GM Nakamura Vs. Vladimir Kramnik – Blitz Game – Dortmund 2011

By Chess Coach William Stewart



GM Hikaru Nakamura Vs GM Vladimir Kramnik - Round 4 of Dortmund 2011: Nakamura was having a rough tournament and Kramnik took full advantage of his opponent's slump in this game. Nakamura opens with d4 and Kramnik responds with the Nimzo-Indian Defense, specifically the 3 Knights Variation. Kramnik's preparation was excellent, beginning with 10. ...Na5 and 16. ...Qc4 - controlling the center while tightly coordinating his pieces. Nakamura's preparation was not nearly as thorough - he spent just over an hour on 18. Re4?! which led to an inferior position and time-trouble. Kramnik capitalized on this by playing 19. ...Bc6! - an excellent intermediate move that resulted in a great endgame for black that Kramnik was able to convert easily with his precise technical style.

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By Chess Coach Will Stewart (USCF 2256, FIDE 2234). Follow William on Facebook and Twitter

Kramnik leads Dortmund by 2 with 3 rounds to go

After 7 rounds, Kramnik has 6 points, a full 2 points ahead of Le Quang Liem, with just 3 rounds to go. Le Quang Liem is in 2nd with just 4 points.

Runde 7, 28. Juli, 15 Uhr

4-6 Nakamura 1/2 Le
3-5 Giri 1-0 Ponomariov
2-1 Kramnik 1-0 Meier

Crosstable after 7 rounds

1	Meier, G	2656	XX	0/0	0	½	½	½/½	2/7
2	Kramnik, V	2781	1/1	XX	1	1	1/½	½	6/7
3	Giri, A	2701	1	0	XX	½/½	0/1	½	3,5/7
4	Nakamura, H	2770	½	0	½/½	XX	0	½/½	2,5/7
5	Ponomariov, R	2764	½	0/½	1/0	1	XX	0	3/7
6	Le Quang, L	2715	½/½	½	½	½/½	1	XX	4/7

http://www.sparkassen-chess-meeting.de

Kramnik leads Dortmund by 1.5 after 6 rounds

Sparkassen Chess Meeting 2011 - Crosstable after 6 rounds

1	Meier, G	2656		XX	0	0	½	½	½/½	2/6
2	Kramnik, V	2781		1	XX	1	1	1/½	½	5/6
3	Giri, A	2701		1	0	XX	½/½	0	½	2,5/6
4	Nakamura, H	2770		½	0	½/½	XX	0	½	2/6
5	Ponomariov, R	2764		½	0/½	1	1	XX	0	3/6
6	Le Quang, L	2715		½/½	½	½	½	1	XX	3,5/6

http://www.sparkassen-chess-meeting.de

Dortmund resumes with Kramnik leading

Standings after 5 rounds

1.	Kramnik, Vladimir	g	RUS	2781	4½
2.	Le, Quang Liem	g	VIE	2715	3
3.	Ponomariov, Ruslan	g	UKR	2764	2½
4.	Giri, Anish	g	NED	2701	2
5.	Meier, Georg	g	GER	2656	1½
6.	Nakamura, Hikaru	g	USA	2770	1½

Round 6 matchups:

6-1 Le – Meier
5-2 Ponomariov– Kramnik
4-3 Nakamura – Giri

Official website: http://www.sparkassen-chess-meeting.de/2011/

Kramnik 2-0 in Dortmund

Photo by IM Souledis

Runde 2, 22. Juli, 15 Uhr

6-4 Le – Nakamura 1/2
5-3 Ponomariov– Giri 1-0
1-2 Meier– Kramnik 0-1

Standings after 2 rounds

1	Meier,G	2656		XX	0				½	0.5
2	Kramnik,V	2781		1	XX			1		2
3	Giri,A	2701				XX	½	0		0.5
4	Nakamura,H	2770				½	XX		½	1
5	Ponomariov,R	2764			0	1		XX		1
6	Quang Liem,L	2715		½			½		XX	1

Official website: http://www.sparkassen-chess-meeting.de

The Must Read Books For All Chess Players!

By Chess Coach William Stewart

Studying and playing chess has led me to believe that a universal approach to the game consistently yields the best results. Teaching chess has reinforced that line of thought, as time and again I have been able to pinpoint and design an individualized chess lesson plan with the intention of comprehensively improving the student’s overall game.

Garry Kasparov explains in "How Life Imitates Chess":
[quote] “... I've often wondered, where does our [chess] success come from? The answer is synthesis, the ability to combine creativity and calculation, art and science, into a whole that is much greater then the sum oaf its parts.”

Chess Openings

For beginners, I like to recommend the Stonewall Attack as white (involving d4, e3, c3, f4, nf3, bd3, nbd2, 0-0, etc..). As black, I suggest the Stonewall Defense against d4 (reversed move order as Stonewall Attack) and the French Defense against e4 (involving e6, d5, c5, nc6, qb6, etc..) “The French Defense: A Complete Black Repertoire” by Vitiugov is a great book for beginners. I like to recommend these chess openings to my beginner students because they are solid and easier to learn. If your opponent is playing an uncommon opening, always remember these 5 opening principles:

1. Control the center (specifically the e4, d4, e5, d5 squares.)
2. Develop your pieces to actively create threats.
3. Try not to move a piece twice.
4. A knight on the rim is dim (developing towards the center greatly increases the mobility and scope of your pieces)
5. Get your king safe (leaving your king in the center can dangerously expose you to tactics)

For more advanced players, I would recommend playing/studying a variety of openings to gain a well-rounded feel for different types of positions.

Best Books For Middlegame Strategy in Chess

For beginners, I would recommend the classic “My System” by Aron Nimzowich.

Intermediate players - “How to Reassess Your Chess” by Jeremy Silman and “Excelling at Chess” by Jacob Aagard. Alexander Kotov’s “Think Like a Grandmaster” and “Play like a Grandmaster” represent absolutely fantastic middlegame literature. Also, “Imagination in Chess” by Gaprindashvili is good for tactical and positional exercises.

Advanced players - Mark Dvoretsky’s “Analytical Manual” is extremely difficult, but certainly worth taking the time to work through.

Endgame Technique

“Fundamental Chess Endings” by Muller and Lemprecht is an extensive endgame manual that is excellent for beginners. For more advanced players, Mark Dvoretsky’s “Endgame Manual” is absolutely incredible.

Vladimir Kramnik:

“My very first book was a games collection of Anatoly Karpov. On the whole I was attracted by positional play with some tactics, and already then I was aiming for universality.”

This Article was slightly summarized. For the full article on the Best Chess Books a Beginner Should Read, please check out William's Website.