This is a LIVE commentary. Please make sure to refresh your browser to get updated comments 🙂 I am trying to update my comments instantly. In addition, I will also include some feedbacks and opinions from other top Grandmasters. Enjoy!
1.d4 (Again, no 1.e4)
1…d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 (This is something new for this match. Topalov is trying to surprise Kramnik.)
4…Bf5 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nh4 (Typical move in this position, trading Knight for Bishop.)
6…Bg6 7.Nxg6 hxg6 8.a3 (This seems to be a new move at first glance. I can’t remember of anyone playing this line before.)
8…Nbd7 9.g3 Be7 10.f4 (Kramnik is taking a lot of time for his 10th move. Black’s position is fine. Unless Topalov has this line all prepared at home, I do not see any advantage for White even with the space advantage and a Bishop pair. However, his pawn structure is not so hot. This will be a long strategical battle.)
10…dxc4 11.Bxc4 O-O (It is obvious that Topalov is full of confidence after a win in the last game. He is gunning for Kramnik with his opening choice this game. 12.e4 would be the most aggressive move. However, the danger of that move is the d4 pawn becomes weak. White also has no safe place for castling. So far Topalov has used less than 5 minutes and Kramnik has used around 35 minutes.)
12.e4 (Well, Topalov is playing enterprising chess again. This certainly will not be a boring game. If Black plays 12…c5 White will respond with 13.e5.)
12…b5 (A somewhat surprising move. Other options include 12…Nb6 or 12…Rc8.)
13.Be2 (Now Black has a few plans: a5 then b4 or c5. White’s plan is to play e5 then h4.)
13…b4 14.axb4 Bxb4 15.Bf3 Qb6 (Now I would O-O as White, followed by Be3. Some of you asked why Topalov is playing so fast in the last few games. One of the theories is to stop Kramnik from leaving for the restroom because that would burn his time. The other explanation is it is a psychological game. Seeing an opponent cranking out moves with that speed is quite unnerving. It shows that your opponent is well prepared and he knows what he’s doing.)
16.O-O (As I expected. White’s position is turning positive. One of the choices for Kramnik is 16…Rad8 or Rfd8. Another choice could be 16…e5 but this is a little more dangerous.)
16…e5 (Now, I expect Topalov to play 17.Be3 and White is more than fine. In fact, White has quite a good position.)
17.Be3 (The strongest move. Black has a few choices such as 17…exd4 or Rfd8. The key is after 17…exd4 White would play Na4 because he does not want to allow Bc5.)
17…Rad8 (Now 18.Na4 would be the strongest reply. White has an excellent advantage. Black will have weak a and c pawns and White has a pair of Bishop.)
18.Na4 (Once again, Topalov is playing the strongest move. Strategically speaking, White is in great shape. I think Kramnik under evaluated White’s position. He is in trouble. Other GMs also agree. GM Seirawan said: “Wow! Powerguru GM Josef Dorfman thinks Kramnik is “dead”. Wow! For example 18…Qb5 19.Qc2, White has the two Bishops, nice development, center….” Kramnik seems to be struggling right now. He is spending a lot of time on this move as he knows that it is another critical position. I wonder how this would affect him later on down the line with time pressure.)
18…Qb8 (This is somewhat surprising. Most observers were expecting Qb7 or Qb5. I believe Kramnik took something around 20 minutes for this move. 19.Qc2 looks good to me here.)
19.Qc2 (Topalov again played quickly and he chose another strongest move. By playing with this lightning speed, he is putting an incredible amount of pressure on Kramnik. He has less than 45 minutes while Topalov still has almost 95 minutes!)
19…exf4 (This is not a good move. He had to take the d pawn, not the f pawn. I would definitely take back with the Bishop.)
20.Bxf4 (Another best move. Black is having a hard time coming up with a plan now.)
20…Qb7 (Now, the question is how to proceed as White. This is a critical position for White. Will it be Rad1 or will it be Bg5? The logical choice is to center the Rook.)
21.Rad1 (The question now is how does Black continue? What is the plan for Black? Nigel Short suggested: “Rfe8 followed by Nf8-e6 I cannot see anything else.”)
21…Rfe8 (The difference between an amateur and a professional is how to proceed in a position like this. It is also the difference between a world class player versus an average grandmaster. It is one thing to have a good position. It is another thing to come up with the proper plan to continue. Anyone can sit at home with Fritz screaming out White is better. It is another thing to sit on the board coming up with a concrete plan. One of the choices may be 22.Bg5 to stop Nigel Short’s plan of Nf8 then e6.)
22.Bg5 (Nigel Short made a good observation: “One minute ago there was near unanimity that Kramnik was lost: now people cannot find plans or ideas for White and say that his King is draughty!” That is a real problem at times in chess: How to find the best plan in a good position?)
