World Chess Championship 2008
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| Viswanathan Anand | Vladimir Kramnik | |
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| status | Defending champion world champion since 2007 |
Challenger World Champion 2000–2007 |
| Age | 38 years | 33 years |
| Elo rating (October 2008) | 2783 | 2772 |
The 2008 World Chess Championship was held between the reigning world chess champion Viswanathan Anand and his challenger Wladimir Kramnik from October 14th to October 29th, 2008 in Bonn . The venue was the Bundeskunsthalle . Anand had been the title holder since the 2007 World Chess Championship in Mexico City , where Kramnik finished second as defending champion. This world championship fight was made possible for Kramnik by a special rule clause of the world chess federation FIDE , which guaranteed him and the former FIDE world champion Wesselin Topalow privileges after the unification fight in 2006 .
Anand defended his world title prematurely after eleven games with 6½: 4½ points.
background
When the unification battle between the FIDE world champion Wesselin Topalow and the "classic" world champion Kramnik took place in 2006, FIDE's plans for the 2007 World Chess Championship in Mexico were already in place. A place in this tournament had already been reserved for the winner of the previous FIDE World Cup in 2005 , which took place in Argentina, but Topalov, who won that tournament, agreed that if he lost in the 2006 Unification Battle, his place in 2007 would go to Kramnik would ignore whatever happened. As a result, Topalow (then second in the FIDE world rankings) was not allowed to take part in the 2007 World Cup; However, he was given the right to play a revenge match against Kramnik in 2008 if Kramnik won the 2007 World Cup. In the event that Kramnik did not win - and this happened when Anand won - the right to a fight for rematch in 2008 went to Kramnik, while Topalov was given the right to play against the winner of the FIDE World Cup 2007 - Gata Kamsky won - a match to contest the challenge right at the 2010 World Chess Championship , where the 2008 world champion had to defend his title.
Anand / Kramnik balance sheet before the World Cup
Between 1989 and 2008 Anand and Kramnik played a total of 51 tournament games against each other.
Anand's victory |
draw | Kramnik's victory |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Anand (white) - Kramnik (black) | 2 | 19th | 0 |
| Kramnik (White) - Anand (Black) | 2 | 22nd | 6th |
| All in all | 4th | 41 | 6th |
Competition conditions
Basic rules
The duel should be played over twelve games with a classic time limit: 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, 60 minutes for the next 20 and 15 minutes for the rest of the game with an additional 30 seconds per move from move 61 on (game plan and rules , Sections 1.1 and 3.5.1). The player who scored 6.5 points first was the winner.
Tie-break rules
In the event of a tie after twelve matches on November 2, a jump-off (would tiebreak ) have been recognized: It should first four rapid games with a cooling off period of 25 minutes and an additional 10 seconds per train bring about the decision. If it were then again a draw on points, another two games would be scheduled, whereby the time to think about would have been reduced to five minutes with an additional 10 seconds per move. If everyone had the same number of points even after these two games, a single game would have decided the world title. The player to whom White would have been drawn would have received six minutes for the entire game, while Black only received five minutes. There would no longer have been an extra time for each move made. If this game had ended in a draw, the player with the black pieces would have been declared the winner (game board and rules, section 3.7). For the tiebreak, FIDE rule C3 would be overridden. An illegal move would not have led to an immediate loss in the blitz games. With the first illegal move, the opponent would have received two extra minutes in the event of a complaint and the position before the illegal move would have been restored. The game would be lost the second time. If the starting position was set up incorrectly, the players would have ten moves to correct. The referees wrote down the moves, whereby the players could have inspected the match form at any time and could have claimed a draw by repeating the position or the 50-move rule. In the event of an incorrect complaint, the opponent would have been credited with three minutes and the complainant would have been deducted half of the reflection time, but a maximum of three minutes (game plan and rules, section 3.7).
Framework
Kramnik assessed the world championship in duel form as "ten times more important" than in a World Cup tournament like 2007. Anand, on the other hand, was positive about the World Cup in a double round tournament, as it was used at the World Championships in San Luis in 2005 and in Mexico City in 2007 - also with regard to the attractiveness for the audience. However , he criticized Kramnik's unique right to the 2008 challenge (→ Background section ) as ridiculous.
