Anand is the World Chess Champion

Game 11. Anand holds it together to retain his title

Anand 1/2 Kramnik; Game 11.

Commentary IM Malcolm Pein

Well this is a pleasant surprise, I thought we were only going to get tengames but Vlad did as he promised and kept fighting to the end.
1.e4
I had a feeling this was coming. Anand invites Kramnik to play his Petroff Defence which can be very drawish, particularly if White wants it to be
1...c5
Given the match situation this is the best option Kramnik has to head for an unbalanced position. A Sicilian was widely expected in this circumstance
2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6
A Najdorf, I wonder if Kramnik has ever played this before
6.Bg5
[6.Be3 Is another theoretical battleground but Bg5 is a sound choice as it both a proven moveand limits Black's options]
6...e6 7.f4
7...Qb6 the Poisoned Pawn would not suit Kramnik now as White has many forced drawing lines there
7...Qc7 8.Bxf6 gxf6
I recall Anatoly Karpov being forced to play a sharp Sicilian against Nigel Short at their Candidates SF at Linares in 1992. Karpov also allowed Bxf6 gxf6 and Short gave him a good tonking. That was a Richter Rauzer from memory and Black castled kingside.
9.f5
[9.Be2 Nc6 10.Nb3 Qb6 11.Qd2 h5]
9...Qc5
This looks very odd as it contradicts the basic rules of developing your pieces but Kramnik had to prevent fxe6 and Qh5+
10.Qd3 Nc6 11.Nb3
We are following Kavalek - Chandler Bundesliga 1982
11...Qe5
[11...Qb6 12.0-0-0 Bh6+ 13.Kb1 Bf4 coming to e5 looks reasonable also]
12.0-0-0 exf5
[12...exf5 Good heavens, Black does not usually do this. It might win a pawn but it ruins the pawn structure and opens lines towards the king. The d5 square is screaming for equine occupation 13.Kb1 Be7 14.exf5 Bxf5 15.Qf3 0-0-0 16.Bxa6!]
13.Qe3
We can only admire Kramnik's bravado even if he hasn't got much choice but he is at least making Anand think. The threat is Rd5
[13.Nd5 fxe4 14.Qxe4 Be6; 13.Nd5 Rb8 14.exf5]
13...Bg7 14.Rd5 Qe7 15.Qg3
Now if Rg8 then Qh4 later can be annoying
[15.Qg3 0-0 16.exf5 Ne5 17.Bd3]
15...Rg8 16.Qf4
Hmm, Kramnik may be able to play Be6 and escape with his king to the queenside which seems reasonable
[An implausible variation is 16.Qf4 Be6 17.Rd1 fxe4 18.Nxe4 Bg4 19.Nxd6+ Kf8 20.Bc4 Bxd1 21.Rxd1 Ne5 22.Be2 Rd8 23.Nf5 Rxd1+ 24.Bxd1 Qc7 25.Qb4+ Ke8 26.Nd6+ Kf8 27.Nf5+]
16...fxe4
Looks like the king will be headed to f8 now, this is perfect for Kramnik a very wild position
17.Nxe4 f5
[17...Be6 18.Nxd6+ Kf8 19.Rd1 Bg4 20.Qxg4?? Bh6+ is a nice cheapo and this line seems to be sounder for Black than the game]
18.Nxd6+ Kf8
Anand has to watch his back rank now but I wonder if he will be attracted to the idea of taking on c8. Although the knight on d6 is a mighty piece it could come under attack after Be5 for example and after the bishop on c8 is exchanged the f5 pawn is very weak
[18...Kf8 19.Nxc8 Rxc8 20.Kb1 Qe1+ 21.Qc1 Qe4]
19.Nxc8 Rxc8 20.Kb1
[20.Qd6 Nb4 21.Qxe7+ Kxe7 22.Rd2 Bh6-+ Illustrates why it's better to have the king on b1. Now Qe1 can be met by Nc1 or Qc1]
20...Qe1+ 21.Nc1
and now there is a nasty Qd6+ Ne7 Qd8+ cheapo on the horizon
21...Ne7 22.Qd2
Forcing a queen exchange as Rd8+ is threatened
[22.Qd6 Qe6 23.Qd8+ Rxd8 24.Rxd8#]
22...Qxd2 23.Rxd2 Bh6 24.Rf2
Holding g2 so that the bishop can come out. Vishy just has a somewhat advantageous endgame. g3 and Bg2 is a threat. Perhaps Kramnik has to play Be3 to try and confuse matters. Vishy can also be content with the presence of opposite coloured bishops, if he doesn't win they make the draw more likely
24...Be3
and Kramnik offered a draw. After Rf3 he is worse and has no winning prospects. In the end a very decent match indeed
1/2-1/2

Result: Viswanathan Anand retains World Championship

World Chess Championship Game 10.

