Anand - Kramnik 2008 World Championship Match : Game 3- Anand Drew First Blood - As Black!!!

Anand draw the first blood in game 3 in this long waited duel of two great players of this decade.

Kramnik resign game 3 as white! Photo from chessbase.com

Kramnik (2772)- Anand (2783)

G3, World Chess Championship, 17/10/08

1.d4 Kramnik choose not to "counter surprise "Anand with 1.e4 - an opening he rarely played as what Anand did in the 2nd game with 1.d4 1...d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 Kramnik decide not to choose his favourite "anti climax" style of play as game 1 when he choose the 'dead draw" Slav Exchange Variation 4...e6 5.e3 Kramnik play his long time favourite - The Meran Variation. The line received its name from the game Gruenfeld-Rubinstein - played in the strong 1924 Meran (Merano) tournament. 5...Nbd7 6.Bd3 Former World Champion - Anatoly Karpov love to play the 6.Qc2 variation 6...dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5 8.Bd3 a6 9.e4 c5 10.e5 cxd4 11.Nxb5 axb5 12.exf6

12...gxf6 13.0–0 Qb6 14.Qe2 Bb7 15.Bxb5 Bd6 16.Rd1 Rg8 17.g3 Rg4 18.Bf4 Bxf4 19.Nd4 Kramnik is in deep time trouble. He has approximately 45 minuets for another 21 move to reach the first time control. On contrast, Anand has only spent about 20 minutes - probably he has "home cook" all the move so far ! 19...h5 20.Nxe6 fxe6 21.Rxd7 Kf8 22.Qd3
22...Rg7 23.Rxg7 Kxg7 24.gxf4 24... Rd8 25.Qe2 Kh6 (photo on right by CathyRogers working for USCF is the excat position where i start to fell asleep !) 26.Kf1 Rg8 27.a4 Bg2+ 28.Ke1 Bh3 29.Ra3 Rg1+ 30.Kd2 Qd4+ 31.Kc2 Bg4 32.f3 Bf5+ 33.Bd3 ??

33...Bh3 34.a5 Rg2 35.a6 Rxe2+ 36.Bxe2 Bf5+ 37.Kb3 Qe3+ 38.Ka2 Qxe2 39.a7 Qc4+ 40.Ka1 Qf1+ 41.Ka2 Bb1+ 0–1