Anand, V. (2783) – Kramnik, V. (2772)
World Championship, Bonn (Germany)
Game 6
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 Kramnik employs the Nimzo Indian.
4. Qc2 d5 5. cxd5 Qxd5 6.Nf3 Qf5 7.Qb3 Nc6 8.Bd2 So far, these are all book moves. The common move here is 8…0-0
8…0-0 9.h3 I have not seen this move before. It does not seem to be too dangerous. I think it is more to gain an edge psychologically. Kramnik is now taking his time after moving quite rapidly until now.
9…b6 With this move, Black has a few options to develop his light color Bishop (b7 or a6) based on how his opponent will develop his f1 Bishop. White has a potentially interesting plan with 10.g4, eventually castling on the Queenside and launch an attack on the Kingside. However, I am not sure if it is wise to play in risky fashion when up by 2 points. On the hand, if he succeeds, the match is basically over.
10.g4 Yes, he is going for it! A very brave Anand!
10…Qa5 White has a variety of moves here such as 11.g5, 11.O-O-O, 11.e4, and even 11.Rc1. I like 11.g5 best among the choices. 11. g5 Nd7 12. O-O-O += Anand is spending a lot of time on this move. This is one of a few times where he is actually behind on time, about 10 minutes right now. Black’s plan will depend on what White does.
11.Rc1 This is a tactical move. The threat is a3. Once the Bishop is removed, Black faces a potential double discovery. One way to solve this problem is to play 11…Bb7.
11…Bb7 Well, I still like pushing g5. Even though Anand is playing aggressively so far, he is thinking things through very carefully on the board. He is down by about 20 minutes on the clock. Kramnik has around 98-99 minutes and Anand has about 77-78 minutes.
12.a3 Now Black has to play 12…Bc3 13.Bxc3 Qd5 14.Qxd5 += Moving the Bishop away is very bad for Black due to the discovery.
12…Bxc3 13.Bxc3 Qd5 14.Qxd5 Just as I expected. Black can recapture with either exd5 or Nxd5. It is a matter of preference.
14…Nxd5 White must play 15.Bd2 to keep the Bishop pair. This is a very comfortable position for White. He is in no danger to lose this game. He has no risk trying to squeeze out the position.
15.Bd2 From the look of this position, I do not see a high chance for a decisive result.
15…Nf6 The idea of this move is simple. Black does not want to allow White to play e4.
16.Rg1 The only problem for Black is the c7 pawn. Once Black puts a Rook on c8, the Knight on c6 can freely move away.
16…Rac8 Now that White cannot play e4, e3 is needed eventually to protect the d4 pawn and allows the Knight on f3 to do other things. A small problem with that is it would leave the Knight on f3 unprotected. Therefore, it would be logical to put his f1 Bishop on g2.
17.Bg2 I think it is important for Black to move his Knight on c6 away to possibly e7 to get out of any potential pin now that White already played Bg2.
17…Ne7 Black still has to solve the c7 pawn problem. White can attempt to stop it from advancing to c5 with 18.Bb4. However, Black can probably do it anyway with 18…c5 19. dxc5 Rfd8 =. If Black play 18…Nfd5 then 19.Ne5 +=
18.Bb4 c5 19.dxc5 I think the strongest move to give Black a chance to equalize is 19…Rfd8. All other options would allow White to maintain an edge. The time is now about equal for both players at around 59-60 minutes. Kramnik has to be very careful. There is little chance that he can win this game but he must be very careful not to lose and basically put this match out of reach.
19…Rfd8 Kramnik found the strongest reply. A logical continuation for White is 20.Ne5 Bxg2 21.Rxg2 Nc6 22.Nxc6 Rxc6 +=
20.Ne5 Bxg2 21.Rxg2 Now Kramnik faces a few choices: 21…a5, 21…Nc6, 21…bxc5, 21…Nfd5. Which one will give Black the best path to equalize? 21… a5 22. Bd2 Rd5 23. Nd3 bxc5 24. Rc4 +=. I briefly looked at all lines and White maintains an advantage in all of them.
