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Round 10 - Amber highlights
Monte Carlo, Monaco - ALL EYES WERE on Kramnik and Anand, but the clash of champions only resulted in two draws. Anand needed to win to get back in the running for first, but he ended up having to fight for his life in their rapid encounter.
Eventually, Anand managed to escape, but I'm sure Kramnik must have been winning at some point in the rook ending. The blindfold game ended in a surprisingly short draw, after Kramnik had equalised with black in the Lasker variation of the Queen's Gambit.
There were only two decisive games in today's action - one of them of vital importance, as Veselin Topalov drew level with Kramnik in the overall standings by outplaying Leko in the blindfold event.
Leko (2745) - Topalov (2718)
Amber Blindfold (10), 2001
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 7.c3 d6 8.d4 Bb6 9.a4 Rb8 10.axb5 axb5 11.Na3 0-0 12.Nxb5
I don't think this gives White any advantage to speak of, since Black is able to win the pawn back by force.
12...exd4 13.cxd4 Bg4
13...Nxe4? 14.Bd5 Qe8 15.Re1 and Black is in all kinds of trouble.
14.Bg5 h6 15.Bh4 Re8 16.Re1 g5 17.Bg3
17...Ba5! 18.Nc3 Bxc3 19.bxc3 Rxe4 20.Bc2 Rxe1+ 21.Qxe1 Qe7 22.h4
There's probably nothing wrong with trading queens, but avoiding this exchange would give White better prospects of exploiting Black's kingside weaknesses.
22...Qxe1+ 23.Nxe1 Nd5
24.Ra3?
A much more active alternative was 24.Ra6 Nce7 25.hxg5 hxg5 26.c4 with the point 26...Be2 27.Ra4 Nb6 28.Ra7 Nxc4 29.Rxc7. White has not only managed to get rid of the weakness on c3, but Bg3 is actually doing something useful.
24...Be2 25.hxg5 hxg5 26.Nd3 Kg7 27.Nc1? Bc4 28.Ra4 Rb2 29.Be4 Bb5 30.Ra2
30.Ra3 Nce7 wasn't much fun either.
30...Rxa2 31.Nxa2 Nce7
32.f4?
Utter panic. 32.f3 Bc4 33.Bb1 Bxa2 34.Bxa2 Nxc3 35.Bc4 and White has reasonable drawing chances.
32...Bc4 33.Bxd5 Nxd5 34.Nb4 Nxc3 35.Kf2
No better was 35.fxg5 Ne2+ 36.Kf2 Nxd4.
35...Ne2 36.d5 gxf4 37.Bh4 f6 38.Kf3 Kg6 39.Ke4 Bb5 40.Bf2 Kg5 41.Kf3 Nc3 42.Bd4
42...Nxd5! 43.Nxd5 Bc6 44.Ba7
44.Ke4 was futile because of 44...f5+.
44...Bxd5+ 45.Kf2 c5 46.Bb8 c4 47.Bxd6 c3 48.Bb4 c2 49.Bd2 Kg4 50.Bc1 f5 51.Bd2
51...f3 52.gxf3+ Bxf3
The rest is fairly simple.
53.Bc1 f4 54.Bd2 Be4 55.Bc1 Kf5 56.Ke2 Ke5 57.Ke1 f3 58.Be3 Kd5 59.Kd2 Kc4 60.Bf2 Kb3 61.Bd4
If 61.Kc1 then 61...Kc3 followed by Kd3 etc.
61...Bc6
Or 61...f2 62.Bxf2 Kb2.
62.Kc1 Kc4 63.Bb6 Kd3 64.Bc5 Be4 and White resigned, since there's no defence to Ke2 followed by f2. 0-1
IN THE FINAL round, Kramnik faces off against Leko, while Topalov finishes out against Ljubojevic. You have to like Topalov's chances, but even though Ljubojevic is by far the lowest rated player in the tournament, he's certainly no pushover. Let's take a look at how he slowly turned the tables in his rapid game with Shirov.
Shirov (2718) - Ljubojevic (2566)
Amber Rapidplay (10), 2001
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be2 a6 7.0-0 Nf6 8.Be3 Bb4 9.Na4 Be7 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Nb6 Rb8 12.Nxc8 Qxc8 13.Bd4 c5 14.Be5 Rb6
I can't remember the last time I saw Ljubojevic cruise down such a topical line.
15.Qd3 d6 16.Bc3 0-0 17.b3 d5 18.exd5 Nxd5 19.Be5
19.Bd2 Nb4 20.Qc4 Rd6 21.Bxb4 cxb4 22.Qxb4 Qxc2 23.Bxa6 Rxa6 24.Qxe7 Rxa2 25.Rxa2 Qxa2 26.b4 h6 27.h3 Qb3 28.Rc1 Rb8 29.Rc7 Qb1+ 30.Kh2 Qf5 31.Qd6 Ra8 32.Qc5 Qxc5 33.bxc5 Ra2 draw (Kasparov-Anand, Frankfurt 2000).
19...Rd8
The first new move of the game.
20.Qg3 Bf6 21.f4 Rb4 22.Bc4
22...Bxe5?
This gives White a tremendous amount of pressure along the f-file. A more sensible alternative was 22...Qc6.
23.fxe5 Qc6 24.Rf3 Ne7 25.Raf1 Nf5 26.Qf2 Rb7
27.g4?
27.Bd3! Nh6 28.Rg3! and Black will have to give up a pawn with Nf5, since 28...Kh8 runs into 29.Rxg7! Kxg7 30.Qf6+.
27...Nh6 28.h3 Rbd7 29.Rd3 Rd4 30.Qf3 Qc7 31.Qe3 a5 32.Rfd1 Rxd3 33.Rxd3 Rxd3 34.Bxd3
White still holds the advantage (Black's knight is pretty bad), but his kingside weaknesses might provide Black with some counterplay.
34...Kh8 35.Kf2 Ng8 36.Qe4 g6 37.Bb5 Ne7 38.c4 Kg7 39.Qf4 Ng8 40.Ke2 h6 41.h4?! Qd8 42.g5 hxg5 43.hxg5
43...Ne7
Now f5 has turned into a juicy outpost for the knight.
44.Qd2
44.Qf6+ Kg8 45.a3 Qc7.
44...Qh8!
45.Qxa5?
This is simply asking too much. Now, while White's pieces are congregating on the queenside, Black gets to attack with the deadly combination of queen and knight.
45...Qh2+ 46.Kd3 Qg3+ 47.Kc2 Nf5 48.Qd8 Nd4+ 49.Kb2 Qf2+ 50.Ka3 Qd2 51.Qf6+ Kg8 52.Qd8+ Kh7 53.Qd6 Qb4+ 54.Kb2 Qd2+ 55.Ka3 Nc2+ 56.Kb2 Qf2!
Now Nb4+ is a huge threat.
57.Kc1?
White had to try 57.Kc3, even though he'll have a lot of suffering to look forward to after 57...Nb4 58.Qd2 Nxa2+ 59.Kc2 Nb4+ 60.Kc1 Qg3 , picking up a pawn.
57...Nd4 and White resigned, since he has to give up his queen to stop mate. 0-1
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GM Einar Gausel 