Topalov vs Anand Game 12

[tomgdrums]

[d]8/5Nqk/3R4/p6p/P1p5/6PK/8/8 w - - 0 57

Topalov Resigns


[Event "World Chess Championship"]
[Site "Sofia/Bulgaria"]
[Date "2010.05.11"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2805"]
[BlackElo "2787"]
[Annotator "Robot 3"]
[PlyCount "112"]
[EventDate "2010.05.11"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "12"]
[EventCountry "BUL"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 O-O 7. e3 Ne4 8. Bxe7
Qxe7 9. Rc1 c6 10. Be2 Nxc3 11. Rxc3 dxc4 12. Bxc4 Nd7 13. O-O b6 14. Bd3 c5
15. Be4 Rb8 16. Qc2 Nf6 17. dxc5 Nxe4 18. Qxe4 bxc5 19. Qc2 Bb7 20. Nd2 Rfd8
21. f3 Ba6 22. Rf2 Rd7 23. g3 Rbd8 24. Kg2 Bd3 25. Qc1 Ba6 26. Ra3 Bb7 27. Nb3
Rc7 28. Na5 Ba8 29. Nc4 e5 30. e4 f5 31. exf5 e4 32. fxe4 Qxe4+ 33. Kh3 Rd4 34.
Ne3 Qe8 35. g4 h5 36. Kh4 g5+ 37. fxg6 Qxg6 38. Qf1 Rxg4+ 39. Kh3 Re7 40. Rf8+
Kg7 41. Nf5+ Kh7 42. Rg3 Rxg3+ 43. hxg3 Qg4+ 44. Kh2 Re2+ 45. Kg1 Rg2+ 46. Qxg2
Bxg2 47. Kxg2 Qe2+ 48. Kh3 c4 49. a4 a5 50. Rf6 Kg8 51. Nh6+ Kg7 52. Rb6 Qe4
53. Kh2 Kh7 54. Rd6 Qe5 55. Nf7 Qxb2+ 56. Kh3 Qg7 0-1

I wanted to say thanks for your postings during this match! I had a rather hectic couple of weeks and your posts were the best and quickest way for me to keep up with the match!! Now that summer is here life calms down and I can go back and look at the games.

I am glad Anand won but I am even happier that it was such a great down to the wire match that had a lot of good chess. Topalov is hard to like sometimes but he is definitely one heck of a fighter at the board!!

I am glad Topalov fought so well because it makes Anand even better champion. He had to really earn it. And earn it he did.

Thanks again for your posts during the match.

[Guenther]

[D]b2r2k1/p1r1q1p1/7p/2p2P2/2N1p3/R4PP1/PP3RKP/2Q5 w - -

Here is the critical position, where Topa played the blunder fxe4 ... instead Re3 or Kg1

I think that was the worst game in the whole championship.
Why on earth did Topalov play that f3 followed by Rf2?
This looks so artificial and it was :)
After this it went downhill.

Guenther

[michiguel]

[D]b2r2k1/p1r1q1p1/7p/2p2P2/2N1p3/R4PP1/PP3RKP/2Q5 w - -

Here is the critical position, where Topa played the blunder fxe4 ... instead Re3 or Kg1

This series of moves is really difficult to comprehend.

I am curious to know that the mental process was to leave the king so unprotected and to make the opponents pieces so powerful. This game was awful.

Miguel

[Aser Huerga]

I am curious to know that the mental process was to leave the king so unprotected and to make the opponents pieces so powerful. This game was awful.

Miguel

I guess, for what I saw through the webcam in the playing room, Topalov was explaining these mental process to Anand when game ends. I'm curious too!

[shiv]

Interesting match. Anand did not play well (judging from his blunders and missed opportunities) but Topalov played worse. Feel bad for Topalov's last game performance as a player of his caliber should be able to passively defend such positions to a draw (though this is a clear Topalov weakness).

Was also glad there was no toiletgate or other incidents from Danailov.

[Terry McCracken]

[d]8/5Nqk/3R4/p6p/P1p5/6PK/8/8 w - - 0 57

Topalov Resigns


[Event "World Chess Championship"]
[Site "Sofia/Bulgaria"]
[Date "2010.05.11"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2805"]
[BlackElo "2787"]
[Annotator "Robot 3"]
[PlyCount "112"]
[EventDate "2010.05.11"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "12"]
[EventCountry "BUL"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 O-O 7. e3 Ne4 8. Bxe7
Qxe7 9. Rc1 c6 10. Be2 Nxc3 11. Rxc3 dxc4 12. Bxc4 Nd7 13. O-O b6 14. Bd3 c5
15. Be4 Rb8 16. Qc2 Nf6 17. dxc5 Nxe4 18. Qxe4 bxc5 19. Qc2 Bb7 20. Nd2 Rfd8
21. f3 Ba6 22. Rf2 Rd7 23. g3 Rbd8 24. Kg2 Bd3 25. Qc1 Ba6 26. Ra3 Bb7 27. Nb3
Rc7 28. Na5 Ba8 29. Nc4 e5 30. e4 f5 31. exf5 e4 32. fxe4 Qxe4+ 33. Kh3 Rd4 34.
Ne3 Qe8 35. g4 h5 36. Kh4 g5+ 37. fxg6 Qxg6 38. Qf1 Rxg4+ 39. Kh3 Re7 40. Rf8+
Kg7 41. Nf5+ Kh7 42. Rg3 Rxg3+ 43. hxg3 Qg4+ 44. Kh2 Re2+ 45. Kg1 Rg2+ 46. Qxg2
Bxg2 47. Kxg2 Qe2+ 48. Kh3 c4 49. a4 a5 50. Rf6 Kg8 51. Nh6+ Kg7 52. Rb6 Qe4
53. Kh2 Kh7 54. Rd6 Qe5 55. Nf7 Qxb2+ 56. Kh3 Qg7 0-1

