[Event "World Championship"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2000.10.24"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Kasparov, Garry"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E54"]
[WhiteElo "2770"]
[BlackElo "2849"]
[PlyCount "49"]
[EventDate "2000.10.08"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2000.11.21"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5 6. Nf3 c5 7. O-O cxd4 8. exd4
dxc4 9. Bxc4 b6 {Dieses System nennen Insider auch Karpov-Variante. In der Tat
hat der Exweltmeister dieses System in den 70-er Jahren populär gemacht. Für
Karpov war es die Hauptwaffe gegen Nimzoindisch mit 4.e3.} 10. Bg5 Bb7 11. Re1
Nbd7 12. Rc1 Rc8 13. Qb3 {Diesen aggressiven Aufbau habe ich früher selbst
gespielt; Schwarz spielt nun am sichersten 13...Bxc3. Kasparov kannte die
ganze Variante offensichtlich nicht, denn nach längerem Nachdenken griff er
fehl.} Be7 $2 (13... Bxc3 $1 14. Rxc3 h6 15. Bh4 {Ob Weiß hier Vorteil hat,
ist sehr fragwürdig.} Bd5 (15... Qe8 $5) 16. Ne5) (13... Ba5 $6 {Das gab ich
in ECO Band E 2. Auflage als zum Ausgleich führend an; wohl ein Irrtum.} 14.
Ne5 Qc7 (14... Nxe5 15. dxe5 Qd4 16. Bxe6 Ng4 17. Be3 Nxe3 18. Bxc8 Ng4 19.
Bxb7 Qxf2+ 20. Kh1 Qh4 21. h3 $16 {1-0 Knaak,R-Espig,L/Fuerstenwalde 1981/MCD 
(57)}) 15. Bxe6 fxe6 16. Qxe6+ Kh8 17. Nf7+ Rxf7 18. Qxf7 Rf8 19. Qe7 Ng4 (
19... Qb8 20. Bh4 Bxc3 21. bxc3 $14 {1-0 Knaak,R-Spassov,L/Sochi 1980/MCD (64)}
) 20. f4 Qc6 21. d5 $1 {(Fritz)} (21. Re2 Bxc3 22. Rxc3 Qd5 23. Rd2 Rf7 $11 {
(ECO)}) 21... Qc5+ 22. Qxc5 Nxc5 23. Be7 $1 Rc8 24. Bxc5 bxc5 25. Re7 $16) 14.
Bxf6 $1 $16 Nxf6 {[#] Hier würde} (14... Bxf6 {die folgenden Verwicklungen
vermeiden, doch positionell ist der Zug völlig ungenügend;} 15. Nb5 Ra8 16.
Nd6 Bxf3 17. Qxf3 Bxd4 18. Nxf7 Qf6 19. Bxe6 Qxf3 20. Ng5+ {mit großem
weißen Vorteil.}) 15. Bxe6 $1 {Ein typisches Motiv, und sogar schon gespielt
worden.} fxe6 (15... Rc7 16. Ng5 Qxd4 17. Nxf7 (17. Bxf7+)) 16. Qxe6+ Kh8 17.
Qxe7 Bxf3 18. gxf3 Qxd4 {Scheinbar ist es nicht so schlimm für Schwarz, doch
Weiß kann sofort die Schwäche der gegnerischen Grundreihe ausnutzen.} 19. Nb5
$1 Qxb2 (19... Qf4 20. Rxc8 Rxc8 21. Nd6 Qxf3 $6 22. Nxc8 Qg4+ 23. Kf1 Qh3+ 24.
Ke2 Qxc8 25. Kd2 $18 {1-0 Hazai,L-Danielsen,H/ Valby 1994/EXT 98 (32)}) 20.
Rxc8 Rxc8 21. Nd6 Rb8 $6 $18 {Das falsche Turmfeld.} ({Nach} 21... Ra8 22. Nf7+
Kg8 {kann von weißer Gewinnstellung noch keine Rede sein.} 23. Qe6 (23. Nd8 h6
24. Ne6 Nh5 (24... Ne8 $6 25. Re4 $1) (24... Nh7 $5 25. Qb7 Re8 26. Qd7 Rb8 27.
Qxa7 Re8 28. Qd7 Rb8 29. f4 Qf6) 25. Qb7 Re8 26. Qd7 Rb8 27. Qxa7 Re8 28. Qd7
Rb8) 23... h6 $1 24. Nxh6+ Kh7 {Nun kann Weiß mit Springerzügen einen
kleinen Vorteil behaupten, aber es geht nicht} 25. Qh3 $6 {weil nach} gxh6 26.
