Promoting my blog!

This is from the blog I wrote today about the WCC 2008. It didn't show up on the main page under the blogs heading, so to get the word out I decided to post it in the forums where there is a lot of activity. I had trouble with the diagram so I couldn't use one. At the time I was mad at chess.com for the diagram malfunction, but it worked out ok. Guys could you fix the diagram making tool!!

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GM Aronian expected sparks to fly , but 4.f3 was delightful. Kramnik avoided the Slav Defence, keeping with his grind-it-out strategy, only to encounter a move inviting sharp play and complications."He [Anand] played something that would be considered the least likely line to be played in a World Championship match," stated well by GM Aronian.

GM Kramnik seemed a little lost with this one, so let's take a look. Of course I will also post the article with GM Aronian's comments at the end...

Well I would have liked to post the game with comments in nice little diagram (especially after I spent an hour annotating this game), but chess.com's diagram creator doesn't work as usual and I have wasted a large amount of my time. Thanks chess.com!!! I will have to post it without a board. Here you go, sorry.

1. d4 The reason this was some what of a 1st move surprise by GM Anand was that he typically plays 1.e4. Although, he has started with 1.d4 against GM Kasparov and has had good results against GM Illescas, GM Adams using 1.d4. He also beat GM Kramnik at the 6th Amber-rapid, 1997 where Vlad tried a Ragozin Defence.   1... Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 It was said by IM Malcom Pein that GM Kramnik avoided the Slav Defence because of a game he lost to GM Morozevich. IM Pein was referring to Morozevich-Kramnik, 2008 Tal Memorial Rd. 3 ()  4. f3 I could not find any games where GM Anand had played this in tournament or match play before this game. IM Pein refers to the game Gheroghiu-Fischer, 1966 Havana Rd. 12 where Gheroghiu employed 4. f3 against Fischer to gain the full point.   4... d5 5. a3 After the coming line this game enters the Saemisch Variation main line. What surprises me is that GM Kramnik ran into some endgame comlications (and by complications I mean for black) in a line that has been analyzed so much. For details on this line look at IM Peins annotations via the link to the article.  5... Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 c5 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. dxc5 f5 To make e2-e4 for difficult for white.  9. Qc2 Nd7 GM Kramnik says, "let's get away from your preperation my friend."   10. e4 fxe4 11. fxe4 N5f6 12. c6 bxc6 Look at all the isolated pawns. However, Anand's 12.c6 was done to avoid pawn weaknesses. IM Pein says, "as in game one Anand avoids pawn weakenesses," as if it is part of Anand's match strategy. Just seems like good play to me.  13. Nf3 Continuing development.  13... Qa5 14. Bd2 Had 14. Be2 occured what do you think about 14...Nxe4 15. Qxe4, Qxc3+  14... Ba6 15. c4 Qc5 16. Bd3 Ng4 Entering into whites terriory, eyeing his uncastled king.  17. Bb4 Qe3+ 18. Qe2 O-O-O 19. Qxe3 Nxe3 A knight on your sixth is usually a good thing.  20. Kf2 Ng4+ Why not 20...Nxc4? Because 21. Rac1 with the pin on the hanging bishop at a6.  21. Kg3 Ndf6 22. Bb1 h5 23. h3 h4+ A pawn sacrifice.  24. Nxh4 Ne5 25. Nf3 Nh5+ Certainly black has a lot of activity.   26. Kf2 Nxf3 27. Kxf3 27. gxf3 is bad. More activity for black and some more dark square weaknesses.   27... e5 The culmination of the pawn sac at h4. Whites light squared bishop is bad and did I already say black has a good amount of activity?  28. Rc1 Protecting the pawn at c4.   28... Nf4 This knight is strong.  29. Ra2 A little bit of defense. This move protects whites 2nd rank.  29... Nd3 30. Rc3 Nf4 "Draw my friend," says GM Kramnik?   31. Bc2 "No not yet Vlad," responds GM Anand.  31... Ne6 32. Kg3 Avoiding the forced exchange of bishop for knight after Nd4+.  32... Rd4 Draw is agreed after this move. For analysis I refer you to IM Pein whose analysis you can find via the link at the bottom of this post.  

Here is the link to the article anyways. Enjoy.

http://chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=4961

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I will be following the WCC 2008 and posting my annotations along with interesting analysis from myself and others. Hope you stop on by!

Thanks KCO, but it does not have all my annotations along with it (please don't go spend time doing that). I was peeved right after it happened, but it wasn't a big problem. Just kind of annoying. Hopefully, chess.com fixes what ever glitches that tool has. I have had problems with it before.