Kramnik delivers a win at the last moment:

Kramnik -Anand Game 10. Commentary IM Malcolm Pein
1.d4
Kramnik has promised to fight to the end but after his admittal that he was overlooking 1 move mates in his analysis we can only assume that he is not himself. Indeed his 2 year unbeaten run and rise to power was ascribed to his ability to eliminate blunders and here he has missed quite a few shots
1...Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3 c5 5.g3
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, for what may be his last stand Kramnik plays the Kasparov Variation
5...cxd4 6.Nxd4 0-0 7.Bg2 d5 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.Qb3
I might have known, a long and highly analysed line where White plays for a small edge and grinds away. Expect a flurry of moves now
9...Qa5 10.Bd2 Nc6 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.0-0 Bxc3 13.bxc3 Ba6 14.Rfd1 Qc5 15.e4 Bc4 16.Qa4 Nb6 17.Qb4
Now Qxb4 is thought to be slightly better for White. Vishy played Qh5. against Kasparov at Wijk aan Zee 2000 and drew but with difficulty #
17...Qh5 18.Re1
A new move that anticipates Be2. I guess Anand may have a think now
[18.Be3 Be2 19.Rd2 Rab8 20.Bxb6 axb6 21.Qd6 Bf3 was Kasparov - Anand but 18...Rfc8 was played subsequently by Short and Leko]
18...c5
This seemed obvious as otherwise Be3 creates some instability for the knight and bishop on the queenside
19.Qa5
I guess Rfc8 or Be2 here
19...Rfc8 20.Be3 Be2
Now the question is what has Kramnik come up with ?
21.Bf4 e5 22.Be3
Putting the question to the c5 pawn. If you are not inspired by this bear in mind White is playing for a small edge in a static position but I agree where it comes from is far from obvious
[22.Bxe5 Nc4 23.Qa6 Qxe5 24.Rxe2 Qxc3 25.Rd1 Rd8=]
22...Bg4
Now White may seize the vacant f1-a6 diagonal or grab the pawn Bxc5. Kramnik thought this inaccurate.
[22...Bg4 23.Bxc5 Nc4 24.Qb5 Be6 Black has good control of the queenside and this may ensure equality]
23.Qa6!
I like this creeping move it controls key squares
23...f6?
Virtually the decisive mistake according to Kramnik [23...Be6 24.Bf1 Qf3] and the game will continue on.
24.a4!
Black is gradually being driven back here, very nice play from Kramnik this is his kind of position
24...Qf7 25.Bf1!
Kramnik takes control of c4 tactically and a5 comes next #
[25.Bf1 Be6 26.Reb1 Bc4 27.Bxc4 Qxc4 28.Rxb6; 25.Bf1 Be6 26.Reb1 Bc4 27.Bxc4 Nxc4 28.Rb7 wins]
25...Be6 26.Rab1 c4?
I don't understand this but the position already looks unpleasant. How does Black hang on to his a pawn ? Qa6 was a lovely move
[26...Rab8 27.a5]
27.a5 Na4
[27...Nd7 28.Rb7]
28.Rb7 Qe8 29.Qd6!
The threats are Re7 and Qb7 they can't both be prevented, what a nice game by Kramnik, he got his kind of position and played it beautifully #
[29.Qd6 Bf7 30.Qb4 with the simple plan of a6 and taking on a7 with total control; 29.Qd6 Rd8 30.Qb4 Rab8 31.a6 when Black can hardly move and a7 falls]
1-0

World Chess Championship 2008:

Game 6: Anand takes 3 point lead with yet another win.
Anand, Viswanathan Vs Kramnik, Vladimir

