1.e4
c5
2.Nf3
d6
3.d4
cxd4
4.Nxd4
Nf6
5.Nc3
a6
6.f3
e6
7.Be3
b5
8.Qd2
b4
9.Na4
[The alternative is 9.Nce2
as played by Svidler against Topalov, earlier in this tournament.]
9...Nbd7
10.c4
[A new move, deviating from the course of the controversial game Leko-Topalov played in the very first round of the World Championship from San Luis, which continued 10.0-0-0
d5
11.exd5
Nxd5
12.Bc4
N7f6?!
(Recently, 12...Bb7
has been tested with success: 13.Bg5
Qc7
14.Qe2
Ne5
15.Bb3
h6
16.Bd2
Be7
17.Rhe1
Nc6
18.Nf5
Na5
19.Nxg7+
Kf8
20.Nxe6+
fxe6
21.Qxe6
Nxb3+
22.axb3
Qc6
and Black managed to repell the attack and win in Motylev-Bologan, Moscow 2006.) 13.Bg5
Qc7
14.Bxd5
Nxd5
15.Rhe1
with considerable advantage of development for White, Leko-Topalov, San Luis 2005]
10...bxc3
With the white knight on a4, Black could not keep the c5-square under firm control in case he would refrain from this exchange.
11.Nxc3
Bb7
12.Be2
After the structural modifications, castling queen side looks too dangerous for White. With the game continuation Anand aims for a normal position with some advance in development for White.
12...d5
13.exd5
Nxd5
14.Nxd5
Bxd5
15.0-0
Indeed, if we reduce the problem to mathematical elements, we can state that White is two whole tempi ahead in development. However, Black's better control of the centre compensates for this aspect.
15...Qb8!
A strong, multi-purpose move. Black's immediate threat is to develop the bishop with gain of tempo, either on b4 or on d6. In such situations, White is best adviced to react in an energetical way; if his advance in development will vanish, Black's activity in the centre would offer him excellent play. However, in this concrete position, it is not easy to find an effective active plan, which strongly suggests that Black has won the theoretical dispute.
16.Nf5
As a consequence of this seemingly active move, the knight will soon land on a more passive square.
16...Qe5
17.Ng3
Bb4!
18.Qxb4
Qxe3+
19.Kh1
Almost everything has worked out perfectly for Black. He has developed and exchanged the king's bishop and weakened the dark squares from the enemy camp. With one exception: he cannot castle yet. However, this element might have been over-estimated by Anand in his previous calculations, since Black's strategic superiority will allow him solve the problem in a relatively easy way.
19...Rb8!
[The following sequence of moves reveals a hidden detail: it is not the black king that is held captive by the white queen. On the contrary, Her Majesty is practically confined to a very limited area, including the a3-f8 diagonal, in order to avoid a clear strategic inferiority. In case of the more simplistic 19...Qc5
20.Qxc5
Nxc5
White can activate his queen side with 21.b4
]
20.Qd6
Rb6
21.Qc7
Rc6
22.Qb7
In order to prevent the enemy king from castling, the queen has been forced to occupy a miserable position.
22...Rc2!?
[The less ambitious 22...Qb6
23.Qxb6
Rxb6
24.b3
Ke7
would have also led to comfortable play for Black, but removing the queen from the perfect e3-square looks like a bigger concession than the loss of the relatively unimportant a6-pawn.]
23.Qxa6
0-0
24.b3
Ne5
25.Rae1
Qd2
26.Rd1
Qf4
White has managed to survive to the first wave of black initiative, but his knight remains passive, while the queen is isolated from her own army.
27.Bb5
h5!
As mentioned in the notes to the game Svidler-Topalov, the FIDE World Champion enjoys advancing his h-pawn in the Sicilian, especially when there is a knight on g3.
28.Ne2
[Black's last move was not really a sacrifice, since 28.Nxh5?
Qh4
29.Ng3
Ng4!
would lead to mate (capturing on f3 would be also winning).]
28...Qe3
29.a4
Played more with the aim of consolidating the bishop on b5 rather than with the hope of promoting this pawn.
29...Rb2
30.Qd6
Rc8
31.Rde1
Nxf3!
We are used to Topalov's habit of sacrificing exchanges. In this game we shall see that he can handle the fight of rooks versus minor pieces equally well. In fact, we could see a similar situation in the game between the same opponents from the first round of the M-tel 2005 tournament, where Topalov's queen helped by couple of pawns held her own against a rook and two minor pieces.
32.gxf3
Bxf3+
33.Rxf3
Qxf3+
34.Kg1
Qe3+
35.Kf1
Qf3+
36.Kg1
Qxb3
From material point of view, Black is not worse, but positionally speaking he has a clear advantage. The white king is weak while in case of the exchange of queens the king side mass of black pawns could become very dangerous.
37.Qe5
Rd8
38.Qc3
Qxc3
39.Nxc3
h4
40.Re4
Rb3
41.Ne2
g5
42.Re5
Rd5
In such endings, the exchange of one pair of rooks is very important. Left without their stronger colleague, the minor pieces will face problems maintaining their coordination. This is the reason why Topalov agrees with the slight deterioration of his pawn structure for the sake of provoking this exchange.
43.Rxd5
exd5
44.Bc6
Ra3
45.Nd4
Kg7
Black starts centralizing his king, which will have decisive efefcts.
46.Bxd5?!
Anand might have misjudged the consequences of this move, but his position was not easy to defend anyway.
46...Rd3
47.Nf5+
Kf6
48.Be4
Rd1+
49.Kg2
Rd2+
50.Kf3
[White has to abandon the h2-pawn. In case of 50.Kg1
Ke5
he would lose a piece.]
50...Rxh2
51.Ne3
Ra2
The a-pawn is safely controlled now, while theblack pawns are ready to advance. The rest is a matter of technique.
52.Bc6
Ra3
53.Kf2
Ra1
54.Bd7
Ke5
55.Kf3
Ra3
56.Kf2
Ke4
57.Bc6+
Kf4
58.Ng2+
Ke5
59.Ne3
Ra2+
60.Kf3
f5
61.Bd7
h3
0-1