Kramnik Anand Game 5 Live

Vladimir Kramnik(2772) vs Vishwanathan Anand(2783)
Game 5
World Chess Championship Match, October 2008
Bonn, Germany



0-1Anand Wins Again

1. d4. d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5 8.Bd3 a6 9.e4 c5 10.e5 cxd4 11.Nxb5 axb5 12.exf6 gxf6 13.O-O Qb6 14.Qe2 Bb7 15.Bxb5 Rg8

It's the Slav Defense Meran variation again. Anand is confident since he equalized easily and won the third game. Kramnik seems to have done something at home in this opening. Both players are proceeding at a very fast pace.
On move 15, Anand deviates from Game 3. It is not yet drastically different.

16.Bf4 Bd6 17.Bg3
Kramnik seals the g file.

17... f5
At the moment I'd prefer Kramnik's position, but Anand seems to be confident even in this game. Engines running on normal processors are not getting the depth of the games, so sometimes its hard to understand if there is any advantage at all.

Kramnik is giving this position a long think now. Is he out of home preparation already? According to some experts, white does not get anything out of this opening, but some engines still show a decent plus after 18. e5.

18.Rfc1 f4 19.Bh4 Be7 20.a4
Anand has a huge advantage on the clock. Will it again turn into an advantage? In the current position, Kramnik still maintains a slight edge but in a position where Anand is more at home. Make no mistake, this is a pretty complicated game for us mere mortals.

20 ... a4 Bxh4 21 Nxh4 Ke7
Anand's last move could prove to be unstable in the long run, even though he plans to double rooks on the g file. Better probably was 21 ... Qd6 Hope Anand was not playing over-confidently. And hope that his clock saves him. Consider this line - 22. b4 Rg5 23 Nf3 Bxf3 24. Qxf3 Rag8 25 g3 fxg3 26 fxg3 d3+ 27 Qf2 Rd5 28 Bxd7 Qxf2+ 29 Kxf2 Kxd7 and black has to do a good job of holding the end game and control Kramnik's passers.

22. Ra3 Rac8 23 Rxc8 Rxc8 24. Ra1
Kramnik still maintains an edge over his rival but he is running out of time. Anand has pawns strewn all over the board, but he is doing a pretty good job of holding the position without any major mistakes until now.
Kramnik can take the following line, say with 24 ... Qc5 25. Qd2 f3 26. Bxd7 Kxd7 27 Nxf3 Bxf3 28. gxf3 Rg8+ 29 Kh1 Qd5 30. Qf4 and white is a pawn up and more can come his way, But he has to look after the doubled f pawns and the open g file which the Rook has occupied. The connected a and b passers look dangerous but Anand has defended such positions in the past and he has time.

24 ...Qc5 25. Qg4 Qe5 26 Nf3 Qf6 27 Re1 Rc5 28 b4 Rc3 29 Nxd4??
Kramnik blunders again under severe time pressure.

29... Qxd4 30.Rd1 Nf6 31.Rxd4 Nxg4 32.Rd7+ Kf6 33.Rxb7 Rc1+ 34.Bf1 Ne3
Anand is seeing everything and is not giving a chance. White is lost now.

35.fxe3 fxe3
Anand puts an end to Kramnik's agony. He must be really gleeful inside.
Another terrible performance by Kramnik. Time trouble usually means struggling form. Kramnik really seems to have been shocked by Anand's 1.d4 openings. To add to his woes, Anand is not allowing him to get the positions that he prefers- slow positional grinds. All is well with the ever popular Vishy Anand and he is now in a commanding lead, and with white to come, he can finish it off soon.