RU en

ChessBase по-русски

Войти

Создать аккаунт

Новый пользователь? Создайте свой аккаунт и вы сможете покупать продукты ChessBase, видеть ваши заказы, получать новости и участвовать в жизни сайта.

Корзина

0 позиций
на сумму 0

Главная страница Новости Матчи на звание чемпиона мира Чемпионат мира по шахматам 2007

Чемпионат мира по шахматам 2007

13.09.2007 - 29.09.2007

Матч-турнир восьми проходил в Мехико

Участники

1. Владимир Крамник
Рейтинг: 2753
25.06.1975
Россия

2. Виши Ананд
Рейтинг: 2750
11.12.1969
Индия

3. Левон Аронян
Рейтинг: 2739
06.10.1982
США

4. Пётр Свидлер
Рейтинг: 2698
17.06.1976
ФИДЕ

5. Александр Грищук
Рейтинг: 2689
31.10.1983
Россия

6. Петер Леко
Рейтинг: 2666
08.09.1979
Венгрия

7. Борис Гельфанд
Рейтинг: 2657
24.06.1968
Израиль

8. Александр Морозевич
Рейтинг: 2655
18.07.1977
Россия

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.13"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2792"]
[BlackElo "2733"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "44"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 {Gelfand is a renowned Najdorf specialist. However, for
such important events he seems to prefer more solid openings. He defeated
Kasimdzhanov with the Petroff Defence in the third and last game of their
play-off in Elista, but it should be said the result of the opening was
anything but encouraging for Black. Gelfand ist anerkannter Najdorf-Spezialist.
Doch bei derart wichtigen Veranstalungen scheint er solidere Erцffnungen zu
bevorzugen. Mit Russisch schlug er in der dritten und letzten Tiebreak-Partie
in Elista Kasimdzhanov, allerdings muss man sagen, dass das Resultat der
Erцffnung fьr Schwarz alles andere als ermutigend war.} 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4
5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Be3 Nd7 8. Qd2 Ne5 9. O-O-O O-O 10. h4 {White
starts advancing his kingside pawns, openly declaring his intentions to mate
the enemy king. His own king is out of any immediate danger. WeiЯ beginnt,
seine Bauern am Kцnigsflьgel vorzurьcken, womit er offen seine Absichten
erklдrt, den feindlichen Kцnig mattzusetzen. Sein eigener Kцnig schwebt in
keiner unmittelbaren Gefahr.} Re8 {Black has several ways to continue his
development. Schwarz hat diverse Wege, seine Entwicklung fortzusetzen.} (10...
Bg4 {looks an active continuation, but after sieht nach einer aktiven
Fortsetzung aus, doch nach} 11. Be2 {he has problems maintaining the tension
without making any other concession. The immediate threat is Nxe5 Bxe2, Nxf7!.
Capturing on f3 would open the g-file for attack, so that the slightly
unappealing hat er Probleme, die Spannung ohne irgendeine weitere Konzession
zu halten. Die unmittelbare Drohung lautet Nxe5 Bxe2, Nxf7!. Das Schlagen auf
f3 fьr die g-Linie fьr den Angriff цffnen, so dass das leicht unansehnliche}
Qc8 {is necessary. However, White has failed to prove anything concrete in
practice so far. nцtig ist. Allerdings ist es WeiЯ bisher nicht gelungen, in
der Praxis etwas Konkretes nachzuweisen.} 12. Kb1 (12. b3 Re8 13. Kb1 Bf8 {
Topalov,V (2778)-Kramnik,V (2753)/Sofia 2005/CBM 107/[Huzman] (1/2-1/2, 52)})
12... Re8 13. h5 Bf8 $13 14. Rde1 a6 15. h6 g6 16. Nxe5 $6 {If this is
necessary, White's whole strategy is mistaken. Wenn das nцtig ist, ist die
gesamte Strategie von WeiЯ verfehlt.} dxe5 {White has practically no
compensation for his spoiled pawn structure. WeiЯ hat praktische keine
Kompensation fьr seine entwertete Bauernstruktur.} 17. f3 Be6 18. Bg5 Qd7 19.
Qe3 Bd5 20. Rd1 Qe6 21. b3 b5 22. Bh4 c6 $15 {Jakovenko,D (2667)-Wang Hao 
(2610)/Taiyuan 2006/ (1-0, 58)}) 11. h5 Bf6 (11... Ng4 12. Bd3 Nxe3 13. Qxe3
Bf6 {loses too much time and leaves Black underdeveloped and under serious
pressure after verliert zuviel Zeit; Schwarz bleibt unterentwickelt und unter
ernsten Druck nach} 14. Qf4 h6 15. Kb1 Bd7 16. Rde1 Rxe1+ 17. Rxe1 d5 18. g4
$14 {Kasimdzhanov,R (2670)-Mamedyarov,S (2674)/Baku 2005 (0-1, 43)}) 12. Nh2
$146 {This is a thematic manoeuvre in this variation. White clears the way for
the f-pawn and hopes to question the stability of the f6-bishop with a further
knight jump to g4. However, nobody retreated with the knight in this concrete
position yet. Dies ist ein thematisches Manцver in dieser Variante. WeiЯ macht
den Weg fьr den f-Bauern frei und hofft, mit einem weiteren Springersatz nach
g4 die Stabilitдt des f6-Lдufers in Frage zu stellen. In dieser konkreten
Stellung allerdings ist noch niemand mit dem Springer zurьckgegangen.} (12. Kb1
h6 (12... a6 13. Nh2 {Svidler,P (2740)-Kramnik,V (2739)/Moscow 2005/CBM 111 
(1-0, 48)}) 13. Nh2 Ng4 14. Nxg4 Bxg4 15. f3 Bd7 16. Bd3 Bg5 17. Bxg5 Qxg5 18.
Qxg5 hxg5 19. Be4 Rab8 {Karjakin,S (2660)-Dominguez,L (2638)/Cuernavaca 2006/
CBM 112 (1/2-1/2, 50). Despite his seemingly active position, White has to be
careful, because too many of his pawns are placed on light squares. Trotz
seiner scheinbar aktiven Stellung muss WeiЯ aufpassen, da zu viele seiner
Bauern auf weiЯen Feldern stehen.}) 12... h6 13. Be2 Be6 14. f4 {However, this
might be a bit exaggerated. Black did not do anything wrong yet (he just
developed in natural way) to deserve such a treatment. White weakens his
central squares, while his centralisation is far from optimal. Just look at
his knight. Aber dies kцnnte ein wenig ьbertrieben sein. Schwarz hat noch
nichts falsch gemacht (er hat sich einfach natьrlich entwickelt), um eine
solche Behandlung zu verdienen. WeiЯ schwдcht seine Zentralfelder, wдhrend
seine Zentralisation bei weitem nicht optimal ist. Man betrachte nur seinen
Springer.} (14. b3 {[%csl Yc4][%cal Gf2f4] fails to bother Black because of
kann Schwarz nicht beunruhigen wegen} Qd7 15. f4 $6 Ng4 $15) (14. g4 {might be
a better way to continue the attack. kцnnte ein besserer Weg sein, den Angriff
fortzusetzen.} Nc4 (14... Qd7 15. g5 $40) (14... Qe7 15. Rdg1 $40) ({The
greedy Das gierige} 14... Bxa2 {does not lose the bishop as it might seem, but
does not prevent White's attacking plan in any way. verliert nicht, wie man
meinen kцnnte, den Lдufer, verhindert aber auch in keinster Weise den weiЯen
Angriffsplan.} 15. f4 $1 (15. b3 a5 16. Kb2 a4 17. Kxa2 $2 axb3+ $40 18. Kxb3
Qd7 19. Ra1 Qe6+ 20. Kb2 Nc4+ 21. Bxc4 Qxc4 $19) 15... Nc4 16. Bxc4 Bxc4 17. g5
$36) 15. Bxc4 Bxc4 16. b3 (16. Rhg1 Re5 17. b3 Rd5 {somewhat reduces White's
attacking potential. reduziert das weiЯe Angriffspotential ein wenig.}) 16...
Bb5 17. Rhg1 $40) 14... Nc4 15. Bxc4 Bxc4 {After the elimination of White's
light-squared bishop, Black can regroup easier. Nach der Eliminierung des
gegnerischen weiЯfeldrigen Lдufers kann Schwarz sich leichter umgruppieren.}
16. b3 $6 {White's desire is to force the bishop to choose between the two
available diagonals as soon as possible, but this move weakens the c3-pawn.
WeiЯ mцchte den Lдufer so bald wie mцglich zwingen, sich zwischen den beiden
verfьgbaren Diagonalen zu entscheiden, doch dieser Zug schwдcht den c3-Bauern.}
(16. g4 {was better, although less efficient than in the previous comment,
because White has weakened his squares along the e-file prematurely, allowing
Black to provoke favourable simplifications. war besser, wenngleich weniger
wirksam als im vorigen Kommentar, da WeiЯ verfrьht seine Felder in der e-Linie
geschwдcht, wodurch Schwarz vorteilhafte Vereinfachungen herbeifьhren kann.}
Qe7 17. Rde1 Bh4 18. Bf2 Qf6 $13) 16... Bb5 ({This is the kind of move one
plays without too much thought. However, Black had here the stunning Dies ist
die Art von Zug, die man ohne allzu groЯes Nachdenken spielt. Aber an dieser
Stelle hatte Schwarz das verblьffende} 16... c5 $3 {(suggested by Frederic
Friedel during the live transmission on Chessbase.com) at his disposal. The
idea is simple: to clear the queen's way to a5 and deprive the white bishop of
access to d4. With his knight on h2 and his bishop relatively inactive and
slightly hanging, White would have faced serious problems of coordination. 
(vorgeschlagen von Frederic Friedel wдhrend der Liveьbertragung auf Chessbase.
com) zur Verfьgung. Die Idee ist einfach: der Dame wird der Weg nach a5
freigemacht und dem Lдufer der Zugang zu d4 verwehrt. Mit seinem Springer auf
h2 sowie seinem relativ inaktiven und leicht hдngenden Lдufer hдtte WeiЯ vor
ernsten Koordinationsproblemen gestanden.} 17. Rhe1 (17. bxc4 Qa5 $40 18. Kb2
$2 Qb4+ $1 $19) (17. Kb2 b5 $1 18. Ng4 b4 19. Nxf6+ Qxf6 $36 20. bxc4 $2 bxc3+
21. Qxc3 Rab8+ $19) (17. Ng4 Be6 {[%csl Ge3][%cal Ye6g4]} 18. Nxf6+ {
(Unfortunately, forced) (Erzwungen, leider)} Qxf6 $17 {[%csl Yg4,Yh5] but this
would leave his light squares desperately weak. , doch danach wдren seine
weiЯen Felder hoffnungslos schwach.}) 17... b5 18. Ng4 Be6 19. Nxf6+ Qxf6 20.
Qxd6 Qxc3 21. Qe5 Qa5 $36) 17. Rhg1 $6 {A mysterious move. Anand might have
wanted to prepare Ng4xf6+ followed by g4-g5. Ein mysteriцser Zug. Vielleicht
wollte Anand Ng4xf6+ nebst g4-g5 vorbereiten.} (17. Ng4 Bd7 $1 18. Nxf6+ Qxf6
$17 {[%csl Yg4,Yh5]}) (17. Rhe1 Bh4 18. Bf2 Bxf2 19. Qxf2 a5 $132 20. a4 $6 Bd7
{[%cal Yb7b5]}) (17. g4 {was still to be preferred. war noch immer vorzuziehen.
} Qe7 $13) 17... Re4 {Yummy! What a square... Lecker! Was fьr ein Feld...} 18.
Ng4 Qe7 19. Rde1 Re8 20. Bf2 Qd8 $15 {Just in time. To be compared with the
way Grischuk exchanged rooks, keeping his kingside defended at the same time.
Gerade rechtzeitig. Zu vergleichen mit der Art und Weise, wie Grischuk die
Tьrme tauschte und gleichzeitig die Verteidigung seines Kцnigsflьgels
aufrechthielt.} 21. Rxe4 Rxe4 22. Re1 $6 Rxe1+ $6 $15 ({Black had the simple
tactic Schwarz hatte den einfachen Trick} 22... Rxf4 $1 {winning a pawn. , was
einen Bauern gewinnt.} 23. Nxf6+ (23. Qxf4 $2 Bg5 $19) 23... Qxf6 $17 {After
the game, Anand stated that both opponents calculated the same way out for
White, which does not work actually. I do not know which variation that could
be. Nach der Partie sagte Anand, dass beide Gegner denselben Ausweg fьr WeiЯ
berechnet hдtten, der tatsдchlich aber nicht funktioniert. Ich weiЯ nicht,
welche Variante das sein kцnnte.}) ({Personally, I would prefer Black's
position even after Ich persцnlich wьrde die Stellung von Schwarz sogar nach} 
22... Rxe1+ {The light squared bishop looks sooo powerful! He could retreat
with his bishop to f8 and then make some progress in the centre (b6, c5, etc..)
bevorzugen. Der weiЯfeldrige Lдufer sieht sooo mдchtig aus! Er kцnnte mit
seinem Lдufer nach f8 zurьckgehen und dann Fortschritte im Zentrum machen (b6,
c5 usw...)}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.13"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2726"]
[BlackElo "2751"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. h3
Bb7 9. d3 d6 10. a3 {White advances this pawn to a3 and just two moves later
he moves it again. WeiЯ rьckt seinen Bauern nach a3, und nur zwei Zьge spдter
bewegt er ihn schon wieder.} ({This might seem a loss of time, but Dies mag
wie ein Zeitverlust wirken, aber} 10. a4 {is considered inoffensive because of
gilt als harmlos wegen} Na5 11. Ba2 c5) 10... Qd7 11. Nc3 Rfe8 12. a4 {Anyway,
if the game was played during the pre-computer era, I would have thought that
there must be a misprint in the newspaper. Wie dem auch sei, wenn die Partie
wдhrend der Prд-Computerдra gespielt worden wдre, hдtte ich gedacht, es mьЯte
ein Druckfehler in der Zeitung sein.} (12. Ng5 Nd8 13. f4 exf4 14. Bxf4 h6 15.
Nf3 Ne6 16. Bh2 c5 {Black has satisfactory control over the centre and a
harmonious placement of his pieces. In the next phase of the game he will
carry out an interesting regrouping. Schwarz hat befriedigende Kontrolle ьber
das Zentrum und eine harmonische Figurenaufstellung. In der nдchsten Phase der
Partie wird er eine interessante Umgruppierung vornehmen.} 17. Qd2 Bd8 18. Kh1
Ba5 19. Ba2 Qd8 $5 {Preparing the activation of the queen on the dark squares,
on either wing. Bereitet die Aktivierung der Dame auf den dunklen Feldern vor,
auf einem der beiden Flьgel.} (19... c4 $5) 20. Rab1 {Everything looks ready
now for Alles scheint jetzt bereit fьr} c4 $36 {Lutz,C (2596)-Jenni,F (2503)/
Mallorca 2004/CBM 104 (1/2-1/2, 59)}) (12. Nd5 Nxd5 13. exd5 (13. Bxd5 Nd8 14.
Bxb7 Nxb7 15. d4 exd4 16. Qxd4 Rad8 17. Bg5 Nc5 $132 {Sammalvuo,T (2441)
-Gustafsson,J (2614)/Gothenburg 2005/CBM 109 (0-1, 57)}) 13... Nd4 14. Nxd4
exd4 15. a4 Bf6 {Svidler,P (2743)-Kamsky,G (2671)/Sofia 2006 (1/2-1/2, 33).
This is the kind of position that looks slightly more pleasant for White, but
which does not present real danger for Black. Dies ist die Art von Stellung,
die etwas angenehmer fьr WeiЯ aussieht, aber keine reale Gefahr fьr Schwarz
darstellt.}) (12. Ne2 Nd8 13. Ng3 Ne6 {1/2-1/2 Shirov,A (2699)-Adams,M (2734)/
Elista 2007/CBM 119/[Marin,M] (75)}) 12... b4 13. Ne2 d5 {Strategically, this
is a double-edged decision. Black wins space in the centre, but leaves the
c4-square chronically weak. Strategisch gesehen ist dies eine zweischneidige
Entscheidung. Schwarz gewinnt Raum im Zentrum, schafft aber eine chronische
Felderschwдche auf c4.} 14. exd5 Nxd5 15. Ng3 Bf8 {Black has regrouped just in
time to defend his central pawn without the necessity of weakening his
kingside with ...f6. Schwarz hat sich gerade rechtzeitig umgruppiert, dass er
seinen Zentrumsbauern decken kann, ohne sich am Kцnigsflьgel mit ...f6
schwдchen zu mьssen.} 16. a5 {An important decision. White did not want to
live with the permanent threat of ...Na5 (and if Ba2, then ...b3!?). On the
other hand, the a5-pawn is cut off from his brothers and could become weak in
certain cases, but this also applies to the black a6-pawn. Eine wichtige
Entscheidung. WeiЯ wollte nicht mit der permanenten Drohung ...Sa5 leben (und
falls Ba2, so ...b3!?). Andererseits ist der a5-Bauer von seinen Kollegen
abgeschnitten und kцnnte in gewissen Fдllen schwach werden, dass gilt
allerdings auch fьr seinen schwarzen Gegenьber auf a6.} Nd4 17. Nxd4 (17. Nxe5
Qd6 18. Nc4 Rxe1+ 19. Qxe1 Qg6 20. Ba4 b3 {Leko}) 17... exd4 {Suddenly, it
appears that Black is better developed. White's defensive resources rely on
his solid position and his stability on the light squares. Plцtzlich wird klar,
dass Schwarz besser entwickelt ist. Die Defensivressourcen des Anziehenden
fuЯen auf seiner soliden Position und seiner Stabilitдt auf den weiЯen Feldern.
} 18. Bd2 Nf6 19. Rxe8 Rxe8 20. Bg5 Qc6 21. Qf1 Qd6 {Believe it or not, this
is the first new move of the game. The point behind this apparent loss of time
(less difficult to understand than a3-a4) is to prevent the enemy queen from
developing naturally to d2. Kaum zu glauben, dies ist der erste neue Zug der
Partie. Die Pointe dieses scheinbaren Zeitverlustes (weniger schwierig zu
verstehen als a3-a4) ist, die feindliche Dame daran zu hindern, sich natьrlich
nach d2 zu entwickeln.} (21... Nd7 22. Ba4 Qd6 23. Ne4 Bxe4 24. dxe4 Re6 25.
Bd2 $13 {Karjakin,S (2686)-Onischuk,A (2663)/Foros 2007/CBM 119 (1/2-1/2, 38)})
22. Re1 {However, the tempo offered to White proves useful. He can simplify
the position further, neutralizing Black's lead in development. Doch das
dargebotene Tempo erweist sich als nьtzlich fьr WeiЯ. Er kann die Stellung
weiter vereinfachen und den schwarzen Entwicklungsvorsprung neutralisieren.}
Re5 {A typical method of fighting for the control of the only open file.} 23.
Rxe5 Qxe5 24. Bxf6 Qxf6 25. Qe2 g6 26. Qg4 Bd6 27. Ne4 {The position seems to
have changed in White's favour. All his pieces are more active than their
rivals. Die Stellung scheint sich zugunsten von WeiЯ gewandelt zu haben. Alle
seine Figuren sind aktivere als ihre Rivalen.} Qf4 $1 {The simplest way to
avoid any kind of trouble. Der einfachste Weg, jegliche Schwierigkeiten zu
vermeiden.} 28. Qxf4 {At first glance, White's decision to offer a draw looks
premature. Auf den ersten Blick wirkt die Entscheidung von WeiЯ, remis
anzubieten, verfrьht.} ({After Nach} 28. Qxf4 Bxf4 29. Nc5 Bc8 30. Bc4 {
Black loses a pawn. However, after verliert Schwarz nдmlich einen Bauern. Aber
nach} Bd6 31. Bxa6 (31. Nxa6 {offers Black a choice between lдsst Schwarz die
Wahl zwischen} Bxa6 32. Bxa6 b3 33. cxb3 Bb4 {with a dead draw and 31...c5,
trying to trap the knight. mit totem Remis sowie 31...c5, um zu versuchen, den
Springer zu fangen.}) 31... Bxa6 ({Black can obtain an opposite coloured
bishops ending with Schwarz kann ein ungleichfarbiges Lдuferendspiel erreichen
mit} 31... Bxc5 32. Bxc8 {, but the structure is complex and the a-pawn rather
advanced. It is not easy to be 100% sure this is a draw. , aber die Struktur
ist komplex und der a-Bauer ziemlich weit vorgerьckt. Man kann nicht zu 100%
sicher sein, dass dies remis ist.}) 32. Nxa6 c5 {the knight is trapped. ist
der Springer gefangen.}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.13"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Svidler, Peter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D43"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2735"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "45"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 {This is precisely the starting move that led Kramnik to the highest
peaks of his career. He abandoned it for the slightly more aggressive 1.d4
only with the occasion of his match against Kasparov. Later, he experimented
with 1.e4, without too much success. Now, the cycle seems to start again. Dies
ist genau der Anfangszug, der Kramnik zu den hцchsten Gipfeln seiner Kariere
fьhrte.  Erst anlдsslich seines Matches gegen Kasparov gab er dies zugunsten
des leicht aggressiveren 1.d4 auf. Spдter experimentierte er dann mit 1.e4,
ohne allzu groЯen Erfolg. Nun scheint der Zyklus von Neuem zu beginnen.} d5 {
Svidler occasionally employed this move as an emergency exit after losing 3
games with the Gruenfeld in Morelia/Linares 2006. His overall result in the
closed openings was not really satisfactory either, but we can assume that for
the World Championship he is better prepared. Svidler gebrauchte diesen Zug
gelegentlich als Notlцsung, nachdem er in Morelia/Linares 2006 3 Partien mit
Grьndfeld verloren hatte. Sein Gesamtergebnis in den geschlossenen Erцffnung
war auch nicht wirklich zufriedenstellend, doch wir dьrfen annehmen, dass er
fьr die Weltmeisterschaft besser vorbereitet ist.} 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 e6
5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 Nd7 8. Bd3 {No big surprises on White's part yet.
This position formed part of Kramnik's repertoire in his chess youth, although
in more recent years he has flirted with the ultra-sharp 6.Bh4, too. Noch
keine groЯen Ьberraschungen, was WeiЯ angeht. Diese Stellung bildete einen
Teil von Kramniks Repertoire in seiner Schachjugend, obwohl er in den letzten
Jahren auch mit dem ultrascharfen 6.Bh4 geflirtet hat.} g6 {Of course. A
Gruenfeld specialist would take the first opportunity to develop his king's
bishop in fianchetto. Na klar. Ein Grьnfeld-Spezialist wьrde die erste
Gelegenheit ergreifen, seinen Kцnigslдufer zu fianchettieren.} 9. e4 dxc4 10.
e5 Qe7 11. Bxc4 Bg7 12. O-O O-O {The structure vaguely resembles a Gruenfeld,
indeed. We just have to remove the b2- and c6-pawns. However, the presence of
these pawns gives the game a rather closed character, without the possibility
of active piece play as in Svidler's favorite weapon. On the other hand, White
cannot crush his opponent by advancing his central pawns , which is a
permanent danger for Black in the Gruenfeld. Die Struktur erinnert tatsдchlich
vage an einen Grьnfeldinder. Wir mьssen bloЯ die Bauern b2 und c6 entfernen.
Doch die Anwesenheit dieser Bauern verleiht der Partie, im Gegensatz zu
Svidlers Lieblingswaffe, einen ziemlich geschlossenen Charakter ohne die
Mцglichkeit zu aktivem Figurenspiel. Andererseits kann WeiЯ seinen Gegner
nicht durch Vorrьcken seiner Zentrumsbauern ьberrollen, was im Grьnfeldinder
eine permanente Gefahr fьr Schwarz darstellt.} 13. Re1 ({Kramnik had had his
share of experience with this position: Kramnik hat seine Erfahrungen mit
dieser Stellung gemacht:} 13. Qe2 b6 14. Rfe1 {Kamsky,G (2645)-Kramnik,V (2710)
/Luzern 1993/CBM 038/[Ftacnik] (1-0, 36)}) 13... Rd8 ({The main alternative is
Die Hauptalternative ist} 13... b5 {, but against such a technical player as
Kramnik, Svidler must have disliked the idea of weakening the c5-square so
soon. , aber gegen einen solchen Techniker wie Kramnik missfiel Svidler
bestimmt die Idee, das Feld c5 so frьh zu schwдchen.}) 14. Qe2 b6 15. Rad1 {
White is the first to have completed his development, but the relatively
closed character of the centre prevents him taking immediate advantage of this
circumstance. WeiЯ hat seine Entwicklung als Erster abgeschlossen, aber der
relativ geschlossene Charakter des Zentrums hindert ihn daran, aus diesem
Umstand unmitelbaren Vorteil zu ziehen.} ({Anticipating a bit the next general
discussion, I would remark that Der nдchsten allgemeinen Diskussion ein wenig
vorzugreifend, mцchte ich anmerken, dass} 15. Ba6 {is premature because of
verfrьht ist wegen} Bxa6 16. Qxa6 c5 $1 {when after the generally desirable ,
worauf Schwarz nach dem generell wьnschenswerten} 17. d5 {Black has the
unexpected, but entirely sufficient defence die unerwartete, doch vцllig
ausreichende Verteidigung} Nb8 $1 {hat:} 18. Qc4 (18. Qd3 {places the queen
under just another pin, allowing similar play. zieht die Dame bloЯ in eine
andere Fesselung, was дhnliches Spiel erlaubt.}) 18... exd5 19. Nxd5 Qe6 {
. This is the point! The fork on c7 is impossible now. . Das ist die Pointe!
Die Gabel auf c7 ist nun unmцglich.} 20. Rad1 Nc6 $11) 15... a5 $5 {This move
is not so much dictated by ambitions of queenside expansion as by the desire
to prevent the exchange of the light-squared bishops! This might sound a bit
absurd: why would White exchange his "good" bishop for Black's "bad" bishop?
In fact, the situation is not as one-sided as it might look at first sight.
Once the black bishop emerges on b7, the permanent threat of ...c5 questions
White's stability in the centre. He would obviously need to place a minor
piece on e4, but here we discover another aspect: at least two of his minor
pieces are competing for this square: the bishop and the queen's knight! By
exchanging the light-squared bishops, White achieves better stability and can
prepare the thematic attack based on h4-h5, in order to increase his influence
on light squares. Dieser Zug wird weniger von Ambitionen auf eine
Damenflьgelexpansion diktiert als vielmehr von dem Wunsch, den Tausch der
weiЯfeldrigen Lдufer zu verhindern! Die mag ein wenig absurd klingen: Wieso
wьrde WeiЯe seinen "guten" Lдufer fьr den "schlechten" von Schwarz tauschen?
Tatsдchlich ist die Situation nicht so einseitig, wie es auf den ersten Blick
wirken mag. Wenn der schwrze Lдufer erst einmal auf b7 auftaucht, stellt die
permanente Drohung ...c5 die Stabilitдt des WeiЯen im Zentrum in Frage. Er
wьrde offensichtlich eine Leichtfigur auf e4 platzieren mьssen, doch hier
entdecken wir einen weiteren Aspekt: Mindestens zwei seiner Leichtfiguren
konkurrieren um dieses Feld, der Lдufer und der Damenspringer! Durch den
Tausch der weiЯfeldrigen Lдufer erreicht WeiЯ bessere Stabilitдt im Zentrum
und kann den thematischen Angriff basierend auf h4-h5 vorbereiten, um seinen
Einfluss auf den weiЯen Feldern zu vergrцЯern.} (15... Bb7 16. Ba6 Nb8 17. Bxb7
Qxb7 18. h4 Na6 19. Ne4 Nb4 20. a3 (20. h5 $16) 20... Nd5 21. Rd2 $14 c5 $6 22.
dxc5 bxc5 23. Nxc5 Qb6 24. Rc1 Rac8 25. Rdc2 Ne7 26. Rc4 Rd5 27. b4 $16 {
Bocharov,D (2602)-Dobrov,V (2479)/Moscow 2007/CBM 116 ext (0-1, 79)}) (15...
Rb8 {A slightly mysterious move. The ideas behind it will become clear
slightly later. Ein leicht mysteriцser Zug. Die Ideen dahinter werden etwas
spдter klar werden.} 16. a3 (16. Ba6 $6 {does not work now so well:
funktioniert nicht so gut:} c5 $1 17. d5 Bxa6 18. Qxa6 exd5 19. Nxd5 Qe6 {
and there is no fork on c7! und es gibt keine Gabel auf c7!}) 16... Bb7 17. Ba2
(17. Ba6 {can be answered with kann bereits mit} Ba8 {already. beantwortet
werden.}) 17... Nf8 18. h4 c5 19. d5 exd5 20. Nxd5 (20. Bxd5 $14) 20... Bxd5
21. Bxd5 b5 22. Qe4 Ne6 23. h5 g5 24. g3 $14 {Korotylev,A (2565)-Potkin,V 
(2540)/Sochi 2004/CBM 101 (1/2-1/2, 41)}) 16. Bd3 $146 {For the time being,
Kramnik decides to install the bishop on e4. Fьrs Erste beschlieЯt Kramnik,
den Lдufer auf e4 zu installieren.} ({Previously, Zuvor hatte man} 16. Ne4 {
had been played. gespielt.} c5 17. dxc5 (17. Nd6 cxd4 18. Qe4 Ra7) 17... bxc5 (
17... Nxe5 $5 18. cxb6 Bb7 $44 {[%csl Gb7,Gg7]}) 18. Nd6 Nxe5 19. Nxe5 Rxd6 20.
Rxd6 Qxd6 21. Nxf7 $1 $16 {Mueller,M-Kaczynski,J/POL-ch35 sf06 corr 1991/Corr
Nr. 1 (1-0, 25)}) 16... Bb7 17. Be4 b5 18. h4 {Since there is not much to do
in the centre, White starts a typical operation on the kingside, aiming to
weaken the light squares in the neighborhood of the enemy king. Da es im
Zentrum nicht viel zu tun gibt, startet WeiЯ eine typische Operation am
Kцnigsflьgel mit dem Ziel, die weiЯen Felder in der Umgebung des feindlichen
Kцnigs zu schwдchen.} (18. Nxb5 Nxe5 $1 $11) 18... Nb6 {[%cal Yb5b4,Gc3b1]} 19.
Bb1 {White clears the e4-square for the knight in view of the threatened ...b4,
but also in order to block Black's whole queenside by preventing ...c5. The
obvious drawback of the last move is that it releases the pressure along the
e4-a8 diagonal. WeiЯ rдumt das Feld e4 fьr den Springer angesichts des
drohenden ...b4, aber auch, um durch die Verhinderung ...c5 den ganzen
schwarzen Damenflьgel zu blockieren. Der offensichtliche Nachteil des letzten
Zuges liegt darin, dass der Druck entlang der Diagonale e4-a8 aufgehoben wird.}
(19. Qc2 $5 b4 20. Ne2 Rac8 21. h5 g5 22. Ng3 {seems to maintain the control
for a while, although it is not clear how White can improve his position
further. scheint die Kontrolle fьr eine Weile zu behaupten, wenngleich nicht
klar ist, wie WeiЯ seine Stellung weiter verbessern kann.} (22. Nh2 $6 c5 $1))
19... c5 $5 {A brave decision. If White installs his knight on e4, it might be
simply too late for any form of counterplay. Eine tapfere Entscheidung. Wenn
WeiЯ seinen Springer auf e4 installiert, kцnnte es fьr jede Form von
Gegenspiel einfach zu spдt sein.} 20. Nxb5 Ba6 21. h5 {Now and on the next
move, Kramnik seems to have been animated by the desire to avoid any kind of
complications. In doing so, he also reduced his chances for an advantage. Hier
und im nдchsten Zug scheint Kramnik von dem Wunsch beseelt gewesen zu sein,
jegliche Art von Komplikationen zu vermeiden. Dabei minderte er aber auch
seine Chancen auf Vorteil.} (21. Bd3 $5 {was a reasonable attempt to maintain
the extra-pawn. war ein vernьnftiger Versuch, den Mehrbauern zu behalten.} Nd5
{[%csl Gb5,Gd3][%cal Yd5f4]} 22. Bc4 $5 (22. g3 Nb4 23. Bc4 Bxb5 24. Bxb5 Nxa2
{is entirely acceptable for Black. ist vцllig annehmbar fьr Schwarz.}) 22...
Nb6 23. b3 $1 {and despite Black's pair of bishops, White is not hanging in
any way. und trotz des schwarzen Lдuferpaars hдngt bei WeiЯ nichts durch.})
21... g5 22. Nh2 ({Here, too Auch hier war} 22. Bd3 {was possible. mцglich.} c4
$5 (22... Nd5 $6 {is worse now because of ist nun schwдcher wegen} 23. Qe4 $1)
23. Bxc4 Nxc4 24. Qxc4 g4 {. This possibility did not exist after 21.Bd3. .
Diese Mцglichkeit gab es nach 21.Bd3 nicht.} 25. Nh2 Qg5 {. Black will
retrieve one of the sacrificed pawns, but it is not clear whether his pair of
bishops would offer entirely adequate compensation for the second one. White
has more space, is quite stable and has no real weaknesses. . Schwarz wird
einen der geopferten Bauern zurьckgewinnen, doch es ist nicht klar, ob sein
Lдuferpaar gдnzlich ausreichende Kompensation fьr den zweiten bieten wьrde.
WeiЯ hat mehr Raum, steht recht stabil und hat keine realen Schwдchen.}) 22...
Rxd4 23. Rxd4 {It looks as if Black has dangerous counterplay in the centre
and on the queenside, but the position is anything but drawish. On the other
hand, travelling from Europe to Mexico must have been quite tiring and the
opponents know each other so well since childhood, so that the abrupt end is
not completely illogical. Es sieht aus, als hдtte Schwarz gefдhrliches
Gegenspiel im Zentrum und am Damenflьgel, doch die Stellung ist alles anderes
als remislich. Andererseits war die Reise von Europa nach Mexiko bestimmt sehr
ermьdend, und die Gegner kennen sich von klein auf sehr gut, so dass das
abrupte Ende doch nicht so unlogisch ist.} (23. Rxd4 cxd4 24. Bd3 (24. Ng4 Qb4
$1 $132 25. Bd3 Nd5 {[%cal Yd5f4]} 26. g3 Rb8 {[%csl Yb2]}) 24... Nd5 25. Nxd4
(25. Nd6 $5 Bxd3 26. Qxd3 {[%cal Yh2g4]} Bxe5 27. Rxe5 Qxd6 28. Qxd4 Qb4 $1)
25... Bxd3 (25... Nf4 $2 26. Qe4 $1 {[%csl Ya8,Yh7]}) 26. Qxd3 Qb4 {[%csl Yb2,
Ye1]} 27. Qe4 (27. Re2 $2 Nf4 $19) 27... Qxb2 28. Ng4 $13 {White has strong
pressure against the enemy kingside, but he cannot build up a dangerous attack
yet, because the enemy queen is harrasing him. Maybe the position remains
equal. For instance, after WeiЯ hat starken Druck auf den feindlichen
Kцnigsflьgel, kann aber noch keinen gefдhrlichen Angriff inszenieren, da die
gegnerische Dame ihn belдstigt. Vielleicht bleibt die Stellung gleich. Zum
Beispiel kann WeiЯ nach} Qxa2 {White can sacrifice a knight with einen
Springer opfern mit} 29. Nxe6 $1 {when after , worauf er nach} fxe6 {he has
several ways of achieving a perpetual. diverse Mцglichkeiten hat, ein
Dauerschach zuerzielen.}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.13"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E12"]
[WhiteElo "2758"]
[BlackElo "2750"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "50"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 {The so-called Petrosian (or
Petrosian-Kasparov) Variation, played for the first time in the game Sultan
Khan - Capablanca. The mysterious Indian player won in great style, but we
cannot know whether he was aware of the subtle character of his invention,
since he used to play a3 or ...a6 in the opening quite frequently. (This was
how the so called Chebanenko Slav was born, too) Die so genannte Petrosian- 
(oder Petrosian-Kasparov-)Variante, die zum ersten Mal in der Partie Sultan
Khan - Capablanca gespielt wurde. Der mysteriцse Inder gewann in groЯem Stil,
aber wir kцnnen nicht wissen, ob er sich des subtilen Charakters seiner
Erfindung bewusst war, denn er spielte a3 bzw. ...a6 recht hдufig in der
Erцffnung (so wurde ьbrigens auch das so genannte Chebanenko-Slawisch geboren)}
Bb7 5. Nc3 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. e3 {Morozevich is known as one of the most
creative and original players of the moment. Some 10 years ago, he used to
deviate from the approved paths as soon as possible (for instance, on the
second move; just think of the almost forgotten Chigorin Defence and Albin
Countergambit). Lately, he has changed his attitude a bit, by producing
stunning novelties in well-established openings. Let us see what he has in
mind for today. Morozevich gilt als einer der kreativsten und originellsten
Spieler der Gegenwart. Vor etwa 10 Jahren pflegte er immer so frьh wie mцglich
von den bewдhrten Pfaden abzuweichen (beispielsweise im zweiten Zug, man denke
nur an die fast vergessene Tschigorin-Verteidigung und Albins Gegengambit). In
letzter Zeit hat er seine Einstellung ein wenig geдndert und produziert
nunmehr verblьffende Neuerungen in etablierten Erцffnungen. Wir wollen sehen,
was er heute im Schilde fьhrt.} g6 {This move, transposing to some sort of
Gruenfeld, came into the limelight after Kortschnoj used it to defeat a young
player named Kasparov in the first game of their Candidates' match in 1983.
Dieser Zug, der zu einer Art Grьnfeld ьberleitet, rьckte ins Rampenlicht,
nachdem Kortschnoi damit in der ersten Partie ihres Kandidatenmatches 1983
einen jungen Spieler namens Kasparov besiegte.} 8. h4 {So, this was his idea.
However, this slightly extravagant move is not really new. Among others, it
has been tried by Polugaevsky against Kortschnoj. By advancing his h-pawn,
White does not necessarily hope to mate his opponent. However, the permanent
danger of a direct attack restricts Black's possibilities of counterplay in
the centre. On the other hand, after having spent 2 whole tempi on h4-h5,
White is morally forced to refrain from castling, which in the long run could
cause him problems of coordination. Das war also seine Idee. Dieser leicht
extravagante Zug ist allerdings nicht wirklich neu. Er wurde unter anderem von
Polugaevsky gegen Kortschnoj erprobt. Mit dem VorstoЯ seines h-Bauern hofft
WeiЯ nicht unbedingt darauf, seinen Gegner mattzusetzen. Doch die permanente
Gefahr eines direkten Angriffs beschrдnkt die schwarzen
Gegenspielmцglichkeiten im Zentrum. Andererseits ist WeiЯ, nachdem er 2 ganze
Tempi fьr h4-h5 verwendet hat, moralisch verpflichtet, auf die Rochade zu
verzichten, was ihm langfristig Probleme mit der Koordination eintragen kцnnte.
} Bg7 9. h5 Nd7 (9... c5 $6 {is probably premature because of ist vermutlich
verfrьht wegen} 10. Bb5+ {Here I would allow myself a small digression. With
both his bishops developed in fianchetto and only a knight left to cover the
slightly weak c6- and f6-squares, Black has to reckon with such intermediate
moves as Bb5+ or Bg5 permanently. We shall see more of this in the comments
below. Hier mцchte ich mir eine kleine Abschweifung erlauben. Wenn seine
beiden Lдufer fianchettiert sind und nur ein Springer bleibt, um die leicht
schwachen Felder c6 und f6 zu decken, muss Schwarz stдndig mit solchen
Zwischenzьgen wie Bb5+ oder Bg5 rechnen. Mehr dazu werden wir in den
Kommentaren unten sehen.} Bc6 ({Against Gegen} 10... Nc6 {Polugaevsky gives 11.
Bd3+/-, which does not make any sense. In fact, White can maintain his
initiative with gibt Polugaevsky 11.Bd3+/- an, was keinerlei Sinn ergibt.
Tatsдchlich kann WeiЯ seine Initiative behaupten mit} 11. h6 (11. Ne5 {does
not offer anything concrete because of bietet nichts Konkretes wegen} Bxe5 12.
dxe5 Nxc3 {, for instance , zum Beispiel} 13. Qxd8+ Rxd8 14. bxc3 a6 15. Bxc6+
Bxc6 16. hxg6 fxg6 17. f3 Rd3 18. e4 O-O 19. Bg5 Ba4 {and Black's control over
the only open file compensates for White's slightly better structure. , und
die Kontrolle von Schwarz ьber die einzige offene Linie kompensiert die leicht
bessere Struktur von WeiЯ.}) 11... Bf6 12. Ne4 {and if , und falls} a6 {
then maybe , dann vielleicht} 13. dxc5 $5 {[%cal Ye4d6]}) 11. Bd3 Nd7 12. e4
Nxc3 13. bxc3 Qc7 (13... cxd4 14. cxd4 Nc5 15. Bg5 f6 16. h6 $16 {Polugaevsky})
14. Bg5 $1 h6 {Polugaevsky,L (2615)-Kortschnoj,V (2635)/London 1984/MCL (1/2-1/
2, 29)} 15. Be3 $16 {Polugaevsky}) ({In my opinion, In meinen Augen sieht} 9...
O-O $5 {looks like an important alternative to the text move. Decades ago, it
was the choice of two renowned opening experts and I could not find a
convincing way for White to prove an advantage. nach einer wichtigen
Alternative zum Textzug aus. Vor Jahrzehnten war dies die Wahl zweier
bekannter Erцffnungsexperten, und ich konnte keinen ьberzeugenden Weg fьr WeiЯ
finden, einen Vorteil nachzuweisen.} 10. e4 $5 {This was never tried in
practice, although the idea itself can be found in other lines of the Queen's
Indian. Dies wurde nie in der Praxis versucht, obwohl man die Idee selbst auch
in anderen Damenindisch-Abspielen findet.} (10. hxg6 hxg6 11. Qc2 (11. Ne4 Nd7
12. Neg5 N5f6 13. Bc4 Qe7 14. Qc2 c5 15. Nh4 Bd5 $132 {Miles,A (2565)-Adorjan,
A (2580)/Reggio Emilia 1984/MCD (1-0, 47)}) 11... c5 12. Nxd5 Qxd5 13. Bc4 Qc6
14. dxc5 Nd7 15. Bd2 b5 16. Be2 Qxc5 17. Qb3 Bd5 18. Qxb5 Qxb5 19. Bxb5 Ne5 $44
{Cebalo,M (2485)-Timman,J (2650)/Zagreb 1985/MCL (1/2-1/2, 32)}) (10. Nxd5 exd5
11. Bd2 Nd7 12. Bd3 c5 13. Bc3 Re8 14. Kf1 Nf6 15. hxg6 hxg6 16. Ne5 Qc8 17.
Kg1 Qe6 18. Qf3 Rac8 19. Rd1 {White has obtained what could look like a
promising form of the Pilsbury Attack, because of the potential threats along
the h-file. However, Black is better coordinated (Unlike White, he has
connected rooks!) and can obtain adequate queenside counterplay. WeiЯ hat
erreicht, was man fьr eine vielversprechende Form des Pilsbury-Angriffs halten
kцnnte, und zwar aufgrund der potentiellen Drohungen entlang der h-Linie. Doch
Schwarz ist besser koordiniert (im Gegensatz zu WeiЯ hat er die Tьrme
verbunden!) und kann ausreichendes Gegenspiel am Damenflьgel erlangen.} Ne4 20.
Ng4 Nxc3 21. bxc3 cxd4 22. cxd4 Rc3 $132 {Khenkin,I (2596)-Komarov,D (2565)/
Belfort 2004/EXT 2005 (1/2-1/2, 51)}) (10. Bd3 c5 $1 (10... Nd7 11. e4 Nxc3 12.
bxc3 {transposes below. mit Ьbergang zur Variante unten.}) 11. e4 Nxc3 (11...
cxd4 12. Nxd5 exd5 13. e5 $44) 12. bxc3 Nc6 {Black has submitted the d4-pawn
to strong pressure. White has to hurry creating dangerous kingside threats.
Schwarz hat den d4-Bauern starkem Druck ausgesetzt. WeiЯ muss schleunigst
gefдhrliche Drohungen am Kцnigsflьgel aufstellen.} 13. hxg6 hxg6 14. Bg5 Qd7
15. Qc1 cxd4 16. Bh6 Ne5 $5 {The simplest, although maybe not the most
ambitious solution. Die einfachste, wenngleich vielleicht nicht die
ehrgeizigste Lцsung.} (16... f5 {might be also playable. The position arising
after kцnnte ebenfalls spielbar sein. Die Stellung nach} 17. Bc4 Rfe8 18. Ng5 {
is highly irational. ist hцchst irrational.}) 17. Nxe5 Bxe5 18. Bxf8 Kxf8 $44 {
Black's strong dark-squared bishop and his better coordination compensates for
the sacrificed exchange. Der starke schwarzfeldrige Lдufer des Nachziehenden
und seine bessere Koordination kompensieren die geopferte Qualitдt.}) 10...
Nxc3 11. bxc3 Bxe4 12. Ng5 Bd5 13. hxg6 hxg6 14. Qg4 $44) 10. Bd3 Nxc3 (10...
O-O $6 {is less advisable now. ist nun weniger ratsam.} 11. e4 Nxc3 12. bxc3
Nc5 {This thematical trick does not solve Black's problems entirely. He will
manage to exchange one of White's bishops, but his king will not feel safer
after that. Dieser thematische Trick vermag die Probleme von Schwarz nicht
gдnzlich zu lцsen. Er wird zwar einen der weiЯen Lдufer tauschen kцnnen, doch
danach wird sich sein Kцnig nicht sicherer fьhlen.} 13. hxg6 (13. Qc2 Nxd3+ 14.
Qxd3 c5 15. hxg6 hxg6 16. Ne5 $1 $16 Bxe5 $2 17. Qh3 $1 $18) 13... hxg6 14.
dxc5 $2 (14. Qc2 $1) 14... Bxc3+ 15. Ke2 Bxa1 16. Qg1 Qd7 17. Qh2 Rfd8 {
Vokac,M (2475)-Sax,G (2535)/Lazne Bohdanec 1995/CBM 045 (0-1, 29)}) 11. bxc3 e5
$5 $146 {An interesting novelty. A counter-action in the centre is the best
answer to an attack on the wing. White's centre looks solid enough, but his
problems of development will soon be felt. Eine interessante Neuerung. Eine
Gegenaktion im Zentrum ist die beste Antwort auf einen Angriff auf dem Flьgel.
Das Zentrum von WeiЯ wirkt solide genug, aber seine Entwicklungsprobleme
werden sich bald bemerkbar machen.} (11... c5 12. e4 $14 cxd4 13. cxd4 Nc5 $2
14. Bb5+ $1 $18 {[%cal Yc1g5,Gh5h6]}) (11... Rc8 $5 {is too artifical to be
good. Black refrains from weakening the c6-square and the a4-e8 diagonal,
hoping to delay White's central expansion by one tempo. ist zu gekьnstelt, um
gut zu sein. Schwarz vermeidet die Schwдchung des Feldes c6 und der Diagonalen
a4-a8 in der Hoffnung, die weiЯe Zentrumsexpansion um ein Tempo zu verzцgern.}
12. e4 $1 ({In an earlier game of the same match, Dreev "believed" his
opponent and played In einer frьheren Partie desselben Matches "glaubte" Dreev
seinem Gegner und spielte.} 12. Qe2 c5 {. Now, the rook move to c8 justifies
itself. Jetzt rechtfertigt sich der Turmzug nach c8.} 13. Bb2 O-O 14. Rd1 cxd4
15. cxd4 Nf6 16. hxg6 hxg6 17. e4 Qe7 18. Ne5 Rfd8 19. Qe3 a6 20. f3 b5 21. Kf2
Nd7 $11 {Dreev,A (2590)-Sax,G (2565)/Tilburg 1992/CBM 032 (1/2-1/2, 55)}) 12...
Nc5 13. Bg5 $1 (13. hxg6 Nxd3+ 14. Qxd3 hxg6 15. Rxh8+ Bxh8 16. Bf4 Bg7 17. Kd2
c5 $132 {Maksimovic,B (2435)-Groszpeter,A (2510)/Berlin West 1988/TD (0-1, 33)}
) 13... Nxd3+ 14. Qxd3 Qd7 15. h6 Bf8 16. Bf6 Rg8 17. Ng5 $18 {Dreev,A (2590)
-Sax,G (2565)/Tilburg 1992/CBM 032 (1-0, 28)}) 12. Qc2 Qe7 {[%cal Ye5e4]} 13.
Be4 ({Unfortunately, it seems that Bedauerlicherweise scheint} 13. e4 {does
not work here. hier nicht zu funktionieren:} exd4 14. h6 (14. cxd4 Nc5 $1)
14... Bf6 15. cxd4 c5 $132 (15... Nc5 16. e5 $1)) 13... Bxe4 14. Qxe4 O-O 15.
hxg6 hxg6 {Aronian correctly judges that White cannot create dangerous threats
along the h-file. Capturing with the other pawn would have meant a significant
structural concession. White faces now the difficult task of activating his
bishop somehow. Aronian schдtzt richtig ein, dass WeiЯ keine gefдhrlichen
Drohungen entlang der h-Linie aufstellen kann. Das Schlagen mit dem anderen
Bauern hдtte eine bedeutende strukturelle Konzession bedeutet. Nun steht WeiЯ
vor der schwierigen Aufgabe, irgendwie seinen Lдufer zu aktivieren.} 16. a4 c5
17. Ba3 Rfe8 {In one of the two Gruenfelds Aronian lost with White against
Svidler, the structure was almost identical. Now, he shows that he learned
something from the unpleasant experience. White cannot maintain his stability
in the centre for too long. In einem der beiden Grьnfeldinder, die Aronian mit
WeiЯ gegen Svidler verlor, war die Struktur fast identisch. Nun zeigt er, dass
er aus der unangenehmen Erfahrung etwas gelernt hat. WeiЯ kann seine
Stabilitдt im Zentrum nicht allzu lange aufrechterhalten.} 18. Rc1 exd4 {
This tempting move will fail to offer Black a concrete advantage. Dieser
verlockende Zug wird Schwarz keinen konkreten Vorteil bieten kцnnen.} (18...
Nf6 $6 {is premature because of ist verfrьht wegen} 19. Qh4 $1 ({But not Nicht
aber} 19. Qxe5 $6 Qd7 20. Qf4 Qxa4 $15 {[%csl Ya3]})) ({Maybe he should just
complete the mobilization of his forces with Vielleicht sollte er einfach vor
dem Einleiten irgendwelcher konkreter Aktionen} 18... Rad8 $5 {before starting
any concrete action. die Mobilisierung seiner Krдfte abschlieЯen.}) 19. Qxe7
Rxe7 20. cxd4 Re4 21. Kf1 $5 {A very calm move. White plans to complete his
development without paying attention to the central tension. Ein ganz ruhiger
Zug. WeiЯ plant, seine Entwicklung abzuschlieЯen, ohne sich um die Spannung im
Zentrum zu kьmmern.} (21. Nd2 $6 Rg4 $1 {[%csl Yd4,Yg2]}) (21. O-O $5 {[%cal
Yf1d1] is more natural. Morozevich might have feared ist natьrlicher.
Vielleicht fьrchtete Morozevich} cxd4 22. exd4 Bxd4 23. Rfd1 Bc5 $1 {
overlooking that after und ьbersah dabei, dass er nach} 24. Rxd7 Bxa3 25. Rcc7
{he has strong counterplay. starkes Gegenspiel hat.} Rxa4 26. Rxf7 Bb2 {
Black has parried the immediate threats, but it does not look like if he had
any chance to win with such a weak king. Schwarz hat die unmittelbaren
Drohungen pariert, aber es sieht nicht so aus, als ob er bei einem derart
schwachen Kцnig irgendeine Gewinnchance hдtte.}) 21... cxd4 22. exd4 (22. Nxd4
Bxd4 23. exd4 Nf6 $15 {[%csl Ga3,Gd4][%cal Yf6d5]}) 22... Nf8 (22... Bxd4 $2 {
is impossible now because of ist nun unmцglich wegen} 23. Nxd4 ({Although
allerdings gewinnt} 23. Rd1 {also wins material, because ebenfalls Material, da
} Bc5 $2 {loses to verliert wegen} 24. Bb2) 23... Rxd4 24. Bb2 $18) (22... Nf6
$5 {[%csl Ga3][%cal Yf6d5]} 23. Rc7 {In the line from the note to the 22nd
move, this would allow the simple capture on d4. In dem Abspiel aus der
Anmerkung zum 22. Zug wьrde dies das einfache Schlagen auf d4 erlauben.} Nd5
24. Rd7 $132) 23. g3 Rd8 (23... Ne6 24. d5 $5 Rxa4 25. dxe6 Rxa3 26. exf7+ Kxf7
{Again, the vulnerability of the black king offers White sufficient
counterplay. Erneute biete die Anfдlligkeit des schwarzen Kцnigs WeiЯ genьgend
Gegenspiel.}) 24. Rc7 $11 {A curious situation. White is not fully developed
yet, but the hyper-activity of some of his pieces allows him maintain the
balance even. Eine kuriose Situation. WeiЯ ist noch nicht voll entwickelt,
doch die Hyperaktivitдt einiger seiner Figuren erlaubt ihm, die Balance zu
halten.} Ree8 25. Rxa7 Ra8 {After exchanges on a8 anf f8, followed by Kg2 and
Rb1, the game will transpose to a dead drawn rook + 2 pawns vs rook + 2 pawns
ending. For once in this round, the draw agreement looks entirely well timed.
Nach dem Tausch auf a8 und f8, gefolgt von Kg2 und Rb1, wird die Partie in ein
totremises Endspiel Turm + 2 Bauern gegen Turm + 2 Bauern ьbergehen. Das
einzige Mal in dieser Runde sieht es so aus, als ob die Remisvereinbarung zum
absolut richtigen Zeitpunkt kommt.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.14"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D43"]
[WhiteElo "2750"]
[BlackElo "2792"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5
{An excellent way to play for a win with Black, although it should be said
that White's cooperation is needed, too. In case of 6.Bxf6 (as played just one
day earlier by Kramnik against Svidler), play takes a positional course.
However, Aronian is not the kind of player to refrain from a sharp battle,
especially when he has the white pieces. Eine ausgezeichnete Mцglichkeit, mit
Schwarz auf Gewinn zu spielen, obwohl gesagt werden sollte, dass dabei auch
die Kooperation von WeiЯ nцtig ist. Im Fall von 6.Bxf6 (wie nur einen Tag
zuvor von Kramnik gegen Svidler gespielt), nimmt die Partie einen
positionellen Verlauf. Doch Aronian ist niemand, der vor einem scharfem Kampf
zurьckschreckt, vor allem, wenn er die weiЯen Figuren hat. Un excelente mйtodo
de jugar para ganar con negras, aunque cabe decir que la colaboraciуn de las
blancas es esencial. En caso de 6.Bxf6 (como se habнa jugado un dнa antes en
la partida Kramnik - Svidler), el juego entrarнa por cauces posicionales. Sin
embargo, Aronian no esel tipo de jugador que huya de una lucha aguda,
especialmente cuando tiene blancas.} 9. Ne5 h5 10. h4 g4 {Black is a pawn up,
but White has a strong centre and better prospects of transferring his king to
a safe location. In the next phase of the game, both players have to
permanently take into account the standard pawn moves (White's) d5 or f3 and 
(Black's) ...b4 or ...c5. For a while, however, play continues with natural
developing moves. Schwarz besitzt einen Bauern mehr, doch WeiЯ hat ein starkes
Zentrum und bessere Aussichten, seinen Kцnig an einen sicheren Ort zu
verfrachten. In der nдchsten Phase der Partie mьssen beide Spieler stдndig die
gegnerischen Standardbauernzьge berьcksichtigen, d5 oder f3 (WeiЯ) und ...b4
oder ...c5 (Schwarz). Fьr eine Weile aber geht es mit natьrlichen
Entwicklungszьgen weiter. Las negras tienen un peуn de ventaja, ero las
blancas disponen de un fuerte centro de peones y de la posibilidad de llevar a
su rey a una residencнa mas segura. Durante la sigнente fase de la partida,
ambos jgadores deberбn tener permanentemente en cuenta las jugadas tнpicas de
peones d5 o f3 (de las blancas) y ...b4 o ...c5 (de las negras). Por algъn
rato, el juego continъa con jugadas naturales de desarrollo.} 11. Be2 Bb7 12.
O-O Nbd7 13. Qc2 Nxe5 14. Bxe5 Bg7 15. Rad1 O-O 16. Bg3 (16. f3 Nh7 {Werle,J 
(2514)-Smeets,J (2537)/Leeuwarden 2005/CBM 110/[Lutz] (1-0, 40)}) 16... Nd7 (
16... Nh7 {Kramnik,V (2770)-Akopian,V (2660)/Dortmund 2000/CBM 078/[Lutz] (1-0,
41)}) 17. f3 {This move is almost unanimously played here. White finally
establishes a centre of pawn tension and aims to open the f-file for his
king's rook. The only (but significant) drawback of this move is that it
weakens the king's residence. Dieser Zug wird an dieser Stelle fast
ausschlieЯlich gespielt. WeiЯ errichtet endlich ein Zentrum mit Bauernspannung
und mцchte die f-Linie fьr seinen Kцnigsturm цffnen. Der einzige (aber
gewichtige) Nachteil dieses Zuges ist, dass er die Kцnigsresidenz schwдcht.
Esta jugada se efectъa casi unanimamente. Por fin, las blancas crean un punto
de tensiуn de peones, aspirando a abrir la columna de f para su torre. La
ъnica (pero importante) desventaja de esta jugada es que debilita seriamente
la posiciуn del rey blanco.} c5 $5 $146 ({An interesting novelty. Previously,
Aine interessante Neuerung. Bislang galt Una interesante novedad.
Anteriormente,} 17... Qb6 {was considered best. See for instance Onischuk,A 
(2638)-Lastin,A (2590)/Sochi 2005/CBM 107/[Lutz] (0-1, 38), containing also a
small survey on the queen move. Anand decides that the best way of taking
advantage of the vulnerability of the enemy king is to keep the queen on her
initial square. als Bestes, siehe zum Beispiel Onischuk,A (2638)-Lastin,A 
(2590)/Sochi 2005/CBM 107/[Lutz] (0-1, 38), worin auch eine kleine Ьbersicht
bezьglich des Damenzuges enthalten ist. Anand beschlieЯt, dass sich die
Anfдlligkeit des feindlichen Kцnigs am besten ausnutzen lдsst, indem die Dame
auf ihrem Ausgangsfeld bleibt. era considerada como la mejor jugada. Anand
decidiу que la mejor manera de aprovecharse de la vulnerabilidad del rey
enemigo es mantener la dama en su casilla inicial.}) 18. dxc5 ({The generally
desirable Auf das generell wьnschenswerte La generalmente deseable} 18. d5 {
can be strongly met by kann stark puede ser fuertemente contestada por} Be5 $1
{when White is in some sort of trouble: folgen, wonach WeiЯ in gewissen
Schwierigkeiten steckt: cuando las blancas pasarнan por algunos apuros:} 19.
Bxe5 $6 ({After Nach Despuйs de} 19. f4 Bd4+ {the black dark-squared bishop is
much more active than his direct rival. ist der schwarzfeldrige Lдufer des
Nachziehenden weit aktiver als sein direkter Rivale. el alfil negrod e
casillas oscuras es mucho mas activo que su rival.}) 19... Nxe5 20. f4 $2 Qxh4
$1 {with decisive attack. mit entscheidendem Angriff. con ataque decisivo.}) ({
Finally, SchlieЯlich findet} 18. Nxb5 {can be strongly met by die starke
Erwiderung} cxd4 {for instance , zum Beispiel} 19. Nxd4 $2 {The most
principled continuation, which, however, loses almost by force. Die
prinzipiellste Fortsetzung, die allerdings fast forciert verliert.} (19. Qxc4 {
looks better from practical point of view, although Black has excellent play
anyway. sieht aus praktischer Sicht besser aus, wenngleich Schwarz auch dann
ausgezeichnetes Spiel hat.} Ne5 20. Qb3 {The knight cannot be captured because
the h4-pawn would remain desperately weak. Der Springer kann nicht geschlagen
werden, weil dann der h4-Bauer hoffnungslos schwach bliebe.} gxf3 21. gxf3 {
. This weakens the king's position, but otherwise the e5-square would remain
under Black's strict control. . Dies schwдcht die Kцnigsstellung, doch
andernfalls wьrde Schwarz das Feld e5 fest im Griff haben.} Ng6 {with a nice,
but possibly not better position for Black. mit schцner, aber mцglicherweise
nicht besseren Stellung fьr Schwarz.}) 19... Qb6 20. Bf2 g3 21. Be3 Qd8 $3 {
Now that the bishop has been driven away from the defence of the h4-pawn, the
queen switches back to the kingside. Nun, da der Lдufer von der Verteidigung
des Bauern h4 verdrдngt wurde, fдhrt die Dame wieder zum Kцnigsflьgel.} 22. Bg5
{The natural reaction. Die natьrliche Reaktion.} (22. f4 Bxd4 {followed by ...
Qxh4 is not much more appealing.}) 22... Bxd4+ 23. Rxd4 Qb6 $3 {Apparently,
the oscilations of the black queen correspond to the high degree of
uncertainty typical to any lady. In fact, each time Her Majesty pursues a very
precise aim. Now, it's a pin again. Das Hin- und Her der schwarzen Kцnigin
gleicht scheinbar jenem hohen MaЯ an Unbestimmtheit, wie sie fьr jede Dame
typisch ist. Tatsдchlich verfolgt Ihre Majestдt jedes mal ein ganz genaues
Ziel. Diesmal ist es wieder eine Fesselung.} 24. Be3 e5 $1 {and und} 25. Rd3 {
does not save the day because of rettet den Tag nicht wegen} cxd3 $1 $19) 18...
Qe7 19. Kh1 $6 {This move is aimed to enable the capture on b5, but the king
is even worse placed here than on g1. Dieser Zug soll das Schlagen auf b5
ermцglichen, doch hier steht der Kцnig sogar noch schlechter als auf g1.} (19.
Nxb5 $2 {is impossible because of ist unmцglich wegen} Qxc5+) (19. Bd6 $6 {
is also not entirely adequate: reicht ebenfalls nicht ganz aus:} Qxh4 20. fxg4
Be5 (20... hxg4 $2 21. Rf4 $16) (20... Nxc5 $5 $13 21. Bxc5 $2 Be5 22. Rf3 hxg4
$19) 21. Bxe5 Nxe5 22. gxh5 b4 $132 {[%csl Ye4] and Black has good control in
the centre, and attacking chances on the kingside. For instance, und Schwarz
hat gute Kontrolle im Zentrum und Angriffschancen am Kцnigsflьgel. Zum Beispiel
} 23. Nb5 Bxe4 24. Qc1 Bxg2 $1 25. Kxg2 Kh7 $40) (19. Rd6 {[%csl Yb5] is a
better way to put the b5-pawn under pressure, but has the drawback of
obstructing his own bishop. Black can calmly answer with ist ein besserer Weg,
den b5-Bauern unter Druck zu setzen, hat aber den Nachteil, den eigenen Lдufer
zu verstellen. Schwarz kann ruhig} a6 $13 {antworten.}) (19. Rf2 {[%csl Yb5]
[%cal Yg3d6] looks logical. White threatens Nxb5 and, in certain cases, Bd6.
However, things are not so rosy for White. sieht logisch aus. WeiЯ droht Nxb5
und in gewissen Fдllen Bd6. Dennoch stehen die Dinge nicht so rosig fьr WeiЯ.}
a6 20. fxg4 (20. Bd6 $6 {is premature yet. ist noch verfrьht.} Qxh4 21. g3 Qg5
{With the rook on f2, the infiltration to h3 simply loses the queen to Rh2.
Mit dem Turm auf f2 verliert die Infiltration auf h3 einfach die Dame wegen
Rh2.} 22. f4 Qg6 23. Bxf8 Nxf8 $44 {Black has a pawn for the exchange, the
c5-pawn is weak and the pair of bishops very active. Schwarz hat einen Bauern
fьr die Qualitдt, der c5-Bauer ist schwach und das Lдuferpaar sehr aktiv.})
20... hxg4 {[%cal Yd7e5]} (20... Ne5 $5 $44) 21. Bd6 Qxh4 $36 {Concluding, I
could not find an entirely adequate continuation for White, which adds a lot
of value to Anand's innovation. Unterm Strich konnte ich keine ganz vцllig
ausreichende Fortsetzung fьr WeiЯ finden, was Anands Neuerung deutlich
aufwertet.}) 19... a6 20. a4 Bc6 {Black has stabilized the position and
threatens to win the c5-pawn with ...Nxc5. Since 21.Rd6 can be strongly met by
21...Be5!, White is forced to resort to radical measures. Schwarz hat die
Stellung stabilisiert und droht, mit ...Nxc5 den Bauern c5 abzuholen. Da auf
21.Rd6 stark 21...Be5! folgen kann, ist WeiЯ zu radikalen MaЯnahmen gezwungen.
Las negras han conseguнdo de estabilizar laposiciуn y amenazan ganar el peуn
de c5 con ...Nxc5. Dado que 21.Rd6 puede ser fuertemente contestada por 21...
Be5!, las blancas tienen que recurrir a medidas extremas.} 21. Nd5 $6 {Aronian
tries to change the generally unfavourable course of events by radical means.
Aronian versucht, den generell ungьnstigen Lauf der Dinge mit radikalen
Mitteln zu дndern.} (21. fxg4 hxg4 22. Bxg4 (22. Nd5 {does not work at all now:
geht jetzt gar nicht:} exd5 23. exd5 Nxc5 $1 24. dxc6 Ne4 $1 25. Be1 g3 26. Rf4
f5 $17 {and the white king is in a very bad situation. und der weiЯe Kцnig ist
in einer ganz schlechten Lage.}) 22... Nxc5 {[%csl Rd3,Ye4,Gh1][%cal Rb5b4,
Ra8d8] leads to a very pleasant position for Black. All his minor pieces are
placed on excellent squares, while the enemy king remains exposed. fьhrt zu
einer hцchste angenehmen Stellung fьr Schwarz. All seine Leichtifiguren stehen
auf ausgezeichneten Feldern, wдhrend der feindliche Kцnig weiter exponiert
bleibt.}) 21... exd5 22. exd5 {Normally, this kind of operation would yield
White an advantage... Normalerweise wьrde eine derartige Operation WeiЯ
Vorteil einbringen... Normalmente, tal operaciуn deberнa ofrecer a las blancas
ventaja...} Be5 $1 {... but only with a safer king's position! With this
already familiar to us move, Anand forces his opponent to release the kingside
tension and consolidates his advantage. ... aber nur mit einer sichereren
Kцnigsstellung! Mit diesem uns bereits vertrauten Zug zwingt Anand seinen
Gegner, die Spannung am Kцnigsflьgel aufzuheben, und konsolidiert so seinen
Vorteil ... pero Ўsolo en caso de tener una posiciуn segura de su rey! Con
esta jugada familiar ya, Anand fuerza a su contrincante a abandonar la tensiуn
del flanco de rey y consolida su ventaja.} ({After Nach} 22... Nxc5 $2 23. dxc6
{the e4-square is not available for the knight, if compared with a similar
line from the previous comment. hat, im Vergleich zu einem дhnlichen Abspiel
im vorangegangenen Kommentar, der Springer nicht das Feld e4.}) 23. f4 Bg7 24.
dxc6 Nxc5 {Both White's bishops are very passive. The c6-pawn in conjunction
with certain rook activity along the d-file will prove insufficient to level
the balance. Beide weiЯen Lдufer sind sehr passiv. Der c6-Bauer in Verbindung
mit gewisser Turmaktivitдt entlang der d-Linie wird nicht ausreichen, um die
Bilanz auszugleichen. Ambos alfiles blancos estбn muy pasivos. El peуn de c6
en combinaciуn con algo de actividad alargo de la columna d no resultarбn
suficientes para mantener la igualdad.} 25. Rd5 Ne4 26. Be1 Qe6 27. Rxh5 f5 {
White has temporarily won a pawn, but his rook is miserably placed. Anand went
on winning convincingly. WeiЯ hat vorьbergehend einen Bauern gewonnen, aber
sein Turm steht miserabel. Anand fдhrt die Partie ьberzeugend nach Hause. Las
blancas han ganado un peуn de forma temporar, pero su torre queda muy mal
colocada. Anand acabу imponiendose con confianza.} 28. Kh2 Rac8 29. Bb4 Rfe8
30. axb5 axb5 31. Re1 Qf7 32. Rg5 Nxg5 33. fxg5 Rxc6 34. Bf1 Rxe1 35. Bxe1 Re6
36. Bc3 Qc7+ 37. g3 Re3 38. Qg2 Bxc3 39. bxc3 f4 40. Qa8+ Kg7 41. Qa6 fxg3+ 0-1

