The Greatest Chess Game ever played

The Greatest Chess Game ever played: Garry Kasparov (2812) - Veselin Topalov (2700) [B07]




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Torneio de Candidatos 2016: Viswanathan Anand vs Veselin Topalov

Viswanathan Anand vs Veselin Topalov 

[Event "FIDE Candidates 2016"]
[Site "Moscow RUS"]
[Date "2016.03.11"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2762"]
[BlackElo "2780"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O d6 6. c3 O-O 7. Nbd2 Ne7 8. d4 exd4 9. cxd4 Bb6 10. Re1 Bg4 11. h3 Bh5 12. a4 a6 13. Bf1 Re8 14. a5 Ba7 15. Qb3 Nc6 16. d5 Nd4 17. Nxd4 Bxd4 18. Qxb7 Nd7 19. Nc4 Nc5 20. Qc6 Nb3 21. Rb1 Nxc1 22. Rbxc1 Rb8 23. Qxa6 Qh4 24. Rc2 Rxe4 25. Ne3 Qd8 26. Qc4 Bg6 27. Bd3 Rf4 28. Bxg6 hxg6 29. g3 Re4 30. a6 Qe8 31. Rce2 Bb6 32. Qd3 Ra8 33. Kg2 Qa4 34. b3 Rd4 35. bxa4 Rxd3 36. Nc4 Rxa6 37. a5 Bd4 38. Re8+ Kh7 39. R1e7 Rc3 40.Nd2 Rc2 41. Ne4 f6 42. h4 Rxa5 43. Rf7 g5 44. h5 Rxf2+ 45. Nxf2 Ra2 46. Rff8 Rxf2+ 47. Kh3 g4+ 48. Kxg4 f5+ 49. Rxf5 1-0
 

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Torneio de Candidatos de 2016

O Torneio de Candidatos de 2016, vai ser disputado em Moscovo, de 10 a 30 de Março.

Já garantiram o lugar neste evento sete GMs dos oito que o vão compor. São eles:

1. Viswanathan Anand (finalista do último campeonato mundial)
2. Hikaru Nakamura (Grand Prix)
3. Fabiano Caruana (Grand Prix)
4. Sergey Karjakin (World Cup)
5. Peter Svidler (World Cup)
6. Levon Aronian (Wildcard nomeado pela organização (Agon) )
7. Veselin Topalov (rating em 2015)
8. Anish Giri (rating em 2015)

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Candidatos 2016: Karjakin vs. Topalov

[Event "Candidates 2016"]
[Date "2016.03.25"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B81"]
[WhiteElo "2760"]
[BlackElo "2780"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. h3 e6 7. g4 Nfd7 8. Be3 Be7 9. g5 b5 10. a3 Bb7 11. h4 O-O 12. Qd2 Nb6 13. h5 N8d7 14. g6 Ne5 15. O-O-O Nbc4 16. Bxc4 Nxc4 17. Qe2 Rc8 18. h6 fxg6 19. Nxe6 Qd7 20. Nxf8 Bxf8 21. hxg7 Bxg7 22. Bd4 a5 23. Bxg7 Qxg7 24. Qg4 Re8 25. Qg5 Bc6 26. Qh6 Qh8 27. b3 Nxa3 28. Rh3 Bd7 29. Rg3 Qf6 30. Rh1 Re7 31. Qh4 Qg7 32. Nd5 Rf7 33. Qd8+ Qf8 34. Qxa5 Nxc2 1-0





Partida comentada:

Norway Chess 2015

[Event "3rd Norway Chess 2015"]

[Site "Stavanger NOR"]

[Date "2015.06.18"]

[Round "3.2"]

[White "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"]

[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]

[Result "0-1"]

[ECO "D47"]

[WhiteElo "2723"]

[BlackElo "2798"]

[PlyCount "56"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3

Bb7 9. O-O a6 10. e4 c5 11. d5 Qc7 12. dxe6 fxe6 13. Bc2 Bd6 14. Ng5 Nf8 15. f4

O-O-O 16. Qe1 e5 17. f5 h6 18. Nf3 N8d7 19. Kh1 Rhe8 20. Bd2 Qc6 21. Rd1 Nb6

22. Nd5 Nbxd5 23. exd5 Qd7 24. Ba5 e4 25. Ng1 Bc7 26. d6 Bxa5 27. Qxa5 e3 28.

Ne2 Qc6 0-1

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Norway Chess 2015: Topalov vencedor

