22.01.2006
Wijk aan Zee round 8: Topalov-Gelfand
Topalov (2801) - Gelfand (2723)
Wijk aan Zee Netherlands (8), 22.01.2006
Annotated by Konstantin Sakaev
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 A fashoinable anti-Petroff line recently. At present time White can't claim any advantage in the main lines, while in harmless-looking 5.Nc3 variation Black must solve certain problems. Such players as Kramnik and Bacrot are among those who were defeated as Black in this line.
5...Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7 7.Bf4 0-0 8.Qd2 Nd7 9.0-0-0 Nc5 10.h4 c6
This move occurred just once in Rozentalis-Arencibia, Elista 1998. Rozentalis did not take on d6 - he played 11.Bg5, and the game was drawn in 7 moves.
11.Bxd6 Qxd6 12.Qxd6 Bxd6 13.Rxd6 Ne4 14.Rd4 Nxf2 15.Rg1 Ng4 16.Bc4 Bf5
There is a feeling that Black has equalized with comfort. His pawn structure is slightly better, while White's pieces are more active, and White's king is closer to the center. Still, Topalov can't penetrate into the enemy camp, so his lead in development is hard to exploit. Therefore, this position could be assessed as equal. The game looks rather dull at the moment... Bacrot-Anand is probably the most interesting game of the round. Shall we focus on it?
17.Bd3 Bxd3 On 17...Be6 except 18.Ng5 White could consider 18.Bxh7+ Kxh7 19.Ng5+, 20.Nxe6 and 21.Rxg4, heading into a rook ending with a extra pawn. Thus the bishop exchnage is forced. Now White improves his pawn structure.
18.cxd3 Nf6 Now the best is 19.Rb4, as in case of 19.Kd2 Black has time for 19...Rfe8. I dislike 19.g4.
Anand and Bacrot are repeating moves, maybe they want to get an extra free day? Let's wait.
19.Re1 Rfe8 20.Rxe8+ Rxe8 21.Kd2 Black has centralized a rook, and he has time to bring the king closer to the center by 21...Kf8. White retains a minimal advantage, but with accurate defense Gelfand must hold the balance.
21...Kf8 22.a4
It looks safe to play 22...Re7, planning 23...Ke8. It would be good for Black to trade the knights, while exchanging the rooks does not look appealing to me.
Let us have a quick look at other games... Karjakin turned unprepared in the opening. In the Alapin Sicilian Black must go directly to a draw, not seeking adventures. Karjakin's 8...Bd7 looks dubious. 8...dxe5 9.Nxe5 Bd7 leads to known drawing lines - it only demands good memory skills from Black. And now the Ukrainian has to defend a difficult and unpromising endgame. Sokolov-Kamsky - White has an edge. Van Wely-Ivanchuk - Black's position is safe. The same could be said about Anand's game. He can play 20...Qxd4 21.Ba5, and now both simple 21...Qxd1 and more combative 21...Qa7 are playable, with equality in both cases. Mamedyarov-Aronian - I would prefer playing Black in that game. Leko is very close to equality.
22...Ke7 23.b4 Rc8 24.b5 c5 Now White will play 25.Rf4, preparing а4-а5 and а5-а6, after which the а7-pawn becomes dangerously weak. Black position is already difficult. He could play 23...a6 instead of 23...Rc8, but this created another problem - by playing 24.a5 White fixed a backward pawn on b7, which could tell in future. The White's king would strive to b6, and the knight could be placed comfortably on c5.
25.Rf4 Ne8 It useful for Black to have the knight on d6, but in this particular case White can drive the enemy king back by 26.Re4+ Kf8 27.Re5.
26.Re4+ Kf8 27.Ne5 Now 27...Rd8 looks safe for Black (but not 27...Nd6 28.Nd7+ Kg8 29.Re7 Nf5 30.Re5 Nxh4 31.a5! and White must win) 28.Nc4 Nd6. The resulting rook ending is better for White, but it should be drawn.
27...Rd8 28.Rf4 Nd6 29.c4. White's idea is to play Kc3, a5, and carry out d3-d4. If he manages everything, he will get winning chances. If Black plays ...f6 and ...Ke7, the knight comes to d5 via g4 and e3. Thus Topalov's position is still better.
