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Round 10 (May 22, 2005)
Anand, Viswanathan - Polgar, Judit 1/2 45 B49 Sicilian Paulsen
Ponomariov, Ruslan - Adams, Michael 1/2 53 C77 Ruy Lopez Anderssen
Kramnik, Vladimir - Topalov, Veselin 0-1 34 B80 Sicilian Scheveningen
Mtel Masters Sofia BUL (BUL), 12-22 v 2005 cat. XX (2747)
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1 2 3 4 5 6
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1 Topalov, Veselin g BUL 2778 ** =1 == 01 =1 =1 6.5 2850
2 Anand, Viswanathan g IND 2785 =0 ** == == =1 =1 5.5 2775
3 Polgar, Judit g HUN 2732 == == ** == 0= =1 5.0 2749
4 Ponomariov, Ruslan g UKR 2695 10 == == ** 01 == 5.0 2757
5 Kramnik, Vladimir g RUS 2753 =0 =0 1= 10 ** 0= 4.0 2673
6 Adams, Michael g ENG 2737 =0 =0 =0 == 1= ** 4.0 2676
------------------------------------------------------------- Vladimir Kramnik greeting Vesselin Topalov at the start of round 10. Photo © http://www.mtelmasters.com Round 10 22nd May 2005 Vesselin Topalov won the MTel Masters in Sofia. He played the best and most enterprising chess throughout and after the retirement of Kasparov has made a good case for being the strongest active player. He was pushed hard by Viswanathan Anand and had things gone a little differently today could have ended up playing off for the tournament. First to finish was Viswanathan Anand, he got a small edge out of the opening but never came close to finding a way of exploiting it against a resolute Judit Polgar. Next to finish was the Vladimir Kramnik against Vesselin Topalov clash. This was a tense struggle in a sideline of the Scheveningen Sicilian where both players did their best to increase the tension. On move 29 Topalov offered a piece accepting of which would have led to a draw. Topalov reoffered it the following move and it may be I don't fully appreciate the idea but it seems like Kramnik can grab a piece with decisive advantage. Instead he took the exchange and on move 34 just blundered a piece and had to resign. Kramnik said yesterday that he is not fully over the illness that has dogged him since half way through his match against Leko in Brissago and I think its clear this has shown in his play. He does think he's getting better and hopes to play much better in Dortmund. It must becoming apparent to him that through various factors he's wasting what should be his best years so hopefully he will arrive in Germany physically fit and well prepared. The final game to finish was between Ruslan Ponomariov and Michael Adams. Ponomariov had some kind of edge in a heavy piece endgame but these tend towards draws and in spite of a nice tactic opening up Adams king a draw