John Henderson Dortmund Reports

Round 1 Thursday 12th July 2001

WELCOME BACK TO GERMANY!

So, where were we before my last report from Germany was so rudely interrupted a week or so ago by an illness to my girlfriend? Ah, that’s right: Kramnik and Anand were about to play the last two games in their enthralling “Dull Of The Champions” match in Mainz.

Believe me, you didn’t really miss anything here. Chess players, I’m assured, are a very perceptive lot, and I’m sure you’ve all downloaded the games provided by that nice Mr Crowther (or Mr Friedel if you’re reading the syndicated ChessBase version!) and managed to work out the result for yourselves. But, to cut a long story short, the two Champions basically had what can only be described as a non-event in the final two 25 minute games, with Anand proving the better 5-minute player as he took the title, thus leaving poor Kramnik to mull over those three golden chances that he squandered. The things I do to avoid writing a final report!

However, Anand and Kramnik were both soon on the autobahn again to make their way to Dortmund for another showdown - hopefully this time they'll come out and play some real chess! And, despite what my father and his Lancaster Bomber did to them during the war, the Germans seem to have taken a liking to me as the organiser of the Sparkassen Chess Meeting in Dortmund, Carsten Hensel, gave me a quick call to ask: "You come to Dortmund, Ja? There ve have lots of fun, Ja?"

How could I refuse? And with that, leaving the girlfriend in her sick bed, I caught the first available Lufthansa flight to Dusseldorf, and then by train to Dortmund, where Mickey Adams, Alexander Morozevich, Peter Leko and Veselin Topalov joined Anand and Kramnik for the 29th Sparkassen Chess Meeting.

A category 21 double round tournament with an average Elo of 2755 according to the latest July rating list, it thus becomes the strongest tournament of the year (replacing Linares). And, if the finger-counters at Fide manage to get their act together by revising Anand’s new rating up to 2798 instead of 2794 (apparently they overlooked the little matter of his win in Merida!), it could be even more before we get to the end of the tournament.

Anand’s rating may be on the up, and he’s fresh from his moral-boosting victory over Kramnik at Mainz, but here in Dortmund they don’t call the tournament “The Kramnik Memorial” for nothing: the BGN world champ has won five out of the six times he’s played here at Dortmund. It was also here that Garry Kasparov correctly pointed his successor. As a 17-year-old junior in 1992, Kramnik was invited to Dortmund to play in the Open after his success in the Moscow Olympiad. Kasparov, when asked by a journalist from a big German newspaper (a serious one – not like the hacks you find hanging around in the press room) who was going to take his crown? Pulling him upstairs, he pointed out the longhaired youth leading the Open. “He’s the one – he’s going to take my crown!” proclaimed Gazza. Prophetic or what?

In the first round in Dortmund, Kramnik got off to a winning start with this powerful performance against Topalov.

Topalov,V - Kramnik,V [A17]

1 Nf3 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 Playing a Nimzo set-up against the English was first played in top flight chess by Alekhine in the late 1920s. Of the elite players today, its a big favourite of Mickey Adams. For Kramnik, however, its a new addition to his repertoire. 4 Qb3 [If you like your chess a la Basman, then the latest provocative attempt is 4 g4!?: 4 g4 Bxc3 (4 ..Nxg4 5 Rg1 picks-up the g-pawn.) 5 dxc3 d5 6 g5 Ne4 7 Bf4 0–0 8 e3 b6 9 Qc2 Bb7 10 0–0–0 Nd7 11 Rg1 a6 12 h4 b5 13 cxd5 exd5 14 h5 Ndc5 15 Ne5 Ne6 16 Bd3 Qe7 17 f3 N4xg5 18 Bxg5 Nxg5 19 f4 h6 20 fxg5 Qxe5 21 gxh6 Qxe3+ 22 Qd2 Qxd2+ 23 Kxd2 g6 24 hxg6 fxg6 25 Rxg6+ Kf7 26 h7 1–0 Krasenkow,M-Dydyshko,V/Zakopane 2000. ] 4 ..c5 5 g3 Nc6 6 a3 Ba5 7 Bg2 0–0 8 0–0 d5 9 d3 h6 [9 ..d4?! 10 Na4 b6? 11 Ne5 Nxe5 12 Bxa8 Qe8 13 Bg2± ½–½ Speelman,J-Seirawan,Y/Saint John 1988/Candidates (30).] 10 Bf4 Re8 11 Na4 b6 12 Ne5 Bd7 13 e3

