Fritz proves too deep

With a whimper and not a bang, world champion Vladimir Kramnik went down to a dispiriting 4-2 loss in his match with the German chess program Deep Fritz 10 in Bonn earlier this week. Down a point after a massive mate-in-one oversight in Game 2, Kramnik simply was outplayed in Tuesday’s Game 6 to lose the match.

Humanity already has resigned itself to the fact that the machine monsters have a clear edge in such contests. Deep Fritz also showed itself supremely adept in the quiet maneuvering positions that Kramnik repeatedly sought during the match. Even playing near-perfect chess at times, the Russian could only manage draws against his remorseless opponent, while any slight human oversight was punished swiftly.

The final game was Fritz’s most dominating performance in the match.

Needing a win, Kramnik as Black trots out the Sicilian for the first time in the event. But it is Deep Fritz that strikes first with the odd but attractive 10. Re3!?, with the very computerish idea of developing the rook to the king-side before bothering to bring out the bishop. Black handles the novelty well but doesn’t get the dynamically unbalanced game he was no doubt hoping to achieve.

With 18. Bc1 Ng8 19. Nb1 (the blunt 19. Qg4 is turned aside easily by 19…Bf6 20. f4 Nh6), White shows he can undevelop his pieces just as well as his human adversary, and Black’s inability to poke holes in White’s setup produces what might just be the “losing” move: 22. Rh3 Bg7 23. Qg3 a4?! a pawn push that will have fateful consequences.

As Black struggles to deal with White’s king-side pressure, Deep Fritz takes an opportune moment to snatch the unfortunate pawn and pretty much seal the match: 25. e5! dxe5 26. Rxe5 Nf6 (Black was not about to fall for 26…Bxe5?? 27. Qxe5+ f6 28. Rxh7+! Kxh7 29. Qh5+ Kg7 30. Qxg6+ Kh8 31. Qh7 mate) 27. Qh4 Qb7 28. Re1! (ultra-precise — White sees no need for the hasty 28. Bxa4?! Rxb2! 29. Bxb2 Qxb2 30. Nc2 Qxa2, with the nasty threat of 31…c4, winning a piece, giving Black the edge) h5 29. Rf3 Nh7 30. Qxa4.

With a material edge, Deep Fritz gives its opponent no chances of counterplay, tying Black’s hapless pieces to the defense of his remaining pawns and patiently preparing the advance of the a-pawn.

After 41. Na4 Rdc8 (activating the knight with 41…Nd7 runs into 42. Bxd7 Rdxd7 43. Nxc5, with a clear win) 42. Rd1 (even the open d-file is in the computer’s clutches) Kg7 43. Rd6 f6 44. Re2 e5 45. Red2 g5 46. Nb6 Rb8 47. a4, Black has no counter to the passed pawn’s march down the board; Kramnik resigned.

The game lost a genial giant this week with the news that Ukrainian GM David Bronstein passed away Tuesday at age 82.

One of the most creative players of all time, Bronstein just missed becoming world champion when he drew his 1951 match with Soviet titleholder Mikhail Botvinnik after leading for much of the 24-game contest.

The slight, bald, bespectacled Bronstein twice won the Soviet national title and was a member of numerous Soviet gold-medal Oympiad teams throughout the 1950s. His tactical originality and imagination at the chessboard made him one of the most popular and respected grandmasters produced by the postwar Soviet chess dynasty.

Bronstein also authored two masterpieces: “200 Open Games” and the brilliant “Zurich International Chess Tournament 1953,” perhaps the most insightful tournament book ever published. We’ll offer a fuller tribute and a Bronstein game or two in the coming weeks.

IM Jay Bonin is the classic chess lifer, long one of the strongest and most active players on the New York chess scene. But he may have played his masterpiece in the current Marshall Chess Club championship, which concludes this weekend in Manhattan.

Against expert Tatiana Vayserberg’s Dutch Defense, Bonin unleashes a string of startling sacrifices to break down Black’s defenses. After 19. N3a4 Bh6 20. Rab1! Bxf4 (see diagram), it’s evident that a double-edged struggle is on tap, but Black may not have suspected the end was so near.

There followed: 21. Ba6!! bxa6 22. b5!!, and it quickly becomes apparent that the opening of the b-file will be ruinous for Black. White threatens 23. b6! (blocking the Black queen’s defense of the a-pawn) cxb6 (Bxh2+ 24. Kh1 c6 25. Qxa6+) 24. Qxa6+ Kc7 25. Qb7 mate, and Bonin simply brushes aside Black’s attempt at a diversion.

Thus: 22…Rde8 23. b6! Rxe2 24. bxa7 Bxh2+ 25. Kh1, and Black can’t stop White from getting a replacement queen. White recovers his material while keeping his attack at a boil: 25…Kd8 26. a8=Q+ Ke7 27. Qxh8 Nf5 (no better is 27…Ng6 28. Qg7 Rxf2 29. Re1+ Be5 30. Nd3 Rf5 31. Nc3 with an easy win) 28. Rb8, and Black resigned as her back-rank weakness proves fatal in lines like 28…Ng3+ 29. fxg3 f5 30. Nb6! cxb6 31. Rb7+ Qc7 32. Rxc7+ Kd6 33. Qd8 mate.

Man vs. Machine Duel, Bonn, Germany, December 2006

Deep Fritz 10Kramnik

1. e4c525. e5dxe5

2. Nf3d626. Rxe5Nf6

3. d4cxd427. Qh4Qb7

4. Nxd4Nf628. Re1h5

5. Nc3a629. Rf3Nh7

6. Bc4e630. Qxa4Qc6

7. 0-0Be731. Qxc6Rxc6

8. Bb3Qc732. Ba4Rb6

9. Re1Nc633. b3Kg8

10. Re30-034. c4Rd8

11. Rg3Kh835. Nb5Bb7

12. Nxc6bxc636. Rfe3Bh6

13. Qe2a537. Re5Bxc1

14. Bg5Ba638. Rxc1Rc6

15. Qf3Rab839. Nc3Rc7

16. Re1c540. Bb5Nf8

17. Bf4Qb741. Na4Rdc8

18. Bc1Ng842. Rd1Kg7

19. Nb1Bf643. Rd6f6

20. c3g644. Re2e5

21. Na3Qc645. Red2g5

22. Rh3Bg746. Nb6Rb8

23. Qg3a447. a4Black

24. Bc2Rb6resigns

90th Marshall Chess Club Championship, New York, December 2006

BoninVayserberg

1. d4f515. Nc5g4

2. Nc3Nf616. Qe2f4

3. Bg5d517. exf4Nf5

4. Bxf6exf618. Rfd1Nh4

5. e3Be619. N3a4Bh6

6. Bd3Nc620. Rab1Bxf4

7. Qf3Qd721. Ba6bxa6

8. a30-0-022. b5Rde8

9. Nge2g623. b6Rxe2

10. Nf4Bf724. bxa7Bxh2+

11. Bb5Qd625. Kh1Kd8

12. 0-0Ne726. a8=Q+Ke7

13. b4h527. Qxh8Nf5

14. Nd3g528. Rb8Black

resigns

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