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Round one commentary

Short,Nigel (2680) - Kramnik,Vladimir (2791)
London Chess Classic 2nd London (1), 08.12.2010

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.Qe2 Bc5 4.d3 0-0 5.Bg5 c6 6.Nd2 h6 7.Bh4 Re8 8.Ngf3 Bf8 9.a4 d5 10.Bxf6 gxf6 11.Ba2 f5 12.0-0 Na6 13.Rfe1 Bg7 14.c3 Be6 15.exd5 Bxd5 16.Bxd5 cxd5 17.g3 Bf6 18.Qe3 Kh7 19.Nb3 Qd7 20.Nc5 Nxc5 21.Qxc5 a6 22.Re2 Re6 23.Rae1 Rae8 24.c4 b6 25.Qb4 d4 26.Qb3 e4 27.Nd2 e3 28.fxe3 dxe3 29.Nf3 f4 30.d4 Re4 31.Qxb6 Bxd4 32.Qxa6 fxg3 33.Qb5 Qg4 34.Nxd4 gxh2+ 35.Kh1 Rxd4 36.Qb7 Qf5 37.Rxh2 e2 38.Qg2 Rd1 0-1. [Click to replay]

McShane,Luke (2645) - Carlsen,Magnus (2802)
London Chess Classic 2nd London (1), 08.12.2010 [Saunders,J]

1.c4 Luke McShane is predominantly a 1 e4 player but he occasionally tries other opening moves. 1...c5 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2 Bg7 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.0-0 Nh6 Carlsen, as much the highest rated player, is trying to make the running with Black. 7.d4 The most enterprising continuation, showing that both players are up for a fight. 7...cxd4 8.Bxh6 Bxh6 9.Nxd4 Ne5!? A new move. Previous games in this line had continued 9...Bd7 or 9...Nxd4, with only a slight edge for White. Carlsen prefers to keep material on the board and aim for complexity. 10.Qb3 0-0 11.Rfd1

A tricky position for Black. There is no immediate danger of the g2 bishop capturing on b7 but at the same time Black can't make positional progress until he has resolved the clamp on his queenside. So he resolves to move his knight yet again in order to redeploy it to c5. 11...Nd7 12.Qa3 a5 13.b4 Ra6 [After the game, the players and commentators (GM Dan King and IM Lawrence Trent) had a look at some complex lines beginning 13...Nb6 14.c5 Nc4 15.Qb3 Nd2 without coming to any specific conclusions. But these lines might have been combative for Black than the text.] 14.b5 Ra8 15.e3 a4 Black gets ready for a possible development of his queen on a5. 16.Rab1 Bg7 17.Ne4 Qb6

18.Nc6! A tactical trick which yields a positional edge. 18...Re8 [18...bxc6!? 19.bxc6 Qa5 (19...Qxc6?? 20.Nf6+ wins the queen) 20.cxd7 Bxd7 21.c5!? Bg4 22.Rdc1 may be playable but Magnus Carlsen didn't feel comfortable with it.] 19.Nb4 White prepares to establish his knight on d5 and if Black tries to oust it with e6, the d6 pawn will be left very vulnerable. 19...f5 20.Nc3 Qc5 [20...Bxc3 21.Qxc3 e6 is not an option as White can bring further firepower onto the d6 pawn and win it.] 21.Nxa4! Another tactical trick with positional intentions. 21...Qa7 22.Na6 bxa6 23.b6 Nxb6 [23...Qb8 is answered by 24.Qb3! with threats of c5+ and b7 forking rook and bishop. If 24...Bb7 25.c5+ Kh8 26.c6 and wins.] 24.Rxb6 Rb8 25.c5! Be6 [25...Rxb6? 26.cxb6 Qd7 27.b7 Bxb7 28.Nc5 wins a piece; 25...dxc5 26.Qb3+! c4 27.Qxc4+ Kh8 28.Qf7! is remarkably effective, e.g. 28...Rf8 29.Rxb8 Rxf7 30.Rxc8+ Bf8 31.Nc5 and White has a firm grip on the position.] 26.Rdb1 dxc5 27.Rb7 Rxb7 28.Rxb7 Qa8 29.Nxc5! [Good choice. 29.Rxe7 Qd8 30.Rxe8+ Qxe8 31.Nxc5 Bf8 is much less decisive. Luke McShane is playing with great accuracy.] 29...Qc8 30.Qxa6 Bf7 [30...Qxc5 31.Qxe6+ Kh8 32.Bc6 leads to an overwhelming position for White.] 31.Bc6 Rd8

32.Nd7! [32.Rxe7? would be a bad error after 32...Bf8 . White is getting ready to strangle Black with Qb6 and Rb8 so Black plays something desperate.] 32...Rxd7 33.Bxd7 Qc1+ 34.Qf1 Qxf1+ 35.Kxf1 Bc4+ 36.Kg1 Bxa2 37.Ba4 e5 38.f3 Bh6 39.Bb3+ 1-0. [Click to replay]