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Norway Chess 2014: Topalov x Kramnik

Kramnik

[Event "2nd Norway Chess 2014"]
[Site "Stavanger NOR"]
[Date "2014.06.09"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Topalov, V."]
[Black "Kramnik, V."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E21"]
[WhiteElo "2772"]
[BlackElo "2783"]
[PlyCount "87"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 O-O 5. Bg5 c5 6. Rc1 h6 7. Bh4 cxd4 8.
Nxd4 d5 9. Bxf6 Qxf6 10. cxd5 Rd8 11. e3 Rxd5 12. Qb3 Rxd4 13. exd4 Nc6 14. Bb5
Qf4 15. O-O Nxd4 16. Qd1 Bxc3 17. Rxc3 e5 18. Bc4 Bd7 19. Qc1 Qf6 20. Qe3 Bc6
21. Bd3 Re8 22. Be4 Bb5 23. Re1 Qa6 24. Rc7 Qxa2 25. Rxb7 a6 26. b3 Rd8 27. Bd5
Ne2+ 28. Kh1 Nf4 29. Bxf7+ Kh8 30. Qb6 Qd2 31. Rg1 Kh7 32. h3 Rd6 33. Qc7 Bd7
34. Qb8 h5 35. Qg8+ Kh6 36. Qh8+ Kg5 37. Qxg7+ Kf5 38. Bxh5 Nxh5 39. Qg4+ Kf6
40. Qxh5 Qxf2 41. Qh6+ Ke7 42. Qg7+ Ke6 43. Qg4+ Ke7 44. Rd1 1-0

Supreme Masters 2013: Anand vs. Topalov

grande vitória de Anand

[Event "Supreme Masters 2013"]
[Site "Sandnes NOR"]
[Date "2013.05.10"]
[Round "3.5"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2783"]
[BlackElo "2793"]
[PlyCount "81"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. f3
Be7 9. Qd2 O-O 10. O-O-O Nbd7 11. g4 b5 12. Rg1 Nb6 13. Na5 Rc8 14. g5 Nh5 15.
Kb1 Nf4 16. a3 g6 17. h4 Qc7 18. Bxf4 exf4 19. Nd5 Bxd5 20. exd5 Nxd5 21. Qxd5
Qxa5 22. Rg4 Rc5 23. Qb3 d5 24. Rxf4 Qc7 25. Rfd4 Qh2 26. c3 Rd8 27. Qc2 Qg3
28. f4 Bd6 29. Bg2 Bxf4 30. Bxd5 Kg7 31. Qe4 Qe3 32. Qh1 Rd7 33. R1d3 Qe5 34.
Qf3 Bh2 35. Be6 Re7 36. Re4 Rxe6 37. Rxe5 Rcxe5 38. Rd8 Re4 39. Ka2 Bf4 40. Rd7
Kg8 41. Ra7 1-0

Sergey Karjakin vence Norway Chess 2013

 

Sergey Karjakin empata com Veselin Topalove ganha o torneio

O Norway Chess 2013 Super Tournament  foi disputado de 7 a 18 de Maio e foi uma das edições mais fortes de sempre.

Este torneio decorre em diferentes sítios da região de Stavanger na Noruega: Quality Residence Hotel, Sandnes (6 rondas); Stavanger Konserthus, Stavanger (uma ronda); Fabrikkhallen til Aarbakke AS, Bryne (uma ronda); Flor & Fjære, Sør-Hidle (uma ronda).

Round robin a nove rondas Controlo de tempo: 100m/40 lances + 50m/20 lances + 15m + 30 sg./lance a começar no lance 1. Horário: Diáriamente às 15:00, ultima ronda às 12:00 Dia de descanso: 11 e 16 de Maio Regras & Tiebreak: Aplicam-se as regras de “Sofia”. Um empate no 1º lugar será decidido através de um match 'blitz'.

 A partida comentada...

