MICHIGAN CHESS ASSOCIATION
Analysis by Mervin Draper
The recent match (May-June, 1998) between Valdimr Kramnik
and Alexei Shirov for the right to meet Kasparov in a World Chess Council
(WCC) championship match in October has proved interesting and should provide
insight into the nature of that forthcoming match. Games one and
three were Grünfeld Defenses. Both games were identical through
the twelfth move with black testing White’s “classical center” with his
fianchettoed king's bishop and a direct assault on the d4 pawn.
Kramnik,V. (2710)-Shirov,A.(2710) (WCC Candidates
final, G01)
Grünfeld: Exchange (Alekhine) [D89/02
(2nd ed.)]
1998.05.24. ESP Cazoria
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4
Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7
White now has a classical center under attack
by Black’s fianchettoed king bishop. The attack and defense on d4 are even.
7. Bc4 0-0 8.Ne2
Meeting the possibility of Bg4 with f3, breaking
the pin.
8....c5
Three attackers on d5.( 9. cxb is impossible because
of 9...Bxc3+ winning the rook or ...QxQ+ depriving White’s king of its
castling privileges.)
9.0-0
Now white can exchange queens if the d file opens.
9...Nc6
Now there are four attacks on d4.
10. Be3
Development and defending d4. Later this
bishop will go on a fruitless expedition.
10....Bg4 11.f3
Breaking the pin.
11....Na5
Instead of retreating the bishop, black attacks
White’s bishop in turn.
12. Bd3
Here White retreats his bishop instead of the
more usual continuation Bxf7+ winning a pawn. This pawn capture which White
makes in game three has the effect of opening the game up and moving into
a tactical phase with a pawn to the good. This game also moves into a tactical
phase through resolution of the center.
12....cxd4
Working towards resolution of the center.
13.cxd4 Be6
Now Black’s bishop retreats or is repositioned.
14. Rc1
Giving up a pawn to seize the open file.
Black will shortly have passed pawns. Fred Foote of Hastings, Michigan
suggested this continuation: 14.Qd2 Nc4 15.Bxc4 Bxc4 16. Bfd1, holding
the center.
14...Bxa2
Making the passed pawns good. Was an open
file for White enough compensation for the sacrificed pawn and Black’s
connected passed pawns?
15. Qa4 Bb3
Sharp tactical play on the queen side. Black
moves the bishop out of attack threatening the White queen.
16. Qb4 b6
Securing the safety of the b pawn. Those passed
pawns look better all the time.
17.Bg5 f6
Playing on the king side. White’s bishop has to
retreat; it was really needed to defend the center.
18. Bf4 e5
Once more Black attacks in the center.
19.Be3
Completes the retreat and returns to the defense
of d4.
19....exd4
Black continues by consolidating his gain in space
and tempos earned by attacking the bishop.
20. Nxd4 Bf7
Black tightens his position and defends the a2-g8
diagonal. White’s bishop on e3 now appears poorly placed.
21. Ba6 Re8
The threat is Bf8 with an attack on White’s queen.
22. Rfd1
An attack on Black’s queen.
22....Qe7
With an offer to exchange queens, playing for
simplification. I feel that black wasn’t far enough a head in material
to justify simplification at this point.
23. Qxe7 Rxe7 24. Nc6 Nxc6 25. Rxc6 ½-½
The game was drawn at this point.
Writing in the July 1998 issue of Chess Life,
GM Leonid Shamkovich stated, “The strong pressure of White’s pieces amply
compensate him for the sacrificed pawn.” He suggested that the continuation,
25. ...Rae8 26.Rcd6 f5!? 27. Bg5 fxe4 28. Bxe7 Rxe7 29. Rd7 would be good
for White. I agree that there might be more play in the position as Black
in particular has two passed pawns that could be supported and be made
mobile.
Although white has a pawn majority on the king
side, Black’s king doesn’t seem to be in any real danger. White is
in possession of the open files, but Blacks rooks are also active and seem
well enough placed.
If Black had wished to play on, 25. ...f5, attacking
e4 which is pinned against White’s bishop on e3 should be good. If
White moves the bishop on a6 to support his center, Black should be able
to mobilize his connected passed pawns.
Other than that this was the first game of their
match and the players were sounding each other out, there seems
to be little reason for the draw. While there was further play in
the position, it appears that White game up too much to take possession
of an open file and that Black tried to simplify too soon before gaining
a clear-cut advantage.
All in all, this was an instructive enjoyable
game.
The second game in the Shirov vs. Kramnik match,
for the right to play Kasparov this October, was an interesting Petrov’s
Defense. Although it was a draw, I found it very instructive.
Shirov,A.(2710)-Kramnik,V.(2790) (WCC Candidates
final, G02)
Petrov: Modern (Symmetrical) [C43/23
(3rd ed.)]
1998.05.25. ESP Cazoria
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6
The Petrov position. Conventional wisdom
has it that the Petrov is drawish and that symmetrical positions are bad
for the second player because sooner or later he can’t follow White’s lead
and has to accept an inferior position and that White can force a draw
almost at will. My take on this is that it is way too early and Black’s
position is too aggressive for ideas about passive symmetry to apply. Rather
as early as the second move, Black begins an aggressive counter attack
rather than submit to White’s attack on the e5 pawn. The idea in
the main line is to drive White’s knight off and to establish his own outpost
at e4.
3.d4 Nxe4
The best way for White to avoid the main line.
In most variations Black should take as here. This defense is all
about counter attack. Out posting the Black knight is logical
4. Bd3 d5
More attack and defense.
5.Nxe5 Nd7 6.Nxd7 Bxd7 7.0-0 Bd6
At this point, Black is a head in development.
8.Nc3 Nxc3 9.bxc3 0-0
If White had played Nd2, Black’s knight exchange
would not have created a double pawn, usually considered a pawn structure
weakness. If black had waited to exchange, he would have gone a pawn
down.
10.Qh5
Mate threat on h7.
10...f5
Interference and mobilizes the Rf8.
11.Rb1 b6 12.Re1 c6
White is on the open file. How important
will it be? Can he hold it?
13. Bg5 Qc7
Notice how Black’s previous move created a good
square for his Queen.
14. c4 Be8
Counter attack on White’s queen
15. Qh3 dxc4?
This capture undoubles White’s pawns, lets him
post his bishop aggressively on a fine diagonal, and allows the queen to
reenter the attack. Also Black has lost any initiative he may have
gained with 14...Be8.
16.Bxc4+ Bf7 17.Be6 Bxe6 18. Rxe6 Rae8 19. Qb3!
Supporting the rook while leaving the file open
for the posting of the Rook.
19...Rxe6 20.Qxe6+ Rf7 21.Qe8+ Rf8 22. Qe6+ Rf7 23. Qe8+ Rf8 ½-½
The game is drawn. Why the draw? 24. Qe6+Rf7
would have been a three-time repetition of the position. Note the
balance of material, the defensive resources in the position, the bishops
of the same color, both queens on the board, and the fact that this was
the second game of the match.
Both players were still feeling each other out.
Kramnik could have chosen to get out of check
by moving his King rather than by interposing his rook, but then Shirov
didn’t have to keep checking either. Kramnik was fortunate to have
survived a strong attack. 15. ...dxc4? Really opened Black’s position
and gave White strong attacking chances.