Kramnik, V (2772) – Anand, V (2783)
World Championship – Bonn / Game 5
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5 8.Bd3 a6 9.e4 c5 10.e5 cxd4 11.Nxb5 axb5 12.exf6 gxf6 13.O-O Qb6 14.Qe2 Bb7 15.Bxb5 So far we have a repeat of game 3.
15…Rg8 This is the first deviation from game 3. Anand played 15…Bd6 in the third game which lead to a wild game where Kramnik misplayed and lost.
16.Bf4 Bd6 The players were moving at a fast pace until this move. Kramnik is taking his time with this next move. He has several options: 17. Bg3 and 17.Bxd6. I like 17.Bg3 better and its idea is to strengthen the g file from the threat of Black’s Bishop on b7 and Rook on g8.
17.Bg3 Black has a few logical options such as 17…f5, 17…Ke7, 17…Rd8, etc. Black’s plan is to create an attack on the Kingside and White’s plan is to exploit Black King’s position as well as eventually trying to advance his a and b connected passed pawns. 17…f5 seems to be the most aggressive option
17…f5 This is one possible wild continuation 18.a4 f4 19.Bh4 Qc5 20.Rfd1 Qh5 21.Kh1 Rxg2 22.Kxg2 Qxh4 23.Bxd7+ Ke7 =+. This is another possibility 18.Rfd1 f4 19.Bh4 Ra5 20.a4 Rxb5 21.axb5 Ne5 -/+. Here is another one 18.Bxd6 Qxd6 19.Rfd1 Ke7 =+ It is obvious why Kramnik is spending a lot of time on this move. This is the critical moment and he could be worse in some of the lines. Frankly speaking, I am very surprised that Kramnik repeated this variation which suits Anand’s style a lot better. I am not privy to the preparation from the players but it seems that Kramnik is surprised by 15…Rg8. He is now more than 30 minutes behind on time. Here is another line I just looked at 18.Ne5 Bxe5 19.Qxe5 f6 20.Qe2 Just like other lines above, White has nothing. This is now becoming really curious. Kramnik is now down by more than 50 minutes on the clock.
18.Rfc1 This is a move I did not anticipate. The most obvious and logical move that came to my head is 18…f4 since that is the reason why Black played 17…f5. Let’s examine it 18…f4 19.Bh4 Be7 20.Bxe7 Kxe7 21.Bxd7 Kxd7 and I think it is unclear. I cannot imagine Black playing something else.
18…f4 19.Bh4 I update the game live. Make sure to refresh your screen to see all the updates.
19…Be7 This is what I anticipated. White has no way of stopping the eventual exchange of the dark color Bishop which makes the g2 pawn more vulnerable to Anand’s attack. Kramnik does have a few options such as 20.Bxe7, 20.Qd3, 20.a4, etc. I like 20.a4 the best. It strengthen the Bishop on b5 to allow the Queen to do other things.
20.a4 This is now the crucial moment for Anand. Two possible options are 20…Qd6 or 20…Rd8. I personally prefer 20…Qd6 because I would want my Rook to be on the a file for now. If Black tries 20… Bxh4 21. Nxh4 Ke7 22. Qh5 Qd6 and it is also unclear.
20…Bxh4 21.Nxh4 Ke7 It is very difficult to come up with the right plan here given the high stake of the game and how complicated the position is. Their ability to make the right decisions more often than not is one of the reasons why they are World Champions. An interesting try is 22.g3 Rg5 23.Bxd7 Kxd7 24.Nf3 Bxf3 25.Qxf3 Rb8 and White is a little better. Another could be just to get the King out of the g file with 22.Kf1. This game is crucial for both players. If Kramnik falters again, it will be virtually impossible for Kramnik to come back with just 7 games left. On the other hand, if Kramnik wins, it will give him an incredible boost and the momentum will be back on his side. The state of mind of the players could be the most important factor in such a high stake close match such as this. Having been through this before myself, I can tell you that it is not fun 🙂
22.Ra3 A complete surprise and an interesting idea. I did not anticipate this move at this juncture. I am not sure if it is the strongest choice. Black has 2 main ideas: To pile the Rooks on the g file with 22…Rg5 or to make a play for the c file with 22…Rac8. Both are playable although I prefer playing for the c file a little more. This is why I do not believe that 22.Ra3 is the most accurate move.