Links:

• Site Oficial
• Todas as partidas em PGN

Renova FIDE GP: Topalov vs. Karjakin

 [Event "Renova FIDE GP Zug"]
[Site "Zug SUI"]
[Date "2013.04.30"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Topalov, V."]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A64"]
[WhiteElo "2771"]
[BlackElo "2786"]



1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 c5 4. d5 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. Nc3 g6 7. Bg2 Bg7 8. Nf3
O-O 9. O-O Re8 10. Nd2 Nbd7 11. a4 a6 12. a5 b5 13. axb6 Nxb6 14. Nb3 Bf5 15.
Na5 Ne4 16. Bd2 Nxd2 17. Qxd2 h5 18. e3 h4 19. Rfe1 Qg5 20. Na4 Reb8 21. Nc3
Qh5 22. f3 Qh8 23. g4 Bd7 24. h3 f5 25. g5 f4 26. exf4 Bd4+ 27. Kh1 Qg7 28. Bf1
Re8 29. Ne4 Kh8 30. Nxd6 Rxe1 31. Rxe1 Rf8 32. Re4 Nxd5 33. Nb3 Bc6 34. f5 gxf5
35. Rxh4+ Kg8 36. Nxd4 cxd4 37. Bc4 Qe5 38. Qxd4 Qxd6 39. Rh6 Qe7 40. Bxd5+
Bxd5 41. Rh8+ 1-0

Renova Group Grand Prix: Topalov foi o vencedor isolado !

Feitas as apresentações deste evento, AQUI, acabou este terceiro torneio do  GP em Zug, na Suiça.

O GM bulgaro Veselin Topalov fez uma prova brilhante e acabou com 8 em 11 pontos. Completamente isolado com 1,5 pontos de vantagem para o 2º classificado. De notar que acabou esta prova com uma performance extraordinária de 2924 elo ! 

Ronda 11 – Abril 30 2013, 12:00h
	Peter Leko	2744	½-½	Rustam Kasimdzhanov	2709
	Gata Kamsky	2741	½-½	Anish Giri	2727
	Veselin Topalov	2771	1-0	Sergey Karjakin	2786
	Hikaru Nakamura	2767	½-½	Fabiano Caruana	2772
	Teimour Radjabov	2793	½-½	Shakhriyar Mamedyarov	2766
	Ruslan Ponomariov	2733	½-½	Alexander Morozevich	2758

 

Topalov - Karjakin  1 - 0

 
[Event "Renova FIDE GP Zug"]
[Site "Zug SUI"]
[Date "2013.04.30"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Topalov, V."]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A64"]
[WhiteElo "2771"]
[BlackElo "2786"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 c5 4. d5 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. Nc3 g6 7. Bg2 Bg7 8. Nf3
O-O 9. O-O Re8 10. Nd2 Nbd7 11. a4 a6 12. a5 b5 13. axb6 Nxb6 14. Nb3 Bf5 15.
Na5 Ne4 16. Bd2 Nxd2 17. Qxd2 h5 18. e3 h4 19. Rfe1 Qg5 20. Na4 Reb8 21. Nc3
Qh5 22. f3 Qh8 23. g4 Bd7 24. h3 f5 25. g5 f4 26. exf4 Bd4+ 27. Kh1 Qg7 28. Bf1
Re8 29. Ne4 Kh8 30. Nxd6 Rxe1 31. Rxe1 Rf8 32. Re4 Nxd5 33. Nb3 Bc6 34. f5 gxf5
35. Rxh4+ Kg8 36. Nxd4 cxd4 37. Bc4 Qe5 38. Qxd4 Qxd6 39. Rh6 Qe7 40. Bxd5+
Bxd5 41. Rh8+ 1-0

Topalov recebendo o prémio de  €25,000 do patrocinador (à direita: o presidente da FIDE Kirsan Ilyumzhinov)

Links:

• Site oficial do torneio
• Todas as partidas em PGN

Renova Group Grand Prix

Decorre de 14 a 30 de Abril a terceira etapa do FIDE Grand Prix (GP) Series 2012-2013  na cidade de  Zug, Switzerland. 

São 12 jogadores num torneio round robin com 120 minutos para os primeiros 40 lances, 60 minutos for seguintes 20 e depois mais  15 minutos com 30 seg./lance . 

O Grand Prix Series consiste em 6 torneios que se disputam em 2 anos com o top 18 jogadores, cada um participante em 4 dos 6 torneios. 

