[chessmind] Dennis Monokroussos: Game 10: Kramnik-Anand: Live blogging with regular updates

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Posted by Dennis Monokroussos:
Game 10: Kramnik-Anand: Live blogging with regular updates
http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/posts/1225118073.shtml


   10:25
   Here we go with what could well be the last game of this world
   championship match, as any result but a Kramnik win gives Anand
   victory in the match. This doesn't mean that Kramnik needs to play
   crazy chess, and there's no real likelihood that he will in any case,
   but he does need to keep the tension in the game until he achieves
   something concrete.
   The game has begun with a little surprise: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 and
   now Anand played his first non-Queen's Gambit family opening in the
   match with 3...Bb4, a Nimzo-Indian. It's not a big surprise, though,
   as Anand has played the Nimzo pretty regularly for a long time.
   Now Kramnik offered a small surprise in turn with 4.Nf3, the "Flexible
   Variation", so called because depending on Black's replies are met by
   significantly different rejoinders. The pictures of the players we get
   to see on [1]Foidos are a little small, but it seemed to me that Anand
   had a little smile on his face after seeing this move. I interpreted
   it as an acknowledgement that Kramnik had finally taken the upper hand
   in the pre-emptive preparation battle, getting in his surprise first,
   but that's just a guess. (Maybe it will get confirmation in the press
   conference.)
   After a moment, the game continued apace: 4...c5 5.g3 cxd4 6.Nxd4 O-O
   7.Bg2 d5 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.Qb3 Qa5 10.Bd2 Nc6 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.O-O Bxc3
   13.bxc3 Ba6 14.Rfd1 Qc5 15.e4 Bc4 16.Qa4 Nb6 17.Qb4 Qh5, all of which
   has happened on many occasions and on the highest levels.
   [kramnik_anand_2008_10_move17.jpg]
   The two known moves here are 18.Bf4 and 18.Be3, and just to pick a
   tiny bit from the cream of the crop, there are the games
   Grischuk-Gelfand, Mexico City 2007; Bacrot-Carlsen, Biel 2008; and
   even Kasparov-Anand, Wijk aan Zee 2000.
   But that's history: Kramnik uncorked a novelty, 18.Re1, and now Anand
   has started to think (13 minutes on the move and counting). We'll
   discuss the move later; for now, let's get this posted.

References

   1. http://www.foidoschess.tv/