Kramnik, Vladimir (2785) - Alekseev, Evgeny (2716)
Moscow Tal Memorial 2nd (Moscow), 11/16/2007
Round 6 [Marin,M]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 c5 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5

b5 Recently, this move has been submitted to intense theoretical and practical disputes at top level. It also makes up part of Alekseev's main repertoire, which also includes the Blumenfeld Gambit.
6.e4!? Another surprise for Black, although this time the idea is not new, but just well-forgotten. Several decades ago, the outstanding Catalan specialist Genna Sosonko repeatedly played like this. Apart from attacking the b5-pawn, White threatens to win even more space in the centre with the brutal e5.

[6.Nd2!? Nxd5 7.Bg2 Nc7 8.Bxa8 Nxa8 9.b4 c4 10.a4 Kramnik,V (2772)-Aronian,L (2759)/Yerevan 2007/CBM 118 (1/2-1/2, 47)]

[6.Nf3!? d6 7.e4!? Gelfand,B (2733)-Aronian,L (2750)/Mexico City 2007/CBM 120/[Marin,M] (1-0, 48)]

[6.Bg2 d6 7.Nf3 Bb7]

6...Nxe4 The most principled reaction.

[6...Qe7?! looks unnatural and is probably bad.
7.Bg2 d6 8.Ne2 g6 9.O-O Bg7 10.e5! Qxe5

(10...dxe5? 11.d6)

11.Nec3 O-O 12.Nxb5 Qe7 13.N1c3 Ba6 14.Re1 Qd8 15.a4 Bxb5 16.Nxb5 Ne8 17.Bf4 De Carbonnel,H-Wiersma,T/EU-chT1 corr7281 1972/Corr Nr. 1 (1-0, 39)]

[6...Bb7 keeps the enemy centre under control, but places the bishop on a passive square. However, things are not that clear here.
7.Bg2 d6 8.a4?! Possibly not the best. After the structural modifications on the queenside, the b7-bishop will revive on a6. White should have continued the development of his kingside.
8...b4 9.Nd2 g6 10.Nc4 Ba6 11.Qc2 Bg7 12.Nf3 O-O 13.Nfd2 Nbd7 14.O-O

(14.Nxd6 Qe7 15.N2c4 Nxd5)

14...Nb6 15.Re1 Ng4 16.Ne3 Ne5 17.Bf1 c4 Manor,I (2510)-Greenfeld,A (2560)/Rishon Le Ziyyon 1996/CBM 053 (1-0, 60)]

7.Qe2 Qe7 Black has been forced to block the natural development of his kingside, but this is only the start of the "intrigue". White's development is not that impressive yet either.
8.Bg2

Nd6 This looks perfectly logical. The knight retreats to a stable blocking square without creating any weakness in the own camp. However, there are certain drawbacks to this move. The knight blocks its own d-pawn, too, which causes Black serious problems regarding the natural development of the queenside (...d6, ...Nd7, etc.).

[8...f5 weakens the black kingside, but offers Black certain stability in the centre. In practice, Sosonko has failed to prove an advantage for White.
9.d6!? might be the only way to cause some disharmony in Black's camp.

(This was aimed to be an improvement over an earlier game that continued with
9.Nh3 b4 10.d6 Qxd6 11.f3 Ba6 12.Qe3 Nc6 13.fxe4 O-O-O 14.Ng5 1/2-1/2 Sosonko,G (2530)-Barle,J (2450)/Ljubljana 1977/MCD)

(9.Nc3 Nxc3 10.bxc3 Qxe2+ 11.Nxe2 Na6 12.O-O Rb8 13.Bf4 d6 14.Bd2 Be7 15.Nf4 Kf7 16.Rfe1 Bf6 17.Rab1 (17.Nh5!?) 17...Nc7 Sosonko,G (2545)-Timman,J (2600)/Amsterdam 1980/MCL (1/2-1/2, 35))]

9.Be3 White develops a piece and prevents the exchange of queens at the same time. (this would ease Black's defence, by enabling the development of the kingside with ...Be7, etc.)
9...b4 To my mind, a slightly cooperative move. Black prepares the development of his queen's bishop on an active diagonal (a6-f1), but returns the small material advantage without any fight and, more seriously, does not improve the situation of the queen's knight. Remember? Knights should generally be developed before bishops...

