.
sábado, 16 de abril de 2016
BMW i8 para Sergey Karjakin !
.
segunda-feira, 11 de abril de 2016
Sergey Karjakin é Campeão do Torneio de Candidatos
Sergey Karjakin – Fabiano Caruana 1-0
[Event "Candidates 2016"]
[Date "2016.03.28"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B67"]
[WhiteElo "2760"]
[BlackElo "2794"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5
e6 7. Qd2 a6 8. O-O-O Bd7 9. f4 h6 10. Bh4 b5 11. Bxf6
gxf6 12. f5 Qb6 13. fxe6 fxe6 14. Nxc6 Qxc6 15. Bd3 h5 16. Kb1 b4 17. Ne2 Qc5 18. Rhf1 Bh6
19. Qe1 a5 20. b3 Rg8 21. g3 Ke7 22. Bc4 Be3 23. Rf3 Rg4 24. Qf1 Rf8 25. Nf4 Bxf4 26. Rxf4 a4 27. bxa4 Bxa4 28. Qd3 Bc6 29. Bb3 Rg5 30. e5 Rxe5 31. Rc4 Rd5 32. Qe2 Qb6 33. Rh4 Re5 34. Qd3 Bg2 35. Rd4 d5 36. Qd2 Re4 37. Rxd5 exd5 38. Qxd5 Qc7 39. Qf5 Rf7 40. Bxf7 Qe5 41. Rd7+ Kf8 42. Rd8+ 1-0
Links
sexta-feira, 12 de abril de 2013
Candidates 2013: Kramnik vs. Carlsen
[Event "FIDE Candidates"]
[Site "London ENG"]
[Date "2013.03.25"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Kramnik, V."]
[Black "Carlsen, M."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E06"]
[WhiteElo "2810"]
[BlackElo "2872"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Ne5 Nc6 8.
Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Qc2 e5 12. Rd1 Rb8 13. Nc3 h6 14. dxe5
Qxe5 15. Bf4 Qe7 16. Rd4 Be6 17. Rad1 Rb6 18. Qd2 Kh7 19. f3 Rfb8 20. Qe3 Rxb2
21. Rxc4 R2b7 22. Ra4 Re8 23. Rxa7 Rxa7 24. Qxa7 Qb4 25. Be5 Nd5 26. Nxd5 Bxd5
27. Qxc7 Qc4 28. a3 f6 29. Qxc4 Bxc4 30. Bc3 Rxe2 31. Rd4 Bb5 32. Bb4 Re3 33.
Kf2 Re2+ 34. Kg1 Re3 35. f4 Re2 36. Rd6 Rc2 37. g4 Bc6 38. Bd2 Bf3 39. h3 Ra2
40. Bb4 Rg2+ 41. Kf1 Rh2 1/2-1/2
sexta-feira, 5 de abril de 2013
Candidados 2013: Magnus Carlsen - Peter Svidler 0-1
Carlsen-Svidler 0-1
Classificação final:
Aqui fica a partida (comentada) que Carlsen perdeu para Peter Svidler.
Links
Torneio de Candidados 2013: Derrota de Kramnik qualifica Carlsen
| Ronda 14 : | ||
Magnus Carlsen
|
0-1
|
Peter Svidler |
Vassily Ivanchuk
|
1-0
|
Vladimir Kramnik |
Boris Gelfand
|
½-½
|
Alexander Grischuk |
Levon Aronian
|
1-0
|
Teimour Radjabov |
Playchess commentary: GM Maurice Ashley
|
||
Ivanchuk-Kramnik 1-0
Sobre este embate, Vallejo Pons adiantou no Facebook:
“If someone had told Volodia (Kramnik) that Carlsen would lose today, I’m afraid he wouldn’t have gone with the Pirc…”
Carlsen-Svidler 0-1
Carlsen precisava de uma vitória nesta 14ª ronda para garantir o primeiro lugar. A jogar uma espanhola clássica, a vantagem era mínima e ambos tentaram atacar o rei inimigo com os cavalos e bispos, de longe. No lance 31 aconteceu a desgraça e a partir dai a vantagem das negras tornou-se substancial: Svidler derrotou Carlsen.
