[Event "Candidate's Matches"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2011.05.07"]
[Round "1.3"]
[White "Kamsky, Gata"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2732"]
[BlackElo "2775"]
[Annotator "Ramirez, Alejandro"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[TimeControl "7200"]

{Topalov enters this game with a difficult decision.  Should he try to hold
for a draw and push for an all-out win with White in the 4th game, or try to
risk potentially losing the match here with Black?  These are problems that
the super-GM from Bulgaria must answer even before the players sit at the
board.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. a4 {Kamsky
repeats his relatively experimental line from game one.  Even though Topalov
and his team were probably expecting this, it is very difficult to react in a
mere two days.  It's possible that they found no tangible improvement after 6..
. Nc6 7. a5!? so Topalov deviates back to the more usual Najdorf approach.} e5
7. Nf3 Be7 8. Bg5 Be6 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. Nd5 Nd7 11. Bc4 Rc8 12. b3 Qa5+ {This
game's novelty. This practically forces White's response, after which it would
only make sense to trade queens.  A superficial assessment would be to think
that 'simplifications lead to draws', when in fact the absence of queens
brings many new strategical ideas to the position.} 13. Qd2 Qxd2+ 14. Nxd2 Bg5
{[#]This is a good time to get a strong hold of the position.  The structure
is very reminiscent of a Sveshnikov Sicilian. To compensate his backwards d6
pawn and weak d5 square, Black has the pair of bishops and a half open c-file.
Of course, this isn't something that he can take advantage of immediately
since the position is rather closed. But it contains potential! The old
masters believed that obtaining the pair of bishops would eventually grant an
advantage, because ultimately the position was bound to become open after pawn
exchanges. Although chess has evolved greatly, this maxim still holds some
value.} 15. Kd1 $5 {This is an interesting move by the American.  The king is
perfectly safe on d1, and it holds the queenside somewhat.  There is really no
advantage in sending the king to the kingside, as it would serve no purpose
there.  The queenside rook will eventually lift through a4 (after a pawn push
to a5) and go to b4, where it would be pressuring the b7 pawn.  However, White
is not the only one who can push rook pawns...[#]} h5 $1 {A good strategical
move: Black grabs space on the kingside and prepares a potential rooklift
there - but it's also important to understand the psychological implications
of such a move.  Because of the match situation, it is possible that Kamsky
wants to play with as little risk as possible.  Clearly he holds no advantage,
so he does not want to commit himself to any weaknesses if he cannot see an
immediate return.  It is possible that for this reason he shuns the most
natural move 16.h4 and gives Black a decent amount of space in the kingside. 
In my opinion, unnecessarily.} 16. Re1 $6 (16. h4 {is of course the most
natural continuation, but then White has to cope with the fact that h4 will be
weak and g5 might be a possible break in the future.  All bishop retreats make
some sense at this point, but the most natural would seem to be} Bd8 {eyeing
that h4 pawn.} 17. g3 Ba5 {Kamsky might have looked at this position and not
liked it.  The computer suggests that terribly inhuman move 18.Rb1, so it's
understandable how he didn't go for this line.  However, White's position is
solid, even if rather planless.}) 16... h4 {Black quickly grabs the space he
was provided.  White can hardly allow the pawn to go all the way to h3, so he
must stop it now.} 17. h3 Nf6 18. Nxf6+ {[#]} (18. Nb6 {was a natural
alternative. However after} Rc5 19. a5 Nh5 {Black begins to build up some
pressure on the kingside.  Maybe saying that Black is better is not quite true,
but it does seem more pleasant to play with the Black pieces.}) 18... gxf6 $1
$15 {Topalov instantly replied with this move, and with good reason.  The
g-file opens with great effect to pressure the now weak g2-pawn, while his
center will be bolstered after the trade of bishops on e6.  This move might
seem strange to some players, but to a Sveshnikov player, or a super-GM like
Topalov, it is the only conceivable move.} 19. Bxe6 fxe6 20. Nf3 Rg8 {Kamsky
must hurry and prevent Topalov from expanding in the center too quickly.  He
still has some resources - but haste is mandatory.} 21. c4 f5 22. exf5 exf5 {
[#]} 23. Ke2 $1 {A resourceful move!  The king's role in the center has ended,
and there is no more need for him to defend the c2-square.  Additionally, he
was starting to become exposed, so it makes sense to transfer his majesty to
f1, where it will guard the g2 pawn.} Be7 24. Kf1 Kf7 25. Rad1 {[#]This is
another good moment to analyze what is going on.  Black has achieved many
things!  He fixed his structure and now has a potentially dangerous pawn
center.  Unfortunately, there is no clear way for him to use it immediately. 
