Photo courtesy of Chessdom
Veselin Topalov – Vishy Anand (D17)
Game 3 LIVE commentary
Current score is 1-1
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 Anand chose the Slav instead of Gruenfeld as in game 1. This is a better choice. Kramnik employed the Slav frequently with relative success against Topalov in their match a few years ago.
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 This is so far all theory. A much better opening choice for Anand than in game 1.
12. Nxd7 Nxd7 13. Bxc4 a6 White has a small advantage right now because his pieces are fully developed and more coordinated, and has space advantage. This is the kind of position players like Kramnik or Kamsky would thrive on. Let’s see what Topalov can do with it!
14. Rc1 Topalov spent the most time on this move so far. Black has several problems. His Bishop on f8 cannot get out too easily because of the g7 pawn. Therefore, he may have to move his Rook to g8 to defend that pawn in order to get his f8 Bishop out. The other problem is Black’s g6 Bishop has no mobility. It does not look like he will be to castle as well. White’s objective is to maintain the initiatives and not allow Black to coordinate his pieces.
14…Rg8 Now Anand’s Bishop on f8 can get out.
15. h4 h6 Black has to obviously create room for his Bishop due to the h5 threat.
16. Ke2 Bd6 Now that the f8 Bishop is out, Anand has to work on doing something about his g6 Bishop. This will not be an easy task. The question is what can Topalov do to take advantage of his space advantage? He can push Black’s Bishop to the corner with h5. But then what? We shall see…
17. h5 Bh7 18. a5 Now Black should play Bb4 to force White to bring his Rook back to a1 to defend the a5 pawn. Both Anand and Topalov spent a considerable amount of time for the past few moves. It is not easy finding the proper plans.
18…Ke7 This is an interesting move. Anand clearly allows Topalov to play Na4 by not playing Bb4.
19. Na4 Topalov immediately took advantage of the opportunity to get his Knight to a4. Anand’s goal now should be to slowly free his pieces, one at a time. First can be f6 to free his Rook on g8. Then once the Rook of g8 moves away, his dead Bishop on h7 can come back to life with Bg8 then e5. It is like a jigsaw puzzle.
19…f6 20. b4 Once again, Topalov is offering a free pawn to open up the b file. Here is one possible wild continuation: 20… Bxb4 21. Rb1 Bxa5 22. Nc5 b5 23. Bxe6 Nxc5 24. Bxg8 Bxg8 25. Bxc5+ Kd7= / +=. Here is another possible continuation: 20. b4 Bxb4 21. Rb1 Bxa5 22. Nc5 (22. Rxb7 Rgb8 23. Bc5+ Ke8 24. Rxb8+ Rxb8 25. Bd6 Rc8 26. Bxe6 Rc2+ 27. Ke3 Nb6 28. Nxb6 Bxb6+ 29. Kf4) 22… b5 23. Bxe6 Nxc5 24. Bxg8 Bxg8 25. Bxc5+ Kd7 = Of course Anand could just ignore the pawn and develop his g8 Rook 🙂 I don’t think Anand wants to get into a complicated position here.
20…Rgc8 Anand wisely chose a safer continuation. A possible line here 21. Nc5 Nxc5 22. bxc5 Bxc5 23. Bxe6 Kxe6 24. Bxc5 Rc6 +=. Another possibility 21. Nc5 Rc7 22. Bb3 Nxc5 23. bxc5 Bf4 24. Rcd1 +=. Please feel free to post your own analysis or computer lines.
21. Bc5 I see nothing substantial for White here. The dilemma for Topalov is with the self imposing no draw rule, he can potentially over push in such position while Anand can calmly avoid complications and danger.
21…Bxc5 22.bxc5 Rc7 Black has equalized in spite of his Bishop on h7. White has a weak c5 pawn. I do not see how White can make any progress here. He needs to be careful not to lose.
Here is the view of my friend GM Simen Agdestein (former trainer of Magnus Carlsen) from Norway about this match:
1. Who do you think will win the match? Anand
2. What is your final score prediction? 6-6 and lots of tiebreak games and then I think Anand eventually will win in the blitz.
3. How would you describe the strengths and weaknesses of each player? They’re both very serious in their opening preparation, but it seems like Topalov is more creative and that he’s better prepared with new ideas. I have the feeling that Topalov gets a bit nervous or something in crucial phases and that Anand has gained a bit more experience in match play. Topalov is the most aggressive player but Anand is very solid and almost never lose and I think that is gold in this situation.