O vencedor e o 2º classificado da geral do GP qualifica-se para o Torneio de Candidados que se vai disputar em Março 2014.

 Foi uma pena um deste torneios, que estava previsto jogar-se em Portugal este ano, ter sido 'deslocado' para outras paragens (Alemanha ?). Enfim....

Ronda 10 (penultima) – Abril 29 2013, 14:00h
Rustam Kasimdzhanov	2709	½-½	Ruslan Ponomariov	2733
Alexander Morozevich	2758	1-0	Teimour Radjabov	2793
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov	2766	0-1	Hikaru Nakamura	2767
Fabiano Caruana	2772	0-1	Veselin Topalov	2771
Sergey Karjakin	2786	0-1	Gata Kamsky	2741
Anish Giri	2727	½-½	Peter Leko	2744

Destacamos a vitória do Topalov sobre o Caruano nesta penultima ronda....

Caruana-Topalov 0-1

Caruana,Fabiano - Topalov,Veselin
Renova Group Grand Prix 2013 
Zug, 29.04.2013   
[Margvelashvili, Giorgi]


1.e4 Before this game, Topalov was leading the tournament and had half point more than Caruana. So it was one of Caruana's last chances to catch Topalov. No wonder he chose a very aggressive set-up with White. 1...c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 Topalov chooses the Sicilian Najdorf, one of the most active and well analyzed variations. 6.Be3 [6.h3 Has been played by White with success lately.; 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 is another main line.] 6...e5 [6...e6 leads to a different type of positions.] 7.Nb3 Be6 8.f3 Defending the e4 pawn and preparing a g4 push. 8...Be7 9.Qd2 0-0 [9...h5 This move has been played by Topalov previously. The idea is to prevent g4 and develop an attack on the queenside. On the other hand the h5 pawn almost denies Black an opportunity to castle short.] 10.0-0-0 Caruana and Topalov have castled on opposite sides. Now the question is whose attack will be faster. 10...a5!? Topalov tries to push pawn to a4 and then possibly to a3, getting rid of the knight from b3 and weakening Caruana's queensside pawns. 11.a4 Preventing the above mentioned plan. 11...Na6 We will see on the next move why Topalov developes his knight on a6, and not c6. 12.Bb5 Nc7! Strong move. Topalov wants to exchange the b5 bishop that defends Caruana's position on the queensside, and also prepares for a possible d5 push. [12...Nb4 is more natural, but in many variations this knight is misplaced on b4.] 13.Bb6 Caruana cannot afford to give up his b5 bishop, so he decides to exchange the dark-squared bishop for the c7 knight. [13.Be2 this retreat is too slow, since after 13...d5! Black developes a big initiative in the center.] 13...Qc8 14.Bxc7 Qxc7 15.g4 Caruana proceeds with his own plan. He wants to get rid of the f6 knight and occupy the d5 square. 15...Rfd8 16.g5 Nh5 17.Nd5 Bxd5 18.exd5 g6 19.Kb1 The opening phase of this game is over and we can draw some conclusions. Both kings are defended very well, and neither side can develop an attack. But whereas Black has a clear plan of pushing f6 and attacking the weak f3 pawn, White's plan is less obvious. Probably the best Caruana can do is to bring the b3 knight to e4. Overall, I think Topalov's position is slightly preferable and easier to play. 19...Rf8! 20.Qe3 Qd8 [20...Nf4 21.h4 f6 was already possible, with a slight advantage for Black.] 21.h4 Nf4 22.Qg1 h6!? Topalov deviates from his original plan. He wants to exchange the h6 pawn for the g5 pawn, which would allow him to push f5 and dominate in the center. 23.Nd2 Kg7 24.gxh6+ Kxh6 The king looks dangerously placed on h6, but Caruana does not have enough resources to cause any troubles. 25.Nc4 Qc7 26.Qe3 Kh7 27.h5! A strong move by Caruana: sacrificing a pawn to open files. 27...g5! Topalov is correct to decline the pawn sacrifice. [27...Nxh5?? would just lose a game. 28.Rdg1 f5 29.f4! with the following Qf3 and Black has no defense against Rh5.; 27...gxh5 is possible, but risky. For example: 28.Nb6 Rad8 29.Rd3! preparing Rc3 followed by Nd7.] 28.h6 f5 29.Qd2 Freeing the e3 square for the knight, which can attack the f5 pawn from there. This position is very complicated, which means that plan with f6 was better than Topalov's h6 plan. 29...Rf6 30.Rdg1 Rg6 31.Ne3 Rf8 32.Nc4?! Not a good move. [32.Ng2! is the right move, exchanging the f4 knight. 32...Nxg2 33.Rxg2 Bd8 34.Bd3 with a slight advantage for Caruana.] 32...Bd8! 33.Rd1 Rff6 34.Qf2 Rxh6 35.Qa7? In time trouble Caruana makes several inaccurate moves. [35.Ne3 is better.] 35...Rxh1 36.Rxh1+ Rh6 37.Qg1?! [37.Rxh6+ Kxh6 38.Qg1 was more accurate, since it would not allow Topalov to place his rook on h4.] 37...Rh4! 38.Ne3 Qf7 39.Ng2?! Rxh1 40.Qxh1+ Qh5 41.Qxh5+ Nxh5 42.Ne3 Ng3 43.Kc1 Kg6 44.Kd1 g4?! [44...e4! 45.fxe4 Nxe4 46.Bd7 Ng3 and White cannot stop the black pawns from advancing.] 45.fxg4 f4 46.Nc4? The final mistake by Caruana. [46.Nf5! aiming for an opposite color bishop ending that has huge drawing tendencies. 46...Nxf5 47.Bd3 f3 48.Kd2 Kg5 49.Bxf5 Kf4 50.Kd3 Kg3 51.Be4 Kxg4 52.c3 and it is not clear to me how Topalov was going to win this position.] 46...Bc7 Now it is over. 47.Bd7 Kg5 48.Ke1 f3 49.Ne3 Bb6 Topalov's pawns are unstoppable, so Caruana resigned. A very intense game, where Caruana took a lot of risks, but in the end Topalov just played a better game. 0-1

