Hello,

I've been covering Corus - Wijk ann Zee on my RGCA website at:

http://members.rogers.com/rgca/rgca/rgcamag.htm

I've just uploaded the 2nd round games (along with the 1st) in
replayable JavaScript (palview). It would be great if we could get some
of these games annotated, so in an effort to get things started, I've
done my best with the first round encounter between Akopian - Kramnik. I
did not have as much time to spend on this game as I would have liked,
but I did what I could in the time I had. Any comments that can be added
to the analysis for the site are greatly appreciated! Here is the PGN:

Andy
------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Event "Corus Chess 2004"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2004.01.10"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Akopian, V."]
[Black "Kramnik, V."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2693"]
[BlackElo "2777"]
[Annotator "RGCA"]
[EventDate "2004.01.10"]
[ECO "B90"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bg5 h6
8. Bh4
g5 9. Bg3 Bg7 10. h3 Ne5 11. f3 Nbc6 12. Bf2 Be6 13. Qd2 Nxd4 14. Bxd4
Qa5 15.
a3 O-O 16. h4 Ng6 17. hxg5 hxg5 18. b4 Qc7 19. Ne2 $1 $146 {
This good move pretty much forces black to lock his bishop in a cage.} ({
So far the players have been following Anand - Ponomariov, Mainz 2002. That
game then followed the course} 19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. O-O-O Rh8 $11 {
and white has nothing to show for the exchange of bishops.}) 19... f6 {
A most unatural looking move! Of course black hopes to eventually free the
bishop, but this freedom never comes.} ({Better is} 19... Rfc8 20. Bxg7 Kxg7
21. Qxg5 Qxc2 22. Qh6+ Kg8 23. Rd1 Bb3 24. Rd2 Qb1+ 25. Kf2 Rc2 26. Rxc2
Qxc2
$11) 20. Bb2 $1 {Making way for the knight that will exert pressure on the
light squares, especially f5.} Bf7 21. Nd4 d5 {
This opening up of the position turns out to be premature.} ({Better
was} 21...
Rfc8 22. Bd3 e6 23. O-O-O Ne5 24. Kb1 Nc4 25. Bxc4 Qxc4 $11 {where black has
real prospects for an assault on the white king, especially once his central
pawns can push forward and open up lines for his two bishops.}) 22. exd5
Qe5+ {
This queen sortie does not turn out well at all.} ({Better was} 22...
Bxd5 23.
Bd3 Nf4 24. Nf5 Rfd8 25. Nxg7 Kxg7 26. Rh7+ Kg8 27. Bxf6 Qb6 28. Rh8+
Kf7 29.
Rh7+ $11 {leads to perpetual check as} Kxf6 $4 {loses the queen to} 30.
Rh6+)
23. Be2 Qxd5 24. O-O-O Rfc8 ({The best chance to equalize is by} 24...
Nf4 25.
g3 Nxe2+ 26. Qxe2 $14) 25. Bd3 Ne5 $2 $18 {A costly mistake.} ({
The best hope was} 25... Qa2 $5 26. Nf5 Rd8 27. g3 ({but not} 27. Nxg7
Kxg7 28.
Qxg5 $4 Qxb2+ $1 29. Kxb2 fxg5 $19) 27... Be6 28. Qe2 Ne5 29. Nxg7 Nxd3+ 30.
Rxd3 Kxg7 31. f4 Qc4 32. fxg5 Rxd3 33. gxf6+ exf6 34. Qxd3 Qxd3 35. cxd3
$16)
26. Be4 {Striking through the queen to the weak point at b7.} Qa2 (26...
Qd7 {
does not help because of} 27. Bh7+ Kf8 28. Bf5 {and now} e6 $2 {is met with}
29. Nxe6+ Bxe6 30. Qxd7 Bxd7 31. Bxd7 Rd8 32. Be6 $18) 27. Nf5 $2 $16 {
This allows black some hope.} ({Best was the natural continuation} 27.
Bxb7 $1
Nc4 28. Qc3 $18) 27... Nc4 28. Qc3 Rc7 $2 $18 {The last mistake.} ({
There was still a good chance of a reasonable game with} 28... Qxb2+ 29.
Qxb2
Nxb2 30. Kxb2 Rc7 $14) 29. Rh7 $3 {Spectacular! This completely shatters
black's position and strikes like a thunder bolt at the very weakest point -
the 'caged in' bishop on g7.} Qxb2+ $4 {
After this further mistake, the game is all over.} ({Relatively best
was} 29...
Nxb2 30. Rxg7+ Kf8 31. Qxb2 Qxb2+ 32. Kxb2 e6 33. Rxf7+ Rxf7 34. Nd6 Rd8 35.
Rd3 $18) 30. Qxb2 Nxb2 31. Rxg7+ Kf8 32. Rh1 $1 (32. Rh1 $1 {
and the new mate threat forces} Ke8 33. Rh8+ Kd7 34. Rxa8 $18) 1-0

------------------------------------------------------------------------

En/na Andrew Templeton ha escrit:

Hello,

I've been covering Corus - Wijk ann Zee on my RGCA website at:

http://members.rogers.com/rgca/rgca/rgcamag.htm

Thank you Andy,

there is another analysis in:
http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/event/wijk2004/rd1.html

AT

Andrew Templeton wrote:
Hello,

I've been covering Corus - Wijk ann Zee on my RGCA website at:

http://members.rogers.com/rgca/rgca/rgcamag.htm

I've just uploaded the 2nd round games (along with the 1st) in
replayable JavaScript (palview). It would be great if we could get some
of these games annotated, so in an effort to get things started, I've
done my best with the first round encounter between Akopian - Kramnik. I
did not have as much time to spend on this game as I would have liked,
but I did what I could in the time I had. Any comments that can be added
to the analysis for the site are greatly appreciated! Here is the PGN:

Andy
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's my two bits. I've labeled the notes by annotator.
The text width might be off, but if it's downloaded to
ChessBase or something like that then you won't notice
anyway.



[Event "Corus Chess 2004"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2004.01.10"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Akopian, V."]
[Black "Kramnik, V."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2693"]
[BlackElo "2777"]
[Annotator "RGCA"]
[EventDate "2004.01.10"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bg5 h6
8. Bh4 g5
9. Bg3 Bg7 10. h3 Ne5 11. f3

{ HATHAWAY: This is new to me. I haven't been following the top GM
tournaments
for a few months, so I may have missed a trend. Is this new? Someone
should add
an annotation here to clarify that point. }

11...Nbc6 12. Bf2

{ HATHAWAY: At this point the position most resembles a Dragon
Variation, but
with Black's Ne5 being very well placed (prohibiting Bf1-c4) and
pawns h6 & g5
too far advanced. This variation has been played quite a lot, so
there's a
historical context these players can refer to (mentally). Shirov's
Nd4-f5 is
perhaps one of the most interesting attempts to show pawn g5 is
over-extended.
On the other hand, Black's pieces are well-developed, so he should
have some
offensive potential - especially on the queen-side where Bg7 "points". }

12...Be6

{ HATHAWAY: Again, this looks new to me. Usually Black avoids this and
settles on
...Bc8-d7. I wonder why Kramnik thinks this is suitable now. Maybe
it's that White
can't target a weak pawn at e6 because Bf1 is restrained. }

13. Qd2 Nxd4

{ HATHAWAY: Maybe Black became fearful White might actually take him up
on the offer
to play Nd4xBe6. }

14. Bxd4 Qa5

{ HATHAWAY: After this Black will begin considering more seriously where
his king
should reside. In this variation it's not entirely clear where it
will be safe. }

15. a3

{ HATHAWAY: necessary to prepare O-O-O }

15...O-O 16. h4

{ HATHAWAY: maybe now White holds off on O-O-O to spend a few tempi
attacking
on the king-side }

16...Ng6 17. hxg5 hxg5 18. b4

{ HATHAWAY: Akopian courageously weakens his queen-side to prevent Black
from having
the first chance at an attack. In conjunction with leaving Ke1 this
is curious.
Just how safe will White's king be for the long haul? The balance
between the attack
on pawn g5 (and Kg8) and whatever Black might make of an attack on
White's queen-side
is quite curious to me. I've never seen this position before. I
suppose White figures
that with the open h-file and having Bd4 he might do just fine with
Ke1-f2. Neither
player could have been feeling very safe at this moment, though both
could have been
looking forward to mauling their opponent's king. }

18...Qc7 19. Ne2 $1 $146

{ RGCA: This good move pretty much forces black to lock his bishop in a
cage.

HATHAWAY: Very nice. It's not so obvious that a retreat which blocks
Bf1 is good,
but if he can fully secure his queen-side by c2-c3 and prevent
....Ng6-f4 then
pawn g5 will stand out like a sore thumb. This puts the pressure on
Black to find
his own defensive set-up. }

( { RGCA: So far the players have been following Anand - Ponomariov,
Mainz 2002. That
game then followed the course } 19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. O-O-O Rh8 $11 { and
white has nothing
to show for the exchange of bishops. } )

19...f6

{ RGCA: A most unatural looking move! Of course black hopes to
eventually free the
bishop, but this freedom never comes.

