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What is your game 6 prediction? Will Anand open with 1. d4 or 1. e4?
Game 6 will take place today at 7 am (U.S. central time). The score is 3 – 2 after 5 games in favor of Anand.
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1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 a6 Deja vu all over again! We have another Catalan.
6. Ne5 c5 7. Na3 cxd4 8. Naxc4 Bc5 9. O-O O-O 10. Bg5 In game 2, Anand played with the less aggressive 10. Bd2. Topalov did have a decent position until 25….Ne3.
10…h6 11. Bxf6 Qxf6 12. Nd3 Anand is down a pawn. However, he has plenty of compensation. Topalov has problem developing pieces on the Queenside because of the b7 pawn. 12..Ba7 makes the most sense here.
GM Harikrishna of India just sent me the following note: “Age is not very significant. As far as I observed the match Anand-Topalov, I feel that Anand has understood the weakness of Topalov. Unless Topalov changes something like opening, strategy, etc., Anand will win this match convincingly.”
12…Ba7
13. Qa4 The idea of this move is to prevent Nc6. Anand must maintain his initiatives. He cannot allow Topalov to get his pieces out freely because he is a pawn down and his opponent has a Bishop pair. Topalov must be very patient to get one piece out at a time.
13…Nc6 Topalov gets his Knight out anyway. He is offering to give the pawn back. However, Anand will have problems if he takes as it will open the h1 – a8 diagonal for Topalov.
14. Rac1 Anand is wisely not taking the Knight. The general rule of thumb is if your opponent has a cramp position, don’t help by exchanging pieces to open up the position. I was just asked the following question. Why would Topalov repeat the same opening if he lost with it before? Good question. Many players are stubborn. In this case, Topalov isn’t convinced that he lost game 2 because of the opening. He lost because of a bad 25th move Ne3. One problem for Topalov so far is Anand seems to deviate first too often in this match. This has to change if Topalov wants to win this match.
14…e5 Topalov once again is offering the pawn back.
15. Bxc6 b5 16. Qc2 Qxc6 17. Ncxe5 This position is quite interesting. 2 Knights versus 2 Bishops. White still has excellent space advantage and the 7th rank may give Anand some play. Topalov will try to avoid trading Queens to maximize the power of his Bishops. Therefore, 17…Qe4 makes sense. On the other hand, Anand would want to exchange Queens so I can see 18. Qc6 if Topalov does indeed play Qe4
I would love to be able to read Topalov’s mind here. Is he trying to go all out to win regardless if he is White or Black? Or is he just content to hold as Black after 2 losses then go for it with White? The second logic is more in line with most matches. However, Topalov has a completely different mindset than most top players. He is not afraid to take chances and he is definitely not afraid to lose. Just as my sister Judit said about Topalov, this is a very rare quality.
17…Qe4 18. Qc6 Bb7 19. Qxe4 Bxe4 As expected, Queens are now off the board. I think for the first time in this match, Topalov can comfortably draw with Black.
20. Rc2 The idea of this quiet move is to double up the Rooks on the c file. This will be another good endgame lesson for the fans, Bishops vs. Knights. One thing I do not understand is many people like to criticize Kramnik for drawing too often and coasting as Black. But then these same people are not happy that Topalov is trying to win in every game, even in “drawish” positions. What gives?
20…Rfe8 Anand can double up his Rooks. However, Topalov can now play Bb6 defending the c7 square without worrying about the Nd7 fork.
21. Rfc1 f6 Disconnecting the Knights and putting potential pressure on White’s e2 pawn. Topalov must be happy with his position here. This is a comfortable position for him which is rare with Black so far in this match. If. 22. Nc6 then Bb6 to preserve his Bishop pair.
22. Nd7 An interesting choice. Anand can now reconnect his Knights with N7c5 22…Re7 or Bf5.
22…Bf5 23. N7c5 Anand must be physically and mentally fit to play a match against Topalov. In most World Championship matches, from time to time there would be short draws so players can recoup. But against Topalov, every game is going to the distance. There will be no short draw. Therefore, Anand has to be prepared to have a long game every game.
23…Bb6 Anand’s Knights can be annoying. He has the option of Nb7 then Nd6.