He will never want to advance e4 and give White the d4 square.  So it
transpires that a logical plan is to play b5.  This can be done immediately,
but Topalov shows his class and first plays an important move.} Rc5 $1 {[#]
This move takes control of the fifth rank, an important element as the 25...
b5 variation shows.  White is running out of useful moves, so he plays his
card...} (25... b5 $5 26. axb5 axb5 27. Rd5 $1 {This cool moves forces off
more pawns than Black wants to trade.  The following is only a sample line,
but shows the great simplification power White has as his disposal.} bxc4 28.
bxc4 Kf6 29. c5 $1 Ke6 30. cxd6 Kxd5 31. dxe7 Rge8 32. Nxh4 Ke6 33. f4 Rc5 34.
g4 fxg4 35. hxg4 $11 {And with the last pawn gone the draw is obvious.}) 26. b4
$1 {Maybe forced.  White uses tactics to resolve some of the tension.} (26. Re2
b5 27. cxb5 axb5 28. a5 b4 $15 {is definitely NOT what White is looking for.})
26... Rxc4 27. Rxe5 {Black has a few ways of dealing with this position.  He
wants to create as much play as possible, but it seems that White is holding
in every line.} dxe5 (27... Kf6 28. Ree1 Rxb4 29. Rd4 Rxd4 30. Nxd4 $11 {And
Black has no real hopes of winning as he will soon lose an important pawn.}) (
27... Rxb4 28. Rxf5+ Kg6 29. Ra5 {The awkward placement of the rook on a5
would seem to give Black a reason to go for this line, however it is actually
difficult to come up with a useful move.  The pawns on d6 and h4 are rather
weak, and the king will never find shelter.  Practically, it is difficult to
go for this line as your top choice, but it was definitely worth a try.} Rc8 $5
30. Re1 Rc7 $15) 28. Nxe5+ Ke6 29. Nxc4 Bxb4 30. Rb1 $1 {Fixing the pawns on a
light square is important, as it will allow White to easily control them, or
at least force Black into a major concession if he tries to advance on the
queenside.} a5 31. Rd1 Rc8 32. Rd4 {The weak pawn on h4, the controlled
structure on the queenside and the active white pieces give black little hope
to win, so black sets up one final trap...} Bc3 $1 33. Rxh4 Bf6 34. Rf4 Bg5 {
White is at a small crossroads.  He could try to gain three (!) passed pawns
on the kingside with 35.Rxf5!? or he could play it safe and take a draw. 
Topalov has simply given Gata the chance to go wrong, but he doesn't bite.[#]}
35. Rd4 (35. Rxf5 $5 Kxf5 (35... Rxc4 36. Rxg5 Rxa4 37. Rb5 $14 {Black might
have enough to draw this, but no more.}) 36. Nd6+ Ke6 (36... Ke5 $2 37. Nxc8
Kd5 {transposes to Kd5 above.}) 37. Nxc8 {So now that we reach this position
in our minds, we realize that more calculation is necessary.  Black has no
successful way of trying to corral the knight on c8, so he must lunge toward
the queenside - and he has two ways to do this.} b5 $1 {Speed is everything. 
White can't take on b5, but he can clearly catch the pawn.} (37... Kd5 $2 38.
Ke2 {Now Black's king cannot prevent White's from helping on the queenside,
since he cannot afford to lose the b-pawn.} Kc5 (38... Kc4 $6 39. Nd6+ Kb3 40.
