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Along with chess fans everywhere, I was dismayed by the boring and predictable snooze-fest of a chess tournament that was Linares 2004. Fittingly, Vladimir Kramnik, aka “Vlad the Peaceful”, won the draw-riddled event with a score of +2 =10 –0, ahead of Peter Leko, +2 –1 =9 and Gary Kasparov +1 = 11 –0. How drawish was the tournament? Out of 42 games played, exactly 9 were decisive for a draw percentage of 79%. There are many reasons for this trend. These players know each other far too well. They know each other like twin siblings, if not better. They know each other's openings, choice of food, old jokes, music tastes, film preferences and each other's pin numbers and passwords. 

Mind-numbing opening research has removed the danger of early blunders and deadened the sense of adventure of most of the players. Openings like the English Attack to the Najdorf (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3) and the Sveshnikov Sicilian (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5) are being decoded by this top elite and their teams of analysts to the point of overkill. Often during the first 25 moves or so spectators will see the players searching up to the sky, not looking at the board as they stretch their memories to the outer limits, trying to remember openings 30 moves deep. Did Fritz say small plus or equal? Hmm I think small plus.

OK, I was thoroughly bored by this event. Kasparov's participation assured major attention by chess fans but he too failed to deliver any real buzz or excitement. The absence of Anand was another turnoff. His participation always seems to inspire both Kramnik and Kasparov.

Kramnik - Topalov [B90]

Linares, 2004

Sicilian Najdorf

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.f3 Nbd7 9.Qd2 b5 10.0–0–0 h5!?

Kramnik is new to the Najdorf so Topalov may have used this seldom-played sideline to test how comprehensive the Braingame  champ's knowledge is.

11.Nd5!

11.Kb1, 11.h3 and 11.Qf2 have all been played by reputable grandmasters, but Kramnik's simple and direct continuation looks effective enough. White hopes to set up powerful outpost on c6 for the passive knight on b3.  

Here's an example of 11.Kb1: 11…Qc7 12.Nd5 Bxd5 13.exd5 Nb6 14.Bxb6 Qxb6 15.Na5! g6 16.Qb4 Nd7 17.Nc6 Bg7 18.Bd3 Qc5 19.Qa5 Qb6 20.Qb4 Qc5 21.Qh4 Bf6 22.Qh3 with an edge for White, Grischuk-Inarkiev, Krasnayarsk 2003.

11...Bxd5 12.exd5 g6 13.Kb1 Nb6

13...Qc7 looks logical.  Play might then continue 14.Na5 Bg7 15.Nc6 Nb6 16.Bxb6 Qxb6 with a slight plus for White. The knight on c6 is a definite thorn, but otherwise Black has a healthy, solid position.

14.Qc3! Be7?

This natural move leads to Black's downfall. The calm 14...Rb8 meets the threat of Qc6+ without surrendering material (14...Rc8?? 15.Bxb6). White can then play to rip into Black's center with 15.f4, leading to a small plus for White after 15...Qc8 16.Qxc8+ (16.Qe1 Nbxd5 17.fxe5 Nxe3 18.Qxe3 Ng4! is fine for Black) 16…Nxc8 17.Be2.

15.Qc6+ Nbd7 16.Bb6!

Topalov undoubtedly missed this shot, which forces the win of the Exchange 

16...Qxb6

Because of Kramnik's incredible technical skill, Topalov no doubt figured that losing "only" a pawn with 16...Qc8 17.Bc7 0–0 18.Bxd6 Bxd6 19.Qxd6 Rd8 20.Bd3 was a bleaker alternative than the game continuation.

17.Qxa8+ Nb8 18.Na5! 

Kramnik no doubt calculated this far when playing 14.Qc3!. He is able to smoothly extract his queen. Still, things are a bit messy for White. As we shall see, Topalov could have taxed the tall technician.

18...Nfd7 19.Nc6 Bg5 20.Qa7 Nxc6

Also presenting thorny technical issues was 20...Qxa7 21.Nxa7 Nb6 22.Nc6 Nxc6 23.dxc6 Ke7 24.Rd3 – White is better but a long way from winning.

21.Qxb6 Nxb6 22.dxc6 Ke7 23.Rd3! Rc8?

23...Nc4 was much better, with Black getting reasonable play after 24.g3 Rc8 25.f4 exf4 26.Bg2 fxg3 27.hxg3.  I might in fact go out on a limb and say the position was completely unclear.

24.Ra3 Na4 25.c4! 

Kramnik makes this phase look effortless.  

25...Rxc6 26.Be2 Rb6 27.cxb5 axb5 28.Bxb5 Rxb5

Or 28...Nxb2 29 Rb3! and wins.

29.Rxa4 f5 30.Rd1 Be3 31.a3! d5 32.b4 d4

White also breezes to victory after 32...e4 33.Ra5 Rxa5 34.bxa5 Kd6 35.a6 Bb6 36.Kc2 d4 37.fxe4 fxe4 38.Rf1 and wins.