21…bxc5 Let’s examine one possibility 22.Bxc5 Ne4 23.b4 Ng6 24.Nd3+= White is basically playing for 2 results. With Black’s best play, he can only hope for a draw.
22..Rxc5 Ne4 23.Rxc8 Rxc8 Black is down a pawn but his White’s Rook is temporarily out of play. White is still better.
24.Nd3 Nd5 Black will have his work cut out to draw this game. Either 25.Bd2 or 25.g5 is good.
25.Bd2 Black has a couple interesting moves here. One is 25…Rc2 26.Bc1 f5 += and the other is 25…Nb6 with the idea of going to c4.
25…Rc2 f5 26.Bc1 f5 White has a few reasonable responses. 26.Kd1, 26.gxf5 or 26.Rg1. White is better in all three lines.
27.Kd1 Rc8 28.f3 Nd6 White is still working on getting his Rook active. If he is able to do that, he will have good chances to score a full point. It is obviously not a simple task.
29.Ke1 An unusual move in this position but it does not do any harm to his position. 29.Rg1 is more logical to me.
29…a5 30.e3 e5 This is dangerous as Black is about to sacrifice another pawn. 30…a5 is safer for Black.
31.gxf5 e4 32.fxe4 Nxe4 33.Bd2 a4 White can slowly unlock his position and capitalize on the material advantage with 34.Nf2 Nd6 35.Ke2 +/-. Even though it is not an easy task, White has chances to win this endgame.
34.Nf2 Nd6 Kramnik and his team must be scratching their heads. He is being outplayed in complicated positions which typically favor Anand and he is also being outplayed by Anand in a dull and quiet position which supposed to favor Kramnik. They have to figure things out quickly as we are at the half way point of this very short match.
35.Rg4 Nc4 Kramnik chose not to win back one pawn with Nxf5. He instead chose to go after the b2 pawn. 36.Nd1 would give White a serious advantage.
36.e4 Nf6 37.Rg3 Nxb2 I think a better move is 37..Nxe4 38.Nxe4 Re8
38.e5 Nd5 And now 39.f6 is coming. Kramnik is in serious trouble. 38…Re8 offers more resistance but it is still extremely very difficult to hold.
39.f6 +- It looks like the score may be 4.5-1.5 after this game. The connected passed pawns are just too much for Black to handle. This is why I think Kramnik should have played 35…Nxf5.
39…Kf7 40.Ne4 Nc4 Next will be 41.Rxg7+ and the game is about over 41…Ke6 42. Ng5+ Kxe5 43. f7 Rf8 44. Nxh7 +-
41.fxg7 Not as decisive as 41.Rxg7+ but still winning. Rg8 42. Nd6+ Nxd6 43. exd6 Ke6 44. Bh6 Kxd6 45. Rf3 +-
41…Kg8 Now Anand can close it out with 42.Rd3. All other lines will just prolong things.
42.Rd3 Nbd6 White has 43.e6 Kxg7 44.Rg3+ Kf8 45.Bb4+ and mate coming soon.
43.Bh6 Nxe5 44.Nf6+ Kf7 White can play 45.Rc3 and Black will lose more material to the threat of g8(Q)
45.Rc3 Rxc3 46.g8=Q+ Kxf6 47.Bg7+ 1-0 Anand is now leading 4.5 – 1.5! Now the match is about over. Kramnik has to score 3 wins in the last 6 games just to tie up the match. I do not think anyone could have predicted this result so far. Absolutely amazing!
Having been in a World Championship before, I can tell you that this is obviously not the Kramnik we know. But when he lost game 3 and 5 the way he did, the entire match dynamics changed. At this point, he cannot look ahead at the next 6 games. He must focus on one game at the time.
This is the day!
okay
This is going to be an exciting game!
Susan , no comments with the moves yet?
finally.. no slav!
the picture shows kramnik playing white ..funny 🙂
Susan, do you think Kramnik will play for a draw or for a win? Thks in advance
wow lookiing forward to your analysis.. we are fortunate to have experts view as the game progresses.