HATHAWAY: very strange as it allows White to keep his queen-side secure }

( { RGCA: Better is } 19...Rfc8 20. Bxg7
( { HATHAWAY: } 20. c3 $143 Bxd4 21. cxd4 f6 { and Ne2 looks awkward,
blocking Bf1 } )
20...Kxg7 21. Qxg5 Qxc2 22. Qh6+ Kg8 23. Rd1 Bb3 24. Rd2 Qb1+ 25. Kf2 Rc2
26. Rxc2 Qxc2 $11 )

20. Bb2 $1

{ RGCA: Making way for the knight that will exert pressure on the light
squares,
especially f5. }

20...Bf7 21. Nd4

{ HATHAWAY: White's position is very well organized now. Only ...Ng6-f4
or ...Ng6-h4
comes close to threatening White. On the queen-side White is in good
shape. But,
with two bishops and a knight around Kg8 it isn't at all clear White
has an offense
either. In other words the position has "slowed down" and a bit of
positional
maneuvering will have to be done by both sides to stir up any
one-sided offense. }

21...d5

{ RGCA: This opening up of the position turns out to be premature. }

( { RGCA: Better was } 21...Rfc8 22. Bd3 e6 23. O-O-O Ne5 24. Kb1 Nc4
25. Bxc4 Qxc4 $11
{ where black has real prospects for an assault on the white king,
especially
once his central pawns can push forward and open up lines for his two
bishops. } )

( { HATHAWAY: Or, } 21...Rac8 22. Bd3 e6 23. O-O-O Rfd8 )

22. exd5 Qe5+

{ RGCA: This queen sortie does not turn out well at all. }

( { RGCA: Better was } 22...Bxd5 23. Bd3 Nf4 24. Nf5 Rfd8 25. Nxg7 Kxg7
26. Rh7+ Kg8
27. Bxf6 Qb6 28. Rh8+ Kf7 29. Rh7+ $11 { leads to perpetual check as
} 29...Kxf6 $4
{ loses the queen to } 30. Rh6+ )

23. Be2 Qxd5 24. O-O-O Rfc8

( { RGCA: The best chance to equalize is by } 24...Nf4 25. g3
( { HATHAWAY: } 25. Bd3 Nxd3 26. Qxd3 { and Kg8 is in some danger } )
25...Nxe2+ 26. Qxe2 $14 )

25. Bd3

{ HATHAWAY: By now it should be abundantly clear that White's king is
safe and that
Black's king-side is a mess in need of major reorganization. The open
h-file also
beckons White's pieces and f5 seems perfect for a knight. }

25...Ne5 $2 $18

{ RGCA: A costly mistake. }

( { RGCA: The best hope was } 25...Qa2 $5 26. Nf5 Rd8 27. g3
( { but not } 27. Nxg7 Kxg7 28. Qxg5 $4 Qxb2+ $1 29. Kxb2 fxg5 $19 )
27...Be6 28. Qe2 Ne5 29. Nxg7 Nxd3+ 30. Rxd3 Kxg7 31. f4 Qc4 32. fxg5
Rxd3
33. gxf6+ exf6 34. Qxd3 Qxd3 35. cxd3 $16 )

26. Be4

{ RGCA: Striking through the queen to the weak point at b7. }

( { HATHAWAY: There are several good possibilities for White, including }
26. Bh7+ Kf8 27. Bf5 )

26...Qa2

( 26...Qd7 { does not help because of } 27. Bh7+ Kf8 28. Bf5 { and now }
28...e6 $2
{ is met with } 29. Nxe6+ Bxe6 30. Qxd7 Bxd7 31. Bxd7 Rd8 32. Be6 $18 )

27. Nf5 $2 $16

{ RGCA: This allows black some hope. }

( { RGCA: Best was the natural continuation } 27. Bxb7 $1 Nc4 28. Qc3 $18 )

27...Nc4 28. Qc3 Rc7 $2 $18

{ RGCA: The last mistake. }

( { RGCA: There was still a good chance of a reasonable game with }
28...Qxb2+
29. Qxb2 Nxb2 30. Kxb2 Rc7 $14 )

29. Rh7 $3

{ RGCA: Spectacular! This completely shatters black's position and
strikes like a
thunder bolt at the very weakest point - the 'caged in' bishop on g7.

HATHAWAY: It's quite likely Kramnik didn't see this amazing move. He
may have thought
his king was safe and that his queen-side play gave him all the
immediate winning
chances. }

29...Qxb2+ $4

{ RGCA: After this further mistake, the game is all over. }

( { RGCA: Relatively best was } 29...Nxb2 30. Rxg7+ Kf8 31. Qxb2 Qxb2+
32. Kxb2 e6
33. Rxf7+ Rxf7 34. Nd6 Rd8 35. Rd3 $18 )

30. Qxb2 Nxb2 31. Rxg7+ Kf8 32. Rh1 $1

{ HATHAWAY: Hurray for Akopian. This is a very nifty win, regardless of
the opponent.
That it's against world champion Kramnik makes it all the more
appealing. }

( { RGCA: } 32. Rh1$1 { and the new mate threat forces } 32...Ke8 33.
Rh8+ Kd7
34. Rxa8 $18 )

1-0

Hi Mark,

Thanks for contributing! I have made two small edits to the notes in
the game. You asked for a clarification of hte move 11. f3, so I have
added a reference to the first 2600+ game where it was played.
You also added a note to black's 12 ... Be6 and wondered if this was
new. I have added a note there too. I'll upload the new PGn to the site
tomorrow. Thanks again for contributing! Here is the new PGN:

[Event "Corus Chess 2004"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2004.01.10"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Akopian, V"]
[Black "Kramnik, V"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2693"]
[BlackElo "2777"]
[Annotator "RGCA:HATHAWAY"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "2004.01.10"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bg5 h6
8. Bh4
g5 9. Bg3 Bg7 10. h3 Ne5 11. f3 {RGCA: This was first seen in the big arena
(2600+) in the game Topalov - Gelfand, EU Cup, 1999.} Nbc6 12. Bf2
{HATHAWAY: A
t this point the position most resembles a Dragon Variation, but with
Black's
Ne5 being very well placed (prohibiting Bf1-c4) and pawns h6 & g5 too far
advanced. This variation has been played quite a lot, so there's a
historical
context these players can refer to (mentally). Shirov's Nd4-f5 is
perhaps one
of the most interesting attempts to show pawn g5 is over-extended. On the
other hand, Black's pieces are well-developed, so he should have some
offensive potential - especially on the queen-side where Bg7 "points".}
Be6 {
RGCA: Black does not fear the exchange 13. Nxe6 as this would actually
improve
his position. After 13... fxe6, the pawn on e6 protects the squares d5
and f5.
Once black castles kingside, the half-open f-file will insure that white can
never dislodge black's strong knight at e5. For these reasons the
exchange is
never made.} 13. Qd2 Nxd4 {HATHAWAY: Maybe Black became fearful White might
actually take him up on the offer to play Nd4xBe6.} 14. Bxd4 Qa5
{HATHAWAY: Aft
er this Black will begin considering more seriously where his king should
reside. In this variation it's not entirely clear where it will be
safe.} 15.
a3 {HATHAWAY: necessary to prepare O-O-O} O-O 16. h4 {HATHAWAY: maybe now
White holds off on O-O-O to spend a few tempi attacking on the
king-side} Ng6
17. hxg5 hxg5 18. b4 {HATHAWAY: Akopian courageously weakens his
queen-side to
prevent Black from having the first chance at an attack. In conjunction with
leaving Ke1 this is curious. Just how safe will White's king be for the long
haul? The balance between the attack on pawn g5 (and Kg8) and whatever Black
might make of an attack on White's queen-side is quite curious to me. I've
never seen this position before. I suppose White figures that with the open
h-file and having Bd4 he might do just fine with Ke1-f2. Neither player
could
have been feeling very safe at this moment, though both could have been
looking forward to mauling their opponent's king.} Qc7 19. Ne2 $1 $146 {
RGCA: This good move pretty much forces black to lock his bishop in a cage.
HATHAWAY: Very nice. It's not so obvious that a retreat which blocks Bf1 is
good, but if he can fully secure his queen-side by c2-c3 and prevent
....Ng6-f4
then pawn g5 will stand out like a sore thumb. This puts the pressure on
Black
to find his own defensive set-up.} ({RGCA: So far the players have been
following Anand - Ponomariov, Mainz 2002. That game then followed the
course}
19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. O-O-O Rh8 $11 {
and white has nothing to show for the exchange of bishops.}) 19... f6 {
RGCA: A most unatural looking move! Of course black hopes to eventually free
the bishop, but this freedom never comes. HATHAWAY: very strange as it
allows
White to keep his queen-sidesecure} ({RGCA: Better is} 19... Rfc8 20.
Bxg7 ({
HATHAWAY:} 20. c3 $143 Bxd4 21. cxd4 f6 {and Ne2 looks awkward, blocking
Bf1})
20... Kxg7 21. Qxg5 Qxc2 22. Qh6+ Kg8 23. Rd1 Bb3 24. Rd2 Qb1+ 25. Kf2
Rc2 26.
Rxc2 Qxc2 $11) 20. Bb2 $1 {RGCA: Making way for the knight that will exert
pressure on the light squares, especially f5.} Bf7 21. Nd4 {HATHAWAY:
Whi te's
position is very well organized now. Only ...Ng6-f4 or ...Ng6-h4 comes close
to threatening White. On the queen-side White is in good shape. But,
with two
bishops and a knight around Kg8 it isn't at all clear White has an offense
either. In other words the position has "slowed down" and a bit of
positional
maneuvering will have to be done by both sides to stir up any one-sided
offense.} d5 {RGCA: This opening up of the position turns out to be
premature.}
({RGCA: Better was} 21... Rfc8 22. Bd3 e6 23. O-O-O Ne5 24. Kb1 Nc4 25. Bxc4
Qxc4 $11 {where black has real prospects for an assault on the white king,
especially once his central pawns can push forward and open up lines for his
two bishops.}) ({HATHAWAY: Or,} 21... Rac8 22. Bd3 e6 23. O-O-O Rfd8)
22. exd5
Qe5+ {RGCA: This queen sortie does not turn out well at all.} ({
RGCA: Better was} 22... Bxd5 23. Bd3 Nf4 24. Nf5 Rfd8 25. Nxg7 Kxg7 26. Rh7+
Kg8 27. Bxf6 Qb6 28. Rh8+ Kf7 29. Rh7+ $11 {leads to perpetual check as}
Kxf6
$4 {loses the queen to} 30. Rh6+) 23. Be2 Qxd5 24. O-O-O Rfc8 ({
RGCA: The best chance to equalize is by} 24... Nf4 25. g3 ({HATHAWAY:}
25. Bd3
Nxd3+ 26. Qxd3 {and Kg8 is in some danger}) 25... Nxe2+ 26. Qxe2 $14)
25. Bd3 {
HATHAWAY: By now it should be abundantly clear that White's king is safe and
that Black's king-side is a mess in need of major reorganization. The open
h-file also beckons White's pieces and f5 seems perfect for a knight.}
Ne5 $2
$18 {RGCA: A costly mistake.} ({RGCA: The best hope was} 25... Qa2 $5
26. Nf5
Rd8 27. g3 ({but not} 27. Nxg7 Kxg7 28. Qxg5 $4 Qxb2+ $1 29. Kxb2 fxg5 $19)
27... Be6 28. Qe2 Ne5 29. Nxg7 Nxd3+ 30. Rxd3 Kxg7 31. f4 Qc4 32. fxg5
Rxd3 33.
gxf6+ exf6 34. Qxd3 Qxd3 35. cxd3 $16) 26. Be4 {
RGCA: Striking through the queen to the weak point at b7.} ({
HATHAWAY: There are several good possibilities for White, including} 26.
Bh7+
Kf8 27. Bf5) 26... Qa2 (26... Qd7 {does not help because of} 27. Bh7+
Kf8 28.
Bf5 {and now} e6 $2 {is met with} 29. Nxe6+ Bxe6 30. Qxd7 Bxd7 31. Bxd7
Rd8 32.
Be6 $18) 27. Nf5 $2 $16 {RGCA: This allows black some hope.} ({
RGCA: Best was the natural continuation} 27. Bxb7 $1 Nc4 28. Qc3 $18)
27... Nc4
28. Qc3 Rc7 $2 $18 {RGCA: The last mistake.} ({
RGCA: There was still a good chance of a reasonable game with} 28...
Qxb2+ 29.
Qxb2 Nxb2 30. Kxb2 Rc7 $14) 29. Rh7 $3 {RGCA: Spectacular! This completely
shatters black's position and strikes like a thunder bolt at the very
weakest
point - the 'caged in' bishop on g7. HATHAWAY: It's quite likely Kramnik
didn't see this amazing move. He may have thought his king was safe and that
his queen-side play gave him all the immediate winning chances.} Qxb2+ $4 {
RGCA: After this further mistake, the game is all over.} ({
RGCA: Relatively best was} 29... Nxb2 30. Rxg7+ Kf8 31. Qxb2 Qxb2+ 32.
Kxb2 e6
33. Rxf7+ Rxf7 34. Nd6 Rd8 35. Rd3 $18) 30. Qxb2 Nxb2 31. Rxg7+ Kf8 32.
Rh1 $1
{HATHAWAY: Hurray for Akopian. This is a very nifty win, regardless of the
opponent. That it's against world champion Kramnik makes it all the more
appealing.} ({RGCA:} 32. Rh1 {and the new mate threat forces} Ke8 33.
Rh8+ Kd7
34. Rxa8 $18) 1-0




