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The 2003 Dortmund supertournament started out with performances true to form. The ratings favorites won and the round's heavyweight battle ended in a draw. Kramnik rolled over Radjabov's attempt to rehabilitate a dubious line in the Sveshnikov/Pelikan Sicilian. Bologan outplayed Naiditsch in the opening and converted the point in the endgame. Anand and Leko disputed the main line of the Sveshnikov without settling the matter.
On the whole it was a predictable and predictably enjoyable beginning to the category 18 event (avg. Elo 2695). The Sveshnikov battleground has again been selected, as it was in Linares. We will have photos and on-site reports daily, as well as these rapid round reviews.
Standings after round one
Commentary, analysis, and supplementary games in the openings are included with all three games on the replay page.
Kramnik,V (2785) - Radjabov,T (2648) [B33]
Dortmund GER (1), 31.07.2003
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5 9.Bxf6 gxf6 10.Nd5 Bg7 [10...f5 Main line Pelikan/Sveshnikov.] 11.Bd3 [11.c3; 11.Qh5; 11.c4; 11.g3 Played by Polgar against Radjabov a few weeks ago in Enghien. 1-0 in 46 moves. 11...Ne7 12.Nxe7 Qxe7 13.Bg2 0-0 14.0-0 Rb8 15.c3 f5 16.exf5 Bxf5 17.Nc2] 11...Ne7 12.Nxe7 Qxe7 13.c4 [13.c3 f5 14.Nc2]
13...f5 14.0-0 0-0 15.Qf3 [15.Qh5 Rb8] 15...d5!? (D1) Whoa! Forget Ben Affleck, Teimour Radjabov is the Man (Boy) Without Fear. This is a very side sideline. 15...bxc4 is practically the only move here and has been played quite often lately.
16.cxd5
f4!? Wow. Radjabov thinks he can play this pawn-down idea positionally.
White's queen, bishop, and knight are badly placed, allowing Black to generate
threats and prepare an attack on the kingside.
The pioneers of this 15...d5!? variation, doomed though they were, based it on immediately opening things up for the bishop pair. This must be homework, maybe Radjabov missed Kramnik's plan of offering his queen for positional domination on move 21.
17.Rfc1 Grabbing the only open file. 17...Kh8 18.Nc2 Kramnik immediately begins the rehabilitation of his worst piece, a la Tarrasch. 18...Bd7 19.Ne1 Rg8 20.Be2 Bf8 Threatening to win the white queen with ..Bg4. 21.Nd3!? (D2) Ignoring the threat!
21...Re8
[21...Bg4 22.Qxg4 Rxg4 23.Bxg4 Domination of the only open file, an uncontested light-squared bishop, a dangerous protected passed pawn, and a safe king. White has all the chances. A fantastic concept by Kramnik.
Radjabov decides the world champion is right and declines the queen offer. As in the note below, the game continuation is so depressing for Black that he may as well have a queen for his trouble.]
22.Rc7 Qd8 23.Rac1 Rg6?
[23...Bd6 Considering how bad the game continuation is for Black it was probably time to make Kramnik prove that White is winning without the queen. 24.Ra7 Bg4 25.Qxg4 Rxg4 26.Bxg4 Black is better off here than if he had taken the queen back on move 22. He can mobilize his queen with ..Qb6-d4 and his bishop is hemming in the black knight. White still has all the play thanks to the c-file, but forcing a win without allowing cracks in his own position would not be a simple task.
26...Qb6 27.Rd7 (27.Rxf7 Qd4 28.Rd1 Qxe4 29.Bf5 Qxd5 30.Rxh7+ Kg8) 27...Rf8!? Junior 8 28.Ne1 (28.Rc6 Qd4) 28...Bc5]
24.Qh5 Now Kramnik has his queen AND his pawn AND the c-file. 24...Bd6 25.Ra7 The rook looks offside here but there is no way to trap it because of the terrible d7 bishop. 25...Qe7 (D3)
26.h3!
Tactically alert as always. This stops the threat of ..Reg8 with his own
threat of Bg4. It's over. 26...f5 Going out in a youthful blaze of glory.
[26...Reg8? 27.Bg4! The point of h3. 27...Bxg4 28.Qxg6! Rxg6 29.Rxe7 Bxe7 30.Nxe5]
27.exf5 Rf6 28.Nc5 Rc8 No point in calling this a blunder; Black is already quite lost. [28...Bxc5 29.Rxc5 Rxf5 30.Qh6 (30.Qxf5 Bxf5 31.Rxe7 Rxe7 32.d6 Rd7 33.Rc6) ]
29.Rxd7 Rxc5 30.Rxe7 Rxc1+ 31.Kh2 1-0 The d-pawn will cost Black a rook.
[31..Bxe7 32.Qe8+ Bf8 33.d6 Rc2 34.d7 Rd2 35.d8Q]
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