Kramnik vs Leko Malcolm Pein Round 7 Report
Team Leko: Vladislav Tkachiev, Mrs Leko and Vladimir Akopian Photo © Philippa Pein
There were some superb adverts on British television in the 1980's and 1990s for a brand of cigar known as Hamlet. Typically a man would suffer some irretrievable and invariably amusing accident or disaster and rather than try to swim against the tide he would just light up a cigar to the tune of some slightly mournful yet catchy music and contemplate the hopelessness of his situation and the catch phrase was: 'Happiness is a cigar called Hamlet'.
Well it is not a Hamlet cigar but happiness has to be a cigar called Danneman if you can make it to this exquisite part of Switzerland for the Classical Chess World Championship between the champion Vladimir Kramnik and the former prodigy Peter Leko.
The last time I saw chess events organised this well was the Lugano tournaments in the 1980s so perhaps there is something about the Swiss region of Ticino and its people who just know how to put on a top class event. This contest is properly funded and organised and is a welcome relief from the shamble of the Braingames match at London in 2000.
Brissago Photo © James Coleman
The surroundings are beautiful and Lake Maggiore is visible from the playing venue, the Centro Danneman, a cultural center almost on the water's edge. The press room facilities are spacious and high tech - there is even a wireless LAN throughout the building. Helpful staff are on hand to attend to any problems and there is a full program of excursions on the free days. The arbiters have had a wonderful time. As Albert Vasse, one of the trio told me, whatever they need they get and of course they get off early half the time because there have been a few too many early draws.
Danneman may be a new name to many readers but they have been sponsoring chess for two years. They started small with a match between Sergey Karjakin and Alexandra Kosteniuk and then moved onto Kramnik v Germany and must have been pleased with the results.
Danneman products. Photo © James Coleman
The Brazilian cigar manufacturer is fast running out of ways to get the brand across in Western countries as anti-smoking legislation begins to bite. Tobacco sponsorship of sports events is pretty much banned in the European Union so sponsoring a chess match in Switzerland, in the heart of Europe but not a member state of the EU, has its attractions.
If this goes well Danneman might well expand their chess sponsorship and back another match or a tournament. Rumour has it they are studying Wijk aan Zee.
If you are free at the weekend you can fly to Milan, tickets are cheap from other European cities, and then Brissago is a two hour drive. The area is blessed with almost a Mediterranean type of climate and has the flora and fauna to match. Trekking along the lake's shoreline to watch game seven I had to climb back to the main road and followed the path through dense palm trees, banana trees and vines.
Artur Jussupow is one of the commentators. Photo © Roberto Lampertico
At the entrance was Carsten Hensel the brains behind the match and who actually represents both players! and at the door tickets and earphone for the commentary by Helmut Pfleger and Artur Yusupov were on sale.
The game was another disappointment but these two are quite evenly matched and very well prepared. This time it was Kramnik's turn to spring an opening surprise and he opted for the Slav instead of the QGD. Cunningly he then steered the game into a QGA but one where he had lost a tempo by playing first c6 and then c5.
Black did without the move a6 while White's extra move was a4, not a move one would play voluntarily. I tried to think how this affected the main line with Qe2 and Rd1 but Leko declined to enter this. Sometimes the pawn on a6 can be weak because of White's Qe2 and Bc4 and sometimes Pawn a4-a5 is played and after b6 takes a5 White's Ne4-c5 can attack a6. I tried to quiz Kramnik on this after the game and he summarised it as follows: " I am a tempo down and I am happy"
Consider this game where Black plays a7-a6 and then a6-a5 himself with great effect.
I Novikov - Y Yakovich Moscow Open 1990
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 a6 4.e3 Nf6 5.Bxc4 e6 6.a4 c5 7.0-0 Nc6 8.Qe2 cxd4 9.Rd1 Be7 10.exd4 0-0 11.Nc3 Nd5 12.Bd3 Ncb4 13.Bb1 b6 14.Ne4 a5! 15.Ne5? f5 16.Nd2 Ba6 17.Ndc4 Bf6 18.Qe1 Qc7 19.b3 Bxe5 20.Nxe5 Nc3 21.Rd2 Ne2+ 22.Rxe2 Bxe2 23.Bf4 Nd5 24.Bd2 Ba6 25.Nc4 Bxc4 26.bxc4 Qxc4 27.Qxe6+ Kh8 28.Ba2 Qxd4 0-1
Leko tried to improvise with 10.Be3 and 12.a5!? but although it impressed at first Kramnik defused it pretty easily. Leko said: I like this move (a5) I have never seen it before but then he added, when quizzed whether he felt 13.d5 was premature: " I felt I had to play originally to justify making twelve moves in one hour" . It looked practical to try and force matters and I was hoping or dreaming of some pressure". " If 13.Qb3 Bc6 14.a6 Nfd5 and then what to do" said Leko after the game.
