Viswanathan Anand vs Veselin Topalov (2007)

Members · Prefs · Laboratory · Collections · Openings · Endgames · Sacrifices · History · Search Kibitzing · Kibitzer's Café · Chessforums · Tournament Index · Players ·

Kibitzing

Viswanathan Anand vs Veselin Topalov
Morelia-Linares (2007), Linares ESP, rd 8, Mar-02
Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation. English Attack (B90) · 1/2-1/2

White to move.

ANALYSIS [x]

1/2-1/2

rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1

FEN COPIED

explore this opening	find similar games	127 more Anand/Topalov games
	PGN: download \| view \| print	Help: general \| java-troubleshooting

TIP: Some games have photographs. These are denoted in the game list with the

icon.

For help with this chess viewer, please see the Olga Chess Viewer Quickstart Guide.

PREMIUM MEMBERS CAN REQUEST COMPUTER ANALYSIS [more info]

< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 11 OF 11 · Later Kibitzing>
Mar-02-07		hitman84: I wonder if Anand consider playing Qf3 ? He seems to be stuck in a Ruy Lopez mood.

Mar-02-07		Eyal: <boz> After 22.Qf3, 22...Ne8 is not the best move, probably - Black should play 22...Kg7.

Mar-02-07		szentl: I have no Rybka but Anand's élan looks to be out of breath. Or a kind of silence before storm? Don't think so...

Mar-02-07		chessgames.com: Draw is official. If you stick around for a few minutes we will switch over to another board.

Mar-02-07		TennesseeStud: draw! screw dat! i wanna see some real play!

Mar-02-07		Duque Roquero: szentl: No problem man, now I'm Hitchcock!

Mar-02-07		boz: <Eyal> Thanks. It seems to me Anand reacted timidly to 21...g5 then.

Mar-02-07		Jack Kerouac: "Not neccesarily the immediate head blows," by Anand. I take it the head blows come soon.

Mar-02-07		Jack Kerouac: No 'Head Blows' at all! But, we have gained a new superstar in the chess commentary community. I give you: ALEXEY KOROTYLEV. The Rasputin of Putin.

Mar-02-07		Monoceros: Why am I not surprised that the game was over before I got a chance to look at it? I'm reminded of when I woke up at 4:30 am to follow Topalov and Anand at Corus last year. I think they were a half-point apart at the time so it seemed reasonable to expect a fight. They drew within 25 moves and I went back to sleep.

Mar-02-07		dehanne: Why did Anand play 16.c4?

Mar-02-07		Ulhumbrus: One question is what happens after 22 Nf5 instead of 22 Nf3. One variation is 22 Nf5 Nxf5 23 exf5 Nxd5 24 Qh5 Kg7 25 Bxg5 hxg5 26 Qxg5+ Kh8 27 f6 Nxf6 28 Qxf6+ Kg8 29 Re4 Qe6 30 Rg4+ Qxg4 31 hxg4 and Black can resign.

Mar-02-07		you vs yourself: <Ulhumbrus> Rybka recommends 22.Qf3. What do you think about that move?

Mar-02-07		Ulhumbrus: <you vs yourself> If you compare 22 Qf3 with 22 Nf5, on 22 Qf3 Kg7 23 Nf5+ Nxf5 24 exf5 White's Q has lost a tempo towards Qh5 by having played Qf3.

Mar-02-07		Ulhumbrus: Anand seems to have the advantage at the end. He has the bishop pair, more space and Black's Q side is a permanent weakness. Against that Black has the c file and little else. For whatever reason Anand agrees to a draw.

Mar-02-07		ikipemiko: Anand doesn't have advantage at all at the end. Thes bishop pair is not a plus i this kind of position, and the final position is even (i think that Topa has a micro plus)

Mar-02-07		RookFile: That was my impression, coming out of the opening, and I said so. I was rooting for Anand: but objectively speaking, I liked Topalov's position. Anand only drawing this was a more than acceptable result.

Mar-02-07		Eyal: <Ulhumbrus: <you vs yourself> If you compare 22 Qf3 with 22 Nf5, on 22 Qf3 Kg7 23 Nf5+ Nxf5 24 exf5 White's Q has lost a tempo towards Qh5 by having played Qf3.> However, on 22.Nf5 Nxf5 23.exf5, 23...Nxd5 (which allows Qh5) is a relatively weak move - better for Black is 23...e4.

