1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 a6 5.Nf3 b5 6.b3 Bg4 7.h3 Bxf3 8.Qxf3 e5 9.dxe5 Bb4 10.Bd2 Bxc3 11.Bxc3 Ne4 12.Bb4 bxc4 13.Qg4 c5 14.f3 cxb4< Hua didn't fancy the 'murky waters' of [14...Nc6 15.fxe4 Nxb4 16.Qxg7 Rf8 17.Qh6] >15.fxe4 0–0< Novelty I think. Hua still not fancying 15...c3 (has been played before.) 16 Qxg7 when things become very unclear.> 16.exd5 cxb3< A perpetual can be reached in this line, [16...Qxd5 17.Bxc4 Qxe5 18.0–0 Qxe3+ 19.Kh1 Ra7 20.Rae1 Qc5 21.Rf5 Qd6 22.Rxf7 Raxf7 23.Bxf7+ Kxf7 24.Qc4+ Kf6 25.Qh4+ Perpetual check]> 17.Qd4 Nd7 18.axb3 <Now the a6 pawn is attacked twice.> 18...Qg5< 'Best form of defence is to attack' - Threatening 19...Qg3+ to keep the white king in the center, and also ties the bishop to the defence of the g2 pawn.> 19.Qf4 Qxe5?< Exchanging queens just seems to lead to endgame torture.> 20.Qxe5 Nxe5 21.Bxa6 Rfc8< [21...Rfd8 Threatens the d5 pawn which can't be defended because of the other threat of 22...Rd6 winning the bishop. Black will lose his 'b' pawn anyway, and will have to defend the ending a pawn down. 22.Ke2 Rxd5 23.Bb7 Rxa1 24.Rxa1 Rd8 25.Ra4 Nd3 26.Bd5 Kf8 27.Bc4 Ne5 28.Rxb4 Ra8 29.Bd5 Ra2+ 30.Kd1 Ke7]> 22.Kd2 Rc3 23.Rhb1< The perfect position for Kramnik to chip away at. An extra pawn and the bishop.> 23...f5?< To prevent e4 - but does it? [23...Rd8 Is probably better.]> 24.Ra4 Rc5 25.e4 fxe4 26.Ke3 Rc2?< [26...Rd8 27.Rxb4 Rcxd5 28.Kxe4 Was better for black, although it's white who's still playing for the win.] >27.Bd3! Rxa4 28.Bxc2 Ra2 29.Bxe4 <Against Kramnik, you may well just resign here.> 29...Kf7 30.Rc1 Kf6 31.Rc2 Ra1 32.Kd4 Rd1+ 33.Kc5 h5 34.Rf2+ Ke7 35.Re2 <Threatening 36 Bc2> 35...Nd7+ 36.Kc6 Rc1+ 37.Bc2+ Kd8 38.Kd6 Nf6 39.Ke6 h4 40.d6 Rf1 41.Re5 <[41.Bf5 With the idea 42 Ra2 43 Ra8 mate is stronger] >41...Rf2 42.Bf5< Threateniing 43 Ra5 Kc8 44 Ke7+> 42...g6 43.Bxg6 Nd7 44.Rg5< Kramnik again threaten's mate with 45 Be4 46 Rg8 and mates.> 44...Rf6+ 45.Kd5 Nb6+ 46.Kc6 Nc8 47.Kc5 Nxd6 48.Bd3< And Ni Hua's had enough. His pawns can't be defended when Kramnik's passed pawn starts rolling. An easy technical win.> 1–0

A nice win By Kramnik after his crushing defeat yesterday. Kramnik never looked like being in trouble. It seemed to be a technical win for Vlad as soon as queens came off. He won the a6 pawn had the more powerful bishop and that was that!

Ni Hua doesn't seem to be enjoying his endgames . He suffered for a long time yesterday, but today was just too much.

No, after 19.Be2 White might actually be better. Pein was quoting the line given by Kramnik at the press conference after the game as what he felt was the "real test" of White's 13.Qg4 idea (not strictly a novelty, but something that wasn't played at the higher levels before, and which Kramnik had prepared already for the Topalov match but didn't get a chance to use it there). It's very complicated, and since it should have been obvious to Ni Hua from Kramnik's speed of play at the opening that the latter was playing from preparation, it's natural that he didn't want to go unprepared himself into the 14…Nc6 line. It was tried very shortly later at the World Team Championship in N Vitiugov vs M Rodshtein, 2010, where Black played 17…Qh4+ instead of …Nc2+ and eventually lost. At the same event, Aronian tried the suggested improvement to Ni's play later in the game, 19…Qg6, which led immediately to a draw by repetition in Grischuk vs Aronian, 2010.