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 Review
Bxc6 looks like such a no-brainer.
But it’s here up on this site as a tactics problem, so what’s the problem? … There must BE a problem …
Oh! …Ra7 is just equal.
I see also an idea here with Rxe6 gxe6, Qxe6+, when Bxc6 wins the Knight cleanly (…Ra7, Rxg6!), but again material equality in the obvious line. However the White King is now exposed and there are new tactical opportunities. I just can’t calculate it all out, but there could be more there.
So on balance Rxc6 wins, because it’s not worse and might be better.
1. Nd5
1.Bxc6 wins a piece.
This is too easy.
Did this really happen in the game?
Here I first have to ponder, what is wrong with:
1. Bxc6?
Well, it must be:
1. … Ra7!
and black immediately regains the piece.
Same black move seems to spoil some other ideas I could imagine as well.
A wild idea is:
1. Rxe6 Ra7 (fxe6 Qxe6+ K.. Bxc6 looks good for white)
2. Qxc6 Rxc6
3. Rxc6
and white has R+N+p for the Q, but I can’t find any clear progress here either.
1. R:e6 Ra7 2. R:g6+ is the key idea, now 2… fg 3. Qe6+ and 4. B:c6 has 2 pawns and an exposed K for the exchange. This just has to be winning.
I remember this one very well. Some called this Karpov’s Immortal Game. The analysis I did on this one the last time never really sat well with me, and looking it over this morning, I still don’t quite see white’s huge advantage if black plays the most tenacious defense, and I had the advantage this time of knowing what Karpov and Topalov actually played.
pht is correct with the suggestion of 1.Re6 Ra7, but I think white must continue, as Karpov did, with 2.Rg6:
1. Re6 Ra7
2. Rg6 fg6 (forced)
3. Qe6 Kg7
4. Bc6
And, at this point, white has a piece and two pawns for the rook. In addition, and as Karpov demonstrated with chilling efficiency, black’s king is quite vulnerable. Topalov answered 4.Bc6 with the somewhat inaccurate Rd8 if memory serves. I always thought 4. …Bf6 immediately was a better defense, and could never really demonstrate that white had more than a modest advantage, which almost surely means I am missing something really obvious here.
I agree with Yancey’s comments. Here’s my analysis of the actual game play assisted by Fritz 13 in infinite analysis mode:
[FEN “rqr3k1/3Qbp2/p1n1p1p1/1pp5/2P2P2/2N3P1/PP3PB1/R3R1K1 w – – 0 20”]
{Mainline is actual game play:} 20. Rxe6 Ra7 21. Rxg6+ fxg6 22. Qe6+ Kg7 23. Bxc6 ({
White might have had a more solid position with Be4 rather than Bxc6:} 23. Be4
Bf6 24. Nd5 Bxb2 25. Re1 Kf8 26. Bxg6 Nd4 27. Qf6+ Kg8 28. Kg2 Rc6 29. Qg5 Ne6
30. Qg4 Qd8 31. Rxe6 Rxe6 32. Qxe6+ Kh8 33. Bd3 Qf8 34. f5 Qg8 35.
Qb6 Rd7 36. Qxa6 bxc4 37. Nf4 Kh7 38. Bxc4 Qg5 39. Qc8 Rd2 40. f6 Bxf6 41. Qh3+ Qh6 42. Bg8+ Kg7 43. Ne6+ Kg6 44. Qg4+ Bg5 45. Qf3 Rd7
46. g4 Qh4 47. Nf8+ $3 Kg7 48. Nxd7 Bf6 49. Bd5 Qg5 50. Qxf6+ Qxf6
51. Nxf6 Kxf6 52. a4 Ke5 53. Ba2 Kd6 54. a5 Kc7 55. g5 Kb8 56. g6
c4 57. g7 c3 58. Bc4 c2 59. g8=Q+ Kc7 60. Qf7+ Kd6 61.
Qd5+ Kc7 62. Qe5+ Kc6 63. Bb5+ Kb7 64. Qe7+ Kb8 65. Qd6+ Kb7 66. a6+ Kc8 67.
Qd7+ Kb8 68. Qb7#) 23… Rd8 {0} ({Black would have done better playing
this move:} 23… Bf6 $1 24. Be4 Rf8 25. Nd5 Qe8 26. Qb6 Qb8 27. Qxc5 Rd7 28. Rc1 Bxb2 29. Rb1 Qe8 30. Bf3 Bf6 31. cxb5 axb5 32. Kg2 Qe6 33.
Qxb5 Rfd8 34. Nxf6 Qxf6 35. a4 Rd2 36. Qc4 Qd4 37. Rb7+ Kh8 38. Be2 (
38. Qf7 Qxf2+ 39. Kh3 Qh2+ 40. Kg4 Qh5#) 38… Qxc4 39. Bxc4 Rc8
40. Bf7 Rcc2 41. Bxg6 Rxf2+ 42. Kh3 Rc3 43. Rh7+ Kg8 44. Rh4 Re2 45. Rg4 Kf8
46. f5 Ke7 47. Bh7 Ra2 48. Bg8 Raa3 49. Be6 Kf6 50. Bd7
Rd3 51. Bc8 Rdc3 52. Rg6+ Ke5 53. Bd7 Rd3 54. Bb5 Rd8 55. Rg5 Kf6 56. Kh4 Rh8+
57. Kg4 Rxg3+ 58. Kxg3 Kxg5 59. Bd3 Ra8 60. Bb5 Kxf5 {The players
should agree to draw here.}) 24. cxb5 Bf6 25. Ne4 Bd4 26. bxa6 Qb6 27. Rd1 Qxa6
28. Rxd4 Rxd4 29. Qf6+ Kg8 30. Qxg6+ Kf8 31. Qe8+ Kg7 32. Qe5+ Kg8 33. Nf6+ Kf7
34. Be8+ Kf8 35. Qxc5+ Qd6 36. Qxa7 Qxf6 37. Bh5 Rd2 38. b3 Rb2 39. Kg2 {Black
resigns.} 1-0