Após 10 rondas e a uma do final...

Informações e fotos de WGM Anastasiya Karlovich

6º King´s Tournament

 

Ivanchuk e Topalov numa das Press conference

[Event "6th Kings Tournament"]
[Site "Bucharest ROU"]
[Date "2012.11.12"]
[Round "5.2"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Nisipeanu, Liviu-Dieter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E15"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2668"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. Qc2 Bb7 6. Bg2 c5 7. d5 exd5 8. cxd5
Nxd5 9. O-O Be7 10. Rd1 Nc7 11. Nc3 a6 12. Bf4 O-O 13. e3 Ra7 14. Rd2 Ne6 15.
Rad1 Nxf4 16. exf4 Qc8 17. h4 d6 18. a3 Nc6 19. Nd5 Bd8 20. Ne3 Bf6 21. Rxd6
Nd4 22. Nxd4 Bxd4 23. Bxb7 Rxb7 24. Nf5 Qb8 25. Qe4 g6 26. Ne7+ Kg7 27. R1xd4
cxd4 28. Qxd4+ f6 29. Nc6 Qc8 30. Kh2 Rc7 31. Qd5 Re8 32. Nd4 Rce7 33. f5 Qc1
34. Ne6+ Kh8 35. Qd4 Qc2 36. Qxf6+ Kg8 37. fxg6 Qxg6 38. Qxg6+ hxg6 39. Nf4 Rg7
40. Rxb6 a5 1-0

Tata Steel: Carlsen vs. Topalov

[Event "74th Tata Steel GMA"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2012.01.27"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Carlsen, M."]
[Black "Topalov, V."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B51"]
[WhiteElo "2835"]
[BlackElo "2770"]
[PlyCount "111"]
[EventDate "2012.01.14"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nd7 4. c3 Ngf6 5. Qe2 a6 6. Ba4 Qc7 7. O-O e5 8. d4 b5 9. Bc2 cxd4 10. cxd4 Be7 11. Nc3 O-O 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bh4 Bb7 14. Rad1 Rac8 15. Bb3 Rfe8 16. dxe5 dxe5 17. Bg3 Bf8 18. h3 Nb6 19. Nh4 Nc4 20. Nf5 Nxb2 21. Bh4 Nxd1 22. Bxf6 Nxc3 23. Qg4 Bxe4 24. Nxh6+ Kh7 25. Bxf7 Qxf7 26. Nxf7 gxf6 27. f4 Bg6 28. Qh4+ Kg7 29. fxe5 Ne4 30. Rxf6 Bc5+ 31. Kh2 Nxf6 32. Qxf6+ Kh7 33. Ng5+ Kh6 34. Ne6 Rxe6 35. Qxe6 Re8 36. Qf6 Be7 37. Qxa6 b4 38. Qc4 Bf8 39. g4 Kh7 40. e6 Bd6+ 41. Kg2 Be7 42. Qc7 Kg8 43. Kg3 Kf8 44. Qf4+ Kg7 45. Qd4+ Kg8 46. h4 Rd8 47. Qc4 Bd3 48. Qc6 Bb1 49. h5 Bxa2 50. Qe4 Kh8 51. h6 Bf6 52. e7 Re8 53. Qf4 Bg7 54. hxg7+ Kxg7 55. g5 Kg8 56. Qf6 1-0

