John Henderson Mainz Reports

Round 1-2 26th June 2001

THE MAINZ CHANCE

A pressroom without any telephone lines could, I suppose, be a bit like a pub with no beer. But this was the tricky situation we intrepid journalists found ourselves in on arrival in Mainz in Germany for yet another of Hans-Walter Schmitt’s Chess Classic extravaganzas.

Those wonderfully advanced Germans (who at least had the economic and technological benefits that befits a country who lost two World Wars) reckoned that ISDN lines, as in the Fatherland, should be standard throughout the world. It’s a simple case of Vorsprung durch Technik, as the Germans would say. Both the pressroom and the hotel rooms would only operate with ISDN, which left all us hacks wondering how to getting the info out to you, the discerning public. Like junkies wondering around looking for their next fix, we paced up and down searching aimlessly for an internet connection – I even considered bringing Speckled Jim out of retirement so that he could dispatch messages to Mark Crowther’s pigeon loft in deepest Bradford. Thankfully we now have one (yes, ONE!) working telephone line in the pressroom to send out our daily witterings.

But lets not be too quick to criticise our hosts: on a reduced budget, and enormous upheaval of moving the whole shebang from Frankfurt, Hans-Walter and his (normally) reliable team have had to organise everything very much at the last minute. The Frankfurt Chess Classic is dead! Long live the Mainz Chess Classic!

At its zenith, the Chess Classic was the only tournament in 150 years of chess history that brought together all top ten players as last year. Now, the legend has moved from the Hessian metropolis to start again in the state capital of Rhineland-Palatinate. Schmitt’s decision for moving some 25 kilometres ‘down the road’? “Mainz,” he explained during the opening ceremony, “has the only city mayor in Germany [Jens Beutel, a former player with SV Mombach, rated at 2070] who will give his unconditional support to chess.”

The “Mainz” feature of the new venue was an intriguing battle of the two titleholders, Vishy Anand and Vladimir Kramnik, billed as “The Duel of the Champions”. And, with Mickey Adams and Peter Leko in a supporting act, something unique in the game: the first meeting over the board in public of two elite players in a Fischer Random Match.

You’ve heard of the expression “Using a sledgehammer to crack a nut”? Well, unbelievably, this was literally how the redoubtable Hans-Walter decided on the drawing of the lots at the opening ceremony!

Two sets of piggy banks were ceremoniously wheeled in, whereupon both sets of players in order (Leko vs. Adams first, and then Anand vs. Kramnik) were asked to “choose” their weapons: a heavy-duty sledgehammer. I kind of figured that on paper this might have sounded exciting, but, in reality, with a scrum (or should that be scum?) of photographers crouched round the piggy banks for the best vantage shot (and with no hard hats, goggles or even the aid of a safety net), this was not the best place to be when a sledgehammer is being used! KA-BANG! And debris from the poor piggy went, well, in the general direction of the poor photographers (including yours truly). Inside, was either a white or black piece determining who would have the advantage of white in the first game.

As both Vishy and Vlady posed with said sledgehammers, some wag (OK, I’ll come clean: me.) cracked “The only thing needed to complete this shot was Garry Kasparov – ideally situated in-between the sledgehammers!

Kramnik was surprised when a journalist pointed out his poor record against Anand in rapid chess. According to the journalist, Kramnik has one win, five losses and twenty draws against Vishy. “I’ve lost five?” Kramnik asked. Anand grinned and nodded in satisfaction. “Hmm,” pondered big Vlad as he rubbed his chin, we’ll need to see what we can do about that!”

