Kasparov Analyzes » Game of the Century?

We have heard this traditional answer so many times from famous chess players irrespective of their age and degree of professional success. The dream of playing a game that would highlight a chess player’s entire career – no matter how many brilliant games have been played or how many original combinations have been revealed – this dream is like an engine that leads chess players to reveal new depths of the game. I only fear that after January 20, 1999 it will be very difficult to persuade people that my best game has not been played yet.

The concept “best game” is very subjective: some like combinations or a shrewd positional game; others choose their own criterion of beauty. There is no universal definition that would satisfy everyone. Any chess player has individual aspirations and preferences that define his criteria of perfection in chess.

In my career, there have been many games that would satisfy the most severe connoisseurs of chess. However, only a few qualify for the title “the best of the best”. Two of them, by the way, are among the three that are considered to be the best for the whole period of publications in the Chess Informant. First, the 16^th game of my 1985 match with Karpov. Second, the 10^th game of the 1995 match with Anand. And even these games had some hidden defects: a pawn sacrifice in the opening when I played Karpov was objectively incorrect; and as far as the game with Anand is concerned, true and severe connoisseurs realize that preliminary preparation diminishes the overall beauty of the game, though the main criterion of beauty is the impression produced by the game or combination on the audience.

It is very difficult to describe a perfect combination that can fascinate chess admirers, especially now, in the end of the 20^th century, when amateurs and grandmasters have computers at their disposal. Any combination, any sacrifice, can be analyzed not only by keen chess analysts but by any person who knows a slight bit about chess, can afford a powerful computer, and can help it move around the maze of opportunities. Therefore, the criterion of beauty today should include the overall correctness of the idea, even allowing for certain human defects, as there is no combination without the partnership of two chess players. The rightness of a combination, its harmony and accuracy, are now seen much more quickly. It no longer takes years or months; the final verdict will be announced in a few days or weeks. It is clear that the ultimate combination should have a thrilling element, such as inevitable mate or sacrifices, where one’s mind rules over matter. It could be a combination with a mating attack, allowing a mating net to be spun with minimal effort.
This is something that everyone likes. In the long run, the final aim of the game of chess is to mate the King of the adversary. Unfortunately, modern defensive technique does not let us fulfill such combinations, but nips them in the bud. A piece and even a pawn sacrifice are now regarded as something special, let alone a Rook sacrifice, which has already become a relic in the games of leading chess players, when done without an obvious combinational motive. Moreover, legendary marches of the King through the chessboard, when White or Black monarch has to cross the minefield under a hail of fire, are buried in obscurity. The time of “evergreen” and “immortal” games by Adolph Andersen has also sunk into oblivion. I least of all imagined that one day I would be able to revitalize the rebellious and romantic spirit of the chessboard and to create a combination that would conform to all of the above-mentioned severe criteria.

I came to the tournament in Wijk aan Zee with mixed feelings. It was too important for me after 11 months of forced downtime. Of course, I had gathered much potential energy. My preparation for the match with Shirov was not wasted – many new opening ideas were waiting their turn. However, my absence of tournament practice had an effect. My blitz match with Kramnik showed that tournament atmosphere is very specific, tense, and pressing, and it did not affect me in the best way; moreover, many interesting ideas were ruined by serious mistakes. I found it difficult to get to grips with my nerves at a crucial moment. The tournament in Wijk aan Zee was also important because it was the first time in 13 years that my number one position was at risk.
Anand’s brilliant tournament results made him the World Champion in the eyes of chess amateurs and players, if not de jure, then de facto at least. Even my slightest failure in Wijk aan Zee, and therefore Anand’s triumph, could have significantly altered the flow of chess history.

Of course, I hoped to win the tournament; reality, however, exceeded my boldest expectations. After the first rather quick draw with Ivanchuk, where I did not use the opportunities provided, I still managed to win a series of games. Never before, even in my heyday, when my rating rose to an incredible height and reached the magic 2800, have I managed to produce such a succession. Ten years ago, in Tilburg and Belgrade, I gathered +18 all together
(18 victories and 7 draws, with no defeats), but it already seems very long ago, and many young chess players in Wijk aan Zee regard those results as ancient history, like matches such as Botvinnik–Tal, Fischer–Spassky, and Karpov–Korchnoi.

After quite a good victory over Van Wely in the second round, there was a blitz tournament that inspired me to 7 victories in a row, even 8, including blitz. Before that, 5 victories had been my limit, and the 6^th game had usually ended in a failure. This time I played my 6^th game with A. Shirov.

