Clock simul: Topalov vs the Irish national team

10/5/2011 – On Monday 3rd of October 2011 GM Veselin Topalov, Elo 2768, played a clock simul exhibition match in Dublin against the Irish team, consisiting of GM Alexander Baburin, 2535, IM Sam Collins, 2436, IM Alex Lopez, 2414 and IM Mark Quinn, 2398. The final score: 2-2, with a win apiece for each side. Owing to a firewall problem a live broadcast was not possible. Report with games and videos.

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Topalov vs the Irish National Team

The time control was 90 mins + 30 secs per move from move one for the entire game. The official Irish Chess Union web site writes:

Our players did us proud last night, when they achieved a 2-2 draw against former world chess champion, Veselin Topalov. All the games lasted more than three and half hours. Mark Quinn lost with black, Alex Lopez and Sam Collins drew, and Alex Baburin levelled the match by beating Topalov. Unfortunately, due to firewall problems it was not possible to broadcast the games, which was a terrible disappointment to quarter of a million fans across the world.


Topalov in the simul – to the right his manager and ECU President Silvio Danialov

Danailov met with Phil Hogan, Irish Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government. Minister Hogan promised to support the Irish Chess Union's bid for recognition of chess as a sport. He also promised to help secure the votes of the 13 Irish MEPs in a vote for chess in schools program at the European Parliament.

[Event "Topalov Clock Simul"] [Site "Dublin IRL"] [Date "2011.10.03"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Baburin, Alexander"] [Black "Topalov, Veselin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D73"] [WhiteElo "2535"] [BlackElo "2768"] [PlyCount "111"] [EventDate "2011.10.03"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 d5 5. Bg2 dxc4 6. Na3 c3 7. bxc3 O-O 8. O-O c5 9. Qb3 Nc6 10. Rd1 Na5 11. Qb2 Qb6 {There are four games with this position in our database, with two white wins, one loss and a draw.} 12. Qxb6 $146 ({ Relevant:} 12. Ne5 Nd7 13. Nac4 Nxc4 14. Nxc4 Qa6 15. Ne3 Nb6 16. a4 cxd4 17. cxd4 Bd7 18. a5 Na4 19. Qb4 Qxe2 20. Rxa4 Bxa4 21. Qxa4 Rad8 22. Ba3 Qa2 23. Bxb7 Bxd4 24. Rxd4 Qb1+ 25. Qd1 {1-0 (25) Inarkiev,E (2649)-Kurnosov,I (2668)/ Moscow 2010/CBM 134 Extra}) 12... axb6 13. Ne5 Be6 14. Bb2 Rfc8 15. f4 Bd5 16. Bh3 Rd8 17. c4 Be4 18. d5 h5 19. Rac1 Ng4 20. Bxg4 hxg4 21. Nb5 Bf5 22. Ba1 f6 23. Nd3 Bd7 24. Nc7 Rac8 25. d6 exd6 26. Nd5 Be6 27. Ne7+ Kf7 28. Nxc8 Rxc8 29. f5 Bxf5 30. Nf4 Rc6 31. Nd5 {Black has given a rook for bishop and two pawns. So far he is doing fine, but now inaccuracies start to slip in.} Be4 (31... Bh6 {was the more advantageous choice.}) 32. Rf1 Bxd5 33. cxd5 Rc8 34. Rf4 g5 35. Re4 b5 36. Re6 ({White is now calling the shots. We would have loved to see the continuation} 36. Rf1) ({or even the foxy} 36. Rb4) 36... Re8 37. Rxd6 Rxe2 38. Rd7+ Kg6 39. d6 Nc4 40. Re7 Rxe7 $6 {Black should probably not allowed White the pawn on e7. It plagues Topalov for the rest of the game.} 41. dxe7 Kf7 42. a4 b6 43. axb5 Nd6 44. Re1 Ke8 45. Re6 Nxb5 46. Rxb6 Nd4 47. Bxd4 cxd4 48. Re6 Bh8 49. Kf2 f5 50. Ke2 f4 51. Kd3 Bg7 52. Ke4 d3 53. Kxd3 Bb2 54. Ke4 f3 55. Kd3 Ba3 56. Re4 ({after} 56. Re4 Bxe7 57. Rxg4 Kf7 58. Ke3 {Black has no defensive resources left.}) 1-0