4. Does playing in
5. Do you think the age difference between Topalov (35) and Anand (40) is significant? What do you think is an optimal age in a professional chess player’s career? Passing 40 is clearly a challenge, I can tell, and I presume also Anand is feeling it. So the age difference is to Topalov’s advantage, I believe.
Here are the views from GM Robert Hess and GM Boris Gulko: https://chessdailynews.com/world-championship-game-2-live-commentary/
Here are the views from GM Fabiano Caruana, GM Alex Onischuk, and GM Lev Psakhis: https://chessdailynews.com/world-championship-game-1-live-commentary/
Here are the views from IM Anna Zatonskih, GM Vinay Bhat, and GM Ben Finegold: https://chessdailynews.com/the-world-championship-view/
Here are the views from GM Ray Robson, GM Elshan Moradiabadi, and IM Dean Ippolito: http://susanpolgar.bl ogspot.com/2010/04/world-championship-view-part-4.html
23. Nb6 Black should not take and simply play Rd8.
23…Rd8 This game “should” end up in a draw unless White over pushes. With a normal continuation such as this 24. Nxd7 Rdxd7 25. Bd3 Rc6 26. Rc3, the game should end peacefully.
24. Nxd7 Rdxd7 25. Bd3 = Tough decision for Anand. 25…e5, 25…f5 and 25…Rc6.
25…Bg8 Anand once again chose a less complicated line. Now Topalov has to try 26. c6 to get rid of his isolated weak pawn.
26. c6 Anand should not take here as 26….Rxc6 27. Rxc6 bxc6 28. Rb1and White has a small edge. However, if Anand simply plays 26…Rd6, he is fine.
26…Rd6 If 27. cxb7 Rxb7 28. Ke3 Bf7 =; 28. Rb1 is also possible.
27. cxb7 Rxb7 28. Rc3 Not my first choice but it is a playable move. It is not overly difficult for Anand to hold this game. If 28…Rb2+ then 29. Ke3. Black should not capture 29…Rxg2 as 30. Rc7+ would give White quite a bit of play.
28…Bf7 = Anand seems to be satisfied with the placement of his Rooks. Now he just wants to activate his Bishop. The most logical continuation for Topalov is to double up his Rooks.
29. Ke3 Be8 I still think White can temporarily forget about the h5 pawn and double up his Rooks.
30. g4 e5 = Still a very even endgame.
You can find many pictures from the world championship here through our friends at Chessdom: http://photo.chessdom.com/thumbnails.php?album=245
31. Rhc1 Topalov finally doubled up his Rooks after his pawns are solidified.
31…Bd7 Basically Anand is indirectly telling Topalov that he is content with his position. Since Topalov imposed a no draw rule for himself (no draw offer or accepted), he has to find a way to make something happen, something nearly impossible in this position. This is where I think Topalov needs to give himself some flexibility. However, Topalov has been successful with his style so he will do what he thinks is best for himself.
32. Rc5 Bb4 This is one of the lines Anand is looking at 33. Bxb5 axb5 34. Rb1 b4 35. Rc4 Ra6 36. Rcxb4 Rxb4 37. Rxb4 Rxa5=. This is a simple draw. Here is another drawish line 33. Bxb5 axb5 34. Rc7+ Rd7 35. Rxb7 Rxb7 36. Kd3 Rd7+ 37. Kc3 Rc7+ 38. Kb2 Rxc1 39. Kxc1 Kd7 40. Kc2 Kc6 41. Kb3 Kb7 42. Ka3 =
33. Bxb5 axb5 34. Rb1 b4 35. Rb3 Ra6 This is still very even. If White brings his King to d3, Black will play Rd6+. Whether people like Topalov or not, one must admire Topalov for his fighting spirit. He is trying hard to make things happen even from nothing. The man keep on pushing and pushing and pushing. In spite of Topalov’s effort, this game will end with a draw.
