Anand wanted a three-day delay as his team could not proceed to Sofia on April 16 after flights were cancelled due to the volcanic ash from Iceland. The world champ finally reached the Bulgarian capital in the early hours of Tuesday “following a 40-hour journey through five countries and by covering 2,000 kilometres,” according to the Indian newspaper, The Hindu. He was quoted as saying, “I am very happy to be here; it was a longer trip than we expected. The main thing I came here for is to play chess…. I want to thank FIDE for the understanding and I hope the chess fans will see a good match.”
By next week, in any case, the two would have already played six of the agreed upon 12 games. In case of a tie, they will play tie-breakers. According to The Guardian’s Ronan Bennett and Daniel King “most pundits reckon Anand is the better player, but the stats tell us that in their classical chess encounters Topalov has one more win than Anand. It’s only in games with a faster time control that Anand has a big plus score. If the match ends 6-6, Anand will be a clear favorite in the tie-break rapid games.”
Bennett and King also believe that age could be a factor. “Anand has turned 40. Among top chess players that practically qualifies for a free bus pass. Topalov is five years younger and will be a highly motivated challenger: he has yet to win a ‘classical’ world championship match and he is also playing in front of his home crowd.”
Anand “has a pragmatic and fluent middlegame style, preferring to play a move that looks good rather than sweating to try to find the best move. But when it comes to the critical phase of the game his tactics are deadly.”
Toppy, for his part, is known for his fighting spirit and aggressive playing style. Kasparov once said that the Bulgarian is better adapted to modern chess.
We’ll see.
Game of the week. Yet another example of the seventh world champ’s powerful and irresistible play. IM Jack Peters, who annotates our featured game, noted that Botvinnik, “notoriously stingy with praise, described his rival [Smyslov] ‘almost unbeatable in the mid- 1950s.’ ”
Vassily’s opponent is a former Soviet champ, two-time Candidate and author of the famous chess classic, “Think Like a Grandmaster.”
White: GM Vassily Smyslov
Black: GM Alexander Kotov
Moscow 1943
1 e4 c5 2 Nc3 Nc6 3 g3 The Closed Sicilian. g6 4 Bg2 Bg7 5 d3 d6 6 Nf3 Today 6 f4 is more common. e6 7 Bg5 Nge7 8 Qd2 h6 9 Be3 e5 A modern defensive formation, but the addition of…h7-h6 is of debatable value. 10 0-0 Be6 11 Ne1 Qd7 12 a3 Bh3 13 f4 Nd4 14 Rb1 exf4 15 Bxf4 Black could meet 15 gxf4 by 15…0-0-0 or by 15…Bxg2 16 Qxg2 f5 17 Nd5 0-0-0. Bxg2 16 Qxg2 0-0 This should be safe. Chances remain even. 17 g4 Rad8 18 Kh1 Ne6 19 Bd2 d5 20 Nf3 d4 Smyslov recommended 20…dxe4 21 Nxe4 Nd5. 21 Ne2 Nc6? Too slow. Black must counterattack with 21…c4! 22 Nf4 (worse is 22 dxc4?! d3) Rc8. 22 Qh3 Kh7 23 Ng3 f6 24 Nf5! Smyslov called this “a typical piece sacrifice.” gxf5 25 gxf5 Nc7 26 Rg1 Ne8 Toughest. After 26…Rf7, Black could survive 27 Rg6? Rh8 28 Rbg1 Kg8, but 27 Nh4! Ne5 28 Ng6 Nxg6 29 fxg6+ Kh8 30 Qh4 continues White’s attack. 27 Rg6 It’s uncertain if 27 Bxh6!? Bxh6 28 Rg6 Qg7 29 Rxg7+ Nxg7 30 Rg1 Ne7 31 Nh4 is stronger. Rf7? Clearly losing. Only 27…Rh8 28 Rbg1 Kg8 29 Bxh6 Rh7 hangs on. 28 Rbg1 Kg8 29 Rxh6 Kf8 30 Rh7 Ke7 31 Qh5 Kd6 If Black vacates d8 for the King by 31…Rc8, White strikes with 32 Ng5! fxg5 33 Bxg5+ Kd6 34 Bf4+ Ke7 35 f6+! Nxf6 36 Rgxg7!, winning. 32 Bf4+ Ne5 33 Bxe5+ fxe5 34 f6! Nxf6 Or 34…Rxf6 35 Rgxg7 Nxg7 36 Qxe5+ Kc6 37 Qxf6+. 35 Qxe5+ Kc6 36 Rhxg7! Kb5 37 Nxd4+ As 37…Qxd4 loses routinely to 38 Qxd4 cxd4 39 Rxf7. 37…Kb6 38 b4! Rc8 39 Rxf7 Quickest is 39 bxc5+ Ka6 40 c6! bxc6 41 Ne6, threatening 42 Nc5+. Qxf7 40 Qd6+ Rc6 41 Nxc6 Nxe4! Hoping for 42…Qf3+. 42 bxc5+! and Black Resigns. After 42…Ka6 43 Nb8+ Ka4 44 Qd4+ or 44…Ka5 44 Qd8+ b6 45 Nc6+ Kb5 46 Nd4+, White can finally capture Black’s Knight.
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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