The prize money was 1.5 million euros . Regardless of the outcome of the fight, it was divided evenly, with 600,000 euros each going to Anand and Kramnik, and 300,000 euros to FIDE as the organizing world association. After the "toilet affair" at the 2006 World Cup in Elista and further allegations of chess fraud, security measures were introduced that were supposed to prevent technical manipulation with the help of metal detectors and eye contact with the audience through a gauze curtain. While switched on cell phones in the auditorium were not wanted and a cell phone ringing should even lead to the immediate loss of the game for one of the opponents, the audience was not restricted from moving into the adjoining commentary room and back. There, conversations and phone calls were possible, while the German grandmasters Helmut Pfleger and Klaus Bischoff commented on the ongoing games and discussed possible moves with the audience.
Objections to the establishment of the venue, such as those that led to the “toilet affair” in 2006, should not be possible (schedule and rules, section 3.15.3), rejected appeals to the complaints committee could be punished with a fine of 500 euros (schedule and rules , Section 3.14.1). The players were obliged to be available for press questions for 20 minutes after the game (game schedule and rules, section 3.11.2).
The names of Anand's seconds were kept secret during the preparation period, but Anand had already designated the Danish grandmaster Peter Heine Nielsen as the core of his World Cup team in 2007; In preparation, he preferred casual collaboration with several consultants to working with a small team. During the World Cup he was supported by the second Peter Heine Nielsen, Rustam Kasimjanov , Surya Shekhar Ganguly and Radosław Wojtaszek .
Kramnik announced the members of his team of helpers, which included his manager, five days before the start of the competition. He was advised by the grandmasters Péter Lékó , Sergei Rubljowski and Laurent Fressinet .
Schedule and results
All games started at 3 p.m. On the website of the organizer Universal Event Promotion (UEP), the first games were initially staggered by about half an hour, and since the 5th game they have switched to a live broadcast.
| Lot | Date (2008) | Game result | opening | ECO code | Trains | Intermediate result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anand | Kramnik | Anand | Kramnik | |||||
| 1 | October 14th | ½ | ½ | Slav Defense | D14 | 32 | ½ | ½ |
| 2 | 15th October | ½ | ½ | Nimzowitsch-Indian Defense | E25 | 32 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | October 17th | 1 | 0 | Semi-Slav Defense | D49 | 41 | 2 | 1 |
| 4th | October 18 | ½ | ½ | Queen's Gambit declined | D37 | 29 | 2½ | 1½ |
| 5 | the 20th of October | 1 | 0 | Semi-Slav Defense | D49 | 35 | 3½ | 1½ |
| 6th | October 21 | 1 | 0 | Classical system (Nimzo-Indian) | E34 | 47 | 4½ | 1½ |
| 7th | 23rd October | ½ | ½ | Slav Defense | D19 | 37 | 5 | 2 |
| 8th | October 24th | ½ | ½ | Viennese variant | D39 | 39 | 5½ | 2½ |
| 9 | October 26th | ½ | ½ | Moscow variant | D43 | 45 | 6th | 3 |
| 10 | October 27 | 0 | 1 | Nimzowitsch-Indian Defense | E20 | 29 | 6th | 4th |
| 11 | October 29th | ½ | ½ | Najdorf variant | B96 | 24 | 6½ | 4½ |
Thus, Anand defended his world title early.
course
1st game
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- Kramnik-Anand ½: ½
- Bonn, October 14, 2008
- Slav Defense , D14
- 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 cxd5 5. Bf4 Nc6 6. e3 Bf5 7. Nf3 e6 8. Db3 Bb4 9. Bb5 0-0 10. Bxc6 Bxc3 + 11. Qxc3 Rc8 12. Ne5 Ng4 13.Nxg4 Bxg4 14. Qb4 Rxc6 15. Qxb7 Qc8 16. Qxc8 Rfxc8 17. 0–0 a5 18. f3 Bf5 19.Rfe1 Bg6 20. b3 f6 21. e4 dxe4 22. fxe4 Rd8 23rd Rad1 Rc2 24. e5 fxe5 25. Bxe5 Rxa2 26. Ra1 Rxa1 27. Rxa1 Rd5 28. Rc1 Rd7 29. Rc5 Ta7 30. Rc7 Rxc7 31. Bxc7 Bc2 32.Bxa5 Bxb3 ½: ½
The first game ended with a fought draw after three hours. Anand (Schwarz) had meanwhile sacrificed a pawn , but Kramnik could not gain an advantage. "The position required a draw," declared both players after the game. Kramnik noted that he "tried everything, but that was all I could get out of the game".
