Tal Memorial 2009 (1)
Interesting draws in Round 1
IM Malcolm Pein - Saturday 7th November 2009
The first round of the Tal Memorial at Moscow did not disappoint even though all five games were drawn. Attention was focused on the battle between the 18 year old Magnus Carlsen now ranked world number two and the former world champion Vladimir Kramnik. This was the last game to finish as Kramnik tried unsuccessfully to exploit a small advantage.
The first round of the Tal Memorial at Moscow did not disappoint even though all five games were drawn. Attention was focused on the battle between the 18 year old Magnus Carlsen now ranked world number two and the former world champion Vladimir Kramnik. This was the last game to finish as Kramnik tried unsuccessfully to exploit a small advantage.
Kramnik played a line used by Vishy Anand against him in April. Kramnik got no advantage then and figured if you can't beat em join em. Chess theory moves fast nowadays and Kramnik's ninth move was a novelty also first played by Anand on Monday when he defeated Karpov in a Rapid challenge match at Corsica - see below.
Round one results
Carlsen draw Kramnik, Nimzo-Indian 4.Qc2; Aronian draw Svidler, Gruenfeld Defence; Morozevich draw Leko, Scotch Game; Ivanchuk draw Anand, Gruenfeld Defence; Gelfand draw Ponomariov, Catalan;
M Carlsen - V Kramnik
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 0-0 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 d5 7.cxd5 Ne4 8.Qc2 exd5 9.Bf4 Nc6
Anand's move, 9...Bf5 10.Qxc7 Qxc7 11.Bxc7 Rc8 12.Bf4 Rc2 13.f3 Nf6 14.g4 Bg6 15.h4 worked out well for White in Morozevich - Alexeev Biel 2009)
10.e3 Re8
( Anand defeated Karpov with 10...g5)
11.Nf3 g5 12.Bg3 g4 13.Ne5 Nxe5 14.Bxe5 c5
(Kramnik was bashing out the moves and Carlsen was thinking)
15.Bd3 Bf5 16.Qe2
(16.Bxe4 Bxe4 17.Qxc5 Bxg2; or 16.0-0 c4 17.Bxe4 Bxe4 18.Qe2 Re6 with some chances to attack)
16...f6 17.Bxe4 Bxe4 18.Bg3
(18.Qxg4+ Kh8 19.Bg3 Qa5+ 20.Kf1 cxd4 and White is in difficulties also 18.Qxg4+ Kh8 19.f3 fxe5 20.fxe4 exd4 21.0-0 Rxe4 is good)
18...Qa5+ 19.Qd2 Qxd2+
(White holds the ending. Perhaps 19...Qa6!? 20.dxc5 Bxg2 21.Rg1 Bf3 and with d5-d4 coming White's position looks a little precarious)
20.Kxd2 c4
(Black is slightly better with potentially mobile pawns on the queenside and a more active bishop. The obvious 20...cxd4 21.exd4 Bxg2 22.Rhe1 Be4 23.Rac1 Re7 24.Re3 Kf7 25.Rec3 leads to a drawn endgame after exchanges on c7 despite Black's extra pawn)
21.f3! gxf3 22.gxf3 Bg6
(22...Bxf3 23.Rhf1 Be4 24.Rxf6=)
23.h4 Bh5 24.Ke2 Re6 25.Be1 Kf7 26.Kf2 Rae8 27.Bd2 Rb6 28.Bc3 Rb3 29.a4 b6 30.Rhe1 Bg6
Vladimir Kramnik
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Magnus Carlsen
Position after 30...Bg6
31.e4!
(Carlsen solves his problems dynamically by sacrificing a pawn to release his bishop)
31...dxe4 32.d5 a6 33.fxe4 Bxe4 34.d6 f5 35.Rg1 Ke6 36.Rg7 Kxd6 37.Rxh7 Bd3 38.Kf3 Re4 39.h5 Rh4 40.Rg1
(Now that White is active the black rook on b3 is misplaced)
40...Be4+ 41.Ke3 Rh3+ 42.Kf4 Rf3+ 43.Kg5 b5 44.axb5 axb5 45.Kf6 Rbxc3!
(Bold, but Carlsen's rooks and king can create sufficent threats before the two connected pawns promote)
46.bxc3 Rxc3 47.Rg8 Rh3 48.Rc8 c3 49.Rhc7
(49.Rhh8 threatening mate draws immediately after 49...Bc6 50.Rh6 Be4 51.Rhh8=)
49...c2 50.Kg5 Rh2 51.Rc3 Ke6
(51...b4 52.R3c4 b3 53.Kf6!!= b2?? 54.Rd8# so Black plays 53...Kd5 54.R8c5+ Kd6 55.Rc8=)
52.Re8+ Kf7 53.Rb8 Rg2+ 54.Kf4 Ke6 55.Re8+ Kd7 56.Rb8 Ke6 57.Re8+ Kf6 58.Rf8+ Ke6
draw
Vladimir Kramnik
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Magnus Carlsen
Final position after 58...Ke6
A Karpov - V Anand
Rapid Match Corsica
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 0-0 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 d5 7.cxd5 Ne4 8.Qc2 exd5 9.Bf4 Nc6 10.e3 g5 11.Bg3 f5 12.0-0-0 f4 13.f3 Nd6 14.exf4 gxf4 15.Bf2 Bf5 16.Qc5 Ne7 17.Ne2 Bg6 18.Qc3 Qd7 19.g3 fxg3 20.Nxg3 Nb5 21.Qb3 a6 22.Rd2 Nc6 23.h4 Na5 24.Qb4 Qc6+ 25.Kd1 Nc4 26.Bxc4 dxc4 27.d5 Qf6 28.Qxc4 Qxf3+ 29.Kc1 Rf4 30.Qa2 Nd6 31.b3 Qc3+ 32.Kd1 Rxf2 0-1
