Kramnik out-calculates Kasparov

By Kristianus Liem

JAKARTA (JP): In yet another glorious Category 19 event, six of the world's strongest players met in Novgorod, Russia, in double round-robin. The tournament was played from June 11 to June 24 and Garry Kasparov emerged triumphant from the bloody fray with a score of 6,5 points from 10 rounds.

This was the first tournament appearance for Kasparov since his humiliating loss to the IBM computer Deep Blue in New York about one month before. Many wondered how that experience, which was also his first-ever defeat in match play, would affect him psychologically. If there were after effects, however, they had evaporated by the time the Novgorod event started. The event soon developed into a tremendous battle between Kasparov and world number two Vladimir Kramnik.

At the halfway stage, Kramnik seized the lead with a dramatic demolition of the PCA World Champion's King's Indian Defense in round five, but Vladimir's loss in round eight to Nigel Short put Kasparov back in front to finally win the event.

The final scores were: 1. GM Garry Kasparov (Russia) 6,5; 2. GM Vladimir Kramnik (Russia) 6; 3. GM Nigel Short (England) 5; 4. GM Evgeny Bareev (Russia) 4,5; 5-6. GM Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria) and GM Boris Gelfand (Belarus) 4 points.

There is only one grandmaster able to regularly out-calculate Kasparov, and that is Kramnik.

White : GM Vladimir Kramnik Black : GM Garry Kasparov

King's Indian Classical Defense 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.d4 00 6.Be2 e5 7.00 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.b4!? This direct plan of queen-side expansion is a critical one for Black to counter. Instead of 9.Nd2 or 9.Ne1 (to prevent ...Nh5) White allows Black to undertake the thematic maneuver of his Knight to the f4 square. 9...Nh5 10.Re1 Nf4 11.Bf1 a5 12.bxa5 Rxa5 13.Nd2 c5 14.a4 Ra6 15.Ra3!? g5!? An interesting way to solve the problem of the f4-Knight. After 15...f5? 16.g3 Nh5 17.exf5 Black has problems with his recapture, for example 17...Bxf5 18.g4 forks two pieces. With the text, Kasparov has a sacrifice in mind. 16.g3 Nh3+ Black is compelled to make his sacrifice. White's position after 16...Nfg6 17.Qh5 h6 18.Bh3 is quite pleasant. 17.Bxh3 Bxh3 18.Qh5 Qd7 19.Qxg5 h6 20.Qe3 f5 21.Qe2 f4 22.Nb5! A very worrisome blow indeed. White is preparing to introduce his a3-Rook to the king-side. If White gains the initiative there, it's game over because he will have total domination. 22...Kh7? Kasparov has obtained a measure of king-side counterplay, but more accurate was 22...Ng6 Then 23.Qh5? would be overambitious due to 23...Bg4! 24.Qxg6 Rf6 trapping the White Queen. 23.gxf4 exf4 24.Kh1 Bg4 Black has nothing to show after 24...Ng6 25.Rg1 (with the winning threat Qe2-h5) 25...Ne5 26.Nf3 when Black's position is a mess. 25.Nf3! It looks strange, White's Knight entering to self-pin, but Kramnik has something in mind. Also good 25.f3 Bh5 (25...Bh3 26.Rg1 Ng6 27.a5 Rg8 28.Nb3 Qe7 29.Ra2 Raa8 30.Qc2) 26.Rg1 Rfa8 27.Qd3 Ng6 28.Qc2 Rg8 29.Bb2 Bxb2 30.Qxb2 Qe7 31.Qb1 Raa8 32.e5 dxe5 33.Qf5 Qh4 34.Nd6 with a better position for White. 25...Ng6 26.Rg1! Bxf3+?! Kramnik's bold decision to enter the self-pin with 25.Nf3! pays off. White threat was 27.Ng5+ (as in 26...Nh4 27.Ng5+ hxg5 28.Qxg4), and 26...Ne5? fails to 27.Nxe5 Bxe2 28.Nxd7. Therefore the best try was 26...Kh8 but Kasparov wasn't interested because of 27.Qf1 and White's play on the king-side looks good. 27.Qxf3 Ne5 28.Qh5 Qf7 29.Qh3 Nxc4 30.Rf3 Be5 See diagram. 31.Nc7!! This bombshell was presumably overlooked by Kasparov. If 31...Qxc7 there is mate in two moves with a simple but elegant Queen sacrificed: 32.Qxh6+ Kxh6 33.Rh3#. The game is over instantly as White's Knight rudely intrudes on the e6 square. 31...Rxa4 32.Bxf4 1-0 Black resigns here, because after 32...Bxf4 33.Ne6 Rg8 34.Rxg8 Qxg8 White wins by force with 35.Qf5+! (but not 35.Rxf4?? Ra1+ and mate next move) 35...Kh8 (35...Qg6 36.Nf8+) 36.Qf6+ Kh7 37.Nf8+ White took Black's Queen.