Tata Steel 2012: Carlsen vs. Topalov

Grande jogo entre Carlsen e Topalov !

[Event "74th Tata Steel GMA"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2012.01.27"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Carlsen, M."]
[Black "Topalov, V."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B51"]
[WhiteElo "2835"]
[BlackElo "2770"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nd7 4. c3 Ngf6 5. Qe2 a6 6. Ba4 Qc7 7. O-O e5 8. d4
b5 9. Bc2 cxd4 10. cxd4 Be7 11. Nc3 O-O 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bh4 Bb7 14. Rad1 Rac8
15. Bb3 Rfe8 16. dxe5 dxe5 17. Bg3 Bf8 18. h3 Nb6 19. Nh4 Nc4 20. Nf5 Nxb2 21.
Bh4 Nxd1 22. Bxf6 Nxc3 23. Qg4 Bxe4 24. Nxh6+ Kh7 25. Bxf7 Qxf7 26. Nxf7 gxf6
27. f4 Bg6 28. Qh4+ Kg7 29. fxe5 Ne4 30. Rxf6 Bc5+ 31. Kh2 Nxf6 32. Qxf6+ Kh7
33. Ng5+ Kh6 34. Ne6 Rxe6 35. Qxe6 Re8 36. Qf6 Be7 37. Qxa6 b4 38. Qc4 Bf8 39.
g4 Kh7 40. e6 Bd6+ 41. Kg2 Be7 42. Qc7 Kg8 43. Kg3 Kf8 44. Qf4+ Kg7 45. Qd4+
Kg8 46. h4 Rd8 47. Qc4 Bd3 48. Qc6 Bb1 49. h5 Bxa2 50. Qe4 Kh8 51. h6 Bf6 52.
e7 Re8 53. Qf4 Bg7 54. hxg7+ Kxg7 55. g5 Kg8 56. Qf6 1-0

FIDE Match Candidatos 2011: Kamsky vs. Topalov

Já se joga o Match FIDE de Candidatos ao Título Mundial em Kazan, capital da Republica do Tatarstan (Tatarsquistão ?). Será 3 a 27 de Maio de 2011 entre 8 GMs candidatos.

Controlo de Tempo: 120m para 40 lances + 60m para os seguintes 20 e depois 15m para acabar, mais os habituais 30 seg./lance desde a jogada 61.

Total de prémios: 500,000 Euros.

Classificação após o 3º jogo... Nat. Rtg G1 G2 G3 G4 R1 R2 R3 R4 Tot. Perf Levon Aronian ARM 2808 ½ ½ ½ 1.5 Alexander Grischuk RUS 2747 ½ ½ ½ 1.5 Nat. Rtg G1 G2 G3 G4 R1 R2 R3 R4 Tot. Perf Vladimir Kramnik RUS 2785 ½ ½ ½ 1.5 Teimour Radjabov AZE 2744 ½ ½ ½ 1.5 Nat. Rtg G1 G2 G3 G4 R1 R2 R3 R4 Tot. Perf Veselin Topalov BUL 2775 ½ 0 ½ 1.0 Gata Kamsky USA 2732 ½ 1 ½ 2.0 Nat. Rtg G1 G2 G3 G4 R1 R2 R3 R4 Tot. Perf Boris Gelfand ISR 2733 ½ ½ 1 2.0 Shak. Mamedyarov AZE 2772 ½ ½ 0 1.0

Grande nível de xadrez se está a praticar nesta prova ! Como foi afirmado por muitos GMs está assitem e analisam este evento em permanência e como se pode ver ao vivo através de várias partidas já praticadas.