33.Ra5! Rxa5 34.bxa5 Kd6 35.Kc2 e4 36.fxe4 fxe4 37.Re1!, 1–0. Kramnik gets ready to play Rxe3, leaving Black nothing else to hope for.

Kramnik's only other win in Linares was much more interesting.

Leko - Kramnik [B33]

Linares, 2004

Sveshnikov Sicilian

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5 9.Bxf6 gxf6 10.Nd5 f5 11.Bd3 Be6 12.0–0 Bxd5 13.exd5 Ne7 14.Qh5 e4 15.Be2 Bg7 

All theory so far.

16.c3 Rc8

Dutch GM Loek Van Wely took a different tack in the 2004 Melody Amber tournament against Alexei Shirov. That game went 16…0-0 17.Nc2 Re8 18.Rad1 Ng6! 19.f4 (19.Qxf5? Re5 20.Qg4 h5 21.Qh3 Nf4 wins) 19…exf3! (An improvement over 19…b4?! 20.Nxb4 Qb6+ 21.Kh1 a5 22.Nc2 Qxb2 23.Ne3 Qxc3 24.Nxf5 with a clear upper hand for White, Leko - Van Wely, Monte Carlo 2004.) 20.Qxf3 f4 21.Bd3 Qg5 22.Bxg6 Qxg6! 23.Ne1 Re4 24.Qd3 Rae8 with a clear edge for Black (0-1 in 49). The obvious plan of Kramnik's initiated by 16…Rc8 is to put pressure on the d5-pawn.

17.Nc2 Rc5 18.Ne3

White invites Black to overextend his kingside pawns.

18…f4 19.Nf5 0–0 20.a4!

Leko seems to have one of those small, virtually risk-free advantages where the best Black can hope for is a long, torturous path to a draw. The softening up of Black's queenside units will inevitably lead to the win of a pawn with an apparently solid position. 

20…Nxf5 21.Qxf5 Qe7 22.axb5 axb5 23.Qxf4 Rxd5

Time to take stock. We are finally out of the opening, even at the Leko/ Kramnik level, and it is time to form plans and make judgments.

WHITE: White has a better pawn structure and apparently safer king position. His pieces are well place, although the white queen may be subject to attack. White is also in a position to make sustained threats to Black's weak pawns on b5, d6 and (soon) f5.

BLACK: Black's pawn structure is inferior but also more dynamic thanks to his greater number of unimpeded center pawns. Black's pieces are nicely coordinated and control a good chunk of the center. That centralized rook on d5 is ideally placed and can operate in all directions while also aiding in the defense of Black's weak pawns. Black also has an open g-file to work with and a very safe spot on h8 for his king. All in all, I think White has a small edge but he must play very carefully.

24.Rfd1?!

Leko could have played the direct and simple 24.Ra5!. Black must then make the awkward choice of 24…Qe8 to guard b5 or seek refuge in an inferior ending with 24…Qe5 25.Qxe5 Bxe5 26.f4! (Better than 26.Rxb5 Rxb5 27.Bxb5 Rb8) 26…Bg7 27.Kf2!. The game continuation enables to Black organize a strong attacking formation on the kingside. 

24…Re5!

24…Rxd1 25.Rxd1 b4 is not a bad alternative and clearly safer than the game continuation, but for once, Kramnik chooses the most enterprising of his serious choices.

25.Qe3 f5 26.Qb6 f4!

26…d5 27.Qxb5 Rd8 28.f4! was not an attractive alternative. Kramnik puts his chips on the kingside attack – the number 00. 

27.Qxd6 Qg5

A critical position. Obviously Black has hopes of blasting away the White kingside with f4-f3. How should White defend? 28 Kh1 certainly comes to mind – it is far more flexible than Leko's 28.f3 and leaves open the option of playing g2-g3 at the right moment. If then 28…e3, White happily plays 29.fxe3 fxe3 30.Rf1! and begins his own attack against Black's king. 28…Kh8 looks a better try, but White is secure after 29.Qc6 (playing for exchanges) 29…Rg8 30.Ra8 Bf8 31.Bf1 and I cannot see an effective continuation for Black (31…e3 32.fxe3 fxe3 33.Be2! or 31...f3 32.g3 h5 33.Rdd8).

28.f3? e3

Now Black has a very strong bind to show for his pawn deficit. Leko soon transfers his queen to h3 for defensive purposes, but Kramnik shows that he can knock on White's king position from another door.

29.Ra7 Kh8 30.Qd7 Rg8 31.Qh3 Qg6!

A move of tremendous force. White is confronted with threats of …Rh5, …Qc2 and the usual pileup on the g-file. Leko went in for a long think now, but could not find a defense.  The end is pretty. 