Commentary by IM Malcolm Pein

Will Anand try and kick him when he is down? he didn't in game 4. But he knows his opponent is low so he will just play with white and see what happens. If it's a draw he won't be disappointed but expect a solid line today
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2
Anand played the sharp 4.f3 in game 2 This is a much more positional move. White avoids damage to his pawn structure if Black plays Bxc3+. White often tries to secure the 2 bishops and play with them against bishop and knight, This advantage is particularly potent in an endgame with play on both sides of the board
4...d5
The most solid response. This line was developed by Oleg Romanishin, one of the most creative players of the 20th century IMHO. Black develops the queen early but this is often a prelude to playing Qf5 or Qe4 looking for a level endgame.
5.cxd5 Qxd5 6.Nf3 Qf5 7.Qb3 Nc6 8.Bd2 0-0 9.h3
9.h3 Another novelty from Vishy! Previously 9.e3 was played. White has the option of playing g4 and if Qg6 Nh4 traps the queen ! Of course the queen can go to a5 but then perhaps the kingside attack might develop in the lady's absence
9...b6
Vlad is calm, he develops his last minor piece and invites Vishy to lash out with g4. I guess he figures since he is losing with White he might as well provoke a crisis with Black !
10.g4
He's done it! of course Vishy does not have to attack, he can simply continue Bg2
10...Qa5 11.Rc1 Bb7 12.a3
It was a privelege to have Anatoly Karpov in the analysis room and his view was that after an exchange of queens on d5 White will be slightly better
12...Bxc3 13.Bxc3 Qd5 14.Qxd5
Now exd5 will block the Bb7 and lead to trouble on the c file for Black but after Nxd5 Bd2 White is ready for e4 so I think I like White
14...Nxd5 15.Bd2
Now maybe f7-f5 ? Black has to play for control of the white squares. Also Nf6 would be reasonable when Black controls e4 and threatens Nxd4 exploiting a pin on the long diagonal
15...Nf6 16.Rg1
Black should be more or less OK Rg1 was clearly not a move White wanted to make but he had no choice. Maybe Rac8 and then Ne4 to neutralise the bishop pair by taking on d2 Rfd8 first might be better
[Karpov liked 16.g5 Ne4 17.Bf4]
16...Rac8
Black will try and arrange c7-c5 after some preparation perhaps Nc6-e7. Vishy's position is quite good on the queenside but his kingside pieces are innefectual. Rg1 was a major inconvenience. Perhaps now g5 and Bg2 or just Bg2 first
17.Bg2 Ne7 18.Bb4
I am gradually realising that after an exchange of bishops on g2 the white rook emerges on g3 favourably.White's king is handily placed
18...c5
Black could have played Rfe8 but then he maynot have had time to organise c7-c5
[18...Rfe8 19.Bxe7 Rxe7 20.Ne5 Bxg2 21.Rxg2 c5 22.dxc5 Rxc5 23.Rxc5 bxc5 24.Rg3 is certainly an edge but Black should hold this. Kramnik's move looks like a bold winning attempt but he is losing a pawn. Perhaps White has better but this c5 move is so risky]
19.dxc5 Rfd8 20.Ne5 Bxg2 21.Rxg2
I don't see how Black recovers the pawn
21...bxc5
[21...Nc6 22.Nd3! is clearly good for White. Goodness me is he going to go three down ??? 22...Nd4 23.cxb6?? Rxc1+ 24.Nxc1 Nc2+ 25.Kf1 Rd1+; 21...Nc6 22.Nd3! Nd4 23.e3 Nb3 (23...Nf3+ 24.Ke2) 24.Rc3; 21...a5 22.Bd2 Ne4 23.cxb6 Rxd2 24.Rxc8+ Nxc8 25.b7 Rc2! 26.Kd1! wins]
22.Rxc5 Ne4
Kramnik is just going to have to grovel a pawn down here. Very grim. The white rook may be misplaced but his king is great. Vishy has only castled in three of the six games !
23.Rxc8 Rxc8 24.Nd3 Nd5
Maybe now Kd1 and try and slowly unravel. At this stage I can't see how Kramnik can penetrate
25.Bd2
It seems that Rc2 is met simply by Bc1 and Kd1
25...Rc2 26.Bc1 f5
This prevents the possible plan of Kd1 f3 and e4 but I think the Kd1 and f3 part are coming anyway
27.Kd1 Rc8 28.f3 Nd6 29.Ke1
Anand is no hurry, there is apparently nothing active White can do
29...a5 30.e3 e5
Trying for some activity but this looks bad
31.gxf5 e4 32.fxe4 Nxe4 33.Bd2 a4
[33...Rc2 34.Kd1?? Nxe3+; but 33...Rc2 34.Re2!]
34.Nf2!
The computer assessment has jumped and we can see why. Vishy is keeping both extra pawns
34...Nd6 35.Rg4 Nc4 36.e4 Nf6 37.Rg3 Nxb2
Winning back a pawn but now there are great possibilities for White like e4-e5 or Bc3 This looks winning
[37...Nxb2 38.Bc3 Nh5!? 39.Rf3 Nc4 fights on so I guess e5 is better]
38.e5 Nd5 39.f6
Now there is the killer tactic of g6 Ne4 threatening f7+ Kxf7 Nd6+ The computers have called this one and who are we to argue. It's +3
39...Kf7 40.Ne4
Kramnik has only 90 seconds for his last move but 90 minutes would no help. Nd6 is the obvious one but Ng5 is also a killer
40...Nc4
Now a White pawn ought to promote, my money's on Freddie the f pawn. Time control, Vlad has left the stage 41 Rxg7+ Ke6 42.Ng5+ Kxe5 43.f7 must be curtains. It just wins a rook. As they say on UK TV, "they think it's all over, it is now" (Wembley 1966) That was 4-2 to England, this is 4,5-1.5 to India
41.fxg7
Winning but not as overwhelming as Rxg7 but it won't change the outcome . Now Rg8 42.Nd6+ Nxd6 43.exd6 and Rxg7 will allow the d pawn to promote. This keeps it simple
41...Kg8 42.Rd3
There was a diablolical line
[42.Nf6+ Nxf6 43.exf6 Re8+ 44.Kd1 Rd8 45.Kc1 Nxd2 46.f7+ Kxf7 47.g8Q+ Rxg8 48.Rxg8 Nb3+!]
42...Ndb6 43.Bh6 Nxe5 44.Nf6+ Kf7 45.Rc3
A crowd pleaser
45...Rxc3 46.g8Q+ Kxf6 47.Bg7+ 1-0

World Chess Championship 2008

World Champion Viswanathan Anand defends his title against Vladimir Kramnik in a 12 game match (rapid and blitz tie-breaks if the match finishes 6-6) in Bonn, Germany, October 14th– 2nd November, 2008. The main sponsor is Evonik Industries AG and the prize money 1,5 Million Euro.

