DortmundR4 Today, a masterpiece was created

Sometimes chess is art, pure art. We forget about ratings, results and standings and simply enjoy what is happening on the 64 squares. The play triggers our imagination, reminds us of great players from the past, and urges us to see the chess board as a canvas where new paintings are created each and every day — Today, a masterpiece was created.
It takes two to tango, but in this case, the master responsible for the brilliancy was Vladimir Kramnik. The former world champion played sacrificially against Rainer Buhmann, the big underdog in this game. First a bishop, then a knight, and then even a queen was tossed away for... what exactly?
It took a while to realize what was going on: Black was in some kind of middlegame zugzwang. The only problem was that there wasn't enough material left for White to actually win this game. Still, what a joy it was to watch the game unfold. It must be noted that Buhmann defended very well, despite being in time trouble early on.