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.14"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E15"]
[WhiteElo "2733"]
[BlackElo "2726"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "45"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 Bb7 ({From the spectator's point
of view, a refreshing deviation from the ultra-fashionable Aus Zuschauersicht
eine erfrischende Abweichung vom ultramodischen Desde elpunto de vista del
espectador, esta es una desviaciуn bienvenida de la ultra-popular} 5... Bb4+ 6.
Bd2 Be7) 6. Bg2 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 c5 {Grischuk had played already this variation
before, but only in rapid and blitz events. Grischuk hatte diese Variante
bereits vorher gespielt, allerdings nur bei Schnell- und Blitzturnieren.} ({
The other possible attempt to take advantage of the slight weakness induced by
the move b3 is Der andere mцgliche Versuch, aus der durch den Zug b3
hervorgerufenen leichten Schwдchung Vorteil zu ziehen, ist La otra posibilidad
de intentar aprovechar la debilidad creada por b3 serнa} 7... a5) 8. Bxb4 {
The most principled continuation. Die prinzipiellste Fortsetzung.} ({If White
wants to force his opponent to carry out the exchange himself, with, say Wenn
WeiЯ seinen Gegner zwingen will, selber zu tauschen, sagen wir mit} 8. O-O O-O
9. a3 Bxd2 10. Qxd2 {, the lost tempo (a3) as well as the slight weakness of
the white queenside offers Black good counterplay: hat Schwarz aufgrund des
verlorenen Tempos (a3) sowie der leichten Schwдche des weiЯen Damenflьgels
gutes Gegenspiel:} cxd4 11. Nxd4 Bxg2 12. Kxg2 d5 $11 {With a better
development and more compact queenside structure, White could hope to take
advantage of the c6-square, as so often in this type of position, but here
Black has no problems at all. Mit besserer Entwicklung und einer kompakteren
Damenflьgelstruktur kцnnte WeiЯ hoffen, wie so oft in diesem Stellungstyp das
Feld c6 auszuschlachten, aber hier hat Schwarz keinerlei Probleme.} 13. Nf3 $2
dxc4 14. bxc4 Qc7 $15 {Zoler,D (2455)-Grischuk,A (2709)/Rishon Le Ziyyon 
(blitz Wch) 2006/CBM 114 ext (0-1, 30)}) 8... cxb4 {The only difference if
compared to a popular Bogo Indian tabyia consists of White's extra-move b3.
This apparently insignificant detail not only leaves the c3-square weak, but
also deprives the white queen of the important b3-square. An old game between
two historical rivals, Karpov - Kortschnoj, Amsterdam 1987, where a genuine
Bogo Indian was played, continued 8.0-0 0-0 9.Qb3 a5 10.a3 Na6 11.Nbd2 and
Black could not activate his a6-knight under favourable circumstances. Der
einzige Unterschied im Vergleich zu einer beliebten Bogoindisch-Tabyia besteht
in dem weiЯen Mehrzug b3. Dieses scheinbar unbedeutende Detail macht nicht nur
das Feld c3 schwach, sondern nimmt der weiЯen Dame auch das wichtige Feld b3.
Eine alte Partie zwischen zwei historischen Rivalen, Karpov - Kortschnoj,
Amsterdam 1987, wo ein echter Bogoinder gespielt wurde, ging weiter mit 8.0-0
0-0 9.Qb3 a5 10.a3 Na6 11.Nbd2, und Schwarz konnte seinen Springer a6 nicht
unter gьnstigen Umstдnden aktivieren. La ъnica diferencнa comparando con una
de las tabyias de la India de Bogoliubov es la jugada adicional de las Blancas
b3. Este aparentemente insignifiante detalle no solo deja la casila de c3
dйbil, sino que tambiйn quita la casilla de b3 a la dama blanca. Una partida
antigua, entre dos rivales historicos, Karpov - Kortschnoj, Amsterdam 1987,
dуnde se habнa jugado una India Bogo, continuу con 8.0-0 0-0 9.Qb3 a5 10.a3
Na6 11.Nbd2 y las negras no conseguнeron activar su caballo de a6 de una forma
favorable.} 9. O-O O-O 10. Qd3 Be4 {Possibly intended as an opening surprize,
by deviating from Grischuk's previous games (one of them against Gelfand
himself). The idea behind the last move is to play ...Nc6 and ...d5 without
shutting off his bishop. In the lines without ...Ba6 and b3, where the
c3-square is not weak, Black's main plan is to build a fortress on dark
squares, but here he has a choice as we shall see.} ({Grischuk's pevious games
followed precisely the dark-squared strategy:} 10... a5 11. Nbd2 d6 12. e4 Nbd7
({In a later game, Grischuk preferred to develop this knight more actively:} 
12... e5 13. Ne1 Nc6 14. Nc2 Re8 15. Rfe1 Qc7 16. Rad1 Nxd4 17. Nxd4 exd4 18.
Qxd4 Qc5 19. Nf1 a4 {Shirov,A (2699)-Grischuk,A (2717)/Odessa 2007/CBM 119 
(0-1, 51). and Black has a solid position, with chances for counterplay. und
Schwarz hat eine solide Position mit Chancen auf Gegenspiel.}) 13. Rfe1 e5 14.
Nh4 g6 15. Nf1 Re8 16. f3 {As usual against this plan, White has obtained
considerable advantage of space, but cannot make progress easily. Wie meist
gegen diesen Plan hat WeiЯ betrдchtlichen Raumvorteil erlangt, kann aber nicht
leicht Fortschritte erzielen.} Nf8 17. Bh3 Bc8 18. Bxc8 Rxc8 19. Ne3 Ne6 20.
dxe5 dxe5 21. Qxd8 Rcxd8 22. Nd5 Nd7 23. Kf2 Kg7 24. Ng2 Ndc5 25. Red1 {
Both sides have installed their knights on the best available squares.
Although the d5-knight is the most stable and active at the same time, the
main drawback of White's position is that there is only one very good square
available, leaving the other knight slightly passive. Beide Seiten haben ihre
Springer auf den bestmцglichen Feldern installiert. Obwohl der d5-Springer
hцchst stabil und gleichzeitig aktiv steht, ist der Hauptnachteil der weiЯen
Stellung, dass eben nur ein sehr gutes Feld zur Verfьgung steht, wodurch der
andere Springer leicht passiv bleibt.} Rd6 $2 {But this is a typical blitz
blunder. Aber dies ist ein typischer Einsteller im Blitz.} (25... Rb8 $11) 26.
Ne1 (26. Nc7 $1 $18 Red8 27. Rxd6 Rxd6 28. Ne8+) 26... Red8 27. Nd3 Nxd3+ 28.
Rxd3 Nc5 29. Re3 $11 {Gelfand,B (2729)-Grischuk,A (2709)/Rishon Le Ziyyon 2006/
CBM 114 ext (0-1, 47). White has solved the problem of the superfluous knight
and the position is just equal. WeiЯ hat das Problem des ьberzдhligen
Springers gelцst, und die Stellung ist einfach ausgeglichen.}) 11. Qe3 Nc6 12.
Nbd2 d5 {A very interesting position, played on several occasions by
Romanischin (with Black). White has a pawn majority in the centre, but the
weakness of the c3-square offers Black unexpected ideas for counterplay. Eine
sehr interessante Stellung, die bei mehreren Gelegenheiten von Romanischin
gespielt wurde (mit Schwarz). WeiЯ hat eine Bauernmajoritдt im Zentrum, doch
die Schwдche des Feldes c3 bietet Schwarz unerwartete Gegenspielideen. Una
posiciуn muy interesante, jugada en varias ocasiones por Romanishin (con
negras). Las blancas tienen un peуn de ventaja en el centro, pero la debilidad
de la casilla de c3 ofrece a las negras inesperadas ideas de contrajuego.} 13.
Rfc1 $146 {A logical novelty. Before undertaling any concrete action, White
completes his development. Gelfand picked up precisely this rook because he
thought there was not much to be done on the files from the right side of the
board, while the queen's rook could get activated with a later a3.} (13. Ne5 {
is inoffensive because of ist harmlos wegen} Bxg2 14. Nxc6 Qd6 $10) ({At the
moment the game was played, theory considered Zum Zeitpunkt, als die Partie
gespielt wurde, hielt die Theorie} 13. cxd5 {as White's main chance for an
advantage. However, things are not entirely clear. fьr die beste weiЯe Chance
auf Vorteil. Doch die Sache ist nicht gдnzlich klar.} exd5 (13... Bxd5 $5 {
might simply transpose to the game, or to similar positions. kцnnte zur Partie
fьhren bzw. zu дhnlichen Stellungen.}) 14. Ne5 Bxg2 (14... Nxe5 $2 15. dxe5
Bxg2 16. Kxg2 $16 {Dautov}) 15. Nxc6 Qd7 16. Ne5 Qh3 17. Rfc1 {(/\ f3, Qf2,
Dautov)} Be4 ({In fact, it seems that Black can ignore the threat mentioned by
Dautov. He could simply increase his pressure against the kingside with
Tatsдchlich scheint es, als kцnne Schwarz die von Dautov erwдhnte Drohung
ignorieren. Er kцnnte einfach seinen Druck am Kцnigsflьgel erhцhen mit} 17...
Rae8 $5 {, for instance , z.B.} 18. f3 Nd7 19. Qf2 Nxe5 20. dxe5 Qh6 $1 $132 {
and Black saves his bishop. The structure remains complex, with mutual
weaknesses. Also, it is not clear yet which of the remaining minor pieces is
stronger; it greatly depends on the further evolution of the position. und
Schwarz rettet seinen Lдufer. Die Struktur bleibt komplex, mit beiderseitigen
Schwдchen. Auch ist noch nicht klar, welche der verbleibenden Leichtfiguren
stдrker ist; es hдngt zum groЯen Teil von der weiteren Entwicklung der
Stellung ab.}) {and now, in Dautov,R (2535)-Romanishin,O (2515)/Kecskemet 1989/
TD (1-0, 81) White could have retained an advantage with und hдtte WeiЯ in
Dautov,R (2535)-Romanishin,O (2515)/Kecskemet 1989/TD (1-0, 81), im Vorteil
bleiben kцnnen mit} 18. f3 Bg6 19. Rc7 Rfc8 20. Rac1 Rxc7 21. Rxc7 Rc8 22. Rc6
$16 {(Dautov). Indeed, simplifications tend to favour White, who has the more
compact structure, although the placement of his queenside pawns on light
squares is a permanent source of worry. (Dautov). Tatsдchlich begьnstigen
Vereinfachungen meist WeiЯ, der die kompaktere Struktur hat, obwohl die
Platzierung seiner Damenflьgelbauern auf weiЯen Feldern ein permanenter Grund
zur Sorge ist.}) ({I would consider In meinen Augen ist} 13. Nxe4 {as the main
test for Black's plan. In practice, Romanischin had no problems against it,
which might have left the move outside theory's main path. die kritische
Prьfung fьr den schwarzen Plan. In der Praxis hatte Romanischin dagegen keine
Probleme, weshalb der Zug mцglicherweise kein Teil des Hauptpfades der Theorie
geworden ist.} Nxe4 (13... dxe4 $2 14. Ne5 Qc7 15. Bxe4 $16 {Romanishin, Stecko
}) 14. a3 (14. Nd2 Nc3 $15 {><d4, Dokhoian,Y (2575)-Romanishin,O (2555)/
Yerevan 1989/CBM 014 (1/2-1/2, 34)}) 14... bxa3 15. Rxa3 Nb4 16. Rc1 a5 17. Ne5
Nf6 {Maybe Black should not give up his control over the centre so easily.
Vielleicht sollte Schwarz seine Kontrolle ьber das Zentrum nicht so leicht
aufgeben.} (17... Qd6 18. Raa1 Rad8 {[%csl Gd4]}) 18. cxd5 Nfxd5 19. Qd2 Qe7 {
White has a wonderful bishop and a mobile centre. However, Black's stability
on the dark squares forces his opponent to show some caution. WeiЯ hat einen
wundervollen Lдufer und ein mobiles Zentrum. Doch die Stabilitдt von Schwarz
auf den dunklen Feldern mahnt seinen Gegner zu einiger Vorsicht.} 20. Raa1 ({
White probably feared that after WeiЯ fьrchtete womцglich, dass nach} 20. e4 {
(now, or slightly later) his d4-square would remain weak. However, Black would
also face some problems, because this time it is one of his knights that does
not find a stable square easily. (jetzt oder etwas spдter) sein Feld d4
schwach bleiben wьrde. Doch auch Schwarz stьnde vor einigen Problemen, da es
diesmal einer seiner Springer ist, der nicht leicht ein stabiles Feld findet.})
20... Rfd8 21. Nc4 {The repetition initiated by this move looks like a
premature decision. White should have found a favourable moment to occupy the
centre with e4. Die durch diesen Zug eingeleitete Zugwiederholung wirkt etwas
verfrьht. WeiЯ hдtte einen gьnstigen Moment finden sollen, um mit e4 das
Zentrum zu besetzen.} Rab8 22. Ne5 {1/2-1/2 Lerner,K (2560)-Romanishin,O (2595)
/Nikolaev 1995/CBM 047}) 13... Rc8 14. cxd5 ({With the c6-knight safely
defended, Wenn der c6-Springer sicher verteidigt ist, stellt} 14. Nxe4 {
is not dangerous any more: keine Gefahr mehr dar:} dxe4 $1 15. Ne5 (15. Ng5
$142 $11) 15... Qxd4 $1 16. Nxc6 Qxe3 17. Ne7+ Kh8 18. fxe3 Rc7 $17) 14... Bxd5
({Now that the rook has quit the f1-square, White is better prepared for Nun,
da der Turm das Feld f1 verlassen hat, steht WeiЯ bereit zu} 14... exd5 $6 15.
Ne5 $1 Bxg2 $2 16. Nxc6 $18) 15. Qd3 {[%cal Ye2e4] White has got rid of the
temporary congestion of his pieces and is ready to occupy the centre. WeiЯ hat
sein zeitweiliges Figurenknдuel entwirrt und steht bereit, das Zentrum zu
besetzen.} Bxf3 $1 16. Nxf3 Nd5 17. Rc4 {Aiming to keep the rook alive before
the knight jumps to c3. Will den Turm am Leben halten, bevor der Springer nach
c3 hьpft. Aspirando a mantener "viva" a la torre, antes de que el caballo
salte a c3.} ({White is not prepared to undermine the c3-square with WeiЯ ist
nicht bereit, das Feld c3 mit} 17. a3 {because of zu unterminieren wegen} bxa3
18. Rxa3 Nxd4 $1 {for instance , zum Beispiel} 19. Rxc8 Qxc8 20. Rxa7 (20. Nxd4
$2 Qc1+ {[%csl Ga3]}) 20... Qc1+ 21. Bf1 Nxf3+ 22. Qxf3 b5 $11 {[%cal Yb5b4,
Yd5c3]}) 17... Nc3 18. a3 b5 $5 ({Grischuk refrains from the standard way of
ensuring stability to his knight, Grischuk verzichtet auf die Standardmethode,
seinem Springer Stabilitдt zuzusichern, Grischuk no quiere asegurar la
estabilidad del caballo de la manera estandar,} 18... a5 {, because this would
have allowed White to activate the other rook as well. Instead, the tactical
operation initiated with his last move will lead to mass simplifications and a
comfortable position for Black. , weil dies WeiЯ gestattet hдtte, auch den
anderen Turm zu aktivieren. Stattdessen wird die mit seinem letzten Zug
eingeleitete taktische Operation zu Massenvereinfachungen und einer bequemen
Stellung fьr Schwarz fьhren. , porque esto hubiera permitido a las blancas la
activaciуn de la otra torre. En vez de esto, la operaciуn tбctica iniciada por
su jugada anterior llevarб a simplificaciones masivas y una posiciуn
comfortable para las negras.}) 19. Rxc6 ({Forced. The generally desirable
Erzwungen. Das generell wьnschenswerte Forzado. La jugada generalmente deseable
} 19. Rc5 $2 {, installing the rook on an apparently comfortable square, would
lose material to , was den Turm auf einem scheinbar bequemen Feld installiert,
wьrde Material verlieren wegen , instalando la torre en una casilla
aparentemente estable, perderнa material por} Nxd4 $1 {attacking not only the
rook, but also the queen (in view of the threat Ndxe2+). , was nicht nur den
Turm attackiert, sondern auch die Dame (wegen der Drohung Sdxe2+). atacando no
solamente la torre, sino tambiйn la dama, por la amenaza Cdxe2+.}) 19... Rxc6
20. Ng5 Qxg5 21. Bxc6 Rc8 22. Bb7 Rc7 23. axb4 {Despuйs de 23...Nxe2+ 24.Qxe2
Rxb7 25.Qe4, la actividad de las figuras blancas compiensa por la estructura
algo peor.} ({After Nach} 23. axb4 Nxe2+ 24. Qxe2 Rxb7 25. Qe4 $11 {White's
piece activity compensates for his slightly worse pawn structure. kompensiert
die Figurenaktivitдt von WeiЯ seine leicht schlechtere Bauernstruktur.})
1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.14"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E04"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2758"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "53"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 {When Kramnik played this move in the previous round, I thought he
might have just wanted to avoid Svidler's Grьnfeld. Now, it seems that he
really switched back to the favourite weapon of his youth. Als Kramnik in der
vorigen Runde diesen Zug spielt, dachte ich, dass er damit vielleicht nur
Svidlers Grьnfeld vermeiden wollte. Nun scheint es, als sei er wirklich zur
Lieblingswaffe seiner Jugend zurьckgekehrt. Cuando Kramnik efectuу esta jugada
en su partida anterior, pensй que tal vez se tratara de evitar la Defensa
Grьnfeld de Svidler. Ahora, parece mas como que el Campeуn mundial haya
desterrado el arma predilecta de su juventud.} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. d4 {
However, the Catalan is a relatively recent "discovery" of Kramnik and his
results with it have been excellent. Apparently, the subtle combination of
tactical and strategic motifs suits his talent quite well. This game is an
excellent illustration. Katalanisch ist allerdings eine relativ neue
"Entdeckung" von Kramnik, und seine Ergebnisse damit waren ausgezeichnet. Die
subtile Kombination taktischer und strategischer Motive kommt seinem Talent
offenbar sehr entgegen. Diese Partie ist dafьr ein Paradebeispiel. Sin embargo,
la Catalana es un "descubrimiento" relativamente reciente de Kramnik y sus
resultados con ella han sido excelentes. Aparentemente, la sъtil combinaciуn
de motivos tбcticos y estratйgicos se adaptan muy bien a su gran talento. Esta
partida es un ejemplo perfecto.} dxc4 5. Bg2 a6 6. Ne5 ({The more ambitious
continuation is supposed to be Als ehrgeiziger gilt die Fortsetzung La jugada
supuestamente mas ambiciosa es} 6. O-O {. The text move is considered to offer
Black an equal game after 6...c5, but both Morozevich and Kramnik seem to have
a different opinion... . Der Textzug soll Schwarz angeblich nach 6...c5
gleiches Spiel bieten, aber sowohl Morozevich als auch Kramnik scheinen dies
anders zu sehen... Se considera que la jugada del texto ofrece a las negras
posibilidades de igualar con 6...c5, pero tanto Kramnik como Morozevich
parecen tener una opiniуn distinta...}) 6... Bb4+ 7. Nc3 Nd5 {Morozevich aims
to put his mighty opponent under direct pressure from an early stage of the
game. This policy will soon turn against himself as a boomerang. Morozevich
will seinen mдchtigen Gegner von der Frьhphase an unter direkten Druck setzen.
Diese Politik wird sich bald als Bumerang erweisen. Morozevich intenta someter
a su potente rival bajo presiуn directa desde un estado temprano de la partida.
Esta politica se volverб contra йl mismo como un bumerбn.} 8. O-O $5 {A
novelty. White simply ignores Black's apparently strong threat and continues
his development. The move is simple and logical, but its consequences are not
easy to evaluate. This often happens in the sharp lines of the Catalan: you
know exactly what you have to do, but cannot always trust your judgement,
because of the irrational character of the position. Eine Neuerung. WeiЯ
ignoriert die scheinbar starke schwarze Drohung einfach und setzt seine
Entwicklung fort. Der Zug ist einfach und logisch, aber seine Konsequenzen
sind nicht leicht zu bewerten. So ist es oft in den scharfen
Katalanisch-Abspielen: man weiЯ genau, was man tun muss, aber aufgrund des
irrationalen Charakters der Stellung kann man seinem Urteil nicht immer trauen.
Una novedad. Las blancas ignoran la amenaza aparentemente fuerte de las negras
y continъa su desarrollo. La jugada es simple y lуgica, pero las consecuencнas
finales no son fбciles de evaluar. Esto ocurre a menudo en las variantes
agudas de la Catalana: uno sabe con exactitud lo que debe hacer, pero no
siempre puede confнar en su juicio por el carбcter ircional de la posiciуn.} ({
Previously, White answered almost invariably with Bisher antwortete WeiЯ
praktisch ausnahmslos mit} 8. Bd2 {. This is not a bad move, since it
consolidates White's centre, leaving him with adequate compensation. The major
difference of Bd2 is that it obstructs his own queen and spends a valuable
tempo, thus restricting White's dynamic possibilities. Here are some of the
most recent examples: . Dies ist kein schlechter Zug, denn er konsolidiert das
Zentrum von WeiЯ und ьberlдsst ihm ausreichende Kompensation. Der wesentliche
Unterschied nach Bd2 ist, dass der Zug die Dame verstellt und ein kostbares
Tempo aufwendet, wodurch die dynamischen Mцglichkeiten von WeiЯ einschrдnkt
werden. Hier ein paar der aktuellsten Beispiele:} b5 (8... Bxc3 $6 {is
slightly premature, because after ist leicht verfrьht, den nach} 9. bxc3 b5 {
it offers White some additional possibilities, such as bietet dies WeiЯ ein
paar zusдtzliche Mцglichkeiten wie} 10. a4 Bb7 11. e4 Nf6 12. Bg5 Nbd7 13. Qb1
O-O 14. Nxc4 $14 {Georgiev,K (2661)-Ramesh,R (2483)/Gibraltar 2007/CBM 116 ext
(1-0, 31)}) 9. O-O ({Now, Nun ist} 9. a4 {is less efficient because of weniger
wirksam wegen} Bb7 10. e4 Nf6 {[%csl Rd4,Re4] and the bishop is stable on b4,
while the central pawns are hanging. und der Lдufer steht auf b4 stabil,
wдhrend die Zentralbauern hдngen.}) 9... Bxc3 10. bxc3 O-O 11. e4 (11. a4 f6
12. Ng4 Bb7 13. e4 Nb6 14. Qb1 $6 {Ivanisevic,I (2614)-Pavasovic,D (2567)/
Valjevo 2007/CBM 119 (1-0, 71)} f5 $1 $132 {Black has good chances of
establishing a blockade on the light squares. Schwarz hat gute Chancen, eine
Blockade auf den weiЯen Feldern zu errichten.}) 11... Nb6 12. f4 {White's
massive centre looks impressive, but Black has no weaknesses. If he manages to
neutralize the kingside pressure, his extra-pawn would gradually make itself
felt. Das massive weiЯe Zentrum wirkt imposant, doch Schwarz hat keine
Schwдchen. Wenn es ihm gelingt, den Druck am Kцnigsflьgel zu neutralisieren,
wьrde sich sein Mehrbauer allmдhlich bemerkbar machen.} Bb7 13. f5 exf5 14.
Rxf5 N8d7 15. Ng4 Qe7 16. Qc2 Rae8 17. Re1 f6 $15 {Nogueiras,J (2554)-Ivanchuk,
V (2741)/Havana 2006/CBM 116 (0-1, 42). Black has regrouped in optimal way and
can wait further events with optimism. Schwarz hat sich optimal umgruppiert
und kann optimistisch in die Zukunft blicken.}) ({The attempt to transpose to
the game without sacrificing additional pawns, by playing Der Versuch, ohne
das Opfer weiterer Bauern zur Partie ьberzuleiten, und zwar mit dem sofortigen
} 8. Qc2 {immediately fails to , scheitert an} Nxc3 9. bxc3 Qxd4 $1 {White can
get some compensation for the pawn(s) with WeiЯ kann einige Kompensation fьr
den (die) Bauern erlangen mit} 10. Qa4+ Nd7 11. Qxb4 Qxe5 {, but Black's
position is relatively safe. , aber die schwarze Stellung ist relativ sicher.})
8... O-O ({This looks like some sort of concession, after which Black's
ambitious play in the previous phase of the game loses part of its meaning.
Morozevich might have feared Kramnik's famously deep home preparation, but I
must say that at first sight it is not easy to see the danger for Black after
Dies wirkt wie eine Art Zugestдndnis, wonach das ehrgeizige Spiel von Schwarz
in der vorangegangenen Phase einen Teil seiner Bedeutung einbьЯt. Morozevich
mag Kramniks berьhmt tiefe Heimvorbereitung gefьrchtet haben, aber ich muss
sagen, dass es auf den ersten Blick nicht leicht ist, die Gefahr fьr den
Nachziehenden nach Esta parece como una especнe de concesiуn, despuйs de la
cual todo el juego anterior de las negras resulta menos lуgico. Morozevich
puede que haya temido la famosamente profunda preparaciуn casera de Kramnik,
pero hay que decir que no es fбcil ver los peligros inmediatos para las negras
despuйs de} 8... Nxc3 9. bxc3 Bxc3 {. Obviously, he is strongly underdeveloped,
but for the time being he is two pawns up. Let us look at the position more
concretely: zu erkennen. Offensichtlich ist er stark unterentwickelt, aber im
Moment hat er zwei Bauer mehr. Betrachten wir die Stellung konkreter: .
Evidentemente, las negras se encuantran sin desarrollar, pero de momento
tienen dos peones de ventaja.} 10. Rb1 {This simple move is the best. White
evacuates the rook from the attacked square, occupying the important b-file.
Dieser einfach zu ist am besten. WeiЯ evakuiert den Turm von dem angegriffenen
Feld und besetzt die offene b-Linie.} ({The thematic Das thematische} 10. Ba3 {
does not work here too well. The most effective answer is funktioniert hier
nicht so gut. Die wirksamste Antwort ist} Qxd4 {, when White cannot avoid the
exchange of queens. , wonach WeiЯ den Damentausch nicht vermeiden kann.}) (10.
Qa4+ {is also insufficient in view of reicht ebenfalls nicht wegen} b5 11. Qa3
b4 12. Qa4+ Bd7) 10... Bxd4 (10... Qxd4 11. Qa4+ b5 (11... Nd7 $16 12. Bf4 {
[%cal Yf1d1]}) (11... Bd7 12. Nxd7 Qxd7 13. Qxc4 $16 {[%csl Gb7]}) (11... c6
12. Nxc6 $1 $16) 12. Qa3 Qxe5 13. Bf4 {followed by either Bxa8 or Bxc7. White
retrieves most of his material investment. Black's pawns look threatening, but
his king still needs to get castled and in the meanwhile the pawns could
become vulnerable. gefolgt von entweder Bxa8 oder Bxc7. WeiЯ bekommt einen
GroЯteil seiner Materialinvestition zurьck. Die Bauern von Schwarz wirken
bedrohlich, doch sein Kцnig muss erst noch zur Rochade kommen, und in der
Zwischenzeit kцnnten die Bauern anfдllig werden.}) 11. Nxc4 O-O 12. Ba3 Re8 13.
Na5 (13. e3 Bf6 14. Qc2 Be7 15. Rfd1 Nd7 {allows Black to defend. He might
have to give both pawns back, but this would lead to plain equality. erlaubt
Schwarz, sich zu Verteidigung. Er muss unter Umstдnden beide Bauern
zurьckgeben, doch dies wьrde zu glattem Ausgleich fьhren.}) (13. Qc2 Qg5) 13...
Ra7 (13... Bb6 14. Nxb7 Bxb7 15. Bxb7 Ra7 16. Bf3 Qxd1 17. Rfxd1 {Black is
under serious pressure. He has no easy way to complete his development. For
instance, Schwarz steht unter ersten Druck. Er hat keine einfache Mцglichkeit,
seine Entwicklung abzuschlieЯen. Zum Beispiel ist} a5 {is too slow: zu langsam:
} 18. Rb3 Na6 19. Bc6 Rb8 20. Rbd3 $16 {followed by the invasion of the back
rank. , gefolgt von der Invastion auf der Grundreihe.}) 14. Nxb7 Bxb7 15. Bxb7
c5 16. e3 Qa5 17. exd4 Qxa3 {Black maintains his extra-pawn and hopes to
simplify the position. However, his coordination is very poor, which allows
White obtain a clear advantage with a series of precise moves. Schwarz
behauptet seinen Mehrbauern und hofft, die Stellung zu vereinfachen. Doch
seine Koordination ist sehr mangelhaft, was WeiЯ erlaubt, mit einer Serie
prдziser Zьge einen klaren Vorteil zu erzielen.} 18. Qd2 $3 {Just completing
the development by connecting rooks. Vollendet einfach die Entwicklung, indem
die Tьrme verbunden werden.} c4 (18... Rd8 $2 19. Qg5 $1 Rxd4 20. Bd5 $3 $18 {
An interference combined with clearance of a file and the weakness of the back
rank. Ein Stцrzug kombiniert mit einer Linienrдumung und der
Grundreihenschwдche.}) (18... a5 $2 19. Rb3 Qa4 20. dxc5 $16) (18... cxd4 $2
19. Qxd4 $18 {[%csl Ya7]}) 19. Rfc1 Qd3 20. Qb4 $16 {White is much better
mobilized and will re-establish the material equality on the next move. WeiЯ
ist deutlich besser mobilisiert und wird im nдchsten Zug das materielle
Gleichgewicht wiederherstellen.} Qxd4 $2 {is impossible because of ist
unmцglich wegen} 21. Rxc4 {, when Black's queen cannot prevent the invasion of
the white queen to b6 anymore. , wonach die schwarze Dame das Eindringen der
weiЯen Dame auf auf b6 nicht mehr verhindern kann.}) 9. Qc2 b5 10. Nxd5 exd5 {
The first optical sensation is that a massive migration of Black's pieces from
the kingside to the opposite wing has taken place. Paradoxically, White will
not try to attack the slightly vulnerable king's position, but will hit
precisely on the side where Black has such an apparently strong group of
forces. This is enabled by the fact that all the queenside pieces are
undeveloped yet, while the b4-bishop is vulnerable. Der erste optische
Eindruck ist, dass eine massive Wanderung der schwarzen Figuren vom Kцnigs-
zum Damenflьgel stattgefunde hat. Paradoxerweise wird WeiЯ nicht versuchen,
die etwas anfдllige Kцnigsstellung anzugreifen, sondern genau auf der Seite
zuschlagen, wo Schwarz eine scheinbar so starke Gruppe an Krдften hat. Dies
wird ermцglicht durch die Tatsache, dass sдmtliche Damenflьgelfiguren noch
unentwickelt sind, wдhrend der b4-Lдufer anfдllig ist. La primera sensaciуn
уptica es que se haya producido una migraciуn masiva de las figuras negras del
flanco de rey al otro extremo del tablero. Paradojicamente, las blancas no
intentarбn atacar la algo vulnerable posiciуn del rey, sino van a golpear
precisamente en la zona donde las negras tienen una agrupaciуn aparentemente
muy fuerte de fuerzas. Esta posibilidad es habilitada por la completa falta de
desarrollo del flanco de dama negro.} 11. b3 c6 (11... cxb3 $2 12. Qxb3 $16 {
[%csl Yb4,Yd5]}) 12. e4 {Three of Black's pawns are under serious pressure now.
Morozevich puts more wood into the fire with Nunmehr stehen drei schwarze
Bauern unter ernstem Druck. Morozevich gieЯt noch mehr Цl ins Feuer mit Tres
de los peones negros se encuantran bajo fuerte presiуn. Con su jugada
siguнente, Morozevich echa mбs madera al fuego.} (12. bxc4 {has been
recommended, but from general point of view it is better not to hurry with the
release of the tension. wurde empfohlen, doch generell sollte man sich mit der
Aufhebung der Spannung besser nicht beeilen.} dxc4 $5 $13 {Black gets the
d5-pawn out of the range of White's pieces. Schwarz bringt den d5-Bauern auЯer
Reichweite der weiЯen Figuren.} ({White's idea is justified after Die Idee von
WeiЯ rechtfertigt sich nach} 12... bxc4 13. e4 $44 f6 $2 14. Nxc4 $1 $16) 13.
Nxc6 {does not yield White anything concrete, because Black can complete his
development with bringt WeiЯ nichts Konkretes ein, weil Schwarz seine
Entwicklung abschlieЯen kann mit} Nxc6 14. Bxc6 Bh3 15. Rd1 Rc8 $13 {with a
sharp position, in which it is not entirely clear whose pawns are more
dangerous. , mit scharfer Stellung, in der nicht ganz klar ist, wessen Bauern
gefдhrlicher sind.}) 12... f6 $6 {It is far too dangerous to create new
weaknesses with such a poor development. The material gains will not
compensate for the general drawbacks of the position. Black should have aimed
to continue his development somehow. Bei derart schlechter Entwicklung ist es
viel zu gefдhrlich, neue Schwдchen zu schaffen. Die materiellen
Errungenschafen werden die allgemeinen Defizite der Stellung nicht
kompensieren. Schwarz hдtte versuchen sollen, irgendwie seine Entwicklung
abzuschlieЯen.} (12... Be6 13. bxc4 bxc4 (13... dxc4 14. d5 $1) 14. Rb1 a5 15.
a3 Be7 (15... Bd6 {[%csl Yd4][%cal Rd8d4]} 16. exd5 Bxd5 17. Nxc4) 16. Rxb8
Qxb8 17. Nxc6 Qd6 18. exd5 Bd7 19. Qxc4 $14) (12... Ra7 $5 13. bxc4 {Now, I
cannot find anything better than this. Nun kann ich nichts Besseres finden als
diesen Zug.} (13. exd5 cxd5 14. a4 $6 f6 15. axb5 $2 fxe5 16. bxc4 Rc7 {
reveals one of the points behind the slightly mysterious rook lift. enthьllt
eine der Pointen hinter dem leicht mysteriцsen Turmschwenk.}) 13... dxc4 (13...
bxc4 $6 14. Rb1 Rb7 15. exd5 cxd5 16. Nxc4 $14) 14. Be3 Re7 15. Rfd1 Bd6 16. a4
$44 {The evaluation is similar to that from the game Nogueiras - Ivanchuk,
quoted above. White has good compensation for the pawn, but no clear plan for
improving his position. Therefore, I suspect that Kramnik had some other idea
in mind after 12...Ra7, but for the moment I cannot guess it. We will have to
wait until his next game with this variation or maybe ask him personally. Die
Einschдtzung verlдuft дhnlich der oben zitierten Partie Nogueiras - Ivanchuk.
WeiЯ gute Kompensation fьr den Bauern, aber keinen klaren Plan, wie er seine
Stellung verbessern kann. Daher vermute ich, dass Kramnik nach 12...Ra7
irgendeine andere Idee vorschwebte, aber im Moment kann ich nicht erraten
welche. Wir werden bis zu seiner nдchsten Partie warten mьssen oder sollten
ihn vielleicht persцnlich fragen.}) 13. exd5 $3 {Further analysis might prove
that the objective merits of this move are debatable, although I very much
doubt it. (Refer to the final part of the comment after 8.0-0). However, for
the time being, I will limit myself to saying that the enthusiastic evaluation
refers to White's courage, in the best spirit of the good old romantic times.
From a practical point of view, Black's position is very difficult to play.
Weitere Analysen kцnnten beweisen, dass der objektive Wert dieses Zuges
strittig ist, wenngleich ich es sehr bezweifle. (Man vergleiche den letzten
Teil des Kommentars nach 8.0-0). Fьr den Augenblick aber mцchte ich mich auf
die Aussage beschrдnken, dass sich die enthusiastische Bewertung auf den Mut
von WeiЯ bezieht, ganz im Geist der guten, alten romantischen Zeiten. Aus
praktischer Sicht ist die Stellung von Schwarz sehr schwer zu spielen. Es
posible que los anбlisis ulteriores demuestren que los mйritos objetivos de
esta jugada son cuestionables, aunque mucho lo dudo. (Tengan en cuenta la
parte final del comentarнo despuйs de 8.0-0). Sin embargo, en este momento me
limito a decir que la evaluaciуn entusiastica se refiere en primer lugar al
coraje de las blancasn, en el mejor espiritu de los viejos tiempos romбnticos.
Desde el punto de vista prбctico, la psoiciуn de las negras es bastante
difнcil de jugar.} fxe5 14. bxc4 {It is not easy to understand what is
happening on the board after these 3 consecutive pawn captures. Black has won
a piece for a pawn, but is strongly underdeveloped and has to avoid dxe5
somehow. Es ist nicht leicht zu begreifen, was nach diesen 3 Bauernschlagzьgen
in Folge auf dem Brett vor sich geht. Schwarz hat eine Figur fьr einen Bauern
gewonnen, ist aber stark unterentwickelt und muss irgendwie dxe5 verhindern.
No es fбcil comprender lo que pasa en el tablero despuйs de estas 3 capturas
consecutivas con peones. Las negras han ganado figura por peуn, pero siguen
sin desarrollar y tienen que evitar dxe5 de alguna forma.} exd4 {Four. Vier.
Cuatro.} 15. dxc6 {Five. Fьnf. Cinco.} Be6 {Morozevich finally starts
developing his queenside. The books recommend to develop knights and only then
bishops, but how to accomplish that in this position? Endlich beginnt
Morozevich, seinen Damenflьgel zu entwickeln. Die Bьcher empfehlen, erst die
Springer herauszubringen und erst dann die Lдufer, aber wie soll man das in
dieser Stellung bewerkstelligen? Finalmente, Morozevich empieza a desarrollar
el flanco de dama. Los libros recomiendan sacar antes los caballos y solo
despuйs los alfiles, pero їcomo llevar esto a cabo en la posiciуn dada?} 16.
cxb5 $1 {Kramnik is not interested in winning the undeveloped a8-rook. He just
carries out his "plan". The immediate threat is c7; in the meanwhile, White
has created two connected pawns. Kramnik hat kein Interesse, den unentwickelt
a8-Turm zu gewinnen. Er fьhrt einfach seinen "Plan" aus. Die unmittelbare
Drohung lautet c7; in der zwischenzeit hat WeiЯ zwei verbundene Bauern
gebildet. Kramnik no estб interesado en ganar la torre no desarrollada. Йl
continъa con su plan. La amenaza inmediata es c7; mientras tanto, las blancas
han creado dos peones pasados conectados.} d3 ({One of the computer's
recommendations is Eine der Computerempfehlungen lautet} 16... Ra7 {. White
has a relatively simple solution in . WeiЯ hat eine relativ einfache Lцsung in}
17. Rb1 Ba5 18. a4 axb5 19. axb5 {when Black will play the rest of the game
without his knight, which is safely caged. , wonach Schwarz den Rest der
Partie ohne seinen Springer spielen wird, der sicher im Kдfig sitzt.} d3 {
leads nowhere after fьhrt zu nichts nach} 20. Qc5 Bb6 21. Qe5 $16) ({A similar
situation arises after Eine дhnliche Situation entsteht nach} 16... Bc3 17. Bb2
Ra7 18. Bxc3 dxc3 19. a4 {. Black's counterplay initiated by . Das von Schwarz
durch} Qb6 {is not sufficient because of eingeleitete Gegenspiel reicht nicht
aus wegen} 20. Qe4 Re7 21. Qe3 {, removing the pressure against the pawns and
unblocking them, with a clear advantage. was den Druck gegen die Bauern
abschьttelt und ihre Blockade aufhebt, mit klarem Vorteil.}) 17. c7 $6 {
Noblesse oblige. Kramnik feels like answering Morozevich's aggression with the
same method. However, this move might be premature, because of some hidden
tactical nuances, which are far from easy to grasp over the board. Noblesse
oblige. Kramnik meint, Morozevichs Aggression mit gleicher Mьnze heimzahlen zu
mьssen. Doch dieser Zug kцnnte voreilig sein aufgrund einiger versteckter
taktischer Nuancen, die am Brett bei weitem nicht leicht zu erfassen sind.} (
17. Qa4 $5 {might have been better. wдre vielleicht besser gewesen.} d2 (17...
Qa5 18. Qxa5 Bxa5 19. a4 $14 {[%csl Gb8]}) 18. c7 Qd6 {It is curious that this
is the only relatively good square. Es ist kurios, dass dies das einzige
relativ gute Feld ist.} ({The difference can be seen after Der Unterschied ist
zu sehen nach} 18... Qe7 19. Bxa8 axb5 20. Qxb5 Nd7 {when the queen does not
attack the c7-pawn any more, allowing simple winning moves such as , wonach
die Dame nicht mehr den Bauern c7 attackiert, was einfache Gewinnzьge erlaubt
wie} 21. Bb7 {or, more sophisticated, 21.Bd5, when the c7-pawn is likely to
decide the outcome of the battle. oder das anspruchsvollere 21.Bd5, worauf der
c7-Bauer den Ausgang der Schlacht wahrscheinlich entscheiden wird.}) 19. Bxd2
$1 {and we transpose to the line 17...Qd6! 18.Qa4 d2?! below. und wir haben
einen Ьbergang zum Abspiel 17...Qd6! 18.Qa4 d2?! unten.}) 17... Qd4 $2 {
One general rule recommends placing queens in the centre of the board. It
mainly refers to positions with just queens and rooks on the board. Here, the
queen is just too exposed on d4, allowing White to obtain a decisive advantage
in at least two different ways. Eine Faustregel empfiehlt, die Damen in der
Mitte des Bretts zu postieren. Dies bezieht sich hauptsдchlich auf Stellungen
mit lediglich Damen und Tьrmen auf dem Brett. Hier steht die Dame einfach zu
exponiert auf d4, was WeiЯ ermцglicht, auf mindestens zwei verschiedene Weisen
entscheidenden Vorteil zu erlangen.} ({The other counterattacking move Der
Gegenangriff} 17... Qf6 $2 {fails to scheitert an} 18. Qxd3 Qxa1 19. Qe4 $1 $18
{White is in no hurry to capture any of the undeveloped attacked pieces.
Instead, he attacks both bishops. After winning one of them, he will fulfil
the queenside formalities, too. WeiЯ hat es nicht eilig, irgendeine der
unentwickelten angegriffenen Figuren einzusammeln. Stattdessen attackiert er
beide Lдufer. Nachdem er einen davon gewonnen hat, wird er auch die
Formalitдten am Damenflьgel erledigen.}) ({Sergey Shipov recommended Sergey
Shipov empfahl} 17... dxc2 18. cxd8=Q Rxd8 19. Bxa8 axb5 {but , aber} 20. Bg5 {
maintains White's advantage. behauptet den weiЯen Vorteil.} ({He only
mentiones Er erwдhnt nur} 20. Be4 Rc8 21. Bf4 Ba3 22. Bxb8 c1=Q 23. Rfxc1 Rxc1+
24. Rxc1 Bxc1 25. Bb1 {, evaluating that Black has good saving chances. Indeed,
if we continue the variations by just a few more moves, we can see that this
is true: mit der Einschдtzung, dass Schwarz gute Rettungschancen hat.
Tatsдchlich, wenn wir die Vairanten nur ein paar Zьge fortsetzen, kцnnen wir
sehen, dass dies stimmt:} b4 26. Bd6 Ba3 $1 {followed by ...b3! when White has
no winning chances with pawns on just one wing. nebst ...b3!, wonach WeiЯ bei
Bauern an nur einem Flьgel keine Gewinnchancen hat.}) 20... Rc8 21. a4 $1 $16)
(17... Qd6 $1 {looks like the only reasonable way to keep the position
together.} 18. Qa4 (18. Qb2 {can also be answered by kann ebenfalls mit} Nd7 {
beantwortet werden}) 18... Nd7 $1 (18... d2 $6 19. Bxd2 Bxd2 20. Bxa8 Qxc7 21.
bxa6 Qa7 22. Bb7 {with rook and three pawns for two minor pieces, White is
clearly better, especially since the a6-pawn is so advanced. mit Turm und drei
Bauern fьr zwei Leichtfiguren; WeiЯ steht klar besser, zumal der a6-Bauer so
weit vorgerьckt ist.} Bh3 23. Qa3 $1 {[%csl Yf8]} Nd7 24. Bg2 {Now that the
a6-pawn is not attacked anymore, this is even better than one move before,
where it would have sufficed for some minimal advantage. Nun, wo der a6-Bauer
nicht mehr unter Beschuss steht, ist dies sogar noch besser als einen Zug
zuvor, wo es nur zu einem minimalen Vorteil gereicht hдtte.} Bxg2 25. Kxg2 {
and Black cannot generate adequate counterplay against the enemy king, for
instance und Schwarz kann kein ausreichendes Gegenspiel gegen den feindlichen
Kцnig aufziehen, zum Beispiel} Ne5 $6 {[%csl Yf3][%cal Ra7a8]} 26. Qb3+ Kh8 27.
Qb7 $16) 19. Bxa8 Rxa8 20. Qxa6 (20. Bf4 Qd5 $1 {transposes to Morozevich's
missed opportunity, see below. leitet ьber zu Morozevichs verpasster
Gelegenheit, siehe unten.}) 20... Qxa6 21. bxa6 $44 {and White has some
compensation for the sacrificed material, but probably not more than that. und
WeiЯ hat etwas Kompensation fьr das geopferte Material, aber vermutlich nicht
mehr.}) 18. Qa4 ({The developing move Der Entwicklungszug} 18. Be3 {was also
strong. war ebenfalls stark.} Qxa1 $5 {What else? Was sonst?} 19. c8=Q Rxc8 20.
Qxc8+ Bxc8 21. Rxa1 Nc6 22. Bxc6 Rb8 23. Rd1 ({Better than the immediate
Besser als das sofortige} 23. Ba7 $6 {which allows Black get some chances with
, was Schwarz noch einige Chancen einrдumt mit} Rxb5 $1 {, relying on his
d3-pawn. , wobei er sich auf seinen Bauern d3 verlдsst.}) 23... axb5 (23... Bf5
24. bxa6 $18) 24. Ba7 $1 $18) 18... Nd7 19. Be3 Qd6 20. Bxa8 Rxa8 {White has
recovered his material investment with some interest and preserves his passed
pawns. Still, the position remains complicated and certain accuracy is still
required. WeiЯ hat seine Materialinvestition mit einigen Zinsen zurьckbekommen
und behдlt seine Freibauern. Dennoch, die Stellung bleibt kompliziert, und
eine gewisse Genauigkeit ist nach wie vor erforderlich. Las blancas han
recuperado su inversiуn de material con algo de creces, manteniendo sus peones
pasados. Sin embargo, la posiciуn quedamuy aguda y se necesita cierta
precisiуn todavнa.} 21. Bf4 $2 ({Kramnik could have crowned his logical play
by just completing the mobilisation of his forces with Kramnik hдtte sein
logisches Spiel krцnen kцnnen, indem er einfach die Mobilisierung seiner
Krдfte abschlieЯt, also Kramnik podнa haber coronado su juego lуgico anterior
completando la movilisaciуn de sus fuerzas con} 21. Rac1 $1 {which
"incidentally" threatens to promote the pawn. After was "nebenbei" droht, den
Bauern umzuwandeln. Nach que, de paso, amenaza coronar el peуn. Despuйs de} Rc8
22. Rc6 {followed by Rxe6, White obtains a decisive material advantage. nebst
Txe6 erlangt WeiЯ entscheidenden Materialvorteil. seguнdo por Txe6, las
blancas obtendrнan ventaja material decisivo.}) 21... Qf8 $2 ({Kindly
returning the favour. Black misses his chance to change the course of the game
with Gibt das Kompliment freundlich zurьck. Schwarz verpasst die Chance, den
Partieverlauf zu дndern, und zwar mit Amablemente devolviendo el favor. Las
negras dejan escapar su posibilidad de cambнar el curso del juego con} 21...
Qd5 $3 $36 {, when , wonach , cuando} 22. Qxb4 $2 {is impossible because of
unmцglich ist wegen es imposible por} Qf3 $19 {, with the decisive threats ..
Bd5 or ...Bh3. mit den entscheidenden Drohungen ...Ld5 oder ...Lh3. , con las
amenazas decisivas ...Ad5 o ...Ah3.}) 22. b6 $1 {Now it's all over. These
pawns cannot be stopped. 22...Nxb6 drops a piece to 23.Qc6, while Morozevich's
desperate (but delayed!) counterplay cannot change anything. Jetzt ist alles
vorbei. Diese Bauern sind nicht aufzuhalten. 22...Nxb6 verliert eine Figur
wegen 23.Qc6, uind auch Morozevichs verzweifeltes (aber verspдtetes!)
Gegenspiel kann nichts дndern. Ahora todo se ha acabado. Estos peones no
pueden ser parados. 22...Nxb6 perderнa una figura por 23.Qc6, mientras que el
contraataque desesperado (Ўpero retrasado!) de Morozevich no podrб cambiar
nada.} Ne5 23. Bxe5 Qf3 24. Qd1 Qe4 25. b7 Rf8 26. c8=Q Bd5 27. f3 {Generally
speaking, a wonderful game by the World Champion, although the position was so
complicated that at least on one occasion he did not play the strongest move.
Unterm Strich eine wundervolle Partie des Weltmeisters, wenngleich die
Stellung so kompliziert war, dass er zumindest an einer Stelle nicht den
stдrksten Zug spielte.} 1-0

