[Event “World Championship”]
[Site “Bonn, Germany”]
[Date “2008.10.24”]
[Round “8”]
[White “Kramnik, V.”]
[Black “Anand, V.”]
[Result “1/2-1/2”]
[ECO “D39”]
[WhiteElo “2772”]
[BlackElo “2783”]
1.d4 Kramnik chose to open with d4 again.
1…Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 dxc4 Surprise! Anand chose to take. This is not solid opening one would expect Anand to play given the current score. He instead goes for the sharp Vienna Variation.
5.e4 Bb4 6.Bg5 c5 The most popular responses for White are 7.Bxc4 and 5.e5
7.Bxc4 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Qa5 White has a few choices: 9.Bd2, 9.Bxf6, 9.Bb5+, all are playable.
9.Bb5+ Bd7 White’s best choice here is to take the Knight with Bxf6
10.Bxf6 Black can either play 10…Bxb5, 10…Bxc3+ or 10…gxf6. I think Bxb5 may surprise Kramnik the most 🙂 It may not be the best move but the surprise element sometimes is very important as we have seen in the match so far.
10…Bxb5 One again, Anand is first to surprise his opponent. The 2 most logical responses for White are 11.Nb3 Qb6 12 Bxg7 Rg8 13.Bd4 += and 11.Ndxb5 gxf6 12.O-O Nc6 13.a3 Bxc3 14.Nxc3 +=
11.Nxb5 gxf6 12.O-O Nc6 White has a few playable continuation such as 13.a3 and13.Qf3 although I prefer 13.a3 better.
13.a3 Bxc3 14.Nxc3 The key question for Anand now is will he castle Kingside or will he leave his King in the middle again. Both 14…0-0 and 14…Rg8 are playable. I think this is probably the most “comfortable” position Kramnik has so far in this match. This is the type of position which suits him best. Unfortunately, it should have come much earlier.
14…Rg8 True to his form in the match, Anand chose NOT to castle and instead try to create counter play on the g file and the Kingside. If I have to choose a side to play, I would pick White in this position although Black’s position is fine. What White may want to do is to make sure Black does not castle on the Queenside. Therefore, it may make sense to make a move like Qf3 to attack the f6 pawn to gain a tempo to get the Rook to d1 to make sure that the Black King cannot escape to the other side.
15.f4 A somewhat surprising move. One guess is he does not want Black to be able to put his Knight on e5 to support a Kingside attack. Black has a number of fine moves here 15…Rd8, 15…Qb6+, or 15…Qc5+.
15…Rd8 16.Qe1 Black has a number of playable moves such as 16…Qb6+ 17.Rf2 Na5 or something else like 16…Rd4, 16…Rd3.
16…Qb6+ 17.Rf2 This is the kind of position which is the hardest for the average player, sometimes even for more advanced players, to come up with the right plan.
17…Rd3 One possible explanation for this move is to creatively get the Rook to the Kingside with Rh3. I am not convinced of this plan if it is indeed his plan.
18.Qe2 Qd4 This move allows White to play Nb5 and if the Queen moves back to d8 the White can proceed with e5 to build a strong d6 post for the Knight. I am still unsure of Anand’s plan here.
19.Re1 This position reminds me of watching a heavyweight boxing bout where the two heavyweight boxers are feeling each other out in the early rounds. I am still curious about the Rd3 then Qd4 sequence for Black. It will be interesting to listen to what Anand has to say about this at the press conference. I hope someone will ask this question 🙂 White is now threatening to play Nb5 next with excellent advantage. Perhaps Black should consider playing a6 to stop it.
19…a6 An interesting possibility for White is 20.Nd5 exd5 21.exd5+ Kd7 22.dxc6+ Kxc6 and White has a small edge.
20.Kh1 Obviously it is to get out of the pin. Based on the time on the clock, I think both players are having a hard time coming up with concrete plans.
20…Kf8 Black is doing the same in getting the King out of the e file to avoid the possibility of Nd5. I do not see anything convincing for either player in this position. I still think 20.Nd5 gives Kramnik better chances.
21.Ref1 The plan is to go for f5. If Black takes, White would have the double Rooks in good position. If Black avoids the exchange with e5 then the d5 square would be vulnerable. Black can defend with 21…Rg6 22.f5 exf5 23.exf5 (23. Rxf5 Rd2 -+) 23…Rg4 the position is unclear.