However, let us leave aside this introduction. So, it is January 20, 1999, the fourth round. A big chess family has gathered in a huge hall in a small Holland village, Wijk aan Zee, at the seashore where the wind is always blowing. The world top chess players have gathered, along with Grandmasters in the B tournament, and participants in various opens. The atmosphere is unusual, or, rather, I have become estranged from it. Nothing predicted anything unusual that day: of course there was blitz, then seven victories running, and there was a good victory over A. Yermolinsky in the ending among them.
That is why I started the game with Topalov in high spirits. Now it is hard to say if I was waiting for something special, though I had some strange premonitions. I had experienced similar feelings several times before: I was overwhelmed with emotions when I played Karpov in Linares, and then in the next round when I played Gelfand. Both these games ended in brilliant victories, but this time my feelings were somewhat different.

1.e4
Nothing betokened a storm when I made this move.
Topalov, who is always eager to fight whether he has Black or White, whoever he plays, answered with

1…d6
I was sincerely surprised. The Pirc-Ufimtsev Defense is not a usual one for Topalov, and this opening is hardly worth using in the tournaments of the highest category. White has too many opportunities to anybody’s liking, being able to choose a sharp or a positional game; there are various ways of developing the initiative. Nevertheless, Topalov obviously counted on surprise, thinking that I would play worse in a situation I was not ready for. Besides, he hoped to avoid my opening preparation, which he had faced before.

2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6
This was when I began to think. I was actually sunk in thought on the third move, I had often played 3.f3, threatening to transpose into the King’s Indian Defense. However, this opening couldn’t scare Topalov off, as he was used to it; moreover, that was what he would have predicted. That is why I decided to play for a position I had a definite idea about but had never met in practice and, frankly speaking, had never seriously analyzed.

4.Be3 Bg7 5.Qd2 c6
As far as I know, Black usually plays c6 and b5 before the move Bg7, but I don’t think that this shift makes a serious difference.

6.f3
It was also possible to play 6.Nf3 b5 7.Bd3. Objectively, that may have been a better alternative, but on this occasion both adversaries were relying not on preparation, but on common sense.

6…b5 7.Nge2
A strange move. If White wanted to play 7.Bh6!?, he could do it at once, leaving the e2-square free for the other Knight and providing an opportunity to develop the other Bishop on d3. Theoretically, this Knight could move to h3 one day. Generally speaking, the move Nge2 makes no sense; its motive is purely psychological. I remembered a conversation from before the game. When we discussed the strategy with Yury Dokhoian, he said, suddenly looking through Topalov’s games, “You know, Garry, he does not like it when the opponent makes moves he cannot predict. This affects him strangely.” That is why I played 7.Nge2 and surprised Topalov. This move does not contain any threats, but continues development. However, it seemed to me that he did not like the character of the fight, as it did not correspond to the ideas he had before the game.

…Nbd7 8.Bh6
Better late than never. It is useful to exchange the Bishop.

8…Bxh6 9.Qxh6
White has achieved some sort of success, since Black cannot castle short. However, this achievement is rather ephemeral, because the King can hide on the Queenside as well. White’s King will also castle there. A war of maneuver looms, and White cannot count onsignificant gains.
Actually, if Black plays actively with 9…Qa5, then White can move 10.Nc1, and then the Knight moves to b3, gaining a tempo. White will manage to stabilize the game and he will deprive Black of the opportunity to take advantage of the diversion of the White Queen to h6.

9…Bb7 10.a3
I did not want to castle at once, because it was not clear how to defend the King after the Queen moves to a5 and threatens b4. That is why White makes a wait-and-see move that prepares long castling and holds Nc1 in reserve to repulse the b4 threat if Black moves …Qa5.

10…e5
Topalov, after thinking for 11 minutes, decided to strengthen the position in the center and to prepare to castle long.
Black had alternative plans, but this one looked most logical.

11.0-0-0 Qe7 12.Kb1
White did not have a lot of opportunities either; he had to unravel the tangle of his pieces. That was why I decided to transfer the Knight to b3, taking advantage of the fact that now Black’s attempt to play actively with a7-a5 would be repulsed: 12…a5?! 13.Nc1 b4 14.dxe5! dxe5
(14…Ng8 15.Qg7 Qxe5 16.Qxe5+ dxe5 17.Na4

)
15.Na4 bxa3 16.b3

12…a6
It was probably possible to castle at once, but Topalov defends his King from the potential threat of d5 just to be on the safe side.
I doubt that this threat was that real, but Black found this move desirable.

