Karpov, Anatoly – Topalov, Veselin (Linares 1994) by Andreas
White to move. What the best continuation for White?
rqr3k1/3Qbp2/p1n1p1p1/1pp5/2P2P2/2N3P1/PP3PB1/R3R1K1 w – – 0 20
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
World Champion’s Tactic
This is all I could see.
1. Rxe6 fxe6
2. Qxe6 Kf8
3. Bxc6 Ra7
4. Qe6
What if …
1.Rxe6 Rc7 (or 1…Ra7) ?
1. Rxe6 fxe6
Loses outright. Topalov’s 1…Ra7 is better.
2. Qxe6 Kf8
Black’s already lost in this line, but 2…Kg7 stays alive longer.
3. Bxc6 Ra7
Not that it matters, but why not 3…Rxc6?
4. Qe6
? The queen is already on e6.
1.cxb5 axb5 (better is 1…Ra7 but White is a pawn up after the simple retreat 2.Qd3) 2.Nxb5! Qxb5 3.Bxc6 seems winning for White
1.cxb5 axb5 (better is 1…Ra7 but White is a pawn up after the simple retreat 2.Qd3)
True enough, but that extra pawn is doubled, and meanwhile Black’s got a promising Q-side attack looming (2…Rd8 3.Qb1 Nd4).
2.Nxb5! Qxb5 3.Bxc6 seems winning for White
Sorry to be dense here, but I don’t see it. What’s wrong with Black’s game after 3…Rxc6?
You’re not dense – I am! I missed …Rxc6. No wonder I lost rating points at my last tournament.
Let’s try again.
1.cxb axb
2.Nxb5 Qxb5
3.Bxc6 Rxc6
4.Qxe7
White is a pawn up and if Black restores material with
4… Qxb2
then
5.Rab1 followed by Rb7
In the other line, after
1.cxb Ra7
2.Qd3 Rd8
White can play
3.Nd5
with an edge (I think).
None of this is terribly convincing, however. I suspect there must be something we’re all missing.
1.cxb axb
2.Nxb5 Qxb5
3.Bxc6 Rxc6
4.Qxe7
White is a pawn up and if Black restores material with
4… Qxb2
then
5.Rab1 followed by Rb7
5…Qxa2 6.Rab1 Rf8 looks safe enough. Now Black is the one with the extra pawn — does White have a breakthrough to compensate?
Granted, Karpov did win this game, but it’s really over my head. I can’t spot a “losing move” by Topalov, nor a turning point winning one by Karpov. I do see that the final position is a win for White, but how it got that way is beyond my understanding.
This position arises after Black’s 19th move :
20.Rxe6!! [20.Bxc6 Ra7 (20…Rc7? 21.Qxc7 Qxc7 22.Bxa8+-) 21.Qd3 Rxc6 22.cxb5 axb5 23.Nxb5 c4 (23…Rb7 24.a4±) 24.Qe3 (24.Nxa7! cxd3 25.Nxc6 Qd6 26.Nxe7+ Qxe7 27.Rad1² Qb4 28.b3 Qa5 29.Re3 Qxa2 30.Rexd3²) 24…Bc5 25.Nxa7 Bxe3 26.Nxc6 Bxf2+ 27.Kxf2 Qb6+χ] 20…Ra7 [20…fxe6 21.Bxc6 Ra7 22.Qxe6+ Kg7 23.Be4 (23.cxb5) 23…Bf6 24.Qg4+-] 21.Rxg6+! fxg6 [21…Kf8 22.Qh3 fxg6 23.Qh8+ Kf7 24.Bd5#; 21…Kh7 22.Qh3+ (22.Rg4!! Rxd7 23.Be4+ Kh6 (23…Kh8 24.Kg2; 23…f5 24.Kg2 Rd6 25.Rh1+ Rh6 26.Bxf5+ Kh8 27.Rxh6#) 24.Kg2+- …25.