21…Rg6 22.g3 A cautious move. Another possible line is 22.Rd1 Rxd1+ 23.Nxd1. I think White has a very small advantage.
22…Kg7 23.Rd1 Rxd1 24.Nxd1 White is better because 1. Black’s Rook is not in an ideal place 2. Black has double f pawns. But the advantage is very small. White’s goal should be to trade Queens. Then his advantage will be enhance a great deal because his Rook can get to the d file faster. Black will do everything possible to avoid trading Queens here.
24…Kh8 The idea of this move is make room for his Rook to go back to g8.
25.Nc3 A very interesting and logical idea is 25.Rf3 then Rd3.
25…Rg8 26.Kg2 Rd8 Now Black controls the d file. Very curious play by Kramnik in the past few moves. One would have expected him to go for the d file a few moves ago. One idea is he will get his Queen h5 but I fail to see a real attack.
27.Qh5 Kg7 Here is a possible line 28.Qg4+ Kh8 29.Qh4 Kg7 30.f5 exf5 31.Rxf5 Ne7 32.Qg4+ Kh8
28.Qg4+ Kh8 29.Qh5 Kg7 30.Qg4+ Kh8 31.Qh4 Kg7 Some of these moves are just to gain time on the clock.
32.e5 If Black plays 32… fxe5 33. Qg5+ Kf8 34. f5 exf5 35. Qxf5 +=. Best for Black is 32…f5
32…f5 The biggest problem for White is he cannot get his Rook and Knight to involve in the Kingside attack, in spite of Black’s weak King. 33.Qf6+ is obvious but then what?
33.Qf6 + Kg8 34.Qg5+ Kh8 Perhaps draw will come after move 40 when Kramnik will have more time to figure if there is any possible for him to get his pieces coordinated. I see nothing for White right now.
35.Qf6+ Kg8 36.Re2 I expect White will continue with the g5 – f6 check again to gain time.
36…Qc4 37.Qg5+ White has nothing here even though Kramnik is trying. I am confident that this will be a draw. I think Kramnik missed a few possibilities in this game: 1. 20.Nd5 and 2. 25.Rf3. It would have given him much better chances.
37…Kh8 38.Qf6+ Kg8 39.Qg5+ Kh8 1/2
The score now is 5.5 – 2.5 in Anand’s favor. He needs one more point in the final 4 games to retain his title.
Have they arrived on the stage yet?
Lets hope Kramnik can pull one back . Go Kramnik !
1. g3!!
The spot is on Kramnik now. In this game he must show what he is worth (chess level).
Supplement: chess level and character.
Susan! Will the remaining games be played or dropped if a situation arises, where Anands lead cannot be reached?
Normally not becaused of payed visitors
Another d4 for Kramnik. He must have prepared something…..because after the cruching victories Anand had with black against him….I wouldn’t even dare to play d4 against Anand.
On another note…I think Kramnik has a huge disadvantage here when it comes to seconds. Yes I know that Leko is a GM and that he was a contender for the WCC against Kramnik in the past. But we all know that Leko performance lately has been way below par.
whoa – both are fast today
all out attack from kramnik – most open of the series so far
Is white loosing already? Am I paranoid?
Susan, what opening is this???
you are paranoid – still looks all ok so far
Is thi sthe first time in the whole tournament where Kramnik actually has a small advantage?? I hope he savours the next couple of minutes then. : )
i dont see any advantage – still pretty open
Susan, what opening is this???
Queen gambit declined, Ragozin defense.
Gabor,Thank you.
What do you think about this line is white better after this sacrifice?
13. Nd6+ Ke7 14. Nf5+ exf5 15. Nd5+ Kf8 16. Qh5 fxe4 17. Qh6+ Ke8 18. Nxf6+ Ke7 19. Nxe4 Qf5 20. a3 Qxe4 21. axb4 Qxb4 22. Rad1 Ke8 23. Rfe1+
I think it is +/- but I could have blundered along the way 🙂
Dont you think that another Kingside attack down the semi-open g-file is in the offing…. boy Anand sure looks determined to end this match as early as possible.
Kramnik is under psychological pressure once again because judging from Anand’s speed of moves it seems that Kramnik has once again walked right into Anand’s home preparation;
the semi-open g-file must be giving Kramnik nightmares these days!!
There we go an open g-file again.
