11 May 2010

WCC 2010 game 12

0 - 1

I's all over.

IT'S ALL OVER


The defending champion won and Kramnik can relax.
Anand could say to him: "You can come out now" :-)

Who knows who will be the next challenger.

A Carlsen - Anand match would be lovely.
To be frank, a Carlsen - Anybody match would be lovely.

And I'll leave here on that lovely note,
again congratulating both players on a well-matched match.





=================

THESE ARE MY THOUGHTS AS I FOLLOWED THE GAME WHILST IT WAS BEING PLAYED.

Earlier:

I am going doolalah here.
Can't cope.
Don't have to ask how they are feeling.
This match is never ever going to be forgotten.
Phew
=================


third newsflash


===============

Anand gets it back on move 47...Kxg2 rather than 47.Rf7+

Although I am not so sure that Rf7+ would not have gone down as well.

===============


second newsflash


============
Anand giving it back on move 41...Kh7 rather than playing 41....Kg7?


Not really on reflection. It might have been a little easier, but this is going fine.
When I say 'reflection', I mean with the help of the engine of course.
What I saw as a drama, Junior 11 only saw as a minor hiccup.
Clever thing. Even in an endgame. And it doesn't get excited, like me.
How how excited. I'm worn out.

==================


newsflash
========================


IS TOPALOV GIVING IT AWAY ON MOVE 32? 32.fxe4????

32.Re3, even 32.Ne3 or 32.Qe3 would have done to hold the draw


======================

What a pity. He must have been so tense.

============

More on this with the final moves below at **********


===========

Nervous business, this final 'proper' game.
It will be an uphill struggle for Anand, seeing that he is playing Black.

The game will not be their best, as nerves will play an important part.

I hope that it will be a worthy ending to this fascinating championship.

Good luck and Thank You to both players.
You have given us a great time. We critized and scrutinized every move,
as if we know better :-)
I for one have learned a lot.
Pity that I will also forget a lot in no time.

Time to get ready.


D56 QGD Lasker variation, with a solid run and a nice space advantage for White.
Anand deviates on move 16, where he plays 16...Nf6 rather than 16...a5 as in Khalifman vs Jusopov 1/2 in 1992


1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 O-O 7. e3 Ne4 8. Bxe7 Qxe7 9. Rc1 c6 10. Be2 Nxc3 11. Rxc3 dxc4 12. Bxc4 Nd7 13. O-O b6 14. Bd3 c5 15. Be4 Rb8 16. Qc2 Nf6 17. dxc5 Nxe4 18. Qxe4 bxc5 19. Qc2 {N} 19... Bb7



So far two unusual moves from Anand.
13...b6, which Topalov took in his stride.
Second 16...Nf6, which surprised him.


19. Qc2 {N} Bb7 20. Nd2 Rfd8 21. f3




21.f3 (A little anxious about the Black's LSB dominating the long diagonal and trying to shift it. Which works. 21...Ba6

22.Rf2 rather than Rc1 is beyond me.
White seems to have totally lost his intial space advantage, and maybe that induced Topalov to take his Rook of the first rank. A little unwise maybe, when that rank is so empty at the moment.

Something along the lines of :

22.Rc1 Rd5 23.Ne4 c4 24.b3
, to arrange some planning to go after the -c5- pawn.

After 22.Rf2, Anand has plenty of scope now and can bring a Rook forward or place his Queen on =d6=, or.....you choose

After which Topalov might consider going for -Ra3- and then -h3- rather than -g3-.

Maybe Ra3 isn't so hot. Still, what way is better?
I do like Anand's position at this stage.

Question for anybody out there that knows :

In the Kramnik versus Leko WCC, there was a rule that allowed the defender to still remain champion with 1/2 point less than the challenger. In fact, I thought it was unfair, and so did Leko.

Is that still a rule and will it benefit Anand?



23.g3
Oops, there goes my theory. Well Topalov knows best.
At least his King has some sort of bolthole.

23...Bd3, lovely move, but after 24.Qa4 what?




