ChessVault

Anand has been here before and scored a win against Gelfand almost a decade ago. Kasparov, as Black, beat Ivanchuk in 1995.

11… Na5 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. Nd5:

• 13… Bg5 14. Qd3 Rc8 15. Rfd1 Kh8 16. Nc3 Be7 17. Nd5 Bg5 18. Kh1 Bh6 19. Nc3 Nxb3 20. axb3 Qb6 21. Kg1 Rc6 22. Qe2 Qc7 23. Ne1 f5 24. Nd3 fxe4 25. Qxe4 Qf7 26. Qe2 Qg6 27. f3 Bf5 28. Nb4 Rc7 29. Nbd5 Rcf7 30. Ne4 Bg5 31. Ndc3 Be7 32. Rd3 Rc8 33. Rad1 Rc6 34. Nd5 Bf8 35. Rc3 h5 36. Kh1 h4 37. h3 Kg8 38. Rc4 Qh5 39. Ne3 d5 40. Nxd5 Bxh3 41. gxh3 Rxf3 42. Nef6+ Anand - Gelfand, Dos Hermanas 1996, 1-0 (42)
• 13… Nxb3 14. axb3 Bg5 15. Qd3 Bh6 16. Rad1 Rc8 17. Nd2 b5 18. c3 Kh8 19. b4 Ra8 20. Nb3 f5 21. Na5 Rc8 22. Qh3 Rf7 23. Rfe1 Qe8 24. Qh4 Qf8 25. exf5 Bxf5 26. f3 Bc2 27. Ra1 Bf5 28. h3 Qe8 29. Qf2 Qe6 30. Rad1 Qg6 31. Kh1 Rcf8 32. h4 Bc2 33. Rd2 Bxd2 34. Qxd2 Qg3 35. Nb7 Rxb7 Ivanchuk - Kasparov, New York 1995, 0-1 (35)

13. Qd2 Nc5 14. Rad1 Rad8 15. Qe3 Nxb3 16. axb3 f5 17. Nd5 Qd7 18. Ng5 Nd4 19. Nxe6 Qxe6 20. c3 Predojevic - Shirov, Sarajevo BIH 2005, 1/2 (20)

Anand takes away key squares from the Black pieces - g4, d4 and b4.

Preventing the freeing …d5. The Black central pawn complex is weak. Black will find it difficult to break with …d5 without weakening the …e5 pawn.

d6 becomes the focus of attention

Covers g5, but at the cost of weakening the light squares around the Black king. Shredder 7:

• 24… b6 25. Ng5 Qe7 26. Qg3 Rf4 27. a4 Qf6 28. Re2 Kh8 29. Re3 Rc5 30. Ree1 Qg6 [eval 0.14/16]
• 24… Qf7 25. b4 b6 26. Rc2 Qc7 27. a3 Rf6 28. Ng5 Rg6 29. h4 Rf6 30. Qe2 h6 31. Nf3 [eval 0.27/16]
• 24… Qe7 25. b4 b6 26. Rc2 Qc7 27. a3 Rf6 28. Ng5 Rg6 29. h4 Rf6 30. Qe2 h6 31. Nf3 [eval 0.27/16]
• 24… Rc5 25. Qe2 b6 26. Ng5 Qe7 27. Qh5 h6 28. Nf3 b5 29. cxb5 axb5 30. a4 bxa4 31. bxa4 Rc4 32. Ra2 Rxe4 33. Qg6 Ref4 34. a5 [eval 0.29/16]
• 24… Rf6 25. Qe3 Qa5 26. Qg5 Rc7 27. Qh5 Re7 28. Ng5 h6 29. Nf3 Rf4 30. Qg6 [eval 0.39/16]

Anand plays to lock down the light squares around the Black king. 26. Ne1 a5 27. Nd3 g6 28. Qg4 Rxf2 29. Nxf2 Kg8 30. Qxe6+ Qf7 31. Qxf7+ Kh8 32. Qxb7 +/-

Leko starts to drift into a plan that takes his Black quee too far from the kingside.

Regrouping the knight to d3 pushes Black back in the centre and allows White to start operations on the kingside as well as in the centre.

weakening the defender of the e5-pawn.

Attacking the weak …e6 pawn. Black’s centre is under pressure.

Ditching the e5 pawn in an attempt to get some activity.

Black’s centre collapses. 36. exd5?! exd5 37. Ne5 Rf6 +-

37. exd5 Nxd5 38. Qxe6 Nf6 +-

44… Rg8 +- desperation

Better is 48. Ne7 secures victory Rgf8 +-

Black is completely out of moves.

Adams has essayed a variety of different lines against Topalov’s Sicilian, from 3.Bb5+ through to lines involving a king side fianchetto. Two tries at the Keres attack. Naturally the English Attack makes an apperance too. Its only recently, in this game, and in the FIDE World Championship that Adams has opted for a main-line Scheveningen set-up as White.

