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Vladimir Kramnik vs Peter Leko
Kramnik - Leko Classical World Championship Match (2004), Brissago SUI, rd 2, Sep-26
Spanish Game: Closed Variations (C84)  ·  1/2-1/2

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 3 OF 3 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Sep-26-04  iron maiden: TD: Just copy the link from the address bar and paste it in your message.
Sep-27-04  technical draw: Leko vs Pocket Fritz, 2001. This is leko's finest hour..Tks Iron Maiden...
Sep-27-04  acirce: http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail... - some annotations
Sep-27-04  I sacrifice like Tal: <acirce> I only started playing chess recently. What was this whole Shirov fiasco?

And certainly Shirov isn't much of a threat to Leko, Kramnik, Kasparov and Anand anymore? Does it really matter that he is overlooked?

Having said that I do think if it is to be a proper unified title, Shirov should have a shot at Kramnik.

Sep-27-04  acirce: <I sacrifice like Tal> Shirov beat Kramnik in a match in 1998 earning the right to play Kasparov for the classical WC title. It never happened and eventually Kramnik got that right instead. It was all very chaotic and there is no consensus on all the details. Recommended reading is http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/989... though.

And yes, I think it matters; if nothing else it's a matter of principle.

Sep-27-04  I sacrifice like Tal: <it's a matter of principle. >

The only reason why I agree.

And well, to be honest, I think a match with Shirov would be pretty exciting with g4 semi-slavs and the like flying all over the place. He did have a REALLY good game against Radjabov in Linares as white.

Sep-27-04
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: <I sacrifice like Tal: <it's a matter of principle. > The only reason why I agree. And well, to be honest, I think a match with Shirov would be pretty exciting with g4 semi-slavs and the like flying all over the place.> The result of a match like that would probably be similar to Short v Kasparov 1993. We might enjoy the games but Shirov wouldn't like the score-line.
Sep-27-04  I sacrifice like Tal: <offramp> In the spirit of things Kramnik might try a Shirov-Shabalov gambit (that g4 line in the Semi-Slav). :-)

Oh who am I kidding. Kramnik will be Kramnik.

By the way, there's a nice 'Human' game in reply to your comment in the Junior Fritz game.

Sep-27-04  refutor: i hope kramnik is the old kramnik, and not by playing the crappy shirov-shabalov gambit...if he gets a semi-slav i hope he plays like a man and offers the botwinnik system Kramnik vs Ivanchuk, 1996
Sep-27-04  acirce: Kramnik vs Ehlvest, 1995 is another favourite of that kind.
Sep-28-04  I sacrifice like Tal: I have a Botvinnik Semi-Slav book by Steffen Pedersen next to me now, published by gambit. It's really good! It's a pity GMs are scared to play it now. ;)
Sep-29-04  Bigbluedog: Long ago Kasparov predicted Kramnik as his successor. Not strange at all that he was correct. I hold the opinion that Anand is as good as Kramnik. I believe he has the potential to be even better. I also view Shirov as a great talent but unlikely to ever grab the world title. Sad the number of chess geniuses that for one reason or another never wore the crown. Of these perhaps Bronstien was the greatest. thedoggieman Bigbluedog
Oct-03-04
Premium Chessgames Member
  jaime gallegos: There are two games recorded as round 4 people of chessgames.com... can you fix it ? thanks
Oct-12-04  InfinityCircuit: How is this one of Peter Leko's best games??
Oct-21-05  Hesam7: <clocked> your line is very interesting! Here is some continuations that show dangers black is facing:

16.Bxf4 h6 17.Nxf7 Rxf7 18.Bxf7+ Kxf7 19.e5 Nd5 20. Qh5 Kg8 21. Bxh6

And now:

[A] 21... gxh6 22. Qg6 Kh8 23. Qxh6 Kg8 24. Re4

[B] 21... Qe8 22. Qg4 Qe7 23. e6 Nf6 24. exd7 Qxd7 25. Qxd7 Nxd7 26. Bxg7 Kxg7 27.Re7+ Kf6 28. Rxd7

Any furthur analysis is more than welcome!

