Kramnik wins big in Melody Amber

Position after 18...Qc7

In the following position, Morozevitch spots a clever combination. 19.Bxb6! Nxb6 [19...Qxb6 20.Nf6+] 20.Nf6+ Kh8 21.Nxe8 It's not check, but it works, because the knight attacks the black queen on c7. 21...Rxe8 22.Qa5 Kg8 23.e4 Being a clear exchange up White had no problems to convert his advantage through a calm ending. 1-0

Position after: ...Kxe7

26.Rxd5! Morozevich starts up the final assault against the black king. 26...exd5 27.Qf6+ Ke8 28.Qd6! Most grandmasters would have gone for the routine 28.Nd6+ Kd7 29.Nxf7 but Morozevich has another idea about how to conduct the attack. He is now threatening mate on f6, so the knight has to be captured at once. 28...dxe4 29.Rd1 Now there is only a sequence of forced moves to escape from mate 29...Rd2 30.Rxd2 Qc1+ 31.Rd1 Qc8 Black manages to stop all the immediate threats, but in return he is left with a completely collapsed position. 32.h3 An always, useful protection measure [32.Qxb4 was very easy as well] 32...a5 33.Qb6 Ke7 34.Qf6+ Ke8 35.Rd6! g5 Desperation. The rest is very easy. 36.Qxg5 Qc7 37.Qf6 e3 38.fxe3 Qe7 39.Qf3 Qc7 40.Qd5 Rg8 41.e6 Rg7 42.Qa8+ Ke7 43.Rd7+ 1-0

Position after: 18...Qg4

Black has just played 18...Qg4 instead of the much safer 18...Qc7 in response to 18.g3. As the next move shows, there is a very big danger for the queen in its location. 19.h5! White is now threatening 20.Rh4 trapping the queen. 19...b6 [19...e5 was the only move but after 20.Rh4 Qe6 21.Qd3 White wins easily] 20.Be4! [The Black's idea was to meet 20.Rh4 with 20...Ba6 with some practical chances.] 20...Ba6 21.Qc2 Rad8? [21...e5 was again necessary to save the queen] 22.Rh4! Qxh4 23.gxh4 Rxd1+ 24.Qxd1 Bxf2 25.Qd7 and White won a few moves later 1-043.Rd7+ 1-0

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The 8th Individual European Chess Championships

 The Championships will be held in Dresden (Germany) from April 3 until April 15 2007. The tournament hall is the International Congress Center.

ICC will have live coverage of the main games. The games will start at 09:00 EDT (15:00 CET).

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Game annotated by GM Amador Rodriguez

Amador Rodríguez is a Spanish Grand Master originally from Cuba. A former trainer of Peter Leko, Amador is now a director of leading Spanish chess magazine Peón de Rey.

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 b6 3.g3 c5 4.Bg2 Bb7 5.0-0 e6 6.Nc3 Be7 7.d4 cxd4 8.Qxd4 0-0 9.Rd1 d6 10.Bg5 Nbd7 11.Nb5 d5 12.cxd5 Bxd5 13.Nc3 Bc6

After a well know opening, we are about to enter in the middle game, but the position is still theoretical. 14.Qc4 A majority of games continued 14.Rac1, failing to obtain something concrete for White. 14...Qc8 15.e4 h6 [15...Nc5 16.e5 Nd5 17.b4 Nd7 occurred in an old game Kengis-Shabalov, Jurmala 1985, where White missed the strong continuations 18.Rac1 or even 18.b5 both leading to a clear advantage]

16.Bf4! A novelty [after 16.Nd4 Bb7 17.Qxc8 Rfxc8 18.e5 Bxg2 19.exf6 Bb4 20.Kxg2 Bxc3 21.bxc3 hxg5 22.Nxe6 Nxf6 23.Nxg5 Rxc3 Black reached a nice position in the game Kortschnoj-Ftacnik, Biel 1984] 16...Bb7 Surprisingly, after this natural move White is going to find a strong path to an advantage. [Probably Black had to play active with a move like 16...b5 but the position is still not equal after 17.Qe2 b4 18.Nb5+/=] 17.Qxc8 Raxc8 18.e5! Nd5 19.Nxd5 Bxd5

20.Ne1!? Just when everybody was expecting the normal 20.Nd4

20...Rfd8 [a better try was 20...f6 since the direct way to take the pawn with 21.Bxd5 exd5 22.Rxd5 Nxe5 23.Bxe5 fxe5 24.Rxe5 Bf6 25.Re2 Rfe8 allows Black far better counterplay than in the game.] 21.Bxd5 exd5 22.Rxd5 Black is now a clear pawn down, something very bad if you are playing against Vladimir Kramnik! 22...Nc5 23.Rad1 Rxd5 24.Rxd5 Kf8 25.Be3 Ke8

26.Bxc5!? Kramnik evaluates that the ending R + N against R + B was going to be easier for him to convert his advantage. 26...Bxc5 27.Kf1 Ke7 28.Nd3 Ke6 29.Nf4+ Ke7 30.Rd2 g5 31.Nd3 Bd4 32.Kg2 Ke6 33.Re2 Kf5

Black is trying hard to defend himself but Kramnik goes ahead with his superior endgame technique. 34.g4+! Kg6?! better was 34...Ke6 35.f4! f5 36.exf6 [36.Kf3!] 36...gxf4 37.Nxf4+ Kxf6 38.h4

It's still a long way till the end, but Kramnik is slowly improving his position. 38...Be5 39.Nd5+ Ke6 40.Ne3 Bf4? This provides White with a shortcut to the win. 41.Nf5+ Kf6 42.Rf2 Rc4 43.Ne3! Rd4

White now simplifies into an easily won king and pawns ending. 44.Rxf4+! Rxf4 45.Nd5+ Ke5 46.Nxf4 Kxf4 47.Kh3 a6 48.a4 b5 49.axb5 axb5 50.b4 Ke5 51.Kg3 Ke4 52.g5 1-0

ICC Quiz #3271
submitted by StesurBarsa



White mates in 2

To play this puzzle on the ICC type:
tell trainingbot number 3271
Then type: play trainingbot

ICC Quiz #3438
submitted by Tiger17



White mates in 3

To play this puzzle on the ICC type:
tell trainingbot number 3438
Then type: play trainingbot

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Solution to ICC Quiz #3271
submitted by StesurBarsa

1.Rxc7+!! Bxc7; 2.Ne7#

Solution to ICC Quiz #3438
submitted by Tiger17

1.Qh2+! Kg4; 2.Qh3+ Kf4; 3.Qf3#