Reports | October 25, 2008 2:26

World Championship: 8th game drawn

Kramnik-Anand game 8Update: video added.
If the World Championship match wasn't decided yet, it is now. With the white pieces Kramnik did manage to get a certain advantage but Anand just refuses to make big mistakes in Bonn, and so a not too exciting 8th game ended in a draw at move 39. With a 5.5-2.5 score, the match could be over on Sunday night.

"For the first time in the match I had a slightly better position, which was quite a relief," Kramnik started the press conference today, and this little sentence said more than everything else that would follow. The Indian wall Kramnik is trying to tear down is rock solid ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú seemingly made of even stronger material than Kramnik's own Berlin Wall in 2000! Where the Russian successfully countered Kasparov's attempts to win with White, it's Anand this time who comfortably equalizes in all his Black games - and even won two of them.

Again it was Anand who dictated play in the opening; his new approach in the - sometimes, but not today, very sharp - Vienna Variation of the Queen's Gambit was quite succesful after Kramnik quickly went for a line that wasn't considered the most critical by the journalists. After an inaccuracy by Anand, the Russian did get some pressure however, but it was't enough to create serious threats to Black's king. Anand's original way of centralizing rook and queen turned out to be more effective than clumsy.

Tomorrow is a rest day, and it might well be the last rest day. If Anand wins on Sunday the match is over, but two more draws are more likely and then the closing ceremony will be on Monday night. It doesn't feel great to have to write about Kramnik's loss at this stage already (not that we're biased to the challenger but simply because we had hoped for a more equal battle), but let's face it ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú it's over. Most of the journalists hope he'll win at least one game, to extend the match and to make it more exciting, but thus far the Russian hasn't come closer to winning chances than he has today.

steinbruck2

German Finance Minister and patron of the event Peer Steinbr?ɬºck
(in the middle) visited the venue today...

steinbruck

...to make the first move - as in all other games, 1.d4...

hall

...which attracted many extra (local) journalists and photographers

writing

Writing down the moves of the Vienna Queen's Gambit...

kramnikthinks

...which gave Kramnik no opening advantage but later his position was still better...

anand

...but not enough to bring down the World Champion, now a point from retaining his title

Here's the 8th match game:



Match score:

Name Nat. Rtg
G01
14/10
G02
15/10
G03
17/10
G04
18/10
G05
20/10
G06
21/10
G07
23/10
G08
24/10
G09
26/10
G10
27/10
G11
29/10
G12
31/10
Anand IND 2783
?Ǭ?
?Ǭ?
1
?Ǭ?
1
1
?Ǭ?
?Ǭ?
5?Ǭ?
Kramnik RUS 2772
?Ǭ?
?Ǭ?
0
?Ǭ?
0
0
?Ǭ?
?Ǭ?
2?Ǭ?



Here's our playlist of videos. If the video of game 8 doesn't show, you can also view it here.

Links:

(Note that the comments below this article started during our live coverage of the game)

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Peter Doggers's picture
Author: Peter Doggers

Founder and editor-in-chief of ChessVibes.com, Peter is responsible for most of the chess news and tournament reports. Often visiting top events, he also provides photos and videos for the site. He's a 1.e4 player himself, likes Thai food and the Stones.

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Comments

mihajovics's picture

mihajovics

4 years 6 months ago

How can white improve his position?
to karthik: What's Rybka's evaluation output? Could you please post it?

Bharat's picture

Bharat

4 years 6 months ago

Now Kd2 is playable I think

karthik's picture

karthik

4 years 6 months ago

How abt Ne7 and later Ng6 provides lot of option to attack on the k-side

DoctorSpock's picture

DoctorSpock

4 years 6 months ago

19. Re1 is better. Nb5 is now possible.

shy_guest's picture

shy_guest

4 years 6 months ago

19 Rd1 Rxd1 20 Nxd1 & then what ? 19 Nb5 has to be a better try.

ludo's picture

ludo

4 years 6 months ago

19...a6?
anybody has another idea?

mihajovics's picture

mihajovics

4 years 6 months ago

to DoctorSpock:
Almost Rd1, but then exchanges and the position is too equal, I guess... not good for Kramnik now, he has to keep things more unbalanced.
What about Kh1 Rf3? :)

mihajovics's picture

mihajovics

4 years 6 months ago

Nd5, whoa, what a move...
I guess it's strong even without the check, maybe like Ne5 - Kf8 Nxf6... but I'm just a patzer without even enginge assistance

karthik's picture

karthik

4 years 6 months ago

=(0.14) ke1 kf8, ref1 kg7

or

=(0.14) ref1 kf8, kh1 kg7

ajay's picture

ajay

4 years 6 months ago

But then both knights are out and it becomes a heavy piece ending..usually a draw

Rhaban's picture

Rhaban

4 years 6 months ago

when Anand wins today again he will probably send Kramnik the noob song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKGDTK2pKEo ;-)

tripledice's picture

tripledice

4 years 6 months ago

if Ke7 then Nd5+ is possible ?

