Vishy Anand – Veselin Topalov
World Championship – game 4
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 We have a Catalan just as in game 2.
5…Bb4+ Here Topalov deviated from game 2 where he did not have a good game. This is a much more rare line. But this should be familiar with everyone who followed the Kramnik – Topalov match.
6. Bd2 a5 7. Qc2 Bxd2 8. Qxd2 c6 9. a4 An interesting option would have been 9. Ne5
9…b5 It looks like Topalov is going all out in this game, even as Black. 9…b5 opens up the h1-a8 diagonal and his Rook is vulnerable. I like this continuation 10. axb5 cxb5 11. Qg5 +=
10. Na3 The 2 most logical moves for Black here is 10…Bd7 and 10…Ba6. What Topalov needs to decide is where he also wants his Knight on b8, on a6 or d7. It seems to me that Topalov doesn’t want a repeat of game 2 where his position was cramp with limited counter play. Instead of 10.Na3, in other games White went for trading Pawns on b5 with 10.axb5 cxb5 and then forking Black’s b5 and g7 Pawns with 11.Qg5. Anand rather remains a Pawn down and keeps Black’s position more passive.
10…Bd7 11. Ne5 Now I have to believe that one of Topalov’s first option has to be 11…Nd5 to block the power of Anand’s g2 Bishop as White is threatening axb5. Black’s position is risky but this is Topalov’s style. He wants dynamic unbalanced games. He is more comfortable with chaotic positions.
11…Nd5 For the first time in the match, Topalov seems to be caught off guard by Anand’s opening. He is down by about 10 minutes on the clock already.
12. e4 Anand played this move almost immediately. It seems that Anand is quite prepared. Black now has 4 main options: 12…Nb4, 12…Nf6, 12…Nb6, or 12…Ne7. I personally prefer 12…Nb4 and I think it may suit Topalov’s style as well.
12…Nb4 13. 0-0 Once again, Topalov took time to play 12…Nb4 and Anand responded with 13. 0-0 almost immediately. This is a part of chess mind game. Topalov has to wonder if Anand is bluffing by playing fast or if he just walked into a home prep. Kasparov once told me that it was frustrating for him to play against computers because this kind of mind game would not work against computers at all. And I could imagine that Topalov is wondering in his mind right now if Anand and his team had predicted the 5…Bb4 line and had something prepared? He could be also saying to himself I just chose a rare line to surprise my opponent so how did my opponent know that I would play this. These are just some of the many things which could cross a player’s mind during a game, especially an important game in the World Championship.
13..0-0 14. Rfd1 This is typical of the Catalan. White has a strong center and advantage in development. Anand should be happy with his position as his opening preparation yielded another good position.
14…Be8 Now 15. d5 must be played. Anand needs to take advantage of his strong center to break open black’s position. Black cannot afford to take the pawn. I would move my Queen out of the way with 15…Qb6.
Another dilemma in preparing for a World Championship match is the players and their teams have to go through thousands of games, especially ones of the opponent. Then they have to pick and choose what or what not to emphasize on. After they narrow the games and opening choices down, they have to work on serious improvement in all of them. This is a long and difficult process and sometimes luck is involved. This is also why picking competent and trusted seconds is so important. A match can be won or lost because of this process alone.
When I played in my world championship match against Xie Jun in 1996, I decided to open with 1. e4, something I basically did not play in my adult years in chess. This was a very risky decision for a world championship match but as the saying goes: “No guts, no glory”. But after choosing something I was not very familiar with, I had to work on a complete new set of opening repertoire as my opponent could have responded with so many different opening choices. This is a lot of hard work and dedication by a team of people.
The reason why I bring these points up is it is easy for fans at home to say how come he did or did not choose this or that opening or line. It is very easy to be the Monday morning quarterback to second guess people’s decisions after you know the outcome. It is also easy to criticize when fans at home are armed with Fritz, Rybka or other software. It is a different story when you have to play the match and your career is on the line.