Adams,Michael (2723) - Howell,David (2611)
London Chess Classic 2nd London (1), 08.12.2010 [Saunders,J]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Be7 [5...Nd6 is 'the real Kramnik', as used to wrest the world title from Garry Kasparov in 2000.] 6.Qe2 Nd6 7.Bxc6 bxc6 [7...dxc6? is rarely played as it leads to big trouble after 8.dxe5 Nf5 9.Rd1 Bd7 (only move) 10.e6! fxe6 11.Ne5 Bd6 12.Qh5+ , etc.] 8.dxe5 Nb7 9.c4 [9.Nc3 is more frequently seen.] 9...0-0 10.Nc3 f6 [Nigel Short chose 10...Re8 against Hou Yifan at Corus 2008 but lost quite quickly.] 11.Re1 fxe5 12.Qxe5 Bf6 13.Qg3 A new move, where 13 Qh5 had previously been preferred. 13...Nc5 14.Bg5

14...Nd3? [Black regretted this move, which gets him into trouble. 14...d6 is perhaps a better alternative, keeping a wary eye on White's kingside build-up and continuing with development.] 15.Re3! David Howell had originally expected 15 Re2 but when Black started to spend a long time on his reply, he suddenly became aware of this more forceful response. 15...Nxb2 There is little else for it but to follow through with this capture. 16.Rae1 Bxg5?! [Mickey Adams said he had expected 16...Ba6 when he might have replied 17.Ne4 with some play for the pawn, though there is chess left in the position.] 17.Nxg5 Qf6 Anything and 18 Re7 would be unanswerable. 18.Rf3 Qd8 19.Nce4 [White has a choice of good moves. Another is 19.Qe5 , which craftily closes on the black knight, e.g. 19...Nxc4 20.Rxf8+ Qxf8 21.Qe4 with twin threats of Qxh7 mate and Qxc4.] 19...Ba6

20.Nxh7! [20.Rxf8+ is also very good, e.g. 20...Qxf8 21.Nxh7! Kxh7 22.Ng5+ Kg8 23.Qh3! and it's all over.] 20...Rxf3 21.gxf3 Kxh7 22.Ng5+ Kg8 23.Qh4 Bxc4 24.Qh7+ Kf8 25.Re5 Be6 26.Qh8+ Ke7 27.Qxg7+ Kd6 28.Ne4#

1-0.. [Click to replay]

The NIIT Mind Champions' Academy in India filed these comments on the game of their "Mind Champion":

Anand tried all the routes, detours and even diversions in quest for victory but some dour defence by Hikaru Nakamura had the marathon game ending in a draw after 74 moves in the first round of the London Chess Classic 2010 at the Olympia centre.

Today Anand surprised everyone by Opening with the King Pawn after having effectively used the Queen Pawn Opening in the defence of his last two World Championships. Hikaru Nakamura also responded in style by opting for the Berlin Defence which Kramnik had effectively used to dethrone Garry Kasparov in the 2000 Classical World championship Match.

After carefully following previously played opening theory, including the exchange of queens on the 8th move, Nakamura played a new move on the move 16. A beautiful pawn push on move 18th by the NIIT Mind Champion livened up the game and the position looked promising for Anand. There were a few quick exchanges after that and the position simplified by the 32nd move, with Anand having an extra but isolated pawn on the kingside while Nakamura’s kingside pawns were totally polished off.

The players had a dark squared bishop eachwith Anand having an extra pawn. However the position was locked and Anand’s king did not have entry squares to march into enemy territory as Nakamura defended accurately. A draw was agreed after the 74th move with every winning possibility explored and time on the clock running down for Anand.

Anand,Viswanathan (2804) - Nakamura,Hikaru (2741)
London Chess Classic 2nd London (1), 08.12.2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Nc3 Bd7 10.h3 h6 11.b3 Kc8 12.Bb2 b6 13.Rad1 Ne7 14.Rfe1 c5 15.Ne2 Ng6 16.h4 Be7 17.e6 Bxe6 18.h5 Nh4 19.Nf4 Nxf3+ 20.gxf3 Bd6 21.Nxe6 fxe6 22.Rxe6 Rf8 23.Bxg7 Rf5 24.Re8+ Kb7 25.Rxa8 Kxa8 26.Bxh6 Rxh5 27.Be3 Kb7 28.c4 Kc6 29.Kg2 Rh2+ 30.Kf1 Rh1+ 31.Ke2 Rxd1 32.Kxd1 Kd7 33.Bg5 Ke6 34.a4 c6 35.a5 bxa5 36.Kc2 a4 37.bxa4 Kf5 38.Be3 a6 39.Kd3 Be7 40.Ke2 Bf8 41.Kf1 Be7 42.Kg2 Bd6 43.Kh3 Be7 44.Kg3 Bf6 45.Bxc5 Bd8 46.Be3 Be7 47.Kg2 Bd8 48.Kf1 Bc7 49.Ke2 Bd8 50.Kd3 Ba5 51.Kd4 Bb6+ 52.Kd3 Ba5 53.Ba7 Be1 54.Bb6 Kf4 55.Be3+ Ke5 56.Bc5 Kf4 57.Ke2 Ba5 58.Ba7 Kf5 59.Ke3 Be1 60.Bb6 Bc3 61.Bc7 Be1 62.Bd6 Bc3 63.f4 Be1 64.Be5 Ba5 65.Bd4 Bb4 66.Be5 Bc5+ 67.Bd4 Bb4 68.Ba7 Bc3 69.Kd3 Be1 70.Be3 Ba5 71.Kd4 Bb6+ 72.Kc3 Ba5+ 73.Kd3 Bc7 74.Kd4 1/2-1/2. [Click to replay]

Pairings of the London Chess Classic

Remaining tournament schedule

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