帝國進行曲

A. R. Saleh Salem – Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik
Qatar Masters; Doha, December 3, 2014
Queen’s Gambit Declined D63

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 Be7 7. e3 0-0 8. Rc1 c5 9. cxd5 Nxd5 10. Bxe7 Nxe7 11. Be2. For 11. Bd3 Nc6 12. Bb1 cxd4 13. Nxd4 Nxd4 14. Qxd4 Nf6 see Grandelius – Roiz, 13th European Individual Championship, Plovdiv 2012. 11. ... b6 12. 0-0 Bb7 13. dxc5 Nxc5 14. Nd4 Nf5 15. Nxf5 exf5 16. Bf3 Qxd1 17. Rfxd1 Bxf3 18. gxf3 Rfd8 19. Kf1 g6 20. Ke2 Kg7 21. Nb5 Kf6 22. Rxd8 Rxd8 23. b4 Ne6 24. Rc6 Ke7 25. a3 Rd7 26. Rc8 a6 27. Nc3 b5 28. Ra8 Rd6 29. Rh8 g5 30. Ra8 Kf6 31. Ra7 Kg6 32. Na2 Nd8 33. Ke1

33. ... Kh5!! Black’s King infiltrates White’s camp. As originally pointed out by Mr. Robert Ris, the royal march to the h-Pawn is reminiscent of a masterpiece of Akiba Kiwelowicz Rubinstein (Cohn – A. K. Rubinstein, Saint Petersburg 1909). 34. Nc1 Kh4 35. Nb3 Kh3 36. Nd4 f4 37. Ra8 Kxh2 38. Nf5 Rf6 39. e4? Relatively better was 39. Nxh6 Rxh6 40. Rxd8 Kg2! 41. Rg8 Kxf3 42. Rxg5 Ke4 43. exf4 Rh3! with advantage to Black. 39. ... Nc6! 40. Rxa6 Rg6 41. Kf1 Ne5. Now White’s position is hopeless. 42. Ra5 Nxf3 43. Rxb5 g4 44. Rd5 h5 45. Ng3 h4 46. Ne2 g3 47. fxg3 fxg3 48. b5 Rf6 49. Rf5 Rxf5 50. exf5 g2+ 51. Kf2 Nd4 52. Ng1 Nxb5 53. a4 Nc3 54. Nf3+ Kh1 55. a5 h3 0 : 1. A magnificent endgame by Kramnik.

A. R. Saleh Salem vs. Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik
Photo: Maria Alekseevna Emelianova

Robert Ris (@RobertRis)