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Chess by Malcolm Pein of the Daily Telegraph
 Malcolm Pein writes for the Daily Telegraph (telegraph.co.uk)
you can read his chess columns along with those of Nigel Short and David
Norwood at their new
Chess
Club (to read the columns you need to register which is free). Win
prizes in the Telegraph chess challenge on the Chess Club pages. 11th Round Thursday, 6th March 2003. The tension is rising at Linares after three more draws in round eleven ensured that there has been no decisive result since round eight and any of the world's top four players can still claim first prize. World champion Vladimir Kramnik clung on to his half a point lead but he has played a game more than his main rivals. Three rounds remain. Garry Kasparov the world number one sat out the round and watched Kramnik, play sharply for the win against Vishy Anand the world number three. Kramnik sacrificed two pawns but the variation of the Ruy Lopez he employed carried little sting. Anand defended easily and missed a chance to secure the advantage shortly before the end of the thirty two move game. Kramnik's title challenger Peter Leko ranked five missed his chance to take the lead when he played a harmless line against Ruslan's Ponomariov's Sicilian Defence, the balance was never disturbed. Ponomariov might have a sterner test in round twelve when he faces Kasparov. Francisco Vallejo Pons sacrificed his queen against the teenage prodigy Teimour Radjabov and his rook, pawn and centralised knight proved adequate compensation. In such positions it is essential for the knight to have a safe square so it cannot be harassed by the enemy queen and Vallejo's knight stood proudly on d5 defended by a pawn on e6. Radjabov made no serious attempts to win. Round eleven results: Leko draw Ponomariov, Sicilian Taimanov, 31; Kramnik draw Anand, Ruy Lopez, 32; Radjabov draw Vallejo-Pons, Slav Meran, 32; Kasparov bye Scores after 11 rounds: 1 Kramnik (Russia) 6/10; 2 Leko (Hungary) 5.5/9; 3-4 Kasparov (Russia), Anand (India), 5/9; 5-6 Radjabov (Azerbaijan), Ponomariov (Ukraine) 4/10; 7 Vallejo-Pons (Spain) 3.5/9 Kramnik was pressing very hard for the win, laudable but very dangerous. Kramnik,V (2807) - Anand,V (2753) [C88] XX SuperGM Linares ESP (11), 06.03.2003 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bb7 7.d3 A pretty innocuous variation. 7...Be7 8.Re1 0-0 9.Nbd2 Re8 10.c3 Bf8 11.Nf1 h6 12.Ng3 d6 13.a3 [ 13.a4 Rb8 and ; 13.d4 g6 have both been played before.] 13...Na5 14.Bc2 c5 15.b4 Nc6 16.d4 cxd4 17.cxd4 exd4 18.Bb2 Rc8 19.Bb3 g6 20.h4 Bg7 21.h5 Nxh5 22.Nxh5 gxh5 23.Bd5 Ba8 24.Bxc6 Rxc6 25.Bxd4 Rc4 26.Qd3 Bxd4 27.Nxd4 Qf6 28.Rad1 h4 29.a4 opening a third front but this leaves the b4 pawn weak. [ 29.Re3 was safer.] 29...Rxb4? [ 29...Qg6!  Mate threats against g2 begin to appear. 30.axb5 Rxe4 threat Rxe1+ and Qxg2 mate. 31.Rxe4 Bxe4 32.Qf1 ( 32.Qh3 axb5 33.Nxb5 Bxg2 34.Qxg2 Rg4) 32...h3 33.g3 h2+ wins. 34.Kxh2 Qh5+ 35.Qh3 ( 35.Kg1 Qh1#) 35...Qxd1 winning.] 30.axb5 axb5 31.Qd2 Ra4 32.Nxb5 Raxe4  1/2-1/2 |
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| All material © Mark Crowther |
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