24. Nb7 I think Topalov has to play Bg4 here for 2 reasons: 1. Avoid the Nd6 fork and 2. Put pressure on the e2 pawn.
24…Bd7 I did not expect this move. It’s is un-Topalov-like 🙂 With this move, Topalov basically blocked the effectiveness of Anand’s Rooks on the c file. I still like Bg4 better.
25. Nf4 This is an interesting choice by Anand. Now Topalov can play Rac8 to trade off the Rooks. This is a possible continuation: 25… Rac826. Nd5 Rxc2 27. Rxc2 Bh3. White cannot take the Bishop on b6 because of d3 0-1. Here is another possible line: 25…Rac8 26. Nd5 d3 27. exd3 Rxc2 28. Rxc2 Bh3 29. Ne3 =
25…Rab8 Anand has the option of playing 26. Nd6 or 26. Nc5. I prefer 26. Nd6 a little more although it does depend on Anand’s mindset. Is he trying to win or is he happy with a draw with White to maintain a 1 point lead? Nd6 will keep things more complicated while Nc5 may result in piece exchanges.
26. Nd6 Re5 The position is still even.
27. Nc8 Anand is toying with Topalov. As I mentioned above, Anand’s Knights can be very annoying. They are driving Topalov crazy. Topalov’s pieces are still not coordinated yet. Eventually, I believe Topalov will be frustrated and will exchange off one of the Knights to regain his sanity.
One other thing to keep in mind is when chess fans watch the games at home, they are doing so at their own leisure with no pressure whatsoever. However, when you are in the world chess championship, the pressure alone will force you to double, triple, and quadruple check everything because one bad move can cost a player the match.
This is like a field goal kicker with a 40 yard kick to give his team the Super Bowl victory, or a basketball player on the free throw line in the 7th game game of the NBA championship with 0.3 second left. Your team is down by 1 and you must make both free throws for your team to win. Does anyone remember Bill Buckner of the Red Sox in game 6 of the 1986 World Series against the Mets? One botch play haunted him for the rest of his life. It is easy to criticize Topalov or Anand when nothing is on the line.
27. Ba5 28. Nd3 Anand is toying with Topalov with his Knight moves.
28…Re8 Anand only has one option here which is to bring his Knight to d6.
29. Na7 I am not so sure that this is the best move for Anand. 29…Ra8 30. Nc6 Bxc6 31. Rxc6 Rxe2and Black is fine.
29…Bb6 30. Nc6 Now 30… Bxc6 31. Rxc6 Rxe2 = Black is up a pawn but White has more than enough compensation. I do not see either side winning in this line.
30…Rb7 31. Ncb4 a5 32. Nd5 Topalov has gone out of his way to avoid exchanging one of his Bishops. It is hard to imagine that he can continue to do that without having to play inferior moves. 32…Bf5 is a good move here but it means that Topalov has to give up at least one of his Bishops.
32…a4 I did not expect this move. Topalov is finally willing to let go of one of his Bishops. If 33. Nxb6 Rxb6 34. Rc7 Be6 35. Ra7 Bxa2 36. Rcc7 g5= Black is up a pawn but White has his Rooks on the 7th rank.
33. Nxb6 Rxb6 The question is will Anand go for the forced draw line I mentioned above?
34. Nc5 No, he chose a different continuation. Black is fine in this position. 1/2 of the Knightmare is over 🙂 Topalov can breathe a little easier now.
34…Bf5 35. Rd2 Black can simply play Rc6. White cannot take the d4 pawn because of Rec8 winning the Knight.
35…Rc6 36. b4 axb4 37. axb3 I think Topalov must play b4 here. He cannot allow White to play b4. 37…b4 38. Rxd4 Rec8 39. Rdc4 Bg6 40. Nd3 Rxc4 41. bxc4 b3 42. Rb1 Rxc4 43. Rxb3 Rc2 44. Kf1 Bf5 45. f3 +=. Here is another line 38. Rxd4 Rxe2 instead of Rec8 39. Rxb4 Rd6 +=
37…b4 38. Rxd4 Rxe2 39. Rxb4 Bh3 40. Rc4 Rd6 += Black should be able to hold this in spite of being a pawn down. He has enough compensation with his piece placement. 41. Re4 Rc2 42. Ree1 Rb2 43. Rcd1+=
41. Re4 Rb2 42. Ree1 = I do not think either player can win here. This should be a draw. If Rdd2 then Ne4 =
42…Rdd2 43. Ne4 We can have another repetition here with 43… Rd4 44. Nc5 Rdd2 45. Ne4 =
43…Rd4 Even though this move is fine, I think 43…Rd3 is a little better.