22…Be7 (Garry Kasparov chimed in: “Do i hear you saying white can’t find good plan? Agree, black isn’t lost yet“. Nigel added: “It is quite similar to this f3 and e4 line, that you kept shafting people (like me) with, Garry.” Dima Tyomkin said: “Looks like Topalovs advantage is smaller than few moves ago.”)
23.Kh1 (Nigel Short asked Kasparov: ” So Garry, do you agree with Svidler and Bareev that Makropoulos and Azmai should be dismissed and have electrodes attached to their sensitive organs?” Kasparov replied: “I feel that bareev and svidler are mixing validity of the decision with ethic and morale.”
23…Nh7 24.Be3 (White does not want to trade Bishop. The rule of chess is do not trade when you try to attack and trade if your position has little space.)
24…Bg5 (Again, I think White has to move the Bishop away, perhaps 25.Bg1. White cannot afford to trade pieces.)
25.Bg1 Nhf8 26.h4 (You are again seeing the World’s Best Attacker versus the World’s Best Defender! It is obvious that Topalov is full of confidence and he is pushing straight forward! 26…Be7 is the best move here. 26…Bh6 is not accurate.)
26…Be7 27.e5 (Topalov made this move immediately! White has an overwhelming space advantage. The downfall is if he does not succeed with his attack, his position will have many holes. That’s what an attacker has to be willing to accept.)
27…Nb8 28.Nc3 (Again, Topalov played this move almost instantly! The idea is to bring more pieces to the center and the Kingside. A possible threat is to push d5.)
28…Bb4 (Black is trying to hold off the d5 threat. This is an extremely uncomfortable position for Kramnik. It seems to me that Topalov is playing back to his form. He is playing fast and with confidence and precision. Yasser Seirawan said: ” Hmm. Vladimir’s position is slip sliding away… The idea is quite clear. White is reading the push d4-d5, the old central breakthough.”)
29.Qg2 (An unexpected move! I think it is a good move psychologically. It puts pressure on the c6 pawn and aiming for d5 at one point. Yasser said: “Note the clock times. Vladimir in serious trouble now.”
29…Qc8 (Kramnik does not feel comfortable with the pin so he moved his Queen out of the way.)
30.Rc1 (Again, Topalov played this move immediately. It is obvious that Topalov is playing FAST to stop Kramnik from visiting the restroom. I cannot find any other explanation for his speed. Kramnik is now down to 14 minutes to make 11 moves! That’s serious trouble for a position this complicated!)
30…Bxc3 31.bxc3 (Another instant move! And the best choice for recapture.)
31…Ne6 (I very much like 32.Be3 now. White’s advantage has increased in the past few moves and Kramnik is extremely low on time. Black has problem with the f file, the a and c pawn and White also has h5 at some point. IM Ken Regan notes: “Kramnik must have felt the heat on the c-pawn, but his play the last two moves has upped Fritz’s eval from 1.50 to 2.50-70. White has a dream position.” Thanks for the spelling correction everyone 🙂 Hard to analyze, type and chat with the fans on ICC and PlayChess.)
32.Bg4 Qc7 33.Rcd1 Nd7 (A number of you asked about the possibility of both players using computer help during the game. In my opinion, it is a ridiculous and unprofessional accusation, especially if coming from fellow Grandmasters. These 2 guys are the best in the world. They work their tails off to reach this level. I think it’s nonsense about computer use during the match. Until someone can demonstrate precise proof, I do not believe it.)
34.Qa2 (The problem for Topalov now is what plan to choose between so many good ones. I have no problem with this move even though the computers do not like it so much. The advantage is still overwhelming though for White.)
34…Nb6 35.Rf3 (This does not seem to be a very precise move. I would have preferred 35.Ra1.)
35…Nf8 (This is a mistake! 35.c5 may not look so great but it would give a stronger defense.)
36.Rdf1 (The attack is coming! It is very hard to defend this position as Black.)
36…Re7 37.Be3 (This is over. There is no way to defend this kind of attack. It is overwhelming for White!)
37…Nh7 38.Rxf7 Nd5 (It is looking real bad! Resignation coming soon!)
39.R7f3 (More precised would have been 39.Be6 but it is winning also. Black is down a pawn, a busted Kingside, incredibly weak pawns – isolated and double – and White has his pieces all coordinated. He could have certainly played on but the postion is quite hopeless at this level.) and Black resigned! (IM Ken Regan added: ” The move 35…c5 (which is just counter to how you play against Bishops, opening the game) involves a spectacular forcing line, don’t know if it’s best: 35…c5 36 d5 Nf8 37 d6 Qb7 38 Rdf1 Rxe5 39 Qxf7+ Qxf7 40 Rxf7 Nd5 41 Bxc5 Nf6 (attack on both Bs) 42 Bd4 Nxg4 43 Re7, still +1.2 to White but quite a mess!)
This is certainly an impressive game for Topalov. He played very fast and with pretty good accuracies. His strategy in the last few games has been cranking out moves at lightning speed. I am not sure if this has bothered Kramnik or not but his defense seems to have suffered. As I said before, you are witnessing a premier attacker versus a premier defender in action. To throw in the computer cheating accusations is totally nonsense.