[9...c4 is not entirely satisfactory either.
10.Nc3 a6

(10...b4 11.Nb5!? Nxb5 12.d6)

11.O-O-O

(11.Bc5 Ligterink)]

[However, 9...Na6 looks like the best practical chance.]

10.Bxc5 Qxe2+ 11.Nxe2 White has rees tablished the material equality, maintaining his considerable advantage of space and a slight advance in development. Black mainly relies on certain stability on dark squares.
11...Na6

12.Bxd6! The best way to maintain the initiative.

[In the previous game that had reached this position, White preserved the bishop from exchange with
12.Bd4 , allowing Black to activate his play with
12...Nf5 13.O-O Bc5 14.Bxc5 Nxc5 15.Nd2 Ba6 16.Rfc1 Nd3 17.Rc2 O-O 18.Bh3 Rfe8 19.Nb3 Re5! Sosonko,G (2 530)-Olafsson,F (2560)/Wijk aan Zee 1977/MCL/[Bulletin] (1-0, 50) Black's pieces are very active and the d5-pawn is more of a weakness now.]

12...Bxd6 13.Nd2 It appears that the dark-squared bishop is exposed and will cause Black additional loss of time before reaching a stable position.
13...Rb8 14.Nc4 Be7 15.d6 Bf6 16.Nf4 Nc5 17.O-O Ba6 A critical moment.

White's position looks very active, but he has to choose the best way to maintain his advantage in space.
18.Nd5!?

[It is not easy to refrain from
18.Rfe1+ . Kramnik probably disliked the fact that after
18...Ne6 , the threat against the c4-knight would become real. However, after
19.Ne5 Rb6 20.Rad1 White would maintain his domination. It remains an open question whether objectively speaking his position is better here than in the game, but from a practical point of view it might be more difficult to maintain stability here. Black has no weaknesses and the d6-pawn needs permanent care.]

18...O-O

[18...Bxc4 19.Nxf6+ gxf6 20.Rfc1 Nd3 21.Rxc4 Nxb2 22.Re4+ Kd8 23.Rb1 Nd3 24.Rd4 White will win his pawn back, maintaining the better structure, the more active minor piece and a huge advantage in space.]

19.Nxf6+ gxf6 20.Bd5 This is the position Kramnik had been aiming for. White has ruined Black's kingside structure, while the queenside could become vulnerable, too. Black's main trump remains the stability of his minor pieces and certain vulnerability of the d6-pawn. However, this latter aspect is double-edged. In order to win this pawn, Black would need to worsen the cooperation between his pieces (for instance, to disconnect his rook for several moves).
20...Na4?! Black moves again with an already well-placed piece. The threat against the b2-pawn is illusory.

[He should have continued his development with
20...Rfe8 , threatening to generate some counterplay along the e-file and, eventually, the second rank.]

21.Rfc1

Rfe8?! Too late. The e-file will not be available for this rook anymore.

[21...Bxc4!? 22.Rxc4 Rb5

(22...Nxb2 23.Rg4+ Kh8 24.Rb1 Nd3 25.Rd4 Ne5 26.Rdxb4)

23.Rg4+ Kh8 24.Bb3 Nc5!? would keep Black's position together.

(24...Nxb2? 25.Rb1 Nd3 26.Bc4 Ne5 27.Bxb5 Nxg4 28.Bxd7)]

22.Ne3! This move was not possible one move earlier. We can conclude that 20...Na4 has just helped White improve the placement of his pieces, by removing the rook from a vulnerable square.
22...Rb6 23.Rc7 Rxd6 Black has eventually won this pawn, but the rook is miserably placed.
24.Rd1

Kh8 25.Nf5 Rb6 26.Bxf7 Nxb2 27.Rdxd7 White's attack is decisive now. Black's counterplay has not sufficient power.
27...Re1+ 28.Kg2 Bf1+ 29.Kf3 Be2+ 30.Kf4 Rb8

[30...Nd3+ 31.Rxd3! Bxd3 32.Rc8+]

31.Bc4!

