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Ruslan Ponomariov vs Viswanathan Anand
Cap D'Agde FRA (2003) (rapid), rd 1, Oct-27
Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto. Nimzowitsch Variation Timman's Line (E15)  ·  0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Nov-05-03  AdrianP: With 27...c6 Anand completes his deep plan of creating the devastating X-wing Fighter pawn formation...!?
Nov-05-03  Benjamin Lau: This is one case where the "bad bishop" rule doesn't apply. Anand really needs those pawns to be safe so he can attempt to queen them. I think someone once joked about "bad bishops in service of good pawns."
Nov-05-03  Bad Star: I think it was Suba who said "bad bishops protect good pawns".
Nov-05-03
Premium Chessgames Member
  Eggman: The position after 35...Rd5 is suitable for framing.
Jan-11-04  PinkPanther: I don't know what Pono was doing throwing all those pawns away early in the game......maybe he was just confused and thought he was playing loser's chess on the ICC?
Jun-02-04  csmath: 5. Qb3 is not the move to play here. This waste of time gave Anand the chance for immediate equal opening. He blows it on 13. ... f6?! which Ponomariov correctly ignores at first and plays 14. a4! but then changes his mind and makes an error with 15. Bf4? (exf6 would be better). If he followed the original idea after the exchanges with 19. Rxa4 he could possibly hold on but he makes another error with 19. Rad1? which allows Anand to keep a-pawns and exchange the knight for a white bishop. From that point on Anand dominates the board and converts the pawn advantage into a win.
Mar-29-05  enigmaticcam: I've noticed in a few of Anand's Queen's Indian games, on 5. Qb3, Anand plays Nc6. I don't quite understand that move. I thought you weren't supposed to move that knight and block the c-pawn so it can be used to counter the center.
Oct-06-07  sanyas: <enigmaticcam> You're not supposed to move the queen out too early, either. One transgression merits another, as the saying goes. Here 5...Nc6 exploits the misplaced queen by threatening to win a pawn with 6...Na5, thus forcing the clumsy rejoinder 6.Nd2, which locks in the queen's bishop. 6.e3 is also uncomfortably committal
Mar-17-09  WhiteRook48: whoa!
Sep-14-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: At least Ponomariov played something other than 5.b3, which was about as common in the eighties as the Slav and Semi-Slav are today, and could be about as dull as the Berlin Wall.

<PinkPanther: I don't know what Pono was doing throwing all those pawns away early in the game......>

Here's another example of throwing off a pawn after 4....Ba6: in the 1984 Toronto International blitz event, one of my opponents was Vinny Puri, even then a master, who played 5.Bg2. In total disbelief, I snapped it off and eventually ground out a win.

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