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Anand-Kramnik: Game 4 from the 2008 World Championship of Chess

Anand-Kramnik Game 4
Anand-Kramnik Game 4

It was back to the “drawing” board in game 4 from Bonn, Germany.  Defending champion Viswanathan Anand played the white side in the solid Queen’s Gambit Declined. Kramnik ended up with the ubiquitous isolated queen’s pawn and allowed Anand no opportunities for victory.

3. Nf3 Anand decides to avoid a repeat of game 2’s Nimzo-Indian.

6…Nbd7 Kramnik does not play 6…c5 which would have lead to more exciting play with  higher winning chances for both players. Perhaps after yesterdays loss kramnik just  hoped to escape with a draw. Another possibility is that Kramnik still plans on   playing for a draw every game he is black. 
11…Bf5 Kramnik plays a rare move rather than the thematic 11…Bf6.

15…Qxf5 Kramnik has obtained an equal position.

18…Nc5 Kramnik makes a good choice. 18…d4 is tempting but after 19.Qxb7 dxe3 20.fxe3  Qxe3+ 21.Kh1 Ng5 22.b4 Anand has a favorable position.

21. Rd4 Many of my esteemed colleagues preferred 21.Rac1 Rad8 22.b4 Ne4 23.Qd3.

21…h5 Kramnik is trying to get his knight to e6.

24…g4 Finally Kramnik can get his knight to e6.

26…Ne6 Now Kramnik can play d4 and exchange his isolated pawn.

Nothing too exciting in this game. I suppose we can entitle it “The Bore From Round Four.”

    

[Event “Anand-Kramnik World Championship Match”]
[Site “0:45:33-0:50:33”]
[Date “2008.10.18”]
[EventDate “2008.10.14”]
[Round “4”]
[Result “1/2-1/2”]
[White “Anand”]
[Black “Kramnik”]
[ECO “D37”]
[WhiteElo “2803”]
[BlackElo “2811”]
[PlyCount “2”]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4 O-O 6.e3 Nbd7 7.a3 c5 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.Nxd5 exd5 10.dxc5 Nxc5 11.Be5 Bf5 12.Be2 Bf6 13.Bxf6 Qxf6 14.Nd4 Ne6 15.Nxf5 Qxf5 16.O-O Rfd8 17.Bg4 Qe5 18.Qb3 Nc5 19.Qb5 b6 20.Rfd1 Rd6 21.Rd4 a6 22.Qb4 h5 23.Bh3 Rad8 24.g3 g5 25.Rad1 g4 26.Bg2 Ne6 27.R4d3 d4 28.exd4 Rxd4 29.Rxd4 Rxd4  1/2-1/2

Published by chessmusings

Chris Torres is a nationally renowned scholastic chess coach working in the San Francisco Bay Area. His classes have attracted players of strengths ranging from rank beginners to world champions. A chess professional since 1998, Chris is widely recognized as one of the main driving forces behind the explosion in popularity and sudden rise in quality of scholastic chess in California. Chris Torres served as the President of the Torres Chess and Music Academy from 2005-2020 and currently is recognized as a correspondence chess master with the United States Chess Federation. Since 1998 Chris Torres has taught 6 individual national champions as well as led multiple school teams to win national championship titles. In addition, Chris Torres has directed and taught at 10 different schools which have been California State Champions at chess. In 2011 and 2012, several former and current students of Chris Torres have been selected to represent the United States at the World Youth Chess Championships. Mr. Torres’ hobbies include playing classical guitar and getting his students to appear on the national top 100 chess rating lists.

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