Chess for Thursday January 19th 2006

Malcolm Pein writes for the Daily Telegraph

Veselin Topalov and Vishy Anand share the lead of the Corus tournament at Wijk aan Zee after four rounds. Both players reached 3/4 but while Anand drew quickly, Topalov was at his best as he mated Loek Van Wely to crown some typically aggressive sacrificial play.

Topalov, fearless as ever entered a line played by two of Van Wely’s compatriots and when the local favourite produced a novelty this did not phase the Fide champion. The game became wildly complicated but Topalov always looked in control. He has yet to draw.

Gata Kamsky is obviously still feeling his way back into top flight chess and he lost a pawn while trying to play a solid line of the Ruy Lopez against world number five Levon Aronian. A quick defeat looked likely but the old Kamsky returned and he put up incredible resistance only to miss a drawing chance in the fifth hour and eventually succumb on move 72.

England number one Michael Adams was confronted with a pawn sacrifice from the prodigy Sergey Karjakin and perhaps should have declined it as the young Ukrainian got plenty of counterplay with black in the Sicilian Defence. Adams thought for a while and then invited exchanges and a draw.

Round 4

Sokolov draw Anand
Leko draw Ivanchuk
Kamsky 0-1 Aronian
Adams draw Karjakin
Bacrot 0-1 Gelfand
van Wely 0-1 Topalov
Mamedyarov - Tiviakov

Scores: 1-2 Anand (India), Topalov (Bulgaria), 3/4; 3-4 Ivanchuk (Ukraine), Gelfand (Israel) 2.5; 5-9 Adams (England), Leko (Hungary), Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan), Aronian (Armenia), Karjakin (Ukraine) 2; 10-13 Van Wely (Holland), Bacrot (France), Sokolov, Tiviakov (Holland) 1.5; 14 Kamsky (USA) 1;

L Van Wely - V Topalov
Corus A Wijk aan Zee (4)
Slav Defence

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6 (Black prepares to take space with b7-b5 or to grab the c4 pawn) 5.a4 e6 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bh4 dxc4 8.e3 b5 (Otherwise Black has given up the centre for nothing) 9.axb5 cxb5 10.Bxf6 gxf6 11.Nxb5 axb5 12.Rxa8 Bb4+ 13.Ke2 (This was meant to be an improvement over 13.Nd2 Bb7 14.Ra1 f5 Van den Doel - Van der Wiel 1999 but I am not convinced it is) 13...Bb7 14.Ra1 f5 15.Ne5 Rg8 16.f4 (A clever concept with a tactical point but White's position looks dubious) 16...Nc6 (16...Bxg2 17.Rg1!) 17.Nf3 Na5! 18.Kf2 Nb3 19.Ra7 Be4 20.Ra2 (Allowing Topalov to open lines better 20.g3 Qb6 21.Ra2 Qb7 22.Bg2) 20...e5! 21.fxe5 f4! 22.Be2 fxe3+ (22...Bd2!? 23.exf4 Bxf3 24.Bxf3 Qxd4+ 25.Ke2? Nc1+ but 25.Kf1! Qd3+ [25...Qxf4 26.Ra8+] 26.Be2 Qe4 27.Bf3 holds) 23.Kxe3 Qd5 24.g3 (24.Rg1!? Bd2+ 25.Kf2 might hang on but not 25.Nxd2 Qxd4+ 26.Kf4 Bxg2+ 27.Kf5 Rg5+ 28.Kf6 Qxe5# ) 24...Nxd4! 25.Nxd4 Bxh1 26.Bf3 (26.Nf3 Bc5+ 27.Kf4 Bd4! 28.Qxd4 Rg4+ 29.Kxg4 Bxf3+ 30.Bxf3 Qxd4+) 26...Qxe5+ 27.Kf2 Bc5 28.Bxh1 Bxd4+ 29.Kf1 Rg5 (The Black king will find safety on g7 but with the Black rook activated the White king will have no such comfort. White is also hampered by having to defend b2) 30.Bf3 Kf8 31.Kg2 Qe3 32.Kh3 (32.Qe2 Qc1) 32...Kg7 33.b3 cxb3 34.Ra3 b4 35.Rxb3 Bc3 36.Qe2 Qc5 37.Qd3 Qc8+ 38.Kg2 Ra5 (Topalov gradually infiltrates, without rooks this would be defensible but the Rb3 is a spectator) 39.Qc2 Qe6 40.Qb1 Ra1 41.Qc2 Bd4 42.Bd1 Qe1 43.Bf3 Qf1 mate

Topalov

Wely

Final position after 43...Qf1 mate