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Vladimir Kramnik vs Viswanathan Anand
14th Amber Tournament: Rapid (2005) (rapid), Monte Carlo MNC, rd 4, Mar-22
Spanish Game: Berlin Defense. l'Hermet Variation Berlin Wall Defense (C67)  ·  1/2-1/2

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Kibitzer's Corner
Mar-22-05  aragorn69: Funny (and sort of poetic justice !) to see Anand use the Berlin wall to secure a draw against Kramnik :-0
Mar-23-05  patzer2: Interestingly White's control of the d-file and slightly better dark squared Bishop give him full equality, despite the pawn deficit in the final position. The fact that Black's extra pawn is doubled also helps.
Mar-23-05  chesscookie: I don't get it. Why use the Berlin wall when Kramnik knows it inside out?
Mar-23-05  kakt: chesscookie: What opening does Kramnik not know? With white, if he wants to, he proved that he can win any game(his last game against Leko,"best defender," in WCC).
Mar-23-05  actual: if he wants to???!
Mar-23-05  kakt: Yep, if he has the motivation, he proved that he can even kick kasparov's ego around. He won his match without losing a single game to kaspy. Of course, Anand is not Leko and Kramnik himself agreed that it's harder to beat Anand than it's to beat kaspy. But still, as black if you want to "surprise" a world champion, you want to play something he least expects and prepares for.
Mar-25-05  a30seclegend: So does a Berlin Defense always lead to a draw?
Jun-11-05  DP12: Quite often but there is no such thing as always. Besides, some weaker GM's use black's to bishops to create winning chances!
Jun-11-05  arifattar: what is a berlin wall?
Jun-11-05  aw1988: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8

Called in chess as the Berlin Wall, because despite the loss of castling and doubled queenside pawns, black nevertheless has far greater potential resources than white. To try to attack two of black's drawbacks, for example, Bg5+ just loses a tempo to Ke8, and the doubled pawns on the queenside are not weak, but extremely dangerous, since it is 4 vs 3 in a simplified position. Kramnik brought this weapon out against Kasparov in their 2000 match. Hitherto it had been absent for over a hundred years!

Jun-11-05  aw1988: "Berlin Wall" because of its' solidity.
Jun-11-05  arifattar: thanks <aw 1988>
Jun-11-05  bishopmate: <chesscookie>... <I don't get it. Why use the Berlin wall when Kramnik knows it inside out?>

What you also don't get is that Anand and Leko have surpassed Kramnik and Kasparov as the two most thorough players (in openings). Anand probably knows the Berlin Wall just as inside out as Kramnik... i would think more, since he drew with black

Jun-11-05  SnoopDogg: How can you make this claim?? I've heard that before from another GM maybe on chessbase but then someone like Nunn criticized him heavily the following week or something like that.

Did Linares 2005 teach you anything. Kasimdzhanov vs Kasparov, 2005 Show me a similar recent Anand or Leko win with a 21+ move deep preparation like that.

Sorry, but chesscookie does not deserve to be treated like a fool.

Nov-04-05  Queens Gambit: Event at Rapid chess Kramnik makes short draws!!!!

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