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Games: Chess

William Hartston
Tuesday 02 June 1998 23:02 BST
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Kramnik-Shirov games from Spain:

Game 4: Shirov 1 -Kramnik 0

Kramnik tried a new move, 13...Ng5, in Petroff's Defence, but after 21.Bc4 had problems. 21...Qd6 loses to 22.Bxf7+! Kxf7 23.Rc7+! Shirov won in a delicate endgame.

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 d4 Nxe4 4 Bd3 d5 5 Nxe5 Nd7 6 Nxd7 Bxd7 7 0-0 Bd6 8 c4 c6 9 cxd5 cxd5 10 Qh5 0-0 11 Qxd5 Bc6 12 Qh5 g6 13 Qh3 Ng5 14 Bxg5 Qxg5 15 Nc3 Rfe8 16 d5 Bxd5 17 f4 Qd8 18 Nxd5 Bc5+19 Kh1 Qxd5 20 Rac1 Be3 21 Bc4 Qf5 22 Qxf5 gxf5 23 Rcd1 Rad8 24 g3 Bd4 25 b3 Bf6 26 Bb5 Rxd1 27 Rxd1 Rd8 28 Rc1 Rd5 29 a4 Bd8 30 Rc8 Kg7 31 Rb8 Bb6 32 Rxb7 Rd1+ 33 Kg2 Rd2+ 34 Kh3 Bg1 35 g4 Bxh2 36 gxh5 f5 37 Kh4 Bxf4 38 Kxh5 Kf6 39 Bc4 Kxf5 40 Rxf7+ Ke4 41 Rxa7 Be5 42 Bf1 Rf2 43 Bh3 Rf8 44 Be6 Rf1 45 Rd7 Rh1+ 46 Kg6 Rg1+ 47 Kf7 Rg7+ 48 Ke8 Rxd7 49 Kxd7 Bc3 50 Kc6 Ke5 51 Bg8 Be1 52 Kb6 Bf2+ 53 Ka6 Kd6 54 a5 Kc7 55 b4 Kc6 56 b5+ Kc5 57 b6 Kb4 58 b7 Bg3 59 Kb6 Bf2+ 60 Kc6 Ba7 61 a6 Ka5 62 Bc4 Bb8 63 Bf1 resigns

Game 5: Kramnik 1/2-Shirov 1/2

Kramnik soon had Shirov in trouble after improving on the first game with 18.Bh4. After 23...Bxc1 24.Nh6+ Kh8 25.Rxc1 Black would have been in great difficulty. Shirov did well to salvage a draw.

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 d5 4 cxd5 Nxd5 5 e4 Nxc3 6 bxc3 Bg7 7 Bc4 c5 8 Ne2 Nc6 9 Be3 0-0 10 0-0 Bg4 11 f3 Na5 12 Bd3 cxd4 13 cxd4 Be6 14 Rc1 Bxa2 15 Qa4 Bb3 16 Qb4 b6 17 Bg5 f6 18 Bh4 Qd6 19 Qxd6 exd6 20 d5 f5 21 exf5 gxf5 22 Ng3 Bb2 23 Nxf5 Bc4 24 Ne7+ Kh8 25 Bxc4 Rf4 26 Bg5 Rxc4 27 Rce1 Rc2 28 Nf5 Nc4 29 Re6 Rf8 30 Nxd6 Nxd6 31 Rxd6 Re8 32 Rd1 Ree2 33 Kh1 Rxg2 34 Rd8+ Kg7 35 Bf4 Bf6 36 Ra8 Bg5 37 Be5+ Bf6 38 Bf4 Bg5 39 Rxa7+ Kg6 40 Ra8 Kf7 41 Ra7+ Kg6 42 Bb8 h5 43 Rb7 Be3 44 Re7 Bc5 45 Re6+ Kg5 46 Re4 Kf5 47 Bf4 Rge2 48 Rxe2 Rxe2 49 Bg3 Re8 50 Kg2 Rd8 51 Kh3 Rd7 52 d6 h4 53 Rd5+ Ke6 54 Re5+ Kf6 55 Kxh4 Rh7+ 56 Rh5 Rxh5+ 57 Kxh5 b5 58 d7 Ke7 59 Be5 Kxd7 60 Bb2 Ke6 61 Kg6 Bd6 62 h4 b4 63 h5 Bf4 64 h6 Bxh6 63 Kxh6 Kf5 draw agreed.

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