Adams prefers not to repeat the opening position he successfully scared Topalov with during the Fide Championship (13. Nb3). Topalov no doubt had a number of improvements lined up. 13. Nb3 b6 14. e5 dxe5 15. fxe5 Nd7 16. Bxc6 Qxc6 17. Nd4+/= Adams - Topalov, WCh-FIDE, San Luis, 1/2 (45)

15. Nde2 b6 16. Qe1 Nc6 17. Qf2 Nb4 18. Na2 Nxa2 19. Rxa2 Nd7 20. Bd4 Bb7= Dolmatov - Kurnosov, 4th IECC, Istanbul 2003, 1/2 (28)

15… b6 16. e5 dxe5 17. fxe5 Nd7 18. Bf4 Nxe5 19. Qe3 f6 20. Ne4 Bc5 21. Nxc5 bxc5 22. Ne2= Jansa - Stohl, Germany 2003, 1/2 (28). Looks very much like the mess Topalov got himself into against Adams in San Luis.

Regrouping the bishop to e3 where it strengthens the threat of e4-e5. With the two White bishops trained at the Black queenside Black has to be extremely careful in how he activates his pieces there.

Perhaps a bit too ambitious.

locking down Black’s counterplay on the queenside.

Trying to prevent f5. The longer term aim is to get the bishop fianchettoed on the g7-square, putting pressure down the long diagonal and specifically the c3-square. 20… Ba6 21. Ra1 Rec8+/=

A natual reply to the threat of a fianchettoed bishop on g7 - lock down the diagonal. It also clarifies Black’s ambitions in the centre.

21… Bg7 22. Qd3 d5 +/-

Smashing through Black’s pawn barrier, it takes advantage of the disarray of Black’s pieces. The threats from the g3-bishop make this particular sacrifice work, because after …exd5 he can play e6! with tempo.

23… exd5 24. e6 +-

Refusing the exchange of queens so as to keep the attack going. 24. Qe3 in the analysis room after the game Adams remarked that this move is stronger, since it also prevents the later …e5 threats that complicates White’s winning lines.

Taking away the g5 square from the White queen24… exd5 25. Qg5+ +/- Shredder 7:

• 25… Kh8 26. Bxd5 Qg4 27. Qxg4 fxg4 28. Bxf7 Re7 29. e6 Rb7 30. Bh4 Ra7 31. c3 Kg7 32. Rf4 Kh6 33. Rf5 Ne5 34. Rxe5 [eval 3.82/15]
• 25… Bg7 26. Bxd5 Qe2 27. Rde1 Qxc2 28. e6 Kh8 29. exd7 Bxd7 30. Bxb8 Rxb8 31. Re7 h6 32. Qe3 Be6 33. Bxe6 fxe6 34. Qxe6 Qe4 [eval 4.26/14]

Adams takes away the g4-square as a potential outpost for the Black queen. In a number of lines this move gives White a few headaches. Shredder 7:

• 25. Rfe1 Kh7 26. c3 exd5 27. Bxd5 Qg4 28. Bxf7 Re7 29. e6 Rb7 30. exd7 Rbxd7 31. Bd5 Bg7 32. Qd3 Bb7 33. Qxb5 Bxc3 34. Rxe7+ Rxe7 [eval 1.88/13]
• 25. Qf2 exd5 26. Bxd5 Qg4 27. Bc6 Bxb4 28. Rd4 Qg6 29. Bxd7 Bxd7 30. Rxd7 Rbd8 31. Rd4 Be7 32. Rf4 Qc6 33. Rxf5 Bc5 34. Qe2 [eval 1.48/13]
• 25. Nf6+ Nxf6 26. exf6 e5 27. Rfe1 Qxb4 28. Rxe5 Qxd2 29. Rxe8 Qxd1+ 30. Bxd1 Ra8 31. Bh4 [eval 1.26/13]

Black’s queen is forced to retreat, and White can continue his strong attack.

Topalov switches to swindle mode trying to catch Adams out. Both players were a little short of time at this point. 28… Nxe5 29. Rxe5 Rxe5 30. Bxe5 Rb6 +-

Luring the Black king to the f-file where it is at the mercy of the White major pieces. 29. Bxe6 fxe6 30. Rf3 Bg7 +-

29… Kxf7 30. Qf4+

30. Bxe6?! is not possible 30… Bxe6 31. Rf6 Bb3 +-

The endgame sees White with two extra pawns, but its the badly places Black pieces that are the decisive factor.

35… Rbb6 36. Qa8+ Kf7 +-

36. Qd1!? might be the shorter path 36… Rxf6 37. exf6 bxc3 38. Qe1+ Kd8 +-

37. Qd3 Rxf6 38. exf6 bxc3 39. Qxc3 Kf7 40. Qc7+ Kxf6 41. Qxb8 Be6 42. Qf4+ Ke7 43. Qh4+ Kd6 44. Qxh6 Kd5 45. Qg5+ Ke4 +-

38. Qc4!? makes it even easier for White 38… Bd7 39. Qc2 Kf8 +-

Topalov resigns 42. h5 Bb7 43. h6 +-