Kramnik wins — in a tie

It’s good to be the king.With a dramatic win in the 14th and final game of the match, Russian Vladimir Kramnik retained his classical world championship title by the slimmest of margins over game challenger Peter Leko of Hungary.

The victory knotted the final score, 7-7 — two wins for each player and 10 draws. Given draw odds as the champion, Kramnik thus held onto the crown in his first title defense since beating Garry Kasparov four years ago.

Only twice before has a champion managed to win a final-round game to retain the championship. Kasparov did it to beat compatriot Anatoly Karpov in 1987, and Germany’s Emanuel Lasker wore down challenger Carl Schlechter of Austria in one of the most famous games ever.

The loss was a bitter blow to the 25-year-old Leko, who took the lead in game 8 and defended several difficult positions before Monday’s dramatic climax.

But Kramnik, 29, played his most powerful chess of the match, playing energetically from the start and keeping a stranglehold on the game even as Black desperately tried to trade down.

Kramnik, needing a win, opens with a sharp Caro-Kann line (5. g4), one seen in the 1961 Tal-Botvinnik title match. But he may have won the game with a surprising offer to simplify: 14. Qd2 Ng6 15. Bd4!, a move overlooked by Leko and one that gives White a small but persistent edge after 15…Nxd4 16. cxd4 Qxd2+ 17. Kxd2 Nf4 18. Rac1 h5!? 19. Rhg1.

Psychologically very interesting now would have been Leko’s post-mortem suggestion of 19…Nh3!, forcing White to seek even deeper complications to avoid a repetition.

White cements his superiority on both wings after 21. b4 a6? 22. a4! Kd8?! (Bxa4, accepting the challenge, was Kasparov’s recommendation, though Black remains under siege on 23. Rc7 Bb5 [Bc6? 24. Ng5 0-0 25. Bh7+ Kh8 26. Bc2] 24. Bb1 Bd7 25. Ng5 Rf8 26. Bd3 Ke7 27. Ke3 b5 28. Nxf7 Rxf7 29. Bg6 Rf4 30. Bxh5 Re4+ 31. Kd3) 23. Ng5 Be8 24. b5 Nf4 25. b6!, and the Black king never escapes from his prison cell.

Kramnik remorselessly runs the cornered king to ground on 33. Rxg7 Rxa4 (see diagram) 34. f4! (the beginning of the end) Ra2+ 35. Kf3 Ra3+ 36. Kg4 Rd3 37. f5! Rxd4+ 38. Kg5 exf5 39. Kf6 Rg4 40. Rc7 Rh4 41. Nf7+. Black resigned as the inevitable mate in two — 41…Ke8 42. Rc8+ Kd7 43. Rd8 mate — gave Kramnik the point, the match and the crown.

Ukraine got off to a magical start in the 36th biennial Chess Olympiad, now under way in the Spanish resort town of Calvia. After sweeping their first three matches with 4-0 scores, the Ukrainians upset top-seeded Russia on the strength of a Board 1 win by GM Vassily Ivanchuk over GM Alexander Morozevich in a beautiful attacking game.

It’s another Caro-Kann, but Black gets in the first real shot on 10. Be2 g5!? (virtually every move here probably rates this weaselly annotation) 11. g4!? (fxg5 Nxe5 12. Nxf5 Nxf5 13. Rxf5 exf5 14. Nc3 d4 would also have been entertaining) gxf4 (Be4 12. f5!) 12. gxf5!? (entering truly uncharted waters; 12. Bxf4 Bg6 13. Nd2 Qb6 14. c3 Bg7 looks slightly better for Black) Nxf5!? (fxe3 13. fxe6 fxe6 14. Nc3 Rg8+ 15. Kh1 Qb6 16. Bh5+ Ng6 17. Bg4) 14. Nc3!!? (14. Nxe3? Bc5 15. Rf3 Qg5+ wins), leaving the knight hanging for the next three moves.