13.Nc1 0-0-0 14.Nb3
The development of both sides is coming to its end. However, Black has to show some enterprise, as he is under some pressure. If White develops with g3, Bh3, and Rhe1, then it won’t be easy for Black. Black’s King is slightly weakened and, of course, he should have considered playing c6-c5,
but then White would have a choice: close the position by playing d5, or even to exchange.

It is probably more promising to close the center. White’s space advantage lets him push for an attack. Then I hoped to make use of Black’s weaknesses on the Queenside. It was possible to move the Queen from h6 to b6 or to a7. This was an absurd thought: it flashed across my mind and immediately disappeared, but subconsciously I formed the idea that the Queen on b6 together with the Knight on a5 could make a lot of trouble, especially if the White Bishop appears on h3. This did affect the calculation of variations, but, the mere fact that such an idea surfaced served as
a prologue to a wonderful combination.

14…exd4!
A very good decision: relief in the center. Taking advantage of the fact that White is a bit backward in development, Black does not hesitate to open the game and relies on the possibility that active pieces will compensate for the weakened position of the King.

15.Rxd4 c5 16.Rd1 Nb6!
A good move. Black prepares d6-d5, and I had to think hard for 10 minutes. What does White do next?

Let’s say if 17.a4?!, then Black gets a good position after 17…b4 18.a5 bxc3 19.axb6 Nd7.

And in case of 17.Na5 d5 18.Nxb7 (18.g3 d4) 18…Kxb7 19.exd5 Nbxd5 20.Nxd5 Nxd5 21.Bd3 f5 22.Rhe1 Qc7 23.Bf1 c4, we have a complicated position with mutual chances. Of course, the Black King is out in the open, but the White Bishop is hemmed in by the pawns. Black is sound in the center, and it is most likely that the position is in a state of dynamic balance.

Now we already have the dim contours of a combination. I still could not imagine how it would look, but I realized that the moves g3 and Bh3 could not be bad.

17.g3
Now the Bishop will move to h3, the Queen will return to f4, the Knight will go to a5, and the blow will take place somewhere in that area.
At that moment, however, I did not know exactly what this blow would be like. Nevertheless, the idea of placing the pieces in such a way already reigned over my mind.

17…Kb8
Topalov thinks that he has some time and can calmly prepare for d6-d5.

18.Na5 Ba8 19.Bh3 d5
So, both sides have fulfilled their plans: White has finished developing, and Black has played d6-d5. It is important to note that if Black had not played the Knight to a5 on the 18^th move, but had immediately played Bh3, then the White Knight would not have reached the a5-square after …Nc4.
Though, generally speaking, there was such an opportunity and it was possible to play Rhe1, but that would have been another game.
I tried to systematically fulfill the plan that I expected to end in a sacrifice.
The move 24.Rxd4 was already clear in my mind, though I had not yet realized the possibility of a draw by repetition of moves. I just saw the outline of an attack.

20.Qf4+ Ka7 21.Rhe1
This was when I saw the possibility of a draw. Moreover, I felt that there was a possibility to continue the game, to play without the Rook, though I could not imagine what it would lead to. However, the image of the Black King on a5 comforted my heart and intuition given to every man from birth.
The intuition of an “attacker” (let’s call it that), told me that there would be a decision and a mating net around the Black King would be spun in spite of the huge material advantage of the adversary.
Besides, I was whipped up by curiosity about the unexplored. Will there ever be another opportunity to lure out the Black King into the center of my own camp!? In the long run, Lasker’s ancient game with a sacrifice on h7 and King’s move g8-g1 is like a myth to us. Such a thing could happen only in those distant times, we assume. And suddenly, this opportunity!

Topalov looked quite confident. He played

21…d4
Certainly, after 21…dxe4? 22.fxe4 the game is open and now the threat 23.Nd5 gives Black a lot of trouble: The Black King is too weak.
White, of course, could have played 22.Na2, but after 22…Rhe8 or h7-h6, the game would have become very complicated.
So naturally, my hand led the Knight to the center.

22.Nd5
Frankly speaking, this move is not the strongest, but it serves as a prologue for a further combination.

22…Nbxd5 23.exd5 Qd6

It seemed to me that Topalov was a bit surprised, as he thought that attacking resources had dried out. A check on c6 was senseless, the Knight will be beaten, the King will go to b6, and there is hardly any opportunity for White to move his Rooks toward the Black King. The d4-pawn safely protects the d-rank, and there are no squares for intrusion on the e-rank. Actually, this was not quite right, and my next move, made without any hesitation, turned out to be an unpleasant surprise for Topalov.