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.14"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Svidler, Peter"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C89"]
[WhiteElo "2735"]
[BlackElo "2751"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. c3
{A principial duel between two Marshall specialists is always interesting to
watch. Ein prinzipielles Duell zwischen zwei Marshall-Spezialisten zu
beobachten, ist immer interessant. Un duelo entre dos especialistas del Ataque
Marshall es siempre interesante de seguнr.} d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11.
Rxe5 c6 12. d4 Bd6 13. Re1 Qh4 14. g3 Qh3 15. Qe2 $5 {It is remarkable that
even in such a fashionable and ultra-analyzed variation it is still possible
to find almost unknown ideas at a relatively early stage. In the main line,
White hurries to place his bishop on the exposed e3-square. With his last move,
Svidler expresses his belief that the higher priority is to expell the enemy
queen from its threatening position. Es ist bemerkenswert, dass es selbst in
einer derart aktuellen und weit ausanalysierten Variante noch immer mцglich
ist, in relativ frьher Phase nahezu unbekannt Ideen zu finden. Im Hauptabspiel
beeilt sich WeiЯ damit, seinen Lдufer auf dem exponierten Feld e3 zu
platzieren. Mit seinem letzten Zug verleiht Svidler seiner Ьberzeugung
Ausdruck, dass es hцhere Prioritдt hat, die feindliche Dame aus ihrer
drohenden Stellung zu vertreiben.} Bg4 16. Qf1 Qh5 {There is very little
practical material available on this variation. Actually, this position can
also be obtained if White plays 15.Qd3 instead of 15.Qe2, but Svidler's move
order is more restrictive. Against 15.Qd3, Black has an important alternative
in 15...Bf5. An even more curious move order is 12.Qf1 (instead of the almost
automatically played 12.d4) 12...Bd6 13.Re1 Qh4 14.g3 Qh5 15.d4 Bg4, with the
irelevant difference that the variation is by one move shorter; see Kapengut -
Malaniuk below. Zu dieser Variante gibt es sehr wenig praktisches Material.
Tatsдchlich kann diese Stellung auch erreicht werden, wenn WeiЯ 15.Qd3 statt
15.Qe2 spielt, aber but Svidlers Zugfolge restriktiver. Gegen 15.Qd3 hat
Schwarz eine wichtige Alternative in 15...Bf5. Eine noch kuriosere Zugfolge
ist 12.Qf1 (statt des nahezu automatisch gespielten 12.d4) 12...Bd6 13.Re1 Qh4
14.g3 Qh5 15.d4 Bg4, mit dem irrelevanten Unterschied, dass die Variante um
einen Zug kьrzer ist, siehe Kapengut - Malaniuk unten.} 17. Nd2 Rae8 {This
kind of move is played almost authomatically. Black completes the mobilization
of his forces. Diese Art von Zug spielt man fast automatsich. Schwarz schlieЯt
die Mobilisierung seiner Krдfte ab.} ({However, Allerdings ist} 17... Nf4 $5 {
should be mentioned. The sacrifice is interesting, but probably premature. zu
erwдhnen. Das Opfer ist interessant, wenngleich wahrscheinlich verfrьht.} 18.
Bd1 $6 (18. gxf4 $1 Bxf4 19. h4 $1 {This move is not easy to spot during an
over-the-board game. White forces the enemy queen to occupy a vulnerable
square, in order to win time for his development. Dieser Zug ist in einer
praktischen Partie am Brett nicht leicht zu sehen. WeiЯ zwingt die feindliche
Dame auf ein anfдlliges Feld, um Zeit fьr seine Entwicklung zu gewinnen.} Qxh4
20. Qg2 Bh3 21. Nf3 $1 Qh5 22. Bxf4 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 $14 {The material balance is
about even, but White's pair of bishops looks impressive. Die materielle
Bilanz steht etwa ausgeglichen, aber das weiЯe Lдuferpaar sieht eindrucksvoll
aus.}) 18... Nh3+ 19. Kh1 $2 (19. Kg2 f5 $40) 19... Bxd1 $19 {Pallandre,
S-Jacques,C/Paris 1999/EXT 2001 (0-1, 30)}) 18. Rxe8 Rxe8 19. f3 Bf5 $6 {
The only justification of this retreat is that it seems to prevent Ne4.
However, this is just an illusion... Die einzige Rechtfertigung dieses
Rьckzugs ist, dass er Ne4 zu verhindern scheint. Doch dies ist nur eine
Illusion...} (19... Bh3 {might be better. kцnnte besser sein.} 20. Qf2 f5 (
20... Bf5 {is more efficient here than in the game, because White does not
have the same trick at his disposal. Instead, he could play ist hier wirksamer
als in der Partie, da WeiЯ nicht derselbe Trick zur Verfьgung steht.
Stattdessen kцnnte er} 21. a4 $5 {and only after the opening of the a-file
choose between giving the pawn back with Ne4 or continuing the development in
a more passive way, with Nf1. ziehen und sich erst nach der Цffnung der
a-Linie aussuchen, ob er den Bauern mit Ne4 zurьckgibt oder die Entwicklung
auf passivere Weise fortsetzt, mit Nf1.}) 21. c4 ({Here, too Auch hier verdient
} 21. a4 $5 {deserves investigation,because the text move does not offer White
an advantage. untersucht zu werden, da der Textzug WeiЯ keinen Vorteil bietet.}
) 21... Nf4 (21... bxc4 $6 {solves White's problems of development after lцst
die weiЯen Entwicklungsprobleme nach} 22. Nxc4 $16) 22. c5+ (22. gxf4 Qg6+ $1
23. Qg3 Re1+ 24. Kf2 Qe8 25. Ne4 Rf1+ 26. Ke2 fxe4 27. cxb5+ Kf8 28. Qxh3 exf3+
29. Kd3 Qe2+ 30. Kc3 $11 {Bykhovsky. Black has several ways to deliver
perpetual check, but probably not more than that. Bykhovsky. Schwarz hat
diverse Mцglichkeiten, Dauerschach zu geben, aber vermutlich nicht mehr.})
22... Kf8 23. gxf4 $1 (23. cxd6 $2 Re2 $1 {Kapengut,A (2455)-Malaniuk,V (2465)/
Minsk 1985/EXT 99 (0-1, 37). Apart from the aforementioned transposition, it
should be mentioned that in this game White captured on e8 only after Black's .
..f5. Neben des erwдhnten Ьberganges sollte erwдhnt werden, dass in dieser
Partie WeiЯ erst nach dem schwarzen ...f5 auf e8 schlug.}) 23... Qg6+ ({
Bykhovsky considers Bykhovsky hдlt} 23... Bxf4 {to be bad because of fьr
schlecht wegen} 24. Ne4 {, but Black has , doch Schwarz hat} Bxc1 25. Rxc1 Rxe4
$1 {, when the c1-rook is hanging. , wonach der c1-Turm hдngt.}) 24. Qg3 Re1+
25. Kf2 Qe8 26. Ne4 Rf1+ 27. Ke2 fxe4 28. Qxh3 $1 (28. cxd6 $2 exf3+ 29. Kd2
Qe2+ 30. Kc3 a5 31. a3 Bf5 $19 {Bykhovsky}) 28... exf3+ 29. Kd3 Qe2+ 30. Kc3
Qe1+ $11 {Bykhovsky}) 20. Ne4 $1 {In some other lines, White gladly places a
rook on this square, offering an exchange sacrifice which Black accepts only
rarely. Installing a knight here is a great achievement for White. In manchen
anderen Abspielen platziert WeiЯ liebendgern einen Turm auf diesem Feld und
bietet ein Qualitдtsopfer an, welches Schwarz nur selten annimmt. Den Springer
hier zu installieren, ist eine groЯe Errungenschaft fьr WeiЯ. En otras lineas,
las blancas colocan una torre en esta casilla, ofreciendo una entrega de
calidad, Ўque las negras raramente aceptan! Instalar un caballo en el centro
es un logro mayor para las blancas.} Bc7 ({A fine tactical point is that Black
cannot win the pawn back with Eine feine taktische Pointe ist, dass Schwarz
nicht mit Un sъtil detalle tбctico es que las negras no pueden recuperar el
peуn con} 20... Bxe4 $2 21. fxe4 Rxe4 {because after den Bauern zurьckgewinnen
kann, da er nach porque despuйs de} 22. Bd1 Qg6 {(forced) (erzwungen) (forzado)
} 23. Bc2 {he loses an exchange. An impressive demonstration of the power of
two bishops. eine Qualitдt verliert. Eine beeindruckende Demonstration der
Kraft der zwei Lдufer. se perderнa la calidad. Una impresionante demostraciуn
dela fuerza de dos alfiles.}) 21. Bd2 Qg6 22. Re1 ({White hurries to complete
his development. Actually, it is not entirely clear whether the modest looking
WeiЯ beeilt sich damit, seine Entwicklung abzuschlieЯen. Eigentlich ist nicht
gдnzlich klar, ob das bescheiden wirkende Las blancas se apresuran a acabar su
desarrollo. En realidad, no estб enteramente claro porque la aparentemente
modesta} 22. Bc2 {, consolidating the knight, was entirely wrong. , was den
Springer konsolidiert, gдnzlich verkehrt war. , consolidando el caballo, ha de
ser mala.}) 22... Bxe4 23. Rxe4 {White had several tempting continuations at
his disposal and Svidler's choice might not be the best. WeiЯ hatte diverse
verlockende Fortsetzungen zur Verfьgung, und Svidlers Wahl war vielleicht
nicht die beste. Las blancas disponнan de varias continuaciones tentadoras,
pero la continuaciуn de Svidler puede que no haya sido la mejor.} (23. Qh3 f5
24. fxe4 fxe4 25. Qd7 Bxg3 $11) (23. fxe4 {might be a safer way to obtain a
small but lasting plus. kцnnte ein sichererer Weg sein, ein geringes, aber
dauerhaftes Plus zu erzielen.} Rxe4 24. Bc2 (24. Rxe4 Qxe4 25. Qe1 {is also
possible, when the pair of bishops leaves White on top, but the main move is
better because it forces Black to create additional weaknesses. ist ebenfalls
mцglich, wonach das Lдuferpaar WeiЯ am Drьcker lдsst, aber der Hauptzug ist
besser, weil er Schwarz dazu zwingt, zusдtzliche Schwдchen zu schaffen.}) 24...
Rxe1 25. Qxe1 f5 (25... Qe6 26. Qxe6 fxe6 27. Kg2 $14 {also looks promising
for White. wirkt ebenfalls aussichtsreich fьr WeiЯ.}) 26. Qf2 Ne7 27. Qf3 $14 {
The knight cannot reach e4 easily, because of the weakness of the f5-pawn.
Aufgrund der Schwдche des f5-Bauern ist es fьr den Springer nicht leicht, nach
e4 zu kommen.}) 23... Rxe4 24. Bc2 f5 25. fxe4 fxe4 {This position is not easy
to evaluate. Svidler obviously relied on his pair of bishops and the weakness
of Black's central pawn. However, the activity of Black's pieces should not be
underestimated. Diese Stellung ist nicht leicht zu bewerten. Svidler verlieЯ
sich offensichtlich auf sein Lдuferpaar und die Schwдche des schwarzen
Zentrumsbauern. Allerdings ist die Aktivitдt der Figuren von Schwarz nicht zu
unterschдtzen.} 26. Qg2 Nf6 27. Qh3 Ng4 28. Bb3+ (28. Qf1 $5 {[%csl Gg8][%cal
Yc2b3]} h6 (28... h5 29. Bb3+ Kh7 30. Bf7 $16 {[%csl Yh5]}) (28... Nf6 29. Bb3+
Kf8 30. Bf4 Bxf4 31. Qxf4 $16 {[%csl Yc6,Gf8][%cal Rf4d6,Rf4c7]}) 29. Qg2 Nf6 {
It might seem that White has just lost a tempo (...h6) Man kцnnte meinen, dass
WeiЯ einfach ein Tempo verloren hat (...h6)} 30. g4 $5 $36 Nxg4 $2 31. h3 $18 {
[%csl Yg6] It appears that ...h6 can benefit White! Es stellt sich heraus,
dass ...h6 WeiЯ zugute kommen kann!}) 28... Kf8 29. Bd1 e3 30. Bc1 h5 31. Bxg4
hxg4 32. Qf1+ Ke8 33. Bxe3 Kd7 34. Qe2 Qf5 35. b3 g6 {White has won a pawn,
but Black's centralized army as well as the firm control of the light squares
offers him good saving chances. Besides, the white king is passive and
slightly exposed. WeiЯ hat einen Bauern gewonnen, doch die zentralisierte
Armee des Schwarzen sowie die feste Kontrolle der weiЯen Felder bieten diesem
gute Rettungschancen. AuЯerdem steht der weiЯe Kцnig passiv und leicht
exponiert. Las blancas ganaron un peуn, pero la fuerte centralisaciуn de las
negras y el control firme en casillas blancas les ofrece buenas posibilidades
de sobrevivencнa. Ademбs, el rey blanco estб pбsivo y expuesto.} 36. Bf2 Bd6
37. c4 bxc4 38. bxc4 Bc7 39. d5 cxd5 40. cxd5 Bd6 41. a4 Qb1+ 42. Kg2 Qf5 43.
Kg1 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.15"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2792"]
[BlackElo "2769"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "130"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. c4
Nb4 9. Be2 O-O 10. Nc3 Bf5 11. a3 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Nc6 13. Re1 Re8 14. cxd5 Qxd5
15. Bf4 Rac8 16. Qa4 {A rare continuation, aiming to take Kramnik "out of the
book". Eine seltene Fortsetzung, die Kramnik "aus dem Buch" werfen soll. Una
jugada poco frecuente, cuyo probable propуsito es de sacar a Kramnik del
"libro de aperturas".} Bd7 {This is the most normal reaction, aiming to
question the stability of the enemy queen on the right wing. Dies ist die
normalste Fortsetzung, mit der die Stabilitдt der feindlichen Dame auf dem
rechten Flьgel in Frage gestellt werden soll.} ({However, Allerdings ist auch} 
16... Bd6 {is also possible. mцglich:} 17. Bc4 (17. Be3 {[%csl Gd6][%cal Yc3c4]
} Qa5 18. Qb3 Qb6 $11) (17. c4 Qa5 18. Qxa5 Nxa5 19. Bxd6 cxd6 $132 {[%csl Yc4]
}) 17... Qa5 18. Rxe8+ Rxe8 19. Qb3 Bg6 20. Bxd6 cxd6 21. Bd5 Qc7 {Kryvoruchko,
Y (2581)-Frolyanov,D (2498)/Yerevan 2006/CBM 114 ext (1/2-1/2, 53). As so many
times in this opening, the position is only optically better for White. Black
had no special problems maintaining the equilibrium. Wie so oft in dieser
Erцffnung ist die Stellung nur optisch besser fьr WeiЯ. Schwarz hatte keine
sonderlichen Problemen, das Gleichgewicht zu halten.}) 17. Qc2 ({This seems to
be a new move. Dies scheint ein neuer Zug zu sein. Esta jugada parece ser
nueva.} 17. Rab1 {was played a couple of times. wurde einige Male gespielt.
fue jugada un par de veces anteriores.} Bf6 (17... Qf5 18. Bg3 Bf8 19. Rb5 Qf6
20. Rxb7 Nd8 21. Qxd7 Nxb7 22. Be5 Qd8 23. Qg4 Nd6 24. h4 Rb8 25. c4 f6 26. c5
fxe5 27. cxd6 cxd6 28. dxe5 Be7 29. Bd3 Rf8 30. Qh5 g6 31. Bxg6 hxg6 32. Qxg6+
Kh8 33. Re4 Rxf3 34. Qh6+ Kg8 35. Rg4+ {1-0 Shirov,A (2723)-Gelfand,B (2700)/
Monte Carlo 2003/CBM 093 ext}) 18. Qd1 b6 19. Ba6 (19. Ne5 {[%cal Yd1d7,Ge2f3]}
Bxe5 20. dxe5 Ne7 {White has more space and the pair of bishops, but Black has
the more compact structure and acceptable stability on the light squares. WeiЯ
hat mehr Raum und das Lдuferpaar, Schwarz dafьr die kompaktere Struktur sowie
annehmbare Stabilitдt auf den weiЯen Feldern.}) 19... Rxe1+ 20. Qxe1 Re8 21.
Qf1 Bd8 22. Bb5 $6 ({The exchange of the light-squared bishops is part of
Black's plan, because it weakens the c4-square. This detail makes this move
questionable. Der Tausch des weiЯfeldrigen Lдuers ist Bestandteil des
schwarzen Plans, weil dies das Feld c4 schwдcht. Dieses Detail macht diesen
Zug fragwьrdig.} 22. Bd3 $1) 22... Na5 23. c4 (23. Bd3 {[%cal Yc3c4] also
fails to maintain the pressure, because of} Bf5 $1) 23... Bxb5 $1 $11 {Palac,M
(2571)-Nikcevic,N (2448)/Cannes 2007/CBM 116 ext (1/2-1/2, 26)}) 17... Qf5 18.
Qxf5 {The exchange of queens solves Black's problems of coordination. Der
Tausch der Damen lцst die schwarzen Probleme mit der Koordination.} (18. Qd2 {
might be a better try, when Black should probably play kцnnte ein besserer
Versuch sein, wonach Schwarz wahrscheinlich} Bd6 {, aiming to simplify the
position anyway. spielten sollte mit der Absicht, die Stellung trotzdem zu
vereinfachen.}) 18... Bxf5 19. Bb5 {This move has the same drawback as in the
game Palac-Nikcevic: it is likely to lead to the exchange of the light-squared
bishops, making Black's defence easier. Dieser Zug hat denselben Nachteil wie
in der Partie Palac-Nikcevic: Er wird wahrscheinlich zum Abtausch der
weiЯfeldrigen Lдufer fьhren, was die schwarze Verteidigung erleichtert.} ({
However, after the immediate Doch auch nach dem sofortigen} 19. d5 Na5 20. Nd4
Bd7 {White has no easy way to make further progress either. fдllt es WeiЯ
nicht leicht, weitere Fortschritte zu erzielen.}) 19... Bd7 20. d5 Ne5 $1 21.
Bxd7 Nxd7 {Anand's experiment did not work out too well. Kramnik played
relatively quickly and obtained an entirely satisfactory position. White's
centre could become more of a weakness if Black is allowed to install his
minor pieces on c5 and d6. Anands Experiment hat nicht sonderlich gut
eingeschlagen. Kramnik spielte relativ schnell und erhielt eine vцllig
befriedigende Stellung. Wenn es Schwarz erlaubt wird, seine Leichtfiguren auf
c5 und d6 zu platzieren, kцnnte das weiЯe Zentrum eher zu einer Schwдche
werden. El experimento de Anand no funcionу muy bien. Kramnik jugу
relativamente rбpido y obtuvo una posiciуn enteramente satisfactorнa. El
centro de peones de las blancas puede volverse dйbil sн las negras
conseguнrнan instalar sus piezas menores en c5 y d6.} 22. Bxc7 $5 {White tries
to maintain his initiative, but further simplifications will make the position
slightly dangerous for him. WeiЯ versucht, seine Initiative zu behaupten, aber
weitere Vereinfachungen werden die Stellung leicht gefдhrlich fьr ihn machen.
Las blancas intentan mantener la iniciativa, pero las simplificaciones
adicionales harбn que la posiciуn se vuelva ligeramente peligrosa para ellas.}
Rxc7 23. d6 Rxc3 24. dxe7 ({Anand probably discarded Anand verwarf} 24. Rxe7 {
on general ground. With every subsequent exchange of pieces, the e7-pawn
becomes weaker. wahrscheinlich aus allgemeinen Erwдgungn. Mit jedem folgenden
Tausch wird der e7-Bauer schwдcher.} Rxe7 25. dxe7 Nf6 26. Nd4 ({After Nach} 
26. Rd1 Ne8 {the weakness of the first rank makes Rd8 impossible and forces a
prophylactic move such as macht die Grundreihenschwдche Rd8 unmцglch und
erzwingt einen prophylaktischen Zug wie} 27. h3 {when after , worauf nach} f6 {
[%cal Yg8f7] the pawn is in danger. der Bauer gefдhrdet ist.}) 26... a6 ({
More ambitious than Ehrgeiziger als} 26... Ne8 27. Nb5 Rc5 28. Nxa7 f6 $11 {
with plain equality. mit glattem Ausgleich.}) 27. h3 Ne8 28. Rb1 Rc7 $1 (28...
b5 $6 29. a4 $1) 29. Re1 f6 {and White has to resort to certain tricks in
order to save the pawn (although the final success is not guaranteed yet!).
und WeiЯ muss zu gewissen Tricks greifen, um den Bauern zu retten (obwohl der
endgьltige Erfolg noch nicht garantiert ist!).} 30. Kf1 Rd7 $5 (30... Kf7 31.
Ne6 $5 Rxe7 32. Nd8+ Kf8 33. Rxe7 Kxe7 34. Nxb7 {and the vulnerability of the
a6-pawn prevents Black from taking full advantage of his more active king. und
die Anfдlligkeit des Bauern a6 hindert Schwarz daran, seinen aktiveren Kцnig
voll zur Geltung zu bringen.}) 31. Nb3 $5 {[%csl Ga6,Gb7][%cal Yb3c5]} b6 $5
32. Re6 Rb7 {and White is still struggling. und WeiЯ muss noch immer strampeln.
}) 24... f6 {With queens on board, the e7-pawn would most probably ensure
White's win, but in the endgame it is more of a source of worries. Mit Damen
auf dem Brett wдre der e7-Bauer hцchstwahrscheinlich ein Siegespfand fьr WeiЯ,
im Endspiel aber ist er eher ein Sorgenkind. Con damas en el tablero, el peуn
de e7 asegurarнa lo mбs probable la victoria de las blancas, pero en el final
el peуn es una debilidad mas que nada.} 25. Rad1 (25. Rac1 {, aiming to invade
through c7, might be safer. mit der Absicht, auf a7 einzudringen, ist
vielleicht sicherer.}) 25... Rc7 $1 {Possibly underestimated by Anand.
Mцglicherweise von Anand unterschдtzt.} 26. Nd4 Ne5 27. f4 Nc6 28. Nxc6 bxc6
29. Rd6 c5 30. Ree6 c4 31. Rc6 Rexe7 32. Rxc4 Rxc4 33. Rxe7 Ra4 34. Rb7 {
White will lose a pawn, but the drawish tendency of this type of ending is
well-known. In the "theoretical" position, White's f-pawn stands on its
initial square. The way it is, it could easily become a weakness, but also
ensures White a stable advantage of space on the kingside. WeiЯ wird einen
Bauern verlieren, doch die Remistendenz dieses Endspieltyps ist wohl bekannt.
In der "Theoriestellung" befindet sich der weiЯe f-Bauer noch auf seinem
Ausgangsfeld. So wie es steht, kцnnte er leicht zur Schwдche werden, sichert
WeiЯ aber andererseits einen stabilen Raumvorteil am Kцnigsflьgel. Las blancas
perderбn un peуn, pero la tendencнa de acabar en tablas de este tipo de
finales es bien conocida. En la posiciуn "teуrica" el peуn blanco de f se
encuentra en su casilla incial . Una vez avanzado a f5, puede volverse dйbil,
pero tambiйn asegurar una estable ventaja de espacio de las blancas en el
flanco de rey.} h6 (34... h5 $5 {looks more active, but hardly changes the
evaluation. sieht aktiver aus, дndert aber kaum die Bewertung. parece mбs
activa.}) 35. f5 Rxa3 36. Kf2 h5 37. g3 a5 ({It might seem that Man kцnnte
meinen, dass} 37... h4 $5 {would have offered more chances to keep White under
pressure, by keeping the king's access to the f5-pawn open. However, White can
avoid troubles by relatively simple means: bessere Chancen geboten hдtte, WeiЯ
weiter unter Druck zu setzen, da dem Kцnig Zugang zum Bauern f5 erцffnet wird.
Doch WeiЯ kann Probleme mit relativ einfachen Mittel vermeiden: ofrecнa mбs
posibilidades de presionar a las blancas, por mantener abierto el acceso del
rey negro hacнa el peуn de f5.} 38. gxh4 $1 Kh7 39. Kg2 Kh6 40. h5 a5 {Black
plans to advance his pawn to a2 and then win the f5-pawn, thus creating a
passed pawn on the f-file, which would ensure a win. This plan would work
against passive white play. Schwarz plan, seinen Bauern nach a2 vorzurьcken
und dann den f5-Bauern abzuholen, womit er einen Freibauern auf der f-Linie
bekдme, der den Sieg garantieren wьrde. Gegen passives weiЯes Spiel wьrde
dieser Plan funktionieren.} 41. Ra7 a4 42. Kf2 Ra2+ 43. Kg3 a3 44. h3 Ra1 (
44... Kxh5 45. Rxg7 Rb2 46. Ra7 Rb3+ 47. Kf4 $1 $11 Kh4 $2 48. Rh7#) 45. Kh4 a2
46. Ra8 {Threatening mate in 1. Droht einzьgig matt.} Kh7 47. Ra7 Rf1 (47...
Kg8 48. h6 gxh6 49. Kh5 $132) 48. Rxa2 Rf4+ $1 49. Kg3 Rxf5 {After the capture
on h5, the endgame would still be a draw, but would face White with slightly
bigger technical problems than the ending from the game. Nach dem Schlagen auf
h5 wдre das Endspiel noch immer remis, aber WeiЯ stьnde doch vor leicht
grцЯeren technischen Problemen als in der Partie.}) 38. Ra7 a4 39. h4 $1 {
White is out of any danger now. The kingside is practically frozen and the
huge advantage of space prevents the standard plan: push the pawn to a3, in
order to leave the a2-square available for the transfer of His Majesty. If
Black tries to do so, he would lose the g7-pawn, after which White's
counterplay (for instance g4) is much more dangerous than in the standard
position (pawns on f2, g3, h4 and symmetrical for Black). Jetzt ist WeiЯ aus
dem Schneider. Der Kцnigsflьgel ist praktisch eingefroren, und der riesige
Raumvorteil verhindert den Standardplan: Bauern nach a3 vorstoЯen, um das Feld
a2 fьr den Transfer Ihrer Majestдt freizulassen. Wenn Schwarz dies versucht,
wьrde er den Bauern g7 verlieren, wonach das weiЯe Gegenspiel (z.B. g4)
weitaus gefдhrlich ist als in den Standardpositionen (Bauern auf f2, g3, h4
und symmetrisch fьr Schwarz). Ahora, las blancas se encuentran fuera de
peligro. El flanco de rey ha sido bloqueado y su gran ventaja de espacio
impide el plano estandar de las negras: avanzar el peуn hasta a3, para dejar
la casilla de a2 libre para Su Majestad. Si las negras intentarнan llevar a su
rey al flanco de dama, perderнan su peуn de g7, cuando el contrajuego de las
blancas (por ejemplo, con g4) serнa mбs peligroso que en las posiciones
habituales (con peones blancos en f2, g3 y h4 y simetrico para las negras).}
Ra2+ 40. Kf3 a3 41. Ke3 Ra1 42. Kf2 Kf8 43. Kg2 a2 {This move somewhat
restricts the activity of White's pieces (Kf2? loses to ...Rh1 and things like
that), but there is no place to hide for the black king either. Dieser Zug
schrдnkt die Aktivitдt der weiЯen Figuren etwas ein (Kf2? verliert wegen ...
Rh1 und solche Sachen), allerdings gibt es auch kein Versteck mehr fьr den
schwarzen Kцnig. Esta jugada restringe la actividad de las figuras blancas 
(por ejemplo, Kf2 pierde por ...Rh1! y otras cosas por el estilo), pero ahora
no queda manera de esconder a su proprio rey en elflanco de dama.} 44. Kh2 Ke8
45. Kg2 Kd8 46. Kh2 Kc8 47. Kg2 Kb8 48. Ra3 Kb7 49. Ra4 Kb6 50. Ra8 Kc5 51. Ra7
Kd5 52. Ra4 Ke5 53. Ra5+ Ke4 54. Kh2 {Actually, this move is not forced.
decades ago, Kholmov has proven that even without the f5-pawn White can hold a
draw. The only winning chance for Black is to create a passed pawn on the
f-file, but this is impossible in case of accurate defence from White.
Tatsдchlich ist dieser Zug nicht erwungen. Vor Jahrzehnten schon hat bewiesen,
dass WeiЯ selbst ohne den Bauern f5 remis halten kann. Die einzige
Gewinnchance fьr Schwarz besteht darin, einen Freibauern in der f-Linie zu
bilden, doch dies ist bei genauer Verteidigung von WeiЯ nicht mцglich. En
realidad, esta jugada no es forzada. Decadas atrбs, Jolmov demostrу que las
blancas pueden defender aunque les falte el peуn de f5. La ъnica posibilidad
de ganar para las blancas serнa crear un peуn pasado en la columna de f, pero
esto es imposible de realizar ante una defensa corecta de las blancas.} Kf3 55.
Ra3+ Kf2 56. Ra4 Kf1 57. Kh1 ({But this is an important move. In case of a
neutral move such as Dies ist allerdings ein wichtiger Zug. Im Fall einer
neutralen Fortsetzung wie Pero esta es una jugada importante. En caso de una
continuaciуn neutra como} 57. Ra5 $2 {, Black can simplify to a won pawn
ending with kann Schwarz in ein gewonnenes Bauernendspiel abwickeln mit las
negras simplificarнan a un final de peones ganado con} Re1 58. Rxa2 Re2+ 59.
Rxe2 Kxe2 {, for instance , zum Beispiel , por ejemplo} 60. Kg2 Ke3 61. g4 Kf4
$1 62. gxh5 Kg4 {and it is all over. und alles ist vorbei. y todo se acabу.})
57... Ke1 58. Kg2 {But now, there was no need to get back on the second rank.
Jetzt aber war es nicht nцtig, auf die zweite Reihe zurьckzugehen. Pero ahora
no habнa necesidad de volver a la segunda fila.} Kd1 (58... Rd1 {is very much
the same as in the game. verlдuft ganz дhnlich wie in der Partie. serнa muy
parecida a la continuaciуn de la partida.}) 59. Ra7 Rc1 60. Rxa2 Rc2+ 61. Rxc2
Kxc2 62. Kf3 {This is the difference. The white king is active enough now.
Curiously, he will have to use this activity to get... stalemated!! Das ist
der Unterschied. Jetzt steht der weiЯe Kцnig aktiv genug. Kurioserweise wird
er seine Aktivitдt dazu nutzen mьssen, sich... pattsetzen zu lassen! Esta es
la diferencнa. El rey blanco estб activo ahora. Curiosamente, su actividad le
servirб por quedar... Ўahogado!} Kd3 63. g4 hxg4+ 64. Kxg4 Ke4 {Did Anand
miscalculate anything? Hat Anand sich irgendwie verrechnet? їSe le habнa
escapado algo a Anand?} 65. Kh5 $1 {Not really! nicht wirklich! Realmente, no.}
Kxf5 {and, entirely in accordance with the Sofia rule, the players had to
split the point. und die Spieler mussten, in vцlliger Ьbereinstimmung mit der
Sofia-Regel, den Punkt teilen. y, completamente conforme con la ley de Sofia,
los jugadores se repartieron el punto.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.15"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2726"]
[BlackElo "2750"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. h3
Bb7 9. d3 {Nothing really new or thrilling so far... De momento, nada
emocionante o nuevo...} d5 $5 {But this looks quite unexpected! Aronian wants
to play in the spirit of the Marshall Attack irrespective of White's cautious
opening choice. At this level, the move has never been played before. Pero
esta jugada es bastante sorprendente. Aronian quiere jugar en el espiritu del
Ataque Marshall independentemente del prudente juego de las blancas en la
apertura. A este nivel, nadie ha jugado asн todavнa.} 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. c3 $5 {
After the text move, it was Aronian's turn to sink into deep thought. It
appears that play has just transposed to a different variation, where the
moves c3 and d3 are played in reversed order... Despuйs de la jugada del texto,
fue Aronian quнen cayу en una larga reflexiуn. Resulta que la partida ha
transpuesto a una variante diferente, donde las jugadas c3 y d3 se efectuan en
orden inverso...} ({Grischuk played this move after a long thought. He
probably did not feel ready to check Aronian's analysis. The whole variation
had been successfully employed with Black earlier this year by Ivan Sokolov
and Peter Heine Nielsen. The main point is that after Grischuk efectuу esta
jugada tras un largo pensamiento. Probablemente, no se sintiу capaz de
comprobar los analisis caseros de Aronian. Toda la variante habнa sido
empleada con йxito en 2007 por Ivan Sokolov y Peter Heine Nielsen. La idea
principal es que despuйs de} 11. Nxe5 {Black does not capture on e5 (as he
does in the genuine Marshall Attack), but takes advantage of the fact that the
d4-square is not under white control with las negras no tienen que capturar en
e5 (como se hace en el Ataque Marshall "original"), sino aprovecharse de la
circunstancia que la casilla de d4 no estб defendida con} Nd4 $1 {The idea is
not new in fact, previously it was seen in an under 16 girl competition (1996).
.. En realidad, la idea no es nueva, ya que fue jugada en una partidas de
chicas sub-16...} 12. Nc3 {White is best adviced to develop as quickly as
possible.} (12. Nf3 Nxb3 13. axb3 Nb4 14. Nbd2 Re8 15. d4 c5 16. c3 Nd3 17. Re3
Nf4 $44 {Brkic,A (2567)-Ivanisevic,I (2614)/Vogosca 2007/CBM 118 ext (1/2-1/2,
39)}) (12. Qg4 Nxb3 13. axb3 f5 14. Qf3 Rb8 15. Bf4 Bb4 16. Rf1 g5 $36 {
Spoelman,W (2428)-Sokolov,I (2655)/Hilversum 2007/CBM 119 (0-1, 34)}) 12...
Nxb3 13. axb3 Nb4 ({The initial game went} 13... Bf6 14. Bd2 Qd6 15. Nf3 Nxc3
16. Bxc3 Bxc3 17. bxc3 Rae8 {Ushakova,E-Koroleva,V/Kaluga 1996/EXT 2000 (1/2-1/
2, 48). with only light compensation for the pawn.}) 14. Bd2 ({White's setup
after} 14. d4 Re8 15. Be3 Bd6 16. Nd3 Re6 {Quezada,Y (2541)-Nielsen,P (2649)/
Havana 2007/CBM 118 ext (1/2-1/2, 21). looks slightly artificial, while
Black's threats become real.}) 14... f6 15. Ng4 f5 16. Ne5 Bd6 17. d4 ({
An attempt to improve over} 17. Na2 Bxe5 18. Rxe5 Nc6 19. Re1 f4 20. Bc3 f3 $36
{Timofeev,A (2658)-Sokolov,I (2655)/Sarajevo 2007/CBM 118 (0-1, 40). With the
white knight on a2 and in the presence of opposite coloured bishops, Black's
attack is quite strong.}) 17... Qh4 18. Ne2 f4 19. f3 Nd5 20. Nc3 Ne3 $5 21.
Bxe3 fxe3 22. Rxe3 Rad8 $44 {Georgiev,K (2660)-Ivanisevic,I (2614)/Valjevo
2007/CBM 119 (1/2-1/2, 62). Black has sacrificed a second pawn, but his
position is very active, while the dark squares in White's camp are
chronically weak. For White, it is difficult to display any form of activity.})
11... Bf6 ({In the most recent example at high level wher this position
occured (with reversed move order, though), Black prefered En el ejemplo mбs
reciente a nivel muy alto donde se llegу a esta posiciуn (pero con orden
inverso de jugadas), las negras preferirieron} 11... Qd6 12. Nbd2 Rad8 13. Ne4
Qd7 {, with an acceptable position for Black, although he later went down
abruptly, Kamsky,G (2705)-Bacrot,E (2709)/Elista 2007/CBM 119/[Marin,M] (1-0,
36). conposiciуn aceptable para las negras, aunque mбs tarde se derrumbaron
rapidamente en Kamsky - Bacrot, Elista (m) 2007.}) ({In my understanding, if
Black was ready to sacrifice a pawn on the previous move, the most consequent
continuation was} 11... Qd7 12. Nxe5 Nxe5 13. Rxe5 Rad8 {as in Zagrebelny,S 
(2480)-Giorgadze,G (2580)/Yerevan 1996/EXT 97 (0-1, 25), which was examined in
the notes to Kamsky- Bacrot. We shall soon see, however, that Giorgadze
himself opted for 11...Bf6 in a more recent game.}) 12. Nbd2 (12. a4 b4 13. a5
Rb8 14. d4 exd4 15. cxd4 Ba8 {(?!) Black is better developed and seems to have
an excellent position. However, the weakness of the queenside light squares
makes the situation far from one-sided.} 16. Bc4 Nde7 17. Bxa6 Nxd4 18. Nxd4
Bxd4 19. Nd2 Qd6 20. Bf1 Rbd8 21. Qg4 Ng6 22. Nb3 $14 {Aagaard,J (2477)
-Giorgadze,G (2610)/Torrelavega 2007/CBM 119 (1/2-1/2, 60). The outside passed
pawn promises White an advantage in any type of endgame.}) 12... Nf4 (12... g6
{is more cautious from the point of view of the kingside structure, but after.
parece mбs prudente.} 13. Ne4 Bg7 {the c5-square remains at the mercy of
White's minor pieces. One interesting continuation would be} 14. Bg5 f6 15. Nc5
Bc8 16. Nxe5 $5 Nxe5 17. Rxe5 c6 18. Rxd5 cxd5 19. Qf3 {and White will get two
pawns for the exchange and an active position.}) 13. Ne4 Nxd3 {Safely covering
the c5-square.} 14. Nxf6+ gxf6 15. Re4 ({A logical novelty over} 15. Bh6 Nxe1
16. Qxe1 {, as played in Szalanczy,E (2353)-Vajda,S (2387)/Balatonlelle 2002/
EXT 2004 (1-0, 34). White can use his already developed king's rook for
attacking purposes, rather than sacrificing it.}) 15... Nxc1 16. Rg4+ ({
This intermediate check was not really necessary. After the immediate} 16. Qxc1
{Black does not get the additional possibility of} Ne7 17. Rg4+ Ng6 $2 {
because of} 18. Qh6 {[%csl Gg6][%cal Yf3h4,Rb3g8] with decisive attack, for
instance} Bxf3 19. Rxg6+ hxg6 20. Qxg6+ Kh8 21. Qh6+ Kg8 22. gxf3 $18 {[%csl
Gg8][%cal Yg1h2,Ya1g1]}) 16... Kh8 17. Qxc1 {White's compensation for the
sacrificed pawn is beyond any doubt. The chronic weakness of the enemy
kingside offers him excellent atacking chances. Imagine Black's frustration:
he intended to sacrifice a pawn himself, in order to take over the initiative
and all he got is the opposite situation! La compensaciуn de las blancas por
el peуn entregado es muy obvнa. La debilidad crуnica del flanco de rey negro
les ofrece excelentes posibilidades de ataque. Imaginense la frustraciуn de
las negras: intentaron entregar un peуn para hacerse con la iniciativa, pero
Ўtodo saliу al revйs!} Ne7 18. Bc2 {The start of a massive migration of
White's pieces towards the enemy kingside. El inicio de una migraciуn masiva
de las figuras blancas hacнa el flanco de rey enemigo.} ({Now,} 18. Qh6 {
is parried by} Nf5) 18... Rg8 ({Avoiding the trap Evitando la celada} 18...
Bxf3 $4 19. Qh6 Ng6 20. Rh4 $3 {with mate to follow. seguнdo por mate.}) 19.
Qh6 Ng6 20. Nh4 Qf8 21. Qh5 Qe8 {[%csl Yg6]} (21... Bc6 {provides indirect
defence of the g6-square, but White can continue as in the game with} 22. Re1
$44 ({Black's idea becomes clear after} 22. Nxg6+ $6 fxg6 23. Bxg6 $2 Rxg6 $1
24. Rxg6 Be8 {, pointed out by Shipov.})) 22. Re1 Rd8 23. Bf5 Bc8 {After the
exchange of the bishops White will find outposts for all his pieces, but
Black's desire to to relieve the pressure aginst the g6-knight is
understandable.} (23... Rd2 24. Re3 Rxb2 $6 25. Reg3 $1 $40) 24. Bxc8 Rxc8 25.
Nf5 Qd7 26. Ree4 Rcd8 27. Kh2 $44 {Tempting Black to start his "counterattack.}
Qd1 $2 {Under no circumstances should Black have left the f5-knight unattacked.
White disposes over a more or less forced win now, but, unexpectedely,
Grischuk decides to force a draw. Las blancas han acabado su larga
reagrupaciуn, pero, inesperadamente, Grischuk decidiу forzar las tablas.} ({
Black cannot release the kingside tension in any way. For instance} 27... Nf8
$2 28. Rxg8+ Kxg8 29. Nh6+ Kg7 30. Ng4 $18) ({However, after a neutral move
such as} 27... c5 {White would find it difficult to make progress in any way
and a draw by mutual inactivity would have not been out of question. If, for
instance} 28. Rh4 {, Black can somewhat free himself with} Nf8 29. Reg4 Rg6)
28. Nh6 $6 ({Instead, he could have obtained an overwhelming advantage with En
vez de esto, podнa haber obtenido una abrumadora ventaja con} 28. Qh6 $1 {
, threatening Rh4, and if ...Nxh4, then Qxf6+ followed by mate on g7. ,
amenazando Rh4, y si ...Nxh4, entonces Qxf6+ seguнdo por mate en g7.} Qd2 {
The only try. El ъnico recurso defensivo.} 29. f4 $1 Rd6 ({Defending f6. If
Defendiendo f6. Sн} 29... exf4 30. Rh4 {, Black is forced to sacrifice the
queen with , las negras tendrнan que entregar la dama con} Qxg2+ 31. Kxg2 Nxh4+
32. Kf2 Nxf5 {, but after , pero despuйs de} 33. Qxf6+ Ng7 34. Rd4 {he is too
passive to count on saving the game. su posiciуn es demasiado pбsiva para
permitir salvar la partida.}) 30. fxe5 Qxh6 (30... fxe5 $6 {shortens Black's
suffering because of acortarнa el sufrimiento de las negras por} 31. Rg5 $1 {
, with the terrible threat Qxh7+ followed by Rh5+ and mate on h6. , con la
terible amenaza Qxh7+ seguнdo por Rh5+ y mate en h6.}) 31. Nxh6 Rb6 32. exf6 $5
{The most ambitious continuation, although the g8-rook was not poisoned either.
La continuaciуn mбs ambiciosa, aunque la torre de g8 tampoco estaba envenenada.
} Rf8 33. Ref4 $1 {White calmly defends his important f6-pawn and Black is
helpless in view of the threat h4-h5. The point is that Las blancas defienden
con calma su peуn de f6, dejando a las negras sin esperanzas ante la amenaza
h4-h5. Lo importante es que el caballo no puede mover. Por ejemplo} Nxf4 {
allows mate in 2 with permitirнa mate en dos con} 34. Rg8+ $1 Rxg8 35. Nxf7#)
28... Rg7 29. Nf5 Rgg8 30. Nh6 $4 Rg7 31. Nf5 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.15"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2751"]
[BlackElo "2733"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "200"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Be3 Nd7
8. Qd2 Ne5 9. O-O-O O-O 10. h3 ({A very rare move. We are familiar with Una
jugada raramente empleada. Estamos familiares con} 10. h4 {from the game Anand
- Gelfand, played just two days earlier. de la partida Anand-Gelfand,
disputada dos dнas antes.}) 10... Nxf3 {Sure, why not? White's previous move
did not do anything for attacking purposes, practically giving up a tempo for
free in the structure arising after this exchange.} ({We can only try to guess
what Leko had in mind against the natural developing move} 10... Be6 {Levacic,
M (1993)-Xu,R (2079)/Instanbul 2005/CBM 109 ext (1/2-1/2, 22). , which was
played only in a girls' game.} 11. Nd4 {looks like a decent try. It depends
whether the endgame arising after the generally desirable knight jump} Nc4 {
offers White any chances or not:} 12. Nxe6 Nxd2 13. Nxd8 Nxf1 14. Nc6 (14. Nxb7
$6 Nxe3 15. fxe3 Bg5 16. Rhe1 Rfe8 17. Rd3 a5 {and White will have to give up
his e3-pawn in order to save his knight.}) 14... bxc6 15. Rhxf1 {. Black's
queenside weaknesses could cause him some problems in the long run.}) 11. gxf3
Bf5 12. h4 Re8 (12... Bxh4 $6 {would offer White too many attacking chances
after} 13. Bd3 {followed by doubling rooks on the h-file.}) 13. h5 Bf6 {
Optically speaking, White's position does not look too appealing. He has
several structural defects, while Black has a normal development. However, one
of the first (if not the very first) criteria of evaluating a position is the
situation of the kings. White's pressure along the g-file could become
unpleasant for the black king, meaning that Black has to overcome certain
difficulties before entering a long-dreamed of better ending. Desde un punto
de vista puramente уptico, la posiciуn de las blancas no parece muy atractiva.
Ellas tienen varios defectos de estructura, mientras que el desarrollo de las
negras es completamente "normal". Sin embargo, uno de los mбs importantes (si
no el mas importante) criterio de evaluaciуn de luna posiciуn es la situaciуn
de los reyes. La presiуn de las figuras mayores de las blancas a lo largo de
la columna de g puede resultar muy amenazadora para el rey negro, por lo que
se puede esperar que las negras pasen por muchos apuros antes de llegar al
soсado final mejor.} 14. Rg1 Qe7 15. Kb1 d5 {Gelfand highlights the fact that
White has not completed his development yet. This pawn is poisoned because
after 16.Qxd5? Rad8 the lack of connection between rooks leads White to
decisive material losses.} 16. Bd3 Bxd3 17. Qxd3 Rad8 18. Rg4 Kh8 19. a3 b6 20.
Rdg1 h6 21. Qd2 {[%cal Ye3h6] Both sides have completed the first phase of
mobilisation. With a series of simple threats in one move, White will take
over the initiative.} Kh7 22. Bd4 {[%cal Yg4g7]} Rg8 $8 (22... Bxd4 $2 23. Qxd4
f6 24. Qd3+ Kh8 25. Rxg7 Qxg7 26. Rxg7 Kxg7 27. Qg6+ Kf8 28. Qxf6+ Kg8 29. Qg6+
Kf8 30. Qxh6+ Ke7 31. Qg5+ Kd6 32. h6 {White plans to advance his pawns to h7
and f7, place his queen on g8 and approach with his king. Most probably, Black
cannot prevent this plan in proper way.}) 23. Re1 Qd6 24. Bxf6 gxf6 ({Forced,
because Forzado,porque} 24... Qxf6 {loses the f7-pawn to perderнa el peуn de
f7 despuйs de} 25. Rf4 {, for instance , por ejemplo} Qg5 26. Qd3+ Kh8 27. Rf5
Qh4 28. Rxf7 {with advantage to White. . After the text move, we can conclude
that White has converted his long-term pressure into something of more stable
nature, by chronically weakening Black's kingside. Besides, the pressure
persists. con ventaja de las blancas. Despuйs de la jugada del texto, se puede
decir que las blancas han convertido su presiуn a largo termini en algo mбs
concreto: los defectos crуnicos de la posiciуn del rey negro. Ademбs la
presiуn persiste todavнa.}) 25. Qd3+ Kh8 26. Qa6 {The idea behind this move is
obvious: since Black is busy on the kingside still, White hopes to win the
a7-pawn. However, Gelfand will manage to parry the threat with relative ease,
while the white queen's excursion far from the centre lets a good part of
White's advantage slip away.} ({He could have used the favourable moment to
transpose to a promissing rook endgame with} 26. Rxg8+ Kxg8 (26... Rxg8 27. Qe3
Kg7 28. Qe7 {is similar.}) 27. Qe3 Kg7 28. Qe7 {The abstract idea is the same
as in the case of Leko's Qa6: White takes advantage of the lack of
coordination reigning in Black's camp and his kingside vulnerability in order
to open a new front in another area, but it all happens in the neighbourhood
of the centre this time.} Qxe7 {I do not see favourable ways to avoid this
exchange. The threat Rg1 was very strong.} 29. Rxe7 Rc8 (29... c6 30. Rxa7 {
[%cal Ya7a6,Ra3a4]} b5 31. Kc1 $16 {[%csl Re1,Re2,Re3][%cal Yc1d2]}) 30. Kc1 $1
(30. Rd7 a5 31. Rxd5 Re8 $1 $132) 30... a5 31. Kd2 f5 32. Rd7 c6 33. Rd6 Rc7
34. Kd3 $16) 26... Rxg4 27. fxg4 {Ironically, it is White who has the better
structure on the kingside now. However, the black king starts feeling slightly
more secure. Ironicamente, ahora son las blancas quienes tienen la mejor
estructura en el flanco de rey. Sin embargo, el rey de las negras empieza
sentirse algo menos inseguro.} Qc6 28. Re7 ({After} 28. Qxa7 $2 Ra8 {the queen
is trapped.}) 28... Qd6 29. Re3 ({And, symmetrically,} 29. Rxf7 Kg8 {traps the
rook!}) 29... Qc6 30. Qd3 Kg7 31. Re7 {[%csl Gf7][%cal Yd3g6] Finally, White
has regrouped, abandoning his initial "plan", but after exchanging one pair of
rooks Black is better organzied for defence. Still, he has to be careful about
such spectacular threats as Qg6.} Kf8 32. Re1 Kg7 33. f4 Qd6 34. Qf3 $6 {
Another uninspired queen move.} (34. Qd2 $1 {would have defended the f4-pawn
and supported the programmed g5. Black would have been far from complete
equality yet:} d4 35. g5 d3 (35... dxc3 36. Qxc3 $40) 36. gxh6+ Kxh6 (36... Kh7
37. Rd1 $1 dxc2+ $2 38. Qxc2+ $1 $18) 37. f5+ Kh7 38. cxd3 Qxd3+ 39. Qxd3 Rxd3
40. Re7 Rd6 $1 41. Rxf7+ Kh6 42. Rxc7 a5 $14 {[%csl Gf5][%cal Yh6h5,Yh5g5] and
this endgame should be survivable.}) 34... c5 {Facing the permanent threat of
g5, Black decides to react in the centre. Confrontandose con la permanente
amenaza g5, las negras deciden reaccionar en el centro.} 35. Qf2 d4 $1 36. Rd1
Qe6 37. Re1 Qd5 38. Rd1 Qe6 39. Qg1 $6 {From here, the queen supports the
planned break g5 and keeps the d4-pawn under pressure. However, placing such
an important piece far from the centre hardly offers chances for an advantage.
Desde aquн, la dama apoya la ruptura lanificada g5, manteniendo el peуn de d4
bajo observaciуn al mismo tiempo. Sin embargo, al colocar una figura tan
importante lejos del centro, no se puede contar con mantener la ventaja.} Qe4 {
Gelfand's major pieces are familiar with this square from his game against
Anand. I assume that this time he would not refrain from grabbing the f4-pawn,
if only given a chance. Las figuras mayors de Gelfand estбn familiares con
esta casilla desde su partida de la primera ronda contra Anand. Supongo que en
este caso el se comerнa el peуn de f4, si le ofrecieran la oportunidad...} 40.
g5 fxg5 41. fxg5 d3 42. cxd3 Rxd3 43. Rxd3 Qxd3+ 44. Ka1 Qf5 {Suddenly, the
situation has changed very much in Black's favour. Both his remaining pieces 
(yes, the king IS a piece in the endgame) are more active than White's. Soon,
Black will get a dangerous kingside passed pawn. De repente, la situaciуn ha
cambiado a favor de las negras. Ambas figuras que les quedan (si, el rey ES
una figura en el final) son mбs activas que las de las blancas. Pronto, las
negras obtendrбn un peуn pasado en el flanco de rey.} 45. g6 fxg6 46. hxg6 h5
47. Qg3 Qf1+ 48. Ka2 Qc4+ 49. Ka1 Qf1+ 50. Ka2 Qc4+ 51. Ka1 Qg4 52. Qc7+ Kxg6
53. Qxa7 Qd1+ 54. Ka2 Qd5+ 55. Ka1 Qd1+ 56. Ka2 Qd6 57. Qa8 Qe6+ 58. Ka1 Qe1+
59. Ka2 Qe6+ 60. Ka1 h4 61. Qg2+ Kh5 62. Qf3+ Kg5 63. Qg2+ Kh5 64. Qf3+ Kg5 65.
Qg2+ Qg4 66. Qd2+ Kf5 67. Qd5+ Kf4 68. Qd6+ Kf3 69. Qf6+ Kg2 70. Qc6+ Qf3 71.
Qg6+ Kf1 72. Qxb6 {In queen endings, the number of pawns is less relevant than
the degree of danger they are posing. Obviously, the h3-pawn is a very serious
candidate to promotion, but the part played by White's queenside pawns should
not be underestimated. Without them, Black would probably find a way to parry
the checks with a counter-check, or by pinning the enemy queen. En finales de
damas, el nъmero de peones es menos importante que el peligro que representan.
Obviamente, el peуn de h3 es muy peligroso, pero el papel desempeсado por los
peones blancos del flanco de dama no debe ser menosvalorado. Sin ellos, es
probable que las negras conseguнrнan encontrar una forma de cubrir los jaques
enemigos con un contra-jaque o clavando la dama enemiga.} h3 73. Qd6 Qf2 74.
Qd3+ Kg2 75. Qd5+ Kg1 76. Ka2 Qf4 77. Qxc5+ {For instance, in the absence of
the b2-pawn, ...Qf2+ would win now. Por ejemplo, en la ausencнa del peуn de b2,
Df2+ ganarнa en esta posiciуn.} Kf1 78. Qb5+ Ke1 79. Qd5 h2 80. c4 Qh4 81. Qe5+
Kd1 82. Qd5+ Ke2 83. Qe5+ Kd1 84. Qd5+ Kc1 85. Qh1+ Kd2 86. Qd5+ Ke3 87. Qe5+
Kf3 88. Qf5+ Qf4 89. Qd3+ Kf2 90. Qd5 Kg1 91. Qg8+ Kf2 92. Qd5 Qf3 93. Qd2+ Kg1
94. Qg5+ Kf1 95. Qc1+ Kf2 96. Qd2+ Kg3 97. Qg5+ Kh3 98. Qh6+ Kg3 99. Qg5+ Qg4
100. Qd5 Qf3 {and, having reached the 100th move, Gelfand decided to call it a
day. y, al haber alcanzado la 100-a jugada, Gelfand se conformу con lo
inevitable.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.15"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Black "Svidler, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C45"]
[WhiteElo "2758"]
[BlackElo "2735"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Qf6 6. c3 Nge7 7. Bc4 O-O (
7... Ne5 8. Be2 Qg6 9. O-O d6 10. f3 O-O 11. Nd2 d5 {Rublevsky,S (2680)
-Grischuk,A (2717)/Elista 2007/CBM 119/[Marin,M] (1/2-1/2, 18)}) 8. O-O Ne5 9.
Bb3 $5 {Morozevich remains faithful to his style. Instead of the approved 9.
Be2, he plays a move that has been only rarely seen in games between strong
players. Morozevich queda fiel a su estilo. En vez de la jugada corriente 9.
Be2, йl elige una jugada que se ha visto raramente en partidas entre jugadores
fuertes.} d6 10. f3 {But this is "almost" a novelty. In most of the games,
White preferred to develop his queen's knight, ignoring the threat ...Ng4.
Pero esta es "casi" una novedad. En la mayorнa de partidas, las blancas
preferieron desarrollar su caballo de dama, ignorando la amenaza ...Ng4} ({
However, for the sake of truth it should be said that no other reasonably
strong player seems to have reached this position with white. After} 10. Nd2
Ng4 {White has no compensation for Black's domination on the dark squares.})
10... Be6 11. Kh1 Bc4 12. Rf2 d5 $15 {White's opening experiment seems to have
ended into a complete fiasco. He is behind in development and his advantage of
space is just about to vanish. El experimento de apertura de las blancas ha
sido todo un fracaso. Morozevich se encuentra atrasado con su desarrollo,
mientras que la ventaja de espacio estб por esfumarse.} 13. Bc2 dxe4 ({Black
had a wide choice of tempting moves. The most logical seems to be Las negras
disponian de una gran variedad de jugadas tentadoras. La mбs lуgica parece} 
13... Rad8 {, but then White could consider playing f4, immediately or after
driving the bishop away with b3. , pero en este caso las blancas podrнan jugar
f4, inmediatamente o despuйs de prevнamente echar al alfil enemigo con b3.}) ({
Maybe Tal vez} 13... Qh4 {is best, preventing f4 in view of ...Ng4 and
planning to place his rooks on the open files. It would not have been easy for
White to complete his development. serнa lo mejor, impediendo f4 por ...Ng4 y
albergando la idea de desarrollar las torres en las colimnas abiertas. En este
caso, a las blancas les hubiera resultado bastante difнcil acabar su
desarrollo de forma satisfactorнa.}) 14. Nd2 $1 {White hurries to bring his
pieces into play. The point behind his last move is that 14...exf3? loses a
piece to 15.Nxc4 Nxc4 16.Qd3, atacking c4 and h7. Las blancas se apresuran a
acabar el desarrollo. La justificaciуn tбctica de su ultima jugada reside en
el hecho que 14...exf3? pierde una figura por 15.Nxc4 Nxc4 16.Qd3, tocando c4
y h7.} Bd3 $2 ({After this move White is back in the game. Once he cleared the
d5-square with his previous move, Black should have used it with Despuйs de
esta jugada, las blancas han "vuelto en la partida". Dado que una jugada antes
las negras habнan librado la casilla de d5, tendrнan que haberla aprovechado
con} 14... Nd5 {for instance} 15. Nxe4 Qb6 $15 {and White is still under
pressure. y las blancas siguen estando bajo presiуn.}) 15. Nxe4 Bxe4 16. fxe4
Qg6 17. Rf4 {White has a normal position now; his chances are by no means
worse and in fact his position might be easier to play. Svidler must have ben
still under the impression of his missed advantage, because in the next phase
of the game he plays a series of pseudo-active moves, completely losing
coordination. Las blancas tienen una posiciуn normal ya ylas posibilidades son
aproximadamente igualadas. Posiblemente, Svidler se encontraba todavнa bajola
impresiуn de su ventaja perdida, porque en la fase siguнente va a efectuar un
par de jugadas pseudo-activas, perdiendo su coordinaciуn por completo.} Nc4 (
17... Rad8 18. Qe2 Bb6 19. Raf1 $14 {[%cal Yc2b3] Black's position is solid
and he has a wonderful knight on e5, but he cannot do anything active.}) 18.
Bg1 $1 {Possibly underestimated by Svidler.} ({In case of the more passive} 18.
Bc1 {things would be OK for Black.}) 18... Qh6 (18... Nxb2 {[%csl Yb2] would
place the knight too far from the main theatre of operations.} 19. Qf3 {
[%cal Ye4e5]} Nc4 $6 {This only makes things worse.} 20. Nf5 $1 $40 Bd6 (20...
Nxf5 21. exf5 $18 {[%csl Yc4,Yc5]}) 21. Rg4 Ne5 22. Rxg6 Nxf3 23. Rxg7+ Kh8 24.
gxf3 Nxf5 25. Rg5 $16 {with white domination.}) 19. Rf3 Qd2 (19... Ne5 20. Rh3
Qf6 21. Qe2 $36 {[%cal Ya1f1]}) 20. Qb1 $1 Bb6 21. Bb3 $1 {Suddenly, Black is
in trouble. If the knight moves, Be3 wins the queen. De repente, las negras
estбn pasando apuros. Sн el caballo mueve, se perderia la dama por Be3.} Bxd4 {
Black surrenders strategically.} ({He would have preserved chances for
building up a fortress after} 21... Ne5 22. Be3 Nxf3 23. Bxd2 Nxd2 24. Qc2 Nxb3
25. Qxb3 Rad8 $14 {[%cal Ye7g6,Yg6e5] /+/- It would have required from White
certain technical effort to win this position.}) 22. cxd4 $16 {But now,
White's pair of bishops and his mobile centre offers him a huge advantage. As
a curiosity, I would remark that in his youth, Morozevich frequently played
the Chigorin Opening, which often leads to positions where two black knights
fight against two white bishops. Now, he became more complete as a player and
can deal with the opposite situation quite well. Pero ahora, la fuerte pareja
de alfiles y el centro mуvil de peones ofrece una abrumadora ventaja a las
blancas.} Na5 23. Bc2 Rad8 24. Rc3 Nac6 {With his knights uncoordinated and
the queen exposed, Black is completely helpless against such simple threats as
Rxc7.} ({Here is an illustrative line:} 24... Rd7 25. Qf1 {[%csl Ge2][%cal
Yg1e3]} Qh6 (25... Qg5 26. Rc5 {[%csl Ya5]} Qd2 27. Rd1 Qb4 28. Rb5 Qc4 {
[%csl Yc2]} 29. Qxc4 Nxc4 30. Rxb7 $18) 26. d5 {[%csl Ga5][%cal Yb2b4]} b6 27.
b4 Nb7 28. Ba4 $18 {[%csl Yc7]}) 25. d5 Nb4 (25... Ne5 26. Qf1 {[%cal Yg1e3]} (
26. Be3 Qe2) 26... Qg5 27. Be3 (27. Rxc7 f5 $5) 27... Qg4 28. Rxc7 $18) 26. Bb3
(26. Rxc7 {was also possible, of course, but Morozevich prefers to preserve
his pair of bishops.}) 26... Na6 27. Be3 Qe2 28. Bc4 Qg4 29. h3 Qh4 30. Bxa6 {
Just to give it away under more favourable circumstances...} bxa6 31. Rxc7 $18
f5 32. Bc5 Rfe8 33. d6 Ng6 34. exf5 Nf4 35. Qc2 Re2 36. Qb3+ Kh8 37. Rg1 {
White has parried Black's threats, retaining decisive material and positional
advantage.} 1-0

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.16"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A33"]
[WhiteElo "2750"]
[BlackElo "2751"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. a3 $5 {This move was
popularized by the eternally young Viktor Kortschnoj. White aims for a
Hedgehog structure. The move a3 could prove a loss of time at a later stage,
but the c6-knight is also far from optimally placed for the aforementioned
structure. Esta jugada fue popularizada por el eternamente joven Viktor
Kortschnoj. Las blancas aspiran a obtener una estructura de erizo. Aunque la
jugada a3 puede resultar como una pйrdida de tiempo para mas tarde, el caballo
de c6 tampoco estб situado do forma уptima para dicha estructura.} Be7 7. e4
O-O 8. Nf3 {Necessary prophylaxis.} ({In case of the normal developing move} 8.
Be2 {, Black equalizes with} d5 $1 $11 {Bagirov,V (2485)-Schlosser,P (2485)/
Brno 1991/CBM 026/[Ribli] (1/2-1/2, 17)}) 8... d6 9. Be2 b6 10. O-O Bb7 11. Bf4
{This move is supposed to cause Black some problems with his regrouping.} Ne5 {
This was suggested by Kortschnoj. However, Black has other ways of
re-arranging his knights.} (11... Ng4 12. Nd2 Nge5 13. Be3 Bf6 14. Rc1 g5 {
This would be a very good plan if the queen's knight were better placed (say,
on g6).} 15. b4 Kh8 (15... Qe7 {[%cal Re5g6,Gf6e5]} 16. c5 $5 $36) 16. Nb3 Ne7
$6 17. Qd2 Rg8 18. Rfd1 $16 {Nester,I (2417)-Nikolaev,Y (2110)/St Petersburg
2006 (1-0, 31)}) (11... Rc8 12. Re1 (12. Rc1 {Cheparinov,I (2572)-Karjakin,S 
(2599)/Wijk aan Zee 2005/CBM 105/[Ribli] (0-1, 43)}) 12... Ng4 $5 (12... a6 {
Kortschnoj,V-Ponomariov,R/Donetsk (m/2) 80/30 2001/[Kortschnoj,V] (1-0, 117)})
13. Nd2 Nge5 14. Be3 Nd7 15. Rc1 Nf6 {Apparently, Black has only lost time
with his knight, but the retreat of White's minor pieces (Nd2, Be3) can hardly
be considered an achievement.} 16. Qa4 a6 17. Red1 Nb8 18. b4 Nbd7 {Finally,
Black's knights stand the way they are supposed to in the Hedgehog.} 19. Qb3
Qc7 20. f3 Rfe8 21. Nf1 Qb8 22. Kh1 Bd8 $13 {Gavrikov,V (2581)-Lazarev,V (2477)
/Switzerland 2002/EXT 2003 (1-0, 44)}) 12. Nd2 Ng6 ({Not a bad square for the
knight, but} 12... Ned7 {should also be considered.} 13. Re1 a6 (13... Nc5 14.
Bf1 d5 15. e5 Nfe4 $13 {was suggested by Kortschnoj.}) 14. Rc1 Rc8 $13 {
[%cal Yd8c7,Yf8e8,Yc7b8] with a normal Hedgehog position.}) 13. Bg3 Rc8 $146 (
13... d5 $6 {is probably premature.} 14. cxd5 (14. exd5 $6 exd5 15. Bf3 Qd7 $11
16. cxd5 Nxd5 17. Nc4 Rfd8 18. Nxd5 {1/2-1/2 Roeder,M (2404)-Ninov,N (2486)/
Cutro 2005/CBM 106 ext}) 14... exd5 15. e5 Ne4 (15... Nd7 16. Nf3 Nc5 17. Nd4
$14) 16. Ncxe4 dxe4 17. Nc4 $14 {[%cal Yc4d6]}) 14. Re1 a6 15. Rc1 Qc7 16. b4 {
Both sides have carried out their plans in a consequent way. Black's queen's
knight occupies a "typical" square for this kind of position, while the
a3-pawn proves useful by sustaining his colleague on b4 for the eventuality of
a central break (...d5). We shall now see a long phase of slow manoeuvring.
Ambas partes han llevado a cabo su plan de forma consecuente. El caballo negro
se encuentra en una casilla "tнpica" para este tipo de posiciones, mientras
que el peуn de a3 resulta ъtil por defender a su colega de b4 para el caso de
una eventual ruptura central (...d5). A continuaciуn, seguнrб una larga fase
de maniobras lentas.} Qb8 17. Bf1 Rfd8 18. Qe2 Nd7 19. Qe3 h6 20. Nf3 {
Overcautious.} (20. f4 {would have shortened the way to the position arising 6
moves later.}) 20... Ba8 21. Red1 Nde5 22. Nd2 Ng4 23. Qe2 N4e5 24. f4 Nd7 25.
Nf3 Bf6 26. Qe3 {White's queen has been constantly avoiding the opposition
with the enemy rooks and the brutal attacks of the minor pieces. This did not
cause any concession on White's part, but also prevented him from making
significant progress. La dama blanca ha evitado constantemente laoposiciуn con
las torres enemigas o los ataques brutales de las figuras menoras enemigas.
Esto no ha causado ningъn tipo de concesiуn por parte de las blancas, pero
tampoco le ha permitido hacer progreso alguno.} Re8 27. Be1 ({For the moment,
De momento no valнa} 27. e5 {was not possible because of por} dxe5 $1 28. Rxd7
exf4 {winning back the piece recuperando pieza.}) (27. Bf2 {offers Black the
additional possibility of} Bxc3 $5 (27... Rcd8 {, as recommended after the
game conntinuation, is entirely playable, too.}) 28. Rxc3 Nf6 29. Nd2 b5 $132)
27... Bd8 $2 (27... Bxc3 $2 {is pointless now because of} 28. Bxc3 $16) ({
Playing with fire. Jugando con el fuego.} 27... Rcd8 $13 {would have
maintained the previous stage of the issue. hubiera mantenido el estado
anterior del asunto.}) 28. e5 $1 dxe5 29. Rxd7 exf4 30. Qe2 $16 {It is hard to
say whether Leko overestimated his position, or he simply overlooked that,
after the bishop retreat to e1, e5 had become a serious threat. The latter
looks more plausible, because it is not really his style to gamble this way.}
e5 31. Ne4 Be7 32. c5 $5 bxc5 33. bxc5 Bc6 (33... Bxe4 34. Qxe4 Bxc5+ 35. Kh1
Bxa3 36. Bc4 $18) 34. Rdd1 {Black has no adequate compensation for the
sacrificed piece. Las negras no tienen compensaciуn adecuada por la figura
entregada.} Bb5 35. Qb2 Qa7 36. Bxb5 axb5 37. Bf2 Qa8 38. Nd6 e4 39. Nxe8 Rxe8
40. Nd4 Bf6 41. c6 e3 42. Be1 f3 43. gxf3 Nf4 44. Bg3 Ne6 45. Qb4 1-0

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.16"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2726"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 {Frankly speaking, it seems to me that entering
the Catalan paths against Kramnik nowadays is a bit like playing with fire.
This subtle opening seems to suit the World Champion's present personality and
style perfectly. In this game, he will once again prove his deep opening
preparation and only a time trouble miracle will save Grischuk. Sinceramente,
me parece que entrar en una Catalana contra Kramnik es como jugar con el fuego.
Esta sъtil apertura parece ajustarse perfectamente al estilo y a la
personalidad actual del Campeуn Mundial. En esta partida, йl demostrara una
vez mas su profunda preparaciуn teуrica y solo un milagro en apuros de tiempo
le salvу a Grischuk.} 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4 b5 9.
Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Ra7 11. a3 $5 {A very rare move. White usually develops his
king's rook to c1 or d1, waiting for Black to develop his knight, in order to
play Ba5. Kramnik seems to believe that the modest advance of the a-pawn,
keeping the enemy pawns under control, is a more useful waiting move. Una
jugada muy poco frecuente. Normalmente, las blancas desarrollan su torre de
rey a c1 o d1, esperando a que las negras desarrollen su caballo para
contestar con Ba5. Kramnik parece pensar que el modesto avance del peуn es una
jugada de espera mбs ъtil, al mantener los peones enemigos bajo control.} ({
I will mention here a game where the idea of sacrificing the c7-pawn was seen
for the first time in this variation.} 11. Rc1 Be4 12. Qb3 Nbd7 {Das ist ein
guter Platz fьr den Springer - Schwarz mцchte mit c7-c5 die Partie ausgleichen.
} 13. Ba5 Qa8 $5 {[%csl Ga8,Ge4][%cal Ga8g2] Nielsen,P (2668)-Leko,P (2763)/
Dortmund 2005/CBM 108/[Ribli] (0-1, 60) Eine starke Neuerung von Leko, die die
Batterie Qa8-Be4 sehr angriffsstark werden lдsst.}) 11... Nbd7 $146 ({In
practice, Black did OK after} 11... Be4 12. Qc1 {, but the objective merits of
the position remain unclear yet.} a5 (12... Nbd7 13. Ba5 Qa8 14. Nbd2 $5 (14.
Nc3 Bc6 15. Re1 Ne4 16. b4 Bd6 17. a4 Nxc3 18. Qxc3 Nf6 19. Nh4 {1/2-1/2
Atalik,E (2399)-Bensdorp,M (2230)/Wijk aan Zee 2006/CBM 111}) 14... Bd5 15. b4
Nb8 (15... Ne4 16. Nxe4 Bxe4 17. Ra2 $14 {We can see here one of the hidden
ideas behind the modest advance of the a-pawn: the a2-square is cleared for
the queen's rook, allowing the increase of the pressure along the c-file.}) 16.
Ne1 Bxg2 (16... Nc6 17. Nb3 $1 $14 {[%cal Ya1a2,Yg2d5,Ye1d3,Ya2c2,Yf1d1]}) 17.
Nxg2 Qd5 18. Qc3 Rd8 19. Nb3 $14) 13. Nc3 (13. a4 b4 14. Bg5 Nbd7 15. Nbd2 Bd5
{><b3} 16. Qc2 c5 $132) 13... Bc6 14. Bg5 Nbd7 15. Qe3 Qa8 16. Rfc1 Rc8 {
1/2-1/2 Kveinys,A (2510)-Rustemov,A (2564)/Lubniewice 2005/CBM 108 ext. Black
has a solid position, but has not managed to neutralize White's advantage of
space in any way. He is far from carrying out the thematic breaks ...c5 or ...
e5.} 17. a4 $5 $14) 12. Ba5 Qa8 $5 ({Grischuk aims for rapid activation of his
pieces, probably with the secret hope to surprise his well prepared opponent.
If the latter is true, a bitter disappointment awaited him... A more common
continuation would have been Grischuk aspira a activar sus figuras con rapidez,
posiblemente albergando la esperanza secreta de sorprender a su muy bien
preparado rival. Si eso ъltimo es verdad, le esperaba un amargo desengaсo...
Una continuaciуn mas conforme con la teуria serнa} 12... Be4 13. Qc1 Qb8 14.
Nbd2 Ba8 15. b4 {White has stabilized the queenside and could think about
gradual central expansion. y las blancas han estabilizado el flanco de dama,
pudiendo pensar en una expansiуn lenta en el centro.}) 13. Qxc7 {Played
without too much thought. Efectuada casi sin pensar.} Rc8 ({The discovered
attack} 13... Bxf3 {is not dangerous because of} 14. Bxf3 {. White seems to
maintain an edge in the endgame:} Rxc7 15. Bxa8 Rc4 (15... Rc2 16. Bf3 e5 17.
e3 exd4 18. exd4 Rxb2 19. Rc1 $14 {[%csl Yd7,Gf3]}) 16. Bg2 (16. Bf3 $5 Rxd4
17. Nd2 Ne5 18. Bg2) 16... Rxd4 17. Nd2 $14) 14. Qf4 Rc2 15. Nbd2 Rxb2 16. Rfc1
Nd5 17. Qe4 {Up to this moment, Kramnik had spent less than a quarter of an
hour. Quite suggestive for the degree of successf of Grischuk's surprise... En
este momento, Kramnik habнa gastado menos de un cuarto de hora. Bastante
sugestivo para el grado de йxito de la sorpresa de Grischuk...} b4 $5 {[%cal
Ga5d2]} 18. Qd3 (18. axb4 $6 Rxd2 $1 19. Nxd2 N5f6 20. Qd3 Bxg2 21. f3 Bh3 $13)
18... bxa3 19. Nc4 Bc6 (19... Rb5 20. Bd2 $1 $14 {[%cal Yc4a3]}) 20. Nxa3 Bb5
21. Nc4 Bb4 22. Qd1 Bxc4 23. Rxc4 Bxa5 24. Rxa5 $14 {White has the more
compact pawn structure and a very strong light-squared bishop, but the a6-pawn
should be kept under permanent surveillance. This position might have caused
Kramnik contradictory feelings. To a certain extent, the position is similar
to the first game of his match against Topalov. On that occasion, he had to
defend for a long time on the edge of the precipice, but eventually won.
However, there are two significant differences compared to that game. The
a-pawn is blocked in safer way, while the presence of queens on board prevents
Black from carrying out Topalov's plan based on ...g5-g4. Las blancas tienen
estructura algo mбs compacta y un fortisimo alfil de casillas blancas. Sin
embargo, puede que esta posiciуn le hubiera provocado a Kramnik emociones
contradictorнas, al parecerse bastante con la primera partida del match contra
Topalov. En aquella ocasiуn, Kramnik tuvo que defenderse por mucho rato al
borde del precipicio, pero acabo ganando.} Qb8 25. Nd2 N5b6 ({The attempt to
unblock the pawn with} 25... Qd8 {fails to} 26. Qc1 $1 {[%cal Yc4c8]} Rb8 27.
Qa1 $16) 26. Rc1 g6 27. Ne4 Rb5 28. Ra2 a5 {Black has managed to unblock his
pawn, but White's coordination remains better.} 29. Nc5 $16 {We can notice a
further difference compared to the game against Topalov. Instead of a pair of
knights, White has a knight and a bishop, which ensures the c5-knight another
possible outpost on b7.} Qd6 30. Nb7 Qb8 31. Qd3 $1 Rh5 {There was no other
way to keep the pawn defended.} 32. Nc5 $1 {The knight has return to the base,
after having isolated the enemy rook from the main theatre of operations.} Nd5
33. Qc4 N5b6 34. Qc3 Nd5 35. Qa1 Nxc5 36. Rxc5 {The pawn cannot be saved
anymore. El peуn ya no puede ser salvado.} Nb4 (36... a4 37. Bf3 Rg5 38. Qc1 {
[%csl Gc8,Gg5]} (38. Rxa4 $4 Rxa4 39. Qxa4 Qb1+ 40. Kg2 Nf4#) 38... Kg7 $1 39.
Qxg5 Qb1+ 40. Kg2 Qxa2 41. Qe5+ (41. Bxd5 exd5 42. Qe5+ f6 43. Qb8 $40 {
[%csl Ya4,Yd5,Yg7]}) 41... f6 (41... Nf6 42. g4 h6 43. h4 $18) (41... Kh6 42.
Qb8 Rd7 43. Qf8+ $18) 42. Qd6 $40 (42. Qxe6 $4 Nf4+ $1 $19)) 37. Raxa5 Nc2 38.
Rxa7 $6 ({This spectacular move lets part of the advantage slip away. Esta
espectacular jugada deja escapar la ventaja de las blancas.} 38. Qa2 $1 {
would have won the pawn and, most probably, the game. hubiera ganado el peуn y,
probablemente, la partida.}) 38... Nxa1 39. Ra8 Qxa8 40. Bxa8 Rxc5 41. dxc5 Kf8
42. c6 Ke7 43. c7 Kd7 44. Bc6+ Kxc7 45. Ba4 {White still has some winning
chances. The knight is isolated in the corner, while the black pawns are
vulnerable. A new miracle is needed in order to save Black's game... Las
blancas siguen teniendo algunas chances de victorнa. El caballo estб aislado
en el rincуn, mientras que los peones negros son bastante vulnerables. Serб
necesarнo otro milagro mбs.} Kb6 46. Kg2 (46. Be8 $5 {is an important
alternative. The following analysis was provided by Jordan Kirchev from London.
} f6 47. Bf7 e5 48. Bg8 h6 49. Kg2 {"Black cannot move the knight to b3 or c2 
(because of Bh7 pininng the g6-pawn to the knight)."} Kc5 ({"If Black tries to
activate the knight by} 49... g5 $5 {then} 50. Kh3 $1 {aiming for the f6- or
h6-pawn."} Nc2 51. Kg4 Nd4 52. e3 $18) 50. Kh3 Kd6 51. Bh7 g5 52. Kg4 {with 53.
Kh5 and Kxh6 to follow.}) 46... Kc5 47. Kf3 Kb4 48. Be8 f6 49. Bf7 Nb3 {
Indirectly defending the pawn and winning an essential tempo. Defendiendo el
peуn de forma indirecta y ganando un tiempo esencнal.} 50. e3 ({SImpler would
have been} 50. Bg8 {, for instance} h6 (50... Nd4+ 51. Ke3 Nf5+ 52. Ke4 Ne7 53.
Bxe6 $18 {There is such a theoretical winning position for White: the f-pawn
disappear (after f4 and e5) and the black king returns home. One of the main
reasons for Black's failure to hold the position is that the h7- and g6-pawns
are very vulnerable. However, Black is in an even worse situation here,
because his king is cut off the rest of the army.}) 51. Bf7 g5 52. Kg4 {
and Black is in big danger.}) (50. Kg4 $5) 50... Nc5 51. h4 $2 {This seems to
be the final mistake. White weakens the g3-pawn and facilitates the exchange
of one pair of pawns, something he should not be interested in.} (51. Bg8 h6
52. Bf7 g5 53. Kg4 f5+ 54. Kh5 g4 55. Kxh6 Kc4 56. Bxe6+ Nxe6 57. Kg6 Nc5 58.
Kxf5 Ne4 59. Kxg4 Nxf2+ 60. Kf5 $18 {Lebedev.}) 51... Kc3 52. Bg8 h6 53. Bf7 g5
54. Kg4 Ne4 55. hxg5 hxg5 56. Bxe6 Nxf2+ 57. Kf5 Kd3 {The incredible has just
happened. Black's pieces came back into play just in time. Lo increнble ha
pasado. Las figuras negras han llegado justo a tiempo.} 58. Kxf6 Ne4+ 59. Kg6
Nxg3 60. Kxg5 Kxe3 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.16"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D48"]
[WhiteElo "2758"]
[BlackElo "2792"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "121"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3
Bb7 9. O-O a6 10. e4 c5 11. d5 {There was a time when one could play the
Reynolds Attack just by inspiration. Now, (almost) everything is deeply
analyzed... Es gab mal eine Zeit, da konnte man den Reynolds-Angriff einfach
nach Inspiraton spielen. Heute ist (fast) alles tief ausanalysiert... Hubo un
tiempo cuando era posible jugar el Ataque Reynolds por pura inspiraciуn. Ahora
(casi) todo estб tan bien analizado...} c4 12. Bc2 Qc7 13. dxe6 fxe6 14. Nd4
Nc5 15. Be3 e5 16. Nf5 {The more active continuation. Die aktivere Fortsetzung.
} (16. Nf3 {looks slightly more refined, by aiming to take advantage of the
weakness of the e6-square, but Kasparov proved that Black can ignore the
threat Ng5 with sieht etwas raffinierter aus mit der Idee, aus der Schwдche
des Feldes e6 Vorteil zu ziehen. Doch Kasparov wie nach, dass Schwarz die
Drohung Ng5 ignorieren kann, und zwar mit} Be7 $5 {Kasimdzhanov,R (2678)
-Kasparov,G (2804)/Linares 2005/CBM 106/[Lutz] (0-1, 36).}) 16... g6 $5 $146 {
Immediately questioning the stability of the enemy knight. Stellt sofort die
Stabilitдt des feindlichen Springers in Frage.} ({Inserting the moves Der
Einschub der ZЬg} 16... Rd8 17. Qe2 {before playing vor} g6 $6 {is not an
improvement for Black. ist keine Verbesserung fьr Schwarz:} 18. Bg5 $1 Qb6 (
18... gxf5 19. Bxf6 {[%csl Rd8,Rh8]}) 19. Ne3 Be7 20. Ned5 Nxd5 21. exd5 Qc7 (
21... Bxg5 22. Qxe5+ {[%csl Rg5,Rh8]}) 22. Bxe7 (22. Bh6 $16) 22... Qxe7 {
Ehlvest,J (2593)-Milman,L (2473)/ICC INT 2006/CBM 114 ext (1-0, 67)} 23. Rad1
O-O 24. a3 $14) ({Black can capture the central pawn with Schwarz kann den
Zentrumsbauern mit} 16... Ncxe4 17. Nxe4 Nxe4 {, but White generally obtains a
strong initiative for the small material investment. Here is a recent example.
einsacken, doch WeiЯ erlangt generell eine starke Initiative fьr die geringe
Materialinvestition. Hier ein aktuelles Beispiel.} 18. Qg4 $5 (18. a4 Qc6 19.
axb5 axb5 20. Rxa8+ Bxa8 21. Qg4 g6 22. Nh6 Nf6 23. Qg3 Bxh6 24. Bxh6 Kf7 25.
f4 exf4 26. Bxf4 Re8 27. Bg5 Re6 $132 {Lautier,J (2630)-Kramnik,V (2775)/Monte
Carlo 1996/CBM 052 ext (1/2-1/2, 35)}) (18. Re1 g6 19. Nh6 Nf6 20. Bf4 Bd6 21.
Bxe5 O-O-O $1 $15 {Klimov,S (2509)-Yevseev,D (2550)/St Petersburg 2005/CBM 106
(0-1, 32)}) 18... Nf6 (18... Qc6 $2 19. Bxe4 Qxe4 20. Nxg7+ $1 $18 {
unexpectedely leads to mate in two, with the cooperation of White's queen and
bishop. fьhrt unerwartet zweizьgig zum Matt, unter Zusammenarbeit von Dame und
Lдufer von WeiЯ.}) (18... Nd6 19. Rad1 $36) 19. Qh3 g6 (19... Rd8 $5) (19...
Kf7 $5) 20. Bg5 gxf5 21. Bxf6 Rg8 22. Rfe1 Qc6 $2 (22... Rxg2+ 23. Kf1 Rxf2+ $1
24. Kxf2 Qb6+) 23. Rxe5+ Kf7 {Optically, it seems that White's pieces are
hanging, while the g2-square is under pressure. Optisch sieht es so aus, als
ob die weiЯen Figuren hдngen, wдhrend das Feld g2 unter Beschuss steht.} 24.
Be4 $3 {The strongest move, leading to a forced win for White. Der stдrkste
Zug, der zu einem forcierten Gewinn fьr WeiЯ fьhrt.} Qxf6 (24... fxe4 25. Qxh7+
Rg7 (25... Bg7 26. Qh5+ Kxf6 27. Qf5#) (25... Kxf6 26. Rf5+ Ke6 27. Qf7+ Kd6
28. Rd1+ $18) 26. Bxg7 Bxg7 27. Rf5+ $18) 25. Rxf5 Bxe4 26. Rxf6+ Kxf6 27. Qh4+
Kf5 28. Qxh7+ Rg6 29. Re1 Rd8 (29... Bxg2 30. Qh5+ Kf6 31. Re6+ $1 $18 {
[%csl Yg2,Yg6]}) 30. Qh5+ Rg5 31. Qf7+ {1-0 Akopian,V (2700)-Ippolito,D (2397)/
Gibraltar 2007/CBM 116 ext}) 17. Nh6 {Rather straightforward. Ziemlich direkt.}
({The main alternative is} 17. Bg5 {when Black's best continuation is} Nfxe4 (
17... gxf5 $2 18. Bxf6 $16 {[%cal Yc3d5,Yd1h5]}) (17... Qc6 18. Bxf6 Qxf6 19.
Ne3 $14 {[%csl Gc4,Rd5][%cal Ya2a4]}) 18. Bxe4 Nxe4 19. Nxe4 Bxe4 20. Bf6 gxf5
$5 (20... Rg8 $6 21. Ng3 Bb7 22. Re1 $36) 21. Bxh8 (21. Qh5+ Qf7 22. Qxf7+ Kxf7
23. Bxh8 Bd6 $1 24. Rfd1 Bd3 $19 {[%csl Gh8]}) 21... Bd6 $15 {Black has a nice
domination in the centre, while his king is safe now. Schwarz hat eine schцne
Dominanz im Zentrum, wдhrend sein Kцnig jetzt sicher steht.}) 17... Bg7 {
Strategically, Black is more than OK. He has a mobile queenside majority and
the d4-square at his disposal for the knights. Besides, all his pieces are
actively placed; with one exception, the king: His Majesty cannot be
transferred to the kingside, while long castling involves certain dangers.
Strategisch ist die Stellung von Schwarz mehr als okay. Er hat eine mobile
Damenflьgelmajoritдt und das d4 Feld fьr seine Springer zur Verfьgung.
AuЯerdem stehen alle seine Figuren aktiv, mit einer Ausnahme, dem Kцnig: Ihre
Majestдt kann nicht zum Kцnigsflьgel ьberfьhrt werden, wдhrend die lange
Rochade gewisse Risiken birgt. Estrategicamente, las negras estбn muy bien.
Tienen una mayorнa mуvil de peones en el flanco de dama y disponen de la
casilla de d4 para sus caballos. Ademбs, todas sus figuras estбn muy activas.
Con una sola excepciуn, el rey, que no puede ser llevado al flanco de rey,
mientras que el enroque largo supone ciertos peligros... Hay ciertas
situaciones semejantes (incluso el caballo en h6) en las Sicilianas.} 18. Qf3
Ne6 19. Qh3 (19. Rad1 Nd4 $1 20. Bxd4 $2 exd4 21. Rxd4 $2 Qe5 $1 $19 {[%csl
Rd4,Gf6,Rh6]}) 19... Bc8 $5 20. Qh4 $6 ({Anand's next move was not easy to
anticipate, but objectively speaking the slightly riskier Anands nдchster Zug
war nicht leicht vorauszusehen, aber objektiv gesehen kommt das leicht
riskantere} 20. Qg3 {comes into consideration. The queen does not feel
uncomfortable after in Betracht. Die Dame fьhlt sich nach} Nh5 21. Qh4 Bf6 22.
Qg4 {, for instance nicht unwohl, zum Beispiel} Nd4 23. Nd5 {and one can feel
that Black's pieces have neglected the control of the crucial d5-square. und
man spьrt, dass die schwarzen Figuren die Kontrolle des kritischen Feldes d5
vernachlдssigt haben.}) 20... Qe7 21. Rfe1 (21. Ng4 Nxg4 22. Qxg4 Nd4 23. Qd1
Be6 $15 24. Nd5 $6 Qd6 $1 $17 {and White loses stability in the centre. und
WeiЯ verliert die Stabilitдt im Zentrum.}) 21... Nd5 $1 {The culmination of
Black's defensive plan. After the exchange of queens, the king will feel much
safer and Black would maintain the favourable aspects of his position. Der
Hцhepunkt des Verteidigungsplan von Schwarz. Nach dem Damentausch wird sich
der Kцnig viel sicherer fьhlen, wдhrend die gьnstigen Aspekte seiner Position
erhalten bleiben. La culminaciуn del plano defensivo delas negras. Despuйs del
cambio de damas, el rey se sentirб mucho mбs seguro, mientras que los aspectos
favorables de la posiciуn persistirбn.} 22. Qxe7+ Nxe7 23. Nd5 ({Since the
remote times when I played 1.e4, I remember that it is always useful to play
Seit den fernen Zeiten, als ich noch 1.e4 spielte, habe ich mir gemerkt, dass
es immer nьtzlich ist, Desde los tiempos que yo jugaba 1.e4, me acuerdo que en
las Sicilianas siempre es ъtil jugar} 23. a4 {before jumping with the knight
to d5. However, there is a small tactical detail here: after einzuschalten,
bevor man mit dem Springer nach d5 hьpft. Hier gibt es aber ein kleines
taktisches Detail: Nach antes de saltar con el caballo a d5. Sin embargo, en
esta posiciуn hay un pequeсo detalle: despuйs de} Nf4 {the h6-knight feels
uncomfortable. fьhlt sich der h6-Springer nicht wohl. el caballo de h6 se
siente muy incуmodo.}) (23. Ng4 h5) 23... Bb7 24. Ng4 {Hoping to get some
counterplay against the e5-pawn in case of the immediate double capture on d5.
Hofft, im Fall des sofortigen Doppelschlagens auf d5 etwas Gegenspiel gegen
den e5 Bauern zu bekommen. Esperando obtener contrajuego contra el peуn de e5
en caso de la captura doble inmediata en d5.} Nd4 25. Bd1 (25. Bxd4 exd4 26.
Nc7+ Kf7 27. Nxa8 Rxa8 {[%csl Gb2][%cal Yd4d3]} 28. e5 d3 29. Bd1 {looks quite
unattractive for White. Black's pawns will be hard to stop in the near future.
sieht ziemlich unattraktiv fьr WeiЯ. Die schwarzen Bauern werden in naher
Zukunft schwer zu stoppen.}) 25... Nxd5 26. exd5 O-O-O 27. Bg5 Rxd5 $17 {
White has lost an important pawn without any compensation. However, Black's
kingside structure is far from optimal, which offers White chances to stay
alive for a while. WeiЯ hat ohne jegliche Kompensation einen wichtigen Bauern
eingebьЯt. Doch die gegnerische Struktur am Kцnigsflьgel ist bei weitem nicht
optimal, was ihm Chancen bietet, eine Weile am Leben zu bleiben. Las blancas
han perdido un importante peуn sin compensaciуn alguna. Sin embargo, la
estructure negra del flanco de rey es algo imperfecta, lo que les permite a
las blancas sobrevivir por algъn rato.} 28. b3 c3 29. Ne3 Rc5 30. Rc1 Rc7 31.
b4 Kb8 32. h3 h6 33. Bh4 Nf5 (33... c2 $5 34. Be2 (34. Nxc2 Rhc8 $19) 34... Rc3
$19) 34. Nxf5 gxf5 35. Bc2 Rc4 36. Be7 e4 37. Bb3 Rd4 38. Bc5 (38. Rxc3 $2 Rd7
$1 $19 {[%csl Rc3,Re7]}) 38... Rd3 39. Be6 Bc8 40. Bb3 Re8 41. Bf7 Re5 42. Be3
Re7 43. Bg6 Be6 44. h4 Bxa2 45. Bxf5 Bd5 46. Bc5 Re8 47. f3 Kb7 48. fxe4 Bc6 {
White has managed to win his pawn back, but his king is very exposed. WeiЯ ist
es gelungen, seinen Bauern zurьckzugewinnen, doch sein Kцnig ist sehr
exponiert. Las blancas han conseguнdo recuperar el peуn, pero su rey se
encuentra muy expuesto.} 49. Kf2 Rd2+ 50. Ke3 Be5 ({Not the only good move.
Black could have created a second passed pawn with Nicht der einzige gute Zug.
Schwarz hдtte einen zweiten Freibauern bilden kцnnen mit No es la ъnica jugada
buena. Las negras podнan haber creado un segundo peуn pasado con} 50... a5 $5 {
since , denn ya que} 51. bxa5 $2 {is impossible because of ist unmцglich wegen
es imposible por} Rd5 $1 {winning one of the bishops. mit Gewinn eines der
beiden Lдufer. ganando uno de los alfiles.}) 51. Kf3 Red8 52. Re3 Rg8 53. g4
Rh2 54. h5 Rd8 55. g5 Rxh5 56. Be7 Re8 $6 ({Slowing down the rhythm. Black
would have obtained a practically decisive attack with Verlangsamt den
Rhythmus. Mit Bajando un pcoo el ritmo. las negras podнan haber obtenido
ataque practicamente decisivo con} 56... Rd2 {for instance hдtte Schwarz einen
praktisch entscheidenden Angriff erlangen kцnnen, z.B. por ejemplo} 57. Rcxc3
Rhh2 {Threatening mate in two and practically forcing the next move. Droht
Matt in zwei und erzwingt praktisch den nдchsten Zug. Amenazando mate en dos y
practicamente forzando la jugada siguнente.} 58. gxh6 Be8 $1 {when the king
cannot survive the combined attack of all Black's pieces. Anand's failure to
win this game might have been caused by the fact that he expected to achieve
his goal by purely technical means, not by a sharp attack. If this is true,
Morozevich's merit consists of having faced his mighty opponent with such a
dificult psychological task. , wonach der Kцnig dem kombinierten Angriff
sдmtlicher schwarzen Figuren nicht ьberleben kann. Anands Versдumnis, diese
Partie zu gewinnen, wurde vielleicht verursacht durch die Tatsache, dass er
erwartete, sein Ziel allein mit technischen Mitteln zu erreichen, nicht mit
einem scharfen Angriff. Wenn dies zutrifft, besteht die Leistung Morozevichs
darin, seinem mдchtigen Gegner eine derart schwierige psychologische Aufgabe
vorgesetzt zu haben. y el rey no puede sobrevivir al ataque combinado de todas
las figuras negras. El fracaso de Anand puede haber sido causado por el hecho
de que el esperaba ganar por mйtodos puramente tйcnicos y no por un ataque
agudo. Si esto es verdad, es el mйrito de Morozevich de haberle provocado a su
fortisimo rival un problema sicolуgico tan complejo.}) 57. Kg4 Rh2 58. Bf6 Rg2+
({Anand's decision to force a draw looks premature. He could have maintained
his advantage with Anands Entscheidung, Remis durch Zugwiederholung zu
forcieren, wirkt verfrьht. Er hдtte seinen Vorteil behaupten kцnnen mit La
decisiуn de Anand de frozar las tablas parece premбtura. Las negras
conservarнan la ventaja despuйs de} 58... Rg8 59. Kf3 ({If Nach After} 59. Bxe5
Rxg5+ {Black would win the f5-bishop because of the pin of the central pawn.
wьrde Schwarz aufgrund der Fesselung des Zentralbauern den f5-Lдufer gewinnen.
las negras recuperarнan el alfil de f5 por la clavada del peуn entral.} 60. Kf4
(60. Kf3 Rxf5+ $17) 60... Rf2+ 61. Rf3 Rxf3+ 62. Kxf3 Rxf5+ $17) 59... Rxg5 $1
60. Bxg5 hxg5 $17 {with total domination. mit totaler Dominanz. con dominaciуn
total.}) 59. Kh3 Rh2+ 60. Kg4 Rg2+ 61. Kh3 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.16"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Svidler, Peter"]
[Black "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2735"]
[BlackElo "2733"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "48"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Bf4 {
Gelfand proved already his ability to defend the positions where Black is
allowed to install his knight on e5. For a change, Svidler takes this square
under serious observation. Gelfand demostrу su capacidad de defender las
posiciones en las cuales las negras instalan el caballo en e5. Para variar un
poco, Svidler toma esta casilla bajo control} O-O 8. Qd2 Nd7 9. O-O-O Nc5 10.
Be3 Re8 11. Bc4 Be6 12. Bxe6 Nxe6 13. h4 Qd7 14. Qd5 {This is a rare move, but
it can lead to transpositions to known lines.} ({Svidler had previously played
} 14. Qd3 Qa4 {This move places the queen too far from the kingside.} ({
In fact,} 14... Qc6 15. Qf5 {transposes to the game Svidler-Kramnik, played in
the 8th round.}) 15. Ng5 Nf8 16. Qd5 Bxg5 17. hxg5 {Because of the poor
defence of his kingside, Black has been forced to make significant concessions
on this wing.} Qe4 18. c4 Qxd5 19. cxd5 Nd7 20. Rd3 f6 21. Rc3 Rac8 22. Rh4 Re7
23. Rhc4 Nb6 24. Bxb6 axb6 25. gxf6 gxf6 26. a4 $14 {/+/- Svidler,P (2765)
-Bacrot,E (2717)/Morelia/Linares 2006/CBM 112 (1-0, 59). and White eventually
converted his advantage of space and better pawn structure into a win.}) 14...
Qc6 (14... Qa4 15. Ng5 (15. Kb1 $5 {[%cal Gh4h5]}) 15... Qc6 16. c4 Qxd5 17.
cxd5 Nxg5 18. hxg5 {[%csl Gh7][%cal Yh1h3,Yd1h1]} f6 19. gxf6 Bxf6 20. c4 Re4
21. b3 Rae8 $11 {Shirov,A (2715)-Motylev,A (2647)/Wijk aan Zee 2007/CBM 117 (1/
2-1/2, 41)}) 15. Qf5 Nf8 ({For} 15... Qc4 {, see Svidler-Kramnik, played in
the 8th round.}) 16. h5 (16. Nd4 {is an important alternative, inviting Black
to define his queen's position.} Qc4 (16... Qxg2 $4 17. Rdg1 $18) ({After} 
16... Qd7 {White can avoid the exchange of queens with} 17. Qf3 $14 {[%cal
Yd4f5,Yh4h5] , maintaining certain pressure.}) 17. Kb1 Bf6 18. Qf3 ({More
consequent looks} 18. h5 $5 {[%csl Gf6] , when, compared to our main game,
Black cannot offer the queen's exchange anymore.}) 18... Nd7 19. g4 Bxd4 20.
Rxd4 Qc6 21. Qxc6 bxc6 22. g5 c5 23. Rf4 Re5 24. Kc1 Nb6 25. Re1 Rae8 $11 {
Naiditsch,A (2657)-Bacrot,E (2717)/Montpellier 2006/CBM 111 ext (1/2-1/2, 47)})
16... Qd7 17. Qd5 Qe6 18. c4 {Central strategy.} ({Although} 18. Qxb7 $5 {
is not the kind of move one gladly plays in positions with opposite castles,
here it deserves serious consideration. With Black's knight far away on the
kingside, Black's counterattack is not that dangerous.} Qxa2 19. Qd5 Qa6 $5 {
looks better, for instance} (19... Qa1+ $6 {only helps White activate his
position.} 20. Kd2 Qa6 (20... Qxb2 $4 21. Rb1 Qa3 22. Ra1 Qb2 23. Rhb1 $18) 21.
Ra1 Qc8 22. Nd4 $14 {[%cal Yd4c6] The king feels safe in the centre, while the
black queenside is seriously weakened. In any endgame, White would be clearly
better.}) 20. Nd4 Rab8 21. b3 Bf6 {Now,} 22. Kb2 {[%cal Yd1a1] plans the
activation of rooks along the a-file, but the king's opposition with the enemy
bishop forces White to be careful.}) 18... Qxd5 19. cxd5 Nd7 {White retains an
advantage in space, but this element loses part of its relevance because of
the previous simplifications. Las blancas mantienen ventaja de espacio, pero
este detalle pierde parte de su importancнa por las simplificaciones prйvias.}
20. Nd4 Nf6 21. Nf5 (21. c4 Ng4 $36 {[%cal Ye7f6]}) 21... Bf8 22. Bd4 (22. c4
Ng4 23. Bd4 {[%cal Yf2f3]} g6 24. hxg6 fxg6 25. Ng3 {[%cal Yf2f3,Yg3e4] Due to
his better control over the centre, White has chances to maintain a tiny edge.}
) 22... Nxd5 $1 (22... Nd7 23. Rh3 $36 {[%csl Gg7]} g6 24. Rdh1 $1 $40) 23.
Bxg7 Ne7 (23... Bxg7 24. Rxd5 $14 {[%csl Gf5]}) 24. Nxe7+ Rxe7 {In the absence
of knights, Black's kingside weaknesses are not too relevant.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.18"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Svidler, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C89"]
[WhiteElo "2792"]
[BlackElo "2735"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. c3
d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. Rxe5 c6 {Earlier in this tournament, Svidler
managed to put the Marshall Attack under strong pressure in his game against
Leko. Now, he finds himself on the other side. Zuvor in diesem Turnier war es
Svidler in seiner Partie gegen Leko gelungen, den Marshall-Angriff unter
starken Druck zu setzen. Nun findet er sich auf der anderen Seite wieder. En
una ronda anterior de este mismo torneo, Svidler conseguiу poner el Ataque
Marshall bajo fuerte presiуn en su partida contra Leko. Ahira, le toca
defender el punto de vista del otro bando...} 12. Re1 Bd6 13. g3 $5 {This was
one of Fischer's favourite move orders. White prevents the standard move ...
Qh4. Dies war eine der Lieblingszugfolgen Fischers. WeiЯ verhindert den
Standardzug ...Qh4. Este era un orden de jugadas preferido por Fischer. La
idea de la jugada es de prevenir la incursiуn de la dama enemiga a h4.} Bf5 ({
This move has been played before, but it remains an open question what Anand
could have prepared against Dieser Zug wurde auch schon zuvor gespielt, doch
es bleibt eine offene Frage, was Anand wohl gegen Esto sa habнa jugada antes,
pero queda abierta la pregunta que podнa haber preparado Anand contra} 13...
Qd7 {followed by ...Qh3, with probable transposition to the main lines. nebst .
..Qh3 vorbereitet haben kцnnte, mit mцglichem Ьbergang zu den Hauptabspielen.
seguнdo por ...Qh3, con transposiciуn probable a las variantes principales.})
14. d4 Qd7 15. Be3 Rae8 16. Nd2 Bg4 17. Qc2 (17. Qb1 Bf5 18. Bc2 $6 {gives
Black a powerful attack after} Bxc2 19. Qxc2 f5 {Naiditsch,A (2654)-Gustafsson,
J (2588)/Dresden 2007/CBM 118/[Jan Gustafsson] (0-1, 25)}) 17... Bf5 18. Qc1
Re7 ({Svidler deviates from Svidler weicht ab von Svidler se desvнa de} 18...
h5 {, which had been played by Anand himself! In Leko - Anand, Cap d'Agde 2003
Black won, but this was just a rapid game and Anand might have drawn his own
conclusions despite the favourable result. , was Anand selbst gespielt hatte!
In Leko - Anand, Cap d'Agde 2003, gewann Schwarz, doch war dies nur eine
Schnellpartie, und Anand hatte womцglich trotz des gьnstigen Ergebnisses seine
eigenen Schlussfolgerungen gezogen. , que fue jugada por el mismo Anand. En
Leko - Anand, Cap d'Agde 2003 las negras ganaron, pero esta fue solo una
partida a ritmo rбpido y puede que Anand haya sacado sus proprнas conclusiones
a pesar del desenlace final favorable.} 19. Nf3 Bg4 20. Nh4 Re6 21. Bd1 {
The exchange on g4 will improve Black's structure, justifying the move ...h5
and offering him attacking chances. Der Tausch auf g4 wird die Struktur von
Schwarz verbessern, den Zug ...h5 rechtfertigen und ihm Angriffschancen bieten.
} (21. Qd2 Rfe8 22. Qd3 $14 {[%cal Yb3c2,Ga2a4] , with similar play as in our
main game, deserves attention. mit дhnlichem Spiel wie in unserer Hauptpartie
verdient Aufmerksamkeit.}) 21... f5 22. Bxg4 hxg4 23. Bg5 f4 24. Qd2 Rfe8 25.
Rxe6 Qxe6 $44 {Leko,P (2722)-Anand,V (2766)/Cap d'Agde 2003/CBM 098/[Atlas,V] 
(0-1, 45)}) (18... Bd3 19. Nf3 Qf5 20. Qd1 (20. Nh4 $5) (20. Qd2 $5) 20... h6
21. Nh4 Qh7 22. Bd2 (22. Qd2 $5) 22... g5 23. Ng2 Qg6 24. a4 $14 {Iordachescu,
V (2606)-Aronian,L (2649)/Mainz 2003/CBM 095 ext (1/2-1/2, 54)}) (18... h6 19.
Nf1 $6 {The knight stands passively here. Hier steht der Springer passiv.} (19.
Nf3 $1 {as in our main game, should be preferred. wie in unserer Hauptpartie
ist vorzuziehen.}) 19... Bh3 20. Qd2 Qf5 21. Qd1 Qe4 22. f3 Qg6 23. Bxd5 cxd5
24. Qd2 Re6 25. a4 bxa4 26. Rxa4 Rfe8 $36 {Iordachescu,V (2633)-Vajda,L (2539)/
Budva 2004/CBM 102 ext (1/2-1/2, 42)}) (18... Re6 {This move eventually led to
a fascinating position, but only with White's kind cooperation. Dieser Zug
fьhrte letztlich zu einer faszinierenden Stellung, doch nur unter freundlicher
Mithilfe von WeiЯ.} 19. Nf3 Bg4 20. Ng5 $6 ({Once again, Erneut ist} 20. Nh4 $1
{should be preferred. vorzuziehen.}) 20... Rg6 21. f3 $2 Bxf3 $3 {It is
curious that such an attacking player as Shabalov missed this combination. Es
ist kurios, dass ein derartiger Angriffskьnstler wie Shabalov diese
Kombination auslieЯ.} 22. Nxf3 Bxg3 23. hxg3 Rxg3+ 24. Kf2 Qh3 $40 {Shabalov,A
(2608)-Aronian,L (2675)/Mallorca 2004/CBM 104 (0-1, 47)}) 19. Nf3 ({The first
new move of the game. Previously, Der erste neue Zug der Partie. Bislang wurde
La primera jugada nueva de la partida. Anteriormente se habнa jugado} 19. Nf1 {
was played. gespielt. (Almasi-Gyimesi, Kazincbarcika (Hungary) 2005). En vez
de colocar el caballo pasivamente en la primera lнnea, Anand utiliza su
caballo para poner cierta presiуn sobre el flanco de rey enemigo, lo que en la
partida causarб algunas debilidades en el teritorнo de las negras.} Rfe8 20.
Qd2 Bh3 21. Bc2 Bxf1 22. Rxf1 Nxe3 23. fxe3 Rxe3 24. Bb3 R3e7 25. Rae1 {
1/2-1/2 Almasi,Z (2628)-Gyimesi,Z (2595)/Kazincbarcika 2005/CBM 107. Rather
than placing it passively on the back rank, Anand uses his knight for putting
the enemy kingside under some pressure, which will eventually cause some
weaknesses in Black's camp. Statt seinen Springer passiv auf der Grundreihe zu
platzieren, setzt Anand ihn aktiv ein, um den feindlichen Kцnigsflьgel etwas
unter Druck zu setzen, was letztlich einige Schwдchen im schwarzen Lager
verursachen wird.}) 19... Bg4 20. Nh4 Rfe8 21. Qd2 h6 22. Qd3 {Black exerts
his usual pressure against the e3-bishop, but White is fully developed and
retains his extra-pawn. Anand's opening experiment has been crowned with
success. Schwarz ьbt seinen ьblichen Druck gegen den e3-Lдufer aus, doch WeiЯ
ist voll entwickelt und behauptet seinen Mehrbauern. Anands
Erцffnungsexperiment ist von Erfolg gekrцnt worden. Las negras ejercen su
tнpica presiуn sobre el alfil de e3, pero las blancas estбn plenamente
desarrolladas y mantienen el peуn de ventaja. El experimento de apertura de
Anand fue coronado por йxito.} g6 23. Bd1 Bh3 $6 {Possibly underestimating the
next move. Unterschдtzt womцglich den nдchsten Zug.} ({Black should have
maintained some tension with Schwarz hдtte eine gewisse Spannung
aufrechterhalten sollen mit} 23... h5 $5) 24. Bf3 $1 $14 {Finally, the
weakness on g2 is safely defended and White can think about active operations
on the opposite wing, where he has an extra-pawn. Endlich ist die Schwдche g2
sicher verteidigt, und Schwarz kann an aktive Operationen am anderen Flьgel
denken, wo er einen Mehrbauern besitzt.} g5 {If not followed by a concrete
attacking action, this move will just leave the kingside desperately weak.
Falls nicht von einer konkreten Angriffsaktion gefolgt, wird dieser Zug nur
den Kцnigsflьgel hoffnungslos schwдchen. Sн no serб seguнdo por un plano
coherente de ataque, esta jugada dejarб al flanco de rey desesperadamente
dйbil.} 25. Ng2 Bf5 26. Qd1 Nf6 {A clear sign that Black ran out of
constructive plans. Ein klares Zeichen, dass Schwarz die konstruktiven Plдne
ausgegangen sind.} 27. a4 {Since the e-file is under severe Black control,
Anand creates a queenside diversion. It is interesting that this will be just
a prelude to a... kingside attack, one of Mikhail Tal's favourite methods. Da
die e-Linie fest in schwarzer Hand ist, startet Anand eine Ablenkung am
Damenflьgel. Interessanterweise wird dies nur den Auftakt zu einem ... Angriff
am Kцnigsflьgel darstellen, eine der Lieblingsmethoden Mikhail Tals. Dado que
la columna d e se encuentra bajo fuerte control de las negras, Anand inicia
una diversiуn en el flanco de dama. Es interesante que esta acciуn serб solo
un preludio de un ataque sencillo en el flanco de...rey, un mйtodo favorito
del gran hechicero Mijail Tal.} Ne4 28. axb5 axb5 29. Ra6 Qb7 30. Qa1 Bc8 31.
Ra8 $16 Bb8 {[%csl Ga8][%cal Yb8a7]} 32. Bc1 $1 Nf6 (32... Ba7 $2 33. Rxc8 $1
$18 {[%csl Ga7,Ge4]}) 33. Rxe7 Rxe7 34. Qa3 Rd7 {[%cal Yb8a7]} 35. Ra5 Ba7 {
Black has managed to hold his own on the queenside, but his coordination is
rather poor. Schwarz hat es geschafft, sich am Damenflьgel zu halten, doch
seine Koordination ist ziemlich schwach. Las negras resistieron biйn en el
flanco de dama, pero su coordinaciуn es muy pobre.} 36. Ne3 $1 {Black has no
adequate way to parry the simple threat Nf5. Schwarz hat keine ausreichende
Parade gegen die einfache Drohung Nf5. Las negras no tienen remedio adecuado
contra la amenaza sencilla Nf5.} Qc7 (36... Re7 37. Bxc6 $18) ({or oder o} 
36... Rc7 37. Qd6 $18 {are equally hopeless. sind gleichermaЯen hoffnungslos.
serнan igualmente malas.}) 37. Nf5 c5 38. Nxh6+ Kh7 39. Bxg5 1-0