http://www.chess.co.uk/twic/chessnews/e ... ip-game-12

Thanks for the coverage Ted!

[Sven]

[D]b2r2k1/p1r1q1p1/7p/2p2P2/2N1p3/R4PP1/PP3RKP/2Q5 w - -

Here is the critical position, where Topa played the blunder fxe4 ... instead Re3 or Kg1

According to Stockfish 1.7.1, one move earlier white should have played 31.Nd2 instead of exf5 with about equal play. After 31.exf5 e4 32.Re3 exf3+ 33.Kg1 Qg5 black may have a small advantage, 32.Kg1 exf3 33.Re3 Qg5 would be a transposition. Therefore one might also call the position one move earlier "critical".

Without exf5, the white king was quite safe, so f3 followed by Rf2 was not really bad IMO.

Sven

[Terry McCracken]

[D]b2r2k1/p1r1q1p1/7p/2p2P2/2N1p3/R4PP1/PP3RKP/2Q5 w - -

Here is the critical position, where Topa played the blunder fxe4 ... instead Re3 or Kg1

According to Stockfish 1.7.1, one move earlier white should have played 31.Nd2 instead of exf5 with about equal play. After 31.exf5 e4 32.Re3 exf3+ 33.Kg1 Qg5 black may have a small advantage, 32.Kg1 exf3 33.Re3 Qg5 would be a transposition. Therefore one might also call the position one move earlier "critical".

Without exf5, the white king was quite safe, so f3 followed by Rf2 was not really bad IMO.

Sven

Yep, the first mistake followed up with a blunder.

[d]b2r2k1/p1r1q1p1/7p/2p1pp2/2N1P3/R4PP1/PP3RKP/2Q5 w - f6 0 31

[VP]

Interesting match. Anand did not play well (judging from his blunders and missed opportunities) but Topalov played worse. Feel bad for Topalov's last game performance as a player of his caliber should be able to passively defend such positions to a draw (though this is a clear Topalov weakness).

Was also glad there was no toiletgate or other incidents from Danailov.

What are you talking? Anand played well- and so did Topa.
Anand played better.

In chess, there is no single best move. The moves vary as per the level of opponent as well, and sometimes, even the top players blunder, which is natural and "human" in a pressure cooker situation.

I am sure if Anand was to play Rybka, he would play a different type of game. If he played against a 2100 ELO rated player, his moves would be different ( probably more risky? Would he try to complicate the game?)
Against a 2800+ player, he played what he felt was the best.

GM have missed mate in one, so I do not see too much into how Anand or Topa played.

They are 2800 rated players for a reason, and both deserve to be there..
Now to the next biggie
Anand v/s Magnus

[shiv]

Interesting match. Anand did not play well (judging from his blunders and missed opportunities) but Topalov played worse. Feel bad for Topalov's last game performance as a player of his caliber should be able to passively defend such positions to a draw (though this is a clear Topalov weakness).

Was also glad there was no toiletgate or other incidents from Danailov.

What are you talking? Anand played well- and so did Topa.
Anand played better.

In chess, there is no single best move. The moves vary as per the level of opponent as well, and sometimes, even the top players blunder, which is natural and "human" in a pressure cooker situation.

I am sure if Anand was to play Rybka, he would play a different type of game. If he played against a 2100 ELO rated player, his moves would be different ( probably more risky? Would he try to complicate the game?)
Against a 2800+ player, he played what he felt was the best.

GM have missed mate in one, so I do not see too much into how Anand or Topa played.

They are 2800 rated players for a reason, and both deserve to be there..
Now to the next biggie
Anand v/s Magnus

Well, I am not even thinking about engines, Anand has made a few mistakes in this match which are way below his level, the blunder in the drawn endgame and missing a win in game 9. The blunder in the drawn endgame is something even a 2200 level player can see. The multiple missed wins of game 9 are again things that 2200-2300 level players can see. I see latter half of match as below par for Anand (not counting last game). Of course, the pressure of a world championship match probably has a lot to do with it, though it must be disappointing for Anand (and Topalov).

Topalov too went wild and converted many slightly worse positions to losing ones.

I am not comparing their games against engines, just against their peak forms. Anand did have better nerves towards the end, this was a marked improvement from some of earlier matches against Kamsky, Kasparov, and Karpov.