Round 9 (May 21, 2005)
Topalov, Veselin - Ponomariov, Ruslan 1-0 30 E15 Queens Indian
Polgar, Judit - Kramnik, Vladimir 1/2 44 C42 Petroff's Defence
Adams, Michael - Anand, Viswanathan 0-1 60 C42 Petroff's Defence
Mtel Masters Sofia BUL (BUL), 12-22 v 2005 cat. XX (2747)
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1 2 3 4 5 6
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1 Topalov, Veselin g BUL 2778 ** =1 01 == =. =1 5.5 2819
2 Anand, Viswanathan g IND 2785 =0 ** == =. =1 =1 5.0 2782
3 Ponomariov, Ruslan g UKR 2695 10 == ** == 01 =. 4.5 2759
4 Polgar, Judit g HUN 2732 == =. == ** 0= =1 4.5 2745
5 Kramnik, Vladimir g RUS 2753 =. =0 10 1= ** 0= 4.0 2698
6 Adams, Michael g ENG 2737 =0 =0 =. =0 1= ** 3.5 2674
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Topalov beats Ponomariov in round 9 to take a half point lead with one round to go. Photo © http://www.mtelmasters.com
Round 9 21st May 2005
Round 9 saw two decisive games and one draw.
Dealing with the draw first. Judit Polgar against Vladimir Kramnik was a draw in a Petroff. They played down Kramnik's terrible loss to Anand but Polgar didn't play 16.Qc1 but returned to more normal lines. Kramnik presumably was happy to repeat having looked at the game. Kramnik found a novelty straight away and the game dwindled to a draw.
Vesselin Topalov defeated Ruslan Ponomariov to take the lead. Topalov played 10.e5 in a Queen's Indian which was a novelty. Ponomariov got into trouble very quickly, I can see only one improvement, and went under to a violent attack.
Michael Adams against Viswanathan Anand was another Petroff where white achieved nothing out of the opening. The game continued without much incident but Adams side-tracked his bishop on the last move before first time control. Adams might have been able to save the game even if he had to lose the bishop but didn't find the best and went under in 60 moves.
Polgar,Ju (2732) - Kramnik,V (2753) [C42]
MTel Masters Sofia, Bulgaria (9), 21.05.2005
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.0-0 Be7 8.c4 Nb4 9.Be2 0-0 10.a3 Nc6 11.cxd5 Qxd5 12.Nc3 Nxc3 13.bxc3 Bf5 [13...Na5 14.Re1 Bd6 15.Rb1 Bd7 16.Be3 Nc4 17.Nd2 Nxe3 18.fxe3 Qg5 19.Bf3 Rae8 20.Nc4 b6 21.e4 Bf4 22.Qc2 Re6 23.g3 b5 24.Nb2 Bd2 25.Re2 Be3+ 26.Kg2 f5 27.h4 Qh6 28.exf5 Ree8 29.Qb3+ Kh8 30.Qd5 Bxf5 31.Rbe1 Re6 32.Nd1 Rd6 33.Qxb5 Bd7 34.Qe5 Bd2 35.Rf1 Rdf6 36.Rff2 Ba4 37.Rxd2 Rxf3 38.Ne3 R3f6 39.Qg5 Rxf2+ 40.Rxf2 Qc6+ 41.d5 Rxf2+ 42.Kxf2 Qd6 43.Qf4 Qxf4+ 44.gxf4 Kg8 45.Kf3 Kf7 46.c4 Bd7 47.f5 Kf6 48.Kf4 h5 49.c5 c6 50.Ke4 Be8 51.dxc6 Bxc6+ 52.Nd5+ 1-0 Polgar,J-Adams,M/Sofia BUL 2005] 14.Re1 Rfe8 15.Bf4 Rac8 16.Bd3 [16.Qc1 Na5 17.c4 Qe4 18.Bd1 Qd3 19.Re3 Qxc4 20.Re5 1-0 Anand,V-Kramnik,V/Sofia BUL 2005] 16...b5N