Re7+ Kg6 27. Qg3+ Kf5 {kein Turm auf b8 hängt; Weiß hat nur Dauerschach.})
22. Nf7+ Kg8 23. Qe6 Rf8 $6 {Das verliert sofort.} ({Nach} 23... h5 {kann
Weiß jedoch ebenfalls gewinnen:} 24. Ng5+ Kh8 25. Qf5 $1 {und das Eindringen
des weißen Turmes über e7 oder auch e6 bringt die Entscheidung.} Qxa2 (25...
Kg8 26. Re7) (25... h4 26. h3 Qxa2 27. Re7 Qa3 28. Rf7 Kg8) 26. Qg6 Qa3 27. Re6
Kg8 28. h4) (23... h6 24. Nxh6+ Kh7 25. Qh3 gxh6) 24. Nd8+ Kh8 25. Qe7 1-0

[Event "World Championship"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2000.10.26"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Kasparov, Garry"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C78"]
[WhiteElo "2849"]
[BlackElo "2770"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2000.10.08"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.01.25"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. a4 Bb7 8. d3
O-O 9. Nc3 Na5 10. axb5 Nxb3 11. cxb3 axb5 12. Rxa8 Bxa8 13. Nxe5 d5 14. Bg5
dxe4 15. dxe4 Qxd1 16. Rxd1 b4 17. Bxf6 bxc3 18. bxc3 gxf6 19. Nd7 Bd6 20. Nxf8
Kxf8 21. f3 h5 22. h4 Ke7 23. Kf2 Bb7 24. c4 Be5 25. Rd2 Bc8 26. Rd5 Be6 27.
Ra5 c5 28. Ke3 Bd4+ 29. Kd3 f5 30. b4 fxe4+ 31. Kxe4 Bf2 32. bxc5 Bxh4 33. c6
Kd6 34. Rxh5 Bf2 35. g4 Kxc6 36. Rh2 Bc5 37. Rc2 f6 38. Rh2 Bxc4 39. Rh6 Bd5+
40. Kf5 Bxf3 41. g5 Kd5 1/2-1/2

[Event "World Championship"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2000.10.28"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Kasparov, Garry"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E55"]
[WhiteElo "2770"]
[BlackElo "2849"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2000.10.08"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.01.25"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 {Having struggled a little with both the
Grunfeld and the QGA, Kasparov switched to the Nimzo and showed it a greater
tolerance! His loss in Game 10 led most to expect a change, but there is a
rich variety of possible black defences in the Rubinstein.} 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5
6. Nf3 c5 7. O-O dxc4 8. Bxc4 Nbd7 {A deviation from Game 10, where the
position in the centre was immediately clarified. Stylistically, not to
mention 'politically' it seemed strange to see Kasparov playing like Karpov,
who was for many years the specialist in that particular IQP version!} 9. a3 {
By far the most forcing, and I am surprised to find, clearly the second most
popular choice behind 9 Qe2. The idea of course is that at this stage, black
cannot happily take on c3, since any subsequent capture on d4 will be
re-captured with the c-pawn, when white has a strong centre with no weaknesses.
Since the game follows a very critical course, the assessment of 9 a3 will be
seriously influenced by the ultimate consensus concerning Kramnik's
compensation after move 12.} ({The main line} 9. Qe2 {used to be likely to
introduce one of the sharpest and most tactical skirmishes within the entire
Nimzo Indian complex, but nowadays there is a growing tendency for either side
to deviate earlier, eg.} b6 (9... a6 $5) 10. d5 (10. Rd1 {is the quieter
alternative - one recent example:} cxd4 11. exd4 Bxc3 12. bxc3 Qc7 $1 (12...
Bb7 13. Bd3 Qc7 14. c4 $14) 13. Bd2 Bb7 14. Bd3 Rfe8 15. Re1 {This loss of
tempo seems quite a strong case for 8...Nbd7 provided such a straightforward
IQP type position can be reached.} Rac8 16. a4 Bd5 17. Ne5 Nxe5 18. dxe5 Nd7
19. Qh5 g6 (19... Nf8 $5) 20. Qh4 Bc4 (20... Nxe5 $2 21. Bf4 Qxc3 22. Bxe5 Qxd3
23. Qf6 $40) 21. Bc2 Qb8 $6 22. Bg5 Bd5 23. Re3 $6 (23. Qh6 Kh8 24. Re3 $18)
23... Nxe5 24. Rh3 h5 25. Bf6 Nd7 26. Rg3 $40 {1-0 Hillarp Persson,T-Ionescu,C/
Batumi 1999/CBM 74/[Wells] (42)}) 10... Bxc3 11. dxe6 Be5 (11... Ne5 12. exf7+
Kh8 13. bxc3 Bg4 14. e4 $1 Qe7 15. Re1 b5 {[%cal Yc4f7]} 16. Bxb5 {[%csl Rf7]}
Nh5 17. Bg5 $1 Qe6 (17... Nxf3+ 18. gxf3 Qxg5 19. fxg4 Nf4 20. Qf3 Rxf7 21. Qg3
$14) 18. Qe3 Bxf3 19. gxf3 Qxf7 $5 20. Be2 Ng6 $5 $44 {This huge complexity is
now more often found in correspondence chess!})) 9... cxd4 {Looks best. As
discussed above black would like to execute the 'standard exchange' on d4,
after which he can further take on c3, and in this case a3 would represent
something of a tempo loss.} (9... Bxc3 $6 10. bxc3 $14 {[%csl Yc3,Yd4,Ye3]
[%cal Gc5d4,Gc3d4] would merely strengthen white's centre for no compensation,}
) ({but} 9... Ba5 {is a legitimate alternative. However, a3 'for free'
represents a reasonable partial gain of tempo after 10 Qe2 for instance.}) 10.
