1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.h4!? h6 5.g4 Bd7
6.Nd2 c5 7.dxc5 e6 8.Nb3 Nc6
In the last decisive game of the Kramnik - Leko
match, Black played 8...Bxc5 9.Nxc5 Qa5+ 10.c3 Qxc5 11.Nf3 Ne7
12.Bd3 Nbc6 13.Be3 Qa5 14.Qd2 Ng6 15.Bd4 Nxd4 16.cxd4 Qxd2+ 17.Kxd2
Nf4 18.Rac1 h5 19.Rhg1 Bc6 20.gxh5 Nxh5 21.b4 a6 22.a4 Kd8 23.Ng5
Be8 24.b5 Nf4 25.b6 Nxd3 26.Kxd3 Rc8 27.Rxc8+ Kxc8 28.Rc1+ Bc6
29.Nxf7 Rxh4 30.Nd6+ Kd8 31.Rg1 Rh3+ 32.Ke2 Ra3 33.Rxg7 Rxa4 34.f4
Ra2+ 35.Kf3 Ra3+ 36.Kg4 Rd3 37.f5 Rxd4+ 38.Kg5 exf5 39.Kf6 Rg4
40.Rc7 Rh4 41.Nf7+ 1-0 Kramnik,V-Leko,P/Brissago 2004/CBM 103.
9.Nf3 Qc7
9...Bxc5 was still possible, but Black decided to
play for the compensation.
10.Qe2 Na5 11.Be3 Nc4 12.Bd4 Ne7 13.c3 Nc6
14.Bg2 Be7
In fact the position is very complicated, many GM's
after the game told me that they liked it for Black, during the game
I thought that it might be dangerous but with accurate play White
should be ok.
15.Nc1!?
Black wanted to play f7-f6, so I decided to move my
knight from b3 to d3 in order to help me to protect the center
15...Nxd4 16.cxd4 Qa5+ 17.Kf1 b6 18.Nb3 Qb4?!
Here Black Queen gets under attack of the knight on
d3. 18...Qb5!? then I planned to play 19.Kg1 bxc5 20.dxc5 Bxc5
21.Nxc5 Qxc5 22.Rc1 Qb4 23.b3 Nb6 24.Bh3 with unclear position.
19.Ne1 0-0 20.Kg1 a5
20...Bb5!? 21.Rh3!? bxc5 (21...Na5 22.Qd1)
22.g5 Nd6 (22...Na5 23.Qg4) 23.Qd1 Nf5 24.Nc2 Qa4 25.gxh6
Nxh6 26.Nxc5 White is better.
21.cxb6 Qxb6 22.Nd3
Here I was already happy with my position. I put
the King in a safe position, White is still a pawn up and the plan -
the attack on the King side - is obvious.
22...Bb5 23.Nbc5 a4 24.g5
24...a3 25.gxh6 axb2 26.Nxb2 gxh6?!
I was very surprised when I saw that my opponent
decided to open the g-file. I was thinking only about
26...Nxb2 27.Qxb2 Bxc5 28.dxc5 Qxc5 29.hxg7 Kxg7 but I was happy
with my position anyway.
27.Nxc4 Bxc4 28.Qg4+ Kh7
28...Kh8 29.Qf4 Kg7 30.Nd7 Qb2 31.Kh2 is winning.
29.Nd7 Qb2 30.Nxf8+ Bxf8 31.Kh2 f5
31...Qxf2 32.Raf1 Bxf1 33.Rxf1 f5! honestly
speaking I didn't see this resource during the game 34.exf6 Bd6+
35.Kh1 Qg3 36.Qxg3 Bxg3 37.f7 and in this ending Black has some
chances to survive 37...Bd6 (37...Kg7 38.Bh3 Bxh4 39.Bxe6 Rd8
40.Kh2) 38.Rf2 Ra4 39.Bh3 Rxd4 40.Bxe6 Rxh4+ 41.Kg1 Kg7?
(41...Ra4 42.Bxd5) 42.f8Q+ Bxf8 43.Rf7+
32.exf6?
My desire to play on principle almost cost me one
point in this game. I should have played 32.Qf4+/- and Black's King
is too weak to make the Black's position defensive.
32...Bd6+ 33.Kh3 Rg8 34.Be4+
The only move. When I played 32.exf6 I planned to
play here 34.Rab1?? but then realized that after 34...Qc3+ 35.Qf3
Bd3 the checkmate is irresistible (in six moves as the computer
says) (35...Be2-+).
34...dxe4 35.Qxe4+ Kh8 36.Rhg1
I decided to play with this rook because in
different variations after Qf2 when I want to exchange the queens
after Qg2+ with my rook on h1 after Bd5+ rook will be lost.