Seems to be a novelty and a reasonable one if you want a draw with black. [16...Bxd3; 16...Bg6; 16...Qd7; 16...Bf6] 17.Qb1 Bxd3 18.Qxd3 a6 19.a4 b4 20.Rac1 Bf6 21.Rxe8+ Rxe8 22.cxb4 Nxb4 23.Qc3 Na2 Forcing trades. 24.Re1 Rxe1+ 25.Qxe1 h6 Already this game is drifting towards a draw. 26.Bxc7 Bxd4 27.h3 Bf6 28.Qe8+ Kh7 29.Be5 Qd1+ 30.Kh2 Qe2 31.Qb8 Bxe5+ 32.Qxe5 Qxe5+ 33.Nxe5 f6 34.Nd3 Kg6 35.Kg3 Kf5 36.Kf3 Nc3 37.a5 Nb5 38.g4+ Kg5 39.Nc5 f5 40.Nxa6 fxg4+ 41.hxg4 Nd4+ 42.Kg3 Nc6 43.Nc7 Nxa5 44.Ne8 1/2-1/2
Topalov,V (2778) - Ponomariov,R (2695) [E15]
MTel Masters Sofia, Bulgaria (9), 21.05.2005
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.b3 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Be7 7.Nc3 0-0 [7...c6 8.e4 d5 9.Qc2 dxe4 10.Nxe4 Bb7 11.Neg5 c5 12.d5 exd5 13.cxd5 h6 14.Nxf7 Kxf7 15.0-0-0 Bd6 16.Nh4 Bc8 17.Re1 Na6 18.Re6 Nb4 19.Bxb4 cxb4 20.Bc4 b5 21.Bxb5 Be7 22.Ng6 Nxd5 23.Rxe7+ Nxe7 24.Bc4+ Kf6 25.Nxh8 Qd4 26.Rd1 Qa1+ 27.Kd2 Qd4+ 28.Ke1 Qe5+ 29.Qe2 Qxe2+ 30.Kxe2 Nf5 31.Nf7 a5 32.g4 Nh4 33.h3 Ra7 34.Rd6+ Ke7 35.Rb6 Rc7 36.Ne5 Ng2 37.Ng6+ Kd8 38.Kf1 Bb7 39.Rxb7 Rxb7 40.Kxg2 Rd7 41.Nf8 Rd2 42.Ne6+ Ke7 43.Nxg7 Rxa2 44.Nf5+ Kf6 45.Nxh6 Rc2 46.Bf7 Rc3 47.f4 a4 48.bxa4 b3 49.g5+ Kg7 50.f5 b2 51.f6+ Kh7 52.Nf5 1-0 Topalov,V-Anand,V/Sofia BUL 2005] 8.Rc1 c6 9.e4 d5 10.e5N Seems to be a novelty. [10.Bd3 dxe4 11.Nxe4 Nbd7 12.Nxf6+ Nxf6 13.Bc3 c5 14.dxc5 Bxc5 15.Qe2 Bb7 16.0-0 h6 (16...Re8 17.b4 e5 18.Ng5 Bd4 19.Ne4 Rc8 20.Nxf6+ Qxf6 21.Be4 Bxe4 22.Qxe4 Rxc4 23.Bxd4 Rxd4 24.Qb7 h5 25.Qxa7 h4 26.Qb7 Rxb4 27.a3 Rd4 28.Rc6 Rd6 29.Rxd6 Qxd6 30.gxh4 e4 31.Rc1 Qg6+ 32.Kh1 Qf5 33.Qxb6 Qf3+ 34.Kg1 e3 35.fxe3 Re6 0-1 Bologan,V-Tkachiev,V/Belfort FRA 2004/The Week in Chess 496) 17.b4 Be7 18.Rfd1 Qc7 19.Bxf6 Bxf6 20.Be4 Bxe4 21.Qxe4 a5 22.b5 Qc5 23.Nd4 Bxd4 24.Rxd4 Ra7 25.Rcd1 Rc7 26.Rd8 Rc8 27.Rxf8+ Rxf8 28.Rd7 g6 29.Kg2 h5 30.h4 Rc8 31.Qb7 Qxc4 32.Rxf7 Qd5+ 33.Qxd5 exd5 34.Rf6 Kg7 35.Rc6 Re8 36.Rxb6 Re2 37.Rb7+ Kh6 38.a3 Ra2 39.Rd7 Rxa3 40.Rxd5 Rb3 41.f3 a4 42.Rd4 a3 43.Ra4 Rb2+ 44.Kh3 Rxb5 45.Rxa3 Rb2 46.Ra7 Rf2 47.Rf7 Ra2 48.g4 hxg4+ 49.fxg4 Ra3+ 50.Kg2 Ra2+ 1/2-1/2 Topalov,V-Gelfand,B/Monte Carlo MNC 2004/The Week in Chess 490] 10...Ne4 [10...Nfd7; 10...Ne8] 11.Bd3
