Team Kramnik

For the 2008 World Chess Championship match in Bonn, Germany, Vladimir Kramnik has selected these players as his “Seconds.” I hope my readers will visit again tomorrow to view my coverage for game 1 of the 2008 World Chess Championship Match between Viswanathan Anand and Vladimir Kramnik.

 
Name: Peter Leko
Date of birth: 09-08-1979
Country: Hungary
Current Rating: 2763
Description: Leko became the youngest grandmaster in the history of chess in 1994, at 14  years of age. Peter went on to win the Dortmund Super Tournament in both 1999 and  2002 defeating very strong opponents in both events. In 2004d Leko came extremely  close to becoming Hungary’s first World Champion. Leko lead Kramnik by one point  going into the final game of heir match. Kramnik won this game and retianed his   title by having a split score with Leko.
Notable Game:

[Event “Classical World Chess Championship”]
[Site “Brissago SUI”]
[Date “2004.01.09”]
[EventDate “?”]
[Round “8”]
[Result “0-1”]
[White “Vladimir Kramnik”]
[Black “Peter Leko”]
[ECO “C89”]
[WhiteElo “?”]
[BlackElo “?”]
[PlyCount “64”]

1. e4 {Notes by Raymond Keene.} e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4
Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. c3 d5 {The dangerous
Marshall Gambit, which Kramnik had avoided in earlier games.}
9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. Rxe5 c6 12. d4 Bd6 13. Re1 Qh4
14. g3 Qh3 15. Re4 g5 {This was first played in the game
Petrosian-Averbakh, Moscow 1947. That game saw 16 Nd2 Bf5 17
Qe2 Nf6 18 Re5 Bxe5 19 dxe5 Ng4 and Black went on to win. The
point of 15 … g5 is to prevent Rh4, while 16 Bxg5 fails to
16 … Qf5.} 16. Qf1 Qh5 17. Nd2 Bf5 18. f3 Nf6 19. Re1 Rae8
20. Rxe8 Rxe8 21. a4 Qg6 22. axb5 {Starting on the road to
perdition. White must play 22 Ne4 Nxe4 23 fxe4 when 23
… Bxe4 24 axb5 axb5 (24 … Bd3 fails to 25 Bxf7+) 25 Bxg5
is in White’s favour. In this line Black must play 22 Ne4 Bxe4
23 fxe4 Nxe4 with approximate equality.} Bd3 23. Qf2 Re2
24. Qxe2 {This was played quickly in the evident belief that
White was winning. In fact White must now turn his thoughts to
survival by 24 bxa6 Rxf2 25 Kxf2 Qh5 26 Ke3 Bxa6 27 Rxa6 Qxh2
when there is still some fight left in the game. In this line
26 Kg1 loses to 26 … Qh3 27 a7 Bxg3 28 a8=Q+ Kg7 29 hxg3
Qxg3+ 30 Kh1 g4 31 Qxc6 Qh3+ 32 Kg1 g3} Bxe2 25. bxa6 Qd3 {The
key move which Kramnik and his team had underestimated before
the game. If now 26 a7 Qe3+ 27 Kg2 Bxf3+ 28 Nxf3 Qe2+ 29 Kg1
Ng4 30 a8=Q+ Kg7 31 Qxc6 Qf2+ 32 Kh1 Qf1+ 33 Ng1 Nf2
mate. Alternatively 30 Be3 Nxe3 31 a8=Q+ Kg7 32 Nh4 gxh4 33
Qxc6 hxg3 34 hxg3 Bxg3 and mate follows. White can also play
26 Bc4 which is refuted by 26 … Qe3+ 27 Kg2 g4 28 f4 Ne4 29
a7 Qf2+ 30 Kh1 Nxd2 31 a8=Q+ Kg7 and White is defenceless.}
26. Kf2 Bxf3 27. Nxf3 Ne4+ 28. Ke1 Nxc3 {Much stronger than 28
… Qxf3. This final sacrifice lays White’s position to
waste.} 29. bxc3 Qxc3+ 30. Kf2 Qxa1 31. a7 h6 32. h4 g4 {At
the end of the game Kramnik said, sportingly: “a beautiful
game that will be remembered in the history of chess.”} 0-1