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.18"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A60"]
[WhiteElo "2733"]
[BlackElo "2750"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 c5 4. d5 exd5 5. cxd5 b5 {Aronian had some previous
experience with this slightly exotic continuation, in the spirit of the
Blumenfeld Gambit. In their rapid chess match earlier this year, Kramnik
played the unexpected 6.Nd2 and eventually emerged with a clear advantage
after a complicated sequence of moves. Generally, many players who do not play
the Benoni against other move orders prefer 5...d6 followed by ...g6 here,
because the fianchetto system is supposed to put Black under less pressure
than others. However, Aronian seems to be of a different opinion. In his
semi-final Candidates' match against Carlsen, he obtained one of his victories
with White precisely in the fianchetto Benoni...} 6. Nf3 $5 ({White almost
authomatically develops his bishop with} 6. Bg2 {, but Gelfand believes that
the bishop can be useful on the f1-a6 diagonal still.}) 6... d6 $146 ({This
natural move is a novelty. In the few previous games where White played 6.Nf3,
Black reacted with} 6... Bb7 {. White will most probably lose his d5-pawn, but
this will lead to positions similar to those arising from the 4.g3 Ba6 5.Qc2
Bb7 6.Bg2 c5 7.d5 variation. For the time being, there is no relevant
practical material available.} 7. e4 $5 {(Never played before)} (7. d6 Qb6 8.
Bf4 Nd5 $15 {Raedeker,B (2241)-Happel,H (2213)/Dresden 2007/CBM 117 ext (1/2-1/
2, 13)}) (7. Bg2 Bxd5 8. Nc3 Bc6 9. O-O Be7 10. Bf4 b4 11. Na4 d6 {Garcia
Martinez,F-Llames Prado,R/Asturias 1996/EXT 2001 (1/2-1/2, 27). and White has
no compensation for the pawn.}) 7... Nxe4 8. Bxb5 Qa5+ 9. Nfd2 Bxd5 (9... Nxd2
$2 10. Qe2+ Be7 11. Bxd2 $16) (9... Qxb5 10. Nxe4 $36 {[%cal Gb1c3,Gc1f4,Gd1h5]
}) (9... Nxg3 10. Rg1 $5 Nf5 11. Nc3 $32) 10. O-O Qxb5 11. Nxe4 Qc6 12. Nbc3
$44 Be6 13. f4 $5) 7. e4 $5 a6 {In case of the exchange of pawns, White would
develop very quickly, which would suit Gelfand's enterprising style quite well.
} (7... Nxe4 8. Bxb5+ Bd7 (8... Nd7 $2 9. Qe2 Qe7 10. O-O $18) 9. Bxd7+ Nxd7
10. O-O Be7 11. Re1 Nef6 12. Qe2 $5 Nxd5 13. Nc3 {(Golubev)} N7b6 14. Nxd5 Nxd5
15. Bg5 f6 16. Rad1 $16) 8. a4 b4 $2 {But this is a huge strategic concession.}
({Black should have played} 8... Nxe4 9. axb5 Be7 {in the spirit of one of the
main lines of the Blumenfeld Gambit: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5 4.d5 b5 5.Bg5
exd5 6.cxd5 d6 7.e4 a6 8.a4 Be7, threatening ...Nxe4. (For further details,
see also my survey on this line in CBM 118) In our position, it is hard for
White to justify the move g3.}) 9. Bd3 {Now that the c4-square has been
weakened, the bishop belongs on this diagonal. The relative weakness induced
by the move g3 does not put White in danger, but could restrict his active
possibilities at a later stage.} g6 10. Nbd2 Bg7 {In order to understand
better where we are, I would resort again to a comparison with a well-known
variation, this time from the Benoni: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5 4.d5 exd5 5.
cxd5 d6 6.Nc3 g6 7.Bf4 a6 8.e4 b5 9.Qe2 Be7 10.Qc2, followed by a4 (...b4)
Nb1-d2. This line developed mainly by Yakovich, puts Black under serious
pressure. In our position, Black does not need to lose 2 tempi (Bf8-g7) to
activate his bishop, but White saves even more time: the queen's knight's
jumps and the queen's chaotic moves. True, he has lost an additional tempo
with g3, but this still leaves him in a better situation than in the BI.} ({
If Black provokes the strategically desirable exchange of dark-squared bishops
with} 10... Bh6 {, he risks remaining far behind in development after} 11. Nc4
Bxc1 12. Qxc1 {followed by Qf4.}) 11. Nc4 O-O 12. Bf4 Ne8 13. a5 {The further
course of the game suggests that this generally desirable move should have
been delayed until after castling.} ({Gelfand might have disliked that after} 
13. O-O Bg4 {he does not have the possibility of chasing away the bishop with
h3 anymore (one drawback of the move g3).However, after} 14. Re1 {it would not
be easy for Black to complete his development. White could later play Be2 or
simply Qe2-e3 in order to get rid of the pin.}) 13... Bh3 14. Ng5 {The only
way to get castled, but the knight is awkwardly placed here.} Bd7 15. O-O Bb5
16. Qd2 h6 {Probably best. Black drives the enemy minor pieces away, which
helps him complete his development.} (16... Bxc4 $6 17. Bxc4 Nd7 $2 {fails to}
18. Ne6 $1 $16) ({However,} 16... Nd7 {seems to work out well tactically:} 17.
Nxd6 $6 Bxd3 (17... Nxd6 18. Bxd6 Bxd3 19. Bxf8 {leaves Black with an
unpleasant choice regarding which piece to misplace in order to capture the
bishop.}) 18. Qxd3 (18. Nxe8 Bxf1 19. Nxg7 Bb5 20. N7e6 fxe6 21. Nxe6 $44 {
offers White compensation for the sacrificed material, but Black is not
without chances either.}) 18... Nxd6 19. Bxd6 Qxg5 20. Bxf8 (20. f4 Qh5 21.
Bxf8 {is strongly met by the intermediate} Bd4+ $1) 20... Rxf8 21. f4 Qh5 {
[%cal Yg7d4]} (21... Bd4+ $2 22. Qxd4 $1 $18) 22. e5 Nxe5 $1 23. fxe5 Qxe5 $44)
(16... Nd7 {is best answered by} 17. Nf3 $1 {, taking the e5-square under
control and renewing the threat against the d6-pawn by removing the knight
from the vulnerable position. Besides, Black would not be able to drive the
f4-bishop away with h6 and g5.}) 17. Nf3 g5 18. Be3 {At the cost of weakening
his kingside, Black has managed to eliminate the annoying pressure against the
d6-pawn.} Bxc4 19. Bxc4 Qf6 {It is hard to say whether the final consequences
of this queen incursion favour Black or not.} ({The immediate} 19... Nd7 {
deserves attention. White would have no direct way of taking advantage of the
weakness of the enemy kingside, for instance:} 20. h4 $6 g4 21. Nh2 Ne5 22. Be2
Nf6 {and Black has little to complain about.}) 20. Qd1 Nd7 ({Aiming to
complete his development.} 20... Qxb2 {would be risky because of} 21. e5 {
, when chaos would be reigning in Black's army.}) 21. Rb1 Qe7 (21... Qd8 $5)
22. Nd2 {We can see that White's queen retreat to d1 has been useful by
clearing the d2-square for the knight, which casts some doubt over Aronian's ..
.Qf6.} Nef6 23. Re1 Rfe8 (23... Nxe4 $2 24. Nxe4 Qxe4 {[%csl Yc4]} 25. Bd3 $1
Qe7 (25... Qxd5 $2 26. Bh7+ $1 $18) 26. Bxc5 $16) 24. f3 {White has managed to
maintain his blockade on the light squares, but his pawn centre is not easy to
advance. In the meantime, Black has completed his development and could think
about ways to take advantage of the slight weakness of White's kingside.} Qd8
25. Ra1 g4 $5 ({Aronian hurries to give further meaning to the previous
advance of his g-pawn, but, with hindsight, his last move might be premature.
He could also have strengthened his position with} 25... Ne5 26. Be2 Qc8 {
followed by ...Ra7-e7, keeping the threat ...g4 in reserve.} 27. Kg2 Ra7 28. h3
Rae7 29. Nc4 Nxc4 30. Bxc4 Nxe4 31. fxe4 Rxe4 32. Qd3 (32. Qb3 Bxb2 33. Qxb2
Rxe3 34. Rxe3 Rxe3 35. Qf6 Qe8 36. Rf1 Rc3 $44) 32... Bxb2 $44) 26. fxg4 Ne5 $6
{After this move, White will manage to consolidate.} ({It is hard to say why
Aronian refrained from} 26... Nxe4 {, re-establishing the material equality
and maintaining sufficient initiative to compensate for the strategic
drawbacks of his position. White could try to maintain his material advantage
with} 27. Bxh6 $5 Nf2 $1 (27... Bd4+ $6 28. Kg2 Nf2 29. Qf3 $1 Ne5 30. Rxe5 $1
dxe5 (30... Rxe5 31. Rf1 $18) 31. Rf1 e4 32. Nxe4 Rxe4 33. Rxf2 Qe8 34. d6 $5
Bxf2 35. d7 Qe7 36. Bd3 Rd8 37. Bxe4 Bd4 38. Qf5 $40) (27... Bxh6 28. Nxe4 $14)
28. Kxf2 Bxh6 {leaves the white king more exposed than after the immediate
capture on h6, a detail that counts in variations such as} 29. Ne4 Bg7 30. Qd2
Nf6 31. Nxf6+ Qxf6+ {[%csl Yb2,Yf2]}) 27. Be2 Qd7 28. g5 Nfg4 29. Bf4 hxg5 30.
Bxg5 f5 31. Rf1 Rf8 32. exf5 Rxf5 33. Bf4 {White has the pair of bishops, a
safe position of his king and an extra-pawn. The relatively exposed b2-pawn
and Black's queenside majority cause the position to be not entirely clear yet,
but Aronian will fail to obtain adequate counterplay.} Nf6 34. g4 Rxf4 35. Rxf4
Nf7 36. Nc4 Re8 37. Qd3 Qe7 38. Bf3 Ne5 39. Nxe5 Qxe5 40. Rf5 Qxb2 41. Rf1 b3
42. Kh1 Nd7 43. Bd1 c4 44. Qxc4 Nc5 45. Qf4 Ne4 46. Rf7 Bf6 47. Rb7 Qd2 48.
Qxd2 1-0

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.18"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Black "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D38"]
[WhiteElo "2726"]
[BlackElo "2758"]
[Annotator "Schandorff,L"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 {The popular Ragozin variation. It is
a mix of the Queens Gambit Declined and the Nimzo Indian and it appeals to
players who like unbalanced positions.} 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 Nbd7 {The old
variation. It leads to a complex strategical game, but White seems to have the
easier play. In the last few years Black has instead been experimenting with
an interesting and sharp move-order} (6... O-O 7. e3 c5 $132) 7. e3 c5 8. Bd3
Qa5 {The basic idea. Black develops the queen and puts pressure on the white
knight.} 9. Qc2 c4 {The second step. Black fixes the pawn structure with tempo
and gains some space on the queenside.} 10. Bf5 O-O 11. O-O Re8 12. Nd2 {
Both sides fight for control of the important square e4. The game now goes
into a phase of deep manouvering.} g6 {Asks the annoying bishop to declare
itself.} 13. Bh3 $1 {Keeps all the pieces on the board.} (13. Bxd7 Nxd7 {
also gives White some initiative, but Black should be ok. A recent example} 14.
f3 Nb6 15. Bf4 Bxc3 16. bxc3 Qa4 17. Qc1 Bf5 18. Re1 Qc6 19. Nf1 Bd3 20. Ng3
Re6 21. Nh1 f6 22. h4 Rae8 23. Nf2 Qa4 24. Rd1 Kg7 25. Qb2 R8e7 26. Nxd3 cxd3
27. Rxd3 Nc4 28. Qf2 Rb6 29. Qg3 Rb2 30. e4 dxe4 31. fxe4 Rxe4 32. Rf1 Qd7 33.
Rdf3 Ree2 34. R3f2 Qe7 35. Rxe2 Rxe2 36. a4 Ne3 37. Bxe3 Rxe3 38. Rf3 Rxf3 39.
Qxf3 Qe1+ 40. Kh2 Qxh4+ 41. Kg1 Qe1+ 42. Kh2 Qe7 43. c4 h5 44. c5 h4 45. Kh3 g5
46. Kg4 a5 47. Kh5 Qe8+ 48. Kg4 Qc8+ 49. Kh5 Qe8+ 50. Kg4 Qf7 51. Qf5 Qe7 52.
Qf3 Kh6 53. Qd5 Qc7 54. Kf5 Kg7 55. Kg4 Qc8+ 56. Kf3 h3 57. gxh3 Qxh3+ 58. Kf2
Qh2+ 59. Kf1 Qf4+ 60. Kg2 Qd2+ 61. Kg3 Qe3+ 62. Kg2 Qe2+ 63. Kg3 Qe7 64. Kg4
Qc7 65. Qe4 Kf8 66. Qf5 Qc6 67. d5 Qxc5 68. Qxf6+ {1/2-1/2 Mamedyarov,S (2728)
-Aronian,L (2741)/Moscow RUS 2006/The Week in Chess 627}) 13... Kg7 ({The
obvious move} 13... Bxc3 {is strongly met with} 14. Qxc3 $1 (14. bxc3 Ne4 15.
Nxe4 dxe4 $11 {Black is threatenening to play Nb6 with a nice position, so
White's best bet is Bxd7 with opposite coloured bishops and rather equal play.}
) 14... Qxc3 15. bxc3 Ne4 16. Nxe4 dxe4 17. Bg4 $1 Nb6 18. Be2 $14 {White
keeps the bishop pair and has a pleasant endgame. This has been known since a
nice Karpov game.} Be6 19. Rab1 Rac8 20. Rfc1 Rc7 21. f3 Bd5 22. Kf2 Rc6 23. h4
Kg7 24. a4 Nxa4 25. Rxb7 Ra6 26. Rb5 Nb6 27. Rc2 Ra4 28. Bf4 Rc8 29. Rc5 Bb7
30. Rb2 Ra3 31. Be5+ f6 32. Bc7 Rb3 33. Ra2 Nd7 34. Rxc4 Bd5 35. Rxa7 Bxc4 36.
Bxc4 Rxc3 37. Bd6 R3xc4 38. Rxd7+ Kg8 39. fxe4 Rc1 40. Kf3 Rf1+ 41. Kg3 Rc3 42.
Bf4 Rg1 43. e5 fxe5 44. dxe5 Rc6 45. Bh6 Rb1 46. Rg7+ Kh8 47. Re7 Rb8 48. e6
Rcc8 49. Rf7 Kg8 50. Rg7+ Kf8 51. Rxh7+ Ke8 52. Bg5 {1-0 Karpov,A (2688)-Milov,
V (2620)/Cap d'Agde 2002/CBM 092/[Ribli]}) 14. Rae1 {Prepares f3 and e4 with
good play in the centre.} Ne4 15. Ndxe4 dxe4 16. Bf4 f5 $146 {An interesting
novelty. Black shuts Bh3 out of play. At least for now. In a few games Black
tried} (16... Nb6 17. Bxc8 Raxc8 18. f3 $36 {but in all of them White got good
play on the kingside, for example} exf3 19. Rxf3 f5 20. e4 Kg8 21. Bg3 fxe4 22.
Rxe4 Bxc3 23. bxc3 Qd5 24. Rg4 Qd7 25. Rg5 Rf8 26. Rxg6+ hxg6 27. Qxg6+ Qg7 28.
Qe6+ Rf7 29. Bd6 Rcf8 30. Be5 Qg5 31. Rg3 Qxg3 32. hxg3 Kh7 33. Qh3+ Kg6 34.
Qg4+ Kh6 35. Bf4+ Kh7 36. Qh5+ Kg8 37. Be5 {1-0 Huzman,A (2435)-Dreev,A (2465)/
Uzhgorod 1987/EXT 97}) 17. f3 Nf6 18. a3 $1 {Grischuk has always been a very
talented attacking player, and although he has switched from 1.e4 to 1.d4 he
hasn't forgotten the importance of the initiative in a sharp position. Here he
sacrifices a pawn and puts himself in the driver's seat. This strong reaction
puts Moro's novelty under a black cloud. White would like to put the bishop on
e5 and break open the centre, but it has to be prepared. Bad was immediately} (
18. Be5 $6 Rxe5 19. dxe5 Qxe5 {with good positional compensation for the
exchange.}) 18... Bxc3 19. bxc3 h5 $6 {Creates new weaknesses, but taking the
pawn was also risky.} (19... Qxa3 20. Be5 $1 exf3 (20... Rxe5 21. dxe5 Nd5 22.
fxe4 Qxc3 23. Qf2) 21. gxf3 $36 {White quickly gets e4 in with strong pressure.
}) 20. Qf2 $1 {Transfering the queen to the kingside. White has a simple plan.
Qf2-g3 followed by Bf4-e5. Then the bishop is protected and Black cannot get
away with the typical exchange sacrifice.} Bd7 21. Qg3 Qxc3 22. Be5 {Completes
White's strategy. Morozevich quickly goes downhill.} Qxa3 $6 ({Also hopeless
was} 22... Rxe5 $6 23. dxe5 Nh7 24. fxe4 $18) ({The last chance to prolong the
fight was} 22... exf3 23. gxf3 Rf8 (23... h4 $5 24. Qxh4 Rxe5 $1 25. dxe5 Qxe5
26. Qxc4 Bb5 27. Qb3 Rh8 28. f4 Qe8 29. Bg2 Bxf1 30. Qxb7+ Qf7 31. Qxf7+ Kxf7
32. Bxf1 Rc8 {and Black has good compensation for the pawn in an ending.}) 24.
e4 f4 $1 25. Qh4 Bxh3 26. Qxh3 Qxa3 27. Kh1 $1 Qe7 28. Rg1 Kh7 29. Qg2 Rg8 30.
Bxf4 {and White's initiative is still very strong.}) 23. fxe4 $18 {Black's
position collapses.} Rxe5 24. exf5 $1 {Black probably missed this strong move.}
({Not} 24. Qxe5 Re8 25. Qc7 Rxe4) 24... Rxf5 25. Bxf5 Bxf5 26. Rxf5 Re8 27. Re5
{Timetrouble.} (27. Rc5 $1 Re7 28. Rxc4) 27... Qd6 28. Rxe8 Nxe8 (28... Qxg3
29. hxg3 Nxe8) 29. Qf3 b5 30. Qb7+ Nc7 31. Qxa7 b4 {Suddenly Black has some
counterplay, but with active and precise play Grischuk ends all discussions.}
32. e4 c3 33. e5 Qe7 34. Qb7 {With control. The black pawns donґt run anywhere.
} Kh6 35. Rf1 c2 (35... h4 36. h3 Kg7 37. Rb1 $18) 36. Rc1 Qg5 37. Rxc2 Qe3+
38. Rf2 Ne6 39. Qxb4 {The pawns are gone and so is the last hope.} Qc1+ 40. Rf1
Qe3+ 41. Kh1 1-0

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.18"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C54"]
[WhiteElo "2751"]
[BlackElo "2769"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "48"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 $5 {Anything is preferable to a Petroff.} Nf6 3. d3 Bc5 4. Nf3
d6 5. c3 Nc6 {From the Bishop's Opening, play has transposed to the Italian
game, the Giuoco Pianisimo variation. Although there are more subtleties here
than the quiet character of the position might suggest, I have the feeling
that it better suits Kramnik's style than Leko's, which makes me doubt whether
the opening choice was really inspired. Or maybe Leko just wanted to take some
sort of additional day-off after his defeat from the previous round?!} 6. Bb3
a6 7. O-O Ba7 8. Re1 O-O 9. h3 h6 10. Nbd2 Re8 11. Nf1 Be6 12. N3h2 {We have
reached one of the main tabyias of the Giuoco Pianissimo. White concentrates
his forces on the kingside, in order to generate some threats against the
enemy king, while Black is supposed to combine defence with counterplay in the
centre.} Bxb3 13. axb3 (13. Qxb3 {makes less sense, because the queen would
have to return to the kingside anyway.}) 13... Qd7 {A logical move, as one
would expect from Kramnik. Black completes his development by connecting his
rooks. Although play is carried out in "pianissimo mode", neither side should
neglect natural development, especially from the perspective of the possible
opening of the centre with either d4 or ...d5.} (13... a5 {prevents the
generally desirable b4, but does not contribute to development in any way.} 14.
Ng3 d5 {This also looks premature.} 15. Qf3 dxe4 16. dxe4 Re6 17. Nf5 {The
threat Bxh6 forces Black into a slightly contorted regrouping.} Qf8 18. Qg3 Kh8
19. Ng4 Nh7 (19... Nxg4 20. hxg4 Qc5 21. g5 hxg5 22. Bxg5 $40 {Gavrikov;
Chebanenko}) 20. Nge3 Rg6 21. Qh4 $14 {Gavrikov,V (2550)-Van der Sterren,P 
(2520)/Tallinn 1987/EXT 97 (1-0, 35). White has strong pressure on the
kingside and in the centre.}) (13... Re6 14. Ng3 Qd7 15. Qf3 Kh8 {Black
focuses on defence, giving up the idea of opening play in the centre. This
will give White the possibility to consolidate his domination.} 16. Nf5 Rg8 17.
b4 Bb6 18. Ng4 Nh7 ({The opening of the h-file with} 18... Nxg4 19. hxg4 $16 {
is very dangerous for Black, because of the placement of his king.}) 19. Nge3
Bxe3 20. Bxe3 $14 {White has completed his development, has more space and an
active bishop.} Rf6 21. Qg4 Rg6 22. Qf3 Rf6 23. Qd1 Ne7 24. Ng3 Nc6 25. Qb3 Qe6
26. Qa4 Rg6 27. b5 axb5 28. Qxb5 Rb8 29. d4 $16 {Ye Jiangchuan (2510)-Pinter,J
(2595)/Elista 1998/CBM 066 ext (1-0, 71). The greater mobility of White's
pieces have allowed him to increase his advantage, by switching to the other
wing. The g6-rook and the h7-knight have remained mere spectators.}) (13... Ne7
14. Ng3 Qd7 15. Ng4 {This might be slightly premature.} (15. Qf3 Qe6 16. b4 {
transposes to our main game.}) 15... Nxg4 16. hxg4 d5 {And this is very
slightly premature, too.} (16... Qe6 17. b4 d5 {is a slightly improved form of
the main game from Black's point of view, because he saved the move ...c6.})
17. Qf3 dxe4 18. dxe4 Rad8 19. g5 hxg5 20. Bxg5 Qe6 21. b4 f6 22. Be3 {
Svetushkin,D (2486)-Sharma,D (2327)/Linares 2000/CBM 075 (1-0, 77). White is
only minimally (possibly, optically) better, because of the relative weakness
of the enemy kingside. However, the symmetrical character of the position
should entitle Black to hope for full equality.}) 14. Qf3 Qe6 15. Ng3 Ne7 {
[%csl Gf5]} (15... Qxb3 $2 16. Nf5 $1 $40 {[%cal Yf5h6,Yf3g3,Yc1h6]} (16. Bxh6
Qxb2 $5 $132 {[%csl Gf2]})) 16. b4 (16. Ng4 $6 Nxg4 17. hxg4 Qxb3) 16... c6 17.
Ng4 {White builds up his typical kingside attack, but Black is slightly better
developed and has the possibility of reacting in the centre.} Nxg4 ({This is
probably better than} 17... Nh7 {, as played in Leko-Anand, Sarajevo 1999.
White maintained some pressure for a while, but later lost a pawn and had to
fight for a draw.} 18. Be3 Bxe3 19. Qxe3 Rad8 20. d4 (20. f4 $5 {might be a
better way to fight for space.}) 20... exd4 21. Qxd4 (21. cxd4 Qg6 {/\f5, /\Nd5
} 22. Ra5 d5 $5 $132 {<->5}) 21... Qg6 22. Ne3 Ng5 $11 {Leko,P (2694)-Adams,M 
(2716)/Sarajevo 1999/CBM 071 (1/2-1/2, 61)}) 18. hxg4 d5 19. Nf5 Rad8 {Black
has completed the mobilisation of his forces and has at least equal chances.}
20. g3 f6 21. Kg2 dxe4 22. dxe4 Nxf5 23. gxf5 Qc4 24. Be3 {White decides to
complete his development, practically giving up any hope of a sacrificial
attack based on Bxh6 and tacitly offering a draw.} ({It is instructive to
check that White's attack has no real chances for success, mainly because his
development is incomplete. However, this does not mean he could not have tried
it:} 24. Qg4 Kf8 $1 (24... Kh8 $4 25. Bxh6 $1 gxh6 26. Rh1 $18) 25. Rh1 (25. f4
{is risky, because it sets up tension which White is not prepared for:} Rd3 $5
26. fxe5 Bb8 $1 $15 {[%cal Yb8e5]}) 25... Rd7 (25... Rd3 $2 26. Bxh6 gxh6 27.
Rxh6 Ke7 28. Rh7+ Kd8 29. Qg7 $18) (25... Re7 $5) {Unfortunately, White cannot
activate the other rook BEFORE making this sacrifice.} 26. Bxh6 gxh6 27. Rxh6
Ke7 $1 28. Rh7+ Kd8 29. Rd1 Ree7 30. Rxd7+ Rxd7 31. Rxd7+ Kxd7 32. Qg7+ Ke8 33.
Qxb7 Qxe4+ $11 {Anyway, this would have been a more entertaining way of
forcing a draw.}) 24... Bxe3 {Black controls the only open file, but White has
no weaknesses and his king has a safer residence. Therefore, the draw
agreement is entirely justified.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.19"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2750"]
[BlackElo "2769"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Qc8 {If asked which line he consideres to be
the safest against the Catalan, Kramnik would probably refuse to answer. The
best way to find out hisopinion is to play this opening against him and here
is what he decided to answer today. Sн le preguntasen a Kramnik cual es la
variante mбs segura contra la Catalana, lo mбs probable es que refuse a
contestar. El mejor mйtodo para saber su opiniуn es jugar esta misma apertura
contra йl; aquн tenemos su espuesta para hoy.} 12. Bg5 Nbd7 13. Nbd2 Bb7 14.
Nb3 a5 15. Bxf6 ({For instance} 15. Rd1 {and only after} a4 {exchange on f6:}
16. Bxf6 {when the inserton of the moves Rd1 and ...a4 clearly favours White.}
Bxf6 ({Black can deviate from the natural course of the game with} 16... gxf6 {
, keeping the c5-square well defended, but after} 17. Nc5 Nxc5 18. dxc5 Bd5 19.
Qh6 Kh8 20. Rac1 $14 {followed by the exchange of the light-squared bishops I
prefer White anyway.}) 17. Nc5 Bd5 (17... Nxc5 18. Qxc5 Bd5 19. Ne1 $14) 18. e4
$1 $14) ({Fighting for the queenside light squares with} 15. a4 {also makes
sense.} Bd5 16. Nbd2 $14 {/\e4, /\axb5.}) 15... Bxf6 {This looks like the
correct capture.} (15... Nxf6 $6 {Shirov,A (2699)-Onischuk,A (2663)/Foros 2007/
CBM 119/[Marin,M] (1/2-1/2, 42)}) 16. Nc5 Bd5 {White is not sufficiently well
developed to maintain the blockade on c5. After a short phase of
simplifications, the game will end in a draw, hopefully just in time to allow
Kramnik watch his favourite match from the Champion's League. Las blancas no
tienen suficiente desarrollo para mantener el bloqueo en la casilla de c5.
Tras una breve fase de simplificaciones, la partida acabarб en tablas. Espero
que esto pasу suficientemente pronto para permitir a Kramnik seguнr su partido
favorito de la Liga de Campeones.} 17. e4 $146 {Optically, this move looks
premature. White weakens the dark squares and will not be able to maintain his
advantage of space. The further course of the game will justify this feeling.}
(17. Rd1 Nxc5 18. Qxc5 Qb7 19. Rac1 Rac8 20. Ne1 Rfd8 21. e3 c6 22. b3 (22. Qc2
) 22... Be7 {/\...Ba3, ...c5 1/2-1/2 Sigurjonsson,G (2440)-Speelman,J (2520)/
Brighton 1981/MCD}) 17... Bc4 $1 {A courageous move, based on accurate
calculation (or maybe home preparation?! With Kramnik you never know)} ({
It is easy to see that the bishop had no other favourable squares, while} 17...
Nxc5 {would be bad because of} 18. exd5 $1 $16 {[%cal Yg2a8]}) 18. Nxd7 (18.
Re1 {would fail to put the c4-bishop in danger because of} Nxc5 19. dxc5 e5 $13
) 18... Qxd7 19. Re1 {Trying to retsrict the c4-bishop, but leaving the
d4-pawn undefended.} (19. Rd1 {is not better.} Be2 20. e5 Be7 $1 ({Not falling
for} 20... Bxd1 $2 21. exf6 Bxf3 22. Qg5 $18) 21. Rd2 Bc4 $1 {The bishop is
just in time to block the important d5-square.} 22. Rc2 c6 23. Qf4 Bd5 24. Rac1
a4 {Black is at least not worse.}) 19... Bxd4 20. Rd1 c5 21. Qc2 {[%csl Ge2]
[%cal Gb2b3]} e5 $8 22. Nxe5 {Black's agreement on a peaceful result looks
premature.} (22. Nxe5 Qe6 23. Nxc4 (23. Nf3 Bxa2 24. Nxd4 cxd4 25. Rxd4 Bc4 $15
{The strong queenside majority is a permanent source of worries for White,
whose bishop is not too active.}) 23... Qxc4 24. Qxc4 bxc4 25. Rac1 (25. Rd2 $2
c3 $1) 25... Rab8 26. Rd2 Rb4 $15 {The difference of activity between bishops
and the vulnerability of the f2-square faces White with permanent problems.})
1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.19"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E17"]
[WhiteElo "2733"]
[BlackElo "2758"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "99"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. Nc3 {The development of
this knight before castling was submitted to thorough investigation at a high
level for the first time during the final Candidates' match between Karpov and
Kortschnoj, back in 1974. Playing with white, Kortschnoj managed to unearth
several interesting ideas, but suceeded in winning a game with this line only
towards the end of the match. Sadly for him, this did not change the course of
history and Karpov won the match with a minimal difference and was soon to be
proclaimed World Champion after Fischer's refusal to defend his title. El
desarrollo de este caballo antes del enroque has sidom sometido a una
examinaciуn atenta durante el encuentro final de los Candidatos de 1974, en el
que se enfrentaban Karpov y Kortschnoj. Jugando con blancas, Kortschnoj
conseguiу relevar varнas ideas interesantes, pero solo ganу una partida con
esta variante hacнa el final del encuentro. Tristemente para йl, este logro no
cambiу el curso de la historнa: Karpov gano el encuentro por una diferencia
mнnima y fue proclamada Campeуn del Mundo tras el rechazo de Fischer de
defender su tнtulo.} Ne4 7. Bd2 f5 8. d5 Bf6 9. Qc2 {We can see here a first
difference induced by this move order. In the position with castles inserted,
Black could win a pawn with ...Bxc3 followed by ...exd5, but here this is
impossible because the g7-pawn would be hanging. There has been some intense
theoretical and practical discussion in this line some 10 years ago. Later,
the systems based on 4...Ba6 became increasingly popular and little progress
has been made in this variation. Aquн vemos una de las diferencнas inducdas
por este orden de jugadas. En la posiciуn similar con los enroques efectuados,
las negras ganarнan un peуn con ...Axc3 seguнdo por ...exd5, pero esto no vale
aquн porque el peуn de g7 quedarнa indefenso.} Qe7 10. Nxe4 {This move was
introduced into practice by none other than an already aged but ever young
Kortschnoj.} ({Against} 10. Rd1 {, the developing move} Na6 {is considered best
} (10... exd5 {Khalifman,A (2650)-Kortschnoj,V (2635)/St Petersburg 1997/CBM
059/[Khalifman] (1-0, 47)}) {and after} 11. O-O {theory holds} Nd6 $1 {to
offer best chances for equality, Olafsson,H (2520)-Rozentalis,E (2595)/Lyon
1994/CBM 045 (1/2-1/2, 32)} (11... O-O $6 12. Nxe4 fxe4 13. Qxe4 {Romanishin,O
(2590)-Rozentalis,E (2595)/Malmo 1993/CBM 036/[Dautov] (1-0, 27)})) 10... fxe4
11. Qxe4 Bxb2 (11... exd5 $2 {(! acording to Tyomkin)} 12. Qxe7+ Kxe7 13. Ng5
h6 (13... Bxb2 14. Rb1 Bf6 15. cxd5 $16) 14. cxd5 $1 Ke8 (14... Kf8 15. Bb4+ $1
) 15. Ne4 $16) 12. Rd1 $1 {With the centre under tension, this move is very
logical. The rook indirectly consolidates the d5-pawn, which is essential in
order to keep the b7-bishop passive for the time being.} ({In the initial game
} 12. Rb1 {was played. Kortschnoj probably wanted to win a tempo because of
the forced} Bf6 {Kortschnoj,V (2635)-Rozentalis,E (2650)/Beersheba 1997/CBM
058/[Tyomkin,D] (0-1, 36). As we shall see, Black will more or less have to
retreat with the bishop even if not attacked.}) 12... Bf6 {We have reached a
strategically unbalanced position, which seems to suit both players' style.
Gelfand has obtained considerable advantage of space and some initiative,
while the b7-bishop is quite passive. Morozevich relies on the fact that after
the elimination of the b2-pawn, the c5-square has become an excellent outpost
for his knight. If in the long run his stability on the dark squares will
allow him extinguish the first wave of White's initiative, he might obtain a
pleasant endgame. As for the b7-bishop, it can always come back into play via
a6 or (after a preliminary ...d6) via c8-d7. Hemos llegado a una posiciуn
estrategiamente desequilibrada, que parece ajustarse al estilo de ambos
jugadores. Gelfand ha obtenido considerable ventja de espacio y algo de
iniciativa, mientras que el alfil de b7 se encuentra bastante pбsivo.
Morozevich confнa en que despuйs de la eliminaciуn del peуn de b2, la casilla
de c5 se ha vuelto muy comfortable para el caballo. Sн a largo plazo, su
estabilidad en casillas negras le permitirб extinguнr las prieras olas de
iniciativa blanca, se podrнa llegar a un final agradable para las negras. En
lo que a su alfil de b7 se refiere, queda siempre tiempo para volver en juego
por a6 o, tras un previo ...d6, por c8-d7.} ({The attempts to save a tempo by
leaving the bishop on b2 are risky.} 12... O-O 13. Qc2 (13. Ng5 $1 $16 {
is simpler, provoking the weakening of the black kingside.}) 13... Bf6 14. d6
$1 Qf7 (14... cxd6 $2 15. Ng5 $1 $18) 15. dxc7 Na6 16. Bf4 $14 (16. Ng5 $2 Bxg5
17. Bxb7 Qxf2#)) (12... Na6 13. Qc2 $1 (13. O-O {is also possible, when Black
can transpose below by retreating with the bishop. Otherwise,} Nc5 14. Qc2 Bf6
15. e4 $14 {allows White remove the queen from the centre with gain of time
and consolidate his d5-pawn, retaining considerable advantage of space.}) 13...
Bf6 14. e4 $1 $14 exd5 15. cxd5 Bxd5 {The only way to question White's
ambitious plan.} 16. e5 Bxf3 {Again the only move. Otherwise, too many black
pieces would be hanging after the simple 17.0-0.} 17. Bxf3 Qxe5+ 18. Kf1 O-O-O
19. Qa4 Nb8 20. Kg2 $40 {[%cal Yd2f4]}) ({Finally, the part played by the rook
on d1 becomes clear in the slightly cooperative variation} 12... exd5 $6 13.
Qxe7+ Kxe7 14. cxd5 Bxd5 $2 15. Bg5+ $1 {when the d5-bishop will be lost soon.}
) 13. O-O Na6 {White's queen is stuck in the centre. The d5-pawn is pinned and
under pressure and there is no obvious way to consolidate it with a further e4.
} 14. Nd4 (14. Ne1 $5 {would transpose to the game Atalik,S (2525)-Greenfeld,A
(2555)/Beijing 1996/CBM 054 ext/[Atalik] (1-0, 55), in which ...Qe7 and ...Na6
were played in reverse order.}) 14... Nc5 15. Qe3 $5 $146 (15. Qg4 O-O $6 (
15... h5 16. Qg6+ Qf7 17. Qxf7+ Kxf7 {allows Black exchange queens without
releasing the tension in the centre, but White would probably maintain an edge
with} 18. Be3 $14 {, when Black's position is not easy to hold together.}) (
15... O-O-O $5 16. Bb4 h5 17. Qg6 Bxd4 18. Rxd4 Rh6 19. Qc2 e5 20. Rd2 h4 $132)
16. Bb4 Bxd4 17. Qxd4 e5 18. Qc3 $14 a5 $2 19. d6 $1 axb4 20. dxe7 bxc3 21.
exf8=Q+ Kxf8 22. Bxb7 Nxb7 23. Rxd7 Rxa2 24. Rc1 Nc5 25. Rxc7 c2 26. Rxc5 bxc5
27. Kf1 $16 {Burmakin,V (2581)-Hernandez Carmenates,H (2544)/Albacete 2007 
(1-0, 79)}) 15... exd5 $5 {A creative reaction to Gelfand's novelty. Against
other moves, White would play Bb4, with similar play as in Burmakin-Hernandez
game.} 16. cxd5 (16. Nb5 $5) 16... Qxe3 17. Bxe3 O-O-O {Both sides have
completed the first wave of their development and the time has come for direct
contact. Ambas partes han finalziado su movilisaciуn y ha llegado la hora de
contactes directos.} 18. Rb1 $1 {This is not a loss of time. he rook has done
its job on the d-file and returns now to the queenside, in order to strengthen
the threat Nb5.} (18. Nb5 a6 19. Bxc5 bxc5 20. Na3 {does not look too
dangerous for Black, who has two bishops.}) 18... Rhe8 $5 {Very principled.
Black fights against the threat by indirect means, continuing the activation
of his forces.} 19. Nb5 {Threatening Bxc5, when Black would be deprived of one
of his main trumps. Amenazando Axc5, que privarнa a las negras del orgullo de
su posiciуn.} Rxe3 $5 {An exchange sacrifice in the style of Petrosian and
Andersson. Its main idea is to preserve the stability on the dark squares. Una
entrega de calidad en el estilo de Petrosian y Anderson. Su principal idea
estratйgica es conservar estabilidad en casillas negras.} (19... a6 $6 {
is what White has prepared for by re-directing his rook to b1.} 20. Bxc5 axb5 (
20... bxc5 $2 21. Na7+ Kb8 22. d6 $1 {The immediate 22.Nc6+ is also possible.}
c6 23. Nxc6+ $1 $18) 21. Be3 $16) ({An interesting variation can arise after} 
19... Kb8 20. Bxc5 $1 {The correct move order.} (20. d6 $6 c6 21. Nc7 Rxe3 $1
22. fxe3 Be5 {is far from clear.}) 20... bxc5 21. d6 c6 22. e3 $1 {Taking
advantage of the potential pin along the b-file in order to defend the e-pawn.}
Re6 23. Na3 Ka8 (23... Rxd6 $2 24. Nc4 Rd3 25. Na5 $18) 24. Rxb7 $5 Kxb7 25.
Rb1+ Ka8 (25... Ka6 $2 26. Bf1+ Ka5 27. Nc4+ Ka6 28. Nd2+ Ka5 29. Rb7 $40 {
[%cal Ya2a3,Gb7a7]}) (25... Kc8 $2 26. Bf1 Rxd6 27. Ba6+ Kc7 28. Rb7+ Kc8 29.
Rxa7+ $1 {[%csl Gb6] making the b6-square available for the knight with gain
of time.} Kb8 30. Rb7+ Kc8 31. Nc4 Rd1+ 32. Kg2 Rf8 33. Rb1+ Kc7 34. Rxd1 {
White has won a piece but it is not all over yet.} Ra8 35. Rxd7+ $1 Kxd7 36.
Nb6+ Kc7 37. Nxa8+ Kb8 38. Nb6 Ka7 {and now, if one does not feel like
calculating the consequences of the pawn ending, he can choose the safely
winning endgame arising after} 39. Nc4 Kxa6 40. a4 $18 {[%csl Ga5,Gb5][%cal
Re3e4,Rf2f4]}) 26. Nb5 a5 (26... Rc8 27. Nc7+ Rxc7 28. dxc7 Re8 29. Rd1 Kb7 30.
Rxd7 {/\Rd6} Rc8 31. Kf1 $16 {White has good chances to win even after the
exchange of rooks.}) 27. Nc7+ Ka7 28. Nxe6 (28. Bxc6 dxc6 29. Nxe6 Rxd6 30.
Nxc5 Rd2 $132) 28... dxe6 29. Rd1 Kb6 30. Bh3 e5 31. Rb1+ (31. Be6 c4 $1 32.
Bxc4 Kc5 $11) 31... Ka7 32. d7 $16 {Again, Wite has good winning chances.}) 20.
fxe3 a6 21. Nd4 Re8 22. Nf5 d6 23. Rb4 {With his disrupted structure, White
can hardly think about a favourable pawn break. Therefore, his only
constructive plan is to activate his pieces. The main threat is Rg4. Dado que
su estructura ha perdido toda flexibilidad, las blancas no pueden ni soсar con
una ruptura favorable de peones. Por esto, el ъnico plan constructivo que les
queda es la activaciуn desus figuras. La principal amenaza es Tg4.} h5 $6 ({
We can suppose that Morozevich was optimistic around this moment. If this is
true, he must have forgotten that he did not fulfil all his programmed tasks
yet. He still needs to activate his light-squared bishop. From this point of
view, more consequent would have been Cabe suponer que Morozevich estaba
optimista en este momento. De haber sido asн, el debe de haberse olvidado de
que no habнa efectuado todo sus "deberes" todavнa. Le quedaba por activar su
alfil de casillas blancas. En este sentido, era mas consecuente} 23... Kb8 {
preparing ...Bc8 and offering some indirect defence to his kingside at the
same time. preparando ...Ac8 y ofreciendo alguna defensa de forma indirecta al
flanco de rey al mismo tiempo.} 24. Rg4 Bc8 25. Nxg7 $5 {The only way to
maintain the initiative. In other cases, Black would exchange on f5, obtaining
a reliable fortress on dark squares. Later, he could consider advancing his
queenside pawns gradually, which could cause White certain problems. La ъnica
forma de mantener la iniciativa. En caso contrarнo, las negras cambнarнan en
f5, con una fortaleza muy estable. Mбs tarde, el avance gradual de los peones
del flanco de dama podrнa causar ciertos problemas a las blancas.} Rg8 26. Ne6
Rxg4 {At this moment we understand why the king could not go to d8 instead of
b8. En este momento comprendemos porque el rey no pudo ir a d8 en vez de b8.}
27. Rxf6 Ra4 28. Rf8 {Threatening Nxc5 followed by Bh3. Amenazando Cxc5
seguнdo por Ah3.} Nd7 29. Rh8 Rxa2 {White's position remains more active, but
the a- and b-pawns will start running soon. The position remains difficult to
assess. La posiciуn de las blancas es mбs activa, pero los peones de a y b se
pondrбn a correr en cualquнer momento. La situaciуn queda difнcil de evaluar.})
24. g4 $1 a5 25. Rbf4 {White's kingside initiative has become very dangerous
now. Ahora, la iniciativa de las blancas en el flanco de rey se ha vuelto muy
peligrosa.} Rh8 26. gxh5 Rxh5 27. Rg4 Rh7 28. Nxg7 $1 {An elegant tactical
blow, crowning White's previous play and taking advantage of the fact that the
b7-bishop is still a mere spectator. Un golpe tбctico elegante, coronando el
juego anterior de las blancas y aprovechando el hecho de que el alfil de b7
queda un mero espectador todavнa.} Rxg7 ({Or O} 28... Bxg7 29. Rf7 $18) 29. Bh3
$1 Rxg4+ 30. Bxg4+ Kd8 31. Rxf6 Bxd5 32. a3 {Both players were familiar with
this scenario from their games yesterday. Black is an exchange down and
searches for some desperate counterplay based on the advance of his queenside
pawns. Para ambos jugadores, el escenarнo era familiar desde sus partidas de
la ronda anterior. Las negras tienen calidad de menos y buscan un contrajuego
desesperado al avnzar los peones del flanco de dama.} b5 33. h4 b4 34. axb4
axb4 35. Rf4 b3 36. Bf5 Bf7 37. Kf2 Ke7 38. Ke1 Kf6 39. Bd3+ Kg7 40. Kd2 Be6
41. Kc3 Bf7 42. Bc4 Bxc4 43. Rxc4 Kg6 44. e4 Ne6 45. Kxb3 Kh5 46. e5 d5 47. Rb4
Kg6 48. Rb8 Nd4+ 49. Kb2 Nf5 50. Rf8 1-0