Topalov seems to be in a groove right now. Kramnik needs to neutralize this groove immediately or the match will be over as we all know that Topalov is capable of pulling off consecutive wins. We finally have each side winning 2 games. Kramnik won 2 with his defensive skills and his ability to take advantage of his opponent’s errors. Topalov won 2 games with pure attacking skills.
This match has certainly become a lot more exciting in many ways!
Many of you asked do I use Fritz to come up with my suggestions. Once in a while but most of my suggestions came from my head looking at the screen. It is extremely hard to update the blog LIVE, type all the analysis, make sure there is no typo, talk to the chess fans on ICC and playchess, talk to fellow GMs, and running Fritz in the background 🙂 That is why I only go to Fritz once in a while when I have time to double check what I suggested earlier. I just have to rely on my instinct, good or bad 🙂 It is a good question though.)
Hi Susan….Lets see who wins today! I am in for Kramanik as usual!
Lets hope for 1.Nc3!
d4 again? i think veselin had a plan for the whole match to stick with d4, throwing off kramniks preparation for the obvious anti-topalov with 1.e4…
Topalov’s site guessed d4, maybe they have internal info
http://www.veselintopalov.net/article/wcc-round-9-preview
Bother!
Topa looks in aggresive mood.What a start! whts happening on the board? anyone?
the game is already on move 10. d4 was played.
This is it. Slav again. what variation is it? NxBg6? I cannot find it in my slav book. Any body know?
Topa will go for the Kill today and win
I like the bird
isnt the king side too advanced? what with the rook on the already half open file on h?
He is going for the kill indeed!! F4!!!! WOW! I must admit, I may want kramanik to win because of ethical reasons, Topalov IS the better player!!!
And anonymous, topalov is playing white offcourse he has the choice to play d4!
Isn’t it too aggressive? We are in for a good game today thats for sure!
really bizarre f4.
this weakens e4 square and white square are also in bad shape.
Susan,
I think that black’s sixth move should be …Bg6 not …g6. Otherwise the next move would be a dubious sacrifice even for Topalov. 😉
He has to have the line prepared at home – Topa took only 1 min to play 10 moves!
This looks more like a Luke McShane opening than a World Championship one.
6…g6 should be 6…Bg6
😉
hmm already 25 mins down…
IMO i think that Alburt would have prefer e6 rather than Bg6 in one of his previous book.
But my memory may be not that good!
An interesting game though!
oh wow, kramnik didnt play fritz first choice! 🙂
11.0-0 12. B-e4 dxc 13.Bxc or 11.dxc 12 Bxc 0-0 maybee
Today’s game will be a boring draw in a short number of moves. I can see the future.
the white king looks awful lonely back there with no pawns at all around him….
“However, his pawn structure is not so hot.”
Hot pawn structure? New expression for chess!
For the game score I predict 0-1
For the next move I predict c5
For the black it is really easy : the plan consists of opening the line until the white kings dies. I really cannot understand Topalov.
c5 better
My crystal ball needs cleaning?! Sorry for the misinof a few posts before.
From e3e5.com . . .
10…dxc4 Well, now we understand more clearly what may have been white’s idea with idea a2-a3 and f2-f4. Capturing more space by c4-c5 could leave black not enough air to breath.
11.Bxc4 0-0 Black prepares c6-c5. White has two bishops, but c1-bishop at this moment seems hardly to adorn white’s position, thus e3-e4 deserves attention.
12.e4
I apologize for asking, but, do you use a computer with a ches engine, while commenting the games? And, if yes, which program and which engine do you use?
Also, do you know the same for Yasser Seirawan at Playchess?
Or are the commentaries based on GM knowledge “only”?
Thanks if any reply.
Topalov’s preparation is amazing (after 15.Bf3).
Kramnik is in trouble again.
whites black bishop is the key to 1-0 maybe
After 16 O-O, it seems hard to argue that white’s king is safer than black’s one…
What do you think ?
the black King will be exstacted like a tooth
I like c5 . But black should find some anchor points for the knights.
So may be c5 dxc5 Bxc5 Kh1 e5 or c5 d5 e5 to shutdown the bishop f3 and creating anchor point.
Susan do you think that bxc3 is playable with the idea to have a pawn passed and what do you think of the pair of knights versus the pair of bishop in that case ?
Susan must be Topalov’s source of theory. He is playing ALL her suggestions!
CORRECTION?! You show 15 Be3 here. Should be 15 Bf3 – which looks harder to meet. Your later comments suggest Be3.
“..e5 is a little more dangerous”
That was my thought watching Kramnik here overall.
Looks like Kramnik is trying for a win here!
So the game is going Topalov’s way.
