Kramnik vs Leko Malcolm Pein Round 8 Report
Brissago in the mist. Photo © Philippa Pein
‘I can see clearly now, the chips are on’
Yesterday we had rain and mist, today was a clear day across the lake and you could see for miles and miles and miles Unfortunately for Vlad, he saw a long way but not far enough.
Oh dear, this contest is not going to be won, its going to be lost. The protagonists are so evenly matched and so strong they don’t get outplayed easily, someone has to blunder, on or off the board. As Leko said in his press conference after game seven, he lost the first game in a ridiculous way. Kramnik lost a drawn endgame in game six and now he has lost a drawn opening, the Marshall Attack, in game eight.
Peter Leko ahead for the first time in the match Photo © Philippa Pein
Leko is ahead for the first time in the match 4.5-3.5 and Kramnik is only thinking of levelling the score to retain the title and no longer of taking the lion’s share of the prize fund with a match victory.
This is how to lose 21st century style, you don’t miscalculate at the board, your nerves don’t let you down, you don’t fall ill and you don’t fall victim to your opponent’s preparation. Nowadays it would seem the real danger is having your opponent walk into yours.
Before the age of computers new opening ideas were quite regularly refuted at the board but today they often force resignation as with the aid of a computer a player has worked the game out to the end. See for example:
Jobava,B (2596) - Bareev,E (2721) [B19]
ECC Rethymnon GRE (7), 04.10.2003
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Nf3 Nd7 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 Ngf6 11.Bd2 e6 12.0-0-0 Be7 13.Qe2 0-0 14.Kb1 c5 15.d5 exd5 16.Bxh6 gxh6 17.Nf5 Re8 18.Nxh6+ Kf8 19.Ne5 Qb6 20.Qf3 Nxe5 21.Qg3 Bd6 22.Nf5 Qxb2+ 23.Kxb2 Nc4+ 24.Kb3 Bxg3 25.h6 Na5+ 26.Ka4 b5+ 27.Kxa5 Bc7+ 28.Kxb5 Rab8+ 29.Ka4 Ne4 30.Rxd5 Nc3+ 31.Ka3 Nb5+ 32.Kb2 Nd4+ 33.Kc3 Nb5+ 1-0
Incredible thought it might sound Kramnik, or more likely one of his team switched off the Fritz before it had finished analysing a sharp position from the Marshall Attack and this led him to disaster. After a failure in game six the Anti Marshall needed some repairs so Kramnik allowed the Marshall for the first time in the match and of course he had an idea prepared.
Leko was really under pressure when Kramnik produced the rare continuation 15.Re4 and 16.Qf1 which I remember from the 1970s. I recall taking on f1 and playing f5-f4 was supposed to generate enough counter-play back then although thirty years later it does not look quite enough. Anyway the point is moot because Leko’s combative 16…Qh5 which was not only based on sound practical considerations but also proved sound enough, will be the main line. After the game Leko explained that he had to consume a lot of time working out what was an unfamiliar position and: "I decided to keep the queens on because if anything went wrong I would keep practical chances". How clever of him.
Vladimir Kramnik an error in preparation. Photo © Philippa Pein
As for Kramnik he pretty much admitted it was an error in preparation but he was very gracious in defeat and said: Of course it is disappointing but it is better to lose this way in a beautiful game that will be remembered in the history of chess.” Well it is not really up there for me but Leko’s belief in his position was impressive and finding Ng4!! when he played Qg6 deserves great praise as well.
Put the position after 25.bxa6 into Fritz and you can see how Team Kramnik went wrong, the assessment goes from +6 to -14 plummeting downwards like the Bungy Jump that James Bond made off a cliff around near here (Ticano) in the film GoldenEye.