2nd game
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- Anand-Kramnik ½: ½
- Bonn, October 15, 2008
- Nimzowitsch-Indian Defense , E25
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. f3 d5 5. a3 Bxc3 + 6. bxc3 c5 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. dxc5 f5 9. Qc2 Nd7 10. e4 fxe4 11. fxe4 S5f6 12. c6 bxc6 13. Nf3 Da5 14. Bd2 Ba6 15. c4 Qc5 16. Bd3 Ng4 17. Bb4 De3 + 18. De2 0–0–0 19. Qxe3 Nxe3 20. Kf2 Ng4 + 21. Kg3 Ndf6 22. Bb1 h5 23. h3 h4 + 24. Nxh4 Ne5 25. Nf3 Nh5 + 26. Kf2 Nxf3 27. Kxf3 e5 28. Rc1 Nf4 29. Ra2 Nd3 30. Rc3 Nf4 31. Bc2 Ne6 32. Kg3 Rd4 ½: ½
The second game also ended in a draw after just under four hours. “I wasn't surprised by its opening, I've learned my lessons. It was a very complicated game today, ”said Kramnik (Black) afterwards. “I was a little better, but I was short of time . That's why I accepted the draw, ”explained Anand.
3rd game
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- Kramnik-Anand 0: 1
- Bonn, October 17, 2008
- Semi-Slav Defense , D49
- 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 a6 9. e4 c5 10. e5 cxd4 11. Nxb5 axb5 12. exf6 gxf6 13. 0–0 Qb6 14. De2 Bb7 15. Bxb5 Bd6 16. Rd1 Rg8 17. g3 Rg4 18. Bf4 Bxf4 19. Nxd4 h5 20. Nxe6 fxe6 21.Rxd7 Kf8 22. Qd3 Rg7 23.Rxg7 Kxg7 24. gxf4 Rd8 25. Qe2 Kh6 26.Kf1 Rg8 27.a4 Bg2 + 28. Ke1 Lh3 29.Ra3 (better: 29.Rd1) Rg1 + 30.Kd2 Qd4 + 31.Kc2 Bg4 32. f3 (see diagram , there was a possibility of defense in 32.Rd3) Bf5 + 33 . Bd3 Lh3 (fast gaining 33. ... Lxd3 + 34. TXD3 Dc4 + and if 35. Kd2 Dc1 #) 34. a5 (better 34. Qd2) Tg2 35. a6 Txe2 + 36. Lxe2 Lf5 + 37. Kb3 De3 + 38. Ka2 Dxe2 39th a7 Qc4 + 40. Ka1 Qf1 + 41. Ka2 Bb1 + 0: 1
After four hours, Kramnik (white) gave up. He made a mistake on move 33, after which Anand for his part overlooked the immediate victory, but with his active pieces ensured victory despite a short time. "I thought I would lose if I moved the king," said Kramnik afterwards, referring to the alternative 33. Kb3. In Dorian Rogozenco's analysis , 32. f3 is named as a crucial mistake.
4th game
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- Anand-Kramnik ½: ½
- Bonn, October 18, 2008
- Queen's Gambit declined , D37
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 0–0 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. 0–0 Rfd8 17. Bg4 De5 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 ½: ½
The fourth game ended in a draw after around two and a half hours. Both players were satisfied with the result. While Anand (White) as overall leader did not need to win, the result was assessed as “an important draw for Kramnik”, as he “found himself in a psychologically uncomfortable situation after yesterday's defeat in the third game”.
5th game
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- Kramnik-Anand 0: 1
- Bonn, October 20, 2008
- Semi-Slav Defense, D49
- 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 a6 9. e4 c5 10. e5 cxd4 11. Nxb5 axb5 12. exf6 gxf6 13. 0–0 Qb6 14. De2 Bb7 15. Bxb5 Rg8 16. Bf4 Bd6 17. Bg3 f5 18. Rfc1 f4 19. Bh4 Be7 20. a4 Bxh4 21. Nxh4 Ke7 22.Ra3 Rac8 23.Rxc8 Rxc8 (Kramnik simplified under time pressure. ) 24.Ra1 Qc5 25.Qg4 De5 26.Nf3 Qf6 27.Re1 Rc5 28.b4 Rc3 29.Nxd4 (Kramnik had apparently not calculated the following development, a trap by Anand.) Qxd4 30.Rd1 Nf6 31. Txd4 Sxg4 32. Td7 + Kf6 33. Txb7 Tc1 + 34. Lf1 Se3 (see diagram) 35. fxe3 fxe3 0: 1 the black Freibauer decides the game.
