Tal Memorial 2007. Moscow - Round 8 by Malcolm Pein

Vladimir Kramnik vs Shakhriyar Mamedyarov in round 8. Photo © http://www.europe-echecs.com

The Tal Memorial Tournament takes place in Moscow 9th-19th November 2007.

Official site: http://www.russiachess.org/

‘Win with white, draw with black’ is the secret to success most of the time in an all play tournaments and Vladimir Kramnik is giving something of an exhibition at the Tal Memorial as he won for the fourth time with the advantage of the first move and extended his lead to 1.5 points.

The former world champion was the only winner in the eighth and penultimate round and wrapped up tournament victory with a round to spare. The world number seven Shakriyaz Mamedyarov was outplayed after trying a sharp line of the Modern Defence to avoid Kramnik’s Catalan Opening.

In a complicated struggle both sides had to play with their king in the centre but Kramnik ensured that he was able to later ‘castle by hand’ while the black monarch was forced to suffer the attentions of the white queen and knight throughout.

Round eight results

Kramnik,V (2785) - Mamedyarov,S (2752) [A40]
Tal Mem Moscow RUS (8), 18.11.2007

1.d4 g6 2.c4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.e4 e5 5.Nge2 exd4 5...Nf6; 5...Nd7 would lead to a King's Indian 6.Nxd4 Nc6 7.Be3 Nge7 Your correspondent was inspired by Jonathan Mestel to play this 30 years ago. but Garry Kasparov showed how White shouldplay 8.h4! [Exploiting the absence of the knight from f6. 8.Be2 0-0 9.0-0 f5 10.exf5 Bxd4 11.Bxd4 Nxf5 12.Be3 Nxe3 is fine for Black] 8...f5 [8...h6 9.Be2 f5 10.exf5 Nxf5 11.Nxf5 Bxf5 12.Qd2 Qd7 13.0-0 0-0-0 14.b4 Nxb4 15.Nb5 Led to a swift finish in Kasparov Speelman World Cup Barcelona 15...Nc2 16.Bf3 d5 17.Bxd5 Nxa1 18.Nxa7+ Kb8 19.Qb4 Qxd5 20.cxd5 Nc2 21.Qa5 Nxe3 22.fxe3 Rhe8 23.Nb5 Rxd5 24.Qxc7+ Ka8 25.Qa5+ 1-0] 9.h5 fxe4 10.hxg6 [10.Nxe4 Nf5 11.Bg5 Qd7 12.Nf6+ Bxf6 13.Bxf6 was unclear in Vaganian-Mestel Hastings] 10...hxg6 11.Rxh8+ Bxh8 12.Nxe4 d5 [12...Bf5 13.Nxf5 gxf5 14.Qh5+ Kd7 15.0-0-0 Qg8 16.Nc5+ Kc8 17.Nb3 a5 18.Nd4 Bxd4 19.Bxd4 Nxd4 20.Rxd4 a4 21.a3 Ra5 22.f4 Kb8 23.Qf3 Nc6 24.Rd5 Rxd5 25.cxd5 Nd4 26.Qe3 Nb3+ 27.Kc2 Nc5 28.Qf3 Ne4 29.Qd3 Qg4 30.Qf3 Qxf3 31.gxf3 Nf6 32.Bc4 Ka7 33.Kd3 Kb6 34.Kd4 Nh5 35.Bd3 Ng3 36.Kc4 c5 37.dxc6 bxc6 38.Kb4 d5 39.Kxa4 Kc5 40.Kb3 Kd4 41.Kc2 c5 42.Kd2 c4 43.Bb1 Kc5 44.Ke3 d4+ 45.Kf2 Nh5 46.Bxf5 Nxf4 47.Ke1 c3 48.bxc3 dxc3 49.Kd1 Nd5 50.Be6 Ne3+ 51.Ke2 c2 52.Kd2 Ng2 53.Bf5 Ne3 54.Bxc2 Nc4+ 55.Kc3 Ne3 56.Be4 Ng2 57.Bd3 Ne3 58.Be4 Ng2 59.a4 Nf4 60.Kd2 Kb4 61.Bc6 Kc5 62.Bb5 Kd4 63.a5 Ne6 64.a6 1-0 Littke,A (2300)-Hergott,D (2475)/Ottawa CAN 1995] 13.Nxc6 bxc6 14.Bd4!

14...Bg4 [Black cannot take the knight 14...Bxd4 15.Qxd4 dxe4 16.Qh8+ Kd7 17.0-0-0+] 15.Qxg4 Bxd4 16.cxd5 Bxb2 17.Rd1 cxd5 18.Bb5+ Kf8 19.Qe6! Kg7 [19...Qb8 20.Ng5 Bc3+ 21.Rd2! wins] 20.Bc6 Nxc6 21.Qxc6 d4 22.Kf1! Rb8 23.Ng5 Qd6 24.Qc4 Qd7 25.Kg1 Black may be alright here but with the bishop cut off from the king the defence is very difficult 25...c6 26.Ne6+ Kf6 27.Nc5 Qe7 28.Rb1 Rb6 29.Nd3 Qe4! 30.Re1! [30.Rxb2 Rxb2 31.Nxb2 Qb1+ 32.Kh2 Qxb2 33.Qxc6+ Ke5 and Black's passed pawn guarantees him equality`] 30...Qd5 31.Qa4 Bc3 32.Qxa7 Bxe1 33.Qxb6 Bc3 34.a4 Qe4 35.Qd8+ Kf7 [35...Kg7 36.Qc7+ Kh6!?] 36.Qc7+ Kf6 37.Qd6+ Qe6 38.Qf8+ Qf7 39.Qh8+ Ke7 40.a5! [Stretching Black's defences to breaking point because if Bxa5 40.Qe5+ Kf8 41.Qa5] 40...Qa2 41.Qg7+ Kd8 42.Ne5 1-0

Here is the Garry Kasparov game from 1989 mentioned above.

Kasparov,Garry (2775) - Speelman,Jonathan S (2640) [A42]
World Cup Barcelona (10), 03.1989

1.d4 d6 2.e4 g6 3.c4 e5 4.Nf3 exd4 5.Nxd4 Bg7 6.Nc3 Nc6 7.Be3 Nge7 8.h4! h6 If Black plays 8...h5 then his f7-f5 plan creates a serious weakness on g6. If 8...f5 9.h5 9.Be2 f5 10.exf5 Nxf5 11.Nxf5 Bxf5 12.Qd2 Qd7 13.0-0 0-0-0 14.b4 Nxb4 15.Nb5 Nc2 16.Bf3 d5 17.Bxd5 Nxa1 [17...c6? 18.Nxa7+ Kb8 19.Bf4+ Kxa7 20.Qa5# mate] 18.Nxa7+ Kb8 19.Qb4 Qxd5 [19...c6 20.Bxc6 Qc7 21.Bf4] 20.cxd5 Nc2 21.Qa5 Nxe3 22.fxe3 Rhe8 23.Nb5 Rxd5 24.Qxc7+ Ka8 25.Qa5+ 1-0