24.Rxd4!!
When I made this move, I saw only the repetition of the moves and the opportunity to continue the attack, though the whole picture of the combination was not yet clear. I already saw the idea Rd6-Rb6, but I still could not get rid of the thought that all lines should be checked to the very end. Maybe Black will find some opportunity for defense. Topalov spent about 15 minutes thinking. I walked around the hall – rather, I fled – and at these feverish moments it seemed to me that there were very few participants and that most of the games had already been finished. My mind worked only in one direction, and one of these moments brought me the image of the whole cluster of various lines. I saw the move 37.Rd7. I don’t even remember how this line was formed in my head, but I saw the whole line up to the end. I saw the journey of the Black King after 36.Bf1, 37.Rd7 and I could no longer suppress my excitement, because at that same moment I realized that the move 24…Kb6 ruined the whole construction.
I was intending to play 25.b4, as I underestimated the fact that after 25…Qxf4
(25…Nxd5 26.Qxd6+ Rxd6 27.bxc5+ Kxc5 28.Nb3+ Kb6 29.Kb2 Rhd8 30.Red1 Bc6 31.f4 Kc7

)
26.Rxf4 Nxd5 27.Rxf7 cxb4 28.axb4 Nxb4 29.Nb3 Rd6 Black’s position is better.

Maybe, if Topalov had played 24…Kb6!
(24…Bxd5?! 25.Rxd5 Nxd5 26.Qxf7+ Nc7 27.Re6 Rd7 28.Rxd6 Rxf7 29.Nc6+ Ka8 30.f4)
then I could have found the move 25.Nb3!, which again makes it impossible to capture the Rook: 25…Bxd5!
(25…cxd4? 26.Qxd4+ Kc7 27.Qa7+ Bb7 28.Nc5 Rb8 29.Re7+

;
25…Nxd5? 26.Qxf7 Rhf8 27.Qg7 Rg8 28.Qh6 Qf8 29.Rh4

)
26.Qxd6+ Rxd6 27.Rd2 Rhd8 28.Red1

and White keeps equality, but not more. The mere thought that I could spoil such a combination drove me crazy, and I only prayed that Topalov would capture on d4. I still was not sure that this would win, but the beauty of the combination I saw impressed me.

I could not believe my own eyes when Veselin twitched abruptly and grabbed the Rook. As he explained after the game, he was exhausted by the tense fight and he thought that White would have to force a draw by the repetition of moves after the Rook was captured. He saw the main idea of the combination, but it did not occur to him that White would play without the Rook, trying to make use of the King’s forward position on a4.

24…cxd4?!
This move loses the game, but it is worth an exclamation mark, as great combinations cannot be created without partners. If Topalov had not taken the Rook, the game could have finished in a draw: Veselin would have had half a point more, I – half a point less. He would have win a little bit, I would have lost a little bit, but chess and chess amateurs would have lost a lot. However, Caissa was kind to me that day… I do not know what I was rewarded for, but the development of events became forced after the capture on d4.

25.Re7+!
I made this move with lightening speed. And there was nothing to think about. The Rook was inviolable. Such moves are always made with pleasure, and all I have said before (that the d-rank is closed by the d4-pawn and that there are no squares for intrusion on the e-rank) turned out to be ruined. Two White Rooks sacrifice themselves, and thus, the way to the Black camp is opened for White’s pieces. The construction I dreamt of – Queen on b6, Knight on a5 – has suddenly come true, because of the Bishop on h3.

If Black moves 25…Kb8?, then after 26.Qxd4! Nd7 27.Bxd7 Bxd5 28.c4! Qxe7 29.Qb6+ Ka8 30.Qxa6+ Kb8 31.Qb6+ Ka8 32.Bc6+! Bxc6 33.Nxc6, Black loses by force.

I have to note that 25.Qxd4? did not achieve the goal, because of 25…Qb6 26.Re7 Nd7
and White’s attack fades away.

25…b6 26.Qxd4+ Kxa5
Some of the participants, including Anand, asserted that the move 26…Qc5 saved the game.
However, after 27.Qxf6+ Qd6 28.Be6!! White closed the rank but left the opportunity to vary threats and to force Black into a desperate position.
For example, 28…Bxd5 (28…Rhe8 29.b4!

