By Zaldy Dandan
Variety Editor

SOFIA, the capital of Bulgaria, is the host of the annual M-Tel Masters, which is now in its third year. The tournament started on May 9 and will end on the 20th. It’s a 10-round, double round robin event and the participating grandmasters are:
• Veselin Topalov, 2772, Bulgaria
• Shakriyar Mamedyarov, 2757, Azerbaijan
• Michael Adams, 2734, England
• Gata Kamsky, 2705, USA
• Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu, 2693, Romania
• Krishnan Sasikiran, 2690, India
Tiebreak games will decide the winner in the case of a tie. The Sofia rule applies: the players will not be allowed to offer draws, and only the chief arbiter can say if a game is a draw.
The hometown favorite, of course, is former FIDE champ Topalov. He has, however, started terribly. He over-pressed and lost to Nisipeanu, was held to a draw by Adams and was smashed flat in the third round by Mamedyarov.
Which is, of course, the typical Topalov way of commencing hostilities. In the following rounds, he beat Sasikiran, drew with Kamsy and avenged his loss to Nisipeanu.
Toppy is now a mere half-point behind the leaders — Mamedyarov and Sasikiran — with four more rounds to play. Stay tuned
Game of the week. IM Malcolm Pein annotates this third round trouncing that Topalov received from the Azeri GM.
White: S. Mamedyarov
Black: V. Topalov
Queen’s Gambit Declined, Semi-Slav
M-Tel Sofia 2007
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.Qb3 Nd7 8.e4 dxe4 9.Nxe4 Qf4 10.Bd3 e5!? [Risky, but 10...Be7 which is more solid and the usual move is not Topalov’s style] 11.0-0 exd4 12.Nxd4 [12.Rae1 Be7 13.Bb1 0-0 14.Ng3 Nc5 15.Qa3 Qc7 16.Nxd4 Rd8 17.Ndf5 Bxf5 18.Nxf5 Bf8 19.Qh3 Re8 20.Nxh6+ gxh6 21.Qf5 Bg7 22.g3 Rad8 23.Rxe8+ Rxe8 24.Rd1 Rd8 25.Rxd8+ Qxd8 26.Kg2 a6 27.Be4 Qc7 28.f4 Qd8 29.Kh3 Qc7 1/2-1/2 Ivanisevic-Schenk, Gonfreville 2006] 12...Nc5 13.Nxc5 Bxc5 14.Rae1+ Kf8 15.Re4 Qf6 16.Qc3! Stopping any unraveling with g7-g6 due to Ne6+ 16...a5? [But this is too much. 16...Bxd4 17.Rxd4 c5 18.Rd5 Qxc3 19.bxc3 g6 20.Rxc5 wins a pawn but Black can fight for a draw] 17.Rfe1 Bd7 18.R1e3! Bb4 19.Qc2 Qd6 20.Rf3 h5? 21.c5! Exposing f7, the game is already won 21...Bxc5 22.Bc4 f6 23.Ne6+ Bxe6 24.Rxe6 Qd7 25.Qf5 Black has no hope without his rooks 25...Qd4 26.Re4 Qd1+ 27.Bf1 Bd6 28.Rd3 Bxh2+ 29.Kxh2 Qxf1 30.Rd7 1-0.
Puzzler.
White — pawns on g3, h4; Nb4, Qb8, Nf6, Kf7, Bg1
Black — pawns c3, c4, d7, e5, g6; Na5, Rc5; Bd1, Kf5; Nf8
White to play and mate in four moves.
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