1.e4
This move has been efectuated by the President of Romania, Traian Basescu, who mentioned in his characteristic cheerful manner that he had received very clear indications to advance the king's pawn with two squares. Later, reporter Florin Orban from Radio Romania International speculated about the matter about who would the President receive "indications" from.
1...e5
2.Nf3
Nc6
3.Bb5
Nf6
4.0-0
Nxe4
5.d4
Nd6
6.Bxc6
dxc6
7.dxe5
Nf5
8.Qxd8+
Kxd8
By refraining from his beloved Najdorf Sicilian and choosing the rock-solid Berlin variation, Topalov gave the sensation that he aimed to take some preliminary contact with a player whom he had only faced some 15 years ago in a youth event, which also took place in Romania. However, this might be pure speculation, since the Berlin variation occurs with increasing frequency in the FIDE World Champion's games.
9.Nc3
Ne7
10.Ne4
h6
11.Nd4!?
[Surprisingly, this active move has never been played before. The knight enjoys only temporary stability in the centre, because after taking the b5-square under control Black will be able to drive it away with ...c5. The outcome of the battle greatly depends on White's possibility of provoking some damage to the enemy position with the help of this knight, before it gets attacked. The more common continuation is 11.h3
Ng6
12.Re1
; I have found a game where, in spite of a different move order, White managed to obtain an improved version of White's position after 14 moves. However, this was only as a consequence of Black's careless play at some moment. 11.Bf4
Ng6
12.Bg3
Be7?!
(Black should have prepared the transfer of the king to the queen side with 12...Bd7!
) 13.Rad1+
Ke8
14.Nd4
Bd7
15.Rfe1
Now, all White's pieces are optimally placed, while the black king feels quite uncomfortable. 15...c5
16.Nb3
b6
17.Nf6+!
gxf6
18.exf6
with better chances for White, Dervishi-Zaja, Austria 2003]
11...b6
12.Rd1
[This is a small concession White has to make in order to prevent the enemy king from reaching absolute safety on the queen side. Of course, he would prefer to place his rooks on the central files (d1 and e1), but 12.Bf4
(preparing the same setup as in the aforementioned game) could be met by 12...c5
13.Nb5
Be6
14.Rad1+
Kc8
and Black has little to complain about.]
12...Ke8
13.Bf4
Ng6
14.Bg3
[White could threaten win a pawn and threaten mate in one with 14.Nxc6?
just to resign one move later after 14...Bb7
when all his minor pieces would be handing.]
14...Bb7
White's advantage of space and activity look impressive, but this is usually a delusive sensation in the Berlin variation.
15.f4
[Nisipeanu decides to include more forces into the attack. The tempting 15.e6
would have been also double edged, because it would give up the advantage of space and would help Black develop his king. For instance 15...a6
(Threatening ...c5, with simultaneous attack on both knights. If played immediately, 15...c5?
would lead to disaster after 16.Nb5
Bxe4
17.Nxc7+
Ke7
18.Rd7+
Kf6
19.Rxf7+
Kg5
20.Nxa8
with some material advantage and, more important, a crushing domination for White.) 16.f3!?
(This move was suggested by Topalov immediately after the game. White intends to maintain some stability in the centre.) 16...c5
17.exf7+
Kxf7
18.Nf5
Ke6
19.Ne3
Rc8
(The more radical 19...Bxe4
20.fxe4
c6
is also entirely playable for Black. His king would feel very comfortable under the shelter offered by the enemy e-pawn, while his compact queen side mass of pawns could become dangerous if advanced gradually.) 20.Rd2
Be7
and Black has a comfortable position because of his active pair of bishops and the centralised king.]
15...a6
16.f5!?
[White decides to start concrete action, hoping to take advantage of his advance in development. In the press centre, 16.Re1
Rd8
17.Nf5
was considered to be a better alternative, but Nisipeanu indicated that Black can evacuate the dangerous zone with 17...Kd7
when the concentration of white forces on the king side has a rather sterile character.]
16...c5
Once the long diagonal has been opened for the bishop, Black can hope for adequate counterplay.
