3rd London Chess Classic 2011 (2)
McShane close to beating Carlsen in London Classic Round 2
IM Malcolm Pein - Tuesday 6th December 2011
Malcolm Pein reports on Round 2 of the London Chess Classic and Luke McShane's near miss against Magnus Carlsen. Kramnik's win against Short and the Twitter game from the first day.
Magnus Carlsen in trouble against Luke McShane. Photo copy; Ray Morris-Hill. | http://www.rmhphoto.eu
Vladimir Kramnik and Hikaru Nakamura joined Carlsen in the lead on 4/6 under the three points for a win system. Nakamura defeated Aronian from a bad position after the latter overpressed. Short started the tournament disastrously and lost in one of most drawish lines in chess theory. The audience were treated to commentary from Vishy Anand who said that Short should have been more wary, as Kramnik wouldn't allow a move like 13.Be7? unless it was good for him.
N Short - V Kramnik
4 Knights
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nd4 5.Nxd4 exd4 6.e5 dxc3 7.exf6 Qxf6 8.dxc3 Bc5 9.Qe2+ Qe6 10.0-0
(10.Bc4 Qxe2+ 11.Kxe2)
10...0-0 11.Qf3 d6 12.Bg5 Qf5 13.Be7?
(13.Qxf5 Bxf5 14.Bd3 Be6)
13...Qxf3 14.gxf3 a6! 15.Ba4
(15.Bxf8 axb5 16.Be7 f6 traps the bishop and Black should win eventually. Your computer might not get it but your grey matter should after 17.Rfe1 Bf5 18.Re2 Kf7; The last chance was 15.b4 Ba7 16.Ba4 b5 17.Bxf8 bxa4 18.Be7 f6 19.Rfe1 a superior version of thr previous line and White should hold after 15.b4 axb5 16.bxc5 Re8 17.cxd6 cxd6 18.Bxd6)
15...b5 16.b4
(Again 16.Bxf8 bxa4 17.Be7 f6) 1
6...Re8 17.Rfe1 Bb6 18.Bb3 Bb7 19.Kg2 d5!
(I was surprised by this and realised I am just lost - Short)
Vladimir Kramnik
 |  | | | | |  | |
|  |  | |  | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
|  | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | |  | |
 | | | | | | | |
Nigel Short
Position after 19...d5 burying the bishop on b3.
The game is over and Short considered resigning. After
20.Re5 c6
The bishop on b3 is buried for ever. Kramnik exchanged the rooks and advanced on the kingside to win on move 43.
The tournament started with a game on Twitter between the nine grandmasters and the world.
The Twittersphere - 3rd LCC GMs
North Sea Defence
1.e4 g6
Anand played this
2.d4 Nf6 3.e5 Nh5
Magnus couldn't resist this. It's a move once played by Tony Miles that Magnus took up but he lost to Michael Adams with it at the Olympiad
4.Be2 d6 5.Bxh5 gxh5 6.Qxh5 dxe5 7.Qxe5 Rg8
Black has good play for the pawn with Nc6 coming)
8.Nf3 Nc6 9.Qh5 Nxd4 10.Nxd4 Qxd4 11.0-0 Qe4 12.g3 Bg7
Kramnik's idea. Black has the edge with better development and weak white squares to aim at. Some of the GMs wanted to take on c2 which is also good of course.
13.Nc3 Bxc3 14.bxc3 Bd7 15.Ba3?! Bc6 16.f3 Qe3+ 17.Kg2 0-0-0 18.Rae1?
3rd LCC GMs
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | |  |
| | | | | | | |
| | | |  | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
The Twittersphere
Position after 18.Rae1?
18...Qxc3 19.Bxe7 Rd2+ 20.Kh1
(20.Kg1 Qd4+ 21.Kh1 Re8 22.Qxf7 fights on)
20...Rf2! 21.Rxf2 Qxe1+ 22.Kg2 Qxe7 0-1
Answer: A hidden tactical possibility lurked 18...Rxg3+!! 19.hxg3 Rd2+ 20.Kh1 Bxf3+ 21.Qxf3 Qh6+!; 18...Rd2+ 19.Kh1 Bxf3+ 20.Qxf3 And there is no Qh6+; 18...Rxg3+ 19.Kxg3 Rg8+ 20.Kh3 Bd7+ 21.Kh4 Qf4+ mates