Seems already Kramnik is taking more time … surprising as these are text book moves … no novelty yet … no preparation unleashed by either player 🙂
mandish –
h3 is a novelty
at least at gm level as far as i know
Is this Anand’s strategy? Pressurize Kramnik on time, using harmless out of text-book moves (like h3)?
Some sort of psychological battle, heaping pressure, now that he leads by a couple pf points?
Anand is clearly playing for a draw
oh yes … the moment i said no novelty … h3 was played
i was wondering if draw is what anand desired, why not return to e4 and face petroff or berlin …
g4!? Clearly sowing that he will play for a win!
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Why would you want to see the Petroff again?? We saw the Petroff way too many times in the WCC in Mexico. I hope Anand sticks to d4 with white until the last game.
dang, i have a bunch of work to do and he had to go play g4
dang, i have a bunch of work to do and he had to go and play g4.
nice to see Anand continuing to play aggresively!
I think.. the way Anand is playing.. even if he takes only half a point home.. he wants to send Kramnik back shaking in fear..
Let’s pray it all doesn’t backfire!
Certainly , Anand is not playing for a draw. Not with moves like g4.
Susan, what are Vlad’s plans here??? He looks awfully short of one.
Doesn’t make sense for Anand to play so aggressively with a two game lead.
Great for the spectators though.He must be feeling very confident. If I remember correctly he was up a number of games against Kamsky in their first match and lost.
Why is Anand taking so long to move, he is the one who introduced the novelty… Susan, pls keep us informed on the times of the players also. Thanx…
I wish there was some way to know the time taken for each move…
Right now, I don’t know whether it’s my connection or them thinking..
Anon said: ‘Doesn’t make sense for Anand to play so aggressively with a two game lead.
Great for the spectators though.He must be feeling very confident. If I remember correctly he was up a number of games against Kamsky in their first match and lost.’
I think that at this point Anand feels that he can overtake Kramnik with any opening, at any game. It might be confidence as you say….or it might just be that he feels like the WCC.
This is not the same Anand that faced Kamsky. This is SuperAnand!!!
Susan,
Doesn’t the present position offer Black too many inroads into White’s defenses?
White lies all open, while black seems far more structured!
Kedar, you can also see this game live on other sites, to check if it is your connection, e.g.:
official site
chess ok
Well this is one hell of a statement by Anand. After securing a lead in their first match, even Fischer was playing for draws.
Wow, Rc1… so no castling… Anand at his aggressive best…
e3 for Anand?
The Knight on c6 too much of a hassle?
And, what’s the double discovery Susan talks about?
Wonder what is making Anand thinking so much??? Is he weighing a3 vs g5???
Why is Anand taking so much time?
He must have had a plan in mind for a king side attack when he moved h3 and g4. Now it seems he is busy making the queenside secure.
hi people..
i had this doubt about last games conference after game. thr was no questions asked to Anand. Is this some european tactic?? the person between anand n kram was the only guy who asked a q and he seemed to be laughing abt it. it was kinda rude.. was this some kind of joke or am i thinking too much?
@ kedar, Rook to knight and bishop to Queen… Kramnik could have taken his pick on which one he wanted to save :)… of core bb7 makes him safe…
And, what’s the double discovery Susan talks about?
Maybe she means that Anand couldn’t play 12.Bg2 because of 12…Nxd4.
I can see moves have been played..
Waiting for Susan’s comments..
But, why not Nxd4 by black, attacking the queen and putting pressure on the knight?
4-2 I guess… now I can go back to my Excel & Lotus Notes
This will be a draw.
wrt chess ok site..
what is meant by :
Rybka3 (0:00.05)+0.38|d12 ?
it is there after every simulation.. Rybka is the chess engine, right? What do the other numbers mean?
Game 7 on Thursday: When played Kramnik 1.e4 the last time?
Anand will have White in Game 7
Still waiting for a push at g5 by Anand.
Black can play Ne4, take the bishop and then Na5 to ultilize b3
Poulsen, Danmark
The push to g5 does not help white – he is still facing some problems with his officers.
Black will play Rfd8 intending pressure against the white d-pawn
Do not you think Anand has been a little rude in his manners? Or perhaps he could be a little more polite?
