[Event "GMA"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2004.01.20"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Kramnik,V"]
[Black "Anand,V"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "Henderson"]
[BlackElo "2766"]
[ECO "B92"]
[EventDate "2004.01.10"]
[WhiteElo "2777"]

{ The highlight of the day was the crunch encounter between top-seeds Vladimir Kramnik and Vishy Anand - which despite the result was anything but a dull draw! The notes to this game are taken from their highly-animated post mortem after the game and Kramnik's rather enlightening comments in the press room afterwards. } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. Bg5 { A new, old idea that Kramnik has studied of late and feels is worth investigating further. } 8... Be6 ( 8... Nbd7 { blocks the c8-bishop and is less precise } 9. a4 b6 10. Bc4 Bb7 11. Qe2 O-O 12. O-O Qc7 13. Rfd1 h6 14. Bxf6 Nxf6 15. Nd5 Nxd5 16. Bxd5 Bxd5 17. Rxd5 b5 18. c3 Qc4 19. Qc2 Rfb8 20. Nd2 Qc6 21. a5 Rc8 22. Qd3 Rab8 23. g3 Qb7 24. Nf1 Rc4 25. b3 Rc6 26. Ne3 g6 27. h4 h5 28. Qd2 Bf8 29. Nc2 Rc5 30. Nb4 Rbc8 31. Rd3 Kh7 32. Nd5 Bh6 33. Qd1 Rf8 34. Nf6+ Kg7 35. Qf3 b4 36. cxb4 Qxb4 37. Nd7 f5 38. Nxf8 Kxf8 39. Rxd6 { 1-0, Kramnik-Gelfand, Cap Dagde 2003 } ) 9. Bxf6 { This was the last chance to take on f6; otherwise after ...Nbd7 black takes back on f6 with the knight and keeps control over d5. } 9... Bxf6 { Now black gets quite a good Svesnikov structure, so white has to play with a concrete plan, which is to put pressure on pawn d6. } 10. Qd3 Nc6 11. O-O-O Be7 ( { The obvious 11 ..Nd4 has a major drawback: } 11... Nd4 12. Nxd4 exd4 13. Nd5 Bxd5 14. exd5 O-O 15. Qf3 Re8 16. Bd3 { and white has the advantage because of the better bishop. } ) 12. Kb1 O-O 13. Nd5 { White threatens to take on e7 and win pawn d6. } 13... Bg5 14. h4 $1 ( { An interesting pawn sacrifice. The slow alternative is: } 14. g3 a5 $1 15. a4 Nb4 16. Nxb4 axb4 { and black gets counterplay } ) 14... Bxh4 ( { Before Anand played 13...,Bg5, he had already decided he was taking pawn despite the risks involved in opening up an attack on his king. Therefore, there was no time for retreat: } 14... Bh6 15. g4 { and white gets a dangerous attack } ) 15. g3 Bf6 ( { An alternative is: } 15... Be7 { but this does not prevent white's f4 } 16. f4 h6 { and white's attack is rolling. } ) 16. Qf3 Bg5 $1 ( { A timely resource that takes advantage of the fact that white cannot play f4. Without this, Kramnik demonstrated, black seriously risked being mated: } 16... Rc8 $2 17. Rxh7 $1 Kxh7 18. Qh5+ Kg8 19. Rh1 Bh4 20. Rxh4 f5 21. Qh7+ Kf7 22. Bh5# ) ( { Not good is: } 16... Bxd5 $2 17. exd5 Nd4 18. Nxd4 exd4 19. Rxh7 Kxh7 20. Qh5+ Kg8 21. Rh1 Bh4 22. Rxh4 f5 23. Qh7+ Kf7 24. Bh5+ Kf6 25. Qg6+ Ke5 26. Qe6# ) ( { The only other hope was to head for the bad ending with: } 16... h6 17. Nxf6+ Qxf6 18. Qxf6 gxf6 19. Rxd6 ) 17. Qh5 h6 18. f4 Bf6 19. Nd2 ( { After the post mortem with Anand, Kramnik felt that after 19.Nd2 it is already a forced draw! The