73rd Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2011 (9)
Close contest at Wijk aan Zee after 9 Rounds
IM Malcolm Pein - Thursday 27th January 2011
Malcolm Pein looks at Vladimir Kramnik's Round 9 win over Erwin L'Ami.
Kramnik against L'Ami. Photo © | http://www.tatasteelchess.com
It couldn't be tighter at the Tata Steel tournament in Wijk aan Zee as Vishy Anand and Nakamura drew a sharp game and were joined in the lead on 6/9 by Levon Aronian and Vladimir Kramnik with four to play. Aronian won the last game of the day to finish, Kramnik won the first.
V Kramnik - E L'Ami
English Opening
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.d3 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Qc2 0-0 8.g3 c5 9.Bg2 Nc6 10.h4 Nb4 11.Qd2 Nd5 12.Bb2 Qa5 13.h5! Nb6
(13...Bxc3 14.Bxc3 Qxc3 15.Qxc3 Nxc3 16.Rc1 Na4 17.Rh4 Nb6 18.Rxc5 with advantage or 13...Bxc3 14.Bxc3 Nxc3 15.Rc1)
14.hxg6 hxg6 15.a4! Bd7 16.Kf1 Nxa4 17.Qg5 Qb6 18.Qh4 Rfe8 19.Bc1! e5
(19...Bxc3 20.Qh7+ Kf8 21.Bh6+)
20.Qh7+ Kf8 21.Bh6 Bxh6 22.Qxh6+ Ke7 23.Nxe5 1-0
Erwin L'Ami
 |  | | | | | | |
 | | |  |  | | | |
|  | | | | | |  |
| | | |  | | | |
 | | | | | | | |
| |  | | | | | |
| | | | | |  | |
 | | | | |  | | |
Vladimir Kramnik
Position after 23.Nxe5 Black's king is exposed and he cannot save his knight.
Alexei Shirov
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Levon Aronian
Position after 39...Qxa2
L Aronian - A Shirov
40.Be5
(40.Bxf6 Qf7 41.Bb2 b3 42.Ng2 a4 43.Nf4 is very unclear)
40...Qxd2
(40...Rc1! 41.Qxc1 Rxc1 42.Rxa2 fxe5 43.Rxa5(43.Ng2 b3 44.Rb2 a4and the extra knight is useless)43...Rxe1 44.Rb5 Rb1 45.Rxe5 b3 46.Rxe4 Rf1 47.Rb4 Rxf2+ should be a draw)
41.Qxd2 fxe5 42.Qd5+ Rf7 43.Kg2 Rcf8 44.h4 Kh8 45.Qxe4 Rxf2+ 46.Kh3 b3 47.Nd3 b2 48.Qb7 R8f7?
(Losing a vital tempo 48...a4!! 49.Nxb2 a3 50.Nd3 a2 51.Qa7 Rd2 52.Nxe5(52.Nb4 Rff2)52...Rff2 looks like a positional draw Black intends Rf2-f1)
49.Qb5 a4 50.Nxb2 a3 51.Nd3 Rf1 52.Qa4 Rh1+ 53.Kg4 1-0
Scores: 1-4 Nakamura (USA), Anand (India), Aronian (Armenia), Kramnik (Russia)6/9; 7-8 Carlsen (Norway), Vachier-Lagrave (France) 5.5; 7-8 Giri (Holland), Nepomniachtchi (Russia) 4.5; 9-10 Ponomariov (Ukraine), Wang Hao (China)4; 11-12 Smeets, L'Ami (Holland) 3; 13-14 Shirov (Spain), Grischuk (Russia) 2.5;
