Anand Retains Crown As World Champion!

12 May 2010 – Last night Anand went into an attacking mode as black against Topalov in the last 12th game of the series to decide the new World Chess Champion.

At the 56th move when black moved 56…Qg7, white resigned and results in an overall score of 6.5:5.5 in favour of Anand. Thus allowing Anand to retain the World Champion’s throne for the next term.

Here is the last scene of the 12th game of the finals.

 

 

Anand or Topalov?

10 May 2010 – The World Chess Championship is now still at an even keel of 5.5:5.5 going into the 12th game of the series. There is still no clear leader between Anand and Topalov. If the series goes into blitz rapid and armageddon games, the pun is that Anand is the favorite as he is a known blitz chess player and he is deadly at blitz chess.

Below is the summary of the dates, score and brief comments so far. The players will have a one day of rest today, 10th May 2010 and will resume game 12 on Tuesday, 11th May 2010.

Game No.	Date	Anand	Topalov	Comments
1	24 April 2010	0	1	Topalov wins first game as white,  1-0
2	25 April 2010	1	0	Anand playing white, equalises, 1-1.
3	27 April 2010	½	½	Topalov as white could not force a win, overall 1½ : 1½.
4	28 April 2010	1	0	Anand wins as white with 1.d4, in a Catalan Opening, Anand leads 2½ : 1½.
5	30 April 2010	1	0	Anand successfully defends as black and gets a draw. Anand leads 3:2
6	01 May 2010	½	½	Anand leads 3½:2½.
7	03 May 2010	½	½	Anand leads 4:3.
8	04 May 2010	0	1	Topalov won game 8. Overall score 4-4.
9	06 May 2010	½	½	Topalov repeats three fold repetition to settle for draw. 4½:4½
10	07 May 2010	½	½	Anand offers draw. Overall 5:5
11	09 May 2010	½	½	Another draw. Overall 5½:5½
12	11 May 2010

Game 11 – Drawn, World Chess Ch 2010

10 May 2010 – Last night the 11th game of the series between Anand and Topalov ended in another draw in 65 moves. The diagram below shows the last scene of the game when black moved 65…Kg7.

The score is now 5.5:5.5 still level after 11 games. Tomorrow will be the grand finale for the 12th game and if that ends in another draw, then rapid blitz and armageddon games will kick in to decide the winner.

Game 10 World Chess Ch 2010

At Sofia, Bulgaria, Topalov started as white and the Exchange Gruenfeld opening transpired. Here are two diagrams from the game played last night in game 10 in the World Chess Championship between GM Anand and GM Topalov. Whoever wins this series of 12 game match will be the new World Chess Champion.

Diagram 1. White played 18. h3.

Diagram 2. White played Bc4 and Anand offered a draw.

Game 10 ended in a draw and the overall score stands at 5-5. Today is a rest day at Sofia for the players. Game 11 will start Sunday, 9 May 2010. A break for one day and the grand finale on Tuesday, 11 May 2010.

Who will win the coveted prize of 1.2 million Euros and to be the World Chess Champion?

Anand or Topalov?

Still Even 5-5 After Game 10, World Chess Ch 2010

Anand, Topalov draw in game 10 for World Chess title
(AFP) – 4 hours ago

SOFIA — India's defending champion Viswanathan Anand and his Bulgarian challenger Veselin Topalov drew in the tenth round of their 12-game match for the world chess title on Friday.
The draw was agreed on the 60th move, allowing the two to keep even with a total result of 5-5 points. The next game is scheduled for Sunday.
Anand, known as the "Tiger from Madras", and Topalov have two wins each, while six games have ended in a draw.
The first player to score 6.5 points or more after the 12 games will be declared the new world champion.
If the scores are level after 12 games, the two will play four tie-break games of rapid chess, where each player has a total of 25 minutes to make his moves.
If the scores are still even after that, the new world champion will be decided in five five-minute blitz chess matches of two games each, ultimately followed by one sudden-death game.
The 40-year-old Anand first became world champion in 2007 and successfully defended his title in 2008.
Topalov, 35, won the right to challenge him by beating Gata Kamsky of the United States in the semi-final in February 2009.
The new world chess champion will win a prize of 1.2 million euros (1.58 million dollars), while the loser will take home 800,000 euros.
Chess fans can follow all the games to run until May 13 online at www.anand-topalov.com.
Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews

 

Two more games to go with each player having one white and one black opening.

Below is the summary of the dates, score and brief comments so far. The players will have a one day of rest today, 8th May 2010 and will resume game 11 on Sunday, 9th May 2010.

Game No.	Date	Anand	Topalov	Comments
1	24 April 2010	0	1	Topalov wins first game as white,  1-0
2	25 April 2010	1	0	Anand playing white, equalises, 1-1.
3	27 April 2010	½	½	Topalov as white could not force a win, overall 1½ : 1½.
4	28 April 2010	1	0	Anand wins as white with 1.d4, in a Catalan Opening, Anand leads 2½ : 1½.
5	30 April 2010	1	0	Anand successfully defends as black and gets a draw. Anand leads 3:2
6	01 May 2010	½	½	Anand leads 3½:2½.
7	03 May 2010	½	½	Anand leads 4:3.
8	04 May 2010	0	1	Topalov won game 8. Overall score 4-4.
9	06 May 2010	½	½	Topalov repeats three fold repetition to settle for draw. 4½:4½
10	07 May 2010	½	½	Anand offers draw. Overall 5:5
11	09 May 2010
12	11 May 2010

Anand Draws In Game 9, World Chess Ch 2010

7 May 2010 – The ninth game of the World Chess Championship 2010 ended in a draw after 83 moves and with the overall score at 4.5:4.5 each for Anand and Topalov. The Nimzo Indian transpired during the game with Anand playing white.