Bharat's picture

Bharat

4 years 6 months ago

oops mean nd5+

tripledice's picture

tripledice

4 years 6 months ago

if Ke7 then Nd5+ is possible ?

karthik's picture

karthik

4 years 6 months ago

Definitely a6 makes the most sense

Bharat's picture

Bharat

4 years 6 months ago

I dont htink Ke7 is playable -- ne5+ looks too strong

Juliette (France)'s picture

Juliette (France)

4 years 6 months ago

Why Anand avoid the safer 19)...Kf8.
Now 20)Nd5 seems sharp, expoiting the X-rays on Black's king

ajay's picture

ajay

4 years 6 months ago

Maybe not! Kramnik does Nd5

robinson's picture

robinson

4 years 6 months ago

black is trying to reinforce his centralized queen by Rd8

JM's picture

JM

4 years 6 months ago

If Kramnik were in good form, I would say this is a very good kind of position for him: a small, long lasting edge. If Kramnik plays his best chess, the position offers some chances to make it a match again. With his current form, I do not really expect it, though.

shy_guest's picture

shy_guest

4 years 6 months ago

Rybka thinks Kh8 makes Black's position ever so slightly worse.

DoctorSpock's picture

DoctorSpock

4 years 6 months ago

Still interesting game. Great phase of manouvering.
Hopefully this is more Kramniks ground and can he reinflated the match as a match.

kievit's picture

kievit

4 years 6 months ago

hey, ghoba... you do see move 36 here? i only get 31 still. I refreshed the page, clicked the "last move" button, no progress. so maybe something else is going wrong.

DoctorSpock's picture

DoctorSpock

4 years 6 months ago

36. ..., Qc4 with the treat 37. ..., Rd1 and the rook cannot be taken?

Jos's picture

Jos

4 years 6 months ago

Perhaps Kramnik wants to move his king to h6 and mate Anand there.

Jos

tripledice's picture

tripledice

4 years 6 months ago

try open the g file by Kh3 and Rg2 ?

Joe's picture

Joe

4 years 6 months ago

Hope kramnik is trying to make the time control and not go for a draw at this point.

Joe's picture

Joe

4 years 6 months ago

Hard tom understand Re2 but I am not a GM

mahi's picture

mahi

4 years 6 months ago

looks another perfect draw

kievit's picture

kievit

4 years 6 months ago

Hm... chessvibes is 4 moves behind. Here I see now move 31 as the most recent move, but on the official site I see already move 35. So there is still some delay, apparently.

ghoba's picture

ghoba

4 years 6 months ago

Re2? why did he play that move? Planing Kh3 and Rg2 and g4?

Zaw's picture

Zaw

4 years 6 months ago

h4 for kramnik, threatening to move the pawn to h6 and mate with queen on g7?

orange's picture

orange

4 years 6 months ago

..Qd7?

Bharat's picture

Bharat

4 years 6 months ago

Kramnik will force the draw now or he will lose

Joe's picture

Joe

4 years 6 months ago

Sorry f5 does not work Q x Q

Joe's picture

Joe

4 years 6 months ago

May be Qg5 and then f5

DoctorSpock's picture

DoctorSpock

4 years 6 months ago

32. e5 !!
Kramnik really tries hard.

shy_guest's picture

shy_guest

4 years 6 months ago

Rybka gives both 32 ... f5 & exf5 as flat equality with repetition in case of exf5 33 Qg5+ Kh8 34 Qf6+ Kg8 35 Qg5 + etc. & something similar for 32 ...f5

ghoba's picture

ghoba

4 years 6 months ago

that means rybka prefers black?Ǭ¥s position? Why should white give perpetual check?

ghoba's picture

ghoba

4 years 6 months ago

same comment robinson :-)

ajay's picture

ajay

4 years 6 months ago

I'd say the plan is...f5, Rf4, Rh4 with the king escaping to h3.

shy_guest's picture

shy_guest

4 years 6 months ago

Dead drawn by repetition.

ghoba's picture

ghoba

4 years 6 months ago

f5 and Rf4 now? And, if necessary Kh3

robinson's picture

robinson

4 years 6 months ago

now kramnik should know anand's weakness, elimante black's bishop.

Joe's picture

Joe

4 years 6 months ago

interesting fe5 will be probably followed by f5. This is a turning point in the game

ghoba's picture

ghoba

4 years 6 months ago

what about Rf1 and Rd1 vs Rd8
after some exchanges the white king is more central

robinson's picture

robinson

4 years 6 months ago

white's plan is to echange peices at d file, bringing his king is near to the center.

Bharat's picture

Bharat

4 years 6 months ago

The time situation looks bad for both -- 18 moves in half an hour?

tripledice's picture

tripledice

4 years 6 months ago

my grandmather would have played f5 instantly

Bharat's picture

Bharat

4 years 6 months ago

Anand is playing ultra safe -- if kramnik tries to force a win he will lose

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