axb4 {Of course!} (10. exd4 Bxc3 11. bxc3 Qc7 {would lead to a typical set-up
where a3 represents a costly loss of time.}) (10. Qxd4 {looks largely for the
peacefully inclined!}) 10... dxc3 11. bxc3 {This structure, which is almost
exclusively a child of the Nimzo-Indian, offers both sides interesting
possibilities in comparison with the more standard backward pawn set-up with
c3/d4. White has chances to make use of the a-file, while black may find a use
for the move ...e5, one manifestation of the fact that white does not here
have the grip over the e5 square characteristic of other variations. Black's
main weapon however, is that it is his move, by which he can immediately force
a concession} Qc7 {[%csl Rc3][%cal Gc7c3]} 12. Be2 $5 {White has a chioce of
concession to make - he can acquiesce in a slight misplacement of his pieces,
or he can sacrifice a pawn. Of course the latter is the critical course - what
is unclear to me is to what extent this formed a part of Kramnik's preparation.
Clock times reveal little here - his 13th was played at speed, his 14th only
after considerable thought.} (12. Qb3 b6 $5 {This looks perhaps the most
promising way of exploiting the queens sally to the queen-side.} (12... Nb6 13.
Be2 e5 14. c4 Be6 15. Bb2 Nxc4 16. Rfc1 {might give white a tiny edge}) 13. Be2
Bb7 14. c4 (14. h3 Ne5 $1 $132 {[%cal Gb7g2]}) 14... Ng4 $1 15. g3 {[%cal
Gb7h1] with promising-looking counterplay.}) (12. Qe2 Nb6 13. Bd3 e5 $1 14. e4
Be6 {[%csl Rc4][%cal Ge6c4] enabled black to set up a very comfortable
blockade in 0-1 Villeneuve,A-Kosten,A/Torcy 1991/TD (79)}) 12... Qxc3 $1 {
Right in principle - any other move fully vindicates 12 Be2. Right in terms of
the match situation - Kasparov was trailing by two points and having
difficulty making a real impact with white. Also, to my mind unrefuted by any
of the subsequent analysis, for all that white's compensation makes a pleasing
visual impression. In any case, White would like to play c4 next, and the
other move tried in the position enabled him to do this without inconvenience.}
(12... e5 13. c4 b6 14. Bb2 Bb7 15. Qb3 Rfe8 16. Rfd1 a5 17. c5 $1 axb4 18.
cxb6 Nxb6 19. Rxa8 Bxa8 20. Bxe5 $1 Qc6 21. Bf1 $14 {1/2-1/2 Garcia Gonzales,
G-Balashov,Y/Leningrad 1977/MCL (95) - white has a distinct plus, based upon
the bishop pair and extra central pawn.}) 13. Ba3 $5 $146 {In fact the first
new move, since 12...Qxc3 has already been encountered in correspondence chess.
The bishop is likely to be headed for b2 which in spite of the loss of time
involved is much the most offensive square.} ({The alternative} 13. Bd2 Qc7 14.
Qb1 Nd5 15. Rc1 Qb8 {gets white's pieces into the fray one move quicker, but
to less daunting squares. Like Kramnik's choice, it offers compensation, but
nothing really concrete.} 16. Bd3 $6 (16. e4 Nf4 17. Bb5 Ne5 $5) (16. Qe4 $5) (
16. g3 $5 {[%cal Yd2f4,Ye3e4]}) 16... h6 17. e4 Nf4 18. Bc3 b5 19. Bf1 a6 20.