I wonder whether Kramnik has a psychological disadvantage here.
I think black has a slightly unsteady position after 12 moves. It is just the psychology in the match that everyone seems to think that the half open g file is good!
how about Rd8 as anand’s 14th move look?
Precisely Parag…… Black does have a dodgy position in terms of a poor pawn structure….but as you say Chess is all about how you manipulate the opponent. In chess you dont play the pieces, you play the opponent and at the moment Anand is wreaking havoc on the semi open g-file with Kramniks mind!!
How much time have they spend so far?
chess makes me sleepy good night
Anand has a long think. Looks like hme preparation is over! And judging by the position, Kramnik managed to sidestep some trap after the Bb5 surprise. Anand surely wouldn’t have played this novelty to get into the current position as a best scenario
Susan , who is better here?
To me, white’s position seems better than black.
Susan, do you think the end game is winning for white? Should Kramnik go for Major peice exchanges or should he aim for a direct attack at the king?
15 Rc1 looks good for kramnik
This site gives live moves and time left for both players
http://87.230.38.140/apache2-default/toma/tfd_neu.htm
‘I think this is probably the most “comfortable” position Kramnik has so far in this match. This is the type of position which suits him best. Unfortunately, it should have come much earlier.’
Are you favoring kramnik?
What a moronic question. She is doing neutral analysis.
Yes, he’s another idiotic troll trying to stir things up. How pathetic!
so what if she is … its her blog … ur a guest here … its none of ur business if she is favouring any one player
How about Qb6 Kh1, Qxb2
Threatening mate on g2??
forces Ne2 Rd8,
wow
he is going for broke
take that back it is
Qb6 Rf2 of course
To me Qb6+ seems to be a good move since it gives a check and also attackes the pawn on b2 which cannot be protected leaving the knight in the open.
Lets see what Vishy does…
Qb6+ Rf2 and pawn can be saved though the rook is pinned.
I like queen b6+ rf2 nd4
Qb6+ Rf2 is still not bad for black since it overloads the rook and also pins. Black can Rd8 and then may be Rd2 …
Qb6+ Rf2 Rxg2+ Kxg2……….
Qb6+ Rf2 Rxg2+ Kxg2…….
Vishy has played Rd8 , VK replied Qe1
Hmm so anand went Rd8. In this position to me Nd4 looks ok to me for black. He can then try and pin rook with Qb6 and try a fork with the knight..
Susan
16…Nd4 could be the next move
“Hmm so anand went Rd8. In this position to me Nd4 looks ok to me for black. He can then try and pin rook with Qb6 and try a fork with the knight..”
Is that you Susan?
Nopes that was me, a chess enthusiast if you will. Kupps is my name. Appears like Anand has a lot of possibilies with his knight on D4..
Anand is behind Kramnik on clock!
If black brings knight to d4, white can move its rook to d1 and make it active.
So what plan does black have after knight to d4?
As expected earlier.
Now that Rf2 is pinned, Nd4 threatens a two way fork..bewtween K and Q and also Q and Ra1..will be interesting
16. .. Qb6+ 17. Rf2 Rd3
“If black brings knight to d4, white can move its rook to d1 and make it active.”
After 16…Qb6+ 17.Rf2 Nd4, 18.Rd1 loses to 18…Nf3+ forking King and Queen.
Would 18.Kh1 be forced or am I missing a move somewhere.
Even better..Protection for the knight to get to f3 from the queen ..I think Kramnik dug a bit of hole for himself..
ok after Kamnik’s Qd2, Rh3?
Anyone a comment to the idea of Rd3?
It’s a mystery for me.
Rd3 moving to h3?
Now that Kramnik has played a seemingly counter-attacking move 18. Qe2, isn’t he gaining a slight advantage both in tempo and in space, with his Queen, rook and knight reasonably well-coordinated?
Rxg2 seems to be premature to make a sacrifice yet. The winning lines ar enot clear. Infact with Q and R on the second rank, I don’t see why you would do Rxg2…
…Re3
Black now has a rook pinned, and the pieces are converging well for White. Qd4 is GM material..since a lot of the moves I thought were pretty obvious which the opponent can easily decipher.
…Re3 wins the pawn, right?
Wow ! It is surprising to see Anand behind Kramnik on time; Anand has 57 minutes; Kramnik 1 hr 06 minutes…what is cooking?
