GM van Wely (2681) – GM Topalov (2780) [A40]
Corus, 15.01.2008
1.d4 e6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 exd5 4.cxd5 d6 5.e4 g6 6.Nf3 Bg7 7.Bd3 a6 8.h3 Ne7 9.0–0 h6 10.Re1 0–0 11.a4 g5 12.Nbd2 Nd7 13.Nc4 Nf6 14.Bd2 Rb8 15.Bc3 g4 16.hxg4 Bxg4 17.e5 dxe5 18.Bxe5 Nexd5 19.Bxb8 Qxb8 20.Nce5 Be6 21.Qb3 Ne3 22.Qb6 Ned5 23.Qxc5 Rc8 24.Qd4 Ng4 25.Rad1 b5 26.axb5 axb5 27.Qe4 Ndf6 28.Qe2 Qb6 29.Bb1 h5 30.Rd2 Re8 31.Qd3 Bh6 32.Qd4 Qb8 33.Rdd1 Bg7 34.Qd2 Qb6 35.Qd4 Qb8 36.Qd2 Qb6 37.Nxg4 hxg4 38.Qd4 Qb8 39.Ng5 Bb3 40.Rc1 Rd8 41.Qe3 Bd5 42.Rcd1 Re8 43.Qd3 Rxe1+ 44.Rxe1 Bc4 45.Qe3 Bh6 46.Qe5 Qxe5 47.Rxe5 g3 48.fxg3 Ng4 49.Rc5 Kg7 50.Be4 Nf6 51.Kh1 Nd7 52.Rf5 Nf6 53.Bc2 Ng4 54.b3 Ne3 55.Rc5 Be2 56.Nf3 Nf1 57.Nd4 Nxg3+ 58.Kh2 Bf4 59.Nxe2 Nxe2+ 60.Kh3 Nd4 61.Kg4 Bd2 62.Rd5 Be3 63.Be4 Kf6 64.Rh5 Bd2 65.Rd5 Be3 66.Bf5 b4 67.Bd3 Kg7 68.Rd7 Kf8 69.Be4 Ke8 70.Rb7 Bd2 71.Bd5 f6 72.Kh5 Nf5 73.g4 Ne7 74.Be6 Kf8 75.Rb8+ Kg7 76.Re8 Nc6 77.Rg8+ Kh7 78.Rc8 Ne5 79.Rc7+ Kh8 80.Rb7 Be1 81.g5 White wins 1–0
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GM Kramnik (2799) – GM Eljanov (2692) [A05]
Corus, 15.01.2008
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Qa4+ Bd7 5.Qb3 dxc4 6.Qxc4 c5 7.g3 Nc6 8.Bg2 Qb6 9.0–0 Qb4 10.Qxb4 cxb4 11.Nb5 Rc8 12.b3 e5 13.Bb2 Be7 14.d4 e4 15.Ne5 Be6 16.d5 Bxd5 17.Bh3 Be6 18.Bxe6 fxe6 19.Rfc1 0–0 20.Nxc6 Rxc6 21.Rxc6 bxc6 22.Nxa7 c5 23.Nc6 Nd5 24.a4 bxa3 25.Rxa3 Rc8 26.Ra6 Bf8 27.e3 Nc7 28.Ra7 Nd5 29.Ne5 Rb8 30.Nd7 Rxb3 31.Ba3 Be7 32.Bxc5 Bxc5 33.Nxc5 Rb1+ 34.Kg2 Rb2 35.Ra3 Nf6 36.Ra8+ Kf7 37.Ra7+ Ke8 38.Ra6 Ng4 39.Nxe4 Nxe3+ 40.Kf3 Nd5 41.Rxe6+ Kf8 42.Rd6 Ne7 43.Rd8+ Kg7 44.Rd7 Kf8 45.Nf6 h5 46.Ra7 Rb5 47.Ke4 Rb4+ 48.Ke3 Rb5 49.Ne4 Re5 50.f3 Rb5 51.h3 Nd5+ 52.Kd4 Ne7 53.Ra6 Rf5 54.Ke3 Nd5+ 55.Kf2 Ne7 56.Ra8+ Kg7 57.Ra7 Kf8 58.Rb7 Ra5 59.g4 hxg4 60.hxg4 Rd5 61.Kg3 Ra5 62.Kh4 Re5 63.Nf6 Kf7 64.f4 Ra5 65.Nd7 g5+ 66.fxg5 Ke6 67.Kh5 Rd5 68.Nf8+ White wins 1–0
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Way to go Loeky!
Was Topalov really going to play the French after 1.d4 e6 2.e4? Has he EVER played a positional opening in his career? Maybe he had a special idea prepared for Loek.
The Kramnik game was a great endgame effort, how bizarre to have two such similar endings on two consecutive days! But with all pawns on same side it is better to have a knight than a bishop, and that was shown today. Maybe Black missed something under all that pressure, but it was a tough position to hold.
Topalov sacrifices another game in his traditional Topalov Tournament Gambit. Will he have enough compensation for a late-tournament comeback?
topalov has shown he is ready to win the tournament in his typicall gambit style…
Fortune favors the bold, especially when they are Topalov…
“topalov has shown he is ready to win the tournament in his typicall gambit style…”
He has? How?
Two draws and two losses is not as bad for Topalov in such a strong tournament.
@ken
van Wely and Topalov actually played 1 French game before in 2005 in dortumund. this game was won by Topalov
Topalov and two slices of bread do not make a sandwich.
Blah gambit blah blah.
Enough about Topalov, Kramnik’s game was a beauty!
He had the initiative the whole game. Such simple combinations but there are a lot of complicated variations in the notes and he just makes it look so easy to get a favorable position seemingly out of nothing.
Im glad to see here so many cowardly mouses to talk follies about Topa. It so early for these cowardly mouses – just 4-th round. The same cowardly mouses will hide in their narrows holes after round 13.