36. Kd3 Rba7 37. Rxb4 Rxa5 38. Rxa5 Rxa5 39. Rb7+ Kf8 40. Ke2 Ra2+ 41. Ke3 Ra3+ 42. Kf2 Ra2+ 43. Ke3 Ra3+ 44. Kf2 Ra2+ 45. Ke3 Ra3+ 46. Kf2 1/2 The last 10 moves were cranked out in lightning speed. Anand successful held as Black. Now he will have White tomorrow. I am sure he will try to duplicate his game 2 effort by forcing Topalov into cramp and uncomfortable positions hoping that Topalov will lose his patience and do something risky.
I will publish the comments by my sister Judit and GM Yury Shulman later on.
Click here to replay the game.
yes, much better choice
okay
This is Rock & Roll chess.
what is the name of this opening?
Nigel Short: Ok, we have a Slav. At least he shouldn’t get mated quite so quickly…
Nigel Short: Excellent! Anand has played an old-man’s variation as befits someone of his senescence. He has obviously concluded that getting the queens off is a good idea against the cunning Bulgar…
Hmm,
This is a very passive opening where black has no chance to win.
In contrast, the Berlin wall defence gives black some winning chances.
This looks like the Topalov-Kramnik game 6 of the Elista match ended in a draw by 31st move,,,
Looks like Topa has his fighting gloves on, as usual.
Thanks for the commentary, Susan!
Ever since Anand played 15.Qa3 last game, I am reminded of Emanuel Lasker, who often wanted his opponent to join him in a kampf, or struggle, on the chessboard.
Why would someone as black ever want to play this position?! While there is nothing concrete for white, he seems to have all the fun while black has to suffer passively. This would surely be part of opening preparation. So, is there nothing better for black that he has to get into such a game?
Let’s do a Capablanca exercise. Let’s imagine Black’s king at e7, bishop at b4, and rooks at c7 and c8. Now what would White’s setup be to counter this?!
After 18. …, Bb4 Topalov would probably have sacrificed the pawn. I think 19. Na4 Bxa5 20. Bd3 Ke7 21. b4 Bxb4 22. Rc7 is a possible continuation.
@Anonymous: Let’s do a Capablanca exercise
You can’t… the Rg8 can’t leave the g7 pawn hanging. So, Rg8 and Bh7 are out of play. As against this, white can double rooks or, have Rd1 and Re1… then maybe attempt to get to b6 square with his knight… if necessary exchanging his black bishop for his counterpart and then getting Rc7. I prefer white’s position
I would not be surprised if Anand kept trading off heavy pieces throughout this match, thereby counting on Topalov to riskily overreach himself…
“Know the opponent and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril. When you are ignorant of the opponent but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal. If ignorant both of your opponent and of yourself, you are certain in every battle to be in peril”… The Art of War, by Sun Tzu.
18…Ke7 would be my choice also. A multi-purpose move. Connecting the rooks, protecting the minor pieces and consolidating the Black position. Susan’s suggestion 18…Bb4 could well be stronger though, it’s more active for sure. I think Anand’s move was solid and very much inline with the Slav. He’s playing carefully that’s for sure! Some people suggested 18…Ne6?
Nigel Short: The position is a tad too dry for the Bulgarian’s taste. He should apply a little vaseline…
Nigel Short: 20…Rgc8 should be the right movie, if I understand the point of 19…f6
Where can I pick up Nigel Short comments. I like his comments. He has a funny sense of humor that many people do not like but I appreciate his sense of humor.
I can’t believe there’s no chess diagram. I’m in an internet cafe in Bangkok and don’t carry a chess set with me!!
LOL at the fictitious Nigel Short, as his comments are certainly in character for the GM!
23. Rhd1 Rf8
24. g4 Bg8
Topalov reminds me of Geller…much better tournament player than match player…
Nigel Short: My engine has it as dead equal. It is also my intuition. The weakness of c5 is cancelled out by the weakness of b7.
How about 23 … Rd8
Looks like your main worry is Topalov losing this match.
Doesn’t white need to trade a pair of rooks, pronto, to keep from losing the a5 or c5 pawn?
Nigel Short: 23.Nb6 was an odd move in my opinion. I don’t see the point at all.
How about 25… Rd4?
Rd4 and picking up the a5 pawn. Is this (slowly) winning for black?
y anand is taking so much time!!
Would you consider 25 … Rc6 ?!
Nigel Short: White has his kingside pawns on white squares. I do know if it will matter, but they are a potential liability…
*Nigel is at the paid site, chessgames.com, I will try to relay his best comments to all here…
Susan,
how about 25… Rd4 and after that Ra4, since the white rook cannot protect that pawn as it is pinned towards the c5 pawn.
