Commentary on game 14 will be brought to you by GM Neil McDonald, IM Malcolm Pein and FM Chris Duncan

Kramnik has played perfect match chess so far- putting the World Champion under enormous pressure with the White pieces and holding with Black without too many problems. This has been due to excellent preparation and great determination. It will be interesting to see how hard the Challenger tries to exploit the white pieces today. A draw would put him within another half point of the title of 14th World Champion- and incidentally guarantee him a purse of at least one million dollars. However, I expect him to try to end the match with a flourish today.

Game delayed for half an hour by water damage. Those of you watching from abroad may not know that there has been some freak weather in the South of England over the last couple of days, with rivers bursting their banks and tornados cutting a swathe through the coastline.

1.Nf3

Finally the game kicks off-let's hope it was worth waiting for! Kramnik's first move is a surprise: in every previous game as White he has opened 1.d4.

1... Nf6

The most flexible response.

2.c4 b6 3.g3 c5 4.Bg2 Bb7 5.0-0 g6

Kramnik has played a very solid opening- he is leaving it to the World Champion to work out how to complicate things and create winning chances. Kasparov has responded in dynamic style with a double fianchetto. This indicates he isn't going to give up his title without a fight.

6.Nc3 Bg7 7.d4 cxd4 8.Qxd4 d6 9.Rd1 Nbd7

A position has been reached similar to the well known hedgehog, except Black has fianchettoed his king's bishop rather than played e7-e6 and Be7. White has a space advantage, but Black's pieces are well entrenched and ready to spring into action if White loses control of the position.

10.Be3

Planning to answer 10...0-0 with 11.Qd2 and then 12.Bh6 to exchange off Black's important dark squared bishops.

10...Rc8

By attacking c4 Black makes it harder for White to carry out the plan outlined above.

Now Kasparov has 1 hour 59 minutes, Kramnik 1 hour 51 minutes left.

11.Rac1 0-0 12.Qh4

The queen finds a safe square keeping c4 defended and still with the idea of Bh6 at an appropriate moment.

12.. a6

A standard move in this type of centre. Black intends Rc7 or even Qc7 without being bothered by Nb5.

13.Ne1

This indicates Kramnik is only interested in a draw- by retreating the knight he aims at simplifying and killing off the tension in the position. However, the World Champion is used to opponents playing passively against him and often he manages to create something out of nothing!

13... Bxg2 14.Nxg2

Now one Black plan is to prepare b6-b5 perhaps beginning with Qc7 and Qb7, though White could cross this idea with Nd5. White has to play actively in response or he may find his position begin to deteriorate.

Kasparov has 1 hour and 20 minutes, while Kramnik's got 1 hour and 45 minutes.

14... Re8

He wants to play 15...Qc7 without being bothered by 16.Nd5, as 16...Qb7 would then be fine- the e7 pawn isn't hanging.

15.b3 Qc7

Another good point of his 14th move is that White cannot exchange bishops with 16.Bh6 as the retreat 16...Bh8 is now possible. The one real drawback to Black's opening set up is that if he plays e7-e6 to control the important d5 square then he leaves the d6 pawn very weak. In the usual hedgehog set up there is a bishop on e7 to defend the d6 pawn, but here the bishop is away on g7.

Kasparov have 1 hour 15 minutes and Kramnik has 1 hour 22 minutes.

16.Bg5

Kramnik wants to increase his ascendancy over the d5 square. I assume he intends to follow up with Ne3 and Ned5, which would increase the direct pressure on f6 and indirect pressure on e7. He probably believes that at worst this will lead to a mass of exchanges and a draw; at best he may emerge with a slight positional advantage. Of course Kasparov is going to try to generate counterplay before he falls into such a bind.

16... Qb7 17.Ne3 b5

The game reaches its first critical moment. If 18.cxb5 axb5 19.Qb4 Rc5! attacking the bishop.

Kasparov now has exactly 1 hour and Kramnik's got an hour and 10 minutes.

IM Malcolm Pein thinks the position is very comfortable for Black, with some chances to seize the initiative. The match isn't over yet!

18.Ned5

Kramnik chooses to ignore Kasparov's pawn stab and carries on with his own plan of asserting control over d5. He believes that his activity and potential pressure on e7 will be more important than the weakness on c4 after 18...bxc4 19.bxc4. Of course Kasparov won't necssarily agree with him!

Kasparov now has 46 minutes and Kramnik has 59 minutes left.

18... bxc4 19.bxc4

As predicted White has been handed a weak pawn- it is especially weak as it stands on an open file. The question is whether White's dynamism gives him enough compensation.

19... h5

Black is in no rush. This pawn move makes Ng4 possible in some lines and avoids any back rank calamities in the future-IM Malcolm Pein.

Both Kasparov and Kramnik has almost exactly the same time left to the time control.

Kasparov now has 38 minutes while Kramnik got 25 minutes.