I think Anand does not have a clear plan. He’s making moves that are accumulating potential threats that might back fire very quickly. Nb5 and Nd5 are in the air already. I expect to see Kramnik winning this game.
Thats exactly why a6 makes a lot of sense. White knight is as good as inactive for a while atleast..
With a6, Black seems to lose the initiative.
The only compensation could be that white pieces are tied around protecting the king.
Since black’s queen is tied to protecting its rook, white’s knight is still active. It can jump to a4 and then c5 threatening b7 pawn.
But what is black’s plan?
Kd5 looks pretty devastating
Good pro-active play by Anand.
20. f5 seemes not effective enough, for it gives the e5 field to the black knight.
This comment has been removed by the author.
I don’t see an advantage for black here except for the initiative which is about to loose in the next couple of moves. Can you guys elaborate on the black advantage that you are seeing?
Is 20.Ne5+ good for white? The sham sacrifice can get back the knight three moves later. Does it give Kramnik a clear advantage?
After 20. Kd5 black can play Kd7 to neutralise?
Knight to d5 gives white an advantage. That should be it.pasur
When my doctor recommended that I get into Chess as a way to relief stress….HE CLEARLY DIDN’T HAVE THIS FOLLOWING THESE GAMES IN MIND!! Ohhhh the insanity!!!
This is truly a double edged sword. Kramnik might go all out on the attack even if it means he may have to die at the sword…
Great game so far
Black can launch a king side attack from the center if the pawns move. Will he mind sacrificing a pawn for this?
Looking back..I am not sure if Qd4 was a great move since it was a great square for the knight..
rybka 1 says advantage black -0.06
susan – u reckon either or them have a plan to win or are they just going to play wait and watch?
Susan, are they playing for a draw? Both 20.Kh1 Kf8 seem quite defensive unless something deep is being brewn, which I cannot see. What do you think, pl.?
Request for Susan – Would it be possible for you to display the messages in descending order by time. It’s a little annoying to scroll all the way down each time to read new mssages..
Thank you
Good, Kramnik uses toilet more frequently today. Poor Topa.
No, I cannot change the order due to the blogger format. Sorry.
Best wishes,
Susan Polgar
tick tock tick tock……… time goes by so slowly…….
40 minutes for 20 moves – i think they may settle for draw in an hours time
both are down on time
40 mins to make 20 moves
it can be achieved easily but the position is also dynamic unless one of them is going to simplify its going to be interesting.
tick tock tick tock……… time goes by so slowly…….
40 minutes for 20 moves – i think they may settle for draw in an hours time
what happens if both players are not able to complete 40 moves in 2 hours (e.g. both have completed 31 moves and white to play)?
Looks even to me. Anand once again gets the sort of position he likes at the start. This may be more Kramnik’s style now but there’s always the option to swap pieces – a draw for Anand is as a good as win. Its up to Kramnik to prove he’s got something.
Looks even to me. Anand once again gets the sort of position he likes at the start. This may be more Kramnik’s style now but there’s always the option to swap pieces – a draw for Anand is as a good as win. Its up to Kramnik to prove he’s got something.
This is the sort of position computers can handle quite well…(nothing special to do but without mistakes)
So back to the toilets !
(no, just a joke, really)
Steph
After 21. Ref1 white plan to move his pawn to f5 is become a serious trheat.
Rg6….did Anand just blundered?
how is 21. Rd1 now for kramnik
For me the position looks good for Kramnik. f should be possible even with RG6 by Anand
I meant F5
I don’t think so. Rg6 is good since it also allows the rook to get into the h file..
How does Rh3 look for black?
Glowing cat!
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008295095_cat22.html
Wow!
Why didn’t white play f5, threatening the rook?
Isn’t this position really ideal for Anand? He excels in positions with unbalanced pawn structure where fine positional judgment and accurate tactics are required.
How can he lose this?
24………f5 will more or less create a draw
Strong play bij Kramnik. Blacks position is weakend.
Isn’t black’s rook a bit precariously trapped? Susan, what do you think? Doesn’t Anand seem to have got his pieces in disarray?
I’d say its more K’s style – its more of his type of game now. But hard to see how he can win. Nevertheless I might learn something…
Qc5 seems to be logical for Anand..
I see a time scramble here….and we all know who will have the advantage in rapid play here!!
Susan, how does f5 look for white at this stage? Will white not gain a pawn?
