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Commentary on game 5 is brought to you by GM Neil McDonald, IM Malcolm Pein and FM Chris Duncan
This is going to be a big game today. Both players must be tired from yesterdays mammoth game. Remember this is the first game without a rest day the day before. After his great escape in Game Four, we can expect Kasparov to come out
full of optimism today. Will he finally be able to
impose his will on the Challenger? It's been two days without a killer
opening novelty from the World Champion, and that's a long time!
1.c4
Yet another surprise from Kasparov. Obviously he doesn't feel confident enough to break down the Berlin wall!
1...c5
Where is Kramnik? He arrives 3 minutes late and bangs out 1...c5
This makes sure the game stays in the territory of the English and
doesn't transpose to a mainline 1.d4 system. Kramnik doesn't choose to play the Shirov-Kramnik system bearing his own name. 1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Bb4.
2.Nf3 Nf6
Fischer won a famous game as White in this line against Spassky in the
1972 World Championship Match.
The trend in this match seems to be for a restrained approach in the
openings. The action seems to be reserved for the middlegame.
3.g3 d5
Kasparov is playing against himself! This Gruenfeld type of response, but with e5 rather than c5,
is a favourite of the World Champion. So how will he try to defeat it
now that he is facing it as White?
4.cxd5 Nxd5
5.Bg2 Nc6
6.Nc3 g6
Black fianchettos his bishop to exert increased pressure on the d4
square. He plans to gain a big grip on the centre. The question is
whether White can find a strong flanking blow.
7.0-0 Bg7
8.Qa4
An interesting queen move. In the future he may play on the kingside
with Qh4 and Bh6, to exchange off Black's dark squared bishop, or on
the queenside with Qb5 to put pressure on c5.
8...Nb6
A rather surprising decentralisation. The natural move was 8...0-0. Now
Kasparov is thinking hard. Should his queen go forwards or sideways?
Retreat is not an option!
9.Qb5
A new(ish) move! It has been seen before, but not in games between titled players.
The World Champion moves out his queen and goes pawn hunting. Of course
a genius knows when he can break the rules!
9...Nd7
This defends c5 but shuts in his queen's bishop. So Kasparov's opening
queen forray has a definite positional basis.
10.d3 0-0
It's time to sum up the opening. Black has a solid looking position,
but he still has to solve the problem of how to develop his queenside.
White's queen is on an unusual square but she is well placed to add to
the pressure on Black's queenside.
11.Be3 0-0
It's time to sum up the opening. Black has a solid looking position,
but he still has to solve the problem of how to develop his queenside.
White's queen is on an unusual square but she is well placed to add to
the pressure on Black's queenside.
11.Be3
White fully mobilises his game with a threat to c5.
11...Nd4
Kramnik counterattacks in the centre.
12.Bxd4 cxd4
13.Ne4
Black has gained the two bishops- unquestionably a good thing- but he
seems vulnerable along the newly opened c file now because of his
backward development.
13...Qb6
Not for the first time in the match the Challenger offers the exchange of queens!The games so
far have been akin to some of the heavy weight positional battles of
the 1950s between Botvinnik and Smyslov.
14.a4
Every plan needs the use of pawns at some point. This high class move
aims to exchange queens in the most favourable way for White, as
14...Qxb5 15 axb5 will give White an attack on a7 to add to his
possibilities along the c file.
Clock Times Kasparov 1.22 Kramnik 0.58
14...a6
Kramnik wants to exchange queens whilst keeping the position as closed
as possible. Nevertheless he cannot claim to have fully equalised. The
pawn on b7 remains vulnerable to an attack by Nc5 and there is still
the c file to worry about. According to IM Mark Ferguson White has a
clear technical edge and good chances to increase the pressure. He
suggests taking the queen and then going Nc5.
15.Qxb6 Nxb6
16.a5
As Philidor remarked, pawns are the soul of chess! Kasparov skillfully
increases his space advantage.
16...Nd5
17.Nc5 Rd8
Black bolsters the defence of his knight as a means of shielding an
attack on b7.
18.Nd2
Finally unleashing the strong light squared bishop. Kramnik faces
nothing but a grim defence. On the other hand, his position isn't
nearly as bad as Kasparov's in the previous game!
18...Rb8
19.Nc4
This is played to deter any possible break out with 19...b6, which
would now leave the a6 pawn hanging after 20.axb6.
19...e6
A good defensive move which further strengthens d5 and prepares to
evict the knight from c5 with Bf8 in some cases. On the minus side
Black has had to admit that the bishop on c8 has no great future.
Clock Times Kasparov 0.53 Kramnik 0.54
20.Rfc1 Bh6
21.Rcb1
Avoiding the cheapo 21 Rc2?? Nb4. White provoked Bh6 as he believes
the bishop is slightly worse on h6 than g7- it no longer guards d4 or
the e5 square.
21...Bf8
Black forces back the knight, but d4 will be hanging.
22.Nb3
White's advantage appears to me [Neil McDonald] to be evaporating. He
hasn't been able to exploit the c file. If he tries to advance b2-b4
at some point, then Nc3 will be a strong riposte. On the other hand,
some commentators are claiming White is better after 22...Bg7
23.Rc1 Bh6 24.f4 with a double edged position.
Clock Times Kasparov 0.55 Kramnik 0.38
22...Bg7
23.Bxd5
A deep positional concept which seriously raises the stakes. White
gives up his light squared bishop but he eliminates Black's most active
piece. The b6 square and the c file will probably soon belong to
White, but if he loses control of the position the two black bishops
might have the last laugh.
23...Rxd5
24.Nbd2
Analysis at the London Chess Centre indicated that White may still
have had chances to gain a grip on the position with 24.Nb6, when
Kramnik would have the choice between the active 24...Rb5
or the solid 24...Rd8.
24...e5
Here a draw was agreed. Kasparov was getting slightly short of
time- about 25 minutes for 17 moves, and Black has a secure
position. So peace was agreed. It seems after the exertions in
yesterday's game the World Champion wasn't ready for a big fight.
We're still waiting for a trademark middlegame attack!
DRAW
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