Mark S. Hathaway wrote:

Andrew Templeton wrote:

Hello,

I've been covering Corus - Wijk ann Zee on my RGCA website at:

http://members.rogers.com/rgca/rgca/rgcamag.htm

I've just uploaded the 2nd round games (along with the 1st) in
replayable
JavaScript (palview). It would be great if we could get some of
these games annotated, so in an effort to get things started, I've
done my best with the first round encounter between Akopian - Kramnik.
I did not have as much time to spend on this game as I would have
liked, but I did what I could in the time I had. Any comments that
can be added to the analysis for the site are greatly appreciated!
Here is the PGN:

Andy
------------------------------------------------------------------------




Here's my two bits. I've labeled the notes by annotator. The text
width might be off, but if it's downloaded to ChessBase or
something like that then you won't notice anyway.



[Event "Corus Chess 2004"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2004.01.10"]
[Round
"1"] [White "Akopian, V."] [Black "Kramnik, V."] [Result "1-0"] [ECO
"B90"] [WhiteElo "2693"] [BlackElo "2777"] [Annotator "RGCA"] [EventDate
"2004.01.10"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 7.
Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Bg3 Bg7 10. h3 Ne5 11. f3

{ HATHAWAY: This is new to me. I haven't been following the top GM
tournaments


for a few months, so I may have missed a trend. Is this new? Someone
should add
an annotation here to clarify that point. }

11...Nbc6 12. Bf2

{ HATHAWAY: At this point the position most resembles a Dragon
Variation, but
with Black's Ne5 being very well placed (prohibiting Bf1-c4) and pawns
h6 & g5
too far advanced. This variation has been played quite a lot, so
there's a
historical context these players can refer to (mentally). Shirov's
Nd4-f5 is
perhaps one of the most interesting attempts to show pawn g5 is
over-extended.
On the other hand, Black's pieces are well-developed, so he should
have some
offensive potential - especially on the queen-side where Bg7
"points". }

12...Be6

{ HATHAWAY: Again, this looks new to me. Usually Black avoids this and
settles on
...Bc8-d7. I wonder why Kramnik thinks this is suitable now. Maybe
it's that White
can't target a weak pawn at e6 because Bf1 is restrained. }

13. Qd2 Nxd4

{ HATHAWAY: Maybe Black became fearful White might actually take him up
on the offer
to play Nd4xBe6. }

14. Bxd4 Qa5

{ HATHAWAY: After this Black will begin considering more seriously where
his king
should reside. In this variation it's not entirely clear where it will
be safe. }

15. a3

{ HATHAWAY: necessary to prepare O-O-O }

15...O-O 16. h4

{ HATHAWAY: maybe now White holds off on O-O-O to spend a few tempi
attacking
on the king-side }

16...Ng6 17. hxg5 hxg5 18. b4

{ HATHAWAY: Akopian courageously weakens his queen-side to prevent Black
from having
the first chance at an attack. In conjunction with leaving Ke1 this is
curious.
Just how safe will White's king be for the long haul? The balance
between the attack
on pawn g5 (and Kg8) and whatever Black might make of an attack on
White's queen-side
is quite curious to me. I've never seen this position before. I
suppose White figures
that with the open h-file and having Bd4 he might do just fine with
Ke1-f2. Neither
player could have been feeling very safe at this moment, though both
could have been
looking forward to mauling their opponent's king. }

18...Qc7 19. Ne2 $1 $146

{ RGCA: This good move pretty much forces black to lock his bishop in a
cage.

HATHAWAY: Very nice. It's not so obvious that a retreat which blocks
Bf1 is good,
but if he can fully secure his queen-side by c2-c3 and prevent
...Ng6-f4 then
pawn g5 will stand out like a sore thumb. This puts the pressure on
Black to find
his own defensive set-up. }

( { RGCA: So far the players have been following Anand - Ponomariov,
Mainz 2002. That
game then followed the course } 19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. O-O-O Rh8 $11 { and
white has nothing
to show for the exchange of bishops. } )

19...f6

{ RGCA: A most unatural looking move! Of course black hopes to
eventually free the
bishop, but this freedom never comes.