Here is the last scene of the game after white king moved to f4 leading to a threefold repetition with black queen continually checking white at c1 and g1 at moves 80-83. Topalov was credited for heroically soldiering on only with the black queen after losing its last pawn on move 74. At one stage of the game, black had two queens against white’s pair of rooks. It was probably a heart stopping game had I stayed up to watch.

Tonight the tenth game of the series will be played. Topalov will start the tenth game as white.

Level Score 4-4, World Chess Ch 2010, Anand-Topalov

6 May 2010 - Here is the table summary of games held so far between GM Anand, the current World Chess Champion with the contender, GM V Topalov of Bulgaria which is being held at Sofia, Bulgaria from 21st April – 13th May 2010.

Game No.	Date	Anand	Topalov	Comments
1	24 April 2010	0	1	Topalov wins first game as white,  1-0
2	25 April 2010	1	0	Anand playing white, equalises, 1-1.
3	27 April 2010	½	½	Topalov as white could not force a win, overall 1½ : 1½.
4	28 April 2010	1	0	Anand wins as white with 1.d4, in a Catalan Opening, Anand leads 2½ : 1½.
5	30 April 2010	1	0	Anand successfully defends as black and gets a draw. Anand leads 3:2
6	01 May 2010	½	½	Anand leads 3½:2½.
7	03 May 2010	½	½	Anand leads 4:3.
8	04 May 2010	0	1	Topalov won game 8. Overall score 4-4.
9	06 May 2010
10	07 May 2010
11	09 May 2010
12	11 May 2010

Two days ago, 4 May 2010 – Game 8 was held where Anand played as Black and Topalov used 1.d4 opening against Anand. The Slav Defence transpired during the game. The game ended in move 56 with Black resigning the game. White had a bishop and five pawns against Black’s opposite colored bishop and four pawns. White managed to maneuver to a winning pawn end game, isolating the Black King away from guarding black’s e6 pawn.

The seventh game (Indian Game: Anti-Nimzo-Indian) ended in move 58, similar to game 6 (Catalan Open), among the few games that needs a longer time to finish. Game 1 (Grunfeld Defence) finished in 30 moves, Game 2 (Catalan) in 43 moves, Game 3 (Slav Defense) in 46 moves, Game 4 (Catalan) in 32 and Game 5 (Slav Defense) in 44 moves.

Today, 6 May 2010 the ninth game will be played and Anand will start as white. Let’s see what happens tonight. Game starts tonight at 8 pm local Malaysian time.

Pix 1. Topalov at the press conference after game 6 with his second, A. Stefanova.

Pix 2. Press Conference After Game 8. Topalov, Atanasov, Stepanova, Balgabaev, Anand.

Game 8 Won By Topalov, World Chess Ch 2010

5 May 2010 – GM Topalov is playing white with 1.d4 opening. The Slav Defense transpired during the game.

Pix 1. White played 10. Qxd4. The exchange of queens next, 10…Qxd4.

Pix 2. Topalov and Anand during game 8 (courtesy of chessdom.com)

Here is a running commentary from susanpolgar’s website of game 8 of the World Chess Championship up to move 38.

Veselin Topalov - Vishy Anand
World Championship (game 8)
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 Both sides chose to repeat the Slav.
13...Rc8 New move by Anand. Once again, Anand is the first to deviate. Both Anand and Topalov are cranking out these moves at lightning speed.
14. Bb5 Even though Topalov faced a different move than the earlier game, he responded with this immediately.
14...a6 15. Bxd7 Kxd7 16. Ke2 So where do we stand? White has a small advantage because:
a) Piece development. All of Topalov's pieces are developed and ready for action.
b) Space advantage.
What does Anand need to do?
a) f6 to get his g6 Bishop back to the other side.
b) Get his other pieces out ASAP.
16...f6 17. Rhd1 I guess Topalov doesn't seem to mind having this type of position again. Anand has 2 interesting choices: 17...Ke8 or bring his King to the other side 17...Kc7. Both are playable.
17...Ke8 Anand chose this choice. If Anand is successful in getting his Bishops and Rook on h8 out, this game will end in another draw. If Topalov wants to win, he must find a way to keep Anand's pieces out of play. The plan is clear for both.
18. a5 The general idea for Black to get his pieces out: Bb4, Ke7, Rhd8, then Bf7 and e5. But of course Topalov will not sit still and allow Black the freedom to develop. This endgame is interesting is because Topalov has won many games with less advantage than this and Anand has successfully held games with positions worse than this. As we have seen in the previous Slav games, Anand was very patient in getting his pieces out, one at the time, and held nicely.
Black is down by 20 minutes on the clock already. Our friends at Chessdom has many pictures available here: http://photo.chessdom.com/index.php?cat=10025
Do you have other plans for Anand? How can he get all his pieces out?
18...Be7 19. Bb6 Topalov responded with this immediately. Anand is now behind by more than 25 minutes on the clock. The problem for Anand is if Kf7 then Rd7 with a strong advantage. Remember, Black can no longer castle.
19...Rf8 20. Rac1 f5 Since Anand is having a hard time getting his Rook to the d file, he is trying to open up the f file. I would play e5 here and not help Black to open the position. If 21. e5 Bg5 22. Be3 +=
21. e5

Pix 3. White played 21.e5.
21...Bg5 Topalov should play Be3 to trade the Bishops. White's Knight is much better than Black's g6 Bishop in the endgame, especially when White's key pawns are on the dark squares.
22. Be3 f4 Anand obviously could not allow this trade which leads to a horrible endgame. But now Topalov has this option: 23. Nb5 Rxc1 24. Nd6+ Kd7 25. Bxc1+=. White can also play 23. Ne4 instead of Nb5 with the same continuation.
23. Ne4 OK! Topalov found the suggested line above.
23....Rxc1 24. Nd6+ (diagram below) White has a good advantage here.

