Game six

Anand,V - Kramnik,V [E34]WCC 2008 Bonn (6), 2008

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3
Anand is in a more aggerssive mood than game 4 when he played Nf3 here.
3...Bb4 4.Qc2
Anand doesn't want to repeat game two where he played the slightly unusual 4.f3 and decides on a main line.
4...d5
In 1993 both Karpov and Timman were soundly defeated in the candidates pre-matches by Nigel Short, who went on to play Kasparov in a match, but not under the auspices of FIDE. As a result, FIDE chose the two highest finishing remaining candidates for their version of a World Campionship match, but excluded Yusupov by virtue of having been defeated by Timman in the quarter final match that already occurred in the same cycle. 4...0-0 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 b6 7.Bg5 c5 8.dxc5 bxc5 9.e3 Nc6 10.Nh3 h6 11.Bh4 g5 12.Bg3 Ne4 13.Qc2 Qa5+ 14.Ke2 f5 15.f3 Nxg3+ 16.hxg3 Rb8 17.Nf2 Ba6 18.Nd3 d5 19.b3 Rxb3 20.Qxb3 dxc4 21.Qa2 cxd3+ 22.Kf2 Rf6 23.Rc1 Kg7 24.f4 c4 25.Qb2 e5 26.fxg5 hxg5 27.Rc3 Qb6 28.Qxb6 axb6 29.Rh5 Ne7 30.Bxd3 cxd3 31.Rc7 Re6 32.Ke1 Bb5 33.g4 Kg6 34.Rh8 f4 0-1 Timman,J-Karpov,A/NED/INA 1993
5.cxd5 Qxd5


