxd7 22.Bxc7 Rxc7 23.d6 Rxc3 (White maintains a very small edge as I mentioned above. However, I do not think that White has enough for a decisive result.)
24.dxe7 (I would have preferred taking with the Rook. Black is fine in either case. The problem for White is the e7 pawn can be a blessing as well as a curse with move like f6 then Kf7. The a3 pawn is not so hot either. This is why understanding endgame is important.)
24…f6 (Anand spent a lot of time for move 25 which is very unusual for him. Kramnik is now about an hour ahead on the clock. The problem for White is to make sure he won’t be down a pawn in a much worse endgame. This is why this position is very critical. Kramnik’s speed in this game makes me believe that he was well prepared for this line.)
25.Rad1 (A sound choice. And I would play 25…Rc7 here as Black.)
25…Rc7 26.Nd4 Ne5 27.f4 (The obvious continuation here would be Nc6 28.Nxc6 bxc6 29.Rd6 c5 =+)
27…Nc6 (Black is slightly better due to White’s e7 and a4 pawns but I think Anand should be able to hold this with a little bit of sweat.)
28.Nxc6 bxc6 29.Rd6 c5 (Just as expected. Tiger Woods is known to be almost invincible when he’s leading going down the stretch. This reminds me of Kramnik. If you are in a match with him and you’re behind, it is virtually impossible to catch him. He makes chess look so simple. I have always admired his understanding of chess. The problem is his style does not make chess exciting such as Tal, Shirov, etc.)
30.Ree6 c4 31.Rc6 Rexe7 (32.Rxc4 Rxc4 33.Rxe7 Ra4 Black is a pawn up but White should have no problem holding for a draw.)
32.Rxc4 Rxc4 33.Rxe7 Ra4 34.Rb7 h6 35.f5 (White should be able to hold but it requires work and patience.)
35…Rxa3 36.Kf2 h5 =+ 37.g3 a5 38.Ra7 a4 39.h4 (This is basically a known drawn pattern. White can basically move the King to f2 and g2 and not much Black can do.)
39…Ra2+ 40.Kf3 a3 41.Ke3 Ra1 42.Kf2 (The computer is going crazy by giving Black between 2.5 – 3.0 point advantage. This is one of those positions where computer cannot properly evaluate the endgame. It is nearly impossible for Black to win because Black cannot make progress.)
42…Kf8 43.Kg2 a2 44.Kh2 Ke8 45.Kg2 Kd8 46.Kh2 Kc8 47.Kg2 Kb8 48.Ra3 (Black still cannot make progress at all.)
48…Kb7 49.Ra4 Kb6 50.Ra8 Kc5 51.Ra7 Kd5 52.Ra4 Ke5 53.Ra5+ Ke4 54.Kh2 Kf3 55.Ra3+ Kf2 56.Ra4 Kf1 (Kramnik is doing his best to try to get Anand to blunder. However, with proper play, this is still a draw.)
57.Kh1 Ke1 58.Kg2 Kd1 59.Ra7 (Sorry folks but this is a draw, regardless what some computer may say. However, it would be crazy for Kramnik not to try to push all the way and make Anand earn it. This is not an automatic draw but it is a draw if you know this endgame as I called it 25-30 moves ago.)
59…Rc1 (Now a dead draw!)
60.Rxa2 Rc2+ 61.Rxc2 Kxc3 62.Kf3 Kd3 63.g4 hxg4+ 64.Kxg4 Ke4 65.Kh5 Kxf5 ½–½ Stalemate! Bravo! This is a very instructional endgame for the chess fans.
your the best! when will u arrive exactluy at mex cituy???
Although White does have some initiative (not exactly news in the Petroff) I think Black is doing ok after …Bxf5, Susan. The pieces are not that badly placed and he has the better pawn structure.
They’ve exchanged queens and should be agreeing to a draw shortly.
I disagree .
White is better developed.