 

Pix 4. White played 24.Nd6+… opening up the game for white with this move.

Black still has plenty of problems getting his Rook and Bishops in play. Anand has 2 options: 24...Kd7 or 24...Ke7. The first one is stronger because Black needs to get his King to the other side to clear room in the center for his pieces. Anand has a lot of work to do to hold this game.
Another thing to keep in mind about the importance of this game: After game 4, Topalov was in a world of trouble mentally and emotionally. To start out with 2 losses with Black after a high of winning the opening game was big. After holding the first Black game (game 6) with ease, he went all out for the win with Black in game 7. Therefore, even though Topalov is down by 1, he seems to slowly regain momentum and most importantly, his self confidence. This is why this game is huge. If Topalov scores here, the entire momentum of the match will shift dramatically. Anand also knows that Topalov is notorious for finishing strong.
On the other hand, if Anand can hold this game, Topalov will be very frustrated and short of patience since there will only be 4 games left. This may cause him to do something more risky which may cost him another game and match.
Just like in any other sport, momentum is so important. Just look at Fischer in 1972. After a slow start, Fischer never looked back after a big win. He eventually won the match by a sizable margin. The same happened to me in my match against Xie Jun in 1996. After a big win, I continued to score win after win and my 4th world titles.
Chess is a lot more than just Fritz and Rybka home analysis. Mental and emotional status is so important.

24...Kd7 Anand wisely chose the right path to bring his King to the other side.
25. Bxc1 Kc6 26. Bd7 Be7 Anand wants to trade this Bishop for the Knight, even at the expense of potentially losing the f4 pawn, to have a Bishop opposite color endgame. Here is an important lesson to remember: If we go back a few moves earlier after White played 22. Be3, the dynamics of the game change so much based on which piece is off the board. If those 2 Bishops are traded, White would have a big edge with a Knight vs. the g6 Bishop endgame. On the other hand, if the same Bishop is traded for White's Knight, Black would have an easier time holding. Keep this in mind in your own games. One should never trade pieces randomly. There should always be proper evaluation when trades occur.
There are many sites which offer LIVE commentary and analysis. Many of them are very sophisticated with deep computer lines. My style is different. I prefer to explain chess in layman terms so everyone can understand and benefit from. If people want Rybka analysis, they can do it themselves at home without me :)
I also employ the same philosophy when I teach, especially at my online classes. In my opinion, it is much more important to understand chess than memorizing Fritz and Rybka lines.

27. Rc1+ Kd7 White still has a decent advantage. Anand's plan is simple: Trade Rooks and e7 Bishop for the Knight. Here is one possible line: 28. Bb4 Bxd6 29. Rd1 Kc8 30. Rxd6 +/-
I was asked if Bishop opposite color endgames always lead to draws. The answer is no. In this game, Rooks are still on the board so White still has chances to convert. I have won a number of games in my career with Bishops opposite color endgames. It just means that it is easier to hold but not automatic draw.
28. Bc3 An unexpected choice. White is still doing fine.
28...Bxe6 29. Rd1 Black can defend his pawn with Bf5. This is why I prefer 28. Bb4 better because of a possible discovery.
29...Bf5 30. h4 White is in no rush to recapture the Bishop on d6. It is going nowhere. The idea of h4 is to block g5 defending the f4 pawn. Topalov wants to take the Bishop with the pawn then Be5 attacking the f4 pawn. The Black Rook cannot defend that pawn and the c file at the same time after White plays Rc1 with the threat of Rc7.
Both sides have no problem with time. Anand has about 45 minutes for 10 moves while Topalov has more than 60.
By the way, after 29. Rd1, 29...Kc8 is also playable. The position is not lost for Black, just difficult to defend and it requires a lot of patience and accuracy. Anand has plenty of time on the clock to figure things out.
By the way, in addition to understanding chess, one must also be efficient in chess tactic and endgame. This is why I usually post multiple puzzles every single day on my blog, with various levels of difficulty. I usually try to post important must know endgame themes as well as many different tactical patterns. When you continue solving these puzzles daily, it will help you understand and recognize a variety of chess patterns much better. This is why I also delay publishing the comments. I want to give you time to exercise your chess minds and skills and not have the temptation of peeking at the solutions posted by others. I know. I am mean but it is for your own good :) Yes, and you can blame me for overloading your brains with chess stuff on this blog :)
30...g6 31. Rxd6+ Kc8 Now Bd2 and the f4 pawn will eventually fall.

32. Bd2 Now it is Anand's task to hold a pawn down Bishop opposite color Bishops.
32...Rd8 Now White should not take on d8. He wants to wait for Black to take then take back with the pawn so he can have a passed pawn. Otherwise, he will virtually have no chance to win.
33. Bxf4 Rxe6 34. exd6 Kd7 I have news for you. This game may go 100 moves. I can assure you that Topalov will try to grind this out all the way. This is his chance to even up the match. It is not an easy position to hold for Black in spite of the opposite color Bishops.

35. Ke3 with the threat of Kd4, e5, f6.
35...Bc2 Topalov should continue with the Kd4 plan. If Topalov wants to win this World Championship, he must do everything possible to win this game. It is not easy to get a better position than this.

36. Kd4 Ke8 A wise move to bring his King to f7. If the White King gets to f6, it is all over for Black. Anand's defensive plan is to have his Bishop of d5 / c6 and King on f7 / e8.

