This week I focus on a number of key positions from the World Championship qualifier, the Candidates tournament, which concluded at the beginning of this week in Khanty-Mansisk in Siberia. The Candidates was a remarkable event, with two former world champions, Viswanathan Anand (the ultimate winner) and Vladimir Kramnik, competing, along with a former Fidé (World Chess Federation) champion, Veselin Topalov, the current world no. 2, Lev Aronian, and the seven-times Russian champion Peter Svidler.
On an open board in the endgame, a bishop will usually outperform a knight. Here Anand gives a textbook example.
Anand-Aronian; Fidé Candidates, Khanty-Mansisk 2014
39 Bd4 Nxa4 40 Rxc6 Rd8 41 Rc4 Bd7 42 b3 Bb5 43 Rb4 Nb2 44 Bxb5 axb5 45 Ke3 Re8+ 46 Kd2 Rd8 47 Kc3 Black resigns The knight is trapped after 47 … Nd1+ 48 Kc2.
Aronian-Mamedyarov; Fidé Candidates, Khanty-Mansisk 2014 (see diagram 2)
In the following seemingly balanced position, White unleashed a thunderbolt. 14 Nde4 dxe4 15 Nxe4 Qh4 16 g3 Qh3 17 Nf2 Qxf1+ 18 Kxf1 Nxf5 19 Qf3 White is winning easily on material and Black eventually resigned on move 44.
Kramnik-Karjakin; Fidé Candidates, Khanty-Mansisk 2014
In a ferocious battle where the players had castled on opposite wings, Kramnik now introduces a final attack by sacrificing rook for bishop to tear away the defensive carapace surrounding the black king. 23 Rxc6 bxc6 24 Nxe4 Nb6 25 Nc5 Qd5 26 Rc1 Ka8 27 Na6 Kb7 28 Nb4 Qf7 29 Qg4 Nd5 30 Nxc6 Re6 31 Na5+ Ka8 32 Qe4 Rb6 33 g4 h5 34 Rc5 Rd8 35 Nc6 Rxc6 36 Rxc6 hxg4 37 Rf6 Qh7 38 Bg5 Qg8 39 Rxg6 Black resigns
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