WCC 2010 game 5

They have just drawn in a less than exhilerating Slav which was a replica of game 3 until Anand played 15...h5 rather than h6.





They draw after another 4 moves.

WCC 2010 game 4

Another Catalan, with a slight deviation from the previous one on move 5...Bb4+ rather than 5...a6.

Topalov has been allowed to build up a strong queenside pawn postion.



After 10.Na3 Bd7
A little disconcerting to have that LSB on the Knight's favourite spot.
Also, this might give White a chance to move his Knight t0 =e5= without fear of reprisal. Maybe Anand will want to castle first. Although I doubt that.

11.Ne5 Nd5



And after 12.e4 Nb4 they both castle.



13.0-0 0-0 Black more or less has to follow suit now that White is poised to play -d5-: the centre is becoming a dangerous place.
14.Rfd1 Be8 ??
Why allow his Rook to become trapped? Shooting himself in the foot. It seems that now both black Rooks are compromised. Now was the time to play f6, before White gets the chance to push his d-pawn.



After 15.d5.
Anand doesn't let the grass grow and pushed into enemy territory, forking the pawns with the convenient back-up of his Knight.

It is now too late for f6 and Black resorts to pushing the Knight away.
15..Qd6

16.Nf3 was my choice, but that would have blocked the a8 - g2 diagonal again and White obviously still has his eye on that Rook.

16.Ng3
Can't see the outcome of this as good for White: it seems to unravel the tension in the center like pulling a 'Cat's Cradle'.
Still, we have to move on. Anand knows best.
I think time may become an issue in this game.



after 16...Qc5

Maybe now it is time for Black to get his Rook out of storage via -a7- and -d7-.
Very cumbersome though. Anyways, the black Queen is poised for action, both long- and short-range, whilst being out of reach of the marauding white Knights.

17.Ne3 N8a6 opening a different excape route for that Rook. Still, Knight on the rim and all that.
Maybe White has to start thinking about liberating his Knight on =a3=.

White's queenside pawns are all over the shop now and he needs all his wits about him to pull it together.

18.dxc6 bxa4 19.Naxc4 Bxc6
20.Rac1
a little worrying for the black Queen, who may need to escape to =g5=



20...h6

21.Nd6 Qa7
22.Ng4

for heaven's sakes: which Rook did he play? Rad8 or Rfd8??

This is the crucial move of the game and all the live sites seems to differ.

Confusing input, but I believe it was the 22...Rad8

23.Nxh6+ gxh6
24.Qxh6

This is beginning to look as if someone let the air out of the balloon.
You can hear it shrivel.


and then after 24...f6
It all blew up again??

Sorry folks, but I am out of here.
Can't take the excitement.
Until they get the broadcasts sorted, I won't know if Topalov blundered or what.
It this is the true movelist, then I can't see Anand lose this.

I need air and exercise.

Anand pulled it off!
Subtle Catalan with many nuances.




My impression of the game as it unfolded, are in the previous post.

Noli me tangere

All this silence and handshaking business is so silly.

The spirit of chess as a game seems to have gone totally by the board. Pun intended.
In the olden days players at important matches would set their OTB differences aside and go out for a meal together afterwards.


Remember Carlsen in London? After a game against a not-so-brilliant player (Dutch, but I'm mentioning no names) he asked the chap about a certain move that had come up during their game. It was obvious that this was pure love of chess that spurred him on to bring this up. Not so for his opponent, who blankly refused to share any research. As if Carlsen needed any help from him.

This little incident made me really sad. Is it the money? The glory? What causes people to shed their humanity when they play chess?

I don't believe it is a matter of manners alone.It seems that for the soul behind the player it is no longer safe to show its face.

WCC 2010 game 3

Topalov has white and they are playing D17 Slav Defence

Game after 3 hours:




The game seems to be trundling to a draw and I need some air and exercise.

Game 2 WCC 2010

Anand has white and they launched into a Catalan E04

Game after 3 hours:






Only a matter of time now before Anand wins this game and evens the match.
Thanks to both players for a compelling game.

Topalov draws ahead in game one

Topalov steered Anand into a Grünfeld and they followed a game Topalov played against Kamsky




First 18 moves was a gallop.
Anand slips back by move 23


19.Nf4 g5 20.Nh5+ Kh8 21.h4 h6 22.hxg5 hxg5 23.Rf3
and now the fun starts. For White at least.

Anand might have moved his LSB but plays 23....Kf7 instead and things slide away from him. Blocking the Rook on =f8= from active participation was bound to cause trouble, and Topalov found the winning reply:24.Nxf6


Taking the white Knight on =f6= with the Queen rather than the King might have given him a stay of execution, but after 24.Nxf6 Kxf6 the situation is out of control and Topalov takes the first win.

Mum's the word

New shenanigans in the 2010 WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP IN SOFIA, BULGARIA

The VvV match, Vishy versus Veselin, is to be played in total silence.

If Anand wants to offer Topalov a draw, he will have to resort to body language.
The mind boggles. Sticking out his tongue? Rolling his eyes? Kicking him in the shins under the table?

The Bulgarian duo, Topalov and his Bishop Danilov, have cooked up another mind-unsettling dish: revoking a regulation everyone else had forgotten about: no verbal communication between the players during the course of the tournament.

Does that mean that even an "After you" when they both reach a revolving door at the same time, would incur punishment of sorts?

Come to think of it, what punishment?
A piece of sticky Duct tape over the mouth of the blabbermouth?
Would it mean a swift loss to the gabby player?
And would he still get the 1 million Euros? Even after one or no game?

Let the fun begin, even if the games aren't funny.