37. Ke5 Kf7 If Bg5 then Ba4. It is possible for Black to hold with perfect play.

38. Be3 If 38. Bg5 Ba4 39. b3 then Bd7
38...Ba4

Pix 5. Black played 38…Ba4.

39. Kf4 Bb5 40. Bc5 Topalov made time control with more than 30 minutes to spare.

I cannot find any "winning" line for White. All he can do is keep on trying to improve his position while Black has to be absolutely accurate with his defense.

40...Kf6 41. Bd4+ A necessary move to try to push the King back and not to give Black space. I am looking 41...e5+ sacrificing a second pawn to free the e6 square for the King. This may make holding a little easier since I see little chance for White to make progress. In a blitz or casual game, I would sacrifice this pawn in a second. But in a World Championship, double, triple, and quadruple checking this sac is required :)
41...Kf7 A safe move. Can you blame him? :) But now Anand has to focus on the idea of Kg5, Kh6, then march his pawns up.
42. Kg5 By the way, another piece of information for everyone who uses computers to follow this game. While Rybka and other top programs are deadly when it comes to many positions in chess, they still have a hard time evaluating closed and positional positions as well as endgames with more than 6 pieces on the board. I have no idea what the current evaluation by Rybka is but I assume it is between +1 and +1.5. The reason for that is most computer software count materials as a part of the overall evaluation. This is why understanding chess instead of just following chess software recommendations blindly is so important.
42...Bc6 43. Kh6 Kg8 44. h5 If 44...gxh5 then 45. Kf6 and it is over.
44...Be8 45. Kg5 Kf7 Anand is defending perfectly up to now. If he keeps this up, he will hold this game. I believe that Topalov understands that there is no forced win. What he is figuring out is how to create as much complication as possible hoping for an Anand's inaccuracy.
46. Kh6 Kg8 47. Bc5 Topalov is trying to create zugzwang situation for Black. It is almost but not quite as Black still has gxh5 and Kh8.
47...gxh5 48. Kg5 and now Black must play Kg7 to protect the f6 square.
48...Kg7 49. Bd4+ Kf7 Some progress but still no concrete winning plans for White.
50. Be5 h4 This pawn cannot be protected anyway. Therefore, with this move, Black is getting the White King to move back a little for some breathing room.
51. Kxh4 This is still not a "dead draw" yet. Black still has to defend accurately for many more moves. Now Black needs to get his King more active with Kg6. It is dangerous to allow a lurking Topalov's King :)
51...Kg6 52. Kg4 Get your snack, popcorn, lunch, dinner (whichever time zone you are in) and drinks out. This will be the longest game of the match so far.
By the way, a number of people have counted Topalov out already. Don't :) There are still 4 games left after this game and the pressure will rise as each game passes. Anything can happen in 4 games as we clearly saw in the first 4 games. It is never over until it is over and crazy things do happen when players are under intense pressure.
52...Bb5 53. Kf4 Topalov can try to bring his King back and forth between the King and Queenside. Black cannot use his Bishop to attack White's pawns because of the d6 pawn. Both sides have plenty of time so no time pressure excuse :)

Pix 6. White played Kf4.

53...Kf7 I do not see the immediate need to retreat the King. The King should only retreat when forced.
54. Kg5 Anand spent a lot of time for his last move while Topalov played immediately. This is a part of the mind game. Topalov does not have to make "perfect" moves every time since this is not a dynamic position. Anand does in this position. By Topalov playing "very fast", his opponent may start to wonder if he made a blunder and the other side found a win.
54...Bc6 55. Kh6 Kg8 56. g4 Black cannot take on f3 because of d7. Black has a serious problem with the plan of g5, Bg7, then g6. Black must then take on g6. Now White can take back with King and then Kf6. It is hard to defend against this.
Anand just resigned!! Shocking! I know that the position is bad but what is the rush to resign immediately? Why not play a little longer to see if Topalov can find the right plan. There is no harm in that.
1-0
As I said earlier, it is not an easy draw but with proper defense, I still believe Anand can hold. But that means that just about every single move has to be accurate. As I also said earlier, do not trust your computer evaluation when it comes to endgame unless it is 6 pieces or less. I have to go back to see where Anand made the mistake.
A brilliant display of endgame techniques by Topalov. Now we have a completely different match. Anand no longer has any breathing room. He cannot coast toward the finish line hoping for a rapid playoff.
The only thing that I can compare this to is like a heavyweight boxing match. The strategy is to keep going for the body shots round after round. Then at the later rounds, you go for the knockout punch.
Many people criticized Topalov for choosing the same opening over and over again. If you remember Topalov's performance in San Luis, he did not win by going all out in every game. He won games with different styles: all out attack, slow squeezing games, and endgame conversion.
Update: I just looked at the end again to see where Anand went wrong. I believe that 54...Bc6 was not accurate. I like 54...Bd3 better. White cannot play d7 because of Ke7. I think it is important to keep both the Bishop and King more active. Please feel free to add more analysis or correct this idea of mine.
For those who are curious as to why Anand resigned, here is why: 56. g4 Be8 57. g5 Bc6 58. Bg7 Be8 59. f4 Bd7 60. g6 hxg6 61. Kxg6 +-

Pix 6. White played 56.g4 and black resigned. Topalov wins 1-0 and evens overall score to 4-4.

7th Game In Progress, World Chess Ch 2010

3rd May 2010 – The seventh game is in progress in Sofia, Bulgaria for the World Chess Championship between GM Anand and  GM Topalov. For this game, GM Anand is playing white. Anand chose 1.d4 opening. A Bogo-Indian Opening transpired.

The game has reached move 15.e4  Bh3. Earlier white exchanged his bishop for black’s rook at move 12.

