Annotated Games in PGN

Round 6

A enthralling last round game ended with the world number one Veselin Topalov losing for a third time at the Essent tournament as Judit Polgar achieved a rare double over the recently deposed Fide Champion. The greatest female player of all time called the Bulgarian’s bluff in a time scramble and ran her king right across the board to safety and victory.

Topalov’s win at all costs strategy cost him dearly again, he ignored a possible draw but also in the heat of the contest missed a chance to win after his bold play had induced an error from his opponent. After the time control at move 40 Polgar had an extra pawn and when Topalov’s checks ran out his own king was defenceless.

Shakriyaz Mamedyarov confirmed his growing reputation by defeating Ivan Sokolov in a very well played and deceptive king and pawn endgame that I will analyse in tomorrow’s column. Mamedyarov, the 2005 World Junior champion is ranked 17th in the world and rising and he took first place on tie break from Polgar due his round five victory in their individual game.

Scores: 1-2 Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan) & Polgar (Hungary) 4.5/6; 3 Topalov (Bulgaria) 2.5; 4 Sokolov (Holland) 0.5;

V Topalov - J Polgar
10th Essent Hoogeveen (6) Nimzo-Indian

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 0-0 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 b6 7.Nf3 Bb7 8.e3 c5 9.Be2 cxd4 10.exd4 d5 11.b3 (White avoids an isolated queen's pawn after a possible dxc4) 11...Nbd7 12.0-0 dxc4 13.bxc4 Qc7 (Black hopes to attack White's 'hanging pawns' on c4 and d4 while White wants to line up his bishops on the black king) 14.a4 Rac8 15.Re1 Rfe8 16.Bb2 Ng4 (Threat Bxf3 and Qxh2) 17.g3 Ndf6 (Threatening Nf6-e4) 18.Nd2 h5 19.h3 Nh6 (By provoking g2-g3 Polgar sets up Qc7-c6 threatening mate on g2) 20.Bf3 Red8 21.Re5 Nf5 22.Bxb7 Qxb7 23.d5! h4 24.g4 Ne7 25.Ne4 Ne8! (25...Nxe4 26.Rxe4 threatening Qxg7 mate) 26.Re1!? (Typical Topalov, Rg5 or dxe6 were also possible but he sacrifices two pawns to create complications) 26...Nxd5 27.Qf3 Rxc4 28.Rg5 Qe7 (Missing the threat 28...Qc6 was safer and if 29.Bxg7 Nxg7 30.Rxd5 exd5 31.Nf6+ Kh8 or 29.Rh5 Ne7 30.Rxh4 Ng6) 29.Bxg7!! Nxg7 30.Rxd5! Rxd5 31.Nf6+ Kf8 32.Nxd5 (Naturally Topalov avoids 32.Nh7+ Ke8 33.Nf6+ Kf8) 32...Qd6 33.Nf6 Ne8 34.Qa8! Qe7 35.g5! Rd4 36.Rc1 Rd8 37.Qf3 (I expected 37.Rc8 Rxc8 38.Qxc8 but then 38...e5! 39.Kg2 e4 holds. Black is tied up White has no way of improving his position) 37...Rd5!? (Tricky! with the idea of Nxd5 Qxg5+ and Qxc1 in sidestepping this Topalov misses the best chance)

38.Kf1? (38.Qf4! would have given Topalov chances of victory 38...Rxg5+ 39.Qxg5 Qxf6 40.Qxf6 Nxf6 41.Rc4 a6 42.Rxh4 should win as do 38...Kg7 39.Qxh4 Nxf6 40.Qh6+!; 38...Rf5 39.Qxh4 Nxf6 40.Qh6+! Kg8 41.gxf6 Qxf6 42.Rc8+) 38...Nxf6 39.gxf6 Qd8! 40.Rc4 (40.Qa3+ Kg8 and the h4 pawn handily prevents Qg3+) 40...Rf5 41.Qa3+ Kg8 42.Rg4+ Kh7 43.Rxh4+ Kg6 44.Rg4+ Kxf6 (Polgar plays for the win and despite its wanderings her king is quite safe) 45.Qc3+ Ke7 46.Rd4 Rd5 47.Rc4 Kd7! 48.h4 Qb8 49.Qf6 Rf5 50.Rd4+ Kc6 51.Rc4+ Kb7 52.Qe7+ Ka6 (Black is ready to counterattack, the checks are over) 53.Rc7 (53.Qc7 Qxc7 54.Rxc7 Rf4 Rook and pawn endgames are lost for Black because of his weak pawns) 53...Qa8 54.Kg1 Rf4 55.f3 Rxf3 56.Qg5 f5 0-1

Shakriyaz Mamedyarov confirmed his growing reputation by defeating Ivan Sokolov in a very well played and deceptive king and pawn endgame in the last round of the Essent tournament at Hoogeveen. The Azerbaijani who was World Junior champion last year is ranked 12th in the world and rising and he took first place on tie break from Polgar due his round five victory in their individual game.

