1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 e6 The ultra-solid Semi-Slav Defence, which players have increasingly relied on for Black, when they want to make sure they have no realistic chances of losing.QUESTION: For those who are addicts to deep theory, or to gambit chess, or who quite simply want to know what is happening in the Botvinnik Variation. What is happening at high levels in these with 5...dxc4 - ? 5. Bg5 Keeping to the main line. --- [5. e3 is the chief alternative. ] h6Aronian is happy to play in "normal" Queen's Gambit chess. [ He could have chosen the sharp gambit line with 5. -- dxc4 6. e4 b5 7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Nxg5hxg5 10. Bxg5 Nbd7 - wild stuff, with plenty of opportunities for Black to play for a win, but recent top-level games suggest that in the main line White, first, has the option to take an easy perpetual, and second, that White might well be better in complicated play. The hammered-out main line would be 11. exf6 Bb7 12. g3 c513. d5 Qb6 14. Bg2 O-O-O 15. O-O b4 16.Na4 Qa6 17. a3 Bxd5 18. Bxd5 Ne5 19.axb4 Rxd5 20. Qe2 cxb4 21. Nc3 Qd6 . As I said, wild stuff - but as so often, sharp and accurate play may end up in a quick perpetual check. 22. -- [. For example, 22.Rxa7 bxc3 23. Ra8+ [ or 23. Rfa1 Qb4 24.Ra8+ Kb7 , again with a perpetual, M.Vachier Lagrave-Y.Solodovnichenko, French League 2011 ] Kd7 24. Ra7+ , soon drawn by perpetual, S.Ganguly-A.Shirov, Spanish League 2011. This was of course known before. ] [. White could also try for more, with 22. Nxd5 Qxd5 23. f3 Bc5+ 24.Be3 Nd3 25. Bxc5 Qxc5+ 26. Kh1 . A recent game, A.Grischuk-A.Shirov, European Team Championship, Porto Carras 2011, continued Qd4 27. Ra5 Rd828. Rfa1 Rd7 29. h4 , and it was not all that surprising that both players were able to promote a passed pawn, ending up with another perpetual check a few moves later. --- If, in critical lines in the opening, the end result is a known draw some 25 moves deep, it is often best, to try to keep the game open, to play something less highly theoretical. Aronian chose 5...h6, and it worked out well for him. ] ] 6. Bxf6 [White could still continue with gambit play after 6. Bh4 dxc4 [ alternatively, Black could continue to decline the gambit with, for example, 6. -- Nbd7 ] 7. g4 g5 8. Bg3b5 , although perhaps slightly less convincingly so. Certainly, many players as Black have swallowed the pawn. ] Qxf67. e3 The simplest, and therefore perhaps the best, chance to aim for a slight edge.[7. e4 dxe4 8. Nxe4 Bb4+ 9. Ke2 Qf4 10.Qd3 O-O 11. g3 Qc7 12. Bg2 is equal.] Nd7 8. Bd3 White is not too concerned about giving away a tempo with Bd3, ...d5xc4; Bxc4, as this exchanges off Black's d-pawn for White's less centralized c-pawn. [Many choices - and, indeed, in game five Kramnik tried 8. Be2 .] dxc4 Black's position is not so cramped as to need to hold on to the d5-pawn indefinitely. He will want to open up the centre and create lines for his bishop pair with ...c6-c5, or more likely, ...e6-e5. 9.Bxc4 g6 Aronian turns the game into, in effect, a Grünfeld, the bishop putting pressure on White's d4-pawn, with the help of a later ...e6-e5 or ...c6-c5. [Instead: -- 9. -- g5 is aggressive, but probably not so good, as he is loosening pawns in front of the king (assuming kingside castling). White would just castle,10. O-O , and see what Black does next.] [9. -- e5 ?! would have been tactically inaccurate, in view of 10. dxe5 Nxe5 11.Nxe5 Qxe5 12. Qb3 , and suddenly Black has problems with his f7-square. --- Black is behind in development, and he needs to be careful not to open up his position too quickly. Therefore, slower ways are required, quiet development, before then opening up the pawn structure. ] 10. O-O Bg7 QUESTION: What do you think should White play next? 11.Re1 Ideally, every move in a game of chess should have its justification, and every quiet move should prove, a few moves later, to be part of a greater plan. It is not really that clear why White's rook should be on e1. He already has enough defensive ballast to cover any pawn advance with e3-e4-e5, so the rook on the e-file does not seem to be genuinely necessary. [The immediate 11. e4 