Morelia/Linares MEX/ESP 2007 (13), Morozevich, Alexander - Topalov, Veselin, 1-0, Sicilian, Albin: (B50), Chess-Theory Viewer

ANALYSED GAME N^o 102
Updated: April 2008

Morozevich, A (2741) - Topalov, V (2783)
[B50] - Morelia/Linares XXIV SuperGM
Morelia/Linares, MEX/
ESP (13), 09.03.2007

(Annotation: John E Hawkes)

~ WholeSale Chess - CHESS OPENINGS ~
PLAYING CARDS: THE SICILIAN DEFENSE
~ "The Sicilian Labyrinth" ~
image Copyright: WholeSale Chess

X0

Sicilian - Albin

1.e4 X1 c5 X2 2.Nf3 X3 d6 X4 3.c3 X5 Nf6 X6 4.Be2 X7 Bd7 X8

[ 4...Nxe4?? X9 Every Russian schoolboy knows that one!]

5.d3 X10 e6 X11 6.Nbd2 X12

In fact, White is playing a Philidor Reversed.

6...Be7 X13 7.0-0 X14 0-0 X15 8.a3 X16 Bc6 X17 9.Re1 X18 Nbd7 X19 10.Bf1 X20 Ne5!? X21

Probably an !-move

11.Nxe5 X22 dxe5 X23 12.Nc4 X24 Qc7 X25 13.b4 X26 Rfd8 X27 14.Qb3 X28 b5 X29 15.Na5 X30

Normally he would go to e3, but here there is no access to d5 or f5.

15...Be8 X31 16.f3 X32 Nd7! X33 17.Be3 X34 Nb6 X35 18.Rec1 X36 Na4 X37 19.Qc2 X38 h6 X39 20.Qf2 X40 Bg5 X41

With a second doubled pawn!

21.Bxg5 X42 hxg5 X43 22.Rc2 X44 Rac8 X45 23.Rac1 X46 Qe7 X47 24.Qe1 X48 Rc7 X49 25.c4 X50 Rdc8 X51 26.cxb5 X52

The very first pawn-capture in the game!

26...Bxb5 X53 27.bxc5 X54 Rxc5 X55 28.Rxc5 X56 Rxc5 X57

[ 28...Nxc5? X58 29.Qb4!+- X59 Be8 X60 30.Nb7 X61 Rb8 X62 31.Qxc5 X63 Rxb7 X64 32.Qxe5 X65 Qxa3 X66 33.Qxg5 X67 ]

29.Qb4?! X68 Bxd3! X69 30.Rxc5 X70 Qxc5+ X71 31.Qxc5 X72 Nxc5 X73 32.Nc6 X74 Kf8 X75

[ 32...g4!? X76 ]

33.Nxa7 X77 Ke7 X78 34.Nc6+ X79 Kd6 X80 35.Na5 X81 f6 X82

[ As there is no need to play ...f6 right now Topalov could have played his King to the vital Q-side sector. 35...Kc7 X83 ]

36.Kf2 X84

[ 36.Nb7+ X85 Nxb7 X86 37.Bxd3 X87 Kc5 X88 38.Kf2 X89 Kd4 X90 39.Bc2 X91 Nc5 X92 must be tenable for black.]

36...Bxf1 X93 37.Kxf1 X94 g4 X95 38.Ke2 X96 gxf3+ X97 39.Kxf3 X98

Not an easy decision on move 39 just before time-control. Morozevich opts for the possibility of creating a passed h-pawn at the detriment of a weak e-pawn.

39...Nd3 X99 40.Nb3 X100 Ne1+ X101

Passing the time-control. Botvinnik said: ' Knight endings are like pawn endings.' The outside passed a-pawn is therefore an enormous advantage for white.

41.Kf2 X102 Nc2 X103 42.a4 X104 Nd4 X105

[ 42...f5 X106 is possibly better.]

43.Nc1 X107

[ 43.Nxd4 X108 exd4 X109 straightening out the black' s pawn structure is won for Topalov!]