The opponents repeated the opening of the third game, a variant in the Merano system : “This position is of great importance. If Kramnik cannot prove an advantage for White here, he will face real difficulties in this competition. ”Because with this position,“ Anand's main weapon ”against the Queen’s Gambit ,“ Kramnik should have dealt extensively [...] before the competition ”, commented Dorian Rogozenco . But Anand was the first to deviate from the third game with 15.… Rg8 (instead of 15.… Bd6) and thereby acquired a slight advantage. With a relatively short time to think it over, Kramnik overlooked a tactical trick that finally decided the game on move 34. “I can imagine a better situation. But my situation is not yet completely hopeless, ”he said after his second defeat. In India, the 14th… Bb7 played by Anand in the third and fifth games is now known as the “Bonn Variation”.
6th game
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- Anand-Kramnik 1-0
- Bonn, October 21, 2008
- Nimzowitsch-Indian Defense, E34
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. cxd5 Qxd5 6. Nf3 Qf5 7. Qb3 Nc6 8. Bd2 0–0 9. h3 (A new move, so far White always played 9. e3 .) 9.… b6 10. g4 Qa5 11. Rc1 Bb7 12. a3 Bxc3 13. Bxc3 Qd5 14. Qxd5 Nxd5 15. Bd2 Nf6 16. Rg1 Rac8 17. Bg2 Ne7 18. Bb4 c5 19. dxc5 Rfd8 20. Ne5 Bxg2 21.Rxg2 bxc5 22.Rxc5 Ne4 23.Rxc8 Rxc8 24.Nd3 Nd5 25. Bd2 Rc2 26. Bc1 f5 27.Kd1 Rc8 28. f3 Nd6 29. Ke1 a5 30. e3 e5 31. gxf5 e4 32. fxe4 Nxe4 33. Bd2 a4 34.Nf2 Nd6 35. Rg4 Nc4 36. e4 Nf6 37. Rg3 Nxb2 38. e5 Nd5 39. f6 Kf7 (see diagram) 40. Ne4 Nc4 41. fxg7 (easier was 41. Rxg7 +) 41.… Kg8 42. Rd3 Ndb6 43.Bh6 (43. e6 was also possible and if 43.… Kxg7 44. Rg3 + plus mate) 43.… Nxe5 44. Nf6 + Kf7 45. Rc3 Rxc3 46. g8D + Kxf6 47.Bg7 + 1: 0
Former world champion Anatoly Karpov symbolically opened the sixth game. Anand (White) accepted "two pawn sacrifices and played the advantage with stoic calm", so that Kramnik made inaccuracies in the time pressure before move 40. After the game, Karpov announced that Kramnik's bad form was evident. For the first time, Anand and Kramnik had to face a doping test after the sixth game . The opening innovation 9. h3 was chosen as the most important in volume 104 of the Chessinformator .
7th game
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- Anand-Kramnik ½: ½
- Bonn, October 23, 2008
- Slav Defense, D19
- 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3 e6 7. Bxc4 Bb4 8. 0–0 Nbd7 9. De2 Bg6 10. e4 0–0 11. Bd3 Bh5 12. e5 Nd5 13. Nxd5 cxd5 14. De3 Re8 15. Ne1 Bg6 16. Bxg6 hxg6 17. Nd3 Qb6 18. Nxb4 Qxb4 19. b3 Rac8 20. Ba3 Qc3 21. Rac1 Qxe3 22. fxe3 f6 23. Bd6 g5 24. h3 Kf7 25.Kf2 Kg6 26.Ke2 fxe5 27.dxe5 b6 28.b4 Rc4 29.Rxc4 dxc4 30.Rc1 Rc8 31.g4 a5 32.b5 c3 33.Rc2 Kf7 34.Kd3 Nc5 + 35.Lxc5 Rxc5 36.Rxc3 Rxc3 + 37. Kxc3 ½: ½
With the Slavic defense , Kramnik played “more carefully this time and didn't run into time constraints as before.” He built up a solid position with Black and was able to keep the game with a careful defense without much difficulty. Because in a difficult position Kramnik succeeded in building a fortress with pawn sacrifices , in which the white extra pawn was of no importance. Anand commented: "In the end I was a little better and could have risked more, but I chose the draw variant."