HATHAWAY: very strange as it allows White to keep his queen-side
secure }

( { RGCA: Better is } 19...Rfc8 20. Bxg7
( { HATHAWAY: } 20. c3 $143 Bxd4 21. cxd4 f6 { and Ne2 looks awkward,
blocking Bf1 } )
20...Kxg7 21. Qxg5 Qxc2 22. Qh6+ Kg8 23. Rd1 Bb3 24. Rd2 Qb1+ 25.
Kf2 Rc2
26. Rxc2 Qxc2 $11 )

20. Bb2 $1

{ RGCA: Making way for the knight that will exert pressure on the light
squares,
especially f5. }

20...Bf7 21. Nd4

{ HATHAWAY: White's position is very well organized now. Only ...Ng6-f4
or ...Ng6-h4
comes close to threatening White. On the queen-side White is in good
shape. But,
with two bishops and a knight around Kg8 it isn't at all clear White
has an offense
either. In other words the position has "slowed down" and a bit of
positional
maneuvering will have to be done by both sides to stir up any
one-sided offense. }

21...d5

{ RGCA: This opening up of the position turns out to be premature. }

( { RGCA: Better was } 21...Rfc8 22. Bd3 e6 23. O-O-O Ne5 24. Kb1 Nc4
25. Bxc4 Qxc4 $11
{ where black has real prospects for an assault on the white king,
especially
once his central pawns can push forward and open up lines for his two
bishops. } )

( { HATHAWAY: Or, } 21...Rac8 22. Bd3 e6 23. O-O-O Rfd8 )

22. exd5 Qe5+

{ RGCA: This queen sortie does not turn out well at all. }

( { RGCA: Better was } 22...Bxd5 23. Bd3 Nf4 24. Nf5 Rfd8 25. Nxg7 Kxg7
26. Rh7+ Kg8
27. Bxf6 Qb6 28. Rh8+ Kf7 29. Rh7+ $11 { leads to perpetual check as }
29...Kxf6 $4
{ loses the queen to } 30. Rh6+ )

23. Be2 Qxd5 24. O-O-O Rfc8

( { RGCA: The best chance to equalize is by } 24...Nf4 25. g3
( { HATHAWAY: } 25. Bd3 Nxd3 26. Qxd3 { and Kg8 is in some danger } )
25...Nxe2+ 26. Qxe2 $14 )

25. Bd3

{ HATHAWAY: By now it should be abundantly clear that White's king is
safe and that
Black's king-side is a mess in need of major reorganization. The open
h-file also
beckons White's pieces and f5 seems perfect for a knight. }

25...Ne5 $2 $18

{ RGCA: A costly mistake. }

( { RGCA: The best hope was } 25...Qa2 $5 26. Nf5 Rd8 27. g3
( { but not } 27. Nxg7 Kxg7 28. Qxg5 $4 Qxb2+ $1 29. Kxb2 fxg5 $19 )
27...Be6 28. Qe2 Ne5 29. Nxg7 Nxd3+ 30. Rxd3 Kxg7 31. f4 Qc4 32. fxg5
Rxd3
33. gxf6+ exf6 34. Qxd3 Qxd3 35. cxd3 $16 )

26. Be4

{ RGCA: Striking through the queen to the weak point at b7. }

( { HATHAWAY: There are several good possibilities for White, including }
26. Bh7+ Kf8 27. Bf5 )

26...Qa2

( 26...Qd7 { does not help because of } 27. Bh7+ Kf8 28. Bf5 { and now }
28...e6 $2
{ is met with } 29. Nxe6+ Bxe6 30. Qxd7 Bxd7 31. Bxd7 Rd8 32. Be6 $18 )

27. Nf5 $2 $16

{ RGCA: This allows black some hope. }

( { RGCA: Best was the natural continuation } 27. Bxb7 $1 Nc4 28. Qc3
$18 )

27...Nc4 28. Qc3 Rc7 $2 $18

{ RGCA: The last mistake. }

( { RGCA: There was still a good chance of a reasonable game with }
28...Qxb2+
29. Qxb2 Nxb2 30. Kxb2 Rc7 $14 )

29. Rh7 $3

{ RGCA: Spectacular! This completely shatters black's position and
strikes like a
thunder bolt at the very weakest point - the 'caged in' bishop on g7.

HATHAWAY: It's quite likely Kramnik didn't see this amazing move. He
may have thought
his king was safe and that his queen-side play gave him all the
immediate winning
chances. }

29...Qxb2+ $4

{ RGCA: After this further mistake, the game is all over. }

( { RGCA: Relatively best was } 29...Nxb2 30. Rxg7+ Kf8 31. Qxb2 Qxb2+
32. Kxb2 e6
33. Rxf7+ Rxf7 34. Nd6 Rd8 35. Rd3 $18 )

30. Qxb2 Nxb2 31. Rxg7+ Kf8 32. Rh1 $1

{ HATHAWAY: Hurray for Akopian. This is a very nifty win, regardless of
the opponent.
That it's against world champion Kramnik makes it all the more
appealing. }

( { RGCA: } 32. Rh1$1 { and the new mate threat forces } 32...Ke8 33.
Rh8+ Kd7
34. Rxa8 $18 )

1-0


should add an annotation here to clarify that point. }

11...Nbc6 12. Bf2

{ HATHAWAY: At this point the position most resembles a Dragon
Variation,
but with Black's Ne5 being very well placed (prohibiting Bf1-c4)
and pawns h6 & g5 too far advanced. This variation has been played
quite a lot, so there's a historical context these players can
refer to (mentally). Shirov's Nd4-f5 is perhaps one of the most
interesting attempts to show pawn g5 is over-extended. On the
other hand, Black's pieces are well-developed, so he should have
some offensive potential - especially on the queen-side where Bg7
"points". }

12...Be6

{ HATHAWAY: Again, this looks new to me. Usually Black avoids this
and settles on ...Bc8-d7. I wonder why Kramnik thinks this is
suitable now. Maybe it's that White can't target a weak pawn at e6
because Bf1 is restrained. }

13. Qd2 Nxd4

{ HATHAWAY: Maybe Black became fearful White might actually take him
up on the offer to play Nd4xBe6. }

14. Bxd4 Qa5

{ HATHAWAY: After this Black will begin considering more seriously
where his king should reside. In this variation it's not entirely
clear where it will be safe. }

15. a3

{ HATHAWAY: necessary to prepare O-O-O }

15...O-O 16. h4

{ HATHAWAY: maybe now White holds off on O-O-O to spend a few tempi
attacking


on the king-side }

16...Ng6 17. hxg5 hxg5 18. b4

{ HATHAWAY: Akopian courageously weakens his queen-side to prevent
Black from having the first chance at an attack. In conjunction
with leaving Ke1 this is curious. Just how safe will White's king
be for the long haul? The balance between the attack on pawn g5
(and Kg8) and whatever Black might make of an attack on White's
queen-side is quite curious to me. I've never seen this position
before. I suppose White figures that with the open h-file and
having Bd4 he might do just fine with Ke1-f2. Neither player could
have been feeling very safe at this moment, though both could
have been looking forward to mauling their opponent's king. }

18...Qc7 19. Ne2 $1 $146

{ RGCA: This good move pretty much forces black to lock his bishop
in a cage.

HATHAWAY: Very nice. It's not so obvious that a retreat which blocks
Bf1 is good,
but if he can fully secure his queen-side by c2-c3 and prevent
...Ng6-f4 then
pawn g5 will stand out like a sore thumb. This puts the pressure on
Black to find
his own defensive set-up. }

( { RGCA: So far the players have been following Anand - Ponomariov,
Mainz 2002. That
game then followed the course } 19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. O-O-O Rh8 $11 { and
white has nothing
to show for the exchange of bishops. } )

19...f6

{ RGCA: A most unatural looking move! Of course black hopes to
eventually free the
bishop, but this freedom never comes.

HATHAWAY: very strange as it allows White to keep his queen-side
secure }

( { RGCA: Better is } 19...Rfc8 20. Bxg7
( { HATHAWAY: } 20. c3 $143 Bxd4 21. cxd4 f6 { and Ne2 looks awkward,
blocking Bf1 } )
20...Kxg7 21. Qxg5 Qxc2 22. Qh6+ Kg8 23. Rd1 Bb3 24. Rd2 Qb1+ 25.
Kf2 Rc2
26. Rxc2 Qxc2 $11 )

20. Bb2 $1

{ RGCA: Making way for the knight that will exert pressure on the light
squares,
especially f5. }

20...Bf7 21. Nd4

{ HATHAWAY: White's position is very well organized now. Only ...Ng6-f4
or ...Ng6-h4
comes close to threatening White. On the queen-side White is in good
shape. But,
with two bishops and a knight around Kg8 it isn't at all clear White
has an offense
either. In other words the position has "slowed down" and a bit of
positional
maneuvering will have to be done by both sides to stir up any
one-sided offense. }

21...d5

{ RGCA: This opening up of the position turns out to be premature. }

( { RGCA: Better was } 21...Rfc8 22. Bd3 e6 23. O-O-O Ne5 24. Kb1 Nc4
25. Bxc4 Qxc4 $11
{ where black has real prospects for an assault on the white king,
especially
once his central pawns can push forward and open up lines for his two
bishops. } )

( { HATHAWAY: Or, } 21...Rac8 22. Bd3 e6 23. O-O-O Rfd8 )

22. exd5 Qe5+

{ RGCA: This queen sortie does not turn out well at all. }

( { RGCA: Better was } 22...Bxd5 23. Bd3 Nf4 24. Nf5 Rfd8 25. Nxg7 Kxg7
26. Rh7+ Kg8
27. Bxf6 Qb6 28. Rh8+ Kf7 29. Rh7+ $11 { leads to perpetual check as }
29...Kxf6 $4
{ loses the queen to } 30. Rh6+ )

23. Be2 Qxd5 24. O-O-O Rfc8

( { RGCA: The best chance to equalize is by } 24...Nf4 25. g3
( { HATHAWAY: } 25. Bd3 Nxd3 26. Qxd3 { and Kg8 is in some danger } )
25...Nxe2+ 26. Qxe2 $14 )

25. Bd3

{ HATHAWAY: By now it should be abundantly clear that White's king is
safe and that
Black's king-side is a mess in need of major reorganization. The open
h-file also
beckons White's pieces and f5 seems perfect for a knight. }

25...Ne5 $2 $18

{ RGCA: A costly mistake. }

( { RGCA: The best hope was } 25...Qa2 $5 26. Nf5 Rd8 27. g3
( { but not } 27. Nxg7 Kxg7 28. Qxg5 $4 Qxb2+ $1 29. Kxb2 fxg5 $19 )
27...Be6 28. Qe2 Ne5 29. Nxg7 Nxd3+ 30. Rxd3 Kxg7 31. f4 Qc4 32. fxg5
Rxd3
33. gxf6+ exf6 34. Qxd3 Qxd3 35. cxd3 $16 )

26. Be4

{ RGCA: Striking through the queen to the weak point at b7. }

( { HATHAWAY: There are several good possibilities for White, including }
26. Bh7+ Kf8 27. Bf5 )

26...Qa2

( 26...Qd7 { does not help because of } 27. Bh7+ Kf8 28. Bf5 { and now }
28...e6 $2
{ is met with } 29. Nxe6+ Bxe6 30. Qxd7 Bxd7 31. Bxd7 Rd8 32. Be6 $18 )

27. Nf5 $2 $16

{ RGCA: This allows black some hope. }

( { RGCA: Best was the natural continuation } 27. Bxb7 $1 Nc4 28. Qc3
$18 )

27...Nc4 28. Qc3 Rc7 $2 $18

{ RGCA: The last mistake. }

( { RGCA: There was still a good chance of a reasonable game with }
28...Qxb2+
29. Qxb2 Nxb2 30. Kxb2 Rc7 $14 )

29. Rh7 $3

{ RGCA: Spectacular! This completely shatters black's position and
strikes like a
thunder bolt at the very weakest point - the 'caged in' bishop on g7.

