Kramnik comes back in final game to tie the match

[connoisseur series500]

Looked over the final game quickly. Amazing game. Caro-Kann is always difficult to play against.

I couldn't believe Kramnik offering first the b-pawn then the a-pawn. I haven't analyzed it because I'm working on something else right now, but I can't see offhand why Leko didn't take the pawn, then retreat his bishop back to c6 after Kramnik moved his rook to the seventh. Got to see the analysis. All this just for an active rook?

Kramnik is somewhat lazy but his understanding of chess is probably greater than anyone elses.

Amazing comeback against such a renowned technician as Peter Leko.

Whaddya think, Swinging Swede?

[Swinging Swede]

Well, the match picked up steam in the last few games when Kramnik tried everything he could to win a game to equalize the score (and finally succeeded), but there were too many short draws before that. These guys can’t complain about the lack of sponsorship and at the same time make all these short draws. We are seeing too much of that in other top level events as well.

Anyway, as for the continuation you asked about, after 22…Bxa4 23.Rc7 Bc6 (23…Bb5 might be a better try) 24.Sg5 Black is in big trouble. f7 is hanging, and if 24…Rf8 then 25.Nxf7 anyway with the idea 26.Bg6. Black can try 24…0-0, but then 25.Bh7+! Kh8 26.Bc2! once again threatening f7. If now 26…Kg8, then either 27.Ke3 intending 28.Bd1, or 27.Bd1 right away: 27…Nf4 28.h5 and the black knight is trapped, with 29.Ke3 coming up next move.

This game will be heavily analyzed in the coming months no doubt. Leko got into a French-like positon and he isn’t a French player, and that was probably a drawback for him. He will also regret now that he didn’t play on in the 12th game, when in the final position he was the only one who could play for a win. But he said that, while disappointed, he has learned a lot in this match, and that at his young age he expects to challenge again in the future.

An incredibly hardfought 13th game, by the way, when Kramnik came very close to winning in a rook ending, but Leko defended extremely well, and the game ended with only the kings left.

Yes, Kramnik has a very deep understanding of the game, but he also prefers to take no risks, and thus draws a bit too much in tournaments. Match play is a different animal of course.

Now there will be a FIDE match between Kasimdzhanov and Kasparov in January, and then Kramnik will meet the winner, and finally we will have a unified champion again for the first time since 1993. At least that’s the plan…

[connoisseur series500]

Not so sure about the unified title.

Kram and Kaspy seem to have trouble agreeing to anything. Krammy apparently insists on draw odds and feels Kaspy should go through a long qualifier like everyone else.

In the meantime, what "long qualifier" did Kramnik have to endure when he became challenger? If my memory is correct, Kasparov basically selected him as a challenger as the old champions in the 20s used to do.