 

Name: Sergey Rublevsky
Date of birth: 10-15-1974
Country: Russia
Current Rating: 2702
Description: Rublevsky won the 2004 Aeroflot Open, the 2005 Russian Championship and  Aerosvit Foros 2006. In addition, he has represented Russia in five Olympiads and  two World Team Championships. During his successful career, Sergey defeated both  Anatoli Karpov and Garry Kasparov in tournament games.
Notable Game:

[Event “20th European Club Clup”]

[Site “Izmir TUR”]

[Date “2004.10.04”]

[EventDate “2004.10.03”]

[Round “2”]

[Result “1-0”]

[White “Sergei Rublevsky”]

[Black “Garry Kasparov”]

[ECO “B30”]

[WhiteElo “2649”]

[BlackElo “2813”]

[PlyCount “113”]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 e6 4. O-O Nge7 5. c3 a6 6. Ba4 c4
7. Qe2 b5 8. Bc2 Ng6 9. b3 Qc7 10. bxc4 Nf4 11. Qe3 bxc4
12. Ba3 Be7 13. Bxe7 Nxe7 14. Na3 O-O 15. Rab1 f5 16. Qb6 Qxb6
17. Rxb6 fxe4 18. Bxe4 d5 19. Bc2 Neg6 20. Bxg6 Nxg6 21. Nc2
e5 22. Ne3 Bf5 23. Nxf5 Rxf5 24. Rfb1 Raf8 25. Rxa6 e4 26. Nd4
Rxf2 27. Ne6 R2f6 28. Nxf8 Rxa6 29. Nxg6 hxg6 30. Kf2 Rxa2
31. Ke3 Kf7 32. Rb7+ Kf6 33. Rb6+ Kf7 34. Rd6 Ra5 35. h4 g5
36. hxg5 Ke7 37. Rc6 Ra1 38. Kd4 Rd1 39. Kxd5 e3 40. Re6+ Kd7
41. Rxe3 Rxd2+ 42. Kxc4 Rxg2 43. Re5 Kd6 44. Ra5 Rg4+ 45. Kb3
Rg1 46. Kb4 Rb1+ 47. Kc4 Ke6 48. Ra6+ Kf5 49. g6 Rg1 50. Kb5
Ke5 51. c4 Rb1+ 52. Kc6 Rg1 53. Kd7 Rd1+ 54. Ke7 Rb1 55. Ra5+
Kd4 56. Kf8 Rb7 57. Rf5 1-0

 

Name: Laurent Fressinet
Date of Birth: 11-01-1981
Country: France
Current Rating: 2673
Description: Fressinet has a very impressive overall record of +161 -82 =243. However, he  still lacks the major tournament victories to make him a household name in the chess  world.
Notable Game:

[Event “Victor Ciocaltea Mem”]

[Site “Bucharest ROM”]

[Date “2001.03.13”]

[EventDate “2001.03.04”]

[Round “10”]
[Result “1-0”]

[White “Laurent Fressinet”]

[Black “Constantin Ionescu”]

[ECO “C65”]
[WhiteElo “2581”]

[BlackElo “2504”]

[PlyCount “51”]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. Nxe5 Nxe5 6. d4
a6 7. Be2 Be7 8. dxe5 Nxe4 9. c4 O-O 10. Qc2 Nc5 11. Be3 c6
12. Nc3 Qc7 13. f4 a5 14. Rae1 f6 15. Kh1 fxe5 16. Bxc5 Bxc5
17. Bd3 exf4 18. Bxh7+ Kh8 19. Bg6 Qd8 20. Re5 d6 21. Qd1 f3
22. Rxf3 Bg4 23. Rh5+ Kg8 24. Bh7+ Kh8 25. Rxf8+ Qxf8 26. Bf5+
1-0