Ivan Sokolov had a terrible time but this was a very tough tournament for him against three of the world’s strongest players. Only two months ago he brutalised the field at the Staunton Memorial but that was a completely different type of event both in format and in the strength of the opposition.

This was one of the most fighting tournaments ever held with only two draws in twelve games. The tournament rating performances of the winners were also exceptional. Mamedyarov played to 2921 and Judit Polgar turned in a 2927 performance. The world number one Veselin Topalov, rated 2813 performed at 2645 and I suspect his position will be usurped by Vishy Anand in the next list. Garry Kasparov’s all time high was 2851.

Mamedyarov,S (2728) - Sokolov,Iv (2670) [D12]
10th Essent Hoogeveen NED (6), 28.10.2006

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.e3 Bf5 4.Nc3 e6 5.Nf3 Nd7 6.Bd3 Bxd3 7.Qxd3 Ngf6 8.0-0 Be7 9.e4 0-0 10.cxd5 exd5 11.exd5 cxd5 12.Ne5 Bd6 13.Re1 Re8 14.Bf4 Bb4 15.Re2 Qa5 16.Nd1 Nf8 17.Ne3 Ng6 18.Nxg6 hxg6 19.a3 Rac8 20.Be5 Nd7 21.Qb3 Qa6 22.Rc2 Rxc2 23.Nxc2 Bf8 24.Bg3 Qb6 25.Qc3 Nf6 26.f3 Re6 27.Ne3 Rc6 28.Qd2 Qb3 29.Rc1 Rxc1+ 30.Qxc1 Qd3 31.Be5 Nd7 32.Qc3 Nxe5 33.dxe5 Qxc3 34.bxc3 Bc5 35.Kf2 d4 36.cxd4 Bxd4 37.f4 b5 38.Ke2 Bc5 39.Nc2 Kf8 40.Kd3 a5 41.Ke4 Bg1 42.h3 Ke7 43.Kd5 Kd7 44.g4 Bf2 45.Nd4 Bxd4 46.Kxd4

This position arose after 46 moves

Sokolov

Mamedyarov

Position after 46.Kxd4

46...Kc6 (A king and five pawns each but Black is lost because White can make an outside passed pawn with h3-h4, h4-h5, f4-f5 and then f5-f6 forcing the h pawn home) 47.h4 b4 (Black cannot afford to wait. If his g6 pawn was on h7 then this pawn break would be a lot stronger (If 47...a4 48.h5 gxh5 49.gxh5 b4 50.axb4 a3 51.Kc3 a2 52.Kb2 Kb5 53.f5) 48.axb4 axb4 49.Kc4 b3 50.Kxb3 Kd5 51.g5! (Winning) 51...Ke6 (51...Ke4 52.h5 gxh5 53.g6 fxg6 54.e6 or 51...Ke4 52.h5 Kxf4 53.hxg6 fxg6 54.e6) 52.Kc4 Ke7 53.Kb5 f6 54.gxf6+ gxf6 55.Kc5 Ke6 56.Kd4 Kd7 (56...Kf5 57.Kd5) 57.Kd5 Ke7 58.e6 Kd8 59.Kd6 Ke8 60.e7 1-0 In view of 60.e7 f5 61.Ke6 g5 62.fxg5 f4 63.g6

Meanwhile in sunnier climes the chess tradition continues in the Spanish resort of Calvia which hosted the 2004 Chess Olympiad. England international made short work of his first opponent.

S Conquest - JT Torres III Calvia International Open Calvia Dutch Defence

1.d4 f5 2.Bg5 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.e3 Nf6 5.Bd3 0-0 6.Nbd2 d6 7.c3 Nbd7 8.Qb3+ Kh8 9.h4 Qe8 10.h5 Nxh5 11.g4 fxg4 12.Nh4 Ndf6 13.0-0-0 e5 14.Qc2 e4 15.Nxe4 Nxe4 16.Bxe4 Rxf2 17.Rd2 Rxd2 18.Kxd2 Ng3 (18...Qf7 19.Nxg6+ hxg6 20.Bxg6 Qf2+ 21.Kc1 Qxc2+ 22.Kxc2) 19.Nxg6+ 1-0 In view of 19.Nxg6+ Kg8 20.Bd5+ Be6 21.Ne7+ Kf7 22.Rxh7 Bxd5 23.Qg6+ Kf8 24.Qxg7 mate