Hello there. Why do you think Kramnik played 16 .. e5? Wouldn’t the position after (17 fxe5 Nxe5 18 Bg3) look better for white, because he dominates the center? What am i missing here?
emille,
among other things ..e5 prevents e5 by white and dominating the space and the center. Black is claiming his share
18..well said Susan
Hello Taimoor, fellow varsity team player here..
fxe looks good locks black out
That’s right. Topa’s “coincidence” rate is above 95%!
I like Topalov but I would not underestimate Kramnik.
At least, the game looks like its going for a decisive result.
At least both players have played there e pawns up two squares.
Black cannot win from here. So if it’s going to be a decisive result then it must be victory for white. 1-0.
Even when your winning you can lose. Remember game 2!
we might get a resign soon
Looks like ..Qb6 and ..e5 were the moves that has lead to White’s advantage.
anyone know differently?
Reference: I am using Crafty because it is part of ICC Dasher.
I am too lazy to boot up my Fritz and input all the moves
hi susan,
can you elaborate on the comments of kramnik being “in trouble”? what are his immediate weaknesses, and how can topalov exploit them?
The day before I commented Topalov would react if he is a geat champion. He is currently proving that he is (on the board al least)
I am reminded of Kramnik’s quote from the last game – de ja vu
” the opponent was lucky to see all his pieces arriving at proper locations sharp on time.”
Yes but I don’t expect Topalov to blunder again. He’s quite infamously a slow starter but now at the peak of his powers. I expect him to convert.
Kramnik, meanwhile, regardless of the great player that he is, is losing his hold on this match. Especially after that toilet fracas. i would have expected him to hold from this position 3-4 years back, but not today.
The momentum has swung.Topa/Danailov’s tactis have worked! Take a bow!
do you think the game will go on past the time check? can kramnik pull a move each 2 mins or so from now on?
18…Qb8 (This is somewhat surprising. Most observers were expecting Qb7 or Qb5. I believe Kramnik took something around 20 minutes for this move.
However, 18…Qb8 was Fritz9’s first suggestion
wow!
It is refreshing to see people supporting Topalov at this blog!
At one time, I was one of the few on Top’s side.
I still think it is not so easy but I hope Topalov can pull it off.
Bg5 quite strong I believe
Topalov = Rybka
In game 8 Topalov played like 20 consecutive Rybka first choices (with only the 26…Ra8) being second choice.
Here he has now played over 10+ consecutive Rybka first choices, without even spending any time on them! In a complex position!
Simply not possible!
They accused Kramnik so that they themselves would not be suspected!
The same thing happened in MTel, Linares etc. where Topalov was entirely different played in second half of the tournament.
Many GMs, IMs, WGMs etc. have today been saying this on ICC. The whole chess world knows now.
I wonder how Kramnik is holing out mentaly
I support Kramnik not because I’m a great fan of positional chess or anything but because of the reason that we suffer from the same auto-immune condition. So I want him to do well.
I quite like Topalov’s style and like him too but hate that manager of his – Danailov.
Any chances black can draw from here?
Hopefully Kramnik can contain the two bishops and create counterplay somehow, but looks dificult indeed.
Anonymous said: “Here he has now played over 10+ consecutive Rybka first choices, without even spending any time on them! In a complex position! Simply not possible!”
Of course it’s possible; it’s home cooking. Just look at the clocks.
It seems to me that 13… Da5 would have been definitively better than b4. The idea would have been to attack e4 and to play b4 without that white may take the pawn.
22 e5 looks ok to me
So who is guilty of rope-a-dope now!
ha ha ha
“Topalov = Rybka
In game 8 Topalov played like 20 consecutive Rybka first choices (with only the 26…Ra8) being second choice.
Here he has now played over 10+ consecutive Rybka first choices, without even spending any time on them! In a complex position!
Simply not possible!
They accused Kramnik so that they themselves would not be suspected!
The same thing happened in MTel, Linares etc. where Topalov was entirely different played in second half of the tournament.
Many GMs, IMs, WGMs etc. have today been saying this on ICC. The whole chess world knows now.”
the subtle but unhuman 22.Bg5!! computer move played nearly instantly in just couple of minutes!
Rybka first choice!!
Wow! Black is retreating and white has alot of space to maneuver with two center pawns.
kramnik time is getting away
Topa is matching Shredder9 too. All moves but one. 95.7%.
I think Topalov has hit on the right strategy against Kramnik. Play quickly to keep Kramnik out of the toilet (and away from whatever connection/inspiration he gets there) and secondly establish some sort of telepathic link to Susan for candidate moves.
Personally I think Kramnik’s stated reasons (to Appeal Committee) for being so often in the toilet is crap. Walkin’ around in the toilet for 1 or 2 minutes each time when there is much more space in the rest area (which is under CCTV surveillance). This only creates suspicion.
And also I think the CCTV covering the live area should be shown to the viewing public live. Not necessarily to the Internet audience but to whoever live audience is at the palying hall.
Topalov has found the right strategy. Play quickly and match computer moves 95%.
