Posting berikutnya (Game 9 & 10) baru bisa pada hari Senin 09/10
Game 8 was the first White of Kramnik in more than a week. Maybe he
has become a bit White-rusty, so to speak, and this fact may have
affected his play. Everything went wrong for the Russian, who did not
quite manage equalizing in the opening. Despite the queens leaving the
board, Kramnik's superb sense of complex endgame positions did not
help him. White had a rook and a pawn versus two knights, his rooks
enjoyed some temporary activity, but there were no attacking objects
in Black's camp. Topalov slowly consolidated, improved his position,
secured excellent outposts for the knights, and after one or two
indifferent moves by Kramnik the white position fell apart. It seemed
Vladimir continued resisting only to restore his emotional state
before obligatory meeting with press
Kramnik,V (2743) - Topalov,V (2813) [D47]
WCh Elista RUS (8), 05.10.2006
Slav Defense D47
Analysis by GM Vladimir Belov
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5
8.Be2. Not the main line, but nevertheless is quite poisonous. Topalov
admitted that he did not foresee this variation, but still was ready
to surprise his opponent.
8...Bb7 9.0-0 b4. 9...a6 10.e4 c5 leads to positions of a different
kind. Topalov's second Francisco Vallejo played this variation a few
times, but Topalov goes his own way.
10.Na4 c5!?
In most games Black did not strive for immediate opening of the play,
preferring quiet developing plan Be7 and 0-0. Veselin takes conscious
risk, aiming at complications with his pieces sleeping on the back rank.
11.dxc5 Nxc5. Strangely, 11...Bxc5 was the main move earlier, giving
White a small plus due the two-bishop advantage: 12.Nxc5 Nxc5 13.Qd4.
12.Bb5+ Ncd7 13.Ne5. This looks anything but harmless. However,
Veselin is backed by powerful home analysis, which is a more weighty
argument than «seems dangerous», «looks precarious» etc.
13...Qc7 (13...a6? loses indecently quickly: 14.Bxd7+ Nxd7 15.Qxd7+
Qxd7 16.Nxd7 Kxd7 17.Nb6+) 14.Qd4. Vladimir makes a predictable move.
It would have been interesting to try anti-positional but optimistic
14.f4. One could even give sample and obviously cooperative line:
14...Bd6 15.Bd2 Bxe5 16.Bxb4!? Bxg2 a worthy reply to White's
creative improvisation: 17.Kxg2 Qb7+ 18.Qf3 Qxb5 19.Qxa8+ Bb8 20.a3!
Qxa4 21.Rac1 Qa6 22.Rc6 Qe2+ 23.Kg1 Qxe3+ 24.Rf2+.
14...Rd8 15.Bd2. Greed is not appropriate here, which is understood
from the following variation: 15.Nxd7 Nxd7 16.Qxa7 Bd6 17.f4 0-0
18.Bd2 Nf6 19.Rac1 Qe7, and one cannot hold tears looking at White's
pieces. 15...Qa5 16.Bc6 Be7. Keeping cool under fire. It transpires
that White hasn't created threats, and Black spared a tempo for
development. We shall not disregard materialistic 16...Bxc6 17.Nxc6
Qxa4 18.Nxd8, and now 18...Be7!? forces White parting with what
remained of his cavalry (after 18...Kxd8 19.a3 Black is in trouble)
19.Nxe6 fxe6, albeit there is no reason to be sad, because White is
better after 20.a3.
17.Rfc1!? Vladimir is ready to give up the material in order to
maintain the tension. A praiseworthy decision, especially if B follows
A. The game calms down after 17.b3 0-0 18.Bxd7 Nxd7 19.Nxd7 Bc6 20.Qe5
Qxe5 21.Nxe5 Bxa4 22.Bxb4!? Bxb4 23.bxa4 Bc3 24.Nc6 Bxa1 25.Nxd8 Rxd8
26.Rxa1 Rd3, and the handshake is coming.
17...Bxc6. Topalov picks up the gauntlet, and does not miscalculate.
After a melancholic 17...0-0 White enjoys certain initiative: 18.Nc4.
18.Nxc6 Qxa4 19.Nxd8. It is not easy to blame Kramnik's inconsistency,
as the position after natural piece sacrifice 19. Nxe7 (at once or
after intermediate 19.b3) is too unclear to go for it in a world
championship match.