HATHAWAY: It's quite likely Kramnik didn't see this amazing move. He
may have thought
his king was safe and that his queen-side play gave him all the
immediate winning
chances. }

29...Qxb2+ $4

{ RGCA: After this further mistake, the game is all over. }

( { RGCA: Relatively best was } 29...Nxb2 30. Rxg7+ Kf8 31. Qxb2 Qxb2+
32. Kxb2 e6
33. Rxf7+ Rxf7 34. Nd6 Rd8 35. Rd3 $18 )

30. Qxb2 Nxb2 31. Rxg7+ Kf8 32. Rh1 $1

{ HATHAWAY: Hurray for Akopian. This is a very nifty win, regardless of
the opponent.
That it's against world champion Kramnik makes it all the more
appealing. }

( { RGCA: } 32. Rh1$1 { and the new mate threat forces } 32...Ke8 33.
Rh8+ Kd7
34. Rxa8 $18 )

1-0


Bf1 is good, but if he can fully secure his queen-side by c2-c3
and prevent ...Ng6-f4 then pawn g5 will stand out like a sore
thumb. This puts the pressure on Black to find his own defensive
set-up. }

( { RGCA: So far the players have been following Anand - Ponomariov,
Mainz 2002. That
game then followed the course } 19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. O-O-O Rh8 $11 { and
white has nothing
to show for the exchange of bishops. } )

19...f6

{ RGCA: A most unatural looking move! Of course black hopes to
eventually free the
bishop, but this freedom never comes.

HATHAWAY: very strange as it allows White to keep his queen-side
secure }

( { RGCA: Better is } 19...Rfc8 20. Bxg7
( { HATHAWAY: } 20. c3 $143 Bxd4 21. cxd4 f6 { and Ne2 looks awkward,
blocking Bf1 } )
20...Kxg7 21. Qxg5 Qxc2 22. Qh6+ Kg8 23. Rd1 Bb3 24. Rd2 Qb1+ 25.
Kf2 Rc2
26. Rxc2 Qxc2 $11 )

20. Bb2 $1

{ RGCA: Making way for the knight that will exert pressure on the light
squares,
especially f5. }

20...Bf7 21. Nd4

{ HATHAWAY: White's position is very well organized now. Only ...Ng6-f4
or ...Ng6-h4
comes close to threatening White. On the queen-side White is in good
shape. But,
with two bishops and a knight around Kg8 it isn't at all clear White
has an offense
either. In other words the position has "slowed down" and a bit of
positional
maneuvering will have to be done by both sides to stir up any
one-sided offense. }

21...d5

{ RGCA: This opening up of the position turns out to be premature. }

( { RGCA: Better was } 21...Rfc8 22. Bd3 e6 23. O-O-O Ne5 24. Kb1 Nc4
25. Bxc4 Qxc4 $11
{ where black has real prospects for an assault on the white king,
especially
once his central pawns can push forward and open up lines for his two
bishops. } )

( { HATHAWAY: Or, } 21...Rac8 22. Bd3 e6 23. O-O-O Rfd8 )

22. exd5 Qe5+

{ RGCA: This queen sortie does not turn out well at all. }

( { RGCA: Better was } 22...Bxd5 23. Bd3 Nf4 24. Nf5 Rfd8 25. Nxg7 Kxg7
26. Rh7+ Kg8
27. Bxf6 Qb6 28. Rh8+ Kf7 29. Rh7+ $11 { leads to perpetual check as }
29...Kxf6 $4
{ loses the queen to } 30. Rh6+ )

23. Be2 Qxd5 24. O-O-O Rfc8

( { RGCA: The best chance to equalize is by } 24...Nf4 25. g3
( { HATHAWAY: } 25. Bd3 Nxd3 26. Qxd3 { and Kg8 is in some danger } )
25...Nxe2+ 26. Qxe2 $14 )

25. Bd3

{ HATHAWAY: By now it should be abundantly clear that White's king is
safe and that
Black's king-side is a mess in need of major reorganization. The open
h-file also
beckons White's pieces and f5 seems perfect for a knight. }

25...Ne5 $2 $18

{ RGCA: A costly mistake. }

( { RGCA: The best hope was } 25...Qa2 $5 26. Nf5 Rd8 27. g3
( { but not } 27. Nxg7 Kxg7 28. Qxg5 $4 Qxb2+ $1 29. Kxb2 fxg5 $19 )
27...Be6 28. Qe2 Ne5 29. Nxg7 Nxd3+ 30. Rxd3 Kxg7 31. f4 Qc4 32. fxg5
Rxd3
33. gxf6+ exf6 34. Qxd3 Qxd3 35. cxd3 $16 )

26. Be4

{ RGCA: Striking through the queen to the weak point at b7. }

( { HATHAWAY: There are several good possibilities for White, including }
26. Bh7+ Kf8 27. Bf5 )

26...Qa2

( 26...Qd7 { does not help because of } 27. Bh7+ Kf8 28. Bf5 { and now }
28...e6 $2
{ is met with } 29. Nxe6+ Bxe6 30. Qxd7 Bxd7 31. Bxd7 Rd8 32. Be6 $18 )

27. Nf5 $2 $16

{ RGCA: This allows black some hope. }

( { RGCA: Best was the natural continuation } 27. Bxb7 $1 Nc4 28. Qc3
$18 )

27...Nc4 28. Qc3 Rc7 $2 $18

{ RGCA: The last mistake. }

( { RGCA: There was still a good chance of a reasonable game with }
28...Qxb2+
29. Qxb2 Nxb2 30. Kxb2 Rc7 $14 )

29. Rh7 $3

{ RGCA: Spectacular! This completely shatters black's position and
strikes like a
thunder bolt at the very weakest point - the 'caged in' bishop on g7.

HATHAWAY: It's quite likely Kramnik didn't see this amazing move. He
may have thought
his king was safe and that his queen-side play gave him all the
immediate winning
chances. }

29...Qxb2+ $4

{ RGCA: After this further mistake, the game is all over. }

( { RGCA: Relatively best was } 29...Nxb2 30. Rxg7+ Kf8 31. Qxb2 Qxb2+
32. Kxb2 e6
33. Rxf7+ Rxf7 34. Nd6 Rd8 35. Rd3 $18 )

30. Qxb2 Nxb2 31. Rxg7+ Kf8 32. Rh1 $1

{ HATHAWAY: Hurray for Akopian. This is a very nifty win, regardless of
the opponent.
That it's against world champion Kramnik makes it all the more
appealing. }

( { RGCA: } 32. Rh1$1 { and the new mate threat forces } 32...Ke8 33.
Rh8+ Kd7
34. Rxa8 $18 )

1-0


Mainz 2002. That game then followed the course } 19. Bxg7 Kxg7
20. O-O-O Rh8 $11 { and white has nothing to show for the exchange
of bishops. } )

19...f6

{ RGCA: A most unatural looking move! Of course black hopes to
eventually
free the bishop, but this freedom never comes.