Hi Sue did Top missed Bxe7 now??
Rybka first considered Bxe7 but then with higher depth switches to Be3. GMs on ICC are saying Topalov cheats!!
He makes difficult choices in 1-2 minutes and is totally crushing 2800 level Kramnik. Stop this joke now. Disqualify Topalov.
” Anonymous said…
Topalov has found the right strategy. Play quickly and match computer moves 95%.”
Exactly!!!
lol, like thats any strategy!
ok, lets play extremely quickly and extremely well at the same time! that will throw kramnik off!
isnt that everybodys goal? to play as fast as possible while as accurately as possible? geee..
Looks like Kramnik has regrouped well; Topy must act quickly. I quite like 26. e5 here for white, putting pressure on c6, I’m not sure how the tactics work after 26…f6 – I can’t see black playing 26…Rc8 to protect the pawn, it’s just too passive.
Topa use Rybka! Kramnik uses Fritz!
HMMMMMM! If supporters of both sides are correct, and Topo beats Kram, the folks at Chessbase definately won’t be happy!
/sarcasm off
Milty
He has over 60 minutes on his clock, and now he played Rybka’s first choice h2-h4! in just 3-4 minutes!!
No player takes such decision so quickly unless he is computer cheating!
This is obvious now!
and now without a seconds thought Rybka’s e4-e5!
Now Rybka wants Nc3, you just see!
even i would have played e4-e5 now, and i am like a 1600 or something.
just because a computer gives it as a first choice doesnt mean its also super difficult to find…
I strongly disagree with Nc3. This seems to allow Na6-b4 and a5 for black, giving a much more active knight defending c6 and guarding d5.
Some toying around with the queenside pawns as a distraction, but a brutal assault on the black king is building up.
Let see if 29. Be3
What gets me is you lot are saying Topalov is cheating with a computer or some other device. Yet Susan is calling these moves before he plays them so does Susan have some computer or device in front of her?
For all if you who comment on Topalov’s match to Rybka, bear in mind that he is sitting at the board in a room that is perfectly insulated to electronic noise and on top of that, there is a screen between the players and the audience that prevents any communication. And guess what, he does not spend any time in the toilet which is the only place (as we are all so painfully aware) where there is no surveillance…
A lot of guys are saying that Topalov is making the best moves.
this is not surprising. It is a closed position where everything does not hinge on tactics like game 2.
I don’t know what the fuss is about.
Hi Fellow team player!!! What’s your name? I think topalov is playing wonderful chess now……Kramanik should play better…the game is very interesting.
To refresh the annotation in your browser hit F5 every minute or two.
Sorry if you knew that already
Is he still working to prepare for d5?
Susan, you should also tell everyone that if you click on the date/time at the end of your post on the main page, you will be taken to a page with only that post. Then you can refresh only the game commentary and not the large main page.
The comments on this site from users are extremely annoying…as one poster said” Im am 1600 and have played 10 straight rybka moves.” something like this..This is why they are GMS…have you never gone over your game and noticed similar trends….
Anyway…I wish more people would simply learn to self analyze the position…I promise it will help your own game…just a thought..Think for yourself
time time time. this match will be lost on time.
Topalov might have a direct win in this position and he plays Rybka’s Rc1 in mere seconds!!
In move 31:
Impressive to see all black’s pieces in the back-rank
The only remaining question is how is the computer analysis transmitted to Topalov? Or does he really have a chip implanted?
I will take you back to my post nearly 80 minutes ago,
“At this rate Kramnik will struggle to make the control”
Utter dominance for white in the center. Is it time yet for the direct assault? C’mon, push h4-h5 (or e3).
Topalov using Rybka? It is a striking coicidence (or is it?) that his moves are so closely following the best chess program in the world.
Only a few programs are better than Fritz 9 and, I think, those are Rybka and Shredder 9. Throw in “Junior,” too.
If there are any mathematician/statiticians out there, can anyone formulate what the odds are for such “coincidences?”
I’m puzzled.
quote:
“30…Bxc3 31.bxc3 (Another instant move! And the best choice for recapture.)”
I fail to understand this. 30…Bxc3 might want to prevent d5, but giving up the bishop makes it even worse. And 31. Rxc3 would more or less instantly have won the poor pawn on c6. What did I overlook? Thanks
Ssuan, I like your blog.
There is also so much more I’d like to read between moves!
What are top players thinking for possible next move? And why?
Thanks! (Even if you’re a slow typist.)
Susan,
You wrote:
“White’s advantage has increased in the past few month and Kramnik is extremely low on time.”
You meant moves, not month, right (:-)?
Gabor
The odds are pretty low! A COMPUTER PROGRAM plays the best possible move {tactically} in a position. A GRANDMASTER of Topalov caliber will play the best possible move in EVERY situation. Now when the position is tactical, GM moves will be same as Computer moves. If Rybka agrees 95%, it is wrong! It should agree 100%!!Only then will it be called a perfect program.