At move 20, Anand took the black’s pawn at a7 and without much ado Topalov moved his rook to 20…Re8 almost immediately. It looks like Topalov is playing blitz chess. Or he has come prepared.

At move 32, the rooks were exchanged. 32.Qxg2 Qxc1+. Now at move 40…fxg4, Black has five pawns and a Queen to White’s two pawns and a knight and Queen. Can Anand make his pieces count to win the game?

Commentary Of Game 6, World Ches Ch 2010

2 May 2010 – At the susanpolgar’s website, she does an excellent running commentary of each move of the World Chess Championship between GM Anand and GM Topalov. She would write what moves would be best from her perspective for each player and the probable thinking behind each player’s move. Here is one of her running commentaries for game 6 played last night, 1st May 2010 where the game ended in a draw.

(courtesy of susanpolgar.blogspot.com)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 a6 Deja vu all over again! We have another Catalan.

6. Ne5 c5 7. Na3 cxd4 8. Naxc4 Bc5 9. O-O O-O 10. Bg5 In game 2, Anand played with the less aggressive 10. Bd2. Topalov did have a decent position until 25....Ne3.

10...h6 11. Bxf6 Qxf6 12. Nd3 Anand is down a pawn. However, he has plenty of compensation. Topalov has problem developing pieces on the Queenside because of the b7 pawn. 12..Ba7 makes the most sense here.

GM Harikrishna of India just sent me the following note: "Age is not very significant. As far as I observed the match Anand-Topalov, I feel that Anand has understood the weakness of Topalov. Unless Topalov changes something like opening, strategy, etc., Anand will win this match convincingly."

12...Ba7



13. Qa4 The idea of this move is to prevent Nc6. Anand must maintain his initiatives. He cannot allow Topalov to get his pieces out freely because he is a pawn down and his opponent has a Bishop pair. Topalov must be very patient to get one piece out at a time.

13...Nc6 Topalov gets his Knight out anyway. He is offering to give the pawn back. However, Anand will have problems if he takes as it will open the h1 - a8 diagonal for Topalov.

14. Rac1 Anand is wisely not taking the Knight. The general rule of thumb is if your opponent has a cramp position, don't help by exchanging pieces to open up the position. I was just asked the following question. Why would Topalov repeat the same opening if he lost with it before? Good question. Many players are stubborn. In this case, Topalov isn't convinced that he lost game 2 because of the opening. He lost because of a bad 25th move Ne3. One problem for Topalov so far is Anand seems to deviate first too often in this match. This has to change if Topalov wants to win this match.

14...e5 Topalov once again is offering the pawn back.

15. Bxc6 b5 16. Qc2 Qxc6 17. Ncxe5 This position is quite interesting. 2 Knights versus 2 Bishops. White still has excellent space advantage and the 7th rank may give Anand some play. Topalov will try to avoid trading Queens to maximize the power of his Bishops. Therefore, 17...Qe4 makes sense. On the other hand, Anand would want to exchange Queens so I can see 18. Qc6 if Topalov does indeed play Qe4

I would love to be able to read Topalov's mind here. Is he trying to go all out to win regardless if he is White or Black? Or is he just content to hold as Black after 2 losses then go for it with White? The second logic is more in line with most matches. However, Topalov has a completely different mindset than most top players. He is not afraid to take chances and he is definitely not afraid to lose. Just as my sister Judit said about Topalov, this is a very rare quality.

17...Qe4 18. Qc6 Bb7 19. Qxe4 Bxe4 As expected, Queens are now off the board. I think for the first time in this match, Topalov can comfortably draw with Black.

20. Rc2 The idea of this quiet move is to double up the Rooks on the c file. This will be another good endgame lesson for the fans, Bishops vs. Knights. One thing I do not understand is many people like to criticize Kramnik for drawing too often and coasting as Black. But then these same people are not happy that Topalov is trying to win in every game, even in "drawish" positions. What gives?

20...Rfe8 Anand can double up his Rooks. However, Topalov can now play Bb6 defending the c7 square without worrying about the Nd7 fork.

21. Rfc1 f6 Disconnecting the Knights and putting potential pressure on White's e2 pawn. Topalov must be happy with his position here. This is a comfortable position for him which is rare with Black so far in this match. If. 22. Nc6 then Bb6 to preserve his Bishop pair.

22. Nd7 An interesting choice. Anand can now reconnect his Knights with N7c5 22...Re7 or Bf5.

22...Bf5 23. N7c5 Anand must be physically and mentally fit to play a match against Topalov. In most World Championship matches, from time to time there would be short draws so players can recoup. But against Topalov, every game is going to the distance. There will be no short draw. Therefore, Anand has to be prepared to have a long game every game.

23...Bb6 Anand's Knights can be annoying. He has the option of Nb7 then Nd6.

24. Nb7 I think Topalov has to play Bg4 here for 2 reasons: 1. Avoid the Nd6 fork and 2. Put pressure on the e2 pawn.

24...Bd7 I did not expect this move. It's is un-Topalov-like :) With this move, Topalov basically blocked the effectiveness of Anand's Rooks on the c file. I still like Bg4 better.

25. Nf4 This is an interesting choice by Anand. Now Topalov can play Rac8 to trade off the Rooks. This is a possible continuation: 25... Rac826. Nd5 Rxc2 27. Rxc2 Bh3. White cannot take the Bishop on b6 because of d3 0-1. Here is another possible line: 25...Rac8 26. Nd5 d3 27. exd3 Rxc2 28. Rxc2 Bh3 29. Ne3 =

25...Rab8 Anand has the option of playing 26. Nd6 or 26. Nc5. I prefer 26. Nd6 a little more although it does depend on Anand's mindset. Is he trying to win or is he happy with a draw with White to maintain a 1 point lead? Nd6 will keep things more complicated while Nc5 may result in piece exchanges.

