Amber: Kramnik leads, Anand in pursuit

The 16th edition of the annual Amber Blindfold and Rapid Tournament is being held from March 17 to 29 at the Fairmont Monte Carlo Hotel in Monaco, with a total prize fund of € 216,000 (US $288,000). On each day of play there are two rounds, one a blindfold session and the second rapid chess.

Results of round seven: Saturday March 24

In Round 7 Vladimir Kramnik scored a resounding 2-0 win over his old rival Peter Leko. In his blindfold game Kramnik surprisingly played the Marshall Gambit of the Ruy Lopez, coming up with a new move, 23…Bf4. However, Peter Leko had studied this move before his world championship match against the same Kramnik in Brissago in 2004. Kramnik had investigated the move some time ago and had gone through his notes the day before the round. Despite all the complications the game was in balance till one move from the end when Leko’s memory played a trick on him.

Leko,P (2749) - Kramnik,V (2766) [C89]
Amber Blindfold Monte Carlo MNC (7), 24.03.2007
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.c3 d5 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.Rxe5 c6 12.d4 Bd6 13.Re1 Qh4 14.g3 Qh3 15.Be3 Bg4 16.Qd3 Rae8 17.Nd2 Re6 18.a4 Qh5 19.axb5 axb5 20.Qf1 Bh3 21.Bd1 Qf5 22.Qe2 c5 23.Nf3 Bf4 24.Qd2 Nxe3 25.fxe3 Bh6 26.Qf2 Rfe8 27.Ne5 Qxf2+ 28.Kxf2 f6 29.Bg4 Rxe5 30.Bxh3 Bxe3+ 31.Kf3 cxd4 32.Rad1 dxc3 33.bxc3 Bb6 34.Rxe5 Rxe5 35.Rd5 Re3+ 36.Kg2 Rxc3 37.Rxb5 Rc2+ 38.Kh1 Bc7 39.Be6+ Kf8 40.Bb3 Rc3 41.Kg2 g6 42.Bd1 Ke7 43.Rb2 Rd3 44.Be2 Re3 45.Bf3 Ra3 46.Re2+ Be5 47.g4 Ke6 48.Be4 h5 49.gxh5 gxh5 50.Rf2 Bd4 51.Rf3 Ra2+ 52.Kh3 Bg1 53.Bf5+ Ke5

Leko believed that the black pawn was on h4, and played 54.Kxh4 (?). Actually the notation that appeared on his screen when he entered the move on his empty computer screen was 54.Kh4, and after 54...Rf2 he had to resign. This was the second time Kramnik and Leko played a Marshall and in all probability you remember the first occasion. In Game 8 of their match in Brissago Kramnik played with the white pieces and lost because he played a move that he had only briefly (and clearly too briefly) checked with a computer before the game. As Kramnik smiled after today’s game, "Yes, Black is definitely OK in the Marshall." Kramnik also won the rapid game against his rival Leko.

The Marshall is doing fine, thank you – at least in the games beween these two.

The blindfold game between Levon Aronian and Alexander Morozevich was a prolonged affair that ended with a typical blindfold accident.

Aronian,L (2744) - Morozevich,A (2741) [E65]
Amber Blindfold Monte Carlo MNC (7), 24.03.2007
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.Nf3 d6 5.g3 0-0 6.Bg2 c5 7.0-0 Nc6 8.dxc5 dxc5 9.Be3 Ng4 10.Qxd8 Rxd8 11.Bxc5 Be6 12.Nd5 Bxd5 13.cxd5 Rxd5 14.Ba3 Rad8 15.Rac1 e6 16.Rc4 Nf6 17.Bc5 Nd7 18.Be3 Nb6 19.Rc2 Rd1 20.Bd2 Rxf1+ 21.Kxf1 h6 22.e3 Nd5 23.a3 f5 24.b4 Kf7 25.b5 Nce7 26.Ne1 Rc8 27.e4 Rxc2 28.Nxc2 fxe4 29.Bxe4 b6 30.Nb4 Nxb4 31.Bxb4 Nf5 32.a4 Bf8 33.Bd2 Nd6 34.Bd3 Nb7 35.Ke2 Nc5 36.Bc2 h5 37.Bf4 Nd7 38.f3 Bg7 39.Be3 Be5 40.Kf2 Nf6 41.Ke2 Nd5 42.Bg5 Bf6 43.Bc1 h4 44.f4 hxg3 45.hxg3 Bd4 46.Kf3 Kf6 47.g4 Ba1 48.Ba3 Ne7 49.Bd6 Nc8 50.Bc7 Bc3 51.Bd8+ Kf7 52.Bb3 Bb4 53.Bh4 Nd6 54.Bf2 Bc3 55.Be3 Kf6 56.Ke2 e5 57.g5+ Kf5 58.fxe5 Kxe5 59.Kf3 Nf5 60.Bf4+ Kd4 61.Be6 Kc5 62.Ke4 Ne7 63.Bb8 Bd2 64.Ke5 Bc3+ 65.Kf4 Bd2+ 66.Kg4 Be3 67.Bxa7 Kb4 68.Bb8 Kxa4 69.Bd7 Kb4 70.Bd6+ Bc5 71.Be5 Kc4 72.Kf3 Kd5

Garry Kasparov, running through the game before dinner in Berlin, kept muttering right out of the opening: "Two bishops, better position, how could white lose this?" The answer came at the end: 73.Be8?? Kxe5. White simply blundered a piece. Actually Aronian had been losing the thread of the position for a while, and several times had to re-enter his move because his first choice was not accepted by the computer. Move 73 lost a whole piece and was of course fatal. 74.Bd7 Bb4 75.Be8 Bd2 76.Kg4 Ke6 0-1.

Oops! Aronian lost a promising game with a one-move piece blunder

Results of round eight: Sunday March 25

In Round 8 Vladimir Kramnik scored yet another blindfold victory, bringing his score in this section to an incredible 7.5/8, with a theoretical rating performance of over 3200. Kramnik's win over Boris Gelfand brought him magnanimous words of praise from his opponent. Their rapid game was drawn.

Doing fabulously in the blindfold section, and leading in the overall –
world champion Vladimir Kramnik

Meanwhile Vishy Anand wiped out his fellow Spaniard Paco Vallejo 2-0. Anand is dominating the rapid competition with a 6½/8 score and is second in the overall standings, a point and a half behind Kramnik.

In a week from now Anand will be rated strongest player on the planet.
Here he gives a sample of his strength against his old friend Paco Vallejo.

If we look at the overall performances in this event we see Kramnik leading with 2929 points (i.e. his results could be reasonably expected from a player with that rating). Anand follows with a 2833 performance, with Ivanchuk playing as if he were rated 2813. At the bottom end we have Francisco Vallejo with a 2547 performance, and the many-time Dutch champion Loek van Wely performing like a 2528 player.

Beautiful buildings, expensive cars – Monte Carlos is the playground of the rich

Monday is a rest day in the Amber Tournament. The final rounds will be played from Tuesday to Thursday.

Standings

Blindfold games

Rapid chess games

 

• All games so far in PGN: Blindfold – Rapid

Links

• Official web site