[chessmind] Dennis Monokroussos: This Week's ChessBase Show: Kramnik-Kasparov, London 2000

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Posted by Dennis Monokroussos:
This Week's ChessBase Show: Kramnik-Kasparov, London 2000
http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/posts/1222842824.shtml


   With the Anand-Kramnik World Chess Championship match coming up later
   this month, it's time to start whetting our appetites with a look back
   at some of their career highlights. This week, we'll start with a look
   at a game that was instrumental in bringing Vladimir Kramnik to the
   title, his second win over the then-defending champion Garry Kasparov.
   It was game 10 of 16, and although Kramnik led by a game it was a
   precarious lead. Kramnik had won game 2, but after missing wins in
   games 4 and 6 and narrowly escaping defeat in game 8, the tide was
   turning in Kasparov's favor. At this point, the match looked like it
   might be decided by the next win. If Kramnik could win, then a
   two-point margin with six games to go would be awfully hard to
   overcome, while a Kasparov win would put him in the lead, thanks to
   the champion's draw odds, while showing that Kasparov could take
   Kramnik's best punch and beat him anyway.
   The game proved fascinating and extremely unusual. For one thing, the
   two players, almost always superlatively well prepared, were groping
   about at a surprisingly early stage of the game. For another, Kramnik
   chose a line that violated his unofficial "queen swap" policy for the
   match. Indeed, rather than trying to grind his opponent down in a
   queenless middlegame, Kramnik played aggressively - and it paid off.
   The whys and wherefores of this Karpov variation Nimzo-Indian will be
   revealed tonight (Wednesday night) at 9 p.m. ET. It's an interesting
   game in its own right, but its value is enhanced by the historical and
   psychological factors surrounding it, too. And there's even a bit of
   scandal involved, too, so good reasons to tune in tonight abound
   (especially since the show is free). To watch, log on to the Playchess
   server, go to the Broadcasts room, find and double-click
   "Kramnik-Kasparov" under the games tab when we start, and then sit
   back and enjoy. (Further details, if necessary, [1]here.)

References

   1. http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/posts/1114234449.shtml