44. Nc5 Topalov has to bring his d Rook back to d2. But after Anand plays Ne4, I think he should try Rd3 since he can’t lose in this position.
44…Rdd2 45. Ne4 Rd3 As I mentioned above, Topalov can’t lose so why not? Now he gets the pawn back with a slightly better position. It is still a draw but he has nothing to lose by trying.
46. Rb1 Rdxb3 47. Nd2 = Rb4 This is probably payback time. Anand was toying with Topalov and giving him a headache with his Knights. Now Topalov can play this position out until K vs K without any risk of losing.
48. f3 Creating a hole to avoid the back rank mate threat.
48…g5 49. Rxb2 Rxb2 Draw is inevitable.
50. Rd1 Kf7 51. Kf2 h5 52. Ke3 Rc2 53. Ra1 = Kg6 Both players are just making small progress. No chance for a decisive result.
54. Ra6 Bf5 55. Rd6 Rc3+ 56. Kf2 Rc2 57. Ke3 Rc3+ 58. Kf2 Rc2 1/2-1/2
This is a very important game for Topalov. This is the first time he held as Black and it was accomplished with relative ease. Now he is going into the break tomorrow with good feelings.
For Anand, it is an uneventful game and he still has the lead going into the 2nd half. I believe Anand will have White again in game 7.
Dear Susan,Your commentary is of very high standard naturally from an Ex-world-women-chess-champion but I could notfind the move by move latest diagrams.Of course you are intermittently displaying at least one such whenever you are getting a chance.Anyway I am replaying every game so far.Thank you !
Dear Susan,Your commentary is of very high standard naturally from an Ex-world-women-chess-champion but I could not find the move by move latest diagrams.Of course you are intermittently displaying at least one such whenever you are getting a chance.Anyway I am replaying every game so far.Thank you !
I predict another catalan, but this time Topalov might be able to hold to a draw.
“Susan: Will Anand open with 1. d4 or 1. e4?”
How about 1. Nf3? 🙂 I know, probably not. But Anand has played Reti once in a while, including in a win over Topalov at Amber, and it would give him a nice positional game avoiding sharp lines like ,say, king’s indian defence against 1. d4 or sicillian najdorf against 1. e4.
Anand would bring a new opening and new variation from an earlier game of Topalov , I guess. Match is going on in a surprise mode. While for Topa it is a do or die battle , Anand would definitely like to establish a clear lead with this extra white piece. Either way the game is the most crucial.
Susan:
Here are my predictions.
Another Catalan from Anand since he and his team would like to take maximum advantage of it and knowing that Topalov’s team might not have fully prepared for all variations.
And for your live commentary, going by the sequence, it will cross 70,000 easily.
Is there a chance to bring these game moves live your site? I am waiting for such an opportunity. Now we keep switching between your blog and another site where I could watch the live moves.
Thanks for your efforts.
I have a prediction question: How many blue color shirts have been given to Anand by NIIT for the W.Ch match?
I remember years ago you listed all times as Eastern Time whether or not it was daylight saving or standard time.
draw until the end. Vishy has won already!
I think Anand will go for repeat of game 4.
I predict: another power cut…. especially if Topalov is in trouble.
Topalov should go for a Benoni or a KID. That’s where he can score.
I hope another demolition of Topa, but given the circumstances a draw won’t do Anands course any harm.
Yes, Anand will open with d4 or e4.
e4! But how can we guess a genius!?… Anand! Will of course throw a surprise to us! and Topalov as well! 🙂
1. d4 for sure !
great commentary, and many thanks on your excellent work promoting chess.
Topalov will not be moving his queen too many times in the opening. 🙂
Go Anand!
Dear Susan,
Thanks for the efforts and creating even more interest in the games.
I predict that Anand will choose e4 today.