25Qd2 should’ve done the trick?
susuan do u see a win for either or think its gonna be a draw?
Has anyone seen a line which results in a great position for white?
Vlad better start thinking fast now if he wants to win
is +1 considered close to a win for white?
K’s looks odd to me. A now controls the file – and it doesn’t look to me like K has enough to work something magic (like Karpov). He can blunt anything A tries but each swap makes its drawish – and that’s a victory for A in effecr.
Susan – Followers heart beats ar rising to danger levels, please give advance notice as to who you think may win 🙂
White is planning pawn f5 and then rook f4?
Ok, I know I’m not an Kramnik’s level….but I don’t like e5 at all. 1. I wouldn’t sacrifice a pawn to Anand 2. It gives black chances to activate the knight.
28. Qg4 check is a draw offer?
Anyone following this game with fritz or hiarc?
How can they gain time on the clock when there is no increment?
is white going for draw????
joshua
they gain more time on reaching move 40
With e5 white is better, right? He may be pushing the pawns with the Rook backing them up combined with Queen.
Kramnik is going for all. I like Anand, but think is valuable see Kramnik fight back.
Oh, yes, of course, thanks, Peter.
Josh
it’s another draw!
Good for Anand!
Has the tide turn? Whites attack is over….and now black has 3 pieces ready to attack the white king.
They have to reach 40 in 2 hours so repeating moves puts you closer to move 40 hence gains time. Whites not playing for the draw he just can’t coordinate his pieces.
draw by repetitive moves?…?
Another exciting draw!!!
White could play Re2 and then walk with his king to h6, but obviously this will cost to much time.
Meanwhile black can counterplay.
The game is a draw I think. Good pro-active play by Anand!
King g2-h3 up to h6 like Short vs Timman did!
So now a few more checks to make time control?
h2-h4-h5-h6 for white
What about this plan?
Simply dosent undestand Kramnik…
He has fased the wall 2 times with 1.d4 and is now 3 behind…why the heck dosent he switch, and goes all in?Dosent matter if he loose by 1 or by 10.Imo he aint a worthy World champ with that style.
1/2-1/2. Official.
Kramnik has a great match winning (ie low risk) style provided he can get the positions he plays well in and Anand hasn’t let him do that – and then played his own game which he does well.
Now Anand seems to be bringing his pieces in coordination…Susan, do you think black’s chances are improving?
GM Polgar, can you comment on the plan to for white to walk a King or pawn up the h file? Why doesn’t this work?
A draw. Excellent play from Anand again.
all three major pieces of white traped.
This match is definitely over. Kramnik doesn’t have the stomach to fight against Anand…and it seems all we will see is d4. I’m switching to checkers.
It’s a draw, so anti-climatic !!
All the best to dear Vishy…wish him all the success and good luck in the years to come.
was it possible for white to get the king in action and try to mate black with queen+king? Nigel did it in the past.
Hopefully Vlad will bring something new in the next game.That’s hoping BIG!!!
Oh, you said “Anti-climatic”!
Ohhhhhhh!
I’m done now.
heh.
if queen stops giving check and tries to improve his position ..make an h pawn move or sumthing
is it possible for black to win by rd1 or atleast try sumthing
Kramnik has to get a chip implanted to turn over this match. Without computer help, he is only a 2600+ player.
Kramnik lost the Match now. Annand overpowered him.
He had more energy, was more creative and had more will power.
Dear Vishy rocks and may continue to rock in the long run…wish him all the best…..
……..AN INDIAN..
Mmmh, actually thought that Kramnik’s position was favorable for a long time through the game, however difficult to make something of it. Moving the queen to the kingside and checking into the draw was clearly not it.
Congrats to Anand. He is Getting closer and closer to the Goal.
This game was crucial. Kramnik tried his best, but Annand showed excellent counterplay. A draw was inevitable I think.
kramnik is lucky..getting a draw from anand itself is a big achievement for kram…he lented his crown to anand in mexico!..so what now..he wanted match..it has now turned it as mismatch!!
an anand supporter!
I agree with Susan that Kramnik could played more active on his 20th and 25th move.
I think Kramnik should just call in sick and save himself the embarassment.
Aw, Come on!
i think kramnik will now understand why anand is ruling above him.
a spectacular defensive game by anand. congrats to anand. kramnik just deserves a pat for the try, but that is not enough when playing against anand.