26. Nd6 Re5 The position is still even.

27. Nc8 Anand is toying with Topalov. As I mentioned above, Anand's Knights can be very annoying. They are driving Topalov crazy. Topalov's pieces are still not coordinated yet. Eventually, I believe Topalov will be frustrated and will exchange off one of the Knights to regain his sanity.

One other thing to keep in mind is when chess fans watch the games at home, they are doing so at their own leisure with no pressure whatsoever. However, when you are in the world chess championship, the pressure alone will force you to double, triple, and quadruple check everything because one bad move can cost a player the match.

This is like a field goal kicker with a 40 yard kick to give his team the Super Bowl victory, or a basketball player on the free throw line in the 7th game game of the NBA championship with 0.3 second left. Your team is down by 1 and you must make both free throws for your team to win. Does anyone remember Bill Buckner of the Red Sox in game 6 of the 1986 World Series against the Mets? One botch play haunted him for the rest of his life. It is easy to criticize Topalov or Anand when nothing is on the line.

27. Ba5 28. Nd3 Anand is toying with Topalov with his Knight moves.

28...Re8 Anand only has one option here which is to bring his Knight to d6.

29. Na7 I am not so sure that this is the best move for Anand. 29...Ra8 30. Nc6 Bxc6 31. Rxc6 Rxe2and Black is fine.

29...Bb6 30. Nc6 Now 30... Bxc6 31. Rxc6 Rxe2 = Black is up a pawn but White has more than enough compensation. I do not see either side winning in this line.

30...Rb7 31. Ncb4 a5 32. Nd5 Topalov has gone out of his way to avoid exchanging one of his Bishops. It is hard to imagine that he can continue to do that without having to play inferior moves. 32...Bf5 is a good move here but it means that Topalov has to give up at least one of his Bishops.

32...a4 I did not expect this move. Topalov is finally willing to let go of one of his Bishops. If 33. Nxb6 Rxb6 34. Rc7 Be6 35. Ra7 Bxa2 36. Rcc7 g5= Black is up a pawn but White has his Rooks on the 7th rank.

33. Nxb6 Rxb6 The question is will Anand go for the forced draw line I mentioned above?

34. Nc5 No, he chose a different continuation. Black is fine in this position. 1/2 of the Knightmare is over :) Topalov can breathe a little easier now.

34...Bf5 35. Rd2 Black can simply play Rc6. White cannot take the d4 pawn because of Rec8 winning the Knight.

35...Rc6 36. b4 axb4 37. axb3 I think Topalov must play b4 here. He cannot allow White to play b4. 37...b4 38. Rxd4 Rec8 39. Rdc4 Bg6 40. Nd3 Rxc4 41. bxc4 b3 42. Rb1 Rxc4 43. Rxb3 Rc2 44. Kf1 Bf5 45. f3 +=. Here is another line 38. Rxd4 Rxe2 instead of Rec8 39. Rxb4 Rd6 +=

37...b4 38. Rxd4 Rxe2 39. Rxb4 Bh3 40. Rc4 Rd6 += Black should be able to hold this in spite of being a pawn down. He has enough compensation with his piece placement. 41. Re4 Rc2 42. Ree1 Rb2 43. Rcd1+=

41. Re4 Rb2 42. Ree1 = I do not think either player can win here. This should be a draw. If Rdd2 then Ne4 =

42...Rdd2 43. Ne4 We can have another repetition here with 43... Rd4 44. Nc5 Rdd2 45. Ne4 =

43...Rd4 Even though this move is fine, I think 43...Rd3 is a little better.

44. Nc5 Topalov has to bring his d Rook back to d2. But after Anand plays Ne4, I think he should try Rd3 since he can't lose in this position.

44...Rdd2 45. Ne4 Rd3 As I mentioned above, Topalov can't lose so why not? Now he gets the pawn back with a slightly better position. It is still a draw but he has nothing to lose by trying.

46. Rb1 Rdxb3 47. Nd2 = Rb4 This is probably payback time. Anand was toying with Topalov and giving him a headache with his Knights. Now Topalov can play this position out until K vs K without any risk of losing.

48. f3 Creating a hole to avoid the back rank mate threat.

48...g5 49. Rxb2 Rxb2 Draw is inevitable.

50. Rd1 Kf7 51. Kf2 h5 52. Ke3 Rc2 53. Ra1 = Kg6 Both players are just making small progress. No chance for a decisive result.

54. Ra6 Bf5 55. Rd6 Rc3+ 56. Kf2 Rc2 57. Ke3 Rc3+ 58. Kf2 Rc2 1/2-1/2

This is a very important game for Topalov. This is the first time he held as Black and it was accomplished with relative ease. Now he is going into the break tomorrow with good feelings.

For Anand, it is an uneventful game and he still has the lead going into the 2nd half. I believe Anand will have White again in game 7.

Anand Draws In Game 6

2 May 2010 – Last night game 6 was played and it ended in a draw. Anand with White, began with 1.d4 and the Open Catalan transpired during the game. White lost both its bishops and was fully utilising the knight pair by placing them in annoying positions to black. The game could have ended with an earlier draw at move 45 but black had other ideas. In the end, the game came to a dead draw at move 58.

Here is the end game scenario and a copy of the game from playchess.com and an analysis with Fritz11 for you to look at and analyse further.

So the series stands at Anand 3.5-2.5 Topalov. Today, 2nd May 2010 is a rest day and the seventh game will resume Monday night, 3rd May 2010.

Pix 1. Anand at the press conference after game 5.