Regards.
I think 1d4 is the best choice for Anand! For Topalov, either Queen’s Indian or Slav to avoid the Catalan if he wants a solid game, or a Grunfeld if he wants to try and even things up!
Is there a power outage or other delay in the start of the game?
Another Catalan? I don’t understand? When Anand switched from the Grunfeld to the Slav, he had better results. I don’t get Topalov? He must get a draw minimum here. He could blow this!
Let the king get an early breeze, plz…
Has Anand been playing some sort of gambit? I mean, he is always ready to cede either a pawn or doubled pawns to maximize the coordination of his pieces and letting black worry about keeping its advantage throughout the game. This has an air of Kasparov style to it.
Is Topa going to play 13….. b5?
I’m not sure about 13Qa4? I liked 13Nce5 clamping e6 and thus continuing to immobilzie the Black position!
Topa is offering the pawn back. Will Anand accept it?
Anand should have played 14 Bc6 bc 15 Qc6 Rb8 16 Rc1 for a small plus
14 .. e5 equalises for black
Anand accepts the pawn. Unfortunately, I don’t see any advantage for white. Hope that I am wrong.
topalov be ok if anand captuer knight in c6 , after 14.Bxc6 bxc6 15.Qxc6 Rb8 16.b3 Bb7 17.Qd6 Rfd8 18.Qe5 Qe7 and black is slightly better .
Anand is going to win convincingly…..he has got tremendous space as compensation for that pawn!!!!
Two knights vs two bishops! Interesting.
I don’t know about you guys, but I am enjoying these opening moves. Topalov wanting to keep a stronger center presence with a potential attack on the white king and Anand having to watch it develop the way Topalov has chosen even if very late on, after Anand has defended it all, Anand could have a plus at the end game.
Yet, this looks like the unbalanced game Topalov should have been pushing forward.
Sometimes it all fizzles in a few moves but I hope this struggle will prove WC worth.
Dear Susan,
I am great fan of yours and your blog. I am a chess fan and enthusiast (not a gm or im).
I recently started a blog (just yesterday actually)
http://chessisjoy.blogspot.com/
and I need your best wishes.
I’ve already included your blog as my favorite link. If it is okay with you I’d post news, your commentary, and all the great work you are doing. Ofcourse with credits to you, links et al. Let me know if that is ok.
Thanks,
Chess fan
i think is better for anand to take 16.Bxb5
After 18th move, Does Anand has any other option than to exchange queens?
Susan.. I have been following your commentary on this WC match daily.. I am wondering why Topalov didn’t play 13. b5 forking the queen and the knight? For example, 13 b5.. 14. Qa3 bxc4 15. Bxa8 cxd3 16. Qxd3 and then possibly trap white’s light squared bishop with the knight?
To those who don’t have an analogue/digital chess board/engine and don’t want to watch the live match synchronously, use the pgn viewer on http://www.lutanho.net/pgn/pgnviewer.html. Just enable JavaScript and paste the moves at Susan’s pace.
Johan.
i guess its going drawish
Black has a long term weakness on d4. His Ba7 is either out of play, or if it returns to play, stops guarding d4. The kingside pawn play will be interesting here. Will Anand play f3 at some point?
Susan, first of all, thank you for accept my invitation on Linkedin. I think Topalov had to pursuit the victory now. Is the middle of the match. He cannot wait for the next opportunity to play with white pieces. Anand has the advantage. And Topalov lost two games against Anand’s Catalan. There is a psicologial factor to. Do you agree?
Why 21Rfc1? Sure, Anand can loose one knight now – right? Sorry, if this is a stupid question. I have just started learning this. – HH
Is part of Anand’s strategy to transform games to quiet endgames where he is quite comfortable and where Topalov must press-on due to his self-imposed adherence to the sofia rules?
14…e5 was the key move in this line as it no longer obstructed the light-squared bishop on the diagonal, and the queen on the horizontal, as it did when it was on e6. Then 15…b5 was the perfect follow-up move for Black. I don’t think Anand will play this same line again because of these two moves…
Susan, if Topalov wants to press for a win in quiet positions, that’s fine with me! I like that attitude! As for Kramnik, well, if he wants to play the Petrov, good for him, just don’t expect me to waste my time watching! 🙂
Topalov does not play objectively.