[31.Bc4! Bxc4 32.Rxh7+ Kg8 33.Rcg7+ Kf8 34.Rh8+ Bg8 35.Rhxg8#]

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Created with PGNtoJS

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 c5 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5 b5 Recently, this move has been submitted to intense theoretical and practical disputes at top level. It also makes up part of Alekseev's main repertoire, which also includes the Blumenfeld Gambit. 6.e4!? Another surprise for Black, although this time the idea is not new, but just well-forgotten. Several decades ago, the outstanding Catalan specialist Genna Sosonko repeatedly played like this. Apart from attacking the b5-pawn, White threatens to win even more space in the centre with the brutal e5.
	[6.Nd2!? Nxd5 7.Bg2 Nc7 8.Bxa8 Nxa8 9.b4 c4 10.a4 Kramnik,V (2772)-Aronian,L (2759)/Yerevan 2007/CBM 118 (1/2-1/2, 47)]

	[6.Nf3!? d6 7.e4!? Gelfand,B (2733)-Aronian,L (2750)/Mexico City 2007/CBM 120/[Marin,M] (1-0, 48)]

	[6.Bg2 d6 7.Nf3 Bb7]
6...Nxe4 The most principled reaction.
	[6...Qe7?! looks unnatural and is probably bad. 7.Bg2 d6 8.Ne2 g6 9.O-O Bg7 10.e5! Qxe5
		(10...dxe5? 11.d6)
	11.Nec3 O-O 12.Nxb5 Qe7 13.N1c3 Ba6 14.Re1 Qd8 15.a4 Bxb5 16.Nxb5 Ne8 17.Bf4 De Carbonnel,H-Wiersma,T/EU-chT1 corr7281 1972/Corr Nr. 1 (1-0, 39)]

	[6...Bb7 keeps the enemy centre under control, but places the bishop on a passive square. However, things are not that clear here. 7.Bg2 d6 8.a4?! Possibly not the best. After the structural modifications on the queenside, the b7-bishop will revive on a6. White should have continued the development of his kingside. 8...b4 9.Nd2 g6 10.Nc4 Ba6 11.Qc2 Bg7 12.Nf3 O-O 13.Nfd2 Nbd7 14.O-O
		(14.Nxd6 Qe7 15.N2c4 Nxd5)
	14...Nb6 15.Re1 Ng4 16.Ne3 Ne5 17.Bf1 c4 Manor,I (2510)-Greenfeld,A (2560)/Rishon Le Ziyyon 1996/CBM 053 (1-0, 60)]
7.Qe2 Qe7 Black has been forced to block the natural development of his kingside, but this is only the start of the "intrigue". White's development is not that impressive yet either. 8.Bg2 Nd6 This looks perfectly logical. The knight retreats to a stable blocking square without creating any weakness in the own camp. However, there are certain drawbacks to this move. The knight blocks its own d-pawn, too, which causes Black serious problems regarding the natural development of the queenside (...d6, ...Nd7, etc.).
	[8...f5 weakens the black kingside, but offers Black certain stability in the centre. In practice, Sosonko has failed to prove an advantage for White. 9.d6!? might be the only way to cause some disharmony in Black's camp.
		(This was aimed to be an improvement over an earlier game that continued with 9.Nh3 b4 10.d6 Qxd6 11.f3 Ba6 12.Qe3 Nc6 13.fxe4 O-O-O 14.Ng5 1/2-1/2 Sosonko,G (2530)-Barle,J (2450)/Ljubljana 1977/MCD)

		(9.Nc3 Nxc3 10.bxc3 Qxe2+ 11.Nxe2 Na6 12.O-O Rb8 13.Bf4 d6 14.Bd2 Be7 15.Nf4 Kf7 16.Rfe1 Bf6 17.Rab1 (17.Nh5!?) 17...Nc7 Sosonko,G (2545)-Timman,J (2600)/Amsterdam 1980/MCL (1/2-1/2, 35))]
9.Be3 White develops a piece and prevents the exchange of queens at the same time. (this would ease Black's defence, by enabling the development of the kingside with ...Be7, etc.) 9...b4 To my mind, a slightly cooperative move. Black prepares the development of his queen's bishop on an active diagonal (a6-f1), but returns the small material advantage without any fight and, more seriously, does not improve the situation of the queen's knight. Remember? Knights should generally be developed before bishops...
	[9...c4 is not entirely satisfactory either. 10.Nc3 a6
		(10...b4 11.Nb5!? Nxb5 12.d6)
	11.O-O-O
		(11.Bc5 Ligterink)]