Ficando assim a classificação final:
Aqui fica a partida (comentada) que Kramnik perdeu, dando assim a qualificação automática a Carlsen.
Links
quinta-feira, 4 de abril de 2013
Press Release: Ivanchuk vs. Carlsen
A conferencia de imprensa depois do jogo Ivanchuk vs. Carlslsen (ver ultimo post aqui publicado esta manhã) conseguiu ser quase tão interessante como o próprio jogo entre dois.
Começou Carlsen, dizendo que estava contente com o empate porque tinha saído pior da abertura, e teve que sacrificar um peão para equilibrar a posição. Disse ainda que houve uma parte em que ambicionou ganhar, mas por ter sobre estimado a sua posição acabou aflito para empatar. Sustentou ainda que não tinha aceite o empate ao lance 31 proposto por Ivanchuk por considerar que isso seria pouco profissional, algo em que foi no mínimo muito pouco elegante para com Ivanchuk, pois se há jogador que joga sempre para tentar ganhar é o ucraniano. Enquanto ele dizia tudo isto, o 'chukie' estava completamente ausente, absolutamente alheado do que tudo o que o norueguês ia dizendo. Chega a sua vez de falar e diz que estava convencido que tinha tido uma posição quase vencedora no final e que deve ter falhado em qualquer lado, e que quando viu o lance 3....d5, que introduz a defesa Grunfeld, decidiu ir dar uma vista de olhos e esperar vários minutos para responder porque os jogos do Kramnik com o Aronian e do Svidler com o Gelfand porque estavam a ser muito interessantes (insinuando assim que quando viu que ia jogar de brancas contra a Grunfeld percebeu imediatamente que não iria perder). Mas a pérola ficou reservada para o fim.
Perguntam-lhe: com quem é que jogas amanhã?
Ele responde: não sei, no hotel o meu segundo vai-me dizer, e desata-se toda a sala a rir às gargalhadas.
Ou seja querem pouco profissionalismo cá vai disto. Uma estalada moral e psicológica bem merecida a Magnus Carlsen.
Candidates 2013: Ivanchuk vs. Carlsen
A conferencia de imprensa depois deste grande jogo da ronda 5 entre Ivanchuk e Carlsen fui brutal ! Foi tão interessante como o próprio jogo entre os dois. O Ivanchuk teve de jogar um "gambito" moral ao Carlsen... :-)
Mas vamos dar-vos mais detalhes sobre esta press release lá mais para a tarde... Aqui fica o jogo entre ambos para já.
[Event "FIDE Candidates"]
[Site "London ENG"]
[Date "2013.03.20"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Ivanchuk, V."]
[Black "Carlsen, M."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D93"]
[WhiteElo "2757"]
[BlackElo "2872"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bf4 Bg7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Qa5 8. Rc1