Anand - Kramnik Game

Game- 4.

Result: Drawn in 29 moves.
Score: Anand 2½ Kramnik 1½
Commentary by IM Malcolm Pein

1.d4 Nf6
There are 9 games left. After his fantastic win yesterday Anand must be tempted to concentrate on avoiding defeat. But he should leave those kind of thoughts to Kramnik. Experience and countless matches tells us the time to kick a man is when he is down.
2.c4 e6 3.Nf3
Avoiding 3.Nc3 Bb4 the Nimzo-Indian of game 1
3...d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4
Anand prefers Bf4 to the more common Bg5 - this can lead to positions with opposite castling after Black plays c5, White takes and plays Qc2 and 0-0-0
5...0-0 6.e3 Nbd7
Well who would have thought it, a wireless network at the KOP end. Kramnik has gone for the solid Queen's Gambit
[6...c5 7.dxc5 Nc6 8.Qc2 Bxc5 9.a3 Qa5 10.0-0-0 is the sharp stuff]
7.a3
An unusual wrinkle which means either Vishy is going to take no risks today or he is planning c4-c5 andb2-b4
7...c5
The standard response in the centre now White can force Black to accept an isolated queen's pawn
8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.Nxd5 exd5 10.dxc5 Nxc5
OK, so we can see that Anand's idea is to play rather like Kramnik and reach a position where he can play with a tiny edge and try to exert maximum psychological advantage
11.Be5
White emphasises his control of the square in front of the isolated pawn. This is essential, the pawn must be blocked before it can be attacked
11...Bf5
[11...Bf6 is standard but again, Kramnik may be motivated by a desire to avoid any preparation]
12.Be2 Bf6
Often in these lines White plays Bxf6 and Qd4 but it doesn't look likely here. I just hope the football is more entertaining than thisgame
[12...Bf6 13.Bxf6 Qxf6 14.Qd4 Nb3 15.Qxf6 gxf6 16.Rd1 Bc2 17.Rxd5]
13.Bxf6 Qxf6 14.Nd4 Ne6
Black fights for the d4 square
15.Nxf5 Qxf5 16.0-0 Rfd8
Black is more active and this compensates for the weak d5 pawn. If he plays d5-d4 he will be fine
17.Bg4 Qe5 18.Qb3 Nc5
[18...d4 19.Qxb7 gives White a bishop v knight on an open board and some hopes if queens are exchanged]
19.Qb5 b6
White may appear to have a small edge at this point but I can't believe it's much
20.Rfd1 Rd6 21.Rd4 a6 22.Qb4 h5
Once the white bishop has been driven away from the h3-c8 diagonal Black can play Ne6 and he controls the d4 square and then if black can play d5-d4 then any white edge would probably disappear after piece exchanges.
23.Bh3 Rad8 24.g3 g5!
Kramnik plays to evict the bishop as I mentioned before. He is deliberately avoiding Ne6 Bxe6 when he has slight structural weakness and Anand could try and make him suffer although with only a limited chance of success
25.Rad1 g4 26.Bg2 Ne6 27.R4d3 d4
The breakthrough, Liverpool could do with one of those its Liverpool 1-2 Wigan and if any of our Egyptian readers are online today, Zaki just scored a wonder goal. Of course Black is absolutely fine here
28.exd4 Rxd4 29.Rxd4 Rxd4
After another exchange Black would take with the knight. As they say: "queen and knight, they're alright" and if you think about it these two pieces compliment each other. Black is so well centralised White has no active possibilities.
Rather disappointing, I had hoped Vishy would go for it from the start today. Thanks for watching, the score is Anand 2.5-1.5 Kramnik
1/2-1/2

World Chess Championship 2008:

World Champion Viswanathan Anand defends his title against Vladimir Kramnik in a 12 game match (rapid and blitz tie-breaks if the match finishes 6-6) in Bonn, Germany, October 14th– 2nd November, 2008. The main sponsor is Evonik Industries AG and the prizemoney 1,5 Million Euro.

World Chess Championship Game 3. Anand wins with the black pieces.:
Kramnik - Anand Game-3. (Notes by IM Malcolm Pein).

