Dortmund 2010

(1) Kramnik,V (2790) - Naiditsch,A (2684) [E04] Sparkassen GM Dortmund GER (5), 19.07.2010 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 dxc4 5.Bg2 c5 6.0-0 Nc6 7.Qa4 Bd7 8.Qxc4 cxd4 9.Nxd4 Rc8 10.Nc3 Nxd4 11.Qxd4 Bc5 12.Qh4 0-0 13.Bxb7 Rb8 14.Bf3 Rb4 15.Qg5 Bd4 16.Qd2 Qc7 17.Nd1N Rfb8 18.a3 Rc4 19.Ne3 Ra4 20.Rb1 e5 21.b4 a5 22.Qc2 Qxc2 23.Nxc2 Bf5?! Since there is no question the German GM had seen Kramnik's next move, one wonders why he chose this line. Did he overestimate his chances of freeing his rook, or did he simply not find anything better? 24.Nxd4! Bxb1 25.Nc6 Re8 26.Nxa5 Be4 27.Bb2 Bxf3 28.exf3 e4 29.fxe4 Rxe4 30.Rd1 h5 Black would love to start coordinating his escape, but his back rank weakness must be dealt with first. 31.Rd8+ Kh7 32.Kf1 h4 33.f3 Re7 [In typical Kramnik style, White has covered every possible entry of the rook. If 33...Re3 then 34.Kf2 would force the rook back.] 34.g4 Rc7 35.Ke2 Nd7 36.Kd2 f6 37.f4 Nc5 38.Rd4 Kg6 39.Kc3 Kf7 40.f5 Ne4+ 41.Kb3 Nc5+ 42.Ka2 Na6 43.Rc4! White has finally succeeded and the game can no longer be saved. 43...Rxc4 44.Nxc4 Nc7 [If 44...Nxb4+ 45.Kb3 wins a piece.] 45.Na5 Na6 46.Kb3 Nc5+ 47.Kc4 Ne4 48.Kb5 Nc3+ 49.Bxc3 Rxa3 50.Kc4 Ra2 51.b5 1-0

(2) Ponomariov,R (2734) - Mamedyarov,S (2761) [E32] Sparkassen GM Dortmund GER (5), 19.07.2010 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 0-0 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 d5 7.Bg5 dxc4 8.Qxc4 b6 9.Rd1 Ba6 10.Qa4N Qd5 11.Bxf6 gxf6 12.Nh3 Rd8 13.f3 Qc6 14.Qxc6 Nxc6 15.e3 Bb7 16.Rc1 Rac8 17.Bd3 Ne7 18.Ke2 e5 19.dxe5 fxe5 20.Nf2 Kg7 21.b4 f5 22.Rhd1 h5 23.g3 Kf6 24.Bc4 Rd6 25.f4 exf4 26.exf4 h4 27.Rxd6+ cxd6 28.Kd2 hxg3 29.hxg3 Bd5 30.Be2 Rh8 31.Ke3 Be6 32.Rh1 Rg8? [32...Rxh1 33.Nxh1 Nd5+ 34.Kd4 Nc7= ] 33.Rh6+ Ng6 34.Bh5 Bf7 35.Rh7 Nh8 36.Bf3 Kg6 37.Rh1 Be6 38.Nd1 Nf7 39.Nc3 Kf6 40.Kf2 Rc8 41.Rc1 Nh6 42.Nd5+ Kf7 43.Nc7 Bd7 44.Rc3 Kf8 45.Ke3 Ng8 46.Bb7 Rb8 47.Bc6 Rd8 48.Kd4 Nf6 49.Bxd7 Rxd7 50.Nd5 Nh5 51.Kc4 1-0

(3) Leko,P (2734) - Le Quang Liem (2681) [B12] Sparkassen GM Dortmund GER (5), 19.07.2010 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 c5 6.Be3 cxd4 7.Nxd4 Ne7 8.c4 Nbc6 9.Qa4 a6 10.Na3 Qa5+ 11.Qxa5 Nxa5 12.0-0 dxc4 13.Nxf5N Nxf5 14.Bb6 Bxa3 15.bxa3 Nc6 16.f4 g5 17.Bxc4 gxf4 18.Rae1 Ne3 19.Rxf4 Nxc4 20.Rxc4 Rg8 21.Bc7 Ne7 22.Bd6 Nd5 23.Rh4 Rg7 24.Rc1 Kd7 25.g3 Rh8 26.a4 a5 27.Rhc4 h5 28.Rc5 b6 29.Rc6 h4 30.Ba3 Rd8 31.Kf2?? [Leko had been trying hard to trip his opponent and squeeze a win from a drawn position. In doing so, he missed how close he had brought himself to a possible defeat, and now blunders. The only move at this point was 31.R1c4 hxg3 32.h4! g2 33.Bc1! Rh8 34.Bg5 Rxg5 35.hxg5 Rh1+ 36.Kxg2 Re1 37.Kg3 Rxe5= ] 31...hxg3+ 32.hxg3 Rg4 33.Rd6+ Ke8 34.Rh1 Rxd6 35.Bxd6 Rxa4 36.a3 Nc3 37.Rh4?? This could have ended the game quicker, but clearly both players missed the winning continuation pointed out by the engines. 37...f5? [37...Rxh4! 38.gxh4 f5! (Of course 38...Ne4+ 39.Kf3 Nxd6 40.exd6 Kd7 41.h5 just loses for Black.) 39.h5 (39.exf6?? Ne4+ 40.Ke3 Nxd6 ) 39...Nd5 40.a4 Kf7 41.Kg3 Nc3 42.Bc7 Nxa4 43.Kh4 Nc5 44.Bxb6 Nb3 and White is helpless.] 38.Rh8+ Kf7 39.Rf8+ Kg7 40.Re8 Ne4+ 41.Ke1 Ng5 Fortunately for Black, the game is still won despite the missed chance, and he reels in the victory with fine technique from now to the end. 42.Rb8 Rg4 43.Rxb6 Rxg3 44.Ra6 f4 45.Rxa5 Rg1+ 46.Kf2 Nh3+ 47.Kf3 Rg3+ 48.Ke4 f3 49.Bc5 f2 50.Bxf2 Nxf2+ 51.Kd4 Kg6 52.Ra8 Rd3+ 53.Kc4 Rd5 54.Rg8+ Kf7 55.Rg3 Ne4 56.Rh3 Nc5 57.Kb5 Nd7+ 58.Ka6 Nxe5 59.a4 Nc4 0-1