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LEONARD BARDEN ON CHESS
The Guardian
Saturday May 5, 2007
Grandmasters really like rapid chess at around one hour for the
complete game. It is slow enough for spectators to follow and for
testing new ideas, but it does not risk a player's precious Fide
international ranking.
The world champion, Vladimir Kramnik, is embracing the new culture
enthusiatically this spring. He has just beaten Hungary's Peter Leko
4.5-3.5 in Miskolc and this weekend takes on Armenia's Levon Aronian
in Erevan.
Ordinary players, reading how a GM has sprung an innovation at move
20, will often wonder how the expert's memory was so reliable. Well,
GMs can lapse like the rest of us. At move 29 Leko simply forgot
his prepared a7-a5 and his inferior Rf8-e8? enabled Kramnik to
consolidate his extra pawn. There were later inaccuracies (32 Rc2! and
33 ... Qe1+!) before Kramnik wrapped up the point with a temporary
rook sac to ensure the c7 pawn would promote.
Vlad Kramnik v Peter Leko 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 g3 Ba6 5 b3 Bb4+
6 Bd2 Be7 7 Bg2 c6 8 Bc3 d5 9 Ne5 Nfd7 10 Nxd7 Nxd7 11 Nd2 O-O 12 O-O
Rc8 13 e4 c5 14 exd5 exd5 15 dxc5 dxc4 16 c6 cxb3 17 Re1 b2 18 Bxb2
Nc5 19 Nc4 Bxc4 20 Qg4 Bg5 21 Qxc4 Nd3 22 Be5 Nxe1 23 Rxe1 Bf6 24 Bxf6
Qxf6 25 c7 Qd6 26 Rc1 b5 27 Qc2 b4 28 Bb7 g6 29 h4 Rfe8 30 Qa4 Qd2 31
Qc6 a5 32 Bxc8 Rxc8 33 Kg2 Kg7 34 Rc2 Qd3 35 Rc5 a4 36 Qxa4 Qe4+ 37 Kh2
Qd4 38 Qc2 h5 39 Kg2 Qd6 40 Qb2+ f6 41 Qc2 Kf7 42 Qc4+ Kg7 43 Rc6 Qd7
44 Qc5 Kf7 45 Kh2 Kg7 46 Qb6 Qf5 47 Qd4 Kf7 48 Rxf6+! Qxf6 49 Qd7+ 1-0
The Guardian
Saturday May 5, 2007
Grandmasters really like rapid chess at around one hour for the
complete game. It is slow enough for spectators to follow and for
testing new ideas, but it does not risk a player's precious Fide
international ranking.
The world champion, Vladimir Kramnik, is embracing the new culture
enthusiatically this spring. He has just beaten Hungary's Peter Leko
4.5-3.5 in Miskolc and this weekend takes on Armenia's Levon Aronian
in Erevan.
Ordinary players, reading how a GM has sprung an innovation at move
20, will often wonder how the expert's memory was so reliable. Well,
GMs can lapse like the rest of us. At move 29 Leko simply forgot
his prepared a7-a5 and his inferior Rf8-e8? enabled Kramnik to
consolidate his extra pawn. There were later inaccuracies (32 Rc2! and
33 ... Qe1+!) before Kramnik wrapped up the point with a temporary
rook sac to ensure the c7 pawn would promote.
Vlad Kramnik v Peter Leko 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 g3 Ba6 5 b3 Bb4+
6 Bd2 Be7 7 Bg2 c6 8 Bc3 d5 9 Ne5 Nfd7 10 Nxd7 Nxd7 11 Nd2 O-O 12 O-O
Rc8 13 e4 c5 14 exd5 exd5 15 dxc5 dxc4 16 c6 cxb3 17 Re1 b2 18 Bxb2
Nc5 19 Nc4 Bxc4 20 Qg4 Bg5 21 Qxc4 Nd3 22 Be5 Nxe1 23 Rxe1 Bf6 24 Bxf6
Qxf6 25 c7 Qd6 26 Rc1 b5 27 Qc2 b4 28 Bb7 g6 29 h4 Rfe8 30 Qa4 Qd2 31
Qc6 a5 32 Bxc8 Rxc8 33 Kg2 Kg7 34 Rc2 Qd3 35 Rc5 a4 36 Qxa4 Qe4+ 37 Kh2
Qd4 38 Qc2 h5 39 Kg2 Qd6 40 Qb2+ f6 41 Qc2 Kf7 42 Qc4+ Kg7 43 Rc6 Qd7
44 Qc5 Kf7 45 Kh2 Kg7 46 Qb6 Qf5 47 Qd4 Kf7 48 Rxf6+! Qxf6 49 Qd7+ 1-0