is safe enough, in that his pawn moves to a comfortable square, and he gains some space in the centre. Then perhaps e5 (to prevent White from playing e4-e5 himself)12. d5 O-O , when White can transpose into the game with 13. Re1 , but surely he can do something more constructive? Inevitably, we would not be thinking of a big advantage for White, but keeping a slight edge would be satisfactory. [Possibly 13. Be2 (into safety) Rd8 14. Qb3!? and he can still try for a slight edge. The obvious Nc5 is not as big a gain of tempo as it looks, since the knight would be on a better defensive post at b6, covering the d5-square, rather than at c6. Perhaps a slight edge for White after 15. Qc2 . ] ] O-OIt has to be played sooner or later, and this seems to be a good time. 12. e4 White has played a mixture of Rfe1 and e3-e4. Just one of these would have been better, it seems. [Here 12. Qc2 forces Black to show how he can find complete equality. Black may have the bishop pair, but he is slightly behind in development. ] e5 At last, there is a genuine pawn. 13. d5 The only sensible move. [After 13. dxe5 ? Nxe5Black is already better, with his bishop pair starting to take control. ] Rd8 [13. -- Nb6 also makes good sense, but Aronian wants to keep his options open. ] 14. Re3QUESTION: What is White's idea with this move? --- When I saw this on the computer, my instincts were that it surely cannot be good. The rook is soon on an uncomfortable square and does nothing effective, If Rd3 soon, then ...Nc5, and the rook must move again. White is not yet worse even then, but if he makes another couple of slightly inaccurate moves, then quite certainly, as in the game, he will genuinely be in trouble. [ Instead, one might expect White to play 14. dxc6 bxc615. Qc2 . This would be an ultra-technical way of handling the position, relying not so much on White creating active play for his pieces, but rather to mess up Black's queenside pawns slightly. --- But what about Kramnik's own rook move? It seems to be the old story of trying to trick the opponent with a "Theoretical Novelty", using a sharp move which the opponent will not have seen before, hoping that he will not be able to find a good reply. Most of the attempted big theoretical novelties in the two 2012 matches end up going badly wrong. It is better to find good and accurate moves. ] b5 Aronian looked at the sharpest reply and decided that the position was safe, and potentially good.15. dxc6 In my blog, written just after the game had finished, and without time to examine the comments made by others, I noted that this was "another odd move, showing that Kramnik has perhaps lost his sureness of positional touch. Would he really have played like this a decade ago?" --- What in fact happened was that Kramnik had followed a somewhat doubtful new line, thinking that it was good, and missed the big tactical improvement for Black, which Aronian found easily enough over the board. See the comments to Black's 16th. [He needed to keep his bishop. Having two knights versus two bishops is likely to put himself under pressure. 15. Bb3 ] [or maybe 15.Bd3 , would still be about equal. ] bxc4QUESTION: Which is better? 16 Nd5 or 16 cxd7 - ? --- There is no trick question here, no deeply hidden third option. I would suggest, however, that the reader spend some time trying to think about which of these moves is better, before playing through the rest of the game. Try to answer this with the minimum of hindsight. Imagine what you would do over the board. 16. Nd5 This was the move that Kramnik played. Qe6 ! And this was Aronian's reply. [ A recent game, in which Kramnik was following, went 16. -- Qd6 ? 