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Round 4 (March 3)
Anand-Kasparov 0-1
Leko-Kramnik 1/2-1/2
Shirov-Khalifman 1/2-1/2
Anand vs Kasparov
Preparing for Kasparov is no easy task
since you know you'll probably have to play a second rate variation to surprise
him. This has been known to work on occasion, a good example being
Sokolov-Kasparov, Wijk aan Zee 1999 (1-0), but it usually means you'll be worse
with black and forfeiting your advantage with white.
Anand surely knew this when he opted for 10.Nd5
in the quiet Be2-line of the Najdorf Sicilian, but the Indian was probably just
interested in obtaining a position that was fairly easy to handle.
Anand's previous game with Shirov had shown beyond any doubt that his tactical
skills hadn't made it through Spanish customs.
Despite this solid approach, Anand suffered his
second consecutive loss with White after making some pretty paranoid
decisions in the middlegame.
View Anand-Kasparov
Leko vs Kramnik
Most people were expecting this encounter to be
about as exciting as watching paint dry, so I imagine they were pleasantly
surprised when Kramnik switched from the solid Petroff to the extremely
sharp Sveshnikov Sicilian. Leko is no stranger to this variation, as he
regularly plays it himself, but he still ended up on the defensive as Kramnik
was able to establish thematic pressure along the g-file.
Kramnik may actually have been clearly
better just before the first time control, but a slight inaccuracy
cost him his winning chances.
Shirov vs Khalifman
Khalifman once again employed the French
Defence against 1.e4 and had no trouble equalising after Shirov chose a
slightly offbeat sideline in the Advance variation (3.e5). Khalifman was in my
opinion clearly better when Shirov offered a draw on move 21, but the FIDE World
Champion obviously lacks the necessary confidence to play for a win in
this star-studded field.
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