I find it painful to watch his play in a position like this, because his struggle to preserve pieces and maintain complication goes against the natural direction of play.
If Anand understands that Topalov will refuse to trade one of his bishops, he can use that to his advantage.
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Ha. Shipov mirrored my comment about Topalov’s play.
I quote: “The demonstration of aggressive intentions. He says, we don’t exchange the bishops for the knights and the worst bishop is better than the best knight. Topalov runs risks seriously avoiding the exchange!”
I think Anand will be +1 within 10 moves.
Carlsen also plays for wins in simplified positions, but he doesn’t plan unnaturally in so doing.
White has slight edge
For the first time in this championship,
Topalov may gain some confidence by drawing this game.
I doubt if there will be another Catalan opening played in the remaining games.
Anand is playing with Knights only.
look at his last 6-7 moves
I completely agree with Susan about Anand’s knights driving Topa crazy. Here psychology may play a part. Topa may exchange off one of the knights to end the annoyance, even when it is not objectively best to do so.
Anand here need to be careful not land in time trouble since two knights play is a bit time consuming especially when the opponent is armoured with 2bishops. Topa also may have problem if anand coordinates both the knights well.
Susan. Does the fact that Anand knows that Topolov will keep plugging away trying to avoid drawish moves help Anand? Was that an unwise give away of strategy on Toplov’s part? has it made winning this championship harder?
Dear Susan, you mentioned Now 30… Bxc6 31. Rxc6 Rxe2 = but black would be a pawn up.
Was it not a better decision than having Anand trying to break the record of the number of Knight’s move in a row?
This has been a great championship so far…go Anand!!
As it is now, the game is heading for a draw.
If topalov loses this game it would be a total knightmare for him
Hmm… Topalov play a:b3 awfully fast.
Seemed like an important decision.
After 41. Rh4, what is there here other than a draw?
Should be a draw. I don’t think Anand can utilize his extra pawn.
Draw by repetition coming, I think. The knight is still harrassing Topolov.
Susan is this a Knightmare on Sophia Streets? You know Freddie Krueger is here!!!
This guy is pushing hard…..!!!!! sofia rules :))
If this ends in a draw, I think it is positive from Topalov’s perspective. He would have stopped his losing streak playing black and will go into the rest with a better set of mind.
Susan dear, thank you for your wonderful commentary! It is especially useful during World Chess Championships!
Have a great weekend! 🙂
It’s a draw
Mutual agreement:
1st version: “Draw?” — “OK.”
2nd version: Keep your mouth shut, but offer a threefold repetition. Opponent also says nothing but repeats moves …
This, I guess, is the Sofia rule.
Many years ago draws by threefold repetition used to be rare.
Why will Anand get two Whites in a row? Isn’t it fair (and customary in matches?) to alternate colors?
Topalov is going for Catalan which I think Anand has thoroughly worked and after loosing 2 games I do not understand why Topalov is going for same openings. On the other hand Anand lost the first game and since than he has not played same opening and has been focusing on Slave.
I think Topalov needs to move away from Catalan, although game 6 has been drawn but if he is really playing for win with Black better to play other opening.
Response to the question above about Anand having white twice in a row.
For the first half of the tournament, Topalov went first, and they alternated colors. For the second half of the tournament, Anand goes first, and they alternate colors. Topalov got the first white by a random draw.
T: WBWBWB BWBWBW
A: BWBWBW WBWBWB
Topalov can hold black all he wants. In the end he will be one point Short.
I don’t know, Susan. The Anand’s Catalan has been a torture for Topalov. Today he doesn’t lose, but he doesn’t win. Anand is one point ahead. Topalov needs a victory, but not just a victory. He needs a expressive victory, to get more motivation. Tomorrow, he will be with white pieces. Today Anand gave him a class about two knghts vs two bishops. I think if Anand win one more game and open a two point advantage, the match is over.
… but if he is really playing for win with Black better to play other opening.
Gruenfeld? Benoni? King’s Indian? Dutch??
There’s nothing wrong sticking to and improving on an opening, if that opening is sound.
There’s not much wrong with Grunfeld either.