After the breathless 18. Bxd5 Qh3 19. Bxb7 Ra7 20. Bf3 Bh6, Ivanchuk has emerged a pawn to the good, though both sides face major positional challenges. White breathes new life into his attack with 21. Ne4 Ke7 22. Qe1! abandoning the knight of f3 to go after the Black king.

If now 22…Nxf3, White appears to have at least a draw on 23. Qb4+ Kd7 (Kd8 Qb8+) 24. Rad1+ Kc7 25. Qa5+ Kb7 (Kc8 26. Nd6+ Kd7 27. Ne4+ Kc8) 26. Rd7+ Ka8 27. Rd8+ Rxd8 28. Qxd8+ Kb7 29. Qe7+, as trying to avoid the perpetual with 29…Kb6? walks into 30. Qc5+ Kb7 31. Nd6+ Kb8 32. Qc8 mate.

Even though Black’s pieces buzz around the White king, Morozevich still holds the draw on 27. Qc8+ Kf7 28. Qc4+ Kg7 29. Qc3+ Kg6 30. Qc6+ Kh5 31. Nf6+ Kh4 32. Qxf3 Qxf3+ 33. Rxf3, with an equal ending.

But after the game’s 27. Qf6+? Rf7! 28. Qd6+ (Qd8+ Kg7 29. Rg1+ Bg5! 30. Rxg5+ Nxg5 31. Nxg5 Rxd8 32. Nxh3 Rd2 wins for Black) Kg7 29. Rg1+ Kh8! (Nxg1?? 30. Qe5+ Kg6 31. Qe6+ Kg7 32. Qe5+ Kg6 33. Qe6+ draws, as 33…Kh5 34. Qxf7+ Kh4 35. Rxg1 is suicidal for Black) 30. Nf6, White gives up before Black can deliver the kill on 30…Rxg1+ 31. Rxg1 Nxg1 32. Kxg1 Rg7+ 33. Qg3 Rxg3+ 34. hxg3 Qxg3+ 35. Kh1 e2 36. Nd5 e1=Q mate.

Dannemann World Championship; Game 14; Brissago, Switzerland; October 2004

KramnikLeko

1. e4c622. a4Kd8

2. d4d523. Ng5Be8

3. e5Bf524. b5Nf4

4. h4h625. b6Nxd3

5. g4Bd726. Kxd3Rc8

6. Nd2c527. Rxc8+Kxc8

7. dxc5e628. Rc1+Bc6

8. Nb3Bxc529. Nxf7Rxh4

9. Nxc5Qa5+30. Nd6+Kd8

10. c3Qxc531. Rg1Rh3+

11. Nf3Ne732. Ke2Ra3

12. Bd3Nbc633. Rxg7Rxa4

13. Be3Qa534. f4Ra2+

14. Qd2Ng635. Kf3Ra3+

15. Bd4Nxd436. Kg4Rd3

16. cxd4Qxd2+37. f5Rxd4+

17. Kxd2Nf438. Kg5exf5

18. Rac1h539. Kf6Rg4

19. Rhg1Bc640. Rc7Rh4

20. gxh5Nxh541. Nf7+Black

21. b4a6resigns

36th Chess Olympiad; Calvia, Spain; October 2004

MorozevichIvanchuk

1. e4c616. Bf3Nxe5

2. d4d517. Qe2Qxf5

3. e5Bf518. Bxd5Qh3

4. f4e619. Bxb7Ra7

5. Nf3c520. Bf3Bh6

6. Be3cxd421. Ne4Ke7

7. Nxd4Ne722. Qe1f5

8. Bb5+Nd723. Qb4+Kf7

9. 0-0a624. Qd4Nxf3

10. Be2g525. Qf6+Ke8

11. g4gxf426. Qxe6+Kf8

12. gxf5Nxf527. Qf6+Rf7

13. Nxf5fxe328. Qd6+Kg7

14. Nc3Rg8+29. Rg1+Kh8

15. Kh1Qg530. Nf6

and White resigns

David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by e-mail at dsands@washington times.com.