Comentários a esta partida...

Kamsky,Gata (2732) - Topalov,Veselin (2775) [B90]
Candidate's Matches (1.3), 07.05.2011
[Ramirez, Alejandro]

Topalov enters this game with a difficult decision. Should he try to hold for a draw and push for an all-out win with White in the 4th game, or try to risk potentially losing the match here with Black? These are problems that the super-GM from Bulgaria must answer even before the players sit at the board.

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.a4 Kamsky repeats his relatively experimental line from game one. Even though Topalov and his team were probably expecting this, it is very difficult to react in a mere two days. It's possible that they found no tangible improvement after 6... Nc6 7. a5!? so Topalov deviates back to the more usual Najdorf approach.

6...e5 7.Nf3 Be7 8.Bg5 Be6 9.Bxf6 Bxf6 10.Nd5 Nd7 11.Bc4 Rc8 12.b3 Qa5+ This game's novelty. This practically forces White's response, after which it would only make sense to trade queens. A superficial assessment would be to think that 'simplifications lead to draws', when in fact the absence of queens brings many new strategical ideas to the position.

13.Qd2 Qxd2+ 14.Nxd2 Bg5 This is a good time to get a strong hold of the position. The structure is very reminiscent of a Sveshnikov Sicilian. To compensate his backwards d6 pawn and weak d5 square, Black has the pair of bishops and a half open c-file. Of course, this isn't something that he can take advantage of immediately since the position is rather closed. But it contains potential! The old masters believed that obtaining the pair of bishops would eventually grant an advantage, because ultimately the position was bound to become open after pawn exchanges. Although chess has evolved greatly, this maxim still holds some value.

15.Kd1!? This is an interesting move by the American. The king is perfectly safe on d1, and it holds the queenside somewhat. There is really no advantage in sending the king to the kingside, as it would serve no purpose there. The queenside rook will eventually lift through a4 (after a pawn push to a5) and go to b4, where it would be pressuring the b7 pawn. However, White is not the only one who can push rook pawns...

15...h5! A good strategical move: Black grabs space on the kingside and prepares a potential rooklift there - but it's also important to understand the psychological implications of such a move. Because of the match situation, it is possible that Kamsky wants to play with as little risk as possible. Clearly he holds no advantage, so he does not want to commit himself to any weaknesses if he cannot see an immediate return. It is possible that for this reason he shuns the most natural move 16.h4 and gives Black a decent amount of space in the kingside. In my opinion, unnecessarily.

16.Re1?! [16.h4 is of course the most natural continuation, but then White has to cope with the fact that h4 will be weak and g5 might be a possible break in the future. All bishop retreats make some sense at this point, but the most natural would seem to be 16...Bd8 eyeing that h4 pawn. 17.g3 Ba5 Kamsky might have looked at this position and not liked it. The computer suggests that terribly inhuman move 18.Rb1, so it's understandable how he didn't go for this line. However, White's position is solid, even if rather planless.]

16...h4 Black quickly grabs the space he was provided. White can hardly allow the pawn to go all the way to h3, so he must stop it now.

17.h3 Nf6 18.Nxf6+ [18.Nb6 was a natural alternative. However after 18...Rc5 19.a5 Nh5 Black begins to build up some pressure on the kingside. Maybe saying that Black is better is not quite true, but it does seem more pleasant to play with the Black pieces.]

18...gxf6!=/+ Topalov instantly replied with this move, and with good reason. The g-file opens with great effect to pressure the now weak g2-pawn, while his center will be bolstered after the trade of bishops on e6. This move might seem strange to some players, but to a Sveshnikov player, or a super-GM like Topalov, it is the only conceivable move.

19.Bxe6 fxe6 20.Nf3 Rg8 Kamsky must hurry and prevent Topalov from expanding in the center too quickly. He still has some resources - but haste is mandatory.

21.c4 f5 22.exf5 exf5

23.Ke2! A resourceful move! The king's role in the center has ended, and there is no more need for him to defend the c2-square. Additionally, he was starting to become exposed, so it makes sense to transfer his majesty to f1, where it will guard the g2 pawn.