Tim Harris —
If you look at well-played WCC-caliber games, very often the best engine move is selected by the players. Go into Fritz, e.g., and run through some games. It is commonplace.
Mike D.
as i mentioned a few days ago – Topalovs brain chip got recalibrated … believe me or not …
🙂 sincerly, Vohaul
I would like to know Susan’s opinion on how possible it is for a human to match 28 moves of a computer in 20 mins. Is opening preparation of top GMs so strong these days ? Only she can evaluate this, as a top GM, we can not comment on the preparation depth of top GMs.
32. Bg4. Hmmm… I must be too impatient.
”White’s advantage has increased in the past few month…”
How long are they playing?
🙂
I am sure if u analyze Kramnik’s moves with Rybka, u will see that a lot of moves will match. Just like that of Topalov. The point here is they are Grand Masters… and Rybka is also equal if not better than them.
Susan… every once and a while you should take a page out of Ken Regan’s book and acknowledge that most of your comments suggestions (“I like X…, I really don’t like Y…) are coming from Fritz. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it should be acknowledged from time to time.
If Topalov wins this game…what does everyone think will happen with the foreit win gained by Topalov?
Also, with computers, I just don’t even the best GM’s beating Rybka or Shredder (possibly Frit 9, though) in a match. Despite chess programs “weaknesses” they’ve proven themselves. For example, didn’t GM Michael Adams gain only a single draw againse a chess program within the past year, I think?
Plus, if Fritz isn’t the best program…then why would the “man vs machine” match coming up use the best chess program rather than Fritz?
Again…a bit confusing on my part.
Respectfully,
Tim Harris
32.be3 nc7 33.bg5 rd7 34.qa2 would have been better than 32.bg4 – i suppose
but how knows?
It’s interesting to note that after the 33 move of Black, Fritz is evaluating it at ~2.50, while Rybka is by far less optimistic at “only” ~0.80.
Well, Qa2 certainly wasn’t a computer move!
oh would you all please not go on about how one is using rybka, the other using toilet…
of course the play matches a lot. no wonder, it would be surprising if it didnt!
Accusatino of computer use is — agreed! — ridiculous.
But to set tournament conditions where it can’t even be a possibiliy is not ridiculous.
Question: Why is tournament set up so winner and loser each receive equal purse?
Topalov is wearing earplugs, so with a microphone inside one of them, he wouldn’t need to walk away from the board to use Rybka. He’s already a thief, why can’t he also be a cheat?
Topalov playing blitz!
Just look how incredible Susan’s brain is. She keeps track of our comments here, comments or ICC and playchess, follows the game and variations possible, and updates her blog all this at same time. Susan, can a top GM prepare over 25 moves as home preparation as pointed out earlier ? My guess is its not preparation, but just intuition based fast moves by topalov in first 28 moves of the game.
Now Topalov is completely winning!
the game is as good as over
Kramnik blundered again…
To: Susan
Have you played against Rybka?
Pls. comment on this.
oh oh oh … it happened again – Kramnik blundered with nf8 ….
A classic on how to attack by Topalov.
Black resigns.
1-0.
It’s obvious that the last few moves from Kramnik came under intense time pressure.
Nf8 came under time pressure.
i think 39.Rf3 was weak.
Not the strongest. Maybe he wants to go into the next time control.
no time for toilet in this game lol
34. Qa2 is great for an attack on the f-file. It surprised me, though, because I was looking at the h-file instead.
OK Now that each player has won two games, what if Topalov offers to give back the 1-point forfeit? Then the match is even. Would this help save the match from its tainted toilet scandal???
I know Kramnik,
“His position did not fall apart almost by a miracle”
i dont think his manager will give it back tho
What is the immediate threat to Black that caused resignation?
Is is 40 Qf2 ???
is it the Qf2 or the time ?
Disgusting comments from fans of both players although initiated by Danailov. I don’t think either of them cheats or is cheating. They are super GMs. Magnificent players. One who is the only human to beat Kasparov in a match and the other one who has been the strongest human chess player in the last one and a half years. I think Topalov is at the peak of his powers whereas Kramnik has slipped a bit.
Anyway, hats off to both players. And Susan ofcourse.:-)
49 visits to the toilet in one game? Kramnik must be terribly ill. No wonder it’s all slipping away!
My suggestion to make the match into one that history will not consider tainted:
Add one more condition: The match must continue until one player has 2 points more than the other.
“What is the immediate threat to Black that caused resignation?
Is is 40 Qf2 ???”
In my opinion, it’s Bg5 to open the h-rank before Qf2 comes.
I don’t think black can do anything against whites entering on eights or seventh row.
Nd5 can’t help because of the Pe5….
But that’s just the opinion of a “Patzer”, how we say in germany.
Sorry for my faults with the english languange by the way.