Game 5 Drawn, World Chess Ch 2010

1 May 2010 – The fifth game of the World Chess Championship between GM Anand and GM Topalov of Bulgaria ended in a draw after a three fold repetition of moves occurred from move 41 to 44. Anand continues to lead 3.0:2.0 in the series of 12 Classical Chess matches to decide the new World Chess Champion in Sofia, Bulgaria.

As a sideline, during the chess game, an electricity power supply disruption occurred within the playing hall and emergency power supply were quickly put in place within minutes by the hosts to avoid further disruption to the game.

GM Topalov playing as white used the 1.d4 in a Slav Defence opening. After the exchange of queens in move 10, white has an active queenside and black has a blocked bishop on the kingside. As in an earlier game, black slowly improves the mobility of the bishop and rooks during the game.

Here is a copy of the fifth game in the World Chess Championship held in Sofia, Bulgaria on the afternoon of the 30th April 2010.

Tonight 1 May 2010 there will be another match for the sixth game of the series between GM Anand and GM Topalov which begins 8 pm local Malaysian time. GM Anand is the reigning World Chess Champion and GM V Topalov is the challenger.

Third Game Drawn, World Chess Ch 2010, Bulgaria

27 April 2010 – Last night the third game in the World Chess Championship between GM Anand and GM Topalov in Sofia, Bulgaria got underway with the Slav Defence where Topalov as white chose to move 1.d4 again.

The game ended with a three fold repetition at the 46th move with the pieces shown in the diagram below. Each have identical 4 pawns and one rook. Anand forced the three fold repetition onto white.

The overall score is now 1.5:1.5 between Anand and Topalov. Tomorrow the fourth game will be played at the same time, 8 pm local Malaysian time. Anand will play white.

Here is a copy of the third game of the World Chess Championship courtesy of Internet Chess Club which was played on the evening of the 27th April 2010.

[Event "ICC - World Chess Championship"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2010.04.27"]
[Round "3"]
[White "*GM_Topalov"]
[Black "*GM_Anand"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D17"]
[WhiteElo "2805"]
[BlackElo "2787"]
{D17: Slav Defence: 5 a4 Bf5: Lines with 6 Nh4 and 6 Ne5} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6  4. c3 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 a6 14. Rc1 {last book move} Rg8 15.h4 h6 16. Ke2 {White loses the right to castle} Bd6 17. h5 {White threatens to win material: h5xg6} Bh7 18. a5 Ke7 {Black loses the right to castle} 19. Na4 f6 {Covers e5} 20. b4 (20. Rhd1 Rac8 $14) 20... Rgc8 $11 21. Bc5 Bxc5 22. bxc5 {Black has a new backward pawn: b7} ({Instead of} 22. Nxc5 Nxc5 23. bxc5 Rxc5 $15) 22... Rc7 ({Inferior is} 22... Nxc5 23. Nb6 Rab8 24. Nxc8+ Rxc8 25. g4 $18) 23. Nb6 Rd8 24. Nxd7 Rdxd7 25. Bd3 Bg8 26. c6 {White threatens to win
material: c6xd7} Rd6 27. cxb7 Rxb7 28. Rc3 Bf7 29. Ke3 Be8 30. g4 e5 31. Rhc1 Bd7     32. Rc5 Bb5 33. Bxb5 axb5 {A double rook endgame occured} 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. Ke2 Ra2+ 43. Ke3 Ra3+ {Twofold repetition} 44. Ke2 Ra2+ 1/2-1/2

Anand Returns To Winning Ways In Game 2, World Ch 2010

25 April 2010 – Anand played 1.d4 in his second game against Topalov in Sofia, Bulgaria. The Open Catalan resulted in a win for Anand, evening the overall score to 1-1 to both players.

Pix 1. White played 29.Rb3 guarding the knight at d3 from the Black rook at d8 and if capture by exd3 allows black to play the dangerous discovered check 30.. e2+ from bishop at a7.

Pix 2. Black resigned after White moved 43 Ke4.

As the game progressed, black exchanged a bishop on b4 with white’s knight. This followed by an exchange of rooks at a4 but white pressed its b-pawn forward to b6 and b7 forcing black’s rook to a8 and to b8. White’s King was poised to take black’s pawn at d4 and with the overwhelming white’s domination of the position, Topalov resigned at move 43. This gives a major confidence boosting win to Anand who will now be more energised to meet Topalov in subsequent games.

Tomorrow is a rest day for the World Championship but the third game will resume on Tuesday evening, 8 pm local Malaysian time. The game can be followed at chessdom or ICC or playchess.com. There will be ten more classical chess games between GM Vishy Anand and GM  Vesselin Topalov of Bulgaria to decide the new World Chess Champion.

The first game was won by Topalov with the Gruenfeld Queen’s Pawn Opening and the second game won by Anand with the Open Catalan, also with the Queen’s Pawn Opening.

Here is a copy of the complete 2nd game between GM Anand as white against GM Topalov courtesy of Internet Chess Club where the Open Catalan transpired during the game.

