Chess
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Your support makes all the difference.All the world's best players, with the exception of the world champion, Garry Kasparov, are competing in the Dortmund tournament, which looks like turning into a race between the numbers two and three in the latest world rankings. After five rounds, Vladimir Kramnik leads with 4 points, half a point ahead of Viswanathan Anand. Other scores: Karpov and Short 21/2; Topalov, Ivanchuk, Hubner and Gelfand 2; Yusupov 1.
Kramnik's three wins include this dramatic miniature:
White: Vladimir Kramnik
Black: Vassily Ivanchuk
1 Nf3 Nf6 11 cxd5 cxd4
2 c4 c6 12 dxe6 dxc3
3 Nc3 d5 13 exd7+ Nxd7
4 d4 e6 14 Bxc3 Bb4
5 e3 Nbd7 15 Bc4 Bxf3
6 Qc2 b6 16 gxf3 Bxc3
7 Bd3 Bb7 17 Qxc3 Qg5+
8 0-0 Be7 18 Kh1 b5
9 b3 Rc8 19 Qa5 resigns
10 Bb2 c5
Black's capitulation seems to be, more than anything, an expression of his disgust at overlooking 19.Qa5, which saves the bishop on c4. After 19...Rb8 20.Rfd1 or 19...Qf6 20.Be2 his game is dismal, but all the same his resignation was hugely premature.
Kramnik's win against Karpov was a far better achievement. After gaining a space advantage in the opening, Kramnik pushed forward with 12.h4 and 13.h5, then 24.g4 and 25.g5 - all of which was met by Karpov's usual resilient defence. After 32.f7, Black cannot survive 32...Qxd4+ 33.Kh1 Rc8 34.Ne5. All the same, it was by no means clear what was happening before Karpov blundered with 37...Be7? At the end, 37...Rxf8 38.Rxf8+ Kh7 39.Qxg5 is hopeless for Black.
White: Vladimir Kramnik
Black: Anatoly Karpov
1 Nf3 Nf6 21 Re4 Qd7
2 c4 b6 22 Qf3 Bf8
3 g3 Bb7 23 Be3 Na5
4 Bg2 e6 24 g4 Nc4
5 0-0 Be7 25 g5 Nxe3
6 Re1 0-0 26 fxe3 hxg5
7 Nc3 d5 27 Rg4 Qe7
8 cxd5 Nxd5 28 Rf1 Rd7
9 e4 Nxc3 29 Qg3 f6
10 bxc3 Nc6 30 e4 Qa3
11 d4 Na5 31 exf6 Qxc3
12 h4 Re8 32 f7 Rc8
13 h5 h6 33 d5 exd5
14 Ne5 Bd6 34 e5 c5
15 Bf4 Qe7 35 Rf3 c4
16 Qg4 Kh8 36 Nf2 Qe1+
17 Nd3 Rad8 37 Kg2 Be7
18 Rad1 Bc6 38 Rxg5 Bxg5
19 e5 Ba3 39 f8=Q+ 1-0
20 Bxc6 Nxc6
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