1.d4
d5
2.c4
c6
3.Nf3
Nf6
4.Nc3
dxc4
5.a4
Bf5
6.Ne5
e6
7.f3
c5
8.e4
Bg6
9.Be3
cxd4
10.Qxd4
Qxd4
11.Bxd4
Nfd7
12.Nxd7
Nxd7
13.Bxc4
Rc8
Anand is again the first to vary. He clearly wants to stop Topalov from getting his improvements in first. [13...a6
14.Rc1
Rg8
15.h4
h6
(15...h5
16.Ne2
Bd6
17.Be3
Ne5
18.Nf4
Rc8
19.Bb3
Rxc1+
20.Bxc1
Ke7
21.Ke2
Rc8
22.Bd2
f6
23.Nxg6+
Nxg6
24.g3
Ne5
25.f4
Nc6
26.Bc3
Bb4
27.Bxb4+
Nxb4
28.Rd1
Nc6
29.Rd2
g5
30.Kf2
g4
31.Rc2
Rd8
32.Ke3
Rd6
33.Rc5
Nb4
34.Rc7+
Kd8
35.Rc3
Ke7
36.e5
Rd7
37.exf6+
Kxf6
38.Ke2
Nc6
39.Ke1
Nd4
40.Bd1
a5
41.Rc5
Nf5
42.Rc3
Nd4
43.Rc5
Nf5
44.Rc3
1/2-1/2 Topalov,V (2805)-Anand,V (2787)/Sofia BUL 2010/The Week in Chess) 16.Ke2
Bd6
17.h5
Bh7
18.a5
Ke7
19.Na4
f6
20.b4
Rgc8
21.Bc5
Bxc5
22.bxc5
Rc7
23.Nb6
Rd8
24.Nxd7
Rdxd7
25.Bd3
Bg8
26.c6
Rd6
27.cxb7
Rxb7
28.Rc3
Bf7
29.Ke3
Be8
30.g4
e5
31.Rhc1
Bd7
32.Rc5
Bb5
33.Bxb5
axb5
34.Rb1
b4
35.Rb3
Ra6
36.Kd3
Rba7
37.Rxb4
Rxa5
38.Rxa5
Rxa5
39.Rb7+
Kf8
40.Ke2
Ra2+
41.Ke3
Ra3+
42.Kf2
Ra2+
43.Ke3
Ra3+
44.Kf2
Ra2+
45.Ke3
Ra3+
46.Kf2
1/2-1/2 Topalov,V (2805)-Anand,V (2787)/Sofia BUL 2010/ The Week in Chess]
14.Bb5
a6
15.Bxd7+
Kxd7
16.Ke2
[16.0-0-0
1/2-1/2 Gordon,S (2508)-Ledger,A (2423)/Liverpool ENG 2008/The Week in Chess 717 (54)]
16...f6
17.Rhd1
17...Ke8
Anand gets out of the way of discovered checks. It is possibly too dangerous to go Queenside although that isn't clear. [17...Kc7
18.Ba7
Ra8??
(18...Be8!
; 18...Bd6
19.b4
Bxb4
20.Nb5+!
) 19.Nb5+
axb5
20.Rac1+
Bc5
21.Rxc5#
is an amusing line.]
18.a5
This seems to be new. Probably both players had prepared this move although Anand did start to think here. [18.Bb6
1/2-1/2 Bocharov,D (2614) -Amonatov,F (2574)/Voronezh RUS 2007/The Week in Chess 659 (60); 18.Rac1
1-0 Maletin,P (2545)-Amonatov,F (2650)/Novokuznetsk RUS 2008/The Week in Chess 722 (49)]
18...Be7
Played after 15 minutes thought. [18...Bb4!?
19.Ra4
Be7=
; 18...Bb4!?
19.Na4
Ke7
20.Rac1
Be8!=
Shipov 21.Rxc8?
Bb5+
; 18...Rc6
19.Na4
Bd6
20.Rac1
Rxc1
21.Rxc1
Ke7
22.Bc5
Bxc5
23.Nxc5
Rc8
24.Rc3+/=
]
19.Bb6
White replied immediately.
19...Rf8
Black continues to try and unravel with Rf8 Bf8 and Rf8-f7-d7 but this takes time of course
20.Rac1
f5
Trying to activate rook and bishop before lines open and White can exploit his lead in development.
21.e5
Keeping Black's light squared bishop locked in.
21...Bg5
Quite a quick reply attacking the rook and intending Bf4
22.Be3
22...f4?