alternatives bare him out as the black position more than holds its own: } 19. c3 b5 ( 19... Bxd5 $6 20. exd5 Ne7 21. Nd2 exf4 22. gxf4 Ng6 23. Rdg1 Qe7 $1 24. Bd3 Qe3 25. Bxg6 Qxd2 26. Bc2 $1 { with a follow-up of Qf5, winning. } ) 20. Nxf6+ Qxf6 21. Rxd6 Bg4 $1 22. Rxf6 Bxh5 23. Rxc6 Bxe2 { with the likely result being a draw. } ) ( 19. Nxf6+ Qxf6 20. f5 Bxb3 21. axb3 Rfd8 { and black brings his king to safety on e7 } ) 19... Nd4 20. Bc4 ( { with the idea to provoke b7-b5, so that the black queen cannot start a dangerous attack from square b6. Anand had underestimated the power of this move. The alternative, according to Kramnik, didn't offer much hope for him of winning: } 20. Bd3 Bxd5 21. exd5 Re8 22. Ne4 exf4 23. gxf4 Rxe4 $1 24. Bxe4 Qb6 25. c3 Nb5 { and black has a very dangerous attack brewing. } ) 20... Rc8 ( 20... b5 21. Bd3 { threatens to kick the knight with c2-c3. } 21... b4 22. f5 Bxd5 23. exd5 { and black is lost because he has no counterplay at the queenside, because the pawn at b4 blocks his attack } ) 21. c3 Nb5 { Now black has idea like exf4 and a sacrifice on c3, so white has to play: } 22. f5 Bxd5 ( 22... Bd7 { would be suicide } ) 23. Bxd5 { If white now could consolidate, he would win; but he misses by one tempo! } 23... Rxc3 $3 { An incredible do-or-die resource from Anand. Kramnik had expected it, but he also thought that a4 would win for him. } 24. Qg6 ( { With the not-too-subtle idea of Rxh6 and mate on the next move. However, far from being flashy, it is the only move! } 24. bxc3 Nxc3+ 25. Kc2 Nxd5 26. exd5 Qb6 27. Nb3 Rc8+ 28. Kb1 Rc3 29. Qe2 e4 { and black might even win despite being a rook down! } ) ( 24. a4 Na3+ 25. Ka2 Rd3 26. bxa3 { White has to stop the knight re-entering the game with lethal effect on b4, e3 or d4 after Nc2. } 26... Qc7 27. Nb1 Qc2+ 28. Ka1 Rxg3 29. Rc1 Qxa4 { with a very unclear and messy position arising. } ) 24... Qb6 $1 ( 24... Bg5 $2 { safe but bad } 25. f6 Qxf6 26. Qxf6 Bxf6 27. bxc3 Nxc3+ 28. Kc2 Nxd1 29. Rxd1 { and although the material balance is not so bad for black, white will surely win because of the powerful bishop at d5 and the fact that black does not have connected passed pawns. } ) ( 24... Qc7 $2 25. Rxh6 Rc8 26. Bxf7+ Kf8 27. Rh8+ Ke7 28. Rxc8 Qxc8 29. Be6 Qe8 30. Qxe8+ Kxe8 31. bxc3 Nxc3+ 32. Kc2 Nxd1 33. Kxd1 $18 ) 25. Rxh6 ( 25. Bb3 $4 Rxb3 ) ( 25. Nb3 Qf2 26. Rd2 Qf3 { with a threatened Nc7 looming. } ) ( { According to Kramnik, the most critical move is: } 25. a4 Na3+ 26. Ka2 Rc2 $1 27. Nb3 Qf2 $1 ( 27... Nc4 $2 28. Rxh6 $1 Rxb2+ 29. Ka1 { and black soon gets mated. } ) 28. Rxh6 Rxb2+ 29. Kxa3 Ra2+ 30. Kb4 { usually it is not a good sign if your king has to cross the whole board: } 30... Qb6+ 31. Kc4 ( 31. Kc3 Qe3+ { and the rook at h6 is lost } ) 31... Qc7+ ( 31... Rc8+ $2 32. Kd3 ) 32. Kb4 a5+ 33. Kb5 Qd7+ 34. Kb6 Bd8+ 35. Ka7 b5+ 36. Ka6 Qc8+ 37. Bb7 ( 37. Kxb5 Qb8+ 38. Kc4 Qc7+ 39. Kb5 Qb6+ 40. Kc4 Qa6+ 41. Kc3 Qc8+ 42. Bc4 Rc2+ 43. Kxc2 Qxc4+ 44. Kb2 fxg6 ) 37... fxg6 38. Bxc8 gxh6 $19 ) 1/2-1/2