Kindermann beats Yermolinsky
Kindermann beats Yermolinsky
By Kristianus Liem
JAKARTA (JP): In 1997, for the first time, the World Chess Championship was played according to the knockout formula, based on a series of two-game matches. The time control of that two- game match was 40 moves in 100 minutes, followed by 20 moves in 50 minutes, followed by all moves in 10 minutes. Each player received an extra 30 seconds thinking time after each move played, commencing from the first move.
The winner of such a match is the first player to score 1,5 or 2 points. If the score is level, there are two tie-break games with 25 minutes on the clock and the addition of 10 seconds after each move. If the scores are still level, there are another two tie-break games with 15 minutes on the clock and the addition of 10 seconds after each move. If the scores are still level after that, then sudden-death games are played with White having four minutes on the clock and Black having five. After each move from the first, each player receives an extra 10 seconds.
With a formula like that, there were "surprise" games every day. The big shock of the first day came with the defeat of U.S. Grandmaster super Alex Yermolinsky (rating 2650) by Grandmaster Stefan Kindermann (rating 2570) of Germany.
This incredible fight was won not by the strongest player, but by the man with the strongest nerves at the critical moment. Yermolinsky had many chances to win the match. In the standard games he went behind 0-1, then caught the German up to make it 1- 1. And when the story repeated itself in the first two rapid games of the tie-break, a sudden death game decided all.
That kind of win or lose situation did not seem to be one of Yermolinsky's favorites since he blundered a piece horribly in the early middle-game and lost game and match.
White: GM Stefan Kindermann
Black: GM Alex Yermolinsky
Caro-Kann Defense
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.dxc5 e6 5.Nf3 Bxc5 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.0-0 Nge7 8.Bf4 Qb6?!
"I didn't understand that move. 8...Qd7 was better," said Kindermann after the game.
9.Nc3! a6
Pawn on the b2 is poison, after 9...Qxb2 10.Na4 Qa3 11.c3 White threatening 12.Bc1 and Yermolinsky's Queen is trapped.
10.Na4 Qa7 11.Nxc5 Qxc5 12.c3 Bd7
If here 12...Na7 13.a4 b5 14.Be3 Qc7 15.Bxa7 Rxa7 16.axb5 axb5 17.Bxb5+ and White is winning.
13.Qe2 Qa5 14.b4 Qd8 15.a4 Ng6 16.Bg3 0-0 17.b5 axb5 18.axb5 Rxa1 19.Rxa1 Nce7 20.h4 Nf5
Naturally Yermolinsky can't accept to have to play moves like Ng6-h8, for example 20...Qc7 21.h5 Nh8.
21.Bxf5 exf5 22.h5 Ne7 23.Bh4 Re8 24.Qe3 Bxb5
After 24...h6 25.Nd4 Qc8 26.Bf6 (or 26.f4 Kh7 27.Qg3) 26...gxf6 27.exf6 f4 28.Qxf4 Kh7 29.fxe7 Rxe7 30.Qd6 White is better.
25.h6! Qc7 26.Nd4 Ba6
By far the best square for the Black Bishop, since here it turns into a roadblock for Ra1.
27.hxg7 f4
Black may resign if White gets to play Bf6, for example 27...Kxg7 28.Bf6+ Kg8 29.Qh6 Qxc3 30.Qg7# checkmate!
28.Qd2
If 28.Qxf4 Ng6 29.Qg3 Nxh4 30.Qxh4 Qxe5 Black has a better position.
28...Ng6
Black can't play 28...Qxe5 since 29.Re1 Qc7 30.Nf5 Nxf5 31.Rxe8+ Kxg7 32.Bg5 and White wins.
29.Bf6
See diagram.
29...Rxe5?
Here 29...Nxe5 had to be tried at just about any price. We look 30.Re1 (or 30.Nf5 Ng4 31.Bd4 Re6) 30...Qd6 31.Bg5 Qd7 and Black's position not so bad like in the game.
30.Bxe5 Qxe5 31.Re1 Qf6 32.Qd1 Qg5 33.Nf3 Qf5 34.Nd4 Qg5 35.Re8+ Kxg7 36.Nf3 Qf6 37.Qxd5 Qxc3 38.Ne5 Qc1+ 39.Kh2 Qc7 40.Qd4 f6 41.Nxg6 hxg6 42.Re6 1-0
Black resigned here because after 42...f3+ 43.Rd6 Bb5 44.Qxf6+ Kg8 45.Qxg6+ Kf8 46.Qf5+ Kg8 47.Qg5+ Kh7 48.Qh4+ Kg7 49.Qg3+ and Black losing his Queen next move.