) 29.b4! Ba8 30.Qxf7 Qd1+ 31.Kb2 Qxf3 32.Bf5 would be the simplest way, as all the lines are closed and mate threats become inevitable.

27.b4+ Ka4 28.Qc3
I made the last move without hesitation. Frankly speaking, I could not make myself think as I strove for the end.
I already saw it, and it seemed to me that it was the way to finish the game, that Black could not avoid it, and that there were no other defenses.
Veselin gave me time when he was thinking himself, but I could not make myself look for another opportunity. My hopes were in vain! However, it is difficult to judge. It seems to me that the beauty of this combination is not inferior to any alternative.
Though, in order to be objective from the point of view of chess truth, it would be stronger to play 28.Ra7! This move was found by Lubomir Kavalek, probably with the help of a computer, as it is impossible to look through all the lines independently. Nevertheless, the idea found by Kavalek provided the opportunity to realize all problem motives in a clearer way, keeping Black from using new defensive resources. Such resources could appear in the game as played, though, frankly speaking, they were not enough.

So, after 28.Ra7, both captures on d5 lose quickly:
28…Nxd5 29.Rxa6+!! Qxa6 30.Qb2 Nc3+ 31.Qxc3 Bd5 32.Kb2

and we approached the position when there was no defense from the threat of Queen’s self-sacrifice on b3.
Black cannot attract another piece to control the a2-g8 diagonal, as the White Bishop controls the e6-square.

The Bishop’s capture on d5 also loses:
28…Bxd5 29.Qc3 Rhe8 30.Kb2 Re2. Black linked the c2-pawn and defended from the Qb3 threat. And here the Queen suddenly changes its route – 31.Qc7!, threatening a mate from a5. And after 31…Qxc7 32.Ra6 the King turns out to be mated by the White Rook. A wonderful scheme of mating pieces!

The strongest move, as in the game itself, is 28.Ra7 Bb7 29.Rxb7 Qxd5.
(After 29…Nxd5, White finds a new mating construction, 30.Bd7!, threatening with Bxb5+ to expose the Black King and to mate it again with the Rook, and after 30.Rxd7 White varies the threats by the move 31.Qb2, threatening a mate from b3. The only move is 31…Nxb4, and then 32.Rxd7 attacks the Queen again. And there is a mate from b4 after 32…Qxd7. 32…Qc5 33.Rd4 threatens to capture on b4 and on h8. After 33…Rc8 White plays 34.Qb3+ Ka5 35.ab, and Black suffers crucial material losses.)

The continuation after 29…Qxd5: 30.Rb6 a5.
(In case of 30…Ra8, White restores the material balance after 31.Qxf6 and continues the crucial attack. 31…a5 32.Bf1 Rhb8 33.Rd6 driving away the Black Queen and the White Queen comes back and mates.)

It seems that after 29.Rxb7 Qxd5 30.Rb6 a5 31.Ra6, Black can defend himself playing Ra8, but then a sudden change in mating construction follows: 32.Qe3!!

Right here, as after 32…Rxa6 goes 33.Kb2 (which threatens mate on b3), and after 33…axb4 34.axb4 the a3-square is open for a new mating construction.
A capture on b4 postpones the mate by one more move. 35.Qc3 Ka4 36.Qa3 checkmate.
The only defense is 34…Qa2+ 35.Kxa2 Kxb4+ 36.Kb2. Black has rather good material – two Rooks for the Queen – but White continues the attack and there is no escape from it: 36…Rc6 37.Bf1, threatening a mate from a3. 37…Ra8 38.Qe7+ Ka5 39.Qb7. A mate threat on b5 results in the win of the Rook.

28…Qxd5
Here, Topalov had less than half an hour, I had 32 minutes.
It would be even weaker to play 28…Bxd5, because of 29.Kb2! with inevitable mate.

29.Ra7! Bb7 30.Rxb7
White refuses the last opportunity to force a perpetual check by playing 30.Qc7. I was sure that White would achieve more.
Of course, 30…Rd6 31.Rb6! is an effective variant, but not very complicated. The Black Rook on d6 cannot do two things simultaneously: defend the a6-pawn and control the d4-square, as Black has to play …Qd4 after Kb2.
It is important that there is no checkmate on d1, because the White King suddenly goes to a2 and it turns out that the threat Qb3 can be also supported by the King from the a2-square. That is why the Black Queen has to be on d5 (one has to understand this very important moment), in order to control the b3-square and to be able to play …Qd4 if the White King is on b2. Therefore, the Rook should be on d8. It leaves enough opportunities for most various problem motives that are more vivid in this particular line.
Both adversaries saw the line, and Topalov, having spent some of his precious minutes, played

30…Qc4
This is the most natural defense, and I counted on it, too. Moreover, this is the defense that leads to the most effective mating end that I had no rest from for the last 15–20 minutes, ever since its image mysteriously arose in my mind. Actually, Black had two other defenses, and each of them could have ruined the delicate conception that I had in mind.