20.Qf4 Qc6

The queen attacks the c pawn head on. Now White has to be careful as 21.Nxf6+ exf6 22.Qxd6 [moving the bishop fails to 22...g5] 22...fxg5 23.Qxd7 Qxd7 24.Rxd7 Rxc4 appears to win material.

21.Bxf6 Nxf6 22.Nxf6+Bxf6 23.Nd5

The knight is very nice on this square, but on the other hand the c4 pawn is weaker than any point in Black's camp. The chances seem fairly balanced, with Black's structural superiority off set by White's activity.

23... Bb2

This is a finesse to gain time before retreating the bishop.

24.Rb1 Bg7

Now White has to worry about the c pawn.

25.Qg5

Instead Kramnik aims at Black's own Achilles' heel.

25... Kf8

Virtually the only move, as if 25...Qd7 26.Nb6 wins the exchange.

26.Rdf1

It's not clear that Black gained anything by 23...Bb2- the white rook actually looks good on b1. One idea is now 27.Rb6 Qd7 28.Rxa6 or 28.Rcb1. White is looking active.

26... e6

The World Champion solves the problem of the d5 square and e7, but on the other hand he lets the knight into the hole on f6 and weakens the d6 pawn. However, he seems to have worked out that with a future Qc5 move offering the exchange of queens he will gain the edge.

27.Nf6 Red8 28.h4

This defends the queen in anticipation of 28...Qc5.

28...Qa8

This unexpected queen retreat is much more dynamic than Qc5. Black threatens to win the knight with 29...Rc5 30.Qf4 Rf5.

29.c5

This cuts across Black's plan, but he is giving up a pawn. If now 29...dxc5 30.Rxc5 Rxc5?? 31.Qxc5 is mate.

29... Rxc5 30.Rxc5 Bxf6 31.Qxf6 dxc5

Kramnik has sacrificed a pawn to get his queen to a dominant position. However he can't play 32.Rb3 because of 32...Rd1+ and mates on h1. Black's passed pawn seems to give him a clear advantage. Times are now Kasparov 12 minutes, Kramnik 8.

32.Kh2

This frees his rook for active duty.

32... Kg8 33.Rb6

With the idea of 34.Rxe6 fxe6 35.Qxg6+ forcing perpetual check.

33... Re8

Defending against the threat, but the rook is now on a passive square.

34.Qf3

Offering the exchange of queens. White will get back his pawn but the c pawn seems very fast.

34... Qxf3 35.exf3 Rc8

The only move as defending a6 allows 36.Rc6 drawing at once.

36.Rxa6 c4 37.Rd6 c3 38.Rd1 Ra8

This is forced as 38...c2 9.Rc1 followed by bringing up White's king is no good for Black.

39.Rc1 Rxa2 40.Rxc3 Rxf2+

So Kasparov has found a way to keep his extra pawn. However, with all the pawns on the same side of the board it will be difficult to exploit it. The best hope for Black is the bad position of the white king.

41.Kg1 Ra2 42.Rc7 Kf8 43.Rb7 Ke8 44.Rb8+ Ke7 45.Rb7+ Kf6

Kramnik has put his rook on its optimum square where it ties down the black king to f7. Now Black can expand with e6-e5, Ke6, f7-f6, Kf5 and g6-g5. If White's pawn were on f2 rather than f3 it would be an established theoretical draw- though not without some difficulties for White. With the pawn on f3 Black's winning chances must be considerably improved as White's king is cut off on the first rank.

46.Kf1e5 47.Rb6+ Kf5 48.Rb7 Ke6

Kasparov doesn't commit himself to any immediate pawn advance. Instead he tries to bring up his king as far as is compatible with the safety of his pawns.

49.Rb6+ Kf5 50.Rb7 f6 51.Rg7 g5

Black finally carries out the advance outlined at move 45.

52.hxg5 fxg5

Now Black threatens 53...e4 54.fxe4+ Kg4! or simply 53...h4 creating a passed pawn. However, 53.Rf7+ should hold the draw, for example 53...Ke6 54.Rg7-54.Rh7 g4!-54...h4 55.gxh4 gxh4 56.Rh7.

16 minutes now left for Kramnik and 40 minutes left for Kasparov

53.Rg8 g4 54.Rf8+ Ke6

Here the pundits are divided between those who think it is a draw and those who feel Kasparov has serious winning chances.It depends on whether Black manages to infiltrate with his king to a dream square such as e3.

55.Re8+ Kf5 56.Rf8+ Kg6 57.Rg8+

Kramnik forces the black king back as far as possible.

57... Kf5

If 58.Rg5 would leave all Black's pawns hanging. Therefore Kasparov has to acqiesce in the draw after 58.Rf8+ etc.

So draw agreed.

Kasparov tried very hard to win and almost succeeded. After his miserable draw with White in the previous game it was good to see him display tremendous will to win today.