Rd8 9. Qa4 Qxc5 10. b4 Qc6 11. Qa3 dxc4 12. b5 Qb6 13. Bxc4 Be6 14. Bxe6 Qxe6
15. O-O Nbd7 16. Ng5 Qf5 17. Qxe7 Nh5 18. Rfd1 Nxf4 19. exf4 Bf8 20. Qe4 Qxe4
21. Ncxe4 Nb6 22. g3 Rxd1+ 23. Rxd1 Be7 24. Nf3 Rc8 25. Ne5 Rc7 26. Kg2 f6 27.
Nf3 Kf7 28. h4 Rc2 29. a4 Ra2 30. Nc3 Ra3 31. Rc1 Nxa4 32. Ne4 Rd3 33. Rc7 Ke6
34. Rxb7 Rd7 35. Rb8 Rd8 36. Rb7 Rd7 37. Rxd7 Kxd7 38. Nd4 f5 39. Ng5 Bxg5 40.
fxg5 Nc3 41. h5 gxh5 42. Kh3 Kd6 43. Kh4 Kd5 44. Nxf5 Nxb5 45. Kxh5 Ke4 46. Ne3
Nd6 47. Kh6 Nf7+ 48. Kxh7 Nxg5+ 49. Kg6 Nh3 50. Nd1 Kf3 51. Kf5 Nxf2 52. Nxf2
Kxg3 53. Nd1 a5 54. Ke4 a4 55. Kd4 a3 56. Nc3 a2 57. Nxa2 1/2-1/2
Links
segunda-feira, 1 de abril de 2013
2013 FIDE Candidates: Boris Gelfand vs. Magnus Carlsen
O Carlos Dias, um dos mais graduados árbitros português, com o título de árbitro internacional (AI), faz parte da equipa de arbitragem, chefiada pelo aústriaco Werner Stubenvoll, tendo sido nomeado pela FIDE.
Consultem todas as informações sobre o torneio em http://london2013.fide.com/en/
Gelfand-Aronian 1-0
[Event "FIDE Candidates"]
[Site "London ENG"]
[Date "2013.03.25"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Gelfand, B."]
[Black "Aronian, L."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D37"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2809"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Be2 c6 8. O-O
Nh5 9. Be5 f6 10. Bg3 f5 11. Be5 Nhf6 12. h3 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Nd7 14. f4 Nxe5 15.
fxe5 Bg5 16. Qd2 Bd7 17. Rac1 Rc8 18. a3 Kh8 19. b4 Be8 20. Bd3 Rc7 21. Ne2 Bh5
22. Nf4 Bxf4 23. exf4 Rd7 24. Qe3 dxc4 25. Bxc4 Rxd4 26. Bxe6 Bf7 27. Bxf5 Bc4
28. e6 Qd6 29. Rfe1 Re8 30. e7 Bf7 31. Rc5 g6 32. Bg4 h5 33. f5 Kg7 34. fxg6
Bxg6 35. Bxh5 Rd3 36. Qe5+ Qxe5 37. Rcxe5 Bxh5 38. Rxh5 Rxa3 39. Rf5 Rd3 40.
Re4 Rd7 41. Rg4+ Kh6 42. Rf6+ Kh7 43. Rf7+ Kh6 44. Rgg7 Rd1+ 45. Kh2 Rf1 46.
Rh7+ Kg6 47. Rhg7+ Kh6 48. Rh7+ Kg6 49. Rfg7+ Kf6 50. h4 Ke6 51. Rg4 Kf5 52.
Kg3 Re1 53. Rf4+ Ke6 54. h5 Rxe7 55. Rxe7+ Kxe7 56. Kh4 b6 57. h6 Rh1+ 58. Kg5
Ke6 59. Kg6 Ke5 60. Rf5+ 1-0
quarta-feira, 27 de março de 2013
2013 FIDE Candidates: Kramnik vs. Carlsen
Ronda 9
(By GM Alejandro Ramirez)
| Round 9 March 25 at 14:00 | ||
Vladimir Kramnik
|
½-½
|
Magnus Carlsen |
Peter Svidler
|
½-½
|
Alexander Grischuk |
Vassily Ivanchuk
|
1-0
|
Teimour Radjabov |
Boris Gelfand
|
1-0
|
Levon Aronian |
Playchess commentary: GM Maurice Ashley
|
||
Kramnik-Carlsen ½-½
[Event "FIDE Candidates"]
[Site "London ENG"]
[Date "2013.03.20"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Ivanchuk, V."]
[Black "Carlsen, M."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D93"]
[WhiteElo "2757"]
[BlackElo "2872"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bf4 Bg7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Qa5 8. Rc1