The key thing to understand is that Kramnik's intended Bd7-c6 can always be met by Nxc6 but then b7xc6 is very solid and the d4 pawn is going nowhere.
So the match stands at 3.5-3.5 at the half way stage. "Its even" said Leko I lost the first game in a ridiculous way and had to recover, I think we will have a very fighting second half" . " The result is very logical" said Kramnik and then with a chuckle: " Its not completely even, I have an extra white but I don't know if this an advantage or not!"
Peter Leko and a relaxed Vladimir Kramnik at the start of game 7. Photo © Philippa Pein
Leko,P (2741) - Kramnik,V (2770) [D16]
WCh Brissago SUI (7), 05.10.2004 [Notes,Malcolm Pein]
1.d4 And why not?. After his success in game five Leko makes Kramnik face the Queen's Pawn again. 1...d5 2.c4 c6 Immediately varying from the QGD of Game five. Kramnik has plenty of experience in some of the sharpest lines of Slav and Semi Slav. 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 dxc4
5.a4 [ 5.e4 b5 The Geller Gambit just does not stand up to the scrutiny of top class players] 5...e6 A very clever move order if 6.e3 [ 6.e4 Bb4 7.Bg5 b5 Is a sharp line of the Slav which Kramnik knows well and which holds many pitfalls for White.] 6...c5
and now the Queen's Gambit Accepted, a Kramnik speciality but with a twist. Black has lost a tempo c6-c5 but White has used the tempo for the horrible move a4. Well perhaps not so horrible... 7.Bxc4 Nc6 8.0-0 cxd4 9.exd4 Be7 10.Be3 A quiet move, Re1, Bf4 and Bg5 were more active alternatives as was [ 10.Qe2 Intending Rd1 would be akin to the Main Line with ...a6 and the absence of a6 makes itself feltafter 10...Nxd4 11.Nxd4 Qxd4 12.Nb5! Qd8 ( 12...Qb6 13.a5! not such a useless move after all !) 13.Bf4 0-0 14.Nc7+/- Presumably Leko did not want to fight Kramnik on his turf] 10...0-0 11.Ne5 Nb4 A normal move trying to hold d5 and also inhibiting the batter with Bc4-b3-c2 and Qd1-d3 12.a5!?
An interesting attempt, aiming for Qf3 and a6 perhaps dreaming of Qb3 one day. Black's queenside pawns can also come under pressure due to the cramping effect of the pawn. 12...Bd7
13.d5 Leko had used an hour to here and needed to do something. During the game I was more enthused by [ 13.Qf3 Nc2 (13...Bc6 14.Nxc6 bxc6) 14.Rac1 Nxe3 15.fxe3 Qxa5 16.Nxd7 Nxd7 17.Qxb7 But looking at it now I can't think why. because 13.Qf3 Bc6 14. Nxc6 bxc6 looks very solid; 13.Qb3 Bc6 14.a6 Nfd5 again looks solid enough]
13...exd5 14.Nxd5 Nbxd5 15.Bxd5 Nxd5 [ 15...Bg4 16.Bxf7+ Rxf7 17.Nxg4 ( 17.Qb3 Bh5 Kramnik 18.Qxb7 Qd5 19.Qxd5 Nxd5 20.Nxf7 Kxf7 21.Rfc1 Bf6) 17...Qxd1 18.Nxf6+ Bxf6 19.Rfxd1 Bxb2 20.Rab1 Bf6 And White has some pressure - Kramnik, a good example of what I was referring to above with the a5 pawn.] 16.Qxd5 Bc8!
A high class defensive move, I was just thinking that a good player would know what to do. At lower levels this kind of pressure is hard to deal with. Kramnik needed to see that 17.Rfd1 [ 17.Qe4 Bd6! holds (not 17...Bf6? 18.Bc5 Re8 19.Rfd1 Qc7 20.Bd6! Qc6!? 21.Qxc6 bxc6 22.Rac1+/=) 18.Nc4 Re8 19.Qd4 ( 19.Qf3 Bxh2+ 20.Kxh2 Qh4+ 21.Kg1 Qxc4 22.Rfc1=) 19...Be7 is OK 17...Qxd5 18.Rxd5 Be6 19.Rb5 Bf6 20.Nf3 b6 21.axb6
[ 21.axb6 axb6 22.Re1 ( 22.Rxa8 Rxa8 23.h3 Bd8!=/+) 22...Ra6 ( 22...Bd8 23.Rb4 ( 23.Nd4 Bc4 24.Rb4 b5 Is the kind of thing White should avoid.) 23...Ra6 24.Rc1= With enough activity) 23.Rxb6 Rxb6 24.Bxb6 Bxb2=] 1/2-1/2