After the game Veselin was very skeptical about correctness of the
sacrifice, while Vladimir surmised that one should play it, although
it looks too dashing. This position calls for detailed analysis, but
one can spot a couple of ideas even under the limited time.
Let's see: 19.b3 Qb5 20.Nxe7 Kxe7 21.Bxb4+ Ke8 (Black's king is
alluring, but is there anything concrete?) 22.Rd1 (all `mechanisms'
vote for this move; 22.Qd6 gives nothing in view of 22...Nd5, while
self-suggesting 22.Rc7 is met by 22...Nd5 23.Qxg7 Qxb4 24.Qxh8+ Ke7
25.Rxd7+ Rxd7, and Black is just fine) 22...Qe5!? (less convincing is
22...Qb6 23.Qc3, and it is not easy to find the way for Black to
unpin, while White's attack develops naturally: Rd6, Rad1: 23...Rg8
24.Ba5 Qb7 25.Bxd8 Kxd8 26.Qc5) 23.Qxa7 Nd5 (it seems Black solved the
problem with his king at cost of a pawn, but let us not forget the
rules of chess: the king that has moved cannot castle!) 24.Ba5 Rc8
(now there are a few ways of continuing the attack) 25.e4!? Qxe4
26.Rd4 Qf5 27.Re1, and it is difficult for Black to untie.
Original 19.a3 unfortunately fails to 19...Nc5! 20.Nxd8 Nb3. 19.Bxb4
is also insufficient because of 19...e5 20.Qh4 Bxb4 21.Nxd8 Kxd8 22.a3
Ke7 23.axb4 Rc8!, answering all questions.
19...Bxd8 20.Qxb4. Kramnik has nothing against the endgame that he
called `drawish' at the press conference. During the game it felt as
if White can claim an advantage, because a rook and an edge pawn is
sufficient equivalent to two knights. However, the further course of
the game showed that it is not that simple, and both sides must
display certain caution. Let us assume that a more vivacious 20.b3 Qb5
21.Bxb4 should have been preferred.
20...Qxb4 21.Bxb4 (Kramnik explained his choice by missing next two
strong moves of the opponent) 21...Nd5! 22.Bd6 f5! Hitting two birds:
preventing е3-е4 and vacating the f7-square for the king.
23.Rc8 (primitive pawn push allows Black to regroup with comfort:
23.b4 N7b6! 24.a4 Kd7) 23...N5b6. The rook must be restricted!
24.Rc6 Be7! Black slowly unties! 24...Kf7 is dangerous: 25.a4 a5 26.b4
Bf6?! 27.bxa5! Bxa1?! 28.axb6 Ra8?! 29.b7 Rxa4 30.Rc7.
25.Rd1! Kf7 26.Rc7. After the game Vladimir said that maybe he should
have preferred an endgame with three pawns for a piece: 26.Bxe7 Kxe7
27.Rdd6 Nb8! 28.Rxe6+ Kf7 29.Rxb6 axb6 30.Rxb6. «Black is better, but
White has decent drawing chances». We can only agree with him... On
the other hand, is everything so desperate for White after the
text-move? Let us try to investigate.
26...Ra8! I would like to underscore Topalov's correct strategic
decision to keep the rooks on board. In case of 26...Rc8 27.Rxc8 Nxc8
28.Bxe7 Kxe7 29.f3 only White plays for a win.
27.Rb7 Ke8 28.Bxe7 Kxe7 29.Rc1. 29.f3 deserves attention. This note
can be cloned for next few moves... It seems useful for White to bring
the king to the center, in addition obtaining an opportunity to drive
the Black's knight from e5, and prevent his own kingside from being
locked, as it happened in the actual game.
29...a5 30.Rc6 Nd5 31.h4. Starting here, the Russian's play leaves the
spectator unimpressed. It took more than ten moves to obtain a
hopeless position from a durable one.
31...h6 32.a4 g5 33.hxg5 hxg5 34.Kf1 g4! (re-read the note to White's
29th move) 35.Ke2 N5f6 36.b3?! So far White's position remained
defendable; he only had to load Black's pieces with defensive duties.
Good is 36.Rcc7, containing the cavalry and hinting about Ra7.
However, Black still has the initiative; for example, 36...g3!? is
interesting.
36...Ne8! (a strong maneuver, allowing to get rid of the White's rooks
and free his own) 37.f3? (Д)
There is a good verb for such moments of struggle to drift. White
begins to drift very quickly, and medicine is already helpless.