[Event "ICC"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2010.04.25"]
[Round "2"]
[White "*GM_Anand"]
[Black "*GM_Topalov"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E04"]
[WhiteElo "2787"]
[BlackElo "2805"]

{E04: Open Catalan: 5 Nf3} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 a6 6.Ne5 c5 7. Na3 cxd4 8. Naxc4 Bc5 9. O-O O-O 10. Bd2 Nd5 11. Rc1 Nd7 12. Nd3 {last book move} Ba7 13. Ba5 {White threatens to win material: Ba5xd8} Qe7 14.Qb3 (14. Bxd5 exd5 15. Bb4 Qf6 $11) 14... Rb8 15. Qa3 Qxa3 16. bxa3 N7f6 {Black's piece can't move: a7} 17. Nce5 Re8 18. Rc2 {Black has a cramped position} b6 {Black threatens to win material: b6xa5} 19. Bd2 Bb7 {Black has a cramped position. Black's piece can't move: a7} 20. Rfc1 Rbd8 21. f4 Bb8 22. a4 a5 (22... Ba7 23. Nc6 Bxc6 24. Rxc6 $11) 23. Nc6 $11 Bxc6 24. Rxc6 h5 25. R1c4 Ne3 (25... Nc3 26. Rxb6 Nxe2+ 27. Kf1 $14) 26. Bxe3 $14 dxe3 27. Bf3 (27. Rxb6 e5 28. Bc6 Re7 $14) 27... g6 (27... Rd6 28. Rxd6 Bxd6 29. Rc6 $14) 28. Rxb6 $14 Ba7 {Black threatens to win material: Ba7xb6} 29. Rb3 Rd4 (29... Kg7 30. Kg2 $16) 30. Rc7 Bb8 31. Rc5 Bd6 (31... Rxa4 $4 {the pawn contains a lethal dose of poison} 32. Bc6 Rxa2 33. Bxe8 $18) 32. Rxa5 Rc8 33. Kg2 Rc2 34. a3 Ra2 $2 ( 34... h4 $5 $16) 35. Nb4 $18 Bxb4 (35... Rad2 36. Rb5 $18) 36. axb4 (36. Rxb4 $6 Rd3 $16) 36... Nd5 37. b5 Raxa4 38. Rxa4 Rxa4 39. Bxd5 exd5 40. b6 Ra8 41. b7 Rb8 42. Kf3 d4 $4 {Black has lost his nerve... understandable when you consider his position} (42... Kf8 $18) 43. Ke4 1-0

Topalov Wins First Game, 1-0!

Last night, the first game of the World Championship between GM Anand and GM Topalov got underway at 10 pm (Malaysian time) and it finished fairly quickly.

Topalov won the first game with the queen’s pawn opening 1.d4 with the Grunfeld Opening. White very quickly overan Black’s King defenses forcing the King to move from g8 to d8. In the end, the overwhelming forces of the White took its toll on Anand and he resigned on the 30th move.

The World Championship is being held in Sofia, Bulgaria over a 12 match game to decide the new World Chess Champion. The winner will get to bring home 1.2 million Euros and the loser 800 thousand Euros (minus 20% for FIDE fees).

Here is a copy of the World Championship game last night courtesy of Internet Chess Club held on the 24 April 2010 in Bulgaria between GM Topalov as white and GM Anand playing black. The Exchange Grunfeld opening transpired during the game.

[Event "ICC"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2010.04.25"]
[Round "1"]
[White "*GM_Topalov"]
[Black "*GM_Anand"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D87"]
[WhiteElo "2805"]
[BlackElo "2787"]

{D87: Exchange Grünfeld: Classical Line: Variations without ...cxd4} 1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8. Ne2 Nc6 9.
Be3 O-O 10. O-O Na5 11. Bd3 b6 12. Qd2 e5 {last book move. Black threatens to
win material: e5xd4} 13. Bh6 (13. d5 Bd7 $14)

Pix 1. After Black moved 12…. e5.

13... cxd4 (13... Bxh6 14. Qxh6 cxd4 15. cxd4 exd4 16. f4 $11) 14. Bxg7 Kxg7 15. cxd4 exd4 {Black king safety dropped.} 16. Rac1 (16. Qb2 Nc6 $14) 16... Qd6 17. f4 (17. Bc4 Bb7 18. Bd5 Bxd5 19. Qxd4+ Qf6 20. Qxf6+ Kxf6 21. exd5 Rac8 $11) 17... f6 18. f5 {White gains
space} Qe5 19. Nf4 g5 {Black threatens to win material: g5xf4} (19... Bd7 20. Bc4 g5 21. Ne6+ Bxe6 22. Bxe6 $11) 20. Nh5+ (20. Nd5 Rf7 $11) 20... Kg8 $15 21. h4 h6 (21... gxh4 $2 {doesn't lead to the expected results} 22. Qh6 Qe7 23. Rf4 $18) 22. hxg5 hxg5 23. Rf3 Kf7 (23... Bb7 $5 24. a4 Rfc8 $17 (24... Bxe4 $4 {Taking that pawn is naive} 25. Bxe4 Rad8 26. Bb1 $18)) 24. Nxf6

Pix 2. White sacrifices a knight for an important tempo attack on black with 24. Nxf6.

{White has a king attack} Kxf6 {Black wins a piece} (24... Qxf6 25. Rh3 Nc6 26. Rxc6 Qxc6 27. Qxg5 $18) 25. Rh3 Rg8 (25... Qf4 $142 {had to be tried to avoid defeat} 26. e5+ Kxe5 27. Re1+ Kd5 28. Be4+ Qxe4 29. Rxe4 Kxe4 30. Qe2+ Kd5 31. Qf3+ Kc5 32. Qa3+ Kb5 33. Qxf8 Bb7 $18) 26. Rh6+ $18 Kf7 27. Rh7+ Ke8 $4 {causes further
problems for ?} (27... Rg7 $142 28. Rxg7+ Kxg7 29. Qxg5+ Kf8 30. Qd8+ Qe8 31. Qxd4 Qf7 $18) 28. Rcc7 $18 Kd8 29. Bb5 Qxe4 (29... Nb7 30. Rc4 Bxf5 31. exf5 $18)

30. Rxc8+ $1 {Double attack: d4/d8} (30. Rxc8+ Kxc8 31. Qc1+ Nc6 32. Bxc6 Qe3+ 33. Qxe3 dxe3 34. Bxa8 $18) 1-0

Pix 3. Black resigned on White’s 30th move, 30 Rxc8+.