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3
Welcome to game 3 this is Malcolm Pein from the

3...Nf6 4.Nc3
No Exchange Slav, this is main line and sharp offering the Meran Variation
4...e6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Bd3
Kramnik is white (I'll try to remember that throughout :) ) and we have another Slav Defence but I suspect we will see something more aggressive than in game 1
6...dxc4
The mainline Meran Variation, the sharpest line.
7.Bxc4 b5 8.Bd3 a6 9.e4 c5 10.e5 cxd4 11.Nxb5 axb5 12.exf6 gxf6 13.0-0 Qb6 14.Qe2 Bb7
This is all well analysed theory which is why the players are bashing out their moves at high speed It's a very unbalanced position. Black may be a pawn up but d4 or b5 usually fall and Black leaves his king in the middle A new move 14...Bb7 from Vishy ! now Vlad will have to think long and hard to work out what the idea is Black usually tries to hang on to b5 for longer with b5-b4 or Ba6 The obvious question arises now, why not 15.Bxb5
15.Bxb5
Kramnik has to take I guess otherwise Qe2 makes little sense
15...Bd6
Black can continue Rg8, Ke7 and then maybe Ne5 trying to set up threats against g2. Black's king is pretty safe behind the pawn mass for the moment but at some point he has to break the pin on his knight White lacks an active square for the bishop on c1 it could go to d2 and then support the a pawn after a2-a4 and a4-a5 Incidentally the weather here is 15 degrees and sunny in London. Anand has used virtually no time so far- he is in his home analysis. The computer wants to play g3, typical Fritz, not many humans would play g3 unless they absolutely had to opening that diagonal with the black bishop on b7 and the queen in proximity to c6 is scary. A more human response to the threats along b7-g2 might be Bb5-d3 and then to e4 snuffing out the problem at the cost of freeing the knight on d7.
16.Rd1
[16.Bd3 Ke7 17.Rd1 Rag8 18.Be4 is my suggestion to head for a safer position.]
16...Rg8
Now g3 and even Rxd4 are possible obviously the latter is a little risky It's too late for Bd3, I reckon.
17.g3
I suppose there is an upside to g3, at least it threatens Rxd4 Anand still blitzing em out, this defends d4. In fact we transpose to some previous games here but Anand's next move is new I believe
[17.Bd3 Ne5 18.Be4 d3 ouch Rxd4 is more than risky for example; Rxd4 was not good 17.Rxd4 Rxg2+ 18.Kxg2 Qxd4 and Black is on the rampage]
17...Rg4
Defending d4
18.Bf4
Great shot, if Bxf4 Rxd4
[It's clear Nd2 was not good, it felt wrong, completely denuding the king 18.Nd2 This is so double edged but Kramnik is up against Anand and his computer analysis from home I wonder.... 18...Ke7!! 19.Bxd7 (19.Qxg4 Qxb5 Looks very dangerous with Ne5 and Qd5 coming) 19...Rag8 When Black has the idea of sacrificing on g3 and playing d3+ winning the white queen - nasty ! Yes I think that's the dastardly plan 20.Bb5 d3 21.Qxd3 Rxg3+ 22.hxg3 Rxg3+ wins the queen as the f2 pawn is pinned. Black looks better in that line even if material is equal. White's king is exposed. This would explain why Kramnik is having a long think]