The first one was 30…Rhe8, the move Topalov showed on the next day before the round started. Thus he drove me into a tight corner in my game with Reinderman, where I was deep in thought calculating various lines after 30…Rhe8 and, not being able to find the way out, I was very careless in the opening, making two slips and mixing everything up. Fortunately, I rethought quickly, got rid of all these fixed ideas and nightmares and played a marvelous game. However, Topalov’s idea was not likely to live a long life, because everyone was interested in this game and the statement that the move 30.Rhe8 could refute White’s brilliant composition must have caused inward protest. So, at the end of the round, Ligterink proudly showed a brilliant victory for White.

Thus, White plays 31.Rb6 Ra8. It is important to note that the move 32.Be6, which suggests itself, does not achieve the goal: 32…Rxe6 33.Rxe6.
And Black, of course, can not capture the Rook on e6, as after Kb2 there is no defense from the mate, but plays 33…Qc4. This is the very counter-sacrifice that I told you about. White has to beat c4: 34.Qxc4 bxc4 35.Rxf6 Kxa3 and then 36.Rxf7 Re8 Black starts a counter attack and, strange as it may seem, keeps good chances to win the ending.

White cannot allow such exchanges and, as we can see, the c4-square is now crucial. Black could change the defense, playing 30…Rhe8. In this case one Rook would defend the a6-pawn from a8, and the move Kb2 faces Qe5. The Rook controls the e5-square, and the Queen is ready to move to c4. That is why the key move is 32.Bf1!! Objecting to Qc4, White creates a quiet threat Rd6, which is crucial in the case of 32…Nd7.
(32…Nd7 33.Rd6! Rec834.Qb2)
If 32…Re6, then White simply makes an exchange on e6 and plays 34…Kb2.
If 32…Red8, White plays 33.Rc6 and creates a threat Rc5, now we have Rd6 anyway after 33…Nd7, as the d-rank is closed.
And after 33…Nh5, we can, for instance, play 34.c5 Rac8 and 35.Kb2. And there is no way out again!
Ligterink, most likely with the help of a computer, found a unique defense. This is a counter-sacrifice that faces a marvelous, though probably also computer, denial.

This is 32…Re1 (after 32.Bf1) 33.Qe1 Nd7. The White Rook is captured, but the most important thing is that the Black Knight tries to go to b6 and after 34.Qc3 Nb6 35.Kb2 this Knight checks the King from c4, after 36.Ka2 he checks the King from d2, controls the b3-square, and suddenly Black wins.
However, after 33…Nd7 White makes a diverting Rook sacrifice – 34.Rb7!

It is necessary to take the Rook, as after 34…Ne5 35.Qc3 Qxf3 the easiest way to the victory would be 36.Bd3 Qd5 37.Be4.
And after 34…Qb7 there is that very computerlike ending: 35.Qd1 Kxa3 36.c3 and the White Queen mates in a stair-like way Qc1-Qc2-Qa2. Checkmate is inevitable!

I do not know if it would be possible to find this line during a game, but the beauty of the combination is absolutely irresistible.
In essence, we deal with a problem of changing mates, which, as far as I can remember, have never been practiced by serious chess players.
Such interchange of mates is characteristic only of special chess problems.

Black has another counter-opportunity: he can make a sudden Knight sacrifice 30…Ne4! and after 31.fxe4 Qc4 the idea becomes clear – if White follows the line of the game absent-mindedly, then after the move Bf1 at the very end of the line, Black will capture on e4 with check. The difference is that the White pawn moves from f3 to e4 and now this square is clear for the Black Queen.
Of course, White does not have to play 31…Qc4 – 32.Qf6, though after 32…Kxa3 33.Qxf6 Kxb4 34.Bd7, he is not at risk. The game, however, would end in a draw.
The move 32.Qe3? is not promising either. Black plays 32…Rc8, which is the same counter-sacrifice, 33.Bxc8 Rxc8, approaching the counterattack: 34.Qc1 Qd4! – the best way. And White has accept a draw.