Better is 37.Rc1 followed by «h»: 37...Nd6 38.Rbc7 Ne4.
37...g3! (Topalov's nailing pawn remember the first game! is
successfully hammered) 38.Rc1 Nef6 39.f4 Kd6 40.Kf3 Nd5. We shall not
shy away from assessing this position as won for Black. White has no
counterarguments against activating a8-rook and d7-knight, after which
the White's pawns looks like targets in a shooting gallery...
41.Kxg3. Speeding up the process. White is lost after more tenacious
41.Rb5 N7f6 42.Rcc5 Rh8 43.Rxa5 Rh1 44.Rc4 Rf1+ 45.Kxg3 Ne4+.
41...Nc5 42.Rg7 (42.Rb5 does not save, too: 42
Ne4+ 43.Kh2 Nec3 44.Rb7
Rh8+ followed by a fork from е2) 42...Rb8 43.Ra7 Rg8+ 44.Kf3 Ne4
45.Ra6+ Ke7 46.Rxa5 Rg3+ 47.Ke2 Rxe3+. Also convincing is 47...Rxg2+
48.Kd3 Rd2+ 49.Kc4 Nd6+ 50.Kc5 Nb7+ 51.Kb5 Nxa5 52.Kxa5 Rb2+.
48.Kf1 Rxb3 49.Ra7+ Kf6 50.Ra8 Nxf4 51.Ra1 Rb2 52.a5 Rf2+. White resigns.
An unexpected turn of the match! Generally, I can conclude my
comments, quoting Kramnik's "This was not my day".
The press conference was again given separately. Kramnik came first,
smiling, and assured everyone that he does not consider this loss
tragic. His words and body language were supposed to show that he is
in great mood, and is confident in winning the match.
After Vladimir left the hall, there was an unexpected break. Topalov
stood in the playing hall, waiting for Danailov, who disappeared
somewhere, and refused going to the journalists and Kirsan
Ilyumzhinov, who also attended the meeting. The FIDE champion started
moving only when Silvio showed up.
The match course has changed dramatically. Yesterday Kramnik had two
wins and no losses. Regardless of the score, his inability to win a
single game was depressing for Veselin. Today's encounter turned the
situation around: the score is now even, and Topalov's confidence is
boosted. With just four games to play, it means a tough situation for
the classical champion.
Press conference after game seven
Today there were two separate press conferences instead of a joint
one. When Kramnik was already sitting in the press conference hall,
Topalov suddenly refused to attend, leaving the stage with the words:
"I'll give a separate press conference!" Vladimir sighed with relief
and said: "Okay, this is even easier for me", and spent half of the
twenty prescribed minutes in lively chatter.
Question: Thanks to Silvio Danailov, today we found out that you are a
strong player! We were given the paper listing frequencies of your
moves coinciding with Fritz 9 main lines. It revealed that 78% of your
moves were also suggested by Fritz. In the second game this number
equaled 87%! How high this frequency was in today's game in your opinion?
Kramnik: A proper analysis must take into consideration that in the
second game we both blundered a mate in three! First of all, this 87%
is total nonsense everything depends on the time allotted to the
engine for analyzing a given position. Secondly, Topalov's percentages
in San Luis, for example, were even higher. And, thirdly, it is clear
already that the opponent's team is using the dirtiest of tricks to
mess with my mind. I do not want to blame them; I just feel sorry for
them. But all these scandals can only harm chess. Everything that
already happened and will surely happen later in the match must become
known to the chess community, and Danailov's conduct must be
investigated by the Ethics Committee. I have never faced more
unethical conduct with respect to organizers and me. I feel sorry
about this.
Vladimir, this last week was indeed black for you: playing three
Blacks in a row is a unique case in the WCC matches. Are you satisfied
with sporting result of these games, and how do you assess their content?
I cannot say I experienced any serious problems in the first two
games. However, today's game was rather difficult; at some point my
position was dangerous, and I was short on time, but then I simply
outplayed the opponent. Maybe Black had some winning chances after the
first time control, but Veselin defended very accurately, and they
evaporated
Three draws as Black is acceptable result. Everything goes
according to the plan. Tomorrow I'll finally have White I almost
forgot the feeling
How could you explain your lengthy thought in today's game?