18...Bxf4
Vishy still playing fast, he's been here
19.Nxd4
What a sho t, Kramnik attacks the rook on g4 and sets up Nxe6 now I guess Rg6 or h5 because after Bxd7+ Kxd7 there is no killer discovered check but the more Kramnik fights, the more chance he has of missing a tactic seen by a computer pre-game
19...h5
This should be at least as good as Rg6 the rook and h pawn are less exposed and the rook more active on g4. Kramnik has no choice now but to take the plunge
[19...Rg6 20.Nxe6 fxe6 21.Rxd7 Kf8 22.Rxh7 (22.Bd3 Be5 23.Bxg6 hxg6) 22...Bxg3 23.hxg3 Rxg3+ 24.Kf1 Rg5 attacking the bishop on b5 25.Rh2 (25.Bd3 Bg2+ 26.Ke1 Re5 wins) 25...Re5]
20.Nxe6 fxe6 21.Rxd7 Kf8 22.Qd3
Playing it this way enables the queen to cover g3 but now I wonder about Rg7 after an exchange White takes on f4 remaining two pawns up but his king is very exposed
22...Rg7
[22...Bc8 23.Rh7 Kg8 24.Re7! threat Qh7 is good for White 24...f5 25.Rd1]
23.Rxg7 Kxg7 24.gxf4 Rd8 25.Qe2 Kh6
This is the position I was considering, Black has Rg8+ in reserve but his king is not totally safe either, perhaps now f4-f5
26.Kf1
[26.f5 Rg8+ 27.Kf1 Bg2+ 28.Ke1 Bc6 29.Qd2+ Kh7 30.Bxc6 Qxc6! 31.Ke2 forced 31...Qb5+ 32.Kf3 (32.Qd3 Qxb2+ 33.Kf3 Qxa1 34.fxe6+ Kh8) 32...Rg4 Deep Hiarcs tells me this wins for Black So we can conclude Kramnik has problems here]
26...Rg8 27.a4?
I guess time pressure had to be a factor by now but this is such a tightrope anyway. Even back on move 22 one could see that White's king was going to be in trouble and Anand is playing it beautifully Kramnik will be lucky to save this.
[27.Rc1 Bg2+ 28.Ke1 Bh3 29.f5 Rg1+ 30.Kd2 Qd4+ 31.Bd3 Qxb2+ 32.Rc2 Qb4+ 33.Rc3 Bxf5 34.Bxf5 exf5=/+; 27.Rd1 Bg2+ 28.Ke1 Qa5+ 29.Rd2 Bh3]
27...Bg2+ 28.Ke1 Bh3!
nasty !
[28...Bc6 29.Kf1 Bg2+= 30.Ke1 Bh3!]
29.Ra3
Desperate but
[29.Rd1 Bg4 30.Qe3 Qxe3+ 31.fxe3 Bxd1 32.Kxd1 Rg2 should be winning 33.b3 Rxh2 34.a5 Ra2 35.a6 h4; 29.Kd2 Rg2 30.Rf1 Rxh2!]
29...Rg1+ 30.Kd2 Qd4+ 31.Kc2
[31.Rd3 Qxb2+ 32.Ke3 Qa1 wins, Re1 follows]
31...Bg4 32.f3
[32.Rd3 Bf5]
32...Bf5+
[32...Bf5+ 33.Kb3 Rc1 with either Qd5+ or e5 and Be6 in reserve surely Vlad can't survive this 34.a5 Qd5+ (34...Rc2 35.Qxc2 Bxc2+ 36.Kxc2 Qc5+ 37.Kb1 Qxb5 38.a6 saves the game) 35.Bc4 Qb7+ 36.Bb5 Rc5 37.Kb4 Rc2 38.Qe3 Rxb2+ 39.Rb3 Qe7+-/+]
33.Bd3 Bh3
I don't believe it he's missed a mate. Pressure and time pressure combined - Still, Vishy's move is pretty strong but it's not mate
[33...Bxd3+ was curtains 34.Rxd3 (34.Qxd3 Rg2+) 34...Qc4+ 35.Kd2 Qc1#]
34.a5
I see a little silhouetto of a swindle, scaramoosh scaramoosh lets promote the passed a pawn (It's a queen geddit ?)
34...Rg2 35.a6 Rxe2+ 36.Bxe2 Bf5+ 37.Kb3 Qe3+ 38.Ka2 Qxe2 39.a7 Qc4+
No swindle for Vlad, it's India who are singing we are the champions
40.Ka1 Qf1+ 41.Ka2 Bb1+
Wow that was close Vlad nearly escaped but nevertheless a great game by Vishy he takes the lead 2-1 !!
[41...Bb1+ 42.Kb3 Qxf3+ 43.Kb4 Be4 wins]
0-1