Qb2 f6 21. g3 Ng6 22. Bg2 e5 23. Qa2+ Kh8 24. Bd2 Nb6 25. Be3 Nc4 $15 {1-0
Schlosser,F-Kayser,F/corr WT/M 1991 (76)}) 13... Nd5 $1 14. Qb1 $1 {As in the
previously quoted game this seems to be the correct formation for white's
major pieces - from a1,b1,c1 they get maximum use out of the open files and
diagonals. strange is that this move took a lot of time, whereas 13 Ba3 did
not. 13...Nd5 is a strong move, but not perhaps an especially difficult one.} (
14. e4 Nf4 15. b5 Re8 16. Bd6 e5 17. Ra3 Qc1 $5) 14... Qf6 15. Bd3 h6 16. b5
Rd8 17. Bb2 (17. Nd2 $5 {was suggested by Shipov, but his antidote also looks
to deny white any clear route to a plus viz:} a5 $5 (17... Nc3 $6 18. Qc2 Ne5
19. Bh7+ $1 Kh8 20. Ne4 Nxe4 21. Bxe4 $32 {[%csl Ya3,Ye4][%cal Ya3e7,Ye4b7]})
18. Ne4 Qh4 19. Rd1 $5 {Wells} (19. Rc1 Ne5 20. Be2 b6 21. Bd6 Ng6 22. Bg3 Qe7)
(19. Nd6 $6 Ne5 20. Bh7+ (20. f4 {Wells} Nxd3 $1 (20... Rxd6 21. Bxd6 Ng4 22.
h3 Ngxe3 23. Rf3) (20... Ng4 $4 21. Bh7+) 21. Qxd3 b6 22. f5 Nf6 $13) 20... Kh8
21. f4 (21. Qe4 Qxe4 22. Bxe4 Nc3 23. f4 Rxd6 24. fxe5 Rd7 $17 {-Wells}) 21...
Rxd6 22. Bxd6 Ng4 $17) 19... f5 (19... Ne5 20. Be2 $13) 20. Nd6 Ne5 (20... Nc3
$2 21. Qb3) 21. Qb2 $13) 17... Qe7 18. Ra4 $40 {[%csl Gf6][%cal Yd3h7,Yb2g7,
Ya4g4,Yg4h4,Gf7f6,Gd7f8,Gc8d7,Gd7e8] Several commentators have suggested that
white's position looks really imposing, and noted that Kasparov himself said
he would have enjoyed a crack at the white pieces! True, one might have
expected to find the players on opposite sides of such a principled battle
between all-out attack on the king, and defence/ conversion of the material.
Still, while it can hardly be denied that white has compensation, I am a
little surprised by the general acclaim for white's chances. I regard myself
as a keen, even on occasions incautious investor of material, but I am not
sure how enthusiatically I would adopt the white cause - in principal white's
superiority on the dark squares ( black's absence of dark-squared bishop ) is
relatively easily blunted by the move ...f6 ( + possibly ...e5 ). This of
course creates white square hazards in turn, but black is not so far away from
moves such as ...Ne7, and Bd7-e8 which would serve to cover these in turn. I
do not want to overstate the case - I strongly suspect that white is not worse
- but I believe that Kasparov's play has been 'correct per se', rather than
just ' correct for the occasion'.} Nc5 {Again looks the right decision.} (18...
e5 $6 19. Rc1 N7b6 20. Ra5 {[%csl Ra7,Re5] seems merely to boost white's
prospects of compensation on both sides of the board.}) 19. Bh7+ Kh8 20. Rh4 $5
{Again commentators regard this as tempting, but due to white's decision to
switch in a moment to holding the queenside suggest that 20 Rc4 might have
been better.} ({In view of what I said above about the role of the move ...f6,
the really striking thing for me is the unpromising nature of the apparently
logical} 20. Rg4 {This really succeeds in opening up the dark squares, but
nonetheless the concrete tactics still favour black after} e5 $1 (20... Nf6 $6
21. Bxf6 $1 Qxf6 (21... gxf6 22. Rh4 $40) 22. Rf4 Qe7 23. Ne5 $18 {[%csl Rf7,
Rg6]}) (20... f6 $6 21. Nh4 $40) 21. Rg3 $5 (21. Rxg7 $2 Kxg7 22. Nxe5 Nf6 $17)
(21. Bf5 $5 Bxf5 22. Qxf5 f6 $13) 21... e4 $1 (21... f6 22. Nh4 $40) (21... Nf6
22. Nxe5 $1 Nxh7 $140 23. Rxg7 Kxg7 24. Nc6+) 22. Bd4 (22. Rxg7 $2 Nf6 23. Rg5
(23. Rxf7 Qxf7 24. Bxe4 Qg7 $17) 23... hxg5 24. Nxg5 Rd5 $17) (22. Bxe4 $6 Qxe4