8th game
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- Kramnik-Anand ½: ½
- Bonn, October 24, 2008
- Rejected Queen's Gambit ( Viennese variant ), D39
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. e4 Bb4 6. Bg5 c5 7. Bxc4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Qa5 9. Bb5 + Bd7 10. Bxf6 Bxb5 (“[N] Oh, Anand's innovation comes to a position that has never occurred in practice. ”) 11. Ndxb5 gxf6 12. 0–0 Nc6 13. a3 Bxc3 14. Nxc3 Rg8 15. f4 Rd8 16. De1 Qb6 + 17. Rf2 Rd3 18. De2 Qd4 19 Re1 a6 20. Kh1 Kf8 21. Ref1 Rg6 22. g3 Kg7 23. Rd1 Rxd1 + 24. Nxd1 Kh8 25. Nc3 Rg8 26. Kg2 Rd8 27. Qh5 Kg7 28. Qg4 + Kh8 29. Qh5 Kg7 30. Qg4 + Kh8 31. Qh4 Kg7 32. e5 f5 33. Qf6 + Kg8 34. Qg5 + Kh8 35. Qf6 + Kg8 36. Re2 Qc4 37. Qg5 + Kh8 38. Qf6 + Kg8 39. Qg5 + Kh8 ½: ½
After Federal Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück , patron of this World Chess Championship, symbolically opened the eighth game, Kramnik managed to gain an advantage with the white pieces. But Anand "played almost flawlessly and always kept a cool head" and was able to avoid major positional disadvantages with aggressive play. "I tried everything, but my opponent defended very carefully," said Kramnik when the game ended in a draw after 3:40 hours.
The fact that Kramnik had to play more risky to win a game against Anand was denied: There was no point in “losing like an idiot”, he commented and at the same time saw “the slightly better position in the match” on his side for the first time. without being able to capitalize on it.
9th game
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- Anand-Kramnik ½: ½
- Bonn, October 26, 2008
- Semi-Slav Defense ( Moscow Variation ), D43
- 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 c6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 ( anti-Moscow variant ) dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Be2 Bb7 10. Qc2 Nbd7 11. Rd1 Bb4 12. Ne5 De7 13. 0–0 Nxe5 14. Bxe5 0–0 15. Bxf6 Qxf6 16. f4 Qg7 17. e5 c5 18. Nxb5 cxd4 19. Qxc4 a5 20. Kh1 Rac8 21. Qxd4 gxf4 22. Bf3 Ba6 23. a4 Rc5 24. Qxf4 Rxe5 25. b3 Bxb5 26. axb5 Rxb5 27. Be4 Bc3 28. Bc2 Be5 29. Qf2 Bb8 30. Qf3 Rc5 31. Bd3 Rc3 32. g3 Kh8 33. Qb7 f5 34. Qb6 Qe5 35. Qb7 Qc7 36. Qxc7 Bxc7 37. Bc4 Re8 38. Rd7 a4 39. Rxc7 axb3 40. Rf2 Rb8 41. Rb2 h5 42. Kg2 h4 43. Rc6 hxg3 44. hxg3 Rg8 45. Rxe6 Rxc4 ½: ½
This time the Moscow variant of the Half-Slav Defense was played. Anand chose the sharpest answer, the anti-Moscow Gambit. Kramnik gained an advantage with Black and at times seemed to be on the verge of his first win. Instead of carrying out a risky attack, however, when he was short of time, fearful of making a mistake, he agreed to swap queens on the 36th train. Despite the time pressure, Anand didn't make a mistake again and later confirmed Kramnik's advantage in the meantime: “I didn't play well today. It was my toughest game so far. I thought I was in a losing position. ”In the end, the thrilling game led to a tie final.