World Chess Championship Game-2,(Anand Vs Kramnik) drawn in 32 moves.

Yesterday we saw Anand hold the draw easily with black so today he will seek to capitalise on that with white. The match score is 0.5-0.5 so today will we see a Petroff Defence, Kramnik's super solid answer to 1.e4 or something sharper. The last outing with the Petroff at Dortmund saw Kramnik lose spectacularly to Arkady Naiditsch and then to Vasily Ivanchuk.

Anand - Kramnik Game 2:
(Notes by IM Malcolm Pein)

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4
Wow. who said Vishy had to play 1.e4?
2...e6 3.Nc3
Anand has played successfully against the Queen's Indian in the past The Nimzo ?
3...Bb4 4.f3
Yes and Anand plays a super sharp line which has been championed by the Russian GM Viktor Moskalenko Now there is crazy stuff after this sequence - 4...c5 5.d5 Nh5 idea Qh4+ 6.Nh3 and if Qh4+ 7.Nf2 Qxc4 8.e4
4...d5
Of course Kramnik plays the solid answer
5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 c5 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.dxc5
An important departure 8.Qd2 and Qd3 have been experimented with but did not work out well. We now head down a main line of theory tha has been analysed very deeply White will play e2-e4 and in some lines he hangs to the c5 pawn for a while to obstruct Black's possible play on the c file
8...f5 9.Qc2
This is a surprise although not unknown. 9.Nh3 has been played and 9.e4 fxe4 10.Qc2
9...Nd7 10.e4 fxe4 11.fxe4 N5f6
Qh4+ is met by g3
12.c6
An important point, Anand does not want an isolated pawn on an open file which he would get if he allowed Nd7xc5
12...bxc6 13.Nf3 Qa5 14.Bd2
Vishy did not have to cover the c3 pawn as 14.Be2 was possible but perhaps he wants to play c4. In general Black would like to exchange a white bishop and so Bc8-a6 suggests itself Now it seems that 15.c4 would make sense but then Qc5 or Qc7. Had Vishy managed to place his bishops on c4 and e3 he may have had an edge. Now it seems rougly level [14.Be2 Nxe4? (14...0-0 15.0-0 Ba6 16.Bxa6 Qxa6 17.Bf4 Ng4 18.Ng5 Qc4 19.Qd2 Rad8 20.Qd4 Fritz 11: =(0.12)) 15.Qxe4 Qxc3+ 16.Kf2 Qxa1 17.Qxe6+ Kf8 18.Bf4 Qxh1 19.Bd6# Would be calamitous]
14...Ba6
Kramnik wants to exchange one bishop because White's bishop pair can be strong
15.c4 Qc5
I am starting to like this for Black, White may have to be careful. The two bishops are no advantage in a position where one of them is completely locked in and the bishop on f1 is looking like a sorry piece. Black also has more active pieces. Anand must watch out for Nf6-g4
16.Bd3
Now 16...Ng4 17.Bb4 Qe3+ or Qb6 are pretty dangerous for White but initial analysis suggests he may be OK the bishop on b4 is powerful [16.Bb4 Qe3+]
16...Ng4
Definitely the most aggressive move of the match so far ! [16...Ng4 17.Bb4 Qb6 18.h3]
17.Bb4
[17.Bb4 Qe3+ 18.Qe2 Seems OK for White 18...0-0-0 19.Qxe3 Nxe3 20.Kf2 Nxc4 21.Bxc4 Bxc4 22.Rhc1 Bb5 23.a4 Ba6 24.Rxc6+ Is better for White but this seems fine for Black he can improve on the line above as we will see]
17...Qe3+ 18.Qe2 0-0-0 19.Qxe3
[19.Qxe3 Nxe3 20.Kf2 Ng4+ 21.Kg3 Nge5 Seems fine Now Bf1 Well this is a lot more fun than yesterday at least there are some pawns which can drop off In general when Black captures on c4 a white rook comes to c1 and then captures on c6 with check disturbing the black king]
19...Nxe3 20.Kf2 Ng4+ 21.Kg3 Ndf6
Aggressive, Kramnik leaves the knight on g4 in the air to an extent and opens up the rook on d8 to attack the bishop on d3. It looks active but also risky
22.Bb1
White must hang on to the e4 pawn but now he intends h2-h3
22...h5 23.h3
Now it seems to me that Kramnik is committed to sacrificing a pawn with h4+ [23.h3 h4+ 24.Nxh4 Ne5 25.Nf3 Nxc4 26.Ng5 Rhe8 Fritz 11: +(0.55)]
23...h4+ 24.Nxh4
Kramnik may play Ng4-e5 and take on c4 re-establishing material equality but the more the game opens up the better the white bishops might become Also taking on c4 as we discussed before opens the c file for a white rook This looks very risky for Black there were safer choices on move 21
24...Ne5 25.Nf3 Nh5+ 26.Kf2 Nxf3 27.Kxf3 e5!
The situation has clarified. Kramnik has some play for the sacrificed pawn but remember White's bishops are still potentially strong if some light square diagonals open up Black still cannot play Bxc4 because Rc1 will win back the c6 pawn Black can retreat to b5 but then a3-a4 dislodges the bishop White's bishop on b4 prevents Rf8+
28.Rc1
[28.Rc1 Rh6 29.Ra2 Nf4 30.Be7 Rd4 31.c5 Bc4 32.Rb2 Nd3 Fritz 11: +(0.89)]
28...Nf4 29.Ra2
Very clever play from Anand his rooks cover loads of squares but not d1 at the moment
29...Nd3 30.Rc3 Nf4
Kramnik offers a repetition of moves Anand is having a think about this but he must try to play on with an extra pawn
31.Bc2 Ne6
Kramnik's knight is a great piece now he might play c6-c5 and the Rf8+ is possible. Also there is the idea of Nd4+ and takes on c2 when we get opposite coloured bishops which increase Black's chances of a draw Of course a computer will just say +1 for White but this Homo Sapiens reckons the bishop on c2 is a dud, Black's rooks have files and so Black has some compensation It's actually quite hard to see how White makes progress here. This is a high level game, positional factors take precedence
32.Kg3 Rd4
Black intends to take on c4 and if 33.c5 then both white bishops are hemmed in by pawns and Black has full compensation.
1/2-1/2