23. Bxg7+ Kh7 24. Bd4 (24. Qa1) 24... Qxb1 25. Rg7+ Kh8 26. Rxf7+ Kg8 27. Rg7+
Kf8 28. Rxb1 Ne6 $17) (22. Ne5 $6 Nf6 $1 (22... Kxh7 $2 23. Nc6 bxc6 24. Rxg7+
Kh8 25. Rxf7+ Kg8 26. Rxe7 Nxe7 27. Ba3) 23. Bg6 Be6 {and again black defends.}
) (22. Qa1 Nf6) (22. Bxg7+ Kxh7 23. Bd4 Nf6 24. Qa1 Nh5) 22... Nf6 23. Bxc5
Qxc5 24. Bxe4 Nh5 $1 $17) ({Therefore,indeed, attention must switch to} 20. Rc4
$5 {In comparison with the game, white has the e5 square for his knight, and
more squares on the a1-h8 diagonal, but not the weakness on g6 to aim at. It
is still a matter of debate which counts for more.} Bd7 21. Ne5 $6 (21. Ba3 $5
b6 22. Ne5 $44) 21... Bxb5 22. Rh4 Bxf1 23. Rxh6 Bd3 $1 {Shipov} 24. Bxd3+ Kg8
25. Bh7+ Kf8 {and again black escapes.}) 20... f6 $1 {[%csl Gf6,Rg6][%cal
Yb2f6]} 21. Rc4 {This clearly is a big psychological moment. It is not that
white necessarily gives up any hope of a king-side attack ( the g6 square is
not running away ), but coming after a very long thought it clearly represents
a belief that all immediate attempts were found wanting, as well as a switch
into 'defensive mode' on the queenside which reveals a lack of false pride and
speaks volumes for Kramnik's pragmatic common sense. Indeed, analysis has yet
to unearth anything approaching a knock-out punch:} (21. Rh3 Bd7 22. Nh4 Be8
23. Ng6+ Bxg6 24. Qxg6 Qe8 $1 $15) (21. Rc1 $5 Bd7 (21... b6 $5) 22. Ba3 $5 b6
23. Bd3 $1 {[%csl Ra7] is a sensible try which again stresses the positional
over the 'all-out attack'. I suspect white has enough for the pawn in such a
case, although not more.}) (21. Rh5 Bd7 22. Nh4 Be8 23. Ng6+ Bxg6 24. Qxg6 Qe8
{is a now familiar story.}) (21. Rg4 Bd7 22. Nh4 {[%csl Rg6]} Be8 $1 $15) (21.
Qg6 $5 {is a great idea of Shipov's, intending} Bd7 $1 22. Ne5 $5 {but
unfortunately} fxe5 (22... Be8 23. Rxh6 $1 fxe5 24. Qg3 $1 Nf6 25. Bxe5 {
leaves black strangely in deep trouble}) 23. Bxe5 Nd3 24. Ba1 e5 $19 {is a
jolt back to reality.}) 21... Bd7 22. Ba3 (22. Nh4 {is as usual best met by}
Be8 $1 {but Kasparov was apparently concerned by white's compensation after
the simple} 23. Ng6+ Bxg6 24. Bxg6 $13 {Of course, this would clearly
vindicate white's 21st, since c4 is much the best square for complementing the
bishop pair in such a case.}) 22... b6 23. Be4 $2 {Kramnik apparently either
missed or underestimated black's reply which takes advantage of the 'time-out'
to liquidate black's backward pawn on a7.} ({Necessary to the efficient
execution of his intended holdng operation on the queen-side was to keep this
pawn backward by} 23. Bd3 $1 {preparing to meet} a6 {with} 24. bxa6 Rxa6 25.
Bxc5 bxc5 26. Rxc5 $1 Rb6 27. Qc1 {and full equality.}) 23... a6 $1 {Good
reflexes! Both players were by now short of time.} 24. bxa6 Rxa6 25. Bxc5 (25.
Qb2 Rxa3 26. Qxa3 Bb5 {would not be an improvement from Kramnik's point of
view.}) 25... bxc5 26. Rfc1 Ra5 $17 27. Qb2 (27. Nh4 {is no longer
well-supported, and can by now be simply side-stepped by} Qd6 $1) 27... Rb5 28.
Qa3 Nb6 $5 {Tricky indeed, but probably the simple} (28... Rc8 {is objectively
better.}) 29. R4c3 (29. Rxc5 $2 {loses very artistically to} Bc6 $1 $19 {[%csl
Rg1][%cal Rd1g1,Rd8d1]}) 29... Rb4 30. Nd2 $1 {A difficult move - it is easy
to see that the desirability of the knight performing the dual role of
defending e4, and covering c4, much more problematic to understand that it is
not simply too vulnerable here.} f5 $6 $138 (30... Bc6 $1 {would have been
stronger. Black retains some winning chances after either} 31. Rxc5 ({or} 31.
