Aronian – Kramnik
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 Be7 5.Bg2 0–0 6.0–0 dxc4 7.Qc2 a6 8.Qxc4 b5 9.Qc2 Bb7 10.Bd2 Be4 11.Qc1 Qc8 12.Bg5 Nbd7 (They were cranking out the first 12 moves with lightning speed. No opening surprises so far.)
13.Nbd2 Bb7 13.Nb3 a5 14.Nb3 a5 15.Bxf6 Bxf6 (The position is about even. White has better pawns due to the weak c7 pawn for Black. Black has the Bishop pair.)
16.Nc5 Bd5 (Black does not want to trade his Bishop for the Knight. It is important for Black to keep that Bishop to counter White’s Bishop on g2. Aronian recently defeated Kramnik in a rapid match in Armenia. He is brave to employ the Catalan against a man who is an expert in this opening.)
17.e4 (Aronian spent about 20 minutes to come up with this move. 17…Bc4 is an obvious reply.)
17…Bc4 18.Nxd7 Qxd7 19.Re1 = (I think this game will head toward an early draw soon. Black has equalized and have a comfortable position. It is incredible to see how easy Kramnik can equalize with Black.)
19…Bxd4 (Kramnik has an option of playing a4 to stop b3 or taking the d4 pawn with more complications. He chose the second choice.)
20.Rd1 c5 21.Qc2 (The threat now is b3. So Black must play e5 to give back the pawn and creating an escape route for the Bishop or a4. The position is still equal.)
21…e5 (As expected an after Nxe5, the position has very little play left.)
22.Nxe5 1/2
Brave choice of opening by Aronian: to employ Catalan against the man who bashes everyone with this opening. That is, if this game is Aronian-Kramnik.
Funny thing, generic opening theory books from a few decades ago barely touch Catalan, yet these days it looks like a sure way to safe winning prospects.
Kramnik I think has varied from theory by playing this line without inserting …Ra7. This move guards the c7-pawn but also allows the retreat …Ba8! in this type of position. I assume he knows how to play all this from the White side and is using it to make Aronian think hard.
How about some analysis of Grischuk-Svidler? Looks like Svidler is up two pawns at the expense of weaknesses around his king. Can Svidler make this advantage count?
After 21. Qc2 what does Kramnik do about the threat of b3?
Please stop commenting on Kramnik games when he is black…..
“How about some analysis of Grischuk-Svidler?”
Yes, please, that is much more interesting!
Great. Another short draw. Seems to me there was plenty of play left in this game. This tournament is becoming another argument in favor of the Sofia no-draw rule being made universal. I love chess, but the proliferation of draws in grandmaster chess is making hard for me to stay interested.
“Great. Another short draw. Seems to me there was plenty of play left in this game. “
The position is a dead draw. There is no life in it left at all.
Stupid draw, 21 moves, 42 minute , 18 moves computer preparation, 3 own moves and draw….
What I can say – I hate Kramnik and his chess.
“The position is a dead draw.”
Not at all – it may be drawish and if they played on perhap it would have ended in a draw but it is not DEAD.
While the position is balanced, certainly not a dead draw. I think both players should just play on.
If it was a dead draw, then they would agree to a draw even with me (a lowly 1900-ish player), assuming I could reach this position. Somehow I just don’t see that 1/2-1/2 happening 🙂
I respect Kramnik as a great player. But I don’t wanna see any match with him. It’s boring!
I agree with Susan…”It is incredible to see how easy Kramnik can equalize with Black.”
While I will vigorously defend a player’s right to play for a draw with Black and while I openly admit that I am cheering for Kramnik, even I wouldn’t suggest featuring his black games. They might become interesting later, but the opening and early middlegame are unlikely to become unbalanced.
To the current position: It is a dead draw to GM’s. There is some potential for human error but on the level, they are playing, it just isn’t realistic to wait for one.
Sofia Rules: I am indifferent to them. They won’t change too many results, this position would lead to a threefold shortly. Their greatest advantage probably is the fact, that they are making clear to beginners why a certain position is drawn. They won’t put Kramnik’s few-effort-draws with black in jeopardy, though.
Kramnik is extremely boring with black — he plays definsively to neutralize and not to win.
Susan, please pick up Grischuk game instead – much sharper and interesting
Everyone wants fireworks… I’m a 2300 patzer, and Kramnik is showing me a good way to equalize with black against a tricky, slow-burning opening that I often have trouble with. For this I should rain curses on his head and call him boring?
“Kramnik can never make chess popular (except with support from Topalov!!)”
And making chess popular is not Kramnik’s job. His job is to keep his title, be invited to prestigious tournaments, win them and make money.
“And making chess popular is not Kramnik’s job. His job is to keep his title, be invited to prestigious tournaments, win them and make money.”
Although, you cannot separate the two. Chess grandmasters will only be able to make a living at chess as long as sponsors fund tournamens, which will only happen if tbe sponsors know that chess is popular.
Chess grandmasters will only be able to make a living at chess as long as sponsors fund tournamens, which will only happen if tbe sponsors know that chess is popular.
Kramnik lives in Paris. Any idea how expensive that is??
//And making chess popular is not Kramnik’s job. His job is to keep his title, be invited to prestigious tournaments, win them and make money.//
Ha! Topalov Veselin is real world champion but was cheated with the Deep Fritz and the bathroom wires and the hench people of the KGB and Putin. I hope Anand put a stop to this Drawnik guy. 22 moves must be some kind of record. Maybe think for 3 moves – all home recipes up to move 20 – probably all computer lines – can’t wait to see this game publish in a chess book. Ha! Ha! Ha1
Kramnik is extremely boring with black — he plays definsively to neutralize and not to win.
In his early days, he did. Now he changed — and he’s only 30+. I guess he just found out it’s more practical this way.
Remember Dos Hermanos 199x? Kramnik thrashed Kasparov (White!) a la Tal and Ivanchuk (also White!) at least a la Kasparov. — and Anand a la Kramnik.
Do better or at least be more moderate.
And making chess popular is not Kramnik’s job. His job is to keep his title, be invited to prestigious tournaments, win them and make money.
Reminds me of Ivan Lendl. PR people always said that he could have done much better. In the end, he had to live with only ~100 million bucks. Poor guy. Nobody ever seemed to have liked him.
Ahh, the ever-popular draw-bashing, of course!
Like Silken said, there is nothing to do in the final position when your opponent is a grandmaster. Declining a draw offer in a position like this at the level these men play would be insult. And this is, in my opinion, one case against Sofia rules: the men would simply have to sit two more hours until they are down to bare kings, come back next day exhausted and blunder in the opening. Now the latter would make chess interesting, of course, but not the way I’d like to see.
“I hope Anand put a stop to this Drawnik guy. 22 moves must be some kind of record.”
This statement is really senseless… how long was Anands game? 😉