17.fxg6
cxd4
18.Rxd4
[The only way to maintain the initiative. 18.gxf7+
would have the drawback of allowing the enemy king to be activated with 18...Kxf7
. The position would suddenly become double-edged, for instance 19.e6+!?
(An interesting resource, suggested by IM Mircea Pavlov. After 19.Rxd4?!
Ke6
Black is definitely not worse in spite of his small material deficit. His king enjoys safe centralisation, while his pair of bishops is more active than White's minor's pieces. As for the e5-pawn, it will most likely be lost after the previsible exchange of all rooks.) 19...Kg6!
(19...Kxe6?!
looks slightly risky. After 20.Rxd4
the king feels slightly uncomfortable in the absence of the e-pawn. The attempt to win material with 20...c5?!
would only weaken Black's sixth rank when after 21.Rd2
Bxe4
22.Re1
White would recuperate the piece maintaining the more active position.) and now, in view of the threat ...Re8, it would be time for White to think about equality with 20.Rxd4
c5
21.Rd2
Bxe4
22.Re2
Bf5
23.e7
when the presence of opposite coloured bishops in a symmetrical position would make a draw the most probable result.]
18...fxg6
With his poor development, Black cannot afford to maintain the tension in this area.
19.e6
[White opens the diagonal for his bishop, putting the whole black queen side under some danger. He would have no winning chances after 19.Rad1
Bxe4
20.Rxe4
Bc5+
21.Kf1
Rf8+
22.Ke2
Rd8
either. His central pawn can be easily blocked and does not present any danger even in the case of exchanging all rooks.]
19...Rd8!
[Black defends his c7-pawn by indirect means and forces the exchange of one pair of rooks, which reduces White's attacking potential. The other possible way to simplify the position would be 19...Bxe4?!
20.Rxe4
Bc5+
(driving the king further from the centre) 21.Kh1
Bd6
22.Bxd6
cxd6
but after 23.e7
Ra7
24.Rae1
Black would have big problems with the activation of his king's rook. White would most likely find a favourable way to exchange his e-pawn for any Black pawn from the sixth rank in order to obtain a better single-rook endgame.]
20.Rad1
Rxd4
21.Rxd4
Bxe4
Now, this exchange is well timed for reasons that will be highlighted in the next comment.
22.Rxe4
Bc5+
23.Kf1
[The king has to get out of his castle because after 23.Kh1
Black would win a tempo with 23...Rf8
anyway in view of the weakness of the first rank, not protected by White's other rook any more.]
23...Rf8+
24.Ke1
[24.Ke2
looks more active, but would hardly chance anything if Black plays in the same way as in the game. Instead of that, 24...Ke7?
would be bad because after 25.Bxc7
Rf2+
26.Kd3
Rxg2
27.b4
the bishop would have to leave his king alone against the concentrated action of White's pieces, for instance 27...Bg1
28.Bd6+!
Kd8
29.Rf4
Rf2
and now, apart from the fact that the bishop ending is easily winning for White, the forced sequence 30.Rf8+
Rxf8
31.e7+!
queens immediately.]
24...Bd6
25.Bxd6
cxd6
In spite of the mass simplifications, White seems to maintain some initiative.
26.Rc4
[White has no better way to attack the enemy queen side. 26.Rb4
(suggested by IM Vlad Barnaure) can be met by 26...b5
27.a4
(In case of 27.c4?!
Rf4
28.b3
d5
White can get the worse position already.) 27...Rf5
and White cannot make any progress.]
26...Rf5!
This simple move solves all Black's problems.
27.Rc8+
[White's intended 27.Rc6
can be adequately met by 27...Rc5
with general exchanges and an obvious draw.]
27...Ke7
28.Rc7+
Kxe6
29.Rxg7
Re5+
Remarkably, the black rook is supported by the own pawns along the whole fifth rank. In order to escape from checks, the king has to hide passively behind his pawns, which would hardly look like a winning attempt. I am not sure whether a draw was agreed here or after some more checks, because after Black's 25th move the electronic transmission of the moves was broken. 1/2-1/2