World Chess Championship 2008

World Champion Viswanathan Anand defends his title against Vladimir Kramnik in a 12 game match (rapid and blitz tie-breaks if the match finishes 6-6) in Bonn, Germany, October 14th– 2nd November, 2008. The main sponsor is Evonik Industries AG and the prizemoney 1,5 Million Euro.
World Chess Championship Game-1:
Kramnik, V - Anand, V.
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5
IM Malcolm Pein: The Exchange Slav, predictably solid for the first game. Also it suits Kramnik's solid style and frustrates Anand's natural attacking instincts
4...cxd5 5.Bf4 Nc6 6.e3
IM Malcolm Pein: This keeps the option of Nge2 or answering Bc8-g4 with f2-f3
6...Bf5 7.Nf3
IM Malcolm Pein: But now this is just the best move according to theory
7...e6 8.Qb3
IM Malcolm Pein: White exploits the absence of the bishop from c8
8...Bb4 9.Bb5 O-O
IM Malcolm Pein: An important moment, Black stops copying White's moves. Of course doing that for too long always loses
10.Bxc6
10.O-O IM Malcolm Pein: Is the most common move now let's look at a typical example of how White can keep a small edge in a quiet position} 10...Bxc3 11.Bxc6 Bxb2 12.Bxb7 Bxa1 13.Rxa1 Rc8 14.Bxc8 Qxc8 15.Qa3 Qb7 16.Rc1 Rc8 17.Rxc8+ Qxc8 18.Ne5 Nd7 19.Nxd7 Qxd7 20.Qa6 {IM Malcolm Pein: and Black's queen is restricted. White now used his move active queen in combination with the bishop and played Bf4-b8 x a7 and won in Malakhov-Ivanchuk FIDE World Cup 2002}
10...Bxc3+ 11.Qxc3 Rc8
IM Malcolm Pein: Black avoids the loss of a pawn by pinning the bishop but White can use the tempo it takes Black to recapture. Note how White dominates the dark squares because his bishop is unchallenged
12.Ne5 Ng4
12...bxc6 13.Nxc6 Qe8
IM Malcolm Pein: Wins the knight but White would not take the pawn. He would just lay siege to the weak c6 pawn on the open c file}
13.Nxg4 Bxg4 14.Qb4
IM Malcolm Pein: Black has a choice, submit to the weak pawn on c6 by taking back with the pawn or sacrifice the b pawn
14...Rxc6 15.Qxb7 Qc8
IM Malcolm Pein: Anand can see he will get active pieces and complete control of the only open file in return for the sacrificed pawn. Also the opposite coloured bishops tend to make endgames drawish
16.Qxc8 Rfxc8 17.O-O
IM Malcolm Pein: Kramnik's 14.Qb4 was a new move at the top level. What Anand has to worry about here is that Kramnik has analysed this move extensively with a computer. Computers love extra pawns and they show us how to hang on to them
17...a5
IM Malcolm Pein: This is a typical kind of move in a situation where there is a 2 pawn v 1 pawn majority. Anand wants to prevent the a2 and b2 pawns moving forward.} IM Malcolm Pein: It's interesting that Kramnik is thinking at this juncture. I would have though this was still home analysis
17...Rc2 18.b3 IM Malcolm Pein: was the obvious move but after f2-f3 White might try and organise Bd6-c5 which the rook on c6 prevents.
18.f3
IM Malcolm Pein: A move which increases the dynamism of White's kingside pawns, e3-e4 may be possible later and g2-g4. Also the second rank can be defended with Rf1-f2
18.f3 Bf5 19.h4 h5 20.Rf2 f6 21.Re1 Bg6 {Rybka 2.2: (+=0.29)}
18...Bf5 19.Rfe1
IM Malcolm Pein: Now e3-e4 may be on the agenda. This kind of position is perfect for Kramnik while Anand must be careful and this adds to the psychological pressure. Kramnik rarely takes risks but this kind of position is almost completely without risk
19...Bg6
IM Malcolm Pein: Anticipating the e3-e4 thrust. Black should centralise his king next and put it on d7. Note that White cannot centralise his king yet IM Malcolm Pein: 20.Kf2 Rc2+ 21.Re2 Rxe2+ 22.Kxe2 Rc2+ regaining the pawn IM Malcolm Pein: Anand anticipated e3-e4 last move so Kramnik anticipates Rc2 which now will not attack the b2 pawn
20.b3 f6
IM Malcolm Pein: OK Vlad, how are you going to improve your position.

IM Malcolm Pein: White cannot contest the c file he cannot play Rc1
21.e4
IM Malcolm Pein: It was hard to see another active idea} {IM Malcolm Pein: Black must be careful, if he takes on e4 then White recaptures with the pawn and d4-d5 making a passed pawn looks good as it reaches a protected square on d6 quickly} {IM Malcolm Pein: I am a little surprised by this but on further investigation I guess we will see that Anand has worked out a way to attack these centre pawns}
21...dxe4
22.fxe4 Rd8 23. Rad1 Rc2

2008 World Chess Championship Anand vs Kramnik in Bonn

The 2008 World Chess Championship between the reigning Champion Viswanathan Anand and challenger Vladimir Kramnik takes place in Bonn, Germany. Main info in brief:
When:From October 14 – November 02, 2008
Where: Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bonn
Prize fund: 1.5 million Euro (= US $2.35 million)
Patron:German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück
Main sponsor: Evonik Industries AG
Duration and time controls: The match consists of twelve games, played under classical time controls: 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, 60 minutes for the next 20 moves and then 15 minutes for the rest of the game plus an additional 30 seconds per move starting from move 61.
Prize fund: The sum of 1.5 million Euro (approximately 2.35 million US Dollars) including taxes and FIDE license fees, is split equally between the players.

Tickets and accommodation:
Tickets cost 35 Euro (= US $54.80) per round. They include the following benefits:
entry to the playing hall;
entry to the commentary room, where there is analysis and discussions with prominent grandmasters.
The tickets are available at all ticket agencies in Germany. You can also buy tickets for the match in advance via BONNTICKET, by email (tickets@bonnticket.de) or telephone (+49-180-5001812).