Rd8 9. Qa4 Qxc5 10. b4 Qc6 11. Qa3 dxc4 12. b5 Qb6 13. Bxc4 Be6 14. Bxe6 Qxe6
15. O-O Nbd7 16. Ng5 Qf5 17. Qxe7 Nh5 18. Rfd1 Nxf4 19. exf4 Bf8 20. Qe4 Qxe4
21. Ncxe4 Nb6 22. g3 Rxd1+ 23. Rxd1 Be7 24. Nf3 Rc8 25. Ne5 Rc7 26. Kg2 f6 27.
Nf3 Kf7 28. h4 Rc2 29. a4 Ra2 30. Nc3 Ra3 31. Rc1 Nxa4 32. Ne4 Rd3 33. Rc7 Ke6
34. Rxb7 Rd7 35. Rb8 Rd8 36. Rb7 Rd7 37. Rxd7 Kxd7 38. Nd4 f5 39. Ng5 Bxg5 40.
fxg5 Nc3 41. h5 gxh5 42. Kh3 Kd6 43. Kh4 Kd5 44. Nxf5 Nxb5 45. Kxh5 Ke4 46. Ne3
Nd6 47. Kh6 Nf7+ 48. Kxh7 Nxg5+ 49. Kg6 Nh3 50. Nd1 Kf3 51. Kf5 Nxf2 52. Nxf2
Kxg3 53. Nd1 a5 54. Ke4 a4 55. Kd4 a3 56. Nc3 a2 57. Nxa2 1/2-1/2
Classificação após 9 rondas...
Links
Pictures by Ray Morris-Hill
quarta-feira, 20 de março de 2013
2013 FIDE Candidates: Boris Gelfand vs. Magnus Carlsen
| Round 3 March 17 at 14:00 | ||
Boris Gelfand
|
0-1
|
Magnus Carlsen |
Vassily Ivanchuk
|
0-1
|
Levon Aronian |
Peter Svidler
|
1-0
|
Teimour Radjabov |
Vladimir Kramnik
|
½-½
|
Alexander Grischuk |
[Event "FIDE Candidates 2013"]
[Site "London, England"]
[Date "2013.03.17"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D52"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2872"]
[Annotator "Ramirez,Alejandro"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7
{A relatively strange movoeuvre, and
I'm surprised Gelfand didn't use this opportunity to go into a Karlsbad type
structure with}
5. Bg5
(5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 {Maybe the slight subtlety that
the knight is already on f3 was uncomfortable to him?})
5... c6 6. e3 Qa5
{When I think of the Cambridge-Springs, I always think of the match between
Alekhine and Capablanca! Those heavyweights employed it repeatedly in their
World Championship match, but it hasn't been prevalent since. The theory and
ideas of the position have, however, changed dramatically since that titanic
duel.}
7. cxd5
(7. Nd2 Bb4 8. Qc2 dxc4 9. Bxf6 Nxf6 10. Nxc4 $14 {Capablanca-Alekhine, Buenos Aires World Championship Match 1927})
7... Nxd5 8.Rc1
{Unusual, but "trending". The move Qd2 is more common, but Rc1 makes more sense.}
8...Nxc3 9. bxc3 Ba3 10. Rc2 b6 11. Bd3 Ba6 12. O-O Bxd3 13. Qxd3 O-O 14. e4 Rfe8
{It is clear that White has the edge, but he starts becoming too greedy on his
space grabbing.}
15. e5 h6 16. Bh4 c5 17. Nd2 cxd4 18. cxd4 Rac8 19. Nc4 Qb5
20. f4 Rc7 21. Qxa3 Rxc4 22. Rxc4 Qxc4 23. Bf2
{Something has gone wrong for
White, but he is still ok as he will soon get the c-file for himself.}
23...Qc7 24.Rc1 Qb7 25. Qd6 Nf8 26. g3 Rc8 27. Rxc8 Qxc8 28. d5 exd5 29. Qxd5 g6 30. Kg2 Ne6
{Logically, this game should almost always end peacefully, but that is not
the case when you play Carlsen.}
31. Qf3 Kg7 32. a3 h5 33. h4 Qc2 34. Qb7 Qa4 35. Qf3 b5 36. f5 gxf5 37. Qxf5 Qxa3 38. Qxh5 a5 39. Qg4+ Kf8 40. h5 ?!
(40.Qh5 ! b4 41. Qh8+ Ke7 42. Qf6+ Ke8 43. Qh8+ $11 {It's unclear why Gelfand
didn't force the draw as soon as possible, as only Black's pawns are dangerous.
