TAL ROUND 1

Don't quite know where I am going to follow this today. What I like best is the blue boards but I can't find them today.
Russian sites have given up providing an English version. THIS ONE has the lovely Sergei SHIPOV as a commentator. I used to like his comments, which were in English a few years back. Nowadays only in Russian. Wish I could read them.

Nimzo-Indian Classic as played at their last meeting in Dortmund.


1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 d5 7. cxd5 Ne4
8. Qc2 exd5 9. Bf4 Nc6 10. e3 Re8 11. Nf3 g5 12. Bg3 g4 13. Ne5 Nxe5 14.
Bxe5 c5 15. Bd3 Bf5 16. Qe2 f6 17. Bxe4 Bxe4 18. Bg3 Qa5+ 19. Qd2 Qxd2+ 20.
Kxd2 c4 21. f3 gxf3 22. gxf3 Bg6 23. h4 Bh5 24. Ke2 Re6 25. Be1 Kf7 26. Kf2
Rae8 27. Bd2 Rb6 28. Bc3 Rb3 29. a4 b6 30. Rhe1 Bg6 31. e4 dxe4 32. d5 a6
33. fxe4 Bxe4 34. d6 f5 35. Rg1 Ke6 36. Rg7 Kxd6 37. Rxh7 Bd3 38. Kf3 Re4
39. h5 Rh4 40. Rg1 Be4+ 41. Ke3 Rh3+ 42. Kf4 Rf3+ 43. Kg5 b5 44. axb5 axb5
45. Kf6 Rbxc3 46. bxc3 Rxc3 47. Rg8 Rh3 48. Rc8 c3 49. Rhc7 c2 50. Kg5 Rh2
51. Rc3 Ke6 52. Re8+ Kf7 53. Rb8 Rg2+ 54. Kf4 Ke6 55. Re8+ Kd7 56. Rb8 Ke6
57. Re8+ Kf6 58. Rf8+ Ke6 1/2-1/2

PLAY THROUGH GAME ON ACTIVE BOARD AT THE END OF THIS POST



Not looking good at move 18. Kramnik has clearly outplayed him with thorough preparation and a Novelty on move 10 where he played 10..Re8 rather than 10..g5, which he now plays one move later.




Yes...but...Kramnik blunders on move 19..Qxd2+ where he goes for the pawn rather than play 19...Qa6
Big mistake? Probably not, but it would have been interesting to see what might have come of it.





25. Be1 Starting to move his DSB to the queenside.
Other than moving a Rook to -g1-, this was probably the safest line, shifting his DSB over to the queenside.










Balancing act: Will he dare NOT to play 39.h5?
On move 33 Carlsen again sticks his neck out in order to push Kramnik into an error.
33.fxe4 or 33.h5?

No. Little sensible option.
Kramnik scrapes through with 14 seconds to spare.



He has been severely tested by the Carlsen Squeeze method, but managed to hang in there through to move 41.

Phew!! I am worn out. Will they settle for the draw now?

No. As it happens, while I went out for a walk, they struggled on to the next time portal and Carlsen tried it again. Still to no avail. There was nothing left in the game when I came back and saw this AT MOVE 51



and by move 60 they finally gave up, after six hours' play. They must be worn out, both of them. Hope they will have recovered in time for tomorrow's game, when Carlsen faces Morozevich as Black.






I only followed the first 41 minutes, as I thought they should have drawn there.