Obviously, I ran into Topalov's preparation. Veselin played his
opening moves at machine gun speed. The value of moves in the position
that occurred after the opening was high, so I took my time. If you
haven't studied certain position at home, you need a lot of time to
grasp the essence of it at the board. Maybe I played too slowly, but I
succeeded.
Technology is becoming dominant in our world, and chess is no longer
the issue between one man and another man. What do you think about it?
Of course, chess has been changed much since the computers appeared;
we even started to understand it differently. I am convinced that all
major events like world championship, etc., must be played under total
control aimed against using external assistance. The earlier it
happens, the better it is. This is like doping control in other
sports. Here in Elista the players do not have even a theoretical
chance to use external help. One requires very strong imagination for
inventing stories like Mr. Danailov does. If the measures taken here
are taken in other major tournaments, computer technologies will not
pose a threat to chess. Otherwise anything can happen. I think it is
time for FIDE to include such rules into their regulations. This does
not require much investments; certainly not thousands dollars. Most
major tournaments have sufficient funds.
You mentioned that you expect more dirty tricks from the Bulgarian
side. Do you have any idea what to expect?
I guess you should ask this question on the next press conference. To
be honest, I cannot think of anything my opponents can complain about.
Immediately after Kramnik left the room, Topalov and Danailov came in.
Silvio warned the journalists to avoid forbidden grounds: "Veselin
will only answer the questions about today's game!"
06.10.2006
Veselin TOPALOV: «To show champion's play»
After Veselin Topalov refused to attend press conferences together
with his opponent, they lost much of their appeal. There are neither
questions to both players, nor contradicting opinions leading to debates
In order to make the press meetings more diverse, FIDE President
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov joined each of the players this evening. First he
was assisted by Vladimir Kramnik (due to seniority?), and then by
Veselin Topalov.
Vladimir, your supporters anticipated this game for about a week. A
week and two days, to be more precise: your last game as White was
played on September 26. What happened? Why such long-awaited game
ended so unsatisfactory?
Maybe because it was anticipated too long
Actually, I played very
sluggishly. It happens. I know from my experience at the World
championships that one cannot always play at one's best. From time to
time there are bad days. Today I was not playing like myself, handing
the whole game poorly. There is nothing to fear: I'll relax tomorrow,
and everything will be okay at the finish. Bad days just happen
Could it be caused by complacency after three Black draws?
I don't believe I lost because I was complacent. On the contrary, I
played aggressively today, trying to win. But the game developed
unsuccessfully the opponent was lucky to see all his pieces arriving
at proper locations sharp on time. His position did not fall apart
almost by a miracle. Then I overpressed, and ended up in an unpleasant
endgame. In addition, I defended in the worst possible way. I
considered the position drawish, but it wasn't so simple. After 37
g3
I see no saving chances for White.
How do you plan to recover from such psychological blow as losing as
White? Will you rest, or analyze the game to find all the mistakes?..
I do not analyze my games during matches. And there is no
psychological blow: a loss is a loss, no big deal. I am not going to
cry to my pillow because of that; I am too old for it. We will play
on. I'll try making the best use of the rest day. The match situation
is quite acceptable.
Vladimir, you said it was not your day. Had you come across any
unpleasant parallels: Brissago, game 8, White pieces
I did not think about it. And yes, indeed
Hmm
Well, something
similar happens in almost every match. It is important to avoid such
failures occurring more than once.
Veselin, if I remember correctly, after the Game 2 you visited
church, but failed to win. However, you won immediately after stopping
to attend joint press conferences with Kramnik
To be honest, I don't think there is direct relation between these
two events. I just was lucky in the opening, managed to catch him on
my preparation. I will abstain from judging his play, but the ending
is very complex. Maybe I also made a couple of second-best moves, but
generally I am happy with this game.
Don't you think the match develops in a non-standard way: when you
attack, you lose, and the same happens when the initiative is in
Kramnik's hands
Actually, I don't think the initiative in today's game was in
Vladimir's hands. I won two pieces for a rook only Black can be
better after it. Generally, I don't believe Vladimir imposed his will
on me we both went for a decisive battle, and
so it happened.
Kramnik is an expert in the Meran. Have you chosen this opening on
purpose, in order to affect your opponent psychologically?
There is no psychology, I just like the opening. I also studied it.
Kramnik played the Meran a lot with both colors about ten years ago,
but we are playing today
A question to the FIDE President. How do you assess the current
match situation?