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.19"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Black "Svidler, Peter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D43"]
[WhiteElo "2726"]
[BlackElo "2735"]
[Annotator "Stohl,I"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5
9. Be2 Bb7 10. h4 g4 11. Ne5 h5 12. O-O Nbd7 13. Qc2 Nxe5 14. Bxe5 Bg7 15. Bg3
$5 {[%mdl 512] It's back to Sakaev's double-edged P sacrifice.} ({After} 15.
Rad1 O-O 16. Bg3 (16. f3 Nh7 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. fxg4 Qxh4 19. gxh5 Ng5 20. Qd2
Nh3+ $11 {is a well-known draw.}) 16... Nd7 17. f3 {Grischuk was obviously not
sure, how to cope with the stunning new Anand/Nielsen idea} c5 $1 (17... Qb6
$132 {is the older continuation.}) 18. dxc5 Qe7 19. Kh1 a6 20. a4 Bc6 21. Nd5
$6 exd5 22. exd5 Be5 $1 23. f4 Bg7 24. dxc6 Nxc5 25. Rd5 Ne4 26. Be1 Qe6 27.
Rxh5 f5 28. Kh2 Rac8 $17 {[%csl Re2,Rh5] צh5,Be2,Aronian,L (2750)-Anand,V 
(2792)/WCh Mexico City/2007/}) ({A rare, but plausible option is} 15. b3 cxb3
16. axb3 O-O 17. Rad1 ({Even now the idea} 17. Bg3 $5 {deserves attention:}
Qxd4 18. Rad1 Qb4 19. e5 Nd5 20. Ne4 $13 {Contrary to the game, Black has
already committed his K to the >> and Ng5 becomes an option.}) 17... Nh7 (17...
Qe7 18. Bg3 $44) (17... Ne8 $142 $5 18. Bxg7 Nxg7 19. g3 e5 $13) 18. Bxg7 Kxg7
19. g3 Rc8 (19... e5 $5) 20. f3 f5 21. exf5 exf5 22. fxg4 Qc7 23. Kh2 fxg4 24.
Ne4 Rce8 25. Bd3 Qe7 26. Nc5 $16 {Goldin,A (2566)-Novikov,I (2591)/New York/
2000/}) 15... Qxd4 {The most principled reaction.} (15... O-O 16. e5 Nh7 (16...
Nd7 17. Ne4 $44 {|^}) 17. Rad1 {transposes into a position, which is rather
promising for White:} f5 18. exf6 Qxf6 19. b3 $5 (19. f3 Qf5 20. Qd2 Qg6 21.
fxg4 hxg4 22. Qe3 Rf5 23. Ne4 c5 24. Nxc5 Bd5 25. a4 Raf8 26. axb5 Rf3 27. gxf3
gxf3 28. Kh2 {Kramnik,V (2770)-Akopian,V (2660)/Dortmund/2000/} Bh6 $1 29. Qe5
Bg7 $11 {Kramnik}) 19... cxb3 20. axb3 Rfd8 21. Ne4 Qe7 22. Nc5 $44 {Van Wely,
L (2617)-Dreev,A (2682)/Dordrecht 5'/2004/}) 16. Rfd1 {As already emphasized
by Lutz in his notes to earlier games, it's better to attack the Q with this R.
White's chances on the <->f, connected with f3 are unrealistic, while now the
Ra1 supports the a4 advance.} (16. Rad1 $143 Qb6 (16... Qc5 {is perhaps also
possible:} 17. e5 Nd5 18. Ne4 Qb6 19. Nd6+ Kf8 20. Kh1 Kg8 21. Qe4 Rf8 22. f3 (
22. Nxb7 $5 Qxb7 23. f3 $132 {Lutz}) 22... Ba8 23. fxg4 Qe3 24. Rf3 Qxe4 25.
Nxe4 hxg4 26. Ra3 b4 27. Rxa7 Ne3 $36 {Wendt,J (2289)-Van Wely,L (2687)/
Minneapolis/2005/}) 17. e5 Nd5 18. Ne4 O-O-O 19. Nd6+ Rxd6 20. exd6 f5 21. Kh2
Kd7 22. Rfe1 {Wu Shaobin (2545)-Al Sayed,M (2431)/Doha/2003/} Bd4 $17 {Black's
forces are beautifuly centralized and coordinated, White can hope only for
tactical tricks.}) 16... Qc5 $146 {[%mdl 8] A novelty, but afterwards Svidler
confessed he didn't analyse it deeply enough.} ({It remains an open question,
what exactly was on Grischuk's mind after the more logical} 16... Qb6 17. a4 a6
$5 (17... a5 $6 18. Rd6 $1 {[%cal Rc3b5] /\Nb5} (18. Qc1 $2 b4 19. e5 Bh6 20.
Bf4 Bxf4 21. Qxf4 Nd5 22. Nxd5 cxd5 23. Qf6 Rg8 $19 {Johannessen,L (2543)
-Matthiesen,A (2356)/Saint Vincent/2005/}) 18... b4 19. e5 Nd5 (19... bxc3 $2
20. Rxe6+ $1 fxe6 21. Qg6+ Kd8 22. exf6 Bh6 23. Rd1+ Kc8 24. Bxc4 $18) 20. Nxd5
exd5 21. Rd1 Qc7 (21... Qc5 22. e6 $40) 22. Bxc4 $1 Qe7 23. R1xd5 $1 b3 24. Qc3
cxd5 25. Bb5+ Kf8 26. Rd7 Qe6 27. Qc7 $16 {Sirota,A (2548)-Valentine,S (2460)/
IECG email/2003/}) 18. Qd2 Rh6 $1 (18... Bh6 19. Qd6 Bf8 20. Qe5 Be7 21. Bf4
Rg8 22. Bg5 g3 23. Qxg3 Nh7 24. a5 Qa7 25. Bxh5 Nxg5 26. hxg5 Rxg5 27. Qf3 Rg7
28. Qf4 Qb8 29. e5 $44 {|^,Khalifman,A (2658)-Kobalia,M (2644)/Sochi/2005/})
19. Qf4 Rg6 20. Qe5 $6 (20. Bf1 $5 {Kobalia}) 20... Bf8 21. Rd2 Rc8 22. Rad1
Qc5 23. Rd8+ (23. Qf4 b4 $17) 23... Rxd8 24. Rxd8+ Kxd8 25. Qc7+ Ke8 26. Qb8+
Ke7 27. Bc7 e5 28. Qxb7 Nd7 $19 {Bocharov,D (2574)-Kobalia,M (2614)/Abu Dhabi/
2005/}) 17. Bd6 ({Kobalia recommends the simple} 17. e5 Nd5 18. Ne4 Qb6 19.
Nd6+ Kf8 $13 {/=/+ , but this has its drawbacks as well.}) ({White doesn't
want to shut out his Bg3, but} 17. Bc7 $6 {runs into} Nd5 $1 18. exd5 cxd5 19.
Bf4 Qc6 $36) 17... Qb6 18. a4 {[%csl Rb6] /\a5,ף White plays the thematic
move after all.} (18. Qc1 Nd7 $15 (18... Bh6 19. Bf4 Ng8 $5 $13)) (18. b3 O-O-O
{/\} 19. bxc4 Rxd6 $1 20. Rxd6 g3 $36) 18... a6 $5 (18... b4 $2 19. a5 $16 {
is out of question.}) ({Black doesn't want his Q to end up locked up on a6 and
} 18... a5 19. e5 Nd5 (19... Nd7 20. Ne4 $36) 20. Ne4 $44 {seems to be a more
shaky alternative.}) 19. e5 {A logical, but also quite committal continuation.
White had other alternatives:} (19. Be5) (19. Qc1 $5 {- this seems more
appropriate, than one move earlier.}) 19... Nd7 20. a5 $5 {Relieves the
tension, but also misplaces Black's Q.} Qa7 (20... Qd8 $143 21. Ne4 $36 Qxh4 $2
22. Bc7 $16) 21. Ne4 c5 22. Ng5 {[%cal Rg5e6] /\Ne6} Nxe5 $1 {A brave decision.
} (22... Bd5 $2 23. Rxd5 exd5 24. Qf5 $40) ({Black can play also} 22... Rh6 {
, but after} 23. Qd2 Bd5 24. Qf4 $44 {his forces are passive and untangling
them remains a problem.}) 23. Bxe5 {White is 3 P down, so he seeks a concrete
solution.} (23. Ra3 Rd8 (23... O-O-O 24. Bxe5 Bxe5 25. Nxf7 Bd4 26. Nxd8 Rxd8
27. Qg6 Bd5 $13) 24. Re3 Rxd6 25. Rxd6 Bd5 $15 {/~~}) 23... Bxe5 24. Bxc4 $1 {
[%mdl 64] Grischuk activates another attacking piece and initiates further
wild tactical complications.} ({Too optimistic is} 24. Nxf7 $2 Kxf7 25. Rd7+
Kf6 26. Qd2 Rag8 $19 {and White has no suitable follow-up.}) 24... bxc4 (24...
Rh6 $2 25. Nxf7 $1 {/\} Kxf7 26. Qf5+ Bf6 27. Rd7+ Kg8 28. Bxe6+ Kh8 29. Rad1
$1 Rf8 30. Rd8 $18 {This line illustrates the pressure against e6 and f7 is
very serious, so Svidler decides to liquidate the attacking B, which in turn
amounts to Q sacrifice.}) ({However, the greedy} 24... Bc8 $5 25. Bd5 Rb8 $13 {
deserves attention. Although with the K in the [+] Black's position hangs on a
thin thread, White still lacks anything more concrete.} (25... exd5 $2 26. Rxd5
$40)) 25. Qa4+ Kf8 26. Rd7 Bd5 $8 ({Practically forced, as giving up the Pf7
is extremely dangerous:} 26... Kg8 $6 27. Nxf7 $40 {/\} Bd4 28. Nd8 Bd5 (28...
Qb8 29. Rxd4 $1 cxd4 30. Qe8+ Kg7 31. Qe7+ Kg6 32. Qg5+ Kh7 33. Nxe6 $18) 29.
Rxa7 Rxa7 30. Nxe6 $16) 27. Rd1 $1 {White can continue improving his position
before he cashes in.} Bd4 (27... Qb8 $2 28. Rxf7+ Kg8 29. Rxd5 $1 Rh6 (29...
exd5 30. Qc6 Bd6 31. Rg7+ Kxg7 32. Qd7+ Kh6 33. Qe6+ Kg7 34. Qf7+ Kh6 35. Qf6#)
30. Qd7 $5 exd5 31. Qxd5 Kh8 32. Rb7 $18) 28. Rxa7 {This simple solution is
easy to understand - Grischuk was (as usual) already running short of time.} (
28. b3 $5 {is an interesting attempt to avoid the game continuation. After the
game at the press-conference Svidler said this is what he was more afraid of,
but here Black can already retain his Q and the position remains very murky:}
Qb8 (28... g3 $2 29. Rxd4 cxd4 30. Rxa7 Rxa7 31. bxc4 gxf2+ 32. Kf1 $1 {/\} (
32. Kxf2 $16) 32... Ba8 33. Qa3+ Re7 34. Qd6 Rh6 35. Qb8+ Re8 36. Qa7 $1 Rf6
37. Nh7+ $18) 29. Rxf7+ Kg8 30. bxc4 (30. Qd7 Qe8 $17 {leads nowhere.}) 30...
g3 (30... Rh7 31. Nxh7 $1 (31. Rxh7 Qg3 32. Rg7+ Kh8 $1 $11) 31... Kxf7 32.
cxd5 $36) 31. cxd5 gxf2+ 32. Rxf2 (32. Kh1 Qe5 33. Qc6 Qxd5 (33... Qe1+ 34. Kh2
Rd8 $5 35. Rxd4 $5 cxd4 36. Qc7 f1=N+ 37. Rxf1 Qxf1 38. Qxd8+ Qf8 39. Qc7 exd5
40. Qe5 Rh6 $11) 34. Qc7 Qe5 35. Qxe5 Bxe5 36. Rxf2 Rh6 $11 {In this _|_ Black
manages to coordinate his forces and he is out of danger.}) 32... Bxf2+ 33.
Kxf2 Qb4 $5 {and with both K weak a draw seems to be the most probable result.
A plausible line is} 34. Qc6 Qxh4+ 35. Kg1 Rf8 36. Qxe6+ Kg7 37. Qe5+ Kg6 38.
Ne6 Rf6 39. Rd3 Qf2+ 40. Kh2 Rg8 $1 41. Rg3+ Kh6 42. Rxg8 Qh4+ 43. Kg1 Qf2+ $11
) 28... Rxa7 29. b3 Kg7 (29... cxb3 $6 30. Rxd4 cxd4 31. Qxd4 Rb7 $1 (31... f6
32. Nxe6+ Bxe6 33. Qxa7 $16) 32. Qxh8+ Ke7 33. Qb2 f6 34. Qa3+ (34. Nh7 e5 $44)
34... Kd7 35. Qa4+ Bc6 36. Qd4+ Bd5 37. Ne4 b2 38. Nd2 b1=Q+ 39. Nxb1 Rxb1+ 40.
Kh2 $16 {Here White's winning chances are very realistic.}) 30. bxc4 Ba8 {
[%csl Ga8,Gd4,Rg7] Black has sufficient material compensation for the Q and if
he manages to consolidate his position, with his active ^^ he can have
ambitions. However, this is not easy - his K is permanently vulnerable.} 31.
Qc2 {White chooses the direct method to reactivate his Q, but Black has enough
<=> and the game heads towards a draw. Less forcing continuations are unclear:}
(31. Qb3 Rd7 32. Kh1 $13 (32. Qg3 Re8 {[%cal Yf7f6] /\f6=/+})) (31. Kf1 Rb7 (
31... Rh6 32. Rxd4 cxd4 33. c5 $36) 32. f3 $5 $13) 31... g3 (31... Rd7 32. Kf1
$14 {/\Rb1}) 32. Rxd4 cxd4 33. Qe2 gxf2+ (33... Re7 34. Qe5+ (34. fxg3 e5 $15)
34... f6 35. Nxe6+ Kf7 36. Ng5+ $1 fxg5 37. Qf5+ (37. Qxh8 $4 Re1#) 37... Kg7
38. Qxg5+ $11) 34. Qxf2 (34. Kxf2 {[%cal Re2e5] /\Qe5} Kf6 35. Nh7+ $1 Kg7 (
35... Rxh7 $2 36. Qd3 $1 $16 {/\Qh7,Qd4 wins one of the R with serious winning
chances.}) 36. Ng5 $11) 34... Rd8 ({A safer choice is} 34... e5 $142 $1 {
which more or less forces White to make a draw:} 35. Qg3 f6 36. Ne6+ (36. Ne4+
Kf7 37. Nxf6 Kxf6 38. Qg5+ Kf7 39. Qf5+ (39. Qxe5 Rh7 $1 $15 {coordinates the
R and gives Black some winning chances.}) 39... Kg8 40. Qg6+ $11) 36... Kh6 37.
Qf2 Rf7 38. Ng5 Rff8 39. Ne6 Rf7 $11 (39... Kg6 $44 {is possibly also playable,
but not too rational: with his ע Black anyway can't hope for more than a draw.
})) 35. Qg3 Kf8 36. Qe5 $36 Ke8 $2 $138 {[%mdl 8192] Handling such positions
faultlessly in time-trouble is practically impossible, this error could have
cost Black dearly...} (36... Rad7 $142 $5 37. Nh7+ (37. Qh8+ Ke7 38. Qg7 d3 $5
{[%csl Gd3] o^<=>} 39. c5 (39. Qxf7+ Kd6 40. Qf4+ Kc6 $5 41. Qe3 Kb7 42. Nxe6
d2 43. Nxd8+ Rxd8 44. Qe7+ Kc8 45. Qc5+ $11) 39... Rf8 40. Nh7 Rfd8 41. Qg5+
Ke8 42. Nf6+ Kf8 43. Nxd7+ Rxd7 44. c6 d2 45. Qc5+ Kg8 46. Qg5+ $11) 37... Ke7
38. Qc5+ $5 (38. Nf6 d3 $1 39. Nxd7 Rxd7 $44) 38... Rd6 $8 39. Qg5+ Kd7 40. c5
Rc6 41. Nf6+ Kc8 42. Ne4 d3 43. Nd6+ Kc7 $14 {/<=>}) (36... d3 $2 37. Qc5+ Re7
38. Nh7+ Ke8 39. Nf6+ Kf8 40. Ng8 $1 $18) 37. Nxe6 $2 $138 {The time-trouble
was mutual and Grischuk returns the favour - this tempting blow only draws.} (
37. Qh8+ $1 Ke7 $8 38. Qg7 $40 {/\} Rf8 39. Nxe6 $18) 37... fxe6 38. Qh8+ Ke7
39. Qg7+ Ke8 40. Qh8+ (40. Qxa7 d3 41. Qxa6 d2 (41... Ke7 $5 $11) 42. Qxe6+ Kf8
43. Qf5+ Ke8 44. Qxh5+ Ke7 $11) 40... Ke7 (40... Kd7 $4 41. Qxd4+ $18) 41. Qg7+
1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.19"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C78"]
[WhiteElo "2751"]
[BlackElo "2792"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "42"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 {It is
refreshing to remember that in the Ruy Lopez there are other playable lines
than the Marshall Attack. Es ist erfrischend, sich daran zu erinnern, dass es
im Spanier auch noch andere spielbare Varianten als den Marshall-Angriff gibt.
Es agradable ver que en la apertura Ruy Lopez quedan variantes jugables, otras
que el hiperanalizado Ataque Marshall.} 7. c3 d6 8. a4 Rb8 9. d4 Bb6 10. Na3
O-O 11. axb5 axb5 12. Nxb5 Bg4 13. Be3 ({Previously, Leko had tried Zuvor
hatte Leko Leko habнa jugado anteriormente} 13. Bc2 Bxf3 14. gxf3 Nh5 15. Kh1 {
Leko,P (2741)-Karjakin,S (2591)/Dortmund 2004/CBM 102 (1/2-1/2, 30) , but
against Anand he might have considered that the weakening of the kingside was
not really recommendable. versucht, Leko,P (2741)-Karjakin,S (2591)/Dortmund
2004/CBM 102 (1/2-1/2, 30), aber gegen Anand mag er ьberlegt haben, dass die
Schwдchung des Kцnigsflьgels nicht wirklich zu empfehlen war. , pero parece
que contra Anand considero la debilitaciуn delflanco de rey demasiado
arriesgado.} ({A more recent example in this line is Ein aktuelles Beispiel in
dieser Variante ist} 15. Be3 {Dominguez Perez,L (2678)-Shirov,A (2699)/Foros
2007/CBM 119/[Marin,M] (0-1, 46). The comments to this game also contain a
survey of the position with doubled pawns on the f-file as well as some notes
to Leko's game. Dominguez Perez,L (2678)-Shirov,A (2699)/Foros 2007/CBM 119/
[Marin,M] (0-1, 46). Die Kommentare zu dieser Partie enthalten auch eine
Ьbersicht zu dieser Stellung, dazu ein paar Anmerkungen zu der Leko-Partie.}))
13... exd4 14. cxd4 Nxe4 $1 {Despite the apparent danger involved, this is the
correct move. Trotz der offensichtlich damit verbundenen Gefahr ist dies der
korrekte Zug.} (14... Qe8 {is slightly inferior, see Anand,V (2765)-Shirov,A 
(2700)/Groningen 1997/CBM 063/[Anand] (1-0, 42) ist einen Tick schwдcher,
siehe Anand,V (2765)-Shirov,A (2700)/Groningen 1997/CBM 063/[Anand] (1-0, 42)})
15. Qc2 (15. Bd5 Qe8 16. Qc2 Bxf3 {was examined in Berelovich,A (2541)
-Grischuk,A (2712)/Germany 2003/CBM 095/[Wedberg] (1/2-1/2, 47). The most
important thing to remember is that after wurde untersucht in Berelovich,A 
(2541)-Grischuk,A (2712)/Germany 2003/CBM 095/[Wedberg] (1/2-1/2, 47). Das
Wichtigste, was man sich merken muss, ist, dass nach} 17. Bxc6 Qe6 18. gxf3 {
Black has Schwarz} Qg6+ $1 19. Bg5 (19. Kh1 $2 Ng3+ $1 $19) 19... Qxg5+ 20. Kh1
Nf6 $11 {hat.}) 15... Qe8 {Miraculously, Black managed to defend his pieces.
White retains some initiative, but Black's better structure allows him count
on equality. Auf wundersame Weise ist es Schwarz gelungen, seine Figuren zu
verteidigen. WeiЯ behauptet etwas Initiative, doch dank seiner besseren
Struktur kann Schwarz auf Ausgleich zдhlen. Como por milagro, las figuras
negras quedan defendidas. Las blancas mantienen ligera iniciativa, pero la
estructura mбs sуlida de las negras les permite contar con igualdad.} 16. Ba4 {
[%csl Gc6][%cal Yb5c7]} ({The immediate Das unmittelbare} 16. Rfe1 $5 {,
completing the development, deserves attention. The force of all White's
threats (Ba4, Bd5, Nxc7 /\ Bd5) is increased, while the usefulness of the rook
move is beyond any doubt. Here is a possibly critical line: , womit die
Entwicklung abgeschlossen wird, kommt in Betracht. Die Kraft sдmtlicher weiЯer
Drohungen (Ba4, Bd5, Nxc7 /\ Bd5) wird verstдrkt, wдhrend die Nьtzlichkeit des
Turmzuges vцllig auЯer Zweifel steht. Hier ist ein mцglicherweise kritisches
Abspiel:} Ba5 17. Nc3 Bxc3 18. bxc3 Bxf3 19. gxf3 Nf6 20. Ba4 Qd7 21. Bg5 d5
22. Qd2 $1 (22. Bxf6 gxf6 23. Qd2 Qd6 $1) 22... Nh5 $5 (22... Qd6 23. Bf4 Qd7
24. Be5 $14) 23. Qd3 Rb6 (23... Qd6 24. Qf5 $36) 24. Bc2 g6 25. Bh6 {Despite
his structural defects, White exerts strong pressure with his bishops. The
position remains strategically unbalanced, but for the time being White has
some initiative. Trotz seiner strukturellen Defekte ьbt WeiЯ mit seinen Lдufer
starken Druck aus. Die Stellung bleibt strategisch unausgewogen, im Moment
aber hat der Anziehende etwas Initiative:}) 16... Bd7 {Now, White does not
have to care about the exchange on f3 anymore, but Black has achieved
satisfactory stability, too. Nun muss sich WeiЯ nicht mehr um den Tausch auf
f3 sorgen, doch auch Schwarz hat zufriedenstellende Stabilitдt erlangt.} (16...
Bxf3 $2 17. gxf3 Nf6 {leaves the c6-knight pinned. White can win a pawn in
several ways, but maybe he should just preserve the pin with lдsst den
c6-Springer gefesselt. WeiЯ kann auf mehrere Arten einen Bauern gewinnen, aber
vielleicht sollte er einfach die Fesselung aufrechterhalten mit} 18. Nc3 $5 {
for instance , zum Beispiel} Nb4 19. Qb3 Nc6 20. Qa2 $1 $16 {[%cal Yf1c1]} Nb4
$2 21. Qc4 $1 $18) 17. Rfe1 (17. Nc3 f5 $6 {This looks like an unnecessary
weakening move. Dies sieht aus wie eine unnцtige Schwдchung.} (17... Nxc3 18.
bxc3 $14 {[%csl Yb6,Gd4] would leave the b6-bishop out of play for a long time,
exposing the kingside to possible attacks. However, it would not have been
easy for White to make progress. wьrde den Lдufer b6 lange Zeit vom Spiel
ausschlieЯen, wдhrend der Kцnigsflьgel mцglichen Angriffe ausgesetzt wдre.
Allerdings hдtte WeiЯ nicht ohne Weiteres Fortschritte machen kцnnen.}) (17...
Nf6 18. Rfe1 Qd8 {would be simplest, maintaining the character of the position
unchanged. wдre am einfachsten, womit der Charakter der Stellung unverдndert
bleibt.}) 18. Nd5 (18. Rfe1 $1) 18... Na5 $6 (18... Ne7 $5) 19. Bxd7 Qxd7 20.
b4 Nb7 {[%csl Yb7]} (20... Nc6 $2 21. Qxc6 $1 $18) 21. Rfc1 $16 {Becerra
Rivero,J (2546)-Friedel,J (2480)/ICC INT 2006 (1-0, 37)}) 17... Nb4 18. Qc4 Ba5
$11 {Again, Black's pieces are defended, while the b5-knight is hanging.
Wieder sind die Figuren von Schwarz verteidigt, wдhrend der b5-Springer hдngt.}
19. Nc3 Bxa4 20. Rxa4 d5 21. Qf1 Nc6 {Black has a stable position and has
solved the problem of his potentially passive bishop (...Bxc3 can be played
soon). Schwarz besitzt eine stabile Stellung und hat das Problem seines
potentiell passiven Lдufers gelцst (...Bxc3 kann bald erfolgen).} 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.20"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2792"]
[BlackElo "2726"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "99"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. a4
{Two rounds earlier, Anand broke Svidler's defence in the Marshall Attack by
seemingly simple means. Now, he wisely avoids his opponent's specific
preparation, at the same time proving that there is some life left in the Anti
Marshall systems, too. Zwei Runden zuvor ьberwand Anand Svidlers Verteidigung
im Marshall-Angriff mit scheinbar einfachen Mitteln. Jetzt geht er klug der
spezifischen Vorbereitung des Gegners aus dem Weg, wobei er gleichzeitig
beweist, dass auch in den Anti-Marshall-Systemen noch einiges Leben steckt.
Dos rondas antes, Anand derrumbу la defensa de Svidler en el... Ataque
Marshall con aparente facilidad. Ahora, йl decide evitar la preparaciуn
especifica del contrincante, demostrando al mismo tiempo que queda vida
todavнa en los sistemas Anti Marshall.} b4 9. d3 d6 10. Nbd2 Na5 ({In the next
game when he faced this variation, Grischuk deviated with Als er sich in der
nдchsten Partie dieser Variante gegenьbersah, wich Grischuk ab mit} 10... Be6 {
(Leko-Grischuk, 8th round) (Leko-Grischuk, 8. Runde)}) 11. Ba2 c5 12. c3 {
White immediately prepares the occupation of the centre with pawns. WeiЯ
bereitet sofort die Besetzung des Zentrums mit Bauern vor.} ({The main
alternative is Die Hauptalternative ist} 12. Nc4 {, aiming to establish a
blockade on the light squares. This is an entirely different approach, which
did not score too well in practice. I will mention just one game played at top
level, in which the drawbacks of this move will become obvious. , mit der eine
Blockade auf den weiЯen Felder angestrebt wird. Dies ist eine gдnzlich andere
Herangehensweise, welche in der Praxis nicht allzu gut gepunktet hat. Ich
werde nur eine Partie auf Topniveau erwдhnen, in welcher die Nachteile dieses
Zuges zutage treten werden.} Nc6 {The knight stands in the bishop's way now.
Nun steht der Springer dem Lдufer im Weg.} 13. c3 {Maybe White should refrain
from this move, but how else to fight for an advantage? Vielleicht sollte WeiЯ
diesen Zug unterlassen, aber wie soll er sonst um Vorteil kдmpfen?} Rb8 14. h3
h6 15. d4 cxd4 16. cxd4 Nxd4 17. Nxd4 exd4 18. Bf4 (18. Qxd4 {is not too
favourable because of ist nicht sonderlich gьnstig wegen} b3 19. Bb1 d5 {
, opening the position in a moment when White's pieces stand in each other's
way on the queenside. , was die Stellung in einem Augenblick цffnet, wo sich
die weiЯen Figuren am Damenflьgel gegenseitig im Weg stehen.}) 18... Be6 {
But now, the knight is vulnerable on c4. Jetzt aber steht der Springer auf c4
unsicher.} 19. Rc1 Nd7 20. Bb1 (20. Qxd4 {leaves the knight unstable after
macht den Springer instabil nach} b3 21. Bb1 Rb4) 20... Bg5 $1 21. Bxg5 Qxg5 {
[%csl Gh3] Suddenly, it is not easy for White to win the pawn back. Plцtzlich
fдllt es WeiЯ nicht leicht, den Bauern zurьckzugewinnen.} 22. Bd3 Ne5 $17 {
Morozevich,A (2721)-Leko,P (2740)/Monte Carlo 2006/CBM 111 ext (0-1, 98)})
12... Nc6 {This move is rarely played. Dieser Zug wird selten gespielt.} ({
The main continuation is Die Hauptfortsetzung lautet} 12... Rb8 {. Once again,
13.Nc4 is an important variation, but I will only investigate . Erneut ist 13.
Nc4 eine wichtige Variante, aber ich mцchte lediglich} 13. d4 {, which is in
accordance with Anand's plan in the main game. analysieren, analog zu Anands
Plan in der Hauptpartie.} Qc7 (13... bxc3 {makes less sense, because it
removes the permanent threat of shutting off the enemy bishop. ergibt weniger
Sinn, da es die permanente Drohung aufhebt, den feindlichen Lдufer auszuperren.
} 14. bxc3 Nd7 15. Nc4 Nxc4 16. Bxc4 exd4 17. cxd4 Bf6 18. Ba3 $16 {Palac,M 
(2566)-Candela Perez,J (2435)/Dos Hermanas 2004/CBM 099 ext (1-0, 41)}) 14. Nf1
b3 $5 {The most ambitious continuation. Die ehrgeizigste Fortsetzung.} (14...
exd4 15. cxd4 c4 16. Bg5 d5 17. exd5 Nxd5 18. Bxe7 Nxe7 19. Rc1 b3 20. Bb1 Ng6
21. Ne3 $16 {Megaranto,S (2439)-Almasi,Z (2650)/Mallorca 2004/CBM 104 (1-0, 55)
. and White has developed his pieces in a very harmonious way, while Black's
far advanced pawns are more of a source of worries. und WeiЯ hat seine Figuren
sehr harmonisch entwickelt, wдhrend die weit vorgerьckten Bauern von Schwarz
eher ein Sorgenquell sind.}) 15. Bb1 c4 {An interesting situation. If Black
will manage to consolidate in the centre, White will play the rest of the game
without his light-squared bishop and queen's rook. However, Black's
coordination is far from perfect yet, and the c4-and e5-pawns need permanent
care in order to allow him to carry out the plan. Eine interessante Situation.
Wenn es Schwarz gelingt, sich im Zentrum zu konsolidieren, wird der Anziehende
den Rest der Partie ohne seinen weiЯfeldrigen Lдufer und Damenturm spielen.
Doch die Koordination von Schwarz ist bei weitem noch nicht perfekt, und die
Bauern c4 und e5 bedьrfen der permanenten Obhut, damit er seinen Plan
ausfьhren kann.} 16. Ne3 Bb7 ({Black can consolidate his e5-pawn with Schwarz
kann seinen Bauern e5 konsolidieren mit} 16... Nd7 $6 {, but after , doch nach}
17. dxe5 dxe5 18. Nd5 Qd8 19. Nxe7+ Qxe7 20. Qd5 {the c4-pawn is doomed. geht
der Bauer c4 verloren.}) 17. Nd5 $1 Nxd5 18. exd5 Bxd5 $6 (18... Rbd8 $5) 19.
dxe5 Bxf3 20. exd6 Bxd6 21. Qxf3 Bxh2+ 22. Kf1 Bd6 23. Be4 $44 {[%csl Ya5]
Neelotpal,D (2462)-Addison,B (2251)/Edinburgh 2003/CBM 095 ext (1-0, 39). It
is Black who has problems with piece placement now. Nun ist Schwarz derjenige,
der Probleme mit der Figurenpostierung hat.}) 13. d4 $1 $146 {The most
consequent. Am konsequentesten.} (13. Nf1 Rb8 14. Ne3 Be6 15. Nd5 Na5 {[%cal
Yb4b3]} 16. cxb4 $6 (16. Nd2 $5) 16... Bxd5 17. exd5 Rxb4 $15 {Jackson,S (2190)
-Lematschko,T (2305)/Thessaloniki 1984/EXT 97-B (0-1, 32)}) 13... bxc3 14. bxc3
{White has succeded in winning space in the centre, while keeping his
"Spanish" bishop active. WeiЯ ist es gelungen, Raum im Zentrum zu gewinnen und
gleichzeitig seinen "spanischen" Lдufer aktiv zu halten.} exd4 15. cxd4 Nb4 {
Black made certain concessions in the centre, obtaining the b4-square for his
queen's knight in exchange. Schwarz hat im Zentrum gewisse Zugestдndnisse
gemacht, dafьr aber das Feld b4 fьr seinen Damenspringer bekommen. Las negras
hicieron ciertas concesiones en el centro, obteniendo en cambio la casilla de
b4 para su caballo dama.} 16. Bb1 Bg4 {Chess history is full of examples where
the Spanish pair of bishops delivered decisive blows against Black's kingside.
Therefore, Grischuk decides to transfer his own bishop to g6, anticipating an
eventual attack. Die Schachgeschichte wimmelt vor Beispielen, wo das spanische
Lдuferpaar entscheidende Schlдge gegen den schwarzen Kцnigsflьgel anbrachte.
Daher beschlieЯt Grischuk, in Erwartung eines eventuellen Angriffs seinen
eigenen Lдufer nach g6 zu ьberfьhren. La historнa del ajedrez esta llena de
ejemplos en los cuales la pareja de alfiles "Espaсola" entregу golpes
decisivos contra el flanco de rey enemigo. Grischuk decide transferir su alfil
de casillas blancas a g6, para anticipar un eventual ataque.} 17. h3 Bh5 18. g4
Bg6 {Black only needs to advance his d-pawn in order to establish a harmonious
cooperation between all his pieces. Schwarz muss nur noch seinen d-Bauern
vorьcken, um eine harmonische Kooperation zwischen all seinen Figuren
herzustellen. Las negras solo necesitan avanzar su peуn de d para que todas
sus figuras colaboren de forma harmoniosa.} 19. d5 $1 {After this well-timed
move, Black's bishop will remain out of play for a long time. Considering also
the immobility of the otherwise beautifully placed b4-knight and White's
advantage of space we can evaluate the position as favourable for White. Nach
diesem wohl getimten Zug wird der schwarze Lдufer lange Zeit auЯer Spiel
bleiben. Wenn wir auch noch die Unbeweglichkeit des ansonsten schцn
platzierten Springers b4 und den weiЯen Raumvorteil dazu nehmen, kцnnen wir
die Stellung als gьnstig fьr WeiЯ einschдtzen. Despuйs de esta jugada muy
oportuna, el alfil negro quedarб fuera del juego durante largo rato. Teniendo
en cuenta ademбs la inmovilidad del esteticamente colocado caballo de b4 y la
ventaja de espacнo de las blancas, podemos concluнr que las blancas estбn
mejor.} Nd7 $6 {Too straightforward. Zu direkt.} ({Before moving for the
second time with an already developed piece, Black should think whether he
could bring some other piece into play. This abstract thought could bring to
mind the move Bevor er zum zweiten Mal mit einer bereits entwickelten Figur
zieht, sollte Schwarz ьberlegen, ob er eine andere Figur ins Spiel bringen
kцnnte. Dieser abstrakte Gedanke einen auf den Zug} 19... Rb8 $5 {, which is
useful anyway. In this case, White would still have had to prepare the
desirable knight jump to c4, since bringen, welcher sowieso nьtzlich ist. In
diesem Fall mьsste WeiЯ den wьnschenswerten Springersatz nach c4 noch
vorbereiten, denn} 20. Nc4 $2 {loses a pawn to verliert einen Bauern wegen}
Nbxd5 $1 {and we can see how important it is to leave the king's knight on f6
for just one more move. und wir sehen, wie wichtig es ist, den Kцnigsspringer
noch einen Zug lдnger auf f6 zu lassen.}) 20. Nc4 Rb8 21. Bf4 Nb6 22. Nxb6 $1 (
{Avoiding the trap Umgeht die Falle} 22. Nfd2 $2 Bf6 $1 23. Ra3 N4xd5 $1 $17)
22... Rxb6 23. Nd2 Bg5 ({The main alternative was Die Hauptalternative war} 
23... Bf6 24. Ra3 {Grischuk might have thought that the bishop prevents the
activation of his colleague with an eventual ...f6, while there seem to be no
stable squares available along the f6-a1 diagonal. However, Grischuk mag
gedacht haben, dass der Lдufer die Aktivierung seines Kollegen mit eventuellem
...f6 verhindert, wдhrend es entlang der Diagonalen f6-a1 keine stabilen
Felder zu geben scheint. Doch} Bd4 {is entirely possible. White would play ist
absolut spielbar. WeiЯ wьrde spielen} 25. Be3 ({Avoiding the traps Vermeidet
die Fallen} 25. Nb3 $2 Bb2 $17) ({or oder} 25. Nf3 $2 Nxd5 $1 $17) 25... Bxe3
26. Raxe3 {with a similar position as in the game. mit дhnlicher Stellung wie
in der Partie.}) 24. Bxg5 Qxg5 25. Nc4 Rbb8 26. Qd2 {After the exchange of
queens, Black's position will lose any trace of dynamism. Nach dem Damentausch
wird die schwarze Stellung jegliche Spur von Dynamik einbьЯen.} ({The d6-pawn
is indirectly defended. Der d-Bauer ist indirekt verteidigt.} 26. Nxd6 $2 {
drops a piece to verliert eine Figur wegen} Qe5 $1) 26... Qxd2 27. Nxd2 f6 28.
Nc4 {After the simplifications, Black finally managed to make a diagonal
available for his bishop. However, this is not enough yet to question the
stability of White's c4-knight. The bishop needs to be transferred to the
remote a6-square... Nach den Vereinfachungen ist es Schwarz endlich gelungen,
eine Diagonale fьr seinen Lдufer verfьgbar zu machen. Doch reicht dies nicht
aus, um die Stabiltдt des weiЯen c4-Springers in Frage zu stellen. Dazu mьsste
der Lдufer auf das entfernte Feld a6 ьberfьhrt werden... Despuйs de las
simplificaciones, las negras han conseguнdo por fin abrir una diagonal para su
alfil. Sin embargo, esto no es suficiente todavнa para cuestionar la
estabilidad del caballo blanco en c4; serнa necesarнo el traslado del alfil a
la remota casilla de a6...} Rfd8 29. f4 Bf7 30. Ra3 {White's advantage is
obvious, but it is not easy to make further progress. Black's strong pressure
against the d5-pawn makes the thematic central break e5 difficult to carry out,
but a slower plan based on Rg3, h4, g5 would be unpleasant for Black. Der
Vorteil von WeiЯ fдllt ins Auge, aber es nicht leicht, weitere Fortschritte zu
machen. Der starke Druck von Schwarz gegen den d5-Bauern erschwert den
thematischen Zentrumsdurchbruch e5, aber ein langsamerer Plan basierend auf
Rg3, h4, g5 wдre unangenehm fьr Schwarz. La ventaja de las blancas es obvнa,
pero no serб fбcil progresar. La fuerte presiуn de las negras contra el peуn
de d5 dificulta la ruptura temбtica e5, pero las blancas disponen de un plan
mбs lento de expansiуn, basado en Rg3, h4, g5, que podrнa resultar bastante
desagradable para las negras.} g5 {Grischuk aims to obtain a blockade on the
dark squares, but seriously weakens his king's position. The main defect of
his plan is that the knight will not be able to take advantage of the
e5-square. Grischuk will eine Blockade auf den dunklen Felder errichten,
schwдcht aber ernsthaft seine Kцnigsstellung. Der Hauptmangel seines Plans
liegt darin, dass der Springer nicht in der Lage sein wird, aus dem Feld e5
Vorteil zu ziehen. Grischuk intenta obtener un bloqueo en casillas negras,
pero la posiciуn de su rey quedarб muy dйbil ahora. El principal defecto de su
ъltima jugada es que la casilla de e5 no podrб ser aprovechada por el caballo.}
31. h4 gxf4 32. Rf3 Be8 33. Rxf4 Kg7 {Black only needs two tempi (...Bxa4-b5)
in order to obtain a playable position... Schwarz braucht nur noch zwei Tempi 
(...Bxa4-b5), um eine spielbare Stellung zu erhalten... Las negras solo
necesitan dos tiempos (...Bxa4-b5) para obtener una posiciуn satisfactorнa...}
34. h5 $3 ({A fantastic move. All White's pieces (with the exception of the
e1-rook) were placed on optimal squares already, but the attack did not seem
strong enough yet. For instance, after the immediate Ein phantastischer Zug.
Alle weiЯen Figuren (mit Ausnahme des Turms e1) standen bereits auf optimalen
Feldern, aber der Angriff schien dennoch nicht stark genug zu sein. Zum
Beispiel ist nach dem sofortigen Una jugada fantastica. Con excepciуn de la
torre de e1, todas las figuras blancas se encuentran en posiciones уptimas,
pero su ataque no parece demasiado peligroso todavнa. Por ejemplo, despuйs de} 
34. Ref1 Bxa4 35. Rxf6 Bb5 {the situation is not entirely clear. The
intervention of the modest h-pawn radically inclines the balance to White's
favour. die Situation nicht gдnzlich klar. Durch die Intervention des
bescheidenen h-Bauern neigt sich die Balance radikal zu weiЯen Gunsten. la
situaciуn no es enteramente clara. La intervenciуn del modesto peуn de h
inclinarб la evaluaciуn de la partida a favor de las blancas.}) 34... Bxa4 ({
If Black blocks the h-pawn with Falls Schwarz den h-Bauern blockiert mit Sн
las negras bloquean el peуn enemigo con} 34... h6 {, the weakness of the
g6-square would make itself felt after , wьrde sich die Schwдche des Feldes g6
bemerkbar machen nach , la debilidad de la casilla de g6 se harнa sentir
despuйs de} 35. Ref1 Bxa4 36. Rxf6 Bb5 37. Rg6+ {with a decisive attack. mit
entscheidendem Angriff. con ataque decisivo.}) 35. h6+ Kxh6 36. Rxf6+ Kg7 37.
g5 {The d6-pawn will perish soon and with it - any hope of maintaining a
reasonable position. Black is in big trouble now. Der d6-Bauer wird bald
fallen und damit - jegliche Hoffnung, eine ordentliche Stellung zu behalten.
Schwarz ist jetzt in groЯen Schwierigkeiten. El peуn de d6 perecerб pronto y,
con йl, toda esperanza de salvar la partida.} Rf8 38. Rxd6 Bc2 39. Ne5 Rf4 40.
Rf6 (40. Rd7+ $5 Kg8 41. d6 Bxb1 42. Rxb1 Rxe4 43. Re7 Rd8 44. Rd1 $16) 40...
Rh4 (40... Nxd5 $5 {On the last move before the control, Grischuk does not
find a curious tactical resource: Im letzten Zug vor der Zeitkontrolle entgeht
Grischuk eine kuriose taktische Ressource:} 41. exd5 Re4 $3 {White's pieces
are hanging suddenly, but he can maintain an advantage with Plцtzlich hдngen
die Figuren von WeiЯ, doch er kann Vorteil behaupten mit} 42. Rxe4 Rxb1+ 43.
Kf2 Bxe4 44. d6 Rb8 45. d7 Rd8 46. Ke3 {. However, Black can hope, because of
the reduced amount of material left on the board. Allerdings kann Schwarz
angesichts des reduzierten Materials auf dem Brett hoffen.}) 41. d6 Bxb1 42.
Rxb1 Rxe4 43. Rf7+ Kg8 44. Re7 Rd8 45. Rd1 c4 46. d7 Rf4 47. Rf1 Rff8 48. Rxf8+
Kxf8 49. Rxh7 c3 50. Ng6+ 1-0

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.20"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D43"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2733"]
[Annotator "Stohl,I"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 {This sharp move is
nowadays the main try. Although White has had some recent success with the
more sedate} (6. Bxf6 {theoretically Black is still doing fine here:} Qxf6 7.
Qb3 (7. e3 Nd7 8. Bd3 g6 9. e4 dxc4 10. e5 Qe7 11. Bxc4 Bg7 12. O-O O-O 13. Re1
Rd8 14. Qe2 b6 15. Rad1 a5 16. Bd3 Bb7 17. Be4 b5 18. h4 Nb6 19. Bb1 c5 $1 20.
Nxb5 Ba6 $132 21. h5 g5 22. Nh2 Rxd4 23. Rxd4 {1/2,Kramnik,V (2769)-Svidler,P 
(2735)/WCh Mexico City/2007/}) 7... Nd7 (7... dxc4 8. Qxc4 Nd7 9. e3 g6 10. Be2
(10. h4 $5 $13 {is a sharper try.}) 10... Bg7 11. O-O O-O 12. Rfd1 e5 (12...
Qe7 $142 $5 {[%cal Yf8d8,Ye6e5] /\Rd8,e5<=>}) 13. Ne4 Qe7 (13... Qf5 $5 14. Nd6
Qf6 $14) 14. d5 cxd5 15. Qxd5 Nb6 16. Qc5 $1 Qxc5 17. Nxc5 $36 Bg4 18. h3 Rac8
19. Nxb7 Be6 20. b3 Rc2 21. Bf1 Nd5 22. Bc4 Nc3 23. Rd2 Rxd2 24. Nxd2 e4 25.
Kf1 Rb8 26. Nc5 Bxc4+ 27. Nxc4 Rb5 28. Na6 $1 $16 {Carlsen,M (2710)-Onischuk,A
(2650)/Biel/2007/}) 8. e4 dxe4 9. Nxe4 Qf4 10. Bd3 e5 11. O-O exd4 (11... Be7
$142 {-see more details in the notes to the game Mamedyarov-Topalov, Sofia
2007.}) 12. Nxd4 Nc5 13. Nxc5 Bxc5 14. Rae1+ Kf8 15. Re4 Qf6 16. Qc3 $14 a5 $6
17. Rfe1 Bd7 18. R1e3 Bb4 19. Qc2 Qd6 20. Rf3 h5 $2 21. c5 $1 Bxc5 22. Bc4 f6
23. Ne6+ Bxe6 24. Rxe6 $18 {->,Mamedyarov,S (2757)-Topalov,V (2772)/Sofia/2007/
}) 6... dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Be2 Bb7 10. O-O {This simple move is the
latest fashion.} ({After} 10. h4 g4 11. Ne5 h5 12. O-O Nbd7 {the brilliant
game Aronian-Anand, WCh 2007 has shown not only Black's, but also White's >>
can become seriously vulnerable.}) 10... Nbd7 11. Ne5 h5 {Another important
crossroads. The main alternative, favoured by Anand, is} (11... Bg7 12. Nxd7
Nxd7 13. Bd6 a6 14. Bh5 (14. a4 e5 15. Bg4 exd4 16. e5 c5 17. Bf3 Ra7 $2 (17...
Nxe5 $1 18. Bxb7 Qxd6 19. Bxa8 O-O $44 {|^}) 18. Bxb7 Rxb7 19. Ne4 Nxe5 20.
axb5 axb5 21. f4 gxf4 22. Qh5 Rb6 23. Bxe5 Qd5 24. Rxf4 Rg6 25. Nd6+ Rxd6 26.
Rxf7 Bxe5 27. Rb7+ Kf8 28. Ra8+ {1-0,Iljin,A (2538)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2602)/
EU-ch Dresden/2007/ For more details about this line see the notes to this
game.}) 14... Bf8 15. Bxf8 Rxf8 16. e5 Qb6 17. b3 $5 $146 (17. Ne4 O-O-O 18.
Nd6+ Kb8 19. b3 $5 (19. Nxf7 Rxf7 20. Bxf7 Nxe5 21. Qh5 Rxd4 22. Bxe6 c5 $36 {
Radjabov,T (2728)-Anand,V (2779)/Mainz rpd m/2006/}) 19... f6 $6 (19... c3 $5
$13) 20. bxc4 fxe5 21. a4 (21. c5 $1 $16) 21... exd4 22. axb5 cxb5 23. Nxb7
Kxb7 24. cxb5 axb5 25. Bf3+ $44 {Ernst,S (2504)-Van Wely,L (2675)/NED-chT/2006/
}) 17... O-O-O (17... c5 $5 18. d5 O-O-O $132 {possibly deserves a closer look.
}) 18. bxc4 Nxe5 (18... c5 $2 19. cxb5 axb5 20. Qc2 $40 {[%csl Rc8] עc8}) 19.
c5 Qa5 20. Ne4 Qb4 $1 21. Nd6+ Rxd6 22. cxd6 Nd7 {Although the position looks
quite promising for White, Anand was still playing very fast...} 23. a4 Qxd6
24. Bf3 Nb6 25. axb5 cxb5 26. Bxb7+ Kxb7 27. Qh5 Nd5 28. Qxh6 Nf4 29. Kh1 Qd5
30. f3 Rd8 $44 31. Qg7 Rd7 32. Qf8 Ne2 33. Rfe1 Nxd4 34. Red1 e5 35. Rac1 Qd6
36. Qg8 f6 37. Rc8 a5 38. h3 a4 39. Qe8 Kb6 40. Rb8+ Ka5 41. Ra8+ {1/2,Kramnik,
V (2769)-Anand,V (2792)/WCh Mexico City/2007/ A very complex game, the whole
line will undoubtedly develop in the near future.}) 12. Nxd7 Qxd7 13. Qc1 $5
$146 {[%mdl 8] Kramnik doesn't hurry to centralize his B and comes up with an
interesting novelty.} ({Previously White played} 13. Be5 Rh6 14. Qc1 {but the
most recent games have show Black can profit from the exposed Be5 with} Ng4 $1
15. Bxg4 hxg4 16. Qxg5 Rg6 17. Qe3 f6 18. Bg3 Kf7 $5 ({Risky, but also
interesting is} 18... Bh6 19. Qe2 Qxd4 $5 20. Rfd1 Qc5 21. e5 (21. a4 $5) 21...
f5 22. Bh4 Bf4 23. Bf6 Rxf6 24. exf6 Qe5 25. Re1 Qxe2 26. Nxe2 Bd2 27. Red1 Rd8
28. a4 {Korobov,A (2530)-Zubov,A (2552)/Odessa/2007/} a5 $1 $15) 19. Rad1 Rd8
20. a3 a5 21. Qe1 $6 (21. Rfe1 $13) 21... Ba6 $1 22. Ne2 b4 23. Nf4 Rg5 24.
axb4 axb4 25. e5 c3 26. d5 cxd5 27. Rxd5 {Mekhitarian,K (2420)-Ehlvest,J (2629)
/Panamerican Cali/2007/} Qc8 $1 $17) 13... Rg8 (13... b4 $6 14. Be5 Rh6 15. Na4
Nxe4 16. Rd1 $44 {/\Nc5 Black should always be extremely cautious about
breaking up his mighty << pawn-chain.}) ({A possible alternative is} 13... Be7
14. Rd1 $13) ({Not quite clear, but decidedly risky is} 13... Qxd4 $6 14. Qxg5
Nd7 (14... Nxe4 15. Nxe4 Qxe4 16. Rad1 Be7 17. Qg7 Rf8 18. Bf3 $36) 15. Rfd1
Qf6 16. Qd2 O-O-O 17. e5 $44 {In this line, contrary to the positions after 10.
h4 g4, White's B has access to f3 and can become a powerful atttacking piece.})
14. Rd1 Bb4 {This was possibly an unexpected reaction, as now Kramnik started
spending more time as well.} (14... O-O-O 15. a4 $44 {/\} b4 16. Nb5 $5 cxb5
17. axb5 Bd6 (17... Qxb5 $2 18. Bxc4 Qc6 19. Bb5 $18) (17... c3 18. bxc3 b3 19.
Rxa7 $40) 18. Qxc4+ Qc7 19. Bxd6 Qxc4 20. Bxc4 Rxd6 21. e5 $14) 15. Qe3 $1 {
White already seriously prepares d5.} (15. Be5 Ng4 $13) 15... Qe7 16. h3 {
A modest move.} (16. e5 $5 Nd5 (16... Ng4 17. Bxg4 hxg4 18. Ne4 $40) (16... Nd7
17. Ne4 h4 18. a3 $1 $16) 17. Nxd5 cxd5 18. Bxh5 Ba5 $14 {[%cal Ya5b6,Yb5b4] /
<=>,/\b4,Bb6}) 16... h4 17. Bh2 {Kramnik quite stubbornly doesn't want to go
to e5 with his B, although here} (17. Be5 $5 $44 {deserved serious attention.})
17... Bxc3 {Exchanging the B is committal, but consistent.} (17... O-O-O 18. a4
$40) (17... g4 18. e5 g3 19. fxg3 hxg3 20. Bxg3 $14) 18. bxc3 g4 19. Kh1 {
This isn't ideal, White will have to take on g4 anyway and he could have done
so immediately:} (19. Bxg4 $142 Nxg4 20. hxg4 Rxg4 21. f3 $44 {[%csl Rb7,Gh2]
^-|^}) (19. Kf1 {is an interesting suggestion by Shipov, here the K can be
safer, than in the corner.}) 19... c5 $5 (19... gxh3 20. gxh3 c5 21. Bf3 $44 {
[%csl Gd4,Ge4][%cal Yd1g1,Gg1g8] [+],/\Rg1,<->g}) 20. hxg4 (20. Bxg4 Bxe4 $5 (
20... Nxg4 21. hxg4 Rxg4 22. f3 cxd4 23. Qxd4 Rg8 24. a4 $44) 21. dxc5 Nxg4 22.
hxg4 Bd5 $15) 20... cxd4 (20... Nxe4 21. dxc5 h3 (21... Qxc5 $2 22. Rd4 $16)
22. f3 hxg2+ 23. Kg1 Ng5 24. Rd6 Bd5 $13) 21. Rxd4 (21. Qxd4 $5 Nxe4 {/\h3|^}
22. Kg1 $13) 21... e5 $1 {This important intermediate move limits Whte's B.}
22. Rdd1 (22. Rd2 $5 Nxe4 23. Rb2 Qg5 $5 24. Qxg5 Rxg5 25. Rxb5 Bc6 26. Rxe5+
Rxe5 27. Bxe5 Nxf2+ 28. Kh2 Nd3 $11) 22... Nxg4 (22... Nxe4 23. Bf3 Qc5 24.
Bxe4 $1 Qxe3 25. Bxb7 $14) 23. Bxg4 Rxg4 24. f3 Rg6 25. a4 a5 $6 {Gelfand
wants to keep the <->a closed at any cost, but although} (25... a6 26. axb5
axb5 27. Ra7 {looks dangerous, after} Kf8 $11 {White still has nothing
concrete.}) 26. axb5 a4 27. Qe2 Qc5 28. Rab1 ({White should have kept an eye
on the Pa4 with} 28. Rdb1 $1 $14) 28... Rd6 (28... a3 $142 29. Bg1 Qc7 (29...
Qe7 30. Qxc4 h3 31. g4 $14) 30. Rb4 h3 $5 $132) 29. Rxd6 Qxd6 30. Qxc4 a3 31.
Ra1 h3 $1 {[%mdl 256] Active defence by Gelfand, he seeks <=> on both sides of
the board.} (31... Rc8 32. Qb4 $14) 32. Qe2 (32. g4 $6 {worked earlier, but
now runs into} Rc8 $5 $36 (32... Qd2 $15)) (32. gxh3 Rc8 {is similar.}) 32...
hxg2+ 33. Qxg2 O-O-O $1 $132 {After the game Kramnik said he simply didn't
realize Black could still castle! Now both K are vulnerable and the extra P is
of little consquence.} 34. Qa2 {White goes for drawish simplification.} (34.
Qg7 f6 $44) ({More ambitious is} 34. c4 $5 {when Black should probably again
prefer the modest} f6 $13 {/+/=} (34... f5 $143 35. Qh3 Rf8 36. c5 $1 Qd4 (
36... Qxc5 $2 37. Qh6 $1 f4 (37... Kb8 38. Bxe5+) 38. Bg1 $18 {and suddenly
White has a decisive ->.}) 37. Rf1 $5 (37. Rxa3 $14) 37... a2 (37... Qc4 38. c6
Ba8 39. exf5) 38. Qh6 Re8 39. Qg6 $36)) 34... f5 35. Qxa3 fxe4 $138 ({Gelfand
spent the last remanants of his time considering} 35... Qd3 {, but this
doesn't give Black anything tangible:} 36. Qc5+ (36. c4 $5 fxe4 37. Bxe5 $11)
36... Kd7 37. Qf2 fxe4 38. Bxe5 Qxf3+ (38... e3 39. Qg2 $14) 39. Qxf3 exf3 40.
Kh2 $11) 36. Qxd6 Rxd6 37. fxe4 (37. Bxe5 Rd2 (37... Rd5 $11) 38. fxe4 Bxe4+
39. Kg1 Rd5 $11) 37... Bxe4+ 38. Kg1 Bd3 39. Bxe5 (39. c4 Bxc4 40. Rc1 Rd4 41.
Bxe5 Re4 $11) 39... Rg6+ 40. Kf2 Bxb5 $11 {The time-control being over,
Kramnik didn't want to invest more energy into this drawn _|_.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.20"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C45"]
[WhiteElo "2758"]
[BlackElo "2751"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Qf6 6. c3 Nge7 7. Bc4 Ne5 {
Two rounds earlier, facing the same variation against the same opponent,
Svidler jumped with his knight only after castling. Dos rondas antes,
enfrentandose con la misma variante y el mismo contrincante, Svidler saltу con
el caballo a e5 solo despuйs de enrocarse.} 8. Bb3 {Despite the unsatisfactory
result of the opening in the aforementioned game, Morozevich sticks to this
unusual bishop retreat. A pesar del resultado insatisfactorнo de la apertura
de dicha partida, Morozevich queda fiel a esta retirada no muy comъn de alfil.}
Qg6 9. O-O d5 {An accelerated form of central counterplay. The tactical
justification consists of the fact that the capture on d5 would lose material
to ...Bh3. Una forma accelerada de contrajuego en el centro. La justificaciуn
tбctica reside en el hecho de que la captura en d5 perderнa material por ...
Ah3.} (9... Qxe4 {is too risky. White has at least two ways to develop his
initiative.} 10. Re1 $1 $36 (10. Nd2 Qg4 11. Nb5 Qxd1 12. Raxd1 Bxe3 13. fxe3
Kd8 14. Bxf7 d6 {Meitner,P-Rosenthal,S/Vienna 1873/EXT 2002 (0-1, 72). looks
survivable for Black.}) 10... Qh4 $2 11. Nf3 $1 Nxf3+ 12. Qxf3 $16 {[%csl Yc5,
Yf7] Saleme,C-Van Riemsdijk,H/Villa Gesell 1970/EXT 98 (1/2-1/2, 66)}) 10. Bf4
{Technically speaking, this is not a novelty, but this is the first time the
move is played by a strong player.} (10. Nf5 $6 dxe4 11. Nxe7 Bxe7 12. Kh1 O-O
$17 {Cardoso,R-Bisguier,A/Malaga 1971/EXT 99 (0-1, 34)}) (10. Nf3 Nxf3+ 11.
Qxf3 Bg4 12. Qf4 Bxe3 13. fxe3 O-O-O 14. Nd2 Be6 $15 {Petrushin,A (2403)
-Kotenko,P (2395)/Russia 2002}) (10. exd5 $2 Bh3 11. g3 Qe4 $19) 10... Bg4 $1
$146 {Only this is the new move, but, as mentioned, the position after 10.Bf4
was only seen before in games between players of lower level.} ({Here is a
recent example:} 10... Qxe4 $6 {Risky, but not really easy to refute. Maybe
this is what Morozevich concentrated his preparation on.} 11. Bxe5 $2 {
Pointless.} (11. Qd2 $5 {[%cal Yf1e1]} Nc4 12. Bxc4 dxc4 13. Re1 Qg6 14. Na3
$44 {[%csl Gd4]}) 11... Qxe5 12. Re1 {Bodereau,M (1720)-Deregnaucourt,Y (1740)/
France 2001/EXT 2003 (1-0, 42)} Qd6 $17) 11. Qc2 (11. f3 $2 Nxf3+ $1 12. Rxf3
dxe4 $19) 11... f6 12. Ba4+ ({This looks pointless after Black's answer, but
maybe Morozevich did not like the position after} 12. Nd2 O-O-O {[%cal Yh8e8]
with strong centralization and excellent development for Black.}) 12... c6 13.
Nd2 O-O ({Now,} 13... O-O-O {would offer White some attacking chances after}
14. b4 {, as pointed out by Golubev.}) 14. f3 Bd7 15. Kh1 Bb6 16. Rae1 Rae8 {
We have reached a curious position. The pawn structure is perfectly
symmetrical if we take the centre of the board as a reference point. Both
sides' development is just normal, which makes the chances about equal. In the
next phase of the game, both players will manoeuvre in their own territory,
hoping to convince the opponent to release the tension in the centre and this
way get some micro-initiative. Hemos llegado a una posiciуn curiosa. La
estructura es perfectamente simetrica con respecto al punto central del
tablero. El desarrollo de ambos bandos es normal, por lo que las posibilidades
pueden ser evaluadas como iguales. En la fase siguнente de la partida, ambos
jugadores intentarбn "convencer" a su rival de ceder la tensiуn en el centro
para asн hacerse con una ligera iniciativa.} 17. Re2 Kh8 18. Bg3 Qh5 19. Qd1
Bc7 20. Rfe1 Bb8 21. exd5 {Finally giving in and, basically, admitting that
White has not obtained any advantage out of the opening. ЎFinalmente!} Nxd5 22.
Nf1 Nb6 23. Bc2 c5 24. Re4 $5 {Rudolf Spielmann would call this a passive
sacrifice, because Black is not forced to accept it. Rudolf Spielmann llamarнa
esta una entrega pбsiva, porque las negras no estбn forzadas de aceptarla.} Qf7
({But maybe in this case he should accept it! After Pero tal vez en este caso
Ўdeberнan hacerlo! Despuйs de} 24... cxd4 $5 25. Rh4 Qf7 26. Bxh7 g5 27. Bg6+
gxh4 28. Bxf7 Rxf7 {Black would get more than sufficient material compensation
for the sacrificed queen, while the weakness of his king is not easy to take
advantage of. las negras obtendrнan compensaciуn material mбs que suficiente
por la dama entregada, mientras que la debilidad de su rey no puede ser
aprovechada facilmente por las blancas.}) 25. Nb3 Bf5 26. R4e2 Rd8 27. Rd2 Bxc2
28. Qxc2 Rxd2 29. Nfxd2 c4 30. Nd4 Nbd7 {Black has more space, but the almost
symmetrical character of the position makes a draw the most probable result.}
31. Re2 a6 32. Ne4 b5 33. b4 Qd5 34. Nf2 Nb6 35. Re4 Qd7 36. Bxe5 Bxe5 37. Ng4
Bb8 38. Ne3 Re8 39. g3 g6 40. Kg2 f5 41. Rxe8+ Qxe8 42. Qd2 Be5 43. Ne2 Kg7 44.
Kf2 Qe7 45. f4 Bf6 46. g4 fxg4 47. Nxg4 Qd8 48. Qe3 Nd5 49. Qa7+ Qe7 50. Qxa6
Qd7 51. Nxf6 Nxf6 52. Qa8 Qh3 53. Ke1 Qd3 54. Qa7+ Kh6 55. Qd4 Qb1+ 56. Kf2
Ng4+ 57. Kg3 Qxa2 58. h3 Qxe2 59. hxg4 Qe1+ 60. Kf3 Qh1+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.20"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Svidler, Peter"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C69"]
[WhiteElo "2735"]
[BlackElo "2750"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "40"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 {An early deviation from the Marshall
Attack. Una desviaciуn temprana del Ataque Marshall.} dxc6 5. O-O f6 6. d4 exd4
7. Nxd4 c5 8. Ne2 Qxd1 9. Rxd1 Bd7 10. Nbc3 O-O-O 11. Be3 {We are following
well-known paths. White is better developed, but Black's kingside structure
and his pair of bishops do not allow the rapid activation of White's forces.}
Re8 {A typical method in the Exchange Spanish. Black abandons the d-file,
which is not so important yet, because White cannot infiltrate through it, for
the sake of avoiding simplifications and putting pressure on the e4-pawn.} 12.
Rd2 Bc6 13. Rad1 b6 14. f3 Bd6 {This might have come as a suprise for Aronian,
since it was played on very rare occasions.} ({The main stream of theory
continues} 14... Ne7 15. Nf4 Ng6 16. Nxg6 hxg6 17. Bf4 Be7 18. Nd5 Bd8 {
White has an active position, but it is not easy to find a concrete way for
making progress.} 19. Ne3 $1 {[%csl Gg4] The best way to maintain the
advantage of space.} (19. c4 g5 20. Bg3 g4 $1 21. Re1 gxf3 22. gxf3 g5 $132 {
Socko,B (2621)-Akopian,V (2713)/Port Erin 2006/CBM 114 ext (1/2-1/2, 29)})
19... g5 20. Bg3 g6 21. Bf2 Rh7 22. g4 c4 23. Kg2 b5 24. c3 {Laznicka,V (2608)
-Georgiev,V (2540)/Dresden 2007/CBM 118 (1-0, 42). The evaluation has not
changed much since the 18th move.}) 15. Bf4 {A logical reaction. White is
happy to deprive his opponent of the pair of bishops.} Bxf4 16. Nxf4 Nh6 $1 {
On the other hand, Black has got this additional way of developing his knight,
without fearing Bxh6 anymore.} 17. Kf2 $146 {Both sides have developed in a
harmonious way. White's advantage is more of an optical nature. His domination
along the d-file is rather sterile, while the kingside majority is not easy to
promote, being submitted to strong pressure by the enemy bishop. On the other
wing, Black's structure is rock solid and provides him with outposts for his
pieces (c6, d4). Ambos bandos han completado su desarrollo. La ventaja delas
blancas es mбs bien de naturaleza, digamos, уptica. La dominaciуn sobre la
columna de d es bastante esterila, mientras que la mayorнa de peones del
flanco de rey no es fбcil de avanzar, al ser sometida a fuerte presiуn por el
alfil enemigo. En el otro flanco, la estructura negra es muy sуlida y ofrece a
sus figuras casillas estables como c6 y d4.} ({Previously,} 17. Nh5 {was
played in a couple of games. The knight stands actively here, but it will
eventually be driven away with a later ...g6.} Rhg8 {[%cal Yf6f5] The best way
to defend the pawn.} (17... Re7 $6 18. Nd5 Rf7 19. g4 $14 {[%csl Gh6] Rause,O 
(2565)-Cutillas Ripoll,P (2465)/W-Cup6 fin corr 1994/Corr 2002 (1-0, 44).
leads to some congestion of Black's pieces.}) 18. g4 Nf7 {[%csl Gf3][%cal
Yg7e5]} 19. Kf2 Kb7 (19... Ne5 20. b3 a5 21. h3 Kb7 22. Nd5 {and now, in the
game Kasparov,S (2491)-Maiorov,N (2490)/Minsk 2006/CBM 111 ext (1/2-1/2, 57),
White had no special reason to refrain from} a4 $5 $132) 20. b3 a5 21. a4 Ne5
22. h3 c4 {Getting rid of the doubled pawns. For somebody used to the Berlin
Defence, this is just a great position for Black.} 23. f4 {[%csl Ye4]} Nf7 24.
Re2 cxb3 25. cxb3 Re7 26. Re3 Nd6 27. Rde1 Rf8 28. Ng3 g6 $132 {Zapata,A (2556)
-Sasikiran,K (2670)/Bled 2002/EXT 2003 (0-1, 67). White has an advantage of
space, but his e4-pawn needs permanent care. Besides, making further progress
looks virtually impossible and in the long run Black has chances to take over
the initiative.}) 17... f5 18. exf5 Nxf5 19. Re1 Rxe1 20. Kxe1 g5 {The
position can be evaluated as roughtly equal, but remains quite interesting.
From the spectator's point of view, the abrupt end is slightly frustrating. La
posiciуn ofrece posibilidades aproximadamente iguales, pero en realidad queda
muy interesante. Desde el punto de vista del espectador, el final abrupto es
bastante frustrante.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.21"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E17"]
[WhiteElo "2750"]
[BlackElo "2758"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "138"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. Nc3 Ne4 7. Bd2 f5 8. d5
Bf6 {Despite his defeat in the game against Gelfand, Morozevich seems to
maintain his faith in this variation. A pesar de su derrota en la partida
contra Gelfand, Morozevich parece mantener la confнanza en esta variante.} 9.
Qc2 Na6 ({Deviating from Desvнandose de} 9... Qe7 {, as he played in the
aforementioned game. , como habнa jugado en dicha partida.}) 10. Nxe4 fxe4 11.
Qxe4 Nc5 ({Against} 11... Bxb2 {White's rook has a choice (see also the
similar situation from the game Gelfand-Morozevich)} 12. Rd1 {Atalik,S (2525)
-Greenfeld,A (2555)/Beijing 1996/CBM 054 ext/[Atalik] (1-0, 55)} (12. Rb1 {
Kiselev,S (2485)-Ionescu,C (2515)/Bucharest 1997/CBM 060/[Hecht] (1-0, 60)}))
12. Qe3 O-O $5 {Instead of retrieving the sacrificed pawn, Morozevich opts for
rapid development. Optically speaking, his compensation looks obvious, but the
absence of significant weaknesses in White's position will allow him
neutralize Black's initiative in the next phase of the game. En vez de
recuperar el peуn entregado, Morozevich opta por un desarollo rбpido de sus
figuras. Opticamente, su compensaciуn parece obvнa, pero la falta de
debilidades en la posiciуn de las blancas les permitirб neutralizar la
iniciativa delas negras en la fase siguнente de la partida.} (12... Bxb2 13.
Rb1 Qf6 {leaves Black hanging somewhat. Here is a perfect illustration of
White's ideas:} 14. O-O O-O 15. Bb4 d6 16. g4 $1 {Suddenly, the a1-h8 diagonal
is not long enough.} g6 17. g5 Qg7 {It became longer now, but also... weaker.}
18. Rxb2 $1 Qxb2 19. Bc3 Qa3 20. Qd4 e5 {Not really a stonewall.} 21. Nxe5 $1
dxe5 22. Qxe5 Kf7 23. Qg7+ Ke8 24. d6 cxd6 25. Bxb7 $18 {Sulava,N (2420)-Drei,
A (2310)/Forli 1995/EXT 2002 (1-0, 48)}) 13. dxe6 $146 {Practically forced,
because White cannot defend his central pawn in a satisfactory way.} (13. Bb4
$6 exd5 $1 14. Bxc5 bxc5 15. cxd5 Bxd5 16. Qxc5 c6 17. O-O Qb6 $15 {Lerner,K 
(2524)-Arlinsky,U (2295)/Givataim 2007/CBM 118 ext (1-0, 44). Black will win
at least one of the queenside pawns, when his active bishops will offer him
excellent play.}) 13... Re8 14. Qa3 Qe7 {Aiming to attack e2 and c4 at the
same time.} (14... Rxe6 15. Be3 {looks OK for White.}) 15. Be3 (15. O-O Qxe6 {
[%csl Yc4,Ye2]}) 15... Qxe6 16. Rc1 Ne4 17. O-O Nd6 {This looks like too much
moving around with the knight to be really good, but I cannot see an effective
way to prove Black's compensation anyway.} 18. Bd4 $5 {Aronian decides to
neutralize Black's pressure along the long diagonal.} (18. b3 Nf5 19. Bf4 $14 {
would have preserved the material advantage, with rather questionable
compensation for Black.} Qxe2 $2 20. Rce1 $1 $16 Qd3 $2 21. Rxe8+ Rxe8 22. Ne1
$1 $18) 18... Be7 {[%cal Ge7a3]} (18... Qxe2 $2 19. Rfe1 $18) (18... Nxc4 19.
Qd3 b5 20. Bxf6 Qxf6 21. b3 Nb6 22. Rxc7 $16) 19. c5 {Probably too optimistic.}
(19. Qc3 $5) (19. Qd3 $5 Be4 20. Qc3) 19... Ne4 20. Nd2 Nxd2 $2 {This was
Aronian's idea.} (20... bxc5 $1 {would have won the pawn back with an active
central position.}) 21. Bxb7 Rab8 22. Rfd1 Rxb7 23. Rxd2 Reb8 24. Qe3 (24. b3
$1 $16 {would have maintained the extra-pawn without any compensation for
Black. Just look at his rooks, they are doubled on a file where there is
nothing to do!}) 24... bxc5 25. Qxe6+ dxe6 26. Bxc5 {(?!) (?!)} ({It is hard
to refrain from "winning" the pawn again, of course, but the drawish tendency
of rook endings is well known. One important alternative was Por supuesto, es
difнcil abstenerse de "ganar" el peуn otra vez, pero la tendencнa de tablas de
los finales de torres es bien conocida. Una alternativa importante era} 26. Bc3
{, maintaining White's advantage intact, because of his better structure, more
active bishop and the control over the only open file. , manteniendo la
ventaja de las blancas intacta, en vista de su mejor estructura, alfil mбs
activo y control de la ъnica lнnea abierta.}) 26... Bxc5 27. Rxc5 Rxb2 28. Rd7
{Threatening to invade the seventh rank. Amenazando con invadir la sйptima
lнnea.} Rc8 29. a4 $6 ({The ending resulting after this move offers White no
winning chances at all. A slightly more promising ending could have been
obtained with El final que resulta despuйs de esta jugada no ofrece a las
blancas ninguna posibilidad de ganar. Un final algo mбs prometedor se
obtendrнa con} 29. Re5 Rb6 30. Rg5 $1 {Forcing Black to weaken his seventh
rank. Forzando a las negras a que debiliten la sйptima lнnea.} g6 31. Rc5 Rb2
32. e3 Rxa2 33. Rdxc7 Rxc7 34. Rxc7 {Despite material equality, Black's
position is not easy to defend, because of his numerous weaknesses. In his day,
Akiba Rubinstein was a great expert in this kind of position. A more recent
example where this structure arised is Karpov - Hort, Waddinxveen 1979, in
which White won. A pesar de la igualdad material, la posiciуn de las negras no
es fбcil, por las numerosas ebilidades de peones. En sis mejores dнas, Akiba
Rubinstein era un gran experto en este tipo de posiciones. Un ejemplo mas
reciente es la partida Karpov - Hort, Waddinxveen 1979, ganada porlas blancas.}
) 29... Rxe2 30. Rcxc7 Rxc7 31. Rxc7 a6 32. Ra7 Ra2 33. Rxa6 e5 34. a5 e4 35.
Ra7 h5 36. h4 {The importance of the lack of flexibility induced by this move
will become obvious at a later stage. La importancнa de la falta de
flexibilidad causadapor esta jugada resultarб clara mas adelante.} Kh7 37. a6
Ra1+ 38. Kg2 Ra2 {There was no need to leave the king escape from g2 yet.} (
38... Kg6) 39. Kf1 Kg6 40. Ra8 Kh7 41. a7 g6 ({The weakening of the seventh
rank will not change the evaluation of the position, but the more prudent} 
41... Kg6 {was also possible.}) 42. Ke1 Kg7 43. Kd1 Ra1+ 44. Kc2 Ra2+ 45. Kb3
Ra1 46. Kc4 Ra2 47. Kd4 Ra1 $1 ({An important moment. Keeping the central pawn
defended with Un momento importante. Mantener el peуn central defendido con} 
47... Ra4+ 48. Kd5 Kh7 $2 {would lose after perderнapor} 49. Kc6 $1 {
(Threatening Kb6) (amenazando con Kb6!)} Ra1 50. Rd8 Rxa7 51. Rd7+ Rxd7 52.
Kxd7 {with an easily won pawn ending. con un final de peones facilmente ganado.
}) 48. Kxe4 {As I have mentioned in my comments to the earlier game Anand -
Kramnik, this ending is drawn. The time has come to explain my comment on
White's 36.h4. With the pawn on h3 or h2, White could have created a passed
pawn on the f-file, which would ensure an easy win. However, Black could have
prevented this undesirable outcome by advancing his g-pawn to g4, immediately
after White's 41.a7. Como he mencionado anteriormente, en mis comentarнos de
la partida Anand - Kramnik, este final son tablas. Ha llegado la hora de
explicar mн breve comentarнo despuйs de 36.h4. Con su peуn en h2 o h3 todavнa,
las blancas podнan haber creado un peуn pasado en la lнnea de f, lo que les
asegurarнa la victorнa. Sin embargo, las negras podнan haber evitado este
desenlace indeseable con avanzar su peуn de g hasta g4, inmediatamente despuйs
de 41.a7.} ({The plan to exchange rooks does not work out if the black king is
well placed (on g7). For instance} 48. Kc5 Ra2 49. Kb6 Rb2+ 50. Kc6 Ra2 (50...
Rc2+ 51. Kd6 Rd2+ 52. Ke6 Ra2 53. Re8 Ra6+ $1 $11 {followed by ...Rxa7.}) 51.
Rd8 Rxa7 52. Rd7+ Rxd7 53. Kxd7 Kf6 54. Kd6 g5 55. hxg5+ Kxg5 56. Ke5 e3 57.
fxe3 Kg4 $11) 48... Ra4+ 49. Kf3 Ra3+ 50. Kg2 Ra2 51. Kh3 Ra3 52. f3 Kh7 53.
Kg2 Ra2+ 54. Kf1 Ra1+ 55. Ke2 Ra2+ 56. Kd3 Kg7 57. Kc4 Ra1 58. Kc5 Rc1+ 59. Kd6
Rd1+ 60. Ke5 Ra1 61. Kf4 Ra4+ 62. Ke5 Ra1 63. f4 Ra2 64. f5 gxf5 65. Kf4 Ra5
66. Re8 Rxa7 67. Kxf5 Rf7+ 68. Ke4 Rf1 69. Re5 Kg6 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.21"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2733"]
[BlackElo "2792"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "39"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Bd6 $5 {This move was played only once before. Since for
the time being both sides are playing a watch and wait game, Black prepares in
advance the thematic central break ...e5. Hasta ahora, esto se ha jugado solo
una vez.Dado que por el momento ambas partes estбn practicando un juego de
espera, las negras preparan con antelaciуn la tнpica ruptura ...e5.} 11. Rd1
$146 ({White will fail to prove an advantage with this neutral move. In the
only previous game where 10...Bd6 was played before, White answered with Las
blancas no obtendrбn ventaja con esta jugada.} 11. Bg5 {. Unexpectedly, this
leads to a transposition to the line 10.Bf4 Bd6 11.Bg5, which was played in
several games already. This might be a tricky transposition when preparing a
variation.} Nbd7 12. Nbd2 ({The only game where 10.Bd2 was played continued
with} 12. Rd1 Qb8 13. Bxf6 Nxf6 14. Nbd2 Rc8 15. Ng5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Qb7+ 17. Kg1
c5 18. Nde4 Nxe4 19. Nxe4 Qb6 20. d5 exd5 21. Rxd5 Be7 22. Rad1 Qe6 23. a4 {
Speelman,J (2570)-Browne,W (2540)/Wijk aan Zee 1983/MCD (1/2-1/2, 63)}) 12...
Rc8 $5 {[%cal Yc7c5]} (12... h6 $6 13. Bxf6 Nxf6 (13... Qxf6 14. Ne5 Bxg2 15.
Nxd7 Qd8 16. Nxf8 Bxf1 17. Nxe6 fxe6 18. Rxf1 $18 {Kirov,N (2470)-Pisa Ferrer,
J (2355)/Olot 1992/TD (1/2-1/2! 61)}) 14. Rfd1 Rc8 15. Nb3 Be4 16. Qc3 Qe7 17.
Rac1 Bd5 18. Ne5 (18. Ne1 $5) 18... Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Bxe5 20. dxe5 Nd5 21. Qc5 $14
{Ricardi,P (2480)-Soppe,G (2460)/San Fernando 1993/EXT 98 (1/2-1/2, 40)}) (
12... c5 $6 13. Bxf6 Qxf6 $2 (13... gxf6) 14. Ne5 Bxg2 15. Nxd7 Qd8 16. Nxf8
Bxf1 17. Qxh7+ Kxf8 18. Rxf1 cxd4 19. Qh8+ Ke7 20. Qxg7 $16 {Huebner,R (2605)
-Eng,H (2345)/Germany 1985/GER-chT (1-0, 36)}) 13. Bxf6 Nxf6 (13... Qxf6 {
works out better tactically than in the previous lines, but is still bad:} 14.
Ne5 $1 Bxg2 15. Nxd7 Qh6 {This square was not available in one of the lines.
The queen is out of the knight's reach in case of both Nxf8 and Nxe6.} 16. Kxg2
Rfd8 {Unexpectedly, the knight is trapped, because of the pin along the d-file.
However, after} 17. Nf3 Rxd7 18. Qc6 $16 {White has a dream position.}) 14. Nb3
Be4 15. Qc3 Qe7 16. Rac1 Nd7 17. Qe3 f5 $13 {Bauer,C (2571)-Bologan,V (2652)/
Belfort 2002/CBM 090 (0-1, 40)}) 11... Nbd7 12. Ba5 Qb8 13. b4 e5 $132 14. Nbd2
(14. Nc3 {fails to prevent Black's freeing plan:} exd4 15. Nxd4 Bxg2 16. Kxg2
Qb7+ 17. Kg1 c5 {In case of} 18. Ndxb5 {, Black has} Bxg3 $1 $11) 14... exd4
15. Nxd4 (15. Nb3 $5 {does not stabilize the queenside either:} c5 16. bxc5 Rc8
$132) 15... Bxg2 16. Kxg2 c5 $1 {Just in time.} (16... Qb7+ $2 17. Qc6 $16) 17.
bxc5 (17. Nf5 cxb4 (17... Re8 $5) (17... Be5 $6 18. bxc5 $5 Bxa1 19. c6 Be5 (
19... Nb6 20. Rxa1 $44 {[%csl Gc6,Gf5]}) 20. cxd7 Nxd7 21. Nf3 {[%csl Gd7,Ge5]}
Qb7 22. Rxd7 Qxd7 23. Nxe5 Qd5+ 24. Nf3 $16) 18. Nf3 Bc5 $13) 17... Bxc5 18.
N2b3 Ba3 19. e4 Ne5 20. Nf5 {White has no advantage at all. In fact, Black's
position looks more appealing already.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.21"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2751"]
[BlackElo "2726"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "119"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. a4
b4 9. d3 d6 10. Nbd2 Be6 {This variation was fashionable at top level some...
40 years ago.} ({Grischuk refrains from Grischuk renuncнa a} 10... Na5 {
, which had led him to defeat in the previous round. Maybe it would have been
wiser to pick up a completely different opening, in order to avoid specific
preparation and the negative influence of... bad memories. que le habнa
llevado a la derrota en la ronda anterior. Tal vez debнo de cambнar la
apertura por completo, para evitar la preparaciуn especifica y la influencнa
negativa de... los malos recuerdos.}) 11. Bxe6 {Curiously, in most of the
previous games White refrained from this exchange. Curiosamente, en mayorнa de
las partidas anteriores las blancas evitaron este cambнo.} ({In the '60s, the
main line was considered to be} 11. Nc4 Rb8 {is more refined. Black
anticipates White's plan and prepares for the opening of the b-file,
maintaining the knight on f6 for one more move.} (11... Nd7 {intends to carry
out a regrouping that would keep White's centre under pressure. The main
drawback of the early knight retreat is that it allows} 12. Be3 Bf6 (12... a5
13. c3 bxc3 14. bxc3 d5 15. exd5 Bxd5 16. Rb1 Re8 17. Ba2 f6 18. Rb5 Bf7 19.
Qc2 Nf8 20. d4 $16 {Ivkov,B-Petrosian,T/Bamberg 1968/MCD (1/2-1/2, 41).
White's pieces are more active in an almost symmetrical position.}) 13. c3 (13.
d4 exd4 14. Nxd4 Nxd4 15. Bxd4 Re8 $11 {Ciric,D-Geller,E/Sukhumi 1966/MCD (1/
2-1/2, 34)}) 13... Rb8 $6 {The rook will remain passive here, because Black
will not be in time to open the b-file.} (13... bxc3 14. bxc3 Rb8 15. Rb1 Qe7
$132) 14. d4 exd4 (14... bxc3 $2 15. d5 $18) 15. cxd4 d5 16. Ncd2 dxe4 17. Nxe4
$16 {Ivkov,B-Geller,E/Leningrad 1964/EXT 2001 (1-0, 51)}) 12. h3 {This
certainly looks like a loss of time if compared to the lines with an immediate
11...Nd7.} (12. Be3 {is not effective now because of} Ng4 13. Bd2 Bh4 14. Rf1
Be7 15. Rc1 Nf6 {Firman,N (2505)-Ehlvest,J (2587)/Philadelphia 2003/EXT 2004 
(0-1, 40). and White has achieved very little.}) (12. c3 $5 {, continuing the
waiting policy, deserves attention. If} Nd7 $6 {then} 13. d4 $1) 12... Nd7 13.
Be3 Bf6 14. d4 exd4 15. Nxd4 Bxd4 16. Bxd4 Nxd4 17. Qxd4 Nc5 18. Re3 f6 $11 {
Minic,D-Spassky,B/Belgrade 1964/MCD (1/2-1/2, 30)}) (11. Bc4 {initiates a
regrouping on the light squares, but is a bit slow.} Nd7 {[%cal Yd7b6]} 12. a5
Bf6 13. Nb3 Ne7 14. Bxe6 fxe6 15. d4 Ng6 16. Qe2 Kh8 17. Qc4 exd4 18. Nbxd4
Bxd4 19. Nxd4 Qh4 20. g3 Qf6 21. f4 c5 22. Nf3 Nde5 $132 {Ciric,D-Geller,E/
Leningrad 1964/EXT 2001 (0-1, 40). Black has active play and a strong central
pawn formation, severly restricting the enemy bishop.}) (11. c3 Rb8 {[%csl Ga6]
Once again, this move does not seem to be well-timed.} (11... Qd7 $5 {,
connecting rooks, deserves attention.}) 12. Bxe6 fxe6 13. d4 bxc3 14. bxc3 Nd7
15. Qe2 $1 exd4 (15... Qc8 16. Qc4 $16) 16. Nxd4 (16. cxd4 Nb4 17. Rb1 c5 $132)
16... Nxd4 17. cxd4 $14 {Ostojic,P-Geller,E/Wijk aan Zee 1969/MCL (1/2-1/2, 32)
}) 11... fxe6 12. Nf1 $146 {The transfer of the knight to the kingside looks
more constructive for the purpose of central expansion than the mechanical
occupation of the c4-square.} (12. Nc4 Nd7 13. Bd2 Rb8 14. h3 Qe8 {1/2-1/2
Short,N (2535)-Olafsson,H (2515)/Vestmannaeyjum 1985/MCL}) 12... Qd7 13. Ng3
Na5 ({With this move, Grischuk probably wanted to anticipate the opening of
the b-file after c3. However, the control over the centre is weakened now. Con
esta jugada, Grischuk quнso probablemente anticipar la apertura de la lнnea de
b con c3. Sin embargo, el control sobre el centro se debilita. Una importante
alternativa era} 13... Rab8 {would have been a worthy alternative, inviting
White to declare his intentions. For instance, , invitando a las blancas a que
definen sus intenciones. Por ejemplo,} 14. c3 bxc3 15. bxc3 Na5 $5) 14. d4 {
The logical reaction. La reacciуn lуgica.} exd4 15. Qxd4 c5 16. Qd3 Nc6 17. c3
bxc3 18. bxc3 Kh8 ({Starting with this moment, Grischuk plays a series of
moves without a clear plan. Here, he could have activated his play with
Empezando con este momento, Grischuk realiza una serie de jugadas sin plan.
Aquн, el podнa activar su juego con} 18... Ng4 {, aiming to install a knight
on e5 in order to control the relatively weak light squares from the centre.
The only way to cross this plan would be , aspirando a instalar un caballo en
e5, para asн tomar bajo control las relativamente dйbiles casillas blancas del
centro. La ъnica forma de prevenir esto serнa} 19. e5 $5 {but, among other
reasonable possibilities, Black could have answered with , pero, entre otras
posibilidades interesantes, las negras dispondrнan de} d5 $5 20. h3 Nxf2 $1 21.
Kxf2 Bh4 $44 {[%csl Gf3,Gg3][%cal Yf8f5,Yd7f7,Yf7g6] , leaving White under an
unpleasant double pin. The slow (but not really easy to parry) threat is ...
Rf5 followed by the transfer of the queen to g6, in order to win the g3-knight.
, dejando a las blancas con una desagradable doble clavada. La amenaza lenta 
(pero, realmente, nada fбcil de parar) serнa ...Rf5, seguнdo por la maniobra
de la dama hacнa g6, recuperando el caballo de g3.}) 19. h3 Qc7 (19... d5 $132
{looks more active. serнa mбs activo.}) 20. Ng5 Ne5 21. Qe2 Qc8 22. f4 Nf7 23.
Nf3 Rb8 24. c4 $14 {White's progress over the past few moves is obvious. El
progreso de las blancas durante las ъiltimas jugadas es evidente.} Qb7 25. Bd2
Qb2 26. Qd3 Qb7 27. Bc3 Qc6 28. a5 Kg8 29. Rad1 Rbd8 {White has regrouped in
the optimal way and is ready for concrete action. Las blancas han reagrupado
sus fuerzas de forma уptima y estбn preparadas para acciones concretas.} 30. f5
e5 $16 {Strategically, White's position is close to winning. In the
manoeuvring phase that follows, Leko will combine the threats of a direct
mating attack with the pressure along the d-file. Desde un punto de vista
estratйgico, la psociуn de las blancas no estб lejos de ganada. En la fase de
maniobras que sigue, Leko combinarб la amenaza de un ataque directo de mate
con la presion sobre las debilidades de la columna de d.} 31. Nf1 Rb8 32. g4 h6
33. N1d2 Qc7 34. Kh1 Qd8 35. Rg1 Nh7 36. Nf1 Bg5 37. Ne3 Bxe3 38. Qxe3 Rb3 39.
Rd3 Nhg5 40. Nd2 Ra3 41. h4 Nh7 42. Nf3 Nf6 43. g5 hxg5 44. hxg5 Nh5 45. Bd2
Ra4 46. Qe2 Ra2 47. Qe1 Nf4 48. Bxf4 exf4 49. Qh4 Qe8 50. g6 Nh6 51. Qxf4 Re2
52. Ng5 Qa4 53. Qxd6 Qxc4 54. Qd5+ Qxd5 55. Rxd5 {Nowadays, it is not so easy
to mate the opponent in the middlegame, especially at this level. However, the
resulting ending is almost as good. Hoy en dнa, no resulta fбcil ganar por
mate en el medio juego, especialmente a este nivel. Sin embargo, entrar en
este final estб casi igualmente bien.} c4 56. Rd7 c3 57. Ne6 Rc8 58. Rgd1 Rd2
59. R1xd2 cxd2 60. Rxd2 1-0