Oct-22-05  Hesam7: After 16.Bxf4 h6 17.Nxf7 Rxf7 18.Bxf7+ Kxf7 19.e5 Nd5 20. Qh5 Kg8 21. Bxh6, here is Fruit's analysis:

21... Qe7 22. Re4 Qf7 23. Qxf7 Kxf7 24. Rf1 Ke7 25. Bxg7 Rg8 26. Rg4 Ke8 27. Kf2 Nxc3 28. Ke3 Bd5 29. Kd2 Be6 30. Rg6 b4 31. h4 (eval: +0.72)

Depth: 17
1269M nodes
687K nodes/sec

Oct-24-05  Hesam7: In the press conference Kramnik said that he might have played a piece sac:

17... Bxd5 18. Qh5 h6 19. Bxf4 !?

Oct-27-05  Hesam7: Actually the piece sac Kramnik had in mind would have won! This is what Fruit gives after 17... Bxd5 18. Qh5 h6 19. Bxf4 hxg5 20. Bxg5:

20... Qb6 21. Bf6 gxf6 22. Re3 fxe5 23. Rg3 Qg6 24. Rxg6 fxg6 25. Qxg6 Kh8 26. Qh5 Kg8 27. Qxe5 Be6 28. Qxc5 Rf5 29. Qc7 Nc6 30. a4 Ra7 31. Qb6 Kh7 32. axb5 Rxb5 (eval : +1.81)

Depth: 17
2978M nodes
689K nodes/sec

Oct-27-05  acirce: <Hesam7> Does Black have to accept, though? What if 19..f5 or 19..Qe8 ?
Oct-27-05  Hesam7: <acirce> No Black has not to accept. But white gets a strong attack in that case, my engine favors black but I do not trust its judgement, here is a sample line:

17... Bxd5 18. Qh5 h6 19. Bxf4 Qe8 20. Nf3 f5 21. Qh4 g5 (this is not forced but my engine insisted!) 22. Nxg5 hxg5 23. Qxg5+ Kf7 (this is forced) 24. Qxf5+ Kg7 25. Qg4+ Qg6 26. Qxd7+ Qf7 (And now my engine thinks white is a pawn up!)

IMO 17... Qxg5 deserves a "!"

Beside this pice sac the other one on f7 is also very interesting. The point in that line - as I have posted earlier - is that white can play Bxh6 and catch a pawn.

Oct-28-05  acirce: <Hesam7> Thanks. Two things about that. No, 21..g5 is definitely not forced, and isn't Black fine after just about any natural move? Also, after 22.Nxg5, can't Black just play 22..Qg6 and win the piece safely? My Fritz 8 finds nothing decent for White.
Oct-28-05  Hesam7: <acirce> Sorry you are right. After 22. Nxg5 I did not check it with my engineand played 22... hxg5 23. Qxg5+ to see what happens next, my mistake. I looked back it seems that 22. Qg3 is playable.

After this I went back to see white's attacking resources. I believe there should be a way to exploit the bad placing of Black's pieces by means of a direct attack, the attack may result in a favorable ending.

17... Bxd5 18. Qh5 h6 19. Bxf4 Qe8 20. Qh4 is my first idea. 20. Qh4 is played to avoid the exchange of queens. To get an idea look at 17... Bxd5 18. Qh5 h6 19. Bxf4 Qe8 20. Ne4 Bxe4 21. Rxe4 [20. dxe4 is very strange white completely ruins his pawn structure to retain the possibility of an attack] 21... f5 and the exchange of Queens is forced. Here is Fruit's analysis after 20. Qh4:

20... hxg5 21. Bxg5 f6 22. exf6 Qg6 23. fxg7 Qxg7 24. Re7 Qg6 25. Rae1 Nc6 26. Rxd7 Rf5 27. Qh6 Qxh6 28. Bxh6 Rh5 29. Re3 Rd8 30. Rxd8 Nxd8 31. Re8 Kh7 32. Rxd8 Kxh6 33. Rd6 Kg7 34. Rxa6 (eval : -0.31)

Depth: 20
10855M nodes
695K nodes/sec

Note: Actually I aborted the analysis in the middle of depth 20, but it had done most of the work.

Dec-01-12  Whitehat1963: Round two of the World Chess Championship. Ruy Lopez. You're a game up and playing white. After you play 18. Bxb7. Do you a) offer a draw, b) accept a draw offer, or c) dismiss those lines of thinking and aim for a win no matter how many moves it might take, (because Leko might blunder in time pressure, after all)?
Dec-01-12  Illogic: Is that all you talk about is draws?
Dec-01-12  fokers13: 16.Bxf4 keeps an actual advantage.
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