Bxc6 Rxd2 32. Rd3 Rdb2 33. Rcd1 (33. Be4) 33... Rb1 $17) 31... Rxe4 $1 32. Qa5
(32. Nxe4 Bxe4 $17) 32... Rxd2 33. Qxd2 Bd5 34. f3 {and white's defence will
not be easy, but black has some way to go to coordinate fully.}) 31. Bf3 $6
$138 {The position is simply too difficult to play to expect perfection in
mutual zeitnot.} (31. Rxc5 $1 Rxe4 32. Nxe4 fxe4 33. Qb4 Na4 34. R5c4 Qxb4 35.
Rxb4 {[%csl Re4] is quite a different story structurally. White is fine here.})
31... Na4 $6 {Again time-trouble causes Kasparov to prioritise the tricky over
the solidly founded.} ({Better} 31... Rc8 $1 $17) 32. Rxc5 $1 Rb2 33. Nc4 $1
Qxc5 $11 {A fascinating struggle, and about as close as Kramnik came to losing
in the match. Theoretically the jury is still out. At the moment white's
compensation looks sufficient, but not more. If something concrete is found,
then black would have to think twice about 8...Nbd7 since after 9 a3 the play
is quite impressively forcing.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "World Championship"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2000.10.29"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Kasparov, Garry"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2849"]
[BlackElo "2770"]
[PlyCount "27"]
[EventDate "2000.10.08"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.01.25"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5
8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 h6 10. h3 Ke8 11. Ne4 c5 12. c3 b6 13. Re1 Be6 14. g4
1/2-1/2

[Event "World Championship"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2000.10.31"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Kasparov, Garry"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A30"]
[WhiteElo "2770"]
[BlackElo "2849"]
[PlyCount "114"]
[EventDate "2000.10.08"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.01.25"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 b6 3. g3 c5 4. Bg2 Bb7 5. O-O g6 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. d4 cxd4 8. Qxd4
d6 9. Rd1 Nbd7 10. Be3 (10. b3 O-O 11. Bb2 Rc8 12. Rac1 a6 13. Qd2 Rc7 14. Ne1
Bxg2 (14... Qa8 $142 15. Bxb7 Qxb7 $11) 15. Nxg2 Qa8 16. Ne3 Re8 17. Ncd5 Rc6
18. a4 Qb7 19. Bd4 Rcc8 20. Nxf6+ Bxf6 21. Nd5 Bxd4 22. Qxd4 $36 {Kramnik,
V-Polgar,J/Dos Hermanas/1999/}) 10... Rc8 11. Rac1 O-O 12. Qh4 a6 13. Ne1 $146
{Technically this is a new move, but Kramnik's second Illescas came up with
the idea a move later-see below. Also above we see Kramnik himself testing Ne1
in a different version of the A30 line.} (13. b3 Re8 (13... h5 $6 14. Bg5 (14.
h3 $5 Rc7 15. g4 $36) 14... b5 15. cxb5 axb5 16. Qb4 Bc6 17. e4 Qb6 18. Nd4 Ba8
19. Qxb5 Qa7 20. Qe2 Rc5 21. Be3 Qa5 22. Ndb5 Rcc8 23. Nd5 $16 {Gavrikov,
V-Christiansen,L/SUI-chT/1996/}) (13... Rc7 14. Ne1 $5 (14. Bh6 Qa8 15. Bxg7
Kxg7 16. Qd4 b5 $5 (16... Kg8 17. Qe3 Re8 18. Bh3 Rc5 19. Nd4 Rh5 20. g4 Re5
21. Qd2 e6 22. f3 Rc5 23. Nc2 Ne5 24. Ne1 Rd8 25. g5 Ne8 26. a4 $14 {(),
Yermolinsky,A-Ehlvest,J/Stratton Mountain/2000/}) 17. cxb5 axb5 18. Nxb5 Rxc1
19. Rxc1 Qxa2 20. Nc3 Qa3 21. Rb1 Rc8 22. Nd2 e5 23. Qa4 Qxa4 24. Nxa4 Bxg2 25.
Kxg2 d5 {Topalov,V-Kramnik,V/Wijk aan Zee 5'/1999/}) 14... Bxg2 (14... Qa8 15.
Bh3 Re8 16. Nd3 $14) 15. Nxg2 Re8 16. Nf4 Qb8 17. Nfd5 Rcc8 18. Bg5 (18. a4 $5
$14) 18... Qb7 19. a4 Kh8 20. g4 Nxd5 21. Nxd5 e6 22. Nf6 Nxf6 23. Bxf6 d5 24.
