Pia Cramling Wins With Black In Game 1 Vs. GothamChess

GM Pia Cramling has started the Battle of Generations, her one-on-one match against IM Levy Rozman (GothamChess), with a win in the first classical game. Rozman gained the advantage with the white pieces, but spent about half his remaining time on move 19 and soon allowed Cramling to equalize. With little time left, Rozman traded into an inferior endgame where Cramling won a pawn and the game.

The second classical game will be on Tuesday, October 29, starting at 10 a.m. ET / 15:00 CET / 7:30 p.m. IST. Cramling will have the white pieces.

Score After Classical Game 1 Of 4

It's a 22-game match that began on Monday and will end on Saturday. The first four games will feature the classical time control of 90+30, one played per day, and we will see the faster time controls on the final two days. On November 1, they will play six rapid games and on November 2 they'll finish the event with 12 blitz games. Players earn three points for a win in classical, two for a win in rapid, and one for a win in blitz.

With the white pieces in the first game, Rozman opted for the London System, explaining in the confessional booth that he was looking for a modest and controlled start to the match. Cramling went with the plan of 9...Nd7 and 10...e5, taking on an isolated pawn with an active position.

Pia from the confessional booth: "Could be right, could be wrong, I'm hoping that my activity will compensate for the isolated pawn I'm having."https://t.co/yUM0zwx29c pic.twitter.com/NWSRmbMhuB

— chess24 (@chess24com) October 28, 2024

Between moves 13 and 17, Rozman gained a tangible advantage. The pawn was blockaded on the d3-square and it was time to gain more space with the committal 19.c5, with ideas of Bd6 and Bc4 to start attacking. Cramling said she was terrified of this move, and Rozman thought for 23 minutes in this position, mostly looking at 19.Bd6...

...and finally played the hesitant 19.Rad1, a move that in itself wasn't a mistake. As commentator IM Alex Ostrovskiy explained, Rozman could have played the same move, just naturally developing, in two minutes—the time usage was the mistake, not the move. "It's a slow move and it gives me time," said Cramling after the game.

"I spent too much time and played bad moves," summarized Rozman about the moves that followed. The players began to trade pieces and, with best play, the game should have been a draw. But Rozman had under two minutes against over 10 when the grandmaster played 27...Qb4. The popular content creator traded queens ("I didn't see anything else to do") and lost both queenside pawns.

GothamChess put up incredible resistance, making the game last a long time while setting up many tricks with his knight. But Cramling never made an objective mistake, in general keeping control, even if she once played a move with one second on the clock. You can check out the full game, with quotes and variations discussed by the players, below.

"I was very, very happy that I did survive today because it was a very tough position," Cramling humbly concluded. Rozman added, "I was happy because the production looked so good. That's my biggest success point." Jokes aside, Rozman said he'd never played a one vs. one match before and was surprised by the absolute silence of it, explaining, "You can almost hear your opponent's heartbeat."

You can listen to Rozman's recap in the video below.

There are three classical games remaining and Rozman will have the black pieces in the next round. Can he stop the bleeding, or even score the win?

The Battle of Generations is an over-the-board match between GM Pia Cramling and IM Levy Rozman featuring multiple time controls: four classical games (90+30), six rapid games (15+10), and 12 blitz games (3+2). It takes place at the Svarta Hasten in Stockholm, Sweden. The prize fund is $10,000, with $6,000 going to the winner.

Previous Coverage: 

• Chess Legend Pia Cramling To Face Off With Levy Rozman In Battle Of Generations