15.d5 Qd6 Another risky move. White has several options: 16. dxc6 Qxe5 17. axb5 Qc5 += White sacrifices heavy material but has more than enough compensation with the connected passed pawns and Black’s inability to develop his pieces; or the safer 16. Nf3 Qc5 +=
16. Ng4 A good move by Anand. He has the flexibility to get the Knight to e3. Now I imagine that Topalov has to get his b8 Knight to a6 to give room for his a8 Rook to get active.
16…Qc5 An interesting move but practical one. Topalov chose to further delay in getting his Queenside pieces developed. The reason for this is because Topalov does not want the threat of e5 which would cramp his position further. Now e3 square is very nice for Anand’s Knight.
17. Ne3 One blogger asked why Anand took so much time for this move? Easy! He was buying me time to finish typing my commentary, check and moderate the comments, add a diagram, etc. 🙂
All kidding aside, this is the critical moment of the game. Anytime when you sacrifice a pawn for initiative, you better be very careful. Anand doesn’t want to let Topalov get back into the game by maneuvering his pieces to optimal positions. Then he would have to defend a pawn down endgame which is not pleasant. Therefore, he has to continue to find ways to put pressure on Topalov.
17…N8a6 Topalov finally gets his Knight out. Game 4 photos can be found here:
http://photo.chessdom.com/thumbnails.php?album=246
18. dxc6 Topalov has a number of options here: 18…Bxc6, 18…Nc7, and 18…bxa4. The first one seems to be the safest 18….Bxc6 19. axb5 Bxb5 20. Naxc4 Bxc4 21. Rac1 += White gets his pawn back with a slightly better endgame.
18…bxa4 Of course Topalov does not choose anything safe.
19. Naxc4 Bxc6 I like Anand’s position after 20. Rac1.
20. Rac1 += h6 An unexpected but useful move. Black now has the option of getting his a Rook to d8 in the future without worrying about back rank checkmate problem.
21. Nd6 Qa7 A logical move but Black also has the option of playing 21…Qb6 or 21…Qh5 to stop Ng4.
22. Ng4 Rad8 Anand has a tactical shot here. 23. Nxh6+ gxh6 24. Qxh6 f6 25. e5 Bxg2 26. exf6 Rxd6 27. Rxd6 and White should be winning. If 25… Qg7 instead of 25…f6 then 26. Qxg7+ Kxg7 27. Bxc6 fxe5 26. exf6 Rxd6 27. Rxd6 with a better endgame.
23. Nxh6! gxh6 24. Qxh6 I can’t seem to find a better move than 24…f6 here but that is not so great either.
24…f6 Anand has to be careful here. He is down a piece. If he cannot find the optimal continuation, he would then be in trouble. I think 25. e5 is the strongest option here but it is not an easy move to find. But if he finds it, he has excellent chances to win this game.
25. e5! Anand found the knockout punch. The best choice from a bad position seems to be 25…Qg7.
25…Bxg2 This is a desperate attempt by Topalov to complicate things but it is not the best defense. This allows 26.exf6 with winning advantage for Anand.
26. exf6! The position is pretty much hopeless for Topalov. I can’t find any defense for Black. The best would be Rxd6 but it is winning for White as well.
26…Rxd6 27. Rxd6 This game clearly demonstrate Anand’s ability to calculate. To find 23. Nxh6, followed by the critical e5 move is not easy, especially when the pressure is on during the World Championship.
27…Be4 Even though Anand has a win in his hands, he still needs to be accurate not to allow his opponent back in the game. 28. Qg5+ followed by Rxe6 may seal the deal.
28. Rxe6 An excellent move as well.
28….Nd3 29. Rc2 It’s almost over. Black is running out of any possible cheap shot.
29…Qh7 30. f7+ Qxf7 31. Rxe4 Qf5 Now 32. Re7 will lead to mate shortly.
32. Re7 Now I expect resignation shortly. Topalov does resign here.
1-0 Now Anand takes his first lead in this World Championship. The score is 2.5 – 1.5 after 4 games. A brilliant game by Anand!
Very informative answers from Judit. Thank you.
I doubt these public answers are completely honest.