22…Rac8 Anand chose to make a play for the c file which I believe is the correct idea. 23.Rxc8 Rxc8 24.Ra1 Qc5 25.Qd2 Qd6 26.Rd1 Ne5 27.Kf1 =
23.Rxc8 Rxc8 24.Ra1 Now the Black King is safer than it was a few moves ago. But so is the White King. 24… Rg8 25.a5 Qc5 26.a6 Ba8 27.Bxd7 Kxd7 +=; 24… Rc5 25.b4 Rg5 26.Nf3 Rg8 27.Rd1 Nf6 =; I like this line the best 24…Qc5 25.Qd2 Qd6 26.Rd1 Ne5 27.Kf1 =
24…Qc5 25.Qg4 Kramnik played this move very fast. It would be a mistake for Black 25…Qc1+ 26. Rxc1 Rxc1+ 27. Bf1 Ba6 28. h3 +-. 25…Qe5. 25…Qc2, or 25…Ne5 are all better options. I think 25…Qe5 is the most interesting.
25…Qe5 26.Nf3 Another instant response by Kramnik.
26…Qf6 Anand also responded very fast, which may be dangerous in such a complicated position. Another possibility is 26… Bxf3 27. Qxf3 Rc2 =
27.Re1 It would have been a mistake 27.Nxd4? Qxd4 28.Rd1 Nf6-+. 27.Rd1 is also a good move. In fact, I like it better than Re1.
27…Rc5 28.b4 I think the clear choice here is 28…Rc3 to attack the Knight on f3. Anand’s position is quite comfortable now.
28…Rc3The pressure now is on White. The worst possible move is 29.Nd4 Qxd4 30.Rd1 Nf6 31.Rxd4 Nxg4 32.Rd7+ Kf6 and Black wins due to to White’s back rank problem.
29.Nxd4?? This is a poison pawn. White is now in serious trouble. I think it is over.
29…Qxd4 30.Rd1 Nf6 31.Rxd4 Nxg4 32.Rd7+ Kf6 33.Rxb7 Rc1+ 34.Bf1 Ne3!
and it is about over! I think Kramnik missed this move in his original calculation.
35.fxe3 fxe3 0-1 A devastating loss for Kramnik. I am not counting him out but it is very difficult to score a +2 against Anand in the last 7 games to even up the match.
Score after 5 games: Anand 3.5 – 1.5 Kramnik
I just checked my blog stats and about 20,000 unique users from 102 countries logged on this blog during the 3+ hours of game 5. This is not nearly the same as during the final 2 games of the Kramnik – Topalov (Elista) match which had about 6 times more bloggers in each game. I am sure the numbers will pick up if the match gets closer.
Click here to replay the game.
What’s the difference between ..Bd6 and..Rg8. I thought ..Bd6 looked more agressive. Does anyone agree? Has this been played before?
I like Anand’s strategy. It’s an unbalanced opening with chances to win on both sides. Very tactical and more suited to Anand’s style. No slow squeeze by Kramnik here!
susan I’m in total agreement in being surprised that kramnik would play this like again. even if kramnik’s team have looked at this since game 3, I’d be surprised if anand’s team hadn’t spent more time on this position taking into account prep done before the match.
hi susan,
i think kram prepared a novelty later that game 3 but anna d knew it an prepared an new variation caught kram offguard
Is Kramannik Sleeping over the table?
18. Rfc1 eas played
I think susan is taking too much time to post a move you guys can enjoy live here
http://87.230.38.136/apache2-default/toma/tfd_neu.htm
hm, so did VK resign or something?
i think white seems to be better nowrfc1 really strong with mate threats along c file when bh4 is played
18… f4
19. Bh4 Be7
Kramnik is 42 minutes behind Vishy.
Is 20.a4 possible?
Certainly looking like a draw at the moment, with White up if anything.
is it me or black is better?
today the clocks looks like this is actual vishy game…
a4 was good. i think its even.
Maybe black can try to maroon the knight, w a line like:
20.. Qd6 21. Rd1 Bxh4 22. Nxh4 Qd5 23. f3 Ke7
Look like Anand is in deep thought!!~
So what does Susan thing… is the position unclear or is white up
no website predicted i guess 20… Bxh4
I am curious about what the clocks look like. I bet Anand 1:45, Kramnik 0:30 🙂
“If Black tries 20… Bxh4 21. Nxh4 Ke7 22. Qh5 Qd6 and it is also unclear.” —Susan
does anyone know what is the meaning of this + d12 on this website http://chessok.com/broadcast/live.php?key=bonn5.pgn&game=0
‘live’ maybe, but still slow.
Is the uep-webchess site running 30m behind still? If so, Susan is 30m+ behind.
Depth >= 12 Ply.
i had thought of 22Ra3 whch VK has played……… but i thought 22… Rac8 makes the move bad!!
