Dortmund Sparkassen Chess-Meetings 2012 (2)
Kramnik plays the King's Indian
IM Malcolm Pein - Monday 16th July 2012
Like Viktor Korchnoi in his pomp, Vladimir Kramnik has been the scourge of King's Indian players for many a year now. I readily recall him dismantling Kasparov's KID at the PCA Intel Grand Prix in 1994, held at the Kremlin and the crowd giving him a standing ovation. Just last month we saw him dismantle Grischuk's defences in just 29 moves. I had always thought there was about as much chance of Kramnik playing the King's Indian as Vincent del Bosque sending Spain out in a 4-3-3 formation, but on Saturday the 14th world champion played a model game on the black side of the King's Indian at Dortmund.
Gustafsson and Kramnik at Dortmund. Photo © | http://www.sparkassen-chess-meeting.de/2012/
J Gustafsson - V Kramnik
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.Be3 c6 8.0-0 exd4 9.Nxd4 Re8 10.f3 d5 11.cxd5 Nxd5 12.Nxd5 cxd5 13.Rc1 a5
(13...dxe4 14.fxe4 Rxe4 15.Ne6! - see analysis diagram.
Vladimir Kramnik
 |  |  |  |  | |  | |
 | | | | | | | |
| | | |  | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | |  | | | |
 | | | | | | | |
| |  |  | | |  | |
Jan Gustafsson
Position after 15.Ne6! now 15...Qxd1 16.Rxc8+ Qd8 17.Rxd8+ Bf8 18.Rxf8# is a spectacular line.
14.Qb3 a4 15.Qxd5 Qxd5 16.exd5 a3 17.b3
(17.bxa3 Bd7 18.Kf2 Rxa3 19.Nb3 Rxa2)
17...Nc6! 18.Nc2
(18.dxc6 Rxe3 wins, the Nd4 is attacked and the Be2 will be lost; 18.Nxc6 Rxe3 19.Kf2 Rxe2+ 20.Kxe2 bxc6 Is good for Black)
18...Rxe3! 19.Nxe3 Nb4 20.Rc4 Nxa2 21.Ra4?
(An error in a difficult position)
21...Rxa4 22.bxa4 Bd4 23.Kf2 Nb4 24.Rc1
Vladimir Kramnik
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Jan Gustafsson
Position after 24.Rc1. Black to play and win
24...a2!! 25.Rxc8+ Kg7 26.Rc1 Nxd5
(or 26...Nc2)
27.Rd1 Nxe3 0-1
When the rook moves Black plays a discovered check with the knight and promotes the a2 pawn, emerging a piece to the good.
By popular demand, here is the game where Magnus Carlsen opened 1.a4 and outplayed Teimour Radjabov, the world number five.
Carlsen soon reaches a 4 Knights Game where he is effectively playing black. The move 1.a2-a4 is of no value.
M Carlsen - T Radjabov
World Blitz Final Astana
3" + 2'
1.a4 e5 2.e4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Nf3 Bb4 5.Bb5 0-0 6.0-0 d6 7.d3 Bg4 8.Ne2 a6
(8...Bxf3 9.gxf3 Nd4 10.Ng3 Bc5)
9.Bxc6 bxc6 10.Ng3 Nh5 11.h3 Nxg3 12.fxg3 Bd7 13.g4 Bc5+ 14.Kh1 Qe7 15.Qe1 f6 16.Nh4 g6 17.Bh6 Rf7 18.Rb1 Bb6 19.b3 d5 20.Nf3 Re8 21.Qg3 Bc5 22.Rbe1 dxe4?! 23.dxe4 Bd6 24.Re2 c5 25.Nd2! Be6 26.Qd3 g5 27.Qxa6 Kh8 28.Nc4 Bxc4 29.Qxc4 Rg8
(Radjabov tries to trap the bishop on h6 but Carlsen has an escape plan ready)
30.h4! gxh4
(30...Rg6 31.hxg5)
31.g5 Rg6 32.Ref2 1-0
Teimour Radjabov
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Magnus Carlsen
Final position after 32.Ref2