The following segment is taken from Wikipedia.
According to Short and Kasparov, the head of the chess world's governing body FIDE, Florencio Campomanes, decided on the venue of the match (Manchester) and the prize fund without consulting them, in breach of FIDE rules. The British WIM and author Cathy Forbes, in her book Nigel Short: Quest for the Crown (Cadogan 1993), wrote that at no time in the 1993 bidding process was a conforming World Championship match bid actually received by FIDE. In response, Short and Kasparov promptly formed a rival organisation - the Professional Chess Association. The resulting match – sponsored by The Times newspaper – was held under the auspices of the new body in London, from September to October 1993. Kasparov won convincingly (+6-1=13), and Short's approach to the match and style of play came in for heavy criticism from BBC commentators Bill Hartston and Tony Miles (it was the heaviest loss in world title matches since Tal's reverse to Botvinnik in 1961).
5...exd5 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bh4 c5 8.dxc5 g5 9.Bg3 Ne4 10.e3 Qa5 11.Nge2 Bf5 12.Be5 0-0 13.Nd4 Bg6 14.Nb3 Nxc3 15.Bxc3 Bxc2 16.Nxa5 Bxc3+ 17.bxc3 b6 18.Kd2 bxa5 19.Kxc2 Rc8 20.h4 Nd7 21.hxg5 Nxc5 22.gxh6 Ne4 23.c4 Nxf2 24.Rh4 f5 25.Rd4 dxc4 26.Bxc4+ Kh7 27.Rf1 Ng4 28.Kd2 Rab8 29.Rxf5 Rb2+ 30.Kd3 Rxg2 31.Be6 Rc7 32.Rxa5 Nf2+ 33.Ke2 Rh2 34.Kf3 Nh1 35.Rd7+ Rxd7 36.Bxd7 Kxh6 37.Rxa7 Kg5 38.Ra5+ Kf6 39.Bc6 Rc2 40.Rf5+ Ke7 41.Bd5 Kd6 42.Rh5 Rd2 43.Rxh1 Rxd5 44.a4 Ra5 45.Ra1 Ke5 46.e4 Ke6? This is the famous game where Nigel missed the draw starting with 46... Rc5 then taking the e pawn with the king and black's rook is just in time to blockade the a pawn for a draw! 47.Ke3 Kd6 48.Kd4 Kd7 49.Kc4 Kc6 50.Kb4 Re5 51.Rc1+ Kb6 52.Rc4 1-0 Kasparov,G-Short,N/London 1993
6.Nf3 Qf5
This move was first played by Oleg Romanishin
7.Qb3
7.Qxf5 This move must be a slight mistake.. Ok he double's black's pawns but white loses control of the important e4 square. 7...exf5 8.Bd2 c6 9.e3 Nbd7 10.Bd3 Nb6 11.Ne2 Bd6 12.0-0 Ne4 13.Ba5 0-0 14.Rfc1 Re8 15.Nd2 Nxd2 16.Bxd2 a5 17.a3 Be6 18.f3 g6 19.Kf2 Bb3 20.h3 h5 21.g3 a4 22.e4 fxe4 23.fxe4 Bf8 24.g4 hxg4 25.hxg4 Bg7 26.g5 Nd7 27.Bb4 Rad8 28.Bd6 c5 29.Rxc5 Nxc5 30.Bxc5 Re6 31.Ke3 f5 32.gxf6 Bh6+ 33.Kf3 Rxf6+ 34.Kg3 Rc6 35.Be7 Re8 36.Bc5 Rd8 37.Be7 Rd7 38.Bb4 Bc4 39.Bxc4+ Rxc4 40.Bc3 Rf7 41.Rh1 Bg7 42.e5 Rf5 43.Rh4 Rg5+ 44.Kh3 Rh5 45.Rxh5 gxh5 46.Ng3 Bf8 47.e6 Bxa3 48.d5 Rxc3 49.bxc3 Bf8 50.Nf5 a3 51.d6 Bxd6 52.Nxd6 Kf8 53.e7+ Kxe7 54.Nf5+ Kf6 55.Nd4 a2 56.Nc2 Ke5 57.Kh4 Kd6 0-1 Beliavsky,A-Romanishin,O/Groningen 1993
7...Nc6 8.Bd2 0-0 9.h3!
Anand hits first again with a new move. It now has just as much punch psychologically as it does theoretically with Kramnik on the back foot in the match.
A recent game continued 9.e3 a6 10.Be2 Bd6 11.Nh4 Qg5 12.g3 Ne8 13.f4 Qd8 14.Nf3 Be7 15.0-0-0 b5 16.Ne4 Bb7 17.Qc2 f5 18.Nc3 Qc8 19.Rhg1 Nf6 20.Kb1 Nb4 21.Qc1 Ne4 22.Ne5 c5 23.Ka1 cxd4 24.exd4 Rd8 25.Be1 Qc7 26.g4 Rac8 27.Nd3 Rxd4 28.Nxb4 Rxb4 29.gxf5 exf5 30.a3 Ra4 31.Qc2 Kh8 32.Qb3 Qc5 33.Rxg7 Rxa3+ 34.Qxa3 Kxg7 35.Qxc5 Nxc5 36.b4 Ne6 37.Bd3 Bxb4 38.Nxb5 Bxe1 39.Rxe1 Nxf4 40.Bxf5 axb5 41.Re7+ Kf6 42.Bxc8 Kxe7 43.Bxb7 Ne6 44.Kb2 b4 45.Kc2 Kf6 46.Bc8 Nc5 47.h4 Ke5 48.Bg4 Kf4 49.Bd1 Ke3 50.h5 h6 51.Bg4 Ke4 52.Bd1 Kd5 53.Bf3+ Kc4 54.Be2+ Kd4 55.Bb5 Ne6 56.Kb3 Kc5 57.Be8 Nd4+ 58.Kb2 Kd6 59.Bg6 Ke7 60.Ka2 Kd6 61.Kb2 Kc5 62.Be8 Nf5 63.Kb3 Nd6 64.Bd7 Nc4 65.Be8 Nd2+ 66.Kc2 Ne4 67.Kb3 Nd6 68.Bd7 Draw Kobalia,M-Sadvakasov,D/Sochi 2005
9...b6 10.g4! Qa5 11.Rc1 Bb7 12.a3 Bxc3 13.Bxc3 Qd5 14.Qxd5 Nxd5 15.Bd2 Nf6 16.Rg1
With the queen's off Anand is happy to leave his king in the center.
16...Rac8 17.Bg2 Ne7 18.Bb4 c5
Black really needs to get this move into equalise.
18...Rfe8 19.Bxe7 Rxe7 20.Ne5 Bxg2 21.Rxg2 c5 22.dxc5 Rxc5 23.Rxc5 bxc5 24.g5 Ne8 25.b3 Rb7 26.Rg3 Black has weak Q-side pawns and must accept that white can torture him at his leisure. Atleast material is even in this line.
19.dxc5 Rfd8 20.Ne5 Bxg2 21.Rxg2

21. ...bxc5

21...a5 Kramnik must have been tempted by this move but it could have lead to another shocker 22.Bd2 (22.g5 Ne4 23.f3 axb4 24.fxe4 Rxc5=) 22...Ne4 23.cxb6! A great temporary piece sacrifice. (23.Nd3 If white plays this move then black has no trouble's 23...Nxd2 24.Kxd2 bxc5 25.Rc4 Rd4 26.b3 g5 27.e3 Rd6 28.Kc2 Nd5=) 23...Nxd2 24.Rxc8 Nxc8 25.b7 Na7 26.Rg3! If black could play his knight to c6 then he might be able to defend 26...f6 27.Nd7! So black cannot hold onto the piece.

