(1) Topalov,V (2813) - Kramnik,V (2743)
WCh Elista RUS (2), 24.09.2006
[Mihail Marin]
Another highly dramatical game. Topalov built up an iresistible king side attack but then missed a simple win and started playing less confidently. Kramnik's main merit consists of finding ways to face his opponent with difficult psychological problems. The score is 2-0 now for Kramnik, but given the elevated tension of the fight this could be of little relevance from the point of view of the final result.
1.d4
d5
2.c4
c6
3.Nc3
Nf6
4.Nf3
dxc4
5.a4
Bf5
6.e3
e6
7.Bxc4
Bb4
8.0-0
Nbd7
9.Qe2
Bg6
10.e4
0-0
11.Bd3
Bh5
12.e5
Nd5
13.Nxd5
cxd5
14.Qe3
This can be considered a classical line already. Black has a solid position, but White's advantage of space offers him chances for a king side attack, be it of strategic or tactical nature. Recently, Black's earlier deviations such as 9...Bg4, 9...Ne4 and 11...h6 have become increasingly popular. Actually, 9...Ne4 can hardly be called a new move; it has just been well forgotten for a long while, but it was employed during the Alekhine-Euwe matches. Kramnik himself faced 9...Bg4 against Bacrot in the Olympiad and failed to prove a convincing antidote.
14...Bg6
15.Ng5
Re8
16.f4
Bxd3
17.Qxd3
f5
Starting with this moment, I expected that Topalov would sacrifice the knight on e6 in a way or another, but his plan looks more logical. By gradually concentrating all his forces on the king side, he will create very dangerous threats.
18.Be3
Nf8
19.Kh1
Rc8
20.g4
Qd7
21.Rg1
Be7
22.Nf3
My shattered ilusions about a possible Nxe6 were compensated by the spectacular sequence starting with the 28th move.
22...Rc4
23.Rg2
fxg4
24.Rxg4
Rxa4
25.Rag1
g6
26.h4
Without calculating too much, is it easy to unerstand that Black's position cannot resist for too long.
26...Rb4
27.h5
Qb5
28.Qc2!!
[The only way to keep the attack going. 28.hxg6?
was premature because after 28...Qxd3
29.gxh7+
Kxh7
30.Rg7+
Kh6
31.f5+
the bishop is hanging.]
28...Rxb2
29.hxg6!
But now, the previous variation leads to mate, so Black has to keep the g-file closed, at least for a while.
29...h5
30.g7!
hxg4
31.gxf8Q+
31...Bxf8?
[Both players started missing things by this moment. This is easy to spot when assisted by Fritz, but in conditions of over-the-board play things are different. About the yesterday's game it has been said that 57...f5 was a terrible blunder and that 57...Nxf2 would have drawn easily. I do not feel that this is really so obvious without an engine by one's side. Anyway, I suppose that Kramnik considered the line 31...Kxf8
32.Qg6
Qe2
33.Qxg4
as completely hopeless for him, which may be true in principle, but Black could prolongue the fight with 33...Bg5!?
when White has to insert 34.Re1
before he captures the bishop. The move played in the game should have led to an abrupt end.]
32.Qg6+?
[Both players must have had their eyes focused on the king side, which made them overlook that after 32.Rxg4+
Bg7
White can attack the g7-bishop from the other side with 33.Qc7
preventing ...Re7 (which could follow after 33.Qg6) and leaving Black with the possibility of giving just one last check with 33...Qf1+
when 34.Ng1
ends the day. Although Topalov's move does not let the win slip away yet, it surely marks the start of his gradual decline, after a brilliantly conducted first part of the game. This seems to be a hidden weakness of the FIDE World Champion. Sometimes, if the opponent gets some symbolic counterplay in a basically lost position, Topalov starts becoming less confident. (To a certain extent, this was also typical for Fischer, with whom Topalov has been frequently been compared for his uncompromising style). In Topalov-Leko Linares 2005 and Topalov-Anand San Luis 2005 he just missed relatively simple wins but in Aronian-Topalov Morelia 2006 he even came close to losing at a certain moment. This game continues this unfortunate tendency: he will eventually lose the full point...]
32...Bg7
33.f5
Re7
34.f6
Qe2
35.Qxg4
Rf7
36.Rc1
[Computers suggest 36.Qh5
as stronger and they might be just right, but this is pretty hard to spot during the game by a mere mortal, be him a World Champion. Topalov's choice is perfectly understandable, humanly speaking.]
36...Rc2
37.Rxc2
Qd1+
38.Kg2
Qxc2+
39.Kg3
Qe4
A culminating moment. Black desperately tries to simplify the position, even if this would imply making some positional or material concessions on the king side since his apparently inoffensive queen side pawns will be a terrible weapon in the ending. White faces now a very difficult choice right before the control.
40.Bf4
[It will require a lot of analytical effort to prove which exactly is the move that turns a better (or winning) position into a worse (or losing) one, but I feel we are quite close to it by now. (please do read CBM 115 for further details). 40.Qxe4
dxe4
41.Ng5
would have lead to relatively similar positions as in the game, with the difference that White could put his pawns into motion more quickly. For instance 41...Bf8
(White should win after 41...Bxf6
42.Nxf7
Kxf7
43.exf6
Kxf6
44.Kf4
although some elementary technique is still needed.) 42.Nxe6
a5
43.Ng5
Bh6
(The pawn race favours White after 43...a4
44.Nxf7
Kxf7
45.d5
a3
46.Bd4
followed by e6+) 44.d5
when the white pawns look pretty awesome.]
40...Qf5
41.Qxf5
exf5
42.Bg5
[Topalov likes to do things in systematic way, approach with the king, maintain the chain of pawns intact, and so on, but there is simply not enough time for it! There are two enemy passed pawns on the other wing! Capturing the bishop or 42.Ng5
would have been better.]
42...a5
43.Kf4
a4
44.Kxf5
a3
45.Bc1
Bf8
46.e6
Rc7
47.Bxa3
Bxa3
48.Ke5
Rc1
49.Ng5
Rf1
[Allwoing the transposition to a problematic ending. 49...Rg1!?
would have probably been simpler.]
50.e7
Re1+
51.Kxd5
Bxe7
52.fxe7
Rxe7
53.Kd6
Humanly speaking, this position should be a draw. White's forces are perfectly coordinated and the elimination of the b-pawn should not be a problem. Tablebases seem to have a different opinion.
53...Re1
[It will take me some time to understand why 53...Re3
is here the only winning move.]
54.d5
Kf8
55.Ne6+
[But now, 55.Kd7
looks better for human standards and it is the only saving move according to the tablebases, too. So, humans and computers can have common views sometimes.]
55...Ke8
56.Nc7+
Kd8
57.Ne6+
Kc8
It's all over now.
58.Ke7
Rh1
59.Ng5
b5
60.d6
Rd1
61.Ne6
b4
62.Nc5
Re1+
63.Kf6
Re3
0-1