10th game
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- Kramnik-Anand 1-0
- Bonn, October 27, 2008
- Nimzowitsch-Indian Defense, E20
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 c5 5. g3 cxd4 6. Nxd4 0–0 7. Bg2 d5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Qb3 Qa5 10. Bd2 Nc6 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. 0– 0 Bxc3 13. bxc3 Ba6 14. Rfd1 Qc5 15. e4 Bc4 16. Qa4 Nb6 17. Qb4 Qh5 18. Re1 c5 19. Qa5 Rfc8 20. Be3 Be2 21. Bf4 e5 22. Be3 Bg4 23. Qa6 f6 24. a4 Qf7 25. Bf1 Be6 26. Tab1 c4 27. a5 Sa4 28. Rb7 De8 29. Qd6 (30 Re7 threatens to win a piece; after 29.… Bf7 White can do 30. Qb4 31. Ra1 or 30. Qb4 31. Rd1 32. Rd7 draw) 1-0
Kramnik (white) was able to surprise the defending champion, who chose a variant of the Nimzowitsch-Indian defense , with an innovation on move 18 (he drew 18 Re1 instead of the usual 18 Bf4) and gained an advantage, so that Anand ran out of time and revealed weaknesses when the game was unusually imprecise. After 2:54 hours, Anand gave up before his 29th move, as his position was "completely hopeless" and Kramnik threatened to win a piece.
With the victory in the tenth game Kramnik was able to avoid a debacle, but his remaining chances were assessed as very slim, although his form had improved in the last few games and he was already able to record positional advantages in the eighth and ninth game. On the day of rest, Kramnik's manager Carsten Hensel even described Kramnik's overall victory as “the greatest sensation in chess history”.
11th game
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- Anand-Kramnik ½: ½
- Bonn, October 29, 2008
- Sicilian Defense ( Najdorf Variation ), B96
- 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Qc7 8. Bxf6 gxf6 9. f5 Qc5 10. Qd3 Nc6 11. Nb3 Qe5 12. 0–0– 0 exf5 13. De3 Bg7 14.Rd5 De7 15.Qg3 Rg8 16.Qf4 fxe4 17.Nxe4 f5 18.Nxd6 + Kf8 19.Nxc8 Rxc8 20. Kb1 De1 + 21.Nc1 Ne7 22.Qd2 Qxd2 23.Rxd2 Bh6 24.Rf2 Be3 ½: ½
Anand (White) opened the eleventh game for the first time at this world championship with the king's pawn on e4, “his favorite move”. Kramnik tried to gain an advantage with the aggressive Najdorf variant of the Sicilian Defense and brought a risky innovation with 12.… exf5, which brought him an additional pawn at short notice. Anand won back the sacrificed pawn on move 18 and then simplified the position. On move 22 he forced the queen to be swapped. After that, Kramnik had no realistic chances of winning and after 3:01 hours of play he offered a draw in a slightly worse position, which was enough for Anand to win the competition.
After the World Cup
After the eleventh game, the award ceremony took place in the gaming room. FIDE honorary president Florencio Campomanes and the match director and president of the organizer UEP Josef Resch presented the glass trophies to defending champion Anand and the failed challenger Kramnik. "For me it was something special and the biggest match since the fight against Garry Kasparov in New York in 1995," said Anand, assessing his third world championship fight.
Ex-world champion Garry Kasparov also added himself to the ranks of commentators who rated Anand's game as “almost flawless and at the same time brilliant, with the courage to innovate and intricacies” :
“It was an excellent competition by Vishy. Besides the loss of concentration in the 10th game, he played very consistently and managed to assert his style. [...] It will not be easy for the younger generation to oust him. "
Artur Yusupov said something similar:
“Anand can calculate quickly, has a good sense of position, and plays an aggressive and at the same time natural style. He has found the necessary inner balance and is at the highest point of his chess career. "
The President of the German Chess Federation, Robert K. von Weizsäcker , put the final score into perspective:
“He [Anand] created computationally intensive types of positions, and he felt like a fish in the water. But the gap is a bit too high in the end, Anand is not that much better. "
Helmut Pfleger, one of the grandmasters who commented on the World Cup fight from the start, explained the significance of the final score:
“It is unheard of that Kramnik lost twice with white. At this world class level, the end result is almost a downfall. "
In addition to Anand's skills, Pfleger also emphasized the importance of the 2008 World Chess Championship for the unification of world championships and for the role model function of Anand and Kramnik as always polite opponents:
“He [Anand] has always been a very strong grandmaster, but has matured over the last decade and is now a universal player. This really is the best Anand the chess world has ever seen. [...] The level was good, the reunification in chess has finally succeeded. Two impeccable athletes have contributed a lot. "
The conclusion of the grandmaster Amador Rodríguez , who commented on the last games for UEP, was in the same sense:
"It was a very good match, where both players fought hard over the board and at the same time were true gentlemen outside of it."