Played quickly again and a terrible move that allows the knight into d6 [22...Bxe3
23.Kxe3
f4+
(23...Ke7
) 24.Kd4
Ke7
25.Ne4
Bxe4
26.Kxe4
g5
with decent drawing chances.]
23.Ne4
Using a discovered attack on the rook to plant his knight on the excellent square d6. It isn't really possible to believe Anand missed this intermezzo, but if he did it was a terrible oversight
23...Rxc1
24.Nd6+
Kd7
25.Bxc1
Kc6
[25...Be7
26.Rd4
]
26.Bd2
This was certainly not the only alternative Topalov had in this position [26.g3
; 26.Rd4
was possibly even better]
26...Be7
27.Rc1+
[27.Bb4
Rd8
28.Rd4
was also good]
27...Kd7
Forced. White has a complete bind in this position so Anand heads for a difficult opposite bishop endgame with drawing chances [27...Kd5
28.Rc7
Bxd6
29.exd6
Kxd6
30.Rxb7
Kd5
31.Rxg7+/-
]
28.Bc3
[28.Bb4
Rd8
29.Rc4
Bxd6
30.Rd4
was at least as good; 28.Bb4
Bxd6
29.Rd1!
]
28...Bxd6
29.Rd1
Bf5
30.h4
[30.Bb4
g5
31.Rxd6+
(31.Bxd6
Rc8
) 31...Ke8
32.Rb6
Rf7
holds]
30...g6?!
Every pawn move is weakening and this one proves fatal later [30...Kc7
31.exd6+
Kd7
32.Bxg7?
(32.Rd4
Rf7
33.Rxf4
Kxd6
holds easily 34.g4
Bd3+!
35.Ke3
Rxf4
36.Kxf4
g6
37.Kg5
Ke7
38.Kh6
Kf7
39.Kxh7
(39.g5
Be2
40.f4
Kg8=
) 39...g5+!
) 32...Rg8=
]
31.Rxd6+
Kc8
32.Bd2
White is clearly on top and is winning a pawn but not necessarily the game. [32.Rd4
h6!
Shipov 33.Rxf4
(33.Bd2
g5
) 33...Bd3+
]
32...Rd8
33.Bxf4
Rxd6
34.exd6
Kd7
As always bishops of opposite colours make the position drawish even though White has an extra protected passed pawn. Now Indian GM Harikrishna proposed a possible winning plan involving a king march to h6 and h4-h5 which I thought was rather unpatriotic of him :)
35.Ke3
Bc2
36.Kd4
Ke8
Black must stop Kf6
37.Ke5
Kf7
38.Be3
Ba4
39.Kf4
Bb5
40.Bc5
Kf6
41.Bd4+
41...Kf7
[41...e5+
42.Bxe5+
Ke6
43.Ke4
Bf1
44.g3
Be2
and the bishop is tied to the d6 pawn. This is terribly hard to assess and in practice unless Vishy thought the line played was losing he would not sacrifice a pawn but I am not sure how White wins from here]
42.Kg5
Bc6
43.Kh6
Kg8
44.h5
Be8
45.Kg5
[Anand seems to be holding here so Topalov comes back - good practical chess at the very least! 45.g4?
gxh5
46.gxh5
Bd7
holds]
45...Kf7
Now the draw starts to look favourite
46.Kh6
Kg8
47.Bc5
gxh5
48.Kg5
Kg7
49.Bd4+
Kf7
50.Be5
h4!
51.Kxh4
Kg6
At this point it looked more likely that Anand would hold the draw since he blundered on move 22.
52.Kg4
Bb5
53.Kf4
Kf7
54.Kg5
Topalov is just meandering now but he is about to be rewarded.
54...Bc6??
Within moves of the draw Anand blunders fatally. A truly dreadful move. He removes the possibility of protecting the h-pawn with his bishop which is an easy draw. [54...Bd3
putting the bishop on the b1-h7 diagonal and now Kf7-e8-d7 draws for example 55.f4
Ke8
56.g4
Kd7
57.f5
exf5
58.gxf5
h6+!
59.Kf6
Bc2
and Black just waits with the bishop; 54...Ke8
should be the same]
55.Kh6
Kg8
56.g4
[56.g4
Be8
57.g5
Bc6
58.f4
Bd7
59.Bd4
Be8
60.Bg7
zugzwang 60...Bc6
61.g6
hxg6
62.Kxg6
Be8+
63.Kf6
Bc6
64.Bh6
wins.] 1-0