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.21"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Svidler, Peter"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2735"]
[BlackElo "2769"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Bf4 O-O
8. Qd2 Nd7 9. O-O-O Nc5 10. Be3 Re8 11. Bc4 Be6 12. Bxe6 Nxe6 13. h4 Qd7 14.
Qd5 Qc6 15. Qf5 Qc4 ({A novelty over Una novedad con respecto a} 15... Nf8 {
as played in the fourth round game Svidler-Gelfand. The knight retreat looks
like a solid option and eventually led to a quick draw, but has the drawback
that it leaves White a free hand for developing his initiative. If Svidler was
ready to repeat the variation, he obviously had prepared some improvement. The
idea behind Kramnik's move is to question the enemy queen's domination over
the right wing as soon as possible. This will be the main theme of the next
phase of the game. que se habнa jugado en la cuarta ronda en la partida
Svidler-Gelfand. La retirada de caballo parece una opciуn sуlida y habнa
llevado a unas tablas rбpidas en dicha ocasiуn, pero tiene la desventaja de
dejar a las blancas manos libres para desarrollar su iniciativa. La idea
detrбs de la jugada de Kramnik es cuestionar lo antes posible la dominaciуn de
la dama enemiga en el flanco de rey. Este serб el tema principal durante la
siguнente fase de la partida.}) 16. Kb1 (16. Ng5 Bxg5 17. hxg5 {looks too
straigthforward to cause Black serious problems.} Nf8 {Safely defending the
h7-pawn and preparing the activation of rooks.} 18. Kb1 Re5 19. Qd3 Qxd3 20.
cxd3 Rae8 21. Rh3 b6 22. Kc2 R5e6 23. Rdh1 f6 {Finally annihilating White's
advantage of space on the kingside.} 24. gxf6 Rxf6 25. d4 d5 26. Kd3 h6 $11 {
Karjakin,S (2678)-Kramnik,V (2766)/Wijk aan Zee 2007/CBM 117 (1/2-1/2, 33)})
16... g6 17. Qh3 h5 18. Nd2 $146 {But only this is the really new move.} (18.
Nd4 Nxd4 $6 {This might be the cause to Black's future problems. White is
given the possibility to activate his major pieces.} (18... Ng7 $5 {[%cal
Yd6d5,Yc7c5,Ga8d8] , consolidating the kingside in advance and leaving the
enemy knight exposed in the centre deserves attention.}) 19. Rxd4 Qe6 20. Qf3
Bf6 21. Rb4 b6 22. Qc6 Rac8 23. Rd1 a5 24. Rc4 Rcd8 25. a4 Re7 26. Rd5 Qd7 27.
g3 Qxc6 28. Rxc6 Ra8 29. Ka2 $1 {[%cal Ya2c4,Yc4b5] Bartel,M (2569)-Fridman,D 
(2604)/Germany 2006/CBM 116 (1-0, 58). and White's domination on the light
squares eventually yielded him a win.}) 18... Qe2 $5 ({A super-refined move.
The immediate} 18... Qg4 {looks more natural, but Black has good reasons to
provoke the move Rde1. First of all (but not the most important), Black plans
to play ...d5 and it could be useful to eliminate any possibility of pressure
along the d-file. However, the essence is that the opposition of rooks along
the e-file favours Black. In certain cases, the e3-bishop could remain pinned,
while in others the exchange of rooks along the e-file would diminish White's
attacking chances on the kingside.}) 19. Rde1 Qg4 20. Qh2 (20. Qxg4 hxg4 21. h5
{looks tempting, but Black seems to have sufficient defensive resources.} gxh5
$1 (21... Kg7 22. hxg6 Kxg6 23. Rh6+ Kg7 24. Reh1 Rh8 25. Rxh8 Rxh8 26. Rxh8
Kxh8 {Apparently, everything is OK for Black, but the unexpected} 27. Bxa7 $5 {
(in the spirit of the first game of the Fischer-Spassky match) maintains
better chances for White after} b6 28. a4 $1) 22. Rxh5 Ng7 $1 {It appears that
the h-file does not offer White too many squares for his rook(s).} 23. Rhh1 (
23. Rh2 Bf6 24. Reh1 $6 {is risky because of} Nf5 $36 {[%csl Ge3,Gh8]} 25. Nf1
Nxe3 26. Nxe3 g3 $1 $17) 23... Nf5 $132) 20... d5 21. f3 Qa4 22. g4 {Finally,
White has managed to start a kingside attack which bears some similarity with
the sharp lines of the Sicilian Dragon. It should be noticed that his own king
finds himself in absolute safety, because of the absence of open files on the
queenside. Finalmente, las blancas han conseguнdo lanzar un ataque en el
flanco de rey que se parece a las agudas lнneas de la variante del Dragon de
la Siciliana. Cabe mencionar que su proprio rey se encuantra en absoluta
seguridad, por la falta de lнneas abiertas en el flanco de dama.} Bd6 (22...
hxg4 $2 23. h5 $1 $36) 23. Qf2 Ng7 {We can also notice some differences if
compared to the Dragon, which favour Black. We have here an open file, which
can always be used by the defending side for transposing to an ending by
exchanging all rooks. This could happen if White tries to undermine Black's
kingside fortress with Bd4, threatening Bxg7 and gxh5. Another aspect is
Black's advantage of space in the centre (something unthinkable in the Dragon).
Concretely, the presence of the d5-pawn restricts the activity of the white
knight. Tambiйn podemos observar ciertas diferencias con respecto al Dragon
que favorecen a las negras. La presencнa de una lнnea abierta ofrece a la
parte en defensa simplificar la posiciуn mediante el cambio de todas las
torres. Por ejemplo. esto podнa pasar en caso de Ad4, con idea de subminar la
fortaleza negra del flanco de rey con Axg7 y gxh5. Otro aspecto se refiere a
la ventaja de espacнo en el centro de las negras, algo impensable en el Dragon.
Concretamente, la presencнa del peуn de d5 en el centro restringe la actividad
del caballo enemigo.} 24. c4 $5 (24. Bd4 Rxe1+ 25. Rxe1 Re8 $11 26. Rg1 Be5 $1
{[%csl Gg7,Gh5]}) 24... dxc4 25. Bd4 {Svidler has cleared the e4-square for
his knight, which can make a lot of difference after the aforementioned
solution 25...Rxe1+ 26.Rxe1 Re8 because of 27.Ne4! However, the structural
modifications in the centre have also opened the d-file and the h1-a8 diagonal,
which will offer Black additional possibilities for defence and counterattack.
Svidler eliberу la casilla de e4 para su caballo, lo que serнa un factor
esencial despuйs de la parada mencionada anterirmente 25...Rxe1+ 26.Rxe1 Re8
por 27.Ne4! Sin embargo, las modificaciones structurales en el centro han
dejado abiertas la columna de d y la gran diagonal blanca, lo que les ofrecerб
posibilidades adicionales de defensa y contraataque a las negras.[#]} Qc6 $1 {
Indirectly defending the f6-square. Defendiendo la casilla de f6 de forma algo
indirecta.} 26. Bc3 ({Threatening Qd4. Amenazando Qd4. No era peligrosa} 26.
Ne4 {was not dangerous because of por} Be5 {revealing the idea behind Black's
previous move. There was no time for slow increase of the pressure with ,
dejando clara la idea de la jugada anterior de las negras. Tampoco queda
tiempo para aumentar la presiуn con} 27. Re2 {because of por} Rad8 {the d-file
serves Black quite well for starting his counterplay. cuando la columna de d
les sirve a las negras para fuerte contrajuego.}) (26. Bxg7 Kxg7 27. Qd4+ Kg8
28. gxh5 {would weaken the position of Black's king, but the own king would
start feeling insecure, too, after} c3 $1 29. Nc4 (29. Ne4 Be5 $1) 29... Rxe1+
({After} 29... cxb2 30. hxg6 $40 {White's king feels safer than his rival. The
black b2-pawn offers even better protection than the white pawn on the same
square.}) {Now, a logical (but more spectacular) way to achieve the same
result as in the game would be} 30. Rxe1 Re8 31. Rxe8+ (31. Rd1 Bf8 $1 {
[%cal Yf8g7]}) 31... Qxe8 32. Qxc3 gxh5 33. Nxd6 Qe2 $1 34. a3 Qd1+ 35. Ka2
Qxd6 $11) 26... Bc5 27. Qg3 Bd6 28. Qf2 ({The only reasonable way to avoid an
immediate draw was La ъnica manera de evitar lastablas inmediatas serнa} 28.
Qg2 {, but after the opening of the long diagonal the white queen would feel
dominated by her rival. Just think about Leko's uninspired queen retreats in
his game against Gelfand! , pero despuйs de la apertura de la gran diagonal la
dama blanca se sentirнa dominada por su rival. Recuerde las retiradas de dama
de Leko contra Gelfand, unos dнas antes.}) 28... Bc5 29. Qg3 Bd6 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.23"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C89"]
[WhiteElo "2792"]
[BlackElo "2750"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "41"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. c3
d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. Rxe5 c6 12. d4 Bd6 13. Re2 {We can notice
that for each game Anand prepares a different variation against the Marshall.
This might look like a speculative attitude, but maybe there is no other way
to counter such a well-analyzed opening. Podemos observar que Anand elige un
sistema diferente para cada partida en la cual se enfrenta con elAtaque
Marshall. Esta estratйgia puede parecer un poco especulativa, pero tal vez es
el mejor mйtodo cuando se trata de una apertura tan profundamente analizada.}
Bg4 14. f3 Bf5 15. g3 $146 ({Earlier, White played Anteriormente, las blancas
habнan jugado principalmente} 15. Bxd5 {mainly. The idea behind Anand's
novelty remains unclear, especially since the game will end soon. . La idea
detrбs de la novedad de Anand quedarб en oscuridad, porque la partida acabarб
pronto en tablas.} cxd5 16. Nd2 Bd3 (16... b4 17. Nf1 bxc3 18. bxc3 Qc7 19. Re3
Rfc8 20. Bd2 Bg6 $13 {Todorovic,G (2415)-Pavlovic,M (2420)/Vrnjacka Banja 1990/
EXT 97 (0-1, 31)}) 17. Rf2 (17. Re3 Qh4 18. f4 Bf5 $44) 17... Qc7 (17... b4 $5
{Kotronias,V (2550)-Sokolov,I (2625)/Elenite 1992/CBM 032/[ChessBase] (0-1, 56)
}) 18. g3 Rae8 19. Nf1 Bg6 20. Ne3 Qd7 21. Nxd5 Bxg3 22. Nf6+ gxf6 23. hxg3 $16
{Georgiev,K (2595)-Nikolic,P (2630)/Wijk aan Zee 1988/CBM 005 (1-0, 39)}) 15...
Qc7 16. Kf2 {An ingenious move, but if a king move is necessary with the whole
queenside undeveloped, something must be wrong with White's whole plan.} ({
Continuing the development with the natural} 16. Nd2 {would lead to a forced
draw after} Bd3 17. Rf2 $8 (17. Re1 $2 Bxg3 $17 18. hxg3 $6 Qxg3+ 19. Kh1 Nf4
20. Rg1 Qh3#) (17. Rg2 $2 Ne3 $19) 17... Bxg3 18. hxg3 Ne3 19. Qe1 Qxg3+ 20.
Kh1 Qh4+ (20... Rae8 21. Qg1 $1 {[%cal Yf2h2,Gd2e4]}) 21. Kg1 Qg3+ $11 {
[%csl Ge1]}) ({The thematic} 16. a4 {is also insufficient:} Rae8 17. axb5 axb5
18. Nd2 Bxg3 19. hxg3 Qxg3+ 20. Rg2 Re1+ 21. Nf1 Qh4 22. Qd2 Rxf1+ 23. Kxf1
Qh1+ 24. Kf2 Re8 $1 $11 {I do not exclude the possiblity that Black could find
an improvement somewhere, but since a draw is guaranteed, it is OK from the
opening's point of view already.}) 16... Qd7 17. Bxd5 {This exchange is forced
now.} (17. Nd2 $2 {is bad because of} Bd3 18. Re1 Qh3 $40) 17... cxd5 18. Nd2
Bd3 19. Re3 Bg6 {Aronian is confident about his position and rightly so.} ({
He could have forced a draw here with} 19... Qh3 20. Kg1 (20. Rxd3 $2 {leads
to mate after} Qxh2+ 21. Kf1 Qh3+ $5 {although 21...Bxg3 does not look "bad"
either.}) 20... Bxg3 21. hxg3 Qxg3+ 22. Kh1 $11 {Black cannot play for more
than a perpetual with} Rae8 $6 23. Nf1 $8 Bxf1 24. Qxf1 Re6 25. Qg2 $1 $18) 20.
Nf1 a5 21. a3 {Black has the usual compensation, based on his pair of bishops
and more active position. Besides, the white king's position is weaker than in
the normal lines. Las negras tienen su acostumbrada compensaciуn, por su
pareja de alfiles y la posiciуn mбs activa.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.23"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Black "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E20"]
[WhiteElo "2726"]
[BlackElo "2733"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "121"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 {Earlier in this tournament, Gelfand has successfully defended Black's
point of view in the Petroff three times already. Grischuk wisely decided to
change the background. Durante este Campeonato, Gelfand habнa defendido con
йxito el punto de vista delas negras en la defensa Rusa nada menos que en 3
ocasiones. Logicamente, Grischuk decide cambнar el paisaje.} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3.
Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 c5 5. g3 {Also logical. During his relatively short career as a
1.d4 player, Grischuk has played the Catalan a couple of times, and not
without success. From this point of view, his desire to develop the king's
bishop to g2 in the Nimzo-Indian, too, looks understandable.} cxd4 6. Nxd4 O-O
7. Bg2 d5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Qb3 {This variation is almost universally played
nowadays.} Qa5 10. Bd2 Nc6 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. O-O Bxc3 13. bxc3 Ba6 14. Rfd1 Qc5
15. e4 Bc4 16. Qa4 Nb6 17. Qb4 Qh5 18. Bf4 {The position is very slightly more
pleasant for White, but most of the games in which this variation was played
ended in draws. Black has a normal development, but experiences some
micro-problems. Now, he needs to establish some communication between his
queen and the rest of the pieces. La posiciуn es microscopicamente mбs
agradable para las blancas, pero en prбctica la mayorнa de las partidas en las
cuales se habнa jugado esta variante acabaron en tablas. Las negras tienen un
desarrollo normal, pero quedan con unos micro-problemas de coordinaciуn. En
este momento, tienen que encontrar una forma de abrir la comunicaciуn entre su
dama y el resto del ejйrcito.} ({The main alternative is} 18. Be3 {, which was
tried at the highest imaginable level in Kasparov,G (2851)-Anand,V (2769)/Wijk
aan Zee 2000/CBM 075/[Wells] (1/2-1/2, 56)}) 18... Be2 ({Grischuk happened to
be on the black side in the first game in which 18.Bf4 was played:} 18... c5
19. Qb2 e5 {Bacrot,E (2715)-Grischuk,A (2710)/Poikovsky 2005/CBM 106/[Gavrikov]
(1-0, 61). Apparently, he felt that Black's task is not that easy and decided
to put Gelfand to a similar test.}) ({The other pawn move played here is} 18...
e5 19. Be3 {Once the connection between the black queen and the queenside has
been cut off, the bishop returns on this diagonal.} Be2 20. Re1 Nc4 21. Qc5
Rfd8 22. Rab1 h6 {It might seem that Black enjoys excellent stability for his
pieces, affording to make such prophylactical moves. However, the sensation of
comfort is only an illusion, as proven by the next move.} 23. h3 $1 {Suddenly,
3 of Black's pieces are in danger because of the threat g4.} Nxe3 24. Qxe3 Bc4
25. a4 {In the absence of the queen, the black queenside is vulnerable to such
simple actions as the advance of the a-pawn, with the idea of occupying the
b7-square with a rook.} a5 {Preventing White's plan, but weakening the
queenside even more.} 26. Qc5 Be6 27. h4 {Finally, Black has provoked a small
weakness in White's kingside, but the queen has the same problems with finding
a way to join the rest of the army.} Rd2 $1 ({Black has to counterattack at
any cost.} 27... Rdc8 {would be too passive.}) 28. Qxc6 Rc8 29. Qb5 Rxc3 30.
Qxa5 Rcc2 31. Qa7 Ra2 32. Ra1 {It seems that White has good possibilities to
advance his extra-pawn, because the f2-pawn is defended.} Qe2 $5 {This must
have come as a shock. Psychologically, it means the failure of White's plan to
keep the enemy queen out of play, but objectively White is very much OK still.}
33. Rxe2 $6 (33. Rf1 $1 {and Black has no obvious way to continue his attack.
Maybe best would have been} Kh7 {avoiding back rank checks (Qb8+ - xe5) and
passing to White the responsability of finding a constructive plan.}) 33...
Rxa1+ 34. Kh2 Rxe2 {Najer,E (2648)-Jakovenko,D (2671)/Moscow 2006/CBM 116 (0-1,
50). and Black's material advantage as well as the passivity of the g2-bishop
leave White struggling already.}) 19. Re1 c5 ({After the intermediate bishop
move,} 19... e5 $2 {loses a pawn to} 20. Bxe5 $1) 20. Qb3 e5 21. Bc1 $1 {
Necessary prophylaxis.} ({The more natural} 21. Be3 {allows the activation of
the knight with} Nc4 {when} 22. Rxe2 $2 Qxe2 23. Bf1 {is met by} Qb2 $1 {
[%csl Ga1]}) 21... Rac8 ({Now, after} 21... Nc4 $2 22. Rxe2 Qxe2 23. Bf1 $18 {
, the b2-square is protected.}) 22. a4 {We are familiar to this method of
queenside attack from the game Najer-Jakovenko.} Bc4 23. Qb2 Qg6 24. a5 Nd7 25.
Rd1 Qc6 {The queen is back in the game, but meanwhile the knight has occupied
an unfavourable square. We can state that Black's micro-problems persist. La
damaha vuelto en el juego, pero mientras tanto el caballo ha sido forxado a
ocupar una casilla incуmoda. Podemos apreciar que la micro-ventaja de las
blancas persiste.} 26. Bh3 Be6 {My feeling is that in this phase of the game
Gelfand was too open to simplifications, a policy that will eventually lead to
an unpleasant ending.} ({Here, he could have maintained some tension with} 
26... Rc7 27. Be3 Nf6 {when the practically forced weakening move} 28. f3 {
leads to a more double edged situation with queens on the board. Black could
choose the right moment to retreat with his bishop to e6.}) 27. Bxe6 Qxe6 28.
Be3 Rc7 29. Qa2 Qxa2 $6 ({Here, too, avoiding the exchange with} 29... c4 {
was an important alternative. Although the bishop's pressure against the
a7-pawn is quite worrying, things could eventually happen on the white
kingside, too.}) 30. Rxa2 Nf6 31. f3 Rfc8 (31... Rb8 {would not have prevented
no hubiera prevenido} 32. Rb2 $1 {anyway. en absoluto.}) 32. Rb2 {The knight
has reached a stable square, but White maintains the better prospects because
of his control over both open files. By contrast,Black's rooks are doubled
behind his own c-pawn. El caballo ha alcanzado una casilla estable, pero las
blancas mantienen na posiciуn mбs activa, por el control de ambas columnas
abiertas. Por contraste, las torres negras estбn dobladas detrбs del peуn
proprнo de c5.} Kf8 33. Kf2 Ke7 ({Maybe it would have made some sense to
prevent the exchange of the knight with} 33... h6 $5 {, when the d5-square
would not have been available for the white rooks.}) 34. Bg5 h6 35. Bxf6+ Kxf6
36. Rd6+ Ke7 37. Rd5 f6 38. Ke3 g5 39. c4 Rc6 40. Rb5 {In the absence of any
minor pieces, White has a stable advantage, because Black is reduced to
complete passivity.} Ke6 41. f4 {In order to increase his advantage, White
needs to open a new front of action. Para aumentar su ventaja, las blancas
necesitan abrir un nuevo frente de lucha.} R6c7 42. Kf3 h5 {Preventing the
king's infiltration to h5, but weakening his own kingside structure.} 43. Ke3
gxf4+ {At first sight, this looks like a premature release of the tension, but
Gelfand probably hoped for some kingside counterplay at some moment.} ({
In fact, Black seems to be in some sort of zugzwang. The only reasonable move
with a piece is} 43... Rc6 {, when White is at crossroads.} 44. Rb1 {looks
better, threatening fxe5 followed by Rf1-f5.} (44. fxe5 {is a premature
release of the tension.} fxe5 45. Rb2 Ra6 $1 (45... Rf8 46. Rb7 $16) 46. Rf2
Rxa5 47. Rf5 Ra3+ 48. Kd2 Rb8 {and Black has powerful counterplay, forcing
White to force a draw by perpetual.}) 44... Ra6 {The only active possibility,
but Black's counterplay will fail by one tempo.} 45. f5+ $1 Ke7 46. Rb7+ Kf8
47. Rh7 Kg8 48. Rxh5 {Clearing the g4-square for the king.} Rxa5 49. Kf3 $1 {
Just in time to avoid being cut off along the 3rd rank.} Ra3+ 50. Kg4 Re3 51.
Rh6 Rxe4+ 52. Kh5 {Black is in a dangerous situation.} Rd4 {is the only way to
keep fighting, but White can ignore the tension in the centre.} 53. Rxf6 g4 (
53... Rxd5 $2 54. cxd5 c4 55. Rc6 $1 $18) 54. Rxe5 {with a strong, probably
decisive, attack.}) 44. gxf4 h4 45. f5+ Kf7 46. Kf3 Kg7 47. Rb1 $6 {Neglecting
the king's activation.} ({Grischuk might have worried that his king would be
in danger if he captures the h4-pawn. His fears were only partly justified.} 
47. Kg4 $1 Kh7 48. Rd6 $1 ({Only not} 48. Kxh4 $4 Rg7 $1 {[%csl Gh4][%cal
Yc8h8,Yh7g8]}) 48... Rg7+ 49. Kh3 $1 {Simplest. The h4-pawn acts as an
umbrella for the king.} ({The courageous} 49. Kh5 {is also possible, for if}
Rh8 {, then} 50. Rxf6 Kg8+ 51. Rh6 $18) 49... Rf7 50. a6 $16 {[%cal Yb5b7]}
Rcc7 51. Rb8 $18) 47... Kh6 48. Rd6 Rc6 49. Re6 ({Grischuk intends to clear
the f5-square for his king. This plan will be crowned by success only after
Gelfand's mistake on the 53rd move.} 49. Rd2 $5 {would have maintained the
tension.}) 49... Rxe6 50. fxe6 Re8 51. Rb7 Rxe6 52. Rxa7 Rd6 53. a6 $2 {
The same mistake, with the difference that here it lets White's advantage slip
away.} (53. Kg4 $1 Kg6 54. Ra8 {Black is helpless against the advance of the
a-pawn to a7.} Rd4 {This counterplay will fail by just one tempo.} ({Passive
defence would not save the game:} 54... Rc6 55. a6 Kg7 56. a7 Ra6 57. Kxh4 Ra1
58. Kg4 Ra6 59. h4 Ra1 60. h5 Ra2 61. h6+ Kh7 62. Kf5 Ra6 63. Re8 $1 Rxa7 64.
Kxf6 $1 $18) 55. a6 Rxe4+ 56. Kf3 Rf4+ 57. Ke3 Kf5 58. Rg8 $1 (58. a7 $2 Re4+
59. Kf3 Rf4+ $11 60. Kg2 $2 Rg4+ 61. Kh3 Rg7 $17) 58... Re4+ 59. Kf3 Rf4+ 60.
Kg2 $18) 53... h3 $2 ({Gelfand had been under constant pressure for a long
time and, just when he was relatively close to a draw, his nerves finally
cracked. He should have prevented the activation of the enemy king with} 53...
Kg5 {when} 54. Rg7+ Kh6 55. a7 {is not dangerous becauseof} Ra6 56. Rb7 Kg5 {
and White cannot make progress.}) 54. Kg4 Rd3 55. Ra8 Kg7 56. Kf5 Rd6 57. Ra7+
Kh6 58. Rf7 {Offering a simplification to a won pawn ending. Ofreciendo una
simplificaciуn hacнa un final de peones ganado.} Rd2 59. a7 Rf2+ 60. Ke6 Ra2
61. Kxf6 {Black is paralyzed and will lose most of his pawns. Las negras estбn
paralizadas y perderбn la mayorнa de sus peones.} 1-0

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.23"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Svidler, Peter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2751"]
[BlackElo "2735"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 {Fashion is cruel. Just a few years ago, about half of the games
played at high level started with these moves. In Mexico, the first Sicilian
was played in the second half of the tournament... La moda es cruel. Hace
pocos aсos, mas o menos la kitad de las partidas a nivel alto empezaban con
estas jugadas. En Mйxico, la primera Siciliana se jugу en la segunda mitad del
torneo...} 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8.
Qd2 Nbd7 9. f3 Be7 10. g4 O-O 11. O-O-O b5 12. Rg1 $5 ({This ultra-refined
move was first played by Anand against Morozevich, in Monaco 2006. Morozevich
won the game with Black, but was apparently impressed by the idea and employed
it himself in the same tournament, and... lost, too! White is not in a hurry
to advance his g-pawn, because after Esta jugada ultra-refinada fue empleada
por primera vez por Anand contra Morozevich en Monaco 2006. Morozevich ganу
con negras, pero parece que fue impresionado por la idea ya que la empleу mбs
tarde en el mismo torneo y... !perdiу tambiйn! Las blancas no tienen prisa con
avanzar el peуn de g porque despuйs de} 12. g5 b4 $1 13. Nd5 {Black can
preserv e his light-squared bishop with las negras pueden conservar su alfil
de casillas blancas con} Nxd5 14. exd5 Bf5 {. At the same time, the presence
of the rook on the g-file is generally useful. . Al mismo tiempo, la presencнa
de la torre en la columna de g puede resultar ъtil para mбs tarde.}) 12... Nb6
({Now, after Ahora, despuйs de} 12... b4 13. Nd5 {Black would have to give up
his bishop, when a further g5 will open the important h3-c8 diagonal for the
white king's bishop. las negras tendrнan que cambнar su alfil, despuйs de que
un futuro avance del peуn de g abrirнa la importante diagonal h3-c8 para
elalfil blanco.}) 13. Na5 Rc8 14. g5 Ne8 15. a3 Qc7 16. Kb1 d5 $1 17. exd5 Nxd5
18. Nxd5 Bxd5 19. Bh3 ({White completes his development and attacks two enemy
pieces at the same time. The immediate Las blancas completan su desarrollo,
atacando dos figuras enemigas al mismo tiempo.} 19. Qxd5 $2 {was impossible
because of era imposible por} Rd8) 19... Be6 $5 ({An interesting decision.
After U na decisiуn interesante. Despuйs de} 19... Rd8 20. Qf2 {, the pressure
of White's bishop would have been irritating. , la presiуn de los alfiles
blancos se hubiera vuelto iritante.}) 20. Bxe6 fxe6 {Black's structure does
not look too impressive now, but the open f-file as well as the absence of a
blocking knight on e4 make the situation unclear. La estructura de las negras
tiene bastante mala pinta, pero la presiуn por la columna de f y la aъsencнa
de un caballo blanco bloqueador en e4 hacen que la posiciуn no sea clara.} 21.
Qd7 $5 {A courageous move, which, after Black's cautious answer, will only
lead to simplifications. Una jugada valiente, que, tras la respuesta prudente
de las negras, llevarб solo a simplificaciones.} Qxd7 ({Svidler was probably
afraid that after Es posible que Svidler haya temido que depsuйs de} 21...
Qxc2+ 22. Ka2 {his pieces would lose coordination. Indeed, after sus figuras
hubieran perdido su coordinaciуn. Efectivamente, despuйs de} Rc3 {Black can
parry the threat ...Rxa3+ followed by mate with las negras pueden parar la
amenaza ...Rxa3+, seguнdo por mate, con} 23. Qxe7 {, when Black's attacking
prospects remain debatable, mainly because of his passive knight. cuando las
posibilidades de ataque de las negras serнan cuestionables, por la pasividad
de su caballo.}) 22. Rxd7 Rc7 23. Rxe7 Rxe7 24. Bc5 Ref7 25. Bxf8 Kxf8 26. Nc6
Rxf3 27. Nxe5 Rf5 28. Nd3 a5 29. h4 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.23"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E61"]
[WhiteElo "2758"]
[BlackElo "2769"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 c5 2. Nc3 g6 3. e3 Bg7 4. d4 Nf6 {Apparently, White has played the
opening without any ambition. Aparentemente, las blancas han jugado la
apertura sin ningъn ambiciуn.} 5. d5 $5 {But this move causes an opposite
impression. Pero esta jugada provoca una sensaciуn enteramente opuesta.} O-O 6.
Nf3 e6 7. Be2 exd5 8. cxd5 d6 {As an experienced Benoni player, I have
problems finding a proper name for this almost non-existent variation; "the
e3-Benoni" sounds almost comical! However, White's setup is not without venom.
By refraining from exposing his e-pawn to early attacks (...Re8), White
intends to obtain more freedom of action for his minor pieces. His king's
knight could go to c2 (via e1) in order to counter a later ...b5 with b4, or
to the more usual c4-square, without having to care about defending the
e4-pawn from d2. We shall see further differences with respect to the
classical system (e4, Nf3 and Be2) as the game advances. White's philosophy is
similar to that from the fianchetto system: White refrains from an early
occupation of the centre, but the later advance of the e-pawn should not be
discarded. One possible drawback of this system is that the c1-bishop will
remain passive for a long time. From psychological point of view, Morozevich's
choice is simply brilliant. Kramnik does not play this opening regularly 
(although he employed it in the penultimate game of his match against Leko,
when he desperately needed to win) and, almost surely, never studied the
e3-system! There are not many recent cases when the World Champion was taken
"out of the book" at such an early stage, with the position remaining complex
at the same time. Como jugador con mucha experiencнa de Benoni, tengo
problemas en encontrar un nombre a esta casi inexistente variante; "la Benoni
con e3" Ўsueсa casi cуmico! Sin embargo, el sistema de desarrollo escogido por
las blancas no carece de veneno. Al evitar de exponer su peуn de e a ataques
tempranos (...Re8), las blancas aseguran mayor movilidad a sus figuras menores.
Por ejemplo, el caballo de rey puede ser trasladado a c2, para contestar un
eventual ...b5 con b4, o a c4, sin necesidad de defender el peуn de e4 desde
d2. Veremos mбs detalles a lo largo de la partida. Una posible desventaja
serнa conectada con las dificultades en desarrollar el alfil de c1. Desde un
punto de vista psicolуgico, la escogida de variante de Morozevich es
simplemente brillante. Kramnik casi no juega la Benoni (aunque si la empleу en
la penъltima partida de su encuentro contra Leko, cuando necesitaba
desesperadamente ganar) y, ciertamente, Ўnunca debio de estudiar la variante
de e3! Noson muchos los casos recientes cuando el Campeуn del Mundo fue sacado
de su libro de aperturas en un estado tan temprano de la partida, con la
posiciуn quedando suficientemente complicada.} 9. O-O Bg4 {Since Black is
under no immediate pressure, he had a relatively wide choice of typical plans.}
({The first game which made me aware of the e3-Benoni continued} 9... Na6 10.
Ne1 $5 Nc7 11. a4 b6 12. Nc2 Ba6 13. Bxa6 Nxa6 14. Qd3 Nc7 15. Rb1 Re8 16. Bd2
{White has discouraged any queenside attack, because ...a6 followed by ...b5
would always be met by b4, aiming to open the way for the knight towards c6.}
Qe7 17. f3 Qe5 18. e4 {Finally, White has occupied the centre under favourable
circumstances. The c7-knight is passively placed now.} Qe7 19. Rbe1 Rac8 20. f4
{And now he starts the typical attack in the centre.} c4 $6 21. Qf3 Nd7 22. Nb4
$16 {Miles,A (2565)-De Kleuver,E (2150)/Tilburg 1993/CBM 039 (1-0, 37). I
happened to play in this KO event and became very worried about this setup. A
few months later, I shared my fears with GM Mihai Suba (one of the greatest
Romanian Benoni specialists), but he simply laughed. I can understand him, but
if it works against a World Champion, the system cannot be that bad...}) (9...
a6 10. a4 Bg4 11. Nd2 (11. h3 Bxf3 12. Bxf3 {would transpose to the main game.}
) 11... Bxe2 12. Qxe2 Nbd7 13. Rb1 Re8 (13... Rc8 14. b3 Nb6 15. Qd3 Ng4 16.
Nc4 Nxc4 17. Qxc4 f5 18. Ne2 Qd7 19. Nf4 $14 {[%csl Ge6] De Greif,B-Lebredo,G/
Camaguey 1974/EXT 2001 (1/2-1/2, 47)}) 14. b3 {This move is enabled by the
fact that Black has not the tactical possibility of destroying White's centre
with ...Nxe4 followed by ...f5.} Rb8 15. Bb2 h5 16. h3 Qa5 17. Ra1 Re7 18. Rfd1
Rbe8 19. Nc4 Qc7 20. Rac1 $14 {Lobron,E (2540)-Wiersma,E (2300)/Leeuwarden
1997/EXT 99 (1-0, 64). Black has completed his regrouping, but his position is
quite passive in the absence of objectives for attack.}) (9... Re8 10. Nd2 Na6
(10... b6 11. a4 a6 {looks too passive.} 12. Qc2 Nbd7 13. Rb1 Ne5 14. h3 h5 15.
f4 $1 Ned7 16. e4 {White has transposed to a favourable form of the 3 pawns
attack, with gain of time.} Rb8 17. b3 Qc7 18. Bb2 $16 {Palermo,V (2300)
-Arencibia,W (2425)/Mar del Plata 1990/EXT 2000 (1-0, 34)}) 11. Nc4 Nc7 12. a4
b6 13. Ra2 $5 {[%cal Yb2b3,Gg7a1]} Ne4 14. Nxe4 Rxe4 15. b3 f5 16. Bf3 Re8 17.
Qd2 Ba6 18. Bb2 Bxc4 19. bxc4 Na6 20. Re1 Nb4 21. Ra3 Bxb2 22. Qxb2 $14 {
Lobron,E (2550)-Wojtkiewicz,A (2563)/Frankfurt 2000/CBM 076 ext (1/2-1/2, 52).
The knight stands nicely on b4, but does not do too much (compare with
Anand-Grischuk, Mexico 2007), while the queenside majority cannot be
transformed into a passed pawn easily. At the same time, the black king's
position is weakened and White only needs to prepare e4 to get attacking
chances.}) 10. h3 (10. Nd2 $5 {is possible here, too.}) 10... Bxf3 11. Bxf3
Nbd7 12. a4 $146 {Technically speaking, a novelty.} ({Allowing Black's
queenside expansion with} 12. Rb1 a6 13. b3 {does not make too much sense.} b5
14. Bb2 Re8 15. g3 b4 16. Na4 Ne4 $132 {[%csl Gc3] Ilinsky,V (2340)-Lukin,A 
(2450)/Frunze 1989/TD (1/2-1/2, 29)}) 12... a6 13. g4 $5 {This original
attempt to win space will be fully crowned by success. Este original intento
de ganar espacio en el flanco de rey serб coronado por exito.} c4 $5 ({This is
a typical move in the Benoni, but maybe the prophylactic Esta es una jugada
tнpica en la Benoni, pero aquн la jugada profilбctica} 13... h6 $5 {deserved
serious attention here. Deprived of the plan of winning more space on the
kingside, White would not have been entitled to claim an advantage. hubiera
sido preferible.} 14. Be2 (14. h4 $2 Nh7 $1) 14... Re8 $13) 14. Be2 $1 Rc8 $6 {
With the pawn on e4, Black could answer 14...Nc5 15.f3 Rc8. Con el peуn en e4,
las negras podнan haber contestado 14...Cc5 15.f3 Tc8.} ({Not having too much
experience as a Benoni player, Kramnik did not feel prepared to carry out a
thematic pawn sacrifice:} 14... Ne5 $5 {(Clearing the d7-square for the other
knight.} 15. f4 Nd3 $1 16. Bxd3 cxd3 17. Qxd3 h5 18. g5 Nd7 19. e4 Nc5 20. Qf3
Re8 21. Re1 Qa5 {[%csl Ga1][%cal Yb7b5]} 22. Ra2 Qb4 $132 {[%cal Ye8e7,Ya8e8]
White's far advanced pawns have left behind many vulnerable squares.}) 15. g5
Ne8 16. f4 $14 {Now, the c1-bishop proves useful by safely defending the
backward pawn. De repente, el alfil de c1 se vuelve ъtil, al defender el peуn
retrasado de e3.} Qe7 17. Ra3 Rc5 $6 ({Kramnik's play in this phase of the
game is not too logical. He starts queenside operations with his knight and
king's rook passive on the other wing. Personally, I would first think of
eliminating the g5-pawn with El juego de Kramnik en esta fase de la partida no
parece muy lуgico. Йl inicнa operaciones activas en el flanco de dama, en un
momento en que su caballo y torre rey se encuentran pбsivas en el flanco
opuesto. Yo hubiera pensado en eliminar el molesto peуn de g5 con} 17... h6 $5
18. h4 f6 {when cuando} 19. Bg4 {, threatening to invade the e6-square, can be
answered with , amenazando con invadir la casilla de e6, podнa ser parada con}
Nc7) 18. Bf3 Ra5 19. Bd2 Nc5 20. Qe2 Nb3 21. Ne4 $16 {We can see that White
makes use of the e4-square to activate his knight. Now, ...f6 is out of
question already, because of gxf6 followed by Ng5-e6. Podemos ver que las
blancas utilizan la casilla de e4 para activar su caballo. Ahora, las negras
no pueden ni pensar en jugar ...f6, por gxf6 seguнdo por Ng5.} Nxd2 (21... Rxd5
22. Qxc4 Rxd2 23. Rxb3 $16) 22. Qxd2 {After the exchange of his queen's bishop,
White has solved all his problems with the development. Black's control on the
dark squares is less relevant than in a normal Benoni, because the d4-square
has not been weakened with e4 yet. White has a clear and stable advantage.
Despuйs del cambнo de este alfil, las blancas resolvieron por fin sus
problemas de desarrollo. La dominaciуn de las negras en casillas negras es
menos relevante que en una Benoni normal, porque la casillade d4 no ha sido
debilitada con e4.} Qd8 23. Qb4 b5 24. axb5 Rxb5 25. Qxc4 Qb6 26. Qc6 Bxb2 27.
Qxb6 Rxb6 28. Ra2 Bg7 29. Rc1 h6 30. h4 hxg5 31. hxg5 f6 32. Rc6 Rxc6 33. dxc6
fxg5 34. Nxg5 Nc7 {Despite simplifications, Black has a difficult position.
White has an enormous advantage of space and his c6-pawn is very dangerous. A
pesar de las simplificaciones, las negras se encuentran en apuros graves. Las
blancs disponen de una enorme ventaja de espaciу, mientras que el peуn de c6
es muy peligroso.} 35. Rd2 Rd8 36. Bg4 Bc3 37. Rd3 Ba5 38. Kg2 d5 39. e4 {
It was worth waiting with this move for so long. The advance of the e-pawn
will increase White's advantage. Mereciу la pena esperar tanto tiempo antes de
efectuar esta jugada. El avance del peуn de e incrementa la ventaja de las
blancas.} d4 40. e5 Bb6 41. Rb3 Rb8 42. Rh3 Ba5 43. Rh6 Rb2+ 44. Kg3 Be1+ 45.
Kf3 d3 46. Rxg6+ Kf8 47. Rd6 d2 48. Ke4 1-0

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.24"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D30"]
[WhiteElo "2750"]
[BlackElo "2726"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Bg5 h6 5. Bxf6 Qxf6 6. Nbd2 $5 ({A rare move,
avoiding the topical Moscow variation, which would arise by transposition
after Una jugada poco frecuente, evitando la variante Moscъ, a que se llegarнa
por transposiciуn despuйs de} 6. Nc3 c6 {. After the game move, play will take
a very original course. . Despuйs de la jugada del texto, el juego tomarб un
curso muy original.}) 6... Nd7 (6... c5 $5 7. e4 $5 (7. cxd5 cxd4 $5 8. Rc1 {
is another way to develop White's initiative.}) 7... cxd4 8. cxd5 exd5 ({
Safer would be} 8... e5 {, when after} 9. Bb5+ Bd7 10. Qb3 $14 {White's
control on the light squares would offer him the more pleasant position.}) 9.
exd5 Nd7 10. Qa4 $6 ({White should have completed his development as soon as
possible with} 10. Bb5 $1 {, when the exposed position of the enemy queen
could tell. In case of} Qe7+ 11. Kf1 $1 {White has the right to castle, but
Black's development is also delayed, while the alignment of the black Royal
pair on the e-file is dangerous.}) 10... Bd6 11. Qxd4 O-O 12. Qxf6 Nxf6 13. Bc4
Re8+ 14. Kf1 a6 15. a4 Bd7 $15 {Steiner,H-Lasker,Ed/New York 1931/HCL (0-1, 35)
. with more than enough compensation for the pawn.}) (6... c6 7. Qb3 Nd7 8. g3
Qd8 9. Bg2 Be7 10. O-O O-O 11. e4 dxc4 12. Nxc4 b6 13. Rfd1 Bb7 {Endzelins,
L-Unzicker,W/Augsburg 1946/EXT 2001 (1/2-1/2, 20)} 14. Na5 $5 $14 {Anyway,
this was a game played long before the Moscow variation became fashionable and
the specialists would remark that not all the moves have been consequent.}) (
6... dxc4 {faces White with a difficult psychological problem: which piece is
best suited to capture on c4? The only thing is that all the 3 possible
answers are correct!!} 7. e3 ({A continuation in the spirit of the Catalan
defence would be} 7. Qa4+ c6 8. Qxc4 Nd7 9. g3 Qe7 10. Bg2 Qb4 11. Qc2 Be7 12.
O-O O-O 13. Rfd1 a5 14. Nc4 Rd8 15. a3 Qb5 16. e4 $14 {Rausis,I (2490)
-Manninen,M (2380)/Jyvaskyla 1996/EXT 98 (1-0, 33)}) 7... g6 {An over-refined
move. White is waiting for ...Bg7 before capturing with the knight.} 8. Rc1 (8.
Bxc4 Bg7 9. O-O O-O 10. b4 Qe7 11. Rb1 Nd7 12. Qc2 c6 13. a4 {Nikolic,P (2631)
-Roiz,M (2605)/Valjevo 2007/CBM 119 (1/2-1/2, 86). White has the usual
advantage of space, as in the Moscow Variation. The knight is not so active on
d2, but it can go to b3, while the bishop has captured on c4 without loss of
time.}) 8... Nd7 {Black has good nerves, too.} 9. Nxc4 Bb4+ $6 {Not really
logical after ...g6. The dark squares will remain weak now.} (9... Bg7 10. Bd3
O-O 11. O-O $14 {The knight stands well on c4, because it prevents ...e5.}) 10.
Ncd2 c6 11. a3 Bxd2+ 12. Nxd2 O-O 13. Bc4 b6 14. O-O Bb7 15. b4 $14 {Nikolic,P
(2631)-Pavasovic,D (2567)/Valjevo 2007/CBM 119 (1-0, 35)}) 7. g3 (7. Rc1 {
is aimed to force Black take a decision on the queenside before White proceeds
with his kingside development.} c6 (7... c5 {is entirely possible, but
justifies the delay of the decision on the kingside by allowing} 8. cxd5 exd5
9. e3 b6 10. Bb5 {[%csl Gc5]}) 8. g3 Qe7 9. Bg2 g6 10. O-O Bg7 11. e4 dxe4 12.
Nxe4 Nf6 13. Nc5 O-O 14. b4 Rd8 15. Qb3 Qc7 {Nikolic,P (2626)-Motylev,A (2662)/
Germany 2006/CBM 116 (0-1, 46)}) 7... g5 $5 {A far from one sided move. Black
puts some additional pressure on White's centre and wins space on the kingside,
but weakens the h5-and f5-squares The latter will become important if Black
will have to play ...exd5 at some moment.} (7... g6 {is likely to more or less
transpose to Nikolic-Motylev or Endzelins-Unzicker.}) 8. h3 Bg7 ({One possible
justification for the previous move would be} 8... h5 $5 {.}) 9. Rc1 c5 10. e3
O-O 11. Bg2 b6 (11... cxd4 12. exd4 e5 (12... b6 13. cxd5 exd5 14. O-O $14) 13.
cxd5 exd4 14. O-O Nb6 15. Nb3 Nxd5 16. Nfxd4 $14 {Black will need some effort
to complete his development, while the weakness of the f5-square will always
be there. However, his pair of bishops offers him counter-chances.}) 12. cxd5
exd5 13. O-O Bb7 14. Re1 Rfd8 {Black has achieved an active version of the
hanging pawns, but the evaluation of such positions is far from one-sided.
White's structure is flexible and solid, which entitles him to hope for a
favourable course of the game in the long run. Besides, Black's kingside
contains chronic weaknesses on the light squares. White's main concern for the
time being should be the activation of his queen's knight, which does not put
any kind of pressure on Black's position and stands in the way of his own
pieces at the same time. Las negras lograron una forma bastante activa de los
peones colgados, pero la evaluaciуn de este tipo de posiciones suele ser lejos
de unilateral. La estructura de las blancas es sуlida y flexible, lo que les
permite contar con un curso favorable del juego a largo plazo. Ademбs, el
flanco de rey negro contiene debilidades crуnicas sobre casillas blancas. En
este momento, la principal tarйa de las blancas es encontrar una forma de
activar a su caballo de dama, que no ejerce ningъn tipo de presiуn sobre el
centro enemigo y se encuentra en el camino de sus prуprнas figuras al mismo
tiempo.} 15. g4 $5 ({A creative solution to the aforementioned task. Aronian
intends to transfer his knight to f5 or, eventually, h5. The standard
manoeuvre would be Una soluciуn creativa al problema anteriormente mencionado.
Aronian quнere trasladar el caballo a f5 o h5.La soluciуn tradicional serнa} 
15. Nb1 {followed by Nc3, increasing the pressure against the d5-pawn. seguнdo
por Nc3, aumentando la presiуn sobre el peуn de d5.}) 15... h5 $5 ({Ambitious
and... risky. Black intends to deny the knight's access to g3 with ...h4.
After the more restrained Ambicioso y... arriesgado. las negras quнeren
denegar el acceso del caballo enemigo a g3. Despuйs de la mбs prudente} 15...
Qe6 16. Nf1 f5 {White would consolidate his g4-pawn with las blancas
consolidarнan el peуn de g4 con} 17. N3h2 {, followed by Ng3-f5 anyway.
However, the final evaluation of the resulting position would be uncertain,
because the other knight would remain passive for a while. seguнdo por Ng3-f5
de toda forma. Sin embargo, la evaluaciуn final de la posiciуn quedarнa
incierta, porque el otro caballo estarнa algo pбsivo.}) 16. gxh5 $1 {The only
way to question the viability of Black's plan. This self-disruption of the
structure might look like a strategic concession, but Aronian correctly
anticipated that his knights will get additional possibilities on the kingside.
Besides, the apparently doomed h-pawn could play an important part in certain
cases. La ъnica forma de cuestionar la correctitud del plan delas negras. La
auto-destrucciуn de la estructura de las blancas puede parecer como una
concesiуn estratйgica, pero Aronian intuyу muy bien que ahora sus caballos
obtendrбn posibilidades adicionales en el flanco de rey. Ademбs, el
aparentemente condenado peуn de h podrб jugar un papel importante en ciertos
casos.} Qh6 17. Nh2 Rac8 18. Ndf1 f5 19. Ng3 Qe6 20. Nf3 Qf6 {Black has
managed to stabilize the kingside position, but White will open a new front on
the opposite wing. La negras han estabilizado el flanco de rey, pero las
blancas abrirбn un nuevo frente en el centro.} 21. dxc5 bxc5 22. b4 $5 {
Fighting for the d4-square. Luchando por la casilla de d4.} f4 $5 {As you can
see, neither of the players is concerned about the material balance. Pawns are
sacrificed nonchalantly for the sake of achieving certain strategic advantages.
Como pueden ver, ningъn de los jugadores no estб demasiado preopupado por
mantener el equнlibrнo material. Ambas partes entregan peones sin mбs, para
llevar a cabo sus planes en forma уptima.} 23. exf4 gxf4 24. Nf1 c4 (24... cxb4
$5 {looks like a positional concession, but Black's queenside majority could
be dangerous after simplifications.}) 25. N1h2 {Black's achievements in the
centre are impressive, but the white knights exert irritating pressure on the
kingside. One important element is the h5-pawn, which deprives the queen of
the g6-square and is ready to advance to h6 at the most appropriate moment.
Los logros de las negras en el centro son impresionantes, pero los caballos
blancos ejercen una iritante presiуn en el flanco de rey. En elemento
importante es la presencнa del peуn en h5, que denega el acceso de la dama en
la casilla de g6 y amenaza con avanzar a h6 en cualquнer momento.} Qf5 $2 ({
Black gives up the control of the d4-square too easily. In order to release
White's pressure over the central pawns, he should have aimed to exchange
rooks, for which Las negras levnatan el control sobre la casilla de d4 sin
necesidad. Para rebajar la presiуn de las blancas sobre los peones centrales,
serнa necesarнo el cambнo de por lo menos un par de torres. Por esto,} 25...
Re8 {strongly comes into consideration. merece serнa atenciуn.} 26. Rxe8+ (26.
Ng4 Qf5) 26... Rxe8 27. Ng4 (27. Qa4 Bc6 $1) 27... Qf5 28. h6 (28. Nd4 Qxh5 $1
29. Nf6+ $2 Nxf6 $19) (28. Qa4 a6 $5) 28... Bh8 29. Nd4 Qf7 (29... Qg6 30. Qa4
$5) 30. Qd2 Ne5 $15) 26. Nd4 Qd3 27. Ne6 Qxd1 28. Rexd1 Ne5 $5 {Interesting,
but not enough. Interesante pero no suficiente.} 29. Nxd8 Rxd8 30. Ng4 Nd3 31.
Rxd3 $1 {Simplest. By returning the exchange, Aronian calms down the position,
depriving Black of his main trump: the two connected passed pawns. Although
there remain certain technical difficulties, White will convert his advantage
quite confidently. Lo mбs sencillo. Al devolver la calidad, Aronian quita a
las negras el orgullo de su posiciуn: la pareja de peones centrales pasados.
Aunque quedan ciertos detalles tйcnicos por resolver todavнa, Aronian ganу con
bastante confianza.} cxd3 32. Rd1 Bc8 33. Rxd3 d4 34. Be4 Ba6 35. Ra3 Be2 36.
h6 Bh8 37. Rxa7 d3 38. h7+ Kf8 39. Bg6 d2 40. Rf7+ Ke8 41. Nf6+ Bxf6 42. Rg7+
1-0