They might come to blows here with a Queen swap take the stuffing out of this middle game. Along the line of:
25. Qa4 Qg5 26. e4 Bb5 27. Qxb5 Rxd2 28. Rc2 Rxc2 29. Rxc2 Rd2+ 30. Rxd2 Qxd2+ 31. Kh3 c4 32. Qe8+ Kh7 33. Qxf7 Qxb2 34. Qxe6 c3)

19.Qc2N Bb7 20.Nd2 Rfd8 21.f3 Ba6 22.Rf2 Rd7 23.g3 Rbd8 24.Kg2 Bd3 25.Qc1 Ba6 26.Ra3 Bb7



Game now looking like a draw.
I need air and a run.
Play-through game of first 25 moves with board below.

More later if they are still going strong.

==========

****************

25. Qc1 Ba6 26. Ra3 Bb7 27. Nb3 Rc7 28. Na5 Ba8 29. Nc4 e5 e4 32. fxe4 {??} Qxe4+ 33. Kh3 Rd4 {!} 34. Ne3 Qe8 {!} 35. g4 h5 36. Kh4 g5+ 37. fxg6 Qxg6 38. Qf1


I turn my back for a minute and things explode.
Just when I come back in there is the fatal move 32.fxe4 and now only a complementary blunder from Anand can save Topalov.

What a sad, sad thing for the Challenger. After such a fabulously even match.

Kudos to Anand for saving the best for last. He played this with stealth, setting trap after trap.

I mustn't be too previous:
Anand missed a trick on move 36 ...g5+, where 36....Qd8+ would have given Black an easy ride.
So, one never knows until the final blow, and Topalov seems to have reagained his composure.




Qxe4+ 33. Kh3 Rd4 34. Ne3 Qe8 35. g4 h5 36. Kh4 g5+ 37. fxg6 Qxg6 38. Qf1 Rxg4+ 39. Kh3 Re7 40. Rf8+ Kg7 ???????????

Good grief.
There are only two moves to choose from for goodness' sakes.
And he had eight, -8- minutes left to think on it.

Retraction: Not too bad at all. Only a minor hiccup.


37. fxg6 Qxg6 38. Qf1 Rxg4+ 39. Kh3 Re7 40. Rf8+ Kg7 41. Nf5+ Kh7 42. Rg3 Rxg3+ 43. hxg3 Qg4+ 44. Kh2 Re2+ 45. Kg1 Rg2+ 46. Qxg2 Bxg2 47. Kxg2 Qe2+ 48. Kh3 c4 49. a4 a5 50. Rf6 Kg8 51. Nh6+ Kg7 52. Rb6 Qe4 53. Kh2 Kh7 54. Rd6 Qe5 55. Nf7 Qxb2+ 56. Kh3 Qg7


0 - 1

I's all over.

IT'S ALL OVER


The defending champion won and Kramnik can relax.
Anand could say to him: "You can come out now" :-)

Who knows who will be the next challenger.

A Carlsen - Anand match would be lovely.
To be frank, a Carlsen - Anybody match would be lovely.

And I'll leave here on that lovely note,
again congratulating both players on a well-matched match.


1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 0-0 7.e3 Ne4 8.Bxe7 Qxe7 9.Rc1 c6 10.Be2 Nxc3 11.Rxc3 dxc4 12.Bxc4 Nd7 13.0-0 b6 14.Bd3 c5 15.Be4 Rb8 16.Qc2 Nf6 17.dxc5 Nxe4 18.Qxe4 bxc5 19.Qc2N Bb7 20.Nd2 Rfd8 21.f3 Ba6 22.Rf2 Rd7 23.g3 Rbd8 24.Kg2 Bd3 25.Qc1 Ba6 26.Ra3 Bb7 27.Nb3 Rc7 28.Na5 Ba8 29.Nc4 e5 30.e4 f5 31.exf5 e4 32.fxe4 Qxe4+ 33.Kh3 Rd4 34.Ne3 Qe8 35.g4 h5 36.Kh4 g5+ 37.fxg6 Qxg6 38.Qf1 Rxg4+ 39.Kh3 Re7 40.Rf8+ Kg7 41.Nf5+ Kh7 42.Rg3 Rxg3+ 43.hxg3 Qg4+ 44.Kh2 Re2+ 45.Kg1 Rg2+ 46.Qxg2 Bxg2 47.Kxg2 Qe2+ 48.Kh3 c4 49.a4 a5 50.Rf6 Kg8 51.Nh6+ Kg7 52.Rb6 Qe4 53.Kh2 Kh7 54.Rd6 Qe5 55.Nf7 Qxb2+ 56.Kh3 Qg7
0-1















10 May 2010

Game 11 on play board

Observations while the game was being played are in the previous post.