	[However, 9...Na6 looks like the best practical chance.]
10.Bxc5 Qxe2+ 11.Nxe2 White has rees tablished the material equality, maintaining his considerable advantage of space and a slight advance in development. Black mainly relies on certain stability on dark squares. 11...Na6 12.Bxd6! The best way to maintain the initiative.
	[In the previous game that had reached this position, White preserved the bishop from exchange with 12.Bd4 , allowing Black to activate his play with 12...Nf5 13.O-O Bc5 14.Bxc5 Nxc5 15.Nd2 Ba6 16.Rfc1 Nd3 17.Rc2 O-O 18.Bh3 Rfe8 19.Nb3 Re5! Sosonko,G (2 530)-Olafsson,F (2560)/Wijk aan Zee 1977/MCL/[Bulletin] (1-0, 50) Black's pieces are very active and the d5-pawn is more of a weakness now.]
12...Bxd6 13.Nd2 It appears that the dark-squared bishop is exposed and will cause Black additional loss of time before reaching a stable position. 13...Rb8 14.Nc4 Be7 15.d6 Bf6 16.Nf4 Nc5 17.O-O Ba6 A critical moment. White's position looks very active, but he has to choose the best way to maintain his advantage in space. 18.Nd5!?
	[It is not easy to refrain from 18.Rfe1+ . Kramnik probably disliked the fact that after 18...Ne6 , the threat against the c4-knight would become real. However, after 19.Ne5 Rb6 20.Rad1 White would maintain his domination. It remains an open question whether objectively speaking his position is better here than in the game, but from a practical point of view it might be more difficult to maintain stability here. Black has no weaknesses and the d6-pawn needs permanent care.]
18...O-O
	[18...Bxc4 19.Nxf6+ gxf6 20.Rfc1 Nd3 21.Rxc4 Nxb2 22.Re4+ Kd8 23.Rb1 Nd3 24.Rd4 White will win his pawn back, maintaining the better structure, the more active minor piece and a huge advantage in space.]
19.Nxf6+ gxf6 20.Bd5 This is the position Kramnik had been aiming for. White has ruined Black's kingside structure, while the queenside could become vulnerable, too. Black's main trump remains the stability of his minor pieces and certain vulnerability of the d6-pawn. However, this latter aspect is double-edged. In order to win this pawn, Black would need to worsen the cooperation between his pieces (for instance, to disconnect his rook for several moves). 20...Na4?! Black moves again with an already well-placed piece. The threat against the b2-pawn is illusory.
	[He should have continued his development with 20...Rfe8 , threatening to generate some counterplay along the e-file and, eventually, the second rank.]
21.Rfc1 Rfe8?! Too late. The e-file will not be available for this rook anymore.
	[21...Bxc4!? 22.Rxc4 Rb5
		(22...Nxb2 23.Rg4+ Kh8 24.Rb1 Nd3 25.Rd4 Ne5 26.Rdxb4)
	23.Rg4+ Kh8 24.Bb3 Nc5!? would keep Black's position together.
		(24...Nxb2? 25.Rb1 Nd3 26.Bc4 Ne5 27.Bxb5 Nxg4 28.Bxd7)]
22.Ne3! This move was not possible one move earlier. We can conclude that 20...Na4 has just helped White improve the placement of his pieces, by removing the rook from a vulnerable square. 22...Rb6 23.Rc7 Rxd6 Black has eventually won this pawn, but the rook is miserably placed. 24.Rd1 Kh8 25.Nf5 Rb6 26.Bxf7 Nxb2 27.Rdxd7 White's attack is decisive now. Black's counterplay has not sufficient power. 27...Re1+ 28.Kg2 Bf1+ 29.Kf3 Be2+ 30.Kf4 Rb8
	[30...Nd3+ 31.Rxd3! Bxd3 32.Rc8+]
31.Bc4!
	[31.Bc4! Bxc4 32.Rxh7+ Kg8 33.Rcg7+ Kf8 34.Rh8+ Bg8 35.Rhxg8#]
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