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Game 3 BGN World Championship
Kasparov,G (2830) - Kramnik,V (2751)
[C67]
BrainGames.net World Chess Championship 2000 (Game 3), 12.10.2000
[Kasparov; Dokhoian; Khodarkovsky; Mig]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0–0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6
7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Nc3 Bd7 10.b3 h6 11.Bb2 Kc8 Look
familiar? It should! Up to here Kasparov and Kramnik have
followed game one exactly. Several commentators thought that it
would be too risky for Kramnik to repeat this defense after it
had been analyzed by Kasparov, but the Berlin Defense of the Ruy
Lopez is a too tough a nut to crack in three days.
12.Rad1 On Sunday in game one Kasparov played h3, here he
reproduces the move of Alexei Shirov, who played this against
Krasenkow earlier this year. 12...b6 13.Ne2 c5 14.c4 Bc6 15.Nf4
Here we have an original position, and a better one for White
than in game one. As always in this defense, Black’s pieces
look bad, but White has a terrible time breaking through. 15...Kb7
16.Nd5 Ne7 17.Rfe1 Rg8! A nice move that was necessary due to
some tactical tricks. Black can try to win a pawn immediately by
taking the d5 pawn with the bishop and playing his rook to d8,
but the h8 rook runs into trouble in this long sequence. [17...Bxd5
18.cxd5 Rd8 19.e6 f6 20.Nh4 Rxd5 21.Rxd5 Nxd5 22.Ng6 Rg8 23.e7
Bxe7 24.Rd1 c6 25.Nxe7 Re8 26.Nxd5 cxd5 27.Kf1]
18.Nf4 g5 A shocker, except that it was predicted by a few
adventurous souls. This doesn’t seem to be in the spirit of
the "sit tight" Berlin Defense, and Kasparov does
generate a certain initiative here. But yet again Kramnik’s
defensive resources were enough. 19.Nh5 Rg6 20.Nf6 Bg7 21.Rd3 Bxf3
22.Rxf3 Bxf6 23.exf6 These swaps get Kramnik ever closer to the
draw he wants. Although Kasparov’s pieces are better,
Kramnik is betting it won’t be enough for a win. This seems
to be the principle of Kramnik’s games with black. Suffer,
but draw!
23...Nc6 24.Rd3 Rf8 25.Re4 Kc8 26.f4?! [26.h4! Kasparov; planning
h5 26...Nd4 27.Bxd4 cxd4 28.Rdxd4 Rxf6 29.hxg5 hxg5 30.Re5 Rg6 31.f3
White controls central files (31.Kh2 heading to g3) ] 26...gxf4
with good counterplay 27.Rxf4 Re8 28.Bc3 Re2 29.Rf2 Re4 30.Rh3
The only possible plan, bringing the rook up to prevent forks. 30...a5
31.Rh5 preventing ...Ne5 31...a4 32.bxa4!? This one nobody
expected! Kasparov ruins his pawns structure, planning to hunt
down the h6 pawn. Suddenly the game is incredibly sharp and there
are losing chances for both sides, which is clearly what Kasparov
wanted.
32...Rxc4 33.Bd2 Rxa4 34.Rxh6 Rg8? Both players were now down to
around 10 minutes each on the clock. Few commentators could
understand why Kramnik didn’t simply take the h6 rook and
push his pawns. Black may have missed a try for the advantage.
Now White is back in the driver’s seat thanks his f-pawn. [34...Rxh6!
35.Bxh6 c4] 35.Rh7 Rxa2 36.Rxf7 Ne5 Beginning a remarkable
tactical sequence that is completely forcing and which must have
been seen by both players. Kasparov emerges from the smoke with
an extra pawn, but either his technique fails him or the position
was just a draw, or both.
37.Rg7 Rf8 38.h3? [38.h4! White played h3 to prevent ...Ng4 in
some lines, but the rook on g7 this isn’t necessary. h4
would have gained a crucial tempi in the endgame. A) 38...c4 A1)
39.h5 Nd3 40.f7 Nxf2 41.Rg8 Kd7 42.Rxf8 Ke7 A1a) 43.Rd8 Kxf7 44.h6
Ng4=; A1b) 43.h6 Ra1+ (43...Rxd2?? 44.Re8+ Kxf7 45.h7 Kxe8 46.h8Q+
Kd7 47.Qg7+) 44.Kxf2 Kxf8; A1c) 43.Re8+ Kxf7 44.h6 Ra1+; A1d) 43.Bc3
43...Kxf8 44.h6 Ra8 45.h7 Kxf7 46.Kxf2 b5 47.h8Q Rxh8 48.Bxh8 c5=
49.Ke3 b4 50.Ke4 Ke6 51.Bg7 c3 52.Kd3 Kf5 53.Bf8 c4+ 54.Kc2 Kg4
55.Bd6=; A2) 39.Re7 39...Nd3 40.f7 Nxf2 41.Re8+ Kd7 42.Rxf8 Ke7
43.Rd8 Kxf7 44.Kxf2 c3 45.Ke3; B) 38...Nd3 39.f7 Nxf2 40.Rg8 Kd7
41.Rxf8 Ke7 42.Rd8 Kxf7]
38...c4 39.Re7 Nd3 40.f7 Nxf2 41.Re8+ Kd7 42.Rxf8 Ke7 43.Rc8 Kxf7
44.Rxc7+ Ke6 45.Be3 Nd1 46.Bxb6 c3 47.h4?! Everything was pretty
much forced up to this move, but this pawn turns out to be a
weakness. Kh2 was deemed stronger. But was it a win? We’ll
see...
47...Ra6 48.Bd4 Ra4 49.Bxc3 Nxc3 50.Rxc3 Rxh4 51.Rf3 Rh5 52.Kf2
Rg5 53.Rf8 Ke5 ½–½ Kasparov couldn’t have been happy
to see another of his precious eight whites in this match go down
the Berlin drain. Again he had some pressure, and considerably
more in game one, but again Kramnik defended marvelously. Even
Kasparov’s genius for finding complications in calm
positions was not enough.