17. cxd7 Bxd7 18. Nd2 Bb5 19. Qc2Rab8 20. Rc3 with advantage to White, and later a win in V.Gunina-A.Muzychuk, European Women's Championship, Gaziantep 2012. This may look impressive and an unusual rook zigzag, but Kramnik trusted Gunina rather more than he actually should. --- Should we therefore claim that Aronian's win was the result of a massive new theoretical innovation? Not really. Innovation or no innovation, the only way that a player can lose a game of chess is by making a mistake, and it is the fault of the loser, not the winner, who made the mistake. All Aronian had to do was to find a few good moves. At various points of the game, he had used an hour less on the clock than his opponent. ] 17.cxd7 [17. Nc7 ? Qxc6 18. Nxa8 Qxa8would have been pointless. Black therefore had no need to cover the c7-square. Black's 16...Qd6? in the earlier game was a significant loss of time. This was Muzychuk's mistake. And Kramnik's attempt at a novelty had backfired. By now Kramnik was in danger of being seriously worse, and spent a lot of time thinking. ] Rxd7 18. Qa4 Bb7 We see now the basic problem. The advanced knight on d5 is a weakness, rather than a strength. Kramnik should not have played 16 Nd5. --- It is a sophisticated example of the beginners' error, moving the knight to the other side of the board, without being part of a genuine attack, and without having ensured that the knight is safe, not just on the next move, but also on later moves. Sometimes what happens is that the knight has to retreat, with loss of tempi. 19. Qxc4 This allows favourable simplification for Black, now that the d5-square folds. [Few players would have had the cold discipline to admit that the earlier knight move was wrong, and then simply retreat it with here 19. Nc3 !? . White is still worse, even so. Black could try something like Rad8 20. Rc1 Kh7 , keeping open the later kingside attack with ...f7-f5. --- Of the world championship greats, perhaps Emanuel Lasker over a century ago, and quite probably Karpov, would have considered such a retreat under pressure, and maybe also Spassky or Petrosian. It would, of course, be extremely difficult to second-guess what others might have played in such a position, and given the history of the previous part of the game - but one thing that is totally clear is that Kramnik did not play 19.Nc3 himself.] Bxd5 The start of a chopping of pieces and pawns on d5. No general comment is required, move-by-move, except to note that it is important, even if elementary, to count up the number of attackers and the number of defenders to ensure who is winning the battle. 20. exd5 Qxd5 21.Qxd5 Rxd5 22. Rae1 Now White is attacking the pawn on e5, but it is simple enough to bring a defender into play.QUESTION: What should White do here?Re8 Aronian aims for the most direct plan, a pawn roller with ...f7-f5 and ...e5-e4, supported by the rook, and opening up the long diagonal for the bishop. Even so, the plan is not quite as straightforward as it looks, and there are more indirect ways of trying to achieve the same goal. --- [22. -- f6 !? , the quiet way of protecting the pawn, is to be considered. Black then has the choice, with the rook, of moving to b8, or c8, or d8, as well as e8. Black's initiative that way is not based solely on the kingside. Also, his king will be more active on f7, rather than on g8, or even (as in the game) on h7. Black does not have to worry about the "bad bishop", since the bishop can re-emerge with ...Bf8. It is a different way of handling the position, and probably not inferior. --- White is uncomfortable - perhaps not yet losing, but he would have to play with extreme accuracy and hope that his opponent does not have the same level of accuracy. The main problem is that Black is threatening to roll over the centre with ...f7-f5 and ...e5-e4, opening up new possibilities for the bishop and the two rooks. White's two queenside pawns are then seriously open to attack. ] QUESTION: What is the most accurate way for Black to maintain a slight edge?23. g4 ! When in trouble, a top grandmaster will generally find excellent defensive moves. This pawn push looks extravagant at first, but Kramnik is fully aware the he must not allow the rolling of the pawns. --- [23. Nh4 is the main alternative, if White is not content with passive defence. Then after Kh7 24. f4Rb8 25. fxe5 [25. b3 exf4 26. Re7 g5 is good for Black ] Rxb2 , White's kingside pawns appear to be more united (g2 and h2) than in the main line (f2 and h2). What Kramnik has to consider, though, is that if the f-pawn has not been exchanged off, there is no defence on the second rank, should the black rooks be doubled on that