¦h1 mate) 22…Kxg6 23.Be4+ f5 (23…Kg7 24.Qh7+ Kf6 25.Qh6# (25.Nd5+ Ke6 26.Bf5+ Kd6 27.Qxf7+-) ) 24.Qxf5+ Kg7 25.Qh7+ Kf8 26.Qh6+ Ke8 27.Bxc6++-] 22.Qe6+ Kg7 23.Bxc6 Rd8 [23…Bf6 24.cxb5; 23…bxc4 24.Be4 Bf6 25.Qg4+-] 24.cxb5 Bf6 [24…Qd6 25.Qe3+- (25.Qxd6 Bxd6 26.b6 Re7 27.Rd1+-) ; 24…axb5 25.Nxb5+-] 25.Ne4 Bd4 [25…Bxb2 26.Rb1 Bd4 27.b6 Rf7 28.Ng5+-] 26.bxa6 Qb6 [26…Rxa6 27.Qe7+ Kh8 (27…Kg8 28.Ng5+-) 28.Ng5 Ra7 29.Nf7+ Kg7 30.Qxd8 Qxb2 31.Qh8+ Kxf7 32.Bd5+ Ke7 33.Re1+ Kd6 34.Qd8+ Rd7 35.Re6+ Kxd5 36.Qxd7++-; 26…Qxb2 27.Rd1±] 27.Rd1 Qxa6 [27…Rxa6 28.Qe7+ Kh8 (28…Kg8 29.Ng5 Bxf2+ 30.Kh2+-) 29.Rxd4 cxd4 30.Qf6+ Kg8 31.Qxg6+ Kf8 32.Ng5 Ra7 33.Qf6+ Kg8 34.Bd5+] 28.Rxd4 Rxd4 [28…cxd4 29.Qf6++-] 29.Qf6+ Kg8 [29…Kh6 30.f5 Rd1+ 31.Kh2+-; 29…Kh7 30.Ng5+ Kg8 31.Qxg6+ Kf8 32.Qe8+ Kg7 33.Ne6+ Kf6 34.Nxd4 cxd4 35.Qf8+ Rf7 36.Qd6+ Kg7 37.Qxd4++-] 30.Qxg6+ Kf8 [30…Kh8 31.Qe8+; 30…Rg7 31.Qe8+ Kh7 32.Nf6+ Kh6 33.Qh5#] 31.Qe8+ Kg7 32.Qe5+ Kg8 [32…Kf8 33.Qxc5++-; 32…Kf7 33.Nd6+ Rxd6 34.Qxd6+-] 33.Nf6+ Kf7 34.Be8+ Kf8 [34…Kg7 35.Nd7+ Kg8 36.Qg5+ Kh8 37.Qh5+ Kg7 38.Qf7+ Kh6 39.Qf8+ Kh7 40.Nf6+ Qxf6 41.Qxf6+-] 35.Qxc5+ Qd6 [35…Rd6 36.Ne4 Kxe8 37.Nxd6++-] 36.Qxa7 Qxf6 37.Bh5 Rd2 38.b3 Rb2 39.Kg2 1–0
Pharaoh
Sorry, I haven’t got a board with me, but the point of Rab1 (rather than Reb1) was so that …Rf8 could be met by Rxe6.
1.cxb Ra7
2.Qd3 Rd8
White can play
3.Nd5
with an edge (I think).
Chop it off: 3…Rxd5 4.Bxd5 Nb4 and Black saves the knight. 3.Qb1 looks okay for White, though.
Aah, 2.Rxg6+ didn’t even cross my mind. I got as far as 1…Ra7 and gave up on that line. Talk about a lack of visualisation skills!
“Chop it off: 3…Rxd5 4.Bxd5 Nb4 and Black saves the knight. 3.Qb1 looks okay for White, though.”
I’d planned 4.cxd5. Doh!
Sorry, I haven’t got a board with me, but the point of Rab1 (rather than Reb1) was so that …Rf8 could be met by Rxe6.
You can analyze this position without a board!? I can’t understand it with one. But if you’d had a board you’d have seen that after:
1.cxb5 axb5
2.Nxb5 Qxb5
3.Bxc6 Rxc6
4.Qxe7 Qxb2
5.Rab1 Qxa2
6.Rab1 Rf8
7.Rxe6
… Black can recapture Rxe6 and his queen on a2 still guards e6.
“You can analyze this position without a board!? I can’t understand it with one. But if you’d had a board you’d have seen that after:
1.cxb5 axb5
2.Nxb5 Qxb5
3.Bxc6 Rxc6
4.Qxe7 Qxb2
5.Rab1 Qxa2
6.Rab1 Rf8
7.Rxe6
… Black can recapture Rxe6 and his queen on a2 still guards e6.”
SCREAM! I give up
I didn’t even think twice about Rxe6!