Anand should be a large favorite for 2 reasons.
First, he is much more solid than Topalov. Second, he has shown in the match with Kramnik that he knows how to tailor his preparation for a specific opponent, which Topalov failed to do against Kramnik.
Also, Anand had his learning experience with a tiger in 1995. It’s very unlikely he will be fazed by Topalov’s chess or any off the board behavior.
I don’t think the match will reach 12 games.
It is probably going to be d4 again today. Anand demonstrated that he can be patient and convert small advantages to a win, so perhaps he will force Topolav into making a rash decision.
On the other hand, I think Topalov will unleash a novelty or two today. If Anand can get past that, he will take the game.
Good luck Vishy! I hope you remain WC!
~Septimus
Well, it looks like d4 again! Somee websites say it is the Catalan. With the Catalan, how soon can Black achieve equality?
Is this conducive to the slam-bang style of Topalov or will he self-destruct with his aggressiveness?
Nigel Short: So Anand has blundered a pawn again in the Catalan. All he needs to do now is to find a way to exchange queens and he will win easily…
10.Na3 a novelty?! It certainly puts some pressure on the b5 and c4 squares!
Im not able to log on to the official website so am unable to watch the game.Can anyone tell me why? is there some other way of getting on?
White’s light-squared bishop looks much more impressive than Black’s light-squared bishop…reminds me of some of Capablanca’s games as White…
Are Black’s pawns at b5 and c4 too far forward for him to protect them as more pieces are exchanged? And will Anand place his pawn on d5 or e5?
I love Short’s wit.
Susan, your comment seems to be on one side – topa’s side. please be equal while commenting. thank you.
One possible line is (14. d5 Be8 15. Rfd1 Qd6 16. dxc6 Qxe5 17. axb5 c3 18. bxc3 N4xc6 19. Qe3 Ne7 20. f4 Qc7 21. e5 Nbc6 22. bxc6 Bxc6 23. Qc5 Rab8 24. Rab1 Rxb1 25. Rxb1 Qd7 26. Bxc6 Nxc6 27. Nc4 Qd3 28. Rb2 Qf3 29. Rf2 {Rybka Aquarium (0:00.00)} {+0.26|d19} {white stands slightly better})
Look at the board on move 13. To me it seems that Black is already under pressure.
The white knight on e5 must be very annoying. I think Topalov may be better off giving up the long diagonal and focus on dissipating the problem in the center. I would try c4 at some point to unsettle the d4 pawn.
Forcing Anand to tie up some pieces on the subsequent isolated queen pawn may be a good plan for Topalov. It will buy him some time to improve queen side operations.
@shazamit:please try http://livechess.chessdom.com/site/
and u see live the game…
Another possible line is (14… Be8 15. d5 Qd6 16. Ng4 f5 17. exf5 exd5 18. axb5 cxb5 19. Ne3 Ra6 20. Nac2 Kh8 21. Nxb4 axb4 22. Qxd5 Qe7 23. Rxa6 Nxa6 24. Qe6 Qxe6 25. fxe6 Nc7 26. Nd5 Nxe6 27. Nxb4 Nc5 28. f4 {Rybka Aquarium (0:00.28)} {+0.38|d18} {white stands slightly better})
“He could be also saying to himself I just chose a rare line to surprise my opponent so how did my opponent know that I would play this.”
It is fairly straight forward to prepare for this, in Elista 2006, Topalov as black played the exact same line against Kramnik in the wch match. Obviously in your preparation you need to look at all the games of your opponent. In that game everything is same exact upto move 9. Kramnik, then had played axb5 and won the game. and Anand has come up with Na3 novelty.
This match reminds me of Lasker vs. Janowski, where the classic attacker is being forced to go on the defensive. All of black’s pieces are on the back rank save one!