9 May 2010

WCC 2010 game 11

A29 - English Opening, 4-Knights with 4.g3
Much like an upside down Dragon after 4...d5, but with a loss of tempo for Black of course, which is usually considered fair for White.

All according to plan until move 11...Qe8, where 11...Qd7 was more usual.

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nb6 7. O-O Be7 8. a3 O-O 9. b4 Be6 10. d3 f6 11. Ne4 Qe8 N


(11... Qd7, which was directed at the =h3= square in unison with Black's LSB for a possible swap of the Bishops. Seeing that this had little influence on White's game, Topalov looks for something different.

12. Bb2 a6 13. Qc2 Bh3 14. Nc5 Bxc5 15. Bxh3 Qxh3 16. Qb3+ etc. Miles vs Timman Tilburg 1984, 1-0)

12. Nc5 Bxc5 13. bxc5 Nd5




Is Anand back to his intuitive and spontaneous playing style again?
Looks like it.

Open b-file and the Bishop pair for White. Still, Black's pieces are all good-to-go.


14.Bb2 planning an advance of his centre pawns backed by his Rooks. Rd8 but Black is getting ready to counteract this assault. 15. Qc2 Nde7 16. Rab1 Ba2 that Bishop may hassle the Rook, but not for long, even though it is backed by the black Queen. Notice how Topalov has switched the conventional attack on the fianchettoed Bishop from the usual kingside (=h3=) to the queenside. and beautifully done too. 17. Rbc1 Qf7 18. Bc3 Rd7 19. Qb2 Rb8 20. Rfd1 Be6 mission accomplished and preparing for the Knight to go to -d5- 21. Rd2 h6 22. Qb1 Nd5



23. Rb2 b6 24. cxb6 cxb6 25. Bd2 Rd6 26. Rbc2 Qd7

leading to



Qd7 27. h4 Rd8 28. Qb5 Nde7 29. Qb2 Bd5 30. Bb4 Nxb4 31. axb4 Rc6 32. b5 Rxc2 33. Rxc2 Be6 34. d4

Most of this is way over my head.
I am also getting rather drowsy and will take a walk to clear my head.



42 versus 32 mins left





7 May 2010

WCC 2010 game 10

Another Grunfeld, deviating on move 10...b6 (as played by Bill Hartston, him of the quotation in my right column, as Black against Knaak in Italy 1979, 1-0 in 35 moves.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8. Ne2 Nc6 9. Be3 O-O 10. O-O b6 11. Qd2 Bb7 12.Rac1 e6



after 13. Rfd1

Rather than playing -e6-, Anand, yet again full of surprises, replies 13...cxd4 14. cxd4 Qd6 That'll teach him.
Which center pawn advance will this elicit: e5 or d5?



15. d5 Na5?Is this preparation, desperation or deception? maybe this Knight on the rim isn't that dim afterall. It can march on to =b4= and cause some havoc. Black's plan could be interpreted as an attempt to demolish the d-5 pawn by attacking the DSB on -e3- first.


Having the square =d4= free for another piece will come in handy for White.
16.Bb5 RxR 17.RxR Rc8 18. h3
Now there's a turn-up for the books. No continuation of the giant clear-out for Topalov. He wants to hang on to that Rook.



after 18.h3


Black's DSB has a free run, thanks to White's pawn structure.

18.h3 Rxc1+ 19.Qxc1 e6 20.Nf4


and Black has created a very strong kingside with a huge no-go sign to Black's LSB.