HATHAWAY: very strange as it allows White to keep his queen-side
secure }

( { RGCA: Better is } 19...Rfc8 20. Bxg7 ( { HATHAWAY: } 20. c3 $143
Bxd4 21. cxd4 f6 { and Ne2 looks awkward, blocking Bf1 } ) 20...Kxg7
21. Qxg5 Qxc2 22. Qh6+ Kg8 23. Rd1 Bb3 24. Rd2 Qb1+ 25. Kf2 Rc2 26.
Rxc2 Qxc2 $11 )

20. Bb2 $1

{ RGCA: Making way for the knight that will exert pressure on the
light squares, especially f5. }

20...Bf7 21. Nd4

{ HATHAWAY: White's position is very well organized now. Only
...Ng6-f4 or ...Ng6-h4 comes close to threatening White. On the
queen-side White is in good shape. But, with two bishops and a
knight around Kg8 it isn't at all clear White has an offense either.
In other words the position has "slowed down" and a bit of positional


maneuvering will have to be done by both sides to stir up any one-sided
offense. }

21...d5

{ RGCA: This opening up of the position turns out to be premature. }

( { RGCA: Better was } 21...Rfc8 22. Bd3 e6 23. O-O-O Ne5 24. Kb1
Nc4 25. Bxc4 Qxc4 $11 { where black has real prospects for an
assault on the white king, especially once his central pawns can
push forward and open up lines for his two bishops. } )

( { HATHAWAY: Or, } 21...Rac8 22. Bd3 e6 23. O-O-O Rfd8 )

22. exd5 Qe5+

{ RGCA: This queen sortie does not turn out well at all. }

( { RGCA: Better was } 22...Bxd5 23. Bd3 Nf4 24. Nf5 Rfd8 25. Nxg7
Kxg7 26. Rh7+ Kg8 27. Bxf6 Qb6 28. Rh8+ Kf7 29. Rh7+ $11 { leads
to perpetual check as } 29...Kxf6 $4 { loses the queen to } 30.
Rh6+ )

23. Be2 Qxd5 24. O-O-O Rfc8

( { RGCA: The best chance to equalize is by } 24...Nf4 25. g3 ( {
HATHAWAY: } 25. Bd3 Nxd3 26. Qxd3 { and Kg8 is in some danger } )
25...Nxe2+
26. Qxe2 $14 )

25. Bd3

{ HATHAWAY: By now it should be abundantly clear that White's king
is safe and that Black's king-side is a mess in need of major
reorganization. The open h-file also beckons White's pieces and f5
seems perfect for a knight. }

25...Ne5 $2 $18

{ RGCA: A costly mistake. }

( { RGCA: The best hope was } 25...Qa2 $5 26. Nf5 Rd8 27. g3 ( { but
not } 27. Nxg7 Kxg7 28. Qxg5 $4 Qxb2+ $1 29. Kxb2 fxg5 $19 ) 27...Be6
28. Qe2 Ne5 29. Nxg7 Nxd3+ 30. Rxd3 Kxg7 31. f4 Qc4 32. fxg5 Rxd3 33.
gxf6+ exf6 34. Qxd3 Qxd3 35. cxd3 $16 )

26. Be4

{ RGCA: Striking through the queen to the weak point at b7. }

( { HATHAWAY: There are several good possibilities for White,
including } 26. Bh7+ Kf8 27. Bf5 )

26...Qa2

( 26...Qd7 { does not help because of } 27. Bh7+ Kf8 28. Bf5 { and
now } 28...e6 $2 { is met with } 29. Nxe6+ Bxe6 30. Qxd7 Bxd7 31.
Bxd7 Rd8 32. Be6 $18 )

27. Nf5 $2 $16

{ RGCA: This allows black some hope. }

( { RGCA: Best was the natural continuation } 27. Bxb7 $1 Nc4 28.
Qc3 $18 )

27...Nc4 28. Qc3 Rc7 $2 $18

{ RGCA: The last mistake. }

( { RGCA: There was still a good chance of a reasonable game with }
28...Qxb2+


29. Qxb2 Nxb2 30. Kxb2 Rc7 $14 )

29. Rh7 $3

{ RGCA: Spectacular! This completely shatters black's position and
strikes
like a thunder bolt at the very weakest point - the 'caged in'
bishop on g7.

HATHAWAY: It's quite likely Kramnik didn't see this amazing move. He
may have thought
his king was safe and that his queen-side play gave him all the
immediate winning
chances. }

29...Qxb2+ $4

{ RGCA: After this further mistake, the game is all over. }

( { RGCA: Relatively best was } 29...Nxb2 30. Rxg7+ Kf8 31. Qxb2 Qxb2+
32. Kxb2 e6
33. Rxf7+ Rxf7 34. Nd6 Rd8 35. Rd3 $18 )

30. Qxb2 Nxb2 31. Rxg7+ Kf8 32. Rh1 $1

{ HATHAWAY: Hurray for Akopian. This is a very nifty win, regardless of
the opponent.
That it's against world champion Kramnik makes it all the more
appealing. }

( { RGCA: } 32. Rh1$1 { and the new mate threat forces } 32...Ke8 33.
Rh8+ Kd7
34. Rxa8 $18 )

1-0


may have thought his king was safe and that his queen-side play
gave him all the immediate winning chances. }

29...Qxb2+ $4

{ RGCA: After this further mistake, the game is all over. }

( { RGCA: Relatively best was } 29...Nxb2 30. Rxg7+ Kf8 31. Qxb2
Qxb2+ 32. Kxb2 e6 33. Rxf7+ Rxf7 34. Nd6 Rd8 35. Rd3 $18 )

30. Qxb2 Nxb2 31. Rxg7+ Kf8 32. Rh1 $1

{ HATHAWAY: Hurray for Akopian. This is a very nifty win, regardless
of the opponent. That it's against world champion Kramnik makes
it all the more appealing. }

( { RGCA: } 32. Rh1$1 { and the new mate threat forces } 32...Ke8
33. Rh8+ Kd7 34. Rxa8 $18 )

1-0

"Mark S. Hathaway" wrote in message ...
Andrew Templeton wrote:
Hello,

I've been covering Corus - Wijk ann Zee on my RGCA website at:

http://members.rogers.com/rgca/rgca/rgcamag.htm

I've just uploaded the 2nd round games (along with the 1st) in
replayable JavaScript (palview). It would be great if we could get some
of these games annotated, so in an effort to get things started, I've
done my best with the first round encounter between Akopian - Kramnik. I
did not have as much time to spend on this game as I would have liked,
but I did what I could in the time I had. Any comments that can be added
to the analysis for the site are greatly appreciated! Here is the PGN:

Andy
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's my two bits. I've labeled the notes by annotator.
The text width might be off, but if it's downloaded to
ChessBase or something like that then you won't notice
anyway.



[Event "Corus Chess 2004"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2004.01.10"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Akopian, V."]
[Black "Kramnik, V."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2693"]
[BlackElo "2777"]
[Annotator "RGCA"]
[EventDate "2004.01.10"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bg5 h6
8. Bh4 g5
9. Bg3 Bg7 10. h3 Ne5 11. f3

{ HATHAWAY: This is new to me. I haven't been following the top GM
tournaments
for a few months, so I may have missed a trend. Is this new? Someone
should add
an annotation here to clarify that point. }

- In my view the f3 is for moving the Bishop to the f2 and at one
stage it controls the a1-h8 diagonal after the d4 Knight moves. But
11.Be2 Nbc6 12.Nb3 and O-O is more simple for white. Some time after
white can try f4 break with the Rook on f1. It
Is common to play f3 for the king side attack by white (like dragon
variation) but white's dark square B is not controlling the c1-h6 line
and also the g5 pawn should be
Considered. Second point is playing Be2 can control the g4 move by
black.





11...Nbc6 12. Bf2

{ HATHAWAY: At this point the position most resembles a Dragon
Variation, but
with Black's Ne5 being very well placed (prohibiting Bf1-c4) and
pawns h6 & g5
too far advanced. This variation has been played quite a lot, so
there's a
historical context these players can refer to (mentally). Shirov's
Nd4-f5 is
perhaps one of the most interesting attempts to show pawn g5 is
over-extended.
On the other hand, Black's pieces are well-developed, so he should
have some
offensive potential - especially on the queen-side where Bg7 "points". }

12...Be6

-12. ... Be6 13.Nxe6 fxe6 is attracts attestation for an un-rated
player like me.
After that black is having a upper hand. For example:
13.Nxe6 fxe6
a)14. f4 ? gxf4 15.Qh5 Kd7 . e5 Knight is very strong.
b)Be2 b5 !? followed by b4 with Q-side attack by black.
c)Qd2!? Is a simple move after that white can have a idea of
O-O-O , h4
with the g5 weakness. But I am not clear with the possible
attack by
black might operate. And I am also not clear with the
possible safe
place for black's king.
So the correct replay to the 12 ... Be6 is 13.h4. Because g4 is not
possible by black, White can simply exchange the g5 pawns
followed by
The exchange of rooks will equalizes.




{ HATHAWAY: Again, this looks new to me. Usually Black avoids this and
settles on
...Bc8-d7. I wonder why Kramnik thinks this is suitable now. Maybe
it's that White
can't target a weak pawn at e6 because Bf1 is restrained. }

13. Qd2 Nxd4

{ HATHAWAY: Maybe Black became fearful White might actually take him up
on the offer
to play Nd4xBe6. }

14. Bxd4 Qa5

{ HATHAWAY: After this Black will begin considering more seriously where
his king
should reside. In this variation it's not entirely clear where it
will be safe. }

15. a3

{ HATHAWAY: necessary to prepare O-O-O }

-Is it necessary for white to O-O-O? What about simple Rd1 with the
idea os Nd5. If direct Nd5 (without Rd1) then 1... QxQ 2.KxQ Bxd5
3.exd5 Nxf3+ -+




15...O-O 16. h4

{ HATHAWAY: maybe now White holds off on O-O-O to spend a few tempi
attacking
on the king-side }

16...Ng6 17. hxg5 hxg5 18. b4

- Why b4 and lose a O-O-O.I think 18.Rh5 is worth considering
because white will have a
O-O-O opportunity.
18.Rh5
a)18. ... f6? is bad because of 19.Qf2 with the centralized
Bishop
b)18. ... BxB 19.QxB f6 20.Bc4 Bxc4 Qxc4 with the idea of O-O-O






{ HATHAWAY: Akopian courageously weakens his queen-side to prevent Black
from having
the first chance at an attack. In conjunction with leaving Ke1 this
is curious.
Just how safe will White's king be for the long haul? The balance
between the attack
on pawn g5 (and Kg8) and whatever Black might make of an attack on
White's queen-side
is quite curious to me. I've never seen this position before. I
suppose White figures
that with the open h-file and having Bd4 he might do just fine with
Ke1-f2. Neither
player could have been feeling very safe at this moment, though both
could have been
looking forward to mauling their opponent's king. }

18...Qc7 19. Ne2 $1 $146


-If 19.Nd5 Bxd5 20.Bxg7 Kxg7 21.exd5 Rh8 = because of the
h file is defended (another tempting move for an un-ratted one).