23...Be7 24.Kf1 Kf7 25.Rad1 This is another good moment to analyze what is going on. Black has achieved many things! He fixed his structure and now has a potentially dangerous pawn center. Unfortunately, there is no clear way for him to use it immediately. He will never want to advance e4 and give White the d4 square. So it transpires that a logical plan is to play b5. This can be done immediately, but Topalov shows his class and first plays an important move.

25...Rc5! This move takes control of the fifth rank, an important element as the 25... b5 variation shows. White is running out of useful moves, so he plays his card... [25...b5!? 26.axb5 axb5 27.Rd5! This cool moves forces off more pawns than Black wants to trade. The following is only a sample line, but shows the great simplification power White has as his disposal. 27...bxc4 28.bxc4 Kf6 29.c5! Ke6 30.cxd6 Kxd5 31.dxe7 Rge8 32.Nxh4 Ke6 33.f4 Rc5 34.g4 fxg4 35.hxg4= And with the last pawn gone the draw is obvious.]

26.b4! Maybe forced. White uses tactics to resolve some of the tension. [26.Re2 b5 27.cxb5 axb5 28.a5 b4=/+ is definitely NOT what White is looking for.]

26...Rxc4 27.Rxe5 Black has a few ways of dealing with this position. He wants to create as much play as possible, but it seems that White is holding in every line.

27...dxe5 [27...Kf6 28.Ree1 Rxb4 29.Rd4 Rxd4 30.Nxd4= And Black has no real hopes of winning as he will soon lose an important pawn.; 27...Rxb4 28.Rxf5+ Kg6 29.Ra5 The awkward placement of the rook on a5 would seem to give Black a reason to go for this line, however it is actually difficult to come up with a useful move. The pawns on d6 and h4 are rather weak, and the king will never find shelter. Practically, it is difficult to go for this line as your top choice, but it was definitely worth a try. 29...Rc8!? 30.Re1 Rc7=/+ ]

28.Nxe5+ Ke6 29.Nxc4 Bxb4 30.Rb1! Fixing the pawns on a light square is important, as it will allow White to easily control them, or at least force Black into a major concession if he tries to advance on the queenside.

30...a5 31.Rd1 Rc8 32.Rd4 The weak pawn on h4, the controlled structure on the queenside and the active white pieces give black little hope to win, so black sets up one final trap...

32...Bc3! 33.Rxh4 Bf6 34.Rf4 Bg5 White is at a small crossroads. He could try to gain three (!) passed pawns on the kingside with 35.Rxf5!? or he could play it safe and take a draw. Topalov has simply given Gata the chance to go wrong, but he doesn't bite.

35.Rd4 [35.Rxf5!? Kxf5 (35...Rxc4 36.Rxg5 Rxa4 37.Rb5+/= Black might have enough to draw this, but no more.) 36.Nd6+ Ke6 (36...Ke5? 37.Nxc8 Kd5 transposes to Kd5 above.) 37.Nxc8 So now that we reach this position in our minds, we realize that more calculation is necessary. Black has no successful way of trying to corral the knight on c8, so he must lunge toward the queenside - and he has two ways to do this. 37...b5! Speed is everything. White can't take on b5, but he can clearly catch the pawn. (37...Kd5? 38.Ke2 Now Black's king cannot prevent White's from helping on the queenside, since he cannot afford to lose the b-pawn. 38...Kc5 (38...Kc4?! 39.Nd6+ Kb3 40.Nxb7 Kxa4 41.g3 Kb4 42.Nxa5+- ) 39.Kd3 Kb4 40.Nd6 b6 41.Nb5 Kxa4 42.Kc4+- And the pawns roll by themselves on the queenside.) 38.Ke2 bxa4 39.Kd3 Bf6 40.Kc4 a3 41.Kb3 Bd4 42.Kxa3 Kd7 43.Ka4 and the position should be drawn. Of course this crazy lines requires quite a bit of calculation, and contains many ways in which one could go wrong. Gata's choice is safe and sound.]

35...Bf6 36.Rf4 Bg5 37.Rd4 Bf6 A tenacious defense by the American. Topalov tried through every flank but eventually came up short of victory, setting up a very anticipated game tomorrow, where Topalov will push with everything he has! 1/2-1/2