Will they be swapping their DSBs any time soon?
20. Nf4 exd5 21. Nxd5 f5 22. f3 23. fxe4 Qe5
Finally. The Queen on her throne. Anand must be planning to keep her Maj and not enter into any exchanges soon.




24. Bd3


What was wrong with 24...Bxd5 may I ask??



Anyways, Anand didn'tlike that move and played 24...Nc6.
which is bound to give White more breathing space.

Enjoyable first 40 moves of game 10.

Play-through board up till move 42






They draw on move 60.

6 May 2010

WCC 2010 game 9

Goodbye Catalan
Hello Rubinstein Nimzo E54 main line

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 c5 6. Nf3 d5 7. O-O cxd4 8. exd4 dxc4 9. Bxc4 b6 10. Bg5 Bb7 11. Re1 Nbd7 12. Rc1 Rc8 13. Bd3



Gligoric liked this line but was not too successful with it. Two wins, two draws and three losses.
He had 13...Re8 played against him in his game versus Portisch in 1968 (1-0) and Browne in 1979 (0-1).How's that for a bit of ancient history ;-)
Others played 13...Bxc3 or Be7.
I would have chosen 13...h6. For what it's worth.

A different Anand had Re8 played against him in 2005 in Czech Pardubice, 68 moves for a draw.

Ah, I'm not alone. Andersson played h6 one move later, against Spassky in 1979, draw.

The lovely, capable Judith played 14...Nf8 against Lautier and won in 2002 in Moscow in 74 moves, no less.

So far:
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 c5 6. Nf3 d5 7. O-O cxd4 8. exd4 dxc4 9. Bxc4 b6 10. Bg5 Bb7 11. Re1 Nbd7 making room for the LSB and supporting the other Knight. 12. Rc1 Rc8 13. Bd3 On it's way to =b1=? It shrugs off responsibility for the center square =d5=. Seems a daring move somehow. Maybe I'm just a bit squeamish about Anand's chances in this match. Safety first and all that. But that would mean aiming for a draw, and in Tal's opinion that is the pits:

"To play for a draw, at any rate with White, is to some degree a crime against chess."


I was in Hammersmith for the KK2000 match ten years ago, and remember a similar position with the Q slightly differently placed. Probably can't find that now.

Got it. 13.Qb3 from Kramnik, who won in 25 moves.
Back to the present.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 c5 6. Nf3 d5 7. O-O cxd4 8. exd4 dxc4 9. Bxc4 b6 10. Bg5 Bb7 11. Re1 Nbd7 12. Rc1 Rc8 13. Bd3 Re8 14. Qe2 Bxc3 15. bxc3 Qc7 16. Bh4 Nh5 17. Ng5



17....g6

Now Qc2 I suppose.
Actually Qd1 might be nicer. And then h6 or Nf4 or another Knight move from Black

oops. Wrong again. Anand plays

18. Nh3 e5
19. f3 Qd6 20. Bf2 exd4 21. Qxe8+ Rxe8 22. Rxe8+ Nf8 23. cxd4 24. Ree1 Ne6 25. Bc4 Bd5


and it begins to feel like another draw for Anand as White.
Can't see any brilliancies arising from this position.

It looks like Anand played 18.Nh3 simply because it was possible. Topalov's black kingside squares being weak, it was possible for Anand to go to =h3= safely.
Not a good enough reason. He seems to have lost his energy. Almost as if his state of health is below par.
Maybe my expectations and hopes were too high.
maybe he is just tired. Tired of chess?
It's been a long time. And there is more to life than chess. Even if you are that good.

Topalov plays a less-than-optimum move and his Queen seems to be going the wrong way.

26.Bg3 Qb4 when retreating to say =d7= might have been safer.

27.Be5 almost as if Anand had expected this.

27...Nd7

As long as Anand does play 28.a3, this brinkmanship might lead somewhere.
But he must deal with the Bishops first.

Blown it. He does play a3.
Back to square one.

Stroke of luck. Topalov moves his Queen to =a4= rather than the better move Qb2 !!!.

28.a3 Qa4 29. Bxd5 Nxe5 30.Bxe6 Qxd4+ 31. Kh1

White now has a Bishop + 2 Rooks for a Queen + an extra pawn.
Not for long though.