I mean, he does not stand up to shake hands, when Kramkin was about to resign (Game 5) he left the table and made Kramnik wait for his return, he was leaving the press conference when it was no finished yet
Anand will have White in Game 7
Maybe not.
After Ne7 I think the position is =+
Poulsen, Danmark
After Rac8 black has a good game.
I’m with you, Anon. Black’s a little cramped, but everything’s in harmony in his position. Yes, White has a small advantage in space, but his piece development looks like a Jackson Pollock painting.
I was surprised by Anand leaving the table after playing the winning move. Do ‘nice guys’ still try and gain psychological edges, or might there by some ‘nice’ reason?
“17…Ne7 Black still has to ….
18…c5 19.dxc5″
No fair moving twice in a row, Kram!
Well victor,Anand was in his seat before the start of the match so he doesnt have to get up.Secondly,Kramnik was so shell shocked to realize that he has lost the game that HE was taking time to resign so he was being rude to Anand and not vice versa.Thirdly,if you watch the so called press cinference,the whole conference hall was rude to Anand as no one bothered to ask him any questions!!He had no other choice but to leave early.Well,it is hard to digest for guys like you that an Asian can beat vlad so convincingly and keep the title!!
Anon says:
I was surprised by Anand leaving the table after playing the winning move. Do ‘nice guys’ still try and gain psychological edges, or might there by some ‘nice’ reason?
When you are in competition with someone for something of the utmost importance for you to win, there is a natural emotional distance. Neither combatant is all like “relaxed and lets talk”. This is serious. You are hiding things from each other including your emotions and psychology. They will not speak if they see each other outside the game room. WCC opponents traditionally have been bitter rivals. These two are both “good guys” and will not resort to some of the things we have seen in the past. But make no mistake. They both want desperately to win. The knock against Anand is he’s too nice a guy and doesn’t have the killer instinct.
>I was surprised by Anand leaving the table after playing the winning move. Do ‘nice guys’ still try and gain psychological edges, or might there by some ‘nice’ reason?
Obviously Kramnik had missed Ne3 – maybe Anand just wanted to give him some time to adjust to the new situation (and resign)?! Is it so nice to have someone eagerly waiting for you to resign when you just blundered a game?!
‘”17…Ne7 Black still has to ….
18…c5 19.dxc5″ No fair moving twice in a row, Kram!’
Life ain’t fair. Kram.
And, when’s Vishy going to start blundering a pawn, piece or so?
c6, I suppose.
Now Kramnik’s going to get stuck a pawn down in the ending. Was 18…c5 premature?
Why did Kramnik played c5? Can anyone explain? Is he looking for some sort of counterplay?
Ms. Polgar / others …
World Championship aside, how are the points going to affect ELO ratings for both champs …
I think …NFd5 equalizes the game for black. What do you think?
In the match#5,
If I’m in Anand’s position, I won’t be breathing, I won’t be drinking water till the last blow is made.
After that, Wow what a relief, now I can have some water 🙂
I think …NFd5 equalizes the game for black. What do you think?
Rybka gives 21…Nfd5 22.Nd3 Nc6 23.Bd2 Nd4 24.cxb6 Rxc1+ 25.Bxc1 axb6 26.Rg3 Rc8 27.Kd1 h6 28.g5 hxg5 with a healthy plus for White.
@Kedar.
Rybka3: Engine
(0:00.05): Time taken by engine
+0.38 (white is marginally better)
d12 (Depth: 12 moves)
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Why did Kramnik played c5? Can anyone explain? Is he looking for some sort of counterplay?
Apparently Kramnik thought that he needed to, or at least could, break out of the cramp right then and there. 18…c5 was thematic, but it’s not clear to me that he got the timing right.
Why did Kramnik played c5? Can anyone explain? Is he looking for some sort of counterplay?
Apparently Kramnik thought that was the right time to break out of the cramp. 18…c5 was thematic, but it’s not clear that he timed it correctly.
Well SanJay, I really don’t care in what continent they were born, if an Asian win the title fine, if a European win is also fine, I still think Anand could be more polite and I think is normal that all the questions were to Vladimir as the real shock here is he losing two games with white pieces.
