So what did the Indian star do? He won the second game, drew the third as black and smashed Toppy in the fourth. With eight games left, the champ leads and has seized the psychological initiative. It’s probably a good thing for Toppy that Thursday was a rest day. He’s in a crisis mode now and needs to re-think his strategy. His team tried to bamboozle Anand by going into the match with all guns blazing, what with all their talk about not accepting draws and not talking to the champ during the games, but Vishy, clearly, has nerves of steel. He’s ice to Toppy’s fire. His strategy, as our annotator this week noted, is simply to play like Kramnik who defeated the Bulgarian in their controversial 2006 match.
Game of the week. In the first game, however, Anand found himself in a lost position after only one hour of play.
Living chess legend Gary Kasparov said it was “crazy” for Anand to defend with the Gruenfeld against Toppy. The champ switched to the Kramnik-solid Slav in the third game, which Veselin failed to crack.
White: V. Topalov(2805)
Black: V. Anand (2787)
World Championship, Sofia 2010
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 Anand has been playing the Gruenfeld a lot but nevertheless, even as a Gruenfeld aficionado I have always thought it risky at WCC level. However, in this concrete age of computer preparation the top players have everything worked out but not it would seem, memorized. 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Bc4 No surprise, this has been Topalov’s choice before . 7…c5 8.Ne2 Nc6 9.Be3 0-0 10.0-0 Na5 [10…Bg4 11.f3 Na5 12.Bxf7+ Rxf7 13.fxg4 was the battleground in the 1987 WCC match at Seville with Karpov white and Kasparov black; 10…Bg4 11.f3 cxd4 12.cxd4 Na5 13.Bd3 Be6 14.d5 is an exchange sacrifice from the 1950s that Topalov has enjoyed success with; 10…Qc7 Smyslov Variation is the sharpest] 11.Bd3 b6 12.Qd2 [12.Rc1 is the other main line 12…e5 13.dxc5 Be6 14.c4 bxc5 15.Bxc5 Re8 As in the stem game Topalov – Svidler Linares/Morelia 2006 but 15…Bh6! is better and Black seems to be OK; 12.dxc5?! bxc5 13.Bxc5 Qc7 14.Bd4 e5 15.Be3 Nc4 with good compensation is a typical Gruenfeld theme] 12…e5 [The modern move which Peter Svidler explained to me he invented 12…e6 13.Rac1 cxd4 14.cxd4 Bb7 15.h4 or 15.Bh6 is the older line which is rarely seen nowadays. The plan of h4-h6 and e4-e5 can be problematic for Black] 13.Bh6 [13.d5?! f5; 13.dxe5?! Bxe5] 13…cxd4 14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.cxd4 exd4 16.Rac1 [16.f4 f6 17.e5Topalov – Kamsky WCC Candidates Final Sofia 2009 17…Bd7 18.exf6+ Qxf6 19.Ng3 Kh8 Black seemed OK so it’s no surprise Topalov varies] 16…Qd6 [A novelty but both sides had obviously looked at in detail 16…Bb7 17.f4 Rc8 18.Rxc8 Qxc8 19.f5 Nc6 