What about 25. Rec1? Seems get the 7th rank and get a pawn.
A great case for Fischer random.
No, not fischer random. A better case for not playing 1.e4 vs Kramnik.
Susan, you probably mean “understanding of chess”
Im surprised that more people expect Anand to win this tournament than Kramnik. Isn’t it obvious that Kramnik is better than him? I can’t understand why Kramnik has a lower rating either. After all, Kramnik beat Kasparov in 2000 and has unified the world title beating Topolov and prior to that Leko.
” He [Kramnik] makes chess look so simple.”
That’s probably because he cannot play complex positions very well (witness the game against Moro, which he almost lost in a complex position).
Kramnik is no doubt the master of end-games and hence his determination to simplify the midle game into the end-game as soon as possible. With such Fritx aided deep theories to backup, his style is almost impossible to beat.
**boring**!
why is 30 rd8 a bad idea ?
Compared to Topalov/Shirov/Anand he may be boring, but that doesn’t negate the fact that he is a better chess player than them!!
Why wasn’t rd8? I don’t understand…
Rd8 Kf7
Which is the Time Mode used is this Championship?
I don’t know why people keep saying that Kramnik is boring.
It is true that his blind adoption of the Petrof defense does make large part of his games quite strategic games with long theory and many draws, but that is only an opening choice, it doesn’t mean that he is actually a boring player.
When he plays the Catalan as white, in many cases he has highly sharp encounters (like the game Moro yesterday, or games with Topa).
I saw games where he sacrifices a lot of material to attack. Ok he is not as sharp as Topa, Tal, or Shirov, but I think he is way more interesting then: Shvidler (which in 85% of his games just wants to draw asap even against much weaker opponents), Anand (who is really a solid player in my opinion), Leko, Gelfand or even Grischuk.
The boring stigma just stick to him because he plays endgames very accurately, and because if he wants to make a draw with black he will easily do it, but there is no real reason behind it…
by the way, I am not a big Kramnik fan, just saying my opinion.
O to be the master of endgame!
🙂
If boring means not losing, being stable, making things look easy, then that’s good.
Arsenal FC was once called boring – yet they kept winning.
If it’s excitement people want then what about Nakamura(?) – o, he’s not here.
It’s drawn that easily? What happens when the Black King runs to b8, leaves the 8th rank, then goes for the f5-Pawn?
For black to make progress with the pawn, he needs to get the king up to it. But Anand is shutting down the route Black could take around the king side pawns. Kramnik now can’t move the kingside pawns without losing one, and would need to keep the king there to prevent promotion threats. So for Kramnik to make progress with the queenside pawn, he needs to get the king over using 8th rank to attack the rook, and then move up the board towards his pawn. After doing that, I wonder if he could make progress? I doubt it. Because white can then check black’s king repeatedly, and black cannot block the check with his rook, he having now stuck it on on the 1st rank.
Perhaps black moving the pawn up on move 43 wasn’t right?
Kramnik is effectively insulting Anand by not offering draw!?
Morozevich – Svidler
27. Rd3 looks strong
arrgg sorry
25. Rd3 anyway he played 25. d5
56.Kf1 I think it’s over for Anand. What can he do against the plan Re1, Re2 Trading Rooks and the pawn endgame should be won because the f5 pawn will fall.
I think kramnik might have found something, this guy is unbelievable!
He wants to get into the pawn endgame when whites f5 pawn is weak and there are winning chances there, I am not sure.
I think he wants to play Re1.. ra2 re2+
Wow Kramnik is deep, I think he saw this plan more then 20 moves ago when he played ..h5 !
I, I repeat, I can draw Kramnik from this position, what an insolence…
Anand will check from the fourth rank as long as the white king is stuck on the first. Black can force an exchange of rooks by marching to the queenside. However, I am not sure how it is supposed to get back again.