[Event "Topalov Clock Simul"] [Site "Dublin IRL"] [Date "2011.10.03"] [Round "1.2"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Collins, Sam E"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C97"] [WhiteElo "2768"] [BlackElo "2436"] [PlyCount "102"] [EventDate "2011.10.03"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4 Qc7 12. d5 Bd7 13. b3 Rfb8 14. Nbd2 Nb7 15. c4 Ne8 16. Nf1 Nd8 17. Ne3 g6 18. Ng4 f6 19. Nh6+ Kh8 20. Nh2 a5 21. cxb5 Bxb5 22. Bd2 Bd7 23. N2g4 Bf8 24. Rc1 Bc8 25. h4 Nf7 26. Nxf7+ Qxf7 27. Ne3 Be7 28. Nc4 Bd8 29. f4 Qe7 30. Rf1 Ba6 31. h5 a4 32. hxg6 axb3 33. Bxb3 hxg6 34. Rc3 Bxc4 35. Bxc4 Ba5 36. Rh3+ Kg7 37. Bc1 $2 (37. Bxa5 {wins more quickly for White.}) 37... exf4 38. Bxf4 Rb2 39. e5 f5 40. Qc1 (40. g4 {would have settled the matter in White's favour.}) 40... Rab8 41. Bb3 Re2 42. exd6 Qe4 43. Rh2 Bd2 44. Bxd2 (44. Qb2+ Qd4+ 45. Qxd4+ cxd4 46. d7 Bxf4 47. dxe8=N+ $1 Rbxe8 48. Rxf4 { White is a piece up and should win the game.}) 44... Qd4+ 45. Kh1 Rxd2 46. Qe1 Nxd6 47. Qe7+ Nf7 48. Qc7 {Now Black is suddenly better, but he decides to force a draw} Rh8 49. Rxh8 Kxh8 50. Qxf7 {and Black takes the perpetual:} Qh4+ 51. Kg1 Qd4+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Topalov Clock Simul"] [Site "Dublin IRL"] [Date "2011.10.03"] [Round "1.4"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Quinn, Mark"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B49"] [WhiteElo "2768"] [BlackElo "2398"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2011.10.03"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be3 a6 7. Be2 Nf6 8. a3 d6 9. g4 h6 10. f4 Bd7 $146 ({Relevant:} 10... Be7 11. h4 g6 12. Bf3 Na5 13. Qe2 Nc4 14. O-O-O Nxe3 15. Qxe3 Nd7 16. g5 hxg5 17. hxg5 Rg8 18. Kb1 Nb6 19. Rh7 Bd7 20. Be2 Qc5 21. Qf3 Rf8 22. Nb3 Qc7 23. Rdh1 O-O-O 24. Rg7 Kb8 25. Rhh7 Be8 26. Nd4 Rd7 27. f5 Qc5 28. Nb3 Qg1+ 29. Ka2 Qxg5 30. Qf2 Nc8 31. Bc4 exf5 32. Bxf7 fxe4 33. Nxe4 Qe5 34. Qg2 Bd8 35. Bxe8 Rxg7 36. Rxg7 Qxg7 37. Qxg6 Qe7 38. Ba4 Nb6 39. Nc3 Rf4 40. Be8 {Jakubowski,K (2500)-Maksimenko,A (2544)/ Germany 2011/CB14_2011/0-1}) 11. h3 Be7 12. Qd2 Rc8 13. O-O-O g6 $6 {Black should have probably exchanged knight on d4 instead, or even tried 13...d5.} 14. Rhf1 Rh7 15. f5 gxf5 16. gxf5 Nxd4 17. Qxd4 e5 18. Qd3 Bc6 19. Rg1 b5 20. Kb1 Qb7 21. Nd5 Bxd5 22. exd5 Bd8 23. Qb3 Ke7 24. Bf2 Kd7 ({after} 24... Bb6 { White has the exchange sacrifice} 25. Bh4 $1 (25. Bxb6 Qxb6 {looks drawish}) 25... Bxg1 26. Rxg1 {with good winning chances.}) 25. Rg2 Be7 26. a4 Rb8 27. axb5 axb5 28. Be1 Rhh8 29. Rg3 h5 30. Qb4 h4 31. Rb3 Bd8 32. Bxb5+ Ke7 33. Qc4 ({an interesting alternative was} 33. Bc3 {attacking the two central pawns} Qxb5 34. Qa3 {and Black must give up his queen, or go for something like} Qe2 35. Re1 Rxb3 36. Qa7+ Nd7 37. Rxe2 Rb8 {and White is completely winnin.}) 33... Rh5 34. Bc6 Qc8 35. Rxb8 Qxb8 36. Rd3 Rxf5 37. Rb3 Qc8 38. Rb7+ {The pressure is relentless, White is going to win.} Kf8 39. Bb4 Bc7 40. Qxh4 Rf1+ 41. Ka2 Kg7 42. Qg5+ Kh7 43. Bxd6 1-0

Videos from the Simul


Topalov vs the Irish team


Towards the end of this video there is a disturbance by a police siren