I think will eventually break open the middle and would win the game today.
only move 15 and i really like anand’s position. a lot of pressure on black right now
15 ..qb6 16 de fe 17 qd6 looks good for white
15 ..qd6 looks better
Why is Susan only giving suggestions for topalov
Thank you susan for such an extensive analysis…..those comments are really informative
Fischer didn’t have or need teams of people working on analizing openings, or have a computer analizing tactics etc! I don’t feel sorry for any player who has to basically play over the board chess, that’s what it’s all about isn’t it? If Topalov don’t know this position then ok, just play as best he can over the board! Chess used to be an individual sport!
I can think of 16. Qc3 …
I like your commentary today, the insights and all. You are saying more than usual and it is very interesting to read them.
More of it please.
Nigel Short: If this is still Anand’s preparation I would be stunned considering the sheer volume of material he has had to study for this match. Anyway, it seems like Ng4 is an edge. It is not that hard a move to find either although all sorts of stuff like Qc3 and Qf4 as well as Nxc6 need to be calculated and evaluated.
Of course it is a bit silly to say hey why this GM made such move there is better one. On the other hand we can see those kind of advices almost everywhere, when people who are not so good are far more noisy then the best in the area.
After 16. … Qc5 how does d6 look for white? Will trying to run with the pawn work with so many pieces on the board? The bishop on g2 does seem to help a lot and d6 is safe from both knights
Anand taking long on (17). Susan, what mmight he be thinking?
i waana ask susan that how important can be the d3 outpost….after 17 Ne3?
Thanks so much Susan, for your live coverage. You really spend lot of time for chess development. If people like you run FIDE, then chess has a scope of becoming popular among masses!
@Susan… what would have happened if Anand played 17 e5 preparing a knight sacrifice on f6.
is it good? or does it have an antidote?
18 dxc6 looks like a good move from Anand! I think Anand’s position looks really good now the d-file is open!
Susan…how important can be the d3 outpost?
What you do think about 17.h4
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Susan nice comment on move 17!!! haha, whats up harish, vishy smashin this guy and kasparov says Um not a real, can u believe that guy? hahaha.
20. …h6 looked very…. fishy 😉
@Susan: why 20…h6? I dont understand that move.
what ws h6 good for? i don’t get it
Hmm there could end up being Nf6+ or Nh6+ at some point…h6 was a bad move IMO weakens the king too much and seems to give rise to tactics against the king…
Dudes, isn’t Nxh6+! possible now???
There’s ideas of Nxh6+ with Rc4 and e5, swinging over the rook to the kingside…it seems like Anand could get a strong attack!!
How much checking/moderating do you do? I find that other websites e.g. Chessdom update with their comments much quicker?
At suitable time white may play Nxh6!?
The comment after 17th move is
Topalov finally gets his Knight out.
and not
Topalov finally gets his Knock out.
what about 25. Bh3
I think Anand can play Bh3 and put pressure on King side
Moving Bishop from G2 is risky,Black can take diagonal H1-G8. and also attack with Rook on line F with support from Black queen and bishop on C3. Anand has substantial risk.
Well Susan, he has found e5!!!
25 … fxe5
Bh3 is very poor. Better would be e5. e6 pawn will be under pressure
I was stupid. I failed to see the merit of Bh3 🙂
It should be Bxg2 and not Bxg7
Susan, you meant Bxg2, not 25…Bxg7, as in your notation.
Wow Anand!! You are the man!
Nice game – unless Anand goofs up to allow f2 weakness, he might win! Rook should be moved to f1.
Bravo Vishy!!!! You have created poetry on the board……
exf6, Qg6, Rc4 sequence is a major threat by white
how about Rxf6 by black. Is it still hopeless
Wow Susan, you are on the money…23. Nxh6+ gxh6 24. Qxh6 f6 25. e5 Bxg2 26. exf6 Rxd6 27. Rxd6.
Brilliant analysis!
It is all over for Black. Good game.
whacko, nice sac!
27. … Be4
Black is still trying his best for a swindle
Now I see a clear decisive advantage for white in all blacks defense, which I failed to see 3-4 moves earlier
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I love the way the knight are protecting each other!
He can’t resign – that’s against his own Sofia rules.
1-0! ANAND has WON!!!! 😀
Thanks for the commentary, Susan! Much appreciated.
