Kramnik stretches leads with fine win

By Arvind Aaron

LONDON, OCT. 25. Challenger Vladimir Kramnik cashed in on elementary and rare mistakes from Garry Kasparov to increase his lead to two points and move to a position of strength in the Braingames World chess championship match here on Tuesday.

After defeating the champion in a miniature battle in 25 moves with the white pieces in game ten, Kramnik is leading the 16- match series 6-4 and requires five draws or two and a half points to win the title.

Trailing 4-5 in the match, Kasparov repeated the Nimzo-Indian defence as black, his third choice opening for the second time. Kramnik came prepared for another line, the main variation that breaks away with 4.e3.

After they played the opening moves, Kasparov was playing a black variation of the Nimzo-Indian defence, which Karpov favours. In the isolated queen pawn, Kasparov's recapture on move 14 was a serious inaccuracy. It was not the losing move but it was a serious mistake after which Kramnik pounced on a bishop sacrifice to win two pawns.

After Kasparov reduced the pawn deficit on move 18, white was ahead tactically with most variations favouring him. Kramnik's knight entry into attack was the important one and it had to deliver the decisive blow to the weak black back rank.

The novelty was made by Kasparov on move 19 when he varied from the Hazai-Danielsen, game played at Valby 1994 when black tried 19...Qf4 and lost an exchange down ending on move 32.

Kasparov was not under much time pressure having over half an hour for the 23....Rf8 mistake he made. The pressroom was analysing 23...h5 with survival chances. He made that move in under a minute and paid for it. Kramnik's next was assuring him a rook for knight advantage, a near winning advantage in the simple position they were in.

After seeing white's 25th move, Kasparov strapped his watch to signal that he was leaving and then resigned in a flash to leave the stage. It was a three-hour entertainment for the spectators who paid œ 20.

The moves:

GM V. Kramnik-GM G. Kasparov, match game ten, Nimzo-Indian defence, E54: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0 5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 c5 7.0-0 cxd4 8.exd4 dxc4 9. Bxc4 b6 10.Bg5 Bb7 11.Re1 Nbd7 12.Rc1 Rc8 13.Qb3 Be7 14.Bxf6 Nxf6 15.Bxe6 fxe6 16.Qxe6+ Kh8 17.Qxe7 Bxf3 18.gxf3 Qxd4 19.Nb5 Qxb2 20.Rxc8 Rxc8 21.Nd6 Rb8 22. Nf7 Kg8 23.Qe6 Rf8 24.Nd8+ Kh8 25.Qe7 1-0. Time used: 1.28/1.31.

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