20.Rf3 Ne5 21.Rh3 Rh8 22.f6+ Kg8 23.Qh6 Qf8 24.Qxf8+ Kxf8 25.Nxd4 Ke8 26.Bb5+ Kd8 27.Rc3 a6 28.Ba4 b5 29.Bb3 Re8 1/2-1/2 Karjakin,S (2732)-Carlsen,M (2765)/Foros UKR 2008] 17.f4 f6 18.f5 Qe5 It’s vital to prevent e4-e5 in all circumstances. Black would like to play Na5-c6-e5 but it can’t be organized. [18…Nc6 19.Bb5 Ne5 20.Nxd4+/=] 19.Nf4 [19.Kh1 Bd7 20.Ng1 Rac8 21.Nf3 Qd6=/+] 19…g5 20.Nh5+ All played in just a few minutes — who is going to blink first ? Putting the knight on h5 has to be justified by concrete computer analysis as it could be badly placed later. 20…Kg8 21.h4 h6 22.hxg5 hxg5 23.Rf3 Kf7?? Losing on the spot. It looks like Anand forgot his preparation. [23…Bd7 looks best as Nxf6 does not appear to work. 24.Rg3 Kf7 may have been what was in his computer 25.Nxf6? (25.Bc4+ Nxc4 26.Rxc4 Rh8 27.Rxd4 Bxf5 28.Rd7+ Bxd7 29.Qxd7+ Qe7 30.Qd5+ Qe6 31.Qb7+ Qe7 32.Qd5+=) 25…Qxg3; 23…Rf7 is the kind of defensive move Black wants to make but it allows 24.Nxf6+ Qxf6 25.e5 Qxe5 26.Qxg5+ Qg7 27.Qd8+ Rf8 28.Qd5++ If 23…Bd7 24.Nxf6+ Qxf6 25.e5 Qxe5 26.Qxg5+ Kf7 27.Qg6+ Ke7 28.f6+ Kd8 unclear ; 23…Bd7 24.Bc4+ Nxc4 25.Rxc4 Be8 26.Nxf6+ Rxf6 27.Qxg5+ Rg6! unclear ] 24.Nxf6!! This ends the game. Topalov thought about this for just a few minutes, played it and walked off leaving Anand in no doubt that this was prepared analysis and that he was lost. The main tactical them is that Black cannot hold c7 and g5. Positionally his Na5 and Ra8 are out of the game 24…Kxf6 [24…Qxf6 Makes no difference 25.Rh3 Rh8 26.Rxh8 Qxh8 27.Rc7+ Kf6 28.e5+; 24…Qxf6 25.Rh3 Kg8 26.e5 Qxe5 27.Qxg5+; 24…Qxf6 25.Rh3 Bd7 26.Rh7+ Ke8 27.e5 Qxe5 28.Re1] 25.Rh3! The best move to win. 25…Rg8 [25…Qf4 26.e5+! Qxe5 27.Rh6+; 25…Bd7 26.Rh6+ Kf7 27.Rh7+ Kf6 28.Rxd7 Rad8 29.Rh7 Rh8 30.Rcc7 Rxh7 31.Rxh7 Qf4 32.Qxf4 gxf4 33.Kf2 Rc8 34.Kf3 Rc3 35.Kxf4 Rxd3 36.e5# Was found by Peter Svidler just for fun. 26.Rh6+ Kf7 27.Rh7+ Ke8 [27…Rg7 28.Rxg7+ Kxg7 (28…Qxg7 29.Rc7+) 29.Qxg5+] 28.Rcc7 Black cannot make a constructive move 28…Kd8 29.Bb5! Qxe4 29…Qxb5 30.Qxd4+ Ke8 31.Qf6; 29…Qxc7 30.Qxd4+ Bd7 31.Rxd7+ both mating] 30.Rxc8+ Choosing a prosaic win [30.Rxc8+ Kxc8 31.Qc1+ Nc6 32.Bxc6 Qe3+ 33.Qxe3 dxe3 34.Bxa8; 30.Rce7 Qxe7 31.Qxd4+ Bd7 32.Rxe7 was more Topalov but what a start for the challenger. At least Anand may be able to say he had a playable position but that depends on the assessment of 23…Bd7, if that does not hold up he really has to fall back on plan B and will be struggling even more.] 1-0. Australian GM Ian Rogers said Anand looked shell-shocked after the game.
Puzzler.
White — Ka4, Ba6, Nb8, Nc6, Qc1, pawns on e3 and h4
Black — Kd5, Nd6, Rf7, Bh7, Rh3, pawns on b3, c4, c7, d4, e6 and f3
White to play and mate in four.
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