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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.
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