| May-16-09 | | Dredge Rivers: First! (Not too original, but still!) |
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| May-16-09 | | whiteshark: Topalov is back! |
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| May-16-09 | | Woody Wood Pusher: Looks like Topalov has finally warmed up...
Nice game! |
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| May-16-09 | | notyetagm: Another *masterful* game by Topalov.
Anand-Topalov is going to be just incredible next year. |
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| May-16-09 | | messachess: Wow. Topa just dominated--utterly and completely. |
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| May-16-09 | | Thrajin: This is a great game to study to see how a top GM formulates and executes a plan. It's pretty easy even for an amateur to follow Topalov's limpid queenside strategy from conception all the way to realization. His plan is carried out so effectively, it looks as if Wang Yue was doomed from the moment he traded queens. |
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| May-16-09 | | Ezzy: Topalov - Wang Yue [D17]
Sofia, 16.05.2009
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.Ne5 Nbd7 7.Nxc4 Nb6 <The main line is 7...Qc7 which became popular after its use in the Alekhine v Euwe 1935 world championship match. [7...Qc7 8.g3 e5 9.dxe5 Nxe5 10.Bf4 Nfd7] >8.Ne5 a5 9.f3 Nfd7 10.e4 Nxe5 11.dxe5 Qxd1+ 12.Kxd1 Be6 13.Kc2< Topalov has had this position before against Anand in Benidorm 2005 1/2–1/2> 13...f6 <Carlsen has played 13...Bc4 >14.Rb1 Nd7N <There are 3 games in the database, and they all played 14...fxe5 including Kasparov. Vellejo-Pons v G Kasparov Linares 2003. In those games the b6 knight usually goes to c4 after whites 15 b4 pawn push.> 15.b4 Nxe5 16.bxa5 Bc8< Wangs opening play seems to have given him an extremely passive position. Perhaps the novelty isn't that good.> 17.a6 bxa6 18.a5 Nd7 19.Na4 e5 20.Bc4 Bc5 21.Rd1< Threatening 22 Rxd7 Kxd7 23 Nxc5 >21...Bd4 <You could say it's a queenside game. All whites pieces are on that side of the board :-)> 22.Ba3< Topalov's bishops look pretty good on those diaganols >22...c5< So black blocks the diaganol, but it comes at a price. The d5 square now looks inviting for white. Wang is miles behind in development, Topalov is preparing to double rooks on the 'b' file - It doesn't look good for black.> 23.Rb3 h5 24.Rdb1 Ke7 25.Bd5 Ra7 26.Rb6 Rc7< 26...Nxb6 Seems to put up a real stubborn defence, but good technique should win it for white. Below is an example of how white can infiltrate black's position with his king. Black's position is so passive, he can't do that much except try to parry Topalov's threats. [26...Nxb6 27.axb6 Rd7 28.Nxc5 Rxd5 29.exd5 Bf5+ 30.Ne4+ Kd7 31.b7 Rb8 32.Kd3 a5 33.Kc4 Bxe4 34.fxe4 Kc7 35.Rb5 Rxb7 36.d6+ Kc6 37.Rxb7 Kxb7 38.Kd5 Bb6 39.Ke6 Kc6 40.g3 (40.Ke7?? f5! 41.exf5 e4 42.d7 e3 Black wins.) 40...Bd8 41.h3 g6 42.d7 Kc7 43.Be7 g5 44.g4 h4 45.Bd6+ Kc6 and white will win black's kingside pawns. 46.Ba3 Kc7 47.Be7 a4 48.Ba3 Kc6 49.Bd6 Kb6 50.Kf7 Kc6 51.Ke8 Bb6 52.Ba3 Ba5 53.d8Q Bxd8 54.Kxd8 Winning.] >27.Re6+ Kd8 28.Nb6< With the idea 29 Nxc8 Rxc8 30 Rxh6 followed by 31 Rb7 with an overwhelming position.> 28...Nxb6 <A better chance to fight would be [28...Ra7 29.Nxc8 Kxc8 30.Rc6+ Kd8 31.Bc4 h4 32.Bxa6 Ke7 33.Rb7 Raa8 34.Bc4 Rhb8 35.Rxb8 Rxb8 36.Re6+ Kd8 37.Bd5 Rb5 38.Ra6 Rb8 39.Be6 Ke7 40.Bg4 Rb7 41.Ra8 White still has a strong initiative]> 29.axb6 Rb7 30.Rd6+ Ke7 31.Rc6 <Threatening 32 Rxc8 Rxc8 33 Bxb7> 31...Rd7 32.Re6+ Kf7 33.b7 1–0 Nice win by Topalov, which was only a matter time, because he's played good exciting chess, except for the Carlsen game. All the play was on the queenside. Wangs novelty looks slow, and Topalov continued to build an attack down the 'b' file. Wangs development was too slow and Topalov built up a strong initiative. Wangs position was very passive and he got squeezed to death! Vesko's back on the prowl, BEWARE!! |
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| May-16-09 | | Eyal: Topalov certainly got very strong Q-side initiative for the pawn, and it makes the whole of Black's handling of the opening look rather dubious. Still, perhaps Wang Yue could have survived by temporarily accepting the exchange sac on move 26, instead of letting the white rook do so much damage on the 6th rank - 26...Nxb6 27.axb6 Rd7, with the idea of giving back the exchange by Rxd5: 28.Bxc5+ Bxc5 29.Nxc5 Rxd5 30.exd5 Bf5+ 31.Ne4 Rb8; or 28.Nxc5 Rxd5 29.exd5 Bxc5 (instead of Bf5+ as in <Ezzy>'s line) 30.Bxc5+ Kf7 (31.b7? Bf5+ and Bxb1) with Bishops of opposite color. Not sure if White can break through in either of these lines. And 28.b7 doesn't work: 28...Bxb7 29.Rxb7 Rxb7 30.Bxb7 Kd6 31.Bxa6 Ra8 32.Bb5 Ra5 33.Be8 Ra8= |
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| May-16-09 | | Ezzy: <Eyal: with Bishops of opposite color. Not sure if White can break through in either of these lines.> Yes, I agree. 29...Bxc5 does make the breakthrough extremely difficult with opposite coloured bishops. |
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| May-16-09 | | escottt: Seemed that the black pieces danced around too much looking to simplify early. |
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May-16-09
 | | Bobsterman3000: Surely Wang could have castled kingside somewhere along the line? He would have had better chances to fight (although he probably would have still been worse). |
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| May-17-09 | | notyetagm: http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/fil... MONOKROUSSOS:
26 ♖b3-b6!
click for larger view30 ♖e6-d6+!
click for larger view31 ♖d6-c6!
click for larger viewTopalov's <HOOLIGAN ROOK>. |
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| May-19-09 | | Nostrils: 13 ... f6 looks like the source of the muddle. |
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| May-20-09 | | 2ndNature: Maybe 22...Rb8 would have saved Black? In retrospect, 22...c5 brought that pawn into a danger zone. |
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Kibitzing