Nice result as well. Go Anand! 🙂
Hi Susan on move 28. what about Qh7 instead of 28… Nd3?
Thanks for your brilliant commentary Susan.
See you Friday!
“Sofia Rules” merely disallow offering draws. It says nothing about resigning. In any case these rules are self imposed by Topalov.
It does not make sense to play till you get mated in a super-match like this. Clearly Anand has calculated the game to its conclusion. Why waste time when you know mate is inevitable?
Superb game by Anand, no obvious blunders (in my view) by Topalov, but Anand seems to able to squeeze blood out of a rock even!
Anybody want to take a bet that we will see e4 in the next game? 🙂
Susan, While I congratulate Anand, I need to appreciate your commentary and the lines that was exactly played by Anand. Chess world is lucky that there are players like you and Anand.
Your Indian Fan
An excellent game by Anand! Fantastic chess! After Anand’s loss in game 1, he switched to the slav, with a solid result. Maybe Topalov should just avoid the Catalan next time with 3…b6, the Queen’s Indian or even play the Slav himself! Both are good choices.
A beautiful game by Anand!
Thanks for your comments, Susan!
You are good and was a great game!
This knight sacrifice from Anand was simply great. It was not clear how to proceed after that to me, but he had worked it all out.
The best game so far.
Thank you soo much Susan….
best game so far.. why is topalov so slow to react.. why couldnt he forsee the night sacrifice and was it necessary for him to take a night by the pawn.. he could as well have moved his king to h8 or h7..
As I hoped and said yesterday it was REALLY the turning point for Anand. He is teaching us things out of the board too. Do not reply your opponent s provokations. Play good chess and THAT will be enough and the most important. Why spend energy with irrelevant matters?
Go, Anand, we from Brazil think you deserve it: for your chess and for your behavior.
Septimus, I kinda enjoyed seeing the game played out. There was a lot of intrigue, and potential for inaccuracies. Also, hope does spring eternal. If someone wants to play it out, let them. This position was not like Game 2, where at the point of resignation, Black had no tactical shots whatsoever.
Susan
Your real time comments on the games are fantastic. I can not say better how much I appreciate all your comments. I really enjoy the games so much more by reading your comments. Please keep up the good work.
I am learning a lot about the real game of chess and what is going on in the minds of the players. It is all so interesting and exciting.
I would love to see you or Judit playing for the world championship. That would be awesome beyond imagination. Some day you will see one of your “girls” play for the championship when they grow up to be young ladies. And I say “girls” will 100% respect.
Can’t blame Topalov for playing on a for a while. Resigning too early in a championship game would be the worst thing in the world. As I always say, Kramnik missed a mate in 1.
Forget Anand & Dŭlŭg nos khimera. Three cheers to Susan for yet another round of wonderful commentary.
This is the best game that I’ve EVER seen. It surely must bee one of Anand’s best. He maneuvered the black pieces far away from the king (Queen, Knights, Bishop) and when the moment was right launched a ferocious attack on the king side. The pieces were just helpless and could not protect the king. This is poetry on the board. A game for the ages. Worth memorizing every move when learning or teaching. You promised chess fans some great chess and I believe you are just warming up and we have 8 more games to go. Just 4 more points to go. Chess fans desire to see atleast one win with black pieces. Will it be in game 5? I hope so.
Thank you Susan – always great insightful comments from you!
I just wanted to share this that I read somewhere – thought it was interesting…..
“However yesterday it was Topalov, who in all probability, was in a dilemma when it was obvious to one and all that the game was heading for a draw from the very early stages.
Topalov playing Whites tried his best but was unable to find any chinks in Anand’s armour.
The Indian on his part was sitting comfortably and made no effort to propose a draw. By the 40th turn, the position was as dry as it could be and Topalov went to the arbiter to procure peace and completely ignored Anand.
Sofia rule has been implemented for a few tournaments but is not a part of World Championship rules and regulations.
The arbiter came to the table but Anand continued to look at the board and made his move, indicating his refusal for a draw.