K.I.: The most important is to have decisive games. Chess fans, and I
speak on their behalf at the moment, are usually afraid to see dull
struggle and weak intrigue. They want to see bloodshed, so to speak.
And I am glad the plot is becoming more exciting! The score is equal
with just four games let, two Blacks and two Whites. Public interest
to the match is rising. Neither Volodya nor Veselin are hiding in
bushes they go to hand-to-hand fight. Chess fans like it, and I like
it too, as chess player and FIDE President.
V.T.: In case you haven't noticed, we are playing by Sofia rules:
there were no draws without playing. This is the only way to make
tournaments more exciting. In my opinion, FIDE should introduce this
rule in all major tournaments.
Veselin, do you think if the level of play was higher, there would
have been more draws?
There were many draws in recent matches (Kasparov-Kramnik and
Kramnik-Leko) because the players did not want taking risks, and not
because the level of play was higher. Draw is a normal result by
itself, but quick draws is a big problem for chess, and we must take
measures against them.
What are your plans for the next game: take Kramnik nice and warm,
win the match in classical chess, or play a tie-break?
Anyhow. The result is of course important, but I arrived in Elista
not to win in the match, but to show champion's play. People must
enjoy our games, otherwise what are we playing for?
06.10.2006
The match starts anew!
One of the most popular models of historical development is spiral.
Some of the turns of this spiral, however, smack mystery. Brissago,
2004, Kramnik-Leko match, Game 8. Vladimir, who had everything under
control, plays White, and suffers a crushing defeat almost without
making a single original move. Despite being obviously discouraged,
Kramnik fulfills his contract obligations and shows up at the press
conference. With poker face he tells the journalists that this can
happen to any player: nobody is perfect. Only enormous effort helped
him leveling the match in the last game
Explaining the events of the Game 8 today, Vladimir smiled ironically
and light-heartedly admitted: "I played sluggishly, and nothing was
working out. One cannot play the whole match on equally high level.
Occasional failures are inevitable. It simply was not my day!" But
only Vladimir himself can tell about his true feelings, either two
years ago, or today.
Just yesterday the match situation was completely different: Kramnik
not only was ahead, winning two and being forfeited on one, but also
owned undisputable moral advantage, having parried three White
`services' of the opponent. After the Game 7, he even displayed
indulgence: "If Veselin manages winning a simple game
'
Veselin won at once despite having Black, luring Kramnik out of his
favorite positional chess to optically attractive tactical skirmish.
Of course, this can be written off on bad day or bad luck, but it
transpires that Topalov outplays his opponent in positions demanding
much calculation. The Bulgarian acts braver and leads the play; his
opening preparation also makes better impression.
Let us see what proves more important for the concluding part of the
match Kramnik's rationalism or Topalov's zeal. The score is even
after eight games. The match starts anew!
Topalov,V (2813) - Kramnik,V (2743)
[D27] WCh Elista RUS (7), 04.10.2006
Queen's Gambit accepted
Analysis by GM Vladimir Belov
1.d4. Topalov does not please us with variety of first moves. However,
we should not forget about his main trump 1.е4.
1...d5 2.c4 c6 (Kramnik is also consistent, which is explicable and
logical) 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 (other continuations are 4...Bf5 and
4...a6) 5.Bd3 dxc4 6.Bxc4 c5. Here comes farewell of a Slav a well
known QGA position arose.
7.0-0 a6 8.Bb3 cxd4. Let us try why Black rushes with this exchange
8...Nc6 allows the following regrouping: 9.Qe2 cxd4 10.Rd1 Be7 11.Nc3
0-0 12.Nxd4 Nxd4 13.exd4 Nd5 14.Qf3 Nxc3 15.bxc3 Qc7 16.Bf4. More
principled 16.с4 gives White serious initiative: 16...Bd6 17.Bxd6 Qxd6
18.c4 Rb8 19.Rac1 Bd7 20.c5 Qc7 21.d5 (Leko-Karpov, Hungary, rapid 2006).
9.exd4 Nc6 10.Nc3 Be7. A classic isolani position arose; White has a
wide choice of available setups. Vladimir Kramnik is one of the best
experts of this line, but
as White. His theoretical dispute with
Anand a couple of years ago advanced the theory of the variation quite
deeply and enriched it with new ideas.