Rc3 Bxf6 25. Qxf6+ Kg8 26. Rcd3 Qe7 27. Qxe7 Rxe7 $11 {Illescas Cordoba,
M-Gelfand,B/Pamplona/1999/}) 14. Bh3 (14. g4 b5 $5 15. cxb5 Nxg4 16. Bd4 Ngf6
17. a4 Nc5 18. bxa6 Bxa6 19. Nd2 Ne6 20. Be3 h5 21. h3 d5 22. Nc4 d4 $5 $13 {
Filippov,V-Nikolic,P/ECC Neum/2000/}) 14... Rc7 15. Nd5 $146 (15. Bh6 Rc5 16.
Ng5 b5 $132) 15... Nxd5 16. cxd5 Nf6 17. Rxc7 Qxc7 18. Qc4 Qd8 19. Ng5 Qa8 20.
Bxb6 Bxd5 21. Qd3 h6 22. Nf3 Qb7 23. Ba5 Be4 24. Qe3 Qb5 $13 {Van der Sterren,
P-Cvitan,O/BL 9899/1999/}) 13... Bxg2 14. Nxg2 Re8 15. b3 Qc7 $1 {Compared
with the game Illescas-Gelfand Kasparov gets his Q faster to b7 to start his
<=>.} 16. Bg5 (16. Nf4 Qb7 (16... e6 $5 $11) 17. Nfd5 b5 $11) (16. Bh6 $5 Qc5
17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. Ne3 Qh5 19. Qd4 Qe5 $11) 16... Qb7 17. Ne3 b5 $11 18. Ned5 $6
{White wrecks his pawns and Black already can start thinking about more than
equality.} (18. Ncd5 $142) 18... bxc4 19. bxc4 h5 $1 {A useful prophylactic
move.} 20. Qf4 (20. Rb1 $6 Qc6 {[%csl Rc4] ><c4}) 20... Qc6 21. Bxf6 (21. Nxf6+
$2 exf6 $1 (21... Nxf6 22. Nd5 $11) 22. Bh6 (22. Qxd6 fxg5 23. Qxd7 Qxd7 24.
Rxd7 Rxc4 $19) 22... g5 23. Qxd6 Bxh6 24. Qxd7 Qxd7 25. Rxd7 Rxc4 $19 {[%cal
Gc8c1] with a deadly pin on the c-file.}) 21... Nxf6 22. Nxf6+ Bxf6 23. Nd5 Bb2
$1 $15 24. Rb1 (24. Rc2 Bg7 $15 (24... Qa4 $2 25. Rdd2 Be5 26. Qh4 {[%cal
Rd5b6,Rd5e7] /\Ne7,Nb6})) 24... Bg7 25. Qg5 Kf8 26. Rdc1 e6 27. Nf6 (27. Nb6 $5
Rb8 28. c5 Bd4 (28... d5 29. Qd2 $13) 29. cxd6 Qxd6 30. Nc4 Qd5 $15) 27... Red8
28. h4 Qa8 {[%cal Rc8c5] /\Rc5-+} 29. c5 $5 {White simplifies into a tenable
_|_.} (29. Qf4 Rc5 30. Nh7+ Kg8 31. Ng5 Rf5 $15) 29... Rxc5 30. Rxc5 Bxf6 $8 (
30... dxc5 $4 31. Qxc5+ Rd6 32. Qxd6#) 31. Qxf6 dxc5 32. Kh2 $1 {Prepares the
activation of the R.} Kg8 33. Rb6 {[%cal Rb6e6] /\Re6=} Re8 (33... Rd1 34. e4 (
34. f3 Qc8 35. Qe5 Rd8 36. g4 hxg4 37. fxg4 c4 38. h5 Rd5 $17) 34... Qc8 35.
Qe5 $1 Rd8 36. Kg2 (36. g4 $2 hxg4 37. h5 f6 38. Qxf6 Qc7+ $18) 36... c4 37. g4
hxg4 38. h5 gxh5 39. Qg5+ Kf8 40. Rxa6 $1 (40. Rb7 Rd7 41. Qh6+ Ke7 42. Qg5+ f6
43. Qg7+ Kd6 $19) 40... c3 41. Ra7 Rd7 42. Qf6 $1 Kg8 $8 43. Qg5+ $11) 34. Qf3
$1 Qxf3 {Otherwise White regains the P with a clear draw.} 35. exf3 Rc8 36.