was really always favourite. According to calculations by Johan Hut - http://www.utrechtschaak.nl/forum_item.aspx?id=651 after the retirement of Kasparov the changes to the FIDE rating list after Mtel and the Capablanca Memorial would produce this top 7: Anand 2785 -1 2784 Topalov 2788 Topalov 2778 +10 2788 Anand 2784 Leko 2763 2763 Leko 2763 Kramnik 2753 -11 2742 Ivanchuk 2751 Ivanchuk 2739 +12 2751 Kramnik 2742 Adams 2737 -8 2729 Polgar 2735 Polgar 2732 +3 2735 Adams 2729 [These figures don't include the Bundesliga where Anand should gain 4 points there, and Svidler (+9) probably enters the Top 7] ]Kramnik,V (2753) - Topalov,V (2778) [B80] Mtel Masters Sofia BUL (10), 22.05.2005 Notes Malcolm Pein 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e6 7.f3 b5 8.Qd2 [8.g4 Kramnik - Topalov Wijk aan Zee (2) 2005 0-1 20] 8...b4 9.Nce2 e5 10.Nb3 Nc6 11.c4 Be7 12.Ng3 g6 13.Bd3 Nd7 14.Rd1 0-0 15.Qf2 a5 16.0-0 a4 17.Nc1 [17.Nd2 Keeps an eye on c4 17...Bg5=] 17...Nc5 [17...Bg5!?] 18.Bb1 Qc7 19.Nce2 Be6=/+ c4 is falling 20.Bh6 Rfe8 21.Nf5 Bxc4 [21...gxf5 22.Qg3+] 22.Ne3 Ba6 [22...Be6 Looks sounder, the pin on f1 is not quite as good as it looks] 23.f4 exf4 [23...Nd4 24.Nxd4 Bxf1 25.Nd5 Qb7 26.Nf5+-] 24.Bxf4 Ne5 25.Nd5 Qa7 26.Bxe5 dxe5 27.Kh1 [27.Qxf7+ Kh8-/+ 28.Nxe7 Nxe4+ 29.Kh1 Rxe7] 27...Bg5 28.Nxb4 Bc4 Very handily covering f7 29.Rfe1 Qb7 Topalov effectively offers a draw with this move but Kramnik, to his great credit fights on only to blunder one more time than his opponent in the following bizarre sequence. If the online coverage was accurate then there was mild time trouble but nothing to explain what follows other than enormous tension. [29...Ne6=/+] 30.Nd5  [30.Qxc5 Rac8 31.Qa5 repeats (31.Qf2 Qxb4-/+ 32.Rf1 (32.Nc3 a3 33.b3 Bxb3 34.Nd5 Bxd5 35.Rxd5 Qb2-/+) ) 31...Ra8 32.Qc5 Rac8=] 30...Qxb2?? 31.Nc7 [31.Qxc5 Rec8 (31...Bxe2 32.Qf2 Winning the bishop and the game is certainly missable, maybe that was the point overlooked by both players I can't wait to hear what they have to say about the game.) 32.Qf2 is just winning, an odd example of mutual chess blindness or am I missing something ?] 31...Ne6 With a pawn and very active pieces Black is at least equal and his position is easier to play 32.Nxe8 Rxe8 33.Rf1 Rf8  34.Nc1?? [34.Ng3 a3 35.Qxb2 (35.Bd3 Qxf2 36.Rxf2 Rd8 37.Bc2 Rxd1+ 38.Bxd1 Nd4 With a remarkable bind on the position, Black wins. The threat is Be3 and Nf1 provides no relief 39.Nf1 Bc1-+ With ...Bb2 and ...Bxa2 to follow and in necessary ...f5) 35...axb2 36.Rf2 Rb8 is better for Black but White has chances to give back the exchange and try and eliminate the b2 pawn 37.Rc2 Ba6 38.Ne2-/+; 34.Bd3 also looks possible. MC]34...Qxb1 