22.Rxc5
Is this the match-winner?
’18…c5 was thematic’
According to which themes is that, please shed some light?
’18…c5 was thematic’
According to which themes is that, please shed some light?
Sorry to lapse into jargon.
“Thematic” means “he pretty much has to play it sooner or later; the only question is when to play it.”
I’d be curious to know how this idiom gets expressed in other languages. Any native German speakers in the crowd?
Chess Ok seems to have all their simulations favouring white!
And Anand seems to have more than twice the time Kramnik has.. You think Anand can force this game to a point where Kramnik feels the clock pinching him?
Why did Anand not play f3 ?
Why not 24. Kd1
W would keep the B and could free his game later with f3;e3(e4)
hey victor and sanjay i am sure the players will have a lot of things on their mind rather then worrying about small insignificant things like who is polite and who is not…its not like WCC is decided already ,still 7 more games to go, stop making a big issue of these little details…..may be once the tournament is over they will be more polite then most of us
You would say “18…c5 war thematisch” or something like that – same idiom:o) or maybe “stellungsgemäß” meaning “as the position requires”…
Oh my God. Couple of moves back I thought, Black and white had equal chances, after Rxc8, I believe white can push for a win.
Great show by Anand.
And Great show by Kramnik for not opting to play for draw.
I think kramnik is shaken. He feels he should do something with black. And he is under prepared for queen pawn opening
Thanks a whole bunch, Anon 10:50. You have thoroughly embarrassed me 🙂
Funny! Now White is the one whose position is decidedly cramped (although his extra pawn is of course a huge plus). Who saw that coming back at move 18?
I have a general observation to make at my patzer level. Could it be Anand’s strategy NOT to castle? It seems that he tries it consistently (4 out of 6 games so far) including both decisive games. Is it possible that he’s thinking: “Hey, I know my opponent is not a great attacker so why should I waste time castling”.
20 mins between Anand and an unassailable lead… :)…
It’s amazing how acurately Anand plays and with what speed. He figures out the best move even before Rybka does.
Ok… I’m not too good with the rybka..
But, how much does +0.98 signify? Is it a significant advantage, or is it a minor advantage, that is only statistically significant?
Then whats the point of using it, if you don’t know what it is telling you?
how much does +0.98 signify?
A tiny bit less than one pawn, which would be 1.00. Not necessarily decisive, but a healthy advantage.
@Anon :
I have been told it’s an advantage.. All I’m trying to ask the people here is.. Going by past matches, how many times has +0.98 led to a win (for white) and how many times has it ended as a draw?
In short, what is the significance? I haven’t used it as yet, but if you tell me how it is used, maybe… I could!
Why 29: Ke1 by Anand?? can u please explain Susan???
Kedar is not using it. The Rybka analysis is posted on the Chess OK site.
I’m not sure what +0.98 means either – is it nearly a 1 pawn advantage?
30 e4 for white?
Susan,
Is this still a draw? Or can Anand or Kramnik pull something out of this?
Rybka analysis (on Chess OK) has been consistently hovering around 0.9 or so..
‘I’m not sure what +0.98 means either – is it nearly a 1 pawn advantage?’
I dont know either? Is the answer in the Rybka user manual? Looks like +1 pawn, but who knows, other than the authors? +1 pawn seems the only logical explanation.
It now looks hopeless. 36.e4 Nf6 37.Rg3 Nxb2 38.e5 Re8 39.e6 +-
Kramnik is completely outplayed. Very well done Anand !
Steph (FR)
I still don’t see White’s 18th move here.
I still don’t see White’s 18th move here.
18.Bb4
Do we get a time control after move 40, after which Kramnik will resign?
Its all curtains down for Kramnik….he has been outclassed by Anand in this Championship. Kudos to Anand. Cheers!
Kramnik collapsed. I feel sorry for him. I hope he will have a comeback for wcc title in the near future.
Dennis Monokroussos over at The Chess Mind blog points out that Black had a serious chance with 33…Re8!
Wouldn’t 38 Bc3 have won? Am I missing something?
Wouldn’t 38 Bc3 have won? Am I missing something?