“20…Bxh4 21.Nxh4 Ke7 It is very difficult to come up with the right plan here given the high stake of the game and how complicated the position is. Their ability to make the right decisions more often than not is one of the reasons why they are World Champions.”
————————-
I like this comment when it comes from you Susan 🙂
22.Ra3 A complete surprise. An interesting idea. I did not anticipate this move.
He played it in game three, albeit much later. It shouldn’t be that much of a surprise.
i had thought of 22Ra3 whch VK has played……… but i thought 22… Rac8 makes the move bad!!
Good prediction! We’re about to find out ….
How much time do they have?
Susan,
Can you make some comments about time management and match preparation. How significantly is the clock working in Anand’s favor?
http://chessok.com/broadcast/live.php?key=bonn5.pgn&game=0
Kramnik has under 30 minutes. Anand over an hour.
Anyone watching this game on ICC? Let the folks there know about Susan’s analysis and they can compare it with other commentators.
Hum. Now 27.Nxd4? Qxd4 28.Rd1 Nf6 29.Rxd4 Nxg4 30.Rd7+ Kf6 31.Rxb7 Rc1+ 32.Bf1 Ne3 -+
Steph (FR)
Re1
Susan your the best. Thank you for bringing all this. I know it takes a lot of work and discipline to run this blog so regularly. Other blogs are so late.
That’s everything. Nobody can use days old news. Thanks again.
It seems Anand is pressing for a win for Ne5 (instead of Rc3) was a clear path to safe =. But doing so he takes a big risk. Who knows what is the time left for both of them ?
Steph
Other blogs are so late.
Not all other blogs.
“Nxd4” ?
This has to be a blunder!
Another win for Anand now !
Steph (Nxd4 ??)
To watch time, go here:
http://chessok.com/broadcast/live.php?key=bonn5.pgn&game=0
Right now (8:59 am PDT), it’s 19 VK/45 VA
moves coming hard & fast!
I can’t believe Kramnik had such a blunder!!!!!
0-1
WOW!
What a wipeout.
Is this going to be like Kasparov-Short?
Except this time, it will be “Kramnik and it will be short”, which doesn’t have the ring of the original.
Given his current performance, Kramnik must have used computer hidden in the toilet when he was playing against Topalov!
seems anand is not going to walk Topalov’s path 🙂
Kramnik cannot even see such a cheap trick without help from computer!
I feel now almost sorry for Kramnik.I’m not a fan of neither Kramnik or Anand.I just wanted to see prolonged fight in this game.More of “an atomic” chess from these 2 super class chess players.The game about move 28 was sharp but balanced.Most likely it would have ended in a draw ,but Kramnik bludered in time trouble and everything abrouptly ended.
WC is over I think.Kramnik cracked.
“Given his current performance, Kramnik must have used computer hidden in the toilet when he was playing against Topalov!”
given your comment you must be a moron
How does 27.Nxd4? rank in terms of all-time blunders at this level of chess?
Man ! That was an awesome display of power ! Is Kram alright ?
Thank you Susan for a great evaluation. I know where I’ll be watching the remaining games.
I wonder just how much damage Kramnik’s time loss at around move 17 did? How will he face his next game with the white pieces?
well done, Vishy. bad luck, Vladimir.
thanks, Susan. best commentary on the web.
see u guys, game 6.
Was black already better even without nd4?
I don’t know if it’s arrogance or what,that would make Kramnik repeat the type of position that Anand is most comfortable with. What is he thinking. Complicated positions that require concrete analysis with a lot of chances for both sides is Anand’s forte. Kramnik needs the positional stuff where he won’t get into time trouble and has a small plus. And whats with this, Kramnik blitzing some moves? Should be over now, but Anand has shown some weaknesses is past matches. But I think Anand is clearly the better player and has been under rated for some time.
All those who cry out loud now…
Did you really foresee Ne3 (YOURSELF)? Would you have noticed if not every game analyses would have said “Nxd4?? Blunder!”?
No, I do not think so for most of you (and of course me :)).
This was not easy to calculate with not much time left, though I’d predict that these super GMs should be able to calculate it out (and Anand did for sure), but Kramnik isn’t in super GM strength at the moment.
What a nice finish.
To the ‘anonymous’ making stupid comments about toiletgate.
give the players the respect they deserve. yes kramnik blundered; very easy for all of us to spot the continuation sitting in the living room with fritz/rybka on. your comments about kramnik using the computers are totally unwarranted.
This is the best world championship ever! Over in about a week. We know the result and no chance of a recovery from Kramnik due to some aburdly large number of games in the match. It would be great if they could make it even shorter – 3 games over a long weekend would be perfect!