{ RGCA: This good move pretty much forces black to lock his bishop in a
cage.

HATHAWAY: Very nice. It's not so obvious that a retreat which blocks
Bf1 is good,
but if he can fully secure his queen-side by c2-c3 and prevent
...Ng6-f4 then
pawn g5 will stand out like a sore thumb. This puts the pressure on
Black to find
his own defensive set-up. }

( { RGCA: So far the players have been following Anand - Ponomariov,
Mainz 2002. That
game then followed the course } 19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. O-O-O Rh8 $11 { and
white has nothing
to show for the exchange of bishops. } )

19...f6

{ RGCA: A most unatural looking move! Of course black hopes to
eventually free the
bishop, but this freedom never comes.

HATHAWAY: very strange as it allows White to keep his queen-side secure }

( { RGCA: Better is } 19...Rfc8 20. Bxg7
( { HATHAWAY: } 20. c3 $143 Bxd4 21. cxd4 f6 { and Ne2 looks awkward,
blocking Bf1 } )
20...Kxg7 21. Qxg5 Qxc2 22. Qh6+ Kg8 23. Rd1 Bb3 24. Rd2 Qb1+ 25. Kf2 Rc2
26. Rxc2 Qxc2 $11 )

20. Bb2 $1

{ RGCA: Making way for the knight that will exert pressure on the light
squares,
especially f5. }

20...Bf7 21. Nd4

{ HATHAWAY: White's position is very well organized now. Only ...Ng6-f4
or ...Ng6-h4
comes close to threatening White. On the queen-side White is in good
shape. But,
with two bishops and a knight around Kg8 it isn't at all clear White
has an offense
either. In other words the position has "slowed down" and a bit of
positional
maneuvering will have to be done by both sides to stir up any
one-sided offense. }

21...d5

{ RGCA: This opening up of the position turns out to be premature. }

( { RGCA: Better was } 21...Rfc8 22. Bd3 e6 23. O-O-O Ne5 24. Kb1 Nc4
25. Bxc4 Qxc4 $11
{ where black has real prospects for an assault on the white king,
especially
once his central pawns can push forward and open up lines for his two
bishops. } )

( { HATHAWAY: Or, } 21...Rac8 22. Bd3 e6 23. O-O-O Rfd8 )

22. exd5 Qe5+

{ RGCA: This queen sortie does not turn out well at all. }

( { RGCA: Better was } 22...Bxd5 23. Bd3 Nf4 24. Nf5 Rfd8 25. Nxg7 Kxg7
26. Rh7+ Kg8
27. Bxf6 Qb6 28. Rh8+ Kf7 29. Rh7+ $11 { leads to perpetual check as
} 29...Kxf6 $4
{ loses the queen to } 30. Rh6+ )

23. Be2 Qxd5 24. O-O-O Rfc8

( { RGCA: The best chance to equalize is by } 24...Nf4 25. g3
( { HATHAWAY: } 25. Bd3 Nxd3 26. Qxd3 { and Kg8 is in some danger } )
25...Nxe2+ 26. Qxe2 $14 )

25. Bd3

{ HATHAWAY: By now it should be abundantly clear that White's king is
safe and that
Black's king-side is a mess in need of major reorganization. The open
h-file also
beckons White's pieces and f5 seems perfect for a knight. }

25...Ne5 $2 $18

{ RGCA: A costly mistake. }

( { RGCA: The best hope was } 25...Qa2 $5 26. Nf5 Rd8 27. g3
( { but not } 27. Nxg7 Kxg7 28. Qxg5 $4 Qxb2+ $1 29. Kxb2 fxg5 $19 )
27...Be6 28. Qe2 Ne5 29. Nxg7 Nxd3+ 30. Rxd3 Kxg7 31. f4 Qc4 32. fxg5
Rxd3
33. gxf6+ exf6 34. Qxd3 Qxd3 35. cxd3 $16 )

- 27.g3 is a very good move. This move will defend the f4 square
and also makes
the white Q to move to h2. But why not 28.Qh2 Bxf5 29.Bxf5 Rxd1
30.Rxd1 advantage for White?



26. Be4

{ RGCA: Striking through the queen to the weak point at b7. }

( { HATHAWAY: There are several good possibilities for White, including }
26. Bh7+ Kf8 27. Bf5 )



- I think Bishop has to come back to the e4 square.


26...Qa2

( 26...Qd7 { does not help because of } 27. Bh7+ Kf8 28. Bf5 { and now }
28...e6 $2
{ is met with } 29. Nxe6+ Bxe6 30. Qxd7 Bxd7 31. Bxd7 Rd8 32. Be6 $18 )

27. Nf5 $2 $16

{ RGCA: This allows black some hope. }

( { RGCA: Best was the natural continuation } 27. Bxb7 $1 Nc4 28. Qc3 $18 )

27...Nc4 28. Qc3 Rc7 $2 $18

{ RGCA: The last mistake. }

( { RGCA: There was still a good chance of a reasonable game with }
28...Qxb2+
29. Qxb2 Nxb2 30. Kxb2 Rc7 $14 )

29. Rh7 $3

{ RGCA: Spectacular! This completely shatters black's position and
strikes like a
thunder bolt at the very weakest point - the 'caged in' bishop on g7.

HATHAWAY: It's quite likely Kramnik didn't see this amazing move. He
may have thought
his king was safe and that his queen-side play gave him all the
immediate winning
chances. }

29...Qxb2+ $4

{ RGCA: After this further mistake, the game is all over. }

( { RGCA: Relatively best was } 29...Nxb2 30. Rxg7+ Kf8 31. Qxb2 Qxb2+
32. Kxb2 e6
33. Rxf7+ Rxf7 34. Nd6 Rd8 35. Rd3 $18 )

30. Qxb2 Nxb2 31. Rxg7+ Kf8 32. Rh1 $1

{ HATHAWAY: Hurray for Akopian. This is a very nifty win, regardless of
the opponent.
That it's against world champion Kramnik makes it all the more
appealing. }

( { RGCA: } 32. Rh1$1 { and the new mate threat forces } 32...Ke8 33.
Rh8+ Kd7
34. Rxa8 $18 )

1-0


Whole game went wrong by the f6 by black. By f6 the active B is
suddenly ded.

(Correct me if there is any mistake in the above message)

Thanks
By
N.Sathyashrayan

Hi,

I've added your comments to the Akopian - Kramnik game on the site. Thanks
very much for contributing!

I especially found interesting your idea of taking the bishop on e6 and then
following up with h4!?:

13. Nxe6 fxe6 14. h4!?

The programs certainly find this +/= but I have not found a single game
where any white player dared to take the bishop. I wonder if the computers know
something that players don't -- or whether players know something that computers
don't. (Somebody obviously knows something that *I* don't!)
Are there any Sicilian experts out there that can explain this?

Andy


sathyashrayan wrote:

"Mark S. Hathaway" wrote in message ...

Andrew Templeton wrote:

Hello,

I've been covering Corus - Wijk ann Zee on my RGCA website at:

http://members.rogers.com/rgca/rgca/rgcamag.htm

I've just uploaded the 2nd round games (along with the 1st) in
replayable JavaScript (palview). It would be great if we could get some
of these games annotated, so in an effort to get things started, I've
done my best with the first round encounter between Akopian - Kramnik. I
did not have as much time to spend on this game as I would have liked,
but I did what I could in the time I had. Any comments that can be added
to the analysis for the site are greatly appreciated! Here is the PGN:

Andy
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's my two bits. I've labeled the notes by annotator.
The text width might be off, but if it's downloaded to
ChessBase or something like that then you won't notice
anyway.



[Event "Corus Chess 2004"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2004.01.10"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Akopian, V."]
[Black "Kramnik, V."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2693"]
[BlackElo "2777"]
[Annotator "RGCA"]
[EventDate "2004.01.10"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bg5 h6
8. Bh4 g5
9. Bg3 Bg7 10. h3 Ne5 11. f3

{ HATHAWAY: This is new to me. I haven't been following the top GM
tournaments
for a few months, so I may have missed a trend. Is this new? Someone
should add
an annotation here to clarify that point. }


- In my view the f3 is for moving the Bishop to the f2 and at one
stage it controls the a1-h8 diagonal after the d4 Knight moves. But
11.Be2 Nbc6 12.Nb3 and O-O is more simple for white. Some time after
white can try f4 break with the Rook on f1. It
Is common to play f3 for the king side attack by white (like dragon
variation) but white's dark square B is not controlling the c1-h6 line
and also the g5 pawn should be
Considered. Second point is playing Be2 can control the g4 move by
black.