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.24"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2733"]
[BlackElo "2751"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "47"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Qc8 {Quite logical. Once Kramnik has shown
the best way to meet the Catalan, a new trend of fashion has been opened.
Until Kramnik will have this position with White, of course. Bastante lуgico.
dado que Kramnik habнa mostrado unos dнas antes como hay que jugar contra la
Catalana, una nueva tendencнa de la moda se ha abierto. Hasta que a Kramnik le
toque jugar esta variante con blancas, por supuesto.} 12. Bg5 Nbd7 13. Nbd2 Bb7
14. Nb3 ({Deviating from the slightly premature Desvнandose de la algo
premбtura} 14. Bxf6 {, as played in Aronian - Kramnik, few days earlier. ,
como se jugу en Aronian-Kramnik.}) 14... a5 15. Rd1 $146 {I had recommended
this logical move in my comments to the game Shirov,A (2699)-Onischuk,A (2663)/
Foros 2007/CBM 119/[Marin,M] (1/2-1/2, 42).} Bd5 {But this is a new move for
me, too, and a strong one I must admit. Black does not rush in, but continues
improving the position of his pieces. Among others, the b7-square is cleared
for the queen.} ({I only investigated the consequences of the immediate} 15...
a4) 16. Ne5 {White has a wide choice here, but there seems to be no clear way
to even some minimal advantage.} (16. Nc5 Nxc5 17. Bxf6 {fails to} Nb3 $1 18.
axb3 Bxf6 $15 {[%csl Yb2,Yb3]}) (16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Nc5 Nxc5 18. Qxc5 Qb7 {
Black's excellent development and the active placement of his bishops prevents
White from taking advantage of the (relatively unstable) blockade on c5.} 19.
Rac1 Rac8 20. a3 a4 21. Ne1 Rfd8 $1 {and Black might break with ...e5 soon,
putting the b2-pawn in danger.}) (16. Ne1 Qb7 $1 17. Bxd5 Qxd5 {Again, Black's
activity compensates for the weaknesses along the c-file. For instance, the
generally desirable} 18. Nd3 a4 19. Nbc5 {gives up a pawn to} Qxd4 {, when it
is far from easy to prove concrete compensation:} 20. Nxd7 Qxd7 21. Ne5 Qc8 22.
Nc6 Qe8) 16... Bxg2 17. Kxg2 a4 (17... Nxe5 18. dxe5 Nd5 19. e4 Bxg5 20. Qxg5
Nb6 21. Nc5 {might offer White some advantage, becaue of his stable knight,
but it remains an open question whether this is something real after} Rd8) 18.
Nc5 ({The occupation of the c6-square with} 18. Nc6 {is premature because of}
Qb7 {when the complications initiated by} 19. Nba5 Rxa5 20. Kg1 Ra6 21. Nxe7+
Kh8 22. Bxf6 Nxf6 (22... gxf6 $2 23. d5 $1 $16 {and Black will not manage to
keep the knight trapped.}) 23. Qc5 {[%csl Gf8][%cal Ye7g6]} Nd7 $1 24. Qb4 c6
$17 {[%csl Ge7]}) ({As usual, I am slightly reluctant to recommend} 18. Bxf6 {
, which allows the activation of the enemy bishop with} Bxf6 (18... Nxf6 19.
Nc5 $14) {for instance:} 19. Nxd7 Qxd7 20. Nc5 Qc6+ 21. Kg1 Rfd8 $132 {[%cal
Yf6b2] and again Black's better development compensates for the (unstable)
blockade.}) 18... Bxc5 19. Bxf6 Bb6 $1 (19... gxf6 20. Nxd7 Qxd7 21. Qxc5 $16)
(19... Bxd4 20. Nxd7 Bxf6 21. Nxf8 $14) 20. Bg5 ({Against the seemingly lethal
Contra la aparente letal} 20. Nxd7 Qxd7 21. Qg5 {, Black can defend with las
negras pueden defender con} Qd5+ 22. Qxd5 exd5 {, when the relative weakness
of the c7-pawn is compensated by the fact that White's bishop cannot find an
active diagonal easily. However, there might be some play left here: cuando la
relativa debilidad del peуn de c7 esta compensada por la flata de diagonales
activas para el alfil blanco.} 23. Bg5 Rfe8 24. Kf3 Re6 25. Rac1 Rae8 26. Rc2 {
[%cal Yg5f4,Yd1c1]}) (20. Bxg7 {would lead to a draw by perpetual slightly
sooner than in the game. llevarнa a tablas por perpetъo un poco mбs rбpido que
en la partida.}) 20... Nxe5 (20... f6 {was an interesting alternative.} 21. Nc6
{This tempting move allows an unexpected tactical trick.} (21. Nxd7 Qxd7 22.
Be3 Qd5+ 23. f3 {does not seem to offer an advantage either against Black's
active piece placement.}) 21... Qb7 22. Be3 Bxd4 $1 (22... Nb8 23. d5 $1) 23.
Kg1 Bxe3 24. Qxe3 Qxc6 25. Rac1 Qb6 $1 26. Rxd7 Qxe3 27. fxe3 {White's active
rooks compensate for the missing pawn, but then the e-pawns are weak. Black is
at least not worse here.}) 21. dxe5 {The position is interesting. Black has
the better pawn structure, but cannot fight for the d-file while the enemy
bishop is on g5.} h6 {Safest.} (21... c5 $5) 22. Bxh6 gxh6 23. Qxh6 Rd8 24.
Qg5+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.24"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D43"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2792"]
[Annotator "Rogozenco,D"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{At the moment when this game was played Anand was leading the tournament with
6 points out of 9, a full point ahead of Gelfand and 1,5 points ahead of
Kramnik. It was clear that this encounter represented practically Kramnik's
last chance to fight for maintaining his World Champion title.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4
c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 {This aggressive set-up represents
White's most ambitious attempt to meet the Semi-Slav. Its drawback is that
unfortunately there is no clear way for advantage here: everywhere Black keeps
counterplay. Kramnik prepared a novelty for this highly important game, but it
didn't shake Anand's preparation: the position remained very complex.} dxc4 7.
e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Be2 Bb7 10. O-O ({For almost a decade Khalifman's} 10. h4 {
has been en vogue, but lately White often returns to the "old" 10.0-0.
Although in my opinion 10.h4 still remains White's most principled move, in
the latest games Black achieved good results after} g4 11. Ne5 Nbd7 $13) 10...
Nbd7 11. Ne5 Bg7 {Anand is confident and plays the main line, which he used
before as well.} ({In round 7 (four days previous to the present game) Gelfand
played against Kramnik} 11... h5 12. Nxd7 Qxd7 {and now instead of the
commonly established 13.Be5 Rh1 14.Qc1 the World Champion produced a novelty,
playing immediately} 13. Qc1 {which after} Rg8 14. Rd1 Bb4 15. Qe3 Qe7 {
Kramnik-Gelfand, Mexico City Wch 2007 (40) led to a position where the Israeli
GM had to show all his creativity in order to escape with a draw.}) 12. Nxd7
Nxd7 13. Bd6 a6 14. Bh5 ({Anand already faced in practice} 14. a4 {which after}
e5 15. Bg4 exd4 16. e5 c5 $1 {is established as good for Black.}) 14... Bf8 15.
Bxf8 Rxf8 16. e5 Qb6 17. b3 $146 {A logical novelty: anticipating opponent's
long castling White starts to open the queenside. Actually we are witnessing
the amazing homework of the world's best players. Kramnik's second in Mexico
Van Wely played this position with Black and might have felt that 17.b3 is the
right direction for White. On the other hand, Anand's second P-H Nielsen is
also a specialist of this opening line and (as revealed by Anand) during their
preparation process the Danish GM pointed out the move 17.b3. So Anand was
well prepared to meet it and continued to play very quickly.} (17. Ne4 O-O-O
18. Nd6+ Kb8 19. Nxf7 (19. b3 f6 20. bxc4 fxe5 $13 {1/2-1/2 Ernst,S (2504)-Van
Wely,L (2675)/Netherlands 2006 (51)}) 19... Rxf7 20. Bxf7 Nxe5 21. Qh5 Rxd4 22.
Bxe6 c5 $36 {0-1 Radjabov,T (2728)-Anand,V (2779)/Mainz (rapid) 2006 (36)})
17... O-O-O $5 {An immediate answer by Anand, which probably came as an
unpleasant surprise for Kramnik.} ({During their analysis both opponents must
have concluded that} 17... c5 {is dangerous for Black. In fact the advance of
the c-pawn is the most natural reaction and possibly Kramnik paid more
attention to 17...c5 than to 17...0-0-0.}) 18. bxc4 Nxe5 19. c5 Qa5 $1 {
In connection with the next move, an interesting exchange sacrifice.} (19...
Qc7 20. a4 $44) 20. Ne4 Qb4 (20... Nc4 {keeps the extra pawn, but due to the
passive bishop on b7 and potentially weak black king White has compensation.})
21. Nd6+ Rxd6 22. cxd6 Nd7 {Again Anand refrains from 22...Nc4, possibly
because of psychological reasons: if Kramnik achieved this position in his
preparation, he must have mainly looked at 22...Nc4. Up to this point White
spent 17 minutes and Black only 7! The entire idea to sacrifice the exchange
was prepared by Anand and his second Peter-Heine Nielsen at home. Considering
that it was Kramnik who introduced the novelty, such a deep preparation
impresses a lot. The next few moves are very important for both sides,
especially for White, who must find a constructive plan.} 23. a4 {In my
opinion this is a critical moment. The natural advance of the a-pawn is
perhaps too committing, since the exchange of the pawns on b5 (Anand will soon
force that) will offer Black advantages too: the bishop b7 will become active
and Black will remain with two passed pawns. If White cannot create an attack,
then maybe he should have refrained from 23.a4.} (23. Qd3 $5 {[%cal Gf1d1,
Ga1c1,Gd3h7]}) 23... Qxd6 {The position calmed down and it is time to evaluate
it. The material is approximately equal and both sides have their strategical
trumps. In the middlegame Black can create pressure on d4, while his queenside
pawns may prove very strong in the endgame. On the other hand the black king
is more vulnerable to almost any kind of further tactical complications.
Apparently in such an open position White should be able to coordinate his
rooks and create some threats, but this is extremely difficult to achieve: if
Black will succeed in finding an active and safe square for the knight, then
he can be optimistic about the future. White doesn't have many pieces left to
create big threats and the exchange of queens would be a catastrophe for him:
in the endgame Black will have a large advantage.} 24. Bf3 {Since the long
diagonal will soon be open, White can hardly avoid the exchange of bishops.} ({
In such an important game giving up another pawn with} 24. Qc2 {looks scary,
even if after} Qxd4 (24... Kb8 25. Qh7 $36) 25. axb5 axb5 26. Rfd1 $13 {
White has open files and diagonal for his active pieces.}) 24... Nb6 {Forcing
White to clarify the situation on the queenside.} 25. axb5 {White naturally
opens the position, but as mentioned already, Black can be happy too: now he
will remain with two potentially very strong passed pawns.} cxb5 (25... axb5 $2
{opens files only for opponent's pieces and is obviously weaker} 26. Qc2 $16)
26. Bxb7+ Kxb7 {After the exchange of the bishops White's future hopes are
mainly connected with creating pressure on the a-file.} 27. Qh5 {For the
moment White cannot do much on the a-file: the a6-pawn is difficult to attack 
(and easy to protect). Besides, Black has counterplay in the center against
pawn d4. Having realized that there is no direct attack on the queenside
Kramnik goes for opponent's weaknesses on the other wing.} (27. Qf3+ Nd5 $1 (
27... Qd5 28. Qf6 $36)) 27... Nd5 $5 {Anand didn't resist the temptation to
activate the knight.} ({After} 27... Qxd4 28. Qxh6 {(possibly White must try
something else here)} {Black can force the exchange of queens with} Rh8 29.
Qxg5 Qh4 $1 {Then after} 30. Qxh4 (30. Qe5 $2 Nc4 $17) 30... Rxh4 31. g3 Rh8 {
the endgame looks dangerous rather for White, in spite of his passed pawn on
the h-file.}) 28. Qxh6 Nf4 {Optically Black's plan looks very strong. However,
it is far from clear if Anand's move brings any benefits, since White defends
against concrete threats.} 29. Kh1 $1 {The correct way. White will have to
play f3 and therefore the king must stay on h1 in any case.} (29. Qxg5 $4 Ne2+
30. Kh1 Qxh2+ $1 31. Kxh2 Rh8+ {and mate}) (29. Rfe1 $4 Qd5 30. f3 Qxd4+ 31.
Kh1 Nd3 $19) 29... Qd5 30. f3 Rd8 {The rook finds the right place on d7: it
will be active on the d-file and at the same time protect f7 (and the entire
7th rank).} 31. Qg7 Rd7 ({Another reasonable possibility was to limit the
activity of White's queen by playing} 31... Qf5 {with different ideas to
exchange queens. E.g.} 32. Rfd1 Nh5 (32... Qg6 $2 33. Qe5 Qf5 34. Qe1 $16) 33.
Qh6 Nf4 {[%csl Rh6][%cal Gf5g6]} 34. Qg7 $11) 32. Qf8 {Kramnik finds and
wisely uses all the new resources of the position. He had to decide for his
queen between squares g8 and f8. In the first case the queen would have kept
an eye on pawn g5, while in the game White has the resource Qf8-a3. In such
cases players mainly rely on their intuition.} (32. Qg8 $5) 32... Ne2 $5 {
It is curious that a quarter of all Black's moves were made with this knight,
which always searches for a better square. With its last move the knight also
takes away square c1 from the rooks.} (32... Qd6 33. Qg8 $13 (33. Qg7 Qd5 $11 {
Anand})) (32... Qxd4 33. Rfc1 $36) 33. Rfe1 $1 Nxd4 (33... Qc4 $6 34. d5 $1 $16
{/\} exd5 $2 35. Qe8) 34. Red1 {The World Champion keeps the rook on the
a-file, still hoping for an attack.} ({Anand admitted that he was more afraid
of} 34. Rad1 {with pressure in the center. In both cases the position is some
sort of dynamic equality.}) 34... e5 {Black is just one step away from the
dream consolidation (...Qd6 and ...f6). However, as often happens in
double-edged positions, the direct way to achieve the goal rarely works out
smoothly.} (34... Qd6 $142 35. Qg7 Qf4 $13) 35. Rac1 {According to the plan,
although this turns out to be an inappropriate moment to remove the rook from
a1.} ({The extremely tense battle had its negative effects: both players missed
} 35. Qh6 {with a double attack on a6 and g5. Then after} Qd6 36. Qxg5 f6 {
(Anand's intention)} 37. Qg8 {things are no longer so rosy for Black: in
contrast to the game he runs into the risk of losing too.}) 35... Qd6 36. Qg8 (
36. Qc8+ Kb6 37. Ra1 a5 {(or even 37...Ra7) and White gets nowhere. With such
a strong knight Black has little to fear.}) 36... f6 37. Rc8 {In order to
justify his previous play White must do something against the black king.} a5
$1 {Finally the tension reaches its top. Black is very solid and Anand starts
showing his ambitions. Notice that the advance of the a-pawn is also a very
useful move from the defense's point of view: the black king gets additional
squares.} 38. h3 {A necessary loss of tempo.} (38. Rdc1 $2 Nc6 $1 {[%cal Gd6d1]
} 39. h3 Ne7 $19) 38... a4 39. Qe8 {Kramnik waits for Black's further pawn
advances, which would offer White additional targets for attack.} (39. Rdc1 Nb3
({The risky} 39... a3 {looks possible too, since after} 40. Ra8 Kb6 41. Qc8 {
[%cal Ga8a6] Black has} Rb7 {and after} 42. Rb1 {we have again a sort of
position where both players must keep the status quo.}) 40. Ra8 $1 Kb6 (40...
Rc7 $4 41. Qb8#) (40... Nxc1 $4 41. Qc8+ Kb6 42. Ra6#) 41. Qc8 Rb7 42. Rc3 $13
b4 $140 $2 43. Qc4 $18) 39... Kb6 {It turns out that White has a powerful
construction and Black cannot advance his pawns too far.} (39... a3 40. Ra8 Kb6
41. Qc8 Rb7 42. Rb1 Qc7 43. Qe8 $13 {/=}) 40. Rb8+ Ka5 (40... Rb7 41. Ra8 $11)
41. Ra8+ {With a draw offer accepted by Anand, who wisely decided not to take
any risk. Perhaps in a different tournament situation he could have considered
more seriously 41...Kb4, but objectively Black has little reason to continue.
Of course under the tournament circumstances this draw may be considered a
psychological victory for Anand. Nevertheless the game features a great fight
from both players, who showed impressive skills and were equally good.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.24"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Svidler, Peter"]
[Black "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B17"]
[WhiteElo "2735"]
[BlackElo "2758"]
[Annotator "Erenburg,S"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Ng5 {This is the most principled
line to fight for an opening advantage.} Ngf6 (5... h6 $2 6. Ne6 $1 {is the
point of 5.Ng5.}) 6. Bd3 (6. Bc4 e6 7. Qe2 Nb6 {is another theoretical line.})
6... e6 ({Again} 6... h6 $2 {is met by} 7. Ne6 $1) 7. N1f3 Bd6 (7... h6 $2 {
allows White to sacrifice a piece for a very strong and long-lasting
initiative. We all remember the historical defeat of Garry Kasparov:} 8. Nxe6
Qe7 9. O-O fxe6 10. Bg6+ Kd8 11. Bf4 {[%csl Rd8,Yf8,Yh8]} b5 12. a4 Bb7 13. Re1
Nd5 14. Bg3 Kc8 15. axb5 cxb5 16. Qd3 Bc6 17. Bf5 exf5 18. Rxe7 Bxe7 19. c4 {
1-0 Comp Deep Blue-Kasparov,G (2785)/New York 1997/EXT 1998}) 8. Qe2 h6 {
Now, this move is ok!} 9. Ne4 Nxe4 10. Qxe4 Qc7 ({The move} 10... Nf6 {is
tempting, but loses control over the important e5 square, which becomes
apparent after} 11. Qe2 Qc7 12. Bd2 b6 13. O-O-O Bb7 14. Ne5 $14 {[%csl Ge5]})
11. O-O b6 12. Qg4 {[%csl Rg7] Forcing Black to make a concession, either to
weaken his kingside, or to lose the right to castle.} Kf8 {Black loses his
right to castle, but, on the other hand White can't make use of it immediatly.
Meanwhile, Black is going to complete his queenside development and push c6-c5.
The alternative 12...g5 disappeared from top tournaments after following
brilliant win of Vishy Anand:} (12... g5 13. Qh3 Rg8 14. Re1 Bf8 15. Qf5 $1 Bg7
16. h4 Kf8 17. Qh3 Rh8 18. hxg5 hxg5 19. Qg4 c5 20. Bxg5 cxd4 21. Rad1 Bb7 22.
Rxe6 $3 fxe6 23. Be7+ $1 Kxe7 24. Qxg7+ Kd6 25. Nxd4 Qc5 26. Bf5 $1 Qe5 27.
Nf3+ $18 {1-0 Anand,V (2774)-Bologan,V (2650)/Dortmund 2003/CBM 097 (36)}) 13.
Bd2 $6 {In my opinion, this way of development is not the best one. The main
alternative is 13.b3 developing the dark-squared to b2, where it can press
Black's vulnerable Pg7. Recently, White successfully employed also the move 13.
Qh4. Here, few recent examples:} (13. Qh4 Bb7 (13... c5 14. Be4 Rb8 15. Rd1 Ba6
16. dxc5 bxc5 17. b3 f5 18. Bd3 Bxd3 19. Rxd3 Ne5 20. Nxe5 Bxe5 21. Rb1 $14 {
[%csl Re6] 1-0 Jakovenko,D (2708)-Sasikiran,K (2690)/Foros UKR 2007/The Week
in Chess 659 (69)}) 14. Re1 Kg8 (14... c5 $5 15. Be4 Bxe4 16. Qxe4 Rd8 17. dxc5
Nxc5 18. Qh4 Kg8 19. b3 Be7 20. Qc4 Bf6 21. Bf4 Qb7 22. Be5 Nd7 23. Bxf6 Nxf6
24. Rad1 Kh7 $11 {1/2-1/2 Nisipeanu,L (2693)-Sasikiran,K (2690)/Foros UKR 2007/
The Week in Chess 660 (33)}) 15. Qh3 Re8 (15... c5 $2 16. Rxe6 $1 fxe6 17.
Qxe6+ Kf8 18. Nh4 $18) 16. c4 Nf6 17. Bd2 c5 18. d5 e5 19. Bc3 g6 20. Qh4 Kg7
21. Nd2 $16 {1-0 Leko,P (2738)-Bareev,E (2643)/Elista RUS 2007/The Week in
Chess 657 (41)}) (13. b3 Bb7 14. Bb2 Nf6 15. Qh4 Nd5 16. Rfe1 Nf4 17. Ne5 g5
18. Qg4 Rg8 19. Qf3 Rd8 20. Rad1 c5 21. Be4 Bxe5 22. dxe5 Rxd1 23. Rxd1 Bxe4
24. Qxe4 $14 {1/2-1/2 Anand,V (2779)-Wojtaszek,R (2637)/Baden Baden GER 2007/
The Week in Chess 647 (35)}) 13... Bb7 14. Rfe1 ({Deserves further
investigation:} 14. c4) 14... Rd8 15. Rad1 c5 $1 $146 {[%csl Gb7,Gc7,Gd6,Rf3,
Rh2] Black successfully completed his queenside development and opened
diagonals for his bishops. White's kingside is under pressure. Meanwhile,
White didn't create any threats against the black monarch, while his queen is
actually misplaced. White should already fight for equality.} (15... Nf6 16.
Qh4 (16. Qh3 c5 17. dxc5 bxc5 $11) 16... c5 17. Ne5 (17. dxc5 $142 bxc5 18. Be2
$11) 17... cxd4 18. Bf4 Kg8 19. c3 dxc3 20. bxc3 Qe7 21. Qh3 Nd5 $17 {1/2-1/2
Jakovenko,D (2596)-Adams,M (2738)/playchess.com INT 2004/EXT 2005 (53)}) 16.
dxc5 bxc5 {Black is now threatening to take on f3, so White's reply is
understandable.} 17. h4 {Now, the "h" pawn is not hanging.} (17. Bc3 Nf6 18.
Qh3 Bxf3 (18... Nd5 19. Be5 Bxe5 20. Nxe5 Nf4 21. Qg3 g5 (21... Nxg2 $4 22.
Ng6+ $18 {[%csl Rc7]}) 22. f3 $11) 19. Qxf3 Bxh2+ (19... Nd5 $2 20. Rxe6 Nxc3
21. bxc3 Bxh2+ 22. Kh1 Qf4 23. Bg6 $3 Rb8 24. Re3 $1 fxg6 25. Qd5 Qg5 26. Kxh2
Qxd5 27. Rxd5 $14) 20. Kh1 Bf4 21. Bc4 Rxd1 22. Rxd1 Ke7 {White's compensation
for a pawn is rather murky.}) (17. Qh3 $2 Bxf3 18. gxf3 {[%csl Rf2,Rf3,Rh2]
This is strategically bad for White.}) 17... Nf6 18. Qh3 c4 $6 ({Black could
win an exchange nearly by force!} 18... e5 $1 {[%cal Ge5e4]} 19. Bc3 e4 20.
Bxf6 gxf6 21. Bxe4 Bxe4 22. Rxe4 Bh2+ 23. Nxh2 Rxd1+ 24. Nf1 Qc6 $15) 19. Bf1
Bd5 {[%csl Gd5] Black is at least not worse, as he is very solid in the center.
} 20. h5 Kg8 21. Be3 (21. Bc3 Kh7 22. Ne5 Ne4 (22... Rhf8 $5 $11) 23. Nxc4 (23.
Rxd5 $2 {is parried by} Ng5 $1 ({but not} 23... exd5 $2 24. Qf5+ Kg8 {[%tqu
"En","Please enter a move for White.","","","c3a5","",5]} 25. Ba5 $1 Qxa5 26.
Qxf7+ Kh7 27. Qf5+ Kg8 28. Rxe4 $1 Bxe5 29. Qxe5 $16)) 23... Nxc3 (23... Bc5 $4
24. Rxe4 $1 Bxe4 25. Qg4 $18 {[%csl Re4,Rg7]}) (23... Bxc4 $2 24. Rxe4 Bxf1 25.
Kxf1 $16) 24. Qxc3 Bh2+ 25. Kh1 Rhe8 {Black's pair of bishops compensates the
lack of pawn.}) 21... Kh7 {Black has completed an artificial castling.} 22. Bd4
Rhe8 23. b3 {The exchange on f6 at any time favours Black. So, Svidler is
trying to get rid of the Pc4 in order to make his light-squared bishop more
active.} cxb3 $6 {This exchange helps White, because it opens the diagonal for
the white light-squared bishop and also opens the "a" file.} (23... Bc5 24.
Bxf6 (24. Be5 Qb6 $15 {[%csl Rf2]}) 24... gxf6 25. Bxc4 Bxc4 26. bxc4 Qf4 $15)
24. axb3 Ne4 $2 {This is too optimistic.} ({Again, solid} 24... Bc5 {was
perfectly playable.}) 25. Bb5 $2 (25. Bd3 $2 f5 {gives White nothing.}) ({But,
} 25. Qg4 $1 {could punish Black for his mistake.} f5 (25... e5 26. Bxe5 $1
Bxe5 27. Rxd5 Nf6 (27... Nxf2 28. Qf5+ g6 29. Rxd8 gxf5 30. Rxe8 Bc3 31. Kxf2
Bxe1+ 32. Kxe1 Qxc2 33. Re3 $16) 28. Rxd8 Bh2+ $1 29. Nxh2 Nxg4 30. Bd3+ g6 31.
hxg6+ Kg7 32. Rdxe8 Qxh2+ 33. Kf1 Qh4 34. Ke2 Qxf2+ 35. Kd1 $16) (25... Nf6 26.
Bxf6 gxf6 {[%tqu "En","How should White continue?","","","d1d5","",10]} 27.
Rxd5 $1 exd5 28. Bd3+ Kh8 29. Rxe8+ Rxe8 30. Qf5 {and so on.}) 26. Qg6+ Kg8 27.
c4 Ba8 28. c5 $1 Nxc5 (28... Bxc5 29. Rc1 Qe7 30. Rxe4 $18 {[%csl Rc5]}) 29.
Bf6 {winning an exchange.}) 25... Re7 26. Qg4 f5 (26... e5 $2 27. Rxe4 Be6 28.
Qh4 exd4 29. Rexd4 $16) 27. Qg6+ Kg8 28. c4 Ba8 29. Be3 $2 {Attacking Ph6, but
missing a simple reply.} ({I don't see any better option for White than the
repetition of moves after} 29. Be5 Qb6 30. Bd4 Qc7 $11) 29... Rf8 $1 {[%csl
Rg6][%cal Gf8f6]} 30. Bd4 {White is forced to admit the mistake and come back
with the bishop, not to lose his queen.} a6 $2 {At this stage of the game,
both players were short on time, so, it was obviously extremely difficult to
calculate everything in such a messy position. White's queen is actually stuck
on g6, all Black needs to do is to remove the Bd4 and then to trap the queen
by Rf6.} (30... e5 $2 31. c5 $1 Bxc5 (31... Nxc5 32. Bxc5 Bxc5 33. Bc4+ Kh8 34.
Nh4 {with strong play on the light squares.}) 32. Bxe5 Bxf2+ 33. Kh1 (33. Kf1
$2 Rxe5 34. Rd7 Nd2+ $1 35. Kxf2 Qc5+ 36. Nd4 Ne4+ 37. Kg1 Re7 38. Rxe7 Qxe7
$17) 33... Rxe5 34. Rd7 Qxd7 35. Bxd7 Ng3+ 36. Kh2 Bxf3 $1 37. Rxe5 Nf1+ 38.
Kh1 (38. Kh3 $4 Bg4+ $19) 38... Ng3+ {with nice perpetual check.}) (30... Bc5
$1 {was as simple as strong!} 31. b4 (31. Bxc5 Qxc5 $19 {[%csl Rf2,Rg6][%cal
Gf8f6]}) 31... Bxd4 32. Rxd4 e5 33. Rd3 Rf6 34. Red1 Rxg6 35. hxg6 Bc6 $8 36.
Rd8+ Re8 37. Rxe8+ Bxe8 38. Bxe8 Kf8 39. Bf7 Nf6 $17) 31. c5 (31. Bxa6 $5 {
Looks very risky, but actually possible.} Bc5 (31... e5 32. c5 $1 Nxc5 (32...
Bxc5 33. Bxc5 Qxc5 34. Re2 $13) 33. Bxc5 Bxc5 34. Bc4+ Kh8 35. Nh4 {[%csl Re7,
Rf8,Rh8] is annoying for Black.}) 32. Bb5 Bxd4 33. Rxd4 e5 (33... Rf6 $2 34.
Red1 $1 Rxg6 35. hxg6 $18 {The threat 36.Rd8+ forces Black to give another
piece.}) 34. Rdd1 Rf6 35. Rd7 $8 Qxd7 36. Bxd7 Rxg6 37. Bxf5 Rxg2+ $1 38. Kxg2
Nd2 39. Bg4 Rf7 40. Be6 (40. Re3 Kh7 41. Kg3 Nf1+ 42. Kg2 Nxe3+ 43. fxe3 g6 {
with slight winning chances for Black.}) 40... Nxf3 41. Ra1 Be4 42. Bxf7+ Kxf7
43. Kg3 {This complicated endgame should end in a draw.}) 31... Bxc5 (31...
Bh2+ $5 32. Nxh2 axb5 33. Nf3 Bd5 {was another playable option for Black.}) 32.
Bc4 Qb6 $4 {This move is just a tactical oversight.} ({Necessary was} 32... Bd5
33. Bxd5 exd5 34. Qxa6 {with approximate equality.}) 33. Bxc5 $4 {Wrong moves
order!} ({By} 33. Bxe6+ $1 Qxe6 (33... Kh8 $4 34. Qxh6#) 34. Bxc5 {White could
win an exchange without any compensation.}) 33... Qxc5 $6 {It's not clear why
Morozevich gave his Pe6.} ({After} 33... Nxc5 {White still has to prove his
compensation.}) 34. Bxe6+ Kh8 35. Rd4 Bc6 36. Bxf5 Nf6 37. Rc4 (37. Rxe7 Qxe7 {
followed by 38...Be8, Black will equalize.}) 37... Rxe1+ 38. Nxe1 Qe7 39. Nd3
Be8 40. Qg3 Nxh5 41. Qg4 {After a tense time-trouble a totally equal position
arised.} Bf7 42. Rc5 Qd6 43. Qb4 Bg8 44. Ra5 Qxb4 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.25"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2792"]
[BlackElo "2758"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "111"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 {For some reasons, Morozevich refrains from his trademark French
Defence again. Por algunas razones, Morozevich evita de nuevo su arma favorita,
la Francesa.} 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8.
Be3 Nbd7 {Sicilians with opposite castles do not necessarily feature sharp
attacks, where everything is decided by the speed of action. In the Najdorf
systems where Black plays ...e5, the relative weakness of the d5-square
becomes one of the main themes. Play can take a strategic course and the
kings' position may become a auxiliary factor, determining players to adjust
their plans in accordance to small tactical details. No siempre las Sicilianas
con enroques en flancos opuestos llevan a ataques agudos, donde todo estб
decidido por la rapidez de acciуn. En las lнneas de la Najdorf, donde las
negras juegan ...e5, la relativa debilidad de la casilla de d5 se vuelve el
factor estratйgico determinante, mientras que la posiciуn de los reyes se
convierte en un elemento auxiliario; mientras llevan a cabo sus planes, los
jugadores tienen que contar siempre con algunos detalles tбcticos.} 9. g4 Nb6
10. g5 Nh5 {After the early advance of White's g-pawn, White has increased his
control over the d5-square, but Black has got his share, too: the f4-square.
Despuйs del avance temprano del peуn de g, las blancas han incrementado su
control sobre la casilla de d5,pero las negras han recibido lo suyo, tambiйn:
la casilla de f4.} 11. Qd2 Rc8 12. O-O-O Be7 13. Rg1 O-O 14. Kb1 Qc7 15. Qf2 {
White forces one more defender of the d5-square to abandon his position. Las
blancas fuerzan a otro defensor de la casilla de d5 a abandonar su puesto.} Nc4
16. Bxc4 Bxc4 17. Nd5 Bxd5 18. Rxd5 {White has fulfilled the first part of his
plan. The d5-square is all his, and his bishop is more active than Black's.
However, in order to achieve full strategic success, he needs to transfer the
knight to d5 and this is by no means easy. Moreover, his kingside weaknesses
offer Black excellent targets for counterplay. Las blancas han llevado a cabo
la primera parte de su plan. La casilla de d5 estб plenamente bajo su control.
Sin embargo, para obtener un йxito estratйgico total, necesitan llevar el
caballo a d5, lo que no resulta muy fбcil. Ademбs, las debilidades del flanco
de rey ofrecen a las negras posibilidades de contrajuego.} f5 19. gxf6 Rxf6 ({
One of those small tactical nuances I was speaking about prevents Black from
winning a pawn with Una de los pequeсos matices tбcticos de los que hablaba
impide a la negras ganar un peуncon} 19... Nxf6 20. Rd3 Nxe4 $2 {because of por
} 21. Qg2 $1) 20. Qe2 Nf4 21. Bxf4 Rxf4 {We can see that, for practical
reasons, the black bishop cannot be considered "bad". We are far from the
endgame still and the presence on board of all major pieces requires concrete
evaluation. The bishop is very useful in the middlegame because it neutralizes
White's pressure along the d-file, while the similar weakness of the f3-pawn
is more difficult to defend. Podemos ver que el alfil negro dificilmente puede
ser considerado "malo". Hasta el final queda mucho y en el medio juego el
alfil es muy ъtil por neutralizar la presiуn de las blancas sobre la columna
de d. La debilidad equivalente en f3 es algo mбs difнcil de defender.} 22. Rd3
Qd7 23. Nc1 Rcf8 24. a3 $1 {This is not just a prophylactic move, ensuring
White against back rank problems. The main strategic purpose is to clear the
a2-square in view of the knight's transfer to d5. Esta no es solo una jugada
profilбctica, evitando eventuales problemas por la ъltima fila. La idea
principal detrбs del avancedel peуn de a es abrir camino para el caballo hacнa
la casilla d5.} Kh8 {But this might be just a loss of time. En cambнo, esta
parece una pйrdida de tiempo.} 25. Na2 Qh3 26. Rg3 Qh5 27. Qg2 Rh4 28. h3 {
White has managed to neutralize Black's kingisde pressure in satisfactory way.
Soon, the knight will become one of the main actors. Las blancas hanconseguнdo
neutralizar las presiуn de las negras de forma satisfactorнa. Pronto, el
caballo se convertirб en uno de los actoresprincipales.} Qh6 29. Rb3 b5 ({
We can notice here the meaning of White's advantage of space. Black's pieces
do not have easy access from one wing to another. Therefore, such a simple
attacking move like Rb3 will cause the chronic weakness of the queenside. The
alternate way of defending the pawn would be Podemos ver quн la importancнa de
la ventaja de espacнo de las blancas. Las figuras negras notienen acceso fбcil
de un flanco al otro y una amenaza tan sencilla como la creada por Rb3 causarб
la debilitaciуn crуnica del flanco de dama negro. La 'nica alternativa de la
jugada del textoserнa} 29... Rb8 {but after pero despuйs de} 30. Nb4 {there is
no way to defend the rook in order to parry the threats Nxa6 and Nc6. The rook
would have to move again, but after, say, no hay manera de defender la torre
en vista de las amenazas Nc6 o Nxa6. Las negras tendrнan que mover de nuevo
con la torre,pero despuйs de, por ejemplo,} Re8 31. Nd5 b5 {White has achieved
his aim with considerable gain of time. ls blancas lograrнan lo mismo que en
la partida, pero con ganancнa de tiempo.}) 30. Nb4 Rh5 31. Qf1 Rh4 {
Threatening ...Rxe4. Amenazando ...Rxe4.} 32. Qg2 Rh5 {An important moment of
modern chess history. Anand's most dangerous trailers, Kramnik and Gelfand,
had finished their games hours earlier and a draw would have maintained his
comfortable lead in the tournament. The ambitious decision to play on will
lead to a slightly irrational position, without any safety net for White.
Therefore, Anand deserves the highest praise for the way he chose to climb up
to the highest peak of the chess pyramide. This is the kind of World Champion
the public needs. Un momento importante de la historнa moderna del ajedrez.
Los principales perseguнdores de Anand, Gelfand y Kramnik, habнan acabado ya
sus partidas horas antes. Por esto, unas tablas por repeticiуn le permitirнa a
Anand a mantener su comfortable liderazgo en el torneo. Su decisiуn de
continuar a jugar llevarб a una posiciуn algo iracional, sin red de seguridad
alguna para las blancas y merece el mбs alto halago. Este es el tipo de
Campeуn de Mundo que el publico aсora.} 33. Nxa6 Bh4 34. Rg4 Bf6 35. Qe2 Rxh3
36. Rxb5 Bd8 37. Rb8 Qf6 38. Nb4 Rxf3 39. Nd5 Qf7 40. Qa6 {Each side has
created two connected passed pawns. The fact that they will have to be
advanced makes the situation very sharp, because the kings will remain
vulnerable. On general ground, White should be better, because of is
dominating knight, but concretely the position remains unclear. Cada parte se
ha creado dos peones pasados. El hecho de que se trata de peones de la guardнa
del rey amplifica el carбcter agudo de la posiciуn. Generalmente, se puede
decir que las blancas estбn mejor, por su fuerte caballo, pero concretamente
nada estб muy claro todavнa.} h5 41. Rg2 h4 $2 ({The speed is an important
factor in this kind of situations, but two central pawns are too high a price
to pay for just one tempo. La velocidad es un factor esencнal en este tipo de
posiciones, pero dos peones centrales son un precio demasiado alto por solo un
tiempo. era necesarнo} 41... Qe6 {was necessary.}) 42. Qxd6 Be7 43. Qxe5 {
The essential thing now is that White has a central passed pawn as well,
meaning that he does not need to weaken his king's position yet! The game is
practically decided. La diferencнa esencнal es que las blancas se han creado
un peуn pasado en el centro, lo que quнere decir que no van a tener que
debilitar su posiciуn de rey avanzando uno de los peones del flanco de dama.
La partida estб practicamente decidida.} Rxb8 44. Qxb8+ Kh7 45. Qc7 Bf8 46.
Qxf7 Rxf7 47. Rg4 Rf1+ 48. Ka2 Rh1 49. e5 Bc5 $6 ({Just losing time. Esta
jugadacausarб solo pйrdida de tiempo.} 49... h3 {would have been more stubborn.
White would win the bishop by advancing his e-pawn, but Black's passed pawns
would have maintained some incertitude still. hubiera ofrecido mejores
posibilidades prбcticas. Las blancas hubieran ganado el alfil al avanzar su
peуn de e, pero los peones negros quedarнan bstante peligrosos, dejando algo
de incertitud en la posiciуn.}) 50. e6 Kh6 51. Rc4 $1 {The start of a well
calculated variation. It appears that the bishop has no stability at all. El
inicнo de una variante calculada con exactitud. Resulta que el alfil no tiene
casillas buenas para retroceder.} h3 ({After Despuйs de} 51... Bf8 52. Rc8 Rf1
53. e7 Bxe7 54. Rh8+ Kg5 55. Nxe7 {White's pieces keep the enemy pawns under
control, while the formidable queenside group of pawns is ready to advance.
las figuras blancas mantienen los peones enemigos bajo control, ientras que
sus proprнos peones estбn listos para avanzar.}) 52. Rxc5 h2 53. Ne3 Ra1+ ({
A last try. After Un ъltimo intento. Despuйs de} 53... Rg1 54. e7 h1=Q 55. e8=Q
{White has a decisive material advantage and the safer positionof the king.
las blancas mantendrнan una ventaja material decisiva y la posiciуn mбs segura
del rey.}) 54. Kxa1 h1=Q+ 55. Ka2 Qe4 56. Re5 $1 {A last trick, ensuring the
promotion of the e-pawn. Un ъltimo truco,asegurando el avance del peуn.} 1-0

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.25"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Svidler, Peter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A16"]
[WhiteElo "2733"]
[BlackElo "2735"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 {Actually, I started becoming afraid that
Svidler will not play the Grьnfeld at all in Mexico, especially since there
was nothing to complain about with his results in the Slav. Para decir verdad,
empezaba a temer que Svidler noiba a jugar la Grьnfeld en Mйxico.
Especialmente que no se puede quejar de los resultados obtenidos con la Eslava.
..} 4. cxd5 ({For decades, Gelfand has been one of the great (if not just the
greatest) specialists of the Rb1 system. However, in Dortmund 2006 Svidler
employed a quiet positional line against him and achieved an excellent
position. In Moscow 2006, Gelfand managed to defeat Svidler with this
Anti-Grьnfeld move order, only that he delivered the check one move earlier
with Durante largos aсos, Gelfand ha sido uno de los mas grandes (si no el
masgrande) especialistas dela variante Tb1. Sin embargo, en Dortmund 2006
Svidler empleу contra йl una lнnea tranquнla y obtuva una excelente posiciуn.
En moscъ 2006 Gelfand le ganу al mismo contrincante con este orden de jugadas
Anti-Grьnfeld, pero dando el jaque una jugada antes con} 4. Qa4+) 4... Nxd5 5.
Qa4+ Bd7 6. Qb3 Nb6 7. d4 Bg7 8. Bf4 Be6 {Finally, we have transposed to a
genuine Grьnfeld, true, a rare variation: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7
5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Qb3 Nb6 7.Bf4 Be6. In the GI, Black has an important alternative
in 6...Nxc3, which gives meaning to Gelfand's move order.} 9. Qa3 ({The main
alternative is} 9. Qc2 Nc6 10. Rd1 {This move was employed in a recent game.} (
{You can find a survey of this variation in the notes to} 10. e3 {Kholmov,R 
(2540)-Hort,V (2600)/Moscow 1975/MCL/[Gagarin] (1-0, 61), where Black was OK
after the opening.}) 10... Nb4 11. Qb1 N4d5 (11... O-O 12. e4 Bg4 13. a3 Nc6
14. d5 Bxf3 15. gxf3 Nd4 16. Bg2 e5 $10 {Gipslis/}) 12. Nxd5 Qxd5 {An
interesting way to activate Black'splay.} (12... Nxd5 13. Be5 $1 (13. Bg3 c5 $5
$132)) 13. e4 Qxa2 14. d5 Qxb1 15. Rxb1 Bd7 16. Bxc7 O-O 17. Bd3 f5 $132 {
Berkes,F (2511)-Lupulescu,C (2476)/Balatonlelle 2002/CBM 088 ext (0-1, 48)})
9... O-O 10. e4 $146 ({Against the more restrained} 10. e3 {, Black has
generally faced problems with obtaining adequate counterplay, at least in more
recent games.} {But maybe best is} N8d7 {, as played more than half a century
ago:} (10... Nd5 11. Nxd5 Bxd5 12. Be2 Nd7 13. O-O c6 14. Bg3 Nf6 15. Be5 Ne4
16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. Rfd1 h5 18. Ne5 Qd6 $14 {Wang Yue (2626)-Areshchenko,A (2641)
/Lausanne 2006/CBM 115 (1/2-1/2, 45). Simplifications have made White's space
advantage less significant, but Black has not quite equalized completely.}) (
10... a5 11. Be2 c6 (11... Nc4 12. Bxc4 Bxc4 {is far from one-sided now,
because of} 13. Qc5 Ba6 14. Bxc7) 12. O-O N8d7 13. Rfd1 Nc4 14. Bxc4 Bxc4 15.
b3 Bd5 16. Nxd5 cxd5 17. Rac1 $16 {Granda Zuniga,J (2612)-Mikhalevski,V (2590)/
La Laguna 2007/CBM 117 ext (1-0, 60). and Black has problems with defending
his queenside. His bishop is very passive.}) ({Black could probably play as in
the game:} 10... c6 11. Rd1 Nc4) 11. Ng5 $6 (11. Rd1 a5 12. Be2 Nc4 13. Bxc4
Bxc4 {[%csl Ge1]}) 11... Bc4 12. Bxc4 Nxc4 13. Qb3 e5 14. Qxc4 Nb6 15. Qb3 exf4
$36 {Kottnauer,C-Richter,E/Chocen 1942/EXT 2001 (0-1, 60)}) 10... c6 {We have
a typical Grьnfeld position. White has built up a formidable centre, but is
slightly underdeveloped and his queen is far from optimally placed. En
realidad, esto se parece mucho a una Grьnfeld normal. Las blancas tienen un
centro impresionante de peones,pero estбn algo retrasadas con su desarrollo y
tienen la dama malamente colocada.} 11. Rd1 Nc4 12. Bxc4 (12. Qb4 b5 $1 {
[%csl Gb4]}) 12... Bxc4 {From a strategic point of view, this exchange should
favour White, because Black will not have sufficient forces to sustain the
thematic breaks ...c5 or ...e5. However, the fact that the king cannot castle
easily maintains the balance. desde unpunto de vista estratйgico, este cambнo
favorece a las blancas, porque las negras ya no disponen de fuerzas
suficientes para realizar na de las rupturas tнpicas ...c5 o ...e5. Sin
embargo, el hecho de que el rey no puede enrocarse facilmente mantiene la
posiciуn aproximadamente iguala.} 13. Ne5 Ba6 14. Be3 {This looks like a
signal to retreat.} (14. f3 $5 {[%cal Ye1f2,Yh1e1,Yf2g1] , intending to castle
artificially, deserves some attention.} Qd6 (14... Nd7 $2 15. Nxc6 $1 $16) (
14... Qb6 $6 15. Na4 Qb5 16. Rd2 {and Black's pieces are awkwardly placed.
White can choose between Nc5 and Nc3, while the developing move...Nd7 is not
possible yet.}) 15. Qxd6 $1 (15. Qb3 Nd7 {offers Black strong counterplay.
After} 16. Nd3 {, among others, he can sacrifice his quen with} Qxd4 17. Ne5
Qxd1+ 18. Kxd1 Nxe5 $44) 15... exd6 16. Ng4 f5 (16... Rd8 17. Kf2 $14) 17. exf5
gxf5 18. Ne3 $14 {White retains some strategic advantage.}) 14... Qd6 15. f4 ({
Now, after} 15. Qxd6 exd6 16. Nd3 {, there is no pressure on d6, allowing
Black develop easily.} Nd7 17. O-O Rfe8 $11) 15... Qxa3 16. bxa3 f6 17. Nf3 Nd7
18. d5 Nb6 19. dxc6 bxc6 20. Nd4 Rfc8 21. Ne6 Bh6 22. Kf2 {Black has a
comfortable position. His structure is better, while the e6-knight is not too
stable. Las negras tiene una cґmodoa posicion. Su estructura es mejor mientras
que el caballo enemigo no es demasiado estable en e6.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.25"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C43"]
[WhiteElo "2726"]
[BlackElo "2769"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "25"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 {Grischuk switches back to his main weapon, although in Mexico he has
been by far more successfull with 1.d4.} e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4 {Not so
frequently played at top level these days.} Nxe4 4. Bd3 d5 5. Nxe5 Nd7 6. Nc3
Nxc3 7. bxc3 Nxe5 8. dxe5 Be7 {White advanced e-pawn and the open b-file
offers him attacking chances on both wings. However, in the absence of knights,
Black's defensive possibilities are quite high.} 9. Qh5 {Played before castles,
this move puts more pressure on Black.} (9. O-O {is less dangerous.} O-O 10.
Qh5 (10. Rb1 c6 11. f4 f5 12. Be3 b5 13. Kh1 Be6 $11 {Asrian,K (2646)
-Nalbandian,T (2524)/Yerevan 2006/CBM 112 (1/2-1/2, 41) In this blocked
position, Black has absolutely nothing to fear.}) 10... g6 11. Qf3 Be6 12. Rb1
Rb8 13. Bh6 Re8 14. Qg3 Qd7 15. Kh1 c6 16. f4 Bf5 $11 {Asrian,K (2646)
-Erenburg,S (2554)/Sochi 2006/CBM 111 ext (1/2-1/2, 42) and White's attacking
chances are very problematic, while strategically Black is OK.}) 9... Be6 10.
Rb1 (10. f4 {1/2-1/2 Dolmatov,S (2588)-Mamedyarov,S (2522)/Moscow 2002/CBM 088/
[Huzman] (36)}) 10... Qd7 {[%csl Gh5][%cal Ye6g4]} 11. Bg5 ({The other way to
parry the threat is also interesting.} 11. h3 b6 12. O-O g6 13. Qh6 Bf8 14. Qf4
Be7 15. Qh6 Bf8 16. Qh4 Be7 17. Bg5 Bxg5 18. Qxg5 Qe7 (18... O-O $5 19. f4 Qd8
20. Qg3 Kh8 (20... f5 21. exf6 Qxf6 22. f5 $1) 21. f5 gxf5 22. Bxf5 Rg8 23. Qf4
Qg5 $11) 19. Bb5+ (19. Qh6 O-O-O) (19. Qg3 O-O 20. f4 Kh8 21. Rbe1 f5 $11)
19... Bd7 20. Bxd7+ Qxd7 21. f4 (21. Rbd1 $5) 21... Qf5 {Sutovsky,E (2629)
-Roiz,M (2605)/Gibraltar 2007/CBM 116 ext (1-0, 53). and Black was close to
equality.}) 11... c6 $146 ({An important improvement over the careless} 11...
O-O-O $2 {which unexpectedely allows a forced win:} 12. Bb5 $1 {Apparently
pointless.} c6 13. Ba6 $3 Bg4 (13... bxa6 {loses to} 14. Qe2 $18 {. We can
feel here the significance of White's advantage of space, resulting into a
high mobility of his pieces (the queen).}) 14. Qxf7 Bxg5 15. Rxb7 Qxf7 16.
Rxf7+ Kb8 17. O-O Bc8 (17... Rd7 18. Rb1+ Ka8 (18... Kc7 19. Rb7+ Kd8 20.
Rfxd7+ Bxd7 21. Rb8+ $18) 19. Bb7+ Kb8 20. Bxc6+ Kc7 21. Bxd7 Bxd7 22. e6 $18)
18. Rb1+ Ka8 19. Bxc8 Rxc8 20. Rbb7 Rce8 21. Rxa7+ Kb8 22. Rfb7+ Kc8 23. Rxg7
Kb8 24. g3 Bd2 25. Rgb7+ Kc8 26. Rc7+ Kb8 27. Rcb7+ Kc8 28. Rf7 Kb8 29. Rab7+
Ka8 30. Ra7+ Kb8 31. Rab7+ Ka8 32. Rbc7 Bxc3 33. f4 $16 {Sutovsky,E (2637)
-Sakaev,K (2633)/Dresden 2007/CBM 118 (1-0, 55)}) 12. O-O Bxg5 13. Qxg5 {
Nothing really breathtaking, with the exception of the speed with which all
these moves were played. Nada realmente espectacular, con excepciуn de la
rapidez con la cual fueron efectuadas estas jugadas.} (13. Qxg5 O-O 14. f4 h6 (
14... f6 15. exf6 (15. Qh4 Bf5 $11) 15... Rxf6 16. f5 Bf7 17. Rb4 $36 {[%cal
Yb4g4]}) 15. Qh5 Bg4 16. Qh4 Bf5 17. Rf3 f6 $11) 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.25"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E15"]
[WhiteElo "2751"]
[BlackElo "2750"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "112"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. Qa4 Bb7 6. Bg2 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. O-O
O-O 9. Nc3 Be7 10. Rd1 {La variante 4.Da4 suele llevar a posiciones del tipo
erizo. Sin embargo, Leko tiene sus proprнas vistas sobre este asunto y
prefiere iniciar un juego concreto esde la fase temprana de la partida, lo que
lleva a una especнade Catalana.} d6 11. Bf4 a6 {The 4.Qa4 variation tends to
lead to Hedgehog-type positions. However, Leko has his own views and prefers
to start concrete play from an early stage of the game, giving the position a
Catalan character.} 12. Qb4 {Leko's move.} ({Here are two examples in which
White deviated from the normal course of events in the Hedgehog structure, by
sacrificing a knight on d5.} 12. Rac1 Qc7 13. Qb4 Ne8 14. Bg5 Nf6 (14... Bxg5
15. Nxg5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Nc6 {looks playable, too.}) 15. Bxf6 $5 gxf6 16. Nd5 $5
{Otherwise, the previous exchange would have left Black with a solid position.}
exd5 17. cxd5 Qd8 18. Nd4 $44 Kh8 19. Nc6 Qc7 (19... Bxc6 20. dxc6 Qc7 21. Bd5
a5 22. Qh4 $36 {[%csl Gb8,Yf6,Yf7,Gh8]}) 20. Nd4 Qd8 21. Nc6 Qc7 22. Nd4 {
1/2-1/2 Ivanchuk,V (2731)-Lautier,J (2653)/Moscow 2001/CBM 086}) (12. Rd2 Qc7
13. Rad1 Rd8 14. Qc2 h6 15. e4 Nc6 $5 {Provocative, but probably not bad.} (
15... Nh5 16. Be3 Nd7 {would have led to a normal position.}) 16. Nd5 $5 exd5
17. cxd5 Rac8 18. dxc6 Qxc6 19. Qb3 (19. Qxc6 Bxc6 20. e5 $11) 19... Nxe4 20.
Nd4 Qd7 21. Re2 d5 22. Qxb6 Bc5 23. Qb3 a5 $132 24. Nb5 $6 a4 $1 25. Qxa4 Nxf2
(25... Bc6 $2 26. Rxe4 $1 {Gyimesi,Z (2624)-Zhigalko,S (2490)/Warsaw 2005/CBM
110 ext (1-0, 35)}) 26. Rxf2 Bc6 27. Bf1 g5 28. Bc1 Rb8 $19) 12... Nc6 13. Qa3
d5 14. Qa4 Qc8 15. cxd5 b5 16. Qc2 Nb4 17. Qd2 Nbxd5 18. Nxd5 Nxd5 19. Rac1 Qe8
20. Nd4 {All these moves had been played in one of the games of Leko'smatch
against Kramnik. Todo esto se habнa jugado en una de las partidas del
encuentro de Leko conKramnik.} Rc8 $146 {Kramnik placed his queen's rook on d8.
Kramnik habia colocado la torre en d8.} (20... Rd8 {Leko,P (2749)-Kramnik,V 
(2754)/Wijk aan Zee 2005/CBM 105/[Gershon] (1/2-1/2, 28)}) 21. Bxd5 $5 {
The position is almost symmetrical and White has to play actively if he wants
to convert his slight advance in development into something more concrete. La
posiciуn es casi simetrica, por lo que las blancas tienen que jugar activo si
quieren convertir su ligera ventaja de desarrollo en algo mбs concreto.} Bxd5
22. Nf5 Rd8 (22... exf5 {is not too appealing, because it leaves White free
hands in the centre:} 23. Qxd5 Bf6 (23... Rxc1 24. Rxc1 Bf6 25. Bd6 $1) 24.
Rxc8 (24. Bd6 Qd7 $1) 24... Qxc8 25. Rc1 Qe6 26. Qxe6 fxe6 27. b3 {[%csl Ga6]
[%cal Yc1c6] followed by Rc6. White will maintain a long term advantage
because Black will have to keep his rook passive on a8.}) 23. Bc7 Rd7 24. e4
exf5 {A radical answer, aiming to avoid pawn weaknesses, but leaving White
with a strong passed pawn.} (24... Bc6 $2 {would lose material to} 25. Nxe7+
Qxe7 26. Bd6 Qd8 27. Rxc6 $18) (24... Bf6 25. Nd6 Qe7 26. exd5 Rxc7 27. Rxc7 (
27. dxe6 fxe6 28. Ne4 {is also possible.}) 27... Qxc7 28. Ne4 Be5 (28... exd5
29. Nxf6+ gxf6 30. Qxd5 $14 {White is better centralized, while Black's
kingside is weak. Any rook ending with White's rook on the sixth rank and
Black's on a8 would be very unpleasant, maybe lost for Black.}) 29. dxe6 fxe6
30. Qd3 $14 {[%csl Ge4] /\Ng5}) 25. exd5 Bd6 26. Re1 Qa8 27. Ba5 $16 {White
can be happy with the outcome of the opening. He has a strong passed pawn in
the centre, while the a5-bishop restricts Black's activity, in the same way as
in certain Catalan lines. Las blancas pueden estar contentas con el desenlace
de la apertura. Tienen un peуn pasado en el centro y el alfil de a5 restringe
la actividad de las negras igual que en algunaslнneas de una Catalana
"original".} Rb8 28. a3 $6 ({But this overcautious move is hard to understand.
Why not Pero esta jugada es difнcil de explicar. їPorque no} 28. Rc6 {,
continuing to activate his pieces? , continuando con la activaciуn de su
posiciуn?} Bf8 (28... b4 29. Qc2 g6 (29... f4 30. Qf5) 30. Qc4 Bf8 31. Rd1 Rb5
32. Bc7 $16) 29. Rec1 Re8 30. d6 $16) 28... b4 $1 {A good counterattacking
move. Since Bxb4 would lead to the loss of the d5-pawn, White has to cut his
bishop off from the rest of the board. Besides, the b5-square will become
available for Black's king's rook, making the central pawn feel insecure. Una
fuerte jugada de contraataque. Dado que Bxb4 llevarнa a la pйrdida del peуn
central, las blancas tienen que aislar a su alfil del resto de la posiciуn.
Ademбs, se elibera la casilla de b5 para la torre, dejando al peуn de d5 algo
vulnerable.} 29. axb4 Bf8 30. Re5 g6 31. Rc7 Rbd8 32. Rxd7 Rxd7 {White will
soon lose the d5-pawn and with it, any hope for a concrete advantage. Las
blancas perderбn el peуn de d5 pronto y, con йl, toda esperanza de ventaja.}
33. Qe1 Rxd5 34. Re8 Qc6 35. b5 Qd7 (35... axb5 $4 36. Bb4 $18) 36. Kg2 (36.
Bb4 $2 Rd1 $19) 36... Rxb5 37. Bc3 Qd6 38. Qe3 Rb7 39. Qd4 Qxd4 40. Bxd4 f6 41.
Ra8 (41. Bc5 Rf7 42. Ra8 Kg7 43. Bxf8+ Rxf8 44. Rxa6 Rb8 $15) 41... Kf7 42.
Rxa6 Be7 43. Kf3 Rd7 44. Bc3 Bd6 45. Ke2 Be5 46. f4 Bxc3 47. bxc3 g5 48. Ra4
Rb7 49. Rd4 Ke6 50. Rd2 Rb1 51. Ke3 Rc1 52. Kd4 Rf1 53. Re2+ Kd6 54. Ke3 Rc1
55. Kd2 Rf1 56. Ke3 Rc1 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.27"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D43"]
[WhiteElo "2750"]
[BlackElo "2733"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 {By choosing a Slav move order, Gelfand avoids Aronian's
unusual setup from his earlier game against Grischuk. Al eligir el orden de
jugadas de Eslava, Gelfand evita enfrentarse con el experimento de Aronian en
su partida anterior con Grischuk.} 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6
7. e3 Nd7 8. Bd3 dxc4 ({A curious moment. This early release of the tension in
the centre is only apparently a concession. In the first round game
Kramnik-Svidler, Black played Un momento curioso. Este cambio temprano es solo
aparentemente una concesiуn. En la partida Kramnik-Svidler de la primera ronda,
las negras jugaron} 8... g6 {, which offered White the additional possibility
of winning space in the centre with , que ofreciу a las blancas la posibilidad
adicional de ganar espacнo en el centro con} 9. e4 dxc4 10. e5 $1 Qe7 11. Bxc4)
9. Bxc4 g6 10. O-O ({Now, Ahora,} 10. e4 {can always be met by puede siempre
ser contestada con} e5 $1) 10... Bg7 11. Rc1 O-O 12. Ne4 Qe7 13. Bb3 Rd8 (13...
b6 {has been tried in a few games and is considered to offer White chances for
an advantage after} 14. Ba4 {, although practice has not sustained this point
of view.} ({It is possible to justify the retreat of the bishop by employing a
pseudo-attacking plan:} 14. h4 Bb7 15. h5 g5 16. Ng3 Rad8 17. Bc2 c5 18. Qd3 {
However, it is not clear what the queen's rook is doing on c1, while Black's
development is very harmonious..} f5 19. Qa3 a5 $15 {Ragozin,E (2475)-Neverov,
V (2541)/St Petersburg 2000/CBM 076 (1-0, 79)}) 14... c5 (14... Ba6 15. Bxc6
Bxf1 16. Bxa8 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Rxa8 18. Qa4 Nf6 19. Nxf6+ Bxf6 20. Qc6 Rd8 21. Rc4
$14 {Moiseenko,A (2582)-Sedlak,N (2423)/Aviles 2000/CBM 077 ext (1/2-1/2, 30).
White's better control in the centre, his stability on the light squares and
the control of the only open file make the position theoretically better for
him, but Black is solid and in case of a break with ...e5 his bishop could
become active.}) 15. Bc6 Rb8 16. Qa4 Bb7 (16... Nf6 17. Rfd1 cxd4 18. Nxd4 Nxe4
19. Bxe4 Bxd4 20. exd4 Rd8 21. Rc3 a5 22. Qc2 $14 {Moiseenko,A (2573)
-Borovikov,V (2472)/Ordzhonikidze 2000/CBM 078 (1/2-1/2, 56). For once,
White's advantage, though minimal, is real here. He is better developed while
the enemy king is slightly vulnerable.}) 17. Bxb7 Rxb7 18. dxc5 bxc5 19. b3 {
White has conquered the c4-square for his pieces, but Black is well
coordinated.} f5 20. Ned2 g5 {It appears that White's stability on the light
squares is questionable.} 21. Rfd1 g4 $132 {Lutz,C (2550)-Knaak,R (2525)/
Baden-Baden 1992/CBM 033 (1/2-1/2, 44)}) 14. Qc2 {Aronian has chosen a rarely
seen setup, with his knight in front of the e-pawn, which deprives him of the
possibility of winning space in the centre. White's philosophy in the current
position is to prevent Black from completing his development or freeing his
position with the thematic ...c5 or ...e5, rather than starting active
operations himself. Aronian escogiу un sistema de desarrollo bastante poco
frecuente, basado en colocar el caballo en frente del peуn de e3, impediendo
asн una futura conquнsta de espacнo en el centro. La filosofнa de las blancas
en esta posiciуn se basa en primer lugar en impedir el desarrollo de las
negras y la realisaciуn de las rupturas temбticas ...c5 o ...e5 y en menor
medida en mejorar su proprнa posiciуn de forma rбpida.} e5 {Black usually
shies away from this move, preferring to jump with his knight to f6 or b6.
Normalmente, las negras se abstienen de esta jugada, prefiriendo un salto de
caballo a b6 o f6.} (14... Nf6 15. Nc5 $14 {Dautov,R (2620)-Dreev,A (2670)/
Reggio Emilia 1996/CBM 051/[Dautov] (0-1, 60)}) 15. Rfe1 {A subtle move. White
discourages the exchange on d4, which would leave the black queen vulnerable
after exd4. Una jugada sъtil. Las blancas quнeren quitar a las negras las
ganas de comer en d4, que, despuйs de exd4, dejarнa a la dama negra incуmoda
en la misma columna con la torre blanca.} Kh8 {Less subtle, but very strong.
Black threatens the brutal ...f5. Menos sъtil, pero muy fuerte. Las negras
crean la brutal amenaza ...f5.} (15... Kh7 $2 {is worse because of} 16. Bxf7)
16. g4 $5 {It is hard to give a final evaluation of this exotic move, since it
almost surely formed part of Aronian's preparation. It also bears strong
similarity with the advance of the g-pawn from his aforementioned game against
Grischuk. I get the feeling that, having been deprived of the possibility of
playing Nbd2!? in the opening, Aronian "transposed" to the familiar territory
with his last move. Anyway, White's main idea is the same: to ensure some
stability for the knights. However, there is a significant difference compared
to the previous game: Black's kingside structure is more flexible because the
g-pawn is on g6 instead of g5. This is clearly in Black's favour, since
White's kingside position remains shaky. Es difнcil dar una evaluaciуn
definitiva a esta jugada algo exуtica, especialmente que, casi seguramente,
formaba parte de la preparaciуn casera de Aronian. Notamos cierta similitud
con el avance del mismo peуn en la partida anterioremnte mencionada contra
Grischuk. me da la sensaciуn que, al no haber tenido la posibilidad de repetir
el experimento con Cbd2!? en la apertura, Aronian "transpuso" a un teritorнo
familiar con su ъltima jugada. De toda forma, la idea de las blancas es la
misma: asegurar estabilidad de los caballos en casillas blancas. Sin embargo,
hay una esencнal diferencнa con respecto a dicha partida: la estructura de las
negras en el flanco de rey es mбs flexible, porque el peуn de g se encuentra
en g6 en vez de g5. Este detalle favorece a las negras, porque la posiciуn de
las blancas en el centro y en el flanco de rey queda bastante inestable.} ({
Previously,} 16. Ned2 {had been played. I must say, this is not a shattering
move.} Re8 ({Now that there is no danger of a fork on g5, Black can simply
improve his position with} 16... Kh7 $5 {, when it would be difficult for
White to prove an active plan.}) 17. Nc4 e4 18. Nfe5 Nxe5 19. dxe5 Be6 (19...
f5 $5 20. exf6 Qxf6 21. Red1 Bf5 22. Nd6 Re7 $13) 20. Nd6 (20. Qxe4 $1 Bxc4 21.
Qxc4 {[%csl Gf7]}) 20... Bxb3 21. Qxb3 Rf8 22. Qxb7 Qxb7 23. Nxb7 Rab8 24. Na5
Rxb2 $11 {Roiz,M (2507)-Farakhov,R (2317)/Pardubice 2002/CBM 089 ext (1/2-1/2,
40)}) 16... Rf8 $1 {After the radical weakening of White's kingside, the rook
changes plans. From f8, it defends the f7-pawn, enabling ...Nb6, which attacks
the g4-pawn, while also supporting an eventual advance of the f-pawn to f5.
Despuйs de la debilitaciуn del flanco de rey blanco, la torre cambнa sus
intenciones. Desde f8, sobredefiende el peуn de f7, para habilitar ...Nb6, que
atacarнa el peуn de g4 y sosteniendo el avance del peуn f al mismo tiempo.} 17.
g5 $6 ({This new advance of the g-pawn will fail to stabilize the position.
Maybe it was time to think about safety with Este nuevo avance del peуn de g
no conseguнrб estabilizar el flanco de rey. tal vez era el momento de jugar
seguro con} 17. Ng3) 17... f5 $1 {I suppose that Aronian underestimated this
move. From structural point of view, it does not seem to make sense, but a
closer look at the position reveals the merits of Gelfand's decision. The
e5-pawn will remain isolated now, but in fact it is not a weak pawn (as would
be the case if the d4-pawn would be on d5 and the c6-pawn on c5). Also, the
e4-knight will not become more stable (refer to the same hypothetical
situation for comparison). Finally, the pressure exerted by the f8-rook
against the white kingside will be very annoying.} ({Aronian might have
expected} 17... hxg5 {when after} 18. Nexg5 {[%cal Yc2e4,Ye4h4]} Bh6 (18... f5
19. Ne6 $1) 19. h4 {White is not without ideas.}) 18. gxf6 Bxf6 ({This looks
slow, but} 18... Nxf6 {would lose a pawn to} 19. Nxe5 {, because the pinning
move} Bf5 {is not dangerous in view of} 20. Qc5 $1) 19. Kg2 Bg7 20. h4 $6 {
Strategically correct, but, with queens on the board, very risky.
Estrategicamente corecto, pero con damas en el tablero - muy arriesgado.} ({
White cannot stabilize the position in the centre with} 20. d5 $2 {because of}
cxd5 21. Bxd5 Nb6 $40 {[%cal Yc8g4,Yf8f3]}) ({Here, too} 20. Ng3 {looks like a
safer choice.}) 20... Nb6 $1 {The turning point in the game. Gelfand was
approaching time trouble, but the investment of time in the previous phase of
the game was fully justified, as Black has the better position already.} 21.
dxe5 $2 ({It seems that after this move White's game cannot be saved anymore.
Parece que despuйs de esta jugada las blancas no pueden salvarse ya.} 21. Nxe5
{would have been a lesser evil. hubiera sido un menor mal.}) 21... Bg4 ({
Not a bad move, but No es una mala jugada, pero parece que} 21... Rxf3 $1 {
seems to have been decisive, too: hubiera ganado, tambiйn:} 22. Kxf3 Bf5 23.
Kg2 {The only way to get out of the nasty pin. La ъnica forma de intentar
desclavarse.} Qxh4 24. f4 {and now, Black has y ahora las negras tienen} Nd7 {
, when White's poor coordination prevents him from parrying such a simple
threat as ...Nxe5, when Black's attack will take on decisive proportions. ,
cuando la mala coordinaciуn de las blancas les impide parar la sncilla amenaza
...Nxe5, con ataque ganador.}) 22. Ned2 Nd7 23. e6 ({This makes it easier for
Black, who can win with normal moves. Esta jugada simplifica la tarйa de las
negras, que ganarбn con jugadas sencillas.} 23. Qxg6 {would have been more
demanding. White threatens Bc2, but Black is the first to deliver decisive
blows: hubiera requierido un juego algo mбs preciso de las negras. La amenaza
directa es Bc2, pero las negras se adelantan con su ataque:} Nxe5 24. Nxe5
Rxf2+ $1 25. Kxf2 Qxh4+ 26. Kg1 Bxe5 27. Nf1 Rf8 {Threatening ...Qf2+ or ...
Rxf1+, followed by mate. Amenazando ...Qf2+ o ...Rxf1+ con mate.} 28. Rc2 Bf3
29. Rg2 {Apparently, White has defended, but the next move shatters the
illusion. Aparentemente, las blancas se han defendido, pero despuйs de la
siguнente jugada se esfumarбn las ilusiones.} Be4 $1 {White has no adequate
way to keep the rook defended. For instance, Las blancas no tienen a
disposiciуn un modo adecuado de mantener a la torre de g2 defendida. Por
ejemplo,} 30. Qg4 {loses the queen to perderнa la dama por} Bh2+ $1 31. Kh1 (
31. Nxh2 {leads to mate after llevarнa al mate despuйs de} Qxe1+ 32. Nf1 Rxf1+
33. Kh2 Rh1#) 31... Qxg4 $1) 23... Ne5 $1 24. Nh2 (24. Nxe5 Rxf2+ 25. Kxf2
Qxh4+ 26. Kg2 (26. Kg1 Qg3+) 26... Bxe5) 24... Qxh4 {Around this moment,
Gelfand must have felt like in the good old days, when the King's Indian was
his main weapon against 1.d4. White is under decisive attack and he does not
even have a material advantage to offer him some Platonic consolation... [#]
Alrededor de este momento, Gelfand debe de haberse sentido como en los viejos
buenos tiempos, cuando la India de Rey era su principal arma contra 1.d4.} 25.
f4 Bf5 26. Ne4 Qh3+ 27. Kg1 Nf3+ 28. Nxf3 Qxf3 29. Ng5 hxg5 30. Qh2+ Qh5 31.
Qxh5+ gxh5 32. e7 Rfe8 33. Rc5 Bg4 34. Rxg5 Rxe7 35. Kg2 Bf6 36. Rg6 Rf8 37. e4
Bf5 38. Rh6+ Kg7 39. Rxh5 Bxe4+ 40. Kh2 Bd5 0-1

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.27"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2751"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Qc8 12. Bg5 Nbd7 {The moment of truth has
come. Leko fights against Kramnik with his own weapons. Quite a risky policy,
I must say. Ha llegado la hora de la verdad. Leko lucha contra Kramnik con sus
proprнas armas. Una polнtica bastante arriesgada, segъn me parece...} 13. Qf4
$5 {Here comes the novelty, sidestepping most of the theoretical knowledge
that has been accumulated in recent years. Aquн tenemos la novedad, evitando
la mayor parte de los conocimientos teуricos acumulados durante los ъltimos
aсos.} Bb7 ({After a long thought, Leko refrains from Despuйs de una larga
reflecciуn, Leko decide abstenerse de} 13... c5 {, which seems to be a
critical continuation. White's most natural reply is , que parece como una
continuaciуn crнtica.} 14. Rc1 c4 15. b3 {[%csl Gc4]}) ({Another consequent
move would be} 13... Qb7 {, but it appears that Black has not sufficient space
along the h1-a8 diagonal after} 14. Nc3 {(Taking advantage of the fact that
the knight's development has been delayed.)} Bc6 15. e4 b4 16. d5 exd5 17. exd5
Nxd5 18. Nxd5 Bxg5 19. Qxb4 Bxd5 20. Qxb7 Bxb7 21. Nxg5 Bxg2 22. Kxg2 {Despite
simplifications, White retains a minimal but stable advantage because of
Black's queenside weaknesses. It would be dangerous to allow Kramnik to get
such a position.}) 14. Rc1 {There is something remarkable about White's last
moves. I can't help comparing them with certain patterns of play in chess
problems (mates in 3 or 4, helpmates). White's pieces tend to make full use of
the space left available by their colleagues. 12.Bg5 has made available a
whole new diagonal for the queen and she uses it immediately, making the
longest possible move. This has cleared the c1-square and the king's rook
hurries to occupy it. I would also point out that the queen and the bishop
concentrate their pressure on the f6-square, while the queen and the rook
attack the c7-square. To my understanding, this is pure harmony, but let us
return to the more concrete world of practical chess, where things are not
that clear. Hay algo de especial en las ъltimas jugadas de las blancas. No
puedo evitar compararlas con ciertos modelos empleados en la problemнstica de
ajedrez (mates en 3 o 4, mates ayuda). La sfiguras de las blancas tienden a
aprovechar plenamente el espacнo dejado libre por sus colegas en las jugadas
anteriores. 12.Ag5 habнa eliberado la diagonal c1-f4 para la dama, que la
aprovecha enseguнda, efectuando la jugada mбs larga posible. A su vez, esta
jugada ha eliberado la casilla de c1 y la torre de rey se da prisa en ocuparla,
efectuando tambiйn la jugada mбs larga. Tambiйn queda por decir que la dama y
el alfil concentran sus esfuerzos sobre la casilla de f6, mientras que la
torre y la dama atacan el peуn de c7. A mi entender, esto es pura harmonнa.
Pero ya es el tiempo de volver al mundo mбs concreto del ajedrez de torneo.}
Bd6 15. Qh4 h6 16. Bxf6 ({I believe that the extravagant} 16. Bxh6 gxh6 17.
Qxh6 {[%csl Rg8][%cal Yb1d2,Yd2b3,Gc1c2,Ga1c1] should not be discarded
completely. White has no immediate threats, but he can combine the usual
queenside pressure with "casual" kingside tactics. Also, the breakthrough ...
e5 is less appealing, because the f6-knight is hanging. I only have one
objection to this plan: White is underdeveloped still, making such radical
measures loo premature.}) 16... Nxf6 17. Nbd2 {White has a slight advance in
development and has managed to prevent the freeing move ...c5. However, he has
to find a way to coordinate his queen with the other pieces, in order not to
lose... harmony. Las blancas han logrado una pequeсa ventaja de desarrollo y
han conseguнdo evitar la ruptura ...c5. Sin embargo, tienen por delante la
tarea de coordinar de alguna forma a su dama con el resto de las figuras, para
no perder la... armonнa.} Re8 18. e4 (18. Rc2 e5 19. dxe5 Bxe5 20. Nxe5 Bxg2 (
20... Rxe5 $6 21. Qf4 $1 Re7 (21... Rxe2 $2 22. Rxc7 $16) 22. Nb3 Bxg2 23. Kxg2
$14 {[%csl Ga5,Gc5][%cal Ya1c1]}) 21. Kxg2 Rxe5 $36 {[%csl Ge2][%cal Yc7c5,
Yc8b7,Ye5h5]}) 18... Nd7 $1 (18... e5 19. dxe5 Bxe5 20. Nxe5 Rxe5 21. Qf4 Re7
22. Qe3 $14 {[%csl Gc5]}) (18... Be7 19. Qf4 Bd6 20. e5 Nd5 21. Qg4 Be7 22. Ne4
$14 {[%csl Gc5]}) 19. Nb3 a5 {Up to this moment,Kramnik had spent around a
quarter of an hour, but now he sank into deep thought. Hasta este momento,
Kramnik habнa gastado alrededor de un cuarto de hora, pero aquн se hundiу en
una larga reflexiуn.} (19... e5 $6 20. Na5 $1 $16) ({After} 19... Be7 20. Qf4
Bd6 {White is not forced to accept a draw, but can bring his queen back into
play with} 21. Qe3 $1 $14) 20. Nc5 ({My first thought was that the knight jump
to c5 should have been prepared with Mi primer pensamiento fue que el salto de
caballo tendrнa que ser preparado con} 20. Rc2 a4 21. Nc5 {, but maybe Leko's
last move was more of a defence against the threat Na5 than a preliminary step
for the further advance of the pawn. , pero puede que la jugada anterior de
Leko haya sido una simple parada contra la amenaza Ca5 y no una amenaza contra
el caballo de b3.}) ({After Es posible que despu'es de} 20. Rc2 {, Kramnik
might have disliked a Kramnik no le hubiera gustado} e5) ({When I wrote the
express report, I also believed that the thematic La temбtica jugada} 20. a4 {
fails to offer an advantage after no ofrecerнa ventaja por} bxa4 (20... b4 21.
Nfd2 $14 {[%cal Yd2c4]}) 21. Rxa4 Bb4 {, because there are too many pieces
along the fourth rank, preventing the coordination between the a4-rook and the
queen. This is probably wrong. After . Quedan demasiadas figuras interpuestas
entre la dama y la torre de a4.} 22. Qf4 {[%cal Yf4e3,Gf3e1,Ge1d3] White
retains chances for an advantage.}) 20... Be7 {The first impression is that
the capture on c5 would have made the b7-bishop feel uncomfortable. Leko
decides to solve his problems by... winning material. La captura en c5 hubiera
hecho al alfil de b7 sentirse incуmodo. Leko decidiу resolver sus problemas
por... ganancнas de material.} ({Indeed,} 20... Bxc5 $6 {is not to be
recommended because of} 21. dxc5 Bc6 22. Nd4 $16) ({However,} 20... Nxc5 21.
dxc5 Be7 {is not entirely clear.} 22. Qh5 (22. Qf4 e5 23. Nxe5 Bf6 $44 {
[%csl Gb2]}) 22... Bxe4 (22... g6 23. Qe5 $1) 23. Ne5 $1 g6 24. Qxh6 Bxg2 25.
Kxg2 Bf6 26. Qf4 Bxe5 27. Qxe5 Rd8 {[%csl Ga1] and Black seems to be out of
danger. In most of these variations we can see that the insertion of the moves
Rc2 and ...a4 would have favoured White.}) 21. Qf4 e5 {Slightly risky.} ({
In fact,} 21... Nxc5 22. dxc5 e5 $1 {would transpose toa variation given above,
after having avoided Qh5.}) 22. Nxe5 Nxe5 23. dxe5 (23. Qxe5 $2 Bg5 24. Qf5 {
This will cause the disruption of White's centre, but there is no other square
available for the queen.} Qxf5 25. exf5 Bxc1 $19 26. Bxb7 Re1+) 23... Bg5 24.
Qf3 Bxc1 25. Rxc1 Rxe5 26. Qc3 {White's compensation for the sacrificed
exchange consists of his much more active placement of pieces. The b7-bishop
and the a8-rook cannot be brought into play too easily. Continuing the
discussion about harmony, White's position looks optically perfect from this
point of view. La compensaciуn de las blancas por la calidad entregada reside
principalmente en la mayor actividad de sus figuras. Ls negras no podrбn traer
a su torre de dama y alfil en juego con demasiada facilidad. Continuando el
debate sobre la harmonнa, la posiciуn de las blancas parece perfecta desde
este punto de vista.} f6 $6 ({It is hard to say whether Leko underestimated
White's compensation, or, on the contrary, feared that after Es difнcil saber
si Leko habнa menosvalorado la compensaciуn de las blancas despuйs de la
jugada del texto, o si, por el contrarнo, considerу su posiciуn despuйs de} 
26... Re7 27. Nxb7 Qxb7 28. e5 Qa7 29. Bxa8 Qxa8 {his position would remain
difficult. I believe that White would have not found it easy to consolidate
his advantage of space, because there is too little material left on the board
and his position contains some weaknesses, too. In view of Black's several
possible deviations from the game continuation, I would conclude that the
first move made by Kramnik after a long thought (20.Nc5) was not the best and
that 20.a4 will have to be tried next time the respective position arises.
como difнcil. En realidad, las blancas hubieran tenido problemas mantener su
ventaja de espacнo, por el nъmero reducido de figuras que quedan y por las
debilidades en casillas blancas.}) 27. Qb3+ Kh8 $6 {Another uninspired
decision. As will be revealed soon, h7 was a safer square for His Majesty.
Otra decisiуn mal inspirada. Como se verб pronto, h7 serнa una casilla mejor
para Su Majestad.} (27... Kh7 28. Qf7 Bc6 29. Nd3 (29. f4 $2 Qe8 $1) 29... Be8
(29... Qe8 $2 30. Nxe5 $1 {[%csl Gf7]}) 30. Qf8 $14 {The difference compared
to the game continuation is that this is without check.} Rg5 31. h4 Rg4 32. Bf3
$14 {[%csl Gc5]}) 28. Qf7 $1 {Black is in big trouble. The immediate threats
are Nxb7 or Nd3 followed by Rxc7. Las negras pasan por apuros graves. Se
amenazan Nxb7 o Nd3, seguнdo por Rxc7.} Bc6 29. Nd3 Re6 {Con el rey en h7, las
negras hubieran resistido con 29...Ae8, cuando 30.De8 serнa sin jaque.} (29...
Be8 $2 30. Qf8+) 30. Nf4 ({Continuing the attack rather than pinning the rook
with the trivial Prefiriendo continuar el ataque en vez de la clavada sencilla
} 30. Bh3) 30... Rd6 31. Ng6+ Kh7 32. e5 $1 {White wins material now. Las
blancas ganan material.} fxe5 33. Bxc6 Rf6 34. Qd5 Qf5 35. Bxa8 Qxf2+ 36. Kh1
Qxb2 37. Qc5 Kxg6 38. Be4+ Kh5 39. Rb1 1-0

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.27"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Black "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A28"]
[WhiteElo "2758"]
[BlackElo "2726"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. d3 $5 ({Of course. Morozevich is not
interested in long theoretical disputes after the ever fashionable Por
supuesto. Morozevich no estб interesado en discuciones teуricas largas despuйs
de la siempre de moda} 4. g3) 4... d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nf6 {The position is
typical for the Boleslavsky Sicilian (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.
Nc3 d6 6.Be2 e5 7.Bb3), but with reversed colours. The system is considered to
offer Black excellent chances in the Sicilian, and the extra tempo should make
the position suitable for ambitious play with White in the English Opening. It
should be said however, that Black could eventually get his tempo back by
playing the active ...Bc5 in just one move (which explains why Grischuk played
...Nf6 instead of ...Nb6, leaving the b6-square available for the bishop). La
posiciуn es tнpica para la variante de Boleslavsky de la Siciliana (2.Nf3 Nc6
3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Be2 e5 7.Bb3), pero con colores inversados. En
la Siciliana, se considera que las negras tienen cуmodo juego, porlo que el
tiempo de mas de las blancas en la Inglesa tendrнa que ofrecerles buenas
posibilidades para mantener la tensiуn. Sin embargo, cabe decir que las negras
tienen la posibilidad de recuperar el tiempo de menos jugando ...Bc5 en una
sola jugada, lo que explica porque Grischuk ha dejado la casilla de b6 libre,
retirando con el caballo a f6.} ({In the Sicilian, White rarely goes for the
pawn structure arising after} 6... Nxc3 7. bxc3 {at such an early stage.
However, Black's opening ambitions in the English Opening can be more moderate
(easy equality is as good as a feast). Besides, after} Bc5 {the missing tempo
is relative, because the bishop is better placed on c5 than on e7.} 8. Be2 O-O
9. O-O Kh8 10. Rb1 Rb8 11. Nxe5 $5 {One of the very few ways to muddy the
waters, but not really sufficient.} Nxe5 12. d4 Bd6 13. dxe5 Bxe5 14. Qa4 Bd7
15. Qxa7 b6 16. Qa3 Bc6 17. Qb4 Re8 18. Bb5 Bxb5 19. Qxb5 Bxc3 20. Qc4 {
1/2-1/2 Tal,M (2600)-Chernin,A (2565)/Sochi 1986/MCL}) (6... Nb6 7. Be2 Be7 {
has been played, too at grandmaster level. The significance of White's
extra-tempo is relative.} 8. Be3 (8. O-O O-O 9. a4 a5 10. Be3 f5 11. Rc1 ({
More active looks} 11. Qb3+ Kh8 12. Nb5 f4 13. Bd2 {[%cal Yd2c3,Ya1c1,Yf1d1] .
Now, in case of} Bb4 {White can discourage Black from exchanging bishops with}
14. Bc3 $5) 11... f4 12. Bd2 Bb4 13. Nb5 Bxd2 14. Nxd2 Kh8 15. h3 Be6 16. Nf3
Bg8 {Agdestein,S (2610)-Ivanchuk,V (2705)/Tilburg 1993/CBM 039 (0-1, 44)} 17.
d4 $11 {With reversed colours, this would be an entirely satisfactory position
for Black, but here the weakness of the a4-pawn does not entitle White to hope
for an advantage.}) 8... O-O 9. O-O f5 10. exf5 Bxf5 11. Ne4 ({Again, the
Sicilian freeing move is out of the question, because it leads to plain
equality after simplifications.} 11. d4 $11) ({From the days I used to play
the Sicilian with Black, I remember this plan designed by Portisch:} 11. Rc1
Qe8 12. Ne1 Rd8 13. Bh5 Qd7 14. Bf3 {[%cal Yf3e4,Ge1f3]}) 11... Qd5 12. Qc2
Rac8 13. a3 a5 14. Rac1 Nd4 15. Bxd4 exd4 16. Nfd2 Rfd8 17. Bf3 Qb5 18. Rfe1
$13 {Spraggett,K (2575)-Lautier,J (2450)/Correze 1989/EXT 97 (0-1, 39). If you
like playing the Najdorf very much, you will probably feel delighted with this
position. Objectively, chances are about equal.}) 7. Be2 ({The prophylactic
move} 7. h3 {is sometimes played. Here is a recent example:} Bc5 8. Be2 O-O 9.
O-O Re8 10. a3 Nd4 {Simple chess. Black occupies the central square.} 11. Bg5
c6 12. Nxd4 Bxd4 13. Qc2 h6 14. Bh4 Qd6 15. Rad1 Nh7 {[%cal Yh7g5,Yg5e6]} 16.
Bh5 g6 17. Be2 h5 (17... Ng5 18. Qc1 $1 {[%csl Gg5,Gh6]}) 18. Qd2 Be6 19. Bf3
Bb6 20. Bg3 Rad8 21. Qc2 Bc8 $11 {Jobava,B (2596)-Ivanchuk,V (2710)/Rethymnon
2003/CBM 098 (1/2-1/2, 67). Black has regrouped most of his forces in the
optimal way and faces no problems. The only detail he has to solve is the
activation of his knight, but this would mean obtaining an advantage already.})
7... Bg4 8. O-O Bxf3 9. Bxf3 Nd4 10. g3 {Morozevich chooses a slow plan.} ({
With reversed colours, Black would play something simpler:} 10. Be3 Bc5 (10...
Be7 11. Bxd4 Qxd4 12. Ne2 $5 {[%cal Yd3d4] leaves White with chances for some
initiative.}) 11. Nb5 O-O 12. Rc1 {. In the English opening, one would fear
that this leads to excessive simplifications after} Nxf3+ 13. Qxf3 Bxe3 14.
Qxe3 c6 15. Nc3 $11) 10... Bc5 11. Bg2 O-O ({Maybe it would have been worth
spending a tempo on Tal vez merecнa la pena gastar un tiempo en} 11... a6 $5 {
, maintaining the stability of the bishop along the important g1-a7 diagonal. ,
manteniendo la estabilidad del alfil en la diagonal g1-a7.}) 12. Na4 Bb6 13.
Be3 Qd6 14. f4 Nd7 15. Kh1 Rad8 16. Rc1 {A very complex position has arisen.
At first sight, it might seem that Black has a stable domination on the dark
squares. However, White exerts strong pressure against the critical d4- and
e5- squares and can incresae it with such moves as Bh3 and Qh5. Una posiciуn
muy compleja. Parece que las negras tienen fuerte dominaciуn en casillas
negras. Sin embargo, las blancas ejercen fuerte presiуn sobre las importantes
casillas de d4 y e5 y la pueden aumentar con Qh5 y Bh3.} Nc6 $6 ({This
voluntary retreat, carried out with the obvious aim of "winning" the d3-pawn,
is in fact a concession, allowing White to activate his play. More consistent
would have been Esta retirada voluntarнa, con el propуsito declarado de
"ganar" el peуn de d3, permite a las blancas activar sus figuras.Mas
consecuente hubiera sido} 16... c6 {, for instance , por ejemplo} 17. Nxb6 axb6
18. Qh5 f6 19. Bh3 Nc5 {with a stable position for Black, despite White's two
bishops. True, if White feels uncomfortable, he can force a draw already with
con posiciуn estable de las negras, a pesar de la pareja de alfiles blancos.
Es verdad que, en caso de sentirse incуmodo, las blancas podнan haber forzado
las tablas con} 20. Bxd4 Qxd4 21. Bf5 g6 22. Bxg6) 17. Nxb6 axb6 18. Rc3 Nc5
19. a3 Nxd3 20. Qc2 Nc5 {Practically forced, because of the threat Rd1.
Practicamente forzado, por la amenaza Rd1.} 21. Bxc5 bxc5 22. Rxc5 {This is
probably the position both players have been aiming for. Again, a superficial
look would suggest that Black is doing very fine, because his knight would be
so much stronger than the bishop, if just installed on d4. However, after the
unnecessary retreat on the 16th move, it is not so easy to jump back to the
centre, because of White's increased pressure over the c7- and e5-squares.
Esta es la posiciуn a la que habнan aspirado llegar ambos jugadores. De nuevo,
una mirada superficial sugiere que las negras estбn muy bien, porque, una vez
instalado en d4, su caballo serб mucho mбs fuerte que el alfil. En realidad,
despuйs de 16...Nc6, no serб nada fбcil volver en el centro, por la fuerte
presiуn de las blancas sobre las casillas de e5 y c7.} Rfe8 $6 ({Grischuk
wants to carry out his plan in pure form, but he will not be in time for it.
He should probably have played Grischuk quiere llevar a cabo su plan en forma
perfecta, pero no habrб tiempo por ello. Era mejor jugar} 22... Nd4 {anyway,
for instance en cualquнer condiciones, por ejemplo} 23. fxe5 Qb6 24. Qc3 c6 {
and White's extra-pawn might be of little relevance, while Black's regrouping
looks acceptable. y el peуn de las blancas no tiene de momento demasiada
importancнa, mientras que la reagrupaciуn de las negras es aceptable.}) 23. Rd5
Qe7 24. Qb3 $36 {Suddenly, White has strong pressure now. Even the apparently
passive bishop is very useful, by indirectly sustaining the d5-rook. De
repente, las blancas tienen fuerte presiуn. El aparentemente pбsivo alfil
resulta ъtil al consolidar la posiciуn central de la torre.} exf4 {The
complicatons initiated by this move will prove favourable for White.} 25. Qxb7
Rxd5 26. exd5 Nd4 27. Rxf4 $16 Qc5 28. Rf1 g6 29. Qa6 Re2 30. d6 cxd6 31. b4
Qc2 32. Qxd6 Nf5 33. Qd8+ Kg7 34. Qd5 {Black's activity is not too threatening.
Besides, his own king is vulnerable, too. Grischuk went down quickly during
the remaining moves until the time control. La actividad de las negras no es
demasiado amenazadora. Ademбs, su rey es dйbil, tambiйn. En las jugadas que
quedan hasta el control, Grischuk se irб hacнa abajo rapidamente.} Qb2 $6 35.
g4 $1 Rd2 36. Qf3 Nd6 37. h3 f5 $6 38. Qg3 Qc2 $2 39. gxf5 Nxf5 40. Rxf5 $1
Rxg2 ({Grischuk might have relied on this intermediate move, failing to notice
that he will fall under decisive attack. Anyway, Es posile que Grischuk habнa
confнado en esta jugada, pasando por alto el hecho de que su rey serб expuesto
a un ataque decisivo. De toda forma,} 40... Qxf5 {would drop the rook to
perderнa la torre despuйs de} 41. Qc3+) 41. Qe5+ Kh6 42. Qe3+ 1-0