A capture on c4 gives Black chances to win and leads to a complicated ending: 32.Qxc4?! bxc4 33.Kb2. The best move is 33…f5 and after 34.exf5 Black has to play …c3+ and give an intermediate checkmate (as after 34…Rd6 35.fxg6 c3+ White plays 36.Ka2 hxg6 37.Bf1, and we come across mating constructions once again: either Bc4-Bd3, or Bb5-Ra7).
However, after 34…c3+ 35.Kxc3 Kxa3 36.f6 Rd6 37.f7 Rc6+ 38.Kd4 Rxc2 39.Bf1 White has some chances to win. Maybe he will win the ending because of a strong pawn and the opportunity to push the King to g7. However, White didn’t start this combination to win the ending.
Fortunately, adetailed analysis shows that White has a better opportunity.

After 30…Ne4 31.fxe4 Qc4 the right move would be 32.Ra7 as it threatens mate on a6 again. Now, after 32…Ra8 White wins playing 33.Qe3, in order to play Kb2 after Ra7. And after 32…Rd1+ 33.Kb2 Qxc3+ 34.Kxc3 Rd6 we come to an ending, but this ending is different from the previous one.
The Black King is still threatened with mate. The pawn has not yet left the b5-square and White can continue forcing threats, in spite of the disappearance of the Queens: 35.e5 Rb6 36.Kb2 Re8 (where else? If 36…Rd8, then 37.Bd7) 37.Bg2! in order to play 37…Rxe5 38.Bb7, and then 38…Re7 39.Bd5, and suddenly the Bishop gets at b3. As we know, the result would be just as if the Queen were there.
Thus, after 37.Bg2! Rd8 Black controls the d5-square, and then 38.Bb7 Rd7 39.Bc6!!

Now, after 39…Rd2 the move 40.Be8 will decide, and after 39…Rd8 40.Bd7 we reach the position in question.
Black is paralyzed and can do nothing but wait for a disgraceful end.

31.Qxf6 Kxa3
Topalov still erred in thinking that White had nothing better than 32.Qxa6 Kxb4 and 33.Bd7. Really, White has no other possibilities as the King is under the threat of mate himself.

Black misses the best defense that let him continue the resistance in the ending by playing 31…Rd7+! And then 32.Kb2 Ra8 33.Qb6! threatening
a mate from a5. 33…Qd4+ (At 33…a5, 34.Bd7 is decisive) 34.Qxd4 Rxd4 35.Rxf7. Technically, it is the most complicated decision. Black must play 35…a5 36.Be6 axb4 37.Bb3+ Ka5 38.axb4+, and it turns out that the Rook cannot capture on b4 because after c3 this Rook is trapped and the ending is technically won. Then, after 38…Kb6 39.Rh7 Rc8 40.h4 White can win this position without much trouble. The Bishop and three pawns are much stronger than the Rook. White’s setup is marvelous and his victory is a matter of time.
However, the continuation 35.Bd7 was more effective, and I counted on it during the game because, frankly speaking, I did not see that after 38.axb4+ Rxb4 the move 39.c3 trapped the Rook.

I planned to play 35.Bd7. Analysis showed that this was also enough for the victory. White tries to dominate, to press the Black pieces, and he prepares to move the Kingside pawns, taking advantage of the fact that the Rook should be on a8. Black tries to defend himself from Bb5+ and not to let the Bishop go to b3. Nevertheless, he does not succeed.
After 35.Bd7!? Rd2 36.Bc6 f5 37.Rb6 Ra7 38.Be8 Rd4 39.f4. Black is nearly stalemated. After 39…Rc4 40.Bf7 Rxb4+ 41.axb4 Rxf7 42.c3 Ra7,
the only way is to play 43.Re6 a5 44.Re1, and we come across a new mating construction. This time it is a checkmate from a1; the Rook mates the Black King on the a-rank.

Nevertheless, Topalov took on a3 with the King, and the line I dreamt of came true!

Once again, tried to check the lines, and, afraid to believe my own eyes, I made sure that what I had thought of for so long was just about to happen.
It seemed to go on for ages, but in fact, it took not more than two minutes.

Then followed

32.Qxa6+ Kxb4

33.c3+!
Probably, this was when Topalov realized everything. Of course, he saw the move 36…Rd2 and then, as it often happens to chess players,
he immediately saw Rd7. Black has no choice, he has to take with the King on c3.

