The players will get $125,000 each and the winner will face world champ Visshy Anand of India in a match this year.
The world’s number one, Topalov has a rating of 2809, while Kamsky is ranked 17th at 2725. Moreover, the match will be played in Toppy’s hometown but, as IM Jack Peters has noted, “Kamsky’s tenacious style is perfect for match play, while Topalov seems better suited to tournaments. Also, Kamsky has notched upsets in previous matches.”
Kamsky, of course, didn’t want to play a match against a Bulgarian in Bulgaria, but according to Topalov’s manager Silvio Danailov, Gata was “given eight months to find an alternate site and secure the prize money, but did not succeed.” Danailov, in an interview, said Toppy did not want to play in Bulgaria either for the following reasons: “the financing would come out of national funds; and the expectation that Topalov must win will be too high — it will be a national tragedy if he loses.”
Topalov has a huge plus score against Kamsky — +4, -0, =4, but so did Spassky against Fischer and Capa against Alekhine prior to their matches.
Anything can still happen. Nevertheless, Go Toppy!
Game of the week. Last year in Wijk aan Zee, she scalped a former challenger to the world title, Britain’s Nigel Short. This year, 14-year-old Hou Yifan gonged Brazil’s legendary GM Henrique Mecking, India’s super GM Krishnan Sasikiran and one of Spain’s top players!
On the current FIDE rating list for women, the young Chinese superstar has shot to third place with a rating of 2571, only behind Hungary’s Judit Polgar, 2693, and India’s Humpy Koneru, 2621. As ChessBase noted, “it would seem that Magnus Carlsen, the young phenomenon in ‘male’ chess has a counterpart in the world of women’s chess.”
Here she is in a game that IM Jack Peters annotates.
White: GM Hou Yifan (2571)
Black: GM Francisco Vallejo Pons (2702)
Sicilian Defense
Corus “B,” Wijk aan Zee 2009
1 e4 This was a clash between a 14-year old girl and a member of the elite. c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bb5 A sideline against the Sicilian Defense. g6 Daring. Either 4…Qc7 or 4…e6 is safer. 5 e5 Ng4 6 Bxc6 dxc6 7 h3 Nh6 8 g4!? Else…Nh6-f5 reactivates the Knight. Bg7 9 d3 f5 10 exf6 Simplest. White could bury the Bishop at g7 by 10 g5 Nf7 11 Bf4, but 11…Qb6 gets some counterplay. exf6 11 Qe2+ Kf7 Also 11…Qe7 12 Qxe7+ Kxe7 13 Bf4 Re8 14 0-0-0 favors White because of her lead in development. 12 Be3 Re8 13 0-0-0 Kg8 Not attractive is 13…f5?! because 14 Qd2 fxg4 15 hxg4 Nxg4 16 Bg5 opens the h-file for attack. 14 d4! Active play! Instead, 14 Qd2 Nf7 15 Bxc5 Qa5 16 Be3 b5 gains a pawn but cedes Black the initiative. cxd4 15 Nxd4 Qc7 16 Rhe1 Nf7 17 Qc4 Black’s position is inferior, but 17… Bd7 hangs on. Then 18 Ndb5 Qc8 19 Nd6 Be6 survives. Qh2? Outrageously greedy! 18 Nce2 Qxh3? The unthinkable 18…Qc7 is necessary. 19 Nf4 Qxg4 20 Rg1 Qd7 Walking into a discovery, but 20…Qh4? 21 Nf3 would trap the Queen. 21 Nde6 Qe7 22 Nxg7 Kxg7 23 Nh5+! Suddenly Black has grave problems at f6. Kh8 If 23…Kg8, one method is 24 Qh4 g5 25 Nxf6+! Qxf6 26 Bxg5 Nxg5 27 Rxg5+, winning the Queen by 27…Kh8 28 Rg8+ or 27…Kf7 28 Qxh7+ Ke6 29 Rg6. 24 Bc5 Qe6 Black must drop material after 24…Ne5 25 Qh4 Qf7 26 Qxf6+ Qxf6 27 Nxf6, as 27…Re6 permits 28 Rd8+ Kg7 29 Ne8+ Kf7 30 Nc7. 25 Rge1! Qxe1 The Queen sacrifice 25…gxh5 26 Rxe6 Bxe6 27 Qh4 doesn’t halt White’s attack, while 25…Ne5 26 Qxe6 Bxe6 27 Nxf6 Nf7 28 Bd4! costs Black at least a piece. 26 Qxf7 Qxd1+ 27 Kxd1 Bg4+ 28 Kd2! Rad8+ Or 28…gxh5 29 Qxf6+ Kg8 30 Bd4. 29 Kc3 Bxh5 30 Bd4 Rxd4 31 Qxe8+, Black Resigns.
Puzzler.
White — Qc2, Nd3, pawn on d5, Bd6, Re7, Kh3
Black — Bb2, Qc3, Re4, Nf3, Kh8, pawns on d7, f4
White to play and mate in two.
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