Mr. Anonymous: If you want to prove something by saying, YOU would draw against Kramnik, it is only a valid point if you leave anonymity.
If Kramnik is thinking there are chances i won’t be foolish to say it’s draw.
eh ! he is world champion 😀
ya i agree maybe boring is a little harsh to descibe kramniks style. definatly svidler is boring. thats with out a doubt. you could offer svidler a draw before the game begins and theres a good chance hell accept. kramnik has the ability to play wide open if he wants. ive seen kramnik shred apart invanchuk in a highly tactical game. so the ability to play that style is there. maybe its to mentally draining to play that style and so he conserves his energy better by simplifying into positions that are easier to calculate.
Maybe he just wants to play it out until the stalemate on h5 for aesthetic reasons?
“I don’t know why people keep saying that Kramnik is boring.”
Why, because many of us actually DO find his play BORING.
just as I said, the plan to get into pawn endgame with f5 weak.
I think I just became Kramnik fan, he is a true chess genius!
even though Anans had an escape there, it was real close to winning…
ha ha. Stalement. This will give Anand a huge psychological boost.
it’s psychological : Kramnik is saying that he wants to fight 😀
woah Anand had to see 30++ moves ahead for that stalemate stunt before he played his g3 and h4!
it seems that Svidler is loosing, he will be 2 pawns down and a worst position (meaning that not only that he has no compensation, but even with balanced material white would have been better)
“kramnik has the ability to play wide open if he wants. ive seen kramnik shred apart invanchuk in a highly tactical game.”
Yes, that makes it all the more dissapointing when he plays for a draw with Black.
When I see that Kramnik has decided to play the Petroff, I don’t bother watching the game. If he won’t bother trying for a win, then I won’t bother watching him draw.
This was cool stuff from Anand. Although a draw was predicted, many GM’s might have succumbed to the drill of the end game.
Different people have different styles.
They aren’t playing to the gallery; to give us flashy games of fireworks.
Why play Tal-like if that doesn’t suit the personality? Or doesn’t produce the result he/she wants?
Kramnik’s style and understanding serves him well.
If people want fireworks, try blitz.
Analogy: there’s 5 day cricket; and there’s the faster 1 day or twenty-twenty version.
One top US GM has a swashbuckling style but he doesn’t probably stand up at this level.
Ivanchuk, Shirov aren’t in Mexico…exciting as some might think their style…
Also we should note that this tournament is not about who is the most entertaining player. It is about who is the best player. And if Kramnik’s “Hold the positions with black, slowly grind down the opponents in the endgame with white”-strategy is the one that works best, he deserves the World Champion title just as much as any other player with a different strategy.
If seeing entertaining games is your priority, you can still create your own tournament with your own rules and specifically invite players you like to see. I belive, Mr. Danailov has done exactly the same thing and he is faring well with it.
I am glad they played it out. I learny quite a lot about rook and pawn endings from this.
Great game! Even Petroff can be interesting 🙂
Hey, I am not saying that Kramnik must play differently. I am just saying that I would rather gouge my eyes out and set myself on fire than watch his games when he plays for a draw.
That doesn’t mean that I don’t think that he has talent. For instance I know many people who love music, but would rather die then listen to classical music or an opera. I am sure that they believe that it takes talent to create and perform classical music or an opera, but still it bores them to tears.
I have no doubt that almost any new “fan” who sat through this game in real time would avoid watching another professional chess game as long as lived. Yes the endgame was instructive, but they would have been unconscious long before that.