36.Rag1 Qxf2 (36...Qc3+ 37.Qe3 and as GM Yakovich told me after the
game with the rook on a1, it's impossible here to play (37.f3??
Bf1+ with checkmate) ) 37.Rxg8+ Kxg8 38.Qg6+ Kf8 39.Qxh6+
Ke8 40.Qg6+ Kd8 41.Qg8+ Kc7 42.Qg7+ Kc6 43.Qg2+ Qxg2+ 44.Kxg2 Bd5+
45.Kg1 Bxh1
36...Qxf2
36...Qc3+ 37.f3 here this move is possible as Bf1
is no more a threat (37.Qe3 during the game I planned to play
this move)
37.Rxg8+ Kxg8 38.Qg6+
Here, having only a few seconds left on my clock I
offered a draw, while my opponent absolutely correctly believed that
I had to show the way to a draw and refused it.
38...Kf8 39.Qxh6+ Ke8
40.Qh5+?!
The control move, the way to a draw laid in the
other direction. 40.Qg6+ Kd7 41.Qg7+ Kc8 42.Qg8+ Kc7 43.Qg7+
with a perpetual, unfortunately before my 40th move I didn't see
that after 43...Kb6?? 44.Rb1+ Bb5 I can play 45.Rxb5+! winning.
40...Kd7 41.Qf7+ Kc6 42.Qe8+ Kd5
42...Kc7 43.Qf7+ Kc6 (43...Kb6?? here I
already saw the Rb5-idea 44.Rb1+ Bb5 45.Rxb5+ Kxb5 46.Qd7+)
44.Qe8+=
43.Qa8+ Kxd4 44.Rd1+ Ke5
44...Kc3 I was planning to play 45.Rxd6 Qf5+ 46.Kh2
Qe5+ 47.Kg1 Qc5+! (47...Qxd6 48.Qf3+ Kd4 49.Qf2+ Kd5 50.f7)
48.Kg2 Qxd6 49.Qf3+ Kb4 50.Qf2 with big chances for a draw.
45.Qa5+
45...Ke4?!
45...Kxf6 46.Qg5+ Kf7 47.Rxd6 Bf1+ 48.Kg4 Qe2+
49.Kg3 Qg2+ 50.Kf4 Qh2+ 51.Ke3 Qxd6 52.Qh5+ Ke7 53.Qh7+ Kd8 54.Qg8+
Kc7 55.Qf7+=; I was afraid of 45...Bd5! 46.Qe1+ (46.Qc3+ Kf5
47.Qd3+ Kxf6 48.Qf1 Qxf1+ 49.Rxf1+ Kg6) 46...Qxe1 47.Rxe1+ Kxf6
compared with the game Black gained 2 or 3 tempi.
46.Qe1+ Qxe1 47.Rxe1+ Kf5 48.f7 Kf6 49.Rd1 Be7
Here we had only 3 minutes left (plus 30 seconds
each move) on our clock so we started to play relatively quickly
despite the complications of this ending.
50.a4 Kxf7 51.a5 e5 52.Rc1 Ba6?! 53.Kg4 Bd6??
The decisive mistake.
54.Rc6 Be2+ 55.Kg3 Ke7
55...Ke6 56.a6 Bb5 57.Rb6 e4+ 58.Kf2 Bc4 59.a7 Bd5
60.h5 and two bishops are not strong enough to stop the march of the
2 pawns - a and h.
56.a6 Bb5 57.Rb6 e4+ 58.Kg2! Bxa6 59.Rxa6
And here the position is lost for Black.
Black would have had some chances if instead of an h-pawn I had
a-pawn. Then White would have to be careful not to push his
pawn further than a5 in order to win a game.
59...Bc5 60.Rc6 Bd6 61.Rc4 Kf6 62.Rxe4 Kf5
63.Kf3 Bc7 64.Rc4 Bd6 65.Rd4
65.h5! Be7 66.h6 Bf6 67.h7 Kg6 68.Rc6+-
65...Be7 66.Rd5+ Ke6 67.Rh5 Kf6 68.Kg4 Kg6
69.Re5 Bf6 70.Re6 Kf7 71.Rb6 Bd4 72.Rc6 Kg7 73.Kg5
73.Kf4! is the quickest way as the Endgame
Tablebase says 73...Kf7 74.h5 Ke7 75.Rg6
73...Be3+ 74.Kh5 Bd2 75.Rg6+ Kf7 76.Rg2 Be3
77.Kg4 Kf6 78.Kf3 Bc1 79.h5 Kf7 80.Ke4 Bh6 81.Kf5 Bf8 82.Rg6 Bg7
83.h6 Bh8 84.h7 Bg7 85.Rg3 1-0