There would have been …Nh5
Anand just too good !
maybe KG8?
41. fxg7?
This has got to be a huge mistake for Anand, giving up on his connected past pawns. He definitely still has the advantage but it looks a lot worse with Rxg7+!
wow it is a 3-0 gonna be.
Just wondering why Kramnik is so soft in this wcc.
The cat toying with the mouse. Anand has got too many winning lines, and doesn’t have to go for the best.
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As I was saying four hours ago:
This is the day!
Praise to the Lord; hallelujah!
okay
dingdong…
and its not the avon lady!!
Hi Susan,
can you pls explain the 42. Rd3 line. I was thinking 42. Nf6+ gives back the connected pawns and seems direct path to victory.
thanks
that sneaky indian tricked us all by playing like sh*t for some time before the WC match…
yeah … now we know he was in last place at Bilbao. He did not want to show how very very strong he actually is !!
They started blitzing now. It’s over, Kramnik has given in to his fate (at least in this game)
Anand makes a strong impression …. but what really amazes me is the terrible opening preparation by Kramnik!
He spent half a year preparing for this event and finally shows up with lines where as white he just ends up worse and as black finds him down some pawns!
Unbelievable!
WOW ANAND WON !!!! 🙂
Thanx a lot Susan… hope you come back with live commentary of Game 7…
WOW…simply amazing!!! Thanks a bunch Susan for your amazing insight and analysis. See you on Thursday for Game 7.
A losing streak is very difficult to break… I guess its same for players of any level… The only way to break it is to win.. against somebody… anybody..
this has proved anand’s supremacy over kramnik. Great going Anand
Absolutely impressive. Seems Anand led Kramnik to believe he would open 1.e4 as he totally lacked punch in his openings in Bilbao, so Kramnik may have thought he was withhelding the strongest move for their encounter.
No surprise, thus, that 1.d4 took Kramnik by surprise. Nonetheless, he is playing terribly, particularly with the white pieces. Quite amazing. Respect to Anand for his bold opening choice.
DV
Thanks so much Susan for bringing
this to all of us!
You are very sweet.
I enjoy it very much!
(glued to the screen for 4 hours)
I wonder if Las Vegas has anything to do with this.
What is the betting line there ?
Probably too much in favor of kramnik :)) hahaha.
KASPAROV should be eating his words on his match prediction! Kasparov has lost it, I think.
Kramnik, go toilet next game! Without that, you have no chance to recover from 0:3!
I feel Vladi has lost it psychologically. Rewind a few years to the Anand-Kasparov title match where Anand crumbled… Kasparov just walked all over him in that match up.
Vladi is younger than Anand … so, he will have his time again.
Anand, I salute you!
…dv, Pune
what if 45. RC3 RD3 instead? How white continue?
From an anonymous commenter
“can you pls explain the 42. Rd3 line. I was thinking 42. Nf6+ gives back the connected pawns and seems direct path to victory”
That would win as well, but by exchanging the knight at this point, white concedes control of the white squares at g8 and f7. To advance the pawns would then require the white rook to support them from the side. This would actually be a slower route to victory than the one chosen which forces a loss of more material for black.
thanks
From the way Anand is playing right now, I wont be surprised if he were to beat Kasparov the way he is doing Kramnik. The 1995 match was played by an inexperienced and rookie Anand against king Kasparov and there was no agression.Time and experience have changed his play. Karparov is lucky he doesnt play anymore.
I wonder whether Kramnik will try to shake things and try hard for the WCC, although that may result in a bigger defeat; or if he will prefer to keep a respectable result (aim for a win and the 5 draws in the next 6 games)
The future of the WCC is unclear (the game Topalov-Kamsky looks nowhere to be played, and as for 2010… well, there are many strong players left out in this strange system), and Kramnik may regret not trying hard when he had the chance.
I just hope that FIDE makes a good WCC cycle after this; consisting in a real Candidates Tournament (not this grand prix/many little tourneys thing) followed by a longer Match (I would go for 18 games)
I also hope for Topalov-Kamsky to happen.
143 comments!! Wow!
( with this one 144!! )
We need the toilet to avoid the slaughter! Don’t be shy, Kramnik!