13 ..g5! It doesn't win the bishop, but it forces a line which is good for Kramnik. 14 Nxc6 Bxc6 15 Be5 Ng4 16 Bc3 Bxc3 17 Nxc3 dxc4 18 dxc4 Bxg2 19 Kxg2 Qe7! Not only looking to take control of the d-file with a Rad8, but also attacking the white king, as Topalov now has to defend against ideas like Qb7+ and Ne5. 20 Ne4 f5 21 h3 [21 Nd2 Rad8 22 Rad1 Ne5! 23 f4 Qb7+ 24 Kg1 gxf4 25 exf4 Nd3 26 Nb1 Qe4 and black dominates the position.] 21 ..Ne5 22 Qc3 Nd7 23 Nd2 Rad8 24 Rad1 Nf6 25 Nf3 Rxd1 26 Rxd1 e5! It's all one-way traffic so far. 27 Qc2 e4 28 Ng1 Rd8 29 Ne2 Rxd1 30 Qxd1

30 ..Qd7! The knight ending is superb for black - Kramnik has nice squares like e5 and d3 to cause maximum annoyance. Topalov, however, has no squares for his knight - however, it's his only option: he can't risk black having an active queen and knight, so... 31 Qxd7 Nxd7 32 b3 Ne5 33 Nc3 Kf7 34 g4 [The best try from Topalov: 34 Nb5 a6 35 Nc7 (35 Nc3 Nf3! 36 Na4 Nd2 37 Nxb6 Nxb3 and black will win as he can get his king over to c6 to defend his pawn, and also shift the knight, after which he'll simply win the c4-pawn.) 35 ..a5 36 a4 Nd3 37 Nd5 Nc1 38 Nxb6 Nxb3 and it's very much the same as the previous note.] 34 ..fxg4 35 hxg4 Nxg4 36 Nxe4 Ke6 37 Nc3 Ne5 38 f4 gxf4 39 exf4 Nc6 40 Nb5 h5 41 Kg3 a5 42 Nc7+ Kf5 43 Nd5 Nd4

44 Kh4 [44 Nxb6 Nxb3 45 Nd7 h4+! and Kramnik wins by playing Kxf4-e4-d4.] 44 ..Nxb3 45 Kxh5 Nd2 46 Nxb6 Kxf4 47 Na4 Ne4 There's no way to prevent Kramnik's king from marching over to the queenside to take all the pawns. 0–1

Peter Leko has got a lot to thank Dortmund for. It was here that he met his wife, Sophie, the daughter of GM Arshak Petrosian (now one of Peter’s trainers), who moved here from Armenia with her family. Dortmund therefore has got a special place in Mr Leko’s heart. One mistake from Mickey Adams in the first round was all that the Drawmeister needed for victory.

Leko,P - Adams,M [C42]