Nxb7 Kxa4 41. g3 Kb4 42. Nxa5 $18) 39. Kd3 Kb4 40. Nd6 b6 41. Nb5 Kxa4 42. Kc4
$18 {And the pawns roll by themselves on the queenside.}) 38. Ke2 bxa4 39. Kd3
Bf6 40. Kc4 a3 41. Kb3 Bd4 42. Kxa3 Kd7 43. Ka4 {and the position should be
drawn.  Of course this crazy lines requires quite a bit of calculation, and
contains many ways in which one could go wrong.  Gata's choice is safe and
sound.}) 35... Bf6 36. Rf4 Bg5 37. Rd4 Bf6 {A tenacious defense by the
American.  Topalov tried through every flank but eventually came up short of
victory, setting up a very anticipated game tomorrow, where Topalov will push
with everything he has!} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidate's Matches"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2011.05.07"]
[Round "1.3"]
[White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Black "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B87"]
[WhiteElo "2733"]
[BlackElo "2772"]
[Annotator "Ramirez, Alejandro"]
[PlyCount "78"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bc4 {The Azeris seem to
have come to this tournament full of surprises.  First we saw Radjabov use the
black side of a Catalan, an opening he had never used before, to neutralize
Kramnik yesterday.  Today we see Mamedyarov using this aggressive system for
the first time in his life - or at least according to my records on official
play.} e6 7. Bb3 b5 8. O-O Be7 9. Qf3 Qc7 10. Qg3 O-O 11. Bh6 Ne8 12. Rad1 Bd7
13. f4 Nc6 {So far we've been following several strong games, and the position
is well-known to Najdorf players.  Here the main move is Nxc6, as in
Rublevsky-Bu.} 14. f5 {[#]This rare move had been used once before in a world
class game, about 10 years ago, and never again since. It's interesting,
although a little strange, that Mamedyarov is repeating this line. Gelfand
doesn't follow the same path as the previous game, which ended in a convincing
black victory.    The move itself warrants quite an explanation. Playing f5 in
a Sicilian is always very committal: White weakens the important e5 square,
preventing him from ever achieving an e5 break, as well as allowing Black's
pieces (usually a knight, but in some rare cases a queen or a bishop) to
occupy the fantastic defensive square e5.  Some writers have gone so far as to
say that if Black didn't have the e5 square for his pieces after f5, he would
lose every Sicilian.     White must therefore consistently attack on the
kingside from now on until he obtains a material gain, or he will end up
strategically worse.} (14. Nxc6 Bxc6 15. f5 Kh8 16. f6 {A spectacular pawn
push, but a well-known one...} gxh6 17. fxe7 Qxe7 18. Qf2 {And White has
compensation for the missing pawn.  A few games have seen this position, the
most recent being the aforementioned Rublevsky-Bu, 2010 China (rapid).}) 14...
Nxd4 15. Rxd4 Kh8 {This move has not been tried before. The game enters
uncharted waters, and the position is full of possibilities.} (15... Bf6 {was
Kasparov's choice, and he further added a "!" in his annotations to the game. 
Maybe Gelfand was unaware of the Kasparov game, or, more likely, he was afraid
of an Azerbaidjani preparation in this line.} 16. Rd3 Be5 17. Qg4 b4 $1 18. f6
$1 g6 19. Ne2 a5 $1 {Morozevich-Kasparov (Astana 2001).  A fantastic game
which Kasparov won after 57 moves.}) 16. Be3 (16. f6 {is a very logical move.
Mamedyarov may have rejected it because of} Bxf6 (16... gxf6 $5 {is also an
interesting alternative.  Black obtains a strong pawn center in return for the
lost exchange.  However, White can respond by sacrificing material of his own!}
17. Nd5 $5 {A crazy move typical of the Sicilian.  Black is forced to take
this intruder, but opens the fourth rank to the rook on d4.  It is almost
impossible to give an evaluation of this position without lengthy variations,
so let's just say that this position is very unclear.}) 17. Rxf6 Qc5 $1 {
Strangely enough, although both the f6 and h6 pieces are under attack, neither
can be effectively taken.  However, the rook on d4 is now pinned!} (17... gxh6
18. Rxh6 Rg8 19. Qh4 Rg7 {gives White some pressure, but might be playable.})
18. Bxg7+ Nxg7 19. Qf2 Qe5 {with a very murky position.}) 16... Nf6 17. Qh3 {
A logical move, upping the pressure on this side of the board.  However, it
does remove the pressure that the queen on g3 was exerting on the h2-b8
diagonal, specifically pinning the d pawn.  Black now achieves another of his
strategical goals in the Sicilian: the d5 break!} d5 {[#]} 18. e5 $1 {The
exclamation mark is not so much for the strength of the move, but for its
practical value. White probably already stood worse after a "normal" move such
as exd5, so he tries an "all-out" approach to crash on the kingside, or die
trying.} (18. exd5 $6 exf5 {And White has too many weaknesses, and no
coordination. Black is clearly better.}) 18... Qxe5 19. Rh4 {Now Bd4 is a
threat. Black responds with a cool move.} Rfc8 $1 {Forcing White to spend a
tempo.} 20. Kh1 {[#]} ({After} 20. Bd4 Bc5 21. Bxc5 Rxc5 {Black is obviously
better.}) (20. Bg5 {was an interesting alternative, immediately hitting the h7
pawn. Black has a few resources. The more logical ones are:} h6 (20... Kg8 21.