11...Nbc6 12. Bf2

{ HATHAWAY: At this point the position most resembles a Dragon
Variation, but
with Black's Ne5 being very well placed (prohibiting Bf1-c4) and
pawns h6 & g5
too far advanced. This variation has been played quite a lot, so
there's a
historical context these players can refer to (mentally). Shirov's
Nd4-f5 is
perhaps one of the most interesting attempts to show pawn g5 is
over-extended.
On the other hand, Black's pieces are well-developed, so he should
have some
offensive potential - especially on the queen-side where Bg7 "points". }

12...Be6


-12. ... Be6 13.Nxe6 fxe6 is attracts attestation for an un-rated
player like me.
After that black is having a upper hand. For example:
13.Nxe6 fxe6
a)14. f4 ? gxf4 15.Qh5 Kd7 . e5 Knight is very strong.
b)Be2 b5 !? followed by b4 with Q-side attack by black.
c)Qd2!? Is a simple move after that white can have a idea of
O-O-O , h4
with the g5 weakness. But I am not clear with the possible
attack by
black might operate. And I am also not clear with the
possible safe
place for black's king.
So the correct replay to the 12 ... Be6 is 13.h4. Because g4 is not
possible by black, White can simply exchange the g5 pawns
followed by
The exchange of rooks will equalizes.





{ HATHAWAY: Again, this looks new to me. Usually Black avoids this and
settles on
...Bc8-d7. I wonder why Kramnik thinks this is suitable now. Maybe
it's that White
can't target a weak pawn at e6 because Bf1 is restrained. }

13. Qd2 Nxd4

{ HATHAWAY: Maybe Black became fearful White might actually take him up
on the offer
to play Nd4xBe6. }

14. Bxd4 Qa5

{ HATHAWAY: After this Black will begin considering more seriously where
his king
should reside. In this variation it's not entirely clear where it
will be safe. }

15. a3

{ HATHAWAY: necessary to prepare O-O-O }


-Is it necessary for white to O-O-O? What about simple Rd1 with the
idea os Nd5. If direct Nd5 (without Rd1) then 1... QxQ 2.KxQ Bxd5
3.exd5 Nxf3+ -+





15...O-O 16. h4

{ HATHAWAY: maybe now White holds off on O-O-O to spend a few tempi
attacking
on the king-side }

16...Ng6 17. hxg5 hxg5 18. b4


- Why b4 and lose a O-O-O.I think 18.Rh5 is worth considering
because white will have a
O-O-O opportunity.
18.Rh5
a)18. ... f6? is bad because of 19.Qf2 with the centralized
Bishop
b)18. ... BxB 19.QxB f6 20.Bc4 Bxc4 Qxc4 with the idea of O-O-O







{ HATHAWAY: Akopian courageously weakens his queen-side to prevent Black
from having
the first chance at an attack. In conjunction with leaving Ke1 this
is curious.
Just how safe will White's king be for the long haul? The balance
between the attack
on pawn g5 (and Kg8) and whatever Black might make of an attack on
White's queen-side
is quite curious to me. I've never seen this position before. I
suppose White figures
that with the open h-file and having Bd4 he might do just fine with
Ke1-f2. Neither
player could have been feeling very safe at this moment, though both
could have been
looking forward to mauling their opponent's king. }

18...Qc7 19. Ne2 $1 $146



-If 19.Nd5 Bxd5 20.Bxg7 Kxg7 21.exd5 Rh8 = because of the
h file is defended (another tempting move for an un-ratted one).



{ RGCA: This good move pretty much forces black to lock his bishop in a
cage.

HATHAWAY: Very nice. It's not so obvious that a retreat which blocks
Bf1 is good,
but if he can fully secure his queen-side by c2-c3 and prevent
...Ng6-f4 then
pawn g5 will stand out like a sore thumb. This puts the pressure on
Black to find
his own defensive set-up. }

( { RGCA: So far the players have been following Anand - Ponomariov,
Mainz 2002. That
game then followed the course } 19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. O-O-O Rh8 $11 { and
white has nothing
to show for the exchange of bishops. } )

19...f6

{ RGCA: A most unatural looking move! Of course black hopes to
eventually free the
bishop, but this freedom never comes.

HATHAWAY: very strange as it allows White to keep his queen-side secure }

( { RGCA: Better is } 19...Rfc8 20. Bxg7
( { HATHAWAY: } 20. c3 $143 Bxd4 21. cxd4 f6 { and Ne2 looks awkward,
blocking Bf1 } )
20...Kxg7 21. Qxg5 Qxc2 22. Qh6+ Kg8 23. Rd1 Bb3 24. Rd2 Qb1+ 25. Kf2 Rc2
26. Rxc2 Qxc2 $11 )

20. Bb2 $1

{ RGCA: Making way for the knight that will exert pressure on the light
squares,
especially f5. }

20...Bf7 21. Nd4

{ HATHAWAY: White's position is very well organized now. Only ...Ng6-f4
or ...Ng6-h4
comes close to threatening White. On the queen-side White is in good
shape. But,
with two bishops and a knight around Kg8 it isn't at all clear White
has an offense
either. In other words the position has "slowed down" and a bit of
positional
maneuvering will have to be done by both sides to stir up any
one-sided offense. }

21...d5

{ RGCA: This opening up of the position turns out to be premature. }

( { RGCA: Better was } 21...Rfc8 22. Bd3 e6 23. O-O-O Ne5 24. Kb1 Nc4
25. Bxc4 Qxc4 $11
{ where black has real prospects for an assault on the white king,
especially
once his central pawns can push forward and open up lines for his two
bishops. } )

( { HATHAWAY: Or, } 21...Rac8 22. Bd3 e6 23. O-O-O Rfd8 )

22. exd5 Qe5+

{ RGCA: This queen sortie does not turn out well at all. }

( { RGCA: Better was } 22...Bxd5 23. Bd3 Nf4 24. Nf5 Rfd8 25. Nxg7 Kxg7
26. Rh7+ Kg8
27. Bxf6 Qb6 28. Rh8+ Kf7 29. Rh7+ $11 { leads to perpetual check as
} 29...Kxf6 $4
{ loses the queen to } 30. Rh6+ )

23. Be2 Qxd5 24. O-O-O Rfc8

( { RGCA: The best chance to equalize is by } 24...Nf4 25. g3
( { HATHAWAY: } 25. Bd3 Nxd3 26. Qxd3 { and Kg8 is in some danger } )
25...Nxe2+ 26. Qxe2 $14 )

25. Bd3

{ HATHAWAY: By now it should be abundantly clear that White's king is
safe and that
Black's king-side is a mess in need of major reorganization. The open
h-file also
beckons White's pieces and f5 seems perfect for a knight. }

25...Ne5 $2 $18

{ RGCA: A costly mistake. }

( { RGCA: The best hope was } 25...Qa2 $5 26. Nf5 Rd8 27. g3
( { but not } 27. Nxg7 Kxg7 28. Qxg5 $4 Qxb2+ $1 29. Kxb2 fxg5 $19 )
27...Be6 28. Qe2 Ne5 29. Nxg7 Nxd3+ 30. Rxd3 Kxg7 31. f4 Qc4 32. fxg5
Rxd3
33. gxf6+ exf6 34. Qxd3 Qxd3 35. cxd3 $16 )


- 27.g3 is a very good move. This move will defend the f4 square
and also makes
the white Q to move to h2. But why not 28.Qh2 Bxf5 29.Bxf5 Rxd1
30.Rxd1 advantage for White?



26. Be4

{ RGCA: Striking through the queen to the weak point at b7. }

( { HATHAWAY: There are several good possibilities for White, including }
26. Bh7+ Kf8 27. Bf5 )




- I think Bishop has to come back to the e4 square.



26...Qa2

( 26...Qd7 { does not help because of } 27. Bh7+ Kf8 28. Bf5 { and now }
28...e6 $2
{ is met with } 29. Nxe6+ Bxe6 30. Qxd7 Bxd7 31. Bxd7 Rd8 32. Be6 $18 )

27. Nf5 $2 $16

{ RGCA: This allows black some hope. }

( { RGCA: Best was the natural continuation } 27. Bxb7 $1 Nc4 28. Qc3 $18 )

27...Nc4 28. Qc3 Rc7 $2 $18

{ RGCA: The last mistake. }

( { RGCA: There was still a good chance of a reasonable game with }
28...Qxb2+
29. Qxb2 Nxb2 30. Kxb2 Rc7 $14 )

29. Rh7 $3

{ RGCA: Spectacular! This completely shatters black's position and
strikes like a
thunder bolt at the very weakest point - the 'caged in' bishop on g7.

HATHAWAY: It's quite likely Kramnik didn't see this amazing move. He
may have thought
his king was safe and that his queen-side play gave him all the
immediate winning
chances. }

29...Qxb2+ $4

{ RGCA: After this further mistake, the game is all over. }

( { RGCA: Relatively best was } 29...Nxb2 30. Rxg7+ Kf8 31. Qxb2 Qxb2+
32. Kxb2 e6
33. Rxf7+ Rxf7 34. Nd6 Rd8 35. Rd3 $18 )

30. Qxb2 Nxb2 31. Rxg7+ Kf8 32. Rh1 $1

{ HATHAWAY: Hurray for Akopian. This is a very nifty win, regardless of
the opponent.
That it's against world champion Kramnik makes it all the more
appealing. }

( { RGCA: } 32. Rh1$1 { and the new mate threat forces } 32...Ke8 33.
Rh8+ Kd7
34. Rxa8 $18 )

1-0



Whole game went wrong by the f6 by black. By f6 the active B is
suddenly ded.

(Correct me if there is any mistake in the above message)

Thanks
By
N.Sathyashrayan