25…Bg7 is interesting, Anand took his time with that move. I liked 25…e5. Fixing the Kingside pawns and opening the diagonal for the light squared Bishop!If 26 Bc4 then 26…Rxc5!
Could Anand be in a little bit of trouble after 26… Rd6, cxb7 – Rxb7, Rc8?
Nigel Short: Actually the position is a tad better for white due to the vulnerable a6 pawn. Perhaps Vishy hasn’t handled this optimally.
After 27) Rxb7, can’t white double rooks with, say, Rc3, then Rhc1 and finally attack with Rc6?
has anand found this?
28 Rb2+
29:Ke3 Ra2??
29 … e5 …. Be6 looks like a good plan. Anand must somehow guard the g7 .. Bishop on e6 can come back to d7 thus blocking the rook on the 7th rank.
I don´t think so: 28.-,Bf7 and black has control of the position. Both the 7. and 6. rank are guarded.
In all the 3 games Anand behind on the clock!
Like Susan, I think 29. Rhc1 is coming, sacrificing the h-pawn, or offering it at least in return for the a-pawn. Honestly, I like white’s position here better since it is difficult to defend the a-pawn as it is on the white square. After 29. Rhc1, black may do better by playing Be8 threatening Bb5, then black may have to play Ke3 first, but I still like white in that position.
LOL, as I was writing, they interpolated the line I suggested.
This can still be a long game. White has a small edge after 31. Thc1, I think, and can play on to build a larger advantage
Hopefully, Topalov will play 1.e4 next time he has White…otherwise, Anand will keep playing these types of openings…Topalov should go for a Danish gambit…
Is it just me, or are there hiccups in the live transmission. Moves appear out of nowhere, then disappear and are replaced by different moves. Annoying.
Right now I see
32. Rc7 and black has a few options, but I like Rb3 the best pinning the bishop for a move.
the movement of anand’s light squared bishop is very funny.
c8-f5-g6-h7-g8-f7-e8-d7
I think there is a typo at 29. g4 e5.
s/b 30. g4 e5 and etc. for following moves.
wrong move numbering
on moves 29, 30, 31.
White’s king is confined to the kingside. That may be a problem since black’s b pawn is looking dangerous now.
34 … b4 looks logical
34 Ra1 instead of Rb1 … would have been my choice. What do you say?
I just hope someone blunders, instead of having this game reduced to K vs K.
Playing on in this position isn’t admirable or a display of fighting spirit. It’s just stubbornness, coupled with a bit of delusion, if he genuinely believes he might win it. Chess players need to have objectivity. We can tune out whenever we want, but I doubt the spectators in the hall appreciate his wasting their time that way. And thanks to his No Draw rule, all the blame for the game continuing is his.
Sorry to say, Susan, but what Topa did today WAS RIDICULOUS!!!
Lasker-Janowski, game 4, tomorrow…
Who finally offered to draw?? Topalav had decided not to speak…who broke the ice?
Spectators can leave whenever they want. I like no-draw, it forces people to play chess. If you should draw whenever the position looks even, might as well offer draw at move 1.
Not so much an exciting game, but interesting. Anand played with the aim of not losing, that’s clear. He played simple continuations and just held a solid position. I think it was the right choice. If he can win tomorrow with White he’ll have the lead! Anand’s using the same openings as Kramnik did against Topalov and having success too! Maybe Topalov will try 1e4 next time? Thanks for the commentary Susan, you do a great job! You must get up pretty early to do this!
I hope this is the turning point for Anand. You said, Susan, that Topalov fights. Nice. But it is always good fair play without psychological pressure as he and his manager use to do.
Good match tactics from Topalov. All credit to his team consisting of Dŭlŭg nos bufon, Kr’oten Kuche & Iznevyara skunks.
Susan did you observe, there was no handshake! Dont you think this is a disgrace!!
Topa and no draw rule is stupid.
“So, which one of them claimed the draw?”
Obviously Anand, since the last move was made by white.
Interestingly, it was already a threefold repetition after Ra3+
PROVAVELMETE TABLAS
I believe Topalov CLAIMED a draw (no draw OFFER).
“So, which one of them claimed the draw?”