Kramnik,V - Leko,P [C89]
WCh Brissago (8)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.c3 Playing d3 and a3 and h3 did not achieve a whole lot so far so Kramnik goes into the Marshall proper. Kasparov, who first developed the line properly for his match against Short in 1993 virtually never accepts the pawn. 8...d5
9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.Rxe5 c6 The orginal idea from the game Capablanca - Marshall New York 1918 was 11...Nf6 but this is now thought to be dubious. 12.d4 12.Re1 followed by d3 is possible as is 12.d3 when the rook can emerge again to e4 as in the game. This is a line Leko has played with white for example against Adams at Linares 1999 and Svidler at Dortmund 1998 12...Bd6 13.Re1 Qh4 14.g3 Qh3 15.Re4
An old line credited to the Soviet player Sakharov in the fine book on the Marshall published thirty years ago or so by Batsford and written by Bob Wade and others. Many British players took up the line which was the subject of an article by David Levy suggesting it put the Marshall out of business. 15...g5 [ 15...Nf6 16.Rh4 Qf5 17.Bf4 Rd8? 18.Nd2 g5 19.Bc2 Qd5 20.Ne4! Nxe4 21.Bxe4 Qxe4 22.Bxg5 Qe8 23.Bxd8 Qxd8 24.Qh5 Kf8 25.Re1 Be6 26.Qxh7 Ke8 27.Rhe4 Be7 28.f4 1-0 Stean - Eley, London 1971] 16.Qf1 A real surprise and Leko started to fall well behind on the clock again 16...Qh5 [ 16...Qxf1+ 17.Kxf1 f5 18.Re1 f4 19.Nd2 Bf5 ( 19...Bh3+ 20.Kg1 and Ne4 +=) 20.gxf4 Rae8 21.Nf3 Bh3+ 22.Kg1+/=] 17.Nd2 Bf5 18.f3
18...Nf6 [ 18...Bxe4 19.fxe4 Ne3 20.Qf3 Qxf3 ( 20...Ng4 21.Nf1 Rae8 22.Bd1!+-) 21.Nxf3 Nc4 ( 21...g4 22.Bxe3 gxf3 23.e5 Be7 24.Rf1+/-) 22.Bxc4 bxc4 23.Bxg5+/-] 19.Re1 Rae8 20.Rxe8 Rxe8 For the moment there seems no way for Black's impressive looking force to penetrate so White opens a second front. 21.a4 Qg6!!
Leko had seen everything here I believe. But now I assumed the idea was the paradoxical 22.Ne4 22.axb5? [ 22.Ne4 Nxe4 23.fxe4 Bxe4 24.Bxg5 bxa4! Kramnik ( 24...Bd3? 25.Bxf7+ Qxf7 26.Qxd3 Qh5 27.Bh4+-) 25.Bc4 ( 25.Rxa4 Rb8 26.Bc4 Qxg5 now that the rook is not en prise after Qxf7+) 25...Bd5 Is alright for Black - Kramnik 26.Bxd5 cxd5 27.Qxa6 Qxg5 28.Qxd6 Qe3+ forces a draw although perhaps if I leave Fritz on overnight it will be mate in the morning] 22...Bd3! This is the point, White has to sacrifice his queen but hey Vlad loves to do that. 23.Qf2 Re2
Kramnik was still playing fast and afterwards said he could see no reason to give Leko any extra thinking time by delaying. 24.Qxe2 There was a funny exchange in the press conference when I asked Leko why not bxa6 Rxf2 Kxf2 Qh5 Kg1 - good question he replied ! well the answer is below. There is no way back for White. [ 24.bxa6 Rxf2 25.Kxf2 Qh5 26.Kg1 ( 26.Ke3 Bxa6 27.Rxa6 Qxh2) 26...Qh3! 27.a7 Bxg3 28.a8Q+ Kg7 29.hxg3 Qxg3+ 30.Kh1 g4!! Found by Joe Gallagher who was in the audience today 31.Qxc6 Qh3+ 32.Kg1 g3] 24...Bxe2 25.bxa6 Qd3!!
And White can make a queen if he wants, this is an attack with four pieces and a g pawn. It was shoddy work not to consider this move and even my computer works it out fairly quickly. Without a computer I am sure it would have been foreseen because its the only realistic looking try although Jon Speelman was also eyeing up 25...g4 as well. 26.Kf2 Kramnik had a long think now but its gone. [ 26.a7 Qe3+ 27.Kg2 Bxf3+ 28.Nxf3 Qe2+ 29.Kg1 Ng4 30.a8Q+ Kg7 31.Qxc6 Qf2+ 32.Kh1 Qf1+ 33.Ng1 Nf2# Is what Team Kramnik missed] 26...Bxf3! 27.Nxf3 Ne4+ 28.Ke1 Nxc3! [ 28...Qxf3?? 29.a7] 29.bxc3 [ 29.a7 Qe2#] 29...Qxc3+ 30.Kf2 Qxa1 31.a7 h6! An amusing echo of game one, where h6 was decisive although of course Qxa7 also won easily 32.h4 g4
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