Chess Thursday December 14th 2006

Annotated Games in PGN

We will take a break from my examination of the career of David Bronstein who died recently to catch up with some other events around the chess world. At Bilbao in Spain the former Fide champion Veselin Topalov played a blindfold match against Judit Polgar and the Bulgarian won 3.5-2.5 which went some way to avenging his double defeat at Polgar’s hands during the recent tournament at Hoogeveeen.

The games were all of high quality even though the rate of play was 25 minutes plus 10 seconds a move. There were two interesting Sicilian Defences.

Very original play from Polgar as the rook luft works out well however when she loses her dark squared bishop her king is destined never to find safety.

Topalov,V (2813) - Polgar,Ju (2710) [B81]
Blindfold Rapid Bilbao ESP (1), 07.12.2006
[IM Malcolm Pein]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6 6.Be3 Be7 7.g4 The Keres Attack against the Sicilian Scheveningen. 7...h5!? 7...h6 is much more solid when the White attack is halted for a move or two. 8.gxh5 Rxh5 9.h4 [9.Be2 Rh7 10.Qd2 a6 11.f4 Nc6 12.0-0-0 Bd7 13.Nf3 Qa5 14.Bd3 Nb4 15.a3 Nxd3+ 16.Qxd3 Bb5 17.Qd4 Bc6 18.Rhg1 Rc8 19.Kb1 d5 20.Ng5 Rh5 21.e5 Nh7 22.Nxh7 Rxh7 23.Qd3 Rxh2 24.f5 Bb5 25.Qd4 Rc4 26.Qa7 Rxc3 27.bxc3 Qxc3 28.Rd2 Rxd2 29.Bxd2 Qxd2 30.Rh1 Bc6 31.Qb8+ Kd7 32.Rh8 Qd1+ 33.Kb2 Bxa3+ 34.Kxa3 Qa1+ 35.Kb3 Ba4+ 36.Kb4 a5+ 37.Kxa5 Bxc2+ 38.Kb4 Qb2+ 39.Kc5 Qc3+ 40.Kb6 Qc6+ 41.Ka5 Qc5# 1/2-1/2 Velimirovic,D (2515)-Sokolov,A (2585)/Bar 1997] 9...Nc6 10.Be2 Re5!? Judit is having fun, or is this move a back handed compliment to the play of the computer Deep Fritz in the sixth match game against Kramnik when it used an unorthodox rook manoeuvre early on? 11.Nf3 Ra5 12.a3! d5 [12...Ng4 and if 13.Bf4 Qb6 was good for black.] 13.b4 Nxb4 [13...dxe4 14.Qxd8+ Bxd8 15.bxa5 Bxa5 16.Bd2 exf3 17.Bxf3 Nd4 18.Bd1 Bd7 is actually quite good for Black as her bishops rule the board and White has 4 split pawns.] 14.axb4 Bxb4 15.Bd2 dxe4

This looks dangerous for white but he finds: 16.Nb5! [16.Nxe4 Nxe4 17.Bxb4 Qb6! Wins. ] 16...Rxa1 17.Qxa1 Bc5 [17...exf3 18.Bxb4 fxe2 19.Nd6+ Kf8 20.Nxb7+ wins.] 18.Ng5 a6 19.Qe5 axb5 20.Qxc5 Ra1+ 21.Bd1 Black's position has lost all semblance of coordination and Topalov cleans up. 21...b6 22.Qxb5+ Bd7 23.Qb2 Qa8 24.0-0! One could be forgiven for forgetting this was possible, particularly in blindfold. 24...b5 25.Bb4 Ra2 26.Qe5 Qc6 27.h5 1-0

In this game Topalov gives a fine illustration of how to counter from a cramped Hedgehog type position. The counter b6-b5 is well timed and liberates several black pieces. In the final position both kings are exposed.

Polgar,Ju (2710) - Topalov,V (2813) [B41]
Blindfold Rapid Bilbao ESP (4), 08.12.2006
[IM Malcolm Pein]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 d6 5.c4 The Maroczy Bind which keeps Black boxed unless he can organise a break out with d6-d5 or b6-b5. 5...a6 6.Nc3 Nf6 7.Be2 Be7 8.Be3 0-0 9.g4 Black cannot organise a central counter so White attacks. [9.Qd2 b6 10.f3 Bb7 11.0-0-0 Nc6 12.Kb1 Nd7 13.g4 Nxd4 14.Bxd4 Bc6 15.h4 Qb8 16.g5 b5 17.Rdg1 Ne5 18.h5 Nxc4 19.Bxc4 bxc4 20.g6 e5 21.h6 fxg6 22.hxg7 Rf4 23.Be3 Rh4 24.Bh6 Rxh1 25.Rxh1 Qb7 26.Qe2 Rb8 27.Rh2 Qb4 28.Qd2 Qb7 29.Qe2 Qb4 30.Qd2 Qb7 1/2-1/2 Novkovic,M (2395)-Bokros,A (2420)/Fuerstenfeld AUT 2003/The Week in Chess 437] 9...Nfd7 10.h4 b6 11.g5 Bb7 12.Qd2 Nc6 13.Rg1 Rc8 14.Nxc6 [14.0-0-0 b5 15.cxb5 Nxd4 16.Bxd4 axb5 17.Bxb5 e5 18.Be3 Bxe4] 14...Bxc6 15.h5 b5! 16.cxb5 axb5

17.Nxb5 [17.Bxb5 Bxb5 18.Nxb5 Ne5 19.Rg3 Nc4 20.Qe2 Nxe3 21.Qxe3 Rc5 22.Nc3 Bxg5 and the White king has no safe haven.] 17...Bxe4 18.Nxd6 Rc2 19.Qd4 Bd5 20.Nf5 exf5 21.Qxd5 Bc5! 22.Rd1 [22.Qxf5 Rxb2 23.Bxc5 Nxc5 24.Qxc5? Qd2+] 22...Bxe3 23.fxe3 Qb8! 24.Rg2 [24.Qxd7 Qh2 wins.] 24...Ne5 25.Rd2 Rxb2 26.Rxb2 Qxb2 27.Qd4 Qb8 28.h6 Rd8 29.Qc3 Rc8 30.Qd4 Rd8 31.Qc3 Rc8 32.Qd4 Rd8 1/2-1/2