Rxa6 c4 37. Rd6 c3 38. Rd1 Ra8 39. Rc1 Rxa2 (39... Ra3 40. Kg2 Kg7 41. f4 Kf6
42. Rc2 $8 (42. Kf3 $2 c2+ 43. Ke2 Rxa2 44. Kd3 Kf5 45. Rxc2 Rxc2 46. Kxc2 Ke4
47. Kd2 Kf3 48. Ke1 f6 49. Kf1 e5 50. fxe5 fxe5 {[%cal Re5e3] /\e4-e3-+}) 42...
Ke7 43. Kf3 Kd6 44. Ke4 Kc5 45. Kd3 Kb4 46. Re2 $11) 40. Rxc3 (40. Kg2 $2 Ra3
41. Kf1 Kg7 42. Ke2 Kf6 43. Kd3 c2+ $1 44. Kxc2 Ra2+ 45. Kd3 Rxf2 46. Ke3 Rg2
47. Kf4 e5+ 48. Ke4 Rxg3 49. Rc6+ Kg7 $19) 40... Rxf2+ 41. Kg1 Ra2 $11 {/=/+
With the pawn on f2 it would be an elementary draw, now White still has to be
careful, as Black may create a dangerous passed e-pawn.} 42. Rc7 Kf8 43. Rb7
Ke8 44. Rb8+ Ke7 45. Rb7+ Kf6 46. Kf1 (46. f4 $142 $1 {[%csl Rf7] and Black
can't make any progress, his K is tied to the Pf7.}) 46... e5 $1 47. Rb6+ Kf5
48. Rb7 Ke6 (48... f6 {-50...f6}) 49. Rb6+ Kf5 50. Rb7 f6 51. Rg7 (51. Rf7 $5 {
/\} g5 52. hxg5 Kxg5 53. Rg7+ $11) 51... g5 $1 $36 52. hxg5 fxg5 {[%cal Rg5g4]
/\g4} 53. Rg8 (53. Rh7 Kg6 54. Re7 Kf6 55. Rh7 g4 {can lead to the same
position.}) 53... g4 54. Rf8+ Ke6 55. Re8+ Kf5 ({Afterwards Kasparov claimed a
win with} 55... Kf6 $142 $1 {but Kramnik's team came up with} 56. fxg4 (56.
Rf8+ Ke7 57. Rf5 Ke6 58. fxg4 hxg4 59. Rg5 Ra4 60. Kf2 Kf6 {eventually leads
to the same position}) (56. f4 $2 exf4 57. Rf8+ Kg5 58. Rxf4 Ra3 $1 59. Kg2
Rxg3+ 60. Kxg3 h4+ $19) 56... hxg4 57. Rg8 Kf5 58. Kg1 (58. Rb8 $5 $15) 58...
Rd2 ({Black brings his R closer to a square from which it can be protected} 
58... Ke4 59. Rxg4+ Kf3 60. Rg8 e4 61. Rf8+ $11) 59. Rg7 Ke4 60. Rxg4+ Kf3 61.
Rg6 $1 {[]} (61. Rg8 e4 62. Rf8+ Ke2 63. Kg2 (63. g4 e3 64. g5 Rd5 $19) 63...
e3 64. g4 Rd4 $1 65. Kg3 Kd2 66. Re8 e2 67. Kf2 $5 Rf4+ 68. Kg3 Rf8 $1 69. Rxf8
e1=Q+ $19) 61... e4 62. Rf6+ Ke2 63. g4 e3 64. g5 Rd5 65. g6 {Compared with
the line above the Pg6 is protected and White draws after} Kd2 66. Re6 Rg5+ 67.
Kh2 e2 68. Rd6+ Ke1 69. Re6 $11) 56. Rf8+ Kg6 57. Rg8+ Kf5 1/2-1/2

[Event "World Championship"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2000.11.02"]
[Round "15"]
[White "Kasparov, Garry"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2849"]
[BlackElo "2770"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "2000.10.08"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.01.25"]

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 Bb7 12. Bf4 Bd6 13. Nbd2 Nbd7 14. Nb3 Bd5 15.
Rd1 Qe7 16. Ne5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Nd5 18. Nc6 Nxf4+ 19. Qxf4 Qe8 20. Qf3 e5 21.
dxe5 Nxe5 22. Nxe5 Qxe5 23. Rd2 Rae8 24. e3 Re6 25. Rad1 Rf6 26. Qd5 Qe8 27.
Rc1 g6 28. Rdc2 h5 29. Nd2 Rf5 30. Qe4 c5 31. Qxe8 Rxe8 32. e4 Rfe5 33. f4 R5e6
34. e5 Be7 35. b3 f6 36. Nf3 fxe5 37. Nxe5 Rd8 38. h4 Rd5 1/2-1/2

