Game seven

Anand,V - Kramnik,V [D19]WCC2008 Bonn (7), 2008

1.d4
Anand is still quite happy to churn out 1.d4
1...d5
Kramnik decides to deviate first on the other games.
2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.e3
Anand chooses the more solid 6.e3 interesting complications arise after 6.Ne5.
6.Ne5 e6 7.f3 Bb4 8.g4 Mainline is 8.e4 where black often sacrifices a piece. 8...Nfd7 9.Nxd7 Qh4+ 10.Kd2 Nxd7 11.gxf5 Nc5 12.dxc5?
(An extemely interesting variation occurs after 12.Kc2! Nb3 13.Kb1 Nxa1 14.Kxa1 exf5 15.e4 b5 16.axb5 Bxc3 17.bxc3 cxb5 18.Ba3 a5 19.Bxc4!! bxc4 20.Qa4+ Kd8 21.Rb1 Black is busted.)
12...0-0-0+ 13.Kc2 Rxd1 14.Nxd1 Qe1 15.Ne3 Rd8 16.Nxc4 Rd4 17.Nd6+ Kb8 18.fxe6 fxe6 19.Be3 Qxa1 20.Bxd4 Qxa4+ 21.Kd3 Qb3+ 22.Bc3 Qd1+ 23.Ke4 Bxc5 24.Ne8 Qd5+ 25.Kf4 Qf5+ 26.Kg3 Qg6+ 27.Kf4 Qf7+ 28.Kg4 Qxe8 29.Be5+ Ka8 30.e4 Qg6+ 31.Kf4 h6 32.h4 Bf2 0-1 Steadman,M-Wang,P/Nadi 2007

6...e6 7.Bxc4 Bb4 8.0-0 Nbd7 9.Qe2 Bg6 10.e4 0-0
Kramnik after two losses in a row is obviously in no mood to speculate on any line that isn't solid. 10...Bxc3 11.bxc3 Nxe4 12.Ba3 Qc7 13.Nd2 Ndf6 14.Nxe4 Nxe4 15.Rfe1 0-0-0 16.Qb2 Rhe8 17.f3 Nd6 18.Bf1 Kb8 19.a5 Nc8 20.Bc5 f6 21.Ra4 e5 22.Rea1 Rd7 23.Rb4 Ka8 24.Bb6 Qb8 25.dxe5 Rxe5 26.Bf2 Qd6 27.Rd4 Rd5 28.Rxd5 Qxd5 29.Qb4 Qd6 30.Qa4 Rd8 31.Re1 Ne7 32.a6 b6 33.Rxe7 1-0 Kasparov,G-Bareev,E/Tilburg 1991
11.Bd3 Bh5 12.e5 Nd5 13.Nxd5 cxd5 14.Qe3 Re8
14...Bg6 Game two from the Kramnik-Topalov match in Elista where Topalov famously missed an easy win after a great attack and then went on to lose the game and eventually the match . 15.Ng5 Re8 16.f4 Bxd3 17.Qxd3 f5 18.Be3 Nf8 19.Kh1 Rc8 20.g4 Qd7 21.Rg1 Be7 22.Nf3 Rc4 23.Rg2 fxg4 24.Rxg4 Rxa4 25.Rag1 g6 26.h4 Rb4 27.h5 Qb5 28.Qc2 Rxb2 29.hxg6 h5 30.g7 hxg4 31.gxf8Q+ Bxf8 32.Qg6+ (32.Rxg4+ Bg7 33.Qc7 Qf1+ 34.Ng1+-) 32...Bg7 33.f5 Re7 34.f6 Qe2 35.Qxg4 Rf7 36.Rc1 Rc2 37.Rxc2 Qd1+ 38.Kg2 Qxc2+ 39.Kg3 Qe4 40.Bf4 Qf5 41.Qxf5 exf5 42.Bg5 a5 43.Kf4 a4 44.Kxf5 a3 45.Bc1 Bf8 46.e6 Rc7 47.Bxa3 Bxa3 48.Ke5 Rc1 49.Ng5 Rf1 50.e7 Re1+ 51.Kxd5 Bxe7 52.fxe7 Rxe7 53.Kd6 Re1 54.d5 Kf8 55.Ne6+ Ke8 56.Nc7+ Kd8 57.Ne6+ Kc8 58.Ke7 Rh1 59.Ng5 b5 60.d6 Rd1 61.Ne6 b4 62.Nc5 Re1+ 63.Kf6 Re3 0-1 Topalov,V-Kramnik,V/Elista 2006/
15.Ne1 Bg6
15...Rc8 16.f4 Bxe1 17.Rxe1 Bg6 18.Bf1 Rc2 19.b3 Qa5 20.Bb5 Rd8 21.Re2 Rcc8 22.Bd2 Qb6 23.Rf2 a6 24.Bf1 Rc6 25.b4 Rc2 26.b5 a5 27.Bc3 Rxf2 28.Qxf2 Qa7 29.Qd2 Ra8 30.Rc1 Nb6 31.Bb2 Nxa4 32.Ba3 h6 33.h3 Be4 34.Kh2 Nb6 35.Bc5 a4 36.Ra1 Nc4 37.Bxc4 b6 38.Qe3 Rc8 39.Bf1 bxc5 40.dxc5 Qxc5 41.Qxc5 Rxc5 42.b6 Rc6 43.b7 Rb6 44.Ba6 d4 45.Rxa4 Bxb7 46.Bxb7 Rxb7 47.Rxd4 Draw Topalov,V-Kramnik,V/Elista 2006/
16.Bxg6 hxg6 17.Nd3
17.Bd2 Bxd2 18.Qxd2 To change the imbalance of minor pieces is another option as stated by Susan Polgar on her blog.
17...Qb6 18.Nxb4 Qxb4 19.b3 Rac8 20.Ba3
20.Bd2 Qe7 21.a5 Qh4 22.Rfc1 Nb8 White has a nagging if only slight edge.
20...Qc3 21.Rac1 Qxe3
After this move Kramnik offers a draw to which Anand refuses!! How easy would it have been to accept when so far ahead, Anand is trying to completely crush Kramnik's spirit.