11...Nxc3?! I can't find a significant improvement after this so maybe this is the losing move, notwithstanding Topalov's suggestion on move 15 surely black doesn't want this position. [11...f5 12.exf6 Nxf6 was worth considering. In fact I think its the logical followup. 11. ...Nxd2 is given by Chess Today as the best move here] 12.Rxc3 c5 Black needs to break open the centre for counterplay. (Anand: "This game finished practically on 12th move!")13.dxc5 bxc5 14.h4 Black has almost no pieces protecting his king whereas white has almost everything pointed in that direction. Intuitively you'd have to say black was in trouble. 14...h6 15.Bb1 f5? Topalov: "Ruslan was obliged to play 15...Nd7!? in order to be able to transfer the knight to the king's flank. 16.exf6 Bxf6 17.Qc2 d4 18.Ng5! The winning move. The rest is just mopping up. 18...hxg5 19.hxg5 dxc3 20.Bf4 Kf7 [20...Bd4 21.Qg6 c2 22.Bxc2 Bc3+ 23.Kf1 Bxc4+ 24.bxc4] 21.Qg6+ Ke7 22.gxf6+ Rxf6 23.Qxg7+ Rf7 24.Bg5+ After a long thought when presumably Topalov was just checking everything to the end. 24...Kd6 25.Qxf7 Qxg5 26.Rh7 Qe5+ 27.Kf1 Kc6 28.Qe8+ Kb6 29.Qd8+ Kc6 30.Be4+ 1-0
Adams,Mi (2737) - Anand,V (2785) [C42]
MTel Masters Sofia, Bulgaria (9), 21.05.2005
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.0-0 Be7 8.c4 Nb4 9.Be2 0-0 10.Nc3 Bf5 11.a3 Nxc3 12.bxc3 Nc6 13.Re1 Re8 14.cxd5 Qxd5 15.Bf4 Rac8 16.Bg3 [16.h3; 16.c4; 16.Bd3] 16...Bd6 [16...Bf6 17.Nd2 Qa5 18.Qc1 Bxd4 19.cxd4 Nxd4 20.Bc4 Nc2 21.Rxe8+ Rxe8 22.Rb1 Re1+ 23.Qxe1 Nxe1 24.Rxe1 Kf8 25.Nf3 f6 26.Rd1 Qc5 27.Bf1 Ke8 28.Nd4 Bd7 29.Rd3 a5 30.h3 b5 31.Nb3 Qxa3 32.Bxc7 a4 33.Bd6 Qb2 34.Nc5 a3 35.Re3+ Kf7 36.Nd3 Qb1 37.Bxa3 Be6 38.Nf4 b4 39.Bxb4 Qxb4 40.Nxe6 g6 41.g3 1-0 Adams,M-Kramnik,V/Sofia BUL 2005/The Week in Chess 549] 17.Nd2 Bxg3 18.hxg3 Na5 19.Qa4 Bd7 20.Qc2 b6 21.Bd3 h6 22.Bh7+ Kf8 23.Be4 Qd6 24.Nf3 Be6 25.Ne5 Bb3 26.Qe2 c5 27.Qg4 Rcd8 28.Bf5 cxd4 29.cxd4 Nc6 [29...Qxd4 30.Nd7+] 30.Nxc6 Rxe1+ 31.Rxe1 Qxc6 32.Qe2 Qd6 33.Qf3 Bc4 34.Qe3 Bb5 35.Rd1 Ba4 There isn't much in the game but white has the harder task to find the right moves. 36.Rd2 Re8 37.Qc3 h5 38.Qc1 Qe7 39.Qc3 Qg5
40.Bh3?! This bishop runs into long term difficulty which is perhaps hard to see now. [40.Bd3 Re1+ 41.Kh2 h4 42.Qc8+ looks an alternative.] 40...Kg8 41.d5 [41.f4 Probably doesn't help. 41...Qd5 42.Qf3 (42.Kh2) 42...Qc4 43.Kh2 Re1 is better for black.] 41...f5! 42.d6 Bd7 43.Rd1 Qg6 44.Qc7 Qe6 45.Qxa7 b5 46.Qc5 g5 47.g4?! Trying to open up black's king but in retrospect this looks like an error. [47.Bxf5 Qxf5 48.Qxf5 Bxf5 49.Rd5 Bd7 50.Rxg5+ Kf7 51.Rxh5 Ke6 was surely a much better saving chance.] 47...hxg4 48.Bxg4 fxg4 49.Qxg5+ Kh7 50.Qh5+ Kg7 51.Qg5+ Qg6 52.Qc5 Qf6 53.Qa7 Qf5 54.Qd4+ Kg6 55.Qc3 Qe5 56.Qd3+ Kg7 57.Qc2 Rh8! Now black is easily winning. 58.Qc7 Qh2+ 59.Kf1 Qh1+ 60.Ke2 Re8+ 0-1