Mar-02-07		Eyal: <Ulhumbrus: Anand seems to have the advantage at the end. He has the bishop pair, more space and Black's Q side is a permanent weakness. Against that Black has the c file and little else.> True - from the final position, a likely continuation would be 25...Nxg4 26.Qxg4 Qxg4 27.hxg4 Nf4 28.Bb1 and White certainly still has what to play for. A disappointing lack of fighting spirit from Anand's side, agreeing to a draw here.

Mar-02-07		csmath: Alright, what is the plan for white? I see black has blocked kingside, he is about, if allowed, to play a5 and b4, has obviously c-file. What exactly white can do here? First of all black won't play Nf4 since it is smarter to move knight on the other side. Again kingside is blocked and knight will better serve on the queenside. Knight goes to f8-d7-c5. White has no way to break in once knight is lodged on c5. Anand's assessment is better without Fritz/Rybka than yours. I don't see anything for white as long as black plays defensive and blocking moves.

Mar-02-07		csmath: My plan for black would be to achieve a5, b4, Nc5, f6, Kg7-Kf8, Rc7, Bb6. I don't see how can white stop that unless playing something risky. And once black has this position, white can do nothing. I think Anand missed something here earlier, his reaction on g5 was not the best and it was fairly timid. This is also a first game in Morelia/Linares that Topalov shows some aggression.

Mar-02-07		alicefujimori: It is interesting to really know why Topalov keeps playing 6...e5 instead of 6...e6 where he has had very good success. IMO, positions after 6...e6 suits Topalov more than positions after 6...e5.

Mar-02-07		Eyal: <csmath: First of all black won't play Nf4 since it is smarter to move knight on the other side. Again kingside is blocked and knight will better serve on the queenside. Knight goes to f8-d7-c5. White has no way to break in once knight is lodged on c5...My plan for black would be to achieve a5, b4, Nc5, f6, Kg7-Kf8, Rc7, Bb6.> That's all very well, but after 25...Nxg4 26.Qxg4 Qxg4 27.hxg4 Nf8 (I'm assuming that's what you mean, since you don't give any actual line) White can practically force the exchange of rooks by 28.Rc1, and then the pair of bishops should give him a definite edge. I'm not saying it's a forced win, but there's certainly a point for White in playing on.

Mar-03-07		ikipemiko: <eyal> in your plan i think that the bishop pair is worse than the bishop and knight (i think is better for anand to keep the rooks). The position will be closed - the light square bishop is slightly better than a pawn and the black dark square bishop is better than his white opponent.So I think that the final position is dead even.

Feb-06-09		PAWNTOEFOUR: <ulhumbrus> after 1.3 million nodes crafty seems to agree with you... pv 25...Nxg4 26.hxg4 Nf4 27.Bf1 Qa7 28.Be3 Bd4 29.Qd2 Bxe3 30.Rxe3 Qc7 31.g3 Ng6 32.Rf3 Qc2 33.Qxc2 Rxc2 34.Rf6 Kg7 35.Rxd6 Rxa2 +40 Crafty

Jump to page # (enter # from 1 to 11)
search thread:
< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 11 OF 11 · Later Kibitzing>

NOTE: Create an account today to post replies and access other powerful features which are available only to registered users. Becoming a member is free, anonymous, and takes less than 1 minute! If you already have a username, then simply login login under your username now to join the discussion.

Please observe our posting guidelines:

No obscene, racist, sexist, or profane language.
No spamming, advertising, duplicate, or gibberish posts.
No vitriolic or systematic personal attacks against other members.
Nothing in violation of United States law.
No cyberstalking or malicious posting of negative or private information (doxing/doxxing) of members.
No trolling.
The use of "sock puppet" accounts to circumvent disciplinary action taken by moderators, create a false impression of consensus or support, or stage conversations, is prohibited.
Do not degrade Chessgames or any of it's staff/volunteers.

Please try to maintain a semblance of civility at all times.

See something that violates our rules? Blow the whistle and inform a moderator.

NOTE: Please keep all discussion on-topic. This forum is for this specific game only. To discuss chess or this site in general, visit the Kibitzer's Café.

Messages posted by Chessgames members do not necessarily represent the views of Chessgames.com, its employees, or sponsors.
All moderator actions taken are ultimately at the sole discretion of the administration.

This game is type: CLASSICAL. Please report incorrect or missing information by submitting a correction slip to help us improve the quality of our content.