A very rare continuation, but Kramnik had undoubtedly prepared for this move, as Kasparov had employed it with success against Yermolinsky in last year's Wijk aan Zee tournament.
To the best of my knowledge, 9...Nc6 10.Rc1 cxd4 11.cxd4 Qxd2+ 12.Kxd2 0-0 is supposed to be fine for Black.
10.Rb1
Yermo tried the less direct 10.Rc1.
10...a6
11.Rxb7!
Novelty! White got nothing after 11.Rb3 b5, which was played in Timman-Ivanchuk, Linares 1992.
11...Bxf3 12.gxf3 Nc6
This is probably why Timman rejected the b-pawn: White's d-pawn is now doomed. It turns out, however, that White can still fight for the advantage. After all: He's got the two bishops, and Rb7 is eyeing Black's e-pawn.
13.Bc4 0-0 14.0-0
Please leave the room if you missed 14.d5?? Bxc3!
14...cxd4 15.cxd4 Bxd4 16.Bd5
16...Bc3!?
Black is probably ok in the endgame after 16...Qxd2 17.Bxd2 Ne5, but there's nothing wrong with keeping the Queens on the board.
17.Qc1 Nd4?
This basically loses a pawn for nothing. Black appears to be alive and well after 17...Rac8, with the point 18.Bxc6 Rxc6 19.Rxe7 Qxa2. The tricky 17...Ne5 was also suggested by several commentators during the game.
18.Bxd4 Bxd4 19.Rxe7 Ra7 20.Rxa7 Bxa7 21.f4
Believe it or not, this extra pawn turns out to be very useful. Not only does it shut down Black's intended counterplay on the b8-h2 diagonal, it also enables White's e-pawn to step forward.
21...Qd8 22.Qc3 Bb8 23.Qf3 Qh4 24.e5
24...g5?!
This screamingly natural move turns out to be a mistake. After the game, Kasparov admitted he'd missed Kramnik's simple reply.
Yes, opposite coloured bishops usually provide the weaker side with good drawing chances, but in this particular ending, it's very difficult for Black to activate his pieces while keeping an eye on White's passed a-pawn. To make matters worse, Kasparov was running seriously low on the clock.
Einar Gausel