"It was a very good duel in which both players fought hard on the board, but apart from that they were real men of honor."
The balance of the organizer UEP amounted to 3780 paying visitors in the Bonner Kunsthalle (with 4400 available tickets), 427 media representatives from 28 countries as well as a total of 1,271,000 visitors on ten internet servers who followed the games live.
By winning three games at this world championship, Anand was able to balance the overall balance from all games against Kramnik, although Kramnik still failed to win with the black pieces:
Anand's victory |
draw | Kramnik's victory |
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| Anand (white) - Kramnik (black) | 3 | 24 | 0 |
| Kramnik (White) - Anand (Black) | 4th | 24 | 7th |
| All in all | 7th | 48 | 7th |
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Top 100 Players October 2008. Accessed October 14, 2008 (English).
- ↑ For the period 1989 to 2007, the reference database contains megabase 2008 of ChessBase 50 tournament games between Anand and Kramnik. In detail: Moscow 1989, Linares 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998 (2 games), 1999 (2), 2000 (2), 2003 (2), Groningen 1993, Amsterdam 1993 (2) and 1996, Madrid 1993, Riga 1995 , Dos Hermanas 1996, 1997 and 1999, Dortmund 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 (2), 2003 (2), 2004 (2), 2007, Las Palmas 1996 (2), Belgrade 1997, Wijk aan Zee 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, Tilburg 1998, Belfort 2004, Sofia 2005 (2) and Mexico City 2007 (2). The present statistics are based on this balance sheet and the Anand-Kramnik game from Wijk aan Zee 2008. The result in fast games is 9-2 with 39 draw games for Anand (in detail: Moscow 1994 (2), 2002 and 2007 (2), Monte Carlo 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, Cologne 1996, Frankfurt 1998 (6) 1999 (4) 2000 (2), Villarrobledo 1998, Mainz 2001 (10), Cap d'Agde 2003 (2), Leon 2002 (6), Dortmund 2004 ( 2)), in blitz games 4-1 with 4 draws for Anand (Moscow 1994 (2) and 2007 (2), Frankfurt 1998 (3), Mainz 2001 (2)), in blind games Kramnik scored 4 against 3 wins with 5 draws (all 12 games played in Monte Carlo in 1994-2001, 2003-2005 and 2007). Source also for these results: Megabase 2008. See List of chess games between Anand and Kramnik in the English Wikipedia.
- ↑ a b c d e f Universal Event Promotion GmbH: Schedule and rules ( Memento from February 17, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) .
- ↑ a b Dagobert Kohlmeyer: Interview with World Cup challenger Wladimir Kramnik. "Bonn experiences the real fight for the chess crown" . On: chessbase.de , October 10, 2008.
- ↑ a b Rakesh Rao: 'Always do something that you like' , interview with Viswanathan Anand. In: Sportstar Weekly. Volume 30, No. 43, October 27, 2007.
- ^ A b c Ingo Neumayer: Chess World Cup: Report from Bonn. Silence in the hall, turmoil in the brain ( memento from October 29, 2008 in the Internet Archive ). On: sport.ard.de , October 26, 2008.
- ↑ See e.g. B. Toilet affair ends in scandal. An unprecedented toilet dispute endangers the progress of the World Chess Championship between Vladimir Kramnik and Weselin Topalow . On: sueddeutsche.de , October 2, 2006.
- ↑ See e.g. B. Martin Breutigam : When the thumb wobbles in the corner of the mouth. Is chess played wrong? Observations about the world number one Wesselin Topalow . In: Süddeutsche Zeitung . January 27, 2007.
- ↑ a b c d Kramnik cannot defeat Anand ( memento of October 29, 2008 in the Internet Archive ). On: sport.ard.de , October 26, 2008.
- ↑ Report at chesstigers.de , accessed on May 12, 2010.
- ↑ Frederic Friedel: A quick pre-match interview with Vladimir Kramnik . On: chessbase.de , October 9, 2008.
- ^ Chess World Cup - Kramnik versus Anand. A draw after 32 moves ( memento of October 17, 2008 in the Internet Archive ). On: sport.ard.de , October 14, 2008.