26 versus 33 minutes.
And all to play for again thank goodness.
There may be a very volatile endgame coming up.
One wrong step and you're down and out.

Enthralling endgame but Topalov chooses 46....gxh5 rather than 46...g5 which had better chances. Still, slightly less than best moves from either side extend the game in zigzagging fashion.

40. Rh8+
(40. Re2 40... a5 41. Nxe6 b4 42. Rc7 Qa1+ 43. Kh2 b3 44. Re4 a4
(40. Re4 b4 41. Rxa7 b3 42. Rb7 b2 43. Kh2 Qc1 44. Ra4 Nd7 45. Rab4 Qe1 46. Rxb2 Qxh4+
Kd7 41. Rh7+ Kc6 42. Re4 b4
(42... a5 43. Nxe6 Kb6 44. Nd4 Qc1+ 45. Kh2 Qc5 )
43. Nxe6 Kb6 44. Nf4 Qa1+
(44... Qc1+ 45. Kh2 Nc6 46. Rh6 b3 47. Rxg6 Qd2 48. Rc4 b2 49. Rgxc6+ Kb7 50. Rc7+ Kb8 )
45. Kh2 a5
(45... b3 46. Rb4+ Kc6 47. Rxb3 )
46. h5 gxh5
(46... g5 47. Nd5+ Kc6 48. Ne7+
47. Rxh5 Nc6 48. Nd5+
(48. Re6 48... Kb7 49. Rh7+ Kb6 50. Rhh6 b3 51. Rxc6+
Kb7 49. Rh7+ Ka6 50. Re6
(50... Kb5 51. Rh5 Nd8 52. Nb6+ Ka6 53. Rg6 Qd4 54. Nc8+ Kb7 55. Nd6+ Kb8 56. Rb5+ Ka8 57. Rxa5+ Kb8 58. Rb5+ Ka8 59. Nf5 Qa1 60. Rxb4 Qe5+ 61. f4 Qa5 62. Rgb6 Nc6 63. R4b5 Qa4 64. Kg3 Ka7 65. Rb7+ Ka8

Kb5 51. Rh5 Nd4 52. Nb6+ Ka6 53. *


Let's hope Anand makes the correct Rook move: Rd6 rather than Rg6

and he does. Phew.

53.Rd6


Game is all over the place.
They are lurching home like drunken sailors and it is leaving me dizzy.


53. Rd6 Kb7 54. Nc4 Nxf3+ 55. gxf3 Qa2+ 56. Nd2 Kc7 57. Rhd5 b3 58. Rd7+ Kc8 59. Rd8+ Kc7 60. R8d7+ Kc8 61. Rg7 a4




Can't stand the suspense...

"It's not over till the fat lady sings"

Well, I sure hope she starts singing soon.
You can wring me out.

And so on for another 22 moves into yet another draw for Anand as White.

Nobody can accuse them of not trying their darndest.
I had handed the win to Anand at move 48.Re6
But he played 48.Nd5+
I wonder what difference Re6 would have made. Probably none.
What a game. How worn out they must be.

Game 9 play through with further commentary



4 May 2010

WCC 2010 game 8

Topalov as White playing the D17 SLAV DEFENCE

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 e6 7. f3 c5 8. e4 Bg6

They're sticking to their guns so far. Maybe neither wants to admit that their preferred opening could have some drawback. Anand may have been the most successful with his choice, but the past two games must have made him a touch anxious. Still, it is the eventual score that counts.

9. Be3 cxd4 10. Qxd4 Qxd4 11. Bxd4 Nfd7 12. Nxd7 Nxd7 13. Bxc4 Rc8
rather than 13...a6 which he played a move earlier in the previous Slav game.

14. Bb5 a6 15. Bxd7+ Kxd7
nixing the chance of castling. A little degrading for Black the way White forced the issue here.



16. Ke2

allowing the Rook to go to the center

16....f6
to protect the weak -g7- pawn. The =e6= square won't present Black with many problems, seeing that White has lost his LSB. This move also gives Black's LSB a new lease of life.