but would this be the place for a new fan to gauge what the game is all about?…
people say Sampras is boring, that Becker or Goran may have been more exciting – but they weren’t in his league…
if the tennis fan wants exciting stuff then he/she can go see one of the others…
some people don’t fancy clay court play, but it demands a different technique, a patience that perhaps hard courts / grass do not…
This tournament or a serious tournament where a lot is on the line is not really the place for “how can we entertain the masses”…the very nature of chess is, well, not very exciting…to sit through 3, 4, 5 hours of one game…yes, perhaps play through the game after it’s finished…or go have dinner and come back at regular intervals…”has anyone moved yet?”…
These super-GMs aren’t going to blow each other away straight out of the opening…and, just perhaps, they’re at such a stage that sharp tactics, exciting play isn’t the way to the top…maybe they’ve seen the light / know something we don’t…maybe also they play the percentages – as in tennis, etc…
Italy may have a boring counter attacking style but it’s made them world football champions … they have a different temperament in their way of playing …score one goal and then shut up shop…, unlike Brasil …free flowing and samba like, fun loving… who also have been champions…
good luck to all…
“but would this be the place for a new fan to gauge what the game is all about?…”
I am not talking about someone who is just learning how to move the pieces. I am talking about someone who plays and loves chess, but has never checked out professional chess. Remember millions of people were excited by the Fischer – Spassky match.
I play chess against several people at work. At San Luis in 2005 they were glued around my computer for the Polgar – Kasim game in round 3. No one (seirawan etc) knew who would win it, but they knew it was going to end explosively. That game was exciting because Kasim had the balls to challenge Polgar in a very sharp Sicilian and Judit had the guts to sacrifice heavily for the initiative. Now my co-workers didn’t know what was going on (how could they, even the likes of Seirawan was lost in the complications) but they had a blast trying to figure out what was going to happen, and it was exciting. They also enjoyed watching Moro, Topalov and Anand.
Kramnik is perfectly capable of playing for the win with either side. Check out his record with the Black pieces in the Sicilian. Of course, play the Berlin or Petroff when you need a draw, but to play like that in round 3? Well I find it disgusting.
Anand’s fault: 1. e4 and drawn — if played against Kramnik. Who has something to prove here?
On the other hand, Kramnik’s game in the previous round was fascinating. Better yet: your computer will never get it!
It seems like most of the Kramnik critics have preconceived notions about his chess style and, at this point, won’t objectively assess the variation inherent in his play. Basically they have formed an opinion of his play and regardless of what he does they criticize him. When he plays a complicated speculative sac (as in round two), which showed courage, they find a way to insult is play by harping on the point that he missed a winning continuation and opened the possibility for his opponent to find a brilliant drawing line.
Heck, if Morozevich had found 21… Qd5! The game would still have been an exciting display of courageous fighting chess. But God forbid Kramnik haters admire the fighting spirit of such an exciting (if not completely accurate) game. If you want tactically flawless chess just let your top chess engines play each other… But somehow that’s just not as interesting as the chess these remarkable top GM’s discover through their individual and personal creative process. That’s why we watch, study, debate, and (sometimes) admire the endeavors of the participants in these top-level tournaments. Most of the Kramnik criticism centers on how “boring” is his chess. So why not commend him for game two. You haters should be thrilled that he initiated the most exciting game of the tournament up to this point. It was certainly not BORING!!
Then in game three, Anand-Kramnik, all the Kramnik haters respond with scorn, in an almost pavlovian manner, to the choice of opening (Petroff). Simply this shows a lack of appreciation for the deep variety inherent in chess. The Petroff is a subtle opening with a highly developed theory through which Kramnik can neutralize the typical advantage conferred by the white pieces. To the Kramnik haters dismay, the typical ensuing play leads to a more static equality and often ends in a draw. So if you want piece sacs and king-side pawn storms this won’t be to your aesthetic pleasing. But it in the statistical view of things Kramnik can beat the odds and get more points on average with black that the other players who go for unsound/risky continuations. But ask yourself, if he needed a win with black do you think he would unleash a Petroff? At the least, if he did he would likely have one of his famously deeply prepared lines ready to unleash for such a situation. In game three, he did exactly that and won a pawn against the world’s highest rated player.