33…Kxc3 34.Qa1+ Kd2
There is no way back: If 34…Kb4 35.Qb2+ Ka5 36.Qa3+ Qa4 37.Ra7, winning the Queen.

35.Qb2+ Kd1
The Black King has made the way to his Calvary – from b8 to d1 – across the whole chessboard! And when it seems that he has reached a quiet harbor (White has no more checkmates), the Bishop, which was on h3 and did nothing but shot in the emptiness and defended the e6 square,
made his move.

36.Bf1!
White attacks the Queen, who cannot escape. If he retreats along the e-rank the move 37.Qe2 and checkmate would follow, and retreat to e6 will allow a mate from c1.

Another change of mating constructions! In fact, we should not forget another opportunity: instead of 35…Kd1, 35…Ke3 can be played, then the continuation would be 36.Re7+ Kf3 37.Qg2.

This is one more of the innumerable mating endings.
Thus, after 36.Bf1 the Bishop is also inviolable, as after 36…Qxf1 37.Qc2+ Ke1 38.Re7+.
– I don’t know who would like such a mate. This is a trifle in comparison with all we had before.

36…Rd2
Black makes a counterblow and for another second it seems that the worst is left behind, because White seems to have no more resources.
36…Qc5 37.Qe2 mate; 36…Qe6 37.Qc1 mate.

With one more second to rest, Black will announce checkmate to the White King himself. But this is where the White Rook enters.

37.Rd7!
The weakness of the a1-h8 diagonal is the most important element of this combination. Usually everything depends on such trifles. If only the Black Rook had been on g8, there would have been no combination at all… And after 37.Rd7 Black has nothing else to hope for. However, Topalov still continued the fight mechanically. Black has to take the Rook on d7.

37…Rxd7!

38.Bxc4 bxc4 39.Qxh8 Rd3
This moves gives the illusion of activity. If White suddenly takes on h7, then after c3 Black will queen the Black pawn. But we did not play draughts,
it was not obligatory to capture, and now the Queen could show her true strength.

40.Qa8
Moving closer to the battlefield.

40…c3 41.Qa4+ Ke1 42.f4
And thus Black is deprived of the last hope to get a position of “the Rook against the Queen” that demands a certain accuracy from the strongest side, if playing a computer. And still, as practice has proved, a weaker side in the battle of two chess players is not able to resist, as it is nearly impossible to make a “computer move” that would take the Rook away from the King. However, it is not necessary to know all these nuances. White keeps a lot of pawns so that Black could hope to win them sometime.

42…f5 43.Kc1
Neutralizes any Black’s hope connected with c-pawn.

43…Rd2 44.Qa7
The Queen starts attacking Black pawns, and the h2-pawn is inviolable because of Qg1+.
Topalov resigned, and this wonderful game was over.

In actual fact, the game was not over, as its transmission via the Internet shook the world of chess, and the game itself was analyzed. Topalov analyzed the game at night, then it was analyzed the following day by Dutch journalists. They looked for defenses, counterblows, found the way to win, and then studied the defense again. A great many articles were written on the game. Later on, Kavalek will find the move 28.Ra7, but we now know the final verdict, which was announced several days after the game was played, during the tournament in Wijk aan Zee. Dozens or even hundreds of computers had already analyzed the game and confirmed that White’s combination was correct and Black’s decisive mistake was 24…cxd4, which cut off all ways for rescue.
After that the Black King was doomed to cross the road of death and White, fortunately, unless Black found hidden defenses, ended the game with two strokes – 36.Bf1 and 37.Rd7.

Indeed, from now on, it will be very difficult for me to say that my best game has not been played yet. From the professional point of view, I believe that my game with Svidler is even better, but chess amateurs do not care about the Grunfeld defense! Chess amateurs do not care about a pawn sacrifice in a famous position, or about a piece counter-sacrifice. They don’t care about the few possible moves with centralization of pieces or about the transfer of the Queen, when one can enjoy the combination and see the romantic appeal of a modern chess game with a good opening and an interesting fight, when there is a certain romanticism that seemed to have fallen into oblivion. And it seems appropriate that such a game was played in an unpretentious and not very expressive line. As I have already said, both adversaries played according to their common sense, driven by their own understanding and judgment and not by some special knowledge. I suppose that one can hardly find a better example to debunk a popular myth, that all my success is, to a certain extent, connected with straightforward opening preparations. In the long run, true chess connoisseurs realize that the secret of success does not depend only on intensive preparation but on the way this preparation is transformed within the chessplayer, in the way it lets him develop his chess horizons. Ω