35.Nb3 Qxe4 makes off with the booty 0-1 Anand,V (2785) - Polgar,Ju (2732) [B49] MTel Masters Sofia, Bulgaria (10), 22.05.2005 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be3 a6 7.Be2 Nf6 8.0-0 Bb4 9.Na4 Be7 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Nb6 Rb8 12.Nxc8 Qxc8 13.Bd4 0-0 14.e5 Nd5 15.c4 Nf4 16.g3 Nxe2+ 17.Qxe2 c5 18.Bc3 f5 19.Rad1 Qc6 20.f4 Rf7 21.b3 Rb7 22.Rd3 Ra7 The first new move. White has some pressure but its hard to break through. [22...Bf8 23.Rfd1 g6 24.Bd2 Rg7 25.h4 h6 26.Be3 Kh7 27.Kh2 Qc8 28.Qg2 Rc7 29.Kg1 Qe8 30.Kf2 Be7 31.Ke2 Kg8 32.Kd2 Qc8 33.Kc2 Kf8 34.Qf3 Ke8 35.Bd2 Qb7 36.Qxb7 Rxb7 37.Be3 Rc7 38.Kc3 Kd8 39.a3 Kc8 40.b4 cxb4+ 41.axb4 g5 42.hxg5 hxg5 43.Bb6 Rc6 44.c5 gxf4 45.gxf4 Bh4 46.Rh1 Rg4 47.Rdh3 Rg3+ 48.Kc4 Rxh3 49.Rxh3 Bf2 50.b5 axb5+ 51.Kxb5 Bd4 52.Rh8+ Kb7 53.Rh7 Kc8 54.Ka6 d5 55.exd6 1-0 Aroshidze,L-Mastrovasilis,D/Kavala GRE 2004/The Week in Chess 509] 23.h4 g6 24.Ba5 Rb7 25.Rfd1 Bf8 26.Qg2 Qc8 27.Kf1 Ra7 28.Ke1 Rb7 29.R1d2 h5 30.Kd1 Ra7 31.Kc2 Qb8 32.Qf3 Rb7 33.Qe3 Qc8 34.Rd1 Be7 35.a4 Bf8 36.Rd6  After lengthy manoevering Anand tries something. 36...Bxd6 37.Rxd6 Qb8 38.Rxa6 Rf8 39.Bd2 Ra7 40.Rd6 Qc7 41.Qf3 Rb8 42.Rd3 Qb6 43.Rd6 Qc7 44.Rd3 Qb6 45.Rd6 There is nothing for either side in this position. 1/2-1/2 Ponomariov,R (2695) - Adams,Mi (2737) [C77] MTel Masters Sofia, Bulgaria (10), 22.05.2005 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d3 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 7.a4 Rb8 8.Nc3 d6 9.axb5 axb5 10.Bg5 h6N [10...Bg4 11.Nd5 Nd4 12.c3 Nxb3 13.Qxb3 c6 14.Nxf6+ gxf6 15.Bh4 Rg8 16.Qc2 Ra8 17.Kd2 Bh5 18.d4 Ba7 19.Bg3 Kf8 20.Qd3 Kg7 21.Nh4 Bg6 22.d5 cxd5 23.Qxd5 b4 24.Nxg6 hxg6 25.h4 bxc3+ 26.bxc3 Bc5 27.h5 gxh5 28.Ke2 Qc8 29.Rxa8 1/2-1/2 Morozevich,A-Grischuk,A/Mainz GER 2004/The Week in Chess 509] 11.Bxf6 Qxf6 12.Nd5 Qd8 13.c3 Ne7 14.d4 Nxd5 15.Bxd5 exd4 16.Nxd4 Bxd4 17.cxd4 0-0 18.Rc1 Bb7 19.Bxb7 Rxb7 With just the heavy pieces left there isn't much in this position. 20.0-0 Qe7 21.Qc2 c5 22.dxc5 dxc5 23.Qxc5 Qxe4 24.Rfe1 Qg4 White has a tiny advantage but I suspect the players wouldn't have played on so long if they could have just agreed a draw. 25.h3 Qd7 26.b4 Rd8 27.Re5 Qd3 28.Re3 Qd2 29.Rce1 Rbb8 30.R1e2 Qd1+ 31.Kh2 g6 32.f4 Rdc8 33.Qe5 Qd7 34.Re4 Rb6 35.Rd4 Qc7 36.Qd5 Rbb8 37.Re5 Rd8 38.Qe4 Rxd4 39.Qxd4 Rd8 40.Qe4 Qd7 41.f5 g5 42.Rc5 Re8 43.Qd5 Qe7 44.Qd3 Rd8 45.Qg3 Qe2 46.Rc6 Rd3 47.Qb8+ Kg7 48.Rxh6!?  Nice but sadly for white it doesn't win. 48...Rd8 Forced. [48...Kxh6 49.Qh8#] 49.Qxd8 Qe5+ Now its perpetual check. 50.Kh1 Qe1+ 51.Kh2 Qe5+ 52.Kh1 Qe1+ 53.Kh2 Qe5+ 1/2-1/2 |
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