32.Rad7 Rh5 33.R7d6 Bf6! 34.Rxf6

On 34.Qg4 Rg5 is overwhelming.

34…Qc2

35.Qxh5 Qxe2 36.g4 Qf2+!, 0–1.

With this win against the over-ambitious Leko, Kramnik surged into the lead. In round 10 he faced an epic showdown with former World Champ Kasparov. Could Kramnik nail down first place with a win? Would Kasparov try to create complications and go for the point? I hope nobody camped out waiting to buy tickets because the showdown turned into a love-fest. The following fest of slugs ended the tournament.

Here is what happened:  

Kramnik - Kasparov [D27]

Linares, 2004

Queen's Gambit Accepted

1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 e6 4.e3 a6 5.Bxc4 c5 6.0–0 Nf6 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Ne5 Ke7 10.Be2 Bd7 11.Bf3 Nc6 12.Nxc6+ Bxc6 13.Bxc6 bxc6 14.Bd2 Rhb8 15.Rc1 Bd6 16.Bc3 Nd5 17.Rc2, 1/2–1/2.

The seven player field necessitated that one of players would have a bye during each round. When Kramnik had the bye, the running joke was, “how could you tell?

AEROFLOT OPEN

Compare the event in Spain with the hard-fought and exciting battles at the 2004 Aeroflot Open, held roughly in parallel with Linares. I have flown Aeroflot both pre-1991 and post and there is a world of difference. I remember flying from New York to Moscow in 1979 and learning that you entered the Soviet Union not upon landing at the airport but actually when confined to the dilapidated seat within the Aeroflot jet. Hulking, glowering flight attendants lumbered down the aisle, slopping a pail of watery soup for the outstretched bowls of the passengers, averaging 50% accuracy with each pour. All that has changed and Aeroflot has joined the modern world. Nowadays I would say Aeroflot is on a par with most European airlines and their prices are lower.

The 2004 Aeroflot Open is arguably the strongest open tournament ever held with over 130 Grandmasters competing in the top “A” section. It has surpassed the old Cuchi New York Opens and Lone Pines in sheer numbers of GMs, if not eclipsing those tournaments in terms of the top boards. By all accounts, Moscow serves as a very fine venue for this tournament and the organization, playing conditions and prizes were all top rank. The 9-round swiss saw a number of veteran GMs dominate the prize list, including 53-year old Rafael Vaganian of Porz, Germany. Vaganian of course is originally from Armenia and became one of the top players of the old Soviet Union. He has played for the Porz, Germany chess club for many years and has terrorized other teams for years with his sublime positional skill and well-developed opening systems. In the last round of Aeroflot he faced GM Joel Lautier of France. The winner gets at least 10k, a draw less than 2k and a loss gets about half the food tab.

Lautier - Vaganian  [D31]

Aeroflot Open, 2004

Queen's Gambit Declined

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6

Vagnian has played the Black side of the QGD for years and he plays it well. Lautier has some experience playing 1.e4 which is Vaganian's Achilles' Heel. But for some reason the Frenchman elected to play the more conservative 1.d4.

3.Nc3 Be7 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bf4 c6 6.e3 Bf5 7.Nge2 

The old, Botvinnik-inspired spike 7.g4 has faded from popularity due to games like this: 7.g4 Be6 8.h4 Nd7 9.h5 Nh6 10.Be2 Nb6 11.Nh3 g5! 12.hxg6 hxg5 13.f3 Bh4+ 14.Nf2 g5! 15.Bh2 Qe7 16.e4 dxe4 17.fxe4 Nc4 18.Bxc4 Bxc4 19.Bg3 Nxf2 20.Bxf2 Bxf2+ 21.Kxf2 Rxh1 22.Qxh1 Qf6+ 23.Ke1 Bxc4 24.e5 Qg7 25.Ne4 0-0-0 26.Nd6+ Rxd6 27.exd6 Qxd4 28.Qh3+ Be6 29.Qh6 Qe5+, 0-1, Turov-Vaganian, Aeroflot 2002.

7…Nd7 8.f3

8.Ng3 Be6 9.Bd3 is the standard way to play this, although hardly frightening for Black.  Basically in this whole line, if 7.g4 is not working the line looks harmless. Lautier's move neglects development and is just too ponderous to achieve more than equality.

8…Bg6 9.Bg3 Nh6!

Vaganian plans to strike with …f5 shortly.

10.Bf2 Bd6! 11.g4?

Lautier violates a basic opening rule – DEVELOP!

11…f5! 12.h3 0–0

Black not only has all his minor pieces developed actively but now his rook on f8 has found gainful employment. Black's game plays itself now.

13.Bg2 Qe7 14.0–0 fxg4 15.hxg4 Qg5 16.Qd2 Rae8 17.Rae1

17…Rxf3!! 18.Bxf3 Nxg4 19.Bg3?

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