Whatever anyone will say or do, Vladimir Kramnik is the real world champion. Forever. The one and only who defeated Kasparov. Noone will ever in their lifetime, now and a thousand years from now be able to do what Vladimir the Great did.
search for the chess mind blog…there you can read about the dramatic pause before Anand’s penultimate move
This match has nothing to do with chess. It’s all about preparation by other players, who are not either Vlad nor Anan. These are the real World Champions. Vlad and Anan are just pawns, being moved by invisibile cords.
With this win Anand will regain his # 1 spot in the world rankings.Cheers!
Any post about Kramnik’s cheating in past matches is beyond stupid. Unless it’s a poor joke it demonstrates some psychological problems the poster is exhibiting.
(hint) Paranoia. Simply looking at Kramnik’s great career proves that he is worthy and a great chess player, Tremendous pressure and limited time produce blunders. Simple. Look at Kramniks’s games with Topalov. It’s obvious neither player played particularly well. You didn’t need Fritz to beat Topalov in those games. Just have a little better control over your nerves.
One thing just puzzles me. If he didn’t see the final ‘trick’ (lets say Ne3 at the end of the variation) then why didn’t Kramnik played Nxd4 (??) on move 27 and not 29 ???
I just cant’ understand
Steph
This match has nothing to do with chess. It’s all about preparation by other players, who are not either Vlad nor Anan. These are the real World Champions. Vlad and Anan are just pawns, being moved by invisibile cords.
what was this?
these wanking trolls casting aspersions on super-GMs should be banned from this blog. demeans what is one of the best chess blogs around.
coming to the game, anand is clearly better prepared and in better form. playing quickly as usual but also playing near-flawless. punishing every error kramnik is making. kramnik looks off-boil a bit. don’t expect a solid player like him go 2 down in 5 that too with white. anand on form deserves to regain his title..
steph said “One thing just puzzles me. If he didn’t see the final ‘trick’ (lets say Ne3 at the end of the variation) then why didn’t Kramnik played Nxd4 (??) on move 27 and not 29 ???
I just cant’ understand
Yes your question was answered by Kramnik in his post game press conference. You can wait for it come up at chessvibes.com. He mentioned he wanted to achieve the position with b4 already played. More explanation is the press conf video.
Hi fellows,
Is there any link to the press conference video?
Thanks!
Beco.
Both Anand and Kramnik are great players. Let’s not show any disrespect to either ..
Susan, thanks for your remarks to the game. Really nice to browse through your suggestions and ideas. Thanks!
DV
It is good to see Kramnik handing off the torch to the next generation of players. I am sure Anand will make a good world champion and carry the torch that was handed him through Fischer-Karpov-Kasparov-Kramnik. Kramnik held the title for eight years and has done his part. It is now time for his retirement and the ascendancy of the Indian juggernaut, Anand.
I hope Kramnik keeps playing the Slav until he understands it. And Vishy is such a good teacher! Maybe he will let Kramnik have all whites for the remainder of the match?
I’ve told you over and over again that Kramnik’s supposed strength in match play is just a myth. The only two matches he has won in entire career is against Yudasin and in 2000 when he caugth Garry on the wrong foot. All other matches he either lost or drawn.
Kramnik’s match record:
1994-95 PCA cycle:
LOSS against Kamsky (1.5-4.5)
1994-96 FIDE cycle:
WIN against Yudasin (4.5-2.5)
LOSS against Gelfand (3.5-4.5)
1998 match for the right to play Kasparov:
LOSS against Shirov (3.5-5.5)
2000 Braingames:
WIN against Kasparov (8.5-6.5)
2004 Classical championship:
TIE against Leko (7-7)
2006 reunification match:
TIE against Topalov (6-6)
Thats 2 wins, 3 losses and 2 ties overall.
Anand’s record:
1991-93 FIDE cycle:
WIN against Dreev (4.5-1.5)
LOSS against Karpov (3.5-4.5)
1994-95 PCA cycle:
WIN against Romanishin (5-2)
WIN against Adams (5.5-1.5)
WIN against Kamsky (6.5-4.5)
LOSS against Kasparov (7.5-10.5)
1994-96 FIDE cycle:
WIN against Yusupow (4.5-2.5)
LOSS against Kamsky (4-6)
1998 FIDE championship
TIE against Karpov (3-3)
Thats 5 wins, 3 losses and 1 tie overall.
LOL! Ahahahahahahaha! Funny! ROFL!
Anonymous said:
> I hope Kramnik keeps
> playing the Slav until
> he understands it.