22.Rxc5 Ne4 23.Rxc8 Rxc8 24.Nd3

Kramnik's only saving point on the pawn minus is his active knight on e4 the rook on c8 and white's passive piece setup with the rook on g2 being especially out of play.

24...Nd5 25.Bd2 Rc2 26.Bc1

This will be a ultimate test for both players each are playing a style best suited to their opponent. Anand's material verse Kramnik's activity. Kramnik has the biggest risk and most to lose if thing's go wrong for him.

26...f5

26...Nc5 27.Kd1 Nxd3 28.exd3 (28.Kxc2 Ne1+) 28...Rc8 29.f4 Kf8 30.Rc2 Rxc2 31.Kxc2 Ke7 This ending looks risky for Kramnik and perhaps psychologically he was not up to a long defense.

27.Kd1 Rc8 28.f3 Nd6 29.Ke1 a5 30.e3

30. ...e5?!

Kramnik's form in the match so far has been very up and down. He didn't have to lose the two games he has, both cases where blunders after a tough and evenly matched battle. By playing a move like e5 he must calculate things from now on extremely accurately and when you have been prone to blunders in the games before this is a extremely risky approach. Anand must be applauded for getting Kramnik into these types of positions in the first place where he can pretty much just play calmly and wait for Kramnik to hang himself.

30...a4 31.Re2 Ne7 32.e4 fxe4 33.fxe4 Rc4 34.Bg5 Ng6 35.e5 Ne4 36.Be3 Ne7 37.Nf2 Nxf2 38.Bxf2 Nd5 Black has a excellent outpost for his knight and white's Q-side pawns stalled for now but I don't think it will hold out in the long run.

31.gxf5 e4 32.fxe4 Nxe4 33.Bd2 a4

33...Re8 34.Rg4 a4 35.Nf2 Ndf6 Trying to hold the e4 square and blockade thing's on the white squares looks interesting.

34.Nf2 Nd6 35.Rg4 Nc4

35...Nxf5 36.Rxa4 Nfxe3 37.Bxe3 Nxe3 38.Re4 is still winning for white

36.e4 Nf6 37.Rg3 Nxb2

37...Nxe4 38.Nxe4 Re8 39.Bc3 Rxe4+ 40.Kf2 Re7 41.f6+-

38.e5 Nd5 39.f6 Kf7 40.Ne4 Nc4

40...Ke6 41.fxg7 Rg8 42.Ng5+ Kxe5 43.Nxh7 Ke6 44.Nf8+ Kf7 45.Bh6+- Nf6 46.Rc3 Nh5 47.Bc1 Nxg7 48.Nd7 Re8+ 49.Kf1 Nf5 50.Bxb2

41.fxg7

41.Rxg7+ Ke6 42.Ng5+ Kxe5 43.f7 Rf8 44.Nxh7 Rxf7

41...Kg8 42.Rd3 Ndb6 43.Bh6

43.e6 Kxg7? (43...Ne5 44.Rd6 Nf3+ 45.Ke2 Nxd2 46.e7 Nxe4 47.Rd8+ Kxg7 48.e8Q winning for white) 44.Rg3+ Kf8 45.Bb4+ Rc5 46.Bxc5+ Nd6 47.Bxd6+ Ke8 48.Rg8#

43...Nxe5 44.Nf6+ Kf7

45.Rc3 Rxc3 46.g8Q+ Kxf6 47.Bg7+

1-0

One of the aspects of chess that I find interesting is how it is different to other sports. When you are out on the football, rugby field or basketball court your body is running like a machine and when you get to tense moments, adrenalin takes over and you are able to perform unbelievable feats, like sidestepping your opponent and moving your body in such a way that enables you to score the winning try, goal or basket. Chess is not like this. When you get to a tense moment you have to control your body because their is no physical realease. You almost have to pull yourself out of your body become part of the chess board itself and just be another piece on the board, otherwise you will find it hard to concentrate. Afterwards you may look back and feel like you were watching yourself from above performing like a puppet on strings.