29...Ke7 30.Ng4 h5 31.Ne3 Ke6 White should still prepare d3-d4, therefore the king must move to c3.
32.a5 Looking at other encounters of this round, one comes to a conclusion that Topalov-Anand is among the most thrilling ones. The game Mamedyarov-Aronian is the most complicated. White's problems began with the opening choice. Now he has some compensation for an exchange, but Black is better due to awkward position of White's a4-pawn. Adams and Leko signed a peace treaty to the mutual pleasure.
32...f6 33.Kc3 The move 32.а5 looks inaccurate, as now the White's knight can't move to d5. Black obtains counterplay - g7-g5 already comes to one's mind...
33...g5 34.Rf1 gxh4 35.Re1
Karjakin's position doesn't looks as hopeless as it used to. Anand is out of risk, maybe he is trying to play for a win, although Bacrot should be able to hold in his birthday. Ivanchuk plays incredibly deep, now his ending looks drawish, although it is not easy to handle for van Wely. Aronian has winning chances in the endgame. I think his position is objectively won despite hige technical problems. Black's idea is to approach the a6-pawn with the king and return an exchange at the right time. However, he cannot do it at once, because his K-side pawns are vulnerable. Maybe it makes sense to advance them first. Playing White is much easier.
35...Nf5 Looks dubious, safer is 35...Kf7.
36.Nd5+ In a pawn race Black comes first: 36.Nxf5+ Kxf5 37.Re7 Rg8!, etc.
36...Kf7 37.Rf1 Kg6 38.Nf4+ Kf7 39.Nxh5 Kg6
Now Black is as close to a draw as never before. His knight stands very well on f5, and White must always keep an eye on his weak g2-pawn. I don't think Topalov manages to invent anything here. He should have not allowed the counterplay on the kingside.
41.Nd5 Kg6 42.Re1 Gelfand can just stand still: 42...Kf7. The pawn on g2 remains weak...
42...Kf7 43.Re2 Black has no useful moves, but he can make a nothing move like 43...Rg8, and on 44.Rf2 - 44...Rg5.
43...Rd7 This also doesn't spoil anything. Now if White seriously wants to play for a win, he should try a6 or b6. It complicates the position, increasing Black's chances to err, although not affecting the overall assessment.
Bacrot-Anand: now it is possible to play 56...Bxb3 57.Rxb3 Rxa5, and if the knight returns to the Black's camp, this is won... Nope, Anand plays 56...Ng2.
44.Re4 Rd8
Bacrot has made another mistake! By no means one should spend 30 seconds on every move when having 40 minutes on the clock! Now Anand is very close to a victory.
45.Rf4 Kg6
46.Rf2 Re8 47.Kd2 Kg5 48.Re2 Suggesting to transpose into a knight endgame. Gelfand doesn't have to object.
48...Rxe2 49.Kxe2
Mamedyarov resigned. Aronian returns to the 50 per cent. Once again Blacks triumph before a free day.
49...Nd4+ After 50.Kf2 Black has several ways to equality. The most simple and forcing is 50...Nb3 51.a6 bxa6 52.bxa6 Nd4. One can also play in a more sophisticated way: 50...Ne6 or 50...f5. Black is out of danger.
50.Kf2 Kf5 51.Ne7+ is not to be feared: 51...Kf4 52.Nc8 Nb3 53.a6 bxa6 54.bxa6 Nc1 55.Nxa7 Nxd3+ and Nb4.
51.Ne7+ Ke6 52.Ng6. After 52...а6, fixing and then capturing the a5-pawn, Black obtains a symbolic advantage, and the game ends in a draw.
52...Nb3 53.a6 bxa6 54.bxa6 Nd4 55.Nxh4 Nc2 56.Nf3 Nb4 57.Ke3 Nxa6 58.Nd2 Nb8 59.Kf4 Nd7 60.Nb3 a6 61.g3 Kd6 62.Kf5 Ke7 63.g4 Kd6 64.Na5 Ne5
65.Nb3 Nd7 66.Ke4 Ke6 67.Na5 Kd6 68.Kf4 Ne5 69.Kf5 Nd7 70.Ke4 Nf8 71.Kf5 Nd7 72.Ke4 Game drawn. ½-½In the 9th round we'll follow the game Karjakin-Topalov. See you soon!