Kramnik should open with Nf3 as white and go for the slow squeeze. He should play the KID and let it fly. He has nothignt to loose!!!
Anand after winning this match will become world champion under three different formats – Knock Out(2000), Tournament(2007), Match(2008) and add to this World Rapid champion(2003)
Only Botvinnik won under two formats Tournament and Match.
Anand will be a very unique world champion among all World champions.
The top 10 reasons why Kramnik lose:
10. The Las Vegas wants him to lose.
9. He is preparing to play go chess instead of chess.
8. The Topalov and Donailov curse.
7. He is too sick eating german food.
6. The toilet of this wcc is too dirty.
5. The german lady are too much for him.
4. Anand brings yoga and magic to his game.
3. Anand body smells onion and is too much for him to handle.
2. The chess goes back to India anyway.
Anand’s world championship record:
1995 PCA: runner-up
1998 FIDE: runner-up
2000 FIDE: winner
2002 FIDE: semi-finalist
2005 FIDE: runner-up
2007 undisputed: winner
2008 undisputed: seems like a winner
And as the earlier user commented – all this is under 3 completely different systems.
Anand may not be the greatest chess player, but he certantly is the most versatile and deserving champion in history. Plus he seems to be a nice person too.
And the number 1 reason why Kramnik lose:
1. His wife asked for divorce and split of the money.
Any one wants to add .. Haha.
Anand has demolished kramnik
Many thanks for your commentary, Susan.
It is most illuminating, and I particularly like your penchant for predicting the likely next move.
thanks from Yorkshire England.
I just read that the prize fund of 1.5million euro is to be split evenly between the candidates.
Why is that?
I love this blog dearly, but the moves in this post have many errors and I ended up having to go over to chessdom for the real ones.
Most problems were in the “show original post” section of the comments page (move 18 missing, as is 26) but e.g. “42.Rd3 Nbd6” is incorrect in both views — it’s Ndb6
Thanks again for a great morning. go VA!
Is there a link to where I can watch the post match press conference?
Thanks!
Great comentary by Susan!
This is type of game that suits
her playing style best : )
Scientifically speaking: That was an ass beating!
Anand is going to Disney World!
This is hilarious. It is like
Giants takes a 21-0 lead over Patriots in a superbowl during the half time.
Little correction.
I would say 30-9 lead in the halftime.
Minus 3 in 6 games? Two losses with White in 6 games? The way things are going in this series, we may well be witnessing the greatest WCC performance ever by a defending champ and/or the worst WCC performance ever by a challenger. Where’s the Kramnik that beat Kasparov without a loss? Where’s the Kramnik that according to Dr. Bratko is second only to Capablanca in the category of least number of errors in WCC matches? Where’s the Kramnik that is both at home in simple and complex positions? And where’s the Kramnik who supposedly only ‘lent’ his crown to Vishy? I hope Kramnik puts up a much tougher fight in the second half of this series. It’s no fun watching blowouts in any championship series, in any game.
I totally agree with retspan11’s comment. Where is the Kramnik that went 90-some odd games in a row without a loss against GMs? I only see a man who has lost 3 out of the last 6 games, and only drew the rest! Where is the the Kramnik who only a few days ago said: ”I’m very solid.”!?
Anonymous..
Thanks for your cooments..these made intersting reading!
Thank you so much for fast/rapid analysis…better than any one else in the quickest possible time to able to read…
Arihant, india
I am a new visitor to your blog and stumbled across while I was searching for some one doing a live commentary.
I absolutely love your commentary and other features of this blog.
I have some very curious questions regarding the on going contest between Anand and Kramnik.
Is Kramnik playing bad chess, is he out of form?
or
Had Anand found a new level and is he absolutely playing great chess much better than his usual high standards?
please let us know your thoughts about this if you have time or if you ever get to see this question.
Once again I absolutely love your blog excellent work.
Susan,
Kindly correct the entry on move 25
to wit:
25…Rc2 f5 26.Bc1 f5
… it’s a typographical error. Please check.
1) Black moves first before white
2) 25. f5 – same move with 26.
J. Asi – Philippines