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.27"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Svidler, Peter"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2735"]
[BlackElo "2792"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "44"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O {
Given the tournament situation, Anand chooses the safe (nowadays) Marshall
Attack. A couple of decades ago, this comment would have been pure nonsense.
Teniendo en cuenta la situaciуn favorable en el torneo, Anand elije el seguro 
(hoy en dнa) Ataque Marshall. Hace unas docenas de aсos, este comentarнo no
hubiera tenido ningъn sentido.} 8. h3 Bb7 9. d3 Re8 10. a4 h6 {Black is in no
hurry to consolidate his centre with ...d6, because he wants to keep the
possibility ...d5, in the spirit of the Marshall Attack in reserve. Besides,
the a3-f8 diagonal could be useful still, in case of an eventual Nc3, which
could eventually be answered with ...Bb4. White will try to combine the
pressure against the b5-pawn with the central plan c3 and d4, although this is
connected with a loss of time. Curiously, the variation had been seen twice
this year in games played between the same opponents, but with... reversed
colours.} 11. axb5 {It is not easy to decide which is the correct move order.}
({En Wijk aan Zee 2007, la partida entre los mismos contrincantes, pero con
colores inversos, continuу} 11. c3 b4 {Anand,V (2779)-Svidler,P (2728)/Wijk
aan Zee 2007/CBM 117/[Marin] (1-0, 21)}) (11. Nbd2 Bf8 12. c3 {Anand,V (2779)
-Svidler,P (2728)/Morelia/Linares 2007/CBM 117/[Mihail Marin] (1/2-1/2, 47)})
11... axb5 12. Rxa8 Bxa8 13. c3 Bf8 ({Deviating from another game where
Svidler had black and which continued} 13... d6 {White immediately took
advantage of the fact that the a3-f8 diagonal has been closed and answered} 14.
Na3 {Ivanchuk,V (2750)-Svidler,P (2728)/Morelia/Linares 2007/CBM 117/[Mihail
Marin] (1/2-1/2, 44). True, this did not offer him an objective advantage.})
14. d4 d6 {Finally consolidating the centre, now that the possibility of ...d5
has been physically removed. The position is typical for the Zaitsev system.
La posiciуn se ha vuelto tнpica para la Variante Zaitsev.} ({What about the
e4-pawn? Is it not hanging? The first thought is that} 14... exd4 {is simply
bad because of} 15. e5 {, winning space for White in the centre. However,
Black can answer with the unexpected} Na5 $5 {, maintaining a playable
position.} 16. Bc2 {The only way to keep Black under pressure.} (16. exf6 $2 {
is simply bad because almost all White's pieces are hanging:} Bxf3 17. Rxe8
Qxe8 18. gxf3 Nxb3 19. Qxb3 Qe1+ 20. Kg2 Qxc1 21. Na3 d3 $19) (16. Ba2 {
leaves the e4-square available to the knight.} Ne4 17. cxd4 d5 $132 {and
Black's position looks normal.}) 16... Bxf3 17. gxf3 (17. Qxf3 Nc6 $1 $15 {
maintains Black's material advantage, without making any important concession.}
) 17... Nd5 18. Qxd4 $14 {White has advantage of space in the centre and a
mighty pair of bishops. However, he is slightly underdeveloped (which is
compensated by the fact that Black's already developed knights are unstable)
and has kingside weaknesses. Generally, the position looks shaky for Black and
it is not the kind of stuff one should embark in when a draw brings you closer
to the World Crown.}) 15. d5 {After Black's previous move, the threat against
the e4-pawn became real. Therefore, White should do something about it.
Svidler's move looks like a radical solution, but half-measures seem to offer
Black good counterplay in the centre. Which is quite logical, since he is in
fact a tempo up compared to the normal variations.} (15. Bc2 exd4 16. cxd4 Nb4
$132 {[%csl Gc2]}) (15. Nbd2 exd4 16. cxd4 Nb4 17. d5 c6 $132) 15... Na5 16.
Ba2 c6 17. Na3 {Black has the more flexible structure, but White intends to
play b4, forcing ...Nb7, when the knight would remain passive for a long time.
Las negras tienen estructura mбs flexible, pero las blancas amenazan con b4,
cuando la retirada ...Cb7 dejarнa al caballo pбsivo por largo rato.} Qc7 $1 {
Solving the problems of coordination by simple tactical means. Resolviendo los
problemas de coordinaciуn por medios tбcticos sencillos.} 18. Qe2 (18. b4 {
would be answered by serнa contestado por} Nc4 {, for instance por ejemplo} 19.
Nxc4 bxc4 20. Bxc4 $2 (20. dxc6 $11) 20... cxd5 21. Bxd5 Nxd5 22. exd5 Qc4 {
recovering the pawn with excellent play. recuperando el peуn con excelente
juego.}) (18. dxc6 Bxc6 {[%cal Yc7b7] would solve Black's problems of piece
coordination.}) 18... cxd5 19. Nxb5 Qd7 20. exd5 Bxd5 21. Bxd5 Nxd5 22. Rd1 Nf6
{In the long run, Black's centre should offer him the better chances, but a
draw brings Anand a step closer to his goal. A largo plazo, los peones
centrales les asegurarнan a las negras mejores posibilidades, pero unas tablas
le acercan a Anand a su meta.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.28"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Svidler, Peter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2750"]
[BlackElo "2735"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 Bc5 5. Nxe5 $5 ({This move made part of
Botvinnik's repertoire. The normal continuation is Esta jugada formaba parte
del repertorнo de Botvinnik. La continuaciуn normal es} 5. Bg2) 5... Bxf2+ 6.
Kxf2 Nxe5 7. e4 c5 8. h3 ({An alternate plan is to develop the bishop to e2,
abandoning the initial plan. The g2-square will be occupied by the king.} 8.
Be2 d6 9. h3 O-O 10. d3 a6 {A dynamic approach. Black doesn't lose time to
bring his knights closer to the key square d4, but tries to take advantage of
the slight lead in development at once.} (10... Be6 11. Kg2 Nfd7 ({By leaving
the d6 Pawn undefended, Black practically "invites" his opponent to execute
the thematical central push. More solid would have been} 11... Nc6 {[%cal
Yf6d7,Yd7e5] /\Nd7-e5, for example} 12. Bf4 Qe7 13. Qd2 Nd7 14. Rae1 Nde5 $13)
12. d4 $14 cxd4 13. Qxd4 Qc7 ({The exchange of queens would favour White,
since he would not have to care anymore about the safety of his king.} 13...
Qb6 14. Qxb6 Nxb6 15. b3 $16 {><d6}) 14. b3 Rad8 $6 (14... Nc6 15. Qd2 Nc5 $14)
15. Nb5 Qa5 16. Bd2 (16. Qxd6) (16. Nxd6) (16. Qxa7) 16... Qa6 17. Bg5 Rc8 (
17... f6 18. Nc7 $1 $18) 18. Qxd6 $16 {1-0 Chernin,A (2645)-Groszpeter,A (2505)
/AUT 1998/EXT 2000}) 11. Kg2 b5 12. b3 ({Accepting the sacrifice would have
opened lines on the Queen side and left Black with strong compensation:} 12.
cxb5 axb5 13. Nxb5 Qb6 $5 14. Nc3 Be6 {planning Rfb8 and, eventually, d5.
White has no easy way to complete the development of the Queen side, since
b2-b3 is impossible in view of Bxb3!.}) 12... b4 ({Forcing White to make a
decision about his knight. After} 12... bxc4 13. bxc4 {it is not entirely
clear whether Black can get enough play on the open b-file.}) ({but maybe a
move like} 12... Rb8 {would have come into consideration.}) 13. Nd5 Nxd5 14.
exd5 Re8 15. d4 ({In principle, White would have preffered to delay this move,
which creates a perfect square on c5 for the black Knight. Unfortunately,
because of the lack of development, slow play would lead to problems:} 15. Bb2
Qe7 {(/\Nxc4)} 16. Re1 Qd7 17. g4 h5 $1) 15... cxd4 16. Qxd4 Nd7 17. Bf3 Nc5
18. Bb2 Qg5 ({After this natural move, Black gets into trouble. The Queen is
very exposed on g5. Safer would have been} 18... f6 {and the weakness of the
e6 square is not too relevant, since it is well protected. The Queen could be
sent on the other wing, in order to attack Pa2.}) 19. Rae1 Bf5 20. h4 Qh6 21.
Bc1 Qf6 (21... Qg6 22. h5) 22. Qxf6 gxf6 $16 {Volodin,A (2300)-Savchenko,A/
Voronezh 1999/EXT 2000 (1-0, 30)}) 8... O-O ({One game between two legendary
players went} 8... d6 9. d3 h5 $6 {Black weakens his kingside without getting
any attacking chances on this wing.} (9... O-O 10. Bg2 Nfd7 11. Rf1 Nc6 12. Be3
Nde5 13. a3 $6 {This move weakens the queenside, preventing White from
maintaining the tension under favourable circumstances after Black's ...a6
followed by ...b5.} a6 14. Qd2 b5 15. cxb5 axb5 16. Nxb5 Ba6 17. a4 Rb8 18. Kg1
Bxb5 19. axb5 Rxb5 $15 {[%csl Gb2,Gd3] Wirthensohn,H-Friedgood,D/Caorle 1972/
EXT 2001 (0-1, 31)}) 10. Be2 Nh7 11. Kg2 h4 12. g4 Ng5 13. Be3 Bd7 14. Qd2 Ne6
15. b4 {With his kingside securely defended, White is the first to start
active operations on the opposit wing.} b6 16. Rab1 Bc6 17. Rhf1 Bb7 18. Kg1
Nc6 19. Nd5 Ncd4 20. Bd1 f6 21. Kh2 Bc6 22. a4 a5 23. bxa5 bxa5 {Black has
managed to stabilize the queenside, but the open b-file excludes the
possibility of "parking" the king there. On the opposite wing, things do not
look too safe for His Majesty either.} 24. Qf2 Ra7 25. g5 $16 O-O $4 26. g6 f5
27. Rb8 $1 {1-0 Botvinnik,M-Keres,P/Moscow 1966/EXT 2001. Making full use of
the open b-file.}) 9. d3 a6 10. Bg2 b5 {There have been no games where this
queenside action, in the spirit of the Benkц Gambit, has been carried out at
such an early stage. However, we shall see that further transposition to
previous games are possible still.} 11. Rf1 (11. cxb5 $6 axb5 12. Nxb5 $6 Ba6 {
[%csl Gd3]} 13. d4 Nc6 $5) 11... d6 12. Kg1 h6 ({Black is not prepared to
release the tension either:} 12... bxc4 $6 13. dxc4 Nxc4 $2 14. e5 $1 $18) 13.
b3 ({But this prophylaxis was necessary now:} 13. Be3 $2 bxc4 14. dxc4 Nxc4 $17
{[%csl Ge3]}) 13... Be6 14. Be3 Rb8 $146 (14... Nh7 15. Kh2 Qd7 16. Qd2 {
Black's position is quite solid, White's problem is that he cannot carry out
pawn breaks easily.} f6 17. Ne2 Ng5 18. Nf4 Rfe8 19. Rad1 Bf7 20. Rf2 a5 21.
cxb5 Qxb5 22. Ne2 Qb4 23. d4 Qxd2 24. Rxd2 cxd4 25. Nxd4 a4 $132 {Garcia
Palermo,C (2385)-Dzindzichashvili,R (2550)/Buenos Aires 1978/MCD (1/2-1/2, 41).
In this game, a rather different move order has been employed in the move
range 8-14.}) 15. Ne2 Re8 16. Rc1 Bd7 17. Rc2 {White has the pair of bishops
and some advantage of space in the centre. However, Black's stability on dark
squares ensures him a normal game. Las blancas tienen la pareja de alfiles y
ventaja de espacio en el centro. Sin embargo, la estabilidad en casillas
negras les asegura a las negras un juego normal.} bxc4 ({This looks like a
premature release of the tension.} 17... a5 $5 {[%cal Ya5a4] came into
consideration.}) 18. dxc4 $1 {[%csl Gd6][%cal Yd1d6,Yc2d2]} Bc6 19. Nc3 Rb7 20.
Rcf2 Nh7 21. h4 {I am not sure whether preventing the knight jump to g5 is
worth weakening the g4-square. No estoy seguro de si merece la pena debilitar
la casilla de g4 solo para impedir el salto de caballo a g5.} (21. Rd2 Rd7 22.
Nd5 {would have maintained some pressure, although Black's position remains
solid.}) 21... Rbe7 22. Rd2 ({The activation of the bishop with} 22. Bh3 $5 {
would be a logical sequel of the advance of the h-pawn.}) 22... Qa5 23. Qc2 ({
But now, the g4-square is left entirely to Black's mercy, allowing him
toobtain good counterplay. Pero ahora, la casilla de g4 queda enteramente a
disposiciуn de las negras.} 23. Nd5 {would have maintained some pressure.
hubiera mantenido algo de presiуn.}) 23... Ng4 24. Bf4 Nhf6 25. Re1 (25. Re2
Qc7) 25... d5 $1 26. e5 (26. cxd5 Nxd5 27. Nxd5 Bxd5 $11) 26... Nxe5 27. Rde2
d4 28. Bxe5 Bxg2 29. Bxf6 Rxe2 30. Rxe2 Rxe2 31. Qxe2 gxf6 {The position looks
spectacular, but it will all end with perpetual. [#]La posiciуn parece
bastante espectacular, pero todo acabarб en jaque perpetъo.} 32. Qg4+ Kf8 33.
Qc8+ Ke7 34. Kxg2 dxc3 35. Qb7+ Kd8 36. Qd5+ Kc8 37. Qc6+ Kb8 38. Qe8+ Kb7 39.
Qe4+ (39. Qxf7+ $6 Qc7 $1 $17 {[%csl Gc3]}) 39... Kc8 40. Qc6+ Kb8 41. Qe8+ Kb7
42. Qe4+ Kc8 43. Qc2 $5 Qa3 44. Qxc3 (44. Kf3 Qb2 45. Qf5+ $1 $11) 44... Qxa2+
45. Kf3 Qb1 46. Qe3 {It will be Black now who will start checking. Serбn las
negras ahora quienes empezarбn a jaquear.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.28"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D47"]
[WhiteElo "2733"]
[BlackElo "2769"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3
Bb7 9. a3 {A specialty of Gelfand.} b4 10. Ne4 Nxe4 11. Bxe4 bxa3 12. O-O Nf6 (
{A new move in Kramnik's games. Against Topalov in Elista, he played Una
jugada nueva para las partidas de Kramnik. Contra Topalov en Elista jugу} 12...
Bd6 {and only after y solo despuйs de} 13. b3 {he attacked the enemy bishop
with atacу el alfil enemigo con} Nf6 {. Topalov came up with the novelty .
Topalov produjo la novedad} 14. Nd2 $5 {Topalov,V (2813)-Kramnik,V (2743)/
Elista 2006/CBM 115/[Marin,M] (1/2-1/2, 54). , highlighting the drawbacks of
the bishop's early development to d6. subrayando las desventajas del
desarrollo temprano del alfil a d6.}) (12... Be7 $5 {Schwarz gibt den
schwarzen Peter an WeiЯ zurьck und weigert sich einfach, auf b2 zu nehmen.} 13.
b3 (13. Qc2 {Gelfand,B (2710)-Bareev,E (2726)/Moscow 2002/CBM 091/[Lutz] (0-1,
53)}) 13... Nf6 14. Bd3 Qa5 (14... Qb6 15. Bxa3 Bxa3 16. Rxa3 c5 17. dxc5 Qxc5
18. b4 Qb6 19. Qa4+ Bc6 20. Qa5 O-O 21. Nd4 Bd5 22. Rfa1 $14 {Moiseenko,A 
(2657)-Yevseev,D (2557)/Cappelle la Grande 2006/CBM 110 ext (1-0, 45). The
structure is almost symmetrical, but White has the more active piece placement.
}) 15. b4 $5 Bxb4 16. Bxa3 Bxa3 17. Qb3 O-O 18. Rxa3 Qc7 {Black has managed to
castle and preserve his extra-pawn, but the b7-bishop is passive and his
structure is weak.} 19. Qc2 Rfc8 20. Rfa1 a5 21. Rc3 g6 22. Ne5 Nd7 23. Nxd7
Qxd7 24. Rc5 {The a5-pawn cannot be saved anymore now and White will maintain
the better structure anyway.} Ba6 {Exchanging the bad bishop, but weakening
the c6-pawn.} 25. Bxa6 Rxa6 26. Raxa5 Rb6 27. g3 Rcb8 28. Ra1 Rb2 29. Qe4 R8b5
30. Rxc6 {Gelfand,B (2709)-Vallejo Pons,F (2663)/Monaco 2004/CBM 099 ext (1-0,
41). and White converted his material advantage.}) 13. Bd3 axb2 (13... Be7 {
would transpose above.}) 14. Bxb2 a5 $146 ({A new idea in this position.
Kramnik delays the development of the f8-bishop, preparing the advanced
b4-square for it. Una idea nueva en esta posiciуn. Kramnik retrasa el
desarrollo del alfil, preparandole la casilla de b4.} 14... Be7 {would
transpose to an older game by Kramnik. transpondrнa a una partida antigua de
Kramnik, contra Ivanchuk en Nueva York 1994.} 15. Qb1 Rb8 16. Rxa7 Qb6 17. Qa2
O-O {and Black managed to hold:} 18. Rb1 Ra8 19. Rxa8 Rxa8 20. Qc4 Ba6 21. Qc2
Bxd3 22. Qxd3 Qb5 23. Ne5 Rb8 24. Qxb5 Rxb5 25. Nc4 c5 {1/2-1/2 Ivanchuk,V 
(2695)-Kramnik,V (2725)/New York 1994/CBM 041 ext}) (14... Bb4 15. Ba6 $6 (15.
Qa4 $1 {would most likely transpose to our main game. If Black wants to spare
the move ...a5, he could get into trouble:} Qe7 16. Ba3 Bxa3 17. Qxa3 Qxa3 18.
Rxa3 Ke7 19. Rb1 $16) 15... Qb6 16. Qa4 Bxa6 17. Qxa6 O-O 18. Ne5 c5 19. Nd3
Rfb8 20. Qc4 Qb5 21. Rfc1 cxd4 22. Qxb5 Rxb5 23. Nxb4 Rxb4 24. Rxa7 Rbb8 25.
Rxa8 Rxa8 26. Bxd4 {1/2-1/2 L'Ami,E (2593)-Smeets,J (2525)/Hoogeveen NED 2006/
TWIC 625}) 15. Qa4 Bb4 16. Ba3 {This exchange is essential in order to
question Black's queenside stability.} (16. Ne5 O-O $1 17. Nxc6 Qd5 18. Rfc1 (
18. Qxb4 $2 {[%csl Ge7]} Qxc6 $1 $19) 18... Rfc8 19. Bb5 {and White's position
looks a bit hanging.}) 16... Nd5 ({Black should not release the tension with} 
16... Bxa3 {, because this would cause him problems with his devlopment:} 17.
Qxa3 Qe7 18. Rfb1 Ra7 19. Ne5 Qxa3 20. Rxa3 Ke7 (20... O-O 21. Rba1 Rfa8 22.
Nc4 a4 23. Nb6 $16) 21. Ba6 $1 Ba8 22. Rxa5 $14) 17. e4 ({White had an
important alternative here.} 17. Be4 $5 {Undermining Black's control over the
b4-square without weakening his own structure.} O-O (17... Bxa3 18. Bxd5 Qxd5
19. Qxa3 c5 20. Rfc1 $14 c4 21. e4 $5 $16 Qxe4 $140 22. Rxc4 {[%csl Ge8]}) 18.
Bxd5 Bxa3 (18... cxd5 19. Bxb4 axb4 20. Qxb4 Ba6 21. Rfc1 $14 {[%csl Gc5,Ge5,
Gf3] Black is in no immediate danger, but in the long run the knight might
prove to be stronger than the bishop, while White's major pieces are more
active than Black's already.}) 19. Bxc6 ({If White is not convinced about the
merits of his position in the main line, he could try the intermediate} 19.
Bxe6 $5) 19... Bxc6 20. Qxc6 Bb4 21. Ne5 $14 {Optically, White stands better,
because of his stronc centre and the control over the c6-s}) 17... Nb6 18. Qb3
Qe7 19. Rab1 (19. Rfb1 {looks more natural, but would lead to mass
simplifications after} Nd7 20. Bxb4 axb4 21. Rxa8+ Bxa8 22. Qxb4 Qxb4 23. Rxb4
Ke7 $11 {[%cal Gc6c5] and the freeing move ...c5, with absolute equality,
cannot be prevented.}) 19... Bxa3 ({Now,} 19... Nd7 {does not work out so well:
} 20. Bxb4 axb4 21. Qxb4 Qxb4 22. Rxb4 Ra7 23. Rfb1 $36) 20. Qxb6 Bb4 21. Ne1 {
This looks too slow.} ({Gelfand could have complicated the game with} 21. d5 $5
exd5 (21... cxd5 $2 22. Rfc1 Rc8 23. Bb5+ $18) 22. exd5 O-O 23. dxc6 {,
although after} Bc8 {the pair of bishops and the potentially dangerous a-pawn
would compensate for White's far advanced pawn.}) 21... O-O 22. Nc2 Rfd8 23.
Nxb4 axb4 24. Qxb4 Qxb4 25. Rxb4 Ba6 26. Bxa6 {White's advantage is purely
symbolic. La ventaja de las blancas es puramente simbolica.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.28"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D43"]
[WhiteElo "2726"]
[BlackElo "2792"]
[Annotator "Grivas,E"]
[PlyCount "146"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{The analysis of this game was done while it was in progress and in
time-pressure, so the reader might forgive me for any potentional mistake.} 1.
d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9.
Be2 Bb7 10. h4 ({This early pawn sacrifice variation seemed to be in fashion
in the latest Wch. Earlier} 10. O-O {was on the choice:} Nbd7 11. Ne5 h5 12.
Nxd7 Qxd7 13. Qc1 Rg8 14. Rd1 Bb4 15. Qe3 Qe7 16. h3 h4 17. Bh2 Bxc3 18. bxc3
g4 19. Kh1 c5 20. hxg4 cxd4 21. Rxd4 e5 22. Rdd1 Nxg4 23. Bxg4 Rxg4 24. f3 Rg6
25. a4 a5 26. axb5 a4 27. Qe2 Qc5 28. Rab1 Rd6 29. Rxd6 Qxd6 30. Qxc4 a3 31.
Ra1 h3 32. Qe2 hxg2+ 33. Qxg2 O-O-O 34. Qa2 f5 35. Qxa3 fxe4 36. Qxd6 Rxd6 37.
fxe4 Bxe4+ 38. Kg1 Bd3 39. Bxe5 Rg6+ 40. Kf2 Bxb5 {1/2-1/2 Kramnik,V-Gelfand,B/
Mexico City 2007.}) 10... g4 11. Ne5 Rg8 $5 ({A not very often met move.
Usually Black opts for} 11... h5 {and the latest example is} 12. O-O Nbd7 13.
Qc2 Nxe5 14. Bxe5 Bg7 15. Bg3 Qxd4 16. Rfd1 Qc5 17. Bd6 Qb6 18. a4 a6 19. e5
Nd7 20. a5 Qa7 21. Ne4 c5 22. Ng5 Nxe5 23. Bxe5 Bxe5 24. Bxc4 bxc4 25. Qa4+ Kf8
26. Rd7 Bd5 27. Rd1 Bd4 28. Rxa7 Rxa7 29. b3 Kg7 30. bxc4 Ba8 31. Qc2 g3 32.
Rxd4 cxd4 33. Qe2 gxf2+ 34. Qxf2 Rd8 35. Qg3 Kf8 36. Qe5 Ke8 37. Nxe6 fxe6 38.
Qh8+ Ke7 39. Qg7+ Ke8 40. Qh8+ Ke7 41. Qg7+ {1/2-1/2 Grischuk,A-Svidler,P/
Mexico City 2007.}) 12. Nxg4 Nxg4 ({The alternative is} 12... Nbd7 13. Nxf6+
Nxf6 14. e5 Nd5 15. O-O Nxc3 16. bxc3 Be7 17. a4 Bxh4 18. axb5 Bxg3 19. fxg3
cxb5 20. Bh5 Qd5 21. Rf3 $13 {Grigoryan,A-Hrabusa,M/Sibenik 2007.}) 13. Bxg4 b4
({Also playable is} 13... Nd7 14. O-O Nf6 15. Be2 Qb6 16. a4 Bb4 17. Be5 Nd7
18. Bf4 Rd8 19. Be3 c5 $13 {Khalifman,A-Acs,P/Hoogeveen 2002.}) 14. Na4 c5 15.
d5 ({The main move 'must' be considered to be the 'obvious'} 15. Nxc5 {. A
likely continuation can be} Bxc5 16. dxc5 Qxd1+ 17. Bxd1 Bxe4 18. Ba4+ (18. O-O
Nc6 19. Be2 (19. Rc1 Bd5 20. Ba4 O-O-O $13 21. Bxc6 $2 Bxc6 22. Rxc4 Rd2 23.
Rb1 f5 $17 {Rogozenko,D-Spiess,G/Dresden 2007}) 19... Bd5 20. Rfc1 Na5 $13 {
Van Wely,L-Vallejo Pons,F/Khanty Mansyisk 2005}) 18... Bc6 19. Bxc6+ Nxc6 20.
O-O-O Rd8 21. Rxd8+ Kxd8 22. Rd1+ Kc8 23. Rd6 Ne7 $13 {Maki Uuro,M-Koskinen,H/
Finland 2005. But it seems that Grischuk had done his homework too!}) 15...
exd5 ({Black could easily go astray with} 15... Nd7 $2 16. Bxe6 $1 fxe6 $6 17.
Qh5+ Ke7 18. d6+ Kf6 19. Nxc5 Rxg3 (19... Nxc5 20. Be5#) (19... Rg6 20. Nxe6 $1
Kxe6 21. Qf5#) 20. fxg3 {1-0 Schenk,A-Stephan,J/France 2003. Black had no
answer to} (20. fxg3 {:} Nxc5 21. O-O+ Kg7 22. Rf7+ Kh8 23. Qg6 Bxe4 24. Rh7# {
. Actually, the text-move is a 'logical' novelty.})) 16. exd5 (16. O-O $2 dxe4
17. Qe2 Qd3 $1 {.}) 16... Qxd5 17. Qxd5 Bxd5 18. O-O-O Rxg4 ({C.Lutz proposed 
(back in 2003)} 18... Bxg2 19. Rhe1+ Be7 20. Bd6 (20. Bxb8 Rxb8 21. Rd7 Rxg4
22. Rexe7+ Kf8 23. Rxf7+ Kg8 $13) (20. f3 Kf8 21. Rg1 f5 $13) 20... Nc6 21.
Bxe7 (21. f3 Kf8) 21... Nxe7 22. Rd7 Rxg4 23. Rexe7+ Kf8 24. Rxf7+ Kg8 25. Nxc5
Bc6 $13 {. Anand's move looks rather OK also.}) 19. Rxd5 Nd7 20. Re1+ Kd8 21.
Red1 (21. Nxc5 Bxc5 22. Red1 Rc8 23. Rxd7+ Ke8 24. Rb7 Re4 $1 {is fine for
Black.}) 21... Rd4 22. R1xd4 cxd4 23. Rxd4 Rc8 24. Bd6 $1 {A good exchange,
making Black's queenside pawns more vulnerable.} Ke8 $2 ({Black should have
opted for} 24... Be7 25. Kc2 Rc6 26. Bxe7+ Kxe7 27. b3 cxb3+ 28. Kxb3 Rg6 29.
g3 Rf6 30. f4 a5 $11 {. Obviously the 'natural'}) (24... Bxd6 $6 25. Rxd6 f6
26. Ra6 Rc7 27. a3 $14 {would be nice for White.}) 25. Re4+ $1 Kd8 26. Bxf8 {
Of course White is not obliged to go for the repetition draw.} Nxf8 27. a3 $1
bxa3 ({Forced:} 27... a5 28. axb4 axb4 29. Nb6 Rc6 30. Nxc4 $16) (27... f5 28.
Rd4+ Ke7 29. axb4 Ne6 30. Rd5 $16 {.}) 28. bxa3 {White has got the advantage,
mainly because of Black's bad pawn-structure.} Rc6 $1 ({Black's rightly
activates his rook in order to attack the enemy pawns.} 28... f5 29. Re5 Ng6
30. Rxf5 Nxh4 31. Rf8+ Kd7 32. Rxc8 Kxc8 33. g3 Nf3 34. Kc2 $16 {is not a
solution to his problems.}) 29. Nb2 Rf6 30. Re2 $2 ({A poor move. The natural} 
30. f3 c3 31. Nc4 {with advantage to White, was strong and 'easy' to play. it
must be noted that White faces the notorious time-trouble and naturally he
feels uncertain about such 'early' pawn advances.}) 30... c3 $1 31. Nd1 (31.
Nc4 Ne6 (31... Rf4 $2 32. Ne5 f6 33. Nf7+ Kd7 34. Nxh6 (34. g3 Ra4 35. Ra2 h5
$13) 34... Rxh4 35. Ng8 $16) 32. g3 h5 $11 {.}) 31... Ra6 32. Ra2 Ng6 33. g3
Rc6 34. Kc2 Ne7 {It seems that Black has worked his way out, but White can
still win a pawn with a neat combination.} 35. Nxc3 $1 Nd5 36. Kd3 Rxc3+ $1 {
Opting for a rook ending, where Black's active rook will compensate for his
lost pawn.} (36... Nxc3 $2 37. Rc2 $16 {.}) 37. Kd4 a5 $1 {Securing an
important outpost on the b3-square.} 38. Kxd5 a4 39. Kd4 Rb3 40. Kc4 Kc8 41.
Rc2 Kd7 (41... Rxa3 $4 42. Kb4+ {.}) 42. Rc3 Rb2 43. Rf3 Ke6 {Black's activity
is obvious. There is not much that White can do, except torture Black for a
long time! Actually no-one can be sure if White has at his disposal a 'secret'
winning plan and I believe that this ending will be under the microscope for a
long time ahead.} 44. g4 Ke7 45. Kd5 {Threatening 46.Rf4.} Rb3 $1 46. Ke4 (46.
Re3+ Kf6 {.}) 46... Rb2 47. Kf5 Rb5+ 48. Kf4 Kf6 49. Rd3 Rb2 50. f3 Ra2 51. Ke4
Rh2 52. Rd4 ({The last chance. After} 52. h5 Ra2 53. Kd4 Rc2 $1 (53... Kg5 $2
54. Kc4 Kf4 (54... f5 55. Kb4 fxg4 56. Rd5+ Kf4 57. fxg4 Kxg4 58. Kxa4) (54...
Rb2 55. Rd5+ Kf4 56. Rf5+) 55. Kb4 f5 56. Kxa4 fxg4 57. fxg4 Kxg4 58. Rd5 $18)
54. Rc3 Rb2 55. Kc4 Kg5 {Black seems to have sufficient counterplay to keep
the balance (active king and rook).}) 52... Rxh4 53. Rxa4 Rh1 $1 {The rook
belongs behind the passed pawn.} 54. Rb4 ({A theoretical draw arises after} 54.
Ra8 h5 55. Ra6+ Kg7 56. gxh5 Rxh5 57. a4 Rh1 58. a5 Ra1 {.}) 54... Ra1 55. a4
Kg6 56. Kd5 Ra3 57. Kc6 (57. f4 f5 58. gxf5+ Kxf5 59. Kc4 h5 $11 {.}) 57...
Rxf3 58. a5 f5 $1 {Securing the draw.} 59. a6 Ra3 60. gxf5+ (60. Kb5 fxg4 61.
Rxg4+ Kf5 62. Ra4 Rb3+ 63. Kc6 Rb8 64. a7 Ra8 65. Kb7 Rxa7+ 66. Rxa7 h5 $11 {.}
) 60... Kxf5 {According to the 'Nalimov Databases' this is a drawn position.}
61. Kb6 h5 62. Rb5+ Kg4 63. Ra5 Rf3 64. a7 Rf8 65. a8=Q Rxa8 66. Rxa8 h4 67.
Kc5 h3 68. Kd4 h2 69. Rh8 Kg3 70. Ke3 Kg2 71. Rg8+ Kf1 72. Rh8 Kg1 73. Rxh2
Kxh2 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.28"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B67"]
[WhiteElo "2751"]
[BlackElo "2758"]
[Annotator "Postny,E"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6 8.
O-O-O Bd7 9. f3 {The most solid line. White strengthens his center and
prepares the basis for a kingside offensive by g2-g4. The alternative 9.f4
usually leads to a more forced play.} Be7 10. Be3 {Moving back the bishop,
White is preparing the run of the g-pawn.} ({An immediate} 10. g4 $6 {can be
met by} h5 $132 {and White can't reply with g4-g5.}) ({Other common
alternatives are:} 10. h4) ({and} 10. Kb1) 10... h5 $5 {Fighting against g2-g4.
On the other hand, this move weakens Black's kingside and particularly the g5
square.} ({A typical kingside assault was perfectly performed by Anand in the
following game:} 10... Rc8 11. g4 Na5 12. Kb1 b5 13. Bd3 Nc4 14. Bxc4 Rxc4 15.
Nce2 O-O 16. g5 Ne8 17. h4 Qc8 18. b3 Rc7 19. Nf4 Rc3 20. Rdg1 b4 21. h5 Nc7
22. g6 Bf6 23. h6 $1 fxg6 24. hxg7 Rf7 25. Rxh7 $1 Kxh7 26. Qh2+ Kxg7 27. Nxg6
Rxe3 28. Ne7+ Kf8 29. Nxc8 {1-0 Anand,V (2766)-Timman,J (2578)/Wijk aan Zee
2004/CBM 099}) 11. Kb1 Qc7 12. Nxc6 $1 $146 {[%mdl 8] A very sound approach.
White exchanges the black knight before it becomes active by Nc6-e5-c4.} (12.
h3 h4 13. Bd3 Na5 14. Nb3 Nc4 $6 (14... Nxb3 $142 15. axb3 Bc6) 15. Bxc4 Qxc4
16. Bf4 $1 e5 17. Bg5 $14 {[%csl Gd5] 1-0 Cvek,R (2530)-Borriss,M (2463)/
Bindlach GER 2007/The Week in Chess 645 (67)}) (12. Bd3 Ne5 13. h3 h4 14. Bg5
b5 15. f4 Nc4 16. Bxc4 Qxc4 17. e5 b4 18. exf6 gxf6 19. Ne4 fxg5 20. fxg5 e5
$132 {0-1 Korneev,O (2565)-Swinkels,R (2422)/Maastricht NED 2007/The Week in
Chess 658 (40)}) 12... bxc6 $2 {[%cal Gd6d5][%mdl 16384] Already the critical
moment of the game. This recapture looks very natural, but in fact the arising
position favours White. As the continuation of the game showed, Black can't
make real benefit from the opened b-file, and his central pawns won't be
mobile at all.} ({It was necessary to recapture with the bishop:} 12... Bxc6 {
In my opinion, Black is slightly inferior here, but keeps a playable position.
Here are few possible lines for instance:} 13. Bg5 {At the press-conference
after the game Leko told that he intended to play this move and evaluated the
position as clearly better for White. I think that this evaluation is too
harsh and the matters are not that sad for Black.} (13. Bf4 O-O-O 14. Bd3 (14.
Qf2 h4 {The penetration of the white queen to a7 is actually not dangerous for
Black due to Qc7-b8.}) 14... Nd7 15. Rhe1 Ne5 16. Qe3 Kb8 17. Bg3 g5 18. Bf2 b5
$13 {[%csl Ge5]}) (13. Ne2 $5 {[%cal Ge2d4]} d5 (13... O-O-O 14. Nd4 $14) (
13... b5 {is possible, but then where the black monarch will castle?}) 14. e5
$1 Nd7 (14... Qxe5 $2 15. Bf4 Qf5 16. Nd4 Qh7 17. Bd3 $16 {Black's queen will
be completely out of play.}) 15. f4 $14) 13... O-O-O 14. Qe3 Kb8 15. Be2 Rc8 {
followed by 16...Rhd8 and Black is only slightly worse.}) 13. Bf4 $1 {[%csl
Rd6] White must prevent d6-d5.} e5 14. Bg5 Be6 15. Bxf6 $1 {Forcing Black to
spoil his pawn structure.} gxf6 16. f4 $1 {White is intending to kick away the
black light-squared bishop by f4-f5 and then occupy the diagonal a2-g8 by his
own bishop.} a5 (16... Rb8 17. f5 Qb7 18. Qc1 $1 (18. b3 $6 Bc8 19. Bc4 {
is worse, since the dark squares near the white monarch are weakened.}) 18...
Bf8 {[%cal Gf8h6]} 19. Ka1 (19. fxe6 $4 Bh6 $19) 19... Bc8 20. Bc4 Bh6 21. Qb1
$16 {White's queen is only temporarily passive and will easily come out after
Bc4-b3 and Rd1-d3.}) 17. f5 Bd7 $6 {The bishop is passive on d7. It was
preferable to retreat to c8 manoeuvring it to a6.} (17... Bc8 18. a4 Rb8 19.
Bc4 Rb4 20. Bb3 Ba6 {White is better in any case, but at least Black's pieces
are more active than in the game.}) 18. a4 $1 {Preventing further advance of
the a-pawn. Now, White is going to put his bishop on b3 which will neutralize
completely Black's pressure along the b-file.} Rb8 19. Bc4 Rb4 20. Bb3 {
The transfer of the bishop to b3 made White's position rock-solid. Actually,
Black's play along the b-file came to it's "dead point". The freeing advance
d6-d5 will never be possible for Black since 5 (!) White's pieces control the
d5 square. As for the strategic values, Black's main weakness is Ph5 which
White is going to attack and capture. Another important factor is that Black's
king is stuck in the center and therefore Black's rooks are not coordinated. I
would say that White's position is strategically won. Even the well-known
creativity of Morozevich did't help him here.} Qb6 21. Rhe1 Rd4 ({An attempt
to move the king to c7 does not work:} 21... Kd8 22. Re3 Kc7 23. Rd3 $18 {
[%cal Gd3d6]}) ({The exchange sacrifice looks more like a desperation:} 21...
Rxb3 22. cxb3 Qxb3 23. Re3 $18) ({The g-file also brings Black no benefit:} 
21... Rg8 22. Re3 {[%cal Ge3h3]} Rxg2 $2 (22... Rg5 23. Rh3 {[%csl Rh5][%cal
Gd2e2]}) 23. Qxg2 Qxe3 24. Qg8+ $18) 22. Qe2 Rxd1+ $6 {Releasing the pressure
too early.} (22... Bc8 {was called for, though it would not change much the
evaluation of the position.}) 23. Rxd1 Qc5 24. Rd3 {White's plan is as simple
as effective: to transfer the rook to h-file and to capture the isolated Ph5.
There is nothing really Black can do about it, his active queen alone can't
cause much harm for White.} h4 (24... d5 25. exd5 Bxf5 26. Rd2 $18 {Black's
position is just ruined.}) 25. Rh3 Bd8 26. Ka2 $1 {A useful prophylactic move
against the potential check on g1. White should not be in a hurry.} Kf8 ({Again
} 26... d5 {won't help} 27. Qg4 ({Less convincing is} 27. exd5 $6 Bxf5 28. Ne4
Qb4 29. Re3 cxd5 30. c3 Qb6 31. Bxd5 Be7) 27... d4 28. Nb1 $18 {[%csl Rh4] The
Ph4 is doomed, while the white knight will easily find its way to c4.}) 27. Qe1
{[%csl Rh4] That's it. White is winning the pawn and the game.} Be8 28. Rxh4
Rxh4 29. Qxh4 Qg1 30. Qh8+ Ke7 31. h4 {[%csl Gh4] There is nothing what can
stop the h-pawn from its promotion.} d5 {Desperation, but Black's position is
far beyond any good advice.} 32. exd5 Qxg2 33. h5 {[%mdl 32] Black resigned. A
nice positional effort by Peter Leko.} 1-0

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.29"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C89"]
[WhiteElo "2792"]
[BlackElo "2751"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "39"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. c3
d5 {Nowdays, the Marshall Attack can hardly be considered an aggressive weapon.
White can make a draw almost by force, if he really wants to. Hoy en dнa, el
Ataque Marshall dificilmente puede ser considerado como unarma agresiva. Las
blancas pueden entablar de manera casi forzada, si esto es lo que quнeren de
verdad.} 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. Rxe5 c6 12. Re1 Bd6 13. d3 Bf5 14. Nd2
{Instead of sticking to his small material advantage, White hurries to
complete his development and... win the World title. En vez de mantener su
ventaja material, las blancas se apresuran a completar su desarrollo y a...
ganar el tнtulo mundial.} Nf4 ({The immediate capture on d3 offers White
chances of retaining some initiative.} 14... Bxd3 15. Nf3 Bg6 16. Bg5 Qd7 {
This was played in the first game where 14.Nd2 was seen.} (16... Nf6 17. Ne5
Bxe5 18. Rxe5 h6 19. Qxd8 $6 (19. Bh4 $14 {would have maintained better
chances because of the pair of bishops.}) 19... Rfxd8 20. Bxf6 gxf6 21. Rc5 (
21. Re2 $5) 21... Rd2 $11 {Azarov,S (2556)-Pinter,J (2512)/Izmir 2004/CBM 104 
(1/2-1/2, 40)}) 17. Ne5 $6 {White risks to fall behind in development now.} (
17. Bh4 Rfe8 18. Bxd5 cxd5 19. Bg3 $14 {[%csl Yd4,Gd5]}) ({The more neutral
developing move} 17. Qd4 $5 {was also possible}) 17... Bxe5 18. Rxe5 Rfe8 19.
Rxe8+ Rxe8 20. Qd2 h6 21. Bf4 Rd8 22. Rd1 Bf5 23. Bg3 {Byrne,R (2515)
-Angantysson,H (2400)/Reykjavik 1982/MCD (1/2-1/2, 50)} {and now Black had the
sepctacular} Nxc3 $5 {forcing White to simplify to a dead draw with} 24. Bxf7+
(24. Qxd7 Ne2+ 25. Kf1 Nxg3+ 26. hxg3 Rxd7 $17) (24. Qxc3 $2 Qxd1+) 24... Kxf7
25. Qxd7+ Rxd7 26. Rxd7+ Bxd7 27. bxc3 $11) 15. Ne4 (15. Qf3 Qd7 ({The
immediate} 15... Nxd3 {looks risky in view of} 16. Qxf5 Nxe1 17. Ne4 {[%cal
Ye4g5] , but White's initiative might be enough for just a draw:} g6 18. Qg4
Nd3 19. Bg5 Be7 20. Rd1 Kg7 21. Bxe7 Qxe7 22. Rxd3 f5 23. Qh3 Qxe4 24. Rd7+ Kf6
25. Rd6+ Kg7 $11) 16. Ne4 Bg4 17. Qe3 Nxd3 18. Nxd6 Qxd6 19. Qe7 Rad8 20. Qxd6
Rxd6 {[%csl Rb3,Rg4][%cal Gd3c1] 1/2-1/2 Smirin,I (2555)-Adams,M (2610)/
Tilburg 1992/CBM 032}) 15... Nxd3 16. Bg5 (16. Qf3 Bg6 17. Re2 Bc7 18. Bg5 Bxe4
19. Rxe4 Qxg5 20. Qxd3 Rad8 $11 {Polgar,J (2715)-Adams,M (2723)/Enghien les
Bains 2003/CBM 096 (1/2-1/2, 26): We have reached a position with the other
pair of opposite bishops than in the main game:}) ({Skipping the bishop's
development to g5 could cause White troubles:} 16. Nxd6 $2 Qxd6 $32 17. Be3 Qg6
18. Rf1 Nxb2 $17 {Bluvshtein,M (2447)-Onischuk,A (2657)/Montreal 2003/CBM 097 
(0-1, 40)}) 16... Qd7 17. Nxd6 (17. Qxd3 $4 Bxh2+) (17. Re3 $6 {[%cal Gd1d3]}
Bxe4 $8 18. Rxe4 Rae8 $32 19. Qg4 Qxg4 20. Rxg4 Be5 (20... c5 $5 $17) 21. Rb1
h5 22. Rh4 Nxb2 23. Be3 Nd3 (23... Bxc3 $5) 24. Rd1 Nb2 25. Rb1 Nd3 26. Rd1 Nb2
27. Rb1 {1/2-1/2 Georgiev,K (2515)-Nunn,J (2435)/Dubai 1986/TD. A more
spectacular draw than in the game, but not a really forced one.}) 17... Qxd6 {
All this has been played before and most of the games ended in draws after one
of the following moves.} 18. Bc2 Qg6 19. Bxd3 Bxd3 20. Be3 {Opposite coloured
bishops, symmetrical position, no significant weaknesses for any side... Yes,
a draw is the most likely result. Long live the new Champ! Alfiles de distinto
color, posiciуn casi simйtrica, ausencia de debilidades importantes... Si, las
tablas son el resultado mбs probable. ЎViva el nuevo Campeуn!} 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.29"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E15"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2750"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 ({For the first time in this tournament, Kramnik
refrains from the Catalan. Aronian usually answers Por primera vez en este
torneo, Kramnik evita la Catalana. Despuйs de} 3. g3 {with , Aronian suele
jugar} c5 4. d5 exd5 5. cxd5 b5 {and in fact he lost the theoretical duel in
the last two games (against Kramnik himself, in their rapid match earlier this
year and against Gelfand, here in Mexico.) , aunque cabe decir que perdiу sus
ъltimas partidas (contra Kramnik en su encuentro de rбpidas, este mismo aсo y
contra Gelfand en este torneo)}) 3... b6 4. g3 {Still, the bishop goes to g2,
which seems to suit Kramnik's taste these days. Sin embargo, el alfil irб a g2,
lo que parece que le conviene al estilo de Kramnik hoy en dнa.} Ba6 5. b3 Bb4+
6. Bd2 Be7 7. Bg2 c6 8. Bc3 ({This was the last chance to transpose to a
genuine Catalan with Esta era la ъltima posibilidad de transponer a una
Catalana veritable con} 8. O-O d5 9. Qc2 {, although some might call it a Bogo
Indian. It should be mentioned that some years ago it was precisely Kramnik
who popularized this curious transposition. , aunque algunos la llamarнan Bogo
India.}) 8... d5 9. Ne5 Nfd7 10. Nxd7 Nxd7 11. Nd2 O-O 12. O-O Rc8 13. e4 dxe4
14. Nxe4 b5 15. Re1 bxc4 {There have been some discussion in this line lately,
but theory is far from being settled yet. Ultimamente, hubo ciertas
discusiones en esta variante, pero sin llegar a unas conclusiones definitivas
todavнa.} 16. Bf1 ({The main alternative is La principal alternativa es} 16.
Qe2 {See the comments on Radjabov,T (2729)-Karjakin,S (2678)/Wijk aan Zee 2007/
CBM 117/[Krasenkow] (1/2-1/2, 78).}) 16... Nb6 {Aronian had had this position
before, but with the white pieces. IHowever, this previous experience hardly
was useful to him for this game because in Aronian-Nakamura, Armenia 2005, a
draw was agreed right here. Aronian se habнa enfrentado a esta posiciуn
anteriormente, pero... Ўdesde el otro lado del tablero! Sin embargo, no debe
de haberle servido de mucho para esta ocasiуn, ya que en la partida
Aronian-Nakamura, Armenia 2005, se acordaron tablas aquн mismo.} (16... Nf6 17.
bxc4 (17. Nc5 Nd5 {would transpose to 16...Nb6.}) 17... Nxe4 18. Rxe4 c5 19. d5
$14 {Logothetis,S (2221)-Lobzhanidze,D (2450)/Dresden 2007/CBM 118 (1/2-1/2,
35)}) 17. Rb1 $5 {It is curious that this natural developing move, bringing
the last piece into play (true in a not entirely "normal" position) is a
novelty.} ({Earlier, White mainly tried Es curioso que una jugada tan natural
de desarrollo (trayendola ъltima figura en el juego), es verdad, en una
posiciуn bastante poco natural, sea una novedad. Antes, las blancas habнan
probado principalmente} 17. Nc5 {See the comments and theoretical survey in
Sargissian,G (2603)-Efimenko,Z (2666)/Moscow 2006/CBM 112/[Avrukh,B] (1-0, 46).
}) 17... Nd5 $6 {Another merit of Kramnik's novelty, is that this natural and
tempting move, which is an adequate reaction against 17.Nc5, does not work too
well here. From a practical point of view, this is a huge handicap for Black.
Since 16.Rb1 was a mere developing move, I have tried to find ways to answer
with the same method with Black.} ({The first move that came to my mind is} 
17... Re8 $6 {However, it is not clear what this move could be useful for.
Sometimes, the fork on d7 is prevented, enabling ...Qb6, but this is if little
use from practical point of view. I have tried to work out such a (not at all
forced) variation in which the rook would be useful on e8:} 18. Nc5 Bxc5 19.
dxc5 Qxd1 20. Rbxd1 Nd5 21. Ba5 e5 {, but even here White is better after} 22.
bxc4 Nf6 23. Rd6 $14) ({Since there is no pressure on the c6-pawn now,} 17...
Rb8 $6 {also makes some sense. It is not really a developing move, but it aims
to improve the placement of an already developed piece. However, in the next
lines several drawbacks of this move can be seen:} 18. bxc4 Nxc4 (18... Bxc4 {
is impossible because after} 19. Rxb6 $1 Bxf1 {, the white rook has the
opportunity to capture a piece with} 20. Rxb8 $18) 19. Rxb8 Qxb8 20. Nc5 {
Here, too, we can see that after the exchange on b8 a fork is threatened on d7,
practically forcing} Bxc5 21. dxc5 $16 {[%csl Ga6,Gc4,Gg7][%cal Yd1d4,Yd1g4]
when White's pair of bishops is very active, while Black's minor pieces are
hanging.}) ({Just when I started thinking that there might be no adequate
solution to Kramnik's novelty, I remembered the words of my first trainer, IM
Mircea Pavlov: "When you do not know what to do, use Alatortsev's method, by
asking yourself in which stage of the plan (or game) you are!" Here, the most
normal thing to do with Black is connect rooks! Hence,} 17... Qd5 $5 {comes
into consideration. The move looks risky, because the queen is exposed in the
centre, but at the same time the c5-square is taken under control.
Straightforward continuations do not seem to offer White anything concrete:}
18. Bg2 (18. Nc5 Bxc5 19. Re5 Bd6 20. Rxd5 cxd5 $44 {Does White have any
winning chances here?!}) 18... Qf5 19. Nc5 Bxc5 20. Be4 Qg5 21. h4 Qe7 22. dxc5
Qxc5 23. Qg4 g6 24. Qf4 $44 {White has a threatening position, but Black's 2
extra-pawns seem to offer him adequate compensation for the dangers.}) ({After
} 17... Qd5 {, White should probably bring new forces into the fight. I would
suggest} 18. a4 {, aiming to drive the enemy knight away. There is plenty of
play left in the position, but I feel that this is the direction to follow.})
18. Ba1 Bb4 $6 {These last attacking moves win an exchange almost by force,
but leave Black poorly coordinated. Las ъltimas dos jugadas "de ataque" ganan
calidad de manera casi forzada, pero dejarбn a las negras malamente
coordinadas. Tal vez, era necesarнo contestar 17.Tb1 con otra jugada de
desarrollo, pero їcual? La ъnicaposibilidad que me pasa por cabeza serнa 17...
Te8,pero no es fбcil entender de que modo esta jugada serнa ъtil. Tal vez
їЎpor evitar el doble en d7, en caso de la generalmente deseable ...Db6?!} (
18... Rb8 19. bxc4 $14) 19. Nc5 $1 Bxe1 (19... Bxc5 20. dxc5 $14) (19... Qa5
20. bxc4 Bxe1 21. Qxe1 Qxe1 22. Rxe1 Nc7 23. Bc3 $16 {[%csl Ga6,Gc7][%cal
Yc3a5]}) 20. Qxe1 cxb3 ({This move is hard to understand. Black will simply
lose material, without getting any compensation for it. True, after Esta
jugada es difнcil de entender. Las negras perderбn material sis ningъn pizca
de compensaciуn. Es verdad que despuйs de} 20... Nc7 21. bxc4 {, Black's minor
pieces are miserably placed, but then the criticism should be focused on the
17th and, possibly, 18th moves only. las figuras menores de las negras se
encontrarнan en una situaciуn deplorable, pero tal vez la critica tendrнa que
concentrarse en la 17-a y, posiblemente, 18-a jugada.}) 21. Nxa6 bxa2 22. Rb2 {
White has two bishops against rook and 2 pawns (ignoring the doomed a2-pawn).
Materially, this sounds OK for Black, but the a7- and c6-pawns are weak, too
and Black will not be able to create any dangerous passed pawn. The rest is a
matter of technique. [#]El resto es cosa de tйcnica.} Nc7 23. Rxa2 Nxa6 24.
Rxa6 Qd7 25. Qc3 f6 26. Qc5 Rf7 27. Bc3 Qb7 28. Qc4 Qd7 29. Bg2 Kh8 30. Bxc6
Qb7 31. Kg2 h6 32. d5 Qb8 (32... exd5 33. Bxb7 Rxc4 34. Bxd5 $18) 33. dxe6 Re7
34. Bb4 Rec7 35. e7 1-0

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.29"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Black "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2758"]
[BlackElo "2733"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "90"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 ({This Gelfand's fourth game
with the Petroff in this tournament, but the first time when he faces the
classical main line. His opponents from the previous games played En Mйxico,
esta es la cuarta partida de Gelfand con la Defensa Rusa, pero solo la primera
ocasiуn cuando tiene que enfrentarse a la antigua linea principal. En sus
partidas anteriores, sus contrincantes preferirieron} 5. Nc3) 5... d5 6. Bd3
Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. Re1 Bg4 ({Nowadays, How en dia,} 8... Bf5 {is almost
universally played and White usually gets big headaches trying to break
Black's fortress. We cannot know whether Gelfand had prepared the slightly
more active bishop for the whole tournament or just specially for this game.
es casi universalmente jugado, cuando romper la posiciуn de las negras es un
verdadero "comecoco" para las blancas. No podemos saber si Gelfand habнa
preparado la incursiуn algo mбs larga del alfil para todo el torneo, o
especialmente para su partida de hoy.}) 9. c4 Nf6 10. Nc3 Bxf3 11. Qxf3 Nxd4
12. Qd1 Ne6 13. Bf5 (13. cxd5 Nxd5 14. Bb5+ c6 15. Nxd5 cxb5 16. Qb3 O-O 17.
Nxe7+ Qxe7 18. Qxb5 a6 19. Qb3 Rfd8 20. Be3 Rac8 21. Rac1 h6 22. h3 Nd4 {
1/2-1/2 Kasparov,G (2700)-Karpov,A (2720)/Moscow 1985/MainBase}) 13... d4 $5 ({
Almost never played before. The main continuation is Esta jugada casi no fue
empleada antes. La continuaciуn principal es} 13... dxc4 14. Qa4+ c6 15. Bxe6
fxe6 16. Qxc4 {When White wins the pawn back, maintaining some pressure.} Nd5 (
{Maybe Black should refrain from this move? In the most recent game played at
top level he obtained a quick draw with} 16... O-O $5 17. Qxe6+ Rf7 18. Be3 Qd6
19. Qxd6 {1/2-1/2 Anand,V (2794)-Kramnik,V (2797)/Mainz 2001/CBM 084. , but
this has to be checked still. Maybe it ws all about tournament situation and
things like that.}) 17. Rxe6 O-O 18. Be3 Bf6 (18... Kh8 19. Nxd5 cxd5 20. Qd3
Bf6 21. Rd1 Bxb2 22. Qxd5 Qxd5 23. Rxd5 b6 24. Re7 Kg8 25. g3 Rf7 26. Rdd7 $16
{[%csl Ya7,Ga8,Yb6] Magem Badals,J (2529)-Lalic,B (2548)/Seville 2000/EXT 2001
(1-0, 66)}) 19. Bc5 Rf7 20. Rae1 (20. Rd6 Qc7 21. Re1 Bxc3 22. bxc3 Re7 23.
Rd8+ Rxd8 24. Rxe7 b5 25. Qb3 Qf4 $132 {Magem Badals,J (2529)-Illescas Cordoba,
M (2581)/France 2000/EXT 2001 (0-1, 44)}) 20... Bxc3 21. bxc3 h6 {Shirov,A 
(2734)-Jussupow,A (2636)/Batumi 1999/CBM 074 (1/2-1/2, 32)} 22. Bd4 $14 {
Jussupow}) 14. Ne2 d3 15. Nf4 Nd4 16. Bxd3 {As expected, White has won the
courageous pawn, but his pieces have been distracted from the control of the
d4-square, allowing Black to install his knight there. Como cabнa esperar, las
blancas han ganado el peуn valiente, pero minetras tanto sus figuras han sido
distraнdas del control de la casilla d4, permitiendo la instalaciуn del
caballo enemigo en el centro.} O-O 17. Be3 Bc5 ({A new move. In the only game
where 13...d4 was played, Black prefered Una jugada nueva. En la ъnica partida
anterior en la cual se habнa jugado 13...d4, las negras preferirieron} 17...
Bb4 {We can note Gelfand's different treatment of his bishops. His queen's
bishop made a longer move than in the main stream of theory, while his
colleague stopped just one square earlier than in the previous game. ,
Polgar-Shirov 1999. Podemos notar la actitud distinta de Gelfand hacнa sus
alfiles. El alfil de dama efectuу una jugada un poco mбs larga que en la
corriente principal de la teуria moderna, meintras que su colega parу una
casilla antes que en la partida anterior.} 18. Rf1 ({After the imaginative} 18.
Bxd4 Bxe1 19. a3 $5 {[%csl Ge1] , Black has} Re8 $1 {and it appears that it is
not so easy to maintain the bishop trapped and to win it effectively. For
instance} 20. Be3 Rxe3 21. fxe3 Bh4) (18. Bd2 $11) 18... c5 19. Ne2 (19. a3 Ba5
20. b4 $36) 19... Ng4 20. Bxd4 cxd4 21. Bf5 Ne5 22. Qxd4 Qxd4 23. Nxd4 {
1/2-1/2 Polgar,J (2671)-Shirov,A (2734)/Prague 1999/CBM 072} Nxc4 $11) 18. Qb1
$5 {The start of a far from natural regroupment. White's main problem is to
find a good square for his queen. Morozevich' main idea is to combine the
threat b4 with the pressure against the h7-pawn. El inicio de un
reagrupamiento bastante lejos de natural.} ({The natural} 18. Qd2 {is met by}
Qd6 $11 {[%cal Gc5b4] , winning a tempo because of the threat ...Bb4.}) (18.
Nh5 {, aiming to make some space available for the queen on the kingside is
not dangerous because of} g6 19. Nxf6+ Qxf6 20. Qd2 Ne6 $11 {[%csl Gd4]}) ({
However, things are slightly different after} 18. a3 $5 a5 {(Not forced, but
what else?)} 19. Nh5 g6 {, when White has} 20. b4 $3 {widening the area of
tension and causing Black serious problems of coordination. After} axb4 21.
axb4 $16 {[%csl Ga8,Gc5,Gd4,Gf6] the queen will not be able to defend all the
pieces in satisfactory way.}) 18... Qd6 {Natural centralisation.} 19. Rd1 (19.
b4 $2 Bxb4 20. Bxd4 {does not work because of} Bxe1) 19... Qe5 20. Bxh7+ $5 ({
The position is still not ripe for} 20. b4 $2 {because of} Nf3+ $1 21. gxf3
Bxe3 $17) (20. Kh1 {[%cal Yb2b4]} g6 (20... Rad8 21. b4 Ne6 {allows the
additional posibility} 22. Bxh7+ {If Black moves away with his king, Nd3 is
possible. Better is} Nxh7 23. Nxe6 Rxd1+ 24. Qxd1 Bd6 25. Nf4 Qe4 $44 {and
Black would have reasonable compensation for the pawn.}) 21. b4 $2 Ne6 $3 22.
bxc5 (22. Nxe6 $2 Ng4 $1 $19) 22... Nxf4 $11) 20... Nxh7 21. Nd3 Qf5 $5 {
Fighting for a win and... the second place in the Championship.} ({Black could
have forced a draw immediately with} 21... Ne2+ 22. Kh1 (22. Kf1 Qxh2 23. Nxc5
Nf4 24. Bxf4 Qxf4 $15) 22... Ng3+ $1 23. Kg1 $11 (23. hxg3 $2 Qh5+ 24. Kg1 Bxe3
25. fxe3 Nf6 $15)) 22. Nxc5 Nc2 23. b4 {A curious position. White has won a
pawn and keeps the enemy knight pinned. However, his queenside pieces are
temporarily stuck. For instance, the queen cannot move because of ...Nxa1. [#]
Una posiciуn bastante curiosa. Las blancas han ganado un peуn, manteniendo
clavado al caballo enemigo. Sin embargo, sus figuras del flanco de dama quedan
inmуviles por algъn tiempo. Por ejemplo, cualquнera jugada de dama perderнa
calidad por ...Cxa1.} (23. Nxb7 Nf6 {would lead to similar positions as in the
lines from the next comment.}) 23... Qg6 $6 {This careless move, dictated by
the understandable desire to unpin the knight as soon as possible, will remain
unpunished. Black has several ways of maintaining the tension. here are two of
them: Esta descuidada jugada, determinada por el comprensible deseo de
desclavar el caballo lo antes posible, quedarб sin castigar. Solo un anбlisis
ulterior revelarб cual serнa la mejor forma de mantener la tensiуn.} (23... Nf6
{[%csl Gd5][%cal Gf6g4]} 24. Rd2 (24. Nxb7 {would send the knight far from the
centre, allowing Black increase his pressure gradually, starting with} Rfe8)
24... Nxe3 25. fxe3 Qe5 {Black has the better structure and coordination,
while his queen occupies a dominating position. Therefore, he has excellent
compensation for the pawn.} 26. Qe1 Ng4 27. g3 Rfd8 28. Rad1 Rxd2 29. Rxd2 a5
$36 {and White has problems keeping his position together.}) ({The immediate} 
23... a5 {is also possible.} 24. Rd5 {Forced.} (24. b5 $2 {loses a piece to}
Nxe3 {[%csl Gc5]}) 24... Qg6 25. b5 (25. Ne6 $2 {does not work now because
after} Nxa1 $1 $19 {[%csl Gb1] the white queen is not defended, making the
intermediate Nxf8 impossible.}) 25... Nxa1 26. Qxa1 Qc2 $15) 24. a4 ({Missing
the spectacular Pasando por alto la espectacular} 24. Ne6 $1 {The knight's
incursion with gain of time is unpleasant enough (it could soon reach such a
central square as d5), but the point is that after La incursiуn del caballo es
bastante molesta por si misma (por ejemplo, podrб llegar a d5 con ganancнa de
tiempo), pero el problema es que} fxe6 {the queen remains undefended, allowing
dejarнa a la dama indefensa, permitiendo} 25. Rd2 {with a sound extra-pawn for
White. con unpeуn de mas para las blancas.}) 24... Nxa1 25. Qxg6 fxg6 26. Rxa1
Nf6 27. h3 Rfe8 28. a5 {White has sufficient compensation for the exchange,
because of his active minor pieces and advantage of space on the queenside. [#]
Las blancas tienen suficiente compensaciуn para la calidad, por su ventaja de
espacio del flanco de dama y la posiciуn activa de sus figuras menores.} b6 29.
Nb3 Ne4 30. c5 bxc5 31. Nxc5 Nc3 32. Na6 Nd5 33. Rc1 Nxe3 34. fxe3 Rxe3 35.
Rxc7 Re2 {White's king is very vulnerable now, but his queenside pawn majority
forces Black to quick action, not allowing him the necessary time to build up
a mate net with the reduced material left on board.} 36. Kh2 Rf8 37. Rxa7 Rff2
38. Kg3 Rxg2+ 39. Kf3 Rgf2+ 40. Kg3 Rg2+ 41. Kf3 Rgf2+ 42. Kg3 g5 43. b5 Rf4
44. b6 Re3+ 45. Kg2 Re2+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.29"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Svidler, Peter"]
[Black "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2735"]
[BlackElo "2726"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4
g5 9. Bg3 Bg7 10. h3 Ne5 11. Nf5 Bxf5 12. exf5 Nbc6 13. Nd5 e6 14. fxe6 fxe6
15. Ne3 Qa5+ 16. c3 Nf3+ {In San Luis, Topalov managed to surprize and defeat
Svidler with this slightly exotic variation. Grischuk's decision to repeat the
experiment looks a bit risky, because Svidler had obviously analyzed the
position himself, disposing over the invaluable advantage of having faced the
variation in a practical game. En San Luis, Topalov sorprendiу y... venciу a
Svidler con esta variante algo exуtica. La decisiуn de Svidler de repetir el
experimento parece bastante arriesgada, porque estб claro ya que Svidler habнa
analizado la posiciуn atentamente, disponiendo de la inestimable ventaja de
haberse confrontado con la posiciуn en una partida prбctica.} 17. Qxf3 Bxc3+
18. Kd1 Qa4+ 19. Nc2 Bxb2 20. Rc1 $5 ({Here comes the novelty! The
aforementioned game went !Esta es la novedad de Svidler. La partida
anteriormente citada continuу con} 20. Qb3 Qxb3 21. axb3 Bxa1 22. Nxa1 Ke7 {
and White's pieces were more passive than in the present game. y las figuras
de las blancas quedaron mбs pбsivas que en la presente partida.}) 20... Bxc1
21. Qf6 Kd7 ({Another possibility would be Otra posibilidad serнa} 21... Bb2
22. Qxb2 e5 {, but after , pero despuйs de} 23. Bd3 {White's position looks
preferable anyway. la posiciуn de las blancas parece preferible de toda forma.}
) 22. Kxc1 Qxa2 ({I suppose that this move was not so much dictated by
grediness as by the concern about the e6-square. However, the developing move
Supongo que esta jugada no fue causada tanto por avaricia, como por los
temores conectados con la vulnerabilidad de la casilla de e6. Sin embargo,
puede que la jugada normal de desarrollo} 22... Rac8 {might have offered
better chances for counterplay. hubiera asegurado mejores posibilidades de
obtener contrajuego adecuado.}) 23. Bd3 Rac8 24. Rd1 {White has completed his
development (true, not in a very ortodox way) and is the first to create
strong threats against the enemy king. Las blancas han completado su
desarrollo (es verdad, de una forma poco ortodoja) y serб el primero en crear
amenazas contra el rey enemigo.} d5 ({For instance, the tempting Po ejemplo,
la tentadora} 24... Nb4 $2 {, threatening mate in two, loses to , amenazando
mate en dos, perderнa por} 25. Bb5+ $1 {followed by Rxd6+. seguido por Rxd6.})
25. Bf5 Rhe8 26. Qf7+ Kd8 {It might seem that Black has defended and can think
about finally launching his counterplay against the c2-knight. Parece como que
las negras se han defendido y pueden pensar ya en lanzar su contrajuego contra
el caballo de c2.} 27. Re1 $3 {A very strong move, increasing the pressure
against the e6-pawn. Una fortisima jugada, incrementando la presiуn sobre el
peуn de e6.} Qa3+ ({The simplifications initiated by this move will not bring
Black any relief, but it is hard to suggest an improvement. The key point is
that Black is still slow with his counterplay. For instance, Las
simplificaciones no traerбn ningъn alivio para las negras, pero tampoco es
fбcil recomendar una mejora. Lo esencнal es que el contrajuego de las negras
sigue siendo demasiado lento. Por ejemplo,} 27... Nd4 $2 {loses the knight to
pederнa el caballo por} 28. Qf6+) ({while mientras que despuйs de} 27... Nb4 {
allows an attack with checks: las blancas atacarнan con una serнe de jaques:}
28. Qf6+ Re7 29. Qf8+ Kd7 30. Bxe6+ Rxe6 31. Qf7+ Kd8 32. Qg8+ $1) 28. Nxa3
Ne5+ 29. Kd2 Nxf7 30. Bxe6 Rc6 31. Bxf7 Rxe1 32. Kxe1 b5 33. Kd2 {White has a
decisive material advantage, maintaining an acceptable coordination. The rest
is easy. Las blancas tienen ventaja material decisiva, manteniendo una
coordinaciуn aceptable al mismo tiempo. El resto es fбcil.} b4 34. Nc2 b3 35.
Nd4 Rb6 36. Kc1 a5 37. Bxd5 a4 38. Be5 b2+ 39. Kb1 a3 40. Ba2 Rb7 41. Bd6 Rd7
42. Nb5 1-0

Таблица