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Nxe5 d6 4 Nf3 Nxe4 5 d4 d5 6 Bd3 Nc6 7 0–0 Be7 8 c4 Nb4 9 Be2 0–0 10 Nc3 Be6 11 Ne5 f6 [11 ..c5 12 Nxe4 dxe4 13 d5 Bc8 14 a3 Na6 15 f4 f6 16 Ng4 Bxg4 17 Bxg4 f5 18 Be2 Bf6 19 Rb1 Bd4+ ½–½ Anand,V-Leko,P/Leon ESP 2001/The Week in Chess 344 (48). ] 12 Nf3 [The best option. The only other alternative, 12 Bg4, featured heavily in the Frankfurt Giants' of 1998, with Kramnik facing it three times: 12 Bg4 Bc8 13 Bxc8 Rxc8 14 Nf3 c5 15 Qe2 Re8 16 Nxd5 Bd6 17 Nxb4 Ng3 18 Qd3 Nxf1 19 Nd5 Nxh2 20 Nxh2 Re1+ 21 Nf1 Qe8 22 Bf4 Rxa1 23 Bxd6 Qe1 24 Ne7+ Kh8 25 Nxc8 Rd1 26 Qf5 Qxf1+ 27 Kh2 Qh1+ 28 Kg3 Rg1 29 Qd5 g5 30 Ne7 Qh4+ 31 Kf3 Qh5+ 32 Ke4 Qg4+ 33 Kd3 Qxd4+ 34 Qxd4 cxd4 35 g3 Rg2 36 Bc5 Rxf2 37 Bxd4 Rf3+ 38 Ke4 g4 39 Nf5 h5 40 b4 Ra3 41 Bxf6+ Kh7 42 b5 Rxa2 43 c5 Rc2 44 c6 bxc6 45 Nd4 Rf2 46 Be5 cxb5 47 Nxb5 a5 48 Nc3 Kg6 49 Bc7 Rf3 50 Bxa5 Rxg3 51 Ne2 Ra3 52 Nf4+ Kh6 53 Bd8 Ra4+ 54 Kf5 g3 55 Bg5+ Kh7 56 Bh4 g2 57 Nxg2 Rg4 58 Nf4 Rxh4 0–1 Ivanchuk,V-Kramnik,V/Frankfurt 1998/CBM 65 ext (58). ] 12 ..Kh8 [12 ..Re8 13 Be3 Bf8 14 a3 Nxc3 15 bxc3 Nc6 16 cxd5 Bxd5 17 c4 Bf7 18 Qc2 Na5 ½–½ Adams,M-Timman,J/Wijk aan Zee NED 2001/The Week in Chess 325 (44). ] 13 cxd5 Nxc3 14 bxc3 Nxd5 15 Bd3 c5 16 c4 Nb4 17 d5 Nxd3 18 Qxd3

18 ..Bf7? [As Adams admitted the next day: "This was a serious mistake - I had to prevent 19 Bf4 first." 18 ..Bd6! 19 Qb3 (19 dxe6?? Bxh2+) 19 ..Bg4 20 h3 Bh5 21 a4 (21 Qxb7? Bxf3 22 gxf3 Be5 wins.) 21 ..Qd7 with equal play.] 19 Bf4 Bd6 It's too late now. At least with the bishop pair, Adams had good counter chances. However, here, with one pair exchanged, White holds all the aces - especially with the big d-pawn and control of the b-file. 20 Bxd6 Qxd6 21 Nh4 b5 Black's only chance is to try and break down the power of the d-pawn. 22 cxb5 Qxd5 23 Qxd5 Bxd5 24 Rfc1! Rfd8 [24 ..Rfc8 25 Nf5 Rc7 26 Rc3 Re8 27 Ne3 Bf7 28 a4 Re5 29 Rb1 and White has the strong plan of a5-b6, consigning Black to defend a very passive position.] 25 Rxc5 Bxa2 It's a good try from Adams - he's trying to exchange off as many pieces as possible to help get the draw. However, the weakness of the black a-pawn (not to mention the strength of the white b-pawn) leaves him in a hopeless position. 26 h3 Just in case! 26 ..Bf7 27 Nf5 Rd5 28 Rxd5 Bxd5

29 Ra5! With the subtle threat of b6! 29 ..g6 30 Nd4 Bb7 31 Ne6 h5 32 Nc5 Rb8 33 Nd7 [Also possible was 33 Rxa7 Bd5 34 Nd7 Rxb5 35 Nxf6 Bb7 but at least in this position black has managed to activate his pieces.] 33 ..Ra8 [33 ..Rd8 34 Nxf6 loses two pawns.] 34 Nxf6 a6 35 bxa6 Rxa6 36 Rxa6 Bxa6 37 h4 In reality, this seals black's fate as it fixes his pawns. 37 ..Kg7 38 Ne4 Kf7 39 Kh2

The winning plan is simple: Kg3-f4-g5.

39 ..Bd3 40 f3 Bf1 41 Kg3 Ke6 42 Nd2 Bd3 43 Kf4 Kf6 44 Ne4+ Kf7 45 Kg5 Bf1 46 g3 Be2 47 Nd2 Kg7 48 f4 Bd1 [48 ..Bd3 49 Nf3 Be4 50 Nd4 Kf7 51 f5 gxf5 52 Nxf5 Bf3 53 Nd6+ Ke7 54 Nc4 Ke6 55 Nd2 Bd1 56 Ne4 and eventually the h-pawn falls too.] 49 Nf1 Black is basically going to lose to the same plan as above. 1–0

You can contact John Henderson at: jbhthescots@cableinet.co.uk

The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of TWIC, Chess & Bridge Ltd or the London Chess Center.