43...Kc5 X110 44.Nd3+ X111 Kc4 X112 45.Ke3 X113 Nc2+ X114 46.Ke2 X115 Kd4 X116 47.Nf2 X117 Nb4 X118 48.h4 X119 Nc6 X120

Topalov has handled the dangers to black extremely well in the last phase.

[ 48...f5 X121 49.a5 X122 fxe4 X123 50.g4 X124 and White will eventually have a pased pawn on both wings.]

49.h5 X125 Na5 X126

An expensive blockade!

50.Ng4! X127

Threatens Nxf6!

50...Nc4 X128

To catch the h-pawn if necessary.

[ 50...Kxe4? X129 51.Nxf6+ X130 Kf5 X131 52.Ne8 X132 Kg5 X133 53.Nxg7 X134 Kh6 X135 54.Nxe6 X136 Kxh5 X137 And black is in a tragic, hopeless situation.]

51.h6 X138 gxh6 X139 52.Nxf6 X140 Kc3 X141 53.Ng4 X142

[ Or 53.g4 X143 ]

53...h5 X144 54.Ne3? X145

From here the white knight is too slow.

[ The logical win for white would go something like: 54.Nf6 X146 h4 X147 55.Kf3 X148 Kb4 X149 56.Kg4 X150 Ne3+ X151 57.Kh3 X152 Kxa4 X153 58.Ng4 X154 Nc4 X155 59.Kxh4 X156 Kb4 X157 60.Nf2 X158 Kc5 X159 61.g4 X160 Kd6 X161 62.Kg5 X162 Ke7 X163 63.Kh6 X164 Kf7 X165 64.g5 X166 Kg8 X167 65.Kg6 X168 Nd2 X169 66.Kf6+- X170 ]

"The Grace Cathedral - An Episcopal Church
San Francisco (CA) - The Indoor Labyrinth"
image Copyright: gracecathedral.org

54...Na5= X171 55.Kf3 X172

[ 55.g4 X173 hxg4 X174 56.Nxg4 X175 Kd4 X176 is absolutely drawn.]

55...Nb3 X177 56.Nf1 X178 Kd3 X179 57.Kg3 X180 Kxe4 X181 58.Kh4 X182 Kd3 X183 59.Kxh5 X184 e4 X185 60.g4 X186 Nd2 X187

[ 60...e3 X188 61.Nxe3 X189 Kxe3 X190 62.g5+- X191 ]

61.Nxd2 X192 Kxd2 X193 62.a5 X194 e3 X195 63.a6 X196 e2 X197 64.a7 X198 e1Q X199 65.a8Q X200

Is this drawn, or something else. With black to move it seems unlikely that the more-advanced g-pawn gives white winning chances - but its opposite number on the e-file severely restricts the black queen' s checking resources. Topalov, quite naturally, plays the only check available, when he would do better going into the ' open sea' with his king - centralising and activating.

65...Qe5+ X201

[ 65...Ke3= X202 despite the fact that Topalov then has no checks at all!]

66.g5 X203

An important tempo.

66...Qf5 X204 67.Qd8+ X205 Kc1? X206

This cannot be good - Topalov has played an awful tournament, here he neglects the simple laws of play like keep things connected and in the crucial sector.

68.Qf6 X207

That' s what I mean.

68...Qd5 X208 69.Kh6 X209 e5 X210

Now Topalov is quite lost!

70.g6 X211 e4 X212 71.g7 X213 e3 X214 72.Qc3+ X215 Kb1 X216 73.Qxe3 X217 Qh1+ X218 74.Kg6 X219 Qg2+ X220 75.Qg5 X221 Qc6+ X222 76.Kh7 X223 Qb7 X224 77.Qg1+ X225 Ka2 X226 78.Qh2+ X227 Ka1 X228 79.Kh8 X229

An unusual diagram!

79...Qe4 X230 80.g8Q

That is what one calls an instructive endgame. The tournament continues catastrophically for the world' s number 1 Topalov.

1-0

~ Serge Sautereau - sky! ~
Exposition nuages - Serge
Sautereau Sky ! (France)
image Copyright: Serge Sautereau
~ Serge Sautereau - sky! ~
Exposition nuages Serge
Sautereau Sky ! (France)
image Copyright: Serge Sautereau

************

John E Hawkes - March 2007

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