- ↑ A draw at the start between Anand and Kramnik . On: spiegel-online.de , October 14, 2008.
- ↑ Second draw between Kramnik and Anand . On: spiegel-online.de , October 15, 2008.
- ↑ Anand wins first win against Kramnik . On: spiegel-online.de , October 17, 2008.
- ↑ Dorian Rogozenco: Anand wins thanks to a powerful game ( Memento from November 4, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) . On: spiegel-online.de , October 17, 2008.
- ↑ Anand and Kramnik play a draw . On: spiegel-online.de , October 18, 2008.
- ↑ Dorian Rogozenco: Kramnik proves strong nerves . On: spiegel-online.de , October 18, 2008.
- ^ Anand wins to take 2-point lead over Kramnik ( Memento from October 23, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) . On: International Herald Tribune (iht.com), October 20, 2008.
- ↑ Dorian Rogozenco: Kramnik overlooks and loses . On: spiegel-online.de , October 20, 2008.
- ↑ World champion Anand extends leadership . On: spiegel-online.de , October 20, 2008.
- ^ Anand pulls off his second win as Kramnik blunders . In: Business Standard, October 22, 2008.
- ^ Dorian Rogozenco: Pleasant pawn sacrifice . On: spiegel-online.de , October 21, 2008.
- ↑ Anand moves up and away . On: spiegel-online.de , October 21, 2008.
- ↑ Karpov does not bring Kramnik any luck. On: www.mz-web.de , October 21, 2008.
- ↑ Kramnik stops losing streak . On: spiegel-online.de , October 23, 2008.
- ^ Dorian Rogozenco: No victory despite additional farmers ( Memento from April 19, 2010 in the Internet Archive ). On: spiegel-online.de , October 23, 2008.
- ↑ Anand is content with a draw ( memento of October 26, 2008 in the Internet Archive ). On: sport.ard.de , October 23, 2008.
- ^ Dorian Rogozenco: Draw after staged attack . On: spiegel-online.de , October 24, 2008.
- ↑ a b c Anand defends three-point lead . On: spiegel-online.de , October 24, 2008.
- ↑ Dorian Rogozenco: Anand remains under pressure ( Memento of November 13, 2008 in the Internet Archive ). On: spiegel-online.de , October 26, 2008.
- ↑ Anand shortly before defending his title . On: spiegel-online.de , October 26, 2008.
- ^ A b Dorian Rogozenco: Kramnik forces Anand to give up . On: spiegel-online.de , October 27, 2008.
- ↑ Kramnik wins and postpones the decision . On: spiegel-online.de , October 27, 2008.
- ↑ a b c World Chess Championship: Russian Kramnik without a chance. Anand defends title in Bonn ( Memento from December 1, 2008 in the Internet Archive ). On: sport.ard.de , October 29, 2008.
- ↑ a b World Chess Championship: Russian remains realistic after first victory. Kramnik wants to fight ( memento from October 31, 2008 in the Internet Archive ). On: sport.ard.de , October 28, 2008.
- ↑ Dorian Rogozenco: e4 at the beginning, world champion at the end . On: spiegel-online.de , October 30, 2008.
- ↑ World Champion: Viswanathan Anand! ( Memento of December 2, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Press release on uep-chess.com, October 29, 2008.
- ↑ a b c d Chess decision. Anand defends world championship title . On: spiegel-online.de , October 29, 2008.
- ↑ Chessbase.de, November 4, 2008
- ↑ GM Amador Rodriguez, October 29, 2008 (round 11) ( Memento of February 6, 2009 in the Internet Archive ). On: uep-chess.com , October 30, 2008 ( PDF , 121 KB), p. 3.
- ↑ Chess world champion: Kasparov ennobles Anand . On: spiegel-online.de , October 30, 2008.
literature
- Raymond Keene and Eric Schiller: World Chess Championship 2008 - Battle of Bonn. Vishy Anand vs. Vladimir Kramnik , Allen & Unwin, London 2008, ISBN 978-1-906661-01-4 .
Web links
- Official website of the World Chess Championship 2008 ( Memento of December 16, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
- chessgames.com: Tournament report and games. Retrieved May 4, 2014 .
- The analyzes of the grandmaster , Dorian Rogozenco, commented on the games on Spiegel Online.
- Press review at ChessBase with numerous articles about the World Cup