Do you critics, even the titled players who, albeit less frequently, castigate Kramnik’s play think you could, while minimizing the risk of losing, win a pawn against Anand, then simplify into a technical endgame where you had all the winning chances?
Sure the endgame was a draw, and some of the Kramnik haters criticized him for not offering a draw early in the rook ending, but that’s a bit hypocritical since you castigated Kramnik for settling for a draw in round one. Frankly the position had technical difficulties which were worth playing out. Anand was up to the task of holding the position because he’s a great player, and so in the end we saw a well played ending which is instructive to all of us who are not experts in such positions. I doubt Anand was insulted to play it out—-he’s a chess player, and perhaps the best in the world right now. Playing that endgame is something he was probably happy to do and he got to show-case his excellent technique in the process.
In my opinion (and it’s only that) game three was a high quality game that pitted the unique talents of the World’s two strongest (active) players against each other. In the end it was a draw, which is the most likely result of accurate play. If you don’t like the way it happened I suggest you raise your rating to 2750 FIDE and then develop a style that you think can beat the field in these super tournaments. Wait, most of you can’t. So you’re stuck rooting for your favorite players who embody the type of chess you find most entertaining… which is fine. But, it so happens that Kramnik’s style wins tough matches against the swashbuckling type players, and more frequently than you give him credit for wins top tournaments against these same players (who have wonderful styles in their own right).
I guess what irks me is that so many chess fans seems unable or, more accurately, unwilling to appreciate the wide range of chess style and practice that makes our game so rich and beautiful. And unlike what the Kramnik haters say, he does bring a variety of chess skills to the board and you’ve seen that thus far in Mexico City.
Anyway, this tournament is still beginning and I hope that we’ll continue to see more interesting games of the open and closed nature which are well fought, and fewer short draws in still interesting positions. To this we can all agree. But please remain open minded about Kramniks play. He really has a unique skill which is very deep and subtle… it would be well worth it for all of us lesser players to study his play and hopefully perceive something of his unique chess genius.
So root for your favorite player in this tournament. But don’t hate Kramnik because he has a uniquely pragmatic and versatile style. If he wins this tournament then it’s because he’s played better overall than the other players. If he doesn’t win, then someone else stepped up their game and did what it takes to become tournament world champion.
As the saying goes, “don’t hate the player, hate the game.” If you hate that the game of chess can be played in a variety of conflicting styles with their own strengths and weaknesses why be a fan? Find another competitive endeavor to follow. I on the other hand love chess in all its vast variety and can’t wait to see what happens in this tournament with all the conflicting and contrasting styles the players bring.
The real shame in chess is all the political wrangling and lack of sponsorship. But for now we have a great tournament ahead of us which we can all enjoy. I, for one, intend to do so! Who’s with me!?
“lack of sponsorship”
How much money should there be in chess?
“When he plays a complicated speculative sac (as in round two), which showed courage, they find a way to insult is play”
Bull, I think that Kramnik very often plays great games with the white pieces. The issue is he plays for a draw with Black pieces. What is his record over the last 8 years with the Petroff as Black? I believe that it is 34 draws out of 37 games. Completely pathetic cowardly play.
Kramnik has a big chance in a match world championship. With the help of his seconds and nice computer softwares, their battalion can study well their opponent’s games throroughly.
Unlike with various top rated players playing at the same time in a world championship, Kramnik is having great difficulties to balance for shifting from dealing with one top player to another with different style because he is not so genius for dealing this kind of championship play, he needs more time for homework with battalions and computer chess softwares. Kasparov had made huge mistake way back 2000 for taking Kramnik as his opponent despite Kramnik is not the really the qualified contender that time but shirov. And that cost him his crown and never get a chance to get a rematch because kramnik is tenacious enough to deny the match so kasparov will never get it back.
It is good however that world championship tournament set up is created because we can really find who is the best among top players and champion is really deserving to be called champions by beating the rest of top players.
Kramnik however in the match play will have a big chance.