| Apr-10-04 | | badbadLeroyBrown: Ivanchuk obviously wasn't playing with his own board and pieces, otherwise he could've invoked "King's Privilege" (two moves for 1) and played 33.Rxe6 34.Qe8#. |
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| Apr-10-04 | | Benjamin Lau: One of my favorite Kramnik games. Kramnik starts his attack down a rook (because he lost castling) and the exchange and still comes up with an amazing minor piece blitz that Tal or Kasparov would be proud to claim as their own. 17. g3?! was an obvious error, but for reasons that most people did not realize at the time. Ivanchuk later said that he *wanted* to give back the exchange and retain a slightly superior but clear game, but Kramnik's surprising 19...f5! ruined his plans. Kramnik's play is very brave and enterprising here, it's a shame this isn't more frequent anymore. It took a lot of courage to resist 21...Bc5 22 Nh3 Bxh1 23 Ng5 hxg5 24 Qxh8+ Kf7 25 Qh5+ with a perpetual check that analysts later found. Kramnik himself later discovered that 27...Qe7! is more effective than the game continuation, although 27...Qa5?! still wins. 28. Nd3? is Ivanchuk's last error according to John Watson but it doesn't matter, white is already completely lost. |
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| Jul-09-04 | | iron maiden: What a dull game. Is Kramnik boring or what? |
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| Sep-26-04 | | Rowson: What??? dull??? I hope this comment was not meant to be taken literally. |
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| Sep-26-04 | | clocked: After 28.c3! things look unclear to me. Can anyone show a win for white? 28...Bxc3 29.Rd7
28...Nxc3+ 29.Kxb2 Na4+ 30.Ka2 Qb4 31.Rd8+ |
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| Sep-27-04 | | Cyphelium: <clocked> Perhaps 28. c3 Ba3 could be worth a try. (Still unclear though.) |
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| Sep-27-04 | | acirce: Hi <Cyphelium>. The computer finds the line 29.Rxe6 Nxc3+ 30.Kc2 Qa4+ 31.Kd2 Ne4+ 32.Nxe4 Bb4+ 33.Ke3 Qb3+ 34.Kf2 Qxe6 35.Rd8+ Ke7 36.Rxh8 Qa2+ 37.Qe2  Seems like nothing better for Black, he can try alternative checks at various points but they will run out. |
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| Sep-27-04 | | Cyphelium: <acirce> Yes, it does look gloomy. Exit 28.- Ba3. |
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| Sep-27-04 | | clocked: I of course meant a win for <black> |
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| Dec-15-04 | | Hesam7: I agree with <Benjamin Lau> that 27...Qe7 is winning. I had Kramnik's own notes on this game but I have lost them does anybody know about this notes? In that notes 28.c3 was deeply analysed. |
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| Dec-15-04 | | acirce: <Hesam7> Yes, they are in <Kramnik. My Life and Games> by Kramnik/Damsky. I have that book here although I suspect the library is going to want it back. He indeed says <White had an excellent opportunity to stir up trouble with 28.c3! after which Vasily would have parried the mating attack, although without guaranteeing himself a draw.> He thinks Black is still winning after either
28..Nxc3+ 29.Kxb2 Na4+ 30.Ka2 Qb4 31.Rd8+ Ke7 32.Rd7+ Kxd7 33.Qf7+ Kc8 34.Qxe6+ Kb8 35.Qe5+ Ka8 36.Qd5+ Ka7 37.Qd7+ Kb8 38.Re8+ Rxe8 39.Qxe8+ Kc7 40.Qe5+ Qd6 <and Black should win> or instead, in this line:
32.Re8+ Rxe8 33.Rxe6+ Kxe6 34.Qxe8+ Qe7 <transposing to a won ending> Actually I don't feel completely convinced that this is necessarily won. In any case there is a lot of fight left. Some other interesting notes:
17.g3?
<This, is of course, a radical attempt to solve all White's problems, but a very unfortunate one. However, also after 17.Qf3 the black pieces would have become extremely active: 17..Bb7 18.Qe3 Bd6! 19.Ne2 0-0 with full compensation.> 19..f5!
<After 19..0-0 20.Bg2 Rc8 Black has excellent compensation for the sacrificed exchange (for example, 21.Qe2 Na4 with the threat of ..Bxe4 and ..Bf6), but I reckoned that my position already allowed me to play for more.> 21..Bf6!
<Again in search of more, I rejected the chance of gaining a small advantage after 21..Bxh1 22.Nxh1 Bf6. The point is that my light-square bishop can often join the attack (for example, after 22.Rg1? Na4 23.Nd3 Be4! 24.Qe2 Nxb2! 25.Nxb2 Qc3 26.Nd3 Qa1+ 27.Kd2 Bc3+ 28.Ke3 Bd4+, picking up the rook), and I was reluctant to exchange it for a rook. Of course, all these 'positional considerations' were accompanied by the calculation of numerous specific variations.> |
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| Dec-25-04 | | Hesam7: <acirce> Thank you very much for providing the comments. But I remember (Of course I may be wrong) that the line: 28.c3 Bxc3 was analysed too. |
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| Apr-04-08 | | zoat22: <benjamin lau: One of my favorite Kramnik games> on the contrary, I disagree... I think that it is not too hard for top GMs to play tactical games, but to play the games which Kramnik usually plays is much harder... |
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| Apr-04-08 | | kellmano: You disagree that it is one of Lau's favourite games. How do you know? |
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Apr-04-08
 | | kevin86: This is another of the multiple games that white goes after the rook at a8. Though the tactic seems to succeed at most times,the time lost allows the opposition to attack against an undeveloped defense, and in this case,an exposed king. |
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| Apr-04-08 | | hitman84: Kramnik wins with black! oh.. this was played in 1996! |
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Apr-04-08
 | | Jimfromprovidence: Notwithstanding the great chess (and insightful annotations) of this match, I can not find a win for black if white had simply played 22 Rg1, below.
click for larger viewI see, perhaps, 22...Na4 followed by 23 Nd3, below, but then what happens? 
click for larger view |
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| Apr-04-08 | | Manic: <Jimfromprovidence> Above <acirce> gives Kramnik's annotations of that. <(for example, after 22.Rg1? Na4 23.Nd3 Be4! 24.Qe2 Nxb2! 25.Nxb2 Qc3 26.Nd3 Qa1+ 27.Kd2 Bc3+ 28.Ke3 Bd4+, picking up the rook)> |
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Apr-05-08
| | Jimfromprovidence: <manic> <Above <acirce> gives Kramnik's annotations of that.
(for example, after 22.Rg1? Na4 23.Nd3 Be4! 24.Qe2 Nxb2! 25.Nxb2 Qc3 26.Nd3 Qa1+ 27.Kd2 Bc3+ 28.Ke3 Bd4+, picking up the rook)> I inadvertently overlooked that portion of the annotations. My post would have continued with 24 Rg2, not Qe2. Then, if 24...Bxd3, 25 Rxd3. 
click for larger view |
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| May-01-17 | | ZackyMuhammad: Amazing sicilian by Kramnik |
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| May-01-17 | | Petrosianic: It's non-specifically great! |
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Dec-08-19
 | | Jambow: If you told me the players were on opposite sides of the board I wouldn't have questioned it, matter of fact if I were guessing I would have thought that to be the case. Nice game by Kramnik. |
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Kibitzing
sac: 15...Nxe5