The Week in Chess: IM Malcolm Pein of the Daily Telegraph: Chess Columns

MTel Sofia 2009

Topalov held in final round

IM Malcolm Pein of the Daily Telegraph

Thursday May 27th 2009

At MTel the Chinese player Wang Yue employed a risky line against Lenier Dominguez's Gruenfeld Defence in the first round prompting both Magnus Carlsen and Veselin Topalov to take him on in this variation even though neither player has the Gruenfeld in their regular repertoire.

Topalov's team of analysts which included Ivan Cheparinov and the Dutch GM Erwin L'Ami must have decided that this line was an opportunity play for a win with black against an opponent who is notoriously hard to beat when he has white. They found some interesting ideas but the game ended in perpetual check.

Wang Yue - V Topalov

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Bf4 Bg7 5.e3 c5 6.dxc5 Qa5 7.Rc1 dxc4 8.Bxc4 0-0 9.Nge2 Qxc5 10.Qb3 Nc6

(10...Qa5 11.0-0 Nbd7 Wang Yue-Carlsen round 5)

11.Nb5 Qh5 12.Ng3 Qh4 13.Nc7 e5 14.Bg5 Qxg5 15.h4

(A computer move which saves the knight once it takes on a8. If 15.Nxa8 e4 16.Nc7 Qa5+ 17.Qc3 Qxc7)

15...Qg4 16.Nxa8 Qd7

(16...e4 17.Nc7 Na5 18.Qb5 Nxc4 19.Qxc4 Bd7 and White's poorly placed knight, king and rook on h1 gave black compensation for the exchange in Wang Yue- Dominguez round 1)

17.Rd1 Qe7

(White tries to deflect the black queen from the knight's escape square)

18.Qa3 Nb4

(19.Qxa7 would be consistent but very risky)

19.0-0 Bg4 20.f3 Bh6! 21.fxg4 Nxg4 22.Rxf7

(22.Rf3!? Nxe3 23.Rxe3 Qc5)

Rxf7 23.Nf1 Kg7 24.Bxf7 Qxf7 25.Qxb4 Qf2+

(The draw is forced)

26.Kh1 Qxh4+ 27.Kg1 Qf2+ 28.Kh1 Qh4+ 29.Kg1 Bxe3+ 30.Nxe3 Qf2+ 31.Kh1 Qh4+ 32.Kg1 Qf2+ 33.Kh1 Qh4+ draw

Veselin Topalov