> And Vishy is such a
> good teacher! Maybe
> he will let Kramnik
> have all whites for
> the remainder of
> the match?
I am surprised that Kramnik doesn’t avoid the Meran variation altogether.
He lost one game in the match against Topalov, and now two against Anand. I think that Anand has worked perfectly the psychological aspect in the openings. I don’t think that Kramnik likes this games.
I believe that Kramnik will change to 1.e4 for the next game with white, just for the sake of change and forget the beginning.
At the risk of sounding like yet another “me too,” thank you, Susan for doing this live annotation. You’re amazingly fast and accurate.
I wonder what the score would have been at this point had the match been played somewhere in the darkest corners of the russian empire?
Why should I withhold my cheerful enthusiasm that Kramnik gets his ass kicked around? He might be a super-GM, but he is a pathetic excuse for a human being, and I am happy to see him in the dirt. May his arrogant attitude finally suffer some humility! I predict that he will soon sink out of the top ten. Aronian and Radjabov are virtually behind him. Kramnik is toasted. Period.
“He might be a super-GM, but he is a pathetic excuse for a human being, and I am happy to see him in the dirt. May his arrogant attitude finally suffer some humility!”
The psychology of anonymous blogging is fascinating: people are prepared to engage in vulgar abuse of someone about whom they know very little. If you met Kramnik would you say this to him. If you did, he would rightly think you were slightly deranged.
anyone suffering from a painful, progressive, incurable and debilitating health condition and still able to play top-flight chess is a hero in my books.
why is kramnik a pathetic excuse for a human being? has he robbed anyone? has he killed anyone? what harm has he done to anyone? did he ever rob you? does he owe you money? did he elope with your wife? where does such hatred stem from? play chess. get laid. drink beer. spread the love. peace.
replay stuff not working susan
VK was ok until 29.Nxd4 but 33.Rxb7 definitely ended his chances, and was at least as big a blunder as 29.Nxd4
I’m not sure whats happening…ANand has clearly taken on the initiative. Every Game he pushes and Kramnik has to deal with it. I don’t think Kramniks used to it. Good for Anand…very good preperation. Kramnik had no problems taking advantage of this in 2000……so if anyone should know how to prepare its him. I’m very impressed with anand…..even if its an equal position…he’s so far ahead on the clock….very pragmatic playing. Looking forward to the rest of the match.
Mike Magnan
Why doesn’t Kramnik just play 35.h3?
That way, despite losing the bishop, his pawn structure is still strong, and he can use it to his advantage to promote his a and b file pawns.
With the two pawns (a and b), it will neutralise the black Knight.. won’t it?
I am a fan of world championships and Anand from India. Ofcourse i wish the WC for my mate. But it is
really unbelievable to see anand winning every match with black pieces against the Mighty kramnik. I know how hard he is to crack. Can anyone imagine of grabbing wc from God of chess Kasparov? The first and the only player in the history to do is kramnik. But see what Anand has done today. He stabbed kramnik at every possible moves of life. What an incredible match it is so far. Before the start of this wcc, I really thought that anand will be in deep trouble and why the hell that there should be a match for wcc against kramnik. I thought if anand wins this wcc it will be a dream come true and may be a black magic.But today he really made Black magic ofcourse with Black pieces!!! Kramnik still i love you you can comeback very well. but i will still pray that your comeback should not affect the defender in defending lol.. Be bold and take risk kramnik.. you have nothing to lose… i expect even more better match in the history of chess.
cheers and i am very happy to be a chess player. I feel worth dying for chess. let bobby fischer’s power flow on the chess players..goodluck everyone.
One more thing i want to discuss here. I read a blog here somewhere at the bottom from an anomyous saying “This match has nothing to do with chess. It’s all about preparation by other players, who are not either Vlad nor Anan. These are the real World Champions. Vlad and Anan are just pawns, being moved by invisibile cords.”
If these players are mere pawns and they have nothing to do with chess, then why not the other players train you and me to make those moves prepared for the mere pawns? and ofcourse why not other players who prepared it play themselves and prove to be world champion??.. difficult to answer sometimes impossible to answer too right? The answer is that they saw the possiblity in kramnik and anand and henceforth they are competing each other. So they are not mere pawns but a potential queen at the board and true kings at the heart and art of chess.
Sorry mate it is not to hurt anyone but to promote chess by giving the goodness of it. please dont scribble something that degrades the respect of the game. Also mind the language when you speak of legends. Thanks again all… Let the King of 64 squares bobby fischer memories stay with us..bye
wishchess.
chess friends can write me at wishchess@yahoo.co.in
Nice words UZ!Thats the way to respond.
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