Comments on: Kramnik beats Naiditsch, shares lead with Carlsen

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:42:31 +0000

I like L?©k?? too. I also like his enthusiastic, honest and straightforward (bar the analytical detail!) annotations in NiC.

By: LajosArpad

LajosArpad — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:38:54 +0000

L?©k?? is a super grandmaster. He is a solid player. If somebody doesn’t like this style, he/she can have other favourite player, there is no reason to dislike a person just because his style.

By: Castro

Castro — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:06:25 +0000

@Michael Schwerteck

Nice idea! I didn’t think about Qb6, because didn’t considered trading the queen there. I only saw the doble threat Qe5 (which can be good, also). However, it would be convenient to know if that rook ending you led us to is in fact won, and I’m not that sure. Very sharp it is, and it looks very difficult for white to defend or even win! The problem seems to be that in all variations white has to give up it’s rook too soon (with delayed counterplay of it’s own pawns, and without even taking f7 first), and so the black king and rook would have an easy sweeping operation. But I confess it is anyway quite unclear to me yet, which is normal, because I’m a weak player (and don’t have time for more of my great weak analysis now, anyway) But I wouldn’t be surprised if indeed there is a defense…

By: Michael Schwerteck

Michael Schwerteck — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:50:58 +0000

@ Castro: After 31.Rxa7 I want to play 31…Qb6 and hide the king on d6 in case of rook checks. White then wins the queen with Ra6, but loses the bishop and the rook ending looks lost to me.

By: christos (greece)

christos (greece) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:34:25 +0000

@patyolat: I do not judge Leko so harshly. In my opinion, all approaches to tournament chess have the right to exist, including Leko’s, who probably takes less risks than anyone else in the world. However, this strategy has led him to important successes in the past, and to wins in major tournaments (Dortmund being one of them).
Besides, especially in his game against Jakovenko he was playing black, and I think everybody would gladly accept Jakovenko’s draw offer if they were in his shoes.

By: Castro

Castro — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:31:17 +0000

@Michael Schwerteck

Either you made a profound analysis on that, or 30.Rf6 still needs a reason to really being that dangerous. After 31.Rxa7 it’s 31.Qe5 we must fear, right? But is that so decisive? Haven’t white eventualy at least a perpetual or a fortress anyway? It’s quite an endgame, anyway!

By: Castro

Castro — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:08:45 +0000

Sorry, by the way, another thing is when we, in open and fully assumed irony or friendly provocation, make that kind of statments.
In a Breyer-like mood, I myself used to provoque my friends at the club, by calling 1.d4 “anti-chess”. When one of them asked me “Why?”, I answered “Because it is too good”.
Another “victim” would be the French defense, which I called “That shy advance of the king’s pawn”. Instead, my friend had a diametricaly opposed view. He’d say “1.e4 e6 and White can resign”.
(You see, we got stuck in the 20’s )
So, these funny aproaches I understand. Not the pseudo-serious of, for instance, those Petroff-hatters.

By: Castro

Castro — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:51:42 +0000

@gg

I was refering to “hating” the Petroff. If you think having a better record, as black, than the Sicilian, is a reason to hate, so be it! I don’t think so. Maybe the Caro-Kahn sould be hated too… By the way, I don’t play none of these defenses, but I like and respect them all a lot!
Anyway, being “more drawish” than the Sicilian is understandable, as the Sicilian has that “visualy unbalanced and opened” aproach, which stimulates White to rightaway “do things”, and even try to punish Black. But maybe, if one could be more objective, they give similar oportunities. Who knows?
The thing I love is when someone rejoices with some white win against the hated Petroff, as if saying: “Here, take that! You were trying not to play chess, but white punished you playing chess”. On those ocasions, I rejoice myself, because it’s funny, but pity that person, as a chess lover, because in fact he is a fairy-tale lover! (Which is nice, but shouldn’t be confused)

By: ceann

ceann — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:58:25 +0000

WHAT A BORING TOURNAMENT….

By: gg

gg — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:51:08 +0000

“Must the Petrof defense (and it‚Äôs ‚Äúinnocuous‚Äù white lines) continue to be treated like that”

Kramnik is the leading Petroff expert in the world and he had one win in a dozen years before playing Naiditsch so it is at least more drawish than the Sicilian.