Topalov had to sit down and resume playing. Anand continued to make a few moves and forced a technical draw (by threefold repetition of moves) after 46 moves.
The game may have ended in a draw with the point shared but it was a psychological victory for Anand as he strongly showed that if he wants a draw, he knows how to get it! Sofia rules or not!”
Ok – where are your live ratings for Topalov now?!
Two unexpected moves by Topalov, neither turned out well.
… Ne3 in game 2
… h6 in game 4.
Seems the Force isn’t with him so far.
To the Anonymous commenter that asked:
“and was it necessary for him to take a night by the pawn.. he could as well have moved his king to h8 or h7.”
23. …..Kh8 loses instantly to
24. Ndf7+Kh7(Rf7 loses 2 exchanges)
25. Nd8 and the black is down materially with more to come.
I agree that 23. …Kh7 looks better. I can find nothing stronger for white than 24. Ng4, but this position is almost certainly lost any way as all of blacks pieces are badly positioned and uncoordinated:
23. ….Kh7
24. Ng4 f6 (what better move?), and here white has a choice of pleasant options, it seems to me:
25. Qe2 Kg8
26. Qc4 Qe7
27. Nf5 Rd1
28. Rd1 Qe8
29. Nd4 Bd7
30. e5 Qc8
31. Qe2 f5
32. Ne3 Nc5
And black’s position is very unpleasant, and I am almost certainly missing better opportunities for white in this line.
Topalov’s rating should be of no importance. What is important is that two world class chess titans are killing each other for your pleasure.
Win with Grace Lose with Dignity…
aam1,
If the position is complicated or unclear, of course resigning is not an option. My response was in the context of somebody who earlier misunderstood the “Sofia rules”.
Veryy nice commenting. Thanks a lot!
Ingo Althofer
Ms Polgar
You have written: “When the “non-handshake” after the game question was asked at the press conference, neither player could remember clearly if they did or did not. Their minds were totally preoccupied with the game, especially because of the 3-time repetition situation which happened for the first time in the match. They both simply forgot but Anand pointed out that they did shake hands before the game.”
WIth due respect, this doesn’t seem true when one views the video you have posted. Clearly Topolov seemed surprised by the Question, to be told there was no shake of hands, and asked Anand. But Anand glumly says, “we shook hands before the game” and then says about no-handshake-after the game, “may be it was also supposed to go through the arbiter”. In other words, Anand REMEMBERED that there was no handshake after the game (unlike Topolov) and his joke perhaps showed he WAS actually MIFFED. So it is NOT true that both players said they had forgotten about what happened. And one could also say, based on that video, that Anand was a bit negative about that experience by saying “perhaps it had to go through the arbiter.” Also, Stefanova steps in and says “according to rules” but it seems as per the FIDE rules for the game agreed upon, it is not true that draws cannot be offered before 40th move (that is as per Sofia Rules which are NOT operative officially in this match). I hope in fairness, you will publish this remark.
Thanks a lot for the comments, they are very very useful! 🙂
Anand rules
Your comment on 20…h6 seems a bit off the mark.
I’m really not biased for either of these players…really…but for the love of God! That was a beautifull win.
Mike Magnan
Susan enjoyed your elaborate commentary today!
As to the handshake thing, in all fairness Anand or anyone for that matter must be irritated with this sofa(duh!) rule and how danilov’s team is trying to impose it when Anand made it clear that this is world championship and must be played according to those rules. Not sure why FIDE is sleeping in this matter and clarify this point to topalov’s team, may be they are still hesitant about Danilov’s team suing them for that one day delay start and don’t want to displease them.
Anyway all Topalov had to do was just “ask” for a draw when the whole world knows that the position was a dead draw. Obviously Anand felt disrespected when he went to the arbiter. And I won’t believe for one second that Topalov forgot about the handshake thing like he was feigning at the press conference, whom are you kidding!
Awesome game by Anand and a nice quip remark about the handshake thing, sharp both on and off the court! Hope for exciting matches ahead, we all know Topa can play great chess, this rest day should see his plan-B
23 N x h6 !
What would be the best continuation for Topalov ?