11.Re1. Vladimir's game against Anand continued 11.Bg5 0-0 12.Qd2 Na5
13.Bc2 b5 14.Qf4 Ra7 15.Rad1 Bb7 16.d5 Bxd5 17.Nxd5 exd5 18.Qh4 h5
19.Rfe1 Nc6 20.g4!, and the attack won this game for White
(Kramnik-Anand, 2001).
11...0-0 12.a4.
Here comes a first surprise for the theory. A standard 12.а3 is
adequately met by Na5 and b5. The text-move deprives Black of this
resource. On the other hand, the b4-square falls under the control of
Black's c6-knight, from where it can control a key square d5.
Being asked at the press conference about the pace of his play,
Topalov replied that all subsequent moves were natural and did not
require deep opening investigation. Did Veselin cross his fingers
saying that? 12.a3 Na5 13.Bc2 b5 14.d5!? leads to bloodshed.
12...Bd7 13.Ne5 (Topalov utilizes the fact that the d4-square is
temporary not attacked) 13...Be8 14.Be3 Rc8 15.Rc1 Nb4. I see no
sensible alternatives to the text-move. 15...Qd6 16.Nc4 Qb4? is
clearly unsuccessful because of 17.Na2+.
16.Qf3 Bc6 17.Qh3. The alternative 17.Qg3 Bd5 18.Nxd5 Nfxd5 19.Bd2
also gives White certain initiative, while Black enjoys a solid game.
17...Bd5 18.Nxd5 Nbxd5. One could use pressing on the opponent's half
by 18...Nfxd5. Now the b3-bishop is restricted, and saving all four
rooks on board at no cost is impossible: 19.Rcd1 Nc2.
19.Rcd1 (trading pieces favor the defender) 19...Rc7?! I'll risk
awarding Kramnik's plan with `dubious move' sign. Rc7-Qc8,Rd8 setup is
safe albeit passive. The situation called for braver decisions. For
example, 19...Qb6 20.Bg5 (20.Bxd5 exd5)20...Rfd8 Black completes his
mobilization, but I prefer White here. He has a clear attacking plan
that starting with 21.Rd3.
20.Bg5 Qc8 21.Qf3. Played instantly... The h-pawn march is not a new
idea, but here it looks rather artificial why the queen moved to h3
then? Maybe White should have given the preference to the pieces'
attack, lifting the rook on the 3rd rank. After 21.Rd3 Rd8 22.Qh4 Kf8
Black is doomed for the future without any counterplay.
21...Rd8 22.h4 h6. In many isolani positions Black must be very
careful with such weakening of the kingside, because the h6-pawn is a
good target for sacrifices and attacking object for pawn storm.
23.Bc1. Everything is prepared to push the g-pawn. The White's idea
looks dangerous, and immediate preventive measures are must. After the
game Kramnik complained about the dangers of his position after
23.Bd2!? He argued that after 23...Bb4 24.Bxb4 Nxb4 25.Nxf7 Kxf7
26.Bxe6+ Qxe6 27.Rxe6 Kxe6 28.g4! White's attack is threatening.
However, coming back to Black's 25th move, one could notice that Black
kept the position unclear by 25...Rxf7 26. Be6 Qc7.
23...Bb4 24.Rf1 Bd6. I was lucky to hear the players' opinions about
this position at the press conference.
Vladimir, who had planned Bd6, almost neglected a tactical trick
24...Nc3. And he was right! Veselin anticipated it and calculated the
complications arising after this daring knight move. He suggested that
after 24...Nc3 25.Bxh6 (other continuations give Black a comfortable
game at least) 25...Nxd1 26.Rxd1 "White's attack is very dangerous".
One can only confirm the Bulgarian's assessment he feels such
positions splendidly. However, Black's position seems playable, as
there is no forced loss for him in the following variations: 26...Nd5
27.Qg3 f6 28.Nd3 Bd6 29.Qg4 Re8 etc.
25.g3. One can only wonder why Topalov rejected aggressive and very
promising 25.g4! Bxe5 26.dxe5 Nd7 27.g5! (27.Qg3 Nc3!; 27.Bxd5 Nxe5
28.Qg3 Rxd5 29.Rxd5 exd5 30.Bf4 Rc4!) 27...h5 (maybe better is
27...hxg5 28.Bxg5 Re8 29.Qg3 Kh8) 28.Qxh5 Nxe5 29.Qe2 Ng6 30.Qe4.
Black's knights are harnessed, and there is no obvious way to survive
White's pawn storm.
