[chessmind] Dennis Monokroussos: Game 8: Kramnik-Anand: Live blogging with regular updates

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Posted by Dennis Monokroussos:
Game 8: Kramnik-Anand: Live blogging with regular updates
http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/posts/1224854876.shtml


   9:15
   Anand has offered some new opening surprises. After 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6
   3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Anand eschewed his usual Semi-Slav with 4...e6, and
   chose instead the Vienna Variation with 4...dxc4. Kramnik continued to
   move at a normal rate: 5.e4 Bb4 6.Bg5 c5 7.Bxc4 cxd4 8.Nxd4, and now a
   second surprise: 8...Qa5 rather than the usual 8...Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Qa5.
   Now White has the option of 9.Bd2, keeping the queenside structure
   intact, but tried instead to return the game to normal 8...Bxc3+
   channels with 9.Bb5+ Bd7 10.Bxf6.
   Now 10...Bxc3+ 11.bxc3 gxf6 (not 11...Qxc3+ 12.Kf1 gxf6 because of
   13.Rc1, as Rc8+ is threatened when the queen moves away and 13...Qxd4
   14.Qxd4 Bxb5+ 15.Kg1 Nd7 16.h4 favors White) 12.Qb3 returns to a main
   line Vienna, and 10...gxf6 11.O-O Bxc3 12.Bxd7+ Nxd7 13.bxc3 is a less
   common but still normal Vienna position. But here Anand produced a
   third surprise with 10...Bxb5, a move which, as far as I can tell, was
   played only once before in a non-elite correspondence game. That game,
   Magallanes (2209) - Hitzegrad (2303), ICCF email 2006, continued
   11.Nb3 Qb6 12.Bxg7 Rg8 13.Bd4 Qc6 14.Qf3 Nd7 15.Rc1 Qd6 16.a3 Bxc3+
   17.Bxc3 Ne5 18.Bxe5 Qxe5 19.Rc3 Rd8 20.g3 b6 21.Qe3 Ke7 22.Nd2 Rd7
   1/2-1/2.
   Perhaps calculating some of this and seeing that White doesn't achieve
   much, Kramnik opted for 11.Ndxb5, and after 11...gxf6 12.O-O Nc6 we've
   reached the current position. (Given below.) White has 1:37 and
   counting; Anand 1:56.
   [kramnik_anand_2008_8_move12.jpg]