17.Rhd1




17....Ke8 18.a5 (N) Be7 19.Bb6 Rf8 20.Rac1



103 versus 87 mins


I preferred 20.Ra4 f5 21.Rad4 fxe4 22.Nxe4 Rc2+ 23.R1d2 RxR 24.KxR Rf5


20.Rac1 f5 21. e5 Bg5 22. Be3 f4 23. Ne4 Rxc1 24. Nd6+ Kd7 25. Bxc1 Kc6 26. Bd2 Be7 27. Rc1+ Kd7 28. Bc3
Bb4 looked good to me too, depending on who initiates the exchange.



28. Bxd6 29. Rd1 Bf5 30. h4
Why not take that Bishop back here?
30...g6??
That's why Topalov played h4: to mislead.




Curtains for Anand.

Nothing to stop Topalov now unless he blunders.
So I'm out of here.

Well done! Well played.Well deserved win.

Play through game the below, given with the most probable outcome.




3 May 2010

WCC 2010 game 7

Today Topalov will play as White.
He must be relieved to have taken a draw out of game 6 (six) as Black.
Will this be enough to spur him on to achieve the full point today?
That would equalize the match but for the fact that Anand will have a game in hand.

Anand 3.5 vs Topalov 2.5



Hereby a Rose to both players.
Plus my best wishes for the games to come and grateful thanks for an entertaining match.

The running commentary will start at 12:00 GMT.
The play-through board will appear after the result is out.
Enjoy the game.

Topalov not as White today.
They must have switched after the halfway mark.

Yet another Catalan/ Well, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

More research into the Catalan, incorporating novelties from Invanchuk as Black against Gelfand in Nice in a rapid earlier this year.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Be7 (this time Topalov turns it into a Bogo-Indian, rather than the 5....a5/a6 moves from the previous games) 6. Bg2 O-O 7. O-O c6 8. Bf4 dxc4 (eschewing 8...Nbd7/b6) 9. Ne5 b5 (start of a develishly inventive line .) 10. Nxc6 Nxc6 11. Bxc6 Bd7 12. Bxa8 Qxa8 12. Bxa8 Qxa8 13. f3 Nd5 14. Bd2 e5 15. e4 Bh3 16.exd5 Bxf1 17. Qxf1 exd4 18. a4 Qxd5


It has been a forced sequence ever since 9..b5


19. axb5 Qxb5 20. Rxa7 Re8


leading to:



59 mins versus 117 mins
When the smoke clears: Black has the extra pawn, with two forward on the 4th rank. These are worth having.
White's -b-pawn is threatened by the Queen and not defended. But he has the Knight even though it seems a touch marginalized at the minute.

At least White managed to grab the a-7 pawn. Still Qc1 wouldn't have been too shabby either. A way to get the Rook to the center via Ra5 to Re5 - Re4


Important decision here for White. Lots of options now,

From the clocks it seems that Topalov is hardly using up any time at all, whereas Anand is doing a fair bit of thinking.

After 21.Kh1 Bf8 22.Rc7




These two moves cost both players a bit of time.
56 mins versus 99 mins

22. Rc7 d3 23. Bc3 Bd6 24. Ra7


Was 23...Bc5 a step too far? I don't think so. That would have prevented Ra7.


Anyway, this will give Topalov something to ponder on, and thereby me a chance to get some vittels.

Topalov wisely gives his King a bolthole

24...h6
This doesn't necessarily mean that White can take his eye of the ball and start developing his Knight.

Oh yes it does. So he does it. Pity. 25.Qh3 Bb4 26.Qd7 QxQ 27.RxQ Bxc3 28.Nxc3 Rb8 was a good foothold for White.

25.Nd2
Now all Topa has to do is find 25..Bb4 and of course, time not being of the essence for him he does find it.

So Anand has lost the edge.
Now he 'd better use that Knight wisely.
26. Ne4? Doesn't help much. The moment has passed.

I mourn the move 25.Qh3 line being missed by White.
Going out for some air and a stiff walk to dilute the frustration. Pity anand can't afford the time to do the same.

I can see a win for Black coming on.