25...b6 26.Qe2 (again 26.g4 made sense) 26...Ne7! 27.Rfe1. Now 27.g4
is pointless due to 27...Bxe5 28.dxe5 Rxd1 29.Qxd1 Nxg4+.
27...Bxe5. An unobvious strive for simplifications! Of course, there
is no 27...Bb4? because of 28.Nxf7+. However, after 27...Nfd5 the
other knight goes to f5, and Black is clearly okay.
28.dxe5 Rxd1 29.Qxd1 Nfd5 30.Bd2 Rc5 31.Qg4 Nf5 32.Qe4 b5 33.h5?!
(33.a5 maintained certain initiative) 33...bxa4! 34.Qxa4 Rb5 35.Rc1
Qb7 36.Bc2 Nb6! A careless 36...Rxb2? leads to sad consequences: 37.g4
Nh4 38.Qe8#.
37.Qg4 Rxb2 (37...Nd7 is interesting) 38.Be4. Topalov's determination
calls for sympathy. The Bulgarian rejects an opportunity to level the
material, preferring to maintain slight pressure.
38...Qd7 39.Be1 Nd5 40.Bd3?! Just an overlook White could pose a few
traps by 40.Rd1 40...Nfe7 41.Bd3 f5 (is there any other way to
prevent the queen from invading to h7?) 42.exf6 Nxf6, and now follows
Topalovian 43.Bg6! Nxg4 44.Rxd7 Nxg6 45.hxg6 with the initiative in a
minus pawn ending...
40...Nb4!
41.Bf1! Topalov manages to brace himself to calculate a long line,
which allows him avoiding the inevitable. Other moves can me given in
a creeping line: 41.Bxb4 Qxd3; 41.Bxf5 exf5 42.Qf3 Nd5 43.Rd1 Rb5;
41.Bc3 Nxd3 42.Bxb2 Nxc1; 41.Qf3 Nxd3 42.Rc8+ Kh7 43.Qa8 Qxc8 44.Qxc8
Nxe1; 41.Bb1 Nd3 42.Rd1 (42.Qd1 Nxe5 43.Qxd7 Nxd7 44.g4 Ne7) 42...Nxe5
43.Rxd7 Nxg4; 41.Be4 Nd3 42.Bc3 Nxf2 with Black's decisive advantage
in almost all variations.
41...Nd3 42.Qd1 Nxe5 43.Qxd7 Nxd7 44.Rc8+! In case of 44.Bxa6 Rb8 a
hundred-move struggle for two possible results could follow.
44...Kh7. Black has no winning chances after 44...Nf8 45.Ra8! Rb1
46.Bd2, and the back rank pin makes it impossible for Black to make
progress: 46...e5 (46...Nd4 47.Kg2) 47.Kg2.
45.Rc7! Rb1. 45...Nf6 46.Rxf7 Rb1 (or46...Nxh5 47.g4 Rb1 48.Bc3 Nd6
49.Re7 Ne4 50.Be5 Nhf6 51.f3 Nd2 52.Bxf6 Rxf1+ 53.Kg2 Rxf3 54.Rxg7+
Kh8 55.Bb2 Rb3 56.Bf6 Rf3=) 47.Bc3 Ne4 48.Rc7 Nxc3 (48...Rc1 49.Be5
Rxc7 50.Bxc7=) 49.Rxc3 also leads to inevitable equality.
46.Rxd7 Rxe1 47.Rxf7 (also possible is 47.Kg2 Kg8 47...f6? 48.Bd3
Kg8 49.g4 48.Rd8+ Kh7 49.Rd7 with move repetition) 47...a5 48.Kg2
Kg8 49.Ra7 Re5. Black has a draw even if he blunders the a-pawn:
49...a4 50.Rxa4 Kf7, and the king on f6 guarantees Black peaceful future.
50.g4 Nd6 51.Bd3 Kf8 52.Bg6 Rd5 53.f3 (53.f4 e5!) 53...e5 54.Kf2 Rd2+
55.Ke1 Rd5 56.Ke2 Rb5 57.Rd7 Rd5 58.Ra7 Rb5 59.Bd3 Rd5 60.Bg6. Draw
agreed.
Kramnik's play is very convincing! One comes across the feeling that
Vladimir does not turn on his maximum speed and duly accomplishes the
task of neutralizing White color of his dangerous opponent.
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