Greetings, Jochen
Give us more GM crazy talk. Oh, and Brian Rudzevich is gay!
haha! no time for toilet in this game, huh? gg
… we all know the truth now. thank you Veselin!
Susan,
Quote:
“We finally have each side winning 2 games. Kramnik won 2 with his defensive skills and his ability to take advantage of his opponent’s errors. Topalov won 2 games with pure attacking skills.”
You seems to never loose one opportunity to invalidate the judge decision.
Let me add that I am not for Kramnik neither for Topalov. I am for the profissionalization of chess.
And that only will occur if the players obey judge decisions, like in all sports.
Do you want a unified world champion under FIDE? Why if the chess players do not trust in FIDE?
Thank you,
Beco
the problem is that kramnik is not playing for a win in any of his games , he wants a draw or a mistake from topalov
Kramnik is just letting Toplaov win for psychological purposes. Kramnik will now come back and sweep the rest of the games.
Now that the game is over, let me chime in with an opinion.
Susan wrote:
“These 2 guys are the best in the world. They work their tails off to reach this level. I think it’s nonsense about computer use during the match.”
As a physician in active practice (OB-GYN), who sees people with various bladder problems on the daily basis, I can confidently state that there is no common bladder problem which would require anyone to go to the bathroom 18 times during an average length chess game. An uncommon bladder problem (I don’t want to go into details) on the other hand would typically disallow a person to even sit down and play chess at this level.
To all the people who call Susan a “top GM”,
Susan is not a top GM. Her sister Judit is. On FIDE October 2006 lists, Judit has a rating of 2710 and #16 in the world. Susan is not even in top 50 women list.
Sincere thanks to Susan Polgar for the excellent and good-humored live commentary. There must be many who, like me, are genuinely grateful for this service.
We have so many morons here, don’t we? Susan was the 1st woman to make the men’s top 100. She was the first to earn the GM title. She is still #2 in the world. She’s just not on the active list. What’s your rating 1200? Why do you come here if you don’t like what she has to say? Go learn some manner, moron. She’s one of the most respected GMs in the world.
Dear Susan,
Many thanks for all the hard work you do during the Kramnik -Topalov match. I really appreciate it highly to see your comments but I also know it is working very hard to follow it all and put it in a webblog. Chapeau!
Best,
Rob.
Is Susan Polgar a top GM? It depends on the definition! But one has to be honnest, she is most likely not. She may be #215 in the world (see FIDE website), with an old rating of 2577 (she has not been “active” for about two years and is therefore not in FIDE list), which is actually the maximum she reached after 2000.
Anyway she is much stronger than any of us and her live and free comments are well appreciated all over the world. In addition, she also takes into account remarks from other GMs and a bit help from computer.
Thank you very much Susan Polgar! I wish you further success!
Susan,
Thank you for your realtime commentary. Was originally following on Chessbase and they locked up on Move 12 when you were already on Move 32! So, I just stayed on your site.
–Mike
We are witnessing the Kramnik Kollapse! Will it continue? Strange that he lost his chess powers just as he was denied his former bathroom privileges. He obviously draws his power from his toilet–whether cheating or whatever! (Actually, we already know for a fact some strong GMs have cheated in the past, and these two players are human as well.) And his collapse also coincides with the arrival of his two “friends,” Bareev and Svidler. Maybe they should go back home because their partisan antics aren’t helping their pal.
jochen and anonyme: maybe a strong threath is also Bc1 followed by Qc2 attacking g6 and with also Ba3.
i don’t know what the idiot is talking about, but i looked at my Rybka and for example moves 21.Rd1, 23.Kh1 and 24.Be3 where far from the first computer choice
Topalov has played excellent chess the last couple of games, but his most important move now is off the board. He needs to give back the forfeit point and decide the match over the board. Yes, it was Kramnik’s choice not to play Game 5, and Kramnik’s incessant toilet visits early in the match did look suspicious even though there was no real evidence that he was cheating and I doubt that he was.
But the way Topalov/Danailov went about raising the issue made Topalov (who previously had a reputation of being a reasonably nice guy) look like a complete ass. And of course if the rest of the match is even and he “wins” by forfeit, everyone in the world will consider him a paper champion as well as a total jerk. Even if he goes on to win the match convincingly and the forfeit point becomes irrelevant, if he doesn’t give back the point, he will go down in history as the champion who was a complete ass. Does he really want that? I don’t see that he really has anything to gain by keeping the point — if he wins the match over the board, he doesn’t need the point, and if the games actually played come out even, he’s not a legitimate champ. Unfortunately, so far it doesn’t seem that he’s as rational away from the chessboard as he is at it. Come on Topalov, don’t go down in history as yet another great chessplayer who was a total jerk!
Here from Denmark, Europe, I just want to thank you very much for your live comments, Susan. I appreciate very much your open minded comments on the whole situation around the match.