rank. The f2-pawn is needed, to protect the g2- and h2-squares. ] Kh7 [Aronian played this quickly. The computer consensus was that 23. -- f5 24. Nh4 fxg425. Nxg6 would have been better, but this is not fully clear. The knight looks exposed, but if Black were to try to trap the horse with Bf6 , it turns out that his e-pawn is pinned after 26. Nf4 . It is still uncomfortable, but it is not so clear that Black has a definite win. --- If, for the moment, we forget about the computer and its analysis, the question is, what is best in purely positional terms? Computers are not always so good in assessing this. --- It is time to remember the old idea of prophylactic chess, as discussed almost a century ago (time flies!) by Nimzowitsch. When dressed up in modern terms, the idea is not that of direct defence, of covering any immediate attacks by the opponent. Rather, the idea is to prevent the opponent from making a good move, and to prevent any counterplay by the opponent, so that the player himself will remain at least comfortably equal, and, if all goes well, keep a slight advantage. ] [Black is clearly not scared of White being able to play for an edge with g4-g5. Therefore, any attempt by Black to prevent g4-g5 cannot be regarded as defensive. Rather, Black is aiming for a prophylactic move, to prevent White from equalizing. --- This suggests23. -- f6 !? , just waiting, and preventing his opponent from doing anything more than waiting himself. Clearly, Black can try ...f6-f5 later in many lines, but there is no need to hurry. Black has the additional option of re-developing with ...Bf8 and ...Bc5, as well as the more obvious ...Kf7. --- For instance, if 24. Nh4 , then Kf7 25. f4Rb8 ! [more ambitious than 25. -- Rd4 26.Re4 ] 26. fxe5 Rxe5 27. Rxe5 fxe5 28. b3Rb4 with a clear plus, due to the passed pawn, and the bishop being far more active than the opposing knight. Even here, it would be far too early to claim a decisive advantage, but it would take highly accurate play for White to defend.] 24. g5 ! This gives White excellent chances of equalizing. It looks ugly, leaving himself with two isolated pawns against Black's three united pawns (after the next move from either side), but it is not so clear, in dynamic terms, that Black can create a serious kingside advantage, and meanwhile White has the extra pawn on the queenside as a counterbalance.hxg5 [If it were not for the en passant rule, Black would have a probably winning advantage. As it is, 24. -- f5 25. gxf6 (e.p.)Bxf6 26. b4 is only equal. ] 25. Nxg5+ Kg8Kramnik has made good defence so far, but he still has to play accurately and carefully. --- QUESTION: Another difficult decision, this time for White. Kramnik played 26 f4, opening up the centre. Is this brilliant? Or awful? In either case, why? 26.f4 ? This is the losing move, and a strange one, in that Kramnik was being careful a few moves earlier to avoid opening up the second rank with f2-f4. [Instead, White needs to ask Black how to proceed. 26. b4seems the most constructive of the quiet moves, maybe even adding an escape route for the knight via e4 and c5, if required. Also, in comparison with ideas involving b2-b3, White still has counterplay with Ra3. White is not yet equal, but neither is he clearly losing.] Rb8 An easy way of breaking the pin. 27.fxe5 There is not much else, but now it is difficult to defend either of his kingside pawns, being an extra file apart. Rxb2 With Black's rook on the seventh, and a possible doubling of rooks on that rank, and renewed chances of bringing the bishop into play (...Bf8, or ...Bh6, or pressure on the e5-pawn), White is in trouble, with his king exposed, and all his pawns being under attack. Kramnik's f2-f4 idea was disastrous. 28. Nf3 [ He could have tried 28. a4 , intending Rdd2 29. Nf3and there is no obvious immediate win. White is still in trouble, even so. ] Rxa2Black is now a pawn up, furthermore an outside passed pawn up. There is no realistic possibility of White ever winning the a-pawn, or even trying to sacrifice the knight for it (after full pawn exchanges on the kingside). All that White can hope for is to open up the centre, and push Black's king around by checks, hoping that, with two rooks and knight on the board, something might happen. 