Kramnik,V (2797) - Anand,V (2794) [D27]

Mainz CC Champions Duel Mainz GER (1), 26.06.2001

1 d4 d5 2 c4 dxc4 3 Nf3 e6 4 e3 Nf6 5 Bxc4 c5 6 0–0 a6 7 a4 [7 Bb3 cxd4 8 exd4 Nc6 9 Nc3 Be7 10 Re1 0–0 11 Bf4 Na5 12 d5 Nxb3 13 Qxb3 exd5 14 Rad1 Be6 15 Qxb7 Bc5 16 Be5 Qa5 17 Nd4 Bxd4 18 Rxd4 Nd7 19 Bd6 Nc5 20 Qc7 Qxc7 21 Bxc7 ½–½ Kramnik,V-Anand,V/Monaco 2001/CB17 (76).] 7 ..cxd4 8 exd4 Nc6 9 Nc3 Be7 10 Bg5 0–0 11 Re1 Bd7 12 Qe2 Re8 [12 ..Nb4!? blockading d5 was also worthy of consideration. In isolated pawn positions such as we have here, the more control you have of the square in front of the pawn the better.] 13 Rad1 Nd5 14 Bd2 Bf6

The only move. Other give White a decisive advantage due to the central control: 14 ..Ncb4 15 Ne5²; 14 ..Nxc3? 15 Bxc3 Na5 16 d5! Nxc4 17 Qxc4 Rc8 (17 ..exd5 18 Qxd5 Bxa4 19 Qe5 wins) 18 Qf4 Bf6 19 dxe6 fxe6 (19 ..Rxe6? 20 Rxe6 fxe6 21 Qd6 and the pin is decisive.)) 20 Ne5 Bxe5 21 Qxe5 Qe7 22 a5 with a big advantage.] 15 Ne4 Nxd4 [15 ..Bxd4?! 16 Bg5! (16 Nxd4 Nxd4 17 Qd3 Nf5=) 16 ..Qb6 17 a5 Qa7 18 Nd6 with an even better version of the game.] 16 Nxd4 Bxd4 17 Bg5 [Black easily equalises after both 17 Ng5 h6! and 17 Nd6 Rf8! However, an interesting attempt is 17 Qd3!? Qb6 18 a5 Qa7 19 Bc1 Bc5 20 Qg3 with play on the black king.] 17 ..Qb6 18 a5 Qa7 [18 ..Qxb2? 19 Rd2!] 19 Nd6 Rf8 [Black has to show some caution due to the threats to the king: 19 ..Bc6? 20 Nxe8 Rxe8 21 Bxd5 Bxd5 22 Qd2 Bc5 23 Qxd5!; 19 ..Reb8? 20 Qf3 Nf6 21 Bxf6 Bxf6 22 Nxf7 Bc6 23 Qh5 g6 24 Qh3 both with a decisive advantage.] 20 Bxd5 exd5 21 Be7 Be6! Realistically, this is Anand's only option: It secures the black position and restricts the escape squares for the d6 knight. In order to defend the knight, Kramnik has to give up the b-pawn - all of which gives Anand chances of securing the draw. 22 Qf3 Bxb2 23 Rb1 Qd4

24 Bxf8? [Kramnik missed two golden chances here: 24 Rxe6!? fxe6 25 Qe2 Qe5 26 Rxb2 Qxe2 27 Rxe2 Rf4 28 g3 Ra4 29 Nxb7 (29 Rxe6 Rxa5 30 Nxb7 Rb5 31 Nd6 Rb1+ 32 Kg2 a5! the a-pawn gives black good drawing chances.) 29 ..Rb8 30 Nc5 Rxa5 31 Nxe6 Ra1+ 32 Kg2 Rc1 33 Re5 Re8 34 Bd6 Rc6 35 Nf4 Rxe5 36 Bxe5 and white is better in this ending as the d-pawn is doomed.] 24 ..Rxf8 25 Nxb7 Bc3

26 Re3? [And perhaps the most decisive opportunity was now: 26 Rec1! Bd2 (26 ..Bb4 27 Rc6 Ra8 28 Rb6!) 27 Rd1 Bg4 28 Rxd2! winning.] 26 ..Bg4! 27 Qg3 Bf5 28 Rf1 Bd2 29 Nd6 Bg6 30 Rf3 Bxa5 31 h4 [31 Nf5 Qe4 32 Nh4 (32 Nd6? Qe6 33 Nb7 Bb4! winning.) 32 ..Bd2 33 Nxg6 hxg6 34 Ra3 a5 and black easily holds.] 31 ..Bc7 32 Nf5 [32 Rc1 Qb6 33 Rb3=] 32 ..Bxg3 33 Nxd4 Bxh4 34 Ra3 Bf6? [34 ..Be7! 35 Rxa6 Bd3 36 Ra5 Bxf1 37 Kxf1 Bf6 38 Rxd5 Ra8 with "some" chances - though likely a draw.] ½–½

