Not exactly the most ambitious continuation, but the Queen's Gambit Accepted must have come as a bit of a surprise. Kramnik's choice gives White a small, but often lasting edge.
Keeping Ng2 contained with 37.Nf3 was a serious option.
37...Rf1 38.Kf3 Nh4+?
38...Nf4 looked like a much better try. Kramnik's team gives 39.Nd2 Rd1 40.Nc4 Nd5 41.Nb5 Bxg5 42.Ke2 (idea Ncd6) as winning for White, but is this line really forced?
39.Ke2 Rh1 40.Nb5
Basically winning a piece.
40...Bxg5 41.Nc7 Ke7 42.Nxe8 Nxf5 43.Bxb6 Kd7
44.a4
At this point, I thought the game would be over within a matter of minutes, but Kasparov is a never-say-die kind of guy.
44...Rh3 45.Nc5+ Kc6 46.a5
Doesn't that a-pawn look like a queen to you? It sure does to me. Granted, there are still some technical problems to be solved, but that's to be expected when you're playing the World number one.
46...Re3+ 47.Kd1 Re7 48.Rc8+ Kb5 49.Ne4
Why not drive the king even further away with 49.Nc7+?
49...Rxe4 50.Rc5+ Ka6 51.Nc7+ Kb7 52.Rxf5 Be3
Kasparov's going for total liquidation, hoping that somehow the a-pawn will get stuck.
53.Bxe3 Rxe3
54.Rxf7?
Natural, but bad. The win looks fairly simple after 54.Nd5 Ra3 55.Nb4 f6 56.Rb5+ Kc7 57.Kc2.
54...Re5?
54...Kc6 55.Kc2 Ra3 would have produced the same fortress as in the game.
55.a6+?
Apparently, this unbelievably natural move throws away then win! Kramnik's second, Miguel Illescas, gives the following winning line: 55.Nd5+ Ka6 56.Nb4+ Kb5 57.Rf4 g5 58.Rg4 Rf5 59.a6, and White's king will gradually work its way up the board.
55...Kb6 56.Rxg7 Ra5
There seems to be no way for White to break down Black's fortress now.
57.Kd2 Ra1 58.Kc2
58...Rh1?
Are you kidding me? All Black has to do, is keep the rook on the a-file and just make sure he gets in Rc1 before White's king reaches d5.
59.Kb2?
Once again, Ladies and Gentlemen, Kramnik throws it away! 59.Rg8! Ra1 (59...Kxc7 60.a7; 59...Rh7 60.Rb8+ Kxc7 61.Rb7+) 60.Nd5+ Kc5 (60...Kxa6 61.Ra8+) 61.Rg5 should win easily. For example 61...Ra3 (61...Kc4 62.Nc7 and Black's king is cut off.) 62.Kb2 and Black's rook has to leave the a-file.
59...Rh8!
The rest is easy.
60.Kb3 Rc8 61.a7 Kxa7 62.Kb4
Kramnik plays on for a while - probably just to calm himself so he won't trash his hotel room. Or kill someone.
Einar Gausel