29. e6 So he tries it, but Aronian is careful with his tactics. fxe6 Obviously, he cannot allow White's advanced pawn to survive. 30.Rxe6 Some modest counterplay? Perhaps, but Black's bishop covers any potential mating threats. Rf5 Whereas White's knight is exposed to attack. 31. Nh4 Rf432. R6e4 Rf6 33. Rg4 Kf7 The rest of the game looks fast-moving, with lots of checks, and Black's king being forced to run. The point is, though, that the king is genuinely able to run, with the help of the other pieces covering several dangerous squares. Before long, White's knight is unable to join in the attack, as Black's king is far too far away. White's king, of course, can do nothing. --- It looked complicated in the time scramble, but Black was always in control. 34. Rc1 Staying active for as long as he can. Bh6 Black's bishop joins in. Two rooks plus bishop, against an exposed king on the edge of the board, add to mating threats. 35. Rc7+ Ke8 [35. -- Ke6 ? 36. Rc6+ makes life far more difficult. ] 36. Re4+ More checks. [36.Rxg6 ? Be3+ is an instant collapse. ] Kd8QUESTION: Is Aronian bringing his king too far into the open? --- Everything is fine, White runs out of checks, and Black has a breathing space to coordinate his pieces. 37. Rh7 Attacking the bishop, but it can run to better squares. Bf8 Aronian is being careful not to allow White's knight into play, though there are plenty of winning choices here. [For instance, 37. -- Rd6 38. Nf3 is no doubt good for a win, but then Black will need to think about the endgame. Easier to win in a queenless middlegame. ] 38. Rd4+ Kc8 39. Rc4+ Kb840. Rd7 No more checks to force the king to escape, and indeed the next threat with Rd8+ is lifeless. Black has time to find the winning punch. g5 41. Ng6 [Or 41. Ng2Ra1+ , winning the knight. ] Bd6 . It's over. Black is still attacking the knight, obviously, while ...Bxh2+ mating is an even stronger threat. 0-1 [41. -- This is what I wrote in my day-after blog: --- "Just on the basis of this game, Kramnik appears to have lost much of his positional grip, as indeed in Anand's loss a week earlier (Black against Tiviakov in the Bundesliga). In neither case was the issue one of missing tactics in wild and sharp combinations, as one might suspect when the brain is not quite as quick as in the early twenties. It seems more serious than this. Positional play ought, in theory, still be close to the player's peak until quite a late stage, but there are clearly lapses being made, even at the highest level. --- "As I write this, it is now a couple of hours before the second game. Maybe first-round nerves could be a problem. Can Kramnik fight back? Or, at the very least, can he avoid losing further ground?"] [41. -- Now I am writing at the end of July, a couple of days after Morozevich (age 35), suddenly had to drop out, for health reasons, at Biel. At the time of the match against Aronian, Kramnik was 36, and there were clear weaknesses in his play in the first round - although, as a top professional, he did not lose any more games. At the Tal Memorial, however, just a couple of months later, he lost twice in a row, after grinding out a very long endgame against Tomashevsky, inevitably under great time pressure (and Tomashevsky should have held the draw). At the World Championship in May, few would dare to say that Anand (42) or Gelfand (43) were starting to make more mistakes, even if some people posited the catch-all argument, unfairly, that play was getting "boring". --- Clearly, age is a factor. You cannot be as energetic after 35 than beforehand. For myself, I now have the perfect excuse for never becoming a grandmaster. I did not make a systematic attempt to become an IM until I was 34. Too late. --- But what about the younger players? Aronian, at the time of his match against Kramnik was 29, and the second-highest rated player in the world. He would need to do something quickly, not least because Carlsen is several years younger, and there are already other extremely dangerous younger players too.]
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