22.fxe3 f6
In my opinion Kramnik is just trying to kill the position of any life as he did in game 4. Anand is not willing to risk too much either and must be happy to play positions with a slight edge and almost no risk of loseing.
23.Bd6 g5 24.h3 Kf7 25.Kf2 Kg6 26.Ke2 fxe5 27.dxe5 b6 28.b4
28.e4 Nc5 29.exd5 exd5 (29...Nxb3?! 30.Rxc8 Rxc8 31.dxe6 Nd4+ 32.Kd3 Nxe6 White is looking good in this position.) 30.b4 Ne6 White holds the advantage but black is quite solid and not too far from equalising. To nurture an adavantage like this one needs the skills of Karpov. 28...Rc4 29.Rxc4 dxc4 30.Rc1
30.Kd2 a6 31.b5 a5 32.Kc3 Rc8 33.g4 Nc5 34.Bxc5 Rxc5 35.Kd4 Rd5+ 36.Kxc4 Rxe5 37.Kd3 Rd5+ 38.Ke4 Rc5 39.Rf8 Rc4+ 40.Ke5 Rxa4 41.Rb8 Ra3 42.e4 Rxh3 43.Rxb6 Kh7 44.Ra6 Rb3 45.b6 a4 46.Kxe6 a3 47.Kd7 Rb4 48.Kc6 Rxe4 49.Rxa3 Rxg4 50.b7 Rb4 51.Ra6+- This sample line shows the power of active pieces.
30...Rc8 31.g4 a5 32.b5 c3

33.Rc2
After looking at the game we know that black can sac a pawn to create a drawn K+P ending so perhaps 33.Kd1 may have been a better try for advantage.
33.Kd1!? Rc4 34.Kc2 Rxa4 35.Kxc3 Ra2 (35...Nc5? 36.Bxc5 bxc5 37.Rb1 Ra3+ 38.Kc4 Rxe3 39.b6+-) 36.Kd3 a4 Black needs to create fast counterplay because Rc7 is a major threat 37.Rc7 Nc5+ 38.Bxc5 bxc5 39.Rxc5 Rb2 40.Kc4 a3 41.Rc6 Rc2+ 42.Kb3 Rb2+ 43.Kxa3 Rxb5 44.Rxe6+ Kf7 45.Rc6 Rxe5 46.Rc3 Perhaps Anand could have tortured Kramnik for longer as this variation shows.
33...Kf7 34.Kd3 Nc5+ 35.Bxc5 Rxc5 36.Rxc3 Rxc3+ 37.Kxc3
White has no way to infiltrate black's position with his king and his only pawn break will only benefit black so the position demands a draw as in game 1.
1/2-1/2

Anand Leads the match 5 - 2 with 5 games reamining for Kramnik to pull off a miracle.