The so-called warm-up act at the Chess Classic each day before the Anand-Kramnik duel is the match between Adams and Leko, the first time a serious match of this new variant has been organised involving two top-ten players.

In 1992, when the former world champion Bobby Fischer prepared to come out of retirement for a one-off match against his old foe Boris Spassky to boost their pension plans, he was shocked by the sheer volume of computer opening analysis sent to him by friends for his preparation.

After winning the match, Fischer quickly realised that there was no way back for him as the game had changed enormously with the aid of computer technology since his historic world title victory in 1972. He therefore decided that the only option left open to him was to change the game and create a new version that was christened “Fischer Random” – there is at least some irony here: a computer is required to randomly generate one of the 960 different starting positions (including the original starting position and 959 others) with the pieces shuffled on the backrank.

The rules of the game are basically the same as Classical Chess, the main problem only being castling, which sometimes looks odd in this form of chess. When your king is on e1 and a rook is on f1, you only have to move your king to g1.

Adams,M (2750) - Leko,P (2730)

Mainz CC Fischer Random Mainz GER (2), 26.06.2001

1 c4 g6 2 d3 f5 Already the position resembles a sort of English Opening vs. Leningrad Dutch - and perhaps Adams's best chance was to allow this by continuing with Nc3. 3 Bc3 e5 4 f4 d6 5 fxe5 dxe5 6 g4 Bc6! 7 Bxc6 Nxc6 By these timely exchanges of the pieces, Leko has already got a better position. 8 gxf5 gxf5 9 Ne3 Nge7 10 Qe1 Qe6 11 Nc2 The position now reaches its first crisis point: Castling! The rules differ between Shuffle Chess (which Yusupov played here last year against Fritz on Primergy) and Fischer Random. In Shuffle Chess, castling is not allowed; in Fischer random, the usual rules apply such as not crossing check etc. 11 ..0-0-0 12 0-0-0

12 ..Ng6 [12 ..Qh6+ 13 Qd2 Qxh2 14 Nf3 Qg3 15 Ng5 Rg8 16 Nxh7 f4] 13 b3 Bf6 14 e3 f4! 15 exf4 Nxf4 The weakness on d3 proves too much already for Adams - his position is seriously compromised. 16 Qe4 Bg5 17 Kb1 Qg6 18 Qxg6 hxg6 19 d4 Adams thought he had got rid of his weakness on d3 - but failed to see Leko's nice combination. 19 ..exd4 20 Nxd4 Nxd4 21 Rxd4

21 ..Nd5! 22 Rxf8 Nxc3+ 23 Kc2 Rxf8 24 Rg4 [24 Kxc3? Bf6!] 24 ..Bf6 25 a3 Be5 26 Rxg6 Ne4 27 h4 Rf2+ 28 Kd3 Nc5+ 29 Ke3 Ra2 The rest is simply academic: Black easily holds white's h-pawn whilst gobbling the queenside pawns and passing his own a-pawn. 30 Nf3 Ba1 31 h5 Rxa3 32 h6 Rxb3+ 33 Kf4 Rb6 34 Rg1 Rf6+ 35 Ke3 Re6+ 36 Kf4 Rf6+ 37 Ke3 Bb2 38 Rh1 a5 39 h7 Rf8 40 Rh2 Bf6 41 Rh6 Nd7 42 Kd2 Kd8 43 Kc2 Ke7 44 Nh4 Kf7 45 Nf5 Ne5 46 c5 a4 47 Ne3 a3 48 Kb3 Ra8 49 Ka2 Nd3 50 Rh1 Nb4+ 51 Kb3 a2 0–1

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