Blindfold
match Topalov vs Polgar
This match was held from December 7–9, 2006 in the world famous Gugenheim
Museum in the Basque city of Bilbao. It was between former FIDE world champions
Veselin Topalov and the strongest female player in the history of the game,
Judit Polgar.
The match consisted of six rapid games, two played on each of the three days.
Time controls were 25 minutes for each player + 10 sec. per move. The game
were covered in a live
Java broadcast provided by the official site, and in the broadcast
room of Playchess.com.
The match was won by Veselin Topalov with a score of 3.5:2.5 (two wins and
one loss).
On the first
day Veselin Topalov won the first game in 27 moves with the white
pieces in a Keres Attack of the Sicilian Scheveningen. The second game ended
after 55 moves in a draw.
The second day was similar. The former FIDE world champion
got an early advantage in the first game, a Sicilian Taimanov, and converted
it into a 46-move win (in the final position he was up by five pawns). The
second game, a Sicilian Kan, ended in a draw by repetition after 32 moves.
Topalov led by 3:1 points.
Day three started with Judit Polgar playing the Najdorf and
not really getting anything – in fact she was in a spot of trouble around
move 36. But she she shed a pawn and traded her queen for two rooks, trading
down to an endgame Veselin Topalov did not believe he could win. The game ended
in a repetition on move 44. The final game, another Kan, saw Judit fighting
aggressively and picking up a pawn on move 25. She traded down to an endgame
which she won elegantly to narrow the over-all victory of her opponent.
Final Standings
Player |
Rating |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
Tot. |
Veselin Topalov |
2813 |
1 |
½ |
1 |
½ |
½ |
0 |
3.5 |
Judit Polgar |
2710 |
0 |
½ |
0 |
½ |
½ |
1 |
2.5
|
Impressions from Bilbao
By Nadja Woisin

The spectators in the theater of the Guggenheim Museum

Preparing the players for the start of a game

Two assistants enter the moves which the players dictate
The blindfolds and assistants entering the moves were only there for the start
of some of the games. This setup was only used to demonstrate for the public
what blindfold chess is. Above is left Topalov's manager IM Silvio Danailov
(left) and GM José Luis Fernández operating the input. After
some moves the players themselves took over.

The players in serious mode, with the moves entered on a computer keyboard

Press conference at the end of a round
Links