Technically it must have been Topalov because his move was the last one. The proper procedure is to not play this move but tell the arbiter that you will, and therby claim the draw by threfold repitition. While the move is not played over the board it is still part of the game. So if the official notation is correct, it was T.
Dear Susan POLGAR,
I am sending this email message to you because we think you can advise or help us with our worthwhile and benevolent project.
Soon, this coming June the city of Estoril, Portugal, will host a very unique event: the World Chess Championship for the Deaf or the Deaf Chess Olympiad – see website
http://web.tiscalinet.it/estoril2010/olympiad10.htm
Our 10-member Team of Israel prays to take part in this historic event for the first time ( for the last 61 years Israel never took part at the Deaf Chess Olympiad because we failed to obtain finances to travel to the sites of the previous Chess Olympiads ). As you see from the website, teams from 22 different nations will participate in the event.
Please see photos of our deaf chess players – members of the Team of Israel
http://public.fotki.com/SZ-PhotoStyle/2010/the-deaf-israel/img-7478sz-photostyle.html#media
http://public.fotki.com/SZ-PhotoStyle/2010/the-deaf-israel/img-7486sz-photostyle.html
http://public.fotki.com/SZ-PhotoStyle/2010/the-deaf-israel/img-7638sz-photostyle.html
http://public.fotki.com/SZ-PhotoStyle/2010/the-deaf-israel/img-7640sz-photostyle.html
According to the officials of the I.C.S.C. ( International Chess Committee for the Deaf ), Israel is having very strong chess teams – both men and women – this year and can win medals at the chess events in Estoril.
The leading player of the Israeli Team is Yehuda Gruenfeld, who has the highest ELO FIDE rating – 2469 – among any deaf or hard of hearing players in the world.
Please read a detailed story about Yehuda Gruenfeld from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yehuda_Gruenfeld
In addition, 8 out of 9 chess players selected to play for our National Team are deaf and hard of hearing immigrants from the former Soviet republics.
Now, I on behalf of our Israel Deaf Chess Council organization ask you for a favor.
First, for your information, our Israel Deaf Chess Council is a voluntary organization.
We get no support from government.
We are raising funds by ourselves through public donations and individual contributions.
Now, we have succeeded in obtaining money for the Tel Aviv-Lisbon-Tel Aviv air fare travel ( we have already purchased the airplane tickets for our team members who plan to arrive to Lisbon on June 1st, 2010 and depart for home on June 13th ). We have also found a sponsor who will pay for our hotel accomodation stay in Portugal.
However, to this day, we are having difficulties to find a sponsor who will pay for meals during our delegation’s planned 12-days’ stay in Portugal.
We ask you to do a MITZVA!
We ask you if it will be possible for each of you to help us to find a sponsor who will be willing to contribute money to cover our team’s expenses for meals ( breakfast, lunch and dinner ) during our delegation’s entire stay at the Deaf Chess Olympiad in Portugal?
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Therefore, we seek for a contribution of EURO 3,000.00 for our 10-member delegation.
Can you please help us, Susan Polgar?
Please advise soon.
Sincerely,
Alex Pinhasov
Vice Chairman
The Israel Deaf Chess Council
rpinc55@aol.com
Let’s not forget that the Sofia rules emerged as a response to the 2004 match between Kramnik and Leko in which half of the games were relatively short draws – something the chess world found despicable (Grishchuk called it “disgusting”, I believe). The point of the rules is not to offend anyone, but to remove the temptation to make short draws. Sure, people say “yes, but chess players are adults and should not be treated as children” – but Leko and Kramnik were adults too (allegedly).
rgorm said:
” “So, which one of them claimed the draw?”
Technically it must have been Topalov because his move was the last one. The proper procedure is to not play this move but tell the arbiter that you will, and therby claim the draw by threfold repitition. While the move is not played over the board it is still part of the game. So if the official notation is correct, it was T.”
The notation alone would not be conclusive concerning who claimed a draw. After the last move, Anand could claim a draw because Topalov repeated the position three times and therefore have his claim upheld. However, since previous comments indicate that Topalov got up and spoke to the arbiter first, we can conclude that Topalov claimed the draw as stated above.
Yeah, Topalov claimed the draw all right…. he got up and went for the arbiter some moves before the 3 moves repetition. I was watching it live