6th Tal Memorial 2011 (9)
Svidler beats Kramnik in the final round of Tal Memorial
IM Malcolm Pein - Tuesday 29th November 2011
IM Malcolm Pein looks forward to Vladimir Kramnik's return to Hammersmith but looks at his final round defeat to Peter Svidler in the Tal Memorial.
Kramnik concentrating against Svidler. Photo © | http://www.russiachess.org
The fourteenth world champion Vladimir Kramnik is playing the 3rd London Chess Classic which begins on Saturday at Olympia. He has fond memories of Hammersmith as wrested the world title from Kasparov there in 2000. Kramnik has recently begun to play a more carefree and aggressive style of chess which I hope we will see in London. It did backfire in the last round of the Tal Memorial but both players decided to try and emulate the Magician from Riga, he would have approved. For more information on the London Chess Classic see londonchessclassic.com The games will be broadcast at telegraph.co.uk/chess
P Svidler - V Kramnik
Reti Opening
1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 e6 3.g3 dxc4 4.Qa4+ Nd7 5.Bg2 a6 6.Qxc4 b5 7.Qb3 Bb7 8.0-0 Ngf6 9.Nc3 Be7 10.d3 0-0 11.a4 b4 12.Nb1
White plays for a small edge based on Black's potentially weak squares on the queenside
12...Nc5 13.Qc2 e5!?
But Kramnik has other ideas
14.Be3
(14.Nxe5? Bxg2 15.Kxg2 Qd5+ 16.Nf3 Nb3 wins)
14...e4 15.Bxc5 Bxc5 16.dxe4 Nxe4 17.Nfd2 Bxf2+!?
(17...Nxd2 18.Nxd2 Bxg2 19.Kxg2 Re8=)
18.Rxf2 Nxf2 19.Bxb7 Ng4 20.Nf3 Rb8
Vladimir Kramnik
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Peter Svidler
Position after 20...Rb8
21.Bxa6! Qf6 22.Bd3 Qb6+ 23.Kh1 Nf2+ 24.Kg2 Nxd3 25.exd3 Rfe8
White cannot develop so he plays his trump card
26.a5!
(26.Nbd2?? Re2+ 27.Kh1 Qf2)
26...Qf6 27.Qf2 Rbd8 28.Ra4 c5 29.a6 Rxd3 30.a7 Qc6 31.Ra5
Vladimir Kramnik
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Peter Svidler
Position after 31.Ra5. How could Black force a draw now?
31...Qa8 32.Nbd2 Rde3?
( This loses 32...Rd7 33.Nc4 Rxa7 34.Rxc5 Rae7 35.Ra5= Qc6 36.Rc5 Qa8 37.Ra5 )
33.Nc4!!
Brilliant
Vladimir Kramnik
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Peter Svidler
Position after 33.Nc4!!
33...R3e6
(33...Re2? 34.Nb6 Rxf2+ 35.Kxf2 Qe4 36.a8Q Qc2+ 37.Kg1 Qd1+ 38.Kg2 Qe2+ 39.Kh1 Qf1+ 40.Ng1! wins)
34.Kg1 f6
(34...Rf6 35.Nce5 Rxe5 36.Nxe5! Rxf2 37.Kxf2 g5 38.Nd7-b6 wins)
35.Ncd2 c4 36.Nxc4 Qe4 37.Nd4! R6e7 38.Nd6 Qb1+ 39.Kg2 Ra8 40.Qf3! Raxa7 41.Qa8+! 1-0
Vladimir Kramnik
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Peter Svidler
Final position after 41.Qa8+! and mate in two.
Answer: 31...Rxf3 32.Qxf3 Re2+ 33.Kg1(33.Kh3? Qh6+ 34.Kg4 Qe6+ mates)33...Re1+ draws