Finaly: I would hope that people focus on fairness in their comments to the toilet thing. I do not think is is fair behaviour from Kramniks side to go so often from the board, and therefore I understand Topalovs reaction – well written or not. On the board Topalov is the one who playes the risky moves (from game 1) – without his creativity we get games like game no. 6. Korchnois comments just proves that Topalov is even ready to play unsound to create positions full of tension – but with possibilities – so who is the most important player for our lovely game chess – that it should not be a dead drawn game ?
“Stop defending that computer cheater Topalov, you only make yourself look stupid.”
Don’t be silly. Topalov hardly leaves the board, and the security measures in the building make it impossible to either sneak a computer in or receive electronic messages. How could he cheat with a computer? I don’t think either player’s off-the-board behavior in this match has been above reproach, and I especially haven’t liked Topalov’s, but especially given the un-computer-like blunders both players have made, there’s no reason to think that either player has used computers.
Thx Susan for all your comments! You are great!
Greetings from Italia to all chess players in the world!
Daniel
I wonder if anyone who has fritz 9 and rybka latest has run these programs under the same number of minutes it took for each move to be made. For example, if kramnik made game 2, move 28 in, say 10 mins, then you need to let the machine run for atleast 8 mins and see what it picks as top move. Once this is done for each move, then all this computer cheating gibberish will start to make some sense. How can anyone comment, without putting time restraints or the computer moves, because the engine clearly depends on how much time it spends analysing. Has anyone looked at a game in that perspective and compared ?
Hi. To answer a previous post, I posted my brief review of Rybka 2.1c UCI on CD a couple of hours ago, with some examples from the World Championship match. You can read it at http://www.jovanpetronic.com/
chessreviews/
convekta005.htm
It has a few positions which may be of interest to you.
P.S. Thanks Susan for excellent comment pages, I enjoy reading them very much.
“As a physician in active practice (OB-GYN), who sees people with various bladder problems on the daily basis, I can confidently state that there is no common bladder problem which would require anyone to go to the bathroom 18 times during an average length chess game. An uncommon bladder problem (I don’t want to go into details) on the other hand would typically disallow a person to even sit down and play chess at this level.”
That’s called strawmanning. Kramnik never said that he has a bladder problem or was going to the loo everytime to relieve himself. Chess is about psychology. Maybe the toilet is the place where he felt he could go to gather his thoughts away from the prying eyes and camera lenses. Don’t jump to comclusions that he was going there to cheat without evidence. The Appeals committee did a terrible thing by locking his toilet thereby changing mathc conditions that both players agreed to at the start. Totally correct to decision to forfeit game 5.
Do not forget that players should be searched physically for portable chess sets (analog) to prevent cheating by utilizing the advantage afforded by physical visualization of the positions (thus defeating the horizon effect for example). Said chess sets will not be found by electronic means.
Susan,
Thanks so much for your excellent commentaries. They are the best and most useful I have read anywhere. I hope you continue doing them for other events!
“The Appeals committee did a terrible thing by locking his toilet thereby changing mathc conditions that both players agreed to at the start. Totally correct to decision to forfeit game 5.”
He colud use the other toilet that was available fot both players. Why was that so terrible?
As a sidenote I am totally clueless what was Kramnik expecting by not turnig up for game 5. Obviously he did not expect to win by default. It must have been some kind of gamble that did not pay out for him. Although he may have been put in an unfavourable position, at the end of the day it was his unreasonable behaviour(not showing up) that lost him the point.
“That’s called strawmanning. Kramnik never said that he has a bladder problem or was going to the loo everytime to relieve himself. Chess is about psychology. Maybe the toilet is the place where he felt he could go to gather his thoughts away from the prying eyes and camera lenses.
Don’t jump to comclusions that he was going there to cheat without evidence.”
I didn’t jump into any conclusions. I merely stated the facts, from a phsyician’s standpoint, to make sure people understand, that it is unreasonable to think that he may have had to use the restroom that many times. That’s all. Everybody can draw their own conclusions.
Gabor
I am shocked that Kramnik allowed the Rxf7 combination. Everyone would look at combinations on f7 at that point, so how is it possible that a world champion would miss it? It could be easily prevented with Nf8, I believe.
It’s a much worse blunder than Topalov’s missing the mate in Game 2, which some other GMs (not using engines) also missed.
Susan I have just read the whole commentary 15hours after the game..it reads like an exciting thriller..every comment full of suspense and excitment..A JOB VERY WELL DONE BY …I enjoyed it very much
GM Am. RODRIQUES on ICCgame report calls game 9 a MASSACRE
Did the players do press conferences after Game 9?
Valery,
Why are you so angry with the facts ? Is it your standard reaction to call people “moron” when you hear facts that you can’t stand ? Can you send us a link from FIDE site that shows us that Susan is #2 ? Finally, anybody has the right to go to any web site whether one likes it or not. The owner of the blog can delete the commnets that he/she doesn’t like. There is no need for “advocates” like you.
Dramatic ending to a dramatic match. Congratulations to Vladimir Kramnik.