By Zaldy Dandan
Variety Editor

FRESH from his rapid match win against Hungary’s no. 1 player Peter Leko, world champion Vladimir Kramnik flew to Yerevan, the capital of the former Soviet republic of Armenia, for another exhibition match, this time against the host country’s chess king, Levon Aronian, who will be 25 in October.
A two-time world junior champion, Aronian is the world’s no. 5 GM. Last year, he won the World Cup tourney in Russia and the gold medal in the Turin Olympiad which Armenia, for the first time, topped — ahead of the mighty Russian squad.
His playing style is “difficult to characterize and easy to misunderstand. However, this much is certain: his games are unconventional and exciting, while his attitude is engaging and uncompromising.” He is now preparing for the world championship candidate matches to be held in Elista, Russia later this month.
Kramnik, 32, is an extremely solid player who loses rarely, even when not at his best. He is, moreover, an excellent rapid chess player, “armed with fantastic opening knowledge as well as vast match experience.” But all this seemed not enough against Aronian in their six-game rapid match. (Time control: 25 minutes per game with an increment of 10 seconds per move.)
The match was held from May 4 to 6. Kramnik won the first game, then lost the next three games! In the final two games, the world champ could have mated Aronian but could only draw both!
Aronian’s 4-2 victory, reports ChessBase, was “a fine display of active play, tactics and execution.”
Game of the week. Here is Aronian’s win in the fourth game with IM Malcolm Pein’s annotations.
White: L. Aronian (2759)
Black: V. Kramnik (2772)
Semi Slav Defense
Rapid Match, Yerevan 2007
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 Bd6 7.g4 (The Shabalov Attack, if Black takes on g4 then White plays Rg1 and takes back on g7) 7...dxc4 8.Bxc4 Nd5 9.Ne4 Be7 10.Bd2 b6 11.Ng3! 0–0 12.e4 Nb4 13.Qb3 c5 (Kramnik must have prepared this but it gives White the center and a simple plan of charging down the kingside. Having an obvious plan is very helpful in 25 minute games) 14.Bxb4 cxb4 15.0–0 a6 16.Qe3 b5 17.Bd3 Bb7 18.g5 Rc8 19.Rad1 Qb6 (19...Nb6 20.b3 Rc3!?) 20.Bb1 Rfd8 21.h4 Nf8 22.h5 (Because White controls the center he can afford to weaken his kingside. Black is drifting) 22...Rc7 23.Qf4 Bd6 24.e5 Be7 25.Be4 Bc8 26.Bb1 Bb7 27.Be4 Bc8 28.Kh2 Rcd7 (28...Bb7 29.h6 Ng6 30.Qe3 and a white knight might find its way to f6) 29.Bb1 Bb7 30.Ne4 Bxe4 31.Bxe4 (White intends Rg1 and g5-g6) 31...g6 32.hxg6 Nxg6 33.Qe3 Bf8 34.Kg2 (h7 is an obvious target) 34...Bg7 35.Rh1 Qb8 36.Rc1 Qa7 37.Rh3 Rxd4 (Already desperate) 38.Rd1! (A nasty pin 38.Nxd4 Qxd4 39.Rc8 Qd7 40.Rxd8+ Qxd8 41.f4 is also good) 38...Nf4+ (38...Bxe5 39.Nxe5 Nxe5 40.Rxh7 Ng6 41.Rdh1) 39.Kh2 Ne2 40.Rd2 (Winning the knight or the rook) 40...Bxe5+ 41.Nxe5 Qc7 42.Bxh7+ Kf8 43.Rxe2 1-0.
Puzzler.
White — pawns on g3, h4; Nb4, Qb8, Nf6, Kf7, Bg1
Black — pawns c3, c4, d7, e5, g6; Na5, Rc5; Bd1, Kf5; Nf8
White to play and mate in four moves.
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