World Chess Championship 2010 (6)
Anand leads after 6 Games
IM Malcolm Pein - Monday 3rd May 2010
Viswanathan Anand leads against Veselin Topalov after 6 games of their twelve game match in Sofia.
Anand in play in game 6. Photo © | http://www.chessdom.com
The world champion Vishy Anand leads challenger Veselin Topalov 3.5-2.5 going into the second half of the World Chess Championship final at Sofia. Anand defended solidly with black in game five to secure a draw and pressed with white in game six but Topalov's defences held.
Because the colour sequence changes at the halfway stage Anand is white again in this afternoon's seventh game.
The lights went out during game five. The players remained onstage for about fifteen minutes until power was restored. The lights also went out during Bobby Fischer's Candidates final against Tigran Petrosian in 1971 at Buenos Aires but I am not sure a title contest has been interrupted since the first world title match between Steinitz and Zukertort in 1886 when the clock stopped on the third move of the eighth game and had to be replaced.
V Topalov - V Anand
Game 5 Slav Defence
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.Ne5 e6 7.f3 c5 8.e4 Bg6 9.Be3 cxd4 10.Qxd4 Qxd4 11.Bxd4 Nfd7 12.Nxd7 Nxd7 13.Bxc4 a6 14.Rc1 Rg8 15.h4 h5
(New, the h-pawn can be vulnerable to Nc3-e2-f4 but Anand had prepared for this. 15...h6 16.Ke2 Bd6 was game 3) 1
6.Ne2 Bd6 17.Be3 Ne5 18.Nf4 Rc8
(If 18...Nxc4 19.Rxc4 Black has to capture on f4.His bishop on g6 is very bad and Rc7 follows)
19.Bb3 Rxc1+ 20.Bxc1 Ke7 21.Ke2 Rc8 22.Bd2 f6!
(If 23.Nxe6 Bf7 24.Nd4 Bxb3 25.Nxb3 Rc2= or 23.Bxe6 Rc2 24.Rb1 Nc4 25.Bxc4 Bxf4! 26.Rd1 Bxd2 27.Bd3! =)
23.Nxg6+ Nxg6 24.g3 Ne5
(24...Bxg3?? 25.Rg1)
25.f4 Nc6 26.Bc3
(26.Be3 Na5 27.Bd1 Nc4 28.Bc1 Bb4! 29.b3? Nd6!)
26...Bb4 27.Bxb4+ Nxb4 28.Rd1 Nc6
(The knight matches the bishop here but h5 needs attention)
29.Rd2 g5 30.Kf2 g4
(Bold as the pawns could be vulnerable to the bishop on white squares but Black gains space)
31.Rc2 Rd8 32.Ke3 Rd6 33.Rc5 Nb4
(Threat Rd3+ if 33...e5 34.Bd5)
34.Rc7+ Kd8 35.Rc3 Ke7 36.e5 Rd7 37.exf6+ Kxf6 38.Ke2 Nc6 39.Ke1?!
(39.Bc2-e4)
39...Nd4 40.Bd1
(Black is better but Anand could not find a way to progress)
40...a5 41.Rc5 Nf5 42.Rc3 Nd4
(42...e5 43.fxe5+ Kxe5 44.Bc2=)
43.Rc5 Nf5 44.Rc3 draw
Viswanathan Anand
 | | | | | | | |
|  | |  | | | | |
| | | | |  | | |
| | | | |  | | |
 | | | | | | | |
| |  | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | |  |  | | | |
Veselin Topalov
Final position after 44.Rc3
Six new moves in six games from Anand. Topalov has been out-prepared but he defends well here.
V Anand - V Topalov
Game 6 Catalan Opening
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 dxc4 5.Bg2 a6 6.Ne5 c5 7.Na3 cxd4 8.Naxc4 Bc5 9.0-0 0-0 10.Bg5
(10.Bd2 was game 2)
10...h6 11.Bxf6 Qxf6 12.Nd3 Ba7 13.Qa4 Nc6
14.Rac1 e5 15.Bxc6
(Prepared at home and played quickly)
15...b5
(15...bxc6 16.Ncxe5 c5 17.Rc2 Bh3 18.Nd7 Bxd7 18.Qxd7 Black's pawns are weak and his bishop bad)
16.Qc2 Qxc6 17.Ncxe5 Qe4 18.Qc6
(With queens on White's king would be weak)
18...Bb7 19.Qxe4 Bxe4 20.Rc2 Rfe8
21.Rfc1 f6 22.Nd7 Bf5 23.N7c5 Bb6 24.Nb7 Bd7 25.Nf4 Rab8 26.Nd6 Re5
27.Nc8 Ba5 28.Nd3 Re8 29.Na7 Bb6 30.Nc6 Rb7!
(30...Bxc6 31.Rxc6 Rxe2 32.Kf1 Ree8 33.Rd6 Red8 34.Rxd8+ Rxd8 35.Rc6)
31.Ncb4 a5 32.Nd5 a4 33.Nxb6 Rxb6
(Topalov has engineered the exchange of his bad bishop. His other bishop is excellent)
34.Nc5 Bf5 35.Rd2 Rc6 36.b4 axb3 37.axb3 b4!
(Giving a pawn for activity)
38.Rxd4 Rxe2 39.Rxb4 Bh3 40.Rbc4 Rd6
(Black has good compensation but with a little care White draws)
41.Re4 Rb2 42.Ree1 Rdd2 43.Ne4 Rd4 44.Nc5 Rdd2 45.Ne4 Rd3 46.Rb1 Rdxb3 47.Nd2 Rb4 48.f3 g5 49.Rxb2 Rxb2 50.Rd1 Kf7 51.Kf2 h5 52.Ke3 Rc2 53.Ra1 Kg6 54.Ra6 Bf5 55.Rd6 Rc3+ 56.Kf2 Rc2 57.Ke3 Rc3+ 58.Kf2 Rc2 draw
Veselin Topalov
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | |  | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | |  | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Viswanathan Anand
Final position after 58...Rc2
