moves, the Hungarian GM became the sole winner after safely halving the point in his last game.
Ex-world champ Vladimir Kramnik, who won this tournament eight times, had a terrible event this year and finished with a minus score after losing to Ukraine’s Vasily Ivanchuk in the last round. According to IM Malcolm Pein, “It is difficult to escape the conclusion that Kramnik and his trainer Loek Van Wely had their minds on the former’s world title match in the autumn against Vishy Anand.”
The tournament, officially known as the Sparkassen Chess Meeting, took place from June 28 to July 6 at the Dortmund Civic Theater in Germany, with eight players competing in a single round robin. The average rating was 2695, making the event a Category 18 tournament.
Leko won two games — against Ivanchuk and Gustafsson — and drew the rest. Ivanchuk, Azerbaijan’s Shakhriar Mamedyarov, Nepomniachtchi and Gustafsson tied for second and fifth places, half a point behind. Germany’s Arkadij Naiditsch, who sensationally scalped Kramnik in the third round, ended in sixth place, while the Russian finished seventh, winning only against the last placer, his trainer, the Dutchman Van Wely, who lost four other games and drew only two.
Game of the week. Here is the ex-world champ in his only win at Dortmund as annotated by IM Jack Peters.
White: GM Vladimir Kramnik (2788)
Black: GM Loek Van Wely (2677)
Semi-Slav Defense
Dortmund 2008
1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 e3 e6 5 b3 A quiet treatment of the Semi-Slav Defense. Nbd7 Women’s world champion Zhu Chen defeated Korchnoi with 5…Ne4 6 Bd3 Bb4+ 7 Kf1 Qe7 8 Qc2 f5. 6 Bb2 b6 7 Bd3 Bb7 8 0-0 Bd6 9 Nbd2 Kramnik won a blindfold game against Van Wely in 2007 with 9 Nc3 0-0 10 Qc2 Re8 11 Rad1 Qe7 12 e4, but Black’s opening was acceptable. 0-0 10 Ne5 An entirely different plan. Qe7 Perhaps 10…c5 improves. 11 Qf3 Rfd8 12 Qh3 Eyeing h7. For example, 12…c5? would allow 13 Nxd7 Rxd7 14 dxc5 Bxc5 15 cxd5 Bxd5 16 Bxf6 Qxf6 17 Qxh7+ Kf8 18 Ne4, gaining a pawn. h6 13 f4 Bb4 Also reasonable is 13…c5. 14 Ndf3 Ne4 15 Nxd7 Rxd7 16 Ne5 Rc7? This attempt to support f7 works poorly. Black should settle for 16…Rdd8 17 Bxe4 fxe4 18 f5 exf5 (not 18…f6? because of 19 fxe6! fxe5 20 Rf7) 18 Qxf5 f6 19 Ng4 Bc8 20 Qg6 Bxg4, with a solid position. 17 Bxe4 fxe4 18 c5! bxc5 19 a3 Ba5 20 dxc5 Threatening to trap the Bishop by 21 b4. If 20…Rcc8, then 21 f5 gives White an uncontested initiative. Qxc5! 21 b4 Qb5 22 Qg3?! Giving Black a chance to escape. Stronger is 22 f5! exf5 23 Rxf5, refuting 23…Bc8 by 24 Nd7! Bxd7 25 Qg3 f6 26 Rxb5. Even 22 f5! f6 23 Ng4 e5 should not save Black, as 24 Qg3 Kh8 25 Bxe5! fxe5 26 bxa5 shreds his Kingside. Bb6? Black can survive 22…f5. Then 23 Bc3 Bb6 24 a4 (hoping for a4-a5) leads to repetition by 24…Qe2 25 Rfe1 Qc2 26 Rec1 Qe2, while 23 Qg6 Re7 24 Rad1 Qe2! 25 Rd7!? Bb6! 26 Bd4 Bxd4 27 exd4 Ba6 also saves Black. 23 Nd7! g6 Or 23…f6 24 Nxf6+ Kf8 25 Nxe4, winning routinely. 24 Nf6+ Kf8 25 Be5 Or 25 f5! exf5 26 Qd6+, winning. Rcc8 26 Qh4 h5 As 26…Kg7 27 Nd5+ Kh7 28 Qf6 and 27…Kf8 28 Qe7+ Kg8 29 Qf6 lead to mate. 27 Nh7+ Ke8 28 Bd6 Now 28…Bd8 29 Nf6+ Bxf6 30 Qxf6 is fatal. Rc7 29 Rfd1, Black Resigns. He cannot meet the threats of 30 Nf6+ and 30 Qf6.
Puzzler.
White — pawns on b3, b4, h2; Qa8, Ke1, Be4, Ne7
Black — pawns on a5, b5, e5, g5; Na7, Bb6, Ke3
White to play and mate in three moves.
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