Nanjing R8: Topalov defeats Ivanchuk, leads by a full point

2008 Pearl Spring Chess Tournament, Nanjing, China

Topalov,V (2791) - Ivanchuk,V (2786) [B45]
Pearl Spring Nanjing CHN (8), 19.12.2008
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e6 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.Ndb5 Bb4 7.a3 Bxc3+ 8.Nxc3 d5 9.exd5 exd5 10.Bd3 0-0 11.0-0 d4 12.Ne2 Bg4 13.f3 Bh5 14.Nf4 Re8

15.Nxh5. The new move. The only predecessor game we could find continued 15.b4 Qd6 16.Nxh5 Nxh5 17.Qd2 Re7 18.b5 Ne5 19.a4 Nxd3 20.cxd3 Re3 21.Qf2 Rxd3 22.Qh4 Qg6 23.a5 Nf6 24.Ra4 Rd8 25.b6 axb6 26.axb6 h6 27.Bf4 Re8 28.Re1 Rxe1+ 29.Qxe1 Qf5 30.Be5 Re3 0-1 Koepke,C (2457)-Lantzsch,C, playchess.com, INT 2008]

15...Nxh5 16.f4 Nf6 17.Qf3 Nd5 18.Qh3 g6 19.f5 Ne3 20.Qh6

20...Qe7. 20...Nxf1 21.fxg6 hxg6 22.Bg5 threatening Bf6 followed by mate on g7. 21.Rf4 gxf5 22.Bd2 Rad8 23.Bxf5 Nxf5 24.Rxf5 Rd6 25.Qf4 Rg6 26.Rf1 tripling on the f7 pawn. 26...Qe2 27.g3 Rf8

28.Rf2. 28.Rxf7 Qxf1+ 29.Qxf1 Rxf7 30.Bf4 is also good for White. 28...Qe6 29.h4 Ne7 30.Re5 Qd7 31.h5 Rg7 32.Rg5 f5 33.Rxg7+ Kxg7 34.Qe5+ Kg8 35.Bh6 Nc6 36.Qf4 Rf7 37.g4 d3 38.cxd3 Kh8 39.gxf5 Qxd3 40.Kg2 Qd5+ 41.Qf3 Ne7 42.Qxd5 Nxd5 43.Rc2 Rc7 44.Rxc7 Nxc7

This is a winnable endgame, and Topalov is the one to actually win it: 45.Kf3 Kg8 46.Ke4 Ne8 47.Ke5 Kf7 48.Bg5 Nc7 49.h6 Nb5 50.Be3 b6 51.a4 Nc7 52.Kd6 Na6 53.Kc6 Nb4+ 54.Kb7 Nd5 55.Bg5 a5 56.Kc6 Nb4+ 57.Kxb6 Nd3 58.b3 1-0.

In the lead: Veselin Topalov in the press conference

Peter Svidler played another very nice positional game against Bu Xiangzhi, gaining a small advantage and then slowly developing it into a full-point advantage.

Standings after eight rounds

Fascinating Qinhuai

Extracts from the Event Profile by Lisa Jingxia

Qinhuai River – the mother river of the Nanjing people – is a beautiful attraction in the Nanjing City. As a branch of the great Yangtze River, it is 110 kilometers (about 68 miles) in length and covers a drainage area of 2,631 square kilometers (about 1,016 square miles). The river was originally called Huai River, and it is said that the river was channeled to the city of Nanjing during the reign of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, so it was named Qin Huai River from then on. Qin Huai River is the largest river in the Nanjing City area and is the life blood of the city.

Floating lights on the luxuriant boats are the most famous scenery of the Qinghuai River. The gaily-painted boats are combination of the northern vehicles and southern boats. The Literature, "Qinhuaihe River in flourishing and bustle" written by Zhu ZIqing, is the real record of this wonderful view. Visitors can enjoy this floating picture when the sun gives its dominatance to these pleasant boats.

The Confucian Temple is now the center of Qinhuai scenery belt with the Qinhuai River winding through. Other spots are the Zhanyuan Park, Confucian ancient buildings, the Fort at Zhonghua Gate, boats on the river and many other views along the banks. The tour is really attractive with so many historical relics, parks, and local features. Besides, the eight kinds of Qinghuai flavor snacks is absolutely whorth savoring, not to mention the eight beauties once lived along Qinghuai Rivers in Chinese ancient times.

In June 2005, the area was designated by the government as a new tourist route, because it encompasses views of Nanjing City, the city wall from the Ming Dynasty and the Jiangsu Nanjing TV Tower, etc. While floating by one of the traditional, recently modernized and painted boats of the region, visitors will have the opportunity to fully appreciate the beautiful sights of the Qin Huai River.

Schedule and results

Links Official tournament site All games in PGN The games will be being broadcast live on the official web site and on the chess server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you can download the free PGN reader ChessBase Light, which gives you immediate access. You can also use the program to read, replay and analyse the PGN games.