Bxf6 Qxf6 22. Rxh7 g6 {The point is that the f-pawn is pinned due to Bc5+, so
White cannot immediately continue his attack. However the position is still
far from clear.} 23. g4 (23. Kh1 Rxc3 24. bxc3 gxf5 25. Rf3 Bd6 {is unclear.})
23... Rxc3 $1 {is complicated, but I like Black's chances.}) 21. Rxh6+ $1 {The
only move. White must not retreat!} gxh6 22. Qxh6+ Kg8 23. fxe6 Bxe6 24. Bxf6
Bxf6 25. Rxf6 Rc6 {White clearly has resources on the kingside, but it's
unclear if they are enough.  His own king might become vulnerable and the
bishop and knight are simply too far away to be of any help right now.  Black
is probably better in this position, but a lot of play remains after Rf3.})
20... Rxc3 $1 {Mamedyarov might have underestimated this strong, strong
sacrifice from Gelfand.  The sacrifice doesn't seem logical from the beginning:
why is Black giving up a perfectly good rook for a knight that in this case
had no hope of joining the attack on the kingside?  The reason is control:
Black will be able to neutralize White's threats, specially Bd4, once his
queen gets to c3.  Any exchange of queens from hereforth will favor Black, so
it's basically a pin.  Further, this sacrifice guarantees the burial of the
bishop on b3, which will not see a bright future.  A strong move indeed!} 21.
bxc3 Qxc3 22. Rd4 $6 {Mamedyarov panics in a difficult position.  Bringing
back the rook does little for his position.  This is typical of a failed
Sicilian attack: even with the extra material it becomes very hard to move the
White pieces as they have lost purpose.} (22. Bd4 Qxh3 23. Rxh3 a5 24. c3 Ne4 {
is an ugly, ugly ending to defend.  White's rooks have no targets and his
structure is weak to say the least, but it may have been the best chance...}) (
22. fxe6 Bxe6 23. Qf3 Ne4 {was also in Black's favor.}) 22... a5 $1 {Gelfand
swiftly punishes White's play. He doesn't spend time with tempting moves such
as} (22... e5 23. Rd3 Qc6 {since} 24. Bg5 $1 {gives white plenty of
counterplay. Probably the point behind Rd4.}) (22... exf5 $6 23. Rd3 Qc7 24.
Bd4 {and White's bishops are more alive than Black would like them to be.}) 23.
Rd3 Qc6 24. c3 a4 25. Bc2 e5 $19 {Now that the bishop is no longer on the
a2-g8 diagonal, the time is ripe to advance the center pawns.  Black is
strategically winning: he has a crushing center, better piece placement, more
targets and better coordination.  Mamedyarov must try to create some tricks,
but time is running short.} 26. Bg5 b4 27. Qh4 bxc3 28. Rh3 {This pressure on
the kingside would alarm any mortal, but Gelfand plays it cool and simple. He
has now obtained a material advantage as he has three pawns for the exchange,
and furthermore his center pawns will obviously roll over White in a few moves.
Still, the h-file is open and his king seems to be in some danger. Not
bothered with this, he simply transfers it to the center.} Kg8 29. Re1 (29.
Bxf6 Bxf6 30. Qxh7+ Kf8 $19 {And White simply has no good moves.  The king is
perfectly safe on e7.}) 29... e4 30. g4 {White is trying some shenanigans with
g5 after Bxf6, but it's just not enough.} Kf8 31. Be3 (31. Bxf6 Bxf6 32. g5 Bd8
{and again, there is no good move for White.  Black just controls too many
squares and his pawns are too strong.}) 31... Qc4 32. g5 {[#]} Bxf5 $1 {
Gelfand simply takes all the material that is thrown at him. In this case it
doesn't even matter, since it's all about his pawn domination.} 33. gxf6 Bxf6
34. Qh5 {[#]} Bg6 $5 {This is an interesting approach.  Though Bxh3 was
winning, Gelfand is not afraid of being down an entire rook!  He has five full
pawns as compensation, and furthermore, they are so strong!  Very pleasing
aesthetically.} 35. Qg4 {[#]} Qxa2 {The fact that Black has the luxury to pick
off this pawn speaks volumes of his domination. d5-d4 will come in time, and
White has absolutely no counterplay.} 36. Bb1 Qc4 37. Qg2 a3 38. Ba2 Qc6 39.
Rg3 Rb8 {There are simply too many threats in this position, and not enough
moves. Despite being up a rook, White's position could not be more hopeless.
Gelfand wins a fantastic game that really brings out the very spirit of a
Black side Sicilian: He coolly dealt with the kingside threat by transfering
his king, he took care to eliminate and restrict White's minor pieces, and he
showed how clumsy even an extra rook can be if the army supporting it has no
direction.} 0-1