})
40... Qc1 41. Qe4 b4 42. Be3 Qc7 43. Qa8+ Kg7 44. h6+ Kh7 45. Qe4+ Kg8 46.
Qa8+ Qd8 47. Qxd8+ ?
{Going into a losing endgame, keeping the queens alive
still gave plenty of hope.} (47. Qc6 ! b3 48. Bc1 $1 {Still forces Black to
find good moves, since the piece cannot be taken immediately.} b2 ? 49. Bxb2
Qd2+ 50. Kf1 Qxb2 51. Qe8+ Nf8 52. h7+ ! +/-)
47... Nxd8 48. Kf3 a4 49. Ke4 Nc6
{How did Gelfand plan to stop these pawns?}
50. Bc1 Na5 51. Bd2 b3 52. Kd3 Nc4 ! 53. Bc3 a3 54. g4 Kh7 55. g5 Kg6 56. Bd4 b2 57. Kc2 Nd2
{Gelfand's endga
me play was very weak, and Carlsen won a point without really doing much
himself.}
0-1
domingo, 22 de maio de 2011
Match Candidatos 2011: Mamedyarov vs. Gelfand
Mais uma partida espetáculo deste Match FIDE de Candidatos 2011 !
[Event "WCh Candidates"]
[Site "Kazan RUS"]
[Date "2011.05.07"]
[Round "1.3"]
[White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Black "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B87"]
[WhiteElo "2772"]
[BlackElo "2733"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bc4 e6 7. Bb3 b5 8. O-O
Be7 9. Qf3 Qc7 10. Qg3 O-O 11. Bh6 Ne8 12. Rad1 Bd7 13. f4 Nc6 14. f5 Nxd4 15.
Rxd4 Kh8 16. Be3 Nf6 17. Qh3 d5 18. e5 Qxe5 19. Rh4 Rfc8 20. Kh1 Rxc3 21. bxc3
Qxc3 22. Rd4 a5 23. Rd3 Qc6 24. c3 a4 25. Bc2 e5 26. Bg5 b4 27. Qh4 bxc3 28.
Rh3 Kg8 29. Re1 e4 30. g4 Kf8 31. Be3 Qc4 32. g5 Bxf5 33. gxf6 Bxf6 34. Qh5 Bg6
35. Qg4 Qxa2 36. Bb1 Qc4 37. Qg2 a3 38. Ba2 Qc6 39. Rg3 Rb8 0-1
Links
.sexta-feira, 20 de maio de 2011
Match Candidatos 2011: Grischuk e Gelfand
O match FIDE Candidatos prossegue nos tiebreaks das semi-finais...e agora Kramnik e Kamsky foram eliminados por Grischuk e Gelfand respectivamente.
Scoreboard
|
Gelfand,Boris (2733) - Kamsky,Gata (2732) [A10]
WCh Candidates - Rapids Kazan RUS (2.7), 16.05.2011
1.c4 g6 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.g3 Bg7 6.Bg2 0-0 7.0-0 c5 8.Qa4 Nb4 9.d3 Bd7 10.Qd1 Bc6 11.Be3 Nd7 12.Rc1 Rc8 13.Qb3 e6 14.Rfd1 a5 15.Bg5 Qe8 16.a3??
E agora ? As negras jogam e ganham !
16...c4! The queen is trapped. 17.Qxc4 (17.dxc4 only makes it worse: 17...Nc5 and the queen is still lost) 17...Bxf3 18.Bxf3 Rxc4 19.dxc4 Nc6. Black has a queen for rook and knight. Kamsky knows how to play it and brings home the bacon. 20.Nb5 Nc5 21.b4 axb4 22.axb4 Nxb4 23.Rb1 Nba6 24.Nd6 Qa4 25.Nxb7 Nxb7 26.Bxb7 Qxc4 27.Bf3 h6 28.Be3 Nb4 29.Rbc1 Nc2 30.Ba7 Qa4 31.Bb6 Nd4 32.Bxd4 Bxd4 33.Rd3 Bf6 34.Rc7 Rd8 0-1.
Links
.segunda-feira, 9 de maio de 2011
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...
|
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