Here is the play through game up till the move I didn't care for.

25.Qh3 would have given White an elegant way to use that extra Knight.
He can't have my rose now. Well...maybe later.





An hour later and they are still playing silly bluggers.
It spoils the game. People in the auditorium must be getting very restive.
Not to say climbing the walls. I honestly cannot see why Anand passed up Topalov's signal of a threefold rep draw. He can't really expect to get a win out of this now.
Or is he wilfully trying to give Topalov a taste of his own medicine in being stubborn? Strange business which leaves a bit of a bitter taste after this strikingly inventive game.

Kudos to Topalov to make the best of Black two games in a row. In my view a draw as Black is worth 5/8 of the split point, which makes his one point behind much better than it looks.


















1 May 2010

WCC 2010 game 6

DRAW IN GAME 06

My observations as the game was being played.
PLAY THROUGH game at the bottom of this post.

=======
Anand still leading by one whole point.
What will it be at the end of this afternoon?

Not again.
E04



Deviating from Game 02 at move 10.Bg5
Cheeky devil: always something up his sleeve. Luring Topalov into false security and then POW! a new worry.

Not played very often I don't think. Still Topalov was quick to reply, so it wasn't really a surprise as such.




10.Bg5 h6
11.Bxf6 Qxf6 N
12.Nd3 Ba7
fending off a Knight assault on -b6-


13.Qa4 ?
I am wondering if I am on the right board.
What's he up to now?
I had expected 13.Nce5, joining his other Knight in a hunt for the LSB

Another unpleasant surprise for Topalov? Was a bit too quick with the reply to Bg5?
13...Nc6 is probaly safest.

Can't help feeling that Qa4 is backfiring. It allows Topalov to advance his b-pawn, pushing the Queen back to where she may not want to go apart from Qb3 maybe.
Still, after Topalov's wise 12...Ba7, there wasn't much choice for White.
Good conflict.

13.Qa4 Nc6
14.Rac1 e5
15.Bxc6 b5
16.Qc2 Qxc6
17.Ncxe5 Qe4




18.Qc6 Bb7
19.QxQ BxQ
20.Rc2

Things have turned slightly in Black's favour I think.
Both his Bishops are active, while White's center pawn is still behind.



Topalov is in fine fettle and countering every threat beautifully.
This is turning into a delicious game.
Thank you to both players.
Let's hope nothing untoward happens.



20.Rc2 Rfe8
21.Rfc1 f6


22.Nd7 Bf5
23.N7c5 Bb6 Not wanting to swap the Bishop for a Knight.
24.Nb7



I can't see a clear plan somehow. It seems a series of skirmishes and not much outline planning.

I need air and will leave them to it for a bit.
Back now but I mustn't forget that I have chicken stew on the stove.

Still not a clear plan ahead. White seems to just hang in there, waiting for Black to make a mistake. That pawn on =e2= is high-maintenance and has sewn up the Rooks.
Wonderful to behold the way Topalov has throttled the supposedly open c-file. It is reminiscent of the pythonesque style of Karpov.

24.Nb7 Bd7 completely closing the c-file. Great stuff.
25.Nf4 Rab8
26.Nd6 Re5
27.Nc8 Ba5
28.Nd3 Re8
29.Na7 Bb6
30.Nc6 Rb7
31.Ncb4 a5
32.Nd5 a4!
Plan emerging
33.Nxb6 Rxb6 Is Anand throwing in the towel?
34.Nc5 Bf5
This is bizarre. 13 x
Anand has now moved a Knight once too often.
Unlucky thirteen.




35.Rd2 Rc6
36.b4 axb3
37.axb3 b4
38.Rxd4 Rxe2
39.Rxb4 Bh3
40.Rbc4 Rd6





Time to shake hands.
Oops.

41.Re4 Rb2
42.Ree1 Rdd2
43.Ne4 Rd4


Anand giving Topalov a taste of his own medicine?

They are trundling on and on and on.
Boring. If somebody now profits by the mistake of the opponent, I shall not be impressed one little bit.
This is silly.
I'm outta here.



Shenanigans after move 44 until they finally draw.